South Africa: Gauteng bolster fight against crime with 6000 young recruits The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) has welcomed some 6000 crime prevention wardens in an effort to augment crime fighting efforts made by SAPS and Metropolitan Police Departments. The 6000 recruits who are young people will undergo at least three months of training before being deployed to 361 wards in the province including townships, informal settlements and hostels. Addressing the young recruits, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi reminded them of the task at hand. We cant live in a country of lawlessness. We cant live in a country where people do crime easily. We cant live in a country where people kidnap anyone they want to at any time. We cant live in a country where people will put a shack or informal settlement anywhere [and] at any time. We cant live in a country where people will just steal pipes and all the valuables of society and we cant live in a society where women will be afraid to be women during the day and during the night. We have to stop it and you have the capability to go and stop it. You have that talent to go and stop it. You have the resources we are going to give you to go and stop it, he said. Once trained, the recruits will be responsible for, amongst others: Ensuring police visibility and timeous response to incidents at ward level. Gathering community intelligence for early warning by working with community structures. Tackling lawlessness through heightened enforcement. Working with government to prevent land invasion and illegal land occupation. Prevent incidents of damage to public infrastructure. Work with schools to provide necessary support and response. The premier told the 6000 young people that the GPG is placing its trust in them. People didnt believe that we have these young men and women that will be ready to respond to the call to fight crime. As you enter this space, young people, you must know that we riskedthe finances of government for you to be here. It must not be in vain. We had many choices. The first choice was to go to traffic police in all local municipalities and say please add this number. We also had a choice to go to the SAPS [South African Police Service]. But we had this vision that we need a force, we need a unit of young men and women who will have strict orders [to fight crime in wards], he said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2023-02-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Businesses should be development focus: PM Businesses should be made the centre of innovations and a development focus of the industry and trade sector, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said at a conference in Hanoi on February 3. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the event. (Photo: VNA) The event, held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), aimed to promote domestic production and consumption, and expand export markets in 2023. Noting challenges to the sector this year, the PM said they should be turned into opportunities, contributing to building an economy of independence, self-reliance, and intensive, extensive and effective international integration. The MoIT needs to coordinate with other ministries, agencies and localities to diversify markets, products and supply chains, while accelerating administrative reform, infrastructure construction and institutional building, and promoting the three growth engines of consumption, investment and export, he said. The leader also stressed the importance of digital transformation, green economy, circular economy and climate change response, and urged the ministry to quickly complete the four master plans on electricity, energy, minerals and oil and gas infrastructure. Solutions should be rolled out concertedly to recover and spur production, boost export, and strengthen external economic relations as well as bilateral and multilateral cooperation to maintain and expand markets, and maximise export potential, he continued. Market diversification is needed to offset difficulties in traditional markets such as the US, China, the EU, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and ASEAN, he explained, suggesting expansion to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, South America, South Asia and Africa. To stimulate the purchasing power at home, the PM urged the sector to launch more trade promotion programmes, and enhance goods distribution via digital platforms and e-commerce, with attention paid to rural and mountainous areas. The ministry was also asked to step up market management and the fight against smuggling and trade fraud, and take specific solutions to mobilise and bring into full play resources, especially those from different economic sectors. According to a report presented at the conference, last year, industrial production recovered in almost fields and localities, of which processing and manufacturing remained the main growth driver with a rate of 8.1%. Export-import also hit a new record of over 732.5 billion USD in revenue, representing a 10-fold rise year-on-year. Trade surplus has been maintained for seven consecutive years, reaching 11.2 billion USD in 2022. The total retail sales of goods and services increased by nearly 20%, exceeding the set target by 2.5 times. Notably, Vietnam has been among the top five countries worldwide for e-commerce growth. At the meeting, the sector proposed the Government continue with policies to boost production and business, attract more foreign investments, and soon build and approve national, regional, provincial and sectoral planning schemes, and further consolidate institutions relating to the sector./. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. On the morning of 3 February, an air-raid siren was announced throughout Ukraine for 1 hour and 40 minutes, while Russian MiG-31K jets were in the airspace of Belarus. Source: air-raid sirens map; Belaruski Hajun, an independent Belarusian military monitoring media outlet, on Telegram Details: At 10:030, sirens began to sound in the capital, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, and in a few minutes, the alert spread to the entire territory of the country. An air-raid alert indicates the threat of missile and air strikes. At that moment, people need to go to the shelter. Belaruski Hajun reported that a long-range radar surveillance aircraft and a MiG-31K fighter that can carry Kinzhal hypersonic missiles took off in Belarus. In particular, at 10:24, one MiG-31K of the Russian Aerospace Forces took off from the airfield in Machulishchi, and at 10:44, the second Russian MiG-31K. Updated: Later, Belaruski Hajun reported that the first MiG-31K landed in Machulishchi at 11:29. At 12:15, the air-raid siren began to be cancelled. The danger lasted more than 1 hour and 40 minutes. As of 12:18, the air-raid siren is sounding only in Kharkiv Oblast. Belaruski Hajun reported that at 12:19, the second MiG-31K of the Russian Air Force landed in Machulishchy (airbase). Background: On the afternoon of 2 February, Russia and Belarus announced the completion of "flight and tactical exercises of the Union State". However, in the evening, Ukraines General Staff reported that the Russians had not returned their aircraft to their permanent bases. Later, Belaruski Hajun reported that this may indicate that the Russian Federation has decided to strengthen its permanent air presence in Belarus. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! The air raid was sounded all throughout Ukraine due to a Russian aircraft takeoff in Belarus. It is the second takeoff that takes place on Friday, 3 February. Source: alerts.in.ua and Belaruski Hajun monitoring group Details: Hajun states that at 16:30, a MiG-31K aircraft of the Russian Air Forces took off from the Machulishchy airfield in Belarus. The aircraft may be carrying the Kinzhal supersonic missiles. The air raid siren sounded for about 40 minutes. On 3 February in the morning, the air raid sirens were sounded all throughout Ukraine for an hour and 40 minutes, while the Russian MiG-31K aircrafts were flying in the air space of Belarus. Background: On 2 February in the afternoon, Russia and Belarus announced the end of "flight tactical exercises of an Allied State [i.e., Russia and Belarus]". Yet the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in the evening that Russians had not moved their aircrafts to the places of permanent deployment. Later, Belaruski Hajun reported that this may indicate Russia's decision to strengthen its air presence in Belarus. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! If you want to know who really controls Air New Zealand Limited (NZSE:AIR), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. With 51% stake, sovereign wealth funds possess the maximum shares in the company. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk). Individual investors, on the other hand, account for 39% of the company's stockholders. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Air New Zealand. View our latest analysis for Air New Zealand What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Air New Zealand? Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices. Air New Zealand already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Air New Zealand's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story. Air New Zealand is not owned by hedge funds. New Zealand Superannuation Fund is currently the company's largest shareholder with 51% of shares outstanding. With such a huge stake in the ownership, we infer that they have significant control of the future of the company. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 1.5% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 1.5% by the third-largest shareholder. While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily. Story continues Insider Ownership Of Air New Zealand While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it. Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances. Our information suggests that Air New Zealand Limited insiders own under 1% of the company. It's a big company, so even a small proportional interest can create alignment between the board and shareholders. In this case insiders own NZ$17m worth of shares. It is always good to see at least some insider ownership, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling. General Public Ownership The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 39% stake in Air New Zealand. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies. Next Steps: I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Air New Zealand that you should be aware of before investing here. Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here The video at the top of the story will play a live stream of the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial or a replay of the Thursday, Feb. 2 proceedings upon completion. The Alex Murdaugh crime saga became more intriguing Thursday. South Carolina Circuit Judge Clifton Newman continues to hear arguments - with information that could win or lose this historic criminal case - over whether or not to admit evidence of alleged financial crimes and other "bad acts" as motive in the June 7, 2021 murders of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh. With the jury in waiting until the matter is decided, counsel for both sides made compelling arguments over whether or not Murdaugh's more than 100 other criminal charges - mainly stealing from law clients and other attorneys - as well as at least two of the dozen civil cases against him, are legally admissible under S.C. Rules of Evidence Rule 404(b) in this double murder trial in Colleton County. Witness testimony detailed how Murdaugh was confronted by his own law firm on the morning of the murders about missing legal fees, and was expected later that week to meet with opposing attorneys to discuss his financial matters as part of the 2019 Beach wrongful death suit. Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters painted Murdaugh as a desperate man looking to mask his malfeasance. Paul Murdaugh boat crash:What we know and why it's being discussed in Alex Murdaugh trial "On June 7, 2021, he is out of options," said Waters during the in-camera hearing, with no jury present. "For the jury to understand that, they have to understand what he was doing, and what he was trying to hide." "When the hounds are at the door, when Hannibal is at the gates for Alex Murdaugh, violence happens," he added. "They really need to understand what this man was hiding. He was hiding something like we've never seen before." Alex Murdaugh murder trial:Meet the SC lawyers, judge that will be in the spotlight Arguably, Murdaugh attorney Jim Griffin makes one of his most compelling arguments of the trial to date, citing the history of "trust and brotherhood" at Murdaugh's law firm that enabled him to pay back money he had misappropriated or misspent in the past. Story continues While the state has claimed that Murdaugh killed his family to gain sympathy and distract from his crimes, Griffin pointed out that the troubled former attorney's father was on his death bed, and that achieved the same goal without violence. He also pointed out that the murders of Paul and Magge were detrimental for Murdaugh - putting him in a "bullseye circle" as the prime suspect and hurting him financially by delaying refinancing of his Edisto beach house and adding a loan on his Moselle property. "How murdering Maggie Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh eased his financial stress - it doesn't," stated Griffin. "It's just a theory, no facts. There is no logical connection whatsoever." Griffin also objected to entering the financial crime evidence on the grounds that it would lengthen an already lengthy trial, which is expected to last at least until Feb. 10. To date, the state has only called 21 witnesses (before the jury) from a potential witness list of 255 witnesses, with new witnesses being added as the trial progresses. "We're going to be here until the end of February, into March," he added. Jan 31, 2023; Walterboro, SC, USA; Judge Clifton Newman listens in the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. Mandatory Credit: Andrew J. Whitaker/Pool via USA TODAY NETWORK Newman, while not ruling on the matter, indicated that he would be in favor of allowing the evidence if the state could prove it was within the scope of the law. "Evidence of other crimes can be used to show motive, intent, common schemes and plans," said Newman. "I find that it is admissible provided the proper scrutiny is done... " Looking ahead to Friday's proceedings in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial Newman will give the matter further scrutiny Friday morning, with another in-camera hearing at 9:30, before bringing the jury in at 11:30. Possibly testifying Friday morning are more PMPED employees or partners to testify about confronting Murdaugh on missing fees, as well as employees of Palmetto State Bank in Hampton to testify about his desperate financial condition at the time of the murders. Allendale attorney Mark Tinsley is expected to testify Monday in a sans-jury hearing about the pressure the boat crash wrongful death suit put on Murdaugh. The state on Friday is also expected to introduce evidence of Murdaugh's own admissions of guilt, including a $4.3 million confession of judgement in the Gloria Satterfield Estate case and possibly a visit from a representative of the S.C. Supreme Court, which disbarred him in July 2022. Jan 31, 2023; Walterboro, SC, USA; A full courtroom is seen in the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. Mandatory Credit: Andrew J. Whitaker/Pool via USA TODAY NETWORK Alex Murdaugh's betrayed boyhood friend makes emotional testimony During the financial evidence hearing, the state called Chris Wilson, a Bamberg attorney who had been close friends with Murdaugh since high school, to testify about missing legal fees which Murdaugh allegedly stole that led to his June 7 confrontation with PMPED CFO Jeannie Seckinger. Murdaugh and Wilson had worked together in a products liability suit, and Murdaugh allegedly misappropriated $792,000 in legal fees that were supposed to be paid from Wilson's firm to PMPED, then borrowed the money after the killings to replace most of what he had allegedly taken. It was obvious that Wilson felt betrayed by Murdaugh. "He was one of my best friends, and I thought that he felt that way about me," Wilson said, his voice thick with emotion. "Feel that way now?" asked Waters. "I don't know how I feel, Mr. Waters," he responded, as Murdaugh hung his head and wiped tears. Other Murdaugh murder trial highlights Thursday Michael Gunn, of Forge Consulting, testified that checks to Murdaugh's fake Forge account at Bank of America were not legitimate. 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office Investigator Dylan Hightower testified about locating and recovering Maggie's phone a half mile from the murder scene, and SLED Senior Special Agent Katie McCallister testified about searching the Moselle residence for weapons and blood evidence. Heidi Galore, records custodian at Snap, Inc., testified about Paul's snapchat video uploaded around 7:39 p.m. that shows Murdaugh wearing different clothes from what he was seen in by responding officers. A 10th grade journalism class from Colleton Prep Academy was present Thursday morning as an educational field trip. The school expects to send three more classes later in the trial. Thursday a.m. updates in Colleton County court A host of key witnesses offering what could be damning evidence are prepared to testify against accused family killer and disbarred lawyer Richard "Alex" Murdaugh - but only if Judge Clifton Newman decides that evidence of other crimes or "bad acts" is admissible in the double murder trial. Attorneys for Murdaugh, who is charged with the June 7, 2021, killings of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, have filed motions to exclude evidence of Murdaugh more than 100 other alleged crimes, as well as any evidence or testimony related to a 2019 fatal boat crash involving Paul in which Murdaugh was sued. What's happening?:What's happening in the Alex Murdaugh trial? Snapchat video, testimony, witnesses, more Jan 31, 2023; Walterboro, SC, USA; Prosecutor Creighton Waters (left) talks with David Fernandez with the S.C. Attorney Generals office in the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. Mandatory Credit: Andrew J. Whitaker/Pool via USA TODAY NETWORK Judge Clifton Newman's ruling on boat crash testimony But Judge Newman ruled early Thursday morning that boat crash matters and character testimony would be allowed because Murdaugh attorney Jim Griffin "opened the door" to those matters during Wednesday afternoon's cross examination of two witnesses, Paul's friends Rogan Gibson and Will Loving. "You have opened the door for the state to respond by asking questions," Newman told Griffin Thursday. "That opened the door for the state to address the issue." But Newman has fully ruled on the issue of allowing financial crimes evidence under S.C. Rules of Evidence Rule 404(b). Newman sent the jury from the room early Thursday and conducted a 404(b) hearing to begin that determination. 'I can't wait for this to be over':Walterboro restaurants, food trucks serve influx of visitors Jeannie Seckinger CFO of Murdaugh's family law firm takes the stand During that hearing, lead prosecutor Creighton Waters called Jeannie Seckinger, the CFO of Murdaugh's family law firm in Hampton, PMPED (now called Parker Law Group), to testify. Seckinger testified that she had confronted Murdaugh on June 7, 2021 - the day of the murders - about missing legal fees. She also testified that Murdaugh told her he was working to prepare "financials" for a hearing that Thursday in the boat crash wrongful death suit filed the mother of Mallory Beach, who died in that crash. The state has filed documents alleging that Murdaugh was under pressure that day, because of the confrontation with Seckinger at PMPED, and because of the boat case, and that his motive for murder was to distract PMPED from his alleged wrongdoing, gain sympathy, and buy some time to cover his tracks. Seckinger also testified at length about numerous accounts in which Murdaugh allegedly took money. When Waters asked her if Murdaugh misappropriated that money or paid the clients, she corrected him by saying, "stole." The law firm ultimately had to pay back every stolen dollar, she said. She also testified that Murdaugh was trying to restructure attorney fees and put money in his wife's name to hide from the boat crash case, which PMPED objected to. "... that would be wrong, and we didn't want any part of that," she said. When Seckinger confronted Murdaugh, he gave her a "dirty" and frustrated look, and said, "What do you want now?" she recalled. "I am doing my job" and need proof, she responded. After the murders, said Seckinger, Murdaugh was "distraught and nobody wanted to harass him about it (the missing legal fees)." Once Newman sets the rules on the admissibility of the financial matters, the state is prepared to call Annette Griswald, Murdaugh's paralegal who first brought his crimes to Seckinger's attention, representatives from the S.C. Supreme Court and Palmetto State Bank, and several attorneys, to support their case. When court resumes around 2:15, it is unclear if Newman will rule immediately, or hear further discussion, or if the state will call alternate witnesses pending his decision. Looking back at Wednesday's proceedings in the Alex Murdaugh murder trial New evidence and testimony offered Wednesday shocked the Murdaugh family members in attendance, and poked large, damning holes in Alex Murdaugh's alibi and statements to police about his whereabouts on the night of June 7, 2021, when Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were killed. Earlier in the day, the state offered into evidence a cell phone video taken around 8:40 on Paul Murdaugh's phone. In the video are images of a dog, and three voices. Paul's best friend, Rogan Gibson, took the stand and testified that he was "100 percent sure" that the voices belonged to Paul, Maggie and Alex Murdaugh on the night of the killings. He had previously identified the voices during a SLED interview in November of 2022. "Did you recognize the voices of your 'second family', Paul, Maggie and Alex Murdaugh?" asked Creighton Waters, lead prosecutor for the S.C. Attorney General's Office. Gibson responded, "I'm positive." Earlier, prosecutors had offered evidence and testimony indicating that Paul and Maggie's cell phones had stopped all "meaningful activity" around 8:49 p.m., indicating they believe that's when they were shot and killed. This video evidence puts Murdaugh in a place he says he never was, at a time he said he wasn't present, on the night of the murders. Murdaugh had told 911 operators and SLED investigators previously that the last time he had seen his wife was roughly two hours before the killings, and on Nov. 14, 2022, his attorneys filed a "motion of alibi defense" claiming that he "was not present at the time" of the killings. Follow Michael DeWitt's Twitter feed for Murdaugh trial updates A Twitter List by SEDOT_J_Orlando This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Alex Murdaugh murder trial: Judge Newman ruling, Seckinger tetimony A 19-year-old Bloomfield man who allegedly entered Montville High School without authorization and then claimed to be a student told police that he wanted to "feel normal" and have a "true high school experience," prosecutors said Friday. Charles Banaciski III entered the school around 6:30 a.m. Thursday morning, wandered its halls for about 30 minutes while taking photos and videos and then fled after a teacher confronted him, authorities said. The intrusion triggered a 2-hour shelter-in-place at the school once students and teachers arrived, as police checked the building for safety. Banaciski was arrested later in the day at his father's home. During an online court hearing Friday, prosecutors said Banaciski took pictures in the cafeteria, bathrooms, lockers and teacher's lounge before he was stopped by the teacher. Montville High School, where a 19-year-old man allegedly spent a half-hour Wednesday morning wandering through the hallways while claiming to be a student. Questioned about his motives, Banaciski told police he wanted to go to a high school since he had never had such an experience himself, Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Kelly said. Brittany Calzone, the Bloomfield man's defense attorney, said her client was raised by his grandmother, who had taken him out of high school before he was able to graduate. The intrusion followed just days after a 29-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly posing as a student at New Brunswick High School. Hyejeong Shin spent four days at the school, befriending students and asking them to meet with her off campus, police said. A motive hasn't been revealed so far. Judge questions security at Montville High During Friday's hearing, Municipal Court Judge James Sloan questioned why the doors of the school were unlocked at 6:30, stating that it was "disturbing" Banaciski was able to enter the school. The school may need to reassess security measures, he said. In an emailed statement on Friday, Montville Superintendent Thomas Gorman said there were "measures in place to ensure the safety of the students and staff. The immediacy to which this individual was found speaks to this. Security is a top priority. The procedures are drilled monthly and reinforced daily." Story continues Gorman emphasized that the intruder entered and exited the building before the start of the school day and "minutes before" a Special Law Enforcement Officer was due to arrive on campus. The email did not explain, however, how Banaciski was able to get inside. "The SLEO was alerted and law enforcement was brought in quickly," Gorman continued. "The district has a meeting with the police next week to discuss this incident and what could be handled differently in the future. It is unfortunate that we live in a time that we need to be on high alert but I am proud of how the students, staff, and police handled the situation." Alleged intruder released Sloan agreed to release Banaciski from the Morris County jail pending future court hearings under the condition he avoid contact with any schools and abstain from alcohol and drugs. He was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and to abide by a 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. curfew, set to allow him to continue working as a DoorDash delivery driver. He was charged with unlicensed entry into a structure, a fourth-degree crime, according to a statement by the prosecutor's Office and Montville Police Chief Andrew Caggiano. Caggiano said the student body was ordered to shelter-in-place "as a precaution" until the building was cleared by the Morris County Sheriffs Office K-9 Unit. "There was no threat to students or staff," he said. Gimme Shelter: Need help in North Jersey during bitter cold this weekend? Here's how to find shelter County Prosecutor Robert Carroll praised the responding officers and especially the school employee "who followed their gut instinct and questioned the suspicious individual." "This swift arrest is the result of attentive staff and a rapid report to law enforcement," he said. "May this incident be a reminder to the public that to keep our schools as secure as they can be, law enforcement also needs the assistance of vigilant members of the community. It is critical for the public to report any and all suspicious activity. Authorities seek information Authorities asked anyone with more information about the Montville incident to call the township police department at 973-257-4300, the Morris County Prosecutors Office at 973-285-6300 or Morris County Crime Stoppers at 800-743-7433. Reports to Crime Stoppers may remain anonymous. Prosecutors sought to keep Banaciski on home detention with an electronic monitor, but the request was denied by Judge Sloan, who pointed to Banaciski's lack of a prior criminal record. Guns that were found in a locker in Banaciski's father's home were seized as part of the investigation, but prosecutors said the firearms were not involved in the trip to Montville High. Correction: A previous version of this story referred incorrectly to Montville High School's response to the unauthorized entry. The school instructed students and teachers to shelter in place but did not order a lockdown. William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com Twitter: @wwesthoven This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Montville NJ High School intruder charged after claiming to be student Humanitarian worker and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Pete Reed was killed while aiding civilians in Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Thursday, according to his family and two medical aid groups he worked with. Reed, who served two deployments as a Marine rifleman in Afghanistan, founded the nonprofit Global Response Medicine in 2017. In a statement, the organization said, "Pete was the bedrock of GRM, serving as Board President for 4 years. In January, Pete stepped away from GRM to work with Global Outreach Doctors on their Ukraine mission and was killed while rendering aid." Yesterday, GRM founder Pete Reed was killed in Bakhmut, Ukraine. Pete was the bedrock of GRM, serving as Board President for 4 years. In January, Pete stepped away from GRM to work with Global Outreach Doctors on their Ukraine mission and was killed while rendering aid. #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/Tpwyou1LmM Global Response Medicine (@GRM_Global) February 3, 2023 Andrew Lustig, the founder and president of Global Outreach Doctors USA, said Reed was working with them as the country director for Ukraine. "Pete was actively aiding in the evacuation of Ukrainian civilians when his evacuation vehicle was hit with a reported missile in Bakhmut, Ukraine on Feb 2, 2023," Lustig said in a statement. "...Pete's death underscores the devastation war has on innocent civilians, and highlights the importance of humanitarian and medical aid for affected communities. GoDocs is committed to carrying out this work around the world in honor of Pete." The city of Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine, has been the focus of intense fighting in recent weeks. "He was evacuating citizens and responding to those wounded when his ambulance was shelled," his wife Alex Kay Potter said in a Facebook post. Story continues Potter spoke with CBS News correspondent Debora Patta by phone as she was en route to Poland to begin the painful task of bringing her husband's body back home. "Through a year of Mosul, time in Yemen, he's always kept everybody else around him safe," Potter said. "I heard from someone that he was protecting someone else with his body when he died." "He just loved everybody so well," she said. "He was really special." Reed, 33, started his paramedic career after Hurricane Sandy hit his home state of New Jersey, Global Response Medicine said on its website. It said he also went to Northern Iraq, where he led medical teams with the Kurdish Peshmerga, and then with the Iraqi Special Forces for the duration of the battle for Mosul. "This is a stark reminder of the perils rescue and aid workers face in conflict zones as they serve citizens caught in the crossfire," GRM Deputy Director Andrea Leiner said in a statement. Pete Reed assists wounded in Mosul, Iraq. / Credit: Global Response Medicine Reed is the latest American to die in Ukraine since Russia launched its offensive nearly one year ago. Just last month, Daniel W. Swift, a Navy SEAL who was reported absent without leave, was killed in Ukraine, officials confirmed to CBS News. At least eight other Americans have been killed in Ukraine since the invasion began. The U.S. State Department has long discouraged Americans from going to fight for Ukraine. "U.S. citizens who travel to Ukraine especially with the purpose of participating in fighting there they face significant risks, including the very real risk of capture or death," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said last March. U.S. shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon off South Carolina coast Say She She performs "Blow My Mind" Say She She performs "Norma" (GRM) An American medic has been killed in Ukraine while evacuating citizens in the war-torn country, the humanitarian organisation he founded has confirmed. Pete Reed, who was a US military veteran, was killed on Thursday while working in Bakhmut, Ukraine, according to Global Response Medicine. Yesterday, GRM founder Pete Reed was killed in Bakhmut, Ukraine. Pete was the bedrock of GRM, serving as Board President for 4 years. In January, Pete stepped away from GRM to work with Global Outreach Doctors on their Ukraine mission and was killed while rendering aid, GRM confirmed on Twitter. Friends of Reed took to Twitter to remember him after news of his death became public. Pete Reed, a volunteer medic, was killed by shelling in Bakhmut, Ukraine yesterday while trying to evacuate civilians. One of the most selfless people Ive ever met. Rest in peace, brother, tweeted @CengizYar. And @SangarKhaleel added: Pete Reed, an American medic and a very good friend was killed yesterday in Ukraine. Pete saved hundreds of lives in Mosul. I cant believe hes gone such a tragedy. Reed formed the NGO along with Derek Coleman in 2017 to serve the worlds most vulnerable people in the midst of conflict, war, or disaster. Today, Global Response Medicine (GRM) is an agile medical force working throughout the world. We are a dedicated team of veterans; EMS, fire, and wilderness personnel; healthcare providers and medical academics; humanitarians and logistics specialists; volunteers and donorswere all focused on a singular mission: save lives. Amit Shah plays pharmacist Faisal in the third series of Happy Valley. (BBC) Happy Valley star Amit Shah has said the hit show is like "torture" for viewers because it can't be binged. The gritty crime drama about police officer Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) and criminal Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) is coming to an end and fans are desperate to see what happens in the finale, which has been kept firmly under wraps. Tension has been building throughout the gripping series and Shah - who plays pharmacist Faisal Bhatti - praised the BBC for unveiling the episodes week by week instead of all at once. Read more: Everything we know about the Happy Valley finale Appearing on ITV's Lorraine, he said: "The show is a bit like torture. Catherine Cawood is facing a final battle with Tommy Lee Royce. (BBC) "People get very very stressed when watching it and credit to the BBC, they have done this traditional format of just releasing one episode a week, so you have got a whole week to start talking and debating about what's happening and come up with theories." "You can't binge it," he added. The actor, 41, also revealed that he'd had a few doubts about signing up for the part at first. "When I first read it I resisted going in for the audition," Shah told host Lorraine Kelly. "I was terrified. "I didn't want to do the accent, I was terrified about how complicated this character was and the size of the show." The actor said that he hadn't watched the series at that point so his agent told him to go home and watch an episode. James Norton as Tommy Lee Royce. (BBC) "Twelve hours and I had binged one and two," he said. Read more: How will Happy Valley end? All the fan theories Happy Valley's finale is set to air on Sunday (5 February) at 9pm on BBC One. Watch: Happy Valley releases trailer for explosive last battle between Catherine and Tommy The world economic scene, and the geopolitical factors that go along with it, is presenting a bumpy road for market investors to navigate. Those bumps have been wide-spread through the global economy. The combination of headwinds and opportunities, however, should open new vistas for investors. Hydrocarbon energy sources, mainly crude oil and natural gas, remain the mainstay of our economy despite a major push to increase the proportion of wind and solar power. At the same time, Russias war in Ukraine is crimping supplies, especially of natural gas. The key for investors success will be finding companies and stocks involved in boosting hydrocarbon production a necessity for the industry, as it works to maintain stable and reliable power and fuel supplies. Well turn our attention to a pair of under-the-radar energy stocks, companies that have not picked up much attention from the Street but both boast Buy ratings and upside potential of 40%, or more, going forward. Here are the details. KLX Energy Services Holdings (KLXE) The first stock well look at is a small-cap oilfield services provider, providing mission-critical support services in the US onshore hydrocarbon sector. KLXs services include completion, intervention, and production activities, enabling efficient activity at the most technically demanding wells. KLX operates in some of the richest oil and gas regions in the US, including the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale of Texas; the Bakken, Williston, DJ, and Uinta formations of the Rocky Mountains; the Marcellus and Utica shale formations of the Appalachians; and the Stack and Scoop formations in the Mid-Continent area. The company has a total of 35 service facilities. The energy industry is known for dripping cash, and KLX has seen its revenues increase steadily. The company will report its 4Q22 and 2022 full year numbers in March, but in the last reported quarter, 3Q22, KLX showed a top line of $221.6 million, for a 20% sequential gain and an even more impressive 59% year-over-year gain. At the bottom line, the net income per common share came in at 96 cents, a solid gain and a favorable comparison to the steep net losses of previous quarters. 3Q22 marked a shift for KLX, from net losses to profitability; Q2 saw a diluted EPS loss of 67 cents, and 3Q21 an EPS loss of $2.08. At the end of Q3, KLX reported $41.4 million in net cash holdings, compared to $28 million at the end of 2021. Story continues This companys strong position reflects a combination of factors that have supported the energy industry in the past year, even as economic headwinds have mounted. Prominent among those factors are continued strong demand and pricing power. That forms the background for the comments by EF Hutton analyst Ignacio Bernaldez, who says of this company: We remind investors that KLXs management has a demonstrated history of strong capital allocation, successful acquisitions (the KLXE and QES merger for example), and strong exposure to all major US basins. Additionally, we look favorably on KLXEs ongoing pricing power. Gross margins have expanded from 11.4% in the 1Q22 to 23.8% in 3Q22. Management has taken a proactive approach to gross margin expansion as demonstrated by consolidation of weaker business lines, strong technical experience, and product diversification... Bernaldez goes on to add, We reiterate our belief that KLXE is well-positioned to generate improving free cash flow given sector tailwinds, margin expansion, and tightening capital spend. This improved cash position will de-lever the company and should further unlock equity value. To this end, the analyst gives KLXE shares a Buy rating, with a price target of $30 to imply a one-year gain of 115% for the stock. (To watch Bernaldezs track record, click here) Small-cap oilfield services providers dont always get a lot of analyst attention. There are only two analyst reviews on file here, and they include 1 Buy and Hold, each, all coalescing to a Moderate Buy consensus rating. KLX shares are priced at $13.95, with an average price target of $24.50 indicating a runway toward ~76% upside for the next 12 months. (See KLXE stock forecast) Vitesse Energy, Inc. (VTS) Next up is Vitesse Energy, a non-operator that owns financial interests in producing US oil and gas wells, which are drilled by leading operator firms in the US hydrocarbon industry. Vitesse focuses on driving shareholder returns, leveraging data, tech, and experience to evaluate, acquire, and integrate its revenue-generating asset portfolio. The company was established in 2013, and since then it has increased its holdings to more than 50,000 net acres with more than 6,000 gross producing wells. Vitesse started as a private equity firm, based on diversified investment holdings, which are researched and evaluated in-depth before their acquisition. Vitesse works to manage its capital investments to advantage, and has seen its equity investment increase from the original $50 million to more than $500 million, with returns to shareholders totaling more than $124 million. Vitesse spun off from its main shareholder, Jefferies Financial Group, and became a publicly traded company as of January 17 of this year. The completion of the spin-off has put the company in the public eye, although it will take time for interest to build up. In the meantime, Vitesse has picked up its first stock review, from Northland analyst Donovan Schafer, who writes: It is our view that VTS is undervalued vs. intrinsic value post-spin from Jefferies. VTS is trading at $16 vs. our valuation of $23 based on modest assumptions. We believe the low price is due to selling from Jefferies investors that had no interest in owning a non-op oil and gas co like VTS after receiving the shares as a dividend from Jefferies. We expect VTS to reach $20 and more once the initial churn subsides. Schafer's $23 price target implies 41% potential upside for Vitesse Energy shares, and fully supports his Outperform (i.e. Buy) rating. (To watch Schafers track record, click here) Some stocks fly under the radar, and VTS is one of those. As mentioned above, Schafer's is the only recent analyst review of this company, but it is decidedly positive. (See VTS stock forecast) To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment. One of about 100 environmentalists taking part in a demonstration in front of the Sempra Energy building in downtown San Diego last May protesting the company's fossil fuel businesses. (Rob Nikolewski / San Diego Union-Tribune) About a dozen enraged Californians voiced their anger and frustration over high gas bills during a hearing this week of the California Public Utilities Commission. Several Southern California residents complained Thursday to the agency that oversees the state's public utilities about the monopoly power of Southern California Gas Co. and San Diego Gas & Electric, which service some 25 million customers in the region. The companies have blamed volatility in the wholesale price of natural gas for the higher rates that are passed on to consumers. But the higher rates follow recent increases in pay for the company's top executives. According to 2022 filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Sempra Energy the parent company of SoCalGas and SDG&E rewarded its executives handsomely. Though net income was down in 2021, Chief Executive Jeffrey W. Martin made nearly $25 million in total compensation that year, up from $23 million in 2020 and $20 million in 2019. Chief Financial Officer Trevor I. Mihalik was paid more than $7 million in 2021, and Group President Kevin C. Sagara made more than $8 million, both up from the prior year. The deadline for publicly traded companies to file compensation numbers for 2022 is May 1, and the information won't be made public until later this year. Sempra's leaders are far from the only executives in corporate America to see compensation increases as consumers pay more for products or services or endure the layoffs and furloughs inflicted by the pandemic. While executive compensation rose, the company had net income of $1.34 billion in 2021, down from $4.17 billion in 2020 and $1.86 billion in 2019, according to another SEC filing. The compensation increases did not end there. Martin, Mihalik and Sagara have also accumulated pension benefits through the company's Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan totaling nearly $60 million. In all, the company's obligations to the three executives at the end of 2021 totaled about $100 million. Story continues If that sounds like a big number, it is. That would be enough to pay the climate credit rebate about $50 for 2 million households, or about a third of the company's natural gas meters in Southern California. Put differently, that could cover a $500 rebate for 200,000 households struggling with the higher cost of gas. If the company's $1.34 billion in net profit were distributed as well, nearly 3 million households would each get a $500 rebate. Gas bills are expected to begin dropping soon, as SoCalGas recently announced a 68% decrease in prices for February versus January. Prices will still be significantly higher than they were a year ago. In response to questions about compensation, a Sempra spokesperson said in a written statement that shareholders, not ratepayers, pay the executives. Executive pay is "determined by criteria listed in public filings which include factors like public safety, employee safety and reliability," they said. "We encourage consumers who are struggling to contact their local utility to discuss solutions," the statement concluded. The company declined to say whether executives would be taking a pay cut this year in light of customer hardships brought about by higher rates. Although the commission voted unanimously to expedite the payment of an annual $50.77 credit to SoCalGas customers and a $43.40 credit to SDG&E customers, that didn't appease one frustrated caller. "It's 61 degrees in my Los Angeles apartment," the woman complained to the CPUC. Referencing the commission members and the gas executives, she added: "I'm sure you all are comfortable." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. (Getty Images) Apples results have fallen amid difficulties making and buying the newest iPhone. The company said that its revenues had fallen in large part as a result of problems producing the iPhone Pro and Pro Max. It had already warned that the production issues related to Covid shutdowns in China were likely to hit sales. And customers eager to buy phones have seen them cause issues actually getting hold of them, with deliveries sometimes taking weeks. But Apple says those issues are now behind them and that production has returned to normal. While striking an optimistic tone on sales of services and iPhones, chief Tim Cook did say however that an uncertain economy is expected to hurt categories like gaming and digital advertising. Overall, Apples leaders tried to reassure investors that despite the firm being buffeted by up-and-down sales cycles for its flagship device and vulnerable to supply chain shocks, the worlds largest listed company remains on a steady - if somewhat slower - rise. And in the immediate aftermath of some of the companys worst financial results in years, at least some investors seemed to give Cook the benefit of the doubt, imposing only modest share price declines. For the just-ended quarter, Apples profits missed Wall Street expectations for the first time since 2016, dragged down by iPhone sales falling for the first time since 2020. The stock was down about 2% after Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri said that iPhone sales were likely to improve compared with the quarter ended Dec. 31. That did not quite erase a 3.7% gain during regular trade. Amazon.com and Alphabet also fell about 4% after reporting results. They also had gained during regular trade. SALES, PROFITS MISS EXPECTATIONS Apple sales fell 5% to $117.2 billion and were down in every part of the world in the quarter. Sales from each product category dropped, except for gains in services and iPads. Earnings per share were $1.88. Story continues Analysts had expected sales of $121.1 billion and profits of $1.94 per share, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. In an interview, Cook told Reuters that the production disruptions that plagued Apples key quarter were now over. Production is now back where we want it to be, he said. During its fiscal first quarter ended Dec. 31, Apple faced a wave of challenges that left Wall Street expecting lower sales. Chief among those were supply chain pressures when COVID lockdowns at a production facility in Zhengzhou, China, slowed production of iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max devices, both premium priced models that would traditionally help drive Apples margins higher. Cook said the lockdowns in China created a dual challenge where both supply and demand were constrained, with greater China sales falling 7% to $23.9 billion. But product snags are behind Apple now. They still feel demand will be soft, but theyve rectified production, which means that if demand does go up unexpectedly, they can ramp to meet it, said Ben Bajarin of analyst firm Creative Strategies. Additional reporting by Reuters An Athens man was convicted on Friday in a vicious assault of a University of Georgia student. The attack on the woman, who was then 19, occurred early on Sept. 18, 2021, inside the North Campus Parking Deck off South Thomas Street, where she was beaten then body slammed so hard it knocked her unconscious. The defendant, 25-year-old Tritavious Malik Harris, faced a dozen charges as a result of the assault. The Clarke County Superior Court jury convicted him of the felony crimes of attempted rape, aggravated assault, robbery, and aggravated battery. Additionally, the jury convicted him of six misdemeanor counts ranging from simple assault to theft. Superior Court Judge Lisa Lott is expected to sentence Harris next week. He faces a substantial time in prison. During the trial, which went to the jury late Thursday, prosecutors stipulated that Harris does not have a prior criminal history. Background:UGA police arrest Athens man suspected in attack of woman on campus UGA assault:Judge sets March trial date for former UGA football player charged with sexual assault Harris did not testify at trial, but when questioned two days after the assault by detectives with the UGA Police Department, he placed himself at the crime scene and admitted assaulting the woman. However, he denied in the same interrogation that he had any sexual intent, instead saying he was looking for money or jewelry when he was observed on video rummaging her unconscious body. Western Circuit Assistant District Attorney Eric Whitmore argued the evidence shows Harris was a predator who followed his victim to the dark location. The assault resulted in the young woman having a brain concussion, a broken collar bone, bruises and skin scrapes, according to the state's case. The crime not only has an impact on the victim, but on the community, Whitmore told the jurors. That which you condone, you promote, he said as he urged the jury not to condone Harris' actions. Story continues Assistant Public Defender Rachel Williams argued to the jury that the state overcharged Harris out of fear and anger and that state prosecutors were asking them to make assumptions on the evidence. She argued ardently against the sexual assault charges and the jury did acquit Harris on charges of attempted aggravated sodomy, kidnapping and one count of sexual battery. The case was investigated by UGA police, who provided downtown surveillance videos showing a man following the student from Broad Street to the parking deck. The attack was recorded on video through a glass partition in the stairwell portion of the parking deck. After punching the woman, the video shows the man pick her up and body slam her violently on the concrete walkway, which rendered her unconscious. He then drags the teen's body and pulls down her pants as she lay face down. However, the video shows that the assailant apparently sees someone approaching and leaves. The video shows two college-age men walk pass and glance at her body as they leave up a flight of steps. Whitmore described the pair as two callous passersby, due to the fact they never tried to render aid, but he said their appearance that night did interrupt the attack and what might have followed. UGA Police Cpl. John Morris testified he was was on patrol when he observed something at the parking deck that he first thought was a bag of garbage. However, upon stopping he found the unconscious student. UGA Police Det. Keondra Jackson questioned Harris, following his capture two days later in Jefferson. Harris admitted during the recorded interview that upon confronting the victim, she pushed him and it escalated into an altercation. He also told the officer he was intoxicated. The victim, who remains enrolled at UGA, testified she has bits and pieces of memory of that evening. I sensed I was being followed, she testified about that night when she had been to a bar with friends. The woman also testified she could identify her assailant. When asked to do so, she pointed toward the defense table at Harris. This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Athens man convicted in jury trial of attacking UGA student on campus The California Attorney Generals Office on Friday dismissed nearly all the charges against Tianna Arata and six other Black Lives Matter protesters in connection with a 2020 rally that saw protesters march onto Highway 101 and clash with motorists. One defendant was dismissed altogether during Fridays hearing in San Luis Obispo Superior Court. Arata, Robert Lastra, Samuel Grocott, Jerad Hill, Marcus Montgomery, Amman Asfaw and Joshua Powell were all charged with multiple crimes following the July 21, 2020, protest in San Luis Obispo. Arata faced a total of 13 misdemeanors related to the protest including counts of false imprisonment, obstructing a public thoroughfare and resisting arrest. San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Matthew Guerrero kicked the San Luis Obispo County District Attorneys Office off the case in December 2020 after he found that a campaign email sent by District Attorney Dan Dows wife asking for donations to help him lead the fight against the wacky defund the police movement was a clear conflict of interest. The email was sent in September 2020, following nationwide protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin that May. Black Lives Matter activist Tianna Arata, right, appears in San Luis Obispo Superior Court with one of her attorneys, Patrick Fisher, on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. Dow appealed the decision twice once to the California Court of Appeal, which agreed with Guerrero, and again to the California Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case. The California Attorney Generals Office is now prosecuting the case. In our independent prosecutorial discretion, the people will be making a number of amendments to the complaints, California Deputy Attorney General William Frank said in court Friday. The dropped and modified charges brought solace to many of the defendants, Brian Ford, Lastras attorney, told The Tribune. Its a huge relief to finally see some progress in the case, Ford said. The appellate process was a very long delay, and we always felt that the issue was very clear from the start. We felt the Judge Guerrero ruled very correctly from the start. Story continues The case garnered widespread publicity at the time, with Arata appearing on multiple national news and talk shows. Tianna Arata speaks to protesters blocking traffic on Highway 101 during the July 21, 2020, protest. Charges against BLM protestors dismissed, reduced All but one of Aratas charges were dismissed in court Friday morning. She now faces one count of misdemeanor obstructing a thoroughfare. On Friday, the Attorney Generals Office also adjusted the charges faced by Aratas co-defendants. Montgomery and Asfaw now face misdemeanor charges of obstructing a thoroughfare. Montgomery and Powell face charges of resisting a peace officer, and Hill is charged with misdemeanor vandalism. Lastra, who was previously charged with felony vandalism, had his charge reduced to a misdemeanor. He is alleged to have broken the back windshield of a BMW after it ran over Grocott. A charge of misdemeanor false imprisonment was dismissed. The case against Grocott, who was facing three misdemeanor charges of false imprisonment, was dismissed in its entirety. Protest organizer Tianna Arata holds a flag during the No Justice No Peace protest, which began at Mitchell Park in San Luis Obispo on July 21, 2020. Attorney: SLO County DA engaged in political prosecution Several of the lawyers representing the protesters said they feel the remaining charges are fair, with Asfaws lawyer and Montgomerys lawyer planning to file motions regarding their clients. The biggest takeaway is just the fact that another prosecutor took a look at the same evidence in this case and came up with drastically different charging decisions, Ford said. (It) says everything about what started this case. Ford said Dows office engaged in political prosecution to appeal to the far-right, anti-Black Lives Matter, pro-police, pro-thin blue line mentality that really is out of vogue and needs to change because it leads to innocent people being killed, leads to corruption of power and leads to an abuse of the judicial process. Curtis Briggs, Aratas attorney, told The Tribune the amended charges were a victory, and a result of an unbiased process by the Attorney Generals Office. He said he believes a majority of charges will be settled in diversion, which would wipe the charges from the defendants criminal records. Tianna Arata speaks to demonstrators supporting her and others outside the San Luis Obispo Superior Courthouse on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. Briggs said Dows charging decisions were an abuse of authority and alleged Dow prosecuted the protesters for financial gain. The defense attorney said Dow has wasted hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars in trying to act like he was doing his job and now the cover has been pulled off. This was always a political prosecution, Briggs said. Dan Dows office was completely out of line the entire time they were prosecuting this case, and Dan Dows office needs to be investigated for their behavior in this case. A civil grand jury should be convened and investigate Dan Dows running of this office. San Luis Obispo County Assistant District Attorney Eric Dobroth told the Tribune the District Attorneys Office will not respond to Briggs statement. The California Attorney Generals Office is now prosecuting these cases, and it is uniquely up to them to decide which charges they will pursue in court, Dobroth said. The California Attorney Generas Office dismissed all but one charge against Black Lives Matter protester Tianna Arata in connection to a June 2020 rally. Legal battle came at too high of a cost, activists mother says Michelle Arata, Tianna Aratas mother, told The Tribune on Friday that the move to amend the charges faced by her daughter is bittersweet. Im incredibly grateful, and Im so proud of these young people for everything theyve accomplished, Michelle Arata said. But its come at too high of a cost already. For the past nearly three years, Arata said, her daughter and the other defendants have had a difficult time as the case has continued through the court and appellate process. Arata said the case has been hard mentally and emotionally, both for her daughter and the other charged protesters. Arata added that the killing of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police officers serves as a reminder that the cause her daughter and the other protesters fought for remains relevant. Were still fighting what they originally were fighting for, she said. In the larger context of police brutality (and) racism, the system is still broken. Lastra said he is excited to begin living his life again and make plans for the future. Before his felony charge, he had plans to potentially join the Peace Corps. Now, those plans are back on the table. (The change in charges) is obviously a relief, but I think its kind of ridiculous that weve been going at this for about three years, he said. Theres tons of other things Id like to do, but because of my situation I (couldnt) really take that step forward, so its a relief that I finally have the go-ahead to do stuff. Briggs told The Tribune that Tianna Aratas reaction to the news was initially shock, then gratitude that the attorney general came in and did the right thing. The next hearing in the case will be March 24. EVANSVILLE Brian Smith had a stinging retort for the deputy Vanderburgh County prosecutor handling a drunken driving case against his client, Kentucky resident Haley Lambert. It was June 29, more than 72 hours after Evansville police arrested the Vanderburgh County Council's attorney on suspicion of drunken driving, only to see Prosecutor Nick Hermann decline to file charges against the man. The arrest of Jeffrey Ahlers, 60, was the subject of a Courier & Press story that day that reported Sheriff Dave Wedding removed Ahlers' mugshot and charge information from his jail's website. Ahlers' arrest and the absence of any charges against him was widely known in the courthouse, too, Smith said. More than six weeks after Ahlers' arrest, Hermann still hasn't filed any charges against the Vanderburgh County Council attorney and has refused to explain why, ignoring multiple messages seeking comment. The Courier & Press sent email and text messages to Hermann as recently as Monday. More:Police body cam footage: Officers thought County Council attorney was 'super intoxicated' Attorney Smith saw similarities between Ahlers' case and the case against Haley Lambert, and it bugged him. Although Ahlers failed field sobriety tests after officers saw him making a wide turn into an outside lane and proceeding through a red light, the County Council attorney had registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.077 percent in a chemical breath test given about 90 minutes later just short of Indiana's legal intoxication threshold of 0.08. So had Lambert, who registered even lower at 0.068. Yet she was still charged by Hermann's office. "Your office didnt even file this against Mr. Ahlers, so I think the least you could do is amend this down to reckless driving,'" Smith said, recalling what he said to the prosecutor assigned to Lambert's case. So what did the prosecutor say? "I think they agreed with that," Smith said. "Thats why I think they were inclined to drop it down." Story continues No two cases are alike, of course. Lambert ran into a ditch, failed field sobriety tests and registered 0.112 on the legally inadmissible portable breath test before her lower reading at the Vanderburgh County jail, according to an EPD report. Officers reported finding an open Fireball "shooter" in the driver's door of her car, too. Ahlers, meanwhile, appeared to swerve as he turned off one street onto another, in addition to failing field sobriety tests. Police video shows one officer describing him as super intoxicated," while another officer flatly stated, hes drunk. He did not take a roadside test. Ahlers' attorney, Scott Danks, has said his client is innocent. More:Prosecutor candidates weigh in on county council attorney arrest, lack of charges But the two cases are different in other ways, too. Because she was charged, the 21-year-old Lambert incurred $339.50 in court costs and filing fees, according to court records. She has to successfully complete a pre-trial diversion program and, Smith noted, pay her lawyer. And her mugshot was posted on the jail's website and she spent more than three days inside before bonding out, according to court records. Lambert isn't the only drunken driving suspect to face charges while registering a blood-alcohol content below the legal limit. The Courier & Press asked the Evansville Police Department to provide recent arrests in which people who tested lower than 0.08 were still charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated. In 2021, there were three such cases. Two drivers who admitted to smoking marijuana earlier in the day. But the third was a hit-and-run case in which a woman failed a field sobriety test. Like Ahlers, the woman underwent a chemical test that came in below the legal limit. But unlike him, she had to go to court. One person arrested tested at 0.03 On Jan. 13, 2021, police received a report the 21-year-old Evansville woman who the Courier & Press is not naming since she completed a DUI diversion program and had her charges dismissed had been involved in a hit and run, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case. When officers caught up with her at the 500 block of Jefferson Avenue, they decided to give her a field sobriety test. She failed, police wrote in the affidavit. She also couldn't breathe long enough into the field breathalyzer for officers to get an accurate reading, so police ushered her to Deaconess Midtown Hospital for a blood test. The results came back at 0.03: less than half of Indiana's legal limit. That didn't stop the prosecutor's office from taking her through the system. She was ultimately hit with six charges, including one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and another of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, endangering a person. Other charges stemmed from the collisions and reportedly driving without insurance or a license. She enrolled in the Drugs and Alcohol Deferral Service Program, or DADS, and eventually had her charges dismissed. One of the last to go was one of the OWI counts. The alleged collisions and other charges separate her case from Ahlers. But the reasons for police suspecting them of driving while intoxicated are similar. Police accused both of failing field sobriety tests, and the woman had "glossy" eyes, while officers described Ahlers' as "glassy." In the end, the woman paid $720 in court costs and $856.75 in restitution, court records state. 'Over the limit, under arrest' Both cases seem to contradict a popular anti-OWI campaign, Evansville-based Lawyer Mark Foster said. Foster pointed to the "over the limit, under arrest" push of recent years, saying the messaging implies blood-alcohol content readings are everything. "Thats kind of what were teaching people. If youre under 0.08, youre OK. If youre over 0.08, youre going to get arrested," Foster said. The implication is, under the limit, not under arrest. Right? More:A Southern Indiana sheriff says he removed attorney's mugshot, arrest info from website "Ive actually had a police officer tell my client one time, If youre under 0.08, Ill take you home.'" Evansville police have said drivers can be impaired even if their blood-alcohol readings fall below the legal limit and can be charged based on sworn testimony of officers. Maybe so, Foster said, but it is exceedingly difficult to convict someone under those circumstances. "I know Ive had a couple (clients) that have been just under 0.08 with no other drugs, that got charged," said Foster, who has worked as a defense attorney for more than three decades. "Ive never pled anybody. I think we may have tried one or two of them, but Ive never had a client admit to an under 0.08, and Ive never had a client convicted under 0.08." Foster wouldn't comment on Ahlers' situation, saying the County Council attorney consulted him before hiring attorney Scott Danks. "But hypothetically, if (Ahlers) hired me, theres no way we would plead that case," Foster said. "We would try it and, if the track record holds true, we would not lose it. But Brian Smith believes County Council attorney Ahlers got kid gloves treatment by prosecutors and the sheriff's office. "He probably would have gotten (a drunken driving charge) dropped, or dropped down, like (Haley Lambert) did," said Smith, Lambert's lawyer. "But for everybody to kind of get involved and basically just a cover-up, it just rubs the public the wrong way." This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Vanderburgh County Prosecutor hasn't filed charges in Ahlers arrest Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said on Thursday that additional, unreleased footage related to Memphis police officers beating Tyre Nichols could connect all the dots related to the incident. Memphis officials last week released the graphic video of a group of law enforcement officers beating Nichols during a traffic stop earlier this month. The video showed the officers who were part of the now disbanded Scorpion unit kicking, punching and using a baton to hit Nichols, who died as a result of his injuries three days after the encounter. Steven Mulroy, the Shelby County prosecutor, told CNNs Wolf Blitzer on Thursday that there could be up to 20 additional hours of unreleased footage related to the incident, including audio of what was said after officers beat Nichols and after the ambulance took him to the hospital. He said the city of Memphis and the police department will dictate if and when that footage will be released, according to CNNs report. Crump said that Nichols family has not seen any additional footage. But we were told by the city attorney that theyre prepared to let us have them as well as the public, Crump, who is representing the Nichols family, told Blitzer. Obviously transparency is the key. We were under the impression that we got everything, but I pray with this next release, that will be everything, so we can connect all the dots, he continued. Seven Memphis police officers were suspended in Nichols death investigation, and five of the officers were fired and are now facing second-degree murder charges. The Memphis Fire Department announced Monday that it also terminated two emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and a lieutenant as a result of violating numerous policies and protocols when they responded to Nichols injuries. Nichols death sparked outrage across the country, leading thousands of people to protest in support of racial justice last week and pushing officials to urge Congress to pass a police reform bill. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. FILE - The Augusta Canal will be drained starting Monday to do some work on it. The Augusta Canal will be drained starting Monday by the Augusta Utilities Department. The canal draining will allow the Utilities Department and Georgia Power to do some needed work. Dayton Sherrouse, executive director of the canal authority, said he expected the draining to last several weeks. "Right now we're planning for it to be refilled March 20," he said. One-percenters:How much income does it take to reach Georgia's top 1%? Less than you might think House inspections:After complaints, Fort Gordon to inspect all housing; other installations to follow "Georgia Power has been coordinating with the City of Augusta to perform maintenance work around the 15th Street Substation when the canal will already be drained," wrote Andrew Vickery, a spokesperson for Georgia Power, in an email. The work, according to Sherrouse, will include boring under the canal to run new conduit for the installation of additional electrical cables. Augusta Utilities will use the opportunity to repair an embankment near the pumping station that was damaged by two uprooted trees, as well as some repairs to the Long Gate Spillway and some testing for seepage. The canal's Petersburg Boats will be dry-docked for maintenance and repainting through the middle of next month, as well as allowing for a Coast Guard inspection and maintenance. This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Augusta Canal drained through March for work on embankment, substation Bad Bunny came close to making history at the 65th Grammy Awards on Sunday with his record-breaking "Un Verano Sin Ti" album. Un Verano Sin Ti was poised to become the first Spanish-language album to win the top prize in the history of the Recording Academy, before losing to Harry Styles for his album "Harry's House." Also nominated for album of the year were ABBA, Adele, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Coldplay, Kendrick Lamar and Lizzo and Harry Styles. But Bad Bunny did not go home empty handed. Un Verano Sin Ti won an award for best musica urbana album, beating Latin urban music legend Daddy Yankee as well as Farruko, Maluma and Rauw Alejandro. The artist also lit up the Grammy stage with his opening performance. Bad Bunny recreated iconic scenes from Puerto Rico's most famous street festival known as Las Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastian to the folkloric sound of bomba y plena. The medley included parts of his song El Apagon, which infuses Puerto Rican folkloric rhythms with electronic dance music, and his energetic mambo track "Despues de la playa." Dancing alongside Bad Bunny were "cabezudos." Traditionally, performers at Las Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastian wear costumes with gigantic heads, representing historical figures who have contributed to Puerto Rican culture. Performers from the Puerto Rico-based arts collective Agua Sol y Sereno dressed as reggaeton pioneer Tego Calderon, poet Julia De Burgos, salsa singer Andy Montanez, music composer Tite Curet Alonso, womens rights activist Lola Rodriguez de Tio, Major League Baseball player Roberto Clemente and musician Ismael "Maelo" Rivera. Esta noche hicimos historia junto a Benito Martinez Ocasio, Bad Bunny @badbunnypr , al presentarnos en la premiacion... Posted by Agua, Sol y Sereno on Sunday, February 5, 2023 Bad Bunny was also nominated for best pop solo performance with "Moscow Mule," the opening track that sets the tone to "Un Verano Sin Ti." Adele ultimately won in that category with her hit "Easy On Me." Story continues Un Verano Sin Ti was a critically acclaimed album that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 record chart following its release and spent 13 nonconsecutive weeks at the top of the chart the most weeks at No. 1 since 2016. "Un Verano Sin Ti," Bad Bunny's fourth studio album, was only the second Spanish-language album to top that chart. The first was Bad Bunny's previous studio album "El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo." "He didn't just put out a Spanish album, he put out the top-selling album in the world," Leila Cobo, Billboards chief content officer of Latin, told NBC News. "I think that the Academy would look very tone-deaf if they didn't put this album in the running." Bad Bunny also set the world record for the highest grossing tour in a calendar year in 2022, amassing $435.3 million with over 2.4 million tickets sold across 81 shows from his most recent concert tours, Worlds Hottest Tour and El Ultimo Tour del Mundo. Bad Bunny's global impact en espanol Vanessa Diaz, the co-creator of the Bad Bunny Syllabus project and a professor at Loyola Marymount University where she teaches a course titled "Bad Bunny and Resistance in Puerto Rico told NBC News she gets a sense of the artist's global impact from her students. "You don't have to understand what the lyrics are, but if you do understand, it adds a whole other level," Diaz said. Her Spanish-speaking students are delving into Puerto Rican slang to better understand Bad Bunny's music, while non-Spanish speakers are looking to learn the language. "The fact that he is nominated, and he only speaks Spanish in his album, and he didn't have to cross over into English, and people who don't speak Spanish love his music, that is so fundamentally groundbreaking," Diaz said on Friday. "This moment is so historic, that we can't underestimate what it means culturally, what it means, historically. We are constantly going to come back to this moment, whether he wins or not." For Diaz and Cobo, Bad Bunny's authenticity is a key characteristic to his global appeal. Part of Bad Bunny's authenticity comes through in the way he centers Puerto Rico in his music as well as the way he infuses multiple music genres while keeping his reggaeton DNA, Diaz said. "Bad Bunny's voice has now been equated to reggaeton." "He manages to put all his idiosyncrasies in there. And that's, I think, what makes him so unique," Cobo said. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong welcomes Joo Chiat residents to the "Sharing of 25,000kg of Meadows Rice" event. (PHOTO: Giant Singapore) SINGAPORE Over 30 beneficiaries in the Joo Chiat area, including charities and religious organisations, have extra reasons to celebrate this Chinese New Year. A total of 5,000 bags of rice - weighing over 25,000 kilograms - were donated to these community groups at the Siglap South Community Centre on Friday (3 February). This is part of the "Have You Eaten?" project by DFI Retail Group, which operates Giant, Cold Storage and CS Fresh. United Overseas Bank (UOB) also helped in the distribution of the bags of rice. The campaign, which began in partnership with The Food Bank Singapore last year, hopes to provide one million meals in two years to the less fortunate in Singapore. Distribution to elderly and vulnerable The rice donation was made to the Joo Chiat Division of Marine Parade GRC, which will be distributing the bags of rice to community partners who serve the elderly and vulnerable in both the Joo Chiat ward and the wider Marine Parade GRC. Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, who is also Member of Parliament for Joo Chiat in the Marine Parade GRC, attended the rice distribution event. He was joined by Lee Yik Hun, DFI's marketing director for food and own brand (Southeast Asia), and Luke Siew, UOB's first vice-president (cards and payments, personal financial services). "Rice is a key aspect of our daily meals. Yet for some, just putting rice on the table can be a challenge," Mr Tong said at the event. "Initiatives like the Have You Eaten? campaign help provide for those who may require a helping hand." The public can also join in DFI's efforts to help bridge the hunger gap. For every 1kg of Meadows Thai Fragrant Rice sold at retail outlets like Giant, Cold Storage and CS Fresh, DFI will contribute 10 cents towards providing rice in support of The Food Bank Singapores beneficiaries. Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube. HONG KONG Secretary of State Antony Blinkens bid to slow the downward spiral in relations between the worlds two largest economies has been blown off course by a Chinese balloon. The United States top diplomat on Friday postponed his high-stakes trip to China next week, two U.S. officials told NBC News, as the incident surrounding a suspected spy balloon hovering over the U.S. further complicated ties between the two countries. The planned visit was already beset by major issues and preceded by a pair of announcements aimed at bolstering Washingtons efforts to counter Beijing abroad. But the news late Thursday that the U.S. military was monitoring a suspected Chinese spy balloon in U.S. airspace only added to the list of potential flashpoints. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Friday that the balloon was a "civilian airship" used mainly for weather research, which had been blown off course. China said it regretted its "unintended entry" into foreign airspace and would continue to communicate with American officials. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks in Washington, D.C. (Nathan Howard / AP file) Blinken, who was expected to meet with Foreign Minister Qin Gang and possibly President Xi Jinping during his planned two-day visit, would have been the first U.S. secretary of state to visit China since Mike Pompeo in 2018. Expectations for the trip had already been low. No breakthroughs were expected on major issues like Taiwan, trade or human rights, with experts saying the main objective was simply to prevent the U.S.-China relationship from deteriorating further. Both leaders need to show that the relationship is being managed and it isnt just spinning out of control, Ian Johnson, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told NBC News prior to the trip's postponement. Mutual distrust The balloon is only the latest development weighing on U.S.-China relations, with others including tensions over Taiwan, close encounters in the South China Sea, U.S. regulatory moves against Chinese tech companies, an increasingly hawkish U.S. Congress and an Air Force generals prediction of war with China in 2025. Story continues In an effort to counter Chinas growing power in Asia, the U.S. has been expanding its military and diplomatic presence in the region: strengthening security cooperation with South Korea and Japan, gaining access to additional bases in the Philippines and opening an embassy in the Solomon Islands for the first time in 30 years. Beijing says Washingtons enhanced military deployments escalate tensions and endanger peace and stability in the region. U.S.-China relations reached a new low in August when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, a self-ruling island democracy that Beijing claims as its territory. China responded with live-fire military drills that surrounded the island. Image: (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP) President Joe Biden and Xi met in person for the first time in November, signaling the potential for improvement in what is often described as the worlds most important bilateral relationship. The two leaders pledged to strengthen communication between their countries and agreed on Blinkens China visit. One goal of the trip was to resume talks on climate change and military relations that China suspended after Pelosis Taiwan visit, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said at a news briefing this week. Blinken was also expected to raise the war in Ukraine and U.S. concerns about Chinas no limits partnership with Russia. Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said one of the biggest problems in the relationship is a mutual lack of trust. The Chinese government thinks that the U.S. contains and suppresses China, he said, while the U.S. government thinks that China wants to challenge U.S. leadership. After three years of pandemic isolation, China is eager to kickstart its economy. To that end, Xi has been on a diplomatic charm offensive, meeting with more than two dozen world leaders at home and abroad. The recent reassignment of Zhao Lijian, a former wolf warrior spokesperson for the foreign ministry, has also been seen as a sign of softening. The conciliatory tone has been reflected in Chinese state media, where a commentary on Wednesday in Peoples Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, said China and the U.S. should strive to make the list of cooperation longer and longer, not shorter and shorter. But the mood toward China in Washington is increasingly hostile, said Gao Zhikai, vice president of the Beijing-based Center for China and Globalization, expanding from former President Donald Trumps tariffs to all kinds of anti-China initiatives, with a focus on Taiwan. Im very pessimistic about U.S.-China relations, at least in the short term, Gao said. And that was before the news of the balloon, which appeared high above Montana after flying over the Aleutian Islands and through Canada. U.S. officials said the balloon did not pose a threat to civil aviation and was of limited use in collecting intelligence, though Montana is home to one of Americas three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. Taiwan timelines U.S.-China tensions, particularly over Taiwan, have spurred fears of armed conflict between the two superpowers. In a memo leaked to the media last week, Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan said his gut told him the U.S. would be at war with China in 2025, comments the Pentagon said were not representative of the departments view on China. Experts point out that military officials have a budgetary incentive to suggest war is at hand, with some criticizing Minihans comments as overblown and potentially dangerous. I think we are seemingly trying to talk ourselves into a conflict that doesnt need to occur, Scott Kennedy, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said at a briefing this week. Minihans 2025 prediction is just one of several that have been put forward by senior U.S. officials. CIA director William Burns told an event at Georgetown University in Washington on Thursday that the U.S. knew as a matter of intelligence that Xi had ordered his military to be ready for a Taiwan invasion by 2027, though Burns said that didnt necessarily mean thats when it would happen. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in January that he seriously doubted a Chinese invasion of Taiwan was imminent. The varying timelines being floated undermine the credibility of U.S. messaging on Taiwan, said Jude Blanchette, a China expert at CSIS. What were effectively signaling is we have no idea, and Im not sure we understand just how damaging that is, he said at the briefing. Though China has not laid out any timeline of its own, it has kept up the pressure on Taiwan since Pelosis visit, sending warplanes toward the island almost daily. The planes are also crossing the median line, an unofficial boundary in the Taiwan Strait, far more frequently than in the past. China has accused the U.S. of hollowing out its one-China policy, whereby Washington recognizes Beijing as the only legitimate government of China and has only unofficial relations with Taiwan. Beijing views visits like Pelosis as support for Taiwans formal independence, and it is likely to respond aggressively to any visit by her successor, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who has said he would like to visit Taiwan as well. The U.S. is constantly challenging Chinas bottom line on the Taiwan issue, said Wu. Michael OHanlon, director of research in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, said the Biden administration should reassure China of its commitment to the one-China policy, while China should reaffirm that it has no intention of attacking Taiwan militarily. Weve just got to avoid this war that some people seem to think is so likely, he said, and get things back to the kind of relationship where we have a lot of disagreements, but also some areas of cooperation and a more businesslike tone. Jennifer Jett and Larissa Gao reported from Hong Kong, and Megan Lebowitz reported from Washington. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Swiss flag Read also: Three lessons from Ramstein. About Germany, tanks and offensive weapons for Ukraine The reason for the decision to transfer tanks to Ukraine was the understanding that it is necessary to talk with Russia from a position of strength. If we can say that the U.S. has understood this (though it may not always be reflected in their political decisions), then for Germany, we must say this is an epochal shift. Since the 1970s of the last century, they have tried to run between raindrops in order to reach some point somewhere where the economy is the economy, and politics is politics. These were different times. But there have always been so-called special relations between Germany and Russia. The decision to supply tanks is, of course, critical for us. How many, when, and under what conditions remain up in the air, but the decision itself is, to paraphrase Churchill, the beginning of the end. That's it, no more special relationships, no return to any friendly status quo. Germany and Russia will no longer be friends in today's reality. Now we are happy with this armament (we arent drinking champagne, as we will leave that for the future, for victory), but we still have two goals ahead of us. The first: to repel the Russian offensive. We know that it will happen, and that Putin is preparing for it. The second important challenge: to mount our own offensive or offensives. This is why we have a critical need for heavy weapons. Read also: Ukraine needs more weapons amid threat of new Russian offensive, says defense chief Well, and a third thing we mustnt forget: although we are looking at the situation in from the standpoint of right now, we will at some point need deterrence against Russia, whatever that Russia is. If their regime changes, great. If it doesnt change, then we will change it. But nevertheless, we will critically need deterrence, and we will need it regardless of membership in NATO. A lot of things that will later be related to Lend-Lease, and are now related to heavy equipment - I think that's 100% for sure - will go further. The situation at the front is critically important, and our allies are monitoring it minute by minute, and helping us minute by minute. Story continues But the main reason for the West's determination to supply heavy weapons is political, because Putin doesn't want to talk on our terms (by this I mean on the West's terms, since I consider Ukraine to be part of the West). And the best guarantee of our security is full integration into the West, and so that we have a voice there. Putin is trying to dictate terms, hoping for both us and our allies to exhaust ourselves. He will play to raise the stakes, and there will be further attacks. The reasoning for this is also political; not in the sense of some big political game, but in the sense of giving Putin a clear signal: either talk on our terms, or raise the stakes. Read also: The most important thing has already happened. What has changed in the West I will also say something that no one is talking about: that is a tectonic (or even greater) shift. Look at the decision by the Swiss. They have never fought in their entire history. Neutrality is part of their state model, their economic structure. Do you remember the famous joke, when a Zurich banker jumps from a window, jump after him? If you invest in Switzerland, nothing will happen to your money. The Swiss did not want to supply us with weapons for a long time, not even ammunition for the Gepards. Yet a few days ago, when deciding on the Leopards, the Swiss said that neutrality is neutrality, but when there is a fundamental violation of international law, there is correct neutrality and there is wrong neutrality. This to me is a better example of what I said at the beginning: good must protect itself, or evil will eat it. We have to bite this evil head off. First everything else, and then the head. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine In response to Belarus' year-long support of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, the European Union is preparing a fresh round of sanctions against Minsk. The new restrictions will align with those imposed on Moscow, helping to block the circumvention of sanctions through Belarus. One of Russia's military divisions completes training in Belarus as it prepares to be deployed to Ukraine. Despite widespread resistance, the International Olympic Committee plans to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the upcoming Olympics under a neutral flag. According to Reuters, EU ambassadors said the proposal is intended to align sanctions on Belarus with those on Russia, reducing the ability to circumvent sanctions placed on Russia by going through Belarus. The EU official said an agreement will likely be reached next week. To be approved, the proposal will need the support of all EU member states. Sanctions have already been imposed on Belarus for its role as a co-belligerent in Russias war, including on potash, mineral fuels, wood, steel, rubber, and tobacco products. Restrictions have also been placed on Belarus financial sector. UK intelligence: Russian military division completes training in Belarus Russia has likely completed training of the 2nd Guard Motor Rifle Division (GMRD) in Belarus, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its Jan. 26 report. The division has carried out training in Belarus since late 2022. Most of the division has reportedly returned to Russia, before likely being sent to participate in Russias full-scale war against Ukraine. According to the ministry, there is a realistic possibility that other Russian units will be sent to Belarus for similar training. The 2nd GMRD, part of the 1st Guards Tank Army, endured significant losses at the start of Russias full-scale war. The ministry noted that it is mainly comprised of mobilized personnel and older equipment, thus likely limiting its combat effectiveness despite training. Story continues Monitoring group Belarusian Hajun said it observed the rotation of Russian troops stationed in Belarus in mid-January. Around 1,000 Russian soldiers were sent back to Russia. There are currently 5,800 Russian military personnel in Belarus, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministrys Main Intelligence Directorate. The week prior, Ukraines State Border Guard Service reported around 11,000. The number is constantly changing due to the ongoing rotation of personnel. Ukraines military has repeatedly said an offensive from Belarusian territory remains unlikely. IOC plans to allow Russian, Belarusian athletes to participate in Olympic Games The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Jan. 25 that it plans to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris under a neutral flag, despite President Volodymyr Zelensky's plea to exclude them entirely. The IOC said it will prolong its sanctions against Russia and Belarus, which include a ban on national symbols and the invitation of government officials, but will not prevent athletes from participating "just because of their passport." The board also "welcomed and appreciated the offer" from the Olympic Council of Asia to allow Russians and Belarusians to participate in its competitions so they could qualify for the 2024 Olympics. The IOC recommended barring Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions on Feb. 28, after Russia, with the support of Belarus, launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. "I particularly emphasized that athletes from Russia should have no place at the Olympic Games in Paris," Zelensky said after his call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Jan. 24. Ukraine's Sports Minister Vadym Gutzeit said that Ukraine could boycott the Olympics if the IOC's plan advances. U.K. Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said the IOC's decision is "a world away from the reality of war being felt by the Ukrainian people." Similarly, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas called the suggestion to lift the ban "politically and morally wrong." President of the Latvian Olympic Committee Zorzs Tikmers said on Jan. 30 that Latvia won't participate in the Olympic Games alongside athletes from Russia and Belarus while Russia's war against Ukraine continues, Delfi media outlet reported. Belarus assumes control of Iskander missile systems Belarus' Defense Ministry announced on Feb. 1 that it has assumed the "full independent operation" of Russian-supplied Iskander missile systems after finishing training in Russia and Belarus. Ruslan Chekhov, the commander of Belarus' rocket and artillery forces, claimed that Belarus did not previously have a strike weapon with a range of over 300 kilometers. The nuclear-capable missiles have a range of up to 500 kilometers. In late December, Russia's Foreign Ministry claimed that "there are no plans to physically equip Belarusian systems with nuclear warheads, nor to move such warheads to Belarusian territory." Lukashenko said on Dec. 19 that Russia had transferred and deployed S-400 missile systems and Iskander short-range ballistic missile systems to Belarus. Belarus introduces mechanism to establish control over domestic companies with foreign capital The Belarusian government introduced a law on Jan. 27 that allows Minsk to seize virtually any business with foreign capital. The new set of regulations suggests Minsk can appoint a state-approved manager to any company with foreign investors if the company's owners don't participate in the company's activities or their actions can cause so-called "damage." On Jan. 28, the Belarusian government also amended the list of companies with foreign investors from so-called "hostile" countries. Those investors are banned from selling their stakes. The list was expanded from 190 to 1849 businesses. The legislation to ban foreign investors from selling their shares in Belarus was introduced in July 2022 and featured 190 enterprises, including major Belarusian retail and tech companies, manufacturers, and developers. The updated decree expands the list almost tenfold. Experts suggest that the measure was designed to stop the outflow of capital from the country. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko (L) and President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa visit Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River, on the border with Zambia, on Feb. 1, 2023. (ANDREI STASEVICH/BELTA/AFP via Getty Images) Lukashenko: Belarus is always ready to support Russia On a state visit to Zimbabwe on Jan. 31, Lukashenko reiterated his support for Russia, saying he is willing to offer more assistance but that it does not need "any help" at the moment. Domestically presented as a "diplomatic breakthrough," Lukashenko's visit to Zimbabwe was intended to bolster the countries' joint economic programs specifically, the Zimbabwe-Belarus agricultural mechanization program worth around $66 million. Zimbabwe and Belarus are under sanctions imposed for human rights violations. Commenting on the countries' similarities, Lukashenko claimed the West "won't let Zimbabwe be in peace" due to the abundance of its natural resources. According to the Pandora Papers, the Belarusian government's top leadership benefited from the Zimbabwe mining business. KGB puts co-owner of major Belarusian game dev company on 'terrorist' list Belarusian KGB added Mikalai Katsalapau, the co-owner of major Belarusian video game company Wargaming Group, to its list of persons allegedly involved in "terrorist activities." He is accused of financing terrorist activities. Katsalapau holds the position of Director of Business and owns 17% of Wargaming Group. The company is among the top 3 tech taxpayers in Lithuania after a significant part of the team relocated to Vilnius. In 2022, the company announced its departure from Belarusian and Russian markets. The financial operations of those on the list are restricted, and countries cooperating with Belarus might extradite at Belarus' request. The Belarusian KGB uses the list to persecute the regime's opponents. On Feb. 1, the list was extended again, reaching over a thousand names. Two hundred fifty-six alleged "terrorists" are Belarusians. Belarusian court sentences man to 9 years for pictures of Russian-controlled airfield Belarus' Homiel regional court sentenced Yauhen Hlushkou to nine years in prison for taking pictures of the Russian-controlled Ziabrauka military airfield in Belarus. Hlushkou, a resident of Ziabrauka, a village located 50 kilometers north of the Ukrainian border, was detained in August. Based on the drone photos of the Russian-controlled airfield and a few Ukrainian numbers in his phone, he was convicted of treason and aiding extremist activities. Ziabrauka airfield was also extensively used to amass Russian troops ahead of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian aviation and missile launchers deployed in Ziabrauka were later used to carry out strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure. On July 7, Ukraine's General Staff reported that Russia had taken full control of the base. U.S. agriculture officials proposed Friday new nutrition standards for school meals, including the first limits on added sugars, with a focus on sweetened foods such as cereals, yogurt, flavored milk and breakfast pastries. The plan announced by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also seeks to significantly decrease sodium in the meals served to the nations schoolkids by 2029, while making the rules for foods made with whole grains more flexible. The goal is to improve nutrition and align with U.S. dietary guidelines in the program that serves breakfast to more than 15 million children and lunch to nearly 30 million children every day, Vilsack said. School meals happen to be the meals with the highest nutritional value of any meal that children can get outside the home, Vilsack said in an interview with the Associated Press. Would sugary foods be allowed under new school nutrition plan? The first limits on added sugars would be required in the 2025-2026 school year, starting with high-sugar foods such as sweetened cereals, yogurts and flavored milks. Under the plan, for instance, an 8-ounce container of chocolate milk could contain no more than 10 grams of sugar. Some popular flavored milks now contain twice that amount. The plan also limits sugary grain desserts, such as muffins or doughnuts, to no more than twice a week at breakfast. By the fall of 2027, added sugars in school meals would be limited to less than 10% of the total calories per week for breakfasts and lunches. Los Angeles Unified School District food service workers from left, April Thomas, Marisel Dominguez, Tomoko Cho, and Aldrin Agrabantes pre-package hundreds of free school lunches in plastic bags on Thursday, July 15, 2021, at the Liechty Middle School in Los Angeles. Sodium in school meals would drop by 30% by 2029 The proposal also would reduce sodium in school meals by 30% by the fall of 2029. They would gradually be reduced to align with federal guidelines, which recommend Americans aged 14 and older limit sodium to about 2,300 milligrams a day, with less for younger children. Levels would drop, for instance, from an average of about 1,280 milligrams of sodium allowed now per lunch for kids in grades 9 to 12 to about 935 milligrams. For comparison, a typical turkey sandwich with mustard and cheese might contain 1,500 milligrams of sodium. Story continues Health experts say cutting back on sugar and salt can help decrease the risk of disease in kids, including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and other problems that often continue into adulthood. Can schools provide healthier food to students? The plan, detailed in a 280-page document, drew mixed reactions. Katie Wilson, executive director of the Urban School Food Alliance, said the changes are necessary to help Americas children lead healthier lives. But Diane Pratt-Heavner, spokeswoman for the School Nutrition Association, a trade group, said school meals are already healthier than they were a decade ago and that increased regulations are a burden, especially for small and rural school districts. School meal programs are at a breaking point, she said. These programs are simply not equipped to meet additional rules. Jill Hockycko, the breakfast cook at Conemaugh Townhip high school in Davidsville, Pa., hands out brown bag breakfast meals to arriving students on the first day of school. Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. The bags contained juice, milk, cereal and cinnamon rolls. How would the new rules on school meals work? Vilsack emphasized that the plan phases changes in over the next six years to allow schools and food manufacturers time to adjust to the new standards. Our hope is that many school districts and food providers accelerate the timeline on their own, he said. Courtney Gaines, president of the Sugar Association, said the proposal ignores the many functional roles sugar plays in food beyond sweetness and encourages the use of sugar substitutes, which have not been fully studied in children. Sugar substitutes are allowed under the new standards, Vilsack said. Do parents, schools get a say in food plans for kids? As part of the plan, agriculture officials are seeking feedback about a proposal that would continue to require that 80% of all grains offered in a week must be whole grains. But it would allow schools to serve non-whole grain foods, such as white-flour tortillas, one day a week to vary their menus. Another option suggests serving unflavored nonfat and lowfat milk to the youngest children and reserving chocolate and other flavored milks for high school kids. A 60-day public comment period on the plan opens Feb. 7. Shiriki Kumanyika, a community health expert at Drexel Universitys Dornsife School of Public Health said if theyre done right some of the changes will be hard for kids to notice: Theyll see things that they like to eat, but those foods will be healthier, she said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden administration wants healthy school meals, less sugar and salt By Leah Douglas (Reuters) -School meals for millions of children in the United States would include less sugar, more whole grains, and lower sodium under new standards proposed by the Biden administration on Friday. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the updated standards, to be rolled out over the next several years, were essential to tackling health concerns like childhood obesity. "This is a national security imperative. Its a healthcare imperative for our children. Its an equity issue. Its an educational achievement issue. And its an economic competitiveness issue," he said in a livestreamed event announcing the standards. Under the proposed standards, by fall 2024, 80% of the grains provided by schools would need to be whole grain. By fall 2025, there would be limits for high-sugar products like cereals and yogurts, added sugar in flavored milks, and sodium. Future years would see additional limits on added sugar and sodium. Some school nutrition directors worry the stricter guidelines will force schools to scale back menus, inadvertently pushing students to less healthy food choices. "Most districts allow students to leave campus. Theyll be hitting the convenience stores, the fast-food restaurants," said Michael Gasper, nutrition services supervisor for the School District of Holmen, Wisconsin. "Nutrition is only nutrition if they eat it." School meal programs continue to struggle with inflated food prices and labor shortages, making new regulations difficult to implement, Gasper added. The debate over school nutrition has spanned several administrations. The Obama administration hiked standards, requiring schools to serve fruits and vegetables daily and offer more whole grains. Under the Trump administration, some of those requirements were rolled back. The Food Research & Action Center, a leading nutrition and hunger group, cheered Friday's announcement. "These proposed evidence-based standards will make for a healthier school day," said FRAC President Luis Guardia in a statement. Story continues Dairy industry advocates pushed back on the potential limits to flavored milk in schools. "While we are pleased that this proposed rule continues to make dairy central to child nutrition, we are concerned with USDAs ongoing efforts to propose limitations to milk and dairy in school meals," said Michael Dykes, chief executive of the International Dairy Foods Association. About 30 million students eat school lunches and 15 million eat school breakfasts each year, according to Department of Agriculture data. The Biden administration committed to updating school meal nutrition standards as part of its strategy laid out at a conference on hunger last year. The USDA will collect comments on the proposed rule. (Reporting by Leah Douglas; additional reporting by Christopher Walljasper; editing by Frances Kerry and Jonathan Oatis) Senior advisers to President Joe Biden are expected to gather this weekend at Camp David to sharpen the president's State of the Union message, which will be delivered Tuesday night. Longtime Biden aides including senior White House advisers Bruce Reed, Mike Donilon and Anita Dunn will join chief White House speechwriter Vinay Reddy. And Steve Ricchetti, counselor to Mr. Biden, will also spend the weekend at Camp David to help with speechwriting, according to a source familiar with the plans. Mr. Biden is expected at Camp David Saturday evening and Sunday. Two sources familiar with the planning tell CBS News historian and author Jon Meacham, who has served as an occasional outside adviser to Mr. Biden during the 2020 campaign and his presidency, is also heading to Camp David for speech preps. Meacham helped craft the president's acceptance speech at the Democratic convention, his inaugural address, and the president's remarks delivered on the one year anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The president is known to spend several weeks planning for major addresses like the State of the Union, historically the moment a president can draw his largest television audience of the year. But he's also known to fiddle with the text up to the last possible moment. "These types of speeches continue to evolve, sometimes until the final moments before being delivered, as you can imagine," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday. A White House official said the president's Tuesday address, which comes at roughly the halfway point of his term, will "underscore the significant progress our nation has made during one of the most challenging periods in our history" and look ahead to the next two years. It will touch on the economy including Friday's better-than-expected jobs report past legislative wins, and foreign policy challenges like Russia's war in Ukraine and competition with China. "The president will once again amplify his belief that Democrats and Republicans can work together," the official said. Biden now faces a divided Congress, with Republicans holding a narrow majority in the House. Story continues Mr. Biden is also likely to raise more urgent concerns, including calls for police reform in the wake of the beating death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, and immigration reform and border security, a top concern of House Republicans. Nichols' parents will attend the speech as guests of Rep. Steven Horsford, Democrat of Nevada, the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. Meacham, a former editor of Newsweek, has written more than a dozen books, most with a focus on American presidents. He is a professor at Vanderbilt University. In a 2021 interview with CBS News, Meacham called the president "a friend" who "asked me for some help on speeches, and I've been happy to do that." This October, Mr. Biden recalled asking his brother James Biden to figure out which paintings, busts and other decorations would adorn the Oval Office once his brother officially took office. James Biden turned to Meacham for the design. "He came and worked out what my office would look like the Oval," Biden said, adding that Meacham is "a really serious guy, a good guy." Meacham's choices included paintings of George Washington, Franklin Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. "And then I said, 'Why Lincoln?,'" Biden said, rehashing the conversation. "He said, 'Because the nation has never been as divided since the Civil War.'" In early November, as Mr. Biden boarded Air Force Once, he was spotted carrying a Meacham book on Abraham Lincoln, "And There Was Light." Former Defense Department official Ezra Cohen: government records system is "compromised" China can spy on people using microchips, report finds Who will take the Grammy for "Album of the Year"? President Biden and Vice President Harris on Friday will announce $500 million in federal funding for the Philadelphia to upgrade its water system as part of a broader government effort to remove and replace lead pipes. Biden and Harris will visit the Belmont Water Treatment Plant to detail the new investments, a White House official said. They will announce that $160 million will be allocated from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law to upgrade water facilities and replace 20 miles of lead service lines, with an additional $340 million coming through a loan from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the city to upgrade its water system. The Biden administration has set out a goal to replace all lead water service lines in the next decade. Biden and Harris will be joined at the lead pipe event by EPA Administrator Michael Regan, Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D). Harris hosted a summit at the White House last week that focused on lead pipe replacement, where she announced a partnership made up of more than 100 state and local officials, labor unions, water utilities and other organizations to help accelerate the administrations efforts. Following the lead pipe event in Philadelphia, Biden and Harris will attend the Democratic National Committees winter meeting. The party is expected this weekend to approve a new primary calendar that would put South Carolina first, a break with decades of tradition. The Philadelphia trip is the third time this week Biden is hitting the road to tout projects that will benefit from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, underscoring how the White House is hoping to elevate the tangible benefits Americans will see from the presidents legislative accomplishments. Biden earlier this week made stops in Baltimore and New York City to highlight how funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law would go toward projects to improve railway tunnels at key bottlenecks in each area. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The death of Tyre Nichols is yet another example of why we need action, said CBC chair, U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, during the Oval Office meeting. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with members of the Congressional Black Caucus late Thursday afternoon at the White House to discuss a path forward to passing federal police reform. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris host a meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), in the Oval Office at the White House on February 02, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) The meeting was scheduled at the request of CBC chair, U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, in response to the deadly police beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee. It also came a day after Vice President Harris traveled to Memphis to attend Nichols funeral service, where she delivered a rousing speech calling for Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The death of Tyre Nichols is yet another example of why we need action, said Horsford inside the Oval Office before the private meeting. He told President Biden, We need your help on legislative action to make public safety the priority. Congressional Black Caucus members who attended Thursdays meeting included Horsford and U.S. Reps. James Clyburn of South Carolina, Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, Joe Neguse of Colorado, and U.S. Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey and Raphael Warnock of Georgia. The leaders convened to discuss pathways forward with the White House to reach a bipartisan agreement on police reform. After the lengthy White House meeting, the CBC members walked outside of the West Wing to talk to the press. Chairman Horsford said the meeting between lawmakers, President Biden and Vice President Harris covered a number of important issues on our path forward to combat bad policing. We have agreement on how we will continue to work forward, both from a legislative standpoint, as well as executive and community-based solutions, added Horsford. The legislators did not share many details about specific policy measures discussed during the meeting; however, the White House, in a readout, said that the discussion touched on reforms implemented by Biden through executive orders. Horsford told reporters, We will have more details about that legislative package as we work with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Story continues U.S. Representative Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) speaks as other members of the Congressional Black Caucus look on after a meeting with President Joe Biden, outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., on February 2, 2023. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) The CBC, one of the largest caucuses in Congress, is seen as key to the White Houses quest to pass the Floyd bill. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday said Congressional Black Caucus members served as critical partners in passing the Floyd legislation in the House during the last session of Congress. The legislation ultimately collapsed in the Senate when Democratic and Republican senators failed to agree on certain provisions of the bill. However, in the new 118th Congress, the White House and Democrats face greater hurdles in enacting police reform now that Republicans hold the majority in the U.S. House. That means Democrats would have to convince even more Republicans in Congress to work with them on the issue. So far, Republicans appear resistant to passing police reform. As expressed by the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Republicans have made the argument that no law or provision in the George Floyd bill would have prevented the Memphis police beating of Tyre Nichols. When asked about the position of some GOP lawmakers, Jean-Pierre told theGrio the White House believes the Floyd law wouldve enacted wide-ranging reforms to deal with an issue that disproportionately impacts Black and brown communities. The Biden spokesperson explained: It would have strengthened accountability measures, which we think is important for federal officers at the state and local level it would give the Department of Justice expanded powers to go after departments that have patterns or practices of excessive force, bias policing and other unconstitutional practices. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre talks to reporters during the daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on February 02, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) She added, It would require the Department of Justice to establish accreditation standards for law enforcement agencies. It would require officers to complete training on racial profiling, implicit bias, and the duty to intervene when another officer uses excessive force. Jean-Pierre described the Floyd bill as a first step in addressing the issue of police bias and misconduct. The legislative journey to a bipartisan agreement will be an uphill battle, given the lack of commitment from Republicans. President Biden is expected to take his appeal for Congress to pass the George Floyd Act to primetime airwaves next week in his State of the Union address on Feb. 7. Tyre Nichols mother and stepfather will be in attendance, at the invitation of Congressman Horsford. The Congressional Black Caucus is focused on meaningful substantive reforms, said Horsford after Thursdays White House meeting. Were not drawing lines in the sand because we know that Tyre Nichols life is worth fighting for and so many others. Gerren Keith Gaynor Gerren Keith Gaynor is the Managing Editor of Politics and White House Correspondent at theGrio. He is based in Washington, D.C. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post Biden and Harris meet with Congressional Black Caucus to discuss police reform appeared first on TheGrio. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met Thursday with members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) to discuss pushing policing reform in the wake of the death of Tyre Nichols. As the group gathered in the Oval Office, Biden said it was his hope that the "dark memory" of Nichols' death "spurs some action that we've all been fighting for." "We got to stay at it, as long as it takes," the president said. Attendees included the CBC chair, Rep. Steven Horsford, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Raphael Warnock, Rep. James Clyburn, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Rep. Joe Neguse -- all Democrats. CBC members emerged from their meeting with Biden and Harris saying they were "exploring all options" when it comes to police reform. Horsford said "legislative, executive, and community-based solutions" were all under consideration, but the group wouldn't say if they've heard anything from Republicans. Asked if they could give preview a path forward, Horsford said that more details would come on a legislative package "as we work with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle in both the Senate and House." Warnock said "it was good to have an opportunity to talk" to Biden about these issues and that the president "understands the work that we've got to do going forward." The White House said in a statement that the president and vice president met to "discuss shared priorities, including the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the path forward on police reform in Congress." Biden and Harris "made clear that no executive action can substitute for federal legislation," the White House said. PHOTO: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 2, 2023. (Susan Walsh/AP) MORE: Up to 20 hours more Tyre Nichols footage yet to be released: DA Calls for legislative action have grown in the weeks following the fatal encounter between Nichols and Memphis police. Graphic footage of the Jan. 7 confrontation showed officers striking and kicking Nichols after a traffic stop. He died three days later. According to a preliminary independent autopsy commissioned by the family, he suffered from "extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating." Story continues Nichols' parents, attorney Ben Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton all pushed for the passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act as they delivered remarks at Nichols' funeral on Wednesday. Harris, too, demanded Congress pass the legislation, calling it "nonnegotiable." "The death of Tyree Nichols is yet another example of why we do need action," Horsford said as the caucus sat down with the president and vice president on Thursday. MORE: Tyre Nichols waited 16 minutes for EMTs to help after police beating: Analysis "We need your help to make sure we can get the legislative actions that are necessary to save lives and to make public safety the priority that it needs to be for all communities," he told them. MORE: Why Congress has failed to pass policing reform in recent years The group did not elaborate on any specific policies they planned to discuss as they entered the otherwise closed-door meeting. But any policing reform faces an uphill battle in the now-divided Congress. ABC News' Justin Gomez pressed Biden on whether police reform will be possible this Congress just before his meeting with the CBC. "I hope so," Biden said as he held up his hands and crossed his fingers. MORE: Discrepancy between police accounts, evidence in Tyre Nichols case revealed In advance of Thursday's meeting between the caucus and Biden, South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott poured cold water on the idea of using the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act as a starting point in negotiations. "Resurrecting the House progressives' police reform bill is a non-starter," Scott wrote in a Twitter thread. The legislation passed the Democratic-controlled House in 2021 but stalled in the Senate, with an impasse primarily over the issue of qualified immunity for officers. MORE: What is the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act? Scott has been at the center of police reform negotiations in the Senate in recent years, and he worked with Booker in 2021 to try to get a deal on the issue. His sign of approval for any policing reform bill would likely be essential in garnering the necessary Republican support in the Senate. "I've been working toward common ground solutions that actually have a shot at passing," he tweeted. "Solutions to increase funding and training to make sure only the best wear the badge. Solutions that would have made a difference in places like Memphis & Kenosha.Here's the truth: We can get something meaningful done. We can pass a bill that the majority of Congress--and the majority of Americans--would agree on." PHOTO: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus at the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 2, 2023. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters at his weekly press conference Thursday he'd spoken to CBC leaders ahead of their meeting at the White House. Jeffries declined to say when exactly Democrats would put forward a policing bill, saying he wouldn't get ahead of the meeting. "We do need to have a real, genuine, authentic, and bipartisan conversation about dealing with police reform in America, and figuring out how do we strengthen the relationship between the police and the community," Jeffries said. 'Need action': Biden meets with Congressional Black Caucus on policing after Tyre Nichols' death originally appeared on abcnews.go.com COVID-19 emergency status prompted coordinated vaccination efforts by health care providers, paramedics, volunteers and others. Wesley Lapointe / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images President Joe Biden announced on Jan. 30, 2023, that he intends to end both the national emergency and the public health emergency declarations related to COVID-19 on May 11, 2023. Bidens announcement came on the same day that the World Health Organization said it still considers the COVID-19 pandemic to be a public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC, a status that is reassessed every three months. The WHOs advisory committee noted that although the pandemic is at a turning point, COVID-19 remains a dangerous infectious disease with the capacity to cause substantial damage to health and health systems. The Conversation asked public health experts Marian Moser Jones and Amy Lauren Fairchild to put these statements into context and to explain their ramifications for the next stage of the pandemic. What does ending the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic mean? Ending the federal emergency reflects both a scientific and political judgment that the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has ended and that special federal resources are no longer needed to prevent disease transmission across borders. In practical terms, it means that two declarations the federal Public Health Emergency, first declared on Jan. 31, 2020, and the COVID-19 national emergency that President Donald Trump announced on March 13, 2020 will be allowed to expire in May 2023. Declaring those emergencies enabled the federal government to cut through a mountain of red tape, with the goal of responding to the pandemic more efficiently. For instance, the declarations allowed funds to be made available so that federal agencies could direct personnel, equipment, supplies and services to state and local governments wherever they were needed. In addition, the declarations made resources available to launch investigations into the cause, treatment or prevention of COVID-19 and to enter into contracts with other organizations to meet needs stemming from the emergency. Story continues The emergency status also allowed the federal government to make health care more widely available by suspending many requirements for accessing Medicare, Medicaid and the Childrens Health Program. And they made it possible for people to receive free COVID-19 testing, treatment and vaccines and enabled Medicaid and Medicare to more easily cover telehealth services. What policy changes will occur once the emergency is declared over? The end to the federal emergency could substantially reduce the number of people insured under Medicaid. Before the pandemic, states required people to prove every year that they met income and other eligibility requirements. In March 2020, Congress enacted a continuous enrollment provision in Medicaid that prevented states from removing anyone from their rolls during the pandemic. In a December 2022 appropriations bill, Congress passed a provision that will end continuous enrollment on March 31, 2023. The Biden administration has defended this time frame as sufficient to ensure that patients do not lose access to care unpredictably and that state Medicaid budgets which have been infused with emergency funds since 2020 dont face a radical cliff. But many people with Medicaid may be unaware of these changes until they actually lose their benefits. Some states have already indicated that they will begin disenrolling members in April 2023 or require members to apply to be considered for renewal. This could result in between 5 million and 14 million people losing coverage. People with Medicare do not have to worry about losing their benefits, since this program is age-based, not income-based. The array of telehealth services that Medicare began covering during the pandemic will continue to be covered through December 2023. Medicare coverage for many telehealth services could also be made permanent after this year. The end of the emergency could additionally curb access to COVID-19 drugs, tests and vaccines. Federal emergency funding for free treatment or vaccination will end when the emergency status is lifted on May 11. If such programs are to continue, the cost will fall to state and local health agencies or insurance companies. We are concerned that the withdrawal of federal emergency funds for vaccination may further slow the already sluggish uptake of boosters. As of Jan. 25, 2023, about 20% of the population ages 5 and up and only 40.1% of those 65 and older who are at the highest risk of death from COVID-19 had received an updated bivalent booster dose. Once the emergency ends, measures that allowed a broad array of health providers from pharmacist interns to retired nurses and even veterinarians to administer vaccines will expire, which could lead to decreased access to vaccination in many parts of the U.S. What does this mean for the status of the pandemic? A pandemic declaration represents an assessment that human transmission of a disease, whether well known or novel, is extraordinary, that it constitutes a public health risk to two or more states and that controlling it requires an international response. At some point the WHO will end its pandemic declaration. On Jan. 30, 2023, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the pandemic as being at a transition point. But the WHOs assessment is that the risks are still considerable. Ghebreyesus noted that COVID-19 continues to strain health care systems, exacerbate health care workforce shortages and exceed surveillance system capacities. The U.S. remains one of the global COVID-19 hot spots. With more than 3,500 hospitalizations per week on average in January 2023, and 3,452 deaths per week as of early February 2023, the U.S. has among the highest deaths per capita in the world. How does the Biden administrations stance differ from the WHOs position? In some ways they are very similar. The WHO is looking at the pandemic from a global perspective while the Biden administration is examining it from a national perspective. The WHOs stance reflects the assessment that the world is not sufficiently vaccinated, that health care systems remain vulnerable and that unchecked disease transmission in some parts of the world should remain a source of international concern and attention. Chinas massive outbreak after the lifting of its zero-COVID policy in early December 2022 has received a great deal of media attention. But less noted is the fact that vaccination rates across African nations average 40%, and that vaccination rates are very low in countries that are experiencing conflict, such as Syria, where only 15% of the population has received any COVID-19 vaccine. The WHOs continuation of the global pandemic status signals that there is more international coordination and work to be done. In contrast, the Biden administration is making a social and political judgment that it is time to wind down the federal role. Bidens order will not affect state-level or local-level emergency declarations. These declarations have allowed states to allocate resources to meet pandemic needs and have included provisions allowing them to respond to surges in COVID-19 cases by allowing out-of-state physicians and other health care providers to practice in person and through telehealth. Almost all U.S. states, however, have ended their own public health emergency declarations. Eight states California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Texas still have emergency declarations in effect, but all of them will expire by the end of February 2023 unless renewed. While some states may choose to make permanent some COVID-era emergency standards, such as looser restrictions on telemedicine or out-of-state health providers, it could be a long time before either politicians or the public regain an appetite for any emergency orders directly related to COVID-19. This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation is trustworthy news from experts, from an independent nonprofit. Try our free newsletters. It was written by: Amy Lauren Fairchild, The Ohio State University and Marian Moser Jones, The Ohio State University. Read more: The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. A new bill introduced in the state legislature would end a provision of state law that allows auto insurers to raise rates without approval from state regulators. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] This is just an issue of fairness to the consumer, Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King told Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray. King calls it a loophole of Georgia law. Back in August, he called out insurance giant Allstate for using that provision to raise rates dramatically on Georgia consumers. King told Gray at the time that he would look for a legal fix. Now this week, House Insurance Committee Chairman Eddie Lumsden introduced legislation that would ban the practice called file and use. Allstate used the practice to raise insurance rates a total of 40% in less than a year in 2022. One company is primarily taking advantage of this. My concern is if we dont close this loophole, other companies will be forced to follow the same methodology to increase rates without coming to this office and negotiating. They can just change it overnight, King said. TRENDING STORIES: Gray checked with the state on the numbers. Since Allstates most recent 25% increase last fall without state approval, other major insurers have been approved for increases by the Insurance Commissioner. But those rare increases were much smaller. Just under 10% for American Family, Geico and Progressive, and about 13% for State Farm. Gray asked Allstate for comment. They sent Channel 2 Action News a statement, reading: Georgia passed its unambiguous auto insurance law 15 years ago by broad bi-partisan majorities in both the House and Senate, and Allstate has followed it to the letter ever since. Our rates are competitive despite all the factors causing them to go up across the insurance industry Story continues Channel 2 Investigates has done a series of stories in recent years on customers who had trouble getting Allstate to pay up after a crash. It took Tesha McGee two years and a jury trial. These people have the money to pay, and they just want to ring you out until theres no more juice left, McGhee said. And an Allstate insider, former Allstate staff attorney Laura Johnson Bailey, told Channel 2 that Allstate policy is to make low ball offers. Allstates the worst. Easily, Bailey said. Commissioner King says his office has had trouble getting paid by Allstate too. Her just sent a fine and demand letter to Allstate subsidiary National General for thousands of dollars in unpaid premium taxes. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] If the state of Georgia gets treated this way just imagine how their customers get treated. They havent answered our phone calls, they havent answered dour inquiries, King said. Allstate also referred us to an industry trade group, the Insurance Information Institute who says find and use is not a loophole. Mark Friedlander from III telling us in an email, This is a common practice throughout the U.S. By Svea Herbst-Bayliss NEW YORK (Reuters) -Billionaire investor Ryan Cohen is building a large stake in Nordstrom Inc and plans to push the upscale retailer to shake up its board as its performance has lagged behind rivals, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Cohen, who built his fortune by co-founding online pet retailer Chewy Inc and cemented it with investments in videogame retailer GameStop and Apple Inc, would like to replace at least one director on Nordstrom's 10-member board, the people said. He appears to be taking aim at Mark Tritton, who chairs the compensation committee and has served as a director since 2020. Cohen has privately called Tritton, a former chief executive of Bed Bath & Beyond, "conflicted and unqualified," said the people, who were not permitted to discuss the private negotiations. Bed Bath & Beyond is preparing to file for bankruptcy, Reuters reported this week. Investors cheered Cohen's reported involvement at Nordstrom by sending the stock price up 25% in after-hours trading on Thursday. Nordstrom shares have dropped roughly 55% over the past five years, and ratings agency Fitch again downgraded the company last month, saying that its "operating trajectory has been weaker than most retailers." "While Cohen hasn't sought any discussions with us in several years, we are open to hearing his views, as we do with all Nordstrom shareholders," a company representative said. The Wall Street Journal first reported Cohen's stake in Nordstrom. Cohen is now one of the company's top five non-insider shareholders alongside investment firms BlackRock and Fidelity, the people familiar with his stake said. Tritton was ousted as Bed Bath & Beyond's CEO as part of a management shakeup in June just a few months after Cohen had taken a stake in the home goods retailer and criticized it for an "overly ambitious" strategy, for overpaying executives and failing to reverse market share losses. Story continues As possible replacements on the Nordstrom board, Cohen has identified executives with experience at retail and e-commerce companies, the people said. Cohen would like to reach a deal with the company without resorting to a proxy fight, the people said. The window to publicly nominate directors at Nordstrom closes on Feb. 17, according to proxy materials. Canada-born Cohen, 37, has a net worth estimated at $2.5 billion. He made a splash in the investing world two years ago when he joined the board of GameStop, igniting a frenzy in the stock price that turned the video retailer into a "meme stock" backed by retail investors. Nordstrom was founded by the Nordstrom family, and insiders still own roughly 30% of the stock with brothers Erik and Peter serving as chief executive officer and president, respectively. They also have board seats. Cohen has met with family members in Seattle, where the company is headquartered, and has expressed admiration for the company's customer service, the people said. (Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss and Lavanya Ahire; Editing by Leslie Adler) (Bloomberg) -- A bipartisan pair of lawmakers on Thursday vowed to keep a focus on reforming US antitrust laws to curb the power of Amazon.com, Inc; Apple Inc.; Alphabet Inc.s Google and Meta Platforms, Inc. Most Read from Bloomberg Colorado Representative Ken Buck, a Republican, and Rhode Island Representative David Cicilline, a Democrat, launched a caucus in an effort to keep momentum for antitrust legislation targeting the biggest tech companies last year that almost passed last year. The two lawmakers face an uphill battle since the new GOP majority has opposed those efforts and controls the House agenda. Though the caucus does not have the same power as formal congressional committees, the lawmakers said they will hold hearings, support legislation and educate fellow lawmakers about their views on anti-monopoly policy. The Congressional Antitrust Caucus will give members of Congress who care about holding monopolies accountable and encouraging competition in the Big Tech marketplace an opportunity to bring competition policy to the floor of the US House of Representatives and minds of the American people, Buck said in a statement. Cicilline in a statement said the caucus will ensure that our critical work to rein in Big Tech continues. The caucus announcement comes only days after House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan of Ohio named Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie, a rigid libertarian, to serve as the head of the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee. The appointment was a snub to Buck, who was the panels ranking member last Congress. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a trip to Beijing after a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon was detected in U.S. airspace, a senior State Department official said Friday. Officials said the U.S. noted that China had issued a statement of regret, but described the balloons presence as a grievous violation that required a strong response. We have noted the [Peoples Republic of China] statement of regret, but the presence of this balloon in our airspace is a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law, and it is unacceptable that this has occurred, the official said. After consultations with our interagency partners, as well as with Congress, we have concluded that the conditions are not right at this moment for Secretary Blinken to travel to China. The secretary had been set to leave for Beijing on Friday evening in a trip that was extensively planned since it was first announced after President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Bali, Indonesia, in November at the Group of 20 summit. But the detection of the Chinese surveillance balloon prompted a new assessment that the trip could not continue. The senior State Department official said the secretary and the deputy secretary spoke with senior Chinese representatives in Washington on Wednesday night. The official said the message from U.S. officials to Chinese officials was that the surveillance balloon was an unacceptable and irresponsible incident. The Department of Defense issued a public statement Thursday night that the surveillance balloon had been detected. The State Department official said Blinken would look to travel to China at the earliest opportunity when conditions allow, but said that in the meantime the U.S. is maintaining lines of communication with Beijing to address concerns about the incident with the balloon. The official said that the State Department had assessed that a trip to Beijing under the tension of the surveillance balloon would not be conducive or constructive and that it would have significantly narrowed the agenda that we would have been able to address. The official did not address what conditions would allow for the trip to be rescheduled. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Germany and Sweden are in talks over a new arms package, under which Stockholm would provide Ukraine with surface-to-air missiles and launchers for the German IRIS-T air defense systems, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 3, citing people familiar with the matter. Germany asked Sweden to supply launchers for an IRIS-T compatible air defense system, the unnamed sources told Bloomberg. The negotiations would also allow for more munitions that could be used for German IRIS-T systems delivered to Ukraine, the people added. Germany is on track with its plan to send three additional IRIS-T air defense systems this year after the first arrived in October 2022, according to Bloomberg. Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman in Blues Brothers 2000. (Universal/Alamy) 1980s The Blues Brothers is an undisputed classic but Blues Brothers 2000, its belated 1998 sequel? Well, thats a different story altogether. Released 25 years ago, some 18 years after the original, series star, co-creator and co-writer Dan Aykroyd threw everything at the wall in an attempt to continue the legacy, both cinematic and musical, of his first big-screen outing with his Saturday Night Live partner John Belushi. Read more: The most scandalous film sets in Hollywood history However, the end result left audiences wishing hed left well enough alone. Instead of the slick-cool vibes of director John Landiss first film, Blues Brothers 2000s misplaced, silly humour left viewers with a creeping case of the blues. So what went wrong? John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd on the set of The Blues Brothers directed by John Landis. (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) Looking back, maybe it was a victim of an abundance of expectations following a film that set the bar pretty high. Co-written by Landis and Aykroyd, The Blues Brothers found Jake (Elwood) reunited with his brother Elwood (Aykroyd) following a stint in Joliet prison. After receiving a vision from the afterlife, Jakes life purpose is revealed, setting these musical siblings on a mission from God to reform their band and raise enough money to save the orphanage that housed them as blues-loving kids. What follows is an insane road trip where Jake and Elwood round up their former bandmates while enraging Illinois Nazis, evading Jakes bazooka-wielding ex, pissing off a bluegrass band and attracting the attention of almost all of Americas police officers. Read more: Ghostbusters cast enjoys online reunion Then theres its undersung cultural impact. Despite being fronted by two white male leads who showcased music created by black musicians, a factor that later resulted in accusations of cultural appropriation, Akyroyd, Belushi and Landis made sure that everything they did was powered by a love and respect for the blues and its originators. Aretha Franklin surrounded by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd on the set of The Blues Brothers directed by John Landis. Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) Southern cinemas didnt want to screen the film because of the African American artists, revealed Aykroyd during a 2020 interview celebrating The Blues Brothers 40th anniversary, but when it became a hit they opened up and people got to see it. It acts as cultural preservation. Story continues He continued, adding: We made sure the writers of the material kept their publishing rights. John and I took performers rights only. Every one of those songs we recorded remunerated the original artists 100% due to album sales. It was an ethical decision and the songwriters today and their estates have benefitted from it. Read more: John Belushi biopic casts lead Landis echoed the sentiment: "The Blues Brothers is a testament to John and Dans passion for the blues. They took advantage of their celebrity to focus attention on soul music. Im proud of it. John Goodman, Dan Aykroyd, J. Evan Bonifant in Blues Brothers 2000. (Universal/Alamy) Meanwhile, fans had almost two decades to soak it all up; years spent learning Jake and Elwoods dialogue verbatim, rewatching key scenes and binging its hit-filled accompanying soundtrack. By the time a sequel finally materialised in 1998, there was a very high chance that nothing it could do would possibly match what it had already achieved. Read more: Why The Goonies 2 will never happen For the most part, these expectations were spot on. Looking back at Blues Brothers 2000 as it turns 25 and its legacy is not only as a sub-par follow-up but one that regularly appears on lists of the worst sequels ever. If were being kind, its not all bad. Landis returns to pick up Elwoods story 18 years after the events of the first movie, just as hes released from his stint in Joilett a sentence that Jake sadly didnt make it through. Undeterred, he sets about reuniting the old band once again, this time with a few new members including John Goodman as new vocalist "Mighty" Mack McTeer and kid Buster Blues (J. Evan Bonifant). Together, they waste no time replicating the manic, hot-pursuit narrative of the first movie, with plenty of musical cameos popping up throughout. Its this area where the film largely succeeds, with enjoyable encore performances from Aretha Franklin and James Brown, and new musical numbers from the likes of Eddie Floyd and Wilson Pickett inhabiting the same vibe as the original. Sam Moore, Joe Morton and James Brown in Blues Brothers 2000. (Universal/Alamy) However, when it comes to the films humour, things arent as toe-tappingly great. While part one flirted with the ridiculous (can the Bluesmobile really jump that bridge?), Blues Brothers 2000 fully embraced the goofy, complete with a number of sequences that are hard to forgive. Would Elwood really be so worried about being seen without his sunglasses on that hed resort to covering his eyes when theyre removed? Is plastering your entire head with shaving foam and claiming youre having a bad reaction to medication enough to help you outsmart the police? Read more: Classic movies with forgettable sequels The cartoonish nature of this late sequel is so amped-up that at one point, Elwood and his newly-reformed band get magically transformed into statues by an ancient voodoo witch and were expected to go along for the ride. It was at this point that most viewers probably hung up their hat and shades for good. Dan Aykroyd, J Evan Bonifant and John Goodman in Blues Brothers 2000. (Alamy) In retrospect, maybe Blues Brothers 2000s real legacy is to serve as a stark warning for our current legacy-sequel-hungry movie audiences to be careful what they wish for. Fan love for pop-culture properties or particular sets of characters can undoubtedly be strong enough to endure the ages but sometimes its best to leave some classics undisturbed in the past. Blues Brothers 2000 is available to rent or buy on PVOD. Watch: Dan Aykroyd looks back at The Blues Brothers An investigation is underway after a man was hit by a train near Seattles Belltown neighborhood Thursday night. According to the Seattle Police Department, officers were called to Alaskan Way and Bell Street around 5 p.m. When they arrived, they found a man who had been hit by a BNSF train. The 30-year-old man suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Seattle Fire Department medics provided aid at the scene and later took the man to Harborview Medical Center. BNSF will investigate the collision, while SPD investigates possible criminal aspects of the incident. Three bodies found in an abandoned apartment building in the Detroit area Thursday are those of the rappers who vanished nearly two weeks ago, according to Michigan State Police. In a statement Friday afternoon, the agency said the victims had been positively identified as Armani Kelly, of Oscoda, Michigan; Montoya Givens, of Detroit; and Dante Wicker, of Melvindale, Michigan. "Currently the cause of death and motive are unknown," state police tweeted, adding detectives were still investigating the deaths. Human remains were found in the basement of the apartment complex in Highland Park, roughly 6 miles northwest of Detroit, state police Lt. Mike Shaw said. Initially, officials could not begin collecting evidence or identifying the victims because of the weather, the condition of the bodies and the state of the building, described by police as very poor and infested with rats. Montoya Givens, Dante Wicker and Armani Kelly. (Detroit PD; NAMUS) The complex is about 12 miles west of Lounge 31, the Detroit venue where the rappers were scheduled to perform Jan. 21 before the gig was canceled. Kelly, Givens and Wicker had not been seen or heard from since that day. Their disappearance sparked an investigation involving multiple agencies. A 15-year-old boy was picked up last week and accused of having a vehicle belonging to Kelly, Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer said Thursday. At the time, Dwyer declined to discuss how the cars discovery might factor into the search for the missing rappers. He said there were no signs of violence in Kellys car. There was no blood or anything of a nature that would lead us to believe they were either transported or murdered in that particular vehicle, he said. Dwyer also would not confirm if the 15-year-old had been arrested. He said the teenager was brought into the Warren police headquarters and that he was taken into custody at one point last week. The rappers' bodies were taken to the Wayne County Medical Examiners Office, Shaw said. He noted the extreme cold as to why autopsies may not be able to begin right away. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast The Manhattan district attorneys super-secret criminal case against former President Donald Trump is largely a mirror image of the bank fraud lawsuit against him already filed publicly by the New York attorney general, according to a tell-all book written by a frustrated prosecutor who quit the DAs team. That explanation casts doubt on the DAs recent claims that the book, which is due to hit bookshelves on Tuesday, could severely damage the revived investigation. But it also explains what has boggled some Americans for months: why AG Letitia James lawsuit reads like a criminal indictment. The AGs lawsuitwhich accuses the Trumps of faking business records to dupe banks and dodge taxeswants to kill the Trump Organization and seize what could be up to $1 billion of its assets. Her 222-page lawsuit details rampant criminal fraud, but her authority as New York States top prosecutor only allows her to seek a civil remedy. Trump Committed Crimes, Prosecutor Wrote Before Quitting Manhattan DAs Office People vs. Donald Trump: An Inside Account, written by former special assistant DA Mark Pomerantz, lays out how the AGs office barrelled forward when the Manhattan DA hit the brakes. According to a source familiar with the book, it describes how Pomerantzs team of local county prosecutors collected evidence that Trump routinely lied to banks, insurers, and property appraisers to inflate the value of his properties. The team thought that the bank fraud angle was the strongest criminal case against Trump himself, but the incoming DA who inherited the investigation, Alvin Bragg Jr., halted the probe when he wasnt guaranteed a victory. The teams top two prosecutors, Pomerantz and Carey Dunne, quit in protest. The book publisher Simon & Schuster has not made it publicly available for journalists to review. However, The Daily Beast was briefed on its contents. According to four sources familiar with the DAs investigation, the bank fraud case is the most robustbut complexcase against the former American president. But there are at least two others. Story continues For years, prosecutors also explored a second case that Trump broke state laws when he falsified official business records to cover up the hush money payments to keep the porn star Stormy Daniels quiet about their brief affair, a scandal that led the feds to take down his consigliere Michael Cohen. However, four sources said the DAs office was constrained by jurisdiction issues. Trump ran for federal office and is believed to have broken federal election finance laws by using his company to launder the payment. Proving that state laws were broken too was a heightened challenge for investigators. In New York, the underlying crime is a misdemeanor, so the falsification of business records would be limited to a misdemeanor as welland prosecutors were reluctant to file such a weak case on its own. These sources said a third case, that the Trump Organization faked business records to enrich executives and dodge taxes, was the simplest to prove. The documents speak for themselves, all four sources said in separate interviews. But what made the case so easythe documentsonly implicated the companys chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, and his deputy, Jeffrey S. McConney. Trumps signature was on a memo approving a screwy benefits scheme, but it wasnt enough. So the DAs office gave McConney complete immunity for his financial crimes in this case on the condition that he testify before a grand jury. Prosecutors proceeded to indict the CFO and two Trump companies. Weisselberg is now behind bars at the notorious Rikers Island jail, and the Trump companies were ordered to pay $1.6 million. Pomerantzs book is expected to dive into each of these three theories of criminality. His memoir could also shed light on the interesting timing of the teams unraveling a year ago. The new details about the book indicate that Bragg showed a reluctance to indict Trump just as the AGwho was running a parallel investigation with his officecame out swinging in public. According to two sources familiar with the situation, Bragg wasnt convinced in the ability to successfully prosecute Trump for bank fraud during his first month in office in January 2022. Is Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg Finally Ready to Indict Trump? Meanwhile, the AG felt so convinced that her case was solid that she took the bold and surprising move of laying out key details in public court documents on Jan. 18, 2022, when she asked a judge to force the Trumps to testify behind closed doors. If the DAs case truly is a mirror image of the AGs case, then Pomerantzs book will highlight the DAs timidity while bolstering the AGs fighting spirit. Then again, as one former prosecutor who recently left Braggs office pointed out, criminal cases require convincing juries beyond a shadow of a doubt, while civil cases, like the one taken on by the AG, only require whats called the preponderance of the evidence to tilt the scales, which is equivalent to 51 percent certainty. The prospect of a tell-all memoir about an ongoing investigation is anathema to seasoned prosecutors, who told The Daily Beast that Pomerantz could run the risk of running afoul of grand jury secrecy rules. The actions of a grand jury as they deliberate on whether or not to indict someone are one of the most secretive aspects of the American justice system, and the book promises to shed light on how the DA conducted its investigationwhich included months of work before a grand jury. Simon & Schuster has billed the book as a fascinating inside account of the attempt to prosecute former president Donald Trump. One of Braggs closest advisers, DA general counsel Leslie B. Dubeck, sent a letter last month to the books publisher warning of a meaningful risk that it could harm the effort to hold the former president accountable in court. Last week, The Daily Beast revealed the contents of an odd nondisclosure agreementone not typically used by prosecutors officesthat Pomerantz signed when he initially joined the team in December 2020. In that contract, Pomerantz promised to keep every aspect of the investigation secret, even the investigations mere existence. The NDA includes a vague threat about potential jail time. But if the book really does say that the DAs best case was already laid out in full back when AG Letitia James filed her lawsuit in September, the worries about it blowing up an investigation could ring hollow. 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. SheKnows There might be a few hurt feelings over at Royal Lodge this week because someone in the inner palace circle was not invited to King Charles IIIs coronation. It turns out that Sarah Ferguson, Prince Andrews former wife who still lives with him at Windsor Estates, was excluded from the elite list. The press is [] If you want to know who really controls CTOS Digital Berhad (KLSE:CTOS), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 38% to be precise, is individual investors. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn). While the holdings of individual investors took a hit after last weeks 7.0% price drop, institutions with their 27% holdings also suffered. Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of CTOS Digital Berhad, beginning with the chart below. See our latest analysis for CTOS Digital Berhad What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About CTOS Digital Berhad? Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices. CTOS Digital Berhad already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see CTOS Digital Berhad's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story. CTOS Digital Berhad is not owned by hedge funds. Creador is currently the largest shareholder, with 27% of shares outstanding. Employees Provident Fund of Malaysia is the second largest shareholder owning 7.2% of common stock, and Tze Keong Chung holds about 4.2% of the company stock. Looking at the shareholder registry, we can see that 50% of the ownership is controlled by the top 11 shareholders, meaning that no single shareholder has a majority interest in the ownership. Story continues Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future. Insider Ownership Of CTOS Digital Berhad The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO. Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances. Our most recent data indicates that insiders own some shares in CTOS Digital Berhad. It has a market capitalization of just RM3.4b, and insiders have RM255m worth of shares, in their own names. This shows at least some alignment. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling. General Public Ownership The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 38% stake in CTOS Digital Berhad. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders. Private Equity Ownership With an ownership of 27%, private equity firms are in a position to play a role in shaping corporate strategy with a focus on value creation. Some investors might be encouraged by this, since private equity are sometimes able to encourage strategies that help the market see the value in the company. Alternatively, those holders might be exiting the investment after taking it public. Next Steps: I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for CTOS Digital Berhad that you should be aware of. If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this free report on analyst forecasts. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here LISBON/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes confirmed on Friday that Senator Marcos do Val told him about an election conspiracy meeting he allegedly attended with former President Jair Bolsonaro and former lawmaker Daniel Silveira last year. Do Val revealed on Thursday that Silveira, a close ally of Bolsonaro, tried to persuade him to join a conspiracy to overturn the far-right leader's electoral loss, asking him to try and get Moraes to make compromising comments in a taped conversation that could lead to the judge's arrest. Bolsonaro had made baseless attacks on the integrity of Brazil's electronic voting system, which Moraes - also the head of the country's top electoral authority (TSE) - defended in decisions that the former president blamed for his defeat. Moraes said during an event held in Lisbon that Do Val approached him to talk about the meeting. The justice said he then asked the senator to testify formalizing the allegations, but Do Val declined to do so. "I asked the senator if he would reaffirm that and put it on paper, because then I would immediately take his testimony," Moraes said. "But he told me it was an intelligence matter and that unfortunately he could not confirm it. So I just thanked him and said goodbye, because in my view what is not official does not exist". Do Val told reporters on Thursday that Bolsonaro, narrowly defeated by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in an October vote, "sat in silence" while Silveira laid out the plot against Moraes at the meeting. Silveira was arrested by police on Thursday on a warrant issued by Moraes, who accused him of disobeying court rulings. Bolsonaro left Brazil for Florida 48 hours before Lula took office, without ever conceding defeat. Bolsonaro is being investigated by Moraes at the Supreme Court for his alleged role in inflaming riots by his supporters, who stormed government buildings on Jan. 8 seeking to provoke a military coup. (Reporting by Catarina Demony in Lisbon, Gabriel Araujo and Eduardo Simoes in Sao Paulo; Editing by Steven Grattan and Chizu Nomiyama) Ton Molina/Reuters A Brazilian politician has claimed that both he and Jair Bolsonaro attended a December meeting in which an ally of the then-president outlined a plot to keep him in power following his defeat in the October elections. Senator Marcos do Val, a 51-year-old conservative affiliated with the center-right Podemos party, recounted the alleged conspiratorial gathering at a press conference on Thursday. At the Dec. 9 meeting, Do Val said, a fellow lawmaker named Daniel Silveira had attempted to coerce him into aiding in the scheme, asking if he would trick a Supreme Court justice into making compromising comments in a recorded conversation. The aim, Silveira allegedly said, was to secure the arrest of the justice, Alexandre de Moraeswho also oversees the countrys top electoral authority. Bolsonaro sat in silence as Silveira explained the plan, Do Val explained, according to a translation by Reuters. A onetime staunch supporter of Bolsonaros government, Do Val said after initially airing his allegations on Instagram Live on Wednesday night that he planned to definitively leave politics, The Guardian reported. He was elected to an eight-year term as a senator in 2018. Earlier on Thursday, Silveira was arrested in Rio de Janeiro on a warrant issued by De Moraes. The justice accused Silveira of disobeying court orders and complete disrespect and mockery of the judiciary. Silveira, 40, is a former military police officer who has spent time in prison for threatening electoral officials and Federal Supreme Court ministers. De Moraes also ordered Do Val to provide testimony to federal police within the next five days as part of a probe into the alleged coup attempt, according to Reuters. Do Vals press conference was held just days after it was reported that Bolsonaro, 67, had filed an application for a six-month visitor visa to remain in the U.S. The former Brazilian president has been living in Florida at the home of a former mixed martial arts star since shortly after his electoral loss last year. Story continues He would like to take some time off, clear his head, and enjoy being a tourist in the United States for a few months before deciding what his next step will be, Felipe Alexandre, his immigration attorney, said in a statement. His detractors were quick to criticize this move as a sign of cowardice, particularly as authorities back in Brazil continue to probe the former presidents possible role in an attack on Brasilias capital buildings by supporters early last month. Youre running away, huh? tweeted Rogerio Correia, a member of the governing leftist Workers Party. Bolsonaro decamped to Florida on Dec. 30, two days before his rival, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, assumed presidential office. He is believed to have entered the United States on an A-1 visa, the classification reserved for heads of state and diplomats. His visa would have expired on Tuesday30 days after the end of his presidential term. 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. BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's federal police on Friday carried out fresh raids as part of a probe into the Jan. 8 insurrection, when supporters of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings in Brasilia. Police said in a statement they were serving three preventive arrest warrants and 14 search and seizure warrants ordered by the Supreme Court in five states and the federal district, where Brasilia is located. The new efforts represent the fourth phase of an operation launched last month aimed at identifying people who participated in, funded or fostered the riots, in which a mob invaded and ransacked the Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court. Police did not disclose the names of those targeted by the raids but highlighted they were being investigated for the crimes of "violent abolition of the rule of law, coup d'etat, qualified damage, criminal association, incitement, destruction and deterioration of specially protected property". The Brasilia demonstrators were protesting Bolsonaro's defeat by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in an October election and calling for a military coup to oust Lula and restore the far-right leader. (Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Editing by Steven Grattan) The exterior view of the Bethel African American Methodist Episcopal Church at 125 S. 6th St. in Philadelphia. Breton, William L., circa 1773-1855 Artist via the Library of Congress, World Digital Library With religious affiliation on the decline, continuing racism and increasing income inequality, some scholars and activists are soul-searching about the Black churchs role in todays United States. For instance, on April 20, 2010, an African American Studies professor at Princeton, Eddie S. Glaude, sparked an online debate by provocatively declaring that, despite the existence of many African American churches, the Black Church, as weve known it or imagined it, is dead. As he argued, the image of the Black church as a center for Black life and as a beacon of social and moral transformation had disappeared. Scholars of African American religion responded to Glaude by stating that the image of the Black church as the moral conscience of the United States has always been a complicated matter. As historian Anthea Butler argued, The Black Church may be dead in its incarnation as agent of change, but as the imagined home of all things black and Christian, it is alive and well. As a scholar of Christian theology and African American religion, Im aware of this long history of the Black church and its contribution to American politics. Its story began in the 15th and 16th centuries, when European empires authorized the capture, auction and enslavement of various peoples from across the coast of Western and Central Africa. Origins of African American Christianity As millions were transported through the Middle Passage to the Americas, Europeans forcefully baptized the enslaved into the Christian faith despite many of them adhering to traditional African religious systems and Islam. European slave traders dismissed Africans as heathenish to justify their enslavement of Africans and the coercive proselytization to Christianity. In the 1600s, British missionaries traveled throughout the American Colonies to convert enslaved Africans and the Indigenous peoples of the continent. Originally, however, white slaveholders were hesitant to convert enslaved Africans to Christianity because they feared that Christian baptism would lead to the enslaved Africans freedom, causing both economic ruin and social upheaval. They widely supposed that British laws mandated the freedom of all baptized Christians, and thus white slaveholders initially refused to grant missionaries permission to instruct enslaved Africans into the Christian faith. Story continues By 1706, six Colonies had passed laws that declared that Africans Christian status did not alter their social condition as slaves. Consequently, missionaries created slave catechisms, modified religious instruction manuals that instructed enslaved Africans about Christianity while reinforcing their enslavement. Over time, evangelical Protestant groups followed suit in their proselytization of the enslaved community, most notably during the First and Second Great Awakenings, the Protestant religious revivals that swept across the American nation in the mid-18th and early 19th centuries. Denominations that form the Black church Both during and after the end of slavery, African Americans began to establish their own congregations, parishes, fellowships, associations and later denominations. Black Baptists founded first the National Baptist Convention USA, in 1895, the largest Black Protestant denomination in the United States. The National Baptist Convention of America International and the Progressive National Baptist Convention were founded years later. The first independent Black denomination, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which was formalized in 1816, grew out of the Free African Society founded by Richard Allen, a former enslaved man and Methodist minister, in the city of Philadelphia in 1787. Allen and his colleague Absalom Jones walked out of St. Georges Methodist Episcopal Church after white members demanded that Allen and Jones, who had been kneeling in prayer, leave the ground floor and go to the upper balcony, which was designated for Black worshippers. Other Black Methodists founded two other denominations the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in 1821 and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in 1870. The Church of God in Christ, the largest Black Pentecostal denomination in the United States, was founded by Charles Harrison Mason, a former Baptist minister, in 1897 and incorporated in 1907. Other Black Christians belong to mainline Protestant denominations. Additionally, there are 3 million Black Roman Catholics in the United States, and a smaller number of African Americans who attend Eastern Orthodox churches. Moreover, a number of African Americans belong to independent nondenominational congregations, while others belong to white conservative evangelical, Pentecostal and charismatic churches. Contributions to American politics The Black church has played a vital role in the shaping of American political history. African American churches provided spaces for not only spiritual formation but also political activism. Black churches were spaces where slave abolitionism was envisioned, and insurrections were planned. Black preachers such as Denmark Vesey and Nat Turner were actively involved in attempted and successful slave insurrections in the South Ida B. Wells organized and led Bible study classes for young Black men. Library of Congress During the Reconstruction era, the African Methodist Episcopal Bishop Henry McNeal Turner served as one of the first African American legislators for the state of Georgia. Turner was famous for his scathing critiques of American Christianity and the nation at large. Ida B. Wells was an investigative journalist and educator who wrote extensive accounts of the lynchings of Black people in the South, fought against Jim Crow policies, and advocated for Black womens right to vote. An active churchgoer, Wells also organized and led Bible study classes for young Black men at Grace Presbyterian Church, a predominantly Black church founded in 1888 in the city of Chicago. Many Black Christians participated in the Civil Rights movement, including Bayard Rustin, an openly gay Quaker, who was instrumental in organizing the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on Aug. 28, 1963. Despite his contributions to advancing Black peoples freedom, Rustin was pushed to the background by his peers because of his homosexuality. Pauli Murray, the first Black woman to be ordained in the Episcopal Church, was a lawyer, legal scholar, civil rights and gender equality advocate and poet. Murray compiled an extensive collection of laws and ordinances that mandated racial segregation and wrote extensively on womens rights. An influential institution The Black church is far from monolithic. Its members hold different theological positions and hail from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, education levels and political affiliations. Some African American Christians did not participate in efforts to end racial segregation, fearing violent backlash from white people. Today, Black Christians are divided over other social justice issues, such as whether to support LGBTQ equality. Nevertheless, African American Christians have drawn insights from their experience of enduring racism and their Christian faith to contest racial subjugation and advocate for their freedom and human dignity. Despite the rise of the religiously unaffiliated or Nones within the African American community, the Black church, I believe, continues to be an influential institution. This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. If you found it interesting, you could subscribe to our weekly newsletter. It was written by: Jason Oliver Evans, University of Virginia. Read more: Jason Oliver Evans does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has refused to rule out the supply of combat aircraft to Ukraine, even though he has stated that training to operate them could take months, if not years. Source: Rishi Sunak on air with TalkTV, reported by European Pravda, referring to PA Details: While answering a question about whether he excludes the possibility of sending aircraft, the prime minister replied: "No, we are always in a dialogue with Ukrainian friends about what the right way to support them is." Quote: "The issue is what is the support that we can provide that we think will make the most difference? ...That's why the decision I took as prime minister was to be one of the first countries in the world to provide heavy tanks to Ukraine... We were then followed by other countries." More details: Sunak has said that fighter jets "are incredibly sophisticated pieces of equipment that require months if not years for people to be trained on". "Our desire and goal is for Ukraine to win this conflict So, it is not just the equipment, it is also the capabilities and training that come alongside that [fighter jets - ed.], and along with a plan with our allies that would ensure that they can be victorious," the PM added. Background: Boris Johnson, the former UK Prime Minister, advocated for sending more weapons to Ukraine. Johnson supported providing Ukraine with all the types of weapons it needs in response to a question about F-16 fighter jets. Later, Ben Wallace, Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom, said that transferring fighter jets to Ukraine "would not be the right approach", but there is no final decision on this matter yet. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Bursa Malaysia Berhad (KLSE:BURSA) Full Year 2022 Results Key Financial Results Revenue: RM603.2m (down 21% from FY 2021). Net income: RM226.6m (down 36% from FY 2021). Profit margin: 38% (down from 46% in FY 2021). The decrease in margin was driven by lower revenue. EPS: RM0.28 (down from RM0.44 in FY 2021). All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period Bursa Malaysia Berhad Meets Expectations Revenue was in line with analyst estimates. Earnings per share (EPS) was also in line with analyst expectations. Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 4.0% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 14% growth forecast for the Capital Markets industry in Asia. Performance of the market in Malaysia. The company's share price is broadly unchanged from a week ago. Risk Analysis We should say that we've discovered 2 warning signs for Bursa Malaysia Berhad 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. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here A homicide investigation was underway after an inmate was found Thursday with several injuries, including stab wounds, in his cell at a California prison in Amador County. Robert Aranda, 23, was found unresponsive and wounded in his cell about 1:40 p.m. at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced Friday in a news release. Prison staff performed life-saving measures on Aranda and took him to the prisons Treatment and Triage Area. He was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later. CDCR officials said the Amador County Coroners Office would determine Arandas cause of death. Alexander Mateuz, 38, Arandas prison cellmate, was identified as the alleged attacker in Arandas death, according to CDCR. Mateuz has been moved to the prisons administrative segregation unit while the homicide is investigated. Aranda in November 2021 was convicted of two counts of second-degree attempted murder with the use of a gun in Los Angeles County and sentenced to 13 years in prison, CDCR officials said. Mateuz is serving life in prison sentence with a chance of parole after an August 2008 Los Angeles County conviction of assault with a firearm as a third-striker, use of a firearm and an enhancement of a street gang act in the commission of a violent felony, according to CDCR. Mule Creek State Prison, which opened in 1987, houses more than 3,800 minimum, medium and maximum-security incarcerated people. YouTube/KCRA A California school district is scrambling to find solutions after a racist, student-created social media post that mocked Black History Month and featured images of their Black principal and classmates did the rounds this week. In a press release late Wednesday afternoon, the Dixon Unified School District issued a lengthy letter on its website detailing the incident. The nature of the post is racially offensive, the note read. According to the statement, earlier that day, a parent of a student at John Knight Middle School discovered and reported an inappropriate social media post to school officials. In the letter, district officials said they were unsure of how the parent came across the social media post, but a small investigation found that the post was shared online by a seventh-grade student during lunchtime. However, during a news conference Wednesday night, Superintendent Brian Dolan said he believed more students were involved with the post, according to footage aired by local Sacramento outlet KCRA. In the letter from the school district, the social media post was described as a collage of photos that included about 20 students and a staff member who were either Black or identified as mixed-race. Along with the various images, the collage was captioned, Happy black history month to all of the monkeys. School Districts Racist Dirty Snowman Post Has Community Crying WTF It [was] clear from the nature of the pictures that these individuals did not know why their picture was being taken. They are posing and smiling as one would do for a casual picture, the school district said. Never in my thirty-five years in education have I seen something so hateful, vile, and abhorrent come from one of my students, Dolan wrote in a statement that was included with the districts letter. It is not possible to describe the devastating impact that this post will have on members of our school community, and many people outside it. Despite claims stating otherwise, racial hatred and discrimination remain persistent and corrosive forces in our society, and as evidenced today, among students in Dixon Unified. This is a shameful, shameful moment for which there is no excuse or explanation. As the leader of Dixon Unified, and a person who places great value on each and every one of our students, I apologize for this post. Story continues At the news conference, Dolan revealed that the schools principal Kamilah OConnor was seen in the collage. He called it the most extreme incident he had been connected to that involved hate speech. I've never seen anything as hateful as what happened today, he said. Dolan said that during the initial investigation, one student had been reprimanded for having a part in the social media post, and families of students identified in the photos were contacted. Counseling services would be made available and a resource officer would have more of a presence at the school, he added. According to KCRA, the student responsible could face criminal charges. We suspect that there are probably other students involved, perhaps in taking the pictures and assembling this collage, this twisted collage, Dolan said. So, that's part of what we'll be investigating. The news conference gained traction with community members on social media. The Dixon school board also addressed the matter at Thursdays regular board meeting. Racism is not welcome in this community or anywhere in America in any form, Dixon board president David Bowen said at the start of the meeting. The board added that an investigation was underway but that details could not be shared with the public. Just know that we're vigilant, we're paying attention, and we will find some resolution and hopefully we'll have some more information to share, a board member said. Neither Dolan nor OConnor immediately returned The Daily Beasts requests for comment Friday. 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. Want to become a signature voice of your nation? Try a decades-long exile in California. It worked for Czeslaw Milosz, who entered the pantheon of Polish poets thanks to works he wrote mostly in Berkeley. The poets story told by scholar Cynthia L. Haven in a thought-provoking book, Czeslaw Milosz: A California Life demonstrates how our state allows people to move both further from and closer to home, often at the same time. Milosz, while famous in Poland and among poets (Joseph Brodsky called him the greatest poet of our times), is unfamiliar to most Californians. But he remains the only faculty member of the University of California to win a Nobel Prize in literature. The irony, writes Haven, is that the greatest California poet and certainly one of Americas greatest poets too could well be a Pole who wrote a single poem in English. Born in Lithuania in 1911 to Polish-speaking gentry, Milosz pursued a literary career in Warsaw and witnessed its World War II destruction. He served as a diplomat for Polands Stalinist government, before defecting in Paris in 1951. In 1960, he accepted a teaching post at Berkeley. He stayed 40 years, living in and writing from a cottage on Grizzly Peak. At first, California seemed irrelevant to his life and work. if California is not a separate planet, it is at least a separate colony of planet Earth, Milosz friend recalls him saying, according to Haven. But in the 1960s, social turmoil soon arrived in California, and Milosz engaged it in Berkeley. He also saw firsthand the development of Silicon Valley. Czeslaw Milosz reads his poetry at the UC Berkeley on Oct. 10, 1980. The state seeped into his work. His 1969 poem, Reading the Japanese Poet Issa (1762-1826), moves in just a few lines from the West Coast The invisible ocean, fog until noon dripping in a heavy rain from the boughs of the redwoods, sirens droning below on the bay. to southern Poland whether this is the village of Szlembark above which we used to find salamanders, garishly colored like the dresses of Teresa Roszkowska Story continues California, Haven shows, broadened the poets perspective, and allowed him to put the horrors of his earlier life in Lithuania and Poland in a global context. His experiences here, she writes, transfigured him from a poet writing from one corner of the world to a poet who could speak for all if it, from a poet focused on history to a poet concerned with modernity and who always had his eyes fixed on forever. Haven recounts that Bells in Winter, the collection of poems that effectively earned Milosz the Nobel in 1980, was originally supposed to be called Berkeley Poems. In that book, he imagines his spinster sisters visiting him amidst the Joshua trees of the Sonoran desert. The majestic expanse of the Pacific Seacoast has imperceptibly worked its way into my dreams, remaking me, stripping me down, and perhaps thereby liberating me, Milosz would write. If Milosz had stayed in Soviet Poland, he might have been censored or persecuted. Without exile in such a faraway and thought-provoking place, could he have explored the margins of loneliness, alienation and abandonment? Haven asks. Milosz eventually returned to Poland, with his second wife. He died in Krakow in 2004. His work remains relevant today, in a time of catastrophes. Haven suggests that Californians have much to learn from Milosz, through his twinning of vision and historical consciousness. In Bells in Winter,, Milosz wrote: For me, therefore, everything has a double existence Both in time and when time shall be no more. Milosz was both European and Californian, a man of both the past and of the future. In To Raja Rao, Milosz wrote: I learned at last to say: this is my home Here Before the glowing coal of ocean sunsets On the shore which faces the shores of your Asia, In a great republic, moderately corrupt Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zocalo Public Square. This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: California's greatest poet wrote in Polish MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Cargo airlines operating out of Mexico's busiest airport will have until July to leave the hub, a decree published in the country's national gazette Thursday evening said. The decree comes from President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has said he would have cargo flights moved due to lack of space at the Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City. Around 3% of flights at the airport in 2022 were for cargo, according to flight data. The closest airport is the Felipe Angeles International Airport on the northern outskirts of the city, one of Lopez Obrador's flagship public works projects opened last March. While the decree does not stipulate airlines must move their operations to Felipe Angeles, Lopez Obrador has said the airport has the space and "security conditions" to make the change. Mexico has also been under the Category 2 aviation rating by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) since it was downgraded in May 2021 on safety concerns, meaning Mexican airlines cannot launch new routes to the United States. Mexico recently came to an agreement with the FAA to be able to move international flights from Benito Juarez to the Felipe Angeles airport without counting as a "new route," Mexican transportation ministry officials have said. Mexican aviation unions fought the change, while other groups requested more time to implement the switch. The decree published Thursday gives airlines 108 business days to move out of Benito Juarez. It did not specify consequences of non-compliance. Cargo carrier Estafeta had requested to be given a year to 16 months to move operations, its operations director told local media. The decree will still allow flights carrying both cargo and passengers to operate out of the Benito Juarez airport. (Reporting by Kylie Madry; Editing by Christopher Cushing) By Kylie Madry SAN LUIS POTOSI, Mexico (Reuters) -German automaker BMW will invest 800 million euros ($866 million) in the central Mexican state of San Luis Potosi to produce high-voltage batteries and fully electric "Neue Klasse" models, the carmaker said Friday. The expansion, set to add around 1,000 new jobs at its operations in the Mexican state, is BMW's latest push into electric vehicles (EVs) as it looks to convert more than half of its sales into all-electric cars by 2030, it said. More than half of the funds to be invested in Mexico - 500 million euros - are earmarked for the battery assembly center on the carmaker's existing plant grounds, BMW said, and some 500 additional employees will work there. Another 500 jobs will be created in other areas, it said. The remaining 300 million euros will go to adapting and extending the body shop and building a new assembly line to install the battery packs, plant head Harald Gottsche told Reuters. "We will start building, constructing the extensions and the new battery assembly in the beginning of 2024, and we will start (to ramp up) production at the beginning of 2027," he said. The announcement follows several other major expansions from the automaker in recent months, including a $1.7 billion investment in the United States and a 2-billion-euro push to build an EV factory in Hungary. The plant in Hungary has been pitched as the first of BMW's to be completely fossil-free. Gottsche added the Mexico plant was in the process of increasing its solar production on-site and swapping out natural gas for biomethane. "We want to beat the Hungary plant, of course," Gottsche said. The push comes as manufacturers worldwide shift to comply with more stringent environmental regulations to mitigate their impact on climate change. Mexico has also increasingly made the push for EVs as it looks to turn half of auto production electric by 2030. While some industry leaders have cast doubt on that goal, Gottsche said BMW's sales in Mexico were already 30% hybrid or fully electric. Story continues "We will need much more renewable energy" to make the switch, Gottsche said. ($1 = 0.9236 euros) (Reporting by Kylie Madry in Mexico City; Additional reporting by Toya Sarno Jordan in San Luis Potosi; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and David Gregorio) Entrance of Peranakan Museum Singapore (Photo: Getty Images) SINGAPORE - Not sure what to do for family outings? Want to impress your date with your knowledge on local history? The National Heritage Board (NHB) has got you covered for the rest of the year with a lineup of exhibitions, festivals, roadshows, trails and programmes. Here is the breakdown of this year's major events: FEBRUARY Battle for Singapore 2023 (Various locations, 10 February to 5 March) To commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Fall of Singapore, guided tours, talks, exhibitions, and film screenings will feature familiar as well as lesser-known stories of Singapore during World War II. Do not miss the specially-curated visits to sites of historical significance which are usually not accessible to the public. Reopening of the Peranakan Museum (Open to public from 17 February) After a three-year revamp, the Peranakan Museum will reopen to the public on 17 February. Explore the art, culture and traditions of Peranakan communities in Southeast Asia through one of the worlds most comprehensive public collections of Peranakan objects. MARCH Connections Across Oceans: Early Chinese Mutual Aid Organisations Special Exhibition (Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, 10 March to 10 December) In collaboration with the C.V. Starr Library of University of Berkeley, California, this special exhibition will showcase the early Chinese mutual aid organisations in Singapore and San Francisco throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Toa Payoh Heritage Trail (Opening 23 March) The refreshed trail will include new thematic routes, and documents the town's development from a swampland to its present status as a pioneering town centre. Notable landmarks of heritage to be featured include the Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery, and the iconic Toa Payoh Dragon Playground. UNESCO Representative List Submission Singapore will join Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei in nominating the kebaya for inscription onto the UNESCO Representative List of the ICH of Humanity. This would mark the republics first multinational nomination, and the first multinational nomination involving the participating four countries. The result is expected to be announced in end-2024. Story continues APRIL Semangat yang Baru Forging a New Singapore Spirit (National Museum of Singapore, April to October) This special exhibition co-presented alongside the Founders Memorial will bring to life the spirit of dynamism and courage captured in Singapore's National Anthem. Opening of 'Reunion' Space (National Museum of Singapore) Created in collaboration with Lien Foundation, this will be the first dedicated social space designed for seniors in a local museum. Designated programmes using the museums collection and immersive gallery spaces will be crafted to support the well-being of seniors and persons with dementia. MAY Singapore HeritageFest 2023 (Various locations, 1 to 28 May) As Singapore HeritageFest turns 20, the festival will present its first-ever symposium spotlighting the evolution of Singapores landscape. More than 80 experiences - including exhibitions, installations, talks, tours and workshops - will help visitors connect with Singapore's rich sporting and public transportation history. Now Boarding: Experiencing Singapore through Travel, 1800s-2000s (National Museum of Singapore, 26 May to 19 November) The exhibition will examine how Singapore has been depicted and perceived by travellers from past to present. It will also explore the visual language that has shaped our unique identity and brand. Andrew Gn: From Singapore to the World (Asian Civilisations Museum, 27 May 2023 to 17 September) This exhibition presents the fashion journey of Andrew Gn, one of Singapores most prolific fashion designers. Through five sections and over 100 representative works, the exhibition explores his roots in Asia, as well as his expressions of Asian and Western art and history through his creations. Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore (Photo: Getty Images) JUNE Childrens Season (various venues) Jointly presented by NHB and the Museum Roundtable, this year's Childrens Season will feature immersive cultural experiences in museums and galleries for fun family bonding. A wide range of offerings will be organised in hopes to inspire, engage, and educate children of all ages. Malay Heritage Centre: Malay World Travelling Roadshow (Various venues, 2 to 25 June) This roadshow will tell stories of the Malay community through exhibitions and programmes in new revamped galleries. Documentation of Intangible Cultural Heritage (Second quarter of the year) A series of 10 videos featuring Malay performing arts (traditional Malay music, dance and theatre) and practitioners will be released. Some of the videos were produced by students from St. Josephs Institution. JULY Launch of Street Corner Heritage Galleries: Geylang Serai The latest addition to the galleries series that were launched in Kampong Gelam, Balestier, Little India, and Chinatown. Working closely with local shop owners with at least 30 years of history in Geylang Serai, NHB will co-create mini museums in the precinct. Racial Harmony Day Celebrations (Malay Heritage Centre, Indian Heritage Centre and Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall) A curated hybrid campaign of both online and offline programmes will be launched to promote racial harmony day and showcase Singapore's diverse and vibrant local culture. AUGUST Singapore Night Festival (Bras Basah and Bugis precinct, 18 to 26 August) Festival-goers can expect to experience commissioned projection mappings, light art installations and live performances, along with a variety of experiential programmes and food and retail experiences. Special Exhibition on the Singapore Malayalee Community (Indian Heritage Centre, 18 August to 19 May 2024) The Indian Heritage Centres sixth special exhibition, and third community co-curated exhibition, will feature the Singapore Malayalee community. The heritage and identity of the Malayalees will be showcased through displayed artefacts and anecdotes, immersive and interactive digital exhibits, and a variety of programmes and educational activities. Ang Mo Kio Heritage Trail The refreshed trail will trace the history and heritage of Ang Mo Kio and feature architectural icons like Block 259 (also known as the Clover Block), Liuxunsanhemiao Temple and Ang Mo Kio Joint Temple, as well as new sites including Kebun Baru Singing Club and the Church of Christ the King. SEPTEMBER Wan Qing Mid-Autumn Festival 2023 (Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, 29 August to 8 October) The 12th edition will organise programmes including lantern-marking or mooncake-making classes, storytelling sessions, and interactive craft demonstrations. Visitors can also look forward to a thematic lantern installation, which will be on display at the lawn during the entire festival period. OCTOBER Deepavali Celebrations (Indian Heritage Centre, October to November) Over two weekends, a variety of cultural performances, workshops and craft activities will be held in the heart of Little India. Stewards of Intangible Cultural Heritage Award Open call for nominations will be launched in March. This award ceremony is organised in recognition of the dedication of Intangible Cultural Heritage practitioners and to support practitioners who actively transmit their skills and knowledge to the next generation. Patron of Heritage Awards 2022 This annual event honours individuals and organisations that have made significant contributions towards enriching our national heritage. NOVEMBER Manila Galleons: Connecting Asia to the World (Asian Civilisations Museum, November 2023 to March 2024) Over 100 precious gold and silver wares, paintings, sculptures, and textiles will illustrate how vibrant, multi-racial communities in the Philippines and Mexico brought together artists and traders from all over the world. DECEMBER Changi Heritage Trail NHBs 24th heritage trail will trace the history of Changis role as a place that connects Singapore with the world. The areas military and security past will be examined through notable landmarks such as Changi Prison, the Old Changi Hospital, and barracks and airbases. Terri Brouillette (far right), a registered vascular technologist at Rapides Regional Medical Center, shows students Chloe Cloessner and Anjana Danivas how equipment in the radiology department works. The two are students at the Central Louisiana Area Health Education Center in Alexandria. To address the growing need for health care workers, Louisiana Central is creating a network to guide teachers, students and parents to jobs and educational opportunities available in Central Louisiana. Healthcare Career Central will be be the place for students, parents and school personnel can go to get the information they need and for medical facilities to get the word out about their own opportunities, organizers say. Theres a health care worker shortage everywhere, not just in Central Louisiana," said Jim Clinton, president and CEO of Louisiana Central, an economic development group that serves a 10-parish region. "Getting into the schools is important to show what kinds of careers are out there, the salaries and the job satisfaction, making a contribution to quality of life. The Rapides Foundations Future of HealthC.A.R.E Program awarded Louisiana Central a three-year $600,000 grant to create Healthcare Career Central. The foundation's program seeks to increase the number of qualified Central Louisiana students enrolling in training or entering the health care workforce. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation also made a grant to Louisiana Central for $155,000. The grant will be used to provide technical assistance and training for employers, educators and counselors who are exposing students to health-care careers. Louisiana Central is now working to hire a director for the program, said Lafe Jones, vice president and executive director of industry relations. A website is also being created that will be a central clearinghouse where students, parents and school personnel can find out about programs and learn more about health care careers. More local news:Public asked to help identify suspect in June 5 Pineville arson State news:Louisiana passes emergency bill to address insurance crisis: Will it work? Sara Stokes, vice president of human resources at Rapides Regional Medical Center, said a variety of jobs are available for students to consider, including licensed practical nurses, medical technicians, phlebotomists and respiratory therapists. There are also non-clinical jobs like housekeepers, food service workers and maintenance staff. Story continues "It takes a variety of talents to make a hospital successful, and we want them to know early on we are supportive of hiring locally, training and establishing support for when they are in the workforce," said Julie Hollingsworth, director of marketing, strategy and communication at CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini Hospital. "Most people know it takes doctors and nurses to take care of the sick, but we want to expose these kids to the wide variety of jobs available in health care, from finance to engineering to environmental services to communications." More than 500 jobs are open in Central Louisiana in hospitals, clinics and in the private sector, and there are not enough nurses to meet demand, Hollingsworth said. "Thats why we are partnering with Louisiana Central, the local universities as well as local high schools to increase the number of health care workers graduating each year," she said. "We are offering scholarships for health-related fields, incentive programs for those entering the workforce, summer intern programs for high school students. And we are working to implement high-school-based certification programs for CNAs and EMTs so students can immediately enter the workforce after graduating high school. If they choose to pursue further education, these high school programs will help them earn credit hours for larger health care degrees while still in school to shorten their college time." To learn more, visit Louisiana Central online at louisiana-central.com. This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: New program will link Central Louisiana students with health care jobs Crypto forensics firm Chainalysis is set to lay off just under 5% of its workforce of roughly 900 employees. The firms senior director of communications Maddie Kennedy told Decrypt that the layoffs are set to mainly impact those working as part of its go-to-market team, usually meant to mean employees working in sales and marketing. Many of those impacted will be redeployed elsewhere in the company according to Kennedy, in new roles, responsibilities and lines of business. Despite todays news, Kennedy affirmed that Chainalysis is well capitalized and will continue to hire and build out teams in alignment with its refocused strategy for 2023. The sleuthing firm did not comment further about the nature of this refocused strategy. Founded in 2014, the firm specializes in tracking crypto transactions and the parties responsible, with the aim of preventing money laundering and cybercrime. The firm works with various public sector organizations such as the FBI and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as well as banks and apps like BNY Mellon and Robinhood. Chainalysis turning investor heads The firm has attracted significant inflows of investment in recent years. Chainalysis raised $170 million in a Series F funding round led by GIC, a Singapore-based sovereign wealth fund, in May 2022. The funding doubled Chainalysis valuation to a hefty $8.6 billion. Weve seen the latest round of crypto layoffs continue into 2023, despite Bitcoin itself making a pronounced bull run since the start of the year of over 40%. [BTC PRICE] Firms such as Huobi, Coinbase, and Crypto.com have all made hefty cuts to their headcounts. In just the past few days, per a filing from the Employment Security Department of Washington State, U.S. crypto exchange Bittrex recently axed around 83 of its roughly 300 employees. (Bloomberg) -- Serbian parliament devolved into chaos on Thursday as President Aleksandar Vucic urged lawmakers to stay in the European Union fold even as the bloc demands painful concessions on Kosovo. Most Read from Bloomberg The spectacle of suited legislators scuffling on the floor of the assembly in Belgrade, with banners reading No to Capitulation and Treason, laid bare the resistance the Serbian leader will face as he seeks to make a deal over Kosovo rather than risk the countrys bid to join the EU. Its in Serbias vital interest to remain on the European path, he told lawmakers in a speech during a debate on the latest push by EU and US mediators to secure an agreement with Kosovo, whose secession in 2008 Serbia refuses to recognize. Accompanied by loud boos from the opposition benches, Vucic said the European course hes pursuing means investments and living standard for us, for our wages and pensions. But the prospect of reaching a political settlement with the government in Pristina was too much for lawmakers who reject any compromise over Kosovos unilateral declaration of independence. Vucics coalition controls more than 160 in the 250-seat parliament. Tensions between Kosovos Serbian minority and ethnic Albanians have soared in recent weeks after years of EU-brokered talks have made little progress. Russias attack on Ukraine has added urgency to the US and EU efforts to defuse the Balkan tensions. Vucic said an outright refusal to cooperate would make Serbia a pariah. He is seeking a public debate on a proposal thats reported to call on Serbia and Kosovo to normalize their relations, though falls short of requiring Serbia to officially recognize Kosovos sovereignty. Both sides must mend ties to qualify for EU membership. Story continues In his speech, the Serbian president reiterated that Belgrade will never recognize Kosovo or agree to its membership in the United Nations. Its one of the most painful demands presented by Western envoys, he said. In Kosovo, Prime Minister Albin Kurti reinforced his position that Serbia recognize his nations sovereignty before he considers any proposal offering autonomy to local Serbs. Kosovo split off almost a decade after a war in which NATO intervened against Serbias campaign against ethnic Albanians, forcing Belgrades forces out of the territory it once controlled. (Adds Kosovo demands in second-to-last paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Canary Medias chart of the week translates crucial data about the clean energy transition into a visual format. What will happen if the natural-gas industry carries through with its plans to build a lot more infrastructure for shipping liquefied natural gas (LNG) around the globe? The world will be much more likely to blow past safe climate limits, according to a report from research group Climate Action Tracker. The U.S. is expected to become the worlds leading exporter of LNG this year, but the nations gas industry isnt stopping there. On top of the eight LNG export terminals currently operating in the U.S., at least 24 new projects to build or expand terminals are either underway or planned. If all those facilities get built, their operation alone could emit more greenhouse gases each year than 20 new coal-fired power plants, according to the Environmental Integrity Project without even accounting for the emissions from drilling or fracking the gas before its exported or the emissions from ultimately burning it. The U.S. gas industry has argued that its planned facilities are needed to supply gas to Europe because Russian supplies of gas are no longer available or dependable. But the proposed buildout would provide far more gas that Europe will need especially as the war in Ukraine has spurred European countries to speed up the transition to clean energy. Climate Action Tracker calculates that if all of the LNG capacity currently planned or being built around the world actually comes online, the oversupply of LNG by 2030 could be almost five times the amount that the European Union imported from Russia in 2021. A ramp-up in LNG trade would also stymie progress toward meeting global climate goals. Under the International Energy Agencys scenario for cutting climate emissions to net zero by 2050, global LNG trade would need to peak in the mid2020s and then fall to 2021 levels by 2030 and fall much further by 2050. Climate Action Tracker found that massive LNG expansion plans will seriously compromise meeting the 1.5C limit the global temperature threshold that climate scientists say we must stay below to prevent catastrophic climate change. Chart by Geoff McGhee. See his data-visualization feature on the LNG export boom clashing with climate goals. For a product that its own creators, in a marketing pique, once declared too dangerous to release to the general public, OpenAIs ChatGPT is seemingly everywhere these days. The versatile automated text generation (ATG) system, which is capable of outputting copy that is nearly indistinguishable from a human writers work, is officially still in beta but has already been utilized in dozens of novel applications, some of which extend far beyond the roles ChatGPT was originally intended for like that time it simulated an operational Linux shell or that other time when it passed the entrance exam to Wharton Business School. The hype around ChatGPT is understandably high, with myriad startups looking to license the technology for everything from conversing with historical figures to talking to historical literature, from learning other languages to generating exercise routines and restaurant reviews. But with these technical advancements come with a slew of opportunities for misuse and outright harm. And if our previous hamfisted attempts at handling the spread of deepfake video and audio technologies were any indication, were dangerously underprepared for the havoc that at-scale, automated disinformation production will wreak upon our society. OpenAI logo displayed on a phone screen and Microsoft logo displayed on a screen in the background are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on January 10, 2023. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images) OpenAIs billion dollar origin story OpenAI has been busy since its founding in 2015 as a non-profit by Sam Altman, Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, Elon Musk and a host of other VC luminaries, who all collectively chipped in a cool billion dollars to get the organization up and running. The altruistic venture argues that AI should be an extension of individual human wills and, in the spirit of liberty, as broadly and evenly distributed as possible. The following year, the company released its first public beta of the OpenAI Gym reinforcement learning platform. Musk resigned from the board in 2018, citing a potential conflict of interest with his ownership of Tesla. 2019 was especially eventful for OpenAI. That year, the company established a capped for-profit subsidiary (OpenAI LP) to the original non-profit (OpenAI Inc) organization, received an additional billion-dollar funding infusion from Microsoft and announced plans to begin licensing its products commercially. Story continues In 2020, OpenAI officially launched GPT-3, a text generator able to summarize legal documents, suggest answers to customer-service enquiries, propose computer code [and] run text-based role-playing games. The company released its commercial API that year as well. I have to say Im blown away, startup founder Arram Sabeti wrote at the time, after interacting with the system. Its far more coherent than any AI language system Ive ever tried. All you have to do is write a prompt and itll add text it thinks would plausibly follow. Ive gotten it to write songs, stories, press releases, guitar tabs, interviews, essays, technical manuals. Its hilarious and frightening. I feel like Ive seen the future. 2021 saw the release of DALL-E, a text-to-image generator; and the company made headlines again last year with the release of ChatGPT, a chat client based on GPT-3.5, the latest and current GPT iteration. In January 2023, Microsoft and OpenAI announced a deepening of their research cooperative with a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar ongoing investment. I think it does an excellent job at spitting out text that's plausible, Dr. Brandie Nonnecke, Director of the CITRIS Policy Lab and Associate Professor of Technology Policy Research at UC Berkeley, told Engadget. It feels like somebody really wrote it. I've used it myself actually to kind of get over a writer's block, to just think through how I flow in the argument that I'm trying to make, so I found it helpful. That said, Nonnecke cannot look past the systems stubborn habit of producing false claims. It will cite articles that don't exist, she added. Right now, at this stage, it's realistic but there's still a long way to go. What is generative AI? OpenAI is far from the only player in the ATG game. Generative AI (or, more succinctly, gen-AI) is the practice of using machine learning algorithms to produce novel content whether thats text, images, audio, or video based on a training corpus of labeled example databases. Its your standard unsupervised reinforcement learning regimen, the likes of which have trained Googles AlphaGo, song and video recommendation engines across the internet, as well as vehicle driver assist systems. Of course while models like Stability AIs Stable Diffusion or Googles Imagen are trained to convert progressively higher resolution patterns of random dots into images, ATGs like ChatGPT remix text passages plucked from their training data to output suspiciously realistic, albeit frequently pedestrian, prose. They're trained on a very large amount of input, Dr. Peter Krapp, Professor of Film & Media Studies at the University of California, Irvine, told Engadget. What results is more or less an average of that input. It's never going to impress us with being exceptional or particularly apt or beautiful or skilled. It's always going to be kind of competent to the extent that we all collectively are somewhat competent in using language to express ourselves. Generative AI is already big business. While flashy events like Stable Diffusions maker getting sued for scraping training data from Meta or ChatGPT managing to schmooze its way into medical school (yes, in addition to Wharton) grab headlines, Fortune 500 companies like NVIDIA, Facebook, Amazon Web Services, IBM and Google are all quietly leveraging gen-AI for their own business benefit. Theyre using it in a host of applications, from improving search engine results and proposing computer code to writing marketing and advertising content. A text-based conversation with the Eliza program talking about depression The secret to ChatGPTs success Efforts to get machines to communicate with us as we do with other people, as Dr. Krapp notes, began in the 1960s and 70s with linguists being among the earliest adopters. They realized that certain conversations can be modeled in such a way that they're more or less self-contained, he explained. If I can have a conversation with, you know, a stereotypical average therapist, that means I can also program the computer to serve as the therapist. Which is how Eliza became an NLP easter egg hidden in Emacs, the popular Linux text editor. Today, we use the technological descendents of those early efforts to translate the menus at fancy restaurants for us, serve as digital assistants on our phones, and chat with us as customer service reps. The problem, however, is that to get an AI to perform any of these functions, it has to be specially trained to do that one specific thing. Were still years away from functional general AIs but part of ChatGPTs impressive capability stems from its ability to write middling poetry as easily as it can generate a fake set of Terms of Service for the Truth Social website in the voice of Donald Trump without the need for specialized training between the two. This prosaic flexibility is possible because, at its core, ChatGPT is a chatbot. Its designed first and foremost to accurately mimic a human conversationalist, which it actually did on Reddit for a week in 2020 before being outed. It was trained using supervised learning methods wherein the human trainers initially fed the model both sides of a given conversation both what the human user and AI agent were supposed to say. With the basics in it robomind, ChatGPT was then allowed to converse with humans with its responses being ranked after each session. Subjectively better responses scored higher in the models internal rewards system and were subsequently optimized for. This has resulted in an AI with a silver tongue but a just sorta skimmed the Wiki before chiming in aptitude of fact checking. Part of ChatGPTs boisterous success having garnered a record 100 million monthly active users just two months after its launch can certainly be marked up to solid marketing strategies such as the too dangerous neg of 2020, Natasha Allen, a partner at Foley & Lardner LLP, told Engadget. I think the other part is just how easy it is to use it. You know, the average person can just plug in some words and there you go. People who previously hadnt been interested in AI, didn't really care what it was, are now beginning to take notice. Its ease of use is an asset, Allen argues, making ChatGPT something that's enticing and interesting to people who may not be into AI technologies. It's a very powerful tool, she conceded. I don't think it's perfect. I think that obviously there are some errors but it'll get you 70 to 80 percent of the way. LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 03: In this photo illustration, the OpenAI Will Microsofts ChatGPT be Microsofts Taye for a new generation? But a lot can go wrong in those last 20 to 30 percent, because ChatGPT doesnt actually know what the words its remixing into new sentences mean, it just understands the statistical relationships between them. The GPT-3 hype is way too much, Sam Altman, OpenAIs chief executive, warned in a July, 2020 tweet. Its impressive but it still has serious weaknesses and sometimes makes very silly mistakes. Those silly mistakes range from making nonsensical comparisons like A pencil is heavier than a toaster to the racist bigotry weve seen with past chatbots like Taye well, really, all of them to date if were being honest. Some of ChatGPTs replies have even encouraged self-harm in its users, raising a host of ethical quandaries (not limited to, should AI byline scientific research?) for both the company and field as a whole. ChatGPTs capability for misuse is immense. Weve already seen it put to use generating spam marketing and functional malware and writing high school English essays. These are but petty nuisances compared to what may be in store once this technology becomes endemic . I'm worried because if we have deep fake video and voice, tying that with ChatGPT, where it can actually write something mimicking the style of how somebody speaks, Nonnecke said. Those two things combined together are just a powder keg for convincing disinformation. I think it's gasoline on the fire, because people write and speak in particular styles, she continued. And that can sometimes be the tell if you see a deepfake and it just doesn't sound right, the way that they're talking about something. Now, GPT very much sounds like the individual, both how they would write and speak. I think it's actually amplifying the harm. The current generation of celebrity impersonating chatbots arent what would be considered historically accurate (Henry Fords avatar isnt antisemitic, for example) but future improvements could nearly erase the lines between reality and created content. The first way it's going to be used is very likely to commit fraud, Nonnecke said, noting that scammers have already leveraged voice cloning software to pose as a marks relative and swindle money from them. The biggest challenge is going to be how do we appropriately address it, because those deep fakes are out. You already have the confusion, Nonnecke said. Sometimes it's referred to as the liars dividend: nobody knows if it's true, then sort of everything's a lie, and nothing can be trusted. BARI, ITALY - JANUARY 17: In this photo illustration - The Gpt Chat application, installed on a smartphone on January 17, 2023 in Bari, Italy. Chat GPT is a type of artificial intelligence technology that uses natural language processing and machine learning to generate human-like conversations. It is used in a variety of applications, such as customer service chatbots, virtual assistants, and automated customer support systems. (Photo by Donato Fasano/Getty Images) ChatGPT goes to college ChatGPT is raising hackles across academia as well. The text generator has notably passed the written portion of Wharton Business Schools entrance exam, along with all three parts of the US Medical Licensing exam. The response has been swift (as most panicked scramblings in response to new technologies tend to be) but widely varied. The New York City public school system took the traditional approach, ineffectually banning the apps use by students, while educators like Dr. Ethan Mollick, associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania's prestigious Wharton School, have embraced it in their lesson plans. "This was a sudden change, right? There is a lot of good stuff that we are going to have to do differently, but I think we could solve the problems of how we teach people to write in a world with ChatGPT," Mollick told NPR in January. "The truth is, I probably couldn't have stopped them even if I didn't require it," he added. Instead, Mollick has his students use ChatGPT as a prompt and idea generator for their essay assignments. UCIs Dr. Krapp has taken a similar approach. I'm currently teaching a couple of classes where it was easy for me to say, okay, here's our writing assignment, let's see what ChadGPT comes up with, he explained. I did the five different ways with different prompts or partial prompts, and then had the students work on, how do we recognize that this is not written by a human and what could we learn from this?. Is ChatGPT coming for your writing job? At the start of the year, tech news site CNET was outed for having used an ATG of its own design to generate entire feature-length financial explainer articles 75 in all since November 2022. The posts were supposedly rigorously fact checked by human editors to ensure their output was accurate, though cursory examinations uncovered rampant factual errors requiring CNET and its parent company, Red Ventures, to issue corrections and updates for more than half of the articles. BuzzFeeds chief, Jonah Peretti, upon seeing the disastrous fallout CNET was experiencing from this computer generated dalliance, immediately decided to stick his tongue in the outlet too, announcing that his publication plans to employ gen-AI to create low-stakes content like personality quizzes. This news came mere weeks after BuzzFeed laid off a sizable portion of its editorial staff on account of challenging market conditions. The coincidence is hard to ignore, especially given the waves of layoffs currently rocking the tech and media sectors for that specific reason, even as the conglomerates themselves bathe in record revenue and earnings. This is not the first time that new technology has displaced existing workers. NYT columnist Paul Krugman points to coal mining as an example. The industry saw massive workforce reductions throughout the 20th century, not because our use of coal decreased, but because mining technologies advanced enough that fewer humans were needed to do the same amount of work. The same effect is seen in the automotive industry with robots replacing people on assembly lines. It is difficult to predict exactly how AI will impact the demand for knowledge workers, as it will likely vary, depending on the industry and specific job tasks, Krugman opined. However, it is possible that in some cases, AI and automation may be able to perform certain knowledge-based tasks more efficiently than humans, potentially reducing the need for some knowledge workers. However, Dr. Krapp is not worried. I see that some journalists have said, I'm worried. My job has already been impacted by digital media and digital distribution. Now the type of writing that I do well, could be done by computer for cheap much more quickly," he said. I don't see that happening. I don't think that's the case. I think we still as humans, have a need a desire for recognizing in others what's human about them. [ChatGPT is] impressive. It's fun to play with, [but] we're still here, he added, We're still reading, it's still meant to be a human size interface for human consumption, for human enjoyment. Fear not for someone is sure to save us, probably ChatGPTs shared-reality shredding fangs will eventually be capped, Nonnecke is confident, whether by congress or the industry itself in response to public pressure. I actually think that there's bipartisan support for this, which is interesting in the AI space, she told Engadget. And in data privacy, data protection, we tend to have bipartisan support. She points to efforts in 2022 spearheaded by OpenAI Safety and Alignment researcher Scott Aaronson to develop a cryptographic watermark so that the end user could easily spot computer generated material, as one example of the industrys attempts to self-regulate. Basically, whenever GPT generates some long text, we want there to be an otherwise unnoticeable secret signal in its choices of words, which you can use to prove later that, yes, this came from GPT, Aaronson wrote on his blog. We want it to be much harder to take a GPT output and pass it off as if it came from a human. This could be helpful for preventing academic plagiarism, obviously, but also, for example, mass generation of propaganda. The efficacy of such a safeguard remains to be seen. It's very much whack-a-mole, right now, Nonnecke exclaimed. It's the company themselves making that [moderation] decision. There's no transparency in how they're deciding what types of prompts to block or not block, which is very concerning to me. Somebody's going to use this to do terrible things, she said. SANTIAGO (Reuters) -Dozens of raging wildfires in Chile claimed at least thirteen lives and torched some 14,000 hectares (35,000 acres), authorities reported on Friday, as a summer heatwave sweeps across the southern hemisphere country. Eleven people, including a firefighter, had died in the town of Santa Juana in Biobio, a region some 310 miles (500 km) south of capital Santiago, local authorities said. The Minister of Agriculture also reported an emergency-support helicopter in the southern region of La Araucania had crashed, killing the pilot and a mechanic. States of catastrophe have been declared in the farming and forest areas of Biobio and neighboring Nuble, prompting the deployment of soldiers and additional resources. Hundreds of homes have been damaged while 39 fires rage across the country, Interior Minister Carolina Toha said. "The conditions in the coming days are going to be risky," Toha told journalists. She said ground equipment and a fleet of 63 available planes were reinforcing the fire fight, with help from Brazil and Argentina expected. President Gabriel Boric on Friday cut his summer vacation short and traveled to Nuble and Biobio, which together have a population of nearly 2 million people. "My role as president today is to ensure that all resources will be available for the emergency and so that people feel that they are not going to be alone," Boric said from Biobio. He also pointed to "signs" that some fires may have been started intentionally. Some families sought refuge in shelters, according to Chilean disaster agency Senapred. Fires disrupted traffic on highways, and numerous settlements have been evacuated. Weather forecasts on Friday predicted temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) in Nuble's capital, Chillan, with strong winds that risked worsening fire conditions. (Reporting by Natalia Ramos; Editing by Leslie Adler and Rosalba O'Brien) By Chen Aizhu and Jeslyn Lerh SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China's independent refineries are ramping up imports of discounted fuel oil blended from Russian barrels to use as low-cost feedstock amid a shortage of government crude oil import quotas for some of them, according to trade sources and data. Western sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including the looming Feb. 5 embargo and price cap on refined products, have been pushing Russian fuel oil barrels eastward into Asia at attractive discounts since last year. These have been flooding the ship-to-ship transfer hubs of Malaysia and United Arab Emirates' Fujairah since the second quarter of 2022. Traders blend these barrels with other oils to rebrand the fuel oil's country of origin, clearing the way for ship insurance and financing that would otherwise be banned under the sanctions, trade sources said. Discounts offered on these fuel oil cargoes help to improve margins at Chinese independent refiners and replace crude that some companies are unable to import without quotas, the sources said. The trade also provides a way to get Russian oil to market and bring much-needed export earnings to Moscow. "We've been looking at Russian fuel oil since December. It is cheap and does not require (crude) import quotas," said an executive with an independent refiner in eastern Shandong province. The refiner has not received any government crude quotas for the past year or so and buys mostly straight-run fuel oil to produce diesel and gasoline, said the executive, who declined to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to the media. These blended fuel oil barrels were last traded at about a $5 discount to benchmark crude ICE Brent on a delivered Shandong basis, said one source. High-sulphur fuel oil values relative to crude have plunged into deeper discounts since the second quarter last year, with cracks hitting record lows at end-October. China's total fuel oil imports surged to about 1.76 million tonnes in December, highest since September 2021, official customs data showed. Story continues The uptick was driven by a surge in shipments from Malaysia to more than a one-year high at 620,000 tonnes, while monthly imports from UAE rose to 471,000 tonnes, highest in two years. Meanwhile, direct imports of fuel oil from Russia slipped to 187,000 tonnes in December after peaking at 554,000 tonnes in October, even as total imports from Russia more than doubled year-on-year to 3.1 million tonnes in 2022. Chinas fuel oil imports from Malaysia and the UAE surge in Q4 https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/lgpdknwqavo/China's%20fuel%20oil%20imports.png "The deep discounts offered are driving the trend as independent refiners are price sensitive. China is still recovering, with domestic demand for refined fuels uncertain," said Emril Jamil, Refinitiv's senior analyst for crude and fuel oil. "The trend will continue with the EU ban (on Feb. 5), with all natural outlets in Europe closed. Asia will continue to soak up cheaper Russian (fuel oil) barrels on top of crude," Jamil said. TRADING COMPANIES Western trading houses have been the main suppliers of these fuel oil shipments to China, said four senior trading sources, who closely track the flows, adding that the elevated December levels will extend through February and beyond. One of the top suppliers channelling these barrels to China is Swiss-based trader Vitol, they said. Over the last four months, Brilliant Jewel, a floating storage facility chartered by Vitol, conducted ship-to-ship transfer operations with at least six vessels that previously loaded fuel at Russian ports, a Reuters analysis of shipping data on Refinitiv Eikon showed. Vitol did not respond to a request for comment. A second Chinese fuel oil trader said companies have become more relaxed in dealing with Russian barrels after initial confusion over the Group of Seven price cap and the potential risk of running afoul of sanctions. "Initially the market took a wait-and-see stance before Dec. 5, but now many traders are moving fuel oil from these two hubs, with the top western traders being the more active," said the trader. Leading Chinese bunker suppliers and traders like Sinopec and PetroChina's Chimbusco have also been sending more Russian high-sulphur fuel oil to bunkering hubs in eastern China's Zhoushan and Qingdao, sources said. Sinopec and Chimbusco did not respond to requests for comment. Shipping records show the companies have chartered several fuel oil shipments from Malaysia's Tanjung Pelepas port to Zhoushan and Hong Kong over the last four months. (Reporting by Chen Aizhu and Jeslyn Lerh; Editing by Florence Tan and Tom Hogue) BEIJING (Reuters) - China's services activity in January expanded for the first time in five months as spending and travel got a boost from the lifting of stringent COVID-19 curbs, sending business confidence to near 12-year highs, a private sector survey showed on Friday. The Caixin/S&P Global services purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to 52.9 in January from 48.0 in December, above the 50-point mark which indicates expansion in activity, marking an end to a four-month contraction. The reading mirrored the results of a larger official services PMI published earlier this week, adding to evidence of a rebound in activity in the world's second-largest economy as disruptions from reopening fade. China's abrupt dismantling of pandemic curbs and the subsequent faster-than-expected peaking of infections boosted demand for services, especially during the week-long Lunar New Year holidays, and set the stage for a faster and fuller economic recovery. This year's celebration is the first in three years without any form of lockdown curbs. China abandoned its strict "zero-COVID" policy in early December after protests against the restrictions, allowing people to travel and the virus to spread rapidly throughout the country. "Most ingredients in our restaurant have been sold out during Lunar New Year holidays, as we didn't expect so many customers," 33-year-old surnamed Zhang, a restaurant manager in Beijing told Reuters this week, "throughout the whole holidays, we can sell 400-600 signature dishes a day, much more than before." "After being hit by the latest wave of COVID infections, the primary focus of economic work should be on accelerating economic recovery and promoting normalised production and social order," said Wang Zhe, senior economist at Caixin Insight Group. The economy's reopening also boosted services exports, with the sub-index of new export orders increasing into expansionary territory in January from a contraction in December. Story continues Last month, firms surveyed said they grappled with rising energy and raw material costs, staff reductions and an increase in the backlog of work. However, firms were still bullish about recovery prospects for the next 12 months after the full scrapping of China's protracted zero-COVID policy, with the confidence index hitting the highest since February 2011. "Improving expectations, restoring confidence, increasing income, expanding consumption, and stimulating domestic demand will be among the priorities," Wang said. Caixin/S&P's composite PMI, which includes both manufacturing and services activity, rose to 51.1 in January from 48.3 the previous month, marking the first expansion in five months. This week in a study session of the Politburo, a top decision-making body of the ruling Communist Party, Chinese President Xi Jinping telegraphed plans to revive consumption, a major challenge facing the economy. The Caixin PMI is compiled by S&P Global based on responses to questions sent to purchasing managers in China. (Reporting by Liangping Gao and Ryan Woo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong & Simon Cameron-Moore) BEIJING (Reuters) - China "firmly objects" to further cooperation between Britain, U.S. and Australia on nuclear submarines, its foreign ministry said in a regular briefing on Friday. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, "China is gravely concerned about this and firmly objects to it," in response to a question that cited a media report saying British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's visit to the United States in March may yield announcements on more nuclear submarine cooperation. (Reporting by Yew Lun Tian and Joe Cash ; Writing by Liz Lee; Editing by Christian Schmollinger) By Natalie Grover and Sophie Yu LONDON (Reuters) -CanSino Biologics Chief Executive Yu Xuefeng said on Friday he was confident his company's experimental COVID-19 vaccine using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology was as good as shots from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves in China after the country abandoned its zero-COVID policy in December, domestic companies like CanSino are racing to develop mRNA COVID vaccines. The country - which experienced a wave of infections across its 1.4 billion population after the sudden relaxation of COVID restrictions - has so far declined to use mRNA vaccines from abroad, and has yet to approve a domestic one that uses the technology. Approved vaccines in China are widely considered less effective than the Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc-BioNTech SE mRNA shots. Yu acknowledged that it was not possible to directly test the CanSino vaccine versus the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech shots in a head-to-head trial because they were not available in China. "But just based on published data...I'm confident our product is as good as the already launched mRNA vaccines," he told Reuters in an interview. In January, CanSino reported "positive" interim data from its experimental COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccine, CS-2034, in a mid-stage clinical trial. When asked whether Chinese authorities were keen to have a homegrown mRNA vaccine, Yu said there was not much public information on what was going on. "But I will say, from the technology perspective, any product - as long as you meet the regulatory requirements - there's no reason to not allow to enter into the market." CanSino is currently in discussion with Chinese regulators around the protocol for a late-stage study for CS-2034 - and the trial will definitely be conducted this year, Yu said. If the vaccine is approved, the company is working on ways to reduce the costs of making and deploying its mRNA vaccine, he said, noting that it will definitely be cheaper than the roughly $120 list price per dose Pfizer is hoping to charge in the United States later this year. Story continues Although mRNA technology is more malleable and easier to tweak to address new variants versus traditional vaccine approaches, mRNA vaccines typically require more expensive ultra-cold storage. However, researchers have made some strides in making sure formulations remain stable at somewhat higher temperatures. (Reporting by Natalie Grover in London and Sophie Yu in Beijing; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Jonathan Oatis) BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) The Chinese balloon drifting high above the U.S. and first revealed over Montana has created a buzz down below among residents who initially wondered what it was and now wonder what its arrival means amid a chorus of alarm raised by elected officials. The balloon roiled diplomatic tensions as it continued to move over the central U.S. on Friday at 60,000 feet (18,300 meters). Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled an upcoming trip to China. Curiosity about the bobbling sky orb that's the size of three school buses swept the nation and the internet, with search terms like where is the spy balloon now? and spy balloon tracker surging on Google. There is no such tracker just yet, but a couple St. Louis TV stations offered grainy live feeds of the balloon. Internet users posted wobbly videos and photos of white splotches in comments sections and speculative feeds. And online storm chasers, more accustomed to tracking raging systems and funnel clouds, offered updates on the balloons path through cloudless skies. It crossed into U.S. airspace over Alaska early this week, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic. In Montana home to Malmstrom Air Force base and dozens of nuclear missile silos people doubted Beijing's claim that it was a weather balloon gone off course. And the governor and members of Congress pressed the Biden administration over why the military did not immediately bring it down from the sky. I question whether or not we would even found out about this if people hadn't spotted it in Billings, said Chase Doak, a resident of the southern Montana city who appears to have captured some of the first known video footage and photographs of the balloon. A white balloon with what appeared to be a solar array hanging beneath it was seen over Billings Wednesday afternoon, around the same time the local airport was temporarily shut down and a day before the Pentagon said it was tracking a Chinese spy balloon over the state. Story continues Initial speculation over its origins ranged from the foreign to the extra-terrestrial. When Todd Hewett's 10-year-old son saw it over Billings he thought it was a comet. Hewett got some shaky footage, using a cellphone to take video through a telescope, and was skeptical of the Chinese claim it was a civilian balloon. Shoot it down, he said. "If we could somehow pierce the bottom of it to allow some of the gas to escape to allow for a more controlled descent (that) would be nice .. but if we cant do that ... blow it up. Montana has some experience with balloons launched by adversaries: Japan in World War II targeted the western U.S. with incendiary balloon bombs that were floated over North America with plans to harm people and start forest fires. More than 30 of the bombs made of rice paper landed in Montana, according to the Montana Historical Society. In Oregon, five children and a pregnant woman on a church picnic were killed in 1945 when they found one of the bombs and it exploded. On Friday in Kansas City, Missouri, the National Weather Service said it received reports of a large balloon in the Kansas City metro area and posted two images of white orbs taken from the weather station office in Pleasant Hill, Missouri. The service confirmed it was not a National Weather Service balloon. A graphic generated by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration online tool was eagerly shared on Facebook, showing the balloons trajectory sweep into the U.S. South. Local National Weather Service offices were asked on Twitter whether the balloon was theirs. No, was their answer. Tami Hansen, 44, saw the balloon overhead in Columbia, Missouri, and said she was not terribly concerned about the object flying over her city. Ive heard all kinds of thoughts. Is it a spy balloon, is it a weather balloon? Who knows right now? It is what it is," she said. We really try not to get too political out here, she said. Montana U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, who chairs the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said he would hold a hearing to get answers from the Biden administration. He called China's actions a clear threat." Rep. Ryan Zinke sent a poll to constituents early Friday saying the balloon was still over the state and asking if should be shot down. When the Pentagon said the balloon had since drifted over the central U.S., Zinke raised the possibility China had more than one balloon over the U.S.. I don't know if that's the only balloon. We've asked for those answers, he told The Associated Press. He said the balloon should have been shot down. The message that it gives to our allies is, were not capable of dealing with a balloon," he said. The Pentagon late Friday acknowledged reports of a second balloon flying over Latin America but officials did not specify where it was spotted. Republicans in Montana have grown increasingly outspoken in recent years about China posing a threat to U.S. national security. A bill pending before the state Legislature would ban foreign adversaries from owning, leasing or renting critical infrastructure or farmland. The measure's sponsor singled out China as being interested in acquiring U.S. lands and resources to help them with spying efforts." The heavy anti-China sentiment marks a shift from a just a few years ago, when Montana U.S. Sen. Steve Daines visited China, hosted the Chinese ambassador on a visit to a Montana ranch and helped secure a deal to export more beef to China. The beef deal later fell through, and the Republican has transformed into a strong critic of China. Daines on Friday rejected the Pentagon's contention that it was too dangerous to bring the balloon down over Montana. He told reporters there would have been no better place than his sparsely populated home state. You've got higher odds of hitting a cow or a prairie dog or an antelope than you would of hitting any kind of a structure or a person, he said. ___ Associated Press writers Margaret Stafford in Liberty, Missouri; Alina Hartounian in Phoenix; and Lolita Baldor in Washington contributed to this report. Zeekr Zeekr, a brand from Chinese giant Geely, has revealed the first images of its third model, a crossover called the X. The X will ride on a platform that underpins other electric cars from Geely's portfolio, including the Smart #1, Lotus Eletre, and upcoming Polestar 5. Zeekr says the X will hit 62 mph in 4.0 seconds, and more details will be made available in the coming months. Zeekr has shown the first images of its third model, a small crossover called the X, breaking with the Chinese brand's numerical naming scheme. Zeekr is an electric brand owned by Chinese automaker Geely, which also owns 82 percent of Volvo and 51 percent of Lotus. A recent report from Reuters claimed that Volvo is developing an electric van for Asian markets based on the boxy Zeekr 009, the company's second model after the 001 wagon. Zeekr While Zeekr vehicles are currently only sold in China, the design for the X crossover was penned at the company's facility in Gothenburg, Sweden, also the site of Volvo's global headquarters. The styling certainly looks related to the brand's first two products, but it still has a distinctive appearance. The two-part headlights echo the front end of the 001 (which itself borrowed cues from the Lynk & Co brand co-owned by Geely and Volvo), but the sharp, angular creases in the bodywork are a departure from the smooth 001 and slab-sided 009. Zeekr also touts the frameless doors and sideview mirrors, which improve the crossover's aerodynamics. Zeekr The Zeekr X measures 175.2 inches long, an inch longer than a Volvo XC40 Recharge, with a 108.3-inch wheelbase, 1.9 extra inches more than the Volvo. At 72.3 inches wide, it's an inch narrower than the electric XC40, but it comes in 3.1 inches shorter at 61.9 inches tall. Zeekr has not shared details about the X's powertrain, but the electric crossover is built on the Sustainable Experience Architecture platform that has been adapted to underpin a variety of vehicles including the 001, 009, Smart #1, Lotus Eletre, and the upcoming Polestar 5. Zeekr says the X will be able to hit 62 mph in 4.0 seconds. More details should come soon, with a full reveal expected in April. The Zeekr X is also supposed to herald the brand's expansion into European markets following its Chinese launch later this year. You Might Also Like WASHINGTON A Chinese spy balloon has been spotted drifting over the northern United States, and Pentagon officials have considered shooting it down, Defense Department officials said late Thursday. The decision not to shoot down the balloon was made because of concerns that debris could injure Americans on the ground or destroy property, according to a senior Defense Department official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity. The balloon was over Montana when the U.S. considered destroying it, the official said. It would be shot down if it posed a threat to civilian aviation, the official said. It is floating at an altitude where those planes do not fly. "The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is flying over the continental United States right now," Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary told reporters. The North American Aerospace Defense Command continues to track and monitor it closely, Ryder said. The balloon is designed for surveillance, the official said. However, it likely is unable to collect more information than is available to spy satellites. U.S. officials sought to prevent the Chinese from collecting sensitive information, Ryder said. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years, Ryder said. Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information. U.S. officials have protested the incursion of the spy balloon with Chinese authorities and continue to track its path, the official said. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have been briefed on the balloon, the official said. It is not the first time Chinese spy balloons have flown over the United States, the official said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chinese spy balloon caught drifting over Western United States picture alliance - Getty Images The U.S. government has confirmed a Chinese spy balloon is flying over Montana, a violation of American airspace. The balloon, which China has claimed is a weather device, traveled east across the Pacific Ocean. Exactly what the balloon is doing, and what it is meant to be doing, is unknown. The U.S. is actively tracking a high-altitude Chinese spy balloon that is flying over the continental United States. The U.S. government continues to track the surveillance balloon, which is currently over Montana, and has said it could even go so far as to shoot down the balloon. The true purpose of the reconnaissance balloon is unknown. On February 2, the North American Air Defense Command issued a statement on Twitter saying that it had detected and was tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now. The statement also said Gen Glen VanHerck, NORAD commander, assesses the balloon does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground at this time. Brian Lawdermilk - Getty Images Air & Space Forces Magazine reports that NORAD scrambled two F-22 Raptor fighters from Edwards Air Force Base in Nevada on February 1 to intercept the Chinese spy balloon, and considered shooting it down. The balloon is currently traveling at altitude well over commercial air traffic, NORAD added. In a February 3 press conference, Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder put the balloons altitude at 60,000 feet. Commercial airline traffic typically flies at an average of 35,000 feet, or about four miles below the balloon. Ryder also mentioned that the Chinese spy balloon has the ability to maneuver, but did not elaborate. In a previous Pentagon news release , Brig. Gen. Ryder said that the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information, though he didnt detail what measures were taken. The U.S. government also stated that the Chinese spy balloon traveled over sensitive sites in Montana, a likely allusion to the Minuteman III ICBM silos of the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base. Story continues U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Delia Marchick The Pentagon said the U.S. intelligence community has very high confidence that the spy balloon originated in China, and that U.S. officials have engaged with their Chinese counterparts with urgency, through multiple channels to resolve the balloon issue. According to photos posted on social media, the Chinese spy balloon is white, and its payload includes solar panels. A senior Department of Defense declined to describe its size: I cant really go into the dimensionbut there have been reports of pilots seeing this thing, even though its pretty high up in the sky. So ... its sizable. This is not the first balloon the U.S. has detected in the past. A Pentagon official says in a new release: Its happened a handful of other times over the past few years, to include before this administration. It is appearing to hang out for a longer period of time, this time around, [and is] more persistent than in previous instances. That would be one distinguishing factor. It is not clear if the official means that previous balloons have intruded into U.S. airspace. Meteorologist Dan Satterfield explained on Twitter that he had used the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) HYSPLIT wind current prediction model to track the balloon back to its original source. The balloon traced back to Xinjiang, China. Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the balloon, taking responsibility but calling it force majeurein diplomatic-speak, an extraordinary, unforeseeable accident: The airship is from China. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes. Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course. The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure. The Chinese side will continue communicating with the US side and properly handle this unexpected situation caused by force majeure. Chinas explanation runs afoul of the Chinese Communist Partys own leaky credibility. In the mid-2010s, Beijing began expanding islets and shoals in the South China Sea, explaining that it was doing so to further peaceful scientific research in the region. By 2017, however , it was clear that the artificial islands, which by then included guns, air defense, anti-ship missiles, and military grade airfields, were part of an expansion of military infrastructure to strengthen Chinas hold on the South China Sea. Ezra Acayan - Getty Images Why is the spy balloon here? If the balloon is part of a peaceful research program, China should have known of the clear risks of a research balloon floating all the way into U.S. territory. It should have also communicated to the U.S. government that the balloon was about to enter North American airspace to avoid misunderstandings. Instead, China was silent until the balloon was discovered by NORAD. If the balloon is actually a tool of espionage, thats in a way even more baffling. Why would China think the spy balloon would go undetected in U.S. airspace? What advantage would surveillance gear on a balloon have over surveillance gear on the ground? Why would China threaten its ties with the U.S. by deliberately flying an intelligence gathering balloon over North America? The U.S. has used surveillance balloons in the past. In the 1940s, Project Mogul was an effort to send balloons with microphones into the Soviet Union, in an attempt to pick up the sounds of the countrys first nuclear explosion. In the 1950s, Project Moby Dick used cameras on balloons to take pictures of sensitive nuclear sites in the USSR. The U.S. sent balloons into the Soviet Union because, as a closed society, it was the only hope it had of detecting important events. The USSR, by comparison, did not send balloons into the U.S.; as an open society, its spies were free to travel across much of the country, and they did. Chinese spies can already get fairly good information about sensitive sites in the U.S. from open sources, online satellite images, and even just driving around the area and surveying them. The U.S. government appears to be in no hurry to shoot the Chinese spy balloon down. This suggests it already understands the balloons purpose and believes it poses no great danger to U.S. national security. Meanwhile, the spy balloons mission has backfired: the longer the balloon remains aloft and in the global news cycle, the more embarrassment it causes China. And thats bad news for China, which is no longer in control of the spy balloon. The U.S. government is. You Might Also Like China has claimed responsibility for a balloon spotted over Montana, apologizing and stating it was used for weather research. The airship is from China, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday morning. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes. Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course. The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure. The Chinese side will continue communicating with the U.S. side and properly handle this unexpected situation caused by force majeure. A balloon flies in the sky over Billings, Mont., on Thursday. (Chase Doak/via Reuters) We are aware of [Chinas] statement. However, the fact is we know its a surveillance balloon, and Im not going to be able to be more specific than that, Defense Department press secretary Patrick Ryder said during Friday afternoons briefing. We do know that the balloon has violated U.S. airspace and international law, which is unacceptable, and weve conveyed that to [China] at multiple levels. Ryder said that the balloon had moved over the center of the country and that the assessment was it currently posed no physical or military threat to civilians on the ground. The Pentagon announced Thursday that a surveillance balloon it believed belonged to China was floating over Montana. The news came days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to arrive in Beijing, the highest-ranking member of the Biden administration to visit the superpower. Following Chinas statement, the State Department announced that Blinken was postponing the visit, saying they had noted Chinas statement of regret but conveyed that this is an irresponsible act and a clear violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law that undermined the purpose of the trip. The Secretary explained that in light of this ongoing issue, it would not be appropriate to visit Beijing at this time, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. He underscored that the United States is committed to diplomatic engagement and maintaining open lines of communication, and that he would be prepared to visit Beijing as soon as conditions allow. Story continues About the balloon At a briefing Thursday, the Pentagon said the balloon had been observed via multiple methods, including piloted aircraft, for a number of days. A senior defense official said it wasnt shot down because of concerns about the damage that could cause. CNN reported that the balloon was the size of three buses. We did assess that it was large enough to cause damage from the debris field if we downed it over an area, the official said. We had been looking at whether there was an option yesterday over some sparsely populated areas in Montana. But we just couldnt buy down the risk enough to feel comfortable recommending shooting it down yesterday. Montana is home to one of the countrys three nuclear missile silos, located at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The official added that it was unlikely the balloon could provide additional surveillance data versus what China could get from a low-altitude satellite and that it didnt pose a significant danger to the area in its current state, flying above commercial airline routes. Does it pose a threat to civilian aviation? Our assessment is it does not, said the official. Does it pose a significantly enhanced threat on the intelligence side? Our best assessment right now is that it does not. And so given that risk, that profile, we assess that the risk of downing it, even if the probability was low in a sparsely populated area of the debris falling and hurting somebody or damaging property, that it wasnt worth it. And that was the recommendation of our military commanders. The White House has yet to issue a formal statement on the balloon, but President Biden was briefed and advised not to order it shot down. Chinas response Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a press conference in Beijing in October. (Liu Zheng/AP) We have no intention to violate other countries sovereignty and airspace, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Friday at a briefing prior to the statement claiming ownership of the balloon. We are gathering and verifying the facts. We hope the relevant parties will handle the matter in a coolheaded way. China is a responsible country, she added. It has always strictly abided by international law and has no intention of violating the territory and airspace of any sovereign country. As I said just now, we are learning about the verification situation and hope that both sides can handle it calmly and cautiously. Mao also said she had no information regarding Blinkens trip. Republican response House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at a news conference at the Capitol on Thursday. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called for a meeting of the Gang of Eight the top congressional leaders from both parties saying, Chinas brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed, and President Biden cannot be silent. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., tweeted Thursday that Biden should have already shot the balloon down, saying thats what former President Donald Trump would have done. However, the senior defense official said that instances of this activity have been observed over the past several years, including prior to this administration. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., released a statement saying, Given the increased hostility and destabilization around the globe aimed at the United States and our allies, I am alarmed by the fact that this spy balloon was able to infiltrate the airspace of our country and Montana. Chris Wilson was one of Alex Murdaughs closest friends, until he says his former law school roommate stole $192,000 from him. That was one of several statements the Bamberg attorney made in testimony at Murdaughs murder trial on Tuesday, including that Murdaugh allegedly confessed the disbarred Lowcountry attorney had stolen money from several people because of a 20-year addiction to opioids. Wilson testified in an in camera hearing, meaning the jury was not present to hear Wilson speak as Judge Clifton Newman weighs what testimony the prosecution can present to Murdaughs motive in the alleged murder of his wife and son. The state alleges Murdaugh killed his wife, Maggie, 52, and youngest son, Paul, 22, in an attempt to prevent his financial dealings from coming to light. Murdaughs defense have fought to keep that argument out of court, as the former attorney has not yet been convicted of any financial crimes. Newman said Thursday he was willing to allow a motive argument in the case after defense attorneys questioned why a man they paint as a loving husband and father would commit murder, but is still considering allowing testimony from individual witnesses. Wilson indicted where things stood early in his testimony when he said he was one of Murdaughs best friends. I thought he felt the same way, Wilson said while staring at Murdaugh at the defense table, who looked back at the witness. I dont know how I feel now. In early 2021, the two friends worked together on a personal injury case that resulted in $2 million in fees, which Wilson was responsible for distributing to the other attorneys on the case. Rather than send the money to Murdaughs law firm, however, he convinced Wilson in March 2021 to write $792,000 in three separate checks to Murdaugh personally. Wilson testified he was told it was a structuring procedure he was unfamiliar with, but that he trusted his friend of some 30 years. But Murdaugh later wired the money back to Wilson saying he had messed up the fee structure and requested Wilson send the full amount to the law firm, even though Murdaugh told him he could not recover $192,000. Wilson said he sent the missing money to Murdaughs firm from his own personal account. Story continues Prosecutors believe the whole procedure was meant to throw suspicion off of Murdaugh for stealing funds from his law partners. Even then, Wilson remained unsuspicious of Murdaugh. He rushed to his friends side when his wife and son were killed. It was only when the law firm contacted him about the money that he was told Murdaugh had been stealing from clients and the firm. On Sept. 3, 2021, Wilson saw his old friend one final time at Murdaughs mothers home, when he asked him for an explanation. He broke down crying, Wilson remembers. He told me he had a drug problem, that he was addicted to opioids, that hed been addicted for 20-plus years or so. And he told me that he had been stealing money. I was so mad, I dont remember how it ended, Wilson said. He sh-- me up. He sh-- a lot of people up. Later that day, Wilson said he learned Murdaugh had been shot on the side of the road, in what turned out to be a botched attempt by Murdaugh to have himself shot in an insurance scheme. I thought for sure he had tried to kill himself, Wilson testified. Wilson said he spoke to Murdaughs brother Randy afterward, but he had not attempted to speak to Murdaugh himself. I wasnt sure I could talk to Alex, he said. And I wasnt sure I wanted to. CIA Director William Burns said Thursday that the next six months would be "critical" in the war in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin betting that waning Western interest and "political fatigue" could afford his military a new chance at making battlefield gains. "Putin, I think, is betting right now that he can make time work for him," Burns said. "The key is going to be on the battlefield in the next six months, it seems to us." "Puncturing Putin's hubris, making clear that he's not only not going to be able to advance further in Ukraine, but as every month goes by, he runs a greater and greater risk of losing the territory that he's illegally seized from Ukraine so far," he continued. "So this next period, I think, is going to be absolutely crucial." CIA Director William Burns speaks during an event as part of the Trainor Award ceremony at Georgetown University on Feb. 2, 2023, in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Getty Images The career diplomat and former ambassador to Russia said Western intelligence showed Moscow was not interested in peace talks, despite occasional reports to the contrary. "We do not assess that Putin is serious about negotiations, for all that you hear sometimes about that," Burns said. His remarks came amid continued warnings from Ukrainian officials that Russia was preparing to launch a significant offensive targeting the eastern part of the country, where missile attacks have already intensified this week. The war will enter its second year later this month. Burns engaged in a moderated discussion at Georgetown University Thursday, where he was being awarded the Trainor Award for Excellence in the Conduct of Diplomacy. A former deputy secretary of state, Burns also served as ambassador to Jordan and worked during the Obama administration to start backdoor talks with Iran that paved the way for the 2015 nuclear deal. On Thursday, he called the apparently deepening military ties between Russia and Iran "especially concerning." Iran is known to have provided drones and relevant training to Putin's forces in Ukraine. Burns said that while he was in Kyiv for "30 hours or so" last month meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his advisors, at least six of those hours were spent "in bomb shelters," as Russian forces conducted two separate strikes on civilian targets using Shahed 136 Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles. Story continues Of Iran, he said domestic instability driven by widespread demonstrations there had made Tehran's regime "increasingly unsettled." "What's going on internally is leading to more aggressive behavior externally," he said. "I do think as we look ahead to 2023 --- and in my most recent trip, this was reinforced --- the Middle East is going to reemerge as a particularly complicated set of challenges for American policymakers as well," Burns said. He spoke ominously of recent conversations he had in the region with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, which he said left him "quite concerned" about the potential for greater violence. "A lot of what we're seeing today has a very unhappy resemblance" to events preceding the Second Intifada more than two decades ago, he said. "I'm concerned about that." Burns also warned that the Russia-backed mercenary organization known as the Wagner Group was "expanding its influence" to a number of countries in Africa, including Mali and Burkina Faso. "That is a deeply unhealthy development and we're working very hard to counter it, because that's threatening to Africans across the continent right now," he said. The CIA chief also said that China remains the "biggest geopolitical challenge" the U.S. faces in the decades ahead, calling competition with Beijing "unique in its scale." Chinese president Xi Jinping "doesn't lack for ambition, but he's not 10 feet tall," Burns said. "He's got a lot of challenges at home, whether it's the zero COVID policy, which hasn't gone as planned, economic growth figures --- which could improve over the next few years --- but have been historically low in recent years as well. We have a good hand to play, but we just have to play it systematically and thoughtfully." He said Xi was closely watching Putin's experience in Ukraine and, while likely "unsettled" by Russia's lackluster military performance, thus far remained "committed" to the partnership the two countries declared last year. "But the truth is, there are actually some limits to it as well, simply because I think - as far as we can tell today, anyway - Xi Jinping and the Chinese leadership have been very reluctant to provide the kind of lethal weapons to Russia to use in Ukraine that we know the Russians are very much interested in," Burns said. Of Xi's own regional ambitions, Burns said U.S. intelligence showed Xi had instructed the People's Liberation Army to be prepared to conduct a successful military invasion of Taiwan by 2027. "Now, that does not mean that he's decided to conduct an invasion in 2027 or any other year, but it's a reminder of the seriousness of his focus and his ambition," Burns said. As U.S. remakes public housing, cities grapple with supporting residents U.S. adds 517,000 jobs in January, unemployment rate lowest since 1969 Actor Connie Britton on new Apple TV+ drama series "Dear Edward" William Burns In Ukraine, CIAs Burns says the next six months will be critical, with Putin still betting that political fatigue will set in across the West, she tweeted, quoting the CIA director during a presentation at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. We do not assess that Moscow is serious about negotiations. Read also: No threat seen from Belarus, but hostilities intensify in Donbas, military intelligence says According to Gazis, Burns also calls the deepening military ties between Iran and Russia especially concerning. The journalist added that CIAs Burns says of the 30 or so hours he spent in Ukraine last month, six were in bomb shelters there were two separate strikes against civilian facilities by Russians using Iranian UAVs. Read also: Russia prepares new attack with Iranian-made drones Burns secretly visited Kyiv in January and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The U.S. intelligence chief and Ukrainian leadership reportedly discussed the possibility of a new Russian offensive. Further support from the U.S. Congress was also on the agenda. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Rep. James Clyburn (S.C.), the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House, is urging members of his party to compromise on a policing bill instead of attempting to pass the perfect piece of legislation. Theres no perfect bill, the longtime congressman told The Washington Posts The Early 202 in an interview published on Friday. To keep trying to get the perfect piece of legislation rather than a good piece of legislation I just dont know if thats a good thing to do. Clyburn pointed to the series of civil rights legislation passed in the 1960s and early 1970s as an example. When we passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it didnt have voting [rights protections] in it. It didnt have housing in it. It didnt even apply to the public sector, he said. The 1964 law was later followed by the Voting Rights Act in 1965, the Fair Housing Act in 1968 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Act in 1972, Clyburn noted. So, I just think that we have got to make some progress, he added. We may not get everything that we need or everything that we want in one fell swoop, but we need to get this done. Clyburns comments come amid a renewed push for policing reform in the wake of the fatal beating of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols by Memphis police. During a traffic stop in early January, several officers pepper-sprayed, tased and beat Nichols, who later died from his injuries. Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), the top Republican negotiator on police reform in the Senate, has indicated a willingness to return to the issue but warned that resurrecting Democrats George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a nonstarter. Clyburn told The Early 202 that he believes the chances are fair to good that Scott and his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.), will restart negotiations on police reform in the coming weeks. I talked with Tim Scott two days ago. Ive talked with Booker. I think the chances are good that well get something done, Clyburn said. Will it go as far as I would like to see it go? I dont know that it will. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. DENVER (AP) Police officer Andy Sandoval lives in one the most beautiful places in the world near Vail, Colorado, where world-famous ski resorts are nestled between Rocky Mountain peaks. His living situation for years, though, was far less dreamy. Until last month, the 26-year-old, his wife and their two small children were squeezed into one bedroom in a three-bedroom house that held nine other tenants the best they could afford because of bloated housing prices fueled in part by sky-high land costs. Seeing my kids who wanted to run around, and my kids who wanted to stay up and watch a movie, who just didnt have the space to do a lot of things ... was heartbreaking," said Sandoval. I feel like I was failing them. Sandoval and his family were able to move into a home of their own last month thanks to Habitat for Humanity, but their all-to-common plight was an impetus for Colorado lawmakers to wade into the housing crisis. The legislature is considering a new proposal to free up vacant parcels of state-owned land that could be leased or sold at a discount for affordable housing projects. If passed, one project near Vail would build 80 units of affordable housing in the first phase, and potentially hundreds more. The proposal is part of a snowballing trend kicked off locally by cities such as Boston, New York and San Francisco that has since been adopted by California lawmakers in 2019 and spawned requests to the federal government to open up land for residential development. The cost of land in Colorado is one of if not the highest barrier to building affordable housing, said Democratic state Sen. Dylan Roberts, one of the bill's sponsors. By eliminating that barrier, were hopefully going to see projects happen that would have never happened before. The bill was the first of several housing affordability measures the state's Democratic-controlled Legislature is considering this year as they prioritize what has become a vital issue after the state's median home price rose by 40% since the beginning of 2020, nearing $600,000, according to the rental platform Zillow. Story continues This is unaffordable if you are a teacher, nurse, restaurant manager, or city employee, the very workforce that help our Colorado communities thrive, said Karen Kallenberg, executive director of Colorado's Habitat for Humanity, in a committee hearing on the bill. Colorado's Habitat for Humanity chapter develops affordable dwellings across the state, and Kallenberg noted land has become one of the organization's largest expenses, rising by as much as 286% in recent years. The bill would authorize state officials to identify underused, state-owned land and organize deals with local municipalities, nonprofits and private companies to build affordable housing. Colorado owns about 55 vacant parcels, including about a dozen in and around Denver, that could potentially be used for affordable housing. The bill proposes allocating $13 million to help kick-start projects. It's yet to be determined which parcels would work for affordable housing, and how many units could be built on the ones that do. But, if passed, the legislation would launch one project in a place called Dowds Junction at the confluence of highways near Vail, west of Denver. In Vail alone, the median home prices has grown by $600,000 to over $1.7 million since the beginning of the pandemic, according to Zillow. Prices rose as wealthy newcomers freed from their office desks with pandemic, work-from-home protocols descended on resort towns in a buying frenzy. It's left local police officers and teachers scrambling to find an affordable abode. We simply cannot succeed without homes for our vital workforce," said George Ruther, Vail's housing director. Single mother Tanya Solis, 33, a school social worker who had long dreamed of owning her own home, bounced around apartments in the region, fleeing steep rent hikes with each lease renewal during her daughter's first years. I would just melt down thinking, Would I ever be able to afford something? said Solis. Will I ever be able to offer something stable to my daughter? Like Sandoval, Solis recently was able to buy a home in the area through Habitat for Humanity. For Solis, being accepted for a home was just all these great emotions, she said. Having programs like them available is just so huge ... (giving) individuals like us opportunities to be homeowners. The parcel in Dowds Junction is currently used by the Colorado Department of Transportation, and the proposal would shift trailers on the property to another lot to make way for 80 units of affordable housing. In Colorado's statehouse, the bill has garnered Democratic and tentative GOP support, passing through committee last month in a 6-1 vote after supportive testimony from interest groups including the Colorado Chamber of Commerce. Republican Sen. Rod Pelton, the lone committee member to oppose the proposal, said he's concerned about the state potentially outcompeting adjacent landowners. Pelton caveated his vote by saying, No, for now." We just need to be mindful of private enterprise, that we don't harm that process, he said. The idea to utilize public land has made its way all the up to the federal government, where, in Colorado alone, the Bureau of Land Management owns 8.3 million acres of public land, according to the agency. A spokesperson for Colorados Democratic Gov. Jared Polis said the land some federal agencies own, oftentimes in town centers, have great promise for housing opportunities. The Western Governors Association, which Polis chairs, urged Congress to make the transfer of land to states, cities and counties easier as a solution to housing shortages. Forfeiting federal land to states, however, has garnered more opposition. In a statement, Kate Groetzinger, a spokesperson for the left-leaning Center for Western Priorities, said: Its important to remember that people choose to live in the West because of our abundant public lands... now is the time to invest in making our public lands more accessible, not sell them off. Groetzinger said the environmental organization doesn't have a stance on Colorado's proposal, which does not include federal land. Roberts said his bill is not the sole solution to the housing crisis, but argued it would be a significant step in tackling numerous challenges facing Colorado. (Housing) is an economic issue because its hurting small businesses. Its an educational issue because we cant hire teachers in Colorado. Its a health care issue because we cant hire healthcare workers, said Roberts. If we can make a big dent in it, we are going to see it resonate through a lot of other challenges. ___ This story was updated to correct Sen. Dylan Roberts' title. ___ Jesse Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. The Confessions of Frankie Langton, which premiered to UK audiences last December, is now going to be available for U.S. audiences on BritBox soon. Adapted from a novel by Sara Collins, the period drama enlists the author as the writer and executive producer. Carol Harding serves as producer while Andrea Harkin is the director. Greg Brenman and Rebecca de Souza serve as executive producers. BritBox premieres the series stateside on March 8. Heres the official description: The Confessions of Frannie Langton narrates Frannies journey from a Jamaican plantation to the grand Mayfair mansion of celebrated scientist George Benham and his exquisitely beautiful wife: Madame Marguerite Benham. In a misguided and monstrous gesture, Frannie is gifted to Benham by the man who owns her, John Langton, and she is employed as a maid in the household, much to her chagrin. As the plot twists and turns, events take a fateful turn as the Benhams are found murdered in their beds, with Frannie lying next to Marguerite. Frannie is accused of murder but swears that she couldnt possibly have killed her mistress because she was devoted to her. Dragged away to prison, Frannie attempts to piece together the events of that night. She is deep into a laudanum addiction and unclear about precisely what happened. Karla-Simone Spence stars as Frannie Langton, the dramas young protagonist born into a life of slavery who is fighting to tell her own story. Sophie Cookson stars Madame Marguerite Benham, Patrick Martins is Olaudah Laddie Cambridge and Stephen Campbell Moore rounds out the cast. The series was filmed on location in Yorkshire, England. Watch the trailer below: The post The Confessions Of Frannie Langton Trailer: Georgian London-Set Series Sees Her Journey From Jamaican Plantation To Mayfair Mansion appeared first on Shadow And Act. [Source] The city clerk of Monterey Park, California, has released recordings of 911 and Fire Department calls made during the deadly mass shooting at Star Ballroom Dance Studio, providing a glimpse of the horror that unfolded amid the Lunar New Year celebrations. One of the first calls came from a man who had been sitting in his car with his girlfriend at the studios parking lot. He said they were about to leave when somebody suddenly approached and shot through their window. The man said his girlfriend was hit in front of her face, and when another dispatcher asked if she was awake, he said Im not sure. When asked if she could speak, he said She cannot talk, and when asked if she could breathe, he said she could not. More from NextShark: Boba Guys permanently closes original San Francisco store following controversy Oh, no. Maybe she died. Im not sure, he said of his girlfriend, who had been bleeding from the head and nose. The caller did not identify his girlfriend. However, Mymy Nhan, 65, was identified as the only person shot in the parking lot, with the coroner later listing her place of death as the vehicle. Another 911 call came in at 10:22 p.m. from a caller who escaped from the studios side exit and reported that the shooter was reloading. More from NextShark: Korean American woman spit on, called a carrier on NYC subway The caller said the shooting had started two minutes earlier. The dispatcher asked him if anyone was hurt. I dont know, he answered. You better send police here right away, he might start shooting again. Im outside the building. I dont know if anybody got hurt or not. More from NextShark: 93-year-old man suffers broken hip from unprovoked assault by stranger in Vancouver Chinatown The caller did not get a clear view of the shooter. When asked for a description, he said he thought the gunman was using fireworks. It was a male. Just one guy I thought he was using fireworks, he said. Story continues Minutes later, someone from the nearby Clam House called and said three people from the dance hall had sought refuge in the restaurant and pleaded with the owner to lock the door. More from NextShark: 3 men injured in Northern California Sikh temple shooting The caller did not have much information, but said they were told that someone has a gun and hes shooting. That night, 10 people died and another 10 were wounded from the shooting. Days later, one of the wounded succumbed to their injuries, bringing the total number of deaths to 11. The alleged gunman, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, drove to Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra some 20 minutes after the shooting. There, he was disarmed by 26-year-old Brandon Tsay, whose family runs the studio. Tran eventually fled from Lai Lai. The next morning, he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Torrance after an hours-long standoff with law enforcement. CORRECTION: President Bidens State of the Union address is Feb. 7. A previous version of this story included incorrect information. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus met with President Biden at the White House to push him on police reform a day after the funeral for Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died after a beating by police in Memphis. The death of Tyre Nichols is yet another example of why we need action, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), chair of the caucus, told Biden Thursday. Youve already led on the action weve been able to take on executive order. We need your help on legislative action tomake public safety the priority. The killing of Nichols has stoked calls for police reform, especially after graphic video footage of his arrest showed officers striking him repeatedly and tear-gassing him as he cried out for his mother. In May 2022, Biden signed an Executive Order that banned choke holds, restricted no-knock warrants and required body-worn cameras on patrols and during searches and arrests. My hope is this dark memory [of Tyre Nicholss death] spurs some action that weve all been fighting for, Biden told members on Thursday. We got to stay at it, as long as it takes, he added. In a statement earlier this week, Horsford said what happened to Nichols was a grim reminder that we still have a long way to go in solving systemic police violence in America. No one in our nation should fear interacting with the police officers who serve our diverse communities, large and small, he said. We all want to be safe. Many Black and brown people, however, and many young people in general, are justifiably afraid to interact with law enforcement officials. At Nicholss funeral on Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris implored Congress to pass police reform. We demand that Congress pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, implored Harris, who sponsored the bill when she was a senator. Joe Biden will sign it and we should not delay and we will not be denied. It is not negotiable. Story continues The legislation, which has stalled in Congress and is unlikely to move forward in a GOP House, was introduced in 2021 after the murder of Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. In addition to banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants, it would end qualified immunity and prohibit racial and religious profiling by law enforcement officers. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) is expected to reintroduce the bill with an added Tyre Nichols Duty to Intervene amendment after Bidens Feb. 7 State of the Union address. Nicholss mother, RowVaughn Wells, pleaded with Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. There should be no other child that should suffer the way my son and all the other parents here that have lost their children, Wells said. We need to get that bill passed, or the next child that dies, that blood is going to be on their hands. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. In the bustling atmosphere of the new year, the entire Party, people, and army celebrate the 93rd anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam - the Party of the working class, the working people, and the entire nation. With pride in the glorious Party, which has led our people to overcome all difficulties and hardships to move forward on the path of independence, freedom and development, we pledge to trust, protect and build the pure and comprehensively strong Party. 93 years ago, during a conference held on February 3, 1930, under the chair of President Ho Chi Minh, three communist organisations in Vietnam, namely the Indochinese Communist Party, the Communist Party of Annam, and the Indochinese Communist League, were united into a single communist party the Communist Party of Vietnam. The formation of the Communist Party of Vietnam was an important milestone marking a great historical turning point in Vietnams revolution. Before the Communist Party of Vietnam was born, our country had been drowned in a long night of slavery. Many patriotic movements had been made by people from all walks of life, but they all ended up in failure due to the lack of sound guidance. In this context, President Ho Chi Minh, under the name Nguyen Ai Quoc, travelled around the world to find a means to save the country. He discovered Marxism-Leninism to be a sound way to save and liberate his nation. Since its establishment, the Party has developed a blood bond with the people and has won absolute trust and support from the people. The Party led the national liberation struggle and led our people to achieve the glorious victory of the August Revolution in 1945, marking the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the first State of workers and peasants in Southeast Asia. Despite numerous difficulties and challenges, our Party has led our people to gain brilliant historical milestones by successfully winning the two resistance wars against French colonialists and US imperialists, uniting the whole country and putting it on the path to socialism. The reality of the past 93 years has shown that the Communist Party of Vietnam is always deserving of its role as the vanguard of the working class, the working people, and the whole nation. The sound and clear-sighted leadership of the Party has been the decisive factor in every victory of the Vietnamese revolution. During the process, the Party has been renovating itself to become truly and comprehensively pure. Taking pride in the glorious Party, we pay gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh the founder, leader and trainer of our Party. We also remember the dedication and sacrifice of generations of cadres, Party members, compatriots and comrades who devoted themselves to the goals and ideals of the Party and the longevity of the nation. 2023 is the pivotal year for the implementation of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and the 5-year socio-economic development plan for the 2021-2025 period. The entire Party, people and army are exerting efforts to fulfil the socio-economic development goals at the highest level towards macroeconomic stability while also focusing on removing difficulties for production and business activities. It is necessary to continue to develop the fields of culture, education-training, science-technology; protect the environment, ensure social security and welfare, and improve people's lives; strengthen the building and rectification of the Party and build a law-governed socialist State and a truly pure and strong political system; be more persistent and drastic in the fight against corruption and negative phenomena in order to maintain faith within the Party and the people; and promote administrative reform and judicial reform. In celebration of the Partys founding anniversary and the new spring, we proudly and firmly step forward under the glorious banner of the Party, promote the obtained achievements, strongly arouse the will and creativity of the whole people, continue to achieve greater victories in many fields, advance rapidly on the path of renewal and development, for the goal of building a society of wealthy people, a strong country, democracy, justice, and civilisation. State police in Uniontown are asking for information to solve a 50-year-old murder case. Stanley Warzinski, 65, was killed inside his North Union home on Feb. 5, 1973. Warzinski confronted at least one person who was breaking into his vehicle at his residence. He was knocked unconscious and was dragged back into his home, where he was set on fire by the suspect, who poured kerosene throughout the home. Anyone with information is asked to call state police at 724-439-7111 or Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at 1-800-4PA-TIPS (8477) or online at https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=107. All callers remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward. TRENDING NOW: Woman sues Bell Township bar, claims drunken fall from stool left her paralyzed Recall alert: Thyroid medication recalled over potency concerns Arrest warrant issued for Cincinnati Bengals RB Joe Mixon VIDEO: Heres how you can save big bucks on your heating bill DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts To get a roundup of TechCrunchs biggest and most important stories delivered to your inbox every day at 3 p.m. PST, subscribe here. On the one hand, we could be upset that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, but the sun hasn't come out where Christine lives for several days, so shes pretty stoked that wherever Phil lives has a ray of sunshine or two. In other news, Haje has to move house due to a flooded apartment, weather is real, and perhaps its time we start taking climate change seriously, yall. Meanwhile, for todays Black History Month recommendation, were watching Angela Davis talking about how we can't eradicate racism without eradicating racial capitalism. Christine and Haje The TechCrunch Top 3 The List : Ron has been following the Salesforce layoffs announced last month and writes that although these were announced in January, some employees are just now finding out they are on the list. Ouch. Grocery store going digitalcurrency that is : Reliance Retail, Indias largest retail chain, is now accepting payments in digital rupees, known as Central Bank Digital Currency, Manish reports. The password is: Dashlane, a password management company, published its source code to GitHub, which Paul writes is one of the first steps the company is taking to provide transparency about its platform. Startups and VC Lex, the hookup and social app that launched in 2019 with a nod to lesbian personal ads from the 80s, is changing. Only, precisely how much will change is still an open question, Harri writes. Sure, the venture-backed startup behind the queer app gave it a new lick of paint last week, but in refocusing on friends and community, some users fear that Lex will also scrub away its beloved raunchy essence. "Keep Lex filthy," the users are chanting. The growing ease with which anyone can create convincing audio in someone elses voice has a lot of people on edge, and rightly so, Devin writes. Resemble AIs proposal for watermarking generated speech may not fix it in one go, but its a step in the right direction. Story continues Heres another bucket o stories for your reading joy: Optimizing freemium products: Challenges and opportunities Seven different drinking straws in a cup Image Credits: Richard 0rury (opens in a new window) / Getty Images Offering a free sample in the hopes that the recipient becomes a paying customer is a core tactic at food courts, cosmetic counters, and inside software startups. Freemium products are everywhere, but unless companies revisit and optimize their strategy, there's no effective way to optimize conversions. "Enabling freemium, especially for established products, can bring organizational and operational challenges even if it adds value to the business," writes Konstantin Valiotti, product director of growth at PandaDoc. In this article, he presents strategies for optimizing: User activation Conversion paths Product changes Where to place barriers and limitations Three more from the TC+ team: TechCrunch+ is our membership program that helps founders and startup teams get ahead of the pack. You can sign up here. Use code DC for a 15% discount on an annual subscription! Big Tech Inc. Samsung, Google and Qualcomm are poised to take us in and out of reality, Ivan writes. The trio is making a mixed-reality platform that Qualcomms Cristiano Amon described as a new era of highly immersive digital experiences that blur the line between our physical and digital worlds. With our Snapdragon XR tech, Samsungs amazing products, and Google experiences, we have the foundation to make this opportunity a reality. As a follow-up to his Apple HomePod review, Brian spoke to the companys hardware VP, Matthew Costello, to discuss Apples approach of if it aint broke, dont fix it." Theres going to be six more weeks of winter, so how about six more stories? Dallas County Jail The bizarre saga of missing animals and damaged enclosures at the Dallas Zoo was the work of a single man whos now in custody, local cops said Friday. Davion Irvin, 24, was arrested Thursday and initially charged with being the alleged monkey-napper who swiped a pair of rare emperor tamarin monkeys on Monday. By Friday afternoon, cops had also fingered him in other odd crimes at the zoo, accusing him of cutting enclosures housing langur monkeys and a clouded leopard. The leopard briefly escaped. Irvin has been charged with two counts of burglary to a buildingfor cutting the enclosure fencesand six counts of animal cruelty that doesnt involve livestock. Cops say the list of charges may still grow, as they probe if Irvin is also behind the suspicious death of an endangered vulture at the zoo this month. Irvin, whose image was circulated by police earlier in the week, was nabbed after a tipster spotted him near animal exhibits at the Dallas Aquarium on Thursday, police said in a statement. We're so grateful for the support we've received as we comprehend the unexpected loss of our 35-year-old lappet-faced vulture, Pin. Losing him is devastating not only to our Zoo family but also to the conservation efforts of this species. Pin will be missed dearly by everyone. pic.twitter.com/TJEQnT0MG1 Dallas Zoo (@DallasZoo) January 24, 2023 Kristin Lowman, a spokesperson for Dallas Police, said during a Friday news conference that police suspect Irvin was plotting another animal-related crime when he was spotted at the aquarium. Details outlined in an arrest affidavit, obtained by the Dallas Morning News, suggests Irvin may have swiped smaller itemslike feeder fish, water chemicals, fish flake food and training suppliesat the beginning of January, but zoo officials deemed the loss too insignificant to report. Story continues When the clouded leopard went missing, a zoo employee told police that Irvin had asked obscure questions about animals during a recent visit, the affidavit said. Irvin allegedly queried about the practices in housing and moving of animals and how, specifically, to care for the same tamarin monkeys hed be accused of stealing two weeks later. Dallas Zoo president Greg Hudson said Friday that Irvin had no connection with the zoo through work or volunteering, suggesting he gained access to the facility as a regular visitor. Its been an unbelievable three weeks for all of us here at the zoo, he said Friday. Were determined to make sure we do everything we can to not let this happen again. The two emperor tamarin monkeys were found unharmed at an abandoned home owned by a church in Lancaster, Texas, on Tuesday just over a day after zoo officials found the animals gone and their enclosure intentionally compromised. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=553775920113824&set=a.206183841539702 The monkeys, Bella and Finn, were returned to the zoo by Tuesday night and placed in quarantine. They lost some weight during the ordeal but showed no signs of injury, the zoo said. We will continue to monitor them closely, but for now, were so glad they are safe and back with us, the statement said. Bella and Finn were found in at home owned by the Family Center Church of God in Christ, which was closed to the public for renovations, WFAA reported. The pastors daughter, Tonya Thomas, told the station that Irvin was recognized by churchgoers when Dallas police released the security photo of him this week. Those members said they recalled seeing Irvin at services in the past. Dallas Police are looking for the publics help in identifying the pictured individual. Detectives are looking to speak with the man in regard to the two tamarin monkeys missing from the Dallas Zoo. Anyone with information- call 214-671-4509. pic.twitter.com/VVvvHFAdgJ Dallas Police Dept (@DallasPD) January 31, 2023 Thomas said the building was broken into recently, with cops arriving to find chickens, birds, cats, and other small animals there when they responded. Those weird circumstances led the churchs pastor to call in a tip to cops that their infamous monkey bandit could be using his building to hide the animals, Thomas said. Dallas police said it identified Irvin using a tip about the abandoned house, as well as facial recognition programs and additional workups by the department's intelligence center. Irvin was booked into Dallas County Jail just before midnight on Thursday, where hes being held in lieu of $25,000 bail, records show. 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. Davion Irvin, a 24-year-old man in Dallas, has been arrested after being suspected of stealing monkeys from the zoo. Police said Irvin, who has been charged with six counts of animal cruelty, is the same guy who was seen on surveillance video while eating a bag of Doritos and strolling through the zoo where the monkeys were taken. The post Dallas Man Arrested After Being Suspected Of Stealing Monkeys From Zoo, Arrested Near Aquarium appeared first on Blavity. According to TMZ, police arrested Irvin at the Dallas World Aquarium after receiving a tip from somebody who recognized the suspect from the images that were circulated. Bella and Finn, the two emperor tamarin monkeys that were stolen from the zoo on Monday, were found unharmed on Tuesday at an abandoned home owned by a church in Lancaster, Texas, the Daily Beast reports. According to the zoo, the monkeys lost some weight after being stolen, but they showed no signs of injury. The Family Center Church of God in Christ, where the monkeys were found, was closed to the public for renovations. Tonya Thomas, the pastors daughter, told the WFAA that Irvin was recognized by churchgoers when Dallas police released photo of him. According to Thomas, members said they remember seeing Irvin at services. Thomas said somebody recently broke into the church. Officers who responded to the church after the break-in found chickens, birds, cats and other small animals in the building. The churchs pastor then told police that the monkey bandit may be using the building to hide the animals. Irvin was booked into Dallas County Jail on Thursday. Hes being held on a $25,000 bail. Dave Bautista. Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa sold a buddy comedy to MGM in 2021. Bautista told Insider they are planning to shoot it in 2024. "Me and Jason together, I think it's going to be a hit," he said. Since 2021, Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa have been working on trying to get a buddy comedy movie made, and it seems in 2024, it will become a reality for the two friends. It all started in August 2021 after Bautista tweeted the idea into existence when he wrote: "Just going to throw this out into the atmosphere and see what happens. Here we go Me and Momoa in a 'Lethal Weapon' type buddy cop movie directed by David Leitch. Ok! There it is. Now we wait." The wait wasn't long. By November of that year, Deadline reported that the project, scripted by Jonathan Trooper ("The Adam Project"), was bought by MGM following a competitive bidding war. A director hasn't been announced yet. Both actors needed to find space in their busy schedules to make it. And Bautista believes next year will work. "My schedule is kind of filling in, and I think he's got 'Minecraft,' which is going to go this year and take up most of the year," Bautista told Insider, who is shooting the sequel to "My Spy" next month. "So now we are looking at early 2024," he continued. "But we have a great script. MGM is still dedicated to doing this film. Me and Jason together, I think it's going to be a hit." Jason Momoa. Ivan Gava/Getty Around the time Bautista tweeted out the idea, his "See" and "Dune" costar Momoa also teased the movie on "The Late Late Show with James Corden," saying he wants to shoot it in Hawaii. "Dave loves wearing Speedos, I love wearing board shorts, and both of us with our shirts off [in a] buddy cop film, he'll be grumpy and I'll be charming. Boom. It sells itself, bro," he said. "I've got the hair, he doesn't have hair," Momoa continued. "We cover all the demographics." Momoa will next be seen in "Fast X" and "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" later this year. Bautista stars in "Knock at the Cabin," which is in theaters on Friday, and "Dune: Part Two" later this year. Read the original article on Insider Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Reuters Dave Bautista would like to star in a romantic comedy, and according to a recent interview with Page Six, hes not sure why he hasnt been cast in one already. I ask myself, Am I that unattractive? the Knock at the Cabin actor said. Is there something that unappealing about me that excludes me from these parts? Its astounding and upsetting. How do we live in a world where Dave Bautista has been gaslit into wondering if hes too ugly for a rom-com? (I mean, have you seen the arch on those eyebrows?) And yet, there Bautista was on Wednesday, elaborating on his comments during The Late Late Show with James Cordenwhere he said hes been trying to get into a rom-com to no avail. Ive been trying to get in one for years, he said, and I always ask myself, 'What is it about me that no one can see me in this space?'" Bautista, formerly a WWE wrestler whom GQ recently declared a bona fide movie star, has often been pigeonholed as an actorforced into macho roles that cant quite contain his range. Hes done the Schwarzenegger Kindergarten Cop thing with My Spy, and hes played the heavyweight hitman in Spectre. He brought earnestness to his Marvel character, the dunderheaded Drax, but the role didnt exactly offer much room for growth. It was hard playing that role, Bautista told GQ. The makeup process was beating me down. And I just dont know if I want Drax to be my legacyits a silly performance, and I want to do more dramatic stuff. What Bautista seems to be craving is something a little more humansomething thatll give him the space to show some real tenderness. And why not! Twitters response, for the record, was resounding: Put Dave Bautista in a rom-com immediately. Movies I would watch: Dave Bautista as a customer and Regina Hall as a loan officer at a bank in an action rom-com where the bank gets robbed and they work together to neutralize the bad guys and get away with the money together. https://t.co/cnCYbxjARg pic.twitter.com/qk3bkB5WOs Maya Pinyin (@OverpricedVodka) February 1, 2023 i would literally drop everything im doing and isolate from my friends and family to write dave bautista the rom-com of his dreams https://t.co/9Zr4fATNVq dripped out muppet (@sweatpantspapi) January 31, 2023 Them: Do you want to go see a rom-com? Me: Meh. Them: It stars Dave Bautista. Me: Oh hell yes! Sass (@SassOfficial) February 1, 2023 dave bautista i swear i will write a rom-com for you https://t.co/k3q99C09NB karen han (@karenyhan) January 31, 2023 The thing is, Dave Bautista would probably do great in a rom-com. Any rom-comor at least, any rom-com scenario. The fulcrum of any good romantic comedy is the chemistry between two leads, and Bautista can banter with the best of them. As seen in Glass Onion, he also knows how to maintain dramatic tensionperhaps a transferable skill that can also apply to romantic tension? Story continues Like all genres, however, romantic comedies can often contain certain tropes and types, and Bautistaa half-Greek, half-Filipino beefcakedoesnt quite fit the usual slender, Anglo Saxon mold. White, toned but slender men unsurprisingly dominate all corners of the rom-com space and seem to have the easiest time finding variety within it. Just look at Hugh Grant, whos played the Work Enemies to Lovers Guy (Two Weeks Notice); the Nice Guy (Notting Hill) and, at least twice, the Possibly Reformed Player (Bridget Jones Diary, Four Weddings and a Funeral). Courtesy of Everett Things havent changed much since Grants heyday in the 90s, either. Just look at a quick sampling of some of our more recent leads: Noah Centineo (To All the Boys Ive Loved Before), Jacob Elordi (The Kissing Booth), John Duhamel (Shotgun Wedding), and Owen Wilson (Marry Me). There are always exceptions to the rule, like serial rom-com star Taye Diggs in his How Stella Got Her Groove Back days or, more recently, Randall Park in Always Be My Maybe; William Jackson Harper in We Broke Up; and Henry Golding in Crazy Rich Asians. Still, for the most part, rom-com leading men remain pretty homogenousin spite of fan outcry in favor of such delicious ideas as Oscar Isaac, Pedro Pascal, Idris Elba, Daniel Kaluuya, Donald Glover, Steven Yeun, and many more. To be clear, however, the boundaries that define who can play what type and who cannot are completely made up and deserve nothing but disrespect at all times. Do we really believe that Dave Bautista couldnt play, for instance, an Enemies to Lovers Guy? As seen in films like The Proposal and Youve Got Mail, rom-coms with that dynamic also often center around work. Perhaps Bautista and his Guardians of the Galaxy co-star Zoe Saldana could play rival cryptocurrency investors? Or maybe he and Charlize Theron are spies who are trying to kill one another in a sexy way? Just some ideas! Courtesy of Netflix Bautista also faces the hurdle of his past career. While former wrestlers like Dwayne The Rock Johnson and Andre the Giant have paved the way, wrestlers often remain typecast in physical, combat heavy roles. But could we really not envision Dave Bautista playing, like, a jacked civil engineer who cant help but fall in love with the spirited community organizer whos been blocking his project for months, as played by Natasha Rothwell? Could he really not be the extremely empathetic Im Afraid Hes Out of My League Guy, a la John Corbett in My Big Fat Greek Wedding or Noah Centineo in To All the Boys Ive Loved Before? The only rom-com leading man type that Bautista could not satisfy, the only category I believe to be beyond his capacity for transformation, is the Adam Sandler category, because only Adam Sandler can do what he does. Everything else? Give Bautista a chance, and I bet he could do it with the right leading woman. Why Did the Studio Rom-Com Crash and Burn This Year? A common failure of modern romantic comedies is a failure to cast for genuine, sizzling chemistry. The Dave Bautista Rom-Com would not make this mistake. Whoever stars opposite Bautista must be formidableeither through their strength or the intensity of their presence. And comedic chops will be crucial. (Rose Byrne, would you be interested? Stephanie Beatriz?) The bottom line, however, is that if Dave Bautista wants to star in a romantic comedy, then someone should put Dave Bautista in a romantic comedy. He has the comedic timing, the good looks, and the swagger to pull it off. All he needs now is the right vehicle. Keep obsessing! Sign up for the Daily Beasts Obsessed newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. A 38-year-old mans decomposed remains were found in a trash pile near his house in Alabama months after he vanished, officials said. The human remains were discovered before noon on Sunday, Jan. 29 in a ditch in a residential area near East Lake, WVTM reported. The Jefferson County Coroner Medical Examiners Office identified the remains as Jeramy Hallmon of Birmingham several days later, the station said. McClatchy News reached out to the Birmingham Police Department and is awaiting a response. Hallmon was last seen on Nov. 8 at his Birmingham home, according to his brother Hank Hallmon on Facebook. Hank Hallmon was searching for his brother near his home in Birmingham when he smelled something decomposing but couldnt locate where it was coming from, he told Advance Local. The whole time my brother was right beside his own house, Hallmon told Advance Local. He didnt deserve that he had the biggest heart in the world. No matter the circumstance, my brother was always willing to help. Hallmon said he believes his brother was a crime victim. The Birmingham Police Department is investigating the case, according to WIAT. Police have not released a cause of death or said if Hallmons death may have been foul play. School bus decimated after crashing with 5 kids on board, dramatic NC photos show Man missing since Christmas Eve was dismembered, sealed in concrete, NC sheriff says I probably would have ran too. Ex-Memphis cop reacts on TikTok to Tyre Nichols slaying Murder suspect in car of missing Lyft driver leads high-speed chase in NC, cops say Oleksii Reznikov, Minister of Defence of Ukraine, reported that negotiations with Western partners on establishing a platform to supply tactical aircraft to Ukraine are currently ongoing. Source: Ministry of Defence on Telegram Quote: "What [type of aviation ed.] it will be, a F-16, a Gripen, it is a question of discussion with our partnering NATO countries." Details: Reznikov added that, taking the probable Russian offensive into account, Ukraine is negotiating on supply of long-range weapons with a range exceeding 150 kilometres. According to Reznikov, such weaponry has proven its efficacy on the battlefield on the example of HIMARS multiple-launch missile system. Quote: "They fear HIMARS, so all important warehouses with fuel, ammunition, as well as command points were moved 120 kilometres beyond the frontline. That is why we are discussing weapons with a range of 150 kilometres with our partners. With that, we will be able to target enemy clusters and not let their offensive be a cakewalk." This was reported by Reznkikov at a special press conference with Mariusz Baszczak, Deputy Prime Minister of National Defence of Poland. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! A group of eight Democratic senators formed the Gun Violence Prevention Caucus on Thursday, with the goal of promoting commonsense solutions to Americas abnormally high levels of gun violence. We wake every day to headlines of another mass shooting in this country, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), a member of the newly formed caucus, said in a statement. We cant allow this to continue. The creation of the caucus comes in the wake of several recent mass shootings in California. Eleven people were fatally shot and nine more were injured at a dance studio in Monterey Park on Jan. 21. Just two days later, seven people were killed and one was injured in related shootings at two farms in Half Moon Bay. In total, there have been 54 mass shootings so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The gun violence epidemic is a uniquely American problem, Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), another new member of the Gun Violence Prevention Caucus, said in a statement. But its within our reach to end it. Feinstein noted that her fellow members of the caucus which also include Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) have long been leaders on the gun violence issue. The caucus members said in a press release that they plan to examine gun violence prevention laws at the state level for potential inspiration, look at best practices for advocacy and ways to engage local communities in the effort, and search for opportunities to work with the executive branch. They also noted plans to work on developing gun safety legislation that will preserve constitutional rights and will avoid frivolous lawsuits. Recent efforts to implement various gun safety laws have faced pushback in the courts, particularly following the Supreme Courts ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen last June. The ruling overturned a New York state concealed carry law, finding that gun restrictions must be consistent with the nations historical tradition. An appeals court panel on Thursday struck down a federal law that banned individuals with domestic violence restraining orders from owning guns, citing the Supreme Courts ruling. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is scheduled to vote Saturday on its Rules and Bylaws Committees recommendation to reorder the presidential primary calendar in 2024 amid concerns from some states about both the feasibility and desirability of the changes. In December, the rules panel approved waivers to five states to hold their presidential primaries before the first Tuesday in March 2024, as long as those states meet requirements the panel specified. The proposal came the day after President Biden sent the panel a letter saying in part that voters of color should come earlier in the nominating process. The letter said early states must reflect the overall diversity of our party and our nation economically, geographically, demographically. Iowa, which typically holds the first nominating contest in the country, was not included in the rules committees list of states considered for the early window. The panel added Michigan and Georgia to the window and shuffled the order of typical early states New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. The proposal puts South Carolina first, New Hampshire and Nevada second on the same day, Georgia third and Michigan fourth. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, around 85 to 90 percent of Iowas and New Hampshires populations are white. More than a quarter of South Carolinas population is Black and more than 60 percent is white. In 2020s Democratic nominating contests, Biden finished fourth in Iowa, fifth in New Hampshire and first in South Carolina. Some have seen Bidens push to elevate South Carolina in the 2024 election calendar as him rewarding the state for propelling his campaign in 2020 and as a way to chart a path for reelection. The White House has pushed back on this idea, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying in December, It had nothing to do with the primary results. And I can definitively say that. The new lineup is expected to pass, with many in the party supporting a primary season that begins with more diverse voters. Story continues The past few elections have made it abundantly clear that the South is the new Democratic battleground. The road to the White House runs through the South, and this calendar will ensure that the Democratic nominee is fortified for the general election, eight members of the DNCs Southern Caucus leadership team said in a statement first reported by Politico. The DNCs vote comes amid questions over whether some states can comply with the requirements set out by the rules committee and arguments against the changes themselves from some states. States that hold their contests earlier than permitted face penalties. DNC counsel Graham Wilson noted in December that states holding contests in the early window without the DNCs permission will lose half their delegates. Any candidate campaigning in a non-complying early state, including by putting their name on its primary ballot, receives no pledged delegates or delegate votes from that state. The DNC chair is also empowered to take any other appropriate steps to enforce these rules, Wilson said. On Jan. 25, the rules committee voted to extend the deadline for New Hampshire and Georgia to meet their waiver requirements until June (the original deadline was Jan. 5). In both states, meeting the panels conditions would require cooperation from Republican elected officials. New Hampshire Democrats have defended the states first-in-the-nation primary status, which its held since 1920. In addition to arguments about retail politics and the state being home to a strong labor community, state Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley has said the rules panels requirements arent feasible. In a letter to DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison, Buckley argued the panel was placing an undue burden on the state by requiring the Republican governor and state legislative leaders to agree to change the primary date and expand early voting access. In New Hampshire, the secretary of state sets the presidential primary date, and state law specifies it must be the first primary. Republican Secretary of State David Scanlan recently said, A national political party can set whatever calendar it likes, but New Hampshire will follow its law, WMTW reported. Iowas parties set their caucus dates. In December, Iowa Democratic Party Chair Ross Wilburn said, Small rural states like Iowa must have a voice in our Presidential nominating process. Wilburn also said state law requires Iowas caucuses to be the first nominating contest and that the state party would adhere to that law. Rita Hart, elected Iowa Democratic Party chair on Saturday, said that this week is going to be a very important one for all of us. We want to make sure were making practical decisions going forward, but this is certainly not a done deal, Radio Iowa reported. In Georgia, the difficulty for Democrats is moving the state into the early window. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, is by law responsible for setting the date. Based on the Republican National Committees rules, the GOP would lose delegates if the primary were held earlier than March 1, and the office has said it plans to hold both contests on the same day. Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs said, This needs to be equitable so that no one loses a single delegate and needs to take place on the same day to save taxpayer funds, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Several Democrats in the state are supportive of an earlier primary, the Journal-Constitution reported. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may be months away from publicly declaring his presidential intentions, but his potential rivals aren't holding back. No fewer than a half dozen Republicans eyeing the White House have begun actively courting top political operatives in states like New Hampshire and Iowa, which traditionally host the opening presidential primary contests. At the same time, former President Donald Trump, the only announced candidate in the race, is launching regular attacks against DeSantis and others while locking down key staff and endorsements in early voting South Carolina. For now, DeSantis is plowing forward with a fiery anti-woke agenda in the legislature before a presidential announcement in late spring or early summer. His team is beginning to hold informal conversations with a handful of prospective campaign staff in key states, according to those involved in the discussions. But compared with would-be rivals, the Florida governor, famous for crafting his own political strategy, appears to be stepping into the 2024 presidential primary season much more deliberately. They understand they are in kind of a sweet spot now. They can feel the demand building and they dont really have to show any leg yet, said David Kochel, a veteran Republican operative who has been in touch with DeSantis team to relay interest from activists. I just dont think theres any urgency yet to start putting things in place. For voters, it may seem early in the 2024 presidential election season. But by historical standards, it is not. The GOP's opening presidential primary debates are just six months away, expected in late July or early August when the Republican National Committee holds its summer meeting in Milwaukee. Already, Trump has been in the race for more than two months. The former president on Saturday released a list of high-profile supporters in South Carolina, including Gov. Henry McMaster and Sen. Lindsay Graham. And on Feb. 15, Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, is set to launch her own White House bid in South Carolina, followed by immediate appearances in Iowa and New Hampshire. Story continues Haley is among a half dozen Republican prospects in various levels of conversations with political operatives in New Hampshire and Iowa about job openings, according to people involved with the discussions who requested anonymity to discuss internal planning. Beyond Haley, they include former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Hogan, a term-limited governor who left office only two weeks ago, talked up his executive experience in multiple New Hampshire radio interviews on Thursday. He told The Associated Press he was launching a multi-day fundraising tour beginning this weekend in DeSantis' Florida. Theres plenty of room for Trump and DeSantis and me in the same state, Hogan said with a laugh. Everybody says its Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis. But I think it might be somebody that nobodys talking about right now, which is what usually happens. ... My argument is the frontrunners almost never win. Indeed, recent political history is littered with tales of seemingly strong early contenders who ultimately failed. They include the likes of former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who looked like a frontrunner in 2015 and was forced out of the race before the first voting contest. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush then emerged as the strong favorite before being overtaken by Trump. Veteran Republican strategist Ari Fleischer recalled the 2000 presidential campaign when his then-boss, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, successfully waited until mid-June to enter the Republican presidential primary. In the months before the announcement, Bush aggressively worked behind the scenes to line up donors, staff and endorsements. For DeSantis to adopt a similar winning playbook, Fleischer said, it's critical to work now to assemble a strong campaign apparatus in private. He likened a successful strategy at this phase to a duck, who appears calm but is paddling hard just below the waters surface. So long as (DeSantis) is paddling furiously underwater like a duck, he can afford to wait, Fleischer said. The amount of work it takes to build a presidential campaign is phenomenal. I dont think people understand whats involved unless theyve done it. Its brutal. ... And if you dont put the labor into it quietly, privately, it falls apart. DeSantis' team declined to comment on his 2024 plans publicly, but the Florida governor's allies expect him to enter the race in late June or early July. In the short-term, he's preparing to promote his upcoming book, The Courage to be Free, set for release on Feb. 28. And he'll spend much of the coming months stacking up legislative victories in the Florida statehouse, where the Republican supermajority stands ready to deliver a bevy of measures sure to entice the most conservative voters in a GOP presidential primary. In recent days, DeSantis said he's backing new laws that would ban abortions after 6 weeks of conception, ease restrictions for those wishing to carry concealed firearms and end the states unanimous jury requirement for death penalty cases. He released a plan to end sales taxes on gas stoves, picking up on a false claim circulating on the right that the Biden administration plans to ban the appliance. DeSantis is also asking the state legislature for an additional $12 million to relocate unwanted migrants, signaling a continued focus on illegal immigration after spending millions in Florida taxpayer dollars to fly migrants from Texas to Marthas Vineyard last year. And he's zeroing in on issues related to race and education. He installed a conservative majority on the board of trustees at a small liberal arts school and has debuted a proposal to block programs on diversity, education and inclusion from state colleges. At the same institutions, he would also ban programs on critical race theory, which centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nations institutions, which function to maintain the dominance of white people in society. In the coming days, DeSantis is expected to declare victory in his battle against Disney, the state's largest employer, which drew the governor's ire after opposing the so-called Dont Say Gay law. State lawmakers are expected to meet for a special session as soon as next week to complete a takeover of a self-governing district Disney controls over its properties in Florida, all at DeSantis request. As DeSantis focuses on Florida's statehouse, Trump has dramatically escalated his attacks on the man he and his aides see as, by far, his most concerning rival. But as other Republicans prepare to enter the race, Trump is also attacking them. For example, in a Thursday interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, Trump described Haley in sexist terms as overly ambitious, noting that she once vowed not to seek the presidency in 2024 if Trump was also running. Shes a very ambitious person. She just couldnt stay in her seat, Trump said. In the same interview, he also criticized DeSantis, claiming he cried while asking for Trump's endorsement during the 2018 governor's race. DeSantis got elected because of me. You remember he had nothing. He was dead. He was leaving the race. He came over and he begged me, begged me for an endorsement, Trump said. He said, If you endorse me, Ill win. And there were tears coming down from his eyes. DeSantis has largely avoided responding to Trumps digs. And without a campaign apparatus, he doesn't have a rapid response team or surrogate operation designed to engage with 2024-related fire. But earlier this week, he seemed to be knocking Trump at least, indirectly when asked about the former governor's repeated attacks. The good thing is, is that the people are able to render a judgment on that whether they re-elect you or not," DeSantis said when asked about Trump, who lost his 2020 reelection. ___ Peoples reported from New York. Izaguirre reported from Tallahassee, Florida. AP writers Jill Colvin in New York and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina contributed. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) A detainee's body was found dead about 18 hours after five men beat him in a South Carolina jail where the sheriff said many cell doors don't lock the latest troubling incident in a detention center described as a death trap by the lawyer for a different man found dead last year with fresh rat bites on his body. Five other detainees have been charged with the murder after officers found Antonius Randolph dead in a pool of blood on the afternoon of Jan. 27. The 29-year-old accused serial rapist's death at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center comes after several federal lawsuits, a troubling audit and a hiring scandal that have left the interim director promising what the Post and Courier reported as a series of sweeping changes. The incident six days after Randolph's arrest on charges of sexual assault and robbery has added to mounting concerns over the conditions at the jail in South Carolinas capital city. The most recent South Carolina Department of Corrections audit found over a dozen violations of state standards at the embattled facility. According to the annual report for 2022, the jail is beset by overcrowded housing units, inadequate staffing and lagging pest control. The audit revealed that some detainees were kept in fire-damaged cells, while another handicapped person was housed in a cell that was noncompliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Some cells reportedly had malfunctioning locks in need of repair. Indeed, an investigation into Randolphs death also found that many cell doors do not lock, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said at a Friday news conference. Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford told reporters that Randolph would not have recovered had he been found earlier. Neither official would share details surrounding what Lott called a very brutal" attack by five other detainees. "Its an outrageous example of the failure of the jail administrators to protect individuals within their care, Burnette Shutt & McDaniel attorney Stuart Andrews said of the latest death. Andrews represents Disability Rights South Carolina in a federal lawsuit filed in April that alleged detainees with disabilities were held in unsafe and unsanitary cells for up to 24 hours a day. Story continues The Richland County Sheriff's Department said the investigation is ongoing and more charges are expected. In a statement Friday, Richland County committed to prosecuting all involved parties to the fullest extent of law. The press release said unlocked cell doors are not a practice of the detention center but the result of detainees' criminal activity. The county said it is committed to improving the facility. A loss of life in this manner is not only disheartening but alarming, and we continue to express our deepest sympathy to the family of Mr. Randolph, the statement said. Three people have died in the correctional facilitys custody over the past 12 months. A separate federal lawsuit filed this past summer alleged deliberate indifference in the death of Lason Butler. Officials found the 27-year-old man dead on Feb. 12, 2022, with fresh rat bites and no running water, according to the lawsuit. The Richland County coroner ruled the death a homicide and noted a lack of action by the jail staff. Butler lost more than 40 pounds (18 kilograms) over a two-week period spent in a room where he frequently lay naked and was placed on suicide watch despite officials knowledge that the unit was unfit to serve people with mental health issues, according to the lawsuit. Police had arrested Butler last January for reckless driving, failure to stop for blue lights and a suspended license. In the wake of Randolph's death, Butler's lawyers called for a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. In a Friday press release, attorney Bakari Sellers called the facility a death trap. Attorneys with the Columbia-based Strom Law Firm also referenced a series of January TikTok videos reported by the Post and Courier that claim to show unsanitary conditions like clogged toilets and undercooked food inside the center. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control gave the jail a C food grade in January after an inspection revealed meat cooked to poor temperatures, food stored on the floor and dishes kept outside. A Feb. 1 follow-up inspection resulted in an A rating. The jail has been without a permanent leader since its director, Tyrell Cato, was fired in September after The State reported he had lost his previous job over accusations of sexual harassment. - James Pollard is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Chalkboard. Illustrated | Gettyimages The College Board this week released the official framework for its new Advanced Placement course in African American studies. An early rundown of possible content, initially outlined in August, had drawn sharp criticism from Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who has made overhauling higher education in the state and purging what he calls "woke ideology" a priority for his government. The College Board removed much of the material DeSantis complained about from the required curriculum, including the names of many Black writers, scholars, and course units associated with critical race theory, the queer experience, Black feminism, and the Black Lives Matter movement. David Coleman, the head of the College Board, told The New York Times the changes came in response to "the input of professors" and "longstanding AP principles," suggesting complaints from DeSantis and other conservative politicians didn't influence the decision. "At the College Board, we can't look to statements of political leaders," he said. Civil rights activists disagreed. David J. Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, said the College Board, a nonprofit that oversees AP offerings as well as the SAT testing, "capitulated" to what he called DeSantis's "extremist anti-Black censorship." Is the College Board keeping politics out of the classroom, or letting DeSantis dictate what students learn about Black history? The College Board let DeSantis bully it DeSantis' attack on this new AP course's curriculum "was ridiculous and disturbing," says Jess Levin in Vanity Fair, "but not at all surprising given that DeSantis has spent his time in office signing one absurd law after the next." He has pushed through one piece of legislation he says targets "woke" politics that is an "obvious intent is to ban conversations that could result in white people feeling bad about systemic racism," and another that critics have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" law against teaching young students about sexual identity. The alarming part of this story is that the College Board "completely bowed to his demands and extremely quickly at that!" The nonprofit's insistence that politics played no part in the decision is bunk. According to The New York Times, the writers and academics barred from the curriculum include Kimberle W. Crenshaw, a Columbia professor whose work has been "foundational in critical race theory," and author Ta-Nehisi Coates, "who has made a strong case for reparations." More than 200 African American studies teachers said in a Medium post this gutting of the course amounts to "censorship and a frontal attack on academic freedom... Happy Black History Month." Keeping neo-Marxist nonsense out of this course keeps it free of woke politics DeSantis is the one trying to keep politics out of the classroom, says Rod Dreher in The American Conservative. He took a stand against the "woke commissars" because he was "not going to allow the AP course to propagandize Florida students for tendentious, highly ideological reads on black history, under the guise of teaching about Black history (which he fully supports)." The "bad guys" in this clash are the ones trying to intimidate educators, lawmakers, and the College Board by spreading the "lie" that "if you don't give these ideological culture warriors everything they want, then you must be a BIGOT." DeSantis is "doing his job: making sure that the public school students of Florida aren't forced to read neo-Marxist propaganda as history." Keeping marginalized voices out of the classroom erases history The silencing of marginalized voices in this course is part of an "unrelenting assault" Florida is leading against "truth and freedom of expression," says Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the Legal Defense Fund, in The New York Times. The goal is to "suppress the viewpoints, histories and experiences of historically marginalized groups, especially Black and L.G.B.T.Q. communities." Eliminating any discussion of "queer theory," for example as DeSantis demanded denies "the need for future generations to learn about the contributions of queer Black American icons like Pauli Murray, Bayard Rustin, Audre Lorde, and James Baldwin." "The losses to our nation, if this broad attack on our shared history is allowed to continue, are incalculable." Surrendering will "breed a generation of Americans indoctrinated by ignorance" and deprived of "the analytical skills to understand the complex history of this experimental democracy, as well as the historical grounding to sustain it." If high schools are forced to ignore parts of Black history just because they make some people uncomfortable, students will show up at college "wholly ill-equipped to engage with the historical foundations of this country, which include and are inextricable from the history of Black Americans." The College Board removed radicalism, not history The final curriculum definitely marks "a major victory" for DeSantis, says Stanley Kurtz in National Review. The College Board has removed "pretty much all of the critical race theory (CRT), and the lion's share of socialist agitation." A proposed topic "devoted to Frantz Fanon's glorification of violence and its influence on black radicals in America" is gone. So are a topic that "one-sidedly excoriated American foreign policy in Haiti," and units on black queer studies, "reparations, prison abolition, intersectionality," and "the socialist platform of the Movement for Black Lives. It's "still a left-biased course," but at least now the "contemporary political controversies" are just optional topics for a paper, not mandatory material for the exam. The danger goes far beyond the content of a single AP course This controversy wasn't just about the lessons to be taught in a single AP course, says Becky Pringle in USA Today. The real agenda of DeSantis and other conservative politicians trying to interfere in the classroom is to "first whitewash and then dumb down public education as an excuse to privatize it. His ultimate goal? The destruction of public education, the very foundation of our democracy." But "parents, students, educators, and yes, voters," won't let this happen. "Preparing students with more knowledge, not less, is essential for an America that prides itself in having a free marketplace of ideas." You may also like Republicans vote to oust Rep. Ilhan Omar from House committee Japanese restaurants fight back against viral 'sushi terrorism' trend China has cloned 3 'super cows' that produce more milk than average Insider's reporter expected a less crowded experience at the Colosseum. Maria Szymczyk/EyeEm/Getty Images, Joey Hadden/Insider I recently visited the historic and iconic Colosseum in Rome for the first time. I found the reality of visiting the popular tourist attraction in Italy didn't match my expectations. Even though I tried to avoid tourists, I still battled crowds and long lines and couldn't see much. The Colosseum is a 2,000-year-old amphitheater in Rome that once hosted gladiatorial games. It's also one of the most popular tourist attractions in Europe. The author visits the Colosseum in Rome for the first time in October 2022. Joey Hadden/Insider The Colosseum is a symbol of Rome and one of the city's most popular tourist attractions, with about 6 million visitors a year, according to Cititavis Tours. Ancient Romans built the Colosseum between AD 72 and 80 to host massive events like gladiator battles and reenactments, National Geographic reports. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Colosseum was damaged by neglect and a series of earthquakes in the fifth century, according to the same article. By the 20th century, two-thirds of the structure was destroyed. Restoration of the building began in the 1990s, according to National Geographic. When I visited the Colosseum for the first time, I wanted to experience stunning views that would transport me to the past. Pictures depicting the author's expectations of visiting the Colosseum. Maria Szymczyk/EyeEm/Getty Images, Alexander Spatari/Getty Images I visited the Colosseum during a two-week train trip through Italy, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in October 2022. When I booked my trip, I started looking up Colosseum posts on my Instagram and found several photos of people touring seemingly alone around the gigantic historic structure. To me, these photos looked quiet and peaceful, and I wanted to have a similar experience. Although the Colosseum is one of the most popular attractions in Rome, it has a capacity of 3,000 visitors at a time, according to The Washington Post, so how crowded could it really be, I wondered. So I booked a "skip-the-line" ticket that would allow me to enter the popular attraction without waiting behind thousands of other tourists. Tourists at the Colosseum in June 2022. Riccardo De Luca/AGF/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Five days before my visit, I booked a self-guided, skip-the-line ticket through Viator for $60. I found other similar skip-the-line services online but thought this was the best value at the time. Story continues A basic admission ticket would have cost me less than $20. According to Viator, my ticket included direct entry to the Colosseum, allowing me to skip the line, explore at my own pace, and access nearby attractions, the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum. I had no set time to leave the Colosseum, but my ticket suggested a one-hour stay. Once inside, I figured there would be plenty of room to explore the nearly 6-acre space at my leisure. A panoramic view of the Colosseum in Rome. Giuseppe Greco/Getty Images According to Colosseum Info, the arena covers roughly 6 acres of land and at one time could seat at least 50,000 spectators. But even with purchasing a skipping-the-line service, I was disappointed to find that long lines were unavoidable. There was no escaping the crowds of tourists. Tourists crowd the Colosseum during the author's visit in October 2022. Joey Hadden/Insider I wasn't expecting the Colosseum to feel so cramped, loud, and stressful to get around. While I felt completely in awe of how massive the structure was, the environment felt more like a tourist trap to me. Crowds inside the Colosseum in Rome in October 2022. Joey Hadden/Insider The seemingly endless crowds of people throughout made me feel like I was standing in line for the majority of my visit. Insider asked the tourism boards of Italy and Rome questions about how crowds are regulated. They didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. As I approached the Colosseum and encountered more tourists, I suspected my experience wouldn't be as stress-free as I had hoped. Crowds near the Colosseum's entrance in October 2022. Joey Hadden/Insider On my way to the Colosseum on a Wednesday in October, I noticed the streets felt more crowded the closer I got to the attraction. Along the way, I came up against several people blocking paths and sidewalks as they stopped to take pictures. This made getting to the attraction itself difficult and frustrating. Upon arrival, I had to find a black flag next to the Arch of Constantine, another historical landmark near the Colosseum. But the piazza was so crowded that it felt like a game of "Where's Waldo." People crowd the Arch of Constantine in October 2022. Joey Hadden/Insider I got to my destination at 11 a.m. so I'd have ample time to find my tour guide before my 12 p.m. entry time and thank goodness I did. The grounds were packed with people looking for their tour guides and waiting for entry. As noon approached, I started to panic, thinking, 'what if I don't find them?' It took me nearly an hour to find the tour group's small black flag next to the Arch of Constantine outside the Colosseum's entrance. Viator didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment about the flag being challenging to find. Luckily, I found the small, black flag just in time for my scheduled entry time, but not without a bit of stress first. The author finds her tour group and retrieves her ticket. Joey Hadden/Insider When I finally found my tour guide, she handed me my ticket for entry. With my ticket, I was able to skip the general admission line, but I still had to wait in a relatively short line to be admitted and go through a security checkpoint. Once inside, I had to go to the bathroom, where I found people shoving and cutting each other in line. I was shocked when someone pushed me into a stall, and it soured my experience. A line for the bathroom (L) and crowds inside the Colosseum (R) in Rome in October 2022. Joey Hadden/Insider I encountered people pushing each other forward and arguing about who was in line first. One woman took her whole tour group and pushed to the front of the line, cutting several people off. When it was my turn to use the bathroom, another woman shoved me forward as soon as a stall opened up before I even had a chance to take a step. I was truly shocked at how people behaved in this situation, and it soured my experience at the historical landmark. After my half-hour ordeal of waiting to use the bathroom, I finally got to see the epic view of the arena inside the Colosseum's walls ... sort of. People wait to take pictures in front of the arena in October 2022. Joey Hadden/Insider There were too many people at the Colosseum to walk up to the edge of the stands. Instead, people formed lines in front of each viewpoint to get a quick glance at the arena below and take a picture. While waiting for my turn, I stood on my tippy toes to see the Colosseum above rows of heads that obscured my view. The tourism boards of Italy and Rome didn't immediately respond to Insider's questions about regulating crowds inside the Colosseum. At each viewpoint, I waited in line for five to 10 minutes to see the arena for what felt like 15 seconds before people rushed up to take my place. People take pictures in front of the arena in October 2022. Joey Hadden/Insider More than anything else, I wanted a few moments at the Colosseum to tap into my creativity and visualize the fights that happened in Ancient Rome. But there were too many people trying to take my place for me to have that time. When I had my turn to stand on the edge overlooking the arena, I noticed the Colosseum was under restoration, which wasn't the most stunning view. Construction on the Colosseum in October 2022. Joey Hadden/Insider I understand that old buildings often need to be restored to stick around for hundreds of years, like The Foundation Experts, a restoration and repair company in Canada, reports. And I think the current work on the Colosseum will improve the visitor experience. According to NPR, once restored later this year, the Colosseum will feature a floor-level attraction allowing visitors to step inside the arena and get a gladiator's view of the Colosseum. But the ongoing restoration I saw at the Colosseum made it feel like one big construction site. Exhibits about the structure's history were just as packed as the viewpoints, and I quickly gave up trying to view them. Crowds around the Colosseum's exhibits in October 2022. Joey Hadden/Insider To look at the Colosseum's exhibits, I shuffled along slowly with a crowd while simultaneously taking in as much as I could before people began to move forward. The exhibits were more packed than almost any museum I've been to, and I only viewed them for about 15 minutes before I became frustrated and gave up. The four-story structure also offered views of surrounding sites, but those areas were just as crowded. People take photos of ancient Roman sites in October 2022. Joey Hadden/Insider Unfortunately, I didn't have time to visit the nearby attractions. So I was excited that the Colosseum's interior also has views of surrounding Ancient Roman sites, like the Roman Forum. But I found that these areas were just as crowded as the viewpoints of the arena, and, since I'm 5'3," I couldn't see past other tourists and their outstretched phones. I still want my quiet moment to walk the Colosseum floor and feel like a gladiator myself. Next time, I'll visit Rome during the winter for a quieter experience with fewer crowds. The author visits the Colosseum in Rome for the first time in October 2022. Joey Hadden/Insider According to SOTC Travel Limited, there are fewer crowds in Europe during the winter than at any other time of the year. Read the original article on Insider Feb. 2OLYMPIA District 12 State Representatives Mike Steele (R-Chelan) and Keith Goehner (R-Dryden) held a virtual town hall Wednesday evening, allowing constituents to ask questions about the current legislative session, bills and any concerns they may have. "We are certainly excited to get to know the new portions of the recently redistricted 12th legislative district," said Steele in the opening of the meeting. The 12th District, after redistricting finalization in 2022, includes Chelan County, a small part of Douglas County and parts of Snohomish and King counties. Steele is serving his fourth term in the House of Representatives. In the 2023 session, he is the ranking member on the Capital Budget Committee and is also on the Appropriations Committee and Education Committee. Goehner is serving his third term as a representative for District 12 and is the ranking member on the Local Government Committee and is also on the Rules Committee, Transportation Committee and the Environment and Energy Committee "We are interested in hearing your thoughts and your concerns," said Goehner. "We have a lot of interesting bills coming through and we're interested to hear some of your feedback and your thoughts on some of the things that we've been dealing with." The town hall featured pre-submitted questions as well as live questions from constituents attending the Zoom meeting. The first question of the hour-long webinar was a pre-submitted question asking how the legislators planned to represent the newly-added communities of District 12. Moderator Kurt Hammond said that this question echoed other pre-submitted questions regarding the process of redistricting and how some communities ended up as part of District 12. Steele began to answer the question first, addressing that the redistricting is done by a commission that is independent from the legislature and current boundaries are based on the 2020 census. Story continues "So once those numbers were counted, we had to figure out a way to pick up an additional around 60,000 folks from the west side to the east side," said Steele. He also explained that as state representatives, he and Goehner were not involved in the redistricting process. "We were kept outside of the whole process until the final map was announced and so the commission felt that this was the best way to increase that population size," Steele said. "So we end up being probably the most unique district in the state," Goehner added to Steele's response. Other questions through the evening touched on topics about cost-of-living adjustments for plan 1 retirees of the teachers' retirement system, process on the capital budget, climate change being added to the growth management act, rising taxes and quality of education, among other topics. "We think there's a lot of commonalities and a lot of things that make us more united in this 12th Legislative District than keep us from understanding the various parts of east and west," said Steele. Goehner added that despite priorities and issues in some areas being different from the east side of the state to the west, that a lot of issues have common ground across the state. "Some of these issues, they don't have a Cascade divide at all and we're very much united on solving the same types of issues," he said. Rebecca Pettingill may be reached at rpettingill@columbiabasinherald.com. Contact your legislators: Mike Steele 122A Legislative Building P.O. Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504-0600 (360) 786-7832 mike.steele@leg.wa.gov Keith Goehner 122B Legislative Building P.O. Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504-0600 (360) 786-7954 keith.goehner@leg.wa.gov A Dominos employee quit his job after he and other Black employees reported co-workers using racist slurs, leading to further harassment and physical threats that made him feel unsafe, federal officials said. Two white Dominos managers mimicked the voice and mannerisms of slave owners in April 2021, calling the employee who ultimately quit boy, according to a federal lawsuit filed Feb. 2. The managers later received pay raises, and one was promoted to assistant manager, the complaint says. Go hang them tags, boy, the one manager said before the other manager chimed in, repeating the voice and orders, the complaint says. When the employee objected to this, he was told to go get a tampon if he was so upset, according to the complaint. Now the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing Parris Pizza Company, LLC, the Dominos franchise that ran the restaurant in Olean, accusing it of allowing racial harassment, the agency announced in a Feb. 2 news release. In a statement to WIVB, Dominos said the allegations in the complaint filed against one of our former franchise owners, if true, are deeply disturbing. While each franchised store is independently owned and operated, racism has no place in the Dominos system. McClatchy News attempted to contact Parris Pizza for comment Feb. 3 and didnt receive a response. McClatchy News also contacted Dominos on Feb. 3 and didnt receive a response. Racial harassment in the workplace is a crucial issue, all the more pressing in the wake of the horrific, racially motivated mass shooting in Buffalo less than a year ago, Jeffrey Burstein, the regional attorney for the EEOCs New York District Office, said in a statement. This lawsuit sends a clear message that racial harassment of employees will not be tolerated. The lawsuit comes after a white gunman murdered 10 Black people in November while they were shopping at a Tops grocery store in Buffalo, according to the Associated Press. The racially motivated mass shooting happened about 75 miles north of the Dominos in Olean. Story continues Andrew Ross, the Black employee who felt compelled to resign, filed a charge of discrimination with the EEOC, accusing his former employee of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to the complaint. The agency initiated the lawsuit after trying to work with Parris Pizza to reach a pre-litigation settlement, the release said. Black workers faced numerous racist comments, lawsuit says In 2019, Ross started working at the Dominos in Olean preparing pizza, at the cash register and as a delivery driver, the complaint says. At the restaurant, white managers and co-workers openly subjected Ross and other Black employees to numerous racist comments during every shift, according to the complaint. When a female Black employee made it known to all co-workers that she did not like others using a racial slur, one manager emerged from the bathroom, approached her face, stared at her and used the slur, the complaint says. On another occasion, the other manager was telling Ross a story involving a Black person, whom (he) aggressively referred to as that (racial slur), the complaint says. The two managers also made general negative comments about Black people, including how most of them are woke and poor, according to the complaint. The pair didnt stop the racist behavior after Ross and other Black employees repeatedly objected and asked them to stop, the EEOC says. In April 2021, after Ross complained to the stores owner about the two managers mimicking slave owners, one manager apologized to the owner but denied he was being racist, according to the complaint. Ross said the other manager stared at him red in the face while gripping scissors tightly in a threatening manner the same day he complained, the complaint says. Since Ross boss didnt address the racial harassment, he resigned, according to the EEOC. About 30 days later, the boss raised both managers pay and promoted the one who apologized to him, the complaint says. Every employee has a right under federal law to a workplace free of racial slurs, EEOC New York Acting District Director Timothy Riera said in a statement. Employers cannot ignore this type of behavior but rather must take steps to stop it. The EEOC is demanding a trial by jury with its lawsuit. Boss joked about shooting Black people, and worker who complained was fired, feds say McDonalds fires man who worked there 37 years because he has autism, lawsuit says Supervisor ordered to stop hiring Black workers at Florida company, lawsuit says WASHINGTON Former President Donald Trump on Thursday backed a rioter who was shot by police while storming the Capitol and rebuked House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for defending the officer. McCarthy said earlier on Thursday that the officer who shot Ashli Babbitt on Jan. 6, 2021, was just doing his job. I totally disagree with the Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, in that the Police Officer Thug, who has had a very checkered past to begin with, was not just doing his job when he shot and killed Great Patriot Ashli Babbitt at point blank range, Trump wrote on Truth Social. Babbitt was shot as she tried to climb through a broken window in a barricaded doorway to the Speakers Lobby, which is just outside the House chamber, while lawmakers evacuated. She was part of a violent mob that threatened officers guarding the entrance and smashed the windows with their fists. The Capitol Police have said the officers action likely saved lives. Trumps post illustrates the collision course of McCarthys speakership. He won the job with the support of far-right lawmakers like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a conspiracy theorist who baselessly claims undercover FBI agents tricked Trumps supporters into storming the Capitol that day. Empowered by McCarthy with a seat on the House Oversight Committee, this week Greene used her new platform to claim Babbitt was murdered, likening her death to the high-profile police killing of Tyre Nichols. She dubiously claimed in an interview with HuffPost that Babbitt wasnt trying to climb through the window, contrary to video evidence. HuffPost asked McCarthy on Thursday if he agreed with Greene that Babbitt was murdered. I think the police officer did his job, he said, avoiding comment on Greenes inflammatory remarks. Even an anodyne statement in support of police sets up McCarthy for a clash with Trump. Trump has not only praised his riotous supporters but also participated in a fundraiser for the legal defense of people charged with attacking police on Jan. 6. Thursdays post is not the first time Trump has criticized the officer who shot Babbitt. Story continues The officer, Lt. Michael Byrd, was cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the Justice Department in 2021. Byrd told NBCNews in a tearful 2021 interview that he believed hed done his job to protect members of Congress. He said hed been in hiding for months due to a flood of death threats thanks to right-wing websites. This officer and the officers family have been the subject of numerous credible and specific threats for actions that were taken as part of the job of all our officers: defending the Congress, Members, staff and the democratic process, the Capitol Police said in a statement that year. Trump, an expert in riling his supporters and directing harassment toward anyone he considers an obstacle, used his statement Thursday to send more abuse Byrds way. Despite trying to keep him anonymous, shielded, and protected, this MISFIT proudly showed up on NBC Fake Nightly News bragging about the killing, Trump wrote Thursday. He was not a hero but a COWARD, who wanted to show how tough he was. ASHLI BABBITT WAS MURDERED!!! Isla Bryson - Andrew Milligan/PA A double rapist would have been able to become legally female under Nicola Sturgeons gender reforms despite the First Minister admitting the predator is almost certainly faking being trans, a leading lawyer has said. Ms Sturgeon this week refused three times to say whether she believed Isla Bryson previously known as Adam Graham was male or female, but conceded that the 31-year-old was likely to be pretending to identify as female. Jonathan Brown, a Scottish advocate, said Ms Sturgeons shift undermined her push to allow Scots to change their legal gender without providing evidence and her dismissal of fears that predatory men would abuse the system to access womens spaces. The Scottish Tories said the lawyer had demolished Nicola Sturgeons confused position on gender self-ID, with her legislation currently in limbo after it was blocked by the UK Government. Bryson was initially placed in a womens jail under a Scottish Prison Service (SPS) policy that follows the same principles as the SNP legislation. Mr Brown, a member of the Scottish Bar for more than two decades, said there was zero doubt that Bryson would have been able to become legally female had Ms Sturgeons self-ID system come into force. SNP ministers have previously claimed the need to sign a statutory declaration to obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate, with a potential jail term for those who make a fake claim, would have acted as a deterrent to prevent abuse. However, as Bryson had denied the rapes under oath at the High Court it is unlikely they would have been concerned about making a false statutory declaration, Mr Brown said. If theres a theoretical process to distinguish between genuinely trans and nasty rapist just pretending to be trans, at what point would that be done? Mr Brown wrote on Twitter. There is, in my view at least, no room at all for a solution to this problem that is a sort of proviso at the end that says unless youre a rapist, in which case we dont believe you when you tell us you identify as a woman. Story continues It cant in any sensible world be the position that only rapists get their self-declaration second guessed. Its either self-declaration for all or its subject to an objective check for all. He added it was the remorseless logic of the view that trans women are women, a position endorsed by the Scottish government, that Bryson would be considered female due to their own declaration. It is, I think, tolerably clear that the public wont wear this, he said. How, logically, can the First Minister doubt Isla Brysons trans status or suggest its being faked for opportunistic reasons without a definitional yardstick by which to make that judgment? Under Ms Sturgeons planned system, a need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria to change legal gender would have been removed. Scandal has exposed Nicola Sturgeon An urgent lessons learned review about why Bryson was initially placed in a womens jail before being moved to a mens facility following a public backlash was completed on Friday. However, the Scottish government and Scottish Prison Service have refused to say whether it will be published. Russell Findlay, community justice spokesman for the Scottish Tories, said: It should now be obvious to the First Minister that she cannot enshrine universal self-ID in law only to come up with vague reasons to block certain cases. Having long peddled the view that trans women are women, she has suddenly decided that exemptions can apply. This scandal has exposed Nicola Sturgeon to be completely out of touch with public opinion and lacking basic legislative savvy. She arrogantly ignored advice and dismissed warnings. I hope she has the common sense to realise that her flawed Gender Recognition Bill is now dead and buried. A spokesman for the Scottish government said: The Scottish Prison Services urgent lessons learned review has been submitted to the chief executive of the SPS. As the justice secretary said to Parliament earlier this week, he will update the criminal justice committee on the outcome next week. Providence Mission Hospital A man who was driving a car hit a cyclist, then got out and stabbed him to death, police said. The fatal attack occurred Wednesday afternoon in Dana Point, California, on the Pacific Coast Highway. On Thursday, officials identified the victim as Michael Mammone, 58, and the suspect as Vanroy Evan Smith, 39. Mammone was an emergency room doctor at Providence Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach. His death was a stunning tragedy," a hospital spokesperson said in a statement to KTLA. The entire Mission Hospital family is grieving over the loss of an incredible physician and friend, the spokesperson said. We will honor Dr. Mammones dedication to our community and passion for medicine by continuing to provide exceptional care. According to the Orange County Sheriff's Department, Mammone was biking on the highway when "he was struck from behind by the suspect vehicle." Smith then allegedly "exited his vehicle and assaulted Mammone with a knife." Responding officers found Mammone "lying in the intersection suffering from severe injuries," while bystanders detained Smith until police arrived. Mammone was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Smith was arrested and taken to jail on suspicion of murder. He is expected to appear in court Friday, court records indicate. A motive for the alleged crime is not yet known, and the two are not believed to have known each other. "At this time, there is no known connection between the suspect and the victim," the Orange County Sheriff's Department said. "Investigators will work to determine what led to this incident." More on this A cyclist was killed when a driver struck him from behind, then got out of his vehicle and stabbed him, according to California authorities. The cyclist was biking north on the Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point at around 3 p.m. on Feb. 1 when he was hit and assaulted, according to a news release from the Orange County Sheriffs Department. Deputies found the cyclist, who was later identified as Michael John Mammone, 58, lying in an intersection with severe injuries, the release says. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The driver, Vanroy Evan Smith, 39, was being detained by bystanders when deputies arrived, the release says. He was arrested on suspicion of murder, according to the release. Deputies recovered a knife at the scene. Smith and Mammone didnt seem to know each other, the release says. Mammone was a doctor from Laguna Beach, according to KTLA. He worked in the emergency department at Providence Mission Hospital, the outlet reported. In a statement, the hospital called Mammones death a stunning tragedy, according to KTLA. The entire Mission Hospital family is grieving over the loss of an incredible physician and friend, the statement says, according to the outlet. We will honor Dr. Mammones dedication to our community and passion for medicine by continuing to provide exceptional care. Friends on Facebook remembered him as a dedicated doctor. Dr. Mike Mammone, you exemplified what it is to be an awesome ER doctor, wrote Stacy Petersen. Amazing bedside manner, compassionate, really just had a caring demeanor while being a fun and energetic guy to work with. Your ED team and friends will miss your leadership and your laughter, wrote Deborah Poore. Sending prayers to your family. You were a great doc, wrote Nabil Noujaim. Saved many lives and improved the lives of many more. Smith is being held without bail, according to Orange County Jail records. Detectives are still investigating what led to the attack, according to police. Story continues Anyone with information is asked to contact the Orange County Sheriffs Department at 714-288-6740 or send information anonymously through Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS. Dana Point is about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Dave & Busters employee dies days after cook attacks him at work, Florida cops say Two men killed in Waffle House parking lot when bullets spray car, Louisiana cops say Driver intentionally hits woman pushing baby in stroller in Walmart lot, Hawaii cops say TECOLUCA, El Salvador (AP) When El Salvador began making mass arrests of people with suspected gang affiliations last year, President Nayib Bukele ordered the construction of what would be the largest prison in Latin America. This week, Bukele rolled out the completed project, a sprawling campus 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of the capital, that could eventually house 40,000 inmates. Dubbed the Terrorism Confinement Center, the prison will hold many of the more than 62,000 people authorities have arrested since the government suspended some constitutional rights and pushed an all-out offensive against the gangs last March. The effort enjoys broad support in El Salvador, but has been strongly criticized by human rights organizations and some foreign governments for its lack of due process and other abuses. Bukele put it in simple terms in a tweet Thursday: El Salvador has managed to go from being the worlds most dangerous country, to the safest country in the Americas. How did we do it? By putting criminals in jail. Is there space? There is now. It has been a few years since El Salvador held that unenviable distinction there were 6,656 homicides in 2015 but the country lowered that total to 3,495 homicides last year, the lowest in decades. The government does not include some 120 killings of alleged gang members by authorities in that figure. The last time the government provided the prison population, it was nearly 36,000 in April 2021. The countrys 29 prisons were then at 120% of their capacity. In the past 10 months, the government has nearly tripled the population. During a tour of the new prison Thursday night, Public Works Minister Romeo Rodriguez said each cell could hold more than 100 inmates. The government has not said when it will begin transferring prisoners. Critics of Bukeles strongarm tactics say that in the long term El Salvador will not be able to arrest and jail its way out of its security problems. Story continues With this prison, the administration of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador shows that it doesnt have clear plans to prevent crime, Carolina Jimenez, president of the Latin America-focused non-governmental organization WOLA, tweeted. His main choice is a permanent state of exception in which they commit human rights violations. Rev. Andreu Oliva, rector of the Jesuit-founded Central American University in San Salvador, said the focus on punishment was worrisome. It shook me to see punishment cells where the people are going to be in total darkness, total isolation, sleeping on a concrete slab, he said. With no library or rooms for education or training, he saw little that could help prisoners who wanted to leave criminal life. With no talk of rehabilitation, critics like Oliva question what there will await inmates when they are released other than a return to the gangs. Bukele has dismissed critics as defenders of gangsters. His popular support remains high. Days pass without a murder. Neighborhoods that spent years under total control of gangs are drawing back some of the residents who fled them. Month after month, El Salvadors congress renews the state of exception imposed in late March after gangsters killed 62 people in a single day. The right of association, the right to be informed of the reason for an arrest and access to a lawyer remain suspended. There is little sympathy for gang members. For years, theyve terrorized swaths of El Salvadors territory, extorting and killing at will. In 2015, the Supreme Court declared the Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 terrorist groups. __ Aleman reported from San Salvador, El Salvador. Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves the Phillip Burton Federal Building on January 24, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Musk testified at a trial regarding a lawsuit that has investors suing Tesla and Musk over his August 2018 tweets saying he was taking Tesla private with funding that he had secure After around an hour of deliberations, a nine-person-jury in San Fransisco sided with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and said the billionaire was not liable for millions of dollars worth of losses investors laid at his feet following his infamous 2018 funding secured tweet about Tesla. The decision marks the end of a dramatic three-week trial which saw Musk and other Silicon Valley titans take the stand. The mogul tweeted, Thank goodness, the wisdom of the people has prevailed! I am deeply appreciative of the jurys unanimous finding of innocence in the Tesla 420 take-private case. Read more The outcome of the multimillion-dollar securities fraud trial over Musks funding secured tweet appeared to come down, in part, to Musks lawyers argument that the billionaire Tesla CEO was just a little baby. Mission accomplished. During closing arguments Friday, Musks attorney Alex Spiro, age 40, said his client, age 51, was just an impulsive kid with a terrible Twitter habit. The lawyer argued Musk was absolutely truthful when he told his more than 125 million Twitter followers he was considering taking Tesla private at $420 per share and had the funding secured to do it. Though Spiro has admitted Musks tweets and statements about the proposed deal included technical wordsmith inaccuracies, he argued those dont amount to securities fraud. In one of the odder moments of the closing arguments, Spiro attempted to humanize Musk to the jury by speaking at length about the CEOs troubled childhood and high levels of stress while working in Teslas factory. Spiro described Musk, a 51 year-old billionaire and recently the richest man in the world, as a kid in that witness chair and a kid from South Africa. He added, This isnt the bad tweeter trial. Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 7, 2018 Lawyers representing the investors suing Musk, on the other hand, called Musk a rich liar, and a fire-breathing dragon, who failed to abide by basic securities requirements and defrauded shareholders in the process. Theyre suing for billions in damages, alleging the value of their stock took a wild ride after Elons tweet. Story continues This case is about whether rules that are applied to everyone should also be applied to Elon Musk, Nicholas Porritt, the shareholders lawyers said. Billionaires dont get to operate under a different set of rules. $420 tweet was definitely not a joke The trial traces its origins back to a 2018 class-action lawsuit in which Tesla shareholders accused Musk of flat out lying when he sent out a tweet saying he had secured the funds necessary to take Tesla private. Though the deal never materialized, Teslas stock price did shoot up after Musks tweets. Then it tumbled back down when it became clear the company would remain public. Burned investors claimed they lost millions due to Musks statements and want a court to hold him accountable for those lost funds. Musk could face billions in damages. Over the course of the trial Musk and his attorneys said he had every intention of taking Tesla and that his tweets were definitely not a joke. Musk, during his testimony earlier in the trial, tried to convince the jury his $420 proposed price actually had nothing to do with weed. On the question of funding, Musk and his attorneys claim the billionaire actually had the resources needed to take Tesla private all along. Musk accused the leader of Saudi Arabias Sovereign Wealth Fund of backpedaling out of a done deal to provide funding but claimed he ultimately could have financed the private deal personally by selling his SpaceX stock if he wanted to (he didnt do that). Its not something I would like to do, but its something I could do, Musk said during his testimony, comparing the SpaceX financing option to selling a home. I really didnt want to sell SpaceX stock, but I could have done so. Porritt, the shareholders attorney refuted that point on Friday, saying it twists the meaning of funding secured. The market understood funding secured to mean an actual commitment, he said. Musk and his attorneys also rejected the idea, wholesale, that a CEOs tweets to his more than 126 million followers could affect Teslas stock price. They cant prove causation, Spiro said. Game over. That argument ran in parallel to Musks earlier testimony where he said he did not see a causal link between his tweets and changes in stock prices. Update 2/3/2023, 6:55 PM: Added jury verdict. More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. SAN FRANCISO (AP) A jury on Friday decided Elon Musk didnt defraud investors with his 2018 tweets about electric automaker Tesla in a proposed deal that quickly unraveled and raised questions about whether the billionaire had misled investors. The nine-member jury reached its verdict after less that two hours of deliberation following a three-week trial. It represents a major vindication for Musk, who spent about eight hours on the witness stand defending his motives for the August 2018 tweets at the center of the trial. Musk, 51, wasn't on hand for the brief reading of the verdict but he made a surprise appearance earlier Friday for closing arguments that drew starkly different portraits of him. Not long after the verdict came down, Musk took to Twitter the bully pulpit he now owns to celebrate. Thank goodness, the wisdom of the people has prevailed! Musk tweeted. Musk's decision to break away from his other responsibilities to sit in on the closing arguments even though he didn't have to be there may have had an impact on the jurors, said Michael Freedman, a former federal prosecutor who is now in private practice working for a law firm that has represented celebrities and business executives. It shows he has a presence, Freedman said. Nicholas Porritt, an attorney who represented aggrieved Tesla investors, said he was disappointed after urging the jurors in his closing arguments to rebuke Musk for reckless behavior that threatened to create anarchy." I dont think this is the kind of conduct we expect from a large public company, a downcast Porritt said after discussing the verdict with a few jurors who gathered to talk to him. People can draw their own conclusion on whether they think its OK or not. During their discussion with Porritt, the jurors told them they found Musk's testimony that he believed he had lined up the money from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund without a written commitment to be credible. They also expressed doubt about whether Musk's tweeting was the sole reason for the swings in Tesla's stock price during a 10-day period in August 2018 covered in the case. Story continues The trial pitted Tesla investors represented in a class-action lawsuit against Musk, who is CEO of both the electric automaker and the Twitter service he bought for $44 billion a few months ago. Shortly before boarding his private jet on Aug. 7, 2018, Musk tweeted that he had the financing to take Tesla private, even though it turned out he hadnt gotten an iron-clad commitment for a deal that would have cost $20 billion to $70 billion to pull off. A few hours later, Musk sent another tweet indicating that the deal was imminent. Musk's integrity was at stake at the trial as well part of a fortune that has established him as one of the worlds richest people. He could have been saddled with a bill for billions of dollars in damages had the jury found him liable for the 2018 tweets that had already been deemed falsehoods by the judge presiding over the trial. That determination, made last year by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen, left the jury to decide whether Musk had been reckless with his tweeting and acted in a way that hurt Tesla shareholders. It may have not been that difficult for the jury, Freedman said, because it sort of became like an up-or-down vote." Earlier Friday, Musk sat stoically in court during the trials closing arguments while he was both vilified as a rich and reckless narcissist and hailed as a visionary looking out for the little guy." Over the course of a one-hour presentation, Porritt had implored the jurors to rebuke Musk for his loose relationship with the truth. Our society is based on rules, Porritt said. We need rules to save us from anarchy. Rules should apply to Elon Musk like everyone else. Alex Spiro, Musks attorney, conceded the 2018 tweets were technically inaccurate. But he told the jurors, Just because its a bad tweet doesnt make it a fraud. During roughly eight hours on the stand earlier in the trial, Musk insisted he believed he had lined up the funds from Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund to take Tesla private after eight years as a publicly held company. He defended his initial August 2018 tweet as well-intentioned and aimed at ensuring all Tesla investors knew the automaker might be on its way to ending its run as a publicly held company. I had no ill motive, Musk testified. My intent was to do the right thing for all shareholders. Spiro echoed that theme in his closing argument. He was trying to include the retail shareholder, the mom and pop, the little guy, and not seize more power for himself," Spiro said. Porritt, meanwhile, scoffed at the notion that Musk could have concluded he had a firm commitment after a 45-minute meeting at a Tesla factory on July 31, 2018, with Yasir al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabias wealth fund, given there was no written documentation. In his 90 minute presentation, Spiro emphasized Musk's track record helping to start and run a list of companies that include digital payment pioneer PayPal and rocket ship maker SpaceX, in addition to Tesla. The automaker based in Austin, Texas, is now worth nearly $600 billion, despite a steep decline in its stock price last year amid concerns that Musk's purchase of Twitter would distract him from Tesla. Recalling Musk's roots as a South African immigrant who came to Silicon Valley to create revolutionary tech companies, Spiro described his client as the kind of person who believes the impossible is possible." A former Twitter worker previously said Elon Musk had often slept in the company's offices. David Odisho/Getty Images; Gotham/Getty Images San Francisco told Twitter to label converted bedrooms as sleeping areas, per a correction notice. If it doesn't comply, Twitter has 15 days to convert the bedrooms back to offices in its HQ. Officials launched an investigation in December into Twitter's office bedrooms. Twitter was told to correctly label converted bedrooms as sleeping areas in its San Francisco office straight away, according to a correction notice reviewed by Insider. San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection on Monday issued a correction notice to Twitter's construction contractor regarding the use of conference rooms as bedrooms in the company's headquarters on 1355 Market Street in San Francisco. The building officials said that during an investigation, "it was observed that some of the conference rooms were being used as employee sleeping or rest areas," according to the notice. "Beds were present in these rooms." "Please obtain a revision to properly label these rooms for the use as intended today or restore rooms to original use within 15 days," the notice said. Dan Sider, San Francisco Planning Department's chief of staff, told the San Francisco Chronicle that Twitter's building wasn't out of compliance with normal office use and didn't seem to be "radically different" from other offices. He added that sleeping pods and rest areas were common in modern offices. However, it was important to distinguish whether the bedrooms were being used for naps or full-time residence, which is charged differently to commercial buildings, Sider told the Chronicle. Twitter, acquired by Elon Musk in late October, didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside of normal US operating hours. In December, Twitter staff discovered beds, mattresses, curtains, bedside tables, and lamps in some conference rooms, Forbes first reported. Photos obtained by BBC News reporter James Clayton showed sofas that had been turned into beds, along with a wardrobe and a washing machine inside Twitter's HQ. Story continues Patrick Hannan, the Building Inspection Department's communications director, confirmed to Insider in December it was investigating reports that Twitter had converted some office rooms into sleeping areas in its HQ. Musk, in December, defended the bedrooms, saying he was simply "providing beds for tired employees." Reports of the bedrooms in Twitter's offices came after an employee shared a photo of his boss Esther Crawford, the director of product management at Twitter, sleeping on the office floor. A former Twitter employee told BBC News that Musk had often slept in Twitter's offices since taking over the company. Musk has previously spoken about how he used to sleep under his desk or on couches in Tesla factories. Read the original article on Business Insider Carol Ash serves a customer at her Kick Ash Door County retail store in Ellison Bay. Ash used what she learned in the Entrepreneurial Training Program at the Door County Economic Development Corp. to help her develop a business plan and buy the building housing the store and kitchen for the business' artisan granola, gluten-free bakery and coffees. ELLISON BAY - About four years ago, Carol Ash was looking to expand her business and move it into a new building. To help make that happen, she did what she now says is "the smartest thing I've ever done." Ash and her husband, Christian, own Kick Ash Products, which started in 2014 as the maker of Door County Love Artisan Granola and since has added Kick Ash Coffees roasted by Christian, trail mixes and gluten-free baked goods to its product line. The Ashes opened a retail store, Kick Ash Door County, in Sister Bay in 2017 to add to its wholesale business but soon found they needed room to grow. That's where the Entrepreneurial Training Program came in. Hosted by the Door County Economic Development Corp., the program has been held each spring since 2012. It consists of one three-hour class a week for eight weeks, facilitated by business experts from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay's Small Business Development Center, which offers the program in 12 northeastern and eastern Wisconsin counties. Over that time, 120 people have graduated from the Door County program, which includes scholarships and grants for its students. Tara Carr, director of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Small Business Development Center, said the classes cover all aspects of owning and running a business, whether small start-ups or larger, million-dollar businesses. She said about half of the students taking the program are owners of existing businesses, the other half being people who are starting one or are interested in starting. "We go over all the facets," Carr said. "It's about strategic planning, whether you're a person looking to start a new business or an existing business looking to expand." One of the main objectives of the program is learning how to put together a business plan. Not just because it provides a direction to making the business profitable, but also because it's necessary to attract financing from lenders or investors. To aid in that, several years ago the program began using a short-answer workbook that students not only used to help put together their business plans but also could take home and save, so they could refer back to it or use it again if needed in the future. Story continues "It helps people really think through their idea, put it on paper and get financing," said Michelle Lawrie, executive director of the DCEDC. "That's a big part of it." That was a big part of what helped Kick Ash get into its new building in Ellison Bay back in 2019. Carol Ash was a physical therapist before her homemade granola became popular enough with friends to encourage her to launch her business, but she said she quickly learned that being a physical therapist didn't offer many lessons in running that business. "When you start a business, you don't know all the things you don't know and wouldn't know to ask," Ash said. "It helps you think about things that are hard to know if you haven't been in business. Starting a business takes a lot of things that you don't pick up on in everyday life." The Ashes were looking into buying the former Linden Gallery building at 12001 Mink River Road, and the business plan Ash developed in the Entrepreneurial Training Program in the spring of 2019, which included projections of costs and sales down the road, helped her get the financing to make the purchase happen. Their new store and kitchen opened that summer. "It was instrumental in being able to get the building, putting together a business plan," Ash said. Ash and Carr said one of the other important facets of the classes is figuring out who is your target market and understanding what they want. "One of first exercises was to know who your customer is, to get inside the minds of your customers," Ash said. "It helped us look at our business, evolve into what we are now." "Most businesses think they're going to sell to everybody," Carr said. "You really need to identify your target market and aim toward those individuals." Ash said another vital part of the program for her was the chance to network and brainstorm ideas with other businesses and students in the class as things came up. Marketing, promotion and strategic planning are among the other subjects covered during the course. "They were so encouraging," Ash said, "just really helped us through each stage." Christian and Carol Ash in their Kick Ash Door County store in Ellison Bay, where they sell artisan granola and gluten-free bakery they make and coffees they roast. Carr said not everyone who takes the program ends up opening a business or expanding as hoped, but she said in most cases that's because what they learned in the program saves them from heading into a business venture that they find isn't going to work. "We've had people go through the program and realize maybe that the business they're looking at isn't that viable. And for us, that's a success," Carr said. "We're in the business of helping people realize their dreams. The last thing we want people to do is go bankrupt. "It really comes down to doing due diligence, covering all aspects of the business. We find a lot of people who are really good at their craft, but when it comes to the business side of it, they need help." The program also is important to the DCEDC because encouraging development and growth of local businesses owned by local people is more vital to the county's economic health than bringing in business from outside, Lawrie said. "It's really important," Lawrie said. "Most of the success stories of economic development, people like to think of bringing in big businesses. But most of the successes are businesses that are already here or starting organically in our community. That's why we focus on entrepreneurship. "Entrepreneurial activity is a huge part of what the DCEDC wants to do in the community. We want to make sure people are happy to reach out to us." And Ash would encourage prospective business owners, and those owners considering changes to their businesses, to take the course, based on her experience. "It's the smartest thing I've ever done," she said. "It's been invaluable." FYI The eight-week Entrepreneurial Training Program offered by the UW-Green Bay Small Business Development Center starts Feb. 7 at the DCEDC Business Center, 185 E. Walnut St., Sturgeon Bay. For registration information, visit https://wisconsinsbdc.org/services/events. For more information, contact DCEDC executive director Michelle Lawrie at michelle@doorcountybusiness.com or 920-743-3113, ext. 101. This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Entrepreneurial program at DCEDC helps local businesses open and grow The Escambia County Commission voted 3-1 Thursday to authorize its attorney to use whatever means necessary to compel Clerk of Court Pam Childers' office to write a $6,960 check to cover fines and fees former Escambia County paramedic Matt Selover was ordered to pay to close a Florida Department of Health investigation. In response Childers said, absent a court order, "my decision is not to pay." And so continues a squabble that originated in October when the board voted to cover costs incurred by Selover under terms of agreement reached to settle a complaint filed against him by the countys former medical director over alleged mishandling of patients during EMS calls. 'A lot of red flags':Escambia County and Clerk of Court at odds over paramedic fines In her complaint, filed in May of 2019, Dr. Rayme Edler detailed five separate incidents from July 2018 to March 2019 during which she alleged Selover violated Florida law. Two of the incidents resulted in the patient dying, and Edler placed the culpability on Selover's actions. Under terms of the agreement reached with the Department of Health, Selover would pay the $6,960 fine while neither admitting nor denying allegations made against him. He was allowed to keep his paramedic's license. If County Attorney Alison Rogers succeeds in her task, the money to reimburse Selover the amount he was fined will come from the discretionary fund account of Commissioner Jeff Bergosh. Bergosh has championed Selover's cause since 2020 when he came to the commissioner as a paramedic to complain that the county administration and Edler were retaliating against him for filing a workplace harassment complaint against Edler. Selover filed a harassment complaint with the county in May of 2019. He later filed a federal lawsuit alleging the county violated his 14th Amendment rights and retaliated against him when he was placed on desk duty. It also accused the county of failing to follow its own policies by not investigating the harassment complaint. Story continues More:Escambia County to pay for defense of paramedic in DOH complaint after settling $200,000 lawsuit He eventually reached a settlement in that case whereby he was paid $200,000. On Thursday, Bergosh said Selover agreeing to go along with settling the lawsuit had saved the county tens of thousands of dollars. In arguing in support of his motion to compel Childers to act, Bergosh said that the Clerk of Court doesn't have the right to contest a lawfully reached board of commissioners' decision. "We put this forward, it's lawful and it needs to be paid," he said. "This government will come to a grinding halt if we don't stay in our lanes and do our jobs ... "Your vote today is about protecting your power." With Commissioner Lumon May absent, board member Mike Kohler cast the lone vote in opposition to Bergosh's motion to have the county attorney do what she could to force Childers' hand. As a licensed nurse, Kohler said, he had reviewed both a Department of Health and the state Surgeon General's analysis of the Selover case and come to the conclusion the County Commission, ahead of his being sworn in, had overstepped its bounds by agreeing to pay the fines. More:Bergosh: Embattled EMS employee's case shows need for changes to county harassment policy "I want to protect the power of the board, I agree with that. But I respectfully believe that the board made a very bad decision ... "This is such a breach, such an overreach," he said. "There is a process, and if I was to support this I would be tarred and feathered by the medical community." Childers likens paying Selover's fines to that of paying a traffic ticket for a county employee who is cited for speeding while driving on a work assignment. She said her office has asked the county attorney to provide evidence that the payment is legal and provide a required primary public purpose but has not received an answer with which it is satisfied. "The Clerk is the watchdog of all county funds and serves as a check and balance on each expenditure of taxpayer dollars. A primary public purpose must be served when the county government spends the publics money," she said in an emailed statement. "Commissioner Bergoshs discretionary funds are still the peoples money." Payment of a fine for a private citizen does not serve a public purpose, Childers said in her statement. She said she fears paying it for Selover would set a dangerous precedent. "It's OK that the government stops and thinks about the money that it is spending. The Board does not have unchecked power to spend the taxpayers hard earned money," Childers said in her statement. This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia Commissioners seek to force Childers to pay paramedic's fine ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met senior leaders of the Tigray region forces on Friday for the first time since they signed a peace deal with the national government ending two years of war, the state-run broadcaster said. "PM Abiy ... and other officials met today and held a discussion with the TPLF delegation regarding the progress of the peace process," the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation said on its Twitter account. "As a result, PM Abiy passed decisions about increasing flights, banking and other issues that would boost trust and ease the lives of civilians." The Addis Ababa government and forces of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) signed agreements in November to permanently cease hostilities, ending fighting that killed tens thousands and displaced millions. Friday's meeting was Abiy's first with senior administrators of the northern Tigray region since the fighting broke out. The war was rooted in old territorial and other grievances between the political elites of Tigray and other regions, built up over decades of turmoil, violent regime change and long periods of authoritarian rule. (Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw; writing by George Obulutsa; editing by Mark Heinrich) By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators have paused their investigation into Broadcom's $61 billion bid for cloud computing company VMware while waiting for the U.S. chipmaker to provide requested data, the European Commission said on Friday. The European Union competition watchdog said it stopped the clock on its investigation on Jan. 31, effective Jan. 24. "This procedure in merger investigations is activated if the parties fail to provide, in a timely fashion, an important piece of information that the Commission has requested from them," a Commission spokesperson said. "Once the missing information is supplied by the parties, the clock is re-started and the deadline for the Commission's decision is then adjusted accordingly." Broadcom's move to diversify into enterprise software comes as regulators worldwide ramp up scrutiny of deals by Big Tech. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Alexander Smith) The head of the European Council Charles Michel Im not saying its unrealistic, he explained. If there is a strong political will on the Ukrainian side to speed up the process, if there is the confidence, which I feel, in order to implement the necessary reforms, it is possible to speed it up. Read also: A five-year plan in three: On the quick accession of Ukraine to the EU Michel noted that during the deliberations on Ukraines application to join the EU, some hesitated, some were pessimistic. But we have succeeded, you were finally able to get the candidate status quickly, compared to how it is usually done by the EU, Michel added. Read also: EU to train 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers by end of 2023, reports Borrell Earlier, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal stated that Ukraine wants to join the European Union within the next two years. On Feb. 3, a Ukraine-EU summit was held in Kyiv, in which Ukraine took part for the first time as an EU candidate. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Head of EU Diplomacy Josep Borrell, 15 European Commissioners, and EU Council head Charles Michel all arrived in Kyiv in order to participate in the summit. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine KYIV, Ukraine (AP) The European Union will unveil its 10th package of sanctions against Russia on Feb. 24 to mark the anniversary of Moscows full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a senior official from the bloc said in Kyiv on Friday, as Ukrainian forces gird for an expected Russian offensive in the coming weeks. The sanctions will target technology used by Russias war machine, among other things, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference. The sanctions will take aim in particular at components used in the manufacturing of drones, she said, naming Iran as a key supplier of Russia. Closing loopholes that the Kremlin uses to circumvent sanctions will also be a priority, according to Von der Leyen, who was on her fourth visit to the Ukrainian capital since the war began. The exact measures in the next EU sanctions package must be agreed upon by the blocs 27 member countries a process that can take weeks. Top EU officials met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a show of support for the country as it battles to counter the Kremlin's forces and strives to join the EU as well as NATO. The last such summit was held in Kyiv in October 2021 a few months before the war started. The highly symbolic visit is also the first EU political mission of its kind to a country at war. The high-level meeting came as a 60-year-old man was killed and six others were wounded Friday when Russian missiles hit central Toretsk, in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region, the local prosecutors office said in a statement on Facebook. Ukrainian authorities reported Friday that at least six civilians were killed and 20 others were wounded over the previous 24 hours. Among the dead were two brothers, ages 49 and 42, killed when Russian shelling destroyed an apartment building in the northeastern Kharkiv region, Ukraines presidential office said. Their 70-year-old father was hospitalized with injuries. Also, six people were wounded and 18 apartment buildings, two hospitals and a school were damaged in a Russian attack in the eastern city of Kramatorsk on Thursday, Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko told Ukrainian TV. Four people died when a Russian missile hit an apartment building in that city on Wednesday. Story continues European officials were adamant about continuing to support Ukraine militarily and economically, but they didn't provide any new details about Ukraines accession path to the EU. Zelenskyy said Ukraines goal "is to start negotiations this year. But the process will likely take years and require the adoption of far-reaching reforms, including a clampdown on endemic corruption as the country receives billions of dollars in aid. Kyiv formally submitted its application last June. Zelenskyy said progress had been made to further integrate Ukraine economically into the EU across several sectors, including agriculture, industry, energy and customs. Ukraines government is keen to get more Western military aid, on top of the tanks pledged last week, as the warring sides are expected to launch new offensives once winter ends. Kyiv has pushed the West to provide fighter jets and long-range missiles. The U.S announced Friday it will send longer-range bombs to Ukraine, along with air defense systems and other weapons and ammunition as part of a new $2.17 billion aid package. The rocket-propelled, GPS-guided, ground-launched, small-diameter bombs (GLSDB) are fired from HIMARS rocket launchers and glide to targets up to 150 kilometers (93 miles) away, twice as far as the previously supplied U.S. rockets for HIMARS systems could reach. Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder noted that the bombs will give the Ukrainian armed forces a longer range capability and enable them to conduct operations in defense of their country and to take back their sovereign territory. Asked to comment on the U.S. move, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed to Thursday's statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who likened the Russian action in Ukraine to fighting the Nazis in World War II and issued an ominous warning to the West for announcing new weapons shipments. Those who hope to defeat Russia on the battlefield apparently fail to understand that a modern war against Russia will be a completely different war for them, Putin said. "We do not send our tanks to their borders, but we have something to respond with, and it is not limited to the use of armour." France and Italy also agreed Friday to supply Ukraine with a SAMP/T-MAMBA air-defense system, which French officials call the European equivalent of the Patriot system that the U.S. has given Ukraine. The missile battery is slated for delivery this spring. Kyivs forces have a chance of beating back an expected Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine if supplied with the right Western weapons, Zelenskyy said. Our task is not to give them (an) opportunity (for revenge) until our army is strengthened with appropriate weapons. I think we have a chance, Zelenskyy added. Officials in the eastern Luhansk region said Russian forces have disabled mobile internet connections, stepped up shelling and deployed more troops in preparation for an offensive. EU assistance for Ukraine has reached almost 50 billion euros ($55 billion) since the fighting started, according to officials from the bloc. The EU is providing Ukraine with financial and humanitarian aid, and announced it is ramping up its military training mission, from an initial target of pushing 15,000 troops through the schooling to up to 30,000 troops. One focus is to train the crews of tanks that Western countries have offered Ukraine. ___ Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Josep Borrell The training will take place under the European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM). It will be held mainly in Germany, Poland, and other member states. The success has been so great that now the goal is to prepare an additional 15,000by the end of the year, Borrell said. Which means 30,000 personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in total, Read also: Ukrainian troops to start training on Leopard tanks next week He also noted that the total military aid under the European Peace Fund amounts to3.6 billion ($4 billion). If we combine what the member states are doing bilaterally together with this intergovernmental fund, I think that the aid for military support has reached 12 billion ($13 billion), Borrell noted. Its not as much as the United States has allocated, but its still 40% of U.S. military support. On Jan. 23, the European Union had approved additional 500 million ($545 million) in military aid to Ukraine. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Euronav NV (NYSE:EURN) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript February 2, 2023 Operator: Good day, and welcome to the Euronav Fourth Quarter 2022 Earnings Conference Call. Please note this event is being recorded. I'd now like to turn the conference over to Brian Gallagher, Head of Investor Relations. Please go ahead. Brian Gallagher: Thank you. Good morning and afternoon to everyone, and thanks for joining Euronav's Q4 2022 earnings call. Before I start, I would like to say a few words. The information discussed on this call is based on information as of today, Thursday, the February 2, 2023 and may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements reflect current views with respect to future events and financial performance and may include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events, performance, underlying assumptions and other statements, which are not statements of historical facts. All forward-looking statements attributable to the company or to persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by reference to the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed in the company's filings with the SEC, which are available free of charge on SEC's website at www.sec.gov and on our own company's website at www.euronav.com. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of that particular statement, and the company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Please take a moment to read our safe harbor statement on Page 2 of the slide presentation. With that, I will now pass over to Chief Executive, Hugo De Stoop to start with the conference slide on Slide 3. Hugo? Hugo De Stoop: Thank you, Brian, and good morning or afternoon to wherever you are, and welcome to our call. I will run through the Q4 highlights before passing on to Lieve Logghe, our CFO, who will then highlight key factors over the quarter and important work the finance team have done in increasing, again, our liquidity through sustainable financing. After that, Brian will run you through some current market trends before I return to summarize our strategy and where we believe we are in the current cycle and outlook. Q4 was the breakthrough quarter we've been pointing at in our last 2 calls. The strong demand for tankers reflected in higher freight rates was created by 3 factors: seasonal pattern into the Northern Hemisphere winter, a sustainable supply of oil from OPEC and non-OPEC. Story continues And then finally, a repositioning of the world fleet ahead of the embargo on crude from Russia that was enacted on December 5. TCE rates actually squeezed materially higher into November. And even though they have reset since they remain at very profitable levels and well above the medium-term averages. Euronav benefited from this upswing and from the fleet rejuvenation we have done in the last 18 months in taking our new tonnage and reducing our older fleet of higher-consuming ships. Given our current corporate situation in full respect to the combination agreement with Frontline, we are unable at this stage to release dividends beyond the trees and minimum outlined in that agreement. However, to give some guidance and reassurance to our investors, we are indicating what level of returns could have been and this in line with our past commitments. Future developments will determine if, how and when this can be returned to our shareholders. I will now pass over to Lieve to run through the financials. Lieve, over to you. Tanker, Transport, Petroleum Gas Photo by Diogo Hungria on Unsplash Lieve Logghe: Thanks, Hugo. Q4 2022 was indeed a very busy quarter in terms of the financials. Our leverage has improved positively to 45%, boosted on one hand by incoming cash from the higher freight markets, and on the other hand, from sales proceeds of some older vessels. The operational leverage is clear in our business during such period with net profit of nearly $235 million generated in just 1 quarter. This figure was clearly boosted by $62.6 million of asset sales, reflecting our continued fleet renewal program. Such capital gains are, in our view, correctly retained within the capital structure of our business and not for distribution. It is important, this capital is recycled into new and more energy-efficient fleet, which we have done and we'll continue to see with these 7 vessels currently under construction. I will now turn to an exciting and growing part of our funding sustainable financing on Slide 8. We or less is on a journey and we made another significant step with some dedicated hard work from our finance team and our partners during Q4. Over half our financing now comes from sustainability-linked sources, making Euronav the leader in the sector and among shipping companies globally. The new facility we agreed, totaling $377 million comes with some challenging ESG objectives, including social targets for the first time, but also with a higher incentive of candid when hitting such targets. This change in the incentive structure, we believe, has further to run as this gives motivation to increase the scale and penetration of our sustainable funding. With that, I will now pass it back over to Brian Gallagher to give some thoughts on the current market cycle. Brian Gallagher: Thank you, Lieve. I start with the slide from the last sector we gave in Q3, illustrating the very real step change that we've seen in the oil on the water and in transit. And the positive follow-through is had on freight rates, especially over the last -- second half of 2022. Historically, as one would expect, there's been a very positive correlation between time 28 and volumes of cargoes on the water, but the Russian mid-dislocation started last March and subsequent increase in ton miles across the tanker sector has given a structural boost to our markets. This provides a strong base going forward for the sector, along with the age of the world fleet, which is at a 22-year high, and the fact that order books were a 40-year low, giving a very, very strong vessel supply signal. The other key factor short term for investors is also to look at China, which we now look to analyze on Slide 9. The tanker market recovery we've seen over the last 6 to 9 months has all been delivered with very little input from China. COVID restrictions have continued to remain very severe and have restricted economic activity consequently. This does look to be starting to change though. The cargo accounts for February and March, in particular in the VLCC sector, have been very, very encouraging and positive as China opens up an activity returns. Slide 11 shows an illustrative pathway of the recovery as we see it. And as I mentioned, we are starting to see the early signs of this. This we believe will further underpin freight markets well into the second half of 2023 as China only expected the level of consumption loss prepandemic. We turn now to the other side of the short-term factors that investors are looking at and Russia related activity on Slide 12. Much speculation centered in recent months for the positive factors that the Russian situation and dislocation brought would soon evaporate anticipate in the tanker market space. Whilst there was a lot of noise and clearly, there was a lot of dislocation itself within Russia with refinery shutdowns, production shutdowns and maintenance programs, volumes are now back to levels that we saw pre December 5 and the Unaoil. Production levels were also back to November run rate and also the nature of the crude and sport trade is changing with more evidence of more ship-to-ship transfers occurring across Europe and in the Mediterranean on to larger vessels in particular, VLCCs, with Siedmand-Apramax now are doing more shuttle-type runs between those low tensions rather than the entire journey themselves to the prior is. So in summary, our short-term market views continue to remain very, very positive and our current trend is very supportive as we move into Q2. We do expect to see a sustained and strong winter period over the next few weeks and months. I'll now pass over to our Chief Executive to give some more medium-term thoughts about the cycle and concluding with our current traffic right outlook. Hugo, over to you. Hugo De Stoop: Thank you, Brian. The recent firming in freight rates have been driven by shorter-term factors, and this will now give way to very solid longer-term drivers. The global fleet is all by historical standards, and yet the order book is at 40 year lows, but no one is ordering because of the high price regulations and time to delivery as shipyards are not able to deliver tankers until 2025, 2026. New operational regulation will also bring curves on all the tonnage. So the vessel supply situation appears to be locked in. On the demand side, we see China returning to normal levels of demand, a global economy bringing back even modest levels of demand growth, and all of that oil needed to be transported further distance than in the past. These factors should drive a sustained period of profitable freight rates. We at Euronav will continue to reward shareholders and invest in the energy transition. Indeed, Euronav delivered on its promise to be an energy transition leader in the past 5 years and accelerated that in the past 12 months, and we'll continue to do so. Now on to the traffic lines, Slide 15. This will surprise no one. We are again upgrading one of our traffic lines to green. This time, demand is driven mainly by the prospects from China reopening. The sharp eye that Manu will notice most of the lines are now green or greenish. That is true, but there still remains some upside in investment supplies and also in demand in our view. There is more oil in the tank. With that, I would now like to pass it back to the operator, but with a final word. You will appreciate the sensitivity of our corporate situation. We have made public that the arbitration process will provide an initial decision next Tuesday. Given the sensitivities and regulations around that process, we will not be in a position to take questions on that. Now, back to the operator to take the other questions. See also 12 Best Dividend Growth Stocks with 10+% Increases and 30 Most Famous Yale Students of All Time . To continue reading the Q&A session, please click here. Charles Michel, President of the European Council, has arrived in Kyiv to take part in the Ukraine-EU Summit. Source: Charles Michel on his social media accounts, adding a photo at the Sofia Square in Kyiv, reported by European Pravda Quote from Michels Twitter account: "Back in Kyiv for the EU-Ukraine Summit with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ursula von der Leyen and Josep Borrell. There will be no let up in our resolve. We will also support you every step of the way on your journey to the EU." Back in Kyiv for the EU-#Ukraine Summit with @ZelenskyyUa @vonderleyen and @JosepBorrellF There will be no let up in our resolve. We will also support you every step of the way on your journey to the EU. pic.twitter.com/3fnmajrtAZ Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) February 3, 2023 Details: Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, has reported that the assessment of Ukraine's progress towards opening accession negotiations is expected to be the centrepiece topic of the Ukraine-EU summit in Kyiv. They will also touch on a lot of other matters related to the Russian war against Ukraine. Background: On 2 February, another very significant event took place in Kyiv: it was a joint session of the Ukrainian government and the European Commission, which was attended by 16 members of the European Commission (the majority), including its President Ursula von der Leyen. Such visits by the European Commission delegation are unprecedented events. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, North Korea, on December 30, 2022. Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP North Korea signaled interest last year in helping Russia rebuild occupied parts of eastern Ukraine. About 800 to 1,000 workers were recruited at the time, Daily NK previously reported. But as the war slogs on and its trajectory remains uncertain, North Korea delayed sending laborers. North Korea delayed sending cheap laborers who can help Russia rebuild occupied regions of eastern Ukraine, according to Daily NK, revealing how even President Vladimir Putin's closest allies remain skeptical about the war's trajectory. In September, North Korea's ambassador signaled interest in sending construction workers to Russian-occupied territories, The Associated Press reported. Those plans further materialized as North Korean officials recruited about 800 to 1,000 workers, with plans to send them by early November, according to Daily NK. But with Russia's war against Ukraine trudging into its 12th month, North Korea has held off from sending construction aid in "danger zone[s]," a source in North Korea told Daily NK. "This is because they were going to rush the workers over if Russia quickly ended the war and expanded its liberated zones, but the war isn't going as well as they thought," he told the outlet. The source said he believes workers will be deployed as the war comes to an end, but as of now the "situation isn't good enough now to send them." "I think even our country [North Korea] can't make its people run around a danger zone to earn money, no matter how important the cash is," he said, according to Daily NK. Support for Putin's war from his inner circle to some of his most powerful allies has faltered since the invasion began last February. One Russian billionaire in contact with high-ranking officials told The Washington Post in a December report how there's "huge frustration among the people around him." "He clearly doesn't know what to do," he told The Post. During a video conference with Putin in December, Xi Jinping reaffirmed his support for Russia but acknowledged the "complicated and quite controversial international situation." Story continues Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Admiral James Stavridis told MSNBC in January that Putin is "scrambling to gain manpower" as Russia is estimated to have suffered around 100,000 casualties. "Putin will take anything. It's a sign of how difficult this fight has become for him," the former NATO commander said. Read the original article on Business Insider (KULR) The US military is tracking a Chinese high-altitude spy balloon as it makes its way over the northern United States. But the White House decided against shooting it out of the sky after being advised against it by defence officials, including Gen Mark Milley the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff. A Pentagon official told a press briefing in Washington DC the suspected balloon had been spotted over Billings, Montana, on Wednesday. It had first flown over the Aleutian Islands, through Canada, and into Montana. This is everything we know so far about the spy balloon. What has Pentagon said about spy balloon? The United States Government has detected and is tracking a high altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now, said Brig Gen Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary. The U.S. government, to include NORAD, continues to track and monitor it closely. The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years. Once the balloon was detected, the US government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information. F-22s scrambled to intercept balloon but did not take a shot You did see reports yesterday of a ground stop at Billings Airport and the mobilization of a number of assets, including F-22, a senior defence official told reporters. The context for that was that we put some things on station in the event that a decision was made to bring this down while it was over Montana. So we wanted to make sure we were coordinating with civil authorities to empty out the airspace around that potential area. But even with those protective measures taken, it was the judgment of our military commanders that we didnt drive the risk down low enough. So we didnt take the shot. Story continues Why did military advise against shooting balloon down? Why not shoot it down? We have to do the risk-reward here, a senior defence official told reporters. So the first question is, does it pose a threat, a physical kinetic threat, to individuals in the United States in the US homeland? Our assessment is it does not. Does it pose a threat to civilian aviation? Our assessment is it does not. Does it pose a significantly enhanced threat on the intelligence side? Our best assessment right now is that it does not. So given that profile, we assess the risk of downing it, even if the probability is low in a sparsely populated area of the debris falling and hurting someone or damaging property, that it wasnt worth it. Montanas governor reacts I received an informational briefing yesterday on the situation involving a suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over Montana, said Governor Greg Gianforte From the spy balloon to the Chinese Communist Party spying on Americans through TikTok to CCP-linked companies buying American farmland, Im deeply troubled by the constant stream of alarming developments for our national security. What Montana targets could China be interested in spying on? Montana has long been the location for some of the USs nuclear arsenal and is home to one of three known major nuclear missile silo fields. The other two are in Wyoming and North Dakota. The Air Force at Malmstrom maintains 150 intercontinental ballistic missile silos across its 13,800-square-mile complex in central Montana, according to the Pentagon. Clearly the intent of this balloon is for surveillance, the official, briefing reporters anonymously, said on Thursday. Getting an app listed in the Apple App Store is no easy task, but its been an especially onerous process for crypto companies and projects. Thats not by accident, according to Apple's former App Store director. Phillip Shoemaker, who originally crafted the App Stores guidelines together with the late Steve Jobs, says that those guidelines have been rewritten since his departureand in a way he believes is intentionally vague. This, he says, has given Apple the ability to function as a sort of gatekeeper, a claim recently echoed by a Commerce Department report. But it has also allowed Apple to maintain an arbitrarily harsh stance against crypto and NFTs specifically, says Shoemaker. Apple had a problem with crypto from day one. They thought it was a Ponzi scheme, he told Decrypt in an interview. App Store Origins Shoemaker, who worked at Apple for over seven years from 2009 until 2016 and is now the CEO of Identity.com, says he initially set out to make the App Store guidelines as straightforward as possible. The goal was always to make them more black and white over time to make developers understand what they can and can't do, he said. After all, getting accepted into the Apple or Google app stores can make or break a company. And a rejection can cause severe setbacks for app developers. I had hundreds of death threats, Shoemaker said of his interactions with frustrated devs. I had people following me out to my car, people sneaking into Apple. In a 2019 Bloomberg interview, Shoemaker said his app approvals could even hurt Apples stock price. Jobs used to say I had the worst job at Apple, because no matter what I did, someone hated me, Shoemaker told Decrypt. After Shoemakers departure in 2016, Apples App Store Guidelines were rewritten by Apples legal team and longtime Apple Fellow Phil Schiller, who now oversees the App Store. Shoemaker points the finger at Schiller for what he considers to be Apples adversarial relationship with crypto. Story continues They went through a major change, I would say, right as I was leaving, Shoemaker said. The tone substantially changed. Shoemaker argues that the 2016 rewrite made the guidelines intentionally unclear. They ended up making things even more vague and more gray than before. We need black and white, we don't need gray, he said. Schiller did not respond to Decrypt's request for comment. And when asked for its official stance on crypto, an Apple representative only responded only with a link to the cryptocurrency section of its App Store Review Guidelines, which details in five bullet points what crypto app developers can and cannot do on its platform. The Crypto Conundrum The Apple App Store has cracked down on various crypto apps it believes are violating its guidelines over the years. Ten years ago, while Shoemaker was still with the company, Coinbases app was banned from Apples App Store for an entire year. Coinbase did not respond to Decrypts request for comment, and when Decrypt reached out to Apple to ask why the Coinbase app was banned in 2013, a representative again referred us its App Store Developer Guidelines. In 2020, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong wrote that Apple has been very restrictive and hostile to cryptocurrency over the years. He explained that some features within the Coinbase app had been blocked, but later deleted the tweet. Apple Forces Coinbase to Disable NFT Transfers on Its Wallet App In 2022, Apple updated its App Store Review Guidelines to address NFTsunique blockchain tokens that can signify ownership over associated metadata such as art, metaverse land, or a membership pass to an exclusive club. Apps may use in-app purchase to sell and sell services related to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), such as minting, listing, and transferring, the new guidelines read. Apps may allow users to view their own NFTs, provided that NFT ownership does not unlock features or functionality within the app. This means that buying NFTs through an App will incur Apples hefty 30% fee, and any NFTs viewable through an app that were not purchased in-app are not allowed to unlock any additional content or in-app features. Developers are also not allowed to offer users any workarounds in-app to evade the 30% fee, such as by visiting an external link in a web browser. In December 2022, Coinbase found itself in trouble again when Apple began enforcing its new NFT rules and blocked the Coinbase Wallet app until it removed its NFT transfer feature. Coinbase said its app was banned because Apple wanted to tack its 30% fee onto any Ethereum gas fees, which Coinbase said was technically impossible. Apple and the Metaverse: Everything We Know So Far For anyone who understands how NFTs and blockchains work, this is clearly not possible, Coinbase said. Apples proprietary In-App Purchase system does not support crypto so we couldnt comply even if we tried. Shoemaker believes these new NFT rules were crafted with the same harsh tone as the rest of Apples payment rules. Its the bully who wants your lunch money, Shoemaker said of Apples 30% in-app purchase fee. Thats just the bottom line. NEW YORK (AP) As the Manhattan district attorney's office ramps up its yearslong investigation of Donald Trump, a new book by a former prosecutor details just how close the former president came to getting indicted and laments friction with the new D.A. that put that plan on ice. Mark Pomerantz, who oversaw the investigation until early last year, writes in People vs. Donald Trump: An Inside Account that then-District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. authorized him in December 2021 to seek Trump's indictment. After scouring Trump's life and business, Pomerantz writes that prosecutors agreed on a case involving allegations that Trump falsified records by inflating the value of assets on financial statements he provided lenders. Vance was leaving office within weeks, but he expressed confidence that his successor, Alvin Bragg, would agree with his assessment, Pomerantz writes. But Bragg and his team had other ideas expressing trepidation about the strength of evidence and the credibility of a key witness. They decided not to proceed, at least not with the speed Pomerantz and co-lead prosecutor Carey Dunne wanted. Pomerantz writes. The stagnation compelled both men to leave the office. Once again, Donald Trump had managed to dance between the raindrops of accountability," Pomerantz writes in the book, which is set to be published Tuesday by Simon & Schuster. The Associated Press and other news outlets received copies of the book Friday. Trump has threatened legal action against Pomerantz and Simon & Schuster for what he contends are defamatory statements and groundless falsehoods about his alleged criminal conduct. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and said the New York investigations are attempts by Democrats to keep him out of the White House. In a post to his Trump Social platform, Trump said Pomerantz's book is turning out to be a hit on the District Attorney and the weak case with many fatal flaws. Story continues Pomerantzs 304-page volume weaves his behind-the-scenes account of the spirited battle over whether to charge Trump with anecdotes from his decades-long career as a mafia prosecutor and white-collar litigator. Those experiences contrast with Bragg's work as a former federal prosecutor, law professor and, in the years prior to his election, pursuing civil cases against Trump as a top official in the state attorney general's office. The book also works to temper the drama surrounding Pomerantzs split from Bragg, which spilled into the public last year when his resignation letter appeared in The New York Times. Pomerantz portrays the dispute not as a brawl, but as a legitimate difference of opinion shaped by lengthy Zoom calls and telephone conversations. During the sessions, Pomerantz writes that he and Dunne would detail the pros and cons of pursuing a Trump indictment, while Bragg or members of his team pushed back with questions and concerns. At first, Pomerantz writes, Bragg seemed overwhelmed by other matters managing the massive D.A.'s office and dealing with blowback from his approach to prosecuting certain crimes. He writes that Bragg showed up late to an initial meeting where he laid out the case and that Bragg ended up looking at his phone most of the time. The D.A. was more attentive at subsequent sessions, Pomerantz said. At one point, he writes, Bragg said that he could not see a world in which he would indict Trump and call Trump's long-estranged former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen as a witness. Cohen, who claims to have intimate knowledge of Trump's financial dealings, was convicted in a parallel federal case of lying to Congress. Cohens lawyer, Lanny Davis, said in a statement Friday: We were treated respectfully and professionally by Mr. Mark Pomerantz and his team. We appreciated their integrity and hard work. Despite the denied allegations concerning Mr. Cohens credibility, I can confirm that Mr. Cohen will continue to cooperate with DA Bragg and his team, speaking truth to power -- as he has always done. Aside from a few blunt emails he wrote criticizing Bragg's deliberateness, Pomerantz said his rift with the D.A. was civil. "There was never any yelling or screaming," he writes of their final conversation in February 2022. He defended Bragg against people suggesting he had an ulterior motive not to indict, saying that they "had no clue about how these prosecutorial decisions are made or were bloodthirsty for some action against Trump," Pomerantz writes. Braggs office sought last month to delay the book's publication, saying in a letter to Pomerantz and Simon & Schuster that he was violating a confidentiality agreement he signed upon joining the D.A.'s office and that the book could materially prejudice" the investigation. Pomerantz said nothing in the book jeopardizes the probe. Simon & Schuster said it will release the book as scheduled. In a statement Friday, Bragg said he hasn't read the book, and wont comment on any ongoing investigation because of the harm it could cause to the case. He defended his decision to refrain from charging Trump. After closely reviewing all the evidence from Mr. Pomerantzs investigation, I came to the same conclusion as several senior prosecutors involved in the case, and also those I brought on: more work was needed. Put another way, Mr. Pomerantzs plane wasnt ready for takeoff," Bragg said. Our skilled and professional legal team continues to follow the facts of this case wherever they may lead, without fear or favor. Mr. Pomerantz decided to quit a year ago and sign a book deal." The District Attorneys Association of the State of New York also expressed concerns, writing in a statement Friday that it was unfortunate and unprecedented for a former prosecutor to speak out during an ongoing investigation. Pomerantz joined the D.A.'s office in 2021 as a special assistant district attorney to lead the Trump probe. He writes that early in his involvement they weighed charging Trump and his company under the state's version of the federal racketeering law, given the array of tax, fraud and other potential crimes they were investigating. Pomerantz likened Trump's cunning, charisma and ability to stay one step ahead of the law to that of late Gambino crime family boss John Gotti, whose son, John A. Gotti, he prosecuted while an assistant U.S. attorney. When he arrived at the D.A.'s office, Pomerantz writes, the investigation was so broad it seemed unfocused and sprawling. In 2021, Pomerantz's team charged Trumps company, the Trump Organization, and its longtime finance chief, Allen Weisselberg, with evading taxes on fringe benefits given to company executives, but it was Bragg and his team who saw the cases through, securing Weisselberg's guilty plea in August and the Trump Organization's conviction in December. Weisselberg is serving a five-month jail sentence and the company was fined $1.6 million. Under Bragg's direction, the district attorney's office recently returned to a part of the investigation that had long-ago stalled: payments made to two women on Trump's behalf in 2016 to keep them quiet about alleged affairs. Pomerantz portrays the hush-money payments made or arranged by Cohen as perhaps the most challenging, legally fraught of the potential cases against Trump. He writes that while a case could be made that Trump falsified business records by logging Cohens reimbursement for one of the payoffs as legal fees, he could only be charged with a misdemeanor under New York law unless prosecutors could prove he falsified records to conceal another crime. Vance abandoned the hush-money angle in 2019, pivoting the investigations focus to other matters, but Pomerantz said he revisited it when he joined the office in January 2021, looking for a way to make more serious felony charges stick. He considered whether Trump could be charged with money laundering and explored if one of the women who got money, Stormy Daniels, had demanded payment to remain quiet, thereby extorting him. Pomerantz said the hush-money matter became known around the office as the zombie case. Still, Pomerantz wrote, Over the months that I and others worked on the case, we developed evidence convincing us that Donald Trump had committed serious crimes," Pomerantz writes. Even if a conviction wasn't a certainty, Pomerantz said he thought they owed it the public to bring the case to trial. Losing it would be better than not even trying, he wrote. ___ Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak and send confidential tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips/ By Simon Jessop LONDON (Reuters) - Paul Bodnar, the head of sustainability policy and engagement at BlackRock, the world's biggest asset manager, is to join tech mogul Jeff Bezos' $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund, a memo to staff on Friday reviewed by Reuters shows. The April move will mark the end of a two-year stint at the company for Bodnar, who was previously global head of BlackRock Sustainable Investing. He took up his most recent role during a reorganisation of BlackRock's sustainability efforts in October. It follows a tough time for the company as it faces pressure from campaigners to push for faster climate action by companies, and concern from some U.S. politicians that doing so could impact investor returns. The memo said BlackRock assets invested through its dedicated sustainable investing platform now stood at around $500 billion, out of its roughly $8.6 trillion in assets, and that Bodnar had been "central to that success". "Paul approached us recently with a plan to return to his career path in the impact world, and today it will be announced that he will be joining the Bezos Earth Fund to oversee programs that involve collaboration among financial services, the real economy and governments," the memo said. In a LinkedIn post announcing his move, Bodnar said his role at the Bezos Earth Fund, set up in 2020 with a donation from the Amazon founder, would see him lead the organisations's work on climate finance, industry and diplomacy. Calling his exit from BlackRock "bittersweet", Bodnar said the company had "changed the way the financial sector thinks about sustainability" and was "one of the first to recognize the potential for climate risk to reshape finance". "It has also been steadfast about the difficult realities of the transition and the need to retain a laser focus on fiduciary duty, even amidst intense public debates about whether asset managers are doing too much, or too little, to address climate change." Story continues The Bezos Earth Fund, "the largest philanthropic commitment ever to be deployed in the areas of climate and nature", according to the BlackRock memo, is led by Chief Executive Andrew Steer and made its first grants in November 2020. Its website says it has so far given out more than 100 grants totalling just over $1.6 billion in areas including conserving and protecting nature, transforming agricultural processes and addressing environmental justice. (Reporting by Simon Jessop; Editing by Mark Potter) By Foo Yun Chee and Supantha Mukherjee BRUSSELS/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - EU industry chief Thierry Breton has said new proposed artificial intelligence rules will aim to tackle concerns about the risks around the ChatGPT chatbot and AI technology, in the first comments on the app by a senior Brussels official. Just two months after its launch, ChatGPT - which can generate articles, essays, jokes and even poetry in response to prompts - has been rated the fastest-growing consumer app in history. Some experts have raised fears that systems used by such apps could be misused for plagiarism, fraud and spreading misinformation, even as champions of artificial intelligence hail it as a technological leap. Breton said the risks posed by ChatGPT - the brainchild of OpenAI, a private company backed by Microsoft Corp - and AI systems underscored the urgent need for rules which he proposed last year in a bid to set the global standard for the technology. The rules are currently under discussion in Brussels. "As showcased by ChatGPT, AI solutions can offer great opportunities for businesses and citizens, but can also pose risks. This is why we need a solid regulatory framework to ensure trustworthy AI based on high-quality data," he told Reuters in written comments. Microsoft declined to comment on Breton's statement. OpenAI - whose app uses a technology called generative AI - did not immediately respond to a request for comment. OpenAI has said on its website it aims to produce artificial intelligence that "benefits all of humanity" as it attempts to build safe and beneficial AI. Under the EU draft rules, ChatGPT is considered a general purpose AI system which can be used for multiple purposes including high-risk ones such as the selection of candidates for jobs and credit scoring. Breton wants OpenAI to cooperate closely with downstream developers of high-risk AI systems to enable their compliance with the proposed AI Act. Story continues "Just the fact that generative AI has been newly included in the definition shows the speed at which technology develops and that regulators are struggling to keep up with this pace," a partner at a U.S. law firm, said. 'HIGH RISK' WORRIES Companies are worried about getting their technology classified under the "high risk" AI category which would lead to tougher compliance requirements and higher costs, according to executives of several companies involved in developing artificial intelligence. A survey by industry body appliedAI showed that 51% of the respondents expect a slowdown of their AI development activities as a result of the AI Act. Effective AI regulations should centre on the highest risk applications, Microsoft President Brad Smith wrote in a blog post on Wednesday. "There are days when I'm optimistic and moments when I'm pessimistic about how humanity will put AI to use," he said. Breton said the European Commission is working closely with the EU Council and European Parliament to further clarify the rules in the AI Act for general purpose AI systems. "People would need to be informed that they are dealing with a chatbot and not with a human being. Transparency is also important with regard to the risk of bias and false information," he said. Generative AI models need to be trained on huge amount of text or images for creating a proper response leading to allegations of copyright violations. Breton said forthcoming discussions with lawmakers about AI rules would cover these aspects. Concerns about plagiarism by students have prompted some U.S. public schools and French university Sciences Po to ban the use of ChatGPT. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee in Brussels and Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm. Editing by Jane Merriman, Matt Scuffham and Andrew Heavens) By Nidhi Verma NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian refiners have begun paying for most of their Russian oil purchased via Dubai-based traders in United Arab Emirates dirhams instead of U.S. dollars, four sources with knowledge of the matter said. While Western sanctions against Moscow are not recognised by India, and purchases of Russian oil may in any case not violate them, banks and financial institutions are cautious about clearing payments so as not to unwittingly fall foul of the many measures imposed against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Indian refiners and traders are concerned they may not be able to continue to settle trades in dollars, especially if the price of Russian crude rises above a cap imposed by the Group of Seven nations and Australia in December. That has led traders to seek alternative methods of payment, which could also aid Russia's efforts to de-dollarise its economy in response to the Western sanctions. Previous attempts by Indian refiners to pay traders for Russian crude in dirhams through Dubai banks failed, forcing them to switch back to the U.S. currency. But India's top bank, the State Bank of India (SBI), is now clearing these dirham payments, the sources told Reuters, providing details of transactions that have not previously been reported. The SBI, which has overseas branches including in the United States, did not respond to requests for comment. The G7 price cap prohibits any Western company, such as the insurance and shipping service providers that underpin much of global trade, from involvement in trading Russian crude if the purchase price is above $60 a barrel at the loading point in Russia. That remains the case even if the oil is bound for countries such as China and India which do not recognise the cap. The shift to dirham payments was also triggered by the SBI asking refiners looking to make dollar payments for Russian crude to provide a breakdown of the costs of the oil, freight and insurance, allowing it to vet trade and avoid violating the cap. Story continues "The SBI is very conservative in its approach," one of the sources said, even though India does not follow the price cap mechanism and Western insurance and shipping are not used for delivery. Indian refiners typically buy Russian crude from traders at a price that includes delivery to India. An invoice for such a deal seen by Reuters showed traders asking for an average crude price including freight for Urals crude. The document calculated the price of the cargo in dollars and dirhams. The four sources said Indian refiners are buying Russian oil on a delivered basis to mitigate any risks arising during shipping, and so far the calculated cost at the point of loading has been below the price cap. Indian refiners mostly buy Russian crude from Dubai-basedtraders including Everest Energy and Litasco, a unit of Russianoil major Lukoil. Everest Energy and Litasco did not respond to requests for comment. India's oil secretary Pankaj Jain last month said Indian companies were not facing any problems in paying for Russian oil as the latest actions by the West do not impact the trade settlement mechanism. (Additional reporting by Nupur Anand; Editing by Mark Potter, Simon Webb, Kirsten Donovan) (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law said the UK will continue to be a popular destination for the Chinese citys emigrants amid a crackdown on dissent. Most Read from Bloomberg The influx of Hong Kong people into the UK, especially those talented young people and young families is going to keep going, Law, a former elected politician who fled to London just before Beijing introduced its national security law, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. They dont mind to start from a more fundamental position in a company, and arent likely to leave the UK once they settle given the difficulties of starting over in a new country, Law said. This means Hong Kongs brain drain will continue, said Law, who was granted asylum in the UK in 2021 and faces arrest if he returns to his former home. At least 150,600 Hong Kongers have applied for the British National (Overseas) visa program that is a pathway to UK citizenship. The visa was announced by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government in July 2020. The number is slightly less than halfway to the 320,000 that British officials estimated would apply in the first five years, with the number of applicants decreasing each quarter. The BN(O) exodus contributed to Hong Kongs largest population decline in at least six decades, a trend fueled by the security law and nearly three years of strict Covid curbs. In the two years through June 2022, the citys population fell by about 216,000, or 2.8%, to 7.3 million. On Hong Kongs business environment, Law said companies that already have operations in mainland China are likely to remain in the city. Yet the changed political environment in Hong Kong is a big concern for many of the people who want a more risk-free way of doing business, he said. Story continues The number of US companies with regional headquarters in the city has fallen to the lowest number since 2002, according to data released by the Census and Statistics Department dating back to 1991. In 2021, the Biden administration issued an advisory warning to American businesses about the risk of doing business in the city amid its new legal landscape. Law said its important to continue to fight for those arrested in Hong Kong, even if the global focus has shifted toward Russia and the war in Ukraine. China is challenging the rest of the world about its ideology, about its global international system, Law said. Its really important to keep raising awareness for political prisoners in Hong Kong, human rights violations in Hong Kong. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. By Aaron Ross (Reuters) - Among the more ambitious hopes for Pope Francis' visit to South Sudan this week is that it will give a jolt to a peace process aimed at ending a decade of conflict that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Government forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and opposition forces that back First Vice President Riek Machar signed a deal in 2018 that committed the two sides to sharing power and forming a unified national military. But implementation of that agreement has been slow and violence between rival communities has continued to flare up. Here are details about the conflict and efforts to resolve it: HOW DID THE CONFLICT START? War broke out in South Sudan in December 2013 two year after the country gained its independence from Sudan. The conflict was triggered by infighting within the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) following Kiir's decision that July to sack Machar as vice president. The resulting war was fought along largely ethnic lines. Kiir comes from South Sudan's largest ethnic group, the Dinka. Machar comes from the second largest, the Nuer. Civilians on both sides were targeted on the basis of ethnicity, according to human rights groups. A U.N commission said in 2016 that ethnic cleansing was taking place. WHAT HAVE BEEN THE CONSEQUENCES? The war dashed the hopes that accompanied South Sudan's independence in 2011 following more than two decades of armed struggle against the Khartoum government in the north. By one estimate in 2018, the previous five years of war caused about 400,000 deaths, either as a direct result of conflict or indirectly from factors like disease or reduced access to health care. Since then, routine bouts of fighting have continued to kill and displace large numbers of civilians. There are 2.2 million internally displaced people in South Sudan and another 2.3 million have fled the country as refugees, according to the United Nations. Famine was briefly declared in parts of South Sudan in 2017. More than two-thirds of the population now needs humanitarian assistance as a result of the conflict and natural disasters like three years of unprecedented floods. Story continues HAS THE PEACE DEAL HELPED? The peace deal signed in September 2018 was dubbed a "revitalized" version of a 2015 agreement that had collapsed the following year. Machar was reinstated as first vice president under intense diplomatic pressure. The accord called for a unity government, the integration of Machar's forces into the national military and accountability for crimes committed during the war. In 2019, Pope Francis famously knelt to kiss the feet of Kiir, Machar and three other vice presidents in Rome as he appealed to them to respect the deal. Since then, armed violence by the signatories has fallen signicantly, the United Nations said last year, and some provisions of the accord have been successfully implemented. But international donors have complained about the government's slow progress in unifying the various factions of the military into a single unit, writing a new constitution and standing up a court to try war crimes. Last August, the government delayed elections originally slated for 2022 by two years. The SPLM in December nominated Kiir as its candidate and voted to revoke Machar's membership. Meanwhile, violence between smaller ethnically-based militias has repeatedly flared in different parts of the country, often triggered by disputes over grazing areas, water and other resources. (Reporting by Aaron Ross; Editing by Alexandra Hudson) ARM semiconductor - Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg Britain's failure to draw up a national computer chip strategy is an act of self harm, a group of MPs have warned. The Commons business committee accused ministers of failing to address its recommendations published in November which included encouraging greater collaboration with countries to safeguard supply and to attract investment. Darren Jones, a Labour MP and chairman of the committee, said: The longer they wait, the more there's a lack of clarity. We had evidence from British companies before the committee who say, we're British, we started here, we want to stay here. But the Americans keep coming over to us and offering us loads of free things. With 40 days until the Budget, the strategy must be published urgently so that sufficient funds can be put behind it and used effectively. In its report published on Friday, the Business Committee also cast doubt on whether government support for the industry would be enough to have any meaningful effect. Sources have told The Telegraph that around 1bn is expected to be made available to Britains chip industry by the Government. This compares unfavourably with support by other countries for computer chip design and manufacturing companies. US President Joe Biden announced a $280bn (229bn) support package for that countrys semiconductor industry in the CHIPS Act, passed last year. A multi-billion dollar chip fabrication plant, known as a fab, is now under construction in Arizona as part of a multinational partnership with an industry-leading business, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Britains domestic chip industry has mixed feelings towards increased government support for the sector, split between manufacturers who hope to attract more backing for UK fabs and chip design companies. IQE, a London-listed compound semiconductor manufacturing company, previously called on Rishi Sunak to back the chip industry. Its chief executive Americo Lemos met officials at 10 Downing Street last week. Story continues Other industry sources have called for more investment in supporting design businesses, an area where the UK has traditionally nurtured deep expertise in locations including Cambridge and South Wales. Mr Jones said he wanted to see ministers supporting the creation of a so-called open access fab in South Wales, a chip factory that acts as a contract manufacturer for UK businesses. A previous open access fab, Newport Wafer Fab, was bought by Chinese-owned company Nexperia in 2021. Last year Grant Shapps, the Business Secretary, ordered Nexperia to sell Newport, citing national security concerns over its ownership. Meanwhile industry associations are ambiguous about where government funding should be directed. TechUK, which represents major tech companies such as Amazon and Microsoft, told MPs last summer: While supplies [of microchips] are expected to remain tight until 2023 the UK should resist demands to try and onshore semiconductor manufacturing and instead take a more strategic approach to how we support the sector. A DCMS spokesman said: "We are committed to supporting the UK's vitally important semiconductor industry. Our strategy will address the recommendations identified by the committee, including opportunities to grow the sector further and make sure we have a resilient supply chain. (Bloomberg) -- Three decades after the US adopted a policy that let people keep their jobs while taking time off for an illness or new baby, almost half of US workers arent eligible, and advocates in individual states are still struggling to make sure that those who do take leave can also get paid. Most Read from Bloomberg In the next two years, paid leave programs will start paying out claims in Oregon, Colorado, Maryland and Delaware, home to some 9 million workers. Such policies already exist in nine other states plus Washington, DC, and are part of a growing movement of states trying to fill the gap as nationwide action stalls. There is broad bipartisan support across all constituencies for paid family and medical leave, said Jocelyn Frye, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. The only place where we encounter opposition is in Congress, and part of that opposition has to do with whether we are willing to invest in care. On Feb. 5, 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act into law. It had taken nine years to get it passed, with the bill blocked every year since it was originally offered in 1984. Today, the law is little changed from its original form: It allows some Americans to take up to 12 weeks of leave if they have a baby, get sick or need to care for an ill relative. It doesnt guarantee pay, or apply to those who work for small businesses (fewer than 50 employees within 75 miles) or themselves. About 44% of US employees including those who work part time or have been in their role less than a year are ineligible. Jon Gromek, 37, still thinks about the time off he took when his youngest son was born three years ago. Story continues The Ohio dad of two had just started a new nonprofit job after being laid off. He hadnt hit the 12 months of service required before employers have to offer FMLA, or the six-month threshold at his new company for paid time off. But even if he had qualified for the unpaid leave, his family couldnt afford it. I was able to negotiate one special day to be present for the birth of my son, on a Friday, Gromek said. The following Monday I went back to work. The US is an outlier globally for its lack of paid time off for new parents or illness. Its one of just seven countries that doesnt guarantee any paid maternity leave. Only about one in four private sector workers has access to paid family leave. The absence of national work-family policies for parental, temporary disability and caregiving leave cost Americans $22.6 billion in lost wages annually in the decade through 2018, according to data from the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank. One study by Moodys Investors Service, a global credit ratings and research organization, found that additional policies could boost US economic output by almost $1 trillion in the next decade by making it easier for women to participate in the labor force. Some conservatives say a federal paid leave program would cost taxpayers too much, place a burden on small businesses and open the door to fraudulent claims. There are also diverging opinions on how it should be funded: Democrats usually propose tax-funded plans, while recent Republican proposals call for tax credits or borrowing from Social Security funds. Opposition to paid leave in President Joe Bidens social spending plan from Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, ultimately killed it. Manchin said that a paid leave policy should be done in regular order and not through budget reconciliation, a process that can speed certain measures through Congress with a simple majority vote. More than a decade after FMLA was passed, California was first to put in place a statewide initiative to try and subsidize federal policy. Workers in the most populous US state began collecting on claims in 2004. Since then, companies in the state with 25 or fewer workers saw a 14% drop in labor costs per employee when their staff used the program. Researchers found that women who had babies or whose spouses got sick were less likely to leave their jobs. And more men took advantage of paternity leave: In 2004, male claimants made up only 17% of all claims, but by 2020 that share was 40%. Other states are trying to follow suit. In New Mexico, a task force recommended the state put in place a program that would pay workers up to 12 weeks. Maine lawmakers are putting together a similar proposal. In a December address, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem called paid leave one of her administrations priorities. Michigan and Minnesota are two other states where similar efforts could take shape, said Ashanti F. Gholar, president of Emerge America, which recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office. This is a health-care issue, an economic issue and an equality issue, Gholar said. But state plans, like existing federal benefits, leave people out. Pay and wealth gaps also mean that women of color are less likely to be able to afford to take unpaid time off. Every year, about 1.1 million leaves needed by Black female workers arent taken. In 2018, Sade Dozan, 33, was working at a nonprofit too small to have to comply with New Yorks paid leave regulations, which came into effect that year. When her daughter was born in May, she used a mixture of vacation time and unpaid leave to take about three months to recover from an emergency C-section. Six months later, her mother had a heart attack, but Dozan didnt have any more time off. I have my daughter, I have two parents, I could need three sets of paid leave in a year, said Dozan, who is now chief of operations and development at Caring Across Generations, which advocates for family caregivers. Whats really telling about that story is it isnt that uncommon. On a national level, there has been little progress in the 30 years since FMLA was passed. A proposal in Bidens Build Back Better plan, which would have guaranteed at least some paid time off, came as close as it ever has before it was dropped. It would have provided four weeks of paid leave for new parents, sick and caregiving US workers, and extended protections to gig and contract workers. Some lawmakers want to try again. Representative Chrissy Houlahan, a Pennsylvania Democrat, and Representative Stephanie Bice, an Oklahoma Republican, are leading a bipartisan working group with the aim of getting a national policy in place. The group will convene for the first time on Feb. 7. Separately, a Congressional Dads Caucus launched in January with paid leave listed as one of its priorities. In an event marking FMLAs 30th anniversary this week, Biden said hed keep pushing for a national paid family and medical leave program. Its a tragedy that were so behind on this, but our goal is more leave for more people and thats something we are committed to, Houlahan said. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The parents of Amir Locke, who was shot to death by a Minneapolis police officer when a SWAT team executed a no-knock search warrant one year ago, sued the city and the officer Friday, alleging he was gunned down in cold blood in violation of his constitutional rights. Locke, 22, who was Black and had hoped to build a career as a hip-hop artist, was sleeping on a couch in his cousin's downtown apartment when authorities entered without knocking Feb. 2, 2022, as part of an investigation into a homicide in neighboring St. Paul, in which Locke was not a suspect. Body camera video showed that Locke was holding a gun before he was shot seconds after the officers burst in. This has got to stop, Locke's mother, Karen Wells, said at a news conference. Amir will be the face of banning no-knock warrants. He will not die in vain. Prosecutors declined last April to charge any of the officers involved, saying the video showed that Locke pointed a gun at Officer Mark Hanneman, justifying his use of deadly force. But the lawsuit, filed in federal court by attorneys Ben Crump and Jeff Storms, alleges that Hanneman acted too hastily when he fired three times. And it disputes the official assertions that Locke pointed his gun at officers. It seeks unspecified damages and the appointment of an official to ensure that the city properly trains and supervises its officers. Amir, like many Americans, had a handgun within his reach while he slept. Even half-asleep, while Amir reached for the handgun, he demonstrated proper and responsible handling by keeping the handgun pointed away from the officers and keeping his finger off the trigger. Amir never raised the weapon in the direction of any officer or placed his finger on the trigger," the complaint said. "Any reasonable officer would have understood that Amir needed an opportunity to realize who and what was surrounding him, and then provide Amir with an opportunity to disarm himself. Hanneman failed to give Amir any such opportunity even though Amir never pointed the handgun at Hanneman or put his finger on the trigger, the complaint continued. Story continues Crump, who has been dubbed Black America's attorney general, has won multimillion-dollar settlements in numerous police brutality cases, including $27 million for the family of George Floyd, whose killing by a Minneapolis officer sparked a nationwide reckoning on race. The City will review the Complaint when it receives it, city spokesman Casper Hill said in an email. Wells compared the video showing her son's death to the video that she forced herself to watch of the beating death of Tyre Nichols by police in Memphis, Tennessee, another person dying by the hands of those that said they're here to protect and serve. ... This can't happen again. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and then-Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman said when they declined charges that Locke might not have been shot if not for the no-knock warrant. But they said there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hanneman violated state law on when police can use deadly force. Locke was killed during the trial of three former Minneapolis police officers in federal court in St. Paul on civil rights charges in the murder of Floyd. Locke's death rekindled distrust of police and sparked fresh protests over policing and racism. And it led Mayor Jacob Frey to sharply restrict no-knock warrants, requiring officers to knock and wait before entering, with limited exceptions. While some lawmakers called for a statewide ban on no-knock warrants, the proposal died in the Legislature last year. Some lawmakers have expressed interest in bringing it back. The complaint alleges that the use of the no-knock warrant that led to Locke's death was consistent with Minneapolis's custom, pattern and practice of racial discrimination in policing. And it alleges that police officials should have known from previous legal actions and citizen complaints involving Hanneman that he didn't understand department policies or constitutional rights. Locke was killed seconds after the SWAT team entered at 6:48 a.m. The body camera video showed one officer unlocking the door and going in, followed by at least four uniformed officers in protective gear. They repeatedly shouted, Police, search warrant! They also shouted Hands! and Get on the ground! The edited video, released the day after, showed an officer kicking a sectional sofa, and Locke was shown wrapped in a comforter, holding a pistol. Three shots were heard and the video ended. I was convinced that the individual was going to fire their handgun and that I would suffer great bodily harm or death," Hanneman wrote in his statement to investigators. "I felt in this moment that if I did not use deadly force myself, I would likely be killed. Crump has previously compared Locke's death with that of Breonna Taylor, who was killed in a botched police raid in Kentucky in 2020 in which her boyfriend shot at officers first as they broke into her apartment. We should have learned from Breonna Taylor, Storms said at the news conference. We had a chance to not make the mistake ourselves. We had the notice as a city. ... So we don't learn from our mistakes and we don't learn from the well-publicized mistakes of others. Locke's cousin, Mekhi Camden Speed, who was 17 at the time of the raid, pleaded guilty last May to aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder while committing the felony of aggravated robbery for the Jan. 10, 2022, killing of Otis Elder, 38. ___ Find the APs full coverage of the death of Amir Locke: https://apnews.com/hub/amir-locke A person wears a portrait of Amir Locke outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis in April 2022. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) The family of Amir Locke, the 22-year-old fatally shot by Minneapolis police in a predawn, no-knock raid last year, has filed a civil lawsuit against the city, alleging that his civil rights were violated and that the no-knock warrant is consistent with the city's "custom, pattern and practice of racial discrimination in policing." In an emotional press conference Friday, a day after the anniversary of his death, Lockes parents vowed to secure justice for their son. No mother should get the call that their son was executed by the hands of anyone, Karen Wells, his mother, said, her voice wavering as she fought back tears. I am angry, I am mad, I am pissed. And Im going to get justice for mine. He will not die in vain. The 35-page federal complaint, which was filed Thursday by a team of attorneys including civil rights attorney Ben Crump, alleges that Locke was unjustly deprived of his Fourth and 14th Amendment rights under the Constitution: the rights of citizens to be secure in their homes and to have equal protection under the law. It also calls into question systemic issues in the police department stemming from improper policies and procedures in its training. Amir Locke didnt even have a chance, Crump said, adding that police around the country too often shoot first and ask questions later in their interactions with Black people. The lawsuit, he said, challenges the implicit bias he said is systemic in police culture. Attorney Ben Crump at a press conference in New York City on April 6, 2022, joined by Karen Wells, the mother of Amir Locke. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) We keep seeing this brutality all over America this excessive use of force whether its shooting or [the] brutalization of Black people by police officers who are supposed to protect them, he said, listing the names of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old Black woman who was killed by police after a similar no-knock warrant in Louisville, Ky., in 2020, and George Floyd, the 46-year-old Black man who was murdered by Minneapolis police just two months later. Amir Locke will go down as a martyr in Minneapolis to advance civil rights and make the promise of civil rights under the law real, Crump said. Minneapolis is still ground zero. Story continues Nearly a year ago to the day, Locke was asleep on the couch in his apartment just before 7 a.m. when a SWAT team burst through the front door and into the living room. Jolted out of his sleep, Locke grabbed his legally registered handgun and was shot three times by Officer Mark Hanneman. Police say they loudly announced their presence, but also admit that only nine seconds elapsed between the time they entered the apartment and when Locke was shot. Footage from one of the officers' body cameras showed police delicately unlocking the apartments door with a key before yelling, Search warrant! Police had been searching for a homicide suspect who was not in the home at the time. Locke was not involved in the investigation at all. In this image from Minneapolis Police Department body camera video, police enter an apartment on Feb. 2, 2022, moments before shooting Amir Locke. (Minneapolis Police Department via AP) To date, no charges have been filed against Hanneman or any other Minneapolis officers in Lockes death, as both Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison resolved that there was "insufficient admissible evidence" to do so. After the shooting, Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis instituted a ban on no-knock search warrants for the city's police department. Lockes family and attorneys argue that the ban came too late and the city hasnt gone far enough. As part of the suit, the family is seeking compensatory damages, in addition to the appointment of a new official, to ensure that the city of Minneapolis properly trains and supervises its police officers. This will not be swept under the rug, Lockes father, Andre Locke, said. We are not standing for that. The truth needs no support. Our sons rights were violated. _____ Cover thumbnail photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Paco Rabbane (Getty Images) The global fashion world is mourning the death of the legendary Spanish-born designer and perfumer Paco Rabanne, who has died at the age of 88. His death was confirmed by Spanish group Puig, which controls the Paco Rabanne fashion house and perfume business. Following the news of his death, people from all over, familiar with his trailblazing Space Age aesthetic, have paid tribute across social media. In a statement shared from his account official account, Rabanne is remembered as being among the most seminal fashion figures of the 20th century. We are grateful to Monsieur Rabanne for establishing our avant-garde heritage and defining a future of limitless possibilities, the post read. Beauty expert Dave Lackie recalled interviewing Rabanne in Paris at the launch of One Million, calling him one of the most fascinating people Ive ever spoken with. A true original. Bosses at Londons Victoria and Albert Museum said they were saddened to hear of his death. We are saddened to hear of the death of designer @PacoRabanne. Originally trained as an architect, he radicalised elite fashion design in the 1960s through his playful use of materials. He will be missed. pic.twitter.com/wdK59jeXZU V&A (@V_and_A) February 3, 2023 Originally trained as an architect, he radicalised elite fashion design in the 1960s through his playful use of materials. He will be missed, they added. Fashion journalist Shelton Boyd-Griffith honoured Rabanne, naming him the king of space-age core. Paco Rabanne your legacy will never be forgotten, you left your mark on the fashion world and your name will always be remembered, another admirer tweeted, sharing images of his most iconic looks. Paco Rabanne your legacy will Never be forgotten, you left your mark on the fashion world and ur name will always be remembered pic.twitter.com/mu5wrElGhB clau (@GETlTWRONG) February 3, 2023 The New York Timess fashion director Vanessa Friedman wrote: Goodbye Paco Rabanne, who gave the space age shape. Story continues Yet another fashion legend. RIP Paco Rabanne, a fan commented, with another adding: Originality and impeccable couture. An artist to remember. Others were reminded of his some of his unforgettable creations showcased in classic films, like James Bonds 1967 Casino Royale and 1968 sci-fi adventure Barbarella. Paco Rabannes designs for James Bonds Casino Royale (1967) pic.twitter.com/Qn8NkENabT DISCO BALD (@yourbaldmother) February 3, 2023 Born in the Spanish Basque Country, Rabbane was a self-taught couturier whose mother worked for Balenciaga. He rose to international prominence in the Sixties, creating daring designs for celebrities, including Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. Rabannes use of plastics in his first 1966 collection, 12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials, caused an uproar in the French fashion press and established him as a rebel in the industry, where he earned the moniker of enfant terrible. In 1968, he marked his entrance into the perfume industry by signing a deal with the Puig family, behemoths in the fragrance and fashion industry. After working more than half a century in fashion, Rabanne retired in 1999 and was rarely seen in the public eye since. Federal authorities are offering rewards of up to $25,000 for information that could help investigators identify and arrest the people responsible for two separate attacks on North Carolina electrical substations over the past two months. The FBIs Charlotte Field Office announced Friday it will offer up to $25,000 in reward money for information that leads to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or people who attacked two Duke Energy substations in Moore County in December, which left tens of thousands of households and businesses without power for multiple days. A separate reward of up to $25,000 is available for information that helps the FBI identify, arrest and convict the person or people responsible for attacking an EnergyUnited substation in Randolph County last month. FBI agents are investigating both incidents along with the Moore County and Randolph County sheriffs offices, but have yet to identify any suspects in either case. Investigators dont believe the Moore and Randolph county attacks are connected, the FBI said in a release. The Duke Energy substations in Moore County, one in West End and the other in Carthage, were damaged by gunfire on the evening of Dec. 3. Power quickly went out across the county, and it took four days for the utility company to replace damaged equipment and restore power to residents. Nearly 45,000 customers lost power as a result of the attack. On Jan. 17, authorities reported that the Pleasant Hill substation in Thomasville, operated by EnergyUnited, had been damaged by gunfire that morning. In the aftermath of both attacks, state lawmakers introduced legislation this week that would impose harsher criminal penalties for damaging or trying to damage substations and other electrical equipment and energy facilities. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is still looking for the people responsible for shooting and damaging several electrical substations in recent months across North Carolina, and now the agency is offering up to $25,000 for information on the Randolph County incident. Two Duke Energy substations were attacked on Dec. 3 in Moore County, causing a days-long power outage that affected tens of thousands of people. Weeks later, an EnergyUnited substation near Thomasville in Randolph County was shot at and taken offline. Crews found gunfire damage to one of the transformers in Randolph County. Channel 9s Dave Faherty learned that the substation was offline because of the shooting, which caused hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: EnergyUnited said it has reviewed and increased security at its substations since last month. On Friday, the FBI issued a new notice seeking information on the Randolph County attack. The FBI says information leading to the conviction of whoevers responsible for the shootings can earn a $25,000 reward. Previously, Gov. Roy Cooper announced the state was offering $75,000 for information on the Moore County attack. The FBI is also offering $25,000 in that case. Data from the Department of Energy shows power grid attacks are at their highest levels since 2012. Channel 9s Madison Carter found the attacks are on the rise simply because theyre easy to pull off. Story continues Its not proprietary information: There are maps online showing where every substation is across the country. Carter discovered anyone can see their exact locations, who owns the stations, what areas they serve, and in some cases, what kind of security protections are in place. If you have information on the Randolph County substation shooting, youre urged to call the Randolph County Sheriffs Office at 336-318-6685 or submit a tip online at this link. (WATCH BELOW: Power restored: Moore County residents try to return to normal after substation attack) A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that the government can't stop people who have domestic violence restraining orders against them from owning guns the latest domino to fall after the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority set new standards for reviewing the nation's gun laws. Police in Texas found a rifle and a pistol at the home of a man who was the subject of a civil protective order that banned him from harassing, stalking or threatening his ex-girlfriend and their child. The order also banned him from having guns. A federal grand jury indicted the man, who pled guilty. He later challenged his indictment, arguing the law that prevented him from owning a gun was unconstitutional. At first, a federal appeals court ruled against him, saying that it was more important for society to keep guns out of the hands of people accused of domestic violence than it was to protect a person's individual right to own a gun. But then last year, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a new ruling in a case known as New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. That case set new standards for interpreting the Second Amendment by saying the government had to justify gun control laws by showing they are consistent with the Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation. The appeals court withdrew its original decision and on Thursday decided to vacate the man's conviction and ruled the federal law banning people subject to domestic violence restraining orders from owning guns was unconstitutional. Specifically, the court ruled that the federal law was an outlier that our ancestors would never have accepted" borrowing a quote from the Bruen decision. The decision came from a three-judge panel consisting of Judges Cory Wilson, James Ho and Edith Jones. Wilson and Ho were nominated by former Republican President Donald Trump, while Jones was nominated by former Republican President Ronald Reagan. Story continues The U.S. Justice Department Thursday night issued the following statement from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland following the decision: Nearly 30 years ago, Congress determined that a person who is subject to a court order that restrains him or her from threatening an intimate partner or child cannot lawfully possess a firearm. Whether analyzed through the lens of Supreme Court precedent, or of the text, history, and tradition of the Second Amendment, that statute is constitutional. Accordingly, the Department will seek further review of the Fifth Circuits contrary decision. Thursday's ruling overturned the federal law and is not likely to impact similar state laws, including one in California. Still, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, called the judges who issued the ruling zealots who are hellbent on a deranged vision of guns for all, leaving government powerless to protect its people. This is what the ultra-conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court wants. It's happening, and it's happening right now, Newsom said. Wake up America this assault on our safety will only accelerate. Chuck Michel, president of the California Rifle and Pistol Association, said the problem with laws like the one the federal appeals court struck down is that they are too broad and don't take into account the details of each case. He offered as an example a client of his whose neighbor filed a restraining order against them because they had pointed a security camera on their property. They lost their gun rights, he said. When they do a blanket prohibition without considering individualized circumstances, they shoot the dogs with the wolves. Thursday's ruling demonstrates the far-reaching impacts of the Bruen decision. In California, the decision has prompted lawmakers to overhaul their law regarding permits to carry concealed weapons. Wednesday, Newsom endorsed a bill in the state Legislature that would ban people from carrying concealed guns in nearly all public places, with an exception for churches and businesses who put up a sign saying guns are OK. Joshua Doolin is seen in an image captured outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, according to an FBI affidavit. A federal judge has denied a motion for a change of venue from two a local residents facing charges related to the U.S. Capitol attack. Judge Carl Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued an order in response to the motion from the lawyer for Joshua Doolin of Polk City. Doolins lawyer, Allen Orenberg of Potomac, Maryland, filed the motion in June for a change of venue from Washington, D.C. The motion asked for the trial to be held in the federal court district based in Tampa. Previously: Local Jan. 6 defendants seek to limit prosecutors' language, claim permission from Trump Related coverage: Older brother of Polk County Jan. 6 defendant arrested on firearms charges In the 22-page motion, Orenberg argued that Doolin could not receive a fair trial before a jury chosen in Washington, D.C. He wrote: The size and characteristics of the District of Columbia jury pool weigh in favor of finding a presumption of prejudice. Doolin, 24, is charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds. Both are misdemeanor charges. He is also charged with disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds and theft of government property, among other alleged crimes. Doolin is scheduled for trial in March, along with co-defendants Olivia Pollock of Lakeland and Michael Perkins of Plant City. Pollock and Perkins faces multiple felony charges, including assaults on police officers. Pollock's brother, Jonathan Pollock of Lakeland, remains a fugitive after being indicted on multiple charges in 2021. Nichols approved a motion to sever the cases of Doolin, Perkins and Pollock from that of Joseph Hutchinson III, formerly of Lakeland and now living in Georgia. Hutchinson filed a motion last month asking to represent himself at his trial. This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Judge denies Jan. 6 defendant's motion to move trial to Florida Crypto-friendly bank Silvergate is coming under increased scrutiny as the U.S. Department of Justice reportedly investigates the banks role in the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange. The Department of Justices fraud unit is looking into California-based Silvergate Banks hosting of accounts tied to FTX and Alameda Research, Bloomberg reported, citing anonymous sources close to the probe. Launched in 1988, Silvergate became heavily involved in the crypto industry. In January 2022, Metas (then Facebook) Diem project sold its assets to Silvergate for $200 million, putting an end to Mark Zuckerbergs stablecoin ambitions. State Street Takes 9.32% Stake in Silvergate Bank After the collapse of FTX in November 2022, Silvergate reported that worried investors pulled $8.1 billion in crypto deposits in an epic bank run that some called worse than those seen during the great depression. In January, Silvergate announced the company would cut its staff by 40%. Silvergate stock dropped 40% in premarket trading after news of the layoffs broke. Regulators have also taken aim at Silvergate, with Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), John Kennedy (R-La), and Roger Marshall (R-Kan) saying in a letter to Silvergate CEO Alan Lane that the bank has further introduced crypto market risk into the traditional banking system through its dealing with Bankman-Fried and FTX. Crypto Industry 'Scared of a Strong SEC': Sen. Elizabeth Warren For her part, Warren recently called on banking regulators to do more in investigating what she called crypto-friendly banks like Silvergate, accusing the firm of opening the banking system up to the greater risk of crypto collapsewhich she says will leave the American taxpayers holding the bag. Its the bank regulators job to insulate the banking system and taxpayers from the risk of crypto fraud, she said. They have the tools, and they need to use them. Decrypt reached out to the Department of Justice for comment but has yet to receive a response. Joe Tartamella, the former chef at Allegory, the modern restaurant inside the MC Hotel in Montclair, has left that kitchen to become executive chef at Ridgewood's Felina. He replaces Massimo Sola, a Michelin star chef from Italy, who late last year was hired by Felina, an Italian restaurant and catering facility ensconced in an old bank. Both kitchens have seen their share turnover of executive chefs. Chef Joe Tartamella Sola had replaced Carlos Valdez, who had a short stint at Felina, which opened in 2019 with founding four-star chef Anthony Bucco. Tartamella, who had been the third chef for MC Hotel in four years, was an executive chef for Harvest Restaurant Group, working in the company's Trap Rock Restaurant & Brewery in Berkeley Heights, Tabor Road Tavern in Morris Plains and Roots Steakhouse in Ridgewood, before joining Felina in recent weeks. Felina is owned by the Landmark Hospitality Group, which also owns properties such as the Liberty House located in Liberty State Park, and the Ryland Inn. Sydney Engel, a public relations specialists who works with MC Hotel, confirmed that Allegory is searching for new kitchen chief. "We will announce the name of a new chef in the upcoming weeks," Engel said. Go: 54 E Ridgewood Ave Ridgewood, 551-276-545, landmarkhospitality.com. This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Felina in Ridgewood NJ has new chef; he was at Allegory in Montclair PRATTVILLE The sole remaining co-defendant in a high-profile Prattville child abuse case has pleaded guilty. Journey Church in Prattville, Ala., on Monday May 2, 2022. Susan Baker, of Prattville, pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse and five counts of failing to report child abuse, court records show. The case involved seven victims under the age of 2, three co-defendants and 44 charges. The co-defendents were former workers at the Journey Church daycare center. Leah Livingston and Alice Sorrells were convicted in November, each of two counts of child abuse and five counts of failure to report child abuse. The abuse occurred over a period of time in the toddler room at the daycare, said District Attorney C.J. Robinson. The non-denominational church is in the 400 block of Sheila Boulevard. We are very pleased that Mrs. Baker has entered guilty pleas and has taken responsibility for her acts in this case, Robinson said. This has been a very emotional case from the beginning. We await sentencing of all three defendants and hopefully then the parents of the victims in this case will feel justice has been delivered for their children. Autauga Circuit Judge Joy Booth revoked Bakers bond and placed her in the Autauga Metro Jail pending sentencing. Booth will sentence all three women on Feb. 16. In Alabama, child abuse is a Class C felony with a punishment range of one to 10 years in prison. It is expected that defense attorneys will seek probation during sentencing, since none of the women had prior convictions and had not been in trouble before. We will be seeking prison time, serious prison time, and will protest any call for probation, Robinson said. The parents of the victims will not be satisfied with any sentence that does not include prison time. This office will not be satisfied with any sentence that does not include prison time, and frankly the community would not be satisfied with any sentence that does not include prison time. During the trial the state showed video footage from the classroom showing the women physically striking the babies, jerking them in their cribs and forcibly pushing them down in their cribs. The audio from the tapes had the victims screaming and crying. Story continues Under Alabama law, daycare workers are among those considered mandatory reporters, meaning they must report evidence or suspicion of child abuse to law enforcement. The abuse came to light in March when a new employee was assigned to the toddler room. That employee testified at trial that she saw actions by the co-defendants that she felt were abuse and she immediately reported it to the administration of the daycare center. The women were arrested in May. Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Remaining defendant in high profile Prattville child abuse cases pleads guilty Finland has joined the core group working on the creation of a Special Tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine. Source: Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, cited by European Pravda Quote: "On 2 February, 2023, Finland joined a group created to support Ukraine in ensuring Russia's liability for its crime of aggression," the ministry said, recalling that core group now includes 19 countries and the EU's foreign policy service, in addition to Ukraine and Finland. "Supporting and strengthening the law-based world order is one of the priorities of Finland's foreign policy. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a blatant violation of the UN Charter... War crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression are the most serious international crimes that affect the entire international community and pose a threat to global peace and security," the Foreign Ministry emphasised. Details: The ministry noted that war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine are being investigated on a large scale domestically in the country and around the world, and Finland supports both the International Criminal Court's investigations and Ukrainian experts. Quote: "[However,] Russia's liability for the illegal invasion of Ukraine and its consequences will be incomplete if the crime of aggression is left out of the picture. Finland is willing to help Ukraine find the most effective ways to bring the perpetrators to justice," said Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto. Details: The communique also stated that only persons who, by virtue of their position and authority, exercise control and can direct the policy or military actions of a particular state can be guilty of the crime of aggression. Background: At the end of January, the group on the creation of a special tribunal met in Prague, Czech Republic, with 20 countries participating. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Crews battled more than just flames at an East Boston residence Friday afternoon. With temperatures hovering near the single digits, fire officials say the cold always presents a unique set of challenges, but they were prepared. We just gotta be a little bit careful because of the ice, its crazy, Boston District Fire Chief Mark Raymond said. The Boston Fire Department responded to Cottage Street around 3:00 p.m. for a report of a fire in a triple decker home. Conditions were very smoky on arrival with fire showing from the top of the dwelling, according to officials, and the flames even extended to a neighboring exposure. The fire was knocked down quickly and there were no reports of any injuries. Twelve people were displaced and are being assisted by the American Red Cross. Fire crews still have a tough cleanup ahead of them as they deal with slippery conditions and frozen fire hoses. Its cold, but...the fires out and nobodys hurt, so thats good, Raymond said. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The fire is out and companies are making up, but they are still dealing with slippery conditions and frozen hose couplings as well as the extreme temperatures. pic.twitter.com/Y97uO8iDZe Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) February 3, 2023 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 After seeing two of Gov. Ron DeSantis voter fraud cases tossed out on technicalities, Florida lawmakers will change state law when they reconvene in Tallahassee next week. Legislators will clarify that the Office of Statewide Prosecution can, indeed, bring voting-related charges, after two different judges in Miami ruled otherwise. The proposal, Senate Bill 4-B, is one of a handful of glitch bills lawmakers will consider when they reconvene for a special legislative session on Monday. Lawmakers are also expected to pass legislation to reverse their decision to dissolve Walt Disney Worlds special taxing district and to expand DeSantis program that flew migrants to Marthas Vineyard last year. READ MORE: Legislature considers allowing Florida to transport migrants from anywhere in the U.S. After DeSantis held a splashy news conference in August to announce the arrests of about 20 people who voted while ineligible in 2020, defense attorneys immediately challenged the people who were prosecuting the cases. (All those arrested had prior convictions for murder or felony sex offenses, making them ineligible to vote, but all were cleared by the state and issued voter ID cards.) Instead of asking local state attorneys to pursue the cases, DeSantis administration chose the Office of Statewide Prosecution, which reports to Attorney General Ashley Moody, a Republican. Under state law, statewide prosecutors are restricted to prosecuting crimes in multiple jurisdictions, such as a drug trafficker who sells drugs in multiple counties. Statewide prosecutors argued that because a voters ballot is cast in a county, and is then sent to the Secretary of State in Tallahassee, every voting case is under their jurisdiction. READ MORE: Another Florida voter fraud case dismissed. Miami judge rejects statewide prosecutor Defense attorneys and two judges disagreed. In two separate cases, judges ruled that because the two defendants, Ronald Lee Miller and Robert Lee Wood, didnt set foot in Tallahassee, the fact that the ballot was sent to Tallahassee to be certified was merely technical, and not a crime. Story continues Statewide prosecutors have appealed the decisions. Next weeks legislation should resolve the issue by making it clear that statewide prosecutors can pursue voting-related crimes, said the Senate bill sponsor, Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers. Hopefully this lets the judges and the courts know what the legislative intent is, Martin said. A murder suspect out of Florida was arrested Thursday night after a police chase across three counties in North Carolina. A judge gave him a $2 million bond in court the next morning. The Rutherford County Sheriff said Matthew Scott Flores is wanted for at least one killing in Hardee County, Florida. Authorities shared photos of them searching a pond in Wauchula for the murder weapon. Flores was hospitalized after a crash when the chase ended along Main Street and Hollis Road in Ellenboro. Breaking Rutherford Co- sheriff deputies say a murder suspect out of Florida has just been arrested after a more the 50-mile chase through three counties. Watch channel 9 for updates on this developing story. pic.twitter.com/QEWQikwRQL Dave Faherty (@FahertyWSOC9) February 3, 2023 The North Carolina Highway Patrol and U.S. marshals started chasing Flores just before 6 p.m. Thursday. It carried through McDowell and Burke counties for more than 50 miles before Rutherford County deputies joined. The Highway Patrol was forced to use stop sticks and conduct a PIT maneuver, which caused Flores to crash the Kia Stinger he was driving. Flores jumped out and ran, but troopers caught up to him and took him into custody. ALSO READ: Family, friends say final goodbye to NC trooper Sheriff Aaron Ellenburg said Flores complained he was hurt, so they brought him to a hospital in Rutherfordton. That night, Ellenburg said they would walk Flores out of the hospital and take him to jail. Ellenburg said it was a dangerous chase in very wet conditions. But this is one situation where you have to keep going, the sheriff said. Youve got something of this caliber and our citizens could be at risk with this type of suspect in the county. We have to take all risks and do whats necessary to take the suspect into custody. Story continues Ellenburg said that an extradition hearing Friday morning at the Rutherford County Courthouse would determine if Flores will waive extradition back to Florida. Sheriffs deputies said they were so concerned about safety that they did the court appearance by video. The judge in the case decided to increase his bond from $600,000 to $2 million over concerns about the murder charge and his attempt to elude authorities. During his court appearance, Flores spoke quite a bit about the bond amount and visibly shook his head when the second-degree murder charge was read. If I can get on the phone right now and bond out and get $2 million bond, I can go? Flores asked. Im ordering you not to leave the state of North Carolina, the judge said. Police planned Friday to execute a search warrant on the Kia Stinger to see if its linked to another investigation involving missing 74-year old Lyft driver Gary Levin near Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Deputies said the car matches the description of the one that belongs to Levin. Investigators said he has not been seen for several days. Palm Beach Gardens is about 120 miles away from where authorities are conducting the murder investigation Flores is tied to. Levins family said they knew something was wrong. Rutherfordton- new information tonight on the arrest of a murder suspect from Florida after a 3-county chase in NC. Were asking if hes also linked to the disappearance of a 74-year old Lyft driver who hasnt been seen since Monday. The story tonight on eyewitness news @ 530. pic.twitter.com/kDLOg41hDk Dave Faherty (@FahertyWSOC9) February 3, 2023 He wouldnt just on a whim just take off and go somewhere, said his son Jonathan Levin. Ellenburg said they are working closely with authorities in Florida, who arrived in North Carolina Friday as part of their investigation. Why would he come all the way to North Carolina? Right now, thats still unknown in the investigation, he said. Im sure theres still more to come here in the next day or so. I do know that Florida authorities are heading this way this afternoon. Flores is scheduled for another hearing in Rutherford County on Feb. 22. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. VIDEO: 20-mile police chase ends with stolen car on fire in downtown Morganton With Parliament now fully back in session in Ottawa, legislation is being tabled and debated, committees are operating and, as the official Opposition, we are pressing the government on important issues and making recommendations with actions. One important issue that is surfacing is the large increase in consulting contracts granted by the government. An analysis by the Globe and Mail reported there was a 41.8% increase in spending on consulting contracts from the 2015-16 fiscal year to the 2020-21 fiscal year. That represents billions of dollars. One issue that came to light were consulting contracts with McKinsey & Co., which receiving at least $100 million. McKinsey & Co. is an international consulting firm, offering management advice to companies and governments worldwide with consultancy fees ranging as high as $1,500 an hour. While previous governments have sought its services, the CBC reported the current government contracted with McKinsey 30 times more often than the previous Conservative government, lead by Stephen Harper. A department given a large number of contracts was Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). A source from within IRCC told CBC, In the end, we dont have any idea what they did. Conservatives led the charge to work with other opposition parties to call for a Parliamentary committee to investigate these high-priced consulting contracts. While their work is ongoing, we have to consider what value these types of contracts provide when the federal government employs more than 330,000 public service professionals, including a host of experts in economics, science, communications, management and human resources. Over the eight fiscal years since taking office, the current government has expanded the federal workforce by almost 31%, at the same time as increasing consulting contracts. Few Canadians would say their experience with services like immigration processing, passport renewals or dealing with Canada Revenue Agency issues has improved over the past eight years. Despite the hard work of public servants, top-down mismanagement and policies of departments resulted in previously unheard of wait lines and wait times. Recent reporting also found the $54 million ArriveCAN app was created and designed by a two-person company, GCstrategies, that subcontracted to third-party multinational companies. Other organizations said they could have created the app in a weekend for less than $1 million. Following not far behind questions of responsible fiscal management come a question of ethics. A concerning trend has grown in this governments handling of outside contracts. Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade Minister Mary Ng was recently found in violation of federal ethics laws for a contract she awarded to the public relations firm, Pomp and Circumstance, managed by her close friend Amanda Alvaro. Diversity, Inclusion and Youth Minister Ahmed Hussen is being forced to answer questions regarding his spending of $93,000 on public relations advice from Munch More Media, a food marketing company staffed by the sister of one of his senior staff members. Ensuring responsible use of tax dollars is essential. At the same time, there are committed professionals working for the federal government, delivering Canadians the services they need and deserve. (Conservatives MPs) will ask the tough questions about the excessive increases in consulting contracts and in how ministers are held responsible for the service standards, contracts and operations of their departments. If you need assistance with programs or have any thoughts to share, feel free to reach out, at 250-470-5075 or at [email protected]. This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. Florida Reeves and Patricio Carranza stock the the food panty shelves Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, at Despensa De La Paz in Milwaukee. During the pandemic, the federal government was providing extra food stamp benefits to people who are part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. In Wisconsin, the SNAP program is called FoodShare. At the end of February, these extra payments will end, cutting participants' monthly benefit by at least $95. Many will lose much more. Here's what to know, and what to do to prepare for the financial blow. A deeper look:Everyone knew extra federal food stamp allotments would end. But the timing couldn't be worse. How much more money were people getting? The extra FoodShare payments reached every household in the program. People were given the largest amount of two options, either: An extra $95 per month OR The difference between their regular benefit amount and the maximum available for a household of their size. Households already getting the maximum benefit amount got the extra $95. How much FoodShare money will I lose? The size of the cut will be different for each household. According to data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the average single-person household will lose $144 per month. The average household of four will lose $354 per month. Under the most recent pandemic FoodShare benefits, people were getting two food stamp allotments per month. The first was the regular amount the household is eligible for based on household size, income and other factors. The second was the extra money that was being given out to help people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The cut will be equal to that second payment, because at the end of February, those second payments will end, and FoodShare recipients will only get the first of the two allotments. Can I save my extra benefits? Yes. The money can be kept on your QUEST (EBT) card for 12 months since it was received. Experts at Wisconsin food banks and state DHS officials are encouraging families to roll over their extra benefits if they can. This can help soften the financial hit for some time. Story continues Do I need to do anything before the extra benefits end? Because your benefits are determined by your household size, income and other factors, now is the time to make sure all of your FoodShare information is up to date so you are receiving all of your possible benefits. You can update your information by: Using the MyACCESS mobile app (free in the Apple Store or Google Play Store) Using your MyACCESS account at access.wisconsin.gov Visiting your local agency to report changes in person. Look up your local agency at tinyurl.com/FoodShareAgencies Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin recommends you make sure the following information is up to date: Your address Your income and the income of others in your FoodShare household Your expenses and other allowable deductions Changes in your mortgage or rent, property tax, child or adult care, child support may qualify you for more FoodShare If your household has someone who is 60 or older or has a disability and pays $35 or more in medical expenses, provide proof to the state to potentially get more benefits. More information is available at www.cutt.ly/WIdeductions. If you need help answering FoodShare program questions, visit your county's FoodShare office or DHS.wisconsin.gov/unwinding What other food-specific resources are available to me? There are also other government programs that can help with food insecurity. For example, make sure that your children are enrolled in their school's meal programs. If you receive FoodShare and are pregnant or have a child under 5, you also qualify for WIC. You can apply at https://dhs.wisconsin.gov/wic/ or by calling 608-266-3125. What other resources are available to me? UnitedWay's 211 help line can help connect people to local resources. Dial 211 or 877-947-2211. The state health department's recommendations on healthy eating on a tight budget is available here: https://tinyurl.com/eat-right-when-money-tight. Other food support resources are available at https://dhs.wisconsin.gov/foodshare/resources.htm. Find local food pantries and other resources at Findhelp.org and using Feeding America-Eastern Wisconsin's Food Pantry Locator: https://feedingamericawi.org/find-help/. I'm not on FoodShare, but I want to help. What can I do? Donate to and volunteer at a local food pantry. Share information with your neighbors and help connect those in need to resources and support. Contact Devi Shastri at 414-224-2193 or DAShastri@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @DeviShastri. Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Here's how the end to extra FoodShare benefits will impact Wisconsin By Ben Klayman and Stephen Nellis DETROIT/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co's disappointing quarterly results underscored that disruptions caused by the global semiconductor shortage are still bedeviling automakers, but some are suffering more than others. Ford said on Thursday it left billions of dollars on the table that were within its control and blamed a 100,000 vehicle shortfall in its fourth-quarter volume mostly on the inability to obtain enough chips. "We're going to see in 2023, there is still going to be volatility around chips," Ford Chief Financial Officer John Lawler said on Thursday. "I know there's been a lot of discussion about 'Well, the chip supply issue is over,' but on the larger, older nodes that are primarily the chips we use in the auto industry there is still capacity constraints." "We're working to get access to as much as we can through the spot market and the broker market," he added. "It's hand-to- hand combat." Ford and other automakers dialed back production after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2021 and chipmakers responded by shifting shipments to the consumer electronics industry. The auto industry has been playing catch-up ever since, although some companies have talked about a slow improvement in supplies as the shortage enters its third year. By the end of 2023, almost 18 million vehicles will have been removed from production plans since the chip shortage started, according to Auto Forecast Solutions. "It's easing," Sam Fiorani, the firm's vice president of global vehicle forecasting, said of the shortage. "There are more chips out there and if you have proper access to them, your production will be fine." General Motors Co Chief Executive Mary Barra last October said short-term disruptions would continue to occur but overall semiconductor supplies were improving due to deals with chipmakers, and a spokesman for the Detroit automaker said on Friday that had not changed. Story continues German automaker Volkswagen AG said on Jan. 10 it expected 2023 production to remain challenging because of ongoing chip shortages, but forecast a step-by-step improvement of supply over the course of the year. Tesla Inc, which has been recognized for handling the chip shortage better than most automakers, said last October it was able to address some chip issues by rewriting its software to use different or fewer chips. The EV leader said then that it buys about 1,600 different chips from 43 suppliers. DENSO SLASHES FORECAST Ford is not alone in feeling the pain. Japan's Denso Corp, a leading supplier to Toyota Motor Corp, on Friday slashed its annual profit forecast and warned the chip shortage could cause auto production cuts. Toyota in November cut its vehicle production projection for the current financial year through March due to the chip shortage. The head of another auto supplier, Aptiv Plc, which makes advanced driver assistance systems, vehicle computers and high-voltage cabling, said the impact of the chip shortage is not evenly felt. "When you look at the semiconductor challenges ... it's really much more focused, rather than a general supply constraint, (it's) specific suppliers who are causing constraints," Aptiv CEO Kevin Clark said on Thursday. "We expect that to continue into 2023." Kurt Sievers, CEO of Dutch automotive chip giant NXP Semiconductors, said this week there were three kinds of automotive chips whose supplies will stay tight through 2023. NXP still sees shortages of 180-nanometer high voltage micro-controllers used in electric vehicles, some variants of 90-nanometer chips and 55-nanometer chips with embedded high-reliability memory. "Those are still tight, which means we are still hindering car companies from building the cars they want to build," Sievers told Reuters. "But this whole thing about millions of cars cannot be built, that will be behind us, at least as it concerns NXP, by the end of this year." Asked why Ford seemed to be hit more than other automakers, a company spokesman said the issues did not hit all companies to the same degree at the same time, and acknowledged others moved faster after COVID-19 hit to secure chips. Ford executives said on Thursday they had opportunities to further cut supply-chain costs. Lawler said higher shipping costs on chips and the manufacturing disruptions Ford caused its suppliers were part of $1 billion in premiums paid by the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker last year. "While these issues are by no means restricted to Ford, it does appear to have been disproportionately impacted in 4Q," J.P. Morgan analyst Ryan Brinkman said in a research note. "We expect these issues to continue into 2023, but abate as the year progresses." (Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit and Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Joseph White in Detroit, Jane Lanhee Lee and Hyun Joo Jin in San Francisco, Victoria Waldersee in Berlin and Daniel Leussink in Tokyo; Editing by Matthew Lewis) Jimmy D. Davis Jr., the ex-funeral director who pocketed thousands of dollars from grieving families, pleaded guilty Thursday to three felonies including embezzlement and identity theft. Davis ran two well-known north side funeral homes until his businesses came crashing down last year under the pressure of state regulators and the criminal investigation. On Thursday, Davis, 40, sat quietly during a brief hearing in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. Both he and his attorney, Avery Goodrich, quickly left the courtroom without comment. The plea agreement did not include any sentencing recommendation for his crimes. The penalty for the embezzlement charge is a maximum of 10 years, while the other two charges carry maximum prison time of six years each. More:Milwaukee funeral home owner Jimmy Davis Jr. hit with new charge after transporting a body in violation of court order, prosecutors say Prosecutors will likely seek prison time for Davis, although the actual sentence will probably be far less than the maximum penalties. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Danielle Shelton in April. Prior to his conviction, Davis was an outgoing funeral director whose clients included Milwaukee County. Since 2019, the county paid Davis' business $555,600 to transport dead bodies. The county cut ties with Davis about a year ago, well after he was under regulatory scrutiny and about seven months after he was charged with embezzlement. Davis has continually denied any wrongdoing. In interviews with the Journal Sentinel last year, he blamed many of his problems on a funeral director who had died. Davis has said his funeral home at 4803 W. Burleigh St. closed in 2021. His second funeral home, located at 6709 W. Capitol Drive, closed last year after regulators posted cease and desist orders on the doors of each business. Davis was charged in September 2021 with felony embezzlement for stealing $15,000. Authorities said he pocketed prepaid funeral funds from a customer's trust account and spent the money. Story continues Despite the charges, he continued working in the funeral business. Last April, Shelton banned Davis from "picking up human remains from anywhere in Wisconsin" or directing others to do so. More:Ex-funeral home owner Jimmy Davis charged with ID theft, bringing the roster of felony charges against him up to four Shelton's order, which set conditions of Davis' bail on the felony charges, also prohibited Davis from possessing "any human remains, including cremains, at any of his funeral businesses." The order also demanded that "any remains currently in his possession should be turned over to the Milwaukee Police Department, an authorized funeral home, or to the family of the deceased." The bail conditions came at the request of prosecutors and state regulators. Regulators said they urged the county to seek the restrictions because they had "received several complaints that Mr. Davis was recently engaging in the unauthorized practice of funeral services," even though Davis was facing criminal charges. In November 2020, regulators suspended the license for Davis' Burleigh Street funeral home, but stayed the suspension and required the home to submit regular reports about the operation. In August 2021, the state lifted the stay and enforced the suspension for failure to submit the reports, according to a proposed stipulation agreement obtained by the Journal Sentinel. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Former Milwaukee funeral director Jimmy Davis Jr. pleads guilty to three felonies A former Penn State employee pleaded guilty Thursday to selling more $265,000 worth of computer equipment he fraudulently acquired from the university, a spokeswoman for federal prosecutors wrote in a statement. Daniel P. Sickels, 48, of Mifflin County, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. He worked as a network and systems manager through Penn States Office of Development and Alumni Relations. Federal public defender Ari Weitzman declined comment. Sickels acquired the equipment by falsely telling the university it was necessary to upgrade, replace or maintain its servers. He then sold the equipment to others for personal gain between 2005 and 2017. Sickels exchanged emails with potential buyers in California and Wyoming, investigators wrote in a December 2020 indictment. The plea agreement recommends Sickels be sentenced to 27 to 33 months in prison. It would also require him to pay more than $265,000 in restitution to the university. He remains free pending his appearance at future court hearings. Penn State was made aware of the allegations by a report from another employee, university spokeswoman Lisa Powers wrote in an email. The university launched an investigation in September 2017, then handed it over to the FBI three months later. The University has re-evaluated its purchasing protocols, established additional limits on purchases by individuals and units, and has implemented multiple changes as part of its commitment to continuous process improvement and maintaining the financial integrity of its operations, Powers wrote. Penn State officials appreciate the assistance of law enforcement at all levels for their handling of this case. University officials ask employees to come forward if they witness wrongdoing, as was done in this case. No sentencing date was set. RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) The former principal of Richneck Elementary School, where a 6-year-old is accused of shooting his teacher on Jan. 6, says she was not made aware of teachers concerns that the student had brought a weapon to school that day, her lawyer states. Briana Foster-Newton claims she was not part of the unidentified school administrators being reported to have been aware of the 6-year-old suspect having brought a gun to school on the day of the shooting, according to Attorney Pamela Johnson Branch. This is far from the truth, said Branch at a Thursday press conference, claiming that those who were aware of the student bringing the gun to school did not report it to Foster-Newton. Branchs remarks come a week after a lawyer for the victim claimed teachers at Richneck warned administrators three times that the child may have had a gun. Complete Coverage: Richneck Elementary School Shooting During the press conference, Branch confirmed that Foster-Newton is still employed with Newport News Public Schools, but is still waiting to be officially reassigned. Branch added that Foster-Newton has been receiving threatening voicemails wishing her ill, and claimed that her client has been the subject of misinformed posts on social media. Thursdays press conference marked the first public statement from Foster-Newton since the 6-year-old student shot his teacher, Abby Zwerner, on Jan. 6. Zwerner has since announced a lawsuit against Newport News Public Schools. Zwerners lawyer, Diane Toscano, claimed that Zwerner and other teachers at Richneck tried to do the right thing on the day of the shooting. Over the course of the day, Toscano says school administration was warned three times by teachers and employees that the 6-year-old may have brought a gun to school. It was preventable: Lawyer for Newport News teacher shot by 6-year-old announces lawsuit Foster-Newton, who was overseeing the school as of the 2022-2023 school year, was named the schools principal in July 2022 per the schools social media pages and is still employed by the district. This was her first year as principal at Richneck. She had been an educator for 11 years prior to becoming principal. Story continues She had worked with Newport News Public Schools for the last six years as an assistant principal at the Discovery STEM Academy. She [Foster-Newton] will always want whats best for the students, staff, and administrators at Richneck Elementary School and wishes its new leadership a safe, positive, and productive remainder of the year, said Branch. Its very easy to demonize people you dont know when in the midst of an obviously upsetting and traumatic situation for everyone such as what happened on January 6. Potential mass shooting thwarted after high-capacity weapons found pointed from window During a town hall held in January for Richneck families, former Superintendent Dr. George Parker said Karen Lynch, the NNPS Extended Learning supervisor and a former elementary school principal, would be leading training and preparation activities for Richneck staff moving forward. Richneck Elementary School students returned to class Monday. They were met with metal detectors, provided with clear backpacks, and given access to therapy dogs. Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew told Nexstars WAVY that the school will continue to be without a school resource officer because the police department does not have the resources to staff SROs at the elementary school level. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Konstantin Efremov Read also: Russia launches fresh missile strikes at Kramatorsk, says regional governor Senior Lieutenant Konstantin Yefremov fled Russia in December 2022. Prior to that, he spent three months in occupied Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. I personally saw how our troops torture Ukrainian soldiers, said Yefremov. I feel relieved that I can finally talk about what I saw. According to Yefremov, he served in Chechnya as part of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division, and two weeks before the start of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, he was sent to Crimea for military exercises. The former soldier claims that he tried to flee when he learned that he would be sent to Ukraine, but he was afraid of punishment for desertion and returned to his unit. He stated that on May 23, 2022, he was able to leave his unit and quit the service. Eventually, Russian human rights group Gulagu.net helped him leave Russia. Currently Yefremov is in Mexico. Read also: Childrens torture chambers found in liberated territories, says Ukrainian ombudsman Yefremov said that he witnessed his superiors torture three Ukrainian soldiers who were captured in Bilmak, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, in April 2022. During interrogations, they were beaten for a whole week, every day, sometimes even at night, he described the abuse. According to him, having learned that one of the prisoners was a sniper, the Russians beat him with a wooden bat, shot him in the arm and leg. They also took off his pants and threatened to rape him with a broom handle and bringing another Russian soldier who would rape him, and then they would send the video footage to the his girlfriend. Read also: Nine torture chambers and 432 bodies of murdered civilians found in Kherson Oblast Yefremov also spoke about the scale of looting by Russian troops, who stole everything from cans of food to washing machines and bicycles. The BBC called Yefremov the highest-ranking officer in the Russian army who spoke openly about the crimes of Russian invasion forces in Ukraine. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine The States Attorney for Cook County, Illinois has charged a former public school worker with stealing 11,000 cases of chicken wings and other food items worth $1.5 million in an alleged embezzlement scheme that took place over a span of two years. On Jan. 26, Vera Liddell, 66, a former director of food services for Harvey School 152, a school district 25 miles south of Chicago, was charged with the felony offenses of Continuing Financial Crimes Enterprise and Class X felony theft, which constitutes the theft of property worth more than $1,000,000 and carries a potential sentence of up to 30 years in prison, a maximum fine of $25,000 and restitution. Court filings obtained by TODAY.com say that Liddell began working as a consultant for the school district in July 2020 and in the year and a half that followed, the defendant allegedly embezzled over $1.5 million worth of taxpayer funds between July 2020 and February 2022. According to Liddells LinkedIn profile, she had been an employee of Harvey School District 152 since May 2011. The massive fraud began at the height of COVID during a time when students were not allowed to be physically present in school, reads a bond proffer for Liddell filed by Kimberly M. Foxx, the States Attorney for Cook County. Even though the children were learning remotely, the school district continued to provide meals for the students that their families could pick up. TODAY.com reached out to Liddell via phone and email but hasnt heard back. She is being represented by the Cook County Public Defenders office, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Barbara Mason, interim superintendent for Harvey School District 152, tells TODAY.com, The district cannot comment at this time because of an ongoing investigation. However, we are fully cooperating with the authorities regarding this matter. According to court documents, from July 2020 through February 2022, the defendant allegedly placed hundreds of unauthorized orders for food using the school districts account. The bulk of the orders constituted cases of chicken wings and were made with the districts main vendor, Gordon Food Service, a distributor based in Wyoming, Michigan that serves the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast and Southwest regions of the United States and Canada. Story continues The defendant placed the unsanctioned purchases separately from the districts legitimate orders, reads the bond proffer. Believing the defendant was authorized to make the purchases, Gordon Food Service would then bill the school district for the items. All of the unauthorized purchases were subsequently paid by the district. Sharon Devine, director of communications for Gordon Food Service, tells TODAY.com in a statement, "We appreciate the opportunity to comment, but have nothing further beyond what was provided to authorities during the investigation." Then, in January 2022, a business manager for the district conducted a routine mid-year audit of individual departments to make sure spending was in line with yearly budgets. The manager then discovered that the food service department had gone over its annual budget by $300,000 despite it only being halfway through the school year. Putting the districts finances under scrutiny, the business manager then discovered individual invoices allegedly signed by Liddell for massive quantities of chicken wings. According to the district, chicken wings are never served to students because they contain bones. Once the Cook County States Attorneys Office was contacted, an investigation started. Defendant had been hired as a consultant after her tenure as Director of Food Services in 2021 to assist in the transition of the new director. The defendant continued to be the only person placing food orders for the district, reads the filing. As such, defendant had contact with several Gordon Food Service employees via phone and in person multiple times per week. Interviews of these employees revealed they all were familiar with the defendant due to the massive amount of chicken wings she would purchase. The States Attorneys Office says that internal documents reveal that the defendant would call and place enormous orders for chicken wings separately from the regular food orders for the school. They also say that there is surveillance video allegedly showing that the defendant would arrive, oftentimes prior to the store opening to pick up food and signed an electronic keypad acknowledging receipt of the chicken wings. According to the filing, the defendant would then leave with the goods in one of the school districts cargo vans, and the food was never brought to the school or provided to the students. The Cook County States Attorneys Office tells TODAY.com that on Jan. 30, Liddell was discharged from jail after posting 10% of her $150,000 D bail bond. Her next court appearance will be on Feb. 22 at the Sixth District Courthouse. This article was originally published on TODAY.com Renee Ellmers Bearing a child while simultaneously working to provide for oneself and a growing family is no easy task for a pregnant woman. As they prepare to bring a baby into the world and begin to make some of the most important decisions when it comes to starting a family, these women shouldnt also fear workplace discrimination or work-related tasks that could pose potential health risks to their pregnancy. Thanks to a bipartisan gang of lawmakers, expecting mothers jobs just got a little more secure. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which was tacked onto the omnibus bill at the end of the last Congress, requires most employers to grant temporary and reasonable accommodations for expecting mothers. Before the PWFA, an employers legal obligation to approve accommodations for pregnant workers was governed by an overly complicated patchwork of bureaucratic red tape made up of varying state protections and a wildly vague Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA). More:Renee Ellmers: Congress should protect, not stifle, North Carolinas music industry For years, a lack of legal clarity too often left women with the burden of bargaining for accommodations at work while having limited recourse if their employer denied their request. Since the PDA was enacted 40 years ago, charges of pregnancy discrimination have persisted, with over 15,000 filed between 2015 and 2019. These bold women who choose to file charges face an impossible battle, with experts estimating that pregnant workers lose 29 out of 43 of their pregnancy accommodation cases because of the legal hoops they have to jump through to prove discrimination. More:Renee Ellmers: Texas taught us the importance of improving North Carolinas power grid A lack of protections and a burdensome legal process slowly set the standard that pregnancy was a barrier for working women, and the economic consequences of discriminatory treatment have cascaded from there. Women are the primary or co-breadwinners in almost two-thirds of families, and their salaries are needed to make ends meet. Story continues Nearly one in four mothers, however, have considered leaving their job out of fear of discrimination during pregnancy or due to a lack of reasonable accommodations. With more than 5 million women leaving the workforce in 2020, gaps in the law that deter women hoping to start families from continuing to work are working against our efforts to ameliorate the American workforce and improve the economy. More:Two from Fayetteville-Bragg region in lieutenant governor race Theres been support for the proposals in the PWFA for years, with women and health groups sounding the alarm for reform. Even the U.S. Chamber of Commerce applauded this legislation, explaining that ensuring that expectant mothers have every option to stay active in the workplace is good for women, families and businesses. Particularly as employers face great uncertainty about whether, and how, they are required to accommodate pregnant workers. Although this bill could have been passed long ago, lawmakers, including Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), was ultimately able to ensure the PWFA was included in the omnibus, showing that bipartisan solutions to important legislative questions can be achieved. Thanks to the PWFA, working women are now guaranteed reasonable accommodations, such as additional bathroom breaks, light duty, or a stool to sit on if a worker stands all day. Most importantly, the bill also prohibits denying employment opportunities to women based on their need for reasonable accommodation. Sen. Tillis also ensured that the bill included key provisions which he said would protect against use of the PWFA to compel employers to accommodate leave to obtain abortions on demand under the guise of pregnancy-related conditions. With these provisions in place, the law remains sharply focused on its intent: supporting expecting mothers in our workforce. Working women, especially in frontline jobs, are the backbone of our economy, making up nearly half of the workforce. Im pleased that lawmakers could finally pass the PWFA and show women in America that they should not face the risk of an unsafe pregnancy to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. As we head into a new Congress, I encourage Republican lawmakers to continue championing similar policies that further promote a pro-family agenda. Renee Ellmers served as a U.S. Congressional Representative for North Carolina from 2011 to 2017. This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Former U.S. Rep. Ellmers: New law will help pregnant women, economy An aircraft carrier that was once a formidable flagship is now little more than a floating hunk of scrap with just one voyage left to undertake: a trip to the bottom of the sea. The decommissioned ship, called the Sao Paulo, is critically damaged, and the Brazilian government has no alternative but to sink it, according to a Feb. 1 statement from the navy. The scuttling of the Sao Paulo, a 32,000-ton behemoth, will follow a 60-year naval career marked by adventure, mishap and rapid decline, according to several naval historians. Commissioned by the French government in the 1960s, the Sao Paulo then called the Foch was a major French naval presence for various incidents across the Cold War and early post-Cold War era, Phil Weir, a British naval historian, told McClatchy News. The Foch ferried nuclear-capable aircraft around the world and was present during flash points in Djibouti, Lebanon and Serbia. The vessel was also something of a film star, serving as a backdrop in the blockbuster 1995 film Crimson Tide, Weir said. In 2000, the French sold the ship to the Brazilian government, which had expressed an interest in expanding its naval capabilities in order to protect its 4,600 miles of coastline. It appears to have been purchased almost sold as seen, Weir said. Her Brazilian career began well but descended into a nightmare for any navy, let alone one buying second-hand warships, Simon Harley, a naval historian, told McClatchy News. After a few years of cruises up and down the Atlantic and participation in several military exercises, misfortune began to strike, Weir said. A 2005 fire relegated the Sao Paulo to the docks for four to five years, and another nasty fire in 2012 kept it in a constant state of repair. When it became clear the vessel would require a substantial financial investment to be made seaworthy again, the navy made the decision to decommission it in 2017, according to Defense Air and Naval, a Brazilian news site. Story continues The forlorn vessel was sold at auction in 2021 to a Turkish company intent on dismantling it and selling its parts, according to Defense News. However, 22 days after embarking on its voyage to Europe, Turkish authorities, citing environmental concerns, prohibited the ship from traveling to the country, according to the Brazilian navy. When met with the news, the vessel tugging the Sao Paulo turned around and anchored it off the coast of Brazil, where it floated for months. An inspector sent aboard determined the ghost ship was unsalvageable, at risk of sinking and thereby banned from entering Brazilian ports, the navy said. Left with no other choice, the government, in spite of push back from environmentalists, announced plans to scuttle the ship in a remote part of the ocean with a depth of at least 9,000 feet. Unless the government reverses course, after 60 years of riding the waves, the Sao Paulo will soon be put to rest below them. Cremated bones reveal Vikings werent alone when they arrived in Britain, study says 22-year-old missing nearly a week found dead in California wilderness park, cops say 26-year-old crawls to neighbor for help after shes shot on a walk, TN reports say Photo: The Canadian Press Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley addresses the Calgary Chamber of Commerce in Calgary, Alta., Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. Notley says Premier Danielle Smiths government needs to end its long-running dalliance with pulling the province out of the Canada Pension Plan and come clean on its plans.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh Alberta's Opposition leader says Premier Danielle Smiths government needs to end its fixation with pulling the province out of the Canada Pension Plan. NDP Leader Rachel Notley says her party would not pursue an Alberta Pension Plan, which the United Conservative government has been studying for almost three years without resolution. Notley says the idea does not make economic sense and is opposed by a majority of Albertans, adding the government needs to release its long-promised report into the pros and cons of Alberta going it alone on pensions. We are very concerned that this UCP government is sitting on a self-interested report that they are hiding from Albertans because they dont want this to be an election issue, but they still plan to go ahead with it should they get elected, Notley told reporters Thursday. If this UCP government is continuing to toy with this risky gamble to undermine the security of Albertans pensions, then they have an obligation to come clean on that. Alberta voters head to the polls May 29. Smith's office said work continues on a third-party analysis of an Alberta pension plan. While the initial analysis looks favourable, the Office of the Chief Actuary of Canada recently tabled updated asset figures for the CPP, and the third-party expert authoring the report requires additional time to update its findings, spokeswoman Becca Polak said in a statement. When the expert informs us the final report is ready, it will be released publicly thereafter. Polak stressed the report would only be the first step and Albertans would have the final say. The government of Alberta will not replace the CPP with an Alberta Pension Plan unless Albertans first vote to do so in a provincewide referendum," she said. "It's Albertans' pension it must be Albertans choice. The report stems from a May 2020 Fair Deal panel report urging Alberta explore the idea as a way to help assert itself more within Confederation. The panel reported that given Alberta's young population, a separate pension plan could be a multibillion-dollar net benefit. The panel recommended the idea be explored even though 42 per cent of the respondents in its survey thought it was a good idea. In response, then-premier Jason Kenney ordered a review into the feasibility of such a plan. In March 2021, Kenney said work on the report was almost done and his government was just weeks away from announcing next steps. Smith, taking over from Kenney in October, asked Toews to continue with the pension report. In December she said she hoped a referendum might be possible with the May election, but has since said that likely wont happen. She has said Albertans are over-contributers to CPP and need to explore an alternative that could leave more money in the hands of Alberta seniors. The Alberta pension plan is among a suite of measures being explored by Smiths government as a way to carve out more independence for Alberta within Confederation. The province is also researching its own provincial police force to replace the RCMP and tax revenue collecting agency. In December, the Alberta Chambers of Commerce conducted a survey that suggested a majority of business owners believe leaving CPP for an Alberta plan would disadvantage them over the next three to five years. Agents from the FBI and other law enforcement agencies are looking for a man with ties to Pakistan and India who is wanted on an illegal explosives possession charge following a raid at his home Tuesday in south Fort Smith. Neil Ravi Mehta, 31, is sought by agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms office in New Orleans. Mehta remained at-large Friday, an FBI spokesman said. Neil Ravi Mehta who last lived in Fort Smith, is sought by the FBI and ATF on possession of explosives found in his home near Carol Cross Park at S 74 and Free Ferry Road Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. Neil Ravi Mehta is wanted on possession of explosives charges, the FBI reported Friday, Feb., 3, 2023. His home was raided in Fort Smith on Tuesday, Jan. 31 "FBI Little Rock and ATF New Orleans are asking for the public's help to locate and arrest Neil Ravi Mehta for unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device," said FBI spokesman Connor Hagan in Little Rock. On Tuesday, law officers were seen at Mehta's home near Carol Ann Cross Park near S. 74th Street and Free Ferry Road. During what was described by Hagan as a court-appointed operation, investigators located multiple explosive devices inside the residence. "The explosives were rendered safe by federal agents, but Mehta remains at-large," Hagan reported Friday. Mehta is described as about 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 160 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. Authorities say Mehta has ties to eastern Oklahoma, Atlanta, Ga. Albuquerque, New Mexico, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Jackson Hole, Wyoming and New York, New York in the United States. He also has ties to Pakistan and India. The FBI reports Mehta should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who sees him should call the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 and follow the recorded instructions provided. This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: FBI searching for Fort Smith man on illegal possession of explosives Four Boston police officers are facing additional charges as part of an overtime fraud scheme that spanned four years and cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands, according to U.S. District of Massachusetts Attorney Rachel Rollins. Lieutenant Timothy Torigian, 57, of Walpole; Sergeant Robert Twitchell (retired), 61, of Norton; Officer Henry Doherty (retired), 64, of Dorchester; and Officer Kendra Conway, 52, of Boston are facing one additional count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for their role in the alleged scheme that cost taxpayers $200,000 from 2016-2019. The four officers, along with five others, were originally indicted in September 2020 with one count of conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and one count of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds. The charges relate to two overtime shifts: one for reducing the inventory of the evidence warehouse, called a purge shift and another for collecting prescription drugs from drop boxes at police districts around the city and taking them to an incinerator in Saugus, or kiosk shifts, according to the statement. The kiosk shift was one Saturday a month from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., according to the indictment, but officers frequently completed the work and left the shift early, often before 10:00 a.m. and submitted slips claiming they worked the full shift. Prosecutors allege between May 2016 and February 2019 the officers collectively embezzled over $200,000 in overtime pay. One of the officers, a lieutenant, is accused of collecting $43,000 in overtime federal officials said he did not work. Current and former officers arrested and charged include: Lieutenant Timothy Torigian, 54, of Walpole Sergeant Gerard OBrien (retired), 62, of Braintree Sergeant Robert Twitchell (retired), 58, of Norton Officer Henry Doherty (retired), 61, of Dorchester Officer Diana Lopez (retired), 58, of Milton Officer James Carnes (retired), 57, of Canton Story continues Officer Michael Murphy, 60, of Hyde Park Officer Ronald Nelson (retired), 60, of Jamaica Plain Officer Kendra Conway, 49, of Boston. I am outraged and, quite frankly, outright disgusted at the utter breach of trust by these nine individuals at the Boston Police Department, then-Boston Mayor Marty Walsh told Boston 25 News at the time. I commend Commissioner Gross and our federal partners for bringing these actions to light. That scandal, first uncovered in 2018, eventually implicated 46 troopers and brought down a colonel. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A dead whale washed ashore on Oregons Cannon Beach Saturday afternoon marking it the fourth whale to wash up along Oregons coastline in recent weeks, according to Seaside Aquarium. A few days prior, the Coast Guard reported the whale was floating about a mile offshore before reaching Crescent Beach, officials said. The aquarium said the whale had been dead for at least one month. A dead whale washed ashore in Cannon Beach on Saturday afternoon marking the fourth whale to wash ashore along the Oregon coast in recent weeks, according to Seaside Aquarium (Courtesy Tiffany Boothe/Seaside Aquarium) January 23, 2023. A dead whale washed ashore in Cannon Beach on Saturday afternoon marking the fourth whale to wash ashore along the Oregon coast in recent weeks, according to Seaside Aquarium (Courtesy Tiffany Boothe/Seaside Aquarium) January 23, 2023. Based on the whales location, officials said a full necropsy is nearly impossible, as the secluded beach is only accessible by hiking. Additionally, its state of decomposition makes it challenging to determine cause of death, the aquarium said pointing out it had a sizable shark bite after its death. This comes after a 40-foot sperm whale washed ashore in Warrenton on January 14. According to the Seaside Aquarium, the whale, believed to be around 20 years old, was dead before washing up. NOAA spokesperson Michael Milstein said scientists determined the whale died from an impact with a ship. A few days later, a 12-foot baby gray whale washed ashore near the shipwrecked Peter Iredale on Jan. 18. approximately 100 yards north of the sperm whale. The aquarium doesnt believe that the whale was struck by a ship or died from human interaction. Meanwhile, a dead whale washed ashore near Reedsport on the central Oregon coast earlier in January, Jim Rice of the Marine Mammal Institute of Oregon State University confirmed to Nexstars KOIN. Officials noted the whale found at Crescent Beach is not the baby gray whales mother as this whale has been dead for far too long. While all these whales strandings may seem concerning, there is no connection between them. It is purely a coincidence, Seaside Aquarium said. The aquarium added, When we experience weather patterns like we have in the past few weeks, coupled with strong westerly winds, dead marine mammals that have been floating offshore get pushed onto the beach. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. PARIS (Reuters) - France and Italy have finalised technical talks for the joint delivery of a SAMP/T-MAMBA air defence system to Ukraine in spring 2023, the French Defence Ministry said. "This will allow Ukraine to defend itself against Russian drones, missiles and plane attacks, through the coverage of a significant part of the Ukrainian territory," a ministry statement said after a call between French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto. The system can track dozens of targets and intercept 10 at once. It is the only European-made system that can intercept ballistic missiles. Ukraine has asked its Western allies for more air defence systems and specifically requested the SAMP/T, known as Mamba, in November. Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; editing by Grant McCool) By Kate Lamb JAKARTA (Reuters) - The conflict in Myanmar dominated the year's first meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers in Jakarta on Friday, with Indonesia's top diplomat saying that member states had "frank" discussions on the issue. The foreign minister of Indonesia, which chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year, said the bloc was pushing for inclusive dialogue between all stakeholders in Myanmar, with ASEAN candidly discussing the issue on Friday. Retno Marsudi spoke after the opening of a retreat with her regional counterparts, which Myanmar's junta leaders have been barred from attending. "The meeting is dedicated to discuss the Myanmar issue in an open, in-depth, and frank manner as one family," she said in a news conference. Since seizing power in a Feb. 1 coup two years ago, Myanmar's junta has plunged the country in chaos and violence, and failed to implement an ASEAN peace plan, which includes the cessation of conflict and the start of dialogue. Reducing violence and allowing humanitarian aid would be key to ensuring talks could begin, Retno said. ASEAN chair Indonesia has vowed not to be "held hostage" by the Myanmar issue. But just days after the junta announced an extension of emergency rule, the regional bloc faces tough questions about how to handle the crisis as frustration grows with the junta's lack of progress on a so-called five-point peace plan they agreed to. Junta leaders have been barred from attending high-level ASEAN meetings but representation at other events would continue to be discussed, said Indonesian foreign ministry official Sidharto R. Suryodipuro, on the sidelines of Friday's event. "As to other meetings, it will be an ongoing consultation," he said, "But the principle is that at the moment, no side has the legitimacy to sit in the Myanmar chair." Earlier this week Indonesian President Joko Widodo told Reuters he was planning to send a top military general to meet with Myanmar's junta leaders in an attempt to engage them in talks about a democratic transition. The Indonesian government has declined to provide further details about its military envoy but the president said he hoped the general would travel "as soon as possible". (Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor) A missing 83-year-old Southlake woman died from hypothermia early Thursday after she left her home, Southlake police said. The woman was found more than an hour after she was reported missing, but she was unconscious and not breathing. She was taken to a Grapevine hospital, where she died early Thursday. The woman has been identified as Clara Martina Grammer, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office website on Friday. Grammer died from hypothermia at 4:47 a.m. Thursday and her death was ruled an accident. Southlake police also said that no foul play was involved in her death. Police responded to a report of a missing woman at about 2 a.m. Thursday in the 300 block of Central Ave. The womans husband told authorities they went to bed at about 10 p.m. Wednesday, but when he awoke early Thursday, he saw his wife was missing and the front door to the residence was left open. He also said his wife had gone missing on prior occasions, police said. Temperatures early Thursday were below freezing in the Southlake area and ice covered roads and highways throughout North Texas. Southlake officers conducted an extensive search of the residential building and the surrounding areas with the assistance of officers from Keller and Colleyville as well as friends and neighbors of the couple. At around 3:30 am Thursday, the missing woman was found outside a rooftop access of the residential building. Officers immediately initiated lifesaving measures and provided CPR until medics arrived. Southlake medics transported the woman to Baylor Scott and White Medical Center- Grapevine, where she was pronounced dead. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Pitcher Max Fried went to salary arbitration with the Atlanta Braves for the second straight year, asking for $15 million instead of the team's $13.5 million offer. The 29-year-old left-hander went 14-7 for the second straight season and lowered his ERA to 2.48 from 3.04 in 2021. Fried was a first-time All-Star last season, was second to Miamis Sandy Alcantara in Cy Young Award voting and was third in the National League in ERA behind Alcantara and Julio Urias with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fried won a $6.85 million salary last year instead of the teams $6.6 million proposal in arbitration. That was after he pitched six shutout innings in World Series Game 6 as the Braves won their first title since 1995. Fried, who is eligible for free agency after the 2024 World Series, had his case heard Friday by a panel that's expected to issue a decision Saturday. Players have won two of three decisions so far: Pitcher Jesus Luzardo ($2.45 million) and AL batting champion Luis Arraez ($6.1 million) both beat the Miami Marlins. But Seattle defeated Diego Castillo ($2.95 million). A decision is being held for Los Angeles Angels outfielder Hunter Renfroe, whose case was argued Monday. About 20 more cases are scheduled through Feb. 17. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Benoit Tessier/Reuters The one-time president and CEO of a social services agency for troubled Alaskan youth is accused of assaulting a flight attendant because his tray table was broken. Im a Gold Medallion; I can do whatever I want. Fuck you, former AK Child & Family boss and licensed clinical social worker Denis McCarville said when other passengers intervened, according to a federal criminal complaint obtained by The Daily Beast. He later told the FBI that it would be very rare if he were to say the F word, as he is a social worker and does clinical work with kids, the filing states. McCarville, 70, took the top job at the venerable nonprofit in 2011, when it was still known as Alaska Childrens Services. Before that, he served as CEO of a group of residential treatment centers in Omaha, Nebraska. AK Child & Family says it provides hope in troubled young lives through a broad range of psychiatric services, which includes helping young people develop self-esteem and the ability to live in harmony with others. In 2017, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) met with McCarville in Washington and called his work something all Alaskans should be proud of, and I am glad that he had the time to discuss issues important to improving the lives of Alaskas youth. AK Child & Family, which says its work is Based on the spirit of Christs love, did not immediately respond to The Daily Beasts request for comment about McCarville, who retired in December 2018. McCarville, who did not respond to voicemails and emails seeking comment, is no longer listed on the AK Child & Family website, but his blog posts remainincluding one on the importance of emotional intelligence. https://www.facebook.com/SenLisaMurkowski/photos/denis-mccarville-president-and-ceo/10158794029790291 The tray-table episode went down as Delta Air Lines Flight 2236 made the five-hour journey from Minneapolis to Anchorage on Jan. 29, the complaint against McCarville states. Story continues During the first beverage cart service, McCarville, who was sitting in seat 12Can aisle seatbecame upset after a female flight attendant identified in the complaint only as L.C. asked if he wanted a drink. He said he did, but complained that he couldnt get the tray table out of his armrest, according to the complaint. L.C. told McCarville that he was welcome to switch to the empty middle seat next to him, which had a working tray table, the complaint says. He was still very upset, so L.C. offered to give him SkyMiles for the inconvenience to which he replied he didnt want that but that she should reimburse (comp) his entire flight ticket, the complaint goes on. L.C. replied by stating she did not have the ability to do that, but he could talk to Delta representatives once they landed to see what compensations they could give him. He was not happy with L.C.s response to which she apologized and stated she could not fix the arm tray table while in the air. L.C. then turned to serve the passenger in the seat directly across the aisle from McCarville, who suddenly jabbed L.C. in her left side, nearly knocking her over, according to the complaint. That was not okay, please do not touch me again, lets keep our hands to ourselves, L.C. responded, to which McCarville allegedly shot back, Fuck you. Other passengers then stepped in, including the traveler sitting in the window seat next to McCarville, according to the complaint. Dont talk to her like that and dont put your hands on her, McCarvilles seatmate said, as L.C. again told McCarville, Thats not appropriate and you cant just put your hands on me. McCarville, in response, then pulled out an unusual flex, telling L.C. that he had Gold Medallion status with Delta and that he was allowed to do whatever I want. Fuck you. He then told his seatmate to shut the fuck up and that he was in fact the one being a jerk, the complaint states. L.C. began working another section of the aircraft in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. However, when she later passed by McCarvilles seat carrying a pot of coffee, he turned to make eye contact with her while sticking his foot out into the aisle to try and trip her, according to the complaint. McCarville did this to L.C. several times but not to any other crew members, the complaint states. The other flight attendants told L.C. to avoid the area where McCarville was seated, after which he apparently turned his remaining animus on the traveler next to him. L.C. stated near the end of the flight, the flight crew were notified by the window seat passenger in 12A, D.M., that [McCarville] had refused to allow him to pass by in order to use the restroom, the complaint continues. D.M. told the flight crew he nearly urinated himself because of [McCarvilles] actions. After the flight landed at the Ted Stevens International Airport, Anchorage Airport Police Dispatch contacted the FBIs Anchorage Field Office for assistance. Officers and agents then questioned both L.C. and McCarville, along with other passengers and the rest of the flight crew. L.C. said she recalled serving one alcoholic beverage to McCarville and that he was not slurring his words or otherwise appearing drunk. She reports that she has been a flight attendant with Delta for over eight years and knows what a gentle touch is when a passenger is trying to get your attention and when physically someone is actually angry, the complaint states. She was very scared and never had anyone touch, push, or prod her like [McCarville] had done. Another member of the flight crew said she felt extremely uncomfortable around McCarville and that he was cut off after downing a couple bourbons, according to the complaint. Let all that you do be done in love. pic.twitter.com/JKexxO0Yol AK Child & Family (@akchild) February 15, 2021 McCarville, for his part, allegedly denied everything. He stated he was told by a Delta employee before boarding that the plane was brand new; however, he could not pull out his tray from the arm rest, the complaint goes on. He stated, I asked her to help, and she didnt want to, so that was the extent of it. He stated he thinks as she was walking by, he tapped her and asked if she could help him with it. She told him not to touch her to which he replied, okay and apologized to her. When he saw the police and FBI waiting for him in the terminal, McCarville said he thought they might have confused him with someone else, according to the complaint. McCarville speculated maybe this had something to do with his job as a social worker and the agency he works with in Fairbanks, it goes on. He did not think this was because of the tap When asked about witnesses saying he told the flight attendant to shut the fuck up, he stated he does not use that language. He further stated that it would be very rare if he were to say that or the F word, as he is a social worker and does clinical work with kids. McCarville was arrested and brought to the Anchorage Correctional Center. There, according to the complaint, he was given a breathalyzer test, blowing an 0.123well above the legal limit of 0.08. The FAA initiated 823 investigations into unruly passengers during 2022, a slight dip from 1,099 in 2021. In 2019, the last full year before the COVID-19 epidemic all but shut down air travel for many, the agency opened just 183 unruly passenger investigations. As The Daily Beast reported last April, a Southwest Airlines passenger traveling from Seattle to Phoenix was arrested for allegedly masturbating openly at least four times during the trip. That same month, a first-class Delta passenger became enraged while flying from Atlanta to Phoenix, spewing homophobic slurs, throwing ice, and striking a flight attendant who refused to serve the man any more liquor. McCarville is charged with two federal felony counts: interference with flight crew members and attendants; and assault in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. He was released on his own recognizance and is set to plead guilty in a court appearance on Friday, according to court records. McCarvilles court-appointed lawyer, Gretchen Staft, did not immediately respond to The Daily Beasts request for comment. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Photo: The Canadian Press Minister of Heritage Pablo Rodriguez responds to a question during a session at the Canadian Media Producers Association Prime Time conference, Thursday, February 2, 2023 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Big tech companies that offer online streaming services could soon be required to contribute to Canadian content as a controversial Liberal bill gets one step closer to becoming law. The Senate has passed the online streaming act known as Bill C-11 with a dozen amendments following a lengthy study by senators. The bill would update Canada's broadcasting rules to reflect online streaming giants such as YouTube, Netflix and Spotify, and require them to contribute to Canadian content and make it accessible to users in Canada or face steep penalties. Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez says he hopes the House of Commons will pass the bill next week after it reviews the Senate's changes. Senators made amendments intended to protect user-generated content and highlight the promotion of Indigenous languages and Black content creators. They also included a change that would prohibit CBC from producing sponsored content, and another that would require companies to verify users' ages before they access sexually-explicit material. Rodriguez said Thursday that the Liberal government would not accept all of the Senate's recommendations, but he didn't say which ones he disagrees with. "We'll see when the bill comes back. There are amendments that have zero impact on the bill. And others that do, and those, we will not accept them," the minister said Thursday during a Canadian Media Producers Association panel. The Senate also removed a clause in the bill that Sen. Paula Simons described as giving "extraordinary new powers to the government to make political decisions about things." Ian Scott, the former chair of Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, had told a Senate committee that some provisions in the bill did move the balance point "slightly closer to lessening the independence" of the regulator though he insisted that it would remain independent. The CRTC, now under the leadership of Vicky Eatrides, will be tasked with enforcing the bill's provisions. The Senate passed the bill on the anniversary of its introduction in the House of Commons. Between the House of Commons and Senate, there have been approximately 218 witnesses, 43 meetings, 119 briefs and 73 proposed amendments, said Rodriguez. "It's the longest bill," he said. The proposed law has come under intense scrutiny amid accusations from companies and critics who said it left too much room for government control over user-generated content and social-media algorithms. Rodriguez said tech giants can get creative with ways they promote Canadian content, such as with billboards, advertising or, if they so choose, tweaks to their algorithms. The bill has also caught the attention of the United States. Its embassy in Ottawa recently said that it is holding consultations with U.S. companies that it is concerned could face discrimination if the bill passes. Last week, two U.S. senators called for a trade crackdown on Canada over Bill C-11, saying that the prospective law flouts trade agreements. "I'm not worried, because we think it complies with trade obligations," Rodriguez said. The Miami Police Department unveiled a new police vehicle decorated to honour Black History Month, but despite the citys mayor celebrating the vehicle as a "beautiful collaboration," not everyone is impressed by the new cruiser. The police department unveiled the cruiser which includes an outline of the African continent, the words "Black History Month" on the passenger side door, and the red, yellow, and green colour scheme associated with pan-Africanism on Friday. The citys mayor, Francis Suarez, and Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales held an event unveiling the new vehicle, according to local broadcaster WSVN. This is a beautiful collaboration to commemorate Black history and Black History Month and the history of African Americans and our police department and our city, Ms Suarez said. This is Black history. That is not a sentiment shared by all. Writer and educator Dwayne David Paul commented on a video of the vehicle being revealed that there is "no Black history in schools but on police cars instead ... perfectly captures the United States." No Black history in schools but on police cars instead perfectly captures the United States. https://t.co/CCSJfAE0OE Dwayne David Paul (@DwayneDavidPaul) February 3, 2023 Former South Carolina representative Bakari Sellers wondered "who asked for this?!" on Twitter. Story continues Another user, Lana Lovehall, called the vehicles design a "complete mockery." "This is so disrespectful," she wrote. "A complete mockery. Thats how bold theyre getting." This is so disrespectful...a complete mockery. That's how bold they're getting. https://t.co/1tKo5bK5RV Melanated Mind (@lana_lovehall) February 3, 2023 The cruiser was revealed a week after the Memphis Police Department released bodycam footage of five police officers beating Tyre Nichols, a Black man, after a traffic stop. Mr Nichols died in the hospital three days after his encounter with police. A sixth police officer, as well as an EMT and an ambulance driver, were also disciplined for their parts in the encounter. The footage led to protests in numerous cities. A Miami Police Department cruiser decorated for Black History Month (Miami Police Department) "1. Because Florida 2. Tell me you dont have a D&I person without telling me you dont have a D&I person. 3. No, you dont get credit for just trying," MSNBC legal analyst Charles Coleman Jr wrote on Twitter. "This type of tone deaf performative action is what provokes a war on wokeness when we are made to accept the unacceptable." Anthony Clark, who ran for Congress in Illinois 2020 Democratic Primary, said "up next... cops beating your a** to death in kente cloth," alongside an image showing police in riot gear resembling the African textile. The Independent has reached out to the police department for comment. Officers investigating a robbery were able to follow a trail of blood to find the culprit nearly five years later. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The Monroe County Sheriffs Office said that on July 12, 2018, deputies responded to reports of a burglary at the Monroe County Recreation Department. Deputies found that the suspect had broken a window, damaged the concession stands door and kicked in the door to the scorebox. TRENDING STORIES: Deputies said the suspect tried to steal the cash register, but it was empty. Deputies noticed blood stains leading into the womens bathroom and followed the trail. Inside the bathroom, they found more blood, which they collected as evidence. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] The blood was sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, where it was run through the CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) database. In 2021, Justin Michael Kuhr, 23, was arrested in Butts County for possession of a controlled substance. Officers took at DNA sample, which was entered into the CODIS database. Investigators reopened the cold case burglary in Monroe County and arrested Kuhr, who has been charged with burglary. MADRID (Reuters) -Gibraltar on Friday accused Spain of a "gross violation of British sovereignty" after two customs officials entered the British overseas territory during an anti-smuggling operation. Early on Thursday, two Spanish customs agents were injured after rocks were thrown at them on a Gibraltar beach. Their small boat had lost power while chasing suspected tobacco smugglers, according to Spanish media reports. In a video of the incident on Spanish daily El Pais' website, the smugglers are seen shouting "This is Gibraltar. This is not your job!" Other videos on social media appear to show shots fired during the altercation, but it is not clear who fired them. In a statement on Friday, Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said: "The evidence surrounding this incident discloses a gross violation of British sovereignty and, potentially, the most serious and dangerous incident for many years". He said Gibraltar needed to investigate the facts before deciding on what diplomatic response to take, but added "the events indicate that the actions by the Spanish officials are intolerable". The governments of Gibraltar and the United Kingdom consider that the events "will require careful consideration as to the nature and level of diplomatic response," the Gibraltar government statement said. Should it be confirmed that Spanish officials discharged their weapons in Gibraltar, this would be "a very serious breach of the law as well as being reckless and dangerous", it added. Spain's foreign ministry on Friday condemned the attack on the customs agents, who had suffered "serious injuries" and said it "categorically rejects the terms" of the statement issued by Gibraltar, "as well as the claims of alleged British sovereignty over the territory and waters of Gibraltar contained within it". The incident comes as Britain and Gibraltar seek to negotiate a treaty to settle Gibraltar's post-Brexit status and how to police the border with Spain. Story continues This has been a point of contention since Britain's 2016 vote to leave the European Union. The peninsula was excluded from the exit deal reached between Britain and the EU. In mid January, Spain's Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Manuel Albares told Reuters Madrid and London were "very close to a deal" on the issue. Spain ceded the rocky outpost at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea to Britain in 1713 but has long called for it to be returned. In 2002, 99% of voters in Gibraltar rejected the idea of Britain sharing sovereignty with Spain. (Reporting by Jessica Jones; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Sandra Maler) GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke says that open source developers should be made exempt from the European Union's (EU) proposed new artificial intelligence (AI) regulations, adding that the opportunity is still there for Europe to lead on AI. "Open source is forming the foundation of AI in Europe," Dohmke said onstage at the EU Open Source Policy Summit in Brussels. "The U.S. and China don't have to win it all." The regulations in question come via The Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act), first proposed back in April 2021 to address the growing reach of AI into our every day lives. The rules would govern AI applications based on their perceived risks, and would effectively be the first AI-centric laws introduced by any major regulatory body. The European Parliament is set to vote on a draft version of the AI Act in the coming months, and depending on what discussions and debates follow, it could be adopted by the end of 2023. Open source + AI As many will know, open source and AI are intrinsically linked, given that collaboration and shared data are pivotal to developing AI systems. As well-meaning as the AI Act might be, critics argue that it could have significant unintended consequences for the open source community, which in turn could hamper the progress of AI. The crux of the problem is that the Act would likely create legal liability for general purpose AI systems (GPAI), and bestow more power and control to the big tech firms given that independent open source developers don't have the resources to contend with legal wrangles. So, why would GitHub -- a $7.5 billion U.S. company owned by Microsoft -- be concerned about regulations on the other side of the pond? There are multiple reasons. Open source software by its very nature is distributed, and GitHub -- which recently passed 100 million users -- relies on developers globally. Indeed, a report from VC firm Runa Capital this week indicated that 58% of the fastest-growing open source startups are based outside the U.S., with Germany, France and the U.K. (though the U.K. isn't governed by EU regulations) in particular central to this. Story continues More importantly, perhaps, is the fact that Europe has emerged as a driving force behind tech regulations, evidenced by its GDPR data privacy and protection regulations. Put simply, what happens in Europe can ripple into other countries and quickly become a global standard. "The AI act is so crucial," Dohmke said onstage. "This policy could well set the precedent for how the world regulates AI. It is foundationally important. It is important for European technological leadership, and for the future of the European economy itself. It must be fair and balanced to the open source community." Big bucks Microsoft and GitHub stand to benefit from a fertile open source landscape, evidenced by their potentially lucrative Copilot tool that helps developers code using technology trained on the work of open source developers. However, Microsoft, GitHub and AI research lab OpenAI, in which Microsoft is heavily invested, are facing a class action lawsuit for their endeavors. Elsewhere, OpenAI's much-hyped text-generating AI phenomenon ChatGPT is also in the spotlight, with the EU's Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton noting in an interview with Reuters today that ChatGPT's transformative and wide-reaching applications underscores the need for robust regulation. "As showcased by ChatGPT, AI solutions can offer great opportunities for businesses and citizens, but can also pose risks," Breton told Reuters. "This is why we need a solid regulatory framework to ensure trustworthy AI based on high-quality data." Pretty much the entire world of AI as we know it today has been built on an open source foundation, and anyone with an interest in commercializing AI needs the open source status quo to continue. The big tech firms, including Microsoft, recognize that they might have more legal battles on their hands as a result of impending AI regulations, but at the very least they don't want open source developers deterred from their work. Dohmke said that the AI Act can bring "the benefits of AI according to the European values and fundamental rights," adding that lawmakers have a big part to play in achieving this. "This is why I believe that the open source developers should be exempt from the AI act," he said. "Because ultimately this comes down to people. The open source community is not a community of entities. It's a community of people and the compliance burden should fall on entities, it should fall on companies that are shipping products. OSS developers are often just volunteers, many of them are working two jobs. They are hobbyists and scientists, academics and doctors, professors and university students all alike, and they don't usually stand to profit from their contributions. They certainly don't have big budgets, or their own compliance department." Google has announced that it's holding a streaming event called Live from Paris that will be all about "Search, Maps and beyond," set to be livestreamed on YouTube on February 8th. "We're reimagining how people search for, explore and interact with information, making it more natural and intuitive than ever before to find what you need," the description reads. Hopefully, the "beyond" part will shed some more light on its plans for a ChatGPT rival. During Google's earnings call yesterday, Pichai finally addressed Google's own plans for an AI chat system. "In the coming weeks and months, we'll make these language models available, starting with LaMDA, so that people can engage directly with them," he said. Google also plans to bring those AI tools to businesses, developers and Alphabet's own internal operations. Last month, Google CEO Sundar Pichai reportedly declared a "code red" over OpenAI's ChatGPT, due to its potential threat to Google's search dominance. Notably, Microsoft is a large investor in ChatGPT, and plans to integrate the AI into its Bing search engine to provide more understandable and human-like results. Google was said to be planning to show off its AI tools at its I/O event, which usually takes place in May. It's possible, though, that the company wants get well ahead of any criticism that it's behind OpenAI in the natural language chatbot race. On the other hand, the event might be strictly focused on Search and Maps core products used by a lot of people. In the thumbnail above, Google also hints at news about Lens, Shopping and Translate. The event will be livestreamed on YouTube on February 8th at 8:30 AM ET. (Bloomberg) -- Alphabet Inc.s Google has invested almost $400 million in artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, which is testing a rival to OpenAIs ChatGPT, according to a person familiar with the deal. Most Read from Bloomberg Google and Anthropic declined to comment on the investment, but separately announced a partnership in which Anthropic will use Googles cloud computing services. The deal marks the latest alliance between a tech giant and an AI startup as the field of generative AI technology that can generate text and art in seconds heats up. The deal gives Google a stake in Anthropic, but doesnt require the startup to spend the funds buying cloud services from Google, said the person who asked not to be identified because the terms were confidential. AI has evolved from academic research to become one of the biggest drivers of technological change, creating new opportunities for growth and improved services across all industries, Thomas Kurian, chief executive officer of Google Cloud, said in a statement. Google Cloud is providing open infrastructure for the next generation of AI startups, and our partnership with Anthropic is a great example of how were helping users and businesses tap into the power of reliable and responsible AI. Founded in 2021 by former leaders of OpenAI Inc., including siblings Daniela and Dario Amodei, Anthropic AI in January released a limited test of a new chatbot named Claude to rival to OpenAIs wildly popular ChatGPT. The Google-Anthropic partnership follows a high-profile $10 billion investment by Microsoft Corp. in OpenAI, which built on the $1 billion the software giant had poured into the AI startup in 2019, plus another round in 2021. Story continues Such alliances give more established companies such as Microsoft and Google access to some of the most popular and advanced AI systems. Startups like Anthropic, in turn, need funding and cloud-computing resources that a tech giant like Google can provide. In announcing the deal, Google said its cloud division would lend computing power and advanced AI chips that Anthropic plans to use to train and deploy its future AI products. Anthropics language model assistant, Claude, hasnt yet been released to the public, but the startup said it planned to expand access to the chatbot in the coming months. The deal underscores Googles commitment to AI, particularly in ways that may be expanded beyond the companys core search business. Im excited by the AI-driven leaps were about to unveil in Search and beyond, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said Thursday as the company reported fourth-quarter earnings. He said Google intended to release chatbots in the coming weeks and months and allow consumers to use such products as a companion to search. Googles investment in Anthropic was reported earlier by the Financial Times. (Updates with details on terms in the third paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. A Republican councilwoman was killed outside her New Jersey home on Wednesday. Police arrived on the scene Wednesday night to find Eunice Dwumfour shot to death in her car. She had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Victoria Kilpatrick, the mayor of Sayreville, N.J., where Dwumfour served on the borough council, said she was taken from us by a despicable criminal act. Beyond her dedication to our community, I can share that she was a woman of deep faith and worked hard to integrate her strong Christian beliefs into her daily life as a person and a community leader, the mayor said. On a personal note, I cant adequately express my feeling of sorrow at the loss of a friend. New Jersey governor Phil Murphy addressed reporters Thursday, noting that Dwumfour was the first political officeholder in the state in recent memory who had been shot and killed in office. I am stunned by the news of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfours murder last evening in an act of gun violence, Murphy said. Her career of public service was just beginning, and by all accounts she had already built a reputation as a committed member of the Borough Council who took her responsibility with the utmost diligence and seriousness. Police did not provide updates about potential suspects or motive, ABC News reported. Detectives on the case have possession of Dwumfours phone and are searching for evidence that could help explain how the killing happened, sources told the outlet. Sources also told ABC that Dwumfour had just stopped by her house and was about to leave again in her car when the assailant confronted her and shot her. New Jersey Republican State Committee chairman Bob Hugin lamented the loss and mentioned he has full faith that authorities will get to the bottom of Dwumfours killing. We will remember Eunice for her steadfast dedication to the community, as well as her deep and abiding Christian faith, Hugin said. We have the utmost confidence that law enforcement will bring the perpetrators of this heartbreaking tragedy to justice. God Bless Councilwoman Dwumfour and her family. More from National Review County in south China's Guangxi enters early spring tea harvest season People's Daily Online) 17:45, January 30, 2023 Photo shows a demonstration base of organic tea planting in Lingshan county, Qinzhou city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo/Zhao Guanxiong) Farmers have begun picking tea leaves at tea plantations in Lingshan county, Qinzhou city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, as the spring tea harvest season arrived in the locality right after the Spring Festival holiday. Lingshan county has maintained its tradition of tea planting for more than 500 years. This year, the county has been one of the earliest tea-producing regions in the country to start harvesting spring tea leaves. During this year's spring tea harvest season, Lingshan is expected to harvest 800 tons of fresh spring tea leaves and sell them mainly to Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei and Sichuan provinces at around 200 yuan ($29.6) per kilogram . This means the total output value of spring tea leaves in the county will reach around 160 million yuan (about $23.68 million). Lingshan green tea was put on the list of national famous, special, high-quality and new agricultural products unveiled by the then Ministry of Agriculture of China in 2013, 2015 and 2017 respectively. In April 2020, Lingshan green tea was recognized as a national geographical indication product. The total tea planting area in Lingshan county has reached 76,500 mu (5,100 hectares), ranking sixth in Guangxi. The output of dry tea leaves in the county is 16,200 tons, generating a total output value of 732 million yuan (about $108.34 million). There are more than 100,000 people working in the tea industry in Lingshan, earning an annual average income of 25,000 yuan ($3700) from the business. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Liang Jun) Photo: The Canadian Press Mason Stonehouse used his father's Grubhub account to order $1,000 worth of food delivered to his home on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. His father, Keith Stonehouse, was not aware his son was ordering the food and at first did'nt understand why delivery people kept ringing his doorbell and leaving food. A Michigan man says he was left with a $1,000 bill after his 6-year-old son ordered a virtual smorgasbord of food from several restaurants last weekend, leading to a string of unexpected deliveries and maybe a starring role in an ad campaign. Keith Stonehouse said the food piled up quickly at his Detroit-area home Saturday night after he let his son, Mason, use his cellphone to play a game before bed. He said the youngster instead used his father's Grubhub account to order food from one restaurant after another. The boy's mother, Kristin Stonehouse, told The Associated Press on Thursday that Grubhub has reached out to the family and offered them a $1,000 gift card. The company also is considering using the family in an online promotional campaign, she said. Grubhub officials did not immediately respond to a message from the AP seeking comment. Keith Stonehouse said he was alone with his son while his wife was at the movies when Mason ordered jumbo shrimp, salads, shawarma and chicken pita sandwiches, chili cheese fries and other foods that one Grubhub driver after another delivered to their Chesterfield Township home. This was like something out of a Saturday Night Live skit, Keith Stonehouse told MLive.com. He added: "I dont really find it funny yet, but I can laugh with people a little bit. Its a lot of money and it kind of came out of nowhere. Keith Stonehouse said his son ordered food from so many different places that Chase Bank sent him a fraud alert declining a $439 order from Happys Pizza. But Mason's $183 order of jumbo shrimp from the same restaurant went through and arrived at the family's house. Stonehouse said it took the arrival of a few orders of food for him to realize what was going on. By that time, there was nothing he could do to stop the orders from coming. Kristin Stonehouse told the AP that Mason is extremely intelligent and has been reading since he was 2 1/2 years old. He's very smart, she said. He's not your average 6-year-old. She said her husband had just used the Grubhub app on his phone to order dinner before she left and probably just left the app open. She said her son took the phone, hid in the basement and proceeded to order his feast. She said she and her husband had a talk with Mason on Sunday morning and told him what he did was akin to stealing. I don't think he grasped that concept at first, she said. To drive the point home, she and her husband opened up Mason's piggy bank and pocketed the $115 he had gotten for his birthday in November, telling him the money would go to replenish their accounts. That didn't seem to faze the boy. Then he found a penny on the floor and said he could start all over again, she said. Keith Stonehouse said most of the food went into the familys refrigerators. He said he also invited some neighbours over to eat some of it. He said hes heard of things like this happening to other parents, but not at the level he experienced last weekend. He recommends making sure important apps are not readily available for children to click on when theyre using a parent's phone. He said hes changing his password. I knew this could happen, but you just dont think your kid is going to do something like this. Hes definitely smart enough, I just didnt expect it," Keith Stonehouse said. Fox News House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) casually suggested to Fox News on Friday that the suspected Chinese spy balloon floating over the United States could contain bioweapons from Wuhan, invoking the lab leak theory thats been embraced by Republicans. After a Chinese surveillance balloon was spotted over the northern U.S. this week, Republicans have lashed out at President Joe Biden over his perceived weakness in his administrations policy towards China. Calling for the president to shoot down the craft, some in the GOP called the president Beijing Biden while claiming this is further proof that Communist China doesnt fear or respect Biden. While the Pentagon has balked over conservative demands to take down the ballon, noting that falling debris could injure or kill civilians, the Biden administration has postponed Secretary of State Antony Blinkens upcoming trip to China. China, meanwhile, has insisted the suspected spycraft is really just a civilian airship that deviated far from its planned course. Amid the Republican handwringing over the Chinese balloon, Comer appeared on Fox News The Faulkner Focus to react. And he immediately jumped into conspiratorial waters. Fox News Host: I Didnt See Any Death Blows in Tyre Nichols Footage I have concern this will be another example of the Biden administrations weakness on the national scale, he declared. You look at what happened in Afghanistan. That hurt the reputation of Americas military strength. That hurt the reputation of our commander-in-chief. And now we have China clearly playing games with the United States. After saying the balloon never should have been allowed to cross over into the U.S., the Kentucky lawmaker then fear-mongered that the craft could be loaded down with weaponized viruses. My concern is that the federal government doesn't know what's in that balloon, he asserted. Is that bioweapons in that balloon? Did that balloon take off from Wuhan? Story continues Comer, of course, was referencing the theory that COVID-19 was engineered by Chinese virologists at a Wuhan laboratory, possibly with the help and funding of American scientists. Comer, who has promised investigations into the origins of COVID-19, has also alleged that former Biden chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci was warned early on that the virus appeared manmade but instead attempted to cover it up. The House Oversight chief, who has also vowed to hold countless hearings on Hunter Bidens business dealings and Laptop from Hell, then seemingly accused the president of working with China when it came to his current classified documents scandal. This is very concerning, Comer breathlessly exclaimed. Unless China is working with the Biden Administration to help find some of those missing documents that are scattered all over the United States, then this is unacceptable and should not be allowed. And, again, another sign of weakness on the international stage by our commander-in-chief. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. A Greene County Florist accused of scamming dozens of brides by not showing up or cancelling on their wedding days is in custody again. Desiree Pace, 40, was arrested on Jan. 30, according to Hamilton County jail records. >> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: One of the most important pieces Brides say local florist ripped them off right before weddings Pace was indicted in October on charges of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, theft and telecommunications fraud, according to Hamilton County Common Pleas Court records. She pleaded not guilty to charges that same month. News Center 7 first reported on accusations against Pace in July 2021, when we learned more than a dozen people had filed complaints with the Ohio Attorney Generals Office about Pace and her business, Flowers by Des. Complainants from Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Hamilton, Warren, Brown, Butler, Fairfield and Franklin counties shared stories about paying for flowers and not getting them or their money back. In September 2021, the Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that his office filed a civil lawsuit against Pace, claiming she violated the Consumer Sales Practices Act and ripped off 48 people. The state won its case in June 2022 and a judge ordered Pace to pay $104,000 and to cease doing business. >> RELATED: I-TEAM: State wins case against Greene Co. florist who ripped off dozens of brides Now Pace is facing charges in connection to accusations of ripping off customers. In court documents filed in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, Pace is accused of stealing $31,509 from 28 people that contracted Flowers by Des between August 2019 and June 2021. News Center 7 spoke with Kelsey Fox Friday. Fox, one of dozens of brides scammed by Pace, said shes been getting her court-ordered payments from Pace, but these new charges have made her worried she wont see the rest of the money the Pace owes her. I dont think that she has any money to begin with. I definitely dont think she has enough money to take care of all of us, Fox said. Story continues >> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: I-Team: Brides say Greene Co. florist wrote them bad refund checks after canceling on their wedding Fox told us that she believes if Pace cant continue to pay, she should serve time jail. I wont see that money, but in the grand scheme of things I think going to prison is in everyones best interest, Fox said. Pace is currently being held in the Hamilton County Jail on a $50,000 bond. Online jail records indicate that her next court appearance is Feb. 15. After a challenging few months that included closing markets, instant grocery delivery company JOKR told TechCrunch it raised about $50 million in a Series C investment on a $1.3 billion post-money valuation. The funding, which The Information first reported that JOKR was seeking last September, follows a $260 million raise announced in November 2021. However, with the valuation the company is getting a slight bump, up from the $1.2 billion post-money valuation from the Series B. Its not a huge uptake in terms of valuation, and obviously something that, despite the market correction, still shows that weve been able to build traction to grow and to become more profitable, JOKR co-founder and CEO Ralf Wenzel told TechCrunch. Otherwise those terms would not have been justifiable. We're happy about the fact that we closed the Series C round and it comes at an increased valuation from new and existing investors. The new investment was buoyed by existing investors, with G Squared leading the round and GGV Capital, Tiger Global Management and HV Capital participating. In total, JOKR has raised $480 million in equity and debt since being founded in 2021. Difficult decisions Wenzel went after the new funding to make sure that we have a fully funded business plan and that we can become fully self-sustainable and don't have to be more dependent on external capital. It has indeed been quite a roller coaster ride for the company in the last year. In its report, The Information said that JOKR was losing $10 million a month. Wenzel confirmed the company is still losing money, but that this figure included countries and cities in which it no longer operates, so the losses have narrowed to single-digit millions of dollars each month currently. JOKR hit gross-profit status last April, but was swept into the challenging economic environment that affected the instant grocery delivery sector, stemming in part by people returning to grocery shopping in person as the pandemic eased, a slowdown in venture capital investments and the war in the Ukraine. Story continues As such, at the beginning of summer 2022, the company cited global economic uncertainty as the reason for announcing it would shutter its New York and Boston deliveries. Then this month, it officially left Colombia after previously closing locations in Medellin and Santiago, Chile in November. The company continues to operate in Brazil, Mexico and Peru, but is discussing strategic options for both markets to foster its focus on the Brazilian market, according to Wenzel. JOKR instant grocery delivery app JOKR's instant grocery delivery app. Image Credits: JOKR The decisions derived from an ongoing assessment of its different business units, and a determination of where JOKR has the best chance at balancing growth and profitability, Wenzel said. It's not a winner takes all market', he said, but more like a 'winner takes most market', he added. Asked how he can be optimistic about JOKRs future when the instant grocery delivery sector is challenged more broadly right now, Wenzel said it boils down to a different balance between long-term growth and short-term profitability and also the companys focus on profitability over geographic spread. We, therefore, took the decision to fully focus on geographies that match these expectations and are on a clear path to profitability, without compromising on our vision and customer promise or sacrificing the huge long-term growth potential in one of the largest underpenetrated regions in the world, he said. In addition, JOKR focused on customer experience, which is why, he said, the company consistently has a Net Promoter Score above 80. "We sincerely believe that e-commerce needs to respond to increasing customer demand for relevance, reliability sustainability and joy, he added. JOKR is focused on building a new generation of retail, through vertical integration and superior data science and technology. We achieved full operating leverage with positive gross margins within just one year and kept growing ever since. Unbagging instant grocery delivery The instant grocery delivery sector was at its peak during the global pandemic when fewer people were leaving their homes. Startup companies were coming online in droves and attracting some serious venture capital. However, as the virus became something we all had to learn to live with, people returned to their normal in-person grocery shopping behaviors. This left much of the quick-commerce sector to find out if their business models could survive in a crowded space, just as capital became scarce. Some [delivery startups] are most certainly safe especially the ones with positive unit economics, Matt Birnbaum, the former head of talent acquisition at Instacart and now a talent partner at Pear VC, told my colleague Kyle Wiggers back in June. The good delivery companies can slow their spend in growth areas like hiring and marketing and become profitable almost immediately. The companies that are in the most danger are the ones who dont have a clear path to profitability in the short or medium term. As access to capital has become more constrained, so has the appetite for growth at all costs. Unfortunately, what resulted were announcements of companies buckling against the strain and being acquired or folding over the past year. For example, Buyk, Fridge No More and Zero Grocery ceased operations with Zero doing so just weeks after announcing a new funding round. We also saw some of the giants, like Gopuff, announce staff reductions, as did Zapp. Meanwhile, my colleague Ingrid Lunden reported on Turkey-based Getir acquiring German competitor Gorillas, which had been exploring strategic options since May and had laid off staff. This was after Getir itself had announced plans to cut its global workforce by 14% and slow down expansion plans. Delivering for Brazil Having faced layoffs and market closures, Wenzel said the continued investor confidence is proof that where JOKR is headed today and tomorrow is on the right track. The Series C round closed in December. Meanwhile, Wenzel said business in Brazil has been thriving, growing consistently and getting more profitable. Brazil accounts for 50% of JOKRs business, and the new funding will enable the company to double down in this region while it looks strategically at other geographies. He adds that the company is gross margin positive in Brazil and expects JOKR to reach full profitability by the first quarter of 2024. Brazil is a big market for on-demand grocery delivery. Its been growing, on average, 32% each year since 2019, and together, the market generated an estimated $3.1 billion in revenue in 2022. The market is expected to grow about 10% each year through 2027, which would effectively double the market, according to Ken Research. The market also has some fierce competition. Some of the big players serving the country include iFood, Rappi and Mercado Libre. Uber Eats had been on that list until early 2022, when it announced it was closing its business there. Brazil is also big enough that players from other parts of Latin America can come in and take a sizable chunk of market share. Mexico-based online grocer Justo entered the market in October 2021 and told TechCrunch in 2022 that it was seeing monthly growth between 30% and 40% and that the market already represented 25% of Justos revenue. In addition, Diferente, a new Brazilian online grocery delivery company, saw average order volume increase for its produce boxes go from 13.8% to 17.2% in the past 10 months. Next steps Instant grocery delivery is here to stay, but the future of how the companies operate might look different in the way they generate revenue. For example, DoorDash is now returning packages for customers. However, Wenzel maintains that JOKRs plans to increase revenue wont be achieved on the back of the customer. Instead, the companys vertically integrated infrastructure enables it to go to local producers to source food and to charge customers the same prices they would see in the grocery store. Brazil's domestic food production is not dependent on imports, he added. You can vertically integrate because 90% of the food that is being consumed in Brazil is being produced in Brazil. This is not so doable in the United States or Europe and is why it has allowed us to unlock a very high margin of operation. Got a news tip or inside information about JOKR, grocery delivery or another topic? Id love to hear from you. You can reach me via Signal at 832.862.1051. Or drop us a note at tips@techcrunch.com. Happy to respect anonymity requests. Editor's note, March 1, 2023, 5:49 a.m. PST: Jokr clarified that the $1.2 billion valuation from the Series B was a post-money valuation. John F. Floyd is wrong from beginning to the end of his opinion piece that appeared on The Gadsden Times website. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, now in its 11th month, was unprovoked by Ukraine and follows several other aggressive actions committed by Russia and ordered by its president, Vladimir Putin. There was the occupation of Crimea, a part of Ukraine since 1954, when the territory was consigned to the Ukrainian Soviet Republic by Nikita Khrushchev, then first secretary of the Communist Party in the USSR. Lacking an army, Ukraine could do little to defend its sovereign territory. That was followed by the invasion of Ukraines eastern most provinces by men and equipment who crossed the border from Russia. They wore Russian military uniforms that bore no unit affiliation insignia, rank badges or names. Invaders in the past who engaged in this type of activity were called free-booters or buccaneers, and they were criminals. Heads of state in the West issued statements of outrage, protest and a few managed lukewarm economic sanctions against Russia. Nothing much happened when the freebooters used a Russian missile to shoot down a Malaysian commercial airliner, instantly killing nearly 300 passengers and crew. The occupiers of the area and their Russian supporters in Moscow refused to permit international investigators access to the scene of the massacre. The mobile missile carrier was also traced returning to Russia, one of its launch tubes empty. Of course, the Trump Administration years later did nothing in response except to block more than $320 million in military aid to Ukraine the authorization already passed by Congress. We know what that was about. Lets face an ugly truth: Most Americans know nothing about Ukraine and its relationship with Russia. Putin insists to the world that Ukraine is not a sovereign country. That is a lie. Ukraine has for more than a thousand years has been independent, and has been fought over and occupied. Story continues Since it declared its independence from the collapsed USSR in December 1991, it was quickly recognized by the United Nations and other countries as a sovereign country. The United States, Russia and the UN negotiated with Ukraine as an equal, completing several major treaties. Most notable was the treaty by which Ukraine relinquished control of four dozen nuclear-tipped intercontinental missiles. In a letter of understanding, the U.S. pledged to guarantee Ukraines independence. Ukraine has been around since the year 962. No, there are no missing digits: its 962, more than a thousand years ago. Even when occupied by Russians, Poles, the Ottomans, the Lithuanians, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Mongols and Germans, Ukrainians have always had a strong independent streak. They fought those who invaded, several of whom tried to abolish use of the Ukrainian language. Ukraine is not Little Russia, nor is its language a dialect of Russian. Ukrainian leaders petitioned the Paris Peace Conference n 1918 to be recognized as independent and not be consigned to Russia. It was the same after World War I. Its obvious that few in the West were listening. As I write, Russians are attacking cities throughout Ukraine with missiles and jet aircraft lunched from inside Russia. Thus far, the U.S., EU and NATO have provided military aid to Ukraine on a piecemeal basis, albeit with one restriction: Those weapons cannot be used on targets inside Russia. Now, lets face it thats giving Kyiv permission to fight, but with one arm tied behind its back. I must say that the Ukrainians have adapted, making advances on the battlefield and largely holding the Russians at bay. This is remarkable. The border between Ukraine and Russia is much like that of the U.S.-Canadian boundary an imaginary line. A powerful country should not get a pass from the international community to invade and occupy a sovereign neighbor. An occupied country should be able to ask for, and get, weapons to fight off these aggressors. I am amused that Russia seems to have learned little from its debacle in Afghanistan its invasion in 1979 and a 10-year occupation. Putin is using Adolf Hitlers playbook from the late 1930s, annexing portions of France, Czechoslovakia, invading Poland and splitting that country with Stalin. Putin seems to share Joseph Stalins hatred of all things Ukrainian. Stalin was directly responsible in the mid-1930s of artificially engineering a famine in Ukraine that killed between 3 million and 5 million. To make it worse, he sent the KGB and Soviet military into the country to confiscate farmers food, seed and implements. At the same time, he directed his security forces to arrest and dispose of the entire knowledge class of Ukraine, its writers, artists, teachers, professors, government officials and workers. Doing a wink, wink, nod, nod at Putins aggression and war crimes is just another form of appeasement. We know that did not work in 1938. A year later, the second World War began. The Munich agreement became covered with the blood of millions. Maybe Mr. Floyd wants us to join those ready to strand Ukraine as it fights off invasion. I do not. Bill Browning is a Gadsden resident. The opinions reflected are his own. This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Guest columnist offers defense of US military support for Ukraine Authorities on Friday described the killing of a Selma police officer as happening before the officer had a chance to react, and said he was essentially executed. Officer Gonzalo Carrasco Jr. was killed Tuesday while approaching a man, according to Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni. Carrasco, a 24-year-old native of Reedley, had been an officer since May 2021 and had a baby on the way. Carrasco was on a routine patrol in a police car about 11:52 a.m. Tuesday in a residential Selma neighborhood west of Highway 99, Zanoni said. As Carrasco approached a man whom police have said was 23-year-old Nathaniel Dixon, a felon on probation and the officer spoke briefly, Zanoni said. Carrasco turned his car around and as he passed the man again, a homeowner told the officer that Dixon did not belong on the property. (Dixon) was trying to go into that yard like he lived at that house, Zanoni said. Once Carrasco got out of his vehicle, I believe thats when Dixon realized he got me. The officer got out of his cruiser and approached Dixon before the man shot the officer multiple times with a .223 caliber style assault rifle ghost gun an illegally obtained gun that is purchased in parts before it is assembled, Zanoni said. California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued condolences Wednesday following the killing of Selma police officer Gonzalo Carrasco Jr., 24, who was shot to death Tuesday while in the line of duty. We believe we put together a very good case against the suspect, Nathaniel Dixon, regarding the senseless shooting and killing, he said. Dixon appeared in court Friday as he faces charges including first degree murder, but did not enter a plea before the arraignment was continued to a future date. Carrasco did not fire his weapon and investigators would not say Friday whether he was able to draw his weapon before he was shot. The officer was wearing protective equipment, Zanoni said. Dixon was a member of a Fresno-based gang and had a tattoo on his face that resembles a Fresno State Bulldog logo, but Zanoni stopped short of naming the gang. This individual was a convicted felon. He had no right to have that gun; he should have never had that gun, he said. Story continues Nathaniel Dixon, 23, was accused of the shooting death of a Selma police officer on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, according to the Fresno County Sheriffs Office. Selma police Chief Rudy Alcaraz said the shooting happened so quickly that there wasnt a way to prevent the killing in the moment. We all agree there was nothing officer Carrasco could have done. He was essentially executed, he said. Political jabs between Gavin Newsom and Lisa Smittcamp The killing of the officer has sparked a verbal duel between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp over Dixons status on Assembly Bill 109 parole, which is commonly called AB 109 or prison realignment. Smittcamp has said AB 109, which Newsom and Democrats in the legislature have supported, allowed Dixon to be let out earlier than sentenced. Newsom said Smittcamp failed to use her prosecution power to charge Dixon with more of his earlier crimes. Carrasco was a 2016 graduate of Reedley High, and authorities said Friday his dream was to be a police officer. His parents are farmworkers. The Selma community has responded with grief over the death of Carrasco, holding multiple candlelight and prayer vigils. A photo of slain Selma officer Gonzalo Carrasco Jr. is seen at a curbside memorial along Pine Street Thursday evening, Feb 2, 2023 in Selma. Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni announces an update on the killing of Selma police officer Gonzalo Carrasco Jr. at a press conference Friday, Feb 3, 2023 in Fresno. Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp, with Selma Police Chief Rudy Alcaraz to the far right, releases an update on the killing of Selma police officer Gonzalo Carrasco Jr. at a press conference Friday, Feb 3, 2023 in Fresno. Selma Police Chief Rudy Alcaraz, center, flanked by Fresno Sheriff John Zanoni, left, and Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp, right, releases an update on the killing of Selma police officer Gonzalo Carrasco Jr. at a press conference Friday, Feb 3, 2023 in Fresno. Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp, center, flanked by Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni, left, and Selma Police Chief Rudy Alcaraz, right, releases an update on the killing of Selma police officer Gonzalo Carrasco Jr. at a press conference Friday, Feb 3, 2023 in Fresno. For more than 100 years, New Hampshire has hosted the first primary in the nation on the road to the presidential nomination. But some Democrats want to change that, arguing that New Hampshire is too small, too rural and not diverse or reflective enough of a changing country despite the state hosting the first primary since 1920. This weekend, the Democratic National Committee meets in Philadelphia to discuss making some changes to their presidential nominating calendar. Under the proposed plan, which is supported by President Joe Biden, South Carolina would become the first state on the presidential primary calendar followed by New Hampshire and Nevada both three days later. Battleground states Georgia and Michigan would also move up, while Iowa, the site of a chaotic caucus in 2020, is being told to move further back. "This proposal by President Biden will reflect the strength of America's greatest asset and that is our diversity," said Jaime Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee. But Republican Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, who is also thinking about a 2024 presidential bid, called the proposal an "absolute joke." "It's not based on anything to ensure that the voters in America will have a better first filter. It's just based on a personal preference of a candidate," Sununu said. New Hampshire Democrats could still try to hold their primary first, but the national DNC could punish them by taking away the state's delegates for the Democratic convention. Meanwhile, the proposed plan is facing opposition from state Democrats like Ray Buckley, New Hampshire Democratic Party chairman, who said he isn't against adding additional states to the calendar, but New Hampshire needs to remain first. Residents like Amanda Wihby, who co-owns the Red Arrow Diner, worries it may impact her business if Democrats go through with a plan to drop the granite state as their first primary stop. Story continues "Every four years, they descend upon us, and I think a lot of people, customers, would be disappointed if it was taken from us," Wihby said. Resident Stu Holtshouser of Manchester, New Hampshire, agreed with Wihby's sentiments. "I like it being first," he said. "I think it's good for the state, and I think it is a good reflection of the country." But his brother Bill visiting from North Carolina said, "If the objective is to get a more diverse perspective in that first tranche of states that go, then a different approach might be warranted." Tensions rise between U.S. and China over downed suspected spy balloon Third week of testimony begins in Alex Murdaugh murder trial NFL rolls out revamped Pro Bowl with flag football, skills competitions State of play: The White House is not actively considering declaring a public health emergency for abortion. We dont believe that declaring a public health emergency would provide meaningful new resources in this fight, Jen Klein, director of the White House gender policy council, told reporters. In other news, the White House outlined its latest investments geared toward fighting cancer and helping the families of those battling the disease. Welcome to The Hills Health Care roundup, where were following the latest moves on policy and news affecting your health. Were Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi. Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Health Care newsletter Officials outline efforts to fight cancer, help families The White House on Thursday marked one year since President Biden relaunched the Cancer Moonshot initiative, announcing a series of new efforts to reduce cancer deaths and provide support to those getting treatment. The National Cancer Institute will launch a new public-private partnership to assist families with children diagnosed with cancer, the White House said. The Childhood Cancer Data Integration for Research, Education, Care, and Clinical Trials, or CC-DIRECT, will provide support to families to help them find ideal care for their child and participate in research initiatives like clinical trials and share data on optimal treatments. The new program is a collaboration between the National Cancer Institute, the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Cancer Society, the Office for the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and several other groups. The White House also announced that the Health Resources and Services Administration is awarding $10 million to improve access to cancer screenings to improve early detection. The funds will go to 22 National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers, which will conduct patient outreach in their communities to promote early detection. Story continues Biden in February 2022 relaunched the Cancer Moonshot with the goal to cut the cancer death rate in half over the next 25 years and improve the lives of caregivers and cancer survivors. Biden oversaw the original moonshot initiative during the final years of the Obama administration. Read more here. Lawmakers ask Biden to add drug czar to Cabinet A bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers on Thursday called on President Biden to reinstate the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to a Cabinet-level position to better address the overdose epidemic in the U.S. In a letter led by Reps. David Trone (D-Md.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), along with Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the lawmakers commended Biden for prioritizing the opioid epidemic in his State of the Union address last year. However, we have not yet broken the trend of rising overdose deaths, and patterns in overdose deaths are constantly evolving, as evidenced by the growing challenges related to xylazine, they stated. Xylazine is a non-opioid drug used as veterinary tranquilizer, also referred to as tranq. It is often used in combination with opioids like fentanyl to enhance the effects. The ONDCP coordinates with 19 federal agencies to lead U.S. drug policy as a component of the presidents executive office. The head of the ONDCP, a role currently occupied Rahul Gupta, was a Cabinet-level position until 2009, when former President Obama demoted it. The office was established in 1988 with the signing of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act by former President Reagan. The lawmakers urged Biden to announce the reinstatement of this position to the Cabinet level in his upcoming State of the Union address on Feb. 7. Read more here. SENATE DEMS PRESS ABORTION PILL MAKER TO ADD MISCARRIAGE MANAGEMENT TO LABEL A group of Senate Democrats is calling on Danco Laboratories, one of the manufacturers of the abortion pill mifepristone, to update the drugs labeling to make it easier for patients to access the drug to help reduce complications from a miscarriage. The Democrats, led by Sens. Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Maggie Hassan (N.H.), urged the company to submit an application to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to add miscarriage management to the medications label, which currently only includes medication abortion. Since the Supreme Courts decision overturning Roe v. Wade in June, women have increasingly turned to abortion pills if they need to terminate a pregnancy. But many states have passed laws that severely restrict or outright ban medication abortion. The senators wrote that since miscarriage management is not included on the mifepristone label, patients experiencing early pregnancy loss who need mifepristone dont have easy access to the drug, putting them at risk of serious injury or death. At this time, Danco does not plan to submit an application to FDA for miscarriage management, a company spokeswoman told The Hill. Read more here. REPUBLICAN AGS BLAST PHARMACIES PLANS TO SELL ABORTION PILLS Twenty Republican state attorneys general sent a letter to U.S-based pharmacy chains Walgreens and CVS on Wednesday, telling both companies their plans to distribute abortion pills through the mail are both unsafe and illegal. In the letter, the coalition wrote that federal law prohibits anyone from using the mail to send or receive any drug that will be used or applied for producing abortion, referring to the Comstock Act of 1873. Last month, the Justice Department issued a legal opinion finding that mailing abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol does not violate the Comstock Act and said the U.S. Postal Service is legally allowed to deliver prescription abortion drugs even in states that have curtailed access to abortion. But the text, not the Biden administrations view, is what governs. And the Biden administrations opinion fails to stand up even to the slightest amount of scrutiny, the attorneys general said in the letter. We reject the Biden administrations bizarre interpretation, and we expect courts will as well, they added. Read more here. Bill Clinton returns to White House The Biden administration on Thursday marked the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) by urging expansion of the provisions guaranteed by the law and inviting former President Clinton, who signed it in 1993, to speak at the White House. President Biden was also joined by Vice President Harris to commemorate the signing of the FMLA in the White Houses East Room. The law requires certain employers to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave if employees are sick, have a new child in their household or are taking care of a sick family member, without the risk of the staffer losing their jobs. Biden issued a memo Thursday urging federal agency leaders to consider allowing their employees to access leave within the first year of their employment. Federal employees currently only qualify for leave after one year. Get cancer after six months? Your wife, your husband Look, Im a great respecter of fate. And I know all too well you cant schedule when your loved one might need your help badly, Biden said in his speech on Thursday. The president also issued a directive to the Office of Personnel Management to create recommendations helping federal employees to find safety from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking, which the president referred to as safe leave. Read more here. WHAT WERE READING Social Security, Medicare cuts sidelined in debt-ceiling talks (Wall Street Journal) Biden mailed 737 million Covid tests but mum on who got them (Bloomberg Law) Vaccine makers kept $1.4 billion in prepayments for canceled covid shots for the worlds poor (The New York Times) STATE BY STATE How Tennessee axed millions in HIV funds amid scrutiny from far-right provocateurs (NBC) How Dobbs made the Wisconsin Supreme Court race one of the biggest elections of 2023 (The 19th) Former UM chancellor: Gov. Tate Reeves privately acknowledged Medicaid expansion benefits (Mississippi Today) OP-EDS IN THE HILL Thats it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hills Health Care page for the latest news and coverage. See you tomorrow. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The Colorado River cuts through Marle Canyon in the Navajo Nation en route to the Grand Canyon. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) It's a crisis nearly 100 years in the making: Seven states all reliant on a single mighty river as a vital source of water failed to reach an agreement this week on how best to reduce their use of supplies from the rapidly shrinking Colorado River. At the heart of the feud is the "Law of the River," a body of agreements, court decisions, contracts and decrees that govern the river's use and date back to 1922, when the Colorado River Compact first divided river flows among the states. But as California argues most strongly for strict adherence to this system of water apportionment, the other states say it makes little sense when the river's largest reservoir, Lake Mead, continues to decline toward "dead pool" level, which would effectively cut off the Southwest from its water lifeline. The Law of the River, they say, is getting in the way of a solution. "We can argue about whether interpretations of the Law of the River match the physical reality," said Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources. "But if you end up in a courtroom arguing these points and something isn't done, the Colorado River system is going to crash." As drought, climate change and chronic overuse sap the Colorado River, the federal government has called on the states to collectively reduce their use by 2 million to 4 million acre-feet. California's water districts have legal rights to the largest share of the river, which not only provides drinking water for millions of Southern Californians, but also helps feed the nation through agricultural irrigation. The other states Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming say it's unreasonable to let large population centers that are lower in the pecking order such as Phoenix and Tucson go thirsty. California's legal position is based on several factors, said James Salzman, a professor of environmental law at UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. First, the authors of the original Colorado Compact made the "fateful decision" to divvy up water for the river's lower-basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada in absolute quantities instead of percentages. Story continues That means upper-basin states are obligated to deliver 7.5 million acre-feet per year to the lower states, no matter what, which "turned out to be a tragically bad design," Salzman said. Additionally, the massive Imperial Irrigation District in California established senior rights to the water before the Colorado River Compact meaning it holds high-priority rights to deliver the single largest share of the river's water to Imperial Valley farmlands. Arizona, by contrast, agreed to junior rights to the river in 1968 in exchange for building the Central Arizona Project, the system that transports river water through the state. In other words, according to the Law of the River, if there's not enough water to go around, states like Arizona are supposed to be cut off before California. That's led to two very different proposals from the states this week. California's proposal includes a previous commitment from Southern California water agencies to reduce water use by 400,000 acre-feet per year through 2026, a reduction of about 9%. The proposal also calls for additional cuts in Arizona, California and Nevada on a tiered scale if Lake Mead continues to decline. The proposal submitted by the six states outlines reductions from Arizona, California and Nevada beyond what those states have already agreed to. It translates into especially large reductions for California. Rhett Larson, a water law professor at Arizona State University, said California comes out as the "clear winner" if the Law of the River is interpreted as it's presently written. "I'm an Arizonan, and so I'm pretty biased in favor of Arizona," he said. "But I'm also a lawyer, which means I'm pretty biased in favor of the law. And the law says that California's proposal is basically right legally. It may not be right practically or morally, but it's right legally." Among the body of the law is 2019's Drought Contingency Plan, under which California, Arizona and Nevada agreed to a schedule of reductions at Lake Mead through 2026. Mexico committed under a separate accord to participate in reductions, and some Native tribes have also agreed to conserve water in an effort to boost reservoir levels. But over the past few years, those reductions haven't been nearly enough and the reservoir levels have continued to drop. The 2019 agreement spells out cuts down to a certain point. If Lake Meads level reaches an elevation of 1,025 feet 22 feet below its current level and continues declining, the existing rules about what should happen fall to the Law of the River, Larson said. But he also noted that the Central Arizona Project delivers about 40% of water supplies to cities in central Arizona. He said it would be "devastating" for the Arizona project to take most of the cuts before California was required to take substantial cuts. The six states' proposal, while not sufficient by itself, is "a better start and solves more problems, and avoids more problems, than California's proposal," he said. For its part, California's Colorado River Board said its plan "makes a constructive effort to uphold the Law of the River while making substantial efforts to protect the Colorado River system with voluntary reductions far beyond California's legal obligations." "The 40 million people, nearly 6,000,000 acres of agriculture, and 30 Indian tribes that rely on the Colorado River require us to be successful in this effort," the board wrote in its proposal. Adel Hagekhalil, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, said all of the states are in agreement that reductions are needed, but that "the priority system is part of the law." He noted that California has worked with the other states to adapt and adjust to changing conditions, including putting water back into Lake Mead. Southern California has also made broad efforts in water conservation, instituted severe water use restrictions and made investments in alternative supplies. "But we can't bypass a history of agreements that supported the livelihood of people living in California, the business and the economy, and has been acknowledged in courts and in history, and say, 'Let's forget about that,'" Hagekhalil said. Among those court cases was Arizona vs. California, a 1963 Supreme Court case that ruled that of the first 7.5 million-acre feet of the river's waters, 4.4 million acre-feet goes to California, 2.8 million to Arizona and 300,000 to Nevada. "It is a long, complicated issue, but really it's about water rights," Hagekhalil said, adding that "we all understand that we need to reduce." "Let's assess the impact of these cuts on the environment, and let's take the time to negotiate who takes the cuts," he said. Still, some officials, including Buschatzke, criticized California's proposal as being "extremely Law-of-the-River-centric." "I understand potential legal arguments. But the six-state proposal recognizes the physical reality of what's actually happening. And California's doesn't," he said. Salzman, of UCLA, said the likely outcome of the impasse is federal intervention followed by litigation. He couldn't think of a similar case that might serve as precedent for the current stalemate, but feared the states will run out of time as the river gets drier and lower. "They're basically stepping outside the Law of the River, because the Law of the River does not clearly provide for how to reduce 2 million acre feet," Salzman said. "On the other hand, the Law of the River is why we're in this mess in the first place." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Photo: The Canadian Press A Russian woman says she has been denied consular services by her country's embassy in Canada over claims her Facebook activity poses a security threat. "It totally came as a shock to me," said Elena Pushkareva, who left Russia a decade ago. Pushkareva said the Russian Embassy, which declined to comment to The Canadian Press, denied her access to its consular service in Ottawa, where she had an appointment to update her children's documents. Pushkareva left Russia a decade ago for political reasons. She lives in Ottawa and had visited the consular office before, as recently as Dec. 28, and booked an appointment in January to process paperwork. A few hours ahead of the appointment, she said, she got a phone call from a man who identified himself as a Russian consular officer in Ottawa, but refused to give his name. "They called me that morning, telling me there was no need to come, that they will not provide me with the service, and that was the personal decision made by the ambassador," she said. "I don't understand why they decided to call me first, why it was so important for them that I don't even come." Pushkareva said the official said Ambassador Oleg Stepanov cancelled the appointment because she posed a safety risk to the building, by virtue of being part of a Facebook group. The group in question advocates for freeing jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, which Pushkareva said is for people who feel Russia shouldn't jail people for their political views, regardless of whether they support Navalny. She said the man on the phone said that if Pushkareva didn't believe him, she could show up at the consulate and be told the same thing, which is what she said happened. The consulate sits in a building down the street from the embassy. She said she recorded the Jan. 18 exchange. In the audio recording, an unnamed official tells her that being part of a specific Facebook page has led the ambassador to verbally ask staff to deny her access to the consulate. The official says in Russian that the Facebook page included "information with calls for violent actions, to the detriment of the interests of the Russian Federation. For this reason, you're denied admission to the consular department." In the recording, Pushkareva asks what exactly on Facebook amounted to a threat, but the consulate provides no example. Instead, the official said she could write a letter to the ambassador, which she has done. "With this decision you have gone beyond the legal framework of our country," her letter reads in Russian, accusing the consulate of violating Russia's constitution by depriving her of consular access and not providing a written reason. "I have used the services of consular departments in Canada many times, and none of the parties had any problems in terms of security," she wrote. Pushkareva noted that the consulate staff seemed to name a public Facebook page and conflated it with a private Facebook group with a similar name. Pushkareva has visited both, but said she is not responsible for what is posted there. She also said she has not seen violence being advocated on either site. She also noted that Facebook is supposed to delete content deemed to be threatening violence, if moderators don't do so first. The embassy declined to comment, but the Novaya Gazeta news site said a consulate official insisted Pushkareva had not been denied services, only access to the consulate building. Yet the official did not specify how Pushkareva could be helped without entering the building, which they called an institution with security measures. "If you don't deny me the service, maybe you'll provide me with the service or on the street? Maybe they'll bring out a desk? So anyway, I took another appointment. I will follow on, because it's kind of interesting," she said with a laugh. She said she went public with her story out of a sense that keeping quiet wouldn't help resolve the situation. Yet Pushkareva is worried that being barred from the consulate will later prevent her from getting her children's Russian passports up to date. The thought of them not being able to visit relatives is "very painful," but travel seems impossible in the near term. "There are not that many people here, who are not afraid to go speak in public," she said. "With every situation like my case, it's really frightens people." Pushkareva said she left Russia in 2013 out of concerns the country was increasingly less democratic. Still, she was shocked by Moscow's decision a year ago to invade Ukraine, which she has protested in Ottawa. "My personal feeling was that it was getting worse, and now it's so sad to witness that it is getting much worse," she said. "It's important that Canadians know that we exist, that there are Russians who have a different opinion from the opinion of (President) Vladimir Putin and the Russian government." Israeli army M109 155mm self-propelled howitzers are positioned in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights near the Syria border on January 2, 2023. JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images Israel, a major US partner, has not provided direct military aid to Ukraine. The country is balancing Western interests and its own regional interests in the Middle East. Russia allows Israel to conduct operations targeting Iran-linked forces in Syria, something it doesn't want to jeopardize. Since Russian forces launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly a year ago, the US and partner countries have provided Kyiv with tens of billions of dollars in widespread security assistance. But Israel, a prominent ally of NATO and Western militaries, has so far refused to send weapons to Ukraine, despite pressure to do so, opting instead to focus its efforts on providing humanitarian aid. Middle East experts say this is because Israel has a complicated relationship with Russia and works with the country to carry out operations in neighboring Syria. At the same time, Israel has been able to often strike a balance between the interests of major global powers and its own to avoid conflict. Israel, as of February 2022, was the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign assistance most of which comes in the form of military support. It also boasts one of the world's strongest militaries, armed with drones, advanced fighter jets, and even nuclear weapons, though that isn't openly acknowledged. The US and its allies expected that Israel would support Ukraine when Russia invaded, but the country was slow to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin and the unprovoked assault on Russia's neighbor. From the early days of the war, Israel has provided humanitarian aid and equipment for emergency forces efforts that have continued under the new right-wing government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But the country has stopped short of providing direct lethal military aid to Ukraine, despite pleas from leadership in Kyiv. It's complicated. Israel's complicated relationship with Russia has multiple dimensions to it. For starters, Israel is home to large Russian and Ukrainian communities, while both of these countries host Jewish populations. Story continues "How do you deal with countries that have Jewish communities and they fight with one another?" Yossi Mekelberg, an associate fellow with the Middle East and North Africa program at the UK-based Chatham House, told Insider. "You have to be careful how you act without endangering one or the other Jewish community." Israeli soldiers transport munitions off a vehicle at a position in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on January 2, 2023. JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images But the issue that remains front and center when it comes to Israel's reluctance to send military aid to Ukraine involves neighboring Syria and a shadowy conflict between Israel and its regional foe, Iran. Russia controls much of the airspace over war-torn Syria, and it allows Israel to carry out operations targeting Iran-linked assets and weapons shipments to its regional proxies like the Lebanon-based Hezbollah which is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US State Department. "Russia doesn't try to shoot down Israeli planes, and Israeli planes don't try to destroy Russian anti-aircraft batteries," Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Insider. Even as Moscow allows Israel to clamp down on Iranian influence in Syria, Russia and Iran have increased their military ties and support throughout the Ukraine war. Tehran has provided the Kremlin with suicide drones, which Russian forces have used to bombard Ukrainian cities and the country's civilian infrastructure. A top UK official said in December that Russia was also seeking a massive supply of ballistic missiles from Iran and was prepared to offer the country "unprecedented" military support in return. 'Contradictory' and 'paradoxical' behaviors In theory, the threat posed by Russia-Iran cooperation in this space would appear to be the most likely impetus for Israel to provide additional support for Ukraine, Alterman said, but Israel is reluctant to lose the freedom of action it has in Syria because it perceives Hezbollah to be a tremendous danger. "It would take a lot for Israel to feel that it should jeopardize freedom of action against these resupply efforts that go through Syria," he said. So even with these increasing military ties between Moscow and Tehran, Israel has not made efforts to outfit Ukraine with lethal aid needed to defeat Russia. International relations occasionally have "contradictory" and "paradoxical behavior," Mekelberg explained a policy might not make much sense in the big picture but it works for a specific case, even if it contradicts a stance on another issue. An Israeli Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter jet performs during a graduation ceremony of Israeli Air Force pilots, at the Hatzerim base in the Negev desert, near the southern city of Beer Sheva, on December 28, 2022. JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images An image grab from November 20, 2019 reportedly shows Syrian air defense batteries responding to Israeli missiles targeting the southern outskirts of Damascus. AFP via Getty Images Another example of this contradictory behavior is that Russia doesn't want Iran to have too much influence in Syria and is happy for Israel to carry out its operations in country. It could have stopped Israeli behavior a long time ago if it wanted to, Mekelberg added. "Every country has a complicated set of interests, so Israel and Russia have a certain amount of understanding. But you could argue that Russia and Iran are cooperating in a range of ways, some of which Israel finds threatening because Israel finds Iran so threatening," Alterman said. "So it seems to me that what Israel is doing and what Israel expects countries to do is to balance between partners and between interests that nobody gets a hundred percent of anything." Israel's response to the Ukraine war does not seem to be a major cause for concern in Washington, and it's not the only country with solid US ties like South Korea and India to sidestep directly sending lethal aid to Ukraine. "It's partly a reflection of the complexity of the US-Israeli relationship," Alterman said, "and partly a reflection of the Biden administration having to adjust for the fact that close partners are, in many cases, unwilling to line up across the board." Last week, Axios reported that the US asked Israel if it could transfer out-of-service Hawk anti-aircraft missiles, but it remains to be seen if Israel breaks with protocol and decides to transfer lethal military aid to Ukraine. Netanyahu told CNN recently that he would consider sending weaponry to Kyiv, which Moscow warned would lead to an escalation in the conflict, according to The Times of Israel. Meanwhile, Western security assistance to Ukraine is continuing to pile up. Hundreds of armored vehicles, including tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, are heading to Ukraine in the coming months to help it defend itself against what US officials describe as a potential Russian "onslaught." Read the original article on Business Insider By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Honda Motor Co on Friday issued a "Do Not Drive" warning for 8,200 Acura and Honda vehicles with unrepaired Takata air bag inflators in the United States. The urgent warning covers various 2001-2003 model year Honda Accord, Civic CR-V and Odyssey, Pilot and Acura 3.2CL and 3.2 TL vehicles with so-called "Alpha" inflators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said owners of those vehicles should not drive them until they get repairs, warning "the risk to vehicle occupants is dire." More than 30 deaths worldwide - including at least 23 U.S. fatalities - and hundreds of injuries in various automakers' vehicles since 2009 are linked to Takata air bag inflators that can explode, unleashing potentially deadly metal shrapnel inside vehicles. NHTSA said last month a February death of the driver of a 2002 Accord in Bowling Green, Kentucky, was due to a faulty air bag inflator. Honda has reported 17 U.S. deaths and more than 200 injuries in the United States related to Takata inflator ruptures. Over the last decade, more than 67 million Takata air bag inflators have been recalled in the United States by more than 20 automakers and more than 100 million inflators worldwide, in the biggest auto safety callback in history. NHTSA says 8.5 million vehicles remained unrepaired, including 3.6 million General Motors vehicles and 1.2 million Honda vehicles. "Dont gamble with your life or the life of someone you love schedule your free repair today before its too late," said NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson. Honda said on Friday it has attempted to reach owners more than 18.3 million times including mailed notifications, emails, phone calls and door-to-door visits. The Japanese automaker emphasized it is offering free towing and loaner vehicles for the free recall repair. Honda has to date replaced or accounted for more than 99% of the Alpha inflators. Story continues Honda said "were concerned for the safety of those who have not responded and are now adopting the new Stop Driving messaging to spur them to act." In November, Chrysler parent Stellantis urged owners of 276,000 older U.S. vehicles to immediately stop driving after three crash deaths tied to faulty Takata air bag inflators were reported. NHTSA said the Takata recalls were spurred by propellant that could break down after long-term exposure to high-temperature fluctuations and humidity. (Reporting by David ShepardsonEditing by Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio) TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduras and the United Nations launched on Thursday a humanitarian aid plan aiming to reach more than 2 million of the Central American country's most vulnerable people, the groups said. The plan requires some $280 million in funding to help those hit by recent crop failures caused by drought, historic flooding from tropical storms and insecurity caused by drug trafficking and gangs, the United Nations said in a statement. The funds will come from the Honduran government, humanitarian organizations and other donors, it said, adding the plan would be presented later this month in Geneva in the hope of attracting support from other countries. Nearly 100 projects will be funded under the plan this year, including food supply and crop restoration programs, assistance to deportees and internally displaced people as well as health and water access programs. Humanitarian need has risen in Honduras in recent years, aggravated by the rising cost of living, natural disasters and violence, the United Nations said, with 74% of Hondurans living in poverty and 3.2 million people in need of aid. (Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Robert Birsel) [Source] Hong Kong is offering free airline tickets, spending vouchers and special events in their efforts to bring travelers back after COVID-19 travel restrictions were lifted. On Thursday, Hong Kong leader John Lee launched the $2 billion Hello Hong Kong travel revitalization plan that had been in preparation for over two years. Starting on Mar. 1, Hong Kong-based airlines Cathay Pacific, HK Express and Hong Kong Airlines will distribute 500,000 free tickets for six months, reported Fred Lam Tin-Fuk, Airport Authority Hong Kongs chief executive officer. The tickets were purchased in 2020 as part of a relief package offered to airlines as support during the pandemic, costing the city 2 billion Hong Kong dollars (approximately $255 million). More from NextShark: China stops issuing visas for travelers from S. Korea, Japan in retaliation for COVID restrictions During the launch ceremony, Lee called the initiative probably the worlds biggest welcome ever. Southeast Asia residents will be the first group eligible for the World of Winners giveaway in March, followed by mainland China in April. More from NextShark: Google slammed by Hong Kong leaders for refusing to remove protest anthem from search results Northeast Asia, including South Korea and Japan, along with the rest of the world will be eligible in May. The tickets will be distributed through lucky draws, games, competitions and buy-one-get-one deals. However, winners of the free economy class tickets will be required to pay any additional fees and taxes. There will also be an additional 80,000 tickets distributed to Hong Kong residents in the summer, and 80,000 more to residents in the Greater Bay Area. More from NextShark: Detroit Free Press editor resigns amid layoffs to help save employees' jobs On top of the ticket and voucher giveaway, the city plans to host more than 250 events and festivals throughout the year. Discounts on food, drinks, transport, hotels, retail and attractions in the form of vouchers are also being handed out at border checkpoints. Story continues While detailed information on the giveaway has not been released yet, signing up for the Cathay membership program will allow participants to receive a reminder to enter the giveaway. Hong Kong Airlines plans to release their giveaway details on March 1. More from NextShark: Hong Kong mother pleads guilty to fatally strangling, slashing wrists of her 16-year-old daughter The airlines free tickets will include checked baggage. On Feb. 6, mainland China will fully reopen its borders to Hong Kong and Macau, dropping all travel restrictions. "A full opening of the border means, firstly, that there will be no limit on the number of people at all border crossings, no need to make prior reservations, and you can travel freely as you want, Lee said at a press conference. Secondly, the requirement for pre-entry COVID-19 testing will be abolished, so that COVID and other tests will no longer be required, and (people) are free to enter and leave. Thirdly, all immigration control points will be opened. Although masks are still required, Lee mentioned that the mandate may be lifted after the winter season. The death of Selma police officer Gonzalo Carrasco Jr. is a senseless tragedy that left our region shocked and outraged. But rather than mourn Carrascos death and have a constructive discussion over what occurred and how future tragedies can be avoided, the situation quickly dissolved into political grandstanding and finger-pointing. How sadly predictable. As is her nature, Lisa Smittcamp cast the first stone. The Fresno County district attorney couldnt even wait until Carrasco was laid to rest before accusing Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislators with having the blood of this officer on their hands. The following day, during a press conference touting his gun control bill, Newsom shot back by saying he was sick and tired of being lectured by (Smittcamp) on public safety and suggested she look in the mirror. Opinion By having her staff work overtime, Smittcamp managed to get in the last word. Wednesday evening at 7:08 p.m., the DAs office issued another press release belittling Newsoms lack of knowledge about the legal system and calling his response arrogant and defensive. Arrogant and defensive? Probably so. Then again, Smittcamp would know all about those qualities. Rather than pick sides, theres much to pick apart. Starting with the obvious: The only person in this situation with blood on his hands is the human pond scum who allegedly pulled the trigger: Nathaniel Dixon, a 23-year-old felon released from prison on probation now charged with Carrascos murder. Dont ever lose sight of that. Second, lets not pretend Newsom is the person responsible for early releases. Those decisions are made by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which is subject to a 2011 Supreme Court decision ordering California to reduce prison overcrowding. Assembly Bill 109, known as realignment, was signed into law by former Gov. Jerry Brown not Newsom in response to the Supreme Court ruling. It allows defendants convicted of less serious felonies to serve time at county jails rather than state prisons. Story continues Smittcamp, Newsom both mislead Problem is, county jails are just as overcrowded. Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni is also under court order to regularly release low-level offenders. In Smittcamps initial press release, she claims Dixon was sentenced to a five-year, four-month prison sentence in March 2022 (as a result of his no-contest plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm) but was released after a mere 5 months. This is both misleading and false. Dixon, in fact, was jailed for 563 days as his case made its way through the legal system. Which also counts. Meaning he was behind bars for just shy of two years. Did Dixon deserve a longer stay? Thats not for me to say. But it definitely wasnt five months. Likewise, Newsom and his people arent exactly being truthful, either. A spokesman for the governor blamed Smittcamp for failing to charge Dixon to the full extent of the law, ensuring that he wouldve spent decades in prison. Even though court records indicate that three felonies originally charged to Dixon in 2020 possession of a controlled substance while armed, carrying a loaded firearm in public and carrying a concealed firearm were dropped by Smittcamps office, the matter isnt that simple. Three Fresno attorneys consulted for this column (including both prosecutors and defense attorneys) said such arrangements are exceedingly common. Furthermore, they told me based on their own experiences that even if Dixon were convicted on those three extra felonies his sentence wouldnt have been appreciably longer. Certainly not decades, as Newsoms office claimed. In this case the system worked as it was supposed to work, said an uninvolved Fresno defense attorney. Sometimes bad people do bad things. Three years probation, zero meetings Nonetheless, Smittcamp makes a good point when she states criminals are being released early without rehabilitation programming or educational opportunities. As an example, the same defense attorney quoted above told me about a client who has been on probation for three years. During that time his client has never met with his probation officer. The only time you see (probation officers) is when you screw up, the attorney said. Yes, I know that the solution for many central San Joaquin Valley residents shout out to bloodthirsty KMJ callers would be to lock up all felons and throw away the keys. This is Ground Zero for Californias flawed three strikes law, lest anyone forget. However, this ignores certain realities. Foremost among them is that the majority of voters (and the politicians they elect) are weary of the prison industrial complex. California isnt going to keep building prisons in order to continue the never-ending cycle of incarceration. That doesnt mean violent criminals like Dixon should be allowed to roam free and do as they please. Felons granted early release due to overcrowding need stricter monitoring in addition to rehabilitation and education. Unfortunately, we dont seem to be at a point where we can have that sort of constructive conversation. Not when politicians like Smittcamp and Newsom are so eager to cover their backsides and cast blame. The Charlotte Hornets are hosting its third annual Innovation Summit, a Shark Tank-style competition geared toward boosting representation and resources for minority business owners. UNC Charlotte graduate Liz Escobar won last years summit after creating the platform Hay Trabajo in 2019. The site provides translation services for local employers looking to post jobs in English and Spanish. The translation of hay trabajo means Theres work. ALSO READ: Celebration of life held for former Charlotte Hornets head coach Paul Silas Escobar shared a story detailing how her father once taught her to find work in the United States by knocking on the back doors of Charlotte-area hotels. Together, they would petition various employers for an opportunity, often times in Spanish. Sadly, thats the reality for many Hispanics because the majority are immigrants and come here, English is their second language if they know English, she explained. It has been amazing to be part of all the positive change happening in the Charlotte community, she said. The application process for the third annual Innovation Summit closes Wednesday, Feb. 8. You can apply here. >> Learn more about the Charlotte Hornets Innovation Summit and the teams mission in the video at the top of the page. (WATCH BELOW: Local business eyes expansion after landing Shark Tank deal) Karen Wolfe, right, looks at the exhibits in the new Finding Our Roots African American History Museum's RV, which visited Houma's Main Libary on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. Houma's Finding Our Roots African American Museum is on the move and bringing history to the public. Hurricane Ida in August 2021 damaged the building the museum leases on Roussell Street. Since then, it has been closed and its exhibits have been put away in storage. Museum President Margie Scoby said she had to get creative. Now the museum is on the move in a 34-foot RV that made its first pop-up visit Wednesday at Houma's Main Libray. The nonprofit museum charges $4 for entry, and inside the RV are photos, memorabilia and artifacts depicting different aspects of African American history in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. Scoby said the exhibits will be rotating with what is still in storage. She's working to get graphics for the RV's exterior that will display the museum's name. The Finding Our Roots African American Museum's RV visits Houma's Main Library on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. Scoby said the RV will visit schools, libraries and other spots around the two parishes. Groups of 25 or more can schedule a visit by emailing her at findingourroots@yahoo.com. Erika Wolfe stopped by the RV after she saw it during a Louisiana Health Department conference at the library. "This was right on time for me because I'm here for my job at an event for LDH, and I was like, 'What is that van?' " Wolfe said. She said she had never visited the museum and just had to see it before going in the library. For subscribers:You know those sky-high egg prices? They're affecting Mardi Gras king cakes too. More local news:Pope Francis names new bishop to lead Houma-Thibodaux Diocese "The lady who is the midwife, for whatever reason, I took to that one, but as I'm walking out I saw the picture of the Black man with the scars on his back and that kind of resonated with me," Wolfe said after touring the exhibits. "I'm going to have to get my daughter over here because that's our history." Scoby, the man, whose wounds were inflicted while he was enslaved, was named Peter, but his surname was lost to history. She said he had received 900 lashings to his back. Story continues The midwife was named Zenobia Tolbert Thompson and she delivered babies along Bayou Grand Caillou. The next stop for the mobile museum is Nicholls State University in Thibodaux during its Essence of Black Celebration, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday. The event will be free to the public and will host food venders, live music, an auction and other events in conjunction with Black History Month. The RV will be located in the parking lot behind Talbot Hall and adjacent to the Ellender Memorial Library. This article originally appeared on The Courier: Moving history: Houma's African American Museum goes mobile Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Reuters The House of Representatives voted by an overwhelming margin on Thursday to condemn the horrors of socialism. Its obvious that the real targets are politicians like Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But instead of explaining whats wrong with popular democratic socialist policy proposals like Medicare for All or eliminating tuition at public universities, most of the resolution is wasted on denouncing the real or alleged horrors committed by authoritarian dictatorships with no resemblance to anything advocated by democratic socialists. The text is a mess. Its full of bad history, sloppy definitions, and extreme libertarian rhetoric. It reads to me like the work of nervous ideologues who worry that the s-word is losing its power to terrify ordinary Americans. What Happened to Medicare For All? Rewriting History The resolution starts by claiming that socialist ideology necessitates a concentration of power that has time and time again collapsed into Communist regimes, totalitarian rule, and brutal dictatorships. If your understanding of socialism comes from vague memories of the Cold War, it might be easy to nod along with all of that. But what does it mean? Socialism (or even democratic socialism) can be interpreted in two ways. These phrases can refer to either a new economic system that would replace capitalism the way capitalism replaced feudalism at any earlier time in historyor socialist policies like Medicare for All that could be carried out right now without waiting for a completely new system. Many socialists, myself included, support such socialist policies both as a way of improving the lives of working-class people in the here and now, and as baby steps in the direction of deeper changes to the economy in the long run. None of that necessitates a concentration of power. In fact, exactly the opposite is true. Neither Party Cares About the Working Class To see why, think about the long-term vision of a fully democratic socialist economy replacing the corporate capitalism we have now. That would mean that what socialists call the means of productionfactories, farms, grocery stores, warehouses, mines, construction sites, you name itwould be collectively owned and democratically run by the workers themselves or the larger communities theyre part of instead of either being owned by individual rich people or having bits and pieces of them bought and sold by stockholders. Story continues That change would make power far less concentrated. Imagine, for example, that Amazon was structured as a worker-owned cooperative. Would warehouse workers vote to let the founder of the company keep so much of the money everyone made with their collective efforts that he could afford his own spaceship while many of the rest of them had to work second jobs? Would they vote to give themselves such demanding quotas, enforced by constant electronic surveillance, that many of them would end up skipping bathroom breaks and peeing in bottles to keep up the pace? Of course not. Those are the kinds of abuses that can only happen when power is concentrated at the top of the economic ladder, the way it is under capitalism. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) REUTERS/Carlos Barria And even short of that long-term vision of a socialist utopia, power is more diffused when strong labor unions and a strong regulatory state stop wealthy capitalists from just doing whatever they want to everyone else. And the more universal government programs there arelike Medicare for Allthe less working-class people need to rely on the goodwill of their bosses to meet their basic needs. That helps chip away at the concentrated power of wealthy elites. There are many historical examples of governments that were influenced by socialist ideology coming to power through democratic electionswith wildly varying results. Some have carried out major reforms that dramatically improved the lives of working-class citizens, even if they never completely got past capitalism. Sweden and Norway, for example, remain to this day among the most livable societies in human history, in large part due to the accomplishments of the socialist parties that have repeatedly held power in those countries. In other cases, such parties achieved power but caved to pressure from business interests and acted like tepid liberals or even instituted economic austerity. And of course there are several cases, such as that of Salvador Allendes government in Chile, of democratically elected socialist governments being overthrown by CIA-backed coups. But one thing that has literally never happenednot once in the history of the worldis that a democratic socialist party has come to power in some country through a multi-party election and then just sort of collapsed into Soviet-style Communism. Its true that when Communist dictatorships did arise in various countries as a result of revolutions, civil wars, coups, or invasions, they often committed all-too-real abuses and atrocities. But, crucially, so did dictatorships that oversaw capitalist economies. The absence of political freedom opens the door to the possibility of extreme state brutality whether or not its paired with the absence of free markets. Indonesias Suharto, for example, was a dictator who was backed to the hilt by the United States for standard Cold War anti-Communist reasons. And he was every bit as murderous as even the worst of his counterparts on the other side of the Iron Curtain. Such inconvenient facts are airbrushed out of the House resolutions narrative. Former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez REUTERS/Jorge Silva And at least one of the horrors that properly belongs to the Western side of the Cold War is simply transferred to the other column. The House resolution luridly describes Cambodias Killing Fields without mentioning that, when Communist Vietnam invaded Cambodia to stop those atrocities, the United States openly backed Pol Pot to make trouble for Vietnam and its Soviet patron. Thats not a secret. The United States, for example, voted in the United Nations to give Cambodias seat to Pol Pot instead of the Vietnamese-allied government he was resisting. Of course, including facts like that would ruin a perfectly good morality tale. Being Serious About Venezuela Probably the closest thing to a real example of a democratic socialist government collapsing into something closer to Soviet Communism is Venezuela. Hugo Chavez was elected on a fairly moderate platform in 1998, but he moved to the left and adopted socialist rhetoric in the 2000s. While Chavez himself won multiple internationally monitored elections after that point and respected the results of a referendum he lost in 2007, his successor Nicholas Maduro has acted in far more authoritarian ways. Culture-War Red Meat Is All the GOP Serves the Working Class Conservatives often put this fact together with the economic crisis in the Maduro eraa crisis thats been variously blamed on currency mismanagement, corruption, American sanctions, or some combination of the these factorsand portray Venezuela as a Communist dictatorship and object lesson about where the path of socialist economics leads. Predictably, theres quite a bit of this kind of rhetoric about Venezuela in the House resolution. But theres a big problem for this narrative. Theres simply no metric of state involvement in the economy that would make Venezuela more socialist or communist than several democratic nations in Europe. Even at the height of Hugo Chavezs welfare state in 2012, the Venezuelan public sector employed a smaller percentage of the population than the public sectors in Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and even France. Democrats Averted Disaster, But the Working Class Did Not Norway is a particularly good comparison point since oil (and state-owned oil companies) play similar roles in their economies. But the Norwegian public sector is a bigger employer and the Norwegian government holds far more of the countrys wealth. If Venezuela is a socialist basket case, Norway iswhata super-socialist success story? All Forms of Socialism The full ideological agenda of the resolution comes into focus in the final sentences, when the focus finally shifts away from a recitation of the sins of foreign governments to live political issues in twenty-first century America. The resolution condemns any attempt to interfere with the existing distribution of economic resources, backing the condemnation with references to the Founding Fathers. Apparently Thomas Jefferson, for example, thought that taking from those whose industry and that of his fathers has led to the acquisition of great wealth to help others, who, or whose fathers have not exercised equal industry and skill violated the first principle of association, the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry, and the fruits acquired by it. The concluding line of the House resolution declares that Congress denounces socialism in all its forms, and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States of America. Presumably the point of the phrase all its forms is to make clear that the condemnation applies not just to the state socialism of the Soviet Union or Maos China but the democratic socialism of Bernie Sanders. But the Jefferson quote, taken seriously, would cast a much wider net than that. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz Public schools, for example, tax the fruits acquired by the industry of those who may be able to afford to send their kids to private schools. And Social Security and Medicare help those whose industry during their working years was insufficient to provide them with adequate retirement savings. Congressional Republicans would doubtless insist that they dont mean to object to public schools or Social Security. That would be extremist! But the problem here goes deeper than sloppy writing in the resolution. Theres simply no coherent way to condemn socialist policies in general as tyrannical without casting a very wide net. If Medicare for All violates the first principle of association, why doesnt Medicare for seniors? If taxpayer-funded public education, provided to every pupil free at the point of service up through the senior year of high school doesnt violate that first principle, how is it that it starts to violate it when its extended to the first year of college? Just Political Theater? Many Democrats have condemned the resolution as a pointless distraction. Its easy to see why. Its not as if the U.S. government was on the brink of nationalizing the means of production before Congress swung into action. And even if it had been, a non-binding resolution would have done nothing to stop that from happening. The real goal was to divide and embarrass Democrats and isolate the handful of socialists in Congress by forcing the rest of the caucus to either condemn them or publicly take their side. And, to an extent, it worked109 Democrats voted for the resolution. Even Rep. Ro Khanna of California, who chaired Bernie Sanderss presidential campaign in 2020, bent his knee to the fearmongers and voted yay. Bernie Sanders Democratic Socialist Successors Are More Woke Than Progressive But in another way the gambit backfired. If the House had bothered to vote to condemn socialism ten years ago, there might not have been a single nay vote. If it had done it 20 years ago, when Bernie Sanders was still in the House, there would have been one. In 2023, there were 86 nays, and 14 Democrats who awkwardly voted present. Too many of these members constituents associate the s-word with immensely desirable proposals for social reformand with a broader sense of dissatisfaction with the economic status quofor performatively condemning socialism to be the completely cost-free vote it would have been even in the very recent past. I dont want to exaggerate the progress. Given the current balance of power in national politics, even Medicare for All is a long way away. American capitalism isnt going anywhere any time soon. But, little by little, that systems most fanatical defenders are losing ground in the ideological war. 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. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), the new chairwoman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, highlighted her concerns about the Biden administrations student loan forgiveness plan, promising increased oversight Thursday. During an On the Record interview with The Hills Bob Cusack, Foxx said shes looking to the Supreme Court to block the student loan forgiveness plan, which Foxx called totally illegal. The Biden administration does not have the authority under the bill that theyre using to forgive what could amount to as much as a trillion dollars in loans, she said. The Democrats always talk about fairness, fairness, fairness. Well, that is not fair in my book. Addressing school expenses, Foxx said she hopes to investigate the rising costs of higher education as she settles into her new role, as well as to find ways to change the amount that universities charge students. We certainly want to hold them accountable for how they, again, are spending hard working taxpayers dollars, Foxx said. Foxx has served as the top Republican on the House Education and Workforce Committee since 2017 and was selected to chair the committee on Jan. 9. Republicans recently rebranded the committee, which was previously known as the Committee on Education and Labor. Foxx said in January that the new term workforce would include all the people in this country who make a living. As part of her goal to practice tremendous oversight as chairwoman, Foxx pledged to subpoena Biden administration officials from at least four departments. And well be asking them to come down to explain actions or inactions on their part, Foxx said. She added that there was minimal cooperation from the administration during the 117th Congress. I think we can subpoena them if they dont come down and talk. We can subpoena information, we can hold depositions, there are a lot of things that we can do now to gather information, Foxx said. In Congress, I mean, in Washington, for the last two years, theres been no accountability. Zero. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Re. Gary Lynchs letter Ukraine needs assistance (Castanet, Jan. 31) Gary Lynch asks me where do you get the information on how corrupt the Ukrainian government is? A good source is the U.K.s Guardian newspaper, a fairly reliable, if left-leaning, mainstream media source. In 2015, it published an article titled "Welcome to Ukraine, the most corrupt nation in Europe". A more recent article, from January 2023, is titled "Ukraine is locked in a war with corruption." The same media outlet, on Feb. 1, published an article titled "Head of Kyiv tax authority accused of multimillion-dollar fraud." It is a great read because it also covers the raid on Igor Kolomoisly, who was one of (Ukrainian President) Volodymyr Zelenskyy's key sponsors and a formerly strong ally. If you want a resource closer to home, try the CBC. In 2016 it published a story titled "Ukraine's corruption continues to cost the country dearly". All this information is freely available to search and digest. Of course, I advise anyone to review information with an open objective perspective. The crackdown on corruption and the comments made by the government of Ukraine reflect the reality that corruption is widespread and involves massive sums of money. On the back of this, it is not surprising the European Union is now putting the brakes on Ukraine's request to join it. We know from previous media coverage that weapons destined for Ukraine ended up in the hands of terrorist groups in Nigeria. So how can we be sure money, weapons, and other aid provided by governments, NGOs and donations made by well-intentioned members of the public can be provided with full trust in the Ukrainian government to distribute them appropriately? That question is answered by the EU's reluctance to embrace Ukraine as a new member. When the world is not quite as you think you see it, or as you are told it is, the reality can be somewhat discomforting. Keep an open mind, and remain inquisitive. Ricky Daytona, West Kelowna Russel McDaniel, the contractor building a new home at 412 McCrea Ave. in Dennison, talks about the ongoing work. DENNISON Susan and Richard Householder have joined a growing list of people who have built new houses in the village of Dennison in the last decade. The couple is building a 4,400-square-foot ranch-style house at 211 Hanna St., close to the entrance of the PHAC Park ballfields. It will have four bedrooms, including a mother-in-law suite for Susan's mother, Maureen Linnell; three and a half baths; and a screened in deck so they can sit out in the summertime and watch Little League games at the park. It will be handicap accessible to accommodate Richard, a disabled Iraq War veteran. More on Dennison:How many people live in Tuscarawas County after the 2020 Census count? Their current home at 11 Sherman St. just a block away wasn't big enough. "We have eight children and 16 grandkids and we needed a place with a big open space for holidays and things like that," Susan Householder said. Though neither Susan nor Richard are Dennison natives, they like living in the area. "This is a nice place to raise kids. It's a really close community," Susan said. "The reason why we're building over there is because of the community. We have the best neighbors just right here in our neighborhood. We do all kinds of things together." A new home under construction on Hanna Street in Dennison. The village has added 54 residents since 2010, a 2% increase. Dennison has been declining in population since its heyday in the 1920s, when it had a population of more than 5,000. The 2020 census lists the village with 2,709 residents. But it added 54 residents since 2010, a 2% increase. This was the first time the community has added residents in decades. Aggressive action on dilapidated buildings That growth can be attributed to aggressive action by village officials to tear down blighted buildings and sell the resulting vacant lots to people willing to build. Two demolitions:Dennison Village Council approves spending for demolitions, stray cat sterilizations Since 2010, the village or property owners have demolished 76 deteriorating structures. The Householders bought the property on Hanna Street and had the house there torn down in 2021. It had stood empty for at least 12 years. They split the cost of demolition with the village. Story continues A new home under construction on Hanna Street in Dennison. In the same time period, 20 new houses have been built or are being built in Dennison. This includes the new Lakeside Heights subdivision off Fette Road on the northeast edge of town. All nine lots in the subdivision have been sold, according to Mayor Greg DiDonato. Demolishing old houses has helped reduce drug activity, as well as problems with squatters. "So it's saving us valuable time policing them," the mayor said. "It's just built a better environment." Even the sale of lots that are too small to build on are a benefit to the community, he said. The lots are cleaned up and the new owners are paying taxes on the property. A new home under construction on Hanna Street in Dennison. The village has added 54 residents since 2010, a 2% increase. DiDonato said residents are pleased with the results. "I own a home here. I don't want it devalued," he said. "The people who have pride take care of their home. It is an investment and you're protecting them. In most cases, they're the people who are involved in the community." He noted that houses have been selling for good prices in Dennison in recent years. "If the neighborhoods are deteriorating, no one's getting anything for their homes," DiDonato said. Investing in Dennison and Uhrichsville Russel McDaniel, who is retired from the construction business, is building a new house on a 50-by-150 lot at 412 McCrea Ave. that he hopes to sell when it is completed. The 1,360-square-foot residence will have two bedrooms, two baths and a double garage. He said it would be an ideal starter house or a retirement home. He owned Mac Construction, which built about 75 houses in four or five different counties over the years. Now he builds houses to keep busy in the winter months and help pay for retirement. "Now it's relaxing. I enjoy doing it. It's not like a job anymore. It's more or less a hobby now," he said. Russel McDaniel, who is retired from the construction business, is building a new house on a 50-by-150 lot at 412 McCrea Ave. that he hopes to sell when it is completed. Over the past four years, McDaniel has built four new houses in Uhrichsville and flipped a house on Seventh Street in Uhrichsville two years ago. He said he thinks investing in Dennison and Uhrichsville is a good idea. "This is my home. I'd rather spend my time and money here than I would traveling," he said. The Householders hope to have their new house finished sometime this year. Then they plan on renting out their current home on Sherman Street. Susan said Dennison is a nice place to retire or to raise children. "It's a nice small community," she said. "And even though it's little town, everything is right here. We don't have to go very far to the grocery store or the hospital or downtown or the ball game. It's really convenient." This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Dennison adds 20 new houses in last 11 years imaginima - Getty Images United Nations projections point to the world population peaking at roughly 10.4 billion people before 2100. Not all researchers agree on the population peak, with one Gates Foundation-funded study suggesting population is nearing peak now. Can AI reaching singularity have a declining result on human population? Based on the U.N.s projections, our world population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and up to 9.7 billion in 2050. Then, the peak happens at 10.4 billion during the 2080s, and the decline starts around 2100. Hell, that forecast may even be a bit on the high side, according to a University of Washington study funded by the Gates Foundation. The point is, with the worlds population passing 8 billion late last year, the global population peak is drawing rapidly closer. But so, too, is singularitythe concept of artificial intelligence exceeding beyond human control and rapidly transforming society. (One trend shows well reach singularity in just 7 years.) Will singularity throw an entirely different wrinkle into the population peak? To start, the global population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950. Blame dropping fertility rates. Today, the U.N. says, two-thirds of the global population lives in a country or area where lifetime fertility is below 2.1 births per woman, roughly the level required for zero growth in the long run, for a population with low mortality. Wikimedia Commons With the expectation of sustained low levels of fertility, this trend only continues. Jon Wilmoth, director of the population division of the U.N.s Department of Economic and Social Affairs, elaborates: The cumulative effect of lower fertility, if maintained over several decades, could be a more substantial deceleration of global population growth in the second half of the century. The University of Washington study suggests a continued trend of a decline in fertility and a slowing population growth. The study claims that by 2100, there wont be any more than 8.8 billion people on Earth. Story continues Of course, if we allow AI to take over control of the world, that number could be even lower. And theres no telling just how many (or how few) of us our new robot overlords will decide theyll need around. Better get on your favorite algorithms good side now. You Might Also Like By Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday the International Monetary Fund was giving his country a "tough time" over unlocking stalled funding from a $6.5 billion bailout at a time of "unimaginable" economic crisis. Hours after his remark, the Pakistani rupee hit a record low against the U.S. dollar in a steep slide since last week. "Our economic situation is unimaginable," the premier said, adding the IMF visiting mission was giving Pakistan a "tough time." "The conditions we have to fulfil are beyond imagination," he said, but admitted that the country has no option but to accept them. "You all know we are running short of resources," Sharif said, adding the country was "facing an economic crisis". He made the comments in a meeting of civil and military leaders in the northwestern city of Peshawar he chaired to prepare a response to Monday's mosque bombing that killed more than 100 people. He was speaking in the context of funds the country might need for any military or counter-terrorism response to the resurgent Islamist militancy. IMF's Pakistan representative did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. FREE FALL The IMF mission is visiting Pakistan to discuss fiscal consolidation measures the institution needs from Pakistan to clear a 9th review of its Extended Fund Facility, aimed at helping countries facing balance-of-payments crises. Pakistan's central bank reserves at present stand at $3.09 billion, the lowest since 1998 and not enough to cover the cost of three weeks of imports. The IMF's demands aimed at controlling the country's budget deficit have led Pakistan to leave its currency to market based exchange rates and raise fuel prices. The Pakistani rupee fell by 1.9% to a record low of 276.58 per dollar in the inter-bank market on Friday, according to the central bank. Story continues The local currency has dropped 16.5% since the artificial cap was removed last week to allow its value to be decided by a market-based exchange rate. The rupee also shed 2.65% against the U.S. dollar on the open market, according to the association of exchange companies. An IMF delegation is in Pakistan to restart talks stalled since November for $2.5 billion funds yet to be disbursed. Despite the economic situation, Sharif said his country will do whatever possible to fight militancy. "We will use all resources in our capacity to fight this menace," he said. (Reporting by Asif Shahzad in Islamabad; Additional Reporting by Ariba Shahid in Karachi; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle, Louise Heavens and Arun Koyyur) The Indian government has ordered Vodafone Idea to convert all the interest it owes to the government into equity in the firm, making it by far the largest shareholder in the troubled telecom giant. Vodafone said it has been ordered to convert capital worth about $2 billion into equity. The company will take all necessary actions forthwith to undertake the aforesaid issuance, Vodafone Idea disclosed (PDF) in a regulatory filing. The move is the latest in the rescue attempts to save Vodafone Idea, a joint venture between the British telecom giant Vodafone Group and local billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla's conglomerate, which owed the Indian government about $2 billion for spectrum and other dues. In 2021, the Indian government approved a rescue package for the debt-ridden telecom firms in the country and reserved rights to convert interest on them into equity at a later date. Last year, Vodafone Idea's board approved a plan to give the Indian government a 36% stake in the company. The company reported later that the Indian government had no desire to take over the operations of the firm. "They want three private players in the market, they want promoters to run this company, a company executive said at the time. India is the world's second largest wireless market. Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio and Sunil Mittal's Bharti Airtel command the lion's share in the country. Vodafone Idea spent the least among the top three in the government's auction of 5G spectrum last year. Jio spent over $11 billion to buy the offered spectrum, followed by Airtel's over $5.4 billion expense. Vodafone Idea bought spectrum worth $2.37 billion. By Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Biden administration is in talks with Indian officials over a possible White House visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this year, according to a U.S. official aware of the discussions and another person briefed on the matter. U.S. President Joe Biden is eager to deepen ties with the world's largest democracy as part of his bid to win what he has framed as a contest between free and autocratic societies, especially China. The White House and the Indian Embassy in Washington declined to comment. Dates are not finalized, the sources said. Discussions about a possible White House visit intensified this week as Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met with his U.S. counterpart, Jake Sullivan, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington. During the visit, the United States and India launched a partnership to deepen ties on military equipment, semiconductors and artificial intelligence. New Delhi has frustrated Washington by participating in military exercises with Russia and increasing purchases of the country's crude oil, a key source of funding for the war in Ukraine. Washington has been pushing New Delhi to do more to punish Russia for the Ukraine invasion. India proposed on Wednesday hiking military spending for the upcoming year by 13% to $72.6 billion as it seeks to add more fighter jets and roads along its tense border with China. India and China share a 2,100-mile (3,400-kilometer) frontier that has been disputed since the 1950s. The U.S. president is expected to make his own trip to New Delhi in September for the G20 meetings hosted by India. Biden is also expected to meet with Modi during a mid-year meeting of the Quad countries, which is hosted by Australia and also includes Japan. Those countries, along with South Korea, are key to Biden's strategy of strengthening regional alliances and shoring up Asian security in the face of threats including China's claims of Taiwan and vast swathes of the South China Sea. Story continues President George W. Bush's administration in 2005 denied Modi a U.S. visa after a 2002 incident where more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in sectarian riots in the Indian state of Gujarat, where he had been chief minister. Modi denied any wrongdoing. He was first invited to the White House after he became prime minister in 2014 by Barack Obama. Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a record-breaking victory in his home state Gujarat in December and is widely expected to win the next general election in 2024. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Heather Timmons and Sandra Maler) Story at a glance Merrillville, Ind. firefighters and the police departments animal control unit on Tuesday arrived at Hidden Lake Park to help an injured owl on the ice. The rescue took about 35 minutes and two tries to catch the owl. While the owl did not suffer any fractures, bruising on his right wing and injuries to six primary flight feathers on the same side restricted its mobility. MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (WGN) An injured great horned owl is receiving care at a northwest Indiana wildlife facility after being rescued from a frozen lake by area first responders. Merrillville firefighters and the police departments animal control unit on Tuesday arrived at Hidden Lake Park to help a sedentary owl on the ice. The rescue took about 35 minutes and two tries to catch the owl, the Times of Northwest Indiana reported. When crews donned ice suits and deployed an ice rescue sled for their rescue attempt, the bird flew a bit closer to the edge of the lake. Authorities then decided to use a net to capture the owl safely. Photo courtesy of Merrillville FD Photo courtesy of Merrillville FD Northwest Indiana couple surprised to find peace sign on ultrasound Erins Farm, a Hobart-area nonprofit rescue sanctuary, took the injured owl from Merrillville first responders before turning the bird over to Humane Indiana Wildlife. The Munster-area animal shelter shared on Facebook that the owl, who suffered injuries to its right wing, was doing well. While the owl did not suffer any fractures, bruising on his right wing and injuries to six primary flight feathers on the same side restricted its mobility. 6 of his primary flight feathers have been destroyed, on that same side, rendering him temporarily unable to fly, the shelter wrote. We are currently treating him with anti-inflammatory and pain medication for the bruising. The animal shelter added that the recovery could take several months, barring a transplant procedure called imping, which replaces damaged feathers with healthy feathers from another bird of the same age and gender. Story continues Once his bruising has healed, we will be able to move him to an outdoor enclosure where he will be more comfortable, the shelter said. Photo courtesy of Humane Indiana Wildlife Photo courtesy of Humane Indiana Wildlife Photo courtesy of Humane Indiana Wildlife Photo courtesy of Humane Indiana Wildlife Anyone interested in contributing to the owls care may donate to the Humane Indiana Wildlife. More than $350 has been raised. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. An Indiana man who was recording a TikTok video died when he fell off a coastal cliff in Puerto Rico, his family and officials said. Edgar Garay, 27, was seen stumbling toward the edge of a 70-foot cliff late Sunday afternoon in Cabo Rojo, Coast Guard officials said. He was on a day trip to the southwestern coast of the island, according to the Coast Guard. Edgar Garay. (Ricardo Castrodad / U.S. Coast Guard) Garay was with a cousin, who had warned him to stay away from the cliff's edge, Edgar's brother Carlos Garay told NBC affiliate WTHR of Indianapolis. "My brother has a TikTok account that he loved to upload videos to, he told the station. Unfortunately, that was what he was trying to do when he was closer to the edge than he should have been. The cousin walked away from the edge and glanced back but did not see Edgar Garay, Carlos Garay told the station. Coast Guard rescue units searched for the man after a 911 call, and a local emergency dive unit found and retrieved his body Monday afternoon, officials said. We express our most heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Edgar Garay and pray they find closure and strength during this most difficult time, Coast Guard Capt. Jose E. Diaz said. Edgar Garay sustained major head injuries in the fall, his brother told WTHR, adding that Edgar was called often called Chuwey. He was full of life and "a bit of a daredevil," and he loved posting to his TikTok account, his brother said. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Photo: Toronto Police Service A suspect in the fatal assault Toronto police have issued an arrest warrant in an alleged assault that led to the death of longtime CBC producer Michael Finlay. Det. Jason Hillier says a 43-year-old man from Toronto is wanted for manslaughter. Police have said officers responded to a call about an assault on Jan. 24 at 3:35 p.m. in the Danforth Avenue and Jones Avenue area. Finlay, 73, was allegedly assaulted and fell to the ground with serious injuries after the attack, police say. Hillier says police believe Finlay and the suspect were not known to each other, but he did not share his cause of death or whether they had any interaction before the alleged assault. In a note sent to CBC staff this week and obtained by The Canadian Press, the network said Finlay, who worked at the broadcaster for 31 years before retiring in 2010, died Tuesday, a week after the attack. Cathy Perry, the network's executive director of newsgathering and operations, said Finlay died of medical complications. The public broadcaster said the longtime former CBC producer travelled the world to create radio documentaries. The police investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information related to the attack or suspect is being asked to contact police. Police also urged the suspect to speak with a lawyer and turn himself in. Police respond to the April 2019 shooting death of Traychon Taylor near Franks Place bar in South Bend. PROVIDED, WSBT-TV SOUTH BEND A man convicted of involuntary manslaughter after a drug deal turned into a robbery outside Frank's Place bar is getting a new trial, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The ruling handed down by the state's top judicial body is the latest turn in the proceedings against Kyle Doroszko in connection to the April 2019 shooting death of 19-year-old Traychon Taylor. Though there were accusations that detectives lied when they took Doroszko into custody and a special prosecutor was appointed, the 22-year-old is getting a new trial because the court found St. Joseph Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Sanford improperly denied Doroszko's attorneys the opportunity to question prospective jurors. That error deprived Doroszko the right to a fair and impartial jury, the court ruled, given his defense centered on claims of self-defense. New trial for tapes?State supreme court won't hear South Bend 'police tapes' case "[Sanford] not only denied Doroszko the opportunity to conduct his own examination, it also inadequately examined the prospective jurors on controversial legal principles relevant to his claim of self-defense," the court wrote in its opinion. Jury selection issues Taylor, and a group of his friends, had arranged to meet up with Doroszko to buy some marijuana on the night of April 28, 2019. But when the group met him outside Frank's Place, they attempted to rob him. A struggle ensued in which Doroszko shot and killed Taylor, though he maintained he was acting in self-defense. Dorszko was charged with murder while the other three men who attempted to rob him were also charged with various offenses. Criminal proceedings against Doroszko were at times heated, with a special prosecutor being appointed to the case after a video camera at Doroszko's house contradicted statements by detectives about when they officially took Doroszko into custody. The case also had the potential to address Indiana's self-defense law, which prevents someone from the right to self-defense if they use force to defend themselves while committing a felony even a nonviolent one. Story continues However, the supreme court's decision to grant a new trial deals with the more technical matter of jury selection. Indiana trial rules allow lawyers to question jurors about potential biases, though the rules state a judge can also be the one asking the questions. In Doroszko's case, his attorney petitioned Sanford for the opportunity to directly ask questions of jurors. Sanford denied the motion and during jury selection asked just six "yes" or "no" questions about defense, the supreme court ruling found. The lack of opportunity to ask open-ended questions about the crux of the trial deprived Doroszko his right to a fair jury, the court said. Doroszko was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, a lesser offense than murder, in May 2021 and sentenced to 12 years in prison. He appealed his conviction, and although the Indiana Court of Appeals agreed that Sanford violated the state's rules governing jury questioning, the appeals court ruled the matter was "harmless" and upheld the conviction. However, all five Supreme Court Justices agreed in granting Doroszko a new trial. Email Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@sbtinfo.com. Follow him on Twitter: @marek_mazurek This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Indiana Supreme Court grants new trial to man convicted in shooting Madison County authorities have identified the remains of a former East St. Louis woman missing for 10 years and filed murder charges against a man now in prison on a drug conviction. The accused, Roger D. Sutton Jr., 55, who has lived in Pontoon Beach and Alton, was due to be released from Centralia Correctional Center on Feb. 14, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections database. Pontoon Beach Police Chief Chris Modrusic told reporters at a news conference Thursday that police responded to a report in early December of skeletal remains in a wooded area along Illinois 111. They later determined that the victim was Patrenia Trina Butler-Turner, who was 40 when she disappeared from East St. Louis in 2013. Modrusic and Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine declined to give details on how Sutton became a suspect, what may have been his motive or whether he knew Butler-Turner. Its still too early in this investigation, Modrusic said. Like I said, the investigation started Dec. 5, and we moved pretty quickly on this, knowing that he was getting ready to get out of prison, because we wanted to keep him incarcerated. So weve still got a lot of legwork ahead of us. Were still waiting on evidence to come back from the crime lab. Modrusic confirmed that investigators used DNA testing to identify Butler-Turners remains and received the results this week, but he declined to say if DNA evidence linked Sutton to the crime. The family of 40-year-old Patrenia Trina Butler-Turner distributed flyers and searched the East St. Louis area after she disappeared on Jan. 17, 2013. Prosecutors filed murder charges Thursday. Haines office charged Sutton with first-degree murder for allegedly strangling and fatally beating Butler-Turner, as well as concealment of a homicidal death. Prosecutors charged Suttons nephew, Nathan J. Beyer, 32, of Alton, with concealment for allegedly assisting him. (Suttons) parole date was less than two weeks from today, but due to these charges, he now has a $3 million bond, and he will be transferred to the Madison County jail, Haine said. Beyer is being held on a $500,000 bond. Butler-Turner was living in Orlando, Florida, and working as a housekeeper in 2013, when she returned to East St. Louis to help with her first grandchild, according to her daughter, Candace Burnett, who attended the news conference with other family members. Story continues Burnett said Butler-Turner left her house early on Jan. 17, 2013, to go to the store and get milk, but she never returned. She missed her other daughters high-school graduation and her flight back to Florida. The family reported her disappearance to police, distributed flyers and searched the area. Burnett described her mother as a good person, happy, sweet and smart and someone who would give anybody anything. Butler-Turner had three children, and today she would have had four grandchildren. (Authorities) had the body for a month and a half before they knocked on our door, said Burnett, 30, of East St. Louis, an Amazon delivery person. They didnt know whose body it was. Just think about it ... Somebodys bones laying out in the woods for 10 years with snow, rain, dirt, animals. Its horrible. Candace Burnett, daughter of Patrenia Butler-Turner, attended a news conference in Pontoon Beach on Thursday, when authorities announced charges against a man they say murdered her mother 10 years ago. During the news conference, Haine emphasized the importance of the publics help in providing information to police and other law-enforcement officials on both cold cases and recent crimes. Haine also spoke directly to Butler-Turners family. We are so sorry for your loss, he said. Ten years is an incredibly long time. We do not forget Trina. You did not forget Trina, and we will fight for justice for Trina. Sutton was arrested and charged with possession of less than 5 grams of methamphetamine on Feb. 6, 2021, in Calhoun County, according to the circuit clerks office. He pleaded guilty on Jan. 25, 2022, and was sentenced to two years in prison on April 19, 2022. Sutton has no other Calhoun County police record beyond traffic tickets. In Madison County, Sutton pleaded guilty to a 1994 residential burglary in Madison. He served a concurrent sentence in Tennessee, where he had faced aggravated burglary, theft and robbery charges. Also in Madison County, Sutton pleaded guilty to a 1999 unlawful-restraint charge in Granite City as part of a plea deal that dismissed a domestic-battery charge, and he was released to Tennessee authorities for parole violation. Sutton pleaded guilty to a 2000 possession of cannabis charge in South Roxana and a 2007 burglary charge and 2015 battery charge in Pontoon Beach. Court documents related to the 2007 case included a motion for bond modification so Sutton could continue his employment with Ingram Barge in Paducah, Kentucky, and St. Louis at the time. He was later sentenced to 18 months in prison. Anyone with information on the Butler-Turner murder or suspects Sutton and Beyer are encouraged to call the Pontoon Beach Police Departments detective division at 618-931-5100. CAMDEN A Haddonfield man has admitted he tried to recruit a hitman to murder a 14-year-old boy, authorities say. John Musbach, 31, wanted the death of a youngster whom he had previously victimized in a child-pornography crime, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for New Jersey. Musbach searched the dark web in May 2016 to find a website that offered murder-for-hire services, then paid the operator $20,000 in bitcoin, says a criminal complaint. The hired-killer website was a scam, however, and Musbach was arrested three years later after an informant alerted authorities to his activities. The boy was never harmed, the federal prosecutors office said in a statement. More: Bias probe at a South Jersey municipal court: What we know More: What will Atlantic City International Airport do with millions in federal funding? One crime leads to another A criminal complaint says Musbach's search for a hitman had its origins in another crime committed in the summer of 2015. Thats when Musbach, then living in Galloway, exchanged sexually explicit videos during online contacts with a 13-year-old boy in New York state, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The childs parents alerted police after leaning of the contacts in September 2015, and Musbach was charged in March 2016 with endangering the welfare of a child. While awaiting trial, Musbach sought to have the boy killed to eliminate a potential witness, the complaint alleges. It claims he paid the hitman website after its operator told him a 14-year-old was not too young to be murdered. Musbach repeatedly messaged the administrator while waiting for the murder to occur, then demanded a refund after being directed to pay an additional $5,000. The administrator then revealed his website was a scam, and demanded $10,000 to refrain from reporting Musbach to the police. The complaint does not say if Musbach paid the operators demand. Musbach eventually avoided trial by pleading guilty to the child-porn offense after he'd been denied entry into a court-diversion program in Atlantic County. A Superior Court judge in Mays Landing gave him a two-year suspended sentence with parole supervision for life. Story continues Investigators learned of the murder plot in May 2019 from an informant who had hacked the hitman website. The complaint notes a hard drive taken from Musbach's home showed Google searches for "Do gun shows take credit cards," "death by chloroform" and "where to buy chloroform." Other search topics included various poisons and "Kill all Jews." Whats the dark web? The complaint describes the dark web as widely used criminal marketplaces operating on the Internet. People can use the typically encrypted sites to buy and sell illegal items and services with greater anonymity than is possible on the traditional Internet, the complaint says. The bitcoin demanded by the hitman websites operator is a virtual currency that can fluctuate in value. A payment of 40 bitcoin has a current value of almost $952,000, according to walletinvestor.com. What happens next? Musbach pleaded guilty Thursday to using the Internet with the intent that a murder be committed, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Defense attorney Rocco Cipparone of Haddon Heights said his client "decided to put this matter behind him and accept his responsibility without a trial." "We now look forward to putting forth in context at sentencing, appropriate mitigating information, and positive information, about Mr. Musbach," Cipparone said. He said the guilty plea "appropriately limits Mr. Musbachs sentencing exposure for reasons which will be expounded upon at sentencing. U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez scheduled sentencing for June 13 in Camden federal court. Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.. This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Haddonfield NJ man admits plan to murder child porn victim The return of Chinese tourists to Africa and a full resumption of operations on international routes by African airlines are the latest indicators of a rebounding tourism industry, badly hit by the covid-19 pandemic two years ago. China has picked three African countriesEgypt, Kenya, and South Africaamong 20 across the globe for piloting outbound group tours, nearly a month after lifting travel restrictions. Read more According to a ministerial notice published on Jan. 20, Chinese travel companies will be allowed to provide travelers with airline and hotel packages to selected countries starting Feb. 6. From now on, travel agencies and online travel companies can carry out preparations for product releases, publicity and promotion, read the document. Chinese tourists are coming back to Africa A week before this, the Egyptian capital welcomed the first tourists from China since the outbreak of covid-19, following a visit by Chinas Foreign Minister, Qin Gang. United Nations World Travel Organisations latest World Tourism Barometer confirms the return of Chinese tourists will significantly boost Africas international arrival numbers and push them to 2019 levels. The removal of covid-19 related travel restrictions in China, the worlds largest outbound market in 2019, is a significant and much-welcomed step to the recovery of the tourism sector in Asia and the Pacific and worldwide according to the report. In a recent speech, China Tourism Academy President Dai Bin said destination Africa needed to optimize its promotion strategy and improve its hospitality system for the Chinese market to unlock its vast growth potential. In the next five years, the steady recovery of outbound tourism in China will provide new opportunities for the world tourism industry, including Africa, said Bin. In 2019, Chinese international outbound arrivals were recorded at 155 million - more than double Africas inbound arrivals, which totalled 68.8 million in that period. Story continues Easing of covid restrictions is boosting tourism Africa has recovered about 65% of its pre-pandemic visitor numbers following a more than doubling of international arrivals from 19.4 million in 2021 to 45 million in 2022. UNWTO attributed the rebound to a large pent-up demand and the easing of travel restrictions across 116 countries that saw a number of African countries exceed pre-covid arrivals and revenues. According to the barometer, Ethiopias arrivals had risen 3% above pre-pandemic levels, while Moroccos tourism receipts grew 6% in the first ten to twelve months of 2022. Another analysis by ForwardKeys, a US airline web traffic data firm, shows Africas (-19%) international inbound arrivals recovered faster than the global average (-30%) in the last quarter of 2022. Countries in west (-6%) and central Africa (a 10% increase over 2019 levels) led the continent towards complete recovery. West and central Africa benefit from VFR [visiting friends and relatives] travel from Europe and North America, our data shows growing interest from Portugal and Spain for Cape Verde, while the improved seat capacity from the US to Ghana is attracting a more premium travel crowd, said Vice President of Business Development at ForwardKeys, Gordon Clark. Tourism in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Egypt Other African countries that have recorded significant gains over the period with higher prospects in 2023 include Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Egypt. The Kenya Tourism Board in December 2022 put total arrivals in Kenya between January and November 2022 at 1.32 million, a 74.5% annual growth over 2021. Tanzania recorded annual tourism arrival growth of 64% to 1.17 million in the first ten months of 2022, according to the countrys National Bureau of statistics. South Africas tourism ministry recorded the countrys arrivals from January to October 2022 at 4.5 million, which is 47% below 2019 levels. We are upbeat as all indications are that our tourism sector is on a fast highway to recovery, said South Africas Tourism Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu. A US-based data and research firm, Fitch Solutions, projected tourist arrivals to Egypt would jump by 46% to 11.6 million in 2023. Resumption of airline flights to Africa And the international tourism boom looks even brighter in 2023, with the resumption of entire operations and re-introduction of higher capacity aircraft on African routes also seen boosting recovery this year. United Arabs Emirates carrier Emirates has announced it will re-introduce its higher capacity flagship aircraft, the Airbus A380, to Morrocos capital, Casablanca, from Dubai starting in April. Emirates said the service upgrade, which opens it up to two other destinationsJohannesburg and Cairois part of its efforts to ramp up Africa operations. The flagship A380's deployment to Morocco is also a testament of the airlines commitment to support inbound visitor arrivals as the country double downs its efforts to reinvigorate its tourism industry, said the airline in a statement. In 2021, Emirates enhanced its partnership with Royal Air Maroc to a codeshare agreement that gives its access to 17 Morrocan and 63 international destinations covering west and central African routes. The African Airlines Association said local airlines had exceeded their 2019 pre-covid operation levels on international routes by 2.28%, meaning some have also opened new international routes. The original version of this article was published by bird-Africa no filter. More from Quartz Sign up for Quartz's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. The Midwest Innocence Project is calling for Leonard Taylors execution on Tuesday to be stopped, saying failure to do so would result in an intolerable injustice. In a 22-page letter issued late Thursday, the organization called on Missouri Gov. Mike Parson to appoint a board of inquiry to investigate Taylors innocence claims. The Innocence Project and the law firm Phillips Black signed onto the request. Governors have the authority to convene a board to investigate whether a person on death row should be executed, and to make a recommendation. On Nov. 26, 2004, Taylor flew from Missouri to southern California, a fact never disputed by prosecutors. His girlfriend Angela Rowe and her three children were found dead on Dec. 3, 2004, at their home in the St. Louis area. Initially, investigators said the victims had been killed no more than a few days before they were discovered. But at trial, St. Louis County medical examiner Phillip Burch told jurors the temperature in the house had been in the 50s, which led to the estimated time of death changing. He testified the murders could have taken place two to three weeks before the bodies were discovered when Taylor would still have been in town. The Midwest Innocence Project said Burchs testimony was a sleight of hand that came about after a pre-trial meeting between him and prosecutors. The organization also contended that Taylor had constitutionally deficient representation. His trial and post-conviction attorneys did not retain a forensic pathologist to review the time of death evidence until last week. On Jan. 25, forensic pathologist Jane Turner signed an affidavit saying there was evidence of rigor mortis when the victims were discovered. That would not last more than a week after death even with the cold temperature in the house, according to Turner. Other postmortem changes that would occur a week or more after death were not present. That meant the condition of the bodies suggested the victims were killed after Taylor left town, according to Turner. Story continues His attorneys, the Midwest Innocence Project argues, also failed to rebut statements made to police by Perry Taylor, Leonard Taylors brother. During an interrogation, Perry Taylor said his brother had confessed to the murders. At trial, Perry Taylor recanted. Last Thursday, policing expert James Trainum issued a report saying police had used coercive tactics known to produce false statements when they questioned Perry Taylor. The Missouri Supreme Court will consider a motion to stay Taylors execution, submitted earlier this week. Attorneys for Taylor have also sent a clemency request to Parsons office. The Missouri Attorney Generals Office said Wednesday that Taylor does not have a credible innocence claim and that competing expert testimony was not enough to prove innocence. A delay simply frustrates the interests of justice, the AGs office stated. Across the country, more than 3,360 people have been exonerated. That includes 52 people in Missouri, four of whom were on death row, the Midwest Innocence Project wrote. Of the total exonerations, flawed forensic evidence was a factor in 23% of the cases and false confessions were a factor in 12%. In August 2017, former Gov. Eric Greitens appointed a board of inquiry in Marcellus Williams case, halting his execution. Kelli Jones, a spokesperson for Parson, said the governor carefully reviews the specific facts and circumstances of each case to determine if clemency is appropriate. Governor Parson will examine Taylors application and announce his decision when this review is complete, as has been practice in other capital cases. A new business initiative has been established to assist Black and Brown businesses. The Dayton Recovery Plan, with the agreement of the City Commission, has invested $1.5 million in the Miami Valley Urban League and $250,000 for On Purpose Academy, announced the City of Dayton. >> Court orders competency evaluation of former Fairborn ROTC coordinator facing sex, drugs crimes The funding was approved on Tuesday to continue supporting the mission of The Dayton Recovery Plan in providing support to minority communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID pandemic and economic and social inequities in Dayton. According to a spokesperson, The Miami Valley Urban League, located at 907 W. Fifth St., will receive funds to support women-and minority-owned businesses and entrepreneurs through its Micro Grant Funds in the following categories: operational emergencies, community investment business grants, community opportunity grants, and certification program grants. >> Kettering Police to hold 67th Citizens Police Academy later this month The funds granted to On Purpose Academy will be used to create a pop up preschool. The funds will help purchase three Class C RVs, classroom supplies, materials, and equipment such as lighting, tables and chairs, and computers. On Purpose Academy provides children with the necessary support and tools they need to keep their active minds thriving and growing while providing the foundation needed for a successful entrance into kindergarten and beyond, a spokesperson said. The Dayton Recovery Plan was made possible by the Federal American Rescue Plan Act to invest in the future of the City of Dayton. (Reuters) - Activist investor Ryan Cohen is racking up a sizable stake in Nordstrom Inc and plans to urge the department-store chain to make changes to its board after a decline in share prices, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. He is looking to engage with Nordstrom's management about a targeted board refresh that he believes can support cost-cutting efforts as sales decline, WSJ said, adding that he is one of the top-five nonfamily shareholders of the company. Cohen wants to replace at least one director at Nordstrom, with an eye on former Bed Bath & Beyond Inc Chief Mark Tritton, who chairs the compensation committee and whom Cohen views as conflicted and unqualified, the newspaper said. The billionaire investor believes it is inappropriate for Tritton, who used to work at Nordstrom from 2009 to 2016, to be deciding compensation for Nordstrom family members who are executives at the company, as he used to work around them, according to WSJ. Tritton has served as a director at Nordstrom since April 2020. Cohen has previously traveled to Seattle, where Nordstrom is based, to meet with members of the family and learn more about the business, WSJ said. Both Cohen and Nordstrom did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. The department store chain in September last year adopted a "poison pill" to prevent investors from amassing 10% or more of its shares, after Mexican department store chain Liverpool disclosed a 9.9% passive stake in Nordstrom. Cohen also had a 9.8% stake in Bed Bath & Beyond, which he sold in August, following a stunning rally in the stock. He stood to earn a profit before taxes of between $55 million and $60 million on the sale, according to a Reuters review of regulatory filings and a person familiar with the matter. (Reporting by Juby Babu in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Christopher Cushing) Photo: The Canadian Press A Crown prosecutor has told a trial that a Calgary pastor accused of encouraging truckers to keep blocking a Canada-U.S. border crossing a year ago meant to fan the flames with his visit. Steven Johnston says in his closing arguments that Artur Pawlowski "lit a match" at the protest at Coutts, Alta., then left town. Protesters blocked the border for nearly three weeks. Pawlowski has pleaded not guilty to mischief and breaching a release order as well as a charge under the Alberta Critical Infrastructure Defence Act of wilfully damaging or destroying essential infrastructure. The Crown's case consists of a 20-minute video of a speech Pawlowski gave to protesters urging them to hold their ground because the world was watching. The defence has argued that Pawlowski was expressing his opinion and didn't incite the crowd to do anything. Johnston says the pastor knew exactly what he was doing when he spent a day at the blockade. The judge has indicated he plans to reserve his decision. Crispus Attucks students stand to be recognized during a press conference Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, at the high school in Indianapolis. The students will take classes as part of a new partnership between IPS and the National Equity Education Lab, which will make dual credit courses from Ivy League colleges available to IPS high school students. Indianapolis Public Schools high school students will now get to take courses from some of the nation's top colleges as part of a new partnership between the district and education nonprofit group the National Education Equity Lab. IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson announced the partnership Thursday at Crispus Attucks High School where 25 students are taking the first courses offered through the program, including an intro psychology course through the University of Pennsylvania and a poetry course through Harvard University and Arizona State University. Johnson said she was excited about the opportunities the new partnership offers for IPS students. For me, the power of this experience for our students, it's not just the credit that they can earn, but also the competence that they will be able to have knowing that they can be a student taking a Harvard class, they can be a student taking a UPenn class, Johnson said. That means something as they think about their futures and what they are capable of. Recent IPS news: Why IPS delayed operating referendum and what it means for future IPS already offers dual credit classes, which allow students to satisfy high school and college credits simultaneously, through local colleges like Ivy Tech Community College and IUPUI. This new partnership expands that opportunity to places like Howard, Princeton and Stanford Universities. Based in New York, the National Education Equity Lab aims to bring some of the countrys top colleges to high school students who have been historically underserved in higher education. The labs partnership with IPS is its first in Indiana. The classes are conducted virtually with students listening to pre-recorded lectures from the university professors with an in-person faculty member from the high school there to offer additional support. Former Senator and Governor Evan Bayh speaks at a podium Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, at Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis. The press conference announced a partnership between Indianapolis Public Schools and the National Equity Education Lab, which will make dual credit courses from Ivy League colleges available to IPS high school students. Teaching fellows from each institution will zoom in once a week to lead a more in-depth discussion about the material with the high school students, said Alexandra Slack, the chief operating officer for the National Education Equity Lab. Story continues The lab recommends that students have at least a 3.0 GPA to take the courses, Slack said. Crispus Attucks High School senior Dionna Sanders is currently taking the Poetry in America course and said she liked that the class allowed her to fulfill an English credit course for college. More Marion County School news: Washington Township students could see longer bus rides next school year I think this program will be really beneficial for kids, especially since were not in college yet, so having that experience of a college course and letting us experience what it will be like is cool, Sanders told IndyStar. Johnson said the district is working with the principals in the three other district-run high schools to bring the courses there in the coming years. IPS covers the $250 per-student cost for the courses. Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @CarolineB_Indy. Carolines work is supported by Report for America and Glick Philanthropies. As part of its work in Marion County, Glick Philanthropies partners with organizations focused on closing access and achievement gaps in education. Report for America is a program of The GroundTruth Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening local newsrooms. Report for America provides funding for up to half of Carolines salary during her time with us, and IndyStar is fundraising the remainder. To learn more about how you can support IndyStars partnership with Report for America and to make a donation, visit indystar.com/RFA. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IPS students will now get access to Ivy League courses An Iranian court has sentenced a young couple to more than a decade in prison after they went viral on social media for dancing. Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported on Tuesday that Astiyazh Haghighi, 21, and her fiance, Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, 22, would spend 10 years and six months behind bars following the sentence, handed down by Irans Revolutionary Court. The fashion blogger pair, each of whom have around 1 million Instagram followers, are also banned from using social media or leaving the country for two years, according to HRANA. For the crime of dancing, these two young Iranians have been sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison.#AstiyazhHaghighi 21 & #AmirMohammadAhmadi, 22 danced in the streets in support of #WomanLifeFreedom revolution in Iran. They dont deserve such brutality.#MahsaAminipic.twitter.com/Bs9VxqnxFV Masih Alinejad (@AlinejadMasih) January 30, 2023 Their arrest reportedly occurred on Nov. 1, 2022, after the couple posted a video on their Instagram account in which they are seen dancing in front of Tehrans Azadi Tower, one of the citys most recognizable landmarks. Haghighis family home was raided before the arrest, the BBC reported. They were convicted on charges of promotion of impurity and obscenity, assembly and collaboration against national security, and propaganda against the regime. Mizan, an Iranian news site with ties to the countrys Judiciary, denied that the pair had been punished for dancing and instead claimed that their online activities had incited unrest in the country, according to CBS. Story continues This includes an Instagram post made on Oct. 26 that the Judiciary said called on people to riot, CNN reported. The couple did not link their dance to the ongoing protests in Iran, according to the BBC. Haghighi and Ahmadi were denied access to a lawyer during legal proceedings, according to HRANA. Over the past years, authorities in Iran have tightened their grip on residents access to social media in an effort to curb content that goes against the strict guidelines for online conduct set by the countrys strict Islamic regime. Hundreds have been arrested for not adhering to the guidelines. After widespread anti-government protests erupted in September in response to the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, while in the custody of Irans infamous morality police for wearing an improper hijab, the countrys internet crackdown to quell protesters has become even more severe. The deadly crackdown on protesters have also resulted in the arrest of hundreds of protesters. At least 527 people have died in the protests since September 2022, according to HRANA. The Iranian government has executed four people after convicting them of charges linked to the protests since December. Acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was released from prison in Tehran on Friday. The news follows a whirlwind few days. Panahi had been in prison since July serving a six-year sentence. Earlier this week, he declared a hunger strike, saying in a statement, I will remain in this state until perhaps my lifeless body is freed from prison. The Times confirmed the news of Panahis release with representatives for Cinetic Media, the New York-based company that was involved in releasing Panahis recent film No Bears. In a statement announcing the filmmaker's release from Panahis wife, Tahereh Saeidi, a quote was attributed to one of Panahis lawyers, Saleh Nikbakht. Although I am happy about Mr. Panahis release, it must be said that his release should have taken place three months ago, following the acceptance of our objection to his previous court decision, Nikbakht said. Nikbakht added, I am surprised by these sledgehammer encounters with Mr. Panahi and other artists, writers, intellectuals and journalists and generally protestors of the status quo. As they even neglect to implement the decision of the highest judicial authority. One of Irans most politically outspoken filmmakers, Panahi has been targeted by the countrys regime for decades. In 2010, Panahi was arrested and convicted of national security violations stemming from a documentary he was making chronicling the protests that followed the disputed reelection of Iran's then-president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Panahi and fellow filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof were sentenced to six years in prison and barred from writing screenplays and traveling abroad for 20 years. Released on $200,000 bail, Panahi was placed under house arrest. Panahi was detained by Iranian authorities last year after he inquired about the arrests of Rasoulof and another filmmaker, Mostafa Al-Ahmad. Panahis inquiry led to his own arrest, with authorities reimposing the six-year prison sentence that had been handed down in 2010 but never enforced. Panahi argued the statute of limitations on his original sentence had expired. Story continues This arrest was more like banditry and hostage-taking than the execution of a judicial sentence, Panahi said in the Feb. 1 statement from Tehrans Evin Prison, in which he also declared his hunger strike. Panahi first came to international attention with The White Balloon (1995), a delicate drama about a young girl trying to buy a goldfish that won the Cannes Film Festivals Camera dOr prize for best debut feature. After that film and The Mirror (1997), he moved away from child-focused stories and drew still more worldwide acclaim with movies like The Circle (2000) and Offside (2006), both intensely critical of the nations treatment of women. (Both movies won major prizes at international film festivals, and both were banned from release in Iran.) His 2003 feature, Crimson Gold, was a crime drama that drew attention to class and economic struggles across Iran. Panahi was subjected to a 20-year filmmaking ban in 2010, which hardly slowed his productivity or his resourcefulness at getting around restrictions. In 2011 he emerged with This Is Not a Film, a personal video diary shot during his months under house arrest; the movie was smuggled out of Iran and into the Cannes Film Festival on a USB drive hidden inside a cake. Even after his release from house arrest, he continued to shoot in secret and under difficult conditions, often appearing on-screen as a fictional version of himself and ruminating on his personal circumstances as well as those of the nation at large. His 2015 film, Taxi, in which he plays a roving cab driver on the streets of Tehran, won the Golden Bear at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival. His two most recent features, 3 Faces (2019) and No Bears (2022), both cast a critically unsparing eye on small-town misogyny and religious traditionalism. Panahis most recent arrest took place in July, several weeks before No Bears premiered and won a special jury prize at the Venice International Film Festival. Times film critic Justin Chang declared No Bears the best film of 2022. Part of the point [Panahis] making in this movie is that his constraints have never been purely physical, and neither are his means of resistance, he wrote in his review. "Cinema, like the world itself, is full of invisible boundaries, governed by rules and assumptions that Panahi has long challenged with extraordinary resourcefulness and good-natured cunning. Film critic Justin Chang and staff writer Josh Rottenberg contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Benjamin Netanyahu and Emmanuel Macron According to the report, the head of the Israeli government added that he could not go too far without provoking Russia. Read also: CIA chief says next six months of Russia-Ukraine war will be critical Netanyahus office declined to comment. In a briefing with journalists, Netanyahu would say only that I explained our policies. (Macron) knows the issue well. He also did not speak about Foreign Minister Eli Cohens upcoming trip to Kyiv. Read also: Zelenskyy and Macron discuss military aid to Ukraine, Russian athletes at Paris Olympics On the subject of mediation between Ukraine and Russia, Netanyahu told Macron that it was too early to think about that, and explained that he would not insist on taking part in it until both countries, as well as the United States, asked him to do so, the newspaper reported. He also stated that he is ready to consider the possibility of providing Kyiv with military assistance in particular, the supply of the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system. The PM confirmed that at the request of the United States, Israel handed over 250,000 items of U.S.-made ammunition to Ukraine. Read also: Israel to help with post-war rebuilding of Ukraine Officially, Israel condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, provides humanitarian aid but not weapons. The New York Times previously wrote that Jerusalem is secretly helping Kyiv with intelligence, in particular when it comes to countering Iranian kamikaze drones used by Moscow. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine President Vladimir Putin at a ceremony commemorating the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad, in Volgograd, Russia, Feb. 2. (Getty Images) We are again being threatened by German Leopard tanks, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared Thursday on a visit to Volgograd, where he commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Red Armys World War II victory over Nazi forces in Stalingrad. As he so often has in the past year, Putin made a direct comparison between his attempted conquest of Ukraine and what Russians refer to as the Great Patriotic War. Again and again we are forced to repel the aggression of the collective West, he said. Also in characteristic fashion, Putin got his facts wrong. The Nazis never operated a tank named after the leopard during World War II. As for the collective West, no mention was made of Joseph Stalins invasion of Poland 16 days after Adolf Hitlers, as per their mutually agreed carve-up of Eastern Europe, which culminated in a joint victory parade between German and Soviet armies in Brest-Litovsk on Sept. 22, 1939. Putins revisionist history comes as Russia is said to be prepping for a massive offensive in Ukraine, possibly to coincide with the one-year anniversary of its Feb. 24 invasion. I think that Russia really wants some kind of big revanche. I think it has started it. And I think that they will not be able to provide their society with any convincing positive result in the offensive, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a Friday press conference in Odesa with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has suggested that the Kremlin may be deploying as many as half a million soldiers for the effort, more than twice the original number fielded a year ago to mount the initial invasion. One unnamed source in the Russian military interviewed by the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta confirmed that a massive push is in the offing, although the source seemed skeptical that it would be successful. Russian generals, the source said, had no compunction about turning tens of thousands of their own men into mincemeat. The Ukrainians, moreover, get absolutely accurate information about all of our movements from Western intelligence agencies. Story continues Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Friday. (Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images) Last month, Russia reshuffled its war leadership, appointing Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, the overall commander of forces in Ukraine, and demoting his predecessor, Gen. Sergey Surovikin to one of three deputies. The British Defense Ministry called this move an indicator of the increasing seriousness of the situation Russia is facing, and a clear acknowledgement that the campaign is falling short of Russias strategic goals. Gerasimov, along with the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, has been serially assailed by Russian hawks and ultra-nationalists for the militarys poor performance in Ukraine so far. He is therefore thought to be under enormous political pressure to deliver some kind of tangible victory for Putin in the short term. But for all the talk of an impending massive attack, theres little visual evidence of one. Recent satellite footage does not show any new major buildup of Russians soldiers and materiel along either the Russian or Belarusian borders. What this suggests is that Moscow may simply be funneling newly mobilized soldiers into existing fronts, with no provision of the additional armor and artillery necessary for combined arms warfare. In other words, raw meat for the grinder. One Estonian military analyst, who asked to remain anonymous, told Yahoo News this week that the rumored Russian offensive is likely already underway. I am moderately confident that Russia itself already thinks it is conducting it, the source said, adding that Putin is probably reluctant to announce another major mobilization effort so long as Russian losses do not approach those experienced during the hasty and humiliating withdrawal from Kharkiv last September. I am doubtful how good a picture Putin has about the status and readiness of [his] units. A Ukrainian serviceman holds a portrait of his brother-in-arms who was recently killed in a fight against Russian troops near Bakhmut. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters) The epicenter of the fighting in the country right now is Bakhmut, a city of less strategic importance than symbolic value for both Kyiv and Moscow. Bakhmut currently remains in Ukrainian hands but is under increasingly heavy assault from a Russian force buoyed by tens of thousands of newly mobilized Russian conscripts and unknown numbers of mercenaries, many of them recently released convicts. Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former convict himself and a Russian catering magnate, finances the Wagner Group, Russias infamous private military company which has just been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department as a transnational criminal organization. One U.S. official told Yahoo News that Prigozhin sets enormous stock in taking Bakhmut, and that the oligarch appears to be parlaying gains on a foreign battlefield into an aspirational political role reminiscent of Irans Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani before his assassination by the United States in Baghdad in 2020. Along with Ramzan Kadyrov, the ruler of the semi-autonomous republic of Chechnya, Prigozhin has been outspoken on Telegram in his attacks on Gerasimov and Shoigu for their handling of the war. He routinely depicts Wagner as the only fit and courageous cadre of warriors on Russias side, an assessment many Russian military bloggers agree with. As a billionaire patron of guns-for-hire with no military background, Prigozhin evinces no concern for Wagners catastrophic losses in Bakhmut. Indeed, Prigozhin has only disdain for mercenaries who dont fall in battle but get captured, having celebrated the retaliatory murder with a sledgehammer of one of his own employees, a returned prisoner of war, by the mans comrades. Still, Wagner and the Russian army are slowly making headway. They captured the salt mining city of Soledar, directly north of Bakhmut, on Jan. 16 and are making inroads to the south in an attempt to sever the Ukrainian supply lines keeping the citys defenders fighting. Russian forces have also been looking to gain ground around Vuhledar, in southern Donetsk, using the multiple-launch rocket system TOS-1A to bombard the city still solidly in Kyivs hands. Yet Ukrainian and Russian military sources have said that the push for Vuhledar only led to heavy casualties for the Russian army, a claim that appeared to be confirmed by images posted on social media of dead bodies and destroyed equipment. As noted by the Estonian military analyst, the last time the Russians made a serious play for Vuhledar was several months ago. That too was a rout. They lost two naval battalions in three days. Ukraine, meanwhile, has been slowly advancing in Kreminna, north of Bakhmut. In Luhansk, the only local cellphone provider informed subscribers that all mobile internet services would be suspended as of Feb. 11, a move widely believed to be intended to stop local Ukrainians from sharing pictures of Russian forces assembled in the area. Luhansk, along with its neighboring oblast Donetsk, are the two regions of Ukraine that were first occupied by a hodgepodge of Russian warlords, mercenaries, spies and regulars in 2014, not long after the takeover of Crimea. The pretext for Putins special military operation in February was a series of invented Ukrainian provocations known about and leaked in advance by U.S. intelligence in the Donbas, as the two oblasts are collectively known. Putin wants to take all of the Donbas by March 2023, one Western diplomat told Yahoo News. And he doesnt care at what cost. The wars price tag, however, is rising all the time. President Biden at the Philadelphia International Airport on Friday. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters) Part of the new American weapons package for Ukraine announced by the Pentagon Friday is a consignment of ground-launched small-diameter bombs, a ground version of the air-launched GBU-39 small-diameter bomb, which first entered service in the U.S. Air Force in 2006 and has since been used successfully in numerous wars. Guided by the Global Positioning System, the bombs operate in all conditions and is exceptionally accurate, hitting within a yard of its designated target. Ukraines lack of a long-range firing capability over and above that of previously supplied artillery rockets has been a capability gap long bemoaned by the Ukrainian military. The U.S., the U.K., France and Germany have sent the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) or M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) to Kyiv, but the ammunition for either has so far been limited to around 50 miles. This has forced the Russians to move their fuel and ammunition depots out of range, complicating already strained Russian logistics, but also rendering Ukraines ability to corrode their supply lines more difficult. The introduction of the ground-launched small-diameter bombs will give the Russians fewer areas to fall back to. They have a maximum range of 94 miles, nearly double that of the longest-range munition known to be in Ukraines arsenal. All of Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, the vast majority of Russian-occupied Donbas, and the northern third of Russian-occupied Crimea, will be in range once the ground-launched bombs arrive sometime in the spring. One U.S. official explained to Yahoo News that an early problem besetting artillery resupplies to Ukraine was that Ukrainians were using their ammunition stocks too quickly and firing pricey payloads at low- or mid-value targets. Inventory and logistics now predominate in ongoing discussions of security assistance over fears of escalating against Russia. This is now the main reason, the official said, that the Biden administration has yet to agree to send the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which have a range of 190 miles and would put all Russian military positions in Ukraine within striking distance. Each ATACMS costs $1 million. Its also no longer manufactured by Lockheed Martin and is in dwindling international supply. The ground-launched small-diameter bomb, on the other hand, is off-the-shelf, currently mass produced by Boeing and Saab. Moreover, according to the manufacturers, it is or will eventually be compatible with the HIMARS or an M270 MLRS, even if the U.S. is reportedly sending a separate ground launcher to fire them. (Corrects to make Alvarez & Marsal a consultancy firm, rather than a law firm, in 11th paragraph) By Elvira Pollina and Martin Coulter MILAN/LONDON (Reuters) - Italy's Data Protection Agency said on Friday it was prohibiting artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot company Replika from using the personal data of Italian users, citing risks to minors and emotionally fragile people. Replika, a San Francisco startup launched in 2017, offers users customized avatars that talk and listen to them. It has led the way among English speakers, and is free to use, though it brings in around $2 million in monthly revenue from selling bonus features such as voice chats. The 'virtual friend' is marketed as being able to improve the emotional well-being of the user. But the Italian watchdog said that by intervening in the user's mood, it "may increase the risks for individuals still in a developmental stage or in a state of emotional fragility". Jen Persson, director of children's privacy advocacy group Defend Digital Me, told Reuters that tools designed to influence a child's mood or mental well-being ought to be classified as health products, and should therefore be subject to stringent safety standards. "These tools are being used with children without much oversight or protection from potential misuse," she said. Italian regulators highlighted the absence of an age-verification mechanism, such as filters for minors or a blocking device if users do not explicitly state their age. Replika breaches European Privacy Regulations and processes personal data unlawfully as it cannot be based, even implicitly, on a contract that a minor is unable to sign, the watchdog said. Replika did not immediately respond to a Reuters email seeking comment. Robert Grosvenor, a managing director at consultancy firm Alvarez & Marsal, said the Italian watchdog was unlikely to be the only European regulator considering action against companies like Replika. Story continues "Whilst age verification could provide means to protect some of the most vulnerable groups, it does not address the risks and harms that AI-based services and solutions can raise if unregulated, in terms of the potential for unintended bias and discrimination," he said. Replika's developer, U.S. company Luka Inc, must notify the Italian authority of measures taken to implement its requirements in 20 days and could be fined up to 20 million euros ($21.80 million), or up to 4% of its global annual turnover, the statement said. (This story has been corrected to say Alvarez & Marsal is a consultancy firm, and not a law firm, in paragraph 11) (Reporting by Elvira Pollina; Writing by Gianluca Semeraro; editing by Gavin Jones, Arun Koyyur and Bill Berkrot) The author. Courtesy of Brooke Metz I've been to different types of treatments for my disordered eating. There's no one treatment that works for everyone. I found that volunteering helped me immensely. Walking dogs at the local animal shelter was the best feeling for me during a hard time in my life. Over the past few years I've been to eating-disorder treatment seven times, with varying levels of care, from inpatient to outpatient. As discussions about these disorders become more prevalent, it's essential to explore the parts of eating-disorder care that people don't often talk about or even think about before becoming a patient. While I found treatment traumatizing, whether higher levels of care will be helpful for you depends on your individual triggers, needs, and preferences. The most important lesson I learned from treatment is the importance of advocating for myself. Because of the trauma I experienced with providers, I also want to advocate for others. As eating-disorder patients, we deserve quality care that does not default to outdated methods that are not trauma-informed or even appropriate for all patients. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you're trying to decide whether a higher level of care is right for you. It should be your choice The most important part of this decision is how you, the patient, feel about it. Looking back, I wish I'd had the courage to stand up for myself when providers coerced me into treatment. It was never something I wanted to do. Higher levels of care can be profoundly traumatic and involve major sacrifices, so understanding whether you feel ready to try a higher level of care is essential. It can also be financially draining, so check to see whether you can afford the associated expenses, such as treatment bills and additional costs like a plane ticket to a cross-country facility. Treatment requires you to surrender your typical routine, so you'll want to see whether you can feasibly take time off from school or work and feel comfortable doing so. Story continues But most importantly, reflect on whether treatment is something you actually want and find appropriate for your needs. You may find it helpful to consult with your doctor on any health concerns or talk the decision over with family or a significant other. Ultimately, you're the one who will be the patient, so what feels right to you matters most. This isn't your fault Eating disorders are biopsychosocial disorders influenced by many factors out of our control. But some treatment centers don't take this into account, emphasizing that recovery is a choice and if their cookie-cutter approach doesn't work for the patient, it's the patient's fault. I was often told that I wasn't trying hard enough or that I didn't want recovery enough, as if the illness could be healed simply through willpower. This left me feeling ashamed, like a lost cause. The reality was that I was trying very hard and providers weren't trying hard enough to help me. "It's the responsibility of providers to treat patients with respect and dignity," says Rachel Benson Monroe, a therapist based in Massachusetts. "It's never the patient's fault." While providers often cater to patients who recover quickly and have strong outside support systems, a major part of the illness is isolation and the struggle to recover. My disorder often felt like my only friend, creating even more confusion. If you don't feel super motivated in recovery, it's not your fault. Treatment is an industry When I cycled through several rounds of treatment, I noticed my fellow patients often did the same. When I asked why this was so common, the therapist said that while treatment may not work the first time, you may pick up helpful things each time you return. While this is an effective business model, it's not ideal for a patient who never wants to come back. "Higher levels of care often don't attend to the systemic forms of trauma that lead to struggle and increased risk for relapse," says Jennie Wang-Hall, a psychologist and social-justice advocate. "This can lead to the revolving-door phenomenon that further discourages clients and can lead to hopelessness." There's nothing wrong with trying out a treatment center if you believe it's the right thing for you, but struggling after your return is a common experience. There are other options Eating disorders are incredibly isolating, and the shame-based nature of treatment centers often emphasizes this loneliness. Some say community care is a more effective tool for recovery; Wang-Hall says this can include support groups, peer mentorship, access to resources, and job opportunities. "Community care is where we need to be moving as a field," Wang-Hall said. "Increasingly, folks are finding connection and community on social media, which is really valuable. In-person connection, resources, and support are also crucial." In my own recovery, I've found volunteering at the Atlanta Humane Society incredibly healing. Knowing I get to see my dogs every weekend helps me get through each day and gives me a reason to recover that I never had before. It has also helped me take care of my body for a purpose higher than myself. To be able to walk the dogs, I have to stay healthy. I know they need me, and I can't let them down. Read the original article on Insider Photo: The Canadian Press Elon Musk, right, leaves a federal courthouse in San Francisco, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. UPDATE 3:25 p.m. A jury on Friday decided Elon Musk didnt deceive investors with his 2018 tweets about electric automaker Tesla. The verdict by the nine jurors was reached after less that two hours of deliberation following a three-week trial and represents a major vindication for Musk. The trial pitted Tesla investors represented in a class-action lawsuit against Musk, who is CEO of both the electric automaker and the Twitter service he bought for for $44 billion a few months ago. In 2018, Musk tweeted that he had the financing to take Tesla private even though it turned out he hadnt gotten an iron-clad commitment for an aborted deal that would have cost $20 billion to $70 billion to pull off. Musk's integrity was at stake at the trial as well part of a fortune that has established him as one of the worlds richest people. He could have been saddled with a bill for billions of dollars in damages had the jury found him liable for the 2018 tweets that had already been deemed falsehoods by the judge presiding over the trial. Earlier Friday, Musk sat stoically in court, while he was both vilified as a rich narcissist whose reckless behavior risks anarchy and hailed as a visionary looking out for the little guy" in closing the trial's arguments. The trial hinged on whether Musk's tweeting in 2018 misled Tesla shareholders, steering them in a direction that they argue cost them billions of dollars. The civil case centered on two tweets Musk posted Aug. 7, 2018 about a Tesla buyout that never happened. The first tweet, posted just before he boarded his private jet, Musk declared he had funding secured to take Tesla private. A few hours later, Musk sent another tweet indicating that the deal was imminent. The tweets caused Twitters stock to surge during a 10-day period covered by the lawsuit before falling back after Musk abandoned a deal in which he never had a firm financing commitment, based on evidence presented during the three-week trial. Musk's decision to show up for the closing arguments even though his presence wasn't required underscored the importance of the trials outcome to him. Nicholas Porritt, a lawyer for the Tesla shareholders, urged the jurors to rebuke Musk for his loose relationship with the truth. Our society is based on rules, Porritt said. We need rules to save us from anarchy. Rules should apply to Elon Musk like everyone else. Alex Spiro, Musks attorney, conceded the 2018 tweets were technically inaccurate. But he told the jurors, Just because its a bad tweet doesnt make it a fraud. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen, who presided over the trial, decided last year that Musks 2018 tweets were false and has instructed the jury to view them that way. During roughly eight hours on the stand earlier in the trial, Musk insisted he believed he had lined up the funds from Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund to take Tesla private after eight years as a publicly held company. He defended his initial August 2018 tweet as well-intentioned and aimed at ensuring all Tesla investors knew the automaker might be on its way to ending its run as a publicly held company. I had no ill motive, Musk testified. My intent was to do the right thing for all shareholders. Spiro echoed that theme in his closing argument. He was trying to include the retail shareholder, the mom and pop, the little guy, and not seize more power for himself," Spiro said. Porritt, meanwhile, scoffed at the notion that Musk could have concluded he had a firm commitment after a 45-minute meeting at a Tesla factory on July 31, 2018, with Yasir al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabias wealth fund, given there was no written documentation. A text message that al-Rumayyan sent later in August that is part of the trial evidence also indicated that the Saudi fund was only interested in learning more about Musk's proposal to take Tesla private at a time the company was valued at about $60 billion. Apparently a $60 billion financing commitment was obtained and no one wrote down a single word," Porritt said, while asserting that amount was larger than the combined economic output of Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador. Elon Musk apparently thinks it is easier to get billions of dollars in financing than an auto loan or a mortgage," Pollitt added. Spiro, though, pointed to Musk's track record helping to start and run a list of companies that include digital payment pioneer PayPal and rocket ship maker SpaceX, in addition to Tesla. The automaker based in Austin, Texas, is now worth nearly $600 billion, despite a steep decline in its stock price last year amid concerns that Musk's purchase of Twitter would distract him from Tesla. Recalling Musk's roots as a South African immigrant who came to Silicon Valley to create revolutionary tech companies, Spiro described his client as the kind of person who believes the impossible is possible." Porritt put a different twist on Musk's mindset during his presentation. To Elon Musk, if he believes it, or just thinks about it, it's true. In his concluding remarks, Porritt told jurors their decision will boil down to their answer to one question: Do the rules apply to everyone, or can Elon Musk do whatever he wants and not face the consequences?" ORIGINAL 1:45 p.m. As he sat stoically in court, Elon Musk on Friday was both vilified as a rich narcissist whose reckless behavior risks anarchy and hailed as a visionary looking out for the little guy. The contrasting portraits of the enigmatic billionaire came during closing arguments in a trial focused on whether Musk's tweeting in 2018 misled Tesla shareholders, steering them in a direction that they argue cost them billions of dollars. The three-week trial has pitted Tesla investors represented in a class-action lawsuit against Musk, who is CEO of both the electric automaker and the Twitter service he bought for for $44 billion a few months ago. After three hours of arguments wrapped up Friday, a nine-person jury began its deliberations in the civil case centered on two tweets Musk posted Aug. 7, 2018 about a Tesla buyout that never happened. The first tweet, posted just before he boarded his private jet, Musk declared he had funding secured to take Tesla private. A few hours later, Musk sent another tweet indicating that the deal was imminent. The tweets caused Twitters stock to surge during a 10-day period covered by the lawsuit before falling back after Musk abandoned a deal in which he never had a firm financing commitment, based on evidence presented during the three-week trial. Musk's decision to show up for the closing arguments even though his presence wasn't required underscores the importance of the trials outcome to him. If the jurors decide the tweets duped investors, Musk and Tesla could be on the hook for billions of dollars in damages. Nicholas Porritt, a lawyer for the Tesla shareholders, urged the jurors to rebuke Musk for his loose relationship with the truth. Our society is based on rules, Porritt said. We need rules to save us from anarchy. Rules should apply to Elon Musk like everyone else. Alex Spiro, Musks attorney, conceded the 2018 tweets were technically inaccurate. But he told the jurors, Just because its a bad tweet doesnt make it a fraud. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen, who presided over the trial, decided last year that Musks 2018 tweets were false and has instructed the jury to view them that way. During roughly eight hours on the stand earlier in the trial, Musk insisted he believed he had lined up the funds from Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund to take Tesla private after eight years as a publicly held company. He defended his initial August 2018 tweet as well-intentioned and aimed at ensuring all Tesla investors knew the automaker might be on its way to ending its run as a publicly held company. I had no ill motive, Musk testified. My intent was to do the right thing for all shareholders. Spiro echoed that theme in his closing argument. He was trying to include the retail shareholder, the mom and pop, the little guy, and not seize more power for himself," Spiro said. Porritt, meanwhile, scoffed at the notion that Musk could have concluded he had a firm commitment after a 45-minute meeting at a Tesla factory on July 31, 2018, with Yasir al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabias wealth fund, given there was no written documentation. A text message that al-Rumayyan sent later in August that is part of the trial evidence also indicated that the Saudi fund was only interested in learning more about Musk's proposal to take Tesla private at a time the company was valued at about $60 billion. Apparently a $60 billion financing commitment was obtained and no one wrote down a single word," Porritt said, while asserting that amount was larger than the combined economic output of Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador. Elon Musk apparently thinks it is easier to get billions of dollars in financing than an auto loan or a mortgage," Pollitt added. Spiro, though, pointed to Musk's track record helping to start and run a list of companies that include digital payment pioneer PayPal and rocket ship maker SpaceX, in addition to Tesla. The automaker based in Austin, Texas, is now worth nearly $600 billion, despite a steep decline in its stock price last year amid concerns that Musk's purchase of Twitter would distract him from Tesla. Recalling Musk's roots as a South African immigrant who came to Silicon Valley to create revolutionary tech companies, Spiro described his client as the kind of person who believes the impossible is possible." Porritt put a different twist on Musk's mindset during his presentation. To Elon Musk, if he believes it, or just thinks about it, it's true. In his concluding remarks, Porritt told jurors their decision will boil down to their answer to one question: Do the rules apply to everyone, or can Elon Musk do whatever he wants and not face the consequences?" On the same day Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters released body camera video of the city's first police shooting of 2023, officers shot and killed another suspect. It began about 11:15 a.m. Thursday with a call about a man threatening to harm himself and would shoot at any police who came onto his property at a home in the 5300 block of Lannie Road on the Northside. Chief Mark Romano said after several minutes of police trying to talk him out, they heard a gunshot from inside. They also had learned that potentially his girlfriend was inside, so SWAT responded and communicated with the suspect for over an hour. He eventually came out of the front door, go on his hands and knees and put the gun down, Romano said. Then he picked it up and fired at the officers who immediately shot him multiple times. Six officers were involved and none injured. It turned out the girlfriend was not inside but at another location safe. The chief said he did not know the mental history of the suspect or whether this was a suicide by cop. He was later identified as 60-year-old Thomas Edwin Gray. 'We have nothing to hide': Jacksonville sheriff vows better transparency in revamped policy Mentally unsound suspects: Second police shooting in Jacksonville within 24 hours leaves another suspect critical This is the gun the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said Thomas Edwin Gray fired at SWAT officers before they shot and killed him in front of his home on Lannie Road on Thursday. Previous Jacksonville police shootings and the first bodycam video Waters and Chief of Professional Standards Chris Brown had just released footage of the Jan. 19 fatal police shooting of suspect Eric Nathaniel Thornton, 38. The video showed him fleeing a van that narcotics officers had been staking out to arrest a known drug dealer they identified as 29-year-old Brian Gregory Brightman in the parking lot of a North Main Street apartment complex. The Sheriff's Office said Brightman remained in the van with his 8-year-old son, but Thornton tried to get away and would not put the knife down during a brief foot chase by two officers demanding he drop the weapon. The two shot him multiple times. Story continues Just a day later the Sheriff's Office said a burglary suspect, later identified as 39-year-old Leon Bernard Burroughs, fired a shot at officers from inside a car and grazed one of them in the face. All five opened fire killing him. That had begun with a burglary investigation on Hardee Street where they tracked Burroughs to the vehicle he was sleeping in. They noticed a handgun on top of the car and moved it and then opened the door and tried to talk with him, the Sheriff's Office previously said. They asked him multiple times to show them his hands and to get out of the car. That's when he fired one shot and was immediately gunned down. Last year at this time, the city had two police shootings but neither fatal. The year ended with 12 suspects shot, eight fatally. Jacksonville homicide tracker:There were 162 Jacksonville homicides in 2022. Here's a look at who died, where and how. This also becomes the city's 17th homicide of the year compared to 13 at the same time in 2022, according to Times-Union data. Jacksonville ended with one of its highest totals of 162 last year. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville police shoot and kill man in apparent suicide by cop Allen Weisselberg, the longtime Trump Organization chief financial officer who is currently serving a five-month prison sentence on tax fraud charges, could end up facing new criminal charges from Manhattan prosecutors who have renewed efforts to examine whether former president Donald Trump should face an indictment of his own. Weisselberg pleaded guilty last year to tax fraud charges and later testified against the company where he has worked for most of his adult life. But at the same time, he has refused to give evidence against the former president, his longtime boss. According to the New York Times, Weisselberg could find himself in legal jeopardy once more at the hands of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has revived a long-moribund investigation into payments Mr Trumps eponymous company financed to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Mr Trump had an affair with Ms Daniels in the years before he ran for president in 2016, and his then-attorney, Michael Cohen, arranged for a $130,000 hush money payment to the actress to buy her silence in the closing weeks of that election cycle. Cohen later pleaded guilty to federal charges arising in part from the hush money scheme, but Mr Trump has not been charged despite Cohens in-court statements about having made the payments at Mr Trumps direction. Citing people with knowledge of the matter, the Times reported that Mr Braggs team is using the prospect of additional charge to exert leverage over the disgraced Trump Organization executive. The charges being contemplated by the prosecutors include insurance fraud, which if successful would subject Weisselberg to a far longer prison sentence than the five months he agreed to as part of his plea agreement. Mr Trumps company is also facing a $250m civil lawsuit from New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has accused the Trump Organization of committing what she described as a staggering fraud scheme to obtain favourable loans and other benefits by overvaluing its assets. jamaica deploys troops to haiti The Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, has announced his intention to send military aid to Haiti. According to AP News, Haiti is experiencing a fuel siege blamed on the countrys most powerful gang. The United Nations warned that Haiti was on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe in late 2022. So far, 2023 has offered no respite from the chaos. What is happening? Across generations, Haiti has endured misery due to widespread poverty, limited resources, and devastating natural disasters. Much of these complications are linked to being a former colony of France. After Haiti won independence in 1804, France found another way to exert its power over the island. They imposed obscene taxes it knew Haiti couldnt afford. There was no other reason for this, other than cruelty and spite. Haiti finally settled the debt in 1947, but continues to be chronically insolvent. Modern efforts to persuade France to compensate Haiti continue to be unsuccessful, which isnt surprising. Frances refusal to acknowledge its crimes against Haiti, stems from the belief that the past is the past, and its time to move on. As noted by AP News, Holness announcement comes a week after U.N. special envoy for Haiti, Helen La Lime, said she hoped that the U.N. Security Council would deal positively with the pending request from Haitis government for international armed forces despite the U.S. and Canada showing no interest. Holness said Jamaica would be willing to participate in a multinational security assistance deployment to Haiti under the appropriate jurisdictional parameters, to support a return to a reasonable level of stability and peace. Ultimately, however, Holness stated that itll take more than the military might to bring order to Haiti. We continue to believe that any solution must be driven by the will of the Haitian people, Holness said. The developments over the past week demonstrate that progress towards restoration of democratic institutions and the rule of law remains highly fragile. Story continues What caused the fuel siege? Politically, Haiti has been on edge since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021. Since then, theres been a spike in kidnappings, gang violence, and general unrest. The present leader of Haiti, Ariel Henry, narrowly survived an assassination attempt himself in January 2022. After announcing that his government couldnt afford to subsidize petroleum, protests ensued and gangs took action. Jimmy Cherizier, the most formidable gang leader in Haiti, wants to put other gang members in political positions. In November, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported, Cherizier would lift a blockade at a key fuel terminal that has strangled Haitis capital for nearly two months. Some Haitians see Cherizier as a modern-day revolutionary. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette explained that some call him father and Mr. President, on social media. If Jamaica does deploy its military to Haiti, will it make any difference? Time will tell. Jamaica and Haitis shared history Like other Caribbean islands, Jamaica and Haiti have similar histories. One figure who helped spark the Haitian Revolution was a man connected to Jamaica named Dutty Boukman. Born in Senegambia (modern-day Senegal and Gambia), Boukman was a slave first in Jamaica, then in Haiti. Boukmans links to Voodoo were instrumental in helping him liberate Haiti. He had an imposing presence, and most thought twice before crossing him. Moreover, he was literate, which made him a direct threat to French colonizers. Travel Noire explained, it goes without saying that the French wouldnt allow Boukman to live. After his capture in November 1791, the French executed Boukman and put his head on public display. The purpose of this grotesque act was to deter other rebels, but the tide had already turned in favor of Haitis liberation. There are parallels between the religious and spiritual practices of Jamaica and Haiti as well. According to My Island Jamaica, while Haiti practices Voodoo, a minority of Jamaicans observe Obeah, which centers around spirits and has similar practices. Jane Fonda at the Los Angeles premiere of Paramount Pictures' "80 for Brady" at the Regency Village Theatre on January 31 in Los Angeles. Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images Jane Fonda opened up about her experience with the eating disorder bulimia. "I was very, very unhappy. I assumed I wouldn't live past 30," she said on "Call Her Daddy." She said she stopped "cold turkey" in her 40s and "didn't realize there were groups you could join." Jane Fonda said she had an eating disorder at the height of her acting career that became so severe she thought she "wouldn't live past 30." The actor, who is just as well known these days for her activism, appeared on Wednesday's episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast and discussed her experience with bulimia, the eating disorder characterized by cycles of binge eating and purging. "In my 20s, I was starting to be a movie actor," the "80 for Brady" star told the host Alex Cooper. "I suffered from bulimia very, very bad. I led a secret life." "I was very, very unhappy," she added. "I assumed I wouldn't live past 30 I'm 85, I don't understand. I didn't go out. I didn't hardly date because I was unhappy and I had this eating disorder. And then I was also making movies that I didn't very much like." Fonda, who is the daughter of the Hollywood legend Henry Fonda, previously said her mother, Frances Ford Seymour, also developed an eating disorder before her suicide at age 42 in 1950, when Jane Fonda was 12. Fonda went on to say that while her eating disorder seemed "so innocent" and "so innocuous" at first, it didn't stay that way. Fonda was 31 years old when she played the lead in the science-fiction/fantasy film "Barbarella" (1968). Archive Photos/Getty Images "What you don't realize is it becomes a terrible addiction that takes over your life," she said, adding that she was "miserable" and "kept wanting to quit." "It harms the way you look. You end up looking tired. It becomes impossible to have an authentic relationship when you're doing this secretly," she continued. "Your day becomes organized around getting food and then eating it, which requires that you're by yourself and that no one knows what you're doing." Fonda added that as she got older, her bulimia got "worse and worse" and began to take a toll on her body, leading her to think: "If I keep on like this, I'm going to die." Story continues In her 40s, the actor said, she sought to quit "cold turkey" without the help of a medical professional or support group simply because she didn't know that was an option. "I didn't realize there were groups you could join," the "Barbarella" star said. "I didn't know anything about that. Nobody talked about it. I didn't even know there was a word for it." "It was really hard," she said. "But the fact is, the more distance you can put between you and the last binge, then the better it is. It becomes easier and easier." Correction: February 9, 2023 An earlier version of this story misidentified Jane Fonda's father. He was Henry Fonda, not Henry Ford. It also misquoted an interview Fonda gave about her mother. She said her mother had had an eating disorder but didn't specify which one. Read the original article on Insider Dmytro Kuleba South Korea somewhat unexpectedly turned out to be the most difficult case, he said. But we are extremely positive, Koreas role is becoming increasingly constructive. Read also: Switzerland joins EUs latest Russian sanctions Kuleba also noted that Japan does not provide weapons because of its history its defeat in World War II and legislation that followed that prohibits the transfer of weapons. We would very much like Japan to transfer weapons to us, they have a lot of what we need, in particular, air defense, Kuleba said. Read also: Bulgaria covered much of Ukraines wartime diesel fuel needs But there are examples of countries in Europe that adjusted their legislation in or-der to be able to supply us with weapons after Feb. 24, 2022 (...) I am convinced that everything is possible, as long as theres the political will of the countrys elites to make this decision. Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on South Korea to increase military support for Ukraine. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine A New Jersey man admitted to paying $20,000 in cryptocurrency to have a 14-year-old child murdered, according to a news release from the Department of Justice on Thursday. John Michael Musbach, 31, pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with one count of "knowingly and intentionally using and causing another to use a facility of interstate and foreign commerce, that is the internet, with the intent that a murder be committed," according to the news release. Musbach is a resident of Haddonfield, N.J., but lived in Atlantic County when he first made contact with the unidentified victim, prosecutors say. The victim lived in New York at the time. Musbach exchanged sexually explicit photos and videos with the victim in the summer of 2015, the DOJ said, and the victim's parents called police when they found out about the "inappropriate contact." New York law enforcement officers identified Musbach as an Atlantic County resident and contacted the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office (ACPO). In March 2016, ACPO officers arrested Musbach on child pornography charges, the DOJ said. After Musbach was arrested, he "decided to have the victim killed so the victim could not testify against him in the pending criminal case," prosecutors allege. During a two-week period in May 2016, Musbach "repeatedly communicated" with the administrator of a murder-for-hire website on the dark net, the DOJ said. The website, which was not named by the DOJ, purported to offer contract killings or other violent acts in return for cryptocurrency payments. Musbach allegedly arranged for a murder-to-hire and asked the purported hit man if "a 14-year-old was too young to target." Prosecutors say Musbach then paid $20,000 in bitcoin for the hit. After Musbach asked the website's administrator for more details about the hit and when it would occur, he was pressed for an additional $5,000, the DOJ said. Story continues When Musbach then tried to cancel the hit, the website administrator revealed the "website was a scam," and threatened to reveal Musbach's information to law enforcement, prosecutors said. The DOJ did not say if it was the website administrator who made authorities aware of Musbach's murder-for-hire plot. The charge of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of at least $250,000, the DOJ said. Musbach is scheduled to be sentenced on June 13. Investigating Donald Trump | Sunday on 60 Minutes How criminal blunders led investigators to catch these killers East Coast faces arctic blast this weekend Side by side photos of Ted Cruz, a gas burner, and Joe Manchin. Senators Ted Cruz and Joe Manchin: An alliance forged in (methane fueled) flames. Senators Joe Manchin and Ted Cruz have teamed up across the aisle to introduce a new bill that would stop the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) from restricting gas stoves. The legislation, titled the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act, was introduced during a Thursday committee meeting and would ban any future bans of gas cooktops using federal funds. Why?, you might ask. Well, havent you heard: The government is coming for your precious cooktop. President Joe Biden and the liberals want to deprive America of well-fried eggs and boiled water. Or at least, thats what a number of prominent politicians, paid off by the fossil fuel industry, would like you to believe. Read more Make no mistake, radical environmentalists want to stop Americans from using natural gas, said Cruz in a statement about the act. While Manchin said, the federal government has no business telling American families how to cook their dinner. In recent weeks, the White House and the CPSC have both repeatedly reiterated that neither federal body is considering a ban on gas stove. The reassurance follows vague, but widely publicized comments from a CPSC commissioner that insinuated a suite of increased restrictions on gas-powered appliances were on the agencys discussion table. Yet even following the clarification that, again, THERE IS NO BAN OF GAS STOVES UNDER FEDERAL CONSIDERATION, the issue has remained a rallying point for rightwing ire on the internet and beyond. In no universe are members of the CPSC going to storm into your home and remove your kitchen appliances. Even if the commission instituted sweeping restrictions on the devices, and even if that culminated in a ban, such a policy would almost certainly only apply to future products and yet-to-be-sold stovesas CPSC actions generally do. In fact, the CPSC already has existing regulations on the books surrounding wood and coal burning appliances. And nothing in that policy is focused on penalizing consumersjust holding manufacturers and retailers accountable. Story continues Regardless, Senators Manchin and Cruz are doubling down on the concept that possible restrictions on gas stoves are tantamount to restrictions on the God-given rights of American citizens. The [CPSC] proposed ban on gas stoves is the latest egregious scaremongering by the Far Left and their Biden administrated allies, Cruz said in the Thursday news statement. And, forever a shill for fossil fuels, Manchin added, I can tell you the last thing that would ever leave our house is the gas stove we cook on, and I will continue to fight any overreach by the [CPSC]. The brief, but broad, act from the two legislators would essentially prevent the CPSC from taking any further action to regulate or restrict stoves. In other words: it would prevent the commission from doing its job of protecting consumers. The proposed prohibition in the two-page bill reads as follows: No Federal funds may be used by the [CPSC] to regulate an existing or new gas stove as a banned hazardous product under section 8 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2057) or to impose or enforce any consumer product safety standard or rule on existing or new gas stoves under section 7 or 9 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 18 2056 or 2058) that would otherwise result in a prohibition on the use or sale of gas stoves in the United States or would otherwise substantially increase the average price of gas stoves in the United States. So, its not just that the Manchin/Cruz bill would ban total bans, but it would also outlaw any new regulation that could increase the cost of purchasing a gas stove. Worth noting: though gas stove restrictions would likely have minimal impact on the day to day lives of Americans (aside from improving their indoor air quality), a ban on the appliances would hurt the natural gas industry. Both Cruz and Manchin are big recipients of fossil fuel funding. The West Virginia Senator received more than $1.17 million in campaign contributions from oil and gas companies last year. Meanwhile, the Texas politicians gas gains are even more impressive, with $1.5 million in donations from the industry in 2022. But probably, thats totally unrelated to their political decision making, right? Though there isnt actually any nationwide gas stove ban on the table right now, maybe there should be. Already, several cities and municipalities, including New York City and San Francisco, have passed bans on putting gas hookups in new buildings. Gas appliances pose a well-documented and significant health risk, trashing indoor air quality and increasing the risk of childhood asthma, certain cancers, and respiratory disease. Then, on top of the health risk, theres the climate change consequences of methane emissions and its burned byproducts leaking out into the atmosphere. All this talk of regulating gas appliances isnt an assault on American freedom. Its a good-faith, science-informed effort to protect people from a dangerous and easily avoidable source of pollution exposure. The CPSC is a bipartisan federal body dedicated to shielding consumers from the worst dangers of unfettered capitalism. Manchin and Cruz are prominent politicians who regularly receive funding from the industry facing regulation. Who you opt to trust is up to you. More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Keanu Reeves as John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 4. (Murray Close/Lionsgate) Keanu Reeves returns to cinemas on this week as deadly assassin John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 4, the latest instalment in his hyper-violent action franchise. Nine years ago, cinema-goers were enthralled by a stylish neo-noir that called back to John Woo and Hong Kongs golden age of high-octane cinema. Despite a simple premise centred around a roaring rampage of revenge, 2014s John Wick was hailed as a badly-needed shot of adrenaline for the action genre and kickstarted the career renaissance for one of Hollywoods most beloved actors, Keanu Reeves. Read more: Who would win in a fight between John Wick and Neo? The massive success of John Wick opened up a gun-fu franchise not many saw coming, with two more sequels John Wick: Chapter 2 and John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum introducing us to a shadowy cabal of assassins hell-bent on hunting Wick down. Only a few days after Parabellum hit theatres worldwide, Lionsgate broke the exciting news that another sequel was in development. Need to get up to speed beforehand? Here's everything we know about John Wick: Chapter 4 John Wick: Chapter 4 release date Ian McShane as Winston, Keanu Reeves as John Wick, and Chad Stahelski - Director in John Wick: Chapter 4. (Murray Close/Lionsgate) John Wick: Chapter 4 is scheduled to hit cinemas worldwide on Friday, 24 March. Wicks fourth outing was initially set for a May 2021 release, but the COVID pandemic and Reeves commitments with another project The Matrix Resurrections pushed the premiere date back a year. However, the planned Memorial Day weekend release for 2022, which wouldve pitted the highly anticipated film against Top Gun: Maverick, was nixed in favour of a 2023 release. John Wick 4 Reviews Keanu Reeves at the Los Angeles Premiere of "John Wick: Chapter 4" (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic) Reviews have started to pour in for John Wick's latest outing and the overall consensus is positive, with many praising the film's lush and gratuitous fight sequences and defending its nearly three-hour run time. Movie review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes currently rates the film with a solid 95% critics score, a whole 6% up from Wick's last bullet-spewing adventure. Story continues Looking for a bit more review detail? Here's what the industry has been saying so far... Entertainment Weekly: John Wick: Chapter 4 review: Something Wick-ed this way comes (again) (5 min read) Variety: John Wick: Chapter 4 Review: Keanu Reeves in a Three-Hour Action Epic Thats Like a Spaghetti Western Meets John Woo in Times Square (6 min read) Total Film: John Wick Chapter 4 review: "Burns oh-so-brightly" (2 min read) Cinema Blend: John Wick: Chapter 4 Review: Keanu Reeves Action Epic Earns Every Second Of Its Nearly Three Hour Runtime (5 min read) Indiewire: John Wick: Chapter 4 Review: The Best Action Blockbuster Since Fury Road (5 min read) John Wick 4 first reactions Keanu Reeves at the premiere of the film John Wick Chapter 4 on Monday, March 6, 2023. (Alberto Pezzali/Invision/AP) Before official reviews for John Wick: Chapter 4 became available, the film was previewed to a handful of press outlets which teased their tantalizingly brief first reactions across social media. The Wrap's Scott Mendelsohn boldly proclaimed John Wick 4 to be "one of the greatest Hollywood action movies ever made" calling it "a towering artistic achievement". AwardsAce critic Erick Weber agreed calling it "one of the greatest action movies ever made." Film critic Courtney Howard called it "the wildest time youll have at the movies this year. A pure adrenaline rush." While many responses note the film's lengthy three-hour runtime, most agreed that the film earns it. Fandom's Eric Goldman calls it "notably long", but added that it is "filled with fantastic John Wick action sequences that truly transcend into that place where it feels like you are watching a masterful, carnage-filled ballet in all the right ways." Is John Wick: Chapter 4 dedicated to Lance Reddick? John Wick: Chapter 4 features actor Lance Reddick's final on-screen appearance. (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT) In mid-March, we received the tragic news that series star and The Wire actor Lance Reddick had sadly passed away suddenly at just 60 years of age. Reddick joined the Wick franchise in its first outing in 2014 playing Charon, the concierge for a chain of hotels known as the Continental which act as neutral ground for members of the crime world. His appearance in John Wick: Chapter 4 marks his final on-screen appearance. Shortly after this tragic news broke, Reeves and Stahelshi confirmed that Wicks new adventure would be dedicated to Reddicks memory. In a joint statement delivered to Variety, they said: We are deeply saddened and heartbroken at the loss of our beloved friend and colleague Lance Reddick. He was the consummate professional and a joy to work with. Our love and prayers are with his wife Stephanie, his children, family and friends. We dedicate the film to his loving memory. We will miss him dearly. Meanwhile, members of the film's cast shared their continued grief surrounding Reddick's untimely passing. Were all still in shock," explained Fishburne. We lost our brother, and in a really sort of very shocking way... Life is... hard sometimes. Reeves said that it "f***ing sucks hes not here," adding: Lance was a beautiful person. And to have the chance to work with him over 10 years and four films is something that is very special to me. John Wick: Chapter 4 plot Keanu Reeves as John Wick in John Wick 4. (Murray Close/Lionsgate) John Wick: Chapter 4 will follow Reeves brooding hitman continuing his quest for vengeance against the High Table a worldwide council of crime lords who had placed a large bounty on the titular characters head. However, the beleaguered Wick must confront a new adversary and the dawning realisation that old friends may become deadly foes. Is there a trailer for John Wick: Chapter 4? Set to a haunting remix of Terry Flowers Seasons in the Sun, the trailer for John Wick: Chapter 4 was unveiled to huge fanfare in November 2022, and promises more of the same jaw-dropping set-pieces and savage ultra-violence that weve come to expect and appreciate from the franchise. Watch it above. John Wick: Chapter 4 cast Laurence Fishburne as Bowery King, Keanu Reeves as John Wick, and Ian McShane as Winston in John Wick 4. (Murray Close/Lionsgate) When we last saw Keanu Reeves as Wick, he was seemingly double-crossed by old accomplice Winston (Deadwoods Ian McShane), who unloaded three shots that felled the beleaguered gunman off a roof. Wick would ultimately survive and subsequently form an alliance with the Bowery King (The Matrixs Laurence Fishburne), who is also intent on taking down the High Table. Donnie Yen as Caine in John Wick: Chapter 4. (Murray Close/Lionsgate) McShane, Fishburne, and the late Lance Reddick who played stoic Continental concierge Charon all return, and are joined by a whos who of action stars in Ip Mans Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada of Mortal Kombat fame, and renowned martial artist Scott Adkins (Undisputed II). Rogue One star Donnie Yen recently revealed that he had input into the film after giving feedback to the filmmakers about the cliched way his character Caine had been written. The name was Shang or Chang, Yen told GQ. Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang? Why cant he have a normal name? Why do you have to be so generic? Why is everything so generic? This is a John Wick movie. Everybodys supposed to be cool and fashionable. Why cant he look cool and fashionable? Ian McShane as Winston and Bill SkarsgArd as Marquis in John Wick: Chapter 4. (Murray Close/Lionsgate) ITs Bill Skarsgard joins the cast as The Marquis, a member of the High Table forced to clean up the carnage of the previous three films, and electro-pop sensation Rina Sawayama also joins the fray in her acting debut. John Wick: Chapter 4 filmmakers After helming the previous three films, Chad Stahelski returns to direct the fourth chapter, reuniting with Parabellum screenwriter Shay Hatten and working with another in Predators Michael Finch. Chad Stahelski - Director, Laurence Fishburne as Bowery King, and Keanu Reeves as John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 4. (Murray Close/Lionsgate) Given the all-encompassing influence the High Court holds on a global scale, expect to see Wick do battle in a myriad of locations ranging from Berlin and Osaka to Paris and southern Jordan. In an interview with Empire, Stahelski further amped up fans expectations for Chapter 4, summing it up as if you took The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, crossed it with Zatoichi, and threw in a Greek myth. Future plans for the John Wick-iverse Paloma (Ana De Armas) in No Time To Die. (MGM/Universal) In addition to Chapter 4, the Wick Cinematic Universe is set for further expansion and exploration as Lionsgate confirmed that a spin-off is currently being worked on. Ballerina, which began filming in Prague in November 2022, stars Blondes Ana de Armas as a ballet dancer seeking retribution following her familys murder. Anjelica Huston (The Addams Family), who portrayed the head of the Ruska Roma crime family in Parabellum, will reprise her role alongside McShane, Reddick, and Reeves. Keanu Reeves and Anjelica Huston attend a screening of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) Furthermore, there will be a prequel TV series which focuses on the origins of the hotel that served as a haven for hitmen. Set in the 70s, The Continental will follow a younger Winston played by Ambulances Colin Woodell and will stream on Amazon Prime sometime in 2023. John Wick: Chapter 4 run time Earlier this year, it was confirmed that John Wick: Chapter 4 had a run-time of a whopping 169 minutes, making it the longest Wick outing so far by a long stretch. While many were left wondering how Wick could manage to dish out enough punches to fill almost three hours without getting tired, the films director was quick to defend this creative choice. "I don't think we've ever concerned ourselves, we just watch the movie. I think it's the length that we feel is the best version of the movie, Stahelski told Digital Spy. We've tried longer, we've tried much shorter. That's what we feel is a good movie. Clearly, he was quick to dismiss any worrying thoughts about the length of Wicks newest punch-a-thon, joking: "If that's the critique, we'll take it! John Wick: Chapter 4 will arrive in cinemas on 24 March, 2023, with previews in selected cinemas from 23, March 2023. UKRAINE-EU-DIPLOMACY-POLITICS-RUSSIA-WAR-CONFLICT Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen shake hands after a joint press conference after talks in Kyiv on February 2, 2023. Credit - Sergei SupinskyAFP/Getty Images European leaders cant seem to agree whether Ukraine can join the European Union. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said his country is on a two-year timeline for membership, while French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron has estimated it will take decades. Many agree, however, that membership will take a lot of hard work for Ukraine, including reaching a peace settlement with Russia in the still very active war. But what could Ukraine look like if it joined the E.U.and how, in turn, could its inclusion change the organization? How would joining the E.U. change Ukraine? Even those who are optimistic about Ukraines chances of joining the E.U. argue that the process will be challenging. Ukraine would need to conduct an extensive set of reforms, including fighting corruption, incorporating E.U. law, and reforming its judiciary. If Ukraine is at the point where it joins the European Union, it will already be dramatically changed. Ukraine will not get in as charity, says Maria Popova, an associate professor at McGill University studying political development in Ukraine and the Russo-Ukrainian War. These changes would come with tremendous value for Ukrainians. For instance, says Popova, while public trust in the judiciary is very low, reform could lead to an independent, impartial, effective judiciary. Read More: What to Know About the Corruption Scandals Sweeping Ukraines Government These reforms began to take shape when Ukraine signed an association agreement with the E.U. in 2014. Major efforts have been made since to fight corruption, move power from the central government to municipalities, and to strengthen the rule of law, says Milada Vachudova, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who has studied post-communist countries joining the E.U. Story continues Vachudova says Ukraine has two major strengths that will help its candidacy: the government has already made reform a priority, and its citizens are committed. The countries that have really benefited from this process have a sense of national consensus, unity of purpose to do that hard work, and theres no question that the Ukrainians have that, she says. Upon joining the E.U., Ukraine would receive many of the same benefits as other E.U. states, such as freedom of movement, joining European decision-making, and the opportunity to study in other countries, says Popova. It would also be a major psychological victory for the country. For many Ukrainians, the war with Russia has confirmed that Ukraine should turn to Europe for its future. It will be so valuable because so many people will have died for it, says Popova. How would including Ukraine change the E.U.? Ukraines population would make it one of the larger countries in the organization. As of 2021, nearly 44 million people lived in Ukrainealmost the same number as in Spain, and more than in Polandalthough about 8 million Ukrainians have since fled as refugees. Ukraine must survive as a democracy and reach a settlement with Russia before it joins the E.U., says Daniela Schwarzer, executive director for Open SocietyEurope and Central Asia. The experience of the invasion could even make Ukraine a major asset as a member, given a highly modern military with extensive combat experience, explains Schwarzer. It will have one of the best-trained armies on the continent, she says. It will contribute in many ways to Europe, in security terms, in terms of fending off digital warfare. I think Ukraine is among the countries other E.U. countries can learn from, frankly. Undoubtedly, Ukraine would also bring a very strong perspective on Russia to the group. Popova argues that they would strengthen the contingent of European nations who feel that Russia must be contained. While some countries, such as Germany and France, have historically wanted to improve their relationship with Russiaand may be keen to do so if Russia becomes more democratic one dayUkraine would need to see that Russia has repudiated its imperialist designs on the neighborhood before any re-engagement is possible. Ukraine in the E.U. will be a strong advocate for containing Russia, perceiving it as a threat to European security, for as long as there is proof otherwise, says Popova. Enlighten me as to how, when and why there was a paradigm shift from listening to well-respected authorities in their field to considering them no longer credible or more importantly, censoring or ostracizing them? Enlighten me as to how the populace continues to put faith in a prime minister who (I believe) has not only abused his position but is responsible for the (governments) profligate spending, plays favourites with certain companies, pressured his own ministers in the SNC Lavalin scandal and compared a Tylenol shortage to a orange crop shortage? Enlighten me as to why health care in Canada is no longer considered universal but each province is advising Canadian travellers to buy additional health insurance if they travel to other provinces? Enlighten me as to why all provinces, with the exception of B.C. and Nova Scotia, have lifted their vaccine mandates? Enlighten me as to how the federal government can restrict oil production in Canada but still import oil via super-tankers across the Atlantic Ocean to Montreal? Enlighten me as to how two provinces, Ontario and Quebec, seem to have the balance of political power in (Canadian) confederation? Enlighten me as to why the B.C. government has 23 cabinet ministers from the Lower Mainland and three from the remainder of the province? What is that telling the rest of the province? Enlighten me as to why is the federal government the keeper and manager of the Canada Pension Plan, when it was set up between employers and employees? (Former U.S. President) Ronald Regan stated the nine most dangerous words are Hi, I'm here from the government to help you. Hmmmm. Enlighten me as to when did schools become (in my mind) primarily focussed on sexual orientation instead of education? Better yet, enlighten me as to why the elites of the world would want to get advice on the future of the planet from (environmental activist) Greta Thunberg, a 20-year-old woman? Enlighten me as to why people think that reducing carbon dioxide is healthy for the planet? Enlightenment is supposed to be about using logic, science and in general, knowledge. What's happened ? Mary-Anne MacDonald, Summerland Justice Scales and wooden gavel David Talukdar / Getty Images Former ABC News reporter James Gordon Meek was charged Wednesday with transporting child pornography. The FBI had raided Meek's home last April, leading him to disappear from the public eye. Glenn Beck, Tucker Carlson, and others initially treated the case as a part of a Biden war on journalism. "Do we live now in Russia? The FBI is completely and totally out of control," Glenn Beck said in a 21-minute video last fall about the apparent disappearance of a former ABC News journalist following a raid on his home. He returned to the topic the very next day, declaring it "maybe the most important story of at least the year, maybe longer," and fitting it to a narrative about a federal war on conservatives and a free press. "This is tyranny," Beck declared. "Say his name, America. Where is James Gordon Meek?" On Wednesday, the US Department of Justice offered some clarity, revealing that Meek, a 53-year-old, veteran national security journalist, has been charged with transporting child pornography. Prosecutors allege that Meek manipulated children into providing him sexually explicit material investigators were tipped off after such content was allegedly found in his Dropbox account and boasted in a private conversation with another alleged pedophile of having raped a toddler. He faces up to 20 years in prison. An attorney for Meek did not respond to a request for comment. Last fall, when Beck recorded his videos, all that was known is that Meek had quit his job and disappeared from the public eye following an April 2022 FBI raid on his home in Virginia. An October report in Rolling Stone said that an indictment was being prepared but could not say why, noting only that "classified information" had been found on one of his laptops. That was enough for others to start raising the alarm. The Daily Mail, a conservative British tabloid, said the raid if tied to classified information "raises serious questions about the government's approach towards journalists seeking to expose corruption or wrongdoing." The outlet published a lengthy follow-up on Wednesday, reporting on the actual charge against the reporter while also noting the earlier "fears Meek was being targeted for his trailblazing journalism, which has exposed shocking military cover-ups, friendly fire deaths, and foiled terror plots." Story continues Others went further last fall not mentioning the story since Wednesday's charge and started connecting the dots. "This is disappearing someone who is investigating corruption in the government," Beck, a former presenter on CNN and Fox News, told his radio and online audience. Instead of updating his audience on the case, Beck released a video Thursday on how to prepare for a "HUGE cyber attack." He did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment. Fox News host Tucker Carlson, in an October broadcast that touched on the raid, confessed that we "can't even really guess as to what's really going on here." But, as noted by Media Matters' Matthew Gertz, he nonetheless speculated on why a journalist might get "a visit from armed men with guns from the Biden administration," including it in a segment on how such raids are "the hallmark of a dictatorship." Carlson did not address the development in Meek's case on his Wednesday broadcast. A representative for Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rather than target him over his reporting, it appears the Justice Department was actually "taking extra precautions given Meek's status as a journalist" before announcing any charges against him, Rolling Stone reported in December, citing sources familiar with the investigation. That report came after the department issued new guidance generally prohibiting investigators from targeting reporters over classified information gathered as part of their job. The conservative website RedState suggested Meek might even be framed, suggesting a veteran journalist would not leave classified information on their computer and stating that "there are lots of things being manufactured by the government these days." "[T]his is now Biden's America," the site's Jennifer Oliver O'Connell wrote in October. RedState, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, has not mentioned the case since. Read the original article on Business Insider A Jan. 6 defendants boast in an interview this week that he had no regrets about his role in the Capitol riot just days after he acknowledged his guilt in a federal courtroom may upend the mans efforts to resolve the criminal case against him. U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta issued an order Friday instructing defendant Thomas Adams Jr. and prosecutors to explain why the guilty findings the judge entered on Tuesday, following a brief stipulated bench trial should not be overturned in light of Adams comments to a reporter the following day. "I wouldn't change anything I did," Adams told the State Journal-Register Wednesday outside his home in Springfield, Ill. "I didn't do anything. I still to this day, even though I had to admit guilt [in the stipulation], don't feel like I did what the charge is. In a brief order Friday morning, Mehta gave both sides one week to provide reasons why the court should not vacate Defendant's convictions of guilt in light of his post-stipulated trial statements included in the article. The judge also attached a copy of the news report. It is unclear how the article in the Illinois newspaper came to the attention of Mehta, who sits at the federal courthouse near the Capitol. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington declined to comment Friday on Mehta's order. Adams' public defenders did not respond to messages seeking comment. Judges handling Jan. 6 cases have been repeatedly and increasingly irked by defendants appearing to be apologetic and contrite in court, only to make public statements days later minimizing their guilt and sounding cavalier about their actions. And judges are loath to accept what effectively amounts to a guilty plea from any defendant who doesnt sincerely believe in their own guilt. Adams, who told the Illinois newspaper he was recently fired from his job as a lawn care worker, acknowledged under oath Tuesday that he had committed the conduct Mehta ultimately found him guilty of. He acknowledged walking over broken glass as he went inside the Capitol and that he told the FBI his intent was to occupy the building for days, if necessary. Adams also acknowledged that he knew that he did not have authorization when he went into the Senate chamber and walked among the senators historic desks. Story continues Entering the Senate chamber has been a sort of red line for prosecutors, with them insisting on felony guilty pleas or convictions to resolve cases against those who went inside, even briefly. And so far theyve been nearly unblemished in their prosecutions, though a judge recently acquitted a defendant of an obstruction charge despite his presence in the chamber. Adams was on the Senate floor for about seven minutes before he was kicked out of the building, according to the statement of facts prosecutors and the defense agreed to in his case. Stipulated trials have been used in recent months to seek to resolve about a dozen Jan. 6-related criminal cases where the defendant faced a felony charge of obstruction of a congressional proceeding. Almost 1,000 people have been charged criminally in connection with the unrest at the Capitol, which prompted a delay in the congressional session to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. One of Mehtas colleagues, U.S. District Court Judge Carl Nichols, ruled that the obstruction charge did not apply unless prosecutors could prove that a defendant intended to tamper with or damage the actual electoral vote documents being tallied that day. No other judge to consider the issue has agreed with Nichols. Meanwhile, prosecutors are appealing his decision to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Unlike the guilty pleas typically offered in deals with prosecutors, stipulated trials allow defendants in other cases to preserve their ability to wipe out their obstruction convictions if the D.C. Circuit sides with Nichols. The obstruction charge carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence, although no Jan. 6 defendant has received a sentence close to that in a case not involving violence. The harshest sentence to date 10 years was delivered by Mehta to retired New York City cop Thomas Webster, who took his case to trial. Webster was convicted of a brutal assault of a Washington Metropolitan Police officer outside the Capitol, and Mehta found that Webster lied on the stand about his actions. Adams also admitted Tuesday to the facts needed to convict him on a misdemeanor charge of entering and remaining in the Capitol without permission. That carries a one-year maximum sentence. Mehta has set sentencing in the case for June 16. The FBI appears to have zeroed in on Adams after he said on the day after the Capitol riot that he enjoyed the experience. It was a really fun time, Adams told Insider. He has since said he did not know of the violence taking place elsewhere in the building and on the Capitol grounds. A federal judge has allowed a wrongful death lawsuit to proceed against Kyle Rittenhouse in relation to his August 2020 fatal shooting of unarmed racial justice protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The suit, filed in 2021 by John Huber, the father of Anthony Huber, claims that Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time of the killings, conspired with police officers to cause harm to protesters. Rittenhouse was acquitted of homicide after he claimed he acted in self-defense. Rittenhouse and government officials had challenged the lawsuit. Rittenhouse claimed he had not been properly served with the lawsuit papers. But U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman in the Eastern District of Wisconsin dismissed those arguments Wednesday. Adelman ruled that Rittenhouse is almost certainly evading service of the lawsuit documents, The Associated Press reported. Rittenhouse has been deliberately cagey about his whereabouts, Adelman wrote, refusing to say where he lives. The judge also ruled that Hubers death could plausibly be regarded as having been proximately caused by the actions of the governmental defendants. John Huber hired a private investigator to search addresses in seven states to track down Rittenhouse. Rittenhouses sister was finally served with the lawsuit papers at her Florida address after she said her brother was not at home. Rittenhouse, who has become a hero of right-wing extremists, used an AR-15 assault-style rifle to kill Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, who were both unarmed, at an Aug. 25, 2020, protest two days after Kenosha police shot a Black man, Jacob Blake. Blake was left partially paralyzed. Rittenhouse, who traveled from his home in Illinois to the Wisconsin protest, also injured a third protester. The teen claimed at the time he was had traveled to Kenosha to protect property. Local police were captured on video thanking armed vigilantes for being on the scene. We appreciate you guys, we really do, police were filmed saying as they handed out bottles of water to Rittenhouse and other armed teens and men. Story continues Kyle Rittenhouse at the Kenosha, Wisconsin, police brutality protest on Aug. 25, 2020, before he fatally shot two unarmed demonstrators and wounded another. Kyle Rittenhouse at the Kenosha, Wisconsin, police brutality protest on Aug. 25, 2020, before he fatally shot two unarmed demonstrators and wounded another. After Rittenhouse fatally shot Rosenbaum, other protesters, including Huber, chased after him to disarm him, according to video of the chaotic scene. When Huber tried to pull the gun away, Rittenhouse shot him in the chest. Police on the scene did nothing to stop Rittenhouses illegal conduct, the suit states. They did not arrest him for illegally carrying a gun ... they did not disarm him ... they did not stop him from shooting individuals after he started. They did not arrest him, detain him or question him after he had killed two people. The states largest newspaper, the Wisconsin State Journal, called Rittenhouses acquittal chilling, criticizing the decision for emboldening vigilantes. Rittenhouse didnt deserve to walk free, it concluded. Rittenhouse complained in his Twitter profile blurb that the judges decision this week has created a stressful time for him. He pleaded for prayers and money from supporters and tweeted Bible verses like the one below: Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is it's own trouble. Matthew 6:34 Kyle Rittenhouse (@ThisIsKyleR) February 2, 2023 Critics tweeted biblical admonishments right back at him, such as: Thou shalt not kill. "Thou shall not kill" - 6th of God's Commandments pic.twitter.com/80O5COT7Dk Deb G #StandWithUkraine! (@DebeeMI) February 2, 2023 The lawsuit is seeking an unspecified amount of damages from Rittenhouse, Kenosha city officials and law enforcement. Rittenhouses attorney Shane Martin told AP: While we respect the judges decision, we do not believe there is any evidence of a conspiracy and we are confident, just as a Kenosha jury found, Kyles actions that evening were not wrongful and were undertaken in self defense. The ruling puts Anthony Hubers family one step closer to justice for their sons needless death, said Anand Swaminathan, one of the attorneys for John Huber. (The moment when Huber was fatally shot was captured in the video below. Warning: Its graphic and extremely disturbing.) Related... Zach Braff has reflected on working with Florence Pugh on his film A Good Person. Braff, 47, and Pugh, 27, dated for three years, including during the films shoot, before splitting up in early 2022. In the movie, directed by Braff, Pugh plays a woman whose world falls apart when she is involved in a fatal car crash that kills her future sister-in-law. In her despair, she forms an unlikely friendship with her would-be father-in-law, portrayed by Morgan Freeman. Speaking about Pughs acting talent, Braff told The Guardian in a new interview: I was just in awe of her. You cant find an actor from Meryl Streep to someone fresh out of school that doesnt think Florence is a pretty extraordinary talent. Theres just something about her, shes got that movie star quality. And its natural shes not trained classically in any way. Its just in her blood, in her soul. He said that casting her alongside Freeman was like the great old Jedi Master Yoda [acting opposite] the young, exciting ingenue. Braff described the moment he found out Freeman had said yes to the film, saying: Soon my phone rang, and I remember it was Florence who held it up to me because it said Morgan Freeman across the top. I answered it and without even saying Hey Zach or anything he just said: I see myself on every page of the script. Florence Pugh in A Good Person (@ Sky UK/ Union Square Productio) While Braff and Pugh were together, some online commentators criticised them due to their 21-year age gap. Pugh responded by sharing a lengthy Instagram video in which she declared that no one had the right to tell her who I should and should not love. In January this year, Pugh told Vogue she is still figuring out how to navigate single life. My breakup has been very new, so Im figuring that out, she said. A Good Person is out in UK cinemas on 24 March and on Sky Cinema and Now from 28 April. HOLLAND TWP. A juvenile has been taken into custody following a car theft in Holland Township early Friday morning. Deputies from the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office were dispatched shortly before 5:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 3, on reports of a suspicious vehicle circling the neighborhoods with its lights off near Sentry Road and Woodfield Drive. The reporting party said a subject exited the rear of a light-colored Jeep Cherokee and began checking doors on vehicles parked in several driveways. Deputies located the Jeep and a blue minivan leaving the area. They attempted to stop the vehicles, but both fled. Deputies pursued, eventually terminating the chase in the area of Byron Road and 148th Avenue. They later located the minivan stuck in the snow on Byron Road, where they took a 16-year-old juvenile into custody. The minivan, they learned, was stolen from the neighborhoods near the initial suspicious vehicle call. The light-colored Jeep was not located and remains outstanding. Subscribe:Get all your breaking news and unlimited access to our local coverage The juvenile, whose name will not be released by police, was lodged at the Ottawa County Youth Home on several charges related to the incident, which remains under investigation. Anyone with information should call OCSO at 800-249-0911 or Silent Observer at 877-88-SILENT. Contact editor Cassandra Lybrink at clybrink@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @CassLybrink. This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Juvenile arrested, police seek additional suspects in Holland Township car theft A Jackson County jury found a 63-year-old man guilty of six felony sex crimes involving a then-14-year-old in Kansas City between 2015 and 2017. Robert J. Warren, of Kansas City, was convicted of first-degree statutory rape, second-degree statutory rape, sexual misconduct involving a child, two counts of child molestation and the enticement of a child, Jackson County prosecutors announced Thursday night. The case was investigated by Kansas City police. It began on Aug. 2, 2017 after police officers were sent to speak with the 14-year-old and family regarding allegations of sexual misconduct that occurred over the course of the previous two years. According to court documents, the teenager described in graphic detail Warrens assaults on the occasions when they were alone together. Some were reported to have occurred in the front room of the teenagers grandmothers house and another in a parking lot for semi-trucks, according to court records. On one occasion, the teenager recalled in an interview with social workers, Warren offered money to keep quiet. On another, the teenager used a cell phone camera to photograph Warren as he was exposing himself. Other witnesses told police they took the steps to file a report after seeing the pictures. At the time charges were filed, roughly 5 months after the report was made, KCPD detectives said they had tried to obtain a statement from Warren about the allegations several times but were unsuccessful in contacting him. Warren has been held in the Jackson County jail since his arrest in 2018. He is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge Bryan E. Round on April 27. [Source] Keanu Reeves has been granted a temporary restraining order against a man whom he says had been harassing him and trespassing into his property for months. The alleged stalker, Bryan Keith Dixon, 38, is accused of breaking into Reeves Hollywood Hills home six times between Nov. 5, 2022, and Jan. 20, according to court documents first reported by TMZ. The first incident allegedly saw Dixon entering through a side gate before falling asleep in the backyard. Twelve hours later, the intruder allegedly returned with a suspicious and alarming backpack that contained a bizarre note and a DNA testing kit. As it turned out, he aimed to prove they are blood-related, according to the documents. More from NextShark: 'If Yan can cook, so can you!': TV chef icon Martin Yan awarded James Beard Lifetime Achievement honor Reeves private security team reportedly found social media posts by Dixon identifying himself as Jasper Keith Reeves. He allegedly claimed to assign all of his rights to Reeves, putting the actor in charge of him. Mathew Rosengart, Reeves lawyer, sought protection from a Los Angeles court for the Matrix star and his partner, Alexandra Grant, on Tuesday. More from NextShark: SCOTUS to decide whether comedian Jeff Ross roast of a convicted murderer can be used to sentence him to death Dixon was ordered to keep a 100-yard distance from the couple. Dixon, a transient, was found to have a criminal record spanning 20 years, which includes convictions related to assault, drug possession, larceny, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct in Rhode Island, as per The Hollywood Reporter. There is also an ongoing case related to breaking and entering with felonious intent and possessing burglary tools. More from NextShark: Japans Ice Prince Yuzuru Hanyu retires from competitive figure skating Dixon was ordered to appear in court on Feb. 24. Los Angeles police are conducting an investigation. This is not the first time Reeves secured a restraining order from an alleged stalker. In 2014, the John Wick star alleged that Kerry Colen Raus, 50, broke into his property, swam in his pool and took a shower in his house, according to the New York Post. More from NextShark: Georgia Cops Fired for Using Excessive Force on the WRONG Person While politicians debate whether to legalize medical marijuana in Kentucky, a lesser-known product that gets people similarly high is flourishing in the state. And it's already legal. Delta-8 THC a chemical almost identical to the delta-9 THC in marijuana that drives the mental high people get is being sold in edibles and vapes in shops across the commonwealth with minimal regulation. It can be sold to anyone, theoretically even children, at the seller's discretion. A huge reason for the relative absence of regulation: This niche market emerged unexpectedly and lacks federal oversight, leaving officials in states like Kentucky to decide what to do. In the meantime, delta-8's popularity has grown in Kentucky. "By all accounts that I've received, that part of the industry is exploding," said Katie Moyer, president of the Kentucky Hemp Association. The delta-8 business bloomed from an unforeseen loophole thanks to a law federally legalizing hemp, a cannabis plant with very little delta-9 THC, that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell helped pass in 2018. He went to bat for hemp in hopes that it could be a cash crop for Kentucky farmers. Fact check: Does Kentucky really grow more marijuana than any other state? Delta-8 can be indirectly derived from hemp, and the way the 2018 law was written opened the door for businesses to make and sell it. But the lack of regulation contributed to safety and other concerns, and people in the industry as well as government officials want more rules. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear stepped in to help fill that void in November. In an executive order issued at the same time as a separate order on medical marijuana, he specified delta-8 products must meet certain rules, including packaging and labeling requirements that apply to other hemp-derived materials. To the extent that we learn of an issue, a bad health outcome, you can track the product back to exactly who has made it and further investigate," he told The Courier Journal. Story continues A large selection of delta-8 gummies are on display at the Electric Ladyland store, located at 2325 Bardstown Road, on Jan. 19, 2023. "We think its important its regulated like a hemp product," Beshear said of his administration. "But with that said, well watch and learn. And if we see challenges out there, we want to be flexible enough to adapt to them." Eric Wang, CEO of Ecofibre a hemp company with operations in Georgetown said he thinks strong regulations are needed, at minimum. Wang said intoxicating products weren't what hemp businesses pitched to lawmakers who helped get the crop fully legalized. "It's absolutely not what we had committed to as an industry," he said. Anecdotal data indicate delta-8 causes a less intense high than marijuana and shows some people use it like they would medical marijuana, to assuage issues like pain, anxiety and insomnia. Others take it for fun. And some do both. A college student who did not want to be named looked over the various delta-8 products in a display case at the Electric Ladyland store, located at 2325 Bardstown Road, on Jan. 19, 2023 Some industry insiders say delta-8's popularity in places like Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee is due to the fact that medical and recreational marijuana can't legally be sold there. Pot for pain relief?: What cannabis can (and cant) do for chronic pain. "As a product of prohibition, delta-8 THC is the bathtub gin of our generation," said Jim Higdon, co-founder of the Kentucky-based CBD brand Cornbread Hemp. "No one wants synthetically derived delta-8, but in jurisdictions like Kentucky where naturally occurring delta-9 THC is tightly restricted, the demand for hemp-derived delta-8 has boomed." How is delta-8 produced? Marijuana and hemp products basically come from the same source: cannabis plants. The main difference: Although the plant looks very much like marijuana, hemp legally must include very little delta-9. Cannabis plants generally don't produce much delta-8, which was identified by researchers decades ago. However, a lot more of this newly popular form of THC can be synthesized from a non-intoxicating chemical called cannabidiol, or CBD. CBD can be extracted from hemp, after which delta-8 can be generated through a chemical process. The resulting oil is then used in products. With minimal-to-no regulations in various states, pretty much anyone can make delta-8. "If you have a bucket-load of CBD and you put it in a pot with some organic solvent and acid and boil it, it makes delta-8 chemically," said professor Kent Vrana, Penn State College of Medicines chair of pharmacology. FILE - In a Thursday, July 5, 2018 file photo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, left, inspects a piece of hemp taken from a bale of hemp at a processing plant in Louisville, Ky. McConnell has guaranteed that his proposal to make hemp a legal agricultural commodity, removing it from the federal list of controlled substances, will be part of the final farm bill. There are various safety concerns about delta-8 products, which are largely untested in Kentucky and many other states. The chemical delta-8 isn't itself a problem, Vrana said. However, some testing has shown delta-8 products may contain heavy metals, chemical solvents and pesticides. Using delta-8 also involves some of the same risks as using marijuana, Vrana said, including the possibility of developing an addiction. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn't evaluated or authorized delta-8 products "for safe use in any context." Vrana said research into medical marijuana shows it can stimulate the appetite and limit seizures, and there are indications it can help manage pain. He said theres no question delta-8 has similar potential. McConnell's role in legalizing hemp and delta-8 McConnell declined an interview request, but he previously was clear about his big goal in legalizing hemp: boosting Kentucky farmers. "Hemp is a versatile crop, and we continue to learn more about it every day," he said in a 2018 column. "While we may not yet know its full capabilities, I am confident the ingenuity of Kentuckys farmers and producers will find new and creative uses for this exciting crop." Kentucky farmers grew hemp a long time ago, but cultivating it had been outlawed for decades until Congress reversed course in the 2010s. General counsel Jonathan Miller of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, a Lexington and Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, said McConnell "realized it (hemp) was something that was quite popular back home and could help out a lot of farmers." So when the time came for Congress to approve a "farm bill," which it does every five years, Miller said McConnell wielded his influence to help make growing hemp federally legal. Miller, a Democrat and former Kentucky treasurer, worked with McConnell and other lawmakers in 2018 to get hemp legalized and said the longtime Republican leader's support was vital. However, Miller said the bill's language accidentally created a loophole. The law said hemp and its derivatives are legal as long as their concentration of delta-9 THC the main intoxicating chemical in marijuana is no more than 0.3%. That seemingly legalized products containing other chemicals or cannabinoids derived from hemp, like delta-8. At that point, delta-8 wasn't on lawmakers' or hemp advocates' radar. "But legislation is done in ways that you can't predict how it's going to be used down the road," Miller said. "This all surprised us." The business of delta-8 Because the advent of delta-8 products was a surprise, there has been confusion over its legality. In Kentucky, though, that question was cleared up last year when a Boone circuit judge ruled delta-8 is allowed as long as such products don't have a higher concentration of delta-9 than federal law permits. Since the 2018 farm bill became law, dozens of business owners in the Louisville area gradually have put delta-8 vapes and edibles on their shelves. This upstart market even fueled the opening of new stores. Kentucky's burgeoning hemp industry, overall, has had its struggles, though. Industry experts cite various reasons, including a lack of guidance from the FDA. "Nationwide and here in Kentucky, we saw massive growth in the number of hemp acres planted from 2018 to 2019," said Doris Hamilton, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture's hemp program manager. "The resulting oversupply of raw materials, paired with FDA inaction, led to a swift drop in the prices farmers could get for their harvests if they could find a buyer at all." Congress plans to pass its next big farm bill this year. When McConnell held an unrelated press conference in Louisville last month, The Courier Journal asked what priorities he'll push for in that legislation. "Hemp was the big new thing in the previous farm bill. So far, its not worked out like we had hoped. It's had a lot of challenges related to the difficulty of getting guidance out of the" FDA, he said. "So, well see what the priorities are for Kentucky agriculture." Changes in Kentucky's delta-8 regulation coming? The federal government inadvertently green lighted delta-8 with the 2018 farm bill, but it doesn't regulate it. That means states are the vanguard on that front. In Kentucky, Beshear's recent executive order verified that certain rules on packaging apply to delta-8 products and directed the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to ensure those regulations are enforced. Plus, there's the requirement that they should contain very little delta-9 (which, remember, is illegal above 0.3%). But other aspects of the delta-8 market aren't regulated here. Products don't have to be tested for heavy metals, for example, and people don't have to be 21 years old to buy them like they do to buy bourbon or cigarettes. Moyer, of the Kentucky Hemp Association, said a kid theoretically could buy delta-8 at a store. But she said many retailers are careful and ask to see identification. Delta-8 "has increased our business by over 30%. That translates into five employees that have been hired. It also has added a layer of administrative work to our staff as we 'self regulate,'" said Nancy Roberts, cofounder of the One Love Hemp Dispensary in Louisville. "We do this because it is an unregulated industry, and we are committed to a certain standard in our dispensaries." Seltzers containing delta-8 are on display at the CBD Pure Hemp Oil store located at 9535 US Highway 42 in Prospect, Kentucky. Jan. 19, 2023 The Kentucky General Assembly also could have a role in delta-8's future. The legislature has the power to institute stricter regulations for these products. The Kentucky Senate passed a ban last year, but the bill died in the House. Conversely, the House has passed legislation to permit medical marijuana in recent years that died in the Senate. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture doesn't regulate the retail sale of delta-8 or other hemp-derived products, though it does have oversight of businesses that grow and process raw hemp materials. Senate President Pro Tempore David Givens, R-Greensburg, said the Senate's leadership hasn't discussed delta-8 this year. But he won't be surprised if the topic arises again. "An unregulated product with the effects of THC ... we don't know what's blended with a lot of these," he said. "That opens the opportunity for abuse and health effects that we can only speculate on." A spokesperson for the House's Republican leadership did not respond to a request for comment. While it's unclear if lawmakers will debate delta-8 this winter, whether or not to let medical marijuana be bought and sold in the commonwealth definitely will be considered. Beshear used an executive order to partially legalize medical marijuana for people with certain health conditions who buy it legally out of state, starting in 2023. He wants the legislature to make it fully legal. Meanwhile, delta-8 remains in stores across the state. "If delta-8 provides some of the same relief, then I'm grateful that it is currently legal," Beshear said, as long as "we can ensure that it is packaged safely, that it is marketed appropriately, that we can follow up on any type of safety complaints." He'd oppose a ban. I believe its time for medical marijuana, and that we ought to move ahead in that direction. But given that delta-8 has been ruled (as) being legal here, then we need to ensure its properly regulated. Reach reporter Morgan Watkins at mwatkins@courierjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter: @morganwatkins26. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How a Kentucky hemp law led to people getting high off delta-8 THC House Speaker Kevin McCarthy appeared to dismiss claims from Republican US Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene and other far-right officials that Ashli Babbitt was murdered by a US Capitol Police officer after she tried to climb into the House chambers through a broken window during a riot in the halls of Congress on 6 January, 2021. Asked on 2 February whether he agreed with Ms Greene or believed that the officer did his job that day, Mr McCarthy said: I think the police officer did his job. In her first remarks on the House Oversight Committee this week, Ms Greene appeared to compare her death and the civil rights of other Capitol rioters to the fatal beating of 29-year-old Trye Nichols by Memphis police officers. Democratic committee members have opposed a Republican decision to dissolve a subcommittee on civil rights, arguing that the death of Nichols would have been under that panels investigative purview. I watched the video, and it was tragic and extremely difficult to watch, the Georgia Republican said. But Id like to also point something that Id hope you share with me: Theres a woman in this room whose daughter was murdered on January 6, Ashli Babbitt. No one has cared about the person that shot and killed her and no one in this Congress has really addressed that issue, according to Ms Greene. Federal prosecutors closed their investigation into Babbitts killing, which was captured on video as a mob that broke its way through police barricades surrounded the doors leading to the Speakers Lobby. The US Department of Justice found no evidence to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the shooting was unlawful. Ms Green also said that the civil rights and liberties of people in jail facing charges connected to the Capitol attack are being violated heavily. Following her death, Babbitt has emerged as a martyr figure on the far right, and the phrase who killed Ashli Babbitt? has been a rallying cary among GOP lawmakers and former president Donald Trump, who eulogised her in public remarks and on Fox News. Her death has been the subject of rampant, baseless conspiracy theories, with far-right congressman Paul Gosar suggesting in a fundraising email that the FBI staged the attack, and, during a congressional hearing, that the officer who killed her was lying in wait to do so. Six months after the Capitol riots, fuelled by the former presidents election lies, he said that had Babbitt been on the other side, the person who did the shooting would be strung up and hung. Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Reuters With mostly morbid fascination, Democrats have so far watched Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) take increasingly drastic steps to shore up his credentials with his far-right detractors. Hes installed once-banned Republicans on plum committees, established powerful new committees out of thin air to appease his most conspiratorial-minded members, and handed the keys to the House floor over to the right-wing Freedom Caucus. This week, however, McCarthys internal management strategy reached into the Democratic side of the aislesparking not schadenfreude, but seething anger among members of the minority party. On Thursday, House Republicans voted to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, over unanimous Democratic objection. The stated reason was Omars past comments invoking antisemitic tropes and criticisms of the U.S. Republicans Boot Ilhan Omar From Foreign Affairs Panel But for Republicans, Omars comments were largely an excuse to pursue something else: vengeance against Democrats. In 2021, the House Democratic majority, along with a handful of Republicans, voted to boot Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ) from their committee posts. When Republicans took charge in January, there was immense pressure on McCarthy to not only reinstall Greene and Gosar, but remove some Democrats from their committee assignments, too. With that group now in the drivers seat of the McCarthy speakership, its unsurprising that he moved swiftly to remove Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee, along with Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) from the Intelligence Committee. (Because the Intelligence Committee is a select committee, Speaker McCarthy had sole discretion to remove them, whereas he needed a vote from the full House to remove Omar from a standing committee.) While the moves may seem like a disproportionate response to Democrats removing Greene and Gosar, ultimately, even moderate GOP lawmakers accepted the retaliation. Story continues This is the standard that Speaker Pelosi set, said Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), and now the new minority has to live with that. What was a little more surprising was how much political capital McCarthy had to invest in the venture. Several Republican lawmakers were initially opposed to removing Omar from Foreign Affairs, largely over concerns about the precedent it would set going forward. Figuring that defeator even delayon this first test was not an option, McCarthy spent the week working the holdouts, eventually securing fig-leaf language giving members due process in committee removal. Democratic lawmakers took note of how much McCarthy seemed to be working. Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) seemed struck by it. The lack of standing that he has within his own conference, that he needs to cater to this most base and just craven impulse, as opposed to using his political capital to try to do things for the country its just a super unimpressive demonstration of a lack of leadership, Auchincloss said. Republicans said the vote was important for McCarthy to win. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), who publicly struggled with his vote and called Omar a friend, told The Daily Beast it sets a clear agenda that we will not tolerate that kind of thing. WATCH: AOC Tears Republicans a New One for Booting Ilhan Omar While McCarthy notched a win with Thursdays vote, Burchetts observation illustrates the tricky, minefield-laden terrain that the Speaker will have to navigate going forward. Given their increasingly combative conference that often delights in offending, GOP leadership will have to be prepared for intense pressureand allegations of hypocrisy from Democratsthe next time one of their own violates the standard they are trying to lay down. In fact, Republicans had barely gotten settled into the majority before McCarthy faced a challenging testin the form of Rep. George Santos (R-NY). The serial fabulist and alleged fraudster arrived on Capitol Hill under a cloud of scandal and under investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies, yet House Republicans seated him on two committees. The hypocrisy of booting Omar from a committee while welcoming Santos was so glaring that McCarthy seemed forced to act. Following a Monday morning meeting with the Speaker this week, Santos declared on Tuesday he had decided to recuse himself from committeesfor the time being, at least. At a press conference following the vote on Omar, McCarthy himself spoke vaguely about establishing a new set of standards for House members. I think what we should do is put into the rules that there is a code of conduct here, but I dont know the definition, exactly what all thats going to mean, McCarthy said. I think that should be clear. There is also the matter of the substance of Omars comments that provoked the GOPs removal vote. In 2019, the Minneapolis congresswomana Somali-born Muslim womanargued that Republican support for Israel was motivated by donations from AIPAC, the biggest pro-Israel lobby, tweeting: its all about the Benjamins, baby. Though a reference to a song by the rapper Puff Daddy, Omars invocation of Jewish influence on politics through money was widely condemned, notably by Democratic leadership. Omar ultimately apologized. Kevin McCarthy Denies Democratic Intelligence Committee Appointments Then, in 2021, Omar tweeted that the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban were all guilty of unthinkable atrocities, prompting outrage from Jewish Democrats, among others. She later argued she was not making a moral comparison between the entities she mentioned. These remarks formed the basis of the GOPs case for removing Omar and were cited by McCarthy himself at his press conference on Thursday. But rhetoric and conduct from Republican lawmakers, as well as the most recent Republican president, has prompted far more outrage from Jewish groups. In 2021, Greene and Gosar were removed from their committee positions largely on the basis of their endorsement of violent rhetoric. Greene had liked social media posts calling for violence against Pelosi, while Gosar released an animated video actually depicting him beheading Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY). But Gosar and Greene each have also trafficked in fairly obvious antisemitism. Both, for instance, appeared at the white nationalist conference run by Nick Fuentes, an extremist activist who has praised Adolf Hitler and denied the Holocaust happened. Beyond that, Gosar has met privately with Fuentes and defended him publicly. Before her election to Congress, meanwhile, Greene blamed wildfires in California on Jews; afterward, she compared President Joe Biden to Hitler and mask-wearing rules in the Capitol to the Holocaust, both of which prompted sharp rebukes. Greene went to the Holocaust museum in Washington and later apologized. After a brief period as a pariah in the GOP, Greene is now a critical ally of McCarthy and was instrumental to elevating him to the speakership. He rewarded both Greene and Gosar with seats on the powerful House Oversight Committeea better assignment than what Greene had when she arrived in Congress in 2021. And Greenes first act on the Oversight panelduring the committees organizational meeting on Tuesdaywas to compare the police killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis to the murder of Capitol insurrectionist Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by police while climbing through a broken window into the Speakers lobby on Jan. 6. Trump Wouldnt Dare Pick MTG to Be His VP The point that Greene and Gosars antisemitic extremism is going unaddressed is one that did not go unnoticed by Democrats during the debate over Omar on Thursday. Dont tell me this is about a condemnation of antisemitic remarks when you have a member of the Republican caucus who has talked about Jewish space lasers and other tropes and also elevated her to some of the highest committee assignments in this body, argued Ocasio-Cortez. This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America. As he runs for another White House term and wins support from GOP lawmakers, Trump, meanwhile, had dinner with Fuentes in November. He has also scolded Jewish voters for not supporting him, citing his backing of Israel, even warning the American Jewish community to get their act together before it is too late. Republicans say they wont brook such rhetoric. If [Trump] said something that's antisemitic, then we need to bust his ass too, said Burchett. But McCarthy and most Republicans have been content to sweep such rhetoric under the rug while demanding accountability for Omars rhetoric. Even Democrats who remain offended by the Minnesota Democrats comments opposed McCarthys push. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a freshman lawmaker from Florida, said someone with her record of hateful comments does not belong on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. My vote was a vote to protect the institution, for democracy, and for preventing the weaponization of committee selection, Moskowitz said. With their move, Republicans said they hoped the practice of removing opposition members from committees would end. I do advocate, at some point, we should go over, shake hands, and say stop doing this, said Bacon, the Nebraska Republican. Aside from observing the internal politics of the move, some Democrats couldnt help but observe how it clashed with what is meant to be a core value of the current conservative movement. This is a party that has raised concerns about cancel culture, about the thwarting of a free and open debate in college campuses and places of higher learning, in Congress, said Auchincloss. And here they are, basically asking for their own safe space. 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. U.S. health officials said Thursday a company is recalling its over-the-counter eye drops that have been linked to an outbreak of drug-resistant infections. The Washington State Department of Health confirmed on Friday that a Snohomish County man who died tested positive for the bacteria pseudomonas aeruginosa and had used artificial tears, but had not yet confirmed he used EzriCare eye drops. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week sent a health alert to doctors, saying the outbreak included at least 55 people in 12 states. One died and at least five others had permanent vision loss. The infections, including some found in blood, urine and lungs, were linked to EzriCare Artificial Tears. Many said they had used the product, which is a lubricant used to treat irritation and dryness. The eye drops are sold under the name EzriCare and is made in India by Global Pharma Healthcare. The Food and Drug Administration said the company recalled unexpired lots of EzriCare Artificial Tears and another product, Delsam Pharmas Artificial Tears. The FDA recommended the recall based on manufacturing problems including lack of testing and proper controls on packaging. The agency also blocked import into the United States. The infections were caused by a bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Investigators detected the outbreak strain in open EzriCare bottles. EzriCare, the company that markets the eye drops in the U.S., said it has stopped distributing the eye drops. It also has a notice on its website urging consumers to stop using the product. Infections were diagnosed in patients in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. A person in Washington died with a blood infection. The outbreak is considered particularly worrisome because the bacteria driving it are resistant to standard antibiotics. Investigators found the bacteria were not susceptible to any antibiotics routinely tested at public health laboratories. However, a newer antibiotic named cefiderocol did seem to work. Story continues How could eye drops cause infections in the blood or lungs? The eye connects to the nasal cavity through the tear ducts. Bacteria can move from the nasal cavity into the lungs. Also, bacteria in these parts of the body can seed infections at other sites such as in the blood or wounds, CDC officials said. A previous version of this story stated a King County man died due to the recalled eyedrops. The Washington State Department of Health corrected their release after receiving new information from their partners. ___ Associated Press writer Matthew Perrone contributed to this report. Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department For years, members of the Native American community say they were deeply suspicious of Nathan Chasing Horse. It was, Make sure you never leave a young woman alone with this person, Frances Danger, who is Muskogee and Seminole, told The Daily Beast. It was never an exact allegation of specific things, but we knew. We knew. Chasing Horse, who gained a modicum of fame as the character Smiles a Lot in the 1990 Kevin Costner blockbuster Dances with Wolves, now stands accused of running a cult through which he raped and trafficked multiple women and girls for two decades. Lingering fears about the former movie stars behavior appeared to have been validated Tuesday, when police announced they had arrested Chasing Horse, 46, at his home in North Las Vegas. On Thursday, he appeared in court. Prosecutors said they expect to charge Chasing Horse with sex trafficking, sexual assault, and child abuse, among other possible counts. Chasing Horse was ordered held without bail through at least his next court date on Monday. Michael Wilfong, Chasing Horses court-appointed lawyer, said during the hearing that his client had a great deal of support among his family. Nathan Chasing Horse pictured during in North Las Vegas on Thursday TY ONEIL / Shutterstock A 50-page search warrant, obtained by the Associated Press, outlined wild allegations against Chasing Horse. It alleged he was the leader of a cult called The Circle, and took on underage wives and abused teenage girls and women throughout the country and in Las Vegas. An arrest report released Wednesday unveiled more shocking details: Chasing Horse allegedly armed and trained his young wives to protect him and shoot it out with cops if they ever came looking for him. The women were also allegedly given suicide pills to take if officers stormed their home. There was no indication that a shootout occurred when Las Vegas cops eventually came knocking this week. An arrest report said cops seized guns, over 40 pounds of weed and psilocybin mushrooms, and memory cards rife with proof of sexual assaults carried out by Chasing Horse, the AP reported. Police said one of Chasing Horses wives was just 15 when she was given to him as a gift, and he took on another wife shortly after she turned 16. Wilfong, Chasing Horses lawyer, did not respond to The Daily Beasts request for comment on Thursday. Story continues His proclivities were known to us but also were not taken seriously outside of our circles, Danger told The Daily Beast. No one wants to be the one to say the first thing Chasing Horse is well-known among Native tribes across the U.S. and Canada, and held himself out to be a supernaturally gifted medicine man and spiritual healera respected position he used to reel in victims, police say. Danger, a freelance writer and Native advocate who lives in Oklahoma, said Chasing Horses reputation for the kind of conduct alleged by police this week was common knowledge in the community. However, it remained an open secret for a slew of reasons, she explained. Among them, Chasing Horse, who appeared in Dances with Wolves at the age of 14 and later traveled North America performing Sun Dance ceremonies, was a celebrity of sorts. That, along with the understandable fear of the backlash that often rains down on accusers, combined to shield Chasing Horse, who reportedly had as many as five wives, from any serious accountability until now, Danger said. [Dances with Wolves] was one of the biggest representations of us that was out there, as flawed as it was, she continued. Because it is so hard to have a platform outside of Indian Country, there was almost a reverence there. No one wants to be the one to say the first thing. At the same time, the rumors about Chasing Horse, a member of the Sicangu Sioux tribe, were no longer just rumors. In 2015, Chasing Horse was unanimously banished by tribal elders from the Fort Peck reservation in northeastern Montana after several years of allegations of human trafficking, drug dealing, spiritual abuse and intimidation of tribal members. He would put people in trances so to speak, and they become enamored with him, and he would get to do whatever he wanted, Fort Peck Vice Chairman Charles Headdress told The Independent, adding, He touted himself as this big shot, famous person and everybody went to him. I guess hes very charismatic, and he lured people in with that. Then they found out what he was really like. Warning signs The Daily Beast reviewed dozens of social media posts and comments, some from nearly a decade ago, in which members of Native communities publicly shared encounters with Chasing Horse that mirror this weeks criminal charges. I met this man years ago in Santa Fe, N.M. after his big debut in Dances with Wolves, one wrote in 2015 of Chasing Horse. I was with two females who were a part of the same program that I was and he Nathan immediately went to one of the girls and swept her off her feet. Just walked over to her, picked up her hand and kissed it. He never left her side for the entire visit that we were there. She even stayed with him in his private room in Santa Fe, N.M.It all makes sense now! I saw this guy after the powwow here during the 4th, a woman in Montana wrote the same year, noting that Chasing Horse had a harem of young girls with him who followed him around. They looked young, I told my son, that guy is a cult leader, she went on. Another in New Mexico posted, Yeah I saw him take two of them [to] the port-a-potties at Morongo 2 years ago...creepy. He checked out the potty before escorting one of them to it...they also stand every time he dances...uber creep. But as Danger noted, others were reluctant to say anything negative about Chasing Horse. No matter how things turn out for him or anyone involved with this banishment the sad part is on all sides a member of the Native community in Saskatchewan wrote. [O]ur people speaking n acting against one another.judging n critizing. Gossiping n pulling n holding each other down. Tribal council. actor or tribal member or not. All that was never apart of our way of life. This is not who we r[.] Much of this dialogue emerged in the summer of 2015, when Chasing Horse was banished from Fort Peck. But the banishment was only thattribal leaders determined Chasing Horse could never step foot on the reservation again, but he faced no criminal charges. In a news story announcing the leaders decision7-0 in favor, with two abstentionsmany residents shared their relief on Facebook. Similar allegations began to emerge this week, with a Dallas-area English teacher tweeting on Thursday: I saw him at a powwow eons ago. At first, I was excited and then noticed how creepy his vibe was. When young girls flinched at the sight of him, I knew. The woman, who asked for her name to be withheld, told The Daily Beast in an email, I fangirled because I knew him from movies and thats it. It wasnt until girls rolled their eyes that I figured something was up. I think I asked someone and she said he was dirty. Alanna Onespot, from the Tsuut'ina Nation and Siksika Nation, wrote on a 2015 message board that she and her sister walked with Chasing Horse from 2010 to 2014a period where she claims she saw first-hand how Chasing Horse preys on young girls, which was the thrill of the hunt for him. Onespot wrote that, had it been the Buffalo Days, referencing the 19th century and prior, Chasing Horses behavior wouldve had him killed by tribal leaders. The following year, Chaske Spencer, an actor who performed in Twilight, wrote to the same forum, saying he used to defend Chasing Horse until he began seeing breaks in the image he was portraying. It began with Chasing Horse asking him for money for things like gas, Spencer wrote. Then he also started to notice the cult mentally that Nathan Chasing Horse and his followers were pushing on him. As Native People there's so much shit have to deal with on an everyday basis, Spencer wrote. We don't need people like Nathan Chasing Horse and other fake medicine men taking advantage of our children. Spencer said he got away ASAPlater hearing about the sexual abuse Chasing Horses closest followers allegedly endured years later. So, I just said fuck him. I'm gone, Spencer said. I tried to talk to a few of his helpers. But, I could see they drank the kool aid and it was no use. So, I just left and chalked it up as a learning experience. Back then, Spencer wrote that he hoped one of Chasing Horses ex-followers would eventually tell their story, expose the skeletons in his closet. Lets open the door so people can see what you really be doing, Spencer said. This is not all we are To Frances Danger, the whole thing is not only infuriating but also deeply disappointing. We struggle so hard for representation, Nathan Chasing Horse is not who we should be known for, she told The Daily Beast. Its unfortunate that its this that is making headlines. Danger was also eager to emphasize that Chasing Horses life in Las Vegas made it easier for him to avoid oversight by tribal members. He has not lived in the community since 2021 and, Danger said, I doubt that hell ever be welcomed back. And with that, she remains hopeful Chasing Horse will not remain the focus for too much longer. I want people to walk away from this story knowing that this is not all we are, Danger said. We are so many different and wonderful and amazing things, and it is my hope going forward that those things will be platformed more than Nathan Chasing Horse. 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. Nearly one year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. is increasingly focused on denouncing what it calls a "brutal" paramilitary group aiding Russian forces there. The Wagner group is a private military organization run by an ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin with tens of thousands of fighters, according to U.S. officials, and it has also operated in Syria and in various African countries. Last week, the U.S. labeled the group a "significant transnational criminal organization" and levied new sanctions, while human rights observers this week said they suspected Wagner fighters were linked to the mass killing of people in Mali last year. Government reports, statements from U.S. officials and insights from experts, as well as other sources, shed light on the Wagner group's history and goals, its alleged wrongdoings and its importance to Russia -- in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world. How is the Wagner group involved in Russia's invasion of Ukraine? According to Catrina Doxsee, an expert on the Wagner group from the nonprofit Center for Strategic and International Studies, Wagner was first involved in the Ukrainian-Russian conflict in 2014, when Russia illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula. Today, there are an estimated 50,000 fighters from the Wagner group in Ukraine, White House spokesman John Kirby said last month. MORE: Fighting ramps up in eastern Ukraine in 'devastating WWI-like environment' Around 40,000 of the fighters are believed to be convicts, according to Doxsee, which could lead to more allegations of human rights abuses. A video circulating online appears to show the group's leader, businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, asking prisoners to join the Wagner group. "You have individuals coming in who are less experienced, less trained and who are kept in line in a much less efficient way by their commanders," Doxsee said. PHOTO: In this Oct. 13, 2022, file photo, service members of Russian private military company Wagner Group bring combat groups to their positions, as Russia's military operation in Ukraine continues, in Luhansk. (Viktor Antonyuk/Sputnik via AP, FILE) In September, a senior U.S. defense official downplayed the success of Wagner recruiting prisoners, with some felons declining to join given Ukraine's success in its counteroffensive. Story continues Other Wagner fighters have reportedly been drawn in for financial reasons. Recent satellite images show a growing Wagner burial site, illustrating the grim chances for convicted fighters on the front lines. Another recent video from Russian media outlet RIA Novosti showed Prigozhin -- who previously claimed he had no role with the group, a position he has since reversed -- visiting the cemetery. Kirby told reporters in December that Wagner has received weapons it purchased from North Korea to be used in Ukraine. Despite what the U.S. says is the Wagner group's significant presence in Ukraine, such mercenaries are technically illegal under Russian law and the Kremlin has long avoided discussing the use of contracted fighters. Doxsee said Russia's purported ban on private military companies (PMC) like the Wagner group allows the government a necessary distance from its operations. "They are technically all operating in violation of Russian law by means of even participating in PMC activities, and ultimately in the mind of the Russian government they are more expendable," Doxsee said. She said the Kremlin is likely able to leverage the group's illegal status: If Wagner turns, the government has the full ability to punish them. Other countries, including the U.S., heavily rely on contractors for some military duties, from logistics to training. Who is in charge of the Wagner group? Dmitry Utkin, a former Russian officer, and financier Yevgeny Prigozhin started the Wagner group, which emerged around 2014, toward the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the Crimean Peninsula, according to reports published by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. The group's moniker reportedly comes from a nickname for Utkin -- or is a reference to the composer Richard Wagner, beloved by Hitler. Prigozhin is known in the West by the nickname "Putin's chef," because of how he and Russia's president met decades ago, when Prigozhin was a restauranteur. Reports in the Combating Terrorism Center have also noted some disagreement over Wagner's operations, with some arguing it is less of a formal business entity (like American military contractors) and more of a movement. Prigozhin denied involvement in the group until late last year when he confirmed his role, according to the Associated Press. He has since spoken repeatedly about it, CNN reported last month, casting the effort much differently than the American assessment that it is criminal. "The fact that Prigozhin has been so open since the fall of 2022 about his connection with Wagner really indicates that he's feeling extremely confident and secure in his current position in his political power and in Putin's trust," Doxsee said. PHOTO: Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin attends the funeral of Dmitry Menshikov, a fighter of the Wagner group who died during a special operation in Ukraine, at the Beloostrovskoye cemetery outside St. Petersburg, Russia, on Dec. 24, 2022. (AP, FILE) In 2018, U.S. prosecutors charged Prigozhin for his suspected role in funding the Internet Research Agency (IRA), which the U.S. described as a Russian "troll farm" that sought to use digital campaigns to increase political and social tensions in the U.S. The Department of Justice accused the IRA of conspiring to "defraud the United States... for the purpose of interfering with the U.S. political and electoral processes, including the presidential election of 2016." The complaint described tactics like posing as U.S. citizens and creating false online personas. A Kremlin spokesman at the time said the case was "absolutely unsubstantiated." Last year, Prigozhin said on social media that "we have interfered [in elections], are interfering and will interfere," the AP reported. Wagner's role in other countries Beyond Ukraine, the Wagner group has been active in several African and Middle Eastern countries where it has participated in regional conflicts, exploited resources and spread Russia's influence, according to the reports published by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Doxsee said that exploiting the natural resources of vulnerable nations helps the group deal with financial punishments like the U.S. sanctions. "Wagner's ability to mine for gold and smuggle it out of the country has actually allowed Wagner and oligarchs like Prigozhin and others in Moscow to soften the blow of some of the Western sanctions," Doxsee said. A 2020 statement from the U.S. Department of Defense said there was evidence that the Wagner group violated a U.N. arms embargo and "laid land mines and improvised explosive devices in civilian areas in and around Tripoli, Lebanon, without regard to the safety of civilians." The Wagner group also moved troops to Syria in 2015 to support the Assad regime during the ongoing Syrian civil war, according to Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. In 2021, the International Federation for Human Rights and others helped file suit against Wagner group fighters, alleging they were responsible for a "murder committed with extreme cruelty" after a Syrian man was killed in 2017. (The status of the complaint is not clear.) There have been additional accusations from non-governmental organizations of human rights abuses in Mali, where government forces have been working with Wagner fighters, advocates say. "We are disturbed by the apparent increased outsourcing of traditional military functions to the so-called Wagner group in various military operations [in Mali]," human rights observers said on Tuesday in a statement released by the United Nations. They described "gross human rights abuses and possible war crimes and crimes against humanity" since 2021. Other countries with a history of Wagner group deployments include Mozambique and Madagascar. PHOTO: In this Oct. 7, 2022, file photo, servicemen of Russian private military company Wagner Group execute a combat mission in the course of Russia's military operation in Ukraine, in Luhansk. (Viktor Antonyuk/Sputnik via AP, FILE) Prigozhin claimed in a statement last week that the Wagner group is essential to many African nations. "There are presidents to whom I gave my word that I would defend them," Prigozhin said. "If I now withdraw one-hundred, two-hundred or five-hundred fighters from there, then [these countries] will simply cease to exist." State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel, in a briefing last week, did not say whether the U.S. would take action against countries working with sanctioned people or entities like Prigozhin or the Wagner group. What is the U.S. response to the Wagner group? Kirby, the White House spokesman, said last month that "we will work relentlessly to identify, disrupt, expose and target those who are assisting Wagner." Last Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned the Wagner group and related entities, labeling them a "significant transnational criminal organization" and accusing them of human rights abuses in the Central African Republic. In total, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned nine people and 14 entities in Russia, China, the Central African Republic and the United Arab Emirates, mostly with alleged Wagner connections. The Treasury also identified two yachts and one aircraft that are now considered blocked by the U.S. government. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement the sanctions support "our goal to degrade Moscow's capacity to wage war against Ukraine." Past sanctions from the Treasury Department went to Pregozhin, M Finans, Lobaye Invest, Concord Group and the Internet Research Agency. ABC News' Victoria Beaule, Layla Ferris, Mariam Khan, Christopher Looft, Luis Martinez and Max Uzol contributed to this report. What to know about the Wagner group, a 'brutal' Russian military group fighting in Ukraine originally appeared on abcnews.go.com It's been a good week for Koninklijke Philips N.V. (AMS:PHIA) shareholders, because the company has just released its latest yearly results, and the shares gained 7.9% to 16.69. Revenues of 18b beat expectations by a respectable 2.3%, although statutory losses per share increased. Koninklijke Philips lost 1.82, which was 22% more than what the analysts had included in their models. The analysts typically update their forecasts at each earnings report, and we can judge from their estimates whether their view of the company has changed or if there are any new concerns to be aware of. We thought readers would find it interesting to see the analysts latest (statutory) post-earnings forecasts for next year. View our latest analysis for Koninklijke Philips Following last week's earnings report, Koninklijke Philips' 14 analysts are forecasting 2023 revenues to be 18.1b, approximately in line with the last 12 months. Earnings are expected to improve, with Koninklijke Philips forecast to report a statutory profit of 0.57 per share. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of 18.2b and earnings per share (EPS) of 0.76 in 2023. The analysts seem to have become more bearish following the latest results. While there were no changes to revenue forecasts, there was a large cut to EPS estimates. The consensus price target held steady at 15.74, with the analysts seemingly voting that their lower forecast earnings are not expected to lead to a lower stock price in the foreseeable future. There's another way to think about price targets though, and that's to look at the range of price targets put forward by analysts, because a wide range of estimates could suggest a diverse view on possible outcomes for the business. There are some variant perceptions on Koninklijke Philips, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at 30.00 and the most bearish at 9.00 per share. With such a wide range in price targets, analysts are almost certainly betting on widely divergent outcomes in the underlying business. As a result it might not be a great idea to make decisions based on the consensus price target, which is after all just an average of this wide range of estimates. Story continues Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. From these estimates it looks as though the analysts expect the years of declining sales to come to an end, given the flat revenue forecast out to 2023. That would be a definite improvement, given that the past five years have seen sales shrink 0.3% annually. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 6.3% per year. Although Koninklijke Philips' revenues are expected to improve, it seems that it is still expected to grow slower than the wider industry. The Bottom Line The most important thing to take away is that the analysts downgraded their earnings per share estimates, showing that there has been a clear decline in sentiment following these results. Fortunately, the analysts also reconfirmed their revenue estimates, suggesting sales are tracking in line with expectations - although our data does suggest that Koninklijke Philips' revenues are expected to perform worse than the wider industry. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates. With that in mind, we wouldn't be too quick to come to a conclusion on Koninklijke Philips. Long-term earnings power is much more important than next year's profits. We have estimates - from multiple Koninklijke Philips analysts - going out to 2025, and you can see them free on our platform here. Plus, you should also learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Koninklijke Philips (including 2 which don't sit too well with us) . Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here The Russian-funded lobbying group International Agency for Current Policy has been working with European politicians to push for the lifting of EU sanctions against Russia following its annexation of Crimea since at least 2016. Source: Investigation by OCCRP and partner media IRPI, Important Stories and Profil; European Pravda reports Journalists gained access to the electronic correspondence of the Russian media technologist Sargis Mirzakhanian, who worked as a Russian State Duma staffer. The leak was published by hackers who call themselves CyberJunta [Ukraine-based hacking group ed.] in 2016-2017. Journalists found in the correspondence a draft project of the lifting of sanctions against Russia for Cyprus, which describes the sanctions as "fundamentally contrary to the norms of international law" and also emphasises the economic damage caused to Cyprus due to the loss of business with Russia. It turned out to be almost identical to the final version signed a few months later by the Cypriot parliamentary faction AKEL. The documents also detail separate projects for Latvia, Greece, and even the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). However, there are no indications that these motions were ever proposed. According to data from the correspondence, representatives of the far-right parties Paolo Tosato from the Italian Lega Nord and Johannes Hubner from the Austrian Freedom Party were supposed to introduce resolutions on the lifting of sanctions against Russia to their legislative bodies. Each project had a budget of 20,000 euros, and another 15,000 euros were reserved for each "in case of a successful voting result". In one of the leaked letters, Mirzakhanian reports that he received information "regarding the price tag for the vote" from an unnamed European politician. Tosato and Hubner eventually presented the respective projects in their respective parliaments. Story continues In 2016, Mirzakhanian's organisation worked with Italian MP Stefano Valdegamberi from the Veneto regional parliament: it was the first region of the country of the European Union to pass a resolution on lifting sanctions against Russia. "Its the bomb! From the point of view of the media, this will most likely be our loudest informational operation," Mirzakhanyan reacted in one of the letters. Then, local councils in Liguria and Lombardy followed Veneto's example and passed their own resolutions, "recognizing" Crimea as part of Russia. Cooperation was also established with an invitation to the Yalta International Economic Forum, which was held annually from 2016 to 2019 with the participation of Mirzakhanyan's team. The correspondence contains a list of the names of nine European politicians from Austria, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic and Poland who were invited to Yalta, and their fees in the total amount of 21,500 euros. These payments are likely to be outside the scope of reimbursement, as transport costs were discussed separately. The letters, dated 2017, show that Mirzakhanyan's organisation worked with the team of Russian MP Leonid Slutsky to invite prominent European figures to observe the September 2017 elections in Russia. The invitations were sent through the Russian Peace Fund founded by Slutsky, and the budget for paying expenses for 2017 was at least 68,000 euros, including travel and accommodation, according to emails. There were three members of the European Parliament among the observers: Jaromir Kohlicek from the Czech Republic, Dominique Bilde from France and Andre Elissen from the Netherlands, as well as Aldo Carcaci, a member of the House of Representatives of Belgium, Marek Krajci, a member of the National Council of Slovakia, Rumen Gechev, a member of the People's Assembly of Bulgaria, and Pavel Gamov, a member of the Riksdag of Sweden. Stefano Valdegamberi also worked as an observer in Crimea during the 2018 presidential elections and the 2021 parliamentary elections. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Oleksii Reznikov Read also: Russians abducted over 13,000 Ukrainian children from occupied territories, reveals Reznikov Reznikov asked the partners to help Ukraine with upgrading its anti-missile defenses, as soon as possible. He reiterated that Kyiv would like to receive Patriot and SAMP-T at the earliest opportunity, along with the supply of additional IRIS-T and NASAMS systems. If we could strike at a distance of 300 kilometers, the Russian army would be unable to ensure defense and would be forced into a defeat, the minister said. Ukraine is ready to provide any guarantees that your weapons will not be used for attacks on Russian territory. We have enough targets in temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine and are ready to coordinate targets with our partners." He thanked the allies for the decision to provide Kyiv with tanks and armored vehicles and emphasized that this would create an armored fist to break through Russian defense. The defense chief also noted that Ukraine needs more artillery and shells to outperform and destroy enemy electronic warfare and air defense systems. Read also: West must transfer to Ukraine all types of weapons, barring nukes, Czech president-elect says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously said that Ukraine is not going to strike targets in Russia if the West provides the appropriate weapons. Read also: Ukraine to receive 120-140 modern Western tanks in first wave, FM Kuleba says Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States may announce a new military aid package for Ukraine on Feb. 3, which for the first time will include GLSDB smart rockets with a range of up to 150 km. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba previously said that long-range weapons remain one of the three key weapon systems Ukraines Western allies are reluctant to provide along with tanks and fighter jets. By late January, the United States, Germany, and the UK announced they will make M1 Abrams, Leopard-2, and Challenger-2 main battle tanks available to Ukraine. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Lady Victoria Hervey at the Cannes Film Festival, 2017. (Getty Images) Lady Victoria Hervey is no stranger to controversy. In recent weeks, the socialite and model has been hitting the airwaves to publicly defend her one-time ex-boyfriend, Prince Andrew, who she dated in 1999. Among other comments, Hervey has claimed the infamous photo of Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre is fake and said that Princess Beatrice, Andrew's eldest daughter, 'thanked' her for supporting the Duke of York. The daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol, Hervey is a former socialite and model with a storied past, Yahoo UK breaks down her five most controversial moments. Lady Victoria Hervey attends Royal Ascot 2022 at Ascot Racecourse in 2022. (Getty Images) Claimed Epstein victims are liars During an appearance on Good Morning Britain on Thursday, Hervey made unsubstantiated allegations that some of Maxwell and Epstein's victims are not telling the truth. "A lot of these girls are liars", she said. "A lot of these girls made it up." Host Susanna Reid quickly shut down Hervey, but the aristocrat took to Instagram later that day to double down on her unfounded allegations. "The biggest mix of words when it comes to some of the Epstein girls is calling them 'trafficked' they were indeed paid ESCORTS who could come and go as they wanted", she wrote, "and it is deeply offensive to compare them to girls who are literally kidnapped and kept in chains." She went on to add that Andrew does not have a criminal record, before adding: "We're gonna believe them against the son of the Queen of England...? Give me a break." While Epstein died before he could stand trail for the crimes he was charged with, Maxwell has been sentenced to a 20-year custodial sentence for sex trafficking. Andrew settled the sexual assault case with Giuffre for an undisclosed sum with no admission of liability. COVID conspiracies Lady Victoria courted controversy a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, when she publicly espoused conspiracy theories relating to both the virus itself and the vaccines being developed to combat it. Story continues Hervey also disclosed that she had gone into business selling PPE to hospitals, despite believing the virus was "completely hyped". "It's completely hyped! The biggest worldwide conspiracy that ever happened", she said to the Daily Mail. She also said that she believed the vaccine was part of a conspiracy to "depopulate" the world. Lady Victoria Hervey is friendly with both Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. (Getty Images) "Already Bill Gates is saying, "You're going to have to have a third vaccine." This thing isn't going to end. And for anyone thinking of having a baby, there's something in the vaccine that damages the placenta and brings on miscarriages. "This is one of Bill Gates' goals, to bring out this vaccine to depopulate the world." Defended Ghislaine Maxwell Hervey has repeatedly come to the defence of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted last year on five counts of sex-trafficking. Hervey was friends with Maxwell in the past and has said that she was used as "bait" by the sex-offender when looking for young women. Hervey said in an interview on Lorraine that Maxwell was being used as a "scapegoat" for Epstein's crimes, because since his death in 2019 while he was incarcerated and awaiting trial "there is no else to blame". Lady Victoria Hervey said Ghislaine Maxwell used her as "bait" to find young women for Epstein. (Getty Images) On Instagram, Hervey wrote in a post that Maxwell was the victim of a "witch-hunt". "I know Ghislaine is obviously not a saint and should pay back the trauma caused to her "victims" but lifetime in jail for touching a girls t*t 20 years ago and taking them on yacht, private jet and shopping trips. Come on. This has become a witch hunt." Said homeless people should move to the Caribbean In 2003, Hervey found herself in hot water when she advised that homeless people simply move to the Caribbean to avoid cold winters. Her comments made it into the Observer's 'Great Sayings of 2003'. "It's so bad being homeless in winter", she said. "They should go somewhere warm like the Caribbean where they can eat fresh fish all day." Watch: The one event 'The Crown' season 5 got completely wrong Crime scene tape illustration. LAFAYETTE, Ind. Theodore Dudzinski saw his share of traffic accidents during his 33 years as a trooper with the Indiana State Police, and Wednesday, he tragically became a fatality victim. Dudzinski, 87, tried to walk west across Ninth Street near St. Boniface around 11:50 a.m. Wednesday on his way to mass, and he walked into the path of a northbound car driven by a 17-year-old girl, Lafayette police said. The accident was unavoidable for the teenage driver, who was not impaired, police said. Dudzinski suffered head and lower body injuries, police said. He was rushed to Franciscan Health Hospital, where he died about 8:40 a.m. Thursday, police said. Tippecanoe County Coroner Carrie Costello said that the final autopsy findings are pending toxicology reports. Indiana State Police Sgt. Jeremy Piers said Dudzinski retired on July 31, 1990. His obituary at Hippensteel Funeral Services, indicates that Dudzinski is survived by his wife, Carolyn, whom he married in 1960. He also is survived by their children: Marie (Kevin) Mann, Father Ted Dudzinski, Father Andrew Dudzinski, Father Brian Dudzinski and Margie (William) Crooks, according to the obituary. Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lafayette man and former ISP trooper killed in pedestrian accident By Andrius Sytas VILNIUS (Reuters) - Traders are using Turkey, Kazakhstan and Armenia to evade European Union sanctions on Russia in a tactic that breaches these countries' compliance with the bloc's embargo, Latvia's prime minister said on Friday. Krisjanis Karins made the assertion following talks with counterparts from fellow EU members Estonia and Lithuania, which along with Latvia have been among most vocal supporters of sanctions on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. "It seems quite clear that traders are finding ways to legally trade goods, say with Turkey, Kazakhstan or Armenia which are then resent to Russia, because these countries are not adhering to the sanctions regime", Karins told reporters in the Estonian capital Tallinn. Karins pointed to a rise in European trade with the three countries which he said was "disproportionate to where it has been in the past". He did not provide further evidence of sanctions evasion and did not specify the types of goods allegedly traded. There was no immediate response from the foreign ministries of Turkey and Kazakhstan to requests for comment on the remarks by Karins. There was no immediate reply from Armenia's economy ministry to a request for comment. "One (solution) is to work with these countries, to get them on board also following the sanctions. The second is to look for legislation across Europe, to make sure that we criminalize the sanction avoidance," Karins said. "Close the loopholes!" Following the talks with Karins and Lithuanian counterpart Ingrida Simonyte, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said a "total ban of trade" with Russia should be considered to help with sanctions avoidance. Turkey has previously condemned Russia's invasion and sent armed drones to Ukraine. At the same time, it opposes Western sanctions on Russia and has close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, its Black Sea neighbours. Story continues It has also ramped up trade and tourism with Russia. Some Turkish firms have purchased or sought to buy Russian assets from Western partners pulling back due to the sanctions, while others maintain large assets in the country. The U.S. Treasury Department's top sanctions official is on a trip to Turkey and the Middle East this week to warn countries and businesses that they could lose access to G7 markets if they do business with entities subject to U.S. curbs, as Washington cracks down on Russian attempts to evade sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine. (Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius, Editing by William Maclean) Alex Murdaughs former law firm partner has recalled how he gave her a dirty look when she confronted him over missing payments worth a staggering $792,000 on the day that his wife and son were murdered. Jeanne Seckinger, the chief financial officer at Mr Murdaughs former law firm PMPED, testified in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Thursday at his trial for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul. She told the court how she discovered the 54-year-old now-disbarred attorney was misappropriating millions of dollars from his legal clients by moving money into a fake business and into his own personal accounts. Ms Seckinger said that she had confronted Mr Murdaugh about thousands of dollars of missing funds on the morning of 7 June 2021. Hours later, Maggie and Paul were shot dead at the Murdaugh family estate in Islandton. Ms Seckingers testimony was given in the absence of the jury as the judge weighs what evidence about Mr Murdaughs alleged financial crimes are admissible in court at his murder trial. Separate from his murder trial, Mr Murdaugh is also currently facing a slew of around 100 charges from multiple indictments for embezzling millions of dollars from clients at PMPED. In total, he is accused of stealing almost $8.5m from clients in fraud schemes dating back around a decade to 2011. The attorney, who has since been disbarred, represented the clients in wrongful death lawsuits before allegedly pocketing the settlement money for himself. Prosecutors are arguing that Mr Murdaughs alleged financial crimes are key to proving the motive in his murder case, claiming that he killed Maggie and Paul to hide his other crimes and scandals. Not only had his law firm begun unravelling his alleged multi-million-dollar fraud scheme but his finances were coming under intense scrutiny in a lawsuit brought by the family of Mallory Beach. Beach, 19, died in a 2019 crash in the Murdaugh family boat. Story continues Alex Murdaugh looks at evidence on a screen in his murder trial (AP) Paul was allegedly drunk driving the boat at the time and crashed it, throwing Beach overboard. Her body washed ashore a week later. Paul was charged with multiple felonies over the boat wreck and was facing 25 years in prison at the time of his murder. A hearing for the boat crash lawsuit was also scheduled for the week of the murders. It was postponed following Maggie and Pauls murders. The defence is asking the judge to throw evidence of Mr Murdaughs alleged financial crimes out of the murder trial. Judge Newman said he would hear the testimony in a private hearing to determine what evidence if any would be allowed. Later in the day, the court also heard testimony from two other financial crime witnesses, again without the jury. More are expected on Friday morning, with the jury asked to be present two hours later than usual. During Ms Seckingers testimony, she told the court that she had known Mr Murdaugh for around 40 years and had worked with him for around two decades. She said that she first had a conversation with Mr Murdaugh about the alleged misappropriation of funds in late May 2021 when she noticed that he was trying to structure legal fees that he had received from a case. At the time, she said she was concerned but did not believe he was stealing just hiding the money. When she asked him about the money, she said he told her he was trying to put some money in Maggies name to shield it from the boat crash lawsuit. Ms Seckinger told the court that she wasnt thinking about him misappropriating funds but [that he] was trying to defer the income and put the money in a structure and in Maggies name because of the boat case. However, she said she and the other law firm partners were concerned, saying that would be wrong, and we did not want any part of that. But by 7 June 2021, the law firm partners had noticed $792,000 worth of legal fees missing from a case that Mr Murdaugh had worked with attorney and friend Chris Wilson. That morning, Ms Seckinger said that she went upstairs to Mr Murdaughs office at PMPED and found him leaning on a filing cabinet. He turned and he looked at me and said what do you need now? she said. Ms Seckinger recalled Mr Murdaugh giving her a dirty look, something that she said she had ever received from him before. She said she told him she had reason to believe he had received the funds himself and I needed proof that he didnt. Mr Murdaugh assured her that the money was there and that he could get it, she said. During their conversation, she said Mr Murdaugh got a phone call telling him that his sick father Randys condition was terminal and they stopped talking about the money and instead got talking as friends about his family. Randy died three days after Maggie and Paul on 10 June 2021. At around 4pm on 7 June, Ms Seckinger said Mr Murdaugh then called her asking for information about his pension because he said he was working on his finances ahead of the upcoming boat crash case hearing. Less than five hours later, prosecutors say Mr Murdaugh shot dead Maggie and Paul at around 8.50pm at the dog kennels on the family estate. Ms Seckinger told the court she heard about Maggie and Pauls murders first through the rumour mill and then in a text from another PMPED partner. She described her reaction as shocked, scared and worried for everyone especially for Alex. Their brutal murders put a hold on the law firms investigation into the missing funds. Over the coming months, the law firm partners uncovered an alleged multi-million-dollar fraud scheme where he had stolen millions from their clients and pocketed it himself. The probe reached a head on 3 September 2021 when the PMPED partners had discovered checks showing funds were being sent to a fake business called Forge Consulting and to Mr Murdaughs personal accounts, she said. The partners met with him that day, he confessed to the financial fraud and he was forced to resign. The scandal was not publicly announced with the law firm partners planning to wait until Monday to make the announcement she said. Then, in a dramatic twist, the following day on 4 September, Mr Murdaugh was shot on the side of a road in Hampton County. Buster, Maggie, Paul and Alex Murdaugh left to right (Maggie Murdaugh/Facebook) He survived and called 911, claiming he was ambushed in a drive-by shooting while he was changing a tyre on his vehicle. Ms Seckinger testified that she was in fear when she first heard about the shooting, saying no one knew what to think. But, the disgraced attorneys story quickly unravelled and he confessed to police that he had orchestrated the botched hitman plot so that his surviving son Buster could get a $1m life insurance windfall. Mr Murdaugh and his alleged co-conspirator Curtis Smith who he paid to shoot him are also facing charges over that incident. Since then, Ms Seckinger told the court that the law firm has learned Mr Murdaugh stole millions of dollars from clients since 2011. The court heard several individual cases of money being stolen, where the prosecutor said not one dime had gone to intended clients including one payment for $152,866. It actually went to the fake Forge account where Alex stole the money from the client, she said about that particular case, adding that this was exactly like the rest. As part of the scheme, some of the payments went through Palmetto State Bank and its former CEO Russell Laffitte. Mr Laffitte would act as a conservator and direct the money to the bank as though to hold them for the beneficiary, she explained. Instead, those checks were later converted into personal use for Alex. Mr Laffitte the brother-in-law of Ms Seckinger was convicted of financial fraud charges in November 2022 connection to Mr Murdaughs alleged white collar fraud schemes. Mr Murdaugh, 54, is facing life in prison for the murders of his wife and son. Curtis Smith in court on charges related to Alex Murdaugh (2022 The State Newspaper) Prosecutors claim he shot dead his family members in an attempt to distract from a string of other scandals and crimes encircling him. He denies the allegations, insisting that their killer or killers is still at large. As well as then financial crimes, Mr Murdaugh was also in the grips of a 20-year opioid addiction. Now, questions are also mounting over a series of mystery deaths connected to the Murdaughs. In 2018, Gloria Satterfield, the Murdaughs longtime housekeeper, died in a mysterious trip and fall accident at the family home. At the time, her death was regarded as an accidental fall though an investigation was reopened after Maggie and Pauls murders. The Satterfield family was among the victims of Mr Murdaughs fraud scheme. An investigation was also reopened into the 2015 death of Stephen Smith, who was found dead in the middle of the road in Hampton County, South Carolina. The openly gay teenager, 19, had suffered blunt force trauma to the head and his death was officially ruled a hit-and-run. But the victims family have long doubted this version of events, with the Murdaugh name cropping up in several police tips and community rumours. U.S. Rep. Mike Lawlers bill to double the deductibility of state and local taxes for married couples is the latest attempt by a New York political leader to either undo or soften the impact of Trump-era tax reforms that have penalized homeowners in high-tax states like New York. Lawlers bill to make the state-and-local-tax deduction cap known as the SALT cap more palatable comes two years before the $10,000-limit on SALT deductions, and the accompanying tax cuts for individuals and businesses passed in 2017, will expire at the end of 2025. Lawler, R-Pearl River, said the bill would eliminate what he calls the marriage penalty in the current regulations. The regulations allow single filers to deduct $10,000 in SALT payments from their taxable income. But married couples filing jointly have the same limit. If married partners file separately, they can only claim $5,000 each. U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler. Lawler, who says he wants to cut government spending to help rein in the federal deficit, declined to disclose what the measure would cost the federal government in lost tax revenue nor what government spending he would cut to make up for the loss. He said the cost of his bill was "negligible" when compared to the cost of eliminating the cap, which the Brookings Institute has estimated at $85 billion a year. As we move forward in the budget process, and work to reduce wasteful government spending, this change will provide tax relief for hardworking Hudson Valley families, who will see a return of thousands of dollars to their pockets at a time they need it most, he said. United: Westchester Democrats behind push to repeal cap on SALT deductions Failed: Schumer bid fails to repeal cap on SALT deductions Coalition: Paulin builds coalition to repeal SALT cap Lawler in November ousted US Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-Cold Spring, whose home ended up in the 17th Congressional District following redistricting. That district comprised about 75% of the former district of Rep. Mondaire Jones, who decided not to primary Maloney, and moved to Brooklyn in an unsuccessful bid to win a Democratic primary there. Story continues Former Congressman Mondaire Jones delivers the keynote address during the annual MLK Day celebration at Ramapo High School Jan. 16, 2023. The event, sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center in Spring Valley, also included a variety of singing and dance troupes. Jones has since moved back to Westchester, and now lives in Sleepy Hollow, which is located in the 17th District. Jones doubted that House Republicans will rectify the damage done in 2017. Republicans were the ones who capped the deduction at $10,000, and here this guy is trying to suggest that Republicans will provide relief to residents in the Hudson Valley, said Jones, who debuted Wednesday evening at his new gig as an on-air commentator on CNN. Its a modest attempt to rectify the great damage done by Republicans in December 2017. Whether Lawler can find traction among a bipartisan coalition in Congress remains to be seen. The bills co-sponsors include Rep. Anthony Esposito, a Long Island Republican, and Rep. Mikie Sherill, D-NJ. Lawler said hes counting on the 14 Republicans from New York and New Jersey and 12 Republicans from California to form a coalition that could help sway the Republican conference. He believes he can convince the Republican-controlled House to pass it. We are a formidable voting bloc that can move or not move legislation, he said. For the purposes of getting something done on SALT, that is an avenue we may pursue. Democrat attempts Democrats couldnt get it done when they controlled both houses of Congress and the presidency. At the time, Westchester County was ground-zero for press conferences by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-Nassau, who made his SALT deduction campaign a centerpiece of his failed bid for the Democratic nomination for NY governor. U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-Nassau, left, and Westchester County Executive George Latimer, spoke out against the cap on state and local tax deductions on March 25, 2021 in Greenburgh. Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, tried as well, leading the effort that convinced the village of Scarsdale to sue the IRS after it announced a regulation that prohibited municipalities from setting up charitable funds that New York Democrats believed could be used to circumvent the SALT cap. That case lingers in US District Court in Manhattan, with no action in the case since the fall of 2021 as the village awaits a ruling from Judge Paul Gardephe. In 2021, House Democrats upped the cap on SALT deductions to $80,000 in the Build Back Better legislation, an addition to the massive spending bill insisted upon by some New York and New Jersey members of Congress. But that bill, which passed the House, failed to win Senate approval. A scaled-back bill that passed in 2022 did not include raising the SALT deduction cap. Frank Clemente, executive director of Americans for Tax Fairness, said the fight over continuation of the Trump tax cuts in 2025 is expected to become a major issue in the 2024 presidential campaign and Congressional elections. The cap on SALT deductions are certain to be part of that debate, he said. "If Congress does nothing, it will revert to the original deduction, which will be great for the rich in high-tax states like New York," he said. Republicans wanted the cap on deductions House Republicans were adamant in 2017 that the SALT deductions be capped as a way to pay for the Trump tax cuts. Now Republicans, including Lawler, are concerned with the rise in the federal deficit, which was fueled in part by the tax cuts. In 2023, those concerns about the federal deficit have led to warning that they will not approve raising the federal debt limit unless Democrats agree to cuts in federal spending, which could include reductions in Social Security and Medicare. U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, Congressman for New YorkOs 17th C.D., photographed in Pearl River Jan. 18, 2022. Lawler in January voted for the House Republican plan to rescind $80 billion to restructure the IRS that was approved by the Democratic majority and signed by President Biden in 2022. That action, which lacks support in the Democrat-controlled Senate, would add an estimated $114 billion to the federal deficit over 10 years, according to a Congressional Budget Office report. Lawler said hell rely on his expertise learned at Manhattan College and running his political consulting firm when he takes aim with the budget knife at the burgeoning federal budget. As someone who graduated with an accounting degree from Manhattan College and who also owns a small business, I know the importance of going line-by-line through any budget to save costs and produce a long-term plan that closes the deficit and reduces our debt." Follow David McKay Wilson on Twitter @davidmckay415 or email him at dwilson3@lohud.com. Subscribers can sign up for his weekly newsletter. Read his column This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Lawler looks to forge bicoastal coalition to reform SALT deduction cap More solar panels could be coming to newly built public schools throughout New Mexico, after a bill to require the power source was advanced by lawmakers last week and awaits another hearing on its way to becoming law. Senate Bill 60, sponsored by Sen. William Soules (D-37) would require public schools be outfitted with photovoltaic solar panel systems capable of providing energy needed by the school if constructed and receiving state funds after July 1, 2023. The bill was passed by the Senate Education Committee Jan. 27 on a 4-2 vote and was sent to the Senate Finance Committee for a subsequent hearing and further action. More:Lawmakers reject bill to classify natural gas power as renewable energy in New Mexico If passed, SB 60 would amend New Mexicos Public School Capital Outlay Act to include solar systems as eligible for state funding and require any school receiving grant assistance from the Public School Capital Outlay Fund include such a system capable of meeting the schools energy needs. Soules, who serves as chair of the Senate Education Committee, said during the hearing that the bill would help the state make progress toward its goals to limiting higher-carbon forms of energy like natural gas. New Mexico Sen. William Soules, D-Las Cruces, speaks during a meeting of the state Senate Indian, Rural and Cultural Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021. As we move toward more renewable energy, this just makes our schools more sustainable, Soules said. More:'Local control' of renewable energy pushed in New Mexico Senate bill, could lower rates The initiative would also reduce energy costs for schools, Soules said, by seeing them generating their own needed power. Were able to move more money into the classroom by providing for the electricity onsite for the school, he said. Samantha Kao, climate and energy advocate for Conservation Voters New Mexico said the environmental group supported HB 60 arguing it would help expand renewable energy in New Mexico and reduce pollution. More:Energy storage pushed by New Mexico lawmakers via tax credits to boost renewable power Its another creative way for our state to reach our decarbonization goals, and reduce the energy burdens of our schools, she said. Story continues Gene Strickland, superintendent at Hobbs Municipal Schools said the district supported the bill but expressed concern for the size of a photovoltaic system needed to meet all of schools energy needs. He said the district has a solar array on top of a single building that provides about a third of its power load. A system to provide the entire school's energy needs would need to be to be 100,000 square feet, Strickland said. From that standpoint, we would like to see some flexibility there," he said. "I think solar is a part of the bigger picture. I dont think it will ever replace our core. It needs to be part of our portfolio moving forward, as an opportunity for us to provide educational opportunities to students. More:New Mexico lawmakers support spending $75 million on state's conservation efforts via bill In response, Soules agreed to an amendment requiring the systems provide at least 51 percent of the needed power load. Amy Miller, representing the Renewable Energy Industries Association of New Mexico argue SB 60 would not only reduce the carbon emissions and expenses of public schools, but also serve as an educational tool for students in learning about renewable energy as the sector was expected to expand in the coming years. She said the solar industry would need quadruple its workforce to meet increase demand for solar projects in New Mexico by 2030. More:New Mexico lawmakers support spending $75 million on state's conservation efforts via bill Youre exposing children to learn about solar energy, Miller said. The more that we can expose children to this type of industry, thats positive for our state. Sen. Gay Kernan (R-42) of Hobbs, who ultimately voted against the bill along with Sen. Steven Neville (R-2), echoed Stricklands concerns and worried the bill would circumvent local school districts decision-making. I think were taking away the ability of our local districts to do what they think is best for their district, she said. I just worry about the requirement piece. More:New Mexico lawmakers support spending $75 million on state's conservation efforts via bill Although SB 60 would not include any appropriations, its requirements would increase costs to the state, read a fiscal impact report from the Legislative Finance Committee. A photovoltaic solar system to provide enough power to fully supply a large school could cost up to $2 million, the report read, up to $1.5 million for a medium school and less than $550,000 for a small school, the report read. That could increase project costs by up to 3 percent, according to the report. The bill does not make an appropriation, however, requiring PV systems for new public school construction will increase project costs and, consequently, increased grant assistance from the public school capital outlay fund, read the report. The report also noted most solar systems at schools are not typically designed to meet all of their energy needs and suggested the amendment that was added by Soules at the meeting to meet the majority of power requirements. Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter. This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Lawmakers push bill to require solar panels at New Mexico schools A San Francisco jury is now deciding if Elon Musk, Tesla (TSLA), and certain company board members are liable for a group of shareholders' trading losses, allegedly caused by Musks 2018 "funding secured" Twitter posts about taking the electric-vehicle company private. The shareholders allege that Musk and some of Tesla's current and former board members violated certain Securities and Exchange Act laws that prohibit making or abetting fraudulent or misleading statements in connection with the sale or purchase of securities. They are seeking billions of dollars in alleged damages. On Friday, before jury deliberations, the shareholders' lawyer, Nicholas Porritt, and an attorney representing Musk, Tesla, and Tesla board members, Alex Spiro, gave closing arguments to the jury. "Those tweets caused investors harmlots of harm," Porritt told the nine-member jury. What moved the marketwas [Musk's] representations made on Aug. 7, which were not true. August 7, 2018 Tweet from Elon Musk Spiro countered the shareholders' claims, telling the jurors that "funding doesn't move the market" but "a possible take-private does." Spiro said Musk's tweet clearly stated that a take-private deal was merely a consideration and that the shareholders knew that from the start. Nonetheless, Spiro said, Musk had obtained a verbal funding commitment from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) a week before the tweet on July 31, 2018, and alternatively had the ability to fund a take-private transaction using his own assets. "Everyone knew funding wasnt an issue," Spiro said, pointing to testimony from Musk and Tesla's then-CFO Deep Ahuja stating that in a July 31 meeting they both attended, the Saudi fund representative said it was ready to act on the take-private funding. Musk also knew, Spiro said, that his holdings in his private company, Space X, were more than enough to fund a take-private transaction. Story continues Tweet posted to Elon Musk's twitter account August 7, 2018 Spiro went on to highlight an Aug. 2 email that Musk sent to Tesla's board informing them of funding to take the company private at $420 per share. "This was a real proposal he had made to his board," Spiro said. He added that Goldman Sachs' chief investment banker, who also testified, explained that Musk signed a retainer letter with his firm which also serves as banker for the PIF to explore taking Tesla private. Billions of dollars in potential damages At stake in the dispute are billions of dollars in stock transaction losses that the plaintiffs say wouldnt have happened absent Musks tweets. They say Musk and the board should compensate them for losing trades that followed the posts from Aug. 7, 2018 to Aug 17, 2018. Tesla's market cap fluctuated approximately $12.6 billion over the 10-day period. An economist who testified on behalf of the shareholders said, excluding options contracts for the period, he calculated damages for the class of buyers and sellers of Tesla's stock between $4 billion and $11 billion. Tesla share closing price (adjusted for subsequent stock split) from August 6, 2018 to August 17, 2018. Porritt said the actual state of affairs at the time of Musk's tweets was that the PIF had expressed interest in a potential transaction, but that funding had not been secured. He told jurors they should be skeptical that take-private deal amounting to around $60 billion was not memorialized in meeting notes and financial documentation. "Securities laws prohibit behavior like Elon Musks," Porritt told the jury, characterizing Musk's explanations for his tweets as "excuses" and deflection for accountability to the public market. "Without trust, the market stops working," Porritt said. The shareholders' lawyer also said Tesla and Tesla's board members named in the suit should be held liable, especially given what he described as numerous prior warnings of Musk's inaccurate tweets. Tesla consciously chose to make Elon its public image, he said. "When Elon tweets about Tesla, people listen. Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his security detail depart the companys local office in Washington, U.S. January 27, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY During the three-week trial, Tesla shareholders, Tesla board members, economists, and stock analysts also took the witness stand. Musk himself spent two and a half days testifying, maintaining that his tweets were "truthful" and meant to ensure all investors had access to equal information to the take-private talks before a news leak made it public. The jurors are tasked with evaluating whether at the time of the tweets, Musk knew the information within them was false, as well as material which a reasonable investor would rely on in making investment decisions. The jurors must also determine if the tweeted information caused the shareholders to buy or sell Tesla shares to their detriment. Before trial, Senior District Court Judge Edward Chen, who presided over the case, made the shareholders' case easier to prove, ruling that Musks funding statement was untrue. Members of Teslas board named in the lawsuit include former members Brad Buss, Antonio Gracias, and Linda Johnson, and current members, Robyn Denholm, Ira Ehrenpreis, James Murdoch, and Musks brother Kimbal Musk. In a separate case brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in response to the funding tweet, Musk and Tesla settled the matter, each paying a fine of $20 million. Musk also agreed in the accord to step down as Tesla's board chairman and to have Tesla's general counsel review potentially "material" tweets before they are posted. Musk is currently seeking to have that part of the settlement dissolved. Alexis Keenan is a legal reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow Alexis on Twitter @alexiskweed. Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, and YouTube Find live stock market quotes and the latest business and finance news Attorney Tom Girardi, left, with David Stow, center, Ann Stow, right, parents of beating victim Bryan Stow in 2009. MediaNews Group/Orange County Register/Getty Images A former prominent Los Angeles attorney is facing two federal indictments related to wire fraud. Tom Girardi has been charged with embezzling at least $3 million from a settlement fund for crash victims. In total, federal prosecutors said his firm pocketed more than $18 million owed to clients. A former high-profile Los Angeles lawyer whose legal efforts were once the subject of a Julia Roberts movie was indicted in two different cities on federal charges and accused of siphoning more than $18 million from clients. On Wednesday, former lawyer Tom Girardi was indicted by federal grand juries in Los Angeles and Chicago on several charges of wire fraud and criminal contempt. The indictments represent the culmination of years of legal troubles for Girardi, who is charged with embezzling at least $3 million from victims of the 2018 Lion Air Flight 610 in Indonesia to pay his firm's legal and American Express card bills. A representative for Tom Girardi did not immediately return Insider's request for comment. Girardi and his firm, known for taking on big corporations, represented families of victims who died in the 2018 crash, where a Boeing 737 Max crashed into the Java Sea minutes after taking off, killing all 189 passengers on board. Girardi's firm reached a $12.55 million settlement for the clients, according to CBS. Prosecutors have charged Girardi and his colleague and son-in-law David Lira with eight counts of wire fraud and four counts of criminal contempt in a Chicago court, accusing them of embezzling $3 million from the settlement funds for the plane crash's victims, according to The New York Times. Former CFO Christopher Kamon is also facing the wire fraud charges. "The substantial misappropriation alleged in this indictment compounded the grief and anguish of the clients who lost loved ones in the Lion Air crash," U.S. Attorney John Lausch said of the indictment, according to CBS. The FBI alleged that he used the money to fund a "lavish lifestyle," The Times reported. Story continues Girardi's rise to legal stardom was meteoric, as he represented environmental activist Erin Brockovich in her 1996 lawsuit against Pacific Gas & Electric in 1993 which accused the utility company of contaminating water and giving California residents medical issues, according to ABC News. The case settled for $333 million and helped set a precedent in environmental law. Julia Roberts later played the activist in the movie and won the award for best actress at the Oscars in 2001. Girardi's estrangement from his former wife, "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Erika Jayne, has taken center stage in his fall from grace. Jayne filed for divorce in 2020, and Girardi, now 83, was diagnosed with dementia in 2021 and checked into a memory care facility. His brother now serves as his conservator. Girardi's lawyers have claimed that he is not mentally sound to participate in proceedings, per The Times. In December 2022, Girardi's law firm, Girardi Keese, declared bankruptcy after it was unable to pay back close to $101 million that had been loaned out, according to court documents. Last year, as his legal woes built up, he was disbarred in California. According to Bloomberg, Jayne has been named in a 2022 lawsuit that accused Girardi's firm of embezzling settlement funds to use between family and friends, and a previous lawsuit, which accused their divorce of being a "sham" to move money, was dismissed. "Here, the truth is that Erika had no role in the Lion Air dealings, actions, or inaction as between the attorneys and their clients, and she never received any of the Lion Air client settlement funds," Evan Borges, Jayne's attorney, told Page Six last year. Jayne's lawyer did not immediately return Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Insider As the Austin area entered Day 3 of widespread electric outages in the Texas state capital, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson on Friday apologized for the city's response, saying that it was unacceptable and promised change going forward. I accept responsibility on behalf of the city and I apologize that we have let the people down in Austin, Watson said. Providing clear, accurate and timely communication to the public is essential in an emergency like this and once again the city hasnt delivered. This has been a persistent challenge over the past several years and public frustration is absolutely warranted. The response has garnered criticism from the community as nearly 115,000 customers were still without power as of 3 p.m. Friday, leaving many in the dark and cold and forcing the closures of businesses and schools. Despite thawing temperatures, some roads remained challenging because of fallen debris and knocked-out traffic signals. More:Starting with 2021, see how the past three winter storms have looked in Austin Austin and Travis County officials said they will continue to work on restoring power and clearing debris, but it could still be several more days before things return to normal. Travis County Judge Andy Brown said the county is still seeking a disaster declaration in conjunction with the city, which could help fund and speed up recovery, but that decision wont be made until late Friday. Today I will focus on Travis Countys recovery efforts and how do we best support our community as we try to get back to normal, Brown said. Here's what we know so far: Does the situation qualify as a disaster? Officially, yes. Austin and Travis County planned to jointly issue a disaster declaration late Friday as the area prepared to go a fourth day with widespread outages. Neighboring Hays County issued its own disaster declaration earlier Friday. This comes days after Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell issued a disaster declaration to activate the recovery and rehabilitation steps outlined in the county's Emergency Management Plan. He issued the county's declaration late Tuesday. Story continues A disaster declaration can help cities and counties draw down additional federal resources for local recovery. In many cases a declaration can also help aid people on private properties and private right of ways, officials say. How many Austin Energy customers are still without power? According to outage map, there are still more than 119,000 customers without power as of noon Friday. Jackie Sargent, general manager for Austin Energy, said that crews were still working to restore power throughout the area. There was still not update on how soon power could be restored to customers, but Sargent said the more than 100 crews are out addressing each outage to restore power as soon as possible. She said a total of 182,159 customers have seen power restored since outages began early Wednesday. Since 7 a.m. Friday, she said more than 49,000 customers have had power restored. I know this has been incredibly frustrating, Sargent said. We have seen extensive damage from icing that has slowed our restoration efforts, but today we are cautiously optimistic that we have turned a point overnight in efforts to restore power. She said that more outages continue to be addressed as temperatures warm and fewer trees fall, and believes the utility is moving in the right direction to restore power. 'Our trees are definitely stressed': a forestry expert on damage from Austin's ice storm Are Austin water supplies still relatively normal? Shay Roalson, director of Austin Water, said the utility's treatment plants have operated normally and have not seen a spike in line breaks, and storage levels have remained healthy. There have been a number of power outages at lift stations, but several have been operating on generators as Austin Energy continues to restore power across the city. A city wide boil water notice or outage is not expected, Roalson said. However, a boil water notice was issued for West Travis County Public Utility Agency customers after losing power at one of the treatment plants. Roalson said they are working with the affected customers to get water delivered. All customers are still encouraged to conserve, by postponing running laundry or using dishwashers, in the short term, until power is fully restored. What's the best way to stay warm during Austin power outages? The first rule, safety experts say, is: Do not use generators inside, and give space heaters plenty of room. Wes Hopkins, assistant chief for Austin-Travis County EMS, said paramedics have received 10 calls for carbon monoxide poisoning involving 32 people. It is unclear if any deaths from the freezing temperatures have been reported. Most of the poisoning calls involved residents running generators in their garages. One family was running their car in their garage to keep warm. Vehicles drive down William Cannon Drive between a neighborhood without power and an apartment complex with power Thursday Feb. 2, 2023 in Southwest Austin. Freezing rain and ice damaged trees and power lines across the city. Hopkins is encouraging the community to not use generators or grills inside. For those using generators , the device needs to be at least 20 feet from your home and exhaust should be facing away from the home. Do not use stoves or ovens for heat, he said. For those still without power, he said residents should wear multiple layers, including mittens, gloves, and hats, keep curtains closed and wrap in plenty of blankets. If residents are using space heaters, he reminded everyone to make sure it has plenty of room and an automatic off switch. Warming centers are also still open for those without power. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Austin Mayor Kirk Watson says city let people down with power outages By Emma Farge GENEVA (Reuters) -The appeal hearings of a former Liberian rebel commander convicted of war crimes concluded on Friday in a trial that was broadened in its final stages to include crimes against humanity for the first time in Switzerland. Alieu Kosiah, who fought in the 1990s against then-President Charles Taylor's army, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2021 for rape, murder and cannibalism in one of the first trials for war crimes committed in the West African country. During the three weeks of appeal hearings at the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, the defendant sought to overturn the lower court's ruling, arguing at length that he was not present when the crimes were committed. Kosiah's lawyer denied the charges and said he was a minor when first recruited. But lawyers for the plaintiffs said Kosiah's actions were "widespread and systematic" against a civilian population. "We feel strongly that these crimes are the epitome of crimes against humanity," said Alain Werner, a Swiss lawyer and director of Civitas Maxima, an NGO that represents war crimes victims and is acting on behalf of some of the plaintiffs. A verdict by the three-judge panel was set for June 1. If Kosiah is found guilty of crimes against humanity, this could extend his sentence to life. No trials have taken place in Liberia for its back-to-back civil wars between 1989 and 2003 that became infamous for their brutality and degradation, with marauding child soldiers and combatants high on drugs. The Kosiah hearings were often laden with emotion, with some Liberian witnesses and victims confronting him for the first time since the country's civil wars. They all asked for anonymity because of the risk of reprisals back home where former warlords still hold prominent roles. In one poignant moment, a former child soldier under Kosiah acknowledged him with a military salute in the court room and then broke down and was too upset to testify. Story continues In another, a witness who had been held as a sex slave by a soldier described how Kosiah had stabbed one of the Liberian plaintiffs present in the back. "Many people in the courtroom were crying. It was very emotional, even 30 years later," said Zena Wakim, one of the prosecution lawyers. In a further indication of the importance of the trial to the plaintiffs, one of them who says she was raped by Kosiah named a recently born baby "Justice". "I want him in jail," she told Reuters on the opening day of the appeals trial on Jan. 11. (Reporting by Emma FargeEditing by Mark Heinrich) David Wahr is shown riding a camel. The Pyramids at Giza are in the background. Wahr's Feb. 10 presentation is Petersburg will include stories of his travels by camel. PETERSBURG Desserts and deserts will come together from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 10 in the community room at the Summerfield-Petersburg Branch of the Monroe County Library System, 60 E. Center Road. David P. Wahr of Petersburg will share photos and stories from his November 2021 trip through the deserts of Egypt. Desserts will be served by the Friends of the Library. We will be serving baklava, cookies and a mixed nut snack, along with tea and water, Cathi Masson, branch technician, said. David Wahr is shown in front of the Temple at Abu Simbel in Egypt. Wahr has more than 200 photos and many stories from his nearly two-week Egyptian odyssey. Its basically highlights from my trip to Egypt, which included stops at most of the famous sites, such as the Great Pyramids at Giza, Abu Simbel, Karnak in Luxor, a cruise down the Nile River and more. The whole presentation takes about an hour and a half, he said. Wahr also will talk about his experiences in Cairo and rural areas of Egypt. Hell share his experience of riding a camel. The excursion was Wahrs first trip abroad, and it was an unexpected destination. Originally, I was going to travel to Greece with some good friends of mine who are avid world-travelers. However, before we could go to Greece, travel was shut down because of COVID. We were offered an additional credit through our travel agency because of the trip cancelation, so we decided to upgrade and go someplace even more exotic, Wahr said. He got to experience sites he'd only seen in magazines. The trip was an amazing and an eye-opening experience. It's one thing to see these monuments in a book or magazine, but I actually teared up a little when we were at Abu Simbel, a place I recalled reading about in my grandmother's old National Geographic magazines. It was difficult to believe that I was actually there. Plus, we learned about the culture and daily life of the Egyptian people and made friends along the way, he said. Wahr has given this presentation once before. A few months ago, he spoke to the River Raisin Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star in Petersburg. Story continues A members of the Summerfield-Petersburg Friends group suggested Wahr for a library program. One of the members mentioned this program at one of our meetings and thought it would be interesting to host here, Masson said. She said many have shown interest. Honestly, you never know how many people are going to attend, but if I were to guess, I would say 25 to 40. We have had lots of patrons asking about it, Masson said. A Summerfield High School graduate, Wahr is the director of business operations at Owens Community College. Hes a member of National Association of College Auxiliary Services; Blanchard Lodge 102, Free & Accepted Masons; River Raisin Chapter Order of the Eastern Stars and other Masonic organizations; and Petersburg United Methodist Church. Also an area actor, hes a regular performer with Monroe Community Players and has performed with the Toledo Rep. For more information, call the library at 734-279-1025 or visit www.mymcls.com. This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: David Wahr to share photos, stories from Egypt Patrick Clancy, the husband of Lindsay Clancy, is pictured with the couples three children (GoFundMe) The Massachusetts nurse accused of killing her three young children was taking an absolutely staggering amount of prescription medication that turned her into a zombie, her lawyer has claimed. Lindsay Clancy, 32, is accused of strangling her children -- Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and seven-month-old Callan -- before attempting to kill herself. Lawyer Kevin Reddington told The Boston Herald that Ms Clancy was an incredible mother who had become trapped in a living hell of medications. Mr Reddington also told the publication that a toxicologist had already examined the unbelievable amount of medications that he says Ms Clancy was taking at the time of the shocking incident. Its absolutely staggering. She had homicidal and suicidal ideations said Mr Reddington. She was in a living hell and the husband did the best he could. Prosecutors say that Ms Clancy killed her children while their father left their Duxbury home to collect food on the evening of 24 January. Ms Clancy is currently being treated in an unnamed hospital, where police say her condition is improving. She is set to be arraigned on Tuesday in Plymouth District Court, where she will appear via Zoom. She was a very sweet, loving mother, added Mr Reddington, per The Herald. There is no doubt she was an incredible mother she was so loved with all the nurses she worked with at MGH (Massachusetts General Hospital) who said she always talked about her kids. Lindsay Clancy (WCVB) Law enforcement officials have said they believed that Ms Clancy attacked her children before jumping out of a second-story window in their home. She was allegedly suffering from severe postpartum psychosis after giving birth to her youngest son. Officers responding to the scene found Ms Clancy and her children unconscious. Shortly thereafter, they issued an arrest warrant for Ms Clancy on two counts of murder, three counts of strangulation, and three counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon. She may face more charges in the coming days. Story continues Ms Clancy, who grew up in Wallingford, Connecticut and holds a degree from Quinnipiac University, worked as a labour and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Postpartum psychosis occurs in approximately 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 deliveries, according to Postpartum Support International. Risk factors include a previous psychotic episode and personal or family history of bipolar disorder. Ms Clancys husband and father of the children, Patrick Clancy, last week wrote a heartbreaking letter to supporters asking people to understand the struggles his wife had endured. I want to ask all of you that you find it deep within yourselves to forgive Lindsay, as I have, he wrote on a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $1m for medical and legal bills. The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients, Mr Clancy added. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace. Former shareholder of PrivatBank Ihor Kolomoisky As part of the case, PrivatBank seeks the recovery of the assets withdrawn from the bank before its nationalization in December 2016, as well as repayment of outstanding refinancing obligations. Read also: New Years Eve missiles, anti-drone drones, and a bad year for Kolomoisky PrivatBank requested the seizure of $3 billion in the defendants' assets for the period of consideration of the case. In 2017, the High Court of Justice in London ruled in favor of the bank, which made it possible to enforce a worldwide freezing order on the assets of Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov, as well as six companies likely to be controlled by the oligarchs. With its decision on Jan. 31, 2023, the court in fact made the existing worldwide freezing order more effective. Read also: Cabinet of Ministers replaces majority of Privatbank supervisory board In a comment to NV Business, PrivatBanks press service said the London courts recent ruling to authorize the bank to obtain court orders on asset freeze abroad and to require the defendants to provide further information regarding the disclosure of assets is an extremely positive event for the bank. This will ensure that the proper policing of a freezing order is facilitated. The bank explained that the primary seizure order was imposed on a certain number of assets. However, information about other assets of former shareholders of the bank appeared during subsequent court hearings. The latest court ruling allows freezes on these newly uncovered assets. According to PrivatBank, the relevant court ruling will help ensure the effective enforcement of any court decision that will be rendered after a court hearing scheduled for June 2023. Read also: A bad year for Ihor Kolomoisky NV analysis The worldwide seizure of Kolomoisky and Bogolyubovs assets and the restriction on expenses of GBP 20,000 per week remains in force, and will hold until a decision is made by the High Court. Additionally, Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov will now also need to coordinate any agreements on the purchase and sale of assets with PrivatBank. In addition, PrivatBank has filed lawsuits in the United States (claiming over $600 million), Israel (claiming almost $600 million), and Cyprus (claiming $5.5 billion). In the London case, Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov are accused of withdrawing almost $2 billion $3 billion after interest from Privatbank without going through the proper procedures. Media reports have estimated the total fraud alleged to be committed by the two oligarchs at Privatbank at $5.5 billion, prior to its nationalization. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Does the February share price for Metrod Holdings Berhad (KLSE:METROD) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. This will be done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine. We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model. Check out our latest analysis for Metrod Holdings Berhad What's The Estimated Valuation? We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Seeing as no analyst estimates of free cash flow are available to us, we have extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the company's last reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (MYR, Millions) RM41.1m RM36.6m RM34.1m RM32.9m RM32.5m RM32.5m RM32.8m RM33.4m RM34.2m RM35.2m Growth Rate Estimate Source Est @ -17.27% Est @ -11.02% Est @ -6.64% Est @ -3.58% Est @ -1.43% Est @ 0.07% Est @ 1.12% Est @ 1.85% Est @ 2.37% Est @ 2.73% Present Value (MYR, Millions) Discounted @ 20% RM34.4 RM25.6 RM20.0 RM16.1 RM13.3 RM11.1 RM9.4 RM8.0 RM6.8 RM5.9 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = RM150m Story continues After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (3.6%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 20%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032 (1 + g) (r g) = RM35m (1 + 3.6%) (20% 3.6%) = RM227m Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= RM227m ( 1 + 20%)10= RM38m The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is RM188m. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of RM1.3, the company appears about fair value at a 17% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out. dcf Important Assumptions We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Metrod Holdings Berhad as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 20%, which is based on a levered beta of 2.000. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. SWOT Analysis for Metrod Holdings Berhad Strength Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry. Debt is well covered by earnings. Dividends are covered by earnings and cash flows. Weakness Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Electrical market. Opportunity Current share price is below our estimate of fair value. Lack of analyst coverage makes it difficult to determine METROD's earnings prospects. Threat Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow. Looking Ahead: Although the valuation of a company is important, it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. For Metrod Holdings Berhad, we've put together three further aspects you should further examine: PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Malaysian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here We feel now is a pretty good time to analyse Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals Limited's (ASX:PAR) business as it appears the company may be on the cusp of a considerable accomplishment. Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals Limited, a drug repurposing company, engages in the research and development of therapeutic products for human use in Australia. The AU$419m market-cap company announced a latest loss of AU$39m on 30 June 2022 for its most recent financial year result. The most pressing concern for investors is Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals' path to profitability when will it breakeven? Below we will provide a high-level summary of the industry analysts expectations for the company. See our latest analysis for Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals is bordering on breakeven, according to some Australian Biotechs analysts. They anticipate the company to incur a final loss in 2023, before generating positive profits of AU$13m in 2024. Therefore, the company is expected to breakeven just over a year from now. How fast will the company have to grow each year in order to reach the breakeven point by 2024? Working backwards from analyst estimates, it turns out that they expect the company to grow 82% year-on-year, on average, which is extremely buoyant. Should the business grow at a slower rate, it will become profitable at a later date than expected. Underlying developments driving Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals' growth isnt the focus of this broad overview, though, take into account that typically a biotech has lumpy cash flows which are contingent on the product type and stage of development the company is in. This means that a high growth rate is not unusual, especially if the company is currently in an investment period. Before we wrap up, theres one aspect worth mentioning. Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals currently has no debt on its balance sheet, which is rare for a loss-making biotech, which usually has a high level of debt relative to its equity. This means that the company has been operating purely on its equity investment and has no debt burden. This aspect reduces the risk around investing in the loss-making company. Story continues Next Steps: There are key fundamentals of Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals which are not covered in this article, but we must stress again that this is merely a basic overview. For a more comprehensive look at Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals, take a look at Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals' company page on Simply Wall St. We've also put together a list of key factors you should further examine: Valuation: What is Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals worth today? Has the future growth potential already been factored into the price? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals is currently mispriced by the market. Management Team: An experienced management team on the helm increases our confidence in the business take a look at who sits on Paradigm Biopharmaceuticalss board and the CEOs background. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here Update: Seiko Ross was sentenced Feb. 1, 2023, to 14 years and seven months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Robert Ross was sentenced the same day to 11 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Cory Ross was sentenced Jan. 26, 2023, to nine years in prison and five years of supervised release. Andre Ross was sentenced Nov. 21, 2022, to four years and three months in prison and three years of supervised release. The original story from Aug. 19, 2021, is below. LOUISVILLE, Ky. A grand jury has indicted four Louisville men on firearm and drug charges after police and federal agents conducted search warrants at several apartments in Newburg, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday. Detectives with the Louisville Metro Police Departments Major Case Investigation Unit and special agents from the FBI Safe Streets Task Force executed the search warrants Aug. 12 at three apartments on Norene Lane, Crafty Drive and Russett Boulevard, according to a criminal complaint. Officers recovered ammunition, 17 firearms including assault rifles, handguns and shotguns and about 1,200 grams of various suspected illegal drugs, the Department of Justice said Wednesday in a news release. The officers arrested Andre Ross, 45, Cory Ross, 29, Robert Ross, 27, and Seiko Ross, 37, following the searches and charged each man with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine. The four men were also each charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, according to a federal complaint. Bench exodus: Louisville judge known for his bowties and odd humor to retire In addition, court records show Andre, Robert and Seiko Ross were individually charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The men had prior felony convictions for drug and firearm-related offenses in Jefferson County and in Mississippi, according to the indictment. Story continues An FBI Louisville spokesman said the four men are related, but the spokesman did not know the specific familial relationships. If convicted, the defendants face a minimum of five years in prison, a maximum sentence of life, a maximum $1,000,000 fine, and not more than five years of supervised release. An indictment is an allegation, and two of the defendants had private attorneys listed in online court records while the others were appointed a public defender or awaiting the appointment of an attorney. Nick Mudd, the attorney for Robert Ross, told The Courier Journal in an email that his client "maintains his innocence and looks forward to defending these allegations in court." Andre, Robert and Cory Ross are in federal custody while awaiting additional court hearings this month, and Seiko Ross is currently booked in Louisville Metro Corrections, the DOJ news release said. The FBI Safe Streets Task Force includes investigators from LMPD, Nelson County Sheriffs Office, Bullitt County Sheriffs Office and FBI Louisville. Special agents from the FBI's offices in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Indianapolis also assisted in the Louisville investigation, according to the release. "The charges set forth in the indictment are the result of the ongoing work of LMPD and the strong working relationships it maintains with our federal law enforcement agencies, acting U.S. Attorney Michael Bennett said in the release. "This type of collaboration is crucial as we continue to focus our efforts on the most significant drivers of violence in Louisville." Edward Gray, acting special agent in charge of the FBI's Louisville Field Office, said the arrests "should send a loud and clear message to violent criminals that the FBI Safe Streets Task Force will deploy its collective strength to ensure the safety and security of our neighborhoods." Business: GE Appliances partners with major cloud company to focus on data capabilities "This is just the beginning," Gray said. LMPD Chief Erika Shields said the "culmination of this joint, targeted investigation has resulted in some of the most violent offenders being taken off the citys streets." "LMPD is grateful to have such strong federal partnerships and looks forward to further dismantling organized criminal activity," Shields added. The case involving the four Louisville men is part of the DOJ's Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that the department says is meant "to reduce violent crime in the places we call home, not to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions as if they were ends in themselves." Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: LMPD, FBI task force arrest 4 Louisville men on firearm, drug charges Loved ones of a Kansas City high school employee who was shot in January have launched a fundraiser to offset medical expenses. Kansas City Police officials have identified the injured high school employee as Austin Penca, who friends say has worked at Plaza Academy in Westport for three years. According to the GoFundMe, Penca is a creative artist, loving husband and funny friend whos known as a voice of reason and whos passionate about his job at Plaza Academy, a private school that caters to non-traditional learners, according to its website. Friends call him a valued employee of the school, and a great teacher to his students. They say hes also known for mentoring and counseling students there. The paraprofessional was shot just after 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24, after an unknown vehicle approached the back of the building from Washington Street, according to Sgt. Jake Becchina, a spokesman with the Kansas City Police Department. Police said Penca was outside the school doing his duty to ensure students could safely reenter the school when the vehicle pulled up and someone fired multiple shots. He was transported to the hospital with injuries that were not life threatening. Jacquelyn Barry, a junior at the school, described feeling terrified after gunfire broke out, saying she and other students hid behind a barricaded door. She said the shooting happened about an hour after an altercation between a student and the staff member, who Barry said is a gym teacher. The student threatened the teacher, saying he was going to pull up with guns and a family member. Students hid in a counselors office after they heard gunshots, though Becchina said theres no evidence the shooter attempted to enter the school. Barry said the victim was her gym teacher. Im just happy hes OK, she told The Star the afternoon after the incident. I was so worried. Despite his injuries which have caused excruciating pain according to his friends, Penca remains optimistic, the fundraiser indicates. Anyone who knows Austin understands the massive impact he has had on his friends, family, and the Plaza community, the fundraiser reads. The Stars Andrea Klick contributed to this report. Nurse Lucy Letby wrote a sympathy card to the parents of a baby girl she allegedly murdered, a court heard. (SWNS/PA) Nurse Lucy Letby wrote a sympathy card to the grieving parents of a baby girl she is accused of murdering, her trial has heard. She sent the "not normal" card just weeks after she allegedly murdered the premature baby, known as Child I, Manchester Crown Court was told on Thursday. Letby, 33, from Hereford, is accused of trying to kill the baby three times before succeeding on a fourth attempt on 23 October 2015. She denies murdering seven babies - five boys and two girls - and attempting to murder another 10 babies (five boys and five girls) between June 2015 and June 2016. She worked in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester at the time. Read more: Lucy Letby asked to keep baby who later died, trial hears The court heard on Thursday that she took a photo on her phone of the sympathy card on the morning of 10 November after finishing a night shift, just hours before Child I's funeral. Letby is accused of murdering her by injecting air into her stomach via a feeding tube. Letby wrote in the card: There are no words to make this time any easier. It was a real priviledge (sic) to care for (Child I) and get to know you as a family a family who always put (Child I) first and did everything possible for her. She will always be a part of your lives and we will never forget her. Thinking of you today and always sorry I cannot be there to say goodbye. Lots of love Lucy x. The card Letby wrote to the grieving parents of a baby girl she is accused of murdering. (PA) Letby took a picture of the sympathy card on her phone. (PA) The card contained the printed message: Your loved one will be remembered with many smiles. Opening the prosecution case last October, Nick Johnson KC said the defendant later told detectives it was not normal for a nurse to send such a card. She added it was the only time she had done it but it was not often the nurses got to know a family as well, he told the court. Giving evidence, nurse Ashleigh Hudson said she was responsible for the care of Child I on 22 and 23 October and thought the baby appeared very stable at the beginning of the shift. Story continues Ms Hudson responded to cries from the youngsters incubator in nursery room 1 just before midnight but could not settle her. It was the type of cry I had not myself experienced her make before," she said. Lucy Letby is accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others. (SWNS) It was very loud. It was relentless, almost constant. There was no stopping or starting, no fluctuating and constantly very loud. Letby came to her assistance when she shouted for help, Ms Hudson said. She said doctors were then crash bleeped when there was no initial response from Child I who later quickly recovered after being placed on a ventilator. She said she was close to room 1 at 1.06am when she was alerted by either a monitor alarm sounding or Child I crying again. She told the court: I re-entered the nursery at which point Lucy was already there trying to comfort her, trying to settle her. Ms Hudson said Letby had her hands in the incubator and was offering a dummy but crying Child I was not interested. She went on: My concern was this cry was the same and she was going to have another episode. Thats when I said something along the lines of she is going to do it again, its the same cry. I think Lucy was trying to reassure me and she said she just needs to settle. Read more: Five key details from murder trial of 'baby killer' nurse Lucy Letby The deaths occurred at the Countess of Chester Hospital. (Getty Images) She said Child Is heart rate and blood oxygen levels began to drift down and she ran through the double doors of the adjoining labour ward theatre to fetch a doctor. A prolonged period of resuscitation attempts from medics followed lasting up to an hour before Child I was pronounced dead at 2.30am. On the afternoon of 23 October, Letby messaged a colleague: Dr Gibbs (consultant) was great, we tried everything. Just dont think she was strong enough this time. Sad isnt it. The prosecution say the defendant made earlier bids to deliberately harm Child I on 30 September and on 13 and 14 October. Child I was transferred from the Countess of Chester Hospital to Wirrals Arrowe Park Hospital on 15 October where she improved before she returned on 17 October. Letby was absent from work from 17 October until the night of Child Is fatal collapse, the court heard. The trial continues on Friday. Watch: Nurse Lucy Letby accused of murdering seven babies starts trial STORY: Held annually, Chingay, which is derived from the Hokkien pronunciation of the Chinese phrase costume art, has its roots in processions held to honor deities, tracing back to mainland China, according to organizers. The modern rendition, however, is usually held around the Lunar New Year and is closely associated with overseas ethnic Chinese communities in Singapore and Malaysia. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was also in attendance. Celebrations for the Lunar New Year technically began on January 21, although festivities continue for over two weeks from that date. Lynn police are investigating an early morning shooting that sent two people to the hospital. According to Lynn police, officers responded to the area of 104 Waterhill St at approximately 12:30 a.m. Upon arrival, police located two males with gunshot wounds. One victim was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital with possible life-threatening injuries after being struck in the back and arm. The second victim was taken to Salem Hospital with a non-life-threatening injury to his leg. The shooting remains under investigation. 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 Magnificent decorations greet upcoming Lantern Festival in E Chinas Shandong People's Daily Online) 16:39, February 02, 2023 The ancient city of Ju state, a state during the Spring and Autumn period (770 B.C.-476 B.C.), in Rizhao, east Chinas Shandong, is decorated with colorful lanterns and bright lights. (Photo/Chen Guangjin) Rizhao in east Chinas Shandong Province has been decked in colorful lanterns and bright lights, creating a festive atmosphere to greet the upcoming Lantern Festival, which falls on Feb. 5 this year. The city held a large variety of culture and tourism activities, drawing crowds of visitors. Many people were treated to a magnificent visual feast at the citys tourist attractions, such as Dongyi town and the ancient city of Ju state, a state during the Spring and Autumn period (770 B.C.-476 B.C.), viewing lanterns, watching intangible cultural heritage performances and taking part in folk activities on Jan. 30. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Du Mingming) A man accused of sexually assaulting a child has been arrested, the Statesville Police Department said. According to investigators, police were alerted when a child reported the assault at the Dove House Advocacy Center. Authorities executed a search warrant on Thursday at Kyle Lang Houstons home on Brookshire Lane in Statesville. ALSO READ: Union Co. advocates raise alarm after 2 men accused of sex crimes with minors Police and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation found more evidence during their search, investigators said. Houston turned himself in later that day, police said. He was charged with three counts of indecent liberties with a child and two counts of statutory sex offense with a child by an adult. Houston was taken to the Iredell County jail and was given a $500,000 bond. No further information was released. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. (WATCH BELOW: Neighbor of daycare owner accused of assaulting children offers his reactions) One of the Dallas Zoo's emperor tamarin monkeys. Courtesy Dallas Zoo Dallas police have accused a 24-year-old man of stealing two monkeys from the Dallas Zoo. The man was arrested at the nearby Dallas Aquarium where he asked staff about their animals. His arrest comes after a series of strange occurrences and missing and dead animals at the zoo. A 24-year-old man accused of stealing 2 monkeys from the Dallas Zoo was caught at a nearby aquarium near more animal exhibits, according to Dallas police. Davion Irvin was arrested at the Dallas Aquarium near animal exhibits after police got a tip that he was there, according to a press release from the Dallas Police Department. A spokesperson for The Dallas World Aquarium told Insider that the man "stopped an employee of The Dallas World Aquarium to ask questions regarding one of our animals." The spokesperson said the employee notified police and the suspect was "later apprehended outside of and away from our facility." Irvin was checking out the mesh animal enclosures at the aquarium at the time of his arrest, a source told local ABC News outlet WFAA. Police took Irvin in for questioning and charged him with six counts of animal cruelty. He was then taken to the Dallas County jail where he currently remains. According to WFAA, police had been looking for Irvin after they identified him in surveillance video from zoo cameras near where the monkeys disappeared. Representatives for the Dallas Zoo and the Dallas Aquarium did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. The two monkeys went missing from the zoo on January 30, the latest in a series of wild occurrences at the zoo, including animals that died, got loose, or went missing under suspicious circumstances. First, a clouded leopard went missing from her habitat on January 13. Dallas police said at the time that a "suspicious" tear had been discovered in Nova's enclosure and that investigators thought was the result of an "intentional act" using a cutting tool. Nova was found later that day after an hours-long search. Story continues The two Emperor tamarin monkeys, Bella and Finn, after their rescue. Dallas Zoo/Facebook Then on January 21, an endangered vulture living at the zoo died under "unusual" circumstances. "The circumstances of the death are unusual, and the death does not appear to be from natural causes," zoo staff wrote on Twitter. Finally, the monkeys named Bella and Finn went missing. Both monkeys were found safely inside a closet of an abandoned home in Lancaster, Texas, the next night. The Dallas Zoo said the monkeys showed "no signs of injury." "We will continue to monitor them closely, but for now, we're so glad they are safe and back with us," the zoo wrote on Facebook. Police are investigating all three matters, but have not said whether they're connected. The Dallas Zoo is offering a $25,000 reward for information about the strange incidents. Read the original article on Insider Taquino Williams, 31, was silent when he was escorted to an Ocala Police Department cruiser Friday morning after being arrested and accused of raping an 80-year-old woman. With his head bowed, a handcuffed Williams, wearing a Marion County Jail top, brown pants and slippers, slowly walked to the awaiting vehicle. He was escorted by Detective Zach Boyer and Officer Robert Barker. Once in the patrol car, Williams was taken to the Marion County Jail for booking on charges of armed burglary, armed sexual battery and possession of burglary tools. Fraud:OPD says teacher and her husband bought luxury vehicles with fake checks Sexual assualt arrest:City of Ocala recreation staffer arrested, faces multiple sex charges involving teen girl Rape:Police investigate rape of 80-year-old woman at her SW Ocala apartment Williams' interview with police According to Ocala police, Boyer interviewed Williams about this attack, which happened Wednesday night. Williams said he's familiar with Saddleworth Green, the apartment complex where the victim lives. It is located at 2901 SW 41st St. Williams said he wandered around the area and came upon the victim's apartment. Williams said he was able to enter the victim's apartment through a torn screen window and then an unlocked side door. Armed with a screwdriver, Williams went to the victim's bedroom, where he poked her with the object and raped her. He then fled the scene. Asked if he would have hurt the woman with the screwdriver, Williams said it was a possibility. He told the detective the screwdriver is useful for kidnapping people. He said he has entered homes where no one was home. The detective asked him if he would apologize to the victim, and he said no, officials said. A picture of one of several Saddleworth Green Apartment buildings Williams' arrest During the investigation, police officials got surveillance video. Officers who saw the video recognized Williams. Boyer said in his report that Williams repeatedly tried to suffocate the victim. She wasn't able to identify Williams in a photo lineup. Police officials said Williams wore clothing that covered some of his face. Story continues Officers searched for Williams, who is homeless. Barker found him walking around the Berkshire Oaks shopping plaza, 3870 SW College Road. He was detained at 6:15 a.m. Friday and transported to the OPD for questioning. He does not have a criminal record. Police officials said the victim's family has been contacted about the arrest. They are happy Williams has been taken into custody. Authorities said the victim, who is a cancer patient, has been released from a local hospital, where she was taken after the attack. Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Man accused of raping woman at apartment complex has been arrested Jaswant Singh Chail A man who has admitted treason after being caught in the grounds of Windsor Castle carrying a crossbow had previously applied to join the Grenadier Guards in a bid to get close to the Royal family. Jaswant Singh Chail, who was armed and wearing a mask and a hood, was apprehended by royal protection officers close to the Queens private apartment just after 8am on Christmas Day 2021. When challenged by a police officer and asked what he was doing, the 21-year-old replied: I am here to kill the Queen. In a video recorded four days before the incident, Chail - who is of Sikh origin - claimed his actions were in revenge for the 1919 Amritsar massacre in which the British killed almost 400 Indian men women and children. Chail, an employed former supermarket worker, had previously tried to join the Grenadier Guards and had applied for a position with the Ministry of Defence. In a journal found by police he stated that he had done this in an attempt to come into close contact with members of the Royal family. The mask Chail was wearing when arrested On Friday during a hearing at the Old Bailey, Chail - who appeared via videolink from Broadmoor high security hospital - pleaded guilty to a charge of intending to injure or alarm the Queen under Section 2 of the 1842 Treason Act. He also admitted making threats to kill the monarch and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place. The incident sparked a major review of royal security after it was revealed that Chail had a clear line of sight to the Queens apartment when he was apprehended. The Supersonic X-Bow weapon he was carrying, which prosecutors said had the potential to cause "serious or fatal injuries", was primed and ready to fire. In 2021 the late Queen had been spending Christmas at Windsor rather than Sandringham, as was traditional, due to concerns over the spread of the new Covid variant. Chail is believed to have travelled from his home in Hampshire on December 23 staying in a hotel in Windsor, where police later discovered crossbow bolts and a metal file. Story continues On Christmas morning 2021, he scaled the walls of Windsor Castle using a nylon rope ladder, before spending some time wandering undetected in the grounds. Shortly after 8am he was spotted in the private part of the castle grounds close to the apartment where the Queen was staying and enjoying breakfast. The crossbow Chail was carrying was primed to fire One of the uniformed officers from the Royalty and Specialist Protection Command saw Chail walking slowly towards him wearing a face mask and a hood. When asked what he was doing Chail replied: I am here to kill the Queen. The officer withdrew his Taser and told Chail to get down on the ground, which he did, putting his hands behind his head. He was arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and when he was searched officers discovered a handwritten note which read: "Please dont remove my clothes, shoes and gloves, masks etc, dont want post mortem, dont want embalming, thank you and Im sorry". When detectives searched his home they also discovered a pre-recorded video in which he said: I am sorry, I am sorry for what I have done and what I will do. Im going to attempt to assassinate Elizabeth Queen of the Royal family. Revenge for those who died in the 1919 massacre. I am an Indian Sikh. My name was Jaswant Singh Chail. My name is Darth Jones. This video had been distributed to at least 20 other people in his contacts list around ten minutes before his arrest. Mr Chail grew up in Hampshire and at the time of his arrest was living with his parents - who are directors of an IT firm - and his twin sister at a house on a private estate in the village of North Baddesley. The investigation was initially carried out by Thames Valley Police but was later handed to Scotland Yards Counter Terrorism Command because of the seriousness of the case. Chail is the first person in more than 40 years to be convicted of an offence of treason. The last person convicted under the Treason Act 1842 was Marcus Sarjaent, who was sentenced to five years imprisonment in 1981 after pleading guilty to firing blank shots at the Queen during the Trooping of the Colour. He is due to be sentenced on March 31. Nick Price, head of the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: "Chail entered the protected areas within Windsor Castle after making threats to kill Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Thankfully police officers intervened and nobody was hurt. "This was a serious incident, but fortunately a rare one. We are grateful to all those who were involved in the investigation." Commander Richard Smith, who leads the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: "This was an extremely serious incident, but one which the patrolling officers who apprehended Chail managed with great composure and professionalism. "They showed tremendous bravery to confront a masked man who was armed with a loaded crossbow, and then detain him without anyone coming to harm. "Our Royalty and Specialist Protection Command works with the Royal Household and local police forces at various Royal Residences across the country to ensure those living, working or visiting are kept safe." Pebbles LaDime Doe Facebook / Via Facebook: photo A 26-year-old man has been indicted on hate crime charges and obstructing justice after prosecutors say he shot and killed a Black transgender woman. Pebbles LaDime Dime Doe, 24, was fatally shot in Allendale, South Carolina, in 2019. On Wednesday, the US attorneys office said Daqua Ritter, 26, murdered her because of her actual and perceived gender identity. According to Ritters indictment, he is also charged with using a firearm to commit a hate crime and obstruction of justice after he allegedly misled state investigators about where he was the day of Does death. Prosecutors have also charged Xavier Pinckney, 24, with two obstruction offenses for providing false and misleading statements to authorities investigating her death. Pinckney had allegedly hid from investigators that he used his phone to call and text Doe the day of her death, and lied to them about seeing Ritter the morning after. If convicted, Ritter could face life in prison, and both could face a maximum of 20 years in prison for obstruction of justice. On social media, Does friends and family welcomed the announcement of charges. get your rest sis, one wrote on Facebook. Relatives previously described her as friendly and committed to her family. The joy of anyones life, Barbara Kolberg told WJBF in 2019. According to data from Everytown for Gun Safety, transgender people are 2.5 times more likely to be victims of violence as cisgender people, and 68% of known trans gun homicide victims are Black women . More on this A Porterville man was sentenced Thursday to 25 years-to-life in prison for the first-degree murder of his wife, prosecutors said. A jury convicted Victor Lopez, 37, on Nov. 16 for killing 31-year-old Samantha Quintanar-Lopez. Lopez was convicted of murder and felony domestic violent causing great bodily injury. Deputies were called to a home in Porterville around 10 a.m. Nov. 27, 2018, for a welfare check after Quintanar-Lopezs co-workers became concerned after she didnt report to work. At the home, deputies contacted Lopez, who told them he and Quintanar-Lopez had an argument the night before, and that she left around midnight. A 9-year-old daughter of Quintanar-Lopez told authorities that her mother was not at the home. At 1:20 p.m., another welfare check was requested by Quintanar-Lopezs ex-husband. Deputies contacted Lopez and he refused entry into the home and locked himself inside with the victims children: two 9-year-old girls and a 2-year-old boy. Prosecutors said Lopez attempted to flee the home through a window before he was caught after a foot pursuit. Deputies did a search of the home and discovered Quintanar-Lopez covered in a pile of blankets with a green shopping bag covering her head. The cause of death was determined to be manual suffocation, prosecutors said. The two emperor tamarin monkeys, Bella and Finn, after their return to the Dallas Zoo Dallas Zoo The man accused of stealing two emperor tamarin monkeys from the Dallas Zoo has been charged in two other recent incidents there involving cutting holes in the fence enclosures that housed langur monkeys and a clouded leopard, according to authorities. On Thursday, Dallas Police arrested Davion Irvin, 24, in connection to the theft of the two monkeys, Bella and Finn, after they were discovered missing on Monday morning. Bella and Finn were found Tuesday evening at an abandoned home in Lancaster, just outside of Dallas, police said. At least one was found inside a closet in the house. The two monkeys were then brought back to the zoo, police said, and are in healthy condition. From left: an image of Irvin captured on zoo surveillance footage, and his booking photo Dallas Police, Dallas County Sheriff's Department The two monkeys showed "no signs of injury" except minor weight loss, the zoo said, and "both started eating and drinking almost immediately once the team completed health exams." Irvin was identified as the suspect with help from the public after police released an image of him found in zoo surveillance footage. Shakfat Anowar / AP Police said they received a tip on Thursday that Irvin had been spotted near animal exhibits at the Dallas Aquarium. Responding officers saw him board a Dallas Area Rapid Transit train, and they arrested him later that day. Irvin was taken to jail on Thursday and was charged with six counts of animal cruelty. It was not immediately clear if he'd retained an attorney. One of the two monkeys found in a closet at the abandoned house Dallas Police Then, on Friday, authorities announced that Irvin has also been charged in connection with two other recent incidents that had taken place at the Dallas Zoo, involving holes that were cut in the fences of the enclosures of the langur monkeys and a clouded leopard. On Jan. 13, a clouded leopard named Nova went missing the morning but was found safe on zoo grounds later that evening. Police said at the time that they "determined a cutting tool was intentionally used to cut an opening in the fencing" surrounding Nova's habitat. That same day, police said, zoo staff discovered an enclosure of langur monkeys had similarly been cut open, but none had escaped or appeared to be harmed. Story continues Irvin has been charged with two more counts of burglary to a building in connection with the cutting of the enclosure fences, according to the Associated Press. Authorities have said that a motive still remains under investigation, per NBC News but that the suspect was not an employee of the zoo. Nova (left) and Pin Dallas Zoo As of Friday, authorities are still investigating whether Irvin has a connection to the endangered vulture that was found dead on Jan. 21 at the zoo. The "unusual" death of the 35-year-old lappet-faced vulture, named Pin, "did not appear to be from natural causes," the zoo said. More on this Michael Cohen and Donald Trump. Spencer Platt/Getty Images; Mario Tama/Getty Images Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg was reportedly skeptical about using Michael Cohen in a criminal case against Trump. A grand jury is now reportedly weighing charges against Trump for the 2016 hush-money scandal. Michael Cohen would likely be a cooperating witness in a criminal case. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was torn about using Michael Cohen to testify against Donald Trump, according to a book obtained by the New York Times written by a former prosecutor who led the investigation into the Trump Organization. Cohen a former vice president of the Trump Organization and personal lawyer for the ex-president has his own criminal history. In addition to pleading guilty to a 2016 hush-money scheme for women who said they had affairs with Trump, he evaded taxes on property sales and lied to banks to perpetuate a New York taxi medallion scheme. Cohen also has a penchant for talking to members of the media, which may risk the secrecy of an ambitious criminal case against a billionaire former president. Bragg said he "could not see a world" in which the district attorney's office would bring Cohen as a witness in a criminal case against Trump, according to a forthcoming book by Mark Pomerantz, a former top attorney leading the office's investigation into the Trump Organization investigation; the New York Times reported on the book's contents. The disclosure about Cohen could complicate another case under consideration by the office, over whether Trump broke the law for hush-money payments ahead of the 2016 presidential election. On Monday, a grand jury in Manhattan reportedly began hearing evidence over whether Trump committed a crime in the Stormy Daniels hush-money scheme. Cohen facilitated payments to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford and who says she had an affair with Trump, to maintain her silence ahead of the 2016 election. Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance charges in 2018, but federal prosecutors who brought the case didn't indict Trump. Cohen said he made the payments at the direction of the then-president, who was referred to as "Individual-1" in court documents. Story continues If the Manhattan district attorney's office indicts Trump on state-level charges for the scheme, Cohen's testimony would almost certainly be used in the case. Cohen has also expressed publicly that he'd testify in a case against Trump. Cohen didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. At the time Bragg expressed his skepticism about Cohen, the office was weighing whether to bring racketeering charges against Trump, according to Pomerantz's book. The long-running investigation into the Trump Organization, which remains ongoing, has evaluated whether Trump broke tax, bank, and insurance laws by misrepresenting the values of its properties. The New York attorney general's office last year filed a civil lawsuit against Trump and his family members over misrepresenting property values. In a statement provided to Insider, Bragg said the investigation was ongoing and blasted Pomerantz for deciding "to quit a year ago and sign a book deal." "After closely reviewing all the evidence from Mr. Pomerantz's investigation, I came to the same conclusion as several senior prosecutors involved in the case, and also those I brought on: more work was needed," Bragg wrote. "Put another way, Mr. Pomerantz's plane wasn't ready for takeoff." Pomerantz was hired by Bragg's predecessor Cyrus Vance Jr. A legendary defense attorney and former prosecutor, he returned to law enforcement solely for the Trump investigation. Along with fellow top prosecutor Carey Dunne, Pomerantz quit the district attorney's office in early 2022 after Bragg declined to charge Trump, he wrote in a resignation letter. The prosecutors still haven't brought charges against Trump, but they moved forward with criminal cases against the Trump Organization and its then-CFO Allen Weisselberg over tax fraud. Weisselberg pleaded guilty to the fraud charges, and the Trump Organization was convicted at trial late last year. Weisselberg is under pressure to cooperate in the DA's Trump investigation or he could face more charges, the Times reported this week. Trump has long denied wrongdoing and has cast law enforcement officers investigating him as politically motivated. A representative didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider Former President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., on November 15, 2022. Joe Raedle/Getty Images The Manhattan DA's office considered charging Trump with racketeering, a new book says. Mark Pomerantz, a former prosecutor in the DA's office, writes that he built a sweeping case against Trump, according to NYT. Bragg ultimately decided not to indict Trump, and Pomerantz and the other lead prosecutor resigned shortly after. The Manhattan district attorney's office considered charging former President Donald Trump with racketeering in connection to his business practices, according to a new book by Mark Pomerantz, a former prosecutor in the DA's office. In the months before he resigned, Pomerantz made a sweeping case that would've seen Trump indicted under New York's racketeering law, he writes in his forthcoming book, an early copy of which was obtained by The New York Times. The DA's office ultimately decided not to indict the former president. Pomerantz and Carey Dunne, the two prosecutors leading the DA's investigation into Trump and his business empire, resigned early last year, shortly after Bragg elected not to move forward with a case against Trump. In his resignation letter, Pomerantz wrote he had "no doubt" Trump was guilty of "numerous felony violations." "His financial statements were false, and he has a long history of fabricating information relating to his personal finances and lying about his assets to banks, the national media, counterparties, and many others, including the American people," Pomerantz wrote. "The team that has been investigating Mr. Trump harbors no doubt about whether he committed crimes he did." The Times reported at the time that the investigation into Trump had stalled amid Bragg's hesitation to pursue charges, and that neither Pomerantz nor Dunne had questioned any witnesses before a grand jury in more than a month before they resigned. "After closely reviewing all the evidence from Mr. Pomerantz's investigation, I came to the same conclusion as several senior prosecutors involved in the case, and also those I brought on: more work was needed," Bragg said in a statement. "Put another way, Mr. Pomerantz's plane wasn't ready for takeoff." Story continues He added that Manhattan prosecutors are continuing to "follow the facts of this case wherever they may lead without fear or favor." The DA's office charged the Trump Organization and its chief bookkeeper, Allen Weisselberg, with 15 felony counts in July 2021. Weisselberg pleaded guilty to the 15 charges in August, and the Trump Organization was convicted on all counts in December. Pomerantz writes in his forthcoming book, "The People v. Donald Trump," that the former president built his business empire "through a pattern of criminal activity." He also compares Trump to the mafia boss John Gotti, according to The Times. "He demanded absolute loyalty and would go after anyone who crossed him. He seemed always to stay one step ahead of the law," Pomerantz writes. "In my career as a lawyer, I had encountered only one other person who touched all of these bases: John Gotti, the head of the Gambino organized crime family." Read the original article on Business Insider Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) at a news conference after visiting the Holocaust Museum, outside the US Capitol on June 14, 2021. Drew Angerer/Getty Images Marjorie Taylor Greene called on the Biden admin to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon. The high-altitude balloon was spotted over Montana, home to several sensitive nuclear sites. US officials said they have not attempted to shoot it down over concerns of falling debris. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called on President Joe Biden to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon "immediately," while suggesting that former President Donald Trump would have already done so. In a tweet late Thursday, Greene wrote: "Biden should shoot down the Chinese spy balloon immediately. "President Trump would have never tolerated this. President Trump would have never tolerated many things happening to America." Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) February 2, 2023 On Thursday evening it was reported that the US military was tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon, first spotted over Montana, which it believes with "very high confidence" to be of Chinese origin. The US military scrambled F-22 Raptors and other aircraft, but has so far held off shooting it down. The area in which it was spotted is home to several sensitive locations, such as Malmstrom Air Force Base, which hosts intercontinential ballistic missiles. So-called spy balloons are capable of gathering high-resolution images and potentially even intercept radio and cellphone traffic. Greene, who has promoted conspiracy theories dealing in QAnon, 9/11 "trutherism," and a Jewish-backed "space laser" causing the 2018 California wildfires, was recently appointed to the House Homeland Security Committee. In a Truth Social post, Trump appeared to agree with Greene, sharing a post by rightwing activist and conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec. Posobiec hinted, without evidence, at a more nefarious reason for not shooting the balloon down. "The Pentagon said the quiet part out loud. The CCP [Chinese Communist party] can send spy balloons over our nuclear silos and we will do nothing. [Because] we are owned," he wrote. Story continues Neither addressed the reasoning given by a US defense official earlier that day, who said that the US had considered shooting the balloon down but felt there was too high a risk of debris falling on people and buildings below. After scrambling the jets, "it was the judgment of our military commanders that we didn't drive the risk down low enough, so we didn't take the shot," the official said. He added that the US was taking steps to prevent the collection of sensitive information. The official said that in communications with the Chinese government the US had "made clear we will do whatever is necessary to protect our people and our homeland." The official also said that the situation was not unique the US has tracked such balloons before under other administrations, he said, leaving open the possibility that this had also happened under the Trump administration. Read the original article on Business Insider Marjorie Taylor Greene, in a stunning U-turn, has said she never used the phrase Jewish space lasers after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs fiery speech on the House floor on Thursday. Ms Greene said: Theres people that think that I said a phrase called Jewish space lasers a phrase that I never said. As a matter of fact, it was created and invented in a story that a bunch of people read in the news ... I dont hold any beliefs like that at all, she added. The controversy came into the limelight again after Ms Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, defended fellow Democratic representative Ilhan Omar. Dont tell me that this is about a condemnation of anti-Semitic remarks when you have a member of the Republican caucus who has talked about Jewish space lasers and also elevated her to some of the highest committee assignments in this body, she said in a reference to Ms Greene. This is about targeting women of colour in the United States of America. AOC added that she didnt get a single apology when her life was threatened after GOP representative Paul Gosar shared an animated video depicting her being killed with a sword in 2021. Republicans are removing [Ilhan Omar] from committees for her anti-Semitic comments, tweeted columnist Michael J Stern. But they embrace [Marjorie Taylor Greene] who made insane comments about Jewish space lasers and Donald Trump who invited neo-Nazis to his house for dinner. Ms Greene used the phrase in a now-deleted Facebook post from 2018. The post touted an antisemitic conspiracy theory that suggested the Rothschilds, a wealthy Jewish banking family that often features in such conspiracy theories, were profiting off the California wildfires supposedly caused by lasers or blue beams of light from space. Wow AOC doesnt hold back here pic.twitter.com/GxHNtaKkaJ Acyn (@Acyn) February 2, 2023 Never forget the GOPs antisemitism: They stood by Trump when he accused Jews of disloyalty for voting Dem, then by [Marjorie Taylor Greene], after her Jewish space lasers lunacy, political analyst Omar Baddar tweeted. Story continues Marjorie Taylor Greene: "There's people that think that I said a phrase called 'Jewish space lasers,' a phrase that I never said. As a matter of fact, it was created and invented in a story that a bunch of people read in the news...I don't hold any beliefs like that at all." pic.twitter.com/pYNMRIPe2y The Republican Accountability Project (@AccountableGOP) February 2, 2023 Political strategist and commentator Ana Navarro-Cardenas said: I dont like or agree w/#IlhanOmar. Shes said and apologised for awful things. But its a new level of hypocrisy to kick her off committees, & keep a pathological liar who pretended to be Jewish & a kook who belittled the Yellow Star & blamed Jewish space lasers for forest! Massachusetts lawmakers proposed a bill that would allow prisoners to donate their organs or bone marrow in exchange for reduced sentences. The legislation would establish a Bone Marrow and Organ Donation Program within the Department of Correction and a Bone Marrow and Organ Donation Committee. Under this program, incarcerated individuals could reduce their sentence anywhere from 60 days to one year if they donate their bone marrow or organs. The committee will be promoting standards of eligibility for prisoners as well as determining the number of donations that could earn an individual a reduced sentence. The bill also states that the Department of Correction will not receive commissions or monetary payments for bone marrow donated by inmates. (Paying for an organ is illegal in the U.S.) According to the BBC, federal prisons in the U.S. allow for organ donations as long as the recipient is an immediate family member. But in Massachusetts, as well as at many other state prisons, there is no direct path for incarcerated people to donate organs or bone marrow, even to their relatives. Rep. Judith Garcia, who is co-sponsoring the bill, said the legislation would restore bodily autonomy to incarcerated folks by providing [an] opportunity for them to donate organs and bone marrow. The program would also aid in addressing the decades-long shortage of organ donations in the U.S. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), there are more than 104,457 people in need of a lifesaving organ transplant, and 59,027 of them are actively on waiting lists. Within Massachusetts, nearly 5,000 residents are on an organ transplant waiting list. But critics of the bill say that its unethical and coercive to offer time off of prisoners sentences in exchange for organ donations. Prisoners should be able to donate life-saving bone marrow and organs if they wish, but incentivizing it through good time is coercive, a Boston abolitionist tweeted. There are people willing to pay a kidney to get out of prison, but that is not a choice they should have facilitated by the government. Story continues Under HD3822, prisoners' organs and marrow may be harvested in exchange for 2-12 months off their sentence-- something a desperate person might actually give a kidney for. But #MAleg cannot facilitate this poorly considered, violent bill #mapoli@GarciaJudithMA@PLSMAhttps://t.co/adMLhsFllI Black and Pink Massachusetts (@BlackAndPinkMA) January 30, 2023 I am extremely concerned about HD3822, @GarciaJudithMA. The idea of harvesting incarcerated people's organs or bone marrow for as little a 2 months good time is abhorrent. Please tell me what thought went into this disgusting abuse. https://t.co/ELzmdoLFYU#mapoli#maleghttps://t.co/TXLvRKBWpupic.twitter.com/1SlLftJxdS Eli's wearing KN95s (they/them) (@NoCopsNoMasters) January 26, 2023 Some also point out that the bill is exploitative and preys on the desperation and vulnerability of incarcerated people. Whats most troubling about this legislation is that [the] system is so broken, and incarcerated people are so vulnerable, that there are people who will give up a limb for freedom because they have no other options, legal reform advocate Dyjuan Tatro said in a tweet. This bill will end up being coercive & predatory to a group without autonomy. A bill that guarantees their right to and path to donate if they wish, bribe-free, and provides quality healthcare for procedure and recovery would be in better faith. Winter loathing New Englander (she/her) (@spiritedrinoa) February 1, 2023 They are trying to trade incarcerated people freedom for their organs in Massachusetts. This is the country in which we live. pic.twitter.com/dDPBAB30wX Dyjuan Tatro (@DyjuanTatro) February 1, 2023 Related... BOSTON (AP) The former leader of a Massachusetts Native American tribe sentenced to prison for accepting exercise equipment, a luxury hotel stay and other bribes from an architectural firm working with the tribe on a casino has to pay back nearly $210,000, a judge ordered. Cedric Cromwell, former chair of the Cape Cod-based Mashpee Wampanoags, was sentenced to three years in prison in Boston in November. David DeQuattro, the owner of the Rhode Island architecture and design firm, was sentenced to a year of probation under home confinement. Cromwell had apologized in court. His attorneys have asked for a stay of his sentence and restitution, pending an appeal. U.S. Attorney Rachel Rollins of Massachusetts said the judgment, entered against Cromwell on Tuesday, rightly addresses the immense harm these men inflicted upon the Mashpee Wampanoag Nation harm to its reputation through Mr. Cromwells corruption; to its economic development through massive project delays and lost resources; and harm to its financial resources through the significant legal fees and expenses generated in their steadfast support and compliance with our investigation. Cromwell was convicted in May of bribery and extortion charges. DeQuattro was convicted of a bribery charge. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) broke with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Thursday when asked about the death of Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by Capitol police during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, concluding she was not murdered, as Greene has said. I think the police officer did his job, McCarthy told reporters when asked if he agreed with Greene that Babbitt was murdered. Babbitts case came back into the spotlight this week when Greene compared her case with that of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who died after being beaten by officers in Memphis. During a meeting of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Tuesday, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) invoked Nicholss case when calling for restoring the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which was recently disbanded. When it was Greenes turn to speak, she called the video of Nicholss arrest tragic and extremely difficult to watch before turning her attention to Babbitt. I think that the judge and the jury and the trial needs to work out what happened there, but I share that with you, she Greene said of the Nichols case, adding but Id like to also point something that Id hope you share with me. Theres a woman in this room whose daughter was murdered on Jan. 6, Ashli Babbitt. And Ashli Babbitt has, theres never been a trial. As a matter of fact, no one has cared about the person that shot and killed her and no one in this Congress has really addressed that issue, she added. Authorities last week dropped charges filed against Babbitts mother, Micki Witthoeft, after she illegally blocked traffic and disobeyed an order from police on the two-year anniversary of the Capitol riot. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) has used similar language, and during a meeting of the Committee on Natural Resources on Thursday, she said it was very tragic when Ashli Babbitt was murdered. The congresswoman was also seen speaking with Babbitts mother during a meeting of the Oversight Committee on Wednesday. Story continues The Capitol Police in August 2021 announced that the officer who shot Babbitt would not face internal discipline following an investigation. USCPs Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) determined the officers conduct was lawful and within Department policy, which says an officer may use deadly force only when the officer reasonably believes that action is in the defense of human life, including the officers own life, or in the defense of any person in immediate danger of serious physical injury, the department wrote in a statement. And in April 2021, the Department of Justice said it would not pursue criminal charges against the officer. The relationship between Greene and McCarthy has evolved in recent months, with the Georgia Republican becoming one of the GOP leaders staunchest supporters. After announcing in 2021 that McCarthy doesnt have the full support to be Speaker, Greene last year emerged as one of his most vocal advocates as he worked to secure the gavel. McCarthy has also elevated the firebrand lawmaker in the GOP conference. After Greene was stripped of her committee assignments in 2021 as punishment for embracing conspiracy theories, McCarthy placed her on panels in this congressional session including the powerful Oversight Committee. During a brief interview with The New York Times, McCarthy said I will never leave that woman, referring to Greene. I will always take care of her. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Thursday said he is tasking a bipartisan group of lawmakers with writing a code of conduct for House members, after representatives of both parties expressed concerns about removing members from congressional committees. His announcement came minutes after House Republicans voted to kick Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) off the Foreign Affairs panel as a rebuke for previous comments that were labeled by some Republicans as antisemitic. The vote was 218-211 along party lines with one lawmaker, Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio), voting present. Im going to put a group of Democrats that [House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.)] will select and a group of Republicans, and well work to come and clarify the rules and pass something for not only this Congress but future Congresses as well, McCarthy told reporters during a press conference. The House already has a code of conduct included in its rules, though the terms are vague, largely focusing on financial regulations. It also says members must behave at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House. The terms do not, however, cover areas like antisemitism or threats of violence against colleagues, which were the focus of previous efforts to strip members of committee assignments. Thursdays vote was the third time in two years that the House opted to strip lawmakers of committee assignments Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) lost their assignments in 2021 after promoting violence against Democrats. And last week, McCarthy unilaterally blocked Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff (Calif.) and Eric Swalwell (Calif.) from serving on the House Intelligence Committee. Unlike the Foreign Affairs Committee, which required a vote from the whole House to boot Omar, McCarthy as Speaker has the ability to block members from the Intelligence Committee. In the lead-up to the vote on Omar, both Democrats and Republicans said they were opposed to the practice of stripping members of their committee assignments. A number of lawmakers accused McCarthy of engaging in a tit-for-tat by moving to kick Omar off the Foreign Affairs panel just because Democrats did the same to Greene and Gosar in 2021. Story continues Three Republican lawmakers Reps. Victoria Spartz (Ind.), Nancy Mace (S.C.) and Ken Buck (Colo.) initially came out against the effort for various reasons, but McCarthy got them on board after offering them commitments regarding the process of booting lawmakers from panels. Spartz pointed to added due process language in the resolution, Buck said McCarthy suggested he was willing to reform the process for kicking members off committees and Mace said the Speaker offered her a commitment that there would be a fix to rules that would refer members to the House Ethics Committee before a resolution is drawn up to strip them of their committee assignments. McCarthy on Thursday said two of those lawmakers Mace and Buck will be part of the bipartisan group tasked with writing a code of conduct. The Speaker also said he asked Jeffries to select a couple of members along with himself for the group. I dont know the definition exactly what all thats going to mean. I think that should be clear. So if there is a concern, its not tit for tat. But I think in moving forward, every single member of Congress has a responsibility to how they carry themselves, McCarthy said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Feb. 2 expressed his willingness to send "military things" to Ukraine, the Times of Israel reported on Feb. 3, citing an official with knowledge of the conversation. He made the statement during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. But Netanyahu added that Israel could not go too far without provoking Russia. He also told Macron that it is too early to think about mediation." The prime minister explained that he would not push his role as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine until Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. asked him to do so, the Times of Israel reported. Netanyahu also said in a CNN interview published on Feb. 1 that he would consider providing military aid, including Israel's Iron Dome air defense system, to Ukraine. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Israel has provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine. However, the Israeli government has come under fire for refusing to send weapons to Ukraine in an apparent effort to keep good relations with Russia. The Israeli government has also introduced restrictions on Ukrainians traveling to Israel despite visa-free travel between the two countries, preventing both refugees and tourists from entering the country. Meanwhile, relations between Russia and Israel have deteriorated anyway, with the Kremlin cracking down on an organization that helps people of Jewish descent to emigrate to Israel. On Jan. 28-29, unidentified drones attacked military targets in Iran, an ally of Russia that supplies combat drones to Moscow. Western media have reported that the attack was organized by Israel, which has not commented on the issue. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police on Thursday released body camera footage showing a nearly 19 minute wait for Medic to respond to a 32-year-old man who was struggling to breathe, on the ground, after being arrested. Jovontay Williams, 32, died in police and hospital custody at Atrium Health Cabarrus on June 13, 2022 from causes so far not publicly disclosed. In total, 22 videos were released by police. Around 2 a.m. on June 13, police responded to a 911 call from a woman hiding in a closet in her room. She said she heard shots fired outside her door in the 300 block of Featherstone Drive in northeast Charlotte, The Charlotte Observer previously reported. Officers arrived at the home and found Williams laying on a porch in the fetal position after being seen yelling and acting erratically, exhibiting stress and delirium, according to CMPD officials. A breakdown of the footage by CMPD says Williams jumped up when officers approached him. The home where he was found was close to the home where the 911 call came from, police say. A CMPD officer is seen in the footage confronting Williams with his gun pointed at Williams. After seeing Williams was not holding a gun, the officer quickly moved toward him and is seen in the video along with another officer maneuvering him to the floor of the porch. Body camera footage shows that Williams was quickly placed in handcuffs and put into a recovery position while visibly in medical distress. But ultimately, it would take Medic nearly 19 minutes to arrive in an ambulance after police officers called for emergency medical help. Police used what they described as a soft, empty hands technique to take him into custody. This means officers do not use weapons or strikes, a police spokesman told the Observer at the time. The recovery position is when officers place someone in medical distress on their side, and monitor the person. The footage released Thursday shows no apparent struggle or fight as officers handcuffed Williams. The video shows Williams groaning, slurring his speech, and saying he has double vision while being held down by several CMPD officers. Story continues Subdued on the porch, Williams says he is lightheaded and asks to be let go. One officer is heard encouraging him to take deep breaths. That officer says to another hes stiffening up like a board. Amid periods of screaming and groaning, Williams occasionally spoke to the officers and asked them to get off him. At one point he says let me up. In the video, its clear officers are tightly holding Williams arms and legs while squatting beside him. Charlotte Fire instead of an ambulance was sent after CMPD first called for medical help. But firefighters once on scene called Medic back in order for Williams to get medical treatment. The call was originally treated as a non-emergency, according to information provided by Medic. That may have affected the speed of medical response. This delay caused CMPD to hold Williams on the ground for an extended period of time while fire personnel stood near them and talked with officers, the video footage shows. Charlotte firefighters are seen in the videos standing near Williams and the officers but did not provide medical aid. After Medic arrived, those first responders treated Williams for about five minutes on the porch before carrying him to a stretcher and rushing him to the hospital with life threatening injuries. He was first taken to Atrium Health University then transferred to Atrium Health Cabarrus where he was pronounced dead just before 10 a.m., according to police. Jovontay Williams death The exact cause of Williams death is not clear. Williams did not have a history of any medical issues, his mother, Christa Williams wrote on gofundme. She says his family is still waiting on an autopsy report from the state Medical Examiners Office. The Observer also requested Williams autopsy report from the Medical Examiners Office and has not received a response. Christa Williams has shared photos with the Observer and online showing bruises on her sons arms and legs and a photo of his face appearing swollen while hospitalized. Its not clear if the bruises are solely from police holding him down, or what caused swelling on his face. Officers found a gun and drug paraphernalia at the scene, CMPD said in a news release following Williams death. They told Christa Williams they found a white powdery substance laying beside Williams. The State Bureau of Investigation investigated Williams death in-custody. An SBI spokesperson told the Observer earlier this week that the investigation is complete and the findings were sent to District Attorney Spencer Merriweather. CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings said the Mecklenburg DA review concluded no criminal charges were appropriate against the officers involved. The District Attorneys office did not respond to requests for comment about the case. Officials respond to Williams death Medic released a statement Thursday following the footage being release saying they are committed to the Medical Incident Review process that upholds our high standards of care. Its unclear what that review or investigation will include. To the family and loved ones of Mr. Williams, we express our deepest condolences for your loss, Medic said. Jennings said an internal CMPD investigation found officers followed policies and no disciplinary action was taken against officers. I want to assure our citizens that after thoroughly reviewing the evidence in this case, I am confident that our officers performed their duties appropriately regarding the treatment of Mr. Williams which included seeking a higher level of medical care for him immediately when they realized he was experiencing a medical emergency, Jennings said. Charlotte Fire Chief Reginald Johnson said the department takes the death of Williams very seriously and is exploring thoroughly. We are dedicated to our community in service and are resolute in our mission of saving lives, Johnson said. As our community comes together during this difficult time, we hope for peace and healing for the family and loved ones of Mr. Williams. Who was Williams? Williams had a 3-year-old son at the time of his death and played football at Johnson C. Smith University from 2012 to 2014, the Observer reported previously. Jovontay was a good father, a man of integrity, loyal to family/friends, and a great person, his mother wrote on gofundme. Jovontay would light up a room with his wit and smile. Jovontay never met a stranger, those who knew him would agree. Williams was self-employed and provided for his son and family, Christa Williams said. His football coach, Steven Aycock, told the Observer after his death, Williams taught him about humility and patience two principles he will always cherish. He was one of mine, Aycock said. He was a solid individual who would do anything for you. Thats just who Jovontay was. Williams family hired an attorney, a private investigator, and John Barnett a civil rights activist. Episode three of "MILF Manor" includes a lighthearted confrontation between Gabriel, Gabriel's mother April, and Gabriel's mother's date Joey. TLC TLC's new television series "MILF Manor" debuted on Sunday January 15. The series follows single moms dating each other's sons and shows their awkward sex talks, hookups, and dates. 3 MILFs on the show told Insider why they joined, like to heal from grief and be open to new experiences. When April Jayne's husband of three years died suddenly in July 2021, distractions were the only way she could handle the grief. Jayne, a 60-year-old fitness instructor in Los Angeles, poured her energy into training clients, journaling, and spending time with her three sons from a previous marriage, and sharing a home with her late husband's mother. After a few months of wading through constant sadness, Jayne's friend suggested a new distraction: An upcoming reality show for single MILFs. Jayne agreed to let her friend submit the application, and a week later she and her son were cast. The show, called "MILF Manor," aired on TLC on January 15. On it, eight mothers in their forties and fifties, including Jayne, mingle and flirt with men half their age while sharing sleeping quarters with their sons. (MILF is an explicit acronym describing a mother whom someone would like to have sex with. The slang phrase is often meant as a compliment for moms people find attractive.) During the first episode, it's revealed that many of these men are the MILFs' 20-something sons, making for lots of cringe-worthy and shocking conversations, as Insider's Palmer Haasch reported. Jayne told Insider she thought the change of scenery and time with her son could help her overcome grief. She still misses her husband Dave and calls him the love of her life. But Jayne, who was married twice before Dave, said she doesn't believe in singular soulmates. And Dave would want her to find love again, she said. "I went into it thinking there's so many possibilities I would much rather do something than not have done it and said, 'God, why didn't I do this show?' You never know what can happen," Jayne said. Story continues Insider spoke with Jayne and two other MILFs on "MILF Manor," Charlene DeCicco and Shannan Diggs, about why they joined the show and the lessons they learned about being open-minded and dating younger men along the way. Shannan Diggs wanted to have fun and meet new people after her divorce Shannan and Ryan on "MILF Manor." TLC Diggs, who is 51, joined "MILF Manor" a year after her divorce. A family friend who worked on the show reached out looking for potential contestants. Diggs was interested in widening her dating options after experimenting with apps and websites for singles, she said. She said she was "shocked" to learn during the first episode that she'd picking dates from a pool of men that included her son Ryan. Before, she assumed he'd simply vet her dates, or act as a sounding board. Still, she decided to keep an open mind, which was her main goal while on the show. The concept of dating younger didn't worry Diggs, she told Insider. She's 21 years older than her son, but she's used to men his age flirting with her while out with her friends, she said. She also dated a 27-year-old before joining the show, and sees benefits to dating younger. She told Insider she finds 20-something men can be inquisitive, energetic, and less set in their ways than the older men she's dated. She was surprised at how vulnerable she felt she could be with the men she connected with on the show. "If you take his age out of the equation, you can really learn a lot from a younger man," Diggs said. For Diggs, the most awkward part of the show was having those experiences right in front her son. But the experience also brought them closer after living in different cities for years. "It's different and actually very refreshing to be able to have conversations with your children as young adults," she said. Charlene DeCicco wanted to honor her late daughter who signed her up for the show Charlene and Harrison on "MILF Manor." TLC DeCicco, like Jayne, joined "MILF Manor" following an experience with grief: The death of her daughter, Ashly. Two years before Ashly passed, she told DeCicco, who is 46, about a casting call for "MILF Manor." Ashly also convinced her brother, DeCicco's son Harrison, to apply too and he did, begrudgingly, DeCicco said. When they got a call to participate two years later, the 46-year-old mother knew she had to give it a try. "I said to Harrison,'Listen, I really think it's a sign Ashly's with us. We've got to do this.' I really felt like my daughter was with us, so I kind of coerced him into doing it," she said. Mainly, DeCicco joined the show for the large dating pool, she said. Before "MILF Manor," she never considered dating someone so much younger than her. "Dating someone who is 30 is taboo for me," she told Insider. But once the show's twist was revealed to her, DeCicco said she slowly accepted the idea as she got to know the young male suitors. "I was in shock. And then I just embraced the whole idea because I figured we were there for a reason. And I do believe life is a lesson to be learned," DeCicco told Insider. April Jayne wanted to set a positive example for other single MILFs According to Jayne, the show was a great way to have an adventure amidst her grief. It reminded her of her power as a 59-year-old woman who still acts and feels vibrant and sexy, she told Insider. When women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s see Jayne on "MILF Manor," she wants to be an example of how spectacular older women are, she said. "We're valuable, we're intelligent, we have so much to offer," Jayne, who recently turned 60, said. Read the original article on Insider MEMPHIS, Tenn. A 22-year-old Black man said in an interview that he was assaulted by a group of Memphis police officers that included the five former officers charged with the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols. Monterrious Harris said he was beaten up three days before Nichols was attacked by some of the same officers who were with the now-disbanded Scorpion unit. He said that the black-clad men who ordered him to get out of his car on Jan. 4 did not identify themselves and that he had no idea they were part of the special crime-fighting squad that would be implicated in Nichols death. They were trying to pull me out of the car, but my car was locked, Harris said this week. I thought someone was trying to carjack me. I didnt know they were officers. Harris said he plans to sue the city and its police department Saturday in U.S. District Court in Memphis. Harris lawyer, Robert Spence, said Harris called him about a week after Nichols died. A Jan. 4 affidavit of complaint filed by the arresting officers revealed that the five officers involved in Nichols beating were part of the nine-member team that arrested Harris. The document did not indicate whether any officers were involved in a physical altercation. City officials, the police department and lawyers for the five former officers did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. Harris said he was sitting in his car at the Twin Oak Apartments when several men wearing ski masks suddenly appeared with guns drawn. One of them banged on the window of his Chrysler 300 and another blinded him with a flashlight as other officers surrounded his vehicle, Harris said. Get out the car, or Im going to shoot, Harris said one of the men told him. Harris said he was terrified and put his car into reverse and hit the gas in an attempt to flee. But he wound up backing into a wall. At that point, I got out of the car, Harris said. The men in black closed in on him and ordered him to put his hands up, he said. But before he could do that, they slammed him on the concrete and began punching him in the face, he said. Story continues You almost got your head blowed off, Harris said one of the men told him. Harris was arrested and taken to jail, where a nurse determined he needed medical attention, which he received at a hospital, he said. Regional One Health did not respond to phone calls requesting Harris medical records and details of his injuries Thursday. Spence said he has asked the hospital for Harris medical records but has not received them yet. The affidavit names the five former officers involved in the Nichols case: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith and Desmond Mills Jr. The police department fired all five after Nichols died from his injuries on Jan. 10. Five Memphis police officers were fired in connection with a traffic stop that led to the death of Tyre Nichols. Clockwise from top left: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith and Desmond Mills Jr. (Memphis Police Dept. via AP) The five are 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. Like Nichols, they are Black. The Scorpion team, according to the affidavit, was conducting an investigation at the apartment complex when Harris began screeching his tires and drove at the officers at a fast speed before he stopped. Smelling marijuana, an officer asked Harris to roll down his window, according to the affidavit. Instead, Harris drove his car in reverse, abandoned the vehicle and tried to run away, the document says. Harris, who was convicted of a felony in Arkansas two years ago for fleeing law enforcement in a manner that could cause substantial injury or death, had a 9 mm handgun, marijuana and the anxiety medication Xanax, according to the affidavit. Officers also found a black holster and live magazine rounds in his car, it says. Spence said Harris is charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun, criminal trespass, evading arrest, felony possession of a controlled substance with the intent to sell and other counts. Harris insisted in the interview that the car did not smell like pot and that the gun was not his. He also said he considers himself very lucky he did not meet the same fate as Nichols. Image: Monterrious Harris in Memphis on Feb. 2, 2023. (Brandon Dill for NBC News) I really felt like God was with me, he said. His encounter occurred three days before Nichols crossed paths with a group of Memphis police officers during a Jan. 7 traffic stop and suffered a beating that led to his death. The five officers who were charged were members of Scorpion, or Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, an anti-violence unit launched in November 2021, when the citys murder rate was soaring and the community was calling for action. Harrowing video of Nichols, 29, being beaten and crying out for his mother was released last week, sparking nationwide outrage and condemnation from the White House on down. Memphis police officers surround Tyre Nichols as he lies on the ground on Jan 7. (City of Memphis) Two Shelby County sheriffs deputies were also relieved of duty pending an administrative investigation into Nichols death, Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. announced. Two other Memphis men, Glenn Harris and Demarius Hervey, told NBC News this week they experienced a violent encounter with former officer Martin in August 2020. An Aug. 2, 2020, affidavit of complaint signed by Officer E. Martin said Harris and Hervey were arrested after Harris crashed the black Nissan Maxima he was driving and started a brief foot chase. Deon J. Hampton reported from Memphis, and Corky Siemaszko reported from New York City. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis reportedly oversaw a street crime unit in Atlanta that, similar to the now defunct Scorpion unit implicated in the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, was eventually disbanded amid public backlash over its aggressive tactics, according to reports. The Red Dog unit was a group of about 30 officers at the Atlanta Police Department that was meant to flood high crime areas of the city. The unit, which Davis oversaw from 2006 to 2007, was disbanded in 2011, NBC News reported. The city of Atlanta settled at least 10 lawsuits related to the Red Dog unit throughout its existence, although none were related to misconduct that occurred under Davis management, per NBC. One lawsuit accused the unit of employing unconstitutional policies, customs, and practices, including performing strip searches and body cavity searches in public and stopping and frisking individuals without reasonable suspicion or probable cause. A 2013 affidavit from a former Atlanta police officer, who was a member of the Red Dog unit, noted that their supervisors were aware of their aggressive attitude and did not appear bothered until it resulted in political backlash for the administration and politicians. The revelations about Davis background with the Atlanta unit come in the wake of Nichols death last month. The Memphis Police Departments Scorpion unit which took a similar approach of targeting high crime areas arrested Nichols on suspicion of reckless driving on Jan. 7. In video footage of the traffic stop released last week, officers can be seen pepper-spraying, tasing and beating the 29-year-old. Nichols died several days later from his injuries. The controversial Scorpion unit was officially deactivated on Saturday amid public backlash over Nichols death. Five police officers in the unit that were involved in Nichols arrest were fired and have since been charged with second-degree murder. A sixth officer was also relieved of duty at the beginning of the Memphis Police Departments investigation into the incident. A seventh officer has since been suspended, and two emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and one lieutenant with the Memphis Fire Department have been fired. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A 27-year-old Mercer County woman considered a fugitive is back in the county jail on several misdemeanor and felony charges that include identity fraud, theft and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. >> Arrest warrant issued for Bengals running back Joe Mixon Two Mercer County sheriffs deputies extradited Shelby Preslar from Wake County, North Carolina, on Wednesday, Sheriff Jeff Grey said in a prepared statement released tonight. Preslar was being detained at the Wake County Detention Center in Raleigh on local charges and a holder from the Mercer County Sheriffs Office. She refused to sign extradition paperwork to be voluntarily brought back to Ohio, Grey said. The Mercer County Prosecutors Office applied for and received a warrant from Gov. Mike DeWine to have Preslar returned to Ohio to answer to the charges for which she has been indicted. She also is wanted in at least two other jurisdictions, according to Grey. Preslar is being detained locally on no bond and is awaiting a court hearing. According to the extradition request signed by DeWine in mid-October, Preslar is indicted on five counts of theft, two counts of identity fraud, and single counts of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, theft from a person in a protected class, attempted theft from a person in a protected class, criminal mischief and possession of criminal tools. We working to learn more about the charges and about Preslars arrest in North Carolina. We will update this developing report as more details become available. The Washington State Department of Transportation is closing the Mercer Street on-ramp to northbound Interstate 5 from Friday, Feb. 3 at 9 p.m. to Monday, Feb. 6 at 4 a.m. for construction. This includes the express lanes entrance. There will be detours in place, WSDOT said. The westbound State Route 520 off-ramp to southbound I-5 is reduced to one lane through at least Feb. 2023. The closure is part of the SR 520 and I-5 Express Lanes Connection Project, which will create a dedicated reversible transit and carpool connection between SR 520 and the I-5 express lanes, along with a reversible transit and carpool ramp at the I-5 and Mercer Street interchange. The entire project is set to finish in 2024, according to WSDOT. The project was started to create: Safer and more reliable bus and carpool travel between the Eastside, South Lake Union area, and downtown Seattle. Earlier than planned Eastside and South Lake Union transit service via the reversible I-5 express lanes connection. A more efficient phasing of SR 520 construction that minimizes contractor overlap in the Montlake area and keeps traffic moving during construction. CALAKMUL BIOSPHERE RESERVE, Mexico (AP) Miguel Angel Diaz walks slowly so his footfall on dry leaves doesnt drive away what he's trying to find in this dense forest of seeded breadnut and sapodilla trees. Coming to a small wetland, a sign warns: Beware of the crocodile. Diaz, a tourist guide, shines a laser pointer at a woodpecker and a toucan, and then moves it over to the blue tail of a Yucatecan jay. He learned years ago to decipher the sounds of the Calakmul jungle in Mexico's southern Yucatan. Although it's high season, this recent morning Diaz had a hard time finding tourists to guide. Last year, just over 50,000 visitors came to Calakmul, home to an ancient Mayan city that today is a UNESCO world heritage site. Diaz knows many more people will soon come. There will be more jobs for us guides, said Diaz, from the shade of a tree full of lianas. But its going to be a heavy blow to nature. Some 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from the crocodile wetland, bulldozers are felling the jungle for the Maya Train, a $20 billion dollar project envisioned by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. A path 40 meters (130 feet) wide is making way for the train, and logs are stacked along the narrow road to the hidden archaeological site. Currently, from the top of nearly-deserted pyramids, the roar of howler monkeys sounds across a sea of green. The Maya Train is intended to drive economic development to some of the country's poorest areas, in part by bringing up to three million tourists each year. Fonatur, the national tourism agency, says the train will address a lack of transport infrastructure in the country's southeast that has meant not all our tourist destinations have been fully developed. There will be 20 stations along the ride, where hotels and commercial markets are planned. It will also be a cargo route for fuel and farm products. The 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) of rail will pass through unique ecosystems, including the limestone formations filled with freshwater known as cenotes along the Mayan Riviera. This raised a wave of criticism and lawsuits last year that got international attention and temporarily halted the work. Story continues Now the focus has shifted to this section that crosses the intact Calakmul jungle, which is part of the larger Mayan jungle, the largest tropical forest in the Americas after the Amazon. Im not against the train, but for a megaproject of this type, planning normally takes more than 10 years, said British primatologist Kathy Slater, who has been working in Calakmul for a decade with the organization Operation Wallacea. But this is without planning, its crazy, they're not thinking about the impacts. The president wants the train rolling by the end of this year, when his term ends, designating it a matter of national security so as to speed up the environmental and public hearing requirements. The army was put in charge of certain sections, including the one that crosses Calakmul. A regional Indigenous council filed a complaint over lack of proper consultation and a judge agreed, issuing a stop work order that applied to the nearest city, Xpujil. They only talked about the benefits of the megaproject, not about the impacts or the damages," said Jesus Leon Zapata, a member of the Xpujil Indigenous Council. The United Nations human rights office warned in December that the national security decree threatened the rights of Indigenous peoples. The Associated Press observed work in progress in Xpujil during a trip in January. The president has said several times the national security designation legally allows the work to continue. They havent complied with court orders, said Gustavo Alanis, executive director of the Mexico Environmental Law Center. Its a serious thing. The train's path crosses the property of Norma Rosado. From her house with wooden planks and a tin roof, she said the government paid her the equivalent of $5,800. Officials also have promised to improve the roads and, most important to her, to repair the water main, which only delivers water a few hours two days a week, leaving Rosado and her husband to collect as much as they can in an array of tanks on the patio. The area has always been forgotten, said Omar Hernandez, Normas husband, and from that point of view whatever they give us is significant. But these benefits are small scale because we're just farmers, we can't build hotels. Those will be built by investors." Hernandez hopes to sell organic honey he produces to tourists. He had to relocate his hives though, worried the heavy machinery would scare them away. Hernandez, a big man, looks small as he walks through the new clearcut that runs through their land. Slater, the primatologist at the University of Liverpool, said that for years environmental officials and non-profits have been trying to convince people to stop raising livestock and instead switch to beekeeping to preserve the forest. Its sad that those efforts could be hindered, said Slater. For the biologist Rodrigo Medellin, at Mexico's largest university, UNAM, the railway simply should not pass through there. It is going to irreversibly fragment one of the country's most important strongholds for biodiversity, he said. The Calakmul region is home to one of the most important jaguar populations in Mesoamerica, more than 350 species of birds and one hundred mammals, plus other endangered species the tapir, puma and ocellated turkey. I have seen with my own eyes troops of spider monkeys coming through the canopy and suddenly reach the clearcut and there is no way for them to cross, he said. Fonatur proposes 126 wildlife crossings along this section, but only six would be elevated, which large mammals need, said Medellin, known by many as Mexican Batman because of his expertise in bats. As one approaches Volcan de los Murcielagos, a cave that is home to three million bats, the smell of guano gets more intense. The first buzz is soft, like that of a hornets nest. From the mouth of the cave, 50 meters (165 feet) deep, thousands of bats emerge in a tornado that reaches the sky and covers it with a blanket of black. All agriculture in the southern Yucatan benefits from them because the bats eat 30 tons of insects nightly, controlling pests on corn, chile and bean fields. Yet one version of the rail plan had the tracks passing 700 meters (less than a half mile) from the bat cave. No one is certain of the current plan; there have been many versions. Fonatur communications manager Fernando Vazquez said the agency is not commenting on this section of the Maya Train right now. In the more than 2,100 pages of environmental impact report for this one section of the railway, the cave is not mentioned. It does say the construction will have severe adverse impacts on protected species and will cause habitat fragmentation, but concludes the project is environmentally viable because these effects can be mitigated. The plan is to reforest 74 hectares (183 acres), about ten percent of the 730 hectares (1800 acres) that will be cut down. Some of that will be in the Valentin Gomez Farias communal farmlands. Residents there created an ecotourism project nine years ago that has visitors staying in tents under roofs of woven palm. Guests kayak in a lagoon, hike and observe wildlife as part of a project set up with camera traps. With the Maya Train coming through, complete with hotel and tourism complexes, Jose Antonio Guzman Hernandez, who leads the project, fears Calakmul will turn into something more like Cancun or Tulum. We were always trying to keep that from happening, he said. But with all this now it feels like it will be like a bomb, it's going to explode. ___ Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about APs climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. A group of employees at Massachusetts General Hospital who worked alongside Lindsay Clancy, the Duxbury woman charged in the deaths of her three young children, say she had been an amazing mother, nurse, and friend prior to last weeks tragedy that rattled several South Shore communities. As we move forward and strive to provide the best care for our mothers and babies, as Lindsay always had, we continue to share stories and memories of what an amazing mother, nurse, and friend Lindsay was to us all. We are a family. Lindsay was an incredible asset to that family that we will forever appreciate and love, the 32-year-old mothers MGH Family wrote in a GoFundMe post that included a $5,125 donation to her husband, Patrick Clancy. The post indicated that the donation was made by Lindsay Clancys co-workers in the hospitals postpartum, special care nursery, and NICU units. The most dark, black hole you can imagine: Massachusetts moms open up about postpartum experiences Her co-workers added, The halls may be quiet, but our hearts are speaking loudly in support of Patrick, Lindsay, and your entire family. We offer you this donation in addition to a promise to continue to share the wonderful stories about Lindsay, your babies, and the light that she brought to her patients in their most vulnerable times. We send you so much love and healing, and hope you know just how much her MGH family supports you all. The GoFundMe for Patrick Clancy has raised over $1 million behind more than 15,000 donations. On Jan. 24, 5-year-old Cora Clancy and 3-year-old Dawson Clancy were strangled by their mother inside their Summer Street home by their mother, Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz said. Her youngest child, 8-month-old Callan Clancy, was pronounced dead days later. Police officers and firefighters first responded to the familys home after a man, later identified as Patrick Clancy, returned home and called 911 to report his wifes attempted suicide. Cruz said Lindsay Clancy survived a jump out of a second-story window. She was rushed to a hospital for treatment. Story continues We have felt your love: Firefighters thank community for support after Duxbury family tragedy Patrick Clancy issued a statement this past weekend, asking people to forgive his wife for what transpired. I want to ask all of you that you find it deep within yourselves to forgive Lindsay, as I have. The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone - me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients, he wrote. Lindsay Clancy is currently under police custody in a Boston hospital. On Thursday, Duxbury Police Chief Michael Carbone said in an email to Boston 25 News that he didnt have a status on her condition. Shell be arraigned on murder charges upon recovering from the injuries she suffered last week. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW The Miami Police Department unveiled a new Black History Month vehicle on Thursday. Courtesy of the Miami Police Department. The Miami Police Department unveiled a Black History Month-themed vehicle on Thursday. The car features images of Africa and depictions of raised fists. The department said it is meant to honor Black history, but the car quickly drew online criticism. The Miami Police Department rang in the start of Black History Month on Thursday with an audacious addition to its collection of cars. The new police cruiser is decorated with images of the continent of Africa, as well as drawings of raised fists and a smattering of red, yellow, and green the colors associated with Black History Month. The department held an official Black History Month vehicle unveiling this week during which authorities revealed the new car following a ceremony at the Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum in Miami. In a Facebook post, the department said the vehicle is meant to honor and celebrate Miami Police Black history. "Among all of the officers who were in attendance to commemorate the unveiling were some of our very first black police officers," the department said. But the car quickly drew criticism from online onlookers who suggested the automobile was perhaps a tone-deaf testimonial to the city's Black community. The reveal of the car also happened as the country yet again grapples with race and policing with the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols days after he was beaten by police officers in Memphis. Sherrilyn Ifill, former President and director-counsel of the NAACP's Legal Defense Fund, simply tweeted: "THIS CANNOT BE" about the Miami car. Meanwhile, MSNBC legal analyst Charles F. Coleman Jr. suggested the display was a "tone deaf performative action" that "provokes a 'war on wokeness.'" Story continues Charles F Coleman Jr (@CFColemanJr) February 2, 2023 Neither the Miami Police Department nor the Mayor's Office immediately responded to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Insider TOKYO (Reuters) -Micronesia aims to 'soon' sign an extension of its economic and security pact with the United States, its President David Panuelo said on Friday, a deal seen as important in Washington's efforts to counter Chinese influence in the Pacific. Micronesia is one of three Pacific Island states that has so-called compacts of free association with the United States, which allows Washington exclusive access to airspace and territorial waters in exchange for financial assistance. "Our negotiation team actually will be in (Washington) D.C. soon where the two governments will likely be signing an MOU for the extension of the economic provisions for another 20 years," Panuelo told reporters on a visit to Tokyo. (Reporting by John Geddie; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) A talking bobblehead of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was unveiled in honor of his birthday on Jan. 16. MILWAUKEE - In honor of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled the first ever Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. talking bobblehead. This bobblehead, released on King's birthday Jan. 16 and in time for February's Black History Month, features the late civil rights leader's I have a Dream speech using audio clips of his iconic speech given Aug. 28, 1963,on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The King bobblehead is accurate down to the button on his shirt and the placement of the microphones and cords on the podium, according to Phil Sklar, cofounder and CEO of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum. It shows Dr. King standing at a podium giving his " I Have a Dream" speech with his mouth open, frozen in time; he is wearing a black suit and tie. These details were carefully thought out during the process of making the bobblehead, according to Sklar. We always have a lot of customers asking to purchase a bobblehead of Dr. King. We have been working on making this new bobblehead a reality for several years, Sklar said. In this Aug. 28, 1963, black-and-white file photo Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, addresses marchers during his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. We wanted to create a new one that would give people an opportunity to honor Dr. King and celebrate his life and legacy. The audio is a key part of that, and we hope the bobblehead will inspire future generations to learn more about Dr. King and what he stood for and accomplishes. We wanted to create a new one that would give people an opportunity to honor Dr. King and celebrate his life and legacy. The audio is a key part of that, and we hope the bobblehead will inspire future generations to learn more about Dr. King and what he stood for and accomplishes. The recordings were provided by King's estate and are actual auto clips from his I Have a Dream speech. Sklar said, We wanted to make sure the likeness was very accurate down to all the details. The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2021, the organization released a collection of 18 "neglected presidents" bobbleheads including one of Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th American president whose presidential library and museums are located in Fremont. There is a Martin Luther King Jr. bobblehead displayed at the Hall of Fame and Museum. It is available to preorder now and they are expected to ship in April. The one-of-a-kind bobblehead is $40 and can be preordered at www.BobbleheadHall.com This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: MLK Jr. honored with bobblehead that recites 'I Have a Dream' speech Joe Acaba, NASA's new chief of the astronaut office, poses for a portrait in the Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center in Houston in September 2020. As NASA nears selecting its first crew to fly to the moon in more than 50 years, the space agency has a new leader for its astronaut corps. Joe Acaba, a former educator who has flown three times to space including two long-duration stays on board the International Space Station, has been named the new chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Acaba succeeds Reid Wiseman, who held the position for two years, and Drew Feustel, who served as acting chief since Wisemen stepped down on Nov. 14 to return to active flight duty. "Congratulations to Joe Acaba on being named the new chief of the astronaut office!" said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a statement released on Thursday (Feb. 2). "Joe is an experienced space flyer and a proven leader, and he will undoubtedly inspire the next generation of NASA astronauts." "As we build on the International Space Station's unparalleled success in low Earth orbit with our eyes on the moon and then Mars, Joe will play an integral role in ensuring our NASA astronauts are prepared for the challenges ahead," said Nelson. "I also want to thank Reid Wiseman for his steady leadership, and to Drew Feustel for jumping in to continue the office's long legacy of excellence and integrity." Related: NASA may need more astronauts for space station, moon missions As chief, Acaba will be responsible for selecting astronauts for future missions, including commercial flights to the International Space Station and Artemis missions to orbit and land on the moon. NASA is expected to name the Artemis 2 crew the first astronauts to fly to the moon since the end of the Apollo program in 1972 this spring for a launch as soon as late 2024. Depending on the status of the Artemis 2 crew selection, Acaba may have input into that history-making decision. "Our Johnson Space Center team congratulates Joe Acaba on his appointment to chief of the astronaut office," said center director Vanessa Wyche. "We wish him well as he takes on this new and exciting leadership role." Story continues Acaba will now lead the 41 active U.S. astronauts and 10 astronaut candidates in the corps and will coordinate missions and activities with the additional 15 international astronauts from Canada, Japan and the United Arab Emirates who train as part of NASA's human spaceflight program. Chosen with "The Peacocks," NASA's 19th astronaut class selected in 2004, Acaba is a geologist, former high school teacher and the first person of Puerto Rican heritage to join NASA's corps. As an educator-astronaut, Acaba has spent 306 days in space. In 2009, he served as a mission specialist on space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 crew, who delivered the fourth set of solar arrays for the International Space Station. He next flew on two Russian Soyuz flights to the space station, serving as a flight engineer on Expeditions 31/32 and 53/54 in 2012 and 2018, respectively. When he was not in space, Acaba joined analog missions inside rock formations (ESA's CAVES) and aboard an underwater laboratory (NASA's SEATEST). He also served as branch chief for the space station operations branch and director of operations in Star City outside Moscow, supporting crew training in Russia. Joe Acaba (at right) poses in front of the Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with fellow NASA astronauts, including Reid Wiseman (fourth from right), who he has succeeded as chief of the astronaut office. Related stories: 'Avengers' in space: NASA astronaut Joe Acaba recounts movie nights and life in orbit NASA's Artemis program: Everything you need to know NASA Artemis 2 moon-bound astronaut rumors name American, Canadian candidates: report "Joe is an excellent leader who brings a wealth of experience to the astronaut office," said NASA's Director of Flight Operations Norm Knight, who made the selection. "Knowing the significance of this position and the integrity of those who have previously served, I am confident Joe will be an outstanding chief for the astronaut office who will successfully lead our astronauts through an exciting future." Acaba is NASA's 18th chief astronaut, a position that was first created for and held by Mercury astronaut Deke Slayton in 1962 (the title "chief astronaut" or "chief of the astronaut office" was not established until late 1963, when Alan Shepard took over the role). Acaba is the first person of Hispanic heritage selected for the post. The prior chief astronauts have included: Slayton (1962-1963); Shepard (1963-1969); Thomas Stafford (1969-1971); Shepard (1971-1974); John Young (1974-1987); Dan Brandenstein (1987-1992); Robert "Hoot" Gibson (1992-1994); Robert Cabana (1994-1997); Kenneth Cockrell (1997-1998); Charles Precourt (1998-2002); Kent Rominger (2002-2006); Steven Lindsey (2006-2009); Peggy Whitson (2009-2012); Robert Behnken (2012-2015); Christopher Cassidy (2015-2017); Patrick Forrester (2017-2020) and Wiseman (2020-2022). Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2023 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic are warning people about the dangers of frostbite as an extreme cold airmass is heading to the region Friday and Saturday. Frostbite is an injury caused by the freezing of the skin and underlying tissues. Wind chill warning issued for Massachusetts as dangerously cold airmass approaches The Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit organization committed to clinical practice, education, and research, says the most common areas a person can get frostbite are the nose, ears, fingers, and toes. Frostbite can usually set within 30 minutes, according to researchers. Dr. Sanj Kakar, a Mayo Clinic Orthopedic hand and wrist surgeon, shares the most common signs of Frostbite with Boston 25. Initially [with] the milder forms, you can get some pain and some numbness of the tips, but the skin can change its color, Dr. Kakar says. It can be red. It can be white. Or it can be blue. And you can get these blisters on your hands. And it can be a very serious injury. The Mayo Clinic says those most at risk for frostbite are those who have diabetes, a history of having frostbite, the elderly, very young children, and those who are dehydrated. Click the link here for doctor-recommended treatments. 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 MANILA (Reuters) - Starlink, the satellite internet unit of Elon Musk's SpaceX, is on track to enter the Philippine market this year, with its broadband service to be introduced within the first quarter, its local partner said in a statement on Friday. "We are excited to finally introduce Starlink to the Philippine market by Q1 2023," said Anthony Almeda, Vice Chairman and CEO of Data Lake Inc, a Manila-based firm he co-owns with tycoon Henry Sy Jr. Almeda said in a statement the high-speed, low-latency broadband internet service will be "game-changing" for the Southeast Asian archipelago, where broadband coverage is patchy. In the Philippines, only seven out of every 100 people have fixed broadband subscriptions, lagging behind regional peers like Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, data from the World Bank shows. Data Lake Inc said Philippine customers would have to shell out an initial $599 per unit and $99 for monthly connectivity service for a download speed of 200 Mbps. (Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz and Karen Lema; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor) 'Its really important you hire people who ask a lot of questions and audit teaches you that,' says Elona Mortimer-Zhika. Photo: Iris Software Elona Mortimer-Zhika is CEO of Iris Software, one of the UKs largest software companies. A private equity backed 3bn business with 320m revenue, Iris was awarded UK tech business of the year 2022. In 2016, she was the companys newest CFO; by 2018, she had become COO and was promoted to CEO in 2019. Mortimer-Zhika started her journey from humble beginnings, leaving her home country in dictator-led Albania at just 16 to attend UWC Atlantic College in South Wales on an International Baccalaureate scholarship. She then gained a scholarship to Reading University and landed her first job with Arthur Andersen and later Deloitte. You do need a stance in retail to really learn about customer service and that customers are always right. Its a value Ive taken everywhere Ive gone, firstly as a student in Reading where I worked in the restaurant at BHS. As an impressionable 19-year-old, I looked up to my first boss, a hard working guy who loved customers. Money started going missing off the till, 100 here and there, and it soon transpired that he had taken it all along. It taught me a lot about not having bias. You trust what somebody's telling you but you have to go and verify. I use it in business all the time today. You have to assume you are dealing with great people and why wouldnt you? However, when you are the leader of a business you are also going to verify rather than taking someone at their word. Read More: My first boss: Charles McManus, ClearBank chief executive officer At Deloitte, I was taught a lot about what matters in a business. You are thrown into an audit, you dont know anything about the client and in two weeks you have to give an opinion. You are taught a lot about things that will change the dial. Somehow we overcomplicate business, while understanding that most businesses are the same has given me a great way to connect. My first professional boss came at Acision, one of the market leaders in text messaging and mobile data. Things have changed now but there weren't many women I could look up to at Deloitte. My bosses said that as I was a senior director, I was to wear a suit as clients expected it. I always wear clothes with a bit of flair and colour, yet something as simple as that took away my spark and I didnt feel myself. Story continues Elona Mortimer-Zhika: 'Gone are the days when people are grateful to have any job. People have choices today and you have to earn the right to have people stay with you.' Photo: Iris software I joined in 2009 and Acision almost went into liquidation the following year when the market crashed. Our IPO was meant to pay back our bank loan, we also had a product with no recurring revenue stream and had oversold more licences than the telcos needed. My dream was shattered. I thought I had joined to become the financial controller of a billion dollar business. But I felt valued and my mentors made it clear that I would learn more from a business that was challenging than return to Deloitte. One of the reasons was my boss Steve Harvey, who was always focused on the people side. He asked me about my team, their strengths, hobbies, family situation, my gut feel on their performance and who was going to be my succession planning. This was in week two of me joining. I thought this was amazing. He trusted me to do a job, that the team was my power, whether I was going to succeed and how much interest I had generally taken. I also worked under my first ever female boss at Acision. Karen Griffiths was really strong and an iron lady who had been brought into the struggling business as CFO. We needed to restructure and make it successful which we did. It is now called Mavenir and worth over $3bn today. In Karens first month of joining, I was dreading telling her I was pregnant with my first baby. Her response was what I wanted to get out of the next six months. She gave me one of the biggest transformation projects in the business which meant I could focus and almost accelerate my development in my time before maternity leave. It was also clear that Karen wanted me back. She valued me and I felt an emotional connection with my boss, one where I felt wanted. Since 2014, Iris has acquired 34 businesses, including nine during 2022, where it also won the Tech company of the year award. Karen never made a decision based on personal gain. It seems an obvious thing to do but you do see nuances being made like this, whereas Karen had none. That quality in moral compass is everything I have tried to copy. It's important we do business for good. Our job isn't to please people, it is to make decisions that keep people happy and benefit the business. Iris is the first tech business Ive run. The idea that you have to have 20 years in a particular industry to be the best CEO for me is not something I stand by. Its really important you hire people who ask a lot of questions and audit teaches you that. With curiosity comes a thirst for learning, open mindset and innovation. Read More: My first boss: Chris Sheldrick, what3words co-founder and CEO You never really find the truth until you're willing to be pedantic about asking the same questions three times to get the real pictures. As CEO I have conflicting truths. If I speak to my team, I am constantly faced with everyone having their point of view. My job is to ask loads of questions to figure out one version of the truth. Gone are the days when you used to be grateful to have a job. People have choices today and you have to earn the right to have people stay with you. As an employer you have to make sure you set them up for success. We are all fighting for talent. If people are allowed to be themselves and encouraged to amplify their skills you will get a lot of brand loyalty. I always say to people that, should they one day leave Iris, I hope that they would look back and think that they were made here. Watch: Why do we still have a gender pay gap? Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. The Tacoma Needle Exchange and the Dave Purchase Project will install a vending machine with free naloxone, known as NARCAN, in the Tacoma Moore Library this February. The pandemic increased overdose deaths significantly, and public services like the library see patrons struggling with addiction every day, the library said. The Tacoma Public Library has made NARCAN available to the staff since 2018 and has trained staff to recognize the signs of an overdose and administer naloxone. Their supply is provided by the Tacoma Needle Exchange. Naloxone can be given as a nasal spray or injected into the muscle, under the skin, or into the veins, the National Institute on Drug Abuses website said. NARCANs website shows steps on how to administer the spray. Naloxone is a harm reduction tool that can reverse an opioid overdose, said Library Director Kate Larsen. With this opportunity to expand our communitys access to this lifesaving (yet safe) opioid reversal medication, we hope to reduce opioid overdose deaths in our community. Community members can also acquire free naloxone at any Washington state pharmacy, the Tacoma Needle Exchange, and at other naloxone vending machines in Pierce County. The Tacoma Needle Exchange will also provide no-cost peer counseling services to patrons for two-to-four hours per month at the Moore and South Tacoma libraries for the rest of 2023. Naloxone has no effect on someone who doesnt have opioids in their system and is not a treatment for opioid use disorder. It is used to reverse an overdose. Naloxone cannot be used recreationally, as it has no effect on someone who does not have opioids in their system, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Judy Colohan Blatheriwck, right, and her sister Kathy Colohan Novy stand in the 1870s home they live in on North Burling Street in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood on Jan. 17, 2023. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune) Judy Blatherwick and her family put in decades of work restoring their graceful, Italianate wood-frame home in Lincoln Park, but after selling the nearly 150-year-old building to a local real estate titan, it now faces demolition. There has been a lot of love put into this house, and its a living, breathing piece of Chicago history, the 79-year-old said. Tearing it down will leave a gaping hole in the streetscape. Advertisement The home at 2240 N. Burling St., part of the national Sheffield Historic District, is one of the few remaining wood-frame homes built in the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Advertisement The buildings new owner is Thaddeus Wong, Blatherwicks neighbor for many years and the co-CEO of @properties | Christies International Real Estate, one of the nations largest residential real estate firms. He filed for a demolition permit in November, but city officials nearly three decades ago gave 2240 N. Burling an orange rating, reserved for properties that may be historically significant, and that put a 90-day hold on the permit. [ The Great Chicago Fire destroyed 17,450 buildings. Here are six that survived and still stand today. ] In the meantime, preservation advocates launched a petition drive to save the home, garnering more than 2,000 signatures, and plan to ask the Commission on Chicago Landmarks at its Feb. 9 meeting to either further delay the demolition or make 2240 a local landmark, hopefully saving it for future generations. The 1870s house at 2240 N. Burling St. in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood is seen on Jan. 17, 2023. The nearly 150-year-old residence faces demolition after being sold to the co-CEO of @properties, who owns a building next door. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune) Its a unique building, finely crafted and detailed, said Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago. It represents what the city looked like before and just after the Chicago Fire. The possible teardown fits a pattern seen across Lincoln Park, according to preservationists. Longtime residents sell out, and new owners, frequently very wealthy, demolish and replace old properties with imposing mega-mansions or use the spaces as side yards. Hundreds of homes were lost this way in recent decades, including ones with orange ratings. And unless more protection is offered, perhaps by making the entire district a local landmark, advocates say the neighborhood will lose the elegance that attracts so many eager buyers, as well as its few remaining affordable units. There just arent that many wood-based houses like 2240, mostly because, for obvious reasons, wood construction became less common after the Chicago Fire, but this is not just about the architectural significance of an individual house, said Landmarks Illinois Advocacy Manager Kendra Parzen. Wed really like to see a more complete solution for the district, because right now, the same house-by-house fight keeps happening over and over again. Wong and his wife, Emily Sachs Wong, also a well-known real estate agent, purchased in 2003 the building next door to Blatherwick for $500,000, Cook County property records show. They renovated it into a single-family home, and according to Redfin, its now worth more than $4 million. Wong did not return calls seeking comment. But in December, he stated in an email to Fox 32 Chicago that he was sensitive to the desire to save old buildings. I live in a 100-year-old home, and I have restored historic properties including the landmark Uptown Broadway Building. However, this particular structure is not a viable candidate for preservation, and I believe the citys Demolition Delay process, which I fully support, will confirm this. Advertisement The Sheffield historic district, first created in the 1970s and later expanded, now covers most of Lincoln Park between Lincoln Avenue on the east and Clybourn Avenue on the west, but the designation doesnt provide protection to individual buildings, Parzen said. Between 1993 and 2019, more than 350 buildings, roughly one-third of its stock, were either demolished or significantly altered, often transformed from three-flats or other multifamily properties into single-family homes or new condominiums. When Blatherwick moved into 2240 N. Burling with her late husband in the 1980s after inheriting it from her mother-in-law, who bought the house for about $18,000 in the 1950s, the neighborhood was still mostly 19th-century structures, including a set of orange-rated row homes across the street. But hulking new gray mansions now line many blocks. Lincoln Park has a charm to it, and on many streets its like stepping back in time, she said. But some new buildings in the area look like tombstones, and one replaced a workers cottage, so if they keep tearing down houses it will change the look forever. A look inside the historic home at 2240 N. Burling St. in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. It was built in the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune) Chicago planning officials color-coded thousands of historic properties in the 1990s and following an outcry over the 2003 demolition of the Old Chicago Mercantile Exchange at 130 N. Franklin St., now an empty lot, the City Council instituted the 90-day delay for properties given the top ratings of either red or orange. During that three month-period, neighbors and advocates can push the Commission on Chicago Landmarks to designate the property a local landmark and cancel the proposed demolition. But the property needs to meet at least two of seven criteria, such as being the site of a significant historic event, somehow identified with a historic figure or forming a critical part of the citys heritage. Thats a tall order for orange-rated properties, according to Parzen, although Landmarks Illinois does not keep records on how many of these structures in Lincoln Park have been torn down. Being an orange-rated building doesnt offer any protection, other than the delay, she said. Ultimately, it usually doesnt prevent demolition from taking place. Advertisement The commission does not announce landmark recommendations in advance of meetings, though meeting agendas are published on the Fridays before a given meeting and include potential recommendations that may be voted on by the commission, said Department of Planning and Development Deputy Commissioner Peter Strazzabosco. One orange-rated home lost was 2248 N. Burling St., two doors down from Blatherwick. Emily Sachs bought it for $700,000 in 2000, renovated it into a 5,600-square-foot mansion, and sold it for $2.9 million in 2006, county records show. In addition, limited liability corporations managed by Thaddeus Wong bought the two properties south of Blatherwicks home, including an unrated three-story building already demolished. In the past, people moved in because they loved the built environment, Miller said. Well, now were seeing a new type of buyer, one who wants a bigger yard. Lincoln Central Association, the local community organization, is also fighting to save 2240 N. Burling. According to the organizations December newsletter, its loss would continue a decadeslong process that led teachers, firemen and other service workers to leave the neighborhood. They could no longer live where they worked because affordable housing is eliminated every time a 19th century two- or three-flat is torn down, replaced by a single-family home or a side yard for play, the newsletter said. Blatherwick still speaks highly of the Wong family, and said they were quite generous. County records show Blatherwick and her sister, who moved in with her to help pay the homes rising property taxes, were paid $2 million for the three-story, 3,940-square-foot building, nearly twice the Redfin estimate. Advertisement Both of us are retired from Chicago Public Schools and on fixed incomes, so we had to sell because we couldnt handle it anymore, Blatherwick said. The two still live in the home, temporarily renting it from Wong, and will soon move to a vintage North Side condo. They gave us a nice price, much more than we would have got putting it on the market, said Blatherwick, who will also avoid paying for repairs on 2240s massive porches. We felt that would have cost more money than we could have possibly put together. Framed pictures show the last Christmas at Judy Blatherwicks Lincoln Park home, which is part of the national Sheffield Historic District. The buildings new owner, a co-CEO of one of the nations largest residential real estate firms, has filed for a demolition permit. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune) But she cant hide her sorrow over the possibility her home will be demolished to make a side yard or new mansion, and the loss of so much work and history. She and her husband, who passed away in 2010, spent years replenishing the interior, finding new mouldings, replacing window casings discarded by previous owners and painting it in vibrant colors. We made this house look like it was supposed to look, she said. Mid-North Association President Melissa Macek said securing local landmark status for the neighborhood would provide more protection for vulnerable properties. She lives several blocks east in the Mid-North District, a local landmark area, and its 19th-century brick rowhouses, Queen Anne-style homes and several pre-Chicago Fire workers cottages are largely protected. I want my daughter to be able to see all this architecture when she grows up, she said. People need to raise their voices, otherwise it will be gone. Scientists will soon have a spaceborne tool to study environmental changes at a very high resolution, and you won't have long to wait to learn more about it. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is holding a question and answer session today (February 3rd) at 5PM Eastern to discuss NISAR (NASA-ISRO SAR), an Earth-mapping satellite built in tandem with the Indian Space Research Organization. It's not launching from India until early 2024 and is planned to operate for three years, but it includes breakthrough tech that could help understand Earth and cope with natural disasters. NISAR is the first radar imaging satellite to use dual frequencies (the L and S microwave bands). This will let it systematically map the Earth's crust at an exceptional level of detail it can detect changes under 1cm (0.4in) across. That will let NISAR observe even subtle nuances of earthquakes, tsunamis and other disasters. It will also help monitor long-term processes, including the crust's evolution, ecosystem disruptions and ice sheet collapses. See NISAR in @NASAJPL's clean room today at 5pm ET (2200 UTC). Set to launch from India in 2024, it will measure the movement of Earths surfaces to provide info on trends that affect global challenges like food security. https://t.co/6Hi8AyIQ1D NASA (@NASA) February 3, 2023 Access to data will also play an important role. NISAR offers worldwide coverage every 12 days, making time-based imagery more practical. The mission team hopes to make data readily available to the public in one to two days, but can deliver that data within hours in an emergency. Anyone willing to parse the information can make use of it. With an estimated $1.5 billion price, NISAR is expected to be the most expensive Earth imaging satellite to date. The investment may be worthwhile, though. The satellite's data could help governments react to and prepare for natural disasters, and improve humanity's understandings of climate change and threats to food security. Nashville nurse Julia Naldjian, 24, was arrested Thursday and charged with vehicular homicide in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed 61-year-old Amelia Lamping. Metro Nashville Police said in a release that Naldjian is also charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving a death at a Charlotte Pike crosswalk last October. Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on Twitter @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to www.tennessean.com. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville nurse charged with vehicular homicide in October crash Russian attack aircraft Su-25 On Feb. 2 at 11:55 a.m. two Russian Su-25 aircraft were spotted 3 km away to the north-east of Bakhmut. The Guardsman, armed with a 9K38 Igla MANPAD, overtook them and carried out an interception. One of the Su-25s was downed as a result, the National Guard said. Read also: Russians again fail to break through near Bakhmut, says Defense Ministry Russians heavily rely on Su-25 subsonic jet aircraft in their attacks on Ukrainian troops' positions and settlements, the National Guard noted. Read also: How residents of frontline Bakhmut live amid constant shelling NV report Ukrainian forces neutralized 840 Russian invaders in the past day alone, with Russias total loss count sitting at around 130,000 men, according to Ukraines General Staff. Additionally, Ukrainian troops eliminated four tanks, six infantry fighting vehicles, three artillery systems, and two multiple launch rocket systems in the past 24 hours. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Indigenous patients who live in rural areas often have limited access to medical care. THE PALMER/E+ via Getty Images Six and one-half years. Thats the decline in life expectancy that the COVID-19 pandemic wrought upon American Indians and Alaska Natives, based on an August 2022 report from the National Center for Health Statistics. This astounding figure translates to an overall drop in average living years from 71.8 years in 2019 to 65.2 by the end of 2021. Although the pandemic is a major reason for this decline, its not the whole story. Even before COVID-19 emerged, life expectancy for Indigenous men was already five years lower than for non-Hispanic white men in the United States. The grim reality As a Native American physician and board-certified M.D., I am all too familiar with the health challenges that Indigenous Americans face. Growing up in remote rural Alaska as a member of the Koyukon Athabascan tribe, I heard stories of how infectious diseases like flu, smallpox and tuberculosis threatened our survival. My cultural group descends from three families that survived the 1918 flu pandemic. This history inspired me to become a traditional healer. Along with my training in Western medicine, I have also studied plant-based medicine and earth-based science, which was taught to me by my elders practitioners who passed down thousands of years of accumulated knowledge to me. Through both my medical and traditional practices, I have learned there are many reasons for the decline in life expectancy and the divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous health outcomes. But this gap if the government and the medical system will act can be narrowed. Poverty, unemployment and lack of health care American Indians and Alaska Natives die from diabetes at more than twice the rate of non-Indigenous populations. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Native Americans have significantly higher rates of obesity, high blood pressure, cancers and general poor health status than other Americans. The suicide rate in Indigenous communities is about 43% higher than that of non-Indigenous communities. And Native American women experience sexual violence far more often than non-Hispanic white women. Story continues There are many reasons for these disparities. For starters: Native Americans have the highest poverty rate among all minority groups, perhaps as high as 25%. Unemployment among American Indians and Alaska Natives in November 2022 was 6.2%, compared to 3.7% in the general population. Many Indigenous people, working only seasonally, are also woefully underemployed. American Indians and Alaska Natives are also underserved in the U.S. health care system. The Indian Health Service the federal agency that provides medical care to Indigenous Americans is funded at about US$6 billion per year. That translated to only $4,078 per person in 2021. The result is that there are fewer physicians, nurses and therapists seeing Indigenous patients, particularly those who live in rural areas. Those providing care have fewer technologies available to them, such as MRI and ultrasound machines, to help diagnose and treat disease earlier. Such shortages mean less access to either primary or emergency care, which contributes to lower life expectancy. Historical trauma A shaky health care system is only part of the problem. Adverse childhood experiences, social marginalization and toxic, relentless stress also contribute to shorter lives. Then there are the effects of unresolved historical trauma the cumulative emotional and psychological trauma within a specific group that spans generations. This kind of collective trauma cannot be overstated. A growing body of evidence is documenting its effects on Indigenous people. Historical trauma can produce physiological stress, striking not just individual people, but entire families. There is recent evidence to suggest that the bodys stress response has caused epigenetic changes meaning changes in gene expression caused by the environment in Native Americans that can affect ones health even before birth. To this day, the U.S. government has consistently created policies that sanctioned inequality actions that have likely contributed to the historical trauma and health disparities present today. American Indian and Alaska Native communities have suffered from disease, war, internment and starvation for centuries. Not only were Indigenous people displaced from the lands that were once our home, the U.S. government even made it illegal for us to practice their traditions. Throughout most of the 20th century, the U.S. government placed Indigenous children into boarding schools that separated them from their families. Breaking the cycle Its clear that Indigenous communities need new or upgraded hospitals and clinics, more and better diagnostic technology, more specialty services in dental care, obstetrics, pediatrics and oncology, and more alcohol and substance abuse treatment programs. There is some good news: The Biden administrations 2022 infrastructure bill makes $13 billion available to address some of these needs for Native American tribes. And an additional $20 billion appropriation for COVID-19 relief will also provide help for some of the most immediate challenges. But even with this aid, there is still a funding gap. The National Indian Health Board, a nonprofit advocacy group representing federally recognized tribes, recommends a commitment of $48 billion for the 2024 fiscal year to fully fund the health needs of Indigenous people. The current budget, $9.3 billion, is less than one-fifth of that. The recent increases in funding are certainly a step in the right direction. But the factors contributing to the shorter lives of Native Americans started generations ago, and they are still reverberating among the youngest of us today. Both from a professional standpoint as well as one that is very personal to me and my ancestors more work in this area cannot come soon enough. This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. Like this article? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. It was written by: Allison Kelliher, University of North Dakota. Read more: Allison Kelliher receives funding from NSF EPSCoR and NIDA. The number of Russian troops who have either died or were left wounded in the continuing war in Ukraine is nearing 200,000, according to a report that cited US and Western officials. On Thursday, The New York Times reported that senior US officials and Western diplomats said the number has climbed above the 100,000 figure given in November last year. In that month, General Mark A Milley, chairman of the US joint chief of staffs, gave the last public estimate provided by the Biden administration. He said more than 100,000 troops on each side had been killed and wounded since the war began. I would say its significantly well over 100,000 now, Mr Milley was quoted as saying at a news conference last month in Germany. He added that the Russian toll included regular military, and also their mercenaries in the Wagner Group. This week, senior US officials said they believed the number for Russia was closer to 200,000, according to the report. On 22 January, General Eirik Kristoffersen, Norways defence chief, said on Norewegian TV that estimates suggested 180,000 were either dead or wounded on Russias side, while the tally was 100,000, including 30,000 civilian deaths, for Ukraine. 1/4 The Norwegian Chief of Defence, General Eirik Kristoffersen, gave these casualty estimates on TV2 today, though with caveats: Russian mil: 180 000 KIA/WIA Ukrainian mil: 100 000 KIA/WIA Ukrainian civilian: 30 000 killed Other important quotes followhttps://t.co/ce8DTq1OFi The Lookout (@The_Lookout_N) January 22, 2023 Mr Kristofferson said to The New York Times over email that there is much uncertainty regarding these numbers, as no one at the moment are able to give a good overview. They could be both lower or even higher. According to Colin H Kahl, the under secretary of defence for policy, the Russian military is running out of critical supplies and replenishment. Story continues Theyre running low on artillery. Theyre running low on standoff munitions, and they are substituting by sending convicts in human waves into places like Bakhmut and Soledar, he was quoted as saying. Russias war in Ukraine will complete a year on 24 February. According to Kusti Salm, Estonias deputy defence minister, Russia was better able to stand its losses than Ukraine. At a press briefing in Washington this week, he said: In this particular area, the Russians have employed around 40,000 to 50,000 inmates or prisoners. They are going up against regular soldiers, people with families, people with regular training, valuable people for the Ukrainian military. So the exchange rate is unfair, he added. Its not one to one because for Russia, inmates are expendable. From an operational perspective, this is a very unfair deal for the Ukrainians and a clever tactical move from the Russian side. During his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, 2 February, Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, announced that he is ready to send "military things" to Ukraine. Source: Times of Israel Quote: "On [the topic of ed.] Ukraine, Netanyahu expressed a willingness to send military things to Kyiv, according to an official with knowledge of the conversation. At the same time, he underscored that he could not go too far without provoking Russia." Details: The Prime Ministers Office declined to comment on the conversation. In the briefing with journalists, Netanyahu would say only that "I explained our policies. He knows the issue well." Netanyahu did not speak about Foreign Minister Eli Cohens upcoming trip to Kyiv. He told Macron that "it is too early to think about mediation," He explained that he would not push his role as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine until Russia, Ukraine and the US asked him to do so. Previously: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he has been considering providing military aid to Ukraine, including Israel's Iron Dome air defence system. Background: Israel has been providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but the Israeli government has received criticism for refusing to send weapons to Ukraine. In June 2022, Ukraine's ambassador to Israel, Yevhen Korniychuk, called on Israel to sell the Iron Dome missile defence system to Ukraine and claimed that the US would not object to it. Israel disagreed. Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov believes that Ukraine needs its own air defence and missile defence system rather than Iron Dome. According to Axios, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly held talks on changing Ukraine's position at the UN regarding the resolution on the Palestinian territories in exchange for air defence. On 28-29 January, drones were used to attack an Iranian Ministry of Defence facility in the city of Isfahan that specialises in manufacturing ammunition.Western media reported that the attack was organised by Israel, which has not commented on it. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! PARIS (AP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Frances president, business leaders and members of Frances Jewish community during a trip to Paris starting Thursday that has angered Palestinian supporters amid a new spasm of violence in the Mideast. The visit started with a dinner meeting at the Elysee Palace, where French President Emmanuel Macron's office said he planned to share Frances solidarity with Israel in the face of terrorism, but also stress the need for everyone to avoid measures likely to feed the spiral of violence. Macron also is offering to help revive long-stalled dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. Pro-Palestinian activists plan a protest in Paris on Saturday to decry Macrons decision to host Netanyahu at such a volatile time in the Mideast conflict. The demonstrators say they will also protest prison conditions in Israel for Palestinian militants, including solitary confinement and limits on family visits. Upon departing for France, Netanyahu said Iran and its nuclear program would be the main topic of our talk when he meets with Macron. Macron has criticized Iran's lack of transparency over its nuclear activities and warned that its support for Russias war in Ukraine exposed Iran to further sanctions and growing isolation. Netanyahu's trip comes during one of the deadliest periods of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in years. An Israeli military raid last week killed 10 Palestinians, most of them militants but also a 61-year-old woman. A Palestinian shooting attack a day later outside an east Jerusalem synagogue killed seven people, including a 14-year-old. The fighting has spilled over into the Gaza Strip. Ahead of Netanyahus arrival in Paris, Israeli aircraft struck a rocket production workshop in the Gaza Strip early Thursday, the Israeli military said, hours after Palestinian militants fired a rocket toward Israel. Macron and Netanyahu spoke Sunday after the fatal Palestinian shooting near a Jerusalem synagogue. Story continues Netanyahu is the head of Israel's most right-wing government, which is buoyed by ultranationalist parties who have promised to take a hard line against the Palestinians and to ramp up settlement construction in the West Bank. His government is also undertaking major changes to Israel's judicial system, which has sparked widespread opposition. While in Paris, Netanyahu said he would meet with French business leaders interested in investing in Israel and representatives of the Jewish community before leaving Saturday night. Earlier this week, the French government launched a plan aimed at better combating racism and antisemitism, including hate speech proliferating online, and raising awareness about the Holocaust. A newborns body was found near train tracks, and now a North Carolina woman faces charges in the babys death, officials said. Kimberly Dawn Harris, 27, was arrested and charged with murder, according to the Richmond County Sheriffs Office. Even though we can start the closure process in this case, there are no winners, Sheriff Mark Gulledge wrote Feb. 2 in a news release. This is a terrible situation for everyone involved and for the community as a whole. The sheriffs office, which didnt list attorney information for Harris in the release, said she was arrested one week after someone reported spotting an infant near railroad tracks in East Rockingham. Deputies responded on Jan. 26 and found a baby boy who had died. The sheriffs office based roughly 70 miles southeast of Charlotte said the newborns body was sent to a medical examiners office to help determine his identity. Deputies also reached out to the public as they searched for clues, McClatchy News reported at the time. I want to thank the community for their support and efforts, they have provided numerous leads, helped keep the updates circulating and for given support to our deputies and investigators working this case, Gulledge wrote in the latest news release. When a child is involved, it puts things in a different perspective. Gulledge also praised deputies for working on the case from the time they were called to the scene. Officials in their news release didnt say how they believe the baby was killed. The sheriffs office, which also didnt identify the baby or share how Harris knew him, didnt immediately respond to McClatchy News request for additional information on Feb. 3. Harris, a Rockingham resident, was charged with murder and felony conceal/fail to report a death, officials said. She has been processed into the detention center under no bond, deputies wrote. The case will continue to be very active until all other leads are followed up and to ensure no other individuals are involved. Teens body found two weeks after she vanished, NC cops say. Half-brother is charged Grandpa took mom to work and left young kids alone before deadly fire, NC cops say House Republicans hope to remove Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from the House Foreign Affairs Committee as early as Wednesday. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and many other Republicans, and even some Democrats, have said that her criticisms of Israel amount to antisemitism. In 2019, Mr McCarthy, then the House minority leader, said he hoped to sanction Ms Omar and Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the first two Muslim female members of Congress, for their previous comments about Israel. That came after the House condemned then-representative Steve King after he made racist remarks and removed him from his committees in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote. At the time, media provocateur Glenn Greenwald tweeted that it was stunning how much time US political leaders spend defending a foreign nation even if it means attacking free speech and human rights. In response, Ms Omar tweeted that its all about the Benjamins, baby. But many members of Congress, including some Democrats, thought that Ms Omars comments played into old antisemitic stereotypes of Jewish people using money to influence governments. That earned condemnation not only from Republicans but also from some Democrats, including all of House Democratic leadership at the time. We condemn these remarks and we call upon Congresswoman Omar to immediately apologize for these hurtful comments, a joint statement at the time said. In response, Ms Omar issued an apology. Listening and learning, but standing strong pic.twitter.com/7TSroSf8h1 Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 11, 2019 Anti-semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on anti-Semitic tropes, she said at the time. My intention is never to offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole. Story continues But Ms Omar did decry the influence of money in politics as a whole. At the same time, I reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry, she said. Its gone on too long and we must be willing to address it. Now Republicans want to remove her from the Foreign Affairs Committee in response to the House previously removing Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar from their committees. Ms Greene was removed for promoting conspiracy theories and racist rhetoric before her time in Congress. This comes after Mr McCarthy removed Representatives Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, both of California, from the House Intelligence Committee. But Mr Gosar faced a censure and lost his committee assignments after he posted a video of the anime Attack on Titan wherein a character with his head killed a character with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs head photoshopped on it. Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida told The Independent there was a distinct difference between the sanctions placed on Mr Gosar and Ms Greene versus Ms Omar. If you threaten ... violence against a colleague that warrants the House, we're removing you from committees, she said. Ms Wasserman Schultz is Jewish and a strong supporter of Israel and criticised Ms Omars remarks at the time. I thought they were offensive and antisemitic at the time, she said. But if we remove people from communities every time we think what they say is offensive, then none of us will end up on committees eventually. An image of Margot Robbie adorns the big screen as the trailer for the upcoming film "Barbie" is played before a showing of the film "Avatar: The Way of Water" at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Chicagos Wrigleyville neighborhood on Jan. 28, 2023. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) The new Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Wrigleyville, which opened softly last weekend, tiptoeing into an uncertain post-pandemic culture, arrives just as the movies are dying. Maybe. Probably. Advertisement Look, I dont know. Thats what I heard. Thats what you heard. At the opening ceremony for local media wags, someone stood and asked Alamo execs why they think they can open a new theater in Chicago at such a precarious time for movie theaters. They answered as they should: The Alamo will be a reminder that the cinema experience needs to lean into the experience part, the starry-eyed reverence for moviegoing Nicole Kidman is arguing for these days at AMC cinemas. But thats as lazy as the idea that movies are dying. Theaters always claim to be all about the experience. Advertisement And the movies at least since the talkies replaced the silents are always dying. Still, none of the above feels wrong. The Alamo is opening in Chicago at a moment when the century-plus tradition of a night at the movies is going through existential upheaval. Filmgoing, like rock n roll, painting, the novel, Saturday Night Live and Broadway, is perpetually on its last leg, but something does appear different: New releases arrive on video ridiculously early now. (M3GAN, a huge hit that opened less than a month ago, is already streaming at home.) Worse, you are not going to movie theaters to see anything but spectacles (Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water). This means the Oscars, and those once thrilling holy days of artful obligation known as Oscar Season, are looking sort of forlorn. Images for the original Avatar movie are seen on the big screen as people get settled in their seats prior to a showing of "Avatar: The Way of Water" at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on Jan. 28, 2023. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) Against that backdrop, this new Alamo is very much a fresh argument tossed into turbulent waters. It is wisely committed to the mission of making a night at the movies thoughtful again. Its staff wears T-shirts reading Watch More Movies. Its table tops are laminated with lobby cards for B-movie obscurities. Yet it doesnt have a lobby. Or anything like a concession stand. Or ticket takers waiting by theater doors. But it does contain a video store that rents 11,000 VHS tapes and DVDs for free (and VCRs and disc players for a small fee) presumably, to promote movie love (or just act as a loss leader for $15 tickets). Some of the Alamo experience will seem familiar to Chicagoans as the Music Box experience. That venerable local landmark is just a 10-minute walk from the Alamo, and its stew of first-run films, cinephile culture and genre classics echoes the Alamo recipe. Or rather, vice versa. The Music Box, in a grand old house, its steep ceiling twinkling with a faux sky of stars, its enormous marquee throwing a gazillion-watt shine across Southport Avenue since 1929, still plays like a temple to film in all its forms, booking Buster Keaton and Billy Wilder alongside the latest indie horror and acclaimed foreign epic. During the Alamo dedication, even James Hughes, the son of late Chicago filmmaker John Hughes (whom the Alamo in Wrigleyville pays homage to), couldnt help but reminisce about dragging his father to Music Box matinees and midnight screenings. Comparably, the Alamo which as of right now has no marquee (or even decent signage to remind Clark Street that a multiplex waits inside) is much closer to a snapshot of 21st-century movie culture, for better and worse. In other words, as Alamo execs have suggested, its meant as a sort of hybrid, multiplex familiarity crossbred with your living room couch. The biggest obvious difference is that full-service kitchen and staff who race food out to your seat. Yes, the AMC Dine-In at Block 37 in the Loop also does this (and scores of other theater chains have done this for years, to varying degrees of success), but the Alamo, founded in Austin in 1997, perfected serving burgers and buffalo cauliflower and boozy milkshakes and popcorn to moviegoers with an unobtrusive stealthiness. I took my six-year-old to Avatar last weekend and she couldnt help but press the button for our server repeatedly, asking for refill after refill of popcorn. That popcorn (excellent, warm) is offered in one size: bottomless. So the staff rushed refills so quickly (in a large metal mixing bowl, just like home), it was like yelling, MA! Yo! More popcorn! Hey, MA! Advertisement A server carries a tray of food orders to moviegoers through the hallway at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) Albeit, its a living room designed by exacting movie lovers. Each theater is oddly small the largest is 106 seats, the smallest 48 seats but the screens are big and the chairs are plush leather. And like any home theater with owners who rule their roost with an iron fist, it maintains seemingly draconian rules of conduct: You are reminded often, no texting, no talking, no late arrivals and (depending on the screening) no children. One of the most hallowed images of moviegoing a group of kids dropped off at a theater, to be picked up later by parents is impossible here; Alamo policy does not admit anyone under 18 without a parent, regardless of MPAA rating. Not to imply there is no sense of humor here: One of the ways they have to lure you into your seat early is by showing 30 minutes of original shorts, music videos, oddball public service announcements. These are not commercials. At my screening of Avatar, a video essay thoughtfully poked fun at the minor cultural impact of the Avatar movies (compared with Star Wars and Marvel) and the history of blue-hued characters. At a showing of Ferris Buellers Day Off, Matthew Broderick himself appeared in a prerecorded short, welcoming Chicago to its latest movie theater. I also saw a vintage Eisenhower-era PSA that promised this theater will throw you out for talking. Another PSA simply plays a recording of a real voicemail received at Alamo by a pissed customer: I didnt know that I wasnt supposed to text in your little crappy ass theater ... The Alamo Drafthouse, now with 39 theaters in 22 markets, is very much a Gen-X production, exuding sardonic vibes. It started small in Austin when the Texas capital was one of the hubs of 90s cool. It partnered with Quentin Tarantino and Richard Linklaters Austin film society. Not unlike Whole Foods, that other Austin-born institution, at first, Alamo came across as something different, thoughtful and casual. Perhaps too much: By 2018, as Alamo went nationwide, management faced multiple accusations of negligent, casual responses to sexual harassment claims against employees and customers. It was also accused of downplaying workplace injuries. In Kansas, its no-talking clampdowns were said to be enforced mainly with Black audiences. By 2021, the company entered bankruptcy (since resolved) and founder Tim League left as CEO; hes now executive chairman, and said often that the company promises to do better. A person passes by movie posters for films shot in Chicago and its suburbs at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) All of which is to say, an Alamo Drafthouse is now both small enough to seem hands-on and full of personality, yet large enough to feel corporate. Particularly in Wrigleyville, where gentrification has replaced nearly every remaining shred of the old neighborhood and the practiced-easygoing vibe of lifestyle brands comes across as new authenticity. Not that the Alamo isnt charming. The foods good, the sound is great, the movie selection is eclectic (but not exactly surprising). Its decorated in Be Kind Rewind wall art and old T-120 videotape graphics. Whereas a theater of another era might have Truffaut and Hitchcock posters, these hallways are lined with posters for junk genre favorites (Empire of the Ants) and Italian Risky Business posters. Each Alamo makes some attempt at adopting the local culture. On Staten Island, the Alamo created a kung fu-themed multiplex, in honor of hometown heroes the Wu-Tang Clan; for Washington, D.C., they went for politics, decorating the walls with Smithsonian-like portraits of famous movie presidents, such as Harrison Ford and Morgan Freeman. Chicago got a John Hughes theater and 80s aesthetic, which is colorful, jammed with references to VCRs, and allows lots of room for the kinds of cult classics that littered video stores. The stock of its store, named the Video Vortex, feels lifted wholesale from the 80s. (Among the finds: Todd Haynes Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story and the infamous Star Wars holiday special, neither officially released on home video.) Alongside that, greeting moviegoers as they step off the elevator into the theater, theres a replica of the Ferrari in Ferris Bueller. Advertisement Old television sets and VHS tapes are seen behind the bar as people relax at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Chicagos Wrigleyville neighborhood. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) The numbers on each of the six theaters are the exact green once favored by ancient computer monitors. And inside the theaters, you eat on swivel desks straight out of ninth grade. So, its not exactly film culture, but a nostalgia for a time when film was tactile even if, ironically, every house in the place is operated by a large cube suspended from the back of the theater that projects movies digitally. There are no projection booths. Film culture, as it once was, gave us the rise of foreign-language film in this country, the influence of critics, the indie wave, the explosion of 70s vanguards as varied as Robert Altman, Steven Spielberg, Terrence Malick, John Carpenter, Melvin Van Peebles. It also gave us, conversely, the VHS tape and a home-video culture that turned a generation of moviegoers into connoisseurs of revenge flicks, disco musicals, regional horror movies. Eventually, the arguments, insights and tastes that often fueled the beating heart of film culture collapsed in a digital age, calcifying into Rotten Tomato percentages. Of course, that means its harder to gatekeep and bury a movie these days, in an age of TikTok and Instagram. Not a bad thing. But to follow film culture on social media is to assume film criticism is about lists, snark and that nobody has seen a movie made before 1971. At an Alamo, this translates into Bridesmaids and Youve Got Mail parties and stray John Carpenter screenings, a Chicago-themed slate of over-familiar classics and the occasional underground rarity. It means screenings of The Goonies and Ferris Bueller. This means theaters like the Music Box and Logan Theatre, the Gene Siskel Film Center in the Loop and the 1,000-seat auditorium at the Tivoli in Downers Grove have nothing to fear. Film culture lives on, and it looks a little different. But if film culture has taught me anything, its how to pick a fight: I never need to see Ferris Buellers Day Off again. And The Goonies is even worse. cborrelli@chicagotribune.com Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis before signing the "Stop Woke Act" in April. The bill put limits on what can be taught in the state's schools about race and gender. (Daniel A. Varela / Associated Press) After reviewing the College Boards draft curriculum for its new Advanced Placement course in African American studies, Florida Gov. (and presidential wannabe) Ron DeSantis loudly lambasted it last month and declared that he would ban the course in Floridas schools. On Wednesday, less than two weeks later, the College Board came out with a revised plan, omitting or downgrading some of the more controversial pieces of the curriculum, including sections on reparations, the Black Lives Matter movement, incarceration and Black Queer Studies. All this has caused great uproar. Conservatives say that the original curriculum was woke and lacked educational value and was pushing an agenda. Their opponents argue that the College Board now has cravenly watered down the curriculum in response to conservative bullying. This much is unquestionable: DeSantis and other conservatives have been on a misguided mission to bar certain subjects in schools, including those they think normalize gay and transgender "lifestyles" and those perceived as promoting critical race theory, their latest bete noire. Some Republicans insist that teachers must stop teaching "toxic propaganda" about the United States. These attempts at educational censorship are outrageous. And if the College Board made concessions in its revised curriculum because of pressure from Republicans, that was cowardly and unprincipled. (The College Board denies that it changed the curriculum due to criticism from DeSantis.) To me, though, the chief point is not whether schools get to teach about Black Lives Matter or Black queer studies or Black conservatism or Afrofuturism or Black feminism. Its not whether Kimberle Crenshaw or Angela Davis has been included or excised. Even with the changes to the curriculum, there's still plenty to learn about African American history and culture. What matters most in my view are two fundamental principles. One is that politicians shouldnt dictate what gets taught; academics and teachers should. We dont want grandstanding Republican (or Democratic) politicians with no expertise in Black studies pandering to their constituents prejudices and forcing their politicized versions of events on educators and students. That goes for DeSantis as well as for legislators in states like California, who have over the years sometimes sought to push curricula to the left. Story continues Academic freedom should be the rule. Lesson plans shouldnt be set by elected officials with axes to grind and campaigns to win. The second principle and it helps explain why we dont want politicians like DeSantis messing around in our classroom lessons is that teaching cultural studies and especially history is not about (or at least shouldnt be about) indoctrination or propagandizing or telling a one-sided story. It should be about nuance and complexity, about clashing facts and alternative perspectives and competing interpretations. Unfortunately, Republican politicians dont seem to see it that way. They claim they want to stop indoctrination but in fact they just want their own version of events to be taught. Former President Trump foolishly and shortsightedly believed we should only teach the magnificent truth about America. We shouldnt teach Americans to hate their own country and to believe that the men and women who built it were not heroes, but rather villains. That seems to be the DeSantis playbook as well: We shouldnt teach about past discrimination in a way that might potentially make students feel guilty. Thats an idiotic way to look at American history. The truth is that the story of this country is complicated. The goal in the classroom should be to present the country's past as honestly as possible, and to introduce a wide range of ideas and points of view and to teach students to reach rational, considered, intellectually honest conclusions. There is no one American magnificent truth. There was slavery, which we as a society agree was a cruel and morally indefensible institution, but there was also opposition to slavery. There was Jim Crow, but after way too long, it was rejected. Thomas Jefferson was a slaveowner but also a founding father. African Americans were denied citizenship and the right to vote until, finally, they werent. Terrible racial injustices occurred and though we have fewer lynchings today, injustices continue, thanks to deeply embedded problems in our social, cultural, political and economic systems. If students learn all that, and if they are exposed to debates among serious scholars and commentators, perhaps theyll come to see the country, accurately, as both great and deeply flawed. Students in Florida and elsewhere dont need a curriculum that says the Black Lives Matter movement is right or wrong about police violence or that reparations are the correct or incorrect way to atone for racism and slavery. Nor should those subjects be banned or omitted. What students need is a textured, complicated, multifaceted view of the black, white and gray areas of American history, which will help teach them to think hard about the choices that still lie ahead. @Nick_Goldberg This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. A photo issued by Lancashire Police of missing woman Nicola Bulley, 45, who was last seen on Friday, 27 January. (PA) The partner of missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley has said he will never lose hope, one week on from her disappearance. On Friday, Paul Ansell made an emotional statement, saying he cannot get his head around how the 45-year-old vanished, and that his focus was on staying strong for their two daughters. Mortgage adviser Bulley was last seen walking her dog near the River Wyre in St Michaels on Wyre, Lancashire, at 9.10am last Friday morning after dropping off her daughters, aged six and nine, at school. Lancashire Police have said their main working hypothesis is that she fell into the River Wyre and that this is not suspicious but a tragic case of a missing person. As many members of the local community join the search, here are some of the comments Ms Bulleys family and friends have said about her: Nicola's partner, Paul: 'We're never going to lose hope' Paul Ansell, speaking to broadcasters near the scene of where Bulley was last seen, said on Friday: Every single scenario comes to a brick wall. Every single one of them. All we are doing is sitting there going round and round and round through each scenario. He added he was focusing on looking after their two daughters and didnt want to think about how he was coping. Watch: Nicola Bulley's partner says it is as though 'she vanished into thin air' Paul Ansell, the partner of Nicola Bulley, speaking to the media in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire. (PA) Members of the public line the road into St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, with missing posters of Nicola Bulley, 45, as police continue their search for the missing woman who was last seen on the morning of Friday January 27. (PA) On the support from the community, Ansell added: The only thing that we can take [from the situation] is that the level of support is out of this world. It gives us a great amount of comfort knowing that thats going on - we dont have anything else. Were never going to lose hope, but it is as though she has vanished into thin air. Its just insane. Her father, Ernie: 'There are two young children waiting for their mummy to come back' Speaking on Sky News on Thursday, Bulleys father broke down in tears as he said he would do anything for his missing daughter. Asked how much he missed his daughter, Ernie Bulley began to cry. Dont, its hard were such a close knit family. Story continues "Were a close knit family, wed do anything for any one of us and the children would do the same for us. Nicola Bulley. (PA) The bench where Nicola Bulley's phone was found, on the banks of the River Wyre, in St Michael's on Wyre last Friday. (PA) Were getting on in life, and the grandchildren, and our own children, are more and more important to us as were getting older. So, yeah, I just hope she comes home. Mr Bulley said of his grandchildren: There are two young children there waiting for their mummy to come back and we want her back obviously also, but if Nicola is out there, if shes watching this, then all wed like to say is come home, contact the police, contact ourselves and we just want you back. And they know that mummys missing but they know that shes going to be coming home and everyone is looking for her so its only a matter of time, that theyre thinking in their minds, that shes going to walk through that door. Nicola's sister, Louise: None of us understand Bulleys sister, Louise Cunningham, said of her nieces: Their little minds are trying to process, they dont really understand - none of us understand, to be honest. But when there are children involved you just have to carry on, youve got to get through every day and thats all were trying to do. Of the investigation into her disappearance, she said: Something has got to have been missed. Somebody must know something. People dont just vanish into thin air. An undated family handout photo of Nicola Bulley. Her sister said 'somebody must know something' about her disappearance. (PA) There has got to be somebody who knows something and all we are asking is, no matter how small or big, if there is anything you remember that doesnt seem right, then please reach out to the police. Get in touch and get my sister back. Friend, Emma White: 'The girl's hair wasn't right today - because thats not the way mummy does it' Friend Emma White told ITV's Good Morning Britain on Friday that it was surreal her friend logged into a work conference call before suddenly disappearing minutes later. [Its] so surreal, youve got this feeling of great sadness. Youve got heartache mixed in there with a whole load of hope and you just cant explain the feeling thats going on. Police continue their search for missing woman Nicola Bulley on Friday. (PA) And then we have the two most beautiful little girls out there asking wheres their mummy, asking all these questions. We cant give them answers. And as a family, oh gosh, theyre being so strong for these little girls. They know mummys missing. Today, apparently, the hair wasnt quite right from one of the little girls, because thats not the way mummy does it. By Felix Onuah ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria has asked Google and Meta to control the spread of fake news on their platforms ahead of a presidential election this month, Information Minister Lai Mohammed said on Friday. Nigerians go to the polls on Feb. 25 to elect a new president, with three frontrunners promising to deal with the rising cost of living, insecurity and a slow-growing economy. Mohammed said he met with Meta and Google representatives in Abuja on Friday and requested that they make posts from official channels visible on their platforms, and flag as unverified election results originating from unofficial sources. He also asked the two companies to work with the security services to take down posts capable of inciting violence. Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, has been exploring ways to regulate social media usage. The country is home to millions of internet users and platforms like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Tiktok are popular. Mohammed's request comes after he asked Google last year to block the use of YouTube channels and livestreams by secessionist and Islamist militant groups in the country. "These actions, if executed, will go a long way in checking the proliferation of fake news and disinformation on social media ahead of, during and after the elections," Mohammed said. A Google representative at the meeting, Dawn Dimowo, said Google had trained about 6,000 journalists in addition to engaging and expanding the scope of fact-checking platforms such as Dubawa to identify and flag fake news. Meta's Head of Anglophone West Africa, Adaora Ikenze, said the organization has set up an election protection operating centre with 60-80 people working round-the-clock to ensure its platforms are not used to discredit the election. (Writing by Chijioke Ohuocha; editing by Nellie Peyton and Mark Heinrich) Nikki Haley will soon become the second major candidate, after former President Trump, to enter the race for the Republican Partys 2024 presidential nomination. Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former governor of South Carolina, is expected to make her campaign official at a February 15 event in Charleston. Haley is clearly a serious candidate but she faces big challenges. Here are five big questions around her candidacy. Whats her appeal? There is a lane for Haley to run in. Whether it could take her to victory is a whole other question. In short, Haley offers a more inclusive, less abrasive version of conservatism than either Trump or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who is widely expected to make his own run. Part of the difference stems from Haleys biography the daughter of Indian immigrants, she was South Carolinas first female governor. She would become the GOPs first female presidential nominee if she won. She also has shown a capacity to address sensitive issues in a more nuanced way than Trump or DeSantis tend to do. Perhaps her most high-profile moment on the national stage came when she backed the removal of a Confederate flag from the South Carolina statehouse grounds in 2015. She came to that position after a racist attack on a historic Black church in Charleston in which nine people were killed. At the same time, Haley is more conservative than figures like former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) or New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R), both of whom are mulling runs but whose centrism gives them an extremely slim chance of success in todays GOP. How strongly will she and Trump attack each other? Trump offered new criticisms of Haley on Thursday. Nikki suffers from something thats a very tough thing to suffer from shes overly ambitious, the former president told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. Trump also noted in the same interview that Haley had at one stage pledged not to run in 2024 if he did so. She has clearly broken that promise. Story continues The dynamic between Trump and Haley is a complicated one. She had been highly reluctant to board the Trump Train in 2016, initially backing Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in his presidential bid and later switching to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Haley accepted Trumps offer to be United Nations ambassador and served without any public sign of dissent for almost two years. She left her post voluntarily but somewhat abruptly in late 2018 adding to distrust of her among Trumps inner circle. On Thursday, although Trumps criticisms were somewhat mild by his standards, his allies in the Make America Great Again PAC emailed reporters a compilation of criticisms of Haley from conservative political and media figures including former Trump strategist Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson of Fox News. The other question is whether Haley will bore in on Trump. In recent months, her criticisms of Trump have been mostly implied rather than direct. At a speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition shortly after last falls midterm elections, Haley lamented that Republicans spent as much time fighting each other as we did the Democrats. She added, The truth is, Americans were not trusting the state of our party. They dont want chaos. They want strength and stability and unity. What does her decision mean for other yet-to-declare candidates? Haley has stolen a march on the rest of the field with her decision. That wont matter much at all to DeSantis, who is clearly the most serious challenger to Trump based upon early polling despite not yet officially announcing a campaign. Similarly, the most moderate potential candidates wont feel crowded by Haleys arrival on the scene either, as they are running in a different lane. Her entrance into the race does make life a bit more complicated for figures like former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, however. Their appeal is broadly similar to Haleys Trump administration veterans who are nevertheless seeking to thwart his bid for a third presidential nomination. Haleys campaign launch doesnt at all rule Pence or Pompeo out but it certainly doesnt help. What if another South Carolina candidate, Sen. Tim Scott, runs? Scott is one of the more intriguing possible 2024 contenders. Well-liked by his Senate colleagues, some Republicans think he is among the best-placed figures to unite the pro-Trump and Trump-skeptical wings of the party. There are some doubts about whether Scott really wants the Oval Office, but he is certainly stoking speculation, most recently with the announcement that he will attend a GOP event in Iowa on February 22. Given South Carolinas own important position toward the start of the primary calendar, a Palmetto State contest featuring Trump, Haley and Scott among the candidates would be a spectacular battle. Does she have a real shot? Haley has real political skills. As she is fond of noting, she has never lost an election, beginning her career in the South Carolina statehouse and then winning twice in gubernatorial contests. Skeptics who would minimize those achievements by noting the conservative lean of the state miss the point that she has also had to win against the odds in competitive primaries the same task that now awaits her on a national level. That being said, Haley begins, like everyone else in the field, way behind both Trump and DeSantis in the polls. An Economist-YouGov survey last month gave her just 5 percent support, with Trump at 44 percent and DeSantis at 29 percent. Haley has been underestimated in the past. But she faces a serious uphill climb to the nomination. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. By Daniel Wiessner (Reuters) - A U.S. labor board has cleared the way for 86 technicians at Nissan Motor Co's Smyrna, Tennessee plant to vote on whether to join a union, rejecting the automaker's claim that the unit should include thousands of production workers. The Democrat-controlled National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in a ruling on Thursday said the tool and die workers have special skills and separate supervision, making them distinct from production employees, backing the International Association of Machinists. The NLRB overruled a 2021 decision by a regional official who said any election should also involve employees on the production line because they share working conditions. The ruling comes after the NLRB in December made it easier for unions to carve out small groups of an employer's workforce. The board threw out a Trump-era standard that curbed unions' ability to organize smaller units, which business groups say fracture workplace and complicate collective bargaining. The new union-friendly test does not apply to Nissan's case, but the board on Thursday said that under an older standard, a unit of workers who practice a distinct trade was appropriate. Unions have struggled for decades to unionize the Japanese automaker's Smyrna factory, which opened in 1983, and other auto plants in the U.S. South. In 2001, workers in Smyrna voted overwhelmingly against joining the United Auto Workers union. Nissan in a statement provided by a spokesperson said it disagreed with the decision, but respected its employees' rights to vote on union representation. The Machinists union said in a statement that the decision sets a strong precedent that "craft units" should be approved. "It is unfortunate that a broken and painstakingly long NLRB process has again allowed a company to put the brakes on workers obtaining a voice on the job without delay," it added. (Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Alexander Smith) (Bloomberg) -- A group of around 86 Nissan North America Inc. technicians at a Tennessee manufacturing plant can vote on unionization, the US labor board ruled, rejecting the companys argument that any union election should include thousands more employees. Most Read from Bloomberg The tool and die technicians are highly skilled, have separate supervision and are performing functions that are distinct from their co-workers, a panel of three Democratic members of the US National Labor Relations Board wrote in their Thursday ruling, which overturned a decision by a regional director of the agency. The ruling removes an obstacle for workers at the Nissan Motor Co. facility, in Smyrna, Tennessee, to vote on whether to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, commonly known as the Machinists. Organized labor has struggled to establish footholds at foreign automakers US plants. Workers at a Mississippi Nissan plant voted against joining the United Auto Workers in 2017. The NLRBs general counsel issued a complaint in 2017 accusing Nissan of making anti-union threats at that Mississippi facility, including threatening to shut down the plant if workers unionized. Nissan denied wrongdoing in that case, which was settled in 2018. While we do not agree with the Boards position, our history reflects that we respect the right of employees to determine who should represent their interests in the workplace, a Nissan spokesperson said in a statement. The Machinists union, which petitioned for a vote two years ago, praised the decision but criticized the long wait to receive it. This ruling sets a strong precedent going forward that appropriately classifies standalone craft units, the union said in an emailed statement Friday. It is unfortunate that a broken and painstakingly long NLRB process has again allowed a company to put the brakes on workers obtaining a voice on the job without delay. The IAM will discuss the ruling and its consequences with this group of skilled tool and die maintenance technicians at Nissan to determine the best path forward. Story continues (Updates with company and union statements from fifth paragraph) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, has said that there will be no withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the front line city of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast. Source: Zelenskyy at the press conference following the Ukraine-EU summit, reports Interfax-Ukraine Quote: "No one will surrender Bakhmut. We will fight as long as we can." Background: Colonel Margo Grosberg, Chief of the Estonian Defence Forces Intelligence Centre, said that by holding Bakhmut, Ukrainian forces gained time to create new lines of defence, so they are likely to withdraw from the city in the near future. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Members of the family of an Ohio man who they say he was fatally shot by police while he was cleaning out his late grandmothers home are demanding answers in his death as they await the release of body-worn camera video of the incident. Joe Frasure, 28, was killed in Wyoming, Ohio, early Monday by officers who officials have said were responding to a call about a possible burglary. Family members said Frasure was at his grandmothers apartment to clean it out after her recent death. The building in Wyoming, Ohio, where Joe Frasure's grandmother had rented an apartment. (WLWT) None of it makes sense to us, said Erika Frasure, who is married to Frasures half-brother, Joe Frasure Jr. It was a burglary call. He was somewhere he was supposed to be. None of this adds up. Hamilton County prosecutors are expected to release body-worn camera video Friday, Wyoming Police Chief Brooke Brady has said. Erika Frasure said family members were told they could view the video before it is released publicly. Wyoming police said officers responded to a call about a possible burglary at an apartment building at 12:37 a.m. Monday and encountered Frasure and his father at the back of the building. Frasure was in a minivan and refused commands to exit, Brady said in a video statement. The minivan reversed at a high rate of speed before hitting a tree, at which point the vehicle accelerated rapidly at our officers, she said. Officers fired four shots at the minivan as it moved toward them, Brady said. Police at the scene in Wyoming, Ohio, where Joseph Frasure Jr. was shot. (WLWT) Frasure was shot and taken to a hospital, where he was declared brain dead and then dead Tuesday night, according to officials and his family. Frasures grandmother died in early January, and family members had spent all day Sunday at her apartment, Erika and Joe Frasure Jr. said. Frasure was trying to get another relatives vehicle to start so they could leave the property, they said. Frasure and Joe Frasure Jr. have the same father and grew up together. He was my best friend. He was my brother, Joe Frasure Jr. said. All the kids love him, and he had that country boy twang. Story continues The Hamilton County Sheriffs Office is investigating. Among the people who called attention to the case was the prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who tweeted about it. Wyoming is a city of around 8,700 in the Cincinnati area, about 12 miles north of downtown. I want justice, I want answers, and I want them to pay the consequences, Joe Frasure Jr. said. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Beyonce has added a second Chicago date to her newly announced Renaissance world tour. She now plays Soldier Field July 22-23. Beyonce first announced the highly anticipated concert tour behind her 2022 album Renaissance Wednesday on Instagram and her website. Advertisement Presale tickets go on sale Feb. 6-9 via Ticketmaster. Buyers will need to register through Ticketmasters Verified Fan system. The Verified Fan onsale begins Feb. 11. To help spread demand, tour tickets are being sold on a staggered schedule, with Chicago in Group A. Presale options include a BeyHive fan club presale (register through 11 a.m. CT Feb. 3, deadline extended), a CITI Presale for Citi cardmembers, and a Verizon Up Presale for Verizon Up members. More about those presales here and here. Advertisement Theres already much speculation about how well Ticketmaster will handle the sale in the wake of the messy Taylor Swift presale last November. Demand for tickets then crashed Ticketmasters system and put parent company Live Nation under a Congressional spotlight a hearing by a Senate Judiciary Committee last week asked whether the 2010 merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster has hurt consumer and stifled competition. Critics have called Ticketmaster a monopoly. Some lawmakers on the committee Thursday warned Ticketmaster: Were watching. The Renaissance tour opens in Stockholm May 10. Its first U.S. date currently is Philadelphia in early July, then Nashville, Louisville and Minneapolis before reaching Chicago for two nights, one of only a few cities so far with two concerts. (And there currently is room on Beyonce's calendar and Soldier Fields to extend further.) The tour ends Sept. 27 in New Orleans. The announcement of the tour comes days before the Grammy Awards on Sunday, where Beyonce is the most nominated artist and could make Recording Academy history if she wins a record four awards. Wire services contributed to this report. A North Texas man has been sentenced to 68 months in a federal prison for assaulting law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Daniel Ray Caldwell, 51, of The Colony, Texas, was sentenced Wednesday after he pleaded guilty on Sept. 26 in the District of Columbia, to assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon, which is a felony. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered three years of supervised release and $2,000 in restitution. Caldwells actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election, federal authorities said. According to federal court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, at approximately 2:05 p.m., Caldwell was among rioters illegally gathered in the Lower West Terrace area of the U.S. Capitol. A line of law enforcement officers was in front of him when Caldwell stepped forward and sprayed the line of officers with a chemical spray. Caldwell was arrested on Feb. 10, 2021. In the 24 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 950 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 284 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov. Novartis (VTX:NOVN) Full Year 2022 Results Key Financial Results Revenue: US$51.8b (down 2.0% from FY 2021). Net income: US$6.96b (down 71% from FY 2021). Profit margin: 13% (down from 45% in FY 2021). The decrease in margin was primarily driven by higher expenses. EPS: US$3.19 (down from US$10.71 in FY 2021). All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period Novartis Revenues and Earnings Miss Expectations Revenue missed analyst estimates by 1.6%. Earnings per share (EPS) also missed analyst estimates by 21%. Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 1.8% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 5.5% growth forecast for the Pharmaceuticals industry in Europe. Performance of the market in Switzerland. The company's shares are down 5.3% from a week ago. Risk Analysis Before we wrap up, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Novartis 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. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here Former nurses at the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice say they suffered whistle-blower retaliation for reporting the inhumane and dangerous mistreatment of youths last year. In a lawsuit filed this week in Franklin Circuit Court, Nina Burton and Joanne Alvarado said they tried to provide compassionate medical care for youths held at the states juvenile detention facility in Adair County, and especially for a 17-year-old girl with worsening mental health who was locked in isolation for extended periods. However, the facilitys administration and some of its security staff harassed the medical staff for wanting to give proper health care and safe living conditions to the youths, creating a toxic cocktail where violence was not only predictable, but inevitable, according to the suit. Medical staff were bullied, belittled and cursed at by adult colleagues once they reported mistreatment of youths up the chain of command, the nurses said. Their concerns fell on deaf ears within state government, and once word spread that they were complaining, other employees at the facility became hostile, the nurses said. The youths were treated even worse, they said. Emotionally troubled and at-risk youth were frequently locked down 24 hours a day, not fed, not provided counseling or treatment; denied education, religious services and programming; and often kept in unsanitary and barely livable conditions, the nurses said in their suit. On Nov. 11, a riot erupted at the facility after a youth worker opened the door of a youths cell to give him toilet paper and was attacked by the youth, according to DJJ records. With that workers keys now available, additional youths were freed from their cells, which led to more assaults on staff and other youths and the gang rape of a teenage girl housed in the facility, according to DJJ records. Kentucky State Police finally entered the facility and restored order. The suit names the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, which oversees DJJ, as the defendant. Story continues The cabinet had not been served with the lawsuit by Friday and could not comment on it, said spokeswoman Morgan Hall. However, Hall added, DJJ strives to protect and serve both the employees and the youth ordered to state custody. Positive changes are being made to better meet todays challenges within DJJ, and the governor has developed a solid, aggressive plan to improve the juvenile justice system. On Thursday, state lawmakers called for an outside investigation and leadership changes at DJJ, which has been plagued with assaults, escapes and riots at many of its facilities,. Gov. Andy Beshear said he would welcome a fair review of DJJ, but he added that he stands behind DJJ Commissioner Vicki Reed, whom he appointed in 2021. In their suit, Burton and Alvarado said they felt pressured to quit last year because the hostile work environment made their jobs nigh impossible. They are suing the state for compensation, lost pay and damages. Among the internal DJJ messages they included in their lawsuit is a sympathetic email sent July 30 by DJJ nurse administrator Deborah Curry to Burton. Around this time, Burton and several other nurses were arguing with security staff over how the 17-year-old girl locked in isolation should be treated, according to state records. The girl was naked and soiled, seemingly catatonic, going many days without bathing, the nurses said. One of the security staff would end up with a disciplinary sanction for excessive or inappropriate use of force as a result of a nurses complaint about his behavior toward the girl, according to state records. I also recognize the bullying type atmosphere you are having to work in which makes your job that much more challenging, Curry wrote to Burton. I hate it terribly and will continue to advocate for change on behalf of you, the other nurses and the youth. The Ohio Department of Education is reportedly investigating a pro-Nazi homeschooling network run by a couple in the state, according to several media outlets. The department is actively reviewing compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, an official with the state agency told The Washington Post, after reports emerged last week about the homeschooling network known as Dissident Homeschool. The network, which distributes pro-Nazi curriculum via a Telegram channel, has more than 2,400 subscribers, according to Vice News. The Ohio couple who run the channel, known there as Mr. and Mrs. Saxon, have been identified as Katja and Logan Lawrence of Upper Sandusky. The homeschooling network and the Lawrences identities were initially reported by an anti-fascist research group known as the Anonymous Comrades Collective. Two relatives of the Lawrences also confirmed their identities to HuffPost. The couple reportedly created the network because they were having a rough time finding Nazi-approved school material for their children, Katja Lawrence told the neo-Nazi podcast Achtung Amerikaner in a November 2021 episode. We are so deeply invested into making sure that that child becomes a wonderful Nazi, Lawrence added on the podcast. Stephanie Siddens, Ohios interim superintendent of public instruction, said in a statement on Twitter that she was outraged and saddened to learn of the homeschooling group. There is absolutely no place for hate-filled, divisive and hurtful instruction in Ohios schools, including our states home-schooling community, she added. Eric Landversicht, the superintendent of the Upper Sandusky Exempted Village Schools, noted in a letter to the community that parents who homeschool their children are responsible for choosing the curriculum and course of study and added that the parents chosen curriculum is not sponsored or endorsed by the District. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. An Ohio man was fatally shot by police while cleaning out his late grandmothers home. Twenty-eight-year-old Joe Frasure was shot by officers in the city of Wyoming, near Cincinnati, on 30 January. According to family members, Frasure and his father were at the home on the 300 block of Durrell Avenue when police responded to a 911 call reporting people breaking into the residence, NBC reported. Authorities said that Frasure rushed to his minivan and refused to follow commands to exit. Police Chief Brooke Brady said the vehicle then reversed at a high rate of speed, before hitting a tree, at which point the vehicle accelerated rapidly at our officers. Four shots were fired, and the car reportedly struck a property. Frasure was taken to an area hospital, where he died on Tuesday. The incident comes at a time of intense debate about policing in America, following the release of bodycam footage of five officers in Memphis, Tennessee, beating Tyre Nichols to death. I would like the Wyoming Police Department to be mentally evaluated to see if theyre fit for their duty and to [carry] a firearm, Frasures brother said during a live-streamed protest outside the police precinct. I want the [department] to be held accountable for murdering my brother. The family is now calling for the bodycam video to be released. According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, an investigation into the shooting has been launched by the Hamilton County Prosecutors Office. Joe Frasure died in hospital (Erika Frasure) This is a tragedy for all involved, Ms Brady said. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family at this time. Frasures sister Shonda Coleman was present during the shooting, according to WLWT. I didnt hear none of that. I didnt hear no commands. All I heard is pop, pop, pop, pop. Like, it was, like, 10 rounds, Ms Coleman told the outlet. I want to see the body cam. I want all the cops that [were] here, every one of them that was here, I want their information. The outlet reported that Frasure may have been trying to flee from police because he was facing a warrant for his arrest. Frasures father told the network that he also attempted to flee because he felt threatened by police. According to a GoFundMe account created to cover funeral costs, Frasure was a father of two and had a baby on the way. The City of Wyoming Police Department is expected to give updates on the ongoing investigation on Friday. A U.S. district court judge dismissed a lawsuit this week that challenged Oklahomas right to tax tribal citizens on tribal reservations. Federal courts cant hear tax appeals that can be addressed through a state court system, Judge Eric Melgren ruled. With his decision, all eyes turn now to a similar case pending before the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Both legal fights centered on a pivotal question that could affect thousands of taxpayers, as well as state coffers: Can Oklahoma collect income taxes from tribal citizens who live and work on reservations recognized after a transformational 2020 Supreme Court ruling? Melgren didnt provide an answer. He determined that under the federal Tax Injunction Act, the U.S. District Court in Muskogee did not have jurisdiction to consider the questions raised in the case. He granted the states motion to dismiss. The six tribal reservations recognized since since a 2020 Supreme Court ruling are those of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, Quapaw and Seminole nations. McGirt v. Oklahoma: State launches new legal challenge tied to Supreme Court ruling Harold and Nellie Meashintubby had sued Oklahomas three tax commissioners in February 2022 after the commission denied their requests for income tax waivers. The couple contended Oklahoma was wrong. They are Choctaw Nation citizens who live and work on the Choctaw reservation. States generally dont have the power to tax tribal citizens who live and work within their tribes territory. But no court has yet ruled whether the six tribal reservations recognized since McGirt v. Oklahoma including the Choctaw reservation in the southeast corner of the state count as tribal lands under tax law. The landmark ruling looked at criminal law. Oklahoma officials have insisted the ruling doesnt extend to civil powers such as collecting taxes. But experts in Native American law have pointed out the states tax code uses the same definition for Indian Country as the one ruled on by the Supreme Court. Tax cuts or not? Despite huge cash reserves, agency tells Oklahoma lawmakers to save more money Without a court ruling, the outcomes of thousands of tax waiver requests remain uncertain. The state Tax Commission estimated in 2020 that Oklahoma stands to lose about $73 million in annual income taxes. The state reported that it net more than $4.1 billion in individual income taxes last fiscal year. Story continues Joseph Williams, an attorney who filed the federal lawsuit on behalf of the Meashintubbys, said they are considering their next steps, which could include an appeal to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Emily Haxton, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Tax Commission, declined to comment on the ruling. She said it spoke for itself. Carly Atchison, a spokesperson for Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt who appointed Oklahomas tax commissioners, said the governor agreed with the courts decision. The federal judge rightly found that the federal court does not have jurisdiction to resolve an Oklahomans state income tax protest, she said in a written statement. All such protests are subject to the same process with the Oklahoma Tax Commission as provided by Oklahoma law. Who's running in Oklahoma City Council elections? Check ward map, where to vote and more The Tax Commission ruled on a separate, but similar, tax appeal in October, determining the state could tax a Muscogee Nation citizen and employee. That taxpayer, Alicia Stroble, appealed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Her attorney Michael Parks said he would file his main arguments in the case later this month. Other tax protests have been placed on hold until the states highest court weighs in, both Parks and Williams said. Molly Young covers Indigenous affairs for the USA Today Network's Sunbelt Region. Reach her at mollyyoung@gannett.com or 405-347-3534. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Federal judge dismisses tribal taxpayers' lawsuit against Oklahoma They taught us in Sunday school to be sure your sin will find you out. Whether that happens in the trial of the century we wont know until a jury at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro renders a verdict as Alex Murdaugh stands accused of murdering his wife and son on June 7, 2021. But by the middle of the second week of testimony, it was clear that the true Lowcountry itself could sort out its sins. The Lowcountry is a much more gentrified, or some would say Yankee-fied, place than it was when Murdaughs great-grandfather, then grandfather, then father held the keys to the jail for 86 years as this rural five-county areas chief prosecutors. But the trial has rendered signs that some old Lowcountry ways have survived Americas migration to the coast. Weve seen a moment when the defendant opens a car door while being interrogated by law enforcement to spit tobacco juice. His grandfather, Randolph Buster Murdaugh Jr., spit tobacco juice in every courthouse in the Lowcountry, some of it in his designated spittoon. A pickup truck was said to have a personal name. The family home that the case swirls around has a name: Moselle. Weve heard nicknames. The defendant is Big Red and his son Paul was Rooster. Witnesses say sir. They call victim Maggie Murdaugh Miss Maggie and the defendant Mr. Alex. And I keep thinking a man sitting behind the defense table each day is Robert E. Lee. But the real Lowcountry hit center stage on Feb. 1 when a yellow dog named Bubba blew a gaping hole in Murdaughs alibi. A puppys tail Alex Murdaugh told everyone who would listen, as the prosecutor put it, that he was not around the dog kennels at Moselle when his son and wife were shot and killed there. But the video introduced Feb. 1 appears to place Murdaugh at the kennels with his wife and son within five minutes of their brutal murders. The scene captured on the video is so Lowcountry. Paul is chasing a chocolate Labs tail with his cell phone in his hand, trying to get it on video for a dear friend who owns the rambunctious puppy. The jury hears that Cash the dog had been staying in the Moselle kennel while its owner lived and worked during the week near Beaufort. Cash apparently had a problem with his tail that its owner needed to see. Story continues Paul is circling around said tail when we hear Miss Maggie in the background squeal out, Hey, hes got a bird in his mouth. Thats Bubba, the familys yellow Lab. Then we hear a voice that two witnesses identify 100 percent as Alex Murdaugh calling Bubba. Its a guinea Miss Maggie says. Shes told its a chicken. Come here, Bubba, shouts the person identified as Mr. Alex while Paul finally zeroes in on Cashs tail. But for Bubba the egg-suckin Lowcountry dog slinking through history at that precise moment, Alex Murdaughs whereabouts may never have been documented. Sarah and Siri The jurys still out on that. And the jury will have a lot of other evidence to chew on that is reminiscent of an older Lowcountry. Jurors were given volumes of other information from the cell phones of Maggie, Paul, and Alex Murdaugh. The phones sketch a precise timeline. Every move of the phones is recorded. Steps taken by whoever possessed the phone are numbered. Its like the old days when two women were the telephone operators in Ridgeland in Jasper County. Like Sarah, the telephone operators in Mayberry in the The Andy Griffith show, these operators connected every call, knew every person, where to find them, who they were with and perhaps what they were having for supper. That was our newspaper, an old-timer told me. Alex Murdaugh does not have to face a mountain of evidence from Sarah. He finds himself under a deluge of cold facts from Siri. And Siri doesnt care who your granddaddy was, how slick you can talk or how many tears you shed. Writers are capturing the pathos, saying Maggie and Paul are testifying from the grave. We dont yet know what sins will be found out in the murder trial. Meanwhile, well lean on an old Lowcountry saying: You cant break an egg-suckin dog. David Lauderdale may be reached at LauderdaleColumn@gmail.com. Commercially successful theater usually promises audiences immortality. The message likely will be hidden by metaphor, but the idea of passing on yourself, and what you stand for, to future generations, of death merely being a change in form, is inextricable from the genre. It doesnt matter if the show is set on the Serengeti, in revolution-strewn Paris or in Anatevka. Thats why people go to musicals; they just think its for the tunes. Big Fish, the Andrew Lippa-scored musical that had a pre-Broadway tryout in Chicago back in 2013, is a show that understands that truth. Ive had great affection for this piece, which was based both on the 1998 Daniel Wallace novel and the 2003 Tim Burton movie, not least because this fragile show found itself quickly (and unfairly) beached on Broadway, despite a warm-centered Alabama story, a beautiful score and luminous performances from Kate Baldwin and Norbert Leo Butz. So I am glad the Marriott Theatre is reviving a piece that surely will speak to many in this suburban theaters loyal audience. I only wish Henry Godinezs production, which has a stellar cast, plumbed more of the emotional depths of the work. Advertisement Thats not to say Big Fish does not have flaws in its book. Its centered on a father and son, both longing to connect more fully than ever has been the case. An iconoclastic traveling salesman named Edward Bloom (Alexander Gemignani) has been a loving dad to his son Will (Michael Kurowski), but as the kid reaches adulthood, he becomes frustrated by how he was weaned on tall tales mostly featuring his father as the hero. The first scene of the musical involves Will, about to marry, declaring how his now-aging dad is like an iceberg because only a small percentage of him ever is visible. And thus we join Will on this quest for knowledge even as we watch his fathers richly encapsulated stories unspool on the stage in flashbacks as he tells them to his boy. The show wants to keep you guessing about what is true here and whats fiction, along with the corollary matter of whether, at the end of the day, the distinction actually matters. The stories have an edge to them: Edward has declared a lifelong love of wife Sandra (Heidi Kettenring), but he also speaks obliquely of an old girlfriend, Jenny (Allison Sill). Advertisement The cast of "Big Fish" at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. (HANDOUT) The show is hard to stage (Burton movies are not easy to adapt) and it presents both an overly passive female lead in Sandra and, in Will, a role that requires being mad at a fun dad for most of the show. Thats hard to pull off. Adding to the difficulties is Marriotts cheap and confounding choice to produce the reduced 12-actor version of the show (half the cast of the original staging), meaning roles that used to be principals are now ensemble parts, which confuses the audience and spoils the shows original structure. As a leading musical house, Marriott should be hiring more actors and giving its audiences the full monty. Speaking generally, though, Big Fish only works if it accepts everything told by Edward Bloom as truth, at least in the storytellers eyes and thats where this choppy, strident and overly stereotypical production struggles. Often it complicates everything needlessly: as one example, Kettenring sings the shows most beautiful ballad, I Dont Need a Roof as if the couple is in crisis and she needs to persuade her husband of her love; in reality, the couple already knows all of that and the song works best as a gentle, beautiful reminder of the surety of marriage. That sweetness, that belief in the mythologies of life, that gentle sense of older and wiser people coming to terms with lifes disappointments and mysteries is what this production struggles to find, notwithstanding truly an A-list cast, including the luminous Kettenring and Gemignani (Hamilton), a recent Chicago-area arrival who will be a huge asset to our musical theater community. In the final few minutes, these gifted actors begin to find that quality, but its a long wait. Still, the audience around me was clearly moved; I was struck by how many people clearly had forgotten the film now (time moves on) and, of course, Big Fish is a show about familial love and its capacity to make our exits less painful. That will always have power in the theater, even if Im still waiting for Big Fish to get the production it long has deserved. Chris Jones is a Tribune critic. cjones5@chicagotribune.com Review: Big Fish (2.5 stars) When: Through March 19 Advertisement Where: 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes Tickets: $59-$64 at 847-634-0200 and marriottheatre.com Three former Memphis police officers charged with second-degree murder in Tyre Nichols' death had their fraternity memberships revoked by the organization. Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. issued a statement Tuesday, the day before Nichols' celebration of life, saying Tadarrius Bean (Nu Mu Mu chapter), Emmitt Martin III (Sigma Lambda Lambda chapter), and Desmond Mills, Jr. (Also Sigma Lambda Lambda chapter) had revoked their memberships "effective immediately" after learning the former officers were members. "We strongly condemn the conduct of the former Memphis police officers involved in the incident, including the three former members of our organization," the statement from Grand Basileus Ricky L. Lewis said. "The brutality shown in the video not only violated our moral sensibilities, but also transgressed our fraternal and established code of conduct." Two days earlier, on Jan. 29, the fraternity had issued a statement calling Nichols' death "unacceptable." "We expect law enforcement officers to protect life and serve our communities with the highest regard for safety and humanity," Lewis wrote in the earlier statement. "Unfortunately, what we witnessed of the violent behavior of the accused (now former) officers is the complete opposite." The latest statement, revoking the officers' memberships, does not include the names of the officers. However, the fired and charged officers did appear in the expelled persons list. Nichols was pulled over for what police originally called "reckless driving," although in their later investigations, MPD Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis told CNN, there was no evidence to reinforce the claims that Nichols had violated any traffic laws. When officers pulled Nichols out of his car, as seen on Officer Preston Hemphill's body camera footage that was publicly released Jan. 27, Nichols can be heard asking, "What did I do?" Story continues Officers could then be seen pulling Nichols from his car and dragging him to the ground. He ran away after pepper spray was used and officers chased him. Nichols was about 100 yards from his mother's home, the place he is said to have been running to, when officers tackled him to the ground and then proceeded to punch, kick, pepper spray, and hit him with a baton, according to body camera and SkyCop footage that was also released Jan. 27. He was taken to St. Francis Hospital in critical condition. He died three days later. Lucas Finton is a news reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Frat revokes memberships of Memphis officers charged in Tyre Nichols beating For the first time, were hearing from a man who was shot by a serial killer in Chester County. Jeremy Robinson is still recovering from mental and emotional scars. Nearly two years ago, police arrested a couple connected to five murders and crime sprees across multiple states, which included the shooting Robinson was hurt in. Robinson told Channel 9s Tina Terry hes grateful he survived that shooting in 2021, but he is still working to overcome so much. PREVIOUS: Man, woman at center of multi-state killing spree, manhunt plea guilty to SC charges They had to revive me twice and most people dont come out of that, Robinson said. In May 2021, he was watching a movie with a friend in Chester County when Tyler Terry came to the door. He pulled out a gun, Robinson said. I was still dumfounded he shot, thats when the bullet hit me in my lung. Robinson was shot twice and woke up days later at a Charlotte hospital, despite serious injuries. It went through my lung. It was so close to my heart, he said. If I would have moved left or right, it would have gone through my heart. Chester County deputies tried to pull Tyler Terry and Adrienne Simpson over in Richburg days later, but that led to a high-speed chase with the couple. Then, after a massive manhunt in Chester County, investigators learned that the two were linked to five murders and crime sprees across multiple states. PREVIOUS: He had nowhere to go: Accused killer captured in SC after weeklong manhunt Robinson said he still doesnt understand exactly why Terry showed up at his friends door. Now, hes just focused on overcoming the physical and emotional scars left behind. I try to put on a smile but, behind closed doors, its been really rough, he said. Robinson said his previous job was very very physical and his injuries have kept him from working. >> If you would like to help him, Robinson is raising money to help with his recover. Click here to contribute. Story continues In November, Terry and Simpson entered a plea agreement and were both sentenced to life in prison with no parole for their crimes in Chester and York counties. Prosecutors said theyd still have to face murder charges in St. Louis, Missouri, but prosecutors in all states have agreed to that plea agreement of life with no parole. Heres a timeline of the crimes the two were connected to and their arrests: May 2, 2021: Terry allegedly kills 35-year-old Thomas Hardin on Lowry Row in York County. He is also a suspect in two other shootings that also occurred at Erlich Street in Chester and at Taco Bell on JA Cochran Bypass on the same day. Police say Simpson drove the vehicle during the crimes. May 15, 2021, between 8-9 p.m.: The pair allegedly drives to St. Louis. Once there, they steal a license plate from a truck parked in the driveway of a St. Louis County home and put it on their car. May 15, 2021 10:50 p.m.: Terry and Simpson allegedly shoot Stanley and Barbara Goodkin in a St. Louis suburb. Barbara was fatally shot in the head, Stanley was shot in the chest, but his cell phone stopped the bullet. May 15, 2021 shortly before midnight: Terry and Simpson reportedly shoot and kill Dr. Sergei Zacharev outside a Drury Inn while he is waiting for an Uber. May 16, 2021: Terry and Simpson allegedly travel to north St. Louis to purchase drugs before returning to South Carolina. May 17, 2021 2 a.m.: Memphis police officers found a man between 35-45 years old lying unresponsive in the road, near a car that had its emergency flashers on. Police said he has been shot during what looked to be a robbery. Investigators planned to take out warrants against Terry and Simpson for the homicide. May 17, 2021 11 p.m.: Chester County deputies say they try to stop Terry and Simpsons vehicle -- the same one connected to the St. Louis murders. The suspects reportedly lead them on a high-speed chase while firing shots at deputies. The chase ends in a crash and Simpson is arrested, but Terry ran into nearby woods. May 19, 2021: The body of Simpsons husband -- Eugene -- is found in Great Falls, South Carolina. He had been missing since May 2. May 21, 2021: Investigators charge Terry and Simpson for Eugenes murder. May 24, 2021: Tyler Terry is found in Chester County and taken into custody. (WATCH BELOW: Man, woman at center of multi-state killing spree, manhunt plea guilty to SC charges) People who think institutional racism is a myth or a dusty remnant of our past are finding cover and perhaps comfort in the horrific Jan. 7 beating of Tyre Nichols by five Memphis police officers. The blind-to-race bunch have concluded that this time, and perhaps every time going forward, racism can be ruled out as an explanation when a Black man dies during or soon after a violent confrontation with police. After all, it was five Black officers who beat Tyre Nichols beyond recognition, not White nationalists wearing blue. But Im convinced that institutional racism is the culprit in Memphis just as much as it was in Minneapolis in 2020, when Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd with the help of teammates on the city police force. When those five Black officers face their public reckoning for alleged second-degree murder, institutional racism in law enforcement must once again go on trial. The truth is that those who so recklessly assaulted Nichols also bought into the belief that most young Black men are troublemakers who deserve any ill treatment they get from police. Such racist attitudes are prevalent throughout law enforcement organizations, coast to coast. 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. Too close to home Consider a federal jurys decision Dec. 7 in favor of Detroit Police Sergeant Johnny Strickland. Strickland, a Black man who is still on the force, filed a lawsuit in 2018 that alleged the Detroit Police Department created a racially hostile work environment and violated his civil rights. The jury awarded Strickland $150,000 in damages. He was able to prove that he was handcuffed and roughed up at a crime scene in 2017, although he identified himself then as a police officer. Later, Strickland was suspended for filing an internal complaint over his treatment, and was racially harassed by his colleagues. I was a member of Stricklands legal team, which was led by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU described our legal victory as a matter of exposing racist policing practices. Story continues Michigan attorney Leonard Mungo Stricklands experience took place in a city where Black residents comprised an estimated 77.9% of the population in 2021, according to the U.S. Census. More to the point, Black officers were 56.3% of the Detroit police force in 2019, with white officers accounting for 34.7% and Hispanics 5.1%, according to police statistics. The demographics are very similar in Memphis, where Black residents made up 64.6% of the citys population in 2021, the Census estimated. The statistical breakdown by race on the Memphis police force is almost identical to Detroits. Yet, five Black officers seem to have had no problem torturing a defenseless young man who looked like them. A toxic culture Where does such evil come from? From the culture of the workplace, once institutional racism has rooted itself deeply in the organization. That process took many years in the police departments of Detroit and Memphis, and rooting it out will also take time and commitment. Thats no easy task when cops, like the members of any tightly knit organization, are rewarded if they support their work culture, and punished professionally if they dont. The result is a statistical snapshot like this one: During the last six months of 2019, Memphis police officers used physical force against Black men seven times more than they did against White men, according to city data obtained by Memphis TV station WREG. More:U-M report looks at what police reforms work as Tyre Nichols' death spurs national debate Increasing racial diversity through hiring and retention is one way to push back against a toxic, racist culture. For instance, according to the Marshall Project, a nonprofit organization that reports on criminal justice, a recent study by the Ford School Center at the University of Michigan cites research showing that Black police officers stop Black citizens in public far less than White officers do. As we know, traffic stops have jump-started numerous violent confrontations between Black people and cops, including the Nichols killing. Diversity isn't enough But in the end, the key to rooting out institutional racism in law enforcement agencies is identifying and eliminating organizational practices, policies and procedures that create a racially discriminatory work environment. For instance, in my two class-action lawsuits against the Michigan State Police and the Michigan Civil Service Commission successfully concluded in October 2021 I was able to show that the state had been asking for job qualifications unrelated to the work involved (such as a solid credit history) that had a negative impact on Black applicants. Using similar methods of investigation, the federal government shed light on racial discrimination at the Michigan State Police that led to a consent decree from 1977 to 1993 and transformed policing in the state for a generation. When roadblocks that perpetuate racism are removed, an organization can reboot as one that respects all employees and the community it serves. Working with the National Black State Troopers Coalition, where I serve as general counsel, Im promoting a proven blueprint for eliminating institutional racism and monitoring the mental health of officers in state police agencies nationwide. My approach is to use specially trained experts such as industrial organizational psychologists to isolate evidence of racism in law enforcement agencies. I certainly view this initiative as essential to our future. As this century progresses, ending institutional racism is the most urgent imperative we face as a nation. Leonard Mungo is the founder and owner of Mungo & Mungo at Law PLLC, headquartered in metro Detroit. He also serves as general counsel for the National Black State Troopers Coalition. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Opinion: What killing of Tyre Nichols says about institutional racism NEW YORK (AP) An owl at the Central Park Zoo flew the coop after someone vandalized its exhibit by cutting through stainless steel mesh, zoo officials said Friday. The Eurasian eagle-owl named Flaco was discovered missing at 8:30 p.m. Thursday and remained on the loose Friday, zoo spokesperson Max Pulsinelli said. New York Police Department officers tried to catch the bird after it was spotted on Fifth Avenue Thursday night, but it flew off. The owl returned to Central Park at sunrise Friday and spent the day high up in a tree there. Our focus and effort at this time is on the safe recovery of the owl, zoo officials said in a news release. We will issue updates as needed. Eurasian eagle-owls are one of the larger owl species with a wingspan greater than 6 feet (180 centimeters), and have mottled brown and black feathers with distinctive ear tufts. They are not native to North America. This one might do fine in Central Park if it knew how to hunt, said David Barrett, an avid birder who chronicles the city's avian population via Twitter accounts including Manhattan Bird Alert and Brooklyn Bird Alert. After years of captivity, however, this owl has surely lost its skills for hunting, Barrett said. He estimated that the owl would starve after a day or two in the wild. The vandalism at the New York City zoo occurred after a string of animal disappearances and other odd incidents across the country, including at the Dallas Zoo. As a society, we must value and support the caregiving work that is essential to raising healthy, prosperous families and to maintaining a strong economy. That is why during this legislative session we have introduced the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act, a policy that will not only provide much-needed support to working families but also bring significant benefits to our state's economy. Sadly, the United States remains the only industrialized country that does not offer paid family leave. As a result, many working parents are forced to choose between caring for their loved ones and maintaining their livelihoods. This not only causes stress and financial strain for families but also results in significant economic costs for businesses. The Paid Family and Medical Leave Act will provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave for employees to care for a new child, a family member with a serious health condition, or to recover from a serious health condition themselves. This leave will be paid for through a small payroll contribution, using a shared-cost model between employees and employers. This policy also makes good business sense. When working parents are able to take time off to care for their loved ones, they are less likely to quit their jobs or reduce their hours, which can lead to increased turnover costs for employers. Additionally, when parents are able to take time off to care for their new child, they are more likely to return to work and continue contributing to our economy. Paid family leave is particularly important for small businesses, which often struggle to provide benefits to their employees. The Paid Family and Medical Leave Act will level the playing field for small businesses, allowing them to compete with larger companies to retain top talent. Research shows that companies providing paid family leave tend to have lower absenteeism, increased productivity and improved employee morale which all results in a positive impact on the bottom line. This legislation will also both attract new businesses to our state and help retain those already doing businesses here, as it will affirm that New Mexico is a state that values and supports its workforce. Story continues It is also important to note that the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act will not just benefit parents, but also those who are caring for elderly, disabled family members, and workers who have chronic health conditions or disabilities themselves. This legislation will help ensure that everyone has the opportunity to take care of their loved ones without fear of losing their job or falling into financial instability. The Paid Family and Medical Leave Act is a common-sense policy that will provide much-needed support to working families in New Mexico while also bringing significant benefits to our state's economy. We urge our fellow legislators to join us in supporting this important legislation and to work together to ensure that it becomes law. By doing so, we will be taking a critical step towards creating a more equitable and just society for all New Mexicans while also supporting our economy. State Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart and State Senate Majority Whip Michael Padilla are both Democrats from Albuquerque. -- This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Paid family and medical leave supports our families, economy and our best workers (Bloomberg) -- Pakistans opposition leader Imran Khan has rejected an offer from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to attend a conference to discuss key national issues amid negotiations with the International Monetary Fund to avoid bankruptcy. Most Read from Bloomberg Sharif has called an all-party conference on Feb. 7 to discuss economic and terrorism-related challenges, state-run Pakistan Television reported. Former Prime Minister Khan will not attend the conference, said his senior political party leader Asad Umar in Lahore. The South Asian nation is facing its worst economic crisis in decades with dollar reserves falling to $3.1 billion, enough for just a few weeks of imports. Sharif called the IMFs conditions for unlocking more funds tough and beyond imagination. A team from the lender is visiting Pakistan until Feb. 9 to discuss the stalled loan program. Sharifs coalition toppled Khan as prime minister in a confidence vote last year. Khan has been protesting for early elections that are scheduled for sometime after August. (Updates with Khans rejection in first paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. ISLAMABAD (AP) Pakistani troops on Friday raided a militant hideout in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban militant group, in the country's northwest and near the border with Afghanistan, the military said. The raid triggered a shootout that killed that killed two militants. The shootout in North Waziristan, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, came days after a suicide bomber attacked a mosque within a police and government compound in the city of Peshawar, the provincial capital, killing 101 people and wounding at least 225. The attack was one of the deadliest in years in the volatile region. The military said the militants killed in the raid had been involved in past attacks on security forces, without providing details. Such raids, most often against the Pakistani Taliban, also known as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, are routine in the country's northwest. Late Friday, Pakistans army chief visited the bombed mosque in Peshawar and expressed solidarity with the local police force, thanking them for their contribution in the war against militants and lauding their bravery. We as a nation together will root out this menace of terrorism," Gen. Asim Munir said. Also on Friday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said he invited his predecessor and now opposition leader, Imran Khan, to talks next week about how the country should respond to the surge of violence. Sharif's government has blamed the TTP for the Peshawar bombing on Monday, when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives inside the mosque in the police compound. Most of the casualties were police. The bomber wore a police uniform and the guards at the site assumed he was a police officer their colleague and did not search him, authorities said. The Pakistani Taliban are a separate group but are allies of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout. The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban, who have stepped up attacks since November, when they ended a cease-fire with the government. Story continues There was no immediate response to Sharif's invitation for talks from Khan, who was ousted in a no-conference vote in Parliament in April last year. During his term in office, Khan had approved peace talks with TTP and even released some of the group's members held in Pakistani jails in a gesture of goodwill. The talks, hosted by the Afghan Taliban, collapsed in November. On Friday, more than 2,000 supporters of Khan's opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, rallied in Peshawar to denounce the surge in violence and demand peace. Similar rallies were also held elsewhere, organized by civil society groups. ____ Associated Press writer Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this story. For many, the main point of investing is to generate higher returns than the overall market. But the main game is to find enough winners to more than offset the losers At this point some shareholders may be questioning their investment in Axiata Group Berhad (KLSE:AXIATA), since the last five years saw the share price fall 44%. With that in mind, it's worth seeing if the company's underlying fundamentals have been the driver of long term performance, or if there are some discrepancies. See our latest analysis for Axiata Group Berhad To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time. Axiata Group Berhad became profitable within the last five years. However, it made a loss in the last twelve months, suggesting profit may be an unreliable metric at this stage. Other metrics might give us a better handle on how its value is changing over time. In contrast to the share price, revenue has actually increased by 2.0% a year in the five year period. So it seems one might have to take closer look at the fundamentals to understand why the share price languishes. After all, there may be an opportunity. You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image). Balance sheet strength is crucial. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on how its financial position has changed over time. What About Dividends? It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. In the case of Axiata Group Berhad, it has a TSR of -36% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. This is largely a result of its dividend payments! Story continues A Different Perspective Axiata Group Berhad shareholders are down 17% for the year (even including dividends), but the market itself is up 3.2%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 6% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Axiata Group Berhad better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Axiata Group Berhad that you should be aware of. If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on MY exchanges. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here WASHINGTON Former Vice President Mike Pence, a possible contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, said Thursday that he wants to reform Social Security and institute private savings accounts for recipients. There are modest reforms in entitlements that can be done without disadvantaging anybody at the point of the need, Pence told an audience at the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors summit in Washington, D.C. I think the day could come when we could replace the New Deal with a better deal. Literally give younger Americans the ability to take a portion of their Social Security withholdings and put that into a private savings account. Video of the event was obtained by the Democratic tracking group American Bridge 21st Century. The comments mark one of the first policy proposals from Pence as the field for the Republican nomination is fast taking shape. Former President Donald Trump, who was first to announce his candidacy, started campaigning in earnest last weekend. And former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is set to launch her campaign for president on Feb. 15. House Republicans, having retaken control of the chamber, have floated cuts to the popular federal program. But Trump himself, who in 2020 proposed eliminating the payroll tax, which funds Social Security, warned Republicans in January to leave that program and Medicare alone. Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security, he said in a video released by his 2024 presidential campaign. Former Vice President Mike Pence in November. (Thos Robinson/Getty Images for The New York Times) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, widely considered to be Trumps chief competitor for the nomination at the moment if he decides to get in the race regularly supported increasing the retirement age for Social Security when he was in Congress. Pence has not formally declared for president but is widely expected to jump into the race, after having spent close to two years making campaign-style trips across the country. Story continues A Pence spokesman declined to comment for this story. Critics have long derided the idea of overhauling Social Security as an effort to privatize the popular government program, which would likely result in cuts to how much elderly and disabled Americans receive from it. Mike Pences presidential bid is dead on arrival. In a failing attempt to give it life, hes leaning into George W. Bushs far-right, unpopular and deeply harmful plan to privatize Social Security, said Grace Hagerty, a spokesperson for American Bridge. It didnt work then. It wont work now. The idea has long circulated among conservatives but has been deemed the third rail of American politics for the backlash from voters worried about cuts to how much they would receive. Pence supported Bushs efforts to overhaul Social Security almost two decades ago, when he was a member of Congress and Bush, then president, pushed the idea. Pence couched the idea in terms of cutting into the federal debt and limiting spending an idea that took a back seat during the Trump administration but has regained favor among Republicans with Joe Biden in the White House. Its absolutely essential that we generate leadership in this country that will be straight with the American people, that will take us off this trajectory of massive debt that were piling on the backs of those grandchildren, Pence said. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is seriously considering a White House bid, is traveling to Charleston, S.C., on Monday to attend a local law enforcement roundtable, a senior Pence adviser tells CBS News. He'll touch down in South Carolina just nine days before Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, is expected to announce her 2024 presidential campaign. Pence's ninth trip to the Palmetto State since he left office will focus in part on renewed efforts by Congress to pass police reform legislation after five officers were accused of killing 29-year-old Tyre Nichols in Memphis last month, the adviser said. He has regularly been visiting early presidential primary states in recent months,as he mulls a run, and has been meeting with key constituent groups including law enforcement officials. The former vice president will meet with South Carolina sheriffs and officers of different municipalities on Monday in order to "push back on the restored 'Defund the Police' movement that's sweeping across the country," according to the Pence aide. GOP Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who has led police reform negotiations for Republicans in the Senate, is not scheduled to attend the roundtable. On Capitol Hill, police reform talks are moving slowly after negotiations between Scott and Democratic Sen. Cory Booker collapsed in 2021. The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) met with President Joe Biden on Thursday to discuss reforms its members want to "bring the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act back," CBC Whip Rep. Marilyn Strickland said. But Scott, in a post on Twitter the same day, dismissed Democrats' previous proposal as a "a nonstarter." Mike Pence on stage at the 2022 New York Times DealBook on November 30, 2022 in New York City. / Credit: Thos Robinson/Getty Images for The New York Times Scott, who is also considering a presidential run, will hold his own event in Charleston on Feb. 16, a day after Haley's expected announcement, as part of his "Faith in America" national listening tour. South Carolina, which is the third state to vote in the Republican primary process, has attracted a lot of attention among 2024 presidential hopefuls from both parties in recent months. Former President Donald Trump made his first campaign stop in the state last week to announce his leadership team, while Mr. Biden recommended the Democratic National Committee reorder its own nominating process to make South Carolina the first in the nation to hold a primary election. For decades, Iowa and New Hampshire have been the first to weigh in on presidential candidates. Story continues Even so, Pence has not signaled that his entry into the 2024 race is imminent. During remarks in Washington, D.C., on Thursday morning, he told business leaders that he will continue touring the country for several months before making a decision. "We're gonna keep listening very intently to the American people," Pence said. "I promise to keep you posted." Pence will also make a stop in Myrtle Beach, S.C., later that day to speak at an event organized by the Horry County Republican Party. Congressional Black Caucus pushes Pres. Biden to help move future police reform legislation ATF director on sweeping report tracking ghost guns CFO of Alex Murdaugh's former law firm testifies Pigeons fly past garbage sitting outside of an apartment building on the 5500 block of West Melrose Street in Chicago on Feb. 1, 2023. Relatives say police found the body of Regina Michalski in a freezer on the property Jan. 30, 2023. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) A 69-year-old woman who left her dead mothers body in a freezer for nearly two years on Chicagos Northwest Side documented the death on a household calendar but didnt tell anyone, prosecutors said in court Thursday. Eva Bratcher appeared before Cook County Judge David Kelly, who set her bond at $200,000 during a hearinglivestreamed on YouTube. Bratcher must pay $20,000 to be released from custody until her next court date. Advertisement Bratcher, charged with concealing a death or moving a body and possessing a fake identity card, allegedly noted on a house calendar that her 96-year-old mother, whose name was not mentioned in court, died on March 4, 2021, at about 2 p.m., said Assistant States Attorney Mike Pekara. One week later, she bought a new freezer and placed her mothers body in it, said Pekara, who added investigators found her receipt. Advertisement The defendant moved the freezer containing the body into the garage and it remained there until Jan. 30, Pekara said. The cause of death was not yet known because the remains were frozen, but an autopsy was expected later Thursday or Friday. To place a woman of that age who has lived a very long life into a freezer in the back of a home is very, very disturbing to this court, Kelly said before setting bail. It was a very disrespectful way to handle the remains, he added. Bratcher, who is a U.S. Army veteran and was born in Poland, also possessed at least one fake identification, which had her picture but her mothers name, Pekara said. Bratchers attorney said she receives retirement benefits from the military and collects Social Security benefits. In addition, she manages the building on the 5500 block of West Melrose Street, where she and her mother lived, and collects rent for two apartments there. The building was owned by her mother, but Bratcher had power of attorney. Police conducting a well-being check responded to the first floor of the home about 4:35 p.m. Monday, where they discovered the womans body. The name of the woman, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was not being officially released by the Cook County medical examiners office but relatives of Regina Michalski believe it is her. Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy > Sabrina Watson, Michalskis maternal granddaughter, called Chicago police on Monday when she began getting a bad feeling and worrying more and more about Michalski, who had been living with Sabrinas mother. Advertisement I just knew she was no longer with us, Watson told the Tribune of her grandmother, who was born in Poland in August 1926. Watson, who said she has not been in contact with Bratcher, who is her mother, and is not on speaking terms with her, also hadnt seen her grandmother since at least 2011. She decided to have officers do a well-being check. Its got to be her, Watson said, after learning the two tenants in the building had not seen her in years and her mother told conflicting stories about where she was: Once her mother told a neighbor asking if shed seen Regina that Regina was taking a nap and wasnt available. Another time she told neighbors her mom was fine and living in a retirement home in Wisconsin while a third time she claimed Michalski had died, according to Watson. Bratcher has felony convictions including a 2010 forgery from Lake County, and two 2005 forgery convictions from Cook County in which she was accessing another individuals post office box under the guise that she was allowed to access the box, Pekara said. Bratcher also has two misdemeanor convictions from 2005, including a violation of an order of protection and a domestic battery. Neither of the victims was her mother, Pekara said. Bratcher is due back in court Feb. 21. I still remember celebrating Catholic Schools Week in my elementary school. We had a grandparents breakfast, special dress-up days, an open house where we showed off special projects for our families, and a school night at the roller-skating rink. It was a special time and helped us appreciate how lucky we were to attend such tight-knit, faith-based schools. This week marks the 49th anniversary of Catholic Schools Week, and schools around the country are greeting it with similar fanfare. Having proved their worth during the pandemic, Catholic schools have good reason to celebrate. Principal Stephen DiCicco, goes over the agenda for Catholic Schools week at St. Michael the Archangel School in Levittown, on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021. Bishop McCort Catholic High School in Johnstown is a good example. Because it already had a flexible instruction plan in place for snow days, the school missed only one day of classes after Governor Tom Wolf closed schools in March 2020. McCort was able to pivot to high-quality online instruction that kept its students moving forward. Meanwhile, Principal Tom Smith says, the local public schools took weeks to have their online programs up-and-running and most made classes pass-fail. McCort provided in-person instruction for 84% of its regularly scheduled days during the 2020-2021 school year. Parents rewarded Bishop McCorts success by flocking to it. Due to our commitment to students during the pandemic, parents from across the region, state, and country are still taking notice of the work we have done and continue to do, says Smith. Weve had 131 students transfer to Bishop McCort since March 2020. Catholic schools throughout Pennsylvania had similar experiences. Sean McAleer, Director of Education for the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, explained that every Catholic school in the state took the opportunity to plan flexible instruction days when the state introduced them for the 2019-20 school year. By contrast, only 72 of the states 500 school districts planned FIDs that first year. This pre-planning gave Catholic schools an edge when schools were first shuttered. Story continues Its not surprising that Catholic schools were leaders when it came to re-opening during Covid-19. For starters, Catholic schools tend to be mission-driven, so school leaders are likely to feel compelled to offer a safe place for the students they serve. Beyond that, Catholic schools like other private schools rely on tuition payments. If they dont meet their students needs, parents wont be keen on keeping their children enrolled. Like Bishop McCort, Catholic schools throughout Pennsylvania have experienced enrollment growth over the past few yearsoften after years of declines. According to McAleer, many schools were worried after the initialand admittedly modestCovid enrollment bump that theyd lose students for the following year. But diocesan schools in Pennsylvania saw a 2 percent enrollment increase in 2021-22double the increase of 2020-21. Were proud of what were doing educationally in our schools, says McAleer. Were also very proud of the national report card results. The report card showed that public schools are really hurting after Covid. Theyve had losses like theyve never seen before since they started reporting in math and reading and English. The real sunny spot of the report was Catholic schools. We actually saw increases. They might have been small, but they were still increases. So, were very proud of what were doing. And without the leadership of our administrators and our teachers, wed be in trouble. Theyre doing a fantastic job in our schools. McAleer also notes that Catholic school demographics are very similar to the neighborhoods theyre in. Were doing better with the same kids, he says. We have the same kids, same neighborhoods, and were doing better. That shows that you can do better, and the kids can learn. The encouraging news about Catholic schools makes celebrating Catholic Schools Week even more exciting for leaders like Tom Smith. Bishop McCort is a faith-based educational option that is a beacon of positivity, hope, and light in the city and provides the children and families of the region with amazing educational options, he explains. Catholic Schools Week is a time to share the good news about whats happening in our schools. Well have an open house, a special Mass with Bishop Bartchak, and our students will be reading at Sunday Masses at local parishes. Catholic schools have a long history of education and service in Pennsylvania, as was exemplified by their Covid response. Catholic Schools Week gives them a chance to celebrate their accomplishments with their families and communities. Colleen Hroncich is a policy analyst at the Cato Institutes Center for Educational Freedom. This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Pennsylvania is marking Catholic Schools Week. This is why that's important WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm for people on the ground, officials said Thursday. A senior defense official told Pentagon reporters that the U.S. has very high confidence it is a Chinese high-altitude balloon and it was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nations three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. The Pentagon announcement comes days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to China. Its not clear if this will affect his travel plans, which the State Department has not formally announced. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Photo: Andrey Pugachev (Shutterstock) Defense officials claim that a Chinese surveillance balloon has been drifting over the northern part of the United States for the past several days. The balloon is thought to have traveled over a number of different states where sensitive defense installations (read: nuclear silos) are located. On Thursday, local news outlets in Montana reported that the Pentagon had confirmed that a high altitude surveillance balloon is over the continental United States right now. Pentagon spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, told multiple outlets that the U.S. government, to include NORAD, continues to track and monitor it closely. The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Read more Ryder also told news media that the government had acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information, but didnt otherwise explain what action was taken. NBC reports that F-22 Raptors from Nellis Air Force base were sent to investigate the balloon but that officials wouldnt say whether the balloon will be shot out of the sky or not. Other outlets have reported that the Pentagon has recommended not shooting down the balloon. A video briefly trended on Twitter that purported to show evidence of the surveillance balloon. In the video, a man points his camera phone at what looks like a fuzzy, motionless dot in the sky. What the heck is that? Thats not the sun! the man exclaims, helpfully. BREAKING: The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for several days, officials said Thursday. The Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to the risks of harming people on the ground.pic.twitter.com/cXQZcsGX7m Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) February 2, 2023 A local news outlet in Billings, Montanawhere the balloon is said to have been spotted numerous timespublished a photo of the mysterious, orb-like object: Story continues NBC- The U.S. military has been monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been hovering over the northern U.S. for the past few days. Reported image of the balloon from The Billings Gazette. pic.twitter.com/Iv0q8mdYlF OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) February 2, 2023 Others merely resorted to Goodfellas jokes: Henry Hill trying to dodge the Chinese surveillance balloon pic.twitter.com/WXNUVuCFJW Colin P. Clarke (@ColinPClarke) February 2, 2023 This is definitely a weird one. The incident comes at a time when the U.S. and China are having a bit of a tense moment. In an effort to counter Chinas influence in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. recently initiated an agreement with the Philippines that allows for greater cooperation and a bigger deployment of U.S. military personnel in the region. Americans officials have also continually expressed alarm at Chinas increased activities in the South China Sea. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also scheduled to head to China in a couple of days on a diplomatic visit. The U.S. has reportedly engaged China about the blimp incident and communicated its displeasure. More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. The U.S. government is monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been flying over the northern part of the country since earlier this week but has held off on shooting it out of the sky, senior defense officials confirmed Thursday. The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now, Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters. The U.S. government continues to track and monitor it closely. Ryder stressed that the balloon is currently traveling in the atmosphere at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground, and noted that after the balloon was detected, the government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information. The balloon, first reported by NBC News, was first spotted over Montana on Wednesday. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, traveling in the Philippines at the time, quickly convened a meeting of top military leaders, including Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, and U.S. Northern Command head Gen. Glen VanHerck, a senior defense official told reporters President Biden was briefed on the balloon and asked for military options, with Milley and VanHerck recommending he not to take kinetic action due to the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field. We had been looking at whether there was an option yesterday to down the balloon over some sparsely populated areas in Montana, but we just couldnt buy down the risk enough to feel comfortable recommending shooting it down yesterday, the official said. They declined to detail the exact size of the aerial object but said it was large enough to cause damage if downed. The official also said the balloon is still over the U.S. but declined to say where it is currently. Story continues The U.S. government is very confident the balloon belongs to China, as instances of such surveillance have been observed over the past several years, including prior to the Biden administration. But while it is not unprecedented for Beijing to fly similar stratospheric balloons over or near U.S. airspace, the aerial object is staying over the country longer than usual this time around, the official said. They stressed that, though the balloons current flight path carries it over a number of sensitive sites, its assessed as having limited additive value from an intelligence collective collection perspective. The officials also said the U.S. has communicated the seriousness with which we take this issue, to the Chinese government through multiple channels both in Washington, D.C., and in Beijing. We have made clear we will do whatever is necessary to protect our people and our homeland, they said. Tensions between the United States and China are particularly strained after the Pentagon earlier Thursday announced it would ramp up the U.S. military presence in the Philippines. China views the bolstered U.S. presence as an encroaching threat to its claims on the South China Sea as well as the nearby independent island of Taiwan. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The Chinese-owned Las Bambas mine in Peru, responsible for close to 2% of the worlds copper production, officially halted production on Feb. 1 after months of blockades and protests made continued operations impossible. MMG Ltd., the owner of the mine, announced it would cease all activity and transition to care and maintenance after the series of forced temporary closures. The political unrest has left about 30% of Perus copper production at risk, according to a Peruvian mining association. Read more Near-continuous protests have rocked Peru since early December when the National Assembly removed populist president Pedro Castillo from power after he tried to dissolve the legislative body to avoid impeachment proceedings. Castillo aggressively denounced multinational corporations during his campaign and pledged to nationalize large swaths of the mining industry. So his removal sparked outrage in mining communities who say they work in unsafe conditions for low wages causing mass work stoppages and putting the future of mineral extraction in the country in jeopardy. As the unrest chokes off supply, the global price of copper will likely increase, especially given the current need for metal in the production of electric vehicles. A study by S&P Global found that the proliferation of net-zero emissions goals could more than double the demand for copper by 2035. Perus mining sector, by the numbers #2: Peru is the second-largest producer of copper and silver in the world. $40.3 million: The export value of Perus mining sector, accounting for almost two-thirds of the value of all Perus exports. 30%: Chinese firms account for almost a third of Perus total mining investment portfolio. Congress says no to expedited elections An election might calm tensions and re-open mines, but Perus National Assembly again voted on Feb. 1 not to move presidential elections from their scheduled date in 2026 to this year, despite calls from the countrys current president, Dina Boluarte, who was the second in command under Castillo. Story continues I regret that Congress has not reached the necessary consensus to advance elections, Boluarte said on the presidential Twitter account. We will immediately present a bill so Peruvians can democratically elect their authorities in 2023. The Assembly agreed to move elections to the spring of 2024 after lawmakers originally removed Castillo from power. But this was not sufficient for protestors, who have called for immediate elections. In a poll conducted earlier this week, Boluartes approval rating sank to 17%, lower than Castillos when he was removed from power. But even that is better than the National Assembly, which the same poll found enjoys approval from just 7% of the country. Related stories: Why Perus disgraced ex-president remains popular with indigenous miners Uruguay has the strongest democracy in the Americas, while the US lags far behind Perus president was removed from office after he attempted to dissolve the congress and subvert democracy More from Quartz Sign up for Quartz's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Alvero's casket leaves St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) Funeral services were held Friday for Monterey Park mass shooting victim Valentino Alvero. Mourners filed into St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church, not far from the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, where a gunman killed 11 and wounded nine others. Mourners at the funeral for mass shooting victim Valentino Alvero embrace outside St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church in Monterey Park. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) Pallbearers carry the casket of Valentino Alvero into St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church in Monterey Park. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) Kristenne Reidy, center, daughter of Valentino Alvero, embraces a fellow mourner while holding her daughter, Joan Reidy, 3, after the funeral. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times) The casket of Valentino Alvero is brought into St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church in Monterey Park. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times) The casket of Valentino Alvero is blessed as it is removed from St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church after his funeral. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times) The casket leaves Saint Stephen Martyr Catholic Church. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) A boy holds a flower before placing it on the casket at Resurrection Cemetery in Monterey Park. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) Kristenne Reidy is held by her husband Skyler near the casket at Resurrection Cemetery. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. UPDATE 2/4/23: Pittsburgh police say Keith Lovelace was located on Saturday. Pittsburgh police are searching for a missing 13-year-old boy who is considered to be in danger. Keith Lovelace is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 115 pounds. He was last seen downtown on Ross Street, where police said he ran away from his mother. Lovelace was last seen wearing a royal blue hat, an orange, maroon and black Columbia jacket and black sweatpants. He has a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus pass, according to police. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call 911 or police at 412-323-7141. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: New details emerge regarding ex-Greensburg police chief arrested on federal drug charges Groundhog Day 2023: Did Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow? Major Pittsburgh bridge connecting city neighborhoods shut down for at least 4 months VIDEO: 16-year-old rushed to surgery after shooting in Brookline, 2 people in custody DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts People take photos in front of the new permanent public artwork by artist Anish Kapoor at 56 Leonard Street in Manhattan on opening day on January 31, 2023 in New York City. The artwork is integrated into the building and is a collaboration with the Herzog & de Meuron architectural firm. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images) The Big Apple now has a small bean. Artist Anish Kapoor, who designed the iconic stainless-steel Bean in Millennium Park, finished a strikingly similar sculpture in New York City earlier this week. Advertisement The artwork is wedged under the corner of the towering 56 Leonard luxury apartment building in the Tribeca neighborhood. The buildings developers spent $8 million on the sculpture, according to real estate outlet Curbed. Fortunately, it is smaller than Chicagos version. The original Bean, unveiled in 2004 and officially titled Cloud Gate, weighs in at 110 tons and is 66 feet long and 33 feet high. The so-far-unnamed New York sculpture reportedly comes in at just 40 tons, 48 feet long and 19 feet tall. Advertisement There are a lot of wannabes, but nothing will beat Chicagos, Choose Chicago President and CEO Lynn Osmond said. [ Does The Bean look like a butt? A cheeky new Hallmark holiday card makes it seem so. ] The downsized duplicate does differ from the original Bean in some ways. It sits flatter on the ground and isnt as symmetrical as Chicagos sculpture. Chicagos Bean sits between Michigan Avenue and Lake Michigan, offering unobstructed views of the citys tall buildings and the sky beyond, Osmond said. But the cramped copycat Wannabean is shoved into the corner of the building, she added. It might be the same object, but it is not enhanced by its surroundings in the same way Chicagos larger version of the sculpture is, Osmond said. I dont think its competitive. I just think its complementary, she said. We have Cloud Gate, and they have Corner Gate, she added later. Sculpture strife aside, Osmond praised Kapoor as a fabulous sculptor. When people think of Chicago, they think of the citys skyline or his iconic sculpture, she said. Visitors and residents visit the popular Cloud Gate in Chicago's Millennium Park, July 13, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) The Bean attracts 20 million visitors to Millennium Park each year, a Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events spokesperson said. It is the No. 1 attraction in the Midwest and No. 7 in the United States, according to the spokesperson. Its our postcard, Osmond said. Advertisement The New York City bean isnt the first to bear a noticeable resemblance to Chicagos. Kapoor said in 2015 that he wanted to sue after a similar sculpture appeared in China. The Chinese authorities must act to stop this kind of infringement, he wrote at the time. [ Kapoor bought a $13.5 million, four-bedroom apartment inside the tower, according to Curbed. ] Although Chicago-centric thinkers might see his new sculpture as constricted amid the packed streets of Manhattan, the sculptor has his own thoughts on what the piece offers. The city can feel frenetic, fast and hard, imposing architecture, concrete, noise. My work, at 56 Leonard Street, proposes a form that though made of stainless steel is also soft and ephemeral, Kapoor said in a statement shared with The Tribeca Trib. Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy > Mirrors cause us to pause, to be absorbed and pulled in a way that disrupts time, slows it down perhaps; its a material that creates a new kind of immaterial space. Kapoor bought a $13.5 million, four-bedroom apartment in the tower, according to Curbed. Advertisement The New York sculpture, which sits under a building referred to as the Jenga tower for its many cantilevers, took over four years to complete. The sculpture is said to have ruptured at one point because sunlight caused it to unevenly expand. A new permanent public work of art by Anish Kapoor at 56 Leonard Street in Manhattan on opening day Jan 31, 2023, in New York City. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images) Compared with Chicagos Bean, the new piece required equivalent accuracy and precision, but with an added component, the Tribeca Citizen wrote in 2018, citing the sculptures fabricator. The New York version was set to be made by joining slices together and then smoothing the joints over, the fabricator said. The COVID-19 pandemic and its many travel and supply chain challenges surely made the work even harder. The end product is distinct from Chicagos version for reasons beyond its smaller stature. The buildings website cites The Art Newspaper to argue that instead of a luxe legume, the New York sculpture resembles a squashed balloon. jsheridan@chicagotribune.com Gulfport police officers some with tactical gear, zip ties for restraining people and a gun that shoots bean bags arrested five protesters Thursday upset about the killing of a Black Coast teenager. The arrests happened after the group entered City Hall demanding justice, transparency and the release of camera footage of the October 8 shooting outside Family Dollar that resulted in the death of 15-year-old Jaheim McMillan. Officials, including Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes, said the protesters were not interested in a civil discussion about the case. Hewes and Gulfport Police Chief Adam Cooper both said they thought the police response was appropriate for the situation. About 40 to 50 people all unarmed were outside City Hall just after 3 p.m. Thursday, officials said. At 3:01 p.m., local Black Lives Matter activist Marquell Bridges and about a dozen other protesters entered the building, began shouting and were asked to stay behind a barrier that separates public areas from restricted areas, officials said. In City Hall footage shown to the Sun Herald, many of the protesters were holding phones and recording the situation, chanting phrases including No justice, no peace and F--- the police. The protesters did not comply with requests to exit the building and employees soon called police. City Hall was placed on lock down as some of the protesters followed the city clerk into a back area of City Hall. At that point, officials said employees were fearful of bodily harm. It was all designed to be a confrontation, Hewes said, and they got one. All the protesters eventually exited City Hall, but police officers met the protesters near the steps outside. Four protesters were arrested Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, after a group demanding justice for Jaheim McMillian entered Gulfport City Hall and walked past a security barrier and tried to enter various rooms, prompting police response. Video footage shows arrests near City Hall In footage of the arrests, police officers are seen wrestling one woman to the ground and restraining her with zip ties. Two police officers are later seen escorting a woman away with something wrapped around her chest to restrain her. Story continues All five were charged with various misdemeanor charges, and one man was charged with a felony for hitting an officer in the eye with a bullhorn, Cooper said. Among those arrested was Bridges, a chief activist who often travels around the state to protest alleged brutality involving police, mostly with Black victims. Police said none of the people arrested had local addresses. In an interview with the Sun Herald, Cooper said he was aware of at least seven previous peaceful protests connected to the McMillan case over the last several months. At one of the demonstrations outside City Hall, Cooper said police blocked off the roadway so men, women and children would not have to worry about passing cars. At one of the protests on Pass Road, Cooper said, at least a few people were armed assault rifles. Cooper said police had no idea what they were walking into Thursday night, only that there was a disturbance at City Hall with multiple protesters. He said the police response that included tactical gear, shields and at least one officer with a bean bag shotgun was appropriate for the safety of the officers and the safety of the protesters. The main goal was to diffuse the situation. Tyre Nichols case A witness who saw the protesters said the group of mostly women, men, and young teens had been protesting for a while, mostly chanting the name of Tyre Nichols in memory of a young man killed after a run-in with Memphis police officers. They were yelling, Tyre, and all of a sudden, like 50 cops with riot gear and those shields start chasing them down, she said. Youve got kids running hysterically, and they are chasing them down. Protesters were also chanting Jaheims name outside when police arrived, the witness said. Gulfport officials said the situation at City Hall is not comparable to the Nichols case. No guns were drawn or fired in the arrests on Thursday, and all of the protesters were unarmed. Cooper and Hewes condemned the police officers involved in the killing of Nichols, saying what happened in Memphis was criminal. During and in the aftermath of the encounter with police, video footage of the police arrests was posted to the Justice for Jaheim Facebook page by protesters outraged over what they had witnessed. Since last year, Gulfport police have come under intense pressure to release the police video footage of McMillans death as the case has been investigated by state officials. Hewes said hes hopeful that the investigation is nearing an end and that footage will be released to the public by the end of the month. The Sun Herald reached out to Sean Tindell, commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, to find out when the public will be able to see the footage of the shooting involving Jaheim McMillan. Feb. 2A Nashua man is in jail after allegedly assaulting a friend in a reported stabbing at the Waypoint shelter for young adults in downtown Manchester. Manchester police said they arrested Adrian Allen, 20, on Wednesday and charged him with first-degree assault and simple assault. The assaults allegedly took place Jan. 26 at the Waypoint shelter, which serves young adults. Allen appeared in Hillsborough County Superior Court on Thursday; a judge ordered him jailed on preventive detention. In October, Waypoint opened the shelter at the corner of Hanover and Beech streets. It serves youth 18 to 25 years old, and the facility includes both an overnight shelter and a drop-in center, which is opened for daylight hours. "We are always concerned for the well-being of those we serve," said Borja Alvarez de Toledo, president and CEO of Waypoint. "Every young person who comes through these doors should be able to know that they are in a safe space. We will learn from this and will continue working to improve safety measures." Court records say he will be represented by a New Hampshire public defender, but none had been assigned as of Thursday afternoon, according to the office. The incident occurred shortly before 1 p.m. on Jan. 26. Police reports focus on the drop-in center. The alleged victim in the case, identified in court papers as JP, told police that he and Allen had been friends. "According to JP, the two were watching TV when they disagreed about something Allen said. As a result of the disagreement, Allen stood up and repeatedly punched him," the affidavit reads. Allen pulled a knife with a 4-inch blade, held it in his hand and continued to punch JP, witnesses told police. But JP and witnesses told police they were not sure if Allen was striking JP with the knife or fists. JP suffered several lacerations and scratches to his face. Waypoint allows people sleeping in the shelter to check knives overnight but does not allow guns. Feb. 2Police are investigating a fatal shooting of a man Wednesday outside of a Lebanon store. Benjamin Au, 48, of Munster, was found in a truck he'd driven to the parking lot of Kork & Keg Liquors on W. Ind. 32 at about 4 p.m., police said. An employee of Pomp's Tire Service called 911 to say he heard a gunshot. Police did not immediately know what the situation was in Au's truck, or how many people were in danger. They at first surrounded it with guns drawn, but found Au alone and slumped over the wheel, Lebanon Police Lt. Ryan Williamson said. Au did not have obvious ties to Lebanon. A family member who was with him just before his passing said Au was in mental distress and they met here to talk, Williamson said. They spoke for a few minutes, "then he just left and that family member tried to follow him, and for whatever reason, he pulled into that parking lot," Williamson said. Police are investigating the injury as a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound, Williamson said. "He (Au) was transported to Witham Hospital, where he died as a result of his injuries," Boone County Coroner Justin Sparks said. An autopsy was performed on Au Thursday, but the investigation will not be complete until toxicology reports are complete. "His injury is consistent with a gunshot wound," Sparks said. "We are not investigating it as a criminal act. We do not suspect foul play." My son is no safer today than he would have been 30 years ago, the writer and political commentator Goldie Taylor told The Hill in a video interview this week. Taylor, like so many Black Americans, is grappling with the killing of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police and with what it means. Five officers subsequently fired have been charged with second-degree murder in the case of Nichols, who was beaten savagely by police on Jan. 7 and died in a hospital three days later. Taylor, a former political strategist now best known for her writing and cable news appearances, watched the now-infamous footage in the Nichols case and instantly thought about the police assault of Rodney King in Los Angles more than three decades before. For all of the energy around social justice, for all of the energy around Black Lives Matter, for all the calling attention to this issue, too little has changed, she said. But she also talked about the debate in more directly personal terms. Taylor recalled counseling her now-adult children about what to do if they were ever stopped by police a conversation that takes place in many Black families, usually focused on giving officers no pretext, however flimsy, for the use of force. Even those warnings are like a faulty insurance policy, Taylor said. In Nicholss case, she noted, that insurance policy didnt pay off. He did everything right. The intersection of the personal and the political is a big theme of Taylors newly published memoir, The Love You Save. The book is a moving and sometimes-harrowing read that encompasses traumas of sexual assault, loss and dysfunction that permeated Taylors childhood and adolescence in St. Ann, Mo. and East St. Louis, Ill. She also writes about the broader issues that impacted her life and the lives of those around her, including not just racism but also the endemic problems of poverty, marginalization and near-routine violence. At one point, describing her experiences as East St. Louis falls into a downward trajectory, she writes that life was changing quickly then. The threads holding the town together seemed to snap. Story continues At another, she notes how her fearsome Auntie Gerald tries to protect her from the ills of the outside world, but adds that little or no attention was paid to the war going on inside me. I was a walking wreckage. Angry most of the time, I resented everything that breathed. Taylor acknowledges that the process of going public with her experiences was years in the making. Her father was murdered in 1973, when she was just five years old. She recalled to The Hill speaking about her father during a TV appearance back in 2014, when a fellow panelist was the writer Ta-Nehisi Coates. He was seated next to me. We were on the show and he said, You know, when are you going to write a memoir? And I said: Too many guilty people are still alive. Taylor writes in the book about two experiences of rape. One came at the hands of an older boy when she was just 11 years old. Later, still a child, she suffered a series of attacks by a member of her extended family. Of the latter, she writes that at one point, The attacks came closer and closer together. I felt like I was being hunted. Eventually, in August 2019, she decided that it was time to write about what had happened. I was tired of carrying the burdens of others, she told The Hill. The traumas she endured will never vanish, she notes, but the experience of breaking the secrecy around them has given her a sense of renewed peace. There was a lightness about my life. The book has its lighter moments, too, including the escape offered to the adolescent Taylor by poetry and literature as she discovers writers such as Margaret Walker and James Baldwin. I could go places in books. I could take myself places, she says now. Those experiences presaged much of her adult life as she forged a career in politics, communications, media and as the author of three novels prior to her memoir. Now, she is a contributing editor at The Daily Beast, where she writes mainly about social justice issues. As for the national political scene, she contends that President Biden has racked up significant achievements in a deeply polarized political environment. When it comes to his reelection hopes, she added, I do believe, to be frank, that age is age not that he would be too old, but that the American people might perceive that they want a new generation of leadership. As for Taylor herself, she says that she has found a new level of serenity. For far too many years, I lived life as if holding my breath, she writes in The Love You Save. Can she let her breath out now? Yeah. That feels pretty good, she said. Able to breathe freely and of my own volition. Heart beats evenly now. The Love You Save A Memoir by Goldie Taylor is out now, published by Hanover Square Press. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Pope Francis endorsed using the middle finger Pope Francis caused a bit of ruckus on the internet Thursday after he seemed to support the use of the middle finger in a Twitter post. The post, which has since been removed, highlighted the middle finger, saying it was a symbol of honesty. The middle finger, which is higher than the others, reminds us of something essential: honesty. To be honest means not getting entangled in the snares of corruption, Pope Francis official account wrote in the now-deleted post, shared by New York Magazine. Read more His explanation followed a series of posts in which Pope Francis describes the attributes of each finger. He first wrote a comment on Twitter, saying, God has placed the gift of life in your hands. From your hands tomorrow is born. From your hands, peace so lacking in this country can come about. I would like to suggest some ingredients for the future: five of them, each corresponding to a finger on your hand. He started the series with the thumb, which symbolizes prayer, followed by the index finger which symbolizes community, before reaching the middle finger. The post was removed about 50 minutes later and replaced with one subtle change; the middle finger was replaced with the third finger. The descriptive posts have since been taken down but screenshots of the tweets have continued to go viral with former Congressman Joe Walsh tweeting, Pope Francis shouldnt have deleted it. I thought it was an awesome tweet. Pope Francis has been considered one of the savviest popes compared to his predecessors by moving away from the Catholic Churchs historical views on some topics. In a recent interview with the Associated Press, he denounced the view among some within the Catholic Church that believe people within the LGBTQ+ community are criminals, saying homosexuality isnt a crime. And said all of Gods children need to be treated with dignity. However, Francis didnt go as far as to say homosexuality isnt a sin, but did say there needs to be a distinction between a crime and a sin with regard to homosexuality. Story continues More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. KINSHASA (Reuters) - Pope Francis flew out of Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday, heading for neighbouring South Sudan, where he will remain until Sunday. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the Church of Scotland Moderator, Iain Greenshields, will be with him during the South Sudan leg of his journey, an unprecedented joint "pilgrimage of peace" by the three Christian leaders. (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Alexander Winning) JUBA, South Sudan (AP) Pope Francis, on a novel ecumenical peace mission to the worlds youngest country, warned South Sudans political leaders on Friday that history will judge them harshly if they continue to drag their feet implementing a 2018 peace accord. Accompanying him to the overwhelmingly Christian country were the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Rt. Rev. Iain Greenshields. They hope to cast a spotlight on what Francis has called a forgotten crisis. South Sudan gained independence from the majority Muslim Sudan in 2011, but has been beset by civil war and conflict. Thousands of people ululated and sang in 96-degree Fahrenheit (35.5-degree Celsius) heat as President Salva Kiir greeted the religious leaders at the airport in the capital, Juba. Francis motorcade route was lined with Christians, Muslims, and traditional dancers waving Vatican, South Sudanese and British flags. The pope is closest to God, said Poni Jadalla, 45, as she waited to welcome Francis on the first-ever papal visit to the country. Let the pope give us peace so that this country can develop and no more bloodshed. The Catholic, Anglican and Presbyterian leaders have called for the countrys political leaders to put aside their differences and work for the good of their people. In his first address on South Sudanese soil, Francis addressed former rivals Kiir and deputy Riek Machar, who were gathered in the garden of the presidential palace. Future generations will either venerate your names or cancel their memory, based on what you now do, Francis said. For just as the Nile leaves its sources to begin its course, so the course of history will leave behind the enemies of peace and bring renown to those who are true peacemakers. Kiir, Machar and other opposition groups signed the peace agreement in 2018 ending five years of civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people. But the deals provisions, including the formation of a national unified army, remain largely unimplemented. The delays have forced the postponement of the countrys first presidential election for another two years. Story continues Meanwhile, clashes have continued, including attacks this week in the south that killed 27 people. Combined with flooding last year, the number of internally displaced people has topped 2 million and the U.N. has warned that humanitarian needs are soaring. Francis and Welby first announced plans to visit South Sudan in 2017, but security concerns repeatedly thwarted the trip. In an effort to move the process forward, Francis presided in 2019 over a joint prayer in the Vatican, and famously got down on hands and knees and kissed the feet of South Sudans rival leaders, begging them to make peace. That gesture of humility did not go in vain, Kiir, a Catholic, told Francis in welcoming him to Juba Friday and recommitting himself to the process. He recalled that at the time of that extraordinary gesture, Machar was living in exile, but that today the two of them are seated here, working collectively to implement the provisions of the accord. Francis urged the leaders to put aside personal quests for power. Using the Italian exhortation Basta! (Enough!), he said: Now is the time to say Enough without any ifs, ands or buts." Enough bloodshed. Enough conflicts. Enough violence and mutual recriminations about who is responsible for it. Enough leaving your people athirst for peace," he said. "Leave the time of war behind and let a time of peace dawn! He called for an end to corruption, and for particular attention to be paid to women and to involving them in decision-making. Anyone who commits an act of violence towards a woman commits it towards God, Francis said. The U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has reported that widespread rape was being used as a weapon by armed groups across the country. It expressed shock at interviewees describing staggeringly brutal and prolonged gang rapes perpetrated against them by multiple men, often while their husbands, parents or children were forced to watch, helpless to intervene. Additionally, the United Nations warned in November that some 9.4 million people out of a population of 12.4 million would need humanitarian aid and protection this year, a half million more than in 2022. It cited violence, constraints on access by aid groups, and climate conditions including flooding and drought. At the same time, the U.N. has warned that funding for increased aid has dwindled, as donors redirect money to Ukraine and other crises. We have suffered so much in silence, said Francis Wani, 30, sitting outside the airport gate, waiting for Francis to arrive. Therefore we only need blessings and peace. The fighting that killed at least 27 people this week in Central Equatoria states Kajo-keji pitted cattle herders against other residents, said county commissioner Phanuel Dumo. It demonstrated the simmering violence in communities sometimes awash with arms and ethnic tensions in one of the worlds poorest countries. The South Sudan Red Cross said four of its volunteers were among the dead, picked from their houses together with community members and callously killed. In a statement, it said others were taken from water-distribution points and killed in groups. South Sudan is one of the deadliest countries for aid workers. Human Rights Watch, for its part, urged Pope Francis and his fellow religious leaders to raise the issue of widespread impunity for abuses in South Sudan. It asked him to call for the immediate release of journalists with the state broadcaster who were detained last month in relation to a video of the 71-year-old president apparently urinating on himself, and for any charges against them to be dropped. ___ Cara Anna and Evelyne Musambi in Nairobi contributed. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Wa ethnic people in SW China's Yunnan march toward prosperity through culture promotion People's Daily Online) 16:49, February 02, 2023 The people of the Wa ethnic group in southwest China's Yunnan Province have given themselves better lives by passing on their traditional ethnic culture. Photo shows an aerial view of the county seat of Ximeng Wa autonomous county in Pu'er city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Hu Zunhui) Yan Tao, a man born in 1990 in Talang village, Ximeng Wa autonomous county in Pu'er city, Yunnan, left his hometown and went to east China's Hangzhou to join a performing arts company after graduating from middle school. People of the Wa ethnic group are talented at singing and dancing, according to Yan. Before leaving the village, Yan would often sing and dance together with his fellow villagers, which was when the seeds of ethnic culture began to take root in his mind. "Before I was 16, the furthest place I had been was the county seat of Ximeng. I was filled with curiosity about the outside world," said Yan. However, just after joining the performing arts company, he encountered many difficulties, such as mastering professional dance moves. "I love dancing. But then I found that learning it systematically was not easy. I spent hours practicing difficult dance moves and cried every time because the training was really intensive," Yan recalled. However, his efforts eventually paid off. After several years of practice, Yan was recognized by his company as a professional performer. "In 2012, I joined a performing arts company in Hunan Province and established a dance team specializing in promoting the traditional culture of the Wa ethnic group," said Yan. In 2019, he was promoted to supervisor by the company. Photo shows a stage photo of an opera show about the Wa ethnic group. (People's Daily Online/Hu Zunhui) As he had always wanted to help his villagers find jobs and promote the culture of the Wa ethnic group, Yan returned to his village at the end of 2019 and recruited more than 20 local villagers to join his dance team. Yan said the local government helped him by providing dance training for the villagers, which laid a solid foundation for their future development. After the training, the more than 20 villagers joined Yan's performing arts company, giving each member a monthly base salary of 5,500 yuan ($818). "The county government also offered us financial support and gave us transportation allowances and incentives as we would work outside the county, which helped us a lot," Yan said. Before 2019, the government of the Ximeng Wa autonomous county had released a series of policies to promote labor transfer in rural areas, and saw this as a task of great importance. Photo shows a stage photo of an opera show about the Wa ethnic group. (People's Daily Online/Hu Zunhui) "The care and support from the government injected energy into us," said Yan. Nowadays, Yan and his fellow villagers are living prosperous lives as a result of their hard work and perseverance. "We've not only broadened our horizons, but also mastered many skills required to become prosperous. I hope that I can contribute to the development of my hometown," the man said. The cultural industry in the village, including its music, dance, food and clothes, are distinctive elements of the Wa ethnic group that hold great appeal for tourists, Yan said. "It was the culture of the Wa ethnic group that we depended on to build a career over the past years," said Yan, adding that in the New Year, his biggest wish is to continue to promote the Wa culture. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Du Mingming) Peter Craig Savely, a former controller at the East Bank Club, departs the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Feb. 2, 2023, after being sentenced for embezzling from the club. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) The former controller of Chicagos swanky East Bank Club was sentenced to more than four years in federal prison Thursday for embezzling more than $4 million from the health facility over a seven-year period. Peter Craig Savely, 58, of Chicago, pleaded guilty in October to one count of bank fraud, admitting he stole $4.1 million from 2013 to 2020 by forging payroll checks for low-level employees and depositing the money into bank accounts he controlled. Advertisement In handing down the 51-month sentence, U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman said Savelys theft was a blatant betrayal of his employers trust over a long period of time and that there was only one explanation for the motive. I can only conclude that the motive was greed, Guzman said as Savely stood sobbing at the lectern. Advertisement Before the sentence was handed down, Savely turned to relatives and friends in the courtroom gallery, held his hands to his heart and apologized through tears. I am not that person, he said after turning back to the judge. I dont want to be that person. Savely is free on bond and must report to prison by June 2. Before he left the courtroom, Guzman told him that the next several years will be difficult, but that how he chooses to spend his time behind bars will determine how things go when hes released. If you truly believe you are not that person, you now have the chance to prove it, Guzman said. Savely, who had worked for the club on North Kingsbury Street for 15 years, admitted in a plea agreement with prosecutors that he issued purported payroll checks on the clubs bank account to four employees, signing the checks himself as the clubs controller and also forging the signature of the clubs chief financial officer. Savely then forged the payees signatures to fraudulently endorse the checks and deposited them into bank accounts that he controlled, the plea agreement stated. The East Bank Club along the Chicago River as seen on Aug. 25, 2021. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) Savely admitted that he attempted to conceal the embezzlement by regularly making false entries in the clubs financial ledgers and causing the losses associated with the checks to be spread across multiple departments, thereby making the losses harder to detect. Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy > In asking for a 51-month prison term, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson told the judge Thursday that Savely was earning a six-figure salary while he was stealing from the club, and that his crime grew more brazen over time, ending with the theft of $800,000 in 2020 alone. Advertisement Peirson also noted that Savely put low-level, entry-level employees such as locker room custodians unwittingly at risk by using their real names to forge the checks. Savelys attorney, Andrew Porter, asked for a term of 2 years, noting that Savely self-reported the crime to the Department of Justice, aided prosecutors in their investigation and agreed to quickly plead guilty. Hes a broken man as he stands here before you, judge, Porter said. Hes unemployed, hes deeply in debt. Hes lost friends and relationships. In a court filing last month, Porter said Savely, the son of a Lutheran minister, was a dedicated friend and uncle who lived an otherwise law-abiding life, though he did struggle with drug use at times. Porter said even the money Savely stole was by and large used for others benefit. Pete is even now continuing to examine why he so badly went off the loving, law-abiding path he was on, Porter wrote. That examination will likely continue for the rest of his life. jmeisner@chicagotribune.com Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, has said that the European Union will not stop supporting Ukraine despite the Kremlin's threats and Ukraine will become a member of the EU. Source: Charles Michel at the press conference following the Ukraine-EU summit, reports European Pravda Details: "This summit sends two clear messages: the first for you and for the people of Ukraine the EU will support you in all possible ways. The Kremlin did not and will not intimidate us. Because the EU and Ukraine are family," Michel said. "And the second message the future of Ukraine is within the European Union. Ukrainians have made a clear choice in favour of freedom, democracy and the rule of law. Your future is with us in our common European Union. Your destiny is our destiny," the head of the European Council added. Background: Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine deserved to start negotiations on membership in the European Union already this year. Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, during her visit in Kyiv expressed the opinion that Ukraine would become a member of the European Union. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! (Bloomberg) -- Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist Party and a handful of Conservative Members of Parliament issued a warning to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak over Brexit, foreshadowing domestic obstacles ahead as his government seeks to end a dispute with the European Union. Most Read from Bloomberg The DUPs 8 MPs plus six Tories called on ministers to abandon regulations enshrining plans to build new border control facilities in Northern Ireland, as required by the UKs existing deal with the EU. The Conservative signatories include former ministers Jacob Rees Mogg, John Redwood and David Jones, influential figures on the partys pro-Brexit wing. The regulations give effect to a customs border that divides the United Kingdom, treating Northern Ireland like a foreign country, the MPs wrote in a non-binding so-called early day motion proposed in Parliament this week. It is their purpose to protect the integrity of a different legal regime in Northern Ireland created by laws in over 300 areas imposed by a polity of which it is not a part and in which it has no representation. Read More: Sunak Steps Onto Political Tightrope With N. Ireland Brexit Deal The motion itself will be of little concern to Sunak: EDMs are typically used by MPs to register opinions or dissent and rarely get formally debated. But its also a reminder of the caucus of lawmakers he needs to satisfy as British negotiators home in on a new deal with the EU to resolve the thorny issue of Northern Irelands post-Brexit trading arrangements. The government is trying to re-negotiate the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol, the part of the Brexit agreement that effectively keeps that region in the EUs single market, and establishes a customs border between it and Great Britain. Story continues With the UK and EU nearing a provisional agreement, Sunak will be wary of the coordination between the DUP and Brexiteer Tories in the pro-Brexit European Research Group. Thats because the ERG has made life difficult for successive prime ministers, while the DUP has blocked the formation of Northern Irelands regional government in protest against the current deal and could similarly stymie a new agreement. The DUP has set seven tests for a deal, while a prime ERG concern is that there should be no role for the European Court of Justice. They may be disappointed in that demand, after Sunaks spokesman suggested on Thursday that the UK may be willing to allow the ECJ to retain a role. The UK and EU can talk until the cows come home, said Jim Shannon, a DUP MP, speaking in a phone interview. That agreement holds no water if it doesnt address the issue of unionism. Read More: Why Northern Ireland Keeps the UK and Europe at Odds: QuickTake Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. A former Memphis Police Department officer spoke out on TikTok after the killing of Tyre Nichols, and hundreds of thousands are listening. Five former Memphis police officers have been charged with murder in the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols who was beaten during a traffic stop Jan. 7 and died three days later. Three emergency medical technicians have been fired and two more police officers have been disciplined. Nichols slaying has prompted police unions across the country to release statements of opposition, including the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose and State of Hawaii police unions which called Nichols killing horrific. On Jan. 31, former MPD officer Brandon Williams spoke from his heart in a TikTok video about the killing of Nichols. Williams worked for the MPD between 2016 and 2021, he said, and had patrolled with two of the five officers who are now facing charges. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith each face charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression, according to the Associated Press. They are no longer employed with the department, according to the outlet. Nichols was initially pulled over for a traffic stop but there appeared to be no justification for the traffic stop, and nothing of note was found in the car, the Associated Press reported. Footage of the incident provided by the Associated Press shows Nichols running after one officer fired a taser at him and the police begin to pursue him. Williams said in the TikTok that Nichols life may not have been guaranteed even if he acted differently. You cant say that if he never ran he would still be alive when the stop was illegal in the first place, Williams said. As a Black male, I probably would have ran too, and I was a police for five years. Story continues The former officer added that he thinks the tactics the officers used against Nichols should not be taught or used unless they were intentionally trying to kill the individual. There is no way, form or fashion that you take a police boot and you strike a mans face multiple times when hes on the ground. No form, no way, no fashion, theres no way that thats excusable, Williams said in the TikTok. He advised that police should never let their fellow officers do something that they wouldnt allow to be done to themselves. Once you look at somebody, no matter what crime they did, and you take the human out of them, you have now also lost your humanity, Williams finished. His video has more than 600,000 views, and some fellow former police officers have chimed in to support Williams. Retired police officer here. Very well said. Spot on, one person commented. More officers need to speak this, and be teaching it, another said. Thank you. Stanford University cop accused of pulling gun on Black driver. Investigation underway He needed help not death. Dad with mental illness shot in back by cops, CA suit says Two men killed in Waffle House parking lot when bullets spray car, Louisiana cops say Cops searching for wrong person wreck familys home during raid, Texas officials say Prostitution-related charges filed against a Virginia Beach megachurch pastor in 2021 may have been withdrawn as part of a deal reached with prosecutors, and not because of a lack of evidence, according to emails between police and prosecutors released Friday. The disclosure comes nearly four months after Chesterfield County prosecutors abandoned their case against Rock Church Pastor John Blanchard while continuing to prosecute more than a dozen other men arrested in October 2021 during an undercover prostitution sting operation. The email communications and numerous other documents were provided to The Virginian-Pilot Friday by state Del. Tim Anderson, a Republican from Virginia Beach whos been questioning why Blanchards charges were dismissed. Emails between police and a prosecutor assigned to the case suggest the move was made in exchange for Blanchard getting a psychosexual examination and sex offender counseling. Psychosexual examinations are often conducted on defendants charged with sex-related crimes. Theyre done to evaluate the persons sexual interests and to see if they deviate from generally accepted sexual behavior. The evaluations also can also help predict if a defendant is at risk of re-offending, and what treatment might be most effective. Chesterfield County Commonwealths Attorney Stacey Davenport, who was elected in 2019, previously said the charges were withdrawn due to problems with the evidence. In a Jan. 13 statement, she said the decision was based solely upon the law, the facts of the case, and the professional experience and ethical duties of the prosecutors. In reference to attacks from Anderson about her handling of the case, Davenport wrote, moral outrage is no substitute for evidence. But in one email exchange between a detective and Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Alexander Michev, the prosecutor assigned to the case, Michev suggested a deal had been worked out between Davenport and Blanchards lawyer. The name of the person Michev was communicating with is redacted from the document, but Anderson said it was a detective. Story continues The defense attorney has had some conversations with Stacey, and Defendant did the equivalent of a psychosexual (examination) and has been in sex offender related counseling. Based on all of that, it was nolle prossed this morning, Michev wrote in the email. Anderson said he obtained the emails and other information through a Freedom of Information Act request he placed with Chesterfield County police. Davenport, Blanchards defense attorney Noel Brooks, and Michevdidnt immediately respond to requests for comment. Blanchard was one of 17 men arrested during an October 2021 police sting at a motel in Chesterfield County. Police said Blanchard and the others had been communicating online with an undercover officer posing as a 17-year-old prostitute and arranged to meet the person at the motel. All were charged with solicitation of prostitution, and those who drove to the motel also were charged with using a vehicle to promote prostitution. Blanchard and his wife, Robin, have been senior pastors of the non-denominational Rock Church since 2013. Blanchard initially stepped away from his role as a pastor after the charges were brought, but the church proclaimed he was exonerated and cleared of all charges after they were dismissed. Court records show prosecutors chose to fully prosecute all the men except Blanchard and one other. Michev asked a judge in October to nolle prosequi, or withdraw, Blanchards charges, but didnt offer an explanation. The case wasnt nolle prossed with prejudice, however, which means it can be refiled later. Davenport announced during a Jan. 19 press conference that shed recently received new information in the case and was referring it to a special prosecutor. The documents released Friday show the new evidence is a video police obtained after executing a search warrant last month. Chesterfield County Police Chief Jeffery Katz wrote in a Jan. 17 email to Davenport that police learned about the video through a tip. He also wrote that the video shows Blanchard knowingly sought to engage in sex with an underage girl when he showed up at the motel in a rented car. The emails provided do not further describe what is seen or heard on the video, or where police got it. Other email exchanges released Friday capture some of the frustration expressed amid internal discussions about the case. A detective on the case reached out to Michev about a week before the Oct. 11 hearing when Blanchards charges were dismissed to see if it was still scheduled and whether he needed to be there. Michev responded, Its set for status no one needs to be there. When the detective learned the charges had been nolle prossed, he emailed Michev again and asked for an explanation, the documents show. I dont understand, he wrote. The majority of those arrested will have to do those things plus be convicted. What was different about him? An email received by Chesterfield County Police Capt. Michael Breeden on Jan. 20 said the reason Michev gave for the charges being withdrawn was that Blanchard had a built-in defense because he didnt acknowledge the age of the undercover detective in his text exchanges with the detective, and that he claimed he didnt see the text about age because he was driving. The name of the person who sent the email to Breeden is redacted from the document. Chesterfield County police have previously acknowledged the men arrested in the sting werent told that the person they were communicating with was 17 until shortly before the men arrived at the motel. Some of the men backed out after learning the persons age, but the 17 who were arrested did not. The email goes on to say that when Michev was asked why his office didnt go ahead with Blanchards case as a solicitation of prostitution with an adult, which is a misdemeanor and was the way many of the other cases were handled, Michev said he didnt think it was worth it. He (Michev) advised that they felt we wouldnt get anything out of a misdemeanor conviction, and the better outcome was that Blanchard receive the sex offender counseling which contained components of a psychosexual evaluation, the email said. Anderson said hes been pursuing additional information in the case over the past few months because hes appalled by Blanchards behavior and at how Davenport has handled his case. This guy gets cut loose and comes back to Virginia Beach and proclaims hes innocent and then he goes back in the pulpit, Anderson said. He drove from Virginia Beach to Chesterfield in a rental car to meet an under-aged girl for sex. Thats a big deal. Its disgusting. As for Davenport, Anderson said, Shes a Republican and its very offensive to me that we have a Republican acting this way. Normally, you see liberal prosecutors do stuff and we would rail about it and complain about it but we have a Republican prosecutor lying and covering this up. Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder Screenshot / DOD Twitter A specter is haunting America the specter of communism. Or, perhaps more specifically, the specter of a purported "high-altitude surveillance balloon" Pentagon officials believe originated in China, which has been floating slowly eastward across the continental United States. Speaking at a Defense Department press conference on Friday, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed the military is tracking the object at approximately 60,000 feet, but wouldn't confirm whether it planned to shoot the balloon down, as some in Washington have suggested. The Pentagon has rejected Chinese government assertions that the balloon is simply an errant research airship blown inconveniently off course, saying during a Thursday briefing that unlike other Chinese spy balloons observed in the past, "it is appearing to hang out for a long period of time this time around, more persistent than in previous instances." While the prospect of a foreign object unhurriedly surveilling wide swaths of the country is an alarming one, Pentagon officials don't seem particularly worried about the balloon itself, downplaying both its intelligence-gathering capacity, and general threat to the public. While cautioning that the balloon and its payload are large enough to cause damage if downed over a populated area, its actual spying ability does "not create significant value" compared to other Chinese spy satellites, a Pentagon official stressed during a background briefing. Those assurances, however, were not enough to assuage a number of lawmakers, including former President Donald Trump, who have advocated a forceful response to the balloon's presence. Several Republicans, however, have publicly mused that a violent reaction to the balloon would be playing directly into China's hands. Speaking with Steve Bannon on Friday, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) wondered whether shooting the object down would give Chinese military officials a sense of American anti-surveillance capabilities. China might even be trying to "bait the United States into disputes over appropriate rights in the air" he added. On Twitter, former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force pilot himself, raised similar concerns. Story continues Others, including former Clinton administration official and international relations expert David Rothkopf, have cautioned that any hysteria over the balloon's presence is "pretty darn dumb," even if it turns out to be a top-secret spy system after all. "It is certainly not news that the Chinese are spying on us," Rothkopf pointed out. "And we are definitely in no position to condemn them for spying." In 2001, for instance, a U.S. spy plane was downed after colliding with a Chinese jet interceptor in the South China Sea, touching off a weeks-long international incident. Rothkopf's warnings notwithstanding, the Biden administration quickly responded to the balloon's presence by scuttling a scheduled weekend meeting between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Friday, just hours before Blinken was to depart. There are, however, those who maintain that China's explanation that this is simply a rogue weather balloon is not only "absolutely possible," but even "likely," as University of Washington Atmospheric Chemistry professor Dan Jaffe told The Associated Press. Meanwhile, although the Pentagon won't divulge the exact location of the balloon, Brig. Gen. Ryder did remind the public on Friday that they could simply "look up in the sky." You may also like Yale honors Black girl who had the police called on her for spraying lanternflies Matthew McConaughey starred in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days due to advice from a fortune teller Eye drops recalled after being linked to drug-resistant infections A Ukrainian military man drives a car in the Bakhmut district, Donetsk oblast The ISW has not observed any evidence that Russian forces have restored sufficient combat power to defeat Ukraines forces in eastern Ukraine and capture over 11,300 square kilometers of unoccupied Donetsk Oblast (over 42 percent of Donetsk Oblasts total area) before March as Putin reportedly ordered, it wrote. Read also: Russian troops kill four civilians, injure seven in Donetsk Oblast, governor says ISW analysts interpreted a statement by Andriy Chernyak, who represents Ukrainian intelligence, that Putin ordered his troops to capture the entire territory of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts by March 2023 as confirmation of their assessment that a Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine remains the most likely scenario. Chernyak has also stated that Russian forces are redeploying additional unspecified assault groups, units, weapons, and military equipment to unspecified areas of eastern Ukraine, likely in the Luhansk Oblast area, ISW analysts said. The ISW also considers the blocking of mobile Internet services by the occupying authorities in Luhansk Oblast as part of an effort to intensify operational security to conceal new Russian force deployments in Luhansk Oblast. Read also: Ukrainian military eliminate 800 Russian troops, reports General Staff In this way, Russia is likely trying to strengthen operational security and avoid the spread of information about the new deployment of Russian troops in Luhansk Oblast. Previously, Ukrainian citizens have used cell phones to collect information about Russian forces in occupied Ukraine and send targeting information to the Ukrainian military. Previously, ISW analysts predicted that if a major Russian offensive were to begin by April 2023, it would likely prematurely culminate during the April spring rain season (if not before) before achieving operationally significant effects. In this case, the culmination of Russias forces could generate favorable conditions for Ukrainian forces to exploit in their own late spring or summer 2023 counteroffensive after incorporating Western tank deliveries. Story continues The ISW also analyzed a fresh assessment by Oleksiy Reznikov, who stated that the number of mobilized Russian personnel is higher than the Kremlins official 300,000 figure. Analysts note that such a figure may be close to the estimate made recently by the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) chief Kyrylo Budanov, who stated that there are currently about 326,000 Russian servicemen fighting in Ukraine, excluding the 150,000 mobilized still on training grounds. Read also: Close-quarters combat ongoing near Svatove in Luhansk Oblast, says governor On the other hand, ISW has not observed indicators that crypto-mobilization efforts in past months have produced as many as 200,000 additional mobilized personnel, however, although it is possible. Russian officials are continuing efforts to frame the war in Ukraine as an existential threat to Russian audiences in order to set information conditions for a protracted war and maintain domestic support for continued military operations, ISW analysts note. In a Feb. 2 speech at a concert dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi troops by the Red Army in the Battle of Stalingrad, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Russia is once again facing a modern manifestation of Nazism that is directly threatening Russian security, the assessment explains. However, these efforts are still in vain and do not lead to the desired motivational effect of Russians to participate in the war. ISW analysts have cited figures indicating that Russian state services have faced increased demand for foreign passports and have suspended applications for new passports since Feb. 2, in particular due to a shortage of microchips for such documents. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia reported that more than 5.4 million foreign passports were issued in 2022, which is 40% more than in the previous year. The Kremlin need not look further than passport statistics to poll domestic attitudes on the Russian populations desire to fight Putins war, writes the ISW. Read also: Russian troops are aiming to seize all of Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts in next few months, warns military intel Key takeaways: Russian and Ukrainian sources suggested that Russian forces may be preparing offensive actions in the Svatove area; Russian forces intensified ground attacks in the Kreminna area on Feb. 2; Russian forces continued ground attacks northeast and southwest of Bakhmut; Russian officials are likely trying to prepare the Russian militarys disciplinary apparatus for an influx of mobilized personnel; Russian forces and occupation authorities continue efforts to identify and arrest Crimean Tatars on allegations that they associate with extremist movements outlawed in Russia. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Sputnik/Evgeniy Paulin/Kremlin Russias military is preparing for heavy losses ahead in a new offensive, according to a source apparently stationed at a Russian military headquarters in Ukraine, Novaya Gazeta reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing to send tens of thousands of men to war in Ukraine knowing very well that he is going to make them into minced meat, the source said. The source accused the Russian military of not taking any dangers of the offensive into account and predicted that the offensive would come at a massive cost. The warning coincides with U.S. and other western officials warning that Russia is preparing to launch a new onslaught of offensive operations in the new year. Ukrainian intelligence has assessed that Putin has ordered the Russian commander of troops in Ukraine to seize all of Donbas by the end of this month. Already, there are indications that Russia is in dire straits in its attempts to regroup and launch a new offensive, and aware that there may be some resistance to mobilization. British intelligence assessed last month that Putin is struggling to come up with new ways to mobilize more personnel to the front without causing domestic dissent over the war to grow. Putin ordered a mobilization of 300,000 last year and may be relying on more call-ups under those orders soon, the British intelligence assessment stated. The goal of minimizing dissent appears to be bumping up against battlefield planning, though. The window of opportunity for Russia to make any gains in Ukraine is closing soon, the Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Valdemaras Rupshis, warned, adding that even a blind man can see that they are preparing for the next wave of offensive in an interview with Novaya Gazeta. Russia will be less able to secure battlefield wins the longer it waits to launch its offensive, especially as more western nations work to crank up their military aid to Ukraine, Rupshis said in an interview with Guildhall published Friday. Story continues Intel Reveals Putins First Order for a Big War Rebound This Year The Russians understand that if they do not launch an offensive now, it will be too late by the end of spring, Rupshis said, warning that all signs point to Russia preparing for a new offensive. Satellite imagery analysis shared exclusively with The Daily Beast in recent days shows Russia has been building up a layered network of fortifications in order to try to hold onto the eastern Ukrainian territory it has already gained in Donetsk and Luhansk. Some of the imagery suggests Russia might be trying to go on the offensive to gain more territory as well, analysts said. Andriy Chernyak, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, said this week that Ukrainian intelligence continues to assess that Russia wants to take all of the Donbas by March. Weve observed that the Russian occupation forces are redeploying additional assault groups, units, weapons, and military equipment to the east, Cherniak told The Kyiv Post. In some ways Russia has already begun offensive campaigns in eastern Ukraine to that effect, Cherniak warned. Even today, we are already seeing such actions in the Luhansk and Donetsk directions, Cherniak said. That is, the offensive is underway. Ukraines General Staff of the Armed Forces warned that Russia was continuing to conduct attacks throughout Ukraine Friday. There is a great danger of further Russian aviation and missile strikes across Ukraine, Ukraines General Staff of the Armed Forces spokesperson said. Already, Russias military operations on the ground are not going well, though, according to Ukraines military. Russia is running offensive actions in the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdiiv, and Novopavlivsky directions, but is suffering major losses in personnel and military equipment, the spokesperson said Friday in a brief. The opponent continues to suffer losses. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. A body found in Mississippi has been identified as a teenager who was missing for more than three weeks, police say. Louisville police said railroad workers discovered a body in a wooded area next to the rail yard on Monday, Jan. 30. On Feb. 1, police shared that the body was identified as 16-year-old Montevious Goss, according to a Facebook post from the department. Goss vanished the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 11, after he was seen getting into a pickup truck, according to a Facebook post from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. An endangered/missing child alert was issued on Jan. 15. The teen was on his way to school the last time he was seen, his mom said in a Facebook post. Police said the incident is under investigation by multiple agencies. Goss is remembered as a wonderful son, brother, nephew, student, and friend, who impacted the lives of many around him, according to a GoFundMe set up by a family member. Hurt, heartache, and pain, another family member posted on Facebook. This just seems unreal. Louisville is about 100 miles northeast of Jackson. Teen vanished on her way to school, Maryland cops say. Remains now found months later Missing 17-year-old girl is found frozen to death near crashed car, Wisconsin cops say 16-year-old vanished 50 years ago. Remains found in 1988 are now identified as hers histological image shows a cross section of a rat's brain, depicted in red, with a glowing green blob on the top right side; the blob is a clump of cells called an organoid that's been derived from human stem cells and transplanted into the rat's brain Miniature, lab-grown models of the human brain's wrinkled surface can be used to patch injuries in the brains of living rats and thus repair broken connections in the rodents' sensory processing systems, a new study shows. Someday, such minibrains known as brain organoids could potentially be used to mend the brains of human patients, too, the study authors propose. "I see this as the first step in developing a new strategy for repairing the brain ," said Dr. Han-Chiao Isaac Chen , the study's senior author and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Eventually, organoids could be used to restore the brain's function following a traumatic injury, invasive surgery or stroke , or to help combat the effects of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's , Chen told Live Science. However, we're many years away from applying the technology in humans, he said. In their new study, published Thursday (Feb. 2) in the journal Cell Stem Cell , Chen and his colleagues demonstrated that brain organoids grown from human stem cells can be transplanted into an injured rat's visual cortex, where information from the eyes first gets sent for processing. Related: Lab-grown mini 'brains' of humans and apes reveal why one got so much bigger When light hits the retina in the eye, an electrical message zips to the "primary" visual cortex, which begins parsing the basic features of whatever's in front of the eye. Those data then get forwarded to the "secondary" visual cortex, which takes the analysis a step further. In the new study, adult rats sustained a major injury to the secondary visual cortex, and researchers essentially used an organoid to plug the resulting hole in the brain. In prior research, scientists have transplanted individual brain cells into healthy rodents of varying ages and organoids into the brains of very young, uninjured rodents; by transplanting organoids into older, injured rats, this study signals another step toward using organoids to repair brain injuries, Chen said. Story continues The team grew their organoids from a type of human stem cell that can give rise to many different kinds of cells. For 80 days, the researchers had used chemical cues to coax these stem cells into 3D clumps that contained many, but not all, of the cell types found in the human cerebral cortex, the brain's wrinkled outer layer. The cortex contains six distinct layers of tissue, and by day 80, the lab-grown organoids bore similar, but somewhat rudimentary, layers. RELATED STORIES Tiny 'hearts' self-assemble in lab dishes and even beat like the real thing Mini-brains show how common drug freezes cell division in the womb, causing birth defects Lab-made mini brains grow their own sets of 'eyes' "This structure is really very important for defining how the brain actually functions," Chen said of the organoids' 3D architecture. However, although the clumps of tissue resemble a real cortex in many respects, "they're not perfect, by any means," he added. To transplant each organoid into a rat brain, the team removed a piece of each rodent's skull, placed the organoid inside and sealed the hole with a protective cap. The rats received immune-suppressing drugs during and after the procedure, to prevent their bodies from rejecting the transplant. Over the following three months, the rats' blood vessels infiltrated the organoids, and in turn, the organoids' cells became physically intertwined with the rest of the rodents' visual processing systems. The organoids grew slightly larger during this time, gaining new cells and extending wires to link to the rats' brain cells. The researchers mapped out these new connections using a fluorescent tracer, which revealed that the organoids had successfully connected to the retina through this network of wires. What's more, the researchers showed the rats visual stimuli including flashing lights and black and white bars on a screen and found that their organoids activated in response, as an intact visual cortex would be expected to. The team didn't run vision or behavioral tests on the rats to investigate how their ability to see changed following their injuries or their transplant procedures. The researchers are now working on such assessments. In the future, they plan to test whether organoids can be similarly integrated into other parts of the brain, such as the motor cortex, which controls movement, and to study what factors control the speed and extent of that integration. In addition, the team hopes to improve upon brain organoids such that they better mimic a real human brain. "We want a substrate that more faithfully replicates what the brain looks like," as in theory, that should make the organoids more useful for future brain repairs, Chen said. The last day of February marks a critical election in our city. While Election Day at the polls is likely to end in a runoff and not a winner, now is the time Chicagos citizens should be making informed choices about candidates. Now is also the time that candidates should make informed choices about Chicagos citizens. This is why faith communities from across our city recently convened for a town hall to discuss the most urgent issues our members and communities see in our city. The most obvious symptom of Chicagos struggles is violence. We know behind that violence stands a century of broken promises, unfulfilled plans and failed systems. Advertisement In response to our citys shortcomings, together we ratified the following expectations our communities of faith have of our mayor. The creation of an Office of Gun Violence Prevention: To counter gun violence, our city needs the same steering body: an ordinance-created Office of Gun Violence Prevention. A single office, charged with this important task and equipped with a direct line of accountability to the mayor, is what we need to stop the rising tide of bloodshed in our city. Current offices of public safety exist at the whim and fancy of each mayor; in addition to suffering from revolving doors of leadership, they possess no accountability or reporting requirements. We in the community have no idea what is happening to coordinate a city response to public safety. Advertisement An ordinance to establish an Office of Neighborhood Safety, introduced in June by Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th, includes a more than $100 million investment to fund the new office, ensuring that it is adequately staffed with the necessary resources to build community-based solutions to gun violence. We have asked every mayoral candidate to endorse the adoption of this ordinance and to build this office collaboratively with the community as their first order of business in the upcoming mayoral term. As of today, only candidates Sawyer, state Rep. Kambium Kam Buckner and Ald. Sophia King, 4th, have assured us they will support the creation of this essential office. Stronger oversight of our police: The Chicago Police Department has failed to present a cohesive plan to counter violence. Furthermore, there are few plans beyond a vaguely stated intention to invest in neighborhood policing to build relationships between police and community. The budget includes, however and as always, $82 million to pay for the costs of officer misconduct. These funds are planned without any regard to improving the rates of either officer misconduct or clearing crimes. The city continues to maintain its disparity in investing far less for prevention than response. We have witnessed an increased CPD reliance on reaction, restriction and retribution. Chicago allocates more than a billion of our tax dollars to public safety, the preponderance of which pays for staff, mostly police. When we consider the rippling cost of violence on our city, when we tabulate what one single gunshot actually costs a community and us all, Chicagos mayor must demand a far higher level of performance and achievement from those paid to protect us. Our massive funding of public safety must be accountable to changing the material living conditions of all of Chicagos communities. Deeper investment in public health: The COVID-19 crisis laid bare inequities in health care in Chicago, from prenatal support all the way through to the death gap. The pandemic also has heightened mental health difficulties in every neighborhood of our city. If the immediacy of COVID-19 has passed, Chicagos legacy of health inequity and current epidemic of mental health troubles remain. Chicagos mayor needs to continue and deepen investments in public health, especially for those in disadvantaged and marginalized communities. Restorative justice for our schools: This past year, our city began to shift away from bringing policing and incarceration into school toward far superior programs of prevention and restorative justice. Yet Chicago Public Schools has failed to in invest in a citywide restorative justice program that might help every student in Chicago overcome the traumas of living in our city, remain in school through graduation and stay out of our system of mass incarceration. We have seen successful beta tests of these practices in certain schools that involve parents, administrators, teachers, trained experts and more. This is why we believe Chicagos mayor must establish a citywide CPS program of restorative justice. Redress of historical economic wrongs: Mayor Lori Lightfoot has brought needed attention to the long-standing economic neglect of the South and West sides through her promotion of the INVEST South/West program, even if there isnt much evidence that these promised projects are becoming reality. While we applaud the focus on this compelling need to redress more than a century of intentional disinvestment, we also see that this focused investment nonetheless needs to grow. Greater city funding and participation from the business and philanthropic community should be paired with a higher level of transparency on these investments and their tangible results. Our mayor must remain a champion of investing new resources and energy into the South and West sides. Unify our divided city: Chicagos mayor must be accountable to our communities. We have asked every mayoral candidate to commit to meeting with our wide-ranging, highly representative group of faith leaders regularly to ensure that the concerns of common citizens, especially those most in contact with legacies of violence and neglect, receive continual and serious response. Accountability matters, and we know Chicagos mayor must be accountable to us all. And, like faith leaders, Chicagos mayor also answers to a kind of higher calling. Our mayor is tasked with unifying this divided city. That goal might be even more difficult to accomplish than all of the above. However, when our elected leader truly wants to unite people by working with them to bring together the rich tapestry of Chicagos humanity, not only will we and others be there as allies, but also the entire city just might come together to carry us into the future on our shared, broad, shoulders. Advertisement Chicago faith leaders Rabbi Seth Limmer and the Revs. Michael Pfleger, Ciera Bates-Chamberlain and Otis Moss III joined the Tribunes opinion section last summer for a series of columns on potential solutions to Chicagos chronic gun violence problem. The column continues on an occasional basis. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. A Ravenna man has been charged in the suspected overdose deaths of a man and woman at an Ohio Avenue home on Wednesday. Skeels Street resident Julian Alexander Tyes, 35, is charged with two counts of first-degree felony involuntary manslaughter in Portage County Municipal Court in Ravenna in connection with the deaths of Landon Kiser and Cierra Wilmington, according to court records. A warrant has been issued for Tyes' arrest. Ravenna police Capt. Jason Smallfield said a man called 911 at a little after 9 a.m. Wednesday after a juvenile living in the home found Kiser, 42, and Wilmington, 36, were unresponsive and not breathing in the basement of the home at 339 Ohio Ave. and contacted the man. Smallfield said Wilmington lived in the home while Kiser had a Ravenna Avenue address. Smallfield said it is believed that Kiser and Wilmington overdosed on a drug, based on drug paraphernalia and powder residue found at the scene, but it is unclear what the drug may have been until toxicology testing is completed. Tyes was identified as a suspect based on text messages between him and Wilmington, said Smallfield, and as of Friday afternoon, police were trying to locate him. More:'A new level of sickness': Kent man sentenced for extorting kids worldwide for nude photos Robert Waiin, chief investigator with the Portage County Coroner's Office, said Friday that the coroner's office and Ravenna police are investigating the deaths of Kiser and Wilmington,. However, further information is pending autopsy and toxicology results from the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office. "It could take a couple of months to get final autopsy results back," said Wain. "Toxicology might be within the month." Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com. This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Julian Alexander Tyes charged in apparent Ravenna drug deaths Skeletal remains found in blackberry bushes at a dock in Washington in 2020 were just identified as a man missing for several years, authorities said. DNA testing helped identify them as 22-year-old Jade David Feigert, the Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office said. Feigert was last seen in February 2017 when his mom dropped him off in Kelso, Washington, deputies said in a Feb. 2 Facebook post. Then he disappeared. In 2020, a longshoreman reported finding remains, and detectives found a nearly complete skeleton in thick blackberry bushes at the Weyerhaeuser dock in Longview, deputies said. The remains were sent to the King County Medical Examiners Office. The medical examiner found no signs of trauma, but the cause of death was unknown. Then a dental record was created from the remains by a forensic odontologist and sent to the National Missing Persons Database, deputies said. From their analysis, it was determined the remains belonged to an adult Caucasian or Hispanic male. Investigators sent the remains to Othram, a private DNA lab. Potential family members were determined by using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing and genetic genealogy. Investigators then had Feigerts mother submit a DNA profile to the lab, deputies said. The lab confirmed it was a mother and son match. A forensic odontologist with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System also looked at dental records and confirmed they matched Feigert. There is no indication that Jade Feigert died as a result of a crime and the investigation will be closed, the sheriffs department said. Feigerts remains will be given to his family, deputies said. Longview is about 50 miles north of Portland. Kelso is about 2 miles northeast of Longview. Fisherman found skull in 1986. Now victims daughter helps ID him, PA officials say Dying woman found by Georgia road is identified 37 years later as Florida mom of four Skeleton found by river in 2018 alongside rubber chicken identified, Colorado cops say A portrait of Ellen Craft in the book 'Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom.' Credit - Public Domain It was a remarkable story: Ellen and William Craft, both enslaved in Macon, Ga., in the 1830s and 1840s, took on a dangerous disguise in order to escape bondage. Throughout their treacherous journey north, light-complexioned Ellen posed as a wealthy, disabled white man and William as her slave. The story was also true. And growing up in 1940s Harlem as the great-great-granddaughter of the Crafts, Peggy Trotter Dammond Preacely heard it often. She and her brother even practiced their reading skills on a chapter about the Crafts heroic escape in William Stills 1872 book The Underground Railroad, one of their mothers treasured possessions. The Crafts themselves wrote a version of their story, Running A Thousand Miles for Freedom, which was published in 1860 in England, where they were forced to seek refuge when they were pursued by slave hunters in the U.S. following the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. In detailing their story, they recalled the trauma of childhood separation from their loved ones. Ellen Crafts first enslaverher own fathergave her as property to his legal daughter, Ellens half-sister. This gift, as allowed by the laws of the time, included not only young Ellen but also her increaseall future generations of her kin. The couples determination to have freeborn children became one of their primary motivations to escape. Portrait of William Craft, circa 1840s. Fotosearch/Getty Images In this, they succeeded, and Preacelya great-granddaughter of Charles Estlin Phillips Craft, the Crafts first child born in Englandwent on to become a poet, Freedom Rider, and member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Preacely worked alongside activists like John Lewis, Ella Baker, and Bob Moses. She registered rural Black citizens to vote in 1960s Georgia, mobilized action through sit-ins and marches, and, now at 80 years old, continues in her activism today. I spoke to Preacely multiple times while working on my new book, Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey From Slavery to Freedom, which tells the Crafts story. From our first conversation, she generously told me stories of her activism and the legacy of her ancestors. Here, I asked her to share some of those stories. Ilyon Woo: You descend from so many notable ancestorsthe Crafts, the Trotters, the Dammonds, as well as the Hemingses of Monticello. Can you share a moment when you felt especially empowered by one of them in your own work? Peggy Trotter Dammond Preacely: Now in my 80th year, I realize there were many significant moments when an ancestor empowered me to take bold action in my life. I felt it when I first walked the picket line in Harlem as a teenager in 1955 to protest the murder of Emmett Till. And I felt it again when I was about to be arrested at a sit-in one cold December night on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1961. I felt that spark of bravery knowing the Crafts had taken their desperate leap for liberty, as they describe in their narrative, despite the danger of their recapture at any moment. And that spark empowered me to finally obtain my B.A. when I was almost 33 years old, divorced, and raising my two young children. I had been strongly motivated to complete my degree because of the Crafts lifelong pursuit of literacy and learning. Read More: Cleansing American Culture of Ties to Slavery Will Be Harder Than You Think The Crafts bravely pursued their dreams of liberty, literacy, and family in the face of so many challenges and obstacles. How did their lives inform your own? I absorbed and appreciated the Crafts story over time and on many different levels, especially when I ventured South in the early 1960s and joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the Freedom Movement. In 1962, I was a field organizer for the Southwest Georgia Voter Education Project. I was very aware that my great-great-grandparents had defied the laws of slavery barely 100 miles and over 100 years from where I was serving, and I felt their courage in my blood. I stepped into their legacy of education and taught local Black sharecroppers how to pass the illegal voter literacy tests designed to deny them their citizens right to vote. The Klan burned down our churches where we held our night classes, but the people continued to fill the streets and courthouses in their determination to gain their long overdue political empowerment. If you could ask Ellen or William Craft one question, what would it be? As a life-long poet and writer, I have always identified with their gift for and mastery of the written and spoken word. I am so curious if they brought any copies of their book with them when they returned to America in 1869. Or were those copies destroyed in the fire set by the night riders of the Klan that burned down their farm and industrial school they had established in 1870 for formerly enslaved families at Hickory Hill South Carolina? To my knowledge, none of the Craft descendants in America saw a copy of the actual book until 1969more than 100 years later, when it was republished by Arno Press. Activism clearly runs in your family. Can you talk about your mothers secret missions, which were kept secret even from you? My mother, one of the Crafts four American great-grandchildren, was a 1938 Bates College graduate, a valued member of the debate team and the first colored girl to live in her college dorm. In 1965, she joined the Wednesdays in Mississippi project, [a group] of interracial and interfaith women from the National Council of Negro Women and the Jewish Womens Council [as well as other groups]. These women traveled secretly by plane to Jackson, Miss., to work behind the scenes with Black and white Southern women to create bridges of understanding across regional, racial, and class lines. These brave middle-aged women were the mothers and aunties of those of us actively working in the student freedom movement at the time, but they never told us they were also risking their lives to work for social and racial justice. Peggy Trotter Dammond Preacely (in glasses) and Kathleen Conwell, just out of jail at a church in Albany, Ga., for a 1962 rally. Courtesy of Peggy Trotter Dammond Preacely The divisions in our times are often compared to those in the years before the Civil War or on the cusp of the civil rights era. Having roots in these other famously divided eras, what wisdom would you share with everyone living through ours? When I speak to schools and colleges about my personal social activism and that of my ancestors, I always conclude my remarks with information about what people can do in their own communities. Individuals who seek to help America redeem itself in the face of division and adversity must always take personal responsibility, but also engage in individual action, no matter how small. We have faced political and cultural division as a nation since its founding, but it has so often been the courageous act of just one person who impacts the trajectory of history. One recent example is Darnella Frazier, the teenager who took out her phone on a Minneapolis street to record a video of a white police officer as he knelt on George Floyds neck, an act that would ricochet around the world. I am grateful to have met you, and have learned so much from your stories. What do you think scholars, descendants, artists, and others can do to best connect and maximize our understanding of histories like the Crafts? We need to strongly encourage a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to telling Black American history. Historical truth telling requires a veritable concert of voices to enhance and present what has so long been excluded from the canons of Black historical scholarship. I support and encourage historians and scholars to reach out to descendants as they write and make films about Black ancestral stories. This effort ensures that whatever oral history known only to the family is always considered, if not also included. This practice also honors these families as co-equals in historical reclamation. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Visitors at the top of stairs near the U.S. Capitol in October. Three California congressional seats may be up for grabs in 2024, setting off a frenzy of campaign activity in the state. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Within one day of Rep. Adam B. Schiff launching his run for Senate, Laura Friedman unveiled her own full-fledged campaign to take his current job complete with a slick website, a fresh logo and the endorsement of California's lieutenant governor. It was the first time in more than 20 years that the congressional district she resides in was up for grabs, and the Democratic state assemblywoman from Glendale was ready. So was her competition. Schiff's announcement last week set off a political stampede from the Hollywood Bowl to the Rose Bowl, with at least five Democrats jumping in the race to succeed him and more laying the groundwork to join. The 2024 Senate race has barely begun, but already it has sent shock waves through Schiff's Los Angeles district, and in Orange County, home of his Democratic rival, Rep. Katie Porter. Months of private discussions to gauge support and size up potential rivals are now bursting into public view. And in the Bay Area, political observers are busily gaming out the possible successors to Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee, who has signaled her intentions to run for Senate. Its like reverse Jenga or something," said Dan Newman, a Democratic operative based in San Francisco. "Once something opens up, theres this cascading effect of open seats, down to city council and dog catcher, races that are going to end up with open seats thanks to a potential U.S. Senate retirement that hasnt even actually officially happened." Sen. Dianne Feinstein's demurral on her reelection plans has loomed awkwardly over the race to succeed her. Porter and Schiff launched their bids proclaiming respect for the 89-year-old Democratic senator and her right to announce her intentions on her own timeline. Though a recent bare-bones fundraising report shows little evidence of a reelection campaign, Feinstein has repeatedly said her official decision would not come until the spring, at the earliest. But with the primary scheduled for March 2024, candidates both for the Senate and prime House seats that may become vacant have been antsy to kickoff their campaigns. Story continues "There's a limited window here for candidates to be able to raise money, to be able to run a competitive primary campaign," said Rob Pyers, research director for California Target Book, a nonpartisan political almanac. "So time is really of the essence here." The lure is especially strong in deep-blue House districts such as Schiff's and Lee's, where incumbents are able to build seniority and clout without term limits. Schiff has held his Burbank-centered seat since 2001; Lee has represented Oakland and surrounding cities since 1998. "For seats like this, it's pretty much a lifetime appointment," Pyers said. "You're pretty much guaranteed to win reelection for the foreseeable future, barring some out of left field primary challenge catches fire." Often, the best opportunity for a fresh face in the district is when a longtime federal lawmaker voluntarily moves on to seek higher office or retire. In 2014, Rep. Henry Waxman announced he would not seek reelection, leaving his West Los Angeles seat open for the first time in 40 years. Sixteen candidates, including nine Democrats, entered the field to succeed him a swarm that one political consultant dubbed "Waxmania!" "So few Democratic seats become open that individuals will seize the moment to get into a position that is historic being a member of Congress is a big deal and can be very impactful, said Wendy Greuel, former Los Angeles city controller and councilwoman. "For anyone who is interested in politics and making a difference, you are going to jump at the chance to do that. Greuel, who had unsuccessfully run for mayor of Los Angeles in 2013, launched her House campaign just hours after Waxman revealed his retirement plans. She came in third in the primary, narrowly trailing then-state Sen. Ted Lieu, who handily won the seat later that year. Mark Gonzalez, chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, still cringes at the memory of that brutal intraparty fight nine years ago. In the months leading up to Schiff's announcement, Gonzalez said he urged potential candidates to consider alternative offices to seek instead of jumping into the crowded congressional fight. Ive had conversations over the last couple of months [where] its been like, If this doesn't pan out, there's this option as well.' That way we don't have a lot of good Democrats running against each other, attacking each other," Gonzalez said. "Those conversations have been had," he said. "At this point, its up to the individual to make up their mind. Schiff's decision to run for the Senate hardly caught local Democrats off-guard. There has been speculation for years that he was interested in higher office state attorney general, perhaps, or even the presidency and he has been cultivating relationships with party leaders and donors for a while. When he began privately making calls last winter, signaling his imminent Senate race, ambitious Democrats in his district made calls of their own. Carmenita Helligar, a Burbank business owner and community activist, started hearing inquiries from local politicians wondering whom she might back if Schiff was no longer her representative. "They always led with 'if he got another position, if he ever moved on ...' None of that made sense to me until now," said Helligar, who is backing state Sen. Anthony Portantino, another early entrant in the race to succeed Schiff. These "what if" conversations were whirring among influential donors and interest groups, as hopefuls try to lock up early endorsements and pledges for campaign contributions. "Candidates will say they're testing the waters, but what they're often really saying is, 'I'm in and I want your support,' said Mike Young, political director for the California Environmental Voters, a climate advocacy group. "Their hope is that groups are willing to endorse their campaigns and give them an early boost. Young said hed heard from multiple potential contenders for Schiff's seat in the weeks leading up to his announcement, as well as those considering Friedman's state Assembly seat, which she would vacate to run for Congress. Portantino, who has represented the area for six years in the Assembly before winning a state Senate seat in 2016, said that as speculation grew louder about Schiff's plans, he began fielding questions from constituents about whether he'd run. "That makes you feel good, when people read the newspaper and say, 'Oh, our great congressman might be leaving. Are you interested?'" he said. "Obviously I called Adam and made sure I didn't do anything impolitic with him. I made sure I was respectful to Mr. Schiff, which is what you're supposed to do. And then I started making phone calls to folks." He said he had the backing of more than 100 community leaders before he launched his campaign this week, three days after Schiff's Senate announcement. The field of candidates so far includes Friedman; Portantino; Nick Melvoin, a Los Angeles Unified School District board member; and G. Maebe A. Girl Pudlo, a trans activist who ran against Schiff last year. Former Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer jumped in Thursday, touting the endorsement of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne and "Boy Meets World" star Ben Savage may also join the race, among others. Democrats are already honing their pitch on what will set them apart on a ballot full of fellow Democrats. Melvoin, who is 37, believes his relative youthfulness matches voters' "desire for new blood and new vision." "Part of my motivation for running is that we're witnessing a generational shift in leadership Speaker Pelosi stepping down [and] the new Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, he said. The race between Democrats to succeed Porter also took shape quickly, with state Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine) squaring off against former Democratic Rep. Harley Rouda. But unlike in Schiff's district, there has not been a deluge of other Democrats joining the fray. Porters district is newly competitive with the changing voter trends, [but] its not as if theres a long list of Democratic legislators who have been waiting to run for that seat," said Rose Kapolczynski, a veteran Democratic consultant. That Orange County district, which includes the northern coastal cities and Irvine, is solidly purple; Porter won by less than 3 percentage points against Republican challenger Scott Baugh last year. Baugh will also seek the seat in 2024, setting up a pitched partisan battle that could be pivotal for control of the House. Another prized safe Democratic seat could open up if Lee makes her Senate candidacy official, and there has been speculation about several high-profile Democratic politicians, including Assemblymembers Mia Bonta and Buffy Wicks, as well as former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. "In the Bay Area, theres a wealth of Democratic elected officials and any opening at any level attracts multiple candidates," Kapolczynski said. And Democrat-on-Democrat runoffs [in that region] have been some of the most expensive races in the state. But the politicking has been far more muted than in Southern California, while contenders wait for word of Lee's plans. I havent heard of anyone saying anything about Barbara Lees seat. I think theyre waiting until she actually commits to the Senate run, said Linda Walogen, a board member with the Democrats of Rossmoor, an influential Walnut Creek Democratic club that has already hosted a Porter campaign stop and will see Schiff later this month. Lee is not yet scheduled to speak, but Walogen did receive a text message from her campaign on Monday, saying that she was considering running for the Senate and asking for a monthly pledge. Times staff writer Howard Blume contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. WASHINGTON Top Republicans in Congress are demanding answers from the Biden administration over the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been hovering over the northern U.S. over the past few days. They lashed out directly at President Joe Biden, arguing that the incident demonstrates that U.S. posture and policies are not deterring China. Many prominent Republicans also said the U.S. should have shot down the balloon. Staff members for the Gang of Eight bipartisan group of leaders on the Hill were given a classified briefing Thursday afternoon on the balloon, three sources familiar with the situation told NBC News on Friday. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, one of the eight lawmakers, tweeted late Thursday that he was requesting a meeting for the group but its likely most members of leadership had already left Washington for the weekend. "Chinas brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed, and President Biden cannot be silent," McCarthy tweeted. A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Biden administration would brief the eight next week. The New York Democrat is also a member of the Gang of Eight. The high-altitude balloon was spotted over Billings, Montana, on Wednesday after having flown over the Aleutian Islands and through Canada. Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said Friday that the balloon was flying at an altitude of 60,000 feet above civilian and military aviation and moving eastward across the continental U.S. He declined to reveal its exact location. Several top Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, on Friday, called on the Biden administration to shoot down the balloon, which some military leaders had discussed. Ryder said at his briefing Friday that the military was still "reviewing options" but had not taken the balloon down because "right now we assess that there is no physical threat or military threat to people on the ground." Story continues Trump posted on his platform Truth Social, SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON! Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., one of the most vocal critics in Congress of the Chinese government and U.S. policy toward China, also called on the U.S. government to bring down the balloon. President Biden should stop coddling and appeasing the Chinese communists. Bring the balloon down now and exploit its tech package, which could be an intelligence bonanza, said Cotton. And President Biden and Secretary Austin need to answer if this [balloon] was detected over Alaskan airspace. If so, why didnt we bring it down there? If not, why not? As usual, the Chinese Communists provocations have been met with weakness and hand-wringing. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, tweeted, It was a mistake to not shoot down that Chinese spy balloon when it was over a sparsely populated area. This is not some hot air balloon, it has a large payload of sensors roughly the size of two city buses & the ability to maneuver independently. China on Friday said the balloon was a civilian airship used for weather research that had been blown off course. In a statement on its website, Beijings foreign ministry said, The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure strong winds and a lack of steering ability that caused the object to deviate far from its planned course. Ryder pushed back on Beijing's claims, saying, "We know that its a surveillance balloon." Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., another outspoken China critic, said the balloon should be a wake-up call to Biden. "Xi is blatantly spying on America because he does not fear or respect @JoeBiden. Communist China is our enemy, and Biden needs to wake up and start acting like it," he tweeted. Montana GOP Gov. Greg Gianforte said in a tweet that he received an informational briefing Thursday about the balloon. Both of Montanas senators, Republican Steve Daines and Democrat Jon Tester, expressed concern about the balloon being in their airspace. Daines sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday requesting a full security briefing from the administration on this situation. Tester on Friday called the situation "completely unacceptable" and vowed to "defend Montana and our national security from hostile adversaries like China. Tester's office said he's expected to receive a classified briefing on the situation when he returns to Washington next week. A classified briefing for all senators focused on China had previously been scheduled for Feb. 15, before news of the balloon broke. The top Democrat and Republican on the House select committee focusing on competition between the U.S. and China released a joint statement about the situation, saying that China has become a threat domestically. "The Chinese Communist Party should not have on-demand access to American airspace," said. Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., said. "Not only is this a violation of American sovereignty, coming only days before Secretary Blinkens trip to the PRC, but it also makes clear that the CCPs recent diplomatic overtures do not represent a substantive change in policy. Indeed, this incident demonstrates that the CCP threat is not confined to distant shores it is here at home and we must act to counter this threat." Blinken had been expected to travel to China on Friday evening on a previously planned trip, but the trip has since been postponed. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com An Action News Jax three-month investigation into a real estate company accused of tricking people into signing contracts is getting results. We first told you about MV Realty and its business practices in November 2022. Now, state and federal agencies are taking action and we demanded answers. INVESTIGATION FINDINGS The company offers quick cash to a homeowner for the promise of being their realtor if they ever sell their home. But homeowners like Sheila Feliciano say they had no idea it was a 40-year deal, and if violated, the company would put a lien on their home. It was a sweet, fast talk. You know? I want to be rid of the contract and rid of MV. Like a bad nightmare I want to wake up from, Feliciano said. Our investigation found at least 588 people in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia are locked into a 40-year contract with MV Realty. But its reach goes way beyond that. The company is based in Florida, but it operates in 33 states. CLICK HERE to see our original investigation REFUSED TO TALK TO US MV Realty wasnt happy when we showed up on their Delray Beach doorstep after months of refusing an in-person interview. We wanted answers for the multiple customer complaints against the company. But they wouldnt even answer the door. The front door was locked with a keycard entry, and they had a camera doorbell. When we first knocked on the door, we saw five people peeking around the corner, but no one answered the door. Instead, they called police rather than talk to us themselves. It is not illegal for us to do our job. So, we stayed on the sidewalk waiting to speak with someone. Eventually a public relations person arrived and told us they would not comment due to pending litigation. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES ACT One week after our November national investigation aired, the Florida Attorney General filed suit against MV Realty and its owner, Amanda Zachman. Pennsylvania and Massachusetts filed theirs shortly after, and Georgia and North Carolina confirm they have open investigations. Story continues Federal lawmakers called for action, as well. Senators from Ohio, Oregon and Minnesota sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking for an investigation into whether these listing agreements and business practices violate federal consumer protection laws. In January, the FCC announced MV Realty used at least two telecommunications companies to flood homeowners with robocalls with misleading claims about mortgages. Those companies are Twilio and PhoneBurner. The FCC ordered all cell phone carriers to make sure robocalls from MV Realty dont ring through to customers. In addition, MV Realty hasnt signed a single new homeowner agreement in our state since our first story aired. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] STATEMENT FROM MV REALTY: MV Realty has helped more than 35,000 satisfied homeowners nationwide through our Homeowner Benefit Agreement (HBA) by providing up to $5,000 that can be used to pay for mortgages, utility bills or a childs school supplies. We are proud that our teams in states are built with local, licensed real estate agents who have developed client relationships with households across 33 states. New and innovative business models, like the HBA, can transform established industries and can sometimes draw questions from critics or outright hostility from those whose existing business model is threatened. However, to suggest that MV Realty has engaged in unfair or deceptive practices is simply false. MV Realty is committed to working with policymakers, regulators, and attorneys general where needed to discuss these questions and demonstrate our commitment to transparency and oversight in the work to help homeowners buy and sell homes. We are confident that after a full airing of the facts, these discussions will reinforce how MV Realtys business transactions are legal and ethical and that our team operates in full compliance with state and federal laws. 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. Russian news outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe has estimated that since the beginning of Russian armed aggression, its frontline oblasts and occupied Crimea have been attacked by the Armed Forces of Ukraine 350 times, with the frequency of attacks increasing 10-fold. Source: Novaya Gazeta Europe Quote: "The frequency of attacks by Ukraine has increased tenfold within a year of the war, as while in March only a few projectiles hit the border villages [of Russia], in January [of 2023] the [Russian] authorities reported attacks on average 1.5 times a day." Details: As the news outlet reports, 168 civilians were injured and over a thousand residential buildings, schools and infrastructure facilities were damaged in those attacks. Novaya Gazeta also claims that 36 citizens of Russia were killed. Map by " Novaya Gazeta Europe" Map by Novaya Gazeta Europe Russian governors have reported several attacks a day on a daily basis since fall of 2022. Novaya Gazeta reported that while earlier Ukrainian projectiles had only reached small villages near the border, now Ukrainian troops are increasingly reaching large settlements and military facilities deep inside Russia. According to the local governor, Belgorod Oblast suffers the most from the bombardments, with over 50 settlements having been attacked. Kursk Oblast is the second most frequently attacked oblast of Russia. The local authorities reported 100 hits since the beginning of the full-scale war, including three attacks on the city of Belgorod itself. Bryansk Oblast is another border area, which was allegedly hit 39 times. The next most frequently bombarded area is Russia-annexed Crimea. The Ukrainian Armed Forces usually target Russian military facilities in Sevastopol, including ships of the Black Sea Fleet. As Russian authorities claim, Ukrainian troops have attacked Crimea at least 36 times since the beginning of the hostilities. Background: On 1 February, the Wall Street Journal reported that a new package of US military assistance to Ukraine, which for the first time will contain long-range smart bombs, may be announced as early as Friday, 3 January. Oleksii Reznikov, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, said that Ukraine was ready to guarantee that long-range missiles would not attack the territory of Russia, as the Armed Forces of Ukraine have enough targets in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/Shutterstock Rep. Ilhan Omar was recently ousted from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over past remarks construed by critics as anti-Semitic. Omar is the first Somali-American member of Congress, the first woman of color to represent Minnesota and one of the first two Muslim women ever elected to Congress. Her current net worth is a matter of some dispute. Rep. Ilhan Omar, 40, the U.S. Representative from Minnesotas 5th congressional district, has never shied away from controversy. However, comments she had previously made about Israel were referenced by Republicans as a reason for her recent ousting from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. See the List: GOBankingRates Best Banks of 2023 Find: 3 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000 Omar was removed on Feb. 2, with the vote being 218-211 along partisan lines. Republicans gestured toward comments she made in 2019 and 2021 that were construed by critics as anti-Semitic; she referred to Israel as an apartheid state, and in 2011 compared the United States and Israel with Hamas and the Taliban a move which offended even some of her Democratic colleagues, USA Today reported. Instead of acting contrite over her removal, Rep. Omar lashed out at the Republican-controlled Congress and claimed she was being silenced, according to USA Today. This is far from her first scuffle with the GOP, though members of her own party called her out for those comments as well. Omars past (and frequent) public clashes with former President Donald Trump also made headlines. Ilhan Omar at a Glance In January 2019, she became the first Somali-American member of Congress and the first woman of color to represent Minnesota. Along with Rep. Rashida Tlaib, she is one of the first two Muslim women ever elected to Congress. But it was a long journey for her to get there Omar first came to the U.S. as a refugee in the 1990s. GOBankingRates explored her political life and finances to find out how she went from refugee to congresswoman. Story continues Birthdate: Oct. 4, 1982 Net worth: Disputed Primary source of income: U.S. congressional salary Career highlight: First Somali-American member of Congress Take Our Poll: What Do You Plan To Use Your Tax Refund For? Ilhan Omars Net Worth: Disputed According to a financial disclosure report filed by Omar in May 2019, she had no assets at that time. She owed between $15,001 and $50,000 in student loans, and had a car loan from Toyota for $10,000 to $15,000, leaving her with a negative net worth ranging from -$25,001 to -$65,000, per OpenSecrets. In more recent years, her net worth has often been disputed. In a recent 2021 financial disclosure examined by Fox News, it is indicated that Omars disclosure does not appear to list any of the congresswomans personal bank accounts, despite this being required by federal law. Four of the five line items listed under Assets and Unearned Income' belong to her spouse, Tim Mynett, partner at political consulting firm eStreet Group. Omars campaign paid eStreet Group $3.7 million over the 2020 cycle, according to campaign filings, contributing four-fifths of political payments to her husbands firm during the election cycle, Fox News reported. The outlet also disclaimed that it is entirely possible Omar does not have a personal bank account matching the $5,000 reporting threshold. Omar recently also inked a significant book deal with HarperCollins, according to Forbes, worth an estimated $100,000 or more. However, as her agent claimed, Omar has not personally profited from the book, as yet, due to the advance having been offered to her co-author, Rebecca Paley. Any details surrounding said book deal (for This Is What America Looks Like) were also absent from her financial disclosures for that year. Any advance for the book went to the congresswomans collaborator and not to the congresswoman (per House Ethics guidelines), and she has not earned any money from the book, said Steve Ross, Omars agent, per Forbes. Anything else you hear about her benefiting financially from the book is groundless and erroneous speculation. Not everyone is happy with this potential lack of financial transparency, however. Attorney Paul Kamenar of the National Legal and Policy Center believed book deals should be disclosed. The book contract in and of itself is an asset, Kamenar said, as detailed by Forbes. Its one that hasnt necessarily realized its value, but its nevertheless intellectual property and one that should be reported for that reason alone. Ilhan Omars 2020 Reelection Campaign Funds: $5.8 Million Omars campaign committee raised around $5.8 million in her successful 2020 race, per data compiled by both OpenSecrets.org and FollowTheMoney.org. Ilhan Omars Political Journey Omar was born in Somalia, and fled the countrys civil war with her family when she was 8 years old. She spent four years at a refugee camp in Kenya before immigrating to the U.S. in the 1990s. Prior to her run for elected office, Omar was a community educator at the University of Minnesota, a policy fellow at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and a senior policy aide for the Minneapolis City Council. She was elected as Minnesota House representative for District 60B in 2016. During her time in this role, she served as assistant minority leader and was assigned to three house committees: Civil Law & Data Practices Policy, Higher Education & Career Readiness Policy and Finance, and State Government Finance. She was elected to represent Minnesotas fifth congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2019. Since becoming a congresswoman, Omar has become known for her progressive views, which include abolishing ICE, implementing Medicare for All, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and establishing tuition-free college opportunities. More From GOBankingRates Michelle Tompkins contributed to the reporting for this article. This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Rich Is Congresswoman Ilhan Omar? Since 1997, billionaire entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and conservative political activist Peter Thiel has donated tens of millions of dollars to political candidates and causes in U.S. elections, the nonpartisan nonprofit Open Secrets revealed. In the 2022 midterm elections alone, he donated around $32.5 million to the Senate campaigns and political action committees of far-right conservatives J.D. Vance in Ohio and Blake Masters in Arizona. While significant on its own terms, the mounting intensity of Thiels political spending traces his evolution from an economic and social libertarian to a Dark Enlightenment and Christian-nationalist authoritarian. (As a reactionary philosophical and political movement, the Dark Enlightenment is anti-democratic and anti-egalitarian.) Advertisement Thiels donations fall into three distinct time frames: 1997 to 2011, 2012 to 2020 and 2021 to 2022. His donations to candidates and causes increased to more than $13 million in the 2012 to 2020 election years, compared with less than $1.5 million from 1997 to 2011. Then, in the 2022 midterm election cycle, Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal, ramped it up dramatically. His donations to Vance and Masters averaged more than $16 million each. What did he see in Vance, who won, and Masters, who lost? How did they fit into his Christian political vision? Advertisement Consider an immensely long Amazon review of journalist Max Chafkins recent biography of Thiel, The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valleys Pursuit of Power. The reviewer, who goes by the name Kristin, has written no other Amazon reviews and provides no profile information. Kristins review, titled When the Son of Man Comes, Will He Find Faith on Earth? a reference to Luke 18:8 is an exegesis of Thiels Christianity, which Kristin believes is central to understanding Peter. As Kristin writes: Thiel believes globalization is the Antichrist, the Antichrist is the antecedent to the Apocalypse foretold in the Book of Revelations and only a turn toward Jesus Christ can save humanity from annihilation. In 2004, Thiel organized a conference at Stanford University to honor his mentor, philosopher and political anthropologist Rene Girard. The paper he wrote for that conference, The Straussian Moment, was a metaphysical effort to assign meaning to 9/11 and its aftermath. Thiel experienced 9/11 as a day of judgment when violence revealed itself to be the essence of our nature as humans, cracking and cratering forever the carapace of the Enlightenments indifference to what and who we are. The quandary we face in the 21st century post-9/11, Thiel writes, begins with the death of God in the West. Having lost any commitment to the Christian philosophical and religious traditions that once prevailed, we no longer question ourselves in the right way if we question ourselves at all. Thiel argues that we need to reclaim those traditions in the West or face destruction. Thiel borrowed iconic names from the Christian fable The Lord of the Rings to name his surveillance technology companies, financial holding companies and venture capital funds. We may be inclined to see in Thiels interpretation of the decline of Western civilization an elegiac longing for hearth fire, warm ale and pipe smoke ties and traditions celebrated and mourned in The Lord of the Rings. But we would be wrong. Because, as Thiel tells us, what people learn from all religions, particularly from the Abrahamic faiths, is that culture and tradition are founded not on warm ale and pipe smoke but on violence and murder. Echoing Girard, Thiel tells us that all civilization originates from a crime. The Christian statesman or stateswoman, the audience for which it turns out Thiel is writing, lingers in the twilight of the modern age, waiting on Christs return, for that glorious day when all will be revealed, all injustices will be exposed, all those who perpetrated them will be held to account. Advertisement While these Christians wait, they serve as stewards, protecting and healing when they can, killing and destroying when they must, but always alert to the knifes edge on which they walk. That knifes edge has always been the way of the world, but in the 21st century, globalization, religious violence and nuclear weapons have perilously narrowed the room for error. A model of the Christian steward-statesman depicted in The Lord of the Rings is that of Aragorn, noble heir to the throne of Gondor. However, Thiels vision also echoes the eschatology of Christian Reconstructionists who believe Christs return, following an Age of Enlightenment, will require active, and almost-assuredly violent, political intervention. Thiel wrote The Straussian Moment nearly 20 years ago. There are a million ways we might dismantle it. The essay is riven with misstatements, contradictions, ironies and assumptions about the nature and destiny of the human race that most Americans would dismiss as ludicrous. Nonetheless, we can learn much from the essay. The Straussian Moment was written for the initiated elites who will inherit and claim sovereignty over the wreckage that awaits us. It was written for traditionalist Catholic conservatives such as Masters and Vance, and for others like them, these once and future kings of Gondor. Peter Schwartz is a writer based in the Pacific Northwest. He has a doctorate in political philosophy from the University of California at Berkeley. His work has been published in The Nation, The New Republic, Salon and other outlets. Advertisement Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia takes a selfie with Kevin McCarthy after his election as Speaker of the House. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Kevin McCarthy broke with Marjorie Taylor Greene's position on the death of Ashli Babbitt. After Greene claimed Capitol rioter Babbitt was "murdered" on January 6, McCarthy disagreed. It's an early sign of a crack in the pair's alliance that helped McCarthy become House speaker. Cracks have formed in the alliance between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene over the death of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt. Greene cast Babbitt's death after being shot by a Capitol Police officer as "murder" during a meeting of the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday. Greene pivoted to Babbitt's case during a discussion of the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died after being beaten by several Memphis police officers during a traffic stop in early January. Five officers have been charged with murdering Nichols. Police released disturbing bodycam footage of his death on January 27. On Tuesday, Greene acknowledged the "tragic" nature of the video. But she went on to make a direct comparison to Babbitt's death, saying: "There's a woman in this room whose daughter was murdered on January 6, Ashli Babbitt. "And Ashli Babbitt has there's never been a trial. As a matter of fact, no one has cared about the person that shot and killed her." Greene tweeted footage of her statement, misspelling Babbitt's name: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) January 31, 2023 Asked about those comments during a Thursday news conference, McCarthy said: "I think the police officer did his job." The Department of Justice closed its investigation into Babbitt's death in April 2021, saying there were insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges. Later that year, an internal Capitol Police probe exonerated the officer, as NBC News first reported. Greene has nonetheless repeatedly made a cause of Babbitt's death. Former President Donald Trump also weighed in late on Thursday, lashing out at McCarthy for his assessment, while calling the officer in question a "THUG" and adding: "ASHLI BABBITT WAS MURDERED!!!" Story continues McCarthy's refusal to back this stance is an apparent break in the alliance formed in recent months between him, Trump, and Greene, in which the latter pair steadfastly supported his tortuous bid to become speaker. Greene's support for McCarthy strained her relationship with fellow hard-right GOP colleagues like Reps. Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert. But McCarthy appears to have appreciated it. After receiving the nomination, he told a friend in January: "I will never leave that woman," according to The New York Times. "I will always take care of her," he reportedly added. Greene was later added to two of the most high-profile committee seats: the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Oversight Committee. Read the original article on Business Insider United States ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Michael Carpenter, stated that the Russian occupying forces deported over 14,000 children from the seized Ukrainian territories to the Russian Federation. Source: Ukrinform citing Carpenter's statement at the meeting of the Permanent Council of the OSCE Quote: "Kremlin proxy authorities have reportedly forcibly deported or otherwise transferred over 14,000 children to Russia." Details: The United States ambassador stated that "Russian authorities above all seek to eliminate all manifestations of Ukrainian national identity and to turn all Ukrainians into loyal subjects of the Russian imperium." He also emphasised that the United States will continue to cooperate with international partners and Ukraine in order to bring those who committed crimes on Ukrainian territory to justice. Background: National Resistance Center of Ukraine reported that the Russian occupying forces deported 50 high school students from the occupied city of Lysychansk in Luhansk Oblast to the Russian Republic of Tatarstan. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Russia has not returned its aviation group to the permanent airfields after the tactical flight drills of Russian and Belarusian pilots. It may indicate that the Russian Federation has decided to strengthen its permanent air presence in Belarus. Source: Belaruski Hajun, an independent Belarusian military monitoring media outlet, on Telegram Quote: "Despite the completion of joint tactical flight exercises between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, the Russian Aerospace Forces aviation group was not returned to permanent airfields in the Russian Federation. At the same time, the helicopters of the Air Force of the Republic of Belarus began redeployment to their permanent airfields." Details: Belaruski Hajun suggests that the withdrawal of the Russian Aerospace Forces' aircraft and helicopters may begin in the coming days. "Otherwise, such actions will indicate that the Russian Federation has decided to strengthen its permanent aviation presence. Officially, this can be announced as, for example, strengthening the aviation component of the regional grouping of the forces of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation," Belaruski Hajun noted. They also do not have any information on the change in the number of the Russian Armed Forces grouping in Belarus. Background: On the afternoon of 2 February, Russia and Belarus announced the completion of "flight and tactical exercises of the Union State". However, in the evening, Ukraines General Staff reported that the Russians had not returned their aircraft to their permanent bases. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Johannesburg Russia will test launch one of its most advanced new hypersonic missiles during joint military exercises this month with China and South Africa off the South African coast, a Russian state-run news agency said Friday. A Tsirkon, or Zircon, missile, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and cruising at speeds up to Mach 9, or about 7,000 miles per hour, will be fired from the Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov during the joint naval exercises, according to Russia's TASS news agency. TASS quoted "a source close to Russia's defense industry" as saying a "training launch" of the missile would see it fired from the frigate at a "surface target" more than 310 miles away. TASS said Russian officials had not officially confirmed the plan. The joint military exercise by the three nations, dubbed "Mosi II," is scheduled to begin on Feb. 17 and run for 10 days notably continuing over Feb. 24, the one-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. That timing had already left U.S. officials "concerned" about the looming war games. As China builds nukes and ties with Russia, NATO seeks new "friends" On Friday, David Feldmann, spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, declined to comment on the TASS report about a Tsirkon test launch. South African officials also declined to comment on the report. Many nations, including the U.S., have been working for years to develop hypersonic glide missiles, which can be harder to detect and intercept due to their speed and maneuverability. But Russia and China have outpaced U.S. efforts on the weapons systems thus far. Moscow claimed in March to have used a hypersonic missile in Ukraine. It would have been the first use of the weapon on any battlefield, although U.S. officials never confirmed one was actually used. In late May, the Russian Defense Ministry was quoted by TASS as saying it had conducted a successful test launch of a Tsirkon missile into the Barents Sea, hitting a target at a range of about 620 miles. Story continues RIA Novosti, another state-owned Russian news agency, quoted Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Jan. 4 as saying that during the training exercises with South Africa and China, "the actions of the crew on the use of hypersonic weapons and long-range cruise missiles in various conditions will be worked out." The Desmond & Leah Tutu Foundation, an organization founded by the late South African bishop and campaigner Desmond Tutu, released a statement on Jan. 20 saying the country's decision to hold a joint exercise with Russia "amounts to South Africa joining the war on Ukraine." The statement lambasts the government's decision to take part as "the final abandonment by the post-apartheid South African government of the country's hard-won credentials as a moral bastion and force for human rights." The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) would not comment on the TASS article and referred CBS News to earlier press statements on the exercise. It released a statement later Friday saying journalists would not be permitted to observe the exercise from aboard "any naval elements" reporting trips typically referred to as "embeds" but that more information would be provided at a news conference on Feb. 20, during the exercise. Investigating Donald Trump | Sunday on 60 Minutes How criminal blunders led investigators to catch these killers East Coast faces arctic blast this weekend Epicentr shopping centre in the city Kherson was completely burned down as a result of a Russian attack on the city on the night of 2 February. Source: Epicentr press office The large-scale artillery shelling caused a fire that engulfed the entire building at Beryslav highway, 17. "The attack of the occupiers has been called intentional in the social media of Kherson, the purpose of which is to undermine life in the region and leave the people of Kherson without means of livelihood," the company noted. People are convinced that Russia is trying to drive the local population to despair in this way. The Epicentr resumed work after the liberation of Kherson to provide the city's residents with access to essential goods. However, the commercial facility, located at Beryslav highway, 17, was destroyed in another Russian attack. It was not possible to take the fire under control as the source of gas supply was targeted. The company promised to provide the necessary support to the employees of the shopping centre who were left without jobs. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Russian attacks were reported in Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Luhansk oblasts in the east, south, and north of Ukraine. According to local authorities, six people were killed, and 19 were wounded in the past 24 hours. Russian forces killed two people in Kramatorsk and Bakhmut and wounded eight more in Donetsk Oblast, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the oblast governor, reported on Feb. 3. In total, Russia hit ten settlements and one community in the region, damaging 19 high-rises, two medical facilities, a school, eight houses, and a shop, Kyrylenko said. Russian military fired on a residential building in Kharkiv Oblast's Barvinkove overnight on Feb. 3, killing two men and injuring one more, said Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov. He added that Russian forces shelled several settlements across Kharkiv Oblast, damaging civilian infrastructure and wounding a woman in Vovchansk. Russian troops struck Kherson Oblast 65 times using artillery, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), mortars, and tanks, according to Kherson Oblast Military Administration. The attacks killed two people and wounded nine, including a 5-year-old child, the administration wrote. In the city of Kherson, Russia hit a shipyard, a school, and residential buildings, the local authorities added. Russian forces shelled Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with heavy artillery overnight on Feb. 3, according to the acting head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, Volodymyr Orlov. There were no casualties. Zaporizhzhia regional state administration reported that civilian infrastructure in 15 settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast was under Russian fire. Local authorities received 13 reports about the damages to citizens' households and infrastructure sites due to Russian attacks. Russia hit the Ochakiv community on the Black Sea coast in Mykolaiv Oblast with MLRS, damaging a house, and attacked the Kutsurub community with artillery on Feb. 2, said Vitalii Kim, the oblast governor. There were no casualties in both attacks, according to Kim. Story continues Ukraine's Nothern Operational Command reported that Russian troops had attacked the villages of Hremiach and Tymonovychi in Chernihiv Oblast on Feb. 2, using mortars. There were no casualties or damages. Russian forces hit the Esman community in Sumy Oblast on the morning of Feb. 3, but there were no casualties or damages, the regional military administration reported. On Feb. 2, Russia targeted the communities of Esman, Shalyhyne, Seredyna-Buda, and Bilopillia 120 times, damaging three houses and a power line, according to the administration. Five settlements of Luhansk Oblast were attacked by Russian forces in the past 24 hours, the regional state administration wrote. The administration didn't provide information on casualties or damage. By Timothy Gardner and Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Western economies agreed new price caps on Friday on Russia's exports of oil products that U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said would build on the crude oil cap set in December and further limit Russian oil revenues while keeping global energy markets supplied. The coalition imposing the measures, the Group of Seven economies, the EU and Australia, set the new price caps at $100 per barrel on products that trade at a premium to crude, principally diesel, and $45 per barrel for products that trade at a discount, such as fuel oil and naphtha. The price caps, together with a European Union ban on Russian oil product imports that also comes into force on Sunday, seek to limit Moscow's ability to fund its war in Ukraine, which began nearly a year ago. "The caps we have just set will now serve a critical role in our global coalitions work to degrade Russias ability to prosecute its illegal war," Yellen said in a statement after the agreement was released. The move followed the coalition's Dec. 5 banning of the use of Western-supplied maritime insurance, finance and brokering for seaborne Russian crude oil priced above $60 per barrel. Yellen said the sanctions and price caps are forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to "choose between funding his brutal war or propping up his struggling economy." Russia's monthly budget revenues from oil and gas fell in January to their lowest level since August 2020 under the impact of Western sanctions on its most lucrative export, Russia's Finance Ministry data showed on Friday. This month, Russia plans to boost diesel exports in an attempt to cope with the EU embargo, price cap and lack of tankers, data from traders and Refinitiv showed. Yellen said global energy markets had remained well-supplied and public reports indicated that oil importers such as China and India were using the price cap to "drive steep bargains" on Russian oil. Story continues The measures are disrupting Russia's military supply chains, "making it harder for the Kremlin to equip its troops and continue this unprovoked invasion," Yellen said. In February last year Putin ordered what he called a "special military operation" in Ukraine to protect Russian security. The International Monetary Fund this week raised its 2023 growth projection for Russia by 2.6 percentage points, citing "fairly high" export revenue last year and strong fiscal stimulus from Moscow. A senior Treasury official told reporters that while Washington was mindful of the IMF's view, it remained convinced that the price caps were "changing the trajectory" of Russia's budget because petroleum was the main source of revenues. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner; editing by Grant McCool) On 2 February, Russian stormtroopers tried to break through the defence line of a Ukrainian border unit on the outskirts of Bakhmut; they suffered losses and retreated. Source: press service of the State Border Guard Service Details: The State Border Guard Service reports that the occupiers were planning to get into a building and gain a foothold there. At the beginning of the battle, superior Russian forces breached the defence line and tried to establish the positions of Ukrainian units with a drone. The drone was located by the border guards and shot down. The defenders carried out a manoeuvre and called on fire support. Mortar shelling has decreased the numerical superiority of the Russian forces. In order to defend themselves, occupying land forces separated and dispersed through nearby buildings. The State Border Guard Service emphasises that they had to use "grenades, rifle fire and group weaponry" in order to knock out the Russians out of the buildings. In close combat, Ukrainian forces have located the breach and driven Russian soldiers out. Russian stormtroopers were forced to retreat. They lost 9 soldiers, 20 more were injured. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! The Russian occupying forces continue to attack Kherson on the night of 3 February. Source: Yurii Sobolevskyi, First Deputy Head of the Kherson Oblast Council, in Telegram Quote: "Orcs [Russian troops - ed.] continue massive attack on Kherson. Safety first!". Background: The Russian military attacked the village of Komyshany, Kherson Oblast, on 2 February. Four people, including a five-year-old child, were injured in this attack. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! The Sacramento Police Department on Thursday asked the public to help find a missing 12-year-old girl who is considered at risk because of her age. Jasebelle Deo was last seen in the 8100 Block of Bruceville Road, police said in social media posts. The Police Department described the missing girl as Asian with long brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a blue sweatshirt and blue jeans. Officers asked anyone with information about the missing girls whereabouts to call the Police Department at 916-808-5471. Candles sit below police tape wrapped around a tree on Dec. 11, 2022, following an overnight fatal shooting sparked by a bar fight near West School Street and North Central Avenue on the Northwest Side. The shooting left three dead and one in critical condition. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) Some advice to clear up any confusion you might have over recent events in the land of the red, white and blue: Assume that everyone is armed and dangerous. That includes my furtive neighbors, the grumpy mail carrier, the impatient patrons in the queue at Walmart and the overworked clerks, the road rage guy tailgating me on the freeway and, last but not least, the 6-year-old hanging on the monkey bars at my nearby elementary school. Advertisement Fortunately, I have only been shot at once. One would think that it would have occurred on the South Side of Chicago, where I grew up, but my American rite of passage happened in the mountains of southwestern Colorado. A drunk cowboy was crouched behind a pickup truck with his equally inebriated girlfriend. He took a couple of shots with his rifle in my direction, although he might have been shooting at my dog. Thankfully, his aim was off. For a moment my anger at someone trying to kill my dog overcame my survival instinct. I began running toward him screaming my favorite obscenities, but then I thought better of it. He eventually drove off. I never saw him again. Advertisement When my adrenaline subsisted, I could hardly stop shaking. What just happened? That was decades ago, before assault-style weapons became the weapon du jour of my fellow countrymen thanks to the efforts of the National Rifle Association, the lobbyist for the weapons industry and supplier of blood money for our spineless lawmakers. The aftermath of the recent mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, in which 11 innocents died, follows the usual pattern of thoughts and prayers, pleas for common-sense gun laws and the usual pretzel logic of why those laws would unfairly infringe on our Second Amendment right to own military-style, human-killing machines. Hold on, friends. Breaking news! Another mass shooting in California! Seven people gunned down in San Mateo County! Suspect in custody. California state Rep. Marc Berman immediately tweeted the following: Two hours ago I joined my colleagues on the Capitol steps for a vigil for the victims of the shooting in Monterey Park. Before weve even had a chance to mourn them, there is yet another mass shooting this time in Half Moon Bay. In my district. Who can keep up? The new year is only a month old, and already we have had 55 mass shootings and 84 deaths, according to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive. The search for motives is cold comfort for the victims and their families. Known motives do not stop the next guy with a grudge and a gun from walking into his neighborhood Rural King and legally purchasing, say, a Sig Sauer M400 TREAD AR-15 rifle. This human-hunting weapon comes, according to Rural Kings website, standard with a 16-inch stainless steel barrel which provides incredible shot to shot consistency and tight groupings. Built right here in the good ol USA. Incredible shot to shot consistency? What does that mean? A better kill rate? More bang for your buck? Advertisement As for the 6-year-olds in your life, for only 20 bucks Amazon offers the 21-inch AK-47 Kids Toy Machine with flashing lights, shooting sounds and vibration. Pull the trigger and watch the rifle light up with flashing LED lights throughout. While trigger is held down, the gun will continue to make exciting shooting sounds. Perfect for pretend play and a great accessory for military cosplay. Ages 3 and up, the product description reads. Do those exciting shooting sounds include the screams of victims? The roulette wheel of gun violence keeps on rolling, and all of us gathered around the table continue to lose. The house always wins. Awash in military-style weaponry, we nervously await the venue for the next massacre: school, church, mall, hospital, sporting arena, nursing home? Nowhere is safe. Not even an airliner. Last year, the Transportation Security Administration confiscated more than 6,540 guns from passengers, a 10% increase from the previous year, and 83% of those guns were loaded. But be reassured. The TSA increased the maximum fine for a firearms violation to $14,950 from $13,910. But thats not all. If caught with a gun, you could even lose your TSA Precheck eligibility for at least five years. Advertisement I must say that with the kinds of harsh deterrents now in place, I feel as safe as I ever have. In other words, not at all. Stephen J. Lyons is the author of five books of essays and journalism, including Going Driftless and West of East. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. Extremists have raised millions on crowdfunding websites in the last few years, much of it to pay for legal defense for insurrection-related crimes. Lawmakers are targeting drag shows across the country with legislation. And a deep dive into Alex Jones' phone reveals self-loathing and close ties with the Proud Boys. It's the week in extremism. Members of the Proud Boys demonstrate with other supporters of President Donald Trump near the Supreme Court during the Million MAGA March on Nov 14, 2020. Extremist crowdfunding We had an exclusive story this week focused on a report from the Anti-Defamation League that found extremist campaigns have raised more than $6.2 million on crowdfunding websites over the last few years. $2.6 million raised: Crowdfunding websites in 'heyday' for extremists Crowdfunding hate: How white supremacists raise money The report tallied 324 fundraisers for the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, white supremacist organizations and other extremist groups. An ADL expert said the online effort shows we are in a "heyday" for extremist fundraising, where everyday people can easily contribute to extremist causes. Most of the money was raised on GiveSendGo, which bills itself as a "Christian crowdfunding" website. Context: Shortly after the Jan. 6 insurrection, GoFundMe banned fundraising for travel to political events that have a "risk for violence." But other sites, particularly GiveSendGo, have become the go-to for extremists and their supporters. Protest at the Arizona Capitol on Jan. 22, 2023, in Phoenix in response to anti-drag show bills. Lawmakers target drag shows Lawmakers in at least eight states have crafted at least14 bills taking aim at drag shows, according to an analysis by PEN America, a free speech advocacy group that I wrote about this week. The bills come as drag shows particularly those that allow children in the audience have become a flashpoint for far-right extremists, who have increasingly shown up to protest shows, sometimes with violent results. Laws seek to ban drag shows: Lawmakers targeting drag shows with 14 bills across U.S., analysis finds Special Report from USA TODAY: A drag show, a protest and a line of guns: How the battle over one issue is tearing at America Story continues Supporters of all-ages drag shows say they provide a crucial support network for LGBTQ children, who can benefit from events that celebrate gender identity and expression. Right-wing extremists, amplified by conservative pundits and politicians, claim all-age drag shows are damaging to children's mental health and allege, without evidence, they are havens for child abusers. Context: In November, a man attacked Club Q, an LGBTQ-friendly bar in Colorado Springs. The bar had just held a drag show and had an all-ages drag show scheduled for the following day. Experts said the attack was shocking, but not surprising in the current climate. Inside Alex Jones' phone Researchers at the Southern Poverty Law Center's Hate Watch spent months examining the contents of Alex Jones' phone, provided by an attorney who successfully sued the conspiracy theorist last year. Among the findings: Around the time he was facing financial collapse, Jones texted his father that his situation was like "a black hole." His father didn't respond by text, Hate Watch writes. Despite publicly decrying pornography, Jones shared multiple links to pornographic videos with his acquaintances. Part 2 of the expose reveals just how close Jones is with past and present members of the extremist group the Proud Boys. Jones frequently texted several members of the group, as well as Roger Stone, confidant of former President Donald Trump. The texts also show how desperate former Proud Boys chairman Henry "Enrique" Tarrio was for Jones' attention. Enrique Tarrio talked to Alex like he needed something out of him all the time," a source told Hatewatch. Go deeper: read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. Statistic of the week Three percent. That's how many Americans took up arms in the revolution against the British, according to the myth upon which the Three Percenters extremist group was founded. Let's be clear. That's a myth, as in, it's false. Historians have found the real number was far larger. (Notably, even 3 percent would have been a lot: The current active-duty military is less than 1 percent of the adult U.S. population.) The Three Percenters, on the other hand, saw some of their adherents charged with seditious conspiracy for their actions at the Jan. 6 insurrection. The loose-knit group made the news this week when a retiring police officer in South Bend, Indiana, was photographed with a tattoo of the logo of the group on his hand. "I am not a radical. Its just my own personal show of patriotism," officer Jack Stilp said about the tattoo. A screenshot of recently retired South Bend police officer Jack Stilp from a video posted by the South Bend Police Department on Jan. 23, 2023. Last week in extremism: More Oath Keepers guilty of seditious conspiracy, active-duty Marines charged in Jan. 6 This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bills to ban drag shows; extremist crowdfunding; Alex Jones' texts OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has acknowledged ChatGPT has a bias problem. Lucy Nicholson/Reuters ChatGPT, like other AI tools, suffers from a bias problem that could impede corporate adoption. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledge the technology has "shortcomings around bias." Corporate America won't implement a tool that risks being accused of racism or sexism. OpenAI is ready to start capitalizing on ChatGPT's buzz. On Wednesday, the firm announced it will offer a pilot $20-a-month subscription version of the chatbot called ChatGPT Plus, which gives priority access to users during peak time and faster responses. The free version remains available but is so popular that it is often at capacity or slow to give responses. In a clear push for commercialization, OpenAI also said it will roll out an API waitlist, different paid tiers, and business plans. OpenAI, it seems, believes enterprises will be willing to pay for its chatbot's capabilities. But there's one big hurdle: Corporate America's "woke-as-a-business-strategy." OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, admitted on Wednesday that ChatGPT has "shortcomings around bias", though he didn't go into detail. In practice that likely means its underlying AI model is trained in a way that means it spits out racist, sexist, or otherwise biased responses sometimes. The Intercept asked ChatGPT, for example, which airline passengers might present a bigger security risk. The bot reportedly spat out a formula that calculated an increased risk if the passenger either came from or had simply visited Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, or North Korea. Few big businesses with cash to throw around will subscribe to black-box technology that risks putting them in the middle of a culture war. And it's Altman's biggest challenge in terms of profiting from the tech. Why ChatGPT needs to be woke The right-wing media ecosystem has accused ChatGPT of being too woke, saying the bot takes progressive stances on, for example, LGBT issues. OpenAI could kowtow here to ease the headache of political scrutiny by conservatives. But that risks hurting its bottom line. The reality is that blue-chip companies remain sensitive to culture war issues, fearing bad press and losing customers. Evidence suggests they're right: a survey of 3,000 Americans in 2021 found that the majority want CEOs to take a stance on issues such as racism and sexism. It's good capitalism to be progressive, and the true anti-woke crowd is actually a political minority. Story continues NYU professor and business commentator Scott Galloway explicitly laid out woke-as-a-business-strategy last year pointing, for example, to a Nike ad featuring Colin Kaepernick that referenced his taking the knee in support of Black Lives Matter. Unfortunately for OpenAI, ChatGPT has already had several cases of bias emerge. Its release to the public in November put the technology within reach of 100 million people in just two months, according to UBS. We already have plenty of evidence that big US firms will shy away from anything that risks looking sexist or racist not least from OpenAI's own major financial backer, Microsoft. Microsoft, which has put an estimated $10 billion into OpenAI, released a chatbot on Twitter named Tay in 2016, which quickly turned into a xenophobe that spouted racial slurs. The company shut it down and offered an apology for "the unintended offensive and hurtful tweets from Tay." Firms could push OpenAI to be more transparent about training data Altman said repairing ChatGPT's biases will be "harder than it sounds and will take us time to get right." Professor Michael Wooldridge, director of foundation AI research at the Turing Institute, told Insider that bots like ChatGPT, which are trained on vast amounts of data, suffer biases for several reasons. For one, Wooldridge notes that "white, male, college-educated Americans" make up the main demographic of people building AI systems, so any biases they carry may feed into the bot. Another problem: All humans are kinda biased. "I think a lot of researchers would argue that actually, the more general problem is that however you get your training data, you're absorbing societal biases even if it's from a wide pool of people," Wooldridge said. OpenAI has not given detailed information on what data has been used to train GPT-3.5, the model underpinning ChatGPT, though Wooldridge notes that it's likely to encompass the entirety of the web. "That means all of Reddit, all of Twitter, every piece of digital text that they can get their hands on," he said. "You don't have to think very hard to realize there's an enormous quantity of toxic content of absolutely every variety imaginable that's present in that training data." Though OpenAI has found success so far, Wooldridge could see a scenario where the firm is pushed by customers to reveal its training data. It's unlikely to immediately solve ChatGPT's bias, but transparency and scrutiny may end up being better for OpenAI's bottom line. Read the original article on Business Insider Join the most important conversation in crypto and web3! Secure your seat today Counsel for former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is currently in talks with U.S. prosecutors to resolve the outstanding issues related to Bankman-Frieds bail conditions, according to a court filing. The parties would like to continue these discussions, which we are optimistic will lead to an agreement between the parties in the next few days and eliminate the need for further litigation, Bankman-Frieds counsel, Mark Cohen, wrote in a letter to the court filed Feb. 2. Prosecutors allege that Bankman-Fried has been in touch with current and former employees of FTX as well as Alameda. Bankman-Fried has been in touch with Ryne Miller, the current general counsel to FTX US, which prosecutors allege was an attempt to influence 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, Bankman-Fried wrote in an email to Miller, according to a previous Department of Justice filing. Bankman-Fried is also said to have reached out to new FTX CEO John Ray to offer assistance. On Feb. 1, a judge modified Bankman-Frieds bail conditions to prohibit him from contacting former or current employees of Alameda Research or FTX. He is also banned from using encrypted chat apps like Signal. Cohen, Bankman-Frieds counsel, said the former executive needed to be in touch with the former employees including the companys in-house therapist George Lerner as they are an important source of personal support. Bankman-Frieds lawyers have also asked the court to remove the bail condition that prohibits him from accessing and transferring his crypto assets held by FTX. The court has also allowed the names of the currently unidentified people who co-signed Bankman-Frieds $250 million bail bond to be made public, after the next hearing regarding bail. CoinDesk was among the media companies that filed suit to get these names unsealed. "The public has a clear and powerful interest in who these allies may be," the law firm Klaris made on behalf of CoinDesk. "The risk of illegitimacy and public scandal cannot be evaluated without knowing who Bankman-Frieds guarantors are." A hearing regarding bail conditions is currently scheduled for Feb. 9, according to the letter. Cohen had asked the court to reschedule the hearing from Feb. 7. In a ruling Friday in the Sarah Stern murder case, an appellate court upheld the conviction and life prison sentence of Liam McAtasney, the Neptune City man who unwittingly admitted on a secretly taped video that he strangled his childhood friend and threw her body off a bridge in a robbery that netted $10,000. In perhaps the most highly publicized murder case in Monmouth County in recent times, a three-judge panel with the Appellate Division of Superior Court rejected McAtasneys arguments for a new trial, among them that the jury should have been precluded from watching his chilling videotaped confession. Judges Heidi Willis Currier, Jessica R. Mayer and Avis Bishop-Thompson, in a 63-page opinion, let stand McAtasneys 2019 convictions for murder, felony murder, robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, desecration of human remains, tampering with evidence and hindering apprehension. Flowers surround Sarah Sterns photo at the memorial on the Route 35 Southbound bridge over the Shark River that was decorated to mark her 22nd birthday Sunday, March 24, 2019. Liam McAtasney and Preston Taylor will face sentencing in May for her murder and throwing her off the bridge into the river at this spot. The convictions, secured by assistant Monmouth County prosecutors Christopher Decker and Meghan Doyle, resulted from a jury trial that spotlighted a startling plot by Sterns former high school classmates to kill her for her money, dispose of her body and stage her car on the Route 35 bridge between Belmar and Neptune to make it look like she committed suicide. "Of course, I'm kind of elated that it's over, after waiting three years,'' said Michael Stern, the victim's father, upon learning of the appellate court ruling. "It's been hanging over me. It's always been there in the back of my mind for the past three years. "He should have gotten the death penalty, as far as I'm concerned,'' Michael Stern said of his daughter's killer. "He took my daughter for no reason. His rationale and reasons were evil.'' Sarah Stern murder:Everything you need to know Sterns body never surfaced. McAtasney, now 25, is serving life in prison without the possibility of release on parole, the most severe punishment in New Jersey since the state abolished the death penalty in 2007. Story continues His former roommate and accomplice, Preston Taylor, also 25, is serving an 18-year prison term after admitting he took part in the conspiracy to rob Stern - his date for the Neptune High School junior prom - and helped to throw her body off the bridge. Liam McAtasney, who is charged with the murder of former high school classmate, Sarah Stern, listens to Carlos Diaz-Cobo, defense attorney, make his closing arguments during trial before Superior Court Judge Richard W. English at the Monmouth County Courthouse in Freehold, NJ Friday, February 22, 2019. Stern, a budding artist from Neptune City, vanished on Dec. 2, 2016, setting off massive marine and land searches that day and in the weeks and months to come, after her car was found unoccupied early that morning, atop the Route 35 bridge between Belmar and Neptune. Her disappearance remained a mystery until January 2017, when a former Neptune High School classmate of McAtasney came forward to authorities and revealed details of a conversation McAtasney had with him on Thanksgiving 2016. Sarah Stern murder:Accomplice Preston Taylor loses appeal to reduce 18-year sentence The former classmate, horror filmmaker Anthony Curry, revealed that McAtasney told him he planned to choke Stern to death and rob her of a large sum of money that she had recently found. Curry said McAtasney told him he and Taylor were going to throw Sterns body off the bridge and leave her car there to make it look like she jumped, something defense attorney Carlos Diaz-Cobo tried to dismiss as an attempt to impress the filmmaker with a potential movie plot. Curry told police he never took the conversation seriously until after Stern went missing. Investigators enlisted Curry to engage McAtasney in a conversation about Stern and secretly videotape it. Curry met with McAtasney on Ocean Avenue in Bradley Beach on Jan. 31, 2017 and recorded him discussing Sterns murder in chilling detail for a half hour. McAtasney and Taylor were arrested the following day. When the video was played for the jury, it was arguably the most dramatic part of a trial that was covered by a swarm of media outlets, including all of the major television networks for their newsmagazine programs. On the video, McAtasney told Curry he timed the killing with an application on his cell phone, and that it took him a half hour to choke Stern to death while the victims dog sat and watched. He said he choked Stern in her home, stuffed a T-shirt down her throat so she wouldnt vomit and held his finger over her nose until she died. Liam McAtasney turns around to give his family members a thumbs up before the start of the afternoon session of his trial Thursday, January 24, 2019, in State Superior Court in Freehold. He is charged with the murder of Sarah Stern. The killing occurred while Sterns father, with whom she lived, was vacationing in Florida. McAtasney, on the videotape, lamented to Curry that the money he killed Stern for, which she had found in a shoe box in a house her family owns in Avon, was in bills that were of such poor quality, he couldnt use them or deposit them in the bank, so he buried the cash at Sandy Hook. Investigators later found it there when Taylor directed them to the precise location. McAtasney told Curry he went to work at a local restaurant after killing Stern and returned to her house later that night with Taylor to get rid of her body. He said he placed Sterns body in the passenger seat of her car and drove it to the bridge, with Taylor following in a second car he referred to as the escape car. On the bridge, McAtasney said he needed Taylors help to throw Sterns body over. The worst part is, we threw her off the bridge, and the body never showed up, McAtasney told Curry on the secretly recorded video. In his appeal, McAtasney argued it was a mistake requiring reversal of his convictions to allow the jury to see "the surreptitious recording by Curry of defendant's alleged confession,'' the appellate court decision said, rejecting the defendant's argument. "Defendant agreed to meet with Curry, after already communicating with him and voluntarily described his killing of Sarah,'' the judges wrote. "The trial court did not err in admitting the statements defendant made to Curry.'' McAtasney also alleged "multiple instances of prosecutorial error denied him a fair trial,'' including statements in the prosecution's summation that Taylor was a credible witness. The appellate judges rejected that argument, saying prosecutors were permitted to respond to the defense attorney's summation in which he repeatedly called Taylor a liar. Taylor took the stand against his former roommate under terms of a plea agreement with the state. Preston Taylor looks back to his parents before he is taken back to state prison Friday, August 30, 2019, State Superior Judge Richard English ruled that his 18 year prison term will stand for his role in the murder of Sarah Stern. He testified that McAtasney told him they stood to gain $50,000 to $100,000 by robbing and killing Stern, but in reality, the robbery only netted them about $10,000. Taylor said his share of the proceeds was $3,000, but the money was in old bills that were in such disrepair, they were useless. He told the jury the plot to rob and murder Stern was concocted months earlier, after McAtasney learned Stern found the shoe box full of cash at her familys home in Avon. Taylor, who pleaded guilty to robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, desecrating Sterns remains, conspiring to desecrate her remains, and hindering his and McAtasneys apprehension, appealed his prison sentence, but an appellate panel last year upheld it. In addition to the life term he imposed on McAtasney for the murder, Superior Court Judge Richard W. English, who presided over the trial, sentenced the killer to a consecutive 10-year prison term for disposing of Sterns body. McAtasney has been serving his sentence at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. Taylor is at the Mid-State Correctional Facility in Wrightstown. McAtasneys prosecution was only the second time in Monmouth Countys history that a murder prosecution went forward in the absence of a body. The first was in 1975, when suspected serial killer Robert Zarinsky, now deceased, was convicted of the murder of 17-year-old Rosemary Calandriello of Atlantic Highlands. 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: Sarah Stern murder: Killer McAtasney's conviction upheld The clip in question is from a season six episode of the teen drama. TikTok: @skyehanamaikai, @blairwaverly A scene from "Gossip Girl" went viral on TikTok for a wardrobe malfunction. In a scene from 2012, Blake Lively can be seen wearing sweatpants beneath a body-con dress. It's not the first time this particular TV blooper has generated millions of views. A scene from "Gossip Girl" is going viral on TikTok after a viewer spotted Blake Lively, who played protagonist Serena van der Woodsen, wearing a pair of exceedingly low sweatpants beneath a body-con dress, and uploaded the moment to TikTok. In the clip, posted January 23, a user named Blair Waverly shared a snippet of a scene from season six, episode four of the series. It shows Lively in a brief interaction with Michelle Trachtenberg, who played antagonist Georgina Sparks in the show. As the camera panned from Lively's upper body to briefly including her legs in the shot, a pair of grey sweatpants pulled down under her dress came into view for about five seconds. The TikTok, which included the on-screen caption, "Gossip Girl was so real for letting the whole cast wear sweats and Uggs just out of frame," went viral it has been viewed more than 6.4 million times and received hundreds of comments from fans of the show who spotted the detail for the first time. "It's giving zoom call outfit," Waverly joked. "They got real lazy during that last season lol," another wrote. "I THOUGHT THAT WAS THEIR FASHION," commented one viewer, with another reiterating the sentiment: "Honestly the 2000s was such a fashion hellscape, I saw this and didn't even bat an eye." Some appreciated how accidentally on-brand the slip-up was, saying "Serena would actually do this." Van der Woodsen was crowned the show's "biggest risk-taker" in fashion by personal stylists interviewed by Insider in 2019. Viewers have guessed the sweatpants were for comfort, while others speculated that Lively had ripped her dress, though Waverly noted it would be a mistake regardless of the cause for the drawstring pants to have made it into the final cut. Story continues As commenters pointed out, it's not an uncommon practice in television production to allow actors to wear comfortable clothing out of frame but those items are meant to be edited out before an episode airs. "Every show does this. The actors are there for about 11 hours a day," TikToker Alicia Van Doren wrote. "It's the standard." In a November 2019 episode of the podcast "Office Ladies" which sees "The Office" costars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey rewatch the show Fischer, who played receptionist Pam Beesly, told listeners the same practice was used on the set of the Emmy-award-winning hit, and the crew made comfort requests like putting a moratorium on control-top pantyhose because of their 12-hour workdays. "Sometimes, if I was only seated behind the reception desk," Fischer said, "I only dressed the top half of Pam and the bottom half was Uggs and sweatpants." It's not the first time "Gossip Girl" a teen drama centered on "the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite" that aired from 2007 to 2012 has gone viral for its bloopers, including in this particular scene. Angles of the same scene uploaded by a TikToker in 2020 show Lively making a dramatic exit wearing the same dress with bare legs before cutting to the clip showing the sweatpants. (The 2020 video racked up 8.8 million views). The original "Gossip Girl," is based on a series of the same name by author Cecily von Ziegesar. A reboot, created by Joshua Safran an executive producer and writer for the original failed to capture the fanfare and devotion of the original, potentially due to a "premise that made no sense in 2021," as then-social media fellow Kara Schindler put it in an Insider opinion piece. Five days before the 11-year-old clip of Lively's sweatpants blooper made its viral rounds on the internet again, Safran announced via Instagram post that the sequel was canceled. The finale aired on January 26. Email tips on all things internet to mleighton@insider.com . Read the original article on Insider Netflix is thought to be cracking down on password sharing. (Netflix) Online searches for cancel Netflix account have grown by 733% amid reports that the streaming giant is cracking down on password sharing, data has shown. New rules around password sharing are apparently being trialled in Chile, Peru and Costa Rica, although it is not yet clear what a crackdown would look like elsewhere. Comparison site JohnSlots has now said that analysis of Google search data has shown that online interest in the term cancel Netflix account has skyrocketed amid the reports. Read more: Pamela Anderson Netflix documentary sparks backlash against Pam & Tommy It said online searches about cancelling Netflix accounts "exploded 733% worldwide" on 2 February. Many viewers have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, saying they'd be sorry to see password sharing go. Harry and Meghan is one of the shows people can watch on Netflix. (Netflix) "When Netflix is cancelling their password sharing then I might go out and share some hotdogs with you all since Netflix dont know what caring is," one tweeted. "If u stop password sharing ... I hope u go broke!!" sniped somebody else. One tweeted: "So Netflix are going to stop password sharing, can't wait to see how they're going to police that." "I can see them losing a lot of customers over this move," they added. A JohnSlots spokesperson said: These findings provide an eye-opening insight into the staggering rise in Netflix users looking to cancel their accounts from across the globe. With the recent backlash over Netflix cancelling fan-favourite shows, such as Warrior Nun and 1899, and the frequent rises in subscription costs, this may be the last change that urges users to delete their accounts permanently. Stranger Things has been a big hit for the streaming giant. (Netflix) On the Help Centre section of Netflixs site, it currently says a Netflix account is for people who live together in a single household. Read more: Netflix boss says they have never cancelled a 'successful' show It also says that when someone signs into your account from a device that is not associated with your own Netflix household, or if your account is accessed persistently from a location outside of your household, we may ask you to verify that device before it can be used to watch Netflix. Watch: Netflix reveals details on password sharing crackdown Natalie Bickel at the 64th annual Grammy Awards in 2022. Courtesy of Natalie Bickel This year's Grammys will be held in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 5. Natalie Bickel, one of 150 seat fillers at the 2022 Grammys, shared her experience with Insider. Seat fillers take the place of stars when they get up. Bickel sat in seats for Chris Stapleton and BTS. In 2022, Natalie Bickel was one of 150 lucky winners of the seat-filler lottery for the Grammy Awards. Natalie Bickel sitting at a table at the Grammys. Courtesy of Natalie Bickel On March 17, 2022, Bickel, who is from southern Indiana, saw an Instagram ad promoting the seat-filler lottery for the 64th annual Grammy Awards in Las Vegas, she told Insider. She and a friend became two of the 25,000 people who decided to test their luck and enter for a chance to attend the event for free. Less than a week later, on March 23, Bickel found out via email that she was one of the 150 people chosen to be a seat filler at the April 3 show. Her friend was not selected, but Bickel decided to head to Vegas on her own. "When I got the acceptance email," she told Insider, "I was like, 'Well, I have to go!'" The Grammys didn't cover any expenses other than the award show itself. The plane ride to Vegas. Courtesy of Natalie Bickel The Grammys provide seat fillers with free entry into the event, but that's the extent of their complimentary provisions, Bickel said. "[The whole experience] is an added expense. You're pretty much paying for the whole trip, other than the actual award show," she said. There were less than two weeks between the acceptance email and the show, and in that short time, Natalie had to handle the logistics on her own. "It was a quick turnaround," she said. "I had to book a flight to Vegas and get a hotel room." Among her expenses, which included Ubers and food, she said she paid $700 for her last-minute round-trip flight. There were strict rules, including a dress code and a no-phones policy. Natalie Bickel at the Grammys. Courtesy of Natalie Bickel Bickel said seat fillers are told to dress formally, like any other guest. "Formal gowns, suits, and tuxes" are required, she said. Seat fillers are prohibited from attending the red carpet the only Grammys-related event seat fillers are permitted to attend is the award show itself. Story continues "I so wanted to go to the red carpet, but seat fillers were not allowed," she said. Seat fillers are required to hand over their IDs, which are returned at the end of the event, and Bickel was surprised to find out her phone would be taken away before she entered the venue, as well. "I didn't expect that!" she said. "They don't want anyone taking any pictures," she added. "They don't want the artists there being bothered at all by any seat fillers." Instead, another seat filler was able to snap some photos of Bickel at the venue when the event was over. The role of a seat filler is a busy one, and you'll be on your feet for hours at a time. Natalie Bickel stands behind Jazmine Sullivan at the Grammys. VALERIE MACON/Getty Images Seat fillers are there to make the audience look full at any given moment, so they are instructed to take attendees' seats when they get up. "If you are on the floor, you will be moving for most of the night," Bickel said. "Any time someone gets up to go to the bathroom, someone gets up to get an award, someone gets up to get ready to go perform, someone fills those seats." Although there are people in charge of ensuring that seat fillers find empty seats, organizers also encourage seat fillers to take initiative to find a spot to fill. "They let seat fillers know that if you see an open spot you should just go for it, because it makes their job easier," Bickel said. Because of this, seat fillers must stay alert and be ready to move at any given moment. Not every seat filler gets to be on the main floor of the venue within close proximity to the stars. Natalie at the 64th annual Grammy Awards. Courtesy of Natalie Bickel Since seat fillers help fill gaps in the audience, they need to be scattered around the venue. "They don't guarantee that you're on the floor where everyone is," Bickel said. "You might be in the balcony to make that look full as well." "They describe it as a fun musical chairs," she added. Although she wasn't allowed to initiate conversation with celebrities, Bickel got up close to many artists, like Chris Stapleton and BTS. Chris Stapleton at the Grammys in 2022. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images "Once we were in there, we were not allowed to speak to the celebrities unless they talked to us first," she said. But that didn't bother her she was excited just to be in the same room as some of the world's biggest stars. "I was very close to so many, like inches away from people," she said. "I was just taking it all in, holding my breath." "The only people I talked to were people with Chris Stapleton, but not Chris Stapleton himself. I was at his table in his seat while he was getting an award, so [the people at his table] talked to me a little bit," she said. At the 2022 Grammys, Stapleton won best country album for "Starting Over," best country song for "Cold," and best country solo performance for "You Should Probably Leave." She also helped fill in BTS' table when members of the band got up. "My friend who didn't get to go is obsessed with BTS, so I told her I would try to get close to them," Bickel said. "There was one point in the night where I was sitting in one of their seats, and they all came back at the same time, so I really slowly got up and walked past them." "I couldn't believe that I was in the same room, and allowed to sit in the same seats, as these mega stars. It was just unreal," she said. She loved watching Justin Bieber react to Billie Eilish's performance. Billie Eilish and Finneas performing at the Grammys. Emma McIntyre/Getty Images "Whenever Billie Eilish was performing, Justin Bieber was the first one to stand up and give her a standing ovation," Bickel recalled. "That was really neat." Bickel noted Eilish has been an outspoken Bieber fan for years. Overall, Bickel enjoyed her experience and wishes she could do it all over again. Natalie posing with the program. Courtesy of Natalie Bickel This year's Grammys will be held in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 5. "It was definitely on my bucket list to attend an award show. I would love to do it again," she said. "I have FOMO this year, but people who entered the lottery last year and got it were not able to enter this year." The experience is one she'll never forget. "It was actually my first solo travel trip," she said, "and it was definitely one to remember." Read the original article on Insider Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Reuters If the United States Air Force employed one properly trained birthday clown, we could handle this Chinese balloon crisis in a manner suited to the negligible threat being posed. A couple of quick moves and the balloon would be in the shape of a puppy, and we could all turn our attention back to the serious business of the worlds most important bilateral relationship. Instead, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his trip to China amidst needless hysteria, in an act of pure domestic political theater. The Biden administrations actions are more a defense against the hyper China hawks in the GOP than they are against any threat the Chinese might poseparticularly with the 18th century technology they have supposedly unleashed against usintentionally or otherwise. Because let's be clear, freaking out over what is the Pentagon characterizes as a surveillance balloon is, in the context of the daily reality of the how the U.S., China and most major nations conduct their spying pretty darn dumb. Not to mention, hypocritical. Trump Is Still a Putin Stooge and a Traitor to His Country The U.S. keeps as a state secret the amounts of money it spends each year on high tech espionage and surveillance. But we do know that we spend tens of billions a year on space-based surveillance. According to estimates, about one-fifth of all satellites have military purposes, and the U.S. launches several a year. Estimates suggest that we have over 150 military satellites, about a third of which belong to the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). There are probably three times that many satellites with some U.S. government role associated with them. And every other country plays that game. As reported by the German DW news organization, as of a couple years ago, China had 63 military satellites and Russia had 71. And thats to say nothing of the other forms of spying and surveillance undertaken by all nations all the time. For example, the 16 U.S. spy agencies employ well over 100,000 people. Our published budgets show spending of almost $90 billion a year on intelligence. Story continues Sure, China has long been known to spy on the U.S. But the forms of spying which have been most advantageous for the Chinese have certainly not been the result of stray balloons carried to America by wind currents they could not control. (And frankly, if there is one form of Chinese intelligence we really should be worried about, its their vast spending on developing artificial intelligence capabilitiesinvestments which may double to $27 billion in the next three years.) So, lets take a deep breath. Pelosis Taiwan Trip Isnt Helpful to Anyone But China The balloon poses a negligible threat, if any. It is certainly not news that the Chinese are spying on us. And we are definitely in no position to condemn them for spying. The balloon does not represent an escalation or any sort of material (or even trivial) change in our relationship with China. It certainly does not warrant postponing an important high-level dialogue between our two countries. Indeed, the balloonatic reaction were seeing suggests more high-level dialogue is needed because there are forces at play in the U.S. that are committed to pushing us into a new Cold War with Chinaor worse. The launch of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, chaired by Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, has been conceived with the implicit purpose of hardening our rivalry with China into a dangerous enmity. It also creates a permanent platform from which to assail the administration for being too soft on China. Hence, predictably, you have Republicans condemning President Joe Biden for allowing a CCP military balloon to fly freely over Montana and for not securing our airspace. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tweeted that Chinas brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed. Of course, as noted above, the action is hardly significant in any real terms and definitely not destabilizingexcept to the degree that it produces over-the-top Republican responses, and then reactions from the administration, such as postponing Secretary Blinkens trip. China, by the way, quickly sought to defuse the tension associated with the incident, with its foreign ministry expressing regret, blaming the course of the balloon on the winds aloft, and saying the balloon was conducting climate research. Brazil Is Just the Latest Victim of the Global Fascism Virus Whether that is a sign of guilt or simply a recognition that this is a headache they did not need, remains to be seen. However, it does suggest that the Chinese government did not intend at this moment to ratchet up tensions between the two countries. (That will wait until whenever Speaker McCarthy heads off to Taiwan, as he has promised to do.) With some luck, cooler heads will prevail and this balloon will simply drift off into memory. That said, the entire incident has produced one important piece of intelligence not just for China but for the U.S. The worlds most important international relationship is on a hair-trigger right now. There are forces actively seeking to make it worse. This is a moment that will demand both sides exercise caution, try to avoid unnecessary provocations, and rather than reducing or delaying opportunities for exchange, spend more time in high-level communications to enhance understanding and to find mechanisms for reducing tension. The alternative is far too dangerous to contemplate. It was perhaps best described in the hopefully-not-too prophetic 1983 hit by the German new wave band Nena, 99 Luftballons in which a number of stray balloons crossing a border in a world on edge cause a nuclear conflagration. 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. Tucker Carlson, a self-confessed liar, dedicated four minutes of his prime time Fox News show Thursday to mocking what he believes has been exaggerated media coverage of serial fabulist Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who fabricated parts of his background and whose campaign finances are under investigation. Carlson ignored the more serious allegations being made against Santos by sarcastically labeling the first-year congressman a threat and 9/11 in human form. The Fox News personality fixated for much of his monologue on Santos falsehood that he played volleyball on a scholarship in college, calling it a tissue of lies constructed to deceive the American people. A fraud, a ghoul. People voted for this man believing he had played collegiate volleyball on a scholarship and he hadnt, he said. And yet tonight, ladies and gentlemen, this thief of volleyball glory strides the halls of the United States Congress unimpeded by law enforcement. Its like another insurrection. Carlsons commentary was in stark contrast to Santos previous appearance on his show in December, however, when he was grilled by guest host Tulsi Gabbard. Watch the video here: Related... Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks after being sworn in for a second term on Jan. 9, 2023, during the inauguration ceremony at the Bank of Springfield Center. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) Could peace break out in the culture war between Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his Florida Republican counterpart, Ron DeSantis? Alas, probably not yet. Both governors are reported to be reviewing newly released details of the nonprofit College Boards first Advanced Placement African-American studies course to see if it is suitable for testing college-bound students in their states, as it has been deemed in 30 others. Advertisement An earlier pilot version of the document drew fire from DeSantis, after the Florida Department of Education threatened to drop the course due to what DeSantis labeled a political agenda. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holds a news conference on Jan. 26, 2023, in Miami. (Marta Lavandier / AP) Ever watchful for what he deems indoctrination of students by woke radicals, DeSantis had threatened to ban the college preparatory class when he learned it included segments on queer theory and abolishing prisons, among other controversial topics. Advertisement DeSantis and his states Board of Education said in January that the course was contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value. That, he noted, would violate a DeSantis-backed state law that, among other provisions, bans instruction that defines people as oppressed or privileged based on their race. In response, Gov. Pritzker fired off a letter to the College Board, declaring that his state will reject any revised course that doesnt contain a factual accounting of history, including the role played by Black queer Americans. Pritzker, who like DeSantis is a possible presidential contender in 2024, said he was extremely troubled by news reports that DeSantis was pressuring the College Board to change the AP course to fit Floridas racist and homophobic laws. Instead, he called for the board to refuse to bow to political pressure that would ask you to rewrite our nations true, if sometimes unpleasant, history. Its up to the College Board, Pritzker said, to preserve the fundamental right to an education that does not follow the political grandstanding of Governor DeSantis and the whims of Republicans in Florida. On Wednesday the College Board released what some have called a response, although David Coleman, chief executive of the College Board, insisted it was shaped months ago and not by politicians but only by the input of hundreds of experts, as well as principles and practices that underlie other AP courses. Either way, the revised 234-page curriculum framework contains a voluminous amount of Black American history, ranging from Africa, slavery, Reconstruction and the civil rights movement to redlining and Afrofuturism. Added are some useful new topics, like Black conservatism, that cause one to wonder why they were not included before. Advertisement The new course differs from the earlier draft, particularly for what now is missing or downplayed. No more critical race theory. Black Lives Matter, incarceration, queer life and the reparations debate have been moved from the exam to a list of optional topics for a required research project. Reaction was predictably mixed. Conservatives tended to claim victory while progressives charged a cop-out and a blow to academic freedom. The politicians are a separate matter. Youre probably not wrong if you think DeSantis is trying to stir up the same propagandists on the political right that helped Virginias Gov. Glenn Youngkin turn his anti-critical race theory campaign into rocket fuel for his come-from-behind election. They received unintended help, it turned out, from Democrats and others who tried naively to ignore the larger core issue for parents: How are our children being taught? Instead, Youngkins campaign caught fire against the more experienced Democratic former Gov. Terry McAuliffe largely because parental concerns outweighed the poorly aimed charges of racism that Youngkin received from the left. Perhaps thats the sort of parental backlash that Pritzker was trying to block when he took up the cause of educational integrity against a tide of rising ambition on the political right. Advertisement At about the same time, yet another 2024 possibility, Californias Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, tweeted a jab at DeSantis and Floridas law that critics call Dont Say Gay for its limits on classroom instruction on gender and sexuality. DeSantis has decided black history is irrelevant and lacks educational value, Newsom tweeted. Dont Say Gay > Dont Say Black. In fairness, DeSantis stresses that he supports Black history as a key part of American history, but wants to protect it from encroachments by opportunistic liberals. Thats an often-heard line from conservatives. As debatable as it may be, critics do themselves a disservice if they try to shout down such arguments instead of engaging with them in a civil manner. Leave it to DeSantis, if he insists, to promote the wrongheaded notion that higher education is supposed to offer comfort and good feelings for you to feel content with your world instead of exposing you to new viewpoints that might challenge you into thinking more critically, a major purpose of higher education. One might think that a graduate of Harvard and Yale Law School such as DeSantis would know better than that. Or perhaps he is following another time-honored rule of populist politicians: Dont let the voters think youre talking down to them, even when you really are. Fortunately, now that details of the AP course have been released, the results offer a lot for both governors, as well as their states parents, to approve. The updated syllabus offers a list of courses that seeks to immerse students in Black history, culture and racial controversies in a way that, until now, has been quite rare outside of college classes. Advertisement History, it often has been said, is for arguing about. The past is never dead, as William Faulkner famously wrote. Its not even past. Join the discussion on Twitter @chitribopinions and on Facebook. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. Our team is dedicated to finding and telling you more about the products and deals we love. If you love them too and decide to purchase through the links below, we may receive a commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change. As Ive gotten older and more secure in my sense of self, I realized one very important thing: I love to dress up! Ever since my wardrobe switched from classic beige neutrals, chunky dad sneakers and tiny sunglasses to flirty puff sleeves, bows and all of the headbands, Ive been significantly happier. I also love myself more. Who knew? (My therapist, thats who.) The brand that exemplifies pretty much my entire sense of style now is none other than the viral brand Selkie. Started in Los Angeles by Kimberley Gordon, the ready-to-wear Selkie brand is fanciful, nostalgic and extra romantic. Per the brand, each collection tells a story and presents a dreamy world through its imagery. With sizes XXS-5X, every piece is made for everyone to keep basically forever. Selkie prides itself on being a low-waste company that doesnt contribute to landfills. It does this by producing small inventories of styles to test the success of items, then using pre-sale to predict how much to buy on popular styles for future rounds. Its earnestly awesome. Since I love nothing more than scrolling through pretty things and online window shopping while I wait for my next paycheck, I put together a list of the dreamiest Selkie dresses that are currently comfortably sitting in my cart. Scroll through them below! Credit: Anthropologie $295 at Anthropologie How dreamy is this Victorian-inspired floral print? Also, the puff chiffon silhouette and charming babydoll waist are to die for. Credit: Selkie $269 at REVOLVE I have been completely obsessed with Anne Boleyn ever since I learned how to read, so clearly Im obsessed with this Anne Boleyn Selkie dress. Plus, the tiered ruffles and long puff sleeves are so flattering. Credit: Selkie $249 at REVOLVE Keeping in line with the puff Selkie vibes, this pink chiffon mini dress features sheer puff sleeves all the way down to the wrists. Its ideal for those days when I just shaved my legs and want to be a girly princess. Credit: Free People $399 at Free People We all know that the summer boho vibes of the 2010s are back in a big way, and this detailed floral maxi dress proves that its a good thing. The best part about it is the hidden adjustable ruching at the sides so I can change up the shape whenever I want. Credit: Selkie $249 at REVOLVE If you havent been on #BridalTok or opened Pinterest since high school, then youre missing out. This white Selkie puff dress is on everyones wedding vision board for a fun and short wedding dress. Its great for a small City Hall wedding or as a second reception dress. But Im not planning a wedding right now so I just want to wear it all summer long. Get the Selkie Look for Less Obviously, Selkie dresses run a little steep. If you cant afford to spend that much right now on a dress but want a similar look while you save, there are tons of similar styles on the market right now. You can also even rent Selkie dresses for a fraction of the price from sites like Rent the Runway and Nuuly. I even rented the Selkie The Cali Rosebud Dress from Rent The Runway for an August wedding and only paid $30 for a four-day rental. Below, shop some of the best affordable Selkie lookalikes on the market today so we can all experience the girly dreamy princess vibes. Rent the Runway Selkie The Cali Rosebud Dress, $30 one-time rental or $209 (Orig. $220) Credit: Rent the Runway $30 one-time rental or $209 $220 at Rent the Runway $39.99 at Amazon $37.99 at Amazon Credit: ASOS $102.50 $185 at ASOS Credit: Lulus $25 $88 at Lulus $138 at Nordstrom Credit: Princess Polly $35 $63 at Princess Polly If you liked this story, check out the best body-inclusive lingerie sets that are actually worth your coins. More from In The Know: If you dont have a disco ball in your bedroom, what are you even doing? These $22 packing cubes are how I get away with only bringing a carry-on bag on every trip 9 Black-owned beauty brands you should be shopping at Target If your apartment has no ceiling lights, this dimmable lamp on Amazon is the perfect substitute The post I want to fill my entire closet with these dreamy viral Selkie dresses appeared first on In The Know. Senate Democrats are giving marijuana banking legislation another look only weeks after it hit a wall with Republicans and was not attached to a year-end spending package. A handful of Senate Democrats met with Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday to ponder the path to passage this Congress, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said, despite what seems to be a dead end across the Capitol with Republicans now in charge of the House. Were trying to find the formulation of Safe Banking Plus that can allow us to end this cash economy thats doing so much to hurt so many across the country, Merkley, a leading backer of Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking reform, told The Hill ahead of Wednesdays meeting in Schumers office. Hopefully we can find a formulation and have bipartisan support and get it done. The legislation would allow banks to offer services to cannabis businesses in states where it has been legalized. Merkley and Schumer huddled alongside Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Cory Booker (N.J.) and Jacky Rosen (Nev.) to plot out how to proceed. Last year, Booker and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who was invited to the meeting but had a scheduling conflict, unveiled a comprehensive marijuana reform package. But in order to win GOP support, Schumer headlined talks that led to a deal that came to be known as Safe Banking Plus. While the group is hopeful, they realize the climb to advancing the bill through the GOP-led House is a steep one. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) said in December that he is personally opposed to SAFE Banking, but would not stand in the bills way if the caucus as a whole wanted it passed. It does not, however, appear to be atop House Republicans to-do list. I think every Congress Ive been here has been a climb, but were gaining momentum, Booker told The Hill. There are people now, bipartisan and bicameral, who support some sort of reform legislation, and were going to continue to work on it this Congress. Story continues The discussion this week notably did not include any GOP senators whod led the effort in the last Congress headlined by Sens. Steve Daines (Mont.) and Dan Sullivan (Alaska) to include Safe Plus in either the annual defense bill or the omnibus spending package. Any opening for the bill to be attached to either vehicle was slammed shut by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). According to McHenry in December, any hopes of passage would hinge on what else is added to the Plus package. The SAFE Banking Plus bill was set to be paired with the Harnessing Opportunities by Pursuing Expungement Act, which would create grants for state expungement programs. The latter item was proposed by Reps. David Joyce (R-Ohio) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Well see. I clearly want a path forward and I think the time is now. And I think thiscan be a bipartisan issue and bicameral, Brown told The Hill, adding that hes optimistic. I think its realistic because so many different people and groups I know the bankers want it. I bring up the bankers because thats what will move Republicans. However, not all Democrats see the avenue to putting SAFE Banking Plus on President Bidens desk. I dont know, said Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the No. 2-ranked Senate Democrat. Theres Republican resistance to the idea. Its all about cannabis. Senators in favor of the legislation point to issues that keeping cannabis businesses out of the traditional banking system has caused, including a spate of attacks on dispensaries that are forced to carry cash, making them prime targets for robberies. Senators in favor have repeatedly noted that those locales have been forced to increase security. Twenty states have fully legalized marijuana. Were going to stay at it until we get it [done]. This is an enormous public safety issue. In my part of the world, people dont understand that weve voted to legalize, but we cant use the banking system, Wyden said, laying into Republicans who he said routinely praise states rights until they object to an issue. Im going to start saying, Hey, you know what theyre really saying to you America? Theyre saying they believe in states rights if they think the state is right, Wyden added. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. TikTok is facing yet another call from a prominent lawmaker for the apps ban, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, a Democrat who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, sent a letter to Apple and Google urging the companies to ban TikTok from their respective app stores. In the letter, Bennet says that TikTok, in its current form, [is] an unacceptable threat to the national security of the United States. The letter, addressed to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, repeats many of the same points that have been raised by other lawmakers seeking to ban the app. Specifically, Bennet raises the possibility that TikToks parent company, ByteDance, could be compelled to use its influence to advance Chinese government interests, via TikTok. Like most social media platforms, TikTok collects vast and sophisticated data from its users, including faceprints and voiceprints, Bennet writes. Unlike most social media platforms, TikTok poses a unique concern because Chinese law obligates ByteDance, its Beijing-based parent company, to support, assist, and cooperate with state intelligence work. TikTok has long denied that such scenarios could play out, and has attempted to downplay its ties to China. "Unfortunately, Senator Bennet's letter relies almost exclusively on misleading reporting about TikTok, the data we collect, and our data security controls," TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said in a statement. "It also ignores the considerable investment we have made through Project Texasa plan negotiated with our country's top national security expertsto provide additional assurances to our community about their data security and the integrity of the TikTok platform." Apple and Google didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. While it seems unlikely either company would take such a drastic step based on a letter from one senator, it highlights the mounting pressure and scrutiny on TkTok. The company has spent the last two years negotiating with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) in order to secure its ability to continue to operate in the US. But that process is reportedly stalled, and the company has been waging a new charm offensive in an attempt to win over critics. TikTok has also been sharing more details around its partnership with Oracle to safeguard US user data and comply with US regulators concerns. But lawmakers seem to be in no rush to let TikTok off the hook. The app has already been banned from federal devices, and numerous state governments have passed bans of their own. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to testify at his first Congressional hearing next month. Update 2/2 8:27 PM PT: Added TikTok's response to the letter. Leopard 2 tank Read also: No invitation to meet with Biden in Poland received, says Zelenskyy According to the NZZ, in mid-January, U.S. President Joe Biden instructed CIA chief William Burns to assess Ukraines and Russias readiness for negotiations. The article states that the offer to both sides included territorial concessions from Ukraine (about 20% of Ukrainian territory) in exchange for peace. Both Ukraine and Russia refused the offer, as Ukraine doesnt want to further territorial losses, and Russia hopes to win the war in the long term. Two German politicians NZZ spoke to say CIA chief Burns and U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan want Russia's war against Ukraine to end as quickly as possible so they can focus on China. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin dont want Russia to destroy the world order and insist on increased military assistance to Kyiv. According to NZZ sources, after Burns' trip to Kyiv and Moscow, Biden agreed to transfer Abrams tanks to Ukraine something German Chancellor Olaf Scholz previously requested. Scholz probably didnt expect this and was forced to quickly change his position by announcing that Germany is transferring Leopard-2 to Ukraine, the newspaper writes. Read also: CIA chief secretly visits Kyiv to discuss new Russian offensive, US support with Zelenskyy WP On Jan. 25, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz officially announced that Germany would transfer 14 Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine and approve their re-export from partner countries. According to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the tanks could be sent to Ukraine in about three months. The same day, U.S. President Joe Biden announced plans to supply 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, along with the equipment and spare parts needed to keep them running. Biden added that while the delivery of Abrams will take some time, the training of Ukrainian crews will begin as soon as possible. Story continues Read also: US will not provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, Biden says According to German media reports, Scholz earlier told Biden that he would approve the transfer of German Leopard tanks to Ukraine if Washington supplied Kyiv with Abrams. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius subsequently denied this precondition was ever mentioned. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba earlier said Ukraine will initially receive 120-140 tanks from at least 12 of its international partners. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Two of Koreas most recognizable car brands are now the subject of a class-action lawsuit. Filed in the Eastern District of Wisconsin court on Feb. 17, the suit seeks damages and injunctive relief for car owners whose Kia or Hyundai came designed without a key security feature that helps prevent them being stolen. Dont miss The suit specifically calls out the role a viral TikTok challenge played in an explosive spike in car thefts in recent years. The social media trend saw thieves hotwiring certain Kia and Hyundai cars and SUVs using nothing but a USB cord and if they were feeling fancy, a screwdriver. Its the very same challenge that spurred State Farm and Progressive to announce theyre now refusing to insure select models made by the big South Korean auto firms due to how easy they are to steal. [This is a] serious problem impacting our customers and the entire auto insurance industry, State Farm said in a media statement. 'A serious problem': Big South Korean auto firms face heat as State Farm, Progressive now refuse to cover certain models heres why these cars are too risky to insure Which models are impacted? The Kia and Hyundai models being targeted by TikTok thieves were released between 2011 and 2021. According to 2021 insurance claims records from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), Kia and Hyundai models from 2015 to 2019 are roughly twice as likely to be stolen as other vehicles of similar age. What makes them so easy to steal is that many of them lack a basic theft prevention technology called an electronic immobilizer, a tool that stops the engine from starting unless the correct key is present. Immobilizers can be found in 96% of vehicles sold for the 2015 to 2019 model years, according to the HDLI, but only 26% of Kias and Hyundais had them at the time, leaving them vulnerable. Story continues Without an immobilizer, anyone can break into a car and bypass the ignition with ease, the HLDI said. And they dont need to be a professional car thief to succeed they just need TikTok. The class-action suit in Wisconsin claims both Kia and Hyundai have long known or should have known of the defect in their cars. It goes on to state that instead, the manufacturers failed to disclose and actively concealed the defect from the public, and continue to manufacture, distribute, and sell the vehicles without disclosing the defect. While Kia and Hyundai are now both working on providing free software updates to get in front of the issue, the plaintiff in the suit (whose car was stolen in 2021) believes the companies held off on implementing that software update before as a costsaving measure to improve their profitability. However, the number of thefts recorded before the update was issued is alarming. The Chicago Police Department warned of an astounding 767% increase in vehicle thefts in 2021 due to the TikTok challenge. And in Los Angeles, Kia and Hyundai vehicles accounted for almost 20% of vehicle thefts in 2022, up from 13% in 2021, according to the Los Angeles Police Department both staggering figures considering how many car brands are available on the market. Read more: Rich young Americans have lost confidence in the stock market and are betting on these 3 assets instead Too risky to insure Comprehensive car insurance coverage will typically cover theft, as well as repair costs from break-in damages. This means that insurers are picking up the bill for this unfortunate TikTok trend and for State Farm and Progressive, enough is enough. This explosive increase in thefts in many cases makes these vehicles extremely challenging for us to insure, said Progressive spokesman Jeff Sibel in an emailed statement to CNN. During the past year weve seen theft rates for certain Hyundai and Kia vehicles more than triple and in some markets these vehicles are almost 20 times more likely to be stolen than other vehicles. In response, Progressive has limited its sale of new insurance policies on specific Kia and Hyundai models, while also increasing the price of coverage for these cars. State Farm has made a similar move to temporarily stop writing new business in some states for certain model years and trim levels of Hyundai and Kia vehicles, but the insurer hasnt yet confirmed which cities or states are impacted. What should you do if you own a risky model? Police have issued many tips on how to protect vehicles that are at high risk of theft. Simple things like using a steering wheel locking device, keeping valuables out of sight and parking in a well-lit and well-traveled area can go a long way to preventing theft. You might also consider installing alarm systems, anti-theft dash cams and vehicle tracking systems to deter thieves and increase your chances of finding your car if its stolen. Its important to remember that State Farm and Progressive are only limiting their sales of new insurance policies for high-risk Kia and Hyundai vehicles. If you own one of these vehicles and already have insurance in place, taking steps to secure your vehicle and limit the risk of theft could help to control your insurance costs. Other ways to control your insurance costs On average, Americans pay $1,553 a year on auto insurance. And while coverage is legally required in most states, overpaying for insurance isnt. So even if your insurer isnt threatening to revoke your coverage, if you havent cruised through your options lately, you could be overpaying by as much as $500 a year on this essential policy. Your best chance to find savings on your auto insurance is to spend some time shopping around and comparing offers. Typically, that might mean setting aside hours or even a whole day to call up different insurers just to provide them with your details to get an accurate quote. But with todays comparison sites, in as little as three minutes, you can find the best deals on auto insurance all in one place. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Alex Murdaugh arrives at court on Thursday. Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool Less than 12 hours before Alex Murdaughs wife and son were shot dead in 2021, the chief financial officer of the South Carolina law firm where he worked confronted him about a huge sum of money that was missing from the company's accounts. He gave me a very dirty look, Jeanne Seckinger, the CFO, testified at Murdaughs murder trial in the Colleton County courthouse on Thursday. Not a look Id ever received from Alex. Just a kind of frustrated-with-me look. In the days prior, Seckinger had grown suspicious about the $792,000 in fees that her staff could not locate, which Murdaugh had assured her was sitting in an accessible account. On June 7, 2021, she said, she climbed the stairs to his second-floor office and closed the door to speak candidly with him. She had come to believe that Murdaugh, whom shed known for decades since she was in high school, had stolen the money by arranging for it to be paid to himself directly instead of the firm. I told him I had reason to believe he had received those funds himself and I needed proof that he had not, Seckinger testified. Then, two things happened. The first was a phone call that interrupted Seckingers showdown with Murdaugh. He received a call informing him that the health of his father, a former partner at the firm and powerful local prosecutor, had devolved and he now lay dying in a Savannah hospital. That changed the mood of that conversation. We quit talking about business, Seckinger said, recalling how the meeting immediately ended and Murdaugh left. The second occurred hours later, when Seckinger received a call around 2 a.m. from an associate informing her that Murdaughs wife and son had been shot dead by an unknown assailant at their rural hunting lodge. Horrified, law firm staff closed the practice for a week, with Seckinger deciding any questions about missing funds could be delayed until the end of the year at the latest, when accounts would need to be settled. Story continues Alex was distraught and upset and not in the office much. Nobody wanted to harass him about nothing that we thought was really missing, she said. We had several months until the end of the year to clear it up, so we were not going to harass him at that point in time. That, prosecutors have said, was exactly Murdaughs plan when he allegedly decided to shoot wife Maggie and son Paul around 9 p.m. that night. Fearing his financial misdeeds were set to be exposed by the firm and by a civil discovery hearing scheduled later that week in a lawsuit over a fatal boat crash involving his son Murdaugh believed he was about to lose his job, his law license, and his freedom, prosecutors said. He needed to buy himself time and sympathy. All of this going on in his life, which is a stellar series of events like nothing ever seen, is certainly relevant for the jury to consider when they consider whether there was a perfect storm that was arriving for this man on June 7, lead prosecutor Creighton Waters told the judge on Thursday. Except the jury was not present for Seckingers testimony. Judge Clifton Newman had ruled earlier in the day that prosecutors could begin calling witnesses to testify about Murdaughs alleged financial crimes and thus his alleged motive for murder because defense attorneys had questioned a longtime Murdaugh family friend about whether they believed he could have had any reason to kill. But the judge has yet to decide exactly what evidence the jury will hear about the 99 charges of financial crime that Murdaugh is also facing or in what manner it will be presented to them. This had the somewhat unusual outcome of creating, in effect, two trials for Murdaugh on Thursday: one in which the jury was present for about 90 minutes to hear investigators give evidence about the murder scene, and a second in which the jury was not present as witnesses gave evidence about the alleged financial thefts. It is yet to be determined exactly what the jury will hear from this second strain of evidence and if these witnesses will be called back to testify again in front of the jury. Jeanne Seckinger Andrew J. Whitaker / AP A rule of South Carolinas criminal procedure prohibits evidence of other crimes or wrongs being introduced in court. Such evidence may only come up if its used to show intent or motive, not merely as evidence of bad character. The judge said either the defense and prosecution need to agree on how to admit the financial evidence without drastically lengthening the trials duration (Murdaughs lawyers had argued this could add at least two weeks to the case) or he will make a ruling, most likely on Friday. Prosecutors have insisted they are not simultaneously working to try Murdaugh on the financial crimes as they try him on the murder charges, but they say theyre intrinsically linked. The states intent is not to try 100 white-collar cases in the context of this murder case, Waters said. Its only to explain to the jury enough of what was going on an unfathomable set of events for a lawyer what was going on in his life that was all coming to a head on June 7. In her testimony on Thursday, Seckinger described how she and other law firm staff eventually discovered that Murdaugh had been stealing from multiple clients and the firm itself for over a decade. He allegedly did this in part by setting up a bank account with the same name as the consulting group the firm normally used to receive client payments or attorney fees and then misappropriated these funds to himself. Seckinger explained that in May 2021, she had noticed Murdaugh had been trying to structure legal fees hed received from a case in an unusual manner. She said he told her that he was trying to put some money in Maggies name to shield it from discovery in the boat crash lawsuit. She and other partners at the firm did not yet believe Murdaugh was stealing money, but they were concerned that he was trying to skirt the law and hide income. That would be wrong, and we did not want any part of that, she said. Later that month, she became aware of the missing $792,000, which eventually prompted the closed-door meeting in his office on June 7. Chris Wilson, an attorney at another firm and longtime friend of Murdaugh's, had worked with him on that case, in which his share of the legal fees amounted to $792,000. He testified Thursday that in March 2021, Murdaugh had asked him to make the check out to him directly, rather than the firm, so he could use the money to purchase an annuity with his firms blessing. It was different, but it didnt raise any red flags or suspicions to me that anything wrong was going on, Wilson testified. Because you trusted your friend? Waters asked. Very much, Wilson said. But Seckinger said that the same afternoon she had confronted him about the missing money, she received a phone call from Murdaugh, who was still working in the office and inquiring about his 401(k) balances as part of preparations for the upcoming boat crash hearing. I was surprised he was in the building working on it, she said. I thought he left to go deal with his father. Wilson told the court that the month after the killings Murdaugh had told him he had messed up and could not structure the fees as he thought hed be able to. He paid back $600,000 to Wilsons trust and asked his friend to temporarily cover the remaining $192,000, which he said had been tied up in an annuity. Wilson agreed to do so, but later had his friend sign a promissory note pledging repayment. He wanted this agreement in writing, he said, because he was worried Murdaugh might kill himself. Chris Wilson tears up while being questioned in court on Thursday. Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP Seckinger said that in July she was sent an email from Murdaugh and Wilson claiming the $792,000 was in the trust and could be sent whenever convenient. That assurance temporarily ended her inquiry, Seckinger testified, because there had been a long history of trust and brotherhood in the firm that previously allowed Murdaugh to pay back money that he had wrongly received he always said it was by mistake and others simply moved on. But in early September 2021, Seckinger decided to double-check accounts and discovered more irregularities involving a series of checks that Murdaugh had signed over to his fake company. Firm leadership, including Murdaughs older brother Randy, convened a meeting for Friday, Sept. 3, to discuss the matter. Seckinger said Randy agreed it looked like Murdaugh had stolen and would need to be immediately confronted. She said she heard that Murdaugh had admitted to the thefts and agreed to resign. Due to a wedding and the Labor Day weekend holiday, senior law firm staff decided they would consult with ethics attorneys and announce Murdaughs resignation on Monday, Sept. 6. But that Saturday, the day after Murdaugh agreed to resign, Seckinger again received a shocking phone call, this time informing her that Murdaugh had been shot in the head by the side of a rural road . Fear went through [the firm], Seckinger said. Was this retaliation? Was he involved in something bigger that was going to get more of us in trouble? [There was] just fear. The shooting only injured Murdaugh superficially, though, and in mid-September, authorities arrested Curtis Eddie Smith, a distant cousin and former client of Murdaughs, whom they said Murdaugh had asked to kill so that his surviving son, Buster, could collect a $10 million insurance payout. Murdaugh was subsequently charged with insurance fraud. The morning before the roadside shooting, Wilson had visited Murdaugh to confront him about his resignation and the alleged theft. Wilson said Murdaugh broke down crying as he told him hed stolen from him and others to fund a 20-year drug addiction. I was so mad, Wilson said. I had loved the guy for so long, and I probably still love the guy a little bit, but I was so mad. Hours later, he too received a call about Murdaugh having been shot. What the devils going on? Wilson recalled thinking. I thought he tried to kill himself. Waters, the prosecutor, told the judge that the jury needs to hear evidence about the roadside shooting because it goes to Murdaughs supposed motive. Everyone immediately assumes the bad guys are back, Waters said. Theres a symmetry between what happens on the side of the road and what happens on June 7, because when the hounds are at the door, when Hannibal is at the gates for Alex Murdaugh, violence happens. Griffin, the defense attorney, countered that there was no financial reason for Murdaugh to kill his wife and son, arguing the prosecutions case was grounded in theory, not facts. Theyve got a whole lot more evidence about financial misconduct than they have about a murder, and thats what this is all about, Griffin said. At several points in his testimony, Wilson grew visibly emotional as he recounted how his longtime friend had behaved. He was one of my best friends. I thought he was and I thought he felt the same way about me, Wilson said. I don't know how I feel now. Alex Murdaugh Trial Republicans have had a lock on the Mississippi governorship for decades. But Democrats hope that a candidate with one of the most famous last names in America can change that. Democrats are coalescing around Brandon Presley, a public service commissioner and a distant cousin of Elvis Presley to challenge Republican Gov. Tate Reeves. Reeves has middling poll numbers and clashed with some other state Republicans, but he secured his partys nomination since several potential primary challengers bowed out, after sniffing around Reeves campaign for weakness. Presleys appeal for Democrats goes well beyond his connection to The King. Democrats believe that his record as a public official combined with what would need to be a strong campaign and a weakened incumbent gives them a chance to break the GOPs streak of dominance over state government. It would follow a similar path to other recent Democratic governors elected in red states like Louisiana, Kentucky and Kansas. He's a great retail politician and a real good campaigner, former Clinton-era Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy, a Democrat who ran for Senate in 2018 and 2020, said of Presley. He will probably raise enough money. Reeves, the incumbent governor, may be unusually vulnerable for a red-state Republican. Democrats point to months-long rumblings of potential primary challengers which never ended up materializing and a recent poll from Mississippi Today/Siena College that found that a majority of registered voters surveyed wanted a new governor. Reeves took a narrow 4-point lead over Presley, 43 percent to 39 percent, in the survey. Reeves has at times relished public fights, including with members of his own party, that has created enemies in the state. Still, its a mark of how deep Democrats deficit is in Mississippi that they still trail in the polls even with better-than-usual starting position. Democrats and Republicans alike still believe that Reeves is the clear favorite early in the election. Former President Donald Trump, who endorsed Reeves in the 2019 race, won the state by 16 points in 2020 and defeating an incumbent governor also happens to be one of the toughest things to do in politics. Story continues Reeves allies were undisturbed by the poll, arguing that a survey of registered voters in January is nothing like who will actually show up in an off-year November election, and they dismissed the idea that Reeves would have any problems rallying Republicans in the state. Several prominent Mississippi Republicans including Secretary of State Michael Watson, state House Speaker Philip Gunn and former state Supreme Court Justice Bill Waller, who Reeves comfortably beat in a runoff for the GOP nomination in 2019 all floated runs, but all of them ultimately decided to sit out the race. (Reeves is facing a nominal challenge from an anti-vaccine mandate doctor.) The relatively clear primary path will be a rarity for Reeves, who has won hard-fought nominating fights at every step of his political ascent something his allies said is a sign of his strength in the state. And Reeves is also sitting on a significant campaign warchest of nearly $7.9 million across his accounts, filings earlier this week revealed. Republicans also pointed to similar chatter four years earlier, when then-Lt. Gov. Reeves faced off against Democratic state Attorney General Jim Hood, who was first elected in 2003 and by 2019 was the only Democrat serving in statewide elected office in Mississippi. Hood was considered the strongest candidate the party put up in decades a truck driver without a campaign was the party nominee in 2015 and the Democratic Governors Association poured millions into the race. But Reeves ended up beating Hood by about 5 points both the closest Mississippi gubernatorial race in 20 years and, at the end of the day, not that close to actual victory. The proof is going to be there in the pudding. It wasnt there in 19 with a similar type of candidate, said Austin Barbour, a Mississippi-based GOP political strategist and nephew of former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour. Still, Presley may be a better candidate than Hood was, by the estimation of both Democrats and Republicans who cited his strong on-the-trail presence. Presley also has the potential to be a strong fundraiser in a state with relatively cheap advertising rates in its media markets. Presley is also a novelty for a Democrat seeking statewide office in 2023: He has repeatedly described himself as pro-life. Democrats also plan to lean into Presleys history as a public service commissioner and former mayor in his hometown of Nettleton, which is in the states northeast. Presleys campaign signaled it planned to hammer Reeves for the states sprawling welfare corruption scandal that has entangled high profile figures like football Hall of Famer Brett Favre and former professional wrestler "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. Tate Reeves is a man with zero conviction and massive corruption, Presley said in his launch video. He has been caught in the middle of the largest public corruption scandal in state history. Democrats note that Reeves fired an attorney investigating the scandal, which Reeves defended at the time because he said the attorney was acting in a partisan manner. Reeves team pushes back against the attacks more broadly, insisting the scandal falls on his predecessors shoulders then-Gov. Phil Bryant and not his. He is trying to run against the previous governor, because he knows Tate Reeves record is too good on jobs, education and taxes, said Brad Todd, a longtime political adviser to Reeves. Presleys campaign will come down to his ability to engage and turn out Black voters in Mississippi, especially in the capital city of Jackson and its south. Black voters make up nearly 38 percent of the state, but Black registration and turnout has lagged. In order for Brandon to get the Black vote, he really needs to be better-known, with more money put in infrastructure to re-register Black voters, said Espy, who commissioned a report after the 2020 election detailing some of the gaps. Espy added that Presley is not well known in Jackson, which is outside his public service commission district, but that the candidate has been putting in work to meet with Black leaders in the state. Notably, Rep. Bennie Thompson the states lone Democrat in Congress, who succeeded Espy in the House and represents Jackson endorsed Presley right after he launched. This week brought a small preview of the campaign to come. Reeves delivered his State of the State address on Monday, and Presley was selected by Democrats to give the response. Presley delivered his speech from a closed-down emergency room in a shutdown hospital, highlighting another issue Democrats are likely to target Reeves on: Medicaid expansion and rural hospitals closing in the state. Under Tate Reeves leadership, we are moving in the wrong direction, he said. Unsurprisingly, Reeves painted a dramatically different picture of the state in his own State of the State, touting Mississippis budget surplus, the economy and increases in the states graduation rate. I have to thank the 3 million Mississippians who have helped our state usher in an unprecedented period of economic growth, educational achievement, and freedom, Reeves said. 2022 was perhaps the best year in Mississippis history. The US Air Force's F-22 Raptor. Mai/Getty Images Shooting down the suspected Chinese spy balloon is harder than it seems, a former Navy pilot told Insider. Engaging it is no easy task, and attempting to do so puts people on the ground at risk, the expert said. Still, there is a growing call for the balloon to be shot down. Why doesn't the US just shoot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon floating around parts of the country like a growing chorus of GOP lawmakers, as well as former President Donald Trump, are demanding? Because it's not that simple, a former Navy pilot told Insider. Attempting to take out the high-altitude balloon with the air defense systems the US has is "very difficult," it's hard to engage it with fighter aircraft, and shooting it down also risks injuries and fatalities on the ground, explained Brynn Tannehill, a former naval aviator and senior technical analyst at the RAND Corporation think tank. Balloons like the one that was spotted this week over the continental US can operate at more than 100,000 feet, and according to Tannehill, most US anti-air weapons systems were not "designed" to eliminate targets that high up. Most systems "weren't designed to shoot down things operating at the kinds of high altitude balloons can operate at," Tannehill said, explaining that an aircraft would likely struggle to get close enough to it to get within gun range, either. Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said on Friday that the Chinese balloon is estimated to be operating at about 60,000 feet, "well above the range of civilian air traffic or where civilian air traffic would normally fly." That puts it in range of some systems, but there are other challenges. And it is still a potential stretch for many fighter aircraft. The US Air Force's top air superiority fighter, the fifth-generation F-22 Raptor, which the US military scrambled in response to the Chinese balloon, has a maximum operating altitude of over 50,000 feet, according to the Air Force. That could be pushed higher though, even if it's less than ideal. Story continues "The F-22 is like a Lamborghini," Tannehill said. "But you don't take your Lamborghini off-roading because it wasn't meant to do that." It could still take a shot at it. Most of the US military's air-to-air missiles weren't designed to operate as high up as a high-altitude balloon can fly because of the limits of their control surfaces, specifically the fins, wings, and tail, Tannehill said, explaining that "control surfaces lose effectiveness as you go higher." But, at lower altitudes, it could be an option. The problem, the former naval aviator said, is that missile systems, both surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles, "aren't designed to attack balloons because balloons don't look like the kind of valid targets that they were designed to attack," like enemy aircraft or missiles. "They don't move like a cruise missile," Tannehill said of these kinds of balloons. "They look more like a cloud or chaff, and modern missiles are designed to ignore chaff," a kind of radar countermeasure. "It's very difficult with what we have, because what we have was not meant to shoot down balloons," she said. Assuming a fighter aircraft like the F-22, with its M61 Gatling gun or missiles, or an air-defense missile system could get a hit on the Chinese balloon to take it down, which is uncertain, there's still the risk of causing injuries or deaths on the ground. The Pentagon said on Friday that US officials had considered shooting down the balloon, but that they assessed that the balloon did not pose a threat while in flight or to Americans on the ground. Steps were also taken to prevent the balloon, identified as a surveillance balloon, from gathering intelligence on sensitive military operations, making downing it less of a necessity. The military said there were also concerns that shooting the balloon down could result in safety risks from falling debris. And the debris in question might not be just from the balloon. "If you shoot it down, then you've got raining debris," Tannehill said, explaining that if it's shot down with the M61 Gatling gun, "you're going to be spraying 20 millimeter rounds that will continue carrying on for miles and miles that could kill someone on the ground." If missiles are used, then there's the possibility that one would miss. "There's still a non-trivial chance that you're going to miss, and now you have ordnance going somewhere you really don't want it to," Tannehill. She added that "the mental calculus is that the balloon floating around up there is not going to kill anyone," but the approach to taking it out could. Still, some have urged that the Chinese balloon be shot down, despite the risks. Miles Yu, a former China policy adviser to the Trump administration, told Insider that it's "a blatant violation of American sovereign space." "Any foreign object entering American sovereign space without permission should be subject to be shot down immediately," said Yu, a senior fellow and director of the China Center at the Hudson Institute think tank. Yu said that the US has the "capability" to shoot down the balloon, but doesn't have "the will." The Chinese foreign ministry claimed on Friday that the balloon is a "civilian aircraft" primarily used for weather research and that it blew off course. The Pentagon, however, has insisted it is a surveillance balloon, but there are no immediate plans to shoot it down. Read the original article on Business Insider Sheriffs officials are investigating after suspected catalytic converter thieves fired at a resident who confronted them outside a home in Spring Valley Lake. Sheriffs officials are investigating after suspected catalytic converter thieves fired at a resident who confronted them in Spring Valley Lake. Victor Valley Sheriffs Station reported that at 3:43 a.m. on Thursday, deputies responded to a 911 call in the 13400 block of Pyramid Drive. The home is on the southeast portion of the lake and west of Driftwood Drive. Sheriffs officials discovered that the suspects, described as two Hispanic men, began sawing off the catalytic converter from a vehicle outside the home. When the residents heard the noise from the saw, they went outside to confront the suspects. Thats when one of the suspects used a handgun to fire two rounds at the male resident, who went back inside. The suspects left the residence with the catalytic converter in a dark-colored Toyota Camry. Ring Neighbors Video from a Ring camera shows a man and woman exiting their home and running toward the front of the residence while yelling obscenities at someone. At one point, the male resident yelled, Ill (expletive) kill you, and Get the (expletive) out of here, before gunshots were heard. The couple began running back into the home, while the male resident yelled, Go! Go, baby, go! Close the door. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked by sheriffs officials to contact Deputy K. Hillebrand at the Victor Valley Sheriffs Station at 760-552-6800. Callers can remain anonymous by contacting We-Tip at 800-78CRIME (27463) or wetip.com. This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Shots fired during catalytic converter theft in Spring Valley Lake Former President Donald Trumps extremely right-wing podcasting supporter Rochelle Silk Richardson has come up with yet another conspiracy-theory death cause for her late sister, Lynnette Diamond Hardaway. Richardson indicated on her podcast Wednesday that it was likely a mysterious bio weapon sprayed into the air. Hardaway, 51, died last month of a heart attack due to heart disease, according to her death certificate. She was not suffering from COVID-19 at the time, as many had speculated online. Both sisters were known to be anti-vaxxers. Silk described the death of her sister on her latest podcast her first one without Diamond as Gods plan, but suddenly and unexpected. Hardaway was happy before her death, and it just happened suddenly, Richardson said. At a memorial service in Fayetteville, North Carolina, late last month, Richardson suggested, without evidence, that the COVID-19 vaccine caused her sisters death. Dont you dare call me a conspiracy theorist, because I saw it happen, she said at the service. Richardson recounted that Hardaway said I cant breathe after returning home from a party. Richardson said she performed CPR on her sister as they waited for emergency services. I was there when it happened, and it happened suddenly, Silk recounted. I want America to wake up and pay attention. Something aint right. Its time to investigate whats really going on here and give some answers to why people are falling dead suddenly. Silk speculated that Diamond had been killed by vaccine shedding somehow becoming infected with live particles of the vaccine shed by those who received a vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has emphasized that none of the coronavirus vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. contain a live virus. On her podcast Wednesday, Richardson she was unable to say directly ... if my sister was vaxxed or not citing legal purposes. But I can ask you a question: If you knew that the vaccine, the thing that they call a vaccine, was a bio weapon, would you take it? Story continues But it doesnt matter if were vaxxed or not, because when youre talking about a bio weapon thats engineered and created to affect all of us ... it dont matter, she added. Are we being poisoned through our food ... are we being poisoned through the air? she then asked. On the last show that Diamond was on, she was concerned about something being sprayed in the air, Silk said. And I agreed with her; it was something being sprayed in the air, and now my sister is dead today. Silk added: Why are people falling dead, and why aint nobody talking about it? Silk said on her podcast Thursday that she would be able to discuss her various theories in more depth in the near future. Trump attended Diamonds memorial service last month in North Carolina and spoke at length, but when he said that while he admired her, he added that he really didnt know her sister even though they were a high-profile pair known as Diamond and Silk and they constantly extolled Trump on their podcast. Im serious, I thought I knew them both. I didnt, Trump said. I knew Diamond, but I didnt know Silk at all. I just learned about Silk. Youre fantastic, he added. Silk talks about her latest theory in her podcast below, beginning at 7:20: Related... After marking his ballot, Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas heads to the ballot box to cast his vote at Healy School in the 11th Ward on Election Day, April 4, 2023. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) Chicagoans tend to be weather-hardened stoics and scandal-scarred realists. Yet were mostly an upbeat crew, fiercely proud of our beautiful city. But if you read the most recent Harris Poll, youll see that most voters are profoundly pessimistic about postelection Chicago. When thinking about the key issues that face us, such as public safety, most of us apparently believe things are going to keep getting worse. This is an aberration in terms of our collective historical trajectory, as cheered on by this newspaper for more than 175 years, and it cannot stand. Advertisement Demonstrably, Chicago is a city in need of a turnaround, and, in Paul Vallas, were endorsing a smart, passionate and experienced candidate for mayor who long has specialized in doing precisely that. Unapologetically wonkish, the Chicago-born Vallas, who was CEO of Chicago Public Schools from 1995 to 2001 and of the School District of Philadelphia from 2002 to 2007, has successfully positioned himself as the candidate with detailed plans and fresh ideas, and has nationally recognized expertise in city financing, policing and public education, the three components of city life most in dire need of attention. Advertisement Mayoral candidate Paul Vallas on Jan. 17, 2023. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune) Vallas has the ear of rank-and-file police officers on the street. We will expect him to use that trust to improve police conduct and the abysmal clearance rate for violent offenses. Similarly, we will hold him accountable to implement his many plans for improving the education of CPS students, young people who suffered greatly during the COVID-19 crisis and now deserve to be at the top of the list of the next mayors priorities. And we expect him to use his experience as municipal budget director under Mayor Richard M. Daley from 1990 to 1993 to run a tight fiscal ship and bring property tax relief to cash-strapped Chicagoans. We are not among the current mayors fervent detractors, although we note their abundance. Lori Lightfoot steered this city through the COVID-19 crisis far better than most mayors. With the help of federal largesse, she has greatly improved Chicagos financial condition. Lightfoot has placed equity front and center of her agenda, and has worked tirelessly to improve the economic prospects of long-struggling neighborhoods. [ The 2023 candidates for mayor of Chicago ] The Chicago Teachers Union has been a consistent thorn in her side, and, in all fairness, many of the most vexing issues that plague our city also are part of the downtown picture in San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia and elsewhere. And while many have complained bitterly about her temperament and lack of both collaboration and transparency, no one credible has impugned Lightfoots personal ethics or integrity, outside of the campaign trail, at least. She would be our No. 2 choice, and, should there be a runoff, she should be the one facing off against Vallas. But despite her formidable intellect and command of the issues, Lightfoot has been reluctant to see this moment as time for any kind of leadership reboot. In essence, she has fervently defended her record and said that she has revealed no plans to change her personal style or her key team, including her unpopular police superintendent. She has not said she plans to operate so as to create more and firmer alliances among the roiling constituencies that make up this city. She does not see the need, and we sympathize, given all the noise she faces. But we also think she is not fully reading the moment. Among the other candidates, weve heard little in the way of specifics from Jesus Chuy Garcia that gives us confidence he can transform this city for the better. Were also troubled by his association with former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigans unsavory, clout-oriented ways, which went beyond necessity. We find many of Willie Wilsons pronouncements on the campaign trail to have been either ridiculous or harmful, notwithstanding our admiration of his personal success and his philanthropy. Brandon Johnson is smart and loquacious, but many of his radical proposals to raise taxes would result in further erosion of Chicagos tax base because people with the ability to leave would pack their bags. And he has not acknowledged the harm done to kids by prolonged school closures, in part because he does not want to annoy his CTU benefactors. Advertisement [ Read Tribune election coverage ] Progressive voters would be on stronger, safer ground with Ald. Sophia King, 4th, a likable, evenhanded alderman whose ward encompasses both struggling neighborhoods and a good chunk of downtown, giving her experience on both sides of one of Chicagos most vexing and self-defeating battlefronts. Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th, is similarly reasoned and thoughtful, although unlikely to gain enough traction. And while we dont agree with many of his positions, especially on matters of education, we admire state Rep. Kam Buckner, another inspiring figure who should be part of Chicagos future political leadership. As for 27-year-old JaMal Green, we consider him among the citys best and brightest, a young man who already has done much to mitigate danger on our streets. But he is not yet ready to be this citys mayor. King, Sawyer, Buckner and Green all could be helpful to Vallas, should he win. Some have mocked Vallas as an illusory shining white knight whose candidacy says more about his backers than the candidate himself. Other opponents have argued that while he has reams of bullet-pointed plans under his hat, he wont do as well in the day-to-day business of running a city, when it doesnt always help to see yourself as the smartest person in the room. These will be potential traps for him, and he will need to pay attention and surround himself with a confident, diverse, transparent team. One filled with turnaround specialists. Vallas is 70 in June, and, while we wish him good health and a long life, his potential tenure as mayor is not going to be some Daley-esque dynasty any more than a pathway to higher office. His job will be to fix the things that need to be fixed; restore confidence, joy and optimism; redress those persistent inequalities in our midst; keep an eye out for future leaders, especially leaders of color; and then make way for the citys next great chapter. We believe most Chicagoans can get behind that idea. Join the discussion on Twitter @chitribopinions and on Facebook. Advertisement Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. (Bloomberg) -- A lawmaker in Singapores ruling party took to social media to defend her new role running Grab Holdings Ltd.s government relations department, dismissing concerns about potential conflicts of interest. Most Read from Bloomberg Tin Pei Ling, who was appointed director of public affairs and policy this week, said in a Facebook post that she can keep her two roles separate. But while members of parliament are allowed to hold private sector jobs in the city-state, the practice has drawn mixed views online. I have received several queries about whether there is a conflict of interest since I am still a Member of Parliament, said Tin, whos also chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee for Communications and Information, according to the website of the ruling Peoples Action Party. I am absolutely clear that when I am discharging my duties in my capacity as a Member of Parliament, my constituents and Singapore come first. The company made clear in a statement on Wednesday that the two roles are distinct, and we have established clear rules of engagement to ensure that any conflicts of interest will be avoided, it said, adding that many MPs hold such roles. Read more: Grab Hires Singapore Politician for Public Affairs Role Tin entered politics more than a decade ago and was elected to parliament under a team led by former Prime Minister and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. As one of the youngest candidates to be slated at that time, Tin initially came under scrutiny and criticism for her age and political inexperience. During the latest election, she triumphed at the polls, winning 71.7% of the votes in her district, among the highest candidate reelection margins. Story continues Like governments around the world, Singapore is rolling out legislative changes to better protect gig-economy workers. Ride-hailing and food-delivery companies are built on the labor of these low-wage contract workers, but have resisted taking them on as full-time employees to contain costs. When I am working on behalf of Grab, I will have to ensure that Grabs interests are safeguarded, Tin said. The ruling Peoples Action Party did not respond to requests for comment. Public reaction to Tins Facebook post was overwhelmingly congratulatory. As long as all sides are transparent and above board, there should be no problem, one poster remarked. Posts on another online forum popular in Singapore were more critical. How can we be absolutely sure that she wont use the info n knowledge she gains as an MP to enrich grab? said another. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Police NSF Finnegan Tan Yao Jie's supervisors considered prohibiting him from using firearms after learning that he had lost over $10,000 in a scam. (PHOTO: File/Yahoo News Singapore) SINGAPORE A full-time police national serviceman was found dead with a gunshot wound to his head in August 2021 after he had lost over $10,000 in an e-commerce job scam. The Straits Times reported on the first day of a coroner's inquiry on the death of Finnegan Tan Yao Jie on Wednesday (1 February) that he had filed a police report before he was found dead with a gunshot wound on 30 August 2021. The inquiry heard that the 21-year-old was so upset after losing so much money from the job scam - money which included $7,000 borrowed from his father - that his supervisors at the Special Operations Command (SOC) had considered banning him from using firearms. However, they had found that his case did not fit into the category of "financial embarrassment", which means owning money and being unable to pay back. Shouting in restroom that he almost killed himself An investigating police officer said in court that there was a separate incident in mid-2021 when Tan's colleague heard him shouting in a restroom at the SOC base in Queensway that he had almost killed himself the day before. CNA reported that one of Tan's supervisors, who has experience in providing psychological support, had intervened and spoken to him then. However, Tan had simply dismissed the matter as just an outburst. Despite finding that Tan didn't display suicidal thoughts or appear depressed, the supervisor was still considering barring him from using firearms At the time of his death, Tan was supposed to attend a course for a few weeks, during which he would not be armed. In his report to State Coroner Adam Nakhoda, the investigating officer said Tan had reported for duty about 10.30am on the day of the incident. He was given a revolver and live rounds when he arrived at the SOC base. When his colleagues heard a gun go off, they assumed it was a misfire. After a search, officers discovered Tan with a gunshot wound to the head in a toilet, and he was declared dead at around 11.20am by paramedics who arrived at the scene. Story continues Posted suicidal thoughts on social media accounts Tan's suicidal thoughts came to light after investigators reviewed his social media accounts and found that he had posted privately on Instagram that he wanted to die. Further investigations found that Tan had intended to commit suicide for some time. This was due several reasons, including that he had been cheated of money belonging to his father, according to CNA. The investigating officer told the court that Tan was upset about himself having made this mistake, and although he suggested to his father that he consult a psychiatrist, it was brushed off by his father. The officer also said that Tan had asked his sister "out of the blue" on what she would do if he were gone. However, she did not pursue the matter further. Tan had also expressed suicidal thoughts to his cousin, but he was not taken seriously. Months before his death, he even searched online for information about suicide, shooting with gloves and writing a will. The state coroner will release his findings at a later date. If you have thoughts of suicide or are feeling distressed, you can call the Samaritans of Singapore's 24-hour hotline at 1767 or 1800-2214444. You can also email pat@sos.org.sg. Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube. State and local officials are investigating an officer-involved shooting that happened in Spartanburg County. Coroner Rusty Clevenger said his office was notified of the incident at 191 South Carolina Ave. at 5:58 p.m. State and local officials are investigating an officer-involved shooting that left one dead in Spartanburg County Thursday. Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger confirmed that the decedent is Darius L.J. Holcomb, 39. Clevenger said his office was notified of the incident at 191 South Carolina Ave. at 5:58 p.m. He also confirmed Holcomb lived on South Carolina Ave. Corporal John Burgess of the Spartanburg County Sheriff Office said warrant officers responded at approximately 3:10 p.m. in reference to a wanted suspect with outstanding warrants. "Upon arriving, the suspect threatened deputies with a knife," Burgess said. "The suspect fled to a bedroom and barricaded himself in a bedroom. The family was removed from the residence and negotiations started." Burgess said following no "progress," CS (tear) gas was let into the room. After this did not work, the bedroom door was eventually breached. "A Sheriffs Office K9 was utilized and the suspect began stabbing the K9," Burgess said. "At least one deputy fired their service weapon, striking the suspect." While the suspect's condition was previously unknown, around 10:30 p.m. Clevenger provided the update on the suspect's name and death. Spartanburg Emergency Medical Services was immediately requested and responded to the scene, according to Burgess. Clevenger also confirmed that the shooting occurred on South Carolina Avenue. Burgess stated that the address is within the city limits of Spartanburg. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) spokesperson Renee Wunderlich confirmed that SLED received a request from the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office and is actively investigating the case. Wunderlich said SLED will release more details Friday morning. In an email response Thursday night, Burgess said the K9 will receive treatment from a veterinarian. "Preliminary observation is the K9 will be OK," he said. Check back for updates on this developing story. Chalmers Rogland covers public safety and breaking news for the Herald-Journal. Reach him via email at crogland@shj.com. This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Decedent identified in officer-involved shooting on South Carolina Ave. A campaign to block the appointment of a commissioner to the Federal Communications Commission has turned ugly. Gigi Sohn, who was first nominated in October 2021 to complete the FCCs lineup of five commissioners, was recently the target of articles by DailyMail.com and FoxNews.com that sought to connect her work with a leading digital rights group to sex trafficking and a dominatrix. Sohn is on the board of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, or EFF, a widely respected nonprofit that advocates for privacy and free expression online. Those articles came after what has been a particularly long wait to have Sohn approved by the Senate, and theyve triggered growing outrage. The press stories ginned up by Ms. Sohns opponents are beneath scurrilous and are beneath the dignity of this Committee, wrote Preston Padden, a former president of ABC Television Network and a founding executive of Fox Broadcasting Company, in a recent letter to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Both articles referred to the EFFs opposition to a law known as FOSTA-SESTA that aimed to crack down on websites for knowingly facilitating sex trafficking that was opposed by much of the tech community. The Daily Mail also pointed out that the EFF honored a dominatrix with its pioneer award for what the nonprofit said was her research into sex work and equitable access to technology from a public health perspective in relation to FOSTA-SESTA. Padden, in a phone interview with NBC News, emphasized how shocked he was by the articles. Im old. I started doing legal lobbying work in the industry in 1973, Padden, who is now the principal of the consulting firm Boulder Thinking, said. And I have never seen anything like this. Ive never seen anything like the micro targeting of senators to try to defeat a nomination. And Ive never seen anything like this smear campaign. It remains unclear who or what was behind the articles by the Daily Mail and Fox News. Story continues Neither the Daily Mail nor Fox News responded to a request for comment. Sohn declined to comment. The campaign against Sohn had already moved beyond traditional Washington lobbying. The American Accountability Foundation, which calls itself a nonprofit government oversight and research organization that uses investigative tools to educate the public on issues related to personnel, policy and spending, first called for the withdrawal of Sohns nomination in February 2022. A New Yorker investigation from April tied the foundation to a variety of aggressive political attacks on Biden nominees including Justice Ketanji Brown Jackon as well as many lower-profile nominees. The foundations website invites visitors to read what it calls the hit piece published by The New Yorker. The groups funding is private. An NBC News review of Facebooks Ad Library showed that the American Accountability Foundation has spent at least $229,000 on ads attacking Sohn since April 2022, according to estimates published by Facebook, with 12 ads having been launched on Jan. 25 and 26. The most recent ads from the foundation prior to that recent purchase appeared in November. Most of the ads label Sohn as too extreme or her views on police reform, which are not relevant to her work at the FCC but have drawn scrutiny. Almost all the Facebook ads the foundation ran in the second half of 2022 and thus far in 2023 targeted Sohn. The American Accountability Foundation did not respond to requests for comment. The Fraternal Order of Police has taken issue with her animus toward law enforcement officers and her ties to the Electronic Frontier Foundation because of its promotion of encryption for messaging apps. Jim Pascoe, the orders executive director, told NBC News that his organization did not coordinate with any other group in attacking Sohn, and that he simply opposes Sohn because he believes law enforcement should be able to break encryption in times of emergency. The FCC does not have oversight of that issue. If the FCC had a role, we would certainly be alarmed if she was a part of that role, he said. The nomination of Sohn, who would be the FCCs first openly gay commissioner, languished in a Senate committee where united Republican opposition and inconsistent Democratic support have made her confirmation a low priority. President Joe Biden renominated her in early January. Chairwoman [Jessica] Rosenworcel believes Gigi Sohn is a knowledgeable nominee with a long record of commitment to the issues before the FCC, Paloma Perez, the FCCs press secretary, said in an emailed statement. She has consistently re-iterated that the Commission was designed to have five commissioners and looks forward to that day. The already contentious nomination process went from aggressive to ugly with the articles about Sohn, which alarmed many of her allies and even some of her professional rivals. Gary Shapiro, the president of the Consumer Technology Association, a large pro-business lobbyist group, has butted heads with Sohn for years over various issues. But he said the recent articles about Sohn cross a line. Theres a little homophobia going on here. Its whispered around in the Senate, Shapiro said. And thats a shame. Its no secret that Gigi would be the first openly gay FCC commissioner. I like to think as a country were past that, but apparently were not. This smear campaign, its been two years already. I think a major injustice is being done here to a super high-quality person, Shapiro added. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has also praised Sohn. Between her years working on behalf of regular Americans who lack affordable, reliable access to the internet and her experience inside the government, Gigi Sohn is the epitome of what an FCC commissioner should be, he said in a statement days after the Daily Mail and Fox News articles were published. No amount of astroturfed attacks on behalf of the Big Cable companies will change that. Ms. Sohn has broad support from across the political spectrum and should be confirmed as quickly as possible. Sohns holdup means the FCC is unable to make some major moves, most notably around a law put in place by the Biden administration. Bidens infrastructure bill, signed in November 2021, prohibits internet providers from discriminating against customers based on categories like race, a practice that scholars and journalists have repeatedly verified as a problem. The law leaves it to the FCC to decide, by this November, how to define that discrimination, a decision that could cost the internet provider industry billions of dollars. This is a multibillion dollar-regulatory decision, said Ernesto Falcon, senior legislative counsel at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who specializes in some of the topics the FCC regulates, particularly internet access. Its the first time weve ever had a federal law that explicitly stated broadband access has to be given to people equally, regardless of their income, race, and a number of other protected classes. Industry players like AT&T have argued they prefer a definition that requires explicit evidence of intent to discriminate, like internal emails of executives saying they intend to discriminate against certain people. Many Democrats and public rights groups want to define it by evidence of who gets worse internet access, pointing to studies and investigative reports that show providers often offer high-speed internet in richer, white neighborhoods and slower speeds in poorer neighborhoods and communities of color. The FCC would be unlikely to pass rules promoting the access definition without Sohn or another Democrat to complete that majority. Alex Byers, director of communications and public relations at ATT, said in an email: We have not taken a position on Gigi Sohns nomination, have not asked any third-party organization to take a position, and have not funded any campaigns against her nomination. One lobbyist who works on telecommunications issues said that pressure from police groups had taken a toll, most notably with Democratic senators who ran for re-election in 2022. Now, she faces the same issues with some who are up for re-election in 2024. Youve got a couple of [Democratic] senators, last time it was folks up in 2022, who were afraid to vote for her because of some of the comments shes made or positions that shes taken that got her crosswise with law enforcement, the lobbyist, who asked to withhold their name to discuss private conversations, said. Now, the 24s are up. ... If you lose two its done. The FCC is an independent government agency tasked with regulating interstate communications that started out overseeing the emergence of radio and eventually adding the television, satellite and wireless industries. Commissioner nominations for the FCC are usually dull affairs that rarely make news outside of trade publications. The FCC has five commissioners nominated by the president and approved by the Senate, with a partisan slant to whichever party holds the Oval Office. During President Donald Trumps term, the FCC counted three Republican commissioners to two Democrats. During President Barack Obamas term, there were three Democrats and two Republicans. Bidens FCC has been different, frozen at two Democrats, two Republicans and one empty seat. That leaves the FCC essentially frozen, unable to make major moves. Its a situation that suits the major telecommunications companies just fine, with their primary regulator in suspended animation. Sohns appointment once looked straightforward. Sohn is well known in the telecom world, having worked under FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler from 2013 to 2016. Rosenworcel, whom Biden nominated as FCC chair at the same time he nominated Sohn as a commissioner, easily passed a Senate vote in December 2021. And while Sohn did draw rebukes from some Republicans, she did receive some support from right-leaning news outlets Newsmax and One America News network. More than a year later, Sohn has yet to receive a Senate confirmation vote. A third committee hearing was scheduled and then delayed. And thats the definition of success for the lobbyists, Wheeler said in a phone interview. When the regulated get to pick their regulator, and delay the establishment of a democratic vote, they succeed in neutering the agency. FCC nominations can get contentious, and they have become a bit higher profile in recent years, most notably as internet regulation and net neutrality issues have gained national attention. And some have taken a while to go through. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, blocked Wheelers Senate confirmation out of concerns that he would push for more transparency around political TV ad buys. Many who follow the FCC noted the aggressive lobbying of major telecom companies. Jessica Gonzalez, co-CEO of the media advocacy nonprofit Free Press, said the current situation is beneficial for them. A 2-2 commission, like a split Republican-Democrat Congress, is good for them, because it means that less regulations are likely to flow and they will have to do less, Gonzalez said. This is all about them, minimizing the amount of money they have to spend and maximizing the amount of money they can make, and keeping the commission at bay by not allowing Biden to have his nominees confirmed is an effective strategy for all of the above. The telecom industry is among the most enterprising with its lobbying. Telecom companies spent more than $117 million on lobbying in 2022, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks money in U.S. politics. Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal and NBC News, spent more than $14 million. Sena Fitzmaurice, a Comcast spokesperson, referred to an earlier company statement on Sohn, which said she would bring her tireless advocacy on the critical issue of connecting all Americans to broadband back to the FCC. We have long shared that commitment. Comcast did not answer questions about whether it had lobbied against Sohn. There could be some momentum to get Sohn across the finish line. Padden, the former media executive, said he had recently emailed with Rupert Murdoch, his former boss, about Sohn. Murdoch had expressed some misgivings about her candidacy. Padden said he told Murdoch about her experiences working with Sohn, most notably on securing FCC waivers needed to launch the Fox broadcast network. I explained that to Mr. Murdoch. And his response to me was I stand corrected, Padden said. Now, he didnt say he loved her, and he didnt say he wanted to see her on the FCC, but he did say I stand corrected. CORRECTION (March 7, 2023, 3:42 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated the name of the company Preston Padden helped found. It is the Fox Broadcasting Company, not Fox Broadcast Co. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com A man started stealing tens of thousands worth of his missing fathers Social Security benefits and opened a new bank account in his name after his disappearance in Florida, federal prosecutors said. Robert Butzlaffs father has never been found since he went missing in October 2014, according to officials. Now Butzlaff, 57, of Volusia County is headed to prison after stealing $57,296 in Social Security benefits meant for his father over several years, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Florida announced in a Feb. 2 news release. A judge sentenced Butzlaff to five years and 10 months in federal prison, ordering him to pay $57,296 in restitution alongside forfeiting $57,296, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors said Butzlaff used his fathers money for his own personal gain, and spent it on unspecified personal expenses. McClatchy News contacted attorneys representing Butzlaff for comment on Feb. 3 and didnt receive an immediate response. Melvin Butzlaff was 87 and had dementia when he was reported missing by his daughter, who said he was living with Robert Butzlaff in 2014, according to News 13 Florida. The Ormond Beach Police Department then launched a search for Melvin Butzlaff, News 13 Florida reported. When officers interviewed Robert Butzlaff, he said his father was under the care of a woman named Beverly A and that they both left to go to Greenville, South Carolina, according to the outlet. McClatchy News contacted Ormond Beach police for more information on Feb. 3. Prosecutors said Ormond Beach police helped officials investigate Robert Butzlaff in connection with the theft of his fathers Social Security benefits. The Social Security Administration continued to deposit benefits into Melvin Butzlaffs bank account that Robert Butzlaff also had access to after his disappearance, officials said. Afterward, Robert Butzlaff opened a new bank account using his fathers information and had the benefits deposited there, according to prosecutors. Story continues Then, Robert Butzlaff opened two new debit cards for his father so he could withdraw the Social Security benefits from the new bank account, prosecutors said. He used the first debit card in June 2016, according to court documents. In September 2022, a jury convicted Robert Butzlaff for fraudulent use of an unauthorized access device and aggravated identity theft, the release said. Volusia County is located along the east coast of Florida and is also home to Daytona Beach. Woman used dead grandmothers ATM card to withdraw Social Security for years, feds say Power of attorney for woman with dementia sold her Iowa home and gambled, feds say Woman kept collecting dads Social Security benefits for years after he died, feds say WASHINGTON (AP) Appearing before a federal judge after pleading guilty to a felony charge in the deadly Capitol riot, former West Virginia lawmaker Derrick Evans expressed remorse for letting down his family and his community, saying he made a crucial mistake." Less than a year later, Evans is portraying himself as a victim of a politically motivated prosecution as he runs to serve in the same building he stormed on Jan. 6, 2021. Evans is now calling the Justice Department's Jan. 6 prosecutions a miscarriage of justice" and describes himself on twitter as a J6 Patriot." "Some ppl have said I need to apologize and condemn #J6 if I want to win my election as the media will attack me," he tweeted recently after announcing his bid for a U.S. House seat in 2024. I will not compromise my values or beliefs. Thats what politicians do. We need Patriots not politicians. Evans joins a series of Jan. 6 defendants who when up against possible prison time in court have expressed regret for joining the pro-Trump mob that rattled the foundations of American democracy only to strike a different tone or downplay the riot after receiving their punishment. The very first Jan. 6 defendant to be sentenced apologized in court and then went on Fox News Channel shortly after and seemed to minimize the riot. Another defendant who called Jan. 6 horrifying and disgusting later donned an orange jumpsuit to play the part of a distraught prisoner in a bizarre tribute to imprisoned Capitol rioters during a conservative conference. Some defendants have drawn ire from judges or the Justice Department for their inconsistent comments. But theres not much the legal system can do for an adjudicated defendant. And because some conservatives hold up Jan. 6 defendants as martyrs, there's a political and possibly financial incentive for them to change their tune. It could push judges to impose stronger punishments for rioters who havent yet made it to the end of their criminal cases. Even before Evans' sentencing, the judge who heard his case began questioning the sincerity of rioters' apologies after he felt duped by another defendant, saying he was all too familiar with crocodile tears." Story continues In some cases, judges have questioned whether they should undo defendants' convictions or plea deals after they made statements in public that appeared to go against what they said in court. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ordered an Illinois man convicted this week to explain why the judge shouldn't vacate his conviction after he agreed in court that he participated in the riot and then told a newspaper he didn't actually think he committed the crimes with which he was charged. Before being sentenced last June to three months behind bars for a civil disorder charge, Evans said he regrets his actions every day and told Senior Judge Royce Lamberth he is a good person who unfortunately was caught up in a moment. Shortly after, prosecutors wrote to the judge about several statements Evans made on a radio show and that were inconsistent with the contrition he showed at sentencing. When asked whether he regretted his actions, Evans said on the show that he regretted the situation he was in. But he said he was never going to have regrets when it comes to standing up and doing whats right. Evans said in an emailed statement to The Associated Press that he still stands behind what he said in court. "That was my message to the judge. This is my message to the media. Its time to tell the real story of what happened personally to me that day," he said. Evans said he lost almost everything including his job as a state delegate and time with his kids because of his decision on Jan. 6. How could I not regret that? he asked. But he said he is done being portrayed as a villain when he is not, noting that he didn't overrun any officers and was inside the Capitol for only 10 minutes. When determining an appropriate sentence, judges generally take into account whether defendants have taken responsibility for their actions and appear genuinely sorry. In some Jan. 6 cases, judges have faulted defendants for not appearing to show true remorse even before their punishment has been handed down. A lawyer for Trennis Evans III, who took a swig of whiskey in a congressional conference room during the riot, told the judge in court papers that Evans was sincerely remorseful, and duly contrite." But after Evans suggested at his November sentencing that Jan. 6 defendants were being treated unfairly even though he said he condemned what happened that day the judge said she didn't believe he showed "full and genuine remorse." Months after he was ordered to serve 20 days in jail, the Texas man traveled to South Dakota to urge state lawmakers to support a resolution encouraging the humane and fair treatment" of Jan. 6 defendants. The resolution failed by unanimous vote. The first Jan. 6 defendant to get her punishment, Anna Morgan-Lloyd, told Lamberth that she was ashamed of the savage display of violence at the Capitol before he sentenced her to probation. Shortly after, however, the Indiana woman told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that people were very polite during the riot and that she saw relaxed police officers chatting with rioters. Lamberth apparently hasn't forgotten about it. The judge wrote in court papers that he hoped another defendant's change of heart was sincere because his hopes were dashed in her case. In another case, he wrote that he "often finds it difficult to ascertain the sincerity of Jan. 6 defendants' remorse. Many defendants appear sincere at sentencing, boasting of their purportedly deep shame, regret, and desire to change and be law-abiding citizens, Lamberth wrote. But this Court is all too familiar with crocodile tears. Morgan-Lloyd's attorney has said that she believes her client was genuinely remorseful, was played" by Ingraham and sent the judge a letter after her TV interview. When contacted by The Associated Press, Morgan-Lloyd's attorney said the woman would not comment. After he dodged prison time in his Jan. 6 case, right-wing activist Brandon Straka donned an orange jumpsuit and red MAGA cap, sat in a fake jail cell and performatively wept for a procession of attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas last August. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, entered the cage and embraced Straka before they appeared to pray together. Months earlier, with a possible jail term hanging over his head, Straka referred to Jan. 6 as nothing more than an incredibly shameful day that had absolutely no positive attributes whatsoever. Im sorry that I was present in any way at an event that led people to feel afraid, that caused shame and embarrassment on our country, and that served absolutely no purpose other than to further tear away at the already heartbreaking divide in this country, he wrote in a letter to U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, who sentenced him to 36 months of probation. An email seeking comment was sent to Straka, from Nebraska. He has said that the CPAC performance was meant to provoke a reaction about political division, human rights abuses & more" and accused critics of trying to criminalize art. Since his sentencing, the judge questioned whether he wanted to withdraw his guilty plea and said he could be opening himself up to prosecution for making false statements because of public comments she said seemed to contradict things he said in court. A written statement of offense that Straka agreed was correct under his plea deal says that he yelled Take it! Take it! while filming others trying to take a police officer's shield. Straka later told Fox News host Tucker Carlson that he told his lawyer that he never made that comment. He suggested he admitted doing so because he was under pressure to take a deal. ___ Richer reported from Boston. Associated Press reporter Colleen Long contributed from Washington. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the Capitol riot at https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege. Martin Luther King Jr. giving his final speech. Getty Images South Dakota is seeking to restrict gender-affirming care for trans youth. A state representative quoted Martin Luther King, Jr. while qualifying her vote to the chamber. The quote had nothing to do with gender-affirming care. On the second day of Black History Month, South Dakota State Representative used a Martin Luther King, Jr. quote without context to support a bill that would restrict health care for trans youth. "I do support this bill and I think it is necessary in this time and place we live and in the time and place in history that we are in. And as other issues from the East Coast and West Coast crawl into our state, I think this is a good piece of legislation to protect our children," Rep. Brandei Schaefbauer said Thursday. Schaefbauer is a Republican representing the state's third district. She then went on to quote Dr. King's 1966 speech at Illinois Wesleyan University where he pushed for racial equality. He argued that the solution doesn't come with time, but with legislation. The portion Schaefbauer quoted is as follows: "It may be true that you can't legislate integration, but you can legislate desegregation. It may be true that morality cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. It may be true that the law cannot change the heart, but it can restrain the heartless. It may be true that the law can't make a man love me, but it can restrain him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important also. So while the law may not change the hearts of men, it does change the habits of men. And when you change the habits of men, pretty soon the attitudes and the hearts will be changed. And so there is a need for strong legislation constantly to grapple with the problems we face." After quoting the speech and joining a long list of Republicans who have quoted MLK while advocating for issues that marginalize people of color and/or the LGBTQ community, Schaefbauer added, "And as we look around our nation, this is a problem we will be facing in South Dakota. So I believe this bill will protect our children into the future." Story continues The bill, House Bill 1080, would prevent transgender youth from access to gender-affirming care. South Dakota is a notably conservative state. Last year, South Dakota limited the teaching of Critical Race Theory in schools by restricting "inherently divisive concepts" such as discussing how a person can be "racist, sexist or oppressive," CNN reported. Schaefbauer did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider South Lebanon Township Police are looking for the person or persons who fired shots at a Wells Fargo Bank Thursday morning, the third shots fired incident to occur in the last month in the township. At 8:34 a.m., police responded to the bank located at 850 East Walnut St. Two bullet holes were found in the entry doors by employees. "The projectiles were located on the floor of the foyer of the business," officials said in a press release Friday morning. "The incident occurred sometime during the overnight hours. Video footage is being sought." South Lebanon Township Officers responded to the Wells Fargo Bank located at 850 East Walnut St Thursday morning. Upon their arrival they learned two bullet holes were found in the entry doors by employees. Officials are still looking for help in two other incidents of shots being fired in South Lebanon Township, one of which also was aimed at a structure. Police responded to the Met-Ed building at 5:57 a.m. Jan. 13 for a report of the structure being struck by bullets. Upon further investigation, police learned the front doors of the 600 S. 5th Ave. building had been struck by three bullets. Shots fired:South Lebanon Twp Police searching for residents who fired at the Med-Ed building Earlier that week, police reported shots fired at 10 East Poplar Street at 2:19 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7. Upon investigation police learned residents heard the sounds and observed the muzzle flash of two shots being fired behind the residence. Several people were observed running away from the area, according to officials. Shell casings were found at the scene. Police did not say these incidents were related. No one was reported injured, and no arrests have been reported as of Friday morning. Information Needed:Family pleads for help in finding killer of 13-year-old Jason Rivera in South Lebanon Twp. Union Twp crash:Two sent to hospital with life-threatening injuries after three-car collision, police say Anyone with information about these two shots fired incidents are asked to call the South Lebanon Township Police Department at 717-274-0482. This investigation is ongoing. Please check back with the Lebanon Daily News for updates. 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: South Lebanon Twp Police looking for who fired at Wells Fargo building A row of voting booths at the Chicago Board of Elections Loop Super Site during early voting on Jan. 26, 2023 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune) Chicago voters will make their picks this month for mayor, alderman, city treasurer, clerk and representatives on police district councils. Mayor Lori Lightfoot will face eight challengers as she seeks reelection. If no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will face off in a runoff election on April 4. Heres a look at the nine candidates. To inform voters, the newsroom posed a series of questions to the candidates running for mayor of Chicago. See their answers here. Advertisement Voters in 11 of the citys 50 wards the 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 17th, 27th, 28th, 32nd, 35th, 42nd, 44th, and 47th have just one choice for alderman. City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin and City Clerk Anna Valencia are also running unopposed. Want to vote early? Heres how and where to cast your ballot before Feb. 28. Advertisement Below are the Chicago Tribune Editorial Boards endorsements for the Feb. 28 elections. Chicagoans tend to be weather-hardened stoics and scandal-scarred realists. Yet were mostly an upbeat crew, fiercely proud of our beautiful city. But if you read the most recent Harris Poll, youll see that most voters are profoundly pessimistic about postelection Chicago. When thinking about the key issues that face us, such as public safety, most of us apparently believe things are going to keep getting worse. This is an aberration in terms of our collective historical trajectory, as cheered on by this newspaper for more than 175 years, and it cannot stand. Demonstrably, Chicago is a city in need of a turnaround, and, in Paul Vallas, were endorsing a smart, passionate and experienced candidate for mayor who long has specialized in doing precisely that. City Council The faces of Chicagos City Council are changing. Around a quarter of Chicagos 50 wards will see new representation following an unusually large number of aldermanic retirements and resignations. These on-the-ground positions are vital to the city and the relatively small size of the electorate in each ward means that each vote profoundly matters. These races can turn on just a few hundred votes. 4th Ward: Lamont Robinson 5th Ward: Renita Ward 6th Ward: William Hall 8th Ward: Linda Hudson 9th Ward: Anthony Beale 10th Ward: Oscar Sanchez 11th Ward: Nicole Lee 12th Ward: Anabel Abarca 13th Ward: Paul Bruton 14th Ward: Jeylu Gutierrez 15th Ward: Raymond Lopez 16th Ward: Stephanie Coleman 18th Ward: Heather Wills 20th Ward: Jeanette Taylor 21st Ward: Ronnie Mosley 22nd Ward: Michael Rodriguez 23rd Ward: Silvana Tabares 24th Ward: Monique Scott 26th Ward: Julian Perez 29th Ward: Chris Taliaferro 30th Ward: Jessica Gutierrez 33rd Ward: Laith Shaaban 34th Ward: Bill Conway 36th Ward: Gilbert Villega 37th Ward: Howard Ray 38th Ward: Ed Bannon 39th Ward: Samantha Nugent 40th Ward: Andre Vasquez 41st Ward: Paul Struebing 43rd Ward: Brian Comer 45th Ward: Megan Mathias 46th Ward: Kim Walz 48th Ward: Isaac Freilich Jones 49th Ward: Maria Hadden 50th Ward: Debra Silverstein By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Southwest Airlines Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson will testify on Feb. 9 before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee after a holiday meltdown forced the budget carrier to cancel thousands of flights. The hearing titled "Strengthening Airline Operations and Consumer Protections" will also include Southwest Airlines Pilots Association President Captain Casey Murray, Sharon Pinkerton, a senior official with Airlines for America, an industry group, and Paul Hudson, who heads Flyers' Rights, a passenger advocacy organization. The committee had asked Chief Executive Bob Jordan to testify, a person briefed on the matter told Reuters, but Southwest told Reuters "unfortunately, the date that was selected for the hearing next week overlapped a previous commitment for Bob." Southwest said Jordan is slated to speak on Wednesday at an employee rally in Baltimore. The hearing will review causes and impacts of recent air travel disruptions including the Southwest December holiday operational woes that resulted in more than 16,000 flight cancellations. Southwest shares closed down 1.3%. Jordan has repeatedly apologized for the mass cancellations and said the carrier is looking at all options to prevent a repeat. Southwest said, "Andrew has been working in lockstep with Bob as Southwest manages recovery efforts. As Southwests chief operating officer, Andrew is exceptionally well positioned to address the topics covered at the hearing." Pilot's union head Murray told Reuters in December that "Southwest is using outdated technology and processes, really from the '90s, that can't keep up with the network complexity today." COO Watterson said last month that the airline's crew scheduling software did not stop working, "but a combination of our processes and the technology couldn't keep up with the pace of cancellations at the height of the weather disruption." Story continues Southwest is facing a lawsuit from shareholders and regulatory scrutiny over its flight scheduling and handling of more than 16,700 cancellations that disrupted travel plans for about 2 million customers during a busy holiday season. The U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) is investigating whether Southwest engaged in "unrealistic scheduling of flights" in December. USDOT has forwarded thousands of complaints it received to Southwest. In a Reuters interview this week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg declined to detail what investigative steps USDOT had taken in the Southwest probe but said "we're really looking at several things at once." Buttigieg said his immediate focus is "making sure the passengers who got caught up in this are made whole." (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Jonathan Oatis and Marguerita Choy) Insider's reporter stayed at a tiny home hotel in Germany and was impressed by it's smart use of the 100-square-foot space. Joey Hadden/Insider I stayed in a European tiny home I found on Airbnb for the first time during a trip to Germany. The 106-square-foot home made smarter use of space than any tiny home I've seen in the US. It had a unique cylindrical shape and was less than half the size of the US tiny homes I've booked. As a renter of a 500-square-foot NYC apartment, I'm intrigued by tiny homes because they tend to make good use of a small space. Inside the author's apartment in NYC. Joey Hadden/Insider Read more: I'm a drummer living in a tiny New York City apartment. Here's how I fit 2 adults, 1 dog, and a drum kit in my 500-square-foot apartment. I've stayed in tiny Airbnbs from Miami to Baltimore, and even toured a tiny home village in Austin to check out it's space-saving hacks. A tiny home village in Austin in 2021 (L). The author outside of a tiny home Airbnb in Miami in 2021(R). Joey Hadden/Insider Read more: I visited a tiny home village in Texas where 100 people live in 399-square-foot homes. Here's what it's like. But to me, none of those homes used the indoor space as smartly as a tiny home in Germany I found on Airbnb. The author inside (L) and outside (R) of the tiny home in Germany in 2022. Joey Hadden/Insider Source: Airbnb When looking for tiny accommodations in Germany, I thought this one had a unique, cylindrical shape that packed a lot inside, so I booked it for two nights for $140. Snapshots inside the German tiny home. Joey Hadden/Insider Source: Airbnb Located in Neustrelitz, Germany, it's a part of a tiny home hotel called Slube, which designs minimal, concrete "Slubes" for up to two people, according to their website. Tiny home accommodations at the hotel. Joey Hadden/Insider Source: Slube There are three types of Slubes: Basic, which is one story, Home, which is two stories, and Tower, which adds a rooftop terrace. A Tower Slube on the hotel property. Joey Hadden/Insider Source: Slube I booked a Home Slube. The website states that it's 16 feet tall with two floors totaling 106 square feet, making it less than half the size of any tiny home I'd stayed in before. The author's accommodation at the hotel. Joey Hadden/Insider Source: Slube Read more: I spent 2 nights in a 250-square-foot tiny home that's half the size of my NYC apartment, and now I think I could live in one When I arrived by train from the airport in Berlin, there didn't seem to be any employees on the property. But an email from Slube informed me I'd be staying in room five and could check in by myself. Story continues A wide view of the tiny home hotel in Germany. Joey Hadden/Insider Read more: I spent 48 hours in Berlin and found an unexpected urban oasis of greenery and art. Take a look around these pockets of the city. I checked in with a code sent to my phone, so I didn't have to keep track of a key during my stay. The author in front of her Slube with a seamless check-in process. Joey Hadden/Insider Read more: I stayed in 5-star luxury hotels around the world for the first time and 10 things surprised me, from welcome gifts to pillow menus Inside, the 53-square-foot bottom level packed in a sitting area, a bathroom, and a ladder to the second floor. The first floor of the tiny home. Joey Hadden/Insider In the sitting area, there was a table that folded in to save space when not in use. The table shown folded in (L) and out (R). Joey Hadden/Insider Read more: 12 space-saving hacks I picked up from staying in a 250-square-foot tiny home Across from the pull-out table was a bench with two seat cushions, which felt to me like a tiny-space alternative for a couch. Seat cushions on the bench. Joey Hadden/Insider Beneath the benches, it looked like there was enough space for me to store my luggage. Storage space underneath the benches. Joey Hadden/Insider With hooks and storage cubbies above the bench as well, I thought this tiny home utilized more vertical space than those I've seen in the US. The author's coats hanging in the Airbnb. Joey Hadden/Insider In the back right corner of the room, built-in shelves created a nook storing a small coffee machine, a hair dryer, and a few dishes. The coffee corner on the first floor. Joey Hadden/Insider To the right of the living area, I thought the bathroom felt efficiently designed with a curtain separating the shower head and sink from the toilet and storage space. The bathroom inside the tiny home. Joey Hadden/Insider Read more: A professional cleaner reveals the dirtiest thing in your bathroom isn't the toilet it's the bath mat The windows on the first floor had a film over most of the glass, which allowed me to let natural light in without sacrificing my privacy. Windows in the tiny home. Joey Hadden/Insider After checking out the first level, I headed up the ladder to the bedroom. I thought it was easy to climb, but could be challenging for some. A view from the top of the ladder. Joey Hadden/Insider There was a latched gate at the top of the ladder, which I imagine was built to keep people safe from falling. The lock on the gate at the top of the ladder. Joey Hadden/Insider The bedroom was the same size as the living space and bathroom combined 53 square feet. A peak inside the bedroom. Joey Hadden/Insider On the floor was a full-size bed I found comfortable. I thought the pillows had the ideal ratio of fluff to firmness for my neck and head. The author lies in bed in the tiny home. Joey Hadden/Insider Above the bed, a TV equipped with Netflix and other streaming services was mounted on the wall. The TV in the tiny home's bedroom. Joey Hadden/Insider On the far side of the bed was a lower platform I used as a nightstand. It had easily accessible outlets, a pocket for the TV remote, and more space for my electronics and water bottle. Outlets by the bed in the tiny home. Joey Hadden/Insider Above the bed, a large window opened so I could let the breeze into my room. It had a black-out curtain for privacy. A view out the bedroom window. Joey Hadden/Insider The Slube also had smart electricity that made my stay feel a little luxurious. I controlled the lights and temperature of each story from my phone. Smart controls on the author's phone. Joey Hadden/Insider I found it fascinating that this tiny home truly left no space unused, from the loft bed to the wall cubbies. The author in the tiny home bedroom. Joey Hadden/Insider While I can't stick a second story into my own rental, the European tiny home still gave me inspiration for how I could make better use of my space, starting with vertical storage hacks. Inside the tiny home (L). The author ponders vertical storage options in her apartment (R). Joey Hadden/Insider Read the original article on Insider For decades, a real-life Parker family lived at the same address credited to Marvel superhero Spider-Man and received many letters addressed to him, now on display in Brooklyn. (Photo: TheImageDirect / Pamela Parker) When Pamela Parker was growing up in Forest Hills, a neighborhood of Queens, N.Y., her family received numerous letters from around the world addressed to none other than your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, she says. We just thought it was a prank or something, from one of our friends, Parker, 41, who now lives in Brooklyn, tells Yahoo Life. Little did she know that her childhood home at 20 Ingram Street was somewhat of a comic book landmark. Peter Parker, the true identity of Spider-Man, a Queens-based superhero who first appeared in Marvels December 1961 final issue of Amazing Fantasy, was created by the late great Marvel writer Stan Lee. Though Lee stopped writing the character in early 1989, the June and July 1989 issues of The Amazing Spider-Man, written by David Michelinie, displayed Parkers home address as "20 Ingram Street." (It's unclear where the inspiration to include the address came from, though in a 2002 interview with The New York Times, Lee made clear that he "never pinpointed" Parker's address to Michelinie.) That same year, Parker's family started receiving "stacks" of fan mail from boys and girls across the globe though It was sheer coincidence that the people living at "Spider-Man's house" shared the same surname as the comic book hero. Further, The Queens Tribune reported in 2002 that the Parkers longtime neighbor, Terri Osborne (at 19 Ingram Street), shared a similar surname with Spider-Mans archenemy, Norman Osborn, a.k.a. the Green Goblin, played by Willem Dafoe in the 2002 film opposite Tobey Maguire. One of the many fan letters, from August 2014. (Courtesy of Pamela Parker) It was the perfect example of life imitating art. Or was it the other way around? Up until the release of the first Spider-Man film, Parker says her family didn't realize they shared the same address as their city's local hero. Once [the Tribune reporter Brendan Browne] cracked the case, there was a whole media tour at that time to coincide with the movie, and then we started getting a lot more letters, she remembers. Story continues An aspiring hero wrote to "Spider-Man" all the way from India. (Courtesy of Pamela Parker) Needless to say, the films producers jumped at the opportunity to showcase the wondrous coincidence Osborne and Pamelas mother, Suzanne, even did an appearance on CBSs Early Show ahead of the films 2002 premiere, per The New York Times. We got tons of [mail], Pamelas mother told the paper at the time. They also received prank phone calls, which she attributed to a teenager who found it funny that we had the same last name as Spider-Man. During that time, Parker says her mom replied to very few of the letters due to privacy concerns. And throughout her teenage years, it became "a really sweet story that's now part of the fabric of her childhood. Though admittedly she grew up an X-Men fan, shes since learned to love Peter, who, in many ways, is like an imaginary brother. I really appreciate that Spider-Man is a local hero, she says. I have become a Spider- Man fan. One of the really nice things about that superhero is that, unlike other superheroes, he comes from a real place. A 4-year-old fan sends his love to his favorite superhero. (Courtesy of Pamela Parker) While the city has yet to name 20 Ingram Street an official landmark, last year a Queens local named Larry Ng started a campaign to erect a statue of Spider-Man in the area, depicting the superhero hanging from a lamppost at the intersections of Ditko and Lee (for Stan Lee and co-creator Steve Ditko). Sadly, Disney had issues with handing over creative license, so Ng's plans were ceased. They are very protective of their intellectual property, Ng told Hell Gate, a local publication, about the campaign, which received hundreds of signatures from Queens locals. A 6-year-old couldn't help but gush over Peter Parker's girlfriend, Mary Jane, who "is also cool." (Courtesy of Pamela Parker) Pamelas family moved out of 20 Ingram Street in 2017, after which her parents gave her the numerous fan letters theyd collected over the course of nearly three decades. Parker has since donated them to the City Reliquary, a not-for-profit community museum and civic organization in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which celebrates "local heroes" and "offbeat histories" of New York City. I'm happy for them to be public and, especially, to give the collection to the City Reliquary, which is a really wonderful place to visit, says Parker, who is also a board member of the museum. Its also a nice way for [the letters] to participate in a bit of civic pride, like their local superhero would have wanted. The collection is an incredible example of serendipity, and so-called coincidence, Dave Herman, the museums founder, tells Yahoo Life. (For anyone in the area, the Letters to Spiderman collection will be on display through April 2, with select images available to see here.) Despite denying responsibility, we are quite glad the Spider-Man writers chose a real-life Parker family address to use in their historic comic books. By doing so, theyve allowed the real-life Parkers to create an archive of appreciation for our hometown superhero. In some instances, senders didn't even need to write the full address for the post office to know it was meant for Peter Parker's address. (Pamela Parker) Spider-Man exemplifies the spirit of a true New Yorker, made of grit and determination, always ready to stand with and protect his fellow citizens, Herman says, adding that in a post-9/11 world, the superhero exemplified the spirit of unity among New Yorkers as he fought to protect the city as reflected in a particular line from the 2002 film when a New York native shouted at the Green Goblin from the 59th Street Bridge: You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us! For Parker, the museum is the perfect home for a superhero like Spider-Man, who, she says, continues to inspire other local heroes to do the right thing. Start from a place of civic pride, she advises young aspiring heroes. Thats always going to set you up to keep your eyes on what's going on around you and looking for ways to help others. Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here. (Reuters) - Chase Doak was getting ready to leave work when he spotted what he thought might have been a star or even a UFO. It turned out to be a spy balloon floating high over the United States and his images have been seen around the world. The Pentagon reported on Thursday that a spy balloon it suspected is Chinese had been flying over the country for a couple of days. China says it is "verifying" the situation. Doak's curiosity had been sparked when the airport in Billings, Montana, issued a ground stop as the military mobilised assets including F-22 fighter jets in case President Joe Biden ordered that the balloon be shot down. "Just a few minutes earlier I had seen some news reports of some airspace restrictions here in Billings, and so I thought that was a little suspicious," he told Reuters. "And I was looking out the window like I normally do, and I just happened to spot it out of the corner of my eye and at first, I thought it was a star, but I thought that was kind of crazy because it was broad daylight and when I looked at it, it was just too big to be a star. From his driveway in Billings, Doak captured the images of the balloon - described by a U.S. defence expert as the size of three bus lengths flying high in the stratosphere above where commercial airliners cruise. "Not gonna lie. First, I thought this was a #ufo. Then, I thought it was @elonmusk in a Wizard of Oz cosplay scenario. But it was just a run-of-the mill Chinese spy balloon!" Doak said on Twitter. He told Reuters: "It seems so brazen and so insane to me that anyone would even attempt to just push a balloon over the sky, because to me it was just like, this thing is so visible in the sky but I guess it was high enough that some people might not see it and, I dont know, it was just really crazy to see." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing had no intention of violating the land territory and airspace of any sovereign country. China has itself often complained about surveillance by the United States, including its deployment of ships or planes near Chinese military exercises. Story continues The United States took "custody" of the balloon when it entered U.S. airspace and had observed it with piloted U.S. military aircraft, a U.S. official said. U.S. military commanders eventually advised against shooting down the balloon because of the risk to safety from debris, a U.S. official said. (Reporting by Nur-Azna Sanusi; Editing by Alison Williams and Mark Heinrich) Squid Game star Oh Yeong-soos sexual misconduct trial is scheduled to start on Friday (3 February). The 78-year-old performer was charged last year in Suwon, near Seoul in South Korea. It is alleged that he touched a woman inappropriately in 2017. The unnamed woman reportedly made a complaint against the actor in December 2021, but the case was closed by authorities in April 2022. The matter was reopened at the victims request, according to a report from the Yonhap news agency. Oh has previously denied the claim. In a statement shared with Korean broadcaster JTBC, the actor said: I just held her hand to guide the way around the lake. I apologised because [the person] said she wouldnt make a fuss about it but it doesnt mean that I admit the charges. In South Korea, court and police documents concerning sexual crimes are unavailable by law. Oh Yeong-soo (left) seen here in Squid Game (AP) Oh has pleaded not guilty to the assault charges. If the Suwon District Court judge rules him guilty, Oh could be fined up to $12,000 (9,821) or get 10 years in prison. The actor played Il-nam in Netflixs Squid Game. As the eldest competitor in the dystopian competition, Il-nam was often referred to as the old man by other characters. For his portrayal, Oh won a Golden Globe at the 2022 ceremony in January. His co-stars were quick to congratulate him on his win. Lee Jung-jae, who plays lead character Seong GiaHun, wrote: Mr Il-nam, congratulations. Every scene with my teacher was an honour. Meanwhile, Kim Joo-ryeong, who played Han Mi-neyo, added: Heartiest congratulations yo you, sir. Stay healthy aways. Oh was also nominated for an Emmy for best supporting actor, but lost out to Matthew Macfadyen, who plays Tom in Succession. If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here. St. Johns Public Schools Superintendent Mark Palmer ST. JOHNS St. Johns Public Schools Superintendent Mark Palmer is retiring after more than two decades of working at the school district. Palmer announced his retirement effective July 1 in a letter to the St. Johns community on Jan. 25. It caps a 35-year career in education, including nearly 24 years at St. Johns Public Schools. I came from Lake Orion (High School) at the time and Im from the mid-Michigan area. When I came back to the mid-Michigan area and came back to St. Johns, I knew this was where I wanted to finish my career, Palmer said. Its a great community. I started at the high school as the principal, and I really enjoyed the way the staff embraced me over the years. Theyre so supportive and caring. Its really like that throughout the district. Palmer became St. Johns High School principal on Dec. 1, 1999, a position he held for the following 18 years. The St. Johns Public Schools Board of Education hired Palmer as the school districts superintendent in March 2018, replacing Dedrick Martin, who served as St. Johns Public Schools superintendent from 2013 to 2017. He left to lead the state School Reform Office. Timothy Jackson, the district's school board president, and Palmer agreed that perhaps Palmers biggest accomplishment was his work to help get a $64 million bond passed in 2010, while he was principal at St. Johns High School. It funded significant renovations across the district, including rebuilding and remodeling the entire high school campus, Palmer said. Mark is the consummate public servant humble, absolutely focused on students, families and the needs of the community, Jackson said. He has really been a rock of stability for the district both as high school principal and as superintendent. Palmer also reflects on smaller accomplishments, like times when hes helped a student, parent or staff member improve their lives for the better. He has kept letters going back to the 1990s from students or parents thanking him. They help him remember why hes worked in education this long. Story continues Finding a new superintendent who can continue the districts stability will be crucial as the Board of Education looks for the next school district leader, Palmer said. They will seek candidates with superintendent experience, possibly at a smaller school district, Jackson said, and who will be comfortable engaging and immersing themselves in the community. That has been one of Palmer's biggest strengths, Jackson said. The school board next will look to begin a search and will consider hiring search firms, like the Michigan Association of School Boards. A salary range for the next superintendent has not yet been determined, Jackson said. Palmer was expected to earn $145,000 for the 2022-23 school year. His contract was not set to expire until 2024, but Palmer said he made the decision to retire after heavy consideration. Its a real grind and it can be hard on his family, he said. Retirement was a bittersweet decision. The community is so supportive of their kids and the school system, Palmer said. Its been such a wonderful place. I came here with no children and now I have two daughters in college and law school. Ive worked in three other districts and they were good districts, but this was by far my favorite place to be. Contact Mark Johnson at majohnson2@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByMarkJohnson. This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: St. Johns superintendent retiring, school board to search for new leader A student from Spring Valley High School was arrested Thursday in connection with threats targeting Midlands schools, according to the Richland County Sheriffs Office. The 15-year-old has been charged with threatening to use a destructive device, conveying false information about using a destructive device, student threats and disturbing schools, according to a news release. Spring Valley High School was threatened and evacuated for three days in a row this week, and other schools in Richland 2, Lexington 1, Lexington 2 and Lexington-Richland 5 were also impacted by threats. The student is believed to be connected to all of them, according to the sheriffs department. The Richland County Sheriffs Department deemed all threats to be a hoax and done to disrupt schools. The department said the teen was taken to the juvenile wing at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. We take these cases very seriously, and individuals involved will be charged and taken to jail, said Sheriff Leon Lott in a news release. We are working closely with Lexington authorities to identify individuals involved on their schools threats as well. This should serve as a warning to anyone else that wants to make threats that when we identify you, and we will, you will be charged and taken to jail. Richland Northeast High School, Dent Middle School, Muller Road Middle School, Lexington High School, Lexington Technology Center, River Bluff High School, White Knoll High School, Airport High School, Brookland-Cayce High School and Irmo Middle School received threats or suspicious emails this week that led to officials taking precautions. California --News Direct-- WebDataGuide However, the Biden administration maintains that its actions are legal, citing the Heroes Act of 2003 as providing the U.S. Secretary of Education the power to make modifications related to student loans during national emergencies. This assertion is based on the fact that the United States has been under a state of emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic since March 2020. President Joe Biden's administration has announced a new student loan repayment plan. This plan is aimed at providing relief to millions of Americans struggling with student debt. The program, which is revealed as the administration ramps up the IDR Account Adjustment, would allow borrowers to cap their monthly loan payments at 5% of their income and forgive any remaining debt after 10 or 20 years of payments. The Biden administration estimates that the new plan would provide relief to as many as eight million borrowers. What's new? The new plan would be a significant change from the current income-driven repayment plan, which is known as Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE). This can be a significant relief for those who have low-paying jobs or are struggling to find work. Under the new plan, borrowers would be able to reduce their payments in half, making it easier for them to stay current on their loans and avoid default. In accordance with a fact sheet, some groups of borrowers will be able to save up to $2,000 annually. The current REPAYE plan allows borrowers that earn less than 150% of the federal poverty level (or approximately $21,900) to qualify for the program. According to the new proposal, borrowers will not be required to make payments until their income reaches 225% of the federal poverty guideline, or around $32,800. Individuals earning less than this threshold would have zero monthly payments. But the program turns out to benefit not only those with lower incomes. A student loan expert Mark Kantrowitz also notes that even those with higher incomes will see savings under the new formula. This is because payments will be based on 5% of the borrowers discretionary after-tax income instead of 10% or 15% under the current program. For example, someone earning over $90,000 and currently paying $568 per month would see a decrease in their monthly payment to $238, which is quite significant. Story continues The new plan provides the same path to loan forgiveness as the current program. Thus, borrowers can have their loans forgiven after 20 years of payments. Additionally, those who make regular payments can count on loan forgiveness after 10 years of repayments. Moreover, the new proposal ensures that if payments are made on schedule, there will be no additional unpaid interest added to the balance, effectively eliminating the compounding problem of interest-on-interest adding to outstanding balances. In the past, family income was used to determine the required payments in income-driven plans, but under this new plan, only the income of the borrower will be taken into account, providing relief for many young married couples. The new plan is being met with widespread support from student loan borrowers, advocates, and experts. According to Latoria Williams, the CEO of 1F Cash Advance, the new student loan repayment plan announced by the Biden administration is a much-needed and long-overdue solution to the student loan crisis. "As the CEO of a company that helps individuals access emergency funds, I can attest to the devastating effects of student loan debt on individuals and their families. The plan's cap on monthly payments at 5% of income will provide significant relief to millions of borrowers who have been struggling to pay off their loans. Overall, the plan is a much-needed and well-thought-out solution to the student loan crisis. I fully support it and stand for implementing it as soon as possible." - she says. It is important to note that this program does not cover PLUS loans taken out by parents of students. The program is anticipated to be available starting July 1, 2024, although some elements of the program may be implemented earlier. What's the future of student debt forgiveness? The recent proposal comes amid uncertainty surrounding the future of the comprehensive student loan forgiveness plan proposed by Biden. In February, The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments regarding the policy. Recall that in August, Biden announced that millions of Americans would be eligible for cancellation of their education debt, with amounts reaching up to $20,000 for those who received a Pell Grant during college and up to $10,000 for those who did not. This announcement has faced opposition from Republicans and conservative groups, who have filed multiple lawsuits in an attempt to stop the policy from being implemented. They argue that the President does not have the authority to cancel consumer debt without the approval of Congress and that the policy would have negative consequences. Contact Details Terry Havens +1 518-963-6698 View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/a-new-student-debt-repayment-plan-proposed-by-the-president-biden-administration-allows-to-reduce-some-payments-in-half-506542943 For the past four years, Chicago Ald. Pat Dowell has served as one of Mayor Lori Lightfoots closest allies on the City Council. But on Friday, Dowell threw her support behind Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnsons bid to unseat Lightfoot, a major defection from a high-ranking member of the mayors leadership team. Johnson unveiled the endorsement at a joint appearance in Dowells ward. Advertisement Brandon understands the approach necessary to face the many challenges facing Chicago, Dowell, of the 3rd Ward, said in a news release. His tireless work as a community organizer, public school teacher and Cook County commissioner illustrates his deep commitment to our city and our many communities. His willingness to sit at the table with other leaders to find beneficial solutions through compromise is exactly the type of mayor we need during these dire times. Leadership is not a one-way conversation with Brandon but a true dialogue. Lightfoot did not endorse Dowell when she ran for the congressional seat vacated by Bobby Rush, and the mayor criticized Dowell for voting in favor of repealing Lightfoots controversial 6 mph speed camera ticket fine, a measure that failed. Advertisement Residents need to remember these names, Lightfoot said, unveiling a list that included Dowell. Following Dowells endorsement of Johnson Friday, a Lightfoot campaign spokesperson issued a statement saying the mayor has championed historic investments in communities like Bronzeville through her signature INVEST South/West initiative, is working to build a new high school for the Near South Side, and cleared the path to extend the Red Line. Shes proud of her work in and around the 3rd Ward, and looks forward to continuing to work collaboratively with Ald. Dowell and the rest of the City Council in a new term. Dowell, who chairs the City Council budget committee at Lightfoots behest, is a high-profile defection from the mayors leadership team but not the only one. Lightfoots hand-picked Zoning Committee chairman, Tom Tunney, endorsed former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas. Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza and Ald. Gilbert Villegas, who Lightfoot also chose to chair City Council committees, have endorsed U.S. Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia. Ald. Pat Dowell during a City Council meeting last month. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) Another Lightfoot committee chairman, Ald. Roderick Sawyer, is among the eight candidates running against the mayor. Political endorsements are largely symbolic and unimportant unless they are followed by major donations or devotions of time. But they often illustrate broader trends about a campaign. It is rare for such a close ally of a mayor to endorse their rival, which illustrates the challenges Lightfoot has had dealing with aldermen. Garza famously announced she wont endorse Lightfoot last year during an interview with journalist Ben Joravsky in which she offered a window into the behind-the-scenes complaints aldermen share about the mayor. I have never met anybody who has managed to piss off every single person they come in contact with police, fire, teachers, aldermen, businesses, manufacturing, and thats it, Garza said in the interview. For her part, Lightfoot has disputed the narrative that she has a bad relationship with aldermen. Advertisement Johnson is backed by progressive labor groups including SEIU Healthcare and the Chicago Teachers Union. He is running to Lightfoots left on a platform that criticizes the citys overreliance on police spending. In response, Lightfoot has criticized Johnson for wanting to defund the police. Lightfoot has collected eight endorsements from sitting aldermen, mostly on the West Side. Johnson has been endorsed by six aldermen and Garcia by five. Ald. Sophia King received an endorsement from Ald. David Moore, who she worked with to rename Lake Shore Drive for Jean Baptiste Point DuSable. Ald. Raymond Lopez endorsed businessman Willie Wilson. Aside from Tunney, Vallas has also been endorsed by Northwest Side Ald. Anthony Napolitano. Vallas also announced an endorsement from downtown Ald. Brian Hopkins on Friday. Like Tunney, Hopkins flirted with a potential mayoral campaign before bowing out. Lightfoots list of endorsements recently shrunk after Southwest Side Ald. Derrick Curtis told a local newspaper that he is now neutral in the race. Curtis was one of the first aldermen to endorse Lightfoot but he recently complained to the Sun-Times that the mayor did not call him after he accidentally shot himself in the hand. gpratt@chicagotribune.com In the area of Vuhledar, Donetsk Oblast, soldiers of the Special Operations Forces (SOF) of Ukraine and the 72nd Separate Mechanised Brigade have destroyed Russian equipment and captured two Russian servicemen. Source: press service of SOF Details: According to intelligence data, Russians were supposed to go on the offensive with a tank unit. They are soldiers of the infamous 155th Marine Brigade of the Pacific fleet of the Russian Federation. As a result of joint actions, an upgraded Russian T-80 tank was destroyed even before it reached the firing position. During the battle, two members of the tank crew were captured. Quote: "The SOF servicemen provided the prisoners with qualified medical care and took them away from the front line to a location of the defence forces of Ukraine. The joint operation of the SOF of Ukraine and the 72nd separate Mechanised Brigade passed without losses on our part and disrupted the Russians' planned assault operations in the Vuhledar front." Details: In a video released by the SOF, the prisoners, the Chertenkov brothers, admit that they were victims of Russian propaganda and agreed to go to fight in Ukraine. They confirm that the Russian command does not consider its soldiers to be people. Vyacheslav Chertenkov says that he is convinced of Ukraine's victory in this war. According to Pavel Chertenkov, since the beginning of the year, half of their company of the 155th Brigade of Russian marines has died on the Vuhledar front. The prisoner also cites the circumstances of the battle: 2 Russian tanks, on the orders of the commander, moved towards the positions of the Ukrainian defence forces, and his T-80 drove over an anti-tank mine. Chertenkov managed to escape before the ammunition exploded. He said he repented. The video is followed by illustrative shots of the destruction of Russian equipment on various fronts. The press service of the SOF recalls that during the entire full-scale war, Russia lost 3,213 tanks. The price of each tank is from US$3 million to 6 million. The cost of all the tanks lost is equivalent to the construction of 803 new secondary schools, 1,230 maternity hospitals or 1,170 cancer centres. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Environmental activists rally for accountability for fossil fuel companies outside of New York Supreme Court on October 22, 2019 in New York City. This story was originally published by Grist. You can subscribe to its weekly newsletter here. Its been eight years since the world learned that Exxon Knew. The oil giant had grasped the dangers of burning fossil fuels since 1977, investigations showed, despite its long-standing public stance that the science was uncertain and persistent efforts to block legislation that would control carbon pollution. The revelations launched a wave of lawsuits that aimed to put fossil fuel companies on trial for deceiving the public about climate change. Read more In 2017, cities and counties in California started the trend by suing dozens of oil, gas, and coal companies using state tort laws meant to protect people from deceptive advertising. Attorneys general in other states filed similar suits of their own, beginning with Rhode Island in 2018. It spurred speculation that Big Oil might face a reckoning for misleading the public about the dangers of climate change, much as Big Tobacco did in the 1990s after decades spent denying that smoking could cause cancer. In the ensuing years, not a single one of these consumer-protection cases now numbering nearly two dozen made it to trial. They have bounced around between federal and state courts, with oil companies maneuvering to delay any action. It says something about what the industry thinks is the power of these cases, that it has kept these up in procedural battles for over five years now, said Karen Sokol, a law professor at Loyola University in New Orleans. The procedural battles might soon end when the Supreme Court reviews Suncor v. Boulder County later this year, a case that promises to be a turning point for climate litigation. The court will either hear the case (the oil industrys choice) or send it back to state courts where state and local governments say it belongs. The decision could remove the dam thats been standing in the way of the lawsuits that states, cities, and counties have brought against fossil fuel giants. Cases that have been languishing for half a decade could finally be heard, with the chance that oil companies would be called to face trials for violating state laws that guard the public against false advertising. Story continues The fossil fuel companies are afraid of state courts, said Denise Antolini, a law professor at the University of Hawaii. They are petrified of state courts who are closer to the problem, closer to the issues, and absolutely terrified of going in front of juries of real people. The Colorado case began in 2018, when the city and county of Boulder, along with San Miguel County in the southwest corner of the state, sued Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil, seeking millions of dollars to update their infrastructure to withstand climate change. They argued that the oil companies violated the states consumer protection laws by producing and selling fossil fuels in Colorado despite understanding that using their products would lead to more dangerous heat waves, wildfires, droughts, and floods, like the ones the state is seeing today. Oil companies have argued that the lawsuit isnt really about deceptive marketing, but the bigger question of climate change, and issues of that scale should be handled by federal courts which just happen to be considered more friendly to big corporations. Their claim is that if cases like Colorados proceeded in state court, it would interfere with federal laws around greenhouse gas emissions. And if the Colorado lawsuit lands in federal court, it would be on the grounds that the claims are something different from the claims that the plaintiff had made, Sokol said. And so this is basically a defendants dream, right? The oil companies would likely argue that the case should be thrown out in federal court, too, saying such big questions should be left to Congress. Judges have repeatedly rejected oil companies line of reasoning, including those appointed by the Trump administration. In October, the Supreme Court turned to the Biden administration for guidance, asking the U.S. Solicitor General to weigh in with a legal opinion on where the case belongs. Thats a good indication that the court is very interested in the case a petition is 46 times more likely to be granted after the court asks for the solicitor generals advice, research has shown. The coming months may finally provide some clarification on whether the strategy driving dozens of climate lawsuits could actually work or whether its time to pursue a new approach. There are two ways that the Supreme Court could push these lawsuits forward, with similar outcomes. It could decide not to hear the case, or it could agree to hear it and side with Boulder. In either scenario, the consumer-protection cases would proceed in state courts, and well start to actually see some litigation, Sokol said. The cases would move onto discovery, a pre-trial step in which both sides gather evidence from documents and witnesses. The civil discovery system and the subpoena authority of civil courts is quite powerful, Sokol said. We would fill in even more than we already know and we already know a lot. The furthest along of any of these accountability lawsuits is one filed in Hawaii in 2020, with the city and county of Honolulu seeking damages from companies including ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Sunoco. A Hawaii judge has ordered for the discovery process to begin, despite an ongoing appeal by the industry. What I expect to see in the next year would be discovery battles, with additional motions, as the case slowly marches forward, Antolini said. The suit is progressing faster than others because Hawaiis judges have prioritized moving it forward, she said. Once these lawsuits proceed to trial, juries would be presented with a decades-long trail of evidence that documents how fossil fuel giants deceived the public about climate change. New evidence has recently emerged that could help plaintiffs make a stronger case. For example, a recent study from Harvard researchers analyzed 40-year-old climate models created by ExxonMobil scientists, finding that their projections ended up predicting actual temperature changes with startling accuracy. They conveyed the severity of the situation to corporate officials who proceeded to cast doubt on the credibility of climate science, deriding models and emphasizing how uncertainty made them virtually useless. If this were to get to a jury, thats the sort of evidence thats important, Sokol said. Whats more, the science of being able to attribute specific droughts, floods, and heat waves to climate change is getting better every year. Studies showing how fossil fuel emissions have contributed to these disasters will be really important to building the plaintiffs case in these lawsuits, said Korey Silverman-Roati, a fellow at Columbia Law School. In the other scenarios, the Supreme Court could side with oil companies and decide to hear Suncor v. Boulder County and then rule in their favor. States would have to rethink their whole approach. Given the current inclinations of the United States Supreme Court, its nerve-wracking to see them take up this case, said Antolini, who supports the state lawsuits. What the U.S. Supreme Court decides will have an impact on all of these cases. Attorneys general in several states suing oil companies did not respond to or declined Grists request to comment. The cases would, in theory, proceed. But its unclear how suits filed over state laws designed to protect against corporate deception would play out in federal courts. Im uncertain what all the city, county, and state officials would do in those circumstances, because if its on the grounds that Hey, this is actually a federal claim thats not the claim that they filed, and the claim that they and their staff have spent so much time developing, Sokol said. I dont think it necessarily means that they will lose, but theyll be at a significant disadvantage. Federal courts can decide state law claims in some cases, although judges dont necessarily like to do it, Antolini said. It would be ridiculous to see these state law cases end up, across the country, in federal court. It would be really absurd. Some other routes to legal action have already been tried and abandoned, such as New York states lawsuit that accused ExxonMobil of misleading shareholders about climate change. In 2019, a judge ruled that the New York state attorney general had failed to provide enough evidence that Exxon broke the law. Since then, Exxon has used the ruling to support the idea that the lawsuits against them are misguided. But the judge who ruled in Exxons favor made clear at the time that the suit was a securities fraud case, not a climate change case. And theres at least one completely new approach that doesnt depend on the Supreme Courts ruling. A first-of-its-kind lawsuit filed by 16 towns in Puerto Rico in November accuses Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, and other fossil fuel companies of colluding to conceal how their products contribute to climate change. Their argument is that this collusion violated antitrust laws and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO a federal law passed in 1970 to take down the Mafia. Racketeering cases relying on RICO have not only taken down mobsters like John Gotti and the Gambino crime family, but have also been successful against the Hells Angels biker gang, the Key West police department in Florida, as well as opioid manufacturers and tobacco companies. The Puerto Rico lawsuit seeks to make companies pay billions of dollars for the extensive damages that towns suffered during hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017. Because the lawsuit was filed in federal court, it wont be pulled into the jurisdictional tug-of-war that has made other climate cases drag on for years. Theyve made it easy to prove, said Melissa Sims, an attorney at Milberg, the Tennessee-based law firm representing the Puerto Rican cities, because unlike all the other racketeering cases that have been on file, none of them included a written battle plan with a detailed division of labor on how they were going to accomplish their deception. More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. A man accused of fatally shooting a pedestrian and shooting at a motorcyclist in Loveland in 2015 has pleaded not guilty, and a six-week trial has been scheduled for later this year. On June 3, 2015, 65-year-old William Connole was fatally shot at the intersection of First Street and St. Louis Avenue in Loveland. A motorcyclist was shot at, but not injured, near Allendale Park the same day. Christopher Parker, now 40, was arrested in March 2018 on allegations of first-degree murder and attempted murder in connection to these shootings. He's been held in custody without a bond since, while his competency to stand trial has been evaluated. On Friday, Parker pleaded not guilty to both charges. Chief Judge Susan Blanco scheduled a six-week trial to begin Oct. 23. Parker's attorney Eric Vanatta said they were not raising a mental health-related defense at this time. Investigators testified during a multiday evidentiary hearing last fall that Parker was tied to these shootings through his truck, a firearm purchase prior to the shootings and alleged incriminating statements he reportedly made online and in interviews with investigators. These shootings happened during a spate of similar incidents that shocked Northern Colorado in 2015 including the unsolved killing of John Jacoby in Windsor and a shooting that injured a woman while she drove on Interstate 25 about a month before Connole was killed. Parker has not been connected to or charged with the other shootings. No one has been arrested in connection to the other shootings. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime. This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Suspect in 2015 Loveland shootings pleads not guilty, trial set Columbus police guard the scene of the city's 124th homicide on Oct. 7, 2020. A man was killed on the 5800 block of Arborwood Drive on the city's North Side. Two other people were injured. Columbus police homicide detectives say a man accused of causing the death of a 26-year-old Northeast Side man in an early Wednesday morning told them he "should have just driven off." Q'juantez Poole, 20, of the Northwest Side, made the statement while admitting to detectives that he emptied a 16-round magazine from a 9-mm handgun into the driver's side of a vehicle being driven by Dontey Wiley, of the Northeast Side. Wiley and Poole had met in a cul-de-sac on the 5800 block of Arborwood Drive, located near Interstate 71 and the Ohio 161 interchange on the city's North Side, around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. Police called to the scene and found Wiley and a 23-year-old woman who were both wounded. Wiley was taken to OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, where he died from his injuries. The woman, whose name was not released, suffered a minor graze wound. Around 12:45 a.m., 24-year-old Quintez Poole, of the Near East Side, arrived at the emergency room of Dublin Methodist Hospital in a car driven by his brother, Q'juantez. Quintez Poole had suffered numerous gunshot wounds to his groin area, according to court records, and was in critical condition. He was later transferred to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center and is expected to survive his injuries. Q'juantez Poole has been charged with murder in Franklin County Municipal Court and is being held in the Franklin County jail. Det. Darren Egelhoff said Quintez Poole will also be interviewed as a possible suspect. Wiley's death is the 124th homicide investigation of the year and considered the 123rd homicide by police because of the reclassification of a previous investigation as a self-inflicted wound. bbruner@dispatch.com @bethany_bruner This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Suspect in North Side homicide: 'Should have just driven off' The U.S. military has been monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been hovering over the northern U.S. for the past few days, and military and defense leaders have discussed shooting it out of the sky, according to two U.S. officials and a senior defense official. The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now, Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told NBC News. We continue to track and monitor it closely. Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information, Ryder said. The high-altitude balloon was spotted over Billings, Montana, on Wednesday. It flew over Alaska's Aleutian Islands, through Canada, and into Montana. A senior defense official said the balloon is still over the U.S. but declined to say where it is now. On Wednesday, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin convened a meeting of senior military and defense leaders, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, NORTHCOM/NORAD Commander Gen. Glen VanHerck, and other combatant commanders. Austin was traveling in the Philippines at the time. The Pentagon said February 2 it was tracking a Chinese spy balloon flying high over the United States, reviving tensions between the two countries just days ahead of a rare visit to Beijing by the top US diplomat. (Chase Doak / AFP - Getty Images) The leaders reviewed the threat profile of the Chinese stratospheric balloon and possible response options, and ultimately decided not to recommend taking it out kinetically, because of the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field. Pentagon leaders presented the options to President Joe Biden on Wednesday. A senior administration official confirmed that Biden had been briefed and received a strong recommendation that the balloon not be shot down. Instances of this activity have been observed over the past several years, including prior to this administration, said the senior administration official. We acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information. Story continues On Friday, asked why the U.S. did not shoot down the balloon, Ryder said that after assessing options and considering the "potential for debris and property damage" to people and structures on the ground, the U.S. decided it did not pose that risk if allowed to continue flying. Ryder also said that he was not able to provide information about "past incidents" other than to say they had occurred because "that information is classified." The U.S. has communicated to the Chinese government through multiple channels both here in D.C. and in Beijing, said the senior defense official. China says it's a weather balloon On Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that Beijing was assessing the situation and that speculation and hype were unhelpful while facts were still being clarified. China is a responsible country that always abides by international law and has no intention of infringing on any countrys territory and airspace, said a spokesperson at a daily briefing. We hope that both sides can handle this together calmly and carefully." Later Friday, the Foreign Ministry confirmed that the the balloon was Chinese but said it was a weather balloon that had deviated far from its planned course. The airship is from China. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes, said the spokesperson. The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure. The Chinese side will continue communicating with the U.S. side and properly handle this unexpected situation caused by force majeure. Pentagon spokesperson Ryder pushed back on this assertion, saying the U.S. is confident the balloon is for surveillance. He said it continues to move eastward at an altitude of about 60,000 feet and has the ability to maneuver. The senior U.S. defense official said the balloon does not pose a threat to civil aviation because of its altitude. The senior U.S. defense official said that the U.S. assessed the balloon "has limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective over and above what the PRC can do through other means. Nevertheless we are taking all necessary steps to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information. The official said the U.S. military will continue to monitor it closely and will keep the option of taking out the balloon on the table. We are tracking it in minute detail in real time and we will constantly update our assessment, the official said. We are in constant surveillance of this thing through a bunch of different means. Staffers for the congressional Gang of Eight" the party leaders and the top Republicans and Democrats on the intelligence committees received a classified briefing on the balloon on Thursday afternoon, three sources familiar with the matter told NBC News. The office of Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, said he is expected to receive a classified briefing next week. The senior defense official said there was a window while the balloon was over Montana Wednesday when they could have taken it down. NORAD sent aircraft including F-22 Raptors from Nellis Air Force Base and airborne early warning aircraft known as AWACs but the official would not say whether one of the options was to shoot the balloon out of the sky with a U.S. aircraft. The U.S. military flights prompted a ground stop at the airport in Billings, with air traffic controllers citing a special military mission. This type of activity is not unprecedented, the senior defense official said, with China flying stratospheric balloons like this before, but the difference this time is the balloon is staying over the U.S. longer than usual. The stratosphere starts between 4 and 12 miles above the Earths surface and extends around 31 miles, according to the National Weather Service. Tensions are high between the U.S. and China. On Thursday, the Pentagon announced it would bolster the U.S. military presence near Taiwan, with plans to expand the number of U.S. military personnel in the Philippines. Announced during Austins visit to Manila, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) designates four more bases where U.S. military personnel can now base in strategic areas of the country, adding to the five already authorized to house American troops. Were not seeking permanent basing in the Philippines, Austin said during a news conference Thursday. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com The hatch leading to the Minuteman III launch Facility silo E5 in Fergus County, Montana on April 8, 2022. Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images The US is tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon, which has been hovering over Montana. Montana Senator Steve Daines said he feared it was targeting the state's nuclear missile base. Montana is home to the sprawling Malmstrom Air Force Base, which stores nuclear weapons. A suspected Chinese spy balloon is operating near a sprawling base that houses 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. The large and bright unidentified object was seen first flying over Alaska's Aleutian Islands and through Canada before appearing over the city of Billings, Montana. A senior US defense official told reporters on Thursday there was "very high confidence" the balloon was Chinese and that it was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. China later admitted that the balloon belonged to it, but said it was a weather balloon blown off course, and not meant for spying. Though US officials did not name any potential target sites, or give a precise flight path, Montana is notable for being home to Malmstrom Air Force Base, which houses nuclear missiles. Montana Senator Steve Daines said he was concerned by the risk to the US nuclear arsenal. In a letter to the Department of Defense on Thursday, Daines requested a "full security briefing from the administration on this situation." "The fact that this balloon was occupying Montana airspace creates significant concern that Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB) and the United State's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fields are the targets of this intelligence gathering mission," he wrote in the letter, published by Fox News. "It is vital to establish the flight path of this balloon, any compromised U.S. national security assets, and all telecom or IT infrastructure on the ground within the U.S. that this spy balloon was utilizing," the letter said. Malmstrom Air Force Base is one of three such bases in the US to contain Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, a strategic nuclear weapon. The other two are in Wyoming and North Dakota. Story continues Malmstrom maintains 150 intercontinental ballistic missile silos across its 13,800-square-mile complex, according to The Telegraph. The three bases together house America's full arsenal of 400 Minuteman III missiles. Retired US Air Force Col. Cedric Leighton echoed the senator on CNN, saying that alongside spying on ballistic missile bases, the balloon could also be "looking at the strategic bomber bases that we have in the Dakotas." "This is something that gives them a chance to perhaps augment their satellite coverage and it is definitely a system that could be collecting a lot of data," he said. Read the original article on Business Insider Update: U.S. fighter jets shot down the balloon off the South Carolina coast Saturday afternoon. Read the latest here. China acknowledged Friday that a high-altitude balloon spotted this week over the U.S. does in fact belong to Beijing, but it referred to the airship as a civilian device "used for scientific research such as meteorology." A senior defense official told CBS News on Thursday that the Defense Department was "confident" that it was, in fact, a Chinese surveillance balloon. The payload of the balloon that is, the part under the balloon conducting the surveillance is the size of two to three school buses, and the balloon itself is much larger, according to a U.S. official. On Saturday morning, when President Biden was asked about the balloon, he told reporters "we're gonna take care of it." Blinken postpones China trip following balloon discovery According to a statement Friday by the Chinese foreign ministry, the airship was "affected by the westerly wind" and its ability to control its direction "is limited." The statement also says that the balloon "seriously deviated from the scheduled route" and expressed regret that "the airship strayed into the United States due to force majeure." After earlier sightings over Montana, the balloon moved along Friday to cross "the middle of the country," according to a U.S. official. A Chinese balloon has never been over the middle of the country before. The only other time a Chinese balloon has flown over the continental U.S. was during a brief overflight of Florida. There have been overflights of Hawaii and Guam. In previous instances, the Chinese have been able to recover the balloon. Although it can maneuver, it will still travel in the direction it is carried by the jet stream. The balloon was flying at an altitude of about 66,000 feet, according to a U.S. official. It can be maneuvered but it is also subject to the jet stream, which could eventually push it out of U.S. airspace, the official said. Story continues The National Weather Service in Kansas City tweeted Friday that it had received "several reports across northwest MO of a large balloon visible on the horizon," and noted, "We have confirmed that it is not an NWS weather balloon. By Saturday morning, Evan Fisher, who studies meteorology, shared a photo of the balloon on Twitter and estimated that it was in the South Carolina area. Based on my sighting, I'm estimating the balloon is somewhere over Upstate SC, perhaps closer to the NC/SC border. Assuming it's still flying at 60,000', this is the path it may take to the coast. You have a good chance of spotting it if you're in this dashed oval! https://t.co/j7mW2te8V8 pic.twitter.com/n0H1qPvt1D Evan Fisher (@EFisherWX) February 4, 2023 The York County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina also tweeted about balloon sightings in the area Saturday and warned residents not to attempt shooting at it themselves. "It's flying at 60,000+ feet. Don't try to shoot it!! Your rifle rounds WILL NOT reach it. Be responsible. What goes up will come down, including your bullets," they wrote. Thats no moon. Yes, there are reports that the Chinese balloon is flying over our area at the moment. Its flying at 60,000+ feet. Dont try to shoot it!! Your rifle rounds WILL NOT reach it. Be responsible. What goes up will come down, including your bullets #YCSONews pic.twitter.com/SeT0ZTUTvy York County Sheriff (@YCSO_SC) February 4, 2023 There has been some discussion of trying to somehow capture the balloon, but a U.S. official says that this is not possible. The balloon is not going to run out of fuel, since it has solar panels. The official also said that the balloon steers by rudder and is corkscrewing around to slow its progress over land, but the jet stream continues to move it on a trajectory across the U.S. The Pentagon is still considering ways to "dispose" of it but has "grave concerns" about the damage it could cause if it fell to Earth. Although it's difficult to find a precise definition of how high sovereign air space extends, government lawyers regard this as a violation of U.S. air space. Pentagon spokesman Brigadier Gen. Patrick Ryder declined to describe the specific dimensions of the balloon, "other than to say that it is big enough that, again, in reviewing our approach, we do recognize that any potential debris field would be significant and potentially cause civilian injuries or deaths or significant property damage." The U.S. views the Chinese explanation of the balloon's purpose with "a fair amount of skepticism," and it is still trying to figure out what China's intent was. On Friday evening, yet another balloon was apparently sighted, this one further south, in Latin America. "We are seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America," Ryder said in a statement. "We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon." Secretary of State Antony Blinken had been expected to travel to China this weekend for a diplomatic trip, but as the Biden administration weighs a broader response to the discovery of the first balloon, his trip was postponed, two diplomatic sources told CBS News. However, the U.S. does not believe it was timed to scuttle Blinken's trip. The U.S. engaged with Chinese officials "urgently," and President Biden was briefed on the situation, a senior defense official said. On Friday morning, a senior U.S. official said that Washington had communicated directly with Beijing about the situation at multiple levels. A Chinese official was summoned to the State Department for a formal U.S. complaint. Answering a question in Beijing on Friday during a regular briefing, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry said the country "regrets that the airship strayed into the United States," which they attributed to a "westerly wind" and the device's limited "control ability." As China builds nukes and ties with Russia, NATO seeks new "friends" The spokesperson said China would "continue to maintain communication with the U.S. to properly handle the unexpected situation." Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley recommended not taking "kinetic action" to bring down the balloon because of the danger of debris hitting the ground, the defense official told CBS News, adding that the U.S. government had determined the balloon does not pose a threat. A source familiar with the situation told CBS News that, when briefed on Wednesday, Mr. Biden had initially wanted to shoot down the balloon. But as he sought military options from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Milley and others, they advised against such action because of the risk to people on the ground. The administration was still deciding Friday what to do about the balloon when it reaches an area where it would be safe to shoot down, a U.S. official told CBS News. Ryder said the balloon is "currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground." A U.S. official told CBS News on Friday that the balloon was "not moving very fast." A balloon flies in the sky over Billings, Montana, on February 1, 2023, in this picture obtained from social media. / Credit: Chase Doak via Reuters Canada's Department of National Defence (DND) said in a statement late Thursday that the balloon had been "detected" and that Canada was "taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident," but didn't elaborate on what that incident might be. However, CBS News has learned the U.S. hasn't been able to confirm the possible second balloon mentioned in the Canadian release. The North American Aerospace Defense Command was "actively" tracking the first balloon, the Canadian DND said. Silos that can house intercontinental ballistic missiles are located in Montana and jet fighters were scrambled to be in a position to shoot the balloon down. While incidents like this have happened before, they've never lasted this long, according to a defense official. The U.S. has been tracking the balloon "for quite some time" as it entered U.S. continental airspace a couple of days ago, the official said. The Pentagon's best assessment at the moment is that the balloon's surveillance capabilities are not a significant step up from what China is likely able to collect through other means like satellites in low Earth orbit, according to a senior defense official. Out of an abundance of caution, the Pentagon has taken additional mitigation steps to protect certain sites. There are other ways to deal with it other than shooting it down, such as electronic jamming of the signals it is sending back, a U.S. official pointed out to CBS News. Ryder said the U.S. government will continue to "track and monitor it closely." House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Thursday tweeted that "China's brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed, and President Biden cannot be silent." "I am requesting a Gang of Eight briefing," he wrote, referring to the bipartisan group of eight congressional leaders who are tasked with reviewing national intelligence information. Chinas brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed, and President Biden cannot be silent. I am requesting a Gang of Eight briefing. https://t.co/KarTCUzbOS Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) February 3, 2023 A U.S. official told CBS News on Thursday evening the administration briefed Gang of 8 staff members in the afternoon "to get this information to Congress expeditiously and offered additional briefings." Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte said Thursday in a statement that he had "received an informational briefing" Wednesday "on the situation involving a suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over Montana," and added that he was "deeply troubled by the constant stream of alarming developments for our national security." David Martin, Eleanor Watson and Margaret Brennan contributed reporting. U.S. shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon off South Carolina coast Say She She performs "Norma" Say She She performs "Blow My Mind" Robert D. Krebs, who is the retired CEO of the railroad giant BNSF Railway, donated the Italian villa-style mansion he owns with his wife on Walden Road in Lake Forest to Lake Forest College. (Lake County Assessor / HANDOUT) Robert D. Krebs, the retired CEO of BNSF Railway, and his wife, Anne, donated their Italian villa-style mansion in Lake Forest to Lake Forest College in late January. Built by the Krebses in 2003, the 9,217-square-foot mansion on Walden Road has a value of $5.96 million, according to the Lake County assessor. And it long had been the plan of Robert Krebs, 80, and his wife to donate the mansion to Lake Forest College, on whose board Robert Krebs serves, as well as his Renaissance art collection, which the Tribune reported in 2013 was worth even more than the mansion. Advertisement In fact, in 2013 the couple sparked controversy when they proposed donating the mansion to the college so it could one day operate as a center for scholarship, classes and lectures that would be named the Krebs Center for the Humanities. The college is in the process of developing the center, which will focus on the humanities and include medieval and Renaissance studies. That prompted concerns by neighbors, who complained about the possibility of noise, traffic, parking and students on their quiet street, which is a private street about a mile from campus. Advertisement I want to be transparent, Robert Krebs told the Tribune in 2013. This is really going to not only preserve the house, but (my art) collection. The college will be a great neighbor. The mansions construction clearly was a labor of love for Krebs and his wife, who crafted it using imported hand-carved stone shipped from Italy, hand-molded terra cotta pavers from Tuscany and Italian walnut doors that were hand-carved in Italy. The mansion, which sits on 2.6 acres, was awarded the Lake Forest Historic Preservation Foundations Historic Preservation Infill Award in 2012. Ultimately, the couple decided to hold off on seeking a special-use permit from Lake Forest officials that would have allowed the college to hold classes at the mansion. No city approval was needed to allow the actual donation of the property itself. Now, the donation has taken place, and the mansion is in the hands of Lake Forest College, according to a deed filed with the Lake County clerks recording division on Jan. 31. The humanities and the humanistic tradition have never been more important, Davis Schneiderman, executive director of the Krebs Center for the Humanities, said in a statement. What the humanities can teach us not only about the past but also how to make a better future world will be at the core of future Krebs Center activities. The donation is not the first time in recent memory that a high-end North Shore mansion has been donated to a college or university. In December 2020, Rice University took title to a six-bedroom, 8,281-square-foot mansion on a 0.74-acre property on Lake Michigan in Winnetka under a life estate allowing the donors to remain in the home for the rest of their lives. The Cook County assessor assigns that mansion, which was built in 1990, a market value of $7.525 million. Goldsborough is a freelance reporter. Advertisement Join our Chicago Dream Homes Facebook group for more luxury listings and real estate news. Wales captain Ken Owens will lead his team against Johnny Sextons Ireland in the Six Nations (John Walton/PA) (PA Wire) The 2023 Guinness Six Nations Championship kicks off in Cardiff on Saturday when Wales host Ireland. It promises to be a fascinating encounter, with Warren Gatland beginning his second spell as Wales head coach and Ireland arriving in the Welsh capital following a year that saw them rise to world rugbys summit. Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the main talking points. Can Ireland embrace expectation? Ireland will arrive at the Principality Stadium as the world-ranked number-one team a status they achieved last year following two stunning away victories over New Zealand, consolidated by autumn wins against South Africa and Australia. With that, though, comes increased pressure and expectation as Andy Farrells side find themselves billed as Six Nations title favourites. Their last success in the competition on Welsh soil came 10 years ago, so Ireland know the degree of difficulty that awaits them, but they currently look capable of overcoming any challenge. Warren Gatlands Midas touch Wales enjoyed a golden era when Gatland was head coach between 2008 and 2019, highlighted by four Six Nations titles, three Grand Slams and two World Cup semi-finals. The New Zealander is now back for more, replacing Wayne Pivac following a miserable 12 months when Wales won just three Tests and suffered humiliating home defeats against Italy and Georgia. The form-guide suggests an Ireland victory, but it is also enticingly set up for Gatland and his players to put such a script through the shredder. The game and occasion is right up his street. Story continues Battle of the magnificent sevens A first @IrishRugby appearance since being named World Rugby Men's 15s POTY Josh Van Der Flier is in the starting XV to face Wales this Saturday in the Six Nations #WALvIRE pic.twitter.com/rBy5swm6A2 World Rugby (@WorldRugby) February 2, 2023 Key individual contests will be littered around the Principality Stadium pitch on Saturday, but none catch the eye more than the battle between rival openside flankers Justin Tipuric and Josh van der Flier. Wales star Tipuric wins his 90th cap and it is more than 11 years since he first played Test rugby, with that priceless experience allied to a consistency of performance that few players can match at the highest level. Current world player of the year Van der Flier he is only the third Irishman to achieve that feat after Keith Wood and Johnny Sexton offers similarly indispensable qualities, and like Tipuric, his form rarely dips. They are players of the finest calibre. Start of the end for Sexton? Ireland captain Johnny Sexton begins potentially the final year of his glittering career by going up against the man responsible for one of his biggest disappointments. The 37-year-old, who is expected to retire following the autumn World Cup in France, was devastated to be overlooked by Gatland for the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa. Sexton insists he does not hold a grudge regarding that painful snub, nor feel under pressure to prove a point. He has subsequently been in fine form and is arguably more important than ever to his country. Ospreys to help Wales soar? Congratulations to the 12 Ospreys named in the @WelshRugbyUnion squad to face Ireland this weekend i chi gyd pic.twitter.com/i8gUvfncPD Ospreys (@ospreys) January 31, 2023 There is a degree of symmetry, provided by the Ospreys, between Gatlands first game as Wales head coach 15 years ago and Saturdays encounter that kicks off his second stint at the helm. Gatland picked 13 Ospreys the only exceptions were Scarlets wing Mark Jones and Cardiff flanker Martyn Williams for Wales victorious 2008 Six Nations opener against England, and he has chosen eight in his starting XV this time around with combinations key through both centres, props, locks and flankers. Ospreys are fresh from notable victories over French champions Montpellier and English champions Leicester, so confidence is high. It could prove another selection master-stroke. An attempt to celebrate Black History Month with a Pan-African flag flying outside City Hall in Dayton is creating controversy. Mayor Jeffrey Mims, Jr. said he did not expect any controversy to be created after flying the flag. The issue is how do we unify people, how do we put everyone in a position where they feel like they have value, Mims said. >> Springfield raises hourly pay as part of police recruitment, retention efforts Mims told News Center 7 this is the second year the city has flown a flag for Black History Month. He said he has received some calls, News Center 7 did as well, including one man who claimed the flag was unconstitutionally in a place above the American flag. Clearly, its not, Mims said. You can see where it is now. Havent since yesterday at noon, The mayor said the flag is a liberation flag, developed in 1920. Its also known as the Pan-African flag, but some people have called City Hall for clarification on the flags meaning. Dayton police Sgt. Kyle Thomas, who also is president of the Dayton Police Union, said city employees and members of the community have reached out with some concern. While the Pan-African flag has three clean stripes, different groups have used the same color scheme with symbols added to represent other things. Sometimes groups simply adopt the traditional liberation flag as a symbol of their group. >> Bill targeting catalytic converter thefts marks first bill backed by Vance Thomas said police officers know very well that optics matter and good intentions can miss the mark or be hijacked for someone elses agenda. Theres already been some demonstrations in front of City Hall, some photo opportunities with some of the groups celebrating their flag, taking ownership, Thomas said. The mayor said this month and the message for flying the flag is simple. They are talking about unity. Theyre not talking about separation of anything, he said. Mims doesnt want the flag or this month to be anything that pulls people apart. He said Dayton needs everyone pulling together to continue moving the city forward. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A man facing terror-related charges connected to a fire at a southern Nevada solar energy facility was found not competent to stand trial, a Las Vegas judge decided. Mohammed Mesmarian, 34, faces terror-related charges for allegedly ramming a car through a fence at the facility and setting the car on fire next to a transformer. (KLAS) Mohammed Mesmarian, 34, faces terror-related charges for allegedly ramming a car through a fence at the facility on Jan. 4 and setting the car on fire next to a transformer, Nexstars KLAS first reported last month. The Mega Solar Array facility, located about 30 miles north of Las Vegas, provides energy to MGM properties but is run by a company called Invenergy. After the incident, the MGM properties switched to the statewide electrical grid and experienced no issues at the actual casinos, a spokesperson for MGM Resorts International told the Associated Press. Potential mass shooting thwarted after high-capacity weapons found pointed from window Mesmarian made an initial appearance in court in early January, but was escorted from the room after becoming disruptive. His attorney ultimately requested he be given a mental health evaluation. On Wednesday, Judge Cristy Craig found Mesmarian not competent to understand the charges against him. A man is facing terror-related charges after police say he rammed his car through a gate at a solar plant outside Las Vegas and set his car on fire, disabling the huge facility. The plant provides the majority of power to MGM properties. (KLAS) Mesmarian is accused of scoping out the solar facility for at least a day, according to documents obtained by KLAS. He was visiting the area for New Years, police wrote in the documents. The car he drove was registered in Idaho. Police also found an iPhone with an account connected to Mesmarian in the burned car, as well as two laptops. A man is facing terror-related charges after police said he broke into a solar energy facility and set his car on fire. (KLAS) Police located Mesmarian at a campground Jan. 5 a day after the fire in Boulder Beach at Lake Mead. It was unclear how Mesmarian made it from the energy facility to Boulder City, a 30-mile drive. No one was hurt in the fire. The Associated Press contributed to this report. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Police at the scene after the steering wheel fell of a brand new Tesla. Courtesy of Prerak Patel Prerak Patel said his Tesla steering wheel fell of while he was driving down a New Jersey highway. The driver said he'd received the Model Y just five days prior to the incident. Patel said he was told a bolt was missing from the steering wheel connection. Just five days after it was delivered, the steering wheel fell of a brand new Tesla Model Y. Prerak Patel, the car's owner, was driving down a highway near Woodbridge Mall in New Jersey with his wife and kids when the incident occurred. "I was driving a normal speed in the left lane when all of the sudden I had this loose wheel in my hand," Patel told Insider. "By the grace of God, there was nobody behind me. I took my foot off the pedal, and I was able to pull all the way over to a divider." Patel said it took 10 to 20 minutes for the police to arrive at the scene and that the car was later towed to a nearby Tesla service center. Pictures of the steering wheel appear to show the wheel entirely detached from the steering column, only hanging on by exposed wires. Patel posted several photos from the incident on Twitter. Prerak & Neha Patel (@preneh24) January 30, 2023 Patel has yet to pick up his car from the service center, but he said he was told by a service representative that a bolt was missing from the steering column. He'd always wanted to buy a Tesla, he said, and saw an opportunity when the company lowered its prices for its Model Y and Model 3 on January 13. He ordered the car the same day the price cuts were announced. Now, he's not sure he wants to drive the car again, feeling that he'd be putting his family at risk. "If they give me that same car back, I won't feel comfortable driving it, " Patel said. "I've asked for a refund. I've asked for a new car." Patel said he's been trying to negotiate the issue with Tesla's customer service department, but in the meantime, he's been tweeting through the issue, posting his exchanges with Tesla service representatives on Twitter and garnering over 2 million views. Story continues Prerak & Neha Patel (@preneh24) January 30, 2023 "My main purpose for tweeting is for them to improve quality control so no other family has to go through this," Patel said, adding that he want the company to take accountability publicly. A spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication. It's not the first time that a Tesla owner has complained of issues with the car's steering wheels. In 2020, Tesla driver Jason Tuatara posted photos of a Model 3 steering wheel that had fallen off. At the time, the New York Post reported that a Tesla representative had told the driver the car was missing a bolt that connected the wheel to the body of the car. Read the original article on Business Insider By Evan Garcia BRYAN, Texas (Reuters) - On a bitterly cold January morning, a helicopter soars above central Texas farmland. The four passengers hanging outside the aircraft are hunting - going after feral hogs, an invasive species in the southeastern United States. In Bryan, Texas, the company Helibacon charges hunters about $3,000 to spend two hours in a helicopter, gunning down wild pigs with everything from assault rifles to fully automatic submachine guns. First introduced to North America by early explorers hundreds of years ago, feral hogs can wreak havoc on agriculture, tearing up soil and eating plants. The animals can weigh more than 181 kilograms (400 pounds) and travel in herds called sounders, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist Mikayla Killam. "Really, on the Texas landscape, the only thing that can take on an adult feral hog is going to be a mountain lion and an alligator. And we just don't have enough of those in the state to be managing these populations," she said. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, an estimated 6.9 million feral hogs roamed the United States in 2016 with more than one-third of that population, 2.6 million hogs, living in Texas. Killam said the invasive species is managed by trapping, conventional hunting on the ground, and aerial gunning by both wildlife services and commercial companies like Helibacon. For hunters like Mitchell Birkett, a 21-year-old Texas A&M University student, going after the hogs was a chance to combine pleasure with purpose. "Sure, you get a lot of fun out of it and you get to shoot some big guns," Birkett said. "But you're also, you know, I think taking care of a really big problem that faces Texas." (Reporting by Evan Garcia, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) Texas Struggles With Unprecedented Cold And Power Outages A view of high voltage transmission towers on Feb. 21, 2021 in Houston, Texas. Millions of Texans lost power when winter storm Uri hit the state and knocked out coal, natural gas. and nuclear plants that were unprepared for the freezing temperatures brought on by the storm. Credit - Justin SullivanGetty Images In the midst of a massive power failure in Texas two years ago, state Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, went on FOX News and laid the blame squarely at the feet of renewables. This shows how the Green New Deal would be a deadly deal for the United States of America, he said, referring to an unrealized progressive climate proposal. It just shows that fossil fuel is necessary for the state of Texas. Wind energy was running low during the severe Winter Storm Uri, but as it turned out, it wasnt renewables, but fossil fuelsparticularly poorly winterized natural gas systemsthat were primarily to blame for the cascading grid collapse that left 10 million people without power and 246 people dead. But two years later, as the state weathers another winter storm, Texass conservative-controlled state government remains bent on putting fossil fuels at the center of its plans to stop such a disaster from occurring again. Thats despite the urgent imperative to phase out carbon dioxide pollution and avert catastrophic climate changeand the existence of an array of cheaper new technologies and fixes that could help the grid draw less power in the first place. Texass power system is unique in many ways. For one thing, its the only state that operates its own grid. This limits its ability to import power from other parts of the country when supplies run low, as they did when power systems froze and Texas residents cranked up their heat in February 2021. The largely deregulated power system also means that power producers only get paid when they put electricity onto the grid, rather than also getting compensated for being available in those high demand scenarios, as they are in other states. Those factors have created a grid liable to get overstretched when demand for electricity spikes. In an attempt to help, state regulators in January approved a wonky, never-before-used proposal known as a Performance Credit Mechanism (PCM), which requires the array of companies that sell Texans power to buy a special kind of credit from the energy companies that own the states power plants, representing a promise that those power plants will provide extra juice to the lines when the grid is under strain. Story continues We heard Texans loud and clear; they demand a reliable grid, chairman of the states public utility commission (PUC) Peter Lake said in a statement after the plan was approved. Today, we take another historic step toward building the grid of the future. The point is to provide a financial incentive for the companies to keep the grid from going under again when demand spikes, and to build new power generation infrastructure. The end result, however, appears to heavily favor fossil fuels over newer methods of managing the grid, like encouraging the use of smart thermostats and water heaters that can automatically lower power demand during peak periodsso-called demand responseor employing utility-scale batteries that can surge electricity onto power lines when the need arises. It isnt a subtle theme when state politicians talk about the issue of grid stability. Counterintuitively, Texas has the most renewable energy production of any state, more than 50 gigawatts, or about half its total grid capacity (renewables account for only about a fifth of power on the full U.S. grid, by comparison). Thats the product of its freewheeling, deregulated electricity system and abundant land for gathering solar and wind energy. And the industry is growing faster there than anywhere else in the country. Since 2021, for instance, the amount of wind and solar energy on the Texas grid has grown by almost 80%, according to statistics provided by the American Council on Renewable Energy. Those renewables do require backup solutions for when the wind doesnt blow or the sun doesnt shine, preferably ones that dont further contribute to climate change, such as battery storage and high voltage transmission lines that can bring power from other regions where renewables are producing steadilya difficult proposition as long as the Texas grid remains largely isolated from the rest of the country. But the state is also home to a politically powerful oil and gas industry, and many members of Texass Republican government have been clear that they want those resources to be the answer to the states grid woes. Speaking to reporters last November, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick emphasized his desire to level the playing field between natural gas and renewables. We cant leave here next spring, he said in November of the upcoming state legislative session, unless we have a plan for more natural gas power. The problem, though, is that those politicians are radically oversimplifying the issue, according to Doug Lewin, president of energy consultancy Stoic Energy. What would make more senseboth environmentally and financiallywould be to use multiple solutions to make sure that peak grid demand does not exceed the supply. That could include building batteries to store renewable energy and release it when its needed (new long duration battery technology could be especially promising for those situations). It could also mean investing in fixes that make sure energy demand doesnt spike as high when the temperature rises or falls, such as by better insulating homes, upgrading them with new heat pumps that draw far less power than older heating systems, and investing in demand-response. By contrast, trying to simply build natural gas generation to cover the demand for energy that arose during the 2021 winter storm would be insanely expensive, Lewin says. Theyre trying to solve every problem on the grid with one thing, he says. That is just a logical fallacy. For 30 years, Texas law has upheld the heroism of a good guy with a gun. But now, a federal appeals court is letting guys who arent good have their guns. Its the second recent jarring decision dramatically loosening gun laws. A three-judge panel has ruled that the right to self-defense extends to gun owners while they are under domestic violence restraining orders. Zackey Rahimi, 23, of Kennedale, was not a good guy with a gun. He was under a February 2020 civil court order not to harass, stalk or threaten an ex-girlfriend and not to carry a firearm. Over 37 days the next December and January, he shot into somebodys house after selling them Percocet, fired at two drivers and an off-duty Tarrant County deputy constable, and shot into the air at a Whataburger. Federal prosecutors tried to punish him for violating the Tarrant County civil court order. He shouldnt have even had a gun. Tarrant County Now, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says, forget domestic violence court orders. Give the guys back their guns. Right or wrong under the Second Amendment and there is a valid argument that court orders and red flag laws cant override gun rights before conviction the decision makes it much harder for police and courts to protect partners and families from domestic violence. The decision comes on the heels of a federal appeals court ruling that 18- to 20-year-olds have the same gun rights as other adults and must be allowed to carry handguns. Agencies that protect families from domestic violence now have one less tool to prevent family shootings, partner-killings and murder-suicides. In 2016, more than 2,000 cases related to what advocates call Intimate Partner Violence were filed with the Tarrant County district attorneys office. The ruling potentially puts victims of domestic violence in far greater danger, said Ken Shetter, president of the One Safe Place crime-fighting commission. There is a reason state and federal law prohibit those who commit domestic violence from possessing firearms it is one of the two most significant indicators of risk of a homicide, Shetter wrote by email. Story continues He also cited studies showing that more than half of the men who have killed police officers have a documented history of partner violence. The next step for domestic violence agencies is to understand how this ruling is going to impact protective orders and account for that in our safety planning, he wrote. Imagine how gut-wrenching it will be now to decide whether to seek a protective order against a domestic partner with a gun. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that the Justice Department will appeal the decision. Nearly 30 years ago, Congress determined that a person who is subject to a court order that restrains him or her from threatening an intimate partner or child cannot lawfully possess a firearm, he wrote, taking the position that the law is constitutional whether analyzed through the lens of Supreme Court precedent, or of the text, history, and tradition of the Second Amendment. .But the 5th Circuit panels ruling concluded that Congress cannot use civil violations to deny gun rights. Under the Governments reading, the ruling reads, Congress could remove unordinary or irresponsible or non-law-abiding people ... Could speeders be stripped of their right to keep and bear arms? Political nonconformists? People who do not recycle or drive an electric vehicle? ... Rahimi, while hardly a model citizen, is nonetheless ... entitled to the Second Amendments guarantees. Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said police will continue to enforce state and local laws to protect families. This had to do with the federal law that said he couldnt carry a firearm, Ross, a former police officer, said. This guy was shooting at people and threatening people our police can still do something about that. Protective orders are still available and can be enforced. Whether you like the outcome or notthe Constitution prevents government interference with unpopular actions. This is a victory for the constitution! https://t.co/BBFDSX3egf Briscoe Cain (@BriscoeCain) February 2, 2023 State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Baytown, celebrated on Twitter. Whether you like the outcome or not the Constitution prevents government interference with unpopular actions, he wrote. Former state Sen. Jerry Patterson, the original author of Texas handgun carry laws, offered a solution. Domestic violence suspects could be barred from access to firearms as a condition of pre-trial release, he wrote by email. In the same way, suspects accused of a terroristic threat can be barred. That sounds like another trip to the 5th Circuit. Ward 5 Oklahoma City Council candidates, top from left, Jeff Owen and Thuan Nguyen, bottom from left, Audra Beasley and Matt Hinkle. Four candidates vying for the open Ward 5 seat on the Oklahoma City Council are participating in a debate tonight hosted by NonDoc Media. The debate starts at 5:30 p.m. on the Oklahoma City Community College Campus. It is open to the public at the Visual and Performing Arts Center. Candidates include Audra Beasley, Matt Hinkle, Thuan Nguyen and Jeff Owen. More:Not sure if you live in OKC's Ward 5? Check here and meet your city council election candidates NonDoc will stream the debate on Facebook and YouTube, with Tres Savage serving as moderator. All questions will be written and asked by professional journalists, with The Oklahoman serving as a partner to provide fact-checking efforts as necessary in the days following the debate. For more information about this race, check out a Q&A conducted by The Oklahoman regarding candidate priorities should they win election. And if you live in another ward, or are interested in reading additional election information, visit Oklahoman.com for additional news and takeaways from tonight's debate. More:Who's running in Oklahoma City Council elections? Check OKC ward map, where to vote and more This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Ward 5 city council debate set for Oklahoma City Experts say coyote sightings will likely increase in the Aurora area due to it being mating season for the animal. (DuPage Forest Preserve District / HANDOUT) With Valentines Day just around the corner and romance in the air, experts say the love bug will also be affecting the Aurora area coyote population in the coming weeks as mating season for the animal begins to peak. Coupled with a mild winter and less snow coverage, as well as a lack of foliage this time of year, local naturalists and animal professionals are predicting there will be more sightings of coyotes. Advertisement Experts say that residents need information not fear when it comes to co-existing with coyotes. To me, it really is about education and awareness because people are definitely going to be seeing more coyotes this time of year, said Dan Thompson, a wildlife ecologist with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, who has worked with the district for over three decades. People may also think they are seeing more coyotes when, in fact, its the same one who has been living right there in their neighborhood. Advertisement Thompson and others including Mark Romano, a resident of an unincorporated area of Kane County who has worked over 30 years offering wildlife management services for residents, municipalities and even the state, say the coyote mating season is already underway and will continue through early March. Coyotes arent nocturnal but they work 24/7 and go out whenever they want to. You see them more in the winter because there is no cover no leaves, the bushes, and they are more visible, Romano said. The breeding time starts around the third week in January, and they are paired up. Its been a mild winter and they havent had to work as hard to find food. Its easier on their paws for all the wildlife, its been easier. With a den of cubs soon to follow later in the year, experts say the coyotes may become more territorial. Coyote pups will emerge in the near future as mating season for the adults is underway now through early March. (DuPage Forest Preserve District / HANDOUT) Thats the issue. The coyotes start to be a little more protective of their territories. They are realizing pups are coming soon, and know they need to provide for them and are going to be a little less tolerant of others in their territory, Thompson said. What people need to understand is their territory can be quite variable based on the individual. Some do live in the bigger forest preserves and dont leave there all that much, and there are some that just live in residential and business areas. We have them living downtown in the Chicago Loop. Thompson said despite no longer having a natural predator, the coyote population has remained relatively stable. I dont have any hard numbers but weve been very fortunate to have the most extensive and longest running study of coyotes on the planet. Its in conjunction with Cook County Animal Control, Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation and Ohio University. They have been studying coyotes for a very long time in the Chicago region, he said. The data will show that coyotes have pretty much filled in nearly all the habitat and territory in the Chicago region, and the population is fairly stable. Disease and incidents with motor vehicles have controlled the coyote population to some degree, Thompson said, although the ongoing study has provided some surprising results about the animals adaptability. There have been reports of coyotes living in the city who have actually learned to cross streets at night when the lights are green, he said. Advertisement In terms of more sightings, Thompson suggests either a particular coyote has changed its behavior or youre seeing the same one over and over and youre in sync with his schedule. Romano argues that the coyotes territories overlap much more and that there are also people deliberately feeding them or ones that get fed accidentally with bird feeders. In terms of any confrontation, Romano cautions in the end its a wild animal and any wild animal you cant predict what its going to do. Theyre not pets, you shouldnt feed them. With all things like that I dont want people not to feed the birds by all means, feed away, Romano said. But when you create that kind of food source you also draw the mice and rabbits and squirrels and it becomes a nice place for coyotes to visit and grab a quick meal. They have the best of both worlds. In my area in the Fox Valley they can work the river and the neighborhoods. Bill Graser, a wildlife biologist for the Kane County Forest Preserve District, agrees that bird feeders and other devices can perpetuate coyotes being around. You know feeding birds is a fine thing but if you do it keeping the area clean and not just be dumping mass quantities of seed or having excessive amounts of feeders that will draw in the rodents and the birds is important, he said. Advertisement Coyotes will view that as a place to find food, he said. It will contribute to associating human back yards as a place to get a meal as opposed to a place to avoid. They can come habituated or food conditioned if people are knowingly or unknowingly providing easy-to-get food for them. In terms of pet safety, Graser said as coyote sightings increase, its more important that forest preserve users obey the leash ordinance that we have. Its designed to protect wildlife from pets as well as pets from wildlife. It will vastly lessen the likelihood of a bad encounter with a wild animal like a coyote if you keep your animal leashed, Graser said. People need to understand they are all around us now. I cant think of a place where coyotes arent living, so we need to do our part to not contribute to food conditioning them or lessening their fear because a lot of time when there is a problem its the result of our behavior changing their behavior. Dont assume if you have a fenced yard that a coyote cant get in there. Thompson agrees pet owners need to be more vigilant and participatory with their pet supervision. I want people to understand the biology and behavior of coyotes better, he said. They (coyotes) seem to produce a lot of fear with people and everyone thinks they are at high risk of a coyote attack and thats just not the case. They are all over the Chicago region and there are encounters every day, but nearly all of those are without incident. We do know that pets get taken by coyotes and thats the responsibility of the pet owner, he said. If you want to make sure the pets safe you need to bundle up when you let your dog out at night (and keep an eye on them). Advertisement David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News. An Indiana mom was at home with her 9-year-old daughter, mother and nephews when she was shot dead, according to her family members. Brittany Allen, 33, had gone to answer the door when her daughter heard gunshots from the next room, WXIN reported. She went and got the door and the next thing you know the baby said granny I think they shot my mommy, grandma Terry Keets-Jordan told the Indianapolis TV station. They heard four or five gunshots, ran to hide, then heard a car speed away, Allens mom told WXIN. When Allens daughter, mom and nephews went to check on her, they found her lifeless body, according to a GoFundMe created by a cousin. Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said they were called to the shooting at about 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27. They found a woman inside the northern Indianapolis home who had been shot, officials said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Homicide detectives responded to the scene to begin the investigation, police said in a news release. There did not appear to be forced entry into the home but it is not clear at this time if the suspect or suspects were familiar to the victim. The Marion County Coroners Office confirmed Allen was killed, according to WTHR. She was a sweet spirited, God fearing woman who did not deserve this, cousin Ebonie Walls said in the GoFundMe. An investigation into her death is ongoing. Anyone with additional information regarding the homicide should contact Detective Daniel Hiatt at 317-327-3475 or Daniel.Hiatt@indy.gov. Man shoots mom of 2 to death, then is hit by car right after, North Carolina cops say 14-year-old calls 911 as parents fight home intruder. The intruder was killed, cops say Mom locks herself and kids in bedroom, shoots intruder through door, Texas cops say Voters file into the Brookfield Conference Center in Brookfield to cast their ballots in November 2022. This year, three seats are up for election on the Elmbrook School Board; just one of them will require a primary election. Jennifer Roskopf, who currently holds an at-large seat, is not seeking re-election. Sean Firmiss, Sam Hughes and David Irwin will face off for that seat in the Feb. 21 primary, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the April 4 general election. In other seats up for election this spring, incumbent Scott Wheeler is unopposed for his Area I seat. Incumbent Jian Sun is not seeking re-election to his Area III seat; Gregg Eberhardt and Preetha Kurudiyara are seeking election there. The candidates in the at-large seat race answered a few questions about what they would bring to the board, the district's library policy and how they think politics plays a role in school board decision making. What unique talents and experiences would you bring to the board? Firmiss: For many years, my career was in the legal world. Research, investigation and contingency planning are all skills I was required to use every day. Upon completion of my career, my stepfather, a general contractor, offered to teach me home improvement skills to keep me off the couch. I parlayed my investigative and strategic skills into an entirely new field and learned voraciously. I proudly serve the Elmbrook community as a passionate and avid problem-solver. Please elect this passionate investigator and problem solver to serve as your advocate on the Elmbrook School Board. Hughes: I will bring pragmatic, solutions-focused leadership informed by many years of service on the board of a nonprofit and in homegrown business ownership and management. I bring seasoned skills in problem-solving with a strong belief in the value of a high-quality education and a strong desire to work in the best interest of our exceptional community. As a caring, involved father, I have navigated the complicated world of IEPs on behalf of a wonderful nonverbal daughter with special needs for 12 years, which has given me a valuable perspective for this school board leadership position. Story continues Irwin: In addition to remaining level-headed in somewhat tumultuous times, I have the perspective of an international technology industry executive. I have held roles of founder, president and board member in companies that range from garage stage to venture capital-backed, to Fortune 500 (and Brookfield-based) Fiserv. I have had the lead role in building large new businesses in Latin America and in India, and I have lived in Europe. Technology and global markets are important features of the world our students are entering. See irwin4elmbrook.com. What are your thoughts on the district amending its library policy last year to restrict or ban certain types of books from district libraries? Firmiss: Please watch the YouTube video of the 1/17/23 Elmbrook School Board public meeting. At the 1:01:00 mark, I address the board (heatedly) about this particular issue. Simply put, the districts policy failed in this instance. I would very much like to be elected to a seat on the board, so that I might use my unique skill set to help spare students, parents, faculty, and administrators the frustration of further incidents. Hughes: I fully support the parents role in the educational process and believe parents should have a say in the educational content their children are exposed to in the school setting especially when it comes to anything of a sexual nature. Parents have the right to curate and monitor what books their minor children are reading in their free time outside of the approved curriculum. Parents are the primary educators of their children, not school administrators, librarians or teachers. We are a very well-educated community with active, informed parents. Our job is to respect and support the parents role. Irwin: I believe we can all imagine books that do not belong in a public school library and some that should require parental approval. In my view, the district has made some mistakes in this area and that should be rectified. Decisions about what books are appropriate for Elmbrook libraries should be transparent and based on board-approved policies that reflect our community's values. Our schools exist to serve the community residents whose taxes fund them. In what ways, if any, do you think politics plays a role in school board decision making, and how would you approach that? Firmiss: I am running for a nonpartisan elected position. I have no previous political experience. I am beholden to no political party. I am my own man. As I have no employees, I am directly accountable to this community for every action I take while serving its residents. I intend to advocate fiercely for the interests, beliefs and values of the people who elect me to this office. Hughes: School board decisions should be based on what is best for the students of Elmbrook Schools. Board decisions should create a learning environment that is conducive to the strongest possible academic outcomes for those students. Every decision I make as as a school board member will be filtered through the question, Is this decision best for the educational process and outcomes for all of our students? School board decisions should respect the triangle of parents, teachers and students, acknowledging that each has an important role in the overall academic outcome of students. Political ideology is the realm of parents, not schools. Irwin: Nationally, I see many politically motivated ideas and theories in education that seem wrong-headed to me. However, with two Elmbrook students, I do not see these ideas pushed here. I question those who claim they do. My views: Free enterprise is the best economic system yet devised. Individual/parental responsibility beats government control. Correct English is good for everyone. Accelerated students should not be held back to keep everyone even. Race does not define us. America remains the last best hope of earth. Sean Firmiss Sean A. Firmiss Age: 50 Address: 18225 Saint James Road, Brookfield Past political experience: N/A Community involvement: Ive dedicated the last eight years of my life to serving this community as a handyman, solving problems for my Elmbrook neighbors. If youre an Elmbrook District resident, ask around. Chances are, Ive helped someone you know. Contact info: Sean@FirmissForElmbrook.com Sam Hughes Sam Hughes Age: 45 Address: 14050 St George Court, Elm Grove Past political experience: None Community involvement: Board member Wisconsin Floor Covering Association, Mens Biblestudy leader Contact info: Sam@SamForElmbrook.com, www.SamForElmbrook.com, 262-799-4210 David Irwin David Irwin Age: 56 Address: 14275 Hillside Road, Elm Grove Past political experience: None Community involvement: President of the Elm Grove School for Lifelong Learning at Community United Methodist Church; board member of Enterprise Credit Union, a Brookfield-based not-for-profit financial institution; member of Elmbrook Rotary Club; volunteer instructor of financial literacy programs in Milwaukee Public Schools through Secure Futures; Steering Committee of Wisconsin Business Leaders for Democracy Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Three candidates will face off in Elmbrook School Board primary Three men who visited a New York City gay bar were robbed of thousands of dollars using facial recognition access on their phones, the New York Police Department confirmed on Thursday. The three men, who were in their late 30s and 40s, visited a Chelsea gay leather bar, The Eagle NYC, on separate nights in October and November and were each robbed of $1,000 to $5,000, according to the NYPDs deputy commissioner of public information. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing, authorities said. Police believe the criminals used facial recognition to access the victims phones and funds once they were incapacitated, according to Capt. Robert Gault of the citys 10th Precinct, who spoke about the incidents at a police community council meeting last week. What we think is happening with this scheme is theyre being lured away from the club, maybe to say, Hey, you wanna come with me? I got some good drugs, or something like that, Gault said. And then, once they get into a car to do whatever it is that theyre going to do, at some point or another, they dont know what happened when they wake up. A 19-year-old female and a 42-year-old male who were visiting a New York City bar that is not affiliated with the LGBTQ community, Hotel Chantelle, were also robbed in November and December by the same group of criminals, a police spokesperson said. When asked how the authorities were able to link the five incidents to the same group, the spokesperson added, All five cases have the same MO. Gault said that authorities were able to locate the license plate, vehicles of interest and at least one phone number connected to the suspects in the incidents connected to The Eagle NYC. Neither The Eagle NYC nor Hotel Chantelle responded to NBC News requests for comment. In January, The Eagle NYC posted on its Instagram account security footage of two men interacting with bar patrons outside the venue, writing: Do not take rides from these guys. We are told that they have someone in a car (around nearby street corners) waiting for these guys to bring someone. Story continues The Eagle NYC added in the since-deleted Instagram post that it reported the known offenders to appropriate authorities. The police spokesperson said the incidents at The Eagle NYC and Hotel Chantelle are not related to any other pattern of robberies happening in the city. The recent robberies bear a resemblance to the cases, reported by NBC News in November, of Julio Ramirez, 25, a social worker, and John Umberger, 33, a political consultant, who were targeted in similar fashion and suffered unexplained deaths. On the separate evenings of their deaths, Ramirez and Umberger were seen leaving New York City gay bars with groups of men before their bank accounts were drained of thousands of dollars using facial recognition access to their phones, according to their family members. At the time, the NYPD revealed that police and the district attorneys office were investigating several incidents where individuals have been victims to either robberies or assault, in which some but not all are members of the LGBTQ community. On Monday, New York Citys Office of Nightlife held a webinar directed at the citys LGBTQ community, promoting safety precautions for bar patrons in light of the previously reported robberies. Officials advised bar patrons against using facial recognition technology to secure their phones and to alert friends of their whereabouts. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com FRANKFURT/DUESSELDORF (Reuters) -A top-20 Thyssenkrupp shareholder called on Friday for the rapid disposal of the German group's warship and submarine business, saying its risks outweighed any potential benefits. Thyssenkrupp is considering what it calls a standalone solution for Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), including partnerships, joint ventures or other forms of consolidation. "We demand the immediate sale of all defence activities. The reputational and compliance risk of this business segment stands in no relation to the profit generated by the division," Ingo Speich, head of sustainability and corporate governance at Deka Investment, said. Deka holds 0.45% of Thyssenkrupp shares, according to Refinitiv Eikon data, making it the German industrial conglomerate's 12th-biggest investor. Speich did not elaborate on what the reputational and compliance risks could be. Thyssenkrupp Chief Executive Martina Merz played down the need for swift action at the group's annual general meeting, saying TKMS, which has around 6,900 staff, was in a strong position. "We will not be driven to second-best solutions," Merz said. "At the same time, we are in talks with the Federal Government, as one of our most important customers, to find out if and when the political conditions for a standalone solution can be created," she added. Thyssenkrupp has said it is in favour of a consolidation of the European defence sector, which could gain momentum through Germany's decision to beef up its armed forces via a 100 billion-euro ($109 billion) special budget. "Even a partial sale would be a step in the right direction," Speich told Friday's AGM. TKMS posted sales of 1.8 billion euros in the last fiscal year that ended in September, while adjusted operating profit was 32 million euros. ($1 = 0.9153 euros) (Reporting by Christoph Steitz in Frankfurt and Tom Kaeckenhoff in Duesseldorf; Editing by Matthew Lewis, Matthias Williams and Alexander Smith) Both Low Zheng Yi (left) and Caral Goh (right), who work at Sengkang Community Hospital, have been working and volunteering in the community care sector for more than four years. (PHOTO: SingHealth Community Hospitals) SINGAPORE After the death of her father from lung cancer nine years ago, Caral Goh knew she wanted to help those suffering as well. The 45-year-old said, "I saw him suffer (throughout the ordeal), and I'm sure he would be happy that I'm doing my part." Ms Goh's experience as a wellbeing coordinator at Sengkang Community Hospital since last year has given her the opportunity to help many patients after they have been discharged. She told Yahoo News Singapore, "I help link patients in the community with the right activities that will help them after they have recovered, similar (to developing) an aftercare plan. It's just gratifying and fulfilling to support them." Uncle Raymond performed his choreography with eight staff members at Sengkang Community Hospital on Friday (3rd February). PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore New dance to promote appreciation for community care staff The Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) had wanted to honour these community-care workers with its first TikTok dance campaign, which was launched in January. The agency said on Friday (3 February) that it wants people to participate in the dance, in order to show appreciation for staff members who had selflessly and relentlessly cared for the seniors. The dance campaign, called #Dance2HeartOfCare, took three months to plan. It features a dance choreographed by popular TikTok performer Raymond Lin - better known as Uncle Raymond - who has over a million likes on the social media platform. Celebrities such as Taufik Batisah and Fauzi Azzhar, as well as influencers and seniors, have also featured in the campaign, with some clips garnering over 400,000 views. The dance features prominent choreography such as heart-shaped gestures and energetic hand waves, while the song was composed by Singaporean actor and musician Tosh Rock. Uncle Raymond performed his dance with eight staff members at Sengkang Community Hospital (SCH) on Friday, attracting the attention of about 30 patients, who were watching on excitedly. Speaking to Yahoo New Singapore, Mr Lin said in Mandarin, "We want to thank the community care workers, but we also want it to be an inclusive campaign, as some seniors lack mobility. That's why I kept the choreography simple." Story continues Encouraging young Singaporeans to join the sector The dance provides a sense of hope to the community care staff and patients, said Ms Goh, who performed the dance with Uncle Raymond. She added, "It is already depressing for some (patients), when their body is not well. So when we have something fun and energetic. It brings a good atmosphere to everyone." According to AIC's chief executive officer Tan Kwang Cheak, the campaign also aims to reach out to young Singaporeans interested in pursuing a career in the sector. SCH's senior occupational therapist Low Zheng Yi hopes that young people will not shy away to join the field. In her role, Ms Low assists patients who are recovering from an illness and require assistance with basic everyday activities, such as bathing and getting up from bed. Said the 34-year-old, who has worked in the sector for over a decade: "I have worked in this field since I graduated from Polytechnic. It's my first job, and seeing the difference and improvement in my patients still makes me so happy." Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube. A TikToker's controversial take about adult-only suburbs was viewed over 300,000 times. Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock A TikToker who said there should be an "adult-only suburb" has sparked debate. She said it should exist for "people like me that are evil and hate kids." Some comments agreed and said the concept should be rolled out to restaurants and hotels too. A woman has sparked controversy on TikTok by suggesting there should be a town that's only for adults where people didn't have to put up with noisy kids. On January 28, an Australian TikToker who goes by Baby Soja posted a video with the on-screen caption, "I would like to know when somebody is planning on opening an adult's only suburb." In the clip, which received over 316,000 views, a woman could be seen sitting in a car as she addressed the audience and said she was, "so sick of going places and kids are just everywhere screaming and I just have to put up with it." Later in the video, the TikToker explained she had just come back from a swimming pool where children were "jumping in and screaming." Soja said there should be a suburb "for people like me that are evil and hate kids" who can "just be quiet and undisturbed." The upload received over 32,500 likes, and over 3,400 comments as viewers shared a mixed reaction to the concept. Some comments, including from viewers who said they had kids themselves, were supportive of the idea. "As a parent of two small children, I completely understand what you're saying and respect that childfree people need space too," a comment with over 1,400 likes read. "I get this because I want more adult only spaces that aren't centered around alcohol or just for the night time," a comment with over 770 likes read. Others took it a step further and suggested there should also be kid-free restaurants, hotels, and cafes, while a comment that said, "I want a kids free Disney World day, is that too much to ask?" received over 400 likes. Story continues However, not everyone was on board with the concept. "Go live in Antartica," one user commented and received 148 likes. "You used to be a kid mate..ya know. So get over getting older," one comment read which received 487 likes. In a follow-up video posted on January 31, Soja could be seen posing beside this comment which was visible on the screen, alongside an on-screen caption announcing that she had been covered by an Australian news outlet for what she described as an "off the cuff joke video I made in the carpark of the gym." #melbourne #childfree #naarm original sound - Kardashian Clips @soybabie__ Replying to @Serephina LMaooo so many people pressed in the comments like soz that some people dont want to be around kids 24/7. Im not saying kids shouldnt be alllwed at the pool itd just be nice if there were more places that were JUST for adults to enjoy and that includes parents wanting a break from their kids too chillll #fyp In the TikTok caption she wrote "so many people" were "pressed" about her video, and clarified she wasn't saying kids shouldn't be allowed at the pool, but rather it would "be nice if there were more places that were JUST for adults" including spaces for "parents wanting a break from their kids too," she wrote. The creator did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. It's not the first time a similar suggestion has sparked debate on TikTok. In August 2022, another user filmed herself on a plane with a child crying in the background and said she would "pay SO much money" for an adult-only flight. The clip received over a million views and a mixed response while some sympathized, others said she should be more empathetic towards parents and suggested she use earplugs to block out the sound. Child-free locations do exist in Australia some daytime destinations have embraced the idea, including Drift House, a hotel based in Port Fairy, Victoria, that features a swimming pool and tells customers on their website their venue is "for adults only" and they should "leave the little Smiths at home." For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here. Read the original article on Insider ATLANTA, GA --News Direct-- Thunder Energies Corp. McapMediaWire -- THUNDER ENERGIES CORP. [OTC: TNRG] announces that it has executed an agreement this week with Dalmore Group, a broker-dealer, New York, NY, regarding the company's Reg A Offering. Terms and provisions of the agreement were not released. Dalmore will be assisting TNRG with the FINRA broker-dealer letter required as part of the Reg A offering process. As a broker-dealer, Dalmore is widely acknowledged to be a leading financial firm. They cite a client roster on their website that shows they are providing broker dealer services to hundreds of public company entities with Reg A Offerings. TNRG's proposed offering is 15 million common shares at $5 each, for a total of $75 million the maximum allowed under a Tier II SEC Reg A offering. The offering will be open, per SEC guidelines, for 12 months once it is qualified. Net proceeds to Thunder Energy are anticipated to be slightly more than $71 million if the offering is fully subscribed. Securities may be sold by the company, as issuer, or by licensed underwriters, or broker-dealers, such as Dalmore. The filing of the Reg A Offering text is available at this link. Ric Haynes, TNRG President, stated the agreement is just one of many steps that TNRG is taking to execute on its new business plan. Haynes, and other members of the new leadership took control of TNRG in April of 2022. Since then, the company has executed agreements for $40 million in cryptocurrency assets; for development of a multimillion-dollar mineral property with substantial reserves in Nevada; and, entered into an agreement and marketing partnership with the WNBA team owned by Mark Davis, the Las Vegas Aces. Additionally, it has: Brought TNRG into full compliance on SEC required financial reporting, with all filings audited by its independent public accountants. Announced the planned uplisting of the stock from pink sheets to OTCQB. Filed a Reg A Offering for $75 million, as stated above. Anticipates a major debt issuance that its Ohio-based bond counsel is preparing. Story continues "TNRG is now the proverbial rock rolling down a hillside," Haynes said, "and the public investor community will see that just like the rock our momentum is increasing. This announcement does not supersede or otherwise alter or modify the Reg A filing. The company intends for proceeds to be used for general corporate purposes. Please refer to the filing and issuing prospectus for complete information. For more information about Thunder Energies, its SEC filings, and business activities, please visit: www.thunderenergiescorp.com Contents of this press release are provided for general information purposes only and do not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security of Thunder Energies Corporation ("TNRG") or its affiliates ("Security") in any jurisdiction. TNRG does not intend to solicit and IS not soliciting, any action with respect to any Security or any other contractual relationship with TNRG. Nothing in this press release or the Contents thereof, individually or taken in the aggregate, constitutes an offer of securities for sale or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security in the United States, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore or Japan or to US persons, or in any other jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is unlawful. Safe Harbor Act: This release includes forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involves risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the impact of competitive products, the ability to meet customer demand, the ability to manage growth, acquisitions of technology, equipment, or human resources, the effect of economic business conditions, and the ability to attract and retain skilled personnel. The Company is not obligated to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release. Investor Relations Rick Freeman CMO MAJORMEDIA INC E: majormediasales@comcast.net P: 570.468.2205 Donald R. Keer, P.E., Esq. Corporate Counsel Thunder Energies Corp. 3663 Greenwood Circle Chalfont, PA 18914 215-962-9378 Contact Details Rick Freeman +1 570-468-2205 majormediasales@comcast.net Company Website https://www.thunderenergiescorp.com/ View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/tnrg-signs-reg-a-offering-agreement-997651424 Todd and Julie Chrisley in an episode of "Chrisley Knows Best." USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Todd and Julie Chrisley are keeping busy in prison, according to daughter Savannah Chrisley. Savannah said her dad is working in the prison chapel and spreading the word of God. Her mom, meanwhile, is playing cards and making friends with other inmates. Todd and Julie Chrisley are making the most of their prison sentences thus far, according to daughter Savannah Chrisley, who recounted her parents' newfound penitentiary pastimes in a Tuesday podcast episode. "It makes my heart happy to know that my parents are okay," Savannah Chrisley said on her "Unlocked" podcast released this week. Todd and Julie Chrisley began their combined 19-year fraud sentences in mid-January after a judge sentenced them to 12 years and seven years respectively. The reality television stars best known for their USA Network show "Chrisley Knows Best" were convicted last year of defrauding banks out of more than $30 million by providing fake financial statements making them look wealthier than they were. Todd Chrisley is serving his sentence at the Federal Prison Camp in Pensacola, Florida, while Julie Chrisley is in custody at the Federal Medical Center Lexington in Kentucky. Savannah Chrisley said on her podcast, which was recorded approximately one week after her parents reported to prison, that she had the chance to see her parents over the weekend, which gave her a sense of hope and peace. Todd Chrisley has been working in the prison chapel and sharing the word of God with his fellow inmates ever since he arrived in Florida, according to his daughter. "I could never be more proud of my dad and the man that he is," Savannah Chrisley said. "I get to hear all these people's stories and how he's affecting their lives and encouraging change. Just all the people who are coming to know Jesus in that place is absolutely amazing." Todd Chrisley is permitted to communicate with the outside world via email and phone in his minimum security prison, a permission of which his daughter said the family has been taking advantage. Story continues "So dad, he's doing pretty good. There are days that are tough. We talk to him, we email him," she said. "So for that, I am forever grateful." Julie Chrisley, meanwhile, is doing "really well," according to her daughter, who acknowledged that it sounds "crazy" to describe her mother's prison sentence with such positivity. "She's made friends. She's keeping busy, she's going to church, she's working," Savannah Chrisley said. The Chrisley matriarch is also apparently helping pass the time with a good old-fashioned game of cards. "She's playing some Spades, and when I tell you, she is running a dog on everyone," Savannah Chrisley said. "Anyone that knows my family knows that Spades is our game. It's what we play." The Chrisley's 25-year-old daughter took legal custody of the couple's two minor children, Grayson, 16, and Chloe, 10. During the podcast she described how the Chrisley children have been handling their parents' difficult departure. She also said she's working with her parent's lawyers who plan to appeal their sentences later this month. Read the original article on Insider By Federica Mileo (Reuters) -Dutch navigation and digital mapping company TomTom said on Friday it expected revenue growth to continue in 2023, boosted by increased car production levels and new automotive contracts. After being hit by a global chip shortage that disrupted the automotive and electronics industries, TomTom is now starting to benefit from a recovery in global car production. "Pressures on supply chains are not gone away but they are reducing and there's better control", Chief Executive Harold Goddijn told Reuters, pointing to positive effects from increasing car volumes and a ramp-up in market share gains. At 1000 GMT, TomTom shares were up 8%. Increased car production volumes and a further ramp up of some contracts led Automotive to generate revenues of 77 million euros in the quarter, an increase of 64% year-on-year, Chief Finance Officer Taco Titulaer said in a statement. The group, whose customers include Volkswagen and Microsoft, expects revenue growth to continue over the current fiscal year, with a strong increase in automotive revenues offsetting declines in both its consumer and enterprise businesses. "The electrification drive will also have a positive effect on take rates, as so far all electric cars that are being produced have maps and range calculations and those specific functions that are mandatory for a good EV experience", Goddijn told Reuters. The Amsterdam-based firm forecast revenue for 2023 in a range of 540 million euros to 580 million euros ($588.33 million-$631.91 million), with free cash flow of between 0% and +5% of the revenue, thanks to the positive impact of a change in revenue recognition timing for new map subscriptions contracts. The group had previously guided for a revenue of 500-550 million euros and a free cash flow at breakeven. "Due to a strong backlog and the upgrade to FCF (free cash flow) guidance, we would expect a positive reaction", UBS said in a note, while ING pointed to better-than-expected automotive revenue. Story continues The company posted revenue of 139 million euros for the quarter ended Dec. 31, beating a company-compiled analysts' average forecast of 120 million euros. ($1 = 0.9179 euros) (Reporting by Federica Mileo in Gdansk; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman, Rashmi Aich and Christina Fincher) A top-level Ukraine-made Raybird-3 drone has been handed over to Ukrainian scouts in Bakhmut; the marines will receive another one. Source: Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation on Telegram Quote: "The Ukrainian military has been strengthened with top-of-the-line Raybird-3 (ACS-3) systems from Ukrainian company Skyeton. One was given to scouts at the Bakhmut fortress, the other to the marines." Details: Fedorov said that the Raybird-3 (ACS-3) is one of the best drones in the world in its class. The system consists of two unmanned aerial vehicles, a portable ground control station, an antenna system, a launcher, as well as a camera, photo camera, radar, etc. According to him, Raybird-3 is suitable for long-term reconnaissance, because it can fly day and night for up to 24 hours and in any weather conditions. In addition, it is resistant to the occupiers' electronic warfare. Fedorov added that 9 DJI Matrice M30T quadcopters were also handed over to Bakhmut. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! China's securities regulator sets capital market reform priorities for 2023 Xinhua) 08:14, February 03, 2023 BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has set its priorities for the reform and development of the country's capital market in 2023, according to a work conference on Thursday. No efforts should be spared in implementing across-the-board, registration-based initial public offerings reform, the CSRC said in a statement after the conference. It pledged to push forward the institutional reform of the capital market steadily and strengthen interconnectivity with overseas markets. Policies related to stocks, bonds, financing, and mergers and acquisitions will be more inclusive and suitable for tech firms, and more measures will be rolled out to serve key areas and weak links such as the private sector, small firms and real estate, it said. A new three-year action plan will be implemented to improve the quality of listed companies, and efforts will be made to pursue the high-quality development of equity funds and attract more medium-to-long-term funds to the market, according to the conference. The CSRC also vowed to enhance its monitoring work, crack down on irregularities, and be more forward-looking in forestalling risks in key areas such as private equities and bond defaults. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Du Mingming) Three people were found stabbed at a home located at 2620 Shady Grove Court in Unincorporated Crete. (John Smierciak / Daily Southtown) The Wisconsin man accused of stabbing and critically injuring his in-laws after allegedly breaking into their home in December in unincorporated Will County near Crete now faces charges of solicitation of murder for hire, the Will County sheriffs office announced Thursday. Michael Y. Liu, 36, of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, has been held without bond in the Will County jail since Dec. 2 on charges for attempted first degree murder, home invasion, aggravated discharge of a firearm, residential burglary, aggravated domestic battery, aggravated battery and trespassing. Advertisement The sheriffs office said it was notified Jan. 13 by jail staff that Liu talked to several inmates about hiring a hitman to kill the witnesses in his case and offered to pay $20,000. Detectives recorded Liu discussing the plot with other inmates, according to a news release, and one inmate convinced Liu that he had a friend who would carry out the killing for cash payment. Advertisement The inmate told Liu the hitman would require an upfront payment of $10,000 and then another $10,000 after the killings, according to the sheriffs news release. If convicted, Liu could serve between 20 to 40 years in prison. Under the solicitation of murder for hire charge, Liu is being held on a $1 million bond, according to the sheriffs office. Dan Walsh, Lius attorney, and the Will County sheriffs office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Liu is accused of stabbing his 68-year-old father-in-law and his 66-year-old mother-in-law Dec. 1 at their home near Crete. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Liu was scheduled to turn himself into custody at the Waukesha County Huber Detention Facility Dec. 4 for a domestic battery conviction from July and a violation of an order of protection complaint, according to the Will County sheriffs office, which responded to the call. Instead, Liu traveled from Wisconsin in an attempt to enact revenge on his soon-to-be ex-wifes parents, police said. The mother-in-law spent two days in the hospital, while the father-in-law was in the hospital for a week, prosecutors said. TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp will launch two higher-end luxury vehicles in Japan during the next financial year as it seeks to capture a larger share of the luxury car market, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Friday. The automaker will introduce a luxury sport-utility vehicle, the Toyota Century, in its home market sometime between August and the end of March 2024, Nikkei said, citing anonymous sources. A Toyota spokesperson said the company could not comment on its product plans. The second luxury model is a minivan version of its Lexus brand, the Lexus LM, Nikkei said, likely to go on sale in the second half of the next financial year, which runs from April through March 2024. Toyota is aiming for all sales of its luxury Lexus brand to be battery electric vehicles in Europe, North America and China by 2030 and all of the brand's sales globally starting in 2035, it said in December 2021. In March of that year, the company said it planned to introduce 20 new or improved Lexus models by 2025, of which more than 10 would be electric. (Reporting by Daniel Leussink;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle) MUNCIE, Ind. A trial for three Muncie residents charged in an interstate drug ring which had been scheduled to begin Monday has been postponed. Judge Sarah Evans Baker has reset the trial of Jamarr Hill, Terry Hill and Lance McGee to be held in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis for June 27. The Muncie men were indicted by a federal grand jury on Dec. 6. They are each charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine, a count that carries a sentence of between 10 years and life in prison. Jamarr Hill, 28, "coordinated the acquisition of controlled substances in San Diego, California," by Sarah Barnes a local resident who was indicted separately, on Nov. 15 to be "redistributed in Muncie, Indiana," according to the Dec. 6 indictment. More:Muncie residents indicted on federal charges in interstate drug conspiracy Hill then allegedly supplied meth and cocaine to his 47-year-old father, Terry Hill, and the 30-year-old McGee for "for redistribution in and around Muncie," the indictment said. Barnes last year traveled to San Diego repeatedly between May and late October to pick up large quantities of drugs, authorities said, According to the indictments, Barnes was found to have possession of 114 pounds of meth and a kilogram (more than two pounds) of fentanyl on Oct. 30 in El Reno, Oklahoma, about 40 miles west of Oklahoma City. The drugs were reportedly concealed in floor panels in the Muncie woman's Ford Explorer. Barnes' trial is set for May 23. Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Trial for Muncie men charged in interstate drug case reset for June "The ads Id seen on instagram and Facebook made ketamine therapy look harmless, with images of smiling people living their happiest lives thanks to this life-changing drug," the author writes. Note: This essay details one individuals experience with a controlled substance. Medical decisions should never be made without contacting a professional. It feels like the marketing campaigns for ketamine, the dissociative drug that was legalized in the U.S. in recent years to treat depression, are everywhere these days. They also seem to be especially targeted at women my female friends tell me Im not the only one whose social feeds are plastered with ads promising me a better life through ingestion of what was once a 90s rave scene favorite, and emphasizing the fact that it may help with menstrual issues like PMS and PMDD. So I was intrigued when one of the many companies that offer at-home ketamine therapy approached me with an offer to try it for free, along with links to numerous studies detailing its potential long-term benefits, including getting over past trauma, as well as an overall more positive and improved outlook on life. I have never been diagnosed by a clinician for anxiety or depression, but honestly, who hasnt found the last couple years to be anxiety-inducing? Plus, the ads Id seen on Instagram and Facebook made ketamine therapy look harmless, with images of smiling people living their happiest lives thanks to this life-changing drug. The ads sometimes referenced anxiety or depression, but many positioned ketamine as simply a general gateway to enhanced mental wellness and relaxation, akin to a shot of wheatgrass or a sound bath. Even though it became legal in the United States in 2019 for mental health practitioners to provide ketamine to patients suffering from depression often through in-office infusion its still a regulated substance. But its grown progressively more common since then, and when the pandemic inspired a change of the laws regarding telehealth in 2020, numerous companies sprung up to offer ketamine therapy that could be conducted at home after being prescribed via a telehealth consultation. Story continues Despite being called at-home ketamine therapy, the company I used didnt offer any therapy by a professional to coincide with taking the drug I was going to be on my own for the entire affair (though it was strongly recommended that I had a friend present). Some companies have practitioners who guide you through the trip virtually. To qualify for the treatment, I answered a short questionnaire online about my health history and had a telehealth appointment. The physician assistant I spoke with declared me a great candidate after just a few minutes into the session. None of the information from the health questionnaire Id filled out was reviewed during the appointment. I was a little taken aback to be cleared so quickly, but I was excited to be given the opportunity to try something so cutting edge. The ketamine was mailed to me in pill form several days later. Since Id never tried the therapy before, I chose to err on the side of caution and took only half a dose. It was so bitter that I almost vomited while waiting for it to dissolve in my mouth and I eventually chose to swallow the remaining bit. The ketamine kicked in approximately 10 minutes later. Id been told that the drug might make me feel separated from myself, and that memories from my past might arise. Other than that, I honestly wasnt sure what to expect. For the duration of the trip, I felt quite relaxed. It was like my mind was swimming through a peaceful sea, and I had a sense that everything in the world was going to be OK. The physical sensations were fairly mild, but pleasant. I chatted contentedly with the friend Id asked to join me. After about 45 minutes, the relaxed feelings wore off. Though Id read that people tend to be sleepy after taking ketamine, by the time my friend left, I felt energetic and on high alert. I spent the rest of the evening worrying nonstop. My brain hunted endlessly for things to stress about. My heart pounded fast in my chest, and I felt so deep in my own anxiety that I couldnt even bring myself to tell my then-partner what was going on. I slept for just a few hours that night. The next morning, I was shocked to find myself with boundless energy after so little and such poor sleep. I did an hour-long home workout. My partner and I went to get brunch, which I found myself unable to eat much of, and then we took a long walk. As soon as I slowed down, I was again overwhelmed with anxiety, so I stayed as active as I could that day. That night it was also difficult to sleep, and the next day I experienced more of the same manic energy. Three days after my trip, I realized that I had felt this way before, many years ago, when my thyroid disease was first diagnosed and treated. I have hypothyroidism, and I take a daily dose of a T3 hormone thats equivalent to 75% of the amount my own thyroid should naturally make. My condition has been well-managed for a dozen years, but in the early days of discerning the correct treatment, I suffered briefly from hyperthyroid symptoms when a dose was too high. Everything I was feeling post-ketamine, from insomnia to tachycardia to anxiety, were textbook hyperthyroidism symptoms. So I looked up whether its safe for people with thyroid disorders to take ketamine. I discovered that ketamine is whats called a sympathomimetic drug, which means it stimulates your nervous system. This can be amplified in people with thyroid disorders, and because of this effect, The American College of Emergency Physicians considers the use of ketamine in patients with a thyroid disorder or receiving a thyroid medication a relative contraindication. Though the company claimed to be sorry for my experience, it did not take any responsibility for what happened. A representative claimed the risk was worth the reward. They never noted that I not the company should have been the one to decide that. Makers of thyroid medication Armour Thyroid, which contains the hormones levothyroxine and liothyronine, say that ketamine should be administered to thyroid patients cautiously because concomitant use can cause marked hypertension and tachycardia. I read that combining ketamine with thyroid medication can, at least in some patients, lead to exactly the symptoms Id been having. Alarming reactions to ketamine by people on thyroid medication have been well-documented. After realizing what had happened, I contacted the company and expressed concern that I had disclosed that I had a thyroid disease on an intake form but that it was never mentioned or referenced in my telehealth consult. At the very least, I felt they should have brought up the contraindication and let me make my own fully-informed decision about taking the drug. I would have declined. Though the company claimed to be sorry for my experience, it did not take any responsibility for what happened. A representative claimed the risk was worth the reward. They never noted that I not the company should have been the one to decide that. They offered me a refund, but since I hadnt paid for treatment, that was a moot point. Our email exchange ended with me feeling frustrated and believing that they hadnt done their necessary due diligence to keep me safe. It took about a week after taking the drug for my anxiety to dissipate, and I was left both physically and emotionally exhausted. It was weeks before I felt like my normal self again. Because I only see my thyroid doctor annually and felt Id managed the situation acceptably alone, I didnt reach out to her about this, and thankfully, I havent had any further issues. Can I be certain that the interaction between the ketamine and my thyroid medicine was to blame for what I experienced? No. But after the extensive research Ive done, I believe it was. Could someone else with the same condition and medication take Ketamine and have a different experience? Of course. No two people are going to respond to any drug or multiple drugs in the same way. Could the physician assistant have been new or made an error in not asking about my medical history or noting that I had disclosed my thyroid condition? Yes. Could this simply have been an unfortunate but decidedly rare mistake made by this specific company? Of course. The issue for me is that these things did happen, and Im willing to bet they have or will happen to others as well. While I know that ketamine can be a transformative drug for many people and I wholeheartedly believe that we should be researching how other psychedelics can help better peoples mental health and offer them in cases where they will be beneficial I worry that this controlled substance is being given to too many people without enough safeguards in place. The barrage of glossy targeted marketing that presents ketamine as the latest wellness trend, on platforms that usually serve us ads for cute jewelry, is providing the impression that its a tool anyone can use to achieve vague self-improvement, rather than a powerful dissociative drug intended to help people struggling with diagnosed mental health disorders. Ketamine therapy isnt like trying a new yoga mat or a CBD-infused soda, and it shouldnt be taken lightly. Companies need to make sure that their priority is the health and safety of their patients, not their profits. I also believe we need to take a step back and reevaluate wellness culture in general. The truth is, most of the time a better life is not just a click or a pill away. In recent years, weve been told that were unhappy or our lives arent as good as they could be because we havent bought the right supplement or listened to the right meditative podcast or tried the right hack. As a nutritionist who has performed consults for many individuals over the years, I cant even count the number of clients who blamed their health issues on trendy health fads. They tried everything from colonics to juice fasts to achieve an aspirational level of wellness, and ended up suffering consequences from disturbing their bodys natural systems. While I appreciate that there are now more ways to approach our lives and trying to live our best lives sometimes the work we need to do cant be done via an online purchase or watching a reel. Is ketamine therapy right for you? Only you can decide that. But if youre considering it, I urge you to do your research, ensure the company you pick has done its research, and consult your own medical professional before you do it. Ketamine appears to be an incredible substance that can offer incredible benefits it has been and could be life-saving for some people but it can also become addictive, be abused, and bring unforeseen dangers. Its not a game, a toy, or merely a way to pass a Saturday afternoon. We should give it the respect and care it deserves, and stop treating it like just another harmless fad in our Instagram feed. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this essay misidentified Armour Thyroid and the hormones related to it. The piece has been updated to note that it contains both levothyroxine and liothyronine. Ariane Resnick, CNC is a special diet chef and bestselling author of five books. She has written articles about lifestyle, food, nutrition, identity and wellness for various platforms including Food & Wine and Health, and has been featured in media such as The Doctors on CBS and Forbes. View the full scope of her work at ArianeResnick.com. Do you have a compelling personal story youd like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what were looking for here and send us a pitch. Related... MADISON, Wis. (AP) A newly released audio recording offers a behind-the-scenes look at how former President Donald Trumps campaign team in a pivotal battleground state knew they had been outflanked by Democrats in the 2020 presidential election. But even as they acknowledged defeat, they pivoted to allegations of widespread fraud that were ultimately debunked repeatedly by elections officials and the courts. The audio from Nov. 5, 2020, two days after the election, is surfacing as Trump again seeks the White House while continuing to lie about the legitimacy of the outcome and Democrat Joe Biden's win. The Wisconsin political operatives in the strategy session even praised Democratic turnout efforts in the state's largest counties and appeared to joke about their efforts to engage Black voters, according to the recording obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. The audio centers on Andrew Iverson, who was the head of Trump's campaign in the state. Heres the drill: Comms is going to continue to fan the flame and get the word out about Democrats trying to steal this election. Well do whatever they need (inaudible) help with. Just be on standby in case theres any stunts we need to pull, Iverson said. Iverson is now the Midwest regional director for the Republican National Committee. He deferred questions about the meeting to the RNC, whose spokesperson, Keith Schipper, declined comment because he had not heard the recording. The former campaign official and Republican operative who provided a copy of the recording to the AP was in the meeting and recorded it. The operative is not authorized to speak publicly about what was discussed and did not want to be identified out of concern for personal and professional retaliation, but said they came forward because Trump is mounting a third attempt for the White House. In response to questions about the audio, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said: The 2024 campaign is focused on competing in every state and winning in a dominating fashion. That is why President Trump is leading by wide margins in poll after poll. Story continues Wisconsin was a big part of Trump's victory in 2016, when he smashed through the Democrats' so-called Blue Wall in the upper Midwest, and his campaign fought hard to keep the swing state in his column four years later before his loss to Biden. Biden defeated Trump by nearly 21,000 votes in Wisconsin in 2020, a result that has withstood independent and partisan audits and reviews, as well as lawsuits and recounts in the state's two largest and Democratic-leaning counties. Yet, two days after the election, there was no discussion of Trump having won the state during the meeting of Republican campaign operatives. Instead, parts of the meeting focus on discussions about packing up campaign offices and writing final reports about how the campaign unfolded. At one point on the recording, Iverson is heard praising the GOP's efforts while admitting the margin of Trump's defeat in the state. At the end of the day, this operation received more votes than any other Republican in Wisconsin history, Iverson said. Say what you want, our operation turned out Republican or DJT supporters. Democrats just got 20,000 more than us, out of Dane County and other shenanigans in Milwaukee, Green Bay and Dane. Theres a lot that people can learn from this campaign. The meeting showcases another juxtaposition of what Republican officials knew about the election results and what Trump and his closest allies were saying publicly as they pushed the lie of a stolen election. Trump was told by his own attorney general there was no sign of widespread fraud, and many within his own administration told the former president there was no substance to various claims of fraud or manipulation advice Trump repeatedly ignored. In the weeks after the election, Trump and his allies would file dozens of lawsuits, convene fake electors and pressure election officials in an attempt to overturn the will of the voters and keep Trump in office. Its unclear whether the staff in Wisconsin coordinated their message directly with campaign officials in Washington. Parts of the Nov. 5 meeting also center on Republican outreach efforts to the state's Black community. At one point, the operatives laugh over needing more Black voices for Trump. Iverson also references their efforts to engage with Black voters. We ever talk to Black people before? I dont think so, he said, eliciting laughter from others in the room. Another speaker on the recording with Iverson is identified by the source as GOP operative Clayton Henson. At the time, Henson was a regional director for the RNC in charge of Wisconsin and other Midwestern states. They give a postmortem of sorts on the election, praising Republican turnout and campaign efforts while acknowledging the Democrats' robust turn-out-the-vote campaign. Henson specifically references Democratic turnout in Dane County, which includes Madison, the state capital, and is a liberal stronghold in the state. A record-high 80% of the voting-age population cast ballots in 2020 in the county, which Biden won with 76% of the vote. Hats off to them for what they did in Dane County. You gotta respect that, Henson said. There's going to be another election in a couple years. So remember the lessons you learned and be ready to punch back. Henson, reached by phone Thursday, said, No thank you when asked to comment about the meeting. ___ This story has been corrected to show Iverson said drill, not deal. Donald Trump has claimed Ron DeSantis wept tears and begged for his endorsement in the 2018 Florida governors race, in what marks the former presidents latest attack on a potential 2024 GOP rival. Speaking on podcast The Hugh Hewitt Show on Thursday, Mr Trump sought to take credit for Mr DeSantis 2018 gubernatorial win, saying his chances were dead until he pledged his support. He was dead, he was leaving the race. He came over and he begged me, begged me, for an endorsement. He was getting ready to drop out, he said. There were tears coming down from his eyes. He said: If you endorse me, Ill win. So I end up doing it, and he wins. The former president, who announced his bid in November, also ramped up his attacks on other potential Republican rivals, calling Nikki Haleyoverly ambitious. While Mr DeSantis is yet to announce a 2024 presidential bid to take on Mr Trump, former South Carolina governor Ms Haley is expected to formally launch her run on 15 February. This would make her the first Republican to publicly confirm she is challenging Mr Trump. Key Points Trump pleaded the fifth more than 400 times in fraud case deposition Donald Trump sues Bob Woodward and book publisher over interview tapes Manhattan DA opens grand jury probe into Stormy Daniels payment Ron DeSantis hits back at Trumps recent attacks This Republican single mom wants the GOP to stop being a**holes to women. What will she do about it? Trump claims DeSantis cried and begged him for 2018 endorsement 09:54 , Rachel Sharp Donald Trump has now claimed Ron DeSantis wept tears and begged for his endorsement in the 2018 Florida governors race, in what marks the former presidents latest attack on a potential 2024 GOP rival. Speaking on podcast The Hugh Hewitt Show on Thursday, Mr Trump sought to take credit for Mr DeSantis 2018 gubernatorial win, saying his chances were dead until he pledged his support. He was dead, he was leaving the race. He came over and he begged me, begged me, for an endorsement. He was getting ready to drop out, he said. Story continues There were tears coming down from his eyes. He said: If you endorse me, Ill win. So I end up doing it, and he wins. Mr DeSantis is yet to announce a 2024 presidential bid to take on Mr Trump. After years of attacks on mail-in ballots, Trump calls them the best idea Ive heard in a long time' 16:00 , Alex Woodward After years of baseless attacks against mail-in voting, fuelled by bogus claims that they are the source of widespread election fraud, Donald Trump has endorsed an idea from far-right activist Jack Posobeic to put mail-in ballot drop boxes in churches. In a late-night, all-caps post on his Truth Social account, the former president called the idea the best idea Ive heard in a long time. Put them all over the place. RNC, every Republican, get to work on this now, he demanded. Even before a single ballot was cast in the 2020 election, Trump suggested that mail-in ballots also known as absentee ballots, which he has repeatedly used to vote in elections would rig the outcome. Mail-in drop boxes have been the subject of multiple lawsuits, Republican-led legislation and rampant conspiracy theories and threats; in 2022, a federal judge blocked a far-right activist group and its supporters from taking photos and video of people casting ballots, openly carrying firearms near ballot boxes and spreading baseless claims about election laws in Arizona. Kevin McCarthy has catered to conservatives and owned the libs. Now comes the hard part' 15:30 , Alex Woodward The Independents Eric Garcia writes removing Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee is the last thing that newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy needed to give conservatives. Now comes the hard part: Kevin McCarthy has owned the libs. Now comes the hard part Just in: Trump leads calls for Pentagon to shoot down the Chinese air balloon over Montana 14:47 , Alex Woodward Donald Trump has called on the Pentagon to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon that Beijing say veered off course over the United States. In a four word, all caps post on Truth Social on Friday morning, the former president wrote: Shoot down the balloon. A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday that the ballon was an unmanned, meteorological research ship that had blown over the United States by accident. Republican officials and other right-wing figures have demanded that the US shoot down the balloon. Follow our live coverage of the incident Trump leads calls for Pentagon to shoot down the Chinese air balloon over Montana Kevin McCarthy breaks from far-right response to police shooting of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt 14:45 , Alex Woodward House Speaker Kevin McCarthy appeared to dismiss claims from Republican US Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene and other far-right officials that Ashli Babbitt was murdered by a US Capitol Police officer after she tried to climb into the House chambers through a broken window during a riot in the halls of Congress on 6 January, 2021. Asked on 2 February whether he agreed with Ms Greene or believed that the officer did his job that day, Mr McCarthy said: I think the police officer did his job. The death of Babbitt has been the subject of rampant, baseless conspiracy theories among Republican officials and far-right figures. Six months after the Capitol riots, fuelled by the former presidents election lies, Mr Trump said that had Babbitt been on the other side, the person who did the shooting would be strung up and hung. Kevin McCarthy breaks from far-right response to shooting of Ashli Babbitt Jailed Trump Organization CFO may face more charges 14:00 , Rachel Sharp Allen Weisselberg, the jailed former CFO of the Trump Organization, is now potentially facing more fraud charges. Weisselberg, 75, is currently behind bars in New Yorks notorious Rikers Island after being sentenced to five months in prison in early January for tax fraud. Now, Manhattan prosecutors are using the threat of new criminal charges to pressure him into cooperating with the ongoing criminal investigation into Donald Trump and his business, according to The New York Times. Sources told the paper that the additional charges would involve insurance fraud. Trump attacks Nikki Haley as overly ambitious ahead of her 2024 announcement 13:30 , Rachel Sharp Donald Trump has branded Nikki Haleyoverly ambitious after it emerged that she plans to take on the former president in the 2024 race. Speaking on podcast The Hugh Hewitt Show on Thursday, Mr Trump claimed he had recently spoken to Ms Haley the former US ambassador to the UN about her plans. She said, Ill never run against my president. Hes a great president. Hes been our greatest president. Ill never run. Ill never run, he said. But Nikki suffers from something thats a very tough thing to suffer from. Shes overly ambitious. The former South Carolina governor is expected to formally launch her run on 15 February. This would make her the first Republican to publicly confirm she is challenging Mr Trump. Trump starts 3rd White House bid lagging in campaign cash 13:00 , Josh Marcus Former President Donald Trumps political operation started the year with about $25 million socked away for his recently launched 2024 presidential campaign, a sum that is substantially less than what he had on hand just one year ago, new campaign finance reports show. The diminished sum, which is spread out across four campaign committees, is far less than the $105 million that Trump reported at the start of 2022. It speaks to the potential challenges for Trump as he mounts his third bid for the presidency facing what is likely to be a crowded field of GOP candidates who will also be vying for campaign cash from the partys donors. Michael Price reports. Trump starts 3rd White House bid lagging in campaign cash ICYMI: Did Trump ally Bolsonaro plot Brazils January 6? 12:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar A Brazilian magazine on Thursday released audio of a senator claiming then-President Jair Bolsonaro sought help in a plot to annul the October elections and keep himself in power. In the recording, Sen. Marcos do Val tells the magazine Veja that the idea was discussed when he met with Bolsonaro and lawmaker Daniel Silveira on Dec. 9 at the presidential residence, three weeks before leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was set to take office. Do Val, who was an ally during Bolsonaros four-year term, said the far-right leader gave him the mission of recording Alexandre de Moraes, a Supreme Court justice who also heads Brazils electoral authority, while trying to get the judge to admit he overstepped his powers under the constitution. I annul the election, Lula isnt sworn in, I stay in the presidency and arrest Alexandre de Moraes because of his comments, do Val quotes Bolsonaro as saying. Elonore Hughes reports. Ally claims Bolsonaro plotted coup to block Lula presidency ICYMI: Trumps Scottish golf course is bleeding money 12:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar The company which owns former US president Donald Trumps Ayrshire golf course posted a more than 15 million loss in 2021, its accounts show. Golf Recreation Scotland owns Trump Turnberry in South Ayrshire, which was purchased by the controversial property tycoon who is currently eyeing a second term in the White House. According to accounts lodged with Companies House and published on Wednesday, the group made a loss of 14.7 million in 2021, despite an operating profit of just over 1 million, as a result of depreciation, foreign currency exchange and exceptional items. Accounts for the Trump familys Aberdeenshire course, meanwhile, show a 696,000 loss in 2021 an improvement on its 1.3 million deficit the previous year. Craig Paton reports. Donald Trumps Scottish golf courses post losses of 15m Hunter Biden pushes back against Trumps laptop from hell allies 11:30 , Josh Marcus Hunter Biden has asked state and federal officials to launch investigations into leading conservative figures who helped spread claims based on private information discovered on a laptop he allegedly dropped off at a Delaware repair shop. In a series of letters to the Justice Department, the Delaware attorney generals office, the IRS, and others, the presidents son called for probes of individuals like former New York mayor and Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, as well as conservative agitator Steve Bannon, for their role in spreading the laptop story, which was seized upon by political opponents of the president.Ted Goodman, an advisor for Mr Giuliani, said the laptop became abandoned property when Mr Biden reportedly left it at the repair shop. Raising concerns now, after so many years, indicates just how devastating the texts and videos from Hunters laptop truly are, he wrote in a statement via email to The Independent. The laptop reveals 30-years of corruption by the Biden crime family, headed by the bossJoe Biden.More details in our full story. Hunter Biden takes fight to Trump allies over laptop from hell claims ICYMI: GOP congressman compares TV provider dropping Newsmax to Holocaust 11:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar When Republican members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday took to the floor of their chamber for an hour-long airing of grievances in support of a GOP-friendly cable news channel, one of them decided it would be appropriate to compare the satellite television carriage dispute to the murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust. Eric Burlison, a freshman representative who was sworn in as the House member for Missouris 7th District less than a month ago, first compared DirecTVs decision to cease carrying the right-wing Newsmax channel to an aborted Department of Homeland Security effort to combat disinformation, and suggested the satellite television provider was abusing special privileges the government has granted it. Read the story here: GOP congressman compares TV provider dropping Newsmax to Holocaust Trump says he will target medical staff offering care to trans children if re-elected 10:30 , Rachel Sharp Former president Donald Trump has vowed to go after medical staff providing care to trans children if he is re-elected to office. In a video released on his social media platform Truth Social on Tuesday, Mr Trump said: On day one I will revoke Joe Bidens cruel policies offering so-called gender affirming care. Ridiculous. A process that includes giving kids puberty blockers, mutating their physical appearance and ultimately performing surgery on minor children. Can you believe this? Explaining how he would use federal powers to target trans rights, he said: I will sign a new executive order instructing every federal agency to cease all programmes that promote the concept of sex and gender transition at any age. Sravasti Dasgupta reports. Trump says he will target medical staff offering care to trans children if re-elected ICYMI: New York attorney general seeks sanctions after Trump caught lying in court documents 09:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar New York Attorney General Letitia James has asked the judge overseeing her $250m fraud lawsuit against Donald Trump, his three eldest children, and their eponymous real estate company to sanction the Trumps and their attorneys for demonstrably false statements made in a verified response to her complaint. Ms James office cited denials of basic facts and statements that contradicted what the Trumps had said in other court filings and appearances in a letter to New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron seeking sanctions against the defendants and their attorney, Alina Habba. Defendants falsely deny facts they have admitted in other proceedings, they deny knowledge sufficient to respond to factual allegations that are plainly within their knowledge, and they propound affirmative defenses that have been repeatedly rejected by this Court as frivolous and without merit, she said. Andrew Feinberg reports: New York attorney general seeks sanctions after Trump caught lying in court documents Is Donald Trump encouraging supporters for another violent attack? 09:00 , Josh Marcus Donald Trump has come under fire for amplifying a call to his supporters to get locked and loaded and physically fight for the Republican partys front-runner for the 2024 presidential elections. Mr Trump, who is actively using his own social media platform Truth Social after he was barred from Twitter, reposted a message by a supporter who seemed to suggest violence. Then they will have to figure out how to fight 80,000,000 + its not going to happen again. People my age and old will physically fight for him this time, a Truth Social post from username @freeTX1776 read. What we got to lose? Ill donate the rest of my time here on this planet to do it. And I know many many others who feel the same. They got my 6 and we Are Locked and LOADED. Shweta Sharma reports. Trump denounced for amplifying call to supporters to get locked and loaded ICYMI: Looking back at wildest moments from Trump and others during State of the Union speech 08:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar The State of the Union is one of the most choreographed events in American politics. We all know the drill: The president walks down the House chamber, shakes a lot of hands, takes his place in front of the vice president and the speaker of the House, and delivers a carefully prepared speech. Overall, its a pretty staid affair. But some moments have stood out. Every once in a long while (or more often in the Trump years), something happens that is so bizarre, unscripted, or just uncomfortable, that it manages to break through the tedium and become memorable. Below, starting with the most recent, are some of those moments. Nathan Place and Gustaf Kilander report. The seven most bizarre SOTU moments over the years ICYMI: Pelosi backs Trump impeachment leader Schiff in Senate race 07:59 , Josh Marcus Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed fellow Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff on Thursday in his 2024 bid for the seat now held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, providing the long-serving incumbent doesnt seek a seventh term. The public blessing of Schiffs candidacy, though conditional, was significant. Feinstein has said she will make a decision about her future in the next couple of months. But Pelosis announcement represented the strongest signal to date that its unlikely Feinstein at 89 the oldest member of Congress will run again. The endorsement gives the Southern California congressman the support of one of the most powerful Democrats in the country in what is expected to be a highly competitive race, and signals to Pelosis vast donor network that he is her choice for the job. Neighbors in San Francisco, Pelosi and Feinstein are personally close and have worked together for decades in Washington, suggesting her decision to back Schiff early in the campaign also carried with it a tacit nod from the senator. Michael R Blood reports. Pelosi backs Trump impeachment leader Schiff in Senate race Trump complains about ex-allies entering 2024 race: I helped those people 07:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar Former president Donald Trump on Thursday lashed out at the cast of erstwhile allies and former administration officials who are looking to throw their hats into the ring for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Mr Trump, who is the only declared GOP candidate for president thus far, called out his former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, his ex-UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, and Florida governor Ron DeSantis during an interview on radio host Hugh Hewitts eponymous programme. Asked if people who hed helped to reach their former positions should now run against him, Mr Trump replied: Yeah, I would say that. You know, Ive helped all those people, he said. Andrew Feinberg reports: Trump complains about ex-allies entering 2024 race: I helped those people Did Trump ally Bolsonaro plot Brazils January 6? 07:00 , Josh Marcus A Brazilian magazine on Thursday released audio of a senator claiming then President Jair Bolsonaro sought help in a plot to annul the October elections and keep himself in power. In the recording, Sen. Marcos do Val tells the magazine Veja that the idea was discussed when he met with Bolsonaro and lawmaker Daniel Silveira on Dec. 9 at the presidential residence, three weeks before leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was set to take office. Do Val, who was an ally during Bolsonaros four-year term, said the far-right leader gave him the mission of recording Alexandre de Moraes, a Supreme Court justice who also heads Brazils electoral authority, while trying to get the judge to admit he overstepped his powers under the constitution. I annul the election, Lula isnt sworn in, I stay in the presidency and arrest Alexandre de Moraes because of his comments, do Val quotes Bolsonaro as saying. Elonore Hughes reports. Ally claims Bolsonaro plotted coup to block Lula presidency Trump bizarrely suggests halting military aid to Ukraine will end bloody conflict 06:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar Former president Donald Trump on Thursday suggested ending military aid to Ukraine would bring an end to the year-old war by encouraging negotiations that could be led by the United States. Mr Trump made the bizarre claim during an interview with right-wing talk show host Hugh Hewitt for his eponymous radio programme when Mr Hewitt asked if the US should be sending Ukraines defence forces F-16 multirole fighters. President Joe Biden has said the US would not be sending Kyiv the fighter jets. But rather than address the question he was asked, Mr Trump told Mr Hewitt the US should negotiate peace between Ukraine and the country that launched an unprovoked invasion on it last February. Andrew Feinberg reports: Trump bizarrely suggests halting military aid to Ukraine will end bloody conflict Looking back at wildest moments from Trump and others during State of the Union speech 06:00 , Josh Marcus The State of the Union is one of the most choreographed events in American politics. We all know the drill: The president walks down the House chamber, shakes a lot of hands, takes his place in front of the vice president and the speaker of the House, and delivers a carefully prepared speech. Overall, its a pretty staid affair. But some moments have stood out. Every once in a long while (or more often in the Trump years), something happens that is so bizarre, unscripted, or just uncomfortable, that it manages to break through the tedium and become memorable. Below, starting with the most recent, are some of those moments. Nathan Place and Gustaf Kilander report. The seven most bizarre SOTU moments over the years Kevin McCarthy breaks from far-right response to police shooting of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt 05:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar House Speaker Kevin McCarthy appeared to dismiss claims from Republican US Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene and other far-right officials that Ashli Babbitt was murdered by a US Capitol Police officer after she tried to climb into the House chambers through a broken window during a riot in the halls of Congress on 6 January 2021. Asked on 2 February whether he agreed with Ms Greene or believed that the officer did his job that day, Mr McCarthy said: I think the police officer did his job. Read the full story by Alex Woodward here: Kevin McCarthy breaks from far-right response to shooting of Ashli Babbitt Trumps Scottish golf course is bleeding money 05:00 , Josh Marcus The company which owns former US president Donald Trumps Ayrshire golf course posted a more than 15 million loss in 2021, its accounts show. Golf Recreation Scotland owns Trump Turnberry in South Ayrshire, which was purchased by the controversial property tycoon who is currently eyeing a second term in the White House. According to accounts lodged with Companies House and published on Wednesday, the group made a loss of 14.7 million in 2021, despite an operating profit of just over 1 million, as a result of depreciation, foreign currency exchange and exceptional items. Accounts for the Trump familys Aberdeenshire course, meanwhile, show a 696,000 loss in 2021 an improvement on its 1.3 million deficit the previous year. Craig Paton reports. Donald Trumps Scottish golf courses post losses of 15m How the Iowa caucus debate will impact the 2024 race 04:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar The Democratic National Committee is meeting in Philadelphia and on the agenda is a plan to replace Iowa with South Carolina, a larger, more diverse state, where in 2020 Biden secured his first win. He would use it to turn around his fortunes and go to win the nomination. While Biden obviously supports the move, there appears to be broad support for the plan, which would see South Carolina go first, New Hampshire and Nevada one week later, and then primaries in Georgia and Michigan. The DNCs Southern Caucus publicly backed the plan this week. The past few elections have made it abundantly clear that the South is the new Democratic battleground, and by starting the presidential nominating process in South Carolina and incorporating Georgia into the early lineup, our party will only strengthen its commitment to these critical voters, it said. The road to the White House runs through the South. Andrew Buncombe writes about the impact for Independent Voices. The Iowa caucus was unforgettable but its outsized influence anything but democratic Trump bizarrely suggests halting military aid to Ukraine will end bloody conflict 04:00 , Josh Marcus Former president Donald Trump on Thursday suggested ending military aid to Ukraine would bring an end to the year-old war by encouraging negotiations that could be led by the United States. Mr Trump made the bizarre claim during an interview with right-wing talk show host Hugh Hewitt for his eponymous radio programme when Mr Hewitt asked if the US should be sending Ukraines defence forces F-16 multirole fighters. President Joe Biden has said the US would not be sending Kyiv the fighter jets. But rather than address the question he was asked, Mr Trump told Mr Hewitt the US should negotiate peace between Ukraine and the country that launched an unprovoked invasion on it last February. More details in Andrew Feinbergs full report. Trump bizarrely suggests halting military aid to Ukraine will end bloody conflict Trump says he will target medical staff offering care to trans children if re-elected 03:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar Former president Donald Trump has vowed to go after medical staff providing care to trans children if he is re-elected to office. In a video released on his social media platform Truth Social on Tuesday, Mr Trump said: On day one I will revoke Joe Bidens cruel policies offering so-called gender-affirming care. Ridiculous. A process that includes giving kids puberty blockers, mutating their physical appearance and ultimately performing surgery on minor children. Can you believe this? Explaining how he would use federal powers to target trans rights, he said: I will sign a new executive order instructing every federal agency to cease all programmes that promote the concept of sex and gender transition at any age. Sravasti Dasgupta reports: Trump says he will target medical staff offering care to trans children if re-elected Mike Pence pulled into classified documents hunt 03:00 , Josh Marcus Justice Department officials are in talks to arrange a search of former vice president Mike Pences Carmel, Indiana home after his representatives notified the National Archives of classified documents that were inadvertently transferred there when he left office in January 2021. According to The Wall Street Journal, Mr Pences legal team is working the department to schedule a search. Andrew Feinberg has the story. FBI to search Mike Pences home where classified documents were found, report says How the Iowa caucus debate will impact the 2024 race 02:00 , Josh Marcus The Democratic National Committee is meeting in Philadelphia and on the agenda is a plan to replace Iowa with South Carolina, a larger, more diverse state, and where in 2020 Biden secured his first win. He would use it to turn around his fortunes and go to win the nomination. While Biden obviously supports the move, there appears to be broad support for the plan, which would see South Carolina go first, New Hampshire and Nevada one week later, and then primaries in Georgia and Michigan. The DNCs Southern Caucus publicly backed the plan this week. The past few elections have made it abundantly clear that the South is the new Democratic battleground, and by starting the presidential nominating process in South Carolina and incorporating Georgia into the early lineup, our party will only strengthen its commitment to these critical voters, it said. The road to the White House runs through the South. Andrew Buncombe writes about the impact for Independent voices. The Iowa caucus was unforgettable but its outsized influence anything but democratic Bidens own documents scandal continues 01:11 , Josh Marcus Donald Trump isnt the only one with a classified documents scandal. President Joe Biden is a man who writes down his thoughts. And some of those handwritten musings over his decades of public service are now a part of a special counsels investigation into the handling of classified documents. It isnt clear yet what the investigators are looking for by taking custody of notes from his time as vice president and his decades in the Senate that were found in his Delaware homes in Rehoboth Beach and Wilmington. Bidens attorneys did not say whether the notes were considered to be classified, only that they were removed. But over his 36 years in the Senate and eight as vice president, Biden had a front-row seat to a lot of highly sensitive moments in U.S. history, including the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the 2011 death of Osama bin Laden and unfolding political turmoil in Ukraine. Zeke Miller, Colleen Long, and Nomaan Merchant report. Democrats say Republicans - including George Santos - wearing assault weapon pins isnt the flex you think it is Thursday 2 February 2023 23:27 , Graeme Massie AOC also had a confrontation with the chairman of the Natural Resources Committee about bringing firearms to the committee. Democrats say GOP reps wearing assault weapon pins isnt the flex you think it is Trump bizarrely suggests halting military aid to Ukraine will end bloody conflict Thursday 2 February 2023 21:37 , Graeme Massie I dont think they should be sending very much, they should be negotiating peace. Trump bizarrely suggests halting military aid to Ukraine will end bloody conflict Trump complains about ex-allies entering 2024 race: I helped those people Thursday 2 February 2023 21:02 , Graeme Massie Several ex-Trump administration officials are considering running against their former boss. Trump complains about ex-allies entering 2024 race: I helped those people Trump pans Nikki Haley in new interview Thursday 2 February 2023 20:28 , Graeme Massie Donald Trump turned his fire on potential 2024 rival Nikki Haley as he gave an interview on Hugh Hewitts radio show. Shes a very ambitious person. She just couldnt stay in a seat. I said, You know what, Nikki, if you want to run, you go ahead and run, he told Hewitt. Ms Haley is expected to announce she is running for the GOP presidential nomination against Mr Trump on 15 February in Charleston, a source told CNN. And the one-term president also took a swing at his former vice president Mike Pence, who has written an autobiography. I havent seen the book yet. I havent read it, though I heard he was generally nice. He took a little bit more credit than he should, but thats OK with me, Trump said, before adding: We did a great job. I got along very well with Mike. Trump refuses to say he will back 2024 GOP nominee Thursday 2 February 2023 19:49 , Graeme Massie Donald Trump refused to say that he would back the next GOP candidate for president if he himself does not secure the nomination. Mr Trump, who has announced he will run again in 2024, was asked about supporting a Republican rival who beats him when he appeared on Hugh Hewitts radio show on Thursday. It would depend, said Mr Trump, and he added, It would have to depend on who the nominee was. Former US President Donald Trump gestures as US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) addresses the crowd during a 2024 election campaign event in Columbia, South Carolina, on January 28, 2023 (AFP via Getty Images) Hunter Biden calls for legal action against Trump allies over laptop Thursday 2 February 2023 16:00 , Rachel Sharp Hunter Biden has asked state and federal officials to launch investigations into leading conservative figures who helped spread claims based on private information discovered on a laptop he allegedly dropped off at a Delaware repair shop. In a series of letters to the Justice Department, the Delaware attorney generals office, the IRS, and others, the presidents son called for probes of individuals like former New York mayor and Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, as well as conservative agitator Steve Bannon, for their role in spreading the laptop story, which was seized upon by political opponents of the president. Read the full story here: Hunter Biden takes fight to Trump allies over laptop from hell claims WATCH: Trump pleads the fifth in deposition video Thursday 2 February 2023 15:30 , Rachel Sharp On Tuesday, New York Attorney General Letitia James released a video showing Donald Trump pleading the fifth more than 400 times in a deposition in the civil fraud case against him. Mr Trump is being sued along with the Trump Organization and three of his adult children for allegedly inflating their finances in order to receive benefits. Watch the footage below: Trump denounced over call for supporters to get locked and loaded to fight for him: Sick Thursday 2 February 2023 15:00 , Rachel Sharp Donald Trump has come under fire for amplifying a call to his supporters to get locked and loaded and physically fight for the Republican partys front-runner for the 2024 presidential elections. Mr Trump, who is actively using his own social media platform Truth Social after he was barred from Twitter, reposted a message by a supporter who seemed to suggest violence. Then they will have to figure out how to fight 80,000,000 + its not going to happen again. People my age and old will physically fight for him this time, a Truth Social post from username @freeTX1776 read. Read the full story: Trump denounced for amplifying call to supporters to get locked and loaded Donald Trumps Scottish golf courses post losses of 15m Thursday 2 February 2023 14:30 , Rachel Sharp The company which owns former US president Donald Trumps Ayrshire golf course posted a more than 15 million loss in 2021, its accounts show. Golf Recreation Scotland owns Trump Turnberry in South Ayrshire, which was purchased by the controversial property tycoon who is currently eyeing a second term in the White House. According to accounts lodged with Companies House and published on Wednesday, the group made a loss of 14.7 million in 2021, despite an operating profit of just over 1 million, as a result of depreciation, foreign currency exchange and exceptional items. Read more here: Donald Trumps Scottish golf courses post losses of 15m Trump claims Biden is leading us to World War III' Thursday 2 February 2023 14:00 , Gustaf Kilander Mr Trump has claimed that President Joe Biden is leading the world towards a nuclear war and World War III. Joe Bidens weakness and incompetence has brought us to the brink of nuclear war and leading us to World War III, he wrote on truth Social on Wednesday. Its time for all parties involved to pursue a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine before it spirals out of control and into nuclear war. The Russia-Ukraine War Would Have Never Happened Under President Trump pic.twitter.com/KL04fP52fY Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) February 1, 2023 Nikki Haley prepares to announce 2024 bid Thursday 2 February 2023 13:30 , Rachel Sharp Nikki Haley is preparing to announce her own 2024 presidential bid taking on the former president in a race for the White House. The former South Carolina governor and former US ambassador to the UN is expected to formally launch her run on 15 February in Charleston. This would make her the first Republican to publicly confirm she is challenging Donald Trump. It would also make her the third Indian-American in US history to make a White House bid. Poisoned to death: Trump once again says invasion taking place on southern border Thursday 2 February 2023 13:00 , Gustaf Kilander Mr Trump took to Truth Social on Wednesday afternoon to argue that an invasion is taking place on the US-Mexico border. Our Southern Border is being overrun at numbers never seen before, or even close, he wrote. 251,487 Encounters in December, a Record by quadruple. This is an INVASION! There is no country that can afford or sustain the cost of this, or even close. The Marxists & Communists who allow this to happen are CRAZY. Our Country is being poisoned to death! he added. Trump launches attack on transgender rights Thursday 2 February 2023 12:30 , Rachel Sharp Former president Donald Trump has vowed to go after medical staff providing care to trans children if he is re-elected to office. In a video released on his social media platform Truth Social on Tuesday, Mr Trump said: On day one I will revoke Joe Bidens cruel policies offering so-called gender affirming care. Ridiculous. A process that includes giving kids puberty blockers, mutating their physical appearance and ultimately performing surgery on minor children. Can you believe this? Read the full story: Trump says he will target medical staff offering care to trans children if re-elected In Iowa, potential 2024 GOP Trump challengers quiet for now Thursday 2 February 2023 12:00 , The Associated Press By this time four years ago, at least a dozen Democratic presidential hopefuls eager to make their case against Donald Trump had either visited Iowa or announced plans to soon visit the leadoff voting state ahead of the 2020 election. Iowas campaign landscape is markedly different this year, with a Republican field seemingly frozen by Trumps early announcement of a 2024 campaign. So far, only former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has visited this year, and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is making plans to stop by in the next few weeks. Even Trump, the only declared candidate in the 2024 race right now, has been absent from Iowa, choosing instead to kickstart his campaign last weekend in New Hampshire and South Carolina, two other early voting states. With Iowas first-in-the-nation GOP caucuses just a year off, the field of would-be White House candidates has largely been content to steer clear of bone-chilling Iowa and, perhaps more importantly, avoid being the first candidate to announce a bid against the former president. No one wants to be on a limb by themselves against Trump, said Alan Ostergren, a Republican lawyer in Des Moines who is involved in GOP politics. Theyll all break at some point. But no one wants to go first. Trump claims war in Ukraine would have never started had I been president in upcoming interview Thursday 2 February 2023 11:00 , Gustaf Kilander BREAKING: New trailer for President Donald J. Trump's first one-on-one interview of 2023 The full interview premieres on RSBN Thursday, Feb. 2, at 8:00 p.m. EST https://t.co/W9MyRoEpyA pic.twitter.com/Cf8XE3UTbP RSBN (@RSBNetwork) February 1, 2023 VIDEO: JD Vance calls Trump foreign policy most cautious and careful in a generation Thursday 2 February 2023 10:00 , Gustaf Kilander .@JDVance1: President Trump led the most cautious and the most careful foreign policy weve had in this country in a generation. This is why the D.C. establishment hates the guy, because they make a lot of money from broke American foreign policy.pic.twitter.com/KyCPnrlz7n Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) February 1, 2023 Top Dem on House intel seeks briefings on classified records Thursday 2 February 2023 09:00 , The Associated Press The new top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday called for more information about the classified records discovered in the private possession of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut was named the committees ranking member Wednesday by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Along with Ohio Rep. Mike Turner, the committees new Republican chairman, Himes will lead a panel that has been split by highly political fights in a break from its traditionally quieter oversight of the U.S. spy agencies. Turner and the leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee have in recent weeks pushed the White House to share more in private about the classified material found. The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence has declined to comment on its review of classified material, which is also the subject of multiple Justice Department investigations. Theres a strong bipartisan concern that Congress is not being briefed on even preliminary reviews of classified information that might have been exposed, Himes said in an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press. Thats wrong. Thats wrong as a matter of law. The intelligence committees already face several major tests this year, from multiple discoveries of top leaders keeping classified documents to the fight over whether to renew foreign surveillance powers used by the FBI, National Security Agency and other spy agencies. Read more: Top Dem on House intel seeks briefings on classified records Republican-led panel targets COVID relief dollars for review Thursday 2 February 2023 08:00 , The Associated Press House Republicans on Wednesday began their promised aggressive oversight of the Biden administration, focusing on what watchdogs described as indications of widespread fraud in federal coronavirus aid programs initiated under President Donald Trump. GOP lawmakers complained that too little attention was paid to the problems when Democrats controlled Congress. Democrats blamed the Trump administration for much of the mess. More than 1,000 people have pleaded guilty or have been convicted on federal charges of defrauding the myriad COVID-19 relief programs that Congress established in the early days of the pandemic. More than 600 other people and entities face federal fraud charges. But thats just the start, according to investigators who testified as the House Oversight and Accountability Committee held its first hearing in the new Congress on fraud and waste in federal pandemic spending. Congress approved about $4.6 trillion in spending from six coronavirus relief laws, beginning in March 2020, when Trump was in the White House and including the $1.9 trillion package that Democrats passed in the first months of the Biden presidency. We owe it to the American people to get to the bottom of the greatest theft of American taxpayer dollars in history, said Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the committee chairman. Read more: Republican-led panel targets COVID relief dollars for review Trump starts 3rd White House bid lagging in campaign cash Thursday 2 February 2023 07:00 , The Associated Press Former President Donald Trumps political operation started the year with about $25 million socked away for his recently launched 2024 presidential campaign, a sum that is substantially less than what he had on hand just one year ago, new campaign finance reports show. The diminished sum, which is spread out across four campaign committees, is far less than the $105 million that Trump reported at the start of 2022. It speaks to the potential challenges for Trump as he mounts his third bid for the presidency facing what is likely to be a crowded field of GOP candidates who will also be vying for campaign cash from the partys donors. Across his political committees, including his main campaign account, Trump raised $9.5 million since launching his bid on Nov. 15, according to his campaign, a far cry from the gargantuan sums his campaign boasted of raising in a matter of days or even hours back when he was still president. Read more: Trump starts 3rd White House bid lagging in campaign cash Former Obama speechwriter blasts Trump for promoting rants from other old men promising violence Thursday 2 February 2023 06:15 , Gustaf Kilander The GOP primary has just begun and Trump is already promoting rants from other old men promising violence if hes not installed as president. https://t.co/vXSVwWs9hS Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) February 1, 2023 Trump calls for all parties involved to pursue a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine' Thursday 2 February 2023 05:30 , Gustaf Kilander Now Biden is doing what he said 10 months ago would lead to World War III, he is sending in American tanks. It is far past the time for all parties involved to pursue a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine. - President Donald J. Trumppic.twitter.com/7JUDQQsQ4K Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) February 1, 2023 Trump goes after DeSantis in Truth Social rant: The real Ron is a RINO GLOBALIST' Thursday 2 February 2023 04:45 , Gustaf Kilander Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday that the real Ron DeSantis is a RINO GLOBALIST, who closed quickly down Florida and even its beaches. Loved the Vaccines and wasted big money on Testing. How quickly people forget! Mr Trump has previously told his supporters to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Mr Trump was responding to a user on the platform who wrote, President Trump will destroy DeSantis in the primary. Conservative judge and Jan 6 panel witness believes Trump will be indicted Thursday 2 February 2023 04:00 , Gustaf Kilander The conservative judge and January 6 panel witness Michael Lutting told The Washington Post in a piece published Tuesday that he believes Mr Trump will be indicted, saying that he sees ample evidence of crimes. What Nixon did was just an ordinary crime, the judge told the paper, referring to the Watergate scandal. What Trump has done is quite arguably the worst crime against the United States that a president could commit. Trump calls US-Mexico border Southern Border Death Machine' Thursday 2 February 2023 03:15 , Gustaf Kilander Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday morning that our Southern Border Death Machine is 20 times worse today than at any time in the history of our Country, and it is only getting worse. Just two years ago, we were GOLD, the best in U.S. History. SAD! Trump says only thing that can save cable news is him in the White House again Thursday 2 February 2023 02:30 , Gustaf Kilander Mr Trump took to Truth Social to argue that the only thing that can save cable news is him being in the White House again. Its an incredible and very beautiful thing to watch. After all these years, the purveyors of Fake News are being CRUSHED in the Ratings, he wrote on Wednesday morning. Be careful FoxNews, your numbers are WAY down also heading in the wrong direction. You dont want to be another Fake News CNN or MSDNC. Their FINISHED! Sorry to say, but the only thing that can save them is the Trump Presidency. I told them that a long time ago, but they just wouldnt listen! Top House Democrat slams Trump for relationship with Kim Jong-Un Thursday 2 February 2023 01:45 , Gustaf Kilander Jim McGovern on GOP bill denouncing socialism: "'We denounce Kim Jong Un.' Well, not all of us actually. Because in fact, if I remember correctly, it was the leader of the Republican Party, Donald Trump, who said he fell in love with him ... why is Putin left out?" pic.twitter.com/APaJkreVJG Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 1, 2023 McGovern: "You know what's funny is that the same Republicans who decry anything that government does as socialism never seem to have a problem when it comes to huge handouts for billionaire corporations. They want socialism for the rich but capitalism for the poor." pic.twitter.com/cE4whxLtop Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 1, 2023 Former Rep Adam Kinzinger goes after Trump for taking the fifth 400 times Thursday 2 February 2023 01:00 , Gustaf Kilander Former Illinois Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger went after Donald Trump after a video was leaked revealing that the former president repeatedly used the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering questions during a deposition in August. The mob takes the Fifth. If youre innocent, why would you take the Fifth Amendment? -- Donald J. Trump NOW: Trump takes the Fifth Amendment 400 times. pic.twitter.com/DDqYRcG53B Adam Kinzinger #fella (@AdamKinzinger) February 1, 2023 Trump goes after Morning Joe as he claims ratings have gone down the drain' Thursday 2 February 2023 00:15 , Gustaf Kilander Mr Trump went after Morning Joe on Wednesday morning, claiming that the MSNBC shows ratings have gone down the drain. Wow! Ratings on my former friends show, Morning Joe, with his calm, steady, and lovely wife, Mike, have really gone down the drain. I know them both very well. Theyll probably be back, its only a question of is it too late? Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. GOP congressman compares TV provider dropping Newsmax to Holocaust Wednesday 1 February 2023 23:45 , Andrew Feinberg When Republican members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday took to the floor of their chamber for an hour-long airing of grievances in support of a GOP-friendly cable news channel, one of them decided it would be appropriate to compare the satellite television carriage dispute to the murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust. Eric Burlison, a freshman representative who was sworn in as the House member for Missouris 7th District less than a month ago, first compared DirecTVs decision to cease carrying the right-wing Newsmax channel to an aborted Department of Homeland Security effort to combat disinformation, and suggested the satellite television provider was abusing special privileges the government has granted it. Late last month, DirecTV ceased carrying the signal of the pro-Trump outlet after the carriage agreement between Newsmax and the satellite provider expired. Newsmax, which previously granted DirecTV the right to carry the channel free of charge, had demanded a new agreement under which the company would be charged for the right to beam the channel into subscribers homes. Read more: GOP congressman compares TV provider dropping Newsmax to Holocaust New York attorney general seeks sanctions after Trump caught lying in court documents Wednesday 1 February 2023 23:15 , Andrew Feinberg New York Attorney General Letitia James has asked the judge overseeing her $250m fraud lawsuit against Donald Trump, his three eldest children, and their eponymous real estate company to sanction the Trumps and their attorneys for demonstrably false statements made in a verified response to her complaint. Ms James office cited denials of basic facts and statements that contradicted what the Trumps had said in other court filings and appearances in a letter to New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron seeking sanctions against the defendants and their attorney, Alina Habba. Defendants falsely deny facts they have admitted in other proceedings, they deny knowledge sufficient to respond to factual allegations that are plainly within their knowledge, and they propound affirmative defenses that have been repeatedly rejected by this Court as frivolous and without merit, she said. Read more: New York attorney general seeks sanctions after Trump caught lying in court documents Trump mentions George Soros as he blasts Manhattan DA amid hush-money probe Wednesday 1 February 2023 22:15 , Gustaf Kilander Mr Trump mentioned financier George Soros as he criticized Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg amid the probe into the hush-money payment to adult actor Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign. Ms Daniels alleged that she had had an affair with Mr Trump in 2006, the year after he married former First Lady Melania Trump. When Soros backed Alvin Bragg attained the office of Manhattan District Attorney, he received great praise from large circles of people for dropping some of the most ridiculous Witch Hunt type cases ever looked at by that office, Mr Trump claimed on Wednesday morning shortly before 7am. Now some Radical Left crazies, coupled with ratings crushed and failing Fake News, are trying to get him to go the Prosecutorial Misconduct route, and take on certain very weak cases which are dead anyway based on the Statute of Limitations. FIGHT VIOLENT CRIME! he wrote on Truth Social. VIDEO: Trump pleads the 5th Amendment in fraud deposition Wednesday 1 February 2023 21:45 , Gustaf Kilander Trump endorses Jim Banks in Indiana Senate race Wednesday 1 February 2023 21:15 , Gustaf Kilander Donald Trump endorsed Jim Banks in the Indiana Senate race on Wednesday morning. Jim Banks is running for the United States Senate from the Great State of Indiana. I know Jim well, have seen him tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and WIN! he wrote on Truth Social shortly after 6am. Strong on the Border, Crime, our Military and our Vets, Jim will fight for low taxes and regulations, Sanity in Government, and our under siege 2nd Amendment. Jim Banks is respected by all, will never let you down, and has my Complete & Total Endorsement! Trump blasts Biden: Wrong, and not even close. Nuclear War is the biggest threat! Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:45 , Gustaf Kilander Donald Trump went after President Joe Biden on Tuesday night after the president said the climate crisis is the biggest threat facing humanity, including nuclear war. At a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in New York City on Tuesday, Mr Biden said in a speech that if we dont stay under 1.5 degrees Celsius, were going to have a real problem. Its the single-most existential threat to humanity weve ever faced, including nuclear weapons. And so we have a real big problem, he added, arguing that he inherited an America First foreign policy from Mr Trump which in actuality had placed America last. Wrong, and not even close. Nuclear War is the biggest threat! Mr Trump responded on Truth Social. Trump says he got 1.2 Million Votes MORE than Ron DeSanctimonious in Florida Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:15 , Gustaf Kilander Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday evening to blast Florida Governor Ron DeSantis amid their ongoing feud. Remember, I was 233-20 in the Midterms, and got 1.2 Million Votes MORE than Ron DeSanctimonious in the Great State of Florida. Also, 12 Million MORE Votes in 2020 than in 2016, and Won! the former president said, repeating his false claim that he won the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. VIDEO: Michael Cohen says he handed over cell phones to manhattan DA in Trump hush-money probe Wednesday 1 February 2023 19:45 , Gustaf Kilander JD Vance endorses Trump for 2024 nomination Wednesday 1 February 2023 19:15 , Gustaf Kilander Freshman Ohio Republican Senator JD Vance endorsed Mr Trumps 2024 campaign in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday. Mr. Trump did more than simply keep the peace. He brokered the Abraham Accords, a historic agreement between Israel and Sunni Arab states providing the best hope of a long-term counterbalance to Iran, he wrote in the piece. He began the long, slow process of decoupling the U.S. from its economic reliance on China. He opened diplomatic talks with North Korea after a half century of stagnation, Mr Vance added. Anybody can run: GOP senators downplay possibility of Trump coronation in 2024 Wednesday 1 February 2023 18:45 , Gustaf Kilander Republican Senators are arguing that there should be a wide range of options in the 2024 primary and not a coronation of the former president to run for a third time. Anybody can run, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a possible 2024 candidate, said, according to The Hill. South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds said would be healthy to have lots of folks considering the race. His fellow South Dakota senator, the Republican Whip John Thune, said the feud between Mr Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is going to be between the two of them. But he also said that if people feel compelled or called to run for the White House, thats their prerogative, its a free country. Mr Trump has argued that it would be disloyal of Mr DeSantis to mount a campaign against him. There are no Trump policies without Donald Trump: Lindsey Graham defends record of former president Wednesday 1 February 2023 18:15 , Gustaf Kilander South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham came to the defence of Mr Trump over the weekend, arguing during a campaign event for the former president that he deserves more credit for what he did in office. How many times have you heard: We like Trump policies, but we want somebody new? Mr Graham said, according to The Hill. There are no Trump policies without Donald Trump, he added. Trump fuels DeSantis feud by posting video of Florida governor saying he wants to be like Paul Ryan: Wow Wednesday 1 February 2023 17:45 , Gustaf Kilander Donald Trump has escalated his feud with Ron DeSantis by posting a video of the Florida governor in which he says wants to be like former House Speaker Paul Ryan, whose now a Trump critic. Mr Trumps only comment on the footage, which was posted on his Truth Social page on Tuesday, was wow! I would be somebody who would be different, I think you see that Ive been recognized nationally as being somebody who would be different, who would be a leader, who could be somebody like a Paul Ryan very quickly, Mr DeSantis says in the footage. Following Mr Trumps criticism of his handling of the pandemic, Mr DeSantis responded to the former president on Tuesday by noting that he was reelected while Mr Trump wasnt. I roll out of bed, I have people attacking me from all angles, its been happening for many, many years, Mr DeSantis said during a press briefing in Bradenton, south of Tampa. The good thing is, is that the people are able to render a judgment on that whether they reelect you or not. And Im happy to say, you know in my case, not only did we win reelection, we won with the highest percentage of the vote that any Republican governor candidate has had in the history of the state of Florida ... That verdict has been rendered by the people of the state of Florida. Read more: Trump posts video of DeSantis saying he wants to be like Paul Ryan VIDEO: Former South Carolina Governor and Ambassador Under Trump, Nikki Haley, Set to Announce 2024 GOP Candidacy Wednesday 1 February 2023 17:15 , Gustaf Kilander Its not a matter of disloyalty: GOP Senator pushes back on Trumps 2024 primary argument Wednesday 1 February 2023 16:45 , Gustaf Kilander Wyoming Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis defended Ron DeSantis and argued that it wouldnt be disloyal for him to run for president in 2024, despite recent comments from Mr Trump arguing that it would be. I expect to see a number of Republican candidates for president and a number of them had President Trumps endorsement so I dont see it as an act of disloyalty to run for president, even people on the presidents cabinet may get in this race, she told The Hill, referring to Mr Trumps 2018 endorsement of Mr DeSantis when he ran for the Florida governorship. So, its not a matter of disloyalty, she added. The person who best articulates a future agenda for the country will emerge from [the] Republican primary and its not a foregone conclusion who that will be. GOP Senator barely stifles laugh when asked if 2024 DeSantis campaign would be disloyal to Trump Wednesday 1 February 2023 16:15 , Gustaf Kilander On his plane this weekend while making campaign trips to New Hampshire and South Carolina, Mr Trump argued that he got Florida Governor Ron DeSantis into the governors mansion by supporting him in 2018. Mr DeSantis previously served in the US House from 2013 until 2018. So then when I hear he might run, I consider that very disloyal. But its not about loyalty, but to me it is, its always about loyalty, but for a lot of people its not about loyalty, he told reporters. Following the criticism from Mr Trump, GOP Senators defended Mr DeSantis and his possible 2024 campaign. Texas Senator John Cornyn commented on a possible DeSantis campaign, telling The Hill that he ran an impressive reelection campaign for governor from an important state. It looks to me like hes polling well. I think we need some new blood and I think hed probably qualify. The outlet noted that Mr Cornyn barely stifled a laugh when asked if it would be disloyal for Mr DeSantis to run. No, no, I dont think so, he said. Donald cannot keep track of the lies that he tells, Michael Cohen says Wednesday 1 February 2023 15:45 , Gustaf Kilander Video footage was recently released showing Mr Trump in a deposition at the office of the New York attorney general in August, in which he used the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering questions more than 400 times, according to CNN. Donald cannot keep track of the lies that he tells, and so, what better way to stop a fool from being deposed and hurting himself further than to tell him to plead the Fifth at least 400 times, his former fixer Michael Cohen told the network on Wednesday. VIDEO: Michael Cohen says he handed over his phones to Manhattan DA in hush-money investigation Wednesday 1 February 2023 15:15 , Gustaf Kilander Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen tells @donlemon he handed over his cell phones to Manhattan prosecutors zeroing in on Trump Org's involvement in hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels. Their full interview: pic.twitter.com/N5Jb7DLZZE CNN This Morning (@CNNThisMorning) February 1, 2023 Michael Cohen says he handed over cell phones to Manhattan DA in Trump hush-money probe Wednesday 1 February 2023 14:45 , Gustaf Kilander Michael Cohen, Donald Trumps former personal lawyer and fixer, has said that he has handed over his cell phones to the Manhattan District Attorneys office. Cohen made the revelation on CNN on Wednesday morning. He met with New York prosecutors last month as the DAs office is focusing on the Trump Organizations role in the hush-money payment made to adult actor Stormy Daniels in connection to the former presidents 2016 campaign for the White House. Most recently, they asked for my cell phones because they want to be able to extract from it the voice recordings that I had had with Keith Davidson, former attorney to Stormy Daniels before Michael Avenatti, as well as a bunch of emails, text messages and so on, Cohen told CNN on Wednesday morning. Read more: Michael Cohen says he handed over cell phones to Manhattan DA in hush-money probe Former President Donald Trump gets ready to speak during a Save America rally on October 1, 2022 in Warren, Michigan. Trump Emily Elconin/Getty Images Trump called for the US to "SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON" as a suspect Chinese spy craft floats above the US. In response to the episode, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is reportedly postponing his trip to China. Other GOP officials said it was a mistake for the US to have not acted sooner. Former President Donald Trump and a growing number of GOP lawmakers on Friday called for the US to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon as Beijing pushed for cooler heads. "SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON!" Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth. The Pentagon said later in the day that US officials had considered shooting down the balloon at an unspecified threat, but that they accessed that it did not pose a threat while in flight or to Americans on the ground. There were also concerns that shooting the balloon could lead to safety risks from falling debris. "It is big enough that again in reviewing our approach that we do recognize that any potential debris field would be significant and potentially civilian injuries, or deaths, or significant property damage, so again this is part of our calculus in terms of our overall assessment," Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters. "But again, we'll continue to monitor it. We'll continue to review our options." The State Department confirmed that it was postponing Secretary of State Antony Blinken's trip to China in response to the balloon's presence. "We have concluded that the conditions are not right at this moment for Secretary Blinken to travel to China," a senior State Department official told The Washington Post. Blinken was hours away from leaving Washington for his trip, before the change was abruptly announced. Other Republicans took a slightly more measured approach, arguing that it was "a mistake" not to have shot down the suspected spy balloon but not necessarily saying that it should be done now. Bloomberg reported that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin advised President Joe Biden not to order the shoot down the balloon due to the risk of falling debris. On Wednesday, authorities shut down Billings' airport and the US military scrambled F-22 fighters to respond to the balloon's encroachment; Pentagon officials assess that it is on a reconnaissance mission near sensitive US military installations. Story continues Chairman Mike Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican who leads a new select committee focused on China, said it was mistake that the US didn't act sooner. "In my opinion, though the details are murky and we haven't yet sat down with the intelligence community and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs [Gen. Mark Milley], we should have shot it down," Gallagher told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. "And I don't think the Chinese would hesitate to shoot down an American asset in their airspace, as they have shot down several of our U2 planes in the past." China itself acknowledged that the craft is in fact its balloon. A foreign ministry spokesperson added that Beijing "regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace," but claimed that the balloon is a "civilian aircraft" primarily used for weather research. An earlier statement by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called for a "cool-headed" approach to the matter. It is worth noting that the Chinese Communist Party has misled and in some cases outright lied about its activities, as many have suspected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ryder would not go into detail, but he confirmed that the US rejects Beijing's claim that the balloon is being used for civilian purposes. The Pentagon stands by its belief that the balloon is conducting surveillance. According to CBS News, the balloon is now floating over the Midwest after being spotted in Montana. The craft is powered by solar panels. The Pentagon was cagey about the exact location of the balloon, but Ryder did say that it is currently over "the central US" and flying at 60,000 feet. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also said it was "a mistake" not to have shot down the balloon. "It was a mistake to not shoot down that Chinese spy balloon when it was over a sparsely populated area," Rubio wrote on Twitter. "This is not some hot air balloon, it has a large payload of sensors roughly the size of two city buses & the ability to maneuver independently." Trump was far from the only 2024 presidential hopeful to weigh in. Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who is reportedly going to announce a presidential campaign in the coming weeks, slammed the White House for "letting China walk all over us." "Shoot down the balloon. Cancel Blinken's trip," Haley said. "Hold China accountable." Haley sent her tweet before the reported postponement of Blinken's trip came to light, a sign of just how quickly the situation changed. Read the original article on Business Insider Shannon Stapleton/Reuters In a racially tinged Truth Social post Thursday night, former President Donald Trump once again smeared the Capitol police officer who shot Jan. 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt. Trump wrote that he disagreed with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who told a reporter earlier in the day that Lt. Michael Byrd did his job. Despite having been exonerated by the Capitol Police, the D.C. Metropolitan Police and the Justice Department, Byrd was nevertheless branded a coward and a thug by Trump. Despite trying to keep him anonymous, shielded, and protected, this MISFIT proudly showed up on NBC Fake Nightly News bragging about the killing, Trump complained. Byrd told NBC in August 2021 that he and his family had received death threats in the preceding months. He used his firearm as a last resort, he said, adding that he saved countless lives. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. The Mexican man who led federal agents on a car chase in Leominster a year ago will serve one year in prison, after pleading guilty to a charge of illegal reentry after deportation. Eduardo Alvarez, 32, was at the wheel of car that rammed into a vehicle driven by an agent of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He was apprehended the morning of Feb. 16, 2022, after agents traced him to a Leominster residence on North Main Street. He was spotted leaving the address in an Audi, with agents soon attempting a traffic stop. "Officers then attempted to stop Alvarez by positioning their vehicles in front and behind the Audi," according to a summary of the case by U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins, whose office prosecuted the case. "Alvarez accelerated and struck the front vehicle, with the ICE officer still in the drivers seat. "Alvarez then drove off traveling through a red light into oncoming traffic, forcing other vehicles including law enforcement onto the side of the road before stopping at his own residence, where he attempted to hide from officers for approximately 90 minutes before surrendering." The sentencing Thursday, in U.S. District Court in Boston, followed guilty pleas by Alvarez in September. Besides illegal reentry, he was charged with forcibly assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer engaged in the performance of official duties. Alvarez was previously removed from the U.S. in 2009 and 2011. In 2010, he was convicted of illegal reentry into the U.S., according to Rollins' office. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins: Man who fled ICE in Leominster sentenced Tuberculosis is a disease that most commonly causes an infection of the lungs. (Photo: Getty Images) With cases of tuberculosis (TB) cropping up at schools in different parts of the country including a person at a middle school in Pennsylvania, and a student or staff member at a Las Vegas elementary school parents may have some questions about the infectious disease. What exactly causes tuberculosis? What are the symptoms to look out for? And how common is it? Heres what parents need to know about tuberculosis. What is tuberculosis and what are the symptoms? Tuberculosis is a disease that most commonly causes an infection of the lungs, and is caused by a bacterium that is transmitted from person to person, Dr. Alexander Kay, assistant professor of pediatrics-global immigrant health at Baylor College of Medicine, tells Yahoo Life. Most infections in children cause no symptoms, because their body controls the infection before it spreads too far, according to Dr. Rachel Martin-Blais, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Nationwide Childrens Hospital. But we treat them to keep the infection from causing problems in the future, she tells Yahoo Life. When children do have symptoms, Martin-Blais explains, they usually come on slowly. The most common things we see are a cough lasting several weeks, fevers and/or severe sweating at night, weight loss or poor growth and swollen glands, she says. Sometimes, children can have other forms of tuberculosis that show up as bone pain or headaches and behavior changes. Symptoms can also include failure to thrive and decreased appetite and playfulness, notes Kay. However, infected individuals dont necessarily get sick right away. People can become sick from tuberculosis long after being infected, and in some cases, symptoms dont develop for a few months or even years after the infection occurred, notes Martin-Blais. How is tuberculosis spread? Tuberculosis is airborne, meaning it is spread through tiny droplets that are suspended in the air when a person coughs, sneezes, sings, etc., explains Martin-Blais. Because these droplets are so small, they can travel long distances in the air. Story continues Adults generally have more TB bacteria in their lungs than children, notes Kay, and are typically more infectious with TB than children are. Martin-Blais agrees, adding that, in general, children are very poor transmitters of tuberculosis. In fact, we usually consider children under 10 not to be contagious unless they have really severe disease or theyre having devices like breathing tubes being inserted or removed, she says. That said, Martin-Blais points out that identifying a child infected with TB is a red flag. A case of tuberculosis in a child is a really important signal to our public health teams that there is probably an infected adult in that childs social circle. Kay points out that tuberculosis can be transmitted any time there is a person with tuberculosis disease in close proximity to other people. Who is most at risk for the disease? Infants and children under 5 years of age, as well as people with weakened immune systems such as those receiving cancer chemotherapy, those with HIV or people who have undergone an organ transplant are at the highest risk for severe TB, says Kay. People with compromised immune systems can develop very severe disease if they are exposed to tuberculosis, because their bodies have a harder time controlling its spread, explains Martin-Blais. The same goes for very young children under 4 who may become sicker than older children with more mature immune systems would. In these populations, it is more common for TB to infect parts of the body outside of the lungs, such as the fluid around the brain, Kay says. TB infections of the central nervous system can result in significant disability when not treated promptly. Although anyone can get tuberculosis if exposed to it, Martin-Blais notes that exposure is quite rare in the U.S. and Canada. Many people who get tuberculosis came into contact with it while living or spending an extended period of time usually more than 3 weeks in a country where tuberculosis is more common, she says. How is tuberculosis typically treated? When treating tuberculosis, Martin-Blais explains that physicians draw a distinction between infection and illness. A huge majo1`rity of people with TB have infection without disease, so they have been exposed and have the bacteria in their bodies, but the bugs havent yet caused any problems, she says. Typically, though, tuberculosis is treated with four antibiotics used in tandem, to prevent the bacteria from developing resistance, explains Kay. These medications can be reduced over time, and treatment generally lasts six months, he says. There is newer evidence that children with less severe TB disease only need to be treated for four months. The bacterium that causes tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis, if you really want to know) grows very slowly and is good at adapting to antibiotics, says Martin-Blais, so physicians usually need long courses of treatment with multiple medications to make sure that they take care of it the first time. However, if physicians can find and treat infected individuals before they become sick, says Martin-Blais, they can use fewer antibiotics and can help to prevent them both from developing disease and from spreading the infection to others. That is why health care professionals provide tuberculosis screening, which tells physicians if someone has been exposed to tuberculosis before they develop symptoms, she says. In the U.S., physicians screen people based on their risk for coming in contact with an infected person. She adds that health care professionals are now better at treating TB. The World Health Organization (WHO) just updated guidelines to say that physicians can do even shorter courses for straightforward cases, she says, and can give oral treatments for many cases of resistant infections. There is a tuberculosis vaccine, which many other countries give to newborns to try to prevent tuberculosis disease, but it's rarely used in the U.S. The vaccine is effective at preventing severe TB in infants, but is not effective at preventing TB disease over the long term in adults, Kay explains. In general, the risk of acquiring TB is low for infants in most parts of the United States, and that is why the vaccine is not routinely used. Infants and children in the U.S. that visit places with higher rates of tuberculosis or who have exposure to people with tuberculosis are at risk for TB and should speak to their doctor. Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here. Students at Richards High School in Oak Lawn who recently gathered to make fleece blankets to be donated to pediatric cancer patients at Advocate Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn said the effort made them feel good too. (School District 218) Debbie Swansons 20-year-old niece still has the small fleece blanket given to her when she was a child during a hospital stay to treat her cancer. Thats made a blanket-making project at Richards High School in Oak Lawn all the more poignant for Swanson, the schools activities facilitator who has coordinated the annual effort for the past six years. Advertisement This is something we do because they are really special items for the kids to receive when theyve been hospitalized, Swanson said, noting for her niece, the act of kindness from strangers was really kind of special. Students at Richards High School in Oak Lawn gathered after school recently to make fleece blankets for pediatric cancer patients at Advocate Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn. (School District 218) Dozens of students recently stood around tables in the school cafeteria making blankets for pediatric cancer patients at Advocate Childrens Hospital. Each blanket was made of two pieces of fleece and students tied the ends together with yarn. The blankets are adorned with little animals, strawberries and heart and other childhood logos and pictures. Advertisement The project was started at Richards 10 to 15 years ago by the National Honor Society and Student Council. In the years since, the schools Leo Club, Chess Club, Bulldog Buddies and LGBTQIA+ Community & Allies have joined in. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy > The blankets, which will be delivered to the hospital by school staff, can come in useful if children are cold as they get treatment or just for comfort. Even though its a small thing, it can still make a big impact on the children who are sick and to just be there for them in a way, said Mackenzie Tamer, a senior and Student Council member. I think its really fun to be able to think about the kids youre making the blankets for. It just makes you feel good to be able to do that. Tamer, who visited her 12-year-old cousin in the hospital before he died last summer, said it was also nice to do the project with friends. Students at Richards High School in Oak Lawn recently created piles of colorful fleece blankets to be donated to pediatric cancer patients at Advocate Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn. (School District 218) I think its a really good way for us to give back to the community, especially to children who might need a little bit of support in the hospital, said Laryz Catapat, a senior Student Council member. Staff at Advocate Childrens Hospital said the blankets make a difference. We so appreciate the generosity of those who continually contribute to the well-being of our patients at Advocate Childrens Hospital, said Melissa Cavanaugh, manager of Child Life, Creative Arts Therapies and Education. The blankets are such a cozy, special gift they can take home and find comfort in them during their recovery. Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. AP You cant spell hypersonic without hype, and right now, the much-talked-about Mach 5 weapons system is an obsession of the worlds largest militaries. China successfully tested a Mach 5 weapon back in 2021with one U.S. general calling the launch a near Sputnik momentand Russia has been talking about the weapons since 2018, when it produced a sizzle reel of one hypersonic missile, the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, blowing up Florida. Not to be outmatched, the U.S. has around 70 (yes, seven-zero) efforts to develop hypersonic technologies including bombers , missiles , and the engines to power them. In fact, just this week, Vladimir Putin announced imminent plans to test his frigate-launched Zircon hypersonic missile, which can supposedly reach speeds of Mach 9. The embattled Russian leader took part in the farewell ceremony (albeit remotely) of the Admiral Gorshkov frigate back in January, and the ship will launch the missile during a training exercise with South Africa and China navies later this month. Russia says itll be the first-ever [launch] during an event of this kind, though the launch is likely a show of force to the West more than anything. While an unstoppable Russian missile would certainly be a problem for the U.S. (along with most of Europe), Putin might be overselling the weapons capabilities. In 2021, Nikolai Yevmenov, commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, told a Russian news site that the weapon still had problemsand some of those problems are likely highlighted in a new report by the U.S. Congressional Budget Office . While the 72-page report did find that hypersonic missiles have the speed to be useful in the early stages of a conflict, the report also threw some cold water on the red-hot hype surrounding hypersonic technology. The biggest dose of reality is that the technology still hasnt found a way to manage the immense amount of heat produced by a system traveling in excess of Mach 5. From the report: Story continues Shielding hypersonic missiles sensitive electronics, understanding how various materials perform, and predicting aerodynamics at sustained temperatures as high as 3,000 Fahrenheit require extensive flight testing. Tests are ongoing, but failures in recent years have delayed progress. The second big bummer is cost. While some 300 ground- or sea-launched, intermediate-range ballistic missiles cost $13.4 billion (which isnt exactly a pittance in itself), the same number of hypersonic missiles would cost closer to $18 billion. The report also mentions that while a hypersonic ability to avoid air defense systems is pretty good, ballistic missiles arent slouches and are also difficult to defend against, particularly if they are equipped with countermeasures to confuse midcourse missile defenses and maneuverable warheads to defeat short-range missile defenses. Hypersonic missiles, engines, planes, and bombers will no likely continue developing at speeds befitting their Mach 5 capabilities. But at least according to this report, the era of hypersonic weapons completely redefining modern warfare is still a ways off in the future. You Might Also Like Elliot L. Higgins, a man of music and culture, traveled to Tuscaloosa two times to participate in music competitions held at the University of Alabama. According to Capt. Jack Kennedy, commander of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, Higgins, who is now deceased, is suspected of committing violent rapes during both trips. Higgins' first trip to Tuscaloosa was in 1991. Kennedy said Higgins raped a University of Alabama student on that trip at an off-campus housing area. On his second trip in 2001, Kennedy said Higgins posed as a potential home buyer and raped a real estate agent. Higgins was never caught. "In 1991, a young woman was violently sexually assaulted in the month of August. She was a university student at the time. The investigation at that time was done very well and very thorough, but no suspects were ever developed," Kennedy said at a Thursday news conference announcing that they consider the Tuscaloosa cases solved thanks to DNA analysis. "In 2001, another woman was violently sexually assaulted within Tuscaloosa County. This occurred at a home. The victim was a Realtor who had met to show a home to a subject who assaulted her." Feb. 2, 2023; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit Commander Capt. Jack Kennedy announces the solution to a 30-year-old cold case involving two rapes committed 10 years apart. Kennedy said the two Tuscaloosa cases did not have many similarities. In the 1991 case, the rapist approached the victim at night, pressed a knife to her neck and forced her into a vehicle. He forced her to drive them to another location where he sexually assaulted her for an extended period of time. In the 2001 case, the rapist used an entirely different modus operandi. "The physical descriptions in those cases were not very similar," Kennedy said. VCU investigators wouldn't understand the change in the perpetrator's modus operandi until much later. In 2004, due to advances in DNA analysis, investigators sent the sexual assault evidence kit from the 2001 case back to the Department of Forensic Sciences for testing. The analysis revealed that DNA from a sexual assault case that had occurred in 2004 in El Paso County, Colorado matched the DNA obtained in the 2001 case in Tuscaloosa. The physical description from the Colorado victim and the subject's MO were very similar to the 2001 case in Tuscaloosa. Story continues "In that case, (Colorado) she fought back. Good for her. She bloodied his nose, and the DNA came back from his blood. He was not able to complete his crime there," Kennedy said. Feb. 2, 2023; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit Commander Capt. Jack Kennedy announces the solution to a 30-year-old cold case involving two rapes committed 10 years apart. Investigators in Tuscaloosa started to recognized the similarities in all three crimes since they had not stopped working the cases. They did not have DNA linking the 1991 and the 2001 cases, but they had the definite link between the 2001 case in Tuscaloosa and the 2004 case in Colorado. "As you can imagine, it was extremely frustrating at the time, because no suspect was developed," Kennedy said. He said that the investigators in Tuscaloosa, including Capt. Kip Hart, a former Violent Crimes Unit commander, did extensive work on the cases, collaborating with the police in Colorado and various task forces investigating violent rape cases around the country. "The amount of effort and work by investigators in the violent crimes unit over the last 30 years is incredible," Kennedy said. He said that when he took over the task force, he began looking into the rape cold cases. Funding was developed for further DNA testing on the 1991 rape case, and the evidence was sent to Parabon Labs. They were able to provide a suspect and the link to the other crimes. "Pursuant to that investigation, and later, we were able to get DNA from his biological relatives and send that to forensic sciences, and they were able to confirm through DNA that he was the suspect and the perpetrator in that," Kennedy said. The confirmation was beyond 99.999% certain, according to the records provided. Feb. 2, 2023; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit released sketches, composites, and photographs of Elliot Higgins, now deceased, who was confirmed as the perpetrator in rapes in the Tuscaloosa area in 1991 and 2001. Elliot L. Higgins was born March 13, 1941, and most recently lived in the tiny village of Jemez Springs, New Mexico, north of Albuquerque. He was a renowned teacher of music, a specialist in the French horn. He was a founder and participant in collegiate level music workshops and competitions, though he was never employed by a university. At various times in his life, he conducted the Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra, and managed the Santa Barbara Symphony in California and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra in Indiana. He was active in both playing and teaching music and in judging music competitions all over the country. More:Obituary for Elliot L. Higgins In 1976, Higgins helped found, and was a frequent judge in, the International Horn Competition, an annual collegiate music competition that is still held at colleges around the country though it has been held under other names. The Higgins family operates a music camp in Jemez Springs. Higgins founded the Hummingbird Music Festival that draws music students from around the country. Law enforcement authorities say both rapes in Tuscaloosa occurred during times when Higgins was in town to participate in the competition. According to police records, the cultured music teacher had a much darker side. In his younger years, he was arrested multiple times for various sex-related crimes committed the area of Cleveland, Ohio, where he lived at that time. As an adult, police believe he committed the two violent rapes in the Tuscaloosa area and the attempted rape in Colorado. "Earlier in his life he was from Ohio, in the Cleveland area, and he has a criminal record from those times of sexual assaults on minors," Kennedy said. Many of the charges stemmed from incidents in the early 1970s. "I don't know what happened between those years. I just know that he was offending as a 20-year-old and he was offending as a 60-year-old. I know from our training and research that the recidivism rate with these type offenders is very high. He was trying to assault women even when he was physically handicapped by medical problems as an old man." Feb. 2, 2023; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit Commander Capt. Jack Kennedy announces the solution to a 30-year-old cold case involving two rapes committed 10 years apart. Kennedy leafs through the extensive case file the unit maintains. Kennedy believes there will be more sexual crimes tied to Higgins as time goes by, and the VCU has shared their work with other departments around the country where there are unsolved sex crimes. "Sine we determined all this information, for the last several months, we have contacted every police department and jurisdiction that we knew where he worked or where this competition was held. The entire case file has been shared with them so they can look for unsolved sexual assaults in their areas," Kennedy said. "I would believe it is extremely likely there will be more victims," Kennedy said. "These type of people are compelled to assault, compelled to re-offend. The fact that he did them both times he came to Tuscaloosa, he didn't miss. One of the reasons he got away for so long with this is because he had been caught extensively as a young man and did some jail time. I believe he learned his lesson and didn't want to repeat that." Kennedy said the musical competitions and workshops gave him the ability to travel to various locations around the country without arousing suspicion. Higgins died at age 73, on Sept. 23, 2014 in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. Kennedy said that, though the suspect is dead and can't face charges, they are releasing the information to hopefully give closure to the victims and to help any other victims who are out there who have not come forward. Kennedy said that anyone who feels they may have been a victim can contact their local police agency. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: DNA of traveling music teacher linked to Tuscaloosa rapes, police say Noah David Beard, 25, of Visalia is arrested early Friday. He and Angel "Nanu" Uriarte, 35, are accused of killing six people in the Central Valley farm town of Goshen. (Tulare County Sheriff's Office) After a predawn gun battle and a series of raids across California, authorities said Friday they had arrested two men accused of killing six people, including a teen mother and her baby, in an execution-style massacre that stunned the Central Valley farm town of Goshen last month. The suspects were identified as Noah David Beard, 25, of Visalia and Angel "Nanu" Uriarte, 35, of Goshen, both Norteno gang members, according to the Tulare County Sheriff's Office. Uriarte engaged in a gun battle with federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives early Friday and was wounded before being taken into custody, officials said. Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said Uriarte, who could face federal charges in the assault of a federal officer, underwent surgery at a hospital and was expected to survive. Investigators identified Beard as the suspect accused of killing the 16-year-old and her baby. During the news conference, Boudreaux played a grainy surveillance video showing the young mother fleeing with her son moments before they were killed. Alissa Parraz lifts her 10-month-old baby over a fence in an image from video. (Tulare County Sheriff's Office) In the video, Alissa Parraz runs across a dark driveway with her baby in her arms toward a locked chain-link gate blocking the street. Unable to escape, she hoists her baby over a nearby wooden fence and lowers him onto something on the other side before running across the driveway and vaulting over the chain-link fence. Moments later, a man walks toward them. He raises his right arm, a dark shadow of a gun visible in his hand, then the video cuts off. Both mother and child were shot in the back of the head, Boudreaux said. In audio from a 911 call played during the news conference, a woman inside the house is heard crying and pleading. They shot my boyfriend. They keep shooting outside," she says. "I dont know if they are still here. Im scared. ... Please hurry, please. I dont know where they are now [gasp] theyre still shooting. Theyre still shooting? asks the dispatcher. Story continues Yes, the woman answers. Hurry please. Theyre coming back. Theyre coming back. Theyre back. Whos coming back? The guys, the woman says. Do you hear them? Someone else is screaming now. Shots are heard on the recording. Thats them, the woman says, gasping. Theyre shooting in the house. The woman on the 911 call survived the attack by hiding in a trailer, Boudreaux said. Eladio Parraz Jr., 52, was killed first, followed by Marcos Parraz, 19, and Jennifer Analla, 50, who was shot in her sleep, the sheriff said. Rosa Parraz, 72, was shot in the head while on her knees just beside her bed. Alissa Parraz and 10-month-old Nycholas were the last to die. "This family was targeted by cold-blooded killers," Boudreaux said. Lying on the ground, Angel "Nanu" Uriarte receives medical attention following a gun battle with authorities early Friday. (Tulare County Sheriff's Office) The Tulare County district attorney's office has charged Beard and Uriarte with six counts of murder and a series of special allegations including multiple murders, and committing murders to further the activities of a criminal street gang. The Jan. 16 killings instilled fear in Goshen, an impoverished community in the San Joaquin Valley. In recent years, drug trafficking and gang violence have turned sparsely populated rural areas such as Goshen into some of the most violent places in California, but even so, the brutality of a family's massacre shocked the nation, prompting people from as far away as Maine to donate to a reward for the capture of the killers. At least two members of the Parraz family were Sureno gang members, Boudreaux said, adding that Goshen is considered rival Norteno territory. Beyond that information, the sheriff said investigators had not identified any motive for the slayings. Evidence that led to the suspects' arrests came in part thanks to DNA analysis, which was expedited by ATF labs in Maryland, Boudreaux said. The suspects had been under constant surveillance since Jan. 23, he said. "We knew every move they were making," Boudreaux said. "We had them under our wing where we wanted them." The public, he maintained, was never at risk. The Tulare County Sheriff's Office dubbed the early morning raids Operation Nightmare and said they included search warrants served at three locations in Goshen and nearby Visalia, and at several state prisons, including North Kern, Corcoran, Folsom and Pelican Bay. In all, eight cells and 16 inmates linked to the Nuestra Familia prison gang were targeted. Federal law enforcement has been assisting the Sheriff's Office in its investigation, along with police departments in Visalia, Porterville and Woodlake. The investigation is ongoing, authorities noted Friday. The morning after the killings, Boudreaux had declared that the violence was likely the work of a drug cartel. Twenty-four hours later, he modulated that assertion slightly. Im not saying this is a cartel, he said. But I am not eliminating that possibility. He also complained about what he termed a loose border. As he announced the arrests Friday, Boudreaux said some of his earlier public statements had been designed to reach the suspects and further the investigation. "We released information to the media on purpose," he said. "We mentioned cartels, we mentioned gang members up and down the state of California, the potential of them trying to get out of the country. [The suspects] felt we werent focusing on them." In Friday's arrests, authorities said additional weapons were recovered during the search of the homes of the two suspects. (Tulare County Sheriff's Office) Both suspects have a long record with law enforcement in Tulare County. In October 2021, Beard was arrested by Visalia police and charged with carrying a handgun and cocaine, according to Tulare County prosecutors. That case is pending, said Stuart Anderson, a spokesman for the Tulare County district attorney. At the time of the arrest, Beard was a fugitive, having violated probation in Kansas' Wyandotte County, where he was convicted of aggravated robbery, according to court records. He was extradited to Kansas in November 2021 to answer for the probation violation, Anderson said. Its unclear when he was released. Beard was previously charged in Tulare County in 2016 with hit and run, driving a stolen car and obstructing a Tulare County sheriffs deputy. He pleaded no contest to hit and run, other charges were dropped, and he served 20 days in county jail, Anderson said. Uriarte was charged in 2014 in Tulare County with assaulting a person with a handgun, a crime that prosecutors said was committed in association with an unspecified street gang. Anderson said Uriarte pleaded no contest and served about five years of a seven-year prison sentence. Uriarte and Beard could not be reached for comment. The Norteno gang the two men allegedly belong to are tied to the Nuestra Familia prison gang, one of two prison-based organizations that hold strong sway over Latino gangs in California. The other is the Mexican Mafia. The Nuestra Familia was born in the 1960s, formed by state prisoners who resented the Mexican Mafias grip over Latino inmates. At its founding, the Nuestra Familia Spanish for our family was not defined by any geographical divide. Many of its earliest members were from Chino, East Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California. Over the years, however, the Nuestra Familia came to draw its members from Northern and Central California gangs. A rough line was drawn at Bakersfield: Gangs north of this line answered to the Nuestra Familia, its members identifying both in prison and on the streets as Nortenos. Law enforcement officials have noticed that an increasing number of gangs in Northern and Central California now identify as Surenos, meaning they take orders from and pay taxes to members of the Mexican Mafia. In an FBI report reviewed by The Times, a recent defector from the Mexican Mafia said the organization was eager to expand into northern and rural areas of the state, where drugs command higher prices than in Southern California neighborhoods that are saturated with competing dealers. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Sander Srsveen Trelvik and Simon Johnsen On the evening of Feb. 2, Johnsen and Trelvik were on their way to evacuate people injured by the invaders shelling in the front-line town, VGwrote. After they arrived on-site, the Russians launched another strike on their location. Read also: Two UK volunteers killed in Soledar "They shelled the same place twice, Johnsen said. Because they saw survivors, they relaunched their attack. Read also: How residents of frontline Bakhmut live amid constant shelling NV report Johnsen noted that a number of people nearby their position were killed by the strikes. Trelvik' mother said her son has shrapnel wounds and burns on 30-40% of his body, VG added. According to the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, the country is now working to evacuate the two injured volunteers back home via Poland. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Up to 20 hours of additional footage from the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols by a group of Memphis Police Department officers has yet to be released, according to a law enforcement official in Tennessee. One day after his funeral in Memphis, President Joe Biden met with leaders from the Congressional Black Caucus on Thursday to discuss next steps as the White House is once again faced with an urgent demand for police reform after Nichols death three days after his brutal beating by a group of Memphis officers. The discussion focused on important reforms that have already been implemented as a result of the Presidents action, including the banning of chokeholds, restricting no-knock warrants, and requiring the use of body cameras at the federal level, and what more needs to be done by Congress, the White House shared in a statement after the meeting. During the service at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, Nichols family, civil rights leaders, and Vice President Kamala Harris all led calls for police reform and urged Congress to take action by finally passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Key points Up to 20 hours of video yet to be released Why Americas skateboarders are riding for Tyre Nichols What the Tyre Nichols footage shows Mourners demand police reform at funeral for Tyre Nichols Four of five police officers charged with murder had previous infractions Americans confidence in police dropped after Tyre Nichols beating 20:02 , Josh Marcus Public trust in the police continues to plummet, according to a new poll, after a large group of officers in Memphis were recorded severely beating Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop last month. When asked this month whether police were adequately trained to avoid excessive uses of force, 60 per cent of respondents to a Washington Post-ABC poll said they were not very or somewhat confident, while only 39 per cent answered in the affirmative. A similar dynamic played out on the matter of race, with 57 per cent saying they werent confident police treated Black and white people equally. Story continues Both of these markers represent further declines in public trust in police since the 2020 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. More details in our full story. Americans confidence in police dropped after Tyre Nichols beating Cory Booker mum on police reform conversations as Congressional Black Caucus meets with Biden to seek a deal 19:00 , Alex Woodward Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey is staying tight-lipped about any efforts on policing reform in light of the killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee, as President Joe Biden meets with the Congressional Black Caucus to discuss the topic. Mr Booker, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, had been the lead negotiator for the Democratic side for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in the previous Congress. But his negotiations with South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, the only Black Republican senator, ultimately fell through. I dont want to say (anything) about the momentum shift, but I will say that this is a horrific, yet another horrific act of violence committed by people wearing uniforms and police officers, he said of the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols. Its tragic and gruesome and awful. Booker mum on conversations around police reform as Black Caucus meets with Biden Memorial skateboard rides will keep pushing for Tyre' 18:00 , Alex Woodward Skateboarders across the country are holding a series of skateboarding events and rides in honour of Tyre Nichols on Saturday, with support from professional legends like Stevie Williams, a massively influential Black skateboarder who has called on skateboarders around the world to ride in unity in Nichols memory. The rides will celebrate his spirit, life and love, Mr Williams wrote on his Instagram. The entire world is angry and they have every right to be. We are not asking people not to protest, however, we want to make sure that Tyres life is remembered for what it was, not for how it tragically ended. Skateboarders to hold memorial rides on Saturday across the US 17:15 , Alex Woodward On 4 February, skateboarders across the country will ride in honour of Tyre Nichols, an avid skateboarder remembered for endless his kindness, encouragement and support for younger riders and other skaters in his communities. His death has hit skateboarding communities, particularly among Black skateboarders, especially hard; skateparks have turned into places of mourning for the tight-knit but welcoming groups whose passion is built on trust in their ability to pull off the impossible, and who view urban landscapes for their endless possibilities despite police harassment towards a sport and lifestyle seen as a nuisance to polite society. A series of group rides to Keep Pushing for Tyre will begin in two cities whose skate communities helped shaped him as a teenager and young man. In Memphis, skateboarders will ride from the National Civil Rights Museum. In Sacramento, California, a local skate shop will host a memorial skate session. And in Nashville, skateboarders are invited to attend a vigil at Public Square Park before a group ride. The rides will celebrate his spirit, life and love, according to professional skateboarder Steve Williams, who paid tribute to Nichols on his Instagram. The entire world is angry and they have every right to be. We are not asking people not to protest, however, we want to make sure that Tyres life is remembered for what it was, not for how it tragically ended. Why Americas skateboarders are riding for Tyre Nichols What Biden and Black lawmakers discussed at police reform meeting one day after Nichols funeral 17:00 , Alex Woodward (AFP via Getty Images) One day after a Memphis funeral for Tyre Nichols, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with members of the Congressional Black Caucus including senators Raphael Warnock and Cory Booker to discuss shared priorities, including the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the path forward on police reform in Congress, according to a statement from the White House. It is not the first time that the group convened in the Oval Office on the issue. The legislation named in honour of George Floyd passed the House of Representatives in 2021 but has stalled in a deadlocked Senate under Republican opposition, despite bipartisan negotiations and a working group with the White House to ensure its passage. The president initially gave Congress a deadline to pass the bill on the one-year anniversary of Floyds murder, but negotiations stalled and the bill was effectively dead. In their meeting on Thursday, the groups discussion covered executive actions taken up by the president in the wake of those stalled efforts, including the banning of chokeholds, restricting no-knock warrants, and requiring the use of body cameras at the federal level but underscored that no executive action can substitute for federal legislation, and the necessary changes at the state and local level will require Congress to act. President Biden and Vice President Harris remain committed to doing everything in their power to achieve meaningful police reform in Congress, according to a White House statement on the meeting. Why Americas skateboarders are riding for Tyre Nichols 16:25 , Megan Sheets A one-minute and 44-second montage of Tyre Nichols on his skateboard has been shared thousands of times following the publication of brutal footage of a group of Memphis Police Department officers fatally beating him in early January. Nichols, 29, died three days later, on 10 January. As his friends and family mourn, and as the nation recovers from the shock of another act of violence against a Black American by police officers, his skateboarding videos have taken on a new life, capturing a joy and expression that resonates with skateboarding communities across the US. His videos are playing everywhere, Jermone Neal, an avid skateboarder and one of Nichols childhood friends, told The Independent. Tony Hawk shared his video. Stevie Williams shared his video, bro. If Tyre is seeing that, bro, hes going crazy. Seeing his idols watching his video? He would be screaming right now. Im so glad we have them. Alex Woodward reports: Why Americas skateboarders are riding for Tyre Nichols Are officials shielding a white officer in the Tyre Nichols case? 13:00 , Josh Marcus The only known white officer involved in the brutal beating and subsequent death of Tyre Nichols was shielded and protected by Memphis Police Department, attorneys for the family said. Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, lawyers who are defending the Nichols family, denounced the Memphis police for allegedly giving special treatment to a white official by placing him on leave despite his involvement. The news today from Memphis officials that officer Preston Hemphill was reportedly relieved of duty weeks ago, but not yet terminated or charged is extremely disappointing, they said in a joint statement. The Memphis Police Department announced that a seventh officer Preston Hemphill was being put on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Shweta Sharma reports. Memphis police accused of shielding white officer involved in Tyre Nichols beating EXPLAINER: What the Tyre Nichols footage shows 12:00 , Josh Marcus The release of footage of the fatal assault of Tyre Nichols graphically depicted the prolonged and savage fatal beating that was meted out by five Memphis Police Department officers. But questions persist that the edited footage failed to answer, most notably the claimed traffic violation that had led officers to pull Nichols over in the first place, and what caused the officers to respond so violently. The four videos from the officers bodyworn cameras and CCTV were taken between 8.24pm and 9.20pm on 7 January. It shows the 29-year-old FedEx worker being pulled over, dragged from his car, pepper sprayed and beaten during a traffic stop. They are taken from two locations, the corner where Nichols was initially pulled over near the intersection of East Raines and Ross Rds, and about a half a mile away at Castlegate Lane where he is beaten with punches, kicks and baton strikes, and pepper sprayed. Bevan Hurley has the story. Four videos, 56 minutes, one deadly arrest: What the Tyre Nichols footage shows Video: Tyre Nichols mother speaks of unimaginable pain of losing son 11:00 , Josh Marcus Tyre Nichols mother expressed some of the unimaginable pain she is going through as she spoke at his funeral in Memphis. Tyre was a beautiful person, and for this to happen to him is just unimaginable, RowVaughn Wells said at the pulpit. In her emotional speech, she said: I promise you, the only thing thats keeping me going is the fact that I really truly believe my son was sent here on an assignment from God. I guess now his assignment is done, hes been taken home. US vice president Kamala Harris was among those in attendance. Tyre Nichols mother speaks of unimaginable pain of losing son ICYMI: Mourners demand justice at funeral for Tyre Nichols as family calls on Congress to combat police violence 10:00 , Josh Marcus Hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the life of Tyre Nichols on Wednesday evening in a ceremony inside a Mississippi Boulevard Baptist Church in Memphis. The 29-year-old Black man was fatally beaten by a group of Memphis Police Department officers last month, and horrific footage of the incident released last week has revived an urgent demand for reform. Reflecting on the far-reaching shock of his death, those in attendance at his funeral included vice president Kamala Harris, filmmaker Spike Lee and members of Congress, with a eulogy from the Rev Al Sharpton. There was also a call to action from civil rights attorney Ben Crump demanding swift justice against police who commit violence against Black Americans. In their remarks, faith leaders struck a delicate balance, urging support for a grieving family while reflecting on the sadness and anger of a nation just days after witnessing yet another attack against a Black American by police. Alex Woodward has the details. Mourners demand justice at funeral for Tyre Nichols Kamala Harris lends her voice to police reform debate 09:00 , Josh Marcus Vice President Kamala Harris addressed a congregation in Memphis gathered for a funeral service for Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who was fatally beaten by a group of Memphis Police Department officers. The vice president was among several members of President Joe Bidens administration attending the service at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church on 1 February. You have been extraordinary, she said of Nicholss mother RowVaughn Wells and stepfather Rodney Wells. We have a mother and a father who mourn the life of a young man who should be here today, she continued. They have a grandson who now does not have a father. His brothers and sisters will lose the love of growing old with their baby brother. Alex Woodward reports. Kamala Harris calls on Congress to pass police reform bill at Tyre Nichols funeral Whats next for the Biden policing agenda? 07:59 , Josh Marcus When Vice President Kamala Harris was called to the pulpit at the funeral for Tyre Nichols, she said the White House would settle for nothing less than ambitious federal legislation to crack down on police brutality. We should not delay. And we will not be denied, Harris said to applause in Memphis, Tennessee. It is non-negotiable. Back in Washington, however, progress appears difficult, if not unlikely. Bipartisan efforts to reach an agreement on policing legislation stalled more than a year ago, and President Joe Biden ended up instead signing an executive order named for George Floyd, whose murder at the hands of Minneapolis police set off nationwide protests nearly three years ago. Now, with a new killing in the headlines, Biden and Harris will meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Thursday to explore whether its possible to get legislation back on track. Chris Megerian and Farnoush Amiri report. After Tyre Nichols funeral, Biden faces pressure on policing At Nichols' funeral, Black America's grief on public display 07:00 , Josh Marcus The sound of the djembe drums started as a low tremble and grew more distinct as the musicians drew closer to the hundreds gathered inside the Memphis church. We love you, Tyre, the drummers chanted, referring to Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man whose beating by five police officers led to his death and this funeral on the first day of Black History Month. By the time the procession reached Nichols black casket draped in a large white bouquet, the congregation in the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church was on its feet shouting the chant in unison. Some raised clenched fists. Others let out screams of grief. Many grabbed tissues to dab at tears. All of it streamed live on television. The funeral on Wednesday had all the hallmarks of whats known as a homegoing service in Black American communities: comforting gospel hymns, remembrances from loved ones and a stirring eulogy from a clergyman. More from Aaron Morrison. ICYMI: What was Tyre Nichols pulled over for? 06:00 , Josh Marcus On 27 January, Memphis officials released video footage of the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died three days after being severely beaten during a traffic stop. The young mans death has caused deep pain for the Nichols family, and has sparked a city-wide scandal. Five Memphis Police Department officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith were fired from the department and now face second-degree murder charges. Vice President Kamala Harris and members of Congress attended his funeral on 1 February, where the Rev Al Sharpton delivered a eulogy. Members of Nichols family are slated to attend President Joe Bidens State of the Union address as guests of the Congressional Black Caucus. Body-worn camera footage shows officers dragging Nichols from his car and firing a taser weapon at him before he fled the scene on foot. More details in our full story. What was Tyre Nichols pulled over for? Will Biden address Tyre Nichols killing in State of the Union speech? 05:00 , Josh Marcus Among the key areas that President Biden underdelivered, due to roadblocks from Republicans and Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), is racial justice. It will be interesting to see if Biden reiterates his intention to pass voting rights legislation. And now, given the depraved killings of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police, will Biden renew calls for police reform? Read Ahmed Babas full story for Independent Voices. Why this years State of the Union will be so different Theres even more police video of Tyre Nichols arrest 04:00 , Josh Marcus Up to 20 hours of additional footage from the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols by a group of Memphis Police Department officers has yet to be released, according to a law enforcement official in Tennessee. Unreleased footage from the attack on 7 January includes audio of what was said among emergency responders and officers in the aftermath of the beating and after Nichols was moved to a local hospital, Shelby County prosecutor Steven Mulroy told CNN. Nichols died in hospital on 10 January, three days after the attack. It will be up to Memphis officials to determine whether to publicly release any additional footage, following the release of roughly one hour of footage from four separate videos on 27 January. That footage from officers body-worn cameras and a police surveillance camera pole constitute the relevant parts of the initial traffic stop and the beating at a second location, according to Mr Mulroy. Alex Woodward is on the story. Up to 20 hours of Tyre Nichols police video has yet to be released Skateboarding community rallies behind Tyre Nichols 03:00 , Josh Marcus warm orange glow surrounds a then-17-year-old Tyre Nichols as he glides on a ramp. On his skateboard, he floats across smooth concrete, jumps on a box and slides on a flat rail. In another clip, he stumbles on a concrete bar while performing a trick, then picks himself up and tries it again. He appears airless as a camera follows him cruising on his board and rolling across wide pavement. For one brief moment, he looks as if he is suspended in air, flipping on his board as he jumps a set of stairs in slow motion. A one-minute and 44-second montage of Nichols on his skateboard has been shared thousands of times following the publication of brutal footage of a group of Memphis Police Department officers fatally beating him in early January. Nichols, 29, died three days later, on 10 January. As his friends and family mourn, and as the nation recovers from the shock of another act of violence against a Black American by police officers, his skateboarding videos have taken on a new life, capturing a joy and expression that resonates with skateboarding communities across the US. Alex Woodward has the story. Why Americas skateboarders are riding for Tyre Nichols Library shooting marks latest Memphis police incident 02:00 , Josh Marcus One person was killed and an officer was left seriously injured at a library in East Memphis, according to the Memphis Police Department. The shooting comes as the citys police department has been in turmoil since the killing of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who officers beat for three minutes following a traffic stop on January 7. Mr Nichols died in the hospital three days later, with his death sparking protests in the city and across the country. The shooting at the Poplar-White Station Library took place shortly after officers responded to a call at the library around 12:30 pm, according to a statement shared on social media by the police department. The person who was shot was pronounced dead at the scene while the police officer was transported to the hospital. Abe Asher reports. Another shocking case of police violence 01:00 , Josh Marcus The family of Anthony Lowe, a Black man and double amputee who was fatally shot last week by Los Angeles area police, intends to sue the city of Huntington Park for civil rights violations. Theyre trained to respond in a certain manner when someone has a disability, Christian Contreras, an attorney for the Lowe family, told The Independent. We have law, state and federal, which prevents this kind of abuse. On 26 January, Huntington Park police responded to a call that a man in a wheelchair had stabbed someone. Multiple officers arrived to find Lowe holding a knife. Partial bystander video, which contains graphic images, captures Lowe appearing to flee, exiting his wheelchair and crawling along the ground, before police shot him multiple times. More details in our full report. Anthony Lowe: Family brings suit for unacceptable police killing of double amputee Marjorie Taylor Greene equates police killing of Tyre Nichols with shooting of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt 00:41 , Josh Marcus Marjorie Taylor Greene made a shaky comparison between the killings of Tyre Nichols and Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt which sickened many on social media this week in the wake of video being released depicting the unarmed motorists brutal killing by a gang of police officers. Speaking during a committee hearing, the Georgia congresswoman went on an extended tangent about Ms Babbitt being murdered by police. Noting that Ms Babbitts mother was in attendance, Ms Greene went on to say that Congress was doing nothing to address the treatment of other participants in the attack, many of whom remain incarcerated ahead of their respective trials. There has never been a trial. In fact, no one has cared about the person who shot and killed her, Ms Greene argued. John Bowden reports. Teen describes aggressive treatment from SCORPION Unit that arrested Tyre Nichols Thursday 2 February 2023 23:56 , Josh Marcus A teenager said the infamous SCORPION Unit whose officers killed Tyre Nichols subjected him to violent treatment as well. Maurice Chalmers-Stokes, 19, told WREG that in October, members of the now-disbanded unit in ski masks and unmarked cars suddenly attacked him without warning. They hopped out and bum-rushed me. They was like, Let me check your backpack. Dont try to run, Chalmers-Stokes said. Four of the officers involved in the encounter Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Tadarrius Bean, and Preston Hemphill have since been charged with murder in the Nichols case. What Kamala Harris said at Tyre Nicholss funeral Thursday 2 February 2023 23:05 , Josh Marcus Vice President Kamala Harris addressed a congregation in Memphis gathered for a funeral service for Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who was fatally beaten by a group of Memphis Police Department officers. The vice president was among several members of President Joe Bidens administration attending the service at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church on 1 February. You have been extraordinary, she said of Nicholss mother RowVaughn Wells and stepfather Rodney Wells. We have a mother and a father who mourn the life of a young man who should be here today, she continued. They have a grandson who now does not have a father. His brothers and sisters will lose the love of growing old with their baby brother. Alex Woodward has the whole story. Kamala Harris calls on Congress to pass police reform bill at Tyre Nichols funeral Four of five officers charged in death of Tyre Nichols had past disciplinary records Thursday 2 February 2023 22:42 , Josh Marcus Four of the five officers charged with murder in the death of Tyre Nichols had past records of disciplinary actions for use of force and other violations. According to the personnel files of the officers, obtained by Memphiss ABC 24 news station, the former officers were penalised for failing to file police reports, leaving a loaded gun in a squad car, dislocating a womans shoulder during an arrest, crashing into a stop sign, causing a car accident, and damaging department electronics. Fraternity revokes membership of officers involved in Tyre Nichols killing Thursday 2 February 2023 22:21 , Josh Marcus The Omega Psi Phi fraternity, one of the countrys most prominent Black university fraternities, has revoked the membership of three former members for their role in the police killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis earlier this month. A few days ago, on behalf of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, we joined with all other caring, thoughtful, decent, and fair-minded people in America and around the world in extending our deepest sympathy to the family of Tyre Nichols, the fraternity said in a statement. We have since learned that three of the former Memphis police officers involved in the horrific incident were members of our organization. Tadarrius Bean, one of the officers charged with Nicholss murder, was the fraternitys chapter president during his time at the University of Mississippi. Memphis police admit they had no proof to pull Tyre Nichols over Thursday 2 February 2023 21:42 , Josh Marcus Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis says there was no proof that Tyre Nichols had been driving recklessly prior to his arrest and fatal beating by five officers. Ms Davis told CNN that the department had reviewed all available video footage and found there was no probable cause to warrant Nichols arrest. Nichols, 29, was pulled over on 7 January for alleged reckless driving by members of the citys police department. Police have previously said that a confrontation occurred as they approached Nichols vehicle, and he fled on foot. He was taken into custody after a second confrontation, during which he received critical injuries. Bevan Hurley reports. How to support the family of Tyre Nichols Thursday 2 February 2023 21:20 , Josh Marcus A fundraiser created by the mother of Tyre Nichols has raised more than $1m for the family in the wake of his death. My husband and I have had our entire world turned upside down by what happened to our son, RowVaughn Wells wrote in the description of a GoFundMe page raising funds for the family. We are two hardworking, loving parents, [and] now have to turn our full-time attention to seeking proper justice for our son, she added. We have yet to have the proper space to begin our grieving process, which will be long and burdensome. The fundraiser will help cover the costs of mental health services and time off work, where they do not have unlimited paid time off, she said. Alex Woodward reports. How to support the family of Tyre Nichols Why Americas skateboarders are riding for Tyre Nichols Thursday 2 February 2023 21:00 , Josh Marcus A warm orange glow surrounds a then-17-year-old Tyre Nichols as he glides on a ramp. On his skateboard, he floats across smooth concrete, jumps on a box and slides on a flat rail. In another clip, he stumbles on a concrete bar while performing a trick, then picks himself up and tries it again. He appears airless as a camera follows him cruising on his board and rolling across wide pavement. For one brief moment, he looks as if he is suspended in air, flipping on his board as he jumps a set of stairs in slow motion. A one-minute and 44-second montage of Nichols on his skateboard has been shared thousands of times following the publication of brutal footage of a group of Memphis Police Department officers fatally beating him in early January. Nichols, 29, died three days later, on 10 January. As his friends and family mourn, and as the nation recovers from the shock of another act of violence against a Black American by police officers, his skateboarding videos have taken on a new life, capturing a joy and expression that resonates with skateboarding communities across the US. Alex Woodward reports. Why Americas skateboarders are riding for Tyre Nichols Is it relevant to focus on the race of the officers who killed Tyre Nichols? Thursday 2 February 2023 20:40 , Josh Marcus The police officers who killed Nichols are Black, which has prompted many people - particularly online - to attempt to counter the idea that his death is linked to systemic racism and police brutality in the law enforcement system. Not only is this a simplistic and illogical argument, but its one meant to distract us from our fight. The fight against police brutality has never just been about white cops or racist cops. Its about how the entire system encourages all those who join it - no matter what their own racial background - to dehumanize and target people of color. Read Nylah Burtons full commentary for Independent Voices. Stop focusing on race in Tyre Nichols death How many officers have been fired and charged over Tyre Nichols killing? Thursday 2 February 2023 20:25 , Josh Marcus The Memphis Police Department announced on Monday that a sixth officer has been suspended in connection to the brutal police beating of Tyre Nichols that preceded his death. Preston Hemphill, the officer who was suspended, joins another five officers who were fired from the force for their alleged involvement in Mr Nichols injuries. The five officers involved Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith were fired on 20 January and have since been charged with second-degree murder. Each of the five officers who were fired were part of the now-defunct SCORPION unit, which was created to address serious crime, but has since been permanently deactivated, according to the police department. Graig Graziosi has the details. Everything we know about the seven officers disciplined in Tyre Nichols beating Four videos, 56 minutes, seven Memphis police officers, one deadly arrest: What the Tyre Nichols footage shows Thursday 2 February 2023 20:05 , Josh Marcus The release of footage of the fatal assault of Tyre Nichols graphically depicted the prolonged and savage fatal beating that was meted out by five Memphis Police Department officers. But questions persist that the edited footage failed to answer, most notably the claimed traffic violation that had led officers to pull Nichols over in the first place, and what caused the officers to respond so violently. The four videos from the officers bodyworn cameras and CCTV were taken between 8.24pm and 9.20pm on 7 January. It shows the 29-year-old FedEx worker being pulled over, dragged from his car, pepper sprayed and beaten during a traffic stop. They are taken from two locations, the corner where Nichols was initially pulled over near the intersection of East Raines and Ross Rds, and about a half a mile away at Castlegate Lane where he is beaten with punches, kicks and baton strikes, and pepper sprayed. Bevan Hurley reports. Four videos, 56 minutes, one deadly arrest: What the Tyre Nichols footage shows Memphis police report contradicts violence shown on bodycam video Thursday 2 February 2023 19:44 , Josh Marcus A report from the Memphis Police Department paints a very different picture of the stop where officers violently arrested Tyre Nichols. In the document, which was obtained by NBC News and is not yet public, officers described Nichols as violently resisting arrest, while neglecting to mention how officers punched, kicked, and tased him repeatedly even though he was unarmed and appeared to be complying with their commands. Suspect Tyre Nichols was refusing a lawful detention by a law enforcement officers and he started to fight with detectives. Detectives noticed that the suspect Tyre Nichols was sweating profusely and irate when he exited the vehicle," the report reads. "Detectives gave verbal commands to stop resisting and then the suspect Tyre Nichols grabbed for Detective Martins gun." The report is the latest sign that the official police narrative of events deserves scrutiny. Officials have previously admitted their initial claims that Nichols was driving recklessly had no proof. Memphis police chief says theres no proof of Tyre Nichols reckless driving claim Is Biden doing enough to reform the police Thursday 2 February 2023 19:15 , Josh Marcus Observers and experts say Joe Biden has only been a half-hearted ally when it comes to reforming the police and advancing racial justice. Heres our in-depth look at whether the president is doing enough. Why Joe Biden has been a consistently inconsistent ally for civil rights so far Another shocking case of police violence, caught on video Thursday 2 February 2023 18:50 , Josh Marcus As Memphis was reeling from the Tyre Nichols case, another instance of police violence was caught on camera in California. Last week, police in Huntington Park, California, shot and killed Anthony Lowe, Jr, a double amputee, as he left his wheelchair and tried to flee. Abe Asher had this report on the case. Man missing both legs dies after cops shot him at least eight times Up to 20 hours of Tyre Nichols police video has yet to be released, revealing what was said after beating Thursday 2 February 2023 18:24 , Josh Marcus Up to 20 hours of additional footage from the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols by a group of Memphis Police Department officers has yet to be released, according to a law enforcement official in Tennessee. Unreleased footage from the attack on 7 January includes audio of what was said among emergency responders and officers in the aftermath of the beating and after Nichols was moved to a local hospital, Shelby County prosecutor Steven Mulroy told CNN. Nichols died in hospital on 10 January, three days after the attack. It will be up to Memphis officials to determine whether to publicly release any additional footage, following the release of roughly one hour of footage from four separate videos on 27 January. Alex Woodward reports. The video at the heart of the Tyre Nichols scandal Thursday 2 February 2023 17:53 , Josh Marcus Like police scandals that have come before it, officer bodycam video is a central part of illuminating what happened to Tyre Nichols, a Black motorist who was severly beaten by Memphis police officers earlier this month before dying in hospital. Memphis police have released footage of the brutal arrest, which shows a gang of officers punching, tasing, and kicking the 29-year-old until hes barely conscious. Heres our report on what the footage reveals. Footage reveals Tyre Nichols six-word plea to Memphis police officers What was Tyre Nichols pulled over for? Thursday 2 February 2023 17:30 , Josh Marcus On 27 January, Memphis officials released video footage of the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died three days after being severely beaten during a traffic stop. The young mans death has caused deep pain for the Nichols family, and has sparked a city-wide scandal. Five Memphis Police Department officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith were fired from the department and now face second-degree murder charges. Vice President Kamala Harris and members of Congress attended his funeral on 1 February, where the Rev Al Sharpton delivered a eulogy. Members of Nichols family are slated to attend President Joe Bidens State of the Union address as guests of the Congressional Black Caucus. Body-worn camera footage shows officers dragging Nichols from his car and firing a taser weapon at him before he fled the scene on foot. Heres what we know about why he was stopped. What was Tyre Nichols pulled over for? President Biden addresses Tyre Nichols death at National Prayer Breakfast in call for unity Thursday 2 February 2023 17:00 , Alex Woodward (REUTERS) At the bipartisan National Prayer Breakfast event in Washington DC on Thursday morning, President Joe Biden condemned the violence in our communities, pointing to recent mass shootings in California and the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis. Justice is long overdue, he said. In his remarks, the president said that in our politics and our lives, we too often see each other as opponents and not competitors. We see each other as enemies, not neighbors. And as tough as these times have been, if we look closer, we see the strength, the determination that has long defined America, he added. The president, invoking his soul of the nation theme that he has threaded throughout his campaign and administration, said that his prayer for the event that the nation begins to see each other again, look at each other again, travel with each other again, argue like hell with each other again but then still go to lunch together. We have to start treating each other in ways different than we have, in my humble opinion, he said. Why cant they see the humanity in Tyre?' Thursday 2 February 2023 16:01 , Alex Woodward A program for his funeral a Celebration of Life for Tyre Nichols said that he loved skateboarding, watching the sunset, photography and most of all helping people. He had the most infectious smile, it said. It prominently features a quote that was on his photography website: My vision is to bring my viewers deep into what I am seeing through my eye and out through my lens. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump issued a plea for justice for Nichols as both a son to grieving parents and father to a 4-year-old boy. But most of all, the human being, he said. Video footage of police officers beating Nichols did not include one ounce of humanity, Mr Crump said. Why cant they see the humanity in Tyre? he asked. More from the funeral service on Wednesday: Mourners demand justice at funeral for Tyre Nichols ICYMI: Four of five officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols had prior complaints, records reveal Thursday 2 February 2023 15:30 , Alex Woodward Four of the five former Memphis Police Department officers charged for the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols were suspended or reprimanded in prior incidents while working for the department, according to recently unveiled personnel files. Two of the officers were written up after failing to fill out required reports about the use of force during arrests. Two other officers were suspended without pay for traffic accidents, and one of those officers was suspended for failing to file a report about an incident of domestic abuse. The officers faced little if any consequences, according to reviews of the officers records, and they were praised in at least two instances, with other officers describing their actions as one-time events. Four of five officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols had prior complaints Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to meet with Congressional Black Caucus on police reform Thursday 2 February 2023 14:50 , Alex Woodward One day after the funeral of Tyre Nichols, as mourners demanded Congress take action on national police reform legislation, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with members of Congress on Thursday afternoon to discuss their options. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday that the meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus will be a real conversation about police reform but she did not detail a path forward or potential executive actions if a Republican-controlled House and deadlocked Senate fails to advance a bill. In a statement on 29 January, caucus chair Steven Horsford said that members are calling on our colleagues in the House and Senate to jumpstart negotiations now and work with us to address the public health epidemic of police violence that disproportionately affects many of our communities. The brutal beating of Tyre Nichols was murder and is a grim reminder that we still have a long way to go in solving systemic police violence in America, he added. President Biden intially gave Congress a deadline to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in 2021 on the one-year anniversary of that mans death. The White House also quietly abandoned plans that year for a national commission on police oversight to focus on the legislation. In April of 2021, Domestic Policy Council director Susan Rice said a commission would not be the most effective way to implement those reforms, based on close, respectful consultation with civil rights groups. WATCH: Tyre Nichols godsister reads heartbreaking poem at funeral Thursday 2 February 2023 14:00 , Rachel Sharp At Tyre Nichols funeral on Wednesday, his godsister LaToya Yizar read out a heartbreaking poem echoing some of the final words of the 29-year-old Black man as he told officers: Im just trying to go home. Watch the touching moment below: Initial Memphis police report falsely claims Tyre Nichols fought officers Thursday 2 February 2023 13:30 , Rachel Sharp A leaked incident report on Tyre Nichols arrest and fatal beating by Memphis police officers contains glaring inaccuracies that were later exposed after the release of bodycam and surveillance footage. The report, written two hours after Nichols beating on 7 January, claimed that the 29-year-old was irate and refused lawful detention, tried to start a fight with officers, and also attempted to take an officers gun, during an initial traffic stop. Video evidence released on 27 January told a very different story, showing officers swarming Nichols car and dragging him out, shouting contradictory commands and using pepper spray and a taser on him while he was trying to comply. The Independents Bevan Hurley has the full story: Initial Memphis police report falsely claims Tyre Nichols fought officers Today: Biden to meet with Congressional Black Caucus on police reform Thursday 2 February 2023 13:00 , Alex Woodward President Joe Biden will meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Thursday to have a real conversation about police reform, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. She told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday that the administration will continue to push for congressional passage of the bill, which passed in the formerly Democratically controlled House of Representatives in 2021 but stalled in the Senate. Ms Jean-Pierre did address whether the White House would consider executive actions. Unanswered questions from the Tyre Nichols footage Thursday 2 February 2023 12:30 , Rachel Sharp Horrifying footage of the brutal and deadly beating of a Black man at the hands of law enforcement officers in Memphis has caused outrage across America and reignited demands for an overhaul of policing as we now know it. Tyre Nichols, 29, was pulled over for a traffic stop on the night of 7 June. He died three days later in hospital, with an independent autopsy by Nichols family finding that he suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating. Damning footage taken from the police officers bodyworn cameras and a police pole camera was finally released to the public on Friday. It shows a group of Memphis police officers punching, kicking and tasering Nichols and beating him with batons. The 29-year-old is then left slumped up against a police car limp, disorientated and struggling to sit upright from his injuries. One of the most chilling parts of the footage captures the officers laughing and boasting about the beating they rained down on the Black man, with one officer heard saying he was hitting him with straight haymakers, dog. Before paramedics arrive on the scene sometime later and take him to hospital, the officers fail to administer him any medical aid. The deadly beating coming almost three years on from the murder of George Floyd and echoing the police beating of Rodney King three decades earlier led to protests across America over the weekend demanding justice and an end to police brutality. The five Memphis Police officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith were fired by department and charged with second-degree murder. On Monday, two other officers were also relieved of their duties while three Memphis Fire Department officials two emergency reponders and a lieutenant were fired. Footage captured Tyre Nichols being beaten by Memphis police officers However, the hour-long footage has still left several questions still unanswered. The Independents Rachel Sharp reveals what we still dont know: These questions remain unanswered after video exposed police beating Tyre Nichols Four videos, 56 minutes, seven Memphis police officers, one deadly arrest Thursday 2 February 2023 12:00 , Alex Woodward Nearly an hour of footage showing Memphis police officers pepper spray, baton, punch, kick and tase Tyre Nichols helped bring swift murder charges against the officers involved in the attack. The Independents Bevan Hurley explains what was captured in four videos and what questions remain about the case after their release: Four videos, 56 minutes, one deadly arrest: What the Tyre Nichols footage shows After Tyre Nichols funeral, Biden faces pressure on policing Thursday 2 February 2023 11:30 , Rachel Sharp When Vice President Kamala Harris was called to the pulpit at the funeral for Tyre Nichols, she said the White House would settle for nothing less than ambitious federal legislation to crack down on police brutality. We should not delay. And we will not be denied, Harris said to applause in Memphis, Tennessee. It is non-negotiable. Back in Washington, however, progress appears difficult, if not unlikely. Bipartisan efforts to reach an agreement on policing legislation stalled more than a year ago, and President Joe Biden ended up instead signing an executive order named for George Floyd, whose murder at the hands of Minneapolis police set off nationwide protests nearly three years ago. Now, with a new killing in the headlines, Biden and Harris will meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Thursday to explore whether its possible to get legislation back on track. After Tyre Nichols funeral, Biden faces pressure on policing Watch: Al Sharpton calls Tyre Nicholss attackers punks in eulogy Thursday 2 February 2023 11:00 , Alex Woodward Mourners demand justice at funeral for Tyre Nichols as family calls on Congress to combat police violence Thursday 2 February 2023 10:30 , Rachel Sharp In their remarks, faith leaders struck a delicate balance urging support for a grieving family while reflecting the sadness and anger of a nation days after witnessing yet another attack against a Black American by police. His family endured the unsolicited .... and unjustifiable burden of grieving their loved one and at the same time demanding justice, senior pastor J Lawrence Turner said. Were praying for you that God will continue to give you strength, because your strength has held us steady, and helped us constructively channel our outrage and turn our anger into action, he added. Mourners demand justice at funeral for Tyre Nichols Up to 20 hours of video involving arrest yet to be released Thursday 2 February 2023 10:00 , Rachel Sharp Up to 20 hours of video related to Tyre Nichols deadly arrest is yet to be released by Memphis officials. Shelby County prosecutor Steven Mulroy told CNN on Wednesday that the footage includes audio of what officers said in the aftermath of the fatal beating and after Nichols was rushed by ambulance to hospital where he never recovered. To date, 56 minutes of footage has been released to the public as four separate videos. Three of the videos are from bodycam footage of Memphis police officers, while the fourth is taken from a security camera mounted on a streetpole. Mr Mulroy said that it falls to the city of Memphis and Memphis police to decide when to share the full footage with the public, as he revealed the prosecutors office is considering bringing more charges in the case. Full story: Kamala Harris speaks at Tyre Nichols funeral in Memphis calling on Congress to pass police reform legislation Thursday 2 February 2023 09:00 , Alex Woodward Vice President Kamala Harris urged Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, bipartisan police reform legislation that passed the House of Representatives in 2021 but stalled in a deadlocked Senate with Republican opposition. The bill, named in honour of the Black man who was murdered by Minneapolis police officers in 2020, was co-authored by then-Senator Harris. Let the memory of Tyre shine a light on the path toward peace and justice, Ms Harris said in her brief remarks. Kamala Harris calls on Congress to pass police reform bill at Tyre Nichols funeral We mourn with you: Kamala Harris gives passionate speech at Tyre Nicholss funeral Thursday 2 February 2023 08:00 , Alex Woodward Vice President Kamala Harris was invited to attend the funeral of Tyre Nichols by his mother and stepfather, and the Rev Al Sharpton invited her to address the congregation gathered in Memphis on Wednesday. She told his parents that the people of our country mourn with you and praised them for their strength, courage, and grace. Blood on their hands: Tyre Nichols mother warns lawmakers against blocking George Floyd bill Thursday 2 February 2023 07:00 , Alex Woodward Wednesdays funeral for Tyre Nichols in Memphis saw a re-energised call for the passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, federal legislation that was passed by the House of Representatives in 2021 but has otherwise stalled in Congress. The police are not always telling the whole truth' Thursday 2 February 2023 05:00 , Alex Woodward Police are partisan actors just like everyone else in power, writes The Independents Josh Marcus, reflecting on his coverage of policing and criminal justice. Its vital to take their claims with a grain of salt. Tyre Nichols death shows us the police are not always telling the truth | Voices Elite police units in spotlight after brutal killing by Scorpion officers Thursday 2 February 2023 03:00 , Alex Woodward Memphis Police Departments now-disbanded SCORPION unit which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods was introduced in October 2021. It was dissolved in the aftermath of Tyre Nicholss death. The Independents Graeme Massie examines several similar controversial units in departments across the US that have been accused of abuse and excessive force. Elite police units in spotlight after brutal Tyre Nichols killing by officers Marjorie Taylor Greene compares Tyre Nichols beating to shooting of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt Thursday 2 February 2023 02:00 , Alex Woodward Far-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene invoked the fatal shooting of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt after the mention of Tyre Nichols, who was fatally beaten by police. She then suggested that people who have been jailed for their roles in the insurrection are facing civil rights abuse in jail. Ms Greene went on to say that Congress was doing nothing to address the treatment of other participants in the attack, many of whom remain incarcerated ahead of their respective trials. Theres a simple reason for that: Ms Babbitt was part of a crowd that was actively trying to breach a door that had been barricaded in a restricted area. She was shot by an officer while attempting to climb through a window that her fellow rioters had broken. Federal prosecutors have closed the case and the officer was cleared of wrondoing. Marjorie Taylor Greene equates police killing of Tyre Nichols with Ashli Babbitt Initial Memphis police report falsely claims Tyre Nichols fought officers Thursday 2 February 2023 01:00 , Alex Woodward A leaked incident report on Tyre Nichols arrest and fatal beating by Memphis police officers contains glaring inaccuracies that were later exposed after the release of bodycam and surveillance footage. The report, written two hours after Nichols beating on 7 January, claimed that the 29-year-old was irate and refused lawful detention, tried to start a fight with officers, and also attempted to take an officers gun, during an initial traffic stop. Initial Memphis police report falsely claims Tyre Nichols fought officers ICYMI: Four of five officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols had prior complaints, records reveal Thursday 2 February 2023 00:00 , Alex Woodward Four of the five former Memphis Police Department officers charged for the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols were suspended or reprimanded in prior incidents while working for the department, according to recently unveiled personnel files. The officers faced little if any consequences, according to the citys records of their cases, and they were praised in at least two instances, with other officers describing their actions as one-time events. Four of five officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols had prior complaints Watch: Daughter of Rodney King reacts to video of Tyre Nichols Wednesday 1 February 2023 23:45 , Alex Woodward Im Just Trying to Go Home' Wednesday 1 February 2023 22:41 , Alex Woodward LaToya Yizar, who says her mother was Tyre Nichols godmother, read a poem at his funeral invoking the words he told officers the night he was beaten. From the lectern at Mississippi Boulevard Baptist Church in Memphis, she read Im Just Trying to Go Home. In his eulogy, the Rev Al Sharpton said that home is not just a place. Home is where you are at peace. Home is where you dont have to keep your dukes up. Home is where youre not vulnerable, he said. Home is where everything is all right. Full story: Mourners demand justice at funeral for Tyre Nichols as family calls on Congress to combat police violence Wednesday 1 February 2023 22:30 , Alex Woodward Soft purple light surrounded a closed casket beneath a wooden cross inside Mississippi Boulevard Baptist Church in Memphis, where hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the life of Tyre Nichols in a ceremony marked by the weight of his loss and a raging fury against police violence. The 29-year-old Black man was fatally beaten by a group of Memphis Police Department officers in January, and horrific footage of the incident released last week has revived an international, urgent demand for reform. Reflecting the far-reaching shock of his death, those in attendance at his funeral on 1 February included Vice President Kamala Harris, filmmaker Spike Lee and members of Congress, with a eulogy from the Rev Al Sharpton. There was also a call to action from civil rights attorney Ben Crump demanding swift justice against police who commit violence against Black Americans. Mourners demand justice at funeral for Tyre Nichols Tyre Nicholss mother and stepfather speak at sons funeral Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:59 , Alex Woodward Vice President Kamala Harris, left, embraces RowVaughn Wells, the mother of Tyre Nichols, at his funeral service on 1 February. (Getty Images) In her remarks at her sons funeral, Tyre Nicholss mother RowVaughn Wells urged members of Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, federal police reform legislation aimed at addressing police misonduct and holding officers accountable for police violence. If we dont, that next child that dies, that blood will be on their hands, she said through tears. Were looking forward to passing some bills. Were looking forward to getting justice for all of the families over there, not just ours, Nicholss stepfather Rodney Wells said. We cannot continue to let these people brutalize our kids. All I want is my baby brother back' Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:51 , Alex Woodward Keyana Dixon, the oldest sister of Tyre Nichols, fondly remembered growing up with her younger brother as she addressed a massive congregation gathered for his funeral. I see the world showing him love and fighting for his justice, but all I want is my baby brother back, she said, speaking through tears. Even in his demise, he was still polite: He asked them to Please stop. Ben Crump issues a plea for justice' in funeral remarks Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:28 , Alex Woodward Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has represented the families of several Black Americans killed by police, including the family of Tyre Nichols, issued a plea for justice during his funeral service. His plea for justice for Nichols as a son and father but most of all, the human being. Video footage of police officers beating Nichols did not include not one ounce of humanity, Mr Crump said. Why cant they see the humanity in Tyre? he asked. Watch: Al Sharpton calls Tyre Nichols attackers punks during fiery speech at funeral Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:24 , Alex Woodward Watch in full: Kamala Harris speaks at the funeral of Tyre Nichols Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:20 , Alex Woodward Al Sharpton condemns officers charged in Nicholss death as he delivers eulogy Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:20 , Alex Woodward Rev Al Sharpton condemned the actions of the Black officers who are charged with the murder of Tyre Nichols, arguing that the sacrifies of civil rights leaders like Dr Martin Luther King Jr paved the way for their public service. People had to march and go to jail and some people lost their lives to open the doors for you. How dare you act like that sacrifice was for nothing? he said. Mr Sharpton visited the Lorraine Motel where Dr King was killed the morning before the service. He invoked Dr Kings Ive Been to the Mountaintop speech that Dr King delivered from the Mason Temple in Memphis the day before his murder. Let us all be mountain climbers, he said. Kamala Harris addresses Tyre Nichols funeral Wednesday 1 February 2023 19:53 , Alex Woodward (Getty Images) Rev Al Sharpton invited Vice President Kamala Harris to address a congregation at Tyre Nicholss funeral service. You have been extraordinary, she said of his mother RowVaughn Wells and stepfather Rodney Wells. We have a mother and a father who mourn the life of a young man who should be here today. They have a grandson who now does not have a father. His brothers and sisters will lose the love of growing old withtheir baby brother, she continued. Nichols died following an act of violence at the hands and the feet of the people who have been charged with keeping them safe, she said. This violent act was not in pursuit of public safety. It was not in the interest of keeping the public safe, she continued. Was he not also entitled to the right to be safe? She urged Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, bipartisan police reform legislation that passed the House of Representatives but stalled in a deadlocked Senate with Republican opposition. Mother of Black man killed by Houston police officer calls on mothers to stop all of this' Wednesday 1 February 2023 19:42 , Alex Woodward Tiffany Rachal, the mother of Jalen Randle, a Black man who was killed by a Houston police officer last year, addressed the family of Tyre Nichols during his funeral before singing Lord I Will Lift My Eyes to the Hills. Randle, like Nichols, was 29 years old when he died. I pray that God bless you. I pray that God heal your broken heart, she said. Addressing mothers who have endured police shootings, she said that we are fighting together and all of the mothers all over the world need to come together and stop all of this. Kamala Harris arrives in Memphis Wednesday 1 February 2023 19:17 , Alex Woodward Vice President Kamala Harris has arrived in Memphis to attend the funeral of Tyre Nichols. (AP) The program for the Celebration of Life for Tyre Nichols Wednesday 1 February 2023 19:27 , Alex Woodward A program for the funeral of Tyre Nichols a Celebration of Life for Tyre Nichols reads that he loved skateboarding, watching the sunset, photography and most of all helping people. He had the most infectious smile, it reads. It prominently features a quote of his that was on his photography website: My vision is to bring my viewers deep into what I am seeing through my eye and out through my lens. Senior pastor begins funeral service Wednesday 1 February 2023 19:15 , Alex Woodward In opening remarks, Senior Pastor Rev J Lawrence Turner said the fmaily of Tyre Nichols has endured the unsolicited .... and unjustifiable burden of grieving their loved one and at the same time demanding justice. Were praying for you that God will continue to give you strength, because your strength has held us steady, and helped us constructively channel our outrage and turn our anger into action, he said. (AP) Watch: Funeral service begins in Memphis for Tyre Nichols Wednesday 1 February 2023 18:58 , Alex Woodward The Rev Al Sharpton will deliver a eulogy at the funeral for Tyre Nichols at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis this afternoon. Vice President Kamala Harris and members of the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are expected to attend. Pastor J Lawrence Turner expects as many as 2,500 in attendance. The service begins at 1pm central time. Funeral for Tyre Nichols begins soon Wednesday 1 February 2023 18:20 , Alex Woodward Mourners are beginning to gather for a funeral service for Tyre Nichols at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis. The service will begin at 1pm central time. (AP) Church pastor expects 2,500 in attendance Wednesday 1 February 2023 17:30 , Alex Woodward The senior pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church told USA Today that he expects the church to be at capacity for the afternoon funeral service for Tyre Nichols. I think there will be north of 2,500 persons there, the Rev J Lawrence Turner said. Our staff and a committed team of volunteers are working together in coordination with the team from [Ben Crumps law firm] and the National Action Network to accommodate everyone who is coming to celebrate Tyre Nicholss life. The Rev Al Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network civil rights organisation, said that he was invited by Nicholss family to deliver a euology at the service. They asked me if I would come do a eulogy, he told The Memphis Commercial Appeal. I told them Id be honored to do it. Members of the Biden administration to attend funeral Wednesday 1 February 2023 17:00 , Alex Woodward Keisha Lance Bottoms (Getty Images) At least three members of President Joe Bidens administration will attend Tyre Nicholss funeral in Memphis on Wednesday afternoon, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who spoke with his family earlier this week. A statement from their attorney Ben Crump said his mother RowVaughn Wells and stepfather Rodney Wells invited her. Mitch Landrieu (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms who is a senior advisor and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement also is expected to attend. So is former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who now serves as a senior White House adviser overseeing the implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Memphis police SCORPION unit had $28m annual budget Wednesday 1 February 2023 16:33 , Alex Woodward The now-dissolved unit involved with the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols operated with a $28m annual budget from the time of its creation in 2021 until it was disbanded after the release of video footage of the officers brutally attacking the 29-year-old Black man. The Memphis Police Departments now-former unit Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, or SCORPION was among highly armed and armoured local police details across the US deployed in high crime areas that have faced waves of criticism, scandal and allegations of abuse. The Independents Graeme Massie explains: Elite police units in spotlight after brutal Tyre Nichols killing by officers Four of five officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols had prior complaints, records reveal Wednesday 1 February 2023 16:00 , Alex Woodward Four of the five former Memphis Police Department officers charged for the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols were suspended or reprimanded in prior incidents while working for the department, according to recently unveiled personnel files. Two of the officers were written up after failing to fill out required reports about the use of force during arrests. Two other officers were suspended without pay for traffic accidents, and one of those officers was suspended for failing to file a report about an incident of domestic abuse. They faced little if any consequences, according to reviews of the officers records, and they were praised in at least two instances, with other officers describing their actions as one-time events. Four of five officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols had prior complaints Who is attending Tyre Nicholss funeral? Wednesday 1 February 2023 15:30 , Alex Woodward Those in attendance at todays service will include the Rev Al Sharpton, who will deliver a euology, and Vice President Kamala Harris. The former mayors of Atlanta and New Orleans Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mitch Landrieu, both of whom now work in President Joe Bidens administration will also attend. What time is Tyre Nichols funeral and who is attending? Memphis prepares to lay Nichols to rest Wednesday 1 February 2023 15:15 , Alex Woodward A funeral for Tyre Nichols will begin later this morning inside Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis. Winter weather had delayed the service, which will take place three weeks after Nicholss fatal beating by Memphis Police Department officers. The service will begin at 1pm central time. (AP) (AP) Memphis is preparing release of more complete footage Wednesday 1 February 2023 14:37 , Alex Woodward The city of Memphis is responding to calls for the full release of footage related to the arrest and death of Tyre Nichols, including audio and video footage, which could be releaed within the next few weeks, according to a city spokesperson. Jennifer Sink, Chief Legal Officer for the city, said that the premature release of the video and audio could compromise our administrative investigation into his fatal beating. The City is preparing to release these recordings publicly upon completion of the administrative investigation, which is expected to occur in the next few weeks, she added. Mr Nichols family and attorneys have been afforded an opportunity to view the entirety of the audio and video footage privately until it can be released publicly. We request the publics patience while we complete our investigation. A question central to the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols: Why was he even being pulled over? Wednesday 1 February 2023 14:00 , Alex Woodward Footage of the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols has directly contradicted initial police reports, and an initial claim that he was pulled over for reckless driving was effectively retracted by officials in the wake of his death. Im going to be honest with you about the stop itself. What was said was there was witnessing of what was considered reckless driving, police chief Cerelyn Davis told CNN on Friday. Weve looked at cameras. Weve looked at body worn cameras. Even if something occurred prior to this stop, weve been unable to substantiate it, she said. All told, according to the Memphis Police Department, two different altercations occurred between Nichols and officers over the course of the stop, the latter taking place just blocks from Nicholss home. Heres what we know so far: Why was Tyre Nichols pulled over and beaten? A sixth Memphis police officer was fired on Friday in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols, a Black motorist who died shortly after a violent traffic stop in January. Preston Hemphill, hired in 2018, violated multiple department policies surrounding personal conduct, truthfulness, the use of stun guns, as well as handling evidence, according to the Memphis Police Department. The death of Nichols appears to have further eroded public trust in police, according to new research. When asked this month whether police were adequately trained to avoid excessive uses of force, 60 per cent of respondents to a Washington Post-ABC poll said they were not very or somewhat confident, while only 39 per cent answered in the affirmative. That reputation could fall even further, as theres reportedly up to 20 hours of additional footage from the deadly beating by Memphis police that has yet to be released, according to a law enforcement official in Tennessee. As state and federal leaders discuss new reforms, President Joe Biden met with leaders from the Congressional Black Caucus on Thursday to consider next steps as the White House is once again faced with an urgent demand for police reform. Key points Sixth Memphis police officer Preston Hemphill fired over Tyre Nichols killing Americans confidence in police dropped after Tyre Nichols beating Up to 20 hours of video yet to be released Why Americas skateboarders are riding for Tyre Nichols What the Tyre Nichols footage shows Two EMTs on scene of Tyre Nichols beating have licenses suspended for obvious error in care Sixth Memphis police officer Preston Hemphill fired over Tyre Nichols killing 00:01 , Josh Marcus The Memphis Police Department on Friday fired a sixth officer, Preston Hemphill, in connection with the violent arrest and subsequent death of Tyre Nichols last month. The department said in a statement on Friday that Mr Hemphill, hired in 2018, violated multiple department policies surrounding personal conduct, truthfulness, the use of stun guns, as well as handling evidence. Story continues The Independent has contacted the Memphis police union for comment. The Nichols family had previously accused officials of shielding Mr Hemphill, who is white, from consequences, while prosecuting five Black officers involved in the scandal. Mr Hemphill had been on administrative leave since the beginning of the case while he faced an internal investigation. More details in our breaking news story. Sixth Memphis police officer fired over Tyre Nichols killing Were thinking about victims of police violence the wrong way 00:00 , Josh Marcus Every time US police kill another civilian and in 2022, a record-breaking year, they slayed more than three people a day on average it can seem there is a subtle tendency to emphasize the aspects of the victimss lives that would make them seem especially unworthy of their fate. See the portrayals, in articles and infographics and murals, of Tyre Nichols as a friendly, artistically inclined skateboarder, or George Floyd as a gentle giant and doting father of Gianna, or Breonna Taylor as a dedicated EMT, or Atatiana Jefferson as a family caregiver, or Philando Castile as a beloved school cafeteria worker compared to Mr Rogers with dreadlocks, or Eric Garner, who famously cried out, I cant breathe, memorialised in a poem as a gardener making the air cleaner for all to breathe in peace. What I submit, especially to those people who are lucky enough to process these events as pure observers, or who are just thinking about police violence for the first time, is to avoid the thinking that there is even such a thing as someone who is worthy of excessive force, or that theres any link between someones personality and history and how police should treat them. It doesnt matter whether you are white or Black, liberal or conservative, innocent or guilty of a crime, even a serious one. By law, you have a right to walk away from a police encounter with your life unless you are an imminent, lethal threat to those around you. Read the full piece in Independent Voices. Were thinking about victims of police violence the wrong way Another officer fired over Tyre Nichols killing Friday 3 February 2023 23:47 , Josh Marcus The Memphis Police Department has fired a sixth officer, Preston Hemphill, in connection with the violent arrest and subsequent death of Tyre Nichols last month. The department said in a statement on Friday that Mr Hemphill, hired in 2018, violated multiple department policies surrounding personal conduct, truthfulness, the use of TASERs, as well as handling evidence. The Nichols family had previously accused officials of shielding Mr Hemphill, who is white, from consequences, while prosecuting five Black officers involved in the scandal. Memphis police accused of shielding white officer involved in Tyre Nichols beating What was Tyre Nichols pulled over for? Friday 3 February 2023 23:00 , Josh Marcus On 27 January, Memphis officials released video footage of the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died three days after being severely beaten during a traffic stop. The young mans death has caused deep pain for the Nichols family, and has sparked a city-wide scandal. Five Memphis Police Department officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith were fired from the department and now face second-degree murder charges. Vice President Kamala Harris and members of Congress attended his funeral on 1 February, where the Rev Al Sharpton delivered a eulogy. Members of Nichols family are slated to attend President Joe Bidens State of the Union address as guests of the Congressional Black Caucus. Body-worn camera footage shows officers dragging Nichols from his car and firing a taser weapon at him before he fled the scene on foot. Heres what we know. What was Tyre Nichols pulled over for? Two EMTs on scene of Tyre Nichols beating have licenses suspended for obvious error in care Friday 3 February 2023 22:00 , Josh Marcus Two EMTs who were called to the scene of the Tyre Nichols beating have had their licenses suspended, the Associated Press reports. Robert Long and JaMichael Sandridge, two former employees of the Memphis Fire Department, could have done more to stop the injuries that later caused Nicholss death, according to the Emergency Medical Services board. Board member Sullivan Smith said it was obvious to even a lay person that Nichols was in terrible distress and needed help, according to the AP. Both EMTs were fired following Nicholss death in January. After Tyre Nichols death, can this bodycam AI make police more accountable? Friday 3 February 2023 21:00 , Josh Marcus How do you make a police force accountable in the age of Tyre Nichols? One company thinks the answer lies in AI. Truleo, a system that uses artificial intelligence to monitor audio from police officers bodycams and rate their interactions, is a tool that is supposed to prevent such tragedies from occurring. The tech has been getting a lot of attention since Nichols death, appearing everywhere from CNN to Axios. And CEO Anthony Tassone is bullish about its effectiveness, telling me on a Zoom call: If Memphis PD had Truleo, Tyre Nichols would be alive today. Holly Baxter takes an in-depth look at this proposed solution. Can bodycam AI make police more accountable? Americans confidence in police dropped after Tyre Nichols beating Friday 3 February 2023 20:02 , Josh Marcus Public trust in the police continues to plummet, according to a new poll, after a large group of officers in Memphis were recorded severely beating Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop last month. When asked this month whether police were adequately trained to avoid excessive uses of force, 60 per cent of respondents to a Washington Post-ABC poll said they were not very or somewhat confident, while only 39 per cent answered in the affirmative. A similar dynamic played out on the matter of race, with 57 per cent saying they werent confident police treated Black and white people equally. Both of these markers represent further declines in public trust in police since the 2020 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. More details in our full story. Americans confidence in police dropped after Tyre Nichols beating Cory Booker mum on police reform conversations as Congressional Black Caucus meets with Biden to seek a deal Friday 3 February 2023 19:00 , Alex Woodward Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey is staying tight-lipped about any efforts on policing reform in light of the killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee, as President Joe Biden meets with the Congressional Black Caucus to discuss the topic. Mr Booker, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, had been the lead negotiator for the Democratic side for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in the previous Congress. But his negotiations with South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, the only Black Republican senator, ultimately fell through. I dont want to say (anything) about the momentum shift, but I will say that this is a horrific, yet another horrific act of violence committed by people wearing uniforms and police officers, he said of the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols. Its tragic and gruesome and awful. Booker mum on conversations around police reform as Black Caucus meets with Biden Memorial skateboard rides will keep pushing for Tyre' Friday 3 February 2023 18:00 , Alex Woodward Skateboarders across the country are holding a series of skateboarding events and rides in honour of Tyre Nichols on Saturday, with support from professional legends like Stevie Williams, a massively influential Black skateboarder who has called on skateboarders around the world to ride in unity in Nichols memory. The rides will celebrate his spirit, life and love, Mr Williams wrote on his Instagram. The entire world is angry and they have every right to be. We are not asking people not to protest, however, we want to make sure that Tyres life is remembered for what it was, not for how it tragically ended. Skateboarders to hold memorial rides on Saturday across the US Friday 3 February 2023 17:15 , Alex Woodward On 4 February, skateboarders across the country will ride in honour of Tyre Nichols, an avid skateboarder remembered for endless his kindness, encouragement and support for younger riders and other skaters in his communities. His death has hit skateboarding communities, particularly among Black skateboarders, especially hard; skateparks have turned into places of mourning for the tight-knit but welcoming groups whose passion is built on trust in their ability to pull off the impossible, and who view urban landscapes for their endless possibilities despite police harassment towards a sport and lifestyle seen as a nuisance to polite society. A series of group rides to Keep Pushing for Tyre will begin in two cities whose skate communities helped shaped him as a teenager and young man. In Memphis, skateboarders will ride from the National Civil Rights Museum. In Sacramento, California, a local skate shop will host a memorial skate session. And in Nashville, skateboarders are invited to attend a vigil at Public Square Park before a group ride. The rides will celebrate his spirit, life and love, according to professional skateboarder Steve Williams, who paid tribute to Nichols on his Instagram. The entire world is angry and they have every right to be. We are not asking people not to protest, however, we want to make sure that Tyres life is remembered for what it was, not for how it tragically ended. Why Americas skateboarders are riding for Tyre Nichols What Biden and Black lawmakers discussed at police reform meeting one day after Nichols funeral Friday 3 February 2023 17:00 , Alex Woodward (AFP via Getty Images) One day after a Memphis funeral for Tyre Nichols, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with members of the Congressional Black Caucus including senators Raphael Warnock and Cory Booker to discuss shared priorities, including the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the path forward on police reform in Congress, according to a statement from the White House. It is not the first time that the group convened in the Oval Office on the issue. The legislation named in honour of George Floyd passed the House of Representatives in 2021 but has stalled in a deadlocked Senate under Republican opposition, despite bipartisan negotiations and a working group with the White House to ensure its passage. The president initially gave Congress a deadline to pass the bill on the one-year anniversary of Floyds murder, but negotiations stalled and the bill was effectively dead. In their meeting on Thursday, the groups discussion covered executive actions taken up by the president in the wake of those stalled efforts, including the banning of chokeholds, restricting no-knock warrants, and requiring the use of body cameras at the federal level but underscored that no executive action can substitute for federal legislation, and the necessary changes at the state and local level will require Congress to act. President Biden and Vice President Harris remain committed to doing everything in their power to achieve meaningful police reform in Congress, according to a White House statement on the meeting. Why Americas skateboarders are riding for Tyre Nichols Friday 3 February 2023 16:25 , Megan Sheets A one-minute and 44-second montage of Tyre Nichols on his skateboard has been shared thousands of times following the publication of brutal footage of a group of Memphis Police Department officers fatally beating him in early January. Nichols, 29, died three days later, on 10 January. As his friends and family mourn, and as the nation recovers from the shock of another act of violence against a Black American by police officers, his skateboarding videos have taken on a new life, capturing a joy and expression that resonates with skateboarding communities across the US. His videos are playing everywhere, Jermone Neal, an avid skateboarder and one of Nichols childhood friends, told The Independent. Tony Hawk shared his video. Stevie Williams shared his video, bro. If Tyre is seeing that, bro, hes going crazy. Seeing his idols watching his video? He would be screaming right now. Im so glad we have them. Alex Woodward reports: Why Americas skateboarders are riding for Tyre Nichols Are officials shielding a white officer in the Tyre Nichols case? Friday 3 February 2023 13:00 , Josh Marcus The only known white officer involved in the brutal beating and subsequent death of Tyre Nichols was shielded and protected by Memphis Police Department, attorneys for the family said. Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, lawyers who are defending the Nichols family, denounced the Memphis police for allegedly giving special treatment to a white official by placing him on leave despite his involvement. The news today from Memphis officials that officer Preston Hemphill was reportedly relieved of duty weeks ago, but not yet terminated or charged is extremely disappointing, they said in a joint statement. The Memphis Police Department announced that a seventh officer Preston Hemphill was being put on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Shweta Sharma reports. Memphis police accused of shielding white officer involved in Tyre Nichols beating EXPLAINER: What the Tyre Nichols footage shows Friday 3 February 2023 12:00 , Josh Marcus The release of footage of the fatal assault of Tyre Nichols graphically depicted the prolonged and savage fatal beating that was meted out by five Memphis Police Department officers. But questions persist that the edited footage failed to answer, most notably the claimed traffic violation that had led officers to pull Nichols over in the first place, and what caused the officers to respond so violently. The four videos from the officers bodyworn cameras and CCTV were taken between 8.24pm and 9.20pm on 7 January. It shows the 29-year-old FedEx worker being pulled over, dragged from his car, pepper sprayed and beaten during a traffic stop. They are taken from two locations, the corner where Nichols was initially pulled over near the intersection of East Raines and Ross Rds, and about a half a mile away at Castlegate Lane where he is beaten with punches, kicks and baton strikes, and pepper sprayed. Bevan Hurley has the story. Four videos, 56 minutes, one deadly arrest: What the Tyre Nichols footage shows Video: Tyre Nichols mother speaks of unimaginable pain of losing son Friday 3 February 2023 11:00 , Josh Marcus Tyre Nichols mother expressed some of the unimaginable pain she is going through as she spoke at his funeral in Memphis. Tyre was a beautiful person, and for this to happen to him is just unimaginable, RowVaughn Wells said at the pulpit. In her emotional speech, she said: I promise you, the only thing thats keeping me going is the fact that I really truly believe my son was sent here on an assignment from God. I guess now his assignment is done, hes been taken home. US vice president Kamala Harris was among those in attendance. Tyre Nichols mother speaks of unimaginable pain of losing son ICYMI: Mourners demand justice at funeral for Tyre Nichols as family calls on Congress to combat police violence Friday 3 February 2023 10:00 , Josh Marcus Hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the life of Tyre Nichols on Wednesday evening in a ceremony inside a Mississippi Boulevard Baptist Church in Memphis. The 29-year-old Black man was fatally beaten by a group of Memphis Police Department officers last month, and horrific footage of the incident released last week has revived an urgent demand for reform. Reflecting on the far-reaching shock of his death, those in attendance at his funeral included vice president Kamala Harris, filmmaker Spike Lee and members of Congress, with a eulogy from the Rev Al Sharpton. There was also a call to action from civil rights attorney Ben Crump demanding swift justice against police who commit violence against Black Americans. In their remarks, faith leaders struck a delicate balance, urging support for a grieving family while reflecting on the sadness and anger of a nation just days after witnessing yet another attack against a Black American by police. Alex Woodward has the details. Mourners demand justice at funeral for Tyre Nichols Kamala Harris lends her voice to police reform debate Friday 3 February 2023 09:00 , Josh Marcus Vice President Kamala Harris addressed a congregation in Memphis gathered for a funeral service for Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who was fatally beaten by a group of Memphis Police Department officers. The vice president was among several members of President Joe Bidens administration attending the service at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church on 1 February. You have been extraordinary, she said of Nicholss mother RowVaughn Wells and stepfather Rodney Wells. We have a mother and a father who mourn the life of a young man who should be here today, she continued. They have a grandson who now does not have a father. His brothers and sisters will lose the love of growing old with their baby brother. Alex Woodward reports. Kamala Harris calls on Congress to pass police reform bill at Tyre Nichols funeral Whats next for the Biden policing agenda? Friday 3 February 2023 07:59 , Josh Marcus When Vice President Kamala Harris was called to the pulpit at the funeral for Tyre Nichols, she said the White House would settle for nothing less than ambitious federal legislation to crack down on police brutality. We should not delay. And we will not be denied, Harris said to applause in Memphis, Tennessee. It is non-negotiable. Back in Washington, however, progress appears difficult, if not unlikely. Bipartisan efforts to reach an agreement on policing legislation stalled more than a year ago, and President Joe Biden ended up instead signing an executive order named for George Floyd, whose murder at the hands of Minneapolis police set off nationwide protests nearly three years ago. Now, with a new killing in the headlines, Biden and Harris will meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Thursday to explore whether its possible to get legislation back on track. Chris Megerian and Farnoush Amiri report. After Tyre Nichols funeral, Biden faces pressure on policing At Nichols' funeral, Black America's grief on public display Friday 3 February 2023 07:00 , Josh Marcus The sound of the djembe drums started as a low tremble and grew more distinct as the musicians drew closer to the hundreds gathered inside the Memphis church. We love you, Tyre, the drummers chanted, referring to Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man whose beating by five police officers led to his death and this funeral on the first day of Black History Month. By the time the procession reached Nichols black casket draped in a large white bouquet, the congregation in the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church was on its feet shouting the chant in unison. Some raised clenched fists. Others let out screams of grief. Many grabbed tissues to dab at tears. All of it streamed live on television. The funeral on Wednesday had all the hallmarks of whats known as a homegoing service in Black American communities: comforting gospel hymns, remembrances from loved ones and a stirring eulogy from a clergyman. More from Aaron Morrison. ICYMI: What was Tyre Nichols pulled over for? Friday 3 February 2023 06:00 , Josh Marcus On 27 January, Memphis officials released video footage of the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died three days after being severely beaten during a traffic stop. The young mans death has caused deep pain for the Nichols family, and has sparked a city-wide scandal. Five Memphis Police Department officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith were fired from the department and now face second-degree murder charges. Vice President Kamala Harris and members of Congress attended his funeral on 1 February, where the Rev Al Sharpton delivered a eulogy. Members of Nichols family are slated to attend President Joe Bidens State of the Union address as guests of the Congressional Black Caucus. Body-worn camera footage shows officers dragging Nichols from his car and firing a taser weapon at him before he fled the scene on foot. More details in our full story. What was Tyre Nichols pulled over for? Will Biden address Tyre Nichols killing in State of the Union speech? Friday 3 February 2023 05:00 , Josh Marcus Among the key areas that President Biden underdelivered, due to roadblocks from Republicans and Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), is racial justice. It will be interesting to see if Biden reiterates his intention to pass voting rights legislation. And now, given the depraved killings of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police, will Biden renew calls for police reform? Read Ahmed Babas full story for Independent Voices. Why this years State of the Union will be so different Theres even more police video of Tyre Nichols arrest Friday 3 February 2023 04:00 , Josh Marcus Up to 20 hours of additional footage from the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols by a group of Memphis Police Department officers has yet to be released, according to a law enforcement official in Tennessee. Unreleased footage from the attack on 7 January includes audio of what was said among emergency responders and officers in the aftermath of the beating and after Nichols was moved to a local hospital, Shelby County prosecutor Steven Mulroy told CNN. Nichols died in hospital on 10 January, three days after the attack. It will be up to Memphis officials to determine whether to publicly release any additional footage, following the release of roughly one hour of footage from four separate videos on 27 January. That footage from officers body-worn cameras and a police surveillance camera pole constitute the relevant parts of the initial traffic stop and the beating at a second location, according to Mr Mulroy. Alex Woodward is on the story. Up to 20 hours of Tyre Nichols police video has yet to be released Skateboarding community rallies behind Tyre Nichols Friday 3 February 2023 03:00 , Josh Marcus warm orange glow surrounds a then-17-year-old Tyre Nichols as he glides on a ramp. On his skateboard, he floats across smooth concrete, jumps on a box and slides on a flat rail. In another clip, he stumbles on a concrete bar while performing a trick, then picks himself up and tries it again. He appears airless as a camera follows him cruising on his board and rolling across wide pavement. For one brief moment, he looks as if he is suspended in air, flipping on his board as he jumps a set of stairs in slow motion. A one-minute and 44-second montage of Nichols on his skateboard has been shared thousands of times following the publication of brutal footage of a group of Memphis Police Department officers fatally beating him in early January. Nichols, 29, died three days later, on 10 January. As his friends and family mourn, and as the nation recovers from the shock of another act of violence against a Black American by police officers, his skateboarding videos have taken on a new life, capturing a joy and expression that resonates with skateboarding communities across the US. Alex Woodward has the story. Why Americas skateboarders are riding for Tyre Nichols Library shooting marks latest Memphis police incident Friday 3 February 2023 02:00 , Josh Marcus One person was killed and an officer was left seriously injured at a library in East Memphis, according to the Memphis Police Department. The shooting comes as the citys police department has been in turmoil since the killing of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who officers beat for three minutes following a traffic stop on January 7. Mr Nichols died in the hospital three days later, with his death sparking protests in the city and across the country. The shooting at the Poplar-White Station Library took place shortly after officers responded to a call at the library around 12:30 pm, according to a statement shared on social media by the police department. The person who was shot was pronounced dead at the scene while the police officer was transported to the hospital. Abe Asher reports. Another shocking case of police violence Friday 3 February 2023 01:00 , Josh Marcus The family of Anthony Lowe, a Black man and double amputee who was fatally shot last week by Los Angeles area police, intends to sue the city of Huntington Park for civil rights violations. Theyre trained to respond in a certain manner when someone has a disability, Christian Contreras, an attorney for the Lowe family, told The Independent. We have law, state and federal, which prevents this kind of abuse. On 26 January, Huntington Park police responded to a call that a man in a wheelchair had stabbed someone. Multiple officers arrived to find Lowe holding a knife. Partial bystander video, which contains graphic images, captures Lowe appearing to flee, exiting his wheelchair and crawling along the ground, before police shot him multiple times. More details in our full report. Anthony Lowe: Family brings suit for unacceptable police killing of double amputee Marjorie Taylor Greene equates police killing of Tyre Nichols with shooting of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt Friday 3 February 2023 00:41 , Josh Marcus Marjorie Taylor Greene made a shaky comparison between the killings of Tyre Nichols and Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt which sickened many on social media this week in the wake of video being released depicting the unarmed motorists brutal killing by a gang of police officers. Speaking during a committee hearing, the Georgia congresswoman went on an extended tangent about Ms Babbitt being murdered by police. Noting that Ms Babbitts mother was in attendance, Ms Greene went on to say that Congress was doing nothing to address the treatment of other participants in the attack, many of whom remain incarcerated ahead of their respective trials. There has never been a trial. In fact, no one has cared about the person who shot and killed her, Ms Greene argued. John Bowden reports. Teen describes aggressive treatment from SCORPION Unit that arrested Tyre Nichols Thursday 2 February 2023 23:56 , Josh Marcus A teenager said the infamous SCORPION Unit whose officers killed Tyre Nichols subjected him to violent treatment as well. Maurice Chalmers-Stokes, 19, told WREG that in October, members of the now-disbanded unit in ski masks and unmarked cars suddenly attacked him without warning. They hopped out and bum-rushed me. They was like, Let me check your backpack. Dont try to run, Chalmers-Stokes said. Four of the officers involved in the encounter Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Tadarrius Bean, and Preston Hemphill have since been charged with murder in the Nichols case. What Kamala Harris said at Tyre Nicholss funeral Thursday 2 February 2023 23:05 , Josh Marcus Vice President Kamala Harris addressed a congregation in Memphis gathered for a funeral service for Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who was fatally beaten by a group of Memphis Police Department officers. The vice president was among several members of President Joe Bidens administration attending the service at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church on 1 February. You have been extraordinary, she said of Nicholss mother RowVaughn Wells and stepfather Rodney Wells. We have a mother and a father who mourn the life of a young man who should be here today, she continued. They have a grandson who now does not have a father. His brothers and sisters will lose the love of growing old with their baby brother. Alex Woodward has the whole story. Kamala Harris calls on Congress to pass police reform bill at Tyre Nichols funeral Four of five officers charged in death of Tyre Nichols had past disciplinary records Thursday 2 February 2023 22:42 , Josh Marcus Four of the five officers charged with murder in the death of Tyre Nichols had past records of disciplinary actions for use of force and other violations. According to the personnel files of the officers, obtained by Memphiss ABC 24 news station, the former officers were penalised for failing to file police reports, leaving a loaded gun in a squad car, dislocating a womans shoulder during an arrest, crashing into a stop sign, causing a car accident, and damaging department electronics. Fraternity revokes membership of officers involved in Tyre Nichols killing Thursday 2 February 2023 22:21 , Josh Marcus The Omega Psi Phi fraternity, one of the countrys most prominent Black university fraternities, has revoked the membership of three former members for their role in the police killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis earlier this month. A few days ago, on behalf of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, we joined with all other caring, thoughtful, decent, and fair-minded people in America and around the world in extending our deepest sympathy to the family of Tyre Nichols, the fraternity said in a statement. We have since learned that three of the former Memphis police officers involved in the horrific incident were members of our organization. Tadarrius Bean, one of the officers charged with Nicholss murder, was the fraternitys chapter president during his time at the University of Mississippi. Memphis police admit they had no proof to pull Tyre Nichols over Thursday 2 February 2023 21:42 , Josh Marcus Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis says there was no proof that Tyre Nichols had been driving recklessly prior to his arrest and fatal beating by five officers. Ms Davis told CNN that the department had reviewed all available video footage and found there was no probable cause to warrant Nichols arrest. Nichols, 29, was pulled over on 7 January for alleged reckless driving by members of the citys police department. Police have previously said that a confrontation occurred as they approached Nichols vehicle, and he fled on foot. He was taken into custody after a second confrontation, during which he received critical injuries. Bevan Hurley reports. How to support the family of Tyre Nichols Thursday 2 February 2023 21:20 , Josh Marcus A fundraiser created by the mother of Tyre Nichols has raised more than $1m for the family in the wake of his death. My husband and I have had our entire world turned upside down by what happened to our son, RowVaughn Wells wrote in the description of a GoFundMe page raising funds for the family. We are two hardworking, loving parents, [and] now have to turn our full-time attention to seeking proper justice for our son, she added. We have yet to have the proper space to begin our grieving process, which will be long and burdensome. The fundraiser will help cover the costs of mental health services and time off work, where they do not have unlimited paid time off, she said. Alex Woodward reports. How to support the family of Tyre Nichols Why Americas skateboarders are riding for Tyre Nichols Thursday 2 February 2023 21:00 , Josh Marcus A warm orange glow surrounds a then-17-year-old Tyre Nichols as he glides on a ramp. On his skateboard, he floats across smooth concrete, jumps on a box and slides on a flat rail. In another clip, he stumbles on a concrete bar while performing a trick, then picks himself up and tries it again. He appears airless as a camera follows him cruising on his board and rolling across wide pavement. For one brief moment, he looks as if he is suspended in air, flipping on his board as he jumps a set of stairs in slow motion. A one-minute and 44-second montage of Nichols on his skateboard has been shared thousands of times following the publication of brutal footage of a group of Memphis Police Department officers fatally beating him in early January. Nichols, 29, died three days later, on 10 January. As his friends and family mourn, and as the nation recovers from the shock of another act of violence against a Black American by police officers, his skateboarding videos have taken on a new life, capturing a joy and expression that resonates with skateboarding communities across the US. Alex Woodward reports. Why Americas skateboarders are riding for Tyre Nichols Is it relevant to focus on the race of the officers who killed Tyre Nichols? Thursday 2 February 2023 20:40 , Josh Marcus The police officers who killed Nichols are Black, which has prompted many people - particularly online - to attempt to counter the idea that his death is linked to systemic racism and police brutality in the law enforcement system. Not only is this a simplistic and illogical argument, but its one meant to distract us from our fight. The fight against police brutality has never just been about white cops or racist cops. Its about how the entire system encourages all those who join it - no matter what their own racial background - to dehumanize and target people of color. Read Nylah Burtons full commentary for Independent Voices. Stop focusing on race in Tyre Nichols death How many officers have been fired and charged over Tyre Nichols killing? Thursday 2 February 2023 20:25 , Josh Marcus The Memphis Police Department announced on Monday that a sixth officer has been suspended in connection to the brutal police beating of Tyre Nichols that preceded his death. Preston Hemphill, the officer who was suspended, joins another five officers who were fired from the force for their alleged involvement in Mr Nichols injuries. The five officers involved Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith were fired on 20 January and have since been charged with second-degree murder. Each of the five officers who were fired were part of the now-defunct SCORPION unit, which was created to address serious crime, but has since been permanently deactivated, according to the police department. Graig Graziosi has the details. Everything we know about the seven officers disciplined in Tyre Nichols beating Four videos, 56 minutes, seven Memphis police officers, one deadly arrest: What the Tyre Nichols footage shows Thursday 2 February 2023 20:05 , Josh Marcus The release of footage of the fatal assault of Tyre Nichols graphically depicted the prolonged and savage fatal beating that was meted out by five Memphis Police Department officers. But questions persist that the edited footage failed to answer, most notably the claimed traffic violation that had led officers to pull Nichols over in the first place, and what caused the officers to respond so violently. The four videos from the officers bodyworn cameras and CCTV were taken between 8.24pm and 9.20pm on 7 January. It shows the 29-year-old FedEx worker being pulled over, dragged from his car, pepper sprayed and beaten during a traffic stop. They are taken from two locations, the corner where Nichols was initially pulled over near the intersection of East Raines and Ross Rds, and about a half a mile away at Castlegate Lane where he is beaten with punches, kicks and baton strikes, and pepper sprayed. Bevan Hurley reports. Four videos, 56 minutes, one deadly arrest: What the Tyre Nichols footage shows Memphis police report contradicts violence shown on bodycam video Thursday 2 February 2023 19:44 , Josh Marcus A report from the Memphis Police Department paints a very different picture of the stop where officers violently arrested Tyre Nichols. In the document, which was obtained by NBC News and is not yet public, officers described Nichols as violently resisting arrest, while neglecting to mention how officers punched, kicked, and tased him repeatedly even though he was unarmed and appeared to be complying with their commands. Suspect Tyre Nichols was refusing a lawful detention by a law enforcement officers and he started to fight with detectives. Detectives noticed that the suspect Tyre Nichols was sweating profusely and irate when he exited the vehicle," the report reads. "Detectives gave verbal commands to stop resisting and then the suspect Tyre Nichols grabbed for Detective Martins gun." The report is the latest sign that the official police narrative of events deserves scrutiny. Officials have previously admitted their initial claims that Nichols was driving recklessly had no proof. Memphis police chief says theres no proof of Tyre Nichols reckless driving claim Is Biden doing enough to reform the police Thursday 2 February 2023 19:15 , Josh Marcus Observers and experts say Joe Biden has only been a half-hearted ally when it comes to reforming the police and advancing racial justice. Heres our in-depth look at whether the president is doing enough. Why Joe Biden has been a consistently inconsistent ally for civil rights so far Another shocking case of police violence, caught on video Thursday 2 February 2023 18:50 , Josh Marcus As Memphis was reeling from the Tyre Nichols case, another instance of police violence was caught on camera in California. Last week, police in Huntington Park, California, shot and killed Anthony Lowe, Jr, a double amputee, as he left his wheelchair and tried to flee. Abe Asher had this report on the case. Man missing both legs dies after cops shot him at least eight times Up to 20 hours of Tyre Nichols police video has yet to be released, revealing what was said after beating Thursday 2 February 2023 18:24 , Josh Marcus Up to 20 hours of additional footage from the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols by a group of Memphis Police Department officers has yet to be released, according to a law enforcement official in Tennessee. Unreleased footage from the attack on 7 January includes audio of what was said among emergency responders and officers in the aftermath of the beating and after Nichols was moved to a local hospital, Shelby County prosecutor Steven Mulroy told CNN. Nichols died in hospital on 10 January, three days after the attack. It will be up to Memphis officials to determine whether to publicly release any additional footage, following the release of roughly one hour of footage from four separate videos on 27 January. Alex Woodward reports. The video at the heart of the Tyre Nichols scandal Thursday 2 February 2023 17:53 , Josh Marcus Like police scandals that have come before it, officer bodycam video is a central part of illuminating what happened to Tyre Nichols, a Black motorist who was severly beaten by Memphis police officers earlier this month before dying in hospital. Memphis police have released footage of the brutal arrest, which shows a gang of officers punching, tasing, and kicking the 29-year-old until hes barely conscious. Heres our report on what the footage reveals. Footage reveals Tyre Nichols six-word plea to Memphis police officers What was Tyre Nichols pulled over for? Thursday 2 February 2023 17:30 , Josh Marcus On 27 January, Memphis officials released video footage of the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died three days after being severely beaten during a traffic stop. The young mans death has caused deep pain for the Nichols family, and has sparked a city-wide scandal. Five Memphis Police Department officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith were fired from the department and now face second-degree murder charges. Vice President Kamala Harris and members of Congress attended his funeral on 1 February, where the Rev Al Sharpton delivered a eulogy. Members of Nichols family are slated to attend President Joe Bidens State of the Union address as guests of the Congressional Black Caucus. Body-worn camera footage shows officers dragging Nichols from his car and firing a taser weapon at him before he fled the scene on foot. Heres what we know about why he was stopped. What was Tyre Nichols pulled over for? President Biden addresses Tyre Nichols death at National Prayer Breakfast in call for unity Thursday 2 February 2023 17:00 , Alex Woodward (REUTERS) At the bipartisan National Prayer Breakfast event in Washington DC on Thursday morning, President Joe Biden condemned the violence in our communities, pointing to recent mass shootings in California and the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis. Justice is long overdue, he said. In his remarks, the president said that in our politics and our lives, we too often see each other as opponents and not competitors. We see each other as enemies, not neighbors. And as tough as these times have been, if we look closer, we see the strength, the determination that has long defined America, he added. The president, invoking his soul of the nation theme that he has threaded throughout his campaign and administration, said that his prayer for the event that the nation begins to see each other again, look at each other again, travel with each other again, argue like hell with each other again but then still go to lunch together. We have to start treating each other in ways different than we have, in my humble opinion, he said. Why cant they see the humanity in Tyre?' Thursday 2 February 2023 16:01 , Alex Woodward A program for his funeral a Celebration of Life for Tyre Nichols said that he loved skateboarding, watching the sunset, photography and most of all helping people. He had the most infectious smile, it said. It prominently features a quote that was on his photography website: My vision is to bring my viewers deep into what I am seeing through my eye and out through my lens. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump issued a plea for justice for Nichols as both a son to grieving parents and father to a 4-year-old boy. But most of all, the human being, he said. Video footage of police officers beating Nichols did not include one ounce of humanity, Mr Crump said. Why cant they see the humanity in Tyre? he asked. More from the funeral service on Wednesday: Mourners demand justice at funeral for Tyre Nichols ICYMI: Four of five officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols had prior complaints, records reveal Thursday 2 February 2023 15:30 , Alex Woodward Four of the five former Memphis Police Department officers charged for the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols were suspended or reprimanded in prior incidents while working for the department, according to recently unveiled personnel files. Two of the officers were written up after failing to fill out required reports about the use of force during arrests. Two other officers were suspended without pay for traffic accidents, and one of those officers was suspended for failing to file a report about an incident of domestic abuse. The officers faced little if any consequences, according to reviews of the officers records, and they were praised in at least two instances, with other officers describing their actions as one-time events. Four of five officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols had prior complaints Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to meet with Congressional Black Caucus on police reform Thursday 2 February 2023 14:50 , Alex Woodward One day after the funeral of Tyre Nichols, as mourners demanded Congress take action on national police reform legislation, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with members of Congress on Thursday afternoon to discuss their options. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday that the meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus will be a real conversation about police reform but she did not detail a path forward or potential executive actions if a Republican-controlled House and deadlocked Senate fails to advance a bill. In a statement on 29 January, caucus chair Steven Horsford said that members are calling on our colleagues in the House and Senate to jumpstart negotiations now and work with us to address the public health epidemic of police violence that disproportionately affects many of our communities. The brutal beating of Tyre Nichols was murder and is a grim reminder that we still have a long way to go in solving systemic police violence in America, he added. President Biden intially gave Congress a deadline to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in 2021 on the one-year anniversary of that mans death. The White House also quietly abandoned plans that year for a national commission on police oversight to focus on the legislation. In April of 2021, Domestic Policy Council director Susan Rice said a commission would not be the most effective way to implement those reforms, based on close, respectful consultation with civil rights groups. WATCH: Tyre Nichols godsister reads heartbreaking poem at funeral Thursday 2 February 2023 14:00 , Rachel Sharp At Tyre Nichols funeral on Wednesday, his godsister LaToya Yizar read out a heartbreaking poem echoing some of the final words of the 29-year-old Black man as he told officers: Im just trying to go home. Watch the touching moment below: Initial Memphis police report falsely claims Tyre Nichols fought officers Thursday 2 February 2023 13:30 , Rachel Sharp A leaked incident report on Tyre Nichols arrest and fatal beating by Memphis police officers contains glaring inaccuracies that were later exposed after the release of bodycam and surveillance footage. The report, written two hours after Nichols beating on 7 January, claimed that the 29-year-old was irate and refused lawful detention, tried to start a fight with officers, and also attempted to take an officers gun, during an initial traffic stop. Video evidence released on 27 January told a very different story, showing officers swarming Nichols car and dragging him out, shouting contradictory commands and using pepper spray and a taser on him while he was trying to comply. The Independents Bevan Hurley has the full story: Initial Memphis police report falsely claims Tyre Nichols fought officers Today: Biden to meet with Congressional Black Caucus on police reform Thursday 2 February 2023 13:00 , Alex Woodward President Joe Biden will meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Thursday to have a real conversation about police reform, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. She told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday that the administration will continue to push for congressional passage of the bill, which passed in the formerly Democratically controlled House of Representatives in 2021 but stalled in the Senate. Ms Jean-Pierre did address whether the White House would consider executive actions. Unanswered questions from the Tyre Nichols footage Thursday 2 February 2023 12:30 , Rachel Sharp Horrifying footage of the brutal and deadly beating of a Black man at the hands of law enforcement officers in Memphis has caused outrage across America and reignited demands for an overhaul of policing as we now know it. Tyre Nichols, 29, was pulled over for a traffic stop on the night of 7 June. He died three days later in hospital, with an independent autopsy by Nichols family finding that he suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating. Damning footage taken from the police officers bodyworn cameras and a police pole camera was finally released to the public on Friday. It shows a group of Memphis police officers punching, kicking and tasering Nichols and beating him with batons. The 29-year-old is then left slumped up against a police car limp, disorientated and struggling to sit upright from his injuries. One of the most chilling parts of the footage captures the officers laughing and boasting about the beating they rained down on the Black man, with one officer heard saying he was hitting him with straight haymakers, dog. Before paramedics arrive on the scene sometime later and take him to hospital, the officers fail to administer him any medical aid. The deadly beating coming almost three years on from the murder of George Floyd and echoing the police beating of Rodney King three decades earlier led to protests across America over the weekend demanding justice and an end to police brutality. The five Memphis Police officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith were fired by department and charged with second-degree murder. On Monday, two other officers were also relieved of their duties while three Memphis Fire Department officials two emergency reponders and a lieutenant were fired. Footage captured Tyre Nichols being beaten by Memphis police officers However, the hour-long footage has still left several questions still unanswered. The Independents Rachel Sharp reveals what we still dont know: These questions remain unanswered after video exposed police beating Tyre Nichols Four videos, 56 minutes, seven Memphis police officers, one deadly arrest Thursday 2 February 2023 12:00 , Alex Woodward Nearly an hour of footage showing Memphis police officers pepper spray, baton, punch, kick and tase Tyre Nichols helped bring swift murder charges against the officers involved in the attack. The Independents Bevan Hurley explains what was captured in four videos and what questions remain about the case after their release: Four videos, 56 minutes, one deadly arrest: What the Tyre Nichols footage shows After Tyre Nichols funeral, Biden faces pressure on policing Thursday 2 February 2023 11:30 , Rachel Sharp When Vice President Kamala Harris was called to the pulpit at the funeral for Tyre Nichols, she said the White House would settle for nothing less than ambitious federal legislation to crack down on police brutality. We should not delay. And we will not be denied, Harris said to applause in Memphis, Tennessee. It is non-negotiable. Back in Washington, however, progress appears difficult, if not unlikely. Bipartisan efforts to reach an agreement on policing legislation stalled more than a year ago, and President Joe Biden ended up instead signing an executive order named for George Floyd, whose murder at the hands of Minneapolis police set off nationwide protests nearly three years ago. Now, with a new killing in the headlines, Biden and Harris will meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Thursday to explore whether its possible to get legislation back on track. After Tyre Nichols funeral, Biden faces pressure on policing Watch: Al Sharpton calls Tyre Nicholss attackers punks in eulogy Thursday 2 February 2023 11:00 , Alex Woodward Mourners demand justice at funeral for Tyre Nichols as family calls on Congress to combat police violence Thursday 2 February 2023 10:30 , Rachel Sharp In their remarks, faith leaders struck a delicate balance urging support for a grieving family while reflecting the sadness and anger of a nation days after witnessing yet another attack against a Black American by police. His family endured the unsolicited .... and unjustifiable burden of grieving their loved one and at the same time demanding justice, senior pastor J Lawrence Turner said. Were praying for you that God will continue to give you strength, because your strength has held us steady, and helped us constructively channel our outrage and turn our anger into action, he added. Mourners demand justice at funeral for Tyre Nichols Up to 20 hours of video involving arrest yet to be released Thursday 2 February 2023 10:00 , Rachel Sharp Up to 20 hours of video related to Tyre Nichols deadly arrest is yet to be released by Memphis officials. Shelby County prosecutor Steven Mulroy told CNN on Wednesday that the footage includes audio of what officers said in the aftermath of the fatal beating and after Nichols was rushed by ambulance to hospital where he never recovered. To date, 56 minutes of footage has been released to the public as four separate videos. Three of the videos are from bodycam footage of Memphis police officers, while the fourth is taken from a security camera mounted on a streetpole. Mr Mulroy said that it falls to the city of Memphis and Memphis police to decide when to share the full footage with the public, as he revealed the prosecutors office is considering bringing more charges in the case. Full story: Kamala Harris speaks at Tyre Nichols funeral in Memphis calling on Congress to pass police reform legislation Thursday 2 February 2023 09:00 , Alex Woodward Vice President Kamala Harris urged Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, bipartisan police reform legislation that passed the House of Representatives in 2021 but stalled in a deadlocked Senate with Republican opposition. The bill, named in honour of the Black man who was murdered by Minneapolis police officers in 2020, was co-authored by then-Senator Harris. Let the memory of Tyre shine a light on the path toward peace and justice, Ms Harris said in her brief remarks. Kamala Harris calls on Congress to pass police reform bill at Tyre Nichols funeral We mourn with you: Kamala Harris gives passionate speech at Tyre Nicholss funeral Thursday 2 February 2023 08:00 , Alex Woodward Vice President Kamala Harris was invited to attend the funeral of Tyre Nichols by his mother and stepfather, and the Rev Al Sharpton invited her to address the congregation gathered in Memphis on Wednesday. She told his parents that the people of our country mourn with you and praised them for their strength, courage, and grace. Blood on their hands: Tyre Nichols mother warns lawmakers against blocking George Floyd bill Thursday 2 February 2023 07:00 , Alex Woodward Wednesdays funeral for Tyre Nichols in Memphis saw a re-energised call for the passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, federal legislation that was passed by the House of Representatives in 2021 but has otherwise stalled in Congress. The police are not always telling the whole truth' Thursday 2 February 2023 05:00 , Alex Woodward Police are partisan actors just like everyone else in power, writes The Independents Josh Marcus, reflecting on his coverage of policing and criminal justice. Its vital to take their claims with a grain of salt. Tyre Nichols death shows us the police are not always telling the truth | Voices Elite police units in spotlight after brutal killing by Scorpion officers Thursday 2 February 2023 03:00 , Alex Woodward Memphis Police Departments now-disbanded SCORPION unit which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods was introduced in October 2021. It was dissolved in the aftermath of Tyre Nicholss death. The Independents Graeme Massie examines several similar controversial units in departments across the US that have been accused of abuse and excessive force. Elite police units in spotlight after brutal Tyre Nichols killing by officers Marjorie Taylor Greene compares Tyre Nichols beating to shooting of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt Thursday 2 February 2023 02:00 , Alex Woodward Far-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene invoked the fatal shooting of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt after the mention of Tyre Nichols, who was fatally beaten by police. She then suggested that people who have been jailed for their roles in the insurrection are facing civil rights abuse in jail. Ms Greene went on to say that Congress was doing nothing to address the treatment of other participants in the attack, many of whom remain incarcerated ahead of their respective trials. Theres a simple reason for that: Ms Babbitt was part of a crowd that was actively trying to breach a door that had been barricaded in a restricted area. She was shot by an officer while attempting to climb through a window that her fellow rioters had broken. Federal prosecutors have closed the case and the officer was cleared of wrondoing. Marjorie Taylor Greene equates police killing of Tyre Nichols with Ashli Babbitt Initial Memphis police report falsely claims Tyre Nichols fought officers Thursday 2 February 2023 01:00 , Alex Woodward A leaked incident report on Tyre Nichols arrest and fatal beating by Memphis police officers contains glaring inaccuracies that were later exposed after the release of bodycam and surveillance footage. The report, written two hours after Nichols beating on 7 January, claimed that the 29-year-old was irate and refused lawful detention, tried to start a fight with officers, and also attempted to take an officers gun, during an initial traffic stop. Initial Memphis police report falsely claims Tyre Nichols fought officers ICYMI: Four of five officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols had prior complaints, records reveal Thursday 2 February 2023 00:00 , Alex Woodward Four of the five former Memphis Police Department officers charged for the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols were suspended or reprimanded in prior incidents while working for the department, according to recently unveiled personnel files. The officers faced little if any consequences, according to the citys records of their cases, and they were praised in at least two instances, with other officers describing their actions as one-time events. Four of five officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols had prior complaints Watch: Daughter of Rodney King reacts to video of Tyre Nichols Wednesday 1 February 2023 23:45 , Alex Woodward Im Just Trying to Go Home' Wednesday 1 February 2023 22:41 , Alex Woodward LaToya Yizar, who says her mother was Tyre Nichols godmother, read a poem at his funeral invoking the words he told officers the night he was beaten. From the lectern at Mississippi Boulevard Baptist Church in Memphis, she read Im Just Trying to Go Home. In his eulogy, the Rev Al Sharpton said that home is not just a place. Home is where you are at peace. Home is where you dont have to keep your dukes up. Home is where youre not vulnerable, he said. Home is where everything is all right. Full story: Mourners demand justice at funeral for Tyre Nichols as family calls on Congress to combat police violence Wednesday 1 February 2023 22:30 , Alex Woodward Soft purple light surrounded a closed casket beneath a wooden cross inside Mississippi Boulevard Baptist Church in Memphis, where hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the life of Tyre Nichols in a ceremony marked by the weight of his loss and a raging fury against police violence. The 29-year-old Black man was fatally beaten by a group of Memphis Police Department officers in January, and horrific footage of the incident released last week has revived an international, urgent demand for reform. Reflecting the far-reaching shock of his death, those in attendance at his funeral on 1 February included Vice President Kamala Harris, filmmaker Spike Lee and members of Congress, with a eulogy from the Rev Al Sharpton. There was also a call to action from civil rights attorney Ben Crump demanding swift justice against police who commit violence against Black Americans. Mourners demand justice at funeral for Tyre Nichols Tyre Nicholss mother and stepfather speak at sons funeral Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:59 , Alex Woodward Vice President Kamala Harris, left, embraces RowVaughn Wells, the mother of Tyre Nichols, at his funeral service on 1 February. (Getty Images) In her remarks at her sons funeral, Tyre Nicholss mother RowVaughn Wells urged members of Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, federal police reform legislation aimed at addressing police misonduct and holding officers accountable for police violence. If we dont, that next child that dies, that blood will be on their hands, she said through tears. Were looking forward to passing some bills. Were looking forward to getting justice for all of the families over there, not just ours, Nicholss stepfather Rodney Wells said. We cannot continue to let these people brutalize our kids. All I want is my baby brother back' Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:51 , Alex Woodward Keyana Dixon, the oldest sister of Tyre Nichols, fondly remembered growing up with her younger brother as she addressed a massive congregation gathered for his funeral. I see the world showing him love and fighting for his justice, but all I want is my baby brother back, she said, speaking through tears. Even in his demise, he was still polite: He asked them to Please stop. Ben Crump issues a plea for justice' in funeral remarks Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:28 , Alex Woodward Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has represented the families of several Black Americans killed by police, including the family of Tyre Nichols, issued a plea for justice during his funeral service. His plea for justice for Nichols as a son and father but most of all, the human being. Video footage of police officers beating Nichols did not include not one ounce of humanity, Mr Crump said. Why cant they see the humanity in Tyre? he asked. Watch: Al Sharpton calls Tyre Nichols attackers punks during fiery speech at funeral Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:24 , Alex Woodward Watch in full: Kamala Harris speaks at the funeral of Tyre Nichols Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:20 , Alex Woodward Al Sharpton condemns officers charged in Nicholss death as he delivers eulogy Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:20 , Alex Woodward Rev Al Sharpton condemned the actions of the Black officers who are charged with the murder of Tyre Nichols, arguing that the sacrifies of civil rights leaders like Dr Martin Luther King Jr paved the way for their public service. People had to march and go to jail and some people lost their lives to open the doors for you. How dare you act like that sacrifice was for nothing? he said. Mr Sharpton visited the Lorraine Motel where Dr King was killed the morning before the service. He invoked Dr Kings Ive Been to the Mountaintop speech that Dr King delivered from the Mason Temple in Memphis the day before his murder. Let us all be mountain climbers, he said. Kamala Harris addresses Tyre Nichols funeral Wednesday 1 February 2023 19:53 , Alex Woodward (Getty Images) Rev Al Sharpton invited Vice President Kamala Harris to address a congregation at Tyre Nicholss funeral service. You have been extraordinary, she said of his mother RowVaughn Wells and stepfather Rodney Wells. We have a mother and a father who mourn the life of a young man who should be here today. They have a grandson who now does not have a father. His brothers and sisters will lose the love of growing old withtheir baby brother, she continued. Nichols died following an act of violence at the hands and the feet of the people who have been charged with keeping them safe, she said. This violent act was not in pursuit of public safety. It was not in the interest of keeping the public safe, she continued. Was he not also entitled to the right to be safe? She urged Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, bipartisan police reform legislation that passed the House of Representatives but stalled in a deadlocked Senate with Republican opposition. Mother of Black man killed by Houston police officer calls on mothers to stop all of this' Wednesday 1 February 2023 19:42 , Alex Woodward Tiffany Rachal, the mother of Jalen Randle, a Black man who was killed by a Houston police officer last year, addressed the family of Tyre Nichols during his funeral before singing Lord I Will Lift My Eyes to the Hills. Randle, like Nichols, was 29 years old when he died. I pray that God bless you. I pray that God heal your broken heart, she said. Addressing mothers who have endured police shootings, she said that we are fighting together and all of the mothers all over the world need to come together and stop all of this. Kamala Harris arrives in Memphis Wednesday 1 February 2023 19:17 , Alex Woodward Vice President Kamala Harris has arrived in Memphis to attend the funeral of Tyre Nichols. (AP) The program for the Celebration of Life for Tyre Nichols Wednesday 1 February 2023 19:27 , Alex Woodward A program for the funeral of Tyre Nichols a Celebration of Life for Tyre Nichols reads that he loved skateboarding, watching the sunset, photography and most of all helping people. He had the most infectious smile, it reads. It prominently features a quote of his that was on his photography website: My vision is to bring my viewers deep into what I am seeing through my eye and out through my lens. Senior pastor begins funeral service Wednesday 1 February 2023 19:15 , Alex Woodward In opening remarks, Senior Pastor Rev J Lawrence Turner said the fmaily of Tyre Nichols has endured the unsolicited .... and unjustifiable burden of grieving their loved one and at the same time demanding justice. Were praying for you that God will continue to give you strength, because your strength has held us steady, and helped us constructively channel our outrage and turn our anger into action, he said. (AP) Watch: Funeral service begins in Memphis for Tyre Nichols Wednesday 1 February 2023 18:58 , Alex Woodward The Rev Al Sharpton will deliver a eulogy at the funeral for Tyre Nichols at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis this afternoon. Vice President Kamala Harris and members of the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are expected to attend. Pastor J Lawrence Turner expects as many as 2,500 in attendance. The service begins at 1pm central time. Funeral for Tyre Nichols begins soon Wednesday 1 February 2023 18:20 , Alex Woodward Mourners are beginning to gather for a funeral service for Tyre Nichols at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis. The service will begin at 1pm central time. (AP) Church pastor expects 2,500 in attendance Wednesday 1 February 2023 17:30 , Alex Woodward The senior pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church told USA Today that he expects the church to be at capacity for the afternoon funeral service for Tyre Nichols. I think there will be north of 2,500 persons there, the Rev J Lawrence Turner said. Our staff and a committed team of volunteers are working together in coordination with the team from [Ben Crumps law firm] and the National Action Network to accommodate everyone who is coming to celebrate Tyre Nicholss life. The Rev Al Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network civil rights organisation, said that he was invited by Nicholss family to deliver a euology at the service. They asked me if I would come do a eulogy, he told The Memphis Commercial Appeal. I told them Id be honored to do it. Members of the Biden administration to attend funeral Wednesday 1 February 2023 17:00 , Alex Woodward Keisha Lance Bottoms (Getty Images) At least three members of President Joe Bidens administration will attend Tyre Nicholss funeral in Memphis on Wednesday afternoon, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who spoke with his family earlier this week. A statement from their attorney Ben Crump said his mother RowVaughn Wells and stepfather Rodney Wells invited her. Mitch Landrieu (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms who is a senior advisor and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement also is expected to attend. So is former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who now serves as a senior White House adviser overseeing the implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Memphis police SCORPION unit had $28m annual budget Wednesday 1 February 2023 16:33 , Alex Woodward The now-dissolved unit involved with the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols operated with a $28m annual budget from the time of its creation in 2021 until it was disbanded after the release of video footage of the officers brutally attacking the 29-year-old Black man. The Memphis Police Departments now-former unit Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, or SCORPION was among highly armed and armoured local police details across the US deployed in high crime areas that have faced waves of criticism, scandal and allegations of abuse. The Independents Graeme Massie explains: Elite police units in spotlight after brutal Tyre Nichols killing by officers Four of five officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols had prior complaints, records reveal Wednesday 1 February 2023 16:00 , Alex Woodward Four of the five former Memphis Police Department officers charged for the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols were suspended or reprimanded in prior incidents while working for the department, according to recently unveiled personnel files. Two of the officers were written up after failing to fill out required reports about the use of force during arrests. Two other officers were suspended without pay for traffic accidents, and one of those officers was suspended for failing to file a report about an incident of domestic abuse. They faced little if any consequences, according to reviews of the officers records, and they were praised in at least two instances, with other officers describing their actions as one-time events. Four of five officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols had prior complaints Who is attending Tyre Nicholss funeral? Wednesday 1 February 2023 15:30 , Alex Woodward Those in attendance at todays service will include the Rev Al Sharpton, who will deliver a euology, and Vice President Kamala Harris. The former mayors of Atlanta and New Orleans Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mitch Landrieu, both of whom now work in President Joe Bidens administration will also attend. What time is Tyre Nichols funeral and who is attending? Memphis prepares to lay Nichols to rest Wednesday 1 February 2023 15:15 , Alex Woodward A funeral for Tyre Nichols will begin later this morning inside Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis. Winter weather had delayed the service, which will take place three weeks after Nicholss fatal beating by Memphis Police Department officers. The service will begin at 1pm central time. (AP) (AP) Memphis is preparing release of more complete footage Wednesday 1 February 2023 14:37 , Alex Woodward The city of Memphis is responding to calls for the full release of footage related to the arrest and death of Tyre Nichols, including audio and video footage, which could be releaed within the next few weeks, according to a city spokesperson. Jennifer Sink, Chief Legal Officer for the city, said that the premature release of the video and audio could compromise our administrative investigation into his fatal beating. The City is preparing to release these recordings publicly upon completion of the administrative investigation, which is expected to occur in the next few weeks, she added. Mr Nichols family and attorneys have been afforded an opportunity to view the entirety of the audio and video footage privately until it can be released publicly. We request the publics patience while we complete our investigation. A question central to the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols: Why was he even being pulled over? Wednesday 1 February 2023 14:00 , Alex Woodward Footage of the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols has directly contradicted initial police reports, and an initial claim that he was pulled over for reckless driving was effectively retracted by officials in the wake of his death. Im going to be honest with you about the stop itself. What was said was there was witnessing of what was considered reckless driving, police chief Cerelyn Davis told CNN on Friday. Weve looked at cameras. Weve looked at body worn cameras. Even if something occurred prior to this stop, weve been unable to substantiate it, she said. All told, according to the Memphis Police Department, two different altercations occurred between Nichols and officers over the course of the stop, the latter taking place just blocks from Nicholss home. Heres what we know so far: Why was Tyre Nichols pulled over and beaten? The Biden administration is providing Ukraine with a new longer-range bomb as part of the $2.2 billion aid package announced Friday, but the new weapon likely wont arrive until much later this year. The weapon, the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb, is made up of a precision-guided 250-pound bomb strapped to a rocket motor and fired from a ground launcher. Its normally launched from the air and the ground-launched version does not yet exist in U.S. military inventory. It could take up to nine months for U.S. defense contractors to do the necessary retrofits. The rest of the aid package includes weapons drawn from U.S. stocks as well as funding to contract for new equipment through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a vehicle set up by Congress to fund aid for Ukraine. The package includes spare parts and munitions for air defense systems, a critical need in blunting the Russian drone and missile attacks on civilian targets across Ukraine. Russian forces have moved some of their most sensitive command-and-control centers out of range of Ukraines current rockets, frustrating Kyivs military commanders, who have asked for longer-range munitions to stay on the offensive. Specifically, theyve asked for the U.S.-made Army Tactical Missiles Systems that have a range of about 190 miles. But the Biden administration has said the weapon is out of the question, citing concerns Ukraine would use them to attack targets inside Russia. The new rockets announced on Friday, which can travel over 80 miles, will help Ukrainian forces conduct operations in defense of their country, and to take back their sovereign territory in Russian occupied areas," Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters. They will not be drawn from existing American stockpiles however, meaning it will take months for Boeing and the U.S. government to agree on the terms of the contract and get them to the battlefield. That timeline means they will likely not be available for the warm-weather offensives Ukraine is planning this year. Story continues Another issue is that the bomb cant be launched by any of Ukraines current equipment. Ukrainian engineers have been working on retrofits for ground launchers for several months. Much to the disappointment of some in Kyiv, the last few tranches of aid have not included the weapon. But there's real appetite on Capitol Hill to provide Ukrainians with longer-range munitions, along with tanks and other weapons. A senior congressional aide argued the administration had been holding up the process of approving the bomb despite overcoming "the mental hurdle of the range and escalation dynamics" of a longer-range munition because of the need to retrofit it. "It's a timeline that's measured in months," the aide said of adapting the weapon to a ground launcher. The aide asked not to be named in order to speak candidly. House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) had accused the Biden administration of dragging its feet on providing the system to Ukraine. GLSDB should have been approved last fall," Rogers said in a recent statement. "Every day its not approved is a day its delayed getting it into the hands of a Ukrainian ready to kill a Russian." Lee Hudson and Connor O'Brien contributed to this report. By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.N. watchdog report shows Iran is being inconsistent in meeting its nuclear obligations, the United States, Britain, France and Germany said in a joint statement on Friday. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) criticized Iran on Wednesday for making an undeclared change to the interconnection between the two clusters of advanced machines enriching uranium to up to 60% purity, close to weapons grade, at its Fordow plant. Iran said the IAEA's position on Tehran's nuclear work was not correct. The IAEA found the change during an unannounced inspection on Jan. 21 at the Fordow Fuel enrichment Plant (FFEP), a site dug into a mountain where inspectors are stepping up checks after Iran said it would dramatically expand enrichment. "As stated by the Agency, this unnotified change is inconsistent with Iran's obligations under its NPT-required Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement," the four countries said in their statement, referring to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. "The IAEA inspector's interpretation was incorrect but he reported it to the agency ... We immediately provided the explanation to the IAEA on the same day," Iranian nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said on Thursday. The production of high-enriched uranium by Iran at Fordow carries significant proliferation-related risks and is without any credible civilian justification, the joint statement said, adding Iran has not offered a credible answer yet to the IAEA's outstanding questions as part of its safeguards investigation. Fordow is so sensitive that the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers banned enrichment there. Since the United States pulled out of the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions against Iran, the Islamic Republic has breached many of the deal's restrictions on its nuclear activities. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Grant McCool) NEW DELHI (Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned against using an eye drop made in India that has been linked to the outbreak of a drug-resistant bacteria leading to adverse events in at least 55 patients in the United States including infections, blindness and one death. The agency said on Thursday that Artificial Tears eye drop manufactured by India's Global Pharma Healthcare Pvt Ltd has a potential bacterial contamination and the company has violated current good manufacturing practices. Global Pharma Healthcare, based in the southern city of Chennai, said on Wednesday it had issued a voluntary recall at the consumer level of unexpired lots of the eye drop, which was distributed in the United States by EzriCare LLC and Delsam Pharma. Global Pharma Healthcare did not immediately respond to a Reuters request seeking comment on the FDA statement. EzriCare said in a statement on Wednesday that it had stopped further distribution and sale of the eye drop, and it was not aware of any testing that "definitively links" the bacterial outbreak to the product. The company has removed the products as requested, a Delsam Pharma spokesperson said, adding that the products had a safety seal top and were not associated with customer cases. An Indian government source told Reuters on Friday that the federal and state drug regulators have sent a team to a manufacturing plant near Chennai contracted by Global Pharma Healthcare. "It is a contract manufacturing plant supplying through others to the U.S. market," the source said, adding that this specific drug was not sold in India. The incident comes after the deaths of at least 70 children in Gambia and 19 children in Uzbekistan last year were linked to India-made cough syrups, which has dented the country's image as the "pharmacy of the world". The FDA said it was collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local health departments to investigate a multistate outbreak involving a rare, extensively drug-resistant bacteria. Story continues It said that as of Jan. 31, the CDC had identified 55 patients in 12 states with infections linked to the use of Artificial Tears distributed by EzriCare, it said. "Associated adverse events include hospitalization, one death with bloodstream infection, and permanent vision loss from eye infections," the FDA said. (Reporting by Shivam Patel and Krishna N Das in New Delhi,Editing by William Maclean, Frances Kerry and Anil D'Silva) Marvin Bembry, a consultant hired by the district to help gather information for Waukegan public schools strategic plan, talks at a public meeting Wednesday. (Steve Sadin / Lake County News-Sun) After gathering information through an online survey, conducting focus groups the past few months and seven public meetings with the last two Wednesday and Thursday Waukegan public school administrators are ready to proceed with the next phase in completing their new strategic plan. Jason Nault, the districts associate superintendent for equity, innovation and accountability, said each avenue of information-gleaning was helpful, with focus groups allowing for open discussion about issues. So did the public meeting Wednesday at Beacon Place, with less than a dozen people in attendance. Advertisement Qualitative date is sometimes more important that quantitative data, Nault said after the meeting. The people felt empowered to talk about their ideas and experiences. We got a lot of good questions. Administrators will use the information gathered to help develop the plan Destination 2028 they hope to give to the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Board of Education this spring for implementation during the 2023-2024 school year, and going forward through 2028. Advertisement Nault said concerns were expressed from a variety of sources about staffing and funding for projects. Through each of the information channels, people were generally happy with increased communication from the district to the school community, as well as capital improvements. Talking at a public meeting about the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 strategic plan is Jason Nault, the districts associate superintendent for equity, innovation and accountability. (Steve Sadin / Lake County News-Sun) LeBaron Moten, the districts deputy superintendent for operations support and programs, said in an interview Thursday the focus group with community partners including the College of Lake County, the Waukegan Park District and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lake County was also productive. Moten said as representatives of the groups talked, they realized they were having similar challenges with staffing and funding opportunities. They agreed growing their cooperation will benefit all groups. We decided to leverage our partnerships even further than before, Moten said. Everyone said it was an opportunity to take our partnerships to the next level in the next five-year period. Nault said the final two listening sessions Wednesday at Beacon Place and Thursday at the Park Districts Field House Sports, Fitness and Aquatics Center was an outgrowth of previous public town halls. We heard comments (that) people wanted us to get out into the community more, Nault said. During Wednesdays session, Nault gave an introduction to the idea of a strategic plan before Marvin Bembry, a consultant hired by the district to help gather information, led the participants through a series of questions. They answered them electronically and anonymously. Quickly after questions like, what do you feel are the districts greatest strengths and, over the next five years what are the districts biggest challenges or needs popped on the white board, responses such as improved communication, mental health needs and trust issues appeared. Advertisement Once the answers appeared, Bembry asked some of the participants to elaborate. One woman was particularly concerned about developing trust, and the ability of the school security staff to deal with fighting and other violent acts. The teachers understand this, but they feel theyre not listened to, she said. Another participant said she wanted to see more certified bilingual teachers who have, cultural awareness of the population they teach. While there were concerns about violence, particularly fights among students at the Brookside campus of Waukegan High School, Nault these are generally not systemic issues, though they are a concern. They are not isolated to the schools. Issues that are in the community tend to flow into our buildings, he said. We are addressing mental health issues and have invested in resources, he added, referring to efforts to deal with the social emotional impact of the coronavirus pandemic. When the initial survey appeared in October, Eduardo Cesario, the districts deputy superintendent of academic support and programs, said the five pillars of the plan are student achievement, organizational effectiveness, community engagement, institutional access and offering a supportive climate committed to student success. Advertisement It combines strategy with vision, so we can lead the district to our desired outcomes educating students and creating an environment to meet our student objectives, Cesario said at the time. (Reuters) -The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is preparing a possible antitrust lawsuit against e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. It could not be determined exactly which aspects of Amazon's businesses the FTC would target and the timing of any case was uncertain, according to the report. Amazon and the FTC declined to comment. The commission began probing Amazon during the Trump administration. The company has been criticized for allegedly favoring its own products and disfavoring outside sellers on its platform. The FTC has been scrutinizing the bundling practices of the company's Prime subscription service, the WSJ also reported. Amazon in December reached a settlement with the European Union in three antitrust probes after it addressed the EU's concerns over use of sellers' data, saving the company from a fine of up to 10% of its global turnover. Outsiders got a small view into the relationship between the agency and Amazon last August when the agency rejected an Amazon bid to quash demands that both Chief Executive Andy Jassy and Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos testify at investigative hearings. Amazon had questioned what it called the agency's "burdensome" requests in its investigation of the sign-up and cancellation processes for its Prime program. The Justice Department and FTC have probes underway of all four platforms. The Justice Department has sued Alphabet's Google twice, once regarding its search business and a second time on advertising technology. The FTC has sued Meta's Facebook. The FTC has also lost a court ruling aimed at stopping a deal that Meta undertook to buy VR company Within. (Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Diane Bartz in Washington; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Josie Kao) By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives plans to vote next week on a bill that would end a requirement that most foreign air travelers be vaccinated against COVID-19, Majority Leader Steve Scalise said on Friday. The Biden administration in June dropped its requirement that people arriving in the country by air must test negative for COVID-19 but has not lifted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccination requirements. Currently, adult visitors to the United States who are not citizens or permanent residents must show proof of vaccination before boarding their flight, with some limited exceptions. Republican Representative Thomas Massie introduced the measure to rescind the vaccine requirement. "The CDC's unscientific mandate is separating too many people from their families and has been doing so for far too long. It needs to end," he said on Twitter. The CDC says vaccines continue to be the most important public health tool for fighting COVID-19 and recommends all travelers be vaccinated. The CDC did not immediately comment Friday. The U.S. Travel Association said Thursday it has "long supported the removal of this requirement and see no reason to wait until the May expiration of the public health emergency - particularly as potential visitors are planning spring and summer travel." The group says the United States "is the only country that still has this requirement for international visitors when there is no longer any public health justification." Mask requirements on airplanes were relaxed last year after a judge declared them unlawful. But in December, the United States imposed mandatory negative COVID-19 test requirements on most travelers from China as COVID infections rocketed there. (Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on the board of directors of Iranian drone maker Paravar Pars, the U.S. Treasury Department said, adding Iranian drones were being used by Russia to attack Ukraine's critical infrastructure. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated eight senior executives of Paravar Pars, the department said in a statement. The drone maker was previously sanctioned by the United States and the European Union for making drones for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force. "Iranian entities continue to produce UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) for Iran's IRGC and military. More broadly, Iran is supplying UAVs for Russia's combat operations to target critical infrastructure in Ukraine," said Brian Nelson, the U.S. Treasury's top sanctions official. As a result of Friday's action, all property and interests in property of those individuals that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC, the Treasury Department said. People that engage in transactions with the individuals designated on Friday may themselves be exposed to sanctions, the department added. The United States on Tuesday had put new trade restrictions on seven Iranian entities for producing drones that Russia has used to attack Ukraine. The firms and other organizations were added to a U.S. export control list for those engaged in activities contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. Since Russia launched its war against Ukraine in February 2022, the United States and over 30 other countries have sought to degrade its military and defense industrial base by restricting its access to defense needs. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York said on Tuesday: "Sanctions have no effect on Iran's drone production capacity because its drones are all produced domestically. This is a strong indication that the drones shot down in Ukraine and using parts made by Western countries don't belong to Iran." (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Ismail Shakil, Doina Chiacu and Jonathan Oatis) By A. Ananthalakshmi and Rozanna Latiff KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - U.S. customs authorities on Friday lifted a two-year import ban on palm oil products made by Malaysia's Sime Darby Plantation, after determining the goods were no longer produced with forced labour. Goods produced by Sime Darby Plantation, the world's largest palm oil company by land size, have since December 2020 been blocked by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from entering the United States over suspected abusive labour practices. In response, Sime Darby Plantation appointed an ethical trade consultancy to audit its facilities, and last year set aside about $20 million to compensate current and former migrant workers who paid recruitment fees to secure jobs at the firm. In a notice published on the U.S. Federal Register website on Friday, CBP said it had now "determined that the products were no longer being mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part with the use of convict, forced, or indentured labor by Sime Darby Plantation", citing additional information it had received. The finding applied to any products from the firm imported into the United States on or after Friday, the notice said. EMPLOYEE REFUNDS CBP Executive Assistant Commissioner AnnMarie Highsmith told Reuters that Sime Darby Plantation had taken action to correct 11 International Labor Organization indicators of forced labor that the agency had found at the company's operations. Among these steps, the firm has set aside $20 million to refund "exorbitant" recruitment fees paid by workers to secure jobs the company's plantations. These fees acted as a form "debt bondage" to the company, Highsmith said, adding that some 15,000 current employees and 19,000 former employees will be repaid. She said the lifting of the import ban "indicates what we hope are two things, really - a permanent improvement in work and living conditions for Sime Darby's thousands of employees, and it's another indication of a trend that we're seeing towards elimination of forced labor conditions in our international supply chain." Story continues Sime Darby Plantation said the decision indicated CBP's recognition of the firm's efforts "in the last two years to review, revise and... upgrade its protocols for recruiting, managing and working with its workers". "Today, our commitment to all our stakeholders is vigilance and a continuing responsibility to produce palm oil that is free of forced labour," the company's Group Managing Director Mohamad Helmy Othman Basha said in a statement. Shares of Sime Darby Plantation had eased 0.45% by market close on Friday. Sime Darby Plantation is among eight Malaysian firms that have been banned by the United States in the past four years over forced labour allegations. Malaysia in 2021 announced a government plan to eliminate abusive practices such as debt bondage, unhygienic dormitories for workers, and excessive overtime, by 2030. (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff and A. Ananthalakshmi in Kuala Lumpur; Additional reporting by David Lawder in Washington; Editing by Ed Davies and Marguerita Choy) U.S. Trustee Andrew Vara has issued objections to several subpoenas aimed at FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and his inner circle, including his family and several of the collapsed crypto exchange's former senior staff. A subpoena is an order from a government agency, usually a court, for a person to attend a hearing or to provide evidence. The United States Trustee Program is a component of the United States Department of Justice, which has responsibility for overseeing the administration of bankruptcy cases and private trustees. Vara, who has been working on FTXs complex Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, said he objected to the subpoenas to the extent they would authorize the Debtors or Committee to duplicate the investigative efforts of an examiner if one is appointed. Feds, Senators Scrutinize Silvergate Bank Role in FTX Collapse The filing cited case law that says that the bankruptcy court has an obligation to prevent unnecessary expenditures in the administration of an estate. The appointment of an independent examiner, who have far reaching investigative powers beyond that involved in normal civil proceedings, is an expensive measure that is generally used in the case of complex, high-profile bankruptcies such as that of oil trader Enron in the early 2000s and the Lehman Brothers in 2008. The examiner used in the Enron fraud case in the early 2000s, R. Neal Batson, is reported to have run up $90 million in fees. In the filing, Vara said he respectfully requests that if the Court orders the appointment of an examiner, then the Court establish the scope of the Rule 2004 relief contemporaneously with the scope of the examiners investigation. Rule 2004 is the basic mechanism compelling people to attend bankruptcy summons in US law. In this context, contemporaneously, meaning simultaneously with another thing, would likely mean that information would be shared between the two simultaneous investigations in near real-time, avoiding splurging on unnecessary legal costs and duplication of work. Story continues An independent examiner for FTX? Though as yet unconfirmed, the FTX bankruptcy could soon have an independent examiner working on it. A growing chorus of regulators wants an independent examiner appointed to review the financial statements in the FTX bankruptcy proceedings. FTX Bankruptcy: Texas, California, and New Jersey Join Call for Independent Examiner These include Texas authorities, as well as Alaska; Arkansas; California; Florida; Hawaii; Idaho; Illinois; Kentucky; Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and D.C. LONDON (Reuters) - Nurses in Wales and some ambulance workers have called off strikes planned for next week as they review pay offers from the Welsh government, their unions said, even as much larger strikes involving health staff in England are due to go ahead. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said it would put a new pay offer from the devolved Welsh government of an additional 3% to its members for a vote within days. It had previously said the government had awarded a pay rise equal to a 4% increase. Meanwhile, the GMB trade union said it had suspended its ambulance worker strike in order to hold further talks with the Welsh government after it was offered a deal involving a one-off payment for 2022/23, in addition to an existing 4.5% pay rise. Nurses in Scotland said last month they would hold off announcing strike action in order to hold further talks on pay with the government there. Still, Britain's National Health Service (NHS) faces its largest ever strike by health workers on Monday involving tens of thousands of nurses and ambulance staff in England. "If the other governments can negotiate and find more money for this year, the prime minister can do the same," RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said in a statement. "If the prime minister decides to leave Englands nurses as the lowest paid in the UK, he must expect this strike to continue. He can still turn things around before Monday start talking seriously and the strikes are off." The Unite union said a planned strike by its ambulance workers in Wales was still scheduled to go ahead on Monday. (Reporting by Sarah Young, writing by Sachin Ravikumar, Editing by Kylie MacLellan) KYIV (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday Ukraine would fight to hold on to the eastern "fortress" city of Bakhmut for as long as it could, and urged the West to supply long-range weapons to help Kyiv push Russian forces out of the Donbas region. "Nobody will give away Bakhmut. We will fight for as long as we can. We consider Bakhmut our fortress," Zelenskiy told a news conference with top European Union officials following a summit in Kyiv. "If weapons (supplies) are quickened, specifically long range weapons, we not only will not leave Bakhmut, but we will also begin to deoccupy Donbas, which has been occupied since 2014," he said. The city of Bakhmut has become the focal point of Ukrainian resistance to Russia's invasion and of Moscows drive to regain battlefield momentum. Russian officials have said Russian forces are encircling Bakhmut from several directions and battling to take control of a road which is also an important supply route for Ukrainian forces. Zelenskiy said Russia would continue to push in the east but that Ukrainian forces would be able to hold out until more Western weapons arrived. (This story has been corrected to change the language of the second quote) (Reporting by Max Hunder; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Timothy Heritage) Key developments on Feb. 2: Ukraines intelligence warned on Feb. 2 that Russia was redeploying additional assault groups and military equipment ahead of a massive offensive to capture Donbas, an industrial heartland comprising Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, by March. The stark warning comes as Russian forces claimed to be advancing toward the embattled city of Bakhmut in the northern part of Donetsk Oblast and toward the town of Vuhledar, near the Russian-occupied Donetsk city, over the past few days. Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and the General Staff of Ukraines Armed Forces issued similar warnings on Feb. 1, each saying that Russia appeared to be preparing for a major offensive. In an interview with French media BFMTV, Reznikov said that we must be ready since Russian forces may launch an offensive in either the Donbas or in Ukraines south. Reznikov also claimed that Russia had mobilized 500,000 troops, citing the abnormally high number of Russian troops at the borders. Reznikovs estimate is nearly twice as many as the 300,000 claimed by the Kremlin after its fall mobilization campaign. We do not underestimate our enemy, Reznikov told BFMTV. While many Russian conscripts reportedly lack military experience, Ukraines Chief Commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi acknowledged in December that they still caused a problem on the battlefield, and Russias mobilization campaign has worked. Moscow claimed to have ended its fall draft in October, but Estonias intelligence said Russia appeared to be still mobilizing troops covertly. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington D.C.-based think-tank analyzing the war in Ukraine, said that Russia likely was still conscripting a limited number of troops as of November. Story continues Top Ukrainian defense officials have warned that Russia could be preparing a second wave of mobilization in early 2023, but such an announcement has not been made by Moscow yet. Modern Western tanks that Ukraine is set to receive from NATO allies would help Ukrainian forces fight against hundreds of thousands of Russian conscripts. But its expected to be months before they finally arrive in the country. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 2 that Russia appeared to be regrouping troops to seek revenge against not only Ukraine, but also the free Europe, the free world. As NATO allies vow more heavy weapons for Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Russia has what it needs to respond with if it feels threatened. Moscow has repeatedly threatened Western nations against supplying tanks to Ukraine, saying that they would regret making such a move. High-profile visit Nearly the entire College of the European Commission arrived in Kyiv early on Feb. 2, promising further military aid and restoration assistance for Ukraine. More than a dozen senior officials from the European Unions executive branch held a meeting with the Ukrainian government, sending a strong message to Moscow that the bloc would continue helping Ukraine defend itself. The highly symbolic visit comes nearly a year after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The delegation of top EU officials arrived on the eve of the EUUkraine Summit to be held in Kyiv on Feb. 3 the first of its kind since the 2022 invasion. At a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Zelensky called upon the bloc to speed up with sanctions against Russia. He stressed that the EUs pace had slightly slowed, while Russia began adapting to them better. It is a common European task to reduce Russia's ability to circumvent sanctions, and the faster and better this task is carried out, the closer we will be to defeating Russian aggression, Zelensky said. President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine "won't hand over Bakhmut." "We will fight as long as we can," he said during a joint press conference with European Union leadership. According to Zelensky, Russia will soon launch a major offensive in the east and northeast, targeting cities like Bakhmut and Lyman. The Ukrainian intelligence on Feb. 2 issued a stark warning that Russia was redeploying additional assault groups and military equipment to capture Donbas comprised of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts by March. "Russia wants revenge, and they want this revenge exactly where they really need it," Zelensky said. "Our task is not to give them this opportunity until our army is strengthened with appropriate weapons. I think we have a chance." Russian forces appeared to be picking up pace in the northern part of Donetsk Oblast after capturing the salt-mining town of Soledar, which sits roughly 15 kilometers northeast of Bakhmut. Moscow claimed to be inching closer to encircling Bakhmut, a largely-destroyed city that it has sought to capture since Summer despite heavy casualties. "If there is a long-range weapon, the most long-range weapon, we will not only not leave Bakhmut, we will begin to liberate the Donbas (including areas) which have been occupied since 2014," Zelensky said. Standing by Zelensky in Ukraine's historic Mariinskyi Palace, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel expressed support for delivering more arms and making Ukraine's victory on the battlefield a reality. "We are not intimidated and will not be intimated by the Kremlin, because Ukraine and the EU, we are family," Michel said. Your destiny is our destiny. "There can be no safe and independent Europe without a safe and independent Ukraine, Michel said, adding that we are determined to help you win on the battlefield. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (C), European Council President Charles Michel (L), and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (R) give a joint press conference during the EU-Ukraine summit in Kyiv on Feb. 3, 2023. (Photo by Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images) Story continues Historic Ukraine-EU Summit Over a dozen top EU officials arrived in Kyiv to attend the Ukraine-EU Summit on Feb. 3, nearly a year after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Ukraine-EU Summit is "proof that Russia can't break us," Zelensky said. The historic summit, held in central Kyiv, was the first of its kind to be held in an active war zone. Von der Leyen, Michel, and High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell were all in Kyiv for the event. Ahead of the summit, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said at a briefing that the plan was to discuss Ukraine's progress in meeting the seven requirements to join the EU and the timeframe of when the accession negotiations could begin. Ukraine officially applied for EU membership in late February, just days after the start of the full-scale invasion, and gained its candidacy status in June. But it's expected to take years before it gets admitted into the bloc, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying in May that it may be "decades." Zelensky said that Ukraine's goal was to begin the negotiations this year. Von der Leyen said Ukraine's progress on the seven requirements for potential accession was more impressive than expected but added that there was "no rigid timeliness" on when it would obtain membership. The EU hailed Ukraine's "considerable efforts" in recent months toward a potential membership. The Guardian reported that the language was changed from "considerable progress" after Germany, the Netherlands, and other EU member countries complained without "no official assessment to justify such rosy comments." The EU has said that Ukraine needs to establish a credible track record to curb corruption and speed up its long-withstanding judicial reforms. A senior EU official told the Kyiv Independent on the condition of anonymity that the bloc plans to begin the negotiations in October, but Kyiv was pushing for Summer. Standing next to Zelensky, Von der Leyen said Russia made "two big strategic mistakes," which were "underestimating the courage and determination of the Ukrainian people" and "the unity and very strong desire of the EU to stand together with Ukraine for as long as it takes." While Ukraine's hopes for a swift membership were dashed, Von der Leyen said that the EU would help Ukraine "until the day when the Ukrainian flag will be raised where it is supposed to be - in front of the Belmont building in Brussels." Regarding sanctions against Russia, von der Leyen said that the EU aimed to prepare the 10th round of sanctions by Feb. 24, the first anniversary of the full-scale invasion. Von der Leyen said the upcoming sanction package would include an increased price cap on Russian petroleum products. She added that the EU's sanctions were already "throwing it (Russia) back by a generation," with the bloc's oil price gap costing Moscow about $176 million daily. Zelensky said that Ukraine expects the EU to impose sanctions on Russia's Rosatom state atomic energy corporation that is taking an active part in the occupation of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Furthermore, Zelensky said Ukraine is continuing to push for a tribunal and the seizure of Russian assets currently frozen in the West. "It only makes sense that Russia should pay to rebuild Ukraine," said Michel, regarding infrastructure in Ukraine that Russia has destroyed. "Europe will step up its work towards the use of Russia's frozen assets to support Ukraine's reconstruction and for the purposes of reparation, in accordance with EU and international law," says the official EU statement following the summit. Michel has earlier pressed EU leaders to begin talks on confiscating Russian central bank assets, worth $300 billion, to help reconstruct Ukraine. Over the course of the past 24 hours, Ukraine's Defence Forces have repelled Russian assaults in the vicinity of 10 settlements. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 06:00, 3 February 2023 Quote: "Over the past day, the enemy carried out four missile attacks, two of which hit civilian infrastructure in Kramatorsk city in Donetsk Oblast, and five airstrikes. They also deployed multiple-launch rocket systems and fired more than 70 times on civilian facilities in Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts. Civilians were killed and wounded by the enemy strikes. Despite suffering heavy losses, the enemy is continuing to conduct offensive operations on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Novopavlivka fronts. Yesterday, units of Ukrainian Defence Forces repelled the occupiers attacks in the vicinity of Stelmakhivka, Nevske and Bilohorivka in Luhansk Oblast and Verkhniokamianske, Mykolaivka, Krasna Hora, Paraskoviivka, Bakhmut, Ivanivske and Kurdiumivka in Donetsk Oblast." Details: On the Volyn, Polissia, Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna fronts, there were no significant changes. No Russian offensive groups have been detected. The areas of the settlements of Kliusy, Hremiach and Yeline in Chernihiv Oblast; Muraveinia, Tovstobudove, Studenok, Katerynivka, Vovkivka and Volfyne in Sumy Oblast; and Veterynarne, Kozacha Lopan, Strilecha, Hlyboke, Zelene, Starytsia, Ohirtseve, Hatyshche, Vovchansk, Vovchanski Khutory, Okhrimivka and Novomlynske in Kharkiv Oblast came under fire. On the Kupiansk front, Russian forces used tanks and artillery to fire on areas in and around Dvorichna, Holubivka, Kupiansk, Kucherivka, Kyslivka and Kotliarivka in Kharkiv Oblast; and Novoselivske and Stelmakhivka in Luhansk Oblast. On the Lyman front, Terny, Makiivka, Chervonopopivka, Dibrova and Torske in Luhansk Oblast came under Russian fire. On the Bakhmut front, the invaders shelled Spirne, Bilohorivka, Paraskoviivka, Vesele, Bakhmut and Ivanivske in Donetsk Oblast. Story continues On the Avdiivka front, the occupiers attacked Avdiivka, Tonenke, Vesele, Sievierne, Vodiane, Pervomaiske, Nevelske, Krasnohorivka, Heorhiivka, Marinka and Pobieda. On the Novopavlivka front, the settlements of Bohoiavlenka, Vuhledar, Prechystivka, Velyka Novosilka and Neskuchne in Donetsk Oblast came under Russian artillery fire. On the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson fronts, the Russians used mortars and tubed and rocket artillery to fire on more than 40 cities, towns and villages, including Vremivka in Donetsk Oblast; Huliaipilske and Kamianske in Zaporizhzhia Oblast; and Kherson, Zolota Balka, Mykhailivka, Havrylivka, Mylove, Burhunka, Novotiahynka and Kizomne in Kherson Oblast. Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian aircraft have carried out four airstrikes on clusters of Russian military personnel and destroyed a Russian Merlin UAV. Moreover, Ukraines Rocket Forces and Artillery units struck a command post, three clusters of Russian military personnel and an ammunition storage point. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Theres a little bit of Nashville in Dash of Nash, a womens clothing store in Naperville, said owner and country music fan Erica Sebesta. (Steve Metsch / Naperville Sun) Business: Dash of Nash Address: 32 W. Chicago Ave., Naperville Advertisement Phone/website: 331-457-5219 and www.shopdashofnash.com Owner: Erica Sebesta, 29, of Villa Park Advertisement Years in business: Opened June 2022 What does your business do? Its womens clothing. We carry a little bit of mens clothing, but its mostly women, Sebesta said. Why name it Dash of Nash? We have a little bit of Nashville elements, a little country vibe. Ive always had a bit of country flair to my boutique. (My first) business was called Homegrown Honey. Youre a country music fan? Oh, yeah. My first concert was Shania Twain. Whats your business background? I started six years ago online in my parents basement. ... I was going through a pretty big health challenge. Thats why I started out of their house. Im better now. ... Ive always had an interest in fashion. I went for a year to Columbia College, then I went to makeup artistry school. Ive always had a passion for the beauty/fashion industry. ... Six months after I started (online), I rented a second-floor location in Naperville, above Benefit Cosmetics on Main Street. Three years there. Erica Sebesta owns Dash of Nash, a womens clothing store that opened last June in downtown Naperville. (Steve Metsch / Naperville Sun) What about the industry appeals to you? Ive always had a creative mind. I love putting outfits together. I really love helping people and making them feel confident. If I can do that through my work, thats what its all about. What does Mom say? My husband took her shopping to Limited Too. He bought her a $40 denim skirt. She was 7 or 8. I tell him, This is what your started. She used to dress for (Willowbrook) high school like the halls were her runway. ... Fashion was always in her. She always dressed up, said her mother Monica Sebesta, who works in the store. Advertisement Hows business? Its great. First floor. Cant ask for more. Its nice to have that visibility. Were right next to all the bars and restaurants. We get people from the hotel, people from all over, people who used to live in Nashville. Where do find merchandise? I work with more than 100 vendors. ... I travel all over. Were going to Atlanta this week. I shop in L.A. and Dallas. I make appointments with vendors to go over things. Im going to L.A. next week to meet with some of my vendors to go over designs. I have some say in the design of certain items. Whats hot? Fringe. Rhinestone. Bell bottoms. Its all coming back. What do you like best? Seeing someone try on something they normally would not have picked out is fun to me. Thats like my Super Bowl, to get people into unique items and seeing their confidence come through. I have several customers who didnt like shopping before. Now, theyre coming in weekly. That makes me happy. Any negatives? Not really. I mean, your work never stops. Youre working from home. My minds always going, so there is no down time. Whats your philosophy? I like to treat people like theyre my friend, because thats how Id want to be treated. I will tell someone if I dont like something or if I prefer something (else) on them. Im going to be very honest. Advertisement How many sales are online? About 30 percent. What misconceptions do people have about your business? Thats its only for younger people. What impact did the virus have on your business? We were fortunate that when my three-year lease ended (for my first business), thats pretty much when Covid-19 started. It was June 1, 2020. Covid-19 happened in March. We had a few months of down time. Then we had a pop-up location during Covid-19. We shared a space with Treasures, the toy store, for three months. Why Naperville? Having our other store, we built a clientele. Weve always loved the area. I think of it as a mini-Chicago. What about competition? I feel Ive always stayed true to me. Ive always had a unique style. I dont think anyone (else) has appealed to my same demographic. How big is your closet? Not big enough. Advertisement Future plans? We have a separate line called Dash of Bach, short for bachelorette. Its everything besides your wedding day, from showers to bachelorette parties. I work one-on-one with the brides, as well as have parties for them here. Ill launch it full force in February. Whats your advice for someone starting a business? Stay true to yourself. Dont compare yourself to others. Be prepared to have your heart and soul in something because when you do, it will work. ... It takes a lot of hard work. Remember why you started. If you know of a business youd like to see to profiled in Down to Business, contact Steve Metsch at metschmsfl@yahoo.com. Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville News-Sun. The Prosecutor General's Office has served a notice of suspicion to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group private military company (PMC). Source: Prosecutor General's Office on Telegram Quote from the Prosecutor General's Office: "The head of the Wagner PMC is charged with encroaching on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine and waging a war of aggression (Art. 110.3, Art. 28.2, Art. 437.2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)." Details: The pre-trial investigation in criminal proceedings is carried out by the National Police. It is reported that the head of the Wagner PMC is directly responsible for thousands of war crimes. According to the investigation, Prigozhin was empowered to recruit, train and manage his subordinates for further use in combat operations on the territory of Ukraine. All this happened with the full support of the current Russian regime. The Prosecutor General's Office stressed that ordinary Wagnerites, even those who fled abroad, will not escape responsibility either. It is noted that prosecutors have already interrogated two such fighters who are in the EU. The investigation into the involvement of another PMC member in war crimes, who is in Norway, is also underway. A request for investigative action will soon be sent to our Norwegian colleagues. "The hammer of justice is always stronger the sledgehammer of anarchy", summed up the prosecutors office. For reference: The Wagner PMC was founded in 2013-14. The Wagner Group's mercenaries were actively involved in several countries where Russia has important interests, such as Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, and Ukraine. It was reported that the Wagnerites committed war crimes and crimes against humanity and were particularly cruel. After the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, the Wagnerites took part in massacres against civilians. The PMC recruits convicts from Russian prisons, as well as Ukrainians who were imprisoned in the temporarily occupied territories. Prigozhin himself is often engaged in recruitment, and only in September 2022 he admitted that he was behind this PMC. Story continues A sledgehammer is a kind of symbol of the Wagnerites. Prigozhin's mercenaries have been using sledgehammer killings since the war in Syria. On the Internet, you can find evidence of how, in 2017, in Syria, the Wagnerites beat a person to death, quartered his body and burned it. In November 2022, Russian Telegram channels published a video of the execution of Yevgeny Nuzhin, a former inmate of Ryazan Penal Colony No. 3 and a member of the Wagner PMC, who surrendered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine after being sent to war in Ukraine; the man's head was smashed with a sledgehammer. Subsequently, the Wagner Group decided to transfer a "blood-stained" sledgehammer in a violin case to the European Parliament. This is how Prigozhin reacted to the news about the possible recognition of his PMC as a terrorist organisation. In January, the United States recognised the Wagner PMC as a transnational criminal organisation. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! (This Feb. 3 story has been corrected to say that the film is being shown in the 'Generation' section instead of 'Panorama' in paragraph 4) By James Imam (Reuters) - When Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, award-winning Ukrainian filmmaker Alisa Kovalenko put down her camera to join the battles raging on the country's eastern front. Kovalenko returned to making films, driven by the belief that the silver screen can be an equally effective weapon to fight the enemy as she tells the story of five teenagers determined to pursue their dreams despite the carnage of war that envelops their worlds. "This cultural front is really important," Kovalenko told Reuters. "It helps people around the world feel and understand what people are going through." Kovalenko's documentary, "We Will Not Fade Away", opens in the Generation section of the Berlinale on Feb. 22, forming part of a broader Ukraine focus at this year's festival. The film is shot over three years in the villages of Zolote-4 and Stanytsia Luhanska, in the eastern Donbas region where fighting has taken place since 2014. Kovalenko started filming in 2019 but stopped when she signed up for a Ukrainian voluntary battalion last March. She said she returned to filming four months later after Russian forces bombed the fighters' base and one of her friends was killed. "I almost signed a contract to join the regular army," Kovalenko said. "But I felt it was important to finish the film; I couldn't leave it like this." The film's protagonists including an aspiring motorcycle mechanic and a nascent rapper embark on an inspirational walking trip in the Himalayas before returning to Ukraine. In the final credits, viewers learn that the villages have now fallen under Russian control and that contact with some of the teenagers has been lost. Kovalenko said Russia's full-scale invasion had changed the meaning, colour and form of the film. Story continues "I wanted to make a film about children realising their dreams in a place that does not lend itself to dreaming," Kovalenko said. It has become about how war destroys those dreams." Russia denies targeting civilians in what it calls a "special military operation" to protect Russian security. Ukraine and its allies call the war an unprovoked land grab. (This Feb. 3 story has been corrected to say that the film is being shown in the 'Generation' section instead of 'Panorama' in paragraph 4) (Reporting by James Imam, Editing by Friederike Heine and Alison Williams) Dmytro Lubinets and Sheref Malkoch During a conversation with the Turkish colleague, I emphasized that Russia is using negotiations mediated by Turkey as a platform for expressing political slogans and spreading Russian propaganda narratives, the ombudsman said. Read also: Ukrainian ombudsman Lubinets to meet with his Russian counterpart According to Lubinets, Russian propaganda is working to discredit Ukraine and is spreading fake news that have nothing to do with reality. Read also: Commissioner for Human Rights Lubinets met Russian counterpart during prisoner swap In turn, Malkoc said that Russia has already been working on lists of Ukrainian civilian prisoners who are over 70 years old, or those over 65 who have chronic diseases. However, Moscow has requested time to work with these lists. Lubinets noted that he had thanked Malkoc for his presence, since it is important for Ukraine to have Turkeys support in the important issue of negotiations with Russia regarding the exchange of prisoners of war and civilian hostages. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States and South Korea staged drills for the second time in a week on Friday with some of their latest warplanes, despite North Korean complaints that the exercises were increasing tensions on the peninsula. The two countries conducted a joint air exercise over the sea to the west of the Korean Peninsula on Friday, with warplanes such as South Korea's F35A, and United States' F-22 and F-35B participating, the South Korean military said in a statement. The Air Forces of both countries "will continue to strengthen joint drills to have strong response capabilities and readiness against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," it said in a statement. Last year, North Korea conducted a record number of ballistic missile tests, which are banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions. It was also observed reopening its shuttered nuclear weapons test site, raising expectations of a nuclear test for the first time since 2017. On Thursday, North Korea's Foreign Ministry said earlier drills by the United States and its allies had reached an "extreme red line" and threatened to turn the peninsula into a "huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone." Pyongyang was not interested in dialogue as long as Washington pursued hostile policies, said the statement carried by North Korea's state news agency. (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Christina Fincher) The new security package worth $2.17 billion announced on Feb. 3 includes long-range Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) missiles for U.S.-provided HIMARS multiple rocket launchers and Javelin anti-tank weapons. Todays announcement includes critical air defense capabilities to help Ukraine defend its people, as well as armored infantry vehicles and more equipment that Ukraine is using so effectively, including Javelins, anti-tank missiles, artillery munitions, and long-range rockets for U.S.-provided HIMARS, said Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder. In total, the US has committed $32 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since 2014, and $29.3 billion since Russia's unprovoked and illegal invasion nearly one year ago this month, Ryder said. Launched from different rocket launchers, including HIMARS, the new weapon has a range of 150 kilometers, which is farther than any missiles the U.S. has provided to Ukraine prior. So far, the U.S. has refused to supply Ukraine with long-range MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) over concerns that Kyiv would use the systems to strike targets inside of Russia. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 28 Ukraine needs longer-range missiles, including ATACMS, to stop Russian terror. On Feb. 2, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Ukraine could guarantee not to use long-range weapons against targets inside Russia. The United States has announced a new package of military aid for Ukraine worth US$2.175 billion. Source: Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, during a briefing in Washington; European Pravda reports Quote: "Todays announcement includes critical air defence capabilities to help Ukraine defend its people, as well as armoured infantry vehicles and more equipment that Ukraine is using so effectively, including Javelin anti-tank missiles, artillery ammunition, and missiles for HIMARS systems," Ryder said. The new package will include 250 Javelin anti-armor systems, 155 mm artillery rounds and 120 mortar rounds, 190 heavy machine guns with ammunition. In addition, the list includes 2 HAWK air defence firing units, 4 air surveillance radars, 20 counter-mortar radars, anti-aircraft guns and ammunition for them. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! The US scrambled F-22 Raptors after reports Wednesday of an unidentified flying object over Montana. Chris Drzazgowsk/U.S. Air Force/Handout via REUTERS The US is tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon first spotted over Montana, per NBC News. The balloon has been hovering over the US "for the past few days," NBC reported Thursday. "We continue to track and monitor it closely," a Pentagon spokesperson said. The US military is tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon after a bright, unidentified flying object was spotted in the skies of Montana, a senior defense official told reporters on Thursday, confirming a report published by NBC News. Video published by an NBC affiliate in Billings, Montana, shows a bright, unidentified object in the sky, which prompted flights to be diverted from the local airport on Wednesday. A senior US defense official, speaking to reporters on Thursday, said that the US considered shooting down the balloon on Wednesday but decided it was not worth the potential risk of debris falling on people and property below. "Clearly, the intent of the balloon is first surveillance, and so the current flight path does carry it over a number of sensitive sites," the official said. However, the US has assessed "it does not create significant value-added over and above what the [People's Republic of China] is likely able to collect through things like satellites in low-Earth orbit. But out of an abundance of caution we have taken additional mitigation steps." The official said there was "very high confidence" that the balloon was Chinese but did not elaborate on how that assessment was made, saying only that it was "shared across our intelligence and analytic community." According to NBC, it is believed to have flown over a chain of volcanic islands off the coast of Russia and Alaska, making its way across Canada and reaching Montana on Wednesday. "It is not the first time that you've had a balloon of this nature cross over the continental United States," the official said. "It's happened a handful of other times over the past few years, to include before this administration. It is appearing to hang out for a longer period of time this time around, more persistent than in previous instances, so that would be one distinguishing factor." Story continues There are several potential surveillance targets in the area where the balloon was spotted, including Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, which is just one of three such bases in the US home to Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, a strategic nuclear weapon. US Space Command's Missile Warning Center is also located in neighboring Colorado. After the balloon was spotted, the US military responded by scrambling F-22 Raptors and other aircraft near Billings, prompting the civilian airport to be shuttered for some time. "But even with those protective measures taken, it was the judgment of our military commanders that we didn't drive the risk down low enough, so we didn't take the shot," the US official said. The official said the US had contacted the Chinese government through China's embassy in Washington DC and through the US Embassy in Beijing but did not describe the message that was relayed. "We have made clear we will do whatever is necessary to protect our people and our homeland," the official said Thursday, adding that if the US's risk assessment changes, "we will have options to deal with this balloon." Stratospheric balloons are capable of taking high-resolution photographs and potentially intercepting electronic communications for a fraction of the cost of launching a satellite. Last summer, Politico reported that the US was itself developing plans to deploy its own high-altitude balloons to, among other things, track the deployment of hypersonic missiles in China and Russia. Read the original article on Business Insider President Joe Biden on Friday declined to answer questions about the detection of a Chinese surveillance balloon over Montana after delivering remarks on the addition of 517,000 new jobs to the US economy last month. Speaking from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Mr Biden told reporters he wouldnt answer questions about anything other than the Labor Department report because doing so would keep reporters from writing about the positive jobs numbers. Mr Bidens appearance at the White House came just minutes after it became known that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had postponed his planned trip to China following Beijings admission that it was responsible for a surveillance balloon which was spotted over Montana on Thursday. Mr Blinken was set to travel to Beijing this weekend to meet with top Chinese officials. Planning for the visit began after President Joe Bidens meeting with Xi Jinping late last year, but the discovery of the Chinese balloon has put those plans off. Pentagon Press Secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a statement late Thursday that the US government was tracking what he described as a high altitude surveillance balloon over the continental US, and was closely monitoring the airship through the North American Aerospace Defence Command. The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground, he said. He added that similar balloons had been observed by US officials over the past several years and said the government acted immediately to prevent collection of sensitive data after it was discovered. A spokesperson for the Chinese government admitted that Beijing is responsible for the balloon, which he claimed was a civilian airship meant for climate research. White House officials said Mr Biden was briefed on the balloon after it was detected but after consulting with Pentagon officials decided not to order it shot down because of the possibility that debris from the airship, which is as large as several commercial busses, would harm Americans on the ground. With additional reporting by agencies CAIRO (AP) The United States has stepped up pressure on Middle East allies to expel the Wagner Group, a military contractor owned by an oligarch with close ties to Russias president, from chaos-stricken Libya and Sudan where it has expanded in recent years, regional officials told The Associated Press. The U.S. effort described by officials comes as the Biden administration is making a broad push against the mercenaries. The U.S. has slapped new sanctions on the Wagner Group in recent months over its expanding role in Russias war in Ukraine. The group is owned by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Pentagon has described it as a surrogate for the Russian Defense Ministry. The Kremlin denies any connection. The Biden administration has been working for months with regional powers Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to pressure military leaders in Sudan and Libya to end their ties with the group, according to more than a dozen Libyan, Sudanese and Egyptian officials. They asked for anonymity to speak freely and because they were not authorized to discuss the issue with the media. A senior Egyptian government official with direct knowledge of the talks said the Wagner group is at the top of every meeting. The group doesnt announce its operations, but its presence is known from reports on the ground and other evidence. In Sudan, it was originally associated with former strongman Omar al-Bashir and now works with the military leaders who replaced him. In Libya, it's associated with east Libya-based military commander Khalifa Hifter. Wagner has deployed thousands of operatives in African and Middle Eastern countries including Mali, Libya, Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Syria. Its aim in Africa, analysts say, is to support Russias interests amid rising global interest in the resource-rich continent. Rights experts working with the U.S. on Jan. 31 accused the group of committing possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Mali, where it is fighting alongside government forces. Story continues Wagner tends to target countries with natural resources that can be used for Moscows objectives - gold mines in Sudan, for example, where the resulting gold can be sold in ways that circumvent Western sanctions, said Catrina Doxsee, an expert on Wagner at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Asked for comment, Prigozhin told AP through his representatives on Friday that African countries should be wary of U.S. policy. We are closely following the movements of the CIA director and attempts to put pressure on the authorities of various states," the statement said. We always have a sacred attitude to the sovereignty of countries." The groups role in Libya and Sudan was central to talks between CIA director William Burns and officials in Egypt and Libya in January. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also discussed the group with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in a late-January trip to Cairo, Egyptian officials said. Weeks after the visits, Burns acknowledged in a Thursday speech at Georgetown University in Washington that after recent travel to Africa, he was concerned about Wagner's growing influence in the continent. That is a deeply unhealthy development and were working very hard to counter it, Burns said. Burns and Blinken called on el-Sissis government to help convince Sudans ruling generals and Libyas Hifter to end their dealings with Wagner, an Egyptian official briefed on the talks said. The group and Prigozhin have been under U.S. sanctions since 2017, and the Biden administration in December announced new export restrictions on its access to technology and supplies, designating it as a significant transnational criminal organization." SUDAN Leaders in Sudan have received repeated U.S. messages about Wagners growing influence in recent months, via Egypt and Gulf states, said a senior Sudanese official. Abbas Kamel, the director of Egypts Intelligence Directorate Agency, conveyed Western concerns in talks in Khartoum last month with the head of Sudans ruling sovereign council, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the official said. Kamel urged Burhan to find a way to address Wagners use of Sudan as a base for operations in neighboring countries such as the Central African Republic, the official said. Wagner started operating in Sudan in 2017, providing military training to intelligence and special forces, and to the paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces, according to Sudanese officials and documents shared with the AP. The RSF, which grew out of the feared Janjaweed militias, is led by powerful general Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who has close ties with the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Dagalo has been sending troops to fight alongside the Saudi-led coalition in Yemens long-running civil war. Wagner mercenaries are not operating in a combat role in Sudan, officials said. The group, which has dozens of operatives in the country, provides military and intelligence training, as well as surveillance and protection of sites and top officials. Sudanese military leaders appear to have given Wagner control of gold mines in return. The documents show the group has received mining rights through front companies with ties to Sudans powerful military and the RSF. Its activities are centered in gold-rich areas controlled by the RSF in Darfur, Blue Nile and other provinces, according to officials. Two companies have been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for acting as fronts for Wagners mining activities Meroe Gold, a Sudanese gold mining firm, and its owner, the Russian-based M Invest firm. Prigozhin owns or controls both, according to the Treasury Department. Despite sanctions, Meroe Gold is still operating across Sudan. The Russian mercenaries helped the paramilitary force consolidate its influence not only in the countrys far-flung regions, but also in the capital of Khartoum, where it helps run pro-RSF social media pages. The main camp of Wagner mercenaries is in the contested village of Am Dafok on the border between the Central African Republic and Sudan, according to the Darfur Bar Association, a legal group that focuses on human rights. Nobody can approach their areas," said Gibreel Hassabu, a lawyer and member of the association. LIBYA In Libya, Burns held talks in Tripoli with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, head of one of Libyas two rival governments. The CIA director also met with Hifter in eastern Libya, according to officials with Hifters forces. One official briefed on the meeting in al-Rajma military complex, the seat of Hifters command just outside Benghazi, said Wagner was the main issue discussed. U.N. experts said Wagner mercenaries were deployed Libya since 2018, helping Hifter's forces in their fight against Islamist militants in eastern Libya. The group was also involved in his failed offensive on Tripoli in April 2019. The U.S. Africa Command, AFRICOM, estimated that some 2,000 Wagner mercenaries were in Libya between July-September 2020, before a cease-fire. The mercenaries were equipped with armored vehicles, air defense systems, fighter aircraft and other equipment supplied by Russia, according to AFRICOM. The report also said Wagner appeared to be receiving money from the UAE, a main foreign backer of Hifter. Since the 2020 cease-fire, Wagner's activities have centered around oil facilities in central Libya, and they have continued providing military training to Hifter forces, Libyan officials said. It is not clear how many Wagner mercenaries are still in Libya. U.S. officials have demanded that mercenaries be pulled out of oil facilities, another Libyan official said. Hifter did not offer any commitments, but asked for assurances that Turkey and the Libyan militias it backed in western Libya will not attack his forces in the coastal city of Sirte and other areas in central Libya. Egypt, which has close ties with Hifter, has demanded that Wagner not be stationed close to its borders. There is no evidence yet that the Biden administrations pressure has yielded results in either Sudan or Libya, observers said. Doxsee, the expert, said the U.S. and allies should resist promoting narratives that Russia is bad and what we have to offer is good, and instead focus on offering better alternatives to Wagner. Ultimately, at the end of the day, Wagner is a business. If you can cut out the profit and you can reduce the business case for using Wagner, thats what is going to make it a less- appealing case, she said. ___ AP writer Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed. Field trips are a staple of Naper Settlement, Naperville's historical museum campus at Aurora Avenue and Webster Street. (David Sharos / Naperville Sun) Attendance at Naperville Settlement is showing signs of bounding back to pre-pandemic levels, officials there say. The number of visitors in 2022 to the Naperville historical museum campus, located just south of downtown, was 105,811, up 14,007 from the 91,804 reported in 2021, according to a settlement report released this week. Advertisement Attendance figures include general visits, group and school tours, Naper Nights Concerts and events, large scale rentals (Womans Club Art Fair, SoulFest, Naperville AleFest), weddings and trade shows. The settlement still has a ways to go to full reach pre-pandemic numbers from 2019, when 132,482 people visited Naper Settlement. Advertisement One of the biggest drivers of the 2022 attendance increase was in school field trips and programs, which rose 7,851 over the previous year to 12,332. Jeanne Schultz Angel, associate vice president in the settlements learning experiences department, said the number of students taking onsite field trips declined because of restrictions put in place by the Illinois State Board of Education. While private school students and home-schoolers continued to visit the settlement amid the pandemic, Schultz Angel said most public schools did not. Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St. in Naperville, tells the history of Naperville from its agriculture-based yesteryear through today. (JAMES MAYO / CHICAGO TRIBUNE) In reaction, Naper Settlement field trips went virtual. Of the 4,481 visits from students in 2021, 2,424 were virtually via computer or tablet. Trying to predict our attendance for field trips has been especially challenging over the last few years not only for Naper Settlement, but for museums all over the state just because we werent sure when those restrictions were going to be lifted, Schultz Angel said. After a slow spring in 2022, Schultz Angel said school visits to Naper Settlement started to crawl back up in the fall. Were excited about that, she said. And were seeing some encouraging results for the rest of the school year. Advertisement Schultz Angel said settlement educators are talking to teachers and evaluating existing programs to ensure the museum is giving teachers exactly what they need. The pandemic changed education, she said. The challenge is to make sure we are adapting our programs to what is needed in 2023 and 2024. Schutz Angel said. It behooves us to make sure those lines of communication to the area districts and the regional schools are really, really open, and were listening to the teachers and administrators and whats going to work for them now. Built in 1883 by George Martin for his family on the rural edge of downtown Naperville, the Pine Craig mansion stood on Locust Hill near Martins limestone quarries along the DuPage River. Martins quarrying business boomed after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, when Chicagoans needed stone to rebuild their devastated city. (Naper Settlement / HANDOUT) For instance, she said a teacher can sign up for an in-person field trip, and the settlement can add a piece of distance learning when the teacher returns to the classroom to reiterate what students learned at Naper Settlement. It becomes this sort of hybrid model that were looking at, she said. Were looking at the effectiveness of this now, but it looks very encouraging. Advertisement subaker@tribpub.com A new U.S. weapons package for Ukraine worth nearly $2.2 billion will for the first time include a longer-range missile, the Pentagon announced Friday. The Boeing-made ground-launched small diameter bomb, a bomb-tipped rocket with a range of 90 miles, is included as part of a $1.75 billion Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package. That initiative allows the Defense Department to buy weapons directly from defense contractors to then be sent into Ukraine. Another $425 million in weapons will come from U.S. stocks, bringing the total U.S. military aid committed to Ukraine to $29.3 billion since Russia first invaded last February. The ground-launched small diameter bomb will give Kyiv long-range fires capability that will enable them to conduct operations in defense of their country and to take back their sovereign territory in Russian occupied areas, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters. The most notable part of the latest weapons tranche to the embattled country, the small diameter missile consists of a 250-pound precision-guided bomb attached to a rocket motor and fired from a ground launcher. As the U.S. military does not currently keep the ground-launched version of the weapon in its inventory, it could be up to nine months before it makes it to the Ukrainian battlefield. Fridays package notably does not include Army Tactical Missile Systems, a surface-to-surface missile with a range of up to 200 miles. Ukraine has repeatedly asked the United States for the weapon but has been rebuffed over fears it could be used to strike targets in Russia and escalate the conflict beyond Ukraines borders. The new lethal aid does include additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, also known as HIMARS, 181 mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles, two HAWK air defense firing units, Javelin antitank missiles, drones, artillery, ammunition, radars, military gear and medical supplies. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. DETROIT (AP) Honda and the U.S. government are urging owners of about 8,200 older vehicles not to drive them until dangerous air bag inflators are replaced. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Friday issued a Do Not Drive advisory for the 2001 through 2003 vehicles with Takata inflators that have a high possibility of exploding and hurling shrapnel in a crash. The safety agency says the risk to drivers and passengers is dire because the so-called Alpha inflators have a 50% chance of exploding in a crash. If the inflators blow apart, they can shoot shrapnel toward a driver's face that could kill them or cause serious injuries. The agency says the Honda and Acura vehicles were recalled previously but records show that repairs have not been made in the affected vehicles. Honda already has replaced 99% of the dangerous inflators. Vehicles affected include the 2001 and 2002 Honda Accord and Civic, the 2002Honda CR-V and Odyssey SUVs, the 2003 Honda Pilot, the 2002 and 2003 Acura 3.2 TL and the 2003 Acura 3.2 CL. Owners can check to see if their cars are covered by going to https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls and keying in their 17-digit vehicle identification number. These inflators are two decades old now, and they pose a 50% chance of rupturing in even a minor crash, NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson said in a statement. Dont gamble with your life or the life of someone you love schedule your free repair today before its too late. Takata used ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate air bags in a crash. But the chemical can become more volatile over time when exposed to moisture in the air and repeated high temperatures. The explosion can rupture a metal canister and hurl shrapnel into the passenger compartment. Since 2009, the exploding air bags have killed at least 33 people worldwide, including 24 in the United States. Most of the deaths and about 400 injuries have happened in U.S., but they also have occurred in Australia and Malaysia. Story continues Honda said it has reached out to the owners more than 18 million times with mailed notices, emails, phone calls and even home visits. The company says repairs are free and parts are available. Its offering free towing and loaner vehicles if needed. Potential for the dangerous malfunction led to the largest series of auto recalls in U.S. history, with at least 67 million Takata inflators recalled. The U.S. government says that millions have not been repaired. About 100 million inflators have been recalled worldwide. The exploding air bags sent Takata Corp. of Japan into bankruptcy. Honda by far had the highest number of vehicles with Takata inflators. Dillian Whyte has hit out at the news that Anthony Joshua is expected to fight Jermaine Franklin this spring, calling the match-up the usual bull***t. Whyte secured a controversial points win over Franklin in November, with promoter Eddie Hearn saying at the time that the winner was likely next for Joshua. Despite Franklins loss, however, the American is due to box Joshua in April, with Hearn suggesting that an announcement will be made this month. I am alright but facing the usual bull***t, Whyte told The Sun on Thursday (2 February). I just want to make some fights, but its f*****g frustrating. Everyone was told all the boxing fans that the winner of me and Franklin fights AJ, so this is a f****d-up thing. I would have been better off losing the Franklin fight and getting the AJ fight! I know [streaming service] DAZN need content for their subscribers, but why choose to fight a low-profile American coming off a loss instead of having a massive British tear-up? Its no surprise to me that they have chosen 1 April for this battle of the fools, Whyte added, referencing the expected date on which Joshua vs Franklin is expected to take place at Londons O2 Arena. Whyte, 34, was a majority-decision winner against Franklin, 29, in the English capital. While some observers felt that Franklin had done enough to win the back-and-forth heavyweight bout, Whyte remains confident that the result was the correct one. Eddie Hearn (right) promotes Anthony Joshua (left) and Dillian Whyte (PA) I faced Franklin the most dangerous and undefeated version of him and beat him, Whyte said. Eddie was promising him many millions to fight AJ if he beat me. Its protecting AJ, because they all know if he loses again he will probably jack it in. Joshua, 33, last fought in August and suffered a decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk, just as he did 11 months prior. The Britons most recent defeat by Usyk saw him fail to regain the heavyweight titles that he dropped to the unbeaten Ukrainian in their first clash. Despite Whytes frustration at the prospect of Joshua vs Franklin, Hearn has suggested that the Bodysnatcher could box his compatriot this summer if AJ overcomes Franklin. Whyte beat Joshua during the pairs amateur careers but was knocked out by the former two-time world champion in a professional contest in 2015. By Vivian Sequera CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday lashed out at U.S. licenses barring companies doing business with sanctioned Venezuelan state firms from paying cash to his administration. Washington last year authorized U.S. and European firms to resume taking Venezuelan crude oil on the condition no funds be paid to Venezuela. Last week, the United States authorized Trinidad & Tobago to import gas from a Venezuelan offshore field and barred cash from changing hands. The permits were part of U.S. President Joe Biden's move to encourage political talks between Maduro and the Venezuelan opposition with the main goal of securing a fair presidential election. "They tell a country it has permission to negotiate with Venezuela, but it cannot pay in dollars or any form of cash. It must pay with food or products," Maduro said in a broadcast. "That is colonialism." Maduro criticized the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which issued the licenses, and said it tries to dictate how to do business with Venezuela to state and private companies. "It is a joke to sovereign countries. I call sovereign countries and governments in America and the Caribbean to denounce this colonial model. We do not accept it, we will go on our way," he said. Maduro did not elaborate on any coming actions. Following the license to Trinidad last week, Venezuela has not said publicly if it will negotiate with the Caribbean country. (Reporting by Marianna Parraga) [Source] A Vietnamese tourist was able to retrieve his 6.5 million baht (approximately $194,000) Richard Mille watch after losing it in Thailand. The tourist reportedly took a taxi from the riverfront of Asiatique back to his hotel in Lumpini, Bangkok, on Wednesday night, reported The Thaiger. Upon returning to his accommodation, he realized that his Richard Mille RM011 watch was missing. On Thursday morning, the tourist went to the Lumpini Police Station to seek help. More from NextShark: Family of Uber driver killed in Oakland Little Saigon robbery call for solution to gun violence Upon examining CCTV footage, police were able to contact the taxi driver and ask him to return it to its rightful owner. According to the taxi driver, he accepted more passengers after dropping off the Vietnamese tourist. The new passengers notified him after they found the watch behind the driver seat. The driver said that he intended to take the watch to a police station as he had no contact with the tourist. More from NextShark: Teen Arrested After Police See Viral Video of Attack on Asian Couple in Washington However, officers were able to track and contact him before he had the chance to do so. The tourist expressed his relief and was impressed by both the Lumpini Police officers and the honest taxi driver for returning his luxurious watch. More from NextShark: Japanese Man Who Died Live Streaming Fall From Mt. Fuji Wins a Darwin Award Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark! 'Still in the middle of my youth': Japanese man, 83, becomes oldest person to sail solo across Pacific A social media trend showing individuals engaging in what has been described as sushi terrorism has prompted widespread outrage and concern about food safety. The controversy is centred around a number of videos that have emerged on platforms such as Twitter and TikTok, in which individuals show themselves tampering with dishes at Kaitenzushi, conveyor belt sushi restaurants in Japan. In one video, which has been viewed more than 40 million times on Twitter, an individual can be seen licking the top of a communal soy sauce bottle before closing the lid and returning it to his table. The customer, who appears to be in his teens, is seen in the clip licking the entire rim of a teacup before placing it back on the stack of cups at the encouragement of someone off camera. The video concludes with the individual licking his finger multiple times before running it along a piece of sushi passing by on the conveyor belt. The video was reportedly filmed at a branch of the Sushiro chain in the central city of Gifu, Japan, according to The Guardian. The publication also reports that the video of the customers behaviour led stocks in the restaurants parent company to plunge nearly five per cent on Tuesday. The video is just one of several that have emerged on social media recently, with others showing customers at conveyor belt sushi restaurants in Japan also engaging in unsanitary behaviour. In one video, reportedly filmed at the chain Hamasushi, a customer smears wasabi on a piece of sushi passing by on the conveyor belt with his finger, while another video shows a man eating a mouthful of green tea powder from a communal spoon and bowl. The trend has prompted disgust on social media, where many have condemned the unhygienic pranks. Story continues This will have a negative impact on the entire conveyor belt sushi industry, one person tweeted in response to one of the videos, while another said: Absolutely disgusting. #SushiTerrorism is a trend spurred by Japanese teens trying to go viral. Licking soy bottles, touching sushi with hands, and putting it back on the conveyor belt. Disgusting. Social media will be the ruin of this generation who crave only likes. Someone else said the trend is especially heinous for taking place in the pandemic era, as it could potentially contribute to the spread of Covid-19. Others said the videos would deter them from eating at conveyor belt sushi restaurants unless changes are made that would ensure the cleanliness of the food. Many encouraged the restaurants to take legal action. Seeing [videos] like this makes it difficult to go to conveyor belt sushi restaurants. If such people appear, we will have to significantly increase the number of surveillance cameras. The cost... They may have committed the crime lightheartedly, but the damage to the store is immeasurable, one person tweeted, before describing the trend as pathetic. In a statement shared by Sushiro, the conveyor belt sushi restaurant company expressed its regret over the incident and said it had been in contact with police. We take this kind of behaviour very seriously as it damages the relationship of trust with our customers in order to provide safe and secure sushi, the statement read, according to a translation from Japanese to English. Regarding this matter, all Sushiro stores are investigating whether the event has occurred, when it occurred, and to identify the stores that suffered damage. We will deal strictly with both criminal and civil matters while consulting with the police. Sushi restaurant chain Sushiro is considering legal action against young people shown doing rude/disgusting stuff to their conveyer belt sushi in viral TikTok videos. You can see some examples of this under the hashtag # ("sushi terrorism"). https://t.co/qCtol3VT9B pic.twitter.com/MESw31nIvY Jeffrey J. Hall (@mrjeffu) January 30, 2023 In another statement shared with CBS News, the sushi restaurant said the teen seen in the video and his parents had apologised. The company also said soy sauce bottles had been replaced and the cups had been cleaned. Food & Life Companies Ltd, the parent company of Sushiro, said in a statement to Time that the restaurants would work with customers to ensure they feel safe. As a first-aid countermeasure, for all Sushiro stores in Japan, if a customer feels uneasy about the tableware and seasonings on the table, they can let us know and we will replace them with disinfected ones that are stored separately, the company said. Conveyor belt sushi chains Hama-sushi and Kura Sushi, which were also targeted in the videos, have also said they will take legal action, according to the Jiji press agency. Although the videos of customers tampering with the conveyor belt sushi are relatively new, The Japan Times notes that sushi terrorism is the latest version of baito tero or part-time job terrorism, a phenomenon thats been stoking public anger for a decade now. The outlet says that the the term, which was coined on Twitter in 2013, refers to individuals who film themselves behaving outrageously at restaurants and convenience stores. The Independent has contacted Food & Life Companies Ltd, Hamasushi, and Kura Sushi for comment. Inside the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, New York. Talia Lakritz/Insider The Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, New York, was built by Frederick Vanderbilt in the 1890s. The 45,000-square-foot Gilded Age mansion is located on 153 acres of land in the Hudson Valley. The National Park Service offers tours of the mansion to the public. The Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, New York, was home to one of America's wealthiest families during the Gilded Age. The Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, New York. Talia Lakritz/Insider During the Gilded Age in the late 1800s, railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt was the richest man in America with a net worth of $100 million (around $200 billion today), more money than the US Treasury had at the time. After Cornelius' death in 1937, his son William Vanderbilt took over the businesses and doubled his father's fortune. He died the wealthiest private individual in the world in 1885. William's son Frederick Vanderbilt and his wife, Louise, purchased the 153-acre Hyde Park property in 1895. Construction on the mansion began in 1895 and was finished three years later. In total, the Vanderbilts spent $660,000 to build the home (more than $23 million in today's money) and $1.5 million (around $53 million today) to furnish it. Today, the Vanderbilt Mansion is owned and operated by the National Park Service. The mansion is owned and operated by the National Park Service. Talia Lakritz/Insider Frederick and Louise didn't have children. After Frederick's death in 1938, he left the house to Louise's niece, Margaret Van Alen. The Vanderbilts' neighbor in Hyde Park, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, then suggested preserving the estate by converting it into a national park. The Vanderbilt Mansion opened to the public in 1940. I bought my ticket for a tour at the Pavilion Visitor Center, which once served as a guest house. The welcome center. Talia Lakritz/Insider The only way to see the inside of the mansion is through a guided tour with a park ranger. Tours cost $10 per person and are offered on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. The visitor center featured a Vanderbilt family tree and information about their other homes across the US. Story continues The Vanderbilt family tree. Talia Lakritz/Insider The Vanderbilts' largest home, the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, features 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. The Vanderbilt family also had homes in New York City, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The tour began outside the Vanderbilt Mansion, where our park-ranger guide told us about the construction of the 45,000-square-foot home. The Vanderbilt mansion. Talia Lakritz/Insider The building was designed by architects McKim, Mead & White and built by Norcross Brothers. The exterior is made of Indiana limestone. The Vanderbilts used the home as a seasonal escape in the spring and fall. It has six floors and a total of 54 rooms. We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall. The ground floor in the Vanderbilt mansion. Talia Lakritz/Insider The oval-shaped entrance hall was furnished with green marble imported from Italy. The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts. The entrance hall in the Vanderbilt mansion. Talia Lakritz/Insider Unlike most residences at the time, the mansion had running water and electricity. Frederick used his office to manage the affairs of the Hyde Park estate. Frederick Vanderbilt's office. Talia Lakritz/Insider The office contained a private bathroom that led into his den. Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space. A study in the Vanderbilt mansion. Talia Lakritz/Insider The den included a small library of books and a moose head mounted to the wall. The dining room sat 18 people, which is believed to be the largest gathering the Vanderbilts hosted at Hyde Park. The dining room in the Vanderbilt mansion. Talia Lakritz/Insider The Vanderbilts hosted their first housewarming dinner party in May 1899, and only entertained about once per season. It also features a 400-year-old Persian carpet, one of the largest known Islamic carpets in the world. The dining room in the Vanderbilt mansion. Talia Lakritz/Insider The carpet measures about 20 by 40 feet. After dinner parties, guests would enjoy coffee and games of charades in the formal living room. A parlor in the Vanderbilt mansion. Talia Lakritz/Insider Decorated with antique Renaissance furniture, the living room featured Circassian walnut panels on the walls. The ground floor also included an 18th-century-style French salon where Louise would occasionally have tea with guests or spend time alone. A French salon in the Vanderbilt mansion. Talia Lakritz/Insider Frederick and Louise had a permanent residence in Paris, which inspired the Louis XIV-style decor. Vanderbilt butler Alfred Martin told the National Park Service that when the door to the salon was closed, "that was a sure indication that Mrs. Vanderbilt did not want to be disturbed." A grand staircase led to the second floor. The grand staircase in the Vanderbilt mansion. Talia Lakritz/Insider The railing of the staircase was coated in velvet to make even climbing the stairs a comfortable, luxurious experience. An octagon-shaped balcony overlooked the entrance hall, with a similarly shaped skylight above. The second floor of the Vanderbilt mansion. Talia Lakritz/Insider The second floor housed Frederick and Louise's bedrooms, as well as her dressing room and several guest rooms. In the winter months, when the Vanderbilts spent time in their New York City townhouse, the home's furniture was covered with linens. A guest room in the Vanderbilt mansion. Talia Lakritz/Insider When I visited in January, the guest bedrooms were staged to appear the way they would have at that time of year. It took servants weeks to cover and uncover every item in the home with custom-made sheets. Louise's bed was surrounded by a railing, as was often the case in royal bedchambers in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. Louise Vanderbilt's bedroom. Talia Lakritz/Insider In European palaces, railings around royal beds were utilized during daily ceremonies when a monarch woke up or during royal births. In Louise's bedroom, the railing was merely a decorative homage to the French architecture she loved. Her room connected to Frederick's through an adjoining door. Frederick's room was closed for restoration when I visited. We concluded the tour in the basement, where servants would prepare the Vanderbilts' meals in the kitchen. The kitchen in the Vanderbilt mansion. Talia Lakritz/Insider The basement is also where servants stored the estate's wine and spirits, did laundry, and brought food up to the ground floor through a dumbwaiter. The mansion employed 18 servants total. Stepping out onto the grounds of the mansion, I could see why the Vanderbilts relished their seasonal country home. The view from the grounds of the Vanderbilt mansion in Hyde Park, New York. Talia Lakritz/Insider The mansion is situated on 153 acres of land in the scenic Hudson Valley. As our tour guide put it, "It's like they get to live in a beautiful landscape painting whenever they wish." Read the original article on Insider Congress Public Safety (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) The Republican majority in the House of Representatives removed Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs committee on a strict party-line vote. Republicans claimed the vote was intended to punish her for antisemitic remarks. This is transparent nonsense. By cynically using charges of antisemitism as a partisan cudgel, the GOP does a disservice to Jewish people. In 2019, Omar claimed that support for Israel in the US Congress was all about the Benjamins. The vision of shadowy wealthy Jewish people manipulating representatives evoked antisemitic tropes. Omars remarks were condemned by Republicans and Democrats alike, and she unequivocally apologized. I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes, she said, thanking her critics for their criticism. Antisemitism is a serious, dangerous issue. Omar recognized as much, took responsibility, and tried to make amends. Thats what you hope public figures will do. As a Jew myself, I appreciate her acknowledging the error and trying to do better. The GOP, however, is still looking for payback after Democrats removed Paul Gosar and Marjorie Taylor Greene from committees for threatening their colleagues . So Speaker Kevin McCarthy has decided to pretend Omars apology never happened, and to present her use of an inadvertent trope as the most dangerous example of antisemitism today. The pretense that this is about antisemitism is thin. Even very conservative Colorado congressman Ken Buck, who voted for the resolution, said it was the stupidest vote in the world when he didnt think reporters would hear him. Democratic representative Cori Bush argued that Omar was being targeted as a Muslim woman in Congress. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that the resolution was a racist, sexist attack on a woman of color. Those are convincing arguments. In weaponizing antisemitism, though, the GOP also shows a blatant disregard for Jews. Story continues Antisemtitic attacks have been rising over the past five years. Jewish people need policymakers and the public to take this threat seriously. When Republicans shout antisemitism! even when they know there is no antisemitism, they distract from a real problem. Worse, they make it easier to dismiss real examples of antisemitism as more gamesmanship. The far-right Qanon conspiracy theory is closely tied to antisemitic beliefs . And right-wing media and politicians regularly demonize billionaire Democratic donor and Holocaust survivor George Soros, falsely claiming hes behind everything from migrant caravans to antiracist protests . The hatred of Soros is linked to Nazi tropes about an international Jewish-Marxist left-wing plot against white people, and it is incredibly incendiary and dangerous. The gunman who murdered 11 people at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018 was motivated by far-right Soros conspiracy theories. Soros himself has been targeted in assassination attempts. Antisemitism is a bipartisan problem. Omar and the Democrats acknowledged as much following Omars remarks and worked to address it. The GOP, in contrast, acts as if their own hands are clean. China is ready to work with Australia to expand cooperation while managing differences in line with important consensus between the leaders of the two countries, in order to push forward bilateral economic and trade cooperation, a Ministry of Commerce official said on Thursday. Yang Tao told a press conference that the state leaders' meeting in Bali, Indonesia, had pointed the way to improve the China-Australia relations. When answering a media question about whether China will abolish trade restrictions on Australian cotton, rock lobsters, wine and barley, Yang said that China's inspection and quarantine measures and trade remedies abide strictly by domestic laws and World Trade Organization rules, and it is clearly inappropriate to misinterpret them as restrictive measures. Stressing that the bulk of China-Australia trade is from enterprises, Yang said that companies in the two countries make business decisions independently, based on demand and market conditions. Yang also said that Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell will hold video talks next week. Oklahoma higher education institutions expect to spend nearly $10.2 million this academic year on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, with $3.4 million of that coming from state funds. The $10.2 million, most of which comes from federal funding and some private donations, dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion programs will cost only three-tenths of 1% of all higher education spending, according to a report from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, which the Tulsa World first reported. State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters ordered Higher Education Chancellor Allison Garrett to compile a report accounting for every dollar spent on teaching diversity, equity and inclusion at public colleges and universities in the state over the past 10 years. Garrett submitted the report to Walters on Wednesday to meet the deadline of his demand. More:Investigation into misspent education funds clouds hearing on budget requests from Walters State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters speaks with media after a committee meeting with House lawmakers on Jan. 24. Walters, who has been critical of diversity programs, said he requested the information under his authority as Gov. Kevin Stitts education secretary, not as the superintendent of Oklahomas public schools. We are reviewing the information that she provided, Walters said. I am deeply concerned at the incomplete nature, excuses, and where these dollars are being spent. Education is key, and diversity equity inclusion programs are the gateway for liberal indoctrination. Diversity, equity and inclusion occupies significant attention nationwide. Higher education spending on these programs increased by more than $1 million in Oklahoma since the 2020 murder of George Floyd, which sparked global racial justice protests and calls for improved diversity initiatives. Those demands have been met with some political backlash. Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, called diversity, equity and inclusion programs "discriminatory initiatives" and said Tuesday he intends to block colleges in his state from spending any money on them. Story continues More:Attorney and transgender ally fired by Ryan Walters administration without citing cause Garrett noted Oklahoma colleges use these programs to benefit military veterans, first-generation students, low-income students, students of color, international students, single parents and students with different gender identities, among others. Allison D. Garrett speaks Sept. 24, 2021, during a news conference where she was announced as chancellor-elect of Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Federal laws, like the Americans with Disabilities Act, require colleges to have diversity, equity and inclusion programs. University accreditation depends on having diversity practices, as well. The Higher Learning Commission, which gives accreditation to most of Oklahomas colleges and universities, requires as a condition of accreditation that each institution offers an education that recognizes the human and cultural diversity and provides students with growth opportunities and lifelong skills to live and work in a multicultural world, according to the commissions criteria. Program-specific accreditors including those for degrees in nursing, engineering, education and business also require colleges to demonstrate diversity, equity and inclusion in their practices, policies and curricula to keep accreditation, Garrett wrote in her response letter. Records included in Garretts report show Oklahoma colleges used diversity program funds to pay for inclusion training, to support and recruit students from underrepresented groups, to engage diverse speakers, to host multicultural events and to connect students with mentors. As you will see from the responses, diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at our college and university campuses are designed to facilitate student engagement and provide support services to students with varied backgrounds and needs, Garrett wrote in a response letter to Walters. Spending on these programs has steadily risen over the past decade across the higher education system, with the 2022-23 school year expected to be the most expensive. More:Ryan Walters begins to shape education agency around his political ideology In the 2013-14 academic year, Oklahomas higher education institutions spent nearly $7.2 million in total, including $2.2 million in state funds. The vast majority is spent at colleges and universities. The higher education regents add about $35,700 to total expenditures. 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: Walters: Oklahoma colleges to spend over $10M on diversity concerning BOONVILLE, Ind. The news went to Warrick County Bar Association members late Friday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend: Superior Court Judge Zach Winsett would resign effective June 30, stated a letter bearing Winsett's name and emailed by the Bar. "After much soul searching, I believe that now is the right time for me to step down," Winsett wrote. "I have family and other obligations that require my added attention and I also look forward to new opportunities that simply cannot be fully realized while I hold my current position." And with that, Winsett walked away at age 46 from a state job that pays nearly $180,000 annually, including $20,000 contributed by Warrick County. He had been appointed to the bench in 2015 by then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and had won election to the seat as a Republican without opposition three years after that. Local news:Vanderburgh County sheriff candidate says he'll return churches' donations An official acknowledgement of Winsett's resignation would wait until Aug. 22, when the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications a seven-member body that investigates accusations of judicial ethical misconduct sent a letter to a woman who formally accused the judge last year of unwanted and forced sexual touching. "As you know from prior notification by phone with Commission staff, this matter has been resolved with the resignation of Judge Winsett," said the letter, which the woman provided to the Courier & Press. The woman says she told Judicial Qualifications Committee investigators that a few months before she began practicing law in Warrick County in 2018, Winsett beckoned her into a jury room just inside his office in the Warrick County Judicial Center in Boonville. She alleged the judge, who she had known for several years, began touching her sexually and forced her to touch him. In a special prosecutor's report that Warrick County Prosecutor Mike Perry acknowledged he had requested in the incident, Winsett denied using force. No criminal charges resulted. Story continues The Warrick County Judicial Center The woman, who still works as an attorney in Warrick County, spoke to the Courier & Press about the formal complaint she filed against Winsett on condition of anonymity. Winsett declined to comment for this story. A mystery The Aug. 22 letter from the Judicial Qualifications Commission "JQC" in courthouse parlance solved a mystery, the female attorney said. And that's a problem, she said. The woman said the JQC hadn't told her anything about the outcome of the formal complaint she filed against Winsett in July 2021 until the Commission's letter arrived. That left her to wonder for more than a year whether her complaint would be, or had been, resolved. She denied the JQC's assertion in its letter that staff had already told her Winsett's resignation resolved her complaint. In the weeks before the JQC's letter arrived, the woman and her lawyers told the Courier & Press that Commission staff had promised to notify her when her case was resolved but had told her nothing. The JQC's letter was written on a Monday after the Courier & Press asked an Indiana courts spokeswoman on the previous Friday afternoon whether the Commission would allow complainants against judges to remain uninformed about the resolutions of investigations. Local news:There's an all-female tattoo parlor taking root on Evansville's East Side The Courier & Press had told spokeswoman Kathryn Dolan about its interest in Winsett's resignation weeks earlier. "In terms of whether a complainant is notified of an outcome, the answer is yes," Dolan said by email. "The person who complains about a judge is notified (according to rule and our own agency practice)." Rule 25: When the public finds out a judge has been disciplined Secrecy in the discipline of judges in Indiana is enabled by state law and the Indiana Constitution. Indiana's Access to Public Records Act provides a list of public records which "may not be disclosed by a public agency, unless access to the records is specifically required by a state or federal statute or is ordered by a court under the rules of discovery." Among them: "Those declared confidential by or under rules adopted by the supreme court of Indiana." But its the Constitution, not state law, that gives the Indiana Supreme Court the authority to regulate the judicial branch of state government, said Indianapolis attorney Don Lundberg, former executive director of the Supreme Court Lawyer Disciplinary Commission. The JQC was created in 1970, by state constitutional amendment, "for the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals (of Indiana)." It is chaired by Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush. And the Supreme Court's Admission and Discipline Rule 25 allows the JQC to keep investigations of judges confidential. Legislators deferred to the high courts power to do so when they wrote the public records act, Lundberg said, but they likely felt they had no choice. There have been conflicts between the Supreme Court and legislation by the General Assembly in the past where the Supreme Court has stricken the legislation as unconstitutional because it invaded the courts jurisdiction over the judicial branch of government, the attorney said. Even if the public records act did not give the Supreme Court the power to make rules declaring public records confidential, Lundberg said, the high court arguably would have it anyway because of the state Constitution. That means anyone who wanted to make public the states investigations of alleged judicial misconduct would have to persuade the Supreme Court to change its rules, Lundberg said. Legislators know that changing state law could force a showdown with the Supreme Court that they would lose. The female attorney who accused Winsett provided a copy of a letter she received from JQC Counsel Adrienne Meiring days after she filed her complaint in July 2021. The letter explained how Rule 25 works. If and when JQC votes to file formal disciplinary charges that's when the public finds out a judge has been disciplined, it said. "All papers filed with the Commission and the substance of any Commission action taken, unless formal charges are filed by the Commission, are kept confidential by the Commission, and, unless formal charges are filed, I will not be at liberty to discuss with you the Commission's inquiry into your complaint," Meiring wrote. 'Confidential justice for judges' Formal charges are just one of the options laid out by Rule 25 if JQC investigators determine there is probable cause to believe a judge is guilty of misconduct. There are also private cautions, public admonitions and deferred resolutions. Among the 518 complaints alleging judicial misconduct that JQC reports it received in 2020-21, the vast majority 398, or 77% were dismissed summarily. Seventy-five were yet to be reviewed. But still, just one complaint among the 518 was made public with the filing of formal disciplinary charges. It could hardly have been kept confidential. The Supreme Court permanently banned from judicial service former Hamilton County Magistrate Judge William P. Greenaway, who had pleaded guilty in 2020 to possession of methamphetamine and resisting law enforcement. Greenaway's conviction and his 2019 arrest during an undercover operation were highly publicized. Dolan pointed to two other judicial disciplinary matters she said have been made public since the beginning of the new fiscal year on July 1. One was the resignation of Crawford Circuit Court Judge Sabrina Bell, who the Supreme Court had suspended when she was hit with a felony charge related to a domestic dispute. It was another highly publicized case. Voters choose judges, Dolan said. She noted that JQC's membership includes not only the Supreme Court's chief justice, but three attorneys voted on by other attorneys across the state and three laymen appointed by the governor. None of the current members are residents of Vanderburgh, Warrick, Posey or Gibson counties. The JQC oversees about 700 state and local judges. "The (JQC), the Supreme Court, judges across the state, lawyers across the state it is a system where it is essentially policing their own," Dolan said. That's the problem, according to some critics. "One of the problems is that disciplinary activity is perceived by the public as a rarity," said Charles Gardner Geyh, an Indiana University law professor who studies judicial conduct and discipline. "And while judges may like to present that as evidence that they are as pure as the driven snow and that they just dont have problems, I think the average member of the public, in an age that is skeptical of government generally, is going to be really kind of concerned that maybe these guys are hiding stuff." The Indiana Supreme Court's insistence on confidentiality in most judicial discipline cases is not unusual. A 2020 investigation by Reuters news agency reported that at least 38 states issue private sanctions when judges violate judicial conduct rules. "The name of the judge remains secret, and most of these states keep from the public details of the transgression and the discipline," Reuters reported. Reuters called it "confidential justice for judges." Steve Key, emeritus counsel for the Hoosier State Press Association, understands the impulse to maintain confidentiality for as long as possible to protect judges in case they ultimately are cleared of the accusations against them. People remember sensational accusations. If the accused is cleared in the end, that news doesn't have the same staying power. "Theres a valid rationale behind why they have this level of confidentiality, but the system does become kind of dependent on those who are making those decisions," Key said. What really happened? Lawyers practicing in Warrick and Vanderburgh counties acknowledge courthouse rumors that Winsett's resignation was forced, but no one claims to have any facts. Before Winsett left office on June 30, the Courier & Press left its first message with him about his resignation at his office in the Warrick County Judicial Center. He didn't return it. An employee in his office said she was "not comfortable" providing his official email address to the Courier & Press. Newburgh attorney Jonathan Young, president of the Warrick County Bar Association and sender of Winsett's resignation letter, would not discuss the judge's departure. Winsett's name remained on a nameplate outside his former office in the judicial center as late as Sept. 2, more than two months after his resignation took effect. His name still appears on Warrick County's website for Superior Court No. 1. The vacant judgeship still hasn't been filled. What really happened? Courts spokeswoman Dolan said she has "no public documentation as a matter of public record" on Winsett's resignation, but she acknowledged that a judge under investigation for alleged misconduct in Indiana can simply disappear from the scene with no public explanation. "If there is an investigation underway by the Judicial Qualifications Commission, of a judge, it is possible that a judge could be notified that he or she is under investigation, and that judge could just resign," she said. "There would be no disciplinary filing that occurs. The judge can just resign." Not even individuals who file formal complaints against judges are entitled to know much more than that. The JQC's Aug. 22 letter to the attorney who filed a complaint against Winsett told her Rule 25's confidentiality provisions "prohibit any further elaboration on the nature of the (JQC's) inquiry or the specific terms of its resolution." The 2020 Reuters investigation found that at least 341 judges across the U.S. had escaped punishment or further investigation over the past dozen years by resigning or retiring in the face of misconduct allegations. Geyh and Lundberg agreed that if a judge is willing to quit rather than face the music, the judicial misconduct committed is probably serious and the evidence strong. "It would be where the judge is at some discernible risk of involuntarily losing their office," Lundberg said. "And its basically, from the judges point of view, a matter of cutting your losses and saying, Well, if Im at high risk of losing my judicial office publicly and involuntarily, Ill give it up.'" It's a win for the state, too, if a judge that investigators believe is guilty of serious misconduct is willing to leave office quietly to avoid embarrassment and discipline, said Lundberg, who has represented several judges before the JQC. If a judge wanted to fight serious judicial discipline, Lundberg said, refusing to resign and daring the Commission to charge him the resulting legal wrangling, including investigations, briefing, trial and appeal, could take two years and piles of money from beginning to end. Geyh pointed to the 77% of complaints alleging judicial misconduct that were summarily dismissed in 2020-21, the most recent year for which the data are available. "Ninety percent of those complaints are nonsense," Geyh said, his estimate missing by a few percentage points. "Ninety percent of the time, the complainants simply lost their case and are mad about it and are trying to relitigate their lost case by alleging misconduct. "Those 10 percent where its serious, where the (JQC) does some investigating and thinks theres enough there to formally go to proceedings involving the judge that magic moment is the point where the public should know what the accusations are against the judge." This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Warrick County judge was under investigation before he resigned The death of 51-year-old Donald E. Preston, whose body was found in a Webster County soybean field on Dec. 26, 2016, had been a mystery for more than six years. Now, the sheriff's office says it has found the man responsible. A sheriff's news release said deputies arrested and charged Christopher Todd Johnson, 49, Feb. 2 in Cedar Rapids, as he was released from federal prison, where he'd served five years in connection with a guilty plea to a charge of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. The release said the evidence leading deputies to Johnson was gathered in numerous interviews and through lab work by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. More:Former Webster County Jail officer gets probation for helping inmate escape It said Johnson had driven Preston around Webster County gravel roads on Dec. 20, 2016, before shooting him to in the head and abdomen and leaving him in the field. Johnson was being held Friday in the Webster County Jail in Fort Dodge on $1 million cash bond. Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at @francescablock3. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 6 years later, man charged in connection with mysterious death in Iowa A New York State Police trooper assigned to the Troop K barracks in Hawthorne was arrested Tuesday and charged with issuing two dozen fake traffic tickets to unsuspecting motorists in 2021 and 2022. Yorktown resident Edward Longo, 34, was hit with a lengthy 40-count charging document, which alleges he offered a false instrument for filing, a class E felony, and committed official misconduct, a class A misdemeanor. While sentencing in New York is complicated and based on a variety of factors, the charges Longo faces do carry potential prison terms, with the felony charge allowing for a prison term of up to four years, and the misdemeanor charge allowing for a one-year jail term. Longo's punishment may be further compounded by the fact that he faces multiple counts for both charges. State police vehicle Black History Month:Nyack school leaders blame vendor for chicken-and-waffles, watermelon lunch Forecast:Extremely cold weather will grip the region on Friday and Saturday Mount Vernon:Two 20-year-olds plead not guilty in shooting death of teen Integrity in law enforcement is paramount," said Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah in a news release. "I commend our partners at the New York State Police for referring this case to our Office and demonstrating their commitment to accountability and transparency. Trooper Daniel McMorris, who investigated the case, explained in charging documents that Troop K regularly monitors its officers for performance-related goals in the issuance of traffic tickets. Troopers who do not meet expectations or whose productivity falls below their peers "may be counseled," he said. According to McMorris, Longo could have been subject to counseling, a potential step toward more severe reprimand, had he not issued the allegedly false tickets. Several citations indicated by McMorris suggest that recipients of Longo's tickets may not have had any meaningful interactions with the state trooper whatsoever. Many motorists, for example, were never actually pulled over by Longo on the date the ticket was issued, according to charging documents. Story continues More than one individual ticketed by Longo was "not a motorist with a New York state DMV license," McMorris said. The motorists were referred to by pseudonyms in the charging documents. In one instance, Longo is said to have issued speeding and unsafe driving tickets to a motorist whom he had not actually pulled over. That motorist had died in a car accident earlier that day. Beyond the circumstances of the incidents, McMorris said that Longo falsified details on the tickets he issued, including recipients' names and dates of birth. In a statement, State Police spokesperson Beau Duffy said that Longo remains suspended with pay from the force. When State Police learned of a possible falsified traffic ticket scheme by one of our members, we immediately launched a criminal investigation in collaboration with the Westchester County District Attorneys Office that resulted in the charges filed," he said. "Integrity is one of our core values, and we hold our members to the highest standards. We thoroughly investigate every complaint, and if any member breaks the law they are held accountable." Michele Crisafulli, the spokesperson for the troopers' union, declined to comment. Longo could not be reached for comment. Have you been unfairly ticketed by a police officer? Contact reporter Asher Stockler at astockler@lohud.com. This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NYS trooper arrested for allegedly falsifying 24 traffic tickets A US soldier scrambles into the driver's compartment of an M1A1 Abrams tank at Fort Benning in Georgia in May 2016. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy Three kinds of Western tanks now are headed to Ukraine, and more may follow. Those tanks have specific logistics needs and operational requirements and some unique features. Military supply officers have a tough job. Modern tanks are complex and require lots of maintenance and spare parts. But what do you when your army is equipped with a half-dozen types of main battle tanks, each with its quirks and requirements? That's the situation faced by Ukraine. With three models of Western main battle tanks from three different nations on the way and possibly more on the horizon Ukrainian tank crews, mechanics, and quartermasters will have to learn to accommodate a variety of armored idiosyncrasies. M1A2 Abrams A soldier does maintenance on a US Army M1 Abrams during a combined-arms live-fire exercise. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Dustin D. Biven / 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment Take the US M1A2 Abrams, of which Ukraine is slated to receive 31. While most modern tanks run on diesel, the Abrams uses a Honeywell 1,500-horsepower gas-turbine engine that functions best when burning JP-8 jet fuel. This gives the Abrams a powerful power plant capable of brisk acceleration while remaining remarkably quiet. But the price is ferocious gas-guzzling. The Abrams gets about 0.6 miles per gallon. In 1993, Sweden compared the M1 to the Leopard 2, and found the German tank got double the Abrams' gas mileage. Compounding the problem is that Ukraine's pre-war fleet of Soviet- and Russian-designed tanks, as well as the German Leopard 2s and British Challenger 2s it is receiving, run on diesel. This means that Ukraine will have to ensure a separate fuel supply for the Abrams. (Abrams tanks can use diesel but doing so creates additional maintenance needs.) Challenger 2 Soldiers work on a Challenger 2 during an exercise in Hampshire in March 2022. ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images Then there is Britain's Challenger 2, of which Ukraine will get 14. While most tanks today are armed with smoothbore cannon, the Challenger 2 has a rifled L30 120 mm cannon. Most tank guns use hollow-charge or armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding-sabot (APFSDS) rounds that punch through the armor of enemy tanks. But the Challenger 2 can also fire high-explosive squash head (HESH) shells that essentially plant a big charge of plastic explosive on the surface of the target tank, which causes the inner armor to spew fragments that wound or kill the crew and set off ammunition. Story continues A British army Challenger 2 during a rehearsal in Salisbury Plain in October 2018. British Army/Sergeant Steve Blake RLC HESH rounds are particularly suited for rifled cannon, but this means Challengers need a different type of ammunition than the Abrams and Leopard 2, which can share some ammo. Also unusual is that the L30's shells come in two pieces (explosive and propellant) rather than a unitary shell. While that offers some advantages in safety and stowage, Ukrainian gunners and loaders will have to learn new procedures to use them. The Challenger 2 also consists of a modernized Challenger 1 hull from the 1990s and a new turret. An unfortunate consequence of that combination is that the Challenger 2 "requires at least two sets of tools because the turret uses metric measurements and the hull imperial," noted Britain's Daily Telegraph. However, it is not true that the Challenger 2 comes with a built-in teapot. Leopard 2 A Norwegian Leopard 2 enters a military training town during an exercise in Germany in June 2018. Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/picture alliance via Getty Images Then there is the German-made Leopard 2, which hasn't seen much combat. The Abrams and the Challenger 2's predecessor, the Challenger 1, saw a fair bit of combat against Iraq's T-72 and other Russian tanks in the First Gulf War. Challenger tanks were credited with destroying 300 Iraqi tanks. When Turkish Leopard 2s battled ISIS fighters in Syria in 2016, the results were less than impressive. Turkey's 2nd Armored Brigade reportedly lost 10 Leopards "in the fight for the Syrian city of al-Bab to anti-tank weapons and improvised explosives," according to German magazine Der Spiegel. "Islamic State terrorists began using images of the burned-out tanks in their propaganda material." German soldiers repair a Leopard 2 at a training area in Munster in October 2017. PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP via Getty Images Most likely, these losses were because of poor Turkish combined-arms tactics rather than any glaring deficiencies with the Leopard 2. (Iraqi and Saudi M1s have been destroyed for the same reason.) The question with the Leopard 2 may be maintenance and availability. The Bundeswehr, which has long struggled with readiness and spare parts issues, only has 350 Leopard 2s, which doesn't leave many for Ukraine. Leopard manufacturer Rheinmetall has 22 Leopard 2s and 88 older Leopard 1s in its inventory, but those can't be made battle-ready until at least 2024. Useful, but challenging Idaho Army National Guard soldiers on an Abrams in May 2022. Idaho Army National Guard/Thomas Alvarez To be clear, a quirk is not necessarily a flaw. And there are perfectly valid reasons why tanks differ between nations. For example, HESH rounds are best suited for a rifled cannon, and gas-turbine engines are not an unreasonable choice for armies willing to pay the logistical price. In the end, what will be key isn't the technical characteristics of these tanks. They are all formidable and better than the Russian tanks they will be facing. What matters is how many Ukraine will receive 31 Abrams and 14 Challenger 2s are not a lot and how Ukraine's military uses them. Michael Peck is a defense writer whose work has appeared in Forbes, Defense News, Foreign Policy magazine, and other publications. He holds a master's in political science. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn. Read the original article on Business Insider As criticism mounts against the portrayal of obesity in the new film The Whale, one man has defended it against its detractors. In the movie, Brendan Fraser plays the reclusive English teacher named Charlie who is affected by obesity. He begins the film in a downward spiral both physically and emotionally as he attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter. One man, named Sean Crawford, has defended the film, as he found parallels between the films plot and his own life. The father of one told the BBC that he cried when he saw the films trailer. Crawford, who is from East Lothian, Scotland, explained that he rapidly gained weight after a close friend of his died. He now weighs 30 stone (190kg). He says that the film has given a voice to people in his situation, noting similarities between his life and that of Charlie in the movie. [Charlie] instructs a class from behind a computer because he is ashamed of his weight, I hid away from things because I was ashamed of mine, Crawford said. The main focus is making sure our daughters turn out to be good human beings just in case we arent there to see them grow up, he continued, adding: I think people need to realise big people are human beings. Fraser, who has been nominated for an Oscar for his role in the film, wore heavy prosthetics and a fat suit for the role. Brendan Fraser wore heavy prosthetics for new film The Whale (A24) Some critics have called out the casting of Fraser as a bigger-bodied person when they could have hired an actor who already fitted that description. Others, however, have decried the film as fatphobic trauma porn. Meanwhile, Crawford said that the film raises awareness of people experiencing weight gain and mental health issues. I often get adults looking at me in disgust, kids stare and make comments but I understand this is the innocence of youth. I so often hear people talk about the likes of anorexia and bulimia with a degree of sympathy, whereas obesity is frowned upon, he said. Both are illnesses at the end of the day. Story continues Crawford gained weight rapidly after losing a close friend and takng voluntary redundancy from his role as a maintenance supervisor after 12 years of working. He said he put on 12 stone (76kg) in 18 months. I neglected my life and spent 99.9 per cent of my time watching TV, eating and drinking fizzy juice, he said, adding: I dont sleep much so I have 18 to 19 hours a day to do this. When he got weighed at the hospital, Crawford found that he weighed 30 stone (190kg). It was soul destroying and I lost all my confidence, he said. Crawford said he is desperate to see The Whale. I couldnt tell you the last time I wanted to see a film at the cinema but this one massively ties into my situation, he told the BBC, saying that he relates to the storyline. I empathise with him [Charlie, Frasers character] and it also gives a voice to people in my position. He is a teacher and is helping society. It shows people benefitting from his life, as normally overweight people are hidden away and are not given the credit they are due. The Whale is out now in UK cinemas. Minister turned talk show host Nadine Dorries says she's never been afraid to speak her mind. (Reuters) The first episode of Nadine Dorries' Friday night talkshow is almost upon us - and her first guest is none other than the former prime minister Boris Johnson. During their time together in government, Dorries was an ardent and vocal supporter of Johnson, who appointed her to her first cabinet job. Even as Johnson was hit with a wave of resignations from his government in July 2022 over his handling of the Partygate saga, Dorries stood resolutely by his side. Given her undying loyalty, shes unlikely to give the former PM a hard time on her show, titled Friday Night With Nadine, but heres what we know so far. In a preview clip of the opening show, airing on Talk TV at 8pm, Johnson says the Conservative Party can certainly beat Labour leader "Sir Crasheroonie-snoozefest Keir Starmer" at the next general election. Read more: Boris Johnson claims UK would be 'gravitationally sucked into EU's orbit' under Labour Boris Johnson reveals how the Tories will beat "Crasheroonie-snoozefest Keir Starmer" at the next election. Don't miss his exclusive interview with Nadine Dorries this Friday at 8pm on TalkTV. pic.twitter.com/s0PyNInNLr TalkTV (@TalkTV) February 1, 2023 This is despite the Tories trailing behind in the polls after their popularity was sent crashing by the fallout of Septembers disastrous mini-budget, and a series of sleaze scandals within the party. Johnson also defends his involvement in the Partygate scandal, claiming anyone who thinks he knowingly covered up lockdown-breaking parties in Number 10 is out of their mind. Dorries also suggests Rishi Sunak isnt doing enough to win the hearts and minds of voters, describing him as a submarine prime minister, telling Johnson: Youre making the case here now, hes invisible. Story continues Clearly Dorries is carrying on as a Johnson-loyalist even after his time in power, but what has she been doing since leaving the front benches? Yahoo News UK takes a look" Dorries the... former minister Dorries pictured with Boris Johnson watching fibre optic cables being laid in Dorset in August 2022. (Reuters) Dorries is now a backbench MP, having served as a cabinet member since 2019 after Johnson became prime minister. She was first appointed as a junior health minister before being promoted to minister for mental health in May 2020. As she stayed in Johnson's good graces, she moved up to Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in the then-PM's cabinet reshuffle of September 2021. During her time in the role, she supported a since-failed bid to privatise Channel 4, and froze the BBC's funding until 2024, suggesting that substantial reforms to the broadcaster's TV licensing model. Read more: Dorries broke rules on post-ministerial jobs with TalkTV role She was perhaps best known her Online Safety Bill, which sets out to crack down on harmful content on social media, but has been criticised by the House of Lords for handing too much power to government. Following Johnson's resignation, his successor Liz Truss asked Dorries in September if she could stay in her role, but she turned the offer down. The Mid Bedfordshire MP is expected to stand in the next general election, and her chances of re-election are high. Her constituency has been held by the Conservatives since 1931, and she won a vote share of 59.8% in 2019, with Labour coming second at 21.7%. Dorries the... TV host Dorries' first guest on her new show shouldn't come as a total shock. (TalkTV) Introducing her new show, Dorries said she was "delighted" to be joining TalkTV, whose other hosts include Piers Morgan, Jeremy Kyle, Vanessa Feltz and Sharon Osbourne. She described herself as "someone whos never been afraid to speak their mind" and said she hopes to put her "23-year political career and experiences at the despatch box to good use". Dorries is one of a handful of high-profile MPs with their own shows. Labour's David Lammy has a regular spot on LBC, and Conservatives Esther McVey and Phil Davis, co-host Saturday Morning With Esther and Philip on GB News. Jacob Rees-Mogg is also lined up to join GB News' presenting ranks Read more: Boris Johnson calls for Ukraine to be given 'tools to finish the job' during US visit Dorries takes a selfie ahead of Johnson's leaving speech in September last year. (AFP/Getty Images) Dorries has been accused by Parliaments anti-corruption watchdog of breaking government rules by not consulting the body before taking a new job at TalkTV. In a letter, Lord Pickles, chairman of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), said "failing to seek and await advice" is a breach of ministerial code. Under current rules, ministers who've left office less than two years ago should seek clearance. The Cabinet Office is expected to respond to the letter in due course. Read more: Boris Johnson was 'immoral, unfocused' and 'worst PM I've known', John Bercow says Dorries the... Johnson cheerleader This picture of Nadine Dorries staring at Johnson definitely has a Im staying with you in the Bunker until the very end .. vibe about it. #ToriesPartiedWhilePeopleDied #JohnsonOut84 #NadineDorries pic.twitter.com/Pl3kEteNQj Andy Simpson (@Mudfries) April 23, 2022 As previously mentioned, Dorries was well known for her unswerving loyalty to Boris Johnson - a trait that became a fruitful source of memes. The ribbing she's received online shouldn't come as too much of a surprise given some of her fawning comments during interviews. When asked by CNN during the fallout of Partygate if there were any situations that would make her withdraw her support for Johnson, she said: Well, of course there are. "If he went up and, you know, kicked a dog, Id probably withdraw my support for him, but no, based on his professional delivery for the UK, no, absolutely not. Even as a continuous stream of ministers left Johnson's government last summer, Dorries said she was "100% behind the prime minister" and insisted he had a plan to "stabilise government". Read more: Rishi Sunaks first 100 days as prime minister: From cabinet scandals to sky-high bills Johnson was given a lot of leeway by Dorries, who said she'd consider withdrawing her support for him if he kicked a dog. (Getty Images) After Johnson landed himself in hot water by wrongly suggesting Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer failed to prosecute entertainer Jimmy Saville, Dorries remained as loyal as ever during interviews. She tried drawing attention to "lots of things Keir Starmer shouldn't have said" and insisted: "The prime minister tells the truth". A picture of Dorries staring adoringly at Johnson in the House of Commons emerged days later, leading some to speculate as to just how deep her feelings for him run. However, she was eventually forced to deny having any romantic feelings when she appeared as a guest on his sister Rachel Johnson's LBC show in June, saying she doesn't fancy him, even "a bit". Friday Night with Nadine, will air at 8pm every Friday on TalkTV. Criticism of Israel's new far-right, ultra-religious coalition government continues to mount amid a backlash to its judiciary reform plans and spiraling violence between Israeli security forces and Palestinians. Below is the latest on what's happening, and why. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu announced a delay Monday in implementing controversial reforms to the nation's judiciary. Thousands of Israeli workers had gone on strike Monday after a weekend of massive protests over the plans the latest demonstrations against the proposed changes. Critics say the changes being pushed by Netanyahu's far-right coalition government would allow the executive branch to reverse decisions made by Israel's Supreme Court and undermine the country's system of democratic checks and balances. Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets over the past two months to demonstrate against the changes being sought by Netanyahu's government, and the protests ramped up dramatically over the weekend when the premier fired his defense chief for calling for a halt to the planned judicial reforms. Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul plan outside the parliament in Jerusalem, March 27, 2023. / Credit: Ariel Schalit/AP The strike action, called by Israel's biggest umbrella labor union group, saw workers in sectors from transport to diplomacy walk off the job, heaping pressure on Netanyahu. Israeli reservist Air Force pilots joined the protests against the proposed reforms earlier this month. In a letter sent by dozens of reserve pilots to their chief of staff, which was published by Israeli media on Sunday, the reservists said they would not attend an upcoming scheduled training. Military reservists are often called to take part in limited periods of training each year in Israel, where military service is compulsory. "We will continue to serve the Jewish and democratic State of Israel at all times and across borders... [but] we have decided to take a one day break to talk about the disturbing processes the country is going through," they said in their letter. Story continues "Explosive potential" Despite meetings between Israeli and Palestinian officials in Jordan to try to maintain the increasingly fragile peace, violence and anger may be on the brink of boiling over. Tension often increases in the heart of the Middle East as Jews mark Passover and Muslims observe the holy month of Ramadan. Since the start of the year, a series of Israeli army raids have killed and injured scores of Palestinians in the West Bank. Seven Israelis were killed, meanwhile, in an attack outside a synagogue in east Jerusalem that was the deadliest attack of its kind in years. After two young Israeli men from a nearby settlement were killed in the West Bank city of Hawara, Israeli settlers rampaged through the area, torching homes and cars in what has been described as a "pogrom." Netanyahu recently began his sixth term as Israel's prime minister a return to power made possible by the veteran politician forging a coalition with members of extremist, far-right and ultra-religious political parties that had long existed on the fringes of Israeli politics. After returning to office, Netanyahu appointed some of these controversial figures to leadership roles within his government, including finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, a self-avowed "proud homophobe" who was once arrested on suspicion of organizing an attempted terror attack. Israeli Minister of Finance and leader of the Religious Zionist Party Bezalel Smotrich arrives to attend the weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem on March 5, 2023. / Credit: Getty Images After the rampage in Hawara, Smotrich called for the Israeli government to "wipe out" the Palestinian village. His remarks brought a stark rebuke from U.S. State Department Spokesman Ned Price, who called them "irresponsible, disgusting and repugnant." Smotrich later backtracked on his remarks, and Netanyahu over the weekend said he "wanted to thank Minister Bezalel Smootrich (sic) for making clear that his choice of words regarding the vigilante attacks on Harrawa following the murder of the Yaniv brothers was inappropriate and that he is strongly opposed to intentionally harming innocent civilians." Another controversial government minister is Itamar Ben-Gvir, a radical ultra-nationalist who has chanted "death to Arabs" in the past and was convicted of inciting racism and supporting a terrorist organization. As the new Minister for National Security, Ben-Gvir is now in charge of Israel's police. Mounir Marjieh, an advocate for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, told CBS News that Palestinians living in the occupied territories expected more violence at the hands of Israeli police and military forces, and a further curtailing of rights under the new extremist coalition. "Palestinians are coping with a system that is built on the premise of Jewish domination, hegemony and superiority," Marjeih said. "It's a daily struggle to live here, to stay here." In February, Israel's parliament passed legislation that allows the government to strip Palestinians with Israeli citizenship or residency of those rights and deport them to the West Bank or Gaza if they're convicted of nationalistic attacks and they receive money from the Palestinian Authority. Critics call the legislation racist and say it violates international law. One of Ben-Gvir's first acts in his new role was to visit the highly sensitive site in Jerusalem that Jews call the Temple Mount and Muslims call Haram al-Sharif, the al-Aqsa Mosque compound. His visit was seen by many inside and outside Israel as a challenge to the status quo arrangement under which the site has long been managed to maintain peace. The visit drew a warning from the U.S. State Department against "any unilateral actions that undercut the historic status quo." Israel's new far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, in the foreground, is seen visiting the holy site in Jerusalem known as Al-Aqsa Mosque by Muslims and Temple Mount by Jews, January 3, 2023. / Credit: Reuters "What Ben-Gvir has done is very risky in so many ways," Marjeih said. "We are speaking about one of the most volatile geographic locations in Jerusalem There is a very clear arrangement that governs that place. Breaching that arrangement has an explosive potential." Ben-Gvir has already banned the Palestinian flag from being flown in public spaces. He's seeking to amend gun laws to make it easier for Israelis to procure firearms, and has pledged to accelerate settlement building in the occupied West Bank. New settlement construction undermines any eventual two-state solution that would see an independent Palestinian nation created alongside Israel. He has also vowed to loosen the rules of engagement for police and soldiers, and pledged tougher treatment of Palestinian prisoners. "I think there is enough reasons after the appointment of that Israeli politician to feel constant, to feel constant fear," said Marjeih. Boaz Bismuth, a member of Israel's Knesset, or parliament, from Netanyahu's Likud party, told CBS News that Ben-Gvir had "made mistakes in the past but he told me, 'I made mistakes. I have changed,' and I believe him." Bismuth said Ben-Gvir "detests terrorists but doesn't detest or hate Arabs." Boaz Bismuth, a member of Israel's Knesset, or parliament, from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, speaks with CBS News in Jerusalem, in January 2023. / Credit: CBS News U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited the region in January and met Israeli and Palestinian leaders. He voiced America's continued support for a two-state solution, but said ending the conflict was "fundamentally up to them. They have to work together to find a path forward that both defuses the current cycle of violence and, I hope, also leads to positive steps to build back some confidence." When asked if he supported a two-state solution, Bismuth said, "No." "My message to America is, thank God that we are friends," he said. "We share the same values. Yet we can also disagree." "A dramatic change" Some Americans who have made their lives in Israel expressed deep concern over the new government and the direction in which the country is headed. Tens of thousands of Israelis have gathered on the streets of Tel Aviv for weeks to protest the proposed judicial reforms, as well as proposed changes to anti-discrimination legislation that could see the rights of women, LGBTQ+ people, liberal Jews and other minority groups curtailed, in some cases for religious reasons. "Americans have to know that this is not just a continuation of other right-wing governments. This is a dramatic change," Moshe Chertoff, who grew up in California and moved to Israel in the 1970s to live on a socialist kibbutz, told CBS News. "I don't understand what kind of extreme Judaism that is. It's definitely not the Judaism that I knew or that I'd say 75% of American Jews know." Moshe Chertoff, a California native who moved to Israel in the 1970's to live on a socialist kibbutz, is seen at home in late January 2023. / Credit: CBS News Some prominent Jewish Americans in the U.S. also have concerns about the changes Israel's new hardline government may usher in. Last month, nearly 170 prominent American Jewish leaders published an open letter calling for "a critical and necessary debate about Israeli policies." "Our criticisms emanate from a love for Israel and a steadfast support for its security and wellbeing," the letter said. "Some will try to dismiss their validity by labeling them antisemitic. We want to be clear that, whether or not one agrees with a particular criticism, such critiques of Israeli policy are not antisemitic. Indeed, they reflect a real concern that the new government's direction mirrors anti-democratic trends that we see arising elsewhere in other nations and here in the U.S., rather than reinforcing the shared democratic values that are foundational to the U.S.-Israel relationship. Abraham Foxman, a Holocaust survivor and the former leader of the Anti-Defamation League, told CBS News that if the new Israeli government undermines civil rights or democracy in Israel, it could leave many American Jews with some serious questions. Abraham Foxman at the 2014 annual meeting of the Anti-Defamation League in Los Angeles. / Credit: Michael Kovac/WireImage/Getty "The escalation in violence makes it more urgent for the Netanyahu government to make compromises in some of the proposed legislation to maintain the support of allied democracies and the diaspora Jewish communities," Foxman said. "The Jewish community, especially in the United States, is a liberal community. Judaism has liberal values. If the values in the state of Israel change vis-a-vis relationships with the LGBT community, the non-Orthodox, Arabs, etc., it will impact the relationship. ... I want this government to know that if it tampers with democracy, if it tampers with the basic relationship between Israel and the Jewish people, it will have consequences. The consequences will be: it will be more difficult to defend Israel." Opposition Israeli Knesset member and Reform rabbi Ghilad Kariv told CBS News that only half of Israelis had voted for the new government, and a majority are not ultra-religious. "Our duty is not to give up. Our duty is to remember that many Western democracies are facing major challenges in the last few years, and today," Khariv said. "We are part of a global wave of ultra-nationalism and the rise of the far-right. You see it in Europe. You also see it in America. And our duty is to remember that there are millions of Israelis that are fully committed to the core democratic and liberal values of Israel." Communities adapt to rising seas Shooter in Nashville school shooting identified as 28-year-old woman COVID-19 pandemic experiences vary from state to state in U.S. Story at a glance A travel company called Travel Lens recently looked at the number of surf zone fatalities, the number of shark attacks, and the number of hurricanes since 2010 on beaches around the country. Each beach was then assigned a danger score 1 through 10 based on their weighted averages. Data from Travel Lens shows seven of the 10 beaches ranked among the deadliest are in Florida. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) Florida beaches typically rank among the best in America. However, several recently ranked among the most dangerous to visit in the country. A travel company called Travel Lens recently looked at the number of surf zone fatalities, the number of shark attacks, and the number of hurricanes since 2010. Each beach was then assigned a danger score 1 through 10 based on their weighted averages. Data from Travel Lens shows seven of the 10 beaches ranked among the deadliest are in Florida. Food Network stars open new restaurant in Florida Topping the list is New Smyrna Beach, just south of Daytona in Volusia County, Florida. The travel website said New Smyrna Beach had more shark attacks than another other a total of 32. Cocoa Beach just north of Daytona, ranked second, with seven surf zone fatalities and just as many shark attacks. Another in Florida, Ormond Beach, rounded out the top three, with eight surf zone fatalities and four shark attacks since 2010. Here is a look at the top 10 deadliest beaches in America, according to Travel Lens. New Smyrna Beach, Florida (8.14 danger score) Cocoa Beach, Florida (7.57 danger score) Ormond Beach, Florida (7.48 danger score) Panama City Beach, Florida (7.16 danger score) Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (6.61 danger score) Melbourne Beach, Florida (6.35 danger score) Jacksonville Beach, Florida (6.02 danger score) Oak Island, North Carolina (5.54 danger score) Gulf Shores, Alabama (5.38 danger score) Fort Lauderdale, Florida (5.37 danger score) To stay safe in the water, the American Red Cross recommends swimming in designated areas supervised by lifeguards and always with a buddy. You should also check the weather and surf zone forecast before heading to the beach. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Optimization of COVID-19 measures that enabled countrywide travel and customary family reunions for Spring Festival in late January has also boosted the business of pet service solutions in China, industry observers said. During the weeklong holiday, families with pets depended on commercial services like pet hotels, pet boarding units and pet-sitting firms to ensure their furry friends were well cared for while they were away. Liu Xin, a 30-year-old office clerk who had just returned to Beijing for work from her hometown in Wuhan, Hubei province, said she spent over 1,200 yuan ($178) on one such service. "Normally, the daily cat boarding fee is around 120 yuan. But the price soared to 180 yuan this year, bringing the total amount for seven days to 1,260 yuan an amount that can buy pet food for two to three months," Liu said. "There wasn't time to ponder the price surge as there weren't many rooms available. I had to make a reservation before the holiday started and pay the deposit in advance." Her experience likely resonates with hundreds of millions of pet owners in China. Du Xiaolan, a shop assistant at an outlet of Coolbaby Pet Store, said: "In the month before Spring Festival (December), there had been an increasing number of consumers coming to the store to inquire about pet boarding during the holiday. The demand soared two to three times compared to the previous year. "A week before Jan 22, when Spring Festival started, our orders peaked. At that point in time, the nearest date available was the fifth day of the Lunar New Year." Apart from providing rooms, pet hotels offer many other services, including feeding and cleanup. "Our store is equipped with remote monitoring, so that consumers can check their pets whenever they want," Lu said. "The surge in prices was mainly due to the rise in labor costs," said Bai Lu, an expert in pet consumption with the Jingzhe Research Institute. Du said that during the holiday, workers' daily wages rose by 400 yuan to 500 yuan. According to the labor law, workers enjoy daily wages three times the normal tag for working during holidays. According to Coolbaby Pet Store, which is a 180-square-meter facility that can accommodate 40 cats or 20 dogs, daily revenue could reach 5,000 yuan to 6,000 yuan during the Spring Festival holiday. "Pet services boomed as, unlike in recent years, an increasing number of people chose to go back home for the Spring Festival holiday this year. And many of them went back ahead of time. However, this boom is periodical and won't last long," Bai said. She said pet owners turn to pet boarding only during long holidays, such as Spring Festival and the National Day Holiday in October. Some pet owners, however, may ask their friends a favor and hand over their pets for care during short breaks. "Therefore, income from pet boarding can be regarded as a supplement to the pet store's main revenue streams, which are pet food, medicine, clothing, toys, other goods, accessories and grooming services," Bai said. Hong Yong, an associate research fellow at the e-commerce research department of the Ministry of Commerce, said: "Apart from pet boarding, they can offer services like pet grooming and selling pet food. In this way, they can increase revenue sources, enrich service content, attract more consumers, and find opportunities for sustainable business development. "Pet stores may also take advantage of social media to popularize themselves. In addition, they should enhance their service quality, to satisfy diversified demand and realize sustainable development." Today, decentralized finance (DeFi) is still something of a Wild West. With many different players, each with their own claims and ambitions, there is no obvious law of the land. Unfortunately, this has resulted in some DeFi users being dealt a bad hand after they decided to experiment with the ecosystem. Stories of scams and rug pulls are still common and algorithmic protocols coming undone by negative market conditions disturb the users trust. DeFi can seem unsafe and confusing for many users, even when projects and the teams behind them have the best of intentions. It doesnt help that regulators are, in many jurisdictions, dragging their feet on clear rules or enforcement surrounding the DeFi sector. Though it took years for the first signs of legislation to emerge, the growth of DeFi has finally drawn the attention of lawmakers across the world. However, the jury is still out on how strict or flexible the laws may be. The combination of risky services and an unregulated environment has understandably kept many suspicious of the crypto community. Both retail investors and institutions are wary of DeFi and dont fully understand it. The question of the hour is, when and how will we get to a point where DeFi can be embraced by people other than cryptos so-called degens? One step that could be massive for appeasing regulators and would-be investors is the introduction of decentralized identities. Various actors can be tracked within the DeFi space using decentralized IDs. While crypto purists and privacy advocates may frown at the idea, decentralized IDs can address regulators requirements and alleviate the concerns of investors while not infringing on individual privacy rights. How decentralized IDs work The very technology that DeFi is built upon also offers a solution to the current roadblock. The solution comes in the form of decentralized identities, or DIDs. By leveraging blockchains, smart contracts and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), decentralized identities can offer accurate information to lawmakers but also preserve the sovereignty and privacy of users. Story continues It is possible owing to a few different aspects of the crypto infrastructure, with NFTs delivering particular value. An NFT acts as an asset that can have any type of data encoded into it and is verifiably unique from all other assets, complete with its own history. Nobody can fake or alter an NFT because of the underlying decentralized protocols. For a true digital identity, more is understandably needed. There also needs to be accountability and certainty surrounding the ownership and of decentralized identities. To this end, verification of ones physical identity can be linked to their DID. There are multiple ways this could be done, including biometric data, explicitly verifiable real-world documents, or similar confirmations. By linking all this information together in an NFT, an unfalsifiable profile can be created. Power to the user Privacy advocates may shun the idea of being very strict and encompassing. After all, an immutable record of a persons data being recorded on a public blockchain forever doesnt sound all that private. This is where the next benefit of decentralized identities comes into play, in conjunction with zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) technology. Information can be verified once by an independent party and then used to confirm someones credentials using ZKP technology. That results in an individual being able to prove their access, records or history without necessarily revealing their name or other identifying information to the verifier. 0tijkmoo4GS3x7ZEfEakCVHZKn 91CrPT72DszWwOWw8aE2a FmrOSvl0ADZpDM U5FxHqDwu5lpl cmIfdq6Nc9IbwtuJbDynIrPA6n6WRna85dPNC7tWRIC2FnDJU3BGvVJY7eDwE37hZjqHiyghlm b2Et3m8adrg1Aljpthr oFdE8v67lJiqrTv In this model, individuals would have complete control over their own data and may grant permissions to verifiers on what could be seen and when. IDs would no longer need to be an open book for businesses and governments to use as they please. While these goals are important to retain individual rights, they also carry with them practical use cases. Imagine someone being able to pick up a prescription without having to show the pharmacist anything and instead, simply scanning a QR code on their phone. Their doctor had embedded the prescription requirements into their decentralized ID and it could even expire after the appropriate amount of refills. Alternatively, imagine a bank customer applying for a loan, without having to reveal the actual balance of their accounts. Instead, users could simply provide proof that confirms they have the predetermined minimum account value that qualifies them for the loan. Opening up DeFis future Bringing this back to DeFi, it becomes increasingly clear how decentralized identification can bring accountability and trust into this realm, without undermining decentralization and privacy. These profiles can be utilized by customers as well as providers, creating knowable entities on these decentralized platforms, without actually revealing who they are. For example, decentralized IDs with appropriate verifications may be required for accessing certain features or dApps and the service would not need to see the identity of the holder. Speaking of credentials, DeFi services could also give a form of badge to decentralized ID profiles to indicate accomplishments, merits or behavior in general. These could be non-transferable tokens that indicate certain metrics and stay with that ID forever, also known as soulbound tokens. For example, if a given user tried to perform an attack on an exchange in the past, their decentralized ID could be sent a token that indicates malicious behavior for exchanges. On the other side of things, long-standing and reliable liquidity providers could be given a similar identifier, giving that ID a VIP status even if they join new platforms. DeFi services themselves can have their own decentralized IDs that work in a similar way, instantly and irreversibly acting as a complete history and document of reputation. Once implemented, such a system would discourage bad behavior and result in meaningful ramifications for those who engage with it. All of this could be done without invasive surveillance or the complete knowledge of the holder. Enabling trust Decentralized IDs could open the door for everyone, from individual investors to major corporations, to join the DeFi revolution. They could also be designed to always stay in line with legislation in a given jurisdiction, meeting the regulators halfway, and preventing the regulations from being broken. Customers could trust their services and vice versa, making all forms of finance and commerce function much more smoothly and with a significant reduction in fraud. Best of all, average citizens could actually have control of all of their own information, protecting them from malicious activity. What needs to be recognized is that this isnt just a great theory, it is already a reality. Decentralized protocols have been developed to allow for exactly these types of IDs and, in some industries, they are already being used. Soon, others will start rolling out similar solutions for their customers, bringing greater security and peace of mind for everyone. This may be the last puzzle piece that has been holding back mass adoption in DeFi. While its true to say that regulators actions will play their part in helping risk-averse investors to take the plunge into this new realm, their actions alone will not be enough. Thats because accountability needs to be balanced with freedom. Decentralized identification provides what is needed today and long into the future of DeFi, wherever this exciting new industry takes us. The US military has said it does not currently plan to shoot down the alleged Chinese spy balloon as it does not pose a threat militarily or to civilians, but that targeting it could create a huge amount of potentially dangerous debris. At the same time, it said it was monitoring the path of the balloon as it tracked eastwards across the US. As Secretary of Sate Antony Blinken postponed a visit to Beijing amid a spike in tensions since the Pentagon revealed it was tracking the object, China has said it is a weather monitoring device and apologised. On Friday, a senior military officer briefing the media in Washington DC was asked several times why the US had not shot it down, particularly given the USs claim it is a spy balloon, and that this is not the first time such an incident had occurred. As we assess options, and considering the size of the payload on this, looking at the potential for debris and the impact on civilians on the ground or property damage, again, running through the various factors, and looking at in terms of does it pose a potential risk to people while in the air, and right now, as I mentioned, we assess that it does not pose a risk to people on the ground as it currently is traversing the continental United States, said Pentagon spokesman Brig Gen Patrick Ryder. He added: Again, right now were monitoring the situation closely and reviewing options, but beyond that, Im not going to have any additional information. While the military has repeatedly said the balloon presents no danger at the moment yet could do so if it was brought down, there have nevertheless been calls on President Joe Biden to order it downed. Among those voices has been former president Donald Trump who on Friday wrote on social media: Shoot down the balloon. Story continues Earlier, a group of Republican legislators including a Montana congressman called for such action. Shoot. It. Down. The Chinese spy balloon is clear provocation. In Montana we do not bow. We shoot it down. Take the shot, tweeted Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke. In his briefing, Brig Gen Ryder was asked if the US believed the Chinese government was controlling the movements of the balloon, or if was simply movings with the air currents. Im not going to go into any specific intelligence that we may have, he said. Again, we know this is a Chinese balloon, and that it has the ability to maneuvre, but Ill just leave it at that. According to a report in Air & Space Forces Magazine, the US scrambled two Air Force F-22 Raptors from Nellis Air Force Base, in Nevada, on Wednesday in response to the incident. In a statement issued earlier this week, Brig Gen Ryder said: The US government, to include NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) ,continues to track and monitor it closely. He added: The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. On Friday morning, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said Mr Biden had been briefed about the balloon and asked for the military to present options. It was the strong recommendation by Secretary Austin, Chairman Milley, and the commander of Northern Command, not to take kinetic action because of the risks to safety and security of the people the ground, she said. President Biden took that recommendation from the military seriously....The president will always put the safety and the security of the American people first. A statement from the Chinese foreign ministry said the the balloon was a civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research. The ministry said the airship has limited self-steering capabilities and deviated far from its planned course because of winds. The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure, the statement said, according to the Associated Press. The identity of a woman who was found unconscious along a Georgia highway nearly four decades ago has finally been confirmed. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) announced this week that the injured woman discovered on the west side of Highway 91 near Newton, Ga., on May 14, 1985, was Mary Anga Cowan, a mother of four who went by "Angie" and disappeared that same year from Seminole County, Fla. After a passerby spotted her, the then-unidentified woman as taken to a hospital but died on June 1, 1985, the bureau said in a statement. The examiner's office could not determine how she was injured but listed the cause of death as "subdural hematoma secondary to blunt force trauma to the head." The GBI said the woman's remains were exhumed in September 2012 to identify her, but a bone fragment sent for analysis produced no leads. RELATED: Michigan Doctor Found Dead Under Ice of Frozen Pond 5 Days After Going Missing Mary Anga Cowan Georgia Bureau of Investigation Last year, the GBI Sylvester Regional Investigative Office, in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, submitted a portion of the remains to the private DNA lab Othram. After completing the DNA extraction, a profile was generated and given to the FBI for genealogical comparisons. Agents determined Cowan's identity after the DNA sample came up as a match with one of her children. "The research yielded a high probability that the unidentified woman was Mary Anga Cowan, aka 'Angie,'" the GBI said in its statement. "Agents obtained DNA from one of Cowan's children and the comparison indicated a parent/child relationship." RELATED: College Student Goes Missing While Studying Abroad in France, Family Says They 'Fear the Worst' "The assistance of the Baker County Sheriff's Office, Othram, and the FBI Atlanta and Baltimore offices were instrumental in identifying these remains and providing closure for the family," they continued. RELATED VIDEO: Police: Bodies of Missing Teens Found in Arizona Water Retention Basin Cowan's daughter, Angelique Hall, told Orlando FOX affiliate WOFL that she held on to the memories she made with her mother as a child. "I was 10 years old, and she was fun, and she was silly and then one day she was gone," Hall told the outlet. "I knew she was gone," she added. "And I never imagined they would find her. This is a shock from Georgia finding out that not only her body was found but that a town picked her up out of a ditch and took care of her last days. She was loved, and I hear [she was] buried." A woman is suing a bar in Bell Township, claiming she was left a quadriplegic after being served too much alcohol two years ago. According to our partners at TribLIVE.com, the lawsuit filed by 55-year-old Mary Jo Jordan of Avonmore claims her injuries were caused by negligence of the staff at Lone Star Inn on Perrysville Road. Jordan claims she was continuously served vodka and beer despite being visibly intoxicated. As a result of being served alcoholic beverages by the defendants after she was visibly intoxicated, the plaintiff was caused to fall from a bar stool causing her to suffer serious injuries and damages, the lawsuit reads. According to the lawsuit, Jordan said she suffered spinal injuries, a concussion and other ailments. She later suffered from pneumonia, adjustment disorder and depression. The manager at the Lone Star Inn declined to comment on the situation, the Tribune-Review said. Jordan is suing for an unspecified amount in damages for pain and suffering and loss of future earnings. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: New details emerge regarding ex-Greensburg police chief arrested on federal drug charges Groundhog Day 2023: Did Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow? Major Pittsburgh bridge connecting city neighborhoods shut down for at least 4 months VIDEO: 16-year-old rushed to surgery after shooting in Brookline, 2 people in custody DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts YouTube Music workers in the Austin, TX area who voted to unionize are striking. The Alphabet Works Union-CWA (AWU-CWA), which represents the contractors, says this is the first time a group of Google-affiliated workers has gone on strike. Cognizant, an Alphabet subcontractor, staffs the (more than 40) striking workers. They say Alphabets current return-to-office date of February 6th threatens their safety and livelihoods since their $19-per-hour pay makes it hard to afford relocation, travel and healthcare costs. The AWU-CWA says most contractors were hired to work remotely, and nearly a quarter of them dont live in Texas. The YouTube workers say Alphabet and Cognizant only announced the abrupt return to office after they had already voted to unionize. In a statement, however, Cognizant said that these return-to-office plans have been in place and communicated since December of 2021, well over a year ago. Additionally, they accuse managers of sending work to other offices to chill the union efforts while adding that a supervisor made implicit anti-union threats. Finally, the workers have appealed to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to be recognized as jointly employed by Cognizant and Alphabet; the designation would force Alphabet to negotiate based on US labor laws. "The layoffs showed we are just entries in a spreadsheet to Google executives. This isn't the Google I thought I joined. This strike is what I joined Google for. Thank you." - Google software engineer spoke out in support of striking workers #YouTubeStrike Alphabet Workers Union (AWU-CWA) (@AlphabetWorkers) February 3, 2023 Cognizant provided Engadget with the following statement: Cognizant respects the right of our associates to disagree with our policies, and to protest them lawfully. However, it is disappointing that some of our associates have chosen to strike over a return to office policy that has been communicated to them repeatedly since December 2021. Associates working on this project accepted their employment with the understanding that they were accepting in-office positions, and that the team would work together at a physical location based in Austin. Story continues Although it wasnt a labor strike, 20,000 Google workers from 50 offices participated in a 2018 walkout. That movement was in response to the companys practice of rewarding executives accused of misconduct. The YouTube Music strike began at noon EST today outside of the Austin Google Office. If you live elsewhere, you can check in on a livestream of the strike on Facebook. Update, 2/3/23 4:15PM ET: This story has been updated to include a statement from Cognizant noting that it has communicated return-to-office plans since December of 2021. Google Headquarters in Mountain View Google headquarters in Mountain View, California Credit - Anadolu Agency via Getty Images2022 Anadolu Agency Several teams of subcontracted YouTube workers went on strike on Friday, to protest a return-to-office policy that they say is an attempt by YouTubes parent company, Alphabet, to bust their union. The case could have implications that reverberate across Silicon Valley. Around 40 workers in total, who are directly employed by Alphabets outsourcing partner Cognizant, walked out on Friday in a formal strike against what they say are unfair labor practices. Their jobs include verifying musicians pages on YouTube, maintaining official music charts, and scrubbing the platform of copyright infringement, for a typical wage of $19 per hour. The workers, who have been remote since the beginning of the pandemic, petitioned the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the federal agency tasked with protecting workers rights, this past October to join the 1,200-member strong Alphabet Workers Union. In a complaint in January to NLRB, the YouTube workers alleged that Alphabet and Cognizant announced a return to the Austin, TX, office only after workers campaigned to unionize. They say that a return to the office would force many union members to quit their jobs, as many of them live far away from Austin and work second jobs to cover their living expenses. A copy of the workers NLRB complaint, reviewed by TIME, says the return-to-office policy is an attempt to chill the union organizing effort. Having the ability to be remote allows us, right at five oclock, to jump into our other jobs that are necessary because were not paid enough, says Katie Marschner, an organizer of the strike and member of the Alphabet Workers Union, which is representing the workers in their complaint to the NLRB. In Austin particularly, the musicians and artists that are the backbone of the whole culture of this city are being forced out because of giant tech companies moving in and increasing the cost of living for everyone. Story continues After being informed of the workers intent to strike, a Feb. 1 amendment to the complaint says Cognizant and Alphabet immediately offered workers the option to work from home for two extra weeks, on the condition that they agreed to quit Cognizants work for YouTube. This alleged offer, the complaint says, was made in order to discourage employees from engaging in any protected concerted activity. A spokesperson for Alphabet declined to comment. In a statement to TIME after the initial publication of this story, Cognizant spokesperson Jeff DeMarrais denied that unionizing workers had been offered incentives to quit. The firms return-to-office policy had been communicated repeatedly and consistently since before workers petitioned to unionize, he said in a statement to Bloomberg. The small number of associates who voluntarily left the Austin area and are unable or unwilling to return have the opportunity to be considered for assignments on other client projects at Cognizant, he added. There is simply no merit to these claims. Read More: TikToks Subcontractor in Colombia Under Investigation for Traumatic Work Potential to set a precedent Unionized workers and their lawyers believe the YouTube worker case could set a sweeping precedent in Silicon Valley, making Big Tech companies liable for the working conditions of the legions of subcontracted workers they rely on. The YouTube workers have submitted an appeal to the NLRB to be recognized as jointly employed by Cognizant and Alphabeta designation that could force Alphabet to come to the negotiating table for better pay, working conditions and stability, and be held liable for any unfair labor practices. Alphabet, which employs armies of contractors via third party firms, has long seen joint-employer designation as a risk to its business. If found to be a joint employer of a [contractor] by an agency or court, then Alphabet could be liable for employer obligations, as well as acts and omissions leading to employment related legal claims, says an internal Google document, cited in a 2018 report by the Guardian. (Googles parent company is Alphabet Inc.) The case comes as the NLRB is weighing an expansion of its criteria for determining whether joint employer status can be granted. Under the current system, joint employment may only be determined if both companies exercise direct and immediate control over employees pay, working conditions, or discipline. Under the proposed new rules, these terms would be significantly widened to include any companies that even indirectly control employees terms of employment. (Even under the previous narrower definition, the YouTube workers have a strong argument to be recognized as jointly employed, an attorney working on their behalf told TIME.) If two companies are ruled to be joint employers, both must bargain with the union that represents the jointly employed workers, both are potentially liable for unfair labor practices committed by the other, and both are subject to union picketing or other economic pressure if there is a labor dispute, says the Society for Human Resource Management, a professional body for HR workers, on its website. Tech companies have been at the forefront of a labor market trend toward subcontracting labor but retaining direct control, oversight, and surveillance of outsourced workers, according to Frank Kearl, an attorney who represents Amazon worker organizers. Companies recognize the fact they can avoid a lot of liability by contracting out work to companies that are completely under their control, but they have drawn a fictional line between their corporate entity, and the entity that actually employs the workers, he says. You get all the benefits of the labor and the control, without getting any of the liability. By recognizing both Alphabet and Cognizant as our joint employer, the NLRB will be setting a new precedent that will finally allow thousands of contract workers to hold major corporations accountable to their obligations towards workers, said Neil Gossell, a spokesperson for the Alphabet Workers Union, in a statement to TIME. Read More: Meta Accused Of Human Trafficking and Union-Busting in Kenya Growing scrutiny of Big Techs labor practices The calls for Alphabet and other tech companies to employ their workers directly, rather than at arms length, are gathering steam. Alphabets use of subcontracted labor is a business practice that depresses workers wages and degrades working conditions, exacerbates occupational segregation, weakens temp workers collective voice on the job, and locks them into a system of permanent temporary work, says a 2021 report by the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy group. Tech companiesas well as all other companies that contract out work to intermediaries like temp agenciesshould be responsible as joint employers for working conditions for their contracted workers. The movement is growing internationally, too. On Monday, a judge in Kenya is scheduled to rule on whether Facebook can be sued in a Kenyan court for alleged unfair labor practices at one of its subcontracting partners. Facebook argues that it cannot be held accountable under Kenyan law because it does not have an official presence in the country; the plaintiff in the lawsuit argues that Facebook was his de-facto employer. The ruling will be a major test of whether tech companies can be held accountable under the legal system of a country where they outsource much of their laborand could encourage workers in other countries to bring similar suits. In Texas, the striking YouTube workers make a similar argument. I think what were doing is historic, because we could set precedent for this type of contract between companies that are as big as a nation state, and small agencies that they put all the legal responsibility on for these employees, says Marschner, the YouTube worker organizer. We hope that this does change this model, because its extremely unfair and exploits workers. Update: Feb. 3, 2023 This story has been updated with additional comments from a Cognizant spokesperson. Zelenskyy thanked the EU for the assistance Ukraine has been receiving over the past year Read also: Tangible results we can expect from EU-Ukraine Summit, NV analysis During the 24th EU-Ukraine Summit in Kyiv on Feb. 2, which was attended by President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Zelenskyy thanked for the support provided by the European Union to Ukraine over the past year. According to the Ukrainian leader, Kyiv is completing the implementation of seven recommendations the European Commission gave when it granted Ukraine EU member candidate status in summer 2022. This spring, we expect an interim assessment by the European Commission of our progress, which was achieved in extremely difficult conditions of confronting Russian terror and full-scale invasion, Zelenskyy said. Im confident that what Ukraine has achieved deserves a positive assessment. Read also: EU Commission president pledges unconditional, long-term support for Ukraine He expressed gratitude for the presentation of the Analytical Report on the implementation of reforms that will become the basis for the national plan of harmonizing Ukraines legislation with EUs. Our goal is absolutely clear to start negotiations on Ukraines membership in the European Union, he stressed. And I believe that the European Union will also be ready for negotiations on Ukraines accession this year. Read also: EU Council head Michel admits possibility of Ukraine joining EU in two years In turn, Michel reiterated that in June 2022, Ukraine was granted the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union, and it is moving quite fast along the European integration path. Von der Leyen also positively assessed the progress made by Ukraine in implementing the seven recommendations of the European Commission and expressed hope for further rapid progress. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has registered draft resolutions in Verkhovna Rada [Parliament], proposing to expand the powers of the heads of military administrations of a number of settlements in Kherson and Kharkiv Oblasts. Source: Interfax-Ukraine Details: Draft resolutions No. 8414 and No. 8413 suggest expanding the powers of the heads of military administrations of settlements in Kakhovka and Kherson districts in Kherson Oblast, and Izium, Kupiansk and Chuhuiv districts in Kharkiv Oblast. In Kharkiv Oblast, the extension of powers will apply to the heads of Savinsk village military administration, Izium district; Vilkhuvatka, Kurylivka villages and Shevchenkivske village military administrations, Kupiansk district; and Starosaltivsk village military administration, Chuhuiv district. It is proposed that during the period of martial law and 30 days after its termination or cancellation, the heads of military administrations may approve the temporary structure of executive bodies of village, settlement and city councils. In addition, the apparatuses of village, settlement and city councils and their executive committees, communal services, institutions and organisations of territorial hromadas [an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories] will be subordinated to the heads of the relevant military administrations of the settlements. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! LPD: Man who pulled gun amid chase dies after officer shoots A Lynchburg man who produced a gun during a police chase died after an officer shot him, the Lynchburg Police Department said. Police identified the man as Ryheam Damon Brown, 25, of Lynchburg. In a news release, LPD said officers went to the 700 block of Grady Street at 9:23 p.m. because of reports of shots fired. An officer attempted to stop a vehicle that was believed to be involved with the disturbance in the area of 12th Street. The vehicle attempted to elude police and the male driver, and only occupant, fled on foot in the area of Pierce Street and 14th Street, LPD said. After a brief foot chase, the officer encountered the suspect in an alleyway in the 1400-block of 17th Street. The suspect produced a firearm and the officer discharged a department-issued handgun, striking him, LPD said. Officers on scene attempted life-saving measures until the Lynchburg Fire Department took the man to Lynchburg General Hospital, where he died from his injuries, police said. Lynchburg Police Chief Ryan Zuidema contacted Virginia State Police to investigate. The officer, whom police did not name in the release, has been placed in a non-enforcement, limited-duty status until the investigation is complete. From staff reports 3 JMU students killed in W.Va. crash Thursday MATHIAS, W.Va. Three Virginia college students were killed when their vehicle left a road and struck a tree in West Virginia, authorities said Friday. The single-vehicle accident occurred Thursday night along West Virginia Route 259 near the Virginia border, the Hardy County Sheriffs Office said in a news release. There were five men in the vehicle, all 19-year-old students at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, the sheriffs office said. Three occupants were pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver and another passenger were airlifted to a hospital in critical condition. The statement didnt indicate the hospital where they were taken. The Associated Press China's annual foreign trade value topped 40 trillion yuan (about $5.94 trillion) for the first time in 2022, and the country maintained the world's largest trading nation in goods for six consecutive years. As the new year has arrived, foreign trade enterprises are going all out to embrace the overseas market. At the Zhoushan port in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang province, containers were unloaded from two 200,000-ton vessels by 45 bridge cranes and 122 gantry cranes. Such a busy scene at the port was a result of the diligent work of foreign trade enterprises, including Bianfeng Machinery Group based in Jiashan county, Zhejiang province. "Our new orders have been scheduled to March and April. It's a bumper year for foreign trade companies," said Wang Shengshuang, chairman of board of the company. According to Wang, the company plans to join over 10 international exhibitions this year and will invite its foreign clients to have investigation tours to the company. "Meeting clients is meeting opportunities," the man said. This year, multiple provinces, including Jiangsu, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Sichuan, have sent business delegations overseas and invited foreign merchants to China. They have also launched a series of measures to better facilitate the trade sector, which enhanced foreign trade enterprises' confidence in expanding market. "Before the Chinese New Year, we had already stocked up our overseas warehouses, so that commodities could be immediately shipped to foreign consumers," said Zeng Qiuping, who runs an appliance company in Shunde district, Foshan, south China's Guangdong province. Though workers were on vacation during the Chinese New Year, the company's foreign trade business was not suspended, Zeng told People's Daily. Compared with the traditional make-to-order strategy, cross-border e-commerce directly faces consumers and production can be scheduled in advance based on previous sales data. Zeng said the overseas warehouses of his company make logistics more efficient and thus improve consumers' experience. "The export volume of our capsule coffee machines is expected to rise by over 25 percent this year," the man noted. Because of its advantages, such as online transaction and short transaction chain, cross-border e-commerce is favored by foreign enterprises. New business forms of foreign trade services emerged, including overseas warehouses, constantly improving the quality and efficiency of China's foreign trade sector. On Jan. 2, 2023, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement took effect in Indonesia. Obtaining the RCEP certificate of origin, a food additive company based in Nantong, east China's Jiangsu province, enjoyed a tariff reduction of around 42,000 yuan ($6,245) for a batch of aspartame it exported to the Southeast Asian country, which was worth $117,800. "This policy just boosted our confidence," said Yu Haifeng, manager of the commerce department of the company. According to him, Indonesia is the company's regular market. Before the RCEP agreement took effect, the Chinese food additive manufacturer had to pay tariffs at a rate of 5 percent for its exports to Indonesia, and now the tariff stands at zero, Yu said. In the past year since the world's largest trade deal came into force, China has further strengthened its cooperation on trade and investment with other RCEP members. Last year, China's foreign trade with the other 14 RCEP economies grew by 7.5 percent on a yearly basis to 12.95 trillion yuan ($1.93 trillion), accounting for 30.8 percent of the country's total exports and imports. So far, China has signed 19 free trade agreements with 26 countries and regions, with partners covering Asia, Oceania, Latin America, Europe, and Africa. A Virginia Tech engineering professor was jailed this week after being arrested on two dozen counts of child sexual abuse. Brian Vick, 68, of Blacksburg, is accused of abusing a child two decades ago. He is charged with 14 counts of taking indecent liberties with a child and 10 counts of aggravated sexual battery of a child younger than 13. Commonwealth's Attorney Mary Pettitt said that the accusations were made recently and that Vick was indicted by a grand jury and arrested Tuesday. Vick is being held in the Western Virginia Regional Jail. He is scheduled to appear in Montgomery County Circuit Court on Monday to say if he has an attorney to represent him, or wants one to be appointed. An associate professor of mechanical engineering, Vick's areas of focus include energy engineering and science, according to his faculty page on the Tech website. It was not immediately clear what Vick's present status is with the university. Vick was named in a federal lawsuit last year filed by a student who sued Tech's honor system. The student claimed Vick unfairly accused him of cheating and gave him an F in a class that he needed to pass to graduate on time. The lawsuit was settled out of court. Virginia Tech student accused of cheating settles lawsuit against school's honor system The lawsuit had asked a federal judge to overturn the student's failing grade and set aside a finding of academic misconduct. Virginia Tech student accused of cheating on class assignment files lawsuit The unidentified student is asking a federal judge to lift the "F" he received and reverse a finding of academic misconduct by Virginia Tech's honor system, saying he did not receive a fair hearing. CANBERRA, Australia Australia is removing the British monarchy from its bank notes. The nation's central bank said Thursday its new $5 bill would feature an Indigenous design rather than an image of King Charles III. But the king is still expected to appear on coins. The $5 bill was Australias only remaining bank note to still feature an image of the monarch. The bank said the decision followed consultation with the government, which supported the change. Opponents say the move is politically motivated. The British monarch remains Australia's head of state, although these days that role is largely symbolic. Like many former British colonies, Australia is debating to what extent it should retain its constitutional ties to Britain. Australia's Reserve Bank said the new $5 bill would feature a design to replace a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, who died last year. The bank said the move would honor the culture and history of the First Australians. The other side of the $5 banknote will continue to feature the Australian parliament," the bank said in a statement. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the change was an opportunity to strike a good balance. The monarch will still be on the coins, but the $5 note will say more about our history and our heritage and our country, and I see that as a good thing, he told reporters in Melbourne. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton likened the move to changing the date of the national day, Australia Day. I know the silent majority dont agree with a lot of the woke nonsense that goes on but weve got to hear more from those people online, he told 2GB Radio. Dutton said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was central to the decision for the king not to appear on the note, urging him to own up to it." The bank plans to consult with Indigenous groups in designing the $5 note, a process it expects will take several years before the new note goes public. The current $5 will continue to be issued until the new design is introduced and will remain legal tender even after the new bill goes into circulation. The face of King Charles III is expected to be seen on Australian coins later this year. One Australian dollar is worth about 71 cents in U.S. currency. Photos: The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II , Feb 03 ( lifestyleasia.com ) - While Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka are the top-tier locations that every traveller wants to explore, Japan's magnificence lies in the cities hidden away from the crowds, where quaint places in the lap of nature take your breath away. One such city in Japan has made its way on The New York Times list of 52 Places to Go in 2023. Morioka, the capital of Iwate, a prefecture in northeast Japan, became the second-most recommended tourist destination after London (of course). The recent listing has piqued peoples curiosity, some of whom are already curating their Morioka itineraries. Morioka hasnt drawn a lot of tourists lately, with only 4,690 people visiting it in the first 11 months of last year, as per reports. Thanks to Times shoutout, inquiries about the city have already shot up and given a boost to the tourism industry. Morioka brings together traditional Japanese and western architectural aesthetics, all against the backdrop of scenic mountains and intersecting rivers. Morioka Castle Ruins Park also known as the Iwate Park is a sight to behold in autumn, all covered in red and orange hues of leaves. The Morioka Castle was demolished in 1874, however, authorities revamped it in the early 1900s and renamed it Iwate Park. Locals love spending time in this gorgeous cherry blossom spot. ...continue reading Lighthouse Bible Church Lighthouse Bible Church, 2136 Fifth Ave., invites the community to participate in our live worship service at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. The Sunday sermon is prerecorded and can be viewed on our website, lighthousemc.com. Dress is casual, and coffee and refreshments are provided. Upcoming events: Prayer and Study, 7 p.m. Wednesdays. Mt. Hope United Methodist Mt. Hope United Methodist Church, 290th and Highway 6, McClelland, would like to invite all to join us on Sunday mornings for our worship service at 9:30 a.m. Children are welcome for the regular worship service and childrens sermon during the worship service. You do not have to be a member to participate in our church activities. Everyone is welcome. Gethsemane Presbyterian Church Gethsemane Presbyterian Church, 224 Wallace Ave., invites you to worship with us. The service runs from 9 to 10 a.m. The Rev. Nancy Ross-Hullinger will deliver the message. Children are invited to participate in Sunday school. Please join us for refreshments following the service. Adult Bible study meets on Mondays and Thursdays from 9 to 10 a.m. Our church is collecting Iowa 5 cent-refund cans/bottles for one of our mission projects, the Kanesville Honor Guard Society. Your donations help! Bags can be dropped off anytime at our front door. We are also collecting diapers and wipes for children. These can also be left in bags by the front door. Our Food Pantry is open on Mondays and Thursdays until 10:30 a.m. Donations are welcome. For more information, contact the church office at 712-366-2513 or visit us on Facebook at gethsemanepresbyterianchurch.org. Timothy Lutheran Church Timothy Lutheran Church, 3112 W. Broadway, offers services at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. The church alternates between traditional services and praise services each week. Bible study and Sunday school at 9:15 a.m. If a month has a fifth Sunday, the church hosts a combined service at 9 a.m. Food and fellowship after service on fifth Sundays and there is no Bible study or Sunday school on those days. The church is handicap accessible. For more information, visit the church website at timothylutheran.net. St. Pauls Evangelical Country Church St. Pauls Evangelical Country Church rings the church bell each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. to welcome people to worship at 11055 Dumfries Ave. There are directional signs from Wabash Avenue and Pioneer Trail leading to the church. We are a growing, caring and friendly, Bible-teaching church led by Pastor Jason Kinney. This Sundays message is titled The Right Plan, with the Bible reference James 4:13-17. Greeters are Cheryl Collins and Norma Foster. Each week we enjoy donuts and coffee in the Fellowship Hall. Sunday school for all ages including adults starts at 9:15. We now have childrens church during our regular service. The mens breakfast will be Saturday at 9 a.m. The ladies Bible study will be meeting on Wednesday at 1 p.m. Church Council meeting is Thursday at 7 p.m. Visit our website at www.stpaulsecc.org for more information. We are handicapped accessible. Underwood Lutheran Church On Sunday, Underwood Lutheran Church, 10 Third Ave., will hold Sunday activities. Education begins at 9 a.m. In-person worship featuring Holy Communion begins at 10:15 a.m. Pastor Scott Dalen will deliver a sermon based on Matthew 5:13-20. The online video will be available later in the day. Compass Christian Church Compass Christian Church welcomes you to worship with us Sundays at 10:30 a.m. We are located at 2007 S. Seventh St., just west of the South Expressway. The church is handicap accessible. During worship, a cry room is available, along with childcare for children ages 1-4. Compass Kids grades K-5 meet downstairs for special Bible lessons during the sermon. You may also worship with us at compasscb.online.church or on YouTube. A Monday morning Bible study meets at 10 a.m. weekly. Separate mens and womens Bible study groups meet on Mondays at 7 p.m. The Bridge Young Adults (ages 18-30) meet on the first and third Tuesday of each month. The next meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 7. On Wednesdays, children in grades K-5 and students in grades 6-12 and meet at 6:30 p.m. A Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting is held at 6:30 p.m. Ladies are invited to join us for an afternoon of fun, food and Bunco on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. To RSVP, call 712-366-9112. For questions or more information, visit our Facebook page, Compass Christian Church CB, our website compasscb.org or call the church office at 712-366-9112. Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church, 1800 Fifth Ave., invites the public to participate in our live worship service at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings. The Sunday worship service will be recorded live and can be viewed on our Facebook page: Fifth Avenue UMC, Council Bluffs. Face masks are optional. Upcoming events: Meal & Message will be held at 6 p.m. on Feb. 8. On Feb. 22, Meal & Message will be held at 6 p.m. and the Ash Wednesday Service will be held. The church office can be reached at 712-323-7374 or through our email at fifthaveumchurch@gmail.com. Broadway United Methodist Church Broadway United Methodist, First Street and Broadway, is seeking, growing and serving with unconditional love and acceptance. On Sundays, we hold a traditional service at 8:30 a.m. and a contemporary service at 10:30. Coffee and donuts will be served in the DeLong Lounge after the first service. Our services are held in person and livestreamed to our Facebook page or broadwayunitedmethodist.com/live. Masks are optional. Student Life Breakthrough will be held Sunday at 6:00 p.m. On Mondays, Philips Cupboard, a nonfood pantry, is open noon to 2 p.m. Bibles at Barleys is at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. On Wednesday, the womens study meets at 5 p.m., and the Praise Band rehearses at 5:30 p.m. A community meal is held at 6 p.m., followed by Foundation Groups for all ages and bell choir at 6:30 and choir at 7:30. The Mens Brown Bag Bible Study will be held Thursday at noon. On Friday, the church office is closed but Philips Cupboard is open noon to 2 p.m. For more information, visit our website at broadwayunitedmethodist.com or call the office at 712-322-7741 (closed Fridays). Bethany Presbyterian Church Bethany Presbyterian Church, 1900 S. Seventh St., will have worship at 11 a.m. Pastor Nancy Ross-Hullingers message will be Sharing What We Have. The scripture is Isaiah 58:1-12. There will be a childrens chat. This is Communion/Pantry Sunday. We will have our Social Saturday on Feb. 4 from 9 a.m. to noon. The Girl Scouts will meet Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. We are a handicap accessible facility. Community of Christ Church Community of Christ Church, 140 W. Kanesville Blvd., invites people to attend Sunday worship at 10:15 a.m. Our theme this week is Formed in the Spirit. Scripture readings will be 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; Isaiah 58:1-12; Micah 6:1-8; Psalm 112:1-10; and Matthew 5:13-20. Sunday school starts at 9:15 a.m. We also have prayer service Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Please call our office at 712-323-4498 for any questions. There are virtual ministries out on our World Church Website under Ongoing Ministries at https://www.cofchrist.org. Epworth United Methodist Church If you are looking to know more about God and his divine plan for you, come to Epworth United Methodist Church, 2447 Ave. B. Join us for worship Sundays at 9:30 a.m. There is room for the little ones in the family to learn about God according to their age. The people are friendly, worship is meaningful and the building is handicap accessible. We will host Lenten Luncheons every Wednesday Feb. 22 to March 29 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and everyone is welcome. Masks are not required but are available for those who need/want one. We also invite you to our Bible study on Thursdays at 9 a.m. We are in prayer for the healing of our community and a nation under God. If you want us to pray for you personally, let us know. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Phone: 712-323-3124. You can find us on Facebook at Friends of Epworth UMC-Facebook. Faith Lutheran Church Faith Lutheran Church (LCMS), 2100 S. 11th St., invites you to join us for worship at our 9 a.m. Sunday service. On Tuesday, there is a 9:30 a.m. adult Bible study in the downstairs fellowship hall that is open to everyone. Please enter by the rear door. Confirmation will be held Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. The Faith LWML meets Thursday at 1 p.m. in the basement fellowship hall for a contemporary Bible study with Pastor Ron. Please enter by the rear door. Worship services are available on Faiths Facebook page and on YouTube by searching for Ron Rosenkaimer. For more information, contact the church office at 323-6445. New Horizon Presbyterian Church New Horizon Presbyterian holds services at 8 and 11 a.m., with the Praise Service at 9. Youth and adult Sunday school is 10 to 10:45 a.m. On Wednesdays, the Praise Band meets from 5:45 to 6:30 p.m., the Chancel Bell Choir from 6:30 to 7:30 and the Chancel Choir from 7:30 to 8:30. If you are ill, please worship from home by watching our Facebook page, facebook.com/NewHorizonPC. Westminster Presbyterian Church Westminster Presbyterian Church, 517 S. 32nd St., welcomes everyone to join us for worship on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. The Rev. Portia Iverson will deliver the message Things Seen and Unseen. The Old Testament Lesson will be Isaiah 9:1-4, 6-7, The Government of the Promised Son, and the Gospel Lesson will be Matthew 4:12-23, The Call of the First Disciples. We are handicapped accessible through the northeast door of the church. Corpus Christi Catholic Parish Join us for the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Feb. 4-5. The Liturgy of the Word Isaiah 58:7-10; Psalm 112:4-9; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; and Matthew 5:13-16. Our Weekend Mass in English is celebrated on Saturday at 4 p.m. and on Sunday at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. at Corpus Christi Queen of Apostles, 3304 Fourth Ave., Council Bluffs; and at 9:30 a.m. at Corpus Christi Our Lady of Carter Lake, 3501 North Ninth St., Carter Lake. Our Sunday Spanish Mass is at noon (Council Bluffs). Daily Mass is celebrated as follows: In English on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 8 a.m. (Council Bluffs) and in Spanish on Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m. (Council Bluffs). Eucharistic Adoration is held every Monday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. at Corpus Christi Queen of Apostles. Upcoming events include: Valentine Salad Buffet Luncheon at Corpus Christi Our Lady of Carter Lake, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Adults, $6; 12 and younger, $3. Join us for good food and fun games. Games are available, or you can bring your own. Raffle drawings for great prizes. Sponsored by Our Lady of Carter Lake Womens Guild. Bingo at Corpus Christi Our Lady of Carter Lake will be held on Feb. 11 and will begin with an early bird game at 6:30 p.m. Doors will open at 5:30. The Altar and Rosary Society is sponsoring a Bake Sale and a Craft Sale on Feb. 11-12 after all of the weekend Masses at Corpus Christi Queen of Apostles. There will be a wide assortment of items for sale, with something for everyone. Small groups will be forming soon for the Lenten scripture-based program this season. The Lenten program will guide and inspire participants to grow in their knowledge and love of our Lord. Schedule a Mass Intention in 2023 for your loved ones by calling the parish office. Many dates are still available. For more information, call the parish office at 712-323-2916 or 712-323-4716 (Spanish) or visit our parish website at www.corpuschristiparishiowa.org. Emanuel Lutheran Church Emanuel Lutheran Church, 2444 N. Broadway, welcomes everyone to come as you are and be who you are! You are invited to join us each Sunday for worship and Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. This Sunday we will also have blood press checks with our parish nurse, Crystal. Other events this week include Tai Chi Monday at 10 a.m. in the youth center, Bible study Thursday at 9:30 a.m. in the conference room, and Tai Chi Thursday at 10 a.m. in the youth center. Follow us on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter to stay up to date on events and view livestreamed services. Visit us online at emanuelcb.org. Saint John Lutheran Church Saint John Lutheran Church, 633 Willow Ave., holds worship at 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 8:30 and 11 a.m. on Sundays. Worship is also available to watch on YouTube. Our website is www.SaintJohnELCA.org, and our Facebook page is Saint John Lutheran Church Council Bluffs IA. Wednesday morning Bible study meets at 9 a.m., and Wednesday evening Bible study meets at 6:30 p.m. The bell choir practices at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, and the Chancel Choir starts practice at 7:30 p.m. Confirmation students and high school youth also meet Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. Other meetings this week: The Mary Group will meet Thursday at 9 a.m. The building is handicap accessible. Please call the church office with any questions, 712-323-7173. Broadway Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) The Rev. Carol Hall and members of our congregation invite you to join us for Sunday worship at 9 a.m. at Broadway Christian Church, 2658 Ave. A. We celebrate communion weekly; communion is open to all. A hearing loop is installed for those who need it. Guests are invited to join us in fellowship after worship for coffee and donuts. Overeaters Anonymous meets Mondays at noon. Alcoholics Anonymous meets Tuesdays at 6 p.m. and Fridays at 7:30 p.m. The church is ADA-accessible. Masks are optional. To submit prayer requests or for more information, call the church office at 712-323-7741 or email us at office@bcccb.org. Visit us online at www.bcccb.org or on Facebook. First Congregational UCC Church Come and join us for worship at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at First Congregational Church (United Church of Christ), located at 611 First Ave. Coffee is available. Our service is also provided via Zoom. Please email the church for information on how to join the Zoom meeting: cbfirstcong@gmail.com. First Congregational offers a free Community Dinner the last Friday of each month. Everyone is welcome. Come and enjoy a meal and fellowship! Our Saviors Lutheran Church Our Saviors Lutheran Church, 600 Bluff St., can be reached at 712-322-6655. Everyone is welcome. Worship services are Saturday evening at 5:30 and Sunday morning at 10:30. Adult Sunday school is at 9:15 a.m. and Youth Sunday school is at 9:30 a.m. For more information, see our Facebook page under Our Saviors Lutheran Church of Council Bluffs or the website at oursaviorscb.org. Other activities this week include Al-Anon meetings Monday and Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Education Building. Thursday morning Bible Study will meet from 9:30 to 11 a.m., and Prayer Team will meet at 11:15 a.m. On Thursday evenings, the bell choir practices at 6:30 p.m. and choir at 7:30. There will also be a Bible Study at 7:30. Food Pantry and Pet Food Pantry are open for appointments Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. To schedule an appointment, please call the Food Pantry directly at 712-522-3522 on the day it is open. There will be a Game Day following worship on Feb. 5. All ages are invited. Bring a snack to share, if you would like. Budget Forum will be held on Feb. 5, and Semiannual meeting will be on Feb. 12. St. Pauls Episcopal Church St. Pauls Episcopal Church is located at 22 Dillman Drive in Council Buffs. Our services are held each Sunday morning beginning at 11 a.m., and we invite visitors to attend and share with us these very enjoyable and enlightening services. For additional information, please contact the church at 712-323-7188. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Matt Wynn (right), executive director of the Flatwater Free Press, listens as his lawyer Daniel Gutman speaks during a hearing in Lancaster County District Court earlier this month. The nonprofit sued the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy in November, asking a judge to intervene in its fight over a $44,000 price tag from the state for five years of public records related to drinking water and nitrates. The judge ruled in Flatwater's favor. The Ethiopian federal government has suspended 15 foreign media outlets operating in the countrys eastern Somali regional state, reports say. The countrys media authority, EMA, ordered the suspension because the media in questions have been allegedly operating without license. EMA has instructed Somali Region Communications Bureau to take action. The Media include BBC Somali and Universal TV. The EMA in a letter argued that it found out in an investigation that there were media outlet representatives and journalists who operated in Somali state without license and therefore in breach of the law. The move follows recent sour relation between independent journalists and the regional authorities. The Ethiopian regional journalists association claimed the suspension was taken in retaliation to media reports on corruption among other things. The Egyptian Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, indicated that the Arab country hopes to list at least 20 state-owned companies in 2023 as part of a larger strategy aimed at generating more revenues, Zawya reports. Not all companies will be listed on the EGX (the Egyptian stock market). Some will see major shares sold to strategic investors. Those investors are expected to restructure state-owned companies, raise more capital and generate more job opportunities, the Premier said in a press conference after a cabinet meeting Wednesday. The objective is to invite more citizens and the private sector to take part in the development process, and to have them manage and hold shares in government-owned entities. This is our strategic goal, he told reporters. The Arab country suffering lack of cash has turned to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $3 billion loan. As part of conditions, the Washington-based institution requested that the government dwindles its presence in some industries and gives more room to the private sector. Mabdouly said his cabinet was working around the clock to finalize the list of companies that are expected to be floated and a detailed plan will be revealed next week. The EGX annual report released last month had named a number of government-owned companies that are expected to go public, Zawya recalls. The names include Alex Bank, Misr Insurance, ENPPI, Assiut Oil Refining Company, Middle East Oil Refinery Company, The Egyptian Ethylene & Derivatives Company, Banque du Caire, Misr Life Insurance, Egyptian Drilling Company and ELAB. Alexandria Mineral Oils, Housing and Development Bank, eFinance, Madinat Nasr for Housing and Development, Heliopolis Company for Housing and Development, Egyptalum, Sidi Kerir Petrochemicals Company, Abu Qir Fertilizers and Chemicals Industries Company and Alexandria Container and Cargo Handling Company are also expected to be listed on the Cairos stock exchange. Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno opened Thursday his countrys embassy in the Israeli capital of Tel Aviv, a move expected to further strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries. This is a historic moment. It follows the steps we took with your late father, my historic visit to Chad, and your historic visit to Israel now, in which we are formally opening the embassy today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the ceremony. We are strengthening our common interests and friendship, and pursuing peace, security and prosperity, he added. I welcome you in great friendship and I hope to see you again in Chad. President Deby also dedicated the embassy opening to his late father Idriss Deby Itno who restored ties between the two countries in 2019 after they were severed in 1972. This is a great day, a historic day for Chad and for Israel, he said, dedicating the moment to my father, a very courageous man with a vision, he said. We are here today to officially open the embassy. It is thanks to God and the courage and vision [my father] had, and also thanks to you, prime minister, he said. The Chadian leader arrived in Israel Wednesday. Upon arrival he held meetings with Netanyahu and several other Israeli officials including the Head of Mossad, David Barnea. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen thanked the African leader for Chads support in international forums. Chad voted for Israel to join the African Union as an observer state in 2021, and was absent during the United Nations General Assembly vote to refer the Israel-Palestinian conflict to the International Court of Justice. Idriss Deby Itno visited Israel in 2019 to thaw ties with Tel Aviv, at the time Netanyahu was Prime Minister. You are here: China Photo taken on June 27, 2019 shows the site of an afforestation project in the suburban Yanqing District of Beijing, capital of China. [Photo/Xinhua] A new round of afforestation project carried out from 2018 to 2022 added 1.02 million mu (about 68,000 hectares) of green areas in Beijing, local authorities said on Thursday. By the end of 2022, Beijing's forest coverage rate had reached 44.8 percent, expanding the capital's green ecological space significantly, according to the Beijing Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau. In the past five years, Beijing built 180 urban leisure parks and 323 small parks and green areas, and 88 percent of residents lived near parks and green spaces within a radius of 500 meters. From 2012 to 2017, Beijing launched an afforestation project covering 1 million mu. The new round of afforestation project between 2018 and 2022 highlighted coordinated governance of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts, and comprehensively strengthen biodiversity protection. Beijing has restored 10,200 hectares of wetlands over the past five years and has 596 species of terrestrial wild animals currently. Air Arabia Egypt announced flights to Gizan in Saudi Arabia, making the Saudi city the 11th destination of the low-cost carrier to the Gulf country. The direct flights will connect Cairo International Airport with King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Airport with a frequency of two weekly flights starting from April 9th, 2023. We are glad to further expand our reach to the Saudi market by introducing Gizan as a new destination to our growing network from our hub in Egypt. This new route will further strengthen the strong cultural ties between Egypt and KSA while providing our passengers with affordable and convenient connections between the two cities, Adel Al Ali, Chief Executive Officer of the airline said. Before Gizan, the Heliopolis Cairo-based carrier flies to capital Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Tabuk, Taif, Al Jouf, Hail, Abha, Gassim, and Madinah. Air Arabia operates a fleet of Airbus A320 and A321 neo-LR aircraft, the most modern and best-selling single aisle aircraft in the world. The adoption by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) of the Tangier Declaration on promoting the link between peace, security and development in Africa is a recognition of the relevance of the multidimensional approach advocated by Morocco for the operationalization of the Tangier process through the development of model projects with real impact across the five regions of Africa. The remarks were made by Moroccos Permanent Representative to the AU and UNECA Mohamed Arrouchi in Addis Ababa Friday after the adoption by the AU PSC of the Tangier Declaration. This multidimensional approach is able to address the challenges of peace and security in Africa, the diplomat said. The AU PSC which adopted the Declaration of the AU Conference on the promotion of the link between peace, security and development in Africa, entitled Tangier Declaration, decided to submit it for consideration and adoption to the 36th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government scheduled for mid-February in Addis Ababa. Morocco hosted, on October 25-27, 2022, the first AU Political Conference on Promoting the Link between Peace, Security and Development in Africa in Tangier, recalled Arrouchi, noting that this inaugural conference, organized in partnership with the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security of the African Union, with the assistance of other partners, provided a platform to explore the interdependencies between peace, security and development. Morocco, as part of its chairmanship of the AU PSC in September 2019, has, in fact, distinguished itself by organizing a ministerial meeting on the theme Interdependence between Peace, Security and Development: Towards a collective commitment to action, on the sidelines of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. We are gathered at the Hassan II Pavilion in Seville so that each and every one of us can reaffirm his or her commitment to preserving and prolonging, over the course of generations, the irreducible, irrefragable and universal memory of the Holocaust, said Andre Azoulay, Advisor to King Mohammed VI and current President of the Foundation of the Three Cultures and the Three Religions. Speaking on the occasion of the Ceremony of Remembrance, organized as every year by the Foundation to celebrate the International Holocaust Day, Azoulay emphasized the importance of the Holocaust in the history of humanity. Azoulay highlighted the exceptional political, social and spiritual consensus embodied by this ceremony which brought together, in the same emotion and the same contemplation, the members of the Andalusian government, the President of the Andalusian Parliament, the leaders of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities and, for the first time, more than fifty students, sentinels, committed and attentive to ensure, over the generations, and without concession or compromise, the relay of the Memory of the Holocaust. Welcoming the presence and the testimony of one of the last survivors of the Holocaust, Mr. Robert Wolfberg, the Royal Advisor invited the audience to take the right measure of the words of King Mohammed VI in his historic message of March 18, 2009 to tell the Community of Nations that his reading of the Holocaust is not that of amnesia but that of a memorial wound that we have inscribed in one of the most painful chapters in the Pantheon of Universal Heritage. Pronounced in the land of Islam, these words of the Commander of the Faithful, of all the Believers, echo here and today in Seville to the Lights of Andalusia of all possibilities and they tell everyone the ethical, moral and political contours to which Morocco has chosen to identify its Word, emphasized Andre Azoulay. Antonio Sanz, Minister of the Presidency of the Andalusian Autonomous Government, recalled that the Holocaust was the result of thousands of years of hatred and discrimination against the Jews, what we call today anti-Semitism. History continues to move forward, but anti-Semitism keeps coming back. We must remain vigilant, Sanz said, adding that society urgently needs institutions like ours, the Three Cultures Foundation, to continue to work with determination in the areas of awareness and youth. We need to strengthen social cohesion so that people feel that diversity is an asset and not a threat, the Andalusian leader noted. A people that forgets its history is condemned to repeat it, so practicing memory is the best way to honor all those who died victims of Nazi cruelty during the Second World War, said, on this occasion, Jesus Aguirre, President of the Andalusian Parliament. We all have the duty to denounce any form of violence for reasons of belief, ethnicity, ideologies or sexual condition. Let us never forget, let us not turn our backs on those who have had the strength to survive such cruel moments in history as the one suffered by the Jewish people, added Aguirre. Today, we must work from education to prevent this situation from happening again in any corner of the world, Aguirre stated further. The Iranian regime, which has already established a foothold in Algeria & Polisario-controlled camps, is expanding its sway over the region after having spread death and mayhem throughout the Middle East and the world. Now, the Iranians seek to subjugate Mauritania in a bid to encircle Morocco, U.S. major ally and partner in the region. The Algerian Generals, de facto rulers, have made a pact with the Devil to counter Rabats growing economic and military power, letting a state sponsor of terrorism to deploy its nets in the region, threatening its stability. Few days ago, Iranian Foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdellahian visited Nouakchott with a high-ranking delegation to bolster relations with Mauritania in all fields. But the hidden agenda of the mullah regime is taking control over this Maghreban country and over the Sahel region, home to notorious extremists and terrorist organizations. The visit comes two weeks after Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi sent a written message to his Mauritanian peer Mohammed Ould Ghazouani inviting him to visit Tehran. Amir-Abdellahians visit to Mauritania coincides with similar trips made by Iranian diplomats to member countries of the G5 (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, Niger and Mali). The Tehran-Algiers axis seeks to gain foothold in the instable and conflict-ridden Sahel region amid a decline of the French influence. Many Sahel countries are turning to Russia and Wagner group to combat terrorism. However, some experts say that stabilizing Sahel countries has never been the Wagner Groups objective. Instead, the mercenaries seek access to valuable commodities, including gold, diamonds, uranium, and other precious resources. According to the 2022 Global Terrorism Index, 48 percent of all terrorism deaths worldwide occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, with three of the top 10 countries with the largest increases in terrorism-related deaths located in the Sahel: Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The region also remains awash in weapons, with the proliferation of the smuggling and trafficking of small arms and light weapons further destabilizing the Sahel. The Iranian regime wants a slice of the African pie. It uses its nuclear program to extort the international community and threaten regional and international security. In Algiers, the military junta sets an alliance with the Iranians in their military showdown with neighboring Morocco amidst press reports that the Algeria is preparing for a military confrontation with Rabat. Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune chaired lately the High Security Council meeting which comes few days after the visit paid to Paris by army chief Said Chengriha to purchase weapons from France to diversify its military arsenal. Washington had called on the Algerian regime to avoid funding war in Ukraine through the purchase of Russian weapons, threatening to impose sanctions as demanded by a group of U.S. Democrat and Republican Congressmen. There is no sugarcoating it, Algerias growing relationship with Russia poses a threat to every nation across the globe said Rep. Lisa McClain. Just last year, Algeria finalized an arms deal of over $7 billion with Russia, which included an advanced Russian fighter aircraft that have never been sold before, added McClain in a letter signed by 27 lawmakers. The United States needs to send a clear message to the world that the support for Vladimir Putin, and his regimes barbaric war efforts will not be tolerated, said the U.S. congressmen. Algerias connections with Moscow and particularly the schemes it hatched with Teheran to destabilize the region has prompted Washington to warn the Algerian regime against any aggression against its regional allies. Three North Platte organizations lead west central Nebraska tourism groups or attractions receiving a combined $110,172 in new grants from Nebraska Tourism, the state governments tourism promotion agency. The Golden Spike Tower & Visitor Centers $45,782 award not only led the region but was also the second-largest grant among $769,334 awarded to 66 organizations statewide. The award will be used as part of the towers promotion of North Platte Rail Days in August as well as general marketing, Nebraska Tourism Commission Executive Director John Ricks said in a Wednesday press release. Visit North Platte, the formerly named North Platte/Lincoln County Visitors Bureau, received $14,840 to support its 2023 tourism marketing. The local agency is largely supported by the countys 4% lodging tax. The Prairie Arts Center in the downtown Canteen District also received $14,000 for promoting its 2023 offerings, Nebraska Tourism said. A total of 88 organizations requested $1.45 million from the states latest cycle of Community Impact and Tourism Marketing Grant awards, the state agency said. The grant programs are designed to encourage communities in all corners of the state to market their destination or event to potential visitors, Ricks said in the press release. Increasingly, people are considering Nebraska as a travel destination, so it is important to demonstrate everything our state has to offer. Other west central Nebraska tourism organizations receiving state grants this cycle are: Western Nebraska Tourism Coalition, $10,000 for marketing promotions. Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce, $9,000 for promotion of Lexingtons brand. Cherry County Tourism, Valentine, $9,000 for marketing promotions. Gothenburg Chamber of Commerce, $5,500 for marketing promotions. Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway, Mullen, $5,000 for marketing promotions. Custer County Agricultural Society, Broken Bow, $4,500 for promoting the rodeo during the county fair. Keith County Visitors Committee, Ogallala, $2,550 for marketing promotions. The month of February is American Heart Month, a time to shine a spotlight on heart disease, which is the No. 1 killer of Americans. East Alabama Medical Center cardiologist Dr. John Mitchell said that in the Deep South he sees a lot of patients with heart disease or the risk factors that lead to it, such as high blood pressure. Mitchell has been a cardiologist at EAMC in Opelika for 38 years and helped start the heart program there back in 1985. About two years ago, he also helped establish the Heart Centers mobile clinic RV. This whole idea of the RV started a few years back as a way that we could reach out to deliver heart care to surrounding areas, and in particular, areas where patients may have trouble getting here, Mitchell said. Throughout his years working as a physician, Mitchell said hes often heard stories about out-of-town patients struggling to make the trip to his office in the Auburn-Opelika area. With gas prices going so high and so many of our patients being on a fixed budget, that was an issue as well, so we were able to help with that, he said. Because of the higher gas prices, Mitchell said the RV has become very busy. Kelly Henderson, a nurse practitioner, travels on the RV to see patients along with a medical assistant and a driver. After working as a nurse for 25 years, Henderson decided to go back to school to become a nurse practitioner. She graduated from UAB and began working at The Heart Center in 2020. Kelly is so compassionate. Shes so good with just listening to patients needs and shes one of these people that goes above and beyond to try to meet their needs, Mitchell said. Henderson and her mobile clinic coworkers are able to perform tests including blood pressure checks; electrocardiogram, which measures the hearts rhythm and electrical activity; echocardiogram, a sound wave test of the heart; and carotid ultrasounds, an ultrasound of the arteries that delivers blood from the heart to the brain. They come to the mobile clinic just like they were coming to a doctors office. We just dont have a waiting room, Henderson said. Inside the Heart Centers RV, the drivers seat and passenger seat converts into a check in area. The middle portion of the RV is used as a space to ask the patient questions and check their blood pressure and pulse. The back of the RV, typically the bedroom, was converted to be a space to conduct exams. The mobile clinic travels to Dadeville on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month, Hurtsboro on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month, Smith Station on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, Roanoke every Thursday, Lafayette on the first Friday of the month and Tuskegee on the 4th Wednesday of the month. Henderson said the mobile clinics schedule only changes when there is strong wind or stormy weather. The RV stops in Dadeville at Jacks near Highway 280, in the downtown area of Hurtsboro, in Smith Station at City Hall, in Roanoke near Lowry Drugs on Highway 431, in Lafayette at Vester Health Center and in Tuskegee at Booker T. Washington High School. This traveling clinic takes walk-in visits if necessary, but most of the appointments are scheduled. It also allows patients who are discharged from the EAMC hospital to complete their follow up appointments on the RV in their hometown. To make an appointment or to find out more about the mobile clinic visit www.theheartcentercardiology.com or call The Heart Center at 334-321-3700. Mitchell said one of their goals is to focus on risk factor modification so people can avoid having heart problems. I felt like weve definitely hit a need, and I think weve saved some lives and helped a lot of people doing this, Mitchell said. With gas prices rising, us coming to them and bringing the care to them has really made a difference, Henderson added. I think us bringing their care closer to them has increased the compliance of them actually coming to appointments. Mitchell said its important to listen to your body and your symptoms and to get your blood pressure checked. Even though men may have classic chest pain warning signs of a heart attack, frequently in women they do not have typical symptoms, he said. Their only symptom may be just overwhelming fatigue. He also said there is no age barrier for heart disease. Recently, hes had a 38-year-old patient with a severe blockage in his artery and a 29-year-old who had a heart attack. Aerial photo taken on Aug. 24, 2022 shows a section of the Yangtze River in Ruichang of Jiujiang City, east China's Jiangxi Province. [Photo/Xinhua] A 10-year fishing ban in the key waters of China's Yangtze River basin has achieved solid progress in ecological conservation, with aquatic bioresources gradually recovering, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Thursday. The Yangtze finless porpoises, an endangered species known as the "giant panda of the water," has been more frequently spotted in the Poyang Lake, the Dongting Lake, and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, according to the ministry. In the Jianli section of the Yangtze River, the number of fish roe produced by the four major Chinese carps, namely black carp, grass carp, silver carp and bighead carp, during the breeding season surged from less than 100 million to 7.87 billion, said the ministry. In 2022, a total of 18,525 cases of illegal fishing along the Yangtze River were investigated by local agricultural departments, and 3,462 suspects were transferred to the judiciary, Tang Renjian, minister of agriculture and rural affairs, told a press conference. Next, local authorities will continue to implement policies to provide resettlement opportunities and other supports for people previously engaged in the fishing business. They will also strengthen the targeted monitoring of those at risk of falling back into poverty, and provide them with timely assistance, Tang said. Efforts will also be made to develop aquaculture, tourism and other industries along the Yangtze River, utilizing policy support and technical training if conditions permit, according to the minister. To restore the biodiversity along the river, China implemented a full fishing ban in 332 conservation areas of the Yangtze River basin in January 2020. The move has since been expanded to a 10-year moratorium along the river's main streams and major tributaries, effective Jan. 1, 2021. Auburn Universitys Board of Trustees announced today that the formal installation of Auburns 21st president, Christopher B. Roberts, will take place at 3 p.m. CST on April 13, 2023. Roberts, the former dean of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, began serving in the role of president on May 16, 2022, following the unanimous approval of the Board of Trustees and the retirement of his predecessor, Jay Gogue. The installation ceremony is a time-honored academic tradition in which Roberts will be ceremoniously recognized with the powers and responsibilities of office that were bestowed upon him as Auburn Universitys 21st president by the Board of Trustees. Roberts will share his vision and aspirations for the university while also recognizing its great past and present accomplishments. The installation will be held at the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center, where seating will be open to the campus and surrounding community on a first-come, first-served basis. All attendees must register in advance. Registration opens on March 13. Tickets (required for entry) will be emailed the week of April 3. The Auburn Family is also invited to watch the proceeding virtually via a live broadcast that will be made available that day at aub.ie/Roberts21. As more details become available involving the installation and other related events, they will be shared on the installation website. The installation of President Roberts reaffirms the great work he has already forged at Auburn and sets the path ahead for his strong and thoughtful leadership that will continue to enhance Auburns visibility and impact for the 21st century, said Board of Trustees President Pro Tempore Bob Dumas. Roberts earned a bachelors degree in chemical engineering from the University of Missouri in 1990 and masters and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1992 and 1994, respectively. He began his career at Auburn in 1994 as an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and became department chair in 2003. He was named dean of engineering in July 2012. Roberts and his wife, Tracy, have two children, both having graduated from Auburn High School and attended Auburn University. As president, Roberts has vowed his commitment to instilling a campus climate in which all are welcomed, valued, respected and engaged. He also is focused on advancing a transformative student-centered experience that is the best in the nation. Similarly, Roberts is devoted to supporting a highly talented, innovative and motivated faculty and staff. To learn more about Roberts and to connect with him, visit Auburns Office of the President website Deadline hears that Zazie Beetz & Tom Hardy are set to star in the Apple TV+ drama series Lazarus, a project which is still nearing development and closing deals. The project is a co-production between A+E Studios & Range Studios and being sold to Apple https://t.co/hx0ZBqP9lA Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) February 2, 2023 Tom Hardy and Zazie Beetz are set to star in upcoming TV series Lazarus, developed by A+E studios and Range Studios, being sold to Apple TV. The series is based on the Joona Linna book series by Lars Kepler (pen name for Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril), which has sold more than 17 million copies worldwide. Zazie, Tom, and the authors are also among the producers of the series.Synopsis from the article:In the series, an emaciated young man is found wandering along a train track. Thirteen years earlier, he and his sister went missing, presumed victims of the notorious serial killer Jurek Walter. To find the sister, police detective Saga Bauer must go undercover in the maximum-security psychiatric hospital where Jurek Walter has been kept since his arrest years ago. Hardy will play Jurek Walter and Beetz will portray Inspector Saga Bauer, apparently akin to Hannibal Lector-Clarice Starling type roles. The supposed wedding drama that brewed ahead of the nuptials of Victoria Beckham and David Beckhams endearing failed artist son Brooklyn Beckham and his blandly beautiful now-wife Nicola Peltz is escalating. https://t.co/fHkpCDl7z8 The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) January 31, 2023 In addition to her wedding dress spat with mother-in-law Victoria Beckham, there was all sorts of trouble brewing behind the scenes of Nicola Peltz's Palm Beach wedding to Brooklyn Beckham.Nicola, the 28-year-old daughter of billionaire investor Nelson Peltz, went through three different sets of wedding planners, two of whom failed to meet the 'scale' of her plans. - New details emerged yesterday - along with texts written by Nicola to one of the planners - in a lawsuit filed by her father, a businessman who is vying for a seat on the board of Disney.- Nelson Peltz is suing Nicole Braghin, the tearful party planner, and her partner, Arianna Grijalba, claiming they are refusing to refund him the $159,000 deposit he gave them.- Peltz and his wife Claudia made contact with Braghin and Grijalba through their firm, Plan Design Events, in March 2022, after getting rid of their first planner, celebrity-adored Preston Bailey.- It's unclear why exactly Bailey wasn't fit for the job. He previously planned Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's wedding. He did not respond to a request for comment.- In his legal filing, Peltz, 80, says Bailey encountered 'challenges' while planning the enormous event, which took place at the family estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on April 9 and reportedly cost around $3.5million.- The Peltz family had grand plans for the three-day extravaganza for their daughter, who they describe as a 'world-famous actress'."Nicola is a world-famous actress who has starred in blockbuster movies and television shows, including, among others, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Bates Motel and The Last Airbender.""The guest list included more than five hundred people, including numerous celebrities, athletes, dignitaries and other influential individuals, who travelled from all around the globe to attend," the lawsuit reads.- On March 1, 2022 - six weeks before the wedding - the Peltz family had hoped Braghin and Grijalba would be able to pick up where Bailey left off.- But nine days later, after the Peltz paid a $159,000 deposit, they decided not to move forward with the pair, who they said couldn't handle the VIP guestlist."The celebrity of the wedding couple combined with the anticipated attendance of many high-profile guests required that the wedding planner have the expertise and staffing to plan, coordinate and execute a wedding event of the expected caliber and complexity," Nelson's lawyers say in the lawsuit.The Peltz family say the pair of wedding planners oversold their abilities, promising them they could handle the event - which was the 'opportunity of a lifetime':"Peltz had presented them with the opportunity of a lifetime to have their names associated with the wedding of two world-famous celebrities, which would undoubtedly propel PDE into wedding planning stardom.""In reality, however, it later became clear that PDE viewed this is as an opportunity to take advantage of Peltz by making material misrepresentations on both their website and in person regarding their experience, expertise, and capability of planning the wedding," his attorneys wrote.- On March 4 - what Peltz's attorneys describe as the 'day of reckoning', he called the pair to let them know they'd lost the gig.- The issue now at hand is the deposit, which Peltz sued for in Miami this week.- In the process of trying to get his money back, he has revealed some of the intimate details of the star-studded event. He included screenshots of a group text between him, the planners and Nicola.In an exchange about F1 star Lewis Hamilton, who the couple had invited to the bash, Nicola wrote: 'Lewis Hamilton did NOT RSVP. So explain why his names on the list please.'We spoke to him. He can't come so explain why you said he rsvpd yes,' she demanded in one text.The wedding planner tried to explain that she wasn't familiar with the virtual guest list and needed more time to get to grips with the technology.'I need time to do this. I'm going to take a moment to learn the app and send you the information, | hate looking like a fool but | hate the most not giving you what you need ASAP. I will be back soon,' she said.In his lawsuit, Peltz also makes the suggestion that the wedding planners were abusing alcohol. "References to alcohol use and possible abuse were not unusual," his attorneys wrote in their lawsuit.(lol WHY)According to the lawsuit, during their nine days of planning the event, PDE failed to book a single new wedding vendor, failed to finalize the terms of any agreements with any of the vendors that had previously been selected by Peltz and his family and failed to attend previously scheduled meetings with Peltz."Admitting that they lacked the skills to perform as promised, PDE recommended hiring an additional wedding planner."- Two days later, they begged Nelson and his wife Claudia not to spread negative gossip about them, writing in an email: 'In order to avoid negative gossip, we would appreciate that in the case you are asked to comment on our departure, that your answer reflects the work and good attitude we put into the process, and no professional reason for our detachment.- The family ended up hiring Michelle Rago of Michelle Rago Destinations, but because of the tight time frame, Peltz claims he had to pay Rago a 'substantially higher fee than what the Rago Destinations would have charged under normal circumstances'.- He says he asked for his deposit back from Planned Design Events multiple times in the following weeks, but that they refused to return it. Peltz is also suing the pair for legal fees. Dollar Tree Racks Up More Citations After Inspection at Ohio Store The discount retailer is now facing proposed penalties of $294K. Discount retailer Dollar Tree is once again facing citations from OSHA. The agency inspected a Dollar Tree store in Columbus, Ohio, in August 2022 after receiving a complaint of unsafe work conditions, according to the news release. The inspection resulted in citations for the following: Allowing wheeled carts, large boxes and merchandise to block storeroom walkways and work areas, creating trip, fall and fire hazards. Electrical panels obstructed by stacked merchandise, creating electrical and fire hazards. Unsecured and unstable freight stacked over 6 feet high, putting workers at risk of being struck by falling boxes. In total, OSHA issued citations for three repeat violations and proposed penalties for the discount retailer of $294,657.00. Many similar violations have been identified at Dollar Tree stores across the country. Repeatedly our inspectors find similar hazards at Dollar Tree stores exposing workers to risk of injury from stacked merchandise and blocked aisles and exit ways, said Occupational Safety and Health Area Director Larry Johnson, in Columbus, Ohio in the news release. They need to stop putting safety on the back shelf, before any of its workers is seriously hurt or unable to safely exit in an emergency. Photo credit: Ben Harding / Shutterstock.com Another area of focus this week for industry watchers should be Libya, where many may be wondering why an $8-billion deal between the Libyan National Oil Company (NOC) and Italian giant Eni, which went down with great fanfare, is now said to be illegal. This is where the Much attention is now duly focused on the Middle East (again), with what is widely believed to be an Israeli attack on an Iranian armaments facilitythe level of destruction of which remains disputed. With Netanyahu back on the throne in Tel Aviv, we expect more hard-handed Israeli meddling, which in turn could back Iran into a corner. The concern is twofold: Combined with a resurgence of war-like activities between Israel and the Palestinian Territories, concentrated Israeli attacks on Iranian targets could lead to a wider war in the Middle East. There are on-and-off concerns of the potential for an Iranian attack on Saudi or UAE oil facilities, though we note that Saudi-Iranian talks appear to have been resumed in Baghdad, where the goal is to work towards reconciliation, which is not likely to happen if Tehran thinks Riyadh is entertaining any sort of normalization of relations with Israel (as the UAE has done). Normalization with Israel is far less likely with Netanyahu back in play. Wild predictions wont work here, as the situation is far too dynamic and there are too many variables, especially when you combine the restive situation on the ground in Iran right now. Much attention is now duly focused on the Middle East (again), with what is widely believed to be an Israeli attack on an Iranian armaments facilitythe level of destruction of which remains disputed. With Netanyahu back on the throne in Tel Aviv, we expect more hard-handed Israeli meddling, which in turn could back Iran into a corner. The concern is twofold: Combined with a resurgence of war-like activities between Israel and the Palestinian Territories, concentrated Israeli attacks on Iranian targets could lead to a wider war in the Middle East. There are on-and-off concerns of the potential for an Iranian attack on Saudi or UAE oil facilities, though we note that Saudi-Iranian talks appear to have been resumed in Baghdad, where the goal is to work towards reconciliation, which is not likely to happen if Tehran thinks Riyadh is entertaining any sort of normalization of relations with Israel (as the UAE has done). Normalization with Israel is far less likely with Netanyahu back in play. Wild predictions wont work here, as the situation is far too dynamic and there are too many variables, especially when you combine the restive situation on the ground in Iran right now. Another area of focus this week for industry watchers should be Libya, where many may be wondering why an $8-billion deal between the Libyan National Oil Company (NOC) and Italian giant Eni, which went down with great fanfare, is now said to be illegal. This is where the shifting game of alliances comes into play in Libya. Rival governments are only one aspect. This requires going back to last September, when interim prime minister Debeibah, nominally the head of the Government of National Unity (GNU) moved to restructure the Supreme Council for Energy, which is a body that includes four ministers (oil, planning, finance, economy), the NOC chairs and the Central Bank head. That move led to the ouster of long-time NOC head Sanalla, who was replaced with Bengdara. This is where a back-door deal that everyone thought would be impossible happened between General Haftar of the east (or his son) and his rival, Dbeibah. The deal was this (and it all sidelined rival PM from the east, Bashaghaa Haftar ally): Dbeibah won more control over the NOC and the Oil Ministry and Haftar won an ally in the NOC. The $8-billion deal with Eni is now in question as the Oil Minister attempts to challenge Dbeibah and the NOC, who together essentially sealed and then tweaked this deal without consent. Aouns issue with the deal is that the NOC went ahead and increased Enis share percentage in the partnership without approval from the Oil Ministry and also bypassing the Council of Ministers. The deal, signed on Saturday, amended the original 2008 deal (for Eni to develop two gas blocks offshore Tripoli), giving Eni a 37% stake compared to its original 30% stake, according to the Libyan Oil Ministry. In the meantime, we do not see Haftar making another attempt to place a blockade on the countrys oil, even if his deal with Dbeibah failed to help him to the extent he thought it would. Here, there have also been important shifts in alliancesand financing. While Egypt is still a strong ally, the UAE is becoming increasingly friendly toward Dbeibahespecially since Haftar cut a deal with the rival prime minister over the NOC. But that also leaves Haftar with less external funding for any move he makes, and he cant afford to impose a blockade without more financing to make up for the revenue losses. There are also rumors that Haftars two sonsSaddam and Belqasimare gradually assuming more control from their father, with Libyan and Russian media reports in January even suggesting that Haftar would hand power over the military to one of them. The interests of the three do not necessarily follow the same path, and this means that we can expect many more variables to creep up in the coming months that will dictate the dynamics of the power struggle. Turkey continues to up the ante in its negotiations with the U.S. over F-16 fighter jets, which Washington has so far refused to supply due to Turkeys refusal to approve Swedens NATO membership Another item of interest to keep an eye on in the coming months in relation to Russias war on Ukraine is the status of the head of the Wagner GroupRussias private mercenaries who have been playing a leading role on the Ukraine battlefield. There are some indications that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prighozin has overstepped and moves may be underway to sideline him to some extent. Prigozhin has been taking credit for Russias minor victories on the battlefield, suggesting that his mercenaries are better organized and more adept than the Russian military, putting Prigozhin in direct competition with the Ministry of Defense. The above-mentioned attack on Irans Isfahan ministry of defense facility earlier this week was conducted using drone parts that Tehran claims were smuggled into Iran via the Kurdistan Region of Iraq by a Kurdish dissident group on behalf of a foreign intelligence agency. This will give Iran another (easier) target for revenge, Iraqi Kurdistan, which it has already been targeting for its alleged role in spurring protests in Iran. A day later, Tehran officially identified the foreign agent as Israel, vowing revenge whenever and wherever. Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict The above-mentioned attack on Irans Isfahan ministry of defense facility earlier this week was conducted using drone parts that Tehran claims were smuggled into Iran via the Kurdistan Region of Iraq by a Kurdish dissident group on behalf of a foreign intelligence agency. This will give Iran another (easier) target for revenge, Iraqi Kurdistan, which it has already been targeting for its alleged role in spurring protests in Iran. A day later, Tehran officially identified the foreign agent as Israel, vowing revenge whenever and wherever. Another item of interest to keep an eye on in the coming months in relation to Russias war on Ukraine is the status of the head of the Wagner GroupRussias private mercenaries who have been playing a leading role on the Ukraine battlefield. There are some indications that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prighozin has overstepped and moves may be underway to sideline him to some extent. Prigozhin has been taking credit for Russias minor victories on the battlefield, suggesting that his mercenaries are better organized and more adept than the Russian military, putting Prigozhin in direct competition with the Ministry of Defense. Turkey continues to up the ante in its negotiations with the U.S. over F-16 fighter jets, which Washington has so far refused to supply due to Turkeys refusal to approve Swedens NATO membership bid. Turkey is now warning the U.S. that if Washington failed to agree to the F-16 deal, there would be a price to pay, which could include Russian alternatives. The F-16 deal is off the table for Washington because of Turkeys controversial purchase of a Russian air defense system. Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions Sources are saying that ADNOC thinks the gas business it will list this quarter could be valued at at least $50 billion which will surely attract a lot of attention after announcing its intention to list in November. ADNOC is banking on Europes continued appetite for gas as it moves away from Russian dependence. The idea is for ADNOC to combine its LNG subsidiary with its gas processing arm into a single entity. Deliberations over its valuation are still ongoing, and the size of the offering has yet to be determined. The IPO could be listed as soon as February. Ontario Power Generation (OPG), GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, SNC-Lavalin, and Aecon have signed an agreement for a small modular reactor at OPGs Darlington siteit would be North Americas first commercial contract for a grid-scale SMR. The same SMR is being reviewed by the Tennessee Valley Authority and is in collaboration with OPG to move the technology for SMR forward. Mexico's Pemex has completed its $2B bond that will be used in large part to refinance some of its considerable debtnamely bonds that are set to mature this year. The coupon rate has not been disclosed, but Pemex said it was five times oversubscribed. Some sources suggest that it is a bond with a 10-year maturity. Pemex is estimated to hold around $100 billion in debt, in addition to posting losses of around $2.5B in Q3 2022. Discovery & Development The EU's thirst for gas is triggering investments in gas. BP has commenced drilling 2 exploration wells in the Caspian Sea in its search for gas while much of the world hope to shun Russian gas. Azerbaijan is for now continuing to import gas from both Iran and Russia to meet its own needs and to fulfill its export obligations. Its ambitions go beyond that, with hopes to take advantage of Europes gas needs by doubling its gas exports to Europe within five years. The first well is below the existing Shah Deniz gas field and is expected to take a year to complete, and the second is below the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli oil field and is expected to be completed in just three months. Indonesia said it would auction off ten oil and gas working areas this year, including in the South China Sea, as it tries to increase crude oil production to 1 million bpd and gas production by 12,000 million standard cubic feet per day by the end of this decade. Indonesia has seen delays in some of its energy production plans, such as the Masela mega project and the Indonesia Deepwater Development. Energy Earnings Shell delivered blowout earnings for Q4 2022, posting nearly $10 billion in profits, bringing total 2022 profit to $42.3 billion. Of particular note, ??Notably, Shell delivered 194 LNG cargoes to the EU and UK (5x more than usual). ConocoPhillips reported fourth-quarter 2022 earnings of $3.2 billion, or $2.61 per share, compared with fourth-quarter 2021 earnings of $2.6 billion, or $1.98 per share. Conoco missed earnings estimates by a penny. Equinor will report earnings on Feb 8, coming after the Norwegian government announced that the countrys wartime oil profits will be used to finance military and civilian aid to Ukraine. Oil prices are under pressure from a slew of bearish news coming out of the United States this week, but the looming EU embargo on Russian oil products could still change that. Oilprice Alert: Whether you are new to the oil and gas industry or an energy market veteran, you will regret not signing up for Global Energy Alert. Oilprice.com's premium newsletter provides everything from geopolitical analysis to trading analysis, and all for less than a cup of coffee per week. Friday, February 3rd, 2023 Whilst this week may not have been as volatile as much of 2022, oil prices did have a relatively abrupt change of direction as several events added downward pressure to oil markets. Repeated crude stock builds amidst Gulf Coast refinery woes, the slowing down of industrial activity, and the appreciation of the US dollar combined forces to bring WTI back below $76 per barrel. Some upward correction might come from the G7 product price cap, but at the time of writing there is still no clear indication of whether the Price Cap coalition would manage to iron out their differences on Friday, the last working day before the February 5 deadline. OPEC+ Sticks to its Plan. The Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee of OPEC+, meeting for less than 30 minutes on Wednesday, endorsed the current production policy of the oil group and kept output targets unchanged as hopes for higher Chinese demand raised the specter of increases. EU Product Price Cap Still Missing. Despite Brussels proposing a draft version of the product price cap which applies a limit of $100 per barrel on high-value products of Russian origin (diesel, jet, gasoline) and a $45 per barrel cap on low-value products (fuel oil, naphtha), the EU is still yet to agree on the price cap. Ballooning Pipe Costs Sink TC Energy. Canadas first gas pipeline towards the Pacific Coast, TC Energys (TSE:TRP) Coastal GasLink, saw another upward price re-evaluation amidst rising labor costs and contractor disputes, now assumed to cost $11 billion, up $2.2 billion from previous assessments. US NatGas Prices Sink on Warm Weather. Impacted by a much smaller than usual inventory draw (151 bcf) and forecasts of warm weather staying through the US through mid-February, Henry Hub futures have plunged to their lowest since April 2021, settling at $2.45 per mmBtu on Thursday. Activists Attacks Shell for Greenwashing. Activist group Global Witness filed a complaint with U.S. securities regulator SEC against energy major Shell (LON:SHEL), arguing that it has grossly misstated its commitments to renewable energy as its alleged 2021 investments were only a tenth of the reported $2.4 billion. White House OKs Smaller Alaska Oil Deal. The Biden administration announced this week that it would support a scaled-back version of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:CON) $6 billion Willow gas and oil project, in the westernmost part of Alaskas North Slope, although it is yet to make a final decision on the issue. Industry Warns Against Negative Wind Bidding. The CEO of Danish wind giant Orsted warned that Germanys ongoing wind tender will promote a race to the bottom for developers, and the most willing to pay would most probably be the least experienced or financially disciplined bidder. Rifts Appear Between Iraq and TotalEnergies. Two years after French oil major TotalEnergies (NYSE:TTE) and the government of Iraq signed a $27 billion megadeal, the two sides widely differing views on the project have become public as Baghdad insists on its taking a 40% share in it. India to Investigate Adani Share Collapse. Indian authorities have started an investigation into the downfall of Gautam Adanis Adani Enterprises (NSE:ADANIENT) after a report from Hindenburg Research, a U.S. short-seller firm, triggered a 60% stock market value loss in the past two weeks. ADVERTISEMENT Study Predicts Further EV Price Cuts. US investment bank Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) predicted Teslas 13% to 20% price cuts will be replicated by other producers of electric vehicles and that cost advantages coming from Gigafactories will maintain the downward pressure on prices amidst slower economic growth. New Mexico Drilling Jeopardized by Courts. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals decided that New Mexico regulators have failed to carry out a comprehensive environmental review on 199 approved permits in the states San Juan basin, citing an inadequate analysis of peoples exposure to greenhouse gas emissions. Australias Hunt for Missing Radioactive Capsule. For several days Australia was in the thrall of a nationwide search for a lost capsule of radioactive Caesium-137, part of a gauge used at Rio Tintos (NYSE:RIO) Gudai-Darri iron ore mine, which was ultimately found by the wayside some 100 miles away. Norwegian Oil Firms Quit Ammonia Project. Norways two leading oil producers Equinor (NYSE:EQNR) and Var Energi (LSE:0AAY) have left the pioneering Barents Blue project that was set to produce ammonia from natural gas, capture the CO2 and store it under the seabed, dealing a heavy blow to it. Freight Costs Ease Amid Tanker Oversupply. Simultaneously to US crude stocks weighing on WTI prices, freight rates for VLCCs loading in the US Gulf Coast have fallen to their lowest in five months, meaning the costs of supplying a super-large tanker into China dropped to $3.6 per barrel, half of what they were in November. By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Last year, the U.S. energy sector emerged as the class valedictorian after it finished strongly in the green, the only of the countrys 11 market sectors to pull off the feat. Indeed, the sectors popular benchmark, the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEARCA: XLE) finished the year with a 53% gain, with most Big Oil stocks putting up impressive returns. For instance, Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) rocketed 73.6%; Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) returned 50.5% while ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) was up 68.8%. But Big Oils neighbor to the north was not a slouch either, with Canadas energy sector also shining: the countrys energy benchmark, Horizons S&P/TSX Capped Energy ETF (HXE.TO), finished with a 51% gain, marking the second straight year it returned more than 50%. Among the top-performers were Tourmaline Oil (TSX:TOU) +63%, Element Fleet Management (TSX:EFN) +58% and Cenovus (TSX:CVE) +56%. All three stocks benefited from robust earnings growth as well as vastly improved balance sheets. Source: Y-Charts Over the past few years, a vicious one-two-three punch that started with a gloomy long-term future outlook due to rampant fossil fuel divestments, climate change policies and decarbonization as well as shorter-term, but severe shocks from the COVID-19 crisis, threw Canadas most important exports industry into an existential crisis. Meanwhile, the drumbeat of exits by foreign oil firms bailing on the unprofitable tar sands added an extra layer of gloom for an industry thats responsible for a fifth of Canadas exports. But the ongoing energy boom has proven to be a rare boon for Canadas long-suffering sector, with plenty of bargains to be found amongst the TSX Energy sector. Related: LNG Prices May Have Plunged, But A Rebound Is On The Horizon And, just like its American peer, TSX Energy has kicked off the new year on a positive note, and could be headed for another bumper year. Here are a few reasons why we believe this could be the case. Production Discipline After years in the doghouse, Canadas famous Oil Patch is enjoying a rare oil boom with oil and gas revenues expected to reach record levels. Typically, during past oil booms after a downturn, Canadas OilPatch went through a predictable pattern of new startups setting up shop; soaring land prices and companies cranking up production. But things are playing out differently during the current boom cycle. A recent report by BMO Capital Markets says the North American oil and gas sector is enjoying its strongest financial position in years but the excess cash will largely be distributed to shareholders instead of going to drilling new wells. "I've never seen this kind of response to demand increases before--ever," Tamarack Valley Energy (OTCPK: TNEYF) CEO Brian Schmidt has marveled. Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE: CNQ), Suncor Energy (NYSE: SU), Cenovus Energy and Imperial Oil (NYSE: IMO) have all raised their capital spending and oil production expectations. However, a big difference this time around compared to past years is that the companies are opting to spend on dividends, share buybacks, and squeezing more barrels out of existing assets, instead of taking on new, large expansion projects. BMO has tapped Bonterra Energy Corp. (OTCPK: BNEFF) and Canadian Natural Resources as good buys. In addition to these, we recommend Arc Resources (OTCPK: AETUF), Enbridge Inc. (NYSE: ENB) and Cenovus Energy. That said, Canadas Oil Patch is poised to grow production again in 2023 despite producers planning to stay the course with modest spending, I think it will nudge a little higher because of projects already in place. But I dont think youre going to see the 'drill, baby, drill' mentality of decades ago, Philip Petursson, chief investment strategist at IG Wealth Management, has told Bloomberg. Further, completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is expected to offer additional transportation capacity for oil companies thus increasing the potential for export growth. Mike Belenkie, CEO of Advantage Energy Ltd. (OTCPK: AAVVF) has told Bloomberg that said his company plans to grow at a rate of 10 to 12 per cent annual clip over the next couple of years, "Over the last decade, most of the companies that were weak have died off and fallen away. And the companies that are left behind are fairly strong and have the ability to weather a lot of volatility," Belenkie has said. Rewarding Shareholders After a bumper year of share buybacks and dividends, BMO Capital Markets analysts have predicted that debt-light Canadian oil and gas producers are poised to reward shareholders even more in 2023 thanks to their ability to generate ample cash, less debt obligations coupled with their diminished appetite for acquisitions. ADVERTISEMENT BMO estimates that the top 35 energy companies will generate C$54 billion ($39.7 billion) in free cash flow in 2023, 16% lower than the previous year. However, analysts say that the portion of the cash that flows to shareholders is likely to be higher this year because companies will spend less on debt repayments. According to the analysts, most large- and mid-size producers expect to be net-debt-free in the second half of 2023. Net debt represents a company's gross debt minus cash and cash-like assets. Overall, the Canadian Oil Patch is in a good place right now, and barring major black swan events should continue being an attractive sector for long-term investors. By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The row has led to a stalemate between the two nations, and though Swedens ascension into NATO may come eventually, the short-term possibility is unlikely. The Turkish government insists that Sweden significantly change its permissive approach to the Partiya Karkaren Kurdistan (PKK, or Kurdish Workers Party) and other anti-Turkey groups as a condition for Ankaras approval of Stockholms application for NATO membership. Western commentators have attributed the position of the Turkish government to upcoming Turkish elections, opposition to free speech, and/or visceral reaction to political provocateurs (Associated Press, January 19; Bloomberg, January 26; jonathanturley.org, January 24). However, the demands laid out by Ankara in the June 2022 Trilateral Memorandum stem from longstanding Turkish concerns over PKK support activities in Sweden and decades of Sweden formally proscribing, but still practically tolerating, the group (tccb.gov.tr, June 28, 2022). Most Western analysts have begun covering this story recently, but a look at the backstory is necessary when considering Turkish objections to the PKKs presence in Sweden and its implications for NATO enlargement. Bare Knuckle Beginnings The PKK did not initially find a warm welcome in Sweden. In 1985, following a series of targeted killings of PKK defectors, Prime Minister Olof Palmes government designated the group as a violent terrorist organization. Sweden thus became the first European state to do so. After Palmes 1986 assassination, a theory emerged that Iran and the PKK had collaborated in his killing. Swedish authorities could not prove this, but the PKK remained one of several plausible suspects (Jacobin.com, May 18, 2020). In 1998, former PKK field commander Semdin Sakik nevertheless claimed the PKK was behind Palmes killing and PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan thought it possible that a splinter group may have carried out the killing (irishtimes.com, June 2, 1999; irishtimes.com, April 29, 1998). Following Palmes assassination, the Swedish approach to PKK activists and supporters shifted to laissez-faire. Tens of thousands of Kurds availed themselves of Swedens liberal asylum and extradition laws to build communities and influence there during the 1980s and 1990s, including PKK members. Over the following two decades, the PKK and its supporters developed significant lobbying, fund-raising, and propaganda capabilities in Sweden, Germany, and elsewhere (insidearabia.com, May 23, 2022; Spiegel.de, October 30, 2007). Sweden and several other European countries became a sort of rear base for the PKK, which made common cause with far-left politicians and developed a structure of cadres and support cells (fpri.org, February 1, 1999). In Sweden, the success of this political and ideological entrenchment has been evident in the past two years. Ethnically Kurdish member of parliament, Amine Kakabaveh, provided the swing vote in 2021 to seat the government of Magdalena Andersson in exchange for sharply increased Swedish aid to the Autonomous Administration of Northeast Syria (AANES), which is dominated by PKK-aligned groups (al-Arabiya.net, June 14, 2022). Public marches, demonstrations, and fundraising for the PKK have all continued, despite the groups terrorist designation (Economist, June 28, 2022). Open public celebrations of the PKKs founding (not the PKK-affiliated group, but the PKK itself) occur without hindrance (ANF, November 29, 2021). The PKK-linked Rojava Committee of Sweden also hung an effigy of Turkish Recep Tayyip Erdo?an in early January, which escalated tensions between Stockholm and Ankara (politico.eu, January 28). European Safe Haven PKK activities in Sweden are one example of the broader European problem. It involves the tension between the PKKs status as a designated terrorist organization on one hand and the disinclination of governments to devote resources to combat its financing, political organizing, recruiting, and propaganda on the other hand. The dilemma stems from the deliberate double-pronged strategy of the PKK to conduct non-violent activities in Europe that will fund and enable its armed and overt political activities in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq (spiegel.de, November 7, 2008). It also stems from the desire not to trigger retaliation by the PKK on European soil. The director of PKK European branches, Huseyin Yildirm, felt comfortable enough to threaten Sweden about lifting its terror designation in the 1990s (middleeasteye.net, May 29, 2022). Ocalan previously threatened to respond to a police crackdown on the PKK in Europe with a wave of suicide bombings (chicagotribune.com, March 31, 1996). The PKK has thus pursued a tacit bargain of avoiding violence in European cities in exchange for laissez-faire treatment of the group (Perspectives on Terrorism, August 2008). European countries for decades turned a blind eye to such PKK support activities (washingtoninstitute.org, December 2, 2005). However, tolerance of terror organizations or insurgencies created a de facto safe haven for the PKK, and history shows that this greatly increases risk for the targeted state (Turkey) (csis.org, September 11, 2018). Ankara can, therefore, reasonably be expected to use every tool at its disposal, including Swedens NATO accession, to end this safe haven. EU police report that PKK criminal activities continue, including money laundering, racketeering, extortion, and drug-trafficking. Arrests, trials, and convictions have occurred in several countries, but Sweden is not among them (EUROPOL, 2022). There has also been an increase in the travel of left-wing extremists and anarchists from Europe to PKK camps in Iraq and Syria, where they receive weapons training and, in some cases, join PKK operations against Turkish forces (kurdistan24.net, June 24, 2020). Support to Northeast Syria: Finance, Weapons, Legitimization What makes the Swedish case unique and pressing for Ankaras counter-PKK efforts is the rise of support for the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Sweden since 2020, which is the political arm of the Peoples Defense Units (YPG) militia and very much a part of the PKK network of affiliated organizations. Sweden was one of several other European countries to allow the PYD to open an office in Stockholm in 2016 (almonitor.com, April 22, 2016). After a Swedish delegation visited northeast Syria and met with PKK-appointed officials of the AANES in late 2020, the AANES deputy co-chair predicted that Swedish engagement would have historic results in producing support in Europe for Kurdish causes (npasyria.com, October 21, 2020). This clearly did not refer to Iraqi Kurdistan or non-PKK Kurds, however, who already had many open, positive, and sympathetic relationships with Europe. Rather, this was about a revolution in relations with the revolutionaries of the PKK movement. In 2021, the Swedish Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs held video teleconferences with senior leaders of the YPG, which is the military wing of the PKK in Syria, resulting in the Turkish Foreign Ministry to convoke the Swedish Ambassador (Associated Press, April 10, 2021). By 2022, the PYD-controlled Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) was able to organize a conference in Stockholm sponsored by the Swedish Foreign Ministry and, ironically, the Olof Palme Center (dailysabah.com, May 17, 2022). The Swedish government provided an estimated $376 million from 2016 to the present to AANES projects, and Swedish officials demanded a halt to Turkish military operations against the PKK in Syria (rudaw.net, November 12, 2021). Ankara has not recognized any significant distinction between tolerance of PKK and PYD activities in Sweden, promotion of the PYD-led administration in northeast Syria, or direct military assistance to the YPG and PKK fighters in Turkey because it sees them all as part of the same campaign of terror and insurgency. The Turks have asserted that Swedish-made AT-4 rockets were used in attacks both on Turkish soil and in Iraq (aa.com.tr, May 19, 2022). However, Swedish tolerance of PKK activities and support to PKK affiliates has clearly been primarily political rather than military, despite the AT-4 rocket issue. This begs the question of whether the far more massive military assistance provided to the YPG by the United States, which has fueled YPG ambitions to control large swathes of Syria and PKK ambitions to gain the upper hand against the Turks, might be the real target of Ankaras leverage tactics regarding Swedens NATO accession (washingtonpost.com, January 7, 2017). Conclusion Swedish toleration and empowerment of Ocalans PKK network is a proxy, in Turkish eyes, for broader European passivity about the PKK and American empowerment of the PKKs Syrian affiliates. Because Swedes, other Europeans, and Washington consider Swedish and Finnish NATO accession as a critical element of collective security against Russian aggression, Ankara sees this as a unique opportunity to force action on a critical element for Turkish security ending international support to the PKK. While only somewhat unfair to Sweden, this matter is about forcing the collective West to choose between the PKK and Turkey (foreignpolicy.com, January 25). ADVERTISEMENT Some Western commentators may still be confused by the canard that there is substantive difference between PYD, YPG, and PKK. However, few with first-hand knowledge of northern Syria debate the organic ties between them, and researchers have demonstrated that the PYD and YPG are not parallel or descended organizations of the PKK, but instrumentalities under central PKK control (clingendael.org, April 2021). The inseparability of the PYD and YPG franchises from PKK policy and personnel control is such that serious analysis of northern Syrias future requires discussion of ending the PKK campaign against Turkey, and not just of Turkish pressure against the YPG/PYD (ICG, May 2017). That leaves Sweden, like many Europeans (and perhaps some Americans), needing to square an awkward circle. The war against Islamic State (IS) in Syria has wound down since 2018 (Reuters, April 30, 2018). There is no political mandate from any source to continue PKK control over the areas formerly held by IS in Syria. Turkey, meanwhile, has demonstrated new power projection capabilities and strategic independence and has proven an effective counterbalance to Russia (washingtoninstitute.org, July 9, 2021; businessinsider.com, October 22, 2020). Europe is re-learning geopolitics. At a certain point, the value to Europe and the U.S. of Turkey as a counter-terror (and geopolitical) partner globally will necessitate de-leveraging from the Syrian component of the primary PKK and related anti-Turkish terror networks. This applies for Europeand probably the United States, in the long runbut most immediately, in the context of NATO accession, for Sweden (carnegieurope.eu, July 28, 2022). By Jamestown.org More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: An attack on Azerbaijans embassy in Iran is weighing on relations between the two nations. A gunman stormed the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran on January 27, killing one guard and wounding two others. Iran said the attack was motivated by personal reasons, but Baku described it as a terrorist attack. The incident led Azerbaijan to temporarily suspend its operations at its embassy in Tehran and evacuate its staff from the country. Iranian media said the attacker, who was arrested, was an Iranian man married to an Azerbaijani woman. The attacker was quoted as saying that his wife disappeared after entering the Azerbaijani Embassy. Why It Matters: The incident has further strained relations between the neighbors, who have a history of tensions. Azerbaijan has long been suspicious of Irans ties with Armenia, Bakus archenemy. Meanwhile, Tehran has increasingly expressed concern about Azerbaijans deepening relations with Israel, Tehrans regional foe. Earlier this month, Baku appointed its first-ever ambassador to Israel, which is a major arms supplier to Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has also long complained of Irans alleged mistreatment of its sizable ethnic Azeri minority. Tehran has accused Baku of fomenting separatist sentiment in the Islamic republic. Analyst Habib Hosseinifard told RFE/RLs Radio Farda that the embassy attack has led to an overflow of tensions. Iran claims some of Israels actions against the country are organized from inside Azerbaijan. In addition, Iran also accuses Azerbaijan of inciting the countrys Azeri minority, while Baku accuses Tehran of strengthening extremist Shiite groups inside Azerbaijan. All of these have increased tensions, particularly in the past two years, he said. What's Next: Since the embassy attack, Iran has attempted to ease tensions with Azerbaijan. But Baku appears to have upped the ante by announcing on January 31 the arrests of what it said were seven members of an Iranian spy network in Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, Azerbaijans Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov said in a January 31 statement that suspension of a diplomatic missions operations in any country is a serious matter" and that Baku has let Tehran know that "we do not trust Iran with respect to ensuring the security of our embassys employees. The statement came days after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi told Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev in a phone call that the governments of Iran and Azerbaijan will not allow bilateral relations to be affected by the suggestions of those who wish ill on the two nations, according to the Iranian governments website. Stories You Might Have Missed Analysts say a suspected Israeli drone strike on a military site in Iran is part of a new effort to contain the Islamic republic. There has been a series of incidents inside Iran during the past year, including sabotage and cyberattacks, assassinations, and the mysterious killings of members of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, as well as scientists and engineers. Tehran has blamed some of the incidents on Israel. Meghdad Jebelli, the brother of Iran's state TV chief Peyman Jebelli, spoke to Radio Farda about his decision to leave Iran and seek asylum in Canada. Meghdad Jebelli left his homeland soon after Iran's downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet that killed all 176 people onboard, including his 29-year-old nephew. Jebelli said "real justice will only be achieved when the perpetrators of the crimes of the past 44 years are punished, in reference to the clerical regime that came to power following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. What We're Watching A group of Iranian lawmakers have submitted a draft bill to curb unprofessional comments posted on social media by influential figures, including celebrities. The proposed legislation prescribes prison terms of up to 15 years and fines for those found guilty. Supporters of the draft bill have said it will punish those who undermine national security. But critics have labeled it the suffocation bill. What's Next: The proposed legislation is an attempt by the authorities to further crack down on dissent amid ongoing anti-regime protests that have rocked the country since September. The demonstrations are the biggest threat to the clerical regime in years. ADVERTISEMENT The anti-establishment protests have attracted support from all corners of Iranian society, including celebrities. Several well-known figures have been summoned or arrested in recent months by police after showing support for the demonstrations. By RFE/RL More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: China adds sites to Wetlands of International Importance list Xinhua) 08:16, February 03, 2023 A flock of black-faced spoonbills is observed at Danzhou Bay Wetland in Danzhou, south China's Hainan Province, Dec. 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu) BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Eighteen wetlands in China were designated in 2022 as Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration announced Thursday on the occasion of the 27th World Wetlands Day. The 18 new sites include Beijing Wild Duck Lake Wetland, the nine turns and 18 bends on the Greater Khingan Range, and Baima Lake Wetland in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province. Following the expansion, the number of Wetlands of International Importance hit 82 in China, covering a surface area of 7.647 million hectares, the fourth largest in the world, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. Feb. 2 marks the World Wetlands Day, which is the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental agreement dedicated to the conservation and rational use of wetland ecosystems. This year's theme of World Wetlands Day is "It's Time for Wetlands Restoration," highlighting the urgent need to prioritize wetland restoration. At a press conference on World Wetlands Day held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, on Thursday, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration released the results of the monitoring of the ecological status of Wetlands of International Importance in China in 2022. The results show that the ecological status of the Wetlands of International Importance in China is generally stable, the total wetland area has increased compared with the previous year, there is a good trend in water quality, and the water supply status remains stable. China's wetland biodiversity has been enriched, with 2,391 plant species recorded. Remarkable results have been achieved in the protection and restoration of China's wetlands, and degraded wetlands in Heilongjiang, Hubei, Shandong and Hainan have been effectively restored. In her video message to the press conference, Musonda Mumba, secretary-general of the Ramsar Convention, expressed thanks to China for its leadership role as the host country and president of the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14). Musonda expressed her appreciation for China's continuous fine-tuning of the legal and policy framework, implementation of the wetland protection law, and the national wetland protection plan (2022-2030), as well as for strengthening domestic wetland protection and management. She said that China would lead the development of global wetland protection in the next three years. During the 2016-2020 period, China allocated 9.87 billion yuan (about 1.47 billion U.S. dollars) from the central government to carry out 53 wetland protection and restoration projects, and more than 2,000 wetland ecological compensation projects, projects to return farmland to wetlands, as well as wetland protection and restoration subsidy projects. The restoration of 467,400 hectares of degraded wetlands has been achieved, and 202,600 hectares of new wetlands were added. Over the past decade, China has added or restored more than 800,000 hectares of wetlands, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. China's first specialized law on wetland protection took effect in June 2022. China became a party to the Ramsar Convention in 1992. As an important participant, contributor, and leader of global wetland protection and restoration, China vows to fulfill its obligations under the Convention on Wetlands, continue to strengthen the preservation of wetland authenticity and integrity, implement national wetland protection planning and major wetland protection projects, bring more important wetlands into the management of nature reserves, and improve the international exchange and cooperation platform. So far, more than 2,400 wetlands around the world have been designated as Wetlands of International Importance, also known as Ramsar Sites. Wetlands include natural and artificial water bodies on land, like rivers, lakes, swamps, rice paddies, and some coastal areas. Known as the "kidneys of the Earth" and a reservoir of biodiversity, they can purify water and provide food and shelter to migratory birds. They are among the Earth's top stores of carbon, whose existence contributes to global efforts to reduce carbon emissions. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Du Mingming) A 15-year-old student who went missing in October from a residential school in Yanshan county, Jiangxi province, committed suicide and left behind audio clips about his death wish in a digital voice recorder, police said on Thursday. Hu Xinyu's highly decomposed body was found in a wooded area within a grain depot, not far from the school, by an employee of the depot on Saturday, more than 100 days after he disappeared. Hu Mansong, deputy director of the Jiangxi Public Security Bureau and head of the investigation team, said the boy hanged himself from a tree in the woods using shoelaces. There were no signs of struggle at the scene, and the possibility of a homicide was ruled out following the release of the autopsy report, the deputy director added. Hu Xinyu, who attended Zhiyuan Senior High School in the county in Shangrao city, was reported missing on Oct 14. According to video footage provided by the school, he was last seen in the school's dormitory. The digital voice recorder found near the student's body had at least two audio clips indicating his death wish, both recorded on Oct 14 one at 5:40 pm and the other at 11:08 pm. It appears that he taped his voice as he made attempts to take his own life, Hu Mansong said at a news conference. "As I actually stand up here, I feel nervous. My heart is pounding. What will happen if I really jump?" the officer quoted from the first audio clip and said that the teenager probably considered jumping off the fifth floor of the dormitory. In the second audio clip, Hu Xinyu is heard saying, "It's all meaningless. It's almost midnight and I will just wait a bit to die. My mind is clouded today and I just want to die now. I feel, it's all meaningless." According to police, the boy faced difficulties adjusting to the life at the school. He had trouble sleeping and suffered from memory loss, Hu Mansong said. Xu Tianyi, deputy director of Shangrao Public Security Bureau, said that the student, who enrolled at the school in September last year, often jotted his thoughts in notebooks, most of which were negative and veered between how hard adjusting to a new environment was and how it was harder for an introverted person like him. "On Sept 27, Hu Xinyu phoned his mother three times. He cried, and told her he wanted to quit school and come home. On Oct 14, he took the digital voice recorder to the fifth-floor balcony twice after dinner; he obviously had a suicidal tendency," Xu said. Chen Ke, director of Yanshan Education Bureau, said the incident was sad and "psychological crisis intervention" had been carried out at the school. Counselling is available for other students in the county, Chen added. "The incident has alerted us about the importance of students' mental health issues, which require the attention of the school, families and society," Chen said. The student's disappearance has been a much-talked-about case in China. After his body was found at a place only 400 meters from the school campus, people began questioning why the police had failed to find him sooner. Hu Mansong said the police searched the grain depot four times in October and November, but failed to thoroughly search the wooded area within the grain depot boundary. Police have learned a lesson from the mistake and will improve their work, he said. He urged people not to believe in rumors being spread online about the case, including those suggesting that the boy did not die where his body was found and that his body was moved into the woods after his death. Some people who spread rumors and misled the public have been dealt with in accordance with the law, he added. Leaders of the European Union and Ukraine are holding a landmark meeting in Kyiv amid air-raid alerts in the capital and across Ukraine. The alerts on February 3 were lifted after less than two hours, and there were no immediate reports of any air strikes by Russia. In recent months, Russian missile strikes have caused extensive damage to Ukraine's electricity grid in the depths of winter and claimed victims among civilians. The top-level meeting in Kyiv between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the EU leadership is expected to discuss the European Union's support for Kyiv in the face of Russia's invasion and Ukraine's bid for membership in the 27-member bloc. Charles Michel, the president of the European Council that groups the leaders of the 27 EU members, reassured Ukraine of the bloc's unwavering support both against Russia's aggression and on its path to eventual integration in the bloc. "There will be no let up in our resolve. We will also support you every step of the way on your journey to the EU," Michel, who arrived in Kyiv on February 3, said on Twitter, where he posted a photo of himself in the Ukrainian capital. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who arrived in Kyiv on February 2 with a team of 15 commissioners, announced at a joint news conference with Zelenskiy that the EU will issue a fresh package sanctions against Russia -- the 10th since the start of its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine almost one year ago. Von der Leyen and Michel went into a fresh round of talks with Zelenskiy on February 3. A joint EU-Ukraine statement seen by Reuters was also expected to reaffirm the bloc's support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion "for as long as it takes," the news agency reported. Zelenskiy said later on February 2 that Ukraine deserves to start EU accession talks this year. He said further integration with the bloc would inspire Ukrainians and give them "motivation" to fight against Russian troops. Ukraine was granted candidate status in June. However, Brussels has been firm in its position that while it backs Ukraine's bid, the country will need to implement a wide array of democratic and economic reforms and root out endemic corruption before it can be admitted, and that the admission process could take many years. Zelenskiy has pledged to root out entrenched corruption that has weakened the effectiveness of state institutions even as the country faced an increasingly aggressive Russia since 2014, culminating with Moscow's unprovoked invasion. Several high-ranking officials' homes were raided by anti-corruption agents on February 1 in a second sweep in a week. Von der Leyen commended the Ukrainian government for taking swift action against corruption. "Your determination to join the European Union is impressive," she said. ADVERTISEMENT "I'm comforted to see that your anti-corruption bodies are on alert and effective in detecting corruption cases.... I also commend you on reacting so rapidly at the political level to make sure that the fight against corruption is delivering tangible results and is further stepped up," von der Leyen concluded. Responding to a remark by Zelenskiy, who said Kyiv hopes the bloc's sanctions campaign will gain momentum again after appearing to have "slightly slowed down" recently, von der Leyen said: "We will introduce with our G7 partners an additional price cap on Russian petroleum products, and by February 24 -- exactly one year since the invasion started -- we aim to have the 10th package of sanctions in place." The summit comes after the EU commissioners met their counterparts in the Ukrainian government for the first-ever joint meeting on February 2. By RFE/RL More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: EU members have agreed to support a price cap level of $100 per barrel on Russian diesel sales to third-party countries, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg on Friday afternoon. The EUs ban on Russian seaborne crude oil products imports, including diesel and naphtha, is scheduled to go into effect on February 5. The EUs proposal, submitted last week, called for capping the price of Russian diesel sold to third countries at $100 per barrel for products that trade at a premium and $45 for those that sell at a discount. Similarly to the price cap on Russian crude, buyers outside the EU would continue to have access to Western insurance and financing for cargoes if they comply with the price cap. The proposal also included setting a price cap of $45 per barrel for discounted products such as fuel oil, which sources suggest has also been approved. The goal of the price caps is to limit Russias revenues derived from crude oil and its refined products, while keeping the market supplied with Russian energy. Despite the ban and price cap mechanism that are set to go into effect on Sunday, Russias energy minister said he saw no reason to reduce the countrys output on petroleum products, nor was it considering a reschedule for its refinery maintenance to make use of possible reduction in Russian demand. Although the price cap goes into effect on Sunday, there is a grace period for cargoes loaded before the cap was agreed to that runs until April. Russian diesel prices were about $90 earlier this week, below the cap. Wood MacKenzie said earlier this week that a $100 cap would not have a significant effect on Russian refiners, but could bring its diesel exports down about 200,000 bpd. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Fitch Solutions has reiterated its oil price forecast for this year at $95 per barrel of Brent crude, citing Chinas quicker-than-expected reversal of zero-Covid policies and slow production growth. On the demand side, prospects for growth have improved, following the earlier-than-expected easing of Covid-19 containment measures in Mainland China, the ratings agency said, as quoted by The Edge. On the supply side, uncertainties around Russia continue to cloud the outlook, but slowing production growth in the US, further delays to the Iranian nuclear deal and continued production restraint by OPEC+ will combine to significantly decrease supply growth this year, Fitch Solutions added. That same set of factors has been cited by other bullish forecasters, too with some of them expecting Brent to top $100 per barrel again this year. Goldman Sachs, for instance, sees Brent hitting $105 per barrel in late 2023 on the back of strong demand growth that would push the oil market into deficit in the second half of the year. Morgan Stanley also sees a tighter oil market in the second half of the year, which could push Brent crude to $110 per barrel by the end of the year. While Chinas rebound is already underway and expectations of stronger oil imports have a sound foundation in Beijings recently issued import quotas, the situation with Russian oil production is less clear. Many analysts last year expected Western sanctions to affect that dramatically and push oil prices much higher. However, the redirection of exports rather than a production cut ensured a relatively modest impact of the sanctions on global oil supply and, consequently, prices. One other factor that played a part in Fitchs bullish outlook for oil prices this year was the changed sentiment about the global economy, with expectations now for a milder-than-forecast slowdown. ADVERTISEMENT Despite ongoing headwinds in the form of monetary and fiscal policy tightening, recent data releases suggest that several large economies are holding up better than expected, the ratings agency said. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Venezuelas Paraguana refinery complex is soon to begin a 100-day overhaul to reclaim its crude distillation capacity, anonymous Reuters sources suggested on Friday, with work set to be completed as a joint effort by Venezuelas PDVSA and National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC). Irans assistance with Venezuelas Paraguana Refining Centerthe nations largestlooks to ease Venezuelas reliance on U.S. refinery technology. Over the past decade, Venezuelas oil industry has crumbled due to mismanagement, corruption, and a lack of investment in maintenance, and U.S. sanctions on Venezuelas oil industry and exports, enacted by former President Donald Trump, helped to cripple the industry and discouraged foreign operators from working in the country. In October last year, the Amuay refining unit at the 950,000 bpd Paraguana refinery complex stopped operations after a blackout and fire at the complexand that isnt the first time in recent history. In December, it went down again. A few short weeks later, Venezuelas Cardon refineryalso part of the Paraguana refinery complex with a capacity of 310,000 bpd, went offline. The facility, responsible for producing gasoline, would be offline for 25 days, facility workers said last week. Venezuelas refining woes have led to shortages in gasoline supplies in the country, triggering hours-long waits on the retail side. Venezuela sits atop the largest crude oil reserves in the world but has for years been unable to keep its crude oil and refining sectors operating normally. Last year, the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company said it would help PDVSA get another refinery, the El Palito refinery, back up and running after being down since the end of 2021, also agreeing to expand the refinery. In October, Iran said it had started crude oil refining at what it called the first refinery that Iran had built overseas. ADVERTISEMENT By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Russia sees no need to reduce its output of petroleum products as the EU embargo on imports of Russian fuels kicks in on February 5, Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov said on Friday. We will analyze what the effects of the embargo will be. So far we have no reason to believe that we will see a sharp reduction in the processing or production of petroleum products, Russian news agency Interfax quoted Shulginov as saying. Russia is not considering postponing or rescheduling refinery maintenance because of the EU embargo, either, the energy minister said. The EU will baneffective February 5seaborne imports of Russian refined oil products and around 1 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian diesel, naphtha, and other fuels need to find a home elsewhere if Moscow wants to continue getting money for those products. More than half of those Russian fuel exports to the EU are diesel. Ahead of the embargo set to kick in on Sunday, Europe continues to be the biggest buyer of Russian diesel, and it has been stocking up on Russian supply in recent months ahead of the ban. There are a lot of uncertainties regarding Russian fuel supply in the coming months, the key being whether Russia can place the barrels displaced from Europe elsewhere and whether a planned price cap on Russias fuels would work as intended. The European Union was considering setting a $100 per barrel price cap on Russian diesel to limit the potential fallout on global supply after the EU ban on Russian refined products comes into effect. Days before the EU ban is set to kick in, the EU is still at odds over a cap on the price of Russian diesel and other products. There are hopes that a deal could be reached on Friday, February 3. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Tesla may reconsider plans to build an EV factory in Mexico due to problems with the energy supply of the facility. A Teslarati report, citing Mexican news outlets, said that Mexicos federal electricity commission had expressed concern about its ability to supply the potential factory in Nuevo Leon, northern Mexico, with enough electricity. Meanwhile, earlier this week, a Mexican government official told Reuters that Tesla is considering another location for its new factoryone close to Mexico City. "Tesla is looking at investing in that area to take advantage of AIFA (Felipe Angeles International Airport)," presidential spokesman Jesus Ramirez told Reuters, adding the EV maker was planning to use the airport as an export hub for the output of the factory. Tesla has yet to comment on these reports and even confirm plans for a factory in Mexico. If confirmed, the project would be quite lucrative: investments are estimated at between $800 million and $1 billion initially, likely to reach a total of $10 billion, according to Mexican media, cited by Teslarati. Other locations that the EV maker is still considering for its next gigafactory include Canada, South Korea, and Indonesia. Earlier this month, media reports suggested Tesla was close to signing a deal for a factory in Indonesia with an annual capacity of one million EVs. Expansion plans, however, may need to be put on the back burner for now after Tesla signaled it was focusing on costs. CFO Zach Kirkhorn said last month that the company was "attacking every other area of cost", after it slashed car prices, sparking worry among suppliers that Tesla would try and pressure them to cut their costs, too, Reuters reported. Suppliers, however, do not have a lot of freedom with costs because, unlike carmakers, they did not enjoy high prices during the pandemic, which left them with much less space for cost manoeuvering. ADVERTISEMENT By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: When Margarette Nerette arrived in the United States from Haiti, she sought safety and a new start. The former human rights activist feared for her life in the political turmoil following the military coup that overthrew President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1991. Leaving her two small children with her sister in Port-au-Prince, Nerette, then 29, came to Miami a few years later on a three-month visa and never went back. In time, she was granted political asylum. She eventually studied to become a nursing assistant, passed her certification exam, and got a job in a nursing home. The work was hard and didnt pay a lot, she said, but as an immigrant, those are the jobs that are open to you. A few years later her family joined her, but her children didnt want to follow her career path. When she was a teenager, Nerettes daughter, now 25, would ask, Mom, why are you doing that? Nerette said. Her daughter considered the work underpaid and too physical. After many years, Nerette, now 57, left nursing home work for a job with the Florida local of the labor union SEIU1199, which represents more than 25,000 health workers. As the locals vice president for long-term care, she is keenly aware of the staffing challenges that have plagued the industry for decades and will worsen as aging baby boomers stretch the limits of long-term care services. The U.S. is facing a growing crisis of unfilled job openings and high staff turnover that puts the safety of older, frail residents at risk. In a tight labor market where job options are plentiful, long-term care jobs that are poorly paid and physically demanding are a tough sell. Experts say opening pathways for care workers to immigrate would help, but policymakers havent moved. In the decade leading up to 2031, employment in health care support jobs is expected to expand by 1.3 million, a nearly 18% growth rate that outpaces that of every other major occupational group, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. These direct care workers include nurses of various types, home health aides, and physical therapy and occupational therapy assistants, among others. Certified nursing assistants, who help people with everyday tasks like bathing, dressing, and eating, make up the largest proportion of workers in nursing homes. In the decade leading up to 2029, nearly 562,000 nursing assistant jobs will need to be filled in the United States, according to a far-reaching report on nursing home quality published last year by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. But as the U.S. population ages, fewer workers will be available to fill those job openings in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and private homes. While the number of adults 65 and older will nearly double to 94.7 million between 2016 and 2060, the number of working-age adults will grow just 15%, according to an analysis of census data by PHI, a research and advocacy organization for older and disabled people that conducts workforce research. Immigrants can play a crucial role in filling those gaps, experts say. Already, about 1 in 4 direct care workers are foreign-born, according to a 2018 PHI analysis. We do think that immigrants are critical to this workforce and the future of the long-term care industry, said Robert Espinoza, executive vice president of policy at PHI. We think the industry would probably collapse without them. Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have long struggled to maintain adequate staff. The problem worsened dramatically during the pandemic, when those facilities became hotbeds for covid-19 infections and deaths. More than 200,000 residents and staff members died during the first two years of the pandemic, representing about a quarter of all covid deaths during that time. Since March 2020, the long-term care industry has lost more than 300,000 jobs, bringing employment to a 13-year low of just over 3 million, according to an analysis of BLS payroll data by the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living. Immigration policies that aim to identify potential workers from overseas to fill long-term care job slots could help ease the strain. But unlike other countries that face similar long-term care challenges, the U.S. generally hasnt made attracting direct care workers from abroad a priority. Immigration policy is long-term care policy, said David Grabowski, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School whose research focuses on the economics of aging and long-term care. If we really want to encourage a strong workforce, we need to make immigration more accessible for individuals. Most of the roughly 1 million immigrants to the U.S. annually are family members of citizens, though some come in on employment visas, often for highly skilled jobs. On his first day in office, President Joe Biden proposed comprehensive immigration reform that would have created a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers and revised the rules for employment-based visas, among other things, but it went nowhere. There hasnt been a lot of interest or political will behind opening up more immigration opportunities for mid- to lower-level care aides such as home health aides, personal health aides, and certified nursing assistants, said Kristie De Pena, vice president for policy and director of immigration policy at the Niskanen Center, a think tank. The Biden administration didnt respond to requests for comment. Some local and regional organizations are working to connect immigrants with health care jobs. Ascentria Care Alliance provides social services, refugee resettlement, and long-term care services in five New England states. With state and private philanthropic funding, the organization is beginning to help refugees from Ukraine, Haiti, Venezuela, and Afghanistan get the supportive services they need language, housing, child care to enable them to take health care jobs at Ascentrias long-term care facilities and those of health care partners. The group has long helped refugees resettle and find jobs in traditional settings like warehouses or retailers, said Angela Bovill, president and CEO of Ascentria, which is based in Worcester, Massachusetts. Now were looking at what it would take to move them into health care jobs, she said. The alliance is applying to the Department of Labor for a grant to scale up the program. If we get it right, well build a pathway and a pipeline to move at the fastest rate from immigrant to effective health care worker, Bovill said. Some long-term care experts say the U.S. cant afford to drag its feet on putting policies in place to appeal to immigrants. Were competing with the rest of the world, other countries that also want these workers, said Howard Gleckman, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute. Canada, for instance, is going all in on immigration. In 2022, it welcomed more than 430,000 new permanent residents, the most in its history. Immigration accounts for almost 100% of Canadas labor force growth, and by 2036 immigrants are expected to make up 30% of the population, the government said. In the U.S., immigrants account for about 14% of the population, according to an analysis of census data by the Migration Policy Institute. Canadas Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot aims to identify and recruit refugees who have skills Canadian employers need. In January, after visiting a refugee camp in Kenya, recruiters offered jobs in Nova Scotia to 65 continuing care assistants. In a December survey of 500 U.S. nursing homes, more than half said staffing shortages have forced them to turn away new residents. These staffing challenges, said industry representatives, are likely to become an even heavier lift, with more closed facilities, units, or wings, after the Biden administration announced last year that it would establish minimum nursing home staffing requirements. A government mandate alone wont solve long-standing problems with inadequate training, pay, benefits, or career advancement, experts said. Young people arent going to clean 10 to 15 patients for $15 an hour, Nerette said. Theyll go to McDonalds. We need to face that reality and come up with a plan. KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation. USE OUR CONTENT This story can be republished for free (details). Cyclists can tour the southern part of the state this summer during the annual Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska. The event, in its 41st year, is scheduled for June 4-10. The ride starts in Benkelman (which is 85 miles south of Ogallala) and finishes in Ashland. Cyclists can choose three-or four-day rides in addition to the typical seven-day tour. Overnight stops will be made in Cambridge, Alma, Red Cloud, Hebron, Wilber and Seward. In past years, the ride has drawn 600 or more riders ranging in age from 8 to 85. Last year, riders were skittish because of the pandemic, said Doug Scherlie, president of BRAN. The event drew about 375 participants. Organizers hope to bring that number up this year. The cost for BRAN is $350 for the seven-day tour, $240 for the four-day tour and $180 for the three-day tour. Prices will increase after April 1. The fee includes baggage transportation, road support as well as hydration and nutrition stations. Charging stations for small electronics and for e-bikes also will be available along the course. Proceeds from the ride go toward scholarships for high school seniors in host communities to attend Nebraska trade schools, colleges, universities or other postsecondary opportunities. To register, or for more information, visit bran-inc.org. End of Radler Bike Festival Another Nebraska cycling event, Radler Bike Festival, has ended for good. Organizers of the event, which started in 2019, announced that won't return. "Thank you to those who rode the routes and hung out with us for a couple of fun weekends we truly enjoyed meeting everyone and welcoming the bicycling community to southeast Nebraska," a statement said. 11 fitness trends in Omaha Float spas Bubble soccer Goat yoga Adult kickball Barre Rowing Cryotherapy Orangetheory Fitness Pound Aerial yoga Heart rate monitors The Lancaster County Attorneys Office has formally requested a special prosecutor to review the Lincoln Police Departments investigation into a break-in reported at the Nebraska Republican Partys downtown headquarters last summer. County Attorney Pat Condon, a Republican, said his office had filed a motion to appoint a special prosecutor in the case Friday two days after LPD officials requested such a prosecutor be appointed to take a second look at its investigation into the break-in, which was reported to police July 11. LPD referred questions about the appointment of such a prosecutor to Condon, who largely declined to explain the rationale behind appointing one. I consider these open cases and, as you know, I dont comment on open cases, he said. I just thought there needed to be a special prosecutor in this matter for the integrity of the judicial process, he added. Nebraska GOP officials reported a computer, a camera system, paperwork and files were stolen from the partys headquarters at 1610 N St. The reported burglary occurred the same weekend as the partys contentious state convention in Kearney, where Eric Underwood was elected as the partys new chairman after members ousted Dan Welch of Omaha, the longtime chairman, from the position. The files and paperwork were later recovered, according to the public incident report stemming from the case. In an email last week, Lincoln Police Capt. Todd Kocian said LPDs investigation into the incident had concluded. No arrests were made as the investigation yielded no criminal offense that would support law enforcement action, he said. But the party now led by a grassroots faction following last summers convention and subsequent exodus of the party establishment hired Tom Nesbitt, the former superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol, to independently investigate the break-in. At a quarterly party meeting in Omaha last month, Nesbitt raised concerns about what he described as LPDs refusal to release reports stemming from the agencys investigation, according to live tweets of the meeting from the Nebraska Freedom Coalition, a political action committee. Nebraskas public records statute allows law enforcement agencies to withhold records they deem investigatory in nature. The statute does not require an investigation to be active or ongoing for an agency to withhold records. Paul Kratz, the Nebraska GOPs attorney, filed a document in October in Lancaster County Court seeking permission to subpoena the police departments case file stemming from the reported break-in. In a motion to quash the partys request filed in December, Tonya Peters, an assistant city attorney and LPDs legal adviser, said there is no legal basis for granting (the partys) request, in part because Kratz and the party havent actually filed a lawsuit against the city seeking the records. A day before the two sides were set to argue at a hearing on Peters motion Friday morning, Kratz filed a motion to withdraw the partys subpoena request for the departments file due to Condons request for a special prosecutor. A judge approved the motion Friday in a hearing that lasted less than a minute after Peters the only attorney who attended the hearing offered no objection to the motion. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen has appointed former State Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk to the University of Nebraska Board of Regents to replace himself. Scheer will serve District 3, which covers northeast Nebraska. Its the district Pillen had served until he resigned the day before he was sworn in as the states 41st governor in January. Scheer will serve out the remainder of Pillens term, which expires at the end of 2024. Jim is a public servant who will work to grow the University of Nebraska, Pillen said in a press release. He believes in educational excellence, the importance of agriculture and fiscal conservative leadership. Scheer served two terms in the Legislature from 2013 to 2021. He was elected speaker in 2017. Previously, he served on the Norfolk school board and as the mayor of Norfolk. In 2004 and 2008, he was elected to the Nebraska State Board of Education and served as the board president in 2011 and 2012. He is a small-business owner who runs an insurance agency and an auto-parts store. Scheer earned his bachelors degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The Board of Regents has eight members elected by district to six-year terms. The board next meets on Feb. 10. Scheer is the second high-profile appointment to an elected position that Pillen has made in his first month as governor. He picked his predecessor, former-Gov. Pete Ricketts, to serve in the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Ben Sasse. Ricketts was one of Pillens most prominent backers and he contributed $100,000 directly to Pillens campaign for governor, which raked in more than $11 million during the election cycle, according to state disclosure records. By contrast, Scheer made two contributions to Pillens campaign totaling $1,250. World-Herald staff writer Ryan Hoffman contributed to this report. Photos: Jim Pillen appoints Pete Ricketts to the Senate LINCOLN Even if Nebraska spends $350 million to replace the aging Nebraska State Penitentiary, the state will need to add another 1,500 beds to its corrections system over the next decade to keep up with projected inmate growth. Thats the conclusion of a long-awaited prison facilities master plan that was recently completed by the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. The report, prepared by three outside consulting firms, calls replacing the penitentiary the departments top construction priority for the next five years. It says the facility should be built in the Omaha or Lincoln area to take advantage of the robust community supports in those metropolitan areas. But it suggested the 1,512-bed facility should also be built with the capacity to be expanded to 2,040 or 3,000 beds to accommodate future inmate growth between now and 2033. The study does not put a price tag on such an expansion or the myriad other facility improvements it recommends. But it surely would cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. In the end, the reports conclusion is no surprise. Projections since 2020 have shown that the states inmate population, currently at roughly 5,500, is set to grow another 1,300 inmates by 2030. Given such projections, lawmakers for years have pushed the Corrections Department for a long-range study of the states facilities needs. During a hearing before the Legislature Wednesday, State Sen. Terrell McKinney spoke on an omnibus prison bill he introduced that would bar the state from building any new facilities until it reduces the trajectory of its inmate population. He said Nebraska is currently building a prison industrial complex with its fast-rising incarceration rate. A World-Herald analysis last year found Nebraskas inmate population over the past decade has been the nations fastest growing. We keep throwing money at prisons just to say we are not soft on crime, McKinney said. Diane Sabatka-Rine, the states interim corrections director, testified that the state absolutely needs to follow through with replacing the penitentiary, which in recent years has been beset with problems due to aging infrastructure. Nebraskas need for a new penitentiary is inevitable, Sabatka-Rine said. Former Gov. Pete Ricketts sought for two years to build a new 1,512-bed prison, first as a standalone new facility, then later as a replacement for the penitentiary. The Legislature set aside money for the facility last year but has yet to allow it to be spent. The states corrections director last year said the state had already made contact with landowners in Omaha, Lincoln and Fremont on a possible site for the facility. New Gov. Jim Pillen has requested $350 million to fund the facility, which he said is needed to both house inmates and provide more space for the programs to help inmates change their lives. The new facility study backs the need for the new penitentiary, calling it the most urgent and immediate need in the system. It recommended building the 1,512-bed facility as the top priority of the first five years of the master plan. It also recommends building the facility such that it could later be expanded to as many as 3,000 beds. That would provide the flexibility to accommodate any needs during the second five-year phase of the plan. If this projection accurately predicts the pace of increase, an additional 1,500 beds will be needed during Phase 2, the report says. That second phase also calls for increasing the capacity of beds in the Omaha area that help inmates re-enter society upon release. The report makes recommendations on expansion of educational, vocational and recreational space throughout the entire corrections system, which currently includes nine facilities in Lincoln, Omaha, Tecumseh, York and McCook. The current penitentiary would not be decommissioned until at least 11 years from now. The report says the facility could be demolished, or parts of it could be modernized into a more open campus for lower-custody inmates. A nonprofit news organizations fight over a $44,000 price tag from the state for five years of public records related to drinking water and nitrates made its way to a Lancaster County District Court courtroom Thursday. The Flatwater Free Press sued the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy in November, asking a judge to intervene. If the organization is successful, the case has the potential to change how state agencies go about charging for public records. On Thursday, attorney Dan Gutman, who represents the news nonprofit, said that in 2022 Flatwater started investigating nitrates in the states drinking water. A public records request was made on NDEE, he said, and what happened next is whats supposed to happen. The parties talked. The initial request, which had been broad and resulted in a $2,000 cost estimate, was narrowed to try to reach a lower cost, Gutman said. But ultimately the negotiations didnt work, he told Lancaster County District Judge Ryan Post at the bench trial. As their requests got smaller and narrower, the cost estimates got bigger. The records manager at NDEE ultimately said they would need a deposit of $44,103.11 before they would start the search. Gutman said what became clear was that NDEE was charging for what wasnt specifically authorized by Public Records Act: the reviewing and withholding of documents under statutory exceptions to disclosure. We think it is very clear that withholding documents is not providing them. Withholding documents is not making copies available, he said. And Nebraska is an open records state that values open records, Gutman said. Assistant Nebraska Attorney General Christopher Felts, who represents NDEE, said all of this really is about a single legal question. Whether a public body can charge for non-attorney time to review records. And we believe the statute is clear on its face that you can, he said. Felts said the statute, 84-712.03, permits an agency to charge after the first four hours of time spent searching, identifying, physically redacting or copying so long as it isnt for an attorneys time, which is specifically excluded. He said Ane McBride, the records manager for the NDEE, provided a legally accurate cost estimate, and Flatwater chose not to go forward with the request. So we would also point out there has been no actual denial of access to public records in this case, Felts said. On the stand, Matt Wynn, executive director of The Flatwater Free Press, was asked if the nonprofit still wants the records. Absolutely, he said. This story remains a story. McBride, who no longer works for NDEE, testified that it would take several hundred hours of time collectively by agency employees to comply with the request, which asked for emails and attachments sent or received by NDEE staff in particular divisions containing the keywords nitrate, nutrient, fertilizer or nitrogen. In the end, Post asked Felts if someone requested a copy of every email that used the phrase Happy birthday, and the states Office of the Chief Information Officer ran a computer search and identified the records, What is there to review at that point? Felts said every email isnt automatically a public record. The Public Records Act provides exceptions, as do other statutes of Nebraska law. He said the process involves a review to make sure things that arent public records or that need to be redacted would be taken out. You keep talking about a review, which makes sense that a review would happen. But the Legislature didnt put review in the statute, Post said. Felts said debate on the bill in 2013 made it clear that was the intent. But Gutman countered the state has to point to text that authorizes them to charge for it. And they cant do it, he said. Post took the case under advisement. Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of January 2023 A memorial service will be held Saturday for a woman who was one of six people wrongfully convicted of killing a Beatrice woman in 1985. Kathleen Ann Gonzalez, of York, Nebraska, died Jan. 10 while visiting Greeley, Colo. She was 62. She left us too soon, and like all of us, she had seen burdens and hardships, her obituary reads. To get to know her was to be touched deeply by her resilience. She faced adversity that never really left her alone, yet she always refused to let it define her. The obituary also said she had a great sense of humor, was a voracious reader and adored Frank Sinatra. Gonzalez was one of the so-called Beatrice 6, a group awarded a $28.1 million verdict against Gage County after a cold-case investigation that sent the six to prison for the brutal slaying. Years after they were sentenced, DNA testing on blood and semen evidence left in Helen Wilsons apartment tied Bruce Allen Smith, who died in an Oklahoma prison in 1992, to her rape and murder. By then, Gonzalez, Joseph White, Ada JoAnn Taylor, James Dean, Thomas Winslow and Debra Shelden had spent a combined 75 years in prison. In 2008, state prosecutors said they believed the six had nothing to do with the crime. They were exonerated, and in 2009, sued Gage County for the reckless investigation that landed them in prison. After a mistrial, a federal jury found enough evidence that then-deputy Burdette Searcey and then-reserve deputy Wayne Price had violated their rights, awarding the six a combined $28.1 million. The case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which let the Nebraska federal jurys ruling stand. White ultimately died in a workplace accident in 2011. Gage County made its first payment to the Beatrice 6 in June 2019. The county is one payment away from having the judgment paid off. That payment is expected to be made in May. The memorial service for Gonzalez will be held at Metz Mortuary in York at 2 p.m. Saturday. Her obituary said a sister and brother are among her survivors. BLOOMINGTON State Farm told the Illinois government that it plans to lay off over 400 employees, but a company spokesman says the cuts are tied to previously announced plans to outsource information technology services. The Bloomington-based insurance giant announced last month that it would reimagine State Farms IT service desk and infrastructure operations, outsourcing the services to India-based HCLTech. The company said at the time, and spokesman Chris Pilcic reiterated this week, that many of the affected State Farm employees would be offered positions with HCLTech. The company previously declined to specify how many employees would be affected by the change. But State Farm told the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity last month that it would lay off 451 people at the end of March, the Chicago Tribune first reported Wednesday evening. The notification comes as part of requirements under the Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which requires large employers to give the state notice when mass layoffs or plant closures are planned. Asked for detail about the filing, spokesman Pilcic said: The WARN notice was filed related to an announcement we made in January detailing a decision State Farm will work with HCLTech, a leading global technology company, to assume the day-to-day IT Help Desk and infrastructure services work. HCLTech will manage hardware, infrastructure software, and network connections support for State Farm. As part of that announcement, we shared that this relies on the skills and knowledge of talented employees currently doing this work at State Farm. Many of these employees have been offered opportunities to join HCLTech in similar roles with similar work arrangements in their current locations supporting State Farm. He did not specify exactly how many employees would be offered positions. HCLTech representatives did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. State Farm is Bloomington-Normals largest employer with 14,436 workers, according to a 2022 report from the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council. Tour de Chocolat set for Friday BLOOMINGTON Tour De Chocolat will return to downtown Bloomington for First Friday, Feb. 3. Business will be extending their hours and partner up with local pop-ups, bakers, cocoa makers and more to bring a ton of chocolate to downtown. The event is free and will take place from 5-8 p.m. at various locations in downtown Bloomington. Pontiac to host Illinois Freedom Project exhibit PONTIAC The Pontiac Library and Pontiac Department of Community Enrichment will welcome the Illinois Freedom Project Traveling Exhibit for the month of February. The exhibit is part of an educational initiative from The Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area and Lincoln Home National Historic Site and is geared towards reaching youth the journey from slavery to freedom in Illinois. The exhibit features stories of everyday people in Illinois who struggled again slavery and prejudice and became community, state and national leaders. The exhibit will be on display at the library, 211 E. Madison St., Pontiac, through February. All area residents are welcome to visit the exhibit during regular library hours. The Chief of Interpretation and Historian at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Timothy P. Townsend, will provide a grand opening presentation and ceremony at the library on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 5:30 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. The Illinois Freedom Project is a youth focused multimedia effort that includes a website, videos, printed materials, curriculum, and a traveling exhibit. These resources present the stories of freedom through the lens of the people, places and events covering 200 years of Illinois history. The Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition is the coordinating entity for the 43-county Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. It is a partnership of organizations and individuals dedicated to enhancing the communities and landscapes of Central Illinois through recognition and support of their significant natural, cultural and historical legacies. Visit lookingforlincoln.com/freedom for more information. ArtsPartners of C. Illinois names new executive director PEORIA ArtsPartners of Central Illinois, Inc. announced Dr. Mae Gilliland Wright as the Executive Director, effective Feb. 6. Wright is a Peoria native and previously served as the Executive Director of Big Picture Initiative, a local arts nonprofit whose mission is to build a thriving and vibrant community by using arts and creativity for social change, economic development and wellness. During her time there, she implemented and oversaw a wide range of arts programing from the Portraits of Peoria augmented reality murals, to overseeing Big Pictures Giving Voice program, where students are paired with professional mentors and paid to produce creative content, to working with local and regional partners to highlight the economic impact of the arts. Wright served for six years on the ArtsPartners Board of Directors, including Vice President. She also has experience in the performing arts and she has worked as the Director of Marketing and Communications at the Peoria Symphony Orchestra. She also spent 13 years as an educator at the Lakeview Museum (now Peoria Riverfront Museum). She is currently Affiliate Faculty and Coordinator of Public History at Bradley University where she teaches Digital Humanities. She has a masters degree and Doctor of Philosophy in the digital humanities field from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, with a teaching background in the sciences and humanities. Wright is currently on the Advisory Board of the Womens Fund of the Community Foundation of Central Illinois and the City of Peorias Public Relations Association of Central Illinois and Art, Inc, along with several other committees with area organization such as Align Peoria and the Community Foundation of Central Illinois. She received the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerces 2022 ATHENA Young Professional Award, which honors emerging leaders between the ages of 25 and 40 who strive toward the highest levels of personal and professional accomplishment, who excel in their chosen field, devote time and energy to their community in a meaningful way, and serve as a role model for young women. In 2020, Wright received the 25 Women Leadership Award from WEEK25 News. She is also a member of Americans for the Arts and Women in Leadership of Central Illinois. Bradley print and drawing exhibition opens Friday PEORIA This years Bradley International Print and Drawing exhibition will be held on campus at Bradley University at the Heuser Art Gallery, the Hartmann Central Gallery, as well as The Peoria Riverfront Museum and the Peoria Art Guild. The exhibit opens Feb. 3 and will be open through March 31. The exhibit features the best contemporary graphic artwork from around the world. The exhibition is the second largest running juried print and drawing competition in the country. It occurs every two years. Tyanna J. Buie is the juror for the 38th Bradley International Exhibition. She is a Chicago and Milwaukee native. She received her BA from Western Illinois University and her MFA form the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Buie received an emerging artist Mary L. Nohl Fellowship in 2012, the Love of Humanity Award from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and the Joan Mitchell Painters & Sculptors Grant in 2015, the 2019 Kresge Artist Fellowship in the Visual Arts, the 2019/2020 Grant Wood Fellowship in Printmaking at the University of Iowa and the 2020 Fellowship art award, a top accelerator award/program funded through gener8tor. Lincoln Library to host orientation for potential volunteers SPRINGFIELD The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will welcome potential new members to its volunteer tam during orientation on Feb. 8. ALPLM volunteers greet visitors, assist at events, help researchers and much more. The orientation session will explain the team of approximately 500 operates and how to join. The one-hour event begins at 5:30 p.m. in the presidential librarys multi-purpose room, 112 N. Sixth St., Springfield. Attendees will learn about the available volunteer opportunities and information about the library and museum. Volunteers will also be asked to attend three additional two-hour training sessions on Wednesday, Feb. 22, Wednesday, March 1 and Wednesday, March 8. Volunteers at the library and museum contribute an average of 35,000 hours of service each year, making the experience better for everyone who regular visits the museum. Volunteers can receive free admission, special lectures and presentations as well. Contact the director of volunteer services, Jeremy Carrell at 217-558-8872 to register for the event. UPDATE, 8:30 A.M. FRIDAY: Darryl J. Steel, 19, of Bloomington, was located later Thursday after being reported missing that morning. ================= PREVIOUS STORY: BLOOMINGTON The Bloomington Police Department is asking for the public's help to find a missing teen. Darryl J. Steel, 19, of Bloomington, was reported missing at approximately 9:10 a.m. Wednesday, according to a news release issued early Wednesday afternoon by BPD. The release said Steel had run away after a brief argument with family. Steel has autism and asthma, and does not have his inhaler with him, BPD said. He is described as a Black male with black hair and brown eyes, stands 5 feet 4 inches tall, and weighs 150 pounds. He was last seen wearing a red sweatshirt, red pants, white gloves, black and white shoes and a blue surgical mask, the news release said. Anyone with information about Steel's location is asked to contact BPD at 309-820-8888. Different types of alerts and what they mean What exactly is a Silver Alert? What exactly is an AMBER Alert? What exactly is a Blue Alert? What exactly is an Ashanti Alert? What exactly is a Green Alert? BLOOMINGTON A 22-year-old Bloomington man is in McLean County custody on murder charges. Jaylin S. Bones was arrested Thursday on three counts of first-degree murder stemming from a homicide in Bloomington last year, according to a news release from the Bloomington Police Department. Bones was also arrested on one count of second-degree murder, one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of aggravated battery. Bones was arrested in relation to an outstanding warrant stemming from a Jan. 24, 2022, report of a person shot in the 600 block of West Jefferson Street, Bloomington, at approximately 7:29 p.m. Officers found a man later identified as Timothy Q. Manns, 29, of Bloomington, shot to death inside an apartment at 607 W. Jefferson St. The U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Task Force took Bones into custody without incident at approximately 1:35 p.m. Thursday at a retail store in East Peoria, according to the news release. His bond remains set at $2 million with 10% to apply, meaning he would need to pay $200,000 plus a bond fee to be released from custody. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court, the release noted. In a Thursday phone call with The Pantagraph, Jill Manns, mother to Timothy Manns, twice exclaimed her reaction of Hallelujah! She said she felt a sense of relief that the suspect would no longer enjoy his freedom. I hope and pray the wheels of justice continue turning in the right direction, said Jill Manns. Still, she noted that nothing will bring her son back. The mother continued: This is a weeping heart that will never stop. Tommy Lee Manns, Timothys father, said he was walking on clouds after hearing the news. What a blessing, he continued. Both parents, who are no longer married but share the same surname, expressed their confidence in BPDs investigative work. "Through tireless teamwork and collaboration with the community, we will continue our focus on the resolution and reduction of violent crime in our neighborhoods," Bloomington Police Chief Jamal Simington said in the news release. "The Bloomington Police Department will continue our focus on reducing crime and the fear of crime in our city, as well as seeking justice for the victims and their families." Anyone with additional information on the crime is asked to contact Det. Jones at 309-434-2548 or Det. Pedro Diaz at 309-434-2352. No further information will be released at this time, BPD said. Updated mug shots from The Pantagraph Bryant Lewis Derek Roesch Justin M. Mata Marcus D. Wesley Phillip Tinch Trisha L. Hanke William B. Givens David L. Oliver Kenneth E. Funk Jordan R. King Holly M. Isaacson Kenneth L. Minton Tony L. Jackson Britley L. Hilger Jasmine L. Smith Jackie S. Claypool Noah R. Demuth Brandon L. Parsano Alexander N. Williams Carlos Sanchez-Solozarzano Jaylin S. Bones Jordan R. King Dominique M. Banks Austin T. Daugherty Sandra M. Lewis Samantha E. Morris Nolan C. Love Nikkita L. Sandefur Katlin M.B. Wilson Eli C. Garozzo Tysean T. Townsend Curtis J. Byrd Noral K. Nelson Charles J. Tankson BLOOMINGTON A Bloomington man has been charged with 11 crimes involving guns and selling cocaine. Anthony D. Watson, 44, was charged Thursday with the following: Four counts of unlawful delivery of a substance containing less than 1 gram of cocaine, a controlled substance, Class 2 felonies. Three counts of unlawful delivery of a substance containing between 1-15 grams of cocaine, a controlled substance, Class 1 felonies. One count of unlawful possession with the intent to deliver between 100-400 grams of a substance containing cocaine, a controlled substance, Class X felony. Two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, Class 3 felonies. One count of unlawful possession of firearm ammunition by a felon, Class 3 felony. Prosecutors allege that members of the Illinois State Police Task Force 6, with the assistance of a confidential source, purchased substances containing cocaine on four separate occasions in which Watson was either the direct seller or the supplier of the drugs to the seller. In a probable cause statement, prosecutors allege that Watson used a residence in Bloomington as a base of operations to supply and sell cocaine. When authorities executed a search warrant, they said they found two .22 caliber firearms with ammunition. Watson was previously convicted in 2006, 2008, 2014 and 2018 on similar drug charges. Prosecutors recommended a cash bond in the amount of $500,000, with 10% to apply. But, noting Watson's prior convictions, Judge William Workman set his bond at $750,000. Watson must provide proof in court that "any funds or monies posted have been lawfully obtained and are not funds or money constituting the fruits of any criminal activity or unlawful content," according to court documents. His next court date is 9 a.m. Feb. 17. Updated mug shots from The Pantagraph Bryant Lewis Derek Roesch Justin M. Mata Marcus D. Wesley Phillip Tinch Trisha L. Hanke William B. Givens David L. Oliver Kenneth E. Funk Jordan R. King Holly M. Isaacson Kenneth L. Minton Tony L. Jackson Britley L. Hilger Jasmine L. Smith Jackie S. Claypool Noah R. Demuth Brandon L. Parsano Alexander N. Williams Carlos Sanchez-Solozarzano Jaylin S. Bones Jordan R. King Dominique M. Banks Austin T. Daugherty Sandra M. Lewis Samantha E. Morris Nolan C. Love Nikkita L. Sandefur Katlin M.B. Wilson Eli C. Garozzo Tysean T. Townsend Curtis J. Byrd Noral K. Nelson Charles J. Tankson Carol Rofstad, who was 21 when she was killed, lived in Normal, IL while attending Illinois State University. She was found beaten unconscious about noon December 23, 1975, outside her sorority house at 602 S. Fell Street. The suspected murder weapon, an 18-inch piece of railroad tie, was found nearby. Rofstad wasn't found until roughly 12 hours after the attack. She died Christmas Eve as a result of head injuries. Two men, one of whom carried a club, were seen between 10 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. on December 22, 1975. Both were white males and between the ages of 18 and 25. At the time of the attack, most students had already left campus for the holiday break. Instead of returning to Elk Grove Village, though, Rofstad had stayed in the Twin Cities to work at a retail store. Money was found in her purse and there was no evidence of sexual assault. Two women, in the sorority house, neither saw nor heard anything unusual. Anyone with information in this case can call the Normal Police Department at (309) 454-9526, or Crime Stoppers of McLean County at (309) 828-1111. At first glance, Priscilla Villarreal is not a particularly empathetic figure. Not to most conservatives, anyway. The tattooed, foul-mouthed, progressive citizen journalist has made a name and a career out of criticizing and, frankly, trying to embarrass local authorities in Laredo, Texas. Her Facebook page, Lagordiloca News LaredoTx, which has more than 200,000 followers, is a running, profanity-laced and often scathing commentary of the happenings in her community. That is perhaps why it is so striking and extremely important that a coalition of conservative groups has come to her defense in the case regarding her right to do her work. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently held a hearing on Villarreals 2019 lawsuit against the city of Laredo, its police department and others in authority who she said violated her First Amendment rights for doing what journalists do: asking questions. Thankfully, an impressive collection of nonprofits, including the Alliance Defending Freedom, Americans for Prosperity, Young Americas Foundation and Project Veritas, have filed briefs on her behalf, adding to the credibility of her case and amplifying what it means for the future of free speech in the U.S. It all began in 2017, when Villarreals reporting landed her in jail. Local authorities, already no fans of her work, used an obscure Texas statute to claim that Villarreal had obtained nonpublic information from the government with intent to benefit herself. The information was verification of the identities that she had already sourced elsewhere. One was a Border Patrol agent who died by suicide and the others were a family involved in a deadly vehicle accident. The alleged benefit was gaining more Facebook followers. While Villarreal is no conventional journalist and Facebook is no conventional reporting mechanism, asking a government official to verify the details of a story already sourced elsewhere before publishing is actually what good journalism looks like. And how the benefit of gaining new followers is materially different from generating more clicks or increasing subscriptions (an important motivations of professional news outlets journalists in the digital era), I cannot tell you. So Villarreal was effectively targeted by authorities and jailed, not for her actions but for her opinions something that should make the hair on the neck of every freedom-loving American stand on end. Villarreals charges were eventually dropped. The law used to prosecute her was deemed unconstitutionally vague. But thankfully for free speech, she didnt allow it to end there. She sued, but a federal district court threw out her case, finding that in jailing Villarreal, the officers had qualified immunity, the legal doctrine that protects public officials from facing civil suits in certain circumstances. A three-judge panel for the 5th Circuit found differently. Writing for the majority, Judge James C. Ho did not mince words: If the First Amendment means anything, it surely means that a citizen journalist has the right to ask a public official a question, without fear of being imprisoned. Drop the mic. It should be obvious, also, that this kind of flagrant free speech violation throwing someone in jail for asking questions of the government is the stuff of conservative dystopian nightmares. This makes the 5th Circuits decision to bring the case to the full court, opening the possibility the judges will overturn the panels ruling, all the more troubling especially because the 5th Circuit is generally considered to be one of the more conservative circuits. We can hope that the powerhouse of organizations, which includes journalism groups as well as the aforementioned conservative nonprofits, filing briefs on Villarreals behalf will have some impact. And we cant forget the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a frequent defender of conservative speech on college campuses that is representing Villarreal in her case. We can also hope that when a legal challenge is made by a conservative citizen journalist the next time Project Veritas James OKeefe gets sideways with law enforcement for surreptitiously recording the wrong person progressive-leaning free speech organizations will come to the defense. Our commonalities might end at our opinions, but we should agree that we all have a right to express them. Fingers crossed that the 5th Circuit will agree. It's important that we support community-oriented candidates for Unit 5 School board like Alex Williams, Mark Adams, Kelly Pyle, and Amy Roser. They're up against a far-right cohort that opposes the upcoming Unit 5 referendum and has suggested a return to e-learning to save the district money. After what we've been through the past few years, I don't think that increasing either remote or e-learning is currently in the best interest of kids in our community. Additionally, the district faces a 12 million dollar deficit. This gap can't be closed by just eliminating a few administrative positions. If such cuts have to be made over the next few years, it would mean that hundreds of teachers and extracurricular programs have to be cut. Things like shorter school days will be a result of necessary cuts to high school electives and elementary school specials. Williams, Pyle, Roser, and Adams understand the seriousness of this moment and have chosen to wisely support the referendum. Those in the conservative cabal are opposing the referendum and, by doing so, are implictly supporting these draconian cuts as well as explicitly supporting a return to e-learning as their only solution. The conservative candidates have also taken to local radio on Cities 92.9 and laughed along as hosts joked about being transgender. They voiced support for school board members removing books from libraries, and said they'd seek to control health and sex ed curriculum. They're dangerously uninformed and not representative of the inclusive values of our community. That's why I'm supporting Amy Roser, Alex Williams, Kelly Pyle, and Mark Adams. They realize that the real issue is making sure that we continue to have a top-notch, inclusive, and financially solvent school district. Rather than peddling in fabricated outrage, they're putting forward level-headed solutions to move Unit 5 forward. Patrick Lawler, Bloomington The Government has confirmed that the first consignment under the Gold for Oil Policy was actually bought with cash. Reports were rife that the first consignment of oil was purchased with cash from the Bank of Ghana. Speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, Deputy Energy Minister, Andrew Egyapa Mercer confirmed that the first consignment of refined oil under the infamous gold for oil programme was bought with cash and not exchanged with gold. The Deputy energy minister further admitted that indeed the purchase was not done through the barter with Gold but with cash. He however clarified, the cash was not from Bank of Ghana, but from the sale of gold. Further, there are some that deal in oil and petroleum sometimes, so if you give them gold what are they going to use them for? So, the program that we are running is actually spoon-fed because we need to consider our ability to force products from the market and either liquidate the gold to pay or swap directly for oil. So that we are not limited in terms of the suppliers that we are dealing with. How is that problematic? In any event what is the issue really? So really I am wondering why we are on a tangential issue of whether it is gold for oil barter or it is gold sold to procure oil. At the end of the day what the Ghanaian consumer wants is he wants to buy fuel when he gets to the pumps without going to stand there for hours. The Ghanaian consumer wants a competitive price that will enable him to have value for money, the deputy Minister added. However, the Minority in Parliament has called for the suspension of the programme until full disclosure and consultation with stakeholders are done. Source: starrfm.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 The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Kimberly A. Rosen has disclosed that an educational partnership with the education ministry has so far trained more than 68,000 Ghanaian teachers across the country. According to her, the project since 2014, the project has trained more than 68,000 teachers, headteachers, and curriculum leads and reached over 750,000 students from kindergarten 2 to basic 2 in more than 7,200 schools across Ghana. Disclosing this at an event at the event co-hosted by the Ministry of Education, she s=disclosed that Reading at an early age improves educational outcomes and long-term livelihoods, benefiting communities across Ghana.We are committed to supporting the Ministry of Education (MOE) and its agencies to improve childrens reading performance in Ghana, The collaboration between USAID and Ghanas MOE through the Learning Activity is one of the key partnerships between Ghana and the United States. Joined by the Minister of Education Dr. Yaw Adutwum this week to conclude the USAID Partnership for Education Learning Activity, she added that this eight-year partnership supported the Ministry of Education (MOE) is to improve the reading skills of students in 11 Ghanaian languages and English. The collaboration between USAID and Ghanas MOE through the Learning Activity is one of the key partnerships between Ghana and the United States. The activity provided over 15 million high-quality teaching and learning reading materials, including teacher guides, pupil books, supplementary readers, and classroom materials including braille materials for visually impaired students all of which are aligned to the new curriculum and have been adopted nationwide for use in all public schools. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the USAID partnered with the MOE, the Ghana Education Service, and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to launch the National Reading Radio Program (NRRP), benefitting over 1.6 million learners, who were otherwise unable to access literacy programs. In January 2022, after a year of the radio lessons airing, 57 percent of children had higher English reading scores, helping to mitigate learning loss during the pandemic. About USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the lead U.S. Government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. USAID's activities and strategic partnerships support Ghana's journey to self-reliance. Our work advances an integrated approach to development. It promotes accountability, sustainable systems, and inclusive development. Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The governments introduction of an electronic value added tax invoicing system (E-VAT) for VAT registered businesses in Ghana has hit some major roadblocks since its introduction. The new invoicing system is meant to be an improvement on how VAT transactions are invoiced. However, due to the incompetence of the GRAs software support team write the software code and who works with the various companies to implement E-VAT, the system has failed to function properly in many companies. Rather than taking full responsibility for the non-efficiency of the new system, GRA is rather scapegoating selected companies with the charade of media publicity to whitewash their own failure, and in the process, destroying big businesses that are employing thousands of Ghanaians and paying millions in tax revenues to government every year. Companies such as Shoprite, MTN, Maxmart, Melcom Palace Mall etc have all been victims of the Ghana Revenue Authoritys recklessness in the past couple of weeks where the GRA has gone into their premises with rented media men, arrested managers and put out false narratives about their so-called non-compliance with E-VAT invoicing when they know that these companies have been working assiduously with the incompetent GRA software support team to resolve the challenges associated with the new system. Inside sources within GRA itself has intimated that all issues and challenges with the new E-VAT invoicing system facing these companies have been reported to the GRA in the past several months. There are documents from GRA sources available to support the claim that there have been several exchanges between these affected companies and the GRA over the past few months where the companies raised all the problems of the new system to the GRA and seeking the GRAs software support teams assistance to urgently resolve them. However, the affected companies and their software engineers have been frustrated by delays from the GRA software support team in handling complaints concerning the real time functionality of the new system. In other words, the software code written by the GRA is a useless one that has failed to support the system. In any case, these are challenges that does NOT lead to loss of revenues to government since, according to these companies, no sale is done without an invoice even if they are unable to print these invoices. Besides, the GRA can always determine how much these companies owe government during down time. That is what a business-minded GRA would have done. But rather than approaching the issue professionally to ensure a win-win situation for both government and the companies affected, the GRA has chosen a populist approach where they cover their own inefficiencies, damage the reputation of these big employers and cause them to loose business and by extension, cause government to loose tax revenues. Arresting innocent branch managers who have nothing to do with the non-functioning of the E-VAT software, displaying their images on national television and psychologically terrorising their families cannot be the right approach of a revenue authority. GRAs mandate is NOT to do things that will cause companies to loose business. neither are they supposed to do things that will cause government to loose tax revenue. But in this case of the E-VAT, that is exactly what GRA is doing by putting out these false stories of non-compliance to E-VAT by companies that are doing everything possible to comply and work with GRA for an efficient functioning of the new system. GRA software support team, a South African company, without an adequate understanding of Ghana's retail business, are solely responsible for writing the software codes for the E-VAT invoicing system. Any failure of the system can therefore not be blamed on the registered companies affected but on the GRA software support team. Unfortunately, all the delays and failures have emanated from the GRA who have now refused to take responsibility for their own failure. GRAs victimisation of big companies who are also big employers in Ghana, the arrests and harassment of their staff, the scare mongering among their customers, the false media narratives orchestrated by GRA all amount to attacking and destroying legitimate businesses, causing government revenues to dwindle, and may ultimately lead to a cut down on employment by these affected companies. The Ghana Revenue Authority and their software support team must therefore take full responsibility for the failures and inefficiencies of the new E-VAT invoicing system and work with their software engineers to write the proper codes to resolve all the issues affecting the smooth operation of E-VAT. They must also desist immediately from further victimising innocent companies like Shop rite, MTN, Melcom, Maxmart and their innocent employees etc who are engaged in legitimate business in Ghana and paying due taxes to government. Source: Ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Burkina Faso's transition government has announced that the remains of President Thomas Sankara and his 12 companions assassinated on 15 October 1987 will be reburied later this month, at the Thomas Sankara Memorial in the capital, Ouagadougou. This decision is the result of consultations within the Armed Forces, the families of the victims, the customary and religious authorities and the International Committee of the Thomas Sankara Memorial, according to a statement issued on Friday. The bodies of Sankara and his companions of the People's Democratic Revolution (RDP) were exhumed on 25 May 2015 as part of a judicial process to make sure the remains were indeed his. Seen as "Africa's Che Guevara", the anti-imperialist revolutionary was hastily buried with 12 others after he was ousted in a 1987 coup. Permission for an exhumation was denied during the rule of his successor, Blaise Compaore, who left office in 2014 amid street protests. Mr Compaore received a life sentence in absentia for his role in the assassination of Sankara. Sankara's reburial will be done according to customary funeral rites followed by religious and military ceremonies. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has refuted allegations that some Soldiers deployed in Bawku to restore calm in the area are killing innocent Kusasi youth and women in their homes and communities. The GAF categorically denies claims that military personnel have seized Zoogin, a Kusasi community. GAF is also false and unfounded. Below is the full statement GAF REFUTES KILLING ALLEGATIONS AT BAWKU The attention of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has been drawn to allegations by some individuals in Bawku that soldiers deployed on Operation Gongong to restore calm in the area are killing innocent Kusasi youth and women in their homes and communities. They also allege that military personnel have seized Zoogin, a Kusasi community. GAF wishes to categorically state that these allegations are false and unfounded. Information received from the National Investigations Bureau by the Operation Gongong Team of GAF early this week indicates that passengers on board a yellow KIA Grand Bird Bus with Registration Number AS 3672-21 travelling from Accra to Missiga were attacked by unknown gunmen around Kpawelga on the Bawku Highways. The gunmen fired through the tyre and engine compartment of the vehicle. The bus is currently packed at Assylum Down, Bawku Divisional Police Station for investigation to be conducted. Also one KIA Rhino truck with registration number AS 7093-17 was hit and the driver of the truck, Alhassan Abdella aged 40, from the Gonja tribe sustained a gunshot wound on the left foot. He is currently receiving treatment at the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital. Again, on Wednesday 1 February 2023, gunshots were heard around South Natinga in Bawku. A Patrol Team rushed to the general area of the shooting where a suspect, Abdul Malik Haruna, aged 35 from the Mamprusi tribe was arrested. He has since been handed over to the Bawku Police for further investigation. It must be also placed on record that based on a tip off by the Bawku Police on the hideout of the suspects alleged to be involved in the firing incident at Bawku, troops conducted cordon and search operations together with Bawku Police at Pateleme General Area. Three suspects, Fatau Alhassan Binda, aged 42, Abubakar Iddrisu, aged 44 and Alhassan Mustapha Binda, aged 33, all from the Dagomba tribe were arrested in a house at Pateleme. They were handed over to the Bawku Police for further investigations. In a separate incident, sporadic firing was heard around Sabongari General Area. A Patrol Team dispatched to assess the situation spotted unknown armed men at Gozesi-Valley side in Sabongari wearing black T-shirts with Black Hoodies. Troops engaged them and neutralized six (6) armed men. During the engagement, some armed men took cover in a mud house within the immediate vicinity to engage the Team. One of the armed men attempted to attack troops with a cutlass but was disarmed in the process. During the operation. a local woman found with a gunshot injury on left-hand was sent to Bawku Presbyterian Hospital by troops for treatment. Following these incidents and the false allegations making the rounds, it has become necessary for GAF to disclose these outcomes in order to dispel false information and the wrong notion that a particular group is being targeted bt troops in Bawku. The Ghana Armed Forces therefore once again wishes to assure the general public of its commitment to protecting the citizenry at all times. It is therefore soliciting the support of all peaceloving Ghanaians especially indigenes of Bawku to facilitate the process of bringing normalcy to the area and also to aid GAF in de-escalating tension in the interest of the needed peace and security for the socio-economic development of Bawku and the nation as a whole. SIGNED MICHAEL ADDO LARBI Naval Captain Director Public Relations Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The spokesperson for the Civil Society Organization in the Extractive Industry, Dr. Steve Manteaw says the Gold for Oil policy cannot help reduce the high fuel prices in the country. It comes after ranking member of the mines and energy committee in parliament, John Jinapor, told Naa Dedei Tettey on the Morning Starr that the Deputy Minister for Energy, Andrew Egyapa Mercer had disclosed on a panel that the first consignment of oil was purchased with the cash from the bank of Ghana. The Minority in Parliament is calling for the suspension of the programme until full disclosure and consultation with stakeholders are done. The government has received 40,000 metric tons of fuel as the first consignment of the policy. Commenting on policy on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey Thursday Dr. Manteaw stated that the quantity received into the country does not match up to 10% of the countrys monthly consumption. First and foremost the government itself projects that our monthly consumption of petroleum products is in the region of 350,000 metric tons. Now I do not understand why the government is so clear about our monthly consumption and yet he chose to bring it to just 40,000 metric tons which is a little bit over 10% of our monthly consumption, he stated. The spokesperson further stated that Ghanaians should kill the hope that the petroleum products received under the Gold for Oil can have any effect on the market prices of fuel. I did not anticipate that it will have any meaningful impact on the petroleum pricing. It means that the difference will be supplied through other means. The difference is actually bigger than what the government has brought in and therefore its effect on pricing wouldnt be anything substantial. We wont feel the impact at all unless the government is ready to bring in the full quantity that we consume on a monthly basis. Then at least we can say that for a particular month we will feel the impact. But if you are under-supplying to the market then of course you are not going to be able to affect the market prices, he added. Source: starrfm.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 The Yamoransa Nkusukum Traditional Council in the Central Region has annulled the installation of gay activist, Davis Mac Iyalla, as Amankorehen of the area. The Paramount Chief of Nkusukum Traditional Area, Okesse Essandoh IX, renounced the title conferred on Mr Iyalla at a press conference. The Amankorehen is the development chief who usually promotes activities that accelerate the development of an area and it is usually given to persons and even foreigners who have contributed to the development of a community. But addressing journalists, the chief said that the process was halted immediately after information reached them that he [Mr Iyalla] supports LGBTQ+ activities. He stressed the traditional authorities going forward will have no connection with Mr Iyalla, stating his activities in the area will be closely monitored to avoid him bringing shame to the community. The Nigerian-born Ghanaian and British citizen was installed last weekend at a ceremony attended by several traditional authorities from Osu in Accra, Elmina, Mankessim and Cape Coast. However, he fell from the palanquin while he was being hoisted about as part of rituals to familiarise himself with his subjects, as captured in a trending video. But the chief explained that although the elders did a background check on Mr Lyalla, they found out about his activism on the day of the instalment. The fall from the palanquin, therefore, according to him, was an instruction to the carriers to bring him down after reports about his activism went viral on the day. Source: adomonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Flash Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang (R) holds talks with Csaba Korosi, president of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in Beijing, China, Feb. 2, 2023. [Photo/Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs] Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang held talks with Csaba Korosi, president of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in Beijing on Thursday. Qin said that the world today faces an endless stream of challenges, and all parties have high hopes for the United Nations, adding that it should continue to play an important role in global governance. He said the United Nations should uphold peace and security, and safeguard fairness and justice, while upholding universal benefit and inclusiveness, staying true to multilateralism, abandoning ideological confrontation, and promoting mutual learning among civilizations. "The United Nations General Assembly is the most universal and representative charter body of the United Nations," he said. "China will continue to fully support the work of the General Assembly and its President." China's development is a growing force for peace and justice, Qin noted, adding that China will uphold true multilateralism, promote the overall progress of mankind with Chinese-style modernization, and bring new opportunities to the world with China's new development. For his part, Korosi said that China is an important partner of the United Nations and thanked China for its strong support of the United Nations over the years. The United Nations attaches great importance to China's influence and leadership as a major country and has always adhered to the one-China principle, he said. Minister of Education Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum has acknowledged the massive and excellent contributions of the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Gas Company, Dr. Ben Asante, for his role in improving the educational infrastructure of the country since he assumed office as CEO of Ghana Gas in 2017. Dr. Yaw Adutwum was speaking on Joy News on Tuesday and singled out Ghana National Gas Company Limited as an institution that isn't only contributing massively towards improving the energy sector but also contributing extensively to building educational infrastructural in Ghana. Ghana Gas is doing excellent job building schools and invite us when they are about to open it," he said. "We dont even determine where to put it." Deputy Minister of Information Fatimatu Abubakar commended Dr. Ben Asante for his vision in managing the Gas sector in the country especially for saving the country $3 million a month and encouraged the company to continue to contribute to the socio-economic development of the gas industry and the country as a whole. Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Gas Dr. Ben Asante, was recently honoured as the best CEO in the public sector by FAKS Investigative Services. Ghana Gas has resolved to contribute to educational infrastructure, assuring it will help all Ghanaians, irrespective of background, to attain the needed qualification in the near future for development at all times. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video It took the intervention of soldiers from Kamina Barracks in Tamale to rescue workers of NEDCO after they were locked up and held hostage by staff and security officials of the University of Development Studies (UDS). The incident according to multiple media reports occurred when the employees of the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) visited the UDS City Campus to disconnect power supply over debts owed. The Loss Control Supervisor for NEDCo, Samuel Kumi in an interview with Adom News said the school owed the company as much as GH447, 000 in unpaid electricity bills. Upon the disconnection, the security and staff of the school locked the main gate of the campus and ordered them to reconnect the lights or they wouldnt allow them out, he stated. The Loss Control Officer said he reported the incident to the management of the company who called on the military to intervene. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Member of Parliament for North Tongu Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has reacted to the statement issued by the National Identification Authority (NIA) regarding the issuance of a Ghana card to Adu Gyamfi also known as Rev. Just Boateng. The NIA has described Ablakwas statement and allegations as lacking merit and asked the public to ignore him. Reacting to the response from the NIA, Ablakwa described the statement as meandering and circumlocutory. He said It is now a notorious fact that Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng was appointed to the Board of the National Cathedral of Ghana by President Akufo-Addo as Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng. It is also incontestable that the National Cathedral incorporation documents and other companies incorporated bear the name Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng. He has simultaneously used Kwabena Adu Gyamfi and acquired supporting national IDs for his fraudulent modus operandi. He has also denied making assertions that the man of God was issued with two different cards as stated by the NIA. And for the record, at no point did I assert that the NIA issued two cards with the names Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng and Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. I have been consistent in revealing that contrary to what many Ghanaians may expect, there is no Victor Kusi Boateng in the NIA database. "That was quite a piteous and mediocre attempt at discrediting an MP simply carrying out his constitutional oversight mandate. I shall duly ignore the other distortions and deliberate obfuscations. "The NIA may want to desist from pedestrian distortions and get to work with other state institutions with the objective of achieving credible data integration and thereby preventing collective embarrassment from another Rev. Victor Kusi BoatengKwabena Adu Gyamfi saga. Read his full response below Just read the meandering and circumlocutory statement from the NIA. The NIA clearly confirms my unimpeachable and unassailable finding that they issued a Ghana Card in the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi and with a different date of birth contrary to other IDs & incorporation documents issued by government. It is now a notorious fact that Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng was appointed to the Board of the National Cathedral of Ghana by President Akufo-Addo as Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng. It is also incontestable that the National Cathedral incorporation documents and other companies incorporated bear the name Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng. He has simultaneously used Kwabena Adu Gyamfi and acquired supporting national IDs for his fraudulent modus operandi. How pathetic and incredulous that despite all the verbose claims by the NIA of an integrated identification system, one individual styled as both Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng and Kwabena Adu Gyamfi has been incredibly successful at outwitting multiple state institutions with his double identity institutions which include the NIA, GRA, Office of the Registrar of Companies, DVLA and the Passport Office. This terribly exposes the shallowness of the NIAs integration grandstanding. And for the record, at no point did I assert that the NIA issued two cards with the names Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng and Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. I have been consistent in revealing that contrary to what many Ghanaians may expect, there is no Victor Kusi Boateng in the NIA database. That was quite a piteous and mediocre attempt at discrediting an MP simply carrying out his constitutional oversight mandate. I shall duly ignore the other distortions and deliberate obfuscations. The NIA may want to desist from pedestrian distortions and get to work with other state institutions with the objective of achieving credible data integration and thereby preventing collective embarrassment from another Rev. Victor Kusi BoatengKwabena Adu Gyamfi saga. Source: rainbow radio Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations with oversight responsibilities on Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, has disclosed that he does not take salary as a minister of state. According to him, he opted for the salary of a Member of Parliament (MP) based on his conviction when the president appointed him as minister. He said all his entitlements are that of an MP. He explained that he was comfortable with the emoluments of an MP. Mr Baffour Awuaj added that he decided to do so because he does not want to be caught in a double-salary web. The minister, who is the MP for the Sunyani West Constituency in the Bono Region, made this disclosure while speaking in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM on Wednesday, February 1, 2023. Source: class fm Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A security analyst, Dr. Adam Bonaa, has described Bawku in the Upper East Region as a complete war zone. This, according to him, has been confirmed by the 11th mechanised military unit based in Bawku, who claim they are also overwhelmed by the situation in Bawku. ...Bawku is a war zone; it doesnt look like the way we are describing it. It is a complete war zone, he emphasised. According to a myjoyonline.com report, some leaked audio by the youth of Bawku revealed that they could wipe out the whole of the military in Bawku. In recent days, I have intercepted some audios from young people in Bawku threatening that they have what it takes to flush out the military. You must be prepared to actually make such a statement and come out with such a statement, he added. Meanwhile, the Ghana Armed Forces has refuted allegations that its officers have been brutalising and killing civilians in Bawku. In a statement issued on Thursday, February 2, 2023, the army said that its officers only neutralised six unknown armed men at Sabongari, a suburb of Bawku, who were engaging in sporadic shooting. It added that one woman, a civilian, was injured during the shootout with the gunmen and was taken to a nearby hospital by the troops. The army also explained that another shooting incident happened when gunmen attacked passengers on a bus, which resulted in one civilian sustaining a gunshot wound. The armys response comes after some Ghanaians, including the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, accused them of the killing and abuse of some of his constituents, stating that he would go all out to ensure he got redress. According to a statement issued under the name of the MP on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, there were reported gunshots heard in the Bawku township. This, he added, was part of efforts by the military to ensure that it brought the situation under control, but things spiralled out of control, and, in the end, some six civilians are said to have been killed at the hands of the soldiers. He said that the people who were killed were first chased and then shot, per the information available to him. The MP added that one of the people who were killed was a little boy who had also gone into hiding, bringing the number of people killed to seven. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, a founding member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has endorsed Francis Addai-Nimoh's bid to become flagbearer ahead of NPPs presidential and parliamentary primaries geared towards the 2024 general elections. According to the NPP stalwart, Addai-Nimoh is a unifier who doesn't come with the political baggage of ethnicity and religion yet remains a formidable candidate who can lead the NPP into the next elections. He advanced that it would be wise for the party to consider the candidature of Francis Addai-Nimoh at this crucial time when the party needs someone to help them 'break the eight.' Now let me warn the delegates, I want the delegates to be very careful because if you miss this man, you will regret it terribly. This is a man with enormous experience, and he understands governance, this is a man who is peaceful and will not run this country down and de is a man the whole country should follow. "you see me here today because when I see Addai-Nimoh, I know we still have hope in our party. This is a man of integrity, accountability, humility, and professionalism, Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe said according to citinewsroom.com report. Meanwhile, prominent names that have popped up in the NPP flagbearership race include; Trade and Industry Minister Alan Kyerematen, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Agric Minister Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto. The latest to join the race was Addai-Nimoh, the former Member of Parliament who declared his intention to contest the NPPs flagbearership on February 1 2023. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video New Patriotic Party flagbearer hopeful, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong has rejected any possibility of becoming a running mate of Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia if he fails in his bid and the latter wins the contest. Appearing on Metro TVs Good Evening Ghana programme earlier this week, the Assin Central Member of Parliament affirmed his resolve to go throught the contest to the end but emphasised that he will not be a running mate should he lose. I will support him (Bawumia) as an NPP member, I will support him for his campaign but I dont want to be his running mate, he stated. Asked by the host, Paul Adom Otchere on what his contribution will be to a Bawumia campaign if the vice president wins the race, Kennedy Agyapong said he will go ahead and support his campaign but maintained that he will not be his running mate. If I dont win, I am a party member; I am party member I will help, he stated. The likes of Kennedy Agyapong, Kwabena Agyapong, Joe Ghartey, Dr Afriyie Akoto and Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, Francis Addai-Nimoh and Kofi Konadu Apraku have all announced their bids for the NPP flagbearership. Meanwhile, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia who is yet to officially announce his bid is tipped as a lead contender in the race. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former president John Dramani Mahama has been referred to severally as the presumptive presidential flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) going into the 2024 general elections. This is ahead of May 13, 2023 presidential primaries that are expected to formally elect the NDCs flagbearer for 2024. Mahama, who was president between 2012 and 2017, is being challenged by two opponents to show what he will do differently if given the nod after losing two successive reelection bids in 2016 and 2020 to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Member of Parliament for Assin Central had harsh words for Mahama in a recent interview, describing his desire as borne of greed and that he is not an option given his previous record in office. Agyapong who is an NPP flagbearer hopeful said on Metro TVs Good Evening Ghana programme earlier this week: If you compare the two governments, Akufo-Addo and Mahama, Mahama is not an alternative to Ghana because the man has been fortunate to succeed Atta Mills for two years. He has been fortunate to go one term which is four years, six years and we saw what happened in this country, so, what is he going to tell Ghanaians again. What is Mahama going to tell Ghanaians? he asked. On his part, Koku Anyidoho, a former deputy General Secretary of the NDC also asked Mahama to justify why he deserves to be returned in 2024. The avowed Mahama critic tweeted his challenge on February 2, 2023. If John Mahama wants to be President again for only four years, let him tell us what he will do differently, he tweeted. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The founder of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), Madam Akua Donkor announced her decision to contest the 2024 presidential election. The female politician was optimistic she would win the polls and emerge as the president of the republic. Madam Donkor stated that her policies to operate a free port and give media houses support, and free secondary education are key among the policies under her presidency. She has also disclosed that Adakabre Frimpong Manso, a Ghanaian veteran journalist would be her running mate. Madam Donkor who contested in the 2020 presidential election settled on the journalist as her tuning mate. She has decided to maintain him since she believes he is credible, trustworthy, incorruptible and a man of integrity. Speaking in an interview on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm, Madam Donkor said Adakabre was one of the individuals who encouraged her when she first contested the Assembly election. She said the journalist has been supportive and a pillar of her political journey and such a person is rare. Source: rainbow radio 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 Charles Owusu, a former Head of Monitoring Unit at the Forestry Commission, has declared his unflinching support for Alan Kyerematen to win the flagbearer position of the governing New Patriotic Party. "Politics is about interest . . . I support Mr. Alan Kyerematen," he stated categorically. With the New Patriotic Party (NPP) yet to set a date for their presidential and parliamentary primaries to elect their flagbearer and parliamentary representatives ahead of the 2024 general elections, supporters of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and former Trade Minister Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen have already begun rigorous campaigns for their favorite candidates. Mr. Alan Kyerematen has resigned and commenced his campaign with tours around the country. He recently visited the Manhyia Palace to meet Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and officially inform the Asantehene of his desire to contest the NPP flagbearer race. Dr. Bawumia's camp has also begun their campaigns through various forms and platforms although the Vice President hasn't yet declared to either contest the race or not. Speaking to Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's morning show "Kokrokoo", Charles Owusu explained why he supports Alan Kyerematen saying "I believe when the NPP goes to an early congress and choose Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, Ghanaians will have hope in him...Ghanaians respect him a lot". Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video You are here: World Flash China on Thursday urged certain Czech politician to cancel the wrong decision and stop sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a regular press briefing when asked to comment on the planned visit to Taiwan by the speaker of the Czech parliament in March. Noting that the Taiwan question is China's internal affair and concerns China's core interest, Mao said China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between its Taiwan region and countries having diplomatic ties with China. "We oppose any political manipulation using the Taiwan question." "We urge certain Czech politician to take China's position seriously, respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, cancel the wrong decision, and stop sending wrong signals to 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces," Mao said. The deputy Energy Minister, Andrew Egyapa Mercer believes the governments Gold-for-oil policy will alleviate the hike in fuel prices. He explained that Ghanas negotiation at the international level will determine the fuel prices in the country. Petroleum prices have a benchmark been sold for, but then there is a premium also for a country dealing with their natural commodities. So the level you negotiate your premium is how much you are able to save and pass on to your consumers, he explained on NEAT FMs morning show, 'Ghana Montie'. He also cleared earlier claims that the government paid for the first consignment of oil brought into Ghana under the Gold-for-Oil policy. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The global music industry is gearing up for one of its biggest nights of the year - the 65th Grammy Awards. With African artists receiving landmark nominations across different categories this year, Africa's most expansive music streaming and download platform, Boomplay, has announced a campaign to celebrate this feat. The streamer is providing its users with a free subscription to enjoy and discover music without any barriers and at no cost for the whole day on Monday, 6th February 2023, upon announcement of any African artist winning their category. Africa boasts eight nominations at this year's event, and at least one African artist is anticipated to bring home the coveted Grammys trophy at the end of the ceremony, setting up Boomplay users across the continent for a fitting celebration on the streaming platform. Tosin Sorinola, Boomplay's Director of Artist & Media Relations, shared, ''Boomplay has always been at the forefront of supporting African music and artists, and the free subscription initiative is another proof of our commitment to our mission to keep empowering the African music ecosystem to unlock its full potential. We are offering a free subscription to all our users for the celebration of African excellence in music at the 2023 Grammy awards". "With the one-day free subscription, music lovers can access our catalogue of over 95 million songs to stream ad-free content and download for offline play a perfect opportunity for music lovers to support and celebrate their favourite artists. We are very proud of the great strides African acts are making, putting African music on the map globally, and this is our way of cheering them on and showing our support.'' African music was duly represented when the Recording Academy released its list of nominees for the 65th Grammy Awards. Nigerian megastar Burna Boy and Beninese legend Angelique Kidjo are nominated in the Best Global Music Album category, while Ghana's Rocky Dawuni, Uganda's Eddy Kenzo, South Africa's Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini and Nombeco Zikode and Burna Boy are all up for Best Global Performance. Remarkably, outside the Global Music categories, Nigeria's Tems is nominated in the Best Melodic Rap Performance and Best Rap Song categories for her collaboration with Drake and Future on the charts-topping "Wait for You" song. Angelique Kidjo is also nominated in the Best Song Written for Visual Media category for her Woman King Song, "Keep Rising". Noted for its easy-to-use features and high-quality audio streaming, Boomplay offers an extensive library of songs and podcasts, as well as specially curated playlists from various genres and artists, updated regularly to ensure the latest hits are available. Boomplay users can create playlists, discover new music through personalized recommendations, and listen to songs offline. The streaming platform offers ad-free and offline playback of downloaded songs via affordable daily, weekly and monthly subscriptions and data bundle packages following its strategic partnerships with related telecommunication companies. More details on the #BoomplayFreeSubscription campaign can be found here:https://www.boomplay.com/share/buzz/4155442 Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Artists conception of a rocky Earth-mass exoplanet like Wolf 1069 b orbiting a red dwarf star. If the planet had retained its atmosphere, chances are high that it would feature liquid water and habitable conditions over a wide area of its dayside. Credit: NASA/Ames Research Center/Daniel Rutter A newly discovered exoplanet could be worth searching for signs of life. Analyses by a team led by astronomer Diana Kossakowski of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy describe a planet that orbits its home star, the red dwarf Wolf 1069, in the habitable zone. This zone includes distances around the star for which liquid water can exist on the surface of the planet. In addition, the planet named Wolf 1069 b has an Earth-like mass. Very likely, this planet is a rocky planet that may also have an atmosphere. This makes the planet one of the few promising targets to search for signs of life-friendly conditions and biosignatures. When astronomers search for planets outside our solar system, they are particularly interested in Earth-like planets. Of the more than 5,000 exoplanets they have discovered so far, only about a dozen have an Earth-like mass and populate the habitable zone, the range in a planetary system where water can maintain its liquid form on the planet's surface. With Wolf 1069 b, the number of such exoplanets on which life could have evolved has increased by one candidate. A planet with eternal day and night Detecting such low-mass planets is still a major challenge. Diana Kossakowski and her team at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg have taken on this task. As part of the Carmenes project, an instrument was developed specifically for the search of potentially habitable worlds. The Carmenes team is using this apparatus at the Calar Alto Observatory in Spain. "When we analyzed the data of the star Wolf 1069, we discovered a clear, low-amplitude signal of what appears to be a planet of roughly Earth mass," says Diana Kossakowski. "It orbits the star within 15.6 days at a distance equivalent to one-fifteenth of the separation between the Earth and the sun," The results of the study have now been published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. Simulated surface temperature map of Wolf 1069 b, assuming an Earth-like atmosphere. The map is centered at point that always faces the star. The temperatures are given in Kelvin. 273.15 Kelvin corresponds to zero degree Celsius. Liquid water would be possible on the planets surface inside the red circle. Credit: Kossakowski et al (2023) / MPIA According to the study, the surface of the dwarf star is relatively cool and thus appears orange-reddish. "As a result, the so-called habitable zone is shifted inwards," Kossakowski explains. Despite its close distance to the central star, the planet Wolf 1069 b therefore receives only about 65% of the incident radiant power of what Earth receives from the sun. These special conditions make planets around red dwarf stars like Wolf 1069 potentially friendly to life. In addition, they may all share a special property. Their rotation is probably tidally locked to the orbit of its host star. In other words, the star always faces the same side of the planet. So there is eternal day, while on the other side it is always night. This is also the reason why we always face the same side of the moon. Climate simulations for exoplanets If Wolf 1069 b is assumed to be a bare and rocky planet, the average temperature even on the side facing the star would be just minus 23 degrees Celsius. However, according to existing knowledge, it is quite possible that Wolf 1069 b has formed an atmosphere. Under this assumption its temperature could have increased to plus 13 degrees, as computer simulations with climate models show. Under these circumstances, water would remain liquid and life-friendly conditions could prevail, because life as we know it depends on water. An atmosphere is not only a precondition for the emergence of life from a climatic point of view. It would also protect Wolf 1069 b from high-energy electromagnetic radiation and particles that would destroy possible biomolecules. The radiation and particles either stem from interstellar space or from the central star. If the star's radiation is too intense, it can also strip off a planet's atmosphere, as it did for Mars. But as red dwarf, Wolf 1069 emits only relatively weak radiation. Thus, an atmosphere may have been preserved on the newly discovered planet. It is even possible that the planet has a magnetic field that protects it from charged stellar wind particles. Many rocky planets have a liquid core, which generates a magnetic field via the dynamo effect, similar to planet Earth. Illustration that compares three exoplanet systems of red dwarf stars hosting Earth-mass planets. The green rings indicate the individual habitable zones. Credit: MPIA graphics department/J. Neidel The difficult search for Earth-mass exoplanets There has been immense progress in the search for exoplanets since the first of its kind was discovered 30 years ago. Still, the signatures that astronomers look for to detect planets with Earth-like masses and diameters are relatively weak and hard to extract from the data. The Carmenes team is looking for small periodic frequency shifts in the stellar spectra. These shifts are expected to arise when a companion pulls on the host star by its gravity, causing it to wobble. As a result. the frequency of the light measured on Earth changes due to the Doppler effect. In the case of Wolf 1069 and its newly discovered planet, these fluctuations are large enough to be measured. One of the reasons is that the mass difference between the star and planet is relatively small, causing the star to wobble around the shared center of mass more prominently than in other cases. From the periodic signal, the mass of the planet can be estimated, as well. Only a handful of candidates for future exoplanet characterization At a distance of 31 light-years, Wolf 1069 b is the sixth closest Earth-mass planet in the habitable zone around its host star. It belongs to a small group of objects, such as Proxima Centauri b and Trappist-1 e, that are candidates for biosignature searches. However, such observations are currently beyond the capabilities of astronomical research. "We will probably have to wait another ten years for this," Kossakowski points out. The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction in Chile, may be able to study the composition of the atmospheres of those planets and possibly even detect molecular evidence of life. More information: D. Kossakowski et al, The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs. Wolf 1069 b: Earth-mass planet in the habitable zone of a nearby, very low-mass starr, Astronomy & Astrophysics (2023). DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202245322 Journal information: Astronomy & Astrophysics This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The glowing accretion disk around the black hole Sagittarius A*, at the center of the Milky Way, was imaged in 2022. Credit: EHT Collaboration Black holes are bizarre things, even by the standards of astronomers. Their mass is so great, it bends space around them so tightly that nothing can escape, even light itself. And yet, despite their famous blackness, some black holes are quite visible. The gas and stars these galactic vacuums devour are sucked into a glowing disk before their one-way trip into the hole, and these disks can shine more brightly than entire galaxies. Stranger still, these black holes twinkle. The brightness of the glowing disks can fluctuate from day to day, and nobody is entirely sure why. We piggy-backed on NASA's asteroid defense effort to watch more than 5,000 of the fastest-growing black holes in the sky for five years, in an attempt to understand why this twinkling occurs. In a new paper in Nature Astronomy, we report our answer: a kind of turbulence driven by friction and intense gravitational and magnetic fields. Gigantic star-eaters We study supermassive black holes, the kind that sit at the centers of galaxies and are as massive as millions or billions of suns. Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, has one of these giants at its center, with a mass of about four million suns. For the most part, the 200 billion or so stars that make up the rest of the galaxy (including our sun) happily orbit around the black hole at the center. However, things are not so peaceful in all galaxies. When pairs of galaxies pull on each other via gravity, many stars may end up tugged too close to their galaxy's black hole. This ends badly for the stars: they are torn apart and devoured. We are confident this must have happened in galaxies with black holes that weigh as much as a billion suns, because we can't imagine how else they could have grown so large. It may also have happened in the Milky Way in the past. Black holes can also feed in a slower, more gentle way: by sucking in clouds of gas blown out by geriatric stars known as red giants. Feeding time In our new study, we looked closely at the feeding process among the 5,000 fastest-growing black holes in the universe. In earlier studies, we discovered the black holes with the most voracious appetite. Last year, we found a black hole that eats an Earth's-worth of stuff every second. In 2018, we found one that eats a whole sun every 48 hours. But we have lots of questions about their actual feeding behavior. We know material on its way into the hole spirals into a glowing "accretion disk" that can be bright enough to outshine entire galaxies. These visibly feeding black holes are called quasars. Most of these black holes are a long, long way awaymuch too far for us to see any detail of the disk. We have some images of accretion disks around nearby black holes, but they are merely breathing in some cosmic gas rather than feasting on stars. Five years of flickering black holes In our new work, we used data from NASA's ATLAS telescope in Hawaii. It scans the entire sky every night (weather permitting), monitoring for asteroids approaching Earth from the outer darkness. These whole-sky scans also happen to provide a nightly record of the glow of hungry black holes, deep in the background. Our team put together a five-year movie of each of those black holes, showing the day-to-day changes in brightness caused by the bubbling and boiling glowing maelstrom of the accretion disk. The twinkling of these black holes can tell us something about accretion disks. In 1998, astrophysicists Steven Balbus and John Hawley proposed a theory of "magneto-rotational instabilities" that describes how magnetic fields can cause turbulence in the disks. If that is the right idea, then the disks should sizzle in regular patterns. They would twinkle in random patterns that unfold as the disks orbit. Larger disks orbit more slowly with a slow twinkle, while tighter and faster orbits in smaller disks twinkle more rapidly. But would the disks in the real world prove this simple, without any further complexities? (Whether "simple" is the right word for turbulence in an ultra-dense, out-of-control environment embedded in intense gravitational and magnetic fields where space itself is bent to breaking point is perhaps a separate question.) Using statistical methods we measured how much the light emitted from our 5,000 disks flickered over time. The pattern of flickering in each one looked somewhat different. But when we sorted them by size, brightness and color, we began to see intriguing patterns. We were able to determine the orbital speed of each diskand once you set your clock to run at the disk's speed, all the flickering patterns started to look the same. This universal behavior is indeed predicted by the theory of "magneto-rotational instabilities". That was comforting! It means these mind-boggling maelstroms are "simple" after all. And it opens new possibilities. We think the remaining subtle differences between accretion disks occur because we are looking at them from different orientations. The next step is to examine these subtle differences more closely and see whether they hold clues to discern a black hole's orientation. Eventually, our future measurements of black holes could be even more accurate. More information: Ji-Jia Tang et al, Universality in the random walk structure function of luminous quasi-stellar objects, Nature Astronomy (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-022-01885-8 Journal information: Nature Astronomy This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Map of study sites across the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Herbaceous vegetation was quantified as greenery under three meters in height, impervious surface was the area of pavement and built infrastructure. Top left is an enlarged view highlighting the herbaceous vegetation (bright green) and impervious surface (gray) in 500 meter buffers around each site. Abbreviated site names are adjacent to each site. Map Base layer: Google 2019, Map data: Montreal Metropolitan Community, 20112021. Credit: PeerJ (2023). DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14699 A new study published in PeerJ has provided insights into how western honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) in urban areas may represent a new threat to wild bee communities. On the Island of Montreal, Canada there has been a particularly large increase in beekeeping across the city. The study examined the wild bee communities and floral resources across a gradient of honey bee abundances in urban greenspaces in 2020, and compared the bee communities at the same sites before and after the large influx of honey bees. The research found a negative relationship between urban beekeeping, pollen availability, and wild bee species richness. It also found that honey bee abundance had the strongest negative effect on small wild bee species richness. The study found: Wild bee populations can fluctuate largely in space and time, however, the analyses of the bee and floral community in 2020, and the comparison to the bee community in 2013, strongly suggests a negative relationship between high-density urban beekeeping and wild bee richness. Urban floral communities are often dominated by exotic and cultivated plants, and native bees tend to prefer native plants, exotic bees are thought to have an advantage in urban environments Small bee species (ITS <2.25 mm) were influenced by the presence of managed honey bees. The analyses of the small wild bee community (57% of all wild bees sampled) showed a decline in richness with honey bee abundance across both sites and years, not seen in the large bee community. Despite the natural spatiotemporal variation in bee community composition and the complexity of competitive interactions among bee species, the study detected a significantly negative relationship between honeybee abundance and wild bee richness. However, the study is correlative by design, and provides only indirect evidence of exploitative competition. Negative correlations between honey bee populations and wild bee diversity cannot be interpreted as direct evidence for competitive exclusion. To complement field studies, more experimental investigations of the fitness impacts of honey bees on wild bee species over multiple years are needed to further our understanding of interspecies competition, and provide reliable estimates of the carrying capacity of cities for honey bees. More information: Gail MacInnis et al, Decline in wild bee species richness associated with honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) abundance in an urban ecosystem, PeerJ (2023). DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14699 Journal information: PeerJ Provided by PeerJ This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A mile below the surface in South Dakota in an abandoned gold mine, using a detector that is part of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment, a UMD physics team is hunting for a yet-undiscovered particle that could explain the mystery of dark matter in the universe. Credit: Matthew Kapust, Sanford Underground Research Facility Nestled in the mountains of western South Dakota is the little town of Lead, which bills itself as "quaint" and "rough around the edges." Visitors driving past the hair salon or dog park may never guess that an unusualeven otherworldlyexperiment is happening a mile below the surface. A research team that includes University of Maryland physics faculty members and graduate students hopes to lure a hypothesized particle from outer space to the town's Sanford Underground Research Facility, housed in a former gold mine that operated at the height of the 1870s gold rush. They're prospecting for WIMPsno, not 97-pound weaklings, but "weakly interacting massive particles," which are thought to have formed when the universe was just a microsecond old and which may exist unseen all around us. The research facility suits this type of search because the depth prevents the intrusion of cosmic rays, which would otherwise interfere with experiments. If WIMPs are observed, they could hold clues to some of the most perplexing problems in physics: the nature of the mysterious, hypothetical substance called "dark matter" and the very structure of the universe itself. Just getting started The UMD team is led by physics Professor Carter Hall, who has been looking for dark matter for 15 years. Excited by the possibility of observing unexplained physical phenomena, Hall joined the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment, an earlier instrument at the Sanford Lab that attempted to detect dark matter from 2012 to 2016. LUX was the most sensitive WIMP dark matter detector in the world until 2018. Its successor at Sanford, the new and improved LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment, launched last year. Hall believes LZ, which was specifically designed to search for WIMPS and has a significantly larger target, has even better odds of detecting or ruling them out as a dark matter candidate. The discovery of WIMPS could help account for the missing 85% of the universe's masswhich calculations predict must exist, but can't be seen. Unlike experiments conducted at particle smashers like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Switzerland, the LZ attempts to directly observerather than manufacturedark matter. Anwar Bhatti, a research professor in UMD's Department of Physics, said there are pros and cons to both approaches. He worked at the LHC from 2005 to 2013 and is now part of the LZ team at UMD. Bhatti said the odds of finding irrefutable proof of WIMPs are slim, but he hopes previously undiscovered particles will show up in their experiment, leaving a trail of clues in their wake. "There's a chance we will see hints of dark matter, but whether it's conclusive remains to be seen," Bhatti said. UMD physics graduate students John Armstrong, Eli Mizrachi, and John Silk are also part of this experiment, and the team published its first set of results in July 2022 following a few months of data collection. No dark matter was detected, but their results show that the experiment is running smoothly. Researchers expect to continue collecting data for up to five years. "That was just a little taste of the data," Hall said. "It convinced us that the experiment is working well, and we were able to rule out certain types of WIMPs that had not been explored before. We're currently the world's most sensitive WIMP search." In the LZ experiment, bursts of light are produced by particle collisions. Researchers then work backward, using the characteristics of these flashes of light to determine the type of particle as they search for a type known as a WIMP (weakly interacting massive particle), a candidate for dark matter. Credit: LUX-ZEPLIN collaboration Sparks in the dark These direct searches for dark matter can only be conducted underground because researchers need to eliminate surface-level cosmic radiation, which can muddle dark matter signals and make them easier to miss. "Here, on the surface of the Earth, we're constantly being bathed in cosmic particles that are raining down upon us. Some of them have come from across the galaxy and some of them have come across the universe," Hall explained. "Our experiment is about a mile underground, and that mile of rock absorbs almost all of those conventional cosmic rays. That means that we can look for some exotic component which doesn't interact very much and would not be absorbed by the rock." In the LZ experiment, bursts of light are produced by particle collisions. Researchers then work backward, using the characteristics of these flashes of light to determine the type of particle. The UMD research group calibrates the instrument that powers the LZ experiment, which involves preparing and injecting tritiuma radioactive form of hydrogeninto a liquefied form of xenon, an extremely dense gas. Once mixed, the radioactive mixture is pumped throughout the instrument, which is where the particle collisions can be observed. The researchers then analyze the mixture's decay to determine how the instrument responds to background events that are not dark matter. By process of elimination, the researchers learn the types of interactions areand aren'timportant. "That tells us what dark matter does not look like, so what we're going to be looking for in the dark matter search data are events that don't fit that pattern," Hall said. Rewriting the physics playbook? The researchers will not know if they found dark matter until their next data set is released. This could take at least a year, because they want the sensitivity of the second data set to significantly exceed that of the first, which requires a larger amount of data overall. If detected, these WIMP particles would prompt a massive overhaul of the Standard Model of particle physics, which explains the fundamental forces of the universe. While this experiment could answer pressing questions about the universe, there is a good chance it will also create new ones. "It would mean that a lot of our basic ideas about the fundamental constituents of nature would need to be revised in one way or another," Hall said. "Understanding how that would fit into particle physics as we know it would immediately become the big challenge for the next generation of particle physicists." For now, Hall and his colleagues continue searching for an exotic space particle in the former minethe physics equivalent of striking gold. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The landscape near Grande Prairie, Alta. contains fossils from the Late Cretaceous period. Credit: Shutterstock Alberta has been ground zero for dinosaur discoveries in Canada since the 1880s, when several Geological Survey of Canada expeditions collected dinosaur bones from the southern part of the province. The most significant specimens tended to come from the badlands along the Red Deer River, including the highly productive ones in what is now aptly called Dinosaur Provincial Park. Exciting finds continue to be made in those badlands every year, but northern Alberta has been much less extensively explored from a paleontological perspective. However, a Late Cretaceous period geological unit called the Wapiti Formation has emerged in recent decades as an important source of dinosaurs and other fossils. Discovering vertebrates Last year, I coauthored a study, led by Federico Fanti of the University of Bologna, of the vertebrates from the fossil-rich middle part of the Wapiti Formation, called Wapiti Unit 3. Unfortunately, the Grande Prairie area, where the paleontologically richest known exposures of the Wapiti Formation are located, isn't the easiest place to go looking for fossils. In the dry southern badlands, the sparseness of the vegetation leaves extensive areas of bare, weathered rock that can be searched for specimens relatively quickly and easily. Grande Prairie, on the other hand, is in a heavily forested part of Alberta, where rock exposure is mostly limited to the banks of waterways. Sometimes we use boats, but fossil hunting in the Wapiti Formation often entails trudging along the riverbeds, searching small, steep patches of exposed rockwhat geologists call "outcrop"for precious bones and teeth. Fossils from the DC Bonebed, including a bony plate from a sturgeon (top left), a shell fragment from a soft-shelled turtle (top right), a vertebra from Champsosaurus (bottom left) and a hip bone from a caenagnathid dinosaur (bottom right). Credit: Robin L. Sissons, Author provided Dinosaur evolution My collaborators and I see two compelling reasons to pursue our Wapiti fieldwork. First, Grande Prairie is about 4.5 degrees north of Dinosaur Provincial Park now, and in the Late Cretaceous the difference in latitude would have been similar. It's possible that during the Late Cretaceous, the Grande Prairie area was home to a northern ecological community that differed in composition from those present in other parts of southern Alberta. Second, the Wapiti Formation may provide information about dinosaur evolution during a short but interesting interval of geological time. During the Cretaceous, sea levels were so high that ocean waters spilled into the central part of the North American continent, creating the Western Interior Seaway that divided the western land mass of Laramidia from the eastern land mass of Appalachia. What is now Alberta was more or less on the east coast of Laramidia. The Bearpaw Gap There was a period of some 1.2 million years when sea levels were so high that much of southern Alberta was covered by the Western Interior Seaway, resulting in the deposition of marine rocks known as the Bearpaw Formation. This interval of marine sedimentationthe Bearpaw Gapseparates the geologically older Dinosaur Park Formation from the geologically younger Horseshoe Canyon Formation. The Dinosaur Park and Horseshoe Canyon Formations contain rather different faunas of dinosaurs and other terrestrial vertebrates. There must have been an abrupt or gradual transition from a Dinosaur Park-style ecological community to a Horseshoe Canyon-style one. But exactly how and when this transition took place is unclear, because the Bearpaw Gap obscures patterns of changes on land during the critical interval. Bones of prehistoric animals of the Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alta. Credit: Shutterstock Critical evidence What is now the Grande Prairie area, however, remained high and dry. This means that the Wapiti Formation preserves an unbroken record of terrestrial vertebrate life from the entire time period represented by the Dinosaur Park, Bearpaw and Horseshoe Canyon Formations. Better yet, Wapiti Unit 3 falls within the time range of the Bearpaw Gap, and can therefore shed light on the nature of the transition from the Dinosaur Park fauna to the Horseshoe Canyon fauna. The most important evidence comes from a Wapiti Unit 3 locality called the DC Bonebed, which contains a diverse sample of small to medium-sized vertebrate bones and teeth. The DC Bonebed sample bears some important resemblances to the vertebrate fauna from the Dinosaur Park Formation, including the presence of the turtle Plesiobaena antiqua. Other species from the Dinosaur Park Formation that have close, though not necessarily identical, counterparts from the DC Bonebed include the dinosaur Chirostenotes pergracilis (a strange, toothless relative of birds) and the marsupial mammal Eodelphis browni. The sample from the DC Bonebed is also like the fauna from the Dinosaur Park Formation, but unlike the fauna from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, in the mixture of turtles that is present and the occurrence of crocodilians. Different fossil records The Wapiti Unit 3 assemblage is not exactly identical to its counterpart from the Dinosaur Park Formation. Sturgeons are unusually abundant in the DC Bonebed, as is a crocodilian-like Cretaceous reptile called Champsosaurus, whereas amphibians and true crocodilians are surprisingly rare. The DC Bonebed and other Wapiti Unit 3 localities provide strong evidence that a broadly Dinosaur Park-like ecosystem existed in Alberta during the Bearpaw Gap, and was then rapidly replaced by the Horseshoe Canyon ecosystem when sea levels fell. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: These sulfurous plumes in Laugavegur, Iceland, are not recorded by satellite observations. Ice core analysis shows that such plumes have a much larger effect on the level of aerosols in the atmosphere than previously believed. Credit: Ursula Jongebloed/University of Washington Volcanoes draw plenty of attention when they erupt. But new research led by the University of Washington shows that volcanoes leak a surprisingly high amount of their atmosphere- and climate-changing gases in their quiet phases. A Greenland ice core shows that volcanoes quietly release at least three times as much sulfur into the Arctic atmosphere than estimated by current climate models. The study, led by the University of Washington and published Jan. 2 in Geophysical Research Letters, has implications for better understanding Earth's atmosphere and its relationship with climate and air quality. "We found that on longer timescales the amount of sulfate aerosols released during passive degassing is much higher than during eruptions," said first author Ursula Jongebloed, a UW doctoral student in atmospheric sciences. "Passive degassing releases at least 10 times more sulfur into the atmosphere, on decadal timescales, than eruptions, and it could be as much as 30 times more." The international team analyzed layers of an ice core from central Greenland to calculate levels of sulfate aerosols between the years 1200 and 1850. The authors wanted to look at the sulfur emitted by marine phytoplankton, which were previously believed to be the biggest source of atmospheric sulfate in pre-industrial times. "We don't know what the natural, pristine atmosphere looks like, in terms of aerosols," said senior author Becky Alexander, a UW professor of atmospheric sciences. "Knowing that is a first step to better understanding how humans have influenced our atmosphere." The team deliberately avoided any major volcanic eruptions and focused on the pre-industrial period, when it's easier to distinguish the volcanic and marine sources. "We were planning to calculate the amount of sulfate coming out of volcanoes, subtract it and move on to study marine phytoplankton," Jongebloed said. "But when I first calculated the amount from volcanoes, we decided that we needed to stop and address that." The location of the ice core at the center of the Greenland Ice Sheet records emissions from sources over a wide swath of North America, Europe and surrounding oceans. While this result applies only to geologic sources within that area, including volcanoes in Iceland, the authors expect it would apply elsewhere. This plume escaping from a lake near the summit of Oregon's Mount Hood, seen in May 2021, is not captured by satellite observations. Ice core analysis shows that such plumes have a much larger effect on the level of aerosols in the atmosphere than previously believed. Credit: Ursula Jongebloed/University of Washington "Our results suggest that volcanoes, even in the absence of major eruptions, are twice as important as marine phytoplankton," Jongebloed said. The discovery that non-erupting volcanoes leak sulfur at up to 3 times the rate previously believed is important for efforts to model past, present and future climate. Aerosol particles, whether from volcanoes, vehicle tailpipes or factory chimneys, block some solar energy. If the natural levels of aerosols are higher, that means the rise and fall of human emissionspeaking with the acid rain of the 1970s and then dropping with the Clean Air Act and increasingly strict air quality standardshave had less of an effect on temperature than previously believed. "There's sort of a 'diminishing returns' effect of sulfate aerosols, the more that you have, the less the effect of additional sulfates," Jongebloed said. "When we increase volcanic emissions, which increases the baseline of sulfate aerosols, we decrease the effect that the human-made aerosols have on the climate by up to a factor of two." That means Arctic warming in recent decades is showing more the full effects of rising heat-trapping greenhouse gases, which is by far the main control on Earth's average temperature. "It's not good news or bad news for climate," Jongebloed said of the result. "But if we want to understand how much the climate will warm in the future, it helps to have better estimates for aerosols." Better estimates for aerosols can improve global climate models. "We think that the missing emissions from volcanoes are from hydrogen sulfide," said Alexander, referring to the gas that smells like rotten eggs. "We think that the best ways to improve these estimates of volcanic emissions is to really think about the hydrogen sulfide emissions." More information: U. A. Jongebloed et al, Underestimated Passive Volcanic Sulfur Degassing Implies Overestimated Anthropogenic Aerosol Forcing, Geophysical Research Letters (2023). DOI: 10.1029/2022GL102061 Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0 Chris Birmingham, 2012. (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kakapo_Sirocco_1.jpg) A new study published in PeerJ has provided crucial insights into the factors that affect the fertility of the critically endangered kakapo, a flightless parrot species native to New Zealand. The results of the study have important implications for conservation management efforts aimed at improving the slow population growth of this species, and highlights the need for a balanced approach to conservation management, taking into account both the short-term benefits and potential long-term negative impacts of hand-rearing and other management strategies. The findings have immediate applications in kakapo conservation management: Hand-rearing should be limited as much as possible for males; a reversal from previous strategies in which retaining female chicks in nests was prioritized. Population densities should be maximized so that there are sufficient males at leks to ensure adequate mate choice for females, but such that the female:male sex ratio is kept as high as the habitat can support. Artificial insemination should also be continued, to ensure sufficient sperm competition and increase founder representation. Low productivity limits population recovery of the kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), with infrequent breeding, high infertility and low hatching success hampering conservation efforts. Kakapo breeding occurs irregularly, synchronized with the mass-fruiting (masting) of certain tree species, particularly the rimu tree (Dacrydium cupressinum), which only occurs every 24 years. Conservation strategies for wild-living threatened species such as the kakapo rely on improving survival and productivity to increase population growth. Methods such as habitat restoration and predator control are used to enhance survival, but it is often problems with reproductive output which most limit recovery. Hand-rearing, in which animals are raised in captivity by humans, is often used in threatened species conservation programs, primarily to increase productivity by improving survival during development to maturity. The study used Bayesian mixed models to examine the relationship between hand-rearing, other environmental factors, and clutch fertility in the kakapo. The results study suggests that some aspects of conservation management have inadvertently affected kakapo productivity by reducing clutch fertility. The management intervention of hand-rearing, while undoubtedly increasing chick survival, has decreased clutch fertility. The sex difference in this effect indicates that hand-rearing affects copulation behavior in males more than females, in accordance with imprinting behaviors found in hand-reared male but not female kakapo. The research also found that female copulation behaviorincluding polyandry and repeated copulationsis likely driven by high levels of sperm competition in kakapo to improve the likelihood of fertilization. The findings of this study indicate the critical importance of collecting detailed longitudinal data, and investigating similar impacts of hand-rearing and sex ratios in other threatened bird species. About the kakapo Up to 64 cm (25 in) in length, these flightless birds have finely blotched yellow-green plumage, a distinct facial disk, owl-style forward-facing eyes with surrounding disks of specially-textured feathers, a large gray beak, short legs, large blue feet, and relatively short wings and tail: a combination of traits making it unique among parrots. It is the world's only flightless parrot, the world's heaviest parrot, and also is nocturnal, herbivorous, visibly sexually dimorphic in body size, has a low basal metabolic rate, and does not have male parental care. It is the only parrot to have a polygynous lek breeding system. It is also possibly one of the world's longest-living birds, with a reported lifespan of up to 100 years. The kakapo is critically-endangered; the total known adult population is 249 living individuals, all of which are named and tagged, confined to four small islands off the coast of New Zealand that have been cleared of predators. The name kakapo is Maori, and translates as "night parrot." More information: Andrew Digby et al, Hidden impacts of conservation management on fertility of the critically endangered kakapo, PeerJ (2023). DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14675 Listen to the kakapo's calls: www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native- ds/birds-a-z/kakapo/ Journal information: PeerJ Provided by PeerJ This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The ExoMars mission's Rosalind Franklin just wanted to drill for signs of life, but will have to wait a little longer. War, budget cuts, a pandemic and a crash: For all its trials, Europe's ExoMars mission might be more deserving of the name Perseverance than NASA's Martian rover. But the European Space Agency still hopes the mission can launch in 2028 on its long-delayed quest to search for extraterrestrial life on the Red Planet. This time last year, the ESA's Rosalind Franklin rover was all ready for a September launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, planning to catch a ride on a Russian rocket and descend to the Martian surface on a Russian lander. Then Moscow invaded Ukraine in March, and sanctions imposed by the ESA's 22 member states led to Russia pulling out and the mission being suspended. It was just the latest blow for the hundreds of scientists who have been working on the project for more than two decades. First conceived in 2001, the ambitious program quickly proved too expensive for Europe, which has still to land a rover on Mars. The United States' space agency NASA stepped in to fill the funding gap in 2009. But three years later, budget cuts led to NASA pulling out. Help then came from an unexpected source: Russia's space agency Roscosmos. Together, the ESA and Roscosmos launched the Schiaparelli EDM module in 2016 as a test run for ExoMars. But when Schiaparelli arrived at Mars, a computer glitch caused it to crash into the surface and fall silent. That failure pushed back the launch of the joint Russian-European ExoMars mission to July 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed that date back to 2022, when it was again delayed by the invasion of Ukraine. Tricky Russian negotiations Late last year, the ESA's ministerial council agreed to kept the mission alive with an injection of 500 million euros ($540 million) over the next three years. David Parker, the ESA's director of human and robotic exploration, said last week that one of the arguments they put forward for continuing the mission was "that this is a unique piece of European science. "It's like James Webb," he said referring to the space telescope that has been sending back astonishing images of distant galaxies since 2022. "But it's for Marsit's that scale of ambition. The Rosalind Franklin rover can drill up to two meters below the surface of Mars. "This is the only mission that is foreseen that can actually find evidence of past life." But some significant hurdles remain that could make a 2028 launch difficultincluding that the ESA needs a new way to land its rover on Mars. The ESA will first have to recover European components, including an onboard computer and radar altimeter, from Russia's Kazachok lander, which is still at its assembly site in Turin, Italy. However only Russia can extract the components from the lander. Difficult negotiations have been underway for Russian experts to come and dismantle the lander. "We expected them in mid-January, but they didn't come," ESA ExoMars program team leader Thierry Blancquaert told AFP. "We asked them to have everything done by the end of March," he added. NASA to the rescue? To get off the ground, the new mission will depend on support from NASA, which has so far indicated it is happy to help. For its new lander, the ESA hopes to take advantage of US engines used to get NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance rovers onto the Martian surface. It will also have to rely on NASA for radioisotope heater units, after losing access to Russia's supply. These units keep the spacecraft warm. NASA has not yet voted on a budget that would support such efforts, but "we are preparing the collaborative work together and things are progressing well," Blancquaert said. Francois Forget, an astrophysicist at France's CNRS scientific research center, said that "this new impetus for cooperation is linked to the fact that this time, the US has a joint project with Europe: Mars Sample Return." The mission, planned for around 2030, is intended to return to Earth samples collected from Mars by both ExoMars and Perseverance, which touched down on the planet in July 2021. Unlike Perseverance, the Rosalind Franklin rover can drill up to two meters (6.5 feet) below the surface of Mars, where traces of possible ancient life could be better preserved. ExoMars' planned landing site is also in an area of Mars expected to have been more favorable to hosting past life. "We think there was a lot of water there," said Forget. "There is another Mars to explore, so even in 10 years' time the mission will not be obsolete," he added. 2023 AFP Flash An Iranian banking official said on Thursday that all Russian banks and 106 banks in 13 other countries have been connected to Iran's financial messaging system known as SEPAM, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported. With SEPAM, Iranian banks are no longer in need of the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) network, Mohsen Karimi, the deputy governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) for international affairs, told Tasnim. On Sunday, the CBI announced that the SEPAM and the Financial Messaging System of the Bank of Russia known as SPFS, a Russian equivalent of the SWIFT, were connected following the signing of a deal between the two central banks on the same day. The move was the first step of the joint action plan for banking cooperation between Iran and Russia agreed by the two countries' central banks last year, Tasnim quoted CBI Governor Mohammadreza Farzin as saying on Sunday. Iran and Russia, both under sanctions imposed by the United States, have been expanding their political and economic relations to counter the U.S. moves. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: P-22, seen here in 2019 while captured to replace the battery in his GPS collar. Credit: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area As Los Angeles prepares to celebrate the life of beloved mountain lion P-22 this weekend, mountain lion mortality maps from the University of California, Davis, show that many cougars suffer similar fates along California's roads and highways. The maps and accompanying report, created by the UC Davis Road Ecology Center, reveal that one or two mountain lions were killed every week on California roads and highways between 2015 and 2022. That number has decreased gradually over the past seven years, although whether that is due to declines in the mountain lion population itself or other factors is unclear. A statewide mountain lion population estimate is currently pending, and scientists are working on survival estimates to illuminate these questions. "We do know that, over time, extra mortality from cars, especially for small, isolated populations, adds significantly to the threats they already face," said Fraser Shilling, director of the UC Davis Road Ecology Center. "The tenacity of P-22 in life and the final tragedy of his death from a vehicle collision highlights the plight of mountain lions throughout California, constantly under threat from traffic while living their natural lives." Dangerous places for lions The maps show that Southern California and the Bay Area host the most dangerous roads for mountain lions, with local extinction becoming more likely each year. Particularly problematic highways include: I-280, south of San Francisco I-15, south of Temecula I-5 in Siskiyou County SR 74 (Ortega Highway) in the Santa Ana Mountains Red dots on this map indicate where individual mountain lions were killed between 2015 and 2022. Blue lines indicate priority wildlife movement barriers identified by CDFW in 2022, while green lines indicate priority barriers for wildlife movement where mountain lions were listed. Credit: UC Davis Road Ecology Center Mountain lion expert Winston Vickers, a UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine wildlife veterinarian, contributed data used in the maps' creation. "Regionally, parts of Southern California are especially dangerous for mountain lions, with traffic being the primary cause of death," Vickers said. "In other areas, direct conflict with livestock results in mountain lions being killed. The two together are clearly bad, especially for small, isolated populations. Busy freeways also cut off mountain lions from potential mates, severely decreasing their genetic diversity and threatening their existence." P-22: Hollywood legend P-22 was a wild mountain lion who became a Hollywood legend. He lived most of his 12 years in Griffith Park, where his image was famously captured walking beneath the Hollywood sign. Throughout his life, he evaded traffic, becoming the first known mountain lion to successfully cross the 405 and 101 freeways before settling in Griffith Park. There, he was cut off from other mountain lions that might continue his legacy. P-22 stares at a remote camera positioned in the Santa Monica Mountains in 2015. Credit: National Park Service Instead, his life became a symbol of the need for wildlife crossings and a reminder of wildness in even the most urban settings. His captivating face and story helped raise funds for the world's largest wildlife overpassthe Wallis-Annenberg Wildlife Overcrossingwhich broke ground last April to create a corridor between the Santa Monica mountains and areas to the north. P-22 was hit by a vehicle in December 2022. Already weakened before the collision by old age and other illnesses, he was euthanized on Dec. 17 because of health issues including kidney and heart disease, chronic weight loss and a parasitic skin infection. The public "P-22 Celebration of Life" is being held Saturday, Feb. 4, in Los Angeles at the Greek Theater in Griffith Park. Another mountain lion On Sunday, Jan. 22, another wild mountain lion, P-81, was found dead from a possible vehicle strike on the Pacific Coast Highway in the western Santa Monica Mountains. "Mountain lions in Southern California symbolize the capacity of America's lion to thrive, even in our largest megacities," said Mari Galloway, California program director for Wildlands Network. "But to discover yet another mountain lion killed by a vehicle as we prepare for P-22's memorial demands us to confront whether we are doing enough for our wild neighbors." This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The newly designed compact payload section will be launched on two sounding rockets to test a new capability to study the mesosphere, a layer of Earths atmosphere between approximately 31 and 53 miles (50-85 kilometers) altitude. Credit: NASA Wallops/Berit Bland NASA will test a new capability for supporting science research in the mesosphere with the launch of two rockets from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia on Feb. 9, 2023. The two Improved-Orion suborbital sounding rockets will launch about 30 minutes apart between 8-10 a.m. EST. A livestream of the launches will begin ~15 minutes before the first scheduled launch. The Wallops Visitor Center launch viewing area will be open at 7:30 a.m. for the launches, which may be visible in the Wallops area. The two rockets are part of an effort to advance the study of the mesosphere, a layer of Earth's atmosphere between approximately 31 and 53 miles (50-85 kilometers) altitude. The mesosphere is a key region for studying meteor ablation and dust, noctilucent clouds, and upper atmospheric chemistry and winds. To study the mesosphere thoroughly, there is a need for relatively inexpensive rockets that can be launched in quick succession over the course of several hours, including simultaneous launches along different angles to provide spatial coverage. These rockets and their payloads should also be relatively small to ensure the area being investigated is minimally disrupted during the experiment. The upcoming launches will use one of the smaller rockets in NASA's fleet to carry newly-designed compact payloads into the mesosphere. One payload has a four-inch diameter and is 71 inches long while the other has a nine-inch diameter and is 83 inches long. Both rockets are projected to carry their payloads to about 71 miles altitude, where they will test aerodynamic stability and performance of both the launch vehicle and payload designs. "The use of the nine-foot tall Orion motor, a surplus military rocket, looks feasible to meet the requirements," said Giovanni Rosanova, NASA's Sounding Rockets Program Office chief. "This will continue the history of the program using excess rockets for affordable scientific research." This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Anette Bringedal Houge uses experiences from her own research projects to discuss ethical dilemmas researchers face when working on sensitive topics. "As researchers, we have the responsibility for the stories we request, are told, analyze, and retell. Do our descriptions or representations of violence provide an increased understanding of the field, the victims, the abusers, the acts of violence, the consequences of the violence and its response? Or does it only contribute to more, and quite similar, descriptions of violence? To sensationalism, where the victim becomes a character in violent narratives?" Anette Bringedal Houge says. That researchers are reluctant to contribute to sensationalism of violence is important, Houge thinks. "When working on my Ph.D.-project on conflict-related sexual violence, I saw how much of the early literature on the subject described, in detail, how brutal violence could be. The shock effect, or sensationalism, gave attention to the subject," Houge says. Houge is currently researching production of evidence in rape cases, and is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Science at the University of Oslo. How should researchers write about violence that is sensational, without contributing to the sensationalism of violence? "Detailed, sensationalized descriptions of violence do something to our ability to understand and see the people behind the violence, and the complicated, structural causes of violence. We need to see more than monstrous abusers and broken victims," Houge says. Today, it has been a shift from the sensationalism of violence to emphasize the seriousness and the need to understand, analyze and deal with it, to a thorough criticism of these detailed descriptions. "This shiftthat my Ph.D.-project ended up in the middle offelt so right, important, and necessary that the pendulum perhaps swung too far in the opposite direction. Now we read articles and books about conflict-related violence, where the researchers do not describe the violence at all," Houge says. "This is a result of conscious choices, and increased awareness and understanding of what narratives about violence, abusers and victims do. But violence can be extremely brutal. The core of some forms of violence is precisely that it is excessive and brutal, in every way. How do we talk about violence that is sensational, without contributing to the sensationalism of violence?" In the article "Violent re-presentations: Reflections on the ethics of re-presentation in violence research," first published in Qualitative Research, Houge is reflecting on these questions. Practical research ethics is about discretion and balanceEthical guidelines for research describe research ethical norms, responsibilities and obligations, but a lot of research ethical practices are about balance. Different considerations are weighed against each other, and dilemmas are resolved by exercising discretion. In situations like these there is no definitive answer to what we should do, Houge says. Houge discusses ethical dilemmas researchers face when working on sensitive topics, such as sexual violence. She shares experiences from her own research projects, and situations she experienced as challenging. Both during field work and when the results are written about in publications. "In the article, I address several issues within research ethics, questions which I do not necessarily have the answers to myself. It is an invitation to reflect upon the ethics of re-presentation in violence research, Houge says. "Hopefully it also contributes to the literature on how we talk about and with people with vulnerable life situations and difficult life experiences in our research." Houge uses experiences from her own project to reflect on ethical challenges During her Ph.D.-project, Houge got the opportunity to travel to Bosnia-Herzegovina to interview various actors connected to the international criminal justice project, 20 years after the war. "I read many articles which criticized the way Western academics, journalists and activists talked about and sensationalized violence, and through this the people who have experienced violence and war crimes in the conflicts we write about, but which we have not lived through ourselves," Houge says. "When the opportunity to interview people who had experienced the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina understood and defined the role of criminal justice in relation to the conflict arose, it was an opportunity to include important perspectives on my own project." The interviewees were not asked to describe the violence they experienced during the war Several of the interviewees Houge talked to in Bosnia-Herzegovina had experienced torture and sexual violence during the war. "Many had been interviewed by other researchers the past years, since the war ended, and several had been interviewed many times," Houge says. After the interviews, many participants talked about their own, unsolicited experiences with violence. They said they noticed that they were not asked to describe the violence during the interview, and thanked Houge. "They explained that academics often were more concerned with describing them as victims of violence, not as citizens or whole persons. This made an impression, but the violence they had survived was also part of their stories, that they wanted me to know about," Houge says. Interviewees used descriptions of violence to explain what justice was to them Other interviewees used the violence as a starting point to explain what justice meant, or could mean to them, 20 years after the war. In response to the question of what justice were, one interviewee responded by describing the torture he had been subjected to in detail. He laid down on the floor and showed off the positions he had been forced into. "I became concerned that my question had been lost in translation and said that he did not have to describe his experiences. He assured me that he had understood the question. To be able to give an answer, he first needed us to see and know how humiliating the violence he was subjected to was," Houge says. "He ended the interview by saying that for his sufferings there was no justice, and the criminal justice system was the closest he could get to it," Houge says. "The violence was part of his story. How can we give a truthful description of the origin, causes and consequences of violence, and being considerate towards the victims, without making the retelling itself violent?" she asks. Inspiration for a book project After the article was published, Houge was contacted by both Norwegian and international researchers, who shared their own stories and experiences of exercising discretion and countering ethical dilemmas in their fieldwork and when publishing results from their research. The stories gave inspiration to a textbook on the exercise of discretion and practical research ethics, that will be published in the autumn of 2024. Houge and Anja Emilie Kruse, researcher at the Norwegian Center for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies (NKVTS), have received funding from The Norwegian Non-Fiction Writers and Translators Association (NFFO) and The Fritt Ord Foundation to edit and publish the book under the Scandinavian University Press. "It will be a Norwegian 'book of failures' about ethical discomfort, researchers' fallibility, and what we can learn from it," says Houge. "The book will be based on the mistakes we have made, the discomfort we have caused, and all the unresolved or unsolvable dilemmas we face when doing research on sensitive topics. It will bring together some of the country's best and most exciting qualitative researchers," she concludes. More information: Anette Bringedal Houge, Violent re-presentations: Reflections on the ethics of re-presentation in violence research, Qualitative Research (2022). DOI: 10.1177/14687941221079532 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The killing of Tyre Nichols has raised questions about the use and risks of a routine part of U.S. policing: the traffic stop. Nichols died in the hospital on Jan. 10, 2022, from injuries sustained in a beating by five officers three days earlier. The violence occurred after the 29-year-old Black man was pulled over while driving in Memphis, Tennessee. The officers, all of whom are also Black, have since been fired and face charges of second-degree murder. While not all traffic stops result in violent encountersindeed studies suggest that relatively few dothe case of Nichols highlights that such encounters can become sites of police violence. And this isn't an isolated incident. Before Nichols came Patrick Lyoya, Philando Castile and Sandra Bland, to name just a few high-profile cases. All were killed by police in incidents that began with a traffic stop. We have analyzed a data set of more than 20 million traffic stops as part of research into the effectiveness of this routine part of police life. What we have found is that, even by its own standards, the return on this high-contact form of policing is slimit rarely leads to criminal charges or convictions. Moreover, the negative consequences are far-reaching. Law enforcement traffic stops are prone to racial bias and cause harm to communities and individuals disproportionate to any benefit that they bring, our research suggests. 'Broken taillight' theory? Traffic stops represent the most common nonvoluntary interaction between citizens and police officers in the U.S. Every year, around 20 million stops are recorded. Some of these stops are for legitimate public safety reasonsdrunken drivers, for example, are an obvious risk to other road users. But police officers have huge discretion when it comes to conducting traffic stops for a whole slew of driving infractions, from a broken taillight to speeding. They can also, in most states, initiate a traffic stop as the pretext to investigating other crimes. This right was confirmed by the Supreme Court in 1996 in Whren vs. United States. The ruling stated that it is not unconstitutional for officers to use any traffic violation, no matter how minor, as a reason to search the vehicle for other suspected crimesfor example, the possession of illegal drugsif they have reasonable cause. These pretextual stops, stopping cars for minor infractions as an opportunity to look for evidence of drug-related or violent crime, can be thought of as the roadside equivalent to "stop and frisk"the practice of allowing officers to search someone on the streets if they have "reasonable" suspicion of criminal activity. Both form part of what is called the "broken windows" theory of policing. This idea, which rose to prominence in the 1990s, holds that minor instances of disorder in a neighborhood create an environment that will eventually lead to more serious instances of crime, and that by focusing on smaller infractions police can root out more serious offenses. The SCORPION unit that pulled over Nichols exemplifies the type of high-contact, proactive, and aggressive policing that often characterizes broken windows tactics. The officers who killed Nichols gave him more than 70 orders in just a few minutes. Broken windows policing has long been debunked by many criminologists who find that it fails to achieve its objectives, at the detriment of communities. Our research suggests that traffic stops yield few results when it comes to serious crimes. Analysis of 9.5 million traffic stops in North Carolina between 2013 and 2019 shows that just 1.2% led to felony charges. The felony conviction rate resulting from pulling over a driver was 0.23%. Driving while Black While the effectiveness of traffic stops as a tool to apprehend serious criminals appears tenuous at best, what is clear is that pulling over drivers has the potential for negative, sometimes violent, outcomesespecially for Black drivers. It can also affect entire communities. Ferguson, Missouri, is just one well-known example of how widespread racially biased traffic stops can erode trust in the police. In places like Ferguson, evidence has shown that intensely policing minor traffic infractions, while legally permissible, can drown communities in fines, fees and administrative burdens. And Ferguson isn't alone. Funds from penalty fines are used to help fund police and local governments across the U.S. A 2019 study found that in 600 jurisdictions across the U.S. fines made up more than 10% of funds. In almost half of those governments, money from ticketing accounted for more than 20% of funding. This financial burden falls disproportionately on Black drivers. A 2021 New York Times analysis of 4,000 traffic citations handed out in Newburgh Heights, Ohio, a small town just south of Cleveland, found that 76% of license and insurance violations and 63% of speeding tickets were handed to Black drivers. Black residents made up just 22% of the town's population. Racial bias has long accompanied traffic stops. In the largest study of its kind, Stanford researchers in 2020 analyzed 100 million traffic stops and concluded that "persistent racial bias" existed. The study found that during daylight hours Black drivers are more likely to be pulled over than their white counterparts. But at nighttime, when the "veil of darkness" makes it harder for officers to racially identify drivers, white drivers are stopped more often than Black drivers. This concurs with our own findings on traffic stop data from North Carolina: Black men are far more likely to be searched by cops than their white counterpartsat a rate of just under two to onedespite being less likely to be found with any illegal substances. Traffic stops can also be a precursor to violent and deadly encounters, such as in the case of Nichols' killing. The New York Times in 2021 found that over a five-year period, police officers in the U.S. killed more than 400 drivers or passengers not brandishing a gun or knife and not being pursued over a violent crime. Black Americans were disproportionately represented among those killed by officers, the newspaper found. Taking a new route Using the traffic code to raise funds for jurisdictions or as a pretext to investigate serious crime produces only dubious public safety benefits and comes at a heavy costs, research indicates. It has prompted some policymakers to look at other options, such as scaling back the types of infractions that can provide a basis for a traffic stop. In 2020, Virginia became the first state to ban officers from conducting traffic stops for low-level violations, such as a broken taillight or illegal tinted windows. A year earlier, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that it is impermissible for police officers to use a routine traffic stop as a springboard for broader criminal investigations by asking if they can search a vehicle without reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. Such moves will limit the number of interactions police have with motorists. They could also save lives. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Gold nanorod probes combined with an optical microscope can now be used to detect signs of a highly contagious and lethal virus that poses a major threat to the swine industry worldwide. The state-of-the-art technology has been developed by Chinese and Australian biomedical scientists to diagnose porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), a disease that has wreaked economic havoc on piggeries in recent years. Researchers from Yangzhou University and the University of South Australia say the gold nanoparticle probe, designed for use on site, could replace existing PEDV detection techniques that are costly, time consuming and undertaken in laboratories. PEDV is a devastating disease, causing severe diarrhea and/or vomiting, dehydration, and high death rates among suckling piglets. Outbreaks in the US in 2014 and in China in 2016-2017 cost local producers millions of dollars, exacerbated by the lack of an effective vaccine and slow diagnosis. UniSA bioengineer Dr. Chih-Tsung Yang, senior author of a recent paper describing the technology, says early diagnosis is critical to preventing future PEDV outbreaks. "The current gold standard diagnostic test involves extracting samples from pigs and taking them to a lab, which is expensive and tedious, albeit accurate," Dr. Yang says. "Our method uses a biofunctionalised chip and gold nanorod probe to capture and label PEDV pathogens. Under a dark field microscope, PEDV can be identified by counting software. It can be undertaken on site in rural areas at minimal cost, making it accessible, highly sensitive, and giving results within the hour. "We envisage this technology will be invaluable for biosecurity systems, helping to limit the spread of the virus in Australia and other countries, ensuring the health of pigs and protecting the industry from economic losses. There are no effective vaccines for PEDV so early diagnosis is crucial." The research has been published in the latest issue of Biosensors. PEDV is a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the Coronavirus family. The disease was discovered in 1971 in England and Belgium and has since caused severe economic losses in China, East Asia, and North America. Initial vaccines provided sufficient immunity but a new wave of PEDV swept across China in 2020, rendering existing vaccines ineffective. More information: Xuejia Qian et al, Visual and Ultrasensitive Detection of a Coronavirus Using a Gold Nanorod Probe under Dark Field, Biosensors (2022). DOI: 10.3390/bios12121146 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A small sample of variations in coloring seen in captive-bred ball pythons (Python regius). Credit: McGill University Snakes and mice don't look alike. But much of what we know about skin coloration and patterning in vertebrates generally, including in snakes, is based on lab mice. However, there are limits to what mice can tell us about other vertebrates because they don't share all of the same types of color-producing cells, known as chromatophores. For example, snakes have a type of chromatophore called iridophores that can generate iridescent colors by reflecting light. To gain a better understanding of the genetic basis of coloration in vertebrates, a McGill University-led research team combined a range of techniques (whole gene sequencing, gene-editing, and electron microscopy) to look more closely at color variations and patterning in the skin shed by ball pythons bred in captivity. They were able to identify a particular gene (tfec) that plays a crucial role in reptile pigmentation generally and more specifically in a classic color variant found across vertebrates and distinguished by blotches of white, the piebald. Crowdsourcing biological data with the help of snake breeders The sale of captive-bred reptiles is a $1.4 billion industry within the U.S. alone. Over 4.5 million American households keep reptiles, and close to one in five of these are snakes bred in captivity. Due to the spectacular color variations produced through captive breeding, an individual ball python (Python regiusoriginally found in West and Central Africa) can sell for tens of thousands of dollars. "Ball pythons show incredible variation in skin coloring and patterning, which is part of their appeal for hobbyists, but also makes them really useful for researchers who want to understand the genetic basis of coloration," says Rowan Barrett, Interim Director of McGill University's Redpath Museum, the Canada Research Chair in Biodiversity Science, and the senior author on the recent paper in Current Biology. "The pet trade has created a huge pool of color variation that would not have existed otherwise. This provides a catalog for us to figure out the many ways that genes produce the amazing diversity of colors, spots, and stripes we see across different animals." Gene-editing confirms role of mutation in reptile coloration To identify the genes that control a particular trait, scientists look for genetic variants that are present in animals that have the trait and absent in animals that don't. Using shed skin collected from snake breeders, Barrett's team found that piebald snakes carried the same mutation in the tfec gene. But a common problem for scientists is that finding a correlation between a gene and a particular trait, such as the piebaldism, does not imply causation. To make that functional link, the McGill researchers collaborated with Doug Menke's lab at the University of Georgia to modify tfec in a different reptile species, the brown anole lizard, using the gene-editing technology CRISPR. They found that genetically modified lizards do indeed show altered coloration, proving that mutations to tfec cause changes to color-producing cells. "Our research advances knowledge of the genetics of vertebrate colouration generally and particularly of the development of iridescent cells, which haven't been studied as much as other color pathways" adds Alan Garcia-Elfring, a Ph.D. student in McGill's Biology Department and the first author on the paper. "It also highlights the potential benefits of working with non-academic communities like ball python breeders to accelerate discoveries in fundamental science. Our job, at this point, is to figure out what other mutations underlie all this variation seen in captivity, and how these mutations interact. It's an exciting time for both researchers and reptile hobbyists." The study is published in the journal Current Biology. More information: Alan Garcia-Elfring et al, Piebaldism and chromatophore development in reptiles are linked to the tfec gene, Current Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.01.004 Journal information: Current Biology This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: An experiment designed by Purdue University researchers to study the effects of reduced gravity on boiling is loaded onto a Cygnus spacecraft in preparation for launch onboard an Antares rocket to the International Space Station. Credit: Northrop Grumman/NASA With temperatures on the moon ranging from minus 410 to a scorching 250 degrees Fahrenheit, it's an understatement to say that humans will need habitats with heat and air conditioning to survive there long term. But heating and cooling systems won't be effective enough to support habitats for lunar exploration or even longer trips to Mars without an understanding of what reduced gravity does to boiling and condensation. Engineers haven't been able to crack this scienceuntil now. "Every refrigerator, every air conditioning system we have on Earth involves boiling and condensation. Those same mechanisms are also prevalent in numerous other applications, including steam power plants, nuclear reactors and both chemical and pharmaceutical industries," said Issam Mudawar, Purdue University's Betty Ruth and Milton B. Hollander Family Professor of Mechanical Engineering. "We have developed over a hundred years' worth of understanding of how these systems work in Earth's gravity, but we haven't known how they work in weightlessness." A team of engineers at Purdue led by Mudawar, who is collaborating with NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, has spent 11 years developing a facility to investigate these phenomena. The facility is called the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE). Initial designs were tested on Zero Gravity Corporation's (Zero-G) weightless research lab, a specially modified Boeing 727 that flies parabolic maneuvers to create the reduced gravities on the moon and Mars as well as the weightless conditions in space. Following in-flight testing, NASA Glenn and the agency's Biological and Physical Sciences Division assisted Mudawar's team in creating a smaller version of the experiment to fit into the Fluids Integrated Rack on the International Space Station. After passing NASA safety and readiness reviews, FBCE launched to the space station in August 2021 and has since helped researchers to begin to unlock the mystery of how boiling and condensation work in the extreme environments of space. These answers are in data the team is collecting from two sets of FBCE experiments taking place on the station. Last July, the facility's first experiment finished gathering all the data that Mudawar says scientists need to understand how reduced gravity affects boiling. In the coming months, the equipment for the second experiment will launch to the orbiting laboratory as part of a Northrop Grumman commercial resupply services mission for NASA (NG-19) to gather data on how condensation happens in a reduced gravity environment. Both experiments making up the facility will remain in orbit through 2025, allowing the fluid physics community at large to take advantage of this data. Astronaut Mark Vande Hei assembles components of the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA "We are ready to literally close the book on the whole science of flow and boiling in reduced gravity," Mudawar said. "Astronauts on the moon will need air conditioning systems, refrigeration systems and many other systems that all require boiling and condensation. Because of the new understanding we've received from data showing how these phenomena are influenced by reduced gravity, we are able to provide guidance into how to size the equipment, how to design it effectively and how to predict its performance." The researchers are preparing a series of research papers unpacking data the FBCE has collected on the International Space Station, adding to more than 60 papers they have published on weightlessness and fluid flow since testing their facility on Zero-G flights at the beginning of the project. Answering decades-old questions "The papers we have published over the duration of this project are really almost like a textbook for how to use boiling and condensation in space," Mudawar said. "For more than 60 years, since the beginning of spaceflight, the field has known that boiling and condensation would be ideal for space, but previous attempts to study these concepts in microgravity hadn't been successful." Each decade the National Academies publishes a report that guides NASA, the White House and Congress on areas of research to prioritize for funding over the next 10 years. In the 2011 report, numerous scientists recommended that the role of gravity in controlling vapor-fluid behavior be considered as one of those priorities for space exploration. The FBCE project was created in response to the decadal report. The farther missions are from Earth, the more likely that the spacecraft for those missions will need nuclear power. Compared to other types of processes that enable heating and cooling in space, boiling and condensation are much more effective at transferring heat for these nuclear-powered vehicles and habitats. Boiling and condensation would also allow heat, ventilation and air conditioning systems to be more compact and lightweight. Since the 1970s, Mudawar has been working to make it possible to use boiling and condensation to tackle energy transfer and temperature control challenges for a wide range of systems. Examples include high-temperature turbine systems, supercomputers, data centers, avionics, hybrid vehicle power electronics, hydrogen fuel cells, metal alloy heat treating, particle accelerators and fusion reactors. Purdue University engineers conducted the first phase of the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment using the Flow Boiling Module, which gathered data on how boiling happens in reduced gravity. Pictured here is this module prior to being launched for installation on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA Glenn Research Center The largest experiments of their kind According to Mudawar, FBCE is the first set of experiments to provide data that is extensive and systematic enough for developing the models engineers need to design all sorts of space systems using boiling and condensation in reduced gravity. "We now have a basis for comparing and contrasting data for both Earth gravity and reduced gravity in pursuit of modeling tools that can be applicable to a broad range of gravities," Mudawar said. Mudawar and his students have been developing three sets of predictive tools over the past 11 years based on FBCE data. One set of tools puts the data into the form of equations that engineers can use to design space systems. Another set identifies fundamental information about fluid physics from the data, and the third set is computational models of the fluid dynamics. All together, these models would make it possible to predict which equipment designs could operate in lunar and Martian gravity. FBCE is NASA's largest and most complex experiment for fluid physics research. Between February and July last year, the facility successfully conducted 234 tests, yielding nearly 3,800 data points and an equal number of high-speed video records. More than 35 engineers and technicians from different teams across NASA Glenn have worked on this project, helping turn design concepts from Mudawar and his students into a facility that could be installed into the space station. These teams included Glenn's FBCE Engineering, Safety and Mission Assurance, Science, Software, and Technician teams, and Fluids and Combustion Facility Operations teams. Fifteen past and current Purdue Ph.D. students have assisted Mudawar on all aspects of collaborative work with NASA. Two Purdue doctoral candidates, V.S. Devahdhanush and Steven Darges, assisted in monitoring the experiments on the space station via a dedicated workstation set up at Purdue. The Purdue team also provided recommendations for refinement of operating conditions for subsequent tests to continuously improve science yield per test. Data from the FBCE would benefit not only space systems, but also technology on Earth. Using lessons they learned about boiling from this data, Mudawar and his team invented a new charging cable design for electric vehicles that would allow them to charge in less than five minutes. Today's most advanced charging cables take more than 20 minutes to charge an electric vehicle. A patent application for this fast-charging cable invention has been filed through the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization. "The amount of data coming out of the FBCE is just absolutely enormous, and that's exactly what we want," Mudawar said. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: UC assistant professor Lucinda Lawson led an international team that discovered a new species of amphibian called the Ukaguru spiny-throated reed frog during a survey in Tanzania. Credit: Christoph Liedtke Researchers discovered a new species of frog in Africa that has an unusual trait: it's completely silent. The Ukaguru spiny-throated reed frog does not croak, sing or ribbit. Found in Tanzania's Ukaguru Mountains for which it is named, Hyperolius ukaguruensis is among the few frogs around the world that do not vocalize to other frogs. The new species belongs to a group of "spiny throated" reed frogs, which true to their name have tiny spines on the male's throat. Since they can't rely on sound to recognize members of their species, they might use spines instead. "It's a very odd group of frogs," said Lucinda Lawson, a conservation biologist and assistant professor of research at the University of Cincinnati. "The male frogs don't call like most other frogs do. We think they may use the spine as something like Braille for species recognition," Lawson said. "Without a call, they need some other way to recognize each other." This group of frogs has only a few species, found in small populations that make them rare and at risk of extinction. Finding a new member of this group is a major win for conservation, Lawson said. The discovery was described in the journal PLOS ONE. Lawson in 2019 led an international team on an amphibian search of the Ukaguru Mountains, where scientists have conducted at least seven previous surveys. They were hoping to find the beautiful tree toad, Churamiti maridadi, an amphibian that has only been observed twice in the wild in this same forest and is feared extinct. "Our hopes were not very high. We knew the odds were stacked against us," said study co-author H. Christoph Liedtke, a postdoctoral researcher with the Spanish National Research Council. Researchers scoured undisturbed streambanks both day and night, documenting their search with handheld global-positioning satellite receivers. They looked under logs and in tree holes in an area of forest used by beekeepers, poachers and small-scale loggers. They also set pitfall traps made of plastic buckets buried at ground level to catch amphibians that hide under the leaf litter. Researchers consulted with local foresters and distributed photos of the toad to nearby residents hoping someoneanyonemight have seen it. While researchers never found the toad, they came across a locally abundant population of reed frogs unknown to science. "Time spent looking for the beautiful tree toad yielded unexpected results. It was a fantastic finding that made the effort well worth it," Liedtke said. The newly discovered reed frog joins a family of nearly 200 species in the genus Hyperolius. Lawson said they immediately recognized they had found something special. "With any Hyperolius, I can probably tell by looking at it whether it's new or potentially new," Lawson said. "Immediately it was clear that it was a spiny-throated reed frog. But this one was a golden, greenish brown instead of the green color found in the other species," Lawson said. "Sometimes color variation doesn't mean anything, but it might here." A combination of genetic and genomic analyses confirmed the frog was distinct from other members of Hyperolius. Researchers also identified its closest evolutionary relation, Hyperolius ruvuensis, another species that is critically endangered and is likely extinct. Measurements found that the frog has unique body proportions, with smaller eyes in relation to its head than other spiny-throated reed frogs. Describing a species is the first step toward protecting it, particularly in increasingly fragmented forests like those in the Ukaguru Mountains, Lawson said. According to the study, the newly discovered frog could be of high conservation concern. "The Mamiwa-Kisara North Forest Reserve is a T-shaped remnant forest," Lawson said. "It has a lot of edge effects from people cutting firewood. There are all sorts of pressures on this forest. It's easy to cross the whole thing in just a few hours of hiking." Knowing how many species exist and where is critical to conservation, Liedtke said. "The Ukaguru Mountains are part of the greater Eastern Arc Rift, a fascinating cradle of biodiversity, with many species endemic to single mountain blocks," Liedtke said. "The fast population growth in Tanzania means that the mountain forest habitats are under growing threats from people." Amphibians are especially susceptible to human impacts. Since they absorb chemicals through their skin, they are vulnerable to toxins or changes in water acidity. "If a bird's habitat is destroyed, they sometimes can fly to a new forest. But that's hard for amphibians," Lawson said. Having a diverse number of species is important to maintain healthy ecosystems, Lawson said. "We think about this question a lot: why does one species matter?" Lawson said. Frogs are part of the food chain. They eat insects and, in turn, are eaten by other animals. "If this one species goes extinct, nothing much happens. We just lose one more strand in the fabric of the ecosystem," Lawson said. "But if you keep pulling out strands, the ecosystem becomes destabilized and the fabric unravels." Co-author Simon Loader, curator of vertebrates at London's Natural History Museum, said he was thrilled to help describe a new species. The discovery shows how much more there is to learn about diversity-rich parts of the world. "We still have a long way to go before understanding what species are there and where they can be found," he said. "This is particularly the case for the biodiverse-rich submontane forests of Tanzania." More information: Lucinda P. Lawson et al, Diversification of spiny-throated reed frogs (Anura: Hyperoliidae) with the description of a new, range-restricted species from the Ukaguru Mountains, Tanzania, PLOS ONE (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277535 Journal information: PLoS ONE This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: That armed clash of June 18, 1815 ended Napoleon Bonaparte's ambitions of conquering Europe. More than 200 years after Napoleon met defeat at Waterloo, the bones of soldiers killed on that famous battlefield continue to intrigue Belgian researchers and experts, who use them to peer back to that moment in history. "So many bonesit's really unique!" exclaimed one such historian, Bernard Wilkin, as he stood in front of a forensic pathologist's table holding two skulls, three femurs and hip bones. He was in an autopsy room in the Forensic Medicine Institute in Liege, eastern Belgium, where tests are being carried out on the skeletal remains to determine from which regions the four soldiers they belong to came from. That in itself is a challenge. Half a dozen European nationalities were represented in the military ranks at the Battle of Waterloo, located 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Brussels. That armed clash of June 18, 1815 ended Napoleon Bonaparte's ambitions of conquering Europe to build a great empire, and resulted in the deaths of around 20,000 soldiers. The battle has since been pored over by historians, andwith advances in the genetic, medical and scanning fieldsresearchers can now piece together pages of the past from the remains buried in the ground. Some of those remains have been recovered through archeological digs, such as one last year that allowed the reconstitution of a skeleton found not far from a field hospital the British Duke of Wellington had set up. But the remains examined by Wilkin surfaced through another route. Some of those remains have been recovered through archeological digs. 'Prussians in my attic' The historian, who works for the Belgian government's historical archives, said he gave a conference late last year and "this middle-aged man came to see afterwards and told me, 'Mr. Wilkin, I have some Prussians in my attic'". Wilkin, smiling, said the man "showed me photos on his phone and told me someone had given him these bones so he can put them on exhibit... which he refused to do on ethical grounds". The remains stayed hidden away until the man met Wilkin, who he believed could analyze them and give them a decent resting place. A key item of interest in the collection is a right foot with nearly all its toesthat of a "Prussian soldier" according to the middle-aged man. "To see a foot so well preserved is pretty rare, because usually the small bones on the extremities disappear into the ground," noted Mathilde Daumas, an anthropologist at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles who is part of the research work. As for the attributed "Prussian" provenance, the experts are cautious. A key item of interest in the collection is a right foot with nearly all its toes. The place it was discovered was the village of Plancenoit, where troops on the Prussian and Napoleonic sides bitterly fought, Wilkin said, holding out the possibility the remains might be those of French soldiers. Scraps of boots and metal buckles found among the remains do point to uniforms worn by soldiers from the Germanic side arrayed against the French. But "we know that soldiers stripped the dead for their own gear," the historian said. Clothes and accessories are not reliable indicators of the nationality of skeletons found on the Waterloo battlefield, he stressed. DNA testing More dependable, these days, are DNA tests. Dr. Philippe Boxho, a forensic pathologist working on the remains, said there were still parts of the bones that should yield DNA results, and he believed another two months of analyses should yield answers. The teeth in particular, with traces of strontium, a naturally occurring chemical element that accumulates in human bones, can point to specific regions through their geology. "As long as the subject matter is dry we can do something. Our biggest enemy is humidity, which makes everything disintegrate," he explained. The teeth in particular, with traces of strontium, a naturally occurring chemical element that accumulates in human bones, can point to specific regions through their geology, he said. Wilkin said an "ideal scenario" for the research would be to find that the remains of the "three to five" soldiers examined came from both the French and Germanic sides. 2023 AFP As a cold front moves into the region to start the weekend, warming centers will be opened throughout Warren County for those seeking shelter. One of the warming centers will be located at the Open Door Mission in Glens Falls. The nonprofit organizations overall mission is to serve individuals who are homeless and low income. We have the Code Blue shelter, which is open when temperatures drop below 32 degrees and weve been doing it since it got cold in November. Were here to serve, Executive Director Jamie Munyon said. Since October, Code Blue has seen 172 unique individuals seek out a warm place to stay overnight. Munyon said in January, the shelter housed 88 unique individuals with 57 being men. The National Weather Service in Albany issued a wind chill warning early Thursday morning detailing wind chills as low as 30 to 50 degrees below zero. The warning was issued alongside a hazardous weather outlook. The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes, the release said. The lowest wind chills are expected Friday night into early Saturday morning. Warren County Emergency Services announced on Thursday that the centers will be available in a number of locations on Friday and Saturday, an emailed news release said. Wind chills are expected to approach 40 degrees below zero on Friday and early Saturday, and actual temperatures will bottom out near 20 below in parts of Warren County on Saturday morning, the release said. Life-threatening hypothermia can set in within 15 minutes at these temperatures, while frostbite to exposed skin can occur in as little as 15 minutes as well. Emergency Services Director Ann Marie Mason said in an email that the purpose for the centers is to provide shelter for anyone who may lose power and need a place to stay until repairs can be made. Temperatures below zero are not unusual around here in the winter, but 15-20 below with strong winds can create dangerous wind chills where vulnerable populations in particular need to be cautious, she said. We ask people to check on their elderly neighbors in this sort of weather, and if they have concerns about water pipes potentially freezing, leave their faucets trickling to lessen the chance of a freeze. In Washington County, there will be warming centers if needed, according to Tim Hardy, deputy director of public safety. In an email, Hardy said that people needing shelter should call the public safety team for information. Should the need arise for a warming center in your area, please contact Public Safety team at 518-747-7520, ext. 2 with the information relative to anyone in need and we will coordinate the activation of a local warming center based on the area of need, he said. Hardy encourages residents of Washington County to dress appropriately for the cold, check in on neighbors, and to remember to not leave pets outdoors. If you are interested in utilizing your station, office, organizations facilities as a warming center if needed please contact us by phone or email at publicsafety@washingtoncountyny.gov and let us know and well place that information on the stand-by list, he said. Warren County warming centers include: Johnsburg Town Hall, 219 Main St. (Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.) Johnsburg Library, 219 Main St. (Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m-2 p.m.) Chester Town Hall, 6307 Route 9 (Friday, 8:30 a.m-4:30 p.m.) Town of Chester Public Library, 6307 Route 9 (Saturday, 9 a.m-1 p.m.) Bolton Free Library, 4922 Lake Shore Drive (Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.) The Open Door Mission, 226 Warren St. Glens Falls (24 hours) Crandall Public Library, 251 Glen St. (Friday, Saturday, 9 a.m-5 p.m.) Horicon Town Hall, 6604 Route 8 (Friday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.) Horicon Free Public Library, 6604 Route 8 (Saturday, 10 a.m-2 p.m.) The Caldwell-Lake George Library, 336 Canada St., Lake George (Friday, Saturday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.) Lake Luzerne Senior Center, 539 Lake Ave. (Friday, 8 a.m-4 p.m.) Aviation Mall, 578 Aviation Road (Friday, Saturday, 11 a.m-9 p.m.) Warrensburg Emergency Medical Services, 3 King St. (Friday, Saturday, 8 a.m-11 p.m.) Stony Creek Town Hall, 52 Hadley Road (Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.) Stony Creek Library, 37 Harrisburg Road (Friday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.) Hague Fire Station, 4 West Hague Road (Friday, Saturday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.) Flash Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, meets with President of the 77th United Nations General Assembly Csaba Korosi in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 2, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua] Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with President of the 77th United Nations General Assembly Csaba Korosi in Beijing on Thursday. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said that the world today is full of uncertainties and instability. He called on all countries to hold high the banner of the UN and work together to decrease the number of geopolitical conflicts around the world, reduce hegemony and bullying, and bring more dialogue, consultation and international cooperation. "China is willing to strengthen cooperation with the UN further to implement the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and jointly address such global challenges as water resources and climate change," he said. For his part, Korosi said the UN hopes to strengthen cooperation with China, jointly overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, tackle global challenges, and promote the realization of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. FORT EDWARD Amish residents of Washington County wont be exempt from meeting building codes, the county Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee decided Tuesday. An Amish working group, made up of committee members and others, checked with legal counsel and was advised not to give the Amish exemptions from certificate of occupancy requirements based on their religious beliefs, several members reported. However, the group also drew up a draft waiver request form for discussion at the meeting. Committee members and members of the working group debated whether the Amish are a unique group that should be exempt when other state residents have to follow state building codes. Granville Supervisor Matthew Hicks and Whitehall Supervisor John Rozell pointed out that many structures in the county were erected long before building codes were introduced and never received certificates of occupancy. In a roll call vote, Putnam Supervisor Darrell Wilson, Kingsbury Supervisor Dana Hogan, Hicks, and Hampton Supervisor David OBrien voted against offering a waiver. Rozell, Hartford Supervisor Dana Haff and Salem Supervisor Evera Sue Clary voted for a waiver. Haff cited the First Amendment right to free expression of religion as his reason to support a waiver, although one person at the meeting asked what religion has to do with the New York state building code. Haff said he would introduce a resolution for a waiver at the next full Board of Supervisors meeting. County Code Enforcement Officer John Graham said he was told a year and a half ago to hold building permit applications from Amish residents until the matter could be resolved, and never deposited the checks that came with the applications. The committee decided that enforcement of the building codes would start as of Jan. 1, 2023. Applications before that date could be returned. Wilson said Graham is allowed some discretion when he inspects a building. For example, the code specifies a wired-in smoke detector but Graham may allow a battery-powered device, he said. Hebron Supervisor Brian Campbell, a member of the working group, said violators would be referred to town court, where a judge could either order enforcement or dismiss the case. Wilson thanked the members of the working group for following through on the issue. Were all better educated, he said. In other business: Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy said his department was awarded a grant for Project Life Saver from the Alzheimers Foundation. The grant allows the department to give a free electronic tracking device to families with an impaired member who may wander. The department has equipment to track the devices. Its a great program, Murphy said. Weve found several people with it. Murphy asked for a temporary investigator to fill in for several officers who will be out of state for polygraph training and another investigator who is retiring. He already has candidates for the opening. The move should have little or no impact on the budget, Murphy said. In response to a question from Haff, Murphy said polygraph tests are required for screening candidates, not investigating crimes. The committee moved both requests to the full board. Deputy Director of Public Safety Tim Hardy asked that the position of communications center supervisor be upgraded from pay grade 17 to 20. The position was not upgraded with others in the department a few years ago and the supervisor was leaving on Feb. 1, making it important to fill the position as soon as possible. Since the start of the pandemic, the supervisor has spent more time filling in as a dispatcher than supervising, Hardy said. The committee referred the request to the Personnel Committee. Hardy reported on several grants, including a $147,776 public safety answering point grant to pay dispatch personnel, a statewide interoperable communications grant to improve the countys emergency radio system, and the domestic terrorism prevention plan grant. Members of the Warren-Washington County Threat Assessment Coordination Team met for the first time on Jan. 26 and went over the preliminaries, Hardy said. Fifteen agencies are participating. The county has not heard on its request for a waiver on the states requirement that vendors for implementation of the domestic terrorism prevention plan be minority/women-owned business enterprises and is assuming it wont receive one, Hardy said. The county shared Warren Countys consultant to meet the state deadline to submit a plan but will look for its own as the plan is developed. All work to date has been done in-house and no money has been spent, he said. Hardy encouraged people to sign up for NY Alert for up to date information on emergencies such as power outages and extreme weather. Alerts can be sent to phones and the system doesnt depend on internet access, Hardy said. People can join at alert.ny.gov or call Public Safety at 518-747-7520 for help in signing up. ATLANTIC CITY In light of recent attacks on a New Jersey church and synagogue, the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office hosted a public forum Wednesday to shed light on ways religious groups can protect their congregations. The forum, held at Stockton Universitys City Campus, drew more than 40 people, including members of law enforcement and religious and community organizations. Representatives of the FBI, State Police, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, and the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights shared information and tips. Unfortunately, there are many people, many cultures that are not permitted to worship freely, that feel that theyre in danger when they go to their safe spaces, said Raymond Royster, director of community outreach for the Prosecutors Office. But today were going to meet and hear from professionals all throughout the state of New Jersey to focus on how to ensure that our rights are not violated while we are at our most vulnerable points. The forum focused on addressing ways religious leaders and congregants can report incidents of bias and hate, ways to prevent and respond to incidents, and available resources to that end. Ehtasham Chaudhry, a detective in the Office of Homeland Security, discussed the offices Interfaith Advisory Council, which shares information with faith-based organizations on relevant topics. The thing is, whats happening in Pleasantville might be happening up in Bergen County at the same time, said Chaudhry. But we cant do that if you dont report it. You guys are our eyes and ears. Help comes for families displaced by fire from Ocean City and beyond OCEAN CITY No injuries were reported in an afternoon fire at 932 Simpson Ave. on Friday, b The agencies work together to share information about bias, hate crimes and discrimination in an attempt to prevent crimes. Last Friday, an incident happened at Trinity Episcopal Church in Asbury Park after a benefit concert for the Light Brigade Collective, an anti-racism organization. An unidentified person vandalized an LGBTQ flag outside the African American church, threw smoke bombs and tried to pepper spray a group of people gathered outside the church. The assailant has not been caught. And on Wednesday, Clifton resident Nicholas Malindretos, 26, was charged with attempting to firebomb the Temple Ner Tamid synagogue in Bloomfield, Essex County, with a Molotov cocktail, although the device did not go off. Law enforcement officials at the forum said the synagogue has security measures like shatterproof cameras, which allowed the suspect to be identified. Law enforcement agencies assist religious groups by offering site assessments, to help them understand their vulnerabilities and security gaps. Those assessments could also be used as supporting documentation for grants to help them upgrade their security. I mainly came here to learn about the grants and other resources, said Richeda Jaffe, who attended on behalf of Bethel Evangelical Outreach Ministries in Pleasantville. Detective Richard Herr with the State Police Infrastructure Protection Unit went over four areas in houses of worship that could potentially be targets: sanctuaries or gathering areas, fellowship halls, financial offices and facility vehicles. The FBI, Homeland Security and State Polices site assessments differ in their methods and focus. But each assessment includes a site visit, a walkthrough inspection and a report of findings to stakeholders. It will help you to understand those gaps and vulnerabilities and a lot of that information that you get from the site assessments, said Herr. During a question-and-answer period following the presentations, the presenters were asked about the turnaround time for reports as well as training programs for members of their church such as ushers. While training is available, it mostly deals with de-escalating nonlethal situations, they said. In a critical incident, I wouldnt expect a member of the congregation to intervene if theres an active shooter, Royster said. CAPE MAY Along a recently widened portion of Cape Mays beachfront Promenade, six new archways have been erected, mimicking spans that welcomed tourists a century ago. The original arches, put in place in the early 1900s, disappeared over years, with the last ones wiped out by a hurricane in the 1940s. Almost all that is left of the originals are historic postcards and a few photos. The new ones seem designed to withstand heavy winds and coastal storms. Currently, the steel framework is in place, with plans to cover them in a weather-resistant material that will mimic the look of the original wooden ones. The framework for the arches is in place from Gurney Street to Decatur Street. The arches will provide lighting for that section of the Promenade. Cape May looks to return Promenade arches CAPE MAY An architectural detail and lighting source from a century ago could return to Ca Mayor Zack Mullock said Thursday that will allow the city to remove the wooden light poles and sodium lights in that section, and the overhead wires leading to the current lights. Mullock described the current lights as looking like the alien craft from War of the Worlds, saying the new arches will harken to a time when things were done artistically. Another bonus, as far as Mullock was concerned, is that the new arches are being donated by the Fund for Cape May, a group of residents that has paid for other improvements around town. When completed, the six archways are expected to cost a total of about $180,000. They should be done in 30 to 40 days, Mullock said. The existing lights needed to be replaced anyway, Mullock said. This way, at least, the city will not have to cover the cost. Some residents have expressed enthusiasm, he said, but he has also heard from critics. Some of the complaints are driven by local politics, he suggested. Cape May dissolves parking committee, despite members objections CAPE MAY City Council on Tuesday did away with the citys Municipal Parking Advisory Commi So far, the arches have proved controversial on social media, with photos of the work underway drawing strong reactions on Cape May-focused Facebook pages. What a waste of money! Just somewhere for the seagulls to perch to poop on people. Great idea, read one recent comment. In multiple exchanges, commenters lined up on either side, a pattern that should seem familiar to any users of social media. Several commenters described the new arches as eyesores, and complained about them blocking the view of the sky, or suggested they would be washed away in a big storm, as were the original arches. Several called them a waste of money. Ive seen it before, said Mullock, who said every project the city undertakes has detractors, citing improvements to Rotary Park and to the area of the citys Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, which have since proved popular. Its pretty crazy how little vision some people have. Other commenters on social media suggested people wait until the arches are complete before deciding how they look, with one person declaring they look pretty awesome. Love the fact we are getting back to looking more like (Cape May) in its heyday. Too much of the history has been torn down reads another comment. Cape May searching for a new CFO CAPE MAY City Council is interviewing several candidates to be the citys next chief finan Visitors and residents stroll the Promenade all year, although the February crowds are not as large as those in the summer. The bases of the structures are blocked with traffic cones to avoid anyone tripping, but the Promenade remains passable. According to Mullock, some have even criticized the traffic cones, believing they would remain once the arches are completed. The city has widened the Promenade in the area where the arches are being put in place, with more improvements to the Promenade and an expansion on the drawing board. Mullock said it is one of the most popular places for walking in the city, and he expects the arches to be a popular spot for people to take images to post of their vacations. If the Eagles win the Super Bowl, theyre going to have to grease them down, or Im going to be up there climbing them, joked Amy Reilly, a resident of the Anglesea section of North Wildwood walking the Promenade with her husband, Bob, on a recent morning. They both liked the design, although they were unfamiliar with the citys plans. If theyre reintroducing them from time past, I think its got a place, said Bob Reilly. It gives it a little character. Amy Reilly said she thought they were great. She said she had concerns about lighting on the arches, fearing a potential impact on migrating birds. They are both birdwatchers, she said. But she was reassured by a sign posted on the arches saying they would be dark sky friendly. People dont embrace change, said Bob Reilly. The arches were not entirely welcomed by City Council, either, with former Council member Stacy Sheehan repeatedly questioning the process for approving the project, and the end result. She raised issues with the proposal over much of 2022. Sheehan did not seek another term and is no longer on council. According to Mullock, the new lights will be more environmentally sensitive than what has been used more recently, and will reduce overall light pollution. Its really going to be beautiful, he said. PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account. LOWER TOWNSHIP A Philadelphia woman faces charges after a false claim of an active shooter at Lower Cape May Regional High School on Jan. 23. The woman is 29, according to a police report released Friday. Her name was not included, and no motive for the false report was given. Cape May County dispatch received the call. Active shooter protocols were swiftly activated by the school, law enforcement officers, as well as additional first responders, reads the statement from police. Ultimately the report was determined to be false. The woman was charged with false public alarm. Report of a shooter in school unfounded, Lower Township police say LOWER TOWNSHIP Police say a report of an active shooter at Lower Cape May Regional High Sc In the recently released annual report for Lower Township police, a similar situation is recounted as one of the notable cases of 2022. In that incident, a male caller alleged a female with a gun had shot 13 students. Police responded and found it was a false alarm. The response still meant evacuating the school and two searches of the property. In the end, the call was determined to be a hoax, however all who responded that day believed they were responding to a real event and showed no hesitation in the performance of their duties, reads the report. Departments throughout the area now train regularly for active shooters in schools. In 2021, the most recent year for which federal data is available, there were 61 shootings designated as active shooter incidents, defined as one or more people attempting to kill people in a populated area. Federal data show a sharp increase in such incidents across the country, with an average of 30 incidents in 2017, 2018 and 2019, climbing to 40 in 2020 and 61 in 2021. In that year, 130 people were killed and 140 wounded in active-shooter incidents, according to the FBI data. ATLANTIC CITY A man and woman are accused of holding an acquaintance against her will following an argument, police said Friday. Officers arrested Sharrik Molley, 52, of Mays Landing, and Gina Hernandez, 29, of Tuckerton, on Monday after they were seen driving a silver Chevy Equinox around the city, holding a woman hostage and carrying a revolver, police said in a news release. The woman called police at 12:36 p.m., reporting she was being chased by a man with a gun who was driving the silver SUV in the first block of North Missouri Avenue, police said. Officers arrived at the scene but couldnt locate the woman or the vehicle. Another caller phoned dispatch reporting they saw two women fighting at Missouri and Atlantic avenues, adding one of the women was forced into the Equinox by a man before speeding off, police said. With the license plate number given to police by the second caller, officers traced the vehicle to a gas station in the 2000 block of Atlantic Avenue. There, security footage showed a woman arguing with a man inside the car before she fled on foot and dialed 911, police said. Atlantic City forum spotlights safety concerns at houses of worship ATLANTIC CITY In light of recent attacks on a New Jersey church and synagogue, the Atlanti Police later learned the vehicles registered owner lived at an apartment complex in Mays Landing, arriving there to find Molley, Hernandez and the unidentified woman inside. Molley is charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, criminal restraint, aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and certain persons not to possess weapons. Hernandez was charged with criminal restraint and simple assault. Molley was taken to the Atlantic County jail, and Hernandez was released on a summons pending court. A former Galloway Township man on Thursday admitted to plotting a teenagers murder to stop them from testifying in a separate case involving him receiving sexually explicit content from the minor. John Michael Musbach, 31, of Haddonfield, Camden County, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez to one count of knowingly and intentionally using and causing another to use a facility of interstate and foreign commerce, the internet, with the intent that a murder be committed, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said in a news release. Musbach faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of more than $250,000. Sentencing is set for June 13. Prosecutors said an informant shared with detectives messages Musbach posted on a dark net website, orchestrating the murder of a 14-year-old from New York he victimized for sexually explicit photographs. Musbachs murder plan was brought to investigators in 2019, when they received messages between him and a murder-for-hire website. Musbach offered to pay 40 bitcoin, or about $20,000 at the time, for the hit, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. Musbach pleaded guilty Oct. 11, 2017, to endangering the welfare of a child by sexual contact. He received a two-year suspended sentence from a New Jersey Superior Court judge, who also ordered he be placed under lifetime parole supervision, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. The New York teenager, who was 13 during their interactions with Musbach, was sending and receiving explicit photos with Musbach over the summer of 2015, the U.S. Attorneys office said. The teenagers parents discovered the exchanges and filed a report with local police, who contacted the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office after learning Musbach was living in Galloway. Musbach was told by police not to contact the victim while he was being investigated. He was later arrested on child pornography charges by the Prosecutors Office on March 31, 2016, at his Galloway home. After officers retrieved Musbachs cellphone and business computer, he admitted having sent sexually explicit images and videos of himself to the victim, and having in turn requested and received sexually explicit images and videos, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. Musbach sought a refund when the murder-for-hire websites administrator asked for an additional $5,000 to ensure the teenagers death. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, the administrator responded by telling Musbach the website was a scam, and that the transaction details could be shared with police. Agents confirmed Musbachs identity by attaching him to a screen name he used on the dark net and the bitcoin transaction with his bank account, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. Atlantic City, Cape May and Vineland will split about $20.4 million in federal funds for traffic safety improvements. That sum is a fraction of about $800 million U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced Wednesday as part of his departments new Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program. The three municipalities are represented in Congress by U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd. Van Drews spokesperson, Ashley Brown, said hed been advocating for these projects. I am proud of the work we accomplished in order to secure this funding, and I look forward to continuing this important work for South Jersey through my service on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Van Drew said. The program is funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act President Joe Biden signed in 2021, investing $5 billion over five years for plans and projects to redesign American roadways, sidewalks and crosswalks, the department said. This investment in street and roadway improvements will mean enhanced safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists across our state, said U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J. It is one of the reasons I was proud to support the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which has already brought millions of dollars and thousands of jobs to New Jersey to improve ferry operations, expand airport facilities and technologies, and repair and replace some of the regions most critical, but aging, infrastructure. The program uses two sets of grants: Action Plan Grants and Implementation Grants. Action Plan Grants are awarded to communities to help them either develop or build upon strategies to improve roadway infrastructure. Implementation Grants help fund project implementation, the department said. Cape May and Atlantic City each will be given $200,000 in Action Plan Grants from the first round of funding. Atlantic City will use the money for general road improvements, city spokesperson Andrew Kramer said Thursday. Cape May plans to apply for an Implementation Grant once it has a plan in place. Traffic safety has been a priority for Cape May City, and this Action Plan Grant will not only provide funding for well-planned solutions but also prequalify the city for construction dollars, Mayor Zack Mullock said in a statement Thursday. Vineland was given $20 million, which, according to the departments website, will be used to shrink the width of a 2.3-mile stretch of Chestnut Avenue between Delsea Drive and Main Road. Three Atlantic County aviation entities get $13.3 million in earmarks EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP The Atlantic City International Airport and two other local aviation e Vineland Mayor Anthony Fanucci said without help from Washington, a heavy financial burden would be placed on city taxpayers. Although final details for the project are still being considered, there is no doubt that this investment will improve traffic, biking, and pedestrian safety along this portion of Chestnut Avenue which saw over 660 accidents in the period between 2012-2016, Fanucci said. It will also provide opportunities for good paying construction jobs for Vineland residents and beyond. That corridor of Chestnut Road would go from four traffic lanes to three, with a two-way left-turn lane, lighting, bicycle lanes and an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant walkway, a project description from the department states. Those changes are intended to reduce speeding and other poor driving behaviors that could result in fatal crashes. The program supports the departments National Roadway Safety Strategy, an endeavor launched in January 2022 to make American streets and highways safer. Every year, crashes cost tens of thousands of American lives and hundreds of billions of dollars to our economy; we face a national emergency on our roadways, and it demands urgent action, Buttigieg said. These grants will directly support hundreds of communities as they prepare steps that are proven to make roadways safer and save lives. A second funding opportunity worth $1.1 billion is expected in April, the department said. The Atlantic County jail in Mays Landing and the John Brooks Recovery Center several years ago were among U.S. early adopters in using medication to treat addicted inmates. After state government officials confirmed their success and observed it firsthand, New Jersey supported similar efforts in other counties. State and national recognition soon followed. The jail and its fellow pioneers nationwide blazed a path that many prisons followed, and now a developing track record is showing an impressive level of success. Some addiction experts are saying that a medication regime is the most effective known way to curb opioid use. Two-thirds of people entering prisons and jails are diagnosed as having a substance-use disorder, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For years, the only treatment nearly all of them received was to detox. Now, about 630 of the roughly 5,000 jails and prisons nationwide provide medication treatment for opioid use, according to the nonprofit Jail and Prison Opioid Project. In 2015, there were just 20. The medication includes buprenorphine, which reduces the craving for opioids, naloxone that reverses their effects, and methadone that eases withdrawal symptoms. The Biden administration has said it wants medication treatment available for every drug user in federal custody and at half of state prisons and jails by 2025. This expansion will test whether wider access to medications can help counter Americas drug crisis. Drug fatalities hit a record of more than 108,000 in 2021, then started to decline last year. One of the first justice facilities treating addiction with medication, the Middlesex County jail in Massachusetts, tracked 230 participating inmates between 2015 and 2019. Nearly all of them, 226, were alive six months after release. Recidivism for the group was one-third the rate for other inmates. Skeptics say the medications themselves are opioids so this form of treatment swaps one drug for another. Addiction experts say abstinence is the ultimate solution to drug use, but thats something many users fail to attain. This disease is so powerful and the biology is so powerful that without the medications were kind of struggling, Josiah Rich told The Wall Street Journal. Rich is a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Brown University and an attending physician at nearby hospitals in Providence, Rhode Island. So far, only a tenth of U.S. opioid users receive treatment medications, which can be used for the short or long term, according to a recent study in the International Journal of Drug Policy. Perhaps the growth in this treatment is contributing to the first decline in overdose deaths since 2017. Drug overdose deaths in New Jersey are expected to be 8.5% lower for 2022 when final numbers are in, falling below 2,750 after a peak of 3,124 drug overdose deaths in 2021. In 2018, then state Commissioner of Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal visited the Brooks Center and its mobile treatment center used to take services to inmates (since superseded by onsite treatment at the jail). He was impressed by the medication-assisted treatments striking 91% completion rate, compared to about half for other methods. State funding to bring the program to multiple counties followed. The year before overdoses peaked in 2021, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care named the Atlantic County jail the winner of its R. Scott Chavez Facility of the Year award for its outstanding quality, innovation and dedication. The commission which accredits prisons, jails and juvenile facilities across America in particular praised the jails partnership that provides on-site medication-assisted treatment, along with counseling and linkage to continued treatment upon release for addicted inmates, while the comprehensive reentry program provides assistance with housing, health insurance and case management services. We have welcomed many efforts and innovations in the fight against drug addiction. When they make significant gains, everyone can feel uplifted and encouraged that this scourge can eventually be beaten. Pimpri Police have arrested an accused who took advantage of his acquaintance with a woman and established physical relations with her. He even abused and pressured her minor daughter into marriage The 40-year-old victim filed a complaint at the Pimpri police station, and the accused, identified as Saddam alias Ujala Jamshed (aged 35; a resident of Pimpri village), has been arrested. According to the report, the accused took advantage of his acquaintance with the woman and established physical relations with her, threatening to kill her children if she told anyone about it. Not only this, the accused mistreated the 17-year-old daughter of the woman and pressured her to get her married. He also threatened the woman with making her private videos viral if she did not get her daughter married, and a recording of their phone call went viral. The Pimpri police have arrested the accused, and they are conducting further investigation. The Opposition alleged that public money in LIC and SBI is at risk Notice given for adjournment of proceedings of RS to discuss the matter rejected Leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday sought a probe by a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) or by a team under the Chief Justice of Indias (CJI) supervision into the Hindenburg research report on Adani group. Addressing a press conference at Vijay Chowk, just outside Parliament, Kharge sought the probe in the matter, along with leaders from other opposition parties including DMK, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, JD(U), Shiv Sena-Thackeray, CPI(M), CPI, NCP, IUML, NC, AAP and Kerala Congress. The decision to seek a judicial or a JPC probe was taken after a meeting in Kharges chamber, where members of the aforementioned parties were also present. Later Kharge told reporters that he, along with other leaders, had given a notice for adjournment of proceedings of the Rajya Sabha to discuss the Adani group issue, but it was rejected by chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav said the matter was very serious. The Opposition has alleged that public money of LIC and SBI invested in Adani firms is in danger of sinking and the government is not taking action. AAP MP Sanjay Singh sought to know why the government was silent on the matter. Bharat Rashtra Samithi member Keshav Rao questioned Dhankhar for rejecting adjournment notices given by the opposition leaders. Earlier, amid protests by the opposition parties on the Adani issue, both Houses of Parliament were adjourned till 2 p.m. Houses adjourned to stop Oppn: Ramesh Jairam Ramesh, Congress General Secretary said, Both Houses of Parliament adjourned today till 2pm because Govt did not agree to combined Opposition demand for an investigation into forced investments by LIC, SBI & other public institutions that have lost huge value in recent days endangering savings of crores of Indians. IANS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proceedings in Parlt washed away Parliamentary proceedings on Thursday were washed out amid noisy protests by the Congress-led opposition, which sought a discussion over research group Hindenburgs report on Adani Group. Both Houses were adjourned till Friday 11 am. IANS Madison Marie Russo (19), cheated over 400 people by pretending to be a cancer patient. In a video, the teen claims she needs to undergo chemotherapy due to cancer and doctors gave her an ultimatum of five years. But police probe revealed her claims to be false. In 2022, Russo went viral on TikTok documenting her health journey, which authorities are now saying was completely made up and which entered criminal territory after she raised over $37k on GoFundMe from 439 donors. As reported by DailyMail, some doctors complained to police she was making a false claim of being cancer-stricken. After this, the police searched Madisons house. In the probe, police found several pieces of medical equipment there. She may get 10 years in jail if the claims against her are proved. Agencies Over 300 experts will discuss on improving practice of clinical and surgical cardiology #AGRA More than 300 heart specialists and experts will share new research, achievements, experiences and techniques in the field of heart disease at a two-day national convention in Taj city on February 4 and 5. Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Yogendra Upadhyay, along with Agra University vice-chancellor Prof. Ashu Rani, will formally inaugurate the national conference. The objective of the conference is to discuss further improving the practice of clinical and surgical cardiology, creating a bridge of cooperation between various professionals in the field of heart disease, and providing better healthcare to heart patients. Dr. VK Jain, president of The Agra Intervention Cardiology Society, said: Continuous progress and research are being made in the field of cardiology. New technologies are coming and have brought unprecedented success in the field of tests and diagnosis of heart disease. There is a need to share these on one platform so that every patient can get benefits through every doctor in the whole country. He said that the objective of this conference is to provide a platform to cardiologists and cardiac surgeons so that they can share with each other new medical studies, experiences, research findings, achievements, and techniques in the diagnosis of heart disease. Organising and Scientific secretary, Dr. Suvir Gupta said: Causes and diagnosis of heart failure, Coronary Artery Disease, Acute Coronary Syndrome, Valvular Heart Disease, Arrhythmia and Pacing, EchoCardiography, Bypass Surgery, Heart Valve Surgery, Diabetes will be discussed. And experts will give their presentations on these topics. Academic coordinator, Dr. Himanshu Yadav said that more than 300 eminent doctors, including 40 specialist doctors from Delhi, Rajasthan, Lucknow, Meerut, Haryana, Punjab, and Agra, will participate in the twoday conference. IANS Citizens feel cheated, say Central govt has failed to fulfil their demand for an independent civilian facility While Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitahraman announced the revival of 50 additional airports, heliports, water aerodromes, and advance landing grounds across the country in her budget speech on Wednesday in order to improve regional connectivity, Puneites, who have been waiting for a fully functional, dedicated airport, feel neglected. The citys activists and citizens claim that the government has ignored their demand for a dedicated airport while they continue to suffer as a result of the lack of facilities at Pune airport. In her budget statement, the finance minister stated, Fifty additional airports, heliports, water aerodromes, and advanced landing grounds would be revived to improve regional aviation connectivity. The challenges of Pune airport have not been taken up effectively with a vision, said Dhairyasheel Vandekar, a civil aviation specialist and analyst. For the past two decades, we have been demanding for an independent civil airport. It is one of the countrys most profitable airports, but it is still neglected. Flight operations have now begun from the airports of Kolhapur, Shirdi, and Nashik, and a substantial number of passengers who would have previously used Pune airport for air connectivity have been diverted there. Coming to Pune airport has also become a hassle due to traffic concerns, he added. Vandekar also warned that if the facilities at Pune airport are not improved, the government may be forced to explore privatisation. If the current Pune airport continues to fall short on passenger amenities, it is likely that the government may consider privatising civil enclave airports like Lohegaon in the future, he said. Sudhir Mehta, a city-based industrialist who has been raising issues pertaining to Pune airport with the concerned officials and government agencies said the Pune region needs at least two to three airports considering the demand and population. Pune is the largest city in the world without a fully functional airport. Around 30 million people of the Western Maharashtra are dependent on the Pune airport and the population number is almost equal to half the population of Germany. Greater Pune region needs more than one airport given the growth since Pune will be one of the 50 mega cities in the world by 2050, so, given that Pune region needs at least two to three airports. Besides, Pune airport is the most profitable airport for the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in the country, he said. The lack of infrastructure at the Pune airport has been widely discussed in the past, yet air passengers continue to suffer as spiraling queues for the security check upon departure and the luggage belt during peak hours have become a normal concern. The growing number of passengers combined with improved flight connectivity has increased the airports burden while the infrastructure remains unchanged. The civil aviation ministry recently expanded the number of daily flight operation slots at Pune airport, and the airport is now permitted to conduct 218 flights each day during the week, 220 flights on Saturday, and 247 flights on Sunday. Because the airport is part of the Air Force Station Lohegaon, security checks are a top priority. Commercial planes use the same runway as the Air Force uses for fighter jets. Therefore, infrastructure expansion for the airport faces a problem due to various restrictions. A new airport was intended for Chakan at first, but after local farmers complained, the Purandar location was chosen. However, the procedure was halted after the defence ministry revoked the airports previous NOC. Later, the state government announced a proposal to develop the airport at the suggested site and stated that it will consult with the concerned ministries. Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited (MADC) has also been tasked by the state government with acquiring the land. Farmers in Purandar, on the other hand, are outraged by the suggestion. Disqualified for RTE fee reimbursement because they stand on state land; ZP suggests refund of disbursed money Forty-four schools in Pune district have been disqualified for Right to Education (RTE) fees reimbursement by the state administration because they are beneficiaries that stand on government land. While these private aided and unaided institutes were allocated the RTE fee benefits from 2012 to 2016, the Pune Zilla Parishad has sent a letter to the government suggesting recovery from them. In this regard, the school administrations have expressed displeasure and threatened to not join the RTE admission process. This, on the other hand, has made parents of students enrolled in these schools unhappy. Rajendra Singh, president of the Independent English School Association, said, Some schools in Pune city and the district did not receive this fee from the government for the academic year 2016-2017. Many schools expressed strong displeasure about this. Not only this, some reputed schools have decided to opt out of this process. We will not be involved in this process if we are not paid the tuition fee as per the rules. It is unfair that the Pune Zilla Parishad considers 44 schools as government beneficiaries because they are on government reserve land. RTE fee reimbursement is only for tuition fees, not for infrastructure utilisation charges. We will meet state education commissioner Suraj Mandhare to discuss this issue. It is mandatory to allow RTE funds to these 44 schools. Aayush Prasad, chief executive officer of Pune Zilla Parishad said, Forty-four schools have availed government land benefits. Schools availing government land benefits have been disqualified for this fee refund. But the RTE fee was already distributed to these 44 schools. Therefore, we sought guidance from the state government through a letter in this regard. The government has recently released RTE fee reimbursement after seven years. A fund of Rs 74,34,13,696 was distributed among 375 schools in the district. The fund is meant for 25 percent of students in these schools from economically weaker sections under the provisions of the Free and Compulsory Education for Children Act (RTE), 2009. However, the proposals for reimbursement from 193 schools have been put on hold for rectification. We have distributed the RTE fee refund amount for 4 academic years from 2016-17 to 2019-20. These schools continue to have arrears for three more academic years 2020-21 and 2021-22 and 2022-23. A total of 612 schools in Pune city, Pimpri Chinchwad, and rural areas of the district had submitted a proposal to the education department of the Zilla Parishad for this fee refund demand. Out of these, 193 schools have been found to have flaws in their proposals, informed Prasad. Sandhya Gaikwad, primary education administrative officer of Pune ZP, said, Due to errors in the fee demand proposals of 193 schools, free education admission fees have not been distributed to these schools. These schools have been ordered to rectify the errors. After rectification of the errors, the tuition fee refund amount of these schools will be paid. No safety gear provided to him, we were told not to rake up the issue, alleges victims brother; incident happened on Jan 11, case filed on Feb 1; relatives of the deceased say theyd come to city after rituals and take up the case with police A nother incident of sheer negligence by contractors involved in the construction field towards safety of workers has reared its ugly head in the city. Surprisingly, in the latest case, a worker fell to his death from the 14th floor of a building under construction in Kondhwa on January 11 and a police case was filed only on February 1. The cops told Mirror that the family of the deceased could not come to Pune to file a case soon as they were busy in the last rituals. The police said they have booked the contractor for negligence. The worker died at the construction site of Prince Town Towers. The incident happened on January 11 at the Kumar Properties Builder construction site in Kondhwa, added the police. Various such cases in the city show utter nonchalance on part of the responsible people or entities concerned as they invariably turn a blind eye to the safety measures that ought to be taken for the protection of construction workers unfailingly. In February 2022, five workers died after a slab collapsed at an under-construction site in Yerwada. In another case six months ago, a 21-year-old person died after falling from the upper floors of an underconstruction building in the Bavdhan area. The incident was reported at Hinjewadi police station. Bhushan Rathod, 30, who works for the LLP Fire Safety company as a junior engineer, complained to the police about the incident in Kondhwa and named the contractor as Rajiv Chowdhary. According to Rathod, the name of the deceased was Raju Roy Yadav. The worker was on the 14th floor welding pipes when he suddenly slipped and fell to the ground. He died on the spot. When he was taken to the hospital, he was declared brought dead. When the police reached the site, it was found that there were no safety measures for the workers in place no safety nets or safety belts. The body of Yadav was handed over to his relatives. When the police later tried to contact them, they said they were busy with the final rituals and hence they could not come to file a case against the contractor. We tried to communicate with the relatives of the deceased to file a case, but nobody came forward, said an officer. Therefore, the police registered a case in this regard on February 1. When Mirror contacted the brother of the deceased, Santosh Roy Yadav, he said: We were in our village in Bihar when we received a call from Rajiv Chowdhary. He told us that Raju, while working at the site, fell sick, and he told us to travel to Pune as soon as possible. When we reached Pune, police gave us our brothers body. We were shocked. We didnt know what exactly happened. But later, one of his co-workers told us that he fell from a height and died. Furthermore, Santosh Yadav said that it was the duty of the employer to provide safety-related equipment because it is very risky to work in a high-rise building. The construction site official promised compensation but we have not yet received anything. They promised us Rs 5 lakh. My brother was the only breadwinner of the family. We are now facing financial problems, he added. Manoj Kumar, brother-in-law of the deceased, told Mirror that a construction site official sent a letter to them and stated that they should sign and send it back. It mentions that we dont have any complaint against the construction site official and we have received Rs 5 lakh from the company. But this is wrong. Why should we sign the letter? We still have not received the money from the builder. We lost an important family member. After the final ritual, we plan to go to Pune and meet the police. Senior police inspector Santosh Sonavane said, We have registered a case of accidental death. The family belongs to another state. Our team tried to contact them but they are in mourning. Labour commissioner Abhay Gite told Mirror: In such incidents, if any family member or any relative of the deceased files a complaint against the construction site officials, we do take action. Mostly, nobody comes forward to complain in such cases. We always give instructions to construction site officials and builders to use proper safety measures for workers at their sites. According to the law, if the accused is found guilty in such a case, the punishment is two years in jail and a fine. Mirror tried to contact the Kumar Properties Builder officials but there was no response. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SAFET Y RULES FOR SITES Always wear PPE Be mindful and follow signs Provide clear instruction Keep site tidy Organize and store tools properly Use the right equipment for the right task Have an emergency response plan Set up safeguards #MUMBAI As the Adani Group battles its current crisis on multiple fronts, the Maharashtra Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and residents of Dharavi on Thursday raised questions over the fate of the ambitious redevelopment project for Asias biggest slum. In end-November 2022, the state government had finalised Adani Properties Ltd.s bid to invest Rs 5,069 crore in the Dharavi redevelopment mega project. At that time, the Metropolitan Commissioner of Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), S.V.R. Srinivas, had said that the proposal would be sent for the state governments approval, a special purpose vehicle would be formed, and if all goes well, the project shall kick-start by February 2023. When his reactions were sought again on Thursday, Srinivas said that he would not like to comment on the matter right now, maybe after 2-3 days. However, state Congress General Secretary Sachin Sawant feels that all is not well considering the nosediving of Adani Group shares and its probable cascading effect on the Indian economy. The Maharashtra government must clarify its stand on the Dharavi redevelopment project. Will it allow the fate of lakhs of people to be connected to a company whose fate itself seems to be in jeopardy, Sawant asked. Shiv Sena (UBT) national spokesperson Kishore Tiwari claimed that the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was deliberately toppled (in June 2022) so that the Adani Group could be given various big projects. IANS Express train running between Mumbai and Solapur may be flagged off on Feb 10 by PM Modi; CR GM inspects facilities at city railway station The Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Express train arrived at the Pune railway station on Thursday morning, ahead of its much awaited official launch. Central Railway (CR) GM Naresh Lalwani, who was in the city to inspect the city railway station, travelled back in the train from the Pune railway station to Mumbai in the evening. The official launch of the train is likely to happen on February 10 in Mumbai. Prime Minister Narendra Modi may flag off two Vande Bharat Express trains on his visit to Mumbai on the Mumbai-Solapur and Mumbai-Shirdi routes. The train, after reaching Mumbai on Thursday, will be fitted with parking brakes. Later, it will undergo a trial run in the ghat section before the official launch as both trains will pass through the ghat areas on their routes. The Mumbai-Solapur train is likely to cover a distance of around 455 km in 6.35 hours. The government has launched eight Vande Bharat Express trains across the country till date connecting various states. One such train is already running in Maharashtra between Mumbai and Gandhinagar. The indigenously designed semi high-speed train reaches 160 kmph speed in just 140 seconds. Launched in 2019, the train has received a good response from passengers so far. The general manager inspected the trial run of Vande Bharat Express at the Pune railway station, an official of the Railways said. GM inspects facilities at Pune and Lonavala railway stations The Central Railway GM, who recently took charge, inspected the facilities and arrangements at the Pune and Lonavala railway stations on Thursday. During his visit, he also spoke to passengers, vendors and service providers at the railway station. The general manager made a detailed inspection of the Pune railway station. He took a close look at the works going on at the Pune station, various passenger facilities, all waiting rooms, toilets, foot overbridges, a station, a product, stalls and the station premises during his visit, Manoj Jhanwar, PRO, Pune division, said. The GM also held a meeting with the officers of the Pune division to discuss various ongoing development works, infrastructure works, projects and passenger facilities, etc, in the Pune division, he added. On semi high-speed route Command Sgt. Maj. James E. Brown will receive responsibility for the Command Sergeant Major post at the U.S. Army Garrison, Rock Island Arsenal, in a ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 10 at Rock Island Arsenals Heritage Hall. The ceremony marks the end of the assignment for Command Sgt. Maj. John E. Dobbins, who has served in the position since July 21, 2021. He is leaving the Arsenal with his next duty assignment as command sergeant major at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Brown served most recently as the command sergeant major of the 261st Multifunctional Medical Battalion at Fort Bragg, N.C. As command sergeant major for the garrison, Brown will provide quality facilities and excellent base operations support and services to all installation tenants in the areas of law enforcement, crime prevention, security management, fire, safety, information management, facilities engineering, housing, maintenance of buildings and roads, and transportation, according to an Arsenal news release. Police say Maddie Russo stole money from well-meaning donors by faking cancer. Parents of children with cancer say she stole something from them too. From the time he was 23 months old in March of 2019 to May 2022, Jessica McKearney watched as her son, Hudson, endured painful treatments, including lumbar punctures, bone marrow biopsies, transfusions, and chemotherapy, to diagnose and treat his acute lymphoblastic leukemia. McKearney said she and her family were many times dependent upon the community and donations to make it. There were times we survived on donations, she said. In addition to the monetary donations, people brought us groceries, they did yard work for us; all the things you dont realize that you need, they handled for us. We could not have done this for three years without our community." It was with disbelief that McKearney heard of the ruse allegedly perpetrated by Madison Russo, who claimed to have pancreatic cancer and the same type of leukemia as Hudson. Donors gave her more than $37,000 through a GoFundMe page, and Eldridge Police said others donated privately. We were at Hudsons oncology visit when we got news of this, McKearney said. "Who would do such a thing?" She has been in contact with Eldridge Police Chief Joe Sisler as it appears Russo may have stolen from Hudsons story. Talking to Joe, it sounds like she did steal some of the details from Hudsons journey, she said. Weve been very open about our journey and we are advocates for childhood cancer. We even started a nonprofit, Hudson Strong Foundation. Weve already helped several families and its amazing to be able to give back, because we had plenty of foundations that helped us. Russo, 19, of Bettendorf, is charged in Scott County District Court with one count of first-degree theft. The charge is a Class C felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of 10 years. She currently is free on bond and is scheduled to be arraigned on the charge March 2 in district court. Disbelief that someone would try such a stunt quickly turned to anger for McKearney. Our sons story is being mocked and its just completely absurd, she said. He was on some of the same medications she talked about and he was unable to walk and talk. We were carrying him around. He had to relearn how to walk and talk, she said of her son, who now is 5. These medications are so potent and so strong. It takes out the cancer, and at the same time, it takes a lot out of the body. Hudson also had a nasogastric tube, and the McKearneys walked around with feeding bags for him. They would feed him Tylenol for the pain and help him sit up. You dont know the real meaning of fear until you have a child with cancer the screams that we have heard during the procedures that we had to hold our child down for," McKearney said. That someone would pretend to be going through what our child was going through makes me physically nauseous. Its disgusting and hurtful and these kids are so incredible and resilient and strong, and theyre super heroes." McKearney said that what her son has gone through, and what many, many other children are going through, is something that people who havent gone through it cannot comprehend. It steals memories. It steals birthday parties. It steals Christmases. It steals so many wonderful experiences and replaces that with fear and trauma and tears, she said. I see so many families going through similar situations. I think of these other families and it is so real and terrifying." Others have had it even worse, she said. Our child, fortunately, is still alive, but I know many families who were not so fortunate. Were trying to figure out what a normal life is, and the other families are trying to figure out what life is without their child on earth. McKearney said they followed the story of Charly Erpelding, 18, of Bettendorf, who died Oct. 10 after a valiant battle against a rare bone cancer called Ewing's sarcoma. We talked about Charly a lot, she said. My kids still talk about her. Thats how big of an impact she had and my kids never met her. Shes inspiring my four- and five-year olds, whom she never met. McKearney said that Hudson overheard her and her husband, Kyle, talking about Russo. He said, Someone stole my story and that was just rude. I just hope people dont stop supporting real cancer victims, she said. I hope people realize this is a terrible situation and they need to be there for families and support them and rally around them. Russo also used Charly Erpelding's name in her online posts. Her parents, Tara Awbrey Erpelding and Andy Erpelding, said they will continue to put their attention where it belongs and not on someone who appears to have taken advantage of their loss. "Our family is focused on grieving our beloved daughter and carrying on her lifes mission of helping and touching others," the Erpeldings said. "Our hope is current cancer patients and their families continue to receive support and love from others. That support is infinitely impactful to those battling this disease." DES MOINES A subcommittee of Iowa House lawmakers this week advanced Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds wide-ranging health care bill. House Study Bill 91 would: Provide $2 million to pregnancy resource centers that counsel against abortion, and add programming for fathers. Allow Iowans to receive prescription-free birth control from a pharmacy. Limit the amount of money Iowans could receive through medical malpractice lawsuits. Shore up rural health care with a new rural emergency hospital designation and new OB-GYN fellowships. Offer paid parental leave for Iowa state employees. Some of the ideas received broad support at a legislative subcommittee Wednesday, while others namely the medical malpractice limits and funding for pregnancy resource centers did not. Abortion rights advocates oppose the funding for pregnancy resource centers, saying they mislead women about their options and misrepresent themselves as legitimate medical providers. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa, in a statement, noted the hearing comes on the heels of House Republican lawmakers introducing a ban on medication abortion, House File 146. More than half of abortions in Iowa are medication abortions, which the FDA has found is safe and effective, with a 0.4 percent risk of major complications. The FDA recently loosened restrictions allowing patients to be prescribed the two-dose regimen without an in-person visit. HOUSE INCREASES GRANT MONEY IN VETERANS FUND Iowa House lawmakers this week unanimously voted to increase the annual budget for grants awarded from a state fund to provide emergency financial assistance to Iowa veterans. The $500,000 allotment for the current budgeting year ran out last fall. This would make $800,000 in grants available each year if the bill becomes law. Available funds from the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund were depleted in October for the first time in more than a decade. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds earlier this week approved the transfer of $440,000 in federal pandemic relief funds to cover the backlog of trust fund grants that were approved before the program was temporarily suspended due to insufficient funds. LINE OF SUCCESSION AMENDMENT ADVANCES The Iowa House also this week passed a joint resolution that will ask Iowa voters to clarify the line of succession in state government. When then-Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds took over as governor in 2017 when former Gov. Terry Branstad resigned to become U.S. ambassador to China, the state attorney general issued an opinion that the state Constitution did not give Reynolds the authority to name Adam Gregg as her lieutenant governor. The proposed amendment to Iowas Constitution makes clear new governors have the authority to appoint a new lieutenant governor if the need arises. Eighteen Democrats voted against the proposal, with Rep. Adam Zabner, D-Iowa City, arguing a new governors choice for lieutenant governor should be subject to Senate confirmation. Should the Iowa Senate approve the House-passed resolution, Iowans would vote on the amendment in the 2024 general election. DOMESTIC ABUSE BILL Supporters say a House-passed bill adds new protections for domestic abuse victims. House File 112 eliminates a section of code that said if a previous conviction or deferred judgment for domestic abuse occurred more than 12 years before the date of a second violation, it shall not be considered a second offense. A representative for the Iowa County Attorneys Association which is registered in support of the bill noted Iowa code does contain the same arbitrary look back provision for drug offenses. Providing for a higher-level offense will hold individuals accountable for continued abusive behavior and allow for continued court supervision and intervention and support programs. Critics worry the bill will effectively eliminate second chances. The bill passed 77-21. BROADBAND GRANT APPLICATION Communities can apply for areas to be prioritized when the next round of broadband internet expansion grants are released by the state program Empower Rural Iowa, according to a news release from Gov. Kim Reynolds office. Applications are being accepted via the state Department of Managements office of the Chief Information Officer, according to the news release. Providers also can apply for grant funds to increase service to Broadband Intervention Zones. This is a first of its kind program, and it relies directly on Iowa communities to inform the state where opportunities exist to expand broadband access, Reynolds said. Empowering local communities will help lay the foundation for future success and access to broadband statewide. Instructions on how to apply for a grant can be found at the Chief Information Officers website at https://ocio.iowa.gov/invitation-qualify-001 A bill is moving through the Iowa Legislature that is to correct a property tax calculation error that would have left taxpayers with higher bills than expected. But the fix could short local governments millions of dollars they were counting on. In Davenport, the change could wipe out $1.7 million the city budgeted for fiscal year 2024. In Scott County, $1.3-$1.4 million could fall off the budget, which is causing the county to reconsider funding requests from nonprofits. In Bettendorf, it would amount to a $912,000 shortage. Property tax cuts in 2013 and 2021 gradually lowered taxes on multi-residential properties, including apartment complexes, nursing homes, and mobile home parks, until the properties were brought to the same tax rate as single-family homes. Then, the multi-residential tax category was eliminated altogether. But no change was made to the formula that the state uses to calculate the "rollback" the percentage of property value that can be taxed. The rollback is designed to hold down property taxes by limiting the annual growth of assessed property value. With law changes, the rollback percentage should've been 56.5%, but instead was calculated as 54.5%. Cities, counties, schools, and other taxing entities conducted their budgeting processes while unaware of the error until the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency discovered it. A bill passed the Senate on Wednesday that would correct that error, which means taxpayers across the state would pay about $130 million less in taxes, but local governments may have to cut services, draw down reserves, or raise taxes more than they intended to meet resulting budget shortfalls. The Senate-passed bill included an amendment to give governments more time to redo their budgets. It extended a March 31 deadline for local governments to certify their budgets to April 30. That bill must pass the House before it can be signed into law. Finance directors in Davenport, Scott County, and Bettendorf said they are closely monitoring the Legislature and making contingency plans. Davenport plans to bring recommendations to aldermen in the coming weeks, said the city's chief financial officer, Mallory Merritt, as staff continues to monitor action in the Legislature. "We're in a holding pattern right now," Merritt said. Governments were advised they could move forward with some parts of the budgeting process that wouldn't need to be redone, such as approving the maximum property tax levy, which Davenport is doing this cycle. In Scott County, supervisors have been meeting with staff over the past two weeks to go over budget recommendations, which could change with more than $1 million less in funding. Budget and Administrative Services Director David Farmer said the supervisors could consider hiring fewer new employees, cutting services, raising fees, or dipping into reserves that already are low to account for the unexpected drop in revenue. Farmer told supervisors Wednesday that staff would "probably have to come back to you with a list at a future date, and say, 'OK you have a $1.3 million gap. What lever do we want to pull in order to balance the budget there?" Already, supervisors expressed hesitancy in funding new requests from nonprofits because of tight budget concerns. Dress for Success, a nonprofit that helps women stock a professional wardrobe, requested $22,060. River Action asked for $10,000 for staff resources to complete a Community Rating System application, a program that can lower residents' flood insurance rates. The Scott County Housing Council, an affordable housing advocacy agency, requested to become an authorized agency of Scott County, asking for a $50,000 county contribution to a Housing Trust Fund for a loan and grant program, and $20,000 for its administrative budget. "These are worthy causes, but we're facing a potential one-point-something million-dollar reduction in our budgets," said Board of Supervisors Chairman Ken Beck. "I can safely say I'm not really interested in taking on the additional agencies, because we may be making cuts to something that we already are considering." Scott County's estimated unassigned fund balance for fiscal 2024 is 15.5% of expenditures, and board policy recommends not dipping below 15%, leaving little room for using reserves to cover the unexpected drop in revenue, Farmer said. In Bettendorf, tax revenue still will grow from last year because of increases in property values but will be about half of what the city expected when the original rollback was provided in October, said Jason Schadt, Bettendorf's finance director. The federal trial on child pornography charges for former East Moline firefighter Kyle DuPrey has been moved to April 10 in U.S. District Court, Davenport. The trial had been scheduled for Feb. 27. The plea notification deadline is March 20, while a final date to enter a guilty plea is March 27. According to U.S. District Court, Davenport, electronic records, DuPrey, 36, of LeClaire, was indicted Jan. 11 by a federal grand jury on two counts of distribution and receipt of child pornography. DuPrey faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison on each charge if he is convicted. According to Scott County District Court electronic records, the three charges of sexual exploitation of a minor filed against DuPrey in November are still pending. A trial date has been set for March 6 in that case. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Feb. 24. Scott County Sheriffs deputies arrested DuPrey on Nov. 21. Sexual exploitation of a minor is a Class D felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of five years. According to arrest affidavits filed by Scott County Sheriffs Investigator Ethan Roling, at 2:59 p.m. Aug. 22, 2021, DuPrey disseminated a video depicting an underage female engaged in a sexual act. At 10:53 a.m. and at 1:54 p.m. on May 4 of this year, DuPrey disseminated two videos showing underage females engaged in sexual acts. The videos were sent through Kik Messenger. A cyber-tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led to the investigation. DuPrey is currently on pretrial release and is restricted to his home except for employment, religious services, attorney visits, court appearances or treatment for medical, mental health or substance abuse issues. He is being monitored electronically. He is prohibited from having any contact with minors, including his own children, according to U.S. District Court records. The Scott County case against a Davenport woman accused of fleeing police while illegally armed with a gun has been dropped in favor of federal prosecution. A federal grand jury indicted Gsani N. Bogan, 22, on a single count of felon in possession of a firearm, according to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Bogan is accused of having a .380-caliber Smith & Wesson pistol on Sept. 19, despite having at least one felony conviction. Initially, Bogan faced charges of eluding, interference with officials acts and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to Scott County court records. Each of those charges is a Class D felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of five years. The federal weapons charge carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years. However, unlike the state prison system, there is no parole in the federal system. The incident that led to the charges began around 11 p.m. Sept. 19 in the 500 block of West 17th Street, Davenport. Officers went to the area to investigate a report of gunfire and saw a black sedan leaving the area, according to court records. Some of the officers saw a black 2013 Ford Fusion at the intersection of North Ripley and West 17th streets, speeding away. Bogan, accused of being the driver, did not stop when signaled by a marked Davenport Police Department squad car, instead fleeing at speeds over 75 mph in a 35 mph zone, according to court records. Bogan crashed the Fusion into a traffic pole at East Locust and Grand Avenue, got out and tried to run, but officers captured her, court records state. During the foot chase, officers ordered her to stop several times, but she refused to obey those commands. When they searched the Fusion, police found a stolen firearm on the front passenger-side floor of the vehicle, as well as an open alcoholic beverage, court records state. The gun had been reported stolen out of Rock Island County. Bogan has a suspended license and told officers that was why she did not stop when ordered to do so, authorities allege in the court records. District Court Judge Tom Reidel dismissed the pursuit case on Jan. 13, acting on a motion filed by the Scott County Attorneys Office that announced the federal case. When she was arrested in September, Bogan was on probation in relation to two other Scott County court cases, including one in which she was accused of shooting a man in the lobby of Genesis Medical Center Wests emergency room. Authorities accused Bogan of shooting a man in the leg at 12:47 a.m. March 9 as the two fought in the hospitals emergency room lobby. In July, Bogan pleaded guilty to reckless use of a firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm or offensive weapon in relation to the shooting, according to court records. In return, prosecutors dropped a charge of use of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime. District Judge Mark Fowler gave Bogan five-year prison terms on each charge, which were suspended in favor of up to three years of probation, court records state. The actual length of Bogans probation depended on the evaluation of her probation officer. She also was sentenced in July to a suspended 10-year prison term in a heroin case in which she was accused of violating her probation, court records state. She was given three years of probation in that case, and the sentence was concurrent to the sentence in the Genesis shooting case. Court records state that probation revocation proceedings were pending against her in both cases as of Thursday. Central DeWitt School District residents will vote on a proposed Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) and a Revenue Purpose Statement (RPS) on Tuesday, March 7 neither to result in property tax increases. Voter-approved PPEL funds are used solely for school infrastructure and equipment repairs, purchases and improvements. If the PPEL is approved, the district would prioritize the most urgent repairs throughout its school buildings. In the past, the district has used these funds for roof repairs, lighting replacement, safety and security upgrades, carpet replacement, student technology, parking lot resurfacing, school buses and district vehicles, maintenance equipment and school communication systems among many others. An RPS is part of the statewide 1-cent educational sales tax, Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE). Iowa school districts may ask voters to approve an RPS to continue investing state sales tax funds in school infrastructure projects. Like the PPEL, funds provided through SAVE help the district cover a wide variety of facility needs throughout the school year. An approved RPS would enable the district to continue using this money for information technology infrastructure, remodeling or repairing school grounds, repairing vehicles, furnishing and equipping spaces, and other facility projects. We are incredibly grateful to our community for supporting a voted PPEL and Revenue Purpose Statement to allow us to address key facility needs in our district, including transportation, building maintenance, and technology in the classroom, Superintendent Dan Peterson said in a news release. Now, the board is returning to voters to seek a continuation of these two items. Its important to note that, even if both are approved, there would be no impact to property taxes for Central DeWitt residents. District leaders and the Central DeWitt Board of Education will continue to share information on these two measures in the weeks ahead. http:// Photos: MAC wrestling tournament Saturday at Central DeWitt High School To help alleviate local substitute teacher shortages, Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC) are continuing to offer the required course to earn a Substitute Teaching License online from Monday, Feb. 6, to Monday, March 6. The program's five sessions will run from 6 to 9 p.m. on the Zoom webinar platform. EICC will offer the Board of Educational Examiners-Approved Substitute Authorization Program, which is required to become an certified substitute teacher in Iowa. Individuals are officially authorized to substitute in K-12 classrooms upon completing the courses and submitting all required fees to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners. A LeClaire man awaits sentencing in a child pornography case after pleading guilty Wednesday. Daniel R. Valenzuela, 25, pleaded to five counts of purchase/possess depiction of minor in sex act first offense, according to Scott County court documents. Authorities accused him of purchasing or having illegal images of children on or around July 31, 2020. The Scott County Sheriffs Office investigated the case. The initial complaints and affidavits filed against Valenzuela state that deputies began the inquiry after receiving information from Iowas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. During questioning, Valenzuela admitted to investigating child pornography on Tumblr, and when authorities searched his old and new Tumblr accounts, they recovered nine images or videos of child pornography, according to the complaints. He was free on a $10,000 bond, according to court records. His sentencing has been set for April 18. Gov. Kristi Noem signed a bill Wednesday that will authorize $200 million for housing infrastructure across the state. Senate Bill 41 corrects legislation that was originally passed in 2022 for housing infrastructure. However, there were some concerns over the wording and "technical issues" with the 2022 law that prevented $200 million of the funding to be released, Noem said. We are thankful that this bill has been revised so that these dollars can now be deployed. As South Dakotas economy continues to boom, we have consistently ranked at or near the top of the country for fastest new housing development, Noem said in a statement. However, even this impressive growth has not kept up with new residents moving into our state. This will enable us to attract even more Freedom-loving Americans to fill South Dakotas open jobs. The new law's language authorizes a state program to provide $100 million in loans and $50 million in grants for the construction of housing infrastructure. The state of South Dakota will fund the $150 million program and the federal government will provide an addition $50 million in grants. Senate Bill 41 passed in the Senate on a 29-2 vote. Republican Sens. Arch Beal and Tom Pischke voted against the measure. Democratic Sen. Red Dawn Foster and Republican Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller were among four excused from the vote. The bill passed the House of Representatives 54-16, with Black Hills-area Republican Reps. Phil Jensen, Liz May, Tina Mulally, Scott Odenbach and Tony Randolph opposing it. The new law includes an emergency clause allowing the funding's immediate availability. United States Census Bureau data shows South Dakota currently ranks second in new housing development over the past 12 months. The Pennington County Sheriff's Office has released the name of a 56-year-old man who died in jail Wednesday. Floyd Joseph Slowbear was found dead in his cell early Wednesday morning about seven hours after being held on a disorderly conduct charge. The sheriff's office said Slowbear was booked into the jail at 6:23 p.m. Tuesday. He was found dead at approximately 1:45 a.m. Wednesday. The sheriff's office said an autopsy was conducted Wednesday morning, and the initial manner of death was determined to be natural causes, but final results are pending. The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation will investigate the death. "Its just one really simple message: that I want these property owners to take care of their property," Ward 4 City Council member Lance Lehmann said about "The Big Three," a reference to three north Rapid City rental complexes whose names have become synonymous with violent crime in the city. The city appears to be further ramping up or at least threatening to ramp up its response to the crime at Knollwood Townhouses (also known as the ABCs for the buildings differentiated by letters), Maplewood Townhomes, and Sage Place (formerly Knollwood Heights Apartments and casually known as simply "Surfwood" because of the street on which it's located). After increasing law enforcement in the area to 24/7 patrols, adding a police substation across the street and attempting to work with the owners of the properties, city officials are at a loss on how to deal with "The Big Three." Mayor Steve Allender said the priority has been to work through the police department on crime prevention efforts, but moving forward, building services and code enforcement are being added to the ongoing efforts. At this point, all options are on the table, including declaring a public nuisance, he said through a statement from his office. The process of a property being declared a nuisance involves an investigation by building services or code enforcement and/or formal prosecution of the violations. The city council can also declare something to be a public nuisance. Darrell Shoemaker, the citys communications director, said there is some flexibility in declaring a public nuisance. State law and municipal code requires a notification process and the opportunity to cure or remedy the violation. When it comes to housing, the motivation and intention is to improve the living conditions, Shoemaker said. Displacing tenants is a last resort and a choice officials would try to avoid. Violent crime increases Crime in the area notably increased with several homicides in August 2022. One man was found shot dead at Knollwood Townhouses and another man was grazed with a bullet the same day at Sage Place then Knollwood Heights apartments. Later that month, two men were found dead at Knollwood Heights apartments in homicides that police said were gang-related. Police Chief Don Hedrick made an impassioned plea in an opinion column to the Journal following the killings. He asked the community to come together and explained the increase in law enforcement presence, as well as the department's efforts to work with the complexes' management and owners. Despite that, violent crime has continued. On Jan. 21, a man in his 20s was found shot at Sage Place. He died at the hospital. Law enforcement has not announced an arrest for the incident yet. Two days before, on Jan. 19, police shot and killed a man who was walking near Surfwood Drive and North Maple Avenue and pulled a gun on an officer, according to the department. "We've exhausted all of the law enforcement tools at our disposal. We've overextended law enforcement resources in that area with little effect, so we're trying to shift gears here which involves getting more involvement from out-of-state owners," Allender said. City reaches out to owners Allender sent letters to the properties' respective owners in September 2022, but he told the Journal the level of communication has led to more frustration with the owners. I think this is a problem when your owners live in some other state and all they do is cash the checks and manage the accounting when there are real live human beings working and living in their apartment complexes who are being subjected to a hostile living environment, Allender said. The responses and content of the letters vary. One letter was addressed to Thies and Talle Investments in Minnesota, which owns Maplewood Townhomes. The letter thanked the company for installing cameras and improved lighting on their property last summer and asked that the companys relationship with the police department continue. We have not been so fortunate with the adjoining property management companies, and we will be addressing them as well, the one-page letter stated before including crime statistics on a second page and a request that the working relationship continue. Kim Nutzman, regional property manager at Thies and Talle Management told the Journal that they did not receive the letter from the Mayor's Office, but the company has been working with the Rapid City Police Department. Nutzman said Maplewood Townhomes installed more than 30 cameras on its property and hired a security service, Mountain States Security, which patrols the property part-time. Lehmann, who lives just up the road from "The Big Three," said the patrol isnt enough. They do pay for security, and Im using air quotes around that, Lehmann said. Mountain States Security also patrols the neighboring Knollwood Townhouses. When the Journal visited the property this week with Lehmann, Mountain States Security drove through the parking lot and stopped to speak to a police officer, telling him he saw some people possibly trying to break into an apartment. He didnt appear to do anything to stop it, Lehmann said of the security man. Allender also sent New York-based Professional Management Incorporated, which owns Knollwood Townhouses a letter. The mayor wrote that residents have plans for if "not when" they hear gunshots. "Not only are you housing some extremely violent criminals and gang members, you are housing many innocent people who live in fear every single day," Allender wrote. "If you doubt what I'm saying could be true, I would invite you to come live at your own apartment complex for 30 days ... I have a feeling if you personally witnessed the situation, it would certainly be convincing." That letter has not received a response, Allender said. The Journal was unable to get in contact with the company to confirm if they received the letter. Cairn Commercial Properties in Minneapolis, which owns Sage Place, received its own letter, which was sent to the correct address in October 2022. Its time to do something about this. We are in urgent need of an enhanced partnership with your company, the mayor wrote. That enhanced partnership is slow-going. Allender said he received a response to the letter in November, indicating that, if not for them, the tenants would be homeless. They also indicated the concerns with costs associated with possible solutions. The response stated they are working on the issues and indicated they would be willing to meet at some point. The Mayor's Office responded in January via e-mail about setting up a meeting. Staff is currently monitoring for a reply and checking back with the property owner for a status on the meeting request, Allenders office said in a statement. City councilors want action If it does come down to a series of code violations or the property being declared a nuisance, it would be to encourage or force improvements to be made. Council member John Roberts, who also represents Ward 4 with Lehmann, said there are better ways to manage low-income housing developments like "The Big Three." Roberts referred to Discovery Village Apartments, a complex that completed construction in December 2021 and is managed by Blue Line Property Management out of Missoula, Montana. It offers 36 two- and three-bedroom units, and accepts housing vouchers and rental assistance. "They don't have the problems that these have," Roberts said. "There's a lot of wonderful low-income providers out there. If they would sell them to one of these, I think it would be wonderful for the community." One person is dead following a Friday afternoon police shooting at a convenience store in north Rapid City, where the suspect was reportedly holding an employee at knife point. According to Rapid City Police Chief Don Hedrick, multiple law enforcement agencies responded at about noon Friday, for a report of a man holding a clerk at knife point inside the Loaf 'N Jug, 1601 Haines Ave. Hedrick said the male suspect entered the store and held a knife to the clerk's throat and 911 was called. "At some point during this encounter, a good Samaritan engaged with the suspect," Hedrick said. Details of the engagement have not yet been released. Hedrick said the suspect was able to regain control of the convenience store employee, and brought her outside, still holding the knife prior to the first arrival of police. When the officer arrived, he fired his weapon and the male suspect went to the ground. A taser was also used, Hedrick said. Ambulance and medical personnel arrived and transported the man to the hospital. Late Friday, a spokesperson with the South Dakota Attorney General's Office said the suspect died at the hospital. Hedrick said he was told the store employee is okay. The officer involved is back at the police station, Hedrick said. The South Dakota Highway Patrol and the Pennington County Sheriff's Office took control of the scene and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation will investigate the incident. A Pennington County judge awarded ownership Wednesday of 14 horses and two donkeys seized during a recent animal neglect investigation to a Piedmont rescue operation. Happy Tails Haven Horse Rescue has been caring for the animals since they were removed from Kenneth Jobbins' rural Rapid City property in early January. The Pennington County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant on Jobbins' property in the 5000 block of 143rd Avenue on Jan. 5 in relation to an animal neglect case. Holly Mattern, whose horses stay on property near Jobbins' residence, previously told the Journal that she and other neighbors had been calling in complaints about the conditions of Jobbins' animals for more than a year. She said dead horses were visible in the pens, with other horses appearing extremely malnourished and even resorting to eating their own feces to survive. The sheriff's office said the transfer of ownership for the surviving horses and donkeys was done in agreement with Jobbins. Happy Tails Haven is a nonprofit that takes care of severely neglected horses. Some horses are permanent residents of the sanctuary, while others are able to be adopted. According to a news release from the sheriff's office, Happy Tails Haven is looking for new owners to adopt the horses and donkeys. The sheriff's office said anyone interested in adopting or donating can contact Kiara at 605-391-3122. Additionally, a GoFundMe account has been set up through Happy Tails to assist with the cost of care for the horses and donkeys. The sheriff's office said Central States Fairground staff also assisted by providing space for the animal's rehabilitation. A Virginia Supreme Court decision could have an impact on a contentious $175 million Wegmans distribution center about two miles from the Atlee-Elmont exit off Interstate 95 in Hanover County. The courts decision sends a suit between Hanover residents and their county board back to Hanover Circuit Court. A group of homeowners were against the Hanover Board of Supervisors decision to approve a rezoning and special exemption that paved the way for construction of the Wegmans Food Markets Inc. distribution center. The homeowners also opposed the development for other reasons like industrial traffic, noise, pollution and environmental damage. The complaint said the county board violated state and local laws in eight ways. An opinion from Justice D. Arthur Kelsey on Thursday said the circuit court erred when it said the local homeowners did not have standing to bring suit against the board. The circuit court did not hear any of the homeowners allegations against the development. The facility is planned on 218 acres off Sliding Hill Road, east of the Hanover County Airport and south of Ashcake Road. The land is across Sliding Hill Road from the Fox Head subdivision. A new court date for the case in Hanover will be set in the coming weeks. Weve alleged that this massive facility, open 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, has such a negative impact on my clients as to constitute a nuisance, said Brian Buniva, a lawyer for the homeowners. Buniva said part of the suit could end in court-ordered reduction of operational hours to make the distribution center a decent neighbor. He added that the homeowners suit is seeking to show that the boards rezoning decision was illegally made from the beginning, making it void. A spokesperson for Hanover County said the county attorneys office and county staff are currently reviewing the decision. While we disagree with the Courts decision, the Board respects the courts role in the process, Hanover County said in a statement. The Board is reviewing its options but remains confident that, as the courts continue their review of this matter, they will find that the Board acted properly related to this case. The county declined to comment further, citing ongoing litigation. Officials for Wegmans did not immediately respond to questions Thursday evening. The distribution center was announced in 2019 with the promise of 700 jobs for the community. Then-Gov. Ralph Northam said Virginia was using $2.35 million in state money as an incentive to build the Wegmans center. The company had similar facilities in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, and Rochester, New York. An area within the development land called Brown Grove was later given a historic designation by the state Department of Historic Resources. Brown Grove was founded by freed slaves during the Reconstruction period over 150 years ago. The homeowners suit did not include any mention of the lands historic status. Theres two sets of winners here today. The plaintiffs who filed the case are the obvious winners, and the community members who have been supporting them throughout this entire effort, said Chris French, a member of two groups that mounted opposition to the project. French said community members around the site opposed the development from planning through the rezoning approval by the county board. The site has been under development since March 2022 when the land was half cleared and drainage structures were being installed. The sites construction has already reached an advanced stage. Wegmans, based in Rochester, has 110 locations, including 15 in Virginia and two in the Richmond area. The family-owned company opened an 85,000-square-foot store in Reston on Wednesday. PHOTOS: Wegman's in the Richmond area -- HIDE VERTICAL GALLERY ASSET TITLES -- 20151228_MBZ_FACES_WEGMANS_KM1 20151228_MBZ_FACES_WEGMANS_KM2 20160413_BIZ_JOBFAIR_AWE04 20160417_MWS_WEGMANS_JM03 20160417_MWS_WEGMANS_JM015 20160518_BIZ_WEGMANS_KM1 20160518_BIZ_WEGMANS_KM2 20160518_BIZ_WEGMANS_KM3 20160518_BIZ_WEGMANS_KM5 20160518_BIZ_WEGMANS_KM7 20160518_BIZ_WEGMANS_KM11 20160518_BIZ_WEGMANS_KM13 20160518_BIZ_WEGMANS_KM16 20160518_BIZ_WEGMANS_KM17 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_01.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_02.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_03.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_04.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_05.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_06.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_07.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_08.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_09.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_10.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_11.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_12.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_13.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_14.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_15.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_17.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_18.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_19.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_20.jpg 20160523_MET_WEGMANS_22.jpg 20160807_MWS_WEGMANS_SL 20160807_MWS_WEGMANS_SL 20160807_MWS_WEGMANS_SL 20160807_MWS_WEGMANS_SL 20170619_DISCO_MIDLO_01 WEGMANS A Goochland County sheriffs deputy shot and wounded a man who authorities said pointed a gun at officers after they responded to a disturbance call on Thursday evening. The unidentified man was taken to VCU Medical Center for treatment. His condition was not immediately known. A news release from Goochland Sheriff Steven Creasey said the Sheriffs Office received a 911 call at 6:27 p.m. from someone who reported hearing shots fired and a woman screaming in the western part of the county. Goochland deputies responded to the 4600 block of Hodges Hideaway Lane and began an investigation. While questioning a man about his possible involvement, the suspect produced a gun and deputies gave repeated commands for him to drop his weapon, Creasey said in the release. The man pointed the gun at deputies and was shot by one of them, the sheriff said. Deputies immediately administered first aid and called for paramedics. Charges are pending against the man, Creasey said. Creasey requested Virginia State Police to investigate and directed further inquiries to the department. The sheriff said the deputy who discharged his weapon has been placed on administrative leave. PHOTOS: Recognize these Richmond-area places? A bill that picks up Gov. Glenn Youngkins opposition to dealing with China won approval in the House of Delegates on Friday initially on an essentially party-line vote but on second thought, with a second vote, unanimously. Lawmakers voted again after Democrats realized that floor amendments they proposed the day before, broadening the measure from a focus on China to cover other adversary nations, had been formally adopted, said Minority Leader Don Scott Jr., D-Portsmouth. Youngkin went public with his concern about China when talking to reporters after his State of the Commonwealth speech, explaining, in part, the reason he pulled Virginia out of the competition to win a $3.5 billion battery plant that Ford is planning in partnership with Chinese company Contemporary Amperex Technology. This maniacal focus on getting rid of all fossil fuel generation and replacing it with solar and wind and going immediately to batteries in every car; the reality is the technology that drives all this is owned and dominated by China ... we have to recognize the national security implications of outsourcing to China, he said. In the state of the state speech, he made a surprise declaration that the General Assembly should act to bar Chinese Communist Party-affiliated enterprises from buying Virginia farmland. The bill on state purchasing, House Bill 2385, sponsored by Del. Emily Brewer, R-Suffolk, says state agencies cannot buy goods or services from any company owned in whole or part by a foreign adversary, defined as governments or people the U.S. commerce secretary says have damaged national security or the safety of Americans. As drafted, the bill specifically mentioned China, but Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, proposed an amendment the day before to use the foreign adversary term instead. There are dozens of Chinese firms on the commerce secretarys list, including Chinas biggest semiconductor chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., as well as the second-largest chipmaker, Hua Hong Semiconductor Ltd., and Changxin Memory Technologies, which makes dynamic random access memory chips. Bidders for state purchases of goods or services would have to certify in writing that they are not owned, controlled or operated, whether wholly or partly, by a foreign adversary. False certifications would mean canceling any contract that might have been awarded, a ban on bidding for future contracts and a fine equal to the greater of $250,000 or twice the amount of the contract at issue. The bill also would bar any employee or agent of a public body, or any contractor with a public body, from downloading and using any application, including TikTok or WeChat, or access any website developed by ByteDance Ltd. or Tencent Holdings Ltd. on any government-issued phone or computer or while connected to any government network. An executive order Youngkin issued in December banned using state devices or networks to access TikTok and WeChat. Youngkins decision to halt plans for a $3.5 billion Ford Motor Co. battery plant over his concerns about Chinese influence cost one of the poorest areas of Virginia a chance for a reported 2,500 jobs with potential for more. Senate Bill 1438, barring the transfer of any farmland to a foreign adversary, sponsored by state Sen. Richard Stuart, R-King George, is moving through the Senate after winning bipartisan support in that bodys Agriculture, Conservation and Nature Committee, where three Democrats and seven Republicans voted for it, with three Democrats opposed and two abstaining. While Youngkins high-profile concern over dealing with China won unanimous support in the House, the House split on party lines over House Bill 1642 from House Majority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, which says dealers whose drugs result in a fatal overdose should be charged with felony homicide essentially, second-degree murder. The Senate Judiciary Committee killed a Senate version of the same measure last month, sparking a heated response from Youngkin that left liberal Democrats want to stand up for dealers over victims. They want to stand up for dealers over families. They want to stand up for dealers over Virginia. Another party-line split on another criminal justice measure came on final passage of House Bill 2384 from Del. Les Adams, R-Pittsylvania, about police stops or searches based solely on officers smelling marijuana. A 2021 law, passed when Democrats controlled both the House and Senate, banned the practice. Adams bill says the ban should not apply when police suspect someone of driving while intoxicated or having killed or maimed someone else when driving while intoxicated. Close 10-06-1988 (cutline): A new gate at the west end of Maymont Park's Japanese Garden was dedicated today. Before Virginia's first lady, Jeannie P. Baliles, and other dignitaries arrived, Peggy Singlemann, a park horticulturalist, prepared the ribbon for the ceremony. 02-11-1951 (cutline): This stone stable in Maymont Park is being converted into a nature center, sponsored by the Richmond Council of Garden Clubs in co-operation with the Department of Recreation and Parks. 03-10-1967 (cutline): Lawrence Agnew Jr. (left) and Gabriel Poulin set up a display of birds as they prepare the Maymont Nature Center for its opening Sunday at 2 p.m. Agenw and Poulin are nature and wildlife specialists with the Richmond Department of Recreation and Parks, which is establishing the facility as a complement to the Maymont-Virginia Wildlife Exhibit and the Children's Farm. The nature center is on the second floor of the former carriage house of the Dooley Estate at Maymont. 06-19-1974 (cutline): Mrs. Charles Thalhimer sits in the Italian Garden at Maymont Park. 06-30-1982 (cutline): Children attending Maymont's summer day camp try out a Conestoga wagon displayed at the Nature Center. 10-18-1976 (cutline): In spite of yesterday's rain, a few Richmonders arrived for ceremonies dedicating the new Mary Parsons Nature Center at Maymont Park in a building that formerly was a hay barn. The center was financed by a $250,000 gift to the Maymont Foundation; it opened to the public today. Described as a fully equipped environmental learning facility, the nature center contains live animals native to Virginia, as well as displays depicting many aspects of the state's environment. 10-18-1976 (cutline): In spite of yesterday's rain, a few Richmonders arrived for ceremonies dedicating the new Mary Parsons Nature Center at Maymont Park in a building that formerly was a hay barn. The center was financed by a $250,000 gift to the Maymont Foundation; it opened to the public today. Described as a fully equipped environmental learning facility, the nature center contains live animals native to Virginia, as well as displays depicting many aspects of the state's environment. 07-04-1977: Afternoon parade for Fourth of July drew hundreds to Maymont Park. 12-04-1986 (cutline): Janet Lucas (left) and Emily Skinner kicked up their heels as "Florenz Ziegfeld and His Cancan Girls" greeted guests at a reception yesterday at Maymont. The event was conducted for the Maymont House Benevolent Society, major contributors to the restoration of the mansion left by Maj. James H. Dooley to the city. The members were the first to see the house's holiday decorations. 09-27-1988 (cutline): Maymont's new tram makes hour-long loops around the park so that visitors may see the sights while sitting down. 09-27-1988 (cutline): Maymont's new tram makes hour-long loops around the park so that visitors may see the sights while sitting down. 10-18-1976 (cutline): Paul C. Nagle of Vienna points out for his sons, David and Paul, various forms of sea life found in Virginia as they are depicted in a new display at Maymont Park. The exhibit is part of the Mary Parsons Nature Center, which was opened yesterday. The center is in a renovated hay barn at the park and will be open daily except Mondays. 04-15-1954 (cutline): If yesterday's warms unny weather will convince you it's Spring, here's some irrefutable evidence--tulips in full bloom at Maymont Park. Temperatures climbed to 78 degrees here yesterday. Today is expected to be as warm with a few showers likely. 06-20-1983 (cutline): Kursti North (left) wears vintage hat, dress; Jessie Goodwin made her hat. 10-28-1985: Maymont Victorian Day 10-24-1988 (cutline): Shades of the past. Patty Elmer-Bush (left) of Virignia Beach and Charlene Bullard of Richmond engage in a 1860s-style discussion yesterday at Maymont Park. The two were participating in the park's annual "turn-of-the-century" lawn party and equestrian event. 06-27-1988 (cutline): William F. Long, dressed for his role as the Dooley's butler is Maymont's volunteer emeritus. 10-27-1985 (cutline): Grin and bear. Teddy bear faces are the only ones not grinning in this picture. The bears will be joined by others at Maymont's Victorian Day Program today. The Victorian-attired humans in the picture--who will be joined by others for picnics, entertainment and activities--are Mrs. Michael McCaig, carriage curator and her daughter, Sarah, 7 months; Michael Leslie Brown, 2 1/2; and program coordinator Richard Cheatham. 06-16-1982 (cutline): A peacock, its tail feathers down, pauses in the shade under the wisteria that covers the arbor at the Italian Gardens in Maymont Park. A park official says several peacocks roam the grounds, where one of their favorite activities is preening in front of windows so they can see their reflections. From the Archives: Maymont A look back at one of Richmond's most well known parks. 10-06-1988 (cutline): A new gate at the west end of Maymont Park's Japanese Garden was dedicated today. Before Virginia's first lady, Jeannie P. Baliles, and other dignitaries arrived, Peggy Singlemann, a park horticulturalist, prepared the ribbon for the ceremony. 02-11-1951 (cutline): This stone stable in Maymont Park is being converted into a nature center, sponsored by the Richmond Council of Garden Clubs in co-operation with the Department of Recreation and Parks. 03-10-1967 (cutline): Lawrence Agnew Jr. (left) and Gabriel Poulin set up a display of birds as they prepare the Maymont Nature Center for its opening Sunday at 2 p.m. Agenw and Poulin are nature and wildlife specialists with the Richmond Department of Recreation and Parks, which is establishing the facility as a complement to the Maymont-Virginia Wildlife Exhibit and the Children's Farm. The nature center is on the second floor of the former carriage house of the Dooley Estate at Maymont. 06-19-1974 (cutline): Mrs. Charles Thalhimer sits in the Italian Garden at Maymont Park. 06-30-1982 (cutline): Children attending Maymont's summer day camp try out a Conestoga wagon displayed at the Nature Center. 10-18-1976 (cutline): In spite of yesterday's rain, a few Richmonders arrived for ceremonies dedicating the new Mary Parsons Nature Center at Maymont Park in a building that formerly was a hay barn. The center was financed by a $250,000 gift to the Maymont Foundation; it opened to the public today. Described as a fully equipped environmental learning facility, the nature center contains live animals native to Virginia, as well as displays depicting many aspects of the state's environment. 10-18-1976 (cutline): In spite of yesterday's rain, a few Richmonders arrived for ceremonies dedicating the new Mary Parsons Nature Center at Maymont Park in a building that formerly was a hay barn. The center was financed by a $250,000 gift to the Maymont Foundation; it opened to the public today. Described as a fully equipped environmental learning facility, the nature center contains live animals native to Virginia, as well as displays depicting many aspects of the state's environment. 07-04-1977: Afternoon parade for Fourth of July drew hundreds to Maymont Park. 12-04-1986 (cutline): Janet Lucas (left) and Emily Skinner kicked up their heels as "Florenz Ziegfeld and His Cancan Girls" greeted guests at a reception yesterday at Maymont. The event was conducted for the Maymont House Benevolent Society, major contributors to the restoration of the mansion left by Maj. James H. Dooley to the city. The members were the first to see the house's holiday decorations. 09-27-1988 (cutline): Maymont's new tram makes hour-long loops around the park so that visitors may see the sights while sitting down. 09-27-1988 (cutline): Maymont's new tram makes hour-long loops around the park so that visitors may see the sights while sitting down. 10-18-1976 (cutline): Paul C. Nagle of Vienna points out for his sons, David and Paul, various forms of sea life found in Virginia as they are depicted in a new display at Maymont Park. The exhibit is part of the Mary Parsons Nature Center, which was opened yesterday. The center is in a renovated hay barn at the park and will be open daily except Mondays. 04-15-1954 (cutline): If yesterday's warms unny weather will convince you it's Spring, here's some irrefutable evidence--tulips in full bloom at Maymont Park. Temperatures climbed to 78 degrees here yesterday. Today is expected to be as warm with a few showers likely. 06-20-1983 (cutline): Kursti North (left) wears vintage hat, dress; Jessie Goodwin made her hat. 10-28-1985: Maymont Victorian Day 10-24-1988 (cutline): Shades of the past. Patty Elmer-Bush (left) of Virignia Beach and Charlene Bullard of Richmond engage in a 1860s-style discussion yesterday at Maymont Park. The two were participating in the park's annual "turn-of-the-century" lawn party and equestrian event. 06-27-1988 (cutline): William F. Long, dressed for his role as the Dooley's butler is Maymont's volunteer emeritus. 10-27-1985 (cutline): Grin and bear. Teddy bear faces are the only ones not grinning in this picture. The bears will be joined by others at Maymont's Victorian Day Program today. The Victorian-attired humans in the picture--who will be joined by others for picnics, entertainment and activities--are Mrs. Michael McCaig, carriage curator and her daughter, Sarah, 7 months; Michael Leslie Brown, 2 1/2; and program coordinator Richard Cheatham. 06-16-1982 (cutline): A peacock, its tail feathers down, pauses in the shade under the wisteria that covers the arbor at the Italian Gardens in Maymont Park. A park official says several peacocks roam the grounds, where one of their favorite activities is preening in front of windows so they can see their reflections. A substitute judge found no evidence of child abuse alleged by Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, and dismissed protective orders against his estranged wife, Myrna, and her boyfriend, her family said in a statement on Thursday. Retired Judge Robert S. Brewbaker Jr. ordered the Morrisseys not to speak publicly about the case, but her family issued a statement that said Myrna and her boyfriend were completely vindicated by the decision in Chesterfield County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. The Richmond Times-Dispatch has not named the boyfriend in stories about the senators allegation that the boyfriend had whipped the couples youngest child repeatedly with a belt. We are elated that she was able to have her day in court and that her children are home in her care where they belong, the family said in the statement, first reported on Twitter by Virginia Scope. The decision appears to end the preliminary protective orders that a Roanoke judge approved on Jan. 17 that prevented Myrna Morrissey or her boyfriend from having any contact with her three children, and gave her estranged husband possession of the house in Chesterfield in which they had been living. Morrissey, reached by phone on Thursday, declined to comment on the case. The judge issued an order and Im going to respect it and not comment, he said. The Virginia Supreme Court had appointed Roanoke Juvenile Court Judge Frank Rogers to handle the initial hearing, but later replaced him with Brewbaker, a retired juvenile court judge from Suffolk, after Ms. Morrisseys attorneys asked the court to appoint a retired judge who could be less influenced by Morrisseys role as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee plays a central role in electing judges in state courts. This protective order case was an abuse of the legal system by an experienced politician in a superior financial position, her lawyers, Mary Elizabeth White and Darcey Geissler, said in a statement on Thursday that did not address the ruling in the case. Senator Morrissey told our client that he would show her who he is and what he could do, and then used the full weight of the legal system in an attempt to silence her, they said. He caused her severe emotional and financial distress and is unapologetic for his unsubstantiated claims. Joe and Myrna Morrissey have been separated since 2019 the same year he was elected to the Virginia Senate but their marital rift became a public battle after he reported to Richmond and then Chesterfield police on Jan. 13 that he had discovered welts on his sons buttocks, allegedly inflicted by her boyfriend as discipline for disrespecting his mother and refusing to apologize. The next night, Myrna Morrissey posted a series of allegations on Instagram of sexual infidelities and mistreatment by her husband, whose office then issued a public statement detailing the alleged child abuse. The following day, Morrissey sought and obtained emergency protective orders against his wife and her boyfriend from a Chesterfield magistrate, pending a review the next week. Rogers, the judge initially appointed to handle the case, approved the orders Morrissey sought against his wife and her boyfriend, while denying one that she had sought against him. Last week, Ms. Morrissey withdrew her request for a protective order. Chesterfield police opened an investigation of the allegation, but could not comment on its status on Thursday. But Myrna Morrisseys family said, The allegations set forth by Senator Morrissey were unfounded and it was determined by the court that [the marks on the sons buttocks were] nothing but a rash. No abuse occurred whatsoever, the family said. Instead, they said, This was an abuse of his power and influence and the legal system. Myrna Morrissey, now 26 years old, was 17 and working as an assistant in Morrisseys Henrico County law firm when they began a sexual relationship that led him to accept an Alford plea to a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in 2015. Sentenced to 12 months in jail with six months suspended, he was allowed to work as a state delegate from Henrico through a work release program, spending nights in jail in 2015. The couple married in 2016 and had three children. In January 2022, just before he left office, then-Gov. Ralph Northam pardoned Morrissey. A former Richmond commonwealths attorney, Morrissey has twice been disbarred from practicing law in Virginia, but he exercises an influential role in the election of judges as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and as a legislator, especially on criminal justice issues. However, on Saturday, Henrico Sheriff Alisa Gregory banned Morrissey from entering the county jail for 90 days after he was involved in a confrontation with a jail official over supervision of his children while he and an attorney were visiting an inmate. Gregory said in a statement Tuesday that Morrissey arrived at Regional Jail West at around 11 a.m. Saturday with three young children and proceeded to leave them unattended in the lobby while he and an associate met with a client in our custody. Gregory said sheriffs office staff told Morrissey that the jails policy requires that children always be accompanied by an adult. Despite our staffs efforts, Mr. Morrissey refused repeated requests to comply and eventually became verbally abusive, made threatening remarks and acted in an aggressive manner to a lieutenant, Gregory said. Morrissey, in an interview on Tuesday, said he was taking an attorney to meet with a constituent who was in trouble. He disputed the lieutenants account and said the sheriff could not ban him because state law allows legislators to enter jails and correctional facilities. What shes doing is protecting one of her own, Morrissey said. If we feel like challenging it, we will. You dont issue an edict to change the Virginia code. PHOTOS: Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Joe Morrissey Dominion Energys bid to boost the profit rate it is allowed to earn ran into trouble Thursday when a House of Delegates committee stripped it out of its version of a bill the electric monopoly has been pushing hard. The move on House Bill 1770, which legislators say came in response to pressure from Gov. Glenn Youngkin, sets up a confrontation over how much the electric monopolys Virginia customers should pay, since a Senate bill is moving that directs the State Corporation Commission to increase Dominions authorized profit rate. Adding to the pressure on Dominion and its legislative supporters, the House Commerce and Energy Committee also approved House Bill 1604, sponsored by Del. Lee Ware, R-Powhatan, and Del. Rip Sullivan, D-Fairfax, that would empower the SCC to review the utilitys base rate, essentially unchanged since 2007. This is the first time in my 12 years here that Ive seen a utility bill get significantly smaller, said Del. Chris Head, R-Botetourt, of the vote on the Dominion bill, sponsored by House Majority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott. But, he added: This is a work in progress. This bill is better than when it was first introduced ... better than it was yesterday, Sullivan said of Kilgores bill. I wouldnt be surprised if this bill looks a little bit different by the end of the session. Because the base rate locks in the value of Dominions assets as of 2007 and does not account for the usual decline of plant and equipment values over time, a review should tend to bring rates down, Dominion officials have said. About half of Dominions monthly bills reflect its base rate. But since rates reflect both the value of those assets and the authorized profit, the combined effect would add 90 cents to whats now a $137 monthly bill for 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, SCC director of utility accounting and finance Kimberly Pate told Ware and Sullivan. And since the higher authorized profit rate would apply to the surcharges, called riders or rate adjustment clauses, that make up about a quarter of current bills, the effect of that would add another 85 cents to that bill, for a total of $1.75, Pate told the two delegates. But days after she wrote those estimates, she told Kilgore, the House sponsor of Dominions bill, that another part of the monopolys proposal rolling some of its riders into base rates would knock $7 to $8 off a monthly bill. That means the Dominion package would bring the 1,000 kilowatt-hour bill down by somewhere between $6.17 and $7.17, Pate told Kilgore. The stripping of Dominions bill in the House removes the rider roll-in as well as the profit rate increase. It also strips out a new way of accounting for the utilitys capitalization that would tend to push rates higher. In addition to Ware and Sullivans bill and the stripped-down Dominion bill, the House committee approved House Bill 2267 by Del. Tony Wilt, R-Rockingham, to give the SCC the power to decide whether a utilitys costs for any particular facility or program should be recovered by riders or be rolled into base rates. Wilts bill says the SCC should consider which approach would be fairer to customers. Dominions charges for a 1,000 kilowatt-hour monthly bill climbed to $137 from $90.59 in 2007, when the General Assembly approved Dominions plan for ending a failed experiment with deregulation that the monopoly convinced the legislature to enact. Most of that gain, except for an about $15 jump last summer to cover soaring fuel prices, was due to the introduction of roughly two dozen riders. For the governor and General Assembly critics like Ware, Sullivan and state Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, who introduced a bill like theirs, criticism of the Dominion bill as it was introduced and then modified by the Senate committee focuses on a portion of the utilitys proposal that directs the SCC to authorize a higher profit rate by using a calculation that would boost that rate from 9.35% to 10.07%. While the House and Senate must still resolve their differences over the Dominion bill, Ware said hes hoping his and Sullivans bill, the result of years of campaigning, makes it all the way and intact to the governors desk. Ware and Sullivans bill, as well as Wilts, passed the committee unanimously. Democrats on the committee voted against the measure. They cited environmentalists concerns that Kilgores Dominion bill said the SCC should review and approve permanent power plant shutdowns, fearing it would undercut the Virginia Clean Economy Act. The bill passed on a 12-9 vote. A Covington man was sentenced to 32 months in prison Thursday for forcing his way into the U.S. Capitol with a mob and then, on his way out, destroying the television equipment of reporters who were covering the insurrection. Joshua Dillon Haynes previously was active in local government and served on the Covington Planning Commission. As he struggled with mental instability, isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, Haynes descended into the far reaches of right wing propaganda, according to his attorney, Steven Kiersh. He began to believe in the messages he viewed online and that is what brought him to Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, Kiersh wrote in a sentencing memorandum. Covingtons city council appointed Haynes, 40, to the planning commission in October 2018 for a four-year term, its minutes show. He resigned in early 2020, according to Gisela Roldan with the citys Development Services. Haynes is profoundly remorseful for taking part in the Capitol riots, actions that do not reflect his true character, Kiersh said. He quickly accepted responsibility, and last October pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding and destruction of property. At a hearing Thursday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan followed the U.S. Attorneys recommendation of 32 months, which was at the high end of sentencing guidelines. Following his release, Haynes will be on probation for three years. He was also ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution for damage to the Capitol grounds his portion of an estimated $2.8 million loss to the government. Haynes is one of nearly 1,000 Donald Trump supporters charged with violently barging in on a joint session of Congress being held to certify President Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 election. Trump has claimed the election was stolen from him, and urged a large crowd gathered near the Capitol the morning of Jan. 6 to fight like hell. According to court records, Haynes provided a virtual play-by-play account of what he did next. Minutes after crawling through a broken window near the Senates wing doors, he wrote in a text to a friend: Im inside Congress we stormed inside. A short time later, Haynes sent a selfie photograph that shows him standing in the office of a U.S. senator. We storm inside they stop debating and said the army is going to have to do it decide whos president, he wrote. Haynes later went outside to the northeast side of the Capitol, where a large crowd had gathered around a crew of news reporters, yelling insults and inflammatory rhetoric, prosecutors said. We attacked the CNN reporters and the fake news and destroyed tens of thousands dollars of their video and television equipment heres a picture behind me of the pile we made out of it, Haynes texted with a photograph that shows him, wearing a black mask, standing in front of wrecked equipment. Another photo shows him holding a TV light above his head seconds before hurling it to the ground. Reporters were forced to flee. One member of the news media, identified in court records only by the initials Z.D.F, estimated the value of the equipment destroyed at $23,900. How much of that Haynes must pay will be determined later. After his arrest in July 2021, Haynes was placed on house arrest. A short time later, he was charged with domestic violence in state court, and has remained in jail since. In a letter to Chutkan, Haynes mother wrote that her son began to show behavioral problems when he was in elementary school, and was later diagnosed with borderline personality and obsessive compulsive disorder. After spending time in Texas, he returned to Covington about 10 years ago and became interested in local government. He regularly attended city council meetings and volunteered at a food pantry through his church, where he was a member of the choir, Lauren Wright wrote in her letter. Haynes also started his own business, a delivery service, shortly before the pandemic hit. As a family we believe that the isolation of Covid intertwined with his mental illness problems, the shuttering of local government, churches and the startup of his business faltering caused a downward spiral, she wrote. Josh only viewed the world through the internet, national news and social media, the letter stated. He was headed in the right direction, but then he made some wrong decisions that ultimately changed the course of his life. He plans to start his life over on the right track when he is released, Wright wrote, saying that his family and friends know that he will do his best to succeed. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. China's Yiwu int'l trade market reopens after Spring Festival Xinhua) 08:25, February 03, 2023 An Iraqi businessman takes a selfie while watching celebrations to welcome the first business day in the Year of the Rabbit at the International Trade Market in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 2, 2023. About 75,000 merchants at the Yiwu International Trade Market on Thursday welcomed their first business day in the Year of the Rabbit.(Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) HANGZHOU, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- About 75,000 merchants at the Yiwu International Trade Market in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Thursday welcomed their first business day in the Year of the Rabbit. With an abundant variety of commodities, convenient and fast logistics, and a good business environment, Yiwu is often referred to as "the world's supermarket." Lu Qingrong, who owns a toy store in Yiwu, said that the store has received orders scheduled until June, and it is estimated that sales this year will increase 30 percent from the previous two years. The factory operated by Bonas, a local women's stockings brand, is fully operational. During the pandemic, the company strengthened its R&D investment, undertook the digital transformation of the workshop, and improved its market competitiveness by launching new products and improving quality and efficiency. Its growth rate over the past three years has been maintained at approximately 10 percent, said Huang Zuqun, president of the company. Various supporting services of the industrial chain involved in Yiwu market operation, such as logistics, express delivery, e-commerce and other industries, have been readied for the reopening. People shop at the Yiwu International Trade Market in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 2, 2023. About 75,000 merchants at the Yiwu International Trade Market on Thursday welcomed their first business day in the Year of the Rabbit.(Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) People perform dragon dance during celebrations to welcome the first business day in the Year of the Rabbit at the International Trade Market in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 2, 2023. About 75,000 merchants at the Yiwu International Trade Market on Thursday welcomed their first business day in the Year of the Rabbit.(Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) Merchant delegates perform during celebrations to welcome the first business day in the Year of the Rabbit at the International Trade Market in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 2, 2023. About 75,000 merchants at the Yiwu International Trade Market on Thursday welcomed their first business day in the Year of the Rabbit.(Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) An Indian businessman (R) shops at the Yiwu International Trade Market in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 2, 2023. About 75,000 merchants at the Yiwu International Trade Market on Thursday welcomed their first business day in the Year of the Rabbit.(Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) A merchant shows a banner written "business booming" at the Yiwu International Trade Market in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 2, 2023. About 75,000 merchants at the Yiwu International Trade Market on Thursday welcomed their first business day in the Year of the Rabbit.(Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Du Mingming) Ex arrested after attempting to extort former Cancun partner Cancun, Q.R. Three men have been jailed in Cancun after an extortion report to emergency 911. According to the Benito Juarez Municipal Department of Public Security, the extortion was aimed at a woman in SM 51. The woman told police she received a text message instructing her to give 5,000 peso to a named former partner. According to the message, she had 40 minutes to make the payment or she would be charged in another way. In a sting operation, the woman met with her extortionist who arrived in a Veracruz-plated car with two other men on board. One of the men inside the car was her former partner who the victim positively identified. Police proceeded to detain all three in the car. Arrested was 30-year-old Jonathan N, 31-year-old Jose N and 32-year-old Jorge N for the crime of extortion. National Guard presence reducing cable theft of Mexico City metro Mexico City, Mexico The presence of the National Guard on the Mexico City metro has resulted in a 61 percent decrease in wire theft. In a press conference Thursday, Guillermo Calderon Aguilera, the General Director of the metro, reported the recent figure. He said that the presence of the National Guard on the citys metro has contributed to the reduction of criminal incidence related to cable theft. He explained that in the first 10 days of January, 530 linear meters of cable was recorded stolen, equivalent to 3,710 kilograms. Incidences of copper cable theft is down 61 percent authorities report. Photo: Government of Mexico City. After the National Guard were placed on January 12, they have recorded 209 meters with a weight of 1483 kilograms as being stolen. He explained that the wiring being stolen is high voltage, traction power supply and signaling cables. The sections with the highest incidence of cable theft are Cuatro Caminos-Panteones and Xola-Tasquena on Line 2, Green Indians-La Raza of Line 3, Petroleum Institute-Valle Gomez and Aragon-Oceania of Line 5, Pantitlan-Guelatao on Line A and Ciudad Azteca-Bosque de Aragon on Line B. Mexico Citys head of Government, Claudia Sheinbaum, said a high-level group is being created for the metro cable theft after Guillermo Calderon affirmed that there is an organized crime group dedicated to the theft copper wiring in the transport system. Sheinbaum said that the theft is affecting the transportation system and other companies, public and private, including the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and Telefonos de Mexico (Telmex). The Mexico City Police Chief, Omar Garcia Harfuch, reported that arrests have been made in the thefts. We have no record that it was done by metro workers, the detainees were not workers, Garcia Harfuch said Thursday. He added that between the months of December and January, they have managed to capture several people linked to cells dedicated to the theft of copper cable from the Mexico City subway system. Last month, an accident on Line 3 left more than a hundred with injuries and one person dead. The accident, which involved two cars crashing, was determined caused by the theft of cables. In November, a technical failure at the Mexico City International Airport left hundreds of passengers in Terminal 2 delayed after an Internet failure affected INM. The failure was due to attempted cable theft. Pulaski County authorities released more information Thursday about an altercation earlier this week that left one man dead and another injured saying it occurred as a community services worker conducted a home visit and was attacked by his client, who was in the midst of a mental health crisis. Both men were stabbed multiple times with knives and the client died, Commonwealths Attorney Justin Griffith said. Neither man was named. Griffith said Thursday that after speaking to the family of the man who was killed and to New River Valley Community Services, he was keeping the identities private. The prosecutor said that no criminal charges would be placed, calling the clients death a justifiable homicide that occurred in self-defense. The man who died was very clearly in the midst of a mental health breakdown when he attacked the community services worker with a knife, Griffith said. He has suffered from numerous mental health diagnoses for the overwhelming majority of his adult life, Griffith said. His family are outstanding members of this community who in my opinion have set an example for seeking all avenues of help for your child when suffering from mental illness. Just because a bad thing happens doesnt mean that a bad person did it. Griffith praised the community services worker as passionate and dedicated to helping people in need, and called the violent encounter an unfathomable tragedy. New River Valley Community Services provides a much-needed range of services, Griffith said. A news release from Griffith and Sheriff Mike Worrell said that just before 11 a.m. Monday, the community services employee was at a residence in the 6000 block of Baptist Hollow Road and the man he was visiting attacked him. The news release said that the county communications center received two 911 calls from the community services worker, saying that he had been stabbed by the client. The first call disconnected because service was lost. Deputies arrived during the second call. The community services worker was back in his vehicle and going in and out of consciousness due to blood loss, the news release said. Officers took him to safety and secured a perimeter around the residence, the news release said. Officers tried several times to get anyone in the residence to come out. They then entered and found the client dead from wounds inflicted by the community services worker. Griffith said that the client attacked the community services worker with a serrated kitchen knife and that the worker had his own knife and fought back with it. The community services worker was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Asked Wednesday about his condition, Griffith said that the worker will survive. The news release said that though officials felt the incident posed no further danger to the community, extra patrols still were conducted and the school resource officer at Snowville Elementary School was notified. In the news release, the sheriff thanked Virginia State Police, Radford police, and Pulaski County Public Safety for help. Roanoke Countys school board discussed a significant size and program cut to the planned new Career and Technical Education Center during a work session on Thursday. Construction on the project is currently expected to begin in July 2024. The new facility, estimated to cost more than $90 million, would be about 155,000 square feet as originally envisioned. Members of the school board are faced with seeking funding for what would be the countys most expensive capital project ever, in addition to paying for renovations at two elementary schools, W.E. Cundiff and Glen Cove. The cost for all three projects would be $163 million. Tim Greenway, the vice-chairman of the school board, said his plan would be to borrow from the $30 million allocated for unidentified projects in the schools Capital Improvements Plan, and also reduce the new career and tech centers cost. If we can take $21 million from the CIP, and bring the cost for BCAT [career and tech center] down to $80 million, then that would help us, Greenway said. Chris Phillips, a partner with RRMM Architecture, the firm hired to consult on cost and square footage estimates, said that the easiest way to cut costs would be to reduce the buildings square footage. However, he also specified that may mean eliminating some of the centers planned programming. The first program discussed as a potential cut were performing and visual arts, which would remove a main stage, a studio theatre and two classrooms, eliminating about 20,000 square feet. Cheryl Facciani, Windsor Hills board member, also suggested that some programming be reinstituted if funding permits, such as a dentistry program and collision repair courses. I think that we should add those as definite parts of the plan, Facciani said. While many of our schools have performing arts, we dont have a collision repair school, and thats something thats big in this region. Phillips, calculating square footage on the spot during Thursdays meeting, said that even with adding the programs suggested by Facciani, removing the performing and visual arts space would lower the centers footprint by about 8,000 square feet. According to Susan Peterson, county schools chief financial officer, the hard cost estimate, or estimate for construction only of the new facility, would be $78.5 million. If the suggested cuts and additions are made, the hard cost would be $68.3 million, accomplishing Greenways goal of bringing the total cost down by $10 million. No programming cuts have been decided on yet, and discussions of what programming will be offered at the new career and tech center will likely continue during the next school board meeting on Feb. 16. The county announced in July it would purchase four parcels off Peters Creek Road between Airport Road and Burlington Elementary School for the new center. It will eventually replace the existing outdated facility that houses the Burton Center for Arts & Technology in Salem. Valley Metro and its drivers, mechanics and operations personnel will receive a 23% raise during the next three years after concluding contract talks during which workers picketed at Roanokes new bus station. The wins include pay bumps of 15% immediately and 4% in each of the next two years and increases in the uniform allowance, years-of-service bonus and short-term disability benefit, said J.J. Richards, executive board member of Local 1493 of the Amalgamated Transit Union. We were behind, weve earned this, Richards said Thursday. Union members voted Sunday to approve the proposed agreement and it took effect Monday, Richards said. He said the vote was 27-1 for the new contract and that 28 of 35 union members voted. The contract covers about 60 people, he said. The raise is retroactive to July 1, Richards said. Among the other highlights, the starting wage rose from $14.96 to $18.15 and will reach $19.62 by the last contract year, Richards said. Higher pay is expected to help the bus service fill a 25-driver shortage. Contract talks began in June, a short time before the prior contract expired and was placed on extension. Richards said in December that the two sides had not talked further, despite a union desire to do so. Picketers stood across the street from the Third Street Station, which had just opened the month before. Valley Metro is sponsored by the city of Roanoke and primarily funded by the city, Salem and Vinton, on whose streets the buses circulate. The last of three disturbances moved across Southwest Virginia early on Thursday morning. Initially, it appeared it would hold its precipitation as rain farther south into North Carolina, but several hours before sunrise, a northward surge of moisture into Virginias colder air led to a few hours of light morning snow. For the immediate Roanoke Valley, the snow was largely absent, but a legitimate coating was found through parts of Bedford County and in several locations north and west of Roanoke, with just over an inch near Blacksburg and Eagle Rock. On average, the first measurable snow comes in the middle of December in Roanoke. But there are big swings in that date, matching the large variability in total snowfall in Roanoke from year-to-year. Nonetheless, Roanoke is past due for measurable snow. There have been a couple of days with flurries in the Roanoke Valley so far this winter, but not enough to measure. The last time Roanoke has gone this deep into the winter with no measurable snow was the winter of 2006-07, when 3.1 inches finally came down on Feb. 6. This puts us in highly unusual territory, as the weather pattern does not even hint at snow for the Roanoke Valley until next Friday or Saturday, Feb. 10-11. It is still too early to proclaim a snowless winter for the Roanoke Valley, as it is exceedingly rare. The last time it happened was in the back-to-back winters of 1918-19 and 1919-20. As recently as the mid 2010s, Roanoke had three consecutive winters with more than 20 inches of snow, but the most recent blockbuster winter for snow was 1995-96, with 56 inches before spring finally came. Where Groundhog Day came from, and why we love it Like many modern observances, Groundhog Day can trace its origin from a few different directions. ** A brief, but intense surge of cold air invades Southwest Virginia on Friday, but it will retreat nearly as quickly as it arrives. Wind turns from the north on Friday morning and will start sending a sliver of polar air into Virginia. Winds will average about 10-15 mph on Friday, but higher gusts to 25 mph are likely especially along the ridges. As a result, the warmest part of Friday will be in the morning with temperatures in the 30s. By dusk, most of Southwest Virginia will be in the 20s, with some teens in the higher terrain west of Interstate 81. After sunset, the wind speeds will decrease substantially, becoming light before midnight. By daybreak Saturday, temperatures will be well down into the teens, but without much of a wind chill problem. The cold air impacting Virginia will be the outskirts of an especially cold air mass that will bring brutal conditions to New England for a couple of days. Temperatures there will be 20 to 30 degrees below normal along with biting north winds. But our latitude helps us out in Virginia. With the sunshine and the lighter wind on Saturday, it will be a more manageable cold versus one that can come with gusty winds and a slate-gray overcast. Our Saturday afternoon will be sunny and in the 30s. Sunday morning starts in the 20s, and a gentle southwest breeze nudges the afternoon back into the 50s with a mix of sun and clouds. The relatively warmer weather will hold in place for most of next week. Not every day next week will be in the 50s or 60s, but there are no signs of an Arctic intrusion working back into Southwest Virginia for several days. As a result, the chance for snow is nearly zero through Thursday of next week. For those hoping for more snow, there are signs of a significant storm developing sometime during Friday and Saturday of next week (Feb 10-11). This far in advance, it is impossible to know if significant snow is actually ahead, as similar setups have teased us earlier this winter. But by the end of next week, a fresh surge of Arctic air will be approaching from the Ohio Valley and a vigorous disturbance is expected to take shape in the Southeast. Time will tell if those two can come together just right, but keep that period in the back of your mind. After that weekend, most signals point to temperatures near or above normal for the week of Feb. 12. Normal highs by then are around 50 degrees, not especially conducive for legitimate snowstorms. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. CALmatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. Dan Walters has been a journalist for nearly 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers. Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, "The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It" is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.californiafocus.net Drug trials during the COVID-19 pandemic had a flaw, according to new research from the University of Georgia. The patient populations included in the studies weren't representative of the people who were most affected by the coronavirus. And the studies inconsistently reported on key demographic characteristics, such as participants' race and ethnicity. That variability makes it difficult to generalize study findings to larger populations, the researchers said. "If the population within your study doesn't reflect your patient population, do we know it will still work for different groups?" said Daniel Chastain, lead author of the study and an associate professor at the College of Pharmacy. Chastain served on the front lines of the pandemic as a pharmacist in Albany, Georgia, one of the hardest hit spots in the country. The researchers previously advocated for diversifying clinical trials in a perspective published by the New England Journal of Medicine in August 2020. But the results of that call have been underwhelming. Majority of participants in COVID-19 trials were white, male and over 50 The majority of participants are still white, even when the trials focus on conditions that more commonly affect minority groups. They're also typically male, which makes it more difficult to determine how a given drug will affect women. The new review analyzed the demographic makeup of 16 U.S.-based COVID-19 drug trials (some of which also included international study sites), comprising more than 8,100 patients from Dec. 1, 2019, to Nov. 24, 2020. The researchers then contrasted those findings with surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 12 of the 16 studies, at least half of the participants were white. During that period, Caucasian people made up less than 40% of COVID-19 cases, based on the CDC data. Although Black patients made up one in 10 coronavirus cases at the time of the trials, fewer than 10% of participants were Black in seven of the studies. African Americans were at greater risk of infection and death throughout the pandemic than their white counterparts. Additionally, although more COVID-19 cases were women during the time of the drug trials, at least half of the patients were male in 10 of the studies. The majority of the studies reported an average participant age of 50 years or older, which is at odds with the CDC data that shows more than half of all COVID-19 cases during that time period occurred in patients 18 to 49. Only three of the studies had participants averaging 60 years or older, despite that being the population most at risk for being hospitalized and dying from the disease. "One of the first steps to more accurately representing diverse populations of our country is the acknowledgment that there may indeed be an issue," says Sharmon Osae, co-author on the study and an assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy. "I think that the pandemic has placed a hyperfocus on a challenge that has existed for many years, and that has created dialogue about what are possible next steps to overcome these challenges." The researchers say reevaluating recruitment techniques would be a good start to diversifying trial participants. Increasing funding for researchers from underrepresented ethnic groups also wouldn't hurt. Expanding clinical trial sites to include locations in underserved areas, as the researchers first suggested in their letter to the New England Journal of Medicine might make the biggest difference. Chastain previously co-authored a paper, published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, urging health care providers to be more circumspect in using unproven and undertested treatments and therapies on different patient populations. "If we had put infrastructure in place for clinical trial sites in areas that were heavily hit, those clinical trials would've been highly diversified and would've been much more representative of what the coronavirus pandemic looked like throughout the U.S.," Chastain said. "We have no idea what the potential long-term consequences of treatments may be if we don't test them in the appropriate populations." More information: Daniel B. Chastain et al, Racial Disproportionality in Covid Clinical Trials, New England Journal of Medicine (2020). DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp2021971 Provided by University of Georgia FLORENCE, S.C. Special needs students from across the state Thursday were the guests of honor Thursday for their own performance of the annual Florence Stampede and Rodeo at the Florence center. The show was sponsored by Double Creek Pro Rodeo, Pepsi of Florence, Raldex Hospitality, and Genesis Health Care. Several thousand students watched a little bit of everything the rodeo had to offer and wrapped up their visit with a lunch and goody bag to go one that included a bandanna. This is kids who dont get to come as much and see stuff like this, its pretty special thing we get to do in Florence, said Strawberry Pruitt of Double Creek Rodeo. Thursdays performance started with a parade led by a cowgirl who carried an American flag and included several performances by award-winning rodeo clown Keith Isley who doubled as a cheerleader who got up into the stands at one point and danced with the students. Its important to me because theyre young people and the opportunity for them to come out and see this and be a part of it. I think its a good thing for our quality of life, Florence Mayor Teresa Myers Ervin said as she worked to pack goody bags. The rodeo will remain in town for a Friday and Saturday performance at the Florence Center. Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.florencecenter.com/events The first time I heard the term secular humanism many decades ago, it was in a negative context. I translated it as angry atheist and stored it in my mental junk drawer along with other assorted concepts I wasnt sure merited further investigation. Humanism reemerged as something to consider when I came across the story of Bart Campolo. Bart is the son of Tony Campolo, a progressive Baptist preacher and former spiritual advisor to Bill Clinton. Bart entered the family business as a spellbinding evangelist and founder of Mission Year, an urban ministry focused on improving the lives of young people. Through his twenties and thirties his faith eroded and he now rejects anything supernatural. In 2016, he started a podcast called Humanize Me. Ive listened to dozens of episodes and, despite the trauma of his public deconversion, he remains a charismatic, insightful, and loving human being. The trouble with humanism, Bart admits, is that its hard to gather a community around a belief system grounded in this world and not in the next. He has been able to generate a faithful online following but the idea of a humanist church has not been a galvanizing one. Bart attempted to start an in-person community in Cincinnati called Caravan, which, based on the website, appears defunct. But the four founding principles of Caravan are profound: building loving relationships, making things better for others, cultivating awe and wonder, and worldview humility. Christians are familiar with the first three precepts but not the last. Most Christian churches, though not all, practice the opposite, what might be called worldview hubris. We are sure we have found the way to heaven and were doubly sure its the only way. A couple thoughts about our certainty. First, the math of our proposition doesnt seem compatible with a loving God. I suspect, when creating the universe, God knew that many of us would not be Christian (currently Christians make up about a third of the worlds population). Would God knowingly create a world in which so many of his children would miss the mark? Many Christians say they believe this, pointing to verses like John 14:6 in which Jesus says, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. However, few are moved to invest time or money evangelizing the lost. According to the missionary organization The Traveling Team, for every $100,000 that Christians make, we give $1.70 to the unreached. I respect those who believe Jesus is the only way. If you interpret the scriptures literally, you have a strong case. My view is that the Bible is authoritative but not inerrant. In John 14, Jesus also says The Father is greater than me (verse 28) and I am in the Father and the Father is in me (verse 11). The message I get from the whole of John 14 is that belief in the Father is the critical piece. If you define God as Love, as almost all religious people do, then loving God by loving others is our highest obligation. If love is at the center of Christianity rather than belief in Jesus, we no longer are forced to be exclusive. Again, I realize this is not the standard interpretation of the Bible preached from most pulpits. Nor I am a theologian. However, decades of Bible study and worship have shown me the hazards of an exclusive Jesus. First, it instills an oppositional mentality. Its us (the saved) among them (the lost). Its virtually impossible not to pity or fell superior to people whom you believe have made a choice that will haunt them for all eternity. Second, it can make us solipsistic. Why waste time dealing with people who are different from us and are dammed to hell anyway? Most churches are demographically homogenous-far more so than our cities, towns, or workplaces. The temptation to retreat into the cocoon of ones comfortable church circle is strong. Third, it makes us afraid. We worry that there is something wrong with those people who either worship differently or dont worship at all. We fear becoming close lest their foreign ways lead us astray. Last, it makes us incurious. Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and peoples of the worlds many other faiths (and no faith) have traditions that can add to our understanding of the world. Many years ago while visiting Tucson, Arizona, I came upon a group of Buddhist monks meticulously crafting a sand mandala. These flat, intricate sand sculptures take groups of monks days or sometimes weeks to construct. Once completed, they are carefully dismantled, symbolizing the impermanence of the material world. The monks egoless devotion to their task, which they complete in silence, and their willing acceptance of the mandalas destruction has no parallel Christian ritual but has been a lifelong inspiration to me. I had a Jewish patient who taught me a deeper understanding of the concept of shalom. I had a Muslim student who taught me the discipline of Ramadan. We Christians have our own array of deeply meaningful traditions, but we must allow the possibility that we dont have a lock on the Truth. The Caravan website reminds us how most of us come to our world view: (M)ost of our ideas and convictions are inherited from other people and/or conditioned by circumstances beyond our control. In other words, we are well aware that if our lives or brains were different, then our worldview would be different too, and wed be using different arguments to defend it. When we meet someone of a different faith, our choices include conversion, consternation, or curiosity. Choose wisely. Children and elders enjoy a water fountain playground at the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore on April 2, 2019. (Photo: ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images) By Carly Wanna (Bloomberg) When people hear that their water is going to cost more, they start to use less of it. That seemingly obvious finding comes from a new study led by researchers at the National University of Singapore and published this week in the peer-reviewed journal Nature. But the researchers also stumbled across an interesting nuance: The announcement of a water price hike, more than the increase itself, can have a bigger impact on consumption. The conclusion points to the need for effective policy communication when it comes to water-conservation efforts. People do respond to the price change, and people also respond to the information of the price, says Mingxuan Fan, a co-author of the report and a visiting assistant professor at the National University of Singapore Business School. You can actually use pricing as part of your water conservation tool. It is effective, and it will be even more effective if you communicate it correctly. To reach their conclusion, researchers monitored monthly water consumption for 2 million homes in Singapore from January 2011 to December 2019, looking for impacts from two different factors: (1) the price of water, and (2) the impact of expanded government subsidies in 2012 and 2019 to help consumers, and in particular low-income households, foot their water bills. In 2017, Singapore announced a 30% increase in the price of water to reflect rising supply costs. Following that announcement, researchers found that the monthly water consumption of public households dropped by 5.8% relative to private apartments. But 3.7% of that decline nearly two thirds of the total impact came after the policy announcement but before any actual price change. The study also notes that consumers with lower water usage responded more to the announcement of a price hike than those with high water usage, who responded more to the hike itself. Consumers don't pay a lot of attention to water prices and need clear messaging in order for water prices to effectively encourage conservation, says Daniel Brent, an assistant professor of environmental economics at Pennsylvania State University who was not involved with the study. Hopefully, utilities will embrace randomising different messaging around water prices to find out the most effective way to communicate water prices to their customers. Story continues As droughts become more frequent, governments all over the world are looking at ways to balance water supply and demand, including by raising prices. Critics argue that these price hikes negatively impact low-income individuals who might be unable to afford sufficient water; that same logic prompted Singapore and other governments to offer subsidies based on household income. Too generous a subsidy could, in theory, negate the effect of a price hike by enabling the same level of water consumption but the Singapore study found no such effect. Instead, low-income households that had access to the subsidy decreased their water consumption at levels similar to those households that did not have that assistance. 2023 Bloomberg L.P. The director of a zoo in Mexico had 4 of its 10 pygmy goats cooked up for a New Year's feast, authorities say A trio of pygmy goats. David Jennings/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images) The director of a zoo in Mexico is accused of cooking four of its pygmy goats for a New Year's banquet. Authorities said he also illegally traded a zebra, and that 14 animals are missing from the zoo. The director, who was removed from his position in January, denied the officials' reports. The former director of a zoo in Mexico slaughtered four of the zoo's pygmy goats and cooked them up for an end-of-year party, local authorities said on Tuesday. Jose Ruben Nava Noriega who has been removed from his post as the director of Zoochilpan, a zoo in the city of Chilpancingo put the male pygmy goats on the menu for a December banquet at the zoo, the state environment and natural resources department said in a video statement. "This put the health of the people who ate them at risk, because these animals were not fit for human consumption," said Fernando Ruiz Gutierrez, a director of wildlife at the department. Before this, the zoo had 10 pygmy goats, and it currently has 520 animals of 89 different species, Spanish language outlet El Pais reported. Nava Noriega was dismissed on January 12 as director, after an escaped deer that was returned to zoo custody died because its injuries weren't treated properly, officials said. A subsequent investigation into Nava Noriega found that apart from the ill-advised meal he gave to staffers, he had also illegally traded a zebra and four Watusi cattle with private individuals, the department added. An example of the Ankole-Watusi cattle species, seen at Safari West in Santa Rosa of Sonoma County, California, United States on October 26, 2022. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Nava Noriega was supposed to get three red deer and some tools and supplies in exchange, but the materials were never found and the monetary value of the deer was too low to be a fair trade, officials added. Angel Almazan Juarez, the secretary of the environment and natural resources in Guerrero, also said his department found that several animal births weren't recorded at the zoo, and that it falsely logged the deaths of some specimens. At least 14 animals, including a coyote, a baby macaw, and a jaguar, are still missing from the premises, Almazan Juarez added. Story continues The officials did not say if they will formally charge Nava Noriega. Local radio host Federico Sarinana tweeted a video of Nava Noriega responding to the officials' report, in which the former director denied there were irregularities at the zoo under his leadership. He accused the state environment department of launching a "dirty war" against him, and said he informed officials of all transactions involving the zoo's animals. However, he declined to show documentation of the trades or reveal who he traded the animals with, saying he would fall afoul of the law. In the video, Nava Noriega also denied ordering the four pygmy goats to be cooked. Nava Noriega and the Guerrero state department of environment and natural resources did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment. Read the original article on Insider Im always in favour of establishments serving both savoury and sweet treats. This allows me to have my meal and dessert all at a single location, without the hassle of travelling around. Halal-certified Flippers Singapore, known for its Japanese souffle pancake, proudly introduces its seasonal sandos series to its weekday lunch menu. Hurrah! Credit Flippers Singapore Launched on 1 Feb 2023, the sandos are made with lightly-toasted shokupan bread, which is a Japanese milk bread that is slightly sweet, buttery, and milky at the same time. Crispy truffle tater tots are served on the side what a treat! Flippers Singapore only uses premium Japanese Hinata eggs. These eggs are laid by healthy hens which are fed with a special calibrated feed. The hens are kept in a well-maintained, HACCP-certified farm which is surrounded by the magnificent Tanzawa mountain range and the clean Sagami river in the Kanagawa prefecture. Credit Flippers Singapore Try the Otah Sando, fusing Japanese and Singaporean delights into a single sandwich. It features a breaded otah patty topped with creamy scrambled Hinata eggs, sambal mayo, and homemade red cabbage coleslaw I just drooled while describing all of that! Credit Flippers Singapore The Tamago Sando is the ultimate eggs galore. This classic Japanese sandwich is jam-packed with a generous amount of rich creamy egg salad, and topped with a perfectly-cooked premium Hinata egg. Credit Flippers Singapore For meat lovers, the Crispy Chicken Katsu comes layered with a fried Hinata egg and homemade red cabbage coleslaw thats tossed in teriyaki-mayo. Credit Flippers Singapore For those who missed the opportunity to savour the Awayuki Strawberry Kiseki Pancakes (S$26.80) last year, Im glad to announce that theyve returned! Enjoy the juicy candy-like strawberries combined with homemade strawberry cream, strawberry sauce and Valrhona ruby chocolate. Of course, the dish is not complete without the fluffy souffle pancakes. Head on down to any of the 2 Flippers Singapore outlets to enjoy these limited seasonal offerings today! Other articles you might like: Story continues Lola Faye: Halal dessert cafe open till 2am with waffles & gelato croissants from S$6 New in town: Baole Desserts Affordable rosti and handmade Taiwanese dessert at Toa Payoh The post Flippers Singapore launches seasonal sandos series & brings back seasonal Awayuki strawberry kiseki pancakes appeared first on SETHLUI.com. SIOUX CITY -- A man who delivered 7 pounds of methamphetamine to Sioux City was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in federal prison. Leocadio Contreras-Sebastian, 38, of Warren, Arkansas, pleaded guilty in September in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and aiding and abetting the distribution of a controlled substance. Contreras-Sebastian and two others were busted by local drug task force agents in April after a confidential source seeking a deal on a federal drug charge tipped agents off to a local distribution network. Through the source, agents arranged a purchase of meth and arrested Contreras-Sebastian, who had received the drugs from a Mexican contact in Arkansas and driven them to Sioux City. Also arrested were Jose Duenas-Topete, who is suspected of receiving four shipments of meth totaling 21 pounds for resale in Sioux City and Plymouth County, and Jose Montes-Topete. Duenas-Topete has pleaded guilty of selling meth in the Sioux City area and awaits sentencing. A jury has acquitted Montes-Topete. SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa -- A Milford, Iowa, man who was accused of sexual abuse has pleaded guilty to giving alcohol to a minor and was sentenced to jail. Rylan Harbst, 24, pleaded guilty Monday in Dickinson County District Court to two misdemeanor counts of supplying alcohol to a minor. District Judge John Sandy suspended a two-year prison sentence in each count and ordered Harbst to serve 30 days in jail. Harbst also was placed on probation for one year and fined $430. As part of a plea agreement, three counts of third-degree sexual abuse and one count of indecent contact with a child were dismissed. In his plea agreement, Harbst admitted to supplying alcohol to a minor in June and July 2018. Harbst had been charged with inappropriately touching an underage girl during that same time period. Harbst also had been charged in connection with three sexual assaults that occurred in March and April 2021. SIOUX CITY -- An Omaha woman has been arrested on felony charges, including arson, in connection with an October shoplifting incident at Scheels that involved an explosion. Jessica Katz, 40, was arrested Thursday on charges of first-degree arson, a class B felony; second-degree criminal mischief, a class D felony; and fourth-degree theft, a serious misdemeanor. According to a criminal complaint filed in Woodbury County District Court, Katz and another woman entered Scheels, 4400 Sergeant Road, at 7:03 p.m. on Oct. 26. The women grabbed a number of items from various departments in the store, including a dog collar and harness, three T-shirts, two pairs of jogger pants and a pair of Air Jordan shoes. At 7:32 p.m., the other woman left the store and went out to a silver Mercury Mariner that was parked in the parking lot. After she returned to the store, the complaint stated that the woman grabbed a BB gun and gave it to Katz. The two women then separated, with Katz going to the front display, where she began organizing store merchandise, and the other woman going to the bow section. Then, the other woman removed a lighter and a small device with a fuse from the pocket of her hooded sweatshirt. She lit the fuse on fire and tossed the device onto a shelf, before walking away, according to the complaint. A short time later, the device exploded, damaging shelving and merchandise. Dozens of employees and dozens more customers were in the store at the time of the explosion, according to the complaint. Katz exited the store carrying the merchandise that she and the other woman had collected. The complaint stated that they did not pay for the merchandise before leaving the store. Katz dropped the dog harness, before the women fled the scene in the Mercury Mariner. The stolen items totaled $562.97, according to the complaint. Katz is being held at the Woodbury County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bond. SIOUX CITY A Sioux City man's age at the time of a downtown shooting likely kept him from spending a longer time behind bars. Aaron Word, 19, was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison for the Sept. 24, 2021, shooting of Tray Ehlers during an altercation in the 200 block of Nebraska Street. A Woodbury County District Court jury found Word guilty at a September trial of attempted murder, willful injury and going armed with intent. Word, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, avoided a longer mandatory minimum because he was a juvenile when he committed the crime. Had he been an adult, he would have received an automatic 17.5-year mandatory minimum on the attempted murder charge, which carries a 25-year prison sentence. District Judge Patrick Tott chose not to impose the mandatory minimum, but did order Word to serve a mandatory minimum of five years on the 10-year sentence for willful injury. Tott ordered the sentences for attempted murder and willful injury to be served concurrently, or at the same time, but consecutive to the five-year sentence for going armed with intent to arrive at the total sentence of 30 years. With the shorter mandatory minimum, Word will be eligible for parole sooner. Word had faced a maximum of 40 years in prison, a sentence his victim requested. "You caused a lot of hurt in my family because of the choices you made. I hope your little sorry ass gets the maximum sentence," Ehlers said in a victim impact statement read by Assistant Woodbury County Attorney Michelle Venable-Ridley. Before he was sentenced, Word apologized to Ehlers and his family. "I know I messed up," he said. "I can't change that now." Ehlers was trying to break up an attack on his sister when Word shot him once in the back and once in the chest with a handgun that police later determined had been stolen. Word, Joy Scott and Miracle Walls had been in a vehicle following Ehlers' sister's vehicle, eventually blocking her path on an access road behind the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. Once the car was stopped, Scott and Walls opened the woman's car door and assaulted her. Ehlers' sister had called him before she was stopped, and he arrived at the scene, where he was shot. He said in his victim impact statement he spent 19 days in the hospital recovering from his wounds. He still has bullet fragments in his body, he said. Word fled to Louisiana after the shooting, but returned to Sioux City a week later and turned himself in. Word's lawyer had argued at trial he acted in self-defense or the defense of others. Scott and Walls, both of Sioux City, have pleaded guilty to their role in the incident, and both were placed on probation. SIOUX CITY -- A Sioux City man has pleaded not guilty of fatally shooting his girlfriend. Austyn Self, 23, entered his written plea Friday in Woodbury County District Court to charges of first-degree murder and three counts of child endangerment. Self is accused of shooting Sarah Zoelle, 31, on Jan. 14 at 3319 Nebraska St. According to court documents, Zoelle called 911 to report a domestic disturbance and told a dispatcher Self was pointing a gun at her. While on the phone with Zoelle, the dispatcher heard a noise that sounded like a gunshot. Self then picked up the phone and said to the dispatcher, "I shot her," court documents said. Police officers responding to the call found Zoelle with a single gunshot wound to her abdomen and holding a 6-month-old child. A 4-year-old and a 5-year-old were also in the house. Zoelle was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Self remains in custody in the Woodbury County Jail on a $1 million bond. If found guilty of first-degree murder, he would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. SIOUX CITY The Sioux City Community School District has responded to a lawsuit filed by former Iowa State Senator Richard Bertrand, stating many of his claims were false concerning buying land from near Unity Elementary. The defendant's response filed on Thursday also states Bertrand claimed he would use the land for farming, not development when attempting to purchase the land and the district administration never indicated in favor of selling the land. They are requesting the lawsuit be dismissed. Bertrand, now a businessman and developer, filed a defamation lawsuit in early January against the school district, Greenwell and former District Operations Director Brian Fahrendholz claiming comments made by the parties resulted in the loss of over $7.9 million in profits. Bertrand claims he attempted to purchase five acres of unused land near Unity Elementary School, but the agreement was rescinded due to comments made by Fahrendholz and Greenwell, according to the court documents. He planned on converting the land into various housing developments. The suit claims Greenwell made comments made calling Bertrand a thief and dirt devil which resulted in the loss of development opportunities. According to the response filed by the district, Greenwell and Fahrendholz Bertrand reached out to Troy Thomas, purchasing manager for the district, to inquire about the land. It states he wanted to use the land for farming. Bertrand was told to contact current Operations Director Tim Paul. The suit claims that Bertrand reached out to Paul in September 2022 expressing interest in purchasing the land. Bertrand claims Paul said he would support the purchase. The defendants answer document states Paul and Bertrand had two separate conversations where Bertrand claimed he wanted to use the land for farming because it was the missing piece to the family farm. It states Paul told Bertrand the land was not needed, but did not tell Bertrand he was in support of the potential purchase, and instead told Bertrand there was no interest in selling the property. It also states Paul informed Bertrand there is a set process that needs to be followed when the district sells land. The document states Bertrand was not happy with Pauls answer and got angry and demanded to speak with Pauls boss, according to the court document. The lawsuit claims Interim Superintendent Rod Earleywine met with Bertrand at Unity and indicated he was in favor of the sale of land to Bertrand. According to the response, Earleywine met with Bertrand at Unity, but he did not indicate he was in support of selling the land. Due to these two conversations, Bertrand states he entered into a Letter of Intent to sell some of the property to Roy Parry Construction for three apartment buildings. He also claims he began discussions with the City of Sioux City to develop 120 homes on the land and property he currently owns. The response document states there was never anything even remotely close to a pending sale. The district states the finance and facilities committee met on Dec. 5, 2022, and they determined there was no interest in selling the property. Furthermore, if Bertrand did indeed proceed with a Letter of Intent to sell land owned by the District, he did so out of either: a) ignorance of Iowa law, and the procedures for selling public land and contracting with a public entity, or b) out of arrogance that the law and procedures did not apply to him, according to the response. The district states Earleywine informed Bertrand of this, but he became upset and persisted that he should be allowed to purchase the land. Bertrand proceeded to contract Greenwell. The suit states during a phone call on Jan. 2, Greenwell was not interested in selling the land the Bertrand. The response document agrees that Greenwell did speak with Bertrand and did say he was not interested in selling the land, but was not specific to Bertrand, but because Greenwell feels the property makes a good buffer for the grade school and any development would create increased traffic volume and safety concerns. The suit also states Greenwell claimed he would not be muscled or bullied by Bertrand and was not drinking the Kool-Aid. The response states the Greenwell said he would not be bullied or strong-armed due to Bertrand stating he supported Greenwell in his election and should support the land sale. It also states Greenwell was not drinking the Kool-Aid in response to Bertrand stating he wanted to use the land for farming. The suit states Greenwell claimed Bertrand had stolen dirt from the North High Outer Drive project and Greenwell was not interested in selling the land to the dirt devil who stole from the district. When asked where Greenwell had heard the claims, Bertrand was told Fahrendholz had made them starting in 2018. The response denies these claims. It states Greenwell said something similar to if you want to call yourself the dirt devil go ahead. It denies that Greenwell claimed Bertrand stole from the district. After the call with Greenwell, Roy Parry Construction withdrew its offer to purchase due to potential litigation. Bertrand is suing the three entities for defamation and seeks full compensation for the $7.9 million loss in profits he claims came from the comments. SIOUX CITY -- A Sioux City woman has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison on gun and drug charges. Alicia Robinson, 36, pleaded guilty in September in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and being a prohibited person in possession of firearms. She was sentenced Thursday to 62 months in prison. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, police conducted a traffic stop on Dec. 30, 2021, on a vehicle Robinson was driving and smelled marijuana. Robinson admitted she had been smoking marijuana in the car. During a search of the car, police found drug paraphernalia and a .380 firearm in Robinson's purse. Police later searched her home and found a 12-gauge shotgun and more than 50 grams of meth. During a search of another home believed to be involved in drug distribution, officers found a Glock .40 handgun that Robinson had owned. Robinson later admitted to possessing the guns. OMAHA -- The teacher shortage worsened in Nebraska this school year, and the potential for consequences in the classroom is growing, according to a survey by the Nebraska Department of Education. The number of reported unfilled teaching jobs across the state is up nearly 60% over last year, the department reported. School officials who responded to the survey expressed concern about a shrinking applicant pool and less-qualified candidates applying. Special education teachers remain in highest demand, as they have for years, but elementary education, career education and language arts slots are proving hard to fill. "You look at a one-year snapshot, and you see a number of vacancies, and that's concerning," said John Spatz, executive director of the Nebraska Association of School Boards. "But, really, I look at the trend line. The trend line is what's concerning." Public and nonpublic schools and educational service units across the state reported a total of 768.7 unfilled positions at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year, up from 482 a year earlier. The unfilled positions represent 2.75% of the total teaching positions in the state. Public districts and ESUs statewide accounted for the bulk of the unfilled positions. In all, 147 districts and ESUs reported 694 unfilled positions. Nonpublic systems not all of whom responded to the survey reported 74.7 unfilled positions. An unfilled position, according to the survey, is one that was either left vacant or filled by someone not fully qualified. Fully qualified is defined as someone with a regular Nebraska teaching certificate, the appropriate endorsement for the assigned class and the professional attributes sought by the school. Under state accreditation rules, schools have limited flexibility for teachers to teach outside their endorsed area. In public schools, for example, the state requires that at least 95% of teachers in elementary grades must teach in their endorsed area. More than a quarter of this year's unfilled positions across Nebraska were left vacant, the survey said. The number of positions left vacant rose from 68 in 2021 to 208 in 2022. In 2019, 344 of 443 districts and systems responded to the annual survey, with 118 respondents reporting 321 unfilled positions. A decade ago, 41 districts reported 74 unfilled positions. Spatz said there's growing interest in Nebraska in pulling together lawmakers and leaders of higher education and K-12 schools to develop a long-term state plan to address the shortage. "At some point, we've got to figure out a way to get more people into the profession and into school districts," he said. According to this year's survey, the most common reason stated for positions going unfilled was because no one applied for the job at all. Less often, the reason was a lack of qualified applicants for the endorsed area, schools reported. In some cases, a qualified applicant turned down the job offer. "What we're seeing is 10 years ago, for an elementary position, you might have 20 people apply," Spatz said. "Now you might have three people apply." So, how did schools cover the positions this year? According to the survey, most often the position was not filled, though sometimes the school hired someone not appropriately endorsed in the content area. Less often schools hired someone with a transitional permit or covered a position with substitutes, the survey found. Over a month ago, Chadron Public Schools posted a job opening for a special-education teacher. As of Friday, no one had applied, superintendent Ginger Meyer said. She's hopeful that applicants will come knocking this spring. Meyer said she succeeded in finding qualified teachers to fill the district's openings to start the year. However, the number of applicants was about half as many as normal, she said. The data from the 2022 Teacher Vacancy Survey Report offers the latest glimpse into the shortage that started before the pandemic but has grown since. Various reasons are blamed for the shortage, among them low pay relative to other jobs, the perception that teaching is an undesirable career, student behavior issues, poor or unsupportive administrators, rigid certification requirements, political pressures and the stresses of the pandemic. The survey was open in October to all Nebraska public school districts, nonpublic school systems and educational service units. Overall, 402 of the states 436 districts, nonpublic systems and ESUs responded up from 324 in 2021. Ninety-nine percent of public schools and ESUs responded. Topping the list of unfilled positions were special education, elementary education and career education. Other hard-to-fill positions were language arts, science, math and speech language pathology. Additional areas of need were instrumental and vocal music, early childhood education areas, art, world languages and counselors. Spatz said that other school-related jobs are also proving hard to fill, not just those in the classroom. "It's bus drivers. It's cooks. It's custodians. It's paras. It's administrators. It's really everything," he said. "And that's putting an awful strain on schools across the state, rural and urban." Top Journal Star photos for January 2023 SIOUX CITY The Food Bank of Siouxland voiced its disapproval this week for a pair of bills, one in the Iowa House and one in the Iowa Senate, that would place added restrictions on the food assistance program known as SNAP. Under proposals from Republican state legislators, low-income people seeking to utilize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would need to work at least 20 hours a week and would be subject to additional identity verification. Critique Both bills will make it difficult for those who need food assistance to qualify for SNAP and stay on the program, impeding progress toward self-sufficiency, the Food Bank of Siouxland said in a statement. There are exceptions to the proposed work requirement for people who are: pregnant, medically certified as physically or mentally unfit for employment, caretakers for dependent children under age 1, parents to kids with serious medical conditions and disabilities, participating in treatment and rehab programs or receiving compensation with other work requirements. But the Food Bank noted there are individuals and families in the region, not addressed by those exceptions, who could be impacted by the changes Iowa House File 3 and Senate Bill 1105 would bring about. Families who have two vehicles would be restricted from SNAP most likely right away. In many of the counties in Northwest Iowa, public transportation between towns or communities is nonexistent. Vehicles are needed to get to places of employment, school, the grocery store, etc, the Food Bank said. Various items make up assets and should not be an indicator of a family or individuals food needs. SNAP benefits change (copy) Nick Todd moves a fork truck loaded with produce towards a cooler Friday, April 1, 2022 at the Food Bank of Siouxland in Sioux City, Iowa. Intent Rep. Tom Jeneary, R-Le Mars, who ran a hearing on the changes, said the intent is to ensure continued viability of the food assistance programs. These programs provide a necessary safety net for low-income Iowans, and the Legislature wants to make sure the Iowans receiving assistance from these programs are truly eligible, he said. A Jan. 27 piece from the Journals Des Moines Bureau noted: House Republicans moved the SNAP bill just two days after approving $345 million in new state spending on private school financial aid, a program that has no income restrictions. Jeneary is one of five Siouxland representatives whose name appears on the House bill. The others are Reps. Steve Holt, Denison; Skyler Wheeler, Hull; John Wills, Spirit Lake and Jacob Bossman, Sioux City. Jeff Edler, R-State Center, is the chairperson of the State Senate Committee on Health and Human Services proposing the bill. Funding for SNAP comes from by the federal government and is jointly administered by the federal and state governments to individuals and families who meet income restrictions. In budget year 2020, Iowas share of administrative costs for SNAP totaled $22 million. The states average administrative costs of $27.84 per case per month is 18th-lowest among U.S. states, according to federal data. When similar rules were rescinded in Pennsylvania, the state saved just over $3 million, while adding 100,000 people back to the program, the Food Bank of Siouxland said. Impacts Through the end of the week of Jan. 22, 2023: The bill still had language limiting SNAP users to only foods approved for the WIC program for expectant mothers, such a move would take meat, fish, poultry and nuts off the table. However, Republicans have said they plan to amend that language and eliminate only candy and soft drinks, except for zero-calorie beverages. In a state which prides itself on the production of pork, turkey, and chicken (among others), it is disheartening to see these items cut from the list of choices, the Food Bank said of the suggestion. In 2022, about 279,000 Iowans made use of the SNAP program each and every month. Overhauls to the assistance structure would require federal approval. The same year, the Food Bank of Siouxland helped distribute about 2.75 million meals. DES MOINES Iowa schools are prohibited from teaching so-called divisive concepts under a state law passed in 2021, but now some Republican state lawmakers are looking to put some teeth on the law by adding fines for educators who violate it. School districts would be fined between $500 and $5,000 if they are found in violation of the divisive concepts law, under a proposal that received its first legislative approval Wednesday from Iowa House Republicans at the Iowa Capitol. The 2021 law defines divisive concepts and includes, for example, teaching students that moral character is determined by ones race or sex, or that the United States and Iowa are fundamentally or systematically racist. Steve Holt, a Republican from Denison, said the proposal to add fines is needed because he believes some school districts he did not name any are violating the divisive concepts law. It would appear to us that this hasnt been complied with in some school districts, that it has been blatantly ignored in some school districts, or that theyre just simply trying to play word games and keep doing the same thing, Holt said during Wednesdays legislative hearing on the proposal. Opponents of the proposal said it does not provide due process for educators who are accused of violating the divisive concepts law. The legislation states that once a complaint is lodged, the state education department will make a ruling; there is no provision for the school district or educator in question to state their case. There doesnt seem to be a whole lot of due process protections for the educators in this. It seems like its just: theres an accusation, someone decides whether or not they did it, and thats it, said Keenan Crow, with the LGBTQ advocacy group One Iowa. Education groups also raised concerns over a provision in the proposed legislation that would require the state education department to accept from students and parents reports of possible violations of the divisive concepts law, and require the department to compile those allegations and report them to lawmakers. Such a report would be a public document. Michelle Johnson, with the Iowa Association of School Boards, said that requirement could produce a report that suggests wrongdoing before anything is proven. http:// And a spokesperson for the state education department said the department would not be able to handle the anticipated volume of reports of possible violations in an adequate time frame without adding more employees. Holt and Rep. Skyler Wheeler, a Republican from Hull who chairs the House education committee, signed off on advancing the House Study Bill 112, which becomes eligible for consideration by the House education committee. Holt said he is cognizant of some of the concerns raised, and signaled a willingness to address some of them in the bill. School transparency School districts also would be required to publish classroom curriculum and library materials online, and have in place a method for parents to ask for the removal of those materials under another bill advanced Wednesday by House Republicans. House File 5 is similar to the Houses proposed school transparency legislation from last year. Majority Republicans wound up not passing any bills on the topic because the Republican-controlled Senate and House could not agree. At a legislative hearing Wednesday, education groups said they are mostly neutral about the bill, and that districts are already doing much of whats prescribed in the legislation. SIOUX CITY For the sixth time since 1993, the process to renew Downtown Partners taxing district for another five years is underway. The Planning and Zoning Commission green-lighted the district in December. The Sioux City Council is expected to discuss renewal at its weekly meeting on Monday. Downtown Partners is an organization that promotes business interests in the historic core of the city. The organization, which has two full-time staff members, operates through a Self Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID), in which property owners pay an extra tax to fund the organizations budget. Ragen Cote, executive director of Downtown Partners, said there will be no change to the size of the SSMID this go-around or to its maximum tax levy, which is $2.25 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Downtown Partners currently has a budget of roughly $352,000, which funds improvements, marketing and other expenses. I think weve had a really big business focus in the last couple years, as youll see with all the new development downtown more with storefront grants and our rent relief program to try to recruit business and also make facades look good with that money, Cote said. So, really trying to focus on aesthetics and targeting business recruitment. In 2018, the SSMID boundary was expanded, but the levy was not increased at that time, either. Doxx Warehouse Bar and the Virginia Square area were among the properties that were added back then. Downtown Partners must request renewal of the district every five years through a petition of property owners. State law requires signatures of at least 25% of the taxing districts property owners and a representation of at least 25% of the districts land value to move forward with district renewal. In November, Cote said Downtown Partners turned in signed petitions with a 78% approval from ownership and an 88% approval of value. The property owners are happy with what were doing. I think thats wonderful, she said. Weve had years where it was 60% in the early 2000s. This is really great that theyre seeing what were doing is working and they approve of what levy were putting forward. WASHINGTON A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon sailed across the U.S. on Friday, drawing severe Pentagon accusations of spying despite China's firm denials. Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled a high-stakes Beijing trip aimed at easing U.S.-China tensions. Fuzzy videos dotted social media sites as people with binoculars and telephoto lenses tried to find the "spy balloon" in the sky as it headed eastward over Kansas and Missouri at 60,000 feet. Blinken's cancellation came despite China's claim that the balloon was merely a weather research "airship" that blew off course. The Pentagon rejected that out of hand as well as China's contention that the balloon, about the size of three school buses, was not being used for surveillance and had only limited navigational ability. "In light of China's unacceptable action, I am postponing my planned travel to China this weekend," Blinken said. He had been due to depart Washington for Beijing late Friday. He said he had told senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in a phone call that sending the balloon over the U.S. was "an irresponsible act and that (China's) decision to take this action on the eve of my visit is detrimental to the substantive discussions that we were prepared to have." The balloon was detected over sensitive military sites in Montana but moved east over the heartland of the central United States and was expected to remain in U.S. airspace for several days, officials said. Later Friday, the Pentagon acknowledged reports of a second balloon flying over Latin America. "We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement, declining to offer further information such as where it was spotted. The development marked a new blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations. Still, U.S. officials maintained that diplomatic channels remain open and Blinken said he remained willing to travel to China "when conditions allow." "We continue to believe that having open lines of communication is important," he said. President Joe Biden declined to comment on the matter when questioned at an economic event. Two 2024 reelection challengers, former President Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador, said the U.S. should immediately shoot down the balloon. Biden was first briefed about the Chinese surveillance balloon Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. She did not shed light on why the administration waited until Thursday to make its concerns public. A senior defense official said the U.S. prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot down the balloon if ordered. The Pentagon ultimately recommended against that, noting that even as the balloon was over a sparsely populated area of Montana, its size could create a debris field large enough to put people at risk. Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, refused to say Friday whether there was any new consideration of shooting down the balloon. He said it was at an altitude of about 60,000 feet, was maneuverable and had changed course. He said Friday it posed no threat. As for Blinken's trip, Jean-Pierre said a diplomatic visit to China was not appropriate at this time. She said that "the presence of this balloon in our airspace is a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law and it is unacceptable this occurred." A State Department official said Blinken and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman protested to the top official at the Chinese Embassy on Wednesday, a day before the Pentagon announced the discovery of the balloon. Pentagon officials said Thursday that one of the places it was spotted was over Montana, which is home to one of America's three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. A number of GOP lawmakers criticized the administration for not taking firmer action against China before this. A decision for Blinken to proceed with his trip could have made Biden even more susceptible to their complaints as he deals with the new Republican-led U.S. House. Weather experts said China's claim that the balloon had gone off course was feasible. China's account of wind patterns known as the Westerlies carrying a balloon to the western United States was "absolutely possible not possible, likely," said Dan Jaffe, a professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of Washington. Blinken's meetings with senior Chinese officials had been seen in both countries as a possible way to find some common ground at a time of major disagreements over Taiwan, human rights, China's claims in the South China Sea, North Korea, Russia's war in Ukraine, trade policy and climate change. Although the trip, agreed to in November by Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit in Indonesia, had not been formally announced, officials in both Beijing and Washington had spoken in recent days about Blinken's arrival for meetings on Sunday and Monday. The Chinese foreign ministry said the balloon was a civilian airship, used mainly for meteorological research, that had limited "self-steering" capabilities and "deviated far from its planned course" because of winds. "The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure," the statement said, citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond one's control. DES MOINES If one Iowa school decides to remove a book from its library, all Iowa schools would be required to do the same under a proposal floated this week by Gov. Kim Reynolds at an event hosted by a national group that advocates for parents rights in public education. At the Thursday night event hosted by the group Moms for Liberty, Reynolds said under her proposal, educational material removed by any Iowa school district would be required to be removed by every district in the state. Groups like Moms for Liberty and its advocate members are pushing for public schools to not only be more transparent with curriculum and library materials, but for schools to remove library books and classroom materials that they find objectionable. Almost exclusively, the subject matter of the materials that are challenged have to deal with LGBTQ people or issues, or discussions of race. During her remarks, Reynolds said there is a need to restore sanity, to make sure our schools are a place of learning and not indoctrination. Its sad that any of this actually needs to be written into law, Reynolds said. Reynolds accused the radical left of treating students like their personal property, and asserted some educators believe patriotism is racist and that pornographic books are education. Reynolds was greeted with loud applause and multiple standing ovations by most of the roughly 200 people who attended. But her remarks also were interrupted at least a half-dozen times by protesters who shouted while she was speaking. Each protester was escorted out of the auditorium by law enforcement officials. It is my job to keep your children safe, one protester yelled while being escorted out. Another, who on her way out of the auditorium toward the end of the event, sarcastically assured the audience that there are no litter boxes in Iowa schools. The comment was a reference to the widely debunked Internet rumor that some schools have been placing litter boxes in bathrooms to accommodate students who wish to identify as cats. No actual evidence of this has ever been found in any schools. During a panel discussion and a question-and-answer session that featured seven Republican state lawmakers, two legislators said they would like to move legislation that would create more spots for members of the public to serve on the state board that licenses and disciplines Iowa teachers and other educators. Currently, the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners is required by state law to include 12 members: two from the public, the state education department director, and nine licensed practitioners. Rep. Steve Holt, a Republican from Denison who has been active in advancing bills regarding public education transparency and curriculum requirements, pledged legislation to change how the education oversight board is populated. Were going to put parents on the board of examiners, Holt said. Were going to change that system. Moms for Liberty is a national nonprofit issue advocacy organization that was founded in Florida. It mobilizes individuals around parents rights in educations, and trains candidates for political office, including local school boards. During the event, Reynolds and multiple state legislators highlighted the new, $345 million state-funded private school financial aid package that Reynolds recently signed into law. Reynolds and other Republicans said the new state funding will help families find the Iowa school that they feel is best for their children. Volodymyr Zelensky wants American F-16 fighter planes. Joe Biden doesnt want to let him have them. Who has the better argument? What good or bad would come of supplying them? Bidens first reason for not sending them is that the Ukrainians arent ready for them. As even Ukrainians admit, their pilots would take at least six months to learn how to fly and fight with the plane. The F-16a multipurpose jet, capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground operationsalso requires fairly pristine runways for takeoff and landing; unlike Soviet-built planes, which were designed to operate from austere bases, F-16s (and many other U.S. planes) can be damaged by objects sucked into their engines; they need to be inspected and maintained almost daily. Ukraine has few pristine airfields, and Russia could bomb those repeatedly, forcing endless rounds of repair. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Tyler Rogoway, editor of The War Zone website, while acknowledging those points, makes a case for at least preparing to send the planes anyway. In a phone conversation Thursday, he said, Ukraine isnt ready to use F-16s in a month, but we dont know how long this war is going to last, and after it ends, Ukraine is going to need to protect itself. We should start training their pilots and beefing up their airfields now. Rogoway made the same suggestion in an article back in April; had his advice been followed then, Ukrainian pilots would be ready to fly the planes now. He also said that it would cost us little, and do the Ukrainian air force no harm, to train some of its pilots on a NATO airbase, for instance in Western Europe, where F-16s are plentiful. Ukraine has more pilots than it has airplanes, Rogoway said. It can remove some from the battlefield. Advertisement Bidens other concern about sending F-16s is that they would cross a line that Vladimir Putin might regard as a provocation, to which he might respond by escalating the fight. A fully armed F-16 has a range of 500 miles, putting the planeif it takes off from some of Ukraines airbaseswithin striking distance of targets well inside Russian territory. (ATACMs, an advanced ground-launched tactical missile that Zelensky wants but Biden doesnt want to give him, has this same feature.) This is not the case with any other weapon the West has given Ukraine. Biden could make Zelensky promise that his pilots would not fly the planes across the Russian border. Zelensky could probably be trusted to abide by the pledge; cheating would severely alienate his main supplier of arms and intelligence. But Putins mindset is the main concern here; would he believe the pledge? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This raises two larger questions: Would Putin really regard Ukraines mere possession of F-16s as an existential threat? And should we care what Putin thinks? As John Adams famously said, facts are stubborn things, and two facts about Putin are that hes fast becoming a cornered, desperate tyrant and that he has a large arsenal of nuclear weaponsnot a stable combination. On the other hand: Ukraine has already struck targets inside Russia (and inside Ukrainian districts, including Crimea, that Putin claims are part of Russia), with no escalatory consequences, though the incidents may have spurred Putin to order more intense Russian bombings of Ukrainian cities. The difference is that Ukraine hit those Russian targets with its own missiles (or, in some cases, it seems, with on-the-ground saboteurs). Does it matter if Ukraine were to do this again using American or NATO weapons? Might Putin strike back at the suppliers of those weapons? Advertisement German Chancellor Olaf Scholz seems to think so. He was leery of providing German-built Leopard tanks to Ukraine unless and until Biden promised to send U.S. Abrams tanks, because he didnt want to risk Putins wrath on his own. Given Germanys Cold War history, Scholz is particularly sensitive to the dangers of alienating Moscow; but Biden has expressed the same concerns. At his joint press conference with Zelensky in December, he was asked why he and the other allies didnt just give Ukraine all the weapons it wanted right now, including long-range aircraft and missiles. Biden replied, Theyre not looking to go to war with Russia. They dont want to start World War III. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a way, this is unfair. Russia has been attacking targetscivilian and militaryinside Ukraine; but, with few exceptions, Ukraine has foregone (and, when it comes to using Western weapons, has been instructed to forego) attacking targets inside Russia. (The few targets that Ukraine has hit inside Russia were all military in nature.) Still, this is the nature of nuclear deterrence. Possessing nuclear weapons deters adversaries from launching a wide range of attacks, not just nuclear ones. To the Ukrainians, this is a total war, worth nearly any sacrifice. To us, it cannot be; the moment that NATO countries come under attack, especially if they suffer casualties, is probably the moment that those countries pull out of the war. This is tacitly but widely understood. Advertisement Advertisement Still, against these risks, the benefits of letting Ukraine have F-16s should be measuredso what are those benefits? In the short term, there are no benefits. As noted earlier, if the planes were sent tomorrow, Ukrainian pilots would not be ready to fly them. What about the medium to long term? The F-16which the U.S. has sold or given to more than two dozen countries in and out of NATOis superior to the Soviet-built fighters; it has better radar, better maneuverability, and can carry more missiles of more destructive power and longer range. But its unclear how much these advantages would matter in this conflict. There hasnt been much of an air war in Ukraine lately; neither side has flown combat planes far forward of their front lines, because they know that the other side could shoot the planes down with its dense layers of air-defense weapons (and, in several cases, have shot them down). Advertisement Advertisement Instead, both sides have aimed to destroy enemy troop concentrations or other targets by firing rockets, missiles, and long-range artillery from launch pads on the groundwhich also happen to be cheaper, more reliable, and less vulnerable than fighter planes. And so that is where the Biden administration has placed its priorities, sending Ukraine thousands of missiles and rockets, and millions of rounds of ammunition. The latest $2 billion arms package includes, for the first time, Small-Diameter Bombs (SDBs)extremely accurate weapons with a range of 90 miles, twice as long as any other weapons the U.S. has sent so far. Still, Rogoway argues, this new bomb doesnt render F-16s superfluous. Ukraine could use the F-16s still longer-range features to shoot down Russian planes and other targets behind the frontlines (though, he emphasizes, still inside Ukraine, not crossing the Russian border, which, he agrees, would be irresponsible). The F-16s radar can identify and track targets with greater precision at longer distances. And their weapons pods can hold Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), extremely accurate bombs that explode with forces up to 2,000 pounds. This is much more powerful than the bombs on the long-range HiMARS rockets or Small-Diameter Bomb. With a 2,000-pound JDAM, you could destroy a hardened Russian command center from 35 miles out, Rogoway said. Nothing Ukraine now has can do that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even so, he acknowledges that MiG-29s can be modified to carry JDAMs as well as some of the other munitions and electronics that the F-16 holds. The U.S. has helped some of the eastern European NATO alliesfor instance, Sloveniamodify their old Soviet-built planes in this way. However, at some point, Ukraine will run outor at least run shortof those Soviet-built planes. It isnt quite clear how many usable planes they have nowperhaps a few dozen. Some former Soviet allies, now members of NATO, notably Poland, want to give Ukraine their MiG fighters, in hopes of getting the U.S. to replace them with the most modern F-35 planes. (Some reports say that Washington blocked Poland from sending MiGs to Ukraine; others that Poland has already sent some.) Advertisement This may be the key issue for Zelensky. Most of the eastern European NATO members are acquiring Western weapons, in order to integrate their armed forces into the alliance. Whether or not Ukraine joins NATO, Zelensky wants to be inside that supply chain. John Pike, director of the research firm GlobalSecurity.org, makes the same point: Over the next two years, Ukraine is going to have NATO fighters, simply due to combat attrition. Why dont we go ahead and help them win now rather than drag things out? Either way one looks at this issue, it is not an urgent matter. It is also not a huge matter. Zelensky has said he needs 200 modern Western jet fighters, but the spokesman for Ukraines air force, Yuri Ignat, recently said just two F-16 squadrons of 12 planes each, plus sparesaround 30 planes in allwould be enough to turn the tide against Russian air power. Advertisement The Ukrainian president has reason to believe that any American weapon he requests, hell eventually get. Biden was initially hesitant (as were other Western leaders) to supply Patriot air-defense missiles, then armored vehicles, then Abrams tanksyet, one by one, he flashed the green light. Its possible (some Pentagon officials say its likely) that, at some point soon, hell let Ukraine have some modern combat aircraft too. Advertisement This whole controversy may get resolved the same way as the dispute over whether to provide Ukraine with modern tanks. Scholz wouldnt send German Leopard 2 tanks unless Biden sent U.S. Abrams tanks first. Biden agreed to send 31 Abrams, enough for one Ukrainian tank battaliongiving Scholz political cover to send Leopards and allow the many Western buyers of Leopards to do the same. This time around, Biden might eventually agree to send 24 or so F-16s, spurring other allies to send their F-16s, MiGs, and French Mirage fighter planes on top. Mark Galeotti, executive director of Mayak Intelligence and author of Putins Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine, said in an email, I cant help but wonder if this is in part Kyivs usual gambit of making a long ask, precisely in order to secure something else as compensation when that is denied. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision on Thursday allowing alleged domestic abusers to keep their guns is perhaps the most radical Second Amendment decision in the history of the federal judiciary. It is not, however, a surprise. Justice Clarence Thomas opinion in last years Bruen case invited lower courts to strike down any gun restrictions that our ancestors would never have accepted. This standard is infinitely malleable given the hopeless ambiguities in the historical record. But even where the record is clear, Thomas test leads to heinous results given that the ancestors in question were often violently racist and misogynistic white men. As the 5th Circuit tacitly acknowledged, our ancestors would never have accepted disarming domestic abusers because they did not believe domestic violence was a crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And yet, despite the reach of Bruen, I am fairly confident that five justices will reverse the 5th Circuit and uphold a variety of laws that our ancestors would have rejected, including the federal ban on owning a gun while subject to a restraining order for domestic violence. Why? Because I do not think five justices agree with Bruen. Yes, it was a 63 decision. Yes, every justice in the majority joined Thomas opinion in full. But one justice, Brett Kavanaugh, wrote a separate opinion laying out a different standard that cannot be squared with Thomas. And another, Chief Justice John Roberts, joined him. Under the Kavanaugh-Roberts test, disarming alleged abusersand other individual adjudged to be dangerousis almost certainly constitutional. Advertisement It is almost never wise to be optimistic about this Supreme Court. And it is frightening to think that thousands of lives depend on Kavanaugh ruling the right way. But in this most unusual case, I think cautious confidence is in order. To see why, just hold up Thomas and Kavanaughs opinions in Bruen side by side. Both justices agreed with the bottom line: New Yorks concealed carry law, which required applicants to demonstrate a heightened need for self-defense, violates the Second Amendment. But take one step beyond that and the justices start to diverge. Thomas devotes his opinion to articulating a new legal test: Modern gun restrictions are presumptively unconstitutional unless they have enough historical analogues from the 18th and 19th centuries to prove that they are rooted in this nations historical tradition of firearm regulation. Thats the test that the 5th Circuit used to find that the government cannot bar people from owning guns while they are under a restraining order for domestic violence. Advertisement Advertisement Although Kavanaugh formally signed onto Thomas opinion, he spent the bulk of his separate concurrence recasting it as something very different. Kavanaugh wrote that he wanted to underscore two important points about the limits of Thomas opinion. First, he clarified that the decision does not affect the existing licensing regimes in 43 states that let any law-abiding adult carry a concealed weapon. As the court explains, Kavanaugh declared, New Yorks outlier may-issue regime is constitutionally problematic because it grants open-ended discretion to licensing officials and authorizes licenses only for those applicants who can show some special need apart from self-defense. In other words, New Yorks outlier law violates the Second Amendment because it grants state officials so much latitude in determining who deserves to carry a gun. Advertisement Advertisement But thats not actually what the courtthat is, Clarence Thomas majority opinionsaid! Thomas did not focus primarily on the problem of state officials open-ended discretion. He instead zeroed in on the ostensible lack of a historical basis for such stringent limits on concealed carry. These are two very different things! In his concurrence, Kavanaugh then went on to preemptively greenlight a variety of restrictions on concealed carry permits, including fingerprinting, a background check, a mental health records check, and training in firearms handling and in laws regarding the use of force. All these requirements, he declared, are constitutionally permissible. Advertisement Advertisement Waitthey are? Why? Under Thomas test, thats an open question: The government would have to demonstrate that in the 18th and 19th centuries, a critical mass of states forced citizens to jump through these hoops before acquiring a concealed carry permit. Its extremely unlikely that states demanded fingerprinting (which did not exist at that time) or a background check (frequently impossible in an era with scarce, scattershot paper records) or a mental health records check (since the very concept of mental health was in its infancy). These requirements are only constitutionalindeed, obviously constitutional, per Kavanaughunder a more lenient test. A test that, for instance, measures the importance of the governments objectives against the burden on the individuals rights. Yet Thomas expressly disclaimed this kind of means-end scrutiny, insisting that it is irrelevant how many lives a particular gun restriction might save. Advertisement Turn now to Kavanaughs second important point about the limits of Bruen. The justice reiterated a famous passage in D.C. v. Heller, the 2008 decision that first established an individual right to bear arms. In Heller, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote that this right is not unlimited, adding: Nothing in our opinion should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms. We identify these presumptively lawful regulatory measures only as examples; our list does not purport to be exhaustive. Kavanaugh reprinted this entire passage just to endorse it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres the thing, though: Scalia did not want to add that passage to Heller. He only inserted it because Justice Anthony Kennedy, the swing vote, asked for language limiting the decisions reach. Kennedy knew he could extract this concession from Scalia as the price of his vote. Lower courts routinely cite that passage when upholding all manner of gun restrictions. By reprinting and endorsing it, Kavanaugh signaled that he was on board with at least some limits on firearms that our ancestors wouldnt have liked. Its true that people accused of domestic violence do not automatically fit into the category of felons and the mentally ill. But it stands to reason that if the government can disarm someone adjudged to be mentally ill in a civil proceeding, it can disarm someone adjudged to be a domestic abuser in a civil proceeding, as well. Advertisement If I am right that Kavanaugh (along with Roberts) sought to limit Bruens scope in his concurrence, the question arises: Why not force Thomas to tone down his opinion for the court? Why not follow the approach of his predecessor and mentor, Anthony Kennedy, and extract a concession in the form of a limiting principle or a more lenient test? Advertisement Advertisement My suspicion is that Kavanaugh did not want to be accused of betraying the gun rights movement by watering down a landmark victory for the cause. Its also possible, however, that Kavanaugh simply did not want to bother negotiating with Thomas when he could write his own opinion laying out a different vision of the Second Amendment. After all, the justice has a well-known habitinfuriating to conservativesof limiting majority opinions through separate concurrences. Maybe he already knew Roberts would sign on, thereby sending an important message: There are not, in fact, five votes for the no-holds-barred assault on modern gun regulations that Thomas craves. If there is any group of people whom the government has a good reason to disarm, its people accused of domestic abuse. These individuals are vastly more likely to kill their partners or commit mass shootings. To Thomas, this fact does not matter one bit. To Kavanaugh, I think it does. The 5th Circuit may be convinced that Bruen gave it carte blanche to invalidate every gun safety law under the sun. But its certitude may well be misplaced. There was a Chinese government balloon floating over Montana on Thursday that now appears to have blown to Kansas City, and its causing an old-fashioned international incident in addition to earning five-alarm BREAKING LIVE TRACKER coverage on every cable news network. Lets get into it. A government balloon? What the hell is that? Late Thursday afternoon, NBC News reported that the U.S. military was tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that had flown into airspace above Billings, Montana, via Alaskas Aleutian Islands and Canada. (The Associated Press has since published the sentence The balloon was first reported by NBC News. Thank you for reporting balloon, NBC.) As of this writing, it appears to be hovering above Kansas City, Missouri. Advertisement Could you quantify just how big this balloon is, preferably in terms of the number of large vehicles that could fit inside of it? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An anonymous senior official told ABC News that this balloon is the size of three buses. It was unclear what type of buses the official was referring to, but three of them, in any case, sounds real big. Is this balloon a threat to my familys safety? Probably not: A Pentagon spokesperson told CNN Friday that the balloon is flying far above commercial airspace, does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground, and does not present a significant intelligence gathering risk. While Montana is home to multiple nuclear missile installations, as well as on-location filming of the successful cable show Yellowstone, neither the Pentagon nor the Paramount Network apparently believed that any active measures against the balloon were required. Advertisement What if its a nuclear balloon?!?!? A reporter asked this question of a Department of Defense press secretary on Friday. He replied in essence that no, the military does not believe the balloon is a nuclear bomb. So were not gonna take this thing out? According to an anonymous Pentagon official quoted by NBC, some defense leaders proposed shooting down the balloon, but the idea was dismissed because of the risk that falling debris could harm citizens on the ground. (Still, if there does turn out to be a national security need, an official speaking in a background briefing transcribed by the Department of Defense reassured reporters that we will have options to deal with this balloon.) Advertisement The balloon is not the first such Chinese device to drift over U.S. territory, per the DOD. Instances of this activity have been observed over the past several years, including prior to this administration, one anonymous official explained to CNN. Another told ABC News that this has happened a handful of other times over the past few years, although this particular balloon drew extra concern because it is appearing to hang out for a longer period of time this time around. Advertisement Advertisement The [SPOILER ALERT] nightmarish human-sucking alien entity from the 2022 film Nope looked a lot like a balloon, and it started the movie by appearing to hang out over a ranch. Dont worry about it. What does China have to say? A spokesperson for the Chinese government confirmed Friday that the balloon originated from thereabouts, but claimed it was not a spy balloonmerely a civilian airship used for research about weather patterns. In this case, the balloon deviated far from its planned course, thanks to its limited self-steering capability and the strong wind currents of the westerlies. The U.S. government is suspicious of this explanation. (Reasonable, considering the Communist Party also said Friday that China is a responsible countryhmmthat always abides by international lawuh-huhand has no intention of infringing on any countrys territory and airspace. Totally, yeah.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How is this affecting the U.S.s relationship with China? Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a planned weekend trip to Beijing, just hours before he was set to departand did so because, ABC News reports, he does not want the balloon to dominate his meetings with Chinese officials. And fair enough: He was absolutely going to get asked about the balloon, and only the balloon, every time he stepped out in public or appeared at a press conference during the trip. It would be funny if the delegation that eventually meets him when he does go to China brings a bunch of big Mylar balloons to him on the tarmac. Yes, that would be classic. I almost forgot to askare the Canadians OK? Advertisement The Canadian government clarified that Canadians are safe and the country is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident. Advertisement Hold on, potential second incident? Yeah. We have no idea what that is. But its probably nothing. Dont worry about it. Im back to thinking that this balloon needs to be terminated with extreme anti-balloon prejudice, and Im guessing there are some right-wing political figures in the U.S. who agree with me. Advertisement Yes. Donald Trump, Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, and the Fox News opinion pages are among those who have called on President Joe Biden to shoot down the balloon. (SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON!, wrote Trump on his Truth Social site.) Former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake is ready to blast it herself with a hunting rifle. (Newsmaxs Greg Kellydespite tweeting that This BALOON is totally Freaking me OUT!!!suggested only that it be given a nudge back toward Canada.) Advertisement How did Montana residents handle the balloons presence? Naturally, they filmed it on their phones, which means the balloon has made it to TikTok. Some posts describe it as a UFO, though, which is wrong: Its not unidentified if we know its a Chinese spy balloon that might also be an alien that is going to eat us at a carnival. Is it common for balloons to be used for spying? The practice of using balloons for reconnaissance dates back to a late 18th century battle during the French Revolution, albeit one in which the hot air balloon in question was apparently floating too far above ground to be useful. The Pentagon has been developing its own inflatables surveillance program; a Politico piece about the program explains that theyre cheaper and faster to build than satellites and move in less predictable paths. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, the United States also deploys 409 military or government satellites. (China has about 160.) Before digital photography, the film in satellite spy cameras had to be jettisoned down to Earth in secret capsules to be developed, which is kind of wild. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What about airplanes? Yes, the U.S. uses high-altitude U-2 planes, among others, to gather information. (The band U2 is so named in what its frontman, Bono, says is in part a reference to the spy plane.) The Soviet Union shot a U-2 craft down in 1960, forcing pilot Gary Powers to bail out of his plane and into immortality as an answer to trivia questions. What was the United States excuse to the Soviets as to why one of its airplanes was flying over their country? That it was a weather plane that had gotten lost. (Powers was returned to the U.S. in a prisoner swap.) I remember this we were just studying the weather excuse from something else as well. Advertisement Indeed, on July 8, 1947, an Air Force public information officer announced that service personnel had come into possession of debris from a flying disc gathered near Roswell, New Mexico by a rancher named W.W. Mac Brazel. The next day, the Department of Defense issued a statement claiming the object in question was a weather balloon. Do either of the co-authors of this article have a personal connection to Roswell, New Mexico? Ben Mathis-Lilleys father, Joe, was raised in Roswell. Where is this UFO Joe now? He lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. Fort Collins? The launching point of the infamous 2009 Balloon Boy craft? Yes. What, exactly, is going on with this article? Watch the skies! In the classroom of the futureif there still are anyits easy to imagine the endpoint of an arms race: an artificial intelligence that generates the days lessons and prompts, a student-deployed A.I. that will surreptitiously do the assignment, and finally, a third-party A.I. that will determine if any of the pupils actually did the work with their own fingers and brain. Loop complete; no humans needed. If you were to take all the hype about ChatGPT at face value, this might feel inevitable. Its not. Advertisement But a response to the hit software demo, released by OpenAI in November to instant fanfare, is coming. You only have to look at how schools dealt with the potential externalities of newly essential tech during the pandemic to see how a similarly paranoid reaction to chatbots like ChatGPT could goand how it shouldnt. When schools had to shift on the fly to remote learning three years ago, there was a massive turn to what at that point was mainly enterprise software: Zoom. The rise in Zoom use was quickly followed by a panic about student cheating if they were not properly surveilled. Opportunistic education technology companies were happy to jump in and offer more student surveillance as the solution, claiming that invading students kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms was the only way to ensure academic integrity and the sanctity of the degrees they were working for. Indeed, this cycle also played out in white-collar work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now we are seeing this once again in the fervor over ChatGPT and fears about student cheating. Already teachers and instructors are worried about how the tech will be used for circumventing assignments, and companies are touting their own artificial intelligence tools to battle the A.I. for the soul of education. Consider the flood of essays that would have us believe that not only college English courses but in fact the entire education system are imperiled by this technology. In separate pieces, the Atlantic proclaimed The End of High-School English and announced that The College Essay Is Dead. A Bloomberg Opinion column asserted that ChatGPT AI will almost certainly help kill the college essay. A recent research paper tells us that GPT-3 (a precursor to ChatGPT) passed a Wharton professors MBA exam. Advertisement Whenever fears of technology-aided plagiarism appear in schools and universities, its a safe bet that technology-aided plagiarism detection will be pitched as a solution. Almost concurrent with the wave of articles on the chatbot was a slew of articles touting solutions. A Princeton student spent a chunk of his winter break creating GPTZero, an app he claims can detect whether a given piece of writing was done by a human or ChatGPT. Plagiarism-detection leviathan Turnitin is touting its own A.I. solutions to confront the burgeoning issue. Even instructors across the country are reportedly catching students submitting essays written by the chatbot. OpenAI itself, in a moment of selling us all both the affliction and the cure, has proposed plagiarism detection or even some form of watermark to notify people of when the tech has been used. Unfortunately, the tool released is, according to the company, not fully reliable. Advertisement Advertisement Witnessing this cycle of tech deployment and tech solutionism forces us to ask: Why do we keep doing this? Although plagiarism is an easy target and certainly on the minds of teachers and professors when thinking about this technology, there are deeper questions we need to engage, questions that are erased when the focus is on branding students as cheaters and urging on an A.I. bakeoff between students and teachers. Questions like: What are the implications of using a technology trained on some of the worst texts on the internet? And: What does it mean when we cede creation and creativity to a machine? Advertisement One of the most interesting details in the ChatGPT media swirl requires subtle attention to the shifting goal posts of A.I. ethics. In a recent interview, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman asserted the need for society to adjust to generative-text tech: We adapted to calculators and changed what we tested for in math class, I imagine. In that sentence-ending qualifier, we can tease out a debate habit that is decades old: technologists guessing at how teachers might adapt to technology. Altman imagines what we (the teachers) had to change about our tests because of calculators. What OpenAI likely didnt do during the building of ChatGPT is study the potential pedagogical impact of its tool. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead of imagining what ChatGPT might do to the classroom, educators have to adapt discussions, activities, and assessments to the changed environment that it creates. Some of that work is exciting, like when many of us began to bring social media into the classroom to connect our students with outside thinkers or collaborating in real time on a shared document. Some of it, however, is like what happens when we have to develop emergency plans for the possibility of an active shooter. Well do the work, but the adaptation a) might have been avoided, and b) only distracts from the job. We could imagine another way this might have gone down. Consider what pedagogical testing for a tool like ChatGPT would look like: focus groups, experts, experimentation. Certainly the money is there for it. OpenAI is receiving investment interest from everywhere (after giving it $1 billion four years ago, Microsoft just invested another $10 billion) and has just launched a service that will allow companies to integrate models like ChatGPT into their own systems. Advertisement In all these discussions, its imperative to understand what this tool isor more explicitly, what is required for it to exist. OpenAI paid outsourcing partner Sama $200,000 to teach ChatGPT how not to be violent, racist, or sexist. Samas workers were compensated between $1.50 and $2 an hour to keep ChatGPT from mimicking the worst kinds of human behavior. Kenya-based workers interviewed by Time reported being mentally scarred by performing the job. Is it a surprise that the company wants to leave its disruptive tool on the doorstep of the worlds schools with the sage advice of treating ChatGPT like a calculator? It shouldnt be. Advertisement Advertisement Teachers at many levels of our educational structure are going to be adapting to what A.I. text generation will do for, with, and to students in the coming years. Some of them will embrace the tool as a writing aid; others will bunker in and interrogate students whose papers feel auto-generated. ChatGPT has given us all interesting things to imagine and worry about. However, one thing we can be sure of is this: OpenAI is not thinking about educators very much. It has decided to disrupt and walk away, with no afterthought about what schools should do with the program. Advertisement Almost every article about this technology has resorted to an appealing, yet severely flawed argument: The tech is here and isnt going anywhere, so wed better learn to live with it. This is a genie out of the bottle, we are toldnever mind that at the end of most genie stories, they return to the bottle, having inflicted some manner of damage. Writer and theorist L.M. Sacasas refers to this line of argument as the Borg complex. Telling us that resistance to a particular technology is futile is a favorite talking point for technologists who release systems with few if any guardrails out into the world and then put the onus on society to address most of the problems that arise. Lets go back to that arms race we described. When the life cycle of a classroom activity is influenced at every phase by an A.I. instrument (assignment construction, student work, assessment), digital utopians might claim that students and teachers will have more opportunities for critical thinking because generating ideasthe grunt work of writingisnt taking up any of our time. Along this line of thinking, ChatGPT is just another calculator, but for language instead of numerical calculation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This assertion, that A.I. might free up human workers to focus on more thoughtfuland ideally profitablework, is wrongheaded at the outset. When it comes to writing (and everything that can be done with it), its all grunt work. Having an idea, composing it into language, and checking to see whether that language matches our original idea is a metacognitive process that changes us. It puts us in dialogue with ourselves and often with others as well. To outsource idea generation to an A.I. machine is to miss the constant revision that reflection causes in our thinking. Not to mention that the biggest difference between a calculator and ChatGPT is that a calculator doesnt have to check its answer against the loud chaos of everything toxic and hateful that has ever been posted on the internet. Advertisement Call it an idealistic concept, but the classroom is one of the most common spaces in modern life for the potential of collective meaning-making. Not every classroom satisfies that goal, but when teachers and students begin ceding the genesis of their ideas to a highly advanced version of autocorrect, the potential for group discovery begins to evaporate. That more-cynical future is not on the minds of those who argue, Like it or not, ChatGPT is here, so deal with it. Its a failure of imagination to think that we must learn to live with an A.I. writing tool just because it was built. Pedagogically speaking, focusing on the grunt work of trying out ideaswatching them develop, wither, and cede ground to better onesis the most valuable time we can spend with our students. We surrender that time to Silicon Valley and the messy database that is the internet at the peril of our students. Advertisement Advertisement Its perhaps a good moment to step back and develop better solutions for whats occurred and whats coming. Rather than upping the surveillance-and-detection stakes with tools that are, at best, spotty and unreliable, teachers can talk with students reflectively about whats at stake with A.I.-generated text. At the same time, we need to continue building activities and assessments to make classroom work more specific and experiential. (ChatGPT probably wont do so well with community observations or local interviews.) And we need to insist that, in the future, A.I. companies bring educators to the table to study the implications of their new tools. But we must also imagine an environment where we arent involuntarily sucked into the cycle of having unproved tech constantly foisted upon our lives. Weve taken the important step of regulation in other major industries (like tobacco, pharmaceuticals, automobile manufacturing). Educators, or citizens in general, would benefit from a more public and reflective conversation, driven more by research than profit speculation. In the meantime, ignore the surveillance pitches. We dont need to give the future implied by ChatGPT a helping hand. Joshua Landy noticed the reaction almost immediately. The Toronto critical care physician had posted a video on TikTok explaining the dilemma presented by a 50-year-old patient who needed an MRI. This patients X-ray showed his chest riddled with birdshot pellets from a shotgun accident 30 years before. If the pellets were magnetic, the MRI wouldnt be possible. In the end, a pellet was examined and found to be made of lead, and doctors went ahead with the MRI. Advertisement Landy, a former colleague of mine, has long shared deidentified cases with the medical education community. What surprised him about this case was the response: The post has racked up more than 800,000 views, which is more than 300 times his usual reach. The reason, he soon realized, was his error. In his commentary, he had referred to the projectiles as buckshot. To date, more than 1,600 people have called him out on the ammo inaccuracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With his honest mistake, Landy stumbled onto a very intentional growth hack deployed by TikTok power users: creating a glitch that even the fastest scrollers have to scratch. The most infamous example of this came late last year in a (since deleted) TikTok that featured an attractive woman posing in front of a mirror overlaid with this riddle: Imagine how good your life would be if you had a 26yo nursing assistant by your side, now replace S with N. What did it mean? The post went viral as thousands of people tried to figure that out. Someone please tell me what a nurning anninntant is, one commenter joked. Im loning my mind here! Advertisement Nearly a month later, the mystery lingered. A leading theory: The correct answer would be so good, but replacing the s makes it no good. Or maybe RN somehow becomes MS? This highly selective application of logic only seemed to make the riddle more enticing. Every day, at least once I am haunted by this, tweeted media scholar Ranjodh Singh Dhaliwal on Jan. 11. It is the Voynich manuscript of our time and I am fine with that. Finally, on Jan. 12 in a response to a Daily Dot story on the phenomenon, the original poster explained that the haunting was the point. [T]he answer is that its meant to be a brain stump, she wrote. It doesnt mean anything. Advertisement Advertisement Regardless of whether you buy that explanation, theres still something to be learned from the original videos 5.6 million views, 7,000 comments, numerous TikTok response videos, and burgeoning afterlife as a meme. That response is partly explained by SIWOTI syndrome, an abbreviation of Someone is wrong on the Internet! the punchline from a 2008 Randall Munroe xkcd cartoon in which a stick figure tells their partner why they cant come to bed. Advertisement The human need to publicly correct others mistakes surely has less to do with our noble pursuit of truth and more to do with showing off our intellectual superiority. Its as old as humans learning from one another, though like everything else, its been accelerated by the internet. Advertisement Whats interesting is how this psychological quirk has been exploitedfirst in good faith by those looking for real answers, and now as a growth hack designed to juice TikToks algorithms. (The apps exact recommendation system is a valuable secret, but the company has stated that user interactions such as comments are a key ingredient.) This good-faith quest for answers was famously observed by Ward Cunningham, the technologist who helped create the wiki. He was credited by his former colleague Steven McGeady with Cunninghams Law: The best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; its to post the wrong answer. This concept explains the digital miracle that is Wikipedia: Many contributors are so eager to correct one another that they dont mind doing so in relative anonymity. (Amusingly, Cunningham has disowned the axiom with the sort of recursive humor that programmers love: I never suggested asking questions by posting wrong answers, Cunningham says in a short YouTube video. This is a misquote that disproves itself by propagating through the internet as Cunninghams Law.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As one might expect, the technique is primarily used by software developers, the original power users of the internet. I have 2 Stack Overflow accounts, a developer explained on Twitter last year. Whenever I want a good thorough answer, I post the question then login to the other account and reply with a wrong answer. Always end up getting 3-5 perfect answers correcting my fake answer. Advertisement The rise of TikTok, with its mysterious, hypersensitive algorithm and default public sharing, has transformed this technique for knowledge seekers into a trick for attention seekers. Theres the impossible riddle about a man whose name starts with J and rhymes with one of the 50 states, the pet video that calls a puppy a little angle, the cooking reaction video for General Tsos chicken in which the chef incorrectly identifies almost every ingredient and so on. Its a specialized subgenre of trolling: one where the goal isnt so much enragement as quantifiable engagement. Theyre selling jigsaw puzzles that are missing key pieces, and we keep snapping them up. Advertisement These broken riddles can be found across social media platforms, and while theyre always irritating, theyre certainly more desirable than their angry cousin: rage-farming. The practice of intentionally provoking people to increase engagement, especially around political issues, is infamously encouraged by algorithms designed to favor more divisive content. You could say the difference between rage farming and engagement flubs is like buckshot and birdshot: Same general purpose, but ones much less dangerous. Going forward, Landy plans to keep his mistakes unintentional. Medicine and social media arent an easy combination: in one of those fields, errors are rewarded, and in the other they can be lethal, he told me in a text. In both cases you might end up in the news, but Im not sure I could be proud of either. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Hike up to the calavary, learn more about love and get ready to watch the comet. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Cirque du Soleil returns to Slovakia More than seven million people have enjoyed Cirque du Soleils performance Ovo. The Slovak audience now gets a chance to experience the act too. Cirque du Soleil scored with their last performance Corteo here; this time, Cirque du Soleil focuses on the flourishing beauty of biodiversity, according to their press releases. Visitors will be able to appreciate fauna and flora in movement.d TICKETS: You can catch Cirque du Soleil in Bratislava, Tipos Arena. Cirque du Soleil plans to return to Bratislava. (Source: Jozef Jakubco, SME) New Slovak movie taps into queerness Sluzka [Maid] is the first Slovak title to focus on a queer relationship between two women. The new Slovak movie Sluzka portrays a relationship between two women set in a historical period and hardships around the first world war. Growing from a friendship sprouting at a young age, the movie further explores growth into queer love in relationships. Women did not have voting rights yet. Even though the kingdom of Austria-Hungary was on a brink of collapse, aristocracy still prevails and gets into conflict with common folk. That is where the two heroines meet. The movie portrays a young maid and a rich girl during their lifetimes with their changing and evolving relationship. The director of the movie Mariana Cengel Solcanska is mostly known for movies inspired by real events on the political scene in Slovakia, with movies such as Svina [Swine] and Unos [Kidnapping]. The movies premiere in Slovakia was on February 2, the global premiere was during the Estonian festival Black Nights Tallinn. Take a peek into the first moments of the movie through Stefan Stec and Fallgrapp's song "Verba", which features the scenes from Sluzka. https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yp1tNaByhiw MORE CULUTRAL TIPS TRAVEL Photo of the week Astrophotographer Petr Horalek managed to capture the Green Comet just above High Tatras Strbske Pleso. The comet does not set at all these days; in the evening it can be found above the northern horizon in the constellation of the Dragon. The clearer the sky, the better the conditions. Darker places allow for the comet to be seen with the naked eye. (Source: Astrophotographer Petr Horalek ) Within Slovakia you can watch the Green Comet on clear nights from towns with binoculars and just by the naked eye outside of towns. TIP: Watch the comet from Strbske Pleso just like the astrophotography enthusiast did. Calvary offers view over Liptov A stations of the cross located in the Ruzomberok district offers visitors a breath-taking panorama. From east to west, from highlands to lowlands, one can see half of Slovakia uopn reaching the top. Starting near the natural monument of Liskovska Jaskyna Cave, locals and tourists can hike up to reach the end of the path near Martincek. There, a chapel awaits. During the hike, hikers come across several stops with religious significancy. Elders or anyone in need can catch a break on benches and enjoy nature around them. All ages are able to conquer the hill despite its steeper elevation. After thirty minutes or so, the region of Liptov and great part of Slovakia lay below those at the top. Read more about this weeks travel tip to one of Ruzomberoks calvaries. A bench awaits weary hikers. (Source: Romana Vicianova) PODCAST FOR THE WEEKEND How to make a mixed relationship work Looking for love in Slovakia as a foreigner is no simple matter. Meeting your person in a new country and finding a common language can keep a single person busy. Learning the Slovak language gives many more opportunities, as it not only opens up possibilities but also slowly erases the barrier between them and locals. Foreigners often have to use translating apps to communicate. When dating, making the next step can be hard for some to imagine. Learn more about foreigners experience in dating, marrying and divorcing in Slovakia in Jeremy Hills podcast. (Source: Pixabay) BEFORE YOU GO TRAGIC PUPPET OPERA : A combination of opera, dinosaurs, people, and tragedy. Intrigued? Students of an alternative theatre head on a tour in Slovakia. : A combination of opera, dinosaurs, people, and tragedy. Intrigued? Students of an alternative theatre head on a tour in Slovakia. DANCE : Jozef Valos dance performance ties together the questions of coming out as queer and liking sports. : Jozef Valos dance performance ties together the questions of coming out as queer and liking sports. PARTY: Dance away the night under a disco ball at an avantgarde party. Enjoy the 80s, 90s and more in Zilina. That's it for this week. Take care, and have a restful weekend! -Maria Do you have any tips? You can reach Maria at maria.jurikova@spectator.sk Love is in the air, or is that the floral bouquet of a lovely rose-based tea blend? Perhaps for the New York City denizens, it can be both, thanks to an all new event from Dona. Taking place February 8th at the Urbana Cafe & Gallery in Chelsea, Dona is teaming up with Brownstone Botanical for Tea & Flowers, a combination tea cupping and bouquet making class. Just in time for Valentines Daywhich is Tuesday, February 14th, in case you have someone expecting you to have remembered and planned something specialTea & Flowers is a rose-themed community event for the amorously caffeinated. The two-hour event will include a rose-themed tea tasting led by Dona that will include an in-depth tasting of a favorite rose-based tea blend and a [discussion of] the ethical sourcing, tea history, and the importance of quality ingredients. Each participant will also leave with a tea set of their very own. Then, Brownstone Botanicals Molly Halpin will lead attendees through a mini rose bouquet workshop, with each person leaving with a custom bouquet of their own making. It all gets started at 7:00pm at Urbana Cafe & Gallery in Chelsea on Wednesday, February 8th. For more information on the Tea & Flowers, visit the Evenbrite page. Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230202/un-experts-demand-that-spain-investigates-alleged-spying-targeting-catalan-leaders---ohchr-1106936495.html UN Experts Demand That Spain Investigates Alleged Spying Targeting Catalan Leaders - OHCHR UN Experts Demand That Spain Investigates Alleged Spying Targeting Catalan Leaders - OHCHR UN experts on Thursday demanded that Spanish authorities "thoroughly investigate" alleged spying targeting Catalan public figures and activists following the independence bid in 2017 with the use of Pegasus and Candiru spyware. 2023-02-02T23:51+0000 2023-02-02T23:51+0000 2023-02-02T23:46+0000 world catalan referendum catalonia the united nations (un) expert un human rights office (ohchr) spying /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/105860/17/1058601743_0:0:4000:2251_1920x0_80_0_0_42393972333b41db11d73d640c795adc.jpg Experts included Fernand de Varennes, the special rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and Irene Kahn, the special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression."We are looking forward to the outcomes of the ongoing judicial investigation... We are also deeply concerned by what appears to be a very troubling interference into the human rights of Catalan leaders and other minority activists to freely hold and express their views, exchange information and ideas, assemble peacefully and participate in associations. They are entitled to a private life, the privacy of correspondence and to be treated equally before the law."According to the statement, devices of at least 65 Catalan minority leaders, members of the European Parliament, legislators, jurists, and members of civil society organizations, were allegedly targeted by a "complex and sophisticated spying programme" between 2017 and 2020. Experts said "most incidents of spying against Catalan leaders and activists took place in 2017, soon after the regions bid for independence." These include SMS-based attacks, containing malicious links designed to trick targets into clicking on them, and highly personalized official notifications from Spanish government entities. Officials also called for a global moratorium on the sale and transfer of surveillance technologies. In the October 2017 referendum, which Madrid called illegal, over 90% of voters supported Catalonia's independence. The Spanish government refused to recognize the results of the vote, the turnout for which fell below 50% and stood at 43%. In October 2019, the Supreme Court sentenced 12 Catalan politicians and activists for organizing an unauthorized referendum on independence and issuing a unilateral declaration of independence. Nine people were found guilty of mutiny and received sentences ranging from nine to 13 years in prison. Three were found guilty of insubordination and given fines. The international scandal over Pegasus spyware, used by the Israeli authorities to spy on terrorists, broke in July 2021 after a joint media investigation unveiled that the spyware had also been used to keep an eye on politicians, businessmen, activists, journalists, and opposition figures around the world. catalonia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International un experts, spain, catalonia, spying, https://sputnikglobe.com/20230202/us-judge-allows-wrongful-death-lawsuit-against-kyle-rittenhouse-to-proceed-1106935202.html US Judge Allows Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Kyle Rittenhouse to Proceed US Judge Allows Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Kyle Rittenhouse to Proceed A federal US judge ruled that a wrongful death lawsuit against Kyle Rittenhouse, a young man who shot and killed three people during an August 2020 incident, can proceed despite a jury acquitting Rittenhouse in 2021. 2023-02-02T21:59+0000 2023-02-02T21:59+0000 2023-02-02T21:52+0000 americas kyle rittenhouse judge wrongful death lawsuit us /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/06/1092051951_0:7:3275:1849_1920x0_80_0_0_3bedf20dd81e1fc8604bf1f6406898ad.jpg John Huber, the father of one of the men Rittenhouse killed, filed the civil suit, which US District Judge Lynn Adelman allowed to move forward on Wednesday. The lawsuit names Rittenhouse, the Kenosha County Sheriff, the former and acting Kenosha Police Department chiefs, the city of Kenosha and county of Kenosha as defendants, the report said. Rittenhouse shot and killed three men while protecting businesses amid racial justice protests in Kenosha in August 2020. In November 2021, a jury acquitted Rittenhouse, who claims he acted in self-defense, on all criminal charges. Rittenhouses lawyers attempted to have the lawsuit dismissed, contending Rittenhouse was never properly served a copy of the complaint. Rittenhouses attorneys also contend the suit fails to show he conspired with law enforcement or other individuals to inflict violence on protesters.The lawsuit will now move forward into the discovery phase, according to Anand Swaminathan, a lawyer representing Huber, the report said. The ruling puts the family one step closer to justice for their sons needless death, Swaminathan is quoted as saying in an email. US District Judge Lynn Adelman, who issued the decision, ruled that as long as the allegations are not fantastic or delusional, then the court must accept them and determine their veracity later, the report said. https://sputnikglobe.com/20220406/kyle-rittenhouse-slams-biden-for-turning-blind-eye-to-son-hunters-dodgy-deals-1094533284.html americas Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International lawsuit, kyle rittenhouse, wrongful death https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/arrested-sputnik-lithuania-editor-kasem-needs-medical-assistance-in-prison-lawyer-says-1106960186.html Arrested Sputnik Lithuania Editor Kasem Needs Medical Assistance in Prison, Lawyer Says Arrested Sputnik Lithuania Editor Kasem Needs Medical Assistance in Prison, Lawyer Says Sputnik Lithuania editor Marat Kasem, who was arrested in Latvia, is in critical condition and needs medical assistance, his lawyer told Sputnik on Friday. 2023-02-03T18:27+0000 2023-02-03T18:27+0000 2023-02-03T18:27+0000 world latvia sputnik employee imprisonment /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/08/1106132896_0:0:3037:1708_1920x0_80_0_0_354803c00b8cff0fe5e37195b3276bbf.jpg The lawyer said that the conditions of Marat Kasems imprisonment could be regarded as torture. On January 30, Kasem was transferred without any reason to the block for convicted prisoners and put in solitary confinement. Due to unsanitary conditions and insects in the cell, Kasem has an allergy. The prison doctor ignored the journalist's complaints and diagnosis and gave him simple allergy pills. Kasems lawyer specified that his client's health condition was critical, and he was preparing a complaint to get a medical examination for Kasem. Kasems lawyer also said that due to breathing problems, Kasem had to open a cell window, while sleeping in a hat and outerwear. Chronic diseases, he added, have also aggravated, toes fail due to gout, and everyone ignores his complaints and knocks on the cell door. The lawyer added that Kasem was allowed to call him only on the third day, although the law provides that an arrested person can contact their lawyer any time. He believes the prosecution uses all these measures in order to obtain a confession from the arrested journalist. Kasem, a Latvian national working at the Sputnik Lithuania editorial desk of Moscow-based international media group Rossiya Segodnya, was detained during a trip to the Latvian capital on January 3 and sent to Riga Central Prison two days later. He was accused of violating EU sanctions against Russia as well as of espionage, an offense punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The journalist was allowed to say final goodbye to his grandmother, who died while he was in prison. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230118/latvia-court-upholds-earlier-decision-to-leave-sputnik-lithuania-editor-kasem-in-custody-1106453111.html latvia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International marat kasem, sputnik lithuania https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/beijing-says-speculation-related-to-chinese-spy-balloon-over-us-inappropriate-1106943939.html Beijing Says Speculation Related to 'Spy Balloon' Over US Inappropriate Beijing Says Speculation Related to 'Spy Balloon' Over US Inappropriate Speculation on the topic of a "Chinese spy balloon" allegedly detected over the United States will not contribute to the resolution of the issue until all the details are established, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday. 2023-02-03T08:56+0000 2023-02-03T08:56+0000 2023-02-04T16:58+0000 asia us china rival powers balloon chinese balloon over us /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/07/17/1083448122_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_feee5104f2a27679bf1f31766aa65d81.jpg The US Defense Department detected a high altitude surveillance balloon late on Thursday, specifying that the object was traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and did not pose any threat. Pentagon Press Secretary Patrick Ryder said that the US had "very high confidence" that this was a "Chinese spy balloon."Beijing is currently investigating the incident and hopes to work with Washington to "calmly and prudently resolve this issue," the spokeswoman added. Earlier in the day, US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy accused China of disregarding the country's sovereignty and requested a "Gang of Eight briefing," a briefing on classified intelligence for a set of eight leaders within the US Congress. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/pentagon-suspected-chinese-surveillance-balloon-being-tracked-over-northern-us-1106937518.html china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International asia, americas, us, china, chinese-american rivalry https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/biden-gets-250000-loan-against-delaware-home-amid-hunter-documents-probes-media-reports-1106951915.html Biden Gets $250,000 Loan Against Delaware Home Amid Hunter, Documents Probes, Media Reports Biden Gets $250,000 Loan Against Delaware Home Amid Hunter, Documents Probes, Media Reports US President Joe Biden has secured a $250,000 line of credit against his house in Rehoboth, Delaware, as his son Hunter faces a a long-running federal tax investigation and amid his own classified documents scandal. 2023-02-03T14:44+0000 2023-02-03T14:44+0000 2023-02-03T14:44+0000 americas biden classified files joe biden us hunter biden /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/15/1106544326_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_c7f07e2cc51c8d8e2f762904727758bd.jpg The records show that the contract with M&T bank was signed on December 5, according to the report. Biden and his wife bought the house in 2017 for $2.74 million. The media notes that it is not clear why Biden could need a quarter of a million dollars. The White House did not respond to journalists' requests.The financial move came at a time when the president's son, Hunter Biden, is under a federal investigation for alleged tax fraud. According to investigators, he was involved in suspicious activities, involving foreign transactions, including funds from China and other foreign nations.The president himself has also become embroiled in an FBI investigation over suspected mishandling of classified documents. Days ahead of the November 2022 midterms, Biden's attorneys discovered a batch of top-secret records at his former office at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, and later a trove of classified files at his Delaware home. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230202/mccarthy-hunter-biden-request-for-probe-into-laptop-leak-attorney-tactic-to-stall-1106933673.html americas Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International biden's classified files, biden classified files scandal, hunter biden tax fraud https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/blinken-failed-to-offer-steps-to-end-violence-in-middle-east-palestinian-foreign-minister-says-1106947717.html Blinken Failed to Offer Steps to End Violence in Middle East, Palestinian Foreign Minister Says Blinken Failed to Offer Steps to End Violence in Middle East, Palestinian Foreign Minister Says US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged both Israel and Palestine to ensure de-escalation of tensions, but left the region without offering any concrete measures able to amend the situation. 2023-02-03T11:16+0000 2023-02-03T11:16+0000 2023-02-03T11:16+0000 world palestine palestinians russia middle east israel antony blinken sergey lavrov riyad maliki /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/08/14/1099806921_0:117:3072:1845_1920x0_80_0_0_ecb42f5b17339d8b6ecf2484e092d3ac.jpg The US's top diplomat visited Israel and the West Bank from January 30-31 amid heightened tensions between Israel and Palestinians. It came after a brutal Israeli raid in the West Bank city of Jenin on January 26 and deadly shootings in Jerusalem over the next two days, which claimed lives on both sides.He noted that January has been "a bloody month for Palestinians," as many as 35 citizens were killed in the conflict with Israel. After the tragic events in Jenin, Blinken hastened to come in the region and see if it was possible to calm the situation down, but failed to work it out, the foreign minister recalled. Al-Maliki went on saying that Washington needed to speak to the Israelis if it wanted to resolve the situation and prevent new terrible bloodshed. Relations between Israel and Palestine have been adversarial since the latter's founding in 1948. Palestinians seek diplomatic recognition of their independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which is partially occupied by Israel, and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government refuses to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity, and builds settlements in the occupied areas despite objections from the United Nations.Relations With RussiaAl-Maliki also stressed that during his visit, Blinken did not appeal to the Palestinian leadership demanding Ramallah to condemn Russia amid the special military operation in Ukraine.Al-Maliki also noted that he was considering traveling to Moscow in the next two months at the invitation of his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.He also suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas would continue their annual meetings this year, "when the time really comes and when both leaders feel that there is a need for them to meet in order to exchange views." russia israel Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International blinken visits israel, us-palestinian talks, blinken visits palestina, palestinian foreign minister, riad al-maliki slams blinken https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/car-taking-all-available-measures-to-investigate-deaths-of-russian-reporters---ambassador-1106938345.html CAR Taking All Available Measures to Investigate Deaths of Russian Reporters - Ambassador CAR Taking All Available Measures to Investigate Deaths of Russian Reporters - Ambassador The authorities of the Central African Republic (CAR) are taking all available measures to investigate the killing of three Russian journalists in the republic in 2018 despite the tense situation in the region, Russian Ambassador to CAR Alexander Bikantov has told Sputnik. 2023-02-03T04:05+0000 2023-02-03T04:05+0000 2023-02-03T03:59+0000 africa central african republic investigation russian ambassador anatoly antonov reporters journalist deaths /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/0a/07/1101622483_0:79:1499:922_1920x0_80_0_0_eee408d40e6c91460d25d6b8afe3842f.jpg Russian journalists Kirill Radchenko, Alexander Rastorguev, and Orkhan Dzhemal were found dead on July 30, 2018. The three journalists were sent to the CAR by the Investigations Management Center, a media outlet of Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky, to make a movie on an allegedly Kremlin-linked private military group operating in the country. Bikantov told Sputnik in 2022 that the journalists were presumably murdered by the 3R illegal rebel group when they were moving along a roadway without guards. The ambassador added that the investigation into the 2018 murder of three Russian journalists remains one of the priorities in the dialogue with the authorities of the CAR. The latest comes after a high-ranking police source previously informed Sputnik that the investigation into the attempted murder of the CAR Russian House head was completed. It was noted at the time the forensic investigators was working on the case. africa central african republic Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russian reporters, anatoly antonov, russian ambassador, deaths https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/cars-army-defeated-most-of-armed-groups-with-support-of-russias-instructors-ambassador-says-1106939929.html CAR's Army Defeated Most Armed Groups With Support From Russian Instructors, Ambassador Says CAR's Army Defeated Most Armed Groups With Support From Russian Instructors, Ambassador Says In this article, Russian Envoy to the Central African Republic (CAR) says that the military of the CAR, with the support of Russian military instructors, has defeated most of the illegal armed groups in the country. 2023-02-03T06:36+0000 2023-02-03T06:36+0000 2023-02-03T06:54+0000 africa central africa central african republic russia russian ambassador military cooperation /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/03/1106940071_0:0:2777:1563_1920x0_80_0_0_3ece44dd78b192b29dec7e4d2720376e.jpg "As for the illegal armed groups, as a result of the successful defensive actions of the CAR army with the support of Russian instructors, most of the gang formations have been defeated and have essentially turned into small criminal groups engaged in looting and violence. Their leaders remain abroad," Bikantov said.The ambassador noted that "the CAR authorities highly appreciate the results of the activities of Russian instructors" in training the country's military, police, and gendarmerie, as well as consultations in the fight against illegal armed groups. Bikantov added that the withdrawal of French troops from the CAR did not affect the situation in the country, which is now controlled by the CAR army.In December, the French Ministry of Defense announced that the last 130 French troops stationed in the Central African Republic had left the country.The situation in this area is changing regardless of the French presence in the country, as the CAR army, with the support of Russian instructors, is successfully carrying out operations to prevent the infiltration of militants of illegal armed groups into the country from abroad in order to seize settlements, attack government bodies, military personnel, police and gendarmes, Bikantov added.According to the diplomat, nearly 1,900 Russian military instructors are currently working in the African country, and Bangui has sent an official request to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to increase their number.In 2022, Bikantov told Sputnik that there were 1,135 Russian military instructors in the republic at the moment. In 2020, Andrei Kemarsky, then director of the Department of Africa in the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Sputnik that some 235 Russian military instructors were working in the CAR. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/car-taking-all-available-measures-to-investigate-deaths-of-russian-reporters---ambassador-1106938345.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230112/two-french-staff-members-of-un-peacekeeping-mission-arrested-in-car-1106256085.html africa central africa central african republic russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International car's army, russia in africa, illegal armed groups, armed groups in central africa, russian military instructors, russian military, russian military in africa, russian military in car, withdrawal of french military, french military in africa, french military in car https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/colombian-judge-says-used-ai-powered-chatbot-to-rule-on-case-1106939372.html Colombian Judge Says Used AI-Powered Chatbot to Rule on Case Colombian Judge Says Used AI-Powered Chatbot to Rule on Case Juan Manuel Padilla, a Colombian judge in the city of Cartagena, said on Thursday that he used AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT to make a decision on a case. 2023-02-03T05:24+0000 2023-02-03T05:24+0000 2023-02-03T05:24+0000 americas colombia latin america ai judge /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/104466/94/1044669439_0:180:1920:1260_1920x0_80_0_0_285984c9d1499f313090296e302f5c27.jpg He added that the use of such tools in the country's judicial practice does not contradict Colombian laws and helps save judges' time. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Colombian courts have been using digital instruments everywhere, and the AI-powered chatbot is one of these tools, the judge said.OpenAI's ChatGPT language model, launched in late November 2022, was met with mixed reactions due to its ability to mimic human conversations and generate unique texts based on users prompts. Some have praised the model for its professional applications, such as for developing code, while others have criticized its potential for abuse, such as students using the model to write essays.On Tuesday, a student of the Russian State University for the Humanities finished his thesis with less than 15% of plagiarism while using ChatGPT and managed to pass the defense procedure with a "satisfactory" grade, according to the university. americas colombia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International chatbot chatgpt, ai in court, colombian court uses ai Kremlin Spokesman Comments on Pentagon's Move to Send Long-Range Weapons to Ukraine "It's important not to forget Putin's statement yesterday in Volgograd," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sputnik after the US announced a $2.2 billion military aid package for Ukraine. Delivering a speech to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad on Thursday, Putin said the powers which try to wage an undeclared war against Russia will receive a tough response to their actions. "We do not send tanks to their borders," the Russian president said, adding, however, that Russia still has means to retaliate. The latest US military assistance package for Ukraine includes long-range rockets for HIMARS and long-range Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB). The Pentagon said that it was up to Kiev whether to use the longer-range projectiles to attack Crimea. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/london-reportedly-considering-labeling-wagner-group-terrorist-organization-1106963340.html London Reportedly Considering Labeling Wagner Group Terrorist Organization London Reportedly Considering Labeling Wagner Group Terrorist Organization The UK Home Office is discussing potential plans to designate the Wagner Group private military company a terrorist organization, The Telegraph reports. 2023-02-03T22:40+0000 2023-02-03T22:40+0000 2023-02-03T22:34+0000 world europe pmc wagner uk terrorist group us-russia summit terror designation /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/09/15/1101036220_0:230:3072:1958_1920x0_80_0_0_1b7603e4a4e3772112e9a800c4ea2e9c.jpg A final decision has not been made yet and talks about proscription are at an early stage and are not as advanced as the planned proscription of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Nonetheless, the Wagner Group could be labeled as a terrorist organization "much quicker" than the IRGC, insiders told the newspaper on Friday. On Monday, UK Foreign Office ministers will discuss Wagner and its activities, according to The Telegraph. If the military group is designated as a terrorist organization by the United Kingdom, it will become a criminal offense in the UK to belong to the Wagner Group, attend its meetings, encourage support for it, or carry its logo in public. It could also affect the groups money-raising abilities, if any of its revenue streams run through British financial institutions, The Telegraph said. The Wagner Group has been participating in Russia's special military operation in Ukraine and played an important role in taking control of the city of Soledar. The liberation of Soledar has opened the way to the bridgehead of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, which can become a turning point in wrestling control over the entire territory of the Donetsk Peoples Republic (DPR) from Ukraine, according to DPR acting head Denis Pushilin. The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office said on Friday that it had charged Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, with infringement on Ukraine's territorial integrity due to the group's active role in the Ukraine conflict. In January, the US Treasury announced that the United States had designated the Wagner Group as a significant transnational criminal organization. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said commenting on the decision that it would not have any significance for Russia or for the group itself. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230120/us-to-designate-wagner-group-as-transnational-criminal-organization-1106537152.html Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International uk, wagner group, terrorist organization https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/norway-preparing-for-its-largest-military-drill-of-the-year-1106939720.html Norway Preparing for Its Largest Military Drill of the Year Norway Preparing for Its Largest Military Drill of the Year This year's edition of the biennal international exercise Joint Viking is expected to host a total of 10,000 Norwegian and allied soldiers. 2023-02-03T07:56+0000 2023-02-03T07:56+0000 2023-02-03T07:56+0000 military norway scandinavia news europe nato defense military & intelligence /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/105356/85/1053568527_0:0:1001:563_1920x0_80_0_0_1f53b717775efb9eaef1d1e417cc6f6e.jpg Preparations are underway for the international drill Joint Viking, billed as this years highlight for Norway, as some 750 soldiers from the US Marine Corps as well as Dutch and UK forces are already in place.The winter drill, slated for early March, will gather 10,000 Norwegian and allied soldiers from NATO. The main activity will take place in the province of Troms in the northern part of the country between March 416, 2023. In addition, there will be Norwegian and allied training, courses, and transports in Norway already in January and February.In total, some 800 soldiers from the Netherlands Marine Corps and 800 Royal Marines from the UK will take part in the drill alongside their Norwegian and US counterparts.Norwegian Army spokesman Master Sergeant Rolf Ytterstad described the goal of the drill as "reinforcing operability and highlighting allied cohesion and the ability and willingness to defend NATO territory." He also stressed the challenging conditions of the High North that demand regular training and exercises.As this years edition of the drill coincides with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the Norwegian Armed Forces emphasized a "deteriorating" security situation in Europe and stressed the importance of "good preparedness and well-trained military forces especially for an elongated and strategically located country like Norway."The Joint Viking drill is conducted every two years and includes land, navy, and air forces, as well as allied contributions. Its claimed purpose is to train Norways defense together with allies and civilian partners. The 2021 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.In recent years, Norway has massively broadened its cooperation with the US and NATO, including port calls by US submarines, US Marines' presence on a rotating basis, surveillance and reconnaissance, and a plethora joint drills. Justifying these steps for the broad public, Norway's top brass and high-ranking politicians often cite Russia's military upgrades in the Arctic region as the underlying reason.By contrast, bilateral Russian-Norwegian relations have in recent years decayed amid reciprocal espionage accusations and military build-ups leading to mutual distrust a process only sped up by Oslo becoming a committed member of the Western coalition arming Kiev. So far, Norway has donated anti-tank weapons, air defense systems, self-propelled artillery vehicles, thousands of artillery shells and microdrones to Ukraine and is planning to send missiles and tanks. https://sputnikglobe.com/20221118/norway-to-activate-drills-on-svalbard-archipelago-despite-its-demilitarized-status-1104355070.html norway scandinavia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Igor Kuznetsov Igor Kuznetsov News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Igor Kuznetsov joint viking drill, high north, arctic conditions, nato collaboration, joint exercise https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/russia-equatorial-guinea-discuss-gas-transmission-in-central-africa-1106941401.html Russia, Equatorial Guinea Discuss Gas Transmission in Central Africa Russia, Equatorial Guinea Discuss Gas Transmission in Central Africa Russia's Energy Ministry is in talks with Equatorial Guinea on how Russian companies can help build a gas pipeline network in Central Africa, the Russian deputy energy minister said Thursday. 2023-02-03T08:05+0000 2023-02-03T08:05+0000 2023-02-03T08:07+0000 africa central africa russia equatorial guinea gas cooperation /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/03/1106941152_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_18e63d7b38a51c03427263fdea96a4b3.jpg "Our energy companies are interested in mutually-beneficial partnerships and are ready to identify and implement promising projects. For instance, we are discussing possible contribution of Russian companies to the Central African gas transmission system project," Sergey Mochalnikov said. Mochalnikov met with the Equatorial Guinean ambassador to Russia, Luciano Ncogo Ndong Ayecaba, to discuss energy cooperation, which the minister said was continuing in a friendly spirit. They also agreed to cooperate within the OPEC+ group of oil exporters and the 12-nation Gas Exporting Countries Forum.Last year, Russian First Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin and African Energy Chamber Executive Chairman NJ Ayuk exchanged views on the development of joint projects in Africa to increase energy deliveries to local markets. The sides discussed the investment potential and current projects on energy production on the African continent, cooperation between Russia and African countries within OPEC+ and the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, as well as approaches to the global energy and climate agenda with a focus on universal access to energy sources. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230202/eaeu-has-good-strategic-opportunities-in-africa-experts-say-1106907273.html africa central africa russia equatorial guinea Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russia, equatorial guinea, russia-africa coperation https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/russia-outlines-response-to-escalation-reviewing-russiagate-coverage-police-shoot-double-amputee-1106937128.html Russia Outlines Response to Escalation; Reviewing Russiagate Coverage; Police Shoot Double-Amputee Russia Outlines Response to Escalation; Reviewing Russiagate Coverage; Police Shoot Double-Amputee Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that the Russian Federation will push the enemy back further if Ukraine receives longer-range weapons. 03.02.2023, Sputnik International 2023-02-03T09:05+0000 2023-02-03T09:05+0000 2023-02-03T09:05+0000 the critical hour sergey lavrov israel taiwan japan nato russiagate ilhan omar radio /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/03/1106936982_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_cbd640336170f3d825789c3a0ad3cf89.png Russia Outlines Response to Escalation; Reviewing RussiaGate Coverage; Police Shoot Double-Amputee Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that the Russian Federation will push the enemy back further if Ukraine receives longer-range weapons. Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss Ukraine. A former British defense secretary has suggested putting NATO troops on the ground in Ukraine. Also, Sergey Lavrov argues that American exceptionalism is at the heart of this conflict.Regis Tremblay, an American citizen living in Crimea, joins us to discuss the Ukraine conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that the Russian Federation will push the enemy back further if Ukraine receives longer-range weapons.Caleb Maupin, journalist, and political analyst, joins us to discuss China. Vietnam is looking to work more closely with China. Also, the US is trying to move into the Solomon Islands.Margaret Kimberley, editor and senior columnist at Black Agenda Report and author of "Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents, joins us to discuss NATO. Margaret has penned an excellent article about NATO escalation in Black Agenda Report. Also, Pope Francis says that foreign powers must stop choking Africa.Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "America's Undeclared War," joins us to discuss Russiagate. The Columbia Journal Review has written an extensive expose on the coverage of Trump and Russiagate over the last seven years.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss police violence. Police in California shot and killed a man with no legs. We discuss police violence throughout the United States.Linwood Tauheed, associate professor of Economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, joins us to discuss the economy. The GOP is pushing for severe austerity and is voting to remove Representative Ilhan Omar from a House committee.Craig "Pasta" Jardula, co-host of The Convo Couch & AM Wakeup on Rokfin, joins us to discuss the media. The African People's Socialist Party has been attacked by the FBI. Also, we discuss censorship and the warmongering corporate media.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. israel japan Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Wilmer Leon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/12/1082114047_0:-1:238:238_100x100_80_0_0_4e3adef3e334e381bffe19d388f4b776.jpg Wilmer Leon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/12/1082114047_0:-1:238:238_100x100_80_0_0_4e3adef3e334e381bffe19d388f4b776.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Wilmer Leon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/12/1082114047_0:-1:238:238_100x100_80_0_0_4e3adef3e334e381bffe19d388f4b776.jpg sergey lavrov, israel, taiwan, japan, nato, russiagate, ilhan omar, , radio https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/russia-to-keep-supporting-africa-in-decolonization-efforts-foreign-minister-says-1106946724.html Russia to Keep Supporting Africa in Decolonization Efforts, Foreign Minister Says Russia to Keep Supporting Africa in Decolonization Efforts, Foreign Minister Says This article is about Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying that Moscow will keep providing help to its African partners in their efforts to complete the process of decolonization. 2023-02-03T10:57+0000 2023-02-03T10:57+0000 2023-02-03T10:57+0000 africa russia sergey lavrov valdai discussion club decolonization support /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/03/1106947039_0:35:3072:1763_1920x0_80_0_0_320057c9f6dbb85e3af942c651155b07.jpg "We stand in solidarity with the demands of developing countries that the process of decolonization must be completed in full compliance with the decisions of the General Assembly of the United Nations. We will continue to support our African colleagues in their fair demands," Lavrov said at a meeting of the ruling United Russia party's Commission on International Cooperation and Support of Compatriots Abroad. The decolonization of Africa started to actively take place following World War II when most African countries gained independence from states like France, the United Kingdom and others, which still keep strong ties with their former colonies. The UN has long supported decolonization efforts by passing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in 1960 and establishing the Special Committee on Decolonization that continues to hold regular sessions. In 2019, the Russian foreign minister stated at the Valdai Discussion Club that decolonization of Africa had not been completed as there were still territories remaining under colonial rule. In July 2022, Lavrov reiterated his position in an article, also saying that Russia had always supported African nations in their fight for independence and would continue to help them complete the process of decolonization by promoting certain initiatives at the UN. Relations between Russia and African countries have been actively developing in recent years. In 2019, Russia hosted the first ever Russia-Africa Summit, with participants outlining priority areas for economic cooperation, security, culture and science. The second summit in this format is scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg from July 26-29, 2023. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230124/lavrov-russia-respects-partners-refusing-to-follow-orders-from-former-colonial-empires-1106642120.html africa russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International lavrov africa, africa decolonization, russia supports africa, decolonization efforts, process of decolonization, russia in africa, africa-russia https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/scholz-berlin-carefully-weighs-all-arms-deliveries-to-kiev-in-bid-to-prevent-russia-nato-escalation-1106936666.html Scholz: Berlin Carefully Weighs All Arms Deliveries to Kiev in Bid to Prevent Russia-NATO Escalation Scholz: Berlin Carefully Weighs All Arms Deliveries to Kiev in Bid to Prevent Russia-NATO Escalation German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday that Berlin, when deciding on military aid for Ukraine, carefully considers all the decisions not to go too far and prevent an escalation between Russia and NATO. 2023-02-03T00:19+0000 2023-02-03T00:19+0000 2023-02-03T00:12+0000 world germany olaf scholz military aid ukraine crisis leopard 2 /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/14/1106533192_0:22:3563:2026_1920x0_80_0_0_bf9ab3ba34fa205212d78cfacd80725e.jpg "All our steps we carefully considered... We have been thinking about how to prevent escalation... to prevent the war from turning into a war between Russia and NATO. Otherwise, it would have been terrible. Therefore, we are all doing and are responsible for making sure that such escalation does not happen," Scholz told a meeting with German nationals in Marburg town in the state of Hesse when asked about Berlin's decision not to send fighter jets and German soldiers to Kiev to prevent escalation with Russia. Scholz said Berlin is working on the issue of arms deliveries to Ukraine together with allies, especially with Washington, adding that "all the essential steps" have been decided in cooperation with allies. Scholz expressed his opinion that "you always have to think about not going too far," recalling that he was against the establishment of a no-fly zone over Ukraine at the very beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine to prevent escalation and avoid NATO aircraft fighting Russian planes. The same goes for the discussion regarding the delivery of military aircraft to Ukraine, the chancellor said. When asked whether diplomacy would be a more appropriate way to end the Ukraine conflict rather than deliveries of weapons and escalation, Scholz said that he supports diplomatic efforts and thus he remains in contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Scholz noted that he and the Russian leader have a difference of opinions on the Ukraine conflict, saying that diplomacy is important, but it does not mean that the Ukrainians should be left alone. "What we are doing now is supporting them so that this does not happen. But we do not stop communicating, because, obviously, there have to be peace talks in the end," the chancellor said. On February 24, 2022, Russia also launched a special military operation in Ukraine in response to calls by the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics for protection from Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry said the operation, which targets Ukrainian military infrastructure, aims to "demilitarize and denazify" Ukraine and to completely liberate Donbas. Western nations have imposed numerous 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 become a legitimate target for Russia. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230202/attempts-by-france-germany-to-negotiate-with-russia-should-be-prevented-bolton-tells-pranksters-1106933377.html germany Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International olaf scholz, germany, arms deliveries https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/sno-leopard-how-old-tanks-earmarked-for-kiev-differ-from-germanys-big-beast-1106949430.html S'No Leopard! How Old Tanks Earmarked for Kiev Differ From Germany's Big Beast S'No Leopard! How Old Tanks Earmarked for Kiev Differ From Germany's Big Beast German arms-maker Rheinmetall has offered to refurbish 88 Leopard 1 tanks to replenish the Ukrainian army's dwindling stocks of armour. But the Cold War-era vehicle is only a distant relative of the vaunted Leopard 2. 2023-02-03T16:26+0000 2023-02-03T16:26+0000 2023-02-05T12:37+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine germany ukraine rheinmetall leopard 2 leopard ii leopard /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/03/1106949028_0:30:3119:1784_1920x0_80_0_0_5301c05555e8e33daad621e14b210da6.jpg German media have reported that Berlin has greenlit the supply of 88 Leopard 1 tanks held in storage by armor builder Rheinmetall to Ukraine.Thursday's report, citing un-named "government sources", cued great excitement among supporters of the Kiev regime and was relayed by English-language news agencies and websites.But these are not simply an older model of the much-hyped Leopard 2 main battle tanks (MBTs) which Germany approved for donation to Ukraine earlier this month on the condition of Washington's pledge of 31 M1 Abrams tanks, which may now not arrive until 2024.But Russia has warned the Western tanks will be destroyed just like Ukraine's existing pre-conflict stocks of armored vehicles.The Leopard 1 was designed in the late 1950s and early 60s, at time when military tacticians believed that high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shells, missiles and rocket-propelled grenades would be able to defeat any thickness of steel armour a tank could feasibly carry.The design consequently focussed on mobility and firepower, with the frontal armour plates only 70mm (2.75 inches) thick enough to stop rounds from the 30mm autocannon mounted on Soviet ground attack jets but less than some Second World War-era medium tanks. The Leopard 1 was armed with the same 105mm main gun as the contemporary models of the British Centurion and the US M60, but weighed in 10 tonnes lighter than either at 40 tonnes.However, the Soviet T-62 carried a 115mm gun, while the T-64 of the mid-60s upped the ante to 125mm calibre. Both those tanks weighed just under 40 tonnes, yet boasted up to three times the thickness of armour. Later advances in tank protection, including the composite 'Chobham' armour invented in the UK and the explosive-reactive armour blocks developed by the USSR and Israel, made hits from heat munitions survivable by fragmenting the hyper-velocity jet of extruded copper the shaped charge forms on detonation.Those improvements in technology led to the development of the Leopard 2 in the 1970s. While the new tank shared parts of the hull and the wheels from the Leopard 1, it was essentially a whole new vehicle.A longer and wider slab-sided turret led the composite armour insert matrix and a bigger, smoothbore 120mm gun. The 816-horsepower engine of the Leopard 1 was replaced with a 1479-horsepower unit, making the heavier new tank faster than its predecessor. Weight ballooned to 55 tonnes for the first Leopard 2s, reaching 66.5 tonnes on the latest 2A7 model.Thanks but no TanksEven with the recent flurry of announced gifts of arms to Ukraine, it is questionable whether the West can sustain its dwindling pool of armoured fighting vehicles.Ukrainian deputy defence minister Denys Sharapov admitted in June 2022 that his army had already lost 400 of the 850 tanks it started the war with, along with 1,300 infantry fighting vehicles and 700 artillery. Daily reports from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) list more than 700 MBTs destroyed since the Ukrainian army launched its costly Kherson counter-offensive in late August, bringing the total to at least 1,100.Over the past year, Kiev has received 350 to 400 MBTs from the West, all Soviet-era designs familiar to its tank crews. Those figures indicate that the Ukrainian armed forces may only have around 100 serviceable tanks left.Poland was the first to pledge 14 of its Leopard 2A4s an older model which already proved vulnerable to Daesh* and Kurdish separatist militants armed with older anti-tank missiles when Turkish forces invaded northern Syria and Germany soon followed suit with the same number of the newer 2A6 variant.Canada has announced it will send four Leopard 2A4s, while Spain's defence minister Margarita Robles said the kingdom could refurbish four to six of the same model from its reserves.Denmark was also mooted as a donor of the super-heavy big cats, But a recent report in national media said Copenhagen would instead buy back 20 of the 100 Leopard 1A5s sold off by its army to German firm FFG in 2010, for delivery to Ukraine in May at the earliest.But the sources quoted conceded that ammunition supply for the tanks could render them useless. The Leopard 1 fires 105mm rounds which are no longer produced.*A terrorist group banned in Russia and by UN resolutions https://sputnikglobe.com/20230202/putin-modern-iteration-of-nazism-threatens-russia-who-once-again-has-to-oppose-collective-west-1106925678.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/what-is-the-russian-t-90m-tank-and-how-does-it-stack-up-against-natos-top-armor-1106788224.html germany ukraine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 James Tweedie https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/08/1c/1080307270_0:3:397:400_100x100_80_0_0_7777393b9b18802f2e3c5eaa9cbcc612.png James Tweedie https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/08/1c/1080307270_0:3:397:400_100x100_80_0_0_7777393b9b18802f2e3c5eaa9cbcc612.png News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 James Tweedie https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/08/1c/1080307270_0:3:397:400_100x100_80_0_0_7777393b9b18802f2e3c5eaa9cbcc612.png germany, ukraine, leopard 1, tank, leopard 2, russia https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/the-memo-monger--1106936833.html The Memo-Monger The Memo-Monger The bizarre, warmongering memo raised the eyebrows of airmen after US Gen. Mike Minihan sounded the alarm on a fictional war with China within the next two years. Many thought the email was a mistake. 2023-02-03T01:11+0000 2023-02-03T01:11+0000 2023-02-03T01:05+0000 air force air force air force china us-china relations cartoons ted rall /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/02/1106935917_0:0:2000:1125_1920x0_80_0_0_12fedd219f7949c3fbd432e0150b18ec.jpg The memo was sent on January 27 by General Mike Minihan, an official with the Air Mobility Command (AMC), to every airman under his charge within AMC and reads like an internet conspiracy theory: Minihan then directed his airmen to prepare for said fictional war, and told them to run deliberately, not recklessly and aim for the head when outfitted with their weapons. You need to know I alone own the pen on these orders. My expectations are high, and these orders are not up for negotiation. Follow them. I will be tough, fair, and loving in my approach to secure victory, wrote Minihan, a four-star general who has been leading AMC since 2021.The memo was heavily criticized and mocked by the airmen who received it in their email inbox. An Air Force C-17 Globemaster III pilot for AMC spoke to a military news outlet under anonymity and told them the general's comments were unrealistic, inaccurate, and dramatic. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230202/us-airmen-respond-with-shock-mockery-as-general-urged-service-members-to-prepare-for-war-with-china-1106900211.html china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International us general mike minihan, us air force, china, war https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/the-war-machine-is-in-charge-of-the-white-house-1106936276.html The War Machine is in Charge of the White House The War Machine is in Charge of the White House On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including Donald Trump calling for an end to the escalation towards World War... 03.02.2023, Sputnik International 2023-02-03T09:04+0000 2023-02-03T09:04+0000 2023-02-03T09:04+0000 the backstory nyc china nuclear war neocons welfare pro-life radio /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/02/1106936130_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_c488cc95409c17bcf444637c10c82022.png The War Machine is in Charge of the White House On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including Donald Trump calling for an end to the escalation towards World War III, and Republicans ousting Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs committee. Ted Rall - Political Cartoonist, Syndicated Columnist | China Demonization, Xenophobia Towards Eurasia, and Migrants Refuse to Leave NYC Hotel Thom Nickels Author, Journalist | The Push for Nudity Across America, The Pro-Life Movement, and Conservative Authors in Mainstream StoresIn the first hour, Lee spoke with Ted Rall about World War III, Fox News attacks China on television, and asylum seekers in New York City. Ted commented on asylum seekers in New York City and their refusal to leave the Watson hotel in Manhattan. Ted discussed the problems with America's welfare programs and asylum seekers in America being unable to find work. In the second hour, Lee spoke with Thom Nickels about the January 6th narrative, naked bike rides across America, and Hunter Biden asks the DOJ to investigate the dissemination of his laptop materials. Thom talked about the mistakes of Hunter Biden and how Hunter has drawn attention to his own laptop story. Thom explained the Biden DOJ investigation into a pro-life activist in Philadelphia and the federal court's acquittal of the charges.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. nyc china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Lee Stranahan https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125222_0:0:293:292_100x100_80_0_0_a8bc846f559660e5bf7574f8a9608a1d.png Lee Stranahan https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125222_0:0:293:292_100x100_80_0_0_a8bc846f559660e5bf7574f8a9608a1d.png News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Lee Stranahan https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125222_0:0:293:292_100x100_80_0_0_a8bc846f559660e5bf7574f8a9608a1d.png nyc, china, nuclear war, neocons, welfare, pro-life, , radio https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/turkey-summons-german-ambassador-over-closure-of-consulate-in-istanbul-1106952444.html Turkey Summons German Ambassador Over Closure of Consulate in Istanbul Turkey Summons German Ambassador Over Closure of Consulate in Istanbul The German ambassador along with several foreign senior diplomats were summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry on February 2 over the closure of the German consulate in Istanbul, 2023-02-03T14:02+0000 2023-02-03T14:02+0000 2023-02-03T14:02+0000 world turkiye quran germany /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/06/0c/1096253933_0:24:3069:1750_1920x0_80_0_0_ec8cd000385074550da31dd3ed05cb53.jpg Sasse specified that other German diplomatic missions in other Turkish cities remained open. Earlier in the day, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that it was difficult to call the countries that decided to close their consulates allies and friends. This week, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have all suspended operations at their consulates in Istanbul, citing security concerns, after a series of Quran-burning protests in northern Europe. The United States and several other nations have issued travel warnings. turkiye germany Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International turkey, germany, quran https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/turkish-foreign-minister-says-country-making-efforts-to-extend-grain-deal-1106945488.html Turkish Foreign Minister Says Country Making Efforts to Extend Grain Deal Turkish Foreign Minister Says Country Making Efforts to Extend Grain Deal Turkey is making efforts to extend the grain deal expiring on March 18, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday. 2023-02-03T09:35+0000 2023-02-03T09:35+0000 2023-02-03T09:37+0000 istanbul grain deal russia turkiye ukraine the united nations (un) /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/07/1106110845_0:169:3043:1880_1920x0_80_0_0_3f0dc9ff8b13b66bbb6b7233d4931068.jpg In July 2022, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations struck a deal to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships with food and fertilizer exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports. The agreement is part of a larger package deal that also envisions unblocking Russian grain and fertilizer exports. The deal, originally scheduled to expire on November 18, was extended for another 120 days. However, Putin has repeatedly said that most of the ships carrying Ukrainian grain did not make it to the world's poorest countries and ended up in Europe. At the same time, Putin has voiced his concerns that Russian products are not entering the global markets as promised by the agreement. russia turkiye ukraine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International grain deal, istanbul grain deal, russia, un, turkey, ukraine https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/turkish-interior-minister-urges-us-ambassador-to-take-dirty-hands-off-turkey-1106953052.html Turkish Interior Minister Urges US Ambassador to 'Take Dirty Hands' Off Turkey Turkish Interior Minister Urges US Ambassador to 'Take Dirty Hands' Off Turkey Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu on Friday called on the US ambassador to Ankara to "take his dirty hands" off the country, accusing him of trying to "provoke" Turkey. 2023-02-03T14:12+0000 2023-02-03T14:12+0000 2023-02-03T14:15+0000 world turkiye stram kurs quran us rasmus paludan /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/105828/16/1058281626_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_5fd9271fbf80e6c099c5f601b51d5dd9.jpg Earlier this week, the consulates of Sweden, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Germany in Istanbul stopped receiving visitors after the US had issued a warning about possible terror attacks. On Thursday, Soylu called the move a "psychological war" against his country. On Monday, the US Embassy in Turkey warned Americans of possible imminent retaliatory attacks by terrorists against churches, synagogues, and diplomatic missions in Istanbul or other places Westerners frequent, especially in the Beyoglu, Galata, Taksim and Istiklal areas. The warning was an update to the January 27 security alert released amid the burning of copies of the Muslim holy book by activists in Europe. Earlier in January, Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the Danish political party Stram Kurs, burned copies of the Quran in Sweden and Denmark in protest against the Turkish leadership. A similar protest was carried out by Dutch politician and leader of the Islamophobic group Pegida Edwin Wagensveld in the Netherlands, when he tore out pages from a copy of the Muslim holy book and burned them in front of the parliamentary building in The Hague. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230127/protests-across-middle-east-and-asia-against-danish-quran-burning-1106762799.html turkiye Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International turkey, provoking turkey, us dirty hands, us dirty hands turkey, quran Australian-born millionaire Lochinvar Art A, who arrived in the U.S. stable of trainer Shane Tritton in October, is set to make his North American debut on Saturday at The Meadowlands in a $27,500 conditioned pace. The eight-year-old stallion, a multiple Group 1 winner and track record-setter Down Under, will face seven foes and is 5-1 on the morning line. Lochinvar Art A, a son of Modern Art-Ponder In Paris, has hit the board in 50 of 56 lifetime starts, winning 28, and earned $1.02 million. He enters Saturdays race off one qualifier, a 1:52.1 win (with last quarter in :26.3) at The Big M with Trittons wife, Lauren, in the sulky. Lauren again will be in the bike for the stallions debut. Weve taken it a step at a time to get him used to here and hes been the perfect horse so far, said Tritton. Hes been great. He had some feet issues and a few other little things, but everything has seemed to sort itself out. My primary job now is to try to keep the horse healthy and keep everybody grounded until the horse shows what he can do. He obviously is a great horse and usually great horses are always giving everything. Im sure hes ready to get out there and do something, but I just hope we can let him ease into it. The Trittons enjoyed successful racing careers in Australia before moving to the States in 2020, so they already were familiar with Lochinvar Art prior to his arrival in their stable, but from the perspective of a rival. Weve raced against him and we know what hes capable of, Tritton said about the Team Tritton Inc.-owned pacer. Every time you work him, every time you do anything with him, you can tell why hes such a good horse. One thing about him, he can really do anything. Ive seen him race tougher than you could possibly ask a horse to be and Ive seen him come from last and show speed. Hes a very good racehorse. Hes well-mannered and you can kind of drive him however you like, which to me is his biggest asset. I think thats what has taken him this far and Im hoping its what is going to keep taking him in this country. If he can be versatile, the rest of it can take care of itself. If all goes well for Lochinvar Art, also known as 'Artie,' he will be pointed toward the MGM Borgata Pacing Series at Yonkers Raceway. The series, which runs for six consecutive weeks, begins on March 20. Hes a horse that seems to get better the more he races and hes very tough, so that series is probably right up his alley, said Tritton. He loves racing and he gets around a half-mile track good. Thats really been the goal to aim for and then well know from that exactly how far we can push things moving forward through the year. Tritton expects Lochinvar Art to be staked fairly heavily without going crazy. Well have that conversation after Saturday night, said Tritton. If hes going to be at his best, its going to be this year. Hes not getting any younger. If he is going to get his opportunity in this country to show what he can do, then this is the year hes going to do it. Down Under horses hold the top three morning-line spots for Saturdays race at The Meadowlands. Belmont Royale N is the 3-1 choice followed by Crunch Time A at 7-2 and Burnham Boy N at 4-1. Its exciting times, but this is just the first step, Tritton said about Lochinvar Art. Whatever he does, well be happy with it. Well learn and hopefully come the Borgata well have him tight and see where that takes us. This horse just needs to get used to the racing. Lauren works him every day, she knows him well, so thats a plus. Shes as good as any driver in the world. Its a really good asset to have when youve got someone sitting in the bike thats just as invested as you are. Racing begins at 6:20 p.m. (EST) at The Meadowlands. Free TrackMaster programs for The Big M can be found at playmeadowlands.com. (USTA) The story of Righteous Resolve started more than a quarter century ago in Michigan, with a powerhouse performer that kicked off three generations of stakes winners for Roy Maxwell. In 1994, a yearling filly by the name of Bankers Jackpot sold for $12,500 at the Michigan Classic Yearling Sale. Bankers Jackpot was from the first crop of Michigan sire Wall Street Banker. A foal of 1988, Wall Street Banker took a mark at three of 1:57.4, posted a 10-2-4 summary from his 33 lifetime starts and boasted a bankroll with earnings in excess of $322,000. All of these accomplishments were respectable, but breeders were more interested in his pedigree. Wall Street Banker was a son of Baltic Speed - Valley Victoria, making him a full brother to the hottest commodity in harness racing at the time: the now legendary Valley Victory. Bankers Jackpot's dam, J J Adele, had produced nothing notable by the time the yearling entered the sales ring. In fact, Bankers Jackpot was her last foal. As it turned out, that cross and that name couldn't have been scripted any better by Hollywood talent. While racing almost exclusively on the Michigan fair circuit, Bankers Jackpot carved out a solid niche as a two- and three-year-old that boasted a seven-race win streak at two and a 16-race win streak that spanned her rookie and sophomore seasons. She did try Grand Circuit competition as a two-year-old, venturing to Sportsman's Park in Chicago for a division of the American National. There were two divisions for two-year-old trotting fillies, and she was favoured in hers but made a miscue early and wasn't a factor. For reference, the favourite in the other division was a filly that went on to beat the boys in the 1996 Hambletonian Continentalvictory, a daughter of (you guessed it) Valley Victory. Bankers Jackpot retired with an impressive summary of 25-3-3 from 36 career starts with more than $167,000 in earnings. Her owners, Bet Max Stables and Benenati Inc. of Michigan, bred her to a range of stallions from various jurisdictions but her greatest success came from two matings to Ontario sires. Porsche Hall, a daughter of Angus Hall, banked more than $640,000 racing predominantly in Ontario before being exported to Sweden. Bankers Jackpot's last foal was a Muscle Mass filly named Motown Muscle. While Porsche Hall had the misfortune of being born the same year as Pure Ivory, Motown Muscle also had a world class superstar in her division -- 2013 Canadian and U.S. Horse of the Year Bee A Magician. Having said that, Motown Muscle posted a 9-5-6 summary from 30 career outings and banked a very respectable $460,000 for breeders and owners Bet Max Stables and Benenati Inc. The 'Max' part of Bet Max Stables is Roy Maxwell, and he told Trot Insider that there was never any thought of selling Motown Muscle after her racing days had concluded. It was the same stance he and the connections held with her talented dam. "We raced her and there was no thought about selling her. We said shes a good race mare, so let's get her going on her broodmare career and we'll see what comes up. We had high hopes for her and I think she's fulfilled them." To say that Motown Muscle has fulfilled Maxwell's high hopes would be an understatement. From four foals, Motown Muscle has produced four stakes winners and four sub-1:55 trotting winners. The most notable performers are the Resolve siblings Duly Resolved and Righteous Resolve. Duly Resolved was named Canada's Two-Year-Old Male Trotter of the Year in 2021, and female trotter Righteous Resolve appears poised to deliver the same honour to her connections when Standardbred Canada presents the 2022 O'Brien Awards on Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Hilton Meadowvale / Mississauga. After selling Bright Eyes M and Duly Resolved as yearlings, the connections made the decision to hold onto Righteous Resolve and entrust her to the team that developed the stakes winning siblings, John & Matt Bax. "Of course after Duly did so well and everything, we decided that You know, John did pretty good with Duly Resolved. Maybe we should see if hed train this Righteous Resolve horse for us? Thats how we got hooked up with him." The decision worked out as well as anyone could have expected. Righteous Resolve had a dominant freshman campaign, winning eight of 10 races and earning $623,704. The daughter of Resolve won the Champlain Stakes, the Peaceful Way and four Ontario Sires Stakes events, including the OSS Super Final. She also finished third in the Breeders Crown final. "I went down last year and saw her train in Florida, and I thought she looked pretty good there. And John plays it pretty close to the vest. Every time I would ask him How is she doing? the reply would be Well, she's doing okay. And he can explain that a little bit when a little bit later when he said, Well, she didn't really show that well training down in Florida, but when she got back to Canada, she turned it on. ...He was just being cautious. "Her first pari-mutuel race, she was green like all of them are. When she won that race, she came home the last quarter and :27.1 and we said 'Yeah, maybe shes got some talent.' That talent might have shone brightest during a stakes record and lifetime best performance in the Champlain. "She ran down a lot of horses and had her fastest time of the year," recalled Maxwell when asked about her best performance. "Before that race, I think her fastest time was like [1:]55 and a piece. She went [1:]53.1 that night. And, of course, broke the Champlain record. "We kicked around going to the Mohawk Million and decided we're going to just make sure that we give her the best opportunity in the long run to be the best she can be. And I guess we'll find out pretty quick." One thing Maxwell did find out quickly and firsthand is why Team Bax has an outstanding reputation not just as horsepeople but just straight-up good people across the harness racing industry. "They're really easy going, nicest guys you'd ever want to meet, real easy to talk to and they communicate well with us. It was a good fit from the very beginning, personalities and so forth. John is kind of a laid back guy and so am I so that that kind of fits well. "Team Bax did a tremendous job with this horse. We told them that and we do appreciate all of their hard work." While the connections won't be in attendance on Saturday night, Maxwell, Bruce Taylor (the BET in Bet Max) and Sebastian Benenati (of Benenati Inc.) will be among those tuning in to the live stream to find out if the voters selected his filly or fellow finalist Silly Me Hanover. "We've never had an O'Brien Award winner before, if she does in fact win. So we were watching that real closely to see how that all comes out and we're honoured that our horse is thought of in that way and people are taking note of her." The official grand prize for the 2022 OBrien Awards Afterparty is a 14-karat diamond ring, generously donated by Bow River Equestrian Jewelry. The ring is a 14-karat white gold horseshoe shape with 11 brilliant cut diamonds and a total weight of 0.5 karats of diamonds. The ring's retail value is $2,900. Following the award presentations, guests attending the OBrien Awards Gala are encouraged to stay for the afterparty, sponsored by Bid & Buy, for their chance to win the Bow River Jewelry 14-karat diamond ring at 12 a.m. (midnight). Art Strozewski from Bow River Equestrian Jewelry will be attending the Gala and presenting the ring to the prize winner. A Lincoln man and a longtime mentor of gifted students at Lincoln Public Schools was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of possessing and distributing child pornography, the Nebraska State Patrol alleged. Joseph Maciarz Jr. was taken to the Lancaster County jail Wednesday after State Patrol investigators found "numerous items of child pornography" while serving a search warrant at the 61-year-old's south Lincoln home, the patrol said in a news release. Maciarz had been a contracted mentor for LPS since December 1994, LPS Communications Director Mindy Burbach said in an email. He was most recently assigned to Sheridan Elementary School and Scott Middle School. His employment with the district ended as of Wednesday, Burbach said. "Once we became aware of the arrest, we reached out to the Nebraska State Patrol to offer our cooperation in the investigation," she said. "At this time, we have not received any information that any of our students were involved." Maciarz was among mentors contracted by the district to work individually or in small groups with gifted students. Mentors meet with students during school hours in common spaces around other students and staff to provide "differentiated instruction," Burbach said. "This is very difficult and disturbing news to hear," she said. "We encourage families to take a moment to talk with their children about what to do if they or someone they know is made to feel uncomfortable in any way with any adult. "We encourage our students and families to report any concerning behavior that raises suspicion or concern in students, staff or community members to a caring, trusted adult." Top Journal Star photos for January 2023 PARIS Why dont we yet have full disclosure on COVID jabs and mandates? Evidence is trickling out that those in charge have clearly been less than forthcoming. What efforts is Pfizer currently, or planning to, engage in to mutate the SARS-CoV-2 virus? wrote Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) to the drug companys CEO Albert Bourla, in the wake of an undercover Project Veritas investigative sting operation that emerged online last week, alleging deliberate tinkering with the virus. Working with collaborators, we have conducted research where the original SARS-CoV-2 virus has been used to express the spike protein from new variants of concern, the company said in a press statement in the wake of the controversy, acknowledging the activitys vaccine update context. Excuse me? What threat does this activity pose to the return to a world of pre-COVID normality where the jabs are no longer pushed and its just treated like any other virus? And why is everything so murky around Big Pharma and its cozy relationship with Western governments a rapport qualified by the pharma executive targeted by Project Veritas as a revolving door thats bad for America. NGOs from the UK and France also recently called out Big Pharma for a lack of transparency around COVID jab contracts whose terms the public has yet to see. Earlier this month, the European Parliaments COVID-19 Committee sought to revoke Pfizers lobbying access due to Bourlas refusal to answer to the committee as they seek transparency on its contract to supply the entire bloc. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has miraculously lost the text messages she claimed to have exchanged directly with Bourla about the Pfizer contract, and doesnt seem to be in any rush to explain herself or elucidate the investigative committee. As questions continue to swirl around jab side effects previously downplayed by government officials in order to get shots into arms, those whose lives have been adversely affected have a right to accountability. If Big Pharma was given contractual immunity, then the buck stops with the officials who signed off on it. Public inquiries are also needed to determine the extent to which heavy-handed measures taken by public officials were guided by actual science, or whether science was used as a pretext to advance discreet special interests. But nearly three years after governments around the world forced their citizens into lockdown, trampled basic civil rights and freedoms, and destroyed careers and families, theres a growing sense that the COVID panic is disappearing in the rearview mirror, and theres a temptation to move on as though none of it ever happened. Here in France, it has just been announced that, as of Feb. 1, automatic medical certificates for time off work due to a COVID diagnosis will no longer be valid. In other words, the virus is now to be treated like any other illness. Its hard to believe that, not long ago, people here were ordered to stay at home for 23 hours a day for weeks, then risked being tackled by fellow citizens if they didnt have a valid mask on their face in public, and were prohibited from traveling, assembling, participating in leisure activities, and even visiting family in hospital if they didnt have a digital QR code as proof that they were keeping up with the requisite number of anti-COVID jabs mandated by the government regardless of ones personal medical situation or doctors advice. But as tempting as it may be to simply move on, its not over at least not for anyone traveling to the U.S. who still requires proof of anti-COVID injection, or for French health care workers who lost their jobs because they declined the jabs. The French health care system is routinely facing shortages, and these workers are desperately needed. But French President Emmanuel Macron has steadfastly refused to entertain the thought, describing them last year as caregivers who have a relationship to care and ethics that is very marginal compared to the rest of their colleagues. The stigma of being unjabbed also persists through the remaining restrictions, perpetuating the notion that such people are selfish, despite the fact that its now common knowledge that the jab doesnt stop transmission or acquisition of the virus, and its effectiveness is increasingly being called into question. Almost exactly a year ago, the Freedom Convoy of Canadian truckers and their supporters protested the divisive and discriminatory mandates, demanding that they be scrapped, and rejecting Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus vilification of unjabbed Canadians. Some supporters had their bank accounts blocked by government order. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland conflated the move with terrorist financing as Trudeau invoked martial law. Meanwhile the European Union introduced a digital COVID certificate linked to citizens jab status, which was also recognized by 49 non-EU countries. All these measures plunged the democratic Western world into a previously unthinkable authoritarianism. But is the dystopian horror show really over? Or is this merely an interlude? Well never know without demanding the full and uncompromised truth of all those involved. A Salisbury man is accused of pulling a knife on employees at a local home improvement store after being confronted about shoplifting, the Troutman Police Department reported in a release. Jonathan Wayne Smith, 34, was charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, larceny by bypassing a security device, possession of burglary tools and driving while license is revoked. A magistrate ordered him held without bond due to the current charges as well as his status as a convicted felon on post-release supervision and potential as a danger to the public, police said, The TPD said that on Thursday, officers were called to Lowes Home Improvement for a report of a man who concealed items in the store and walked out without paying. The loss prevention staff approached the man and he pulled out a knife, challenging them to stop him, police said. He got into a vehicle and attempted to leave, police said. Officers quickly located the vehicle as it was leaving the parking lot and arrested Smith, Smith, police said, has an extensive history including convictions for robbery, various assault offenses and several similar larceny offenses. Skeletal remains found in Longview over two years ago have been identified as 22-year-old Columbia County, Oregon resident Jade David Feigert who was last seen in 2017, the Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office announced Thursday. The department says that Feigerts remains were discovered in 2020 as a nearly complete skeleton concealed in thick blackberry bushes by a longshoreman at the Weyerhaeuser dock in Longview. Feigert was last seen after his mother dropped him off in Kelso in 2017. The King County Medical Examiners Office handled the inspection of the remains and concluded that there were no signs of trauma and the cause of death is unknown. Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office states there is no indication that Jade Feigert died as a result of a crime, and the investigation has been closed. Investigators utilized Othram a private DNA lab that is known for assisting in unsolved cases to conduct forensic testing that included Feigerts parents submitting a DNA profile. Othrams Chief Development Officer Kristen Mittelman told The Daily News that Feigerts remains were contaminated due to exposure to the elements but the company was able to identify him with a small amount of remains, like a bone. A forensic odontologist with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System also identified the remains using dental records. CLARK COUNTY A La Center man was arrested Thursday night after an hours-long armed standoff with deputies in north Clark County after he reportedly assaulted his elderly father. David D. McCandless, 57, was booked into the Clark County Jail on suspicion of fourth-degree domestic violence assault and reckless endangerment. Clark County sheriffs deputies responded shortly before 2 p.m. to a rural property in the 34600 block of Northeast 127th Avenue, near Fargher Lake, for reports of an assault. Sheriffs Sgt. Chris Skidmore said a woman called 911 to report her brother, later identified as McCandless, had assaulted their elderly father. He reportedly punched their father in the face and knocked him to the ground, according to a sheriffs office news release. The caller said McCandless had been drinking and may have suicidal thoughts. McCandless then went into a detached barn on the property, the sheriffs office said. Deputies had been to the house the day before for a disturbance, the news release states. At that time, McCandless was reportedly armed and experiencing suicidal thoughts. He spoke to deputies over the phone, and deputies offered to connect him with mental health resources or give him a ride to a hospital to be evaluated. He declined, and, at the time, his family didnt believe he posed a danger to anyone, the agency said. The sheriffs office said deputies didnt want to provoke McCandless, so they left. When deputies arrived on Thursday, they called the family. Some of the family members came out of the house and were walking toward deputies when McCandless came out of the barn. He fired a shot from a revolver-style handgun into the yard, according to the news release. The shot appeared to hit a tractor in the yard. Deputies got the family members to safety and retrieved the father from the house, the sheriffs office said. The father declined medical attention, according to Skidmore. Eventually, deputies used a drone to locate McCandless outside of the barn. He fired off another round, possibly at the drone, and went back into the barn, the news release states. As of 5:30 p.m., investigators were still trying to detain the man, Skidmore said. The Southwest Washington Regional SWAT team responded and got a warrant to enter the barn and arrest McCandless. While they tried to enter the barn, McCandless got outside and ran from the property, the sheriffs office said. McCandless tried to conceal himself in some brush in a wooded area near the property. The drone kept watch on McCandless while the SWAT team assembled a plan and approached him, according to the news release. He hid in the wooded area for some time before he surrendered to the SWAT team, the agency said. McCandless was arrested without incident. There were no reported injuries from the gunfire. When Darien Richardson decided it was time to put her 4-year-old child into an early learning program, she was greeted with what seemed like a never-ending waitlist. It felt like there were constant hoops we had to jump through, Richardson said. Richardson, a Longview resident, then heard about the Longview School Districts Kinder Bridge program at the Broadway Early Learning Center. It was almost too good to be true a free program with enough slots and teachers that she would not have to worry about being waitlisted. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to The Daily News. Richardson toured the center where her son would enroll and had happy tears. It was a sweet moment, just knowing your kid was going to be joining a classroom with a nice teacher and trusting that there is actual learning going on, Richardson said. Superintendents report on early learning This early-age learning has promising outcomes in elementary schoolers, according to an analysis by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction released Wednesday. Not much exists when it comes to Washington state research on transitional kindergarten, mostly because school districts only developed the program in recent years before data collection was possible. New pre-kindergarten program highlights need for early learning options in Cowlitz County Demand for local preschools is high, but families in Cowlitz County often have a hard time finding and affording licensed child care providers The OSPI study followed 43,458 Washington state students from 2015-16 pre-kindergarten into the 2018-19 third grade classes. Researchers found that kindergarten readiness made it about 1.62 times more likely a student met third-grade Smarter Balanced Assessments in English and 1.72 times greater in math. OSPI defined readiness as a combination of social-emotional maturity and specific cognitive skills. Megan Berry, a kindergarten teacher at Lexington Elementary School, also taught in Kelso School Districts first year of transitional kindergarten. Many of those students now sit in Berrys kindergarten classroom, and she noticed they are better prepped in literacy and math skills. They have had that exposure, Berry said, so when they get to kindergarten, they have more confidence in skills like writing their own name, understanding letters and numbers. Disparities have persisted that the study ascribed to systemic racism and ableism, resulting in lack of equitable access to affordable child care, stable housing and nutrition across marginalized communities. Kindergarten-ready students who were Black, Latino/Hispanic, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders, and multilingual learners were less likely to meet standards. These opportunity gaps widened as students got older, according to the report. Students from low-income families, those with disabilities and those who received Learning Assistance Program services an OSPI program providing extra instruction for students not at grade-level were also less likely to meet third-grade standards even after transitional kindergarten. Berry said transitional kindergarten offers families more access even when other options arent available or dont fully address every need its a start, she said. It alleviates a little bit of (the challenges), she said. Area school districts and transitional kindergarten Kelso, Kalama, Longview and Woodland adopted similar free pre-kindergarten programs in recent years, targeted toward families who may not qualify for Head Start/Early Head Start but also cannot afford private preschool. Heather Ogden, special programs director in the Kelso School District, said the district saw benefits of transitional kindergarten almost immediately. The program entered its second year in January. Ogden said they want to further expand accessibility and plan to add another classroom and begin the program on Oct. 18, earlier than its current start date. They have not had trouble hiring or getting applicants for the teaching roles, Ogden said. Kindergarten teachers have said they noticed children coming from transitional kindergarten were leaders in the classroom, Ogden said. A big thing were teaching is how to be a student, how to make friends, how to work with their peers, Ogden said. Students also tend to have higher literacy compared to those who did not enroll, Ogden said. The OSPI study found that the earlier a student enters a classroom, the better it is for retention of new information and growth in math and literacy. Early learning in general also predicts more success as they go through middle and high school, the study found. Early learning is vital for a students success throughout not only your educational career but also in work and in life, said Kelso district spokesperson Michele Nerland. Editors note: This article has been updated to correct Darien Richardsons name. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A child in Madagascar stands before her family's wood-burning indoor cook stove. Traditional cooking harms human health and the environment. Credit: Charles Nunn, Duke University Replacing traditional biomass-burning cookstoves across sub-Saharan Africa could save more than 463,000 lives and US $66 billion in health costs annually, according to a new analysis of the most socially optimal cooking technologies in Africa. But the promise of those outcomes alone may not be enough to hasten the adoption of cleaner alternatives, the researchers warn. The study, published in the open source journal Nature Sustainability, used a geospatial model to determine the best cooking options by location across the continent, weighing factors such as availability and cost of fuel, time spent gathering fuels and preparing meals, and impacts on health and the environment. In the model, everyone using a traditional cookstovearound 83 percent of households in sub-Saharan Africa, comprising nearly 1 billion peoplewould switch to stoves that delivered more benefits to both households and society. "From both a social perspective and a private perspective, it would be optimal for most of these households to use cleaner technologies," says Marc Jeuland, Ph.D., an associate professor of global health and public policy at Duke who led the research. "And so that's telling you that these polluting technologies are extremely damaging." Traditional stoves typically burn wood or other solid fuels, generating indoor air pollution and climate-altering emissions. Cooking regularly on such stoves can cause respiratory disease, as well as contribute to global warming and deforestation. Stoves fueled by electricity or even liquid petroleum gas (LPG) mitigate those risks while also offering efficiencies in time and labor. Many African households using traditional stoves spend more than an hour a day gathering fuel to prepare meals, Jeuland notes. Despite those advantages, adoption of cleaner alternatives has been sluggish in Africa, which has lagged other regions in the transition away from polluting cooking technologies. In fact, according to the World Bank's 2022 Energy Progress Report, the number of people using biomass-burning cookstoves actually increased by 50 percent between 2000 and 2020, as population growth outpaced conversion. Jeuland and colleagues describe the situation as a "severe market failure" that calls for new policies and incentives to stimulate growth of cleaner technologies. "Just because something may be beneficial from a social or private perspective doesn't necessarily mean it's affordable," Jeuland says. The up-front cost of purchasing a new stove and ongoing fuel costs "are going to continue to be a barrier for many households in sub-Saharan Africa unless you really reduce those costs through subsidies of some form." A small home in Madagascar containing a typical wood-fired cooking area. Indoor air quality and deforestation are huge consequences of traditional cooking. Credit: Charles Nunn, Duke University Jeuland favors subsidies that would reduce the cost of conversion for most families to "close to zero." He also believes wealthy nations should help foot the bill, since a wide-scale shift to cleaner cooking technologies would lessen a climate problem that those countries bear the most responsibility for creating. "If rural Africans continue to harvest firewood for cooking, the contribution to climate change is pretty minimal. But because those damages are accumulating, the rich world should be paying to avoid them," Jeuland says. But affordability is not the only obstacle. Many parts of Africa do not have reliable electricity or infrastructure to deliver gas for LPG stoves, Jeuland says. The researchers' model, designed by a team of energy systems engineers at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, accounted for regional infrastructure differences, picking the technology best suited for each location's unique circumstances. In the model selecting for the highest net benefits, about two-thirds of households across sub-Saharan Africa would be best off using LPG stoves, with another 30 percent, mostly in urban areas where grid power is available, using electric. Smaller populations in the poorest and most remote locations would use biogas or improved biomass stoves, which burn more cleanly than traditional cookstoves. Even when factoring only benefits to the household, the model suggests eight in ten people in sub-Saharan Africa should switch to cleaner technologies. The results can help governments and nonprofits target their efforts to encourage conversion, Jeuland says. Doing more to inform people about the potential benefits of switching and developing technologies that are well-suited to local cultures and customs will also be critical, he adds. But one other area Jeuland would like to explore is how to influence who is at the table when household cooking preferences are discussed. In traditional societies where women and children are exerting most of the cooking labor, men still often make most of the financial decisions. "Women tend to not have as much bargaining power, and their preferences are down-weighted in these households," Jeuland says. "And so we need to be thinking about how to empower women in these decisions." More information: Babak Khavari et al, A geospatial approach to understanding clean cooking challenges in sub-Saharan Africa, Nature Sustainability (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41893-022-01039-8 Journal information: Nature Sustainability Wingcopter in Malawi. Credit: Falco Seliger Drones are operating increasingly in areas out of sight of the person controlling them. However, conventional remote controls have a limited range, which makes them unsuitable for these flights. On the other hand, simple mobile network-based systems have so far been unable to guarantee a reliable connection when mobile network loads are high or where there is a lack of network coverage. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut, HHI have joined forces with partners in the SUCOM project to develop a new mobile network system that can be used to control drones even over long distances and over difficult terrain. Autonomous drones that communicate via mobile networks often do not have a stable connection. A lack of network coverage is one explanation for outages. Experts also suspect that drones operating in high altitudes can access too many cell towers at the same time and keep switching between network cells, which can lead to disconnection. Researchers at Fraunhofer HHI, on the other hand, found that the communication protocols that drones use and that regulate the flow of data between the drone and the controller pose problems. If they are not robust enough for fluctuating data rates, some data packets arrive more slowly, and some are lost altogether. Fraunhofer HHI researchers therefore joined forces with Wingcopter, the Hessian drone manufacturer, Emqopter GmbH and CiS GmbH to develop new communication protocols that are insensitive to jerky data streams. The drone stays connected, even if the data rate fluctuates. Safety-critical information required for the creation of aerial photographs, such as position, altitude, flight direction, speed and other data, can be transmitted without interruptiona key prerequisite for the high safety requirements in aviation. Highest level of reliability "For comparison, we equipped a drone with a commercially available LTE system and with our SUCOM mobile network module, which has the new communication protocols," says Tom Piechotta, a scientist at Fraunhofer HHI. "While the connection that used the conventional module kept dropping out, the SUCOM module provided a stable connection. Thanks to our new protocols, the connection is so stable that there are no interruptions." For the researcher, this is a clear indication that disruptions in drones are not solely caused by a lack of network coverage. The SUCOM mobile network module can also be installed in drones that are already in use: In Malawi, for example, drones equipped with the new module deliver medicines, blood supplies and other vital materials to the population during the rainy season, covering distances of up to 40 kilometers. They take off from four airfields, each of which has a "remote pilot" who enters the current route into the system and defines the waypoints that will guide the drone. One click is all it takes to send the flight plan to the drone. The data needed to make this happen is sent to a server in Cape Town, from where it is transmitted to the SUCOM module and then on to the flight controller on the drone. While in transit, the drone is monitored continuously by the remote pilot in real time. The drone is also equipped with satellite technology, which can be used if the DSL connection fails. The drones can also be operated via a smartphone and VPN connection, if needed. From Malawi to Berlin in 170 milliseconds To ensure the rapid transfer of data between the drone and the server in Cape Town, customizations were made to the server hardware and software. The connection is now so fast that the drones in Malawi are able to communicate with Fraunhofer HHI back in Germany in real time. It only takes 170 milliseconds for a data packet to make its way from the drone to Berlin via the server in Cape Town over a mobile communication network. The SUCOM system could also provide better coverage for remote locations in Germany. To demonstrate this, the project team flew over a large forest area in northern Brandenburg, one of the largest network dead spots in Germany with a diameter of 14 kilometers. The flight was a success. Thanks to the SUCOM module, the drones did not lose connection at any point during the flight. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Once fully operational, Munich's new geothermal plant will be able to supply up to 80,000 local homes with warmth via a sprawling network of pipes. The heating plant in Munich's southern Sendling neighborhood has been run for more than a century on gas, often imported from far away. But increasingly, it is the hot waters from deep underground the station that provide the energy. Tacked on to the side of the original 19th-century red-brick plant is a boxy new geothermal unit surrounded by a tangle of pipes. Work on the new installation started in 2016 and it opened in 2021, before Russia launched its assault on Ukraine and shut the pipelines to Europe. But the timely opening of the modern unitone of the largest of its kind in Europeis a happy coincidence for the city, which like the rest of the country is facing the challenge of making up for lost Russian gas supplies. 'Perfect location' Munich is pouring in one billion euros ($1.1 billion) through 2035 to develop the geothermal energy and make the city's heating carbon neutral. "We're sitting on a gold mine," says Christian Peltl, director of geothermal energy at SWR, the operator of the plant in Sendling. "Munich has the perfect geological location" in a region known for its thermal baths, Peltl says. Everywhere in Europe, interest in geothermal projects has grown in recent years as officials search for ways to decarbonise their energy systems. The geothermal heating plant in Munich is one of the largest of its kind in Europe. The conflict in Ukraine has reinforced the trend. Moscow's invasion last year brought Russian gas deliveries to Europe to a shuddering halt and triggered an alarming spike in energy costs across Europe. After a heady peak, prices on the spot market have fallen in recent weeks. But the crisis has underscored the vulnerabilities of the continent in the area of energy. Reliable and sustainable geothermal energy seems like the perfect alternative to gas. Piping hot thermal waters are pumped up from three kilometers (1.9 miles) below the surface. The heat is transferred into the local network, which connects nearby homes to the plant, while the cooled thermal waters are sent back underground. "There was really a boom in orders since the beginning of the (energy) crisis," says Peltl. At the end of 2022, the German government published a plan to increase the production of geothermal energy tenfold by 2030 to 10 terawatt hours (Twh). To reach the ambitious target, Germany, which uses gas for 50 percent of its heating, wants to start "at least 100 new geothermal projects". Across the border in France, the government published a plan Thursday to increase the number of deep geothermal energy schemes by 40 percent by 2030. In Hungary, the government issued a decree in October to expand use of the energy source. The Italian government is also gearing up to support expansion, while in Denmark, the largest plant in the country is set to open in Aarhus in 2030, supplying 20 percent of the city's heating. Germany wants to to start "at least 100 new geothermal projects" 'Boom' Once fully operational, the new plant in Munich will be able to supply up to 80,000 local homes with warmth via a sprawling network of pipes. The station is largely automated, with its operation controlled from a room in the older part of the edifice. While geothermal energy is a boon to those who can access it, "it is only part of the solution", says Thomas Gilg, head of the Munich plant. Not everywhere is suited to geothermal energy. Above all else, the energy drawn from below the surface has to be used locally. "We must not fool ourselves. With this plant we cannot supply the whole of Munich," says Gilg. Excavation works to install a plant in Strasbourg, France, were blamed for two minor earthquakes felt in the area at the end of 2020. Nonetheless, the Sendling plant operators see the potential as "massive", according to Peltl. According to the European Commission, geothermal energy could provide carbon-free heating for "up to 25 percent" of residents in the EU. 2023 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Investment in the hydrogen economy is accelerating at unprecedented rates, but a large misalignment between industry and community is holding Australia back from effective adoption. While the industry assumes that the population is concerned about the safety of hydrogen, communities are driven by their personal future and greenhouse gas concerns, according to new research by Swinburne University of Technology's Victorian Hydrogen Hub (VH2). The wider public do not generally have a detailed understanding about the technical information associated with hydrogen, but this is not impacting public trust in those working with hydrogen. In fact, there is generally low levels of concern that incidents such as the Hindenburg disaster would be repeated. Instead, climate change, the environment, and future generations are most important as people hope to reduce the impact of slow renewable energy adoption. The study offers promising solutions, highlighting how communities are under-utilized and should be treated as valuable resources, rather than objects to be managed. Critical suggestions such as collaborative frameworks and fostering an integrated and empathetic relationship between stakeholders can enable innovative and collaborative hydrogen energy developments to create a more sustainable future. Victorian Hydrogen Hub Social License Adjunct Research Fellow Dr. Kim Beasy says, "We've found that often, community members wanted to understand why hydrogen was a good idea and how it contributes towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Industry seemed to jump straight to technicalities of the technology such as safety in their perceptions of what the community want to know about. Clearly, we need to better understand how industry and community can work productively together to ensure that the renewable energy sector continues to grow." "If industry stakeholders can see themselves as community members too, this could go some way toward reducing the 'us against them' situation that often evolves during development projects. I hope that this research helps the way that stakeholders think about hydrogen differently and shows them that this matters." The paper is published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. More information: Kim Beasy et al, Industry perceptions and community perspectives on advancing a hydrogen economy in Australia, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2022.11.230 Journal information: International Journal of Hydrogen Energy This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly discusses plans by Integra Technologies, of Wichita, Kansas, to build a new, $1.8 billion semiconductor factory, during a news conference, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. The state has pledged $304 million in taxpayer-funded incentives over 10 years, but the project also needs federal funding. Credit: AP Photo/John Hanna Kansas plans to give $304 million in taxpayer-funded incentives to a semiconductor company in its largest city to build a huge new factory, but the project won't go forward without funds the U.S. government has promised for rebuilding the nation's chip-making capacity. Gov. Laura Kelly announced Thursday that Kansas has an agreement with Integra Technologies, based in Wichita, for a 10-year package of tax breaks and reimbursement of expenses. State officials said the new, $1.8 billion plant would cover 1 million square feet, have 2,000 employees and create 3,000 additional jobs among suppliers and other local businesses. The announcement comes with the U.S. trying to reverse a loss of capacity for making the chips that are vital to smartphones, laptops and other modern-day conveniences, as well as automobiles and life-saving medical devices. Congress last year approved a measure that provides more than $52 billion in grants and other incentives for the semiconductor industry. Kelly told reporters during a Statehouse news conference that the state's incentives are crucial to attracting the federal funds and "making Kansas an essential part of our country's national security efforts." "This advanced manufacturing facility is part of a national push to restore our semiconductor industry so that U.S. workers and businesses can compete and win in the race for the 21st Century," Kelly said. Integra CEO Brett Robinson would not say how much federal funding the company needs, only that there is "no commercially viable way" to do the project without it. He and state officials said other states were trying to attract the project, though they did not disclose the competitors. "It's not just critical to the United States and to security, but it's critical to the supply chain," said Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican. President Joe Biden pushed Congress last year to boost the U.S. semiconductor industry, because of a shortage of chips made worse by the global coronavirus pandemic and concerns about competing with international rivals, particularly China. There's been a decades-long shift to cheaper-to-operate Asian chip plants, and the industry is now dependent on Taiwan, which China has long claimed as its own. Brett Robinson, the CEO of Integra Technologies, of Wichita, Kan., discusses the company's plans to build a new, $1.8 billion semiconductor plant, during a news conference, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kansas. The state is pledging $304 million in incentives over 10 years, but the company also needs federal funding to go forward. Credit: AP Photo/John Hanna "If we were ever to lose, for a sustainable amount of time, access to the southeast Asian supply chain, what we just went through would pale in comparison," Robinson said. Integra, founded in 1983, has about 500 employees in Wichita and Silicon Valley and describes itself as the largest U.S. provider of the last two major assembly and testing steps in the chip manufacturing process. The new factory is expected to pay an average annual wage of $51,000, about 46% higher than the state's average of roughly $35,000. For Integra to receive its incentives, it must invest at least $1.5 billion in the new factory in the next five years and consistently provide the equivalent of 1,600 full-time jobs for 10 consecutive years. The incentives are part of a program Kansas created last year to ramp up its efforts to compete with other states for new, large factories. Under that program, the state was allowed to offer up to $1 billion in incentives to a single company each in 2022 and 2023. In July 2022, Kelly and other state officials announced that Panasonic Corp. plans to build a mega-factory to produce electric vehicle batteries for Tesla and other carmakers. The state lured the Japanese electronics giant's project to the edge of the Kansas City area with incentives worth $829 million over 10 years, the most the state has ever offered. The law allowing the incentives required top leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature to sign off any deal between a company and the state Department of Commerce, which is led by Lt. Gov. David Toland, a Democrat like Kelly. The legislative leaders gave their approval just minutes ahead of the announcement, after meeting in private with Kelly for half an hour to review the agreement, with no opportunity for public review or input. The law also requires Kansas to drop its corporate income tax rates by half a percentage point for each mega-deal. If the Integra project goes forward, the top rate would decline to 6% from 7%, saving all corporations roughly $100 million a year. While both mega-projects have had bipartisan support, some lawmakers are critical of promising such big taxpayer-funded incentives to a single firm. "We have not written the checks for this first project and they're starting the second one without even knowing that it works," state Senate tax committee Chair Caryn Tyson, a conservative Republican from eastern Kansas, said before Thursday's announcement. 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A prototype of the team's lizard-inspired quadruped robot. Credit: Chen et al (MDPI, 2023). Technological advances have opened exciting possibilities for space exploration, which could potentially lead to new discoveries about the celestial bodies in our galaxy. Robots have proved to be particularly promising tools to explore other planets, particularly Mars, a terrestrial planet in the solar system that is known to host some similar elements to those found on Earth. The exploration of Mars and its surface is a fascinating quest, as it could unveil the signs of past or present extra-terrestrial life. In addition to potentially unveiling forms of ancient microbial life, these explorations could lead to the discovery of resources that exist outside of Earth, potentially paving the way for future human missions to Mars. Researchers at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics have recently developed a new four-legged robot inspired by lizards that could aid the exploration of the red planet's surface. Their robot, introduced in MDPI's Biomimetics journal, has a flexible body structure that can replicate a desert lizard's movements and locomotion style. "To assist ambitious uncrewed missions to Mars, specific types of planetary rovers have been developed for performing tasks on Mars' surface," Guangming Chen, Long Qiao, Zhenwen Zhou, Lutz Richter and Aihong Ji wrote in their paper. "Due to the fact that the surface is composed of granular soils and rocks of various sizes, contemporary rovers can have difficulties in moving on soft soils and climbing over rocks. To overcome such difficulties, this research develops a quadruped creeping robot inspired by the locomotion characteristics of the desert lizard." The biomimetic robot created by Chen and his colleagues is comprised of a flexible spine-like structure and four legs. To replicate the "creeping" motion typical of lizards, every leg features two hinges and a gear that elicits a swinging movement. Each of the hip joints connecting the spine structure with the robot's legs is made of two servos and a four-linkage mechanism that allows the robot to lift without losing its balance. The robot's "feet" have four flexible "toes," consisting of two hinges and a claw. "The leg structure utilizes a four-linkage mechanism, which ensures a steady lifting motion," the researchers explained in their paper. "The foot consists of an active ankle and a round pad with four flexible toes that are effective in grasping soils and rocks." To replicate the movements of lizards, the researchers created a series of kinematics models for each of their robot's components. They then used these models and numerical calculations to plan the robot's movements. "To determine robot motions, kinematic models relating to foot, leg, and spine are established," Chen and his colleagues wrote in their paper. "Moreover, the coordinated motions between the trunk spine and leg are numerically verified." The researchers initially evaluated their robot in a series of simulations, to determine whether it could effectively replicate the movements of lizards. Their results were very promising, as they found that their robot could perform the desired motions and walking style. Chen and his colleagues have already created a prototype of their robot using 3D-printed resin materials, a servo control panel, a lithium battery, and other electronic components. They then used a simulation testbed to evaluate their prototype robot's movements on rocky surfaces that resemble the terrain on Mars. They found that the robot could effectively move in rocky environments, highlighting its potential for future missions on the red planet. Before it can be deployed and tested outside the lab, however, the team will need to develop it further, for instance adding a protective sealing structure that would protect it from soil or airborne dust and building its body using more resistant materials. Chen and his colleagues are now working on machine learning models that would allow their robot to adapt its movements to different terrains. In addition, they plan to introduce a system that would provide continuous power supply for the robot. More information: Guangming Chen et al, Development of a Lizard-Inspired Robot for Mars Surface Exploration, Biomimetics (2023). DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics8010044 Journal information: Biomimetics 2023 Science X Network This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A sign stands outside Tallahassee Memorial Hospital on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in Tallahassee, Fla. The major hospital system in northern Florida said Friday it is diverting some emergency room patients and canceling surgeries after a security problem with information technology. Credit: AP Photo/Anthony Izaguirre A major hospital system in northern Florida said Friday it is diverting some emergency room patients and canceling surgeries after a security problem with information technology. Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare said the issue began effecting its systems late Thursday night and has forced the hospital to shut down its IT network. It had the hallmarks of a ransomware attack, but the hospital has not yet characterized it as such, instead calling it an "IT security issue." Victims often at least initially decline to confirm ransomware attacks. The hospital said in a statement that it was diverting some emergency room patients, and rescheduling non-emergency patient appointments through Monday. It said it is not moving patients currently in the hospital to other facilities. Patients will be contacted directly if their appointments are affected, spokeswoman Tori Lynn Schneider said in a statement. It was unclear when systems would fully return online. The hospital said it has been working with law enforcement. The hospital, headquartered in Tallahassee, provides health care across 21 counties in northern Florida and southern Georgia, according to its website. Cybersecurity firm Emsisoft said there were 25 ransomware attacks involving hospitals or hospital systems last year. 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Aerial view of the largest solar energy project in all of Latin America, in Puerto Penasco, Sonora state, Mexico. Mexico welcomes investment by all countries in its clean energy projects, its foreign minister said on Thursday, launching a diplomatic charm offensive amid international concerns over controversial power reforms. Several dozen ambassadors were taken on a visit to a giant solar park being built in Puerto Penasco in the desert in northern Mexico using photovoltaic panels made in China. "We want to invite all the countries of the world, all the companies of the world" to "participate, invest, be part of the future of Mexico," Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said. The first phase of the solar plant is due to be inaugurated in April by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, according to officials. Once completed, the park will be able to supply 1.6 million electricity users, thanks to an estimated investment totaling $1.6 billion, according to state power provider CFE. Mexico pledged at the COP27 climate talks in Egypt in November to strengthen its emissions-cutting efforts as part of a $48 billion renewable energy investment scheme with the United States. The Latin American nation previously committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 22 percent from the business-as-usual levels by 2030, but will increase that to 35 percent, Ebrard said at the time. The Mexican-US collaboration in renewable power comes despite tensions between the neighbors over Lopez Obrador's efforts to boost the state's role in the energy sector. Mexico faces a formal trade complaint from Washington and Ottawa, which say the reforms hurt foreign investors and favor polluting fossil fuels over clean energy. 2023 AFP Editors note: This story is part of Broken Defense, an investigative series from Lee Enterprises. Martin Gibson freezes in place at his desk. Its Thursday in December 2021. The sky is dark. Gibson is the last person in the Portland Multnomah Defenders office. More than 200 public defense client files surround Gibson. Stacks flood two filing cabinets, spill onto his desk, dot the floor and perch atop cabinets. At Gibsons left a pile of seven or eight unopened cases wait. An urgent stack of cases stare at Gibson. He needs to call those clients immediately. Its too late. Its already 7:30 p.m., he thinks. He cant move. He cant breathe. I was trying to gasp for air, Gibson remembers. I was trying to do everything that was in front of me, which was insurmountable piles of files. I had so much to do, and I got so overwhelmed that my body just didnt know how to breathe. I was trying to get oxygen, and my body just didnt even know how to do that. Its his first panic attack. I was so afraid, he said, and I never wanted to have one again. So Gibson sent his boss a succinct email saying he couldnt take any new cases. About a month-and-a-half later, he quit without another job lined up. The job was impossible, Gibson said. It wasnt just difficult. It was impossible and unsustainable. Staff shortages and decades of underfunding have created public defense systems crises across the West. Public defenders say theyre unable to serve clients effectively as they grapple with crushing caseloads, few resources, burnout, student debt and low pay. They say wage increases would go a long way because they attract lawyers who could share the massive workload. Experts say states must retain public defenders and recruit more of them to ensure everyone who needs an attorney gets one. Gibson said he had twice as many clients as he could represent. It watered down my representation to the point of ineffectiveness, he said. I felt the only ethical thing I could do was to quit because I couldnt be part of a system that was doing that. It didnt feel like I was doing my job. It didnt feel like I could do my job. When attorneys feel like theyre pushing paper around rather than really advocating for people, it drives motivated folks out of the profession, said Jessica Kampfe, Oregons Office of Public Defense Services executive director. Too many cases Lee Enterprises requested public defense workload data from 17 western states. Public defenders in Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Wyoming had more cases than outdated national standards recommend. Public defenders in Colorado, Montana and Nevada worked too many hours. The other states dont track that data statewide. A public defender should not represent more than 150 felonies, 400 misdemeanors, 200 juvenile delinquency cases or 25 appeals in a year, according to guidelines from the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals (NAC). Those half-century-old standards ignore modern case complexity, said the National Legal Aid & Defender Association, which helped develop them. Jon Mosher, Sixth Amendment Center deputy director, said the standards are way too high, but useful, and the only national metric to show state agencies and lawmakers the extent to which public defenders are overworked. Nearly 400 Texas attorneys in 2021 had more public defense cases than the standards recommend, according to Texas Indigent Defense Commission data. Some private lawyers are contracted for public defense cases, as in many states, and work cases on top of the public defense work. Two private attorneys who worked among the most cases each defended more than 700 public defense felonies the work of nearly five attorneys. More than 100 Idaho private attorneys and full-time public defenders had more public defense cases than the states maximum, which allows attorneys to take on more work than the national standards, according to Idaho Public Defense Commission data. An additional 65 attorneys worked too many cases, based on the national standards. Some Idaho attorneys said they could manage cases above the maximum. Idaho County contract public defender John Wiltse said working with reasonable prosecutors in his small, rural county helps resolve many cases efficiently. Nez Perce County contract public defender Rick Cuddihy said he can handle heavy caseloads because he has nearly two decades of experience. But in another county, Twin Falls, seven inmates said they barely heard from their overburdened public defenders. Arizonas Pima County had at least 23 attorneys with caseloads above the national guidelines, according to Pima County Public Defense Services data. Statewide data was unavailable because Arizona counties, like in many states, each run their own public defense system. Montanas state public defender office says it needed on average 63 more public defenders to handle cases assigned since 2019 and still meet its workload management limits. Oregon and New Mexico have one third the attorneys they need to provide adequate representation, according to American Bar Association studies from last year. Some Oregon public defender offices temporarily stopped accepting cases last spring because they had too few attorneys. Arizonas Pima County could soon have to do the same, said Dean Brault, Public Defense Services director. At some point, we will have to go attorney to attorney and ask if they can take another case and provide effective representation, Brault said. When the answer to that from everyone is no, were going to be at a crisis where we have to go to the court and say we cant ethically take any more cases. Burning people out Wyoming had its own public defense crisis in 2019 when the Natrona and Campbell county public defender offices could no longer handle misdemeanors. State Public Defender Diane Lozano said high turnover caused constitutionally inappropriate caseloads in Campbell Countys seven-attorney office. We would lose two to three people at a time, and then the people that remained were having to pick up that extra caseload, she said. Then we were burning those people out. Wed get fully staffed, and then the people that had stuck around ... would quit. It was just this endless cycle. She remembered Natrona County also lost three or four veteran public defenders around that time. A circuit court held her in contempt for refusing misdemeanor case appointments, but the Wyoming Supreme Court ultimately ruled she had a right to determine her attorneys couldnt handle more cases. An unnamed Campbell County public defense supervisor testified that handling too many cases at once made him ineffective, according to court documents. I dont tell my clients this, but most of the time, especially on misdemeanor cases, Ive never read their police report. Ive never watched their videos from the police. Ive had no time to really investigate their case at all, he said. Public defenders can lose their license if they take on more clients than they can competently represent or recommend a plea before they complete the case investigation, according to the American Bar Associations conduct rules. Cant be effective Defense attorney Vaavia Rudd heads to court in the Texas Panhandle in 2016. She looks down at her files, and a name surprises her. I have no idea who this person is, she thinks. I dont know anything about this case, but Im about to go into court and tell the judge whether or not Im ready to go to trial. It just scared me to death, Rudd said. I was like, Im going to lose my license. I cannot effectively represent this many people. I cant do it. She stopped taking public defense cases to instead focus on her private practice. She now helps improve public defense through a liaison and advocacy program. Gibson also went into court unprepared before he left Oregon public defense. He often would schedule up to five trials for the same date, prepare one or two, and gamble that the others would resolve with plea deals. Judges encouraged trial-stacking to get through the pandemic-driven backlog, he said. Sometimes the strategy backfired. One trial date, he gambled on the wrong case. The one he didnt prepare went to trial. He told the judge what happened, and the case ended with a last-minute plea deal. Its a system that encourages unethical behavior, Gibson said. Youre not actually prepared for those cases. No one is. Youre just trying to move those cases along and process these people. Its most certainly not justice. No one feels like its justice. Montana public defenders office leaders told the Legislature last April that trial stacking also happens there. One western Montana public defender said she recently tried to prepare for seven trials scheduled on a single day. Longtime California defense attorney Bill Abramson worked almost every weekend for five years to build strong defenses for his clients. He ended his Plumas County public defense contract last September to spend less time working another countys higher-paying cases. My hope and my desire is that Ill no longer have to work seven days a week, he said. I need a break from it. Pay disparities Money also played a role in Rudds decision to temporarily leave public defense. She once had a $500 public defense case and a $20,000 divorce case scheduled for the same time. The judge refused to reschedule the criminal case. Anybody can do the math on that, Rudd said. It wasnt financially feasible. Montana in April boosted state public defenders entry-level pay from about $31 an hour to $37. Most prosecutors earn more. A Madison County deputy prosecutor position pays $40 an hour, and entry-level prosecutors in Missoula and Bozeman earn $41 and $54 per hour, respectively. Arizonas Pima County Public Defense Services have many job openings, but not enough qualified people apply because the pay is low, Brault said. Weve been struggling to pay our people in-house what theyre worth, Brault said. Carl Macpherson, Oregons Metropolitan Public Defender executive director, said his state-funded offices salaries are offensive. The prosecutors pay scale starts where our pay scale ends, Macpherson said. You could have a 20-year public defender making less than a brand new attorney thats working at the prosecuting attorneys office. Staff attorneys in his office earn $64,000 to $95,000, while area prosecutors earn $98,000 to $196,000, according to Elisabeth Shepard, Multnomah County District Attorneys Office spokesperson. Gibsons salary was about $70,000 when he left Oregon with about $150,000 in student loan debt that grows by about $1,000 each month. I dont know how Im supposed to pay off any principle at all when the interest is that high, he said. He hopes to get hired at Californias Sacramento County public defenders office, which offers a starting salary of more than $115,000 and is closer to family. The collapse of an office Savina Haas said her California public defender office was so underfunded that for a while she didnt have an office chair. Staff wandered the Lassen County office looking for any broken chairs. Her pay was about $65,000. She became busier over her three years there, sometimes going days with no sleep. The quality of her representation diminished. There was a time when defendants would ask for me, she said. Eventually they probably hated me because I never visited them anymore. She left at the end of 2020 to work for a private law firm in Monterey County, where she has family. Another Lassen County public defender resigned months after the new year and the position remained vacant until the office collapsed at the end of 2021. Lassen County now contracts with a private firm to provide public defense. Lassen County Chief Administrative Officer Richard Egan said the county tried several times to recruit and just couldnt do it. He conceded the county did not increase the salary range. The private firm contract works better for the county than paying for department staff and an office space, Egan said. We struggle fiscally every year to balance our budget, Egan said. Its a rural county that were in. Our resources are just limited. Attracting talent to the area is a challenge the firm is working on, Egan said. Haas said keeping her would have been simple. In all honesty, all they needed to do was get us the resources that we need, she said. Pay us at least somewhat competitive wages so we can bring people here. Have a full staff. Have the ability to be able to run with a decent budget. We had a good strong public defenders office at one point. They managed to destroy it. About Broken Defense: Across the West, public defense systems face crushing caseloads, historic underfunding, structural problems and severe staffing shortages, imperiling criminal defendants lives and in many cases denying them their constitutional right to counsel. Defendants have lost jobs and homes, been pressured to plead guilty and been denied the benefit of exonerating evidence. People accused in more than 100,000 misdemeanors each year go to jail without ever talking to a lawyer. Lee Enterprises West region Public Service Journalism team and local reporters attended more than a dozen court hearings and interviewed more than 25 defendants, 40 attorneys and 25 experts to reveal public defense in many western states is broken. Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism Reporter Emily Hamer may be reached at emily.hamer@lee.net. Episode 75: Host Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss a recent study about happiness and whether the philosophy of the stoics can help us in our everyday lives. Links to stories discussed during the podcast: What the longest human happiness study found is the key to a good life, by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz, The Atlantic The happiest, least stressful, most meaningful jobs in America, by Andrew Van Dam, The Washington Post What is stoicism? A definition and nine stoic exercises to get you started, Daily Stoic A 2,300-year-old philosophy stoicism has enjoyed a revival of late, especially in Silicon Valley, by John Metcalfe, The Washington Post About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. It was a morning filled with pizza and praise as St. Joseph Catholic School celebrated National Catholic Schools Week by attending a school-wide Mass followed by a pizza lunch on Thursday. This was just one of many celebrations held throughout the elementary and secondary campuses this week. Beginning last Sunday, each day of the week represented a different celebration, including a celebration of the parish, the community and Catholic vocations (marriage, single life, priesthood and religious life). In Thursdays celebration of students, younger students were paired with older students in an effort to bring the campuses together and form connections. Stephanie Rayburn, assistant principal of St. Josephs secondary campus, attended St. Joseph Catholic School and returned as a teacher before becoming an administrator, so celebrating Catholic education comes easy for her. All faiths are welcomed into our school, but we teach the Catechist in our religion classes, so celebrating Catholic Schools Week is the heart of our identity, Rayburn said. For Rayburn, this week means shining a light on what makes St. Joseph Catholic School special. It is who we are, and its absolutely what makes us unique, Rayburn said. And its, to me, celebrating how were different than others, and I dont mean different as in better, I just mean that it is part of who we are, and we want to make sure that thats engrained in how we celebrate and what we do on a daily basis. One example Rayburn gave to showcase the schools uniqueness is its ability to use faith as a solution to problems many schools face. It comes as a surprise to many people that our student body is just like any schools student body, she said. We have the diversity that all schools have and the challenges that all schools have; we just get to address those challenges with a component of faith as a solution. New to the school this year is the student ambassador program in which eighth through 12th graders can apply to become representatives of St. Joseph Catholic School on various occasions. We always want students to be the front face of our campus in everything that we do, but you dont want them to be a random selection, so we have ambassadors, and those students would represent us for a tour or if we needed a student representative to go and speak on behalf of the school, Rayburn said. Sophomore Paul Johnson and junior Jackson Carey are two of those student ambassadors. Leadership, effort and overall kind of character and confidence, are a few characteristics Carey said are necessary to become a student ambassador. You want to be able to role model all the rest of the student body and show them what St. Josephs all about. For Johnson, being an ambassador and celebrating Catholic Schools Week means demonstrating the term Catholic schools and recognizing the importance of living life and raising children with God in mind. Being paired with their Prayer Pals is the perfect example of how he and his peers use their faith to form connections with each other. The spirit behind our Prayer Pals was to unite our secondary and our elementary campus, Rayburn said. And in doing so, on a monthly basis, they send messages, prayers and drawings back and forth to each other. St. Joseph Catholic School will wrap up the weeklong event with a celebration of faculty, staff and volunteers on Friday and a celebration of family on Saturday. To learn more about St. Joseph Catholic School, visit stjosephschoolbcs.org/. MEXICO CITY A month after President Joe Bidens administration said it was expanding its humanitarian parole program for migrants from certain countries, Mexican officials warn its too early to claim success, even as the number of migrants reaching the border has plummeted. In an interview with The Dallas Morning News, Roberto Velasco, a top diplomat and chief of the North America bureau at the Mexican Foreign Ministry, highlighted the drastic drop as much as a 97% decline in the number of migrants journeying through Mexico from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti. Biden announced on Jan. 5 that the U.S. government is expanding humanitarian passage monthly for as many as 30,000 people from those four countries. But people from those countries who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally will be turned away. Under the humanitarian program, the immigrants must have an eligible sponsor and pass a vetting process to come to the U.S. for up to two years and receive work authorization. Since Bidens announcement, encounters across the southwest border with people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela dropped from a seven-day average of 3,367 per day on Dec. 11 to a seven-day average of just 115 on Jan. 24, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The program has been very successful, but its too early to declare any kind of victory, because were facing a dynamic phenomenon, Velasco said. The countries of origin, the circumstances, the network of smugglers and their ability to constantly adapt to government policies all are important factors to consider as we go forward. Already, migrants from other countries, including Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, are on the rise, Velasco said. When Biden announced the immigration policy shift, Mexico agreed to take back 30,000 people a month who come to the U.S. border without proper documentation. That marks the United States growing reliance on Mexico in managing the northward flow of migrants headed to the Texas-Mexico border. Mexicos role has expanded from a sending country to one managing global migration, said Adam Isacson, a security and migration analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America. I think Mexico is pretty comfortable now in this role as co-enforcer for the United States, a role similar to ones played by Turkey and Spain with migrant flows to the European Union, Isacson said. Mexico will still have nationalist rhetoric, and theyll still insist they have a different approach toward migration than the United States does, he said. But deep down, it sure seems like a lot of people in the [Mexican] government believe in deterrence. And that means the countrys leverage with the U.S. is increasing, said Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute in Washington. Mexico is not powerless, he said. Mexico is in a position where it can decide how to take better advantage of migration to Mexico and through Mexico. Velasco disputes that Mexico is playing the role of a country that processes migrants for the U.S. He doesnt believe Mexico should be locked into any formal agreement on migration. Our idea is still that Mexico wants to retain its sovereign capacity to react to U.S. migratory decisions unilaterally, he said. For instance, in April 2022, tens of thousands of Ukrainians headed from abroad to the U.S.-Mexico border. After the U.S. allowed them under a humanitarian parole program, their numbers at the border dropped from more than 20,000 to 375 in May. Last summer, when the number of Venezuelans exploded along the Texas-Mexico border, particularly El Paso, Velasco and his team pressed the Biden administration to designate them with the title of humanitarian parole, he said. It was Mexicos proposal to apply the Ukrainian model to other nationalities, Velasco said. That has been the basis of our engagement in that sense. And thats why we have never agreed to sign any sort of agreement with the U.S., including (being) some kind of processing county. Humanitarian crisis For two years, a historic humanitarian crisis has overwhelmed immigration officials and entire communities, particularly along the Texas-Mexico border. In fiscal year 2022, the U.S. Border Patrol recorded 2.2 million arrests, a record number. In December, immigration authorities encountered about 7,000 to 9,000 individuals daily. A surge in Cuban and Nicaraguan arrivals at the U.S. border with Mexico in December led to the highest number of illegal border crossings recorded during any month of Bidens presidency, authorities said last month. The extraordinary influx came shortly before Biden introduced measures on Jan. 5 to deter Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. U.S. authorities stopped migrants 251,487 times along the Mexican border in December, up 7% from 234,896 times in November and up 40% from 179,253 times in December 2021, Customs and Border Protection told The Associated Press. Last year, between late summer and winter, El Paso was ground zero for migrants massing at the border. Then, in January, the numbers in the El Paso sector dropped to an average of 929 daily encounters, down from a peak of 2,150 in December, according to a U.S. Border Patrol spokesman. Theres reason to be cautious: Winter is when migration is historically low, Ruiz said. Before the announcement on Jan. 5, the numbers were already decreasing because of the holiday and Christmas travel, the kind of lull that we always see in every year, Ruiz said. Criticism from right and left Bidens humanitarian parole program has received criticism from conservatives and progressives alike. By instituting a parole program, the United States is abandoning its historic role as a nation offering asylum to those being persecuted around the world, Isacson said. The migrants targeted by the parole program are among the most threatened, vulnerable people who just dont meet the requirement, Isacson said, noting many, particularly Venezuelans, have no sustained networks of families and friends in the U.S. So far, more than 800 Nicaraguans, more than 4,700 Cubans and about 2,000 Haitians have been approved for travel most of them applying from their native country, bypassing the dangerous trek through Mexico. The total figure of 7,500 isnt exactly 30,000 a month, Isacson said. The president hasnt solved the problem, Texas Sen. John Cornyn said in a statement. Hes just swept it under the rug, and hes arguably made it worse. This crisis is complex, but the solution isnt. The administration needs to engage with Congress and enforce our immigration laws that are on the books. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he has long called on Congress to fix a broken immigration system. Bogeymen In Mexico City, officials defend the program and bristle at the criticism, particularly from Republicans who, Velasco said, have long treated Mexico and migrants as the bogeymen, thats the common theme and it will continue as we head toward 2024, referring to the U.S. presidential election. Mexico is a key strategic partner of the United States in many different things: managing border security, migration, also in terms of trade Velasco said. When you have a partner that is so fundamental in so many ways for your country, well, maybe you should be more respectful to that partner. Has the migration problem been fixed? That depends on your definition of fixing the problem, Velasco said. From Mexicos perspective, the parole program is allowing migrants to cross in a safe, humanely, orderly way and its taking away business from dangerous human smugglers and organized criminals in the entire region, he said. Its also driving people away from the border, which always creates its own peril, he said. From our perspective, its a successful approach. And were certainly very hopeful about the results shown so far. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Chinese premier congratulates New Zealand's PM on assuming office Xinhua) 08:29, February 03, 2023 BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday sent a congratulatory message to Chris Hipkins on his taking office as New Zealand's prime minister. In his message, Li said that China and New Zealand are important countries in the Asia-Pacific region and each other's important cooperative partner. In recent years, China-New Zealand relations have enjoyed sound development and the two countries' cooperation in various fields has brought benefits to their people, which has made important contributions to regional peace, stability and prosperity, Li added. China-New Zealand relations have spanned 50 years, Li noted, adding that at this new historical starting point, the two sides should work together to carry forward the spirit of striving to be the first, strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, expand exchanges and advance cooperation, so as to continuously push forward the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 A little over a year after scrapping plans for a solar farm in Westlake, Energix US is proposing one at a new location in Wirtz. The company will be holding a community meeting Feb. 7 at the Westlake Library to hear from the public. Named Mountain Brook Solar, the project will be located on 184 acres of farmland near the intersection of Brooks Mill and Burnt Chimney roads. Similar to the previous proposal in Westlake, plans are for a 20-megawatt facility that would generate electricity to sell to Appalachian Power. In 2021, Appalachian Power Co. announced that it would be taking bids for solar projects. Requests for proposals have grown in Franklin County as well as the rest of the state as the Clean Economy Act requires the utility to provide totally carbon-fee electricity to its Virginia customers by 2050. Mountain Brook Solar will be the first solar farm proposed in the zoned area of Franklin County. The county is split with its northern half having zoning requirements and its southern half having none. This will also be the first solar farm proposed in a zoned area since the development of the countys solar facilities ordinance developed and approved last year. Some of the ordinance requirements included setbacks from roads and other property lines, vegetation buffers and a detailed decommissioning plan once the solar farm was no longer in operation. Gills Creek District representative Lorie Smith will be one of several area residents expected to attend the Feb. 7 community meeting. She has been in touch with Energix as well as residents in the area since the solar farm was first discussed late last year. Smith said Mountain Brook Solar will be the first test for the county since the development of the new solar facility ordinance. Even with the ordinance, she wants to know more from those who live near the proposed facility. An important piece for me will be hearing from the citizens, Smith said. Much like the proposal in Westlake in 2021, Smith said there will likely be some residents in the community who will not want the solar farm. Im expecting considerable pushback from the residents in the area. While there may be some apprehension in the community, Smith spoke highly of Energix US and their willingness to work with the county and community during their scrapped Westlake proposal and their current Wirtz proposal. Energix US has been in contact with the county and will area residents since late last year about the Mountain Brook Solar proposal, she said. More information on the Mountain Brook Solar project and a link to RSVP to the Feb. 7 meeting can be found at www.mountainbrooksolarproject.com. The meeting will be held at the Westlake Library from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Aebleskiver feed set for Sunday MARQUETTE St. Johns Lutheran Church, 2174 N. T Road in Marquette, is hosting an Aebleskiver feed from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5. The freewill donation meal includes sausage, bacon, fruit cup, drink and Aebleskivers (puffy Danish pancake balls that can be served with a variety of toppings). The event includes a raffle that will benefit the food pantry and confirmation students camp fees. Winners need not be present. A performance by the Central City Music Department is also scheduled at 6 p.m. Merrick County food bank Feb. 4 at airport CENTRAL CITY The February Merrick County drive-thru food bank organized by Central City United Methodist Church will be from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Central City Municipal Airport, 1346 Ormsby Road (note location change). Perishable and nonperishable food provided by Food Bank for the Heartland in Omaha will be available. Drivers should stay in their vehicles and volunteers will put the food in the trunk or backseat. For more information, call Tina at 308-946-2853. Calvary Lutheran pancake feed Feb. 11 Treat your family to a pancake breakfast on Saturday, Feb. 11, at Calvary Lutheran Church, 1304 N. Custer. The menu will include pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs and a drink. Breakfast will be served from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall at socially-distanced tables. Take-out will also be also available. Freewill donations will be used to assist Calvary with their ministry mission in Grand Island. For more information, contact the church office at 308-382-5446. Resurrections soup and pie lunch set for Feb. 11Resurrection Catholic Church, 4110 Cannon Road, will host its annual soup and pie lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11. A variety of soups and pies will be available as well as a bake sale and basket raffle. The cost is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for children ages 4-11; children 3 and younger eat for free. Soup-to-go will be available by the quart for $8. For more information, check online at www.giresurrection.com Cathedral Ladies hosting lasagna dinner Feb. 11 St. Marys Cathedral Ladies will host a lasagna dinner from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb 11, at St. Marys Cathedral Square, 112 S. Cedar. The menu includes lasagna, salad, garlic bread, dessert and drinks. A freewill offering is requested. The meal is also scheduled in conjunction with the World Marriage Day Mass, celebrated at 5 p.m. at the Cathedral. Mobile food pantry set for Feb. 11 at College ParkThis months drive-thru mobile food pantry in Grand Island is set for Saturday, Feb.. 11, at College Park; enter on Tech Drive. Food distribution will begin at 9:30 a.m. Trinity United Methodist Church, with help from First Presbyterian Church and the Grand Island Senior High ROTC, will host the monthly Loaves & Fishes food bank. When arriving, enter from South Locust Street. The best time to arrive is between 9 and 11 a.m.; please do not arrive before 7:30 a.m. Drivers should remain in their vehicles. No appointment and no identification are required. There also are no income requirements, but basic information on the households receiving the food will be collected. Volunteers will put one box of food in each vehicles trunk or backseat. The food is provided by Food Bank for the Heartland in Omaha. For more information, contact Trinity UMC at 308-382-1952. The new governor says his proposed tax cuts are historic. Critics say they are not sustainable. Rookie mistake by the pig farmer politician who is backed by his Republican Party and most of the 32 Republicans in the Nebraska Legislature. Maybe its all of them, I havent taken a poll. Somebody forgot to explain to Gov. Jim Pillen that the $1.9 billion excess funds he claims will make all this work are projected to be in the state coffers. That means the so-called strong tax receipts might, or might not, come. OpenSky Executive Director Rebecca Firestone said in a press release that to ensure our states future fiscal health, it will be important for policymakers this session to prudently use the projected $1.9 billion on proven initiatives that empower hardworking Nebraskans to support their families and their communities. State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, who chairs the Legislatures Revenue Committee, said we have over $2 billion in extra funding, which clearly means that we are taxing people too much. That includes funds from the states cash reserves. To say that we shouldnt cut taxes shows a total disregard for the taxpayers. Firestone, of the Lincoln-based think tank, said Nebraska is experiencing strong revenues in large part because of the influx of federal dollars since the COVID-19 pandemic and not because of policies enacted at the state level. Agreeing to large, ongoing expenditures based on temporary funds or making structural changes to the tax code could force cuts to schools, health care and other key services or lead to increases in taxes, fees and fines when revenues lag in the future, she said. Jim Vokal of the Omaha-based Platte Institute said he was excited to see the new governors focus on objectives important to Nebraskas taxpayers: reducing the overall tax burden on our families and businesses and making our state economically competitive for job creation and growth. While his organization is still analyzing Pillens proposals, he said its important that a conversation is underway to move Nebraska in the right direction in terms of lower taxes. He added that if other, and new, sources of tax income are needed to afford the Pillen initiatives, the state should consider rescinding some of the sales tax exemptions it now provides. The Platte Institute has long argued for expanding the states sales tax base by removing exemptions for some things, including services. Highlights of Pillens plan include a gradual reduction in state personal and corporate income tax rates to a flat, 3.99% which mirrors the rate recently adopted in Iowa and a shift in the funding of community colleges off property taxes. It also would adopt a new way of valuing agricultural property based on the lands income-producing potential and would limit increases in ag land valuations for tax purposes. Lawmakers will also be asked to accelerate and make immediate the elimination of state income taxes on Social Security, which is currently being phased out. The tax cuts, which amount to $720 million in income tax reductions alone, would place the state among the 15 lowest nationwide in taxing income, as calculated by the Tax Foundations business climate rankings. Business groups hailed Pillens proposals as bold, critics question if the cuts will work in addition to Pillens desire to invest an additional $2.5 billion in state aid to K-12 schools. Counting on what he learned from predecessor Pete Ricketts, Pillen adamantly said no to new spending. He took aim at the states hospitals, which are struggling with workforce shortages and increasing costs. He said they need to tighten their belts and that spending more money for health care isnt solving anything. Rookie mistake number two. Will somebody please read the headlines to this man about staff shortages and employee burnout, mostly fueled by the pandemic, which is threatening to close rural hospitals while nursing homes have already closed in many areas? Sorry governor, were not all millionaires, and some of us do get sick. Those same people also vote, so you might want to rethink which audience your historic promises are playing to. So, are you going to lead the 32 party loyalists in what used to be a nonpartisan Legislature and run roughshod over those who disagree with you? Or are you willing to sit down and listen to the diversity of thought and do something thats right for all Nebraska? You only have one chance to make a good first impression. So far, Im not impressed. Lots of dollars flying around inside the Capital last week. What to do with them? Send them off on spending or investment-in-the-future chores, or return them to sender? Gov. Jim Pillen says return them to state taxpayers and so will a majority of the members of the Legislature before this session adjourns. Pillen scored an "A" with his State of the State address, the Legislature already was tilted favorably on his side, and legislative committees and their leadership appear to have been constructed in a manner that will move his priorities to the floor. Conservatives are organized for success and this is going to be a very conservative year in state government. Income tax rates are tumbling down; the state budget will be "hold the line." However, in the Legislature it's not ever simply smooth sailing ahead. Democrats have just enough votes to sustain a filibuster, and there would appear to be many filibusters ahead. They could force some compromises. While you probably could safely bet on a successful and productive initial legislative session for the new governor, there always are some unexpected events or obstacles looming over the horizon. Perhaps a few stormy days at sea. But no icebergs. * * * Although Ben Sasse may be out of the Senate, he's moving into politically charged territory when he becomes the University of Florida's new president on Feb. 6. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appears ready to seek the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and his recent rejection of an advanced African American studies course proposed by the College Board stirred a sharp response from UF's student newspaper, the Independent Florida Alligator. "DeSantis meddles in university politics again," the headline read. "Recent memos show attempt at ideological control. "It's hard not to see UF these days as Gov. Ron DeSantis' political playground. "DeSantis is attempting to turn higher education in Florida into political theater, prioritizing his own national profile as a culture warrior over the needs of students and Floridians in general." * * * Armed with seniority and now in the majority with Republican control of the House, Rep. Adrian Smith is the new chairman of the trade subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee. A good place for a rural Nebraska congressman with 16 years of seniority to be. "With trade vital to the health of America's economy, the subcommittee on trade led by Chairman Smith will put American farmers and manufacturers first by prioritizing opening up global markets to sell their products," Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith of Missouri said. * * * Finishing up: * Democrats hold a voter registration advantage in only 11 of the state's 49 legislative districts. With 17 senators who are Democrats in the current Legislature, they're hitting above their weight. * Apparently in Washington now, if you don't have classified documents in your closet or under your bed, you must be a nobody. * A big-time trio of bills is lined up for public hearing in three legislative committees on Wednesday: a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, specific voter photo ID requirements, a limitation on school district property tax increases. Big legislative day. * The conservative 2% budget increase for the University of Nebraska recommended by Pillen lines up with what the university requested. * Rep. Mike Flood has been named a member of the housing and insurance subcommittee and the digital assets, financial technology and inclusion subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee. * Last week's legislative battle over the committee assignment for a big abortion bill was just the opening salvo. Trench warfare ahead. * Part of me wishes I had stuck to my early decision to not watch the brutal beating murder of Tyre Nichols by police in Memphis. But perhaps we all should see it. * Still awaiting U.S. Senate committee assignments for Sen. Pete Ricketts. * Fifty days until spring. Don't you love a story with a happy ending? A Grand Island dog that was missing for 31 days returned home safely in mid-January thanks to the efforts of countless people, two rotisserie chickens from Sam's Club and a relentless owner. Connie Ogg never gave up hope that she'd be reunited with Cody, the family's English Springer Spaniel. After Cody went missing Dec. 15, Ogg posted fliers on bulletin boards at area Pump & Pantries. She brought the fliers to law enforcement offices and everywhere else she could think of. She talked to area farmers and ranchers, and posted 50 laminated "lost dog" posters. The top of the poster read, "Devastated family...Please help!" Ogg looked for the dog every day, for up to 11 hours a day. She traveled north of St. Libory. She went south to Doniphan and east to Central City. "Six tanks," of gas, she told The Independent. Voice for Companion Animals, based in Grand Island, played a big role in the search. "We were one of many. It was a great team," said Voice for Companion Animals volunteer Robyn Mays. Ogg retained the services of a pet tracker from Auburn named Karin TarQwyn, who gave good advice. Many farmers and ranchers kept an eye out for the dog. "I didn't ever give up," Ogg said. "I was out every day, driving." Ogg and her husband, Alan, live on West 18th Street. Cody got loose, escaping through the gate in the backyard, on Dec. 15. Their daughter, who was moving, had accidentally left the gate open. Ogg became a familiar figure at the Central Nebraska Humane Society. In addition to driving around, she worked the phones and Facebook. Early on, the dog was spotted near Runza and the Mongolian Grill. Attempting to understand Cody's movements, Ogg tried to think like a dog. Every night, she left the gate open, hoping he'd return. When Ogg ran into people on her search, many people asked if she'd found her dog yet. Hundreds of people were looking for him, Ogg said. Good news arrived Thursday, Jan. 12, when a 911 dispatcher called saying Cody had been spotted on West 13th Street, off of Highway 11. He was sitting near the tire of a farmer's pivot. But the dog could not be retrieved. For several days, Cody hung around a farm halfway between Cairo and Wood River, which is where he was finally apprehended. "With the sightings we were able to set up a game camera that sent images to a cell phone. So when something triggered it, an image was sent," Mays said. Beckie King and her husband, Todd, own a live trap, which they deployed at the farm. King is with Voice for Companion Animals. They baited the trap with a rotisserie chicken the group obtained from Sam's Club. The business donated two chickens to Tracie Pfeifle, who's with Voice for Companion Animals. On Friday, Jan. 13, Cody went into the trap but didn't trigger the door. The next day, the trap worked. "I was bawling, because he was so skinny. And he was exhausted," Ogg said. Cody's vet said the dog was 10 pounds overweight before he took off. "That's probably what saved him," Ogg said. During Cody's time in the wild, volunteers from Voices for Companion Animals drove around a lot, looking for Cody. One of the volunteers was Sharilyn Nelson. A Hall County deputy also helped with the the effort. Mays likes the way Ogg reacted to her dog's disappearance. If a dog goes missing, she said, it's best to get to work immediately. Don't assume he'll return home. Cody is now back to normal, living a comfortable life. A happy ending, one made possible by countless people in Grand Island and the surrounding area who came together to support a community member and her family. We salute their great work. For owner Kelly Rose, Du Quoins Olivia Rose Boutique is more than just a retail business offering womens clothes and accessories. Its a dream come true and an ongoing memorial to a lost loved one. It also is a testament to the power of coming home. A native of Perry County, Rose said she was like many others who grow up in the region. I was that girl who was like, Oh, I cant wait to get out of here; Im out of this town. So I went to school in Florida and spent time in Arizona, but I think you appreciate things more once you leave and come back, she said. Our main reason for coming back was for family, but no matter where we lived, I never quit calling Du Quoin home. While in Florida, she met her future husband and landed a job with Marriott Hotels. The birth of a son was followed by a daughter. At about 20 weeks into my pregnancy, we learned that she was going to need some extra care, but we werent exactly sure what the meant at that point, Rose recalled. After Olivias birth in October 2019, the infant spent weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit. The family brought her home just before Thanksgiving under hospice care and she lived only through the holidays. It was their daughters death that brought the Roses back to Southern Illinois where they purchased a bed and breakfast now operated as the Rose House and opened the a boutique in the building. People often tell me that they cant believe I named the boutique after her, but for me, it is part of the grieving. It was part of the process, Rose explained. I love when people ask about her. I even have her pictures in the shop. The Roses moved back to be near family and to pursue Roses dream of having her own business. Weve never looked back and we have never been happier, she said. Rose said the boutique offers a full line of womens clothing in sizes small through 3X as well as home decor, jewelry and accessories. We cater for women in their mid-20s and up, she explained. We also care accessories and last year started carrying Du Quoin Indians and Warriors spirit wear which has gone really, really well. She said operating both the bed and breakfast and the boutique along with raising a family is both fun and a lot of work, and she added that she has learned to handle the long hours. You realize that the clothes dont just show up by themselves. Its a lot of working at night, after the kids go to bed, buying and marking things and doing all of the administrative things. Its not easy, but it is really rewarding, she said. Ive learned, too, that there is such a humbling feeling when you come back home and people welcome you with open arms. She said she also has learned to advocate not only for her boutique, but also for other local businesses. Im huge on shopping small and shopping local, so any thing I can do I will, she said. It is hugely important. If we, as local businesses, dont get support from the town, then we wont be here. Its not just my business, its anybodys business; you have to get that support from your hometown and the surrounding towns. In times of inclement weather, Southern Illinois school administrators find themselves not only forced into making decisions of whether to hold classes or not, but also about what sort of day to implement should they cancel in-person class. While some area superintendents opt for e-learning or remote school days, many choose to cancel all school activities in a more traditional snow day approach. Remote learning has such a wide definition, explained Carbondale Community High School Superintendent Daniel Booth. It can be anything from pre-planned worksheets and packets for students to individual students having to log on to the internet to see a teacher face-to-face or do work through Google Classroom. Booth said how individual districts approach weather cancellations depends on what communities expect during cancellations and the availability of computers and internet connectivity. For us, we dont do remote days because we recognized while all of our students have laptops or Chromebooks, not all of them have connectivity. It would be an equity problem if we required some sort of online instruction on days when we couldnt guarantee they all could participate, he said. In fact, superintendents said that in order to offer school days when students are at home, they first must have filed remote learning day plans with the regional office of education and the state board of education. We made a decision as a district to not file an e-learning plan with the state, said Carbondale Elementary District Superintendent Janis Pavelonis. We believe that remote days shortchange our children because a school day in their homes electronically is not going to compare to a full day of learning in the classroom. She said it is difficult for educators to prepare take-home packets in advance without knowing what days school will not be in session. The packets are basically a fixed stack of papers in all different subjects which is problematic on their own because they have to be prepared and sent home just in case. The likelihood that the material in them will be exactly what the children are learning at that time is unlikely, she said. Vienna High School Superintendent Joshua Stafford said one of the factors he takes into consideration when canceling school activities instead of opting for remote learning is how it complicates things for families. You have parents that are expected to continue to report to work and so theyre scrambling to find childcare and its a strange situation, he said. Adding in an expectation that theyre going to be there to monitor their child or have someone else ensure that they are logged on to class meetings is just adding stress to a situation thats already somewhat extraordinary for them. Stafford said e-learning or remote days also require that the schools continue to provide breakfast and lunch for students, either to be picked up or delivered to their homes. Do we want families traveling in to get those meals or do we want the district to be responsible for transporting those meals out? he asked. We take our staffing into consideration and dont necessarily want our kitchen staff to come in during an ice and snow situation to prepare those meals. One plus to remote days, Booth said, is that even though students are not on campus, those days count as full in-session school days and do not have to be made up at the end of the school year. Instead, Booth said CCHS students will be making up days in May. Stafford agreed with Booth in that e-learning days can be challenging. There are studies that are showing that remote learning is less than ideal, he said, adding that e-learning works well for older students, but is much more difficult for elementary school pupils. In contrast, he added there was one extra benefit to calling off school activities because of weather. Theres just something to be said for a snow day, allowing kids to be kids. We think there is value in that, Stafford said. BUFFALO (WNE) Johnson County law enforcement seized more than a thousand fentanyl pills and a handful of other drugs after a report of a suspicious vehicle in the Kum & Go parking lot in early January. We pulled over 1,300 fentanyl pills, which is a big bust for Denver, let alone Buffalo, Chief of Police Sean Bissett told the City Council after arresting two individuals. In the car were 1,342 fentanyl pills, 24 grams of methamphetamine and 54 grams of marijuana, among other things, according to court documents. The vehicle's two occupants, Lovell residents Robert Labbe and Elizabeth Davison, were arrested and now face various possession charges. The two were charged with felony possession of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana in liquid form and misdemeanor possession of marijuana in plant form. The vehicle was brought to law enforcement's attention by staff at Kum & Go, who said the vehicle had been parked next to the gas pumps for more than 30 minutes. When a police officer arrived, Labbe said he was waiting to find his debit card to buy gas, court documents state. The officer determined that both Labbe and Davison who was seated in the passenger side of the vehicle had suspended licenses. Davison also had an active arrest warrant out of Natrona County. She was arrested without incident. Court documents state that Labbe denied law enforcement's request to search the vehicle, but a K9 unit brought to the scene alerted the officers to potential drugs. When law enforcement discovered the presence of fentanyl in the car, they arrested Labbe and transported the vehicle to the Johnson County Criminal Justice Center for a more thorough search. At the justice center, law enforcement seized various baggies of fentanyl pills, methamphetamine, marijuana and liquid THC, as well as other drug paraphernalia. Efforts to address Wyomings ongoing teacher retention and recruitment challenges have begun to crystallize in recent months, with the University of Wyoming and the Wyoming Department of Education both announcing new initiatives last year. Those efforts took another step Thursday when the Wyoming Department of Education and the Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board announced the selections for a new 25-member Teacher Retention and Recruitment Task Force. Teton County School District No. 1 Superintendent Gillian Chapman, Wyomings 2022 Superintendent of the Year, Shoshoni High School Principal Christina Mills and Natrona County High School theater teacher Zach Schneider were among those named to the working group. Professor Alan Buss, the director of UWs School of Teacher Education, will also join the task force, which includes superintendents, principals, teachers, professors and former educators alongside a school personnel director, school counselor, parent and industry representative from the Associated General Contractors of Wyoming. With the announcement, the working group will meet for the first time on Feb. 11 in Casper. The members are tasked with studying the forces currently shaping Wyomings teacher market and developing recommendations that schools, districts and state policymakers can then use to bolster the states education workforce. Wyoming to pilot teacher apprenticeship program this spring Its held out as a way to make teacher certification more affordable and a way to improve school districts' employment pipelines. In an interview Wednesday, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder said the intent of the Department of Education is to use the experiences of educators to find solutions that can begin to help the states teachers, students and schools. What that [taskforce] is meant to do is bring together folks that are on the ground, that are experiencing these issues, to come together to develop recommendations that can be brought to policymakers to affect change, she said. I think the best process that we can have in all of these issues is working with stakeholders across the state and getting those voices together and finding out what the true issues are. While campaigning for office, Degenfelder met with about 45 of the states 48 school districts and superintedents. Every one listed teacher shortages as one of the most pressing issues they are facing, Degenfelder said. Fresh off the campaign trail, I can confidently say that this is a significant issue in Wyoming, she said. The first step for the task force and the Department of Education will be to collect data and on-the-ground information, Degenfelder said, by beginning to piece together the reasons why teachers are leaving the profession, why fewer students are interested in teaching and how the shortages are manifesting across different schools, districts and communities. From there, both can work to come up with potential solutions. But simply understanding Wyomings teacher shortages will itself be a difficult task. The shortages break down to two key problems recruitment and retention, Degenfelder said. How do we get more teachers interested in the field and going into these teacher preparation programs? What are those obstacles for not only our graduates out of high school, but our nontraditional students that might be interested but have roadblocks to be able to take on that four-year traditional college pathway. Thats the recruitment piece, she said. And then, of course, the retention piece [is] how do we make sure that when we have these great teachers that they stay? What are the issues that are pushing them out of the classroom? How do we make sure that they are supported not only with incentives, but also with that professional development [and] mentorship piece. The Teacher Retention and Recruitment Task Force will look to build on the work of initiatives that UW and the Department of Education have already started to begin addressing some of those concerns. Last March, the UW College of Education announced that it was launching the Wyoming Teacher-Mentor Corps, which pairs expert teachers with newly minted teachers and education students to provide their support as they are starting out. Then a week ago, the College of Education announced it would create the UW Master Educator Competency Program, which would transform training and professional development for teachers by focusing on competencies and skill-building targeted to their individual needs. The Department of Education and Professional Teaching Standards Board are also beginning the pilots for its Wyoming Teacher Apprenticeship Initiative this year. The program will help school staff with educational experience, such as paraprofessionals, go through teacher preparation and obtain their teaching certification while still working in the classroom. All three programs have been months, if not years, in the making, but the Teacher Retention and Recruitment Task Force will look to have a relatively immediate impact. The Department of Education is aiming for recommendations from the group in June, Degenfelder said. The department can then create an advisory group and build policy suggestions for lawmakers ahead of next years legislative session. But while the Department of Education, teachers and schools can hope for easy and quick solutions, the road ahead will likely be long and require sustained commitment, Degenfelder said. As much as we all want this to be a one-size-fits-all solution and a quick fix, it just isnt. This is going to be a very complicated process, Degenfelder said. We know every school district in the state has different challenges and thats why weve really got to look at it holistically and work across the state to find out what those challenges are. Its a very complicated issue. Theres not a one-size-fits-all solution. But we will leave no rock unturned, she said. CHEYENNE The House Revenue Committee killed a second bill that would have repealed obscenity promotion exceptions for educational institutions, libraries and museums. Rep. Jeanette Ward, R-Casper, sponsored House Bill 87, which was an exact replica of a bill filed by Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle, after a proposed amendment passed removing child pornography definition additions. Steinmetz requested her bill be pulled after hearing testimony on Wednesday in the Senate Education Committee, making Wards bill the last opportunity for legislation this year. The purpose of the bills was to repeal exceptions for any person who produced, reproduced, possessed or disseminated obscene material as part of bona fide school, college, university, museum or public library activities, or in the course of employment of such an organization. This would place individuals previously protected under Wyoming law at risk of a criminal penalty such as a fine of up to $1,000, a year in jail, or both for promoting obscenity to an adult, as well as up to a $6,000 fine, a year in jail or both for each violation if obscene materials were promoted to a minor. My bill will likely raise concerns from the education community relating to health education classes and historic art classes, Ward said of HB 87. However, it can be argued that no bonafide educational setting should ever be promoting obscenity, and that health and art education can be undertaken without the use of obscene materials. She said she sponsored the bill based on concerns expressed by her constituents, as well as her own experiences as a mother with the school board in Natrona County throughout the past year. She is a member of Moms For Liberty, and they asked the school board to remove obscene books from the libraries. Ward said there were two books they were focused on, but many others that should be removed. The two books, explicitly described male-on-male fellatio, how to work as a sex worker, use sex toys, make porn, polyamory, masturbation and more. The Casper lawmaker said her bill wouldnt usurp local control, but rather give a voice to the most local control of all parents. She believed reasonable people would recognize the literature as obscene, and support not requiring parents and taxpayers to pay for obscenity. I will end my testimony with a quote from Matthew 18:6, she concluded. If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Following her presentation of HB 87, Revenue Committee Chairman Rep. Steve Harshman, R-Casper, split the public testimony in half. He gave 20 minutes each to those in favor of the bill and those against it. Laramie County School District 1 parents and members of the local Moms for Liberty chapter in Cheyenne voiced their support for the legislation, along with Rep. Sarah Penn, R-Lander. They spoke of the need to protect children from sexualization, and emphasized the importance of having a moral ground. They provided descriptions from books that depicted how to use the Grindr app and sex scenes between young adults. Wheres the line in the sand? At what point would we have books that talk about pedophilia? That would appeal to a certain demographic, said LCSD1 parent Kathy Scigliano. What about books that talk about how to make a bomb and blow up your school? That could also appeal to a group of teenagers. How about a book on which gun is better to use and hide under your coat to go shoot up your classroom? She asked why these books would not be acceptable, but other literature in schools discussing blow jobs, anal jobs and even putting a fist inside someone were. Although the school districts mentioned in complaints have been working to review books in the past year, and Natrona County even placed some in a restricted area, stakeholders said it took too long. The argument on the other side of the issue came from college presidents, librarians and the Wyoming Education Association. Many of the same stakeholders who spoke against the bill brought forward by Steinmetz appeared again on Thursday. While no one stood in open support of the books presented by supporters of the bill, arguments were made for local control and to not make employees face criminal charges. We heard some pretty clear examples of things that would probably easily fall into a category of pornography, but it doesnt always get that clear. Even our King James Bible in the Old Testament has passages that could be considered obscene, said Sheridan College President Walt Tribley. So, it is the interpretation of others, particularly when so much emotion is involved, that could be used or directed in an effort to protect children to bring criminal charges to our public servants who are, in the course of their jobs, being seen as delivering obscene material. Other arguments were made that it would stifle sex education and First Amendment rights, and refuse librarians or educators the opportunity to discard obscene materials when found. Members of the committee against the bill also said removing the protection was only opening librarians up to criminal punishment, and that wasnt the intent of the ideological battle. It didnt provide a way to work through addressing obscene materials, and it would apply to universities and museums, not just public schools. However, Rep. Tomi Strock, R-Douglas, pointed out that if there were consequences, the librarians and teachers might be more cautious about what they allow through the filter. This didnt impact the final vote, which was 6-3 against HB 87. Im disappointed and concerned about the direction of this bill, said Rep. Ember Oakley, R-Riverton. As a lifelong Wyoming resident, and family before that, I dont think this represents Wyoming values. I believe a Wyoming value has always been to trust in our leaders, believe in local control and not the big hand of government. As federal pandemic assistance nears its expiration date, Wyoming lawmakers must decide how to spend the states roughly $124 million remaining American Rescue Plan Act dollars. The federal aid package, passed by Congress in 2021, set aside about $500 million in direct pandemic relief for Wyoming. But the state doesnt have much longer to spend it. The money has to be obligated by the end of 2024 and spent by 2026. Lawmakers worked out where most of the money would go during last years legislative session. But about $72 million was never allocated. Another $52 million was allocated last year, but not used. Roughly $2 million of that was originally earmarked for a program under the Wyoming Department of Healths Aging Division, but it didnt end up meeting federal guidelines. The other $45.6 million was set aside for the governors office for general pandemic response, but the office didnt end up using it. This session, lawmakers will have to pass additional legislation to access all that leftover money. House Bill 195, which would introduce amendments to the 2022 ARPA budget, was moved forward Wednesday by the House Appropriations Committee. The budget amendments currently leave about $40 million in federal dollars on the table. More investment in infrastructure As currently written, the ARPA amendments would funnel most of the states remaining relief money into existing infrastructure grants created by last years budget. The Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources would receive an additional $12 million for products, projects and grants, so long as they meet federal ARPA guidelines. The agency got $10 million from last years ARPA budget. Another $30 million would be go to Health and Human Services providers for infrastructure and construction projects. Thats in addition to the $85 million the State Loan and Investment Board got for the grant program in 2022. The board would get another $5 million for a housing infrastructure grant for local governments. Communities would be able to use the money for things like water, sewer and utilities projects. The State Loan and Investment Board got $50 million in ARPA dollars last year for general local government infrastructure grants, but this additional allocation would be specifically for unmet housing needs. Rounding out proposals for additional infrastructure funding is another $30 million earmarked for general water and sewer projects, doubling the original amount allocated to the board in the 2022 budget. New programs The bill devotes additional, much smaller, chunks of the leftover money for programs that werent originally part of the 2022 ARPA budget. The Department of Health would receive $5 million to help restructure its behavioral health system. In 2021 and 2022, the Legislature passed laws that change how the state funds its mental health and substance abuse services changes the department is still in the midst of implementing. Another $4 million would go toward educational, behavioral health, child welfare and delinquency services for kids struggling with things like severe mental health and behavioral issues, and intellectual disabilities. That allocation would be overseen by the Department of Family Services. The bill gives another roughly $2.25 million to the agency to develop a new system for helping people who are looking for work, but are difficult to employ. Meanwhile, the Department of Workforce Services would receive $2 million in ARPA dollars for other workforce programs, including: apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships; healthcare and early childhood workforce programs; assistance for Wyoming residents who dont qualify for other kinds of workforce programs, like people in prison or on parole; and economic development training. What didnt make the cut A previous version of the bill would have given $7.5 million in grants to local governments for memory care providers that help Wyoming residents suffering from mental health diseases like dementia. The House Appropriations Committee voted to slash the funding during Wednesdays meeting, however. There were a handful of other funding proposals unsuccessfully pitched to the Joint Appropriations Committee by Gov. Mark Gordon ahead of the legislative session, including: $7.5 million for healthcare staffing stabilization; $5 million for health provider pandemic relief; $1.125 million for a chronic disease management program; $5.5 million for family resource centers; and $15 million for affordable housing projects. Additional uses for unallocated funding Lawmakers also included language in the bill that would let the Wyoming Supreme Court use any leftover ARPA money originally earmarked for its coronavirus response efforts for the study and planning of diversion programs for defendants with mental illnesses and substance abuse problems. Another amendment would allow money leftover after the completion of ARPA-funded projects to be rerouted to the states Water Development Commission to help fund ongoing construction on the Goshen irrigation districts tunnels. The difficulties that college and university administrators from California to Massachusetts have faced over the past 30 years in protecting their students from harassment, within the context of Americas constitutional commitment to freedom of speech, were brought center stage once more in December of 2022 at the University of Wyoming where a church elder was banned from the student union for harassing an LGBTQ student by name. This most recent controversy was initiated on Dec. 2, when Todd Schmidt, an elder with the Laramie Faith Community Church, displayed a prominent sign on a table inside the student union that stated: God created man and woman and [students name] is a man. The student referenced is a transgendered female. University officials asked Schmidt to remove the name of the student and he complied. Schmidt was subsequently suspended from exercising tabling privileges in the student union for one year. University of Wyoming President Ed Seidel said that Schmidt had violated the universitys policy prohibiting discrimination and harassment. President Seidel stated: While freedom of expression is cherished on this campus and across this nation, a line was crossed when a student was harassed by name. This is something we will not tolerate on this campus, and this action speaks to that key principle to which we adhere at UW. We do not tolerate harassment of any student or any university community member. The universitys policy provides that language or actions that discriminate or harass the above (protected) groups will not be tolerated, and that all individuals tabling, whether UW affiliated or not, are expected to bring their views in a respectful and civil manner. The UW Dean of Students informed Schmidt in a Dec. 7 letter that his tabling privileges were being suspended because he used language targeting a specific student in a protected class. President Seidels suspension of Schmidt from the student union likely violated Schmidts First Amendment right of freedom of speech. Seidels instinct to protect his students from harassment, however noble, conflicted with the law governing a public forum, which precludes governmental entities, including universities, from practicing viewpoint discrimination. Another problem that arises is that the policys emphasis on language that is respectful and civil is likely to be viewed as unconstitutionally vague, a legal deficiency because it allows those in positions of authority too much latitude in determining the scope of the standard, thus permitting enforcement of the standard in a way that encourages viewpoint discrimination. These problems, which led to the cratering of similar policies and codes at other distinguished universities, including Stanford, the University of Michigan and the University of Massachusetts, beginning in the 1990s, reflect good-faith intentions which, nonetheless, run afoul of legal prohibitions. Those policies, historically speaking, have sought to protect minorities and others underrepresented in society, those, in other words, that are most vulnerable to racial epithets and various disparaging remarks. Stanford University, for example, adopted a code that prohibited harassment by personal vilification, when it aimed to stigmatize an individual or small number of persons based on their sex, race, color, handicap, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin. These policies, however, have failed legal tests, which creates frustration among administrators, professors and students because, after all, a university represents a setting for students to engage in rigorous study, protected against speech and conduct that would interfere with their pursuit of learning. Alas, colleges and universities are not simply protective sanctuaries but, indeed, resemble much of the rest of the world, where terrible beliefs, disparaging remarks, bigotry and racism are in full sprint. What is the remedy for students, and others, at the University of Wyoming who fundamentally disagree with what the church elder has said or, for that matter, what anyone has said? Justice Louis Brandeis, one of Americas greatest champions of freedom of speech, explained in his landmark opinion in Whitney v. California (1927), the rationale for protecting obnoxious speech: Discussion affords ordinarily adequate protection against the dissemination of noxious doctrine. The remedy for speech we dont like, he wrote, is more speech. In his words, speech should be made to counteract speech. Students at the University of Wyoming, and those at other universities have learned, or shortly will learn, that freedom of speech is a powerful tool to be exercised to expose impoverished opinions and ideas with which they disagree, whether social, political or religious in nature. Offensive speech, whether delivered by a politician, minister or fellow student, is ripe for response. Students can sharpen their analytical skills by listening closely to the views and ideas that they find objectionable, discerning the false assertions, doctrinal weaknesses, contradictions and indefensible propositions of the speaker, and strengthen their own powers of persuasion in the preparation of their replies. There is, in the availability of a public forum, such as that established in the student union at the University of Wyoming, an opportunity one to be seized by energetic students to correct the record and promote ones own views and ideals. The answer to objectionable speech is not to silence the speaker, for that serves only to create a martyr for the principle of free speech. The far better response, as Justice Brandeis explained, is more speech speech to counteract speech. Imagine learning about Christopher Columbus but not being able to talk about the experiences of the Indigenous people already living on the land. Or being a high school history teacher and not being allowed to use terms like systemic racism to teach about slavery and its long-lasting impacts that perpetuate discrimination for Black people today. In some states across the country, this isnt just a hypothetical situation. Its happening. Over the past year, there has been a wave of state-based efforts to restrict the teaching of so-called divisive concepts. This nationwide push is part of a concerted and coordinated effort to limit teacher and student rights, free speech and block the discussion of racial justice issues in classrooms. At least a dozen states, including Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, have taken state-level action or passed legislation to ban critical race theory, a high-level academic framework mostly used by legal scholars to examine how policies and laws perpetuate systemic racism. Its happening in Wyoming, too, with Senate File 130. What was once a highly specialized concept, critical race theory is now a catchall term for any discussion of race or gender or topics that make some people uncomfortable. Lawmakers claim that teachers are teaching about these topics in ways that sow division among students and are contrary to the unity of the nation. They say that limits on honest discussions about race prevent the political indoctrination of students. What these limits really do, however, is rob young people of an opportunity to learn an inclusive and complete history. Many will interpret limits or restrictions on critical race theory to mean a ban on discussing or raising issues of race or gender in the classroom at all. Preventing discussions like this is an affront to free speech, a value that should be held in the highest regard. As a matter of fact, its our right. The First Amendment protects the right to share ideas, including the right of listeners to receive information and knowledge. Anything less is classroom censorship, plain and simple. Education is a tool of empowerment put to its highest use when teachers and students are given the full scope of their constitutional rights to engage in comprehensive, meaningful and sometimes difficult conversations. But when Wyoming state officials try to impose curriculum restrictions like this, thats threatened. Bills like Senate File 130 dont just set back progress in addressing systemic issues, but also robs young people of an inclusive education and blatantly suppresses speech about race for the sake of comfort for a few. Teaching students about American history without examining its contradictions and failures leaves students ignorant of their countrys full story. Having the opportunity to learn and talk about the history and cultures of Indigenous communities, people of color, LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit people, and other marginalized communities benefits all students. When you attempt to censor the truth, you open the door to dangerous false narratives about the past and can create education environments that are inequitable, particularly for students of color. The ability to discuss and debate ideas, even those that some find uncomfortable, is a crucial part of our democracy. Lets not censor Wyoming classrooms. Telecoms provider Flow will increase prices next month. In a notice to its customers on Wednesday, Flow said the 3.5-per cent increase in its Internet and cable packages will come into effect on May 1. Another notice was sent to customers with multiple cable boxes via e-mail on Wednesday. WINDHOEK, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Namibia on Thursday relaunched a revamped scheme to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) faced with challenging economic conditions. The scheme, titled SME Economic Recovery Scheme, was jointly unveiled by the Bank of Namibia, the country's central bank, and the Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises at an event held in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. It is an offshoot of the initial COVID-19 SME Loan scheme that was previously launched two years ago but failed to deliver its intended outcome. The Bank of Namibia Governor Johannes Gawaxab said at the launch that a total loan amount of 500 million Namibia dollars (about 29.36 million U.S. dollars) was availed through the COVID-19 SME Loan scheme accessible to SMEs via participating banking institutions. "However, since the scheme's inception, only a total of 6.4 million Namibia dollars was utilized for this purpose, despite the pleas from SMEs to access financing," he said. The revamped scheme is designed to be more inclusive and accommodating and provide general support to this vital sector that is not merely limited to addressing the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gawaxab said. "As we navigate our way back to economic recovery and sustainable economic development after COVID-19, the relaunch of the scheme in its modified form is both timely and appropriate," he stressed. Speaking at the launch, Finance Ministry's Deputy Minister Maureen Hinda-Mbuende said the revamped scheme is testimony to what can be achieved when different segments of society join hands and work together. According to Hinda-Mbuende, the relaunch marks a key milestone, but the ultimate work in the form of implementation is only just starting. Meanwhile, Gawaxab said placing Namibia on a sustained path of revival required collective and extraordinary efforts, including a rejuvenated SME sector that is crucial to collective success. "SMEs play a vital role in any nation's economic advancement and employment creation, as they are the economy and job creation's lifeblood," he said. According to data from the World Bank, SMEs represent around 90 percent of businesses and more than 50 percent of employment worldwide, with these figures being even more pronounced for developing economies. NATIONAL Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds said the Government has no intention of calling a state of emergency in response to the escalation of crime, especially murders in Trinidad and Tobago. And he also put to rest calls for him to devise a crime plan, saying it is not his job. TUSDs superintendent says there is no evidence any confidential information of employees or students was taken, extracted, stolen in a ransomware attack that blocked the districts internet and network services. If that changes, Tucson Unified School District will promptly inform employees and parents, Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo said Thursday in his first media briefing since the attack occurred early Monday morning. Trujillo said the districts current information comes from a team of cyber forensic experts that is helping the district investigate the attack. Some of the student information in the districts system includes grades, discipline, attendance and health histories, while employee information includes banking, Social Security numbers, addresses and telephone numbers, he said. He said the district provided its employees with resources and information to contact credit bureaus so they can take steps necessary to monitor their respective personal, credit and financial information. It may be a few more days before the district achieves full restoration of major systems that were rendered inaccessible to TUSD employees by the cyberattack, Trujillo said. He did not give an estimated timeline for recovering those services. TUSD, the largest school district in Pima County, has more than 7,000 employees and serves about 42,000 students. Trujillo said employees became aware of the attack when they received a ransom note that came through thousands of printers across the district. He confirmed the note came from Royal, a type of ransomware that has been known to conduct cyberattacks worldwide. The attackers hack into the victims network, lock the data in an unusable format, and demand a ransom to restore access to the sensitive information, according to the Australian Cyber Security Centre. A photo circulating on social media among TUSD students showed a message that came through the districts printers Monday, in which Royal threatened to leak the districts data online if a modest royalty is not paid. Asked if TUSD plans to pay a ransom to regain full system use, Trujillo said: Due to the ongoing investigation, Im not going to offer any further commentary on prospective ransoms or a balance of money or the districts next actions. He said the costs of remediation, recovery and assistance of all experts involved in the investigation are being covered by the districts insurance policy with the Arizona School Risk and Retention Trust. Security issues Trujillo declined to say how the attackers managed to hack into the districts systems, noting that he did not want to tip hackers off to any loopholes. As first reported by The Arizona Republic, the state auditor general conducted an audit of the school district in 2018. The report concluded the district needed to address security of its computer systems, saying TUSD was exposed to an increased risk of unauthorized access to sensitive information and data loss. Auditors also recommended the district create a stronger IT contingency plan in case of a system failure. Blaine Young, the districts chief technological officer, said TUSD has improved its computer systems security since then, through measures such as strengthening passwords and disabling employees credentials as soon as they depart from the district to ensure they no longer have access to the network. He added that the district also had what he believes is a strong, rigorous plan for recovery in case of failure, which was tested previously and is being used to address the current breach. Asked if campus security features, such as keyless entryways, had been compromised due to the lack of internet and network access, Young said security systems are all functioning as they should. Education continues Trujillo said TUSD is also working to ensure teachers and students have the education resources and tools they need. We are proud to have kept our schools open and running in the face of this unconscionable act against our community, he said. Xristian Berry, a 15-year-old sophomore at Pueblo High School, said classes this week were a bit funky because no one expected a districtwide WiFi outage, but his teachers have made things flow smoothly for the students. Its really about how efficiently our teachers have been switching because they have been doing really good, so weve still been on track for the most part, he said. My second period teacher, for example, put all her lessons on a flash drive and then brought it to the school like that, he said of his advanced placement world history class. As for the students, Berry said, they all pushed their laptops to the side and were working with the old-fashioned paper and pencil. He said the outage also affected their ability to log into their StudentVUE accounts, where they can access things like grades and assignments. Thats really nerve-wracking, at least for me. Im very high-priority when it comes to grades and (StudentVUE) keeps track of what youre missing and what youve turned in, and Im very forgetful, he said. Julian Herrera, a TUSD parent whose two daughters also attend Pueblo High School, said he lost access to ParentVUE, where he can look at their attendance and grades, and sign volunteer or parental forms when necessary for school activities. Fortunately, he said, his daughters teachers were also able to adapt quickly to the lack of technological resources. His daughters hadnt noticed much of a difference other than taking notes by hand, he said. Theres a lot of challenges for different reasons and this is just one more of those, Herrera said. Good teachers are prepared for that, and what my kids have experienced kind of solidifies that notion. He added that he wasnt too concerned about his daughters personal information being potentially compromised during this cyber attack, as he feels confident he took the proper steps to protect their information beforehand. I monitor our credit reports all the time. I bought credit recovery insurance because its one of those things that no matter what security measures are in place by any organization, everything is vulnerable, Herrera said. And while everything has been continuing smoothly for his daughters so far, he said hes curious to see how things will unfold if the internet and network services outage continues several more weeks. I think the teachers are able to adjust enough but if it becomes more long term, its going to be more difficult to manage, Herrera said. The cities of Tucson and South Tucson are seeking comments from the community on the early stages of a strategic plan for a transit line connecting Tucson International Airport and the Tucson Mall through downtown. Residents have until Feb. 15 to offer their input on the draft report from Phase I of the planning process. Plans for the future, 15-mile-long, north-south corridor known as Tucson Norte-Sur focus not only on transit but on walkability, housing density and affordability in the neighborhoods up to a mile on either side of the route. This marks the citys first large-scale foray into whats known as Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (or eTOD for short), a proactive approach to transportation planning that also seeks to address housing equity. The focus on equitability helps ensure that a development serves the needs of existing residents, particularly those most vulnerable, and safeguards against their displacement. Cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Vancouver, Washington, have adopted similar principles through grant programs and voter-approved measures. The pandemic magnified the need to prioritize affordable housing within the plan, said Ian Sansom, eTOD project manager with the city . As a result, the grant thats helping to pay for the work was adjusted to reflect the urgency. Cities around the country are experiencing an affordable housing crisis following the pandemic, and the Tucson Norte-Sur plan is hoping to get ahead of this, Sansom said. While the Tucson Norte-Sur plan cannot dictate what type of investment will come to the corridor, planners have been working with the citys Housing and Community Development Department to explore what tools are available to curb a resulting rise in rent and property costs. Purchasing land within the corridor is one possible option. Rapid transit Move Tucson, Tucsons city-wide transportation master plan, identified the Tucson Norte-Sur corridor as a priority for high-capacity transit, with options including more buses, a streetcar or even light rail. The transit line would connect the Tohono Tadai Transit Center at the Tucson Mall to the Ronstadt Transit Center and the Amtrak Station downtown, then extend south from there to the airport. Construction could be as much as a decade away, but the project would directly link the citys southside and northside via rapid transit for the first time. Beyond improved mobility, the strategic plan for the corridor needs to prioritize rent stabilization and other economic initiatives that protect and empower existing small business owners in the study area, according to Selina Barajas, a South Tucson native and lead community ambassador for the plan . She noted that a high percentage of South Tucson residents pay rent, whether its commercial or residential. Community engagement efforts so far show community members are most interested in fast, reliable public transportation, walkability and bike-ability, housing affordability and issues of gentrification and displacement. Though the Tucson Norte-Sur website explicitly states that the eTOD planning process will not determine the specific type of transit to be used, Sansom said rapid is the operative word. Whether by bus or by rail, he said, that means transit-only lanes, real-time arrival, express lines and fewer stops. Barajas compared Oracle Road and other long streets in the study area to veins of the city. Some of the bus routes there the 18 bus that goes down Oracle, as well as the 16 and the 19 already have some of the highest ridership in Tucson. The draft report for Phase I of the Tucson Norte-Sur planning effort is over 100 pages long, and Sansom acknowledged that it can be difficult to get residents to engage with a document of this size and detail. One of the biggest challenges is distilling it down so that it is relatable to a broad group of people, because we want to make it interesting and understandable, he said. I think our goal is to try and do that in the executive summary and to have visuals. You could use the table of contents to focus on what youre interested in. Outreach ongoing Sansom said the team has already collected vast amounts of data and feedback, thanks to more than a dozen community ambassadors who completed approximately 150 hours of outreach within the study area neighborhoods. Thats been one unique aspect of Tucson Norte-Surs engagement strategy so far: Instead of inviting community members to a few open houses at central locations, the planning team has actively come to them. Because many of the ambassadors actually live in the study area, they know where to find residents and what topics might be important to them. And to reach as many different people as possible, the community ambassadors canvassed 70 small businesses, organized community conversations and staged pop-up outreach events in high foot-traffic areas. And the outreach is far from over. Barajas said she wants to have more conversations about the e in eTOD. Its important to understand how the community defines equitable, especially in parts of Tucson and South Tucson that historically have experienced divestment. By having an honest dialogue with people not just collecting census data from them she hopes community members along the transit corridor can have their voices heard and prioritized on topics such as rising rents and gentrification. She said it is crucial for residents and business owners to provide their input before the real planning starts. They need to have a seat at the table. I want to see this community thrive, fully thrive with ownership. Not everybody has enough equity to purchase property, but they are still stakeholders and should guide the narrative, Barajas said. It has to be the community that speaks for these streets. So lets hear their concerns, figure out a solution and leverage our options and opportunities. A Tucson Democratic legislator is lashing out at Republicans, calling them childish for not entering into budget negotiations. Republicans respond that theyve tried to talk but have been rejected by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and Dem legislative leaders. The comments by the House minority leader, Rep. Andres Cano of the west side Legislative District 20, came as Republicans are passing their own budget without Democratic input. That GOP budget is sure to be vetoed by Hobbs, Cano said. Instead of having a robust debate about the path ahead, Republicans are living in an alternate reality where they and only they still have the last word, Cano said in a video posted Wednesday. He said hes not willing to talk with Republicans until they move past the budget theyre passing. That GOP budget, he alleged, is part of a pattern of disrespect toward Hobbs, starting with the fact that they announced it the night before the governor presented her budget proposal. Arizonans want us to work together, Cano said via text message Thursday. The GOP is behaving like children because they no longer control the 9th floor (the governors office). Were not going to empower their tantrums. Republicans have said they were the ones disrespected by Hobbs. Rep. David Livingston, chair of the House appropriations committee, likened Hobbs budget to poking the bear. In a Jan. 17 hearing, Livingston was particularly offended by the fact that Hobbs budgeted eliminated line items for the so-called freedom schools at the states three public universities. The one at the University of Arizona is the Center for the Philosophy of Freedom. My members took it strictly as, lets poke them in the eye on something they care about and take that away, Livingston said that day. On Wednesday, he said Ive reached out to the Democratic leadership team of this House to talk to the leadership about the budget. They denied me that. I have tried. They said no. I have reached out to the governors staff to do exactly the same thing, and they said no. He said the Legislature will send a budget, approved by Republicans only, to Hobbs next week. She can sign it or veto it as she wishes. The conflict threatens to get broader. On Thursday, State Senate President Warren Petersen appointed a committee to consider the qualifications of Hobbs nominees for agency directors, suggesting the confirmation process may become a lever in the broader political struggle. New party chairs in Pima County Both the Republican and Democratic party organizations in Pima County have new chairs. In December, the Democrats elected Eric Robbins, 57, a middle school math teacher with a masters in business administration from the UAs Eller College of Management. He replaces Bonnie Heidler, who served one term before stepping down. He said Thursday he began getting active in the party at the legislative district level before the 2016 election. The party, Robbins said, has work to do to get all the LDs at the same level of operational excellence. He also hopes to ensure county Democrats are competing in every election. Theres no election thats too small, Robbins said. Thats also an important challenge for Dave Smith, the new Pima County GOP Chair. Smith, 70, said he worked as a Tucson Police Department officer in the late 1970s, before transferring to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. In the Tucson area lately, Its been sort of a one-sided argument, Smith said, referring to the domination of the Democratic Party. I think Tucson needs us to be representing our perspective on things, Smith said. Id like to not just grow the party but win some local elections, or at least be competitive. He said he expects the Republicans to run at least one candidate in this years Tucson city elections, in which the mayor and three council members will be chosen. Ciscomani to deliver big speech U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani, newly elected to Congress from Southern Arizonas sixth congressional district, will deliver a speech to the nation after the State of the Union. Pres. Joe Biden will deliver the annual State of the Union speech on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Ciscomani, a freshman rep, will give the GOPs response in Spanish afterward. Ciscomani, a Tucson Republican, said in a statement: My message will be simple and straightforward: the American Dream is a dream worth fighting for. The people of my district in Arizona and Americans across our country want accountability, responsibility and sensibility restored in our nations capital. I-10 expansion issue still brewing Arizona officials are still stinging from the federal governments rejection of an application for money to expand Interstate 10, but they are starting to move forward. State Sen. T.J. Shope and Rep. Teresa Martinez, both Republicans from Pinal County, criticized the federal decision and have introduced bills that would put $360 million in state money toward expanding the interstate, in the crowded, two-lane stretch between Chandler and Casa Grande. The Senate transportation committee passed the bill unanimously Jan. 18. Arizonas U.S. senators, Democrat Mark Kelly and independent Kyrsten Sinema, also penned a letter to the federal Transporation Department Thursday, asking for a meeting to learn why the project was passed over in this years round of funding requests. Photos: Saguaro National Park through the years Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Ha:san Bak, Saguaro cactus fruit harvest Ha:san Bak, Saguaro cactus fruit harvest Ha:san Bak, Saguaro cactus fruit harvest Ha:san Bak, Saguaro cactus fruit harvest Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park PHOENIX The Arizona Republican Party is making a last-ditch effort to get a court to do what lawmakers have so far refused: Kill on-demand early voting in the state. Attorney Alexander Kolodin is trying to get the state Supreme Court to rule that letting people fill out their ballots at their their kitchen tables or anywhere else runs afoul of a constitutional provision that requires secrecy in voting shall be preserved. Kolodin does not dispute that people voting from home have the ability to conceal their choices from anyone else. But that, he said, is not enough. The Legislature must also enact procedures by which voters are unable to mark their ballots in the presence of others even if individual voters desire to waive the secrecy of their own ballots, Kolodin told the justices. He made similar arguments to both a trial judge and, when that failed, to the state Court of Appeals which was no more sympathetic. Now, the states high court is his only remaining remedy. Arizona has had some form of early voting almost since the first days of statehood. Just six years after the state constitution and its requirement for voting in secret was adopted lawmakers allowed some people who could not get to the polls, mostly those in the military, an opportunity to vote early. Subsequent measures expanded early voting, applying it to those who would be out of their voting precinct and those who were 65 and older. The GOP had challenged these but gave up. What remains is a 1991 law that permits anyone to request an early ballot, with no requirement to provide an excuse. The practice was instituted in 1992 and continues to this day. But it has only been since the 2020 election and claims made by Donald Trump about voting by mail being an opportunity for fraud that Republicans are having second thoughts. That same theme was repeated this past election, with both gubernatorial hopeful Kari Lake and Mark Finchem, running for secretary of state, suggesting that unrestricted mail-in voting was ripe for abuse. It was during that campaign the state party filed suit. A trial judge threw out the case. Kolodin had no better luck at the Court of Appeals which ruled earlier this year that there are sufficient safeguards built into Arizona law to ensure that each voters choices are kept confidential as the Arizona Constitution requires. In his petition to the Supreme Court, Kolodin said the lower court judges were missing the point. Both courts failed to recognize that, in order to preserve secrecy, it is not enough for the Legislature to merely direct voters to fill out their ballots in secret, he said. Whats needed, Kolodin said, is an assurance that marking the ballots in secret is the only way they can be filled out. What that requires, Kolodin contends is something like a restricted zone to be secured around the mail-in voter or the presence of an election official to ensure voters are not only able to but must mark their ballots in secrecy. And that, he said, means being able to do so freely. The statutes fail to preserve secrecy, meaning that voters can still be coerced, intimidated, or bribed to vote a certain way, Kolodin said. Where that cant occur, he said, is at polling places, where individuals are protected by everything from a 75-foot perimeter to keep out those who are not voting to areas where they can fill out their ballots in secret, with no one looking over their shoulder to see who they support. And Kolodin said this state-mandated zone of protection which by definition cannot occur when people fill out ballots elsewhere is necessary. Many voters are simply unable to protect themselves and can only vote freely in a system where they are not forced (e.g. in the case of domestic violence) to request a mail-in ballot only to be coerced and intimidated to vote in a certain way when marking their ballots, he said. But Judge Cynthia Bailey, writing for the unanimous three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals, rejected the argument that the framers of the constitution wanted any sort of restricted zone around voters. The Secrecy Clauses meaning is clear: When providing for voting by ballot or any other method, the legislature must uphold voters ability to conceal their choices, she wrote. The constitution does not mandate any particular method for preserving secrecy in voting. And Bailey had another point. She said the Legislature is free to adopt the more stringent requirements that the state GOP wants. But it is not constitutionally required to do so, Bailey said. Several proposals were introduced in the 2022 legislative session to do just that. But none of them even got a hearing. There are no measures advancing so far this session. The Supreme Court has set no date to consider Kolodins arguments. WASHINGTON The Republican-led House voted after raucous debate Thursday to oust Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from the chambers Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her anti-Israel comments and in a dramatic response to Democrats last session booting far-right GOP lawmakers over incendiary remarks. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was able to solidify Republican support against the Somali-born Muslim in the new Congress although some GOP lawmakers expressed reservations. Removal of lawmakers from House committees was essentially unprecedented until the Democratic ousters two years ago of hard-right Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona. The 218-211 vote along party lines came after a heated debate in which Democrats accused the GOP of targeting Omar based on her race. Omar defended herself, asking if anyone was surprised she was being targeted because when you push power, power pushes back. Democratic colleagues hugged her during the vote. My voice will get louder and stronger, and my leadership will be celebrated around the world, Omar said in a closing speech. Republicans focused on six statements Omar made that under the totality of the circumstances, disqualify her from serving on the Committee of Foreign Affairs, said Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, the incoming chairman of the House Ethics Committee. All members, both Republicans and Democrats alike who seek to serve on Foreign Affairs, should be held to the highest standard of conduct due to the international sensitivity and national security concerns under the jurisdiction of this committee, Guest said. The resolution proposed by Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, a former official in the Trump administration, declared, Omars comments have brought dishonor to the House of Representatives. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Omar has made mistakes and used antisemitic tropes condemned by House Democrats four years ago. But thats not what Thursdays vote was about, he said, Its about political revenge. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., went further, referring to the Sept. 11, 2001, attack as she called the GOPs action part of one of the disgusting legacies after 9/11: the targeting and racism against Muslim-Americans throughout the United States of America. And this is an extension of that legacy. She added, This is about targeting women of color. McCarthy denied the decision was a tit-for-tat after the Greene and Gosar removals under Democrats, though he warned in late 2021 that such a response might be expected if Republicans won back the House majority. He noted Omar can remain on other panels, just not Foreign Affairs, after her anti-Israel comments. Democrats rallied Thursday in Omars defense. This clearly isnt about what Ilhan Omar said as much as who she is being a smart, outspoken Black woman of the Muslim faith is apparently the issue, said Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis. Black, Latino and progressive lawmakers in particular spoke of her unique voice in the House and criticized Republicans for what they called a racist attack. Racist gaslighting, said Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo. A revenge resolution, said Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, chair of the progressive caucus. Its so painful to watch, said Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., who joined Congress with Omar as the first two female Muslims elected to the House. To Congresswoman Omar, I am so sorry that our country is failing you today through this chamber, Tlaib said through tears. You belong on that committee. Omar was the first to wear a hijab in the House chamber after floor rules were changed to allow members to wear head coverings for religious reasons. She quickly generated controversy after joining Congress in 2019 with a pair of tweets that suggested lawmakers who supported Israel were motivated by money. In the first, she criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. Its all about the Benjamins baby, she wrote, invoking slang about $100 bills. Asked on Twitter who she thought was paying members of Congress to support Israel, Omar responded, AIPAC! In a May 2021 tweet, she made reference to Israel as an apartheid state over its treatment of Palestinians. Omars remarks sparked a public rebuke from then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats who made clear that she had overstepped. We have to always be willing to step back and think through criticism, just as I expect people to hear me when others attack me about my identity, Omar tweeted. This is why I unequivocally apologize. McCarthy blocked Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, both California Democrats, from rejoining the House Intelligence Committee once the GOP took control of the chamber in January, but the action on Omar required a House vote. Several Republicans skeptical of removing Omar wanted due process for lawmakers who face removal. McCarthy said he told them he would work with Democrats on creating a due process system, but acknowledged its still a work in progress. One Republican, Rep. David Joyce of Ohio, voted present. A brutal blast of dangerously cold winds is expected to sweep across the Northeast and New England on Friday, prompting officials to close schools and activate emergency plans as the region braces for record-breaking sub-zero temperatures. Frigid air feeling as cold as 32 degrees Fahrenheit below zero across much of the region will be combined with gusty winds, a nasty double-whammy that could lead to frostbite in as little as 10 minutes in some areas. "Temperatures in most regions will likely have their highest temperatures of the day before sunrise as temperatures will fall throughout the day Friday. Strong winds will bring dangerously cold temperatures, with the peak of the cold in the Northeast occurring late Friday to Saturday morning," CNN Meteorologist Taylor Ward said. The severe cold has put more than 15 million people in the region under wind chill warnings or advisories. Wind chill indicates how cold the air may feel, and the weather service issues such warnings when winds are expected to feel as cold as 25 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. The cold spell is expected to begin subsiding by Sunday when temperatures will likely rise again. In the meantime, officials across several states have begun imploring residents to stay indoors and have ramped up warming center efforts to accommodate some of the most vulnerable to the cold. Schools in Buffalo, New York, and at least three districts in Massachusetts decided to cancel classes Friday as a precautionary measure for students and staff's safety. The city of Boston is also under a cold emergency Friday through Sunday. "With extreme weather conditions and many of our students commuting to and from school, walking and waiting for public transportation outdoors, we have made the decision to close for the day," Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper said in a statement. Officials in New York's Erie County -- home to Buffalo -- issued a code blue, which allows for those experiencing homelessness to seek shelter overnight when temperatures plummet below 32 degrees. In addition to opening three overnight shelters in the county, there are also daytime warming centers available. The extreme cold is moving in on Buffalo weeks after blizzard conditions wreaked havoc on Erie County during Christmas weekend, killing least 39 people. The South is also struggling with a deadly ice storm that made road conditions miserable this week, claiming the lives of at least eight people in two states. "Please dress appropriately and don't go out for extended periods in order to avoid frostbite or hypothermia," Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said online. In surrounding states, warming centers are expected to be available in Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Vermont, officials said. What to expect this weekend All of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut are under wind chill alerts. Northern New Jersey, northeast Pennsylvania and much of New York state outside of New York City and Long Island are also under wind chill threat. "Very dangerous wind chills are likely and widespread wind chill warnings and advisories are already in effect for all of New England and parts of the Northeast," the National Weather Service said Thursday. "The potential exists for numerous record low temperatures Saturday morning." Maine will likely bear the brunt of the storm in terms of longevity as well as severity at times, with more than 70,000 people in the northern portion of the state under blizzard warnings, according to the National Weather Service. "Extreme cold and wind producing dangerously low wind chills Friday into Saturday. Blizzard conditions in blowing snow across open areas," the National Weather Service in Caribou, Maine, said. Here's what else is forecast in places with wind chill warnings: Bangor, Maine: Temperatures will begin dropping after midnight Friday and reach their lowest of minus 21 degrees Fahrenheit during the early morning hours Saturday. Temperatures will begin dropping after midnight Friday and reach their lowest of minus 21 degrees Fahrenheit during the early morning hours Saturday. Boston: The winds will feel as cold as 32 degrees Fahrenheit below zero, with below-zero temperatures lasting from Friday night through Saturday morning. The winds will feel as cold as 32 degrees Fahrenheit below zero, with below-zero temperatures lasting from Friday night through Saturday morning. Burlington, Vermont: Temperatures will dip to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, with the coldest winds feeling like 41 degrees below zero. Temperatures will dip to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, with the coldest winds feeling like 41 degrees below zero. Manchester, New Hampshire: Temperatures will remain below zero beginning Friday evening into Saturday morning, with the coldest being minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest winds will feel like 40 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. Elsewhere, New York City will see single-digit temperatures, with the coldest at 8 degrees Saturday morning. Winds could feel as low as 7 degrees below zero, with Friday night into Saturday being the coldest period. South still reeling from ice storm Farther south, an ice storm lashed parts of several states including Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee this week. Layers upon layers of ice, sleet and freezing rain over the course of multiple consecutive days made driving conditions life-threatening and snapped many tree branches and limbs that eventually knocked down power lines for tens of thousands. As of early Friday, more than 270,000 homes and businesses in Texas were still without power following the storm. About 60,000 homes and businesses in neighboring Arkansas were also in the dark. The ice storm's impact on roads made for deadly conditions this week. In Oklahoma, two people were killed in separate crashes after they lost control of their trucks on icy roads. And in Texas, three people were killed near Brownfield after a driver of a truck lost control Wednesday morning on an icy part of US Highway 380 and rolled into a ditch. The driver and two of his passengers were killed, the Texas Department of Public Safety said. Another driver died near Eldorado, Texas, after losing control of her truck, the public safety department said. One person was killed in a 10-car pile up in south Austin, the city's fire department said. In Arlington, Texas, one person was killed after their vehicle rolled over, police said. The-CNN-Wire ISLAMABAD, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- In the wake of the recent deadly suicide bombing in Pakistan's northwest Peshawar city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday called for national unity to fight the menace of terrorism. Chairing the Apex Committee meeting in Peshawar, convened after the attack on a mosque in the city that killed over 100 people, Sharif said that all the stakeholders should work together against terrorism. "It is the need of the hour that provinces and the center along with the leaderships of political parties take ownership and shun their differences ... We should unite and tackle this (terrorism)," the prime minister said. He said that KP province recently witnessed a fresh spate of terror incidents, and therefore needed capacity-building of its security departments, adding that maximum support will be provided to the counter-terrorism department of KP police to strengthen its capabilities to combat terrorism. "In the recent attack in Peshawar, the terrorist managed to breach the security check post and reach the mosque. We should not feel hesitant in admitting the facts and faults ... The occurrence of the incident due to security lapses will be probed," Sharif said. A full-fledged investigation has been launched into the suicide attack, and the culprits behind the terrorist incident would be taken to task soon, he added. The prime minister said that military operations in the past have successfully wiped out terrorism from the country, vowing the Pakistani government would collectively overcome the on-going challenge as well. "Many people have lost their lives confronting terror. Our police and armed forces gave huge sacrifices. Our citizens were on the frontline. Their sacrifices would not be wasted," he said. On Monday, a powerful blast ripped through a crowded mosque in Peshawar, killing at least 100 worshippers and wounding more than 200 others. Pakistani police said they have found a network of terrorists behind the deadly suicide bombing. Frank Grillo stars as Doc, a former special forces operative who resorts to extreme measures when his daughter is abducted, in Tulsa filmmaker John Swabs newest movie, Little Dixie. Shot in the Tulsa area and distributed by Paramount, Little Dixie arrived Feb. 3 and is showingat Circle Cinema in an addition to being available digitally and on demand. Grillo took part in a phone chat with the Tulsa World in conjunction with the films release. You may be a sweetheart, but you are a bad man every time I see you in a John Swab film. Its why I love Swab. Hes unapologetic. He writes characters that are reminiscent of the characters I love from the 60s and 70s, and he does not shy away from most things a lot of filmmakers today are shying away from. John Swab wrote this one with you in mind. Any time anybody thinks of me when they are writing something, I take it very seriously and as soon as I read it you know, John gets me, and he understands what I love about making movies. Its not for everyone. These movies arent for everyone. But I think he just did an extraordinary job with a little bit of time and even less money. What do you love about Doc? I love that Doc is an unapologetic, non-sentimental, get-the-job-done kind of guy. Hes a guy who has had a past with death and killing and immorality. There is no sentiment in what he is doing, aside from when his daughter is in peril and, even then, hes very pragmatic about it. And he knows what he can do and what hes capable of. I love a guy who just doesnt have to say very much. Youve spent a lot of time making movies in Tulsa. I love Tulsa, man. My buddy Jeremy Rosen, who produces these movies, hes just about to buy a house there. Obviously, John lives there. And if I didnt have kids here in L.A., theres a part of me that would pull up ties here and buy a house in Tulsa and make that kind of my main living place. I dig it. Swab drew inspiration from Charles Bronson movies for Little Dixie, and it seems like you have kind of a Charles Bronson feel. You take that as a compli- ment? I do, and its by design. I love Charlie Bronson, and I love what he represented as a man. I personally think, without getting political, that we have gotten away from a lot of that and a lot of guys like that. I kind of love living in that world. I really do. If he keeps writing them, Ill keep doing them. Are there more collaborations with John Swab and Jeremy Rosen on the horizon? I think John and I, as long as we have breath in our bodies, well be working together. Its like whenever you see filmmakers and actors who have long relationships. Its hard to come by. When you are that simpatico with another person, you just keep it going. And John and I plan on doing the same. Federal court is not the place to resolve the legal issue regarding whether the U.S. Supreme Courts McGirt ruling and others prohibit the state of Oklahoma from levying income tax on tribal members who live and work in Indian Country under their tribes jurisdiction, a judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Eric F. Melgren, in a written memorandum and order filed Monday, ruled in favor of the Oklahoma Tax Commission in finding that the federal Tax Injunction Act prohibits him from hearing the case. Accordingly, the (Tax Injunction Act) applies to deprive this court of jurisdiction over the subject matter of plaintiffs instant suit, Melgren, a judge for the federal District of Kansas, wrote in the 17-page ruling filed in Muskogee-based U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The ruling closes a lawsuit brought last year by McAlester residents Harold and Nellie Meashintubby. The Choctaw Nation couple challenged the states right to levy income tax, penalties and interest on them, claiming that they were exempt based on the U.S. Supreme Courts McGirt ruling and subsequent state court decisions. Melgren wrote that the Tax Injunction Act provides that U.S. District Courts shall not enjoin, suspend, or restrain the assessment, levy, or collection of any tax under state law where a plain, speedy, and efficient remedy may be had in the courts of such state. Melgren noted that the Meashintubbys did not dispute that Oklahoma courts offer a plain, speedy and efficient remedy to hear state tax challenges. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver also has repeatedly held that Oklahoma courts provide such remedy for aggrieved taxpayers, Melgren wrote. The Oklahoma Tax Commission declined to comment on the ruling. An attorney for the Meashintubbys could not be reached for comment. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a July 2020 landmark decision that a large area of eastern Oklahoma that was historically part of the Muscogee Nation under an 1833 treaty qualifies as Indian Country because Congress never disestablished the reservation. The ruling came in the case of Jimcy McGirt, a Seminole Nation man whose state child sexual assault convictions and judgments were thrown out based on his claims that the state of Oklahoma did not have jurisdiction to charge him because the Muscogee Nation reservation, where the crimes were committed, still existed. McGirt was subsequently tried and convicted of child sex crimes in federal court, which had legal jurisdiction over him. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals in later rulings applied the same legal logic to five other eastern Oklahoma nations the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Quapaw and Seminole. The ruling this week could impact thousands of Oklahoma Tax Commission protests filed by tribal members seeking relief from state taxes. The Meashintubbys claimed in their lawsuit that they should be exempt from state income taxes because they both live and work within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation reservation. The Choctaw Nation reservation, in southeastern Oklahoma, includes all of Atoka, Choctaw, Haskell, Latimer, LeFlore, McCurtain, Pittsburg and Pushmataha counties and portions of five others. The couples lawsuit challenged two decisions by the Oklahoma Tax Commission that disallowed tribal tax exemptions for their income in 2017 and 2020. In their lawsuit, the couple sought both preliminary and permanent injunctive relief to keep the state from taxing their income; preliminary and injunctive relief preventing the assessment of interest and penalties associated with nonpayment of income tax; a declaratory judgment that the Choctaw reservation is Indian Country for purposes of preempting the state of Oklahoma from taxing the couple; and recovery of tax paid under protest for the tax year 2020. While the Tax Commission didnt address the merits of the couples claims, a September 2020 report by the agency determined that the McGirt ruling expanded the area in which tribal members may live and work to qualify for the exclusion from state taxes. The state is prohibited from imposing tax upon the income of individual members of federally recognized Indian tribes as long as the individual tribal member lives and earns the income from sources within Indian Country under the jurisdiction of the tribe to which the member belongs, the agency said in its 2020 report on the potential impacts of the McGirt ruling. However, the agency has also said in written communications that the expanded tribal reservation boundaries would not impact its administration or enforcement of the states tax laws until a court of competent jurisdiction expands McGirt to apply to administration of taxes. McGirt v. Oklahoma: Supreme Court decision and aftermath June 19, 2022: Power generating company drops McGirt-based challenge to property taxes June 2, 2022: Cherokee Nation drops plan to turn north Tulsa property into a courthouse April 24: Gov. Stitt concerned about what McGirt ruling doesn't say, its far-reaching interpretations April 13, 2022: City can still issue traffic citations to Native citizens March 31, 2022: Gov. Stitt calls McGirt ruling 'preposterous' on Fox News' 'Tucker Carlson Tonight' March 9, 2022: City of Tulsa says McGirt ruling makes tribal members second-class citizens Feb. 23, 2022: Supreme Court won't hear McGirt arguments from state of Oklahoma Feb. 22, 2022: Federal lawsuit challenges Oklahoma's right to tax Native Americans Feb. 7, 2022: Gov. Stitt says Thats not fair' regarding McGirt-related case at State of the State Feb. 2, 2022: 'It is not too late for us to begin anew,' Muscogee Nation Chief says Jan. 22, 2022: Supreme Court lets McGirt ruling stand, will consider letting Oklahoma share jurisdiction Jan. 9, 2022: Most released due to McGirt have been charged either federally or tribally, Tulsa World analysis finds Dec. 14, 2021: Tribal leaders sound off as Stitt seeks change to hunting, fishing license compacts Dec. 12, 2021: Cherokee Nation disputes state's claim McGirt ruling has caused 'chaos' Oct. 28, 2021: Tulsa Indian Affairs Commission asks city to withdraw brief on McGirt Oct. 21, 2021: State appellate court extends McGirt ruling to include Quapaw Nation Sept. 18, 2021: Oklahoma AG asks Supreme Court again to reverse or limit McGirt Aug. 27, 2021: Gov. Kevin Stitt says McGirt legal decision is state's 'most pressing issue' Aug. 26, 2021: Man at center of McGirt landmark legal case sentenced to 3 life sentences Aug. 6, 2021: State asks U.S. Supreme Court to overturn landmark McGirt decision Aug. 1, 2021: U.S. House rejects $154 million for tribal judicial systems July 19, 2021: Gov. Stitt sues federal government July 19, 2021: Osage Nation seeks court affirmation that its reservation also was never disestablished July 13, 2021: Contentious McGirt forum ends early after shout-down from audience July 9, 2021: Cherokee Nation highlights expansion of legal system on anniversary of ruling July 8, 2021: 'McGirt v. Oklahoma Community Impact Forum' set for July 13; tribal leaders irked June 10, 2021: '80s serial rapist's claim he is 'Indian' for criminal jurisdictional purposes rejected May 26, 2021: U.S. Supreme Court signals they could limit ruling May 19, 2021: State-Tribal Litigation Fund bill passes May 17, 2021: How Cherokee Tribal courts are handling the surge in cases May 11, 2021: Oklahoma congressman's bill would allow tribes to compact with state on criminal jurisdiction May 10, 2021: Cherokee, Chickasaw tribal chiefs announce support for federal legislation April 29, 2021: State appeals court overturns two more death sentences April 28, 2021: AG seeks to intervene in case of power plant objecting to property taxes April 15, 2021: Appellate court rejects claims of two who failed to prove ancestry April 14, 2021: Chickasaws question Gov. Stitt's rhetoric about McGirt impact April 9, 2021: Four serving life sentences in state prison to get new trials April 8, 2021: Death-row inmate's state conviction, sentence are in jeopardy April 8, 2021: State appellate court dismisses five more cases on jurisdictional grounds April 6, 2021: Cherokee AG says some cases dismissed by ruling could go unretried April 1, 2021: State appellate court expands McGirt ruling March 31, 2021: 'Fracture' in criminal system created by decision, Tulsa County DA says March 18, 2021: Manslaughter conviction for ex-Tulsa Police officer overturned March 14, 2021: Broken Arrow power plant claims county has no authority to levy property taxes March 11, 2021: Court ruling means hundreds of state criminal cases will be shifted to tribal or federal courts March 11, 2021: Cherokees expanding criminal justice system for larger role March 7, 2021: Former principal chief isn't happy as McGirt decision hits home March 4, 2021: Rogers County judge dismisses over 100 criminal cases Feb. 1, 2021: Gov. Stitt takes on McGirt ruling during State of the State address Jan. 28, 2021: McGirt decision impact on state oil and gas industry examined during OEPA briefing Jan. 23, 2021: Oklahoma governor urges tribes to begin negotiating issues Jan. 15, 2021: Tribes want Congress to allow criminal justice compacts with Oklahoma Jan. 8, 2021: Former Tulsa police officer's double-jeopardy, statute-of-limitations claims denied Jan. 4, 2021: McGirt decision results in record number of criminal federal filings in 2020 Nov. 7, 2020: Federal jury finds McGirt guilty in retrial Oct. 23, 2020: Gov. Stitt panel releases principles for state-tribe relations Oct. 5, 2020: McGirt ruling could have impact on state tax collections Oct. 1, 2020: Attorney General Bill Barr meets with Cherokee Nation leadership, local federal prosecutors Aug. 29, 2020: Man charged in 1990s rapes freed due to McGirt ruling Aug. 14, 2020: McGirt makes federal court appearance in child sex abuse case Aug. 7, 2020: McGirt-related murder cases increase Tulsa federal court's caseload Aug. 1, 2020: Feds file charges against two men whose state convictions were overturned July 29, 2020: Attorneys general for Oklahoma, Cherokee Nation discuss ruling on 'Let's Talk' July 21, 2020: Gov. Stitt forms commission to study impact of decision on state July 20, 2020: Oklahoma AG tracking scores of appeals that could be affected by decision July 17, 2020: Attorney general, tribes reach agreement on jurisdictional issues July 15, 2020: Ruling could affect case of mother charged with killing children July 14, 2020: Homicide in Tulsa 'first real test' of decision July 12, 2020: Decision to have little impact on nontribal residents, TU law professor says July 10, 2020: Tribal law expert calls ruling 'most important' in state history July 9, 2020: U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 decision December 2019: U.S. Supreme Court to hear McGirt v. Oklahoma McGirt v. Oklahoma: Supreme Court decision and aftermath Investigators think a gang dispute led to the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy in Broken Arrow last week, as witnesses reportedly said he was accused of being an informant. Police, who have not identified the juvenile victim, have taken 15-year-old KyLeigh Deon Shaw into custody in connection with his slaying. Officers responded early Jan. 24 to the 1400 block of West Trenton Street, a residential area of Broken Arrow northeast of 51st Street and 145th East Avenue. The victim was found in the street, along with a single .40-caliber shell casing, with a gunshot wound near his left shoulder. He died at a Tulsa hospital. The victims phone was on the ground, police said, and through it they made contact with someone who indicated that the slaying was likely a gang-related execution. The person told investigators that the victim had been accused of being a rat, or informant, and had attempted to prove his innocence using paperwork, according to a probable cause affidavit. The person identified a group of Bloods, Shaw allegedly among them, who reportedly thought the victim was lying. Police said they received an anonymous tip from a witness with detailed knowledge who connected Shaw to the Jan. 24 slaying. The witness reportedly told detectives Shaw used her grandmothers SUV in the shooting and was grounded for stealing it that night. Surveillance video provided by neighbors showed the vehicle in question around the time of the shooting. According to the affidavit, a search of Shaws cellphone turned up messages in which she implicated herself in the shooting. In one of the messages she reportedly said: oklahoma dont care that Im a kid ima get charged as an adult. Cellphone service records reportedly revealed that Shaws phone entered the area of the shooting prior to the event and then left immediately after, the affidavit states. Shaw remains in custody on a charge of first-degree murder. Featured video: After more than an hour in executive session, Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education voted 4-2 Thursday evening to narrow the pool of candidates for the vacant District 2 seat from five to two. The board potentially will appoint either Quinton Brown or Sharita Pratt at its Feb. 13 meeting to fill the vacancy through the 2024 election cycle. The appointment is slated to be listed as an action agenda item, thus making it eligible for public comment. The pair were put forward for advancement as a single motion with yes votes from ELena Ashley, Jerry Griffin, Jennettie Marshall and, after an extended pause, Stacey Woolley. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Brown serves on McLain High Schools foundation and is a member of the schools Parent Teacher Student Association. He is a graduate of McLain High School and Langston University. Pratt is a member of the districts Early Childhood Parent Council and is a master teacher at CAP Tulsa. She is a 2011 graduate of Nathan Hale High School and has one child attending school in the district. The previous District 2 representative, Judith Barba Perez, tendered her resignation on Jan. 9 due to her familys upcoming move out of state. It took effect at the end of the boards Jan. 23 meeting. Under state law, the board had up to 60 days to appoint someone to fill Barba Perezs unexpired term. If members are unable to appoint someone within that time frame, they will have to call for a special election to fill the terms remaining two years. When asked at Thursday nights special meeting, attorney Eric Wade advised the board members that they can vote as many times as needed and wanted within that 60-day window in order to reach a consensus on one candidate. Originally scheduled for Monday, Thursdays meeting was postponed after inclement weather prompted TPS officials to close all district offices for three days. With the board seats based on district boundaries approved in December, schools within District 2 include Emerson, Kendall-Whittier, McKinley, Mitchell, Owen and Sequoyah elementary schools; Unity Learning Academy; Carver Middle School; Booker T. Washington High School; and Will Rogers College Middle and High School. OKLAHOMA CITY A coalition of community, business and law enforcement leaders filed papers with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission this week to oppose State Question 820, the effort to legalize recreational marijuana. Voters go to the polls March 7 to vote on the proposal during a special election. Former Gov. Frank Keating is the chairman of the organization, Protect Our Kids No 820. We simply must protect our children, Keating said. This state question goes well beyond the ballot summary voters will see. Just one example is that hidden inside this question is a clause that expressly lowers the legal threshold for child endangerment. It includes a prohibition on our court system from considering marijuana usage in child custody and visitation cases. These are just a few of the problems. Voters have already legalized medical marijuana. Out-of-control illegal marijuana-growing operations are straining our states utility providers and have brought organized crime and violence to rural areas, said Rodd Moesel, Oklahoma Farm Bureau president and coalition member. He called it reckless to consider expanding marijuana access. Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said the law enforcement community is just starting to get a handle on all the activity around medical marijuana. To go in and pass new laws that further tie the hands of law enforcement could be devastating, he said in a statement. For example, passage of this state question essentially prohibits us from even trying to keep marijuana out of our middle schools and high schools because it sets the punishment for underage use at four hours of counseling, regardless of how many times it is on school grounds. Chip Paul, who worked to get State Question 788, which legalized medical marijuana, on the ballot and passed in 2018, said he doesnt think SQ 820 has the support that some think it has. The measure is poorly written, and he will be opposing it, he said. Pat McFerron, a campaign consultant, said the group hopes to raise money to take out ads in the media and on social media platforms. The group wants to run a full campaign, and every dollar will be spent on educating the public on the issue, he said. We know time is short, so we need everyones help in educating the public about how SQ 820 will further harm our state, Keating said. By searching NO SQ820 you can find our Facebook page and join our coalition. Well have a website and other ways to get engaged soon. Michelle Tilley, campaign director for Oklahomans for Sensible Marijuana Laws, said she had expected opposition. Opposition has popped up in other states that sought to legalize recreational marijuana, she said, adding that Oklahoma voters are pretty wise to scare tactics versus reality. Other states had these same scare tactics, and they have legalized, she said. They have not seen an increase in any underage marijuana use or any negative consequences, like we anticipate the opposition is going to throw out there. Featured video: New study finds smoking cannabis does not contribute to reduced lung function Although its been almost a year since the Russians invaded, the people of Ukraine have not lost the will to fight. And thats especially true for those whose job puts them directly in harms way. The spirit is high and strong. I have never seen fear, said the Rev. Ivan Rusyn, whose wartime efforts include ministering to Ukraines frontline soldiers. They just want to get the job done, and they want to go home. Rusyn, a pastor and seminary president based in Kyiv, will be resuming that work soon, but first hes taking a brief break to visit the U.S. Together with his wife, Luda, it includes a stop in Tulsa this weekend at First Presbyterian Church, where church leaders are inviting the community to come out. Rusyn will speak at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the church, 709 S. Boston Ave. He said his goal is to provide an update on the war and share stories, while saying thank you for financial and spiritual support. He will also participate in the churchs Sunday activities, including preaching at the 11 a.m. service. Rusyn, an ordained minister and president of the Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary in Kyiv, said he doesnt see the war ending anytime soon. We still have a long road ahead of us, he said. We are fighting a giant. Russian forces recently shifted focus to trying to destroy the nations power infrastructure. As a result, a lot of civilians are killed and most Ukrainians are without power for at least half of the day. So its a very tough situation, Rusyn said. Since the first days of the war, Rusyn and a team from the seminary have made regular visits to the troops. It is my privilege, he said, because those guys they are giving their lives for my country, for my life, for my freedom. We bring them greetings from different churches, we encourage them, we pray with them, serve communion for them and spend time with them, he said. Visits also include wounded soldiers in hospitals. We try to support them and demonstrate our deepest, deepest appreciation for their service, he said. Rusyns seminary has also supported relief efforts to civilians. Kyiv has been hit hard, and the seminary itself sustained a direct hit from a missile strike. Fortunately, we were warned by the Ukrainian army that it is dangerous to remain on our campus, Rusyn said. Two days after we left, our campus was shelled, hit by six missiles. Praise God nobody was injured but just damage to buildings and windows. Looking back at the last year, Rusyn said the experience has changed him as a minister and a person. Ive seen the ugliest faces of war and violence. But also Ive seen the most beautiful faces of generosity, support and service. So this war has reshaped my understanding of Gods church mission and many other things. Rusyn said ultimately the war is about identity. There is no space for the Ukrainian identity and language and values under Russian dominion, he said. This is the reason why the fight has to be fought. For us as Ukrainians, we win or die. As for identity, Rusyn has never been more sure of his own, he added. This war made me more Ukrainian than Ive ever been, he said. So I am grateful to God for my country and I am ready to do whatever I can to serve. Hes also grateful for the ongoing support from the United States, and its churches, individuals and government, he said. We feel very awkward when we want to say thank you, Rusyn said. We want to express our gratitude, but we dont know how. Because just to say thank you very much its not enough. But we are moved to tears when we see how the people from the United States care. First Presbyterian officials said the church has taken up a love gift to present to Rusyn to address the needs in his community and have previously donated to the seminary through the Outreach Foundation. Featured video: Weekly jobless claim totals in the state held steady when compared to the previous week, according to a government report. The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday that 1,204 initial claims for unemployment benefits were filed in Oklahoma the week ending Saturday. The total is 11 claims fewer, or a less than 1% decline, when compared to upwardly revised figures from the week ending Jan. 21. First-time jobless claims totals for the week ending Jan. 21 were revised from 1,142 initially to 1,215. Meanwhile, continued jobless claims, or those filed after at least one week of unemployment, increased from a revised total of 10,288 the week ending Jan. 14 to 10,411 claims the week ending Jan. 21 for a 1% weekly increase. Longer-term measures of unemployment claims showed little variability in recent weeks. The four-week moving average of initial claims increased from 1,411 to 1,409 while the four-week moving average of continued claims declined from 10,690 to 10,635. The four-week moving average of initial claims has been in the 1,400s for the past four weeks, while the four-week moving average of continued claims declined for the first time in 10 weeks. Among neighboring states, Oklahoma joined three others Arkansas, Missouri and New Mexico in reporting a decline in weekly jobless claims, while Colorado, Kansas and Texas reported increases. Nationwide, initial jobless claims for the week ending Saturday declined by 3,000 from the previous week to 183,000. Statewide, the jobless rate among the civilian labor force in December was 3.4%, according to seasonally adjusted, preliminary figures. Jobless rates have held steady at 3.4% since October. Both the Tulsa and Oklahoma City metropolitan areas have experienced a decline in the percent of the civilian labor force that were unemployed, according to U.S. Department of Labor figures reported Wednesday. The Tulsa metro area has seen unemployment decline from 3% in November to 2.7% in December. The Oklahoma City metropolitan area reported its unemployment rate decline from 2.8% in November to 2.4% in December. Both Tulsa metro and Oklahoma City metro figures are not seasonally adjusted. Featured video: ISLAMABAD, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan coast guards seized 26.2 kg of narcotics from a 12-year-old boy in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, a statement said on Friday. The coast guards were searching passenger vehicles at a check post when a passenger bus heading to the southern port city of Karachi arrived and its passengers were checked, the statement said. The coast guards discovered narcotics worth 1.69 million U.S. dollars in international market from the boy disguised as a woman, it added. The boy was hiding the narcotics in the vest that he wore under his clothes, the statement said, adding that further investigations are underway. In order to stop smuggling of narcotics from the coast of Pakistan, coast guards have enhanced operations across the province to foil smuggling attempts. OKLAHOMA CITY Animal rights supporters say Oklahoma law enforcement is not doing enough to crack down on illegal cockfighting. On Nov. 5, 2002, voters passed with a 56% to 44% vote State Question 687, which banned cockfighting in the state. But despite that, cockfighting is widespread in Oklahoma, said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and Center for a Humane Economy. The barbaric practice involves putting animals in a pit with razor sharp swords, long knives or curved picks on their legs to maximize blood letting, Pacelle said. Revenue is generated by entry fees and betting, he said. People watch animals die for amusement, Pacelle said, adding that he is deeply disturbed by a lack of enforcement of the law at either the state or the federal level, adding that officials have been provided evidence about the continuing practice. Drew Edmondson, a former district attorney and Oklahoma attorney general, said it is humiliating and distressing to see the blatant law violations in his state. Edmondson is co-chairman of the National Law Enforcement Council of Animal Wellness Action. It is a federal felony to buy, sell, deliver or possess any bird with the intent to engage the bird in a cockfight, and thats clearly what were seeing, Edmondson said. Edmondson said the Legislature should start funding rewards for information and provide commendations for law enforcement agencies that take action. He also said the state should increase the penalties for cockfighting. The group takes issue with House Bill 2530, by Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, which seeks to decriminalize cockfighting. Humphrey could not be reached for comment. Featured video: A Chinese spy balloon has been flying over the United States for a couple of days, U.S. officials said on Thursday, in what would be a brazen act just days ahead of a planned trip to Beijing by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Fighter jets were mobilized, but military leaders advised President Joe Biden against shooting the balloon out of the sky for fear debris could pose a safety threat, advice Biden accepted, U.S. officials said. The United States took "custody" of the balloon when it entered U.S. airspace and had observed it with piloted U.S. military aircraft, one of the officials told reporters on condition of anonymity. Separately, Canada's defense ministry said a "high-altitude surveillance balloon" was detected and that it was monitoring a "potential second incident", without giving further details, adding that it was in frequent contact with the United States. The news initially broke as CIA Director William Burns was speaking at an event at Washingtons Georgetown University, where he called China the "biggest geopolitical challenge" facing the United States. "The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now," Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told reporters. "The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground." Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing was "verifying" the situation. "I would like to emphasize that until the facts are clarified, speculation and hype will not be helpful to the proper resolution of the issue," she told a regular daily briefing in Beijing on Friday, adding that China abides by international law. "China has no intention of violating the land territory and airspace of any sovereign country," Mao said. U.S. officials said they raised the matter with their Chinese counterparts through diplomatic channels. "We have communicated to them the seriousness with which we take this issue," a U.S. official said. One U.S. official said the balloon was assessed to have "limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective." Blinken is expected to travel to China next week for a visit agreed to in November by Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. It was not clear how the discovery of the spy balloon might affect those plans. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said the spy balloon was alarming but not surprising. "The level of espionage aimed at our country by Beijing has grown dramatically more intense & brazen over the last 5 years," Rubio said on Twitter. Republican Senator Tom Cotton called for Blinken to cancel his trip. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would request a "Gang of Eight" briefing, referring to a classified national security briefing for congressional leaders and Republican and Democratic leaders of the intelligence committees. Relations between China and the United States have soured in recent years, particularly following then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August, which prompted dramatic Chinese military drills near the self-ruled island. Since then, Washington and Beijing have sought to communicate more frequently and prevent ties from worsening. Potential safety risk U.S. military leaders considered shooting down the balloon over Montana on Wednesday but eventually advised Biden against it because of the safety risk from debris, the official told reporters. The Billings, Montana, airport issued a ground stop as the military mobilized assets including F-22 fighter jets in case Biden ordered that the balloon be shot down. "We wanted to make sure we were coordinating with civil authorities to empty out the airspace around that potential area," the official said. "But even with those protective measures taken, it was the judgment of our military commanders that we didn't drive the risk down low enough. So we didn't take the shot." Defense expert John Parachini estimated the size of the balloon was equivalent to three bus lengths. Billings resident Chase Noak, who filmed it on Wednesday, said at first he thought it was a star. "But I thought that was kind of crazy because it was broad daylight and when I looked at it, it was just too big to be a star, he told Reuters. One of the officials said the flight path would carry the balloon over a number of sensitive sites, but did not give details. Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana is home to 150 intercontinental ballistic missile silos. A separate U.S. official said the balloon had been tracked near the Aleutian Islands and Canada before entering the United States. Such balloons typically operate at 80,000-120,000 feet (24,000-37,000m), well above where commercial air traffic flies. The highest-performing fighter aircraft typically do not operate above 65,000 feet, although spy planes such as the U-2 have a service ceiling of 80,000 feet or more. Craig Singleton, a China expert of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that such balloons had been widely used by the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War and are a low-cost intelligence gathering method. Surveillance goes both ways. From military spy satellites in space to advanced electronic intelligence aircraft and submarines, the U.S. routinely deploys an array of assets to monitor Chinas military build-up, analysts and diplomats say. China has often complained about surveillance by the United States, including its deployment of ships or planes near Chinese military exercises. Spy balloons have flown over the United States several times in recent years, but this balloon appeared to be lingering longer than in previous instances, one of the U.S. officials said. A Chinese spy balloon has been flying over the United States for a couple of days, U.S. officials said on Thursday, in what would be a brazen act just days ahead of a planned trip to Beijing by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Fighter jets were mobilized, but military leaders advised President Joe Biden against shooting the balloon out of the sky for fear debris could pose a safety threat, advice Biden accepted, U.S. officials said. The United States took "custody" of the balloon when it entered U.S. airspace and had observed it with piloted U.S. military aircraft, one of the officials told reporters on condition of anonymity. Separately, Canada's defense ministry said a "high-altitude surveillance balloon" was detected and that it was monitoring a "potential second incident", without giving further details, adding that it was in frequent contact with the United States. The news initially broke as CIA Director William Burns was speaking at an event at Washingtons Georgetown University, where he called China the "biggest geopolitical challenge" facing the United States. "The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now," Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told reporters. "The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground." Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing was "verifying" the situation. "I would like to emphasize that until the facts are clarified, speculation and hype will not be helpful to the proper resolution of the issue," she told a regular daily briefing in Beijing on Friday, adding that China abides by international law. "China has no intention of violating the land territory and airspace of any sovereign country," Mao said. U.S. officials said they raised the matter with their Chinese counterparts through diplomatic channels. "We have communicated to them the seriousness with which we take this issue," a U.S. official said. One U.S. official said the balloon was assessed to have "limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective." Blinken is expected to travel to China next week for a visit agreed to in November by Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. It was not clear how the discovery of the spy balloon might affect those plans. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said the spy balloon was alarming but not surprising. "The level of espionage aimed at our country by Beijing has grown dramatically more intense & brazen over the last 5 years," Rubio said on Twitter. Republican Senator Tom Cotton called for Blinken to cancel his trip. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would request a "Gang of Eight" briefing, referring to a classified national security briefing for congressional leaders and Republican and Democratic leaders of the intelligence committees. Relations between China and the United States have soured in recent years, particularly following then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August, which prompted dramatic Chinese military drills near the self-ruled island. Since then, Washington and Beijing have sought to communicate more frequently and prevent ties from worsening. Potential safety risk U.S. military leaders considered shooting down the balloon over Montana on Wednesday but eventually advised Biden against it because of the safety risk from debris, the official told reporters. The Billings, Montana, airport issued a ground stop as the military mobilized assets including F-22 fighter jets in case Biden ordered that the balloon be shot down. "We wanted to make sure we were coordinating with civil authorities to empty out the airspace around that potential area," the official said. "But even with those protective measures taken, it was the judgment of our military commanders that we didn't drive the risk down low enough. So we didn't take the shot." Defense expert John Parachini estimated the size of the balloon was equivalent to three bus lengths. Billings resident Chase Noak, who filmed it on Wednesday, said at first he thought it was a star. "But I thought that was kind of crazy because it was broad daylight and when I looked at it, it was just too big to be a star, he told Reuters. One of the officials said the flight path would carry the balloon over a number of sensitive sites, but did not give details. Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana is home to 150 intercontinental ballistic missile silos. A separate U.S. official said the balloon had been tracked near the Aleutian Islands and Canada before entering the United States. Such balloons typically operate at 80,000-120,000 feet (24,000-37,000m), well above where commercial air traffic flies. The highest-performing fighter aircraft typically do not operate above 65,000 feet, although spy planes such as the U-2 have a service ceiling of 80,000 feet or more. Craig Singleton, a China expert of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that such balloons had been widely used by the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War and are a low-cost intelligence gathering method. Surveillance goes both ways. From military spy satellites in space to advanced electronic intelligence aircraft and submarines, the U.S. routinely deploys an array of assets to monitor Chinas military build-up, analysts and diplomats say. China has often complained about surveillance by the United States, including its deployment of ships or planes near Chinese military exercises. Spy balloons have flown over the United States several times in recent years, but this balloon appeared to be lingering longer than in previous instances, one of the U.S. officials said. WASHINGTON -- The FBI is soon expected to search former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's Indiana home and Washington, D.C., office for classified material, U.S. media reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The Justice Department is in talks with Pence's legal team about scheduling the search of his Indiana home, the Wall Street Journal reported. CNN reported Pence's Washington office was also expected to be searched. Lawyers for Pence did not immediately provide comment on the report. The FBI declined to comment, and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Pence's attorney, Greg Jacob, disclosed in January that documents marked as classified had been found at his Indiana home, and that they had been turned over to the FBI. Jacob described them as a "small number of documents that could potentially contain sensitive or classified information". Citing a person close to Pence, the Wall Street Journal reported that his legal team considered the earlier search of his home exhaustive and didn't believe there were additional classified documents. CNN, citing a source, reported that Pence's team does not believe there are classified records at either his home or his office. The discovery of classified records in January put Pence in the company of former President Donald Trump and incumbent President Joe Biden after documents with classified markings were found at their residences. Biden, whose documents dated from his time as vice president, and Trump, whose resistance to turning over the items led to an FBI raid, are both facing special counsel investigations by the Justice Department over improper handling of classified materials. FBI agents searched Biden's Delaware beach house on Wednesday, but no classified documents were found, the president's attorney said. WASHINGTON -- The FBI is soon expected to search former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's Indiana home and Washington, D.C., office for classified material, U.S. media reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The Justice Department is in talks with Pence's legal team about scheduling the search of his Indiana home, the Wall Street Journal reported. CNN reported Pence's Washington office was also expected to be searched. Lawyers for Pence did not immediately provide comment on the report. The FBI declined to comment, and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Pence's attorney, Greg Jacob, disclosed in January that documents marked as classified had been found at his Indiana home, and that they had been turned over to the FBI. Jacob described them as a "small number of documents that could potentially contain sensitive or classified information". Citing a person close to Pence, the Wall Street Journal reported that his legal team considered the earlier search of his home exhaustive and didn't believe there were additional classified documents. CNN, citing a source, reported that Pence's team does not believe there are classified records at either his home or his office. The discovery of classified records in January put Pence in the company of former President Donald Trump and incumbent President Joe Biden after documents with classified markings were found at their residences. Biden, whose documents dated from his time as vice president, and Trump, whose resistance to turning over the items led to an FBI raid, are both facing special counsel investigations by the Justice Department over improper handling of classified materials. FBI agents searched Biden's Delaware beach house on Wednesday, but no classified documents were found, the president's attorney said. UK Minister of International Trade Greg Hands visited Vietnam on Wednesday to explore trade cooperation opportunities between the two countries. His visit came amidst the UKs pursuit of full membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in 2023. Vietnam is the first stop on the ministers three-day trip to three Southeast Asian countries, all of which are founding members of the partnership. During an exclusive interview with Tuoi Tre News, Hands emphasized what the UK can offer the CPTPP, as well as discussed the UKs strong strategic partnership with Vietnam. In a speech at Lancaster House on January 23, UK Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch outlined five priorities for trade. What are your priorities as the Minister of State for Trade Policy? My personal priorities are, first, to get the UK into the CPTPP. Vietnam will play a crucial role in that progress. My second priority is to do a free trade agreement with India this year, which is also another important part of our work with [Indias] huge economy. The third area is removing trade barriers around the world to make sure that British goods and services can more easily enter markets anywhere in the world, including Vietnam. The fourth priority is doing more work in the United States, particularly through state-level memoranda of understanding with individual U.S. states. Those are like mini-arrangements to improve the flow of services between the UK and individual U.S. states. UK Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said she wants to seal high-quality deals with India and the CPTPP. Can you tell us about the UKs aspiration to join the CPTPP and give an update on its progress? How does Vietnam fit into that journey? The UK joining the CPTPP will be a major move. The UK will be the first country in the world to join the CPTPP and its 11 founding members. The UK joining would fundamentally change the CPTPP, which is currently about 12 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP). With the UK, that number will rise to 15.5 percent. It also changes the geography of the CPTPP, which is currently a Pacific Rim trade agreement. The UK joining the CPTPP would make it a global agreement a global plurilateral agreement that would include pro-free trade countries. It is a huge opportunity for Vietnam as a founding member. We'll be setting global free trade rules of the future. The CPTPP is a very good agreement because it removes more than 99 percent of tariffs. It offers liberal regulations in terms of rules of origin, data, digital trade. These are all important things for both the UK and Vietnam. I think we're nearing a conclusion to the process of joining the CPTPP. We are looking for a further round [of talks] in February and we hope that will clear up the remaining issues that are still out there. We've made a lot of progress. We, of course, understand the very high standards of the CPTPP and that they want to keep those high standards. The UK believes that the CPTPP has a great future ahead with those standards and that the UK can fulfill [those standards]. Do you have an expected timeline for the UK joining the CPTPP? We just want to make it as quickly as possible. There's still a negotiation ahead. I don't really have a time limit for that negotiation. I think, given the interest of other countries and other parties in joining [the CPTPP], getting the UK in will enable the CPTPP member parties to move forward with other applications. The UK is the fifth-largest economy in the world, and it wants to be a part of the CPTPP. Have you seen any obstacles during your negotiations? Like every trade negotiation, there're always some issues. The CPTPP is a bit different because it's an existing agreement. We are not negotiating from scratch. Therefore, there'll be some things that the UK needs to look at very carefully. There will be some areas where CPTPP parties will look very carefully at what the UK's position is. So, it's not a straightforward negotiation, but I think that CPTPP parties can be rest assured that the UK has very high standards and is very keen to join and to grow the CPTPP. Recently, the UK joined hands with the U.S in exporting control chips to China, which is also seeking membership in the CPTPP. Would there be any issues between China and the UK if both countries become CPTPP members? We are not members of the CPTPP now, so its not right for the UK to comment on other countries joining in the future because we ourselves are not members. Itll be a matter for whoever are the members of the CPTPP at the time. The UK, like many other countries, is looking at its supply chains and looking at the security of those supply chains. In relation to semiconductors, it is making sure that those supply chains are robust and have good access to semiconductors of different types. So, that is work the UK is doing and other countries are doing as well ensuring that the security of their supply chains remains strong. You might not be able to comment on other countries' bids for joining the CPTPP, but last year you visited Taiwan, and Taiwan and China are both seeking membership in the CPTPP. So, if the UK becomes a member of the CPTPP first, which would allow it a vote to admit new parties, what would happen? Thats a hypothetical question. Right now, we have to focus on the UK joining and I think its also strongly in Vietnam's interest for the UK to join. We want Vietnam to be our best friend in the world trading system. I think Vietnam supports the UK because your country wants to grow the size of the agreement. Vietnam will then be right at the center of a growing movement for global free trade. Vietnam is reporting a trade surplus with the UK. What are the pros and cons of this and how can we resolve any problems that arise in the future between the UK and Vietnam? I dont think there will be any trouble. We do about 6 billion [US$7.3 billion] of trade with Vietnam now. I think there's big potential for growth for UK exporters to Vietnam. That figure shows huge potential. We think that we can sell more quality UK expertise, such as education, renewable energy, and financial services. The UK is very good at these three things, which I think Vietnam has a big demand for, particularly as you move toward net-zero emissions by 2050. The need for English language education is very strong in Vietnam. The UK, obviously, is the world's best provider of English language education, and London has incredible capability in financial services. In terms of Vietnam selling to the UK, the obvious growth is agriculture exports thanks to the free trade agreement between us which came into effect in 2021. There has been a substantial rise in quota. Vietnam does not sell more rice, electronics, and footwear. Vietnam is gradually moving up the value chain with more complex products, more services, and more advanced technology products. The trade agreement has gone well. I think quite a few people are used to using it and finding it helpful. I've not heard any complaints from any companies about how it's working. We can always make sure that the UK government and the Vietnamese government engage to improve trade between us. That's why I am here. This year, we celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations. Whats your vision for the future of the UK-Vietnam relationship? The UK and Vietnam are natural partners. We're good fits for each other. We have a common view on global free trade. Its a fantastic achievement to have 50 years of diplomatic relations. We've done a lot of work. I have done a lot of work and a lot of people have done a lot of work to make sure that we get to a better place. We want to make sure that Vietnam's energy system is resilient to be sustainable. The UK has the world's largest installed offshore wind capacity and that is the expertise that we are looking to bring to Vietnam, which has got amazing resources to be able to use offshore wind. People-to-people contact is important too. A large number of Vietnamese students are studying in British universities. British schools and universities are setting up here. I went to one in Da Nang a few years ago. The strategic partnership was signed in 2010. I was here with the foreign secretary in 2020 to move that strategic partnership to the next 10 years. Now, it is still a very, very strong strategic partnership. That relationship is built on trade, on energy cooperation, on education, financial services, food and drinks being exchanged between our two countries. It will be a strong foundation for another 50 years of UK-Vietnam diplomatic relations. Thank you for the discussion! Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! UK Minister of International Trade Greg Hands visited Vietnam on Wednesday to explore trade cooperation opportunities between the two countries. His visit came amidst the UKs pursuit of full membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in 2023. Vietnam is the first stop on the ministers three-day trip to three Southeast Asian countries, all of which are founding members of the partnership. During an exclusive interview with Tuoi Tre News, Hands emphasized what the UK can offer the CPTPP, as well as discussed the UKs strong strategic partnership with Vietnam. In a speech at Lancaster House on January 23, UK Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch outlined five priorities for trade. What are your priorities as the Minister of State for Trade Policy? My personal priorities are, first, to get the UK into the CPTPP. Vietnam will play a crucial role in that progress. My second priority is to do a free trade agreement with India this year, which is also another important part of our work with [Indias] huge economy. The third area is removing trade barriers around the world to make sure that British goods and services can more easily enter markets anywhere in the world, including Vietnam. The fourth priority is doing more work in the United States, particularly through state-level memoranda of understanding with individual U.S. states. Those are like mini-arrangements to improve the flow of services between the UK and individual U.S. states. UK Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said she wants to seal high-quality deals with India and the CPTPP. Can you tell us about the UKs aspiration to join the CPTPP and give an update on its progress? How does Vietnam fit into that journey? The UK joining the CPTPP will be a major move. The UK will be the first country in the world to join the CPTPP and its 11 founding members. The UK joining would fundamentally change the CPTPP, which is currently about 12 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP). With the UK, that number will rise to 15.5 percent. It also changes the geography of the CPTPP, which is currently a Pacific Rim trade agreement. The UK joining the CPTPP would make it a global agreement a global plurilateral agreement that would include pro-free trade countries. It is a huge opportunity for Vietnam as a founding member. We'll be setting global free trade rules of the future. The CPTPP is a very good agreement because it removes more than 99 percent of tariffs. It offers liberal regulations in terms of rules of origin, data, digital trade. These are all important things for both the UK and Vietnam. I think we're nearing a conclusion to the process of joining the CPTPP. We are looking for a further round [of talks] in February and we hope that will clear up the remaining issues that are still out there. We've made a lot of progress. We, of course, understand the very high standards of the CPTPP and that they want to keep those high standards. The UK believes that the CPTPP has a great future ahead with those standards and that the UK can fulfill [those standards]. Do you have an expected timeline for the UK joining the CPTPP? We just want to make it as quickly as possible. There's still a negotiation ahead. I don't really have a time limit for that negotiation. I think, given the interest of other countries and other parties in joining [the CPTPP], getting the UK in will enable the CPTPP member parties to move forward with other applications. The UK is the fifth-largest economy in the world, and it wants to be a part of the CPTPP. Have you seen any obstacles during your negotiations? Like every trade negotiation, there're always some issues. The CPTPP is a bit different because it's an existing agreement. We are not negotiating from scratch. Therefore, there'll be some things that the UK needs to look at very carefully. There will be some areas where CPTPP parties will look very carefully at what the UK's position is. So, it's not a straightforward negotiation, but I think that CPTPP parties can be rest assured that the UK has very high standards and is very keen to join and to grow the CPTPP. Recently, the UK joined hands with the U.S in exporting control chips to China, which is also seeking membership in the CPTPP. Would there be any issues between China and the UK if both countries become CPTPP members? We are not members of the CPTPP now, so its not right for the UK to comment on other countries joining in the future because we ourselves are not members. Itll be a matter for whoever are the members of the CPTPP at the time. The UK, like many other countries, is looking at its supply chains and looking at the security of those supply chains. In relation to semiconductors, it is making sure that those supply chains are robust and have good access to semiconductors of different types. So, that is work the UK is doing and other countries are doing as well ensuring that the security of their supply chains remains strong. You might not be able to comment on other countries' bids for joining the CPTPP, but last year you visited Taiwan, and Taiwan and China are both seeking membership in the CPTPP. So, if the UK becomes a member of the CPTPP first, which would allow it a vote to admit new parties, what would happen? Thats a hypothetical question. Right now, we have to focus on the UK joining and I think its also strongly in Vietnam's interest for the UK to join. We want Vietnam to be our best friend in the world trading system. I think Vietnam supports the UK because your country wants to grow the size of the agreement. Vietnam will then be right at the center of a growing movement for global free trade. Vietnam is reporting a trade surplus with the UK. What are the pros and cons of this and how can we resolve any problems that arise in the future between the UK and Vietnam? I dont think there will be any trouble. We do about 6 billion [US$7.3 billion] of trade with Vietnam now. I think there's big potential for growth for UK exporters to Vietnam. That figure shows huge potential. We think that we can sell more quality UK expertise, such as education, renewable energy, and financial services. The UK is very good at these three things, which I think Vietnam has a big demand for, particularly as you move toward net-zero emissions by 2050. The need for English language education is very strong in Vietnam. The UK, obviously, is the world's best provider of English language education, and London has incredible capability in financial services. In terms of Vietnam selling to the UK, the obvious growth is agriculture exports thanks to the free trade agreement between us which came into effect in 2021. There has been a substantial rise in quota. Vietnam does not sell more rice, electronics, and footwear. Vietnam is gradually moving up the value chain with more complex products, more services, and more advanced technology products. The trade agreement has gone well. I think quite a few people are used to using it and finding it helpful. I've not heard any complaints from any companies about how it's working. We can always make sure that the UK government and the Vietnamese government engage to improve trade between us. That's why I am here. This year, we celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations. Whats your vision for the future of the UK-Vietnam relationship? The UK and Vietnam are natural partners. We're good fits for each other. We have a common view on global free trade. Its a fantastic achievement to have 50 years of diplomatic relations. We've done a lot of work. I have done a lot of work and a lot of people have done a lot of work to make sure that we get to a better place. We want to make sure that Vietnam's energy system is resilient to be sustainable. The UK has the world's largest installed offshore wind capacity and that is the expertise that we are looking to bring to Vietnam, which has got amazing resources to be able to use offshore wind. People-to-people contact is important too. A large number of Vietnamese students are studying in British universities. British schools and universities are setting up here. I went to one in Da Nang a few years ago. The strategic partnership was signed in 2010. I was here with the foreign secretary in 2020 to move that strategic partnership to the next 10 years. Now, it is still a very, very strong strategic partnership. That relationship is built on trade, on energy cooperation, on education, financial services, food and drinks being exchanged between our two countries. It will be a strong foundation for another 50 years of UK-Vietnam diplomatic relations. Thank you for the discussion! Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line project, the first of its kind in Hanoi, has incurred a fine of nearly US$740,300 for late loan payment due to complicated legal procedures which hindered the firms ability to allocate capital, according to the Ministry of Transport. The Government Office on Wednesday announced opinions about the late payment of loans for the urban railway project. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Transport released a statement declaring that Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai had asked the ministry to clarify the legal foundation, jurisdiction, and opinions of relevant ministries and agencies and create a proposal which would allow for handling the issue in line with the law. In a statement sent to the prime minister late last year, the ministry stated that the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line project had been completed and put into operation. The ministry also completed procedures to hand over loans to the Peoples Committee of Hanoi. However, the Ministry of Finance on June 17, 2022 asked the Ministry of Transport to pay a $740,300 fine for late loan payments related to the metro line project. According to the Ministry of Transport, the project required a total investment of over VND18 trillion, equivalent to $868.04 million, including nearly VND13.9 trillion ($669.62 million) borrowed from China and $198.42 million in reciprocal capital. The loans from China were borrowed through three preferential credit agreements worth $169 million, $250 million, and $250.62 million. The Ministry of Transport empowered the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board to borrow foreign capital for the operation of the project. The ministry then allocated reciprocal capital to pay these foreign loans and related costs during the construction of the metro line. The Hanoi Peoples Committee later took over the project, including the responsibility to repay the state budget the amount advanced by the Ministry of Transport to pay the foreign loans. With this financial mechanism, the Ministry of Transport has restructured the total investment in the project to allocate capital totaling over VND772 billion ($33.7 million) to pay the principal of the foreign loans. However, pursuant to regulations on the management of construction costs and a state audit of the project, the use of the capital provided for the project to pay loans in August 2016 was inappropriate. To pay off these loans, the Ministry of Transport has repeatedly written to the Ministry of Planning and Investment and proposed that the prime minister add the payment of the principal of loans for the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line project to the medium-term public investment plan. However, the Ministry of Planning and Investment responded that the use of the medium-term public investment to pay loans is not in line with the Law on Public Investment. Due to the lack of capital to pay mature loans, the Ministry of Finance used over VND224 billion ($9.6 million) from the debt payment accumulation fund to pay the principal. After taking over the project, the Hanoi Peoples Committee has repaid VND756 billion ($32.2 million) to the state budget and over VND224 billion ($9.6 million) to the debt payment accumulation fund. Explaining the reason for the fine for the late payment of loans, the Ministry of Transport attributed it to bottlenecks in legal procedures in the allocation of capital to pay loans from the medium-term and annual public investment plans. As a result, it failed to pay the principal during certain periods. The fine for the late payment of loans in the $250-million loan agreement for 606 days is over $421,000, while the fine for the two remaining agreements amounts to $318,000 for paying loans nearly 1,100 days later than the due date. According to the Ministry of Transport, the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line project is the first of its kind in Vietnam, involved complicated construction methods, and suffered from slow site clearance and difficulties in capital allocation, leading to the late payment of loans. In addition, the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board, which represented the Ministry of Transport in borrowing the foreign loans, has no revenue sources to pay its debts. According to the Ministry of Finance, the elimination of loan interest and fines for late payment is unreasonable in accordance with Government Decree 97/2018/ND-CP on on-lending official development assistance and foreign preferential loans. Therefore, the Ministry of Transport has proposed that the prime minister not impose fines for the late payment of loans during the construction of the Cat Linh Ha Dong metro line. The Cat Linh Ha Dong metro line has 12 elevated stations and 13 trains which run from Cat Linh Station in Ba Dinh District to Yen Nghia Station in Ha Dong District. The metro line was put into operation on November 6, 2021 and now services around 22,000 passengers per day on working days, while the daily number of passengers hits up to 30,000 on weekends. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line project, the first of its kind in Hanoi, has incurred a fine of nearly US$740,300 for late loan payment due to complicated legal procedures which hindered the firms ability to allocate capital, according to the Ministry of Transport. The Government Office on Wednesday announced opinions about the late payment of loans for the urban railway project. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Transport released a statement declaring that Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai had asked the ministry to clarify the legal foundation, jurisdiction, and opinions of relevant ministries and agencies and create a proposal which would allow for handling the issue in line with the law. In a statement sent to the prime minister late last year, the ministry stated that the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line project had been completed and put into operation. The ministry also completed procedures to hand over loans to the Peoples Committee of Hanoi. However, the Ministry of Finance on June 17, 2022 asked the Ministry of Transport to pay a $740,300 fine for late loan payments related to the metro line project. According to the Ministry of Transport, the project required a total investment of over VND18 trillion, equivalent to $868.04 million, including nearly VND13.9 trillion ($669.62 million) borrowed from China and $198.42 million in reciprocal capital. The loans from China were borrowed through three preferential credit agreements worth $169 million, $250 million, and $250.62 million. The Ministry of Transport empowered the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board to borrow foreign capital for the operation of the project. The ministry then allocated reciprocal capital to pay these foreign loans and related costs during the construction of the metro line. The Hanoi Peoples Committee later took over the project, including the responsibility to repay the state budget the amount advanced by the Ministry of Transport to pay the foreign loans. With this financial mechanism, the Ministry of Transport has restructured the total investment in the project to allocate capital totaling over VND772 billion ($33.7 million) to pay the principal of the foreign loans. However, pursuant to regulations on the management of construction costs and a state audit of the project, the use of the capital provided for the project to pay loans in August 2016 was inappropriate. To pay off these loans, the Ministry of Transport has repeatedly written to the Ministry of Planning and Investment and proposed that the prime minister add the payment of the principal of loans for the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line project to the medium-term public investment plan. However, the Ministry of Planning and Investment responded that the use of the medium-term public investment to pay loans is not in line with the Law on Public Investment. Due to the lack of capital to pay mature loans, the Ministry of Finance used over VND224 billion ($9.6 million) from the debt payment accumulation fund to pay the principal. After taking over the project, the Hanoi Peoples Committee has repaid VND756 billion ($32.2 million) to the state budget and over VND224 billion ($9.6 million) to the debt payment accumulation fund. Explaining the reason for the fine for the late payment of loans, the Ministry of Transport attributed it to bottlenecks in legal procedures in the allocation of capital to pay loans from the medium-term and annual public investment plans. As a result, it failed to pay the principal during certain periods. The fine for the late payment of loans in the $250-million loan agreement for 606 days is over $421,000, while the fine for the two remaining agreements amounts to $318,000 for paying loans nearly 1,100 days later than the due date. According to the Ministry of Transport, the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line project is the first of its kind in Vietnam, involved complicated construction methods, and suffered from slow site clearance and difficulties in capital allocation, leading to the late payment of loans. In addition, the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board, which represented the Ministry of Transport in borrowing the foreign loans, has no revenue sources to pay its debts. According to the Ministry of Finance, the elimination of loan interest and fines for late payment is unreasonable in accordance with Government Decree 97/2018/ND-CP on on-lending official development assistance and foreign preferential loans. Therefore, the Ministry of Transport has proposed that the prime minister not impose fines for the late payment of loans during the construction of the Cat Linh Ha Dong metro line. The Cat Linh Ha Dong metro line has 12 elevated stations and 13 trains which run from Cat Linh Station in Ba Dinh District to Yen Nghia Station in Ha Dong District. The metro line was put into operation on November 6, 2021 and now services around 22,000 passengers per day on working days, while the daily number of passengers hits up to 30,000 on weekends. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnam officially set up diplomatic relations with Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday, taking the number of countries that Hanoi has diplomatic ties with to 192. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassadors Dang Hoang Giang and Dennis Francis Smith, heads of the delegations of Vietnam and Trinidad and Tobago, respectively, to the United Nations (UN), signed a joint communique on the diplomatic tie establishment on behalf of the two governments at the UN headquarters in New York. The two sides agreed to exchange diplomatic representatives at the ambassadorial level under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. On the same day, the joint communique was sent to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for circulation and to UN member countries for information. With the diplomatic ties with Trinidad and Tobago, Vietnam has had official diplomatic relations with all 35 countries in the Americas and 190 out of the 193 member countries of the UN, proving the countrys policy of diversifying international relations and attaching much importance to the ties with Latin America and the Caribbean. A snapshot of a corner of Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, from iStock At the signing ceremony, Ambassadors Dang Hoang Giang and Dennis Francis Smith affirmed that the establishment of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Trinidad and Tobago will help open their cooperation in many sectors. Smith said Trinidad and Tobago is an island country with the third-largest gross domestic product (GDP) in the Caribbean region. He expressed his impression with Vietnam's history and development achievements, saying that the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Southeast Asian nation is a milestone in Trinidad and Tobagos diplomatic policy. The two ambassadors agreed to continue sharing information to learn about the strengths and potential of each other, especially in oil mining, tourism, and agriculture, and enhancing the cooperation at the UN and other multilateral forums. Trinidad and Tobago consists of two main islands, namely Trinidad and Tobago, and more than 20 small islands. The country has an area of over 5,100 square meters and a population of about 1.4 million people in 2022. According to the International Monetary Fund, Trinidad and Tobagos nominal GDP reached US$22 billion last year and its GDP per capita was nearly $18.000. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnam officially set up diplomatic relations with Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday, taking the number of countries that Hanoi has diplomatic ties with to 192. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassadors Dang Hoang Giang and Dennis Francis Smith, heads of the delegations of Vietnam and Trinidad and Tobago, respectively, to the United Nations (UN), signed a joint communique on the diplomatic tie establishment on behalf of the two governments at the UN headquarters in New York. The two sides agreed to exchange diplomatic representatives at the ambassadorial level under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. On the same day, the joint communique was sent to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for circulation and to UN member countries for information. With the diplomatic ties with Trinidad and Tobago, Vietnam has had official diplomatic relations with all 35 countries in the Americas and 190 out of the 193 member countries of the UN, proving the countrys policy of diversifying international relations and attaching much importance to the ties with Latin America and the Caribbean. A snapshot of a corner of Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, from iStock At the signing ceremony, Ambassadors Dang Hoang Giang and Dennis Francis Smith affirmed that the establishment of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Trinidad and Tobago will help open their cooperation in many sectors. Smith said Trinidad and Tobago is an island country with the third-largest gross domestic product (GDP) in the Caribbean region. He expressed his impression with Vietnam's history and development achievements, saying that the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Southeast Asian nation is a milestone in Trinidad and Tobagos diplomatic policy. The two ambassadors agreed to continue sharing information to learn about the strengths and potential of each other, especially in oil mining, tourism, and agriculture, and enhancing the cooperation at the UN and other multilateral forums. Trinidad and Tobago consists of two main islands, namely Trinidad and Tobago, and more than 20 small islands. The country has an area of over 5,100 square meters and a population of about 1.4 million people in 2022. According to the International Monetary Fund, Trinidad and Tobagos nominal GDP reached US$22 billion last year and its GDP per capita was nearly $18.000. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Ninh Binh Province in northern Vietnam ranked seventh on a list of the 10 most welcoming destinations in the world published recently by Dutch-based online travel agency Booking.com. The ranking was based on an analysis of more than 240 million verified customer reviews on the website. Around 90 kilometers south of Hanoi, Ninh Binh Province is famous for a high density of natural and cultural attractions, including Cuc Phuong National Park, Van Long wetland nature reserve, grotto caves and rivers in Trang An, Tam Coc-Bich Dong and Mua Caves, historic monuments in the Hoa Lu ancient capital, Bai Dinh Temple -- Vietnams largest buddhist worshiping complex -- and the Phat Diem Cathedral. The northern Vietnamese province started shining on the global stage after the Hollywood movie Kong: Skull Island was filmed there in 2016. It welcomed nearly 330,000 visitors, including over 29,500 foreigners, during the recent seven-day Lunar New Year holiday. La Rioja in Spain topped Booking.coms list of the most welcoming destinations, followed by Epirus in Greece and Oberosterreich in Austria. County Down in the UK and Mures in Romania rounded up the top five. Marlborough of New Zealand ranked sixth, and Limon in Costa Rica, Newfoundland & Labrador in Canada, and North Dakota in the U.S. are honored in eighth, ninth, and tenth places, respectively. The ranking is just one part of Booking.coms 2023 Traveler Review Awards, which recognized accommodation partners, car rental providers, and airport taxi suppliers across 220 countries and territories. The awards also included a list of the ten most welcoming places in Vietnam, which is halved by beach destinations such as Hoi An, Tuy Hoa, Con Dao, Dong Hoi, and Cat Ba. Ninh Binh was also featured in second place on this list. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Ninh Binh Province in northern Vietnam ranked seventh on a list of the 10 most welcoming destinations in the world published recently by Dutch-based online travel agency Booking.com. The ranking was based on an analysis of more than 240 million verified customer reviews on the website. Around 90 kilometers south of Hanoi, Ninh Binh Province is famous for a high density of natural and cultural attractions, including Cuc Phuong National Park, Van Long wetland nature reserve, grotto caves and rivers in Trang An, Tam Coc-Bich Dong and Mua Caves, historic monuments in the Hoa Lu ancient capital, Bai Dinh Temple -- Vietnams largest buddhist worshiping complex -- and the Phat Diem Cathedral. The northern Vietnamese province started shining on the global stage after the Hollywood movie Kong: Skull Island was filmed there in 2016. It welcomed nearly 330,000 visitors, including over 29,500 foreigners, during the recent seven-day Lunar New Year holiday. La Rioja in Spain topped Booking.coms list of the most welcoming destinations, followed by Epirus in Greece and Oberosterreich in Austria. County Down in the UK and Mures in Romania rounded up the top five. Marlborough of New Zealand ranked sixth, and Limon in Costa Rica, Newfoundland & Labrador in Canada, and North Dakota in the U.S. are honored in eighth, ninth, and tenth places, respectively. The ranking is just one part of Booking.coms 2023 Traveler Review Awards, which recognized accommodation partners, car rental providers, and airport taxi suppliers across 220 countries and territories. The awards also included a list of the ten most welcoming places in Vietnam, which is halved by beach destinations such as Hoi An, Tuy Hoa, Con Dao, Dong Hoi, and Cat Ba. Ninh Binh was also featured in second place on this list. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Shortland Street actor Michael Galvin has taken to social media to reassure Australian fans of the NZ soap, they are hunting for a new home. We just want to reassure you we are currently in discussions to find a new home for Shortland Street, he said. Well update you with any information as soon as we have it. SBS VICELAND screens their final new episode today. An SBS spokesperson told TV Tonight, SBS VICELAND originally acquired 250 episodes of Shortland Street for the 2022 season, which only produced 240 episodes. As a result, we still had an extra 10 episodes to play out between 23rd Jan 3rd Feb. Sadly, these will be the last episodes we air on VICELAND. ISLAMABAD, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least five tribesmen were killed and another injured in an armed confrontation on Thursday between two tribes in Bolan district of Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, officials told media. According to the officials, the clash took place in Bagh-i-Nari area of the district over a land dispute which resulted in an exchange of fire. The heavy exchange of fire with automatic weapons continued for several hours, leading to casualties on both sides, the officials said. Security forces had shifted the deceased and the injured to a local hospital, they added. The officials said that one individual involved in the incident had been arrested so far, adding that a search operation to arrest the others was underway. The security forces have been deployed in the area to avert any further confrontation, according to the officials. "Welcome to Breezeline" campaign highlights the benefits of Breezelines investment in its fiber-broadband network QUINCY, Mass., January 24, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Breezeline, the nations eighth-largest cable operator, has launched a new campaign showcasing how daily life is transformed through reliable, ultrafast internet from Breezeline. The "Welcome to Breezeline" campaign features colorful, imaginative multi-media vignettes demonstrating how reliability and speed unlock endless possibilities in customers everyday lives. Breezeline, which provides internet, TV and voice services in 13 states, has put the focus on internet reliability and speed via a two-year $400 million investment in its fiber-broadband network and infrastructure. The program, which started last year, has already doubled network capacity and boosted downstream and upstream speeds. The company has also established additional redundant paths for internet traffic, deployed high-capacity fiber optics at critical network points, and configured the network to enhance network security and resilience. "Thanks to better internet from Breezeline, anything is possible for our residential and business customers," said Heather McCallion, Vice President of Products and Programming for Breezeline. "With great reliability and lightning-fast speeds delivered over a fiber-powered network, its as easy as ever for our customers to work, play and connect without missing a beat." In addition to the network investments, and a range of convenient self-care initiatives, Breezeline has worked to make it easy for customers to get the most out of their Breezeline service: The companys WiFi Your Way TM service, a managed wireless internet solution, provides expanded WiFi coverage with enhanced reliability and superfast speeds in every area of the home or business. Breezelines "My Account" app provides self-help tools for customers to manage their account, enable auto-pay, test their internet speeds, reset and view modem status, and link to other Breezeline apps, including Breezeline Stream TV and WiFi Your Way. Breezeline customers are now able to make cash or card payments via Western Union. Western Union payment locations can be found in many grocery and big box stores throughout Breezeline service areas in 13 states. Customers can also pay bills online via Western Unions website, as well as the Breezeline.com site. Story continues To view the "Welcome to Breezeline" TV spots, click here. ABOUT BREEZELINE Cogeco US, operating as Breezeline, a subsidiary of Cogeco Communications Inc. (TSX: CCA), is the eighth-largest cable operator in the United States. The company provides its residential and business customers with Internet, TV and Voice services in 13 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. Cogeco Communications Inc. also operates in Quebec and Ontario, in Canada, under the Cogeco Connexion name. Cogeco Inc.s subsidiary, Cogeco Media, owns and operates 21 radio stations as well as a news agency serving audiences primarily in the province of Quebec. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230124005413/en/ Contacts Andrew Walton Breezeline awalton@breezeline.com breezeline@kwtglobal.com Peter Rawley, a longtime ICM talent agent who repped Richard Dreyfuss, Richard Gere and Faye Dunaway and also was head of European production for MGM and a successful indie producer, died January 3. He was 85. His passing was confirmed by his wife of 33 years, filmmaker Betty Kaplan, who did not give a cause of death. More from Deadline Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story 'Women Talking': Read The Screenplay By Sarah Polley That Takes On Remaking "A Broken World" Related Story 'Till': Read The Screenplay From Michael Reilly, Keith Beauchamp And Chinonye Chukwu That Shifts Narrative On True Story Working in Los Angeles and London, Rawley played a key role in expanding ICMs operations worldwide, building businesses directly or through affiliates in China, Latin America, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and elsewhere in Europe. Rawley was known for his innovative financing, packaging and distribution of motion pictures internationally. When he started out, most movies came from big studios or small indies, but that changed in the 1970s. Rawley was among the first to tap independent money largely from Europe, Southeast Asia and Japan for both Hollywood majors and independents. Rawley was born in 1938 in London and earned his B.A. and masters degrees from Oxford University. After producing theater, he joined CMA (a predecessor to ICM) in 1966, where he became Managing Director of the London office and then Head of European Operations. In 1972, he became Head of Production at MGM Europe. He later produced Ransom, starring Sean Connery. The first film about an airline hijacking, it later released by 20th Century Fox as The Terrorist. Story continues Then Hollywood called. In 1978, he returned to ICM as EVP and Head of International Operations. Rawley, who was fluent in Spanish, French and Italian, and Kaplan had been living in Puerto Rico for the past decade and produced TV and films through Cine Condado Films including Dona Barbara and Of Love and Shadows, distributed by RAI. Rawley also had been teaching film production at the University of Puerto Rico, where he developed a scholarship program for young Puerto Rican filmmakers to attend a major film school for a year. Rawley participated in many seminars, most recently in Australia and at the Bombay Film Festival, and was an adviser to the Moscow International Film Festival and on the U.S. Committee of the British Film Office. In 1992, he was honored by King Juan Carlos of Spain and is an Officer of the Civil Order of Merit. He also was on the board of the San Juan Teatro del Opera, and was a longtime member of the board of the Ojai Music Festival. Along with his wife, Rawley is survived by his children Pascale, Fabienne and Rufus and grandchildren Cooper, Tarka, Merlin, Rowan and Ivo. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. By Humeyra Pamuk, Idrees Ali and Michael Martina WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a visit to China that had been expected to start on Friday after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was tracked flying across the United States in what Washington called a "clear violation" of U.S. sovereignty. Military leaders considered shooting down the high-altitude surveillance balloon on Wednesday but eventually recommended against this to President Joe Biden because of the safety risk from debris, officials said. The Pentagon said on Friday that another Chinese balloon was observed over Latin America, without saying where exactly. "We are seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America. We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon," Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden was briefed on Tuesday about the balloon flight over the United States and there was an administration "consensus that it was not appropriate to travel to the People's Republic of China at this time." China expressed regret that an "airship" used for civilian meteorological and other scientific purposes had strayed into U.S. airspace. Jean-Pierre said the U.S. administration was aware of China's statement "but the presence of this balloon in our airspace, it is a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law. It is unacceptable this occurred." On Friday, Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, said the balloon had changed course and was floating eastward at about 60,000 feet (18,300 meters) above the central United States and demonstrating a capability to maneuver. He said it would likely be over the country for a few more days. Commercial forecaster AccuWeather said the balloon would potentially leave the United States and move over the Atlantic on Saturday evening. Mike Rounds, a Republican member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Fox News it would be good to recover the balloon "one way or another" to see "if it was designed to actually collect data or if it was designed to test our response capabilities." Story continues The Pentagon's disclosure about the balloon's maneuverability directly challenges China's assertion about it being blown off course. At a news conference with South Korea's visiting foreign minister on Friday, Blinken said he had told Wang Yi, director of China's Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, that the incident on the eve of his trip was an "irresponsible act" by China, but Washington remained committed to engagement and he would visit when conditions allowed. Blinken said he would not put a date on when he might go to China and the focus was on resolving the current incident. "The first step is ... getting the surveillance asset out of our air space," he said, adding that Washington would maintain open lines of communication with China. The Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, said the balloon should never have been allowed in U.S. airspace and could have been shot down over water. "I am calling on the Biden administration to quickly take steps to remove the Chinese spy balloon from U.S. airspace," he said in a statement. China's foreign ministry said in statements on Saturday that the flight of the "airship" over the United States was a force majeure accident, accusing U.S. politicians and media of taking advantage of the situation to discredit China. It said Wang had told Blinken during their phone call that both parties needed to communicate in a timely manner and avoid any misjudgments. LOST OPPORTUNITY? A White House official said the administration had briefed staff of the so-called Gang of 8, which brings together Republican and Democratic leaders from the Senate and House, on Thursday afternoon. The official said such balloon surveillance activity had "been observed over the past several years, including in the prior administration we have kept Congress briefed on this issue." The postponing of Blinken's trip, which had been agreed to in November by Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, is a blow to those who saw it as an overdue opportunity to stabilize an increasingly fractious relationship. The last visit by a U.S. secretary of state was in 2018. China is keen for a stable U.S. relationship so it can focus on its economy, battered by the now-abandoned zero-COVID policy and neglected by foreign investors alarmed by what they see as a return of state intervention in the market. In recent months Chinese leader Xi has met with world leaders, seeking to re-establish ties and settle disagreements. Daniel Russel, the top U.S. diplomat for Asia under former President Barack Obama, said he did not see a strategic rationale for canceling the trip and stressed the importance of maintaining high-level engagement with China. "In as much as the U.S. has much bigger fish to fry with the Chinese than a surveillance balloon, the Biden team may be inclined to pick up where they left off after a decent interval," he said. Sino-U.S. relations have soured significantly in recent years, particularly following then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August, which prompted dramatic Chinese military drills near the self-ruled island. LIMITED INTELLIGENCE VALUE The Pentagon's Ryder told reporters on Thursday the balloon was at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and did not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. One U.S. official added it was assessed to have "limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective." Another official said on Thursday the flight path would carry the balloon over a number of sensitive sites, but did not give details. Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana is home to 150 intercontinental ballistic missile silos. Ryder declined on Friday to say where precisely the balloon was, but as he spoke, the National Weather Service in Kansas City said on Twitter it had received multiple reports across northwestern Missouri of a large balloon. China has often complained about surveillance by the United States, including its deployment of ships or planes near Chinese military exercises. (This story has been corrected to change the date of the last visit to China by a U.S. secretary of state to 2018 in paragraph 19) (Reporting by Steve Holland, Idrees Ali, Humeyra Pamuk, Phil Stewart, Michael Martina, David Brunnstrom, David Shepardson and Simon Lewis in Washington; additional reporting by Tony Munroe, Ryan Woo and Yew Lun Tian in Beijing, Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru, Greg Torode in Hong Kong, Lion Schellerer in Singapore and Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Editing by Don Durfee, Jonathan Oatis, Marguerita Choy, Cynthia Osterman and William Mallard) SPRINGFIELD, Mass., January 10, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) today announced that Tim Corbett, chief investment officer, will retire after successfully leading the companys investment strategy and overseeing its General Investment Account (GIA) for the past 12 years. Eric Partlan, head of portfolio management, will succeed Corbett, effective March 1, 2023. "Tim has played an important role in executing on our strategy and delivering outstanding investment results across our portfolios, helping us effectively manage long-term risk across various global market cycles and constantly changing economic conditions while providing value to our policyowners," said Roger Crandall, MassMutual Chairman, President and CEO. "We will miss Tims innovative spirit and relentless focus on the culture, people and talent within the investment team and across the company." Corbett, who has had a distinguished 40-year career in investment management, joined MassMutual in 2011 and built a leading investment management model and team. During his tenure at MassMutual, the company doubled its GIA to more than $220 billion[1] and opened the door to new investment opportunities that have benefitted the companys policyowners and communities. Under his leadership and in partnership with MassMutuals global institutional asset manager, Barings, the companys portfolio grew to include a wide range of diversified investments, including private equity, renewable energy, and more. Corbett also oversaw the addition of Rothesay, the UKs largest specialist pensions insurer, to MassMutuals portfolio of strategic businesses and investments, as well as the launch of MassMutual Ventures, which manages more than $1 billion globally, backing more than 65 startups across the financial technology, enterprise SaaS, cybersecurity, digital health and climate technology sectors. And, most recently, MassMutual implemented a forward-thinking approach to impact investing with efforts like the MM Catalyst Fund and the First Fund Initiative, which make direct investments in Black-led businesses in Massachusetts, as well as tech businesses based outside Boston to fuel innovation across the Commonwealth, and diverse, first-time fund managers, respectively. Story continues Following Corbetts departure, Eric Partlan will be promoted to chief investment officer and join MassMutuals executive leadership team, reporting to Crandall. "A testament to Tims strong leadership is the excellent successor that he leaves us with in Eric," added Crandall. "As we look to the future, I am confident that Erics extensive investment expertise, risk management discipline, and proven leadership qualities will help us continue to grow our business and deliver on our commitments to our policyowners and customers, helping them secure their future and protect the ones they love." Partlan, a 19-year veteran of MassMutual, joined Babson Capital Management, a former MassMutual subsidiary that is now part of Barings, in 2004, where he was a member of the Structured Credit Products Group. In 2010, he joined MassMutual as head of investment risk, where he was instrumental in developing the companys approach to assessing and mitigating risk within its GIA. Since 2013, Partlan has served as head of portfolio management for MassMutual, leading a team that is responsible for the companys global asset allocation, asset liability management, overall portfolio hedging, and quantitative research and development. Prior to joining MassMutual, Partlan held several engineering roles at companies including The Boeing Company and B/E Aerospace. Partlan is a certified Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with masters degrees in business administration and mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as a masters degree in industrial engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. He also holds bachelors degrees in accounting and mechanical engineering from Michigan State University. About MassMutual MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyowners. Founded in 1851, the company has been continually guided by one consistent purpose: we help people secure their future and protect the ones they love. With a focus on delivering long-term value, MassMutual offers a wide range of protection, accumulation, wealth management and retirement products and services. For more information, visit www.massmutual.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230110005244/en/ Contacts Laura Crisco 413-887-1519 lcrisco@massmutual.com A man wanted in connection with a drive-by killing in Essex has been arrested by police in Morocco. One of the UK's most wanted suspects - Nana Oppong, previously of Newham, east London - was detained as he attempted to enter the North African country from Spain in September last year, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA). The NCA only revealed details of his arrest on Wednesday. He remains in custody and extradition proceedings to return him to the UK are under way. The 42-year-old was named last year by the NCA as one of the UK's most wanted fugitives. At the time, he was believed to be hiding in Spain. Oppong was being hunted as part of an Essex Police investigation into the murder of Robert Powell in the early hours of 13 June 2020. He was shot eight times with a 9mm pistol outside a party in Water Lane, Roydon, Harlow. It is alleged Oppong and the 50-year-old grandfather were from rival criminal factions. As well as featuring on the NCA's most wanted campaign, an Interpol red notice - worldwide alert - was issued for Oppong. Read more from Sky News: Missing mum's partner says she 'vanished into thin air' Man, 91, charged with murder of 92-year-old wife Police hunted for Oppong 'night and day' Steve Reynolds, NCA regional manager in Spain, said: "Oppong's arrest came about after a sustained campaign to trace him and because of the vigilance of our Moroccan partners and support from Interpol. "This is another excellent result and shows once again that UK law enforcement does not give up on finding those who await justice in the UK. "Working with our colleagues at home and abroad we will continue to hunt those on the run." Detective Superintendent Stephen Jennings, who has been leading the Essex Police investigation, said: "Numerous officers and staff across all agencies involved in this case have been working day and night to get justice for Robert's family." He added: "Our work continues and we won't stop until Nana Oppong is back in the UK and facing the courts." (Evening Standard) How many divisions has the Pope got? Stalin demanded. Today the same question should be asked about Nato. But this time the divisions are diplomatic and political, and not measured in military muscle. Leading Nato powers have pledged to send main battle tanks to bolster Ukraines forces against any breakthrough by any new Russian offensive this spring, and to begin to mount a concerted, mobile counter-attack. Altogether, the Ukraine command expects to get up to 300 main battle tanks from Nato and other allies. It is going to take time to train crews, get ammunition and spares resupply chains established. They are not expected to appear on the lines around Donbas till the back end of March at the earliest. To make them really effective, they have to be part of a combined arms plan this means moving with armoured infantry, close artillery and air support, which includes rockets and attack helicopters. Germany, Britain and the US have turned down the option of supplying strike aircraft. It is argued that heavy weaponry and systems that could strike into Russia must be eschewed for fear that an escalation would provoke Moscow further. In the refined ratiocinations and calculations of diplomacy this has a certain logic. But in terms of military realism, it is dangerous sophistry. It risks depriving Ukraines commander of essential tools if they are to stay in the fight, to survive, let alone contemplate winning. Look closely and you begin to see the divisions and cracks in the alliance. Chancellor Scholz of Germany urges restraint, suggesting Berlin opens up a line of negotiation with Moscow. President Erdogan of Turkey claims the same role for himself, as do the Pentagon and State in Washington. Where does President Zelensky come in? Are they planning to ignore him as Trump and Biden ignored Ashraf Ghani, the elected president of Afghanistan, when their botched diplomacy let the Taliban into Kabul? In the last week Italy negotiated huge gas and energy development deals with Libya and Algeria both clients and friends of Putins Russia. Its a daring piece of post-Ukraine war planning, an adroit piece of self-service diplomacy. University of North Georgia (UNG) junior Anna Cronan will take part in the summer 2023 Fulbright-MITACS Globalink Program. She is the first UNG student to participate in the program. Cronan, a Dahlonega, Georgia, resident pursuing a degree in biology, will spend 10-12 weeks between May and August at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She will join a faculty member there in research on the impact of cover crops in conventional no-till canola and wheat production. The junior, who is in UNG's Honors Program, said the research will fill a gap as most cover crop research has been conducted in the U.S. East and Midwest rather than in the drier Saskatchewan area. As part of Fulbright Canada, Cronan will gain professional training and take part in cultural, social and recreational experiences. It was Cronan's second time applying for the Fulbright Canada program, and knowing she would pursue research one way or another this summer relieved any pressure on her application. QUANG BINH A resident of Quang Binh Province has handed over a rare wild cat to police in Quang Chau Commune in Quang Trach District. The wild cat weighs about 3.5kg and has yellowish fur with black spots. According to the local authorities, this wild cat is called a marbled or spotted cat. This animal, of the family of Asian golden cats, belongs to a species listed in Group IIB of the Viet Nam Red Data Book. It is usually found in the forests in Southeast Asia. The wild cat was handed over to the Centre for Rescue, Conservation and Creature Development under the Management Board of Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, which will care for and release the animal back into the wild. VNS HCM CITY 2022 was a tough year for Vietnamese filmmakers as movie revenue dropped by 50-70 per cent as audiences stayed away from theatres amid the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the poor quality of local films. Thanh Soi (Thanh Wolf), an action film by producer and director Ngo Thanh Van, was the hope of the Vietnamese movie scene during December, along with ao oc ac - Tu Mau Thien Linh Cai (Jackpot Island - Kumanthong Returns). Since the movie hit theatres only one week after the blockbuster Avatar 2 was launched, it was extremely difficult to compete. In fact, Thanh Soi was released during a time when the audiences trust in Vietnamese films had dropped after a series of recent bombs. The poor performance of Thanh Soi was also related to the movie being labelled 18+ for violence and sex scenes, hence restricting the number of moviegoers. Despite having higher quality than other local movies in theatres this year, Thanh Soi has struggled to sell tickets. The producer was not able to predict that the tastes of moviegoers at this time were very different from when the first chapter in the series, Hai Phuong (Furie), was released almost three years ago. According to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, revenue from Vietnamese movies was estimated to decrease by 50 per cent in 2022. From Trang Ti (Diary of Child Masters Adventure) to Tro Tan Ruc Ro (Glorious Ashes), the revenue of 36 films that were released in theatres in 2022 reached more than VN670 billion (US$28.6 million) Em va Trinh (You and Trinh) was one of the most popular movies with numerous reviews and discussions online, generating revenue of VN100 billion. If it had been released before the pandemic, the movie would have made over VN200 billion, experts said. A similar circumstance could be seen with Co Gai Tu Qua Khu (Girl From The Past) and Bay Ngot Ngao (Naked Truth), generating VN53 billion and VN83 billion, respectively. These two movies would have made so much more with their famous casts if locals had not tightened their spending due to the negative effects of the pandemic. During press conferences to launch new projects, many filmmakers such as Tran Thanh, Ngo Thanh Van, Vu Ngoc ang, Bao Nhan and Nam Cito all agreed that they should join hands to bring audiences back to theatres and put aside potential competition for the growth of the market as a whole. Poorly-made movies Poorly made movies should be eliminated, experts said, adding that the cinema theatres themselves, together with distributors and filmmakers should not allow such work to be screened. Last year, several movies such as Cu Lao Xac Song (Lost in Mekong Delta), Virus Cuong Loan (Virus Mayhem) and Huyen Su Vua inh (The Legendary Tale of inh King) took the internet by storm and opened countless discussions on the downfall of local movies. Their low quality, both in how they were made and written, disappointed me on many levels. First it was Cu Lao Xac Song and then Huyen Su Vua inh. They gave me the feeling that they should be a web-drama or school film of new directors rather than actually movies, a moviegoer told Viet Nam News. In fact, Huyen Su Vua inh was withdrawn out from theatres after about 10 days of release, reaching a revenue of VN43 million. Other bad movies included Muu Ke Thuong Luu (Vanity Fair), Nhung Co Vo Hanh ong (Jealous and Furious), Nguoi Tinh (Made in Heaven), Qua Ben Lam Chi (My Nail Guy), La May Tren Bau Troi cua Ai o (Sideseeing: The Movie), Tro Choi Tu Than (Night of The Dead) and Duyen Ma (My Boyfriend Is Ghost), many people agreed. Audiences should not be the only judge via honest reviews on social media. In fact, it is crucial for filmmakers, theatres and distributors to step up to protect the audience from unpleasant experiences. Trust, when lost, is difficult to gain back, experts say, emphasising the importance of promoting the growth of the local cinema scene. VNS HA NOI The Central Committees of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) have sent messages of congratulations to the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Central Committee on the occasion of the CPVs 93rd anniversary (February 3). In its message, the LPRP Central Committee praised the CPV for initiating and leading the cause of oi moi (Reform) in Viet Nam, which has reaped great, comprehensive achievements, contributing to ensuring political stability, strengthening national defence and security, and fulfilling the dual goals of COVID-19 prevention and control, and socio-economic development and recovery. The CPV has also played a role in building an independent, self-reliant economy that is integrating into the world intensively, extensively and effectively, helping to push the economic growth to a record and improving peoples living standards, according to the committee. The Lao Party called the traditional friendship and special solidarity between the two countries a priceless common asset and a factor decisive to the victory of each countrys revolution, saying the relationship has been constantly cultivated and deepened in all aspects, bringing pragmatic interests to both peoples. The Lao Party, State and people would continue to work with Viet Nam in preserving and developing the special solidarity, for peace, friendship, cooperation and development in the region and the world, it pledged. The Lao side wished that the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States and peoples would prosper forever. In its message, the CPP Central Committee congratulated the Vietnamese Party, State and people on the great achievements they have recorded over the past time, and noted with pleasure the continuous developments of the friendship, traditional solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States and peoples, affirming its determination to further advance the bilateral relationship. The CPP expressed its belief that under the sound leadership of the CPV, headed by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the Vietnamese people would gain more achievements and soon beat the target of turning Viet Nam into a high-income developed nation by 2045. On this occasion, head of the LPRP Central Committee's Commission for External Relations Thongsavanh Phomvihane and Lao Ambassador to Viet Nam Sengphet Houngboungnuang also extended congratulations to head of the CPV Central Committees Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung. VNS HA NOI A delegation of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Central Committee, the Presidency, the National Assembly, the Government and the Viet Nam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee on Friday paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum in Ha Noi on the 93rd founding anniversary of the CPV (February 3, 1930). The delegation included Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, NA Chairman Vuong inh Hue, permanent member of the CPV Central Committees Secretariat Vo Van Thuong, VFF President o Van Chien, and Acting President Vo Thi Anh Xuan. They paid respect to President Ho Chi Minh, who founded and led the CPV the vanguard of the working class and the nation. The past 93 years have proven that the Party's leadership is the leading factor decisive to every victory of the Vietnamese revolution. Under the Party's leadership, the Vietnamese army and people are working to successfully implement the resolution adopted at the 13th National Party Congress, and build a Viet Nam of peace, unity, independence, democracy and prosperity, firmly moving towards socialism. The delegation then laid a wreath at the Monument to Heroes and Martyrs in Ha Noi. On the same day, representatives from the Central Military Commission and the Central Public Security Party Commission also paid their respects to President Ho Chi Minh, heroes and martyrs. On February 3, 1930, nearly 20 years after leaving the country to seek ways for national salvation, Nguyen Ai Quoc (later known as President Ho Chi Minh) chaired a conference to merge three communist organisations in Viet Nam into the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV), marking an important milestone in the countrys history of national construction and defence. The event was a turning point for the country, ending a crisis in orientations for national salvation and leadership of the patriotic movement of Viet Nam in the early 20th century. The moment also became the starting point for the victory of Vietnamese revolution and the growth of the nation in the following periods. VNS JAKARTA Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son's attendance at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting Retreat (AMM Retreat) in Jakarta on February 3-4 will contribute to enhancing solidarity and consensus in the ten-member grouping, thus elevating Viet Nam's role and position in ASEAN and international forums, a Vietnamese diplomat has said. In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency ahead of the AMM Retreat, Ambassador Nguyen Hai Bang, Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to ASEAN, said given the current complicated circumstances, the meeting is expected to offer an opportunity for ASEAN FMs to discuss and reach consensus on the blocs orientations. The ministers are expected to propose initiatives and solutions to cope with challenges in the region and the world, strengthen the bloc's solidarity, enhance ASEANs centrality in the region, and facilitate recovery of the entire association and each member nation, the ambassador continued. According to Bang, on the sidelines of the AMM Retreat, Son and his counterparts in ASEAN will pay courtesy calls to Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and hold many bilateral meetings. Since joining ASEAN, Viet Nam has proven its role as an active, responsible member that is willing to lead and contribute to building rules for the bloc. At the upcoming retreat, Viet Nam will propose initiatives aiming to improve institutional capacity and operational efficiency of ASEAN agencies and review the implementation of the ASEAN Charter for timely adjustment and supplements, towards ensuring that ASEAN Community building efforts are made in an effective and coordinated manner across all three pillars. Also as part of the community building framework, Viet Nam will join in finalising Timor Leste's observer status and contributing to building a roadmap for Timor-Leste to secure the ASEAN membership. According to the ambassador, another important issue at the upcoming retreat meeting is measures to materialise the Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar, and Viet Nam stands ready to engage in the process. Other issues to be tabled for discussion include orientations to boost cooperation between ASEAN and its partners in the spirit of ensuring and promoting the centrality of ASEAN as well as mechanisms and initiatives of or led by ASEAN, including the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, and how to continue urging major countries to soon join the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ). The present emerging international and regional issues would also be of great concern as they directly affect ASEAN, he said, noting that the task of the Vietnamese delegation was to raise initiatives in order to build a common stance, helping to ensure ASEAN solidarity and unity. Speaking of priorities set by Indonesia as ASEAN Chair 2023 that are maintaining ASEANs position and consolidating its centrality in the region and the world, and comprehensively spurring economic recovery and growth, turning ASEAN into a bright spot of the global economy, Bang affirmed Viet Nam's support for and readiness to contribute to these efforts this year. VNS HA NOI Schools nationwide face a lack of psychological counsellors for students. Currently, most schools do not have staff specialised in psychological counselling for students but have to arrange home-room teachers, medical staff and even youth-union officers to do this work. The staff have only been trained on short-term courses for psychological counselling, lacking in-depth knowledge, so the effectiveness of the counselling is not as high as expected. Nguyen Thi Quy, a teacher of citizenship education at Ethnic Minority Boarding High School in the northern mountainous province of ien Bien, told Quan oi Nhan dan (Peoples Army) newspaper that she does this work but she has not been properly trained. I face certain difficulties in the process of counselling for students because I have no professional skills in psychological counselling, she said. She has to find and read many documents to serve her work, she said. Le Thi Thao, principal of Cat Lai Secondary School, HCM City's Thu uc City, said that a member of staff in charge of the schools Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organisation, was assigned as a psychological counsellor for students at the school. Although the school has set up a counselling room, students rarely attend, she said. The work of psychological counselling for students shows little effectiveness because the counsellors have not undergone proper training, she said. Nguyen Hong uc, principal of Nguyen Trai Secondary School in HCM City's Go Vap District said it is hard to recruit a qualified psychological counsellor due to the pressure of work while the salary is not high enough. Students need counselling According to a survey conducted in 2022 by the Ministry of Education and Training at a number of high schools and universities in Ha Noi and Hai Duong Province, 93.6 per cent of students say they faced difficulties in learning and life that needed to be shared. Associate Professor Tran Thanh Nam, dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences, under the University of Education (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), said in the 2022-23 school year, students across the country return to school after a long time learning online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nam said the World Health Organisation predicts that the rate of students suffering from anxiety and depression will increase by three to five times. Studying online at home for a long time, many students use electronic devices for up to 10 hours a day, so when they return to school, they might feel lost and disconnected. Solutions Ngo Thi Minh, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, said in the 2015-22 period, the ministry issued a number of documents related to psychological counselling for students. Every year, the ministry also guides the departments of Education and Training in localities to perform social work and psychological counselling for students, she said. In an attempt to fix the situation, the ministry has actively coordinated with relevant ministries, sectors and international organisations to conduct training seminars, build psychological counselling models for students and develop communication publications related to psychological counselling for students, she said. Late last year, the ministry sent a document to the People's Committees of provinces and cities nationwide on strengthening the implementation of psychological support for high school students, she said. In the future, the ministry will enhance dissemination and raise awareness among teachers, parents and students about the role of counselling and social work in schools. It will also set up more training courses to improve the professional capacity of staff and teachers in educational institutions, she said. VNS IEN BIEN In a major drug bust, Vietnamese and Laotian authorities have arrested 15 members of a cross-border cartel, seizing 38 bricks of heroin, 3kg of methamphetamines, a firearm, ammunition and AK magazine speed loader, and LAK180 million (US$10,696). The operation, which resulted from a five-month investigation, was carried out with the cooperation of police departments in ien Bien, Lai Chau, Lao Cai and Phongsaly and Oudomxay. The crackdown in January this year was hailed as a success by the Chairman of the ien Bien Peoples Committee Le Thanh o, who awarded certificates of recognition to ten teams of police officers from both countries, along with officers of ien Bien's Border Guards, Customs and People's Procuracy who helped crack the case. The Ministry of Public Security also praised the ien Bien Police Department, the Narcotics Investigation Police Department, the Professional Technique Department, and the Representative Office of the Ministry of Public Security in Laos for their great success in fighting drug criminals. According to Colonel Vu inh Nghi, Deputy Chief of the ien Bien Narcotics Investigation Police Department, the traffickers had been using a complex network that involved smuggling drugs from the Golden Triangle area to Laos and then transferring them across the border into Viet Nam. Despite the challenges, authorities dismantled the cartel within 75 hours of the operation. Drug traffickers admitted trading more than 412 bricks of heroin, 28kg of opium and 3kg of methamphetamine since August 2022, according to the police. VNS By Luong Huong Minh Phuong Surrounded by the bustling streets of Son Tay Township, 40 km from the centre of Ha Noi, the Son Tay ancient fortress is a tranquil oasis shaded by luxuriant rows of ancient trees. The landmark, covering a total area of 16 ha, not only bears historic value but also attracts increasing attention for its unique architecture. Tourists are able to see the remains of the once famous military rampart while enjoying the peace and quiet. According to the book Thanh Co Son Tay (Son Tay Ancient Citadel) of Son Tay People's Committee, Son Tay used to be one of the four major townships defending Thang Long (Ha Noi), located in the west of the capital. Also known as oai Land and as a sacred land with extraordinary people, Son Tay has a rich history and culture. The locality, part of the lands protecting the ancient citadel as well as present-day Ha Noi, has always been important strategically and militarily. The site contains many vestiges reflecting the Vietnamese people's indomitable struggle, loyalty and resilience in the fights against foreign invaders. The citadel was built in 1822 during the reign of Emperor Minh Mang (1791-1841) under the Nguyen Dynasty. Though it was among 20 citadels built in Nguyen Dynasty, it was the only one built entirely of laterite, a good material for defensive building that is available locally. The 200-year-old citadel used to have four gates in four directions Tien (Front) Gate, Hau (Back) Gate, Huu (Right) Gate and Ta (Left) Gate. Each gate had a gazebo and gun-section. Only the Tien and Hau Gates remain today, with the first overlooking Quang Trung Street and the second facing Le Loi Street. The relic is surrounded by a 400m-long and 5m-high wall, together with a 3m-deep, 20m-wide and 1,800m-long moat. In the citadel, major works are built symmetrically along the south north axis. At the entrance is Ngoc Well and the 30m-high watchtower, which is now hanging the national flag. Situated in the heart of the site is Vong Cung, a guest house for the emperors to rest after patrolling and where the local mandarins once conducted rituals and received royal decrees every spring. Now the building has become a temple worshipping deities and national heroes. During the 1870s-80s, the citadel was the centre of the resistance wars against the French, led by mandarins of the Nguyen court such as Hoang Ke Viem or Luu Vinh Phuc. Due to its strategic location, the French colonists had to conduct three attacks from Ha Noi and finally took control of the citadel in 1884. Although Vietnamese people did not win the fight to protect the western citadel, it marked a great development in the country's military in terms of strategy and tactics, and also aroused fear among the French colonialists. In 1924, the Governor-General of Indochina issued a decree to rank the ancient citadel as a relic, and in 1994, the landmark was recognised by the Ministry of Culture and Information as a National Historic Landmark. Son Tay Citadel was also the venue for many major events, such as the meeting of the provisional government council of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam that aimed to decide the first important issues of the nine-year-long resistance war. According to Chairman of the Vietnam Archaeological Association Tong Trung Tin the Son Tay Citadel represents a period of the most rampant construction in Viet Nam, in the context of colonial conquests worldwide. Through many ups and downs, while many other citadels have been demolished or covered with modern buildings, Son Tay Citadel has retained its vestiges, demonstrating the construction techniques and defensive military works in Viet Nams north. Tourist destination According to experts, Son Tay is among the few citadels having their space remain intact today. No residential, public buildings, or military works have been constructed in or encroached on its space. With its long-standing and unique historical and cultural values, the citadel has become a destination for students to visit and learn about patriotic traditions and heritage preservation. As the only laterite citadel in Viet Nam today, it impresses visitors with its serenity and calm. As a cultural and historical relic as well as an ecological park, the citadel has received significant investment from the State and support from local people for its conservation, said Nguyen Trong An, the deputy head of management of Son Tay Ancient Citadel Relic. Since the 1990s, many projects to embellish items within the citadel have been carried out, such as the innovation of the watchtower, the Vong Cung building and several paths within the park. Notably, two Mic21 aircraft from the Sao o (Red Star) Regiment and one Mic8 aircraft from Regiment 916 are displayed at the entrance of the relic site as a memory of war. 2022 marked the citadels 200 years of existence, and a series of cultural, tourism, and sporting events were organised to raise public awareness about heritage protection and preservation. They included an exhibition of photos, artefacts, ornamental trees and paintings, together with an international hot air balloon festival. A new pedestrian zone around the citadel was opened for Reunification Day (April 30). The 820-metre-long pedestrian zone, spanning several streets around the ancient citadel, is expected to help expand trade, services and tourism, contributing to preserving the cultural heritage of the locality. Many special art and cultural programmes have been held in the pedestrian zone, attracting tens of thousands of visitors. The celebration of the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the ancient fortress has received great support from residents both inside and outside Son Tay Township, showing the concern of both the Party and the State, and honouring the values and potential of the heritage here, An said. The citadel also attracted many tourists this Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday to watch the fireworks on New Year's Eve and attend the exhibition of special editions of newspapers for Tet, or contemplate artworks crafted by local artisans. Travelling more than 10 km to visit the relic in the early days of the Lunar New Year, 31-year-old Nguyen Thi Nga expressed her surprise at the sheer beauty of the ancient citadel. "My family has been most impressed with the fresh and tranquil atmosphere here. It is rare to find such vast space shaded by ancient trees in Ha Noi nowadays. My two children were so excited to take pictures with the military planes on display and learn about our national history. I will take them there again for sure," she said. At present, the local authorities are compiling a dossier requesting recognition of a special national relic for Son Tay Citadel. "This will act as an important foundation for Son Tay Town and locals to promote the values of the relic, effectively implement the Law on Cultural Heritage and make the locality worthy of being one of the five satellite cities of Ha Noi," An noted. VNS The GEI measures gender equality in over 70 metrics across five pillars, including the leadership and talent pipeline, gender pay parity, the promotion of an inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies, and gender equality support outside the company. It helps measure the performance of listed companies that are committed to transparency when reporting on gender equality. In 2023, Nestle scored 78.5 per cent, which is above the average index score of 73 per cent. Head of Group Human Resources and Global Business Services Beatrice Guillaume-Grabisch said, We are pleased that our efforts to advance gender balance in our workforce and empower women across our value chain have been recognised once again. We strongly believe that acting to ensure womens equal participation in society is not only the right thing to do, it also supports better decision-making that is founded on a more inclusive culture that enhances innovation and increases job satisfaction among employees. Gender equity is an ongoing journey. We will continue to prioritise it across our business as we travel the path to gender parity. Nestle is accelerating its efforts to advance the gender balance within the company and continues to put policies, initiatives, and projects in place to build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce and culture. Currently, 45 per cent of its managerial positions are held by women and the company continues to work towards equality within its supply chain, particularly in the agricultural communities it sources from. Since 2013, the Nestle Group has committed to implementing the Women's Empowerment Principles with a seven-step business plan to strengthen gender equality and empower women to fully participate in all economic activities within their workplaces, the markets, and their communities, thereby contributing to not only improving their lives but also those of their families and society as a whole. In Vietnam, Nestle has implemented women's empowerment activities in their workplaces and within the value chain, such as the Nestle Accompanies Women programme and the NESCAFE Plan. Over the years, the proportion of women holding senior management and leadership positions at Nestle Vietnam has increased annually. With nearly 3,000 employees, about half of Nestle Vietnam's management staff are female. The average income of female employees is equal to that of their male colleagues. Nestle Vietnam has cooperated with the Vietnam Womens Union to implement the Nestle Accompanies Women programme to promote gender equality and empower women. In particular, the initiative has helped equip women in rural areas with the knowledge and skills to create sustainable livelihoods. As of October 2022, the drive has attracted 8,000 female members across 20 cities and provinces nationwide to gain an education on nutrition and healthy lifestyle building. About 1.2 million families have gained access to nutritional and product knowledge. Since 2011, Nestle Vietnam has implemented the NESCAFE Plan in four provinces in the Central Highlands. Besides creating a positive impact on the sustainable development of Vietnam's coffee industry, the scheme has not only increased farmers incomes, but also enhanced the role and status of women by training female team leaders. Up to now, 274 farmer groups have been established, within which, more than 30 per cent are women. In 2022, Nestle Vietnam continued to rank among the top three Best Places to Work in Vietnam for the fifth consecutive year, according to the results of a survey conducted by Anphabe that was based on the opinions of more than 57,000 employees nationwide. Nestle Vietnam also won the Vietnam HR Awards 2022 in two important categories, including Excellence in Employee Wellness and Best Talent Management Strategy encompassing workforce planning and total rewards. In addition, the company is also honoured to be the only foreign-invested enterprise to receive a certificate of merit from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, with the title of Typical Enterprise for Employees in 2022. Nestle at forefront of promoting full gender equality Nestle has taken some bold steps to advance womens equality in both its internal company and the community. Women empowerment a key pillar for Nestle Vietnam Nestle Vietnam has been one of the strongest advocates of gender equality in Vietnam over the past 25 years. HR director Truong Bich Dao explained to VIRs Olive Bui the journey to build a gender-inclusive workplace as well as contribute to womens empowerment in community. Illustrative image (Photo source: CNA) Bangkok - Thailand's capital city of Bangkok has kicked off a project to offer space free of charge for hawkers and street vendors in the heart of the city in a bid to clear cluttered pavements. The project named "Hello Hab-Re" (Hello hawkers) is piloted outside the Samyan Mitrtown mixed-use shopping complex on Rama IV Road. It will reorganise hawkers and street vendors in the city by allocating suitable areas that do not block public footpaths. The operator of the complex has agreed to provide space next to its building for registered vendors to use for free from Monday to Friday, 8am-2pm and 3pm-8pm. Chairing the launch ceremony, Governor of Bangkok Chadchart Sittipunt thanked the operator of Samyan Mitrtown for providing the space, saying it would increase shopping opportunities, promote small entrepreneurs, and help tidy up the city. He said he hoped more private property owners would join the project in the future. According to the official, all vendors joining the Hello Hab-Re project had passed food and sanitary standards. Thailand's industrial production index falls sharply in December Thailand's industrial output further declined more than expected in December 2022, as a global slowdown hit demand for Thai exports, according to the Ministry of Industry. Thirty years have passed since the Feb. 28 federal raid on the Branch Davidian complex outside Waco that led to a deadly shootout, a 51-day siege and, finally, a fire that killed 76 people. Those 30 years also have seen studies, congressional reports, lawsuits, trials and books aplenty dissecting nearly every aspect of that event: Branch Davidian history and belief, religious cults, the rise and fall of Vernon Howell/David Koresh, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, gun sales and laws, the FBI, the Clinton administration, citizen militias, the role of media and the rise of conspiracy theories. Can anything new be said? For Fort Worth author Jeff Guinn, the answer is yes. Guinn has written more than two dozen books, including bestsellers on Charles Manson, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, and Jim Jones. While researching his book The Vagabonds, he stumbled across a 19th century Branch Davidian prophet named Cyrus Teed, who also adopted the name Koresh and whose apocalyptic Seven Seals prophecies sounded suspiciously similar to those the 20th century Koresh would preach to his followers. At that point, the seed to what became Guinns Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians and a Legacy of Rage was planted. Two years of research followed that seed, including first-time interviews with ATF agents in the raid and Branch Davidians who survived the fire. Guinn, a former Fort Worth Star-Telegram writer before turning in 2006 to writing books full-time, will talk about the book that resulted at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Waco-McLennan County Central Library, 1717 Austin Ave. Reference librarian Sean Sutcliffe, who oversees the librarys local history section and aided Guinn in his research, will interview Guinn in the morning session. Admission is free, but seating limited. Guinn will sign copies of his books that attendees bring, but books will not be sold at the event. The Waco appearance is part of three months promotional appearances and interviews for his book, which was released Jan. 24. In an interview last month, Guinn said he wanted to do something more than the routine for Waco as thanks for the support he got during his research and interviews. The Waco library played a part in Guinns investigation of the development of Koreshs theology as it holds a copy of Koreshanity, a 1971 reprint of many of Teeds End Time prophesies. Guinn said it is plausible Lois Roden, who preceded Koresh as leader of the Waco Branch Davidian community, knew of the book and shared its contents with Koresh, who absorbed them as his own. Koreshanity is in the librarys local history room and its use restricted to that room. Waco traces the development of the theology of the Branch Davidians, a splinter group from the Seventh Day Adventists, and how Koreshs preaching changed over time. It is that religious component of the story that law enforcement ignored or downplayed with tragic results, Guinn said. Like Charles Manson and Jim Jones, people who Guinn explored at length in his books, Koresh had a personal charisma that commanded his followers. However, Guinn said Koresh differed considerably from them in that he believed his message, in contrast to Manson, whom he characterized as a nasty ex-pimp, and Jones, consumed by paranoia and power after a promising start as a local civil rights pioneer. David Koresh truly believed in God and his followers truly believed in him, Guinn said. They wanted to do what they believed God wanted them to do. You may disagree with their interpretation (of the Bible), be appalled at what he did with young girls, but it would be wrong to question their sincerity. To this day, some of the survivors believe. Primed by their study of Scripture to look for Gods rescue of believers in a wicked world, the Branch Davidians found their answer in David Koresh. That man understood the Bible and could present it in a way that was unique, Guinn said. They were stunned by David Koreshs expertise and his skill in interpreting it. FBI leaders on the ground and negotiators never realized the sacrifices the Branch Davidians had already made in living at Mount Carmel to follow Koresh and his teachings, he said. Outside intimidation and threats of force merely reinforced their perception of an outside Babylon intent on destroying Gods faithful and strengthened their determination to resist, Guinn said. At the same time, Koresh could not have stayed in control long at Mount Carmel had there been no ATF raid, Guinn said. The risk for any prophet is that at some point they have to deliver, he said. The living conditions (at Mount Carmel) were horrific. The building was falling apart. It was built on anthills. They were living on bananas and popcorn. There was hard physical labor. Koresh already had lost some followers with his New Light revelations, in which he was called to have multiple wives, including women already married to men in the community. Also among Koreshs wives were underage girls, and that was a line that some Davidians refused to cross. Some of the New Light dissenters description of life under Koresh at Mount Carmel and his apocalyptic preaching sparked the Tribune-Heralds investigative series The Sinful Messiah, published the day before the ATF raid. Guinn said he found the papers reporting was sound and its publication did not tip off the Davidians to the raid. An important thing to know is that the Trib was in no way responsible for what happened. No question, he said. The Sinful Messiah series was written factually. Relying on interviews with ATF and FBI agents who had not talked publicly before about their experience, Guinn shows a number of bad decisions made and some outright lying that led to the botched ATF raid for illegal weapons and the lengthy siege during which he describes more aggressive FBI leaders and their tactics undoing the work of patient negotiators. What were examples of human fallibility, however, became conspiracy theory fodder for anti-government and pro-gun activists and citizen militias already angered by FBI use of force at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, six months earlier, Guinn said. He said Waco boosted the profile of conspiracy promoter Alex Jones, contributed to the deadly 1994 Oklahoma City bombing of a federal building that killed 168 people and, in some measure, started a three-decade percolation of anti-government sentiment that fueled in part the Jan. 6, 2021 assault of the U.S. Capitol. The more I looked, the more it scared me, Guinn said. Bailey Boswells attorney made his case Wednesday for why she should get a new trial for the killing and dismemberment of Sydney Loofe, pointing to the number of gruesome photos prosecutors showed to the jury and testimony at trial about witchcraft and torture. Todd Lancaster said the Nebraska Supreme Court has ruled that such photographs may be relevant to show the condition of the body or extent of the wounds or to establish malice and intent. But in this case, he said, the state put into evidence more than 50 photos of Loofes dismembered remains, including five of a tattoo on her forearm that helped investigators to identify her and 10 of her severed head. And its horrific, Lancaster said. They are hard to look at. He said he thought of putting them on the screen for the Supreme Court justices to see, but decided against it since they were part of the court record. He questioned why the jury, for instance, was shown photos that depicted how animals had gotten to her remains other than to ... horrify them and rile up their emotions. Its hard for me to see how that is not excessive, Lancaster argued. Similarly, he said, the state shouldnt have been allowed to call three women who testified at trial about how Boswell and co-defendant Aubrey Trail spoke of witchcraft and torture at the home in Wilber and were sexually deviant. Theyre not going to be looking at the evidence. Theyre going to be looking at the deviant behavior and their emotions and not judging the evidence for what it is, Lancaster said of jurors. In November 2021, Boswell got an automatic life sentence, plus 50 years, for conspiracy to commit murder and two years for unlawful disposal of human remains, after a three-judge panel failed to unanimously find she should get a death sentence. In an earlier hearing, Trail was sentenced to death. Loofes disappearance the night of Nov. 15, 2017, after a date with Boswell, led to a multistate manhunt for Boswell and Trail, who in Facebook videos claimed to know nothing about it. Their cellphone records, though, ultimately led law enforcement to fields and ditches in Clay County, where they made the grisly discovery of the 24-year-old Lincoln womans remains left scattered in trash bags. Separate juries found Trail and Boswell guilty of murder for luring Loofe to their Wilber apartment, where they killed and dismembered her. On Wednesday, Assistant Nebraska Attorney General Stacy Foust asked the Supreme Court to affirm Boswells conviction. Regarding the photos themselves, I think the state and the court did exercise extreme discretion, she said. Foust said the state introduced a small portion of the 87 photos taken at the disposal scene and 100 or more autopsy photos. And each for a proper purpose, she said. (The state) was entitled to present a coherent picture of Boswells crimes, she said. Boswell did not get to sanitize her crimes by picking the states evidence for it. Foust said the photos from the disposal sites were essentially crime-scene photographs. The difference here is that because of Trail and Boswells actions there were actually multiple crime scenes with multiple body parts and the state was entitled to present each one to the jury, she said. Photos from the autopsy were important to show that the case involved not just a premeditated murder, but also a deliberate dismemberment, Foust said. Justice William Cassel asked Foust if she agreed it was possible to have too many photos go before a jury. In another case. Not here, she said. How is an appellate court to review what that threshold is? Cassel asked. Foust said they would have to consider whether it was an abuse of discretion by the judge, a very high standard. As for the testimony of the other women, she said: We will never know exactly what happened in those 24 minutes that Loofe was in Trail and Boswells Wilber apartment. But according to Boswell, she was just as much a victim of Trails as the girls were. And the girls testimony showed that is a bold-faced lie. She participated, if not led, every aspect of the recruitment process in setting up the date with Loofe, Foust said. Which also evidenced her participation and thus her intent in killing and dismembering Loofe, she said. The Supreme Court took the case under advisement. Photos: Bailey Boswell's trial Bailey Boswell Trial, 9.25 Bailey Boswell Trial, 9.25 Bailey Boswell Trial, 9.25 Bailey Boswell Trial, 9.25 Bailey Boswell Trial, 9.25 Bailey Boswell Trial, 9.25 Bailey Boswell Trial, 9.25 Bailey Boswell Trial, 9.25 Bailey Boswell Trial, 9.25 Bailey Boswell Trial, 9.25 Bailey Boswell Trial, 9.25 Bailey Boswell Trial, 9.25 Bailey Boswell Trial, 9.25 Bailey Boswell Trial, 9.25 Bailey Boswell Trial, 9.25 Bailey Boswell Trial, 9.25 Bailey Boswell Bailey Boswell Boswell trial Boswell trial Bailey Boswell Trial, 10.14 Bailey Boswell Trial, 10.14 Bailey Boswell Trial, 10.14 Bailey Boswell Trial, 10.14 Boswell Trial, 10.13 Boswell trial, 10.9 Boswell trial, 10.9 EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin (February 2, 2023) The people and aircraft that participated in the Vietnam War will be remembered 50 years after the end of direct hostilities during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023, which will be held July 24-30 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh. The 70th edition of the Experimental Aircraft Associations fly-in convention will include specific programs and activities that involve the aircraft of that period, from all branches of service that were engaged during that period. The Vietnam era was a remarkable time for aviation innovation and development, said Rick Larsen, EAAs vice president of communities and member programs, who coordinates AirVenture features and attractions. It was a bridge from the early jet age to the aircraft that are still a foundational part of our armed forces. More important, this is an opportunity to recognize those who served, many of whom did not receive a grateful welcome when they returned from their service. The aircraft involved in the individual programs will be announced as their presence is finalized. However, the lineup will include land- and carrier-based aircraft, as well as rotorcraft that are examples of those that saw service in Vietnam. Special activities will encompass the AirVenture air shows, evening programs, Boeing Plaza and Warbirds area displays, and areas such as the Fly-In Theater and EAA Aviation Museum. In addition, the annual Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight is scheduled to return to the schedule on Friday, July 28, focusing on Vietnam veterans departing Oshkosh for a day trip to the monuments in Washington, D.C., prior to returning at the end of that days air show. Additional highlights are currently in development and will be announced in the coming weeks. About EAA AirVenture Oshkosh EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is The Worlds Greatest Aviation Celebration and EAAs membership convention. Additional information, including advance ticket and camping purchase, is available at www.EAA.org/airventure. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322) or visit www.EAA.org. Immediate news is available at www.twitter.com/EAA. WATERLOO The attorney for a Davenport man who robbed a Waterloo convenience store with his mask lowered in 2020 conceded the case isnt a who done it. Instead, the defense for Diontay Marcus Cobbs rests on whether or not he used a real gun when he held up Alis Corner on East Fourth Street while three teens waited outside in his white Ford Fusion. Was what we saw in the video in fact a firearm? defense attorney John Bishop asked the jury during closing arguments Thursday. Cobbs, 27, is charged with first-degree robbery, which denotes that a weapon was used in the crime. Bishop angled for a lesser charge, asking instead for a conviction of second-degree robbery, which doesnt involve an actual weapon and carries a lighter sentence. Video from the Sept. 29, 2020, heist shows Cobbs wearing a blue LA Dodgers cap, red facemask covering his chin but not his face flash what appears to be a gun while demanding money and two bottles of liquor. A police officer said the weapon appeared to be a Glock handgun. But Bishop noted that police never recovered a gun in their investigation. We dont have that firearm. The best we can say is it looks like a firearm, Bishop said. But prosecutor Brad Walz said police had documented Cobbs carrying a 9 mm Glock Model 43 some 11 days earlier during a traffic stop in Davenport. In that incident, Davenport officers pulled over his Fusion for a missing front license plate. A body camera video showed that the officers asked about the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and used that as a reason for a search. Cobbs, wearing the same blue cap and a black facemask under his chin, informed officers there was a gun in the car and that he had a permit to carry weapons. Police found the loaded Glock in a red fanny pack inside the vehicle. There was no reason to seize the gun or arrest Cobbs, so he was released with a warning about the front plate, police said. Walz said others testified that Cobbs brought a pistol when they drove from Davenport to Waterloo on the day of the robbery. A 14-year-old girl, who drove his car, testified she briefly handled the gun, and even removed the magazine, noticing bullets inside. The teen said she didnt know Cobbs had planned to rob the store. She testified she thought they were just going to stop to buy alcohol, but Cobbs then emerged from the shop with a bag containing a bottle and cash. Thats when I put two and two together, the teen said. She said Cobbs later gave her some of the money from the robbery. Cobbs is also charged with using a minor to commit a crime. Bishop said he should be acquitted of the charge because the 14-year-old girl didnt know she was driving him to a robbery. The case was given to the jury to deliberate late Thursday afternoon. WATERLOO A Waterloo man has been arrested after his girlfriend showed up at the hospital with a gunshot wound early Friday. Police arrested Demario Latrell Rucker, 33, 303 Dearborn Ave., for felon in possession of a firearm, intimidation with a weapon and reckless use of a firearm. Bond was set at $100,000. According to police, Rucker drove his girlfriend to MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center around 3:30 a.m. Friday. She was treated for a gunshot wound to her right leg and is expected to survive, police said. The woman told police she arrived at her apartment at 130 Sherwood Court, opened the door and was shot, court records state. Rucker is prohibited from handling firearms because of a 2011 felony conviction in Wisconsin, according to court records. Grout Museum's Norris Corson Family Planetarium Planetarium 1 Planetarium 2 Planetarium 6 Planetarium 3 Planetarium 8 Planetarium 4 Planetarium 5 Planetarium 7 CEDAR FALLS Amidst cyber attacks on Iowa schools, educators came together Thursday to discuss cybersecurity. Central Rivers Area Education Agency held a cybersecurity summit at it headquarters. Superintendents, information technology specialists, business managers and public relations staff were invited to attend. It makes me sad were talking about this in education, said Sarah Nelson, the agencys director of IT and special programs. Its not about if but when. We can be confident when it happens that we know what to do. Aaron Warner, the chief executive officer of Iowa-based cybersecurity and compliance firm ProCircular, said in his keynote address that kindergarten through 12th-grade schools are becoming increasingly targeted because hacks are time sensitive. They know when you have thousands of students coming back on Monday and they hit you on Saturday, they know youre more likely to pay, Warner said. Hackers will gain access to systems and commonly require the computer users to pay in order to get their system and information back. Warner said there is valuable data within school systems, such as information about both students and faculty. Such information for people under the age of 18 is very valuable, he noted. They most likely have no criminal record or tax filings and theres a smaller chance that targeting them will be tracked back as fraud. Matt OBrien, the director of technology for Waterloo Community Schools, said the FBI recently put out a specific memo regarding cybersecurity and K-12 schools. Weve known were becoming more and more on the radar for nefarious actors, OBrien said. Now weve had four large school districts that have had breaches this year that ever cements the realness of the threat and further increases the sense of urgency. In early January, there was a cyber attack on Des Moines Public Schools which resulted in its buildings closing for three days while officials worked to resolve problems with computer network. On Jan. 24, the district announced it was continuing to fix the issue. The school district is the largest in Iowa, with 30,000 students and 5,000 employees. In the summer of 2022, the Linn-Mar Community Schools in Marion detected unusual activity on it servers. The district later deemed it a computer breach, or an incident that resulted in unauthorized access to private information. This happened just a month after the Cedar Rapids Community Schools had its own ransomware attack, which compromised personal information of almost 9,000 current and former employees, according to The Gazette. The Quad City Times reported that Davenport Community Schools was also affected by a cyberattack in October. Warner said people can help prevent security breaches by doing regular backups and using two-factor authentication, which will ask for a password and then send a code to a phone or email before granting access to the site. He also reiterated that people should not click risky-looking links or befriend people on social networks who they dont know. After his presentation, Warner said K-12 schools are a treasure trove of information. Iowa (AEAs) are doing a good job at taking the subject seriously, he said. Grout Museum's Norris Corson Family Planetarium Planetarium 1 Planetarium 2 Planetarium 6 Planetarium 3 Planetarium 8 Planetarium 4 Planetarium 5 Planetarium 7 CEDAR FALLS A 2020 Waterloo West High School graduate is making the most of his time at the University of Northern Iowa. Ethan Ahrens, a junior studying digital media production, applied to be a part of the The College Tour series episode about UNI and was selected to share more with audiences about the hands-on experience hes received while studying at the state school. The university is hosting a special launch party for the premiere of UNIs episode at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, 8201 Dakota St. In mid-October, 10 students were filmed for the 30-minute episode focused on campus life and experience. UNI joins a group of about 80 higher education institutions that have their own videos as part of the Amazon Prime series created and hosted by Alex Boylan, a well-known reality show contestant, television show host, film producer and traveler. I wrote up my own script, and thought they would edit it heavily but they maybe changed two sentences, Ahrens, 20, explained. The small film crew then shot segments of him working and reading his script at Lang Hall while inside a campus television news studio, audio recording studio, editing lab, productions class, and the hallways of the building, but hes not yet sure what made the final cut. It wasnt long, maybe an hour and a half tops that I was working with them, Ahrens said. I was surprised at how calm the director was You hear horror stories of people being on movie sets for three days, and I havent heard anybody say that film or TV production is an easy thing to be a part of. During the filming, Ahrens also got the chance to see some of the high-level cameras being used as well as learn about the various challenges and triumphs that happen on set. Ive been interested in video production ever since I took an introduction class as a sophomore in high school, and I would make videos for fun of anything that came to mind, said Ahrens. His proud personal experiences range from documenting UNI students and faculty at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota as part of a research trip to making a short video his freshman year that revolved around a Haiku poem. He hopes his path leads him to creating fun content on the side or as his primary occupation. One of his early ideas is creating videos that involves fun facts about crazy things to have happened in history. But he admits that he has to find a way to make them different from what else is already out there in the crowded market. I can tell you that I dont want to be a vlogger or someone whos reacting to various things, he said. Ahrens hopes to attend the free 6:30 p.m. pre-premiere party Wednesday in the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center lobby. The viewing follows at 7:30 p.m. in the centers Davis Hall. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet him and other cast members and enjoy special treats. Following the premiere, look for the 10 individual segments to be released gradually on official UNI web and social media platforms. While Ahrens has seen an episode teaser with him shown for a second, he hasnt seen any part of the full show yet. Hes excited to see the final product and what others have shared about their college experience. This will be something I can look back on when Im 60 and will help me remember what I was like in college, Ahrens said. WASHINGTON President Joe Biden is a man who writes down his thoughts. Some of those handwritten musings over his decades in politics are now a part of a special counsel's investigation into the handling of classified documents. It isn't clear yet what the investigators are looking for by taking custody of notes from his time as vice president and his decades in the Senate that were found in his Delaware homes in Rehoboth Beach and Wilmington. Biden's attorneys did not say whether the notes were considered to be classified, only that they were removed. But over his 36 years in the Senate and eight as vice president, Biden had a front-row seat to a lot of highly sensitive moments in U.S. history, including the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the 2011 death of Osama bin Laden and unfolding political turmoil in Ukraine. The special counsel is working to determine how classified information from Biden's time as senator and vice president came to wind up in his home and former office and whether any mishandling involved criminal intent or was unintentional. They'll also have to determine whether the notes they took are considered personal and therefore belong to Biden, and would then likely be returned to him. Some of the documents held by ex-President Donald Trump also had handwritten notes, according to the FBI. In seeking permission to search Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in August, an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit that some of the documents returned to the National Archives last January contained what appeared to be Trump's handwriting. The affidavit does not say whether agents believed those notes to discuss classified material. Under the Presidential Records Act, records of a presidential administration generally belong with the National Archives. There are some exceptions, including when records are determined to be purely personal. But even a handwritten note can be considered classified if someone is recording observations related to a classified document or briefing. Larry Pfeiffer, a former senior director of the White House situation room and chief of staff to retired CIA Director Michael Hayden, said when he took notes during secret or top-secret meetings, he would mark each page by specific levels of classification. "It's pretty clear in those meetings when they're hearing classified information," he said. When Pfeiffer left the CIA, he submitted his notebooks to the agency archives. Longtime aides say they believe Biden has been keeping personal diaries for decades, though the only public glimpse of them so far has come in Biden's book "Promise Me, Dad," which chronicled the then-vice president's heartache and grief over his son Beau's fatal cancer diagnosis. It's unknown whether handwritten notes may have been turned over to the Department of Justice by former Vice President Mike Pence or whether any of Trump's writings from his time in office were found during the FBI's search of his Florida estate last year. It was also unclear whether recent former presidents and vice presidents would make any of their personal notes written during their time in office available for review to determine whether they contained any potential federal records or information that should be classified. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines declined to discuss their investigations or brief members of Congress. The leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee sent a third letter Thursday urging Garland and Haines to allow the panel to view the papers in secret and be briefed on their potential risk to national security. Sens. Mark Warner of Virginia and Marco Rubio of Florida wrote that without access to the documents, "we cannot effectively oversee the efforts of the Intelligence Community to address potential risks to national security arising from the mishandling of this classified information." There's a precedent in keeping personal records personal: Access to Ronald Reagan's personal diaries was sought after he left office by his former national security adviser John Poindexter as he faced trial for his role in the Iran-Contra affair. A federal judge accepted Reagan's invocation of executive privilege to shield the diaries from disclosure. There have been cases in recent years of high-level officials mishandling notes about classified operations. Former CIA Director David Petraeus was prosecuted for his handling of eight notebooks of classified and unclassified notes he collected during his time leading U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan. He pleaded guilty in 2015 to one count of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material and received probation. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was found by the FBI to have discussed classified material in emails kept on her private server. Then-FBI Director James Comey recommended against charging Clinton in 2016. He said there was not clear evidence Clinton or her subordinates intended to violate laws about classified information. Timeline: Key dates in discovery of classified records tied to Biden Jan. 20, 2017 Mid-2017-2019 Jan. 20, 2021 Nov. 2-4, 2022 Nov. 8, 2022 November-December 2022 Nov. 9, 2022 Nov. 14, 2022 Dec. 20, 2022 Dec. 20, 2022: Biden's personal counsel informs Lausch that a second batch of classified documents has been discovered in the garage at Biden's Wilmington home. The FBI goes to Biden's home in Wilmington and secures the documents. Jan. 5, 2023 Jan. 9, 2023 Jan. 10-11: 2023 Jan. 12-14, 2023 Jan. 19, 2023 Jan. 20-21, 2023 Feb. 1, 2023 SAN FRANCISCO The population of western monarch butterflies wintering along the California coast has rebounded for a second year in a row after a precipitous drop in 2020, but the population of orange-and-black insects is still well below what it used to be, researchers said. Volunteers who visited sites in California and Arizona around Thanksgiving tallied more than 330,000 butterflies, the highest number of these insects counted in the last six years. It was a promising rebound after the annual winter count in 2020 recorded fewer than 2,000 butterflies. In 2021, the number recorded was 247,000. "I think we can all celebrate and this is really exciting," said Emma Pelton, a conservation biologist at the Xerces Society, a nonprofit environmental organization that focuses on the conservation of invertebrates. "We were all so relieved last year when we had about 250,000 butterflies, and to see that number tick up even modestly this year it's really a good sign that we've got a second chance." Pelton said this week that it's not clear why the population has rebounded but one explanation could be that eastern monarch butterflies, which tend to spend the winter in Mexico, could be mixing with their western counterparts. "Some of that kind of leakage could be occurring and I don't think we fully understand the system enough to say what it is," she said. "But I think one thing it's not is that all is well or that we all made human actions that magically made it all better." The population is still far below what it was in the 1980s, when monarchs numbered in the millions. Scientists say the butterflies are at critically low levels in western states because of destruction to their milkweed habitat along their migratory route as housing expands into their territory and use of pesticides and herbicides increases. Along with farming, climate change is one of the main drivers of the monarch's threatened extinction, disrupting an annual 3,000-mile migration synched to springtime and the blossoming of wildflowers. Western monarch butterflies head south from the Pacific Northwest to California each winter, returning to the same places and even the same trees, where they cluster to keep warm. The monarchs breed multiple generations along the way for thousands of miles before reaching California, where they generally arrive at the beginning of November. Once warmer weather arrives in March, they spread east of California. On the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, another monarch population travels from southern Canada and the northeastern United States across thousands of miles to spend the winter in central Mexico. Scientists estimate the monarch population in the eastern U.S. has fallen about 80% since the mid-1990s, but the drop-off in the western U.S. has been even steeper. Adult monarch butterflies live for a few weeks, whereas monarchs that spend the winter clustered in trees and emerge in late summer and early fall can live up to nine months. When temperatures warm up, they fly back to their breeding grounds where their reproduction cycle starts anew. The western monarch count is conducted by trained volunteers over several weeks around the Thanksgiving holiday. It dates back to 1997 and has observed a loss of more than 95% of a population that according to earlier studies once numbered in the low millions. This year the insects' wintering habitat along California's central coast also was battered by heavy rains and volunteers reported more monarchs blown from their clusters and vulnerable to the cold, wet conditions and predation, the Xerces Society said in a statement. The group normally also conducts a second count after the New Year. This year's results will be announced in February and shed light on how much winter storms impacted the butterflies, said Isis Howard, an endangered species conservation biologist with the Xerces Society. Howard said the follow-up New Year's counts usually show a 30% to 50% decline in butterflies from the Thanksgiving count. "Because the storms were so intense and so back-to-back this year, it seems reasonable to assume that there might be increased mortality this winter, leading to a smaller population that'll kick off the breeding season this next spring and summer," she said. Photos: The monarch butterfly Steven Weitzman is going to bring a civil rights icon to life in the U.S. Capitol. Weitzman, 70, has been a full-time artist since he was 19, and its the only job hes ever known. The Montgomery County, Maryland, resident has produced sculptures at his Prince Georges County studio of other deceased, well-known Black leaders, such as four-time D.C. Mayor Marion Barry and abolitionist Frederick Douglass. It was preordained with me, Weitzman said. Going to school, (it was) me just waiting, waiting, waiting, going through the motions to grow up enough to get out of school so I can be an artist. The bronze Douglass statue stands in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Centers Emancipation Hall, where it was installed in 2013. A decade later, Weitzman has been tapped to produce a statue of Barbara Rose Johns, who as a 16-year-old girl played a pivotal role in the downfall of segregated schooling, for the Commission For Historical Statues in the United States Capitol. Johns died in 1991. Johns image will replace Robert E. Lee, who stood in Statuary Hall until 2020 as the representative of Virginia; the state is also represented by George Washington. Three years prior, in Baltimore, former Mayor Catherine Pugh had four Confederate-linked monuments removed in the middle of the night on the heels of the fatal white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia. One of the statues featured Lee and his fellow Confederate Gen. Thomas Stonewall Jackson. Johns attended the segregated Robert Russa Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia, which later became a museum. According to the Robert Russa Moton Museum, Johns led her classmates on a strike on April 23, 1951, to protest the schools poor facilities, shabby equipment and no science laboratories or separate gymnasium. She was ahead of her time. A lot of the pivotal moments in the civil rights movement had yet to take place, said Cameron Patterson, the museums executive director. Barbara Johns and her classmates played an incredible role in such a pivotal moment in American history. The students worked with lawyers Spottswood William Robinson III and Oliver Hill, who filed a lawsuit in federal court: Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County. That case was one of the five the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed in delivering the Brown v. Board of Education decision that ruled segregation unconstitutional. It was the only case spurred by a student movement, Patterson said. Weitzman said his statue aims to capture the moment the mild-mannered Johns called upon 450 of her classmates to walk out. One of her hands will be balled in a fist, the other holding a book above her head, as she prepares to become one of the catalysts for desegregation in America. While Weitzman came up with the sculptures design, Johns was chosen by the Commission For Historical Statues in the United States Capitol. Julie Langan is the director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, which supports the commission. She said the commission received hundreds of nominations that produced 83 different subject suggestions from which Johns was chosen. The commission unanimously chose Weitzman to produce Johns statue from among 10 detailed proposals, Langan said. From the beginning, we heard people voice the desire that we hire a Virginia artist and that we hire an African American artist, but that was never going to override our commitment to finding the most highly skilled sculptor for this commission. So we werent bound by those qualifications, Langan said. His presentation just really resonated with the commission. Weitzman, who said producing the sculpture is an unbelievable honor, said being white does not keep him from being sensitive to the history of the treatment of Black people and other minorities in America. Weitzman has produced art of Black wood carver Elijah Pierce, Chief Niwot of the Southern Arapaho tribe and civil rights icon Rosa Parks. I see the world in full color, Weitzman said. I get the cultural differences of everybody. But I dont see those cultural differences as a detriment. I see those cultural differences as a benefit for all of us because were one diverse group of people together. Weitzman has few photographs of Johns as a teenager to use as a reference. He invited Johns siblings to come to his Brentwood studio and guide his clay molding of Johns face. Well just sit and talk. Well have pictures, videos, whatever we have around us. Ill have the little clay portrait of her and Ill just start to sculpt, Weitzman said. And in the end, hopefully itll all resolve into the Barbara Johns that they know. Johns family could not be reached for comment. The Virginia General Assembly has allocated $500,000 for the Johns project, including the costs of removing Lee and unveiling the new statue, Langan said. The sculpture will be completed between the end of 2023 and mid-2024, Weitzman said. There are many school-aged children that tour the Capitol on a daily basis and to be able to look up at a statue of a young person who did what she did at such a young age, 16 years of age, I hope that that speaks to those that walk through the Capitol doors, Patterson said. Its a great example that big or small, your contributions towards improving your community can be really impactful and really important. States with the most Confederate memorials States with the most Confederate memorials #28. Arizona (tie) #28. Delaware (tie) #28. Iowa (tie) #28. Indiana (tie) #25. New Mexico (tie) #25. Pennsylvania (tie) #25. Washington (tie) #24. Idaho #23. Oregon #22. Minnesota #20. Montana (tie) #20. Ohio (tie) #18. Maryland (tie) #18. New York (tie) #17. Washington D.C. #16. California #15. Oklahoma #14. West Virginia #13. Missouri #12. Kentucky #11. Arkansas #10. Florida #9. Tennessee #8. Louisiana #7. Mississippi #6. Alabama #5. North Carolina #4. South Carolina #3. Texas #2. Georgia #1. Virginia States with the most Confederate memorials #28. Arizona (tie) #28. Delaware (tie) #28. Iowa (tie) #28. Indiana (tie) #26. Pennsylvania (tie) #26. Washington (tie) #25. Idaho #24. Oregon #22. Minnesota (tie) #22. New Mexico (tie) #20. Montana (tie) #20. Ohio (tie) #19. Maryland #18. Washington D.C. #17. New York #16. California #15. Oklahoma #14. West Virginia #13. Missouri #12. Kentucky #11. Arkansas #10. Florida #9. Tennessee #8. Louisiana #7. Mississippi #6. North Carolina #5. Alabama #4. South Carolina #3. Texas #2. Virginia #1. Georgia WASHINGTON (AP) Appearing before a federal judge after pleading guilty to a felony charge in the deadly Capitol riot, former West Virginia lawmaker Derrick Evans expressed remorse for letting down his family and his community, saying he made a "crucial mistake." Less than a year later, Evans is portraying himself as a victim of a politically motivated prosecution as he runs to serve in the same building he stormed on Jan. 6, 2021. Evans is now calling the Justice Department's Jan. 6 prosecutions a "miscarriage of justice" and describes himself on twitter as a "J6 Patriot." "Some ppl have said I need to apologize and condemn #J6 if I want to win my election as the media will attack me," he tweeted recently after announcing his bid for a U.S. House seat in 2024. "I will not compromise my values or beliefs. That's what politicians do. We need Patriots not politicians." Evans joins a series of Jan. 6 defendants who when up against possible prison time in court have expressed regret for joining the pro-Trump mob that rattled the foundations of American democracy only to strike a different tone or downplay the riot after receiving their punishment. The very first Jan. 6 defendant to be sentenced apologized in court and then went on Fox News Channel shortly after and seemed to minimize the riot. Another defendant who called Jan. 6 "horrifying and disgusting" later donned an orange jumpsuit to play the part of a distraught prisoner in a bizarre tribute to imprisoned Capitol rioters during a conservative conference. Some defendants have drawn ire from judges or the Justice Department for their inconsistent comments. But there's not much the legal system can do for an adjudicated defendant. And because some conservatives hold up Jan. 6 defendants as martyrs, there's a political and possibly financial incentive for them to change their tune. It could push judges to impose stronger punishments for rioters who haven't yet made it to the end of their criminal cases. Even before Evans' sentencing, the judge who heard his case began questioning the sincerity of rioters' apologies after he felt duped by another defendant, saying he was "all too familiar with crocodile tears." Before being sentenced last June to three months behind bars for a civil disorder charge, Evans said he regrets his actions every day and told Senior Judge Royce Lamberth he is a "good person who unfortunately was caught up in a moment." Shortly after, prosecutors wrote to the judge about several statements Evans made on a radio show and that were "inconsistent with the contrition" he showed at sentencing. When asked whether he regretted his actions, Evans said on the show that he regretted the "situation" he was in. But he said he was "never going to have regrets when it comes to standing up and doing what's right." Evans said in an emailed statement to The Associated Press that he still stands behind what he said in court. "That was my message to the judge. This is my message to the media. It's time to tell the real story of what happened personally to me that day," he said. Evans said he lost "almost everything" including his job as a state delegate and time with his kids because of his decision on Jan. 6. "How could I not regret that?" he asked. But he said he is "done being portrayed as a villain" when he is not, noting that he didn't overrun any officers and was inside the Capitol for only 10 minutes. When determining an appropriate sentence, judges generally take into account whether defendants have taken responsibility for their actions and appear genuinely sorry. In some Jan. 6 cases, judges have faulted defendants for not appearing to show true remorse even before their punishment has been handed down. A lawyer for Trennis Evans III, who took a swig of whiskey in a congressional conference room during the riot, told the judge in court papers that Evans was "sincerely remorseful, and duly contrite." But after Evans suggested at his November sentencing that Jan. 6 defendants were being treated unfairly even though he said he condemned what happened that day the judge said she didn't believe he showed "full and genuine remorse." Months after he was ordered to serve 20 days in jail, the Texas man traveled to South Dakota to urge state lawmakers to support a resolution encouraging "the humane and fair treatment" of Jan. 6 defendants. The resolution failed by unanimous vote. The first Jan. 6 defendant to get her punishment, Anna Morgan-Lloyd, told Lamberth that she was ashamed of the "savage display of violence" at the Capitol before he sentenced her to probation. Shortly after, however, the Indiana woman told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that people were "very polite" during the riot and that she saw "relaxed" police officers chatting with rioters. Lamberth apparently hasn't forgotten about it. The judge wrote in court papers that he hoped another defendant's "change of heart" was sincere because his hopes were "dashed" in her case. In another case, he wrote that he "often finds it difficult to ascertain the sincerity" of Jan. 6 defendants' remorse. "Many defendants appear sincere at sentencing, boasting of their purportedly deep shame, regret, and desire to change and be law-abiding citizens," Lamberth wrote. "But this Court is all too familiar with crocodile tears." Morgan-Lloyd's attorney has said that she believes her client was genuinely remorseful, was "played" by Ingraham and sent the judge a letter after her TV interview. When contacted by The Associated Press, Morgan-Lloyd's attorney said the woman would not comment. After he dodged prison time in his Jan. 6 case, right-wing activist Brandon Straka donned an orange jumpsuit and red MAGA cap, sat in a fake jail cell and performatively wept for a procession of attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas last August. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, entered the cage and embraced Straka before they appeared to pray together. Months earlier, with a possible jail term hanging over his head, Straka referred to Jan. 6 as "nothing more than an incredibly shameful day that had absolutely no positive attributes whatsoever." "I'm sorry that I was present in any way at an event that led people to feel afraid, that caused shame and embarrassment on our country, and that served absolutely no purpose other than to further tear away at the already heartbreaking divide in this country," he wrote in a letter to U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, who sentenced him to 36 months of probation. An email seeking comment was sent to Straka, from Nebraska. He has said that the CPAC performance was meant "to provoke a reaction about political division, human rights abuses & more" and accused critics of trying to "criminalize art." Since his sentencing, the judge questioned whether he wanted to withdraw his guilty plea and said he could be opening himself up to prosecution for making false statements because of public comments she said seemed to contradict things he said in court. A written statement of offense that Straka agreed was correct under his plea deal says that he yelled "Take it! Take it!" while filming others trying to take a police officer's shield. Straka later told Fox News host Tucker Carlson that he told his lawyer he never made that comment. He suggested he admitted doing so because he was under pressure to take a deal. Images of chaos: AP photographers capture US Capitol riot JUBA, South Sudan Pope Francis, on a novel ecumenical peace mission to the world's youngest country, warned South Sudan's political leaders on Friday that history will judge them harshly if they continue to drag their feet implementing a 2018 peace accord. Accompanying him to the overwhelmingly Christian country were the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Rt. Rev. Iain Greenshields. They hope to cast a spotlight on what Francis has called a "forgotten crisis." South Sudan gained independence from the majority Muslim Sudan in 2011, but has been beset by civil war and conflict. Thousands of people ululated and sang in 96-degree Fahrenheit heat as President Salva Kiir greeted the religious leaders at the airport in the capital, Juba. Francis' motorcade route was lined with Christians, Muslims and traditional dancers waving Vatican, South Sudanese and British flags. "The pope is closest to God," said Poni Jadalla, 45, as she waited to welcome Francis on the first-ever papal visit to the country. "Let the pope give us peace so that this country can develop and no more bloodshed." The Catholic, Anglican and Presbyterian leaders have called for the country's political leaders to put aside their differences and work for the good of their people. In his first address on South Sudanese soil, Francis addressed former rivals Kiir and deputy Riek Machar, who were gathered in the garden of the presidential palace. "Future generations will either venerate your names or cancel their memory, based on what you now do," Francis said. "For just as the Nile leaves its sources to begin its course, so the course of history will leave behind the enemies of peace and bring renown to those who are true peacemakers." Kiir, Machar and other opposition groups signed the peace agreement in 2018 ending five years of civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people. But the deal's provisions, including the formation of a national unified army, remain largely unimplemented. The delays have forced the postponement of the country's first presidential election for another two years. Meanwhile, clashes continue, including attacks this week in the south that killed 27 people. Combined with flooding last year, the number of internally displaced people has topped 2 million and the United Nations warned that humanitarian needs are soaring. Francis and Welby first announced plans to visit South Sudan in 2017, but security concerns repeatedly thwarted the trip. In an effort to move the process forward, Francis presided in 2019 over a joint prayer in the Vatican, and famously got down on hands and knees and kissed the feet of South Sudan's rival leaders, begging them to make peace. "That gesture of humility did not go in vain," Kiir, a Catholic, told Francis in welcoming him to Juba on Friday and recommitting himself to the process. He recalled that at the time of that extraordinary gesture, Machar was living in exile, but today the two of them "are seated here, working collectively to implement" the provisions of the accord. Francis urged the leaders to put aside personal quests for power. Using the Italian exhortation "Basta!" (Enough!), he said: "Enough bloodshed. Enough conflicts. Enough violence and mutual recriminations about who is responsible for it. Enough leaving your people athirst for peace," he said. "Leave the time of war behind and let a time of peace dawn!" He called for an end to corruption, and for particular attention to be paid to women and to involving them in decision-making. "Anyone who commits an act of violence towards a woman commits it towards God," Francis said. The U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has reported that "widespread rape" was being used as a weapon by armed groups across the country. It expressed shock at interviewees describing "staggeringly brutal and prolonged gang rapes perpetrated against them by multiple men, often while their husbands, parents or children were forced to watch, helpless to intervene." Additionally, the United Nations warned in November that some 9.4 million people out of a population of 12.4 million would need humanitarian aid and protection this year, a half million more than in 2022. It cited violence, constraints on access by aid groups, and climate conditions including flooding and drought. At the same time, the U.N. has warned that funding for increased aid has dwindled, as donors redirect money to Ukraine and other crises. The fighting that killed at least 27 people in Central Equatoria state's Kajo-keji this week demonstrated the simmering violence in communities sometimes awash with arms and ethnic tensions in one of the world's poorest countries. South Sudan is one of the deadliest countries for aid workers. The South Sudan Red Cross said four of its volunteers were among the dead, "picked from their houses together with community members and callously killed." It said others were taken from water-distribution points and "killed in groups." Human Rights Watch, for its part, urged Pope Francis and his fellow religious leaders to raise the issue of widespread impunity for abuses in South Sudan. 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. && Senior Chinese diplomat meets with UN General Assembly president Xinhua) 08:36, February 03, 2023 Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, meets with President of the 77th United Nations General Assembly Csaba Korosi in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Bin) BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with President of the 77th United Nations General Assembly Csaba Korosi in Beijing on Thursday. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said that the world today is full of uncertainties and instability. He called on all countries to hold high the banner of the UN and work together to decrease the number of geopolitical conflicts around the world, reduce hegemony and bullying, and bring more dialogue, consultation and international cooperation. "China is willing to strengthen cooperation with the UN further to implement the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and jointly address such global challenges as water resources and climate change," he said. For his part, Korosi said the UN hopes to strengthen cooperation with China, jointly overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, tackle global challenges, and promote the realization of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) loading......... Vancouver, Feb 2, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - In this segment of The Ellis Martin Report, we visit with CEO Claudia Tornquist of Kodiak Copper Corp ( CVE:KDK ) ( KDKCF:OTCMKTS ) ( 5DD1:FRA ) as the company reports additional drill results from the Gate and Prime Zones in British Columbia. Kodiak Copper Corp. reports further results from the recently completed 2022 drill program of over 26,000 metres at the 100% owned MPD copper-gold porphyry project in southern British Columbia. Assay results reported herein extend the Prime mineralized envelope from bedrock surface to 780 metres depth, confirm the continuity of mineralization within the Prime and Gate Zones, and demonstrate the potential to expand copper-gold mineralization at depth and outward from Gate. Claudia Tornquist, President and CEO of Kodiak said, "These results provide further proof of the extensive mineralized envelope associated with the Gate/Prime porphyry system which continues to grow and show strong continuity of mineralization. With copper prices rallying and long-term fundamental as strong as ever, there couldn't be a better time to advance a copper porphyry project, particularly one located in a safe jurisdiction and an established mining district with existing infrastructure like Kodiak's MPD project. Preparations are already under way for another substantial drill program in 2023 which will kick off later in Q1 and test several prospective targets at MPD such as the Dillard, Man, Blue, 1516 and Beyer Zones." Highlights MPD-22-018 intersected both the Prime Zone in the near-surface, and the Gate Zone at depth. The Gate Zone portion intersected 177 metres of 0.32% Cu, 0.11 g/t Au and 1.13 g/t Ag (0.41% CuEq) within 358 metres of 0.25% Cu, 0.08 g/t Au, and 0.82 g/t Ag (0.31% CuEq). The upper Prime Zone intercept returned 156 meters of 0.14 % Cu, 0.10 g/t Au and 1.03 g/t Ag (0.22% CuEq). MPD-22-031 tested the north end of the copper-in-soil anomaly at the Prime Zone and intersected shallow mineralization beginning at only 33 metres depth. The drill hole returned 117 metres of 0.19% Cu, 0.23 g/t Au and 1.34 g/t Ag (0.36% CuEq) within 344 metres of 0.12% Cu, 0.12 g/t Au and 0.84 g/t Ag (0.22% CuEq). MPD-22-020 was the deepest hole drilled at Prime and intersected 60 metres of 0.17% Cu, 0.31 g/t Au and 1.20 g/t Ag (0.40% CuEq) within 501 metres of 0.07% Cu, 0.09 g/t Au and 0.49 g/t Ag (0.14% CuEq). Results to date have confirmed porphyry-related alteration and copper-gold-silver mineralization at Prime with 200 metres width and 400 metres of strike, which has now been extended from near-surface down to 780 metres depth. Drilling results continue to demonstrate that the Gate and Prime Zone mineralized envelopes are open to extension with further drilling. Preparations are ongoing for another large exploration program at MPD testing multiple targets in 2023. Field operations are planned to commence in Q1. High priority targets include historically drilled zones in the Dillard, Man and Axe areas, as well as the recently discovered Beyer high-grade gold-silver zone, and the Blue copper-gold target which has been newly defined through Kodiak's prospecting and geochemical work. Further new targets are being generated and refined across the MPD property. The 2022 MPD program drilled over 26,000 metres in 41 holes and included regional exploration comprised of sizeable geophysical and geochemical surveys in prospective areas. The Company will continue to report on the 2022 work. To listen to the Interview, please visit: https://www.abnnewswire.net/lnk/URCS8D00 About Kodiak Copper Corp. Kodiak Copper Corp. (CVE:KDK) (OTCMKTS:KDKCF) is focused on its portfolio of 100% owned copper porphyry projects in Canada and the USA. The Company's most advanced asset is the MPD copper-gold porphyry project in the prolific Quesnel Trough in southern British Columbia, Canada, where in 2020 the Company made a high-grade discovery at the Gate Zone, which is part of a zoned, copper-gold enriched envelope of significant size. Kodiak also holds the Mohave copper-molybdenum-silver porphyry project in Arizona, USA, near the world-class Bagdad mine. Both of Kodiak's porphyry projects have been historically drilled and present known mineral discoveries with the potential to hold large-scale deposits. The Company's Kahuna diamond project in Nunavut, Canada, hosts a high-grade, near surface inferred diamond resource and numerous kimberlite pipe targets. Kodiak is considering strategic options for the Kahuna project. About The Ellis Martin Report The Ellis Martin Report (TEMR) is an internet based radio program showcasing potentially undervalued companies to an audience of potential retail investors and fund managers that comprise our listening audience. TEMR is broadcasted on the VoiceAmerica Business Channel and The Opportunity Radio Network. CEO and company interviews are paid for by those represented on the program. PEP 11 Update Perth, Feb 3, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - BPH Energy Limited ( ASX:BPH ) and Bounty Oil & Gas NL ( ASX:BUY ) as the PEP 11 Joint Venture announce that in Proceedings Number WAD106/2022 between Asset Energy Pty Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary of BPH's investee, Advent Energy Limited) and the Respondents namely Commonwealth Minister for Resources et al. the parties have filed proposed consent orders in the Federal Court of Australia. The proposed orders seek to end the ongoing litigation concerning PEP 11 without the need for a trial. The consent orders will only be made if the Federal Court of Australia considers it appropriate and the parties await further direction by the Court. The consent orders, if granted, will set aside the decision made in March 2022 by the Commonwealth-New South Wales Offshore Petroleum Joint Authority to refuse Asset Energy's Application for a variation and suspension of the conditions to which PEP 11 is subject and a related refusal to grant an extension of term. If the decision of the Joint Authority is set aside, then it will need to be re-made according to law. In the meantime, PEP 11 continues in force and the Joint Venture is in compliance with the contractual terms of PEP 11 with respect to such matters as reporting, payment of rents and the various provisions of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006. About BPH Energy Limited BPH Energy Limited (ASX:BPH) is an Australian Securities Exchange listed company developing biomedical research and technologies within Australian Universities and Hospital Institutes. The company provides early stage funding, project management and commercialisation strategies for a direct collaboration, a spin out company or to secure a license. BPH provides funding for commercial strategies for proof of concept, research and product development, whilst the institutional partner provides infrastructure and the core scientific expertise. BPH currently partners with several academic institutions including The Harry Perkins Institute for Medical Research and Swinburne University of Technology (SUT). SANTA FE With rising costs of food, gas and other basic supplies showing no signs of dropping, New Mexico taxpayers could be in line to get a new round of financial relief from the state by as soon as this spring. A bill providing $750 rebates for individual taxpayers married couples filing jointly would get $1,500 checks was unanimously approved Thursday in a Senate committee and could be poised to advance quickly to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams desk. The measure, Senate Bill 10, would provide rebate checks to an estimated 875,000 tax filers around the state, regardless of income level. But that number also includes married couples, meaning the total amount of adults receiving financial relief under the proposal could be even higher. State Taxation and Revenue Secretary Stephanie Schardin Clarke told senators the agency could start processing rebate checks as soon as six weeks after the bill is signed by the governor. We really want New Mexicans to receive this relief quickly, Schardin Clarke said. Legislators already approved several rounds of rebates worth up to $1,500 per household last year, amid a state revenue boom fueled by increased oil production and an uptick in consumer spending. The revenue bonanza has shown no signs of slowing down this year, as revenue estimates unveiled in December project revenue levels will continue to surge through the coming budget year with roughly $3.6 billion in new money projected to be available. Given that backdrop, some lawmakers have called for an overhaul of New Mexicos tax code. Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, said Thursday that lawmakers could pass both the rebate proposal and a tax package during this years 60-day legislative session, though he cautioned against enacting tax cuts that would reduce future revenue levels. I think theres room to do a piece of this as part of the tax discussion were going to have, Wirth said. Theres room to do both. Senate Minority Whip Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho, suggested hed like to see even larger rebates, but also asked Schardin Clarke why some of his constituents have reported not receiving rebate checks under last years legislation. If they didnt from last year, are they going to get them this time? Brandt asked. In response, Schardin Clarke said most rebates have been processed and sent out, but said a small number remain held up due to identity verification concerns or other technical issues. Lujan Grishams recent support for rebates represents a shift of sorts, as the Democratic governor in 2019 questioned whether rebates would help grow New Mexicos economy. During last years gubernatorial campaign, Lujan Grisham also criticized Republican Mark Ronchettis proposal to cut state income tax rates and provide annual rebate checks for state residents, saying those plans could lead to future budget cuts for New Mexico public schools. However, the rebate package currently touted by the governor would still leave the state with ample money to spend in other areas or to set aside for future years. Top budget officials in Lujan Grishams administration have urged lawmakers to use the states windfall on one-time expenditures due to the risk of future revenue dips. Other spending areas targeted by the governor include rural health care, free school meals and statewide water projects. In addition to the $750 rebates for taxpayers, the legislation approved Thursday would also make available $30 million in financial relief for New Mexico residents who did not file 2021 tax returns, a group that could include some retirees. The bill was approved via a 10-0 vote in the Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee and now advances to its second assigned panel the Senate Finance Committee. The legislation also carries an emergency clause, meaning it would take effect immediately upon being signed by the governor, provided its approved by at least a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate. A bill overhauling graduation requirements is advancing in the Roundhouse though not everyones happy with it yet. Among other changes, the bill would reduce the requirements to graduate, a measure that sponsor Rep. Ryan Lane, an Aztec Republican, told the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee on Monday will help drive New Mexico forward, especially for students who fall behind. With our 24-credit system, its hard to feel like youre ever going to catch up. And so I think this will help kids actually stay more dedicated in school, he said. Oftentimes, its students who are most at risk who are behind. In 2021, which is the most recent data available on the state Public Education Department website, Indigenous and African American students, economically disadvantaged students, English learners and those with disabilities had the lowest graduation rates, with the latter coming in last at 68%. Those groups, except for African American students, were identified in the consolidated Yazzie-Martinez lawsuit, which in 2018 yielded a decision from a judge finding that New Mexico had violated the rights of those students by failing to provide a sufficient education for them. The graduation requirements bill, which passed the committee on a 8-2 vote, would reduce the total number of units required to graduate by two to 22. Four units would be required in math, English, social sciences and electives, and three would be required in science, two of which need to be lab credits. Algebra II would no longer be required. Two more credits would be decided by local districts and charter schools, based on their graduation priorities. Rounding out the 22 credits would be a half-credit each in health and physical education. The bills next stop will be the House Education Committee. But before its passed into law, there may still be a few points some might want to iron out. Lawmakers and audience members argued that financial literacy, as its own course, should also be required of high school graduates, with at least one legislator voicing concerns the bill would remove financial literacy entirely, even as an elective that must be offered. Among them was a recent high school graduate, Jaden Chavez, who spoke from experience in saying he would have liked to have been taught financial literacy in high school. I passed the (Advanced Placement) test for macroeconomics, and I still feel as if my financial literacy is not up to where it should be, Chavez said. We need some sort of financial literacy class. Thats probably one of the biggest areas that I wish I would have had from high school that I did not. Rep. Marian Matthews, D-Albuquerque and coincidentally a lawmaker Chavez was shadowing, proposed an amendment to the bill that would have added financial literacy in the math or social sciences categories. She cited feedback Albuquerque Public Schools received from its communities last year, where better preparation for success after high school which many people attributed to being able to craft a budget and other financial literacy-related skills was a top priority that was identified for the district by families and staff. Rep. G. Andres Romero, an Albuquerque Democrat whos also sponsoring the bill and who teaches at Atrisco Heritage Academy High School, argued that economics which is still required under the bill more or less accomplishes what financial literacy does, even providing a more holistic and wide-ranging education. Superintendents and representatives from a few school districts expressed concerns about local control, arguing the financial literacy amendment would strip them and their students of flexibility to determine their graduation path or even force students into paths they dont want to take. If (students) have to eat up some of their requirements to take a financial literacy course as part of their mathematics requirements, that could mean missing out on AP courses trigonometry, calculus, things of that sort, Aztec Municipal School District Superintendent Kevin Summers said. Matthews amendment was ultimately voted down. Rep. Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo was among those to vote against it, but pointed out that discussions about explicitly including financial literacy may be better suited for the House Education Committee. Matthews said she hopes that, in some way whether it be through a change to the bill or local decisions school districts are explicitly required to offer financial literacy as an elective. Some also voiced concerns over the prospect of axing the states Algebra II requirement, including Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, a Gallup Democrat, who said that dropping such requirements could have serious implications for Yazzie-Martinez students. If we just turn this over, and not require things like Algebra II I think were dumbing down our students, she said, adding later that we need to make sure that these kinds of courses are taught, and in the poorest school districts in the state of New Mexico. Legislative Education Study Committee Director Gwen Perea Warniment agreed that Algebra II is a useful course for some, but pointed out that the course is only required of up to 14% of New Mexicos workforce. The Legislative Finance Committee also said in its analysis of the bill that removing Algebra II could break down a barrier standing in the graduation path of some students, in turn potentially resulting in more students completing high school. While you do want to support the student who is on a STEM trajectory and look at Algebra II you also want to afford the ability for a student to have financial literacy, typical statistics and probability, or even a construction math, she said. All of those are really valuable in terms of broadening the workforce in New Mexico. For the second time in less than two years, a medical provider at the beleaguered Bernalillo County jail is departing before its contract is up. YesCare should be out of the Metropolitan Detention Center by July 25 more than two years early according to a termination letter the county sent to the Tennessee-based company. Twenty-one people have died in the jails custody since the beginning of 2020, an increase over prior years that has alarmed experts, attorneys, advocates and staff. Three people have died in custody so far this year the latest of whom died on Thursday. YesCare, formerly known as Corizon Health, had been operating at the states largest jail since September 2021. A four-year contract with Bernalillo County called for it to be paid around $15 million per year for a total of $64.9 million and allows either party to terminate with 180 days notice. On Jan. 26 the county exercised that option. A letter from the county manager to the company informed it of the termination but did not provide any explanation for the decision. It said we hope to proceed professionally to close out our relationship and avoid reference to other termination provisions. The county is working to ensure an orderly transition in the interim, while also working to carefully implement replacement services, said Tia Bland, a Bernalillo County spokeswoman. She said Julie Morgas Baca, the county manager, was not available for an interview about the matter. A spokeswoman for YesCare said it was a mutual agreement to terminate. The termination comes about four months after discussions between the two parties about the companys request to amend the contract for additional compensation. In September, in response to that request, the deputy county manager sent a letter to YesCares senior vice president laying out a number of issues, including that the site went for several months without two medical doctors, a site physician and a medical director as required in its contract and that staff were reporting that the medical records system was unusable to such an extent that it hinders care. The county is not in a position to consider any portion of the proposed amendment until all items above have been addressed to the satisfaction of the county, Lisa Sedillo-White wrote. Change of providers YesCare replaced Centurion Detention Health Services a St. Louis-based company which terminated its contract more than a year early after Morgas Baca said she expressed concern to Centurion over staff vacancies and continuity of care and asked the company to respond to those specific concerns. At that time, nine people had died in custody over the course of a year. Centurion ended its contract, giving six months notice, before answering those concerns. In September 2021 when the Bernalillo County Commission approved YesCares contract county officials said it would increase health care staffing. The contract funded about 105 medical staff positions and many employees who had worked at the jail under Centurion stayed on. However, it wasnt long before nursing staff began reporting that the medical program had declined under the new company. In a declaration filed in federal court in January 2022, a nurse who had been employed at the jail for 11 years said she was resigning due to the safety concerns I have for our clientele and our staff. Nurse Taileigh Sanchez said it was the worst medical care has ever been at MDC. In response the medical providers senior vice president said disgruntled former employees who preferred the substandard status quo will surely make noise because we demand more quality from them and that the unfortunate reality is were digging ourselves out of a deep hole to meet compliance standards. High number of detox deaths The jail has been consistently understaffed, both among its medical personnel and correctional officers, for years. An expert tasked with reviewing the facilitys medical care as part of the McClendon settlement agreement laying out reforms in the jail found numerous issues during an August visit, including that the number of detox assessments done by each nurse were very high, impacting quality and increasing risk to inmates, and the process for getting sick inmates the medical attention that they need is not reliable and not adequate. About half of the people who died in custody since 2020 were detoxing from drugs or alcohol at the time. In the past year, four people have died while detoxing including Brian Korth who killed himself in March. The other detox deaths include: Sao Chau in August, April Trujillo in November and Tanya Martinez last month. Martinezs death came 10 days after another inmate, Jesus Ramirez Olivas, died. Ramirez Olivass cause of death has not been publicly released. Shortly after noon on Thursday, 64-year-old Chris Moya died at the jail. His cause of death has not been publicly released. Moya had been booked into jail two days earlier on warrants for failing to appear in two court cases involving driving while his license was revoked, a misdemeanor, and other traffic charges. Bland said he went into medical distress and responding MDC staff initiated rescue efforts and called for emergency medical services. Those efforts were unsuccessful. She said Moyas death is being investigated by the MDC Office of Professional Standards and the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office, which is standard procedure. Kate Loewe, an attorney representing incarcerated people in the McClendon case, said YesCare simply did not provide adequate care to our community members at MDC. This corporation failed our clients over and over again, Loewe said. Three people have died while withdrawing from opioids in a very short time with proper care withdrawal should not be fatal. Furthermore, Loewe said, her clients had told her that around the beginning of the year there were full days when they did not receive their daily medications. I hope we break out of the cycle of profit-driven, out-of-state companies, Loewe said. I think this is a great opportunity for our community to come together and provide community-based medical and mental health care at the jail. A 64-year-old man was killed by a pack of five mixed-breed dogs Wednesday evening in Tucumcari. Wilson Silver, a State Police spokesman, said Stanley Hartt was pronounced dead at the scene and one of the five dogs was killed by a Quay County deputy. He said the other four dogs had been turned over to Quay County Animal Control. To whom the dogs belong is still under investigation, Silver said. In a Facebook post early Thursday, the Quay County Sheriffs Office said extra patrols were scheduled around Tucumcari Public Schools due to last nights incident involving the dogs. Hours later, the sheriffs office posted a Use Caution/Vicious Animal advisory that law enforcement was still searching for a tan German Shepherd mix. By 10 a.m. the sheriffs office posted that the last dog had been found. An employee at the sheriffs office told the Journal the dogs had been taken to the city kennel. One man replied on Facebook, Thats great news. Now, what about all the rest of the dogs roaming in packs around town? Do we just wait for someone else to die? A woman commented that she heard the attack but was too far to help, adding I know the dogs they really arent bad dogs they never bother me. Silver, the State Police spokesman, said it was around 8 p.m. when Hartt was attacked by the pack of dogs while walking on 11th Street near Gamble. He said paramedics were called but Hartt succumbed to his injuries at the scene. One of the five dogs was euthanized by a Quay County Sheriffs deputy following the attack, Silver said. This investigation is active and being led by the New Mexico State Police. He said the investigation, once complete, will be forwarded to the 10th Judicial District Attorney for a determination on what, if any, charges will be filed. It was a life-threatening, nightmarish situation that could have turned out a lot worse. In 1985, air traffic controllers got a call from a distressed woman, Nancy Eves, 54, a passenger in a single-engine airplane on approach to the Albuquerque International Airport from Alamogordo. Her husband, Charles Eves, 63, was piloting the airplane when he suddenly died from an apparent heart attack. Chuck Leonard and Bob Bennett, pilots with Cutter Aviation, heard the call and within four minutes were airborne in a Beechcraft airplane. Shadowing the other aircraft, they stayed in radio contact with the woman and had her circle the airport for 35 minutes while they familiarized her with the controls before giving her step-by-step instructions to guide her to a safe landing. The grateful woman said at the time, all passengers in private planes should have a pinch-hitter course in flying, according to a story in the Albuquerque Journal and a retelling of the event by Leonard to his daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Leonard. Charles Dittman Leonard, known to his friends as Chuck, had a long and decorated career in the Air Force before a second career as a private charter pilot. He died in an Albuquerque assisted living facility on Jan. 16 at the age of 90. In the early 1950s, Leonard had just become certified as a plumber in Texas. A pilot friend took him out for a ride in a Cessna airplane and allowed Leonard to briefly control the aircraft. That triggered Leonards lifelong love of flight, said Elizabeth Leonard. Otherwise he would have been a plumber in Baytown, Texas. I cannot imagine this man having that life, she said. Leonard was born in San Antonio and grew up in Deer Park, just outside Houston. The inspirational first airplane ride led Leonard to join the Air Force toward the end of the Korean War, said Elizabeth Leonard. Among the aircraft Leonard flew were B-29 and B-57 bombers and the F-86 Sabrejet. During the Vietnam war, he was part of the 13th Bomb Squadron and flew 88 combat missions. Leonard retired from the Air Force in 1973 with the rank of lieutenant colonel and a host of honors, including the Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He then had a long career as a charter pilot with Cutter Aviation. Leonard retired from Cutter in 2008 as chief pilot, vice president of operations and president of Cutter Air Charter, and after logging a lifetime total of more than 18,000 hours of flight time. Leonard was preceded in death by wives Margie and Rosemary Leonard, and son Mark Leonard, Elizabeths husband. In addition to Elizabeth, he is survived by sons Larry and David (Linda) Leonard; grandsons Charles (Holly), Samuel, Andrew, Robert and Justin Leonard; and great grandchildren Lexi and Mark Leonard. A memorial service will be held Feb. 4, 11 a.m., at St. Stephens United Methodist Church, 4601 Juan Tabo NE. PHILADELPHIA (AP) President Joe Biden sounded like a candidate making his case for a second term Friday night as he rallied a raucous meeting of national Democrats who chanted, Four more years! The only thing missing was an official announcement thats not expected for at least several weeks. Speaking to the Democratic National Committee after a strong jobs report, Biden boasted about helping create a strong economy and said his administration had made the countrys most significant federal investments in public works, health care and green technology in decades. He also slammed Republican extremism, suggesting that party is still too beholden to former President Donald Trumps Make America Great Again movement. Let me ask you a simple question. Are you with me? a grinning Biden asked onstage in Philadelphia as hundreds of party leaders from around the country interrupted him with cries of Four more years! Four more years! He later added, to nearly as loud applause, America is back and were leading the world again. Biden has sought to seize the political offensive after a strong midterm election season for his party and as he looks toward 2024, with Trump having already announced another bid for the White House. Its especially important given mounting pressures in Washington, including a special counsel investigation into his handling of classified documents and a Republican-controlled House eager to serve as a check against Biden and his agenda on Capitol Hill. Speaking before Biden on Friday night, Vice President Kamala Harris was just as defiant about the GOP and its staunch opposition to issues like abortion rights. There are those who want to stand in the way of our momentum, she said. The extremist, so-called leaders, who want to distract and divide our nation as they ban books, as they reject the history of America, as they criminalize doctors and nurses and the sacred right to vote. At a DNC fundraiser before taking the stage, Harris referenced Democrats holding onto Senate control during falls midterms and reminded a smaller crowd: Its not the time to pat ourselves on the back. Its the time to see it through. And thats going to take as much work, if not more, than everything that everyone here put into where we are today, she said. Looking to the future himself, Biden told the same reception: No matter who is president, things are going to change radically in the next 15 years. Are we going to be leading the pack? he added. Or are we going to be the end of it? Earlier in Philadelphia on Friday, Biden and Harris visited a water treatment plant and hailed $15 billion in funding to remove lead pipes from service lines around the country. That comes from a bipartisan infrastructure package, which is also bankrolling railway projects the president spent this week trumpeting. The issue has to do with basic dignity, Biden said. No amount of lead in water is safe. None. With the State of the Union address coming next week, Biden has renewed calls for political unity, something hes acknowledged being unable to achieve despite his promises as a candidate in 2020. But those appeals havent tempered Bidens broadsides against Trump and the former presidents MAGA movement. This aint your fathers Republican Party, Biden said, adding that the GOP agenda was so extreme that we have to keep pointing out what the other team wants. Of Trump loyalists, he said, These arent conservatives. Thats made some Democrats anxious to see Biden stay aggressive in touting his record. The president is trying to solve the problems of the nation on infrastructure, on microchips, on gun safety, on health care, said Randi Weingarten, a DNC member and president of the American Federation of Teachers. Compare (that) to the GOP, which seems to be on a revenge agenda. Bidens speech comes the day before the DNC is set to approve an overhauled presidential primary calendar starting next year that would replace Iowa with South Carolina in the leadoff spot. New Hampshire and Nevada would go second, followed by Georgia and Michigan a change the president has championed to ensure that voters of color have more influence deciding the partys White House nominee. The new calendar would be largely moot if Biden runs again, since party elders wont want to oversee a drawn-out primary against him. Democrats have been solidly unified in their opposition to the new Republican-controlled House, while no major Democratic challenger is thought to be preparing to run against Biden. Bidens advisers havent waited for his official reelection announcement, already spending weeks making staffing arrangements and readying lines of political attacks against Republicans seen as early presidential front-runners, including Trump, who launched his campaign in November, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Alan Clendenin, a DNC member from Florida, said Biden has strengthened the economy, reestablished U.S. global standing and promoted inclusive values the opposite of what Trump and DeSantis stand for. They predicted gloom and doom. Hes proved them all wrong, said Clendenin, who kicked off a DNC Southern caucus meeting by noting that Florida has begun lagging behind other states in key policy areas and joking of its governor, Thats what happened when youre led by the devil. Biden repeatedly denounced extreme MAGA Republicans as a threat to the nations democracy in the runup to the midterms and gloated a bit Friday about the results. People looked at me like I was nuts, he said, referring to his repeated emphasis on MAGA Republicans last fall. Theyre nuts. Im not nuts. The president, meanwhile, will have a harder time campaigning on future legislative accomplishments now that the GOP controls the House. A coming fight over extending the nations legal debt ceiling may only harden partisan clashes. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he and the White House would continue talking about ways to avoid a debt limit crisis. But, referring to federal spending, McCarthy said, The current path were on we cannot sustain. Biden has also suggested that simply bashing Republicans wont be enough, however, noting that Democrats have seen their support among Americans without a college degree decline. He said Friday night that his party stopped talking to blue-collar workers. We have to get working-class people to say we see them, the president added. In a more lighthearted nod to the coming Super Bowl, Biden declared Fly, Eagles, fly! and called fans in Philadelphia the most informed, obnoxious fans in the world. That would ostensibly include his wife, Jill, who is a diehard Eagles supporter. SANTA FE Democratic legislators began moving forward Friday with a proposal that would prohibit cities and public schools in New Mexico from interfering with access to abortion or gender-affirming health care. The measure won endorsement 7-3 from the House Health and Human Services Committee on a party-line vote the first legislative test as the bill begins its journey at the Capitol. A public hearing at the Capitol drew opponents who read prayers and Bible passages and supporters who offered personal testimony and said the bill would protect access to vital services. State Rep. Linda Serrato, a Santa Fe Democrat co-sponsoring the bill, said the proposal would keep public bodies from discriminating against someone seeking reproductive health care, a matter of particular importance in rural parts of the state. As we know, health care in New Mexico can be hard to find, hard to reach, Serrato said. This bill ensures were not adding fear on top of that. The debate comes after the passage of anti-abortion ordinances in a series of communities in eastern New Mexico, prompted by last years Supreme Court decision overturning abortion rights at the federal level. Jodi Hendricks, executive director of the New Mexico Family Action Movement, an advocacy group, said local government bodies should maintain the right to determine whats best for their community. Abortion and gender-affirming care are elective procedures, she said, and access to appropriate health care is already protected. Life-affirming and -saving health care is available wherever you need to it to be available, Hendricks told lawmakers. The proposal, House Bill 7, would prohibit public bodies from discriminating based on whether a person used reproductive health care services, such abortion. It also bans denying, restricting or interfering with a persons ability to access or provide reproductive health care or gender-affirming health care within the medical standard of care. Opponents questioned how the legislation might affect, say, a school nurse. The wording is so broad, Rep. Jenifer Jones, R-Deming, said. Ive had overwhelming response from my constituents against the bill. Responding to questions raised by opponents, Ellie Rushforth, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, said the proposal would prohibit discrimination, not require a teacher or public employee to facilitate a students abortion or surgery. What this bill does not do is create an affirmative duty to provide health care they do not already provide or they do not feel comfortable providing, Rushforth said. It doesnt change medical care standards, clinical guidelines, anything of that nature. Abortion is already legal in New Mexico, following the 2021 repeal of a dormant anti-abortion statute. The proposal heads next to the House Judiciary Committee, potentially its final stop before reaching the full chamber. If passed by the House, it would go to the Senate. Phil Casaus wakes up every day and leads one of New Mexicos largest companies. Casaus, born and raised in Albuquerque, has put in years of hard work to get where he is now leading nearly 1,000 employees as the president of Brycon Construction, a Rio Rancho-based full-service general contractor that largely deals with semiconductor construction in New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Texas. A graduate of Valley High School and the University of New Mexico with a bachelors degree in business and a concentration in finance and accounting, Casaus work over the years has largely dealt with managing financials for the two companies he has worked at. Now, Casaus is serving as the 2023 board chair for the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce. How Casaus got to this point took years of hard work and growing his status at the two companies hes worked for. His first stop, which spanned nearly 10 years with Texas-based Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., was while he was still in college. He moved from New Mexico to Houston after graduating in the late 1980s (My wife and I) felt like we needed to leave Albuquerque to find work, he said. In Houston he was a senior project accountant but later transferred over to Phoenix to become an accounting manager for the company. But family is important to Casaus, so when he and his wife had their second child, they decided to come back to New Mexico. That meant looking for a job doing the same thing he had done previously working on the financial side for a construction firm. He found that job in 1997 when he joined Brycon Construction as a controller, then as a chief financial officer, VP of operations and now as president a title hes held since 2018. The companys list of clients is not small by any means. That includes working with Tesla, Intel, SpaceX and many others, Casaus said. But he also wanted to encourage economic development in the state, which led him to joining a list of organizations in New Mexico that do just that. Hes held the position of board chair for Leadership New Mexico; has served on the board of Sandoval Economic Alliance; and he currently sits on the boards of NAIOP New Mexico and Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance. Casaus newest title as board chair of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce involves helping small businesses thrive, which is a priority both for him and the organization. I believe the statistics will prove to you that (small business is) the backbone of our community, and we have to do everything in our power to try to do our part (to help them succeed), Casaus said. What is your role as board chair of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce? Well, primarily, I feel that the role is as ambassador of the organization. The makeup of the board consists of many business and nonprofit leaders here in the community, and just rallying them to take on that role of ambassador to the community and be an ambassador of the of the chamber to the community, I feel is my main role. And making sure that the Hispano Chamber is recognized for the work they are doing for small business in New Mexico. How has leading a large company like Brycon Construction prepared you for serving as the board chair for the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce? Well, my management style has always been to make sure that the people that I am surrounded by are leaders themselves. So, when I am interacting with the chamber and with other members on the board of directors, I know that each one of them has a significant amount of influence in their respective fields of business, whether its business or nonprofits. My job is to remind them of their role to be that ambassador to try to make sure that the people that they interact with on a regular basis understand the work that the Hispano Chamber is doing for small business, and encourage each one of them to utilize small businesses as much as they possibly can in their day-to-day business. To not only use them as vendors and suppliers, but to mentor them when possible. They need mentorship. They need access to capital. And they need information thats not necessarily readily available to small businesses. And I believe that the Chamber provides each one each one of those services to their membership. The Verdes Foundation, one of New Mexicos largest cannabis companies, continues to grow and plans to add more employees to its headcount as that trend continues. And thanks to recent funds the company received through the New Mexico Economic Development Departments Job Training Incentive Program one of 10 businesses to receive the money in January Verdes can now train eight new hires and create robust compensation packages for those employees, said CEO Rachael Speegle. JTIP has been a really meaningful partnership for us in our ability to expand, Speegle said. (It) helps us give more back to our community and helps us give more back to our people. The JTIP award comes at a time when Verdes is expanding its presence in the state, with the recent addition of three new dispensaries, a new state-of-the-art cultivation facility and roughly 50 employees since recreational cannabis became legalized. Verdes is also expanding its manufacturing footprint for edibles, currently in the process of building out a multimillion-dollar facility that is expected to be completed by summertime. Manufacturing of edibles has become a key initiative of Verdes. The company is currently in the process of creating edibles that include the addition of nutraceuticals, vitamins and herbal extracts that truly enrich the human experience, Speegle said. I think manufacturing is a really special art, Speegle said. And Im really proud to bring manufacturing jobs to New Mexico. Verdes, which received $68,549 to train eight hires, is one of 10 companies to receive funds through JTIP in January. More than $2 million was awarded to those companies, with The Boeing Co. taking home the largest slice of the pie with an awarded $780,695 to train 21 employees, according to EDD. Other awardees included 3D Glass Solutions Inc., Kairos Power LLC and Paradise Power Inc. This is a great way to usher in 2023 by assisting 10 more businesses grow their workforce in New Mexico and help existing employees learn new skills so they can earn higher pay, EDD Secretary Alicia Keyes said. Sandia Area Federal Credit Union on Tuesday announced that Robert Nagaki will be its new chief financial officer. Nagaki replaces former CFO Kevin Todd, who was appointed CEO last year, according to a news release. In a statement, Nagaki said, Im excited to be a part of the Sandia Area team. I look forward to taking on new responsibilities and continuing to support the credit union movement. Nagaki brings 14 years of experience in the financial and credit union industries, according to the news release. He previously worked at Kirtland Federal Credit Union as treasury and ALM officer, according to his LinkedIn. He has a masters degree in business administration from the University of New Mexicos Anderson School of Management as well as a chartered financial analyst certification. The news of Nagakis appointment comes as the credit union plans to convert a 48,000-square-foot building near the Journal Center in northeast Albuquerque into its new operations center. Scott Prisco is an entrepreneur at heart. And Priscos most recent idea which has since turned into a full-on company based in Albuquerque may be a boon for Albuquerques cannabis industry. Prisco, 27, recently launched a cannabis delivery service that brings products from local dispensaries to the doorsteps of pot-loving customers. The company, called Priscotty, has partnered with more than a dozen local dispensaries including legacy operator Pecos Valley Production and a host of newcomers to offer delivery services in the Albuquerque area, something Prisco says is a market ripe for growth. We want to be that trusted source in the delivery business, Prisco said. You know what youre getting when you get Priscotty youre getting transparency, youre getting professionalism, you know our service will be of the highest quality. Priscottys software integrates with that of the local dispensaries its partnered with, Prisco said. That means customers can head to the website of a dispensary for instance, Canvas Organics and order products to be delivered directly from there. The way Priscotty makes money through its partnership with dispensaries, Prisco said, is by charging those dispensaries a percentage of a delivery purchase. Dispensaries then pass on a delivery fee to customers in a similar fashion to DoorDash or Uber Eats. And Priscotty has already realized success in the first few weeks of operations, Prisco said, with repeat customers continuing to use the service. He said that makes sense considering Albuquerques urban sprawl that makes customers more likely to use delivery services, say, compared to more dense cities like Boston or New York. Prisco, who first came up with the idea in 2021, had submitted an application for a license early last year. By August, he had received the license to operate and spent a few months building relationships and signing contracts with dispensaries in Albuquerque. He said he chose New Mexico because of its equitable licensing model, which allows for people with not much liquid net worth to enter the industry. Add to that, he said, New Mexicos recreational market potential with the state being one of just a handful that allow for cannabis delivery services. Going forward, Prisco hopes the cannabis delivery service expands its presence in New Mexico with the onboarding of more dispensaries. And in 10 years? Hopefully a nationwide footprint. Our goal really is to take (this service) to Santa Fe, Las Cruces and other cities in New Mexico and then eventually look to see how we can branch out and add value to other people across the U.S., Prisco said. Were looking at some partners that also own dispensaries in other places, not just in New Mexico. Construction is underway on an affordable housing project on the Laguna Pueblo. By summer or fall of 2024, 20 families should be able to move into townhomes at 4 Cypress Road within the larger Kawaika Center planned development. The $15 million Laguna #3 housing development is the first project of this scale in about two decades, said Laguna Housing Development and Management Enterprise Board Chairman Francisco Chico Carr. As families continue to grow theres overcrowdedness in the homes, Carr said. People do want to stay within the pueblo and continue providing for the pueblo we are moving forward with this project to provide some relief. According to Carr, the Laguna Pueblo has a need for between 950 and 1,000 homes. And there are already approximately 65 families on the waitlist to move into Laguna #3. The words been getting out, Carr said. Its something that the families have been waiting for and hoping for. Among the three buildings in the project, there are 20 townhomes 12 two-bedroom units and eight three-bedroom units. Travois Design, an architecture firm and consultant that works exclusively with tribally designated housing entities, is designing the project. Travois recently completed two housing developments with the nearby Acoma Pueblo. Besides being the board chairman at LHDME, Carr serves as a development manager for the Pueblo of Acoma Housing Authority, and connected with Travois throughout the two Acoma projects. This is the LHDMEs first apartment complex. While the LHDME manages a portfolio of 96 affordable units, all of the previous projects have been single-family homes, Carr said. The project is made up of townhomes with adjoining walls. Where a standard apartment building would stick out like a sore thumb, this design harks back to traditional Laguna pueblo architecture, with a modern twist, Carr said. Here in the Pueblo of Laguna, theres six villages, but each of the village proper homes has the adjoining walls, Carr said. Families live next door to each other, there was really no yard space. Everybody was there youre there with your neighbor, with your family. The development is located in the Kawaika Center, which the tribe has been redeveloping. The area includes a recently built senior center and health clinic. The Laguna #3 housing development will also include a 1,308-square-foot community center and playgrounds in view of all the housing units. The project is targeted to families with children, and is also designed to maximize energy efficiency. These are all low-income families, said Travois Senior Project Manager Trent Rogers. So a piece of this is not only just wanting to make sure that we are creating sustainable buildings, but also all of those energy efficiency design standards, they trickle down to the low-income tenants their energy bills are lower and their overall rent burden will go down. The project was financed using a Low Income Housing Tax Credit from the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority. The credit, which LHDME received in May 2022, generated $7.8 million in investor equity from RBC Community Investments. This is the third project that the LHDME has built with the tax credit but its been almost two decades since the first two were built. Difficulties finding funding has stagnated new construction on the Laguna Pueblo, Carr said, until now. The Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act provides some funding to the Laguna Pueblo each year for housing and infrastructure improvements. But each year, Carr said, the pueblo receives only $1.5 million, which also goes toward administrative costs and building rehabilitation. By the time youre all said and done, you may be lucky to have maybe $600,000 that can be put toward new construction, Carr said. Some other funding sources, like the Indian Housing Community Development Block Grant, Carr said, are extremely competitive. So the LHDME contracted with Travois, which has experience applying for the housing tax credit, to put together the application last year. With the LIHTC program, specifically, I think it can seem daunting, Rogers said, adding that the pueblo started working on its application in April 2021. Even the LIHTC program can be competitive, Rogers said, with housing entities around the state tribal and beyond applying for funding with the mortgage authority. Theres always more projects than credits available, Rogers said. According to Rogers, construction costs for the project have increased since the initial estimation. But the pueblo stepped up to cover the difference, Rogers said, showing its commitment to affordable housing. We need more housing, this is something that were going to prioritize, Rogers said. And the tribe really came to the table with much-needed funding to help fill in some of the gaps that arose just from increased construction costs. Editors note: A previous version of this article incorrectly cited the start date of the LIHTC application. It has since been updated. BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) The Biden administration took a first step Friday toward ending federal protections for grizzly bears in the northern Rocky Mountains, which would open the door to future hunting in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said state officials provided substantial information that grizzlies have recovered from the threat of extinction in the regions surrounding Yellowstone and Glacier national parks. But federal officials rejected claims by Idaho that protections should be lifted beyond those areas, and they raised concerns about new laws from the Republican-led states that could potentially harm grizzly populations. We will fully evaluate these and other potential threats, said Martha Williams, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Williams told the head of Montanas wildlife agency in a Wednesday letter that a law allowing grizzlies to be killed if they attack livestock was inconsistent with the states commitment to bear conservation. She said the 2023 legislative session offered a good opportunity to address such problems. Fridays move kicks off at least a year of further study before final decisions about the Yellowstone and Glacier regions. The states want protections lifted so they can regain management of grizzlies and offer hunts to the public. As grizzly populations have expanded, more of the animals have moved into areas occupied by people, creating public safety issues and problems for farmers. State officials have insisted future hunts would be limited and not endanger the overall population. After grizzlies temporarily lost their protections in the Yellowstone region several years ago, Wyoming and Idaho scheduled hunts that would have allowed fewer than two dozen bears to be killed in the initial hunting season. In Wyoming, almost 1,500 people applied for 12 grizzly bear licenses in 2018 before the hunt was blocked in federal court. About a third of the applicants came from out of state. Idaho issued just one grizzly license before the hunt was blocked. Republican lawmakers in the region in recent years also adopted more aggressive policies against gray wolves, including loosened trapping rules that could lead to grizzlies being inadvertently killed. As many as 50,000 grizzlies once roamed the western half of the U.S. They were exterminated in most of the country early last century by overhunting and trapping, and the last hunts in the northern Rockies occurred decades ago. There are now more than 2,000 bears in the Lower 48 states and much larger populations in Alaska, where hunting is allowed. The species expansion in the Glacier and Yellowstone areas has led to conflicts between humans and bears, including periodic attacks on livestock and sometimes the fatal mauling of humans. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte welcomed the administrations announcement and said it could lead to the state reclaiming management of a species placed under federal protection in 1975. He said the grizzlys recovery represents a conservation success. Montana held grizzly hunts until 1991 under an exemption to the federal protections that allowed 14 bears to be killed each fall. The federal government in 2017 sought to remove protections for the Yellowstone ecosystems grizzlies under former President Donald Trump. The hunts in Wyoming and Idaho were set to begin when a judge restored protections, siding with environmental groups that said delisting wasnt based on sound science. Those groups want federal protections kept in place and no hunting allowed so bears can continue moving into new areas. We should not be ready to trust the states, said attorney Andrea Zaccardi, of the Center for Biological Diversity. Derek Goldman with the Endangered Species Coalition said state management would be a disaster and was glad federal agencies were looking at the states laws. Dave Evans, a hunting guide with Wood River Ranch in Meeteetse, Wyoming, said the issue is complex, and he can understand why people fall on both sides of the debate. You have so many opinions and some of them are not based on science, but the biologists are the ones that know the facts about what the populations are and what should be considered a goal for each area, Evans said. If youre going to manage grizzly bears, theres a sustainable number that needs to be kept in balance. Im not a biologist, but I would follow the science. U.S. government scientists have said the regions grizzlies are biologically recovered but in 2021 decided that protections were still needed because of human-caused bear deaths and other pressures. Bears considered problematic are regularly killed by wildlife officials. Demand for bear hunting licenses would likely be high if the protections are lifted, Evans said. You would definitely have a higher demand, and it would probably be very expensive, Evans said. A guided bear hunt in Alaska can start around $20,000, so I would imagine it would be very sought after. A decision on the states petitions was long overdue. Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Thursday filed notice that he intended to sue over the delay. Idahos petition was broader than the ones filed by Montana and sought to lift protections nationwide. That would have included small populations of bears in portions of Idaho, Montana and Washington state, where biologists say the animals have not yet recovered to sustainable levels. It also could have prevented the return of bears to other areas such as the North Cascades region. While we continue to evaluate the decision from USFWS, this is another example of federal overreach and appears to have a disproportionate impact on North Idaho, Little said in an emailed statement. He said his office would continue to push back against the federal government. Grizzly bear encounters are generally rare in northern Idaho, though wildlife managers occasionally warn people to be on the watch for the animals. In 2021, Idaho Fish and Game officials estimated there were between 40 and 50 grizzly bears in the northernmost part of the state. ___ Associated Press writers Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, and Thomas Peipert in Denver contributed to this report. Facebook Celebrity The record producer and his ex Chanel Thierry reached an agreement after she previously demanded $82,628 per month to cover support for all their three kids, Kiylan, Kauner and Kody. Feb 3, 2023 AceShowbiz - DJ Mustard and his ex-wife have reached a temporary deal on child support. It was unveiled that the record producer agreed to pay Chanel Thierry $18,342 per month starting in February. Court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com stated that the exes reached an agreement on Tuesday, January 31. Chanel, however, previously demanded $82,628 per month to cover support for all their three kids, Kiylan, Kauner and Kody. Mustard, who began dating Chanel when he was 19 years old, filed for divorce from her in the Los Angeles County Courts back in May 2022. He cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their separation. He also asked a judge to order joint legal and physical custody of their three young children. The model herself has confirmed her split on Instagram Story. "Thank you for the kind words, thoughts, and prayers," she penned at the time. "Anyone that followed me or knows me personally knows my family means the world to me... I've [dedicated] 12 loyal years and it is more [than] heartbreaking to see things end." Mustard has also addressed his divorce, denying that they split due to infidelity on his or his wife's part. "It's one thing to have my family business on the internet," he wrote on his Instagram Story, "and of course I initially didn't respond cause I don't owe the public no explanation." Shutting down the cheating allegations, the DJ continued, "but I do owe my family to clear these false narrative that @chaneldijon cheated that's out and that never happened !" He further stressed, "Also the I fake dealt with my stylist come on now we all know that's a joke I'd never touch that girl EVER." You can share this post! Cover Images/Abby Grant Celebrity The 'Elektra' actress and her boyfriend leave Los Angeles on weekend trips to keep their relationship out of spotlight as the couple are back on together, a year after split. Feb 3, 2023 AceShowbiz - Jennifer Garner's relationship with John C. Miller is "special." Previously married to Hollywood star Ben Affleck, 50, - with whom she shares Violet, 17, Seraphina, 14, and 10-year-old Samuel, the 50-year-old actress is now thought to be having "a lot of fun" with businessman John, 45, after they were reportedly spotted holding hands on a walk through Santa Barbara, California almost a year after they initially broke up. "They like to date out of the spotlight and often leave L.A. for weekend trips. They have a very special relationship. It's never been the easiest one though since they both have families. They took a long break from dating, but Jen is very happy that they are back together," a source told PEOPLE. According to the outlet, John was spotted talking to Jennifer's ex-husband - who went on to tie the knot with former girlfriend and pop superstar Jennifer Lopez, 53, in 2022 - the day after taking a stroll and the two men reportedly seen to be laughing. CaliBurger founder John - who was previously married to violinist Caroline Campbell, 43, and has two children with her - initially struck up a relationship with Jennifer in 2018, shortly after her divorce from Ben had been finalised and, even though they went on to split before recently reconciling, an insider explained that dating was a "natural step" and that she will "always care" about her ex-husband. The source said, "Although the divorce was just finalized, Jen has considered herself single for a long time. Dating is just a natural step. Jen will always care about Ben and help him be the best dad. She was very ready to move on though. She seems very excited about the future and is in a great place both personally and professionally." You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity The 'Private Parts' star announces she has ended her engagement to baby daddy Lior Bitton and confirms speculation she is now dating influencer Jessi Lawless. Feb 3, 2023 AceShowbiz - Jenna Jameson has found new love. Confirming she has split from fiance Lior Bitton - the father of her five-year-old daughter Batel, the 48-year-old adult film star is now romancing influencer Jessi Lawless following months of speculation. In a video shared on their Instagram accounts, the pair appear together as they lay in bed. "I guess something this hot don't stay on the shelf too long, cause I got a girlfriend baby. I'm dating Jenna Jameson, what the f***!" Jessi told the camera. Jenna captioned the post on her account, "Hopefully this is the last one. [cry-laughing face and heart emojis] #girlfriend #relationshipgoals (sic)." The "Private Parts" star sparked speculation she was dating Jessi last November with a series of Instagram posts of their pair getting close to one another. In one, when her arms were seen resting against someone else's, she tagged Jessi in the post and wrote, "Menace to society." She followed it with another a few days later showing her distinctively-tattooed arm resting against Jessi's face, and captioned the photo, "She's the one #mypringle (sic)." However, at the time Jessi insisted Jenna was just helping her through a "brutal" break-up. She wrote on her own account, "Y'all chill out I'm still single as a pringle. I'm healing. @jennacantlose is just helping me heal (sic)." The teasing posts came a month after fans questioned her on her relationship with Lior as she was in Hawaii recovering from a debilitating mystery illness, while the businessman and their daughter were in Los Angeles. She cryptically shared a post which read, "I'm at the age where the only closure I need is knowing I deserve better." She then captioned it, "Never forgive what you had to pray your way out of..." And she later addressed fans who had called her out for not directly addressing the situation. She said, "I also wanted to hit on a point about people in my comments." "There have been some very negative reactions, but I want you to understand that I'm being cryptic because there's a child involved and right now it's important to me to keep her safe. So everything is good and I just ask that everybody be kind right now because kindness is good. We like kindness, right?" You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity The lead of 'The Bachelorette' season 16 and her fiance, who have been together for a year before they got engaged in October 2022, tie the knot in a gorgeous ceremony in Sacramento, California. Feb 3, 2023 AceShowbiz - Clare Crawley is now a married woman. Having tied the knot with her fiance Ryan Dawkins, the lead of "The Bachelorette" season 16 took to social media to give fans a look at their wedding pictures. On Thursday, February 2, the 41-year-old shared three photos on her Instagram page. The reality star looked stunning in her white dress that featured a form-fitting silhouette. Her now-husband, meanwhile, rocked a black suit and matching shoes. Clare followed it up with another image that showed her smiling inside a white classic car while holding a bucket of flowers. There was also a photo where the pair shared an embrace while smiling ear-to-ear. In the caption, she gushed, "Mr. And Mrs. Dawkins!" Clare and Ryan got married on Wednesday in a gorgeous ceremony in Sacramento, California. Speaking of their nuptials, she told PEOPLE, "If I had to do this day over every single day for the rest of my life I wouldn't change a thing... Happiest day of my life hands down." The wedding took place a few days after "The Bachelor" alum divulged that someone stole her dress. "In the moment, I was like 'Ughhhhh, what do I do?' " she wrote on Instagram. "And I thought, 'It's okay. It's about the moment and what we're celebrating. I can wear anything, and I'll be happy that we're getting married.' " Clare and Ryan have been together for a year before they got engaged in October 2022. Their engagement arrived a month after the couple went Instagram-official with the hairstylist posting a video of the pair laughing while listening to music in the car. Clare previously got engaged to Dale Moss, whom she met on "The Bachelorette". However, their relationship didn't last long as they broke up shortly after. The two gave their romance another try only to call it quits "for good" in September 2021. You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity The actress, who has starred on the HBO series since the second season, is charged with misdemeanor retail theft after she's caught in surveillance footage taking the $28 blouse from a store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Feb 3, 2023 AceShowbiz - "Euphoria" star Chloe Cherry has landed herself in trouble with the law just as her career has started rising. The actress was charged with misdemeanor retail theft in January after she was caught shoplifting a blouse in her hometown back in December 2022. According to a criminal complaint, the 25-year-old entered the Building Character shopping complex in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania on December 27 and took a Moda International blouse into a dressing room. Surveillance footage shows the actress not returning the blouse, but it was not left in the dressing room either. Building Character owner Marty Hulse tells LancasterOnline.com the blouse was stolen from Jenny Gohringer's "Jenny & the Clowder" clothing seller, whose space in Building Character is up a separate flight of stairs from most of the other vendor spaces. The employee told police Chloe paid for other items using a credit card, but she didn't pay for the blouse. Chloe, whose real name is Elise Jones, admitted to taking the blouse and returned it to an officer, according to the complaint. Police also noted she has a previous retail theft conviction from April 25, 2015. She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Bruce Roth at 2:10 P.M. on March 1. "Most times, when we find people who are shoplifting, we don't find them in the act," Marty says. "They'll take the tag off of it and throw it somewhere. Then we see the tag, and we can find them on the camera and where it came from, and that's exactly what happened." Chloe's rep, however, has a different account of what happened at the store. "In December, there was confusion over a blouse that wasn't properly charged to my client's credit card. In no way did she 'admit' to taking the blouse, since that was not the case," the rep tells TMZ. "This story seems to be more about a local store trading on a celebrity's name more than anything else." Chloe emerged as a scene stealer after she was introduced as Faye during the second season of HBO's teen drama series "Euphoria" in 2022. The actress, who used to live in Willow Street but currently resides in California, has also appeared in adult films. You can share this post! Cover Images/Roger Wong Celebrity The 20-year-old actor, who stars alongside Noah on Netflix's hit sci-fi series 'Stranger Things', shares that he had a 'big smile' on his face while watching Noah's coming out video. Feb 3, 2023 AceShowbiz - Finn Wolfhard felt "really proud" of Noah Schnapp for coming out as gay. The "[ Things]" actor, who portrays Mike Wheeler in the Netflix sci-fi series, had a "big smile" on his face when he saw his co-star Noah, who portrays Will Byers on the hit Netflix series, had told fans he's is gay via a TikTok video. Finn said in an interview with GQ magazine, "When I saw it, I just had a big smile on my face. I was just really proud of him." The 20-year-old actor admits his "Stranger Things" co-stars are "on their own quests in real life," and while they don't all message each other on a daily basis, they would be there for each other if anything was needed "in the same way that family works." He added, "We're not on everyday-text vibes in any way, and not because it's like. Do you text your cousins every day? Probably not. They're our family. We'll talk on each others birthdays. We'll talk once in a while. But in the same way that family works, if I ever needed anything, they're there." Noah came out as gay last month, and admitted his friends and family told him they already knew. In the clip, he said, "When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years and all they said was 'we know.' You know what it never was? That serious. It was never that serious. Quite frankly, it will never be that serious." Noah's on-screen character in "Stranger Things" is gay, and the teenage actor even referenced Will's sexuality in the TikTok caption. He wrote, "I guess I'm more similar to Will than I thought." You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity In a new interview, the 24-year-old 'Big Energy' femcee reveals that her beau, whose identity has yet to be revealed, takes care of all her finances and pays all her bills. Feb 3, 2023 AceShowbiz - Latto (Mulatto) will never have to worry about money. The "777" artist reveals in a new interview that her beau, whose identity has yet to be revealed, takes care of all her finances as he pays all her bills. "I got the 'Vette, I got the Lambs, I go the Birkins," Latto said during her appearance on "Hot 107.9" radio show, adding, "I don't pay no bills. If he comin' like that, then, yeah." The revelation left the hosts surprised. The "Big Energy" femcee stressed, "I don't pay no bills!" While Latto hasn't introduced her boyfriend publicly, she did take to Twitter to speak about her romance. When someone asked if she missed her man, the raptress admitted, "Girl I be dead crying when I have to leave lol we got separation anxiety reallll bad." She added, "[One] thing about it my man gone put me on a jet after my show to get me back home to him faster." Prior to this, fans believed that Latto's man was 21 Savage. The "Her Loss" artist, however, shut down speculations that he didn't have a "celebrity girlfriend" amid their dating rumors. Following his denial, a fan noticed that the "B***h From Da Souf" raptress hit the unfollow button on Savage's Instagram account. Some fans trolled Latto after catching wind of the social media move. One said, "Awwww he hurt your feelings .. nobody told you to fwh in the first place you knew he's married so yes he can keep his USA citizenship that's why y'all can't come out in public or he will get deported." Some others, meanwhile, defended her. "So y'all clowning this girl for getting clown in y'all rumor relationship?! Y'all don't even know if it happened or not and that's because she never publicly claim it! So what's the problem? For all y'all know she good of dump in Monday and he did this interview Tuesday! what's the problem? She kept her business, her business. So does he. I will wouldn't clear s**t," the fan said. You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity The 'Maleficent' actress looks emotional in some of the pictures taken when she was in Iraq visiting the sites where Yazidi people were buried after being killed by ISIS militants. Feb 4, 2023 AceShowbiz - Angelina Jolie was overwhelmed with emotion during a trip to Iraq this week as she visited the graves of villagers who had been killed by ISIS militants. The "Wanted" star came to the country on Wednesday with human rights activist Nadia Murad who took the actress to the village of Kocho in the Sinjar district where she grew up - showing Angelina her old school and the cemetery where the bodies of the Yazidi people were buried after being murdered. "An emotional day with my friend @Nadia_Murad, who I was honoured to spend the day with in Sinjar in Iraq. She is doing so much through @Nadiasinitiative to help the Yazidi people and other communities recover after conflict and genocide," Angelina wrote while sharing a number of pictures on Instagram and was seen with tears in her eyes during the visit. "She took me to the home she grew up in Kocho village, her old school where ISIS militants separated women and men before enslaving and mass murdering them, and the cemetery where the remains of Kocho residents have been laid to rest. Many are still missing and the fight for justice continues." Nadia also shared pictures of the visit on her own Instagram page and thanked Angelina for coming along. She wrote, "Returning to my home and introducing my friend Angelina Jolie - a dedicated advocate for women, children, and refugees - to my fellow survivors was a moving experience." "I am honoured to show her the strength of the Yazidi people and share our survival story with her," Nadia concluded her post by writing, "Thank you @angelinajolie for joining me on this trip and being an advocate for those most vulnerable throughout the world." Angelina has spent more than 20 years working for the United Nations' Refugee Agency and campaigning on behalf of those affected by conflict. The Oscar-winner stepped down from her role with the U.N. in December, but vowed to continue advocating on behalf of refugees. She said, "I am stepping down today from my work with the U.N. Refugee Agency. I believe in many things the U.N. does, particularly the lives it saves through emergency relief. UNHCR is full of amazing people making a difference to people's lives every day." "Refugees are the people I admire most in the world and I am dedicated to working with them for the rest of my life. I will be working now with organisations led by people most directly affected by conflict, that give the greatest voice to them." You can share this post! The leading FMCG major, Bonn Group of Industries ropes in Dawinder Pal as Business head for House of Veda and Group Marketing Head. In his current role as head of marketing at Bonn, Pall will be responsible for handling the business marketing strategies to evolve and scale up their brand through engaging content. As Business Head, he will be responsible for the overall business growth, expanding product sales and will oversee the operations for House of Veda. An MBA from Birla Institute of Management Technology, Dawinder comes with an experience of over 13 years in diverse business categories. Prior to Bonn, Pal was heading marketing for Bikano. He has also served as a Category Head in companies like Dharampal Satyapal Group, Catch Salts & Spices, Shriram Group, Mawana Sugars Ltd and OZONE Group. He also played a major role in changing the mindset of the customer by revamping NOMARKS brand from a Problem Solution to Daily Regime brand. He even managed many celebrity endorsements with Karisma Kapoor, Vidya Balan, Tisca Chopra, Riya Sen, Dr. Kiran Bedi, Mary Kom among others with much ease. Expressing his gratitude on the appointments, Dawinder Pal says, This is my second stint with the brand and I cannot be more thrilled about getting this opportunity twice with a brand like Bonn that has carved a niche for itself in the FMCG industry. I look forward to developing marketing campaigns that are not just unique but effective at the same time and will help the brand achieving its targets and also to contributing to the growth of the company and play a significant role in the brands vision. With Pals leadership skills along with the support from his energetic team, a clear road-map for growth and ongoing dedication to employees, clients, partners, and associates has been laid. Britannias much loved choco-filled cookie brand Pure Magic Chocolush has launched its latest campaign Live This Moment. The new campaign showcases Pure Magic Chocolush in its all-new avatar wherein we see an enlightened man teaching his followers to experience the gooey choco filling and the crunch of Pure Magic Chocolush. The TVC brings alive the true characteristics of the cookie- loaded with 38% choco inside. Pure Magic Chocolush has been introduced with new-age premium packaging by Britannia. Talking on the launch, Amit Doshi, Chief Marketing Officer, Britannia Industries Limited said, On Pure Magic, we sought to express the key product attribute of the abundant gooey choco centre wrapped in a crunchy cookie. We came to realise that people dont consume Pure Magic, but Pure Magic consumes people. And that led us to our idea of forgetting the past and not worrying about the future but rather live this moment. With a brand-new product experience and a powerful brand idea that builds desire for Pure Magic, while distinctly distinguishing itself from the competition, we hope it touches the right taste buds of the choco-loving consumers. Amit added, The premium indulgence category of biscuits is growing faster than the overall biscuits category. Given these changing consumer preferences and market dynamics, we wanted a strategic firm like The Womb to be associated with us. They have the right balance of strategic and creative capabilities to create compelling communication for growth. Kawal Shoor, Co-Founder, The Womb said, It's a privilege to work with a legacy company like Britannia and on brands like Bourbon, Pure Magic, and Treat with Amit and the entire team. The premium indulgence category of biscuits is one of the most closely contested categories. New competition has emerged; however Britannia was and will remain the OG. On Pure Magic, we looked at expressing a core product truth of abundant gooey chocolate center, encased in a crunchy cookie through a cultural insight. Through our research we realized that people dont consume Pure Magic, but in turn, Pure Magic consumes people. It is so indulgent and gooey that you cannot do anything else but focus on it and relish it. And when you so focus on something, you live in the present. The future and the past dissipate from consciousness. This helped us arrive at our big idea of a cookie so involving that it takes your mind off everything else and makes you live this moment. Suyash Khabya, Creative Head The Womb said, The brief allowed us, the creatives, to be indulgent, just like the product. So we cracked the idea of an enlightened man professing the product truth, but in his own quirky way. He will now be dispelling the message of Live This Moment and through him, Pure Magic will have a point of view on various topics...no gyan but a funny take. Apart from the TVC, there's a whole lot of digital videos, topical stuff and a solid 360 campaign overall. On this, the client team at Britannia is letting us have a cookie of a time! The 360-degree campaign will be led by television and digital platforms, including YouTube and social, as well as print. The all-new Pure Magic Chocolush packs are available in multiple SKUs (12g: Rs. 5, 75g: Rs. 35, 300g: Rs. 140) and are already available in retail stores and e-commerce platforms Kaizzen, a leading integrated communication agency, has partnered with The Energy and Resources Institutes (TERI) to curate the media and social media outreach for the upcoming World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2023 to be held in New Delhi in February. The 22nd edition annual flagship event of the not-for-profit, policy research organization is scheduled to be held from 22nd February 2023 to 24th February 2023 at India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. WSDS 2023 will focus on the umbrella theme: Mainstreaming Sustainable Development and Climate Resilience for Collective Action. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Shailly Kedia, Senior Fellow and Associate Director, TERI said: The world is approaching the crucial midpoint of the 2030 Agenda and the sustainable development goals. It is time for the global community to accelerate actions on sustainable development and climate resilience. It has been more than 50 years since the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, popularly known as the 1972 Stockholm Conference. But we still have a long way to go especially in terms of horizontal and vertical integration of sustainable development across spheres. The World Sustainable Development Summit 2023 is planned to take these deliberations forward and discuss the collective action needed to come up with concrete roadmaps for the future. After bagging the communication mandate for the event, Vineet Handa, CEO, Kaizzen, said, Kaizzen is proud to partner with TERI for the upcoming World Sustainable Development Summit 2023. It is one of the most important and impactful events around the world addressing pressing issues on climate change and sustainable development. It is a critical issue and it is necessary to take appropriate action on the issue to save mother Earth. We are grateful to TERI for this opportunity. He added, "Communication both online and offline plays a pivotal role in sharing the deliberations with all the stakeholders. We are confident that Kaizzen will help to communicate our message on sustainable development to all the stakeholders. We are looking forward to work with the TERI to make the event a great success. Rungta Steel of Rungta Mines Limited (RML), one of Indias fastest growing integrated steel manufacturers, unveiled their third television commercial harping on one of the core facets of their brand and company- lasting relationships. Starring actors Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor, the actors are seen in an exchange where Ranbir is seen discussing the standout features of what Alia assumes one to be about their relationship but turns out it was Rungta Steel TMT Bar that Ranbir talks about- one that is long lasting, strong, shock-absorbent and stays by your side. The TVC ends with the tagline Ekdum Solid indicating the presence of Rungta Steel TMT Bars. Mr. Arvind Kumar, Senior GM and Head, Sales & Marketing (TMT), said, The third part of our TVC campaign was conceptualized to communicate the key role of Rungta Steel TMT Bar and services that has enabled our customers to confidently use our product in a plethora of applications. The core thought for the campaign was to bring to focus our relationship with all our stakeholders that is at the heart of everything we do. Rungta Steel TMT Bars are meticulously designed using the latest cutting-edge technology in state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. The product undergoes stringent quality control systems ensuring unparalleled consistency, strength, durability and seamless workability. Rungta Steel TMT Bars come in various grades & sizes as per IS 1786. Authored by Amandeep Kaur, Founder, Phoenix TalentX Branding. No one can argue that creating content takes time, and that using social media merely for the sake of using it wont be effective. Being social is the key to using social media; engaging with your audience is necessary to develop relationships and shouldnt be neglected. We must come up with a post idea, make a graphic, write a caption, select hashtags, post the material, interact with our audience in the comments, and then repeat the process countless times. Even though creating social media content can be difficult, businesses can greatly profit from regular participation. Brands can expand their customer base, raise brand awareness, establish credibility in their industry, and increase engagement by consistently producing high-quality content. How mass content generation can be beneficial The creation of material, captions, hashtags, and scheduling for a set period of time using a variety of ideas for your social media channels is known as mass content creation. However, mass content creation will undoubtedly help brands plan ahead if their social media strategy is to offer the audience thought leadership or to encourage them to purchase their services or products. Knowing that the holidays are approaching offers businesses ample time to develop their messaging or campaigns. Thinking about seasonality in the business is also significant. Businesses can also use meme marketing and moment marketing to gain traction. Create a social media content calendar A content calendar is a must when it comes to developing mass-market content that is effective and engaging. With a social media content calendar, brands can: Make a list of topics in advance: One can invest their time in researching themes and content concepts that will truly resonate with their audience. Plan out the posts: Establish a posting schedule for the content so that the audience can count on the posts. This will encourage the algorithms to show the content more frequently. Analyse outcomes: One can see how well their posts are performing with in-app analytics. These insights will help to brainstorm fresh concepts or find new ways to employ what's already successful while creating a social content calendar. Balance evergreen versus trending content: One has the flexibility to publish timely content while also prioritising evergreen content that will stay relevant in the long run. Anticipate upcoming events: If a business has upcoming events or updates, one can plan their content well in advance and generate more visibility for their brand. Monitor hashtags: One can create a running list of popular hashtags and use them in their future posts. There is no need to research new hashtags every single time. Festive season and Holidays are golden opportunities Brands should make use of holiday marketing opportunities to promote their companys name, products, and services. 62 per cent of consumers in India said they expected to do more online shopping over the holiday season in 2021, according to Statista research on the countrys holiday shopping habits. There are therefore many official and unofficial days that you may include in your holiday marketing campaigns, from cheery festive occasions and holiday seasons to quirky events like National Ice Cream Day to more serious days like National Cancer Survivors Day. Social media holidays can boost a brand's organic reach and encourage greater participation, especially if they pair them with one or more relevant hashtags. Additionally, it may inspire them with new ideas for blog posts and other forms of material. Depending on the event, brands might be able to use it as an opportunity to talk more about their companys culture or mission, which will help them build brand recognition and eventually establish a stronger connection with their target market. Final Thoughts Calendars are an overlooked gem that can save brands a massive amount of time when creating mass content. Having the correct social media content calendar ensures that you are constantly in the lead, relevant, and always learning. It's rare when a national newspaper openly flaunts its woke-activist journalism. But that is exactly what USA Today has done. In a subscriber-only print section, entitled "Impact Report: A look back at stories that led to change in 2022," (online overview here) USA Today informs us of its work in the service of cultural change. This special section is essentially twelve pages of self-congratulation. But importantly, it is a revealing look at the Gannett organization's editorial principles and priorities. Recall that USA Today's introduction in 1982 was controversial for several reasons -- such as a catchy design catering to the eye, the liberal use of color in an era of mainly black and white, and most notorious, its compact reporting, with the typical article maybe a few hundred words in total length, and short on depth. They liked to think of their reporting as concise, but a charitable description might be superficial. It earned the newspaper the nickname "McPaper." USA Today rather quickly claimed to be the number one newspaper in the USA. Its free distribution in numerous hotel chains around the country -- rather like CNN in airports -- may have had something to do with that. Copies distributed does not equal copies read. In her introduction to the special 2022 Impact Report section, Editor-in-chief Nicole Carroll explains that "journalism makes a difference in people's lives every day." She says that USA Today "stood up for consumers, held the powerful accountable, and protected the vulnerable." Roughly three dozen individual features in the special section document the results of actions by USA Today Network-affiliated newspapers. Many of these are "worthy" insofar as they deal with human-interest situations, elder abuse, veteran hardship, and so on -- "exposing wrongs" according to the newspaper. But many others are driven by leftist ideology. One full page is devoted to "climate change" -- "From extreme weather to dwindling water supplies, we show the impact of climate change, documenting its effects on people across the world" -- which proceeds immediately to conflate and confuse "climate" with ordinary "weather." USA Today is also concerned with "how climate change impacts working-class and minority communities." Another full page describes USA Today's creation of a Voting Rights Guide, necessary because "ordinary Americans were seeing their power at the ballot box erode in many places during a time of civic upset." The project is ostensibly non-partisan and "fact-based," but USA Today's partnering with the Brennan Center for Justice is anything but an assurance of objectivity. According to Influence Watch, the Brennan Center "pursues a left-wing issue agenda supporting liberal activist policies" and its claimed non-partisanship is a "charade." Of course, it is not reasonable to expect USA Today to be unbiased. It is rated by Allsides as left-leaning, their same rating as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, NPR and the TV broadcast networks, to name a few, and is rated as left-center by Media Fact Check. Yet journalists in general see themselves as the "sensible center," departing from the views of the general public, and don't see a need to report both sides of an issue, or even to exhibit honesty. USA Today had to "unpublish" 23 articles when one of their reporters "penned articles in which 'some individuals quoted were not affiliated with the organizations claimed and appeared to be fabricated.'" USA Today especially despised Donald Trump. From its founding, USA Today avoided endorsing candidates for office, but made a partial exception "on September 29, 2016, when it published an op-ed piece condemning the candidacy of Republican nominee Donald Trump, calling him 'unfit for the presidency,'" yet without endorsing his opponent Hillary Clinton. Four years later, still harboring its loathing of Trump, USA Today broke with tradition fully and expressly endorsed Joe Biden in his run against Trump in 2020. This comes at a time when our government contemplates new public policy "to help local journalism and combat misinformation." A new Government Accountability Office report says that "the market may not produce public interest content sufficient for a well-informed society." The GAO attributes this to the ill-conceived and ever-subjective notion of "market failure" but not to possibly corrupt journalism. Government policy to address the issue might include "tax incentives or credits, direct government funding, government advertising, federal grants or loans, and even government intervention" to serve the equally nebulous "public good." The initiative is targeted primarily at local news and is one more instance of government schemes to manipulate the media. Media manipulation and news management, often having the character of propaganda, seem to permeate every quarter of journalism. The AP Stylebook, a ubiquitous journalistic reference, now discourages the use of "the" in connection with people or groups as "dehumanizing" -- so you must avoid " the French" or " the disabled." But of course, this comes from The Associated Press (which in humiliation deleted the original preposterous tweet). In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, Leonard Downie Jr., its former executive editor and now a professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, helps us understand the principles and practice of today's journalism. "More and more journalists of color and younger White reporters, including LGBTQ+ people, in increasingly diverse newsrooms believe that the concept of objectivity has prevented truly accurate reporting informed by their own backgrounds, experiences and points of view." And if there was any remaining doubt, that attitude lives and breathes at USA Today: "At USA Today, editor in chief Nicole Carroll told us she seeks a diversity of staff participants, experiences and views in daily brainstorming sessions about news coverage. In these discussions, Carroll said, she and her editors 'have found more value in diverse people's lived experiences.' She has no prohibitions against staff members working on stories involving their identities or life experiences unless they demonstrate a strong bias." The Wall Street Journal by comparison shows us what honest, direct journalism looks like, quite distinct from the crusading nature of today's reporting and from our government's contempt for its citizens. In the annual letter to readers, WSJ publisher Almar Latour marks the distinction succinctly: "Hyperbole, infatuation with spectacle and thinly sourced media reports with alarmist headlines -- prevalent in what passes for news today -- cloud personal judgment and stifle nuanced societal debate. By contrast, reliable, unbiased journalism, data and analysis can help determine the difference between good outcomes and bad ones." As a committed woke enterprise, USA Today will not change its ways, nor should we expect it to do so. Thomas Jefferson sensibly observed that "wherever the people are well informed they can be trusted with their own government." In that light, does USA Today's approach to journalism benefit our culture, our society and our nation? We might conclude, as observed by the pseudonymous W.R. Wordsworth, that "their success depends on public ignorance." But on the other hand, inasmuch as the GAO discovered a dearth of "content sufficient for a well-informed society," maybe USA Today itself is one cause of that ignorance. The author is an observer of politics recently escaped from Connecticut. General Mike Minihan, a four-star Air Force General who leads the Air Mobility Command, made major shockwaves the other day, stating that he believes our country will be at war with China by 2025. His reasoning: Chinese President Xi [Jinping] secured his third term and set his war council in October 2022 Taiwan's presidential elections are in 2024 and will offer Xi a baseless reason to invade Taiwan U.S. presidential elections will offer Xi a distracted America The U.S. has long walked a fine line with its ambiguous "One China" policy, which acknowledges China's claims to sovereignty over Taiwan without accepting them Additional reasons for concern by 2025: Xi has promised his military and civil leaders the necessity of solving the "Taiwan Problem." Should he be stymied, his political future is at risk. China does not manufacture the latest generation of computer chips; they need those for their war machines, aerospace industry, and other high-technology demands. Taiwan controls about of the world's supply of those chips. Taking Taiwan would be a 'twofer' for China to gain the necessary chips for themselves and to deny the West the chips they must have. The U.S. is telegraphing to the world that we are short some munitions, especially the high-tech kind we would need to stop China from successfully invading Taiwan. By helping Ukraine now, we have discovered significant gaps in our weaponry. The U.S. has not been involved in high-intensity conflicts since Vietnam. Many of the weapons we used in Vietnam were left over from Korea and even WWII. Consequently, American industry has not had to think about surge capability for 50 years. Be it Boeing, Lockheed, L3 Harris, or any other defense contractors; their workers frequently are single-shift, 35-hour work weeks like Maytag, Ford, or Dell. But defense companies are not just another washing-machine company. Their productive output could very well make the difference between the U.S. living free or in a subjugated world. We could lose the next war due simply to materiel shortages During a balls-to-the-wall fight, combatants must go flat-out 24x7 without concern over financial constraints. The U.S. has always been behind the curve at the start of hostilities in major wars. Historically we had too few trained personnel and insufficient weapons and munitions. From the Civil War through WWI and II, war clouds were visible just over the horizon, yet we ignored the warnings that would have said it was time to prepare. Such head-in-the-sand thinking sees thousands of troops killed unnecessarily due to inadequate force structure. The price of being unprepared is paid in blood. Being prepared does not mean you must fight a war. But it may keep the other side from miscalculating their chances of victory. No one knows if war with China is a certainty. But unless we are willing to hand over the mantle of world leadership to another country, we had better be prepared for war at any moment. This is an excellent segue to a pet peeve of mine. The Department of Defense and senior leadership of each of the individual services should be, by and large, taken out and shot. Our Constitution requires civilian oversight of the armed services to keep the admirals and generals in check. But, too many flag officers are no longer warriors; they have become politicians, which is dangerous. The Army War College misunderstood the problem demonstrated by the following quote: "... the modern commander is much more akin to the managing director of a large conglomerate enterprise than ever he is to the warrior chief of old. He has become the head of a complex Military organization, whose many branches he must oversee and on whose cooperation, assistance, and support he depends for his success." The War College saw this as a strength, not a weakness. Recent Democrat Presidents and top generals no longer encourage a warrior mentality, and risk is generally discouraged as a minefield for career advancement. Such flawed analysis will see more of our soldiers die unnecessarily. From the home of the $20,000 toilet seat, I can tell you that contracting for weapons is much like road building today. Why does it take so long to build an intersection or repave a road? The partial collapse of the Bay Bridge occurred during the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989, and Caltrans said it would take three years to fix the bridge. A local contractor made an unsolicited proposal to get the structure repaired in a month, and he successfully collected a sizeable bonus for early completion. The DoD does not admire individualism anymore. They want compliant team players. Good perhaps for the Department of Labor, but terrible for warriors fighting on a battlefield. Complacency and bureaucracy have teamed up as the anti-dynamic duos that give you a thousand reasons why something can't be done. Reflect back to just about a year ago, when our best minds said Ukraine was toast, don't even try to help them. When our military is at its best, nothing is impossible. But naysayers must be eliminated first. When you think about it, our military readiness posture, inability to fill enlistment quotas, and timidness on the world stage are signs of more than just a mark of systemic failure of the military. They are prima facie evidence that we need to reinvent the country as a whole. Doing so with the likes of Biden is impossible. I don't know how often I have heard that the next election is the 'most important,' but I believe that our next election may be the one that chooses our destiny to live free or die. Our ship of state is already taking on water. The slow leak that seemed not to be so worrisome has become a deluge. Consider the lack of concern for fundamental problems such as immigration, our fiscal situation, and social policies. No one is pushing the emergency button when it is obvious our ship is sinking fast. As a troubleshooter, I surveyed the situation and first stopped the flooding. Today, our policymakers seek solutions to problems too casually and without regard for reality. The border is a perfect example. Biden wants comprehensive immigration reform before stopping the millions swamping us. Comprehensive reform is code for amnesty, which we have tried seven times before, which only encourages the next wave. He knows it, and we know it. Our next war is inevitable; only the timing is unknown. Will we have the weapons and personnel to fight and win? At one time, we could fight two peer enemies simultaneously; now, it's questionable if we can fight a single one to victory. Author, Businessman, and Thinker. Read more about Allan, his background, and his ideas to create a better tomorrow at www.1plus1equals2.com Image: Picryl I have seen a number of articles and essays that tell us that our Constitution had its origins from Cicero, Plato, and other thinkers and rulers of the Greek and Roman periods. They add the thinking of the enlightenment period of the eighteenth century that provided the wisdom and teaching that man is the measure of all things. Certainly, our Founders were well educated in the classics and read the current philosophers and their belief that we had evolved to new heights of thinking about government. It is a relatively easy search, however, of the records of the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and the influence of the Declaration of Independence and state constitutions to arrive at the literature that most affected their thinking. The most quoted source in their arguments was the Bible and particularly the Torah or first five books of the Bible. Some will point out that Blackstones work on the law was quoted almost as often, however, it must be noted that his conclusions were very much based on the same Biblical standards. John Lockes writings were important as well and he would rank into the top three of importance, but again his arguments were heavily influenced by the truth of scripture. We dont have a leader today who takes us back to the vantage point of the American Revolution and the origins of the Constitution. During the Civil War there was Abraham Lincoln, who addressed the evils of the hour but addressed them in the light of the Declaration of Independence and the better angel of the American experiment for all. We need leaders who talk about what made America great in the first place. There is the master story of freedom and it came from the Bible. Os Guinness in his book The Magna Carta of Humanity -- Sinais Revolutionary Faith and The Future of Freedom quotes Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who states that, The book of Exodus and the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures as a whole are nothing less than the Magna Carta of humanity. He further states as a republic of free and equal citizens held together not by hierarchy or power but by the moral bond of covenant. As John Adams stated, Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. A covenant (or Constitution) is certainly a foundational law; it provides a framework for freedom, and it truly begins with a pledge given at a certain moment in time. Freedom and trust are living truths. Unfortunately, we have lost our trust and faith in leaders on a national and local level. We have lost faith in institutions like the FBI, the Justice Department, academia, the medical profession, and so much more. The Pledge of Allegiance dies if it is ever allowed to be trite words in rote order. Daniel L. Dreisbach has written an insightful book entitled Reading the Bible with the Founding Fathers which reinforces our understanding of the human condition. He writes, The Constitutions basic design, defined by the separation of powers and checks and balances, reflected an awareness of original sin (Genesis 3) and the necessity to guard against the concentration or abuse of government powers vested in fallen human actors. Madison concurred, that all men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree. Humankinds fallen nature was a familiar theme in James Madisons writings and, more generally, in the political literature of the founding era. men are not angels, Madison famously counseled in Federalist 51. Our children are not taught about our nature, liberty, and how we need to protect it. The French Revolution in 1789 was the direct opposite of 1776. They attacked Christianity by killing thousands of nuns and priests and turning churches into Temples of Reason. The failure of this is self-evident today. Are we going to reform our country by going back to basic principles or are we on our way to 1789? Recently Senator John Kennedy stumped a Biden judicial nominee for a federal judgeship with some basic questions. Senator Kennedy in his very Southern approach can be disarming and yet get to the heart of the matter. He asked Judge Charnelle Bjelkengren if she could tell him what Article V of the Constitution does? She replied that Article V is not coming to mind at the moment. How about Article I, he asked? Again she responded by saying neither is Article I. These are very basic parts of the Constitution, which is not very long. What is interesting is that Article V was added to the Constitution just before ratification as a means for the states to rein in an out-of-control national government and bureaucracy. Not that we need that now! This is a good time, however, to understand the roots of our Constitution. Os Guinness says it best, Freedom requires virtue, virtue requires faith and faith requires freedom. De we know what time it is? Become informed and take action. Image: Pixabay The Democrats made a big hullabaloo about three of their representatives getting booted from House committees, in, yes, what was political payback for what they started with the bootings of GOP House members from committees in the previous term. As if political payback were entirely foreign to them, they caterwauled about "death threats" in a pathetic bid to either to avoid getting thrown off their committees or else shame them afterwards. Here's Rep. Eric Swalwell howling about death threats just after he was thrown out: This is purely about political vengeance, said Swalwell. And he added that the cost isnt just the loss of their valuable participation but, the death threats that Ms. Omar, myself, and Mr. Schiff keep getting because Mr. McCarthy continues to aim and project these smears against us. Even though we have said publicly these smears are bringing death threats, he continues to do it, Swalwell said. Which makes us believe that theres an intent behind it. Here's Rep. Ilhan Omar just before she got kicked off: These threats increase whenever Republicans put a target on my back, Omar said on Wednesday, sharing audio of a death threat her office received. They can continue to target me, but they will never stop me from fighting for a more just world. Here's Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, making her case for Omar on the House floor: I had a member of the Republican caucus threaten my life and the Republican caucus rewarded him with one of the most prestigious committee assignments in this Congress. Dont tell me this is about consistency, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said on the floor, her voice rising as fellow Democrats clapped. This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America. It was an unpersuasive bid to generate sympathy, as if death threats were somehow unique to Democrats. In reality, maybe they want to back off from those flimsy claims. In New Jersey, a Republican city councilwoman for the city of Savreville, Eunice Dwumfour, was gunned down in what may well have been political violence, which is a hell of a lot more than a "threat." The motive for the apparently targeted hit on her by a masked man, which happened as she was driving her car home, is as yet unknown, but there are plenty of political players in the dirty sewage of New Jersey politics who didn't like her. She first won office in 2022, by surprise, unseating a longtime Democrat. She was African-American, born in the U.S. of parents from Ghana, meaning, that as a Republican, she would have been the target of particular bile from angry Democrats, just by virtue of being black and Republican, and doubly so by unseating someone who had a sense of entitlement to the seat. Black conservatives have repeatedly noted that this is their reality. Also, according to a profile in the New York Post, she targeted a Democrat politician for investigation for corruption. Less than a year into her first term on Sayrevilles council, she was one of two Republicans who moved a resolution for a local investigation into disgraced former Democratic councilman Thomas Pollandos role in a strip club bribery scheme. As I noted, New Jersey politics is already a lot of sewage. The strip-club world would be even more corrupt and violent. She may have made someone angry and vengeful on that front. There's also organized crime in that state and this kind of "hit" is their modus operandi. She may have stepped on some toes, or refused to be bought, or just didn't like her because she was a black outsider. That doesn't mean it wasn't political, too, just that there could be many angles in which it may have come about. There are other potential reasons that investigators into the cold-blooded execution-style murder should check -- there was a man who lost a lawsuit he launched against her over a car wreck. She was newly married, which means there may have been a rejected suitor, or bad boyfriend in the picture. But the potential for this being political violence is very high. Republicans have been targets of violenc in the past few years to an absolutely unheard extent. There was the near-murder of Rep. Steve Scalise and three others by a rifle-wielding Bernie Sanders supporter in 2017, which left Scalise severely wounded. There were multiple physical attacks on Sen. Rand Paul, from a crazed leftist neighbor in 2017, who left him with broken ribs and cost him a lung, and another attack by Antifa thugs during the riots of 2020 where he stalked by the thugs and eventually rescued by police. There were numerous threats against President Donald Trump during his presidency. There was the near-stabbing of Rep. Lee Zeldin by another crazed leftist as the latter campaigned for governor of New York in 2022. There was the assassination attempt of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh outside his home in 2022, again by another crazed leftist upset by an abortion ruling. There also was the hammer attack on the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2022, by an illegal immigrant from Canada whose crazed and pathetic life revolved around drugs. It was not Republican-related. Thus far, the weight of the evidence shows that the political violence is coming from the left. These are not threats, they are attacks, and thwarted attacks. Now we have a New Jersey councilwoman murdered. Is it too much to consider that this may be political violence, too? We don't hear a peep out of the Democrats crying wolf about "death threats." They don't care about political violence as it actually happens. Even if this killing were not politics-related, it was unprovoked violence against a black woman which deserves condemnation just by itself. But these Democrats are only using the idea of "death threats" to reap political points. It shows what a hypocritical bunch we have here. While they were yelling death threats, an elected leader in New Jersey was being murdered. Image: Screen shot from ABC7 video, via shareable YouTube Following all the drama and suspense over the past week, Republicans finally ousted Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House foreign affairs committee. The road to victory wasn't smooth for House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who led the charge. Republican Reps. Ken Buck (Colo.), Victoria Spartz (Ind.), David Joyce (Ohio), and Nancy Mace (South Carolina) sanctimoniously castigated McCarthy for using a "tit-for-tat" ploy. Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.), the lone Republican who voted against funding for the Israeli Iron Dome, claimed to be unsure about Omar's ouster. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) joined the madness, claiming to be "undecided" on the ousting of Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. On top of this, Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) was on leave for several weeks due to significant injuries from falling off a ladder. Since McCarthy abandoned proxy voting upon becoming House speaker, Steube's vote was an impossibility. The Democrats pledged to vote unanimously to retain all their party members of their committee assignments. McCarthy could afford only four GOP defections in order to oust Omar, yet there were seven individuals, including the congressman on leave, who were impediments to Omar's removal. So what happened yesterday on voting day? As expected, all 211 Democrats, including Jewish House members who claimed that Omar had taken appropriate steps to educate herself about antisemitism, voted to retain Omar on her committee. How did the GOP do? Two hundred eighteen Republicans voted to back the resolution condemning Omar for past antisemitic comments and removing her from the committee. GOP rep. Joyce, who was among those who expressed reservations about ousting Omar, voted present. So how did McCarthy accomplish this feat? On Tuesday, Rep. Spartz flipped her vote to yes after a meeting with McCarthy. They agreed to add a clause to the Omar resolution that gives lawmakers the facility to appeal their removal from committees. Rep. Massie, who was on the fence, was also convinced to back the resolution. On Wednesday, Rep. Buck agreed to vote "yes" after meeting with McCarthy about a proposed rule change that would make it harder to kick lawmakers off committees. On Thursday, moments before the vote, Rep. Mace met with McCarthy and revealed that she had gotten a commitment from McCarthy to develop a better process to remove members from committees; consequently, she agreed to vote "yes." The "undecided" Rep. Gaetz finally made up his mind to vote for Omar's ouster. Did McCarthy give away too much? Perhaps, but he has a slim majority and very little time. Remaining steadfast and obstinate would have resulted in failure. He probably had no choice but to compromise. Perhaps the last-minute troublemakers can be taught a lesson later. After the successful vote, McCarthy denied that the House GOP was motivated by revenge and insisted that it was based on national security concerns. He added that Republicans will allow Omar to serve on other committees. Ilhan Omar's past statements make it clear she is unfit to represent the U.S. on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. - She repeatedly used anti-semitic tropes - She described 9/11 by saying "some people did something" - She compared America and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban pic.twitter.com/VnDIVtw5oV Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) February 2, 2023 How did it begin? In February 2021, House Democrats voted to boot Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) from two committees for tweeting against the Democrats. A few months later, Democrats moved to censure and oust Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) from his two committees. What was his folly? Once again, he tweeting against the Democrats. Also in 2021, thenHouse speaker Nancy Pelosi unilaterally blocked two of McCarthy's picks, Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.), from the Jan. 6 select committee investigating the January 6 riots. Even if this was an act of revenge, there was nothing wrong with it. In politics and in life, you must give it as good as you get to send a message to your tormentor. But beyond that, the GOP had strong grounds to remove Omar. Omar is a rabid antisemite who supports the notorious anti-Israel BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement and even introduced a BDS bill in Congress. In 2019, Omar tweeted that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other Jewish donors were paying politicians to back Israel, claiming, "It's all about the Benjamins, baby." Omar also came under fire when she equated the "United States and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban." Omar also trivialized the 9-11 terror attacks by claiming that "some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties." Omar represents a Minnesota district with a Muslim majority. She arrived in the United States in the 1990s as a Somali refugee. In 2018, she became one of the first Muslim women elected to the U.S. Congress. The superficial "firsts" are what the Democrats live for. How did the Democrats react to Omar's ouster? As expected, they played the religion, race, sex, immigrant, and victim card. Omar said she was removed because she is a Muslim woman who immigrated to the U.S. as a refugee. Representation matters. We didnt come to Congress to be silent. We came to Congress to be a voice for families who are displaced in refugee camps and those seeking justice around the world. Because thats what this child survivor of war would have wanted. pic.twitter.com/BaLD5bZybV Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) February 2, 2023 "Is anyone surprised that I am somehow deemed unworthy to speak about American foreign policy?" she said, shortly before the vote. Omar even claims that another death threat had been sent to her office. The other Islamist in the House, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, bizarrely equated Omar's removal with her being censored. Despite her time being up, she continued to holler and even appeared to be on the verge of crying. Oh God !! Rashida Tlaib breaking down pic.twitter.com/e8E2QahkiZ Hassan Sajwani (@HSajwanization) February 2, 2023 But the scene-stealer of the day was Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, AKA AOC. Despite the fact that it was Omar's moment to claim victimhood and the spotlight, she was outshined by AOC. AOC is known to gravitate toward any opportunity for publicity, like a rabbit to a carrot. In just one minute, AOC breathlessly managed to cite all the kinds of victimhood that exist in the Democrat universe. She seemed unusually animated, almost hopping up and down as she spoke. It appeared she had consumed copious amounts of coffee or perhaps another kind of excitement-inducing substance. Obviously, she was reading from prepared notes in a booklet. When she was done, she slammed the booklet on the table like a petulant child and departed. "I had a member of the Republican caucus threaten my life and the Republican caucus rewarded him with one of the most prestigious committee assignments in this Congress." Watch Rep. AOC respond to Republicans' removal of Rep. @Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee pic.twitter.com/A22R7jQrlC Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@RepAOC) February 2, 2023 Some saw the funny side and added a background score to her performance, making her a figure of fun: This has been a strong start for Speaker McCarthy. He began by blocking two fraudster Democrats from the House Intelligence Committee: former chairman Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell. And now Omar has been ousted from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Some credit goes to President Trump for backing McCarthy as speaker and setting the tone for the assertive new Republican Party. McCarthy seems to be carrying that spirit forward. In the coming days, expect the reactions to Omar's ouster to get caustic. The attacks may not only be restricted to media rants. House Republicans may be verbally or physically confronted in public spaces. Hence, they must be careful with their and their families' security. Perhaps politicized government agencies may begin targeting some of the Republicans, too. Hopefully, they will stand with McCarthy and remain steadfast. It would be most unfortunate for any among the Republicans go on the Sunday morning news shows and express regret over or even repudiate Omar's ouster. Hopefully, this is the beginning of many more wins for House Republicans. Optimism has no perils. Image: Twitter screen shot. If anything points to the extreme hypocrisy of the left, it is the left's reaction to the new GOP-led House's removal of Schiff, Swalwell, and the absurdly bigoted Ilhan Omar from their Judiciary and Foreign Affairs Committees. Pelosi did such things routinely, and there were no tantrums by any Republicans. There should have been some resistance, but there wasn't. Republicans rarely stand up for their own. But now that the Democrats have suffered the same consequences for far better reasons than Pelosi had to kick, for example, Marjorie Taylor Greene off any and all committees, several of them behaved so badly, so childishly, on the floor of the House that one would think they were in middle school and had never been taught how to comport oneself in official, public situations. The "Squad" AOC, Tlaib, Cori Bush, and Omar herself thoroughly embarrassed themselves. Most likely, each of them practiced her faux outrage in front of a mirror and the others. They are embarrassments to Congress. Here is Rep. Tlaib having a meltdown on the House floor: Adam Schiff should have long ago been expelled for his lying, manipulating, and leaking of fake news. He early on took the lead in spreading the biggest hoax in American history: that Trump had colluded with Russia to win the election. Over and over again, he went before the oh, so gullible news cameras to avow that he had seen evidence of Trump's malfeasance. Each and every word was a lie. He had seen no such thing not even once. And now he wants Feinstein's Senate seat! If Californians are as dumb and uninformed as his current constituents, who keep re-electing him, they will get what they deserve. He is a menace to society. The same goes for the moronic Swalwell, of "affair with a Chinese spy" infamy, who makes a fool of himself every time he opens his mouth. Californians are their own worst enemies. They have voted to be the most self-destructive state in the nation so self-destructive that residents are leaving in droves. Gov. Newsom is the most self-unaware governor in the nation. He and his gender-obsessed wife are a blight on the state. Given the Biden-engineered state of the country we are being intentionally energy-starved, our food supply is being targeted, our southern border has been erased, over five million migrants welcomed and subsidized while millions of homeless people subsist on our streets, the economy is in as bad a place as it was in 1932 it's infuriating that what gets the "Squad's" panties in a bunch is the protection of a reprehensible anti-Semite who strives for the destruction of Israel and who has made it pretty clear that she thought 9/11 was a righteous event "some people did something" is how she offhandedly referred to that horrific terrorist attack. She's an anti-American reprobate and proud of it. And by the way, her own district is a hot mess. While some of what we are seeing unfold in America now has been long in coming, the Biden administration has done more damage than anyone would have thought possible in two years. While people like the Squad and those who defend their anti-Americanism/pro-communism have sullied Congress, so have people like the sadly brain-damaged Fetterman and rabid leftists like Raskin, Sheila Jackson Lee, Schumer, Pelosi, et al. None of these people has the character the Founders (or MLK) envisioned our representatives having: a selfless love of country. The same goes for Biden's pathetic Cabinet: Buttigieg! Granholm! Levine! Garland! There is not one member of his Cabinet who deserves our respect or confidence. The DOJ, the CIA, and the FBI have been thoroughly weaponized against the American people, including American parents. Is it any wonder that the country is at the lowest point culturally, economically, demographically, educationally in our history? Our young people are being indoctrinated with insidious Marxist/communist dogma. Biden has fomented a war that may well lead to nuclear world war and he's done it for greed. Meanwhile, our elites still worry about plastic utensils in take-away food orders! We are being led by intellectual morons who have only their own interests at heart. The pathetic theatrics on the floor of the House on Tuesday over Omar's removal for a committee she never should have been seated on in the first place are just one example of how far the United States has fallen since Biden was illegitimately installed as president. Can the nation recover? Only time and the commitment of those of us who love the country will tell. As for what Biden and his party have done to the economy, it may be too late. Image: Ilhan Omar. Credit: Leopaltik1242 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. For shame, Speaker McCarthy, for shame! The following quote appeared in a recent posting at The Hill by Mychael Schnell (2/2/23) Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) broke with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Thursday when asked about the death of Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by Capitol police during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack, concluding she was not murdered, as Greene has said. I think the police officer did his job, McCarthy told reporters when asked if he agreed with Greene that Babbitt was murdered. --------------- --------------- Sadly, or rather, bizarrely, we are to infer from the Speaker's callous comment that it is the "job" of a Capitol Hill policeman to shoot to kill an unarmed American who is found protesting on Capitol Hill grounds. What makes the Speaker's despicable remark even more bizarre is that the House, on same day, passed House Resolution 9 called "Denouncing the horrors of socialism," sponsored by Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida, with the support of 109 Democrats, denouncing socialist dictatorships where persons daring to speak their political minds do so at the risk of being shot by police doing their jobs at the behest of socialist dictatorships Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress denounces socialism in all its forms, and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States of America. Passed the House of Representatives February 2, 2023. We have yet to learn who issued the order followed by the Capitol Police officer who fired to kill Ashli Babbit on sight and site. (Indeed, we have yet to learn who issued the orders to hold January 6 defendants on remand years after their arrest on political charges -- and in deplorable, unsanitary conditions, often without proper medical treatment. Who indeed would treat Americans this way? Graduates of the Lubyanka College of Detention? Is it too much to ask House Judiciary chair Jim Jordan to put the Ashli Babbitt tragedy on the agenda of his Judiciary subcommittee that will hold hearings on the weaponization of government against the American people? It is deplorable that the new House Speaker cannot comprehend that the shooting of the unarmed 34-year old Ashli Babbitt was, quite literally, an expression of the "weaponization" of a thuggish governmental mindset that intends to transform our free Republic into an oppressive dictatorship. Additionally, Mr. Jordan should make public the names of the members of the Biden regime who maltreat January 6 defendants specifically, and MAGA pariots, generally. They must be removed from government, root and branch. Former governor Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) is expected to run against former president Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. She will reportedly declare her intention to seek the Republican presidential nomination at a Feb. 15 event in Charleston, South Carolina. Haley previously served in the Trump administration as the ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.). The former South Carolina governor has teased a run at the White House for months, despite her saying she would never run against Trump. On Truth Social, Trump shared an old video of Haley saying she would never run against him. In April 2021, Haley was asked by a reporter if she would ever run against the former president. "If he runs again in 2024, will you support him?" a reporter asked. "Yes," Haley replied. "If he decides that he's going to run would that preclude any sort of run that you would possibly make yourself?" the reporter pressed. "I would not run if President Trump ran," Haley replied. Trump emphasized that his former employee should run. "Nikki has to follow her heart, not her honor. She should definitely run!" Trump said. Haley said during an interview on Fox News that she can be an effective U.S. president. On Fox News's Special Report, Haley told host Bret Baier, "Yes, I think I can be that leader." "I was as governor, I took on a hurting state with double-digit unemployment, and we made it the beast of the Southeast. As ambassador, I took on the world when they tried to disrespect us. And I think I showed what I'm capable of at the United Nations," she added. At 51, Haley is 25 years younger than Trump. During her interview with Fox, she argued that it is time for a younger generation of leaders in Washington. "When you're looking at the future of America, I think it's time for new generational change, don't think you need to be 80 years old to go be a leader in D.C. I think we need a young generation to come in, step up, and really start fixing things," Haley said. Trump stated that Haley reached out to him and informed him that she was considering launching her campaign for president. "She called me and she said she'd like to consider it, and I said, 'You should do it,'" he said. The latest poll by RealClearPolitics showed Trump leading potential GOP candidates by a large margin. Trump is at 43%, Gov. Ron DeSantis at 28%, Sen. Tim Scott at 14%, Nikki Haley at 12%, former vice president Mike Pence at 2%, and former CIA director and secretary of state Mike Pompeo at 1%. Pompeo has accused Haley of working with Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump to get rid of Pence and become Trump's vice president. In an excerpt from his new book, Never Give an Inch, he argues that Haley "played" former White House chief of staff John Kelly by showing up to an Oval Office meeting with Trump and Ivanka. "As best Kelly could tell, they were presenting a possible 'Haley for vice-president' option. I can't confirm this, but [Kelly] was certain he had been played, and he was not happy about it. Clearly, this visit did not reflect a team effort but undermined our work for America," Pompeo wrote. Haley denied the accusation. "It's really sad when you're having to go out there and put lies and gossip to sell a book," she said. Pompeo is standing by his claim. In a CBS interview, he said he was told the story was true by Kelly and former senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway. He also said the former U.N. ambassador left the Trump administration when things became difficult. Overall, if reports are true, Haley will be the second Republican thus far to enter the 2024 presidential race. Image: NARA, public domain. Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz suggested on the op-ed page of The Wall Street Journal, February 2, that the House Judiciary Committee (now that Republican Jim Jordan is in the chair) might, by means of its subpoena power, come up with the culprit who leaked Justice Sam Alito's draft opinion in the case that reversed Roe v. Wade, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The investigation had been turned over to the marshal of the Supreme Court, but she has been unable to find the leaker. Mr. Dershowitz writes that "the Judiciary Committee could subpoena the Politico reporters who broke the story" but acknowledges that they might well prefer the martyrdom of jail for contempt to disclosing the leaker, who, Prof. Dershowitz suggests, might well have been motivated to influence, improperly, the justices or sought to enrage the public. (Certainly abortion advocates and the abortion-promoting media were enraged by the leaked draft.) This is to suggest another alternative: vigorous speculation at patriotic websites, with copies to members of Congress okay, Republican members of Congress. Interested people might inquire: why doesn't the leaker step forward and announce, in effect, "I am Spartacus"? If he was motivated by the noblest of principles, why does he remain in the shadows? Members of the public might importune: leaker, why do you not declare, "I did it, am proud of doing it, would do it again, and now am prepared to suffer the consequences whatever they may be, even if merely a book deal or an MSNBC gig as legal correspondent"? The First Amendment, furthermore, would permit a more delicious thought: what if the leader was, or acted on the instruction of, a member of the High Court? In this connection, logical speculation might first consider that the leaker is no longer on the Court. Heavens, former Justice Breyer, or a trusted clerk of this former justice? Until the leaker steps forward, or is found out, no one in the Supreme Court community not even a former justice, or current sitting justice, even the chief justice should be beyond question. And that is why the country must learn the identity of the leaker or leakers of the Dobbs draft opinion. Until the leaker steps forward or is found out, the Supreme Court of the United States is merely a political institution among the political institutions of the country's capital. And so, the legend on the court building must be understood to be Political Justice Under Law. And what is "political justice," if not merely the "justice" of society's most powerful forces? Certainly not "equal justice." It is in the national interest that the leaker of the Dobbs draft be identified. ASAP. Image via Max Pixel. Dr. Michael Mammone was an emergency room physician, which means he dedicated himself to saving lives. However, on Wednesday, on Southern Californias Pacific Coast Highway near Dana Point, a man named Vanroy Evan Smith smashed into Dr. Mammone, who was on a bicycle. Smith then got out of his car and stabbed Dr. Mammone to death. What makes this horrifying story worthy of national analysis is that an eyewitness alleged that, as Smith attacked Dr. Mammone, he was muttering about White privilege. If true, the lefts obsessions are dangerously infecting society. The core facts, as noted, are straightforward: Smith, who apparently did not know Dr. Mammone, sped through an intersection and struck Dr. Mammone, throwing the doctor into the air. Then, Smith got out of his car and stabbed the helpless doctor to death. Image: Dr. Michael Mammone. Providence Mission Hospital Should you choose to watch it, the video of Smiths car smashing into Dr. Mammoneyou can see Smiths car shoot out into the intersection in the top left corner of the videois stomach-churning (and I honestly cannot account for all the cars that just keep driving by): Laguna Beach, CA: Neighborhood cam captures the moment Dr. Michael John Mammone (58) was struck by a vehicle and stabbed. The suspect Vanroy Evan Smith (39) of Long Beach was taken into custody for suspicion of murder. Knife found at the scene. No motive at this time. pic.twitter.com/1TIpfvkqz5 DeL2000 (@DeL2000) February 3, 2023 On its face, what happened to Dr. Mammone is just a horrific story that would normally fall into the crazy person or the evil person category. However, what raises it to the level of important national news is that a witness claimed to have heard the suspect uttering racial slurs about White privilege. Assuming thats true (and its still early days, so it may not be), we must ask how we got here. Whats important to note is that the phrase White privilege is not a crazy person phrase along the lines of Kenneth, what is the frequency? It is, instead, a phrase thats relentlessly being inserted into American society to demean, dehumanize and, to use the lefts own vocabulary, other-ize White people. As just the latest example, Christopher Rufo has written a detailed essay about the overtly, aggressively anti-White teachings, all masquerading under the rubric of diversity, equity, and inclusion, that are inextricably intertwined with every aspect of work and learning (if you can call it learning) at Florida State University: One representative program is Social Justice Ally Training, hosted by Student Equity & Inclusion Director Sierra Turner and the Center for Leadership & Social Change. The program provides a basic recapitulation of the critical-race-theory narrative: white, patriarchal Western societies have created a Cycle of Socialization that has resulted in racism, classism, religious oppression, sexism, heterosexism, gender oppression, ableism, ageism & adultism, and xenophobia. The trainers make the case that, in the United States, whites are the racial group responsible for the systematic subordination of members of targeted racial groups who have relatively little power. Whites are also guilty of cultural racism, or the creation and maintenance of social structures that overtly and covertly attribute normality to white people and Whiteness. By definition, no other group can be racistinstitutional racism can only create advantages and benefits for Whites. Likewise, American K-12 schools are inculcating this vile racism in American students. Last May, it emerged that a Washington, D.C. school had given 4-year-olds an anti-racism book that asked them not only to finger racist relatives but also explained to all the students that if you are a white person, white privilege is something you were born with. Just three months ago, Tucker Carlson pointed out what weve all noticed: This racial hatred is not limited to academia. The harder-left side of the mainstream media is increasingly engaging in eliminationist rhetoric that has the feel of what the media did in Rwanda right before unleashing the Hutus on the Tutsis: Knowing the toxins that leftists (Democrats, the media, academia, etc.) are fire-hosing into the American mind, its easy to believe that the person who witnessed Smith murder Dr. Mammone accurately reported Smiths mutterings about White privilege. And if one assumes that the eyewitness report is indeed accurate, whether Smith was motivated by madness or evil, his act reflects what the left is relentlessly pumping into America: Race hatred that ultimately demands that White people must be sacrificed on the Marxist, racial altar to purify America. Classified documents, everywhere, and by everyone: Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, Mike Pence and the list keeps growing. Now there are questions about Barack Obama, who took 30,000,000 documents to his Presidential library (its doubtful he even knows what he has) and who has ignored the National Archives requests for their return. This is just more evidence of what the American people have learned really exists: The Deep State. The Deep State successfully ousted Trump with constant leaks and political chicanery against a sitting president, all to foment distrust and dishonor, and to make his life and office a living Hades. Pelosis Congress was no slouch either and impeached him a second time, even after he left office (with the first impeachment over a phone call!). Then came the most stunning election upset in history, after Joe Biden stayed in his basement for the entire election campaign while the media campaigned for him. Biden brought nothing to the electionno soaring rhetoric, no catchphrases, no crowds, yet somehow not only unseated Trump but also garnered the most votes in American history. Now, though, it appears that Biden, having unseated Trump, must go too. This would be hilarious if it werent so serious insofar as it indicates that an actual cabal controls our government. Image: Shadow government made using Ghosts by MariaSemelevich and Biden in the Oval Office (US government work). It would be nice to think that, at the very least, the cabals opposition to Biden is because he is pushing for WWIII with Putin. Biden, after all, is demanding regime change and arming Ukraine with weapons Putin insists will trigger escalation. Worldwide leftist organizations are taking Putins threats seriously. However, given that the battle against Biden started when he made noises about a second term, it seems more likely theyre just trying to get rid of a Democrat who cannot possibly win in 2024. Regarding Putin, it was the Democrats who insisted that Trump would bring Armageddon. It turns out, though, that the honor has been taken by the Democrats, Joe Biden, and the Deep State. Theyve managed to wipe out U.S. gains in Afghanistan, fund the Taliban, and help that nation revert to 7th Century Islam, so why not wipe out Ukraine and, maybe, the world next? We The People are not in control of this government, but who is in control remains to be seen. Referring to the Deep State and cabals is not the same as naming names. However, what we know is that we are beyond elections, given that our governmentthe Executive, the Legislature, and the Courtsno longer protects our rights, national security, and borders. On the coast of Kahoolawe, the smallest of the eight main volcanic islands of Hawaiian, is a large crater left behind by a violent test conducted by the US Navy in 1965. Back then, starting from the beginning of World War 2 until the 1990s, Kahoolawe was used as a training ground and bombing target by the US armed forces. Thousands of soldiers, sailors, and airmen trained on Kahoolawe for the brutal assaults on islands such as the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, and New Guinea in the Western Pacific. During the Korean War, the War in Vietnam and throughout the entire Cold War period, pilots practiced hitting mock-up airfields, military camps, radar installations, and missile sites on Kahoolawe. Photo credit: www.islandconservation.org In 1963, the three nuclear super powers of the worldthe United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdomsigned the Limited Test Ban Treaty that banned all atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons. The ban was enforced to address the rising public anxiety over the magnitude of nuclear tests and the risk of nuclear fallout. The ban came at a time when the US Navy still had a thing or two to learn about nuclear bombs, especially how the Navys ships fared in the presence of a blast. Because they couldnt detonate nuclear bombs above the ground, the Navy turned to regular explosives but in enormous quantities to simulate a nuclear bomb. A series of three tests were conducted at Kahoolawe under Operation Sailor Hat. Several decommissioned ships were anchored offshore a few hundred meters from the coastline, and a large dome of TNT blocks34 feet across and 17 feet highcontaining 500 tons worth of explosives was detonated. After the first test, the large crater the explosion gouged into the bedrock was filled with sand to minimize secondary damage caused by rock ejecta. Over this crater another of dome of TNT blocks were built for the second test. This was repeated for the third test. 500 tons of TNT awaiting detonation at Operation Sailor Hat. Each of the three massive blasts could be seen for miles, by land, air and sea. Their shockwaves were so powerful that antennas, radars and other structures on the deck of the ships were ripped apart. A life size mannequin placed on the deck facing the blast was violently thrown over. Despite the topside damage, the 169-man navy crew and 60 scientific personnel who remained below deck experienced only a jolt equivalent to an Iowa-class battleship firing a nine gun 16-inch salvo. The Navy was impressed with how well the blast was resisted by their ships. Only some minor design improvements were needed to make the ships more robust. Meanwhile on Kahoolawe, the crater left by the third blast remained unfilled and slowly as the ecosystem healed, a small anchialine or landlocked pond formed with an underground connection to the ocean. The Sailor's Hat crater is now home to two endemic species of shrimps. For the last three decades, the state of Hawaii along with the US Navy has been engaged in a cleanup effort on the island trying to remove unexploded ordnances and revert the damages caused by nearly fifty years of munitions testing. Over $400 million have been poured into the effort, yet the job is far from over. A quarter of the island is still off-limits. Photo credit: Forest Starr and Kim/Flickr In the Western Sichuan province, between central China and the Tibetan Autonomous Region, there exist hundreds of mysterious stone towers, some of them over 200 feet tall. They dot the valleys and the foothills of the Himalayas, often clustered near villages where they have been repurposed as stables for yaks and ponies. Others are abandoned and in a state of disrepair; their wooden stairs gone and roof collapsed. Although they clearly exist for centuries, the purpose and origin of these structures remain a mystery, and even the local residents are ignorant of their history Photo: Munford/Wikimedia The towers were first brought to the attention of the outside world by French explorer Frederique Darragon, who went to Tibet in 1998 to research snow leopards, but instead fell under the spell of these enigmatic structures. Darragon spent the next five years studying the towers. She counted them, mapped them, photographed them, and even climbed them when possible to collect samples of wood from the beams for analysis. But when she talked to people living in proximity to the towers, she was surprised to learn that nobody knew who built them and for what purpose. A search among the texts in the local Buddhist monasteries was also unfruitful. However, she did find a few references to the towers in some Chinese annals and in the diaries of 19th-century European travelers to the region, but nobody made any attempts to study them or unravel the puzzle. The lack of local knowledge about the towers origin could be due to the region's history and geography. The region where the towers are found has been historically occupied by different mountain tribes who have maintained isolation for centuries. Due to the diverse nature of their origins and the fragmented terrain in which they live, the languages and dialects they speak are vastly different from one another. Even from one valley to the next, the locals couldn't speak to each other, Darragon says in a documentary titled Secret Towers of the Himalayas, produced by her friend Michel Peissel. Darragon believes that knowledge of the towers might have been previously passed down through oral tradition, but now forgotten as dialects changed or vanished. Himalayan towers depicted in a painting of the Jinchuan campaigns. These monumental structures were built using a mixture of cut stone, brick, and timber and come in various shapes including square, polygon, and star-shaped with up to 12 vertices. They contain very little mortar and due to the wooded planks and beams that intersperse between the stones, these robust constructions are able to absorb the force of violent shaking that accompany earthquakes. Especially the star-shaped construction that make the structures less susceptible to tremors. By conducting radiocarbon dating of the wood in the towers, Darragon determined that these towers are between 600 to 1,000 years old. Darragon believes the towers did not serve a single purpose, but its use differed from valley to valley. In Miniak, for example, she believes that many were watchtowers. She bases her conclusions upon such observations like the entrance being several stories above the ground, and the location of the towers where trade routes met. In Kongpo and Damba, the towers seem to be primarily symbols of wealth and pride. According to one tale, the towers were built by locals who grew rich by trading with Mongol-ruled China. Many of the towers are now in a derelict state. Darragon is working to get the towers listed under UNESCOs World Heritage Site. The designation would likely help protect the towers and raise money to restore them. She is also trying to enlist Sichuan University's help in studying the structures. In 2006, the stone towers were placed on the watch list of the Worlds Monument Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world. References: # Towers To The Heavens, Newsweek # Towering Mysteries, Smithsonian # Stone Towers of Southwest China, World Monuments Fund TikTok has been dealt with another major hit in the US. Democratic senator Michael Bennet from Colorado has joined calls for a nationwide ban of the popular video-based social media app. He recently wrote to Apple and Google CEOs demanding the immediate removal of the app from their respective app stores. Bennet labeled TikTok as an unacceptable threat to the national security of the US because of its Chinese origin. In his letter addressed to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Bennet said TikTok poses a unique concern than other social media apps because of Chinese laws. According to him, the apps Chinese owner ByteDance must oblige to support, assist, and cooperate with state intelligence work as and when asked by the government. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could force the Beijing-based company to surrender sensitive data of American TikTok users and weaponize that data against the US. Bennet added that a company under CCP dictates shouldnt be allowed to accumulate extensive data on Americans. As such, TikTok should not exist on the Apple App Store for iOS and the Google Play Store for Android. This would restrict downloads and the use of the app. Given these grave and growing concerns, I ask that you remove TikTok from your respective app stores immediately, the senator wrote to Cook and Pichai (via). TikTok is having a tough time in the US lately With over 100 million monthly active users, TikTok is the third-most popular social media app in the US. Nearly 36 percent of Americans over age 12 use the app. That figure for the age group 12-34 goes up to 61 percent. Americans spend an average of 80 minutes on the app every day, more than Facebook and Instagram combined. Advertisement However, TikTok is having a tough time in the US lately. Not because users are leaving the platform, but because of mounting congressional actions. Over the past couple of months or so, at least 27 US states have announced bans on the app from state-owned devices citing security risks. The social media app is also banned from the US governments federal devices, including phones and computers. But TikTok is still available to the American public. And Bennet says thats a serious threat to the countrys national security. The company has been caught inappropriately collecting data from users. It also recently admitted to illegally tracking some US-based journalists. There have been reports of TikTok disseminating pro-China propaganda to Americans by secretly pushing hand-picked videos. TikTok has been trying to alleviate the security concerns of the US government by moving its base out of China to Singapore. It has also moved its servers for American users to US-based Oracle servers. But those measures have done little to resurrect its worsening image in the US. Instead, the pressure is mounting on it from every corner. The TikTok CEO will testify before the US House of Representatives next month. The companys fate may be decided after that testimony. We will keep you posted. OpenAIs ChatGPT has seen some exponential growth in its short lifespan by gathering over 57 million monthly users within the first month of availability. Now, a new report from UBS estimates that ChatGPT has surpassed 100 million monthly active users, with an average of 13 million daily unique visitors in January. Thus making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history, even outpacing popular social media apps such as TikTok, which took nine months to reach the same number of users, and Instagram, which took two and a half years. Whys everyone using ChatGPT? ChatGPTs meteoric rise can be attributed to the chatbots ability to answer questions in a human-like manner. Its conversational skills are unparalleled, making it a go-to for users looking for quick and mostly accurate answers. Additionally, the chatbot continually learns and adapts to users needs through advanced machine-learning algorithms, leading to improved accuracy and relevance in its responses. However, ChatGPTs ability to write in a human-like manner has raised concerns among educators as students are using the chatbot to write essays and homework. This is because ChatGPTs responses, which may not be perfect, are often close enough to what a teacher might expect from a student. Whats next for ChatGPT? While OpenAI is currently offering ChatGPT for free, the company has plans to start charging for the service in the future. This is because the cost of running a service like ChatGPT is significant, and the company has already started testing a $20 monthly subscription in the United States, offering faster response speeds, more reliability, and priority access to new features. However, it is important to note that a free version will still be available, but only during periods of low demand. Advertisement Further, Microsoft, the largest investor in OpenAI, has also announced plans to integrate ChatGPT and other OpenAI models into its consumer and enterprise products. The company is already working with OpenAI to deploy the chatbot into Bing search results and integrate its language AI technology into Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook apps. This move by Microsoft has sparked concerns among industry giants like Google to create a rival. The very first Sony Xperia 1 V image has just surfaced, and its a live image (shown below the article). Its showing Sonys upcoming flagship smartphone. This image actually does say a lot, even though its a bit cropped out. It does show us the back side of the phone only, so keep that in mind. The very first Sony Xperia 1 V image is here, and it seems to be legit Now, if you place this image side-by-side with the Xperia 1 IV, youll notice some differences. The most obvious difference is the size of the camera sensors. They sure look bigger than the ones on the Xperia 1 IV, well, at least the top two. Youll also notice that the ToF camera and the RGB IR sensors are gone entirely. We now have three camera sensors on the back, and the camera layout does look cleaner because of it. One of those three cameras is the periscope camera. Its the sensors at the bottom, the third in line. All three of those camera sensors lie inside a tall camera island that sits in the top-left corner of the phones back. Advertisement That camera island also has an LED flash, and youll notice the ZEISS branding as well. ZEISS optics are used here, as the company partners with Sony as it does with Vivo. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will fuel this handset Now, based on a tipster, the phone will be fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. That is to be expected, as Sony uses Qualcomms most powerful chip (at the time) every year, for every one of its flagships. So, when will this phone launch? Well, the Sony Xperia 1 IV arrived in May last year, while it went on sale in June. The same may happen this year, though some rumors suggest it will launch at MWC 2023. If that ends up happening, well see it launched at the end of this month. That may seem a little soon, but MWC seems to be coming back in full force, so Sony may be tempted to launch its flagship in Barcelona. Advertisement Unfortunately, thats all the information we have at the moment. We dont have any more spec info or anything of the sort. Chances are more details will surface soon, though. Qualcomm has released its Q1 financial earnings report that shows the companys revenue is affected by lower global smartphone sales. The outlook for the current quarter and this year also doesnt seem promising. A Plunge in smartphone sales has impacted many manufacturers and their partners. China, one of the worlds biggest markets, is struggling with the lowest smartphone sales in a decade (via Reuters). The situation in other markets isnt also better. A decline in the market has a big impact on chip manufacturers, and Qualcomm has now ended up in a dire situation. According to the earnings report, Qualcomm made $9.46 billion over the last quarter, which ended on December 31, 2022. This amount shows a 12% decline compared to the same period in 2021. Qualcomms revenues are falling as smartphone sales decline A situation that Qualcomm ended up with has been below analyst expectations and has impacted all companys divisions. The QCT business that oversees the sale of smartphones, automotive, and IoT is dealing with an 11% decline in revenue. Qualcomms overall revenue from smartphones also declined by 18%. Advertisement Qualcomm also doesnt expect things to get better in Q2 2023. The expected revenue for this quarter is between $8.7 billion and $9.5 billion, which shows a massive drop compared to the $11.16 billion generated in the same period of 2022. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon called the situation a challenging environment but asserted that they could deliver results consistent with guidance, including year-over-year growth in QCT Automotive and IoT. Additionally, he believes there is an intact potential for the long-term trends that drive the companys technologies and solutions forward. We are confident in our ability to navigate the near term and remain focused on executing our diversification strategy, Amon added. The Qualcomm CEO also expects the fall in smartphone sales to continue until at least the first half of 2023. These disappointing earnings reports coincided with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, which uses Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in global versions. The success of the S23 series can certainly shake up the numbers in future earnings reports. Samsung introduced its brand new flagship smartphone series a couple of days ago, the Galaxy S23 phones. Weve talked a lot about them on the site thus far, and far more content is coming. That being said, the official Galaxy S23 wallpapers are now available to download. The official Galaxy S23 wallpapers are available to download So, what are we working with here? Well, there are 23 static wallpapers at your disposal here. In addition to that, Samsung also included 4 live wallpapers. There are also 8 wallpapers optimized for the DeX mode. You can check out all of those wallpapers below the article. The static and DeX wallpapers are thrown into galleries, while the live wallpapers are shown in video format. Having said that, the static wallpapers have been compressed and resized. If youd like to grab them in their full size, youll need to utilize the links below the article. Advertisement Do note that all of these static wallpapers come in 3200 x 3200 resolution, originally, so you can basically use them anywhere, just crop away. The live wallpapers are in an MP4 format, and have a resolution of 1440 x 3088. Most of these wallpapers are kind of artsy, while some of them are both cartoonish and abstract at the same time. Its kind of difficult to explain, it would be best if you check for yourselves. You will need a third-party app to use live wallpapers on your device Do note that you will need a third-party app to use live wallpapers on your device, though. We usually recommend the Video to Wallpaper app that you can grab from the Play Store. It does the job. These wallpapers do come pre-installed on every Galaxy S23 unit that Samsung announced. So they come with the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra. If youd like to know more about their specs, heres a comparison of all three phones. Advertisement Download Galaxy S23 Ultra wallpapers (ANSA) - ROME, FEB 3 - An Italian coastguard vessel found eight bodies including that of a pregnant woman aboard a migrant boat in Maltese search and rescue (SAR) waters Friday. The coastguard boat unloaded the bodies at Lampedusa, the stepping stone island for migrants between Italy and north Africa. The big migrant boat had dozens of other North Africans on board. Two other people are reportedly missing from the migrant boat while a woman threw her dead four-month-old son into the sea out of cold and desperation. Seven of the dead migrants reportedly died of the cold, including three women in all, while the eighth was a man who drowned after throwing himself into the sea after the dead infant, whom he thought was still alive. (ANSA). (ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, 03 FEB - Israel and Sudan have agreed to normalise diplomatic relations. The result - with US approval - was achieved during a brief visit by Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Thursday to Khartoum, where he met with the head of the Sudanese Provisional Council, General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan. The agreement - which will be signed in Washington "later on this year", once the power passes from the provisional government in Sudan to a civil one - adds the African nation to the Abraham Accords, which already include the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco. Jordan and Egypt were already at peace with Israel. "The foundations have been laid for a historic peace agreement with a strategic Arab Muslim country," Cohen stressed, adding that this "will foster regional stability and contribute to Israeli national security." The agreement signed on Thursday came after an intensification of contacts between the two countries in recent weeks after intentions to this end were initially expressed by Khartoum in October 2020. (ANSAmed). (ANSAmed) - LAMPEDUSA, 03 FEB - The Italian Coast Guard has rescued those onboard a six-meter boat that left from the coast of Sfax in Tunisia carrying dozens of African migrants. Eight corpses were found onboard. At least two people went missing at sea and are presumed dead, including a 4-month-old infant, according to accounts given by people onboard. The rescue happened over the night in Maltese search and rescue waters around 42 miles from Lampedusa, where the motorised patrol boat used for the rescue took the 42 survivors. Those rescued are nationals of Mali, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The migrants rescued said that a woman with her four-month-old infant had also been onboard. The infant, they said, died of the cold during the journey and the mother threw the baby's corpse into the sea out of desperation. One man then jumped into the sea in the hope of recovering the corpse of the infant but died among the waves. The infant's mother also died a few hours afterwards as well, they said, but her body was left inside the boat alongside those of seven of her other travel companions. The Agrigento prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the case, with possible charges to include aiding and abetting of undocumented migration and manslaughter resulting from another crime. The prosecutor's office will question 41 of the 42 survivors. (ANSAmed). ANSAmed - Weekly diary 6-12/2 (ANSAmed) - ROME, FEB 3 - The following are the main events scheduled in the Euro-Mediterranean area between Feb. 6 and Feb. 12: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6 VARIOUS CITIES - International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation VENICE - EU commissioner Oliver Varhelyi will be delivering search and rescue vessels to Libya. PARIS - meeting on Lebanon with US, Saudi, Qatari, and Egyptian representatives. ADRIA (VENETO) - ceremony for the handing-over to the Libyan authorities of the Class 300 patrol boats as part of the EU project Sibmmil, with EU commissioner Oliver Varhelyi, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, and Libyan foreign minister Najila El Mangoush. BRUSSELS - EU Ministers for European Affairs to meet to discuss upcoming summit. BRUSSELS - EU vice president Margrethe Vestager will be meeting in a videoconference with Matjaz Han, Slovenian minister for economic and technological development. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7 CAIRO - roundtable discussion on investments in sustainable energy in the Mediterranean with a focus on the maritime transport sector organised by meetMED II. BRUSSELS - European Commission vice president Margrethe Vestager will be receiving a delegation of members of the Spanish parliament. BRUSSELS - European Commission vice president Vera Jourova will be receiving Greece's minister of state Georgios Gerapetritis. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 NEW YORK - UN conference on women in the Muslim World. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9 BRUSSELS - European Commission vice president Margrethe Vestager will be receiving Carlo Bonomi, head of Italy's Confindustria. MARRAKECH - Hotel Mamounia, opening ceremony after a three-year pause for the 1-54 international fair for contemporary African art (until 12/2). FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10 BRUSSELS - EU commissioner Nicolas Schmit will be receiving Palestinian labor minister Nabil Abu Jaish. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11 VARIOUS CITIES - International Day for Women and Girls in Science. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12 NO MAJOR EVENTS SCHEDULED (ANSA). French diplomat in Beirut to prepare Paris meeting US, Saudi, Qatari and Egyptian representatives on Monday (ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, FEBRUARY 3 - France is preparing to host another meeting on Lebanon. On Monday, US, Saudi, Qatari and Egyptian representatives will also be taking part in the Paris meeting. Pierre Duquesne, the French diplomat tasked with coordinating international aid to Lebanon amid efforts to shore up the country's contested elites, was engaged in talks in Beirut as part of the preparations. Duquesne began a two-day visit to Lebanon Thursday "as part of a mission for France to support the recovery of the Lebanese energy sector and follow up on the Egyptian and Jordanian energy deals," according to a press release from the French embassy. Lebanese media reported that Duquesne had assured outgoing prime minister Najib Miqati that he would be travelling to Washington DC to discuss with the US how to exempt Lebanon from sanctions imposed on neighbouring Syria. The sanctions block in a de facto manner an energy agreement officially funded by the World Bank that provides for the supply of Egyptian gas and Jordanian electricity through Syrian to Lebanon's suffering energy system. Lebanon has been in a state of financial default for three years. Prior to arriving on Thursday in Beirut, the French diplomat travelled to Egypt and Jordan, two key players in the energy accord reached last year. Duquesne then urged the Lebanese authorities to start long-awaited structural reforms to unblock three billion dollars in aid over a four-year period pledged by the International Monetary Fund.(ANSAmed). Kosovo tension rises amid Serb expropriation in north Local population protests, EU voices concern (ANSAmed) - BELGRADE, 03 FEB - The Kosovo government has issued two expropriation orders for assets of Serbs in northern Kosovo as part of infrastructure works started in recent days considered in the public interest, Serbian media reported on Friday. These measures risk inflaming protests by the local Serb population, who have in recent days begun mobilising against the works started in the Dren and Lesak municipalities of Leposavic, one of the four largest Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo. The inhabitants affected by the expropriation consider these measures illegal. On Thursday, EU representatives to Kosovo expressed their concerns in this regard. (ANSAmed). Zookeepers are celebrating the birth of a floppy-eared, critically endangered mountain bongo. Staff at Marwell Zoo, Hampshire, said the bongo calf is doing really well after being born to mother Canela and father Ituri on Monday. The animals are a subspecies of the bongo, one of the largest forest antelopes, and it is thought that fewer than 100 of them remain in the wild. Mountain bongos are critically endangered (Marwell Wildlife) Animal keeper Rhianna Worsell said: Both mum, Canela, and her calf are doing really well. The calf has been seen up and about exploring its enclosure with Canela following close behind. Canela has been very attentive towards (it). The calf was born to mother Canela (Marwell Wildlife) We will leave them together to bond without any disturbance from us. The sex of the calf currently remains unknown. Mountain bongos prefer areas with tall shrubs such as forest edges and areas where the forest has been disturbed, causing new growth. Both the calf and its mother are doing really well (Marwell Wildlife) They face a number of threats, including hunting with dogs and loss of habitat. The species is found in four distinct areas of Kenya where they live in forests and highlands. Crooked travel agent Lyne Barlow who lied to people including close family that she had cancer while conning more than 1,400 customers has been jailed for nine years. The mother-of-two, formerly of Stanley, County Durham, previously admitted theft, fraud and money laundering charges totalling 1.2m at Durham Crown Court. Jailing the 39-year-old on Friday, Judge Jo Kidd told Barlow she had an extraordinary talent for dishonesty after hearing that she had stolen more than 500,000 from her own mother following the death of her father in 2015. She sold luxury holidays at knock-down prices but was funding the sales in a ponzi-style scheme by bringing in new customers to fund existing ones. Durham Police said she tricked victims, including her close relatives, into believing she had cancer as a means to deflect complaints when people contacted her about missing booking references. The detective who investigated the assault of an innocent 16-year-old boy by Jake Davison did not know he had a legally held shotgun, an inquest heard. Detective Constable Pablo Beckhurst was investigating the attack and had seen Davison had the FC marker on the police national computer, but did not know that it meant he held a firearms certificate. The confusion meant staff in Devon and Cornwall Polices firearms licensing unit were not told of the September 2020 assault until the following November and only after he had been placed on a restorative justice programme. Det Con Beckhurst told the inquest in Exeter: I was unfamiliar with the warning marker, FC, and my obligations in the policy to take action on it. The shootings began in Biddick Close in Keyham on August 12 2021 (Ben Birchall/PA) I wouldnt have known what the consequences of that were. I first learnt of the FC marker and what were my obligations were as a result of this incident. I spoke to other colleagues of mine, some who were senior, who had not known of the policy. The court heard Davison reigned down a volley of punches on the boy in a Plymouth skatepark after he was called a fat c*** by another teenager. The boy who insulted Davison ran off and the 22-year-old responded with a burst of violence so extreme his victim suffered injuries to his eyebrow, nose and lip. CCTV of the incident shows him unleashing between seven and nine blows during the assault. He approached the boy, who was sat on a wall, and yanked him off it and started hitting him giving him no chance to defend himself. Jake Davison shot five people and then himself on August 12 in Keyham (PA) As the boy goes limp, Davison continued the punches before the footage shows him picking him up and throwing him to the ground. Davison then swings a punch at another boy and misses, and when a 15-year-old girl went to her friends aid she was slapped by Davison. He then appears to either stumble over the teenager or kick him as he was on the floor as he left the scene. The boy was taken to hospital by his mother where he received stitches to a cut above his eyebrow and was off college for at least five days due to swelling to his face. In a police statement, the boy said he was unable to recall much of the incident having been told by friends he had been knocked out. All I remember is a man shouting Oi, he said. I then found myself in the seated position and people telling me I had been assaulted and knocked out. I may have lost consciousness. The incident only lasted a few moments, and I dont know the male that assaulted me. Stephen Washington was walking his two dogs when he was shot and killed (Devon and Cornwall Police/PA) An initial crime report was taken by uniformed officers attending the scene, and after receiving information about the boys injuries the incident was later reclassified from common assault to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Bridget Dolan KC, counsel to the inquest, suggested the attack was ferocious and intense, and Det Con Beckhurst replied: Its unpleasant its not words I would use when I viewed it. The officer said police could charge Davison with battery or assault occasioning actual bodily harm. But they required authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service if considering a charge of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm. Det Con Beckhurst said the decision to refer Davison to the Pathfinder scheme was taken by his supervisor, a detective sergeant. The inquest has previously heard Davison was so angry following the incident he wanted to kill the teenagers and went home to get his shotgun. His legally held shotgun and certificate were later seized after a member of the Pathfinder scheme warned the force he was a licence holder but they were later returned in July 2021. Just weeks later Davison killed his mother Maxine, 51, three-year-old Sophie Martyn, her father, Lee, 43, Stephen Washington, 59, and Kate Shepherd, 66. Dominic Adamson KC, representing the families of the victims, suggested to Det Con Beckhurst that had he known what the FC marker meant Davisons licence and weapon would have been seized immediately. The officer replied: Had I been aware of the policy The inquest was adjourned until Monday. A doctor said she still cannot truly explain the fatal collapse of a baby girl, jurors in the murder trial of Lucy Letby heard. Letby, 33, is alleged to have murdered seven babies and attempted to kill 10 others while she worked at the Countess of Chester Hospitals neo-natal unit. Premature-born infant, Child I, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, is said to have been the ninth child the defendant attacked from June 2015 to June 2016. The Crown says the nurse murdered Child I at her fourth attempt by administering a fatal dose of air during the night shift of October 22/23, 2015. Giving evidence on Friday, registrar Dr Rachel Chang said there were no concerns over Child I prior to midnight. She was then crash bleeped to attend the cotside of the youngster who suffered a sudden drop in heart rate and blood oxygen levels. Child I stabilised after she received cardiac compressions and breathing support, the court heard. Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Lucy Letby appearing in the dock at Manchester Crown Court (Elizabeth Cook/PA) Dr Chang said: I didnt have any worrying thoughts. She has had an event. She had had lots of events. But I had to work with what was in front of us, which is that she recovered very quickly. About an hour later Child I similarly deteriorated but doctors and nurses, including Letby, were unable to revive her in a prolonged resuscitation attempt. Dr Chang tearfully recalled how Child I did not respond to initial chest compressions and ventilation efforts. Philip Astbury, prosecuting, asked: Have you reflected on the death of (Child I) and the causes? Yes, replied Dr Chang. Mr Astbury said: And the shift, generally? Dr Chang said: Yes. Mr Astbury said: What has that caused you, if anything, to think? The witness replied: Just that I have been never able to truly explain it. That it was awful. But I was never worried. I knew we had done everything and I did everything Id done the first time I attended. I trusted everyone around me implicitly. In a statement read to the court, nurse Christopher Booth said staff had got to know Child I and her family really well from her time on the unit since August 2015. Child I was quite a character herself, he said. Mr Booth said: We all were fond of her and had high hopes for her. It was gut-wrenching for the (nursing) team as a group. He said he wrote to the ward manager to say the team involved in the resuscitation efforts were all heartbroken. Mr Booth said: I wanted her to know that as a team everyone had tried their hardest and did their best. If we were not such a good team we would have crumbled because there were so many horrible things going on. Fellow nurse Melanie Taylor said staff were devastated. She stated: It was just pure shock. She was stable before that. I think her parents came in during resus. I remember them walking into nursery 1 and standing there, not really knowing what to do and myself not knowing what to say. The actual resuscitation is a bit of a blur to be honest. I remember right at the end, the doctor decided to call it and said we should stop. I had been looking at (Child I) and the monitor, thinking she is going to come out of it. My heart just dropped. When he said stop I was just devastated, especially when I looked at the parents. Nursery nurse Valerie Thomas recalled she took a phone call from Child Is mother who asked for an update from the first collapse. She said: I went into room 1 and said (Child Is) mum was on the phone, not realising (Child I) was being resuscitated there. Lucy Letby said her parents should come in. The prosecution say the defendant made earlier bids to deliberately harm Child I on September 30, October 13 and 14. Letby, originally from Hereford, denies all the allegations. The trial continues on Monday. Actress Eva Green could make a B-movie without ending her career, her long-time agent has told the High Court in a legal battle over the collapse of a multimillion-pound sci-fi movie. Casino Royale actress Ms Green was due to play the lead role in dystopian thriller A Patriot, but the production was abandoned in October 2019. The 42-year-old is now suing production company White Lantern Film, claiming she is entitled to her million-dollar (810,000) fee for the project despite its cancellation. Eva Green arrives at the Rolls Building, London (Jordan Pettitt/PA) White Lantern Film is bringing a counterclaim against the French actress, alleging she undermined the independent films production, made excessive creative and financial demands and had expectations incompatible with the movies budget. Lawyers for the company and lender SMC Speciality Finance have also claimed Ms Green fraudulently claimed to be ready and willing to make the film when she had no intention to do so. During her evidence on Monday, Max Mallin KC, for the production company, discussed a text message from Ms Green suggesting that the film under executive producer Jake Seal would be a B-shitty-movie. Ms Green told the court: When an actor has appeared in a B-movie they are labelled as a B-actor, you never get offered quality work ever again. She added that appearing in such a film could kill my career. But on Friday, Charles Collier, who has been Ms Greens agent for 17 years, told the High Court that the former Bond girl was wrong. He said: I heard Eva say a B-movie could be the end of her career. Shes wrong about that She could make a B-movie. Mr Collier, a former media lawyer, said that Ms Green had never breached a contract or failed to report for a days work in nearly two decades. Eva, for all her dear sweet passion and love for this film she never breached, Mr Collier later said. He continued: If she has to do a B-movie, she has to do a B-movie. Thats her contract. If she has to do it, she has to do it. Mr Collier added: A B-movie would not be the end of her career, but breaching her contract and not turning up for work?.. The show must go on. During Fridays hearing, Mr Mallin suggested that Mr Collier had begged Ms Green to work on a film with Dame Judi Dench and an experienced crew, rather than work on A Patriot. Mr Collier replied: I certainly recall that I had advised her to do another film rather than this one. There were times where I felt so deeply concerned about the mess of this production I had real grave concerns that they could not make this film happen. The agent said he advised her to walk away when Ms Green legally had the opportunity. However, Mr Collier later said that Ms Green had kept wanting to make A Patriot, telling the court: Each time she had been given a safe exit route she had not taken it due to her love for the film. The trial is due to finish on February 10, with a decision expected in writing at a later date. Eva Green was described as fragile, volatile and likely to combust ahead of the collapse of a multimillion-pound sci-fi film, a movie financier has told the High Court. Financier and executive producer Alastair Burlingham said he believed Ms Green had become increasingly hard, if not impossible to manage during the pre-production of dystopian thriller A Patriot. The Casino Royale actress was due to play the lead role in the film, but the production was abandoned in October 2019. The 42-year-old is now suing production company White Lantern Film, claiming she is entitled to her million-dollar (810,000) fee for the project despite its cancellation. Eva Green departs the Rolls Building (Jordan Pettitt/PA) White Lantern Film is bringing a counterclaim against the French actress, alleging she undermined the independent films production and made excessive creative and financial demands. On Friday, Mr Burlingham, the co-owner of the companys lender SMC Speciality Finance, began his evidence on the sixth day of the trial at the High Court in London. In his written evidence to the court, Mr Burlingham claimed Ms Green had been playing games with the producers, including producer Adam Merrifield. He continued: I formed the impression in July 2019, based on my calls with Mr Merrifield, that Ms Green was increasingly hard if not impossible to manage, was engaging in erratic and diva-like behaviour, and based on communications with both producers that she appeared to be emotionally fragile and liable to self-destruct or lose interest. Mr Burlingham later said that by mid-summer of 2019 he was anxious that White Lantern was finding it difficult to handle Ms Green and that he was concerned the actress was calling all the shots. He said: My impression was that Ms Greens demands were grandiose and more appropriate to a James Bond film than a five-million-dollar budget independent film from a first-time British director, and possibly borne out of a misguided effort to provide executive producing services when she should have simply been preparing for her role. Mr Burlingham later said he believed delays to the production had in large part been caused by Ms Green. The actress denies allegations she was not prepared to go ahead with the project, saying in her written evidence: In the 20 years that I have been making films, I have never broken a contract or even missed one day of shooting. She added: I reiterate that if [White Lantern Film] had fulfilled its contractual obligations under my contract and had called on me to provide my services under my contract, I would have done so. During her evidence in court, Ms Green said she fell in love with the script but was not called to the studio for rehearsals or stunt training, describing this as so strange and later absurd with a capital A. Mr Burlingham said that in July 2019, writer and director Dan Pringle had concerns about Ms Greens temperament and her agreeing to both a change of location and a script change at the same time. He continued: Mr Pringle again stressed how volatile and fragile Ms Green was. On Friday afternoon, Mr Burlingham told the court in his oral evidence that 90% of what I heard from these guys was about Eva Green and 10% about making the film. Ms Greens barrister, Edmund Cullen KC, said parts of Mr Burlinghams evidence were exaggerated to blacken her name. I object to the use of the phrase blacken her name, the financier replied. Mr Cullen: Tarnish her nameThey have no basis in reality. Mr Burlingham said: You are telling me that I was never told that Ms Green was temperamental, fragile, likely to combust? That I put that into a witness statement to tarnish her name? No. These are all adjectives, descriptions, given to meIts not trying to tarnish her name, it is what I was told consistently. Mr Cullen previously told the court the case was designed to paint my client as a diva to win headlines and damage her reputation. He added it was really extraordinary that Ms Green was faced with a case that she was somehow trying to undermine the project all along by making unreasonable demands. Mr Burlingham is due to continue his evidence on Monday, and the trial is due to conclude next Friday, with a ruling expected at a later date. India Willoughby says ongoing and toxic debate of transgender issues is being driven by a lot of misinformation by a media that is completely transphobic. The Loose Women host, who was Britains first transgender national television newsreader, said it was just horrible to be painted as dangerous to society and unwanted by non-trans commentators. It comes amid ongoing debate in Scotland over laws allowing transgender people to self-identify and obtain a certificate confirming their preferred gender. Speaking on the BBCs Question Time on the subject of whether safe-guarding measures on women-only spaces should be reviewed, Willoughby said: This has been a debate now that has raged for a minimum of three or four years. To be sat at home and see people who arent actually trans discuss your life and paint you as a whole as dangerous to societyis just horrible Broadcaster India Willoughby says there is a lot of misinformation in the trans prisoners row#bbcqt https://t.co/8cus8PaNMw pic.twitter.com/SUQoiyFL4n BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) February 2, 2023 Its been incredibly toxic and its been awful as a trans person to be sat at home and see people who arent actually trans discuss your life and paint you as a whole en masse as dangerous to society and unwanted is just horrible. Another debate currently raging in Scotland concerns where trans women should be imprisoned. The placement of transgender woman Isla Bryson, who raped two women while identifying as a man and was sent to Cornton Vale womens prison near Stirling, has caused public uproar. Speaking on Question Time Willoughby added that stories of transgender prisoners being placed in spaces with other women was not true. She added: There are bad apples in all walks of life. There are bad protestants, there are bad Catholics, bad lesbians, or bad gays, and yes, there are bad trans people. And all of those people if they do something criminal and are found guilty they deserve to go to jail and to be punished in a jail that is suitable for them and where everybody else is safe. What youve been subjected to, Im afraid, over the last couple of weeks which is now par for the course is a lot of misinformation by a media that is completely transphobic. There is categorically no way somebody who has committed rape would be moved into the womens estate. As well as her regular appearance on Loose Women, Willoughby is known for appearing in the 2018 series of Celebrity Big Brother. Former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon has said hes still terrified of getting it wrong when performing, as he gears up to compete to become Irelands Eurovision entry. His band Public Image Ltd, also known as PiL, are among the six acts competing to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Liverpool this May. The other acts include Andrew Carr (also known as ADGY), Jennifer Connolly, Wild Youth, Leila Jane, and the duo K Muni & ND, made up of Kofi Appiah and Nevlonne Dampare. The flagship RTE television programme The Late Late Show will host a special programme on Friday night where Irelands entry for the 2023 Eurovision will be selected. Eurovision hopefuls gathered in RTE television studios in Dublin on Thursday where they met their competition and spoke of their nerves and excitement ahead of the selection process. This is something that I watched when I was young with my parents, Lydon said of the Eurovision contest. I remember Johnny Logan, I remember Cliff Richard, I remember Sandy Shaw and now Johnny. Its as good as any other way of listening to music, I dont have any prejudices about things like that. He added that he chose Ireland because Im as much Irish as anybody else by blood. John Lydon at The Late Late Show Eurosong Special preview (Brian Lawless/PA) Lydon, formerly known as Johnny Rotten, said his song Hawaii, dedicated to his wife of nearly 50 years, Nora, who has Alzheimers disease, gives an opportunity to raise awareness of an illness that affects a lot of people. I dont know what Im going to go through doing this today. Im even shaking now thinking about it. It means the world to me, this is our last few years of coherence together. And I miss her like mad. I miss my missus, if you keep voting for me Im going to miss her even more. He said he was still terrified of mugging it up, getting it wrong, letting people down mostly letting Nora down. Kofi Appiah and Nevlonne Dampare, who are from Co Longford, told the PA news agency that they somewhat accidentally ended up competing to be Irelands entry. K Muni & ND (Brian Lawless/PA) My youngest siblings are two huge fans of the Late Late Toy Show and they really wanted to go onto the show, Kofi said. So, I was like How can I be the best big brother and get these guys on the show? So I looked up the application form on the RTE website and I was filling out the form and I was like I cant be bothered to fill out this form so Im just going to leave it. So I clicked out of it and then I see Enter Eurovision 2023. He said that as a joke, he would submit something and completely forgot about it. A few days after my birthday, I got a call I wasnt going to answer it as well, he said, with Nevlonne adding it came as a complete shock. Conor ODonoghue of Wild Youth (Brian Lawless/PA) Conor ODonohoe from the band Wild Youth said that two of the band members are from Tallaght in Dublin. Theres not a pub or chipper that doesnt have a poster up somewhere. The support has been amazing, he said. Jennifer Connolly, who turned 19 just a few days ago, said she was nervous but very excited. Jennifer Connolly (Brian Lawless/PA) My mom kind of told me I should apply. I looked it up, applied, didnt hear for months, and then got a random phone call. She said her mother is ecstatic, and that the Irish-speaking island community where theyre from are buzzing with excitement. Its such a lovely community, and the whole of Connemara have been so good to me, so supporting, she said, adding that students from her old primary school had sent her a video wishing her good luck. The size of the pile of cash that BP made last year will be made bare on Tuesday, opening the company up to the same criticism that hit its rival Shell this week. Boss Bernard Looney is expected to reveal what could be the highest profit in BPs history, after the company benefited from the fossil fuel crisis that has characterised so much of the past year. Oil, and especially gas, prices soared in 2022, with the former hitting a record high at more than 10 times the average over the decade leading up to the pandemic. It made for a good year for the bank accounts of oil companies, but a worse year for their reputations. Analysts currently expect that BP made 5.04 billion dollars (4.2 billion) in underlying replacement cost profit, the companys preferred measure, in the last three months of 2022. It would mean the annual result nearly doubling to 27.8 billion dollars (22.9 billion). It has been a good year to be a BP shareholder, by Friday afternoon shares were 48% higher than they had been at the end of 2021. Oil and gas prices are now trading some way off their peaks, but the shares continue to rise, which is intriguing, wrote Russ Mould and Danni Hewson at AJ Bell. Perhaps the markets are sensing another upward move in the price of fossil fuels, and perhaps thats thanks to the prospect of increased demand from China as its economy reopens, Americas need to replenish its Strategic Petroleum Reserve, weak Russian output, OPECs apparent determination to maintain a balanced market and the majors unwillingness (or inability) to markedly increase capital investment in exploration and production. Whatever happens, there is bound to be political controversy on Tuesday. After Shell reported record annual profits earlier this week, it sparked calls for tougher policies from the Government. Labour shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband said: Labour would stop the energy price cap going up in April, because it is only right that the companies making unexpected windfall profits from the proceeds of war pay their fair share. Even ahead of BPs results, campaigning group Greenpeace said that the oil giants profits for the first three quarters of the year could be enough to pay for the devastation caused by recent flooding in South Africa seven times over. It argued that there is considerable momentum growing for companies that have helped pollute the atmosphere through history, and contributed to climate change, to pay into a compensation system that was agreed at the climate talks last autumn. Maintenance workers on Londons Elizabeth Line will stage a 24-hour strike from Friday night in a dispute over pay. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said its members were being paid significantly less than similar positions across the network. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: It cannot be right that maintenance staff doing essential work keeping the Elizabeth Line running are being short-changed. The employer must make a decent offer on pay that reflects the vital work our members perform in order to avoid future strike action. Scottish Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said no new offer for teachers would come from the Scottish government following talks with education unions on Friday. It comes as the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) union, who represent around 80% of teachers in Scotland, is set to conclude 16 days of rolling strike action on Monday, February 6; as part of their 10% pay campaign. Teachers have previously been offered a 5% pay increase on four different occasions, which members have rejected resulting in one of the largest teachers strikes in Scotland in three decades. Following a meeting with all of Scotlands teaching unions on Friday, Ms Somerville said demands for 10% was not affordable within the Scottish governments fixed budget. She added: While four offers have been made to date, these have been rejected by teaching unions. Further compromise is clearly required in order to secure a fair and sustainable settlement. Todays discussion was focused on progressing opportunities for compromise. There was a shared understanding that a new offer would not be made. Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills Shirley-Anne Somerville said no new offer would be made to teachers. (Jane Barlow/PA) Only COSLA as the employer, can make a new pay offer, through the structures of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for teachers. On Thursday, the EIS claimed it was within the First Ministers power to end the dispute. EIS Salaries Convener Des Morris said, While the EIS Salaries Committee very much shares the First Ministers hope that a resolution to the pay dispute can be reached soon, we would also point out that the ability to settle the dispute is very much within the First Minsters power. The only thing that will settle this dispute is an improved offer to Scotlands teachers, one that is both fair and affordable to them, which will involve additional new money from the Scottish government. This is what was done to settle disputes with other local government workers. It is the First Minister who has ultimate control over the purse strings so, if she wishes this dispute to be settled soon, the First Minister should authorise the Cabinet Secretary and her officials to release the comparatively modest additional funding needed to end this dispute. Mr Morris said that little or no progress had been made over pay in the last several months and claimed there were no further meetings of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) planned. Mr Morris added, As ever, the EIS remains ready and willing to re-enter discussions with the Scottish government and Scottish local authorities to discuss a new pay offer for teachers. We are not, however, willing to continue discussing the same offer that has now been rejected by teachers twice. The Scottish government and COSLA must come up with an improved offer to allow pay discussions to progress towards an agreement that genuinely reflects both the soaring cost of living and the value of Scotlands teachers. Ireland must hold a similar process in parallel to the Omagh bomb inquiry, the Irish Foreign Affairs Minister has been urged. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris announced on Thursday that there would be an independent inquiry into the dissident republican blast which hit the Co Tyrone town on August 15 1998. The bomb killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, and injured hundreds of others. In 2021, a Belfast High Court judge recommended that the UK Government carry out an investigation into alleged security failings in the lead up to the attack, and that a similar probe should be established by the Irish Government. On Thursday, Irish Justice Minister Simon Harris said they would await the details of the UKs inquiry before announcing what action they would take. Tanaiste Micheal Martin arrives at the Grand Central Hotel in Belfast for meetings with Stormont political leaders (Brian Lawless/PA) Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin met the major Stormont parties in Belfast on Friday. During his first meeting of the day, with DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the Tanaiste was told his government must step up to the mark. After the meeting, Sir Jeffrey said: If this inquiry is to establish the full picture however, that requires the Republic of Ireland to also hold a similar process in parallel. The bomb was placed by republican terrorists in Omagh but it was planned, prepared and transported to Omagh from the Republic of Ireland. I trust the Irish Government will step up to the mark on this legacy issue as well as others. The issue was also raised with Mr Martin by the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP. UUP leader Doug Beattie (right) following their meeting with Micheal Martin (Brian Lawless/PA) Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie said: We did say to Micheal Martin that we believe the Irish Government needs to do more, not just on the Omagh bomb inquiry, we think they need to have their own inquiry in Ireland, but on legacy as as a whole, remembering, of course, that hundreds, if not thousands, of our citizens here in Northern Ireland were killed or injured by attacks, which came from Ireland, and the perpetrators returned back to Ireland again. We did make the point strongly that they need to do more. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said he believes it is very clear that the Irish Government are committed to not being left behind in terms of this investigation. I think yesterday was a very good day for the Omagh families, it took far too long, he said. But I have no doubt that the Irish Government will step forward and not be left behind when it comes to investigating the Omagh bombing. The Scottish Government has been urged to publish the urgent review into the Isla Bryson case in full. Bryson was last week convicted of raping two women while she was a man called Adam Graham and was initially housed in segregation in Cornton Vale prison near Stirling the only all-female jail in Scotland before being moved to the male estate. The case caused public outcry, leading Scottish Justice Secretary Keith Brown to order an urgent case review. Rapist Isla Bryson was initially housed at Cornton Vale womens prison (PA) The review is due to be completed on Friday, but it is understood it is unlikely any action will be taken immediately. Scottish Conservative community safety spokesman Russell Findlay called for the review to be published immediately and in full as soon as it is completed. He added: The public have a right to know why and how a double rapist was ever allowed to set foot in a womens prison. Nicola Sturgeon and Keith Brown cant sit on this report and hope the controversy goes away. Russell Findlay said the review must be published in full immediately (PA) The SNP cant delay this report for days or weeks until their political spin machine works out how to fix this mess. In the interests of full transparency and lessons being learned the Justice Secretary must publish this vital report immediately. A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: The Scottish Prison Services (SPS) urgent lessons learned review has been submitted to the chief executive of the SPS. As the Justice Secretary said to Parliament earlier this week, he will update the Criminal Justice Committee on the outcome next week. Stonehenge of the North opens to public as site is gifted to the nation A massive monument known as the Stonehenge of the North has been gifted to the nation and opened up to the public. Historic England and English Heritage said they have secured the future of the Thornborough Henges complex, near Ripon, North Yorkshire, following an agreement with the construction firm Tarmac to give part of the site to the nation. The agreement dates back to 2016 when it was part of a wider planning agreement, forged after years of controversy over quarrying by the firm in the surrounding area. On Friday, English Heritage will take control of the site and will be welcoming the public to the massive Neolithic monument a move welcomed by Prime Minister and local MP Rishi Sunak. The full site consists of three giant, circular earthworks or henges which are each more than 200m in diameter and date from 3500 to 2500 BC. Historic England said the Thornborough Henges site is probably the most important single ancient site between Stonehenge and the Orkney Islands in Scotland, describing it as the Stonehenge of the North. The central and southern henges have been gifted by Tarmac into the legal ownership of Historic England, the Governments heritage adviser, as part of the National Heritage Collection which includes Stonehenge, Iron Bridge and Dover Castle. They are being managed by English Heritage, which is encouraging the public to visit from Friday, with new interpretation at the site. Mr Sunak said: The Thornborough Henges site has enormous potential to help tell the story of ancient Britain and I very much welcome this announcement about its future its safeguarding and preservation for the nation. Comparatively few people are aware of its significance both locally and nationally. I hope many more will come to appreciate this little-known gem of our history and while doing so provide a welcome boost to the local visitor economy. Historic England said the Thornborough Henges sit in an ancient, ritual prehistoric landscape running from Ferrybridge to Catterick and are unparalleled in their size, alignment and degree of preservation. Like Stonehenge, it is thought the huge amount of people power channelled into their construction is an indication of their significance to the society that created them. Evidence suggested they may have been covered in a mineral which would have made them glow white and be visible for miles around. The henges will join Stonehenge, Iron Bridge, Dover Castle, Kenwood and numerous Roman sites on Hadrians Wall within the National Heritage Collection (Heritage England/PA) Archaeologists have suggested the henges were probably built as ceremonial or ritual centres and may also have served as trading centres and meeting places. Today all three henges are clearly visible as massive circular banks, up to four metres high, with encircling ditches of various depths. The central and southern henges have been actively farmed and so are not as well preserved as the northern henge, which remains in private ownership. The two southernmost henges were added to Historic Englands Heritage at Risk Register in 2009 and Historic England has been working with Tarmac to secure their future. The Thornborough Henges complex is described as probably the most important single ancient site between Stonehenge and the Orkney Islands in Scotland (Heritage England/PA) Duncan Wilson, Historic Englands chief executive, said: Thornborough Henges and their surrounding landscape form part of the most important concentration of Neolithic monuments in the North of England. They are a link to our ancient ancestors, through thousands of years, inspiring a sense of wonder and mystery. We are thrilled to have acquired this highly significant site for the nation, ensuring that these magnificent monuments are safe and will be preserved for generations to come. Stuart Wykes, director of land and natural resources at Tarmac, said: Tarmac has had a long-standing commitment to secure the long-term future of the monuments and were delighted to gift this incredibly important historical site to Historic England. With its help, the heritage of the central and southern henges at Thornborough will be protected and preserved for years to come. We hope the public enjoy the breath-taking ancient site once it is accessible for them to enjoy. Thousands of students are to sit digital mock exams over the coming weeks in a new pilot test, an exam board has said. Students will be offered GCSE Computer Science, IGCSEs in English and AS-level History under the OCR and Cambridge International exam boards. The mock tests will run in weekly sessions until March 19 and will be based on real exam papers while being marked by Cambridge examiners, the exam board said. Schools will pay about 10 for each digital exam while students will receive their results within two weeks. Cambridge University Press & Assessment said it is trialling the digital tests in up to 30 UK schools and 35 around the world. Its assessment experts believe digital exams will become a permanent part of the exam system for GCSEs, IGCSEs and A-levels and it wants to offer digital mock exams to all schools after the trials. Exam board Edexcel, run by Pearson, said it has similar plans for digital exams, while AQA has also been conducting digital assessment pilots. Jill Duffy, chief executive of OCR, said: Digital assessment is not a hypothetical future, its happening right now. We will use insights from these trials to make our digital mocks a user-friendly option for all schools and colleges. Students will be able to take the highest quality online tests, building on our established paper exams, where schools opt to do so. Our development approach based on trials and research ensures we deliver high-quality, robust digital assessments. Students and teachers embraced digital learning by necessity during the pandemic. Now we can harness the best of that technology in assessment by choice. Digital assessment will never fully replace traditional exams, but technology is improving the student experience and can make exams more effective, resilient and flexible with access to faster feedback and results. Cambridge said it also wants to trial assessments for a new digital computing qualification that would run alongside the existing IGCSE in Computer Science. The trials are to take place in about 20 schools across the world, from Chile to Zambia. Rod Smith, group managing director for international education at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, said: We are looking into the future, taking steps forward informed by input from teachers, industry and our researchers. Were building digital-first qualifications around the world, exploring the immense potential for digital exams that can reach beyond the limitations of paper, while offering more flexible and personalised options. Train services between Scotland and England will be severely disrupted on Friday as rail unions walk out in their latest strike action. Members of Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will stop work in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions. Rail operators warned of severe disruption, with trains that do run due to start later and finish much earlier than usual typically between 7.30am and 6.30pm. Cross-border services operated by CrossCountry, Transpennine Express and Avanti West Coast will not run on Friday. LNER said it will run an amended service and Lumo, which run trains between Edinburgh and London, said it will aim to run as many services as possible. Reminder: due to industrial action, there will be no services running tomorrow (Wednesday 1 Feb) and Friday 3 Feb across our route. Please do not attempt to travel Refunds and details of when existing tickets can be used is here: https://t.co/ayYbeH3zng pic.twitter.com/83BS7Q863o Avanti West Coast (@AvantiWestCoast) January 31, 2023 No LNER trains will run any further north than Edinburgh, with trains between Edinburgh and London Kings Cross starting later and finishing earlier than usual. ScotRail has reassured customers that all services would operate as normal this week. David Simpson, ScotRail service delivery director, said: No ScotRail services will be affected by this weeks upcoming strike action. It is disappointing to see more widespread disruption across Great Britain at a time when the railway needs to be doing everything it can to encourage more people to travel by train. The dispute between the trade unions and other train operators does not involve any ScotRail staff, which means ScotRail services will operate as normal on Wednesday 1 and Friday 3 February. Simon Weller, assistant general secretary of Aslef, said the dispute was going backwards because of the lack of progress in months of talks. He told the PA news agency: I dont know whether to point the finger of blame at the ineptitude of the Department for Transport (DfT) or the Rail Delivery Group. We would struggle to recommend a deal of a 4% pay rise for last year and 4% this year if there were no conditions attached, but we are being asked to give up collective bargaining and effectively agree to a no-strike deal. Obviously it was going to be rejected it was designed to fail. Mr Weller said the attitude among Aslef members was hardening and the fault lay squarely with the DfT and train operators. He claimed the latest offer would add a significant number of contracted hours to a train drivers work. On the issue of whether Sunday working should be compulsory, he said: We have been willing to include Sundays in the working week, but companies find it cheaper to have drivers working overtime on Sundays. A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group said: Having made an initial offer which would have taken average driver salaries from 60,000 to nearly 65,000, we had hoped the Aslef leadership would engage constructively to move talks forward, rather than staging more unnecessary strikes. We can only apologise for the disruption. To minimise the impact of the Aslef action, we advise passengers to check before they travel, allow extra time and find out when their first and last train will depart. It will be the second strike by train drivers this week, after a huge day of industrial action on Wednesday which also involved teachers, university staff, civil servants, bus drivers and security guards. Liz Truss is preparing to return to the political limelight before making a hawkish speech on China that could add to the pressure on Rishi Sunak. She is expected to make a number of media appearances in the coming week, having kept a low profile since becoming the shortest-lived prime minister in history. The Conservative backbencher will later this month address a conference of international politicians in Japan, with her speech billed as centering on Beijings threat to Taiwan. Her allies, including former Cabinet minister Simon Clarke, have recently formed the Conservative Growth Group to push for her tax-cutting agenda. Ms Trusss disastrous mini-budget of 45 billion in unfunded tax cuts ensured her tenure in Downing Street lasted only 49 days before she handed over to Mr Sunak in October. But her comeback could stoke divisions among Conservative MPs, with many more eager to hastily cut taxes than Mr Sunak and holding a more aggressive stance on China. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a campaign group seeking to co-ordinate international pressure on Beijing, is arranging the event where Ms Truss will speak on February 17. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the golden era of UK-Chinese relations was over but described the nation as a systemic challenge rather than a threat (Oli Scarff/PA) She is expected to be joined by two other former prime ministers, Australias Scott Morrison and Belgiums Guy Verhofstadt. One ally of Ms Truss said the speech will be hawkish, adding: Shes expected to address Sunaks decision to brand China a strategic competitor rather than a threat. She had been expected to officially re-designate China as a threat in official speak, instead of a systemic competitor during her leadership. In November, Mr Sunak said the golden era of UK-Chinese relations was over but described the nation as a systemic challenge rather than a threat. That marked a dialling down of his language, having called it the biggest-long term threat to Britain during the summer leadership contest to replace Boris Johnson. Ms Trusss return to the international stage will follow Mr Johnsons re-mergence, having made visits to Ukraine to visit Volodymyr Zelensky and to the US. Acutely mentally ill women are being held in terrible conditions in a prison where some cells were found daubed with scratches and blood stains, a watchdog has warned. Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor said the levels of distress witnessed among women in crisis in one wing of HMP Eastwood Park were appalling and told how an experienced member of his team described conditions as the worst he had ever seen. The Gloucestershire prison and young offender institution was given the lowest rating for safety, according to findings published on Thursday. A prison cell in unit 4 of HMP Eastwood Park Inspectors said such a low grade was unusual among womens prisons as they raised particular concern about unit 4 a block in the jail holding female offenders in segregation, those under supervision or waiting to be transferred to a secure mental health facility. In the HM Inspectorate of Prisons report, the cells were described as appalling, dilapidated and covered in graffiti, one was blood-splattered, and some had extensive scratches on the walls, reflecting the degree of trauma experienced by previous inmates. Mr Taylor said: Some of the most vulnerable women across the prison estate were held in an environment wholly unsuitable for their therapeutic needs. The levels of distress we observed were appalling. No prisoner should be held in such terrible conditions. At the time of the inspection, in October last year, Eastwood Park held 348 women and 83% reported having mental health problems. Terrible conditions in the prison (HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA) Levels of self-harm were very high but the standard of case management documents used to support those at risk of suicide was poor, the report said. Force was often used to stop women hurting themselves, inspectors said, as they highlighted how the Prison and Probation Service and the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman were investigating an incident involving the use of force against a prisoner who later died. The watchdog concluded the prison was fundamentally unequipped to support the women in its care, and leaders did not seem fully aware of the severity of the situation. Mr Taylor said he was also deeply concerned about the welfare of staff who worked in unit 4, describing them as dedicated and courageous but not adequately trained or qualified to support the women on the unit. HMP Eastwood Park in Gloucestershire (HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA) Staff shortages severely affected the day-to-day regime, with inmates often unable to attend education, skills and work activities as a result. Women were not reliably provided positive social and recreational time to support their mental well-being, he added. While he praised some areas of excellent work, overall Mr Taylor found the jail was failing in its most basic duty to keep women safe and said immediate and meaningful change is required to ensure that these very vulnerable individuals are suitably cared for. A Prison Service spokesperson said: This is a deeply concerning report and we are already addressing the serious issues it raises including appointing more staff and creating a new taskforce to improve womens safety at the prison. We have refurbished Houseblock 4 since the inspection in October and restored the specialist, therapeutic support that inspectors expect for the vulnerable women in our care there. FILE - This Wednesday, July 24, 2019 photo shows an Apple Store in Chicago is seen. Apple reports financial earnings on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Alfiky, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) Apple on Thursday posted its first quarterly revenue drop in nearly four years after pandemic-driven restrictions on its China factories curtailed sales of the latest iPhone during the holiday season. The company's sales of $117 billion for the October-December period represented a 5% decline from the same time in the previous year, a deeper downturn than analysts had projected. It marks Apples first year-over-year decrease in quarterly revenue since the January-March period in 2019 when sales also slipped 5% amid slowing iPhone demand and the fallout of a trade war with China that was being waged by then-President Donald Trump. Apples profit also eroded during the past quarter, even though the Cupertino, California, company remained a pillar of prosperity. Earnings totaled $30 billion, or $1.88 per share, a 13 decrease from the same time in the previous year. Those results also missed a target of $1.94 per share set by analysts polled by FactSet Research. Investors reacted to the letdown by driving down Apple's stock by nearly 5% in Thursday's extended trading. That reversed a recent rally that had recently lifted Apple's shares, which lost more than a quarter of their value last year amid a broad slump in technology stocks. Despite the quarterly downturn in its fortunes. Apple hasnt signaled any intention to resort to mass layoffs a stark contrast to its peers in technology. Industry giants Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta Platoforms have announced plans to jettison more than a combined 50,000 employees as they adjust to revenue slowdowns or downturns caused by peoples lessening dependence on the digital realm as the pandemic has eased. Apple CEO Tim Cook had also braced investors for tougher sledding in late October when he warned of increasingly difficult economic conditions heading into the holiday season. Then, just a few days later, Apple cautioned that Chinas attempts to clamp down on the spread of COVID was affecting its production lines and would prevent meeting all the demand for the premium iPhone 14 models during the holidays. That contributed to an 8% decrease in iPhone sales from the previous year to $65.8 billion in the most recent quarter. FILE - Franco-Spanish fashion designer Paco Rabanne acknowledges the applause at the end of his fall-winter 2000/2001 collection on March 3, 2000 in Paris, France. The Spanish-born pace-setting designer known for perfumes sold worldwide and his metallic, space-age fashions, has died, the group that owns his fashion house announced on its website Friday Feb.3, 2023. He was 88. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File) PARIS (AP) Paco Rabanne, the Spanish-born designer known for perfumes sold worldwide and for metallic, space-age fashions, has died, the group that owns his fashion house announced Friday. "The House of Paco Rabanne wishes to honor our visionary designer and founder who passed away today at the age of 88. Among the most seminal fashion figures of the 20th century, his legacy will remain, the statement from beauty and fashion company Puig said. Le Telegramme newspaper quoted the mayor of Vannes, David Robo, as saying that Rabanne died at his home in the Brittany region town of Portsall. Rabannes fashion house shows its collections in Paris and is scheduled to unveil the brands latest ready-to-wear designs during the upcoming Feb. 27-March 3 fashion week. Rabanne was known as a rebel designer in a career that blossomed with his collaboration with the family-owned Puig, a Spanish company that now also owns other design houses, including Nina Ricci, Jean Paul Gaultier, Caroline Herrera and Dries Van Noten. The company also owns the fragrance brands Byredo and Penhaligons. Paco Rabanne made transgression magnetic. Who else could induce fashionable Parisian women (to) clamor for dresses made of plastic and metal? Who but Paco Rabanne could imagine a fragrance called Calandre the word means automobile grill, you know and turn it into an icon of modern femininity?" the group's statement said. Calandre perfume was launched in 1969, the first product by Puig in Spain, France and the United States, according to the company. Born Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo in 1934, the future designer fled the Spanish Basque country at age 5 during the Spanish Civil War and took the name of Paco Rabanne. He studied architecture at Paris' Beaux Arts Academie before moving to couture, following in the steps of his mother, a couturier in Spain. He said she was jailed at one point for being dressed in a scandalous fashion. Rabanne sold accessories to well-known designers before launching his own collection. He titled the first collection presented under his own name 12 unwearable dresses in contemporary materials. His innovative outfits were made of various kinds of metal, including his famous use of mail, the chain-like material associated with Medieval knights. Coco Chanel reportedly called Rabanne the metallurgist of fashion. My colleagues tell me I am not a couturier but an artisan, and it's true that I'm an artisan. ... I work with my hands, he said in an interview in the 1970s. In an interview given when he was 43, and now held in France's National Audiovisual Institute, Rabanne explained his radical fashion philosophy: I think fashion is prophetic. Fashion announces the future. He added that women were harbingers of what lies on the horizon. When hair balloons, regimes fall, Rabanne said. When hair is smooth, all is well. The president of the Association of Fashion Designers of Spain, Modesto Lomba, said Rabanne "left an absolute mark on the passage of time. Lets not forget that he was Spanish and that he triumphed inside and outside Spain. ___ Angela Charlton in Paris contributed. Dotdash Meredith and Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex; Courteney Cox attends Celine at The Wiltern Mike Coppola/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images Prince Harry shares many personal stories in his sweeping memoir Spare like the time he took magic mushrooms at Courteney Cox's Los Angeles home. The Duke of Sussex, 38, revealed in his bestselling book that he is a "Friends fanatic" and took comfort in the hit NBC sitcom while navigating panic attacks after completing his second tour of Afghanistan a decade ago. Harry wrote in Spare that he became anxious around crowds and cameras after returning to London, so he started staying home. "Day after day, night after night, I sat around eating takeaway, watching 24. Or Friends. I think I might've watched every episode of Friends in 2013. I decided I was a Chandler," he said. Elsewhere in the text, he admitted, "People often speculated that I was clinging to my bachelor life because it was so glamorous. Many evenings I'd think: if only they could see me now. Then I'd go back to folding my underwear and watching 'The One with Monica and Chandler's Wedding.' " Prince Harry said that his anxieties escalated and that he "stopped going out" entirely in 2014. RELATED:Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Release First 'Impact Report' for Their Archewell Foundation FRIENDS -- NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images "No more occasional dinners with mates. No more house parties. No clubs. Nothing," he wrote. "Every night I'd go straight home from work, eat over the sink, then catch up on paperwork, Friends on low in the background." While visiting the U.S. two years later, the Duke of Sussex said it was surreal not only to attend a party at Cox's home but meet the Friends star herself. Prince Harry and two friends traveled to Los Angeles in January 2016, where they spent a few days party-hopping and spontaneously spent a night at Cox's house. "We went from the home of [my friend] Thomas' girlfriend to the home of Courteney Cox. She was a friend of Thomas' girlfriend, and had more room. Also, she was traveling, on a job, and didn't mind if we crashed at her place," Harry wrote. "No complaints from me. As a Friends fanatic, the idea of crashing at Monica's was highly appealing. And amusing. But then Courteney turned up. I was very confused. Was her job canceled? I didn't think it was my place to ask. More: Does this mean we have to leave?" RELATED: Prince Harry's Next Big Appearance Following Book Release Announced and It's Alongside Issa Rae "She smiled. Of course not Harry. Plenty of room," he recalled. "Great. But I was still confused because she was Monica. And I was a Chandler. I wondered if I'd ever work up the courage to tell her. Was there enough tequila in California to get me that brave?" According to Prince Harry, the actress invited a few more people over, and another party began. The royal said he was delighted to meet the actor from the "Batman LEGO movie" alluding to Will Arnett who indulged his request to do "the voice," which cracked Harry up. Will Arnett attends Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images "Then, maybe to get rid of us, he led my mate and me to the fridge, from which he extracted a soft drink. While the door was open, we spotted a huge box of black diamond mushroom chocolates," he wrote. "Somebody behind me said they were for everybody. Help yourself, boys. My mate and I grabbed several, gobbled them, washed them down with tequila." Prince Harry and his friend then went outside to sit by a fire pit, where the mushrooms kicked in. Returning indoors a short while later to use the bathroom, Harry said he was spooked when he started seeing monsters. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Prince Harry book PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE The book jacket of Prince Harry's memoir 'Spare' "Beside the toilet was a round silver bin, the kind with a foot pedal to open the lid. I started at the bin. It started back. What staring? I stepped on the pedal. A huge open grin," he wrote. "Now the loo became a head too. The bowl was its gaping me, the hinges of the seat were its piercing silver eyes. It said: Aaah." Harry said he left the restroom "giggling," where he bumped into his pal who he took the mushrooms with. Later, the friend would confide in Harry that he had a similar trip in the bathroom, where his puffer jacket transformed into a "dragon" and freaked him out. "My delightful trip had been his hell," Harry wrote in Spare. "How delightful. How interesting. I led him outside gently, and told him it would all be OK." A scanning electron microscope image of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. U.S. health officials are advising people to stop using the over-the-counter eye drops, EzriCare Artificial Tears, that have been linked to an outbreak of drug-resistant infections of this bacteria. (Janice Haney Carr / CDC via Associated Press) Los Angeles County has reported four cases of an extensively drug-resistant bacterial infection that has caused blindness, hospitalization and one death nationwide. Nationally, 55 cases of this rare strain of bacteria have been identified in 12 states, prompting federal health officials to advise people to stop using over-the-counter eye drops that could be linked to the outbreak. A majority of confirmed patients used eye drops, according to a health alert from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Individuals reported the use of more than 10 brands of eye drops, and some used multiple brands, but most used EzriCare Artificial Tears an over-the-counter eye drop packaged in multidose bottles that has no preservatives. In a statement posted to its website this week, EzriCare said the product is manufactured in India by Global Pharma Healthcare PVT Ltd. "As of today, we are not aware of any testing that definitively links the Pseudomonas aeruginosa outbreak to EzriCare Artificial Tears," the statement from Wednesday reads. "Nonetheless, we immediately took action to stop any further distribution or sale of EzriCare Artificial Tears." EzriCare said that "to the greatest extent possible, we have been contacting customers to advise them against continued use of the product." It was not immediately clear whether the L.A. County cases were associated with eye drops. The L.A. County Department of Public Health is urging laboratories that have identified this bacteria over the past 13 months to submit specimens to county public health officials for further analysis. Nationally, "patient outcomes include permanent vision loss resulting from cornea infection, hospitalization and one death due to systemic infection," authorities said in a statement. The CDC has urged patients and healthcare providers to "immediately discontinue using EzriCare Artificial Tears." The strain of bacteria involved in the cluster of cases is rare: a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that is referred to as VIM-GES-CRPA. Specimens collected between May 2022 and January have confirmed cases in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. Of the 55 cases, 35 were linked to clusters at four healthcare facilities. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Spiraling violence between Israelis and Palestinians and fierce protests against proposed judicial reforms are at the forefront of President Bidens concerns more than one month into the renewed leadership of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. U.S. and Israeli officials stress the unbreakable bond between the two countries, but a recent visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted deep U.S. anxiety about the Israeli governments pursuit of far-right political plans. Blinkens visit, which took place earlier this week, followed a flurry of other high-level officials meeting with the new Israeli government, including CIA Director Bill Burns and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. The high-level engagement is likely laying the groundwork for a one-on-one between Biden and Netanyahu, with U.S. officials keen on setting the terms for the relationship over a host of issues including the Israeli and Palestinian conflict, Israels right-wing government, the Iranian threat and Russias war in Ukraine. Here are five sore spots in a turbulent time for U.S.-Israel relations. Biden officials wade into Israeli domestic politics In unusual comments alongside Netanyahu on Monday, Blinken warned that Jerusalem is pursuing policies that risk U.S. and Israels shared values that, he said, have underscored the relationship for 75 years. Those policies include proposals that critics say are aimed at weakening the independence of Israels Supreme Court. Protests in Israel are reported to have drawn approximately 100,000 people in opposition to the proposed judicial reforms. These are said to include legislation to overrule the Supreme Court when it has struck down laws and allow the government to appoint judges, among other proposals. The secretary, in response to a question about proposed judicial reforms, said democracies need to build consensus on new proposals to make sure that not only are they embraced but that they actually endure. Blinken said he and Netanyahu spoke frankly and respectfully about the mutual standards the U.S. and Israel must hold themselves to support core democratic principles and institutions. David Makovsky, a senior fellow with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Blinkens artfully-worded statements illustrate how Israeli domestic debates are threatening American interests. The U.S. has long argued a strong, independent Israeli judiciary allows it to address legal challenges the Palestinians want to bring before the International Court of Justice or International Criminal Court. Maybe common interests bind governments but common values bind societies, and if you lose this you lose a huge chunk in the U.S. and Israel relationship, Makovsky said. Israeli-Palestine conflict is on the brink of an explosion The administration is putting renewed energy into filling dangerous security vacuums in Palestinian cities in the West Bank, which are inflaming violence against Israelis while placing Palestinian civilians in the crossfire. In what marked one of the deadliest attacks in recent memory, seven people were killed last week when a Palestinian gunman opened fire at a Jerusalem synagogue while Jews were celebrating shabbat. And at least two Palestinian civilians were killed in the crossfire during an Israeli security raid against a Palestinian terrorist group in the lawless West Bank city of Jenin. Blinken, during a meeting in Ramallah on Tuesday, reportedly pressed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to accept and implement a security plan to have Palestinian security forces take more responsibility over terrorist threats in Jenin and the Palestinian city of Nablus. Blinken also spoke out against Israeli policies which Democrats, largely, have long said threaten the viability of a two-state solution but are embraced by far-right members of Netanyahus governing coalition. This includes maintaining the status quo of Muslim access to holy sites in Jerusalem long considered a flash-point that can set off greater violence and whether Netanyahu will move to assert greater Israeli control over West Bank territory that is considered key to a negotiated two-state solution with the Palestinians. Blinken said settlement expansion, the legalization of outposts, demolitions and evictions, disruptions to the historic status quo of the holy sites, and of course incitement and acquiescence to violence, are actions that threaten a two-state solution, acknowledging responsibility of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority to address these issues. Biden and Netanyahu still not eye-to-eye on Iran Netanyahu has long opposed the 2015 nuclear deal, called the JCPOA, and remarks by Biden last month declaring talks with Tehran dead were likely music to the Israeli prime ministers ears. While the sidelining of the JCPOA removes a key irritant between the prime minister and Biden, the two leaders still do not see eye-to-eye on how to confront Tehran. Biden is unlikely to embrace, completely, Netanyahus more militaristic position compared to the former Trump administration which pulled out of the JCPOA, imposed a maximum pressure campaign of sanctions and carried out a fatal drone attack on Irans top military commander, Qassem Soleimani. Still, Biden has never excluded a military option. Blinken reinforced this by saying everything is on the table, when asked in an interview if the U.S. would carry out a military strike to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. And Blinken arrived in Israel just as reports emerged that an Iranian military facility came under an armed drone strike, reportedly by Israels clandestine intelligence service, the Mossad. Netanyahu, in an interview with CNN, did not confirm if Israel was behind the attack but said that Israel has been taking action against certain weapons development in Iran. U.S. and Saudi tensions stall opening with Israel Netanyahus push for the U.S. to more forcefully confront Iran runs alongside his push to bring covert Israeli ties with Saudi Arabia out into the open. For Bibi [Netanyahu] its always been about, Stop Tehran, jumpstart Riyadh thats his kind of motto, Makovsky said. The question is, what is doable there? The U.S. is considered a necessary partner in steps that can be taken to open relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. The Biden administration has talked about deepening and expanding the Trump-forged Abraham Accords, which established relations between Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. But Makovsky said Riyadh has big asks of the U.S. to move ahead with opening relations with Israel. This includes, but is not limited to, deepening the U.S. and Saudi security relationship to include more commitments to Riyadhs defense and weapons supplies moves that are likely to draw Congressional pushback over strained resources, in general, and U.S. concerns over human rights violations against dissidents and in its military operations in Yemen. Those are big things, Makovsky said. I think the U.S. in principle would like to assist a Saudi-Israel breakthrough, but at what price? That needs to be discussed. Netanyahu nods to U.S. requests for more support to Ukraine Netanyahu said he is definitely considering providing military support to Ukraine amid Russias nearly one-year assault and offered to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow, in interviews with CNN. The statements are a departure from the position Israel has held since Russias invasion, where Jerusalem has sought to maintain strategic communication with Moscow related to Israeli strikes on Iranian targets in Syria where Russia controls the skies and concern for the Jewish diaspora in Russia. The U.S. has long pushed Israel to step up its support of Kyiv beyond the humanitarian support it has provided, and Netanyahus statements appear to acknowledge Washingtons requests. Blinken, speaking alongside Netanyahu on Monday, said he discussed with the prime minister how Russias ongoing atrocities underscore the importance of providing support for all of Ukraines needs humanitarian, economic, and security as it bravely defends its people and its very right to exist For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. FILE - Arkansas Governor-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders answers a question while taking part in a panel discussion during a Republican Governors Association conference on Nov. 16, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Sanders will deliver the Republican address to the nation in response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech as the GOP seeks to show it's creating a new generation of leadership. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) WASHINGTON (AP) Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the Republican address to the nation in response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech next week as the GOP seeks to show it's creating a new generation of leaders. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell announced the role for Sanders, 40, the nation's youngest governor, on Thursday. While President Biden keeps repeating old mistakes and failing Americans, a rising generation of Republican Governors are fighting for families, advancing new solutions, and winning," McConnell said in a statement. Sanders, the first woman elected governor of Arkansas, said she relished the opportunity to contrast the GOPs vision for the future against that of Biden and his fellow Democrats. We are ready to begin a new chapter in the story of America to be written by a new generation of leaders, she said. The daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sanders has signed several executive orders that have been cheered by conservatives since taking office last month. They include restrictions on public schools teaching critical race theory and a ban on TikTok on state devices. She's also said her priority is getting Arkansas' majority-Republican Legislature to approve education reform legislation that she's indicated will include some form of using public money to pay for private schooling or home schooling Before becoming governor, Sanders served as White House press secretary for President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019. She left the White House in 2019 to return to Arkansas, and had Trump's endorsement in her bid for governor. Biden, 80, will deliver the address on Tuesday Feb. 7. This photo provided by the Los Angeles Police Department shows guns and ammunition that were found in an L.A. apartment. A man who reportedly made violent threats was arrested and investigators found a cache of guns and ammunition in his Hollywood high-rise apartment, where several rifles were pointed at a nearby park, police said Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. (Los Angeles Police Department via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) LOS ANGELES (AP) Police on Thursday said there isn't any evidence that a mass shooting was planned by a man who stockpiled guns and ammunition in his Hollywood high-rise apartment. Braxton Johnson was taken into custody Tuesday after he allegedly made violent threats to security staff at the apartment building and people outside, police said. Police searched Johnson's apartment on the 18th floor and found two assault rifles and high-capacity ammunition magazines, all of which are illegal in California, as well as three semiautomatic pistols, a sniper rifle, a shotgun and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition. Several rifles were pointed from windows toward a nearby park, the LAPD had said. Police didn't identify the park, but online maps show a dog park next to the apartment complex. At a news conference Wednesday, police Lt. Leonid Tsap had said there was a high chance" that officers, along with building security staff and witnesses who grabbed Johnson, had prevented a mass shooting." But police backtracked in a statement Thursday. At this point of the investigation, there are no indications that any persons were threatened with a firearm nor have we identified any intent by Johnson to plan a mass shooting incident," the statement said. We are working with our federal partners to exhaust all investigative leads and believe there is no threat to the public." Police also said they had talked to Johnson's family to provide any support services needed." Johnson, 25, pleaded not guilty Thursday to two counts of possession of an assault weapon, one count of criminal threats and one count of solicitation of murder. He was jailed on $500,000 bail, but a judge on Thursday raised his bail to more than $1 million. Details about the threats authorities said he made Tuesday have not been released. The apartment's management company referred media inquiries to police. The cache of guns and their setup in the high-rise apartment were reminiscent of a 2017 massacre in Las Vegas, where the gunman fired 1,057 bullets from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay resort in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. He killed 58 people below the hotel who were enjoying an outdoor country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip. Authorities later attributed the deaths of two more people, both of whom had been badly wounded, to the concert shooting. Officers answered a report of a possible mental health situation Tuesday morning and went to the building on Gordon Street at Sunset Boulevard, an LAPD statement said. Johnson, who was living alone, was unarmed when he was taken into custody but the weapons seized had "the ability to inflict a lot of damage to a lot of people, Tsap said. Johnson had recently moved into the apartment. He already was under investigation in a state on the East Coast for a violent crime, police said. They did not immediately share other details. ___ Associated Press writer Robert Jablon in Los Angeles and Researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report. A continuing care home in suburban Des Moines, Iowa, has been fined $10,000 after a funeral home discovered a woman sent to it in a body bag was still alive. The Iowa Department of Inspection and Appeals said in a report filed Wednesday that the 66-year-old woman was declared dead at the Glen Oaks Alzheimer's Special Care Center in Urbandale on Jan. 3. The woman, whose name has not been released, had early onset dementia, anxiety and depression and had been in hospice care since Dec. 28. She was placed in a zipped body bag and taken to the Ankeny Funeral Home & Crematory, where workers found that she was breathing and called 911, the report said. She was taken to Mercy West Lakes Hospital, where she was breathing but unresponsive. The woman was ultimately returned to hospice care, where she died on Jan. 5 with her family by her side, according to the report. A Glen Oaks staff member who had worked a 12-hour shift and was on the team caring for the woman told investigators she first reported to a nurse practitioner early Jan. 3 that the woman was not breathing and had no pulse. The nurse practitioner who had cared for the woman throughout the night also was unable to find a pulse and said the woman was not breathing. She continued to assess the woman for about five minutes before determining the woman had died. The woman was declared dead about 6:30 a.m., roughly 90 minutes after the staff member's first report. A funeral home employee and a second nurse practitioner who put the woman into the body bag and the funeral home's vehicle about an hour later also found no signs of life, according to the report. The department of inspections and appeals found the care center failed to provide adequate direction to ensure appropriate cares and services were provided before the woman was declared dead. Lisa Eastman, executive director of the Glen Oaks Alzheimers Special Care Center, said in a statement that the center cares deeply about its residents and remains committed to supporting end-of-life care. All of our employees are given regular training in how best to support end-of-life care and the death transition for our residents, Eastman said. The Ankeny police department is not pursuing criminal charges, spokesperson Sgt. Corey Schneden told The Des Moines Register. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reported in February 2022 that Glen Oaks had been fined $500 for failing to perform the required background checks on employees. It found five workers had not received the required training to work in a memory-care facility. FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Biden holds a video conference with farmers, ranchers and meat processors, in Washington By Leah Douglas (Reuters) - School meals for millions of children in the United States would include less added sugar, more whole grains, and lower sodium content under new standards proposed by the Biden administration on Friday. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the updated standards, which would be rolled out over the next several years, were essential to tackling health concerns like childhood obesity and to preparing young people for adult life. "This is a national security imperative. Its a health care imperative for our children. Its an equity issue. Its an educational achievement issue. And its an economic competitiveness issue," he said Friday on a livestreamed event announcing the standards. About 30 million students eat school lunches and 15 million eat school breakfasts each year, according Department of Agriculture data. The Biden administration committed to updating school meal nutrition standards as part of its strategy laid out at a conference on hunger last year. Under the proposed standards, by fall 2024, schools would need to offer whole grain products. By fall 2025, there would be limits for high-sugar products like cereals and yogurts, added sugar in flavored milks, and sodium. Future years would see additional limits on added sugar and sodium. The debate over what school meals should contain has spanned several administrations. The Obama administration hiked standards by requiring schools to serve fruits and vegetables every day and offer more whole grain foods. Under the Trump administration, some of those requirements were rolled back. The Food Research & Action Center, a leading nutrition and hunger group, cheered Friday's announcement. "These proposed evidence-based standards will make for a healthier school day," said FRAC president Luis Guardia in a statement. USDA will collect comments on the proposed rule. (Reporting by Leah Douglas; Editing by Frances Kerry) FILE - In this Feb. 17, 2016 file photo, then Rep. Cory Wilson, R-Madison, discusses a transportation issue during a House Transportation Committee meeting at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss. Wilson is now a federal judge on the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. On Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, Wilson and two other judges ruled that a federal law banning people who are subject of domestic violence restraining orders from owning guns is unconstitutional. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that the government can't stop people who have domestic violence restraining orders against them from owning guns the latest domino to fall after the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority set new standards for reviewing the nation's gun laws. Police in Texas found a rifle and a pistol at the home of a man who was the subject of a civil protective order that banned him from harassing, stalking or threatening his ex-girlfriend and their child. The order also banned him from having guns. A federal grand jury indicted the man, who pled guilty. He later challenged his indictment, arguing the law that prevented him from owning a gun was unconstitutional. At first, a federal appeals court ruled against him, saying that it was more important for society to keep guns out of the hands of people accused of domestic violence than it was to protect a person's individual right to own a gun. But then last year, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a new ruling in a case known as New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. That case set new standards for interpreting the Second Amendment by saying the government had to justify gun control laws by showing they are consistent with the Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation. The appeals court withdrew its original decision and on Thursday decided to vacate the man's conviction and ruled the federal law banning people subject to domestic violence restraining orders from owning guns was unconstitutional. Specifically, the court ruled that the federal law was an outlier that our ancestors would never have accepted" borrowing a quote from the Bruen decision. The decision came from a three-judge panel consisting of Judges Cory Wilson, James Ho and Edith Jones. Wilson and Ho were nominated by former Republican President Donald Trump, while Jones was nominated by former Republican President Ronald Reagan. The U.S. Justice Department Thursday night issued the following statement from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland following the decision: Nearly 30 years ago, Congress determined that a person who is subject to a court order that restrains him or her from threatening an intimate partner or child cannot lawfully possess a firearm. Whether analyzed through the lens of Supreme Court precedent, or of the text, history, and tradition of the Second Amendment, that statute is constitutional. Accordingly, the Department will seek further review of the Fifth Circuits contrary decision. Thursday's ruling overturned the federal law and is not likely to impact similar state laws, including one in California. Still, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, called the judges who issued the ruling zealots who are hellbent on a deranged vision of guns for all, leaving government powerless to protect its people. This is what the ultra-conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court wants. It's happening, and it's happening right now, Newsom said. Wake up America this assault on our safety will only accelerate. Chuck Michel, president of the California Rifle and Pistol Association, said the problem with laws like the one the federal appeals court struck down is that they are too broad and don't take into account the details of each case. He offered as an example a client of his whose neighbor filed a restraining order against them because they had pointed a security camera on their property. They lost their gun rights, he said. When they do a blanket prohibition without considering individualized circumstances, they shoot the dogs with the wolves. Thursday's ruling demonstrates the far-reaching impacts of the Bruen decision. In California, the decision has prompted lawmakers to overhaul their law regarding permits to carry concealed weapons. Wednesday, Newsom endorsed a bill in the state Legislature that would ban people from carrying concealed guns in nearly all public places, with an exception for churches and businesses who put up a sign saying guns are OK. The Colorado River cuts through Marle Canyon in the Navajo Nation en route to the Grand Canyon. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) It's a crisis nearly 100 years in the making: Seven states all reliant on a single mighty river as a vital source of water failed to reach an agreement this week on how best to reduce their use of supplies from the rapidly shrinking Colorado River. At the heart of the feud is the "Law of the River," a body of agreements, court decisions, contracts and decrees that govern the river's use and date back to 1922, when the Colorado River Compact first divided river flows among the states. But as California argues most strongly for strict adherence to this system of water apportionment, the other states say it makes little sense when the river's largest reservoir, Lake Mead, continues to decline toward "dead pool" level, which would effectively cut off the Southwest from its water lifeline. The Law of the River, they say, is getting in the way of a solution. "We can argue about whether interpretations of the Law of the River match the physical reality," said Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources. "But if you end up in a courtroom arguing these points and something isn't done, the Colorado River system is going to crash." As drought, climate change and chronic overuse sap the Colorado River, the federal government has called on the states to collectively reduce their use by 2 million to 4 million acre-feet. California's water districts have legal rights to the largest share of the river, which not only provides drinking water for millions of Southern Californians, but also helps feed the nation through agricultural irrigation. The other states Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming say it's unreasonable to let large population centers that are lower in the pecking order such as Phoenix and Tucson go thirsty. California's legal position is based on several factors, said James Salzman, a professor of environmental law at UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. First, the authors of the original Colorado Compact made the "fateful decision" to divvy up water for the river's lower-basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada in absolute quantities instead of percentages. That means upper-basin states are obligated to deliver 7.5 million acre-feet per year to the lower states, no matter what, which "turned out to be a tragically bad design," Salzman said. Additionally, the massive Imperial Irrigation District in California established senior rights to the water before the Colorado River Compact meaning it holds high-priority rights to deliver the single largest share of the river's water to Imperial Valley farmlands. Arizona, by contrast, agreed to junior rights to the river in 1968 in exchange for building the Central Arizona Project, the system that transports river water through the state. In other words, according to the Law of the River, if there's not enough water to go around, states like Arizona are supposed to be cut off before California. That's led to two very different proposals from the states this week. California's proposal includes a previous commitment from Southern California water agencies to reduce water use by 400,000 acre-feet per year through 2026, a reduction of about 9%. The proposal also calls for additional cuts in Arizona, California and Nevada on a tiered scale if Lake Mead continues to decline. The proposal submitted by the six states outlines reductions from Arizona, California and Nevada beyond what those states have already agreed to. It translates into especially large reductions for California. Rhett Larson, a water law professor at Arizona State University, said California comes out as the "clear winner" if the Law of the River is interpreted as it's presently written. "I'm an Arizonan, and so I'm pretty biased in favor of Arizona," he said. "But I'm also a lawyer, which means I'm pretty biased in favor of the law. And the law says that California's proposal is basically right legally. It may not be right practically or morally, but it's right legally." Among the body of the law is 2019's Drought Contingency Plan, under which California, Arizona and Nevada agreed to a schedule of reductions at Lake Mead through 2026. Mexico committed under a separate accord to participate in reductions, and some Native tribes have also agreed to conserve water in an effort to boost reservoir levels. But over the past few years, those reductions haven't been nearly enough and the reservoir levels have continued to drop. The 2019 agreement spells out cuts down to a certain point. If Lake Meads level reaches an elevation of 1,025 feet 22 feet below its current level and continues declining, the existing rules about what should happen fall to the Law of the River, Larson said. But he also noted that the Central Arizona Project delivers about 40% of water supplies to cities in central Arizona. He said it would be "devastating" for the Arizona project to take most of the cuts before California was required to take substantial cuts. The six states' proposal, while not sufficient by itself, is "a better start and solves more problems, and avoids more problems, than California's proposal," he said. For its part, California's Colorado River Board said its plan "makes a constructive effort to uphold the Law of the River while making substantial efforts to protect the Colorado River system with voluntary reductions far beyond California's legal obligations." "The 40 million people, nearly 6,000,000 acres of agriculture, and 30 Indian tribes that rely on the Colorado River require us to be successful in this effort," the board wrote in its proposal. Adel Hagekhalil, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, said all of the states are in agreement that reductions are needed, but that "the priority system is part of the law." He noted that California has worked with the other states to adapt and adjust to changing conditions, including putting water back into Lake Mead. Southern California has also made broad efforts in water conservation, instituted severe water use restrictions and made investments in alternative supplies. "But we can't bypass a history of agreements that supported the livelihood of people living in California, the business and the economy, and has been acknowledged in courts and in history, and say, 'Let's forget about that,'" Hagekhalil said. Among those court cases was Arizona vs. California, a 1963 Supreme Court case that ruled that of the first 7.5 million-acre feet of the river's waters, 4.4 million acre-feet goes to California, 2.8 million to Arizona and 300,000 to Nevada. "It is a long, complicated issue, but really it's about water rights," Hagekhalil said, adding that "we all understand that we need to reduce." "Let's assess the impact of these cuts on the environment, and let's take the time to negotiate who takes the cuts," he said. Still, some officials, including Buschatzke, criticized California's proposal as being "extremely Law-of-the-River-centric." "I understand potential legal arguments. But the six-state proposal recognizes the physical reality of what's actually happening. And California's doesn't," he said. Salzman, of UCLA, said the likely outcome of the impasse is federal intervention followed by litigation. He couldn't think of a similar case that might serve as precedent for the current stalemate, but feared the states will run out of time as the river gets drier and lower. "They're basically stepping outside the Law of the River, because the Law of the River does not clearly provide for how to reduce 2 million acre feet," Salzman said. "On the other hand, the Law of the River is why we're in this mess in the first place." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. A 2,700-year-old ivory incense spoon plundered from a site in the occupied West Bank seized in late 2021 by the Manhattan District Attorney's office as part of a plea deal with billionaire hedge fund manager Michael Steinhardt, displayed at the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. Earlier this month, American officials handed over the artifact to the Palestinians in what the U.S. State Department's Office of Palestinian Affairs said was "the first event event of such repatriation" by the U.S. to the Palestinians. (AP Photo/ Maya Alleruzzo) BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) An ivory spoon dating back 2,700 years that was recently repatriated to the Palestinian Authority from the United States has sparked a dispute with Israel's new far-right government over the cultural heritage in the occupied West Bank. The clash brings into focus the political sensitivities surrounding archaeology in the Middle East, where Israelis and Palestinians each use ancient artifacts to support their claims over the land. Israel's ultranationalist heritage minister has ordered officials to examine the legality of the U.S. government's historic repatriation of the artifact to the Palestinians earlier this month, and is calling for annexing archaeology in the occupied West Bank. The artifact a cosmetic spoon made of ivory and believed to have been plundered from a site in the West Bank was seized in late 2021 by the Manhattan District Attorney's office as part of a deal with the New York billionaire hedge fund manager Michael Steinhardt. It was one of 180 artifacts illegally looted and purchased by Steinhardt that he surrendered as part of an agreement to avoid prosecution. American officials handed an artifact over to the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Jan. 5 in what the U.S. State Departments Office of Palestinian Affairs said was the first event of such repatriation by the U.S. to the Palestinians. Dozens of Steinhardts surrendered artifacts have already been repatriated to Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Jordan, Libya and Israel. This spoon was the first and only item ever to be repatriated to the Palestinians. The repatriation coincided with the first weeks of Israel's new government, which is composed of ultranationalists who see the West Bank as the biblical heartland of the Jewish people and inextricably linked to the state of Israel. Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahus office said last week that the legality of the repatriation is being examined by the archaeology staff officer with the legal counsel, which will examine all aspects of the matter, including the Oslo Accords that the U.S. has signed. The case underscores how archaeology and cultural heritage are intertwined with the competing claims of the Israelis and Palestinians in the decades-long conflict. Any artifact that we know that it comes out illegally from Palestine, we have the right to have it back, said Jihad Yassin, director general of excavations and museums in the Palestinian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry. Each artifact says a story from the history of this land. The ministry is part of the Palestinian Authority, the government established as part of the Oslo Accords in the 1990s that exercises limited autonomy in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Those agreements between Israel and the Palestinians were supposed to include coordination on a raft of issues, including archaeology and cultural heritage. But the agreements have largely unraveled. Yassin said that the archaeology committee has not met in around two decades, and that there is virtually zero coordination between Israel and the Palestinians concerning antiquities theft prevention in the West Bank. We try to do our best to protect these archaeological sites, but we face difficulties, he said. Yassin said that around 60% of the West Bank's archaeological sites are in territory under complete Israeli military control, and that his ministry's theft prevention workers manage to control in a high percentage the looting in areas under Palestinian Authority control. Nonetheless, many of the illicit artifacts that have made their way to Israel's legal antiquities market were looted from the West Bank, he said. According to court documents, Steinhardt bought the ivory cosmetic spoon in 2003 from Israeli antiquities dealer Gil Chaya for $6,000. The artifact had no provenance paperwork detailing where it came from and how it had entered the dealer's inventory but Chaya said the object was from the West Bank town of El-Koum, which is under Palestinian Authority control. Another artifact believed to have been looted from the same town, a Red Carnelian Sun Fish amulet (that) dates to circa 600 B.C.E., remains missing, according to the DA's office. Steinhardt has yet to locate the item, but if it is found, it will be repatriated to the Palestinians, the office said. American authorities returned 28 objects to Israel last year, not including three that were seized in place at the Israel Museum of Jerusalem. Seven others meant to be returned to Israel have yet to be found. Several of the items returned to Israel are believed to have been looted from the West Bank. The Israel Antiquities Authority declined comment on the artifacts repatriation to the Palestinians. Heritage Minister Eliyahu, a religious ultranationalist in Netanyahu's government now in charge of the countrys Antiquities Authority, denies the existence of a Palestinian people. Since taking office, he has accused the Palestinian Authority of committing national terrorism and erasing heritage at an archaeological site in a Palestinian-controlled area near the West Bank city of Nablus. It remains unclear what impact, if any, a review by the ministry's legal counsel could have. It appears unlikely Israel could confiscate the artifact from the Palestinians, but a legal opinion against the move could potentially complicate future repatriations. Earlier this week, Eliyahu said he would be giving the Israel Antiquities Authority full control over archaeological sites, cultural heritage and theft prevention throughout the West Bank a move that critics say would in effect apply Israeli law over occupied territory in breach of international law. Currently, archaeological excavations and antiquities in the West Bank are managed by the Civil Administration's archaeology staff officer, which is part of the Defense Ministry. Israel has not formally annexed the West Bank, and the territory is treated as occupied and is governed under military law. All heritage on both sides of the green line will earn full protection, at an international and scientific standard, Eliyahu wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday. He said the state of Israel would act in a uniform and professional manner from the (Mediterranean) sea to the Jordan. Alon Arad, director of Israeli cultural heritage non-governmental organization Emek Shaveh, said that putting the Israel Antiquities Authority in charge of archaeology in the occupied territory was activating Israeli law in the West Bank, which means annexation. Eliyahus office declined repeated interview requests. Yassin said that for the time being, the artifact will remain at the ministry, where it will be studied by one of its archaeologists. Then, he said, it will be displayed at one of the West Bank's museums. It's not the only one," Yassin said. "It is the beginning." South Africa: Grade 10 Geluksdal Secondary learner fatally stabbed Gauteng Education MEC, Matome Chiloane, is today visiting the Geluksdal Secondary School in Brakpan, Ekurhuleni where a Grade 10 boy learner was stabbed to death on Thursday. In a statement on Thursday, the department said that it is alleged that this fight emanated from three Grade 10 boy learners pepper spraying other learners during schooling hours. Subsequently, about eight learners confronted them about their behaviour and they stopped. However, it is alleged that the perpetrators emerged after school in the company of unknown persons who are not from the school. Accordingly, this group reportedly started a fight with the learners who were unpleased by their behaviour and started stabbing them. Unfortunately, one of the learners passed away from a fatal stab wound. One learner allegedly escaped with minor injuries, while one of the alleged perpetrators was seriously injured. Both were taken to Pholosong Hospital in an ambulance, the department said. Members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) attended the scene and are investigating circumstances surrounding this incident. The department said that its Psycho-Social support will be dispatched to provide necessary counselling and trauma support. We are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of one of our learners, especially at the hands of such a violent act. We strongly disapprove of learners fighting amongst each other. We wish to extend our sincerest condolences to the affected family and school community at large, MEC Chiloane said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2023-02-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Finland, Sweden committed to joining NATO together, PMs say Xinhua) 08:47, February 03, 2023 Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin (L) speaks at a press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Stockholm, Sweden, on Feb. 2, 2023. Finland remains determined to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) together with Sweden, visiting Prime Minister Sanna Marin said when she met her Swedish counterpart here on Thursday. (Ninni Andersson/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua) STOCKHOLM, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Finland remains determined to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) together with Sweden, visiting Prime Minister Sanna Marin said when she met her Swedish counterpart here on Thursday. They also discussed Sweden's current Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) and the security situation. "Last spring, we started our common path to join NATO. This journey must be made hand in hand and in common accord, just like we started it," Marin said in a joint press conference with Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Marin's remark came three days after Trkiye's foreign minister said that his country could evaluate Finland's NATO bid separately from Sweden's to distinguish "between a problematic country and a less problematic one." The issue became no less topical after Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat reported on the result of a poll showing that the majority of Finns were ready to join NATO without Sweden, Swedish Television (SVT) reported on Thursday. Asked by a reporter about the result of the poll, Marin reiterated that Finland intends to join NATO together with Sweden. "I think it is very important that we today send a very clear message: Finland and Sweden applied together, and it is in everybody's interest that we join NATO together," Marin said. At a press conference in Ankara on Monday, Jan. 30, Trkiye's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that although the two Nordic countries had requested to join NATO together, Finland had taken some steps, while there were "provocations" in Sweden. Among other things, Trkiye has objected to a demonstration in Stockholm, where a copy of the Quran was burnt outside the Turkish Embassy. Trkiye has also postponed a trilateral meeting with Sweden and Finland on their NATO bids. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Feb. 2, 2023. Finland remains determined to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) together with Sweden, visiting Prime Minister Sanna Marin said when she met her Swedish counterpart here on Thursday. (Ninni Andersson/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua) Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Feb. 2, 2023. Finland remains determined to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) together with Sweden, visiting Prime Minister Sanna Marin said when she met her Swedish counterpart here on Thursday. (Ninni Andersson/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua) Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (R) speaks at a press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin in Stockholm, Sweden, on Feb. 2, 2023. Finland remains determined to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) together with Sweden, visiting Prime Minister Sanna Marin said when she met her Swedish counterpart here on Thursday. (Ninni Andersson/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) In addition to the $829 million in tax credits and other economic incentives, Kansas is giving Panasonic an unused government building in Olathe for free. The Kansas State Finance Council, composed of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and legislative leadership, voted Thursday transfer ownership of the Kansas Bioscience Authority building to the Japanese tech firm that is building a $4 billion battery plant in De Soto. As of 2022, the roughly 39,000 square foot-building and two acres of land were valued at just over $4.9 million, according to Johnson County appraisal records. During the Finance Council meeting Bob North, general counsel for the Commerce Department, erroneously told officials the property was appraised at less than $1 million. North said transfer of the building was part of the states negotiations with Panasonic. Theyve begun investing in the building, theyve already got people located in the building now, North said. The company will use the building for training and offices. Lawmakers approved the transfer of the land just before they were set to review a proposal for another massive incentive using the same program that lured Panasonic. Later in the day Thursday Kelly announced $300 million in incentives for Integra Technologies to build a new semiconductor plant in Wichita. According to the Associated Press, Kansas invested about $232 million in the Bioscience Authority since it was established in 2004 in an effort to accelerate bioscience growth in Kansas. The agencys funding was meant to attract bioscience companies to Kansas and then use tax dollars from those companies to fund more recruitment efforts. But the agencys budget was cut under former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. In 2016 the Brownback administration agreed to sell the authoritys investment portfolio for just $14 million. The Stars Jenna Barackman contributed to this report. Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images A new bill proposed in Massachusetts would allow incarcerated individuals the option of donating their organs or bone marrow in exchange for a reduction in their sentences. The bill's authors believe the move will expand the states pool of donors and restore bodily autonomy to inmates, but ethics experts say its potentially exploitative and may also be illegal. I dont see an ethical justification for the proposed Massachusetts law, John Hooker, an ethics professor at Carnegie Mellon University, told Yahoo News. If it is OK to release prisoners early due to organ donation, they should be released early without the donation. According to Brandon Paradise, a law professor at Rutgers Law School with a focus on legal and personal ethics, If the bill were to become law, a court may well strike it down. Bill HD.3822, which would establish a Bone Marrow and Organ Donation Program, was introduced late last month by state Reps. Carlos Gonzalez and Judith Garcia, both Democrats. If successful, it would allow those incarcerated in the Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) to get their sentence reduced anywhere between 60 days and 12 months in exchange for their bodily offering, which may include a liver or kidney, among other vital body parts. Kidney transplant. (BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Proponents of the bill say the program could be a game changer by helping to close the gap of roughly 4,000 Massachusetts residents waiting for organ donors in a region that remains without an adequate pathway to facilitate such a transaction. Gonzalez told Boston.com that he was inspired in part by a close friend awaiting a kidney transplant who requires dialysis multiple times a week. I love my friend and Im praying through this legislation that we can extend the chances of life for him and any other person in a similar life-or-death situation, he told the outlet. But critics say that tying an incentive to such a serious decision puts unfair pressure on an already vulnerable population. I think this is, frankly, a disaster, Professor Nicholas Evans, an expert in public health ethics at UMass Lowell, told Yahoo News, noting that the U.S. doesnt allow prisoners to enroll in clinical studies because it constitutes a form of undue inducement and saying this poses the same issue. Organ donation needs to be purely voluntary, Danielle Allen, the director of Harvards Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics and a former Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate, told Yahoo News in an email. This is impossible in a context of a tie to punitive sanctions and the ability to impact them via a donation. The filers of the bill should be encouraged to withdraw it, and it should otherwise be strenuously opposed. Of the roughly 10,000 people in DOC prisons in Massachusetts, Black people make up 28% of those incarcerated and Latino people make up 29%, but those groups make up just 9% and 13% of the states population, respectively. Massachusetts Department of Correction Treatment Center in Boston. (Blake Nissen for the Boston Globe via Getty Images) According to Paradise, the bill threatens to exacerbate the problem of racial injustice and inequality in the administration of criminal law. Even state Rep. Russell Holmes, one of the bills co-sponsors, told Yahoo News that he has his own ethical concerns with it. While he agrees in practice with creating a pathway for organ donations, he admitted that he did not support the current bill in totality because he had no idea that its final language would have an incentive tied to it. Holmes said that he hastily agreed to co-sponsor a bill that would help to allow incarcerated people to donate their organs only to their own families and that he didnt know about the additional provisions. Im signed onto something thats not a hundred percent what I believe, but I am thankful that we at least are finally having a conversation about Black and brown folks not being in this pool, he said, reiterating that he would not want do anything to victimize those who do not have [much], and thats who many people in prison are. Pointing to his record within the community as the states longest-serving Black and Latino Legislative Caucus member, Holmes said he understands the challenges of a legal system that has failed Black and Latino lives. We want to make an opportunity for folks to be able to have a process that seems fair to donate their organs or blood marrow to other family members without any incentive, he said, adding that the spirit of a bill is what I signed onto. The final version of a bill is what I vote on. Massachusetts state Rep. Russell Holmes in 2020. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) The U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons currently allows incarcerated inmates to donate their kidneys to members of their family. But in many states, like Massachusetts, there is no official pathway to do so. Its why Holmes said that though the language is off, he feels positive that people are beginning to talk about the issue. Im thankful that at least were having the conversation that leads with Black people only being 29% likely to find a match, Hispanics 48% likely to find a match with bone marrow and white people 79%, he said, citing the bone marrow registry Be the Match. For Jesse White, policy director of Prisoner Legal Services of Massachusetts, any adequate program must prioritize the root cause of the problem. The solution must target the underlying structural problems leading to health disparities and must not be coercive or disproportionately impact another group, including incarcerated people, White told Yahoo News. For many, it sets a particularly poor precedent to begin dealing organs for an early release. Were creating a double injustice for over-incarcerated populations by potentially using them as a source of easy bone marrow and/or organs, Evans from UMass said. This is a net negative for patients, prisoners, and the authors of the bill should be spending their time on medical and prison reform instead of this. There is a profound concern for coercion and the ability to voluntarily consent given the magnetic pull of the quid pro quo of sentence reduction, Margaret R. McLean, senior fellow at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University in California, told Yahoo News. I worry that this is a case of selling organs and tissues, not for dollars but for priceless freedom. _____ Cover thumbnail photos: Screengrab of video on Twitter/MikeSington Monterrious Harris. (Brandon Dill for NBC News) MEMPHIS, Tenn. A 22-year-old Black man said in an interview that he was assaulted by a group of Memphis police officers that included the five former officers charged with the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols. Monterrious Harris said he was beaten up three days before Nichols was attacked by some of the same officers who were with the now-disbanded Scorpion unit. He said that the black-clad men who ordered him to get out of his car on Jan. 4 did not identify themselves and that he had no idea they were part of the special crime-fighting squad that would be implicated in Nichols death. They were trying to pull me out of the car, but my car was locked, Harris said this week. I thought someone was trying to carjack me. I didnt know they were officers. Harris said he plans to sue the city and its police department Saturday in U.S. District Court in Memphis. Harris lawyer, Robert Spence, said Harris called him about a week after Nichols died. A Jan. 4 affidavit of complaint filed by the arresting officers revealed that the five officers involved in Nichols beating were part of the nine-member team that arrested Harris. The document did not indicate whether any officers were involved in a physical altercation. City officials, the police department and lawyers for the five former officers did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. Harris said he was sitting in his car at the Twin Oak Apartments when several men wearing ski masks suddenly appeared with guns drawn. One of them banged on the window of his Chrysler 300 and another blinded him with a flashlight as other officers surrounded his vehicle, Harris said. Get out the car, or Im going to shoot, Harris said one of the men told him. Harris said he was terrified and put his car into reverse and hit the gas in an attempt to flee. But he wound up backing into a wall. Five Memphis police officers were fired in connection with a traffic stop that led to the death of Tyre Nichols. Clockwise from top left: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith and Desmond Mills Jr. (Memphis Police Dept. via AP) At that point, I got out of the car, Harris said. The men in black closed in on him and ordered him to put his hands up, he said. But before he could do that, they slammed him on the concrete and began punching him in the face, he said. You almost got your head blowed off, Harris said one of the men told him. Harris was arrested and taken to jail, where a nurse determined he needed medical attention, which he received at a hospital, he said. Regional One Health did not respond to phone calls requesting Harris medical records and details of his injuries Thursday. Spence said he has asked the hospital for Harris medical records but has not received them yet. The affidavit names the five former officers involved in the Nichols case: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith and Desmond Mills Jr. The police department fired all five after Nichols died from his injuries on Jan. 10. The five are 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. Like Nichols, they are Black. The Scorpion team, according to the affidavit, was conducting an investigation at the apartment complex when Harris began screeching his tires and drove at the officers at a fast speed before he stopped. Smelling marijuana, an officer asked Harris to roll down his window, according to the affidavit. Instead, Harris drove his car in reverse, abandoned the vehicle and tried to run away, the document says. I thought someone was trying to carjack me. I didnt know they were officers.Monterrious Harris Harris, who was convicted of a felony in Arkansas two years ago for fleeing law enforcement in a manner that could cause substantial injury or death, had a 9 mm handgun, marijuana and the anxiety medication Xanax, according to the affidavit. Officers also found a black holster and live magazine rounds in his car, it says. Spence said Harris is charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun, criminal trespass, evading arrest, felony possession of a controlled substance with the intent to sell and other counts. Harris insisted in the interview that the car did not smell like pot and that the gun was not his. He also said he considers himself very lucky he did not meet the same fate as Nichols. I thought someone was trying to carjack me. I didnt know they were officers, Harris said of his encounter with the Scorpion unit. I really felt like God was with me, he said. His encounter occurred three days before Nichols crossed paths with a group of Memphis police officers during a Jan. 7 traffic stop and suffered a beating that led to his death. Memphis police officers surround Tyre Nichols as he lies on the ground on Jan 7. (City of Memphis) The five officers who were charged were members of Scorpion, or Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, an anti-violence unit launched in November 2021, when the citys murder rate was soaring and the community was calling for action. Harrowing video of Nichols, 29, being beaten and crying out for his mother was released last week, sparking nationwide outrage and condemnation from the White House on down. Two Shelby County sheriffs deputies were also relieved of duty pending an administrative investigation into Nichols death, Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. announced. Two other Memphis men, Glenn Harris and Demarius Hervey, told NBC News this week they experienced a violent encounter with former officer Martin in August 2020. An Aug. 2, 2020, affidavit of complaint signed by Officer E. Martin said Harris and Hervey were arrested after Harris crashed the black Nissan Maxima he was driving and started a brief foot chase. Deon J. Hampton reported from Memphis, and Corky Siemaszko reported from New York City. The U.S. government is monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been flying over the northern part of the country since earlier this week but has held off on shooting it out of the sky, senior defense officials confirmed Thursday. The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now, Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters. The U.S. government continues to track and monitor it closely. Ryder stressed that the balloon is currently traveling in the atmosphere at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground, and noted that after the balloon was detected, the government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information. The balloon, first reported by NBC News, was first spotted over Montana on Wednesday. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, traveling in the Philippines at the time, quickly convened a meeting of top military leaders, including Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, and U.S. Northern Command head Gen. Glen VanHerck, a senior defense official told reporters President Biden was briefed on the balloon and asked for military options, with Milley and VanHerck recommending he not to take kinetic action due to the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field. We had been looking at whether there was an option yesterday to down the balloon over some sparsely populated areas in Montana, but we just couldnt buy down the risk enough to feel comfortable recommending shooting it down yesterday, the official said. They declined to detail the exact size of the aerial object but said it was large enough to cause damage if downed. The official also said the balloon is still over the U.S. but declined to say where it is currently. The U.S. government is very confident the balloon belongs to China, as instances of such surveillance have been observed over the past several years, including prior to the Biden administration. But while it is not unprecedented for Beijing to fly similar stratospheric balloons over or near U.S. airspace, the aerial object is staying over the country longer than usual this time around, the official said. They stressed that, though the balloons current flight path carries it over a number of sensitive sites, its assessed as having limited additive value from an intelligence collective collection perspective. The officials also said the U.S. has communicated the seriousness with which we take this issue, to the Chinese government through multiple channels both in Washington, D.C., and in Beijing. We have made clear we will do whatever is necessary to protect our people and our homeland, they said. Tensions between the United States and China are particularly strained after the Pentagon earlier Thursday announced it would ramp up the U.S. military presence in the Philippines. China views the bolstered U.S. presence as an encroaching threat to its claims on the South China Sea as well as the nearby independent island of Taiwan. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Adele Castro, 68, who said she knew all the victims, touches the photo of Mymy Nhan at a memorial outside Star Dance Studio in Monterey Park, Calif., on Thursday. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) At least seven mass shootings have occurred in California since the beginning of 2023, leaving 31 people dead and dozens more injured. The latest tragedies are a setback for one of the states with the strictest gun laws in the United States. Just last month in Monterey Park, a neighborhood east of downtown L.A., a 72-year-old man opened fire, killing 11 people and injuring nine others on Jan. 22 at a Lunar New Year celebration. Investigators are still attempting to determine why Huu Can Tran went into the Star Ballroom Dance Studio with a modified semi-automatic 9 mm MAC-10, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, and started shooting. Officers said he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his car, where they also found a Norinco 7.62 x 25mm handgun, Luna said. At Trans home, police found a 308-caliber rifle, an unknown number of bullets and evidence that he was making homemade firearm suppressors that muffle the sound of the weapons. The gun he used in the mass shooting is generally illegal in California. The sheriffs office is still investigating the origin of both weapons used in the killings. Another man of Asian descent, Chunli Zhao, 66, is accused of killing four people two days later at a mushroom farm in in Northern California, as well as three others at a nearby site. The sheriffs office said Zhao had legal possession of a semiautomatic weapon that was registered to him. A candlelight vigil is held in honor of the mass shooting victims at Mac Dutra Park in Half Moon Bay, Calif., last Friday. (Ray Chavez/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images) As in many previous instances, the two shootings sparked calls for tougher gun laws, both at the state and at the federal level. But some nevertheless question whether such laws could have prevented the recent tragedies and whether they can prevent more violence from happening. Recent polling shows that most Americans now feel it is time for a change in gun policy. The majority of adults in the U.S. want to see stricter gun laws and believe gun violence is increasing nationwide, according to a poll released in August 2022. The study, conducted by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, found that three-fourths of Americans view gun violence as a major problem, and 8 in 10 say gun violence is on the rise in the United States. The survey fielded results from 1,373 adults aged 18 and over, representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Last year, Congress passed the first federal gun legislation in decades, including billions of dollars to address mental illness and to encourage states to enact laws allowing authorities to confiscate weapons from individuals considered to pose a risk. Its unlikely, though, that any new gun laws will move forward, now that the Republicans have regained control of the U.S. House of Representatives. The majority of guns used in mass shootings were obtained legally, according to the nonprofit Violence Project. The 2022 legislation After the mass shooting at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, which killed 19 children and two adults, Congress passed the first major gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years. Reggie Daniels pays his respects a memorial at Robb Elementary School on June 9, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas, created to honor the victims killed in the recent school shooting. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File) The bill signed into law by President Biden in June 2022 aims to increase background checks for the youngest gun buyers, to keep firearms from more domestic violence offenders and to help states put in place red flag laws that make it easier for authorities to take weapons from people considered to be at risk of perpetrating gun violence. And yet, while mass shootings tend to be committed by relatively young men, the suspects in the recent shootings in California were men in their 60s and 70s. The federal law was focused in part on 18- to 20-year-olds, among other provisions. But the changes were incremental, so it is no surprise that they would not correlate with a measurable visible drop in gun crime, Dr. Bob Spitzer, a professor and author of six books on gun control, including The Gun Dilemma, told Yahoo News. For example, he added, the provision encouraging states to adopt or implement red flag laws is a very narrowly focused provision. Red flag laws, according to several studies, have measurable effects in reducing gun suicides, which is undeniably beneficial. But [their] benefits would not show up in national crime statistics. President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden and Elaine Tso, CEO of Asian Services in Action (ASIA) observe a moment of silence to honor the lives lost in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay at a reception to celebrate the Lunar New Year at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 26. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds via Getty Images) Mark Kaplan, a professor of social welfare at the University of California Los Angeles, says the government spends only a small amount of money on firearm violence research. Quite often with prevention, we don't know what's been prevented. So it's hard to establish. It may have prevented some incidents that never got any media attention, he told Yahoo News, going on to say that often, "We don't know what it prevented. That's the problem. Because we don't really have good research." Do Californias strict gun laws work? California has a gun homicide rate of 3.9 deaths per 100,000 people, meaning it has the 29th highest rate of gun homicide deaths in the U.S, according to data compiled by Everytown for Gun Safety and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The national rate is 5.1 per 100,000 people. The data also shows that the state has managed to curb another common firearm issue: suicides. The gun suicide rate decreased by 11%, while gun homicides increased 31% from 2011 to 2020. Nationally, the figures were respectively a 12% increase for suicides and a 70% increase for gun homicides. Mass shootings receive a great deal of attention, for understandable reasons, Spitzer said, but it is important to remember that they represent about 1% of gun murders annually. California Gov. Gavin Newsom had already been considering more gun control measures before the latest shootings. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California hugs Thinh Luong, 46, right, a school teacher, near the Star Dance Studio in Monterey Park, Calif., on Jan. 23. (Philip Cheung for the Washington Post via Getty Images) The Second Amendment is becoming a suicide pact, Newsom told CBS News, in an interview about the Monterey Park shooting. I have no ideological opposition with someone reasonably and responsibly owning firearms and getting background checks and being trained and making sure theyre locked so their kid doesnt accidentally shoot themselves or a loved one. The suspect in the Half Moon Bay attacks owned his weapon legally, according to police, while authorities reported that the deceased gunman in the Monterey shooting used a gun and a high-capacity magazine, both of which are illegal to buy in the state. Last year, California Attorney General Rob Bonta launched a new office of gun violence prevention. He said firearm deaths are a true public health crisis and require immediate action. California has long been a national leader in effectively preventing gun violence with one of the lowest rates of gun deaths in the country. Despite efforts at the state level, in 2020, firearms were the leading cause of death for children in the United States, Bonta's office said in a press release. Kaplan noted that the illegal trafficking of guns across states is one reason why passing gun legislation may not always be a guarantee of success. What's the state next to California? Nevada. Lots of those firearms that are purchased, they're crossing to California, he said. Police cordon off the parking lot of a San Mateo County Sheriff's substation in Half Moon Bay, Calif., on Jan. 24. (Wu Xiaoling/Xinhua via Getty Images) The idea of piecing together a patchwork of 50 states and coming up with a national policy is almost impossible in this country, he said. Not only are some states, like California, doing really good at regulating, the problem is state lines, and how do we minimize the flow of firearms into areas that have very strict firearm laws? Spitzer said that there are remedies available to mitigate the scourge of gun violence. The guns used in crime are a very small subset, Spitzer said. They are mostly handguns and guns that have been relatively recently purchased. Even for mass shootings, where assault weapons are favored, they are generally recently purchased. This is where more detailed and uniform background check laws and permit laws can make a measurable difference, as they do in places that have them. At 108, Edith Renfrow Smith can still recall memories from her childhood in Grinnell, Iowa, as if they happened yesterday. While some of those memories have blurred over time, whats clear are the people in them, like her grandfather, who persevered through some of lifes greatest obstacles. My grandfather was a runaway slave, said Renfrow Smith, who lives in Chicago. She said she was not sure when he met her grandmother, but they settled in Grinnell in 1859 and bought a piece of property, beginning her familys legacy in Grinnell and in Iowa more broadly. Renfrow Smith, a retired elementary school teacher, said much of her life journey was motivated by those in her family who grew up in the struggle of poverty and racism. Throughout her life, she broke barriers in white spaces, becoming the first Black woman to graduate from Grinnell College in 1937. Last December, the liberal arts school honored Renfrow Smith by naming one of its buildings Renfrow Hall, a residence hall set to open in fall 2024. Since attending the college over 80 years ago, she said that shes witnessed the college change, and that she is so glad to have a building named in her honor. Its nice to honor people before theyre dead and in the cemetery, Renfrow Smith quipped. Born just before World War I in 1914, Renfrow Smith along with her five siblings were one of the few Black families living in Grinnell, which had a population of 5,362 in 1920, according to Iowas State Data Center. Her mother, Eva Renfrow, worked as a laundress to support their family while her father, Lee Renfrow, worked as a cook. Renfrow Smith said making money wasnt easy because the work wasnt always steady. He was doing any little job that he could find to make a dime, she said of her father. Edith Renfrow Smith at the age of two in Grinnell, Iowa. (Courtesy Edith Renfrow Smith) But some of Renfrow Smiths earliest memories begin at age 3 with her grandfather George Craig. At age 14, her grandfather, who was one of 10 children, ran away from a plantation in Missouri. After hiding in Kansas through the Underground Railroad for one year, he eventually headed north and settled in Grinnell in 1859, and he later made a living as a barber. Renfrow Smiths grandmother, who was also born into slavery, was the child of a plantation owner in South Carolina who had three children with a house slave. Renfrow Smith said hearing the oral history of her grandparents from her mother intrigued her. I was always asking mama questions, and mama was always telling these stories about grandpa and grandma, Renfrow Smith said. Aside from being an important part of Renfrow Smiths childhood, Craig, who lived on the block behind Renfrow Smiths house, also interacted with an individual who was an important part of Grinnell Colleges history, according to Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant, the Louise R. Noun Chair in gender, womens and sexuality studies at Grinnell College. This person was John Brown, a white abolitionist who fought against the institution of slavery in Bleeding Kansas and who made at least one visit to Grinnell in February of 1859. According to Beauboeuf-Lafontant, Craig was one of the escaped slaves Brown harbored through the Underground Railroad while Brown was venturing to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Were almost 100% sure that he was with John Brown when John Brown came through Grinnell in February of 1859, Beauboeuf-Lafontant said. Renfrow Smiths family was also the first Black family to own property in the county, Beauboeuf-Lafontant added, including her great-uncle who owned 300 acres by the end of the 19th century. All the information the university acquired about Renfrow Smiths family was given orally by Renfrow Smith, as well as court records and census documents. Beauboeuf-Lafontant also said that Renfrow Smiths family history makes her think about other Black families who have passed down their history to each generation. Renfrow Smiths mother not only told stories of Renfrow Smiths grandparents, but she also taught her daughter to pursue her dreams. Renfrow Smiths mother, who was a very determined person, encouraged all her children to get an education, never letting them miss a day of school, Renfrow Smith said. We never knew what it was to just play. We had work to do. Renfrow Smiths mother also instilled confidence within her children, making sure they understood that despite their status, they were not beneath anyone. She was tough. She taught us theres nobody born better than you, Renfrow Smith recalled. They may have more money, they may have more clothes, maybe theyre more beautiful, or live in a better house. But remember, no one, not even the president of the United States, is better than you. Edith Renfrow Smith graduating from Grinnell College (Courtesy Edith Renfrow Smith) This life lesson from her mother is core not only to Renfrow Smith but to her entire family, Beauboeuf-Lafontant said, and is captured in the belief that they have inherent value. Interwoven in Renfrow Smiths and her siblings upbringings, this belief reflected her mothers aspiration to send all six of her children to college. As the descendant of a runaway slave, Renfrow Smith also represented people whove always wanted more for themselves, Beauboeuf-Lafontant said, and her mothers mantra represents a narrative that her family has always run away from things that tried to make them lesser. After graduating from Grinnell High School in 1932, Renfrow Smith worked her way through college, since her mother was unable to financially support her tuition. Because she was so busy working and attending classes, Renfrow Smith said she really didnt have time for anything. But proof of racism still existed on campus, as Black students were prohibited from living in dorms. If youre the low man on the totem pole, you get stepped on, dont you? she said. When youre Black, youre invisible and thats what we were. After graduating from Grinnell College with a bachelors degree in psychology in 1937, there was no jobs available, she said, which prompted her to move to Chicago and find work as a secretary for the YWCA. She also worked at the University of Chicago and later became a public school teacher in 1954, where she taught sixth grade students in the Chicago public school district for more than 20 years before retiring in 1976. Chicago was not only the birthplace of her career: The city was also where Renfrow Smith met and married her husband, Henry Smith, and had two daughters. Edith Renfrow Smith while working for the YWCA in Chicago, in 1937. (Courtesy Edith Renfrow Smith) Renfrow Smiths siblings went on to their own success, including her older sister Helen Renfrow Lemme, who was an educator and civil rights leader and is honored in Grinnell High Schools Hall of Fame with her sister. An elementary school in Iowa City, Iowa, is named after Lemme. Over her life, Renfrow Smith has many notable achievements, including an honorary degree she received at Grinnell Colleges 2019 commencement. She also participated in Northwestern Universitys SuperAging study, which analyzes older individuals cognitive abilities. But one of the most valuable treasures she gives to the world is her story, Beauboeuf-Lafontant said, which makes people stand taller. By seeing her graduate from a majority-white school in the 1930s, she helped pave a way for other Black students who wanted a college education. Edith Renfrow Smith receives her honorary degree at Grinnell Colleges 2019 commencement ceremony (Justin Hayworth / Grinnell College) She was the only Black person on campus for four years, Beauboeuf-Lafontant said. But the numbers of us who are here now, its because of doors that she opened by daring to say, I will become a student at Grinnell College. Now, students of color make up 26% of Grinnells 1,500 students. Renfrow Smith, who turns 109 this year, said her goal is to do the best I can and take care of myself as much as I can. As Renfrow Smith reflects on her life, she acknowledges the Black people who came before her and helped her become the person she is today. We didnt get where we are by ourselves, Renfrow Smith said. We had the help of all of those who came before us. Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward and former President Donald Trump. William B. Plowman/NBC NewsWire via Getty Images and Anna Moneymaker-Pool/Getty Images Former President Trump claims he owns the audio rights to interviews conducted by Bob Woodward. But legal experts say it's unlikely a court will agree with Trump, who claims he's owed $50 million. It's "a huge reach," one lawyer told Insider. Donald Trump wants to get paid or, at the very least, he wants to let everyone know that he's mad. In a lawsuit filed last month, lawyers for the former president argued that he's due a hair under $50 million from journalist Bob Woodward and his publisher, Simon & Schuster, over the release of an audiobook containing more than 8 hours of interviews conducted while he was still in the White House. "The case centers on Mr. Woodward's systematic usurpation, manipulation, and exploitation of audio of [former] President Trump," states the complaint, filed with a federal court in Florida. Woodward, the suit alleges, was entitled to use that audio for a written book emphasis on "a," and "written" but when that book did not sell as well as he'd hoped, the suit claims ("'Rage' was a complete and total failure"), he broke his word and packaged the recordings as a separate work. The lawsuit hinges on an alleged promise that does not appear to have been made in writing. To support the case that The Washington Post journalist violated a contract with the former president, the lawsuit quotes a December 2019 exchange at Mar-a-Lago in which Trump, asked to speak on the record, responds: "For the book only, right? Only for the book." Woodward responds in the affirmative. But the next line, from Trump and quoted in his own lawsuit, points to the ambiguity of that verbal agreement, indicating that the underlying issue was not whether The Washington Post journalist intended to publish one book (or two, or three), but whether he intended to use the material for articles in a newspaper: "So there's no stories coming out, okay." Experts consulted by Insider suggest that the suit, while not nearly as flimsy as the former president's election-related litigation, is unlikely to succeed and might just be a way to lend weight to a grievance, legitimate or not, that has no legal remedy. "It's a press release designed as a complaint," Lloyd J. Jassin, a lawyer who specializes in copyright disputes, said in an interview. Trump styles himself as a savvy businessman his lawsuit lists all his best-selling books on how to get rich and yet he got burned by a reporter. "There's no detriment to him other than injury, in my opinion, to his ego and image," Jassin said. A Trump win could make reporting harder Woodward's book "Rage," based on his 20 interviews with Trump, was published by Simon & Schuster in October 2020, selling more than 600,000 copies in its first week a blockbuster for any other author, but somewhat below expectations for the two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. The audiobook didn't go on sale for another two years after, Woodward says, he decided its release served the public interest. "You see who this man is, what he cares about, the self-focus, the absence of being concerned about the people out there," Woodward explained in an interview on MSNBC. "This is while he was president in 2020. All this, it is an amazing portrait of a man." Trump, per his lawsuit, believes he should have had veto power. "If Woodward intended to create an oral history in which he could claim rights," the complaint states, "then according to best industry practices, he would have had [former] President Trump as the participant sign over his rights as part of the standard procedures of conducting the interview, after each recording or at the end of the last interview. Woodward did not adhere to this standard and, as such, relinquished any such rights." Journalists, however, do not typically ask sources to sign anything before an interview, much less documents outlining potential revenue sharing. Art Neill, clinical professor and director of the New Media Rights Program at California Western School of Law, said it's unlikely that a judge will want to, among other things, establish a precedent imposing a laborious new requirement on newsgathering. "A decision in his favor would create more friction, day to day, for journalists who would have to go even further in terms of thinking about what kind of contracts and releases they're going to get signed by sources," Neill said. To even get to that point, Trump would need to show not only that he had ownership over the interview, but that the two parties explicitly agreed to not release the audio. Even if Woodward had lied by omission that would likely not be enough for a court to step in and assert that an ambiguous contract had been violated, with the remedy being that a politician who is once again running for the highest office is entitled to a share in the revenue generated by a reporter's interview. A judge would also have to rule that, copyright and contract law aside, there is no "fair use" justification for a reporter publishing a president's remarks. "That's a huge reach," Neill said. A free press and the public interest Trump, famously, did not distinguish between himself, the oft-licensed brand, and the office of the presidency. That much is evident in his lawsuit, which asserts personal ownership over statements he made in the White House while being paid a taxpayer-funded salary, complaining that Woodward and his publisher released their audiobook "solely for their own financial gain and without any accounting or recompense to him." But the argument for monetary damages is undermined, in part, by something else the lawsuit appears to acknowledge. The complaint argues that what is billed by Woodward and his publisher as "raw" audio was in fact lightly edited, implying malice and providing a transcript noting the words that were omitted from the final product something that could only be done if one had access to the original recording. Trump could have published and sold this audio himself, then, at least in part. But why would he? The release was generally considered embarrassing for the former president, showing that he publicly downplayed the severity of COVID-19 in order, as he put it, not to "panic the people," and intervened to protect a Saudi crown prince "I saved his ass" from being sanctioned over the murder of a US citizen. Trump, of course, is also not a normal person. He is, rather, a former head of state and, at the time he was speaking with a famous journalist, he was an American president opining on both domestic and foreign policy, often speaking from the Oval Office, in the middle of a pandemic. A publisher's chief interest may be making money (it could even be an author's), but experts say that would not alter the fact that there is, inherently, a public interest served by releasing what a powerful politician has to say about matters of life and death. Some have even argued that the former president's remarks should have been released sooner, not saved for a book at all. In a joint statement, Woodard and Simon & Schuster said they are confident Trump's lawsuit is "without merit." "All these interviews were on the record and recorded with President Trump's knowledge and agreement," the parties told Insider. "Moreover, it is in the public interest to have this historical record in Trump's own words. We are confident that the facts and the law are in our favor." Free speech advocates are not universally concerned with the case. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression both declined to comment. But some do fear that any ruling in the former president's favor, however unlikely, would set a troubling precedent, enabling a politician to dictate how and when their own words, while in office, can be made public. "A sitting president knowingly sat down for recorded interviews with one of the most accomplished journalists of our age and talked about matters of great public interest," Seth D. Berlin, an attorney with the firm Ballard Spahr who has represented media clients in copyright and other disputes, told Insider. "Filing a lawsuit over publishing those interviews turns the First Amendment on its head." Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com Read the original article on Business Insider Two conservative Republicans cricitised the Houses vote to remove Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from the Foreign Affairs Committee. When Representatives Ken Buck of Colorado and Mike Simpson of Idaho left the House floor and got into an elevator, reporter Mark Burnett overheard Mr Buck call it stupidest vote in the world, while Representative Mike Simpson of Idaho said the vote would turn her into a martyr, Roll Call reported. Both men also agreed that the vote was in retaliation against Democrats after they voted to remove Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona from their committees during the last Congress. Mr Buck and Mr Simpson asked the passengers in the elevator to not let House Republican leadership to know their thoughts on the vote. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pushed for the vote in response to Ms Omar saying that members of Congress go out of their way to defend Israel from criticism was because Its all about the Benjamins baby. He also said she compared the US military to Hamas and was dismissive of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Were not removing her from other committees, Mr McCarthy told reporters afterward. We just do not believe, when it comes to Foreign Affairs, especially ... she shouldnt serve there. The House voted on an almost exclusively party-line vote to oust Ms Omar, a Democrat, from the House Foreign Affairs Committee for her previous criticism of Israel. Only one Republican did not vote for the measure, Representative David Joyce of Ohio, who voted present. All 211 Democrats present voted against the measure. Ms Omar, for her part, said in a floor speech that she would not be intimidated. I am an American, an American who was sent here by her constituents to represent them in Congress. A refugee who survived the horrors of a civil war. Someone who spent her childhood in a refugee camp, she said. Is anyone surprised that I am being targeted? Is anyone surprised that I am somehow deemed unworthy to speak about American foreign policy or that they see me as a powerful voice that needs to be silence. By Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress cannot support the $20 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey until Ankara ratifies the NATO memberships of Sweden and Finland, a bipartisan group of senators said on Thursday. Sweden and Finland applied last year to join the trans-Atlantic defense pact after Russia invaded Ukraine, but faced unexpected objections from Turkey and have since sought to win its support. Ankara wants Helsinki and Stockholm in particular to take a tougher line against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is considered a terror group by Turkey and the European Union, and another group it blames for a 2016 coup attempt. The three nations reached an agreement on a way forward in Madrid last June, but Ankara suspended talks last month following protests in Stockholm in which a far-right Danish politician burned a copy of the Muslim holy book, the Koran. In a letter to President Joe Biden, 29 Democratic and Republican senators said the two Nordic countries were making "full and good faith efforts" to meet the conditions for NATO membership that Turkey asked, even though Ankara says Sweden needs to do more. "Once the NATO accession protocols are ratified by Turkiye, Congress can consider the sale of F-16 fighter jets. A failure to do so, however, would call into question this pending sale," the senators wrote. It was the first time Congress explicitly and directly linked the F-16 sale to Turkey with the NATO accession bids of the two Nordic countries. The Biden administration has repeatedly said it supports the sale and refused to link the two issues, although it acknowledged that the ratification of Sweden and Finland's NATO accession would facilitate the sale process in Congress. Turkey has said it could approve Finland's NATO membership application ahead of Sweden's, but the Finnish president and foreign minister have both rejected this idea, arguing that the security of the two Nordic countries is mutually dependent. Of NATO's 30 members, only Turkey and Hungary have yet to ratify the Nordic countries' memberships. Turkey requested in October 2021 to buy 40 Lockheed Martin Corp F-16 fighters and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes. In a visit to Washington last month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the NATO issue should not be a precondition for the sale and urged the Biden administration to persuade Congress to drop its objection. While Congress can block foreign arms sales, it has not previously mustered the two-thirds majorities in both chambers required to overcome a presidential veto. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Stephen Coates) FILE PHOTO: The United States flag flies inside of Joint Task Force Guantanamo Camp VI at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Majid Khan, a Pakistani man who has described in graphic detail his torture by the Central Intelligence Agency in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, has been transferred from the Guantanamo Bay U.S. detention facility in Cuba to Belize, the Pentagon said on Thursday. Khan, 42, admitted in 2012 to conspiring with members of the al Qaeda Islamist militant organization responsible for the 2001 attacks to commit murder as well as providing material support for terrorism and spying and had been serving as a government witness since, according to U.S. officials. He was captured in Pakistan and held at an unidentified CIA "black site" from 2003 to 2006 before being placed at the detention camp at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay. In a statement issued through his legal team, Khan welcomed what he called a second chance in life. "I deeply regret the things that I did many years ago, and I have taken responsibility and tried to make up for them. I continue to ask for forgiveness from God and those I have hurt. I am truly sorry," Khan said. Khan was the first Guantanamo detainee released since last October, leaving 34 detainees - down from a peak of 800 - at the facility, with 20 others already deemed as eligible for transfer to another country, according to U.S. officials. There were 40 detainees at Guantanamo when President Joe Biden, a Democrat, took office in 2021. Biden has said he hopes to close the facility. The federal government is barred by law from transferring Guantanamo detainees to U.S. mainland prisons. "We remain dedicated to a deliberate and thorough process focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population at Guantanamo Bay and ultimately closing the facility," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. Khan's transfer was accepted by Belize's Cabinet and paid for by the U.S. government, Belize's Foreign Minister Eamon Courtenay said. "Mr. Khan is not a terrorist. He has fully recanted, accepted responsibilities for his action and asks Allah for forgiveness," Courtenay told a news conference in the Central American country. Courtenay, who met with Khan upon his arrival in Belize, said the released man is free to live the rest of his life there if he chooses. In a 39-page statement that Khan read aloud to a U.S. military sentencing commission in 2021, he described his treatment at the CIA site. Khan told of being beaten, subjected to the simulated drowning technique called waterboarding and raped anally by objects. Khan said he was hung from a beam by his hands for days, naked except for a hood over his head, and that guards there would "throw ice water on my naked body every hour or two and placed a fan to blow directly on me." He also said he had been deprived of sleep and food, kept isolated and shackled in a cell with music blaring 24 hours a day. This went on for three years, from the time of his arrest in Karachi in 2003 until his 2006 Guantanamo transfer, Khan said. Established by Republican President George W. Bush in 2002 to house foreign terrorism suspects following the 2001 hijacked plane attacks on New York and the Pentagon that killed about 3,000 people, the Guantanamo camp came to symbolize the excesses of the U.S. "war on terror" because of harsh interrogation methods that critics have said amounted to torture. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin notified U.S. lawmakers about his intent to transfer Khan last year, the Pentagon said. The Center for Constitutional Rights, the legal group representing Khan, welcomed his freedom. "Belize has done an outstanding job to prepare for his resettlement, and their success serves as a model for other countries to accept men who no one thinks should remain at Guantanamo but who cannot return to their home countries for humanitarian reasons," said Wells Dixon, a lawyer with the group. (Reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington and Jose Sanchez in Belize; Editing by Will Dunham) Dear Amy: Im a 41-year-old man. My wife is 34. Weve been married for 15 years. We have two children, ages 14 and eight. Our marriage has been difficult, mainly due to my PTSD from Iraq and an opioid addiction. Once I got sober, I shut out the world. I was an avoidant parent. My wife stuck with me through all of this, but 18 months ago she confessed to a short-lived affair. Weve decided to reconcile. Ive since changed as far as being avoidant, shes changed and made great efforts, but Im so profoundly affected by her affair that I tend to get stuck and have a hard time getting through the day without being angry or sad. I know I was a crappy husband. She wasnt perfect either, but this whole thing about her stepping out of that marriage is crushing. Im trying to forgive, shes working hard on everything, and yet I often feel very empty and lonely, as well as angry. Weve had counseling for about 14 months, but I feel like I need to find healing for me, not just the marriage. Im finding it very difficult. Any advice? J Dear J: You are objectively presenting your own challenges and the extreme impact over many years on your family. Your wife stuck with you throughout this ordeal. She doesnt seem to be blaming you for your own extreme challenges, and you seem to be trying very hard not to blame her for hers. You definitely need healing for you. You dont mention what, if any, treatment youve had for your PTSD, but I urge you to start, continue, or resume treatment. Ideally this would involve talk therapy with a counselor trained in working with servicemembers. Loneliness, emptiness, sadness, isolation, and especially anger are all residual effects of PTSD, and private as well as group counseling with other veterans would help you to continue to heal. I hope you can see this healing as a process for all of you. And it will take time. To me, you seem like a fierce and resilient survivor. I hope you can learn to see yourself that way, too. You can connect with local services for veterans by going through the VA. You can also get immediate help by dialing 988 and pressing 1 to contact the Veterans Crisis Line. A counselor would guide you through the process of finding the best support for you. (Veterans may still reach the Veterans Crisis Line with the previous phone number: 800-273-8255 and press 1, by text at 838255, and through chat on the website: VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat). Dear Amy: I am a man in mid-life. My wife and I get along very well and co-parent our three children. My wife keeps busy outside of our jobs and family life with friends and occasional pickleball matches. She seems to be thriving. Me? Not so much. I am deep into the blahs, and Im not sure what to do about it. My friends and I dont seem to jell with each other the way my wife and her friends do. Im looking for ideas on how to enhance my life. Your thoughts? In the Blahs in Mid-life Dear Blahs: I prescribe regular exercise, whether it is on your own or with a group. If you sing or play an instrument, a dad band might be a fun diversion. Check social media for postings. Pickleball is all the rage for a reason. Its fun, fairly easy to play, and if youre with the right group that isnt too crazily competitive, it will get your heart racing without being too stressful. You and your wife might not be able to play mixed-doubles because of your parenting duties, but you should look into whether this sport could help to pull you out of your blahs. Dear Amy: Responding to Controlled Husband, many years ago, about a month into my fathers retirement (when we were all sitting down at the dinner table) my mother said, Honey, I married you for better or worse. But not for lunch. I want you to go to your studio, (he was an artist), for at least four hours a day. I dont care what you do there. Read the paper, paint, have an affair. Anything. Just please get out of the kitchen. Fond Daughter Dear Daughter: I felt so sorry for this retired man, whose wife was insisting that he stay out of the house for most of the day. I assume your mothers message was well-received and helpful. (You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.) remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Express your opinion! Fill out this form to submit a Letter to the Editor. Submit A 19-year-old Hartford man charged with manslaughter in connection with a 2022 homicide in East Hartford helped pressure a 15-year-old into confessing to a shooting he did not commit, according to a warrant charging the man. Jahki Clarke, 19, of Hartford was arrested on an active warrant at Hartford Superior Court on Jan. 23 and charged with first-degree manslaughter with a firearm, tampering with physical evidence, weapons in a vehicle and first-degree hindering prosecution in connection with the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old on Jan. 9, 2022. According to the warrant affidavit, officers from the East Hartford Police Department responded to a report of an unresponsive male found in the driveway of a home on Westbrook Street on Jan. 9, 2022. The victim, later identified as a 17-year-old boy, was found with gunshot wounds and later died, the warrant affidavit said. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner listed the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the torso and the manner of death as a homicide, the warrant said. The victims girlfriend told investigators that he may have been trying to rob a drug dealer of some cannabis with a BB gun on Westbrook Street around noon on the day of the shooting. A BB gun was later found in a snowbank near the scene. A witness on Westbrook Street reported hearing a loud noise around 12:50 p.m. that day, the warrant said. Police obtained security footage of the area from private citizens and town cameras. Police also obtained video from a nearby carwash that showed the victim approach the front passenger side of a white Toyota Avalon before quickly stumbling backward and running away as if he was shot, according to the warrant affidavit . A white Toyota Avalon was seen speeding away from the scene around 12:50 p.m., the warrant affidavit said. The driver of the Toyota was determined to be 20-year-old Brainsley Beckford at the time of the incident, the warrant affidavit said. Beckford called investigators on Jan. 10, 2022, and requested help. He admitted that he was involved in the incident and wanted to give his side of the story, the warrant said. Beckford and his cousin were transported from an apartment in Hartford to the East Hartford Police Department for questioning. Beckford told police he was driving his Toyota on Jan. 9, 2022, with three others. He said a friend named Ki, later determined to be Jahki Clarke, was in the front passenger seat, the cousin was in the rear passengers side seat and a 15-year-old juvenile was in the rear drivers side passenger seat, the warrant said. The Courant is not naming the cousin because he has not been charged in the homicide. The four allegedly drove to Westbrook Street to sell some cannabis to a prospective buyer, Beckford said. The car pulled up to meet the buyer, who allegedly tried to reach into the front passenger side window of the vehicle, according to the warrant. Beckford told police that the 15-year-old then shot the victim, the warrant said. Beckford said the four went back to the cousins apartment and took off all the clothing they were wearing. They placed their clothes into a black trash bag at Clarkes order. Beckford said either Clarke or the 15-year-old put something into the trunk of the cousins car, which was parked at his apartment. Clarke then called a person named Sanjay, identified as 24-year-old Sanjay Walsh, and the group gave him the bag with their clothes. Beckford said Walsh took something out of the cousins trunk before driving away. Walsh was later arrested and charged with tampering with evidence, the warrant said. The 15-year-old later admitted to placing the gun used in the shooting in the trunk, the warrant said. The cousin gave a similar statement as Beckford when questioned separately, the warrant affidavit said. He said Walsh took the bag of clothing from Beckford and he gave Walsh the gun used in the shooting. Police interviewed the 15-year-old on Jan. 10, 2022, after Beckford and the cousin identified him to police. The 15-year-old confirmed that he was in the back seat on the drivers side , Clarke was in the front passengers side seat and the cousin was in the back passengers side seat in the Toyota, the warrant said. According to the warrant, 15-year-old confessed to shooting the victim and confessed to possessing the gun used in the shooting. He said he found the gun prior to the shooting and had been carrying it around, the warrant said. The 15-year-old was arrested and charged with manslaughter, the warrant said. Police said all three were also questioned extensively on the logistics and improbabilities of a rear drivers side passenger shooting a person at the front passenger side window while someone was sitting in the front passenger seat of a car, according to the warrant. The warrant said all three were intent on explaining the scenario in that manner. The three also gave little information about Clarke, except Beckford said he was now possibly in California for a planned vacation and was gone less than 18 hours after the shooting. Four days later, on Jan. 14, 2022, the cousin gave police a second statement where he allegedly admitted that he initially provided false information in his first statement. He allegedly said that Clarke was the shooter, not the 15-year-old, and that Clarke and Walsh told everyone to say it was the minor. The cousin said they thought the 15-year-old would get in the least amount of trouble due to his age. Investigators asked Beckford if he wanted to provide a second statement, which he declined through an attorney, the warrant said. On March 29, 2022, police re-interviewed the 15-year-old, who was incarcerated, alongside his attorney. The teen said he was not the shooter and was pressured into taking the blame for the shooting by Jahki, Brainsley, and the cousin, the warrant said. He confirmed the group thought he would get the lightest punishment for the shooting. The minor allegedly said that Clarke was the actual shooter and had used the gun that the minor found for the shooting. He said that Clarke took possession of the gun on Jan. 9 before the group drove to East Hartford, according to the warrant. He allegedly said that Clarke, Beckford and his cousin all cut up their clothes and put them in a bag, and he personally hid the gun in the Toyotas trunk as soon as they got back to Hartford after the shooting, the warrant said. Both the minor and the cousin confirmed identified Clarke by photograph during their secondary interviews with police, the warrant said. Police obtained a search warrant for Clarkes phone on Feb. 11, 2022, and GPS data from his cellphone allegedly placed him directly near the scene of the shooting around 12:50 p.m. on Jan. 9, 2022, according to the warrant. Police said they attempted to contact Clarke several times during the investigation but were unable to, the warrant said. Beckford was arrested on May 23, 2022, and charged with first-degree hindering prosecution, tampering with physical evidence, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle and giving a false statement, according to court records. He was released from custody on a $100,000 bond. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court next on Feb. 14. The 15-year-olds charges have not been amended by the court, according to East Hartford Officer Marc Caruso. The cousin has not been charged in connection with the incident, Caruso said. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. United States Congressman Frank Pallone joined demonstrators who gathered at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. to protest against Azerbaijans blockade of Lachin corridor. Demonstrators were at the Capitol today opposing Azerbaijan's illegal and inhumane blockade of the Lachin Corridor. I proudly stood with them in calling for the United States to hold Aliyev accountable for his human rights abuses against the people of Artsakh, Congressman Pallone tweeted. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. The Information Headquarters of Artsakh presented the bulletin of the 54th day of the blockade as of February 2. ARMENPRESS reports, the Information Headquarters of Artsakh stated that 7 children are in the neonatal and intensive care unit of the children's hospital. 12 adult patients are in the intensive care unit, 5 of them are in extremely serious condition, 568 citizens were deprived of the opportunity to solve their health problems through surgery. "Due to the difficult economic situation, at least 5,100 people have lost their jobs and source of income," the message states. According to the Information Headquarters of Artsakh, more than 21,200 tons of vital goods would have arrived in Artsakh if there was no blockade, during which only a small part was delivered by the International Committee of the Red Cross and Russian peacekeeping troops. 120,000 people of Artsakh are being held hostage by Azerbaijan under blockade for 54 days. Due to the blockade, Artsakh's population of 120,000 (including around 30,000 children, 20,000 elderly people, 9,000 people with disabilities) suffer many deprivations and face a high risk of malnutrition and frostbite, among other rights violations. 41 kindergartens and 20 long-day educational institutions have been closed since January 9 due to the worsening food shortage under the blockade. 5,528 children are no longer able to attend kindergarten, being deprived of the opportunity to receive proper care and food. For Transparency International, Ankara records the worst figure in the last decade. It has risen from 50 points in 2013 to 38 in 2022. In the region, Syria the most corrupt country, UAE the least corrupt. Without Netanyahu in power Israel improves by four points and ranks 31st. Istanbul (AsiaNews) - Over the past decade, with President -- and former prime minister -- Recep Tayyip Erdogan in power, Turkey has experienced a gradual increase in corruption to the point where it will record its worst figure in 2022 and slip to 101st place out of 180 nations in the world. This is the finding of this week's Transparency International's (TI) Corruption Perception Index (Cpi) report. The study records the gradual deterioration of a nation that, in the spring, will go to the polls for key elections in future domestic and regional perspectives. Ankara, experts explain, has lost two points in a year and marks the worst figure since 2013, with a "significant" decline in the rankings. The Cpi examines nations on a scale ranging from 0 (high level of perceived corruption) to 100 (low level of perceived corruption). In 2022, Turkey garnered 34 points out of 100, two less than the previous year and the lowest in the past decade, confirming activists' and NGOs' reports of a gradual expansion of corruption in a country also marked by the economic and domestic currency crisis. The gradual decline is evidenced by the numbers: from 50 in 2013, Turkey dropped to 45 in 2014, 42 in 2015, 41 in 2016, and 40 in 2017. The country's score was 38 in 2021 and 36 in 2022, plummeting 15 places in the last two years and in the group of nations with the largest decline in a decade. The analysis accompanying the report highlights some of the many problems underlying Turkey's decline. Following Turkey's inclusion on the Financial Action Task Force's gray list in 2021, Ankara has continued the trend of decline. Factors include the huge amount of unrecorded money entering the country and increased in the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine, the politicization of the judiciary, the shrinking democratic sphere, and the crackdown on oppositions. The Transparency International 2022 report also highlights the practice of impunity toward power-linked sectors, resulting in a more widespread and ordinary system of corruption. Broadening the discourse to the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, where corruption remains common practice and progressively increasing, the nation with the worst data is Syria (followed by Yemen and Iraq), while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) scores the best. Most countries in the Middle East have dropped in the rankings, and the region marks a new low, with an average across states of 38 out of 100. In a note TI points out that nations "are struggling to achieve tangible results against corruption, but none have recorded a significant improvement in the Corruption Perceptions Index over the past decade." In 2022, Oman saw the largest decline, by 8 points, from the previous year. The Gulf sultanate is now ranked 69th globally. Israel improves (in 2022 without Benjamin Netanyahu in power, but returned to government leadership only at the end of the year), which climbs four places to rank 31st overall. by Emanuele Scimia Senator Malan: "Every year two or three delegations used to leave from Rome, and we hope to resume this good custom." Last mission before the pandemic. Relations between Western and Taiwanese politicians infuriate China. Latest clash with Czech president-elect, who spoke to Tsai Ing-wen in phone call. Rome (AsiaNews) - Italian lawmakers are preparing a visit to Taiwan, Senator Lucio Malan, chairman of the Italy-Taiwan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, revealed to AsiaNews. Over the past two years, trips to Taiwan by Western, mainly European, political representatives have intensified. As expected, such missions infuriate China, which considers Taipei a "rebel province" to be reunified even with the use of force. Beijing does not want governments with which it has formal diplomatic relations-such as Italy-to have state relations with the Taiwanese, a practice seen as supporting independence forces on the island. "We are trying to reschedule visits [to Taipei] and identify a period free of 'urgent' parliamentary engagements so that we can carry out the missions that used to leave for Taiwan from Italy," explains Malan, president of senators from Brothers of Italy (FdI), the main party in the ruling coalition. The last visit to Taiwan by an Italian parliamentary delegation was before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. In early 2020, on the eve of the adoption of reciprocal health emergency closures, a mission of five deputies was scheduled to leave for the island, which was later canceled. The visits were scheduled to resume last September, skipped due to the early end of the previous legislature and the start of the new one, which also required the reorganization of the Friendship Group. "Every year two or three delegations used to leave from Rome," says Malan, "and we hope to resume this good custom, also because many new deputies and senators are eager to learn more about free, democratic and brilliant Taiwan. Also in favor of a mission of Italian parliamentarians to Taipei is FdI Senator Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata, former foreign minister in the Monti government and previously Italy's ambassador to the United States. In the immediate term, it will be Swiss parliamentarians who travel to Taiwan (on Feb. 5); next month, Czech deputies will go instead, while in mid-January a Spanish delegation returned after three years. There is much tension between Beijing and Washington over the possible visit in the coming months to Taipei of Kevin McCarthy, newly appointed speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Chinese had reacted to an August visit by his predecessor Nancy Pelosi with massive military exercises. The latest target of Beijing's wrath over relations with Taiwan is Czech President-elect Petr Pavel, who on Jan. 31 had a telephone conversation with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. The Chinese Foreign Ministry lashed out at the Prague politician, accusing him of "stepping on a red line of China, seriously interfering in its domestic affairs and hurting the feelings of the Chinese people." The last time Tsai had a telephone exchange with a leader of a country without formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan was in December 2016 with Donald Trump, then the winner of the U.S. presidential election. The harshest treatment Communist China gave Lithuania, however. In November 2021, the Taiwanese government opened a mission in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius under the name "Taiwanese." The move provoked immediate retaliation from Beijing, which said the failure to use the name "Taipei" was a violation of the "one-China policy." The Chinese have since reset trade relations with the Lithuanians, a coercive action denounced by the European Union at the World Trade Organization. (CNA photo) Another 200,000 settlers live in East Jerusalem. The settler community grew by 2.5 per cent in 12 months, 16 per cent over the last five years. The settlers' goal is to pursue their expansionist policy under Netanyahu's ultranationalist government. Three million Palestinians live in the same area. Jerusalem (AsiaNews) The West Bank Jewish settler population now exceeds half a million, a milestone in Israels expansionist policy in the Palestinian territory. For pro-settler and pro-occupation leaders, this is but a step for further growth, especially now that they can count on the support of Israels newest government, the most ultra-nationalist, right-wing in the countrys history. According to West Bank Jewish Population Stats, a pro-settler website, official data indicate that the population in the settlements reached 502,991 on 1 January 2023, up by 2.5 per cent in 12 months, 16 per cent over the past five years. "We've reached a huge hallmark," said Baruch Gordon, the director of the group and a resident of the Beit El settlement. "We're here to stay. Crossing the threshold of half a million reflects an enhanced settlement policy pursued by Israels current ultranationalist government, which is opposed to any Palestinian state. Settlements are at the top of its list of priorities. In fact, it has pledged to legalise existing outposts, which exist in violation of international law. Hitherto, they enjoyed tacit support; now it is open. To implement its goals, the government is planning to approve the construction of new homes in the West Bank. "I think that in the coming years of this government there will be more building than there has been in the last 20 years of governments," Gordon said. It should also be noted that settlements expanded under every Israeli government, irrespective of their political or ideological persuasion, even at the height of the peace process in the 1990s. Israel's previous, short-lived government, which included parties supporting Palestinian statehood along with those opposing it, continued to build settlements. Amid this, violence continues, with victims and attacks involving Christians as well, like yesterday, at the Church of the Flagellation. Despite repeated calls to curb its growth, the settler population has continued to grow under the current US administration led by Democrat Joe Biden, still stimulated by the tacit support of the previous administration under Donald Trump, a Republican. Just last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in the region, ostensibly to revive talks and support the increasingly remote possibility of a Palestinian state. Demographic data about the settlements do not include East Jerusalem, which in theory should become the future capital of a Palestinian state, but is also home to more than 200,000 Jewish settlers. If the Palestinian population in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are counted, the population of the occupied territories reach about three million. All settlements are illegal. There is no legitimacy for settlements or the presence of settlers in the Palestinian territories, said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The increase in the number of settlers is the result of Israeli government policies that do not believe in the two-state solution. by Alessandra De Poli Some 539 people are currently on death row, but only eight were executed since 2004. Last year, India's Supreme Court empowered a constitutional bench to draw up guidelines for trial courts. The last executions were carried out in 2020. Milan (AsiaNews) The number of death sentences in India has increased in recent years, 165 in 2022 alone, the highest number since 2000; however, it is rarely carried out. At present, at least 539 people are on death row, the highest figure since 2004, this according to the annual report by Project 39A, an advocacy programme by the National Law University, Delhi, named after Article 39-A of the Indian constitution, which promotes the values of equal justice and opportunity. The figures are relevant because, for the first time since 1980, the Indian Supreme Court proposed last year a revision of the legal framework governing capital punishment, which in India is usually done by hanging. It did so after noticing that many lower courts did not follow guidelines on the death penalty, which is applicable to a number of offences, such as murder, terrorism and treason. Far too often though, defendants are sentenced to death on the same day they are convicted. In a report, Project 39A points out that death sentences are mostly handed down in trial courts, with few cases reaching higher courts in appeal, although the death penalty must be confirmed by the high court in each state or territory. Investigations confirm what a Supreme Court bench found in May 2022 when they commuted the death penalty in one case to 25 years in prison, namely that trial courts fail to follow the Code of Criminal Procedure, according to which life imprisonment must be the norm and death the exception, used only in the rarest of rare circumstances. In particular, in reviewing the death sentence upheld by the Madhya Pradesh High Court in the case a three defendants convicted of killing a family of three and robbing their home, the Supreme Court pointed out that neither the trial court nor the High Court gathered all the information necessary to properly assess the case and did not provide an effective sentencing hearing to the accused. For this reason, in September, India's highest court referred the matter to a five-judge constitutional bench to assess how and when so-called mitigating circumstances (for example, mental health problems, childhood trauma or the absence of a criminal record) can apply. In addition, the Supreme Court recommended that prison authorities obtain psychiatric and psychological evaluation for defendants as well as supplementary information and make them available for their defence. It also reiterated the principle that public opinion is not a relevant ground to award the death penalty. Project 39A attempted to list the number of people executed in India since independence since the government has never collected such data. It is estimated that more than a thousand death sentences were carried out in the 20 years after independence in 1947, whilst only eight were reported between 2004 and 2022, mainly for terrorism, murder and sexual violence. The last time the death penalty was applied was in March 2020 when four men were hanged after they were convicted for their involvement in the Nirbhaya case, named after the victim, who was raped and fatally assaulted in a Delhi bus in December 2012, dying a few days later in hospital. A male friend who was with her was also beaten. Four defendants were tried, convicted, and sentenced to death in 2013, a decision upheld by the Delhi High Court in 2014, while the Supreme Court rejected the defendants appeal in 2019. INDIAN MANDALA IS THE ASIANEWS NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO INDIA. WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE IT EVERY FRIDAY IN YOUR E-MAIL? TO SUBSCRIBE, CLICK HERE. by Melani Manel Perera The prelate passed away at dawn this morning at the age of 90. A former auxiliary bishop, he led the archdiocese of Sri Lankas capital from 2002 to 2009. In the wake of the tragedy of December 2004, he led the Church's efforts to rebuild homes and provide livelihoods to survivors. Colombo (Asia News) The Archdiocese of Colombo is mourning the death of Archbishop Emeritus Oswald Thomas Colman Gomis who was called to eternal rest at the age of 90 early this morning. The prelate was ill and had been admitted to hospital in the capital. Oswald Gomis was born on 12 December 1932 in Kelaniya, and raised in Colombo where he attended St Joseph's College. He entered the seminary in 1950, studying first in Borella and then Kandy. He was ordained priest in St Lucias Cathedral, Kotahena, by the late Cardinal Thomas Cooray, archbishop of Colombo, on 3 February 1958, exactly 65 years ago. At the age of 35, he was consecrated bishop on 17 July 1968 after Paul VI appointed him auxiliary bishop of Colombo. In 1996 Pope John Paul II called him to lead the Diocese of Anuradhapura, in northern Sri Lanka, and in 2002, he replaced Mgr Nicholas Marcus Fernando as Archbishop of Colombo, becoming the third native Sri Lankan to head this See, which he held until 16 June 2009. Gomis led the Church in Sri Lankas capital during the last phase of the countrys brutal civil war (1983-2009). He also played an important role in December 2004 when the country was hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami, leading the Churchs efforts to build housing and provide livelihoods to survivors. During his tenure, numerous schools and colleges were also built throughout the country as part of the Churchs outreach programme. Archbishop Gomis was also a point of reference for other Churches in Asia. He served twice as secretary general of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) between 1996 and 2004. He also chaired the FABCs Commission for Social Communications and sat on the Board of Directors of Radio Veritas. A great communicator, Archbishop Gomis wrote articles for local newspapers in Sinhala and English and published about 16 books for children and adults in both languages. His remains will be on display until noon tomorrow at St Anne's Church in Kelaniya, his native village. His last journey will take him to St Joseph Cathedral in Anuradhapura before returning to Colombo for the funeral at 3 pm next Monday at St Lucias Cathedral. (Fr Sunil de Silva contributed to this article) by Nikos Tzoitis The Metropolitan of Pergamum, a great voice of the East, died at 92 while in Athens. He said, "There is no freedom without charity." And he called for a united Church to oppose the arrogance of geopolitical interests and nationalist drifts. Athens (AsiaNews) - Bishop Ioannis Zizioulas, Metropolitan of Pergamum -- a theologian and leading figure in the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople -- has been called to return to the house of the Lord. He passed away yesterday at the age of 92 in an Athens hospital, where he had been hospitalized for several days. The funeral will be held tomorrow. "My mind feels young, but my body no longer follows me," he had confided recently. On the occasion of the feast of the great fathers of the universal Church - John Chrysostom, Gregory the theologian and Basil of Caesarea, which falls on Jan. 30 - he had been invited by Peristeri Metropolitan Grigorios Papathomas to participate in a debate with professor and prominent Greek politician Evangelos Venizelos on the topic "Theology and Society." It was an invitation he had accepted with youthful enthusiasm; but his worsening healthmade his attendance impossible. In our recent discussions Metropolitan Zizioulas had stressed that theology should not be a prisoner of its own history, because history is death, identifying with time. And time means attrition leading to death. "Our thinking," he was fond of repeating, "must be apophatic, contemplative. It must have an eschatological vision of one's existence. The very concept of our Church, which is a gathering of people with Christ as a point of reference, must be expressed through synodality, which flows from Christ's phrase: the Father and I are one." He emphasized the problem of not understanding the true meaning of freedom, which is God's gift and expresses divine love for his creation. "There is no freedom without charity," he insisted. He added that "the only concept that the Lord of everything does not understand is that of race and nation." And as long as the Church remains "trapped in a secularized view of human progress, it cannot have a future." Metropolitan Zizioulas believed that only a united Church could stand against the arrogance of geopolitical interests and spare humankind from constant disasters on its way to the kingdom of God. "This is the greatness of our Church," Ioannis Zizioulas continued, "which wants to convey with faith and certainty the message of the Resurrection, that is, the victory of life over death, because death does not constitute the last word on our life. Just as hatred, violence and evil are not the last word on our lives, because they have been defeated by Our Lord." The Orthodox Church, he added, interprets and conveys this message in various ways, but especially with the Divine Liturgy, which represents the union of the living with the dead in one body, that of Our Lord Jesus Christ. "And we all here united in the liturgy, may we exclaim that time cannot dominate us and the past cannot bind us to all its evils, perpetuating its hatred, fears and mischief. We must free our souls from those bonds that keep us fruitlessly nailed to the past and we must look to the future." From these lands of the East, said the Metropolitan of Pergamum, came the greatest wisdom in the history of all mankind, contained in a single word: love. "A wisdom that the ancient world, despite having touched the highest heights of human knowledge, could never conceive." When Turkish authorities granted permits to return to celebrate in the places in Asia Minor where Christian theological thought flourished, he said, "We came here to remind them that we are alive and have never forgotten them." Faced with repeated statements from Moscow advising against the participation of Orthodox faithful in prayer with other Christian denominations, Metropolitan Ioannis Zizioulas recalled, "In the Church of the East, and especially in the Russian Church, there is an introversion that leads to a certain conservatism." "One is incapable of facing the challenges of the contemporary world and invokes tradition as an excuse. True appreciation of tradition," Zizioulas continued, "occurs only when we can recreate our tradition. Its message does not mean static, but has in it the dynamics of truth and is not afraid of the challenge of the contemporary world." He recalled that theological thought cannot ignore the achievements of the sciences, but he equally had an apophatic, contemplative approach. He added that the great Church fathers of Christ with their thinking were able to overcome the fences of their own era and looked to the future. For the future of humankind is the eschaton, the kingdom of God. That is why he often blamed those who, participating in ecumenical dialogue, thought only of defending their historical positions , forgetting that our goal is the kingdom of the common Lord. And precisely "Remembering Our Future" is the title he had chosen for his testament, expressed in a new book that he unfortunately left unfinished. Pictured: Metropolitan Zizioulas in St. Peter's Basilica in 2018 during his last participation in the liturgy on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul with the delegation of the Patriarchate of Constantinople A man allegedly hired a taxi to drive him around as he attempted to commit two armed robberies at Southington gas stations on Thursday afternoon, police said. He allegedly made out with $20 from one of the gas stations after being locked out of another and used it to pay the taxi driver, according to the Southington Police Department. Kyle Witkoski, 36, of Southington, was charged Thursday with first-degree robbery, second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery, sixth-degree larceny, second-degree breach of peace and use of drug paraphernalia, according to the Southington Police Department. At about 12:34 p.m., police received a call about an attempted armed robbery at the Go Happy Mart at 2110 Meriden Waterbury Turnpike in Marion, police said. A store employee told police that a man came into the store and walked through the aisles, crossing between the shared space between the liquor store and convenience store, before approaching the clerk with his hands in his pockets. The man, now identified as Witkoski, allegedly leaned against the counter, shouted this is a robbery, demanded money and said he had a gun, police said. Witkoski demanded $200, but the store worker insisted the would-be robber wait outside while he got money from the back room. While Witkoski was outside, the employee told a vendor to lock the door, locking Witkoski out, police said. Witkoski allegedly got into a waiting vehicle and left after waiting for a few minutes, police said. Police received another call of another armed robbery a few minutes later at the Fleet Gas at 2211 Meriden Waterbury Turnpike. A store employee told police that a Witkoski allegedly came into the store and started talking to the clerk, eventually shouting, Give me all your hundreds, dont touch the phone and dont call the police! Wirkoski allegedly threatened that he had a gun but refused to show it to the clerk when he asked to see it, police said. The employee offered Witkoski $20. He accepted it and left in a vehicle that was waiting outside, police said. Both employees described the vehicle as a Honda CR-V, which police spotted driving on the Meriden Waterbury Turnpike. They were able to stop the vehicle after it turned onto Ruggles Row, police said. Investigators learned that Witkoski had allegedly hired a taxi service, police said, and allegedly paid the cab driver using the $20 he stole from the second gas station. The taxi driver was cooperative and immediately released, police said. Witkoski, who was also allegedly in possession of drug paraphernalia, was placed under arrest. He was being held in lieu of a $60,000 bond, police said. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Twinned with the Hyundai Palisade but manufactured in the United States rather than South Korea, the Kia -branded sibling has been called back over a manufacturing error that causes the second-row side airbags to deactivate or deploy incorrectly. Kia North America received a case report from a dealer on December 27th, 2022 involving damage to the side airbag wire harness. The dealer noted contact with the Tellurides second-row seat frame, thus resulting in the illumination of the airbag warning light.In the early days of January, right after everyone got back to work, the suits at Kia North America informed Kia Georgia of the incident. They also requested the assembly plant to investigate. During said investigation, the safety boffins at Kia Georgia issued a stop-ship order out of an abundance of caution. Theyve inspected no fewer than 2,219 vehicles produced for the 2023 model year, of which 20 exhibited wire harness contact with the second-row seat frame. No damage was identified. In time, however, those airbag harnesses will definitely become damaged.After conducting a field data analysis that resulted in no complaints or techline reports other than the one from December 2022, the U.S. division requested the mothership in South Korea to evaluate this concern. Not exactly a surprising outcome, Kia Corporation told Kia North America that a damaged wire harness leads to the improper deployment of the second-row side airbags. The worst-case scenario is no deployment at all.In light of this information, the peeps at Kia North America didnt really have a choice but to recall nearly 32,000 units of the 2023 model year Telluride . Those 31,943 vehicles were manufactured in the period between September 1st, 2022 and January 23rd, 2023 as per documents filed with the federal watchdog. Thewas informed that dealers would be notified of the recall on February 23rd, with owners to follow suit no later than February 28th.Attached below, the part 573 safety recall report highlights that the supplier is blamed for producing shorter-than-required wire harnesses. The supplier in question is Adient, headquartered in West Point where Kia makes the Telluride. No fewer than five part numbers are listed, three for the left-hand side and two for the right-hand side. Of course, the remedy component that dealers will install is manufactured with the proper length.One of the segments most successful crossover, the mid-size Telluride offers up to eight seats and no fewer than 17 standard driver assistance features. Equipped with a naturally-aspirated V6 and eight-speed automatic transmission across the board, the family-hauling Telluride is currently priced at $35,890 before the $1,365 destination freight charge. Photo: Textron VTOL Take the relatively unknown Aerosonde, for instance. Despite a number of them being in the air for 600,000 flight hours now, in service of various operators, its not a machine weve heard plenty about before. But thats about to change, as the drone just entered operational service with the U.S. Navy Back in September 2021, the Navy requested a new type of drone that can be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. It didnt want just any type of drone, but one that could be launched from guided-missile destroyers.Aerosonde is that drone, and in April 2022 the first one took off from the deck of an unnamed Arleigh Burke-class ship deployed with the 7th Fleet. In October, the Navy awarded Aerosondes maker, Textron, a contract to supply these drones to Navy ships over the next five years.At the time of writing, Aerosondes are deployed on the decks of USS Hershel Woody Williams (ESB 4), two unnamed DDG-class vessels, and the USS Miguel Keith (ESB 5). It's from this latter ship that an Aerosonde took off for its first operational mission recently. We know nothing about the mission itself, it being a military affair and all, but we do know a thing or two about what the drone itself is capable of doing.Being an ISR machine means its packed with all the hardware it needs to spot, identify and track targets, including video equipment, voice comms, networking, radar, and automatic identification systems.It can carry a total of 20 pounds (9.1 kg) of cargo (the drone itself weighs just 80 pounds/36.4 kg), and it is powered by a Lycoming heavy-fuel engine. The powerplant allows it to travel for as much as 140 km (87 miles) per mission, and it is capable of staying airborne for up to 14 hours.There are two versions of the drone. The first is Aerosonde Fixed Wing which launches using a hydraulic pneumatic and can be recovered using a net this is the version the Navy seems to be using. The second is called Aerosonde HQ, and it is a vertical take-off and landing () machine.As for the USS Miguel Keith which made history by launching the first operational mission of the Aerosonde, were talking about one of Americas three expeditionary mobile bases in service. Launched in 2018 and assigned to Amphibious Squadron Eleven, it currently operates as part of the Forward Deployed Naval Force. It displaces 100,000 short tons fully loaded, and carries with it 250 sailors. Photo: Lockheed Martin The heavier punch comes as something called the Spike Non-Line-of-Sight Long Range Precision Munitions Directed Requirement (LRPM DR). Thats quite the mouthful, so well call it the Spike NLOS from now on.Spike is a rocket-motor-powered missile that guides itself to the target by means of electro-optical and infrared hardware. The seeker and wireless datalink systems it comes equipped with also allow soldiers to change the things direction while en route to its target, making it both unpredictable and unavoidable.Non-line-of-sight in this particular case means it can be fired from 32 km (20 miles) away from the target, which in turn means the ones at the receiving end wouldnt even know what platform it was released from.Last weve heard of this piece of equipment was in May last year, when defense contractor Oshkosh announced Spikes integration with its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) family of vehicles.This week, Spikes maker, Lockheed Martin, announced the conclusion of a successful live fire test of the Spike NLOS from the newest version of the Apache helicopter, the V6.The test took place in the last days of January at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona and involved an Apache firing not one, but two Spikes at targets in two different (and undisclosed) scenarios. The targets for this exercise were stationary, and all seems to have gone according to plan, proving the weapon could be integrated with the newest version of the attack helicopter, and opening the doors for qualification testing."The successful integration of Spike NLOS on the Apache platform demonstrates Lockheed Martin's continued commitment to 21st-century security solutions that help our customers complete their missions, said in a statement Tom Bargnesi, program management senior manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.The systems expansion onto additional platforms, along with its mission-focused defense capabilities, ensures it will help the U.S. Army stay ahead of ready in an ever-evolving threat environment.Qualification testing will allow the weapon to be fielded by Apaches for future wars, and the V6 variant of the helicopter, used by the U.S. Army, should be equipped with these missiles from September 2024.The Spike is the latest weapon in an already tremendous arsenal the Apache can carry and which includes Hellfire missiles, 2.75-inch rockets, and 30 mm chain gun rounds. Photo: Northrop Grumman Photo: Northrop Grumman Photo: Northrop Grumman But why? What about the successor airplane to the B-2 Spirit is so irresistible to what's still, at the end of the day, a non- NATO member? Let's take a look at some of the ins and outs of the B-21 to uncover what is about the jet that the Aussie Military think tanks crave. On first impressions alone, it's not hard to understand their intrigue.Even while the first testbed B-21 awaits its first flight at an Air Force/NASA installation in Palmdale, California, the expectations of the latest flying-wing American stealth bomber couldn't be any higher. As the spiritual torch bearer of not just the B-2 Spirit but also the old Northrop YB-35/YB-49s of legend, this new warbird has considerable heritage beneath its wings.So much of the B-21's nuts and bolts remain under lock and key in top-secret military classifieds. But we can at least deduce a handful of things based on what we know so far. Firstly, it's important to realize there are only 20 B-2 Spirits in the U.S. Air Force's arsenal. To this day, approximately 60 B-52H Stratofortresses and 45 B-1B Lancers still constitute the bulk of America's strategic bombing power.That's why, despite the B-21's decreased size and payload over a B-2, a projected fleet size projected by the Air Force of no less than 100 new Raiders will be incredibly beneficial by the time of its service introduction no sooner than the mid-2020s. As a strategic bomber, the B-21 will use its ability to fly thousands of miles unrefueled to take off from domestic or NATO-allied airbases and strike anywhere in the world without a whisper from enemy radar.The exact nature of the B-21 's radar stealth capability is perhaps the most highly classified part of its abilities. But the B-21's predecessor, the B-2, was as stealthy of an airplane as existed until the F-22 and F-35 arrived in the picture. As of 2013, not a single missile has even been reported fired at B-2 aircrews. This is likely true today as well, owing to the B-2's relatively light strategic workload over the last decade.Keep in mind the B-2's range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,000km, 6,900 mi) is still the most impressive of any strategic bomber south of the B-52H in the current NATO arsenal. Knowing that Northrop Grumman expects the B-21 Raider to outperform even the B-2's range is nothing short of an impact statement. This would enable the B-21 to take from bases on the U.S.'s Pacific coast in Oregon, Washington, or California and strike targets in places like North Korea or Russia before landing in NATO-friendly nations like Japan or the Baltic states.Assuming these claims about the B-21's range can be proven in real life, that would make it pound for pound, the most formidable strategic bomber ever constructed. But more than that, this makes the Raider the perfect fit for Royal Australian Air Force. Assuming the U.S. would even consider playing ball with that notion. Regardless of the U.S.'s perceived hesitancy to make it happen, the B-21 Raider elicited particular intrigue from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.Established in 2001 and based in Barton, Canberra, the ASPI is one of Australia's most influential private-sector military consultant groups. With an office in Washington D.C. and, therefore, presumably a cozy relationship with the Pentagon, the ASPI sees great potential in the B-21. The reasons why can be explained by the pages of history. As an isolated bastion of western culture and influence on the fringes of Oceania, the Australians, along with New Zealand , have routinely found themselves at odds with the territorial powers of East Asia, who sought to assert their dominance over the region.In the Second World War, Imperial Japan was the prime aggressor. Through their island-hopping campaigns across modern-day Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines, the Japanese Navy may very well have invaded Australia and New Zealand had they not been forced back by the Americans and later the British. Today, Japan is a strong U.S. ally, as well as NATO and Australia, by extension. Instead, it's the Chinese and the Russians by association who pose the largest threat to Australian sovereignty. In 2016, Chinese state media unveiled that a stealthy strategic bomber, the B-21's equal, was underway by the state-run Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation.Dubbed the Xian H-20, one can only wonder if this secretive Chinese stealth bomber can strike the Australian mainland. That's a worrying notion for anyone living in either Australia or New Zealand. The ASPI evidently wishes not to push their luck. Though certain claims about a breadth of topics concerning the Chinese Military are certainly dubious and possibly complete falsehoods, history teaches us the road to imperialism in Oceania usually leads to mulling an invasion of Australia if left unchecked.Whether they actually attempt such an invasion is largely up to factors outside of the Australian Military's control. With this in mind, a long-range strike-capable American strategic stealth bomber like the B-21 could be the ticket to keeping Chinese Military influence out of the region. It isn't very certain what stance the U.S. will take to exporting the B-21. Its predecessor, the B-2, certainly wasn't marketed to foreign markets whether the Americans could afford to meet demand or not.In truth, Boeing's Australian division had a huge hand in the development of the MQ-28 Ghost Bat stealth UAV built to data-link with modern manned stealth jets. From multiple points of view, there's an argument to be made the MQ-28 is an airplane tailor-made for the B-21 Raider. As a likely candidate to be the B-21's future travel companion, the Australians can use the Ghost Bat to drum up at least some leverage to coax the U.S. into making a deal.In the meantime, Boeing Australia is busying itself optimizing the MQ-28's flight systems for use with RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornets , E-7 Airborne Warning aircraft, KC-30 tankers, and, of course, the F-35A Lightning II. Could this striking new stealthy drone become a bartering chip in bringing the B-21 to Australia? The ASPI appears to point in that direction. As for the moment, expect the MQ-28 Ghost Bat to deploy sometime between 2024 and 2025.If all goes according to plans, the B-21 should be ready to go into service within the same deployment window as its potential AI-assisted, self-driving counterpart. Even if the United States decided not to directly supply the Aussies with B-21s, expect RAAF F-35s to accompany USAF Raiders on deep strike missions in the event a provocation by Russia or China takes place in Oceania in the near future.Even if the flashpoint of war takes place elsewhere in Asia, both Australia and New Zealand are still well within China's sphere of influence. It's perhaps just enough justification for the U.S. Air Force to do something it didn't do with the F-117 or the F-22, sell it to foreign markets. Imagine watching as the British seeth with jealousy as their former colony and a non-NATO member gets the shiny new American jet before they do.Well, that's just how the cookie crumbles sometimes. For the time being, Northrop Grumman can at least hold their heads up with pride, knowing the B-21 is a real flight-ready airframe that's going to have its first test flight any day now. We can't say the same about the Chinese copycat. The U.S. Air Force still rules the roost in the strategic bomber space, it should use this opportunity very wisely. Photo: Youtube.com/Gyrocopter flying club Photo: Wikimedia User Arpingstone - Own work Photo: Rolf Engesland - National Archives of Norway Photo: Flickr User Grumman G1159- Own Work One YouTuber responded with a clap-back video of sorts, asking what it was Hush Kit was smoking when they came up with this list. As a result, we've come upon a story we're sure even most military aviation geeks might not have heard about yet. This is the tale of the Blackburn Beverly, the most misunderstood cargo plane that ever flew.Aviation junkies who knew the story of what might look like a C-130 with a messed up aspect ratio decried comparing it to the Hercules as a little unfair. The reason why is that even though the Beverly deployed in 1955, just a year before the Lockheed C-130A, the impetus for its production dates back to just after the end of World War II.By the end of the war, the bulk of Royal Air Force cargo duty had long been designated to American Lend-Lease airplanes like the Douglas C-47 Dakota/Skytrain and the Curtiss C-46 Commando . Alongside a handful of domestic designs like the Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle, the Vickers Warwick, and the De Haviland Albatross. Once the dust over Europe and the Pacific settled, it was clear a home-grown replacement for all of these crusty cargo planes was an utmost priority.General Aircraft, makers of the Hamilcar cargo transport glider, had been working on a design for a domestic quad-engine military cargo plane for some time by 1945. The company's chief designer, a man called F. F. Crocombe, first devised the concept way back in 1939. In its early stages, the plane was dubbed the GAL.60 and slated to be powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines famous in the Spitfire and the American P-51D Mustang.In 1946, the RAF Air Ministry issued Specification C.3/46. An invitation for design proposals calling for a medium-range tactical cargo aircraft with an 18,000-foot (5,486-meter) service ceiling and a maximum cargo load of 25,000 lbs (11,339.8 kg), or 5,000 lbs more than the original design with Merlin engines.The 14-cylinder Bristol Hercules was also considered for a time, being famous for its use in the Bristol Beaufighter and also the cuddly-looking but equally awful Saro Lerwick flying boat.But the 135,000 lb (61,235 kg) fully-loaded design the Beverly became would have been too much even for a very sizeable radial engine. What was needed was nothing short of one of the largest piston engines ever built in large numbers, the Bristol Centaurus. Most famous for its use in the colossal Bristol Brabazon airliner and the Hawker Sea Fury carrier fighter, this 18-cylinder behemoth was only matched in large numbers by a handful of American engines like the Wright R-3350.A special variant of the Centaurus dubbed the 373 was created specifically for the Beverly and produced an eye-watering 3,220 horsepower. For unknown reasons, this variant was never fitted to a production Blackburn Beverly. Instead, a more modest variant, 173 variants with 2,850 horsepower each. Though undoubtedly a lot of power, this grunt was meant to haul massive loads of cargo and people, not for speed.A leisurely cruising speed of 238 mph (383 kph) may have been just fine in the early days of World War II. But in the skies above a global superpower armed with jet aircraft, the Beverly would have no hopes of maneuvering its way out of danger if fighter escorts failed to stop a threat. That said, a ferry range of 3,960 miles (6,370 km, 3,440 mi) was admirable for the time. With room for 100 or more troops in the cargo hold and the tail boom, this load could easily be swapped for nine jeeps or a single bulldozer-sized armored vehicle.Interestingly, the doors for the in-flight lavatory were located painstakingly close to the opening of the Beverly's paratrooper doors at first. A modification was made to fix this when an RAF crew member fell 20 feet to the ground after falling out the paratrooper door after exiting the bathroom. To say it took a geological time scale in aeronautical terms to work out all the faults would be an understatement.Making its maiden flight in 1950, the Beverly wouldn't enter RAF service until 1955. Resources in a still-rebuilding Great Britain after World War II were a fraction of what the mostly undamaged American war infrastructure had at its disposal. The YouTube channel Gyrocopter flying club pointed this out in their response to the Beverly's place on the worst aircraft ever list by displaying two photos back to back. One photo is of Lockheed's main factory in Burbank, California, and another of Blackburn's main facility in Brough, Yorkshire, in the North of England.Comparing Blackburn's facility to that of Lockheeds is like comparing the U.S. Air Force to that of a "third-world" nation, whatever that means this month. The point is, even as Blackburn Aircraft merged with General Aircraft, the resources available to the new single company were a fraction of even America's least busy military aerospace contractor. A subsequent change in the Air Ministry's requirements soon after the airframe's first flight didn't help matters even slightly.This fact goes to great lengths to explain why Beverly took a full half-decade to enter military service after its first flight. When the first 20 Beverlies did eventually enter service, they were placed with the Royal Air Force's No.47 Squadron based at RAF Abingdon Air Base in Oxfordshire. The aircraft delivered made regular cargo runs to RAF bases in Germany, a country yet to be fully rehabilitated by the victorious Allies after the end of the Second World War. Though no doubt ungainly, the Beverly was surprisingly solid at its primary role of a cargo plane.That's in spite of engines that burned almost as much oil as they did gasoline and fuel pumps that were very easy to accidentally install backward. If this were to happen in one or more engines and the airplane still managed to make it into the skies, the results should be as self-explanatory as they are catastrophic. Such an incident happened at least once, in March 1958, over Sutton Wick in Berkshire, England, with 18 fatalities in total. Nine of the 49 Beverly airframes Blackburn manufactured were lost in accidents or landmine/bomb attacks.Meanwhile, as Hush Kit pointed out, to some people's dismay, the Lockheed C-130A Hercules was leaving factories in their hundreds beginning only a year after the Beverly entered RAF service. Sporting quad Allison T-56-A-A-15 turboprop engines with 3,750 shaft horsepower each, the C-130A's cruising speed of 336 mph (540 kph) would have ripped the wings off a Blackburn Beverly.Though the Beverly's range out-classed early C-130s a bit, the more powerful and more capable Hercules was the clear way forward for dozens of Air Forces across the globe. Meanwhile, the Blackburn Beverly continued to serve with the RAF until 1967. The year prior, the RAF received their first orders of American C-130H variants. From that point on, the Beverly was truly toast.Today, only a single Beverly exists in its entirety. It was on display, for some time, at the Fort Paull gun battery outside of Hull, England. As of 2021, the airframe was being disassembled and transported to an airfield in Selby, England. Somewhere along the way in 2022, roadblocks appeared in this process. This left the future of the sole surviving Blackburn Beverly in grave peril. Meanwhile, over 2,500 C-130s have been built since the 1950s, beating out the Beverly's entire production run approximately 50 times over.Does this make the Beverly a signifier that America truly did build better airplanes than Great Britain? Well, on the one hand, the math doesn't lie. But on the other, it must be said a fair few British aviation geeks really do love the old warbird . Some folks love it enough, in fact, to genuinely feel despair when the last example finally bites the dust. For that reason alone, the Blackburn Beverly deserves a little bit of the spotlight. SUV The legal battle also involves the head designer of Munro Vehicles, who used to be a contracted designer for Bollinger. The Bollinger brand was first to unveil its square-shapedand pickup truck. The folks at Munro Vehicles showed theirs several years later, and both firms had the same person in charge of design.The people at Bollinger have accused the Scots at Munro of infringing two of their patents, both covering an original vehicle design that is unique. The case mentions the use of exposed hinges, hardware, extensive flat surfaces, flat and parallel body lines, the distinctive shape of the wheel arches, and even the aesthetic beveled surfaces.As you might have observed, there are several similarities between these vehicles, and it does not look great since one of the brands hired a former contractor who used to design vehicles for the other company. We will let justice proceed with its course, as it is not our job to judge who is guilty here, but we can see why the suit was filed in the first place.It is important to note that the former contractor is also accused by Bollinger of retaining intellectual property and other materials, as well as disclosing those to his new employer, which reportedly violates an older Non-Disclosure Agreement between him and the firm.The designer was even accused of sharing screenshots of CAD models on social media to promote his work, and his former contractors at Bollinger claim that he was asked to stop with a cease-and-desist order, but he did not comply.Both accusations are serious, but it still does not explain the entire situation, as the lead designer's work still needs to be approved before being turned into a prototype and then into a working vehicle.In case you were wondering how a patent can be infringed by another company if it hires the person who first thought up the product, we should note that it all depends on who filed the patent application, and what was the contractual relationship between the person, the company in question, and so on.In other words, if you did work for a company under the terms of a contract, that work no longer belongs to you, but to the company, while you were compensated for it with money.Representatives of Munro Vehicles have told TechCrunch that the company is aware of the allegations raised by Bollinger Motors , and that it takes them seriously and intends to defend its position over the design of their Munro MK-1 all-terrain vehicle.Several articles from international media outlets, including autoevolution, are filed with the complaint, along with the patents and the Mutual Nondisclosure Agreement between Bollinger Motors and its former contractor.The Scottish firm called Munro Vehicles was founded back in 2021, while the Michigan-based Bollinger Motors was founded in 2015.The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages, but want the amount to be determined at the time of trial, along with a permanent injunction against both defendants in this case, as the report notes A Oxford man has been charged with cruelty to persons and tampering with evidence in connection with his younger brothers suspicious death in June 2022, officials said. James Mosley, 72, was arrested on a warrant in Bridgeport on Wednesday, according to the Connecticut State Police. Mosley is facing charges connected to his older brother Kevin Mosleys death in their home on June 20, 2022. The 64-year-old was found lying in a pool of blood on their kitchen floor with trauma to his face and head. A medical examiner ruled that he died from blunt force trauma to the head but did not determine whether he died as the result of an accident, homicide or in another manner, officials said. Police first responded to the brothers home after James Mosley called 911. Officers arrived under the impression that a 64-year-old man was in cardiac arrest, police said in a warrant, but found a bloody scene and evidence suggesting that Kevin Mosley, who was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital shortly after, had been dead for a while, records show. James Mosley was escorted away from the scene after officers watched him step in the pool of his brothers blood to kill a fly, according to police in a warrant for his arrest. After that, Mosley allegedly told detectives that when he went to bed the night before, his brother had been lying on the floor. They had a short conversation and the younger Mosley went to sleep. The next day, he allegedly told police, he was in and out of the house while his brother remained on the floor. He allegedly said he eventually saw the blood on his face and called for help, according to the warrant. Emergency medical responders at the scene told investigators that Mosley changed his story while talking to them more than once. They said that Mosley said that his brother normally slept on the floor, but then gave different accounts of how and where hed seen him lying. At one point he allegedly said his brother had been lying face down, then on his side, then on the couch, according to the warrant. EMS also told police that they allegedly saw Mosley bring two white trash bags outside while they were trying to administer emergency aid to his brother. Police said investigators later found those bags in a blue Chevy Malibu parked in the driveway and looked through them with Mosleys permission. They found items with a blood-like substance on them in the bags, police said in the warrant. A subsequent search of the brothers house led investigators to find blood stains on the living room floor, underneath a chair and a coffee table, and blood spatter on the walls, police said in the warrant. According to police, Mosley agreed to speak with detectives further and told them he had cleaned up blood from the scene twice, before and after sleeping, prior to calling 911 for help, police said in the warrant. The partially redacted arrest warrant also details a conversation investigators had with a person who knows Mosley. Their name is redacted from the records. The person allegedly told police that theyd spoken to Mosley since his brothers death and thought he should be charged in connection with the death, the warrant said. I think he should be, he left him there to bleed, the person told investigators, according to police in the warrant. Mosley had allegedly told this person that his brother had fallen and there was a lot of blood. He allegedly said that he cleaned up the blood and went to bed, according to the warrant. The person told police that when they asked Mosley why he left his brother there, he hung up the phone, the warrant said. Mosley was arrested in Bridgeport and was taken to Troop G barracks for processing. He was then transported to the Bridgeport Correctional Center where he was being held in lieu of a $25,000 court-set bond, police said. The case is being investigated by the CSP Western District Major Crime Squad. Manufactured by South Korea-based Keumgang, the suspect roof mounting clips feature no fewer than six product numbers. Owners of recalled vehicles can identify detaching roof moldings by means of wind noise from the roof area or visible lifting/misalignment of the moldings.16,104 pickups and crossovers have been called back stateside. The list kicks off with 10,528 units of the Santa Cruz, produced for the 2022 and 2023 model years between June 8th, 2021 and August 10th, 2022. As for the Tucson , only the 2022 model is affected. Suspect vehicles were manufactured at the Hyundai assembly plant in Montgomery, Alabama in the period between February 3rd, 2021 and September 25th, 2021. HMMA is also tasked with producing the Ford Mavericks only direct competitor.Both dealers and owners will be informed of this recall no later than April 1st. Redesigned mounting clips were fully implemented at HMMA on September 25th, 2021. Affected owners who incurred out-of-pocket expenses to obtain a remedy are - of course - eligible for reimbursement.Advertised in the form of a sport adventure vehicle rather than a truck, the Santa Cruz was released in 2021 for the 2022 model year. It currently starts at $25,700 in the United States of America, which makes the Ford Maverick the more affordable of the two compact unibody pickup trucks.Customers are presented with either a naturally-aspirated 2.5L or a single-turbo 2.5L engine. The free-breathing mill is connected to a torque-converter automatic, whereas the force-fed lump is rocking a dual-clutch transmission. Available with up to 281 horsepower, the Santa Cruz offers up to 1,753 pounds (795 kilograms) of payload. In terms of towing capacity, make that 3,500 pounds (1,588 kilograms) as standard or 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms) with the 2.5L turbo.A nameplate thats been around for quite a few years now, Tucson sells better than any other Hyundai in the United States of America. It finished 2022 with 175,307 deliveries under its belt, with second place taken by the Santa Fe (119,589 units) and third place by the Elantra (117,177 units).Its up there for plenty of good reasons. The $26,700 starting price, for example, makes the Tucson a wee bit more affordable than the Ford Escape. It also looks far better than Fords compact crossover, and customers are presented with a four-cylinder engine rather than a three-cylinder as standard. Even the SE base trim is nicely equipped, sporting an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, cordless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, LED headlights, as well as a rear occupant alert system. SUV Luckily, that is not the case when Platinum Motorsport Group is involved. The customization shop based in Los Angeles, California, has a lot of famous customers, and one of their favorites is hands-down Kim Kardashian, with whom they have created countless (grey) models.But were not going to talk about Kims matching collection . Instead, well switch our attention to another woman they frequently collaborate with: Lori Harvey.The auto custom shop has just shared a series of pictures giving us a good look at Harveys ride, which is a Lamborghini Urus, calling it clean. Well, not quite, but close enough. The 26-year-old, who is a model, entrepreneur, and socialite, has been often seen driving around this super-, which is also her go-to car.While the new post does give us a detailed glimpse of what Harvey drives, its unclear whether the super-SUV received any updates from the last time we saw the 26-year-old model pose with it The SUV keeps the same grey shade from the front bumper going all the way to the back for a monochrome look. It still uses its stock 23-inch Taigete wheels in the same hue, with the orange brake calipers representing the only splash of color and giving a hint of what you will find once you open the door.As promised, the cabin boasts black and orange, with subtle grey accents on the door and dashboard that reflect its stylish exterior.Lori Harvey received the Urus for Christmas in 2020 from her famous stepfather, talk show host Steve Harvey. Back in the day, it came with a white exterior, fitted with the same stock Taigete wheels. But now we know that Platinum Motorsport was in charge of its makeove r, which seems to have happened early in 2022 or late 2021.Platinum Motorsport didn't reveal whether the Urus received any power boost, so we'll assume it still keeps the same figures as it had when it rolled off the assembly line in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy. That means a 4.0-liter V8 engine lies under the hood, good for 641 horsepower (650 ps) and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm) of torque. The power mill sends the resources to all four wheels with the help of an eight-speed automatic gearbox.And, with figures like these, there's no need for further modification. Because, from stock, the Urus is able to hit 62 mph (100 kph) from zero in merely 3.6 seconds, going all the way to a top speed of 190 mph (306 kph).Besides the work carried out on this Lamborghini Urus, the model has previously collaborated with Platinum Motorsport when she rented a white Rolls-Royce Ghost for the launch of her skincare line, SKN by LH, back in October 2021. Everybody knows that Tesla is working on a refreshed Model 3, which should be ready for production next year. Rumors about a so-called Project Highland started circulating in November last year, prompting people to speculate about the modifications. Nevertheless, the prototypes spotted in the wild seemed like run-of-the-mill Tesla Model 3s, despite the black cladding hiding most of the front and rear sections. Some people even thought this was a joke and started calling it Project Hypeland.Whatever this is about, the importance of Teslas Project Highland should not be dismissed. If we get it right, and Elon Musks fondness for easter eggs is an indication, this hints at the car manufacturing revolution Ford started in 1913 at its Highland Park factory in Michigan. Were not sure how this manufacturing revolution relates to the Model 3, but it doesnt have to. We know that Tesla is on to something with car manufacturing, and the main beneficiary is the rumored new affordable model that Tesla is working on.Tesla promised to offer more details about a new Gen-3 car platform on Investor Day next month. This would likely afford Tesla a leap in manufacturing efficiency and spawn an entirely new model to join the current lineup. Eventually, the manufacturing advancements will trickle down to the existing models, boosting profitability, lowering prices, or both simultaneously.Nevertheless, what people really want to see is a new design to make the new models stand out. This is a path that Tesla didnt want to follow, and thats why the refreshed Tesla Model S and Model X look pretty much like the OG models. This approach has advantages on its own, thus making earlier model years keep their appeal for a lot longer than the industry average. And thanks to updated features offered via OTA updates, Tesla owners can enjoy their cars for longer.Nevertheless, this makes future model prototypes look just like the cars in production. Were still wondering what the black cladding on the Model 3 prototypes weve seen so far might hide. Is it a new design? If thats the case, Tesla is a master of disguise. Or maybe something else entirely? We dont know. For what is worth, the prototypes couldve been tested on public streets with no camo at all, and very few people wouldve noticed they were not production vehicles. Hiding it in plain sight is the best disguise.A new Tesla Model 3 prototype was spotted on February 3 wearing the same black camo front and rear as the ones weve seen earlier. This time, the red Model 3 was wearing regular license plates instead of the manufacturer plates. Just like before, it is not clear what is hiding. Perhaps a new sensor suit, although sensors need not be covered to function properly, and the camouflage is air-tight on this prototype. Nevertheless, Tesla is testing many of them, as weve seen two parked next to an earlier Cybertruck prototype in a recent picture. Super yacht AXIOMA towed this morning from her berth at Queensway Quay by @resolvemarine tugs Rooke and Eliott to North Mole Yacht previous owned by Russian billionaire Dmitrievich Pumpyansky and seized in March of last year Subsequently auctioned for $37.5 million #Gibraltar pic.twitter.com/T7nVXhGJtq Michael J Sanchez (@key2med) January 28, 2023 Axioma is on the move at long last, but there is a catch: it no longer seems able to move under its own power. Axioma is heading to its new home in Turkey, and all signs are pointing to the fact that it would be making part of the journey, if not the entirety of it, by tow.Delivered in 2013, Axioma is not the most expensive, nor the flashiest Russian oligarch-owned superyachts out there. In March 2022, it became one of the first superyachts to be seized under the then-newly-introduced sanctions. In the summer of the same year, it went on to become the first seized superyacht to sell at auction, when the state of Gibraltar sold it off over an unpaid debt to bank J.P. Morgan.With an estimated value of $75 million, Axioma sold for just $37.5 million in a 16-bid closed auction. In September, authorities announced that the sale had been finalized, but they did not disclose the identity of the new owner and neither did they mention what would happen with the money left after J.P. Morgans debt of $21 million was paid off.Then, for several more months, the 238-foot (72.5-meter) Axioma remained at dock in the same spot it had been before the sale . Reports claimed that the new owner was Turkish and most likely connected to Dunya Yachts, the shipyard that had built Axioma as a custom project for the previous owner (and known Putin associate) Dmitry Pumpyansky.Prior to the seizure of Axioma, Dunya Yachts announced it was building a 157-foot (48-meter) shadow vessel for it. It would also be a custom build that would match the mothership in design, styling and even the instantly recognizable azure blue hull.Partly confirming reports about the new owner, Axioma is now heading to Turkey. AIS (automatic identification system) tracking has been turned on, and it lists Gemlik, a commercial port north of Istanbul, as its destination, with a mid-February estimated arrival date. Gemlik is also very close to the Dunya Yachts shipyard, which could be one heck of a coincidence, if you believe coincidences exist.More surprising than its port of destination is the fact that Axioma isnt moving under its own power. Superyacht vlogger eSysman notes in the video at the bottom of the page that, prior to its departure, the superyacht was moved to a fueling dock, where it received its full tank. Despite this, it has left Gibraltar towed by several tugs, with trade publications noting that its likely it will make the 2,117-nautical-mile (2,436-mile / 3,921-km) journey without starting up its own engines, for reasons yet unknown. Although electric vehicles are slowly but surely entering the mainstream, many people still consider them unworthy to replace the real cars. With the launch of the first electric pickup trucks, the debate became more heated. This is especially true in the U.S., where the market is only warming up to electric vehicles. We thought the Tesla Semi launch would heat things even more, but it wasnt the case.Sure, a professional truck driver from Europe offered his opinion about the truck, and it wasnt a favorable one. In his view , Tesla missed many aspects of a truck drivers everyday life. While he had valid points, remember that he is a European truck driver, and things are very different across the Ocean. Surprisingly, North-American truck drivers look more sympathetically at the Tesla Semi, even when reports showed that they malfunction more often than expected.Although PepsiCo received only 36 trucks, weve already seen several of them break down on the side of the road and need assistance. Reading the comments, we were surprised to see many professional truck drivers taking sides with Tesla and saying that all tracks break down from time to time. Moreover, they expected the Semi to be worse because its the first product from an inexperienced company. We think American truck drivers seem rather excited to drive a Tesla Semi.Were not sure how big rigs fare in reliability, but seeing so many Tesla Semis on the side of the road is disturbing. After all, not many Teslas spend most of their lives in service, despite alleged build quality issues. Nevertheless, a new Tesla Semi was seen stopped on the side of the I-80. Wearing the Pepsi livery, we can assume it was based in Sacramento and heading to San Francisco when it happened. Weve learned that PepsiCo assigned 100-mile (161-km) jobs to Tesla Semis operated from the Pepsi production facility in Sacramento, and the trip to San Francisco is roughly 90 miles (145 km).According to the post on Reddit, the truck was stopped with the hood opened while an orange fluid was spilled on the ground. A service van was also parked nearby, probably trying to fix the problem. There arent many uses for fluids on a Tesla Semi, considering it uses pneumatics instead of hydraulics. This means this could be either washing fluid, which is unlikely to warrant an emergency stop, or battery coolant, a more serious problem This incident again questions Tesla Semis reliability. We know that Tesla Semi features a modified Model S Plaid drivetrain , although the use cases for the two EVs are clearly different. Tesla promised the Semi would last a million miles, but were still skeptical about this claim. Right now, other companies are awaiting feedback from PepsiCo, and Semis reliability should be their top concern. AMG More impressive still, 101 pound-feet (137 Nm) are delivered at 9,500 revolutions per minute. Given the curb weight of 590.9 pounds (268 kilograms), one cant ignore this motorcycles power-to-weight ratio.Generously updated in 2021 for 2022, the street-legal Ninja H2 received a small update for 2023. More specifically, the SX SE for the U.S. market now comes with automatic high beams. Dont be put off by that because the previous model years update can only be described as an extensive one.First and foremost, Team Green s talented engineers revised the inline-four engine for better performance in normal riding scenarios. Kawasaki ditched the pre-silencer for a different exhaust, and the Japanese manufacturer adjusted cam timing for better power and torque delivery in the low-mid range. Whats more, the six-speed transmission received a revised second gear, and Kawasaki also worked its magic on the clutch.Priced at $28,000 in the United States, which is nearly as much as the Honda Civic Si ($28,500 sans destination charge), the sport tourer is equipped with Electronic Control Suspension. The 43-millimeter cartridge fork and BFRC rear shock are supplied by Showa, a Japanese motorcycle suspension manufacturer with plenty of racing successes to its name.The KECS offers four modes in total: Rain, Road, Sport, and Manual. Front- and rear-facing radar sensors also need to be mentioned, sensors that improve the Advanced Rider Assist System with the likes of blind-spot detection, forward collision warning, and adaptive cruise control.As for convenience features, the 2022 makeover brought forward the likes of a tire pressure monitoring system, remote key fob, vehicle hold assist, a 6.5-inch color display, and a USB port. Wider seats for both the rider and passenger, as well as heated grips round off the list of MY22 updates A motorcycle in a league of its own, the flagship sport tourer is listed on Kawasakis website exclusively in Emerald Blazed Green with Metallic Diablo Black and Metallic Graphite Gray. As opposed to the British English grey used by Mercedes-Benz USA in the press release of the-ified GLE for MY24, seeing gray spelled properly is truly heartwarming.A hypersport designed to be dailyed, the 2023 model year Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE carries a destination charge of $460, plus $500 for the freight and materials surcharge. Covered by a 12-month limited warranty, this variant of the Ninja is - of course - eligible for Kawasaki Protection Plus. Its not cheap, though, with 12-month coverage starting at $1,100. As it usually happens, the largest yachts to be showcased at this popular international event are a mix of old and new models. Among them, the CLX96 stands out for being one of the most exciting novelties in the medium-size category. Although it has already made its international debut last year, at Fort Lauderdale, this powerful watercraft is bound to make waves at the Miami International Boat Show as well, as one of the stars.CL Yachts is a newcomer on the market, but not a beginner. Its actually the pleasure craft brand of Cheoy Lee, the oldest shipbuilder in Hong Kong, with a history spanning more than 100 years. While the parent company will continue to focus on large explorer yachts, the younger CL Yachts will stick to the small and medium ranges, with models of maximum 100 feet (30.5 meters).At this years edition of the Miami Boat Show, scheduled to take place between February 15 and 19, CL Yachts will be showcasing three models the CLB72, the new CLB65, and its flagship, the CLX96.Since its official debut last year, the CLX96 has already fetched three important prizes, including the one for Good Design, awarded by the prestigious Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design for innovative products. This is no surprise, considering that this new yacht is one of the creations of Jozeph Forakis, one of the most avant-garde designers of our time.A masculine, rugged vessel just under 30 meters (98 feet) the CLX96 was specifically built for exploration (following the prestigious line of explorers built by Cheoy Lee ).Sporting a reverse-angled house and plumb bow that give it an aggressive look, this pocket-size explorer can easily hit 25 knots (29 mph/46 kph) but is most comfortable cruising at 22 knots (25 mph/41 kph), powered by twin Caterpillar engines.Its spectacular layout includes an enclosed Sky Lounge on the Sky Deck (the boats highest spot), a Terrazza Portoghuese with unobstructed views, forward of the Sky Lounge, and a unique area called Piazza del Sole, on the foredeck. This very stylish concept centers around a generous sunbed that transforms into a so-called aperitif lounge with a stunning circular shape, which doesnt just look fabulous, but also encourages connection.Last but not least, the large beach club is extended so that it can be incredibly close to the water, while a wide selection of toys can easily be stored on the yacht and handled with the help of a motorized Z-lift. Born for adventure, the CLX96 will first make waves in Miami. Airlander 10 is certainly not the only hybrid-electric aircraft claiming to revolutionize commercial aviation, but its one of the most popular. At 302 feet (92 meters) and boasting a payload of 22,050 pounds, this blimp-like air vehicle would be the largest aircraft in the world. Its story goes back to more than a decade ago, when it was allegedly designed for the U.S. Army.The UK-based HAV , its original designer, decided to develop the concept into a real-life commercial passenger aircraft, but its been a long and challenging road. After numerous changes and trials, Airlander 10s current base configuration is that of a conventional aircraft fitted with four combustion engines. However, its claimed that they can reduce emissions by 75%, compared to similar air vehicles.According to HAV, a hybrid-electric version will be developed starting 2026, to cut emissions even further, and culminate with an all-electric, zero-emissions giant aircraft that is set to enter service by the end of this decade.As HAV keeps working on the electric motors that will power the Airlander 10 in its upcoming greener configurations, the manufacturer reached a milestone in terms of production. A recent announcement states that a production line is being set up at a new location.The Airlander 10 was born at HAVs Bedford facility, but will apparently be built in South Yorkshire. There arent many details available yet, but it seems that a new aerospace manufacturing cluster thats also green will be set up in this region.This will become the official home for the new Airlander 10 production line. HAV says that it plans to roll out no less than 12 units of its Type Certified aircraft per year. This is obviously a very important project for the region, which is why HAV isnt working alone, but together with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), the Doncaster Council, and even national stakeholders.Plus, the manufacturer is supported by partners such as the Advanced Manufacturing Research Center (AMRC) at the University of Sheffield, and the aviation services operator 2Excel Aviation.The future Airlander 10 would offer a 4,000-mile (6,437 km) range and lowered emission levels, coupled with low operational costs and minimal infrastructure requirements. Its been a long wait, but we might actually get to see the famous Flying Bum in the sky in just a few years. Additional information about the new production site will be coming up in the next months. However, the Swedish carmaker might be going about the next generation of EVs the wrong way. This is showcased by Tesla (arguably the most famous player in the electric mobility market) taking a step away from LiDAR technology.But before we get to why this is happening, we must first talk about how it works. The basic principle of LiDAR is similar to that of radar or sonar, with the key difference being that it uses a pulse of light emitted by a laser instead of sound or radio waves.In other words, the system sends out a pulse of light and waits for it to return, upon hitting an object. It then measures the amount of time taken for this to happen to determine the distance between the emitter and the object.This makes LiDAR uniquely good in applications such as large-area mapping using aerial vehicles. However, according to both Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former Senior Director of Artificial Intelligence Andrej Karpathy, who left Tesla in July 2022, it is not the best approach for autonomous vehicles, due to both its price and limitations.To prove this point, Karpathy used an analogy of how we rely on purely visual information rather than shooting lasers out of our eyes to get a perception of the world around us. Our depth perception comes from the fact that our brains use the images received from both eyes to triangulate depth as well as rely on the motion of the surrounding objects.According to him, a neural network can be trained to process information in the same way and become quite adept at this job. Granted, it is not an easy process, but steady progress is being made toward making a self-driving system capable of relying on passive vision.There are also key advantages to using visual recognition, which are absolutely mandatory if self-driving vehicles will become commonplace. He even gives a few examples explaining this by pointing out that a powerful enough visual recognition software could even deduce how a cyclist or pedestrian might behave.These are things we associate with human instinct, gained through first-hand experience, yet software could learn how we reach these conclusions. On the other hand, LiDAR can only take into account limited information, as it relies on raw depth data while the entire infrastructure is designed with visual perception in mind.Regardless, most automakers do not have access to the diversified resources that Tesla does. With that in mind, its easy to see why Polestar and other automotive companies are still investing in LiDAR. It represents a placeholder solution until visual recognition software becomes widely available, a stepping stone on the way to level five autonomy. For those who cant afford a personal sailing superyacht, the Club Med 2 could be the next best thing. Its similar to a superyacht not just in size, but also in luxury. It even claims to be the largest sailing yacht in the world, although the one that will soon be operated by another luxury hospitality brand, Orient Express, is a serious contender. Even so, with a length of 614 feet (187 meters) and five spectacular masts, the Club Med 2 is one of the most impressive yachts of its kind.Sailing cruise ships are rare, which only makes them even more special. In the case of the French travel and tourism operator Club Med (previously known as Club Mediterranee) the Club Med 2 is its only yacht. Dont get confused because of the misleading name the Club Med 1 was sold decades ago, in 1997, for $45 million, and has since been operated by Windstar Cruises, part of Holland America Line.This is how Club Med 2 remained the only Club Med yacht and, after a recent refit, we could say that its almost a brand-new one. Although the refit didnt take more than a few months, it was a complex process worth more than $10 million.The old ship (its been in service since 1992) got brand-new sails, a complete renovation of its all-teak decks (totaling an impressive 2,700 square meters/29,000 square feet) and many other smaller changes. The onboard areas were also refreshed the welcome area, now renamed the Yacht Club Lounge, was completely renovated, as well as the Monte Carlo restaurant (previously known as Magellan) while the two glamorous bars onboard were redesigned.After this much-needed refit (the yacht had been refurbished only once prior to that) the renovated Club Med 2 has recently set off on its maiden voyage in the Caribbean. During this trip, it spoils guests not just with the typical French sophistication, but also with eco-friendly features.This massive vessel manages to effortlessly cut fuel consumption by up to 30% thanks to its huge sails, while onboard service minimizes food waste, bans the use of plastic, and focuses on organic choices as much as possible.Fitted with 184 luxurious cabins that can accommodate 368 passengers, this spectacular sailing yacht isnt just a greener and more elegant option, but also has the benefit of a shallow draft, which means that it can reach places where conventional cruise ships dont have access. A Waterbury man was arrested after he allegedly had a loaded illegal gun and over 1,400 bags of heroin in his possession when confronted by police on Thursday afternoon, police said. Waterbury Police Department officers were patrolling the downtown area around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday when they were notified of an anonymous complaint that an adult male had openly loaded a firearm during a disturbance on West Main and Leavenworth streets. The caller provided a description of the man, Waterbury Chief Fernando Spagnolo said at a press conference Friday. Officers responded to the area and found a man matching the description. The man, identified as 37-year-old James Thomas of Waterbury, was a suspect in two recent shots fired incidents in the city, police said. He has arrest warrants in each of the two shootings charging him with criminal use of a weapon, first-degree reckless endangerment and illegal discharge of a firearm and is a suspect in two other shootings in Waterbury in recent months, Spagnolo said. Thomas was on the phone with an ex-girlfriend who holds a protective order against him prohibiting him from contacting her when he was allegedly seen loading his gun on West Main Street, Spagnolo said. Police approached Thomas to investigate the weapons complaint and he immediately became uncooperative and physically combative, according to police. He allegedly refused to show his hands when asked and resisted arrest. Police said he kept reaching for his waistband during the arrest. The department released body camera footage of the incident, which shows the first responding officers struggling to restrain Thomas. One officer is seen striking Thomas repeatedly while others try to subdue him. Spagnolo said it took four to six officers to get him in custody. Thomas could be seen with a large bruise on his face following the interaction. Spagnolo said there were no policy violations committed by police in the interaction and stood by their conduct. He said they had reason to believe Thomas was armed and willing to shoot, based on the 911 callers description of the incident Thursday and his suspected involvement in previous incidents of gunfire. He also said he spoke with community leaders from the Waterbury Diversity Council, NAACP and members of the clergy in regard to the incident on Friday. The officers, as far as everything we viewed today, theres no policy violations, Spagnolo said at the press conference. The officers made an appropriate choice in responding to the call, they made an appropriate response to how they attempted to take him into custody. Once detained, he was searched and police allegedly found a loaded 9-millimeter pistol tucked into his waistband with a high-capacity magazine with 11 rounds of ammunition. Police also allegedly found an additional magazine with 30 rounds of ammunition, 1,458 bags of heroin and fentanyl and 140 grams of raw heroin in his possession, police said. Thomas was treated on the scene for injuries sustained in the interaction with police and was transported to Saint Marys Hospital for evaluation. An officer was also injured during Thomas arrest and has since been released from Saint Marys Hospital. Thomas did not own a valid pistol permit and was previously convicted of third-degree assault, which would disqualify him from legally owning a handgun in Connecticut, police said. We are grateful that someone stepped up and alerted the WPD of this dangerous threat to our community, which enabled officers to quickly respond and remove another illegally possessed loaded firearm and high capacity magazines off our streets, Spagnolo said. Thomas was charged with criminal possession of a pistol, criminal possession of a firearm, illegal sale or transfer of a pistol, possession of a large capacity magazine, interfering with police, possession of an ounce or more of heroin, second-degree breach of the peace and violation of a protective order. Police expect further charges to be levied in connection with the other incidents he is suspected of being involved in, Spagnolo said. Thomas was held on a $750,000 bond and appeared in Waterbury Superior Court on Friday. Photo: Mobile | Nawi-Cars AMG kW 6x6 Founded by Horacio Pagani back in 1992, after he broke ties with Lamborghini from his position as chief engineer, the brand became known to the entire automotive world towards the end of the 90s, when the Zonda premiered at the Geneva Motor Show. The original model was followed by numerous variants and was eventually succeeded by the Huayra in 2011. The new hypercar came out in different configurations too, including the BC (Benny Caiola Paganis friend), Roadster, Roadster BC, Imola, Tricolore, R, and Codalunga.The topless version of the most menacing Huayra since its original debut over a decade ago came out in mid-2019, and even before the grand unveiling, all 40 units were sold. Boasting new bodywork, and with a very impressive aero agenda, with 500 kg (1,102 lb) of downforce produced at 280 kph (174 mph), the Huayra Roadster BC has bigger front splitter, canards, louvers, fresh clamshell, huge wing with a fixed design, massive diffuser, and no less than six tailpipes, part of the new exhaust system, with two exiting from within the diffuser. It is capable of pulling 1.9G of lateral acceleration on average, with a peak at 2.2G, and another 2.2G during braking.It is not only impressive to look at and to drive, but also extremely lightweight. The original spec sheet revealed that it tips the scales at just 1,250 kg (2,755 lb) dry, thanks to the clever engineering that went into it and to the carbon-titanium tub chassis, which was upgraded by the Italian automaker . When factoring in the immense firepower and the featherweight construction, it is kind of scary to see what it is capable of, regardless if were talking about a few short acceleration bursts on the highway or unleashing it in between the apexes at the local racetrack. That said, this is one of the very few modern-day vehicles that can really put your driving credentials to the test, and maybe take your head off if you become overconfident.You see, while the V12 era is dead and buried at, the Affalterbach brand hasnt completely ditched such units, because one of them powers Paganis. It is a 6.0-liter mill, assisted by dual turbochargers, which was designed exclusively for Pagani by the German marque. On the Huayra Roadster BC , it yanks out 802 ps (791 hp/590) and 774 lb-ft (1,050 Nm) of torque, working in concert with a seven-speed Xtrac automated-manual transmission, said to be around 35% lighter than a dual-clutch gearbox, and rear-wheel drive. Thats right, there is no all-wheel drive system to enhance grip during high-speed driving here, as it would have made the whole vehicle too heavy for its own good, so theres not much room for error here. The stopping power is provided by the 398-mm (15.7-in) front brake discs, with six-piston monolithic calipers, and 380-mm (15-in) rear discs, with four-piston monolithic calipers.Even if all 40 copies of the Huayra Roadster BC were spoken for before the models premiere one and a half years ago, Pagani still released the original starting price. And it was Bugatti Chiron expensive back then, at around $3.5 million. So, how much do you think a perfect copy is going for these days on the used car market? Well, lets just say that it makes the Molsheim hypercar look like a bargain in comparison, and it is almost as expensive as the Bugatti Divo . One could get two perfect Ferrari LaFerrari supercars for the cost of the pictured Pagani, or three Lamborghini Sians. Have you figured out how much it costs? You may want to take a seat for this one, because here it is: 10,591,000 ($11,489,011).The Mobile ad has a German used car dealer behind it, with several high-end machines in its portfolio. However, none of them are as expensive as this Huayra Roadster BC. If you won the lottery or inherited a huge sum of money and youre thinking of spending a good chunk of it on this Pagani, wed recommend reading the papers in the presence of a lawyer and double-checking everything with the Italian auto firm too, just to make sure that everything is legit. So, if you had an eight-digit sum to spend on a set of wheels, would you really blow it all on this Huayra Roadster BC ? You already know my answer, as Id stick to something more mainstream, and use the rest of the money for maintenance, insurance, and gas, while also adding two more pricey rides to my collection, a proper 4x4 (or maybe a?) and a luxurious daily. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Three Hartford Magnet Schools were named National Magnet Schools of Distinction. Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy, Breakthrough Magnet School North, and Breakthrough Magnet School South were awarded the honor by Magnet Schools of America, the national association for magnet and theme-based schools. MSAs National Merit Awards program honors and recognizes magnet schools that demonstrate commitment to high academic standards, curriculum innovation, successful desegregation and diversity efforts, and consistent delivery of high quality educational services to all stakeholders, according to a release. On behalf of Hartford Public Schools, I would like to thank Magnet Schools of America for this recognition, said Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez. The success of Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy, Breakthrough Magnet School North, and Breakthrough Magnet School South is due to the hard work of our school leaders, teachers, and staff, working in partnership with families and the community. They ensure that all of our students are engaged with specialized themes and innovative approaches to instruction. Preschool teacher Richelle Villabona and student Jhenai Tucker, right, react as they watch Tom Knight of Hartford Performs juggle during an assembly at Breakthrough Magnet School North in Hartford, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Knight performed a blend of musicianship and puppetry covering science, protecting the environment and Spanish/English bilingual education. This is the second year in a row that the Breakthrough Magnet schools, both character education-themed schools, have been recognized. Last year, along with Annie Fisher Montessori Magnet School, Breakthrough Magnet School South and Breakthrough Magnet School North were honored as Magnet Schools of Excellence, being included in a group of magnet schools that demonstrated the highest level of excellence, according to MSA. Schools are judged on their demonstrated ability to raise student academic achievement, promote racial and socioeconomic diversity, provide integrated curricula and instruction, and create strong family and community partnerships that enhance the schools magnet theme. These Hartford Public Schools magnet schools have been recognized for their ability to deliver a theme-based education that prepares students to succeed academically, said Sherri Davis-Googe, chief operating officer of Hartford Public Schools. They exemplify, like all of our magnet schools, how the combination of high expectations, inclusiveness, and collaboration can be a winning formula for all students. Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@courant.com You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter. From Oregon Coast Swank to Sweet Beach Abode: Lincoln City Rental with Oceanfront Jetted Tub Published 01/31/23 at 3:59 AM By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Lincoln City, Oregon) Two bedrooms, multiple windows to all the Oregon coast drama, a jetted tub with an incredible view, and one serious case of oceanfront house envy. Where the beaches of Lincoln City slowly squeeze their way to their endpoint, and often there's hardly another soul around, let's face it: this is kind of a dream home. Still wishing upon a star? Maybe try wishing on the moon or in this case, Moonbreaker. Not to be confused with the James Bond flick Moonraker, this is way down to Earth, like down to sea level, yet this Lincoln City vacation rental is no less celestial in its atmosphere. Moonbreaker, with its copious, multilevel deck space, is a fine place to be moon gazing by the seaside, as well as zoning out on any aspect of the Oregon coast available during the day. In that inimitable stretch of beach and neighborhood called the Roads End district, the density of folk diminishes greatly, even more noticeably on those busy summer vacation days. This is, after all, the northernmost borders of Lincoln City, and actually once its own, separate village, before the town was pieced together under the name Lincoln City in 1964. It's still got an off-the-beaten path feel. The home itself sits far up the road, just before the very last access, where the area abruptly becomes a remote strand. You get your own secret pathway to this beach, which is not far from the very end of Lincoln City and what's called Wizard Rock (not to be confused with Wizards Hat Rock down in Bandon). Moonbreaker is a romance-filled Cape Cod-style beauty, with fine polished wood throughout much of the interior, giving the place a simultaneous dose of swank and beach cottage. Marble floors, a gourmet kitchen and an expansive feel in the layout with its wide open rooms add to the atmosphere. In the master bedroom there's a fireplace; the second bedroom comes with its own bathroom. One of the top highlights here is the two-person jetted tub, set close to those grand windows and all that surf. Few things spell romance more than that scenario, watching gulls dart in and out of view and the tides recede and then return to conquer the sands. You get parking for two cars, and the place comes with a fully stocked kitchen, microwave, gas fireplaces, and its own washing machine. Wizard Rock at Roads End / Oregon Coast Beach Connection Beach Pro Tip: your chances of spotting whales are somewhat increased because of the height this rental home is perched upon. Gray whales spend a lot of time on this part of the central Oregon coast, but as it turns out so do orcas. There's more killer whales out there than Oregonians realized, something one Facebook group has proven in the last year or so. Still dying to see the Green Flash at Sunset? Again, higher elevation increases your chances a bit. Moonbreaker is available through A1 Beach Rentals out of Lincoln City. Call (503) 232-5984. Hotels in Lincoln City - Where to eat - Lincoln City Maps and Virtual Tours MORE PHOTOS BELOW More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast. LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on Oregon Coast Beach Connection All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon sailed across the U.S. on Friday, drawing severe Pentagon accusations of spying despite Chinas firm denials. Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled a high-stakes Beijing trip aimed at easing U.S.-China tensions. Fuzzy videos dotted social media sites as people with binoculars and telephoto lenses tried to find the spy balloon in the sky as it headed eastward over Kansas and Missouri at 60,000 feet. Blinkens cancellation came despite Chinas claim that the balloon was merely a weather research airship that had blown off course. The Pentagon rejected that out of hand as well as Chinas contention that the balloon, about the size of two school buses, was not being used for surveillance and had only limited navigational ability. In light of Chinas unacceptable action, I am postponing my planned travel to China this weekend, Blinken said. He had been due to depart Washington for Beijing late Friday. He said he had told senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in a phone call that sending the balloon over the U.S. was an irresponsible act and that (Chinas) decision to take this action on the eve of my visit is detrimental to the substantive discussions that we were prepared to have. The balloon was detected over sensitive military sites in Montana but had moved eastward over the heartland of the central United States during the day and was expected to remain in U.S. airspace for several days, officials said. The development marked a new blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations that have been in a downward spiral for years over numerous issues. Still, U.S. officials maintained that diplomatic channels remain open and Blinken said he remained willing to travel to China when conditions allow. We continue to believe that having open lines of communication is important, he said. President Joe Biden declined to comment on the matter when questioned at an economic event. Two likely 2024 reelection challengers, former President Donald Trump, and Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador, said the U.S. should immediately shoot down the balloon. Biden was first briefed about the Chinese surveillance balloon on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. She did not shed light on why the administration waited until Thursday to make its concerns public. A senior defense official said the U.S. had prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot the balloon down if ordered. The Pentagon ultimately recommended against that, noting that even as the balloon was over a sparsely populated area of Montana, its size could create a debris field large enough to put people at risk. Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, refused to say on Friday whether there was any new consideration of shooting the balloon down. Ryder said it was at an altitude of about 60,000 feet, was maneuverable and had changed course. He said it currently was posing no threat. As for Blinkens trip, Jean-Pierre said a diplomatic visit to China was not appropriate at this time. She said that the presence of this balloon in our airspace is a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law and it is unacceptable this occurred. A State Department official said Blinken and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman had both protested to the top official at the Chinese Embassy on Wednesday, a day before the Pentagon announced the discovery of the balloon. Pentagon officials said Thursday that one of the places it was spotted was over Montana, which is home to one of Americas three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. A number of GOP lawmakers have criticized the administration for not taking firmer action against China before this. And a decision for Blinken to proceed with his trip could have made Biden even more susceptible to their complaints at a time hes starting to deal with the new Republican-led U.S. House. Weather experts said Chinas claim that the balloon had gone off course was not unfeasible. Chinas account of wind patterns known as the Westerlies carrying a balloon to the western United States was absolutely possible not possible, likely, said Dan Jaffe, a professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of Washington. Blinkens long-anticipated meetings with senior Chinese officials had been seen in both countries as a possible way to find some areas of common ground at a time of major disagreements over Taiwan, human rights, Chinas claims in the South China Sea, North Korea, Russias war in Ukraine, trade policy and climate change. Although the trip, which was agreed to in November by Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit in Indonesia, had not been formally announced, officials in both Beijing and Washington had spoken in recent days about Blinkens imminent arrival for meetings on Sunday and Monday. China, which angrily denounces surveillance attempts by the U.S. and others over areas it considers to be its territory and once forced down an American spy plane and held its crew captive on Hainan Island, was relatively conciliatory in its response to the U.S. complaints. In a statement that approached an apology, the Chinese foreign ministry said the balloon was a civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research. It said said the airship had limited self-steering capabilities and had deviated far from its planned course because of winds. The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure, the statement said, citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond ones control. Ellen Knickmeyer, Tara Copp, Lolita C. Baldor, Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller in Washington; Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, and Emily Wang Fujiyama and AP news assistant Caroline Chen in Beijing contributed to this report. A Belfast Crown Court judge has ruled that time spent in a psychiatric unit by a child killer should be taken into consideration when calculating her release date. Last December, the Co Antrim woman, who can't be named due to a reporting restriction, was handed a life sentence and told she will serve a minimum of 20 years in prison before she is considered eligible for release. The tariff was imposed on the former nurse who murdered one son and tried to kill another in March 2020. The double attack occurred at the family home on the outskirts of Larne and claimed the life of the defendant's young son, who was aged two years and eight months and was stabbed in the neck and chest. His 11-month-old brother was also stabbed but survived thanks to help from the emergency services. The attack was branded as "savage" by Judge Patricia Smyth, who imposed the 20-year tariff. Following her arrest, the woman was detained in the Shannon Clinic, a psychiatric unit on the outskirts of Belfast. She spent 25 months there before being diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder. She was then discharged last April and remanded into custody. During her time in the facility, the woman questioned other patients about symptoms of mental illness then proceeded to fabricate psychotic symptoms. She also displayed an unwillingness to engage and made multiple complaints about staff. This behaviour, the Crown said, indicated she was "malingering" and "feigning symptoms" while detained. Her legal team launched an application to try to get her sentence adjusted to take into account her time spent being treated in Shannon. They argued this was in the interests of justice. The Crown and defence made submissions on the application, and in her ruling today, Judge Smyth she said had considered these and the "complex medical evidence". She branded the offences committed by the defendant as "two terrible crimes" and said her behaviour in the clinic "is not to her credit". The Belfast Recorder also said there was "no question that the defendant's detention represented a significant deprivation of liberty for a very considerable period of time". She pointed out that while the woman is entitled to ask about being released after she has served her 20-year sentence, "there is no guarantee she will be released at that stage or indeed at all. Judge Smyth added: "I have determined that I should exercise my discretion and direct that in calculating the defendant's earliest release date, the prison authorities should give such credit to the period spent in the Shannon Clinic." Footage recorded on the body cameras of police officers who attended the scene of a fatal stabbing of an eight-week-old baby boy in Belfast was played to a jury today. The recordings showed the immediate attempts of officers who tried to save the life of the baby. The child's mother, who can't be named for legal reasons, is standing trial at Belfast Crown Court on charges of murdering her son and of attempting to murder her two-year-old daughter. The 30-year-old accepts she stabbed the children in their Belfast home on July 27, 2021, but has denied the two charges. On the second day of the trial, footage from cameras worn by the officers who arrived at around 8pm was played. Judge Donna McColgan warned the jury that they may find it distressing. The pixilated videos showed the accused sitting on her living room floor in handcuffs and bleeding from a self-inflicted wound to her neck. While one officer is seen removing the bloodied two-year-old from the living room, a colleague can be seen lifting the baby boy from a bed. He can be heard saying, "the baby's still warm but I can't feel a pulse", before placing him gently on the floor then starting to perform CPR. The footage also captured a policeman attempting to drive the injured girl to hospital in a PSNI car before handing her over to paramedics. The accused, who kept her head bowed in the dock and wept while the clips were being shown, can be heard on the video saying, "I'm so sorry", before she is led from her home and into a police car. Evidence was also heard today from police and paramedics who attended the scene and treated the children. A constable recalled observing a bloodied knife in the living room, and when asked about the accused's demeanour, confirmed she was "very calm and quiet and appeared to be emotionless". A paramedic said she was approached by a policeman holding "a little girl wrapped in a blanket" and how "continuous CPR" was conducted on the baby boy until he arrived at the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children. The girl was successfully treated for a stab wound to her chest, whereas her brother, who was stabbed twice, was pronounced dead at 9pm. The trial is due to resume on Monday. Police said accused is member of flute band with alleged links to East Belfast UVF The 28-year-old was remanded in custody on the weapon charge. PA A PhD student accused of storing a sawn-off shotgun and ammunition at his east Belfast home was targeted and preyed upon, a court heard today. Gareth Rice claimed he had been in extreme fear and put under duress to keep the haul discovered in a coal bunker on Wednesday. But police argued that the 28-year-old is a member of a loyalist flute band which has alleged links to the East Belfast UVF. Rice, of Kilmakee Park in the Gilnahirk area, was refused bail and remanded in custody after appearing at Belfast Magistrates Court. He faces a single charge of possessing a firearm and ammunition in suspicious circumstances. The double-barrelled, sawn-off shotgun and live shells were found inside a sports bag seized during searches of a shed at the rear of his house. PSNI officers also located 24 rounds of blank ammunition and a Glock-style pistol now believed to be an imitation. District Judge Steven Keown was told Rice raised issues of duress in a second police interview where claimed a threat of repercussions against his family. But an investigating detective claimed: He appears to be an intelligent individual, hes studying for a PhD so he would know right from wrong. Defence lawyer Andrew Russell stressed there is no suggestion Rice is involved with any paramilitaries. Instead, he argued, the accused was targeted because of his clear record. Mr Russell said his client knew about the bag but never looked inside it and had been too frightened to contact the authorities. He was very upset in his interviews and indicated to police that he was in extreme fear, the solicitor submitted. Rice sought release on bail to live at an alternative address in west Belfast. He is a man that is comfortable in that area being in a mixed marriage, Mr Russell disclosed. Opposing his application, the detective responded: It is in a nationalist area (and) he is a member of a loyalist flute band. She added that photographs of that unidentified band featured on the accuseds Facebook page, and referred to its alleged links to the East Belfast UVF. Mr Russell insisted Rice should not be prejudiced by membership of a band. It provides the opportunity for a person like this to have been preyed upon and targeted as a candidate able to be put under duress to store these items, he suggested. Denying bail, however, Judge Keown held that the risks of potential re-offending or interfering with the investigation were simply unmanageable. We have someone storing firearms and ammunition in the community, an extremely serious situation, he said. There are so many unknowns and concerns as to why or what these weapons were stored for. Rice was remanded in custody to appear again by video-link next month. One of Northern Irelands best known TV journalists is among 10 familiar faces to lose out as BBC News in London cuts back its broadcasting team. Co Armagh born Annita McVeigh (45) has been one of the channels highest profile presenters. Long-serving anchors Martine Croxall, Jane Hill, Ben Brown, Geeta Guru-Murthy and Shaun Ley are also to lose their roles as the corporation launches its new rolling news channel, combining domestic and international channels to create a single 24-hour TV service. It announced the main line-up for the channel called BBC News would be Matthew Amroliwala, Christian Fraser, Yalda Hakim, Lucy Hockings and Maryam Moshiri. A number of the axed presenters are expected to leave the BBC altogether. Read more Annita McVeigh inundated with support after Co Armagh born presenter loses BBC role However, some could apply for other on-screen positions on the merged channel, with eight posts being opened up for correspondents, though this may involve a pay cut. As for McVeigh, she seems to be keeping her options open over her next steps. Reacting to the news on social media, she said: Ive had so many lovely, supportive messages today from viewers, contributors and colleagues. A huge thank you - every single one means the world to me. As for what happens next.lets see. The majority of the jobs have gone to BBC World News anchors rather than UK presenters, with the decision being described as a de facto closure of the UK channel and a clear out, a rout of domestic news channel presenters. Staff were already aggrieved at the humiliating recruitment process during which they had to take screen tests in a small studio with a manual autocue despite many having decades of live presenting experience. Queens University graduate McVeigh grew up on a farm outside Armagh and went to school in Dungannon. She began in journalism with The Ulster Gazette and Tyrone Courier. Her broadcasting career started in the late 1990s with BBC NIs Newsline as a reporter and occasional presenter. In 2002 she moved to BBC Network News, with her reports appearing on BBC One, BBC News and BBC Radio. She stayed in this role until the summer of 2006 when, shortly after returning from maternity leave, she became a news channel presenter. Last year she had to apologise to Manchester United fans after a message appeared on the scrolling news ticker reading Manchester United are rubbish. The BBC said the five chief presenters announced were recruited via a competitive interview process in accordance with BBC HR procedures. More than 100,000 has been spent on an Irish translation service at Stormont despite the political institutions being in stalemate for a year. The figures were obtained by TUV leader Jim Allister in a question to the Assembly Commission. Mr Allister branded the costs as scandalous. The North Antrim MLA asked the Assembly Commission about the cost of English/Irish interpretation services which were introduced in June 2021 after unionist parties failed to block it. He was told the cost of the services has totalled over 100,000. This included almost 40,000 for a staff member up to the end of 2022, and almost 78,000 on agency staff to January this year. Northern Ireland has been without a fully-functioning Executive since February last year. MLAs in Stormont are permitted to speak in English, Irish or Ulster Scots, but prior to June 2021 were required to provide their own translations, Now this service is provided on their behalf. Mr Allister said: Having asked the Assembly Commission about the cost of the Irish/English interpretation service introduced following an Assembly vote in June 2021, I have established that the cost of the same to the public purse has been 117,075.41. "Remarkably, this expenditure has been run up while the Assembly hasnt even been sitting for more than a year. The Assembly employs three members of staff - one permanent and two agency - to translate speeches in Irish into English in an Assembly where everyone adequately speaks English and which doesnt currently operate. The permanent member of staff earns 39,243.11 while the cost of agency staff up to January 13 2023 was 77,832.30. The TUV previously tried to use a veto known as the petition of concern to block the service, which passed by 58 votes to 27 in the Assembly. The DUP voted against it while the UUP motioned to review aspects of it. Mr Allister called it a squander of public money when the service was introduced. He added: While people find their personal finances under ever increasing pressure it is scandalous that such significant sums of money are being spent on a service which wouldnt be needed even if the Assembly were to be sitting. I have no doubt that there will be many in Northern Ireland who will see this as yet further evidence that we would simply be better off without the Assembly at all. In response to Mr Allisters criticism, Sinn Fein said he was spouting Alice in Wonderland stuff. "Jim Allister's time would be better spent on getting the institutions up and running to support people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, cutting health waiting lists and funding public services a spokesperson said. "It's Alice in Wonderland stuff from Mr Allister to be critical of public service workers being prevented from doing their job by the DUP's blockade of the Assembly and Executive supported by the same Jim Allister. A spokesperson for the NI Assembly explained that on June 15, 2021, the Assembly Commission was directed by the Assembly to provide simultaneous and passive interpretation of Assembly business in Irish and Ulster Scots, where there is appropriate demand. "The level of resourcing for this service was established by the Committee on Procedures, and communicated to all MLAs on 7 June 2021, the spokesperson added. "The Assembly Commission has implemented this direction of the Assembly for the provision of simultaneous interpretation of Assembly business in Irish. "To date, there has been no demand for the simultaneous interpretation of Assembly business in Ulster Scots. The provision of simultaneous interpretation of Assembly business will be subject to review after six months of Assembly business. A serving police officer has indicated not guilty pleas to two rape and six sexual assault charges. Pc Ravi Canhye, who serves with Dorset Police, is alleged to have carried out the incidents while he was off duty. Canhye, 46, appeared at Poole Magistrates Court on Friday charged with two rapes, one attempted rape and five sexual assaults. He indicated not guilty pleas to all charges and the case was sent to Bournemouth Crown Court on March 9 for trial. The incidents are alleged to have involved two female victims on August 9 and 10 2022. A spokesman for Dorset Police said Canhye, of Fernhill Close in Poole, was suspended when the allegations were made and has remained suspended throughout the investigation. Canhye was released on conditional bail and ordered not to contact three witnesses in the case, to not apply for a new passport having surrendered his existing one to police, and to reside either at his home in Poole or with cousins in Horley, Surrey. Isla Bryson was convicted of rape while a man, and was initially housed in a womens prison (PA) Andrew Milligan The Scottish Government has been urged to publish the urgent review into the Isla Bryson case in full. Bryson was last week convicted of raping two women while she was a man called Adam Graham and was initially housed in segregation in Cornton Vale prison near Stirling the only all-female jail in Scotland before being moved to the male estate. The case caused public outcry, leading Scottish Justice Secretary Keith Brown to order an urgent case review. Rapist Isla Bryson was initially housed at Cornton Vale womens prison (PA) Andrew Milligan The review is due to be completed on Friday, but it is understood it is unlikely any action will be taken immediately. Scottish Conservative community safety spokesman Russell Findlay called for the review to be published immediately and in full as soon as it is completed. He added: The public have a right to know why and how a double rapist was ever allowed to set foot in a womens prison. Nicola Sturgeon and Keith Brown cant sit on this report and hope the controversy goes away. Russell Findlay said the review must be published in full immediately (PA) Fraser Bremner/Scottish Daily Mail The SNP cant delay this report for days or weeks until their political spin machine works out how to fix this mess. In the interests of full transparency and lessons being learned the Justice Secretary must publish this vital report immediately. A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: The Scottish Prison Services (SPS) urgent lessons learned review has been submitted to the chief executive of the SPS. As the Justice Secretary said to Parliament earlier this week, he will update the Criminal Justice Committee on the outcome next week. Survivors and labor leaders who have been gathering for the annual memorial near the Kleen Energy plant in Middletown will bring something new to this years ceremony Sunday: The flag that was flying overhead when a gas explosion killed six workers. Firefighters saved the battered flag just days after the horrendous blast shook the city in 2010, and as of last spring it has come to memorialize all Connecticut workers who die on the job. Gov. Ned Lamont proclaimed it the Connecticut Workers Memorial Flag. I feel honored to be part of this, said Middletown Firefighter Kevin Starbird, who is scheduled to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at Sundays ceremony. Organizers gave that role to Starbird, a department veteran and union leader, because he is the firefighter who rescued the damaged flag by leaning out the bucket of a fully extended 100-foot truck ladder. An aerial view of the aftermath of the Feb. 7, 2010 explosion at the Kleen Energy Systems plant along the Connecticut River in Middletown. Six workers were killed. I remember there was a piece of an extended I-beam from the top floor the flag was hanging from zip ties on a piece of rebar off the I-beam, Starbird recalled Wednesday. The flag had survived the massive explosion that rattled houses 10 miles away and cracked foundations on the other side of the Connecticut River. The blast hit on the morning of Super Bowl Sunday in 2010, and Starbird was among the firefighters who spent the next several days working to prevent more damage. Starbirds assignment was to take safety workers up the side of the building in the bucket of a fire ladder truck to collect tanks of propane or acetylene. The potentially damaged tanks were brought down in the bucket and hauled away. Starbird still had a propane tank in the bucket when he received direction to try to bring down the flag, which was hanging from the buildings framework 100 feet up. I went up, I could touch the base of the rebar, but not the flag. The bucket was swaying. It wasnt until I stood on propane tank in the bucket that I could bend the rebar down, get the flag in and cut the zip ties, Starbird said. Paul Venti, a retired union steward who was friends with victims of the Kleen Energy plant explosion, stands by a memorial to them in 2022. The flag went into storage for years, but last year was mounted on a base and donated to the AFL-CIO offices in Rocky Hill. In the months after the explosion, Starbird worked with volunteers on pasta dinners, a motorcycle raffle and other fundraisers that generated about $120,000 for the families of the six victims. Starbird regularly attends the annual ceremonies, and credits organizer Paul Venti for keeping the tradition alive. Paul is one of the most amazing guys youll ever see, he said. Venti, who had been a union steward at Kleen Energy in 2010, travels from Florida every January to organize the gatherings on River Road near the plant. Last year, Venti and Kyle Zimmer, a union safety official who worked on the search-and-rescue mission right after the blast, took part in a ceremony where Lamont officially made the flag a memorial for all workers in Connecticut who die on the job. He made it the flag for all workers from Kleen Energy, LAmbience Plaza, everywhere, Venti said. Venti considers the annual gathering on River Road as a celebration of life rather than a memorial and urges attendees to campaign for stronger worker safety protections in all industries. Venti, a close friend of one of the victims, said better protection for workers is vital. Theres history in this. That flag is going to tell a story long after were gone, its about safety and the people we lost, Venti said this week. Everybody should come home the same way they went to work in the morning. He also advocates for stiffer penalties for contractors and other companies that skirt safety regulations. All the safety stuff they preach at the beginning of the job is out the window when they get behind schedule. Ive seen it 1,000 times, he said. This years ceremony begins at 11 a.m. near the memorial at 1349 River Road. Speakers will include Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim and Connecticut AFL-CIO President Ed Hawthorne. Future students may be assessed digitally as in the pandemic, exam boards have said (Gareth Fuller/PA) Gareth Fuller Thousands of students are to sit digital mock exams over the coming weeks in a new pilot test, an exam board has said. Students will be offered GCSE Computer Science, IGCSEs in English and AS-level History under the OCR and Cambridge International exam boards. The mock tests will run in weekly sessions until March 19 and will be based on real exam papers while being marked by Cambridge examiners, the exam board said. Schools will pay about 10 for each digital exam while students will receive their results within two weeks. Cambridge University Press & Assessment said it is trialling the digital tests in up to 30 UK schools and 35 around the world. Its assessment experts believe digital exams will become a permanent part of the exam system for GCSEs, IGCSEs and A-levels and it wants to offer digital mock exams to all schools after the trials. Exam board Edexcel, run by Pearson, said it has similar plans for digital exams, while AQA has also been conducting digital assessment pilots. Jill Duffy, chief executive of OCR, said: Digital assessment is not a hypothetical future, its happening right now. We will use insights from these trials to make our digital mocks a user-friendly option for all schools and colleges. Students will be able to take the highest quality online tests, building on our established paper exams, where schools opt to do so. Our development approach based on trials and research ensures we deliver high-quality, robust digital assessments. Students and teachers embraced digital learning by necessity during the pandemic. Now we can harness the best of that technology in assessment by choice. Digital assessment will never fully replace traditional exams, but technology is improving the student experience and can make exams more effective, resilient and flexible with access to faster feedback and results. Cambridge said it also wants to trial assessments for a new digital computing qualification that would run alongside the existing IGCSE in Computer Science. The trials are to take place in about 20 schools across the world, from Chile to Zambia. Rod Smith, group managing director for international education at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, said: We are looking into the future, taking steps forward informed by input from teachers, industry and our researchers. Were building digital-first qualifications around the world, exploring the immense potential for digital exams that can reach beyond the limitations of paper, while offering more flexible and personalised options. The judge overseeing the investigation into the Dani Alves sexual assault case has heard evidence from eight witnesses at a closed hearing in Barcelona. The Brazilian footballer is accused of sexually assaulting a young woman in a Barcelona nightclub on December 30. The 39-year-old has spent the last two weeks in pre-trial detention at a prison outside Barcelona after being denied bail. The judicial investigation is now in the hands of judge Concepcion Canton, who will determine if the case should go to trial. Reporters take pictures of a police van, reportedly carrying Dani Alves, outside the Barcelona courthouse (Joan Mateu Parra/AP) Joan Mateu Parra The investigation could continue for weeks. Alvess defence lawyer, Cristobal Martell, specialises in financial cases and represented the players former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi in his tax fraud case. Alves has denied wrongdoing. Initially, he denied ever seeing seen the woman before his arrest. He later admitted to what he called a consented sexual encounter. Earlier this week, Alvess defence filed an appeal to seek his release on bail, offering to turn in his passport and wear a tracking device if he is freed pending the investigation. The judge had denied Alves bail in part because he was deemed a flight risk. Alves controls the ball for Brazil against Bolivia in March 2022 (Juan Karita/AP) Juan Karita The appeal is being handled by a higher court. Under Spains sexual consent law passed last year, sexual assault takes in a wide array of crimes from online abuse and groping to rape, each with different possible punishments. A case of violent rape can receive a maximum sentence of 15 years. Alves won 42 titles, including three Champions Leagues with Barcelona and two Copa Americas with Brazil. He played in his third World Cup last year in Qatar. Alves had his contract with Mexican club Pumas terminated after his arrest. He was detained after returning from Brazil to Spain and agreeing to talk to authorities about the case. The United States on Friday lifted a block on products made by Malaysias largest palm oil firm, Sime Darby, saying it no longer used forced labor in its manufacturing. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the change in status of the companys products reflected tremendous success in its agenda to prohibit abusive conditions in the workplace. With forced labor concerns addressed, CBP allows Sime Darby Plantation Berhad palm oil and derivative products into the U.S., the agency said in a statement. Effective immediately, the U.S. will allow shipments containing Sime Darby-produced palm oil and derivatives to enter the U.S. commerce, provided the imports are otherwise in compliance with U.S. law. That means CBP modified its earlier finding of December 2020, which had said that an investigation reasonably indicated the presence of all 11 forced labor indicators in the companys production processes. These indicators included restricting workers movement, physical and sexual violence, intimidation and threats, retention of identity documents, withholding of wages, and excessive overtime. A U.S. federal statute prohibits the import of goods manufactured by forced and indentured labor, including child labor. We see every modification as a tremendous success, CBP Acting Commissioner Troy Miller said in Fridays statement. Our mandate as an agency is to prohibit forced labor from entering the U.S. commerce. In the best-case scenario, our enforcement affects the remediation of forced labor to help improve living and working conditions for workers around the world, just as it did in this case. Headquartered in Selangor state, Sime Darby employs more than 20,000 people. Malaysias labor-intensive palm oil industry has a workforce of more than 300,000 migrants, who are mainly from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Nepal, according to the Reuters news agency. Reacting to the news, Sime Darby said it spent the past two years reviewing, revising and upgrading protocols for recruiting and managing its workforce. It took us more than 500,000 man-hours to undertake our reviews and to revise what we already had in place. To ensure change is embraced and entrenched, we also put in place key enablers to empower our workers. Such safeguards must be in place to protect those who are vulnerable, the company said in a statement. Last February, Sime Darby set aside U.S. $20 million to compensate migrant workers who were forced to pay recruiters to find jobs. Because of these high fees, workers often become beholden to their employers, and in extreme cases workers are held in debt bondage. Andy Hall, a noted labor rights activist, told BenarNews two years ago that the CBP would expect recruitment fees to be reimbursed to migrant workers in palm oil and rubber industries, because debt bondage is a major factor in the agencys decision making. Sime Darby Plantation has significantly improved its management and protection of migrant workers partly as a result of the U.S. trade enforcement action, Hall told BenarNews on Friday. But of course, the situation across its operations, the palm oil industry and Malaysia as a whole remains one of high risk that has to be continually monitored and managed given the background situation. Gen. Wanlop Rugsanaoh (left), the governments chief negotiator for the peace process in Thailands Deep South, speaks with Malaysian facilitator Zulkifli Zainal Abidin at the Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel, Feb. 3, 2023. Thailand wants to make sure it is negotiating with the right people in the Deep South peace process specifically, those who have influence over combatants the governments chief security adviser told BenarNews just before the new Malaysian facilitator visited Bangkok. Thai government negotiators on Friday welcomed Zulkifli Zainal Abidin , a former head of Malaysias armed forces who Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim appointed last month to replace Abdul Rahim Noor as the broker for the peace talks. In regard to the new facilitators visit, I personally wish he would push for more involvement from people who we really want to talk to, security adviser Panitan Wattanayagorn said. [W]e expect someone who has clout, not former members or insurgents, he said while declining to name people he would want to join the talks. Panitan said Malaysias new prime minister could also inject energy into the peace process, a sentiment echoed by analysts. Since early 2020, Malaysia has facilitated direct talks between Thai negotiators and a panel representing Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), the largest and most powerful of armed insurgent groups in Thailands mainly Malay Muslim southern border region. But some observers have cast doubt on whether Anas Abdulrahman, the chief negotiator for the BRN, has the backing of the groups military wing, which has sway over fighters in the field. Anwar is to visit Thailand later this year and Panitan expects that discussions could focus on security along the border between the two countries, including cases where insurgents hold dual citizenship. This would intercept fugitives from Malaysia who cross to Thailand and vice versa. This prevents ill-wishing people from crossing into Thailand to cause trouble, Panitan said in an interview with BenarNews on Wednesday. He said Anwar had been involved in common border security management and joint patrol issues before he became prime minister in November. I believe Anwar has an intention to undertake the matter to make it his legacy, Panitan said. Anwar possesses new dynamics that we want in regard to handling the Deep South. He is connected with civil society, local politics as well as Thailands key figures including Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, Panitan said. I think his visit will likely benefit the peace talk process. Mohd. Mizan Mohammad Aslam of the National Defense University of Malaysia told BenarNews recently that he thought Anwar could play a prominent role in the peace process. He is one of the very respected figures in Thailand. I know during his tenure as deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim helped a lot of Muslims, especially madrassas in southern Thailand. So with that, I believe he can play a significant role, Mohd. Mizan said in December. Facilitator visit On Friday in Bangkok, Gen. Wanlop Rugsanaoh, who leads the Thai governments team of negotiators, introduced Zulkifli to civilians, police and military members of his team. Fridays discussions dealt with working together to move the peace talks forward, said a source close to the talks. The matter of Joint Comprehensive Plan toward Peace (JCPP), or a comprehensive framework of discussions was raised, the source, who was not authorized to speak to reporters, told BenarNews. A spokesperson from the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur announced that the next official round of talks would be held in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 21 and 22. The JCPP is expected to be discussed in an effort to reduce violence while consulting the public and finding political solutions for the region. Zulkifli is expected to visit provinces in the Deep South to meet with locals, including religious leaders, to better understand the region, according to a statement from the embassy. Neither Anas, the chief negotiator for the BRN, nor other members of his panel immediately commented on the meetings in Bangkok on Friday. Zulkifli has already met with leaders of BRN, Anas confirmed in late January. The Deep South encompasses Pattani, Narathiwat, Yala provinces and four districts of Songkhla province. Since the insurgency reignited in January 2004, more than 7,344 people have been killed and 13,641 others injured in violence in the mainly Muslim Malay border region, according to Deep South Watch, a local think-tank. In the most recent attack on Thursday evening, suspected insurgents threw two pipe bombs and fired dozens of rounds at a military base in Batu village, Narathiwat province, according to the police and CCTV footage. No one was injured. Nisha David in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report. A homeless man and his dog are living temporarily in an East Haven hotel, courtesy of generous donors who came together to help him after an emergency on Wednesday night. Martin Lillis and his 8-year-old boxer, Roxie, were living in Lillis car, which was parked for the night on Wednesday at the Stop & Shop in East Haven. The car didnt have any heat. I put thick blankets over ourselves. There was ice on the windows and I was trying to scrape SOS in the ice. I was trying so hard, using all my strength, trying to pass whatever test God was giving me, Lillis said in a phone interview from his hotel room. But I was shivering and I couldnt take it anymore. I decided, I cant let her live like this. So I called 911. Lillis called at 2 a.m. Police came and took Lillis to the hospital, as a safeguard against hypothermia. Emily Higgins, a town animal control officer, came and took Roxie to the animal shelter. On Thursday afternoon, Lillis left the hospital and went to the shelter to get Roxie. Higgins tried to find him a place he could go that took dogs. She had no luck. Then she had a brainstorm. I had taken trip to Florida a couple years ago with friends. We stayed at a Quality Inn. They gave us some points. I never thought about using them again, Higgins said. Higgins knew that Quality Inn in East Haven allowed dogs. I thought, this could get me a few bucks off a hotel room for a couple of nights, she said. After the points were figured, the bill for two nights was $227. Higgins paid it. More good luck That wasnt the end of Lillis turn of good fortune. A story posted on the Facebook page of East Haven Patch alerted the community on Thursday to Lillis plight. A local Realtor, Jean Gagliardi, commented that people should raise money for Lillis. Higgins contacted Gagliardi on Friday morning. I couldnt start a Gofundme myself because I am a town worker and I have to set boundaries, Higgins said. So Gagliardi started it. Within two and a half hours, the Gofundmes $2,000 goal had been exceeded by $1,000. And the money kept flowing in. People are coming out of the woodwork. Its crazy. About half from East Haven, and the rest from all over, Gagliardi said. Its amazing. This is just human kindness. The community has been helping Lillis through the hotel, too. Nichal Desai, general manager of the Quality Inn, said the hotel was overwhelmed with responses from people who wanted to donate to extend Lillis stay. Weve been adding and adding to his reservation. For now, he is all set for the next 10 to 14 nights. One generous woman paid for a whole week, Desai said. Gagliardi said that the Gofundme money will go directly to Lillis. Its in an account that only he can access, she said. Higgins is delighted with the community response. It makes my heart feel good that he will be taken care of, she said. Lillis called Higgins the angel of my life. I will love her forever. Homeless Lillis, who lives on disability, and Roxie have have been homeless for many months. It started when his mother died. I lost my home. She had a reverse mortgage. I had a little bit of time to find someplace else to live. I was down to the wire and had one more week to get out of there, he said. I went to church to pray that something would happen so I wouldnt be on the street. He ran into his old middle-school teacher at church. The teacher offered to let him live in a place he had for $400 a month. It was perfect, as Lillis lives on a $914 a month disability payment. I filled out an application to live in Bella Vista, a Section 8 apartment building. There was a three-year waiting list, he said. I had a contract to stay [in the teachers home] for three years while I waited. Six months before the three-year waiting period ended when the place where he lived had been sold to another owner he contacted Bella Vista. They had thrown my application out. I was flabbergasted. They said I didnt call them to tell them I still wanted the apartment, he said. I told them, do you realize Im going to be homeless? Another apartment didnt work out, so he began living in a U-Haul truck with Roxie. He couldnt get an extension on the U-Haul rental, so he began living in his car. I had spent all my money from SSI. I had nothing left, he said. He began parking at Stop & Shop at night, which led to his dilemma this week. Lillis does not know what the future holds for him and Roxie. He is just grateful for the here and now. Roxie is so happy. We got twin beds. She got her own bed. She is sleeping in the bed right now, he said. The main thing is that we are warm. I never felt such cold in my life. To donate to the Gofundme, search Share the LOVE on gofundme.com. Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com. 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. African leaders urged to renew commitment to ending AIDS in children by 2030 Xinhua) 08:52, February 03, 2023 Tanzanian Vice President Philip Mpango (Front) speaks at the ministerial launch of the Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children by 2030 in Africa in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Feb. 1, 2023. Tanzanian Vice President Philip Mpango on Wednesday urged African leaders to demonstrate their leadership by renewing their commitment to ending AIDS in children in the continent by 2030. (Office of Vice President of Tanzania/Handout via Xinhua) DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Vice President Philip Mpango on Wednesday urged African leaders to demonstrate their leadership by renewing their commitment to ending AIDS in children in the continent by 2030. Opening the ministerial launch of the Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children by 2030 in Africa at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Center in Dar es Salaam, Mpango said "we must not remain complacent as 2030 is at our doorstep." He thanked the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), and other international partners for initiating this new alliance that aims to address one of the most evident gaps in the fight against AIDS. Twelve African countries have joined the alliance in the first phase. They are Angola, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Representatives from the 12 African countries committed themselves and laid out their plans to end AIDS in children by 2030 as international partners set out how they would support countries in delivering on those plans, which were issued at the first ministerial meeting of the Global Alliance to end AIDS in children in Montreal in Canada in Aug. 2022. "This meeting has given me hope. An inequality that breaks my heart is that against children living with HIV, and leaders today have set out their commitment to the determined action needed to put it right," said Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS. "We cannot let children continue to be left behind in the global response to HIV and AIDS. Governments and partners can count on UNICEF to be there every step of the way," said UNICEF Associate Director Anurita Bains. The Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children by 2030 in Africa is aimed at advocating and mobilizing political commitment and resources to ensure action and accountability around shared targets and commitments. According to the UNAIDS fact sheet, currently around the world, a child dies from AIDS-related causes every five minutes. The fact sheet also says 160,000 children were infected with HIV in 2021. Delegates attend the ministerial launch of the Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children by 2030 in Africa in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Feb. 1, 2023. Tanzanian Vice President Philip Mpango on Wednesday urged African leaders to demonstrate their leadership by renewing their commitment to ending AIDS in children in the continent by 2030. (Office of Vice President of Tanzania/Handout via Xinhua) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Maybe I have been too exposed to the Ku Klux Klan and their sympathizers over the years whether they were dressed in a white robe or now wearing a Brooks Brothers suit, I say facetiously. I have had classic KKK experiences. Here are some examples: As a youngster I was a victim of the KKK when they burned a cross in front of our home. They also shot dead a dog on our lawn thinking it was ours, placed a dead possum that was dripping with blood wrapped in a white sheet in our mailbox for me to pull out, and made incessant and life-threatening phone calls (saying they wanted to blow up our house). As a 23-year-old working for a Fortune 500 company, the wallet of my boss accidently fell on the floor at dinner, revealing his KKK membership card. Then as a congressman the local Grand Dragon fulfilled his pledge to leave the state upon my election. But during these episodes and after, I would always remember my mothers advice, Do not allow a few bad apples in the barrel to cause you to throw out all the apples. Most of the apples are good! Proof? I was elected six times in a 92% white area including three times for Congress. For the record, the Ku Klux Klan lynched over 4,000 Black Americans, killed a countless number of others with nearly no convictions, while terrorizing millions. Due to slavery, many states in the South were majority or near majority Black before the domestic terrorism of the Klan caused the great migration of Blacks from the South to the North and West. It is time to take the sheets and hoods off the 21st-century Klansmen. Believe me, the Klan has been evolving. Unlike many Black Democrat leaders who are still fighting for some of the previously won Civil Rights, like voting rights, that does not interest the Klan anymore. They know the truth. Blacks are voting in record numbers and nothing will prevent that, other than political apathy. Seeing Black elected or appointed officials fail is their wish. With strategic help from bad and misguided Black people (similar to the help Africans gave to European slave traders) the Klan can get what they want without burning crosses. Black leaders often side with promoting Black abortions that, percentage wise, dwarf white abortions. This must bring a smile to the Klan which wants fewer Blacks on the streets anyway. There is power in numbers. Racists are pleased that they do not have to outwardly fight against desegregating schools anymore. Black Democrat leaders have been inadvertently blocking school integration by blocking school choice for decades. While donning expensive tailored suits, racists can keep Blacks trapped in poor areas via unfair employment practices. With no school choice, it would force Black people to go to failing neighborhood schools. They can achieve their objectives today through the Jussie Smollett model. The Black actor claimed racist MAGA supporters had beaten him. But prosecutors later proved that Smollett had paid for the beating as part of an elaborate charade to gain attention. Today the big charade is over issues that would cause all the 1960s Civil Rights leaders to roll over in their graves. Imagine the time and energy companies have spent on name or logo changes, like getting rid of Aunt Jemima pancakes and syrup or Uncle Bens rice. Add to that all the fuss over removing statues or memorials in various cities. Who cares? Will any of that produce even one long-term good paying job for a Black person to be able to take care of their family? And of course, there is the fallacy of being fair to Black people which is tantamount to hurting white people. This is the true mantra of the Klan, which they call being woke. It is not a term that would roll off most Black peoples tongues. However, getting just one Black face to espouse warped ideas on race is enough to promote the Klans points, thanks to the media. The Klans trick is to make you believe they do not exist. They work through others now to achieve their objectives which have not changed. They still abhor Black people, believe they are inferior, and that they should not have the same rights as whites. They want good white people to be outraged over these made up causes and demands just like Smollett wanted voters to hate Trump because of his beating. It is highly likely that funding comes from the bad guys themselves or Klan sympathizers just like Smollett funding his own little charade. The more outrageous they can depict so-called Black movements like Defund the police, the more normal white people would side with them and against Black people. Remember, it is and always will be all about the Benjamins. Unfair employment practices are the premier and preferred methods to kill Black people in the 21st-centurys Klan playbook, especially the best and brightest. For Biblical backup, here is Sirach (Chapter 34, verses 25 & 26): To take away a neighbors living is to commit murder; to deprive an employee of wages is to shed blood. This ultimately hurts America. Good white people and our government must stand up and engage! The Ku Klux Klan and their sympathizers, whether in white robes or Brooks Brothers suits, are good at what they do. They have centuries of practice, and they train their next generation well. Gary Franks served three terms as U.S. representative for Connecticuts 5th District. He was the first Black Republican elected to the House in nearly 60 years and New Englands first Black member of the House. Host: podcast We Speak Frankly. Author: With God, For God, and For Country. @GaryFranks (C)2023 Gary Franks. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Community News Editor / Librarian Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989. Jim Shulman, a Pittsfield native living in Ohio, is the author of Berkshire Memories: A Baby Boomer Looks Back at Growing Up in Pittsfield. If you have a memory of a Berkshire baby-boom landmark, business or event youd like to share or read about, please write Jim at jesjmskali@aol.com. PITTSFIELD The parent of a student in special education at Crosby Elementary School raised an alarm this week, declaring to school officials that promises are going unmet. I will not be silent, the people who stand with me will not be silent, Dennis Maston Jr., told members of the Pittsfield School Committee during a public comment period Tuesday. As a parent of a special needs, nonverbal student, who cannot speak up for himself, if administrators are doing something like this, this is why Im here, he said. I am here to implore you to look into the handling by administrators in this school. His cry for help won him a meeting next week with district and school administrators to discuss his claims that requirements involving individualized education programs, or IEPs, are not fulfilled. Maston said he had gathered information from staffers at the school before he presented his concerns to the committee. Schools are required by law to comply with IEPs. Superintendent Joseph Curtis said there is now an investigation into what Maston brought forth. He said the committee meeting was the first time he had heard about the concerns. Curtis said he hopes to hear more from Maston during the meeting next week with school administrators but declined further comment on Mastons claims. Im hopeful we can have some resolution after the meeting, Curtis said. Candy Allessio, principal at Crosby Elementary School, said she could not comment until after the meeting. Though Allessio is principal, the special ed program at her school is overseen by a separate department in the district. That departments acting director is Jennie Stokes. The coordinator of autism services is Danielle Allessio and the assistant principal of teaching and learning in special ed is Jeanine Heil. Fathers claims Maston detailed his struggles to secure an iPad for his son, Gavyn, who has nonverbal autism. Maston said the iPad is mandated in Gavyns IEP, and was assigned to him over four years ago. The device is meant to improve Gavyns communication skills, the father said, and his son needs ready access to it. Since the school year began, he hasnt. Maston has been requesting the iPad for over half a year a tool that is important for his sons learning. Maston said he has been asking why Gavyn, 11, didnt have access to his iPad and enlisted help of his sons primary teacher. Maston says he was referred to other departments at the school, including its tech department. Despite bringing it up in a scheduled IEP meeting, the device hasnt gotten into his childs hands. It took six months, Maston said during Tuesdays meeting. You want to know when I got the email about this iPad? Yesterday. Maston also raised concerns about staffing. He claimed that during the first week of January, two staff members were present in a classroom that had three students whose IEPs require one-on-one attention, along with five additional students. He said that for students with medical concerns, staffing levels werent safe. I wish at some points they wouldnt have let the class run with the immediate low staffing they had, Maston said during an interview. Just call parents and say, Hey, were having a low staffing day, were going to try and go forward with it, but if youd rather pick your child up, you can When it comes to safety and some of these kids having constant medical conditions that have to be watched out for, I think that would have been the smarter play. Follow-up email According to a follow-up email Maston sent to members of the School Committee, staff members who spoke with Maston said there is inadequate follow-up by administrators about medical issues involving special education students. Maston told The Eagle he spoke with two special education teachers and three paraprofessionals to gather material for his report. The staff members requested they remain anonymous and their names are not included in the email. Those who contributed to Mastons summary reported feeling that administrators had brushed off medical concerns for one student, and refused to believe the necessary resources needed for her care. Additional reports say staff felt they had received condescending responses from officials outside the classrooms when concerns were raised. The last straw for Maston was the January resignation of Gavyns primary teacher, who he feels left the school out of frustration. Gavyn had been working with the teacher for over two years. Maston worried that the loss of a teacher would be disruptive to the students in the classroom including Gavyn, who learns by repetition and needs to follow his routine, Maston said. Maston said the teacher was doing a phenomenal job with his son, particularly with helping him understand that things didnt have to go exactly according to plan. In order to help Gavyn understand that routines didnt have to be followed to the letter, the teacher would take him down a different route to exit the classroom each day, little by little. This teacher was slowly building on these small little changes and variables, to where Gavyn would notice the changes, but he wouldnt freak out about it, Maston said. Hed adapt and say, Ok, I can go this way, or this way it really worked out well. Maston said he was contacted by Curtis and Allessio after Tuesdays meeting and had good conversations with both of them. He wants to give administrators a chance to respond to the issues he outlined. He hopes hes made himself heard. At this point, Im trying to, in good faith, give them the opportunity to address and correct these issues and find a plan to where these things dont happen, Maston said. But it seemed to me that the students arent being put first. At school, thats rule number one. Body cameras were seen by the town and by police as an immediate way to rebuild trust in the community in the wake of the department's controversies of the last few years. GREAT BARRINGTON More than a dozen residents have signed a petition asking that the town ban 5G cellular telephone technology until the federal government completes a court-mandated review of emissions safety levels for people and the environment. The petition is one of five certified by the town clerk to be decided by voters at annual town meeting May 1. One petition seeks to loosen restrictions on short-term rentals. Another asks that the town purchase, own and operate the Housatonic Water Works Co. due to ongoing water quality problems and safety concerns. The town wont be the first to consider a moratorium on millimeter wave 5G or fifth generation small cell technology that uses radio frequencies above 6,000 megahertz. Sheffield will also mull whether it will pause a rollout until the Federal Communications Commission considers whether it has adequate safety limits for exposure to radiation from 5G that is based on research from scientists independent from industry. Campaigns to pause 5G rollouts are underway around the globe. Thousands of scientists have joined forces and signed petitions to raise concerns given the unknowns as well as existing research showing a clear connection between radiation levels below 5G levels and tumors in lab animals, for instance. Sign-up for The Berkshire Eagle's free newsletters Sign up One peer-reviewed study published in December found that emissions levels like those used in 5G systems affected functional activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and was stressful in nature. Other scientists who have reviewed studies found little evidence 5G could cause diseases or other health problems. The petition also asks that the town consider the alternative to 5G installation of fiber optics. Great Barrington has one 5G node behind Berkshire Bank downtown, according to Ooklas 5G map. Its one of 23 scattered across the Berkshires. The Great Barrington petitions authors could not be reached for comment. The petition cites a 2021 federal appeals courts mandate following a lawsuit that the FCC explain how its limits unchanged since 1996 are acceptable for long-term exposure. The FCC has not yet acted. In that opinion, the court criticized the FCCs reliance on the Food and Drug Administrations position that cellular technology is safe, saying both agencies had been derelict by showing a disinterest in scientific study of emissions. The safety question has led to a handful of bills in the Massachusetts Legislature to reduce all wireless radiation, particularly for children, as well as to study the effects of 5G. Dalton Delan can be followed on Twitter @UnspinRoom. He has won Emmy, Peabody and duPont-Columbia awards for his work as a television producer. What is sponsored content? The Eagle provides fee-based professional writing, editing, design, web presence and social media services to businesses to help them tell their stories with the broadest reach possible. Let us help you tell your story today. Email kkirchner@berkshireeagle.com As Intel implements its plans for two new semiconductor plants in central Ohio, Bowling Green State University is joining the Midwest Regional Network in partnership with the technology giant to help solve national needs in semiconductor and microelectronics development. With its record of faculty and student success in high-impact research at the University's Center for Photochemical Sciences coupled with the 50-year legacy of the state's first computer science program as well as hosting the state's premier supply chain program, BGSU is uniquely positioned to further Intel's mission to onshore strategically vital semiconductor production as it opens a chipmaking epicenter in central Ohio. The Midwest Regional Network supports the industry-leading company and is part of Intels $50 million commitment to Ohio higher education institutions over the next decade. Intels investment in Ohio institutions of higher education works in league with the Universitys mission to support industry needs and regional economic vitality by providing in-demand academic programming that prepares BGSU students for success and supports the workforce needs of today and tomorrow. The three-state Midwest Regional Network will leverage existing BGSU research, curricular and experiential learning assets, capabilities and expertise within the region and grow the collective capacity to support the domestic growth of robust semiconductor and microelectronics innovation and supply chain ecosystems. As a public university for the public good, Bowling Green State University is pleased to be joining this incredible partnership network to meet the workforce needs of Ohio and beyond, said BGSU President Rodney K. Rogers. This regional network will allow each of the partnering institutions to leverage their individual strengths while working with one another to effectively and efficiently support Intels growth, which is an investment in our states future. In addition to Bowling Green State University, members of the Midwest Regional Network include: Case Western Reserve University Columbus State Community College Lorain County Community College Michigan State University Purdue University Sinclair Community College The Ohio State University University of Cincinnati University of Dayton University of Michigan University of Notre Dame Wright State University Each institutions president signed a memorandum of understanding to form the network, which is expected to grow beyond these institutions. Initial activities for the network include: Developing a common, secure, information-sharing platform to make it easier to identify expertise, equipment, facilities and curricular programs of interest to facilitate joint programming, research, and/or outreach initiatives across the network Encouraging regional collaborations and promoting workshops around opportunities to pursue funding that will grow regional capacity to support identified needs across the semiconductor and microelectronics ecosystems Developing pilot mechanisms to connect existing research, facilities and curricular/training assets across the region to optimize their use to address regional needs and opportunities Intel's investment in Ohio In January 2022, Intel announced an investment of more than $20 billion for the construction of new factories in the Columbus suburb of New Albany, Ohio, which will boost production to meet demand for advanced semiconductors. Also known as computer chips, semiconductors are used in computers, cell phones and vehicles and serve a variety of functions, including the processing and storing of information. The expansion marks the largest single private-sector investment in Ohio history and is expected to create 3,000 Intel jobs and 7,000 construction jobs, as well as support tens of thousands of additional local long-term jobs across a broad ecosystem of suppliers and partners. The multinational company also pledged an additional $100 million toward partnerships with educational institutions, like BGSU, to attract workers and bolster research. For Lorenzo Zamora 21, the best part of working with the Falcon Food Pantry is the connection he makes with others. As a Bowling Green State University masters student and graduate assistant at the food pantry, Zamoras work breaking down boxes, organizing shelves and keeping track of inventory is not always glamorous but its tangible benefits are visible each time a student experiencing food insecurity starts a visit with a warm greeting and returns home with a bag of food. Food insecurity is a really sad issue, but I dont want anyone who is experiencing it to feel bleak, Zamora said. Im there just to help if people need it. Its nice for students to have, and I want them to feel welcome and to be happy when theyre at Falcon Food Pantry. Recognition was not the reason that Zamora committed his time to the Falcon Food Pantry, but nonetheless, his efforts have earned a nationwide award dedicated to college students at the forefront of fighting food insecurity on campus. Zamora became one of just three students nationally selected as a winner of the 2022 Nachman Justice Award from Swipe Out Hunger, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to combat food insecurity among college students. In return for being selected as a winner, Zamora received a $1,000 prize earmarked for college expenses like tuition, housing and books. Lorenzo never asks for glory and recognition, which is one reason Im so happy that he won this huge, national award, said Dr. Shannon Orr, a BGSU professor of political science and the faculty director of the Falcon Food Pantry. He has great people skills, hes very organized and he never hesitates to jump in and get things done. A lot of food pantry work is not glamorous, but he never hesitates. Zamora, who is from nearby Napoleon, Ohio, graduated from BGSU with a bachelors degree in political science. He is now pursuing his Master of Public Administration degree with a focus on nonprofits. The woman was also spiritually thirsty, so much so she drew the attention and compassion of God. In answer to her hearts cry, Jesus made a special trip to Samaria to give this woman what she really desired, rest for her soul and a reason to hope again. And in so doing, Jesus demonstrated how we can give that same gift of hope to others during the storms of life. Share Yourself Jesus was travelling to Galilee through Samaria after ministering to crowds in Judea. He was weary from the long walk, and thirsty from the scorching noonday heat. Curiously, John states: He had to go through Samaria on the way. But that was not typical for the day; most Jews would not have gone into the region of Samaria at all, because of its checkered history. This area of the Promised Land was allotted to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. King Omri named the area Samaria, which became the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, while Jerusalem was capital of the Southern kingdom of Judea. Over time, Samaria suffered at the hands of foreign conquering armies. New people moved in to settle in their land, introducing pagan Baal worship into the local communities. They intermarried with the native Jews and created a new, mixed-race of people the Samarians. These people were distained and mocked as half-breeds and apostates. Religious Jews hated them so much that they wouldnt even walk through their countryside, although it was the shortest route to Galilee. But Jesus had to go through Samaria because He had a divine appointment to give the gift of hope to someone who was hopeless. He was willing to be inconvenienced and uncomfortable for a person who needed hope, and so He shared Himself. Do you know what message that sends to people when we do the same for them? It says that they are important, they matter, and there is still hope for them. Who is that person in your life? God may be asking you to share your time with them a visit to say they are remembered, loved and appreciated. God may be asking you to share your treasure or talent with them to meet a need, and remind them that they will make it through. How can you give people the gift of hope? Share yourself! Photo credit: Getty Images/Gobal Moments British luxury brand Burberry used flowers and milk-based paints to create a pair of installations that mimic the brand's signature check pattern when viewed from above. The temporary artworks are on display across a volcanic site in El Hierro in Canary Islands and in a meadow in the Western Cape, South Africa. The project forms part of the Burberry Landscapes series, which sees larger-than-life earth works crafted by the brand in collaboration with its creative community. The series celebrates founder Thomas Burberrys love for the great outdoors and pays homage to the tales of adventures that his family members have embarked on. "Over 160 years ago, founder Thomas Burberry reimagined the possibilities of the great outdoors, equipping explorers to adventure through open spaces and embedding an affinity for the horizon in Burberry's DNA," the brand explained. For the latest iteration, the series is meant to evoke stories of Burberry's past to inform the present; the tales of adventurer Elsie Burberry - founder Thomas Burberry's daughter-in-law - and aviator Betty Kirby-Green who embarked on journeys from Britain to the Canary Islands and South Africa respectively. Both of these countries were revisited to create artwork inspired by the signature Burberry Check. Western Cape, South Africa Betty Kirby-Green The Burberry Check meadow lay in South Africas Overberg region, Western Cape and near to where record-breaking co-pilots Betty Kirby-Green and flying officer Arthur Clouston landed The Burberry plane into Cape Town in 1937. The display was hand-planted by expert local green teams to match the colours of the Burberry Check. Source: Supplied The 104,000 plants used in the installation were grown from seed with water sourced from a rainfall catchment dam. To ensure the pasture meadow was returned to its original state, the plants were turned over to break down naturally and compost back into the earth, Burberry says. The installation was created in the Happy Valley farm, Greyton, which is surrounded by the Riviersonderend conservation area, dominated by mountain fynbos, ericas and proteas. The many water streams travel down the mountain valleys lined with wild almond trees and conebush. El Hierro, Canary Islands Elsie Burberry Inspired by adventurer Elsie Burberrys voyages to the Canary Islands, the island of El Hierros volcanic ground acted as a natural canvas for the Burberry Check. Created using natural milk-based paint, Cuban-American contemporary artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada brought the Burberry Check colours to life. Source: Supplied "One of the things I enjoy about using this paint process is that its created from minerals. So, as youre mixing your colours, its like alchemy. You dont really know what amount works in one moment or another moment, because each type is going to come with a certain density and coverage and another comes with a different one. All of it unfolds before you, so you can enjoy mixing in the moment," says Rodriguez-Gerada. This vast natural illustration was washed away with manual turning, wind and local water sources to leave no lasting mark on the landscape. The full process was approved and monitored by El Hierros official Environmental Department, Burberry notes. "Together, these landscapes embody Burberrys belief that creativity opens spaces. A body of work that celebrates Burberrys heritage and encourages people to step outside and rethink the possibility of the world around them," the brand says. Afda is proud to announce the selection of three 2022 graduation films to compete for the prestigious Cilect Prize 2023. The Cilect Prize is the first-ever award bestowed to a student film based on the review from the whole community of Cilect Full Member Schools. This community includes 180 institutions from 65 countries, of which Afda is a member. Cilect, The International Association of Film and Television Schools (Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinema et de Television), was founded in Cannes, France, in 1954. Cilect wholly supports creativity, diversity, cross-cultural thinking and sustainable development and is strongly committed to maintaining the highest possible standards of audiovisual education in its member schools. The Cilect Prize was founded at the proposal of the (then) Vice-President Conferences and Festivals Prof. Dr Stanislav Semerdjiev in 2005. This prize was established as a result of his long-term research on world student festival activities and once a thorough survey had been conducted amongst all Cilect Full Member Schools on the eventual importance of such a competition. Presently, each Cilect Member School is permitted to submit one film in each category; fiction, documentary and animation. The Afda films competing for the Cilect Prize 2023 are the Afda Durban honours live action film Winterslaap, directed by Leandros Brown and Daniel Howells, the Afda Johannesburg third year graduation animation film Clouded, directed by Molemo Moalosi and Nkosingiphile Ndelu and the Afda Johannesburg third year experimental documentary film 20 Something, directed by Thabiso Moholho, Gaoretelelo Mogokonyane and Tshegofatso Makwase. "The news that Winterslaap has been selected to go to Cilect Prize is the best news we've heard all year! The cast and crew of this Durban Honours production pushed themselves and their team harder than anyone else, and the intense work paid off which is evidenced by the work on the screen. Winterslaap won the Critic's Award at the Afda Graduation Festival. The black and white film, in Afrikaans, made its presence felt immediately with its focus and dedication to the art of film. Writers/directors Lee Brown and Daniel Howells, were unstinting in their efforts to achieve exactly what they had envisaged for this film, even travelling to the heart of the Drakensberg in the coldest and rainiest spring we've ever had. It's wonderful to see their efforts pay off. Well done to the whole cast and crew! Afda Durban is very proud of you." says Afda Durban dean, Janet van Eeden. "We are delighted that Clouded has been selected by Afda for the Cilect Prize. The film grips the viewer and takes them on a heartfelt character-driven journey about suffering and healing. This delightful and perfectly paced piece of animated storytelling won both the Critics' Award and Best Animation at Afda Johannesburg's Graduation Festival." says Afda Johannesburg head of Film School Jane-Anne Raath. "We are very proud of this documentary as a reflection of the anxieties of young people worldwide. 20 Something holds up a mirror to the expectations of young adults and the reality of, and perhaps anti-climax, of coming of age. Youth worldwide have similar aspirations of adulthood, and the documentary reflects those expectations as a worldwide unifier of the youth experience of coming of age." says Zenobia Simelane, Afda Johannesburg head of Television School. President Cyril Ramaphosa has nominated Justice Mahube Molemela, who is currently a Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal, for Judge President of the Supreme Court of Appeal. Image: Justice Mahube Molemela - SANews.gov.za The position of the President of the Supreme Court of Appeal has been vacant following the appointment of Justice Maya to the position of the Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court with effect from 1 September 2022. In a statement on Friday, The Presidency said President Ramaphosa has informed Chief Justice Raymond Zondo of his consideration to appoint Justice Molemela. The President has, through the Chief Justice, invited the Judicial Service Commission to advise on the suitability of Justice Molemela to hold the office of the President of the Supreme Court of Appeal, the Presidency said. The Presidency said that President Ramaphosa has undertaken this consultation in terms of Section 174(3) of the Constitution. This constitutional provision sets out that the President, as head of the National Executive - and after consulting the Judicial Service Commission and the leaders of parties represented in the National Assembly appoints the Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice. After consulting the Judicial Service Commission, the President appoints the President and Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Appeal. Justice Molemela has established an illustrious judicial career spanning over 15 years, having first been appointed as a Judge of the Free State Division of the High Court in 2008. During her 15 years on the Bench she served as a Judge President of the Free State Division of the High Court for three years before her elevation to the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2018. She has also served as a Judge of the Labour and Labour Appeal Court, Acting Judge of the Competition Appeal Court and Acting Judge of the Constitutional Court for two terms in 2015. She holds a B.Proc degree (University of Fort Hare); LLB, LLM and LLD (Honoris Causa) (all three from the University of Free State). The saturation of environmental journalism - focused on the Paris Agreement, COP27 and associated topics - is resulting in construction professionals' apparent boredom when sustainability is raised. However, the vigorous campaigning, according to recent reports, is warranted, substantiated by increasing extreme weather events. Bunny Bala, technical support specialist at Saint-Gobain Africa The current approach to the 30-year-old concept of sustainable development in construction is that of scrutiny and challenge across the world. Businesspeople find themselves over-messaged, resulting in fatigue within built-environment circles when it comes to sustainability for positive climatic change. Advocates in the industry are singularly focused and use conferences, continuing professional development programmes (CPDs), councils and governing bodies to coerce professionals into compliance. Those sensitised to the sustainability agenda are subjected to divergent information in an ever-increasing frequency. Against this backdrop of information overload, greenwashing of products is commonplace. What is greenwashing? Greenwashing is when a company misleads the public (generally through marketing) into thinking their products/practices/services are environmentally friendly or have a more significant positive contribution to the environment than is true. Understating a companys involvement in environmentally damaging practices is also considered to be greenwashing. Tell-tale signs of greenwashing Societies, both wealthy and poor, experience the negative impacts of climate change. As a direct result, humankind is paying attention and increasingly making purchasing decisions considering aspects beyond the traditional. Forbes reports, Some businesses might participate in greenwashing without even realising it, simply because of the lack of universal standards around ESG reporting. Often, messages proliferate making product performance claims that are not based on rigorous test results as brand building considers eco-clean as an essential pillar for success. Active steps to avoid greenwashing Carbon emissions are no longer the domain of environmentalists and scientists exclusively; businesspeople and the general population consider emissions in daily purchase decisions. Companies are increasingly becoming subject to scrutiny, especially now that information regarding sustainability is more widely available. While industry insiders are often well-versed regarding sustainability, this does not mean that all messages aimed at the public align with reality. Listed below are some ways businesspeople can avoid greenwashing. Organisational learning: Understand sustainability definitions and keep abreast with related laws or regulations. Additionally, the actions and approaches of entire supply chains to the organisation within the context of sustainability should be monitored continuously. Hype: Identify vague statements without credible performance literature to support, such as eco-friendly or natural. Identify the use of trade-offs: Companies offering eco-friendly products that engage in production and waste management activities that are at odds with sustainability principles. Misleading visuals: Beware of companies using nature to portray the illusion of an organisation that is concerned with minimal impact on the environment. It may be so that within their supply chain or factories a very different behaviour takes place. Conflicting sustainability claims: Assigning misleading descriptions to hazardous products, for example, green asbestos. Identify respected third-party certifications: These would include LEED, BREEAM, Green Star, Net Zero/Net Positive certification, Green Tag, EPC, EPD (full life-cycle analysis documentation). Sensitivity to false claims: It may be so that partial truths hide real activities that do not align with sustainability best practice. Repurposing of the existing built environment The 13th edition of the Emissions Gap Report reveals that we are falling behind on the required pace of decarbonising to avoid reaching the climate tipping point. In order to avoid this taking place, the efforts to constrain temperature rise within 1.5C must be intensified. Buildings and the construction process are identified as areas where meaningful reduction of emissions can be realised. Statistics published for the sector continue to highlight the missed opportunity. The 2022 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction reveals the sector currently contributes 36% of global energy usage and 39% of (CO2) emissions, an all-time high. The African continent has been identified, through construction material usage and processes, as a significant contributor. Studies highlight buildings energy consumption is primarily attributed to heating and cooling. That is, should a structure perform poorly, more energy is required to attain a comfortable temperature for occupants. Architectural window films, in this instance, are a quick and effective solution to improve the thermal performance of an existing structure. Retrofits makes sense The African continents building stock is extensive, however, many of these structures are either under or incorrectly utilised. Surveys reveal this to be applicable specifically to the economic nodes of metropoles. As such, the South African government has made efforts to repurpose and renovate dilapidated buildings. Maximising the performance of existing building stock through improving energy performance is key. Making use of materials and solutions with a low carbon footprint when retrofitting builds on appropriate structural design for energy consumption and carbon emission reduction. It can be argued that employing these strategies can rejuvenate the urban fabric of any city to strengthen the economy and wellbeing of society. Delaying is not an option Organizations must reduce emissions significantly to change the current trajectory. Furthermore, the private sector has a crucial role to play in illustrating the real value of transformation. Benoit Bazin, Saint-Gobains CEO, reiterated during COP27 that sustainable construction can no longer remain niche in emerging countries. It must become the new normal. Furthermore, synergetic collaboration between governments, councils and other relevant stakeholders within the private sector is an urgent imperative. Eco-innovation of construction products underpins net-zero responsibility, particularly in countries with advanced economies and technologies. As unexpected weather events become more frequent due to climate change, increasing the resilience and adaptability of buildings is essential. The strategies can be intricate and often require informed professionals who can give guidance towards enacting sustainability. Transparency and third-party verification Greenwashing gives rise to a trust deficit for companies who claim to have sustainability practices or environmentally friendly products, including those with legitimate claims. In the information age, facts can be checked quite easily. Companies who are determined to meet their Paris Agreement goals by 2050 are transparent in their conduct. As such, they usually make third-party certifications public with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and life cycle declarations. An EPD is a declaration that illustrates the environmental information of a product by assessing product life cycle to enable evaluation of competitors. Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) are according to ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. EPDs are created and verified in accordance with ISO 14025. They are recognised by LEED, BREAM and several other international bodies in industry. The LCA is the methodology used to assess the environmental impacts of a material, product, system or building over its entire life cycle. Another notable effort implemented by the South African government is the gazetted requirements (mandated by the National Energy Act 34 of 1998 and the SANS 1544:2014) for Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). According to Sanedi, as of 8 December 2025, building owners will be required to present certificates showing how their buildings perform. The buildings energy-use characteristic is recorded and rated following a colour-coded system from A-G, similar to that seen on electrical appliances. The regulations apply to state-owned buildings with a total floor area greater than 1,000m2; 2,000m2 and larger privately-owned buildings are also required to comply. The bottom line Greenwashing undermines the efforts of companies following sustainable practices, complicates the decision-making process of conscientized customers informing their decisions to making the world a better home. The construction and property sector must be always vigilant; sourcing proven green products to support net-zero goals, will result in short-, medium- and long-term benefits for all stakeholders. The City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor, Thapelo Amad, has reassured Johannesburg residents that the City's water is safe for consumption. Image source: Steve Johnson from Pexels This comes after reports appeared on social media that a resident noticed blue water when opening the tap a few days ago. Amad said following the reports, Joburg Water launched an investigation to establish the source of this problem, and took a sample on 1 February 2023 at Sontonga Lofts in Braamfontein. At the time of taking the samples, the water was clear and not blue. The complainant later confirmed on social media that the blue water was only at their unit, which was caused by an internal plumbing issue. The internal issues were resolved by a private plumber. Johannesburg Water is in the process of contacting the customer, as well as the plumber to understand what the issue was that caused the incident, Amad said. Water supply challenges Amad said the City of Johannesburg has been experiencing water supply challenges since the beginning of the year, when Rand Water total reservoir storage level on 8 January 2023 was at 76%. The reservoir storage level started to significantly decline from 9 January 2023, and the situation was exacerbated by power supply failures that affected the Zuikerbosch purification plant and Eikenhof pump station on 13 January 2023. The Mayor said this significantly affected the Crosby, Brixton and Hurst Hill Reservoir 1 and 2 supply zones, which cover wards 58, 69, 86 and 87 in the City of Johannesburg. On 13 January 2023, there were power failures that affected the Rand Water Zuikerbosch purification plant, which lasted for six hours. This resulted in the plant only operating at 60% capacity during that time. On the same day, the Rand Water Eikenhof pump station was affected by a power failure of three hours. These events affected the Johannesburg Water Commando system, which supplies the Crosby, Brixton and Hurst Hill 1 and 2 reservoirs. The high-lying areas of Hurst Hill 2 were severely affected and Melville, Parktown and Auckland Park experienced intermittent water supply. On 16 January 2023, Johannesburg Water and Rand Water issued media statements on these power failures and high-water demand experienced due to high temperatures and appealed to all consumers to reduce water consumption. These events, with higher-than-normal temperatures, resulted in Rand Water storage capacity dropping to 30% and some of their reservoirs supplying municipalities dropping to below 15%, Amad explained. In the City of Johannesburg, Rand Water's Waterval 2 Reservoir was below 15% and affected water supply in the Commando system. On 29 January 2023, Rand Water experienced another power failure at their Eikenhof pump station from 4.30am. Full power was only restored 22 hours later at 2am on 30 January 2023. This incident then caused the Rand Water Waterval and Meredale Reservoirs that supply the City of Johannesburgs western and southern areas - Randburg and Roodepoort - to drop to zero storage capacity, Amad said. During this period, Johannesburg Water provided residents with water through mobile water tankers and stationary tanks at various strategic areas. There were 21 roaming mobile tankers in the affected areas, with a further 18 stationary tanks placed at strategic points in the affected areas. Part of the entitys interventions included pumping water into the Helen Joseph and Rahima Moosa Mother and Child hospitals' tanks from afternoon, 30 January 2023, as and when required to sustain their supply, Amad said. The Mayor urged customers to reduce water consumption, as this directly impacts the recovery of the affected systems. Customers are also requested to report major bursts and leaks to assist with sustaining critical systems. Residents are reminded that stage 1 water restrictions must be adhered to. Amad announced that the City, through Joburg Water, has invested just over R400 million, which will be used over the next 18 months to build and upgrade bulk water infrastructure, especially along the Commando system (Crosby and Brixton), which is always the hardest hit by water shortages. Owners of small to medium sized businesses must wear many hats... one of them being the ability to attract and retain quality talent. According to Stats SA, approximately 68% of South Africa's labour force falls within the Gen Y (millennials) and Gen Z age brackets. So how do SMEs find the best that our youth has to offer? The informal and SME sectors are driving many of the employment opportunities in our local labour market. However, SMEs dont seem to be taking advantage of specialist online recruitment platforms when it comes to promoting these opportunities far and wide, which limits their chances of finding the right talent and making the unseen potential visible. Currently only 6% of advertised jobs on Pnets platform belong to SMEs, compared to 94% job adverts posted by corporates and recruitment agencies. Unsurprisingly, the youth are using online channels more than any other jobseeker segment. They are online-savvy, and mobile/apps are often their first port of call. According to a study from customer management firm Epsilon, Gen Zers are two times more likely to use online-only stores than any other generation. They thrive on self-serve options where they retain control. As such, SMEs are missing out when they dont advertise their job vacancies on specialist recruitment platforms to access this market. Both Gen Z and millennials are 'immediate' consumers, in that they expect to access things quickly and easily whether its access to transport through Uber, satiating food cravings through online food orders, or finding their next career opportunity using an online recruitment platform. If youre looking for young and talented individuals to join your business, you need to be aware that UX and CX are important to them. As such, using offline channels to try and reach them with job vacancies could result in you losing out to other brands who are leveraging the power of online recruitment platforms like that of Pnet. Leave recruitment to the experts and focus on your core business That said, posting your job ads on an online platform is only the first step in attracting quality candidates. Hiring the wrong employee can severely impact your business. The good news is that, with the right recruitment partner in place, you can save both time and money. 1. Start with an engaging job advert To attract the best Gen Y and Gen Z candidates, your job ads need to reflect more than a laundry list of requirements. 'Purpose' is a powerful decider for South Africas youth. Their focus is on building careers and making money, but their careers and hobbies feed strongly into their sense of self. This leads them to be both discerning and highly critical. Your job adverts must be factual, succinct and inspirational. When it comes to creating an ideal online job advert, there are some important dos and donts to keep in mind, however your listings success will ultimately depend on the quality of a recruitment portals technology combined with its jobseeker database. At the end of the day, posting a job advert is not just about making a job sound attractive to the candidate, says Leigh-Anne Cullen, Pnets product manager. The way the information is integrated into our platform is enabled by our smart matching technology, which focuses on automating screening, optimising selection and eliminating bias from the recruitment process. This is critical when it comes to matching the right candidates to the right roles and significantly affects how job adverts perform. The sophistication of specialist online recruitment platforms ensures that the right candidates see your job adverts not only allowing you to attract fresh talent, but also to find quality candidates who are actively looking to move. And, if you only require a once-off listing, there are e-commerce products that can be purchased online without a subscription. 2. Take the legwork out of discovering talent In the words of Richard Branson: If you really want to grow as an entrepreneur, you've got to learn to delegate." In a small-to-medium enterprise, its even more critical than in larger organisations to outsource functions to experts so that you can get on with your core business. Making use of recruitment services like Pnets Response Handling solution can help to make the matching process a seamless one for you. As experts on the Pnet system, they know how to input your job description to get the best performance out of your job ad. The creation of suitable shortlists and management of the entire process will be done on your behalf, so that you can get on with your core business activities until youre ready to review the shortlisted candidates and set up time to interview them. The process is simple. All youll need to do is provide a detailed job description, your shortlist criteria and a closing date. We will manage the rest. First, well generate an advert with a link to a uniquely designed questionnaire, structured to your criteria, to rate and score applicants. Gen Y and Gen Z individuals tend to be 'job hoppers', so we streamline your background check strategy by selecting the best applicants first and then screening only the final candidates. Following this, we we will shortlist successful applicants and send out regret letters to unsuccessful applicants. Successful applicants will be shortlisted in a designated folder for you to review. 3. Tap into a bigger talent pool Online recruitment platforms provide SMEs with access to sizeable databases that make headhunting easier. For example, Pnets Direct Search functionality allows you to recruit proactively and headhunt the best candidates in a database of over three million jobseekers reducing time-to-hire and allowing you to filter candidate profiles to a granular level to find an accurate match. However, its important to note that searching the database directly may be extremely time consuming and time for SMEs especially is money. In searching for candidates directly, you may also reach passive candidates who would need some convincing to change jobs. When you place a job advert, on the other hand, youre more likely to connect with candidates who are actively looking for new career opportunities. Whether you opt to invest in a job advert or simply search for candidates using an existing database, specialist online recruitment platforms will usually enable you to communicate with candidates directly, comment on candidate profiles, and send bulk letters of regret. Jobseekers hate being left hanging and closing the loop will put your SME in a good light with Gen Y and Gen Z candidates even if they arent successful in securing the position, at least they will feel heard and seen. 4. Showcase your SME with employer branding Having the right employer branding in place is another great way to attract the Gen Y and Gen Z talent youre looking for because these candidates tend to have a thirst for information and an eagerness to learn and grow. "We've seen clients who have an interesting, attractive and detailed Company Hubs page on the Pnet platform get better quality candidates and higher applications than those who don't, says Leandre van der Merwe, customer success manager at Pnet. In a competitive employment landscape, having the right employer branding in place enables you to set your SME business apart from the competition even the seemingly safe corporates! You can showcase your brand, your company values, growth opportunities, culture and available vacancies to attract the best candidates, Van der Merwe concludes. Employer branding allows you to improve your brand presence, regardless of the size of your business. It creates a compelling connection to your services, benefits and culture. You can use employer branding to actively position your business, communicating the key features that make your offering unique, while showcasing benefits and services. From an SEO perspective, employer branding also contributes to your company ranking better on Google. Attracting the best of South Africas youth can be a daunting prospect for SMEs, yet hiring the right person for the job is critical to business success. As an SME owner, it is possible to enjoy a seamless recruitment process without having a dedicated HR or talent acquisition manager. Magic happens when specialist online recruitment platforms using world-class technology work with recruiters to attract the right job seekers to their vacancies. Are you ready to make connections that work? To find out how Pnet can help you with your SME recruitment efforts, contact us at: www.pnet.co.za | az.oc.tenp@selas | +27 (10) 140 3099 As a subsidiary of the StepStone Group and sister company to Universum, Pnet is the connector, the catalyst, and the ecosystem for opportunity. Creating, amplifying, and identifying opportunity. Pnet 'makes it possible to do great things'; it is where recruiters can find the talent to help them flourish, and jobseekers are given the opportunities that will help them find purpose, meaning, and joy through their skills. City of Miami Police unveiled a brand-new police car in honor of Black History Month. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales were on hand at Thursday afternoons unveiling, as they came together to remember and honor history. This is a beautiful collaboration to commemorate Black history and Black History Month and the history of African Americans and our police department and our city, said Suarez. This is Black history. The moving moment took place at the Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum along Northwest 11th Street. ShotSpotters mic tech and AI combine forces to report possible gunshots to law enforcement customers. Its very hit or miss, he said with all possible puns intended. ShotSpotter says its nearly 100% accurate and can play an important part in reducing gun crime. Actual customers say something else: A 2013 investigation of the effectiveness of ShotSpotter in Newark, New Jersey revealed that from 2010 to 2013, the systems sensors alerted police 3,632 times, but only led to 17 actual arrests. According to the investigation, 75% of the gunshot alerts were false alarms. 97% accuracy? Not what weve seen, says the San Diego PD: A San Diego Police Department spokesperson told Voice of San Diego that during the four years ShotSpotter had been in use (as of September 2020) officers had made only two arrests responding to an alert and only one of those was directly linked to the alert. Meanwhile, 72 of the 584 ShotSpotter alerts during that time period were determined to be unfounded, a whopping 25 times higher than the 0.5 percent false positive rate put forth by the company, the Voice of San Diego reported, based on data provided by the citys police department. Accuracy aside, can it help reduce gun violence and criminal acts linked to fired weapons? Again, the answer is no. The City of Chicago Office of Inspector Generals (OIG) Public Safety section has issued a report on the Chicago Police Departments (CPD) use of ShotSpotter acoustic gunshot detection technology and CPDs response to ShotSpotter alert notifications. OIG concluded from its analysis that CPD responses to ShotSpotter alerts can seldom be shown to lead to investigatory stops which might have investigative value and rarely produce evidence of a gun-related crime. That doesnt mean the Chicago PD doesnt think the tech is useful. In Chicago, officers still like ShotSpotter despite its inaccuracy because it allows them to do the sorts of things they want to do. In reviewing ISR [investigative stop report] narratives for mentions of ShotSpotter alerts, OIG also identified 10 ISRs (13.9%) in which reporting officers referred to the aggregate results of the ShotSpotter system as informing their decision to initiate a stop or their course of action during the stop, even when they were not responding to a specific ShotSpotter alert. For example, some officers during the reporting period identified the fact of being in an area known to have frequent ShotSpotter alerts as an element of the reasonable suspicion required to justify the stop. Other officers reported conducting protective pat downs following a stop because they knew themselves to be in areas where ShotSpotter alerts were frequent. A new Associated Press report based on confidential ShotSpotter records shared with the news agency is full of the sort of good news/bad news that tends to get saddled with noncommittal headlines, like this one: Confidential document reveal key human role in gunshot tech. Heres whats notable in this report: [A] confidential ShotSpotter document obtained by The Associated Press outlines something the company doesnt always tout about its precision policing system that human employees can quickly overrule and reverse the algorithms determinations, and are given broad discretion to decide if a sound is a gunshot, fireworks, thunder or something else. Such reversals happen 10% of the time by a 2021 company account, which experts say could bring subjectivity into increasingly consequential decisions and conflict with one of the reasons AI is used in law-enforcement tools in the first place to lessen the role of all-too-fallible humans. The AP is technically correct. ShotSpotter says its tech can do what police cant: be omnipresent with ears at the ready. What it pitches to cop shops is near perfection, a 97% success rate in hearing and locating gunshots. Whats not made immediately clear is the human backstops. This is absolutely essential. Loud noises should not be instantly assumed to be gunshots. Hence the need for trained human employees to sort the possibles from the confirmed. But theres a downside to this one thats just as harmful as some PDs willingness to treat every suspected gunshot as blanket permission to violate the rights of those who happen to be in the reported vicinity. ShotSpotters human techs dont just alter reports to distinguish things like a cars backfiring from a suspected criminals gun firing. They also alter determinations and gunshot locations to better serve the needs of law enforcement agencies that interact with them. On one hand, we have humans looking for AI errors. On the other hand, we have humans willing to cater to their law enforcement customers. A real land of contrasts sort of situation and one that doesnt exactly inspire more trust in a cop tech company that has routinely overstated the accuracy of its main product. Unsurprisingly, ShotSpotter execs remain bullish. ShotSpotter said in a statement to the AP that the human role is a positive check on the algorithm and the plain-language document reflects the high standards of accuracy its reviewers must meet. Our data, based on the review of millions of incidents, proves that human review adds value, accuracy and consistency to a review process that our customersand many gunshot victimsdepend on, said Tom Chittum, the companys vice president of analytics and forensic services. This is undoubtedly true. Human reviewers can make judgment calls the software cant. This can help limit false positives. On the other hand, weve seen evidence that ShotSpotters human reviewers are not nearly as well-trained as the company claims. Their experts are not really experts. And, in at least two cases, the human reviewers have engaged in the sort of customer service that guarantees repeat government business (altering reports to better fit police narratives) but does little to protect the people who actually pay for these services: residents of cities where the tech has been deployed. If ShotSpotters human staffers are altering gunshot reports 10% of the time, it means the software isnt as accurate as the company claims it is. And it likely means theyre still altering reports by request for law enforcement agencies which may feel a false positive needs to be treated as an actual positive or feel the detection was too far away from their rights violations to be useful in their post hoc rationalization of their abuses. Whatever the case, ShotSpotter should be treated with far more skepticism than whats observed in this AP report. The company asserts facts not in evidence, sues journalists for truthfully reporting on its activities, and clearly considers itself to be an essential part of the criminal justice equation. Until the company is willing to let outside experts examine its tech, the company should be treated as part of the problem, rather than a cheap and easy solution to gun crime. Tighter regulations on the burgeoning cryptocurrency market will be introduced in an attempt to protect the estimated one million Australians dabbling in the sector. Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced a string of measures on Friday, including strengthening enforcement of crypto providers and bolstering consumer protections. The regulations follow last years spectacular collapse of FTX, one of the worlds largest cryptocurrency exchanges, which left thousands of Australian investors out of pocket. The federal government is tightening regulations on the burgeoning cryptocurrency market. Credit: Bloomberg Globally, market watchdogs have been concerned people are entrusting their digital assets to a trading platform and mistakenly think they have the same protections as when buying shares online. In the final years when alcohol takes possession of Roths body yet fails to addle his mind, when the last in a series of female companions moves away from Roth and thoughts of a reinstatement of the Habsburg monarchy are finally abandoned, Pims portrait of the writer, living mostly on handouts from other writers (notably Stefan Zweig) and his publishers, is at its most touching and memorable. As we are told about this lifes conclusion, the price for the unwavering faith of Roths religion was full acceptance of the terms of life it laid down. As Hitlers fascism became ever more violent and threatening over the course of the 1930s, and overwhelmingly so for Jewish citizens, there would be no prospect of voluntary escape into death, as there had been, for example, for Roths friend Ernst Toller. The westward trajectory of Roths life from humble beginnings in a Jewish enclave in the eastern borderland of Galicia, through its middle years in the sophisticated metropolises of Vienna and Berlin, was to witness its finale not in Mitteleuropa, where Roths heart and spirit had always sought to dwell, but in Paris, one of the last bastions of free Europe, shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. Loading Though Pims conceit of endless flight generally seems right on the money, at the end at least for this reviewer it comes up a little short. Roth did not fly from Europe, as Bertolt Brecht, Thomas Mann and a host of others did. The author of Job: The Story of a Simple Man, Roths stunning breakthrough novel about an orthodox Jewish family from Galicia that emigrates to the United States, did not choose to imitate his fiction. Instead, the perpetual flight of his life was suspended in its final moments, and, as I read Roth, fully in accord with his deepest convictions. NSW is a land of weather extremes on Friday: snow is blanketing the Alps, while much of the states coast is bathing in 30 degree-plus conditions ahead of a scorching weekend. Meanwhile, Brisbane is among the most humid cities on earth, and hail is hitting Melbourne with a cold snap from Antarctica. The Thredbo weather cam shows fresh snowfall on Friday morning. Credit: Thredbo Sydney is set to reach 31 degrees on Friday with slight winds and a near-zero chance of rain, reflecting a hot and humid trough thats moving down from Queensland. The heat in south-east Queensland and north-east NSW has high humidity, said James Rouse from Weatherzone. [Its] making for very warm mornings and its making it feel hotter than it is. Brigitte said she worried about Bowie getting burnt. He hates wearing a hat, and we have two here, and he takes them both off. Loading The family erected their shelter at the back of the beach where it wouldnt inconvenience others. It would be frustrating if we couldnt have cabanas on the beach at all, but if they are limited to the back of the beach it is OK, said Brigitte. Waverley Councils former mayor Sally Betts said it was definitely the time to think about the location and size of cabanas on Bondi Beach because it was a busy public space. The one-kilometre strip is shared by runners, volleyball players, nippers, families, surfers and events. Betts says lifeguards should be consulted before any rules are imposed. They played a role ensuring the security of visitors on the beach where they watch for thieves or ugly behaviour as well as monitoring swimmers. Mark Kruea, Myrtle Beach Citys public information officer, said that in 2014 local jurisdictions noticed an explosion of tents and canopies, frequently tied together, creating a virtual wall that effectively blocked access and line-of-sight to the beach in some places. Cabanas were banned from Myrtle Beach in South Carolina in 2014 because they took up too much space and hindered lifeguards. Credit: Josh Bell/The Sun News via AP The boom began when large cabanas became more affordable. They were so plentiful at peak times and locations that they blocked access and visibility to the waters edge, affecting public safety and everyones enjoyment of our gorgeous beach, said Kruea. Our lifeguard and beach patrol services were concerned that they might not be able to quickly get an emergency vehicle onto the beach, through all the [canopies and beach] tents. Unlike umbrellas with only one support, [cabanas and canopies] are tied down at four corners. They also take up a tremendous amount of real estate, leaving very little beach left for people to enjoy. Loading Myrtle Beach is located on a 97-kilometre-long stretch of sandy beaches on South Carolinas coast that attracts 20 million visitors a year. Kruea said the city decided that only umbrellas (and toddler tents and shades) would be allowed in summer, and even then, only above the high tide line. We dont want tall obstructions [umbrellas, tents or canopies] between the lifeguard and the surf; the lifeguard needs an unobstructed view of the beach, said Kruea. As an aside, we often saw tents set up on the beach, but with people sitting outside of them. The tent was shade for the beach accoutrements, but the people didnt use it. Loading Rules governing beach tents and cabanas vary across the United States. At beaches in the north-east, The New York Times reported that groups of families were arriving with cabanas or beach tents, and bringing portable fridges, grills, and beach wagons for children. This beach spreading prompted some jurisdictions to limit beach shelters, and ban coolers and anything related to food preparation. Kruea said the umbrella-only policy was controversial at first, but the public adjusted quickly. We all have more beach to enjoy, and thats the most noticeable result from this policy. A spokesperson for Waverley Council said it hadnt experienced any problems with beach tents and cabanas that would warrant restrictions on their use at this point, but it would continually monitor safety and respond accordingly. Loading We do ask that people remain respectful of others when visiting our beaches, and if a particular section of the beach is busy, consider setting up in a less crowded spot so everyone can enjoy the view and have safe access to the water. The Northern Beaches Council said if cabanas impede surveillance, they kindly ask people to relocate them. Northern beaches resident Doug Cohen said cabanas and umbrellas shouldnt be set up between the flags. That way lifeguards and lifesavers have an uninterrupted view, said Cohen of Newport. On social media, many readers went further, calling for complete bans. Shade not enough to protect from skin cancer The shade of a high-quality cabana is not enough by itself to remove the risk of skin cancer when the UV index peaks in the middle of the day, said Cancer Council Australias chief executive Professor Tanya Buchanan. You have to use all five forms of sun protection when the UV index is three or above. In an Australian summer, theres pretty much every day when the index is at very high or extreme. As well as seeking out shade, she urged beachgoers to slip on protective clothing, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat, and slide on sunglasses. Loading Overexposure to harmful UV radiation causes 95 per cent of melanomas, making it almost entirely preventable, the federal Health Minister Mark Butler said last week. Men die from melanoma at twice the rate of women, yet are far less likely to make sun protection part of their daily routine. Buchanan said cabanas provide shade, but they shouldnt be used to stay on the beach for longer than usual. While not always possible, minimising exposure to UV radiation from the sun is the most effective strategy to prevent skin cancer. Former prime minister Scott Morrisons decision to stop a controversial gas field from being explored off the NSW coastline is set to be overturned, after the federal government and two gas companies agreed to end a looming court battle. The federal government and the gas companies, Asset Energy and Bounty Oil & Gas, applied to the Federal Court for consent orders to end the legal action which, if granted, would nullify the Morrison governments decision. Scott Morrison secretly swore himself in as resources minister to block PEP11, a controversial gas field being explored off the NSW coastline. Credit: James Brickwood If the court gives the consent orders, PEP11 becomes a headache for the NSW government, weeks out from a state election. The NSW government has previously opposed the project, but the federal government is the ultimate decision-maker. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said he had spoken and written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese restating the state governments opposition to the project. Membreys housemate had broken her ankle days earlier in a horse riding accident and was staying at her boyfriends Safety Beach home, a fact known by only a handful of people, including the suspects parents. The brother was living with his parents at the time of the murder. The suspect, now 48, told police he once moved Membreys car that was blocking his sisters vehicle. But the sister told police he had not driven either car and she would never have asked him to move the vehicles, which were always parked side by side. The unit had parking for three cars with direct street access. The killer tried to clean the bloodied crime scene, bundled the body into the boot of Membreys car wrapped in her doona and took her to an unknown location. Her body has never been found. Forensic tests established the dust and soil found in the wheel trims and doors came when the car was driven on a dirt road at speeds between 60 and 70 km/h for at least four kilometres. There were traces of her blood in the car and witness sightings of the vehicle driven in Bedford Road between 3.30am and 4am on December 7. As Membrey didnt drive her car off bitumen, police reasoned it was the killer. Tests showed the soil was consistent with the Kinglake and Silvan areas - leaving detectives to conclude the body was left less than 100 kilometres from the unit. Police found a bucket filled with wet rags, no toilet paper in the house and the toilet roll and holder missing. Witnesses told police the suspect would refer to the Membrey case, saying Liz is in a safe place and They wont find the body, there is a lot of bush around there. A relative said when the suspect was asked about the missing woman he said: Shes in a river. In one of several accounts he gave to police he claimed to have been at the Bedford Road shops on December 6 to visit a woman working at the hairdressers, but she was too busy to see him. Police checked with the hairdressing staff from the time and none recognised him. Detectives were told that three days before the murder he turned up unannounced and Membrey refused to let him in. He denied he had been there on that date saying he went there one of two weeks before Elisabeth disappeared ... to say hello to my sister who was not home. He said Membrey had allowed him to use the toilet. Detectives surmise that with the toilet paper and holder missing, he wanted to produce a credible reason why his fingerprints or DNA might have been at the crime scene. Witnesses told police they saw a blue Holden parked in the driveway around the time Membrey was attacked. The suspect told police when he visited he drove a gold/brown V8 Commodore, but others said he drove a blue Torana to the unit. The man testified at Bonds trial that he was in the street the day Membrey went missing and saw two men walking down the driveway near a purple or maroon sedan. One, he said, had a T-shirt on - it was black with a white eagle on the front like a Harley-Davidson T-shirt. Police have always believed this was a fabrication. The suspect left Melbourne with a mate days after the murder, without explanation, cutting off many friends and family. He appeared to have suffered an arm injury that required medical attention. When he left Victoria, he had his arm in a cast. It is there every day, like an undercurrent: Joy and Roger Membrey in 2005. Credit: John Woudstra The suspect, then an apprentice plumber, told a friend just before he left he needed to use a backhoe to fill in a hole for his boss. He was on Workcover at the time. At the Bond trial he gave his occupation as excavator. As they left for Queensland the man insisted on driving past the Bedford Road unit where Membrey had been killed 10 days earlier, although it was a detour from their planned route. During his testimony at Shane Bonds trial he was asked about a womans wallet found in the glove box of his car after he left Melbourne. Under questioning, he denied telling another woman it belonged to a friend named Liz. The suspect would later say he handed it in at a Caloundra roadhouse next to the police station. The woman who found the wallet in the car said it was black leather. Membreys wallet and keys were missing from her unit and have never been found. Her wallet was black leather. More than six times concerned relatives and friends of the suspect contacted police to nominate him as Membreys killer, saying he was obsessed with her, had a history of stalking and had made incriminating admissions. Membrey and the housemate were friends for years and members of a dance club. The brother said we used to go and watch them dance. A woman who lived in the same street as the suspect found him knocking on her window asking to be let in. Another time she woke to find him standing in the bedroom doorway. He was also blamed for a series of small burglaries in the area, suggesting he was accomplished at breaking into homes. Twenty years after the murder he was convicted of a Queensland rape of a woman he knew. His DNA was put on the national database and matched a sample from Membreys car - the vehicle driven by the killer into bushland to hide the body. Loading Police interviewed more than 3000 people as part of the Membrey investigation. The man was one of four main suspects in the murder. Bond was acquitted by a jury and two others were subject to elaborate undercover operations that led them to being cleared by investigators. In one sting operation the target denied having anything to do with the murder, adding that he gets it in the neck every anniversary in the media. The case against Bond was based on witnesses claims he spoke about the murder, including one testifying he said they will never find the body. A former housemate said Bond came home in the early hours of December 7 covered in blood. Bond said he had bitten his tongue during a seizure. A relative of Bonds told me: The police charged the wrong man, which means the real killer is still free. Cold case detectives should have another objective, look and try and arrest the offender, for the sake of the Membreys. Without additional information the new suspect will not be charged. There remains a $1 million reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the killer. Membreys parents Roger and Joy have campaigned tirelessly for nearly 30 years for their daughter. They have been aware for years about this new investigation. The Membreys have behaved with quiet dignity under unbearable stress. Roger told me years ago he feels he has failed his daughter by not being able to find her and lay her to rest. They sat through the eight-week trial of Bond. There is anger and frustration, but the worst is the sense of total exhaustion as it drags on over the years, Joy Membrey says. Joy and Roger Membrey face reporters outside court after Shane Bond was acquitted in 2012. Credit: Craig Sillitoe Roger Membrey says: It is there every day, like an undercurrent. Elisabeth Membrey, a La Trobe University politics graduate, had been offered a job as a trainee journalist with Channel Ten. She was a regular letter writer to The Age on subjects that remain current, such as US trade relations and the treatment of the mentally ill. Legal sources say the Coroner is considering holding a fresh inquest to examine the new evidence. Rescuers saved people clinging to a partially submerged tree and an island on Lake Eildon after their speedboat capsized and sank in rough weather on Thursday night. Eight people were onboard the vessel when it sank on the lake near Homepoint Drive at Bonnie Doon, north-east of Melbourne, about 6.50pm on Thursday. Footage provided by Victoria Police shows a man and woman using a tree to stay afloat on Lake Eildon while a SES craft heads to pick them up. Credit: Police Media Three people swam to shore, while two clung to a dead tree in the water. The remaining passengers swam to an island on the lake, according to emergency services. I must admit when I got the call at home ... it sounded like it was going to be a dire result, Inspector James Dalton of the water police unit said on Friday. A convicted terror supporter who secretly deleted his violent pornographic browser history from an Australian Federal Police-monitored phone and laptop has been sentenced to more than a year behind bars. Nurse and paramedic Adam Brookman supported Chechen fighters on the frontline against the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria and was jailed for his involvement in a foreign incursion in 2014. Adam Brookman pleaded guilty to charges relating to his accessing of unauthorised materials. Police were left scrambling to monitor his activities when he was released immediately after being sentenced to six years and eight months prison all of it time served. He agreed to strict control order conditions including a ban on social media access without written approval from the AFP and to not access unauthorised material showing knives, guns, executions or explosions. A man tries to protect his face from the 1983 dust storm. Credit: The Age Archives The story of how this land came to be cleared, and the environmental degradation that resulted culminating in the 1983 dust storm, the most dramatic of multiple dust storms since the 1900s is a typical Australian tale of grit and determination, combined with ignorance, folly and government mismanagement. The impracticable land Victorias north-west was the last area to be settled in the colony, says historian Professor Richard Broome, co-author of Mallee Country: Land, People, History, which traces the story of how this region was eventually transformed by white settlers. What had been an area rich in resources for Indigenous people was regarded by most early explorers as worthless. The word that sprang from explorers lips was impracticable, Broome says. In 1875 John Forrest described it as the most wretched country I have ever seen; not a bit of grass and no water. Despite this, pastoralists desperate for unclaimed Victorian land in the late 1840s grazed their sheep on areas where they found grassy patches and saltbush. People would run as many sheep as they could, Broome says. It didnt take long before the hooves had pounded into oblivion the once rich ecosystem around waterholes of succulents, lichens and native grasses. But the devastation caused by sheep and rabbits was nothing compared to the impact of clearing the land for farming, Broome says. Sheep destroyed particular areas, but they didnt have the wide-scale impact of the brutal methods used to clear large areas of country for farming on an industrial scale. Everything farmers understand now that you shouldnt do, is what they were doing. Professor Katie Holmes Farmers cleared the Victorian Mallee from the 1890s, initially taking up reasonably well-watered plots of land nearer the Murray River. But it was government-funded settlement schemes that drove the large-scale clearing of areas previously regarded as too arid to farm. After World War I, the Soldier Settlement Scheme parcelled out 500,000 acres of land across the Mallee to returned soldiers. That came about partly out of a sense of duty to the soldiers who had sacrificed so much, says La Trobe University environmental historian Professor Katie Holmes. Another scheme in 1922, the Empire Settlement Scheme, lured English settlers to the Mallee with the promise of fertile land, open space and sunny skies. But the schemes were ill-conceived, poorly supported and proved to be a disaster for many of the naive new farmers, not to mention the fragile mallee woodland. Everything farmers understand now that you shouldnt do, is what they were doing, says Holmes. Fallowing and then ploughing just loosened the soil, creating the conditions for the significant dust storms for which the Mallee became famous. A farmer surveys his Mallee land during drought in the 1940s. Credit: Age archive Given the poor soil and low rainfall, the 640-acre blocks initially allocated to settlers were also too small to be viable, Holmes says. The settlement schemes were just a disaster, Holmes says. You look at it now and think how could they let this happen? It ended up costing the state many millions of dollars buying out settlers and amalgamating blocks. The droughts Drought and dust storms were part of Mallee life from early on. The Federation Drought started in the late 1890s and lasted till 1903. The land baked so hard it became impossible to plough. In the dust storm of November 1902, witnesses described being unable to see their hands in front of their faces. In the 1920s the streets, houses and stores of Kondinin were covered with a huge layer of dirt. After a severe drought and dust storm in 1944, just 180 people stayed of the original 1100 who had settled in Kiamal, near Ouyen, in 1925. The farmers fought back in the interwar period, applying superphosphate fertilisers, planting clovers to replenish the soils and developing techniques to slow soil drift. Rains came with regularity during the 1950s and 1960s, seeming to confirm the belief that rain follows the plough. There was a feeling that farmers were learning better how to manage dry land farming in the semi-arid region, Holmes says. It wasnt to last. We now know that this was a climatic anomaly, and that rainfall across those decades was much higher than average. After some short stints of drought in the early 1970s, the land started to dry again. By 1982 the Mallee was in severe drought. The dust storm on February 8, 1983 was a severe blow to the Mallee farmers, says Holmes. It was as if all that learning had come to naught. Mallee local Phil Murdoch says he was on his way back to Birchip from a day trip to Echuca on the day of the dust storm. He remembers seeing the sky turning red and then black. All the lights were on in the town because it was so dark. It was very scary. Working in the Victorian Lands Department advising farmers on controlling vermin and noxious weeds, Murdoch says the 1983 dust storm changed the face of farming in the region. Everyone realised farming couldnt continue the same way because we were just losing all that topsoil. Raakajlim in the Mallee as it was in the 1980s. After the dust storm, a new form of farming developed in the West Australian mallee was adopted in Victoria where the stubble of the previous crop was left in place, and the new crop sown in rows between the stubble to avoid leaving the soil bare. The no-till method has made a huge difference in the region, Murdoch says: Its definitely reduced soil drift. But even though the number of dust storms has dropped significantly since most Mallee farmers started using no-till methods, the technique has major drawbacks. Weeds that were once ploughed into the ground are instead killed with large quantities of herbicide; herbicide-resistant weeds are becoming a significant concern. The machines that plant between last years rows are massive. That has led to further clearing, says Holmes. A different way As the woodland has diminished so have the birds, mammals and other creatures that for untold millennia made the Mallee their home. Without the little trees and the ecosystems they support, mallee fowl, plains wanderers, curlews and other birdlife have become rare. Since European settlement, one third of all mammal species have also disappeared and another 200 flora and fauna species are listed as threatened. Murdoch and his wife Fiona are among a small but growing number of landowners attempting to reverse this process. Over the past 20 years they have laboured to revegetate their property Raakajlim, 490 hectares of land adjacent to Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, in the hope that one day the mallee fowl and other birds and wildlife will return. Phil is a retired ranger and Fiona is a restoration ecologist who was in the middle of a doctorate when the couple took on what Fiona describes as the PhD that never ended. The Murdoch family: Phil, Fiona and daughter Emily with their dog Jazz on their property Raakajlim after 20 years of revegetation efforts. The first 15 years were just taken up with getting rid of rabbits and weeds, she says. The couple planted and nurtured thousands of plants, saplings and grasses, watering them weekly to give them a start in the badly degraded soil. Revegetation seemed successful. Wed started to build up some good soil cover and the plants were looking great, and then we just got completely smashed by the 2019 drought and too many kangaroos. Fiona came up with the idea of installing an electric fence to keep out the goats, feral pigs and kangaroos. Phil and some of the neighbours laughed at first, she says. But the couple raised funding and did much of the work themselves. Installing the 13-kilometre fence coincided with the recent prolonged La Nina. The rains have been fantastic for us. The land has responded really well, and with the fence we know that when the dry times come we wont have that overgrazing pressure, says Fiona. But its also that the soil has built up carbon and a good biomass of microbes under the soil. I feel pretty confident now that weve contained the soil drift that leads to dust storms. The couple have been excited to see the return of creatures once common in the area, such as the nationally threatened Regent parrots, as well as the formerly rare pink cockatoos, several species of bats and reptiles. Rare Regent parrots in flight at Raakajlim. Credit: Fiona Murdoch They are not the only ones determined to reverse 150 years of destruction of the Mallee habitat. There are heaps of other people scattered across the Mallee and across Victoria who care about the land and about the wildlife. But its a slow process. The Murdochs can only revegetate around five hectares a year, and mallee bushland is slow-growing. It could take 50 years before it approaches anything like its natural state, Fiona says. 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 As the 40-degree heat belted down on Western Australias Pilbara at 11am on Wednesday, a strange two-car convoy slowly travelling south on one of the states longest roads came to an abrupt halt. Leading the convoy was a Toyota Prado driven by two Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation scientists, one of whom was closely monitoring cutting-edge radiation detection technology installed in the hire car the day before. Behind them was a Department of Fire and Emergency Services vehicle, protecting the Prado from road trains as they drove 40 kilometres an hour under the speed limit during the now globally famous week-long hunt for a tiny radioactive capsule lost in the WA outback. Just a few hours into their first shift, about 74 kilometres south of the Pilbara mining town of Newman, the scientists heard a beep. Everything spiked and the computers went mad and they hit the brakes and flew out of the vehicle in excitement, the head of the search efforts Darryl Ray said. The hunt was over. A missing capsule, a frantic search Advertisement WA authorities believe the 8 millimetre-long and 6 millimetre-wide silver capsule fell out of a bolthole in a radiation mining gauge, then out of a wooden crate, and finally off the back of a truck around January 12. When the capsule was jettisoned from the truck it was just 230 kilometres into its 1400-kilometre journey along the Great Northern Highway from Rio Tintos Gudai Darri iron ore mine to its final stop in an industrial area in Perths northern suburbs. The capsule contained the harmful radioactive substance caesium-137, which WA Health warned emitted the equivalent of 10 X-rays worth of radiation every hour to a person standing close to it. Easily enough to cause serious radiation sickness with prolonged exposure. Loading The public health risk was deemed low, but there were concerns the capsule may have lodged in someones tyre and gone on a merry journey to anywhere in the country. Worse still, the capsule could have been damaged and be leaking far more harmful levels of radiation into the environment. Its disappearance wasnt noticed until January 25 when the equipment was unpacked. Radiation safety protocols were followed and DFES, WA Police and WA Health were notified shortly after. Advertisement By January 27, it dawned on authorities that the capsule could be anywhere along the 1400-kilometre route (the same distance as Brisbane to Melbourne), so the public was alerted in a hastily arranged Friday afternoon press conference. It was around this time that DFES also put the call out to the rest of the country for help. DFES calls for backup Over the weekend ANSTO, as well as the Australian Defence Force and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency answered the call. All three agencies quickly tested and packed their specialised radiation detection equipment and from Monday teams began assembling and scouring stretches of the Great Northern Highway, as well as some Perth roads where it was thought the capsule could be. By Wednesday morning seven teams had joined the hunt, including three ANSTO teams; two based in Perth and one in Newman. Before this week, the public may have had no idea about ANSTOs existence but the publicly funded nuclear science research organisation has been toiling away for 70 years inventing new technologies. Advertisement They also had the perfect device to search for the capsule the CORIS360 which was invented by ANSTOs own chief technology officer, David Boardman. According to ANSTO the CORIS360 produces fast, precise and high-quality 360-degree images that pinpoint the identity and location of radiation in an area. On Saturday, the Sydney-based scientists had determined the CORIS360 was up for the job with a few modifications and could even pinpoint caesium-137 over other radiation common in the WA outback from sources such as uranium. ANSTO nuclear safety, security, and stewardship boss Miles Apperley said the scientists tested the CORIS360 in Lucas Heights, in southern Sydney, before heading to Perth. Authorities at the area where the capsule was found in Western Australias remote Pilbara region. Credit:DFES Prior to deployment, ANSTO staff performed drive-by test runs of the detection equipment at Lucas Heights using an equivalent radioactive source activity, and evaluated different speeds and terrain conditions to ensure we could confidently detect the missing capsule, he said. The sensitivity of the modified CORIS360 technology gave us the confidence it would be found. Advertisement They flew to WA on Monday and the Newman team, known as Bravo team, didnt arrive in the Pilbara until Tuesday night. Bravo team was made up of Jason Paull and Dom Reay in the DFES vehicle and senior associate physicist Dr Lachlan Chartier and radiological emergency manager Prashant Maharaj in the ANSTO vehicle, and they wasted no time getting to work Wednesday morning. Caesium closed Ray, a level-headed assistant commissioner at DFES, was in his agencys regional operations office with three other people when the call came through from Bravo that the capsule had been found two metres off the side of the Great Northern Highway. Despite this good news, his small team had to keep it a secret for four hours as work began to recover the capsule. The sensitivity of these devices, there was without a doubt that if it was there, we were going to locate it. Bronte Sial, senior consultant health physicist on one of the Perth ANSTO teams. We took control of the scene, set up a hot zone, controlled the entry. We verified the source with three different pieces of equipment, he said. Advertisement As the constitutional lawyer George Williams of UNSW said a few years ago: We have donations laws you could drive a truck through. And sure enough, the truck just got bigger. Clive Palmer didnt worry about secrecy. On the contrary, hes there for the attention. As this weeks returns from the Australian Electoral Commission show, Palmers company donated $117 million in the 2021-22 financial year, and hes out and proud about it. Mining magnate and former federal MP Clive Palmer dominated the political donations pool. Credit: Scott McNaughton And why bother with the Coalition or Labor if you have your own political party? His companys donation, by far the single biggest in the nations history, allowed Palmers party to outspend Labor and Liberal in last years federal election campaign. Thats right Palmers party became the biggest spender in Australian political history. Where Labor spent $116 million and the Liberals $118 million, Palmers United Australia Party altogether spent $123.5 million. Palmer boasted before the election that hed spend over $100 million in 2022: Its only a couple of months work for me, he explained to a reporter in between launching attacks on COVID vaccinations. Perhaps we should qualify his use of the word work here; so-called work, perhaps. Chinas CITIC pays Palmers company $600 million a year in mining royalties. Loading Palmer spent $88 million on his partys campaign at the 2019 election. He and his party won precisely zero seats in spite of this enormous outlay. Yet he seemed happy with the result. His main achievement was helping Scott Morrison defeat Bill Shorten by running strident anti-Shorten ads. Now Palmer planned to outdo himself in the 2022 election. Sitting on his $100 million yacht in Sydney Harbour, he explained how he liked to run his campaigns: I get up at 2am, he told John Stensholt of The Australian, and spent my first hour thinking about all the nasty things I can do to the Liberal Party or the Labor Party. Then from 3 to 4am I actually do it, writing the ads and other things. Youd have seen his campaign ads, in a distinctive yellow livery approximately the colour of sick, with their compelling punchline: Freedom freedom freedom. Perhaps he should have tried an extra hour or twos sleep. Despite fielding candidates in all 151 federal electorates, and despite outspending the Labor and Liberal campaigns, the Palmer United Party won no seats in the House of Representatives and just one seat in the Senate. As a senior Liberal observes: Money is very important in an election but, while its necessary, its not sufficient. You need campaigning skill and a good product with policies and personnel. Clive Palmers donations helped Scott Morrisons return to The Lodge. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen After Palmers $88 million splurge in 2019 helped return Scott Morrison to The Lodge, I asked a member of the Liberals leadership group whether there needed to be any limits on the size of donations. No, he assured me, the system was working as it should. In other words, it worked for him. But next time, I ventured, a pro-climate billionaire might emerge as a new force with a vast war chest and put you out of power. Would you still have the same opinion? Yes, the system works well, he replied. A pro-climate billionaire didnt emerge the next time. At least two did, Atlassian co-owners Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes, and they donated to the independent teals. None of the rich pro-climate donors gave more than $1.5 million apiece. More importantly, they were part of a movement to remove the Morrison government and install independents who supported climate action, integrity and justice for women. Loading Rather than ape Palmers swaggering ineptitude, the wealthy businessman Holmes a Court and his Climate 200 coordinated a series of well-crafted community-based campaigns. I think most people were offended by what Palmer did, Holmes a Court tells me. There was no coherent ideology or community it was one mans folly. After Palmer, Climate 200 was the single biggest disclosed donor. Its total outlay was $13 million, all to teal independents. Of that, Holmes a Court gave just $250,000. Yet this group managed to power the campaigns that put six new teals in the House and David Pocock in the Senate. Every one of them took a seat from the Liberal Party, including some of their most prized traditional heartland seats. I started Climate 200 with a very different model, says Holmes a Court. We dont select candidates. The communities in the individual electorates chose their own. Why have we had so few independents in parliament before now? Partly its because its almost impossible to run a credible campaign against the major machines. Loading We were there very early in the campaigns. We ran matching challenges such as giving a dollar for every local dollar raised and helped them get their finances in shape. We provided less than half 30 to 40 per cent of the funding for the teal independents. Among those offended by Palmers campaigns was the man charged with reforming the system, the Albanese governments Special Minister of State Don Farrell, who also serves as trade minister. We have to be careful that rich people cant simply buy election results that ordinary Australians cant, he tells me. I think its opportune to look at how much money is being spent by individual rich people. The risk is that, if you dont fix it, it just snowballs and, next time, another rich person says all right, Ill do the same but with more. Of Palmer, Farrell doesnt try to disguise his distaste: He doesnt make his redundancy payments, but he spends $117 million to buy a single Senate seat how shocking is that? Palmers Queensland Nickel went into voluntary administration in 2016 without paying its 800 workers their entitlements. The Queensland government stepped in to pay them. Palmer later settled a lawsuit by agreeing to repay $66 million to the state to compensate Queensland taxpayers. Does the Liberal Party still think the system is working as it should? Now that it worked against them, senior Liberals say they are open to reform. Farrell has other changes in mind, too. Labor earlier promised to introduce real-time disclosure of donations and to reduce the disclosure threshold from $15,200 to $1000. The Liberals are open to negotiating with Labor over the changes, provided they create a level playing field for both parties. Holmes a Court worries that they will create new barriers to independents who want to break into the system; hes keeping Climate 200 running. Farrell hopes to have the changes legislated by the end of the year. One thing is for sure. Clive Palmer wont be happy. Tokyo: Japanese police have put former Greens candidate Donna Nelson under a three-month access ban, restricting her contact with family and visitors as they investigate drug trafficking charges and her links to a syndicate believed to be behind the operation. The Indigenous leader was arrested at Narita airport near Tokyo in January where she was allegedly found with up to two kilograms of drugs stashed inside a bag. West Australian woman and Aboriginal community leader Donna Nelson. Japanese police rarely place access bans on travellers arrested at airports but the volume of stimulants being carried by Nelson forced authorities to limit her contact with friends and family. The only person who will be able to see the 56-year-old for the next three months is her court-appointed lawyer, whom Japanese authorities have declined to identify. Nelsons family claim the Ballardong Njaki-Njaki woman was groomed and duped by a Nigerian love scammer known as Kelly for two years before she was arrested on January 4. The grandmother was offered an all-expenses-paid business class trip to Japan via Singapore, Vietnam, and Laos by Kelly who she had met on a dating app. US military to gain expanded access to Philippines bases (Photo: Eloisa Lopez/Reuters) The Philippines will grant the U.S. greater access to its military outposts, the two countries announced on Thursday. The deployment gives U.S. military a stronger strategic foothold on the southeastern edge of the South China Sea, close to self-ruled Taiwan. In recent months, the U.S. has increased its attempts to broaden its Indo-Pacific security options in response to growing worries about China's aggressive territorial posturing throughout the area. During a visit to Manila on Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Llyod Austin stated that the U.S. and the Philippines remained committed to increasing their mutual capacity to resist armed attack. "That's just part of our efforts to modernize our alliance. And these efforts are especially important as the People's Republic of China continues to advance its illegitimate claims in the West Philippine Sea," Austin said. The recently announced agreement will allow the U.S. to rotate soldiers to a total of nine bases in the Philippines under an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that was signed in 2014. Austin omitted to mention the bases' locations where the U.S. military will have new access. Following the action, China issued a warning about rising tensions in the area. According to a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, Mao Ning, the Philippines' permission for the U.S. to access four defense stations on its soil has "escalated tension in the region and endangers regional peace and stability." "Out of its selfish agenda, the U.S. side has held up to the cold war. Regional countries should remain vigilant about this and avoid being used by the U.S.," Mao said. The announcement on Thursday comes after a string of high-profile U.S. military agreements in the region, including plans to share defense technologies with India and to deploy new U.S. Marine units to Japanese islands. Increased access to military facilities in the Philippines could put U.S. soldiers less than 200 miles south of Taiwan, the democratically administered 24-million-person island that the Chinese Communist Party claims as part of its sovereign territory despite never having controlled it. The Biden administration has been unwavering in its support for the island as stipulated by the Taiwan Relations Act, under which Washington agrees to give Taiwan the means to defend itself without committing U.S. troops. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has refused to rule out the use of military force to bring Taiwan under Beijing's control. Additionally, the U.S. Marine Corps built a new facility on Guam, a crucial U.S. territory east of the Philippines, last week. The area, called Camp Blaz, is the first brand-new Marine base in 70 years and will eventually house 5,000 Marines. The billionaires interests, which include ports, power plants and coal mines, have fallen in value by more than $100 billion since Hindenburg Researchs fraud allegations last week. The Indian tycoon vehemently denied the claims but was forced to abruptly scrap a $2.4 billion stock offering for his flagship Adani Enterprises Ltd. Financial institutions from New York to London and Tokyo are dissecting their exposure to the empire of Gautam Adani, who was Asias richest man only a few days ago. Lending to Indias tycoons and their companies was until recently a money-spinner for global banks seeking to cash in on one of the worlds fastest growing economies. The country has also been viewed as a buffer to growth in China, whose economy was pummeled by the now-abandoned Covid Zero policy and crackdowns on private enterprise. His backers include Citigroup Inc., Credit Suisse Group AG and Barclays Plc. They are among banks pursuing a range of options to curb the risk of losses, including asking for more collateral and halting the use of Adani company securities to cover margin loans to wealth clients. Lending to Indias tycoons and their companies was until recently a money-spinner for global banks seeking to cash in on one of the worlds fastest growing economies. The country has also been viewed as a buffer to growth in China, whose economy was pummeled by the now-abandoned Covid Zero policy and crackdowns on private enterprise. India is clearly a difficult place to lend money, said Tom Kirchmaier, professor at the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics. Banks are still desperate for business, and this is just a reminder that India may not be able to compensate a decline of Chinese business. Also Read Hindenburg Research: All you need to know about US-based investment firm Fraud can not be obfuscated by nationalism: Hindenburg on Adani's rebuttal Adani's $2.5 bn FPO faces critical final day amid Hindenburg turmoil Hindenburg vs Adani: Meet Nate Anderson, founder of Hindenburg Research Hindenburg vs Adani: Short selling not shareholder activism, says InGovern Adani group companies market capitalisation erosion tops $100 billion Azad Engineering is India's first supplier of parts for nuclear turbines Parag Milk foods hikes milk prices of Gowardhan brand by Rs 2 per litre Sebi bans FFSPL, its directors from securities markets for 3 years Fino Payment Bank's Q3 net profit jumps by 35% on widening margins Many global lenders are also still smarting from the implosion of another billionaires company, Archegos Capital Management, which failed in 2021. Multibillion-dollar losses, regulatory fines and sweeping management changes followed that collapse a debacle the banks are keen to avoid repeating. India is clearly a difficult place to lend money, said Tom Kirchmaier, professor at the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics. Banks are still desperate for business, and this is just a reminder that India may not be able to compensate a decline of Chinese business. To be sure, theres no indication that Adani companies are facing a liquidity crunch. Banks would not want to be the last ones left holding the bag just look at Archegos and Greensill Capital and what happened to the banks that reacted slowly, said Mak Yuen Teen, a professor at the National University of Singapore, who researches corporate governance. Adani showcased its extensive local and international bank relationships in a 413-page rebuttal to the short-sellers allegations, which it called a calculated attack on India. Some of the most prominent names in banking are listed among 29 supporters, though the exact nature of their ties wasnt disclosed. The tycoons port business made payments on dollar bonds as scheduled Thursday. Hes also in talks with creditors to prepay some loans backed by pledged shares as he seeks to restore market confidence, a person with knowledge of the matter said. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. have told some clients that bonds related his business empire can offer value. Citigroups wealth unit, meanwhile, stopped accepting securities issued by Adani companies as collateral for margin loans after negative news around the groups financial health led to dramatic price drops, according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg News. Credit Suisses private banking unit had also made a similar change for the bonds. Adani Group, which comprises half a dozen major companies, put up about $300 million worth of shares to maintain its collateral cover on a $1 billion loan, Bloomberg News reported on Jan. 31. The loan was made by a group of banks including Barclays. Meanwhile, UBS Group AG Chief Executive Officer Ralph Hamers has said the banks exposure to the meltdown isnt a matter of concern for the Swiss bank. Mizuho Financial Group Inc.s securities division had past dealings with Adani and is examining the allegations being leveled against the conglomerate, the units chief executive officer Yoshiro Hamamoto told reporters in Tokyo on Thursday. Mizuho Securities has managed debt issuance by Adani companies, public documents show. Central Bank Questions I wouldnt worry about it, Hamers said in Bloomberg interview this week. Dinesh Khara, chairman of State Bank of India the countrys biggest lender told Bloomberg that its loans to the Adani Group are backed by cash-generating assets and overseas exposure is nominal. The lender has given loans of as much as $2.6 billion to companies in the Adani conglomerate, or about half of what is allowed under the rules, according to a person familiar with the matter. Indias central bank has asked lenders for details of their exposure to the Adani companies, people with knowledge of the matter have said. Domestic banks are standing by Adani, who has close ties to the Narendra Modi government. Adani has repeatedly denied the allegations, called the short-sellers report bogus, and threatened legal action. Indian lender IDFC First Bank earlier Thursday said it is comfortable with its ties to Adani. Its outstanding funded exposure represents just 0.06% of the banks funded assets, while non-funded outstanding is 0.51%, and it is receiving payments on schedule. His decision to withdraw Adani Enterprises follow-on share sale the largest cancellation in Asia since 2015 according to Bloomberg-compiled data wont have any impact on existing operations and future plans, Adani said in a video speech Thursday. The development comes nearly 13 months after the Vi board cleared the interest conversion. Even as the Union Cabinet had cleared a telecom package including conversion of dues into equity in October 2021, the government had recently put a condition that promoters of Vodafone Idea must infuse funds into the telco before any equity conversion could take place. After a long wait, Vodafone Idea (Vi) has been able to secure a lifeline as the Centre on Friday approved the conversion of the telcos dues linked to interest on spectrum and adjusted gross revenue (AGR) worth Rs 16,133 crore into equity. With this, the government will have a 33 per cent stake, making it the biggest shareholder in the financially-stressed telecom joint venture between UKs Vodafone and Kumar Mangalam Birla-owned Aditya Birla Group. A top official, aware of the developments, pointed out that the demand by the government that the promoters of Vi put in fresh capital into the company, which was the main point of contention, had now been resolved. Late on Friday, Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told Business Standard: The Birlas have agreed to manage the telco while committing necessary investments to take the company forward. The investments could come either from the Birlas or along with partners, the minister said. We have decided to convert the dues into equity, Vaishnaw confirmed. In a stock exchange notification, Vi said the Centre had passed an order directing the company to convert the net present value of interest related to deferment of spectrum and AGR dues into equity for the government. The company has been directed to issue 16,130 million equity shares at an issue price of Rs 10. The promoters have agreed to inject fresh capital into the company, the official said without elaborating on the details. Also Read Banks unwilling to extend new credit to Voda Idea without promoter funding Vodafone Idea's fundraising put on hold as govt delays equity call Vodafone Idea zooms 9% on heavy volumes, hits highest level since May Vi to lose access to towers if it fails to clear dues, says Indus Towers Airtel Q2 revenue may grow 21% YoY; Vodafone could lose 4 mn subscribers S&P revises Adani Ports, Adani Electricity outlook from stable to negative Larsen & Toubro sees private capex revival aiding order inflows: CFO Tata Power Q3 net up 122% to Rs 945 cr on higher sales; beats estimates Disallowing input tax credit may increase CSR cost, impact beneficiaries Some of the world's richest people exposed to Adani rout, market turmoil No shareholder approval would be required for the issuance as it follows a government order. Company executives believe that this would help them tie up fresh funding to clear pending dues and investment in 5G network. No shareholder approval would be required for the issuance as it follows a government order. Company executives believe that this would help them tie up fresh funding to clear pending dues and investment in 5G network. Vis stock price closed at Rs 6.89 on Friday. The government will hold 33.14 per cent stake in Vi making it the largest single shareholder. Its stake will reduce to 32.09 after issue of shares to ATC Telecom Infrastructure Ltd. The promoter holding in the firm will reduce from existing 74.99 per cent to 50.36 per cent and further fall to 48.76 per cent after stake issue to ATC. Without naming Vi, SBI chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara said the company is honouring commitments. As far as income recognition is concerned it is a performing asset. But we are mindful of stress and wherever required we ensure that we should start building provisions, Khara said prior to Vis announcement. The share issue has been hanging for the past several months with the government linking the move to infusion of funds by Vis two promoters Aditya Birla group and Vodafone group plc. Lenders too adopted a wait and watch mode holding back fresh funds in the absence of government stake in the company. While Birla reportedly met Vaishnaw to raise concern, pressure built up from the UK end too. The UK India Business Council wrote to the government that if this issue wasnt resolved soon it would have negative implications for the company and overall investment climate in India. The Vi board decided to issue a stake to the government last January and in April it confirmed the interest amount to be converted following discussions with the telecom department. Vi has not heard from the government on share issuance, the companys CEO Akshaya Moondra had told investors back in November. The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets its dairy products under the Amul brand, on Friday increased the prices of its milk brands by Rs 2 per litre for all markets except Gujarat. Jayen Mehta, Managing Director of the federation, made it clear that the hike in milk prices is not applicable to Gujarat and the new rates are meant only for other markets, including Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi. The new prices will be effective from Friday morning, the GCMMF said in a statement. The Delhi-based Institute of Marketing and Management (IMM) has alleged that Arindam Chaudhuri of the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) defrauded it by violating an admission agreement, misusing its name and collecting crores of rupees between 2011 and 2014. IIPM, however, contested the allegations and said it will soon move court seeking quashing of an FIR filed by the Delhi Police in the matter. The Delhi Police lodged the FIR against Chaudhuri and his associates on the directions of a local court based on the IMM's complaint. According to the FIR, IMM leased out the rear portion of the fourth floor and the entire fifth floor of its premises in the Qutub Institutional Area to IIPM in August 2011. Subsequently, both the institutes entered into a management consultancy agreement. Gaganjit Singh, Executive President of IMM, has alleged that soon after the agreement, IIPM stopped paying lease rent. While the lease dispute was going on, Singh, who is the main complainant, claimed that he came to know in 2020 that IIPM during that time had floated an organisation called IIMM, which looked similar to IMM and collected money from students by giving them an impression that they were granted admission to IMM. Also Read Indian, Israel, US researchers developing drug for GNB1 Encephalopathy India producing medical devices at 1/3rd world price: Jitendra Singh Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury flags off Congress Yatra from Ganga Sagar in Bengal IIT Madras, Australian univ to launch 'Australia-India Centre for Energy' Omicron, sub-lineages circulating predominantly in India: Report Parliament likely to witness disruptions over Adani issue for 2nd day Sunny morning in Delhi, minimum temperature settles at 9.5 degrees Celsius Nine trains running late due to low visibility, say Railway officials Top headlines: Adani group ratings under surveillance, Rs 8,083 cr for PLIs Uttarakhand will be drug-free by year 2025: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami When contacted, IIPM strongly denied all these allegations and said that IMM was aware of all these activities as everything happened under the terms of the agreement. "We are moving a petition in the Delhi High Court in a day or two for the quashing of the FIR as it is frivolous and without any merit," advocate Vishal Gupta said, sharing a copy of the draft petition with strong rebuttal on all counts. In its complaint, IMM alleged that IIPM employees conducted admissions misrepresenting themselves to be employees of IMM. "For the said purpose, the accused persons also prepared forged letterheads of the complainant's organisation and issued receipts to students confirming their admissions into the complainant's organisation. Registration fee etc was also illegally raised on the IMM letterhead," the FIR alleged. It added, "All payments made for the said admissions by the students were then routed to the 'IIMM A/C of IIPM' and the same was done in complete contravention of the terms of the agreement entered into with the complainant." Lawyer Arjun Mahajan, who is representing IMM, said they came to know about the alleged fraud when a student approached a consumer court against fraudulent admissions and the court sent IMM a notice to appear. Mahajan said, "It is alleged that the modus operandi adopted by the accused persons was to make a large number of students believe that they were being offered professional courses by IMM whereas the accused persons had no authority whatsoever to make any representations to any student or general public." He also claimed that more than 1,000 students were directly and explicitly cheated by the accused persons who lured and enticed them to part with exorbitant amounts in fees whereas such students were neither provided with any classes, professional education or any kind of degrees or diplomas by IIPM. Countering the allegations, IIPM's draft petition states that on March 11, 2011, IIPM entered into a deal for transfer of the brand of IMM to IIPM for Rs 52,50,00,000 and IIPM paid an amount of Rs.4.8 crore as earnest money. It was also stipulated that if IMM failed to execute an agreement within three years, it would refund twice the amount paid by IIPM to IMM as part payment, i.e., twice the amount of Rs 4.8 crore. "Eventually, IMM failed to execute an agreement in this regard within the stipulated period of three years and hence, became liable to pay an amount of Rs 9.6 crore to IIPM. However, IMM failed to pay the refund amount of Rs 9.6 crore to IIPM on some pretext or other, majorly citing financial constraints, the draft petition said. According to IIPM, as IIM failed to refund, it allowed IIPM to use certain portions of its property situated at Qutub Industrial Area for running its affairs till the time the amount stipulated under the letter of intent (LOI) is not refunded to IIPM. "Further, they entered into an agreement, according to which, IIPM and IMM would enter into an exclusive strategic alliance, and IIPM would help IMM in running their business school by providing admission related services, updating course curriculum as per industry needs, evolving standards, strengthening their over academic quality, etc, the draft petition said. IIPM also alleges that IMM still owed the refund amount of Rs 9.6 crores to IIPM and their FIR falsely alleges the offence of cheating, forgery, breach of trust, misrepresentation, etc. The draft petition even claimed that the Economic Offence Wing of the Delhi Police exonerated IIPM in its preliminary investigation but the Delhi court ignored these facts and passed an erroneous order for the registration of an FIR. Union minister for tourism G. Kishan Reddy flayed the BRS government for spreading 'lies' through Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan's address to the joint session of the Telangana legislature. (File Photo: DC) Hyderabad: Union minister for tourism G. Kishan Reddy flayed the BRS government for spreading 'lies' through Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan's address to the joint session of the Telangana legislature. The government took credit for works that were in no way linked to it and claimed ownership of the Centre's projects, he said. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao ignored the 'Jai Telangana' slogan, but the Governor raised it in her speech and showed her fondness for the people of the state, Reddy said. The BRS government diverted funds meant to local bodies and this should have been mentioned in the Governor's speech, he said. The Union minister said that no-confidence motions against BRS municipal chairpersons showed the animosity against the state government, which has thrown the state into a Rs 5 lakh crore debt from the Rs 16 crore surplus budget in 2014. The state government has highlighted Rythu Bandhu, but did not mention about the withdrawal of subsidies, he said. 'If the state government provides 24 hours quality power then why are farmers staging protests at substations, he wondered. The Union government was allocating funds for Panchayat Raj institutions and basti dawakhanas but the state government claimed them as their successes, Reddy said. This diversion has been done even in funds allocated for minorities and scholarships for SC students, he said. The state government should have protected the spirit of federalism by quoting the central funds allocated to it, he said. Kerala Finance Minister K.N.Balagopal on Friday presented the Pinarayi Vijayan 2.0 government's second budget proposing a Rs 2 cess on petrol and diesel in addition to a Rs 20 hike on Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). Not only has it proposed a hike in property taxes, but also levied an additional tax on those who own a second home and on all homes that are kept locked. Another hike has come in the taxes for new vehicles, registration of land and also fees charged for government services. Besides, the judicial fee will also be increased. Denouncing the increased taxes, the Congress-led Opposition termed the budget a "tool" to loot the people and announced to launch a massive protest against it. Leader of Opposition V.D.Satheesan called it a daylight dacoity signalled through the budget. "At no cost will we allow this indiscriminate hiking of taxes and cess on petrol and diesel. We are going to launch an indefinite state-wide protest till the government rolls back the hikes as this budget will surely break the spine of the man on the street." Also Read Budget 2023-24: Manufacturing sector eyes revised taxations, new PLIs Union Budget 2023: Experts don't expect surprises in social sector outlay Budget 2023: A look back at some major announcements in previous Budget Fuel prices today: Check the prices of petrol, diesel in your city Crypto industry wants 0.1% TDS, Sebi-like regulator in Budget 2023 World food prices decline for tenth month running in January, says FAO Will bring scheme for disposal of small appeals: CBDT chairperson Maintaining growth momentum the main idea behind Budget preparation: FM Hits and misses: India's disinvestment strategy needs to mind markets Govt expects 'fabulous' response to revamped I-T regime: CBDT chief A tippler, reacting to the hike in liquor price, said from now on three pegs daily, the consumption will have to be halved. At the commercial capital of the state - Kochi, the Congress workers staged a protest and burnt the copies of the budget against the Rs 2 cess on petrol and diesel. However, Balagopal defended the hike in taxes and said the only way to raise additional resources is to increase the price of liquor and through the cess on petrol and diesel. "The Centre has reduced the borrowing of our government by around Rs 2,700 crore and the only way to go forward is to hike the tax on petrol, diesel and liquor," he said. As soon as the budget presentation was over, the Opposition rose to protest and raised slogans demanding the immediate withdrawal of hike in taxes as it will lead to huge price rise. Satheesan, while inaugurating a protest march in front of a petrol pump at Kollam, said the burden on the man on the street due to these hiked taxes will come to Rs 4000 crore. "This hike comes at a time when the Left government and their leaders are always up in arms demanding the reduction of fuel prices. Likewise, the hike in liquor prices will lead to an increase in the consumption of drugs. The coming days will see more protests," warned Satheesan. --IANS sg/shb/ Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal on Friday presented the Left government's budget for the fiscal 2023-24, allocating Rs 100 crore for welfare programmes and setting aside Rs 2,000 crore for tackling price rise, besides announcing a slew of initiatives for the infrastructure and higher education sector. Beginning the budget speech on a positive note, the Minister said the southern state has bravely overcome COVID challenges and finally returned to the path of growth and prosperity. Though the state's economy is facing challenges due to the financial policies of the Centre and its decision to impose cuts on its borrowing limit, Kerala is not in a debt trap, he said. Assuring that the financial constraints would not impact the welfare and social security schemes of the government, Balagopal said Rs 100 crore would be set aside for welfare development programmes in the budget. "A total of Rs 2,000 crore will be allocated for tackling price rise in the state," he said. The FM said common people would not be ignored while announcing big projects and Rs 80 crore would be allocated for alleviating extreme poverty in the southern state. Also Read Ruling LDF, opposition Cong say central forces not required at Vizhinjam Adani group sought deployment of central forces at Vizhinjam site: Minister Adani Port issue: Situation under control in Vizhinjam after protests Vizhinjam protest against Adani port called off after 138 days Vizhinjam protests: FIR filed against 3,000 people; 36 cops injured Service sector expansion slows slightly in January as PMI eases to 57.2 Indirect taxes: Budget proposals aligned with govt's strategic priorities Union Budget 2023-24 on expected lines, good for investment push Direct tax: Budget gives a blueprint for sustained high-growth trajectory Union Budget 2023-24: Push for ELS cotton yield to reduce imports A total of Rs 600 crore would be set aside for rubber subsidy in the state budget, he said, adding that a separate Research and Development budget would be presented to give more focus in the R&D sector. An extensive industrial and commercial centre will be developed in the area around the under-construction Vizhinjam port, he said. More focus would be given to the "Make in Kerala" project to increase the state's domestic production and give a boost to employment and investment opportunities, the minister added. The BJP's mega push in the Northeast started in 2016 with the formation of the North Eastern Democratic Alliance, a platform of non-Congress parties in the region with the declared aim to keep the Congress out of power. (Representational Image) The BJP putting high stakes in the elections to the forthcoming Assembly elections in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland reflects the partys meticulous and long-term plan for expanding its footprint in the states other than those in the Hindi heartland and the west and the partys strategy to retain or enhance its numbers in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BJPs mega push in the Northeast started in 2016 with the formation of the North Eastern Democratic Alliance, a platform of non-Congress parties in the region with the declared aim to keep the Congress out of power. Its successful run started with the unseating of the CPI(M), which had been long entrenched in power in Tripura, followed by the comprehensive win in Assam, defeating the Congress. It continued with the BJP entering into various kinds of alliances, and sometimes even gobbling up partners in states, and the result is that the party at present runs governments in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura while it is part of the ruling alliance in Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim. The party is going it alone in Tripura and Meghalaya for the Assembly elections while it will be a junior partner in Nagaland. The BJP has been in power at the Centre for about 15 years in its 42 years of existence and has swept the last two Lok Sabha elections but there are not too many states where it can win an Assembly election hands down. The Hindi heartland states, save Uttar Pradesh, have made other choices several times; the results to the Himachal Pradesh Assembly are the latest example. The South continues to offer stiff resistance to the partys brand of politics, what with the regional outfits occupying commanding heights of the polity; the partys standing is not safe even in Karnataka where it runs a government. The eastern states remain impregnable despite the hard work the party has been putting in for years. The party has, however, built itself brick by brick in all these states and it could take time before it gets translated into parliamentary numbers. That the BJP has no major ally in states except perhaps for Maharashtra must be another factor worrying the partys poll managers. The eight northeastern states together send 25 members of the Lok Sabha with the largest contingent of 14 coming from Assam. The Congress held the major sway in most of these seats in its heydays but later gave way to state parties. The BJP has been attempting to replace the Congress in all these seats. The efforts of the home ministry keeping Assam chief minister Himanta Biswas Sarma at the centrepoint to sew up agreements between states on border disputes also must be seen in this light. Recent reports suggested that the BJP will be channelising its efforts into 160 Lok Sabha seats which it feels are shaky while it will be reaching out to the minority communities in 60 seats where they have a significant presence. The BJP has evolved an electioneering pattern where it has a plan for every seat, and the renewed thrust neatly squares with it. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not announce any extension to concessional tax rate, which is effective till June 30, in the Budget. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) are concerned that they may face a higher withholding tax after the current concessional tax rate regime ends by the end of June, The Economic Times reported Friday. The withholding tax rate applies on the interest earned by the FPIs on government securities and rupee-denominated bonds of Indian companies. According to the depository data update till December 31 last year, FPIs own debt securities to the tune of Rs 2.4 trillion in India. Currently, FPIs investing in government securities and corporate bonds avail concessional 5 per cent withholding tax rate. Without extension, the withholding tax rate would shoot up to 20 per cent, the report said. While some of the FPIs will be eligible to claim treaty benefits to avoid the 20 per cent tax rate, such an exercise would be subject to compliance with General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR). The Finance Bill has not proposed an extension on the concessional withholding tax rate and, accordingly, the interest income earned by FPIs on or after July 1, 2023 shall be chargeable to tax at the rate of 20 per cent plus applicable surcharge and cess, Suresh Swamy, partner, Price Waterhouse & Co, told ET. Also Read Budget 2023-24: Manufacturing sector eyes revised taxations, new PLIs Union Budget 2023: Experts don't expect surprises in social sector outlay Budget 2023: A look back at some major announcements in previous Budget Tax sops, Capex push, Adani rout: Why Sensex swayed 2,000pts on Budget day? Low rate regime: Why corporation tax is a hit but not personal tax? Customs duty changes in Budget will promote Make in India initiative: GTRI Why Sitharaman called millets 'Shree Anna' - the mother of all grains Kerala Budget: Rs 2,000 cr to manage price rise, Rs 80 cr for the poor Service sector expansion slows slightly in January as PMI eases to 57.2 Indirect taxes: Budget proposals aligned with govt's strategic priorities Southeast Asian foreign ministers are meeting in Indonesia's capital Friday for talks bound to be dominated by the deteriorating situation in Myanmar despite an agenda focused on food and energy security and cooperation in finance and health. Myanmar belongs to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but the annual ministers' retreat is being held in Jakarta without Myanmar's Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin. The absence was forced by the fallout over Myanmar's lack of cooperation in implementing a five-step agreement made in 2021 between ASEAN leaders and Myanmar's military leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. In the agreement, Myanmar's military leaders promised to allow a special ASEAN envoy to meet the ousted and jailed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and others to foster dialogue aimed at easing the crisis. Last year, when ASEAN was chaired by Cambodia, Min Aung Hlaing was not invited to the November meeting of ASEAN leaders in Phnom Penh after Myanmar declined to let an ASEAN envoy meet with her. Analysts said the shadow of the military takeover in Myanmar looms large over the foreign ministers' meeting, even as Indonesia, the chair of ASEAN this year, seeks to dampen concerns that the issue will not hold the bloc hostage. Also Read Vice Prez Dhankhar leaves for Cambodia to attend ASEAN-India summit Jaishankar discusses Ukraine war, Indo-Pacific with Blinken in Cambodia ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar warns on further executions in nation UN envoy Noeleen Heyzer travels to strife-torn Myanmar for the 1st time US, Russia, China take part in talks with SE Asian nations amid tensions Ukraine signs deal to join European Union's Single Market Programme Ukraine seeks to extend duty-free trade with EU until end of 2024 European Union to impose fresh sanctions on Russia by February 24 Ukraine deserves to start EU accession talks this year, says Zelenskyy Russia-Ukraine war: US to send Kyiv longer-range bombs in latest turnaround Kicking off the country's year chairing the regional bloc, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo said late last month that ASEAN would continue contributing to the Indo-Pacific as a peaceful and stable region and maintaining regional economic growth. Economic crisis, energy crisis, food crisis as well as warfare, we face all of them this year, Widodo said. ASEAN will remain essential and relevant for people in the region and beyond as ASEAN is the epicenter of growth. Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Indonesia would ensure the focus is on the development of the regional bloc as a community and to capitalize on ASEAN's economic growth, which always records stronger growth than the global economy. The issue of Myanmar will not be allowed to hold hostage the process of strengthening the ASEAN community development, Marsudi said last month in outlining Indonesia's foreign policy for the year. She said ASEAN was disappointed by its lack of progress in the past two years in Myanmar, despite growing countermovement and global threats of sanctions and political exclusion. Despite all the efforts of the chair and all ASEAN member countries, the implementation of the five-point consensus by the Myanmar military junta has not made significant progress," she said. Marsudi said Indonesia is setting up an office of an ASEAN special envoy on Myanmar in Jakarta to spearhead how the bloc deals with the crisis and she will seek to engage with all stakeholders in Myanmar, noting that it is crucial to enable a national dialogue to address the crisis. Indonesia requests that access to all stakeholders be given to the ASEAN secretary-general, Marsudi said last month, adding that ASEAN will also continue to collaborate with a United Nations special envoy to help Myanmar to exit the crisis. Randy Nandyatama, an international analyst from Gajah Mada University, recommends ASEAN under Indonesia's chairmanship review ASEAN's bedrock principles of non-interference in other members' affairs and decisions by consensus. Some of its mechanism are too loose, making it difficult for member countries to comply with the existing principles, he said, adding that resolving the Myanmar issue is important not only for maintaining stability and prosperity in the region, but also for strengthening the legitimacy and function of ASEAN itself as a regional organization that can build dialogue with Myanmar. Resolving the crisis in Myanmar is the main challenge of Indonesia's chairmanship, Nandyatama said. Another area of focus for Indonesia as this year's ASEAN chair is peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, Marsudi said, signaling that ASEAN would not be a pawn in the growing tensions between the United States and China. Many countries have an Indo-Pacific concept and this is where a synergy is needed, so that the various concepts will not exacerbate the rivalry, she said She added that the Indo-Pacific must be approached not only from a security aspect, but also from an economic development aspect and implementing ASEAN's outlook on the Indo-Pacific will be a big step to maintain peace, stability, prosperity. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was giving his country a tough time over unlocking stalled funding from a $6.5 billion bailout at a time of unimaginable economic crisis. Hours after his remark, the Pakistani rupee hit a record low against the US dollar in a steep slide since last week. Beyond imagination: Pakistan PM on IMF fund bailout conditions You all know we are running short of resources, Sharif said, adding the country was facing an economic crisis. Our economic situation is unimaginable, the premier said. The conditions we have to fulfil are beyond imagination, he said, but admitted that the country has no option but to accept them. He was speaking in the context of funds the country might need for any military or counter-terrorism response to the resurgent Islamist militancy. IMFs Pakistan representative did not immediately respond for comment. He made the comments in a meeting of civil and military leaders in the northwestern city of Peshawar, where he chaired to prepare a response to Mondays mosque bombing that killed over 100 people. Also Read India bright light economy, but reforms needed for $10 trn GDP: IMF Former CEA Krishnamurthy V Subramanian appointed as next India ED at IMF Pakistan looking into options to seek flood emergency loan from IMF Pakistan media watchdog imposes ban on ex-PM Imran Khan's live speeches Pakistan owes 30% of its foreign debt to China, says IMF report US should show sincerity, help Sri Lanka: China on economic crises LPG price hiked in Bangladesh by 22.15 taka per kg to 124.85 taka Germany's exports, imports up in 2022 amid energy crisis, high inflation Pakistan inflation hits 48-year high as supplies jammed at ports 'Higher for longer' interest rate approach needed to inflation down: IMF PM invites Imran Khan for talks Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif has invited politicians including opposition leader Imran Khan for a conference amid negotiations with the IMF to avoid bankruptcy. Sharif has called an all-parties conference on February 7 amid economic and terrorism challenges. Arrange for your own security: Paks Punjab govt tells Chinese nationals The government in Pakistans Punjab has told Chinese nationals residing in the province that it will not provide security to all of them and asked them to hire private security firms for the purpose, amidst frequent terror attacks in the country. Visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that the European Union (EU) will impose new sanctions on Russia by February 24, the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. "By the anniversary of the start of the full-scale offensive, we aim to have the 10th package of sanctions," von der Leyen was cited as saying by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. Speaking at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, von der Leyen said that the new sanction package, which is being prepared together with the countries of the Group of Seven (G7), is set to include an additional price cap on Russia's oil products, Xinhua news agency reported. In addition, the EU is deciding on ways to use Russia's assets for the restoration of Ukraine, she added. --IANS int/sha Apple reports Q1 results with revenue down 5 pct year over year Xinhua) 08:56, February 03, 2023 A staff worker talks with a customer outside an Apple store on Fifth Avenue of New York City, the United States, June 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) Apple's net income was 30.00 billion dollars, down from 34.63 billion dollars a year ago. SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Apple on Thursday announced the financial results for its fiscal 2023 first quarter ended on Dec. 31, 2022, with a quarterly revenue of 117.15 billion U.S. dollars, down 5 percent year over year. The company posted its quarterly earnings per diluted share of 1.88 dollars, down from 2.10 dollars in the same period of fiscal 2022. Its net income was 30.00 billion dollars, down from 34.63 billion dollars a year ago. Sales of iPhone amounted to 65.78 billion dollars, down 8 percent year on year, and its sales of Wearables, Home and Accessories products decreased to 13.48 billion dollars from 14.70 billion dollars a year ago. The company's services revenue rose to 20.77 billion dollars from 19.52 billion dollars a year ago. International sales accounted for 58 percent of the company's quarterly revenue, while Apple's net sales in the Greater China region decreased to 23.91 billion dollars from 25.78 billion dollars a year ago, according to Apple's financial statement. "During the December quarter, we achieved a major milestone and are excited to report that we now have more than 2 billion active devices as part of our growing installed base," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. According to Luca Maestri, Apple's CFO, the company generated 34 billion dollars in operating cash flow and returned over 25 billion dollars to shareholders during the quarter "while continuing to invest in long-term growth plans." Apple's board of directors has declared a cash dividend of 0.23 dollar per share of the company's common stock. The dividend is payable on Feb. 16, 2023, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Feb. 13, 2023. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) News Details Infinite Electronics Completes Acquisition of Cable Connectivity Group. Date: 01/02/2023 Infinite Electronics, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Cable Connectivity Group (CCG) from Torqx Capital Partners and TKH Group NV. Headquartered in the Netherlands, CCG's brands operate across Europe, with offices and production and distribution facilities in Netherlands, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Poland, and China. "The addition of CCG to Infinite Electronics' brand portfolio will further expand our footprint in Europe and better position us to meet customer demands for cable connectivity solutions," said Infinite Electronics President and CEO, Penny Cotner. "Together, we share an aligned value proposition of working urgently to provide the products and real-time support customers need. We look forward to harnessing our shared capabilities to accelerate growth and success." Serving the global industrial and electronics markets, CCG's brands are leading suppliers of cables, ready-to-connect cable systems and accessories. They are comprised of the following brands: TKD, KC Industrie, Capable, Schrade Kabeltechnik, Jobarco, Pantaflex, and ConCab. "Infinite Electronics and CCG have many similarities, such as customer-driven values and ambitious global growth plans," said Wouter-Jan van der Wurff, CCG's CEO. "Joining Infinite Electronics' portfolio is an exciting achievement and provides CCG's brands a unique opportunity and the leverage to accelerate business growth globally." This acquisition further establishes Infinite Electronics' presence in Europe and comes after the company announced earlier this month that it acquired Bulgin Ltd., a UK-based leading developer and manufacturer of innovative harsh environment connectivity solutions. These acquisitions are the latest milestones in Infinite Electronics' rapid growth over the past six years. Source: Infinite Electronics. Sales rise 0.91% to Rs 1826.81 croreNet profit of Kansai Nerolac Paints declined 14.15% to Rs 109.92 crore in the quarter ended December 2022 as against Rs 128.03 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2021. Sales rose 0.91% to Rs 1826.81 crore in the quarter ended December 2022 as against Rs 1810.35 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2021. ParticularsQuarter EndedDec. 2022Dec. 2021% Var.Sales1826.811810.35 1 OPM %10.7011.72 -PBDT195.45214.87 -9 PBT149.45171.92 -13 NP109.92128.03 -14 Powered by Capital Market - Live News The Parliament session witnessed uproar again today, 3 February 2023, with Opposition parties demanding an investigation into the ongoing stock market rout of Adani Group companies. A united Opposition has demanded a probe into the Adani group, either by a Joint Parliament Committee or a Chief Justice of India (CJI)-appointed panel. Both Houses have been adjourned till 6 February 2023. The Parliament was adjourned in a similar manner yesterday due to which no discussions could be held. The Budget Session of Parliament commenced on Tuesday (31 January). It will continue till the 6th of April this year. It will have 27 sittings spread over 66 days. The first part of the session will go on till the 13th of February. There will be a recess from the 14th of February to the 12th of March to enable the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committees to examine the Demands for Grants and make reports relating to their Ministries and Departments. The second part of the Budget Session will begin on the 13th of March and continue till the 6th of April. Powered by Capital Market - Live News An elderly woman in Meghalaya, where Assembly poll will be held later this month, has allegedly refused to accept freebies from contestants in East Khasi Hills district and has returned the 'gifts' given to her family. Purity Phawa, president of the women's organisation in her locality, reportedly even told candidates' agents in person that she wants to elect legislators and not distributors. Election to all the 60 seats in the state Assembly will be held on February 27 and counting will be held on March 2. Phawa's family, which resides at Lumdiengjri in West Shillong constituency, had reportedly received freebies from the agents of ruling National People's Party candidate Mohindro Rapsang and United Democratic Party (UDP) contest Paul Lyngdoh on January 28 and 30 respectively. I was not at home when the freebies arrived. When I returned, my daughter told me that the candidates had sent us a pressure cooker and two sets of imported bowls on January 28 and 30, Phawa told PTI on Friday. I called up the agents who had delivered the freebies and they confirmed that the candidates had sent the gifts. The UDP candidate sent a calendar too, she said. Also Read Should India regulate freebies? What's a freebie? Experts dissect basic definition amid SC hearings Legislation or court guidelines? Who will put freebies in a box? The freebie problem: It is not a Centre vs state issue 'Why not call an all-party meeting to hear freebies' issue,' SC asks Centre 4,004 child marriage cases registered in Assam: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma BJP to launch Tripura assembly election campaign with 35 rallies on Friday Development, tribal welfare to be BJP's poll planks for polls: Tripura CM Mamata sees through her ears: VBU vice chancellor on Amartya Sen land row BJP Prez JP Nadda to address 2 election rallies in Tripura on Friday Phawa claimed that she returned the freebies on Thursday and asked the candidates not to distribute them if they want to become legislators. "Or else they can choose to become distributors," was her pithy rejoinder. Phawa also claimed that she would meet the district election officers on Friday to formally inform them of the 'freebies' being distributed by the candidates in her constituency, Rapsang, a first time MLA of the opposition Congress who switched over to the ruling NPP of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma recently, has been reportedly distributing pressure cookers to the voters publicly in the run up to the elections. He vehemently denied giving any freebies and insisted that the pressure cookers are from his MLA funds. Paul is a sitting member of the tribal council and a former MLA who lost to Rapsang in 2018. When asked about the alleged freebies being distributed by their agents, both expressed ignorance. They said the model code of conduct is in place and there is no way the candidates could do so. The GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and comprising state counterparts, will meet on February 18. "The 49th meeting of the GST Council is scheduled to be held at New Delhi on February 18, 2023," the GST Council said in a tweet on Friday. The council may take up a discussion on the report of a group of ministers on taxation of 'pan masala' and 'gutka' firms and a report by a Group of Ministers (GoM) on setting up of appellate tribunals. The report by another GoM, chaired by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, for GST levy on online gaming, casinos and horse racing may come up for deliberations. These three GoM reports were part of the agenda items in the last GST Council meeting, that was held on December 17, 2022. There are aspects relating to input tax credit (ITC), the e-commerce sector, and foreign digital service providers, which also merit special mention. The indirect tax proposals are aligned with key strategic priorities of the government. Largely, the focus has been on the Make in India theme, export promotion, ease of doing business, green energy and mobility. Denial of ITC on CSR spends a regressive step A key feature of the goods and services tax (GST) is that all expenses which are in furtherance of business should be allowed as ITC. This essentially translates into the fact that GST applies only on value addition at each point in the supply chain. This change can be seen as treating CSR-related expenses on a par with non-business expenses that are not aligned with the provisions under the income tax laws, where such expenditure is an allowable business expense. However, the proposal to deny credit on CSR expenses is opposed to the basic fabric of the GST credit scheme. In fact, there are various expenses incurred by taxpayers which have statutory backing, such as expenses on food and beverages, travel, and health-related expenses, where there is no restriction on ITC. By disallowing ITC on CSR spends, the actual quantum for such expenses would reduce, as the tax in the range of 12-18 per cent on procurement for such expenses would become a part of the CSR fund allocation. Also Read Budget 2023-24: Centre to target higher capex but lower fiscal deficit Centre confident of meeting fiscal deficit target for FY23: Report Businesses will be able to claim pre-GST tax credits from October 1: Report Budget 2023-24: Manufacturing sector eyes revised taxations, new PLIs India's April-August fiscal deficit recorded at 32.6% of FY23 target Focus on finance Changing tracks Decluttering the defence budget Budget 2023: New tax regime (II) can help you save more in taxes Over 50% taxpayers may shift to new tax regime: Revenue secretary Typically, ITC is proportionately restricted where goods or services are used by a registered person for effecting taxable supplies and exempt supplies. There is a proposal that supply of warehoused goods before clearance for home consumption would be treated as exempt supplies. This will amount to further restricting the ITC for a person making supplies of warehoused goods. There have been High Court judgements (Bombay and Kerala) which had held that reversal of credits was not required. Clearly, the proposed amendment attempts to overturn these High Court decisions. An interesting point which arises is that since a specific restriction has now been placed on CSR spends, meaning that this amendment is prospective, organisations could argue that the past ITC on such expense was available to them. We are also aware that there have been multiple advance rulings both for and against the availability of credit on CSR expenses. Considering that there was no restriction on ITC in the past, what happens to the advance rulings which actually disallowed the credits? Simplification for foreign digital service providers Both the above proposals lead to reduction of ITC for corporates. It was first made taxable in December 2016 under the erstwhile service tax regime, which was further continued under GST as well. Such foreign service providers are required to pay GST on their revenue when OIDAR services are provided to specified categories of recipients such as government, local authorities, governmental authorities, etc. Use of technology and digital services has increased significantly worldwide (including India) over the past few years. To capture such services under the tax radar, the tax liability of foreign service providers who provide services known as Online Information Database Access and Retrieval (OIDAR) has been included in the indirect tax regime. To avoid such complexity, it has now been proposed that if the recipient is an unregistered person, then the foreign service provider is liable to pay the tax. Further, it has been explained that in case the receiver is registered only for deducting TDS, then such a recipient would be considered an unregistered person for the purpose of the foreign service provider to pay tax. This is a welcome change. The list of specified categories of recipients is currently leading to complexity in the hands of service providers in correctly determining their liability to pay taxes. This is coupled with the fact that since OIDAR service providers are not physically present in India, it is a big challenge for them to determine who actually falls in the definition of, say, a governmental authority, which has again been specified as an authority set up by an Act of Parliament, or a state legislature, and so on. Changes in the e-commerce sector An amendment has also been introduced to further widen the scope of OIDAR services by omitting the condition of such services being essentially automated and involving minimal human intervention. These expressions led to a lot of subjectivity, as one had to figure out the meaning of minimal. Will it be 5 per cent or 10 per cent? Also, what exactly does human intervention mean? Although this proposal makes it simple to interpret, it is a major deviation from the definition of electronically supplied services in the UK VAT laws, which include automation and minimal or no human intervention as conditions for e-services. Further, penal provisions for e-commerce operators have been prescribed in cases of contravention of the following: In order to promote micro enterprises to do business through e-commerce platforms, the government has extended the composition scheme under GST to suppliers willing to supply goods through e-commerce platforms. This will promote micro enterprises to register under the composition scheme with reduced compliance benefits. Allowing supply of goods or services through themselves by an unregistered person other than a person specifically exempted from registration; or Allowing inter-state supply by a person who is not eligible to make such inter-state supply; or Failing to furnish the correct details in the TCS return (GSTR 8) of any outward supply of goods effected through themselves by a person exempted from obtaining registration. The penalty is Rs 10,000 or an amount equivalent to the amount of tax involved had such supply been made by a registered person other than a person paying tax under section 10 (composition dealer), whichever is higher. The change aims at improving GST compliances in the e-commerce industry, with greater onus on e-commerce operators. Consent-based sharing of information with other systems A significant step has been taken by the government to enable consent-based sharing of taxpayers data through the GST common portal to such systems as may be notified by the government. One of the reasons for this consent-based sharing of GST data could be that the Goods and Service Tax Network (GSTN) has been included as a financial information provider under the account aggregator framework. With a view to facilitating cash flow-based lending to MSMEs, GST information is considered a taxpayers financial information. The consent will be taken both from the supplier and the recipient. The information would relate to returns, registration application, statement of outward supplies, details uploaded for generation of electronic invoice or e-way bill, or any other details, as may be prescribed. Prosecution and decriminalisation under GST In line with the recommendations of 48th GST Council Meeting, the following proposals have been made: The minimum threshold for prosecution under GST has been raised from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore, except for the offense of issuance of invoices without supply of goods, or services, or both. The compounding amount range has been reduced: The minimum from 50 per cent to 25 per cent The maximum from 150 per cent to 100 per cent The following offences are to be decriminalised: Obstruction or preventing any officer from discharging his duties Tampering with or destruction of material evidence or documents Failure to supply information required under law or supplying false information. Continued focus on Make in India In order to further push the Make in India initiative, many proposals have been announced in customs duty that aim to boost domestic manufacturing. The government has given a fresh impetus to Indian manufacturers in the electronics sector (mobile phones and television parts) in the Budget, by lowering customs duties on specified parts, while increasing it on the finished product (like for electrical kitchen chimneys). Green energy To further deepen domestic value addition in manufacturing of electric vehicles (EVs), chemical and steel products, the government has proposed relief in customs duties on import of machinery and raw material like denatured ethyl alcohol, crude glycerin and has continued the concessional duty on lithium-ion cells for batteries for another year. On phased manufacturing programme (PMP), the Budget has also proposed to extend the exemption from levy of basic customs duty on multiple components until March 2024. These include components and accessories for manufacturing of CCTV cameras and IP cameras, lithium-ion batteries, e-readers, video games, and medical instruments. Keeping this in mind, certain indirect tax proposals are also aimed at promoting and encouraging green energy. To promote green fuel and also to avoid double taxation (under excise and GST), central excise duty has been exempted on blended compressed natural gas (CNG). This exemption on blended CNG will be equal to the GST paid on bio-gas/compressed bio-gas contained in it. Budget 2023-24 adopted seven priorities or Saptarishi, one of which is building focus on green growth. The finance minister mentioned that Honble Prime Minister has given a vision for LiFE, or Lifestyle for Environment, to spur a movement of environmentally conscious lifestyle. Focus on the gems and jewellery sector Further, customs duty has been abolished on the import of specified capital goods and machinery required to manufacture lithium-ion cells for batteries that are used in EVs. This will boost the production of battery cells domestically for EVs. There are further changes pertaining to this sector to disincentivise imports customs duty rates on articles of precious metals, imitation jewellery and silver have been increased. The gems and jewellery sector plays a significant role in the Indian economy. The government has viewed this sector as a focus area for export promotion and Budget 2023-24 has given a boost to the sector by abolishing the import duty on seeds used in the manufacture of rough lab-grown diamonds (the existing rate was 5 per cent). This will lead to increased domestic manufacture of diamonds and, in turn, enhance export turnover as well. Other important changes Regularisation of defaults under GST, such as non-filing of monthly and annual returns, and short payment of tax, is now proposed to be undertaken within three years of the respective due dates. The relevant provisions in this regard have been introduced in order to promote timely compliances. This will ensure time-bound resolution. The government has also proposed to remove the two-year sunset on exemptions/concessions for cases such as FTA and FTP commitments. The prices of specified cigarette categories may be increased on account of the increase in National Calamity Contingent Duty. Additionally, the Budget has taken a significant step for early disposal of settlement applications pending before the Settlement Commission under the Custom Act 1962, by fixing the upper time limit for disposal to nine months. Unfinished agenda However, there was no mention of the much-anticipated voluntary compliance scheme under Customs to reduce pending disputes. Further, there was an expectation that some tangible announcements on the functioning of GST Tribunals would be made. The industry was also hoping for an announcement of a clear roadmap of the DESH scheme, and the introduction of an automated standardised Customs SVB procedure. To sum up, this Budget neither provided much relief nor added to the existing burden. It would fall within the category of a balanced scorecard. The Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) announced today that it had appointed Professor Thomas Schneider as its new Chief Executive, effective January 1, 2023. The current Professor of Egyptology at the University of British Columbia, Canada, and Executive Director of the Pacific Alliance of Liberal Arts College (PALAC) succeeds Dr. Christopher Tremewan, who served as Secretary General for 11.5 years. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230202005513/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) In announcing the appointment, APRU Chair and Chancellor of UCLA Professor Gene D. Block said, Professor Schneider will bring considerable skills, knowledge, and experience to his new role, and I am confident that he has the ability to lead APRU into its next phase. I look forward to working with him and the Secretariat team to advance our shared goals. I am delighted and humbled to have joined APRU. I look forward to working with the Steering Committee, COO, International Secretariat, 61 member universities and its 2,000,000 students, 200,000 faculty staff, and many more alumni to enhance the mission of APRU as a beacon of cross-Pacific connections and collaborations, Professor Schneider said in accepting the appointment. A native of Germany, Professor Schneider studied at the University of Zurich, the University of Basel, and the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris. He earned his degrees, all in Egyptology, from the University of Basel. Throughout his career, he has held academic and administrative positions in North America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East including Research Professor of the Swiss National Science Foundation and inaugural holder of the Chair in Egyptology at Swansea University, Wales. Professor Schneider has held several Visiting Professorships and, from 2018-20, served the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), Chinas fastest-rising new STEM university, as Associate Vice President (International), spearheading its internationalization efforts. Recently, he founded PALAC a new consortium of liberal arts colleges focused on experimental learning in the liberal arts across multiple economies in Asia and North America. In addition to significant leadership roles at the departmental and university level, Professor Schneider has been a consultant, adjudicator, and reviewer for a range of global universities, funding agencies, and publishers. His own scholarship focuses on cultural and linguistic interconnections in the Near East, the environmental history of Egypt, and the history of the humanities in Nazi Germany. Professor Schneider was selected after an extensive global search by the APRU Search Committee led by Professor Rocky Tuan, Vice-Chair of APRU and Vice-Chancellor and President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and search partner Perrett Laver. Other Search Committee members were Professor Carol Folt, President, University of Southern California; Professor Dawn Freshwater, Vice-Chancellor and President, The University of Auckland; Dr. David Garza, President, Technologico de Monterrey; and Professor Tan Eng Chye, President, National University of Singapore. To learn more about APRU, please visit www.apru.org. Photo: link View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230202005513/en/ CEO of Merck Foundation, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej and Scientific Committee felicitated 7 winners of Best African Women Researchers and Best Young African Researchers of MARS Awards 2022 via videoconference for their valuable research work and contribution to empowering women and youth in STEM. MARS Awards Ceremony was also attended by 11 African Ministers of Health, Science and Technology, Education, Information & Technology, New Technology, Social Health, Gender and Promotion of Women. Merck Foundation also announced the Call for Applications for Merck Foundation Africa Research Summit MARS Awards 2023 to empower Women and Youth in STEM in Africa with special focus on scientific research in Women Health and Infertility & Reproductive Health. T he 2033 MARS Awards will emphasize the collaboration between Merck Foundation and Internationale Federation of Fertility Societies -IFFS, Africa Reproductive Care Society - ARCS, Manipal University and African Union Scientific Technical Research Commission. Watch the Livestream of the MARS 2022 Awards Ceremony: https://fb.watch/ipWdDwOwWw/ Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, conducted the Merck Foundation Africa Research Summit MARS 2022 Awards Ceremony, in partnership with the African Union (Scientific Technical Research Commission), through VideoConference to felicitate the 7 winners from 7 African countries, for their valuable research work and contribution to empowering women and youth in STEM with special focus on Scientific Research in Infectious Diseases and Cancer Research. Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and Chairperson of Merck Foundation Africa Research Summit -MARS expressed, Like every year since 2016, I am extremely proud of all 7 winners who have been recognized under the two categories of Best African Women Researchers Awards and Best Young African Researcher Awards for their valuable contribution in research, especially by African Female Researchers who are under presented in this field, as we all know. Through Merck Foundation African Research Summit MARS Awards, we aim to empower African young researchers and of course to empower and encourage African women researchers through advancing their research capacity and promote their contribution to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The winners of Best African Women Researchers Awards and Best Young African Researcher Awards will be enrolled into research training at a premier research institute in India. The award ceremony was also attended by Dr. Ahmed Hamdy, Executive Director, African Union - Scientific, Technical and Research Commission; Prof. Andrew Kambugu, The Sande-McKinnell Executive Director at the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Uganda; Dr. Edgar Mocanu, President of the International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS), Past Chairperson of The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and Reproductive Medicine, Endocrinology, and Infertility (REI) Committee, Ireland; Prof. Oladapo Ashiru, OFR, President of African Reproductive Care Society (ARCS), President of The Academy of Medicine Specialties of Nigeria & Secretary General of International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS), Nigeria and Prof. Dr. Satish Kumar Adiga, Head, Department of Reproductive Science and Coordinator at Fertility Preservation Centre, Kasturba Medical College, India. Dr. Ahmed Hamdy, Executive Director, African Union - Scientific, Technical and Research Commission, emphasized, I congratulate all the worthy winners of MARS Awards 2022. This is a very valuable platform for African women and young African researchers who are engaged and interested in health research. The African Ministers who attended the MARS 2022 Ceremony are: Hon. Dr. Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, Minister of Health, The Gambia Hon. Mrs. Imelde SABUSHIMIKE, Minister of National Solidarity, Social Affairs, Human Rights and Gender, Burundi Hon. Mme ALLAHOURY AMINATA ZOURKALEINI, Minister for the Promotion of Women, Niger Hon. Prof. IBRAHIM NATATOU, Minister of National Education, Niger Hon. HASSANE BARAZE MOUSSA, Minister of Post and New Technologies, Niger Hon. Mahamadou Laoualy Dan Dano, Minister of Communication, Niger Hon. Dr. Constatino G. D. N. Chiwenga, Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, Zimbabwe Hon. Prof Amon Murwira, Minister of Higher Education, Zimbabwe Hon. Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, Minister of Health, Malawi Hon Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Malawi Hon Minister of Education, Malawi Winners of MARS Best African Women Researchers Awards Gladys Kaba, Ghana Amaya Jobin Habila, Nigeria Evaluation Of The Immunoprotective Potential Of Trypanosoma Brucei Glycerol Kinase In Mice Shingirai Chiwambutsa, South Africa Effect of genetic polymorphism and co-medications on tamoxifen metabolising enzymes and plasma levels of endoxifen in black South African breast cancer patients Ededia Firdawoke, Ethiopia HPV in women with invasive cervical cancer lesion and cancer: the use of urine as an adjunct specimen Winners of MARS Best Young African Researchers Awards Abu Bakarr Kamara, Sierra Leone Safety and immunogenicity of an Ad26.ZEBOV booster dose among children previously vaccinated with the two-dose heterologous Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo Ebola vaccine regimen Fongang Che Landis, Cameroon Effectiveness of Mhealth (Text Messages) in Enhancing Cervical Cancer Screening uptake among Women in the North-West Region of Cameroon Eze Ajaegbu, Nigeria Anticancer agents from Millettia aboensis root Details for MARS AWARDS 2023 [email protected] Best African Women Researchers Best Young African Researcher Yesterday, SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, recognized the top-rated new optics and photonics products with the industry-focused Prism Awards. The gala evening, held during SPIE Photonics West, also marked the Prism Awards 15th anniversary with a champagne toast, a timeline gallery of past winners, and a video showcasing a decade and a half of Prism highlights. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230202005690/en/ The 2023 SPIE Prism Awards: The evening's winners and presenters celebrate their successes and 15 years of photonics innovations. (Photo: Business Wire) Each year, the SPIE Prism Awards reflect the rapidly growing trajectory, exciting latest developments, and rich technical innovations across photonics and photonics-enabled industries. This year, the annual ceremony honored a range of established and emerging companies applying innovative and creative solutions to critical problems in areas such as augmented and virtual reality, sensors, lasers, quantum technology, and biomedical optical solutions. For consideration in the 2023 Prism Awards, SPIE received 76 applications from 19 countries. Finalists and winners were selected by a panel of international judges who leveraged their knowledge and acumen from across the technology commercialization and funding sectors. The distinguished judges' roster included the FDA's Zane Arp, iFocus' Adi Diner, AXA-XLs Simi George, MKS Instruments' Marc D. Himel, Coherents Qiongying Hu, Chromacity's Shahida Imani, Teledyne Princeton Instruments' Jason McClure, Technology Scotlands Alison McLeod, Tesseract Healths Nishant Mohan, Engender Technologies' Cather Simpson, Ceres Technology Advisors Linda Smith, TOPTICAs Mark A. Tolbert, and Nanovations Ferechteh Teherani. "The Prism Awards always showcase an impressive spectrum of innovative solutions based on optics and photonics technology, said SPIE CEO Kent Rochford. "By providing products powered by photonics, all of these companies and I am including the finalists as well as tonights winners are offering a terrific array of impactful technologies that will transform lives across the world. I am so excited to be here tonight to congratulate them in person. Below is the complete list of the award categories, the winners, and their winning products: AR VR MR: TriLite Technologies, Trixel 3 Biomedical: Philophos, KUOS-O100 Cameras and Imaging: Metalenz, PolarEyes Lasers: Kyocera SLD Laser, LaserLight LiFi System Quantum Tech: QuiX Quantum, 20-mode Quantum Photonic Processor Sensors: Ocean Insight, SpeedSorter Software: Dotphoton, Jetraw Test and Measurement: Precitec Optronik, Flying Spot Scanner (FSS 310) Photonics Media is the promotional sponsor of the SPIE Prism Awards. For more information on the Prism Awards and the 2023 winners, please visit the official website: www.photonicsprismaward.com/ About SPIE SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, brings engineers, scientists, students, and business professionals together to advance light-based science and technology. The Society, founded in 1955, connects and engages with our global constituency through industry-leading conferences and exhibitions; publications of conference proceedings, books, and journals in the SPIE Digital Library; and career-building opportunities. Over the past five years, SPIE has contributed more than $22 million to the international optics community through our advocacy and support, including scholarships, educational resources, travel grants, endowed gifts, and public-policy development. www.spie.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230202005690/en/ Annalena Baerbock arrived in the Chinese port city of Tianjin on Thursday, kicking off her inaugural visit to the Asian nation. That day she visited a high school with ties to the European country and spoke with teachers and students. She also visited two German companies, accompanied on Friday by her Chinese counterpart Qin Gang as they toured a high-tech automotive supplier. This morning, the two sides co-chaired the sixth round of the China-Germany Strategic Dialogue on Diplomacy and Security in Beijing Apr 14, 2023 05:40 PM 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. Chancellor Olaf Scholz mentioned that efforts to drum up support for Ukraine failed miserably after South American support did not register. Kyiv is desperate to get other nations in line with it, to the point its foreign ministry lambasts those against it. No South American Support for Ukraine Scholz did not make the mark by not gaining allies for Kyiv, trying to have more countries backing Kyiv in the Ukrainian conflict. But the Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva says the two are parties to the war, per Almayadeen. The Chancellor thanked the South American countries he toured, including Argentina, Chile, and Brazil. They expressed opposition to the Russia-Ukraine war in the United Nations General Assembly, reported US News. Recent events have made it necessary for Europe to have stronger links with the Brazilian government, as the former leader did not foster good relations with them. During a joint press engagement in Brazil, the German leader was disappointed by Lula's reaction to his statement, which offset the intended goal of the visit itself. Lula remarked that Russia did something wrong by invading its neighbor, but they need to make peace, as mentioned by Euroactiv. The apparent goal of the visit was to secure a promise by Brazil to supply ammunition that Ukraine needs for German Gepard anti-aircraft guns, cited Military Today. Scholz tried to convince the Brazilian leader that it would bring peace, but it was denied. Chancellor Scholz Fails To Get Support From Latin America While on tour, Argentina and Chile's governments condemned the Ukraine war but did not buy the tagline sold by Scholz. Ukraine will have to scrounge someplace else. Read Also: Weapon Supply to Kiev Exhausts German Stockpile Argentine President Alberto Fernandez commented that Latin America and Buenos Aires would not prolong the war by sending weapons but would instead assist in rebuilding Kyiv. Scholz took the time to see the memorial of Argentina and Chile dedicated to the victims of military regimes at one point in their history. While there, he made an analogy to the events now happening in Iran, mentioning how young people are killed and drawing attention to the young woman killed by the Iranian morality police. German government officials say they understand how Latin America is not in line with the US and its allies but stress that their viewpoint is the most valid. Germany Sign Memorandum of Agreement with Chile The discussions in Chile were more attuned to getting these Latin Americans to accept the Ukrainian regime than a convincing attitude. The German leader is more interested in deals to have Germany-based firms get lithium which the Chileans have. Even dangling support for sustainable mining. One of the highlights of the Scholz visit is the signing of cooperation deals in technology and innovation, mining with economic matters vital to the Chilean sector. Those who co-signed the deals were Chile-owned Codelco and Aurubis, the largest copper supplier in Europe, as a memorandum of understanding was made to cement this coop deal. It must be noted that Chancellor Scholz had yet to get any South American support that Ukraine needs and is now getting desperate due to this. Related Article: Russia-Ukraine War: US Sending Small-Diameter Bomb to Ukraine @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A court in Washington revealed in the court document that a South Dakota girl was found dead in a U-Haul, said the cops. The couple alleged the 8-year-old was zip-tied and beaten to death, they were driving for a few weeks but got caught eventually, reported True Crime Daily. South Dakota Girl Discovered Dead in a U-Haul Details say that Mandie Miller and Aleksandr Kurmoyarov got nabbed in Mitchell, South Dakota, when they got stopped. In the trailer was the rotting corpse of the woman's daughter. Later the coroner was reached to deal with the remains, cited Boston25. Police state that Kurmoyarov said the 8-year-old girl died before Halloween 2022 in the locale of Airway Heights, Washington. Miller said differently that her daughter's death was on September 10. Mitchell Police were very critical about why the couple kept the death of the girl from authorities as they lived. Even their answer of wanting to spend more time with her opens up considerations that foul play is involved and is not convincing, mentioned Local Today. Not reporting the child's death is the first instance of the charge. But last December 15, the Spokane police out a warrant for homicide by abuse. Several details noted by the court were Miller and Kurmoyarov trying to get rid of Meela Miller by burying her in the Rosebud Indian Reservation. The lack of a death certificate prevented the burial. A funeral employee called the Mitchell PD called the Airway Heights Police in Washington, where they came from, Spokane County. Read Also: Bryan Kohberger Used Axe on Slain Idaho College Students, Says Online Theory Couple Arrested for Death of 8-Year-Old Girl Last December 15, a search warrant allowed the Airway Heights Police to open the house of Miller and Kurmoyarov. Their attention was called to Meela's room, and they noticed the presence of odor absorbers inside it. Daniel Herrera, one of the detectives on the case, said Miller called earlier and thinks he's the dad. She called him on November 16 to tell him his daughter had died. Miller said that Meela felt chest pains and went to the doctor but got sent home. The affidavit said the mom bathed the child after getting home, but then she vomited pink and passed out. She claimed that the girl choked on the liquid strawberry milkshake. At one point, she claimed that she called 911, which took an hour to get there, and tried CPR to resuscitate her, but the girl died. Herrera said that Miller was ill-tempered but would never abuse the deceased. Meela, according to the doctor doing the autopsy, was dead for three weeks, not three months, but stressed the slow decomposition could make it three months. Based on the documents, Meela was only 26 pounds, with marks on her hands and wrists, which showed being tied up. Kumoyarov allegedly tells SD police how he slapped her twice the night she died. It got worse as Mandie cruelly crushed her feet with a hammer while acting out. The man said he tied the girl up and used the zips to keep her in the car seat for six to four hours when she died. Miller was caught lying several times about her daughter's death. Both are charged with abuse, criminal mistreatment, and unlawful imprisonment in the Spokane jail for the death of an 8-year-old South Dakota girl who was discovered in a U-Haul, zip-tied, and beaten to death by the couple. Related Article: Queens Dad Arrested for Death of 3-Year-Old Son @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. An online theory proposes that Bryan Kohberger, the suspect in the Idaho college murders, used an axe, not a knife, in the killings as a new twist on the case. Initially, the search for the knife did not pan out, prompting another murder weapon to be have been used. Online Theory Says Axe Is the Murder Weapon Kohberger allegedly stabbed the victims Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, while asleep, except for Kernodle, in an off-campus rental outside of Idaho University on November 13, reported Meaww. After reports of his arrest, these web sleuths spread many theories about how the murders transpired. The lack of a murder weapon is another idea of how an axe could have been used to kill the students. The investigators also considered this during the investigation's progress. Until now, the lack of any evidence pointing to the actual murder weapon is perplexing the case against Kohberhger. Wounds suffered by the four students are more closely examined. One of these Twitter users wrote online saying an axe was used in the Idaho homicides and called serious attention to the injuries suffered by the deceased. Another point raised by the user is the killing was very systematic and was without a hitch, which hinted that Kohberger was not the only killer but had an accomplice, citing Independent. The tweets posted were not only text with a picture to give more emphasis, including a screenshot of the article that highlights the victim's wounds. Theories on Idaho College Murders The breakout story of the Moscow-Idaho murders brought it to national attention leading to many unfounded, baseless theories and conspiracy types. The public has been blacked out by the police keeping sensitive information under wrap, but the arrest of the suspect allowed revealing it. Read Also: Idaho Murders: Police Find Blood-Covered Items in Bryan Kohberger's Flat After the initial court case was done, most of the crucial details were on hold from the media, and only the details were released for public consumption. Instead of being arrested close to the crime scene, Kohberger was in eastern Pennsylvania at his parents' home, far from Moscow, Idaho. Caught on December 30 and transferred to Idaho during January, and taken to Latah County prison, mentioned Komo News. He was marked as the only person of interest by the police before getting nabbed by them. He was, according to them, already a probable suspect. Getting charged with four instances of murder in the first degree and one count of felony burglary after the arrest. Idaho Murder Suspect Apprehended The suspect made the police exert extra effort to profile him, getting the cellular data and looking for the white Hyundai Elantra. It was one of the clues spotted close to where the victim's stayed until getting killed by a sharp implement about 84 days later. On August 21, 2022, from 10:34 to 11:35 pm, the culling of the four students began. The discovery of the suspect's mobile near the murder house was a development police needed. To stop rumors stemming from the case, which the judge says is obstructive to it. He placed a gag order for the families to abide by or else. Kohberger passed over an immediate preliminary hearing on January 12, which will be on June 26 instead, as mentioned by NY Times. Related Article: Idaho Murders: Xana Kernodle Died Awake @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Berlinale has added the Chinese animated feature Art College 1994 to its official competition lineup, expanding the field to 19 films. Art College, directed by Liu Jian, is the second animated feature picked for this years main competition, joining Makoto Shinkais Suzume. The film follows a group of students in China in the mid-1990s amidst a clash of idealism vs. reality and tradition vs. modernity. There and then, a group of young students pursue their dreams of making art, forming deep friendships and falling in love along the way. The hand-drawn 2d feature was produced by a team of teachers and students at the China Academy Of Art (CAA), where Liu is a professor. Production took five years. According to the Academy, the film possesses aesthetics that exhibit distinctive Chinese elements is a significant creative and pedagogical product of CAAs pursuit of neorealistic animation.' Public block cement warehouse project in San Diego 03 February 2023 Mitsubishi Cements plans for a cement warehouse at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal at the Port of San Diego, USA, look to have been blocked by public objections on the potential pollution caused by trucking cement. A Nevada-based company trying to build a cement warehouse halted talks with the Port of San Diego this week on the project. Mitsubishi Cement Corp wanted to ship 600,000t of cement-making materials to the port-owned terminal and store the shipments in a warehouse before trucking the material around southern California construction sites. The project would have increased diesel truck traffic through San Diegos portside communities. The project would require between 4,000-10,000 diesel powered trucks to drive through Barrio Logan and National City as the material is delivered to southern California customers, reported Kpbs. Local residents lobbied against the plan when the port first rejected the proposal in 2020 and again when the project resurfaced last year. Mitsubishi had been asked to reshape the plan, which was rejected in 2020. However, the new proposal failed to offer significant emission-free alternatives to the high number of diesel truck traffic the project would create. More than 800 people delivered letters or emails to the port asking the agency to reject the proposal. The project did not face a vote in front of the Board of Port Commissioners, but the public agency acknowledged discussions about moving forward have ended. Cement is currently trucked into southern California from the high desert or the Port of Long Beach. Published under Hallett Construction Materials awards ball mill grinding order ICR Newsroom By 03 February 2023 Australian construction materials supplier Hallett Construction Materials Pty Ltd has award the contract for a complete grinding circuit at its Port Augusta cement plant in South Australia to Christian Pfeiffer. The grinding system includes a 5.0m diameter x 16.25m ball mill and a QDK T 250-Z high-efficiency sepator as core equipment, along with auxiliary equipment and conveying systems. The grinding unit will produce 84tph slag cement that will be used for refilling of old mining stocks. While Hallett was considering installing a vertical mill to grind the very abrasive slag, process experts at Christian Pfeiffer recommend a ball mill. Lower initial investments, raw material flexibility and a much reduced overall energy consumption of the ball mill swayed the decision in the ball mill's favour, particularly after a visit by Hallett to one of Christian Pfeiffer's reference plants in Germany. The plant's technical proposal was prepared in three week after testing the raw material in Christian Pfeiffer's competence centre, Germany. For us, the sustainability of the plant is the highest priority. Thats why we manufacture cement containing 100 per cent slag which needs to be produced at the lowest energy and operation costs. At the same time, we have highest quality demands to the cement. The Christian Pfeiffer process experts convinced us that the ball mill, in combination with a high efficiency separator, is the best system to serve our requirements," said Hallett's CEO Kane Salisbury. The grinding plant is scheduled for commissioning in January 2024. Published under The House of Representatives, controlled by a narrow Republican majority, voted to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from the Foreign Affairs Panel Committee as Democrats shouted "racism." Republican lawmakers in the House argued that the decision was made over Omar's past comments about Israel that were widely condemned as antisemitic. However, this comes as GOP members are generally silent about antisemitic comments of their colleagues, some of whom have associated with Holocaust deniers. House GOP Ousts Ilhan Omar The vote ended 218 to 211, where one House member voted "present" and came similarly to how Democrats previously stripped Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona of their committee assignments. That decision was made over social media posts of the latter two, where they endorsed violence against members of the Democratic Party. At the time, Kevin McCarthy, who has now become the House Speaker, said that Republicans would take revenge by removing Democrats whom the GOP sees as unfit to serve on committees. He unilaterally removed California Reps. As per the New York Times, Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence last week. McCarthy's decision to oust Omar, a decision that some of his rank-and-file resisted, demonstrates his unrelenting determination to shore up support from the hard-right Republican base. It comes after former United States President Donald Trump in 2019 said that Omar and three other progressive women of color should return to their home countries despite the representative being born in the US. The Thursday vote was also McCarthy's attempt to curry favor with pro-Israel groups and evangelical votes while also taking revenge on Democrats. Omar drew criticism in 2019 from both sides of the government after tweeting that certain pro-Israel groups were "all about the Benjamins, baby." The statement appeared to reference hundred-dollar bills in what was viewed as invoking an antisemitic trope about Jews and money. Later on, the representative apologized for her comment. She also received criticism for seemingly equating "atrocities" carried out by the US military actions committed by terrorist groups like Hamas and the Taliban. Read Also: US Expands Military Efforts Amid Indo-Pacific Concerns Republicans' Political Revenge Ahead of the vote, Omar made a defiant speech on the floor, saying that her leadership and voice would not be reduced if she was removed from the committee. According to CNN, she argued that her voice would only get louder and stronger as time went by. In a statement, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries liked the decision to Republicans seeking "political revenge." He said he would immediately move to set Omar on the House Budget Committee, where she will defend Democratic values against right-wing extremism. Republicans argued that the oust of Omar was them being consistent with past practices, a claim that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has dismissed. She said the only thing constant about the GOP's attack is racism and incitement of violence against women of color. Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York questioned why Omar was only being targeted now and wondered what reasons the GOP had for removing her from committee assignments. He argued that if she was on the other side of the government, she would not face such persecution, said Fox News. Related Article: Joe Biden Classified Documents Scandal Update @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Morocco and Spain hold a Rabat Summit where the two nations attempt to relieve tensions regarding migration and territory. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that officials from both countries agreed to set aside their differences to repair their relationship. During a speech on Thursday, he said that both sides have already signed roughly 20 agreements that seek to boost trade and investment, including credit lines of up to $869 million. Morocco, Spain Relations Sanchez noted that the two countries' governments agreed on a commitment to mutual respect where they will attempt to avoid everything they know to offend the other party. This is especially true for their respective spheres of sovereignty. The summit comes as there have been regular diplomatic crises over Spain's enclaves in North Africa, Morocco's issues with rebels over the Western Sahara region, and migrants and refugees arriving in Spain every year traveling through Morocco. While Morocco continuously refuses to recognize Spanish sovereignty over the enclaves Ceuta and Melilla, the two countries agreed last year to open the first customs control point at Ceuta, as per Al Jazeera. Madrid authorities say that the decision reflects Rabat's recognition of the enclaves as foreign territory. However, Morocco has yet to issue a public statement that indicates its long-held stance that the enclaves should be part of its territory has shifted. Prime Minister Sanches, in March 2022, restored cordial relations with Rabat after he moved to reverse Spain's policy on the disputed territory of Western Sahara. He backed Morocco's proposal to create an autonomous region. A North Africa specialist at the Institute of Saharan Studies Al Andalous, Yasmine Hasnaoui, said that Sanchez's visit to Rabat showed a resetting relationship between the two countries. She added that it ushers in a new era mainly due to a clear-cut roadmap following Spain's acknowledgment of the historical sovereignty of Morocco. Read Also: Hong Kong Bans CBD, Considers it a 'Dangerous Drug' Agreements To Relieve Tensions Sanchez visited Morocco with 11 of his ministers, where they sought to establish the bases for the kind of bilateral relationship they seek now and in the future. The two countries also worked together to establish a new communication pathway that would allow the two sides to discuss urgent issues in private, no matter how complicated they are, according to AA. Among the 20 agreements, the nations signed was one where officials would find new ways of "regulated migration" and attempt to normalize circulation between the two territories. Also, the hundreds of millions of dollars in credit lines will be used to invest in strategic sectors in Morocco, such as agriculture, rail, water, and tourism. Prime Minister Sanchez said both nations would benefit if they transitioned to green energy. However, a leader within Spain's conservative Popular Party, Elias Bendodo, noted that the agreements show that the prime minister is an "international lightweight" as he did not share the optimism of better relations with Morocco. Furthermore, Spanish authorities are discussing how to remove Morocco from a gray list of money laundering countries, said one government source. Last month, a delegation from the Financial Action Task Force, a Paris-based global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, visited Morocco. It is also expected to announce a decision later this month on whether the country can be removed from the list, said US News. Related Article: US Expands Military Efforts Amid Indo-Pacific Tensions @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Discussion ensued at the City Beer Board about a new state law known as Dallass Law that took effect in Tennessee on Jan. 1. After being active for a month, clarification about it is still needed. The law was created to provide greater protections for citizens at businesses that sell alcohol and which have security guards stationed at the door. Those guards will now have to be trained by licensed trainers in de-escalation techniques, safe restraint methods, CPR and First Aid. Chattanooga Beer Inspector Sergeant Jason Wood attended a meeting in Nashville to receive clarification for how the new law will affect bars and restaurants and how it will be enforced. He told the board members that he had been underwhelmed by the information that he got. Both he and the beer board members have been left with many unanswered questions regarding the law. Examples of unknowns include who is notified, local or state officials, if there is a problem with a security guard? What authority does the beer board have? The law says that the bar or restaurant has the responsibility to make sure the security guards license is valid and if it discovered he is uncertified, there is an automatic $25,000 fine and 30-day suspension of the permit holders liquor and beer license. Another question is if the city needs to integrate Dallass law into the Chattanooga beer code since it is already a state law. Who is responsible to notify the businesses with a beer permit about the new law, and what is the responsibility of the bar owners? It is also unknown how the law will apply to temporary and special event beer permits, such as a gala fundraiser being held by a non-profit organization. Beer Inspector Sgt. Wood told the board that of the businesses he has talked to, some have heard of Dallass Law but the ones that have, along with the beer board, do not know specifics of its requirements. The beer board attorney will get advice from MTAS, Municipal Technical Advisory Service about the beer boards responsibility and who to go to for answers. Board Member Vince Butler recommended that since the incident that spurred the creation of the law took place in Nashville, that the attorney for Nashvilles beer board also be asked how the law is being implemented in that city. Another new program known as Safe Bar is being created to safeguard customers. At a meeting in March, a speaker will inform the beer board of the way it works. Two applications for a beer license were approved by the board on Thursday morning. The Staybridge Suites Chattanooga Downtown, 1300 Carter St., was given a new license. This hotel has a new owner but there will be no operational changes, the beer board was told. A new permit to sell both consumer and carryout beer was needed because of the change of ownership to MCR Hospitality Fund II TRS, LLC. Santis Mexican Grille, 2040 Hamilton Place Blvd. Unit 225 was also given a consumer/carry-out permit after the board got clarification on two issues. Before giving a beer license, approval must be given from the citys zoning official, that beer sales are allowed in the zone where the restaurant is located. After zoning official Randy Ridge retired in December, the approval process from the zoning office has been slowed. During the meeting, Assistant City Attorney for the Beer Board, Kathryn McDonald requested status of zoning relating to beer sales, and received confirmation that is a permitted use. The second question before the board approved a permit was due to an apostrophe in the wrong place in the businesss name on the application to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Believing the application had been accepted and approved by the TABC, the business was serving spirits and wine. After the mistake was discovered and corrected, the state had to consider it a name change. Realizing it had been an error, the TABC did not cite the business for selling alcohol during that time. The Chattanooga Beer Board followed suite and did not recognize it as a violation. At the meeting Thursday, the board gave the business both a consumer and carry-out beer permit. Sgt. Wood gave brief updates to two issues. Despite it being close to four months since the Blue Light bar on Station Street agreed to create a safety plan in return for being allowed to stay open, a plan has still not been produced or implemented. Sgt. Wood said he has developed a plan and it will be reviewed by the beer boards attorney but at this time, he is still waiting for Brian Joyce, the bars owner, to meet with him to review it. Board Member Vince Butler asked for it to be quickly resolved. A couple of months ago, after several postponements for giving a beer permit to a business, the applicant, Worldwide Ministries was issued a beer license for their bikini bar. Now the company is changing the name of the bar from "The Pony, to Diamonds and Lace. The Beer Inspector confirmed that there is no expansion planned for the business and the owners will remain the same, so an application for a new beer permit is not needed. A man told police he was a contractor who borrowed money from a lending office in California to build six houses. Some of the houses had sold, but he received a legal notice from a lawyer that he had to move out of the remaining property. He was also dissatisfied with two realtors who were listing the home and thought they were trying to lowball him. He believed everyone involved were tied to organized crime and were trying to cheat him out of his land and money. He had spoken with an attorney and wanted a police report stating what was going on. * * * A woman on Gadd Road told police her 2021 Nissan Rouge had been burglarized during the night. She said she went out to her car at 11:30 the night before and left her trunk unlocked. Items missing were her purse with various bank cards, cash, TN drivers license, Social Security card, sunglasses, and Taurus pistol. She later called back with the serial number for the stolen pistol and it was entered in NCIC as stolen. * * * A woman on Lillian Lane told police someone entered her Ford C-Max and stole an Apple Mac Book Pro, miscellaneous hunting knives and miscellaneous military gear (bags, clothing, etc.). The vehicle was unsecured and there was no damage. The location was added to the watch list. * * * A man on Graysville Road showed police several ruts in his front yard. He said the damage happened between 8 a.m.-3 p.m. He said a construction crew from down the road saw several work trucks from a certain company in the area all day. The man said no one from the construction crew saw any trucks actually do the damage. Police asked the man if he contacted the company and he had not. The man said he would call the company and would call police if he attains any further information. * * * An employee at Shoe Carnival, 5760 Highway 153, told police a white male entered the store, removed two pairs of shoes, and exited without paying for them. * * * A Walgreens employee at 3550 Broad St. told police she had a verbal altercation with a man because he was harassing customers inside the store, yelling and cursing at people. The employee said the man comes very often and always causes a disorder. Per the employees request, police trespassed the man from the property and explained that if he comes back to Walgreens he would be criminally prosecuted. The man was transported home to avoid any further issues. * * * Police were called to Baymont Motel at 7017 Shallowford Road in reference to people staying in room 139. The manager wanted them off the property and trespassed. The officer spoke with a man and woman, who were already collecting their items from the room to leave. Both were trespassed. * * * A man on E. Brainerd Road told police he sent a check through the mail at the post office. The check never made it to the rental property where it was supposed to go. He was notified by his bank that a "Lashawnda Johnson" deposited his check at a Bank of America. The man is unsure of any other suspect information. He only needed this documented per his bank. * * * Police were called to Line Street where there were five .45 caliber shell casings in the road. A woman told police she saw at least two men running in the area. Police were unable to find anyone nearby. The shell casings were collected and taken to the property division as evidence. * * * A man at the Baymont at 7017 Shallowford Road told police he had parked his vehicle outside his hotel room at approximately 5 p.m. and discovered the next morning around 8:30 a.m. that his tires had been slashed. Reviewing camera footage it was found at approximately 3:30 a.m. a man approached his car, looked in the windows and checked the doors before slashing the tires. The man is visiting from New York and said he doesnt know anyone in town who would wish to do this to him. He didnt recognize the man on camera. A resident of the Hawthorne at the Crest reported that their kayak had been stolen. A Collegedale fugitive was booked at the jail on bond revocation warrants for driving on a revoked license and failure to appear in court. Collegedale police were requested to assist the security officer at Wolftever Creek Elementary School with an unruly student. Residents from the Hawthorne at the Summit apartment complex reported that the leasing office alarm was going off. No alarm was heard when the officer arrived on scene and the doors were all locked. A Collegedale fugitive was booked on bond revocation warrants for driving on a revoked license and failing to appear in court. A Collegedale fugitive was booked on their bond revocation warrant for shoplifting. Officers responded to a domestic disorder between a parent and their child at the College Park apartments. The child was arrested for aggravated domestic assault when it was learned that they had pulled a knife on their parent during an argument about cell phones. The child was transported to the Hamilton County Juvenile Detention Unit. Police responded to the Wired Coffee Bar at the request of the employees who were concerned about a patron who had stayed longer than other customers and was making the employees feel uncomfortable. The individual left as police were arriving. Police remained in the area until the employees closed the business and safely left for the evening. Walmart reported a theft of electronic equipment from the store. An individual was asked to leave the laundromat in the Crossroads Plaza by night shift officers at the request of the business owner. The individual left without incident. The alarm at the Cracker Barrel was activated by employees cleaning the restaurant. Residents from the Hills Parc apartment complex reported a disorder in a neighboring apartment; however, nothing could be heard and no one came to the door when officers arrived. Police responded to a residence in the 4300 block of Prospect Church Road for an individual having a mental health crisis. The individual was placed into protective custody and transported for evaluation and treatment. An honorary right of way street sign is being proposed for the late Mrs. Doris Bruce Kelly, who was a life-long resident of the Historic St. Elmo District. She lived there for over 103 years. Tekelia Kelly said, "Doris was a phenomenal woman, award-winning educator, prominent leader, and faithful servant of God. She lived by the mantra 'If I can help somebody as I walk along, then my living shall not be in vain.' " After graduating from Howard High School, she attended Tennessee A&I State University where she received BS and MS degrees. While at Tennessee State, she joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., in which she was an active member for more than 80 years. Ms.Kelly said, "Doris made a positive impact on so many lives while also making profound history throughout Chattanooga, across Tennessee, and beyond. She returned to her alma mater, Howard High School where she later taught business classes and collaborated with corporate partner Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee to create school-to-work transition internships for her students. "After leaving the classroom, she took an assignment as Universe Representative for the Tennessee Education Association. She held life membership with the National Education Association and was the first Black woman President of the Chattanooga Education Association. In her role as educator, she received many accolades and awards for her service. She continued to serve in the Retired Teachers Association for many years after her retirement. In addition, Doris served on the board of directors of the Chattanooga Bicentennial Library." The business of Mrs. Doris Bruce Kelly's honorary right of way street sign is on the City Council agenda for next Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Chattanooga City Council Building at 1000 Lindsay St. The proposed sign entitled Commemorative Doris Bruce Kelly Way is planned to be located at the intersection on Eastbound West 46th Street, near Doris's former home. District Attorney Coty Wamp, at a Friday news conference, said she is seeking to transfer to adult criminal court five juveniles involved in two violent carjackings Jan. 26 and Jan. 28. The carjacking Jan. 26 took place on DeSales Avenue near Memorial Hospital and involved a 14-year-old and two 16-year-olds. The carjacking Jan. 28 took place on Roanoke Avenue off Wilcox Boulevard and involved a 13-year-old, 14-year-old and 15-year-old. Thirteen-year-olds are not eligible to be transferred to adult criminal court. They have a district attorney right now thats going to hold them accountable, DA Wamp said. She connected the violent carjackings to the countys rising gun theft. She said 386 firearms, mostly handguns, were stolen from vehicles in Hamilton County in 2022 - 360 of them within city limits and the vast majority within six to eight miles of the city center. We are going to campaign against this issue, she said. Tennessees permit-less carry law took effect in 2021, increasing theft of a firearm from a misdemeanor to a class E felony, which mandates 180 days in jail. We are going to enforce it harshly, DA Wamp said. These are serious types of charges. They are terrorizing. We have got to make an example. Juvenile Court Judge Rob Philyaw will make the ultimate decision on whether or not to transfer the cases. He made this statement on Friday afternoon, "I will not/cannot talk about any pending case(s). "Im on record numerous times talking about the serious life-altering consequences for some actions made by youth offenders. I go out and deliver that message in the community at every opportunity. "It appears to me that Attorney General Wamp is trying to help get that message out too. There are more than several youthful offenders who were transferred from Juvenile Court, convicted in Criminal Court, and are now serving long sentences, even life sentences in prison. Thats always heart-breaking. Thats why its important for high-risk young people and their families and all who care for them to hear General Wamps message. "Tennessee Code Annotated 37-1-134 walks through the types of cases that can be transferred to adult court and the factors that the court considers in making the ultimate determination. My job is to ensure every offender who appears in Hamilton County Juvenile Court has competent and zealous representation, their day in court, and to use every bit of my ability to apply all of the admissible facts to the factors that I am to consider in making the decision to transfer or to continue to use the rehabilitation tools that are available to me. I have been doing that for about 10 years and will continue to do that in each case that appears before me." DA Wamp said gun theft from cars is also contributing to county numbers of aggravated robbery, attempted homicide and homicide. Firearms are really at the crux of all these different types of crime, she said, classifying the issue a health emergency. The public should not leave a firearm in a vehicle, she said. Please be mindful of what is left in your vehicle. A crime is never the victims fault, she said, but we do need to be observant, she said. Smash-and-grabs are rare today, she said, and that usually the car door is unlocked. Chattanooga Christian School Head of School Chad Dirkse announced his resignation on Thursday. Mr. Dirkse has been with CCS for 14 years, and will be finishing his tenure at the end of the school year. The school announced it will name an interim head of school, while it seeks to find a replacement. He said, "Good afternoon CCS families, "I am writing this afternoon to let you know that my service to CCS will end at the conclusion of the current school year. For the past couple of months, my wife, Heather, and I have been wrestling with a persistent tug to another Christian school leadership placement. We did not actively seek a change but have been unable to shake what seemed to be evidence that our season here may be drawing to a close. "I have been open with the CCS board and senior leadership about this opportunity throughout the process. They have been a steadfast and trusted source of prayer, support, and counsel for which I am eternally grateful. On Tuesday I accepted an offer to serve in a new calling. "The 14 years I have spent here have been a profound privilege. I love what CCS is and its openness to work collaboratively to improve. I have worked with the best people, including the board, administration, faculty, and staff. I have witnessed wonderful students from great families grow, build strong relationships, persevere, and produce extraordinary work aligned with the mission and ends of CCS. "Part of Gods redeeming grace to me through CCS is the recognition of both how much has been accomplished within our community during these 14 years and how many times I have tripped, fallen, and failed. So many people here have been influential in helping me learn to recognize and rightly order the beauty and the brokenness on this blessed journey from wilderness toward new creation. "Thank you all for representing Christ and seeking his Kingdom so vividly in the best and most difficult of times. You have truly been types and foretastes of Gods fully restored Kingdom to come, pointing me daily to the completed work of King Jesus. "Our hearts are most deeply grateful for the influence CCS has had on our three children. Every week in their adult lives we see evidence that this was the exact right place for them. The engagement of administration, faculty, staff, students, and parents in shaping and forming their hearts and minds is irreplaceable and priceless to us. Thank you for loving, leading, and serving them so well. "I have described this journey as a ripping apart from a place I love, and I have pleaded with God to remove the tension. In the end, I believe the tension is right and good, because I believe this change is whats best for CCS and for my family. Im already mourning the loss that will inevitably come with this move. CCS is standing on a firm foundation, and the leadership and faculty here are passionate, talented, and courageous in their service to the Lord. The school is in good hands, God is at work, and he is forever faithful." As the Tennessee state legislature begins its work in this new year, we, an ecumenical coalition of clergy, rabbis, and faith leaders from different religious traditions in East Tennessee, wish to declare that we stand proudly alongside all of those who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. We affirm lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer members of our community, of our state, of our nation, and of the world, unconditionally and unequivocally. While we walk different spiritual paths, we are united in supporting each individuals human dignity and worth. We believe every person in Tennessee, and beyond, should feel safe and nurtured as they live their lives. We are united in believing that our LGBTQIA+ siblings are beloved children of God, however each of us defines that term, and are entitled to a safe space to be fully themselves. Therefore, we urge an end to political hate speech against these communities and their members. Hate speech dehumanizes our friends and neighbors. Dehumanization leads to violence. We urge all citizens of the state of Tennessee, and especially our elected officials, to cease any form of speech that demonizes, vilifies, and dehumanizes members of the LGBTQIA+ community. In particular, we oppose Tennessee Senate Bills SB001, SB003, and SB005. These pieces of legislation prioritize discrimination against members of the LGBTQIA+ community over the actual needs of Tennesseans. In addition to being blatant attempts at governmental overreach and removing decisions best left in the hands of parents, these pieces of legislation further stigmatize and dehumanize entire segments of our population. We believe that this not only violates the rights of those targeted by these proposed pieces of legislation, but they also seek to further divide our state and our country. Finally, we affirm in the strongest language possible the beauty, dignity, and worth of all human beings, including LGBTQIA+ people. We believe each person is made in the divine image and is of infinite worth. We are committed to showing love for all and building a community where every person, regardless of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, political persuasion, sexual orientation, or gender identity is safe, nurtured, treasured, loved, and able to live their lives and pursue happiness in freedom. And to the LGBTQIA+ community: As leaders from a diversity of faiths, despite our differences of belief and creed, each of us agrees that you are loved some would say Gods beloved. No matter how you identify, no matter which part of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum you are part of, we believe you hold beauty, worth, and dignity. You strengthen our cities and our state, and we thank you for that. We stand with you. Know that we see you. Know that we love you. Know that we proclaim love. The Knox Pride Interfaith Coalition Chattanooga signers are: Rev. Laura Becker Northminster Presbyterian Church Rev. Katharine Howe-Toledano Pilgrim Congregational Church UCC Rev. Maribeth Manoff St. Paul's Episcopal Church Rev. Cathy Meyer Second Presbyterian Church Rev. Dr. Clayton Thomas Rivermont Presbyterian Church The Reverend Brad Whitaker St. Paul's Episcopal Church Pastor Melody Winderweedle Ekklesia Christian Fellowship Rev. Candace Worth New Hope Presbyterian Church * * * The LGB community has worked so hard to gain rights and equal recognition from society. Opposing bills/laws that protect minors from changing gender, viewing drag shows, etc. gives the LBGT community a bad name. Minors cant consent to surgery without parents permission, attend certain movies, drive, buy cigaretteswhatever. If you are an adult, and you want to change your gender, go ahead, but our kids should be protected. If you say otherwise, I think you are participating in child abuse. Patrick England Chattanooga * * * Patrick aren't you kind of, sort of talking out of both sides of your mouth on the LGBT issue and the recent show they held when you say minors can't consent without parental permission? I'm thinking those minors were there with a parent or parents or had permission to be there from a parent or parents. I think it's people like you who attempt to sexualize everything that's the real problem. Brenda Washington * * * There are organizations and coalitions that promote their political and ideological ideas, agendas and causes by subterfuge, disguising their ultimate intentions using their position as members of the clergy (I am reminded of Chattanooga Clergy for Justice) to intimate a false legitimacy . I find this cowardly, self absorbed, conceited, vain and one of the most dishonest uses of our beloved Savior Jesus Christ. This standard applies to all parties engaged in electoral politics. In the case of the Knox Pride Coalition they support transgender surgeries for children in addition to promoting the policies and efforts of the Democrat Party. Among their other causes are partnerships with Planned Parenthood (obviously no compassion or love for the unborn) and Pagan Pride of East Tennessee. These are but a few of their concentrations, and are spelled out on their website. Failure to mention their partisan efforts up front, in their letter to Chattanoogan.com, further increases and confirms my skepticism of their objectives and that their true intent is to fool rather than educate, to incite rather than discuss. Their website shows no board of directors (which I believe is the law for non-profits outlined by the IRS for C3's or C4's ) and no donor information. Who funds them? Clergy have every right to promote whatever causes they choose...they don't have the right to hide behind their clerical robes to somehow elevate their opinions and imply superiority over others. There seems to be a flock of Virtue Vultures (my words) that seek out legitimate causes and put their talons out to capture the sympathies of the media organizations and individual supporters of various organizations. Leah Geraghty By analysing meteorites, Imperial researchers have uncovered the likely far-flung origin of Earths volatile chemicals, some of which form the building blocks of life. They found that around half the Earths inventory of the volatile element zinc came from asteroids originating in the outer Solar System the part beyond the asteroid belt that includes the planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus. This material is also expected to have supplied other important volatiles such as water. Volatiles are elements or compounds that change from solid or liquid state into vapour at relatively low temperatures. They include the six most common elements found in living organisms, as well as water. As such, the addition of this material will have been important for the emergence of life on Earth. Prior to this, researchers thought that most of Earths volatiles came from asteroids that formed closer to the Earth. The findings reveal important clues about how Earth came to harbour the special conditions needed to sustain life. Senior author Professor Mark Rehkamper, of Imperial College Londons Department of Earth Science and Engineering, said: Our data show that about half of Earths zinc inventory was delivered by material from the outer Solar System, beyond the orbit of Jupiter. Based on current models of early Solar System development, this was completely unexpected. Previous research suggested that the Earth formed almost exclusively from inner Solar System material, which researchers inferred was the predominant source of Earths volatile chemicals. In contrast, the new findings suggest the outer Solar System played a bigger role than previously thought. Professor Rehkamper added: This contribution of outer Solar System material played a vital role in establishing the Earths inventory of volatile chemicals. It looks as though without the contribution of outer Solar System material, the Earth would have a much lower amount of volatiles than we know it today making it drier and potentially unable to nourish and sustain life. The findings are published in Science. To carry out the study, the researchers examined 18 meteorites of varying origins eleven from the inner Solar System, known as non-carbonaceous meteorites, and seven from the outer Solar System, known as carbonaceous meteorites. For each meteorite they measured the relative abundances of the five different forms or isotopes of zinc. They then compared each isotopic fingerprint with Earth samples to estimate how much each of these materials contributed to the Earths zinc inventory. The results suggest that while the Earth only incorporated about ten per cent of its mass from carbonaceous bodies, this material supplied about half of Earths zinc. The researchers say that material with a high concentration of zinc and other volatile constituents is also likely to be relatively abundant in water, giving clues about the origin of Earths water. First author on the paper Rayssa Martins, PhD candidate at the Department of Earth Science and Engineering, said: Weve long known that some carbonaceous material was added to the Earth, but our findings suggest that this material played a key role in establishing our budget of volatile elements, some of which are essential for life to flourish. Next the researchers will analyse rocks from Mars, which harboured water 4.1 to 3 billion years ago before drying up, and the Moon. Professor Rehkamper said: The widely held theory is that the Moon formed when a huge asteroid smashed into an embryonic Earth about 4.5 billion years ago. Analysing zinc isotopes in moon rocks will help us to test this hypothesis and determine whether the colliding asteroid played an important part in delivering volatiles, including water, to the Earth. Terror network involved in Pakistan's deadly mosque bombing: official Xinhua) 09:35, February 03, 2023 A man injured in a mosque blast receives medical care at a hospital in northwest Pakistan's Peshawar on Feb. 1, 2023. (Photo by Saeed Ahmad/Xinhua) ISLAMABAD, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistani police have found a network of terrorists behind the deadly suicide bombing on a mosque in the northwest Peshawar city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, a senior police official said on Thursday. KP Police Chief Moazzam Jah Ansari told a press conference that the police were close to tracing the terror network behind the attack, saying "we know the people responsible for it. We know the handlers and the operators as well." Talking about how the suicide bomber managed to get into the highly sensitive area of the city, Ansari said the attacker was clad in a police uniform, and the personnel at the entrance gate let him in thinking he is associated with the police force. "At about 12:37 p.m. he (suicide bomber) arrived at the main gate on a motorcycle wearing helmet, came inside, talked to a constable and asked him where the mosque is. This means that the attacker was not aware of the area ... he was given a target and there is an entire network behind him," the official said. He said the head of the suicide bomber and ball bearings used in a suicide jacket have been recovered from the debris of the damaged mosque, adding that 10-12 kg of highly explosive TNT were used in the explosion. The blast was so powerful that the shockwaves did not find ways to escape, causing the roof of the mosque building crashing down on worshippers, a major reason behind the large number of casualties, he added. He said the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar faction of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is behind the attack according to evidences collected so far. "The TTP claimed responsibility for the blast for which the reasons are clear. But then they disowned it. It seems that they consulted among the group and realized that they will be criticized for attacking a mosque," he said. On Monday, a powerful blast ripped through a crowded mosque in Peshawar, killing at least 100 worshippers and wounding more than 200 others, according to hospital and police officials. An army soldier searches for victims at the bomb blast site in northwest Pakistan's Peshawar on Jan. 31, 2023. (Photo by Saeed Ahmad/Xinhua) Rescuers work at the bomb blast site in northwest Pakistan's Peshawar on Jan. 31, 2023. (Photo by Saeed Ahmad/Xinhua) A man examines the bomb blast site in northwest Pakistan's Peshawar on Jan. 31, 2023. (Photo by Saeed Ahmad/Xinhua) A man takes care of his relative who got injured in a mosque blast at a hospital in northwest Pakistan's Peshawar on Feb. 1, 2023. (Photo by Saeed Ahmad/Xinhua) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) The world's murder capital, El Salvador, opened a 40,000-inmate impenetrable "mega-prison" as part of its major gang crackdown as the country continues to face a slew of violence. In a statement, the country's Prisons Director, Osiris Luna, said that all of the so-called terrorists in the organization responsible for making the people of El Salvador suffer would be imprisoned and subjected to a severe regimen. El Salvador's New Mega-Prison President Nayib Bukele said that El Salvador's "Terrorism Confinement Center" mega-prison, which has now become one of Latin America's largest prisons, will be equipped with 37 guard towers and eight cell blocks that he claims will be "impossible to escape." Authorities noted that roughly 600 troops and 250 police officers would assist in securing the prison, which sits on about 410 acres of land. The infrastructure will become a powerful new tool in El Salvador's continued "war against gangs," which has proven to be popular with the beleaguered population, according to Fox News. In March last year, Bukele declared a state of exception as he empowered his government to crack down on gang members. He loosened the country's arrest rules, which meant that there was no more need for a warrant for authorities to arrest, and gave officials access to citizens' communications. The country's Congress also extended the state of exception several times since it was first implemented, which has resulted in over 46,000 arrests of alleged gang members. At the end of the year, that number surged to more than 62,000 and included alleged collaborators. Last year, Cid Gallup conducted a poll that found that 91% of the people surveyed favored a more aggressive crackdown against gangs. However, the process has also resulted in roughly 2% of El Salvador's adult population being locked up behind bars. This further strained the country's already pressured prison system. Read Also: Hong Kong Bans CBD, Considers it a 'Dangerous Drug' Major Gang Crackdown Despite the efforts, non-governmental organizations have tallied several thousands of human rights violations. According to Yahoo News, they also noted that there had been at least 80 in-custody deaths of people arrested during the state of exception. On the other hand, various rights activists argue that young men in El Salvador are frequently taken into custody simply for their age, appearance, or whether or not they live in a gang-dominated slum. In a Twitter post, authorities showed a video where President Bukele could be seen being guided by officials on a tour of the new facility. They showed him the prison's seven security "rings," from the heavily guarded reinforced solid steel inmate cells to the perimeter of the prison wall, including patrol zones: electric fencing and 19 watchtowers. The president noted that inmates in other prisons have had access to "prostitutes, computers, TV screens, Playstations, and mobile phones." He said that such an environment was "backward." Bukele said that other officials told him that inmates considered troublesome would be moved to isolation cells where they could not see any daylight. In a Twitter post, the president said that the country has managed to go from being the most insecure country in the world to being the safest country in the Americas, said Sky News. Related Article: US Expands Military Efforts Amid Indo-Pacific Tensions @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Rigaku Asia Pacific PTE LTD (RAPP), the Singapore subsidiary of Rigakua global leading manufacturer of X-ray analysis, measurement and testing instruments based in Japanannounced Adam Chong as its new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. His primary role will be to expand RAPPs business, which covers markets in the Asia Pacific region including SE Asia, Oceania, Korea, Taiwan and South Asia. Mr. Chong has over 20 years experience in the X-ray technology, scientific instruments and material research industries with various organizations, including Thermo Fisher Scientific, Bruker Nano Analytics and Oxford Instruments. Prior to joining Rigaku, he was the Regional Commercial Director of Thermo Fisher Scientific based in Singapore. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering & Business Management from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, USA. Jun Kawakami, Group CEO at Rigaku Holdings Corporation in Japan, commented, "We are pleased to welcome Adam to our team in Rigaku. He has a great track record in the analytical instruments business in the Asia Pacific region. We expect he will lead us in building a new strategy and organization for our business in the region, and implementing the sales and marketing activities that can fuel our growth." Mr. Chong commented, Im delighted to join the Rigaku team and very excited about the new role. My career passion has always been to support the scientific community and our customers in solving the analytical challenges they face in their work. Building on Rigakus wide range of field-proven analytical solutions and expertise, I look forward to working with our colleagues, business partners and customers to uncover new possibilities, and fulfil the mission to expand our presence in the region. Cherokee Nation District Court Judge T. Luke Barteaux prepares to hear cases June 15, 2021, a year after the historic McGirt v. Oklahoma ruling. To date, more than 3,500 cases have been filed in CN District Court since the high courts decision. This woman and her boyfriend currently reside in a very big city. In their city, theres an upscale restaurant that has 3 Michelin stars, and its so pricey that she and her boyfriend know that getting to eat there is a not-so-realistic dream. Weve only ever talked about it in fantastical terms, kind of like the way youd talk about what youd do if you were Marie Antoinette at Palais Versailles, she explained. Well, lo and behold, as part of my annual bonus, my firm (which is quite small and intimate they market themselves as a boutique specializing in their service expertise) knew I was a big foodie and somehow managed to get me not only reservations to this amazing restaurant but also gave me a $500 gift card to accompany it. She just absolutely freaked out when she received this gift, and she says it is by far the most amazing present she has ever gotten. She does admit that she would have liked to have had a cash bonus or a raise instead, but regardless, it was something she was happy about. She also knows theres absolutely no way she is important enough to ever land a reservation at this place anytime soon. As soon as she found out about the gift, she immediately thought about taking her boyfriend with her to have dinner there. Her boyfriend is not exactly a foodie, and one of her closest friends is aware that her boyfriend doesnt exactly have an appreciation for finer dining. This friend of hers basically asked if she could go to dinner at the restaurant with her instead of her taking her boyfriend. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. With the third season of The Chosen now airing, many Christians are once again enthralled by the topic of miracles. In one scene from episode 6, Jesus begins performing miracles in a public squarehealing the blind, the mute, and the lame. He is quickly confronted by an angry Pharisee who seems to see his works as malicious tricks rather than divine interventions. This same religious leader almost prevented Jesus from raising Jairus daughter from the dead; and despite witnessing the undeniable, he persists in his hatred of Jesus and all Jesus stands for. My wife, son, and I have been watching the show together, and its extraordinary to think about Jesus and his apostles performing signs and wonders for all the world to see. What must it have been like to witness Jesus perform a miracle firsthand? What must it have felt like for the apostles themselves to be granted the same supernatural authority? Whats even more astonishing is that such wonders did not bring universal adoration. Romans and Pharisees alike watched Christ heal people by the dozensand instead of believing him to be the Son of God, they chased him from town to town, criticized him, and ultimately crucified him. Would it be any different today? Much of American society believes in miracles, theoretically. According to the most recent Gallup surveys, 81 percent of American adults believe in God (though down from 87 percent a few years ago), and of those, 42 percent (including most Christians) believe God hears prayer and intervenes. Author Lee Strobel (who wrote a seminal book on the topic) found in his surveys that roughly half of American adults believe the miracles of the Bible happened as described and two-thirds believe miracles happen today. And his estimates are conservative compared to prior Pew surveys showing as many as 80 percent of US adults believe in miracles. More impressively, according to Strobels work, 38 percent say miracles have happened to them personally. Anecdotally, many individuals and institutions often act and speak as if divine interventions in daily life are true. The Catholic church methodically and structurally investigates evidence of supernatural activity as a qualification for sainthood. Pentecostal churches and other charismatic denominations regularly claim to witness healings and other miraculous works of God in their congregations. Even Francis Collins, a distinguished scientist and the former director of the National Institutes of Health in the United States, said he believes in miracles. Article continues below Belief in signs and wonders is more commonplace than you might thinkand yet there are limits to this belief for most of us. The average Christian seems to have confidence in certain types of miraculous interventions (healing for loved ones, for example, or the restoration of broken marriages). But we tend to blush if someone implies dramatic and overtly supernatural occurrencesfor instance, dreams revealing the future, sight restored, or leprosy healed. We are reluctant to accept these more obvious and undeniable happenings, even though they occur throughout the Bible. Perhaps part of our hesitation, in the modern age, is that we think miracles like these would leave behind a trail of evidence impossible for anyone to ignore. Many Christians and non-Christians alike ask, quite reasonably, why miracles arent going viral online every dayespecially in an age of smartphones and social media. If they were genuinely happening, we wonder, wouldnt the proof be so ubiquitous wed all be forced to believe? And yet there is overwhelming evidence for miraculous events today. Craig Keener, perhaps the foremost authority on miracles in the modern world, has written a two-part book series of more than 1,100 pages documenting historical evidence for miracles, complemented by a new (and more accessible) volume in 2021 called Miracles Today. What makes Keeners work uniquealongside his brilliant articulation of the types of miracles that occur, the theological reasons for them, and even how they accord with our modern understanding of scienceis the meticulous and extensive ways in which he documents these events. He draws parallels between the eyewitness accounts in the New Testament and how we can record similar accounts today. These are not fanciful or mystical but recorded in great detail from multiple eyewitnesses, and Keener even claims to have witnessed at least two acts of what he calls special divine action himself. He counsels us to have discernment regarding miraculous accounts and cautions us not to approach with skeptical disbelief even when some of them are falsified. Beyond Keeners perspective are many other accounts, including cases fully documented in medical journalslike the woman who was restored from her blindness or the man who recovered from a gastrointestinal disorder, both after intercessory prayer. There are also numerous YouTube videos of supposed interventions. Article continues below People all over the world have recorded stunning supernatural events through videos and eyewitness testimony. Countless churches have attested to the existence of the unexplainable. Some of these stories have even been amplified by best-selling authors like Lee Strobel and Eric Metaxas. Yet many people, including Christians, continue to ignore or discount such testimonies. Its hard to blame us for preferring the comfort of skepticism and disbelief. We live in a post-truth world where everything seems worthy of doubt. And in this context, its often difficult to know what to believeperhaps even more so today than it was 2,000 years ago. I became fascinated by this topic when I began writing my new novel, Miracles. I tried to imagine what would happen if a series of supernatural events impossible to ignore were to happen right before our eyes. And one of my conclusions is that such incidents would inspire at least as much anger as adoration and as much division as unification. Just as those who witnessed miracles in Jesus time disagreed over them, and just as Pharaoh ignored the signs and wonders performed through Moses, we are equally as likely to discount rather than embrace the miraculous work of Godboth as a society and as individuals. In truth, supernatural interventions can point us to God, but they cannot make us trust or embrace him. Miracles can spark in us the idea that there is something beyond the veil of our physical world, but they cant make us pursue that truth faithfully. My son, as hes watched the latest season of The Chosen, has been asking me how anyone could watch Jesus perform signs and wonders and still not believe in him. Perhaps that questionand the truth it reveals about our human natureis as relevant now as it was in the first century. Do we really believe in miracles? In your heart of hearts, do you? John Coleman is a writer in Atlanta, Georgia. His most recent novel, Miracles, explores the topic of miracles in the modern world. [ This article is also available in espanol, , and . ] This week the nation grieved the horrific death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of law enforcement. In the wake of such tragedy, it can feel cathartic to have someone talk straight with us, but can exhortation alone compel real, lasting change? Hosts Mike Cosper and CT editor in chief Russell Moore wrestle with this question in this weeks episode, a thread that runs through conversation about race relations, psychedelic drug use and, surprisingly, the retirement of daytime television personality Dr. Phil. Whether we seek to fill our God shaped hole with mushrooms, tell-all talk shows, or a silent disdain for the other, we all need more than words to fill the gap between who we are and the Gospel to which we are called. Special guest author and pastor Jamaal Williams joins Cosper and Moore to talk about racial pain, the illusion of justice education, and the love we must embody if we are to witness to kingdom truth. Resources Referenced: Psychedelics open your brain. You might not like what falls in. - The Atlantic by Richard A. Friedman Opinion | Be Open to Spiritual Experience. Also, Be Really Careful by Ross Douthat Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome by Maria Bamford Looking for the Hidden Folk: How Iceland's Elves Can Save the Earth by Nancy Marie Brown This is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life by David Foster Wallace 'Dr. Phil' to End Production This Spring After 21 Seasons - Variety by Cynthia Littleton McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality by Ronald Purser The Bulletin is a production of Christianity Today Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Hosts: Mike Cosper and Russell Moore Producer: Matt Stevens Associate Producer: Azurae Phelps Editing and Mix: TJ Hester Music: Dan Phelps Graphic Design: Bryan Todd Social Media: Kate Lucky The United States government has freed Majid Khan, a detainee at an American detention facility at Guantanamo Bay known for being tortured by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) before spending 15 years of his life behind bars. The announcement was made on Thursday by the Department of Defense and saw the return to freedom of the first person to publicly testify about the brutal treatment that he experienced as part of the American government's interrogation program at CIA black sites. Former Al-Qaeda Courier Freed Khan's transfer comes as United States President Joe Biden's administration moves toward making good on its commitment to close the Guantanamo prison. The former Al-Qaeda courier admitted to his role in the terrorist group's plans and actions. In February 2012, the individual entered a deal with prosecutors where he pleaded guilty to charges, including conspiracy, murder, and providing material support to terrorists. He was housed in CIA black site facilities for roughly three years before transferring to Guantanamo in 2006. Subsequently, he cooperated with the US government in other investigations, as per Axios. Khan was sentenced to no more than 11 years and received credit for his time under US custody since 2012. On December 22 last year, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin notified Congress of his desire to transfer the suspect to the government of Belize. He added that in consultation with Belize partners, they had completed the requirements for responsible transfer. The US government also said that it appreciates the Belize government's and other partners' willingness to support ongoing American efforts that focus on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility. The Defense Department also revealed that there are still 34 people at Guantanamo Bay, adding 20 of whom are eligible for transfer. There was a nearly year-long delay in Khan's release after his prison sentence ended in March last year, which is seen as proof of the legal and political challenges that Biden is facing. The former Al-Qaeda courier, imprisoned for roughly two decades, apologized for his past actions. Read Also: House GOP Oust Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar Turning His Life Around In a statement released by Khan's attorneys at the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and Jenner & Block, the suspect said that he had been given a second chance in life. According to the Washington Post, he added that he plans to make the most of it. Khan was arrested in Pakistan, after which he was subjected to beatings, sleep deprivation, and other forms of torture at the hands of CIA interrogators. On Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the suspect had honored his commitment to cooperate with the US government. She said that the American government remains committed to a deliberate and thorough process focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population of the Guantanamo Bay facility. On the other hand, Khan said that he would become a productive, law-abiding member of society following his release from prison, said the Associated Press. Related Article: Tyre Nichols Beating Death Update @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Armenian Christians have been calling for help. As their ethnic kin in the Caucasus enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh approach two full months under a near-complete blockade imposed by alleged eco-activists from Azerbaijan, the voices have amplified. Everyone knows this is the Aliyev regime, stated Biayna Sukhudyan, a pediatric neurologist trapped inside the Delaware-sized mountainous region, which Armenians call Artsakh. There is no time to wait and allow the next genocide, because this is genocide. The doctor referred to Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev, and several investigations have linked the protesters to his government. When the blockade began on December 12, official statements attributed the long-haul demonstration to illegal gold and copper mining on their still-occupied but internationally recognized sovereign territory. In 2020, Azerbaijan launched a 44-day war to retake a region under three decades of de facto control by ethnic Armenians. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Artsakh declared itself an independent state, and with Armenian military assistance was able to hold Nagorno-Karabakh and additional Azeri territoriespending peace negotiations. A vastly improved Azerbaijani force, aided by drone technology from Turkey, recaptured three-quarters of the land through bloody combat. Russia mediated a ceasefire, and its peacekeepers guard the Lachin corridorthe one road connecting over 100,000 beleaguered Artsakh residents with Armenia and delivering the 400 tons of daily food and medicine that supply their needs. Since the end of the war, Sukhudyan has traveled every two months to Nagorno-Karabakh, which lacked specialist doctors. This time, amid acute shortages in the market, she was compelled to stay. Others, including children, are prevented from returning. I came to Yerevan for eye surgery, stated 13-year-old Maral Apelian, who lives in Artsakh, last month. All I want is to go back to my family at home. Let my people go, she shouted, recalling Moses. Let my people go! The cry was taken up immediately by Armenian hierarchs. Artsakh Armenians [are] in front of a humanitarian disaster, stated Catholicos Karekin II, supreme patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic church, on day three of the blockade. Such provocative actions are aimed at ethnic cleansing. One day later, his ecclesial colleague in Lebanon invoked the crucial label. We are witnessing deliberate and concrete steps toward the ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Armenian population of Artsakh, stated Catholicos Aram I, whose Holy See of Cilicia represents survivors in the Levant who fled the original Armenian Genocide in Turkey. The need for immediate humanitarian action is critical. Karekin also stated he was reaching out to ecumenical colleagues. Pope Francis led a prayer for Nagorno-Karabakh on December 18. A consortium of advocacy organizations issued a genocide warning the next day, arguing that all 14 of the United Nations risk factors were present. Mainline leaders responded next. Without repeating the severe term of warning, a joint statement by the World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches demonstrated their active sympathy. This follows a clear pattern of behavior by Azerbaijan that contradicts any claims of goodwill, they wrote on December 20. In these circumstances, Armenian fears of renewed genocide against them cannot be discounted. A day later, the National Council of Churches framed it in religious terms. In a season where we celebrate the birth of Jesus in a cold stable, it stated, it is particularly horrific that civilians are being cut off in the middle of winter. One month later, many are increasingly sounding the alarm. On January 13, Barnabas Aid put out a call to help, lamenting the issue was rarely reported by the international media. And on January 17, Christian Solidarity International (CSI) joined the UKs Baroness Cox in penning a letter to President Joe Biden. You are the first American president to recognize the Armenian Genocide, they stated. We urge you not to allow another Armenian Genocide to occur on your watch. The missive also noted the cultural and religious heritage at stake. Churches and monasteries dating back hundreds of years populate the region, as Armenia in 301 A.D. was the first state to adopt Christianity as its official religion. Azerbaijan, however, states that many of these buildings are not Armenian at all, belonging to a related but ethnically separate Caucasian Albanian people. Scholars reject this claim, while reports identify Azerbaijans efforts to destroy or alter this heritage. One week later, the Philos Project also wrote Biden in more political terms. Your administration promised to put human rights at the center of its foreign policy, it stated. We urge you to make good on that promise, and that you avert a second Armenian genocide by taking decisive action now. That same day, on January 25, Philos joined CSI, International Christian Concern (ICC), In Defense of Christians, and 10 other organizations to announce the Save Karabakh Coalition (SKC). Two days later, they hosted a press conference and proceeded to demonstrate in front of the Azerbaijani embassy in Washington. While the world remains mainly silent, stated Justin Murff, executive director of the Anglican Office for Government and International Affairs, the Azerbaijani forces are aggressively trying to expel the historic Christian community from their centuries-old homeland. Political figures also made a bipartisan appearance, led by Brad Sherman, a Democrat from California. Azerbaijan [is attempting] to force Artsakhs ethnic Armenian population out of their homes by making life impossible, he stated. The tactic is blockade. The effect is civilian deprivation. The object is ethnic cleansing. Sam Brownback, the former US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, lamented his earlier efforts as a Kansas senator to repeal section 907 of the 1992 Freedom Support Act, signaling Azerbaijan as the only post-Soviet state barred from receiving direct American aid. Many participants of last weeks press conference called for a humanitarian airlift. I simply cant imagine, stated Jeff King, ICCs executive director, that they will dare to shoot down the American planes. Azerbaijan has consistently called these accusations baseless. The day the SKC was announced, Aliyev told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that more than 120 Red Cross vehicles had used the road since the alleged blockade began. Video has shown Russian peacekeepers distributing aid at a maternity clinic, while emergency cases are being facilitated. One such case was of Gayane Beglarian, who coordinated with the Red Cross to get her 5-year-old daughter from Artsakh to Armenia to Germany, for cancer treatment. But she belied the Azerbaijani rhetoric in relating that local vegetable markets are closed and food is being rationed. The first few days we didnt feel it, but it is getting worse and worse every day, she stated. We want to go back home but we will see if [the road reopens]. In a recent op-ed, the assistant to the first vice president of Azerbaijan recounted Armenian atrocities during its occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh, all the while painting themselves as the victim. This campaign is designed to scuttle ongoing peace negotiations, as he accuses Armenia of doing the past three decades. Armenia played for time, just as it is doing now, stated Elchin Amirbayov. Talking about peace, preparing for war, and spreading misinformation. His comments infer that it is indeed Azerbaijan that is imposing the blockade, as it permits the Red Cross vehicles to enter. But he also called on Armenia to stop its illegal mining, as well as use of the road to import weapons and land mines. Other analysis has accused Russian meddling of causing the crisis, with Artsakh leadership in close collaboration. Armenias prime minister, frustrated by the failure of peacekeepers to intervene, called putative ally Russia a source of security threats and canceled scheduled joint military drills in protest. Russia responded by calling Armenia to return to peace negotiations. Aliyev warned 2023 will be the last year Azerbaijan entertains them. The two leaders met last year in Prague, Moscow, and Washington, following an unusual dual-track negotiating process alternating between Russian and Western sponsorship. At one, for the first time Armenia agreed to seek a solution based on a 1991 UN declaration recognizing each others territorial integrityeasily interpreted as accepting Azerbaijani sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh. An announcement was made expecting a final peace deal by the end of 2022. It didnt happen. And a Gallup poll last month found that ceding the enclave would be deeply unpopular back home, with 97 percent of Armenians finding it unacceptable. An Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) appeal illustrated the sentiment. There are only vain calls to live together with the Turk, stated Viktor Karapetyan, the AMAA representative in Nagorno-Karabakh, of the Turkic Azeris. No, my friends, no, because they are them, and we are Armenians, Artsakh Armenians. Despite the difficulties of the blockade, he said AMAA educational, social, and development programs have continued uninterrupted, relying on local resources. Rene Leonian, president of the Armenian Evangelical Union of Eurasia, signed the December 19 genocide warning on behalf of his organization of churches. He spoke with Karapetyan and relayed a similar message that the people of Artsakh remain strong. They are aware of the danger, but have decided to stay because it is their ancestral land, Leonian told CT. Even if they lost some territory, they feel they can take it back, however long the process. He prays for peace every day, and good relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan. But he also put in context the remarks of his Artsakh colleague. If Azerbaijan is sincere, perhaps the peace process could give positive results, he said. But how can we believe in the words of these leaders? Aliyev has consistently stated that Armenian residents of Nagorno-Karabakh will be treated as citizens within a multicultural nation. But he has also threatened taking sovereign Armenian territory by force. And in the context of the blockade, he indicated it does not existin one direction. Whoever does not want to become our citizen, the road is not closed, it is open, Aliyev stated. They can leave no-one will hinder them. They can go under the awning of peacekeepers trucks, or they can go by bus. The road is open. Presumably, this also applies to Sukhudyan, the pediatric neurologist. But knowing that no other specialists are able to replace her in rotation, she will keep dealing with the lack of medicines and overall shortages of food. She is even at peace being separated from her daughter, who is visiting Armenia on university break from Austria. Just do not make Sukhudyan into a hero for doing so, as she admires the strength of the local people she is serving. There are children here in need, she stated. I have to stay, and help them. [ This article is also available in Francais. ] 20 states warn Walgreens, CVS dispensing mail-order abortion pills is illegal Attorneys general from 20 states have warned Walgreens and CVS pharmacies that dispensing the abortion pill through the mail is dangerous and in violation of state and federal laws. The coalition, led by Attorney General Andrew Bailey of Missouri, sent letters to Walgreens and CVS on Wednesday, offering the heads of both companies advice on the "current legal landscape" as "principal legal and law enforcement officers" of their respective states. "We emphasize that it is our responsibility as State Attorneys General to uphold the law and protect the health, safety, and well-being of women and unborn children in our states," the coalition wrote. "Part of that responsibility includes ensuring that companies like yours are fully informed of the law so that harm does not come to our citizens." The letters were signed by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and West Virginia. "I commend these state attorneys general for being proactive about protecting women from chemical abortions, which have four times the complication rate of surgical abortions," Missy Martinez-Stone, CEO of Reprotection, an organization that investigates and shuts down hazardous abortion facilities, told The Christian Post in a Friday statement. Martinez-Stone's claim about chemical abortion being more dangerous than surgical abortions comes from the 2009 study "Immediate complications after medical compared with surgical termination of pregnancy." "Ultimately, women pay the price for bad abortion policy because they are the ones who have traumatic experiences or complications," she continued. The attorneys general told the pharmacy retail chains that "federal law expressly prohibits using the mail to send or receive any drug that will 'be used or applied for producing abortion.'" They cite Title 18 of U.S. Code Section 1461, which bans the "mailing [of] obscene or crime-inciting matter," which includes "[e]very article, instrument, substance, drug, medicine, or thing which is advertised or described in a manner calculated to lead another to use or apply it for producing abortion." "Although many people are unfamiliar with this statute because it has not been amended in a few decades, the text could not be clearer," the attorneys general state. "And anyone who 'knowingly takes any such thing from the mails for the purpose of circulating' is guilty of a federal crime. Obviously, a federal criminal law especially one that is, as here, enforceable through a private right of action deserves serious contemplation." Earlier this month, the Biden administration permitted the U.S. Postal service to mail the abortion drug mifepristone to all 50 states through a 21-page interpretation of the law drafted by the Justice Department. The administration's interpretation of the law comes as several states have enacted bans or restrictions on abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court's overturn of Roe v. Wade last year. The attorneys general contend that "the text [of the law], not the Biden administration's view, is what governs." In addition, states such as Missouri have statutes prohibiting the distribution of chemical abortion pills by mail, according to the letters. "Missouri law also prohibits unfair or deceptive trade practices and trade practices that violate federal law necessarily are unfair and deceptive," the documents read. "These state laws reflect not only our commitment to protecting the lives and dignity of children but also of women." The letters highlight women's increased risk of complications when taking the abortion pill, as noted in the 2009 study. An additional danger with abortion pills, the letter notes, is when women are at home instead of in a medical setting when these complications occur. Additionally, doctors have advised that patients should be screened for ectopic pregnancies before taking abortion pills. "When abortion drugs are mailed or consumed outside a regulated medical facility, the risk of coercion is much higher indeed, guaranteed because there is no oversight," the attorneys general warn. "Outside the regulated medical context, a person can obtain an abortion pill quite easily and then coerce a woman into taking it." As CP reported, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on Jan. 3, 2022, that it would no longer enforce a rule requiring women to obtain mifepristone, the first drug in the chemical abortion pill regimen, at a clinic or a hospital. The agency modified the restrictions after reviewing the mifepristone REMS Program, which began in 2021. The risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) sets standards for mifepristone, the generic version of Mifeprex. Under the new regulations, retail pharmacies can dispense the pill, and women may also obtain a prescription through a telehealth appointment and have the drug delivered by mail. "The immediate message that we are sending is that this is very reckless, and this is the FDA, yet again, peeling back health and safety regulations surrounding these dangerous drugs," Sue Liebel, director of state affairs and midwest regional director of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told CP at the time. In December 2021, the FDA permanently lifted the requirement for women to obtain mifepristone in person from a health provider after temporarily suspending the requirement during the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest rule change officially removed the in-person requirement for mifepristone but still mandates that dispensers show they're certified to treat abortion pill complications and that women complete a consent form. Martinez-Stone warned about the dangers of politicians turning "a blind eye to dangerous abortion practices." She highlighted one of Reprotection's investigations that shuttered the doors of the American Family Planning abortion facility in Pensacola, Florida, last month. In May 2022, the group's efforts previously led to Florida's Agency of Health Care Administration (ACHA) suspending the clinic's license before the clinic was later closed permanently. "The clinic's standard of care was nonexistent, with multiple women being hospitalized due to botched abortions, a tragic example of what happens when politicians turn a blind eye to dangerous abortion practices," Martinez-Stone stated. Prosecutors drop charges against woman arrested for praying outside abortion clinic The Crown Prosecution Servicein the United Kingdom has dropped charges against a pro-life activist arrested for praying silently outside an abortion clinic but has left the door open to additional prosecution for the same offense in the future. The nonprofit legal organization ADF UK announced in a statement Friday that prosecutors have informed pro-life activist Isabel Vaughn-Spruce that they have dismissed charges against her for peacefully praying outside of an abortion clinic in Birmingham, England. However, they also told her that charges "may well start again" if they receive new evidence related to the case. She intends to pursue a clear verdict in court. Vaughn-Spruce's arrest followed the city of Birmingham's implementation of a Public Space Protection Order prohibiting people from "protesting, namely engaging in any act of approval or disapproval or attempted act of approval or disapproval, with respect to issues related to abortion services, by any means" in the area surrounding the BPAS Robert Clinic in Kings Norton, Birmingham. The order identified prayer as one of the activities banned by the order. In a statement, Vaughn-Spruce indicated her intention to seek a clear verdict in court that will set a precedent for pro-life activists going forward. "It can't be right that I was arrested and made a criminal, only for praying in my head on a public street," she said. "So-called 'buffer zone legislation' will result in so many more people like me, doing good and legal activities like offering charitable support to women in crisis pregnancies, or simply praying in their heads, being treated like criminals and even facing court," Vaughn-Spruce added. "It's important to me that I can continue my vital work in supporting women who'd like to avoid abortion if they only had some help." The activist said it's essential to have "clarity as to my legal status." "Many of us need an answer as to whether it's still lawful to pray silently in our own heads," she said. "That's why I'll be pursuing a verdict regarding my charges in court." ADF UK legal counsel Jeremiah Igunnubole said in a statement that his client was arrested "simply for [her] thoughts," saying "no one should fear prosecution for silent prayer and thoughts in the privacy of their mind." "It's quite another [thing] to initially deem those thoughts to be sufficient evidence to justify charges, then discontinue those charges due to 'insufficient evidence,' and then to warn that further evidence relating to the already unclear charges may soon be forthcoming so as to restart the entire grueling process from the beginning," Igunnabole said. "This is a clear instance of the process becoming the punishment creating a chilling effect on free expression and freedom of thought, conscience and belief." Vaughn-Spruce, who serves as the director of March for Life UK, was arrested outside the abortion clinic on Dec. 6. Video footage of the arrest shows a police officer asking her why she was standing outside the facility, inquiring "are you praying?" She replied, "I might be praying in my head, not out loud." The officer proceeded to ask Vaughn-Spruce if she would voluntarily accompany him to the police station so he could ask her some questions about her presence outside the abortion clinic. When she declined, he placed her under arrest for failing to comply with the Public Space Protection Order. While the police did not put her in handcuffs, they did engage in a lengthy search of the pro-life activist. An account of Vaughn-Spruce's questioning at the police station revealed that law enforcement presented her with pictures of herself outside the clinic, asking if she was praying, causing her to reiterate her earlier response that she "might" have been praying. At the same time, she suggested that she also may have been thinking about her lunch. Shortly after Vaughn-Spruce's arrest, CitizenGo launched a petition to U.K. Home Secretary Suella Braverman, urging her to drop all charges against the pro-life activist. It has accumulated nearly 56,000 signatures as of Friday morning. Mark Houck recalls 'most intimate prayer experience' in FBI custody: 'I was at the foot of Calvary' Catholic pro-life activist Mark Houck, who spent several hours in detention after a highly publicized early-morning arrest last September, said he had the "most intimate prayer experience" of his life while in custody. Houck appeared on Steve Bannon's Real America's Voice program "The War Room" Tuesday, one day after a grand jury in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, acquitted him of Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act charges. In addition to announcing his intent to sue in response to FBI agents and state troopers descending on his house to arrest him at 6:45 a.m. on Sept. 23, Houck detailed the spiritual experience he had while spending nine hours in detention following his apprehension. Houck's arrest and the indictment was in response to an altercation with an abortion clinic escort near a Planned Parenthood clinic in Philadelphia. Houck told Bannon that upon arriving at the federal building in Philadelphia, he was "shackled at my waist and shackled on my feet." "They put me in a room, a white room, with just a table in it, and they chained me to a table. That seemed a little extreme," Houck said. "I'm shackled on my feet and my waist for six hours." The activist, who is president of the Catholic ministry The King's Men, described the time as "the most intimate prayer experience of my life." "I was at the foot of Calvary," he said. "I was beneath Christ at the cross, and I felt tremendous peace, love and joy." After Houck lamented his shackling as a "pure act of humiliation" and the United States Marshals' treatment of him as "a convicted felon," he elaborated even further on his spiritual experience. Houck acknowledged that the shackles around his bare ankles were "put on pretty tightly" to the point where he could "feel the pain of it." He said, "entering into that pain" was "easy for me." "Being a Catholic Christian man, I just invoked all the saints who I knew were persecuted over the course of their journey, all the martyrs," he said. "I prayed every mystery and decade of the rosary. I prayed every devotional novena I could think of. It was prayer without ceasing; I literally could feel the feathers of my guardian angel. It's the only thing I could do but offer up what I was dealing with for my wife and my children." Houck said he didn't know what was going to happen to his family or if he'd be reunited with them. But he continued to pray. "I felt so much peace because I was so intimate, so close to the cross of Christ that I could take the splinters off that cross," Houck said. "I could feel the sweat of my Lord." Houck said he "felt blessed" and "honored to suffer," saying it was a "great gift in that way." "I knew as I was dealing with this persecution that I was in the will of God, that I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was in the will of God and that I was right where he wanted me to be," Houck said. As he spent the day in a dark room, Houck said he was "alone with his thoughts" and "alone with my God." Bannon likened the behavior of the FBI agents and state troopers who detained Houck to "the Romans that [were] torturing and persecuting first-century Christians." "Mark Houck was chained like a dog and brought in with all those FBI agents, all those state troopers for one simple reason," Bannon asserted. "He's lived Christianity. He doesn't talk about his religion. He doesn't go to church once a week like most Catholics and most Christians. It is his lived Christianity that brought him to be chained like a dog in that room." After his release from custody, Houck reunited with his family. "We embraced and we prayed and hugged and celebrated our reunion," he said. Houck faced up to 11 years in prison and a fine of up to $350,000 as a result of an encounter that took place outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Philadelphia on Oct. 13, 2021. While an indictment handed down by the U.S. Department of Justice contended that Houck "twice assaulted a man because he was a volunteer reproductive health care clinic escort," Houck provided a different characterization of what happened. He told Bannon that he "pushed" the Planned Parenthood escort after he continued engaging in conversation with the pro-life activist's then-12-year-old son as they prayed outside the clinic, even after he informed the man that he did not have permission to talk to the child. Uyghurs detail Chinese prison camp horror stories: From broken legs to 24/7 propaganda WASHINGTON Two Uyghurs who fled from China detailed their family members experiences in concentration camps and called on the United States government to take stronger action against the Chinese Communist Party at the third annual International Religious Freedom Summit. The third annual International Religious Freedom Summit was held on Tuesday and Wednesday. Religious freedom activists, elected officials and survivors of religious persecution from across the globe took to the stage to tell their stories and outline what actions are needed to advance religious freedom in their countries. Many discussions focused on the plight of Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group primarily residing in the far-western Chinese province of Xinjiang. Uyghurs are targets of harsh treatment by the Chinese Communist Party, which views the ethnic group as inferior to the dominant Han Chinese. Hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs have found themselves subject to forced labor and torture in the concentration camps to get them to pledge loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. Two Uyghurs, who now live in the U.S., attended this year's conference and shared their experiences with persecution in interviews with The Christian Post. Jewher Ilham, who lives in the District and works at the Worker Rights Consortium, an "independent labor rights monitoring investigative nonprofit organization," hasn't heard from her imprisoned father in six years. "The last time we heard from him, he was held in Urumchi First Prison, and that was six years ago, in 2017," she said. In a 2019 interview with CP, Ilham revealed that her father was set to teach at Indiana University in the U.S. in 2013 when Chinese authorities detained him before he could board a flight to the U.S. While Ilham was attempting to board the same flight, Chinese officials let her go, thinking that she would be kicked out of the U.S. because of her visa status. Instead, the U.S. government accepted her as a refugee. While Ilham hasn't heard from her father in six years and doesn't know if he is alive or dead, she provided an account of what she learned at the beginning of his captivity. "The first few months actually when he was arrested, we learned that he was denied food twice, each time for 10 days. And so he lost over 40 pounds just within a few months, and all his hair turned gray. When he was first arrested and detained, he was locked up with lots of criminals." After noting that her father was "beaten inside the prison cell," Ilham shared information she received from a former inmate who was locked up in the same prison as her father but was later released. According to the former prisoner, Ilham's father "was teaching inside the prison" and was tasked with judging the quality of skits or plays put on by groups of prisoners to determine which one most effectively praises the Chinese government. The former inmate also informed Ilham that her father "had a small TV in his room that plays Chinese propaganda 24/7 with very loud volume and strong light, the light won't shut off. So he basically lives in an environment where it's 24/7 bright and loud and full of noise of only about praising the Chinese Government, all this propaganda [about] how China's great, how [the] Communist Party is great." Ilham suggested that the Chinese Communist Party wants to humiliate her father in retaliation for "his criticism over [the] Chinese government's practices in the Uyghur region," which many rights groups contend amounts to genocide." She stressed that while she wouldn't describe her father as "anti-China," he "definitely criticized the Chinese government's practices before." Ilham told CP that current and former government officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Vice President Mike Pence, had "all publicly raised [her] father's case several times." "I also heard that they had raised my father's case in different meetings as well with Chinese delegations, but unfortunately, we haven't seen any positive results just yet," she said. Like Ilham, Kazzat Altay's father is in prison for criticizing the Chinese government. Altay has resided in the U.S. for nearly two decades after fleeing the country following "harassment by Chinese intelligence." Altay initially settled in Turkey after leaving China in 2005, moving to the U.S. in 2008. He has resided in McLean, Virginia, located outside Washington, D.C., since 2008. He attended this year's IRF Summit to "speak about Uyghurs and what they're suffering," outlining his experience with persecution in an interview with The Christian Post. Altay received a message from his father on WeChat in 2018 reading: "son, they're taking me." Altay told CP that "after a few months, I found out he was in a concentration camp," adding, "since China did not give me any information about my dad, I thought he was dead." Two years later, after Altay became president of the Uyghur American Association, he saw his father appear on Chinese national television. Altay's father identified himself as "the father of [the] President of [the] Uyghur American Association" before assuring his son that "our government is treating me well" and urging him to "stop what you are doing." His father essentially denounced him on TV, warning him that if he did not abandon his advocacy with the Uyghur American Association, "I don't have a son like you." Altay's father is currently under house arrest, and Chinese officials visit him daily to ensure he has not left home without permission. "He is tracked everywhere he goes." While Altay has not spoken to his father recently, his brother keeps him updated on his condition. "He's OK, but unfortunately, while in the camp, they broke his leg, and he is suffering because of that. He can't walk properly. Other than that, I think I'm also happy that he's not killed like many others. Many Uyghurs, many of my colleagues, my friends, their parents are still missing, so at least I know that he's at home right now." Based on conversations Altay's father had with his brother about his experience in detention, he learned that "at night, he didn't want to get up for the restroom because if he gets up, there's no space for him to sleep." Altay cited this as an example of "how tight that place is" and "how miserable that place is" where "people were taking turns to sleep at night because [there was] not enough space." He also noted that "the restroom was just in the corner, there was no wall, there's no doors." Altay's father spoke of how prisoners found themselves "sitting on the concrete for 10 hours one day and standing under the sun for five, six hours" another day. Ilham and Altay have other family members who have also ended up in concentration camps at one time or another. "Two of my uncles were in a reeducation camp for two years. Now, they have been released. Their health condition wasn't that great after they were released. I found out all this information from our Han Chinese friends when they visited my family because I cannot communicate with them very frequently," Ilham explained. "My cousin has been sentenced to 10 years back in 2017," she added. Ilham's cousin, a nurse named Nuraliya Yalqun, was detained at one of the common checkpoints located throughout the Uyghur region of China after authorities discovered a photo and article about Ilham's father on Yalqun's phone. She noted that under Chinese law, receiving a phone call from overseas can constitute a crime in addition to "having a photo of your uncle." Other members of Altay's family also ended up in concentration camps at one time or another, echoing Ilham's assertion that "talking to us itself is a crime." He suggested that they have not talked to him because "they are scared to talk to us." Ilham says she has faced threats from the Chinese government even though she has lived in the U.S. for nearly a decade. While attending Indiana University, the Uyghur activist "received [an] envelope that had [a] blade in it." That freaked me out, obviously," she recalled. "Nothing was written in that envelope besides that little blade, just one piece of blade. That was it. It was just put in my mailbox, so it wasn't mailed to my place, so that person definitely knew where I lived and was physically there." Four years after graduating from Indiana University, Ilham still has "knives hidden in every single room" of her apartment. Residing in Washington, D.C., her advocacy on behalf of Uyghurs serves as a vital part of her full-time job. "My role is to mainly combat Uyghur forced labor," she explained. Ilham participated in a panel discussion on "corporate accountability" and discussed efforts to discourage American corporations from relying on slave labor by Uyghurs detained in concentration camps to make their products. Ilham touted the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act as a major success in combating reliance on Uyghur slave labor. "Since June of 2022, the [United States Customs and Border Protection] has started implementing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bans all products from the [Uyghur] region from coming into the U.S. since it has [a] high possibility of them being tainted by Uyghur forced labor." Ilham indicated that she planned to "talk more about why [it is] so important to hold corporations accountable and why [it is] so important for the U.S. to implement this law in a more robust way and how it can help eliminate or at least decrease [the] amount of forced labor-tainted goods in the consumer market." The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden on Dec. 23, 2021. Ilham identified the bill as one of "multiple attempts by the U.S. government in helping the Uyghur people and in stopping the Chinese government from further persecuting these ethnic groups." "There [is] also the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act that was passed as well, that was passed before the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act," she added. While Ilham expressed gratitude for the efforts of Congress and the White House to address the plight of the Uyghurs and her situation specifically, Altay is convinced that the Biden administration can do more. Contending that the Biden administration has done the "bare minimum" to hold China accountable, he shared his perspective as "a Uyghur looking at the situation." "I don't think President Biden is doing enough. He's not tough on China. I think he is being soft," Altay asserted. "It's just I believe that he is hesitant to make China angry." Altay expressed concern that the U.S. "is not doing well on controlling [the] Chinese agenda in the U.S." He maintained that "in colleges and universities, in think tanks, [and] in tech companies, there [are] lots of people that [are] working for Chinese intelligence." He called on the U.S. government to "pay more attention to this issue." Altay concluded the interview by insisting that "we need to pass more bills to make sure that doing business with China is not easy." "We need to [diversify] our supply chain out of China because our dependency is also becoming [a] national security issue for the United States," he proclaimed. Altay felt little optimism that major companies in the U.S. would act morally, stating their purpose as to "maximize shareholder return." "It's not about humanity; it's not about freedom," he said. "We need to tell them what to do, which I believe is possible through legislation." Tyre Nichols' murder by police raises same question as 'A Time to Kill' film I have seldom taken pen to paper with a heavier heart than I do as I begin this column. As most of you know, a 29-year-old black Federal Express worker, Tyre Nichols, was brutally and fatally attacked by at least five uniformed Memphis police officers on Jan. 7, and he succumbed to his multiple injuries three days later. Since the police officers involved were wearing their body cameras, we have a video record of the savage, barbaric and unprovoked assault on Mr. Nichols, who apparently put up no resistance and was not threatening the police in any way. I defy any decent human being to view the video of this obscenely violent assault and not be outraged. After viewing it myself, I was both nauseous and incensed that anyone would think they had the right to treat a fellow human being in such a degrading way. The fact that the perpetrators were police officers and that they knew their body cameras were working and still behaved like Nazi stormtroopers, is beyond comprehension. These police officers are representing our society, the individuals we had authorized to maintain law and order, including the individual protections we are all guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution. Yet these men felt no hesitation in behaving like barbarians toward their fellow human being and fellow citizen. Being representatives of the law, these police officers actions make us, the citizenry, culpable because we deputized them with the states authority which they then horribly abused by betraying societys trust. We have known about, and on occasion have seen, such police brutality before, but seldom has it been so graphically filmed and if a picture is worth a thousand words, a moving picture is worth at least 100,000 words. Perhaps the most disturbing thing about this stain on our nations soul is the fact that not only was the victim black, but so were his five police assailants. And this happened in Memphis, a city that has a 65% black population and a police department that is 58% black. As our nation has struggled with police brutality in recent years as well as the violent backlash it has provoked (i.e. pigs in a blanket, fry em like bacon), we have seen widespread attacks on police officers and often successful attempts to defund various police forces around the country. Under this onslaught, we have seen police budgets drastically cut and we have witnessed thousands of veteran police officers resign or take early retirement from policing as a career. In Memphis, which had experienced just such a scenario, they were short more than 500 police officers in the midst of a rapidly rising crime wave. Under the leadership of their Chief of Police, Cerelyn Davis, a very capable black woman, they lowered entrance standards in terms of educational attainment and career background to fill the vacancies. It should be noted that all five of these police perpetrators were new to the force and four out of the five had already been suspended and/or had letters of reprimand placed in their permanent files. Who knows how much difference it might have made had a more veteran police officer (the equivalent to an N.C.O. in the military) had been present at the scene. Ms. Davis, the chief of police, who came from a similar position in Durham, North Carolina, in 2021, arrived in Memphis to be greeted by a major upsurge in violent crime. While violent crime was spiking virtually all across America, it was even worse in Memphis (murders went from 237 in 2019 to 327 in 2020 and 346 in 2021). Many believed Memphis had become the most violent city per capita in the U.S. In response, Chief Davis created a strike force, Scorpion (the Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods) of 40 officers and sent them into the citys most violent areas. Scorpion appears to have worked since violent crime rates started trending downward. Then, 14 months later five members of Scorpion are the uniformed thugs who beat Tyre Nichols to death. Now, Scorpion has been permanently deactivated. I cannot go any further without expressing my heartfelt condolences to Mrs. RowVaughn Wells, Tyres mother. She has mourned with dignity, called eloquently for justice for her son while pleading that there would be no violent protests. The most heartbreaking fact of this whole episode is Tyres plaintive call for his mother in the midst of this terrible ordeal. I cried when I heard that. It reminded me of what my father once related to me. My father, a World War II Navy veteran, had his ship sunk off Guadalcanal in 1942. One of the few times I could convince him to talk with me about his wartime experiences, he recounted with tears in his eyes (I had never seen him cry) hearing one or two of his mortally wounded shipmates, lying on the deck of a sinking ship, crying out for their mothers. At that point, it had been 30 years since that night, and it still broke his heart. If we are going to live in a civilized society, we must have a professional police force that respects all our citizens constitutional rights while at the same time protecting the citizenry from criminal predators. That means, among other things, that we are going to have to revalue policing as a profession and pay them accordingly. We must also require high standards of conduct and accountability. One of the chief hindrances to accountability has been police unions that protect the bad cops, and there are always bad apples in any organization. The police must do a better job of policing themselves and they must be accountable to civilian review as well. However, in the end, the question that keeps haunting me, and I expect many other Americans, is this: In the end, would what happened to Tyre Nichols have happened had Tyre been white? When I first watched the horrible video footage chronicling Tyres murder, my mind immediately went to scenes from the film, "A Time to Kill," a 1996 movie based on John Grishams 1989 novel of the same title. "A Time to Kill" tells the story of a 10-year-old character, Tonya Hailey, who is black, being abducted and horribly raped and abused by two KKK members. When they are caught, her father, Carl Lee Hailey, shoots and kills both men on the way to arraignment in the courthouse. Carl Lee Hailey goes on trial for murder, and is defended by Jake Brigance, played very convincingly by Matthew McConaughey. Things are not looking good for Carl Lee until Jake Brigance is inspired to use an unorthodox strategy. During his summation to the jury, he asks the jurors to close their eyes as he recounts in vivid detail the horrific things that were done to Tonya, which while she survived, destroyed her reproductive organs. Then as he finished, he said, Now imagine shes white! The movie registers the visual shock on the faces of the white jurors. Carl Lee is acquitted. Would a white 29-year-old Federal Express worker stopped in similar circumstances be likely to meet the same terrible fate as Tyre? My mind wants to say, Yes. However, my broken heart says, not very likely. That means we still have much work to be done to realize Dr. Kings dream of an American society where everyone is judged by their character, not by the color of their skin. As Dr. King often reminded us, We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. We must all commit ourselves to bend that arc in the right direction with ever greater speed. And to my black fellow citizens who asked plaintively on Twitter, Do white people care about what happens to our children? my answer is yes, multitudes of us care, and we care with every fiber of our being! Vineyard Church suspends young adult pastor, son of senior pastor over allegations of misconduct Jackson Gatlin, the young adult and online community pastor at The Vineyard Church in Duluth, Minnesota, where his father, Michael Gatlin, serves as senior pastor, has been suspended as the church and local police conduct an investigation into allegations of misconduct "from several years ago." A statement released by the multi-campus church on Sunday did not state the nature of the misconduct, but a woman who identified herself as a victim alleged on social media that she was sexually assaulted by Jackson Gatlin. "Our community is responding to allegations of misconduct against one of our pastoral assistants, Jackson Gatlin. At present, the allegations against him involve conduct from several years ago. We have contracted with a company called Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE) to conduct an independent investigation," the church said in their statement. "One of our values is transparency, yet we are not going to say anything more about the allegations at this time because we need to protect the ongoing investigation and any victims. Accountability and integrity are also key values," the church added. "When the investigation is complete, we expect to have more to say and we will say it. In the meantime, let us assure you that the safety and security of our church community is critically important to us and we have policies and procedures in place to protect them. The Duluth Vineyard has suspended Jackson Gatlin during this investigation." The Duluth Police told Northern News Now on Tuesday that "the Duluth Police Department has been made aware of this incident and are assisting in the investigation." Myrissa Overfors, who alleges she is one of Jackson Gatlin's victims, said in a statement on Facebook Tuesday that she is working with investigators and "other victims" of his alleged misconduct. "The past day has been a battle. Most of you've seen that the Vineyard Church in Duluth, Minnesota and their lead youth pastor, Jackson Gatlin, is under an investigation for sexual misconduct. I myself was assaulted by him as well. It was of a sexual nature. And the rest of the details will remain private," she said. "I am currently working with their investigators and I think this may be a long battle for me and his other victims. Send us all positive thoughts and prayers if you believe in the upcoming months. I'm sure we all will need it. If you have been a victim of this predator, you're not alone." The church acknowledged that even though the misconduct allegations are against the senior pastor's son, it has taken steps to ensure fairness in the investigation by establishing a "Special Committee made up of independent members." "[L]et us share how we are addressing the fact that Jackson Gatlin is the son of our Senior Pastor, Michael Gatlin. In keeping with our Nepotism Policy and best practices, the investigation and employment decisions related to Jackson Gatlin are overseen independently from Michael and Brenda Gatlin," the church said. "Our Church Council (the legal board of directors) has created a Special Committee made up of independent members (none of them work for the Duluth Vineyard or are related to any employees). The Special Committee members are Ben Mork (chair), Ann LaCosse, Jerry Lieffring, and Gerry Nierengarten. These are the folks who will know all that we know and will control our response to the investigation." John Kliewer, who is serving as staff support for the Special Committee, will act as a liaison between the senior pastor and the Special Committee. In a statement to the church, Michael Gatlin assured congregants that he is not leading the investigation of his son. "As this situation unfolds, I want to assure you that I'm not leading in this process, and at the same time, I am still serving as the senior pastor of the Duluth Vineyard Church. I am incredibly thankful that I do not bear this responsibility alone. The staff, leadership, and ministry teams who serve alongside us are sensitive and capable leaders we can trust," he wrote. "I have complete confidence in the team involved: the members of the special committee, who are tasked with overseeing this process; our church council, our senior leadership team, our staff and our leaders. I also have complete confidence in the Lord to lead us in this difficult time." 10 survivors who shared horrors of persecution at State Dept. ministerial WASHINGTON Last weeks State Department ministerial to advance religious freedom worldwide was historic not only for the fact that its said to be the largest event of its kind ever held, but also because it united a diverse group of people from across the world who've been persecuted for their faith and culture. Nearly 30 survivors of religious persecution attended the second State Department Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, an event that the Trump administration had promised would be a much larger version of the inaugural ministerial held last July. Coming from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and even one person from the U.S. (Pittsburgh synagogue shooting survivor), the diversity of the survivors who attended was evidence that religious persecution affects people of many different religions and ethnicities worldwide. In the following pages are 10 survivors of religious persecution who participated in the ministerial and last Wednesdays White House meeting with President Donald Trump. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next Lawmakers join Evangelical leaders to repent for nation's sins of abortion, LGBT lifestyles Several members of Congress joined Evangelical leaders at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., Wednesday morning for the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance, asking God to forgive the many ways the country has strayed from His will. The gathering, featuring several Republican lawmakers, was held a day before President Joe Biden, a Democrat, attended the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. on Thursday. Among the variety of topics addressed at the event was the reversal of Roe V. Wade, in which attendees thanked God and asked for forgiveness for the "murder" of children through the act of abortion over the past decades. "Father, you have heard our millions of prayers and acted graciously to end the supposed right to kill our own children. For you Lord are good and ready to forgive and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon you. Therefore, I repent for my own sins and those of the Supreme Court and for your Church and for my nation," prayed pro-life lawyer Allan Parker, the president of the nonprofit litigation firm Justice Foundation who represented Norma McCorvey, formerly "Roe" of Roe v. Wade, from 2000 to 2012. "For we have sinned and are sinning grievously against you in the murder of children," Parker continued in his prayer. "We have not boldly proclaimed and insisted that the sacred right to life in the Fifth and 14th Amendments of the Constitution includes the life of children and in the womb. In Jesus name, please help us, save us, protect us and defend us, almighty God." Lisa Washington, the city director of Love Life ministry based in New York City, prayed that she is thankful for God protecting her life from abortion. She thanked God for His grace in forgiving her for her sin of abortion. "Thank you for keeping my mother from being able, Lord, to abort me. I come before you, Lord, this morning, and I just want to publicly thank you for forgiving me of my own sin of abortion. I thank you Lord for your healing. I thank you for your deliverance," Washington said. Love Life ministry is a nonprofit organization that mobilizes "the Church to create a culture of love and life where women and men that are faced with unwanted pregnancies can start running to the local church rather than the abortion clinics for real help and hope." Washington said that she also repents on behalf of other women and men for their pride, selfishness and sexual immorality when it comes to the issue of abortion. She also prayed for forgiveness for the Church for not spreading awareness and providing enough support, pushing women to seek an abortion. "I do also repent for the killing of 64 million innocent children. Lord, we call them 'a choice,' but you, through the prophet Ezekiel, said: 'they are your children.' Lord forgive us," Washington said. "Father, we want the pleasure of sexual intimacy. But we don't want the responsibility. We say forgive us. You made it clear, Lord, that we are always to choose life, but yet we choose death, Lord. Forgive us." "Please Lord, forgive your Church. Lord, Forgive our silence," she continued. "Lord, forgive our apathy. God forgive our inaction, when your Word clearly commands us, Lord, to rescue those that are appointed for the slaughter, to save those that are staggering to their death God," Washington added. "Cause us to rise. Mobilize your Church, Lord." Pastor Jim Domen of California's Church United, who grew up with same-sex attraction, repented publicly for the sin of homosexuality and living a gay life. Church United is a ministry designed to help church leaders reach prominent leaders in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, California, with annual "Watchmen on the Wall" conferences. Domen, a pastor since 2004 and married to his wife for over 10 years, is the author of a book about his life journey to help those struggling with their choices titled: Not a Mistake: Parents' Hope For Their Gay Son. "Jesus, I repent for the sin of homosexuality and living a gay lifestyle. I exchanged the truth of sexuality as you created only between a man and a woman for a lie," he prayed. "God, my heart grieves for your Church. Your Church is to bring light and Jesus' truth to a hopeless world. Denominations, churches and pastors have [given into] lies," Domen prayed. In his prayer, Domen said that "for the first time in history, every branch of the federal government promotes sexuality outside [God's] design for men and women." "Our government, social media, public education, the medical and pharmaceutical fields are mutilating our children's bodies and lying to kids that they can change their biological sex," he added. "Jesus, let your blood flow across my nation. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Specifically the sins of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality and sex confusion. And set Americans free, in the mighty name of Jesus." Danielle Vota, also from the Church United ministry, asked God to forgive the sin of bisexuality. "Father God, I repent of the sin of bisexuality. I rejected your Word and openly mocked your Son Jesus. My itching ears sought after false teachers to encourage my wicked behavior. I learned to call evil good and good evil," Vota prayed. "I broke your sacred covenant of marriage by practicing an open marriage and a ployamorous lifestyle. And yet, you are so good and merciful because 'there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.'" Vota prayed for the nation to have the courage to speak God's Word in such a bold manner that "the noise coming from the false teachers is nothing more than a dull murmur." "Lord, please create a wave across this nation of contrite hearts, humbled hearts that are ready to see the true nature of their sin and our desperate need for a Savior," she added. Kris Olsen, the founder of "Coming Out Again," added a similar prayer sentiment, asking God for forgiveness for her involvement in the lesbian lifestyle. "Coming Out Again" "offers a one-to-one discipleship program, phone support, a family support group, and an itinerant speaker on the topic of undesired homosexuality." "Father, in the name of Jesus, I repent of the sin of female homosexuality in all aspects of my lesbian thinking and behavior. I repent of the idolatry I engaged in of worshiping others and wanting them to worship me. I renounce my rejection of and disdain for God-given feminine gender and attributes," Olsen prayed. "I renounce my disdain for men and their God-given gender attributes. Forgive my nation for teaching our youth to do the same. Forgive me and all who call themselves followers of Jesus for the deception that I could have a homosexual relationship and that You, oh Holy God, were willing to bless that fallen form of love." Olsen offered prayers for church denominations that believe that God would bless same-sex unions. "Father, have mercy on this country. We continue to purposely reject your truth about sexuality and how you've created it, making ourselves to be as God. Forgive us. Help us to turn to you in full repentance and humility that you might restore our natural affections," she concluded. More prayers were offered throughout the nearly three-hour event. Biblical exhortations were also delivered by Evangelical figures like Anne Graham Lotz, Carter Conlon, Andrew Brunson and Jonathan Cahn to respond to God's call for the nation to repent. Members of Congress in attendance include House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.; Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill.; Rep. Rick Allen, R-Ga.; Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas; Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas; Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala.; and Rep. Tracey Mann, R-Kan. Tampa's 'conversion therapy' ban ruled unconstitutional by federal appeals court A federal appellate court on Thursday struck down Tampa, Florida's ban on sexual orientation change efforts in what religious liberty advocates are cheering as a victory for the First Amendment. A three-judge panel on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Tampa-based family therapist Robert Vazzo and the Christian ministry New Hearts Outreach Tampa Bay in a lawsuit over the citys ban on counselors providing voluntary therapy to minors seeking help with unwanted same-sex attractions. Such therapy is derided by critics as conversion therapy, but proponents contend that banning such practice interferes with the First Amendment rights of the counselors and patients. The city's ban was instituted based on the idea that sexual orientation is an immutable characteristic and a protected class. The court published the opinion in Vazzo v. Tampa, citing a previous 11th Circuit ruling in the case of Otto v. City of Boca Ratondetermining that city and county ordinances banning sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) were unconstitutional under the First Amendment." The Otto case dealt with a similar ordinance in Boca Raton, Florida. Although Thursdays decision was unanimous, Obama-appointed Judge Robin Rosenbaum indicated that she continued to believe that Otto was wrongly decided. At the same time, she agreed with her Republican-appointed colleagues Ed Carnes and Barbara Lagoa that we are bound by our prior-panel-precedent rule to apply Otto here by ruling in favor of the plaintiffs. The conservative Christian legal organization Liberty Counsel, representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, called the ruling a "great victory for counselors and their clients." Counselors and clients have the freedom to choose the counsel of their choice and be free of political censorship from government-mandated speech," Liberty Counsel Chairman Mat Staver said in a statement. The litigation surrounding Tampas ban on sexual orientation change efforts dates back several years. A U.S. district court judge struck down the ordinance in 2019, before the 11th Circuit issued its ruling in Otto. Thursdays ruling comes after the city appealed the district court decision. As Liberty Counsel explained, the 2019 decision granted summary judgment to Liberty Counsel in its suit to invalidate the Tampa ordinance that prohibited licensed counselors from providing voluntary talk therapy to minors seeking help to reduce or eliminate their unwanted same-sex attractions, behaviors, or identity. The legal group noted that the District Court in Vazzo ruled that the ordinance seeking to regulate counselors was a statewide concern and beyond the authority of local governments. In reaching this decision, the lower court did not decide the First Amendment claim. Todays ruling permanently strikes down the ordinance under the First Amendment," the Liberty Counsel clarified. Bans on sexual orientation change efforts have become more common in recent years. The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT advocacy organization that opposes the practice, has compiled a map showing nearly two dozen states have bans on so-called conversion therapy. States with such prohibitions include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Over the years, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear challenges to such bans. However, there is a circuit split. Last month, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to rehear the case of a Christian therapist suing Washington state over its ban on therapy for minors experiencing unwanted same-sex attraction. According to a senior administration official and numerous US sources, the United States is poised to include longer-range missiles in a new $2.2 billion security package for Ukraine. Two officials said the package would include a promise to give Ukraine the Ground-launched Small Diameter Bomb, a guided missile with a range of 90 miles. US Weapons The package will not contain the long-desired ATACMS missile with a range of more than 200 miles, although the missiles will virtually quadruple the range of Ukrainian weapons. According to CNN, the United States has consistently rejected Ukraine's demands for this weapon out of worry that it may be used to strike far within Russia. This is the first security package since the United States agreed in January to provide Ukraine with upgraded M-1 Abrams tanks - a decision taken in conjunction with European nations supplying German-built Leopard 2 tanks. The package, which might be disclosed as early as Friday, would consist of $500 million in weapons and equipment taken straight from US stocks and around $1.7 billion in supplies acquired from military contractors. Olivia Dalton, a spokesperson for the White House, stated on Tuesday that there would be another announcement of security support to Ukraine "soon" without offering any information. The Ground-launched Small Diameter Bomb, fired from a HIMARS rocket launcher, has a range of around 90 miles, according to Saab, who co-developed the weapon with Boeing. This is more than double the range of the GMLRS munitions launched from Ukraine's HIMARS rocket launchers. The long-range missile then deploys tiny wings and propels itself toward its target using a rocket engine. However, Ukraine will only receive the new weapon after it comes straight from US stockpiles. Instead, the United States will contract with weapons makers to give Ukraine the long-range missile, a procedure that might take several weeks. Read Also: Joe Biden Classified Documents Scandal Update Russia-Ukraine War Update Oleskii Reznikov, the defense minister of Ukraine, stated on Thursday that the country is willing to provide Western allies assurances that their weaponry would not be used to attack within Russian territory, adding that Kyiv requires weapons with a range of up to 186 miles to eject the Russian soldiers. In a meeting with EU officials, Reznikov stated, "If we could strike from up to 300 kilometers away, the Russian army would be unable to mount a defense and would be forced to retire. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Western allies have pledged a plethora of air defense systems to supplement Kyiv's own Soviet-made S-300 surface-to-air missile defense systems, and the latest aid package aims to provide the capability to integrate them all, thereby enhancing Ukraine's ability to defend itself from incoming Russian attacks. The United States has promised medium- to long-range National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, and truck-launched short-range Avenger air defense systems. The Netherlands, Germany, and the United States are supplying Patriot missile defense systems, The Baltimore Sun reported The inclusion of bombs with a greater range in the most recent assistance package was initially reported by Reuters. Since the outset of the conflict, US President Joe Biden has resisted providing Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets. Ukrainian authorities have urgently requested longer-range weapons (150 kilometers). The officials spoke confidentially to discuss specifics of the aid package that still need to be made public. Currently, the United States' longest-range missile ranges around 50 miles (80 kilometers). The financing in the assistance package is for longer-term purchases. Thus, it was unclear on Thursday when the bomb would reach the battlefield in Ukraine, as per AP News. The United States has promised medium- to long-range National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, and truck-launched short-range Avenger air defense systems. The Netherlands, Germany, and United States supply Patriot missile defense systems. Related Article: US, South Korea To Boost Nuclear Weapons @YouTube @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. American tourist arrested for vandalizing Jesus statue at church in Jerusalem: 'You can't have idols' An American tourist has been arrested for vandalizing a statue of Jesus Christ at a church in Jerusalem, reportedly due to his belief that the statue constituted idolatry. A man in his 40s, whose name has not been released to the press, was arrested Thursday after he defaced and broke parts of a statue of Jesus at the Franciscan Church of the Condemnation, a property that includes the Church of the Flagellation. In a video taken at the church, the man could be heard shouting, "you cant have idols in Jerusalem, this is a holy city," Fox News reported. According to tradition, the church was built on the space believed to be where Jesus was flogged by the Roman soldiers back in the first century and presented with a cross to carry. "We take very seriously damage to religious institutions and sites," an Israeli police spokesperson said in a statement. "The police will continue to act against acts of violence and vandalism in the holy places of all religions." Custodia Terrae Sanctae, a Franciscan organization that oversees the care and protection of Catholic Church holy sites in the Middle East, released a statement denouncing the vandalism. The vandalism marked the fifth incident within the last month, according to Custodia Terrae Sanctae, which cited examples of recent vandalism that included attacks on a monastery and a local Christian cemetery. We follow with concern and strongly condemn this growing succession of serious acts of hatred and violence against the Christian community in Israel, added Custodia Terrae Sanctae. It is no coincidence that the legitimization of discrimination and violence in public opinion and in the current Israeli political environment also translates into acts of hatred and violence against the Christian community. The group went on to call upon the Israeli government to act decisively to guarantee security for all communities, to guarantee the protection of religious minorities and to eradicate religious fanaticism. Last month, a group of people believed to be radical Jewish Israelis attacked an Armenian restaurant in the Christian quarter of the city, waving Israeli flags and throwing chairs at patrons. The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land denounced the violence leveled against the restaurant, expressing concern over the escalation of violence in the Holy City. This unprovoked violence instilled fear in the shopkeepers and residents of the Christian quarter as well as visitors, stated the Assembly. It is only the latest in a series of episodes of religious violence that is affecting the symbols of the Christian community and beyond. Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie challenges National Prayer Breakfast attendees to love as Jesus did Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie reflected on what the Bible says about being a neighbor and challenged National Prayer Breakfast attendees to operate out of the kind of love, mercy and compassion Jesus demonstrates throughout Scripture. Speaking at the event in Washington, D.C., on Thursday morning, McKenzie, the interim president and general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, focused her message on Luke 10, the story of the Good Samaritan. In it, Jesus tells the parable of a traveler who is beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. A Jewish priest and then a Levite come by, but both avoid the man. A Samaritan, however, stops and helps the man. Could it be that he saw the man's humanity? When he saw the man's humanity, he saw his own. Maybe we need to see our own humanity and see the humanity of others, McKenzie, the first woman bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, said. Maybe the one sitting next to you right now. Could it be that Jesus knew it would be hard to demonstrate this kind of love until we identified ourselves as neighbor? It helps us to go from passive listening to active engagement. At the end of the parable Jesus challenges His listeners to Go and do likewise. McKenzie challenged listeners to imagine what life would be like if humanity truly loved one another as their neighbor. She defined love as Paul describes it in 1 Corinthians 13. This doesn't mean that we ignore safeguarding life, liberty and human dignity. It means that we are willing to do the heavy lifting to demonstrate love in the public square, she declared. What would happen in this 21st century of ours if we did just that, go and do likewise. What if we would step over cultural guardrails to be an example of public love to people traumatized beside the road? What would happen if we would undertake the tough task to demonstrate restorative love and real tangible ways in our classrooms? McKenzie told listeners that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and one person is no more valuable than another. She stressed the importance of both unity and personal responsibility when it comes to bringing about positive change. One can do much alone, but we can do more alone when we are united in vision and voice, she said. McKenzie emphasized the power that comes with being loving in the public square, showing mercy and being resilient. We dont have to be perfect, but we must show up, she said. There is enough power in this room to make it happen. What a powerful message it would be to the world if we walked together with compassion over callousness, cooperation over competition, and at the end of it, go and do likewise. But doing likewise, she said, is impossible without the power of God. Here's your invitation to come into the throne of God when you pray, grace and mercy are waiting for you, she declared. Nothing else will help you stand in the face of traumatic situations. Draw near. Nothing else will help you. God is waiting for you. God wants you to experience God in different ways than how you've experienced God before. God wants more and more for you than you can imagine. Love makes a difference in how we see ourselves; created an image of God. God's love makes a difference in how we deal with suffering, she added. God's love makes a difference in how we handle the impossible. Nothing is impossible with God. An annual tradition that goes back to 1953, the breakfast is held every first Thursday in February. The event was first held under President Dwight Eisenhower, with the encouragement of the Rev. Billy Graham. The event often features speeches by special guests and the president of the United States. Ahead of McKenzies remarks, President Joe Biden delivered a message and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir performed. McKenzie is also the first woman to serve as president of the African Methodist Episcopal Churchs Council of Bishops. She previously spoke to The Christian Post about the challenges of empowering women in the church. The pastor said she tells women that issues of power and authority are a larger challenge than the question of gender. I share with women that the majority of the time, the issues and the challenges that you face has nothing to do with your gender, but has everything to do with power and authority, she said. "Most of the time it has nothing to do with gender, but everything to do with power and control. Who is the conductor that gets to select the instruments that play? Who is the director of the choir who determines which voices get to sing and who gets to sing the solo?" Megachurch pastor tells Congress, president to 'pray for wisdom,' humble themselves 'We need to see prayer instituted back in America in a new way' A megachurch pastor based in New York City implored President Joe Biden and members of Congress to pray for wisdom and humble themselves as they make major decisions. Pastor Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle was a guest speaker at the National Prayer Breakfast, held Thursday morning on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. During his speech, Cymbala told elected officials that, like everyone else in the world, you need mercy and you need grace, adding, we need daily mercy. Cymbala went on to note that everyone who humbles themself and comes to God and says, God help me, God has given in His Word I will never, ever turn you away. The pastor went on to address the federal elected officials directly, telling them that you make decisions every day that have the most immense effect on other peoples lives. The Bible says this: If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, Who gives liberally and will never turn anyone away, Cymbala said, quoting from James 1:5. If anyone needed to pray for wisdom, isnt it you folks every single day? But let him ask in faith. You have to humble yourself, because if you think you have all the wisdom you need, youll never know Gods wisdom. Hell let you go on your own. Cymbala went on to declare that we need to see prayer instituted back in America in a new way, calling for sincere prayer, heart prayer and receiving applause in response. Cymbala also talked about Genesis 4, a chapter that concludes with, At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord, which Cymbala referred to as when religion began. This was more important than the discovery of fire, the invention of the wheel, the splitting of the atom, he said. Some instinct hit them. Were not alone. We can talk to the One Who put us here. And that changed everything. So, the first people that belonged to God were not Jews, Hebrews, they were not Christians. There were no priests, there were not preachers, there were no buildings, there was nothing. But God had a people and they were known for just one thing: they looked to God and called upon Him. Cymbalas remarks came as part of the National Prayer Breakfast, a gathering of elected officials and others that has been observed every first Thursday of February since 1953, when President Dwight Eisenhower presided over the event. In addition to Cymbala, The Brooklyn Tabernacles Grammy award-winning choir sang at the event and performed a few praise songs for those gathered at the Capitol building. For decades, the event was organized by a nondenominational Christian ministry and was held at a local hotel, with some years having around 3,500 attendees in person from many countries. Last month, however, it was announced that a new organization, known as the National Prayer Breakfast Foundation, would oversee the event, with attendance being reduced to just federal government officials, their families, and some constituents. Former Sen. Mark Pryor, head of the new Foundation, told The Christian Post in an earlier interview that the changes were made to return the event back to its origins. Back with President Eisenhower [the event] was just the president and members of Congress, House and Senate. And so, that's what they wanted to get back to, Pryor explained. Pryor described this years breakfast as being smaller, more intimate, with this following the wishes of the House and Senate to restore it back to what it used to be." The group that used to host it, which is sometimes called the Family or the Fellowship, will be holding their own events over the span of the next couple of days. In addition to Cymbala, other speakers included President Joe Biden and Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, who spoke about the needs for those in power to show mercy and love to others. There is enough power in this room to make it happen. What a powerful message it would be to the world if we walked together with compassion over callousness, cooperation over competition, and at the end of it, go and do likewise, said McKenzie. Love makes a difference in how we see ourselves; created an image of God. God's love makes a difference in how we deal with suffering. Man arrested for holding God bless the homeless vets sign sues city A U.S. Army veteran and former truck driver has filed a lawsuit against a city in Georgia after he was arrested for holding a sign that read God bless the homeless Vets. Jeff Gray filed two lawsuits on Tuesday over being reportedly harassed for carrying the sign, with one suit being against the city of Alpharetta while the other was against Blackshear Police Chief Chris Wright. The suit against Alpharetta was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, and named as defendants Arick Furr and Harold Shoffeitt, both of the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety. At issue was an incident in which Gray was detained, arrested and charged with allegedly violating the citys anti-panhandling policy, with Gray being banned from the area. Grays speech about the plight of homeless veterans whether panhandling or not and his subsequent questioning of Lt. Furrs actions, was clearly established as protected political expression, stated the complaint. Even if Gray was panhandling, it is clearly established that the First Amendment protects speakers asking others for help. The suit against Wright was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, Waycross Division, with Gray being cited for allegedly violating an ordinance against holding a parade, procession, or demonstration without the Blackshear City Councils permission. But the First Amendment is Grays permission slip. Indeed, a half century ago, the United States Supreme Court made this clear by striking down an almost-identical ordinance in Birmingham, Alabama, read the suit, in part. The Supreme Court ruled that the ordinance violated the First Amendment by giving local officials unbridled discretion to deny permits to hold a parade, procession or other public demonstration. For his litigation, Gray is being represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a civil liberties group that originally focused solely on First Amendment issues in education. Jeff Gray doesnt need a government-issued permission slip to speak the First Amendment is his permission slip, said FIRE attorney Harrison Rosenthal, in a statement released Wednesday. Speaking out in public areas is a core First Amendment right, whether government officials recognize it or not. If our cities wont teach officers to do their job properly, FIRE will. Gray operates the YouTube channel HonorYourOath Civil Rights Investigations in which he describes himself as a civil rights investigator, First Amendment auditor, Second Amendment auditor. In 2021, Gray filed a complaint against officials with the city of Moultrie, Georgia, after he was charged with disorderly conduct in 2019 when he walked around city hall with a sign that read F City Hall, according to the Moultrie Observer. Police chief abruptly retires after suspending officer for posting 'no such thing as homosexual marriage' 'What happened to me should never happen again' The longtime chief of a Georgia police department that suspended an outspoken Christian officer who voiced his views on marriage earlier this month has abruptly retired. Port Wentworth Police Chief Matt Libby announced his retirement Monday, just days after Officer Jacob Kersey resigned after being told by his supervisors he could be terminated for sharing his religious views. On Jan. 4, the department placed the 19-year-old Kersey on paid administrative leave following his refusal to take down a Facebook post from two days earlier in which he paraphrased the Apostle Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus. "God designed marriage. Marriage refers to Christ and the church. That's why there is no such thing as homosexual marriage," he wrote. Kersey told The Christian Post following that initial meeting, he was led to believe he had been terminated but said he was later given a "second chance." "I was given a second chance, 'Be silent about your Christian beliefs, don't post things like this because it leads us to believe that you might target members of the LGBT community,'" he told CP via phone Wednesday. Kersey said while he had made similar statements in the past, both on social media and in his podcast, "The Jacob Kersey Program," he was inspired after reading John Piper's book, This Momentary Marriage. "He does a really great job of talking about the imagery that Scripture uses for marriage," said Kersey. "In that post, what I did is somewhat paraphrase Ephesians chapter 5, where Paul describes marriage as a mirror image of Christ and His love for His people, His Bride, the Church. "I've looked back, and I've made very similar posts before in times past. I've shared things that the Heritage Foundation, the Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, and others have said about how marriage is only to be between a man and a woman, according to God's design for it." According to Kersey, Libby compared his quote from the Bible to using a racial slur. "My chief likened what I said to using the 'N-word,' so he equated me to the most horrific kind of racists," he said. Following his administrative leave, Kersey said the department couldn't terminate him because he did not violate any policies with his post, so they gave him his job back and told him simply, "Don't do it again." Kersey said he believes the department intended to use the reprieve to create a new policy which would result in his ultimate termination. "This is how they told me they were going to enforce it," he said. "I would be allowed to post Bible verses, however, if I gave an interpretation, opinion or explanation of those Bible verses that was offensive to someone somewhere, then I would be fired." Kersey said his decision to resign came after he realized he would be laying his life on the line to protect the "great citizens of Port Wentworth, only to be playing this game with the police department the entire time, knowing good and well I was going to be eventually fired for it." "So I decided to resign beforehand and share this story." The Port Wentworth Police Department, which serves a population of roughly 11,000 people in the metro area of Savannah, Georgia, did not return a request by CP for comment Wednesday. In Libby's letter to city manager Steve Davis, Libby did not provide any reason for his retirement other than a brief note which read in part: "It has been my honor to serve this community for over 31 years. I wish the City and the department well, and I am thankful for all the opportunities I was afforded during my career." In addition to his role as police chief, Libby also served as interim city manager in 2022, according to a local news report. Upon learning of Libby's retirement, Kersey said he believes the move was "absolutely" connected to his situation. "The police chief was forced to resign after my story made national headlines. America wants to know why," he said. In addition to demanding a public apology from the other members of the Port Wentworth police command staff, Kersey also wants to know when the city is going to address the story. "What happened to me should never happen again not in America and certainly not in Georgia," he said. An appeal to Andy Stanley: Stop deconstructing sexuality, ignoring ex-LGBT people A couple of days ago, I noticed ministry friends of mine sharing videos of a well-known pastoral voice, Senior Pastor Andy Stanley of North Point Community Church located in Alpharetta, Georgia. After looking around for the video myself, I discovered the video was an excerpt from the Drive Conference at North Point in 2022. Many people are familiar with this pastor in Georgia. Some of his statements diminishing the authority of Scripture, and his callous jest at Christians who think it more authoritative, led those in the Church to surmise that his issues with biblical authority indicate a much more corrosive theological viewpoint that has not yet been made public. Then, on January 23rd, a short video dropped on Twitter. In the video, Stanley laid out a general example demonstrating the lack of eagerness of straight Christians to serve in his churches when comparing them to the eagerness of the gay men and women he knows, who would serve. This setup statement has no way of being validated and yet appeared to be a two-fold manipulation technique. First, it incentivized his congregation to serve, but also to view homosexuals as a more virtuous community by comparison. It appeared as if Stanley was edifying the gay community and promoting the culture to his congregation while degrading his own church for the moment, a persuasive deconstruction tactic, making it easier for them to adopt his subsequent statements. The video went on a path of pandering to the gay community and their allies in an unscripted rant against the Church. Stanley concluded that gay men and women have more faith than he has and more than a lot of you. It even belittled the Word of God itself by calling scriptures referencing homosexuality clobber passages. His indictment seemed to be: Straight Christians and Gods Word dont measure up here; the gay people I know are better. Such was the theological views that were similar to those views espoused by fallen Exodus leader Alan Chambers and McKrae Game of Hope For Wholeness, which survived past him in another form. Additionally, what message does this send to those struggling with sexual confusion at North Point Church? By Stanleys most recent comments, it seems that they should expect further promotion of slippery, watered-down theology, and they can also expect that anyone adhering to the biblical-historic view on sexual ethics will be castigated as unwelcoming bigots. Over the last few years, congregations in the West have awoken, surprised by their pastors deconstructed theology. Bewildered by their pastors unforeseen animus toward the majority group, matched with an unsurpassed bias for one or two ostracized groups of the pastors choosing, they are left with a trail of spiritual casualties in their wake. But there is good news: Jesus has an answer for us and did not leave us unequipped for this moment. Scripture reminds us: They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death (Revelation 12:11). This is not some antiquated Scripture removed from contemporary Christian life; this passage is alive and well in the Church. But it is suppressed through the self-righteous deconstruction and faithlessness of some leaders. Meanwhile, those who have found freedom in Jesus Christ from LGBTQ and victory over their previous identity and lifestyle, have become all too familiar with the internal persecution from legacy lukewarm Christianity spouted by the present-day false teachers, false prophets, and, may I say, wolves-in-sheep's-clothing-pastors. Thankfully, not all Christian leaders or churchgoers are this way there are still many worthy shepherds and sheep in Gods flock. The Bride of Christ has been given a scriptural key to the prison door of LGBTQ socio-political correctness. Overcomers exist within the Church body in all locales. The Andy Stanleys may have forgotten or suppressed the testimony of these faithful believers, in favor of their ostracized group, but Gods sanctifying workmanship has never stopped advancing. As an Overcomer myself, I ask that born-again Christians would quit choosing to stand idly by or even promote homosexuality and cross-identification because your Savior has and is fulfilling His promises in Scripture in the lives of real people. It is abusive to teach a lesser Gospel to LGBTQ-identified people. Instead, love your true spiritual brothers and sisters since that is the evidence that you are the actual Church (John 13:35), and have faith that God has the intention and power to set people free from all sexual immorality and expression, not just your choice sins. If you are interested in learning more about this transformative process that Christ has offered to those who used to go by LGBTQ labels and who lived LGBTQ lifestyles, please visit our ministry websites at: TMAcorp.org, Voiceofthevoiceless.info, or IdentifyMinistries.org. There is an authentic Christian community, more resilient than ever, and waiting for all those impacted by this issue to ally with Christ and reap the rewards of transformation together. Christian mom takes school to court over forcing 4 year old to attend LGBT pride parade, watch video of men kissing A U.K. court is hearing the case of a devout, born-again Christian whose 4-year-old son was forced to participate in an LGBT pride parade. Its the first time a British court will decide the legality of imposing LGBT ideology on primary school-age students. Izzy Montague filed the lawsuit against Heavers Farm Primary School in Croydon, South London, on the grounds of discrimination, victimization and breach of statutory duties under the Education Act 1996 and the Human Rights Act 1998, according to the Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting the 38-year-old mother. On the first day of the eight-day hearing on Wednesday, Judge Christopher Lethem of the Central London county court said Montague and her husband are devout born-again Christians, and they bear a belief that sexual relations should be abstained from or take place within a lifelong marriage between a man and a woman and any activity outside those confines is sinful, The Times U.K. reported. They also say pride is considered to be the most serious of the deadly sins, added the judge. The court will also examine the impact of forced LGBT ideology on religious discrimination, parental rights and the duty of schools to maintain political neutrality. In June 2018, the head teacher of a southeast London school informed Montague that her son couldnt opt out of an LGBT pride march event. The school sent a letter inviting pupils to celebrate differences, but after Montague asked for her son to be excused, her request was denied. Montague argued that the parade was discriminatory against children following Christian or other mainstream religions and created a hostile and intimidating atmosphere for parents who opposed LGBT ideology being imposed on their children. At a subsequent formal meeting between Izzy and the school hierarchy to discuss the concerns, the head teachers daughter wore a T-shirt that read: Why be racist, sexist, homophobic or transphobic, when you can just be quiet? The June 2018 pride month event at the primary school was heavily influenced by Stonewall, an LGBT activist organization, Christian Legal Centre said. Stonewall posters were emblazoned across the school, children were shown Stonewall videos during lessons, and children as young as 4 were read stories promoted by the organization aimed at normalizing same-sex relationships. LGBT pride flags were spread across the school and children were encouraged to wear rainbow colors and children as young as 4 were shown videos of two men kissing. Numerous parents have claimed that the school is aggressively promoting the LGBT agenda to children younger than 12 in a manner that infringes on their parental rights. Some parents were afraid to speak out over concerns that their children would be further victimized or expelled. Montague felt she was being bullied and withdrew her son from the school before launching her legal challenge. Christian Legal Centre said the case highlights concerns about the implementation of the governments Relationships and Sex Education policy. Issues include the lack of protection for parents to opt their children out of lessons with sexualized themes contrary to their religious beliefs and the lack of definition of age-appropriate content for primary school children, the group said. This leaves schools vulnerable to the influence of partisan agencies and teachers promoting political ideas as facts. Christian Legal Centre added that schools were blocking parents from accessing materials taught through RSE and the curriculum is not transparent, contrary to government promises. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form On Thursday, a senior defense official stated that the United States is tracking a suspected Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon over the continental United States. According to Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said the Pentagon has been watching the balloon above the northern United States for many days. Although the balloon's current flight route takes it over "a lot of sensitive areas," according to the official, there is no severe danger of information collection. According to CNN, the balloon's value in intelligence collection is estimated to be limited. Pentagon Considering Shooting Down Chinese Spy Balloon According to a second defense official, the United States believes that Chinese spy satellites in low Earth orbit can provide comparable or superior intelligence, limiting the value of any information Beijing may obtain from the three-bus-sized high-altitude balloon. US national security officials have repeatedly warned of Chinese espionage efforts, and the balloon's presence in the United States coincides with Secretary of State Antony Blinken's upcoming trip to Beijing, a significant trip meant to follow up on President Biden's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last year. Per USA Today, the official stated that the Chinese spy balloon was above Montana when the United States contemplated destroying it. The official said it would be shot down if it presented a threat to civil aviation. It is afloat at a height at which these aircraft do not fly. "The United States government has detected and is currently tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon flying over the continental United States," Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon's press secretary, told reporters. Ryder stated that the North American Aerospace Defense Command continues to track and monitor it closely. The official stated that the balloon is designed for surveillance purposes. However, it is unlikely to be able to gather more information than spy satellites. Ryder stated that US officials attempted to prevent the Chinese from collecting sensitive information. "Instances of this type of balloon activity have been detected in the past several years," added Ryder. Read Also: Powerball Jackpot: Next Draw for $700 Million Prize Revealed Chinse Spy Balloon Suspected Observing US Nuclear Base After detecting the Chinese spy balloon, the US government took immediate action to prevent collecting sensitive information. The official stated that US officials have protested the incursion of the spy balloon to Chinese authorities and continue to track its path. The official stated that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Mark Milley had been briefed on the balloon. The official noted that this is not the first time Chinese spy balloons have flown over the United States. The air base contains enough intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) to destroy the planet: 150 Minuteman III ICBMs. It is the most extensive nuclear missile silo complex in the western hemisphere, as per The Telegraph via MSN. Malmstrom is one of only three high-security bases that house all 400 Minuteman IIIs in the United States arsenal. The 341st Missile Wing, part of the US Air Force's Global Strike Command, operates and maintains the area's nuclear missiles and would ultimately launch them in the event of a nuclear war. Approximately 3,300 military soldiers and 600 civilians make up the unit. Each of the three missile squadrons is in charge of 50 nuclear missile silos for 150 weapons. Covering nine counties in Montana, a vast area of 13,800 square miles contains numerous underground missile silos. Related Article: US Sending Small-Diameter Bomb to Ukraine @YouTube @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. North Korea has recently ordered North Korean trading companies in Russia to pick personnel to go to Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine to participate in reconstruction efforts. According to a source in Russia, North Korea sent the order to various trading companies on January 20, including Cholhyon Construction, associated with the defense ministry, and Kumrung Construction, affiliated with General Bureau 7 of the Ministry of Social Security. North Korea To Help Reconstruction Russian-Occupied Territory Given that all of the trade businesses that got the order are linked with military or public security services, it indicates that North Korea has no intention of sending people to eastern Ukraine but rather troops or police officers. Per NK Daily, the government made this decision because troops and public security officers are simpler to manage and protect than people. The servicemen selected for deployment to Ukraine are young men aged 19 to 27, most of whom are married but have abandoned their families in North Korea. In general, North Korean authorities deter defections by dispatching married men who are compelled to leave their wives and children behind in North Korea. North Korea instructed enterprises to finalize personnel selections by the end of January, as per NK Daily News. North Korea would likely deploy the troops to Ukraine in mid-February or March, based on account of a source, since the corporations were given around ten days to make their picks. Because North Korean military and police-related agencies across Russia have been told to choose troops, it is uncertain how many North Korean soldiers will be sent to eastern Ukraine. Considering all orders granted to big trade organizations, the initial batch would likely consist of 300 to 500 personnel, according to the source. The instructions did not specify what duties the men would do in eastern Ukraine, although it is unlikely that they would act as mercenaries in the conflict. The basic agreement between North Korea and Russia contains stipulations prohibiting the participation of North Koreans in the actual fight since their involvement might give the impression that Pyongyang has dispatched mercenaries to Russia. The selected employees will likely participate in rehabilitation operations, rehabilitating war-ravaged structures and roadways. North Korea has covertly picked two groups of employees to deploy to Russia-occupied eastern Ukraine but has delayed sending them owing to the present state of the war. Read Also: US Spotted Chinese Spy Balloon Kim Jong Un Accused of Supporting Vladimir Putin Meanwhile, Russia's search for weapons to fire at Ukraine might be a lifeline for North Korea, where even a relatively small arms transaction would assist in boosting the cash-strapped and stagnating economy. This month, the United States raised new allegations that Kim Jong Un is contributing weapons and ammunition to support Putin's conflict, including the shipment of shells and rockets. While the Biden administration has stated that the weapons will not significantly impact the battlefield, the sales would provide a new funding source for a government that is mainly cut off from international trade. While North Korea has disputed US suspicions of weapons deliveries, Kim would benefit from such a pact. His border bans during the pandemic caused North Korea's already sluggish economy to experience one of its most severe declines in decades, as per Business Mirror. North Korea's economy failed to develop in 2021 and faced unclear prospects, according to the Bank of Korea in Seoul, one of the few bodies that regularly review the country's economic future. As a result of the demise of the digital asset exchange FTX, Kim's ostensibly profitable explorations into crypto-currency theft may now need to be revised. Kim possesses many weapons, particularly the primitive 20th-century artillery that is seeing a resurgence on the front lines of Ukraine. The International Institute for Strategic Studies believes North Korea has an arsenal of more than 21,600 artillery pieces, a power that has put Seoul under the threat of destruction comparable to Mariupol for decades. According to Daily Mail, NATO expressed alarm over a nuclear alliance between Russia, China, and North Korea that would "threaten the international order." NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that a Russian triumph in Ukraine might empower China to invade Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory. The NATO commander made these remarks during a trip to Japan, where he and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged to enhance relations with the West in the face of mounting security concerns about Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its expanding military collaboration with China. The leaders also expressed worry about Russia's nuclear threats, Russia and China's combined military exercises near Japan, and North Korea's development of nuclear weapons. It follows Russia's warning yesterday that it is "on the verge of a direct collision with the United States and NATO" and that it is "very possible" that there will be no nuclear arms control treaty with the United States after 2026 due to Washington's attempts to inflict "strategic defeat" on Moscow in Ukraine. During a weekend visit to South Korea, Stoltenberg issued similar warnings about escalating tensions with China. Here, he encouraged Seoul to extend its military assistance to Ukraine. While the North Atlantic Treaty Organization comprises 30 European and North American nations, Stoltenberg has stated that its members face global dangers. Related Article: US Sending Small-Diameter Bomb to Ukraine @YouTube @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Major features: Built for the Chinese market with a wide range of plugins tackling major platforms and services with AI Major use cases: A wide range of markets, including mobile Datamatics TruBots, the name Datamatics gives its individual programs, are created with TruBot Designer, a tool that enables you to create and edit the software. Much of the work is accomplished by dragging and dropping components in a visual designer, but developers can also adjust the system-generated code in an IDE. The bots can be coordinated with TruBot Cockpit, and the system emphasizes text processing with special tools for scanning images and making sense of unstructured text. The tool runs in the cloud but some features can be installed on your own machine with a personal edition for handling more personal tasks, something Datamatics calls the democratization of RPA. Teams with document-heavy workloads can use TruCap, a tool for template-free data ingestion. Major features: Integration with AI for OCR and language analysis; mainframe integration; desktop version Major use cases: Chatbot and call center support; desktop automation EdgeVerve Systems The AssistEdge system helps build out your data processing infrastructure by integrating with major data sources and tracking users to discover common work patterns with AssistEdge Discover. Call centers and customer help portals can use AssistEdge Engage to automate the repetitive tasks of orchestrating multiple legacy systems. When possible, EdgeVerve relies on AI to provide contextual help and process incoming forms and other data. The document processing system, XtractEdge, for instance, offers OCR to speed form processing. The company also has systems optimized for industries such as supply chain management (TradeEdge) or banking. It offers migration from desktop to a cloud solution, and an open-source edition. Major features: Open-source edition; tighter integration with AI for contextual and visual processing Major use cases: Supply chain management, financial transactions Fortra Automate The RPA tools from Fortra (formerly HelpSystems) tackle business tasks ranging from responding to inquiries to generating reports. The core Desktop Automation tool scrapes data sources and interacts with web apps and local software by simulating events in the Windows GUI. Theres an emphasis on Microsoft Office tools to produce reports, both textual and graphical, consumed while managing a business. Larger jobs that span multiple desktops can use Automate Plus and Automate Ultimate for added scale. Document scanning is performed with Automate Intelligent Capture. All integrate security and audit capabilities to help managers after development. Major features: Integration with Microsoft desktop applications Major use cases: Claims processing, service industries IBM Automation IBM offers a wide range of options for automating menial tasks, split into separate products, and bundled under the umbrella of IBM Automation. IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation , for example, provides a low-code studio for testing and developing automation strategies. AI tools provide optical character recognition for documents. The Watson Assistant provides customer care with integrated bots. Teams can iterate over the workflows and explore hypothetical strategies with the Processing Mining tools. All the software can be deployed locally or in IBMs cloud. Major features: Deep experience with enterprise workflow; integration with many mainframes Major use cases: Data capture, scientific process management; business decision automation, front-line customer care Kofax ImageTech Systems makes Kofax, a set of bots for document processing and workflow automation. Its Design Studio offers an IDE for turning code written in Java, Python, or another programming language into instructions for their bots. Some users will want to use its Automated Process Discovery code for tracking existing workflows and producing bots. Code can also be spun off into smaller tools called Kapow Kapplets that handle focused chores locally. All the behavior is tracked with standard analytics and reported through a dashboard so you can watch for robotic glitches. Major features: Integration with enterprise content management tools; microapps platform to simplify deployment Major use cases: Managing content collections; data pipeline integration Laiye Laiye is another platform emerging from the Chinese marketplace to target retail groups and others with extensive customer requirements. The Automation Creator is a drag-and-drop IDE for turning workflow into Robots that can be deployed and tracked with tools like the Creativity Center. Major features: AI-powered chatbots and a cloud-native robots Major use cases: The Work Execution System offers general support for document-centric business tasks Microsoft Power The Power Automate tool from Microsoft is part of the companys Power platform for creating apps, virtual agents, and BI reports. The Desktop tool focuses on automating common Windows 10 (and higher) operations while the Cloud tool handles server-side tasks. The user-friendly interface enables everyone to track their workflow and convert it into an automated, editable routine. Power Advisor tracks statistics about performance to locate bottlenecks and other issues. Microsoft is integrating some of its AI into Power. Users can build new Automation scripts with natural language by describing what should happen. (Its said to be in preview.) AI Builder can also create and deploy models that make predictions and even decisions, taking more work off of users shoulders. Major features: Focus on Windows 10 or 11 platform on the desktop or on Azure Major use cases: Broad, enterprise-wide empowerment; AI integration MuleSoft RPA (formerly Servicetrace) The Mulesoft RPA tool from Salesforce, once known as Servicetrace, is now part of a larger platform for workplace automation and enterprise architecture. The RPA tools use AI and machine learning to help decode documents and automatically collect data. Automation can be scripted with the drag-and-drop RPA Builder, which brings wizard-driven solutions, or collected automatically with RPA Recorder , which watches users to capture repetitive tasks. When the results are deployed with the bot Manager, the systems vertical scaling enhances parallel operations enabling multiple bots to run simultaneously. Major features: AI-based OCR and a good editor encourages development; recent merger will bolster integration with API-based workflows Major use cases: Banking, utilities, and other industries with heavy compliance-driven work NICE The NICE robots are designed to run as supervised assistants for humans or, if theyre competent enough, as unsupervised back-office tools. The goal is Journey Orchestration so customers or staff are helped along at each step of the digital pipeline. One assistant, NEVA, is billed as a friendly assistant and workforce multiplier for customer service issues. The Scene Composer for the Real-Time Designer can track how clicks and keystrokes interact with web pages. Data from other sources can be gathered through Connectors to standard back-office sources such as SAP, Siebel, and .Net servers. Its CXexchange offers hundreds of extensions and agents that speed integration. CXone, its open cloud platform, helps support this growth around the globe. Major features: Integration between desktop assistants and server-side backend Major use cases: Call center automation; customer service tools; speeding workflow by creating robots that first learn by assisting humans before graduating to full autonomy in the back office Nintex The RPA tools from Kryon are now part of the Nintex data automation constellation, creating a complete platform for managing processes and business workflows. Process Discovery helps find the work that needs to be automated and turned into bots that can be deployed and tracked. For document-heavy processes that may require signatures, Nintexs collection of RPA bots focuses on integration with Office365, Salesforce, and Adobe tools to automate the process of creating documents and signing them in a digitized legal pipeline. The results can run either in the cloud or on premises. Major features: Tight integration with dominant desktop tools Major use cases: Compliance pipelines dominated by documents NTT-AT WinActor NTT-ATs WinActor was built to save Windows users time by automating the most common steps. It integrates with major Microsoft tools to build sophisticated workflows by recording user actions. These are turned into scenarios, and users can trigger these scenarios when a new event occurs such as the arrival of an email. A new request for information, for instance, can be turned into a qualified lead for the sales database with a few clicks. A wide variety of supplemental libraries can extend the tool to handle specific tasks such as creating PDF versions. Major features: Heavy integration with Microsoft tools Major use cases: Email processing and database integration; spreadsheet automation Pega Pega from Pegasystems offers a wide variety of tools that speed up integration and processing for enterprises, including AI classifiers, chatbots, DevOps support tools, and pure RPA. Creating the right automation can begin with Pegas AI-driven workforce intelligence tool, a bot that installs on desktops to track how people work. This survey will reveal bottlenecks where poor back-end processing can be automated now and in the future. Pega wants to deliver self-healing and self-learning applications that can use AI and other statistics to recognize new opportunities for better automation. Pega supports common use cases such as reconciling financial transactions and onboarding new customers. The company also offers low-code options for BPM. Major features: Fully integrated with suite of enterprise tools for developing, deploying, and automating data processing Major use cases: Regulatory compliance and integration Rocketbot Juggling documents with Python-based bots on Linux, Mac, or Windows desktops is the main focus of Rocketbot. Text can be extracted using Rocketbot Telescope and then fed into backed data using bots trained by Rocketbot Studios drag-and-drop editor. Rocketbot Orquestador will manage them, running them as needed while compiling statistics. Major features: Python-based bots Major use cases: Document processing and data extraction Samsung SDS Brity RPA Samsung SDSs Brity RPA is split into three parts. Designer offers drag-and-drop flowcharting for both desktop and enterprise back-end legacy services through a variety of connectors. Bot schedules and runs the various jobs at pre-set times or in response to events, rebooting virtual machines and simulating all events that might be generated by a real human. Bigger, more independent jobs can be split off to run in the Bot processor. Samsung is also integrating a wide variety of AI routines (ML, NLP, visual, and analytic ) and is expanding to deliver collaboration software for teams. Major features: Aimed at improving industrial and enterprise business flow through automation Major use cases: Time-saving and quality improvement for enterprise-driven tasks SAP SAP now offers a Robotic Process Automation option to simplify many of the workflow operations with its software. SAPs tool can watch current teams to imitate their actions. When its done, you can tweak the process in a drag-and-drop low-code IDE. The results are deployed into the SAP environment to live as either attended or unattended bots. Teams that want to leverage the work of others can turn to the SAP RPA store to download bots for common tasks such as unpacking Excel spreadsheets looking for orders to recognize and categorize. Major features: Integration with the SAP stack Major use cases: Automating the business processes tracked and driven by SAP SS&C Blue Prism SS&C Blue Prism, one of the earliest RPA companies that began in 2012, pushes intelligent automation that mixes more AI into the process to simplify scaling and adaptive processes. The emphasis is on using AI and machine learning to create journeys for your data as its handed off along a chain of bots that often make fully automated decisions through sophisticated machine learning algorithms. You string together a sequence of actions at the beginning, but then each action generates statistics that can be used to train and improve the choices made. The company also maintains a digital exchange where third-party plugins and add-ons can be purchased to extend the powers by creating connections with traditional databases such as MySQL, larger providers such as AWS, and social media outlets such as Twitter. Major features: Big investment in AI, including machine vision and sentiment analysis for classifying and responding to all messages Major use cases: Building a full chain of document and message processing UiPath UiPath offers a full collection of tools for discovering workflows through Process Mining and Task Analysis and turning them an autonomous processes that can be edited and tweaked. These robots are controlled by Orchestrator, which triggers them in response to events while tracking behavior, generating reports, and controlling access where needed for compliance. UiPath is expanding into AI and is emphasizing machine vision tools that can extract information from images or screenshots. These are often focused on OCR to convert letters and numbers into machine-understandable forms. Major features: Open environment allows integration of VB.Net, C#, Python, and Java code when challenges grow Major use cases: Integration with full legacy stack solutions; transaction processing WorkFusion The digital workers from WorkFusion come with individual human names and special focuses. Tara, for instance, is a top OFAC / AML expert who is laser-focused on keeping your transactions risk-free. Casey is a customer relations specialist who is obsessed with creating a better, faster customer experience. Enterprises can begin with them as a starting point or create a custom version that can deploy OCR and some AI to their particular tasks. The digital workers are deployed with Workforce Enterprise to either run autonomously or work as assistants for humans that remain in the loop. Major features: Digital workers tuned to common roles for RPA and workforce automation. Major use cases: Email and client interaction; task routing Open source The major companies are generally selling proprietary tools, although community editions with limited functionality are common. Open-source processes are less cosmmon but you can often accomplish many of the simple tasks by stringing together some open source projects. You are likely going to have to do much more work to train the tools yourself, often by typing code into an editor. Still, they remain an interesting option. Check out Puppeteer, Selenium, and Headless Firefox for a basic start. When it comes to data, the first question isnt whether you can measure something, its whether you should. What you can or should measure impacts what you can do as a business, potentially affecting your business model. Along with respecting regulatory compliance requirements and the privacy rights of individuals, its necessary to consider the business value of data. You cant run a business if youre unsure about data protection mandates or what can be measured. Thats why data governance must underpin the business model and strategy. It needs a seat in the executive suite. The introduction of GDPR and other data protection regulations have forced every business to be aware of data privacy boundaries: What data can be measured and stored, and who has access? Data governance ensures only authorized individuals have access to specific data, with controls to protect sensitive data such as personally identifiable information (PII). Getting it wrong has serious legal, financial, and reputational implications for your business. A strong legal team with data privacy experience is fundamental to understanding the risk and interpreting what laws affect your business. Its a complex landscape with no single regulatory body and rules that vary from country to country. There must be a specific group within IT operations, a data team, that ensures your business collects and stores the right information and controls accessibility. With those guardrails in place, only then can a data analyst or data scientist safely access and interpret that information to create business value. The Benefits of Data Governance Data governance delivers a straight quantifiable return on investment with improved operational efficiency and reduced business risk. For example, having employees searching through reams of data that have no impact on business outcomes is a waste of time and money. But with structured policies in place that determine who should have access to what data, you can avoid that problem. Plus, access to confidential information is carefully controlled, reducing the risk of costly data breaches and compliance failures while providing measurable financial benefits. Effective data governance also creates a competitive advantage. As a compliant business, youre able to enhance your brand by building trust with consumers and partners. Key Steps to Building a Data Governance Strategy Comprehensive data governance must be planned and implemented as early as possible. Here are key steps to building an effective strategy: Appoint a data champion on the executive team to lead the charge and incorporate data governance into your business. Build SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) data goals that add business value. Develop a data dictionary with a well-documented glossary of metrics for your business. Categorize and determine what data is confidential to reduce legal risk, improve operational efficiency, and build a competitive advantage. Establish privacy and governance policies to ensure you collect the right data at the right time and limit access to necessary individuals. Build infrastructure and systems to back up your policies along with the budget to support them. Base all infrastructure and data platforms on security to ensure data is used responsibly at all times. Communicate with the business. Data governance should be well understood by company executives and respected as a critical part of day-to-day operations. Streamlining Data Use Data access can be streamlined by establishing workflows that automatically route requests to the right people and instantaneously grant access once approved. This takes pressure off the data team, empowers data owners, and ensures everything is monitored and governed. Preparing for the Future Data privacy is complicated. Security will continue as an essential part of the data governance journey. Data governance must continually evolve in step with regulatory changes and new business opportunities. Subsequently, businesses should consider future scenarios, create a multi-year plan and shore up data protection defenses. To achieve enduring success, companies must have the technology, people, and processes in place to support data governance, enable analytics, and drive business growth. Get your data governance program blueprint for the five components every data governance program must have, including pitfalls to avoid and six best practices to employ. Download the whitepaper. The United States government is reportedly monitoring an alleged high-altitude Chinese spy balloon flying above the continental USA, according to US military sources. The China spy balloon has been tracked by the US government for many days as it traveled across the northern USA, according to Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for the Pentagon, according to CNN. Brig. Gen. Ryder added that the China spy balloon was flying at an "altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground." An unnamed US defense official said that top military officials advised President Joe Biden not to shoot it down because the debris could endanger people below the ground. A US Intel official said this is not the first China spy balloon to fly over the USA, but it looks to be acting strangely. Read Also: Powerball Jackpot Update China Appeals for 'Prudence' The official noted that the balloon has a "distinguished" feature as it seems to be staying longer this time than in past occurrences. On Wednesday, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Mark Milley assessed the situation. While this was happening, Austin was in the Philippines, BBC reported. The two allies agreed Thursday that the Philippines would allow the US to deploy military installations on the southern South China Sea border near Taiwan, as concerns about China's territorial aggression in the region continue to increase, per a previous HNGN report. The Chinese government in Beijing did not right away refute the claim that the spy balloon was theirs, Sky News reported. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that Beijing is verifying the details of the matter, and hoping that China and the USA "can handle the matter calmly and prudently." Related Article: North Korea To Join Russia in Ukraine War @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. La Sireti s-a desfasurat o sedinta de Consultari publice privind procedura de expropriere temporara pentru terenurile afectate in timpul constructiei magistralei de apa Chisinau-Straseni-Calarasi MPs have voted to overturn amendments made by the House of Lords to embed social value in public procurement processes. Earlier this week, the procurement bill started its committee stage in the House of Commons where the proposals for change were discussed and voted on. Conservative members voted to reject peers amendments that had sought to mandate contracting authorities to consider social value . MPs from other parties had unsuccessfully argued that the amendments were necessary to reduce barriers to entry for charities and voluntary organisations. NCVO called the outcome disappointing and a missed opportunity to further embed social value in procurement. Crucial to tackle barriers faced by charities Some nine Conservative MPs voted against the amendments while five Labour and one Scottish National Party (SNP) representatives voted for their inclusion in the bill. During this weeks debate, Labour MP Florence Eshalomi said the bill must reduce barriers to entry for charities and voluntary organisations because theyre often best placed to deliver a range of public services. While all types and sizes of charities experience challenges relating to the commissioning and procurement of public services, smaller organisations often face greater barriers. She said the nature of charities and voluntary organisations means that they can reach people who are overlooked or undeserved by mainstream services, and can provide wraparound support to address the root causes of the challenges many people face. The government spent 11.6bn on contracts with charities alone in 2019-20. Ensuring that the bill works for such organisations and services is therefore crucial. SNP MP Kirsty Blackman described the Lords amendments as clever and necessary. She said: Charities are struggling at the moment. Every charitable organisation that I have spoken to has mentioned its concerns about how it will carry on. We know that during the cost-of-living crisis, people are reducing their discretionary spending; they do not have any money left to spend on things such as charitable giving, and therefore charities are really in need of contracts to be able to continue to provide their services. Charities have workerspeople work for charities. Without securing sensible, value-for-money contracts, charities will not be able to give their staff the uplift they need in order to avoid the cost-of-living crisis. It would be helpful specifically to include charities in the bill and define that. Amendments deemed unnecessary However, Conservative MPs said the bill already functions to give appropriate support to charities participation in public procurement. Alex Burghart, parliamentary secretary for the Cabinet Office, said: Its undesirable to include other types of organisations in clause 12(4) and risk diluting the separate requirement for contracting authorities to have particular regard to barriers that smaller suppliers face because of their size. I respectfully request that the committee does not support amendments 90 and 91. Burghart argued that the amendments were unnecessary as existing law requires contractors to consider the extent to which public money spent on their contracts can deliver greater benefit than it otherwise wouldfor example, broader social value or equitable outcomes for groups such as armed forces veterans, local employment and such like. NCVO: Clause removals disappointing According to NCVOs 2022 UK Civil Society Almanac, voluntary sector income from the government is at its lowest for 15 years . Introducing a social value requirement in public procurement could lead to more government funding for charities. Chris Walker, policy and public affairs manager at NCVO, said: Its disappointing that the government has removed these clauses from the bill. There was cross-party agreement in the House of Lords that the bill should do more to require consideration of social value in procurement, allowing us to build on the success of the Social Value Act. The government has reaffirmed the role of the Social Value Act, but this is looking like it will be a missed opportunity to further embed social value in procurement. We urge MPs and peers to keep pushing the government to put social value on the face of the bill. NPC: More difficult decisions for charities Theo Clay, policy manager at New Philanthropy Capital, said: Its becoming ever more unsustainable for charities to deliver government contracts below cost price. We know from our State of the Sector research that 59% of charities subsidise government contracts with other forms of income. The Procurement Bill was an opportunity to recognise the broader value that working with charities can bring, and build better partnerships with them. This announcement will mean more difficult decisions for charities, and could leave communities without support when they need it most. It remains an important issue for the charity sector and for good public services, so we will continue to make the case as well as working directly with local councils to help them improve how they work with charities. sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, By Vadi Fuoco, Adobe Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust has rebranded as Project Youth Cancer, to mark the charitys shift to increase mental health support for young people with cancer. Project Youth Cancer aims to position itself as a leading support organisation for young people with cancer in the UK, and has launched a counselling service to for young cancer patients. This new service is available to young people with cancer throughout Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, with the support of Leeds Building Society. Established in 1996, the charity supports 47 specialist hospitals throughout the UK that treat teenage cancer, providing support mechanisms, such as technology, to improve time spent on hospital wards. The charitys chief executive Pam Thornes said: We had already shifted our focus to include mental wellbeing a couple of years ago, so it felt like a logical step to completely reassess how we supported our patients and see if we could help fill the void that existed in mental health support. Decision to change the name a very difficult one Helen Mervill, head of operations at the charity, which has an annual income of 167,000, told Civil Society News that conversations around the rebrand started in the summer of last year. Our charity, like many others, was shaken by the pandemic and left us questioning our normal; the way we work, our values and purpose and most prominently the charitys future. She added: The biggest realisation we had during the branding conversations was that we were not truly putting the young people we support at the heart of everything we did, and we needed that to change. We started involving young people in the conversations we were having about the charity and the branding process, asking them what appealed to them, how they perceived the charity as it was and what they would like to see change. Mervill said the decision to change the name was a very difficult one. For me personally, Laura Crane was a childhood friend and her tragic death at 17 was the reason the charity started. Lauras story will always be a part of the charitys, but other young peoples stories are also important and our focus must be on the young people with cancer that we support today and in the future, she said. The charity worked with Frank & Alex Brand Strategy who gave their time and expertise for free. Mervill added the full brand strategy and rebrand would ordinarily cost upwards of 2,000. The new website has also been donated free of charge by Forty4Three. We are incredibly fortunate to receive this level of support from our generous contributors, she said. sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, In the fifties and sixties, announcers at Elvis Presley concerts had to tell fans that Elvis has left the building, lest they refuse to leave, hoping for an encore. The image evokes Donald Trump, who left the building two years ago and is desperate to move back in. A loud mass of Americans are calling for Trumps return to the White House, though the mass is probably shrinking, and other measureshis growing legal exposure, a lack of money, voter exhaustionindicate that he may not make it back after all. Nonetheless, the question of how the press treats, and has treated, Trump surged back up again this week, including in the pages of CJR. At the beginning of the week, we published an encyclopedic, four-part series by Jeff Gerth, an investigative reporter, on the medias coverage of Trumps ties to Russia, arguing, in effect, that the nations biggest news outlets got ahead of themselves. As I wrote in an editors note (using a term favored by Trumps supporters): No narrative did more to shape Trumps relations with the press than Russiagate. The story, which included the Steele dossier and the Mueller report among other totemic moments, resulted in Pulitzer Prizes as well as embarrassing retractions and damaged careers. For Trump, the presss pursuit of the Russia story convinced him that any sort of normal relationship with the press was impossible. The reaction to the piece reflected the divisions in the country, and its media. Voices in the right-wing press, including at Fox News and the Washington Times, hailed our report as proof of the media assault on Trump that theyve been hyping all along. Trump cheered that view on Truth Social, his own, struggling social-media platform. Other people said, often on Twitter, that they hated the piece for giving Trump the microphone (Gerth interviewed him in the course of his reporting) and for arguing that, when it came to Trumps ties to Russia, there was no there there (which isnt the case, and which the story didnt claim). Were taking the critiques seriously. In media circles, passions toward Trump seem only barely to have cooled, even though hes been out of power for two years. Partly, that is due to a reasonable fear of what could happen to the press, and to specific reporters, if Trump and his cabal return. Those threats are real. But there is, I think, also a realization that Trump and journalism were entangled in an elaborate cage match, from which neither side particularly benefited. So how should we cover Trump going forward, as he seeks the presidency again? Were already being invited to think about it. This week, he sued Bob Woodward, absurdly claiming that he is owed fifty million dollars for copyright and other violations after Woodward published an audiobook based on taped conversations with Trump. Sign up for CJR 's daily email As Oliver Darcy reported in an excellent piece for CNN, legal experts immediately dismissed the lawsuit as a nuisance, and Darcy reminded reporters that the former president has a long history of filing, or merely threatening, lawsuits and even legislation that go nowhere. (Remember his pledge to open up the nations libel laws?) Despite this history, news outlets across the country reported the threat against Woodward credulously, without important context. If the press is still failing to do its due diligence on a simple story like this, Darcy wrote, that does not bode well as the country hurtles toward what is already gearing up to be an ugly 2024 presidential race. Six years after Trump walked into the White House, the press remains conflicted about him, outraged and preoccupied at the same time. The solution, I think, is to let every story stand for itself; broader narratives are dangerous things when covering a messy political reality. Sometimes a story calls for Trump to be ignored; sometimes for a drumbeat of continuous, critical coverage; sometimes for a deep breath and nothing else. You can read Gerths accounting of the errors in the Trump-Russia story here. Other notable stories: ICYMI: Facebook tries to have it both ways on Trump Kyle Pope is the editor in chief and publisher of the Columbia Journalism Review. The US Justice Department has confirmed that a suspect has been caught in connection with an "attempted firebombing" of a synagogue in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Surveillance footage shows a guy in a black hoodie throwing a lit Molotov cocktail at a New Jersey synagogue Ner Tamid at around 3:00 am on Sunday. The Justice Department said Wednesday that license plate scanners identified Nicholas Malindretos, 26, of Clifton, New Jersey, per USA Today. According to an FBI complaint, officials found a sweatshirt and gloves that matched the New Jersey firebomb suspect's attire on the synagogue's security camera and saw a guy resembling the suspect's appearance enter a neighboring building while searching Malindretos' car. Acting ATF Special Agent in Charge Bryan Miller described an alleged attempted firebombing of a place of worship as an assault on the whole community, according to a press release by the US Department of Justice. "We are honored to work side by side with our local, state, and federal partners to bring today's charge," he noted. Read Also: China Caught Spying on the United States US Anti-Semitic Attacks Increases Following Malindretos' first court appearance on Thursday, US Attorney Philip Sellinger for the District of New Jersey informed reporters that Kiel had ordered the suspect's detention upon the premise that "he would otherwise present a danger to the community" following the New Jersey firebomb incident. There had been an increase in anti-Semitic assaults and threats against Jewish houses of worship at the time of the New Jersey synagogue incident. The Anti-Defamation League, a global Jewish non-governmental anti-hate organization, reported 121 antisemitic attacks against Jewish institutions from June to early December last year. It anticipates the number to climb once the data is completed, as per an UPI report. Related Article: Pope Francis: Stop Choking Africa @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) Every company has a story. For home improvement and construction retailer Wilcon Depot Inc., its humble beginnings as a family business making an effort to serve the community is the core that led the company to its achievements. Wilcon Depot started out as a 60-square-meter hardware shop along Quezon Avenue. It was founded by its Chairman Emeritus William Belo. After more than four decades, the retailer now has almost a hundred stores nationwide. Wilcon Depot's first hardware shop along Quezon Avenue. Photo from CNN Philippines' Behind the Brand: Wilcon Depot In Wilcon, we have some sort of commitment with our Filipino home owners, contractors or developers. We assure them that we will supply them with the best products world class products at very reasonable prices, Belo said. Wilcon, as a customer-centric company, has constantly evolved and improved. We always make constant effort in earning the loyalty of the customers, he added. Wilcon Depot Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Rosemarie Bosch-Ong said the company shows the customers that it is loyal to them. We really value the relationship and from the very start, weve always put the customers in mind. We make sure that we are in tune with what the customer needs and wants, she added. Photo from CNN Philippines' Behind the Brand: Wilcon Depot Wilcon Depot also takes pride in taking care of its employees, and it believes that they are the companys top assets. Grace Tiong, Wilcon Depots Senior Executive Vice President for Human Resources, said the companys training program is precise in communicating its vision and mission. We make Wilcon a company that gives our employees a sense of purpose, essentially making Wilcon a better place to work. It feels great seeing many exceptional and talented employees stay in our company, she added. Photo from CNN Philippines' Behind the Brand: Wilcon Depot Wilcon also continues to provide for those in need, offering scholarships to deserving children of some employees through its foundation. The company is also involved in other activities such as tree planting and fundraising projects for local communities. Its really with great pride that we get to say Wilcon is already 45 years in the business. Not a lot of companies survive 45 years and still strive. Weve definitely come far these last 45 years. I know theres still miles to go but this anniversary is really our time to celebrate, Wilcon President and Chief Executive Officer Lorraine Belo-Cincochan said. Belo-Cincochan said that as Wilcon continues to grow and expand its services and products, it will double its efforts to ensure that it will continue to revolutionize and make an impact in the countrys retail industry. Learn more about Wilcon Depots stories as it celebrates 45 years in business in this video: Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) Negros Oriental will have a new airport with a 17-billion funding approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board. The New Dumaguete Airport Development Project is among seven high-impact projects greenlit by the NEDA Board chaired by the president, said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan. During a Palace briefing, Balisacan said the new gateway to be constructed in Bacong town will replace the Dumaguete-Sibulan airport. "The new Dumaguete airport shall enhance the province's tourism and trade potential, economic activities, and standard of living," he added. Of the approved budget, Balisacan said 13 billion will be funded through official development assistance from the Korean government, and the remaining to be shouldered by the government. "The project will be implemented within seven years," he added. Aside from the multibillion-peso Dumaguete airport, Balisacan also bared other projects approved by the NEDA Board. including a 6-billion cancer center to be built inside the Philippine General Hospital complex in Manila. READ: Marcos-led NEDA Board OKs 6B cancer hospital in Manila The list also includes a 20-billion integrated flood resilience and adaptation project, Metro Davao Public Transport Modernization, Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) rehabilitation, upgrade of the communications, navigation, surveillance/air traffic management system; and Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 1) Manila and Washington on Thursday held talks on "concrete actions to address destabilizing activities" in Philippine waters. "We discussed concrete actions to address destabilizing activities in the waters surrounding the Philippines including the West Philippine Sea," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III told a briefing. "And we remain committed to strengthening our mutual capacities to resist armed attack," he added. Austin said he and his Filipino counterpart Carlito Galvez Jr. reaffirmed commitments under the decades-old Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States. "We note the Mutual Defense Treaty applies to armed attacks on either of our armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft anywhere in the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea," Austin explained. The US will now have wide access to military camps in the Philippines after Manila agreed to designate four more Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites - to be added to the original five. Washington has also vowed to help modernize the Philippine military. Austin said these efforts are "especially important" as China "continues to advance its illegitimate claims" in the West Philippine Sea. China has repeatedly rejected a 2016 landmark ruling by an international arbitral tribunal that invalidated its sweeping claims over the South China Sea, and recognized the Philippines' sovereign rights to areas within its exclusive economic zone. Reacting to the US defense chief's statements, the Chinese Embassy said Austin "smeared China on the issue of South China Sea to advance the anti-China political agenda of the US." The East Asian giant also said defense and security cooperation between countries should not target or harm the interests of a third party. It also warned that US efforts to step up military posture in the Asia-Pacific would only "escalate" tensions in the region. "Such moves contradict the common aspiration of regional countries to seek peace, cooperation and development, and run counter to the common aspiration of the Filipino people to pursue sound economic recovery and a better life in cooperation with China," the Chinese Embassy said. "It is hoped that the Philippine side stays vigilant and resists from being taken advantage of and dragged into trouble waters," it added. The Philippine government has filed dozens of diplomatic protests against China over its activities and intrusions in the country's waters. READ: Senate denounces Chinese 'bullying' in West PH Sea READ: Probe underway as Chinese Coast Guard 'drives away' Filipino fishing boat in Ayungin Shoal In early January, both President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed to solve differences over the West Philippine Sea through peaceful means. During his state visit to Beijing, Marcos also said he brought up the plight of Filipino fishermen to Xi, who promised to find a solution to avoid misunderstandings in the disputed waters. Mason Stonehouse, 6, spent $1,000 on Grubhub orders while playing on his dad's phone. Around 9 p.m. on a Saturday, food deliveries began at the family's residence in Chesterfield Township, close to Detroit. Frequent packages are seen arriving at the Stonehouse front door in video captured by the family's Ring camera. Keith, Mason's dad, was confused at first, but then he pieced everything together that involved a Michigan boy playing with his phone. The father of two said it took multiple meal deliveries from different food establishments before he noticed Michigan boy Grubhub food orders on his phone, per CNN. Read Also: Taylor Lautner Comments on Ex-GF Taylor Swift Keith said that it "struck" him when he ate the meal. He checked his phone and saw notifications that his food "was getting read." "I looked at my bank account and it was getting drained," he said. It Was A Food Feast Shrimp, salads, shawarma, chicken pita wraps, sandwiches, chili cheese fries, and numerous scoops of ice cream were among the many items on Mason's seemingly endless meal order. Keith's bank received a fraud notice, rejecting a $400 pizza purchase due to the large amount. Mason's mom, Kristin Stonehouse, said Grubhub had awarded the family a $1,000 gift card for the trouble caused by the Michigan boy playing on his dad's phone. According to her, the firm is also contemplating incorporating the family into an internet advertising campaign, according to NBC News. Because of the Michigan boy Grubhub incident, the Stonehouse family had to store most food deliveries in their refrigerator. Some of the neighbors were asked over to share in the feast, People reported. Related Article: Henry Cavill Superman Casting Update @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) The recent agreements between the United States and the Philippines are not directed at any country, as these only aim to help in terms of defense capability and disaster resilience, said Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel "Babe" Romualdez. Every country has its own interpretation. To us, we are only doing what is rightfully our right to defend ourselves. None of these moves are being directed to any country, Romualdez told CNN Philippines The Source on Friday. This was his response when asked about the Chinese Embassys statement against the announcements made by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III regarding Washingtons commitment to help address destabilizing activities in Philippine waters. Beijing said Austin "smeared China on the issue of the South China Sea to advance the anti-China political agenda of the US." Moreover, the defense and security cooperation between the Philippines and the US should not target or harm the interests of a third party, China said. It also warned that US efforts to step up military posture in the Asia-Pacific would only "escalate" tensions in the region. China has been rejecting the 2016 landmark ruling by an international arbitral tribunal that invalidated its claims over the South China Sea, and recognized the Philippines' sovereign rights to areas within its exclusive economic zone. Romualdez pointed out that defense capabilities are very important nowadays amid the changing world. Thus, the Philippine government is only doing what it can by working with allies to make sure that we will continue to be able to defend ourselves, if and when the time comes. He also noted the commitment made by US Vice President Kamala Harris during her visit to Palawan in November 2022, reaffirming Americas support for long-standing ally Philippines amid tensions in the South China Sea. "We would like to work with like-minded countries that they will be able to do what weve been doing, which is to protect our territorial waters and protect our fishermen to do their livelihood," Romualdez added. Rest assured, the Philippines is doing a good job in sustaining cordial relationships with both superpowers, as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured China that he does not want trouble, he noted. Among the announcements yesterday was the establishment of four new sites to expand US military presence under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). Authorities have yet to confirm the new locations, but it was earlier announced that Zambales, Cagayan, Isabela, and Palawan - all of which face China, Taiwan, and the Korean Peninsula had been proposed. Aside from improving the defense capability of the Philippine military, Romualdez said the new EDCA sites will help improve the armed forces mobility, making it easier for them to conduct exercises in these areas. The new locations will also allow faster disaster response in times of calamities, and for economic development of the local government units where these sites will be established, he added. Romualdez said the Philippines and US also briefly discussed the general details of conducting joint maritime exercises. In a statement on Friday, the US Department of Defense said Austin and Galvez "agreed to restart joint maritime patrols in the South China Sea to help address these challenges." Actually, we dont call it joint patrol, but joint exercises, maritime exercises, Romualdez said. Thats always been on the table. Weve had that agreement with the United States as far back as 10 years ago. Its merely just simply probably looking at reviving those maritime exercises that we have had with the United States, so that was discussed in general." Hopefully we will come to an agreement on the details/parameters for the renewal of joint maritime exercises within a month, he also said. READ: PH-US joint maritime patrols in West PH Sea on the table envoy Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario meanwhile issued a statement welcoming the talks on joint exercises. He said this will help protect Filipino fishermen and support efforts of the country to develop its energy resources. He also expressed approval of the addition of four new EDCA sites, adding he looks forward to the possibility of revisiting other ways for the US to back the Philippine military, such as operational leases for acquiring newer military assets that are faster and maybe cheaper for the defense of Philippine waters and territory. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has obtained information on some of the non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) signed by the government to procure COVID-19 vaccines, including the amount spent for each shot. Without going into detail, panel chairman Francis Tolentino said a number of vaccine manufacturers were very cooperative during the closed-door executive session where they disclosed the information on Wednesday. Sinabi na nila yung presyo, sinabi na nila yung volume, yung number ng dineliver nilang doses, Tolentino said in an online media interview on Friday. [Translation: They already gave the prices, volumes, and number of doses delivered.] However, a number of vaccine makers failed to send representatives. Tolentino said the committee is now constrained to issue a subpoena to force the pharmaceutical companies to be present during the next hearing. He said details can be discussed in a public hearing once the vaccine manufacturers give their green light. During the last hearing in December, officials from the previous and current administration cited the NDAs in their refusal to disclose the prices of vaccines bought by the government, prompting Tolentino to call a closed-door meeting. He said he wanted to know how much money was spent for the 44 million doses that expired or went to waste since the pandemic struck, as reported by the Department of Health. Tolentino said during the closed-door meeting, he also cautioned health officials to slow down in the purchase of bivalent vaccines to avoid further wastage. While NDAs are a requirement in the procurement of vaccines, Tolentino urged the government to exempt prices from the deal and seek a shorter period for non-disclosure. Yung isang nabasa kong NDA, 10 years, which is unfair. Dapat siguro two years, or 2.5 years, Tolentino said. [Translation: I read an NDA with a 10-year validity period, which is unfair. I think two years or 2.5 years should suffice.] Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.s administration should uphold its no tax exemption policy for the proposed corporation that will manage the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF), Senator Chiz Escudero said. The senator said that granting too much tax exemptions to the Maharlika Investment Corporation (MIC) is a bad policy. It is bad policy to have a lot of exemptions and very difficult to implement, if at all," Escudero said in a statement released on Friday. "So, I think they should continue with that policy, he added. The policy of the previous administration was not to provide tax exemption, or at the very least minimize it. READ: Escudero questions composition of Maharlika fund board Article 7, Section 31 of Senate Bill 1670 and House Bill 6608 states that MIC and MIF shall be exempt from local and national taxes, direct and indirect, that may be imposed under the Local Government Code of 1991, and the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997. But Escudero said MIC should still be obligated to pay the taxes due as the government can always funnel the money back to the Maharlika Fund by way of the Tax Expenditure Fund as provided for in the annual General Appropriations Act The lawmaker added that financial institutions such as Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines which are being eyed as major contributors to the MIF have been paying taxes as the rest of the other corporations. The Land Bank and the DBP do not enjoy (tax) exemptions. So, why give it to the MIC? he asked. READ: The proposed Maharlika Investment Fund: What you need to know The Maharlika fund is a sovereign wealth fund that will be used by the government to invest in key sectors like foreign currencies, domestic and foreign corporate bonds, commercial real estate, and infrastructure projects to help fund the country's priority programs. The House of Representatives approved its version of the MIF in December 2022. Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions, and Currencies started its plenary debates on the proposed bills on Wednesday. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) A forensic pathologist revealed that the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Public Attorneys Office (PAO) did not properly examine drug war victim Kian Delos Santos remains and noted several inconsistencies. In a press conference on Thursday, Dr. Raquel Fortun noted new findings after re-examining the 17-year-old boys body who was killed in 2017 by cops at the height of the Duterte administrations Oplan Tokhang. READ: What we know so far about Kian's death The forensic expert slammed the PNPs report, saying it was too crammed up and almost had no information on it. Ang shortcut, may cause of death na. The end. Wala ng laman, wala ng laman ang kanilang autopsy report, Fortun said while showing pictures of the report. [Translation: The shortcut, there was already a cause of death. The end. There was nothing, their autopsy report had nothing in it.] She added that the first autopsy only made surface cuts on Delos Santos body, signifying that the remains were not properly examined as the cuts were only for external examination. What about the autopsy? Naalala niyo dinocument may hiwa dito? Akala mo autopsy. Kunwari lang pala. Hiniwa lang yung balat. I see this a lot. Kunwari, she said. The stomach contains 200cc of digested food particles. Ayan bola yan," Fortun added. "Kasi paano mong nakita kung anong contents ng stomach kung hindi mo naman binuksan. [Translation: What about the autopsy? Do you remember that a cut here was documented? You may think it was an autopsy. It was all pretense. They just cut the skin. I see this a lot. The stomach contains 200cc of digested food particles. This is deceiving. How can you see the stomachs contents if you didnt open it?] While PAOs autopsy had pictures and measurements, Fortun believed their examination was also superficial, also noting only entry holes and surface incisions on the trunk area. Fortun also revealed that she found a bullet on the boys "neck region" through an X-Ray. The bullet that the expert believed could be matched to the gun that was used were not reported in autopsies previously done by the agencies. It's very important kasi this can be connected to a gun which was in possession, which was fired by someone," she said. "But how many years late are we? Five years," she added. "This is useless if we don't have something to compare it with. Fortun also called for help from international forensic scientists that could help the investigation. Asan kaya yung mga baril na involved?" she said. "Ang sabi sa akin nasunog. So anong gagawin natin diyan? Hindi ko alam. Kaya paulit-ulit sinasabi ko, I need help from the international forensic science community. [Translation: Where are the guns involved? I was told it was burned. So what do we do with this? I dont know. This is why I have repeatedly said I need help from the international forensic science community.] RELATED: 3 cops found guilty of murdering Kian delos Santos After the International Criminal Court authorized its prosecutor to resume the probe into drug war killings under former president Rodrigo Duterte, the government still insists that the justice system is working and resists cooperating with the international body. READ: Dela Rosa favors arresting ICC officials if they insist on coming to PH Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) Award-winning Japanese author Haruki Murakami will be releasing a new novel after six years, publisher Shinchosa announced Thursday. Shinchosa said the novel will be out on April 13 in Japanese - with translations following later on. However, the plot and title have yet to be revealed. The novel will be 1,200 manuscript pages long and will cost 2,970 or 1,239, according to Shinchosa. Both physical and e-book copies will be available. This will be Murakami's latest work since the "Killing Commendatore," which was released in February 2017. Murakami debuted in 1979 with "Listen to the Song of the Wind," which won the Gunzo Prize for New Writers in Japan. He also received awards for his novels "Norwegian Wood," "The Adventures of Sheep," "After Dark," and "1Q84," among others. His 2005 novel "Kafka on the Shore" was also recognized among the New York Times 10 Best Books that same year. Murakami's literary works were also recognized in the 2006 Franz Kafka Prize, 2009 Jerusalem Prize, 2011 Catalunya International Prize, 2014 Welt Literary Prize, 2016 Hans Christian Literature Award, and 2022 Chino Derduca World Prize in France. The 74-year-old author has also written short stories, essays and travelogs, and translated several books. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) Rehabilitation works for the aging Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) got more funding to include possible capacity expansion in the future. The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Board approved a 7.6-billion increase in the rehabilitation fund as recommended by the Department of Transportation, or from 21.9 billion to 29.6 billion. "This project involves upgrading MRT 3 to its original as-designed state with provision for capacity expansion in the future," Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said. "All subsystems will be restored, renewed, or upgraded, including the tracks, signaling system, power supply system, overhead catenary system, and communications system, as well as maintenance and station equipment." The expansion would "involve integrating other MRT 3 related projects, such as the common station, the Dalian trains, and the transition to a 4-car train configuration," he told reporters, referring to the central hub in Quezon City connecting MRT 3, LRT 1, and MRT 7, and the trains from China. Asked if the expansion would result in fare increase, Balisacan said the project contract was designed to prevent sharp or unjustifiable hikes. "Hindi mangyayari 'yan na [That won't happen] even if in the future i-PPP [public-private partnership] yung [the] operations and maintenance, nakita niyo naman [you've seen] with the public operations the experience is not good," he explained. "We think that a private sector operating it is likely to give a better experience for passengers as we see in other countries, not the construction but the operation and maintenance," he added. The MRT 3 first saw rehabilitation in 2018. Further improvements would be on top of the MRT 3 rehabilitation completed last year, said former Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade. Meanwhile, the DOTr said on Friday that it completed the overhaul of all 72 of its train cars. This MRT 3 expansion fund increase is one of seven high-impact projects approved by the NEDA Board chaired by the president. Other projects are the 6-billion cancer center at the Philippine General Hospital, New Dumaguete Airport Development , improvement of air traffic management system, Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development, Integrated Flood Resilience and Adaptation, and expansion of the Metro Davao Public Transport Modernization. RELATED: Marcos-led NEDA Board OKs 6B cancer hospital in Manila NEDA OKs 2-B loan to back up, upgrade air traffic management system NEDA approves 17-B Dumaguete airport Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) The Philippines has suspended accreditation of new foreign recruitment agencies in Kuwait, Department of Migrant Workers' (DMW) spokesperson Toby Nebrida confirmed Friday. Hold or deferring applications from new agencies for accreditation but otherwise all agencies business as usual, he said. But Nebrida clarified that the suspension was not related to the case of slain Filipina worker in Kuwait Jullebee Ranara. The department said it needed to review and evaluate all pending recruitment applications and the move just coincided with Ranaras case. Nebrida added that accredited recruitment agencies remained in operation. READ: NBI starts autopsy on remains of OFW killed in Kuwait DMW Secretary Susan Ople earlier dismissed calls for a deployment ban and insisted on having bilateral talks with Kuwaiti government. She said the Philippines and the Kuwaiti government will discuss stricter safeguards, more responsive and concrete actions especially on calls for rescue and assistance from OFWs in Kuwait. READ: DMW not considering Kuwait deployment ban after OFW slay, eyes additional safeguards Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) Police on Friday broke up a human barricade of residents of Sibuyan Island in Romblon who were protesting alleged illegal mining activities in the area, leaving two persons hurt. Residents who formed the barricade in front of the private port built by Altai Philippines Mining Corp. (AMPC) in Brgy. Espana, San Fernando were pushed away by police officers using their shields. In a media conference, Rodne Galicha, executive director of environmental group Living Laudato Si, said Kagawad Jhay Romero and a 22-year-old protester sustained minor injuries. Kagawad Donato Royo, who was also part of the barricade, said the police handcuffed Romero but released him some two minutes after because residents were taking pictures of the arrest. Siya mismo yong nagsasalita nang malakas na bakit daw hinaharass sila. Ayun hinuli siya at pinosasan, kasi ang intensyon talaga kung sino yong mga nag-o-oppose na talagang pigilan yong sasakyan ay yon ang huhulihin nila, Royo said. [Translation: He was vocal, asking the police why they were harassing the residents. Police arrested and handcuffed him because it was their intention to catch those opposing and stopping the trucks.] As seen in the video, police also pulled away a man in a white shirt. Galicha said the man was a businessman who joined their barricade and his shirt was torn because of the incident. Three trucks carrying nickel ore passed through the barricade and went to the companys private port. According to Royo, the police said they allowed it because anti-mining people allegedly were destroying the trucks. Police also said this would let the company workers manning the area to have their rest. Hinahanap namin ang tunay na batas sa Sibuyan. Bakit ang mga tumutulong para maipatupad ang batas, lalo na ang pangangalaga sa kalikasan ay siyang tinuturing na kalaban? said Elizabeth Ibanez, coordinator of the Sibuyanons Against Mining. [Translation: We are looking for the true law in Sibuyan. Why do they treat those who help to implement the law, especially on environmental protection, as the enemy?] This calls for status quo and multi-sectoral and transparent investigation, Galicha said. He also urged San Fernando Mayor Nanette Tansingco and Romblon Gov. Jose Riano to issue a cease-and-desist order on the mining operations of APMC through the general welfare clause of the Local Government Code of 1991. Galicha also called on both houses of Congress to probe the issue and asked for the Commission on Human Rights presence on Sibuyan Island. We demand that a national team of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources come to Sibuyan Island within the week to address all issues and concerns, he added. CNN Philippines has sought the comment of both central and regional offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and will update this story when they respond. CNN Philippines is also trying to contact AMPC. However, according to news articles during the DENR multi-stakeholder forum in Cagayan de Oro City on Thursday, Environment Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga told reporters that the agency will take a good look at the issue of mining in Sibuyan Island. When asked about Loyzagas comment during the press conference, Alyansa Tigil Mina national coordinator Jaybee Garganera said: Palagay namin hindi patas yong pagbibigay diin na papakinggan ng DENR secretary ang lahat ng panig sa isyung itodahil malinaw na labag sa environmental laws at hindi pagrespeto sa local autonomy principles kapag pinipilit 'yong isang mining operation na ayaw ng mga tao at ng mga local government mismo. [Translation: In our view, it is not fair for the DENR secretary to hear all of the sides in this issuebecause it is clear that it violates environmental laws and it does not respect local autonomy principles when forcing a mining operation that is unwanted by the people and the local government.] The groups clarified that they have been conducting the barricade for 11 days now, demanding APMC to show its documents and permits, especially on its plan to export 50,000 metric tons of nickel ore to be tested overseas. Royo also called on the national government to take concrete action on the joint resolution passed by municipal councils, which urged the president to declare the island free from large-scale metallic mining. READ: Sibuyan Island residents put up barricade vs company's 'illegal' mining activities Sibuyan Island human barricade blocks entry of mining truck (CNN) Harrison Li and Katherine Swidan both worry they may never see their loved ones again. Kai Li Harrison Lis father and Mark Swidan Katherine Swidans son are both Americans who have been imprisoned for years in China, and both have been designated by the US State Department as wrongfully detained. Now, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken expected to visit China in the next few days, Harrison Li and Katherine Swidan hope that securing their freedom will be a top priority. Its got to be the number one thing, Swidan told CNN. Harrison Li, whose father has been detained since 2016 and is serving a ten-year prison sentence on espionage charges, told CNN his father is worried about the spread of Covid in his prison amid the surge in China, particularly because he is not vaccinated. Kai Lis father recently died from complications related to Covid, Harrison Li said. How many more people is my dad not going to see again? Or God forbid, is my dad going to come home in a box? he asked. I just dont know at this point and given the conditions and the situation in China, its actually quite scary. Our government needs to hear that and act urgently before its too late, Harrison Li told CNN. Harrison Li said he and the other families have learned to keep our expectations as low as possible because not to do that will inevitably lead to disappointment, he said. But they at least want Blinken to raise the names of their family members and push for their release. The US government needs to be prepared to make a fair and reasonable offer and negotiate for the release of these Americans being wrongfully held just like they have with the Americans being held in other countries, Harrison Li said. A US senior administration official told CNN that the cases of the wrongful detainees including Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and David Lin are front and center as Blinken prepares for his trip to Beijing. The administration knows that the Chinese are likely looking to extract a price from the US on the matter, the official said, adding that the administration is willing to pay steep prices to get Americans home, the senior administration official said. However, there do not appear to be active negotiations underway to come to an agreement. A State Department spokesperson would not say if Blinken will raise the cases by name, telling CNN, We will not preview the details of sensitive diplomatic conversations, but in any country where US nationals are wrongfully detained, we raise those cases at every opportunity. Secretary Blinken affirmed that he is personally focused on and prioritizes bringing home US nationals wrongfully detained in the PRC, the spokesperson said. We will continue to advocate on behalf of wrongfully detained US citizens in the PRC and work to support their families. Officials at every level of this administration continually advocate for the release of US citizens wrongfully detained in the PRC. Meanwhile, Katherine Swidan said she hasnt seen her sons face since he was detained in 2012 on drug-related charges. Instead, Mark has spent more than a decade detained in what his mother describes as a holding tank, where she says he has undergone physical and psychological torture and has attempted suicide. He was sentenced to death in 2019. A UN working group has determined that his detention is arbitrary and called for his immediate release. Hes been in there for 10 years, where they never turn the lights off, so as a result, hes going blind. Hes got fractures in his leg, she said, telling CNN that guards at the facility broke his hands five to seven times. Hes suffering and hes got an infection. He has severe periodontal disease. He has holes in his mouth that bleed constantly. Hes lost 130 pounds. And there is no indication that theyre going to allow a visit by any US officials, Katherine Swidan said. She told CNN that her son has sent letters describing the horrors he has seen, and in one of his most recent letters he told his mother, I will come home in the box of ashes or I will come home on a plane walking off to you but I will come home. As a mom, it kills me a little bit every day, Katherine Swidan said. Im a perfect example of how your heart can actually break in little pieces every single day. I refuse to accept that the most powerful country on Earth cannot get Mark home, she added. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Families of US detainees in China urge Blinken to make them number one priority on his trip" Beijing acknowledged Friday that the high-altitude balloon detected flying above northern US airspace is Chinese and that it entered American territory unintentionally. In a statement, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry confirmed the Chinese balloon is a private airship designed for studying the weather, according to The Hill. The Beijing official explained that the balloon "deviated far from its intended course as it was "affected by the westerlies and with limited self-steering capability." The statement also said that the Chinese government "regrets" that the Chinese balloon flew into American territory by accident. On Thursday, US military officials verified the balloon's existence, calling it a "high-altitude" Chinese spy balloon. Read Also: Tyre Nichols Death Update Blinken Postpones China Visit The US State Department said on Friday that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will defer his travel to China scheduled for the following week after Beijing acknowledged that a Chinese spy balloon identified over the USA is from China, per South China Morning Post. Officials at the State Department told journalists have "determined that under the current circumstances, it would not be productive to visit Beijing at this time." However, they also noted that "diplomatic channels remain open" and Blinken intends to visit China "at the earliest opportunity when conditions allow" in light of the Chinese balloon issue. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning earlier said that Beijing is hoping that China and the USA "can handle the matter calmly and prudently," as per an HNGN report. Pentagon officials said that the Chinese balloon is the size of three buses and doesn't have any highly sophisticated technology, per ABC News. Related Article: Latest News on Russia-Ukraine War @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday. Are you a current print subscriber to Columbia Gorge News? If so, you qualify for free access to all content on columbiagorgenews.com. Simply verify with your subscriber id to receive free access. Your subscriber id may be found on your bill or mailing label. The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form The "James Bond" and "Mission: Impossible" movies gave the public a picture of what it is to be a secret agent working for the intelligence agencies of the US and the UK, and what an entertaining picture it is. However, the actual agents employed by both agencies, the CIA and MI6, don't have such devices like X-ray glasses and smart guns that could tell if the person wielding them is their owner or not on their person, especially in the 1970s. Here are some spy gadgets you'd never thought they would be one unless you know about them or are a spy yourself: Remote-controlled Insects Insects are a constant in any place, be it in a city or the countryside. As such, it isn't surprising when the CIA concocted the idea of creating a remote-controlled insect, in this case, a dragonfly, to record conversations of interest. The "Insectothopter," as it was soon called, would have been the surveillance drones of the 1970s. However, it ultimately didn't get the clearance to be used on a mission as its unwieldiness even in light winds makes it difficult to control. It also doesn't help that it had a miniature gas engine that could only be powered for around a minute. Despite these setbacks, the CIA learned that aerial intelligence-gathering technologies are worth looking into, with them playing a critical role in reconnaissance. Coat Button Cameras Spies the world over need to confirm the identity of a person of interest before nabbing them through a clandestine operation. However, doing so at a distance would be tough; sometimes, using a hands-on approach is the best way to get the job done. Enter the coat button camera. Known by its codename, "Ajax," this camera looks like a coat button that blends in with other buttons on a coat for spies to take pictures of people and even places without arousing suspicion. The device is widely used in the Soviet Union, Europe, and the US during the 1970s. Read More: 5 Things You Didn't Know About the Voyager 1's Pale Blue Dot Photo of Earth Dog Poop Transmitter Excrement, especially from a dog, is widely seen as something dirty and shouldn't be touched - an idea the CIA capitalized on in the 1970s. The agency crafted a transmitter encased in a shell that looks like dog poop that they can leave somewhere to transmit radio signals to coordinate airstrikes and reconnaissance missions. They also made a similar device that detects vibrations from up to 1,000 feet away and warns people instead of transmitting radio signals for coordination. A Secret Code Filled Compact Makeup is more than just helping a woman bring out their beauty when it comes to espionage. Female agents in the field need to remind themselves of secret codes to help them blend in enemy territory or to meet with informants and handlers. Thankfully, the CIA created a compact that helps female agents do just that by tilting the compact's mirror at the correct angle to reveal the codes. Lockpick Pen Lockpicking tools are easily recognizable because of the unique shape they have, allowing them to unlock standard door locks in the 1970s. However, it is also due to their shape that they are easily hidden in, for instance, a simple pen. US intelligence in the 1970s managed to create a pen that contained all the tools agents need to pick a standard door lock at the time, allowing them to enter rooms and collect information discreetly without leaving a sign that they were there in the first place. These tools include three different types of lockpicks that are hidden within an actual working pen, allowing agents in the field to blend in perfectly. Related Article: 5 Romantic Tech Gifts You Can Give Your Partner on Valentine's Day Apple on Thursday reported revenues of $117.2 billion in the first fiscal quarter, off 5% from a year earlier. While there were several bright spots, the financial report confirmed iPhone supply challenges plagued the company in the last three months of 2022, compounded by the effects of a strong dollar. The numbers game The overall numbers tell the story: Product sales generated $96.3 billion compared to $104.4 billion in Q1 FY 22. Services generated $20.7 billion, up from $19.5 billion a year ago. Apples execs cited a difficult foreign exchange environment and supply chain challenges as the main problems. They explained the company revenue did grow on a constant currency basis though the currency wasnt constant and revenue didnt grow as a result. It could have been worse. Apple had anticipated the strong dollar would shave 10% off company revenue; the actual impact was 8%. Notably, research and development spending rose considerably, from $6.3 billion in Q1 FY 22 to $7.7 billion in the most recent quarter. Thats a big increase as Apple preps new products and services over the coming 12 months. And while quarterly revenue was down from the year ago quarter, it was up on every other quarter back to 2018. The company also returned its second-highest ever earnings per share, iPhone and services revenue in the quarter. Apple stressed continued growth in services and said it now has two billion active devices as part of our growing installed base, according to CEO Tim Cook. Apple has doubled its installed base in the last seven years. As we all continue to navigate a challenging environment, we are proud to have our best line-up of products and services ever, and as always, we remain focused on the long term and are leading with our values in everything we do, Cook said. Selected hardware data When it comes to hardware, the company saw a decline in every category bar iPads and services, with iPhone sales affected to the tune of roughly $6 billion. Mac sales also suffered, as the COVID-driven replacement/deployment cycle slowed. The slack may also reflect a later-than-expected January product refresh. Apple no longer breaks out sales by model, but the decline may confirm speculation that consumers are skewing toward high-end iPhones and upgrading less frequently. Cook said consumers seem to try to get the best device they can. Heres the specific data from the report. iPhone: $65.7billion, down just over 8% from $71.6 billion. Mac: $7.7 billion, down 28.6% from $10.8 billion. iPad: $9.3 billion, up 29.6% from $7.2 billion. Wearables, Home, Accessories: down from $14.7 billion to $13.4 billion. Services: $20.7 billion, up 6% from $19.5 billion. The trouble with iPhone As Apple warned last year, iPhone supply undermined the quarters results. What we estimate, although not with precision, is that we believe iPhone would have grown during the quarter and had it not been for the supply shortages, Cook told analysts after the earnings were released. He also stressed that as iPhones have become more popular, consumers are more willing to really stretch to get the best they can afford in that category. Thats as close as well get to confirmation of a preference for pro models. Apple also confirmed that supply chain problems have largely been resolved. Were in decent supply on most products for the quarter, said Cook. The company continues to invest in new production chains. Apple saw record levels of switchers in India and Mexico as surveys continue to claim 98% customer satisfaction with iPhone. The strategic advantage of Apple Silicon On PC sales, Cook put it this way: The industry is very challenged. I dont know how this year will play out, so I dont want to predict this year. But, over the long run, we have a market that is a reasonably sized market, we have low share, and we have a competitive advantage with Apple Silicon. So, strategically I think were well positioned in the market, albeit I think it will be a little rough in the short term. The move to Apple Silicon continues to generate benefits. Mac customer satisfaction sits at 96% and the installed base of Macs has hit an all-time high across all Apples geographic segments. iPad sales rose and the installed base reached a new high. Cook also discussed Apple Silicon production when it takes place at TSMCs forthcoming facility in Arizona. Were all in in terms of being the largest customer for TSMC in Arizona, he said. Im very proud to take part in that. America is our home, he told FBN. We want to do as much as we can here. We have an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to spend here. Engagement + installed base = $20B quarter Cook confirmed some key gains in services: More than 935 million paid subscriptions, up 150 million on the year and four times greater than five years ago. Double-digit revenue growth from App Store subscriptions. All-time records across categories including cloud, music, and payment services. But what may be of most significance is engagement in Apples services. We saw growing customer engagement with our services during the quarter, said Luca Maestri, senior vice president and CFO. The company confirmed earlier claims that the last holiday shopping season saw record use of Apple Pay for purchases. On China and emerging markets In what may be good news for western luxury brands across the board, Apple confirmed that the removal of COVID restrictions in China is improving its business there. With the reopening in December, weve seen an increase in traffic compared to November, "Cook said. Apple continues to invest in emerging markets, and it claimed strong growth in Brazil, Mexico, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It also claimed to have set iPhone revenue records in India and Vietnam. We're in essence taking what we learned in China years ago, how we scaled China, and bringing that to bear, said Cook. The company stressed that services adoption is accelerating at a similar rate in all its markets, and it sees customer engagement with hardware translate into engagement with its services. On the enterprise Apple now has a wide tranche of services aimed at enterprise and pointed to a handful of recent product wins. Confectionery giant Mars Inc. has signed up for Apple Care for Enterprise to support the iPads it has at its manufacturing sites. HCA Health Care is now running an annual iPhone refresh with help from Apple Financial Services. Looking forward While they attempted to put a positive spin on the results, Apple executives did not pretend everything is rosy. Looking forward into the next quarter, Apple anticipates iPhone revenue to accelerate, but expects Mac and iPad revenue to decline double-digits year on year. We expect a negative year-over-year impact of five percentage points," Maestri said. "In total, we expect our March quarter year-over-year revenue performance to be similar to the December quarter. Gross margins look far from slim, however, at between 43.5% to 44.5%. On layoffs Apple isnt laying people off. Cook stressed that while hiring has slowed and become far more strategic, the company sees layoffs as a last resort the company wants to avoid. I view layoffs as a last resort kind of thing, Cook told the Wall Street Journal. You can never say never. We want to manage costs in other ways to the degree that we can. What the analysts think Apples results echo a broader decline across tech stocks but its direction of travel seems a little clearer. Both Amazon and Alphabet expect further weakening in core markets in the next quarter, and while Apple concedes weakness, it is also seeing reasons for growth. This morning has seen some activity on Apple stock. Barclays (which only recently cut targets on the stock) and BofA have raised targets, while Piper Sandler has chosen to maintain its $195 per share price target. Apple is optimistic about the strong momentum of future development, analyst Harsh Kumar wrote. Counterpoint Research Director, Jeff Fieldhack said: Having proficiently managed its production problems, Apple was able to weather a year already marred by economic and geopolitical turmoil better than other major smartphone players. "Bears will be quick to point out negative sales growth but we note when adjusting for FX that sales and outlook are flat, which is materially better than other consumer electronic companies, wrote Citi analyst Jim Suva. Importantly services are also outperforming and Apples installed base continues to grow (over 2 billion active Apple devices and iPhone installed base estimated at 1.2+ billion)." Apple has only missed three out of the almost 60 quarters I've followed the company, wrote analyst Gene Munster. I'm happy to report, despite the shortfall, the core business is intact. The reason; Apple's customer base remains in love with and loyal to their products. Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolics bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe. I couldnt be prouder My students worked so hard on this project, and I couldnt be prouder of them, Salas says. The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council-funded project also received financial support from the Petro-Canada Young Innovators Award, which Salas won in 2020. The team also produced a documentary featuring Simeonie Nalukturuk, a community Elder and former mayor of Inukjuak, who passed away during the projects production. A Northern premiere The first public screening of both documentaries took place at Uquutaq High School in Inukjuak on November 2, the day before the entire multimedia project went live on CTV Montreal. After the screening, the school held an assembly that Salas and her students attended via Zoom. We talked about the process of filming, conciliatory and collaborative journalism and answered questions they had about journalism at Concordia, Salas recalls. The screening at COP 15 followed a busy month of November, which featured several other launch events. Aalacie Nalukturuk, widow of Simeonie, was in attendance at the Uquutaq High School event. I was grateful to see my husband in a documentary sharing what he was passionate about. It all blended so well with the Innavik documentary, Nalukturuk says. It was just amazing to see the young leaders of today leading the way with enthusiasm. Nakurmiik to all involved. Nancy Osbourne, the high schools administrator, was involved with the planning of the screening, and says she was moved. Im so privileged and honoured to live in a place like this. So many dont even know it exists. I get to share in the culture and language, she says. Innavik was also shown on November 11 at COP 27 in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt. To know these docs were launched here and on CTV and shown in Egypt, its impressive and exciting, Osbourne adds. Eric Atagotaaluk, director of the Pituvik Landholding Corporation, agrees that the school presentation went well. He is featured prominently in the climate documentary and has worked on the renewable energy project for almost 20 years. It was an honour to present to the students a documentary showcasing where a project that was initiated by local people that will hopefully be providing a more optimistic future for the community and its members, and certainly the role our community, is now playing in the battle against climate change by reducing almost 100 per cent of our dependency on diesel, he says. Hes a good friend of mine, the Palm Beach-based investment banker said of Alite. Leite grew up in New York and knew Alite for a long time. About five years ago, the two renewed their friendship and have grown closer.People love John, he said. John is the poster boy for turning yourself around. He does charity work, gives speeches, and his knowledge is vast.John, he noted, has paid for his crimes. Now he is going out of his way to give back. Alite visited Mar-a-Lago which since September 2019 has been the primary residence of the former president and his wife Melaniamultiple times over the past two years, Leite confirmed. This blog has seen some confirmation in the form of numerous photographs, as well as a brief video of John huddled in one-on-one conversation with Trump.I love Trump, John said. I like his policies.Alite, who has been out of prison for about a decade now, takes offense at the notion that theres something wrong with a former president/current candidate for the presidency being snapped in a photograph with him.Alite says that the mob is part of his past and that he is no longer a criminal.I am a different man since Ive been home. Alite said. Alite says his transformation to legitimate life was already well underway when he was still in a Florida prison finishing his sentence. He mentions a letter written by former Obama AG Loretta Lynch that detailed how he saved the life of a prison guard after the guard was jumped by a lifer known as the Band-Aid Bandit. Rafael Angel Rondon earned the bizarre cognomen for the bandage he always wore on his face to hide a mole that could have rendered him easily identifiable. He and his crew heisted at least 39 banks from Sarasota to Gainesville, Florida, from 2000 through 2006, taking nearly $1 million. In June 2007, the serial bank robber was sentenced to more than 149 years in prison.I jumped in, Alite said because the guard was a veteran. I respected him. He was handling himself pretty good and didnt really need my help.Battling illegal narcotics traffickingspecifically fentanylhas become an urgent and very personal mission for Alite since the overdose death of his daughter last summer. Alite and Donald Trump both come from Queensbut vastly different parts. The former president lived in Jamaica Estates with his familyfirst in a five-bedroom Tudor house (until age 4), and then a 23-room home (until age 13, when he was sent to military school). Jamaica Estates is an affluent community brimming with stately homes where the streets are a little wider and lined with trees. In a 2015 interview with the New York Times, Trump called Jamaica Estates an oases that "was safe and very family oriented, compared to other parts of Queens that were rough. Alite hails from one of those places, called Woodhaven. As for what he and Trump discussed in the video (ambient noise renders the dialog mostly inaudible), John noted that at the time of the visit, he was involved in a documentary film about drug addiction called Kensington in Crisis , which refers to the Philadelphia neighborhood that is the epicenter of the citys drug trade. His strategy has evolved and now features a major focus on illicit fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. A fentanyl dose as tiny as three grains of rice can be lethal if one doesnt already have an opioid tolerance. Dealers lace drugs like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine with synthetic fentanyl to cheaply bulk up the wares and boost the high. This quickly strengthens the addiction of their customers, provided it doesnt kill them first. And it is killing many of them first: Ingesting the covert mixture of fentanyl with their drug of choice is killing addicts and recreational drug users all over the country, sparking a full-blown crisis in the United States, and it's poised to get exponentially worse: dealers have begun bulking up their illicit fentanyl with the animal tranquilizer xylazine. As per a recent New York Times story , "xylazine causes wounds that erupt with a scaly dead tissue called eschar; untreated, they can lead to amputation. It induces a blackout stupor for hours, rendering users vulnerable to rape and robbery. When people come to, the high from the fentanyl has long since faded and they immediately crave more." Horrifyingly, since xylazine is a sedative, the standard opioid overdose reversal treatments such as Narcan are rendered ineffective. John's daughter Chelsea, who died at the age of 30. Fueling Johns efforts against illicit fentanyl trafficking is a heartbreaking personal tragedy, the August 18 death of his daughter Chelsea when doctors took her off life support. Four days prior, she unwittingly took a fentanyl-laced Percocet pill. Johns only daughterthe third of his four childrenwas mother to a 5-year-old son, Brayden, when she died. It has only been about six months, John said. It still hurts tremendously. Here is where I take my pain at night and try to save some lives. The gargantuan pain John now carries every waking moment includes a horrible sense of guilt: When he pled guilty in late 2006 ( Fueling Johns efforts against illicit fentanyl trafficking is a heartbreaking personal tragedy, the August 18 death of his daughter Chelsea when doctors took her off life support. Four days prior, she unwittingly took a fentanyl-laced Percocet pill. Johns only daughterthe third of his four childrenwas mother to a 5-year-old son, Brayden, when she died.It has only been about six months, John said. It still hurts tremendously. Here is where I take my pain at night and try to save some lives.The gargantuan pain John now carries every waking moment includes a horrible sense of guilt: When he pled guilty in late 2006 ( after he was flown in chains in an FBI jet from Brazil to Florida ), the long list of crimes to which he copped (murder, racketeering, kidnapping, armed home invasions, armed robbery) included drug trafficking. Every guy I grew up with got into the drug trade. Because we wanted to make money faster, he said. (the pharmaceutical version of which is legally prescribed by doctors to treat severe pain, especially after surgery and for advanced-stage cancer) is Philadelphia-based neurosurgeon Dr. Gentian (Genti) Toshkezi, who met Alite about five years ago in Albania where each was visiting. They happened to stay at the same hotel, which is how their paths crossed. John is a celebrity in Albania, Dr. Genti said, adding, I saw his good side, his heart. It doesnt matter what his past was. He has become a good person. And that impressed me. Dr. Genti became more intimately connected to John after Chelsea's overdose. You didnt think about what you were doing to peoples lives. As you get older, like anything else, you reflect back and you are ashamed of what you did. You wish you could change it, but you cant. The only thing you can do now is give a message to the drug dealers that, in the future, you are going to regret it, you are going to lose your life or youre going to go to jail." Helping John's campaign against fentanyl (the pharmaceutical version of which is legally prescribed by doctors to treat severe pain, especially after surgery and for advanced-stage cancer) is Philadelphia-based neurosurgeon Dr. Gentian (Genti) Toshkezi, who met Alite about five years ago in Albania where each was visiting. They happened to stay at the same hotel, which is how their paths crossed.John is a celebrity in Albania, Dr. Genti said, adding, I saw his good side, his heart. It doesnt matter what his past was. He has become a good person. And that impressed me.Dr. Genti became more intimately connected to John after Chelsea's overdose. John with Genti, the neurosurgeon who has been helping his advocacy. John called me in shock (the day she overdosed). I learned what happened. It was not easy for me to separate from the doctor within to tell him the truth. First of all, I got permission to talk to the doctors there. Then I started telling John what the situation was. I told him to be prepared. That was devastating for him. We were in touch every day." John called me in shock (the day she overdosed). I learned what happened. It was not easy for me to separate from the doctor within to tell him the truth.First of all, I got permission to talk to the doctors there. Then I started telling John what the situation was. I told him to be prepared. That was devastating for him. We were in touch every day." Genti has been accompanying John on media tours to give the medical perspective on how drugs like fentanyl can harm the body and lead to overdose deaths. I admire John," Genti said. "He is using his own tragedy to help other people. He has a lot of courage to use what happened to his daughter to help other people. I am a busy man, but I want to help John talk about overdosing and all the other potential risks related to drugs. I can use my medical background to help him better explain what drugs can do to the body and how an overdose can lead to tragedy." He is my best friend, John said of Genti. He helps me raise awareness about fentanyl. He helped me through my daughter. The antidote to illicit fentanyl is border security, John posits, saying that 40-60 percent of the illicit fentanyl is smuggled into the US through the borders. Here's where John Alite's Fox News fangs come out: I believe in immigration, but what Biden is doing is making people die and suffer. (His policies) are bringing terrorists into this country, we dont know where theyre at. Theyre spreading COVID, increasing crime. The President is not doing anything to halt the flow of fentanyl into the US. We have open borders, and the drugs are coming in through Tijuana and other places. Everyone is getting paid off, I know how it works. as an example of the endemic corruption that he says is harming border security. Luna, Mexicos former public security secretary, has been on trial in Brooklyn for accepting bribes to protect the Sinaloa cartel. A former cartel member recently testified that he paid Luna millions of dollars to protect massive cocaine shipments as well as the traffickers from raids and arrests. Yes, John is with the inimitable Roger Stone, longtime Republican trickster. China has 165,000 drug labs. They dont call fentanyl a controlled substance. If they did, they would have to regulate their labs. is Trumps First Step Act, which allows inmates to petition the courts directly for compassionate release. The other villain in the illicit fentanyl tragedy is China, Alite says.China has 165,000 drug labs. They dont call fentanyl a controlled substance. If they did, they would have to regulate their labs. Another topic near and dear to John is Trumps First Step Act, which allows inmates to petition the courts directly for compassionate release. The lawan effort to improve criminal justice outcomes, reduce the size of the Federal prison population, and create mechanisms to maintain public safetyhas provided fortunate prisoners serving decades-long sentences with a pathway to freedom. Except for wiseguyswho so far haven't seen much success with the First Step Act. I believe in immigration, but what Biden is doing is making people die and suffer. (His policies) are bringing terrorists into this country, we dont know where theyre at. Theyre spreading COVID, increasing crime.The President is not doing anything to halt the flow of fentanyl into the US. We have open borders, and the drugs are coming in through Tijuana and other places. Everyone is getting paid off, I know how it works. He highlights the case of Genaro Garcia Luna as an example of the endemic corruption that he says is harming border security. Luna, Mexicos former public security secretary, has been on trial in Brooklyn for accepting bribes to protect the Sinaloa cartel. A former cartel member recently testified that he paid Luna millions of dollars to protect massive cocaine shipments as well as the traffickers from raids and arrests.When Trump signed it into law in 2018, the First Step Act was hailed as representing a major shift in the GOPs political mindset to embrace rehabilitation, racial fairness, and second chances versus the prior Nixonian law and order mentality. Then COVID-19 arrived, followed by the summer of protests, etc. Today, the GOP has very much reverted to its historical Nixonian mindset and has mostly disowned the First Step Act. Trump rarely mentions it. After departing prison more than a decade ago, Alite, 60, initially focused on notching his place on the historical true crime mapspecifically, as an associate of the Gambino crime family in the latter years of the Gotti regime . With the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020, he extended his platform from books and social media to podcasting to advocate against street life in all its forms. Interview: Chinese IPOs in Switzerland to bolster capital cooperation, says CEO of SIX Group Xinhua) 09:38, February 03, 2023 ZURICH, Switzerland, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- The initial public offerings (IPOs) of Chinese companies in Switzerland will provide a further boost for capital market cooperation between the two countries, said the CEO of Swiss stock exchange operator SIX Group. It comes as the China-Switzerland Stock Connect, created by SIX and the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, was launched on July 28 last year. "We have been working on this for many years and things have then really accelerated last year and everything was approved in July," Jos Dijsselhof told Xinhua at the company's headquarters in Zurich. "On the first day, we saw four Chinese companies applying for IPO, and we've seen in total nine companies coming to the Swiss market in 2022," said Dijsselhof, noting that these IPOs will broaden cross-border financing channels and investment between the two countries. In April 2019, SIX and the Shanghai Stock Exchange renewed their Memorandum of Understanding to further deepen collaboration, initiated in 2015. In October of the same year, SIX and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange signed their own memorandum to connect investors and companies in both countries on a larger scale. "It's a big success and clearly a testament that the Swiss market is a strong international market. Chinese services and manufacturing companies looking to grow their business and invest in Europe can come to Switzerland, raise capital here and also gain visibility," said Dijsselhof. "More than 30 Chinese companies have expressed interest in coming to the Swiss market. We're very bullish and very happy that these companies have an interest to come here. We are very positive about this development," he said. When asked about his outlook for the Chinese market performance and macroeconomy in 2023, the executive said that the adjustment of China's pandemic response measures will get manufacturing, distribution and logistics running again, which is a "good thing for China and the whole world." Switzerland is known worldwide for being a top center for asset management, insurance and commodities trading. The financial sector is a cornerstone of the Swiss economy and generates around 10 percent of gross domestic product. SIX operates and develops infrastructure services for the Swiss and Spanish stock exchanges, for post-trade services, banking services and financial information. The company is owned by its users, currently some 120 banks. With a workforce of 3,685 employees and a presence in 20 countries, it generated an operating income of 1.5 billion Swiss francs (1.65 billion U.S. dollars) and a net profit of 73.5 million Swiss francs (80 million dollars) in 2021. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Google will hold an event that commits to sharing information about Search and AI on Feb. 8, says The Verge. Google will be sharing its work in artificial intelligence via YouTube livestream next week, Feb. 8 at 8:30 a.m. ET. All you have to do is login to your YouTube account and wait for the stream to start. In an email, Google said that the 40-minute event aims to enlighten the public about AI and its uses, "Using the power of AI to reimagine how people search for, explore and interact with information, making it more natural and intuitive than ever before to find what you need." The invitation also contains references to Google Lens, Google Translate, Google Shopping, and Google Maps. The Verge assumes that the presentation will also include updates and improvements on these tools. Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence. It is being processed by machines and computer systems. Some of its expertise include natural language processing, vision, and speech recognition. Meanwhile, its cognitive skills include learning, reasoning, and self-correction. AI helps people in accomplishing their tasks the easy way. AI is there to help you look at your friends' photos, break down language barriers using translation, type emails and word suggestions, or help you get things done. Read Also: Nintendo Discount Game Vouchers Return For Switch Online Subscribers Google and Its AI Inventions Google created a website called Google AI that specifically discusses its company's AI inventions. This is where users can browse their research and AI applications to products and new domains. Google's mission in creating this site is to set AI as a universally useful program that's accessible and easy to navigate. Currently, Google offers AI like LaMDA or Language Model for Dialogue Applications that help build smaller chatbots. It also continuously works on its long-existing programs like Google Search, Google Translate, and Google Assistant. Google Assistant is one of the company's profound creations. It is the counterpart of Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri. From the term itself, it functions as an assistant. All you have to do is say, "Hey Google," then continue to type your inquiry or request. Google also built privacy controls to secure its users' private information. This is because AIs, like the rest of the applications that the public consumes, collect people's data and information. Their AI principles are coming from an ethical charter that guides the creation and usage of artificial intelligence. Aside from security promises, Google also prides itself on taking responsible AI practices. It claims to follow general best practices for software systems. They claim to use human-centered design, as well as metrics for testing, training, and monitoring. Creating an AI comes with a lot of responsibilities. That is why Google remains transparent in its review and operation processes. The assessment of proposals first includes intake or reviewing of frameworks. Second, there's an analysis where they examine the technology's potential benefits and harms. Third, there's adjustment wherein technical evaluations are being set. Then last, they arrive at a decision. Other than Google, some platforms are also offering assistant tools to date. The list includes apps such as Robin, Hound, Bestee, and Amazon Alexa. Related Article: 5 Free AI Assistant Apps For Android - Raiden IV x MIKADO remix (New release on Steam) - SEASON: A letter to the future (New release on Steam and Epic Games Store) - Spongebob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake (New release on Steam and Epic Games Store) - Superfuse (New release on Steam) - Deliver Us Mars (New release on Steam and Epic Games Store, Feb. 2) - PERISH (New release on Steam and Epic Games Store, Feb. 2) - City of Gangsters (Free on Epic Games Store, Feb. 2-9) - SpellForce: Conquest of Eo (New release on Steam and Epic Games Store, Feb. 3) - Immortals Fenyx Rising (Steam) - Dark and Darker playtest (Available on Steam, Feb. 6-13) - Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society (New release on Steam, Feb. 14) - Wanted: Dead (New release on Steam and Epic Games, Feb. 14) - Elderand (New release on Steam, Feb. 16) - Wild West Dynasty (New release on Steam, Feb. 16) - The Settlers: New Allies (New release on Ubisoft Store, Feb. 17) - Atomic Heart (New release on Steam, Feb. 20) - Chef Life A Restaurant Simulator (New release on Steam, Feb. 23) - Blood Bowl 3 (New release on Steam and Epic Games Store, Feb. 23) - Scars Above (New release on Steam, Feb. 28 ) - Heads Will Roll: Reforged (Steam) - Above Snakes (Steam) - Across the Obelisk (Steam) - Captain of Industry (Steam) - Cartel Tycoon (Steam and Epic Games Store) - Ember Knights (Steam) - Inside the Backrooms (Steam) - SimRail The Railway Simulator (Steam) fete ses 3 ans ! Grace a son incroyable communaute et a plus de 25 millions de membres, GeForce NOW fete les trois ans de la sortie de sa version beta sur invitation uniquement. Vous pouvez suivre les celebrations qui dureront un mois sur Twitter et Facebook avec #3YearsOfGFN, alors que la communaute partage les meilleures facons de jouer depuis le cloud.GeForce NOW en chiffres : Depuis le lancement, les membres ont passe plus de 700 millions d'heures en streaming a partir du cloud, ont profite d'un gameplay cinematique a partir de plus de 50 titres qui tirent parti de RTX ON et DLSS, et ont diffuse en streaming a partir d'une bibliotheque de jeux en pleine expansion qui compte desormais plus de 1 500 titres. NVIDIA sest etendu a l'echelle mondiale avec plus de 30 data centers et des partenaires de la GeForce NOW Alliance au Japon, en Turquie, en Amerique latine et plus encore.Les performances se sont encore ameliorees avec l'abonnement Ultime , alimentee par l'architecture Ada Lovelace, ou les membres peuvent streamer jusqu'a 4K 120 fps en streaming ou jusqu'a 1080p 240 fps dans les jeux supportes par NVIDIA Reflex sur des plateformes RTX 4080. Les membres Ultimate peuvent egalement streamer dans des resolutions ultra-larges - une premiere pour le cloud gaming - et profiter du ray tracing complet et de NVIDIA DLSS 3 dans les jeux pris en charge.Et pour feter cet anniversaire, il faut remercier les membres. Des la semaine prochaine, les membres GeForce NOW pourront obtenir une recompense gratuite pour Dying Light 2, avec des recompenses supplementaires pour les membres Priority et Ultimate.Passons maintenant aux jeux ! Cette semaine, nous avons 9 jeux prets a etre diffuses, dont Deliver Us Mars, avec des ombres et des eclairages en ray-tracing pour un gameplay immersif hors du commun. Voici la liste complete :Et voici le reste du programme du mois a attendre avec impatience, dont 9 jeux a date fixe comme Atomic Heart, Wild West Dynasty et Scars Above : VMware published patches last week for four vulnerabilities in its vRealize Log Insight product that, if combined, could allow attackers to take over the log collection and analytics platform. This week, a proof-of-concept exploit chain has been released by security researchers, along with detailed explanations for each vulnerability, meaning in-the-wild attacks could soon follow. Gaining access to the Log Insight host provides some interesting possibilities to an attacker, depending on the type of applications that are integrated with it, researchers with penetration testing firm Horizon3.ai said in their analysis of the flaws. Often logs ingested may contain sensitive data from other services and may allow an attack to gather session tokens, API keys, and PII. Those keys and sessions may allow the attacker to pivot to other systems and further compromise the environment. Vulnerabilities can together unlock a powerful attack This is an interesting case that showcases a common reality of modern software security, in which one vulnerability on its own cannot lead to a significant compromise, but combining several together can unlock a powerful attack. The first vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2022-31704, is described by VMware in its advisory as a broken access control without offering any additional details about where it might be located. However, the manual workaround script published by the company alongside the product updates offered some clues. The script simply added a firewall rule that blocked access to TCP ports 16520 through 16580. Based on Horizon3's investigation and notes in the vRealize Log Insight documentation, these ports are used for communication using the Apache Thrift RPC (remote procedure call) framework. RPC is an inter-process communication protocol, through which one process can direct another process to execute a certain procedure. This information tells us that the vulnerability is likely in an RPC server, the researchers said in their writeup. Next, we log into the running system and find that TCP port 16520 is created by a java application. The researchers managed to track down the component responsible for starting a Thrift RPC server which exposes several remote procedure calls. They then built a simple Thrift RPC client to make one of those calls and saw that the calls went through and were executed without authentication, hence the broken access control. But this vulnerability alone, while providing access to potentially powerful RPCs, is not sufficient by itself to execute malicious code. Second vulnerability is a directory traversal issue Enter the second vulnerability, CVE-2022-31706, which is described as a directory traversal issue. Directory traversal is a condition that allows an attacker or a malicious process to navigate to a filesystem path they're not supposed to. While looking at the RPCs exposed by the Thrift RPC the researchers found one called remotePakDownloadCommand that downloads a file with the .pak (probably package) extension and places it in the /tmp/ directory. Another RPC called pakUpgradeCommand can then be used to invoke a Python script that unpacks this file. These two commands are used to perform system upgdrades so the researchers realized the directory traversal flaw is probably somewhere in the processing of pak files. It turns out pak files are TAR format archives and their processing before extraction involves validating signatures, integrity checks, manifest checks, and several other steps. "If we can construct a tar file that passes all of these checks, we will hit line 493 and extractFiles will parse our malicious tar, allowing us to write a file with contents of our choosing to any place on the file system," the researchers said. Admittedly, we spent some time manually constructing a tar file that would pass all of these checks before we realized that we could simply use a legitimate upgrade file with a small modification to accommodate our payload. vRealize Log Insight forced to download malicious pak file At this point, the researchers had the information required to force the vRealize Log Insight product to download a malicious pak file without authentication and then place a malicious payload anywhere on the system. Except for one problem: invoking the remotePakDownloadCommand requires a node token to work, a unique value generated per instance of Log Insight. While this token is not directly available to an unauthenticated user, it can be leaked by invoking other RPCs such as getConfig and getHealthStatus. This is likely the information disclosure issue that VMware tracks in CVE-2022-31711 in its advisory. Using this, the Horizon3 researchers were able to construct a proof-of-concept exploit that places a new entry into crontabthe task scheduling mechanism on Linux-based systemswhich when executed opens a reverse shell with root privileges back to the attackers. The fourth vulnerability in VMware's advisory is a deserialization issue tracked as CVE-2022-31710 that can be exploited to crash the system leading to a denial-of-service condition. This vulnerability is not required for the exploit chain that results in remote code execution. Log Insight is used to collect and analyze logs from local networks so it's not typical to find such systems exposed to the internet. Shodan searches of the public IP space revealed only 45 instances. However, if an attacker gains access to the local network, which can be achieved in many ways, and the Log Insight server is not firewalled off, it can be compromised and potentially use for lateral movement due to the sensitive data it might contain. The Horizon3 researchers released indicators of compromise that allow organizations to check their deployments for signs of exploitation. VMware has released a workaround script that blocks traffic to the port numbers associated with the Thrift RPC server, as well as version 8.10.2 of vRealize Log Insight which patches the flaws. NASA now has all it needs prepared to turn its Artemis 2 mission into a reality. The space agency recently revealed it is almost prepared, if not fully, to make the first crewed Artemis mission happen following the success of its uncrewed Artemis mission that ended with a Pacific splashdown in December 2022. NASA launched its Artemis 1 mission on Nov. 16, 2022, at 1:47 AM EST from Kennedy Space Center's 39B launch pad in Florida after many wet rehearsal failures, a hurricane, and a few repairs. NASA Artemis 2 Preparation Details NASA mentioned in an earlier blog post that the data it gathered, assessed, and eventually released after the launch of its Artemis 1 mission showed that its Space Launch System (SLS) mega rocket performed exceptionally and that it is ready to support a crewed mission - Artemis 2. The space agency got the data it needed to determine whether the SLS rocket was ready for its Artemis 2 mission using the many instruments and cameras the rocket had during the launch of Artemis 1. NASA mentioned that seeing the rocket's launch from its "rocket view" involved strategically positioning cameras, sensors, and other measurement tools along the rocket, the mobile launcher, and the launch pad. Beth St. Peter, SLS imagery integration lead, mentioned that the numerous views of the Artemis 1 rocket provided imagery data that help experts determine how the SLS performed from liftoff through the ascent and separation events. John Blevins, SLS chief engineer, mentioned that the data NASA got back from the Artemis 1 mission is critical in building confidence in the rocket to send humanity back to the moon. He added that the data NASA gathered would help improve the rocket's future flights, with them being already in use to streamline future missions. Read More: FTC Fines Drug Discount App GoodRx for Sharing User Data to Facebook, Google According to Space.com, Artemis mission team members reviewed the data and found that the rocket requires no big changes ahead of its Artemis 2 launch. John Honeycutt, SLS Program manager, supports this finding. He stated that the correlation between the rocket's actual flight performance and predicted performance for Artemis 1 was excellent and that it had laid the foundation for the "Artemis Generation" and the future of spaceflight in deep space. The SLS isn't the only one NASA is preparing. In a much recent blog post, NASA revealed it is preparing its many facilities to make the Artemis 2 mission a successful reality. The space agency is hard at work preparing its vehicle assembly building, mobile launcher, Orion processing facility and heat shield, and the Launch Complex 39B, the same launch pad NASA used for its Artemis 1 mission. Artemis 2 Mission Details If NASA's Artemis 1 mission is to determine if the rocket is ready for the rigors of going to space and reaching the moon, the Artemis 2 mission is to determine if the rocket and its Orion spacecraft have what it takes to take live astronauts to the moon. That's right. Humanity won't be setting foot on the surface of the moon just yet. According to Space.com, the Artemis 2 mission involves the Orion spacecraft going around the moon and giving astronauts a good look at it before returning to Earth. Artemis 2 won't be occurring anytime soon, but isn't that far off, either. The mission is scheduled to launch sometime in 2024. After that, Artemis 3, the mission that will take astronauts back to the moon's surface, is destined to launch in 2025 or 2026. Related Article: NASA's Artemis 1 Orion Spacecraft Is Home; Pacific Splashdown a Success! Colorado Senator Michael Bennet is not the first lawmaker to ask for companies to ban TikTok from their stores. On Thursday, Sen. Bennet, a Democrat who works on the Senate Intelligence Committee, sent a formal letter to Apple and Google. In his letter, he requested for the companies' respective CEOs, Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai to act on the immediate removal of the app. Senator's Protest Sen. Bennet claims that "TikTok, in its current form, is an unacceptable threat to the national security of the United States." He continues by saying that at least 27 state governments have already passed full or partial bans on the said application. Aside from the hundred million American users, who linger around the app every day, he worries about the data that is going to be collected from the United States. Sen. Bennet says that the combination of TikTok's reach, aggressive data collection, and obligations under Chinese law is a threat to security. He mentions that ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, could "use its influence to advance Chinese government interests," using TikTok. He is concerned about the information that could be used including faceprints and voiceprints of American users. Another point of Sen. Bennet comes from the defense that Chinese law obligates ByteDance to assist and cooperate with state-related work. Read Also: Watch Dogs Legion: 7 Things You Should Know Before You Play TikTok and Its Defense TikTok in its natural sense gathers user information via cookies and other trackers. This is even before your sign up on the app. Once you've created an account, it then collects data about your activities and preferences based on what you consume. Not just that, but it also has access to your location, IP address, searches, messages, videos, and for how long have you been watching a content. These are all important for their algorithm to define which videos should appear on your main page. Still, TikTok has long dismissed allegations about data breaches and targeting of the United States. It often reiterates that it doesn't aim to capture any American members whether they're the government, activists, public figures, or journalists. It also states that they only produce the same content experience for all its consumers. TikTok also acted upon the accusations by partnering with Oracle to secure U.S. users' data. This further assures the U.S. government that leaking of information to the Chinese government is no longer possible given that Oracle is being operated under Silicon Valley. Apple and Google haven't responded to the requests for them to comment. On the other hand, TikTok's CEO, Shou Zi Chew is set to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The goal of his attendance is to discuss the application's privacy measures, its impact on kids, and its connection with China. He is set to testify on the 23rd day of March. Related Article: TikTok Has Responded to Forbes' Allegations of US Citizen Monitoring The Pentagon has verified that a high altitude surveillance balloon is now over the continental United States, local news sources in Montana reported on Thursday. According to the Pentagon, it is now tracking the Chinese spy balloon but has chosen not to fire it down for safety reasons, The Guardian reports. The Balloon Is Being Observed To Ensure Security According to defense authorities, the balloon has been monitored for a few days after it entered US territory and began flying at a great height. It has been observed using different techniques such as manned planes, and was most recently seen crossing over Montana, the location of some of the US's silo-based nuclear weapons. "The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground," Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder says. Despite this, flights from Billings Logan airport were halted on Wednesday out of caution, due to the unusual hovercraft floating around the area. Additionally, Ryder assured the media that the government had taken urgent action to prevent the collecting of sensitive information, but he made no other mention of the measures done. According to Gizmodo, the balloon was investigated by F-22 Raptors from Nellis Air Force Base, but officials would not confirm whether the balloon will be shot out of the sky or not. Read More: Pentagon Spends Millions Obtaining Americans' Online Browsing Data, Claims Senator This Is Not The First Time Such Activity Has Been Observed A video that claimed to reveal proof of the surveillance balloon temporarily became popular on Twitter, which shows the fuzzy, motionless dot in the sky. The incident occurs at a time when relations between the United States and China are somewhat heated. The US has started an arrangement with the Philippines that allows for increased collaboration and a larger deployment of US military forces in the region in an effort to offset China's influence in the Indo-Pacific. Officials from the United States have frequently expressed concern over China's escalating actions in the South China Sea. The US government took swift action to prevent the collecting of sensitive information when the balloon was discovered because previous instances of this type of balloon activity have been seen over the past few years. The Guardian writes that the event occurs immediately before Antony Blinken's anticipated weekend trip to China, during which it is anticipated that the US secretary of state would meet Xi Jinping. Although the trip has not been officially publicized, his impending arrival has been discussed in Beijing and Washington. According to a senior US defense official, the US has expressed the seriousness of the situation to Chinese authorities through several channels of engagement. Joe Biden was informed of the situation, according to Pentagon officials, who stated that there was "high confidence" that it was Chinese. The president requested military options, but it was decided against them because of the likelihood that falling debris might hurt people on the ground. Prior to flying over Billings, Montana on Wednesday, the object first passed across Canada and the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, according to officials. Related Article: Japan, Netherlands Joins US in Restricting Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Intrepid TV historian Bettany Hughes admits shes not totally fearless. Im claustrophobic and scared of the dark, she says, hardly ideal when you spend a lot of your life exploring ancient tombs and burial chambers. The new season of her series Treasures Of The World, a whistle-stop tour of ancient sites, starts in Cappadocia in Turkey, where she descends through the cramped tunnels of an ancient underground city that goes down eight floors. Its a place that brings back traumatic memories for her. I hitchhiked round Turkey as a student in 1986 and got lost down there. I got separated from the others. 'It was dark and nobody could hear me. The passages were getting smaller and the air thinner, it was terrifying. But after a deep breath and a little encouragement from her cameraman, she dares to venture down again. Historian Bettany Hughes (pictured) is starring in a new season of Treasures Of The World. The series takes her through Turkey, Jordan, Oman, Albania and Cyprus Elsewhere in Turkey she visits the stunningly well-preserved, recently unearthed tomb of the 4th-century BC ruler Hecatomnus, built by his son Mausolus, whose name gave us the word mausoleum. The series also takes Bettany from the deserts of Jordan and Oman to Albania and Cyprus, where as well as visiting ancient sites she enters the UN-patrolled buffer zone that divides the island. Places there remain untouched since the 1974 ceasefire between the Greeks and the Turks. Its like Pompeii because its frozen at the moment when everyone left, she says. You walk into a shop and the till is still open, and a handbag and a newspaper from 1974 are sitting there; in a garage there are cars with just 30 miles on the clock. Camels sit round the fire as part of the family in Oman, they seem really engaged in the conversation 'They were new; now they sit covered in dust. Its like time has stopped. Its 21 years since Bettanys first TV series and her enthusiasm remains undimmed. People told me then that nobody wants to watch history on TV or be lectured at by a woman, she recalls. That just put fire in my belly. Shes not the only woman historian to have flourished on TV since, with the likes of Mary Beard, Alice Roberts and Kate Williams now household names. Its something she welcomes. Its great there are so many of us, she says. Were very supportive of each other and sometimes some of us meet up for a glass or five of wine. Bettany says she was inspired by a brilliant teacher at school, but her interest in ancient history started even younger when she was blown away by the 1972 Tutankhamun exhibition in London. Aged just five, she wrote her first book, giving her theory that the boy king had died of malaria, which may well be true. Its 21 years since Bettanys first TV series and her enthusiasm remains undimmed. She's pictured here in her series Paris to Rome As she explores temples, villas and burial sites in the new series, she also brings places to life with personal stories like that of a little girl in the ancient city of Jerash in Jordan in 749AD. The girl would have been working in her family mosaic workshop when an earthquake struck. An archaeologist shows Bettany pictures of the girls skeleton with a smashed skull, and a glass jar found just feet away. The door lintel smashed down and killed her, says Bettany. Its so poignant because the jar was untouched. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. History helps you feel connected to people across time, and the brilliant thing about archaeology is you never know whats about to be discovered. When I walk through these landscapes I care about these people, I feel Im with them. She also felt at home with some of their animal companions. I love camels. We were in Oman as they opened up a frankincense traders tomb from 2,500 years ago. 'Then I spent that evening in the desert and drank delicious, fresh camels milk with a Bedouin family who are the descendants of those traders. I felt like Id travelled back in time. Camels sit round the fire there as part of the family, and they seem really engaged in the conversation. Theyre just adorable if I didnt live in the suburbs of London Id definitely have a camel! Thanks to spell check and Google, there's little excuse for embarrassing typos - especially the names of people we are all meant to have heard of. However, research from global website unscrambled-words.com suggests we are constantly misspelling the names of Hollywood stars, actors and presenters constantly. But do you think you can identify the correct spellings of the names of 20 celebrities in our interactive quiz? Try it out below and let us know your score in the comments. Pamela Anderson has gone viral after revealing her sure-fire way to get someone to marry you and fans insist her approach is how they landed their spouses. The 55-year-old, who has been married five times, shared the nugget of wisdom during the end credits of her Netflix documentary, 'Pamela, a Love Story,' which was released on January 31. 'The best way to get married is to tell someone, "I am never gonna marry you." Within six months you're married, for sure. That's what you do, okay?' she says in the outtake. However, the actress notes that it's not enough to just say you don't want to get married, explaining, 'You have to mean it. Like you'll never marry that person, never.' TikTok user @cassiedianne shared a video of the scene from the documentary earlier this week, writing in the caption, 'Maybe this will work.' Pamela Anderson, 55, has gone viral after claiming that 'the best way to get married is to tell someone, "I am never gonna marry you"' The actress, who has been married five times, shared the nugget of wisdom during the end credits of her Netflix documentary, 'Pamela, a Love Story,' which was released on January 31 TikTok user @cassiedianne shared a video of the scene from the documentary earlier this week, writing in the caption, 'Maybe this will work' The seven-second clip has been viewed more than 880,000 times in just two days and hundreds of people flocked to the comments to share their thoughts. 'Ill try anything at this point,' one user wrote, while another added, 'William Shakespeare COULD NEVER be this wise.' 'Suddenly youre a challenge to them. Its so true,' someone else agreed. Not only did people love the advice, but many also insisted that this is how they ended up getting married. 'This is true... I told my husband the night we met he was undateable and now we're married,' one person shared. 'I did this and now I'm married after six months too,' someone else noted. 'It wasn't a game. I just thought I didn't wanna be married. Now I'm happily married to my love.' Another recalled how her partner 'proposed two weeks after I told him that if he proposes at this point [in] our relationship I'll say "NO."' There were some naysayers who pointed out that the Baywatch icon's marriages all ended in divorce, but the tip was for getting married not staying married. The seven-second clip has been viewed more than 880,000 times in just two days and hundreds of people flocked to the comments to share their thoughts and success stories Anderson wed Motley Crew rocker Tommy Lee in 1995, four days after they first met. They went on to have two sons Brandon and Dylan Lee before they divorced in 1998. She has maintained he is the only man she has ever truly been in love with. She married Kid Rock in 2006, but they split four months later. Shortly after, she tied the knot with Rick Salomon in October 2007. After two months, she filed for divorce and their marriage was annulled in 2008. Salomon, a professional poke player, is best known for costarring in and then releasing the sex tape he made with Paris Hilton, later titled '1 Night In Paris.' Anderson explained in the documentary that she ended her marriage to Salamon after she found a crack pipe hidden in their Christmas tree, though he still denies that it was his. The two wed for a second time in 2014, after he had been sober for years, only to divorce in 2015. Anderson wed her first husband and the true love of her life, Motley Crew rocker Tommy Lee, in 1995, four days after they first met. They divorced in 1998 The Baywatch icon went on to marry Kid Rock in 2006, but they split four months later Anderson was most recently hitched to her bodyguard Dan Hayhurst. They wed in December 2020, but the marriage lasted less than a year In 2020, Anderson was wed to film producer Jon Peters for less than two weeks, but she later clarified that they weren't legally married. Peters, whose womanizing was dramatized by Bradley Cooper in Paul Thomas Anderson's film 'Licorice Pizza,' claimed last week that he planned to leave $10 million to her in his will. Anderson was most recently hitched to her bodyguard Dan Hayhurst. They wed in December 2020, but the marriage lasted less than a year. The 'Love, Pamela' author was promoting her new memoir and documentary on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' on Tuesday when she revealed that she hopes to get married for a sixth time. 'Do you think you'll ever get married again?' Kimmel asked her. 'God, what a crazy question. I don't know, I hope so,' she replied, later adding, 'I still have a lot of life left.' A woman dubbed the 'heirloom hunter' has revealed she discovered an earie letter claiming a man faked his own death following a murder. Chelsey Brown, 28, from New York, finds diaries, letters, and family heirlooms and reunites them with the descendants of those who have passed. Recently, she came across some shocking letters at a flea market dating back to 1901, revealing information about a criminal. She said the letter came from the ex-wife of an alleged murder victim to his supposed killer, who she claims faked his death and fled to Scotland after the attack. Chelsey was quick to share the jaw-dropping details with fellow crime sleuths on TikTok, where the post racked up 24,000 views. Chelsey Brown, 28, from New York, has revealed she discovered an earie letter claiming a man faked his own death following a murder The 'heirloom hunter' finds diaries, letters, and family heirlooms and reunites them with the descendants of those who have passed Recently, she came across some shocking letters at a flea market dating back to 1901, revealing information about a criminal In the clip, she says: 'I'm trying to solve a crime that happened over 100 years ago. 'These letters prove that a criminal from 1900, who was recorded as dead, actually faked his death and fled to Scotland,' she explained. The heirloom hunter then detailed exactly how the crime occurred. She revealed that while was robbing a post office, one of the employees of the post office shot a few of the gang members. And one of the gang members, who was said to be James, died, however, now Chelsey is claiming the letters prove he is still alive. 'These letters revolve around a shooting that happened in 1901. 'A gang and this specific criminal that we're talking about, his name was James, or at least that was one of his aliases. 'This gang actually robbed a post office, and one of the workers in the post office, who was stationed there overnight, ended up shooting a bunch of members in the gang.' She continues: 'One of the gang members ends up dying, and when the police ID him, they ID him as this James. 'So he was proclaimed as deceased. However, these letters from James' ex-wife tell a very different story, in that he didn't die in the shooting but instead a few days later, actually fled to Scotland. She revealed that while was robbing a post office, one of the employees of the post office shot a few of the gang members One of the gang members, who was said to be James, died, however, now Chelsey is claiming the letters prove he is still alive 'The most interesting piece of this puzzle is that I have a letter from 1901 from a reverend. 'This local reverend received a letter from James, pretending to be the shooter from the post office, asking for a description of the man who died, who he killed. 'Now why would James want a description of the deceased when he was the "deceased"? It's a piece of the puzzle that I'm still trying to figure out,' she told her followers. She explained that it wouldn't be unusual for James to flee as he had 'five different aliases.' The heirloom hunter added: 'This specific man had five different aliases, so now I'm trying to trace his journey back to Scotland and I want to find his descendants, or if not his descendants, then just trace what happened to him.' She finishes the video by saying she will hopefully have some more news to update her followers on, soon. 'James had multiple aliases because of being in the gang in 1900,' Chelsey said. 'I'm still trying to figure out why he was asking for the deceased description and I'm attempting to trace descendants in Scotland. 'I love researching these artefacts because I find the most incredible stories behind them. 'It's like I'm constantly trying to solve mysteries on a daily basis and I can't get enough of it.' Her TikTok followers are just as invested as she is, with many of them begging her to keep them updated Her TikTok followers are just as invested as she is, with many of them begging her to keep them updated. 'I'm so invested in this,' one person commented. Another user added: 'This some Peaky Blinders Ish.' [sic] 'Best guess, he wanted to take the decedent's identity,' someone else said. One person added: 'Maybe he wanted to know which one of the gang members actually died.' Someone else commented: 'Wow sounds amazing please give us every little piece.' Another person said: 'Um I'm immediately following you this is going to be great.' Ivanka Trump paid tribute to her later mother, Ivana Trump, on Wednesday night by wearing one of her 'favorite' vintage dresses to a 1920s-themed party. The former White House senior adviser was joined by her husband, Jared Kushner, when she attended music manager Myles Shear's 30th birthday bash at Faena Hotel Miami Beach. Ivanka, 41, channeled her inner influencer the next day when she posted glamorous photos of herself modeling her mom's beaded fringe frock by Bob Mackie. She posed by her guitar for the images, which show her shaking her hips and laughing at the camera. She used two dancer emojis to caption the playful post. The vintage mini dress revealed a sliver of her stomach and was paired with strappy silver sandals for the party, which was attended by TikTok star Alix Earle. Ivanka Trump, 41, modeled her late mother Ivana Trump's vintage Bob Mackie dress in a series of Instagram photos Ivana, who died in July, wore the beaded frock to attend Studio 54's 25th-anniversary party with her daughter in New York City back in 2002 (left) Ivanka posed by her guitar for the social media images, which show her shaking her hips and laughing at the camera Ivanka's blonde hair was parted to the side and styled in waves, though the look was more old Hollywood than flapper. In addition to the snapshots on her feed, she shared a slow-motion video of herself dancing and blowing a kiss on her Instagram Stories. 'Warming up for @managermyles' 30h birthday 1920's style. HBD! she wrote in the on-screen text. Ivanka also posted a photo of herself with Jared, 42, in the lobby of the hotel before they headed into the party. 'Swinging into the night in one of my mother's favorite vintage Bob Mackie Dresses,' she wrote and she couldn't resist calling out her husband for ignoring the dress code. While she was dressed to the nines in her flapper-inspired frock, Jared didn't even put on a suit for the occasion. Instead, the 'Breaking History' author sported a casual chambray button-down with jeans and New Balance sneakers, his typical off-duty look. 'Jared clearly failed to comply with the 1920s theme!' the former first daughter joked. Ivanka wore the dress to attend music manager Myles Shear's 30th birthday bash on Wednesday night In addition to the snapshots on her feed, she shared a slow-motion video of herself dancing and blowing a kiss on her Instagram Stories Ivanka revealed the dress was her mother's when she posted a photo of herself posing with her husband, Jared Kushner, who ignored the party's 1920s theme Once inside, she hit up the photo booth with Myles' fiance, Modern Luxury Miami editor Alexa Shabinsky. Ivanka and Jared have been living in Miami with their three children Arabella, Joseph, and Theodore since her father, former President Donald Trump, left office in January 2021. She only recently returned to documenting her life on Instagram with her 7.5 million followers, but up until Thursday, her posts mainly features photos of her on vacation, attending family gatherings, and volunteering at food drives. After officially quitting politics late last year, it seems she is back to embracing frivolity and showing off her glamorous outfits as she used to before her father's presidency. Ivanka inherited her vintage Bob Mackie dress from her mother, who wore the beaded frock to attend Studio 54's 25th-anniversary party in New York City back in 2002. Photos from the night show the mother-daughter duo laughing and posing for pictures together. Years later, Ivanka borrowed another Bob Mackie dress that Ivana wore in 1991 to celebrate the wedding of fashion designer Joseph Altuzarra in 2014. Shear (pictured with his fiance, Alexa Shabinsky) hosted his birthday bash at Faena Hotel Miami Beach Once inside the party, Ivanka hit up the photo booth with Alexa Ivanka also borrowed one of her mother's Bob Mackie dresses from 1991 (left) to wear to Mikey Hess and Misha Nonoo's wedding festivities in Italy in 2019 (right) She took the same beaded frock to Italy while attending Mikey Hess and Misha Nonoo's wedding festivities in 2019. Ivana, who was the former president's first wife, was found dead at the age of 73 in her New York townhouse this past July after sustaining blunt impact injuries as the result of a fall down the stairs. Ivanka, the socialite's only daughter, opened up about her grief on Instagram in late December after celebrating Hanukkah with her family. 'This is the first holiday season since the passing of my mother. Its true: grief during the holidays can be harder than any other time of the year,' she wrote. 'Learning to celebrate differently is a challenge. I am trying to be kind, patient, and compassionate with myself and honor and make space for all of the emotions I am experiencing. 'New memories are being made, my childrens laughter is abundant, my 96-year-old grandmas presence at our table brings us all joy, yet the void is undeniable, she continued. 'The loss of a parent is one of lifes very painful passages for which one is never fully prepared. It hits at the very core of your being. And it takes a good amount of time to emerge from how it dislocates you. 'To all who have experienced the loss of a loved one this year, may hope sustain you, may good memories provide you comfort, may friends and family surround you, and may love give you strength,' she concluded. She's not one to shy away from weird meals, but even for Kate Quilton, kangaroo soup was a hard one to swallow. The presenter, 39, was explores how tinned food can still be fresh and safe to eat years after being canned on tonight's episode of Food Unwrapped. In the episode, airing tonight at 8pm on Channel 4, the food adventurer meets with microbiologist Dr Patrick Hickey, at his mothers house in Edinburgh, where they inspect different decades-old cans of food. The group try their luck with different cans, taking a look at how the food has been conserved through the years, until they come across a tin of kangaroo soup the family brought back from a trip to Australia in the 1970s. After testing the batch to see if it was safe to eat, Kate tried the soup for herself, but she was left retching after trying the meal. Meanwhile, Dr Hickey and his mother seemed to love it. Kate gave Dr Hickey a look of stunned panic when he revealed to her the soup was indeed safe to eat, before they tried in on the show. While sceptical, Kate decided to go ahead and try the meal, but could not hide her spontaneous reaction after ingesting a spoonful of the mixture. The presenter could be seen turning around before gagging and retching after putting the spoon to her lips. Looking paler than usual, Kate looked back at Dr Hickey and his mother, who were also digging in. 'Bottoms up guys,' she said in a grunt. While the presenter struggled to eat the soup, the microbiologist and his mother, Frances, looked perfectly content as they ate the meal. A dumbfounded Kate quipped: 'Well there you have it, 50 years in the can and perfectly edible, even enjoyable for Frances. Unphased, Frances confirmed she was a kangaroo soup aficionado, telling Kate: 'I might have another little tad, mmm.' Kate Quilton, 39, was left retching after trying 50-year-old kangaroo tail soup on tonight's episode of Food Unwrapped The presenter could not hide her genuine disgust after trying out the meal, turning away from the camera to gag Kate did not seem too happy when she heard she'd have to try the soup, which had been sitting in a tin since the 1970s Dr Hickey, who was trying tinned foods with Kate, explained his family brought back the meal from Australia During tonight's episode, Kate and Dr Hickey also tried their hands at a can of 40-year-old potatoes, but decided to not eat it. They also passed on a dubious-looking can of hamburgers, but decided to go ahead with the soup, as it was tested in the lab and declared safe to eat. Meanwhile, in other grim food news, a disgruntled traveller has blasted an 'abomination' Wetherspoons meal that he claims 'would fail GCSE food tech'. Greg Owen, from London, was dining at The Red Lion pub in Gatwick airport's North terminal before a flight when he shared a snap of his 'utterly disastrous' meal. Taking to Twitter the customer shared a picture of his scorched burger with his followers. Greg Owen, from London, shared a 'grim abomination' Wetherspoons meal that he claims 'would fail GCSE food tech' online The budget bar and restaurant is popular with people traveling from Gatwick Airports North terminal The post which got over 30,000 views read: 'Eating in the Red Lion (Wetherspoons) in Gatwick (N) is never a 'great' experience. 'However, tonight's offering is particularly grim. The person who 'cooked' this abomination would fail GCSE level home economics cookery. Utterly disastrous.' The Spoons customer ordered the Empire State burger which includes two 6oz beef patties, American-style cheese, and maple-cured bacon The meal which is served with chips and six onion rings costs 8.05 with a drink and 9.35 with an alcoholic drink. He also elaborated in the Tweet replies saying: 'The chips are squishy and the burgers are crunchy - quite a feat. Almost defies the laws of physics.' In the Footsteps of Killers viewers spotted a clue during n investigation of the death of Robert Duff who was reported missing in January 2013. The father-of-two, 37, failed to attend his daughter's 18th birthday party in London, with his family describing his disappearance 10 years ago as 'completely out of character'. However people have taken to Twitter to say the Channel 4 investigators missed a crucial clue that could lead police to the person that Robert spent his last day with. When Professor David Wilson interviewed Robert's eldest daughter Stephanie she recalled how she received a pocket dial call from her father the evening he disappeared, which left a lengthy voicemail. She mentioned hearing the name 'Gal', which viewers pointed out could be a nickname for Gary. She could hear him saying 'Sorry Gal' in the background, while a woman appeared to be telling a dog to 'sit.' However Twitter users have pointing out that 'Gal' is a slang name for Gary in London. One person wrote: 'Wondering why @ProfDavidWilson didn't mention or realise that Gal is a London nickname for Gary in the disappearance of Robert Duffy? #inthefootstepsofkillers' Another wrote: '#InTheFootstepsOfKillers #RobertDuff just a quick note, 'Gal' is also an abbreviation of 'Gary'. While another said: '100% if we were calling my cousin from a distance wed shout Gawl.' And a fourth wrote: 'Yes I have heard this said in many TV programs to do with London. It's a London saying as far as I know.' Later on in the episode the documentary claimed that Robert, who went missing 10 years ago, was 'killed after rejecting the sexual advances of a man before his body was dismembered and deposited at a pig farm. Police believe Robert was involved in a fight with two men on the day he disappeared, and was killed that night In the Footsteps of Killers viewers spotted a clue during the investigation of the death of Robert Duff when Professor David Wilson interviewed Roberts eldest daughter Stephanie (pictured) she mentioned the name 'Gal' who viewers think is a nickname for Garry However social media users have pointing out that 'Gal' is a slang name for Gary in London His case was treated as a missing persons inquiry until 2018, when a new witness came forward following an appeal on ITV London Tonight. Officers began a murder inquiry and have been searching bodies of water near to where he was last seen. In the new film Professor David Wilson and Emilia Fox spoke to a contact who has been told by a homeless man what happened to Robert. Robert, who was also known as Duffy, was last seen on January 12 2013 when he was pictured on CCTV withdrawing cash. His family grew concerned when days later, he failed to arrive at a celebration for his daughter's 18th birthday. There was going to be a party to celebrate that fact at his mothers' house, but Robert never turned up. Stephanie recalled how the evening her father had disappeared, she received a pocket dial call from him which left a lengthy voicemail in an interview with Professor David Wilson (pictured) In the new film, In the Footsteps of Killers, it was claimed Robert Duff was 'killed after rejecting the sexual advances of a man before his body was dismembered and deposited at a pig farm'. PIctured: Robert with his two children Professor David Wilson explained it was extremely out of character for the man, saying he was 'involved in his daughter's lives.' Police believe Robert was involved in a fight with two men on the day he disappeared, and was killed that night. He had been to a flat in Bredgar Road, Archway, north London, on the night and several people were there. Timeline of Robert's disappearance Saturday January 12 2013 - Robert is seen on CCTV for the last time, getting money out of a cash point in Archway. He is in a flat on Bredgar Road with a number of other people. Days later, he fails to turn up to his daughter's 18th birthday party. His mother reports him missing to police but his body is never found. January 2018 - There was an appeal for new information, and the case became a murder investigation Police are also seen searching ponds in the area May 14 2018 - Two men aged 70 and 51 were arrested on suspicion of murder in Archway and questioned before being released under investigation. 2020 - Police search for a body in Highgate No 1 Pond on Hampstead Heath, which is next to the famous Men's Bathing Pond. 2023 - The case is featured on In The Footsteps of Killers Advertisement In 2018, on what was the fifth anniversary of his disappearance, there was an appeal for new information. Professor David said: 'As a result, the case was turned into a murder inquiry.' On May 14 2018, two men aged 70 and 51 were arrested on suspicion of murder in Archway and questioned before being released under investigation. Divers searched two local ponds but there has been little progress in the case since. Professor David and Emilia started their investigation by speaking with Robert's mother Helen, who was the person who reported him missing back in 2013. She said: 'He was really, really funny. He was always keen to make sure his kids have birthday presents, Christmas presents. 'His family were everything to him. This was one of the difficulties we had when he went missing. 'He had - in a sense - two lives. he had his family life and he had the drug taking. It was devastating. 'It was totally out of character that he didn't show up. 'We kept phoning and phoning throughout the day, and there was no answer - it kept going to voicemail. 'As the days wore on, we thought, 'Has he fallen asleep? Has he lost his phone?'' She said: 'My fear was, maybe he'd had an overdose or something. I phoned the police and I said, 'I'm concerned about him, he's high risk. ''Go and break the door down, I'll pay for it.' 'They did do that and they said he wasn't there. Even when I went to the police, they initially didn't take it seriously. 'I was told, 'Oh we've got 20 other people missing.'' 'They went to five shops to get CCTV footage, but they were shut. They never went back. I think they felt because of his lifestyle, he's gone off on a bender or he's done something.' She added: 'They didn't take it seriously. Had they conducted a proper investigation from the start...we felt a lot of information ahs been lost over the years, evidence has been lost.' Later, he met up with Stephanie, Robert's daughter. She said: 'We'd always been close, almost more like friends, joking around. He was very proud of us and boasting to everyone that he had two daughters. It was the first thing he told anyone.' 'He was a joker, he liked to wind me up. It was all just a load of fun.' In the new film, In the Footsteps of Killers, which airs on Thursday, Professor David Wilson and Emilia Fox speak to a contact who has been told by a homeless man what happened to Robert Speaking about the week he disappeared, she recalled: 'It was really out of character when he didn't turn up, it was a special dinner we had planned.' As she grew older, Stephanie was prompted to begin her own investigations, and went door-to-door in her local area to ask for information. She said the name which kept coming up was Helen McGuire, and she tried to meet up with her on a number of occasions - but she would always fail to appear. And when Professor David began doing some research, he found Helen McGuire died of drug related causes in 2020. Robert's daughter Charlotte also spoke to the programme, and said she was also investigating her father's death. She said she had been putting up posters in Archway when she kept seeing one homeless man, who approached her and said it 'broke his heart' to see her. Professor David started his investigation by speaking with Robert's mother Helen, who was the person who reported him missing back in 2013 She said he told her: 'I do know what happened to your dad.' The man claimed Helen McGuire had told him Robert had got into an argument with two men in Bredgar Road. He reported she said they had then 'killed him, before chopping him up and putting him into a suitcase.' Charlotte said she was convinced of the man's comments, saying: 'I believe the main things he said. He got down on his knees, he had tears in his eyes and everything. He just felt real. 'I do feel he was telling the truth. He wanted to remain anonymous. I spoke to him and said, 'Can you call the hotline?' and he said he'd be happy to do that.' Two months later, an unnamed contact of Professor David's was able to track down the homeless man who spoke to Charlotte. Elsewhere in the programme, investigators looked to find any links between Robert's death, and the death of Lana Purcell, who died two years earlier in the same area He said: 'It took a few weeks, I tracked him down last week. He said he was friends with Robert Duff, the story he'd heard when Helen was dying - the story seems to fit what Charlotte knows. 'Two men invited him back to Bredgare road. One of the men had made sexual advances towards Robert and a fight ensued. Robert was eventually murdered, and one of the men dismembered him. 'He apparently used to be a butcher, he dismembered him in a flat, they transported him in two suitcases. 'They transported him to a pig farm in Epping Forest, which is where Robert's remains were deposited. 'The motive is something we hadn't heard before - a sexual motive which lead to Robert's murder.' Elsewhere in the programme, the team began to see similarities between Robert's case and that of another woman who had disappeared in the area. Lana Purcell was 26 when she vanished from Camden, north London, in January 2011. A single mother to a six-year-old girl, she had fallen into a life of drug use and sex work before she went missing and her family believe her chaotic lifestyle meant her case was initially overlooked by police. Emilia said police had also investigated whether there were any links between the two victims (pictured) Emilia said police had also investigated whether there were any links between the two victims. Both went missing, presumed murdered, and their bodies were never found. They were addicted to the same substance, and therefore they were presumably in the same drug dealing network. The team went on to meet Lana's family, her sister Davina and father John. John described her as a 'wonderful, beautiful daughter', adding: 'She was mischievous when she was younger. Bless her, she didn't have a bad bone in her body. She wouldn't do anything to hurt anyone.' Davina said: 'I think she was taken, worked somewhere and disposed of. I have heard she got minced in a butchers at the bottom of Kentish town. 'Nothing phases me anymore, I've been told the most horrible stuff.' She said when she was putting up missing posters for her sister, people would approach her to say that they knew her. John, Lana's father, said he believes Robert contacted him about the dangers Lana was in before she disappeared She added: 'They wouldn't go to the police. They see it as a form of snitching, and you're from around there, that is the wrong thing to be called. 'Lana and Robert knew each other, without doubt - I don't know whether they were friends but they're both from the same area. Same addictions.' Meanwhile John, Lana's father, said he believes Robert contacted him about the dangers Lana was in. John said: 'When I was asleep one night, I had a phone call from someone. The person said she was mixing with the phone people. 'They said she was in a lot of trouble and mixing with the wrong people who were not very nice. He said, 'I'm watching her back, but I won't be there all the time, I can't be there all the time so you want to try to keep her in.' 'That was a man. That was before she went missing. I have an idea who it is - but I don't want to say any names because I think he's no longer here either. 'I think it was Robert Duff, but I can't prove it.' However, despite the similarities between the two cases, criminologist Dr Graham Hill said he 'doesn't believe the two are connected'. He said: 'If you look at Lana's lifestyle, she lived a very chaotic lifestyle. She was known to the police for shoplifting, lots of local drug dealers, it was rumored she was allowing her flat to be used by drug dealers and that she owed them a lot of money.' Classic UK children's author had lost his son Eddie to meningitis in 1999 Michael Rosen, 76, told Lorraine about how writing helped him deal with grief Popular children's writer Michael Rosen has opened up about belatedly dealing with the grief of losing his teenage son to meningitis. Michael Rosen, 76, told Lorraine Kelly how working on his new book helped him sort through heavy emotions. 'I had spoken about it and I'd written poems about it but I'd never put it all in a line,' he said. 'If you lay it all out like that then it sort of helps you think about what you feel.' The Middlesex-born author of childhood classic We're Going on a Bear Hunt - who came close to losing his own life to Covid during the pandemic - also explained that learning more about the illness which took his son was healing for him. Eddie died from meningitis aged 18 in April 1999. Michael Rosen (pictured), 76, told Lorraine Kelly how working on his new book helped him sort through heavy emotions Michael explained that he had contracted septicaemia. According to health charity Meningitis Now, this happens when bacteria invade the body and release toxins in the bloodstream. 'With Eddie, the first thing I had to do was to find out about meningitis,' the author said. 'I wanted to know that it wasn't some strange weird thing that had taken him away...that it wasn't some kind of punishment of me. 'I wanted to find out what is this thing.' He recalled his son going to bed 'a little bit ill', taking a paracetamol - and being found dead in the morning. 'It was that quick,' the writer added. 'And I wanted to find out how is that possible. The British author of childhood classic We're Going On A Bear Hunt - who came close to losing his own life to Covid during the pandemic - also explained that learning more about the illness which took his son (pictured) was healing for him 'So I talked to doctors I went online and that was a great help to me.' Michael also admitted that he doesn't want grief to consume his mind, and makes an effort to find joy in his life. 'There's this idea I have that if you can make yourself happy then it pushes that other stuff away so it's like a sort of concertina,' he said, admitting that while you can't just 'bury' the negatives, you can't be 'ground down' by it. The writer recalled an incident shortly after losing Eddie, where he saw a crying woman in a cemetery in Paris. She was mourning her son, who she had lost in a car accident ten years prior - and was 'in pieces'. Michael also admitted that he doesn't want grief to consume his mind, and makes an effort to find joy in his life 'I remember thinking, 'I hope I'm not as so overwhelmed by Eddie's death in 10 years time as I am now',' Michael told the presenter. The writer was in a coma for 40 days after suffering with coronavirus, and also revealed that he initially wasn't waking up when taken off sedatives. He told Lorraine how his wife Emma-Louise Williams held his hand, and played him recordings of his children to help bring him to consciousness. The father-of-five, who also wrote We're Going On A Bear Hunt, was told he had a 50:50 chance of surviving, and when he did wake up he had to re-learn how to walk. His book Many Different Kinds Of Love featured diary entries written by his nurses during his time in hospital. His latest book - Getting Better: Life lessons on going under, getting over it, and getting through it - shares the lessons Michael learned during trying times in his life. His latest book - Getting Better: Life lessons on going under, getting over it, and getting through it - shares the lessons Michael learned during trying times in his life. Michael also wrote We're Going on a Bear Hunt In 2021, the children's author revealed he brought his dead son back home from the mortuary so his friends could say goodbye. The former children's laureate said people 'came from all around' to see Eddie and believes it was his young friends' first experience of death. Michael found his second son 'cold' in bed after he had been experiencing flu-like symptoms. 'Then we did something quite strange partly it was his mum suggested it,' Michael had told the Cheltenham Literary Festival. 'After he was in the morgue, we brought him back to the house. We did that old thing of laying someone out in the house and people came from all around to see him. 'There is a whole generation of his friends, and they were young, that came to the house and it might have been the only dead person they had ever seen.' Michael, who has rarely spoken publicly about losing his son, added: 'If you're in the presence of a dead body it does transform the way you think about death...we become slowly aware of it. 'If it's totally medicalised then people just disappear, which isn't much different than seeing them go on holiday to France. 'We have to say, culturally speaking, if we ship people off to hospital and say goodbye to them and don't see them again, it is very a 'cordon sanitaire' around death.' Michael had Eddie with his first wife Elizabeth Steele. His death inspired Rosen's 2004 tale about grief, Sad Book. After months of mounting speculation, Molly-Mae Hague and her partner Tommy Fury finally confirmed that they have named this baby girl Bambi earlier this week. The new parents - who met on the 2019 series of Love Island - had admitted in YouTube video in the run-up to their daughter's arrival that fans were either going to 'love or hate' the name they'd chosen. However, Molly-Mae and Tommy certainly aren't the only parents who have turned turned to Disney for inspiration. Following the arrival of Bambi Fury, toy store The Kid Collective anaylsed data from the Office of National Statistics to reveal the UK's most popular magical monikers. Coming in at number one is Alice - which is currently the 31st most popular girls name in the country. Doting mum: The Love Island star had previously admitted she always knew what she was going to call her daughter, adding that she knew some of her fans wouldn't like it This is then followed by Aurora - the name of the heroine in Sleeping Beauty - in the 56th spot. Jasmine (after the princess in Aladdin) also took a podium position in the ranking and is 92nd most popular moniker for baby girls. After Anna took fourth place at number 97, the next most popular Disney name is Winnie - which came in at 204. As for boys, Sebastian continued to be a hit among parents and comfortably resides in the top 100 at 38th place. Next up is Louis (an alligator who features in the Princess and the Frog) in the 50th spot and Felix (from the Wreck-It Ralph movies) in number 71. But despite being Molly-Mae and Tommy's first choice, the name Bambi is lagging behind the majority of Disney monikers and ranks in 4,646th place. Founder of The Kid Collective, Laura Davies, said: 'Its so interesting to see how even the classic Disney films are influencing peoples decisions on what they call their baby. 'I can understand how difficult it is sometimes to choose a name for your baby - its a big deal! I also like the idea that these babies will grow up to know that their name is based on their parents' favourite films and characters. Left: Belle is currently the UK's eighth most popular Disney girls' name. Right: Alice is the most popular Disney name and sits at 31st place in the rankings TOP 10 DISNEY NAMES FOR GIRLS 1. Alice (31st) 2. Aurora (56th) 3. Jasmine (92nd) 4. Anna (97th) 5. Winnie (204th) 6. Flora (220th) 7. Jessie (314th) 8. Belle (324th) 9. Minnie (416th) 10. Nala (428th) Advertisement TOP 10 DISNEY NAMES FOR BOYS 1. Sebastian (38th) 2. Louis (50th) 3. Felix (71st) 4. Eric (132nd) 5. Rex (142nd) 6. Remy (148th) 7. Flynn (227th) 8. Peter (233rd) 9. Hector (257th) 10. Woody (356th) Advertisement 'Perhaps theyll go on to love the latest adaptations just like their parents too. It will be intriguing to see the next round of ONS data to see if "Bambi" is appearing more frequently.' On Tuesday, Molly-Mae Hague revealed she and her boyfriend Tommy Fury have named their baby daughter Bambi. The Love Island star, 23, took to Instagram to share a snap of her baby girl's name in illuminated letters overlooking her little girl in her cot, having previously admitted that some fans would 'hate' it. Molly-Mae secretly gave birth to her first child on Monday January 23, but only announced her arrival on social media a week later. She shared an adorable image of her daughter nestled in her cot next to a Bambi toy, with her name illuminated in lights on the wall. She captioned the post: 'Bambi' along with a heart emoji. Winnie currently came in 204th place, according to data from the Office of National Statistics. Pictured: the iconic cartoon Sweet! Molly-Mae Hague revealed she's named her baby daughter Bambi, as she posted a sweet snap of her newborn nestled in her cot The name Bambi is of Italian origin and is thought to derive from the word 'bambino', which means 'child'. Molly-Mae had previously admitted she always knew what she was going to call her daughter, adding that she knew some of her fans wouldn't like it. In a previous YouTube Q&A she said: 'It's not made up, it's totally not made up, I can't explain it. It's just not a name that's ever been used before. It's very very different and rare and you're either going to love it or hate it. 'I've had the name picked out since I was a baby girl myself. It's always been a dream baby girl name and luckily when I met Tommy and I told him the name I've always dreamt of using, he absolutely loved it too. 'It's a really really unusual and a different name, I do not know anybody else with the name. I've not seen any other girls with the name before, it's that different.' Apple comes with good news as orders for HomePod buyers in Australia and New Zealand is set to receive their orders soon. Customers who preordered the product upon the January 18th announcement has already received them. The Arrival of the HomePod Although the time zones that New Zealand and Australia are in grant them earlier access, Australian customers will still be getting them first in the country's Apple Stores. Sadly, New Zealand doesn't have official Apple retail locations, so they will have to wait for the shipments. The 2nd-gen HomePod is basically the same as the first one regarding the size, function, and sound quality. However, the newest model features a larger touch display, humidity and temperature sensors, and a U1 chip, according to MacRumors. Soon after New Zealand and Australia, other locations will also have the new HomePod readily available in sales and deliveries. It will first be available in Asia, Europe, and finally, North America. By then, customers can opt for walk-in purchases or order them online. Read Also: Apple Denies Working On A New HomePod Mini Version Apple's Second-Generation HomePod The product is an essential addition if you plan to turn your home into a smart home. The device has built-in intelligence that speaks for itself, which can help you manage the devices around your house, as well as your daily life routines. With the HomePod, you can manage your home just by speaking to Siri. You can control your smart home devices automatically by making automations. For instance, you can ask Siri to automatically turn off the lights every day once the clock hits 9 PM. The remote access feature will also allow you to do tasks without so much as lifting a finger. Given that you have set up smart systems, you can just ask Siri to do things like opening a locked door for a guest, or closing the garage door once you get your vehicle inside. Since it has a built-in sensor, the HomePod is capable of telling you the humidity and temperature within a room. You can even use this feature to create automations like closing the blinds once the room hits a certain temperature. You can also use the device to amp up your security system. HomePod's sound recognition can listen for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, according to Apple. Should the device detects it, you will be getting a notification on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch. As a speaker, the device is able to sense the room. Meaning that it can understand its location by using the built-in mic and listening to sound reflections. It will tune the sound based on the acquired data to create a better listening experience for its user. The HomePodis equipped to support Apple TV 4K's Dolby Atmos audio, so you can watch with a more immersive sound. You can even place two HomePods in the same room and the device will ask you if you want them paired, creating a better surround sound quality. Related: Apple to Release HomePod Mini Software Updates George Washington University has installed a morning-after pill vending machine on campus in a bid to make products more accessible to young women. The institution, based in Washington, D.C., has started selling the emergency contraceptive pills following a student-led campaign. The machine dispenses Plan B pills for $30 each as well as feminine products such as tampons and other healthcare items like Advil. It has been installed in the basement of the student center in a conscious effort to make it more discrete for users. The move was prompted by the overturning of Roe vs Wade in a decision that removed the constitutional right to abortion. George Washington University has installed a morning-after pill vending machine on campus in a bid to make products more accessible. Pictured: Student body president Christian Zidouemba with the new machine It has been installed in the basement of the university's (pictured) student center in a conscious effort to make it more discrete for users Nearly a quarter of women aged between 22-49 who have ever had sexual intercourse have used a contraceptive pill, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And, although the on-site pharmacist at George Washington University already stocked emergency contraception, it had limited opening hours. If buying pills off campus, the $50 price tag as well as finding transportation to get there were also proving to be barriers for students. The campaign to have vending machines installed, spearheaded by GWU's Student Association, reportedly became a priority following the overturning of Roe vs Wade. There was widespread protest across the US when the Supreme Court decision was made in June 2022 which meant that women were no longer guaranteed the federal right to an abortion. The ruling prompted students Neharika Rao and Aiza Saeed to start a petition calling for more accessible morning-after pills. It quickly gathered more than 1,500 signatures and the vending machine, which was not purchased or subsidized by the school or students, was installed by a private company a short time later. The machine, which is operated by a private company, was not purchased or subsidized by the school or students The machine dispenses Plan B pills for $30 each (stock image) as well as feminine products such as tampons and other healthcare items like Advil Following its implantation, student body president Christian Zidouemba thanked Rao and Saeed in a post on Instagram. Sharing an image of himself next to the new vending machine, he wrote: 'A promise made, promise kept. 'While this is a step forward to ensuring our campus has reproductive health products, I acknowledge that a lot of work still needs to be done. 'That's why we will work with GW administration to expand vending machines across our university as well as reduce the cost... 'Thank You @aizasaeed_ & @neharikaarao for their leadership, taking on the project, and making it a reality.' The campaign to have vending machines installed, spearheaded by GWU's Student Association, reportedly became a priority following the overturning of Roe vs Wade (pro-abortion rally pictured) There was widespread protest when the Supreme Court decision was made in June 2022 which meant that women were no longer guaranteed the federal right to an abortion (pro-abortion rally pictured) What is the morning-after pill? The morning-after pill is a type of emergency birth control. Emergency contraception is used to prevent pregnancy for women who have had unprotected sex or whose birth control method has failed. The morning-after pill is intended for backup contraception only, not as a primary method of birth control. Source: Mayo Clinic Advertisement He continued: 'The Wellness Vending Machine is located in the basement of the University Student Center near the GWORLD office. 'It offers plan B and other medical supplies like Tylenol, Advil, and tampons.' Kelly Cleland, executive director for the American Society for Emergency Contraception, praised the move. She told USA Today: 'Efforts like this vending machine are a really important part of the solution in reducing barriers to reproductive health care access.' George Washington University is just the latest to offer emergency contraception to its students, which is already available at the likes of Columbia, Stanford and Harvard. It is thought that there are now 32 campuses in total across the US that have installed similar vending machines. Morning-after pills have been sold over the counter without restrictions since 2014. But the decision to install the machines has been met with backlash from critics who have slammed making medication so readily available to young people. According to The Washington Post, Shaohannah Faith, capital area regional coordinator for Students for Life of America, wrote in an email that the university's decision to distribute the pills 'with the same readiness as candy and chips is reckless and disappointing.' She said that it showed a lack of concern for the health of women on their campus and is 'alarming.' An affordable beauty gadget developed by a small Australian business has become one of the must-have purchases of 2023, after supermodel Kendall Jenner raved about it and the $34.95 item got stocked in 440 Priceline stores and Chemist Warehouse outlets nationwide. Sarah Forrai, 30, launched her Contour Cube last year from her Sydney apartment to provide women with a facial icing tool for 'healthy glowing skin'. Since then, business has boomed, with Kendall saying she uses it every morning and over 50m views and counting for the gadget on TikTok Scroll down for video An affordable beauty gadget developed by a small Australian business has become one of the must-have purchases of 2023, after supermodel Kendall Jenner raved about it (Contour Cube pictured) Sarah Forrai, 30, launched her Contour Cube last year from her Sydney apartment to provide women with a facial icing tool for 'healthy glowing skin' (pictured after use) The Contour Cube is an innovative product that harnesses cold therapy and facial icing to tighten pores, reduce oiliness, ease acne, provide visible firmness and reduce the appearance of pigmentation or dark under-eye circles. To use it, you simply clip the two ends of the cube together, fill with water from the hole at the bottom and place in the freezer to set. Users can even add a few drops of their favourite hyaluronic acid serum for an added complexion boost. Then, remove the lid and after cleansing your face run the ice in the Contour Cube over your skin in 30 second intervals for up to two minutes. Rose water, green tea, coconut milk, aloe vera, lemon water and cucumber water can also be used instead of plain water. When Kendall Jenner (pictured) praised the Aussie device and said she uses it every morning, it took just one night for Sarah to shift 25,000 Contour Cube units Reviews online for the Contour Cube are glowing, where users have alternately described it as 'fantastic', 'refreshing' and 'great'. 'I'm obsessed. In a very short time after adding this into my routine daily I've noticed a huge difference in less puffy spots and redness,' one reviewer wrote. 'I'm more than impressed. I absolutely love this product. My face feels and looks wonderful after using it,' another added. The Contour Cube is an innovative product that harnesses cold therapy and facial icing to tighten pores, reduce oiliness, ease acne and other things (pictured) Sarah and her team worked 'day and night' to keep up with demand as orders for the Contour Cube poured in (Contour Cube pictured) The benefits of facial icing revealed Eliminate puffiness, especially around the eyes Reduce oiliness Ease acne Soothe sunburn Reduce swelling and inflammation, including rashes and insect bites Reduce signs of aging, such as wrinkles Boost the skin's healthy glow Source: Healthline Advertisement When Kendall Jenner praised the Aussie device and said she uses it every morning, it took just one night for Sarah to shift 25,000 Contour Cube units. Since then, fellow actresses and Sydney Sweeney and Shay Mitchel have also outed themselves as mega fans, while Sarah and her team worked 'day and night' to keep up with demand as orders for the Contour Cube poured in. Sarah moved to Australia from Hong Kong when she was 12 and said while living overseas she was exposed to the latest creative innovations, driving her entrepreneurial spirit. But it was her beloved mum who played a role in the inspiration behind the Contour Cube. 'My mum swears by ice facials which is her best-kept secret for her youthful complexion and she recommended it to me,' Sarah previously told FEMAIL. 'Taking her advice, I began my facial icing journey which quickly became my favourite instant wake-me-up in the mornings.' On TikTok, Contour Cube currently has 295,000 followers, while millions have raved about the gadget working wonders on their skin. A paramedic has issued a warning to all new parents about why you should never cover your pram with a blanket while a baby is sleeping. Nikki Jurcutz, who is a working paramedic, mum and the CEO of parenting organisation Tiny Hearts Education, shared a video on Instagram showing just how hot it gets inside a pram when there is a baby inside, it's covered and there is no air flow. 'This is why we don't cover the pram with blankets,' Nikki posted alongside her video. Scroll down for video A paramedic has issued a warning to all new parents about why you should never cover your pram with a blanket while the baby is sleeping (Nikki Jurcutz pictured) Nikki Jurcutz shared a video on Instagram showing just how hot it gets inside a pram when there is a baby inside, it's covered and there is no air flow (pictured) She said: 'This is the temperature in the pram when we first brought it out on a hot day.' Nikki showed a thermometer that read 29.9 degrees Celsius. 'We covered the pram with a blanket and left it out for 15 minutes. When we went to see how hot it got in there, we saw that it was 46.4 degrees Celsius, or 115.5 Farenheit,' she said. She added: 'Imagine your baby sitting under that blanket on a hot day. 'Our little ones are also more sensitive to hot temperatures which puts them at a higher risk of heat stress.' Nikki took the pram outside on a hot day and took the temperature, which was 29.9 degrees Celsius, and then she left it outside covered with a blanket for 15 minutes and it was 46.4 degrees Celsius (both pictured) Nikki said covering the pram 'reduces the air flow', which causes the temperature to 'rise quickly'. It also means that because it's covered, you aren't 'able to keep an eye on them to monitor for signs of heat stress'. Thousands of people who saw the video were quick to thank the paramedic for sharing it, and said 'not enough people know this'. 'I see this a lot but dont want to say something for fear of shaming the mum. When you know better you do better,' one person commented. Another added: 'Nothing stresses me out more for the poor baby when I see this! An adult wouldn't want to lie in a dark covered box, so why would a baby? It needs to be more commonly known. Thank you for sharing'. Looking after babies and children in the heat * Babies and children need to be watched carefully during hot weather. * Babies and children sweat less, reducing their ability to cool down, and they generate more heat during exercise than adults. * They are at higher risk of overheating and developing a heat-related illness. Heat can also make existing illnesses worse. How to keep your baby or child cool in the heat: - understand that babies and children overheat and dehydrate quickly - breastfeed or bottle-feed your baby more often - offer older babies and children extra drinks in hot weather - the best drink is water - dress babies and children in cool clothing and protect them from the sun with hats and sunscreen - never leave children in the car - if your child is sick (fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, or even a mild cold), they need extra attention to ensure they remain well hydrated and dont overheat. See your GP if your child is unwell. Source: NSW Health Advertisement Nikki said covering the pram 'reduces the air flow', which causes the temperature to 'rise quickly'; you are also not able to keep an eye on your baby for signs of heat stress Others said that they are guilty of it and had no idea. 'I always use muslin blankets but thanks to these comments I realised that our stroller has a zip-out canopy,' one mum wrote. Another added: 'I use a muslin blanket, I have the same stroller. I open the vent in the back, leave a part up in the front and I have a little fan that I set up so air flows'. Red Nose Australia highlighted research that shows that placing blankets, plastic covers, canopies and even lightweight muslin over the pram increases the temperature within. Covering the pram reduces air circulation, even with 'breathable' material, enabling heat to rise quickly. Covering the pram may also reduce your ability to see your baby and observe them for signs of heat stress. When out and about with your little one in a pram, experts advise monitoring them for signs of listlessness or irritability, initial excessive sweating and then a sudden decrease in sweating and pale and clammy skin, before it becomes hot and flushed. A janitor has revealed the secrets to finding the cleanest public bathroom - and the one toilet you should never visit. Jennifer Cullison, 26, picked up the three bathroom secrets by working as a janitor for two years, and studying a PhD in human behaviour. The American student advised her followers to never use the first bathroom, always visit the stalls on the left, and avoid using a disability bathroom. Scroll down for video Former janitor, Jennifer Culliston, (pictured) has revealed the secrets to finding the cleanest public bathroom - and the one toilet you should never visit The American student advised her followers to never use the first bathroom, always visit the stalls on the left, and avoid using a disability bathroom 'I'm going to tell you which stalls in a bathroom are used the least and therefore are the cleanest,' Jennifer said. She explained that she used to carry out hourly checks on the toilets and replace the toilet paper so she noticed which stalls were used the most. 'I'm also an anthropology PhD student so I study human behaviour,' she added. She said that 'the biggest thing' to bear in mind in public bathrooms is that the first few stalls are the dirtiest and most used. 'Go to the farthest stall from the door to the bathroom because people usually go into the first couple of stalls,' Jennifer advised. 'The ones in the back, especially in big bathrooms, never get used.' Her second piece of advice is that if the bathroom has stalls lining either side, you should 'always' go left, as everyone else is more likely to go right. 'If there are stalls on either side of the bathroom, you're gonna want to go to the left because most people go to the right,' she explained. 'I think that might have to do with like a left right handed thing.' The three things you should never do in a public bathroom: 1. Never go to the bathroom closest to the entrance, use the stall furthest away 2. Never go to the stalls on the right of the bathroom, always turn left 3. Never use a disability stall Advertisement Her final tip is to avoid handicap stalls at all costs, as it may prevent someone who actually needs it from using it. The woman explained that most adults don't use these, but kids 'love novelty' and will go right into the stalls. Jennifer's followers were very grateful for the tips, which they said answered questions they had thought about for years. 'Thank you so much for this information, I think about this literally every time in a public restroom and I always pick the second farthest one in the back,' one woman said. However, some people wondered if everyone might be using the back as they assume everyone uses the first stall. 'Ive read the opposite? That most people avoid the first and second stalls as they feel theyre the most used? I give up,' one woman commented. Victoria's Yarra Valley placed fifth and Cairns earned its spot at number nine The Whitsundays came in second while the Sunshine Coast ranked third The 100 'most loved' travel destinations from around the world have been named and four Australian locations are in the top 10. Queensland's spectacular Whitsunday Islands came in second place beating out more than 21,000 destinations just behind the Maldives in number one. The state dominated the top 10 with the Sunshine Coast and Cairns coming in third and ninth respectively while Victoria's Yarra Valley was number five. Four incredible Aussie tourist hot spots have made the top ten in the 100 'most loved' travel destinations from around the world and the Whitsundays (pictured) came in at number two The number three spot was taken out by the Sunshine Coast (left) in Queensland while Victoria's Yarra Valley (right) known for its wineries and vineyards came in fifth Cairns (pictured), known as the gateway to Australians world-famous Great Barrier Reef, earned the number nine position with a score of 33.98 out of 50 Top 10 most loved travel destinations Maldives Whitsundays, Queensland Sunshine Coast, Queensland Seychelles Yarra Valley, Victoria Sestriere, Italy Cayman Islands Ibiza, Spain Cairns, Queensland Venice, Italy Advertisement The top 100 was determined by looking at the places that earned the highest Tourist Sentiment Score measured by using data from almost two billion online conversations and posts from travellers around the world about their experiences. The Whitsundays scored 37.64 out of 50 for its jaw-dropping beaches with strikingly blue waters and white sands surrounded by lush tropical forests. With ideal weather almost all year around, the Whitsundays offer travellers an island paradise escape with dozens of beaches to relax on. Just behind the Whitsundays was the Sunshine Coast with a score of 36.96 with its top asset again being its beaches that attract more than 3.2million visitors a year. While the pristine coast is known for its beaches and surfing spots, travellers can also head west to explore the hinterlands of incredible forests and show-stopping landscapes. Earning its place at number five was Victoria's Yarra Valley, which earned 36.18 points for its wineries and vineyards. The Whitsundays scored 37.64 out of 50 for its jaw-dropping beaches with strikingly blue waters and white sands surrounded by lush tropical forests Just behind the Whitsundays was the Sunshine Coast with a score of 36.96 with its top asset again being its beaches that attract more than 3.2million visitors a year Stretching vineyards are peppered across the region's stunning rolling green hills as both international and domestic tourists alike travel there to immerse themselves in its thriving wine culture. Even the back roads are home to some of the world's best wineries while the region can also be enjoyed from the sky as hot air ballooning is a popular activity. Keen drivers flock to the Yarra Valley as its long winding roads through deep green forests with towering trees and lush ferns make for the perfect road trip. Stretching vineyards are peppered across the Yarra Valley's rolling hills as both international and domestic tourists alike travel there to immerse themselves in its thriving wine culture Keen drivers flock to the Yarra Valley as its long winding roads through deep green forests with towering trees and lush ferns make for the perfect road trip Cairns, known as the gateway to Australians world-famous Great Barrier Reef, earned the number nine position with a score of 33.98. Its top asset was listed as diving and snorkelling as travellers head to the town to experience the wonder of the World Heritage-Listed reef. With more than three million tourist a year, Cairns has range of luxury hotels and stays while inland there are waterfalls, forests and walking trails to explore. Cairns' top asset was listed as diving and snorkelling as travellers head to the town to experience the wonder of the World Heritage-Listed Great Barrier reef Just missing out on making the top ten was the southern coastal town of Esperance in Western Australia at number 12 as well as Noosa in Queensland in at 14. Shoalhaven and the Hunter Valley, both in New South Wales, were number 21 and 27 respectively while Victoria's Great Ocean Road took 28th place. Other Aussie places on the Tourist Sentiment Index's top 100 most loved destinations included Byron Bay (21), Magnetic Island in Queensland (37), South Australia's Barossa Valley (39) and Port Douglas the Daintree (43). Transwomen will be able to get a life-changing womb transplant in the 'near future', leading fertility experts have claimed. The huge scientific breakthrough would give biological males the chance to carry a child, a feat currently impossible. Infertile women around the world have already given birth thanks to the pioneering op. Only tiny modifications would be needed to make it a reality for men too, according to world-renowned voices in the transplantation field. Wombs could come from deceased women and donors who have decided to have their own reproductive organs removed which can happen when women decide to become men. This graphic shows the potential way a person born a biological man could have a womb surgically inserted into the body, paving the way for first ever male pregnancy Academics behind the claim carried out North America's first womb transplant from a deceased donor which resulted in the birth of a child. The team, from the prestigious Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, wrote about the possibility of performing the surgery on a biological man in Fertility and Sterility. Campaigners argue transgender women should have the same right to carry a child as a woman born female. Could a womb transplant make it possible for a biological man to get pregnant? The ultimate goal of giving a biological male a womb transplant would be giving them the chance to become pregnant. We don't know at this stage if this would be possible, only one attempt has been made, all the way back in the 1930s and wasn't successful. But fertility treatment has come a long way since then. Children have been delivered by woman who have had a womb transplant via IVF, an egg fertilised in the lab being implanted into the womb. In theory, this process could be also applied to a transwoman. They could then receive a hormone regime that mimics those a woman's body produces naturally during pregnancy to support the development of the baby. These regimes already exist for biological females with hormonal disorders. Babies that have been implanted in womb transplants before have been born via C-section and it is presumed the same would be true for transwomen. Experts have cautioned however that we know very little about how this process could and if this type of pregnancy would be carry any risks to the foetus and/or mother. Advertisement But not everyone agrees. Some critics have labeled the prospect as a 'selfish exercise' by transwomen that is 'insulting' to motherhood. Around 100 womb transplants have been carried out globally since 2014, when the procedure was first successfully performed by experts in Sweden. Dozens of women have also successfully gone on to get pregnant thanks to the procedure in combination with IVF. It is not routinely available in Britain yet but experts hope they will be in time. Dr Rebecca Flyck, lead author of the new article, said not opening the surgery up to transwomen would be a form of discrimination. 'As we increasingly recognise a history of inequality and discrimination for transgender women, we must question whether it is acceptable that transgender women are denied access to clinical trials based on their gender identity and trans status,' she said. She added that giving transwomen wombs would help address the mental anguish they suffered by not being able to fully embrace their gender identity. 'Further, as studies accumulate revealing high levels of depression and suicidality in trans women and demonstrate the emotional impact of reduced procreative ability in this population, we must consider the potential benefits of bringing uterus transplantation to transwomen,' she said. Dr Flyck added it was a matter of when the surgery was conducted, not if. 'The first uterus transplant in a transgender female in the 21st century is anticipated to take place within the next few years, if not sooner,' she said. The article by Dr Flyck and colleagues doesn't provide a detailed guide into how this potential surgery would be conducted. But it is likely the first step would be a transwoman undergoing a vaginoplasty, so that their body is more similar to that of a biological woman. This extensive operation involves crafting a neovagina using tissue from elsewhere in the body, such as the penis or a section of bowel, and provides a base to attach a transplanted womb. This process would also likely involve the removal of the testicles to stop the production of male hormones that could interfere with a future baby, with sperm being frozen for potential future fertility treatment. Theoretically, this could see transwomen get pregnant with their own babies, similar to biological women who can do IVF using their own pre-harvested eggs. After a recovery period following the vaginoplasty, the transwoman could then seek a womb transplant. Like other organ donations, such as kidney or liver, a transwoman wanting a womb would need to find a donor with the same blood and tissue type. A womb removed would come with some of the attached blood vessels required to feed the organ, in exactly the same way it would for a biological female patient. It would then be surgically inserted into the transwoman in a major op connecting it to their neovagina. This unnamed girl was the first baby born in the US from a womb that had been donated from a deceased woman, herself a mother, back in 2019 Dr Flyck and colleagues said the procedure, which could take upwards of 11 hours, would run almost identically to that performed for a biological female. However, surgeons would need to beware of one additional complication. There is a significant difference in the width of the internal iliac vessels, which feed the lower part of the body, between men and women. WHY BIOLOGICAL MEN CAN'T GIVE BIRTH... YET Only females can make eggs, which means it is not possible for a male-to-female trans woman to get pregnant naturally. Scientists believe it is theoretically possible to impregnate a trans woman using IVF, when the eggs are fertilised outside the body and then inserted. But it would require a healthy womb for the child to grow in. There has only ever been one documented case of a womb being transplanted into a trans woman born male but she died from complications just months later. Female-to-male transgender people can still get pregnant. But only if they have not had a hysterectomy as part of their transition or have taken hormone-blocking drugs that stop them from producing eggs. There are no definitive figures when it comes to how many transgender people have given birth worldwide, or in Britain. Seventy-five people who identified as male gave birth in Australia in 2020, the most comparable country with data. Advertisement The size difference varies between specific individuals, but is roughly about 1.6mm wider in biological females. The authors said a mismatch between the two, with a smaller vessel connected to a larger one, carries the risk of generating a dangerous blood clot. However, they add this risk could be mitigated by trimming the blood vessels so that they match. They added that another challenge is the health of the neovagina. In comparison to a natural vagina, they claimed a neovagina lacks the same amount and distribution of blood vessels. This means there's potential risk the surgical connection between it and the donated womb could fail. Like with any organ donation, the transwoman would need to take immune system suppressant drugs to prevent their body from rejecting the transplant. Dr Flyck and team also considered how a transwoman who receives a womb could become pregnant and then ultimately give birth. IVF would be the only option as a womb transplant does not include the ovaries or fallopian tubes that store and transport eggs making natural pregnancy impossible. A transwoman wishing to carry a baby to term would also need to receive artificial hormones to mimic those the female body generates in a normal pregnancy. There are already established hormone regimes available for this, which are used by biological women with hormonal disorders during pregnancy. And like normal uterus transplants, the baby would probably be born via C-section due to risks a vaginal birth poses to the surgical connection between the vagina and the donated womb. Despite saying they supported the case for clinical trials of womb transplants in transwomen, the experts acknowledged there are 'several significant' unknowns about the safety of the procedure, especially long-term, and more data is needed. Uterus transplants, which are only available for reproductive purposes, are normally removed following the birth of a single child, but sometimes are kept for two. But a transwoman might, in theory, want to keep their womb for longer as part of treating their gender dysphoria by allowing them to menstruate. The authors said this prospect could carry unknown dangers to the patient. 'For transgender women who wish to preserve their transplanted uterus indefinitely with immunosuppression for the purpose of menstruation and enhanced gender alignment, the risk/benefit ratio is unclear and potentially worrisome,' they said. Lili Elbe (left) was a Danish transwoman and was the first to ever attempt at giving a biological male a womb transplant in 1931. However, she died from a cardiac arrest brought on by a post-surgery infection three months after the operation. Her life story was made into a film in 2015 called The Danish Girl, which starred Eddie Redmayne (right) While allowing a biological male to give birth would represent a major scientific breakthrough, some critics have described the idea as 'dystopian'. Feminist author Milli Hill, who has spoken against the rise of inclusive, and often women-erasing, terminology in healthcare, said the prospect felt like a 'very selfish exercise' and even 'insulting' to women. 'In some ways the idea that a male can give birth if only they have a uterus is quite insulting to women, reducing us to mere incubatory vessels, she said. 'We know pregnancy, birth and motherhood are an incredibly complex biological and emotional journey for women.' The idea transplanting a uterus would alleviate a transwoman's gender dysphoria was also flawed, she claimed, reducing the identity of being a woman to a simple biological check list. Read more: Should brain dead women be kept alive and used as SURROGATES? Expert floats idea of organ donor-style arrangement so women can agree to letting their body be used to give childless couples a chance at having a baby But Dr Anna Smajdor, an associate professor in philosophy at the University of Oslo, also claimed it could be a viable option for women who 'prefer not to' carry a child. It would also be an option for infertile and gay couples Advertisement Ms Hill said: 'What does the idea that uterus "equals more female" mean for women who have undergone hysterectomy, for example? Are they somehow less female?' She added that such logic also contradicted the trans-movement itself, given how society is told to accept all transwomen, including those with intact male biology, as the exact same as biological females. 'We are often told a person with a penis and a beard may now be a woman, because it is the persons inner sense of their gender that dictates who they are, not their biological sex,' she said. This is not the first time that womb transplants for transwomen have been discussed in the modern era. In May last year, Indian surgeon Dr Narendra Kaushik said he was planning to transplant a womb into a transwoman with the goal of them eventually becoming pregnant. And a womb transplant for a biological male was attempted once before, all the way back in 1931. Danish artist Lili Elbe, who was born male, had the surgery in Germany with the hope of being able to have children with her fiance. However, she died from a cardiac arrest brought on by a post-surgery infection three months after the operation without having conceived a child. There have obviously been a raft of medical improvements since the 1930s, both in terms of surgical technique, post-operative care, and fertility treatments like IVF. This means that such a procedure would be much more feasible, at least in practice, today. Womb transplants are successfully performed in the US, with a patient in Ohio being the first in the country to carry a baby to term using the transplanted womb from a deceased donor in 2019. The pioneering operation saw womb and blood vessels removed from a 45-year-old woman herself a mother who had died of a stroke. They were then implanted into a new mother, who was born without a womb of her own, in an almost 11-hour operation, and the blood vessels connected to her own. The women then began to menstruate 37 days after the op and then had regular periods until she became pregnant seven months later. An embryo was implanted using eggs which had been taken from her ovaries before the womb transplant procedure and fertilised using IVF. The baby grew healthily and was born after 35 weeks and three days by caesarean section. During the caesarean, the woman's implanted womb was also removed and both mother and baby recovered normally. Transwomen cannot get pregnant naturally as, due to being born male, their bodies do not produce the eggs needed for fertilisation, in addition to not having a womb to carry the developing baby. But transmen those who were born women and then transitioned to become men can become pregnant. This is because they still have the reproductive system of a female, unless it has been removed as part of gender affirming surgery. There are no definitive figures when it comes to how many transmen have given birth worldwide, or in Britain. Seventy-five people who identified as male gave birth in Australia in 2020, the most comparable country with data. The move would help 'prospective parents who wish to have children but cannot' A Norwegian philosopher said brain dead women could be used as surrogates Should brain dead women be used as surrogates? That's the outrageously controversial concept floated by one philosopher. The move which the Norwegian writer herself admits is 'undoubtedly disturbing' would help 'prospective parents who wish to have children but cannot', such as gay and infertile couples. But Dr Anna Smajdor, an associate professor in philosophy at the University of Oslo, also claimed it could be a viable option for women who 'prefer not to' carry a child. Women would avoid the pregnancy health risks, such as high blood pressure, along with any emotional trauma as a result of complications, and it tackles the problem of a lack of surrogates, she argued. But Dr Anna Smajdor, an associate professor in philosophy at the University of Oslo, also claimed it could be a viable option for women who 'prefer not to' carry a child. It would also be an option for infertile and gay couples Dr Smajdor, who described the concept as 'whole body gestational donation', even claimed brain dead men could be used as surrogates to ease 'feminist objections'. Poll Should brain dead women be kept 'alive' and used as SURROGATES? Yes No Should brain dead women be kept 'alive' and used as SURROGATES? Yes 99 votes No 1548 votes Now share your opinion She did not, however, explain how the men would be able to carry a baby. But she said it is not a 'piece of science fiction' and the prospect could 'appease some feminists'. Under her theory, brain dead women would be used as surrogates if they had consented to do so beforehand. It would involve putting embryos into these women's uterus' until birth. Brain death is permanent, meaning the affected person will never regain consciousness or start breathing on their own. They are legally confirmed as dead. It can be caused by a cardiac arrest or heart attack, or other injuries which stop the supply of blood or oxygen to the brain. A vegetative state which Formula One legend Michael Schumacher is still in is different. These patients still show some signs of consciousness and have a chance of recovering because the brain stem still functions. Brain dead people can still have a beating heart and their chest will 'rise and fall with every breath'. However, this is solely down to life support machines not because the person has miraculously regained the ability to do this themselves. Writing in Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics, Dr Anna Smajdor said it is 'surprising' that no country allows women to donate their body for surrogacy after brain death an idea first touted by medics in 2000 Writing in Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics, Dr Smajdor said it is 'surprising' that no country allows women to donate their body for surrogacy after brain death an idea first touted by medics in 2000. Any women wanting to avoid the 'risks and burdens' of being pregnant themselves should have access to this form of surrogacy, she said. Pregnancy and childbirth carry 'significant health risks' and is more deadly that measles, Dr Smajdor claimed. However, this is not true in the UK, where people are twice as likely to die from the respiratory infection than in pregnancy. But expectant mothers can face health risks from high blood pressure, which can lead to life-threatening fits called eclampsia, and diabetes, which raises the risk of miscarriage and complications during birth. 'Concerted medical efforts are focused on ridding ourselves of measles, while women are expected to submit themselves to the greater risks of pregnancy and childbirth almost without thinking about it,' Dr Smajdor said. Former international athlete Catarina Sequeira, from Portugal, gave birth to her son Salvador in 2019, three months after she had been declared brain dead after suffering an acute asthma attack. Salvador's father said at the time that he was in good health She added: 'We cannot yet forego the uterus altogether for the reproduction of our species. 'But we can transfer the risks of gestation to those who are no longer able to be harmed by them.' Couples opting to use a braindead surrogate would avoid direct 'emotional and physical' trauma themselves if there were complications with the birth, Dr Smajdor argued. The donors would be 'under absolute medical control and surveillance' which would not interfere with their life as it would a living surrogate as the donor's function is 'solely to gestate', Dr Smajdor claimed. And the approach 'offers a solution to the problems of surrogacy' itself, Dr Smajdor said. She did not explain what the issues are, but there is a shortage of surrogates and the process can cost up to 80,000 in the UK, and double that amount in the US. Kim Kardashian used a surrogate for her second two children after experiencing complications while pregnant with her eldest two youngsters. While the prospect of using braindead women as surrogates 'may be disconcerting', brain death is already accepted as an 'adequate basis' for organ donation, Dr Smajdor said. People often donate knowing their organs will be given to those waiting for a transplant and, in theory, this logic is the same, she said. The paper triggered uproar among social media users who said the concept was 'demeaning to the entire concept of life as we know it' What is brain death? Brain death is when a person no longer has any brain function. It can be caused by a cardiac arrest or heart attack, or other injuries which stop the supply of blood or oxygen to the brain. It is permanent, meaning the affected person will never regain consciousness or start breathing on their own. They are legally confirmed as dead. A vegetative state which Formula One legend Michael Schumacher is still in is different. These patients still show some signs of consciousness and have a chance of recovering because the brain stem still functions. Brain dead people can still have a beating heart and their chest will 'rise and fall with every breath', the NHS says. However, this is solely down to life support machines not because the person has miraculously regained the ability to do this themselves. Source: NHS Advertisement Dr Smajdor admits it's 'unknown' how long a brain dead patient can be kept on life-support for, with the longest reported case being 110 days. But there is no known upper limit to how long someone can be kept alive on life support. Yet she added it is regarded as 'bad medical practice' and 'unethical' to prolong it and it is 'undoubtedly a disturbing prospect', she said. But she said this ventilation is already prolonged for organ donation and it makes 'little difference' that this is only for a short timeframe, rather than the nine months it takes for a baby to develop in the womb. Dr Smajdor also noted that there is a lack of data on whether it is even possible for a brain dead person to have a successful pregnancy and blamed this on 'moral squeamishness' about prolonging the life of brain-dead women. But donating the body for surrogacy is 'not beyond the realms of possibility' as there is 'increasing evidence' that pregnancies can be carried to term among women who have suffered brain death, she said. Former international athlete Catarina Sequeira, from Portugal, gave birth to her son Salvador in 2019, three months after she had been declared brain dead after suffering an acute asthma attack. Salvador's father said at the time that he was in good health. Dr Smajdor admitted that her approach 'might stand out as being unacceptable from a feminist perspective' as it 'disassociates the functions of reproduction from the person'. 'Whole body gestational donation' is 'quite straightforwardly the use of the body as a foetal container' which could 'condone the idea that living women' can also be treated as such, she suggested. But these worries can be mitigated by using brain dead men as surrogates, which would 'further increase' the pool of donors, she said. The paper, spotted by news website Reduxx, triggered uproar among social media users who said the concept was 'demeaning to the entire concept of life as we know it'. Others said it was the most 'disgusting and twisted thing' they had ever read. One user compared it to The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood's 1985 dystopian novel set in a world where fertile women are forced to have children. Tom Farr, from Manchester, tweeted that he can 'imagine few things more horrifying, dystopian, and signifying of total societal moral collapse than harvesting the bodies of dead women and keeping them functionally "alive" as surrogates'. Ashlyn O'Mara, from Toronto, Canada, likened the paper to Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, in which babies are born only through artificial wombs in labs. Dr Smajdor previously triggered backlash for claiming that nurses and doctors do not need to treat patients with compassion. She thinks staff should be able to carry out daily tasks from removing someones appendix to feeding an elderly patient without feeling any kindness towards them. She argued that compassion 'is not a necessary component' of healthcare and that staff who care too much about their patients would become demoralised if they witness neglect or poor treatment on wards. Cancer diagnoses will jump by a third by 2040, taking the number of new cases every year to more than half a million for the first time, a charity has warned. Cancer Research UK estimates UK cancer cases will rise from the 384,000 cases per year now to 506,000 in 2040, if current trends continue. While survival rates have improved, the UK continues to lag behind much of Europe with deaths set to rise by almost quarter from 167,000 to 208,000, over the same period. It warned the 'NHS risks being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of new cancer diagnoses' unless more is done to tackle preventable causes like obesity and train more staff. While most of the rise is due to an ageing population, the charity also said issues such as obesity and smoking are contributing to the rise. Cancer Research UK figures show the 10-year survival rates for different types of cancers. Rates are highest for melanoma - a type of skin cancer, breast and prostate cancer In total, there could be 8.4million new cases of cancer and 3.5million cancer deaths in the UK between 2023 and 2040. Around six in ten cases and three-quarters (76 per cent) of deaths will be in over 70s, it estimates. Professor Charles Swanton, chief clinician for Cancer Research UK, said: 'By the end of the next decade, if left unaided, the NHS risks being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of new cancer diagnoses. 'It takes 15 years to train an oncologist, pathologist, radiologist or surgeon. 'The Government must start planning now to give patients the support they will so desperately need.' Around four in 10 cancer cases are preventable, with the two biggest preventable causes being smoking and obesity. The charity predicts smoking could cause around one million cancer cases in the UK between now and 2040, while more people are expected to be obese than a healthy weight. Obesity already causes around 22,800 cases of cancer every year in the UK, with alcohol responsible for 11,900 and eating too little fibre linked to 11,700 cases. Delays to diagnosis and treatment mean the NHS is not on track to achieve its ambition of diagnosing three-quarters (75 per cent) of cancers at stage one or two by 2028, it said. While the level of progress for cancer survival for some forms of the disease has been rapid, such as for breast and prostate cancers, others, like those for lung and pancreas have only improved at a snail's pace The estimates come as documents suggest targets to reduce the backlog of cancer patients waiting more than 62 days to start treatment by March, looks set to be missed by NHS England. Cancer-checking bus to tour country An NHS bus promoting cancer checks will tour the country next week. The double-decker will visit towns and cities with poor early diagnosis rates to encourage people with symptoms to visit their GP for potentially lifesaving checks. It will carry teams of NHS staff and Cancer Research UK nurses who will give expert advice to passers-by about common cancer signs and symptoms. The experts, including TV presenter and NHS Dr Dawn Harper, will promote the importance of earlier diagnosis and where people can go for support or further advice. The first stop will be Blackburn, in Lancashire, before it moves on to Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, Barnsley in South Yorkshire and Leicester and London on February 10. The bus tour follows awareness campaigns which have seen more people receive potentially lifesaving NHS cancer checks, with more than 2.8million people seen last year. Advertisement Cancer Research UK is projecting kidney cancers to increase by 61 per cent between from around 13,600 in 2019 to around 21,900 by 2040. Over the same period, the number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer is projected to rise by 55 per cent, from around 54,800 to around 85,100. Meanwhile, the number of women dying from womb cancer could rise by 68 per cent between, from around 2,500 to around 4,200, while liver cancer deaths could jump from around 6,000 to around 9,500 ever year. The charity said action was needed to prevent more cancers, to diagnose and treat cancers faster, invest in research and innovation, and address the 'chronic' staff and equipment shortages within the NHS. The Government's recently announced Major Conditions Strategy - which replaces a previously promised 10-year cancer plan - is 'also unlikely to provide the road map required to achieve this goal', it said. Chief executive Michelle Mitchell, said: 'Today's analysis provides a stark reminder of the challenges the NHS in England is set to face in years to come. 'Cancer patients are already facing unacceptably long waits for diagnosis and treatment, and staff in cancer services are working very hard. 'On World Cancer Day, we are demanding that the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, provide long-term, lasting solutions to ensure cancer survival dramatically improves in England. 'A 10-year cancer plan that will prepare cancer services for the future, give people affected by cancer the care they deserve and the resources - people and equipment - the NHS needs, is essential.' Doctors told him his case is the most extreme anyone has survived in the world One of the victims of America's growing Valley fever outbreak has revealed his years of hell fighting the fungal infection. Business owner Nick Duggan, 45, is one of around 20,000 people who catch the illness - caused by fungi species Coccidioidomycosis - every year, which scientists warn is becoming more common as the climate warms. The Australian native most likely caught the illness while quad biking in the San Diego desert in 2010, where he was visiting his wife's family. He thinks he inhaled the fungus spores kicked up in the dust. By the time doctors had figured out what it was, the infection had spread to his spine and brain and caused meningitis, which left him bedridden for four months and in and out of the hospital for five years. Mr Duggan with his wife and daughters after he was finally allowed out of the hospital in 2015 At one point, the Valley fever became so strong in his body that a blockage in his CSF caused him to be paralyzed from the neck down The fungus spore is whipped up into the air when the soil is disturbed by the wind or digging. When humans or animals breathe in the spores, they travel through the respiratory tract and into the lungs where they reproduce He returned to Australia from his summer holiday and he began to feel incredibly tired over the next six months. Mr Duggan assumed the worst and booked to go for cancer tests - but the results were negative, leaving doctors stumped about his lack of energy. Then one night in February 2011, he collapsed at home. 'I was in so much pain. I was in the fetal position on the floor and my wife was just like, "What is going on? What do we do?",' he told DailyMail.com. 'Because of the meningitis in my brain, everything was heightened and there was all this pressure in my head. It was like a headache youve never experienced.' Meningitis is an infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. If not treated swiftly, it can become serious and cause life-threatening sepsis. Mr Duggan was taken to hospital in an ambulance after medical workers extracted him from his house. There, doctors performed a lumbar puncture - when a needle is inserted into the space between two lumbar bones (vertebrae) to remove a sample of cerebrospinal fluid. When they injected the needle into his spine, the pressure caused the build-up of CSF to spurt out of his back. Mr Duggan with his wife Allison. The Australian native contracted the disease while visiting Allison's family in California Mr Duggan told DailyMail.com: 'I would have five doctors in my room and five doctors in the bay, I'd have 15 doctors down the hallway waiting to see me because nothing made sense.' Nick was finally allowed to leave the hospital in 2015, and has not had any major relapses since then He said: 'I remember everyone panicking. They rushed me into a room and everybody was top to tail in [hazmat] suits.' Mr Duggan was isolated from everyone as doctors feared he was contagious. 'It was like a scene from one of those movies, where no one would want to touch or get near you,' he said. He remained in the hospital for the next four months, where he was misdiagnosed three times. Firstly, doctors thought he had pneumonia. Then they thought it was bacterial meningitis and put him on antibacterial medication, which actually made Mr Duggan's condition worse. Dr Mahmoud Ghannoum, director of the center for medical mycology at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, told DailyMail.com this was down to antibiotics killing off good bacteria in the gut which naturally protects us. Dr Ghannoum said: 'When you give a broad spectrum antibiotic, it kills the bacteria. In our body, there are some bacteria which is good, beneficial bacteria. 'When you kill both the infecting agent and the good bacteria... the fungi overgrows and causes infections.' He explained: 'If you have a policeman keeping the fungus under control and you remove that policeman, the fungus starts to grow.' Then an X-ray of Mr Duggan's chest revealed a mass on his lungs - which they thought was lung cancer. Doctors removed a piece of his lungs to do a biopsy and sent it to the labs for testing. Realizing it was a fungus, not a tumor, they finally diagnosed Mr Duggan with Valley fever - which earned its name because 97 percent of cases are found in Arizona and California. Knowledge about the infection in Australia was limited at that time, with only 10 cases of the infection ever recorded in the country - all of whom had died. If caught early, Valley fever can be treated, but sadly Mr Duggan's was not. He said: 'When you get it as bad as I did, if you survive, you're very prone to relapse. 'Because what actually happens is you can't kill this, one spore can spawn a million spores. So your immune system is always fighting to suppress it; it never can kill it.' In December 2011, the family moved to California, to be closer to doctors at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) who were more familiar with Valley fever. He had previously relapsed on a plane back from Mexico and had to be taken straight to the hospital. Mr Duggan said: 'If you have Valley fever to kind of extent you can't fly, you have to be very careful because of the cabin pressure... so we didn't know if I was even going to be able to survive that flight [to California].' Even in California, there was still a lot the doctors did not understand. At one point, the illness became so intense in his body that a blockage in his CSF caused him to be paralyzed from the neck down. He said: 'I would have five doctors in my room and five doctors in the bay, and I'd have 15 doctors down the hallway waiting to see me because nothing made sense.' He said: 'They said, "Look, this is irreversible, you'll never walk again, you'll never hold your kids, you'll never be able to use anything from your neck down." Doctors told him multiple times he was going to die and still do not know how he survived. He claims he was told by doctors he had the most extreme case that anyone has survived in the world. Once he was finally out of the hospital in 2015, Mr Duggan was on so many drugs to manage his pain that one time he was refused his prescriptions because the pharmacist was convinced he was a drug addict. He is now leading a relatively normal life. He said: 'It was a real five-year condensed period where I had a lot of the problems and then as I started to get a bit better, I started to be able to do you know, normal things again, like having kids. 'Because there's no cure for this thing, you have to try and find the best out of it as you can. But I can't complain, I'm still alive.' He added: 'I've had to make a little lifestyle changes... because stress brings it on, physical exertion brings it on. 'I still have a lot of issues. It's very hard to sleep at night, because your joints and your muscles ache so bad, and that's something that'll never go away.' In 90 percent of cases, the disease will cause just cold-like symptoms that will clear up within a few days or weeks. Most people with the mild form of infection will not even realize it because its symptoms fatigue, cough, fever, aching muscles and breathlessness mimic those of a respiratory virus infection. But up to ten percent of cases, such as Mr Duggan's, become severe and take months or even years to recover from. Devin Buckley, 24, was a regular 18-year-old when he started to suffer fatigue, weight loss and breathlessness. His doctors had no answers, nor did his health center at the University of Arizona in Tuscon, where Mr Buckley was a freshman He had to be put on a ventilator, at one point for two weeks straight. Mr Buckley told NBC News: 'The ventilator was on 100% at one point. It was breathing for me. They were telling my mom, prepare for me not to be here' Mr Duggan likely breathed in a large amount of spores when he fell off his quad bike, which caused him to get it so badly. When humans breathe in the spores, they travel through the respiratory tract and into the lungs, where they reproduce, causing further disease. In rare cases, known as disseminated coccidioidomycosis, the disease can spread through the bloodstream to other parts of the body, including the brain, skin and liver. If it infects the membranes and fluid around the brain, it can cause meningitis. There are no vaccines for Valley fever and no cure. Elsewhere in the US, 24-year-old Devin Buckley from Chicago is learning to live with the aftereffects of a severe case of the disease, NBC News reported. He was 18 when he began to suffer serious tiredness, stomach problems and was losing weight very quickly. He found he could not even manage to walk to the restroom without struggling to breathe. His doctors had no answers, nor did his health center at the University of Arizona in Tuscon, where Mr Buckley was a freshman. Ninety-seven percent of Valley fever cases are found in Arizona and California. He was finally diagnosed with Valley fever in an intensive care unit in Chicago. Mr Buckley's infection also spread, to his spine and legs, and he had to be put on a ventilator on three separate occasions. The longest was for two weeks. Mr Buckley told NBC News: 'The ventilator was on 100% at one point. It was breathing for me. They were telling my mom, prepare for me not to be here.' Mr Buckley is now out of the hospital, but his life is not the same. Doctor's appointments, operations and inpatient stays litter his schedule. He also had to relearn everyday tasks, including how to walk and eat. Covid cases are still tumbling across Britain, more surveillance data suggests. But health chiefs are still warning of Kraken- and Orthrus-fueled chaos in the weeks ahead. Virus-related hospital admissions are already on the up, separate figures show. Office for National Statistics (ONS) analysts estimate that under 950,000 Brits were carrying the virus on any given day in the week to January 24. This was down by 15 per cent on the week before, marking the lowest toll since mid September. Office for National Statistics (ONS) analysts estimate that under 950,000 Brits were carrying the virus on any given day in the week to January 24. This was down by 15 per cent on the week before, marking the lowest toll since mid September The agency tasked with tracking the coronavirus across Britain will 'continue to monitor the data closely'. Today's surveillance data comes after health bosses yesterday warned the outbreak was no longer shrinking. UK Health Security Agency officials, which also assess the virus's spread, said it was 'concerning' that hospitalisations were ticking upwards again. Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at the UKHSA, added: 'We can expect further increases in transmission and hospitalisations in future weeks.' Officials said this was because of the rise of Omicron variant XBB.1.5, nicknamed the Kraken, and CH.1.1, dubbed Orthrus. Between them, they make up around 40 per cent of all new cases. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) expect that one of the strains will become dominant in the coming weeks. In the latest week in England, the prevalence of Covid fell across the country. Levels remained highest in the North East, where 1.8 per cent were thought to be infected, followed by Yorkshire and The Humber (1.7 per cent) and the South West (1.6 per cent). The West Midlands, South East and London had the lowest levels of Covid infections, ONS data suggests. According to the ONS, while Covid rates fell among those aged 50 to 69 years old and over 70, the trend was uncertain for those aged between school year 12 and 24-years-old and 25 to 34-year-olds Some scientists have called for face masks and pandemic-era restrictions in order to stifle the virus and protect the NHS. In response to the uptick, Dr Ramsay added: 'There are simple actions we can all take to prevent viruses spreading. 'Washing your hands regularly, catching coughs and sneezes in tissues and if possible letting fresh air into rooms and spaces will all help. 'If you or your child is unwell please do not visit vulnerable people, and try to stay at home. 'If you do have to go out when youre unwell, consider wearing a face covering which can help prevent you passing viruses on.' The ONS data, based on the random swabbing of more than 100,000 Brits, suggests one in 70 people in England - some 799,200 (1.4 per cent) - were infected with Covid last week. This is a drop on the 906,300 recorded in the previous week, up to January 17. Virus levels also fell across the UK. In Scotland, 75,900 (one in 70, 1.4 per cent) people were thought to be carrying the virus, down from 92,400. Meanwhile, some 38,800 people in Wales (one in 80, 1.3 per cent) were thought to be - a drop on the previous week's 57,100. And in Northern Ireland, 27,900 (one in 65, 1.5 per cent) were infected with the virus, down from 56,500. Michelle Bowen, head of health surveillance dissemination and strategy at the ONS, said: 'Infections across the UK nations are showing an overall decrease this week. 'However we are seeing some differing trends when we look across age groups. She added: 'In England we have seen increases in school age children and those aged 35-49 years in the latest week, with decreases only seen in over 50s. UKHSA data up to January 29, shows that the Covid hospital admission rate had increased to 6.61 per 100,000 - up from 5,94 per 100,000 in the previous week. The Covid hospital admission rate for week 4 was 6.61 per 100,000 population, a small increase from 5.94 per 100,000 in the previous week Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: Its concerning that the recent downward trend in Covid hospitalisations has started to show signs of a reverse this week 'We will continue to monitor the data closely to see how the situation evolves in the coming weeks.' The latest wave of Covid appears to have peaked at 2.5million infections in England in the week to December 28. This is below the levels reached in previous outbreaks. Infections climbed as high as 4.3million last winter during the spread of the original Omicron but this was topped a few months later, when the number reached a record 4.9million. Despite the blip, advisers have warned the virus will be with society forevermore. It means further waves are inevitable. Hospitalisation data shows 741 virus admissions were logged on January 30. Overall, the rate is up about 18 per cent week-on-week. NHS data tracking Covid patients, which can include people who just so happen to test positive and aren't primarily ill, can lag behind the true state of play. A scene from the Disney+ original series "Big Bet" / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea By Lee Gyu-lee Disney+'s Korean original series "Big Bet" invites viewers into the clandestine world of casinos. Writer and director Kang Yoon-sung of the series "Big Bet" / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea An undercover video in which an alleged Pfizer executive raises concerns about the Covid shot's effect on menstrual cycles went viral last night. Jordon Trishton Walker - who is said to have been a senior staffer in Pfizer's research and development division - was caught on film admitting it was 'concerning' that 'something irregular' was happening to women's periods after getting the company's vaccine. 'The vaccine shouldn't be interfering with that...It has to be affecting something hormonal,' he told an undercover reporter for the right-wing activist group Project Veritas. The video was trending on Twitter last night under the hashtag 'Pfertility' and had been viewed 6million times at the time of writing. Many commentators, including Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, raised concerns about the impact of the jabs on fertility. There have been long-standing fears among women that because of the newness of the vaccine and mRNA technology and the observable changes it has on menstrual cycles, it could cause infertility. But while it is widely accepted the Covid vaccine causes some irregularities to menstruation, there is nothing to suggest this affects women's chances of conceiving. In fact, birth rates went up in America and the UK in 2021. Jordon Trishton Walker (pictured) is reportedly a Pfizer employee who revealed to Project Veritas concerns about the Covid vaccines causing fertility and menstrual cycle issues in some women that have received it There is no confirmation that Mr Walker (pictured) works at Pfizer, but a statement released by the company last week did not deny he was an employee This is the second video Project Veritas has released from their sting operation targeting Trishton Walker. 'There is something irregular about their menstrual cycles. So, people will have to investigate that down the line - because that is a little concerning,' he told the reporter. 'If you think about the science it shouldn't be interacting with [glands responsible for hormones]. The vaccine shouldn't be interfering with that so we don't really know.' He added: 'There is something happening but we don't always figure it out.' After a cut in the video, he continued, saying: 'I hope we don't find out that somehow the mRNA lingers in the body, cause it has to be impacting something hormonal to impact menstrual cycles.' DailyMail.com approached Pfizer again this morning about the claims made in the video but did not hear back. This website has reached out to the pharma giant more than half a dozen times in the past week about the Project Veritas story. Previous research has confirmed that the Covid vaccines can temporarily impact a woman's menstraul cycle. An early 2022 study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and carried out by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University found women who received the vaccine have a menstrual cycle one day longer than usual, on average. While anxiety-inducing in some cases, officials do not warn of any long-term harm from these changes. The study included nearly 4,000 American women, 2,400 of which were vaccinated. More than half of the vaccinated study population received Pfizer's shot, with the rest receiving the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The change was temporary, too, and women's periods returned to normal by the following month. 'It is reassuring that the study found only a small, temporary menstrual change in women,' Dr Diane Bianchi, director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - part of the NIH, said at the time. A study published in September 2022, also funded by the NIH, came to similar conclusions. The much larger study gathered data from nearly 20,000 women across the US, UK and Canada. It found women who received the vaccine had their menstrual cycle extended by less than a day after receiving the first jab and for around half a day after the second. Cycles had returned to normal by the next month in affected women. Both Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines have also been linked to heavy bleeding during menstruation, though there are not believed to be any long-term harms associated with it. Experts are not sure why this occurs. Some believe that the vaccine causes some of the body's tissue to become inflamed, causing changes to the lining of the uterus and hormone levels across the body. But there have been no established links between the vaccine and infertility, even though theories alleging such have circulated on social media. One of the main claims made on social media is that the spike protein formed by the mRNA can enter the womb and attack proteins in a woman's placenta. As a result, conspiracists say, the unborn child will be miscarried. Experts have dismissed these claims, saying there is no reason for this to occur. Still, many women have fears that the vaccine could cause infertility. A University of Miami study published last year found 41 percent of unvaccinated women feared the shot could harm their reproductive health. Pfizer's vaccine, a joint project with the German firm BioNTech, has been the most commonly used vaccine in the US and much of the western world. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, the vaccine has been administered 400million times to over 100million Americans. Early fertility data in the US does not show any signs the vaccine caused harm. When the vaccines first rolled out, the CDC did not initially recommend them to pregnant women due to a lack of available data proving their safety. However, this changed towards the end of 2021 when data from Israel and across Europe showed the shots were safe for pregnant women and their unborn children. The US birth rate increased by 1 percent in 2021, up to 11 births per every 1,000 women between ages 15 and 44. This is the first rise since 2014 but still a significant drop from the rate of 13 per 1,000 birthing age women recorded in 2010 Utah and North Dakota at the most fertile states in America, being the only ones where more than 13 births were recorded for every 1,000 birthing aged women. The states with the lowest overall fertility rates were concentrated in the Northeast region The CDC revealed earlier this week that America's fertility rate increased by one percent in 2021 - the first year the vaccine was available. It was the first year since 2014 that the number of children born in America increased year-over-year. However, many of these babies were conceived in 2020, before the shot became available. Population data from years down the line will be needed to determine if there is any reason to link the vaccines to infertility. There are also questions about whether Mr Trishton Walker works at Pfizer and his role at the company. The initial Project Veritas video caused a frenzy on social media last week, with Mr Walker claiming that Pfizer was mutating the virus in a lab to preempt new variants. On Friday night, Pfizer quietly put out a press release denying these claims - but did not deny Mr Walker's employment at Pfizer. DailyMail.com determined last week that an email for Jordon Walker is active at the company, implying someone with that name does work for the New York City-based firm. A job titled Director, Research and Development and mRNA Scientific Strategy also exists at the company, which is similar to the title Mr Walker is said to hold. The description posted last October suggests the role mainly involves business development rather than scientific experiments. When asked by DailyMail.com, a Project Veritas spokesperson said the firm had independently confirmed Mr Walker's employment at Pfizer but had not received any response from the company after multiple inquiries. And those for breast cancer fell by as much as 14 percent, data showed Tens of thousands of Americans have missed out on breast and lung cancer screenings over the two years since the Covid pandemic began, another study has found. Researchers at the University of Texas looked at data from 5.3million screenings recorded annually in the three years before Covid to establish a baseline and compared them to those carried out in 2020 to 2022. They found there were up to 24 percent fewer screenings for lung cancer during the pandemic, and 14 percent fewer for breast cancer, the equivalent of about 54,000 fewer for lung cancer alone. Earlier research had shown that cancer screenings had dipped massively in 2020 when lockdowns were enforced nationwide. But the researchers of the new study warned the decreases did not resolve after the 'initial pandemic surges'. Catching cancer early is vital for boosting patient's chances of survival, because it becomes harder to treat in later stages. The above graph shows the changes in breast cancer screenings (black line) since 2017 by month. It also shows a predicted screening rate (yellow dotted line) and the Covid infection rate (blue line) in the US over the same period. Screenings were initially steady but dropped in the first year of the pandemic by as much as 14 percent US medics recommend women are screened for breast cancer every two years between the ages 50 to 74. Those who are genetically at higher risk or have a family history of the disease should be seen every year. Lung cancer screenings are recommended annually for current smokers or those who quit within the last 15 years between the ages of 50 and 80 years. People in the age group who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 20, or two packs a day for ten years, should also get screened, says the US Preventive Services Taskforce. Breast cancer screenings are done using a mammogram, which takes an X-ray of the breasts to search for signs of cancer. Lung cancer screenings are done using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), which X-rays the lungs for cancer. In the study published today in JAMA Network Open the scientists looked through records of 1.6million breast cancer screenings for women 50 to 74 years old. They also looked at 3.7million lung cancer screenings for men and women between the ages of 55 and 79 years. Screenings were carried out from January 2017 through April 2022, and data was extracted from the Medicare database. It represented 20 percent of all records. The above graph shows lung cancer screenings in the US (black line) since 2017. It also shows a predicted rate based on the initial three years (yellow dotted line) and Covid infection rate (blue line). Data showed that lung cancer screening rates dropped by as much as 24 percent over the first year of the Covid pandemic Scientists analyzed screening rates for January 2017 to February 2020 for both cancers. They used these figures to calculate estimates for screening rates for the following two years, to establish by how much they had fallen. Data showed screening rates for breast cancer fell by 17 percent during the first year and four percent in the second. Some 39.5 percent of women got screened over the year after March 2020, compared to an expected rate of 47.8 percent. In the second year, 47 percent got screened compared to the 49 percent expected. Lung cancer screenings fell 24 percent over the first year of the Covid pandemic, and 14 percent in the second year. There were 11,000 screenings per million people in the first year, compared to an expected rate of 14,900. In the second year, there were 15,200 per million, compared to an expected 17,600. The research team led by Christopher Doan, a medical student at the University of Texas who led the study, said the decline was linked to the Covid pandemic. They found rates dropped when Covid infection rates were higher, but would then rise again once these declined. Many people steered clear of healthcare services during the pandemic for fear of being a burden on hospitals and because they did not want to catch the virus. The scientists said: 'In the 38 months prior to the pandemic, mammography rates were flat. In contrast, the rates of [lung cancer] screening rose in a linear fashion between January 2017 and January 2020, for an overall 148 percent increase.' They added: 'In this cohort study, the decreases in cancer screening during the early phases of the Covid pandemic did not resolve after the initial pandemic surges. 'Successful interventions to improve screening rates should address pandemic-specific reasons for low screening participation.' President Joe Biden has declared war on cancer in the US, vowing to halve rates of deaths from the disease within 25 years. Data from before the pandemic paints an encouraging picture, showing death rates have fallen 33 percent since 1991 leading to 3.8million fewer fatalities. Lung and breast cancers have seen the biggest improvements overall, which experts say is due to successful awareness campaigns and healthier habits. But there are concerns that some of the gains made were lost in the initial stages of the pandemic, after many steered clear of healthcare services. Couples whose sex lives are in the doldrums could have hopes of a solution. A hormone thought to help women feel less self-conscious during sex alters their brain response to eroticism. The 'Viagra of the mind' may even help women find their husbands more attractive. For men, the same hormone, aptly called kisspeptin, is now believed to reduce overthinking and performance anxiety in the bedroom. Researchers saw a significant increase in erectile function in men with a low libido who were given the drug. Researchers led the trial for people with a low sex drive and who are unhappy with their low libido. Doctors call this hypoactive sexual desire disorder and it affects up to 10 per cent of women and eight per cent of men British researchers led the trials of kisspeptin for people with a low sex drive which cannot be explained by physical or mental health problems, and who are unhappy with their low libido. This issue, which doctors call hypoactive sexual desire disorder, affects up to 10 per cent of women and eight per cent of men. Dr Alexander Comninos, senior author of the study from Imperial College London, said: 'The pattern of brain activity we saw suggests kisspeptin may stop people overthinking when it comes to sex, therefore taking the brakes off sexual arousal. 'Ultimately the brain plays a central role in coordinating sexual desire. 'We hope, if the research progresses, that kisspeptin-based treatments could be available in the UK within five to 10 years.' Kisspeptin was discovered in 1996, by scientists in Hershey, Philadelphia, and was named after Hershey's Kisses, the milk chocolate treats made by a company based in the town. Researchers gave 32 women an infusion of kisspeptin through a drip in their arm and, at a different time, an infusion of plain salt water for comparison, which would have no effect on their sexual desire. On kisspeptin, women reported feeling more 'sexy', had less activity in a frontal brain region linked to distracting negative thoughts, and had more activity in a brain region linked to sexual arousal when viewing the videos The women's brain activity was tracked by an MRI scan as they watched short erotic videos, compared to non-sexual exercise videos. On kisspeptin, women reported feeling more 'sexy', had less activity in a frontal brain region linked to distracting negative thoughts, and had more activity in a brain region linked to sexual arousal when viewing the videos. When asked to view pictures of men's faces, they had greater activity in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) - a part of the brain which has previously been linked to romantic emotions - and separate brain activity linked to more positive judgments of other people. That raises hopes that women on kisspeptin may start to find their husbands more attractive, and want to have sex with them more. Indeed, women with more activity in the PCC showed less aversion to sex, when asked how much sex made them feel repulsed, frigid, uninterested and anxious, among other questions. Women on kisspeptin showed less activity in a brain region which could make them feel self-conscious about their body, when viewing the photos. In the separate study of 32 men given kisspeptin, men's brain activity after taking the hormone suggested they were paying more visual attention to pornography and were less self-conscious, which could mean performance anxiety is less of a problem. Women with more activity in the PCC showed less aversion to sex, when asked how much sex made them feel repulsed, frigid, uninterested and anxious, among other questions. In the separate study of 32 men given kisspeptin, men's brain activity after taking the hormone suggested they were paying more visual attention to pornography and were less self-conscious The male study had direct evidence that kisspeptin could boost men's sex drive, as their penises were up to 56 per cent more rigid while watching an erotic video after receiving the hormone. The drug is a solution for the psychological causes of men's problems in the bedroom, rather than simply boosting blood flow to their genitals like Viagra. There is currently no treatment licensed in the UK for pre-menopausal women with problems in the bedroom. Both studies are published in the journal JAMA Network Open. Professor Waljit Dhillo, co-senior author of the study from Imperial College London, said: 'It is highly encouraging to see the same boosting effect in both women and men, although the precise brain pathways were slightly different as might be expected.' Its no secret that everybody tells a fib once in a while, but some people get so adept at lying that it becomes second nature, potentially putting their personal and professional lives at risk of crumbling. Pathological lying, clinically referred to as 'factitious disorder', is a condition marked by compulsive fabrications and a lack of remorse, usually to advance ones career or social status. Republican congressional newcomer George Santos who has gone by Anthony Devolder, Anthony Zabrovsky, Kitara Ravache in the past has come under fire for fabricating much of his resume, education, career, love life and family history. Among Santos' most egregious lies are that he is of Jewish heritage and that the 9/11 terror attacks 'claimed my mother's life' while his campaign website stated that she worked in the South Tower and fled her office in time, later dying of cancer. Rep George Santos' web of lies has already jeopardized his political career as fellow New York Republicans call for his resignation. There is no suggestion that Mr Santos suffers from any of these traits He also said that his mother was Jewish and that his Jewish maternal grandparents escaped the Holocaust by moving to Brazil. But genealogy records show that his maternal grandparents were Brazilian-born Catholics. He also lied that four of his employees died in the horrific Pulse nightclub shooting. Dr Drew Curtis from Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, and an expert in the psychology of pathological lying, told DailyMail.com: 'With pathological lying, usually the lying causes more problems in their life, so they're losing their jobs or losing family. [There's] real impairment of functioning and they don't like the fact that they're doing it... but it usually is serving their career and their life.' Even the most jaded voters and public figures in Washington are shocked by the extent of the deception, which to many is part and parcel of politics these days. Mr Santos lies have catapulted him to mainstream fame, becoming the object of ridicule on late-night comedy talk shows. But a pattern of compulsive lying is not harmless fodder for comedians. It has a psychological underpinning. Research indicates that pathological lying can be not only a mask for insecurity but also a defense mechanism. Many people lie to protect themselves from an unpleasant situation or conflict. This is often evident in children who lie to ensure they don't get into trouble or avoid unpleasant consequences or punishment. Others lie compulsively to get ahead financially and professionally, such as by inflating their accomplishments. In fact, 13 percent of people think of themselves as pathological liars, or say that others consider them to be pathological liars. Compulsive lying could indicate that the person doing it has endured emotional trauma or has a history of being neglected; it could stem from severe insecurity, or even a mental or mood disorder, experts say. Munchausens syndrome, for instance, is a psychological condition marked by pathological lying, pretending to be ill or deliberately producing symptoms of illness in themselves in order to be the center of attention and garner sympathy. Dr Curtis said: 'One of the ways that that disorder comes about is that the lying is reinforced, we give it attention. 'So if someone lies about being sick or lies about any absurd made-up things, we give it more attention. And that attention can be reinforcing for the behavior. Reinforcing a pattern of compulsive lying can mean something as innocuous as reporting on the absurdity of the lies. To many people, any press is good press. If the lie impresses someone or garners sympathy, that behavior will be encouraged. Dr Curtis and his research partner Dr Christian Hart, a Texas Womans University professor, argue that factitious disorder should be designated as its own diagnosis in psychology. They argue that it leads to clinically significant impairment of functioning in social, professional, or other areas, causes distress, and poses a risk to the person lying or others around them. Classifying it as its own psychological diagnosis would also open the door to more treatment options such as cognitive behavioral therapy and insurance coverage. Dr Curtis said: Some of lying is predicting a future, you're predicting, if I lie now, it will spare this person negative feelings or it will gain me some impression. But some people that lie, even pathological liars, they'll say in the moment they lied because it relieved some anxiety they felt. Drs Curtis and Hart are experts in the psychology behind pathological lying. They argue that the condition should be considered a psychological diagnosis in and of itself rather than a facet of a personality disorder due to the serious impacts it has on people's lives If there's no distress or remorse, it could look like psychopathy or antisocial personality disorder. Someone lies for their own personal gain. Dr Curtis and Dr Hart also posit that a true pathological liar maintains that pattern for six months at a time. Mr Santos has embellished many aspects of his life since his first run for Congress in 2020. Dr Hart told the Washington Post: In one study, we found that low self-esteem was one of the strongest personality predictors of someones tendency to lie and so this pervasive sense of being inadequate and worrying that youre not going to measure up. On the other hand, we conducted other research that suggested that having kind of a dark, manipulative personality also is associated with high levels of lying. These people see everyone is a pawn in their game, and they are happy to manipulate people to get exactly what they want. George Santos' lies are putting his political career in peril. He has resigned from his committee assignments in the House of Representatives amid public pressure and members of his own party are calling for his resignation. In an environment where stretching the truth is second nature, Congressman Santos is an extreme case, and his professional survival hangs in the balance. The Colony by Audrey Magee (Faber 8.99, 384pp) The Colony by Audrey Magee (Faber 8.99, 384pp) As he makes his way to a tiny island off the west coast of Ireland, Mr Lloyd, an artist from London, is looking forward to a summer of solitude, which he hopes will reinvigorate his career and marriage. Fewer than 100 people live on the island, and they are mostly Irish speakers. Soon after arriving, Lloyd is irritated to find his solitude invaded by another outsider, Jean-Pierre Masson, a linguist who specialises in languages that are threatened with extinction. Set in 1979, against the violent backdrop of The Troubles, Audrey Magee explores the intricate web of relationships between the islanders and the visitors. The outsiders have come expecting to find inspiration, but their arrival changes the island and its inhabitants in ways that none of them could have anticipated. Impossible by Sarah Lotz (HarperCollins 8.99, 448pp) Impossible by Sarah Lotz (HarperCollins 8.99, 448pp) When ghostwriter Nick sends an email to a slowpaying client, it lands in the wrong inbox. Bee, who runs a clothing business, replies, and the ensuing banter turns flirty. Neither of them has been lucky in love: Bee is divorced; Nicks relationship with his partner is as stagnant as his career. The flirtation seems certain to develop into romance. But when the couple arrange to meet at Euston station, something goes bizarrely wrong. They both turn up, but they cant find each other, and their phones dont work. As they investigate, they realise they are living in parallel universes where some things are the same (Star Trek, the internet), but others wildly different (in Nicks world, 9/11 never happened). Sarah Lotzs ingenious novel is a witty tale of love across the multiverse. The Gift Of A Radio by Justin Webb (Penguin 10.99, 256pp) The Gift Of A Radio by Justin Webb (Penguin 10.99, 256pp) Whether reporting from war zones or interrogating politicians, Justin Webb excels at remaining calm. But as his memoir reveals, he had a lot of early practice. His mother, Gloria, worked as a secretary at the Daily Mirror, where she became pregnant by Peter Woods, later a BBC newsreader. Justin was eight years old when his mother pointed at the television and said: Thats your father. Justins stepfather, Charles, was schizophrenic. But Glorias hope that boarding school would offer a more stable environment was not realised. The descriptions of Sidcot School, carefully underplayed in letters home, are heart-rending. That he not only survived but flourished is remarkable. But as he concludes, however eccentric his upbringing, he loved Gloria and she him: In the end, what else is there? Victory City by Salman Rushdie (Vintage 22, 352pp) Victory City by Salman Rushdie (Vintage 22, 352pp) The assassination attempt on Salman Rushdie last year left the literary world reeling. Yet there is a risk that the attack might make readers more forgiving than they perhaps ought to be of the first novel to be published since, even though it was completed some time before. Its presented, with typical Rushdie playfulness, in the form of an ancient fable about a magnificent city established in 15th-century India by a semi-immortal woman with aims to ensure all women are treated equally. Battles ensue, dynasties rise and fall, and throughout it all our indefatigable heroine, who lives for 250 years, gets through an awesome number of lovers. Rushdie can be a pompous, irritatingly grandiose writer, but there is a welcome levity to his prose here as he riffs on myth-making, culture clashes or the nature of storytelling itself. Yet its similarly a weirdly slight work thats hard to take seriously. Of course, the Rushdie novel that really matters will be the one that comes next. Lets hope hes writing it. The World And All That It Holds by Aleksandar Hemon (Picador 18.99, 352pp) The World And All That It Holds by Aleksandar Hemon (Picador 18.99, 352pp) In some respects, the Bosnian-born novelist Aleksandar Hemon is a spiritual heir to Rushdie interested, like him, in the shape-shifting relationship between history and myth. Yet I find him a much more rewarding writer. This beguiling new novel, which sprawls across most of the 20th century, is the story of Rafael Pinto, a gay, introspective Jewish doctor present in Sarajevo in 1914 when Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated. Along with his Muslim lover, Osman, he is conscripted into the ensuing war against Russia and, as the turbulence of the early 20th century buffets him ever further away from home, endures appalling hardship. And then Osman disappears, leaving behind an infant daughter whom Pinto devotes himself to protecting. As Pinto crosses mountains, borders and war zones with little Rahela, he becomes a bit of a wandering everyman homeless, stateless and witness to all history can throw at him. Hemon is a master wordsmith and this novel contains multitudes. History Keeps Me Awake At Night by Christy Edwall (Granta 12.99, 256pp) History Keeps Me Awake At Night by Christy Edwall (Granta 12.99, 256pp) Yet another millennial female heroine finds herself adrift in contemporary London in this promising debut. But then Margit comes across a newspaper article about 43 Mexican students abducted by the police in 2014 while en route to a protest, and becomes obsessed with what might have happened to them. As she immerses herself ever deeper into the case, the absence created by the missing students provides a stand-in for the absences she feels in her own life. At the same time, Margit increasingly sees herself as some sort of conceptual artist, obsessively tracing the students last movements via Google Maps in search of clues. Edwall is alert to the ways in which Margits fixation on the suffering of others is a form of privilege, and her writing fizzes with smart observations on modern life. All the same, this is definitely a novel more interested in obsession than in the real-life disappearance of 43 students. Exiles by Jane Harper (Macmillan 16.99, 432pp) Exiles by Jane Harper (Macmillan 16.99, 432pp) In her fifth novel, the mistress of Australian noir brings back the character that established her reputation: the dogged federal tax investigator Aaron Falk, who first appeared in her outstanding debut The Dry six years ago. Once again, Falk finds himself in a small rural community in the South Australian Outback, and once again drawn into examining something far more frightening than tax evasion. One year ago, a baby was left by her mother in her pram next to the big wheel at the funfair for the towns annual wine festival. But the mother never returned to claim her daughter, to the astonishment of the close-knit community. As Falk begins to ask questions, it emerges that all is not as good-natured as it might appear. Gradually, the secrets and lies come to the surface everyone has a private axe to grind. Atmospheric, beautifully observed and fluently written, this is Harper back at her very best. The Dead of Winter by Stuart MacBride (Bantam 20, 352pp) The Dead of Winter by Stuart MacBride (Bantam 20, 352pp) MacBride is one of this countrys finest crime writers, but he is no exponent of cosy crime, as he demonstrates here with this fierce, dark tale of a young detective delivering a prisoner to a village in the Scottish Highlands to spend his last days. DC Edward Reekie is accompanied by his boss, DI Victoria Montgomery-Porter known as Bigtoria on the trip to Glenfarach, hidden in the Cairngorm Mountains. But the village is not the idyll it appears, for it is home to 200 violent and dangerous prisoners, including gangsters, drug dealers and paedophiles, all of whom wear electronic tags. No sooner have the pair arrived than a former Met Police officer and convicted paedophile is found dead, tied to a table. A blizzard develops while the officers are struggling to understand how to proceed, cutting the village off from the outside world. Will there be more killings? Written in MacBrides familiar tongue-in-cheek style, it fizzes from every page. The Broken Afternoon by Simon Mason (Riverrun 16.99, 352pp) The Broken Afternoon by Simon Mason (Riverrun 16.99, 352pp) Single father-of-one DI Ryan Wilkins an Oxford detective with criminal connections and anger management issues first appeared in Masons striking debut A Killing in November last year. Now he has been dishonourably discharged and is forced to look on while his former partner, DI Ray Wilkins, who is everything that Ryan is not a Balliol College graduate with a smooth style investigates the disappearance of a fouryear-old girl from her nursery school in an affluent Oxford suburb when her mother was just yards away. The irascible Ryan is offered reinstatement by Thames Valley Police, providing he keeps his temper under control, but that is asking a great deal as he hates injustice and shows it like Inspector Morse on steroids. But he is also a remarkable detective with a rare insight into how the minds of villains actually work, and he uses it to unmask the ugly truths that lie beneath the dreaming spires. A welcome return for an unforgettable, nuanced character. The Disenchantment by Celia Bell (Serpents Tail 16.99, 368pp) The Disenchantment by Celia Bell (Serpents Tail 16.99, 368pp) There's a deliciously hothouse feel to Celia Bells slow-burn, smouldering debut. Set in 17th-century Paris, in the reign of Louis XIV, theres intrigue a-plenty in this beautifully detailed novel thats brimful of black magic and deadly poisons, secrets and sorceries. Even love is dangerous as Marie Catherine, witty, wistful and in a loveless marriage to a much older man, discovers when she falls for the androgynous Countess Victoire, who looks as marvellous in mens clothes as in the fashionable fripperies of court. The pair embark on a passionate, illicit love affair, and when the baron is shot dead, Marie Catherine comes to the attention of the relentless Reynie, a police detective, whos determined to rid the city of all malign influences and find her guilty of the crime, in this beguilingly dark fairy tale. Other Women by Emma Flint (Picador 16.99, 368pp) Other Women by Emma Flint (Picador 16.99, 368pp) Emma Flints impressive debut Little Deaths was based on a true crime that took place in a sweltering summer in 1960s New York. Here, more horrendous deeds reach their unhappy conclusion on the greyer streets of post-war 1923 London and a cottage on the outskirts of Eastbourne. The atmosphere is just as tense and claustrophobic, as Emma Flint reworks the details of a notorious historical murder and unspools the fate of her three entirely convincing main characters. Theres the resourceful, single Beatrice Cade, whos lost her beloved brother in the Great War and has headed to London in search of a new kind of life; theres Kate Ryan, a wife and a mother whos adept at lying to herself and others; and at the dark heart of this domestic noir, theres Tom Ryan, handsome, charming and entirely duplicitous, who wreaks havoc in the womens lives. The Snow Hare by Paula Lichtarowicz (Murray 16.99, 384pp) The Snow Hare by Paula Lichtarowicz (Murray 16.99, 384pp) Magdalena is a wonderful character, over-flowing with curiosity; an outlier in her family, she doesnt want a husband and children her path is medicine and shes determined to become a doctor, one of the first female physicians in Poland. But her dreams are derailed after a disastrous tram accident and, instead, she weds starchy army officer Anton. Its a pragmatic but unloving marriage, trapping unconventional Lena in a web of expectations and disappointments. Labelled as enemies of the state following the incursion of the Soviet army into Polish territory, Lena and her family are transported to the killing cold of a Siberian work camp, where Lena will encounter love, death and a horrendous choice that will once again change the course of her life. Heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure, this is an exquisite, compelling study of survival and emotional resilience. Drivers are paying 11 per cent more for new car insurance, taking the average yearly premium to 500, insurer figures reveal. Motorists taking out cover with a new insurer paid 11 per cent extra during 2022 compared to 2021, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI). However, drivers renewing existing policies paid 7 per cent less, or 392 on average. Premiums for drivers are edging up as insurers pass on their own cost hikes to struggling motorists That is because of rules from the Financial Conduct Authority regulator in January 2022 that banned 'price walking' - the insurer practice of charging renewing customers more than new ones. This led to falling premiums for renewing customers and higher premiums for new ones. But overall the most up-to-date figures for the final three months of 2022 show an 8 per cent rise in the average motor insurance premium. ABI senior policy adviser, general insurance, Jonathan Fong said: 'Every motorist wants the best insurance deal, especially when coping with cost of living pressures, and insurers continue to do all they can to keep motor insurance as competitively priced as possible. 'Yet, like many other sectors, insurers continue to face higher costs, such as more expensive raw materials, which are becoming increasingly challenging to absorb.' Why are car insurance premiums rising? This is happening for several reasons. The main one is that insurers' own costs are rising. For example, rising energy bills mean insurers pay 71.75 extra to repair each car after a crash. The cost of paint and materials has risen by almost 16 per cent, the price of courtesy cars by 30 per cent and around 40 per cent of all repair work is hit by delays. Another part of the rise in car insurance prices is the UK returning to pre-pandemic norms. During the worst of the Coronavirus lockdowns, car insurance prices fell due to insurers paying out fewer claims for fewer journeys. The UK's return to a pre-Covid way of life has meant more car journeys, more theft and crashes and therefore higher premiums. How to save money on car insurance There are several ways that drivers can help lower their insurance bills. If you cannot afford insurance at all, the best thing to do is talk to your insurer. The ABI's Fong added: 'Anyone concerned about being able to continue paying their motor insurance premium should speak to their insurer about any alternative payment options that may be available.' Otherwise, here are five ways to help bring down car insurance costs. 1. Shop around for the best policy This is the number one way to save on car insurance. Drivers can make savings of hundreds of pounds if they shop around when renewing their cover. Insurers are no longer allowed to charge renewing customers more than new ones. That means if a driver renews, they should be quoted the same - or less - than if they had started a new policy with the same insurer. But it may still be possible to get a better deal by shopping around. Insurers say the cost of repairing damaged cars is soaring, and must be passed on to drivers 2. Consider 'black box' telematics insurance Black box policies are where the insurer uses a system in your car to monitor your driving, either a separate device or using the driver's smartphone. These are designed to reward those who drive carefully. They can cut premiums substantially once you start proving you are a good driver. Some insurers even offer an upfront discount if you take out a telematics policy. 3. Be careful of how many drivers are named Another way to cut premiums is to ensure that only regular drivers are named on the policy. Adding a young, inexperienced driver can be a false economy, especially if you have a large or higher-powered vehicle. The premium will be affected by the youngest driver, and he or she may not have a no-claims bonus. 4. Pay yearly, not monthly When taking out a new policy, drivers will be given the option to either to pay for the whole year upfront or in monthly instalments. Many opt for the monthly payments as it means not having to part with a large sum of money in one go but if you can afford to pay your yearly premium upfront, you could save money. This is because your insurer may charge you interest on the monthly instalments. It is worth asking them if there is a difference and, if so, what it is. 5. Only pay for what you need Some car insurance deals include extra benefits, such as a courtesy car, windscreen cover, breakdown cover and motor legal protection. All of these could definitely come in handy, but they will almost always increase the total cost of insuring your car. Many consumers who buy add-on insurance then forget they have it, and some deals are only claimed on once every 664 years. Impax Environmental Markets has spent two decades scouring the world for companies that can help deal with the challenges the planet faces. Long before the recent trend for green investing and ESG funds emerged, its managers were earning their spurs by tracking down disruptive companies with a difference. And this has proved to be a highly profitable strategy for the investment trust's long-term investors, with a total return of 75 per cent over five years and 311 per cent over ten years, according to Association of Investment Company figures. Yet, Impax has not been immune from the storm for growth stocks and is down 5.9 per cent over the past year, with shares falling to a 5.19 per cent discount to net asset value. But what are environmental markets and what does Impax look for in a company? On this episode of the Investing Show, Impax Environmental Markets' senior portfolio manager Jon Forster joins Simon Lambert and Richard Hunter to explain more. He also reveals some of the fascinating things that the companies Impax invests in do, from the UK company helping industrial users make better use of steam, to firms helping reduce the impact of agriculture while improving its yields. Woori Financial Group headquarters in central Seoul / Korea Times file By Yi Whan-woo Woori Financial Group said Friday that Yim Jong-ryong, a high-profile, retired financial bureaucrat, has been nominated as the firm's next chief. A former Financial Services Commission (FSC) chairman, Yim will be officially appointed for a three-year term at the financial holding company if he receives confirmation from shareholders and the board of directors in their meeting on March 24. If successful, he will replace outgoing Chairman Son Tae-seung whose term will end on March 25. Yim Jong-ryong, former Financial Services Commission (FSC) chairman and chairman nominee for Woori Financial Group / Yonhap "The committee picked Lee as the sole nominee, after conducting thorough one-on-on interview with candidates, having them to craft a compelling presentation and share their vision with convictions regarding the firm's future," Woori Financial Group said. It said the committee tapped Lee for the top post after running two rounds of candidate screenings each on Wednesday and Friday on four candidates who were shortlisted last month. Yim was the only shortlisted candidate from outside the firm's own ranks, competing against Woori Bank CEO Lee Won-duk, Woori America Bank CEO Shin Hyun-seok and former Woori FIS CEO Lee Dong-yeun. "The committee assessed Yim as the right man who has the capabilities to take the firm on a leap forward," the banking group said, noting he was also former chairman of NongHyup Financial Group. The company went onto say that Yim's expertise in both government and the private sector will be critical "at a time of unstable financial circumstances within and outside the country." "The committee members thus had a consensus that Yim, with his insights in macro-economic issues and government policies, will manage the company in a stable manner," it said. The banking group said it is on the path toward "bold structural reform," which it saw should be led by "someone who can objectively assesse its management and make changes if needed." In a separate announcement delivered by Woori Financial Group, Yim thanked the committee members for endorsing him. "A shareholders' meeting still awaits me, but still, I want to make sure that as the next possible chairman I will make utmost efforts to transform the banking company and continue to win trust from the market, clients and employees of all ranks," he said. Yim Jong-ryong, then-Financial Services Commission (FSC) chairman, speaks during a press conference at the Government Complex Seoul in central Seoul in this photo taken on April 16, 2017. Korea Times file Shocking state pension failures exposed by a This is Money investigation were challenged in Parliament by Liberal Democrat MP Wendy Chamberlain yesterday. She demanded the Government explain errors in the records of people claiming Universal Credit, which could leave them with pension shortfalls in retirement. 'It's leading to a series of errors and leaving pensioners without the payments they are entitled to. It's not a legacy issue. It's happening now,' the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Work and Pensions told fellow MPs. State pension shortfalls: Failures exposed by This is Money were raised in the House of Commons by the Liberal Democrats' Work and Pensions spokesperson Wendy Chamberlain The Leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, acknowledged it was an important issue and promised to ask the Work and Pensions Secretary to respond. A This is Money probe found the National Insurance records of potentially millions of people claiming Universal Credit now and in the past are riddled with holes. The Department for Work and Pensions attempted to dodge our questions, but we uncovered evidence that the system meant to update their NI credits automatically has either never worked or has been broken since 2018. People on Universal Credit are only having state pensions manually corrected when they are within four months of state pension age. But they can fall through the net and be underpaid as a result, or waste money buying state pension top-ups they don't need. Evasions by DWP spokespeople about these problems unravelled after This is Money readers handed us letters and an email from the department's own junior officials which detailed them in full. These revealed it was a longstanding, internally well-known issue that there is no working system for automatically updating Universal Credit claimants' NI credits, and no time scale for fixing it. Despite this, the Gov.uk website still currently misleads Universal Credit claimants into thinking their NI credits are being updated automatically. The Lib Dems' Wendy Chamberlain was among current and former politicians from all parties who condemned these revelations, and called on the Government to 'own up' or 'come clean' in our story published yesterday. The same morning, in the House of Commons, Chamberlain said: 'There are reports today that the Government has been misleading pensioners into thinking that their Universal Credit National Insurance credits are being automatically applied to their NI records when in fact the system is either broken or has never worked because those are being applied manually. Today I challenged the government over reports that it has been misleading pensioners over their Universal Credit National Insurance contributions. pic.twitter.com/jeplfp5NiM Wendy Chamberlain MP (@wendychambLD) February 2, 2023 'It's leading to a series of errors and leaving pensioners without the payments they are entitled to. It's not a legacy issue. it's happening now. 'So when will the Government make time for this issue to be discussed in the House to be transparent about what's actually happening and set out what steps are being taken to ensure our constituents are not being left with shortfalls in their retirement which they might not even be aware of.' Tory Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt replied: 'This is an important issue and I thank the honourable lady for raising it. 'I will make sure that the Secretary of State has heard her concerns today. The departmental questions are not until early March and I will ask her to issue a reply to the honourable lady and to consider what can be done to inform all members of this House.' In early December, the DWP fobbed off a Shadow Labour Minister who attempted to get to the bottom of the failures. Gerald Jones MP, Shadow Minister for Wales, asked in a written question 'when the technical issues that have been outstanding since 2018 to award National Insurance credits to Universal Credit claims will be resolved'. A Minister of State at the DWP, Guy Opperman - after a five year stint, the UK's longest-serving Pensions Minister before his promotion last year - replied: 'The technical issues referenced were identified, and DWP have taken the steps to correct them.' This is Money first revealed last November that a mystery 'glitch' in state pension records was leaving Universal Credit claimants struggling to fix potentially costly holes in their income. We flagged more cases at the end of last year, and exposed how people were being stonewalled by staff in three separate Government departments across the DWP and HMRC, who all refused to help them. After we confronted the Government with 10 further cases for out latest story, and asked why it had attempted to cover up serious failures to automatically update state pension records of people claiming Universal Credit, a DWP spokesperson said: 'All of the cases raised have now been resolved and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused. 'We are working with HMRC on an improved process to add historic and future Universal Credit National Insurance credits to National Insurance records.' Parliamentary authorities are facing calls to consider revoking a security pass held by a former Labour MP who now fronts a show on Iranian state TV. Chris Williamson was MP for Derby North between 2017 and 2019 and served as a shadow minister under former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. He continues to enjoyed privileged access to Parliament by holding one of more than 300 passes doled out to former MPs. This is despite his continuing role as a host for PressTV, which has seen the 66-year-old branded 'Iran state-affiliated media' by Twitter bosses. Current MPs have expressed fears about a 'mouthpiece' for the 'hostile' Iranian regime having 'unfettered access' to the parliamentary estate. Former Labour MP Chris Williamson has been a host of Iranian state-owned PressTV's 'Palestine Declassified' show since March 2022 The 66-year-old was MP for Derby North between 2017 and 2019 and served as a shadow minister under former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn Mr Williamson was suspended by Labour in February 2019 after claiming the party had been 'too apologetic' over antisemitism PressTV, which is owned by the Iranian state, has been banned in Britain since 2013 after breaching the UK's broadcasting rules. The channel was also recently sanctioned by the EU as part of the bloc's response to Iran's violent crackdown on demonstrations following the death of Mahsa Amini. PressTV was found by Brussels to be 'responsible for serious human rights violations' for 'broadcasting the forced confessions of detainees'. In 2021, the US justice department took PressTV's website offline in America - by seizing its domain - as part of efforts to combat disinformation. Mr Williamson told MailOnline: 'The willingness of these parliamentarians to make utterly baseless accusations about me, while remaining silent about hundreds of MPs acting as lobbyists for the hostile regime in Tel Aviv, reveals their shameless hypocrisy.' All ex-MPs are eligible for passes that give them access to Parliament - although the authorities can refuse in some circumstances. According to official records, Mr Williamson has held a pass since July 2020. This was seven months after he failed to be re-elected as Derby North's MP when standing as an independent candidate at the 2019 general election. Mr Williamson was blocked from standing as an official Labour candidate following his suspension from the party. This came after he claimed Labour had been 'too apologetic' about its record on tackling antisemitism. He has been a host of PressTV's 'Palestine Declassified' show since March 2022 after previously appearing as a guest on the channel. The show has asked whether a UK charity that protects British Jews from antisemitism and related threats, the Community Security Trust, can be 'trusted'. Another episode hosted by Mr Williamson in March last year discussed the 'Zionist influence' on the music industry. Mr Williamson's Twitter account is officially flagged as 'Iran state-affiliated media' on the social media site. But he disputes this by writing in his account bio that he is 'NOT affiliated to any state media'. Mr Williamson's Twitter account is officially flagged as 'Iran state-affiliated media' on the social media site Around 300 former MPs continue to enjoy privileged access to the parliamentary estate, according to official records Parliamentary officials are now under pressure to rethink the granting of a security pass to Mr Williamson. Conservative backbencher Henry Smith told MailOnline: 'The parliamentary authorities should look to review whether it's proper for someone like Chris Williamson to have unfettered access to the parliamentary estate. The Crawley MP, a member of the House of Commons' foreign affairs committee, said he had 'no objection' to former MPs continuing to hold parliamentary passes, but said it was an issue of 'how they are using that'. 'If they are in the pay of hostile foreign governments, the parliamentary authoritities should be looking to revoke their pass,' he added. Mr Smith noted how Parliament was a 'very sensitive place in terms of security' and said privileged access should not be used to 'give succour to governments that wish us ill'. Brendan Clarke-Smith, Tory MP for Bassetlaw, also called for parliamentary authorities to review Mr Williamson's pass. 'Having a parliamentary pass carries responsibilities,' he told MailOnline. 'They should consider whether promoting and being on the payroll of a sanctioned organisation should mean holding one is brought into question. 'Westminster doesnt need a mouthpiece for the Iranian regime.' Commons' Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has previously asked Sir Charles Walker, the senior Conservative MP, to look into the issuing of parliamentary passes to former MPs. This followed concerns about whether such passes are being used for lobbying purposes by ex-MPs who take on roles as consultants or advisers. Sir Charles told MailOnline he would investigate Mr Williamson's case. Ex-MPs have to apply for a former members pass and, if they are found to have breached the rules associated with the pass, it will be brought to the attention of an committee that advises the Commons authorities. A Commons spokesman said they were unable to comment on individual cases. Shamima Begum has used a BBC podcast to blame her best friend for her decision to join ISIS. Sharmeena Begum - no relation - fled the UK to join ISIS in 2014, followed by Shamima and her schoolmates Amira Abase and Kadiza Sultana two months later. They were all 15 at the time apart from Sultana, who was 16. Sharmeena has been missing since 2019 and Abase and Sultana are both presumed dead. Unlike her notorious and publicity seeking friend, Sharmeena's story is less well-known - despite her being the first East London schoolgirl to make the journey. Born to Bangladeshi parents in Tower Hamlets in 1999, she was largely brought up by her mother Shahnaz until 2007 when her father Mohammed Nizam Uddin moved to Britain. It is mainly through interviews Mr Uddin has given to the media that we can build up a picture of Sharmeena's early life - and make sense of Shamima's attempts to portray her as the spark for her decision to embrace the ISIS death cult. Sharmeena Begum (left) - no relation - fled the UK to join ISIS in 2014, followed by Shamima (right) and her schoolmates Amira Abase and Kadiza Sultana two months later Shamima was 15 when she ran away with Sultana, 16, and Abase, 15 - (all pictured at Gatwick airport) Mr Uddin, a waiter, recalled Sharmeena as an ordinary young girl who enjoyed listening to Rihanna, watching EastEnders and shopping at Forever 21. But he saw a sudden change when her mother died of cancer in 2013 aged 33. Interviewed shortly after his daughter left for Syria, he said: 'I told the police that Sharmeena definitely changed after her mother died. 'She changed her dressing style and wore a scarf and started praying five times a day. Sometimes she would go to the East London Mosque for prayers.' Mr Uddin was careful not to blame the mosque or groups within it for his daughter's radicalisation, but his brother-in-law said the rest of the family blamed the Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE's) women's group for poisoning the young girl's mind. Baki Miah a step-uncle to Sharmeena, said: 'They told her things like, if she goes and dies in Syria, she would go to paradise, where she would meet her mother. 'I am 500 per cent sure that she was groomed at the East London Mosque. She was spending most of her time in the mosque, after school and all the time, she was spending in the mosque.' ISIS bride Shamima Begum claims she was interrogated by Jihadi John Jihadi John was believed to be the person in many videos of beheadings by Islamist extremist groups Advertisement Family members and relatives of the teenager said that they suspected rogue individuals within the IFE's women's wing, known as the Sisters Forum or Muslimaat, advised her to travel to Syria in the wake of her mother's death. The IFE has denied the claims. Meanwhile, the mosque strongly denied playing a role in the radicalisation of Sharmeena and her three friends. In a statement, the mosque's lawyers said it was attended by thousands of worshippers each week 'so it is possible, indeed probable, that one or more of the girls attended at some point'. Mr Uddin believes Sharmeena was targeted through her phone by shadowy IS recruiters who exploited her vulnerability after her mother's death. 'Every parent should check what their children are doing on their phones at every moment,' Mr Uddin at the time. Whatever the exact cause of her radicalisation, Sharmeena wasted little time on acting on her twisted beliefs - travelling to Syria via Turkey in December 2014 after borrowing 500 from her grandmother which she claimed was for shopping. She also duped her grandmother - who she lived with - into handing over her passport, saying it was needed for a school project. Her father had no idea what she was planning and was left distraught when she failed to come home after an overnight stay at her grandmother's house. When he rang Sharmeena's mobile phone and heard a foreign dial tone, he called Scotland Yard to report her gone. Mr Uddin said: 'The police told me it's possible Sharmeena has joined Islamic State.' After Sharmeena's conversion to a stricter form of Islam following her mother's death, she began trying to influence her other friends too Born to Bangladeshi parents in Tower Hamlets in 1999, she was largely brought up by her mother Shahnaz until 2007 when her father Mohammed Nizam Uddin moved to Britain During interviews on the BBC podcast I'm Not A Monster, Shamima Begum described how she first met Sharmeena at their school, Bethnal Green Academy. 'It was Ramadan so we were fasting,' she said. 'I was complaining about fasting and Sharmeena came up and started complaining, saying she had to fast too because her mum made her.' After Sharmeena's conversion to a stricter form of Islam following her mother's death, she began trying to influence her other friends too. Shamima said: 'The way she was talking about it was very persuasive. 'I just wanted to go along with what my friend wanted so I could be accepted. I didn't want to give them a reason to exclude me.' Shamima Begum, pictured here wearing leggings and a white t-shirt, has changed her appearance radically since she was first found in the Roj camp in Syria After Sharmeena joined ISIS, Shamima said she began sending her messages urging her to also join the death cult. 'Sharmeena was asking what was going on at school and in between those conversations would talk about what it was like in ISIS and [try to] persuade us to come,' she said. 'She has no remorse', says filmmaker who met Begum in Syria Filmmaker Andrew Drury with Shamima Begum in Syria Advertisement 'I felt guilty. She was putting a lot of pressure on me and making me feel guilty, saying we had this obligation and you won't be able to practice your religion in the UK.' When a horrific video showed a Jordanian pilot being burnt to death in a cage by ISIS terrorists, Shamima said she asked her friend if the incident had actually happened. Recalling their conversation, she said: 'No, it's a lie. What happened was he was flying over ISIS territory and ISIS shot him down, the plane crashed and caught on fire, and the video is of them dragging them out of the flames.' Shamima Begum is currently living in the Al-Hawl refugee camp in Syria after having her British citizenship revoked. In an earlier episode of the BBC podcast, released this week, she claimed she was interrogated by Jihadi John after arriving in Syria. She described how she and the two friends she fled the UK with were taken on a bus that stopped in the middle of a field. 'An hour later five cars came and surrounded the bus. We were so scared we couldn't even talk... afterwards another car came and a man with a mask walked on the bus. He had a small gun on him. He sat across from me. 'He asked us our real names, how old we were and where we had come from. From those three questions he could figure out that we were the three girls on the news. Shamima Begum claimed she met Jihadi John in ISIS's capital city of Raqqa, in Syria 'His face was covered but his face looked like Jihadi John from the videos. 'The size, the eyes, the accent - he was clearly British. 'They could not believe in a million years that three teenagers could leave their good, comfortable lives in the UK for Syria without being caught by the Government.' In the same episode, she also claimed she had never watched ISIS execution videos before leaving the UK - contradicting her previous comments. Asked by broadcaster Josh Baker how she couldn't have seen footage of ISIS violence, she said: 'I didn't know about these atrocities because as a 15-year-old I didn't watch the news. 'I got my news on social media where people were saying this is untrue, it's an exaggeration.' This was in the face of comments she made in 2019 to the BBC's Middle East correspondent Quentin Sommerville, who asked her: 'One of the reasons you joined IS is because you watched some beheading videos, is that right?' She replied: 'Not just the beheading videos, the videos that show families and stuff in the park. The good life that they can provide for you. Not just the fighting videos, but yeah the fighting videos as well I guess.' This audio was played back on the podcast, before Baker asked her: 'You've said previously that you did watch ISIS propaganda in London... you said you were aware of the fighting and brutality of ISIS before you left'. 'No,' she replied. But the defense argues the connection drawn by the prosecution is 'ludicrous' The state argues Murdaugh shot his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, at the family estate in SC, on June 7, 2021, to divert attention away from the corruption A furious legal row has broken out over whether Alex Murdaugh's ruinous financial crimes can be heard by jurors, with prosecutors arguing they motivated the murders of his wife and son. The prosecution say the disgraced attorney's life was spiraling out of control and that on the day of the murders he had been confronted over stealing $792,000 from his legal firm. The state argues Murdaugh shot his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, at their hunting lodge in Islandton, South Carolina, on June 7, 2021, to divert attention away from the decade of malfeasance that was gathering 'like a perfect storm.' Murdaugh - a chronic opioid addict - would go on to arrange for a hitman to shoot him in the head three months later in a botched life insurance fraud scheme. The jury was dismissed as the sensational allegations were heard by Judge Clifton Newman with the defense adamant that there is 'no logical connection' between the evidence and the deaths of Maggie and Paul. But Prosecutor Creighton Waters argued: 'When the hounds are at the door, when Hannibal's at the gate for Alex Murdaugh, violence happens.' Prosecutor Creighton Waters argued: 'When the hounds are at the door, when Hannibal's at the gate for Alex Murdaugh, violence happens.' The state argues Murdaugh shot his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, at their hunting lodge in Islandton, South Carolina, on June 7, 2021, to divert attention away from the decade of malfeasance that was gathering 'like a perfect storm.' Maggie and Paul Murdaugh (left) were murdered in June 2021. He denies the killings. Their oldest son, Buster, is shown, right He told the judge the evidence was essential for jurors to understand the defendant was 'out of options and out of time.' Waters said: 'He was burning through cash like crazy. He was out of options. The $792,000 was gone in no time at all. He had been living in a velocity of money that is really quite stunning. 'And he constantly needed to achieve more money to avoid the reckoning that was coming. 'The evidence will show on that particular date, June 7, 2021, when he's being asked about these fees, the financial condition is not there. He's extremely leveraged in the debt that he has. 'And he's forced to do these things to stay ahead.' He argued that evidence about Murdaugh paying a hitman to shoot him in the head 12 weeks after the killings of his wife and son was relevant because there was a 'symmetry' between the two acts of violence which centered around money. But defense attorney Jim Griffin said: 'Your honor there is no logical connection and it does not lead to evidence of motive.' 'There is no financial gain, there is nothing to be gained ... it is all just a theory, there are no facts,' he told the judge. He rubbished the idea that killing his wife and son would help Murdaugh 'get out from scrutiny.' The judge was forced to exclude the jury as the state called to the witness stand Jeanne Seckinger, who was CFO at Murdaugh's firm Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth and Detrick (PMPED), at the time of the killings. She recounted how on the day of the murders she had confronted Murdaugh about the missing $792,000. 'He was leaning on a file cabinet outside his office,' Seckinger told the court. 'He looked at me and said "what do you want now?" and gave me a very dirty look, not a look I had ever got from him before.' Seckinger said she told him they better step into his office and she proceeded to tell him how she had reason to believe he had received the funds owed to the law firm for the case. Murdaugh's defense attorney Dick Harpootlian. The defense what the evidence tossed but the prosecution say it is vital the jury understand the broader picture of chaos in Murdaugh's life The CFO explained that in their line of work all fees went directly to the legal firm - if not, 'that would be stealing.' Seckinger said that Murdaugh assured her that the money was there and that he could get it - he then went on to discuss his ailing father, the family patriarch Randolph III, and the conversation between the pair continued 'as friends.' Later that day, prosecutors allege Murdaugh killed his wife and son. Seckinger said that, as a result, her inquiries to Murdaugh about the missing funds ceased immediately. 'Alex was distressed and upset and nobody wanted to harass him about it,' she told the court. In addition, an upcoming hearing in the civil lawsuit Murdaugh and his son were facing over a fatal boat crash was cancelled. Paul crashed his father's boat while under the influence of alcohol, killing 19-year-old Mallory Beach in February 2019. However, Seckinger said partners at PMPED continued discussions about the missing funds behind closed doors. Indeed, PMPED uncovered a series of thefts from 2011 to 2012 Murdaugh perpetrated against the Badger family after their mother, Donna, was killed in a crash with a UPS truck. She said Murdaugh stole $1.3m in addition to the $1.2m he took in legal fees. It was decided on September 2, 2021, that Murdaugh's brother Randy and firm partner Lee Cope would meet with him privately to confront him. Murduagh is said to have admitted the theft, and resigned on the spot. This was 12 weeks after the murders of Maggie and Paul. Two days later, news broke that Murdaugh had been shot. 10.20pm: Alex called 911 at 10.07pm, claiming he'd just returned home from visiting his elderly mother to find his wife and son dead, their bodies covered in blood. He was wearing a pristine white t-shirt and shorts Murdaugh weeps inside a detective's car during his second police interview on June 10 - three days after the killing Seckinger said she was out on a boat with her family when someone from the emergency services informed her that Murdaugh had been shot in the head on the side of Old Salkehatchie Road in Hampton, and he was being flown by helicopter to the hospital in Savannah. Her immediate reaction was fear. 'Was this retaliation? Was he involved in something bigger that was going to get more of us in trouble?' She told the court. The court did not hear more evidence of that shooting - but it is a matter of public record that the legal heir has admitted that he arranged to have a hitman shoot him in a botched life insurance scam. Medical records released by his legal team in October 2021 in a bid to boost his credibility confirmed that he claimed he had paid his cousin Edward Smith to shoot him on the side of the road. He wanted it to look like a drive-by shooting so that Buster, his surviving son, would receive a payout on his life insurance policy. TIMELINE: NIGHT OF THE KILLINGS Alex Murdaugh, 54, is accused of shooting his wife, Maggie, 52, and younger son Paul, 22, at the family's hunting estate in Islandton, South Carolina, on the night of June 7, 2021. Here are the key events in the timeline laid out by prosecutors: At 7.56pm, Paul sent a Snapchat video to friends showing the 22-year-old riding around the estate with his father. At 8.15pm, Murdaugh's wife Maggie arrived home and the trio ate dinner together. Autopsies showed similar stomach contents in Maggie and Paul. About 8.30pm, Paul's phone starts moving towards the kennels. Then at 8.44pm, a second video taken by Paul at the kennels - soon to become a murder scene - allegedly proves that Maggie, Paul and Alex were together. At 8.49pm the prosecution say Paul's phone locked and went silent forever, never to send another text or make another call. Between 9pm and 9.30pm, Paul and Maggie were killed - according to the coroner. At 9.06pm, Murdaugh's car is fired up. The alleged killer said he went to go visit his mother, who is in the late stages of Alzheimer's disease, in Almeda - around a 15-minute drive. At 10.07pm, Murdaugh called 911 claiming he had arrived home a to find his wife and son shot dead. Advertisement Murdaugh survived and called 911. At first he said he had been killed in a drive-by shooting. Smith - who is facing charges for the incident - claimed he had no role in the suicide scam and was trying to stop Murdaugh from killing himself when the gun went off. In court Thursday, the state called Murdaugh's close friend and colleague Chris Wilson. The jury were also not present for this evidence. Wilson said they were roommates in law school and became best friends. Wilson added he thought Murdaugh was his best friend and thought he felt the same way. Waters asked: 'You feel that way now?' 'I don't know how I feel now Mr. Waters,' Wilson said, his voice cracking. Wilson worked on the case with Murdaugh in which $792,000 in legal fees disappeared. This sparked the investigation by the law firm, PMPED. Wilson testified Murdaugh admitted he had stolen money and had been addicted to opioids for 20 years Wilson told the court that he was informed on September 3, 2021, by PMPED attorney Lee Cope that Murdaugh had been stealing money from the law firm. He met with Murdaugh in at his parents' home in Almeda. 'I was so mad. I had loved the guy for so long, and I probably still love him a little bit, but I was so mad.' Wilson grew emotional as he told the court he does not know how he did not notice his friend's life was descending into chaos. 'He told me that he had been stealing money.' Murdaugh admitted that he had 'sh*t me up.' He said he had 'sh*t a lot of people up.' Wilson later found out that Murdaugh had been shot in the head. 'What in the devil is going on?' Wilson told the court he thought at the time. 'I thought he had tried to kill himself.' While Murdaugh has reached out, Wilson hasn't spoken to him since. One of the texts sent to Wilson said: 'So sorry for the havoc I created. I'd do anything to make it right.' Judge Newman said he wanted to hear from the attorney of Mallory Beach's family, Mark Tinsley, before making a final ruling. Tinsley is available to testify Monday morning. The court is expected to hear more arguments from both sides about the admissibility of the financial crimes evidence on Friday morning. The jury is due back in court to resume hearing the rest of the prosecution case at 11.30am. Medical records released by Murdaugh's legal team in October 2021 in a bid to boost his credibility confirmed that he claimed he had paid his cousin Edward Smith to shoot him on the side of the road. Smith - who is facing charges for the incident - claimed he had no role in the suicide scam and was trying to stop Murdaugh from killing himself when the gun went off. The trial is taking place at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, a sleepy, rural town 50 miles west of Charleston in a low-lying region of South Carolina over which the Murdaugh family has wielded immense judicial and political power. Indeed, in the courtroom where Murdaugh faces judgment, a portrait of his late grandfather - legendary longtime 14th Circuit Solicitor Buster Murdaugh Jr. - had hung on the wall before it was removed ahead of the trial. Prosecutors have said Murdaugh killed his wife and child to generate sympathy and distract from his financial crimes, an alleged motive that Murdaugh's lawyers have argued doesn't make sense. But he has adamantly insisted from the moment he found the bodies of his wife and youngest son shot multiple times that he was not the killer. Following the murder trial, Murdaugh will have to face more than 100 additional criminal charges, ranging from drug trafficking to allegations that he stole nearly $9million from clients and other attorneys. Prosecutors say Murdaugh lured his wife and son to their 1,700-acre hunting lodge and shot them dead. The state also claims that his life was spiraling out of control amid years of opioid addiction and ballooning debts. Murdaugh pleaded not guilty in June, and the blockbuster trial is expected to include wild allegations of dark family secrets, financial ruin and hedonistic excess. In total, over 220 people could testify against Murdaugh in the trial. President Joe Biden heads to Philadelphia on Friday to rally the Democratic faithful as his classified documents scandal grows and he faces an intra-party fight over his proposal to change the 2024 primary calendar - to his benefit. He will address a Democratic National Committee meeting as poll numbers out this week show voters are losing faith in his ability to be honest and trustworthy and some Democrats are questioning his handling of classified materials. Adding on to the concerns, officials in New Hampshire, a key 2024 state, worry that the president may skip their primary contest next year, setting up a scenario where an alternative candidate could garner an early victory, causing an embarrassment for Biden and the party. Biden hasn't officially announced he is seeking a second term, but he has said he intends to run. He is expected to formally announce later this spring. But the specter of the presidential election will shadow over him when he addresses the party delegates, a dedicated group whose support he will need throughout the grueling campaign season. President Joe Biden walks from the Oval Office as he leaves the White House, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in Washington. Biden is traveling to Philadelphia to meet with the Democratic National Committee He is expected to outline his administration's accomplishments - a case he will continue to make next week when he gives his annual State of the Union address. 'It's really important we let people know what we've done,' Biden said at a fund-raiser this week in New York. 'We can now go out and make our case.' But, as Biden focuses on what his administration has done, an NBC News poll out this week showed a majority of Democrats - 52% - said they're concerned about the president's possession of classified documents. And the Biden administration is facing questions from Democratic Senator Mark Warner, the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who is asking the administration to provide a briefing and damage assessment after classified material was found in the private possession of Biden, Mike Pence and Donald Trump. Warner, who has been vocal about how frustrated he's getting with the Biden team, sent a second letter on Thursday. He wrote that his committee wants to assess the 'potential risks to national security arising from the mishandling of this classified information.' 'I think that it will be viewed as increasing, expressing our deep frustration and increasing pressure on the administration,' he told NBC News. 'And I'm hoping for a breakthrough soon.' The White House and many Democrats argue that President Biden has handled the classified documents in his possession much differently than Trump. 'President Biden has built a strong reputation as an honest man with integrity and decency at his core. Because of that, he has built a reservoir of goodwill with the American people and has earned the benefit of the doubt,' Democratic strategist Kurt Bardella said. Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, is frustrated with the Biden administration's slow response in providing documents to the Senate Intelligence Committee But, despite the push to differentiate between Biden's handling of classified documents in his possession and Trump's management of the issue, the NBC News poll showed that an equal number of voters - 67% - are concerned about both. The poll was mostly finished by the time the news came that Pence also had documents in his possession, a revelation that many Democrats think gives Biden a political break. But there may be more revelations come for the president. The Justice Department has special counsels investigating both Trump and Biden. This week, it was revealed federal agents searched Biden's beach home in Rehoboth, Delaware, and took notes although they found no classified material. But there are calls for an investigation of other areas that store Biden documents, such as the University of Pennsylvania, which houses his Senate papers. Additionally, Biden refused to answer if he would testify should Special Counsel Robert Hur request to speak to him. The NBC News poll showed Biden's reputation took a hit. The White House faced criticism about its lack of transparency - the documents were originally discovered in Biden's D.C. think tank on Nov. 2 but it wasn't revealed publicly until January after CBS News reported their existence. The Biden team also delayed publicly revealing there were documents in the president's Wilmington, Delaware, home. In the aftermath, Biden got low marks from voters for honest and trustworthiness (34%), for having the necessary mental and physical health to be president (28%) and for uniting the country (23%). He did receive high marks for being easygoing and likable (45%) and for being knowledgeable enough to be president (42%). President Joe Biden waves as he departs the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 3, 2023, as he travels to Philadelphia. Biden will speak at the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting before spending the weekend in Wilmington, Delaware. While voters raise questions many official Democrats are sticking with the president for now on the issue, citing his immediate notification of the National Archives about his possession of the documents and cooperating with the Justice Department in its investigation. Many praise his handling of the issue and argue, in the long run, that will pay off for the president. Minnesota Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips, who supports the president after earlier suggestions Biden should consider a single term in the White House to allow for a new generation of leadership, said he approves of Biden's handling of the issue, especially when compared to Trump. 'I think it's a better reflection on President Biden's ethics and principles and how he's handling visa vie another former president,' Phillips said. Meanwhile, New Hampshire Democrats are worried about a proposal - that has the president's backing - that would shake up the primary calendar, allowing South Carolina to hold its primary three days before New Hampshire, which - traditionally - is first-in-the-nation. But New Hampshire law requires the state to hold its primary seven days before any similar contest. State Democratic party chair Raymond Buckley told DailyMail.com he's worried Republicans in his state won't agree to change it and it can't legally be done without GOP support. He voiced the concerns of many New Hampshire Democrats - that the GOP won't agree to change their law and Biden, in a symbolic move, could choose not to run in the New Hampshire primary but instead focus on South Carolina. That wouldn't stop any other Democratic candidate - from lawmaker to political novice - from filing the $1,500 fee to run in the primary. 'We don't think it's a good look,' he said, imagining a scenario on primary night where the 'evening news starts off with Donald Trump came from behind and defeated [Ron] DeSantis on the Republican side and, then on the Democratic side, you know, a housekeeper from Oregon wins. I'm not sure everybody thought that through.' On Saturday, members of the Democratic National Committee will vote on a new primary calendar that moves South Carolina's contest ahead of New Hampshire, a move that has New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley (right) worried Republicans will keep their New Hampshire primary calendar date; Donald Trump campaigned in Salem, N.H., on Saturday Trump has already started campaigning in New Hampshire, appearing at an event there on Saturday. Buckley had warned Democratic leaders in a letter that changing the primary calendar can 'create an opening for an insurgent candidate serious or not who can garner media attention and capitalize on Granite Stater's anger about being passed over by [Biden's] campaign.' On Saturday, members of the DNC will vote on a new primary calendar - backed by Biden - that will see South Carolina hold its 2024 presidential primary first on Feb. 3, followed by Nevada and New Hampshire on Feb. 6, Georgia on Feb. 13 and then Michigan on Feb. 27. Supporters argue it gives better positioning to states whose demographics better reflect the base of the Democratic Party. But it also benefits Biden, who, in the 2020 primary, came in fifth in New Hampshire. His victory in South Carolina saved his presidential bid and put him on the path to winning the nomination. The president's support for a new calendar also was seen as a sign he will seek a second term and was setting himself up for a smooth ride to the nomination. The DNC is looking at giving New Hampshire until June to amend its law although, again, it's unclear if Republicans in the state will support such a move. The Republican Party is sticking with the traditional calendar where Iowa holds its caucuses and then New Hampshire hosts the first primary. Buckley sounded hopeful that something could be worked out over the next year before any voting actually begins. 'The bottom line to me is that I want to be successful in the general election in November 2024. That's what matters,' he said, adding he wants to see Biden win another term in the White House. New Hampshire's lawmakers have been lobbying Biden on the issue. Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster told DailyMail.com she has spoken to President Biden and argued for her state's prime positioning on the calendar. She said she told him that 'he shouldn't hesitate to come on up' to visit the state. And New Hampshire Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan sat out the White House congressional ball in December to protest the issue. Clay Middleton, a South Carolina based Democratic strategist, will be in Philadelphia for the three-day DNC meeting. He said there is 'great enthusiasm among Democrats,' particularly to see President Biden and he expects to hear the president address the calendar issue. 'I'm pretty sure he's gonna mention it in his remarks before we, before we vote on Saturday,' he said. I'm sorry are we hearing this right? After all this time, the lies and obfuscations, Hunter Biden is admitting the laptop is his? Not only that: He wants a criminal investigation, at taxpayer expense, into how his laptop became public even though he himself left it in John Paul Mac Isaac's Delaware computer repair shop and signed a document forfeiting ownership if he left it there longer than 90 days! Also, he would like everyone involved in leaking its contents, which point to Hunter's own potential criminal activity, to be punished. Yes, if anyone is the victim here, it's Hunter Biden. Wow. And wouldn't you know: not a chirp of apology or outrage from the liberal media, which has spent the past two-plus years in collusion with Joe Biden, Hunter, the FBI and social media giants dismissing the laptop as fake, a Russian plant, a tool of the hard right to sway the 2020 election. And it gets better! Hours after this admission from Hunter's assuredly well-paid legal team, they walked it back. Anyone else have whiplash? 'These letters do not confirm Mac Isaac's or others' versions of a so-called laptop,' said Hunter's lawyers. 'They address their conduct of seeking, manipulating, and disseminating what they allege to be Mr. Biden's personal data, wherever they claim to have gotten it.' So, just to clarify: As of Thursday morning, the laptop was Hunter's, but as of Thursday afternoon, maybe it wasn't? Now, it turns out, this may all be about petty revenge. John Paul Mac Isaac is suing the president's son for defamation. Does anyone else feel like Hunter Biden and his legal team are gaslighting us? Also: Why is the liberal media ignoring one of the laptop's darkest revelations? As DailyMail.com exclusively reported Tuesday, Hunter Biden, 52, demanded that his then-29-year-old assistant, a woman of color, engage with him sexually. He threatened to withhold her salary if she didn't comply. This was a young woman who had to beg him so she could pay her rent. I'm sorry are we hearing this right? After all this time, the lies and obfuscations, Hunter Biden is admitting the laptop is his? As DailyMail.com exclusively reported Tuesday, Hunter Biden's, 52, demanded that his then-29-year-old assistant, a woman of color, engage with him sexually. Talk about an actual victim. Even New York magazine called what follows 'a new low' for our ignominious First Son. Sample Hunter's texts to his subordinate as he further humiliates her by doling out $10 and $20 payments via ApplePay: 'Set phone up [so] I can spy on you showering.' 'You have to make up for back work [b]y [FaceTiming] me and/or going to our next-club party.' 'If we FT the rule has to be no talk of anything but sex and we must be naked and we have to do whatever the other person asks within reason.' 'Show me how you play with yourself [w]hen you're all alone.' Because it clearly must be asked: Imagine if this were the son of a sitting U.S. president on the other side of the aisle and there was no doubt that the texts and images and emails on this laptop were his. (Yes, even the New York Times and the Washington Post have come around on this; both outlets now admit the laptop is authentic.) Imagine the outcry! Imagine the reams of furious New York Times op-eds and the wall-to-wall MSNBC coverage and demands for an investigation into how this son the personification of white male privilege! was not only pocketing millions from foreign concerns while trading access to his father, but was likely sexually harassing and abusing young women in his employ. This young woman, whose name DailyMail.com is withholding, is the fourth employee that we know of with whom Hunter was sexually involved. Oh, and he filmed their sexual encounters and saved them on his laptop. Shades of blackmail? In January 2019, this young woman emailed Hunter's secretary, asking why she hadn't received her December salary of $837.06 and why her health insurance was no longer working. 'I haven't been able to get any contact with Hunter,' she wrote, 'so I am completely in the dark.' Does this remotely sound like a relationship of equals? Andrew Cuomo, rightly, was forced to resign over less. Even New York magazine called what follows 'a new low' for our ignominious First Son. Sample Hunter's texts to his subordinate as he further humiliates her by doling out $10 and $20 payments via ApplePay. How is it that Hunter Biden, degenerate extraordinaire, remains a political martyr of the left? He embodies everything that liberals, feminists, the woke brigade, and any decent human being revile. Yet to much of the American media, he remains a member of their protected class, a victim of GOP dirty tricks. Hunter is their pet, a lovable rapscallion who may be a former crack addict, who may have taken some ill-gotten millions, who had access to top-secret documents illegally sitting in his father's garage, but hey bygones. It's not that bad. So goes the hive mind. But that takes a level of ignorance that's not just willful it's hypocritical and it's journalistic malpractice. It's ignoring evidence of possible criminal activity. If the mainstream media were honest, they'd admit the subtext here: Anyone is better than Donald Trump. We had to discredit the laptop in the run-up to the 2020 election. Too much was at stake. What will they do now? Anything? Because the obvious clearly needs to be stated: It is not the job of journalists and news outlets to decide what information we, the electorate, are privy to. It is not the job of news organizations to put their substantial weight on the scales of a presidential election. Nor is it the job of social media giants to censor news reports that they find inconvenient. It is not their job to take the FBI at face value when they claim reports of the laptop were 'misinformation.' Not since the Kennedy administration has the mainstream media behaved so deferentially. Hunter, through his hiring of Russian and Ukrainian escorts in the U.S., is potentially linked to an Eastern European human trafficking ring, according to a letter sent to the DOJ by U.S. Senators. He uses racial slurs, writing to one Chicago lawyer: 'how much money do I owe you. Because n***a you better not be charging me Hennessey rates.' That 'Hennessey' reference is also a racial dig. He uses racial slurs, writing to one Chicago lawyer: 'how much money do I owe you. Because n***a you better not be charging me Hennessey rates.' That 'Hennessey' reference is also a racial dig. He saved a memo joking that his father called President Obama 'my n***a.' Hunter's defenders, no doubt, would argue that he's joking, that he doesn't really mean it. Amazing, this obvious and insulting double standard. To quote Maya Angelou: When people show you who they are, believe them. Hunter lied on a federal form to obtain a firearm, answering 'no' to the question of illegal substance abuse. He later admitted, in the memoir he was paid a reported $2 million to write, that he was a crack addict at the time. This was treated as a bold, brave admission by one of our leading Democratic scions, instead of what it was: Another big lie, one he was handsomely remunerated for admitting. Hunter was an active drug addict, with children, who lied so he could buy a gun. How is any of this not a big deal? The gun Hunter obtained, by the way, was illegally tossed into a trash can near a high school! by his then-girlfriend Hallie Biden, his brother Beau's widow. The Secret Service denied intervening but has since been found to have intervened. Oh, and Hallie and her sister with whom Hunter was exchanging sexually explicit messages were reportedly both on his company's payroll. Hunter is under investigation for tax evasion. He sells artwork for hundreds of thousands of dollars to anonymous buyers. He was thrown out of the Navy after testing positive for cocaine. Setting aside his history of lying and likely illegal activity, Hunter is a terrible person. He has a four-year-old daughter whom he has disowned. He has petitioned a court to reduce his child support payments and to prevent his daughter from using his surname. Could it be his shame that his daughter's mother is a former stripper? Could it be that Hunter Biden is gasp a misogynist? Setting aside his history of lying and likely illegal activity, Hunter is a terrible person. He has a child, a four-year-old daughter (above), whom he has abandoned. He has petitioned a court to keep his daughter from using his surname. Seems obvious to me, but that's a question few in mainstream newsrooms are willing to explore. And while Hunter may not be an active addict, he engages in addict behavior. While promoting his memoir of healing and redemption accountability, if you will he was still lying, minimizing, blame-shifting and denying. Here's his exchange with Tracy Smith of CBS News in April 2021: Smith: 'Was that your laptop?' Hunter: 'For real, I don't know.' Smith: 'I know. But you know that, this isn't . . .' Hunter: 'But my point is, I really don't know. The answer is: That's the truthful answer.' Smith: 'You don't know, yes or no, if the laptop was yours?' Hunter: 'I don't have any idea. No idea whether or not . . .' Smith: 'So: Could have been yours?' Hunter: 'Of course, certainly. There could be a laptop out there that was stolen from me. It could be that I was hacked. It could be that it was Russian intelligence. It could be that it was stolen from me.' Smith: 'And you didn't drop off a laptop to be repaired in Delaware?' Hunter: 'No. Not that I remember at all. At all. So, we'll see.' Nearly two years later, Hunter Biden has finally owned it: The laptop is his. And so Hunter now owns everything that has come out and will come out. Will the mainstream media finally follow suit? To paraphrase Hunter: Guess we'll see. The White House on Thursday refused to say whether the president's team knew in advance about Hunter Biden's aggressive new legal strategy which included having his lawyer fire off letters to the Justice Department and Delaware AG seeking probes. Hunter Biden's attorneys fired off letters on Wednesday seeking investigations and retractions related to Hunter Biden's infamous laptop, which a Delaware computer shop owner says he provided to Rudy Giuliani. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wouldn't say whether people at the White House knew in advance about the new strategy, which comes amid GOP probes of Biden family members. 'As far as that piece, I would refer you to the White House counsel office. And again, don't have anything to add. This is something for his personal representatives to speak to,' she said when asked about it by DailyMail.com. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wouldn't respond directly to a question about whether the White House new in advance about Hunter Biden's legal strategy. His lawyer wrote DOJ seeking an investigation of people who copied and shared Hunter's infamous laptop Jean-Pierre, who has repeatedly stressed efforts to avoid commenting on the Justice Department and investigations, was asked whether the lawyer letters from the president's son constituted pressure on investigators. 'I'm going to be pretty consistent, as I have been from this podium when it relates to that. That particular question that you you're asking me we have been for the last two years. And I will say to you that that is something for Hunter Biden's personal representative, their representative to speak to just not going to speak to it from here. I just knew about before it happened,' she said. She referred the question to the White House counsel's office sand said she doesn't 'have anything to add.' 'And as it relates to the agencies, as you were asking me, look, this is a president and I said this before that believes in the independence of the Department of Justice, or any enforcement investigations, and he's been very clear about that. He believes that it should not be politicized as he had said for the past,' she said. Her comments came as former chief White House ethics watchdog Richard Painter called for a 'firewall' between the White House and Hunter Biden's growing team of lawyers. Painter said Hunter Biden is a 'private citizen, so he's going to disclose whatever he has to disclose,' but told Fox News the first son is 'probably going to get away with not disclosing any of it.' 'Just like with these paintings he's selling, and he should be disclosing who's buying the artwork, but he's not,' Painter added. 'And it will probably follow the same approach to the legal defense fund.' Her comments came after former Donald Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani responded to Hunter's new legal strategy of seeking to get probes and retractions of information linked to Hunter's infamous laptop and accused a top lawyer heading the effort of 'unethical' conduct. Giuliani, who had his own law license suspended in New York following his efforts to help Trump overturn the 2020 election results, called it an effort to gin up an 'illegal' investigation. He spoke a day after it was revealed that new Hunter Biden lawyer Abbe Lowell sought government probes of efforts to circulate emails and images from Hunter's laptop, which Hunter Biden reportedly abandoned at a Wilmington computer repair shop. 'This is a completely I don't know how to describe it. It's unethical on the part of the lawyers, because it's frivolous,' Giuliani during a night-time podcast from West Palm Beach. Former Donald Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani blasted 'frivolous' letters by Hunter Biden's legal team targeting people who obtained or distributed Hunter's infamous laptop 'The complaint that we should be investigated is an attempt to get yet one more illegal investigation started by a Democrat inclined public officials,' he fumed, with a reference to the Democratic-driven first impeachment effort over Trump's effort to get a Biden probe. 'The complaint that we should be investigated is an attempt to get yet one more illegal investigation started by a Democrat inclined public officials,' he said. Giuliani also tweeted an image of the 2019 repair order that shop owner Mac Isaac has said a person resembling Hunter Biden signed when dropping off broken machines. It states that it shall be considered 'abandoned property' 90 days after service is completed. After keeping distance from the laptop saga since it was first revealed weeks before the 2020 elections, Hunter's legal team, which is taking a more aggressive posture, does not appear satisfied with that fine print. It is going after the repair shop owner as well as Giuliani, his lawyer Robert Costello, and former chief White House strategist Steve Bannon, who received or helped distribute the material. He blasted Hunter Biden lawyer Abbe Lowell and pointed to a repair slip that covered property 'abandoned' for 90 days, as rthe epair shop owner says Hunter's laptop was Giuliani tweeted out a laptop repair slip Hunter's team wants a retraction from Fox News host Tucker Carlson Letters to the Justice Department as well as the Delaware Attorney General. Lowell wrote the AG that there is 'considerable reason to believe [they] violated various Delaware laws in accessing, copying, manipulating, and/or disseminating Mr. Biden's personal computer data. 'These unlawful actions caused the widespread publication, manipulation, and exploitation of Mr. Biden's most personal information, wrote Lowell. The barrage of letters also included a letter to Fox News demanding a retraction for on-air statements about Hunter Biden and claiming a failure to do so would reveal 'actual malice' code for grounds for a libel suit. Referencing the letter to Delaware AG Kathy Jennings, Giuliani said: 'Unless the AG burns it immediately and refers the lawyers for ethical discipline, then he's [stet] just a plaything of the Biden's,' he said. DailyMail.com has reached out to Lowell for a response. A three-member panel in Washington, DC also found Giuliani violated rules for lawyers as part of his 2020 election overturn effort, although the matter is not resolved. 'This sure looks like a tailor-made RICO case and that's why they're trying to cover this up,' said Ted Goodman, political and communications advisor to Giuliani. A Sydney-based entrepreneur has slammed the nation's workers as 'lazy', 'expensive' and 'entitled', arguing they need to be more like Americans where if you don't work, 'you're dead'. Allen Fu shared his low opinion on the work ethic of Australians in a TikTok rant on Thursday, arguing they are paid too much welfare by Centrelink. Mr Fu said: 'That's why Australians are lazy, bro. If you don't wanna work, no worries - we'll give you $1,000 a fortnight so you can live. If you go to America, you don't wanna work? You're dead. It's crazy. 'Every country I visited, when they met Aussies their first perspective was 'oh, you guys are lazy c****'. Everyone's lazy - 5pm clock-off and done.' Mr Fu's $1,000 figure is an exaggeration - Centrelink's JobSeeker or 'dole' program pays a maximum fortnightly amount of $668.40 to a single person with no children. Mr Fu (above) said a lot of Aussies suffer from 'tall poppy syndrome' where they'd rather bring down successful people than work hard themselves The Federal government welfare agency pays $608.70 for a partnered person and $915.40 for a single principal carer who takes care of a large family or has other responsibilities such as foster care arrangements. The payments are also paid out with requirements that jobseekers apply for a certain number of jobs. In his video, Mr Fu then explained how the work culture in other countries he's visited stacks up against Australia's. 'Over there they keep working, go to get drinks, they work at night,' he said. 'Their boss calls at 1am, they'll work. Here it's 'what do you mean, you can't call me. I'm off work'. 'The working culture here in Australia is s***. Staff are expensive, they're entitled - anywhere else on the planet they're grateful for a job. 'It's not even our fault, society and the government have conditioned us to be like that.' However, hundreds of commenters pointedly disagreed with Mr Fu and poked fun at him for rubbishing Australian working conditions. He applauded overseas workers - like Americans - for working extra long hours, being available at all times of the day and acting 'grateful' for employment 'I've never, in my life, seen anyone so upset to be treated well,' one person wrote. 'Work culture is amazing bro, you should work to live not the other way around,' another said. 'Either this dude is oblivious to being exploited or he lets money run his life,' another person commented. A fourth commenter wrote: 'Workers aren't overworked and can still keep their job. They're even paid properly?? This is terrible.' Another said: 'Man thinks he'll be on his deathbed wishing he had picked up just one more 12-hour shift.' However, Mr Fu said commenters were missing the main point of the video. He said Aussies need an improved mindset about work - not worse working condition. 'Australians are the worst for tall poppy syndrome, it's just the mentality we have,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'In Australia when you see someone drive past in a nice car you immediately go to make a snide remark or joke they're a drug dealer. 'Whereas when I was living in America I would see people ask successful people "how did you do that? Can I come work for you? What do I do to get to where you are?". 'Here, people whinge they're not rich but they don't want to work.' Australian entrepreneur Allen Fu (above) said Australian workers are 'lazy', 'expensive' and 'entitled' Mr Fu said he's often heard people making sarcastic remarks about his own success and accused him of receiving handouts. 'I come from a poor immigrant family - my parents would work 16 hours a day and up to three jobs at a time,' he said. 'Growing up I promised myself I'd never be in that position again and I put the work in.' He added other small business owners are struggling to find dedicated staff that are willing to put the extra effort in when needed. 'Staffing has been really hard, Australian workers ask for a lot when they have little to no experience,' he said. 'As a generalisation - Millennials are afraid of hard work. 'People used to want a get a job and prove themselves but that mentality doesn't exist as much in this generation. 'If you aren't prideful in your work you'll never see progress.' Several other commenters under the 30-second video said their own businesses are suffering because it's hard to find dedicated workers. 'It's true, I agree, staff are entitled and don't want to work but still want to be paid. Small business's hurt,' one commenter wrote. 'It's the same in UK. That's why economies are declining and the rest is rising,' another said. 'It's 100 per cent true, too easy to get the dole (payments) here,' a third person wrote. A Michigan man says he was left with a $1,000 bill after his 6-year-old son ordered a virtual smorgasbord of food from several restaurants last weekend, leading to a string of unexpected deliveries - and maybe a starring role in an ad campaign. Keith Stonehouse said the food piled up quickly at his Detroit-area home Saturday night after he let his son, Mason, use his cellphone to play a game before bed. He said the youngster instead used his father's Grubhub account to order food from one restaurant after another - and even offered a generous 25 percent tip for each. The boy's mother, Kristin Stonehouse, told The Associated Press on Thursday that Grubhub has reached out to the family and offered them a $1,000 gift card. The company also is considering using the family in an online promotional campaign, she said. Grubhub officials did not immediately respond to a message from the Associated Press seeking comment. Six-year-old Mason Stonehouse (pictured) used his father's Grubhub account to order $1,000 worth of food delivered to his home on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. His father, Keith Stonehouse, was not aware his son was ordering the food and at first did not understand why delivery people kept ringing his doorbell and leaving food Pictured: A grab from footage from Keith Stonehouse's door camera after his son ordered the food. One Grubhub driver after another delivered to their Chesterfield Township home Keith Stonehouse said he was alone with his son while his wife was at the movies when Mason ordered jumbo shrimp, salads, shawarma and chicken pita sandwiches, chili cheese fries and other foods that one Grubhub driver after another delivered to their Chesterfield Township home. Security camera footage showed them all coming to the door one by one. 'This was like something out of a `Saturday Night Live skit,' Keith Stonehouse told MLive.com. He added: 'I dont really find it funny yet, but I can laugh with people a little bit. Its a lot of money and it kind of came out of nowhere.' Keith Stonehouse said his son ordered food from so many different places that Chase Bank sent him a fraud alert declining a $439 order from Happys Pizza. But Mason's $183 order of jumbo shrimp from the same restaurant went through and arrived at the family's house. The father said it took the arrival of a few orders of food for him to realize what was going on. By that time, there was nothing he could do to stop the orders from coming. Kristin Stonehouse told the AP that Mason is extremely intelligent and has been reading since he was 2 1/2 years old. 'He's very smart,' she said. 'He's not your average 6-year-old.' She said her husband had just used the Grubhub app on his phone to order dinner before she left and probably just left the app open. She said her son took the phone, hid in the basement and proceeded to order his feast. Keith Stonehouse said the food piled up quickly at his Detroit-area home Saturday night after he let his son, Mason, use his cellphone to play a game before bed. He said the youngster instead used his father's Grubhub account to order food from one restaurant after another The boy's mother, Kristin Stonehouse, told The Associated Press on Thursday that Grubhub has reached out to the family and offered them a $1,000 gift card. Pictured: A Grubhub delivery person rides in Manhattan (file photo) She said she and her husband had a talk with Mason on Sunday morning and told him what he did was akin to stealing. 'I don't think he grasped that concept at first,' she said. To drive the point home, she and her husband opened up Mason's piggy bank and pocketed the $115 he had gotten for his birthday in November, telling him the money would go to replenish their accounts. That didn't seem to faze the boy. 'Then he found a penny on the floor and said he could start all over again,' she said. Keith Stonehouse said most of the food went into the familys refrigerators. He said he also invited some neighbors over to eat some of it. He said hes heard of things like this happening to other parents, but not at the level he experienced last weekend. He recommends making sure important apps are not readily available for children to click on when theyre using a parent's phone. He said hes changing his password. 'I knew this could happen, but you just dont think your kid is going to do something like this. Hes definitely smart enough, I just didnt expect it,' Keith Stonehouse said. Adnan Syed was crying outside court after three Appellate Court of Maryland judges questioned if they had the authority to reinstate his decades-old murder conviction. Syed, whose case was highlighted in the hit Serial podcast, was freed last year after a judge overturned his sentence for the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. While Lee's family appealed the reversal that saw Syed free after 23 years behind bars, their attorneys came up empty when pressed by judges Stuart Berger, Kathryn Graeff and Gregory Wells on Thursday on why the charges shouldn't be dropped. Speaking publicly for the first time ever about his case, Syed told reporters: 'Our family has suffered so much, just over the past 20, almost 24 years. It's really hard for us. 'It's hard for my dad; it's hard for my mom; it's hard for my younger brother.' Adnan Syed shed tears and spoke for the first time about his case on Thursday as the Appellate Court of Maryland questioned the ruling that saw him freed after 23 years Syed spent more than two decades behind bars after he was convicted of killing Hae Min Lee, a former girlfriend seen with him above in a high school photo. The case became widely known after it was featured in the debut of the Serial podcast Syed was convicted of murder in 2000, but in September, the court ruled that DNA collected from Lee's shoes did not match Syed, and found that prosecutors failed to provide the defense with evidence that could have exonerated him. Lee's family, however, argued that neither the prosecutor nor the court provided the evidence they used to reverse Syed's conviction, and claimed they conducted the hearing to free him in private. However, when Graeff pressed Lee family attorney David Sanford for legal precedence on why the reversal should be overthrown, the lawyer admitted he had no examples, The Baltimore Sun reports. 'I don't have any case law for the support in Maryland,' Sanford told the judges. Crying outside the courtroom on Thursday, Syed asked the court to consider the damage his family has gone through as it weighs his future. 'It seems like our family, we just go unnoticed,' Syed said. 'Every time we go to court we go unnoticed. 'We definitely understand Hae's family has suffered so much, and they continue to suffer. And it's just that we suffer too. And we hope that the court today just takes notice of that.' Syed asked the court to spare his family more heartache after he was freed last year. Pictured: Syed making his first public plea to reporters on Thursday A Maryland court elected to free Syed following an investigation that showed DNA on Lee's shoe did not match his and that his first prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense that could have exonerated him Sanford claimed the Lee family was denied their right to fully participate in the proceedings because they were not given adequate notice, facts or evidence. 'There are a lot of violations here of the law and there are errors made here by the court,' Sanford told CBS. 'If Adnan Syed is in fact innocent, it was a terrible miscarriage of justice and we'll be the first ones to say that, once there is a proper evidentiary hearing.' While the three judge panel debated whether or not the case was 'moot,' as Berger put it, they did appear to sympathize with the Lee family over the speed at which Syed's charges were dropped. Erica Suter, Syed's attorney, pleaded for the court to uphold the reversal as she also referenced the fact that her client's story and the issues with the judicial system were highlighted in the popular Serial podcast. 'This court's decision will neither bring back Hae Min Lee nor restore Adnan's 23 1/2 lost years, but what it can do is confirm that the lower court's decision should stand,' Suter said. 'Adnan, his family, and I would like to thank the tens of thousands around the globe who heard his story and believe in him, who believe in our system's ability to correct its mistakes, even in hard cases.' Along with throwing out the appeal, the appellate court could also issue a new hearing over the decision to free Syed. It typically takes the court weeks or months to issue a ruling, the Sun noted. Hae Min Lee, right, was just 18 when she was strangled and buried in a shallow grave in Baltimore's Leakin Park back in 1999. Syed, right, has repeatedly raised questions about the evidence against him Youn Kim, the mother of Hae Min Lee, is pictured being escorted from her daughter's memorial service. The family is now seeking to appeal a Maryland court's decision to overturn Syed's conviction Hae Min Lee was just 18 when she was strangled and buried in a shallow grave in Baltimore's Leakin Park back in 1999. Syed has maintained his innocence for decades and captured the attention of millions in 2014 when the debut season of Serial focused on the case and raised doubts about some of the evidence used against him, including cell phone tower data. Prosecutors have previously said that a reinvestigation of the case revealed evidence regarding the possible involvement of two alternate suspects. The two suspects may have been involved individually or together, the state's attorney's office said. One of the suspects had threatened Lee, saying 'he would make her (Ms. Lee) disappear. He would kill her,' according to a court filing. The suspects were known persons at the time of the original investigation and were not properly ruled out nor disclosed to the defense, prosecutors said. Jimin of K-pop group BTS poses during a photo shoot before the Dior Menswear ready-to-wear Fall/Winter 2023-2024 collection show during Men's Fashion Week in Paris, France, Jan. 20. Reuters-Yonhap By Kwak Yeon-soo A woman in her 40s surnamed Yoo recently bought her daughter a Vivienne Westwood cross bag for 580,000 won ($470). "My 16-year-old daughter actually asked for a Prada or Saint Laurent handbag, which are at least five times more expensive. But I told her no because it's too pricey for a high school student. Now I'm worried that she might want a more expensive item next," she said. The thousands of luxury haul videos by precocious teenagers flaunting their shopping sprees indicate that luxury shoppers are getting younger. In a 2020 survey of 783 middle and high school students conducted by local school wear brand S'FD, 56.4 percent of respondents said they have bought luxury products. Experts say the appeal of luxury brands to teenage consumers is in the bandwagon effect of social media. "Consumers generally choose luxury goods that meet their unique tastes and preferences. But Koreans tend to make a safe choice by purchasing the most popular ones. To make better decisions, they often rely on celebrities who are associated with luxury brands," said Kwak Geum-joo, a psychology professor at Seoul National University. Suh Yong-gu, a business professor at Sookmyung Women's University, characterized teenage consumers as being basically in a one-way relationship with K-pop stars. "K-pop stars are top influencers. Because luxury sales are digitally influenced, their social media posts and YouTube videos on luxury brands lead to 'flex culture' flaunting of wealth among younger consumers," he said. According to Suh, Korea is the world's seventh-largest luxury goods market. Koreans spend an average of $325 per capita a year on luxury goods the highest figure in the world, according to Morgan Stanley. Chasing Asia's big spenders, some luxury brands have recently appointed K-pop stars as their global ambassadors. In January, French fashion house Dior named Jimin of BTS as a global brand ambassador. Suga of BTS is now the global ambassador of Italian luxury fashion brand Valentino, and BIGBANG vocalist Taeyang is for Givenchy. They made headlines at Paris Fashion Week last month, drawing crowds of global fans. BLACKPINK members Jennie, Lisa, Rose and Jisoo have been endorsing global luxury brands Chanel, Celine, Saint Laurent and Dior, respectively. Rookie K-pop groups are also attracting this high-end attention. Less than six months after their debut, NewJeans members Hani, Hyein and Danielle became the new faces of Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Burberry, respectively. Jisoo of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK poses during a Christian Dior photo shoot as part of the Haute-Couture Spring/Summer 2023 Fashion Week in Paris, Jan. 23. AFP-Yonhap Luxury brands are well aware of the enormous influence that K-pop artists have on attracting young shoppers and creating social media hype. Two days after appointing Jimin as its global ambassador, Dior's market price soared to an all-time high of 789 euros ($857). His two posts for Dior created $17 million in earned media value (EMV). This accounted for 54 percent of the brand's total EMV during Paris Men's Fashion Week, according to analytics firm Lefty. Sales are almost guaranteed to increase significantly if brands find the right face to represent their product. Suh said this recent phenomenon indicates the importance of the Asian market to luxury brands. "After COVID-19, Europe's luxury market has been shrinking, while the Asian market kept growing. Pivoting to Asia, brands are appointing Korean celebrities as ambassadors because of their huge influence in the region," he said. "The more young consumers learn about luxury brands through K-pop idols, the more they wish to buy. There is even a personality test called 'What luxury brand are you?'" Lim Myung-ho, a psychology professor at Dankook University, warned teenage consumers to refrain from overspending on luxury goods. "What surprised me lately is that kids liken the hierarchy of K-pop idols to the hierarchy of luxury brands by comparing who is the ambassador of what brand. In many cases, teenage consumers feel like celebrities are an extension of themselves," he said. "They largely depend on their parents' money and end up spending above their budget. Usually, people have a stronger desire to splurge when they have less control over their lives for students it's common when they feel discouraged about studying and improving their academic records. In the long term, these behaviors may lead to bad consumption habits." Prosecutors brought in a bag of deadly pills a former Russian dominatrix used to allegedly poison cheesecake that she fed to her doppelganger in attempt to kill and steal her identity. Viktoria Nasyrova, 45, is on trial in New York for a series of accusations that range from the 2014 murder of a Russian woman to drugging and robbing men she met on dating sites. Nasyrova, who lived in Queens, allegedly poisoned Olga Tsvyk in 2016 with phenazepam infused in dessert and staged her near death as a suicide. The victim survived the attack. The Russian beauty's crime spree came to an end in 2017 when she was tracked down by the daughter of the woman she is accused of killing in Russia. The poison used in the attacks was seen in an evidence bag carried by prosecutors as the trial continued on Thursday. Prosecutors brought in a bag of deadly pills Viktoria Nasyrova allegedly used to poison her doppelganger The poison used in the attacks was seen in an evidence bag carried by prosecutors as the trial continued on Thursday Tsyvk, an eyelash stylist, met Nasyrova six months before she was poisoned in 2016, the alleged victim shared in court on Monday. The two became friends and Tsyvk shared with the former dominatrix at the time how she was getting her employment authorization card. Tsyvk shared with the court that Nasyrova had arrived at her home in Forest Hills, Queens, August 2016 in desperate need of her services. In exchange, Nasyrova insisted she would bring the stylist cheesecake she purchased at a local bakery. 'She told me, 'I'm right now in Brooklyn. I want to bring you some famous cheesecake from a famous bakery.' I told her, Viktoria, that's not needed, just come over,' Tsvyk said. After arriving at her home, Nasyrova ate two slices of cheesecake offering a third slice, that prosecutors say had been laced with Russian tranquilizer Phenazepan, to Tsvyk. Tsvyk told the court that she started to feel sick about 20 minutes after eating the cake. 'I started to look to lie down on the bed,' Tsvyk told the jury. 'I started to look for a pillow. I was realizing that I was losing consciousness and I said to her, 'Vika, I'm feeling really bad.' I started feeling very nauseous. I wanted to vomit. I started to vomit right by my bed onto the floor. Tsvk was found by her sister Iryna Kozachenko who called the police. Kozachenko also took the stand on Monday. Prosecutors claimed that Nasyrova then stole Tsvyk's passport, cash, US employment authorization card and other belongings and tried to make the incident appear to look like a suicide by scattering pills around the victim's body. Olga Tsvyk (above) met Nasyrova six months before she was poisoned in 2016, the alleged victim shared in court on Monday Tsyvk, an eyelash stylist, shared heavily about her life before Nasyrova allegedly poisoned her A prosecutor can be seen carrying an evidence bag with the pills inside Nasyrova is on trial for several crimes. She allegedly poisoned Tsyk in hopes of stealing her identity Tsvk was found by her sister Iryna Kozachenko (above) who called the police. Kozachenko also took the stand on Monday Assistant District Attorney Konstantinos Litourgis painted a picture to jurors on Monday of what they could expect to learn throughout the trial, although her sordid past crimes in Russia did not appear to make the cut, according to Fox News. 'The DNA that was on that container belongs to Viktoria Nasyrova,' Litourgis said in his opening statements. 'So, on top of everything you're going to hear from civilian witnesses, you're going to learn that there's a cheesecake container that had [tranquilizer] Phenazepam in it and also had the defendant's DNA on it.' Litourgis continued, referring to the alleged victim Olga Tsvyk, that Nasyrova has been specifically asked about the crimes, and appeared to show no remorse. 'She was asked this specific question: 'There is a woman named Olga who looks a lot like you who said that you poisoned her with a piece of cheesecake in order to steal her identity,''Litourgis said. 'You know what this defendant did when she was asked that question? She smiled. And you know what her answer was? "I can tell you I know this person. I know who you mean. I did not force her to eat the cheesecake."' 'This is not a joke. It's not just a story. It's not an accident and it's not a mistake. This defendant intended to kill this woman and steal her identity.' A mess of DNA evidence appeared to have been left on the cheesecake box according to Litourgis who added that this and additional evidence proves that she tried to kill Tsvyk. The prosecution said they plan to call another witness during the trial, who claims that Nasyrova had drugged him after they met on a Russian dating site in 2016. Litourgis said that the man ate fish and vegetables cooked by the 45-year-old and woke up in hospital three days later. 'His symptoms almost mirrored that of Olga's,' Litourgis said, noting that the man's watch and cash had been stolen. Assistant District Attorney Konstantinos Litourgis (left) painted a picture to jurors on Monday of what they could expect to learn throughout the trial. Litourgis was seen walking into the courtroom on Thursday Former Detective Bryan Flynn (above) arrived in the courtroom on Thursday. He arrested Nazyrova and retrieved the deadly pills Tara Rossy (right) is a lab specialist who determined the type of pill used in the attack In 2019, Nasyrova pleaded guilty in a separate case in which she had been charged with attempted larceny in Brooklyn Supreme Court, following other allegations that she had drugged and robbed men that she met on dating apps. But the most notorious of her alleged crimes took place before she reached the United States. Nasyrova fled to the US in 2014 following the brutal slaying of her neighbor Alla Alekseenko, 54. Alekseenko remains were found burned and buried two miles from her home in Krasnodar, in southern Russia. DailyMail.com exclusively revealed images of the victim's body in the front seat of Nasyrova's car by traffic cameras in 2017, investigators at the time saying, money was the motive for the heartless homicide. Nasyrova fled to America and began a new life as masseuse with 'experience in upscale spas and beauty salons,' according to an ad for 'quality massage at home' she posted shortly after arriving in the Big Apple. It's been reported she was allegedly able to escape Russia by having sex with a local police officer. Interpol then issued a red notice for her arrest for murder. Nazyrova is accused of killing Alla Alekseenko, 54, back in 2014. Alekseenko's daughter Nadeza Ford is seen above Ford previously said she got a text message from her missing mother shortly her disappearance, saying 'Sweetie, don't worry about me, I'll notify you about where I am soon enough' Alekseenko's body was found months later, badly burned and reduced to a skull and a few bones identifiable only through dental records But, her sordid past was to follow her, when Alekseenko's horrified daughter learned that the wanted Russian beauty was now living just miles away from her in Brooklyn. The victim's daughter, Nadezda Ford, said she got a text message from her missing mother shortly her disappearance, saying 'Sweetie, don't worry about me, I'll notify you about where I am soon enough.' The message came after traffic camera footage appeared to show her mother's lifeless body in passenger's seat of Nasyrova's car on the day that she disappeared, October 5, 2014. Alekseenko's body was found months later, badly burned and reduced to a skull and a few bones identifiable only through dental records. Investigators found $17,000 in cash and jewelry missing from the her home. By November of 2014, Nasyrova had slipped out of Russia, despite a warrant out for her arrest on Interpol. A private detective in New York played a key role in bringing Nasyrova to justice. Herman Weisberg, a retired NYPD detective, had been approached by Ford after the horrified woman learned that her mother's suspected killer was living near her. Ford was seen distraught outside of the courtroom in Queens 'A Good Samaritan who knew the daughter of the murdered Russian woman got in touch with me and told me the story,' Weisberg told DailyMail.com at the time. 'She offered to pay whatever cost for me to track her down and bring her to justice.' Ford 'was living in fear of this woman,' and had already moved once and was heartbroken over the loss of her mother,' said Weisberg. The intrepid detective discovered that Nasyrova was still regularly using Facebook under a different name, and found her secret profile. 'After poring over pictures I realized the stitching on the leather car seat in one of her selfies was unique to a high-end Chrysler. I then had my surveillance team scour Sheepshead Bay until we found the vehicle,' he said. The team found the vehicle, a Chrysler 300, and began a stakeout. Weisberg's discovery paid off - they'd located the mysterious fugitive. On top of the Russia murder, Nasyrova was also wanted by NYPD on suspicion of drugging and robbing at least three men she met via a New York dating website. NYPD Chief of Detectives Bob Boyce said: 'She's a con artist who meets people online through a dating site and then drugs them at some point, and takes their property from them and flees'. She was arrested by the NYPD Warrant Squad on an open warrant for the alleged seduction robberies after Weisberg alerted investigators to her location, since Russia doesn't have an extradition treaty with the U.S. 'She embarked on a life of crime here, and we don't have the whole story yet. We only have bits and pieces', Boyce added. 'What's incredible is that Nasyrova wasn't living like she was on the lam we pictured her out shopping for a 50-inch widescreen TV,' said Weisberg. 'We think she was empowered by her previous arrest for shoplifting, which didn't pick up the fact she wanted by Interpol for this murder.' 'It would have made her feel like she had slipped the net,' said Weisberg. 'Not now.' A trial into the fresh crime allegations continues. Australian bikie gangs are quickly running out of places to show off their colours with Victoria set to become the latest state to introduce a ban on displaying club insignias. Victoria Police has asked the state government to introduce new laws against outlaw motorcycle clubs wearing their colours in public, in the hope it will put an end to the national runs bikies make to the state each year. Such laws would see the likes of the Finks, Comancheros, Rebels and Hells Angels be banned from wearing their patches and badges in public or face hefty fines and even jail time. The prospect of ramping up anti-gang laws were discussed in a meeting with senior police and government officials late last year, and the new rules could come into effect by the end of the year, the Herald Sun reported on Friday. It comes as the Finks bikie gang defiantly took part in their massive run to Melbourne last Saturday. The Finks associates cut an intimidating profile as they wore face masks and rode into town on their Harleys last weekend for their annual run through Victoria 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. 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. Police said they would put the riders on notice with motorcyclists coming from all over the country to take part in the national run. 'There will be an increased police presence in the relevant areas over the weekend,' Victoria Police sergeant Julie-Anne Newman said at the time. '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's crackdown comes after the Finks defiantly took part in their national run in the state on Saturday - despite a warning by police they would be closely watched '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. Victoria introducing new bikie laws would bring them in line with many other Australian states. Western Australia has some of the toughest bikie laws in the country. The legislation bans bikies from socialising together in public and displaying club insignia in public including gang patches, stickers and tattoos. Some bikies have even had to wear band-aids or been told to wear make-up to cover up their ink when appearing in court. Queensland and Tasmania have similar laws, with the Sunshine State the first jurisdiction in the world to ban the display of club colours. A Finks member wears a skull patterned face mask along with a club vest for his 350km ride to Cranbourne South Australia declared 10 bikie gangs criminal organisations, making it illegal for them to meet in public or wear their colours. In the Northern Territory outlaw motorcycle gang members are banned from wearing their colours in licenced premises. NSW does not have any laws surrounding colours or club insignia but it is a criminal offence for a person to communicate with at least two people who've been convicted of an indictable offence - after being given a warning. George Osborne and his fiancee Thea Rogers have been spotted walking with their new baby Arthur for the first time since he was born last December. The couple braved the cold for a leisurely stroll through West London recently. Thea, 40, kept little Arthur close in a leopard print baby carrier while Osborne, 51, wrapped up warm in a woolly hat to walk their dog. Arthur is the brother of Beau, whom the couple welcomed in July 2021. George Osborne and his fiancee Thea Rogers have been spotted walking with their new baby Arthur for the first time since he was born last December Thea, 40, kept little Arthur close in a leopard print baby carrier while Osborne, 51, wrapped up warm in a woolly hat to walk their dog The ex-Chancellor and Thea, his former adviser, live in a 10 million house in Notting Hill, and also own a property in Somerset. This is the fourth child for the now chairman of the British Museum, as he also has two grown-up children from his 21-year marriage to the novelist Frances Osborne. Oxford graduate Ms Rogers, 40, started her career at the BBC before moving into government and later becoming a senior executive at takeaway firm Deliveroo. She stepped back from the corporate world last year to embrace motherhood, saying at the time: Now is a great time for me to begin a new chapter as well as to spend more time in the next few months with my baby. The family of missing mother Nicola Bulley have been dealt a fresh blow after the 'lady in red' who police spoke with revealed she knew nothing of significance. Police issued a public appeal for a woman seen in CCTV wearing a red coat on River Wyre around the time Ms Bulley vanished last Friday morning. They later revealed she'd been identified. Now it can be revealed that the 67-year-old woman, Christine Bowman, told police she did not see Ms Bulley during her walk with her own dog, Snowflake. Ms Bowman said she was baffled by the appeal to track her down because she had already spoken to officers on the day Ms Bulley disappeared - and she 'doesn't know anything'. Ms Bulley's devastated sister now says the family are 'stuck in a nightmare' - as today marks one week since the mother-of-two' disappeared. It comes as specialist divers painstakingly searched the 15ft waters near where Ms Bulley's phone was found. A local angler said that even as a strong swimmer, he 'wouldn't want to fall in' at the 'cold, dangerous' stretch of water where Ms Bulley vanished. MailOnline can reveal the 67-year-old woman in the red coat told police she did not see Ms Bulley during her walk This picture from Ms Bulley's Strava account shows the River Wyre route where she was last seen was one she would take often An emotional Miss Cunningham insisted: 'People don't just vanish into thin air' Ms Bowman - who police hoped could provide key pieces of information in the search for Ms Bulley - does not travel as far as the bench where the missing mother's phone and dog were found. 'The security camera footage that she was caught on was taken from the caravan park next to the towpath. 'That's as far as she goes, she doesn't walk her dog further along the footpath than that point.' And Ms Bowman told The Mirror she was doubly confused by the public appeal given she'd reportedly already told police she had no information to offer. The retired teacher said: 'It has made local women fearful. If they have husbands or partners, they have been taking the dogs out instead.' It's a devastating blow for Ms Bulley's family, who have been waiting with bated breath for updates in the investigation. In the appeal to track down the woman yesterday, a spokesman for Lancashire Police said: 'She is described as wearing a red and white coat with a fur hood, light-coloured trousers and a light bobble hat. 'She was walking a small, white dog. The woman was seen on CCTV at around 8.48am on Allotment Lane, close to where Nicola was last seen and was also seen near to the gate at the end of Allotment Lane.' However the friend said: 'Their paths did not cross, she has no information on where Nicola could be sadly.' As the investigation extends into an eighth day, a source from St Michael's Angling Association said the stretch of river where Ms Bulley vanished is notorious and 'very dangerous', with a depth of about 15ft. 'The combination of the depth and how cold it is at this time of year makes it very dangerous,' he told The Times. 'I certainly would not want to fall in there and I'm a very strong swimmer.' Specialist police divers have been painstakingly searching the riverbed for clues. Ms Bulley's sister Louise Cunningham made a heartfelt plea yesterday, saying she needed to 'get my sister back'. The bench where Ms Bulley is thought to have left her mobile phone before she vanished It's been a week now since the mother of two vanished while walking her dog, springer spaniel Willow, on a towpath by the River Wyre Nicola Bulley's sister, Louise Cunningham, father, Ernest, and mother, Dot, appeal for help finding her Joining her family for a round of television interviews, she said: 'Something has got to have been missed. Somebody must know something. People don't just vanish into thin air. 'There has got to be somebody who knows something and all we are asking is, no matter how small or big, if there is anything you remember that doesn't seem right, then please reach out to the police. Get in touch and get my sister back.' Miss Cunningham said her family felt they were 'stuck in a nightmare'. 'We're going round in circles to piece together what happened. We've got to keep an open mind,' she told ITV News. 'We have no idea where she is. There's no evidence to point us in any direction. 'My hope is that she's still out there. We just want her home. Her children need her home. It's heartbreaking. We're such a close knit family, we'd do anything for any one of us. 'Somebody must know something, people don't just vanish. If there's anything you might have seen, please get in touch with the police.' Her Strava account reveals it's a route she took often and knew well, generally completing the loop in about 30 minutes Police have issued this handout illustrating the route Ms Bulley took Police divers scoured the river searching for clues relating to Ms Bulley's disappearance Ms Bulley often shared photos of her runs with Willow on her Strava page, like this picture Police released a detailed timeline of the 45 minutes leading up to Ms Bulley's disappearance on Friday morning. The mother-of-two first started walking along the path lining the River Wyre, in Lancashire, at 8.43am, having already dropped her daughters, aged six and nine, off at school. Her Strava account reveals it's a route she took often and knew well, sharing pictures of her Spaniel Willow frolicking in the field and in the river. On average, it'd take her about 30 minutes to complete the loop and return to her car, which her family say she parked in the same spot about '1000 times over' through the years. By 8.50am on Friday morning, she'd bumped into another dog walker on the path. The pair were known to one another and had a brief interaction as their dogs played. The witness left the field a short time later via the river path. At 8.53am, Ms Bulley emailed her boss and by 9.01am she was logged into her Teams call. Her camera was off and audio muted as she listened in. Pictured: A police officer guarding the entrance to the path where Ms Bulley was last seen Police divers scoured the river, searching for clues relating to Ms Bulley's disappearance Nicola Bulley's partner, Paul, tried to gently break the news of her disappearance to their two daughters, who are now confused and continuing to ask their grandparents when she is coming home By approximately 9.10am, a second witness recognised Ms Bulley in the distance. Police are working to try to narrow down this timeframe. Timeline: Mystery of mother who vanished while walking her dog January 27 8.43am Nicola Bulley walked along the path by the River Wyre, having dropped her two children off at school 8:50am (approximately) - A dog-walker somebody who knows Nicola saw her walking around the lower field with her dog. Their two dogs interacted briefly before the witness left the field via the river path 8.53am She sent an email to her boss 9.01am She logged into a Teams call 9.10am (approximately) A witness somebody who knows Nicola saw her on the upper field walking her dog, Willow. Work is ongoing today to establish exactly what time this was. 9.30am The Teams call ended but Nicola stayed logged on 9.35am (approximately) Nicola's mobile phone and Willow were found at a bench by the river by another dog-walker. The dog's harness was found on a bench along with her phone, which is still connected to a work conference call. The dog's lead was on the floor. 10.15am - The alarm is raised around an hour later by a walker who finds her springer spaniel Willow running lose. Jan 28 - Feb 2 - Police hunt for Ms Bulley, including by searching the stretch of river where she was last seen. Advertisement Then, at 9.30am, the Teams meeting ended. Ms Bulley stayed logged onto the chat room. By 9.35am, her phone and Willow were found deserted on a nearby bench by another dog-walker. Lancashire Constabulary released a CCTV image of a woman in a red coat walking a white dog, who is believed to have been in St Michael's on Wyre when Ms Bulley disappeared on January 27. In an update, the force said she has been identified. The dog walker who found the phone earlier said she recognised Willow but couldn't remember where from, and called her daughter who raised the alarm with Ms Bulley's long term partner, Paul Ansell. Ms Bulley would often track her walking route on Strava, sharing her times and pictures of the walks with her friends on the app. She last recorded a 4.1km run along the river, completed over 42-minutes, last November. Photos show her dog, Willow, scampering through the muddy river now at the centre of the police investigation. Police continued to scour the riverbank today, with divers searching the water. Ms Bulley's heartbroken family broke down in tears today as they pleaded for help to trace her, saying: 'People don't just vanish into thin air'. Miss Bulley's father, Ernest, 73, said: 'This has emptied our lives. We appreciate everything everyone is doing to find her. It's given us hope that someone might find something. 'There's two young children that want their mummy back. If Nicola is out there, just come home - contact the police or ourselves. 'The kids know their mum is coming home, they're thinking everyone's looking for her - so it's only a matter of time.' Beginning to cry, he continued: 'Don't, it's hard... we're such a close knit family. 'We're a close knit family, we'd do anything for any one of us and the children would do the same for us. 'We're getting on in life, and the grandchildren, and our own children, are more and more important to us as we're getting older. So, yeah, I just hope she comes home.' Two officers help a police diver up a river bank where searches are continuing for missing mother Nicola Bulley A diver has been searching the water while teams on the river bank use a 20-foot-long probe attached to an underwater camera Police have been on the river for several days amid fears that Ms Bulley could have fallen in Pictures taken this afternoon show an officer standing guard by a small mud path near to where Nicola Bulley disappeared He said that his family hoped their interview would 'spark a light' that would lead to finding Ms Bulley. Specialist teams from the police and other emergency services continue to search the area near the River Wyre including divers and underwater drones. Officers are combing the riverbed near the bench on which Ms Bulley's mobile phone was found and where her dog was later retrieved by a local resident. Trees and foliage which hang over the river are also being checked for any items of interest. A solo police diver spent an hour in the River Wyre this morning, using a head torch to search through the murky water. She emerged on to the bank just after 12.30pm this afternoon without finding anything of note. Another police diver was seen being readied to enter the river and take over the underwater search. A police source told MailOnline: 'The underwater teams are performing what's known as an arc search, whereby they monitor the riverbed by moving in a side-to-side motion from bank to bank. 'As of yet nothing of significance has been found but it'll be a long, thorough process.' The stretch of river close to where Ms Bulley was in the village of St Michael's on Wyre is about nine miles east of the estuary in Fleetwood. Ms Bulley was last seen walking her spaniel Willow at about 9.15am last Friday along the River Wyre in Lancashire while dialled into a business call. The night before her disappearance, she had been planning a spa trip with her sister Louise and discussing what treatments they'd get, according to her mother Dot. At the time, her parents were looking after her daughters while Ms Bulley took a business call. She was 'upbeat', having recently secured a new client at work. Recalling their last conversation, Ernest, told The Mirror: 'I said we better go now and Nicola came to the front door, and I gave her a kiss and told her I loved her and that was the last conversation I had with her.' Both Ernest and Ms Bulley's mother, Dot, 72, said their daughter's disappearance was out of character and revealed that they asked police if 'there is any chance' she has been abducted. Asked about their daughter's state of mind in recent days, the couple said there had been absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. She had no health problems that they knew of and was enjoying her job. Ms Bulley, who 'lived for her children', had also bought tickets to watch them perform in choir and gymnastics shows in recent weeks, Dot added. The diver gestures to colleagues on the river bank as they prepare to haul her up the slope A drone photo from February 1, when police searched an 'abandoned' old house and the surrounding areas Officers are combing the riverbed near to the bench on which Ms Bulley's mobile phone was found and where her dog was later retrieved by a local resident A police source told MailOnline: 'The underwater teams are performing what's known as an arc search, whereby they monitor the riverbed by moving in a side-to-side motion from bank to bank' Ernest broke down as he told how hard it was to be in the same room as his granddaughters, aged six and nine, as they continue to ask questions about their mother's whereabouts. 'When I look at the kids, I have to go out of the room because I can't hold it together,' he said. 'They are asking where Mummy is and when is Mummy coming home? It's so hard.' The family say the girls were 'sobbing their hearts out' when their father Mr Ansell tried to explain to them that 'Mummy is lost'. 'We don't know how long we can keep going before they realise. They think Mummy is coming home soon, but if this keeps going on I don't know what we're going to say to them.' Ernest and Ms Bulley's extended family have questioned whether she was taken from the river bank, given there were 'no signs' that she'd slipped or fallen into the water and zero clues as to where she could be. The stretch of river close to where Ms Bulley was in the village of St Michael's on Wyre is about nine miles east of the estuary in Fleetwood The night before her disappearance, Ms Bulley had been planning a spa trip with her sister, Louise, and discussing what treatments they'd get A message left with a bunch of flowers on the banks of the River Wyre Police on the banks of the River Wyre as the search for Ms Bulley continues When Willow was found, she was 'bone dry' - meaning she had not entered the water - but appeared to be distressed by something. Police say they remain 'open-minded' as to Ms Bulley's disappearance but do not believe at present that she was attacked. Rescuers have so far focused their efforts on a tidal stretch of the river amid fears she may have fallen in and been washed out towards the coast at Fleetwood, some nine miles away. Friends of Ms Bulley say that the doting mother would have never willingly left her family. Police search teams walk up to the banks of the River Wyre A bench near to the spot where the mother of two was last seen while walking her dog The search continues for Nicola Bulley, who was last seen on Friday morning walking her dog Rescue teams scoured the area near Garstang Road for clues over the 45-year-old's mysterious disappearance last week While the river is just 18 inches deep in some areas, the section where Ms Bulley's phone was found is near a sign which reads: 'Danger - deep water.' Ernest noted there was 'no sign' of someone slipping or falling into the river - leading the family to question if someone has taken her. He added: 'I asked the sergeant from Fleetwood a few days ago, ''Is there any chance of her being taken?'' and she said, ''I don't think that's the case''.' The grandfather was not entirely convinced by the response as the location his daughter went missing in is 'such an isolated area'. 'We just dread to think we will never see her again. If the worst came to the worst and she was never found, how will we deal with that for the rest of our lives?' Ms Bulley's mother, Dot, said the nights were the hardest. She told The Mirror: 'Our worst time is when it gets dark. We find it really hard to think about wondering 'Is she OK' and 'Where is she?'' Even though police have assured the family they're working on it '24 hours a day', Dot and Ernest 'wake in the night and can't get back off to sleep' as they're wracked with fear. A search dog from Lancashire Police and a crew from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service search the River Wyre A poster from Lancashire Police asks for information in the search for missing woman Nicola Bulley Specialist search teams were pictured once again searching the river yesterday, this time helped by a police sniffer dog. The animals are able to search large areas of water, both lakes and rivers, and are able to perform a search in approximately 10 per cent of the time taken by other search techniques. Officers combed the area for clues on the river bank either side of the water. On one side of the river is the bench where police found her phone still linked to a work conference call. The danger sign warning of deep water is nailed to a tree behind the bench - joined now by a missing person poster appealing for information about her disappearance. Superintendent Sally Riley said: 'I must stress at this time that this remains a missing person inquiry and at this time there is nothing to suggest any third-party involvement in Nicola's disappearance.' Speaking from the family home in Inskip, Mr Ansell said he spent all of Sunday searching for his partner of 12 years. Ms Bulley's daughters 'cried their eyes out' as their father Paul Ansell tried to console them while stricken with fear and grief himself A search dog from Lancashire Police and a crew from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service search the River Wyre In November Ms Bulley said how visibility on her dog walk had been poor as well as spooky Ms Bulley had been out walking her do Willow when she was reported missing last Friday The engineer said: 'It is just perpetual hell. It is just utter disbelief. We are living through this but it doesn't feel real. 'All we can say is we need to find her. She's got two little girls that need their mummy home. We have got to get some good news now.' Villager Nicola Dewey told the The Times she'd skipped her usual river walk for two days running in the wake of Ms Bulley's disappearance. 'It's really stunned people. It's silly, but we are now locking our doors,' she said. Ms Bulley has lived in Lancashire for 25 years, but is originally from near Chelmsford, Essex, and has a southern accent. China's President Xi Jinping has ordered his military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, the director of the CIA has warned. Speaking on Thursday, William Burns said Xi's ambitions toward Taiwan should not be underestimated, despite him likely being sobered by the performance of Russia's military in Ukraine, which has suffered several embarrassing setbacks. Burns said the United States knew 'as a matter of intelligence' that Xi had ordered his military to be ready to invade the island in four years' time. 'Now, that does not mean that he's decided to conduct an invasion in 2027, or any other year, but it's a reminder of the seriousness of his focus and his ambition,' he told an event at Georgetown University in Washington. 'Our assessment at CIA is that I wouldn't underestimate President Xi's ambitions with regard to Taiwan,' he said, adding that the Chinese leader was likely 'surprised and unsettled' and trying to draw lessons by the 'very poor performance' of the Russian military and its weapons systems in Ukraine. China's President Xi Jinping has ordered his military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, the director of the CIA has warned. Pictured: Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers during military training at Pamir Mountains in Kashgar, northwestern China's Xinjiang region Speaking on Thursday, CIA director William Burns said Xi's (pictured) ambitions toward Taiwan should not be underestimated, despite him likely being sobered by the performance of Russia's military in Ukraine, which has suffered several embarrassing setbacks. Russia and China signed a 'no limits' partnership last February shortly before Russian forces invaded Ukraine, and their economic links have boomed as Russia's connections with the West have shriveled. The Russian invasion had fueled concerns in the West of China possibly making a similar move on Taiwan, a democratic island Beijing says is its territory. China has refrained from condemning Russia's operation against Ukraine, but it has been careful not to provide the sort of direct material support which could provoke Western sanctions like those imposed on Moscow. 'I think it's a mistake to underestimate the mutual commitment to that partnership, but it's not a friendship totally without limits,' Burns said. As Burns spoke, news came from U.S. officials that a suspected Chinese spy balloon had been flying over the United States for a few days, and that senior U.S. officials had advised President Joe Biden against shooting it down for fear the debris could pose a safety threat. Burn made no mention of the episode but called China the 'biggest geopolitical challenge' currently faced by the United States. 'Competition with China is unique in its scale, and that it really, you know, unfolds over just about every domain, not just military, and ideological, but economic, technological, everything from cyberspace, to space itself as well. 'It's a global competition in ways that could be even more intense than competition with the Soviets was,' he said. Burns said the United States knew 'as a matter of intelligence' that Xi had ordered his military to be ready to invade the island in four years' time. Pictured: A map showing China's likely tactics when it comes to an invasion of Taiwan There was no immediate comment from China's Washington embassy about the remarks from Burns or the balloon flight. Burns said the next six months will be 'critical' for Ukraine, where Moscow has been making incremental gains in recent weeks. He also said Iran's government was increasingly unsettled by affairs within the country, citing the courage of what he described as 'fed up' Iranian women. Earlier this week, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that a Russian victory in Ukraine would embolden China to potentially invade Taiwan. NATO today raised concerns of a nuclear alliance between Russia, China and North Korea that would 'challenge the world order'. Burns' comments came a day after Taiwan scrambled fighter jets, put its navy on alert and activated missile systems in response to large-scale manoeuvres of 34 Chinese military aircraft and nine warships in the Taiwan Strait. Beijing on Wednesday instructed its air force and navy to perform a major operation which saw 20 Chinese aircraft cross the central line of the Strait. The line has long been seen as a buffer zone between the island nation and mainland China, according to Taiwanese defence officials. It was the latest escalation of tensions between the two states and comes after weeks of Chinese military drills close to Taiwanese air space, leading Taipei and its US allies to be wary of a potential blockade or outright attack. 'Our assessment at CIA is that I wouldn't underestimate President Xi's ambitions with regard to Taiwan,' William Burns (pictured speaking on Thursday) said, adding that the Chinese leader was likely 'surprised and unsettled' and trying to draw lessons by the 'very poor performance' of the Russian military and its weapons systems in Ukraine China's alarming military manoeuvres came just hours after foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning declared Beijing 'does not promise to renounce the use of force' in its efforts to reunify. Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since a 1949 civil war, but President Xi Jinping's Chinese Communist Party claims the island is part of 'One China' and has made no bones about its intention to reclaim the territory. Beijing has accusing Taiwan of using the US and other Western allies to bolster its efforts to maintain independence, and insists the US is manipulating Taiwan to 'contain' Chinese influence. Taiwanese support for independence meanwhile is overwhelming. According to a December 2022 poll conducted by the National Chengchi University, less than three percent of Taiwanese citizens wants to reunify with China immediately, and only five percent think Taiwan should unify at some point in the future. A string of visits in recent months by foreign politicians to Taiwan, including by then-US house speaker Nancy Pelosi and numerous politicians from the European Union, spurred displays of military might from both sides. Meanwhile, China said on Friday that it is looking into reports that a Chinese spy balloon has been flying in U.S. airspace and urged calm, adding that it has 'no intention of violating the territory and airspace of any sovereign country.' A teen has recalled his confronting encounter with a burglar who broke into his home and came his bedroom while he was asleep stark naked. Jack, 17, was enjoying a sleep-in on Tuesday when he heard unexpected noises in his Allambie Heights home on Sydney's northern beaches. He eventually got up to investigate and disturbed the intruders, making eye contact with one of them while still undressed. The teen assured 2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham he was fully clothed during Friday's radio interview. 'It's been hot for the last week and I was trying to get relief from the heat so I was naked!' Jack recalled. Jack startled and disturbed a burglar who broke into his home while he was asleep naked 'I'm facing away from the door and I hear someone opening the door and I'm still half asleep thinking 'I hope that's not my mum because I'm naked'. 'He was one foot away from me, like, I could sense him. 'I hear this guy saying some profanities I won't say on air, he tries to close the door lightly.' Jack got out of bed and seconds later, spotted one of burglars outside his house walking down the stairs. 'We lock eye contact and at that point, I start freaking out,' he said. Jack rang his mother to check if she was expecting any visitors before calling police, who arrived within two minutes. 'I would have gone chasing after them (the burglars) but I had to get dressed quickly and by then, it was done,' he said. Police are now investigating the attempted burglary at Jack's home (stock image of a burglar) Jack was uninjured and the burglars fled empty-handed. NSW Police are investigating the break-in which occurred shortly before midday on Tuesday. One of the burglars was described as aged in his early 20s, Caucasian, wearing a grey hoodie, black pants and white shoes. Anyone with information is urged to Dee Why Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Pamela Anderson defended her friendship with WikiLeaks creator Julian Assange, calling him a 'truth seeker' and 'brave.' The actress, 55, met Assange in 2014 through fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, who recently passed away at the age of 81. In her bombshell memoir 'Love, Pamela,' which was released today, she admitted to having 'frisky nights' with Assange while he was holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy. She also would regularly visit him at the London embassy where Assange had sought political asylum to avoid extradition to the US. Assange faces 175 years in prison for spying charges in the US after he published thousands of classified documents involving the US military between 2010 and 2011. When asked by Interview Magazine if she thought of Assange as a reporter, she replied: 'I believe hes a journalist. So do the people that Im close to - Srecko Horvat, [Slavoj] Zizek, Yanis Varoufakis, Noam Chomsky.' 'I felt like my connection to Julian was the human one,' she continued. 'We had a close connection and he even said that I was the only person hes ever trusted. Pamela Anderson defended her friendship with WikiLeaks creator Julian Assange, calling him a 'truth seeker' and 'brave.' She said: 'I felt like my connection to Julian was the human one. We had a close connection and he even said that I was the only person hes ever trusted' Assange faces 175 years in prison for spying charges in the US after he published thousands of classified documents involving the US military between 2010 and 2011 'I think its been proven that he hasnt put anybody in harms way. His job was to publish what came to him without any bias. His intention was to expose all that information so everyone could make a choice instead of just watching CNN or Fox News.' In her earlier book, Raw, she included a poem with Assange's name in it - although the pair had not met at the time. She said she added his name in because he is a 'radical thinker, a truth seeker, and an authentic and brave person.' 'So his name just came up,' she told the magazine. The Baywatch star is now focusing her activism on press freedom as she recalled 'getting a lot of attention for very superficial things' in her career. 'I was like: What can I share to make this attention more meaningful? Thats where it started, my activism career,' she told the magazine. 'I was learning about animal experimentation, so I helped create animal welfare laws where there were none. I was speaking to world leaders all of a sudden. I was talking to people that most people couldnt get access to. She discusses their friendship in her new memoir Love, Pamela, which was released today 'Also, I had Hugh Hefner. He was a great proponent of free speech and freedom of the press and human rights. It just all morphed together.' In August 2014, Westwood introduced the pair as Pamela sought advice from him about her nascent animal charity. Speaking to the Mail On Sunday shortly after the meeting, the fashion designer explained the meeting of minds. 'I was supposed to take Pamela Anderson to see Julian in the embassy but she got the date wrong, so she went on her own the day after me. 'She told me afterwards that they got on very well. 'Julian was just brilliant... Pamela's trying to help people with her new trust and he gave her some ideas on how to do that.' The pair became close friends which lead to speculation they might be in a romantic relationship. However, in 2018 she dispelled rumors they were romantically involved. The bombshell also recalled Assange's mother telling her to stop posting 'sexy pictures' to be 'taken more seriously as an activist.' Pamela was introduced to the WikiLeaks creator in August 2014 when she sought advice from him about her nascent animal charity She also said she consider Assange a 'journalist' and said: 'I think its been proven that he hasnt put anybody in harms way. His job was to publish what came to him without any bias' 'And I thought: What have we been fighting for? Why cant we be sexy and smart?' she told Interview Magazine. 'Why cant I be a nun and a showgirl?' The mother-of-two also spoke candidly about being judged for her sexy appearance in the carpool line at her children's school, saying: 'I really wanted to be a mother and I wanted to be there for them. Getting the kids out to school, Id catch my reflection and go: Oh my god, I've got glitter and mascara down my cheeks and people are judging me. But Im judging their cars with peanut butter sandwiches stuck on the floor. We were all a mess.' Now, the Canadian has recluse herself to her native country and has ditched the make-up and glam for a 'little ranch with my dogs.' 'I dont wear makeup. I just wake up and throw on a slip and my rain boots and walk through the field and get into the ocean. I feel like Ive just gone right back to the little girl that lived here before,' she said. 'Sometimes I say I have regrets and sometimes I dont. Im just happy my kids turned out great and, like I said, Im not looking for respect or to be taken seriously. I just hope to inspire people that have gone through traumatic times to try to make lemonade out of lemons. Thats a great expression.' A formal complaint against the ABC's one-sided report of an Alice Springs crime crisis meeting has been filed with Australia's media watchdog. Liberal senator Sarah Henderson, who is a former ABC employee, filed a complaint about two reports the ABC filed about a crime meeting to the Australian Communications and Media Authority. Senator Henderson called the report, on national broadcaster's flagship current affairs show AM as well as a TV report as 'monumentally distorted', and slammed ABC management defending the reporting as 'complete and utter rubbish'. The audience at the town hall meeting was comprised of concerned families, business owners, Indigenous leaders, health and emergency services workers and police The senator, who once worked as a consumer reporter on the ABC and once presented 7.30 in Victoria, described the broadcaster's coverage as 'rubbish reporting'. But she said the the report highlighted a deeper issue with the taxpayer funded broadcaster, which is supposed to be free from bias under its charter. 'The ABC's senior management and spin doctors have defended this report,' she said. 'There should be a retraction, and an apology, and a review of journalism training standards. 'I'm asking ACMA to investigate the ABC for a breach of its code of practice.' Thousands of fed-up residents attended the Save Alice Springs meeting after intense media focus on the town's battle with a crime crisis, amid threats by locals to sue the Northern Territory government for $1.5billion in compensation. Senator Sarah Henderson, an ex-ABC journalist, is lodging a formal complaint of the ABC's 'white supremacy' coverage of Alice Springs crisis meeting, describing it as 'monumentally distorted' The senator described ABC reporter Carly Williams' (pictured) reports about the meeting's 'a disgusting display of white supremacy' as 'rubbish reporting' The audience at the town hall meeting was comprised of concerned families, business owners, Indigenous leaders, health and emergency services workers and police. But the ABC's report of the meeting only broadcast interviews who were critical and claimed it was dominated by 'white supremacists'. ABC Indigenous Affairs correspondent Carly Williams' live cross on TV of the meeting said many people had left the meeting early and that 'a non-indiginous person' had described the meeting as 'a disgusting display of white supremacy'. 'Another said that there was tension and anger in the room,', she said. She also interviewed several attendees, with one woman saying it was 'a really disgusting show of white supremacy and really disappointing, it was scary to be in that room.' Senator Henderson announced she'd filed her complaint to 2GB's breakfast host Ben Fordham. Fordham said the ABC had run 'fake news' and 'cherry-picked a few people' from a meeting of hundreds. 'Rather than tell the full story, the ABC offensively and inaccurately depicted the meeting as clearly all around white supremacy,' the Senator wrote on Twitter. ' Not only has it refused to retract the story, apologise & investigate how it got to air, the ABC has arrogantly defended it. A very big ABC fail.' Senator Henderson's complaint came as a Sydney-based Indigenous professor compared the meeting in question to a Hollywood movie about race-hate murders by the KKK in the 1960s American south. Nareen Young, a Professor for Indigenous Policy at the University of Technology, Sydney, claimed on ABC's The Drum, comments from some concerned locals were 'appalling'. 'If you saw that room in Mississippi Burning, for example, Australians would say 'how terrible, oh that's terrible that happens there',' Professor Young, who is a close friend of Anthony Albanese, said. 'The vitriol and racism and lack of regard and respect for those people on their land while those people were living off the bounty of it was appalling.' The Indigenous activist, who is of Eora descent, also told the program that 'how mob are treated on their own land, in their own town... is the impact of that land being stolen'. Mississippi Burning is a brutal 1988 film about the FBI's efforts to investigate the disappearance of civil rights workers while the Ku Klux Klan attacks the local black population. The crisis meeting was held in response to footage taken by Alice Springs locals showing young men brandishing weapons such as machetes and axes, especially at night and children running wild, breaking into houses and spitting through pub fences. After Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the town last week, the Northern Territory Government reinstituted partial alcohol restrictions banning alcohol takeaway sales on Mondays and Tuesdays, with sales limited between 3pm and 7pm on remaining days. A snap review by the NT government also recommends alcohol bans in central Australian communities, including the town camps in Alice Springs. The meeting was held in response to footage of young men brandishing machetes and axes, children running wild and youths robbing premises such as this local (above) trying to break into the Todd Tavern Other locals offered different portrayals of the crisis meeting. 'I am so proud to see the number of locals giving their time and support to help bring change,' local business owner and lifelong resident Garth Thompson posted on Facebook after the event. Senator Henderson has been a vocal critic of the ABC, last month slamming the broadcaster's response to ACMA's findings about its Four Corners program on the Fox News coverage of the 2022 Capitol siege. An ACMA investigation found the two-part report about Fox by Sarah Ferguson in August last year 'omitted relevant information in a way that materially misled the audience'. It found the ABC breached accuracy and fair and honest dealing requirements of the ABC Code of Practice, 'but did not breach impartiality'. When the ABC rejected the findings and instead turned on ACMA, Senator Henderson said it had 'improperly attacked the independent regulator demonstrating an untenable disregard for the need to comply with its own Code of Practice. 'This ... reeks of arrogance and self-entitlement, and is completely unacceptable'. ' Britain is at war with Big Tech and Parliament must act like it to pass the Online Safety Bill, Lord Stevenson has urged. The Labour peer called on colleagues to make the most of a very strange situation of having near complete cross-party support for the legislation. Paying tribute to teenager Molly Russell and other victims of online harms, he encouraged them to minimise dissent and work together to ensure it was delivered in time. Speaking in the House of Lords during the Bills second reading on Wednesday, he said: That is a big ask; I do not think it has been done, except during wartime. But we are at war at war with these people who are trying to run our lives, and we should try to get together and defeat them. Peers also took the opportunity to highlight the importance of following the Online Safety Bill swiftly with legislation to tackle competition within digital markets and protect consumers. Britain is at war with Big Tech and Parliament must act like it to pass the Online Safety Bill, Lord Stevenson has urged. [File image] Paying tribute to teenager Molly Russell, pictured, who ended her life after viewing suicide and self-harm content online, Lord Stevenson encouraged colleagues to minimise dissent and work together to ensure it was delivered in time Lord Black of Brentwood, who is deputy chairman of the Telegraph Media Group, said the two went hand in hand and would level up the playing field between platforms and UK news publishers. Lord Stevenson of Balmacara said the chamber found itself in the unusual position where there was no political divide over the Bills ultimate aim. Platforms had failed in regulating themselves and continued to use business models that relied on the engagement of users at all cost, regardless of what holds their attention. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill will protect Britons from online fraud while also empowering a new regulator to rein in tech giants. Lord Black said UK news publishers had been operating within a deeply dysfunctional digital market for years and were not paid fairly for their content. He urged the Government to ensure speedy implementation of the new regulator, the Digital Markets Unit, as a vital step in protecting the future of journalism. He said: It will be a world-leading digital regulator alongside this world-first in online safety, paving the way for a sea change in how platforms operate and ensuring the sustainability of journalism. A memo suggests that the Biden-appointed federal regulator was seriously considering a ban on gas stoves, before he ignited a firestorm by saying 'any option is on the table.' Fox News reported on Thursday that Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. wrote a memo on October 24, 2022 to another commissioner saying there was enough evidence for the CPSC to start the rulemaking process to ban new gas stoves. 'The need for gas stove regulation has reached a boiling point,' Trumka said. It was unclear if the pun was intentional. 'CPSC has the responsibility to ban consumer products that emit hazardous substances, particularly, when those emissions harm children, under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act,' Trumka wrote. 'Emerging evidence is sufficient to conclude that gas stoves in homes emit toxic gasses that cause illness and that lower-cost, safer alternatives are available.' A memo written by Richard Trumka Jr. (left), who was appointed by President Joe Biden (right), shows that banning gas stoves was on the table in October. Trumka set off a firestorm surrounding the appliances after a January Bloomberg interview Trumka argued that gas stoves have been linked to higher rates of childhood asthma and noted how the appliances are already banned in new construction in New York and Los Angeles 'for health and inequity reasons' Trumka pointed out that New York and Los Angeles had already banned the stoves in new construction for 'for health and inequity reasons.' He also said they contributed to climate change. 'There is sufficient information available for CPSC to issue an NPR in FY 2023 proposing to ban gas stoves in homes,' he said. 'The additional work needed to complete an NPR is primarily economic; the available health and scientific evidence on illnesses caused by the relevant gasses at the concentrations present in homes with gas stoves already exists.' Trumka's memo came three months before the Bloomberg interview, where he called them a 'hidden hazard' and pointed to new research that linked the appliances to childhood asthma. The comments set off a frenzy on the political right and the White House was forced to respond. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the president 'does not support banning gas stoves.' 'And the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is independent, is not banning gas stoves,' Jean-Pierre said at her January 11 briefing. Even before the briefing Trumka tweeted and explained, 'To be clear, CPSC isn't coming for anyone's gas stoves. Regulations apply to new products.' Still, Republicans rushed to defend the right to have gas. GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson, a former White House doctor, said he'd rather die than cook with electric. 'I'll NEVER give up my gas stove. If the maniacs in the White House come for my stove, they can pry it from my cold dead hands. COME AND TAKE IT!!' Jackson said. When Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pointed out that 'ongoing exposure to NO2 from gas stoves is linked to reduced cognitive performance,' Jackson lashed out at her - and shared a photo of the New York congresswoman's gas stove. 'AOC says gas stoves cause 'reduced cognitive performance' - yet she uses a gas stove? Is this a self diagnosis?' Jackson tweeted. 'AOC, as a medical doctor, I can tell you this: what's wrong with your head IS NOT caused by stoves. Something WAY BIGGER is causing your decreased cognitive function!' Jackson even went as far to set up a URL - SaveTheStoves.com - that links to a WinRed donation page, which asks visitors to sign a petition, but also signs them up for texts and calls from Jackson's Congressional campaign. 'We can't let the maniacs in the White House get away with this! Add your name now to the official petition to SAVE OUR STOVES!!' the website says. A number of Republicans pointed to a 2020 tweet showing first lady Jill Biden cooking veggies over gas. 'Rules for thee but not for me,' tweeted GOP Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, sharing the picture of the first lady. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis - and potential 2024 GOP hopeful - kept the gas stove controversy alive this week by proposing a permanent sales tax holiday on the appliances. 'They want your gas stove, and we're not going to let that happen,' the Republican said. Pyongyang citizens pay tribute to the statues of their late leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il on Mansu Hill on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of Kim Jong-il's first field guidance for the revolutionary armed forces in Pyongyang, in this Aug. 25, 2022, file photo. AP-Yonhap The U.S. House of Representatives adopted a resolution Thursday denouncing socialism and socialist dictators, including North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. House lawmakers passed the resolution, titled "Denouncing the horrors of socialism," in a 328-86 vote. The resolution highlights that "many of the crimes in history were committed by socialist ideologues, including Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Pol Pot, Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un, Daniel Ortega, Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro." Kim Jong-il is a former leader of North Korea and late father of incumbent leader Kim Jong-un. The resolution was introduced in the House last Wednesday. Socialism has, it says, "repeatedly led to famine and mass murders, and killing" of more than 100 million people worldwide, while "up to 3,500,000 people have starved in North Korea." To this end, the U.S. congress "denounces socialism in all its forms, and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States of America," says the resolution. (Yonhap) British Gas has been banned from forcing prepayment meters and is now under pressure to explain how it will compensate 'vulnerable' customers who faced debt collectors. Energy regulator Ofgem has now issued a legal order barring British Gas from forcibly entering customers' homes until it can prove that it was complying with all its legal obligations. Chief executive of the regulator Jonathan Brearley said he would not hesitate to take 'the strongest action in our powers', adding: 'We've ordered immediate action to protect British Gas's customers', The Times reports. And energy minister Graham Stuart has asked Centrica, which owns the energy giant, to urgently outline 'redress' for 'mistreated customers', while regulator Ofgem has called for 'action, not warm words'. Ofgem has ordered all domestic energy companies to suspend the system of forcibly installing prepayment meters, while Business Secretary Grant Shapps described the practice as 'outrageous'. Energy minister Graham Stuart has asked Centrica, which owns the energy giant, to urgently outline 'redress' for 'mistreated customers', while regulator Ofgem has called for 'action, not warm words' Shares in Centrica plunged by more than 3% on Thursday one of the biggest fallers on the FTSE 100. This follows a Times investigation which revealed how customers including disabled and mentally ill people have been forced by British Gas on to the pay-as-you-go meters, or face having their gas switched off. An undercover reporter for the newspaper worked for debt collecting contractor Arvato Financial Solutions and accompanied agents who used court warrants to gain entry into customers' homes to force-fit the meters. Energy and Climate minister Mr Stuart said he was 'horrified' to read about the 'mistreatment' of these customers, and said he would 'make sure justice prevails' following a meeting with Centrica's chief executive Chris O'Shea. He said: 'I have asked Mr O'Shea to report back to me urgently outlining the role he will take personally to fix these very serious cultural issues. 'I told him I want to see these vulnerable, mistreated customers identified and redress provided. 'I will be monitoring matters extremely closely to make sure justice prevails.' Ofgem chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, said he has 'warned all domestic energy suppliers to get their house in order on forced instalments of prepayment meters', while ordering the 'biggest ever market review' into the meters to 'uncover poor practice'. 'I will not hesitate to take the strongest action in our powers where needed,' he said. 'No energy CEO can shirk their legal and moral responsibilities to protect their own customers, especially the most vulnerable. 'These are serious allegations for British Gas to deal with and we are opening a comprehensive investigation into British Gas on this issue. 'It is right British Gas has apologised following the very worrying allegations in The Times, but millions of customers expect action not warm words.' Energy and Climate minister Mr Stuart said he was 'horrified' to read about the 'mistreatment' of these customers, and said he would 'make sure justice prevails' following a meeting with Centrica's chief executive Chris O'Shea Mr Brearley added that he has asked all suppliers to review 'all activities regarding prepayment meter warrants' until they can 'reassure' Ofgem that their processes are compliant with the regulator's rules. British Gas, along with several more energy companies including EDF, have suspended the practice, while the Times has said Scottish Power and E.ON have also followed suit. OVO and Octopus Energy said they have not used the practice recently. Centrica's Mr O'Shea said: 'Protecting vulnerable customers is an absolute priority and we have clear processes and policies to ensure we manage customer debt carefully and safely. 'The allegations around our third-party contractor Arvato are unacceptable and we immediately suspended their warrant activity.' Energy companies can obtain court warrants which give them legal rights to enter people's homes and fit prepayment meters if customers have not paid their bills. Customers must then top up to continue receiving gas supplies and, if they fail to do so, they risk their heating being cut off but the Government has said that forcible meter fittings 'should only ever be a last resort'. Labour MPs have pocketed nearly 4 million from striking unions, it emerged yesterday. Some 143 of the partys MPs and their local constituency groups have received 3.96million in union donations since being elected. It sparked fresh accusations that union barons behind walkouts crippling Britain were Labours paymasters. Labour is opposing legislation proposed by the Government which would force unions to run a minimum level of services during strikes to ensure public safety. It has vowed to repeal the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, currently in the Lords, if it wins the next election. Labour MPs have pocketed nearly 4 million from striking unions, it was revealed yeyesterday Yesterdays analysis found that former Labour frontbencher Rebecca Long Bailey (pictured), MP for Salford and Eccles, and her local constituency group got the most in donations. They have pocketed 345,324, including 263,115 from Unite The new law would cover workers in the Health Service, education, transport, the fire brigade, border security and the nuclear industry. It would allow ministers to impose minimum service levels during walkouts and bosses would be able to sack staff who refuse to cross picket lines to provide vital services. Yesterdays analysis found that former Labour frontbencher Rebecca Long Bailey, MP for Salford and Eccles, and her local constituency group got the most in donations. They have pocketed 345,324, including 263,115 from Unite. Party deputy leader Angela Rayner was the second-highest beneficiary with 264,552. Leader Sir Keir Starmer has pocketed 83,455 since becoming an MP in 2015. The analysis was compiled by the Conservatives for a new website www.theyworkforunions.co.uk A witness has detailed the harrowing moment a distraught dad realised that his three-year-old son had died after being left in a hot car for about six hours - as the little boy's smiling last photos emerge. Arikh Hasan, three, was found in the back of a Toyota Corolla on Railway Parade at Glenfield, in Sydney's southwest, about 3pm on Thursday as temperatures soared to 34c. The car's internal temperatures would have reached deadly levels within 20 minutes. Arikh's father, Newaz Hasan, had dropped Arikh's older brother, eight, to Glenfield Public School in the morning, but told eyewitness Mujammel Hossain 'I just forgot, I just forgot' to drop his sleeping youngest child to childcare. Mr Hasan found Arikh's body in the car about 3pm, while returning to pick up his oldest child from school. Arikh Hasan, three, tragically died after being left in a car in Glenfield, in Sydney's southwest, on Thursday Mr Hossain was on his way to the local school to collect his daughter when he stumbled across the distraught dad. 'He was screaming and his (oldest) son was crying,' said Mr Hossain. 'I told him to call an ambulance but he couldnt talk on the phone so I spoke to Triple Zero . 'He took the boy out of the car and took him inside the bottle shop. The father did CPR so many times but there was no response.' Mr Hossain said he could tell immediately by Arikh's condition that he had already died. He was extremely hot with 'no pulse'. When paramedics arrived to take the little boy to hospital, Mr Hossain said the child's devastated father told him "he's not going to be ok". Mr Hossain said Mr Hasan later told him he was doing the drop off when he noticed that Arikh was asleep in the back of the car. He decided to get petrol first before doing the drop off - but forgot, and instead went straight home. 'He kept telling me: "I just forgot, I just forgot",' Mr Hossain said. Arikh Hasan, three, pictured with his mother Marzia and father Newaz Witnesses say Mr Hasan was distraught when he discovered his young son Mr Hasan's social media accounts are filled with photos of him with his wife and kids Despite initial reports Mr Hasan had to break the glass to get Arikh out of the car, Mr Hossain insisted the father discovered the boy when he opened the door to let his older son in. Mr Hossain said the 'hysterical' father then banged the glass window in panic. Daily Mail Australia understands the family migrated to Australia from Bangladesh and both Arikh's parents work in the banking industry. Mr Hasan's Facebook profile is filled with loving photos of him alongside his wife and two young boys. The pictures show the doting dad holding the boys in his arms or cradling them on his lap as family-of-four enjoyed outings to the beach, parks and events. The last photo, shared inn early December, shows Mr Hasan smiling as he posed alongside his family in traditional Bangladeshi garments. Mr Hasan appeared to be bursting with pride as he rested his hand on the top of a chair as the two boys sat nestled in the seat below. Detectives are investigating the matter. Mr Hasan was taken to Campbelltown Police Station and questioned by police but has since been released without charge. 'Officers from Campbelltown City Police Area Command were told the child had been in the vehicle throughout the day,' a NSW Police spokesperson said. The young child, three, was found in a car outside a grocery store in Glenfield in Sydney's south-west Mujammel Hossain (pictured in the pink shirt) was on his way to collect his daughter from school when he saw Mr Hasan screaming Mr Hasan is seen breaking down at the scene as the child was declared dead Local Ezzat Hanslo told Daily Mail Australia he was jumping into a taxi on Railway Parade about 9am on Thursday when he saw the father enter a store. 'He then walked out and stopped a few metres away from the car, then stood and looked out and went back in,' Mr Hanslo said. 'I said to the taxi driver "theres a kid in that car" and I figured hed go to the car and get the kid and then we drove off." Mr Hanslo said he visits the area most mornings and there is not a lot of traffic. 'By the end of the day it was the only car parked here,' he said. 'Its so sad, I feel sick.' A visibly upset local said the father is 'very polite' and 'such a nice man'. 'I don't know how long he's lived here, but he is known in the community,' the man said. Relatives of the child were spotted breaking down at the scene of the tragic death NSW Police confirmed the death as it was revealed officers had to smash a window to reach the child Tributes have been left at the scene as the community mourns the loss of the little boy 'You don't think something like this could happen.' A supermarket worker said the father was a really nice man and what happened was 'just so sad'. Footage from the scene shortly after the incident showed Mr Hasan on the ground with his head in his hands. The boy is understood to have been taken into a nearby bottle shop where members of the public tried to resuscitate him before police arrived. Bottle shop worker Sandeep Shresdha said there were a 'lot of people crying'. 'It was so hot and this concrete out the front was burning hot and people sat here and sobbed,' Mr Shresdha said. 'I couldnt do anything, its so overwhelming. 'I couldn't sleep last night.' Temperatures have been high in the Glenfield area recently and hit 34C in the suburb on Thursday More than 5000 children are rescued from hot cars in Australia every year - the majority being babies and toddlers, according to child safety advocates Kidsafe. 'Leaving children unattended in a car - even for a short period of time - can be fatal,' reads information on Kidsafe's website. 'Children are particularly at risk because they can lose fluid quickly, become dehydrated and suffer from heatstroke.' In December 2015, celebrity chef Matt Moran called media to a cooking demonstration at Sydney's Bondi Beach where he'd prepared a piece of lamb using just the interior heat of a parked car. 'This has been in there for a little over an hour and a half,' said Mr Moran, slicing open the meat in a video of the demonstration, 'that to me is overdone.' Indians are the third largest group of migrants who have crossed the Channel in small boats so far this year, Home Office officials have said. Around 250 Indian migrants arrived in the UK using this method in January, more than the 233 who entered in small boats in the first nine months of last year. They represent almost a fifth of the 1,180 migrants who have made the dangerous crossing this year. Afghans were the largest group followed by Syrians. One Home Office official believes Indian students are exploiting a loophole that allows them to attend UK universities at lower prices. They are able to study for a degree and pay domestic fees, which are currently capped at 9,250, while their applications for asylum are processed. Indians are the third largest group of migrants who have crossed the Channel in small boats so far this year, Home Office officials have said Around 250 Indian migrants arrived in the UK using this method in January, more than the 233 who entered in small boats in the first nine months of last year A Border Force source told the Times: Its cheaper to do this than the student visa route and its probably more guaranteed. Indians may also have sailed into Britain via Serbia because of a previous visa-free arrangement with India. The deal ended on January 1 as part of Serbias efforts to align itself with EU visa policies. Weve seen a spike of Indian nationals coming across in small boats over the last few months, a figure from the Home Office said. Its a bit of a mystery but theres some work showing that it could be an issue of Indians gaining visa travel into Serbia. The worry is that this is a longer-term trend with all the implications that holds of illegal migration from a country of more than 1 billion people. Indian citizens account for the largest number of migrants who overstay their visas. More than 20,000 Indians overstayed in 2020, way ahead of any other nationality. An outraged woman who spent months fighting to have her street resurfaced left a scathing note for the car parked in front of her home after it stopped roadworkers from patching up the asphalt when they finally arrived to fix it. Roza McQueen shared a photo of the driver she sarcastically labelled a 'legend' that parked in front of her Drummoyne home, in Sydney's innner-west. Ms McQueen said she'd fought with the council for months to resurface the street along the back of her home. But when the roadwork crew finally rocked up, a car was parked in front of her home, leaving Ms McQueen with an ugly patch of the old road in front of her driveway. So Ms McQueen left a note calling out the driver's behaviour, claiming it was inconsiderate. Drummoyne resident Roza McQueen left a passive aggressive note on the windscreen of a car (above) parked in front of her home after it blocked roadwork A sign on the car's front windscreen said: 'Wow you're such a legend. 'Greatly appreciate you leaving your car here. Yes, the front of my home looks like sh**. 'Park in front of your home.' A second note left on the car's rear read: 'Thank you for parking your car here when roadworks were scheduled.' Ms McQueen signed both signs off as 'Karen'. However, the frustrated Sydneysider said the passive aggressive notes weren't the first she left. She explained she'd left a note earlier in the week after council alerted her the road in front of her home wouldn't be fixed if she didn't move the car. Ms McQueen left a total of three notes for the driver, the first asked them to move before roadwork crews arrived while the last two (above) blasted them for failing relocate 'The first sign was a warning to move the car, they're coming on Thursday. I gave them a week's notice and it's still there,' she told Sydney radio station 2GB. 'It's a disaster, it's ridiculous.' Ms McQueen said she tried to call council to have the road redone but was left disappointed. 'I rang the council, they said "oh no, that's not good" and I said "yeah it's not, I want it fixed" but even if they do fix it there's still going to be a patch,' she said. 'We've been waiting for this for a really, really long time. They've resurfaced it, re-patched it for months on end and finally the day came.' The three went missing on January 21 after their performance was canceled Their bodies were discovered at a vacant apartment in Highland Park Authorities found the bodies of three Michigan rappers at an abandoned Detroit apartment nearly two weeks after they vanished after a cancelled gig in the city. Armani Kelly, 28, Dante Wicker, 31 and Montoya Givens, 31, were discovered under debris at the vacant Northcourse Apartments in Highland Park on Thursday around 6pm The Detroit News reported. The three went missing on January 21 after their performance at Lounge 31 was called off due to 'technical problems.' Last week, police found a car belonging to Kelly in the possession of a 15-year-old who was taken into custody. No signs of a struggle were evident in the car. It is unclear whether the teenager led to the discovery of the missing men. Armani Kelly, 28, left, Dante Wicker, 31, center, and Montoya Givens, 31, right, have been found dead after they went missing on January 21 in Detroit They were discovered under debris at the vacant Northcourse Apartments in Highland Park on Thursday around 6pm Michigan State Police Lieutenant Mike Shaw told the news outlet that the apartment where the bodies were found is not operating. 'It's supposed to be abandoned, but there are a lot of squatters in there,' Shaw said. While Shaw didn't confirm the three men's identities, a source revealed them to The Detroit News. Montoya Givens, 31, pictured, reportedly met Kelly and Dante Wicker while the trio served time in prison Kelly's mother Lorrie Kemp previously said she fears her son has been killed by former inmates following his release for an armed robbery charge last year. Kemp and Kelly's fiance Taylor Perrin first reported him missing two days after his disappearance, but it took police a week to realize Wicker and Givens had also vanished in what investigators have called an 'extraordinary' case. Kelly had previously spent eight years in prison for armed robbery, which is where he met the other two missing men, according to his fiance. After their mysterious disappearance, his mother has said she fears the rapper may have been targeted by those he encountered behind bars. 'I'm angry because you did eight years in prison and you didn't die, and now you come out and they kill you,' Kemp said. 'He's dead - I don't care. I love that people are optimistic, and I love that they think there's hope, but I know in my gut.' Kelly had previously spent eight years in prison for armed robbery, which is where he met the other two missing men The men haven't been seen since a performance at Detroit club Lounge 31 was cancelled at the last minute on January 21 due to technical problems Armani Kelly's mother Lorrie Kemp knew her son was dead before his body was discovered on Thursday The trio were driving to Detroit together but it remains unclear if they ever made it to the club. Kelly, who goes by the stage name Marley Whoop, was set to perform just his second ever show when he was told the gig was called off at the last minute. It is understood that the 28-year-old last left his mother a voicemail at around 5pm telling her he had arrived in Detroit for the show, before later texting his fiance Perrin, that the gig had been cancelled. Perrin said she became increasingly worried when her messages to him stopped delivering at around 7.30pm, and police said the phones belonging to Kelly and the two men he was with have not recorded any activity since that evening. 'We always had contact,' Perrin told Detroit News. 'We didnt go hours without talking or at least sending a text to let the other know were OK. So, my mind is racing. I couldnt sleep all night. 'I just dont understand how this happened and how theres three grown men missing, and nobody seems to know anything.' Taylor Perrin, right, said she became concerned about her fiance Armani Kelly, left, after he stopped responding to her messages on the night of his disappearance on January 21 Perrin started a frantic search after Kelly stopped responding to her, including tracking his car using vehicle security service OnStar. After locating his car online, she saw that it had been driven to the city of Warren around 15 miles from Detroit, where it was suspiciously moved three times in the days following his disappearance. The car was first tracked to a church two days after the cancelled performance, before it was then moved to an apartment complex the next day. The vehicle was eventually found in a different apartment parking lot by police four days after, without a trace of the three men. Perrin said the car was discovered covered with mud and without a license plate. Downing Street has denied claims that Larry the Cat is unwell after he underwent veterinary treatment for cysts. Larry, Downing Street's Chief Mouser, has now seen five successive prime ministers since his arrival in 2011, and is advancing into his later years, thought to be 15-years-of-age. Serious concerns were raised about the cat's health but Downing Street has since rejected the claims. 'Larry saw the vet last month for a routine check-up. He remains in Downing Street and is feline well,' a Downing Street source told The Sun. Larry has had a front row seat to British politics for over more than a decade and has been a mainstay behind the Downing Street gate. Larry the cat, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office licks his paw on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in London, October 14, 2022 Larry the Cat sits outside 10 Downing Street, November 23, 2022 Larry the Cat prowls across his Downing Street territory, July 7, 2022 According to the Downing Street website, Larry's duties include: 'greeting guests to the house, inspecting security defences and testing antique furniture for napping quality. 'His day-to-day responsibilities also include contemplating a solution to the mouse occupancy of the house. Larry says this is still in tactical planning stage. The cat is also famous for a parody Twitter account which has amassed more than 800,000 followers with a satirical take on the Downing Street ongoings. Following the claims that he was unwell, the account Tweeted 'don't believe the rumours' in response to a sighting of him outside Number 10. Larry joined his new Downing Street home in 2011 after being rescued from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. He was originally intended to be a pet for David and Samantha Cameron's children, but has since remained on duty at Number 10. The Chief Mouser had to beat off four other candidates for his position but a Downing Street staffer named David took a particular shine to him. An acquaintance of David told Times Radio that the cat was chosen 'because he was calm and was unbothered about whether he was picked or not, unlike other more needy cats, who meowed and wanted attention.' Larry the Cat, yawns as he's photographed after Liz Truss announced her resignation as Prime Minister, October 20, 2022 Larry is also well known for his tussles with other animals throughout his time on Downing Street. In November last year he got into a fierce scrap with a fox in front of the famous black Number 10 door. The Chief Mouser fought the urban fox off as it retreated from Larry's Downing Street territory. Many of Westminster's pigeon population have also had to flee Larry's attack. The cat has also been known to have face-offs with Downing Street's other feline residents including his archenemy Palmerston, the mouser from the Foreign Office, who retired from his role in 2020. Larry the Cat welcomed US President Donald Trump to Downing Street in June 2019 British Prime Minister David Cameron introduces President Barack Obama to Larry the cat at 10 Downing Street, May 25, 2011 Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Chief Mouser Larry the Cat He had a less than amicable relationship with former Chancellor George Osborne's cat Freya, with the two being caught in a scrap in 2012. From David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and now RIshi Sunak, the Chief Mouser has seen over a decade of prime ministers. But Larry has taken to some more than others. It was also rumoured that the then outgoing prime minister David Cameron had a somewhat frosty relationship with Larry prompting him to take a photo of himself sitting on an armchair with Larry on his lap just before he moved out. He held up the picture in his final Prime Minister's Questions as 'proof' that they got along just fine. Last year, Larry was filmed snubbing then prime minister Liz Truss, who is on her way out of Downing Street, when she bent down to try and stroke him during her 49-day tenure. Britain's ammo stocks would run out in a day if it fought Russia - as a top former General said years of cuts have left military's stores bare. The warning from General Sir Richard Barrons comes a day after Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the UK's forces have been 'hollowed out', adding that military spending may have to rise for two decades, owing to global threats. According to The Sun, Britain is buying ammo from South Asia to support Ukraine. Dr Jack Watling, at military think tank Rusi, said Ukraine had been firing around 6,000 shells a day, but we rely on imported explosives for tank and artillery shells. Our ammo plants, run by defence contractor BAE, would take a year to make a day's shells for Ukraine, sources said. General Sir Richard Barrons, former Joint Forces chief, said years of cuts have left military's stores bare Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the UK's forces have been 'hollowed out', adding that military spending may have to rise for two decades, owing to global threats Meanwhile, it was also revealed that Britain has no working heavy artillery guns after giving all serviceable AS90 self-propelled items to Ukraine. General Barrons said the Army requires 3 billion more a year to rejoin Nato's top tier. In his column for The Sun, he wrote: 'This is truly shocking. But it is true. And we must fix it. 'The UK spends more on defence than any EU ally and our brave Armed Forces have long been one of Britain's most influential levers around the world. 'Yet for decades they have been hollowed out by spending cuts.' Mr Wallace said: 'As the world gets more dangerous, defence should get a growing proportion of spend. 'The world is more unstable and likely to remain so for a decade or two.' Speaking in Portsmouth the defence secretary warned that the military has been 'hollowed out' in recent decades under various governments. Our ammo plants, run by defence contractor BAE, would take a year to make a day's shells for Ukraine, sources said Mr Wallace also responded to urgent calls from former Prime Minister Boris Johnson to send fighter jets to Ukraine. 'I'm open to examining all systems, not just jets. But these things don't always happen overnight,' he added. Of Ukraine's fighters he said: 'Even if tomorrow we announced we were going to put them in fast jets, that would take months. 'You're suddenly having to learn to pilot a fast jet, so there is no magic wand.' Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Mr Wallace want to send a squadron of tanks to the country, which could arrive by the end of next month. The MoD said it was boosting ammo stockpiles to 'more than pre-invasion levels' with an extra 560 million from the Treasury. Defence chiefs have pledged all 30 working AS90s to Kyiv and are now urgently seeking K9 Thunders and Archer guns to replenish their stocks, it was recently reported. The spokesperson said the Army is now focused on accelerating the 'Mobile Fires Platform project which is designed to deliver an enduring replacement this decade'. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson told MailOnline: 'The granting in kind of AS90 will provide an important increase in Ukraine's capabilities and will help to accelerate Ukrainian success on the battlefield. 'Concurrently, the Army is continuing to meet its operational AS90 commitment in Estonia.' Chaos erupted on the floor as Squad member Omar was kicked off committee Rep. Cori Bush accused Republicans of 'white supremacy' as she and other left-wing members of the Squad condemned their efforts to remove Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Omar was removed from the committee after losing a largely party line vote 218 to 211. But her left wing colleagues offered a fiery defense of their comrade, who had been accused of making antisemitic comments. 'This institution is better because of her leadership and the foreign affairs committee benefits from her perspective,' she said. 'So let's talk about what's really happening. 'Republicans are waging a blatantly Islamophobic and racist attack on Congresswoman Omar and I've said it before I'll say it again: The white supremacy happening is unbelievable.' Cori Bush accused Republicans of 'white supremacy' as she and other left-wing members of the Squad condemned their efforts to remove Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee Before the vote count was handed down, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez condemned the GOP for what she said amounted to 'racism and incitement of violence against women of color.' 'Don't tell me this is about consistency. Don't tell me that this is about a condemnation of antisemitic remarks...This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America,' the fellow Squad member said. And Rashid Tlaib broke down as she said: 'Congresswoman Omar, I am so sorry that our country is failing you today through the chamber. 'You belong on this committee.' She raised her voice in a howl as she was told her time was cut off. 'You belong on this committee,' she half sobbed, half screamed before her microphone was cut off. Democrats screamed 'no' before the GOP completed Speaker Kevin McCarthy's bid to get the Squad member removed over her history of comments comparing Israel to Hamas and the Taliban and saying the relationship between the Jewish state and the U.S. is 'all about the Benjamins' in 2019. 'She described 9/11 by saying "some people did something",' McCarthy said when explaining why he wanted to boot her from the committee in a press conference after she was kicked off. McCarthy insisted Omar's removal was not 'tit-for-tat' - brushing off Democrat allegations it is 'revenge' for removing Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar from their assignments. Before the vote, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez condemned the GOP for what she said amounted to 'racism and incitement of violence against women of color' House Republicans on Thursday voted to kick Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee over her antisemitic comments in chaotic scenes in Congress. 'She described 9/11 by saying "some people did something",' McCarthy said when explaining why he wanted to boot her from the committee in a press conference after she was kicked off Omar told Republicans 'I am an American', and said losing her seat on the committee for a term would not make her go away. In his press conference before the vote House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries admitted Omar has used 'antisemitic tropes' - but questioned why Omar was being booted. He added there had been 'no accountability' for Republicans who had put out seemingly antisemitic tweets. Jeffries referenced a 2021 tweet Rep. Thomas Massie put out accusing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) of 'foreign interference in our elections' for putting out an ad targeting him. But Massie does not sit on the Foreign Affairs Committee - McCarthy has said that Omar would be allowed to participate in other committees but represented a 'national security concern' on this one. Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., suggested Republicans were being racist for targeting Omar, a Muslim Somali American. 'Could it be the way she looks?' he said on the House floor to Democratic applause. While Republicans mentioned her previously negative remarks about Israel, several also suggested that the move is payback for House Democrats removing two hardline right Republicans from their posts in the last Congress. Ilhan Omar walks to her office flanked by AOC, Rep. Sara Jacobs (over her left shoulder) and a scrum of reporters 'The overwhelming number of members I talked to are - they don't feel like given her past and perhaps current views that she should have a seat on Foreign Affairs,' South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson said. Omar's fellow House Foreign Affairs Committee member Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky told DailyMail.com that's he's spoken to the congresswoman about the current situation and she has a 'right to free speech' - but not to a committee post. 'The Foreign Affairs committee involves, you know, sensitive intelligence briefings and things like that, and when it comes to our national security and when it comes to our relationship with Israel, her views have a bearing on her ability to serve on that committee,' Barr said. Barr also pointed out that Republicans are giving Omar an avenue for 'due process' after Indiana GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz agreed to support the resolution on Tuesday night if the progressive had an avenue to appeal the decision to the House Ethics Committee. 'We are providing a process,' Barr said. 'We're providing an appeal.' Alluding to Democrats stripping firebrand GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of her previous committee assignments over inflammatory social media posts before she joined Congress, he also said: 'We are also not kicking people off of committees because of statements that they've made before they were in Congress. These are statements she's made as a member of Congress.' 'And that is a significant distinction between what Speaker Pelosi did and what Kevin McCarthy did.' Rep. Tom Cole, who chairs the committee that passed Tuesday night's resolution to boot Omar off of Foreign Affairs, told reporters on Wednesday morning that the full House process could start as soon as today. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy vowed retribution for the removal of Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar from their committees in the last Congress 'They were warned two years ago, 'If you do this, there will be consequences.' You're not going to, you know, deny our members committees, and kick Kevin McCarthy appointees off things like the January 6 committee while you put their political equivalents on and think there's not going to be consequences with the majority changes,' Cole said. 'Now, the chickens are coming home to roost, so to speak.' He added, 'What I hope happens is each side learns something from this and we don't go down this road again.' 'But it's not going to be a situation where they were allowed to do that to our members, and now they don't even acknowledge what they did was a mistake, that might help,' Cole said. Along with Greene's removal for social media activity parroting QAnon conspiracies and calling for violence against high profile Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 117th Congress also removed Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar for posting a video depicting himself attacking progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Florida Rep. Byron Donalds incredulously asked DailyMail.com, 'Are you serious?' when questioned about why he believes Omar should be kicked off the high-profile Foreign Affairs panel. 'First of all, Congresswoman Omar - this is now the third time that issues have been made about her anti-Semitic comments. In 2019. There was a resolution brought to the House floor, specifically about her, that Nancy Pelosi watered down to just say Congress opposes antisemitism,' Donalds said. 'Well, of course Congress opposes antisemitism, but there is one member that has had this rhetorical issue, and frankly philosophical issue, for some time. 'We have our political issues here in the United States. We all know that. But Israel being our most important ally in that region has not been a point of this- of disagreement between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to foreign policy, save for one member. So why should that member continue to sit on Foreign Affairs?' Fewer than a third of teachers went on strike on Walkout Wednesday this week, Oliver Dowden revealed. Mr Dowden condemned the disruption to teaching as he spoke in the Commons and revealed the numbers of those who went on strike. The Hertsmere MP said that 12 per cent of civil servants participated in strike action on Wednesday, adding that 70 per cent of teachers also did not join in. This week's 'Walkout Wednesday' saw 500,000 workers including teachers, train drivers and civil servants go on what was a general strike in all but name. Mr Dowden, the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: 'I would also pay tribute to the overwhelming majority of civil servants who didn't strike yesterday, actually only 12 per cent participated in that strike, and ensured that essential public services continued uninterrupted.' Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden, pictured, revealed the numbers of those who went on strike in the comments and condemned the disruption to teaching This week's 'Walkout Wednesday' saw 500,000 workers including teachers, train drivers and civil servants go on what was a general strike in all but name He also told MPs: 'I am deeply saddened by any interruption to the education of our children, particularly when they have suffered so much during Covid. 'I would though like to pay tribute to headteachers and others who ensured that around 90 per cent of schools were open in one capacity or another to ensure that we continued to have education for our children, and indeed the teachers, 70 per cent of whom did not participate in the strike.' The figures contradict union claims that the strikes cause widespread chaos on Wednesday. Statistics show that 45.9 per cent of schools were fully open, 44.7 per cent were partially open and 9.3 per cent were closed. Wednesday also saw University and College Union (UCU) members go on strike in the biggest day of industrial action in over a decade On Wednesday children of teachers and supporters made 'strike boxes' including food and drink to sustain the picket lines while others made placards. The day left parents in limbo as the National Education Union urged teachers to refuse to say whether they would turn up for work. Tory MPs accused union leaders of 'spoiling the lives' of working people, many of whom were forced to take unpaid leave to look after their children. Friday will see continued strike action for transport and education as train drivers represented by ASLEF and RMT will stay at home and teachers in Scotland will go on strike. Next week nurses, ambulance workers, physiotherapy staff and university staff will take strike action. A plenary session of the standing committee of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly takes place at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang presided by Chairman Choe Ryong-hae, standing, in this Feb. 2 photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the following day. Yonhap North Korea has adopted a new law aimed at safeguarding state secrets at a parliamentary meeting, its state media said Friday, amid apparent efforts to tighten internal discipline. The plenary meeting of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), held in Pyongyang the previous day, also adopted other laws on the country's management of railways and the education of prodigies, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The objective of the law on the "protection of state secrets" is to contribute to guaranteeing national safety and the development of the "socialist construction" by establishing system and order, the KCNA said. It did not provide details on what the "state secrets" it was referring to or if it was only one secret or multiple ones. Observers said the law appears aimed at tightening state control and discipline amid protracted economic challenges. During the meeting, the North also adopted laws on loans and national symbols, and reviewed the execution of a law on improving living conditions for discharged officers. The meeting "stressed the need for the socialist law-observance guidance committees at all levels to conduct effective education in law observance through the newly-adopted laws," the KCNA said in the English-language statement. South Korea's unification ministry regards the move as reflecting the Kim Jong-un regime's efforts to "strengthen its overall social order." The SPA is the highest organ of power under the North's constitution, although it rubber-stamps decisions by the ruling party. Choe Ryong-hae, president of the Presidium of the SPA, presided over the meeting. Meanwhile, the North's state-controlled media again urged full vigilance against the coronavirus pandemic. The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, stressed the need to place the top priority on making all-out efforts against COVID-19, pointing out that the virus continues to affect millions of people across the world. "Officials should not regard this as merely something happening outside of their territory," the paper said, urging them to take thorough measures to disinfect their areas to prevent the spread of influenza and "malignant infectious diseases." The North claimed victory against the coronavirus in August last year, just months after it reported its first case in May. Earlier this week, the World Health Organization announced it has decided to continue to designate the COVID-19 crisis as a global health emergency. (Yonhap) As the first anniversary of Andrew's 12million settlement with Virginia Giuffre looms, the disgraced duke has yet to visibly honour his promise 'to support the fight against the evils of sex trafficking'. Isn't this his route back to Royal favour? When Princess Alexandra's husband, the late Angus Ogilvy, incurred the Queen's displeasure by becoming embroiled in the Lonrho affair, he restored his image with charity work. After the Queen's cousin, the Earl of Harewood, divorced his wife in 1967 he was exiled but earned forgiveness working for the English National Opera. With Andrew's 'friends' trumpeting a 'mysterious development' to clear his name, couldn't he announce a charitable venture for victims of sex trafficking? Are Harry and Meghan, thwarted by the late Queen in their bid to monetise the Sussex Royal trademark, taking a keen interest in Mike Tindall charging 20,000 a day to shoot clay pigeons alongside him? The King seems to have turned a blind eye to Tindall's money-maker, possibly because he's no stranger to milking the Royal brand himself. As Prince of Wales, Charles was allowed to start his lucrative Duchy Originals business in 1990 in the face of Palace objections by making sure the profits went to charity. Not a difficult gesture when you have a multi-million-pound income from the Duchy of Cornwall to pay for life's little luxuries. Deja Vu for Tom Jones with the Welsh Rugby Union's ban on Delilah. Tom, pictured, was ordered to change the lyrics when he warbled his trademark murder ballad in 1968 on The Ed Sullivan Show in New York. Ed was offended, not by the violence, but by the line 'At break of day, when that man drove away,' fretting that it implied a sexual relationship. Tom's verdict? 'Such bull****!' On Monday, the bells of Westminster Abbey won't ring out and guns across the country will be silent. For the first time since 1953, February 6 won't be marked as Accession Day, when Princess Elizabeth had become Queen. Instead bells will ring and guns will boom on September 8 to mark the first anniversary of Charles's accession. Margaret Thatcher's Downing Street Policy Unit head Ferdinand Mount, reviewing in The Times Literary Supplement a history of fair play, shares his opinion of the House of Commons, remarking: 'At times it seems as if those green benches are infested with gropers, rapists, pornographers, chisellers, cheats and scammers.' Surely the Hon Members speak highly of you, Ferdie! Please pass the smelling salts to Charles Moore. A staunch Papist, he's just discovered that Pope Francis has been swearing like Gordon Ramsay, calling priests who deny absolution to unrepentants in confession 'f***ing careerists who f*** up the lives of others'. Lord Moore's conclusion? 'He is quite a rude crosspatch.' That'll have them quaking in the Vatican, Charles! Visitors to the Tate Modern can still see inside luxury flats from several parts of the gallery - despite their wealthy residents winning a 1million-plus legal battle to close a viewing platform that had left them feeling 'spied' on. Pictures taken by MailOnline from public areas on the first and second floor of the Tate Modern, just 24 hours after the Supreme Court decision, clearly show the inside of the stylish apartments while offices located on the gallery's third and fourth floors also provide direct views into them. The inside of one flat showed its living room which had a white sofa and round table inside it. In another flat, a stylish armchair with a large cuddly toy on it could be seen beside a pot with a small Christmas tree in it, resting on a round table. One resident said the costly legal battle had been a 'complete waste of time and money' because their privacy was 'still being invaded'. A legal source told MailOnline that the case could have already cost the claimants as much as 600,000 and up to 800,000 for the Tate. Five residents at the multi-million complex, located in one of London's most exclusive areas beside the River Thames, have spent almost six years fighting the Tate Modern in a high-profile privacy case. Visitors can still clearly see into their luxury flats from other parts of the gallery One resident said the costly legal battle had been a 'complete waste of time and money' because their privacy was 'still being invaded' Pictures taken by MailOnline from public areas on the first and second floor of the Tate Modern, just 24 hours after the Supreme Court decision, clearly show the inside of the stylish apartments They argued that the gallery's viewing platform was a 'relentless invasion of their privacy' and that visitors took pictures of them or just stared at them while they were inside their homes. But other residents of the complex have been left fuming at the expensive legal wrangling, insisting that it has not achieved anything because their privacy is still being invaded. Maria, who did not want to give her last name and rents a flat in the complex, said: 'What was the point of this court case? The lawyers were all focusing on the viewing platform but visitors to the Tate can still look into the flats. 'It's been a complete waste of time and money. Even if part of the viewing platform is closed, our privacy is still being invaded. The whole thing is a farce because we've still got the same problems.' Linda, who lives in a flat rented for her by her parents, said: 'Most of the residents in the complex are not here full time and that includes me. They are very rich people like my parents who also have homes in other parts of the UK or abroad. 'This ruling has not solved the problem. You can still come to the Tate and look into our homes, you don't have to be on the viewing platform. The case has been going on a long time and this ruling does not make any sense.' One resident of the luxury flats had clearly had enough and had drawn the blinds One resident who did not wish to be named said: 'It's not just about the viewing platform - anybody who lives in a flat facing the Tate has a problem with privacy, because you can clearly see into our homes. So, what was the point of this case?' Residents of the complex have been left fuming at the expensive legal wrangling, insisting that it has not achieved anything because their privacy is still being invaded Following a long running legal dispute, the Supreme Court ruled earlier this week that the viewing platform at the Tate Modern invaded the privacy of some residents living in the multi-million-pound Neo Bank Side Pavilion building as it directly overlooks their flats. Claire Lamkin, partner in the Real Estate team at law firm Kingsley Napley LLP, predicted the residents' victory would prompt a wave of 'copycat cases'. 'The likelihood of all nuisance cases succeeding in future remains slim. However, it will no doubt precipitate a wave of copycat cases where people feel a property development near them is highly intrusive,' she said. 'And to that extent builders, architects, developers, town planners and policy makers will need to check their plans carefully from now on to minimise the risk of future similar litigation. 'In the meantime, the Supreme Court has remitted the case back to the High Court to determine whether the residents are entitled to an injunction to prevent the viewing platform from being used.' A graphic showing the locations of the multi-million pound flats (pictured right) and the viewing platform (left) The matter will now return to the High Court which could result in parts of the viewing platform being closed The Tate dispute will now return to the High Court which could result in parts of the viewing platform being closed. The five residents involved stand to receive substantial damages while other residents in the 23-storey block continue to grapple with Tate Modern visitors peering into their homes. One resident who did not wish to be named said: 'It's not just about the viewing platform - anybody who lives in a flat facing the Tate has a problem with privacy, because you can clearly see into our homes. So, what was the point of this case?' The viewing platform was closed during the Covid pandemic and is yet to reopen. Flats at the luxury complex cost anything up to 5 million with rents ranging between 2,000 to 3,000 per week. The flats at Neo Bankside development were built in 2012 with the Tate Modern opening an extension, which contained a 360-degree rooftop viewing deck on the 10th floor in 2016. The viewing platform at Tate Modern's Switch House gives a view directly into Neo Bankside flats Pictured: The viewing gallery at the Tate Modern, from which visitors can peer into the Neo Bankside apartment block A photograph taken from the viewing platform shows how visitors can look directly into the flats at the Neo Bankside development on London's South Bank The dispute began soon after when five residents accused visitors to the Tate Modern of 'spying' and applied for an injunction in 2017 requiring the gallery to cordon off parts of the platform or erect privacy screening. A judge in the High Court ruled against the flat owners, stating that they should take their own measures to protect their privacy, such as simply 'lower their solar blinds' or 'install privacy film (or) net curtains'. In February 2022, the residents then took the matter to the Court of Appeal but also lost, resulting in the matter being taken to the Supreme Court, where judges ruled by a three-to-two majority in their favour. The owners had argued that the platform goes against their right to privacy, as enshrined by Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR). The flat owners claimed that 'hundreds of thousands' of visitors to the gallery have been able to see inside their homes from the Tate The Supreme Court heard that the residents' flats, on the 13th, 18th, 19th and 21st floors of one of the Neo Bankside blocks, are approximately 112ft (34m) away from the Tate Modern and that those on the 18th and 19th floors are at around the same height as the viewing gallery. Supreme Court judge Lord Leggatt described it as a 'straightforward case of nuisance' due to 'constant observation and photography' of the luxury flats by visitors to the gallery. He said: 'It is not difficult to imagine how oppressive living in such circumstances would feel for any ordinary person much like being on display in a zoo. 'It is beyond doubt that the viewing and photography which take place from the Tate's building cause a substantial interference with the ordinary use and enjoyment of the claimants' properties.' The five residents - Giles Fearn, Gerald Kraftman, Lindsay Urqygart, and Ian and Helen McFadyen - did not respond to requests for a comment. She had three officers trailing her in the Capitol this week First former speaker to be awarded that level of protection Nancy Pelosi is the first former Speaker of the House to be awarded a fulltime security detail for a year, a move that came after her husband, Paul Pelosi, was attacked and beaten by a man targeting her. Buried in the 4,155-page omnibus bill that funded the government this year is the provision covering her protective detail for the next 12 months. Previous speakers lost their federal security shortly after stepping down from the job. The legislation requires U.S. Capitol Police to perform a threat assessment for former speakers, 'and if warranted, any such former Speaker shall receive a United States Capitol Police protective detail for a period of not more than one year beginning on the date they leave such office.' Pelosi, who was awarded the title speaker emerita, was seen with three security officers in suits and earpieces trailing her through the Capitol on Wednesday. 'Shall we,' she said to them as she exited the House floor after votes. She walked to the elevator with the three men surrounding her. Nancy Pelosi is the first former House Speaker to be awarded a security detail for a year - above her protective detail follow her in the Capitol Pelosi, 82, is one of the most famous women in the county and an incredibly divisive figure, inspiring intense love or pure hate. United States Capitol Police declined to discuss the details of her protection. 'For safety reasons, the USCP does not discuss possible/potential security measures for any Members of Congress,' the U.S. Capitol Police told DailyMail.com in a statement. Pelosi's office did not respond to a request for comment. After the year is up, USCP are required to perform another threat assessment to see if the protection should be extended further. In 2021, Pelosi was the subject of 632 threat cases opened by the USCP. At least 24 of those threats were presented to the Justice Department for possible prosecution. She was targeted by the MAGA crowd that stormed the Capitol on January 6th. Her office was broken into and trashed. Threats against lawmakers have gone up in recent years, spiking after the January 6th insurrection. In 2022, USCP investigated 7,501 threats against members of Congress, according to new figures released in January. Pelosi, like all House speakers, had an extensive security detail when she held the top job in the House, which also put her in the line of succession for the presidency. Body camera image from San Francisco police show suspect David DePape with Paul Pelosi at the Pelosi's San Francisco home Nancy Pelosi is one of the most famous women in America and has long been a political target - above Richard Barnett, a Trump supporter, was one of the people who broke into her Capitol office during the January 6th insurrection Broken glass in Pelosi's office in the Capitol after the January 6th insurrection - her office was trashed by the rioters David DePape attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer, he said he had been looking for the speaker But her security shield came under question after David DePape was able to break into her San Francisco home, where he attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer. He said he was actually looking for the speaker. Pelosi was in Washington D.C. at the time and USCP later said that was why there wasn't 24/7 monitoring of the security cameras around her home. Footage released from Capitol Police surveillance cameras showed that DePape lurked outside the Pelosi's San Francisco home for around four minutes. The video shows DePape walk up to a glass-panel door, leave and then return wearing a large backpack and carrying two other bags. He set all the items down and pulled out a hammer, pausing to put on gloves, and used it to smash the glass door so he could step through an opening. Speaking with detectives later, DePape said he injured his hand in breaking the glass. Paul Pelosi was able to call 911. Footage released from the body cameras of San Francisco police officers showed him being violently attacked by DePape during the October 28th break in. The video shows two police officers arriving at the Pelosi's home, knocking on the door and waiting around 20 seconds before it is answered. Paul, in a pajama top and boxer shorts, answers the door as he and DePape both vie for control of a hammer. He attempts to twist the hammer out of DePape's hand, but the suspect regains control of the weapon and begins to strike multiple times. San Francisco police rush in to stop DePape. Paul Pelosi required brain surgery after the attack. He has returned to the speaker's side, attending the official unveiling of her portrait in the Capitol and other events. David DePape called a local TV station to say he was 'sorry I didn't get more of them' and should have been 'better prepared' when he attacked Paul Pelosi on October 28 A screenshot of Capitol Police security footage shows David DePape outside the Pelosi home Paul Pelosi has started appearing at events again with Nancy Pelosi - above he is with her in the Capitol in January DePape, 42, has expressed no regret. Last week, he called into KTVU TV to tell viewers he had an 'important message for everyone in America' and proceeded to tell the audience: 'You're welcome [for the Pelosi attack].' 'I want to apologize to everyone. I messed up. What I did was really bad. I'm so sorry I didn't get more of them. It's my own fault. No one else is to blame. I should have come better prepared,' he continued. Nancy Pelosi has said she will not watch the footage. 'I mean, it would be a very hard thing to see an assault on my husband's life,' she said. King Charles III has sent a letter to New Zealand referring to the country as Aotearoa in a first for the British monarch. Aotearoa is the Maori name for the country, and there have been growing calls for it to become New Zealand's official name. Maori are the indigenous Polynesian people of the country. King Charles penned the letter to share his condolences with the country after it was battered by deadly floods and record rainfall last week. At least four people died while thousands of homes have been left damaged after the heavy rain triggered widespread landslides. King Charles III has sent a letter to New Zealand referring to the country as Aotearoa in a first for the British monarch At least four people died while thousands of homes have been left damaged after the heavy rain triggered widespread landslides King Charles opened the letter by addressing New Zealand by its traditional Maori name. 'It is with the deepest concern that I have been following news of the flooding and severe weather affecting several regions in Aotearoa New Zealand,' he wrote. 'My wife and I send our heartfelt sympathy to the families of those who have lost their lives, and our thoughts are with the many others whose lives have been so terribly impacted by events. 'I have long admired the strength and resourcefulness of New Zealanders, and I send my thoughts and prayers to all those who are supporting response and recovery efforts to help people repair or restore homes, businesses and lives.' King Charles continued to pay his respects to the Indigenous people of the land by ending the letter with a Maori phrase. 'Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui. Be strong, be brave, be steadfast,' he wrote. New Zealand is one of 15 nations under the Commonwealth with countries like Australia and Canada among them. Prince Charles use of the Maori language comes after a petition was launched to change the countrys official name to Aotearoa. Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said she uses both New Zealand and Aotearoa interchangeably, and hoped the rest of the country would follow her. 'Whether or not we change it in law I don't think changes the fact New Zealanders do increasingly refer to Aotearoa, and I think that's a transition that has been welcomed.' However a recent poll found the majority of Kiwis want New Zealand's official name to remain the same. Kiwis were asked, 'What do you think the country should officially be called?'. More than half of the respondents voted to keep the name New Zealand at 58 per cent. Others opted for Aotearoa to be in the mix at 41 per cent. Just 9 per cent of people wanted to replace the name New Zealand entirely with Aotearoa. A further 31 per cent wanted to see a double-barreled name - Aotearoa New Zealand. GPs staying open after 6pm, longer consults and improving digital health have been revealed as some of the Albanese government's priorities as it seeks to overhaul Medicare. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler on Friday highlighted the key recommendations of the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce report after saying the national medical insurance scheme currently 'does not fit the needs of Australians.' The government has set aside $750million to fund the recommendations in the report. 'There needs to be reform but clearly, affordability is a major challenge,' Mr Butler said. 'I talked about the fact that that gap fee has increased above the Medicare rebate for the first time in the history of Medicare. Longer consults with GPs and services staying open long past 6pm are some of the recommendations being made in regards to the Medicare overhaul 'An older population with a much, much higher incidence of complex chronic care. As I think the National Cabinet said, it's not just about more money - it's about getting the settings right, about getting the policy right.' Mr Butler said six years of a Medicare rebate freeze had created a major problem with the scheme's bulk billing model that would take 'more than one budget' to fix. He said said funding for the taskforce's recommendations would be released in the May budget. He did not rule out a change to the Medicare rebate for health professionals but did rule out an increase to the Medicare levy to pay for the reforms, saying the money had been allocated in the last budget. 'We were saying there was a clear problem after six years of Medicare rebate freeze. We've tried to be absolutely honest and transparent with the Australian people that there is a real challenge here.' Mr Butler nominated recommendations the government was likely to act on. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler on Friday highlighted the key recommendations of the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce report after saying the national medical insurance scheme currently 'does not fit the needs of Australians.' 'We need to improve access after usual office hours. The former government did not allocate a single dollar to support general practice operating beyond 6pm after June 30. ALBANESE GOVERNMENT'S HEALTHCARE OVERHAUL: - Longer GP consultations with patients with chronic conditions and mental health issues - GPs staying open later than 6pm - Opening up 'urgent care' centres for illnesses and injuries that are urgent but non life-threatening - Debate around allowing pharmacists to give out prescriptions Advertisement 'All of the after-hours programs that for many, many years have allowed general practice to offer patients care after 6pm into the night all finish on June 30. So we will obviously have to respond to that.' The taskforce's report also recommends longer GP consults for those with chronic conditions, mental health problems and family violence. '[The report] recommends the ability for GPs to be able to bill for longer consults -particularly reflecting the more complex, chronic nature of so many presentations from their patients.' Better access to urgent care, streamlined relations between Commonwealth-provided primary care and state hospitals, and an overhaul of the digital health system were also flagged by the minister. Mr Butler said 50 urgent care centres would be rolled out across Australia this year. The centres are for urgent but not life-threatening injuries or illnesses. He also added there were debates at a state level in NSW, Queensland and Victoria about allowing pharmacists to give prescriptions, instead of patients having to see their doctor for an appointment. 'The work of pharmacists and all allied health professionals, the work importantly of nurses, the biggest cohort in our healthcare workforce - there's so much more that they could be doing to deal with this shortage of access to healthcare,' he said. AMA president Professor Steve Robson said while many of the measures would be welcome, few of the recommendations would make an immediate difference for patients. 'The problem is there is absolutely nothing in the report as released today that will allow Australians who are struggling to see a GP or struggling to afford to see a GP to see that GP any more quickly, any more affordability, and Australians who are waiting for operations and surgery to relieve pain and so on, to have these procedures any more quickly,' Professor Robson said. Earlier at a press conference following a meeting of national cabinet, the Prime Minister and state premiers indicated there wouldn't be any more details into the changes to Medicare until they meet again in April. Political staffer Sally Rugg will keep her job working for Federal MP Monique Ryan under a temporary court arrangement Political staffer Sally Rugg will keep her job working for Federal MP Monique Ryan under a temporary arrangement agreed in the Federal Court. Ms Rugg has taken her boss and the Commonwealth of Australia to court alleging they beached her rights when she was fired effective January 31. On Friday, lawyers representing the Commonwealth, Dr Ryan and Sally Rugg appeared before the Federal Court in Melbourne. Dr Ryan appeared relaxed as she sat in the courtroom as lawyers discussed the matter before Justice Debbie Mortimer. The court was told Ms Rugg was watching online from her lawyer's office. Sally Rugg (pictured, centre, with Dr Ryan, right) was a prominent activist in Melbourne before taking a job with the newly elected member for Kooyong. The activist turned political staffer alleges her boss, the teal MP for Kooyong, 'directly procured [or] induced' the Commonwealth to fire her after she refused to work additional hours. The refusal, Ms Rugg claims, is protected under the Fair Work Act. At an interlocutory hearing on Friday, Ms Rugg sought for the court to impose an injunction preventing her termination from taking effect. Shortly before midday, the court heard the parties had reached an agreement to extend her employment until 5pm on February 17 to allow mediation to take place. Acting for the Commonwealth, Nick Harrington gave an undertaking to continue Ms Rugg's employment and pay her 'miscellaneous leave'. Dr Monique Ryan (pictured outside court on Friday) appeared relaxed as she sat in the courtroom as lawyers discussed the matter before Justice Debbie Mortimer. Sally Rugg's lawyer Josh Bornstein (pictured, right) told the court his client was watching online at the office of his legal firm Justice Mortimer ordered the parties to enter mediation in an effort to resolve the situation before the matter will return to court on February 17. 'It's my experience that negotiated outcomes are usually better outcomes,' she said. In an application filed with the court earlier this week Ms Rugg alleges the Commonwealth engaged in 'hostile conduct' after she refused to work additional hours. She is seeking compensation. Ms Rugg is Melbourne-based activist who previously worked at GetUp and Change.org before taking the role as Dr Ryan's chief of staff last year. The Fair Work Act permit employees to refuse to work 'unreasonable hours'under a number of factors including, personal health and circumstances, if it is outside usual patterns for the industry, and their level of responsibility. A convicted terror supporter who tried to delete his violent pornographic browser history from an Australian Federal Police-monitored laptop will be jailed and back behind bars. Melbourne nurse and paramedic Adam Brookman supported Chechen fighters on the frontline against the Assad regime in Syria was jailed for six years for his involvement in a foreign incursion in 2014. He went into custody after returning to Australia in 2015 but wasn't sentenced until June last year when he received six years and eight months prison for pleading guilty to performing acts in support or promotion of the commission of an offence under foreign incursion laws. With time served he was immediately released from prison, leaving police scrambling to place him on a control order which imposed strict restrictions on his laptop and mobile phone usage. Adam Brookman (pictured while previously in custody in 2021) will be sentenced on Friday He agreed to a ban on social media access without written approval from the AFP, and to not access unauthorised materials showing knives, guns, executions or explosions. But within weeks of his release Brookman was breaching the order. For three months police monitoring his online activities - accessed through an AFP- provided computer and phone. They watched him visit pornographic websites and then delete details of the clips and videos from his browser history. One video, a Justice League themed animated clip, involved physical and sexual violence and concluded with the main character, Supergirl, being raped and executed. He also played and watched first-person shooter video games, described in a pre-sentence hearing by a prosecutor on Friday as 'ultra violent'. The 46-year-old has pleaded guilty to four charges of breaching the control order. Three of the charges related to his accessing of unauthorised materials while the fourth was laid when he put a password on the devices without permission. Within weeks of being released from prison, Adam Brookman (pictured) breached a control order imposed by Australian Federal Police Brookman's barrister Rahmin de Krester said the shooter games were probably the most serious of the contraventions, but he didn't see any of them as 'that serious'. Brookman had a passion for medical issues and had worked hard in life, but lost his career after travelling overseas and later being jailed, he said. 'He's sitting at home, he's bored. There is a degree of boredom, a degree of defeat in terms of what his life has become,' he said. Judge Simon Moglia said he was most concerned about Brookman's deception in deleting his browser history, despite knowing his activity was being supervised by police. He said it wasn't irrational for controls or monitoring of Brookman's use of first-person shooter games, but made clear he didn't think they led to violence which could in turn become terrorism. 'There is a risk in terms of the obsessiveness or compulsion to keep playing or engaging in violence - animated as it is - that may well for somebody, create concerns,' he said. The former Melbourne nurse and paramedic had a passion for medical issues and had worked hard in in his career before he was later being jailed The judge also took issue with the charge relating to the password because Brookman had told officers about it, and the password had not stopped them monitoring his devices. He warned if there was no reasonable reason for a breach to be prosecuted the control orders could become an instrument of oppression. He worried that would 'create a class of people who are aggravated and angry'. The judge, who said Brookman would be jailed, will deliver the sentence later on Friday. Three students at the University of Idaho said they saw quadruple murders suspect Bryan Kohberger at their Student Union weeks before the killings. The students told PEOPLE that following Kohberger's arrest for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and 20-year-old Ethan Chapin, they recognized him as a loner from the Union building. One student who identified herself as Chelsea, a sophomore, said she saw Kohberger, a student at the nearby Washington State University, eating alone in the food court just weeks before the November 13 slayings. 'He was the type to stare,' she said. 'He wouldn't look away if you caught him staring. 'Like he wanted you to notice that he was looking at you. He didn't smile, didn't nod, didn't say anything. Just stared.' Three students at the University of Idaho claimed to have seen Bryan Kohberger (above) on their campus just weeks before the grisly quadruple murders The students said they spotted him alone at the school's Student Union building, noting that he was staring at people and making them 'uncomfortable' Kohberger attended Washington State University, just 8 miles from the University of Idaho Chelsea told PEOPLE that Kohberger's stare was making her 'uncomfortable,' and that she and her friends left to eat outside 'because we wanted to get away from him.' Another female student at the school said she, too, grew 'uncomfortable' over Kohberger's stare after allegedly running into him multiple times on campus. She said because the school is relatively small, she grew to recognize people around campus and was sure she spotted Kohberger on several occasions. 'I definitely saw him more than once,' she told PEOPLE. 'He was just really quiet and really intense, staring. He made me uncomfortable.' The alleged sighting of Kohberger at the campus comes after police said they believed the quadruple murders suspect spent time at the University of Idaho campus before carrying out the brutal killings. The university hired more campus police and increased the number of officers on the ground following the murders, and despite Kohberger's arrest, officials said the increased enforcement will remain in place. The University of Idaho did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment on the alleged Kohberger sightings. Idaho police said the four University of Idaho students were murdered in their sleep between 3am and 4am. (Pictured: Victims Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and 20-year-old Ethan Chapin) Kaylee and Madison were found on the top floor of the Moscow, Idaho home. College lovers Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were found in a second-floor bedroom while survivors Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke were sleeping on the first floor The alleged sightings at the University of Idaho wouldn't be the first time women accused Kohberger of making them uncomfortable or scaring them away. Jordan Serulneck, 34, who runs Seven Siren Brewing Company in Kohberger's native Pennsylvania, said the suspect had problematic interactions with women at his bar. Serulneck told NBC workers labeled Kohberger in their systems as a guy who 'makes creepy comments' and said he once called a staffer 'a b***h' for spurning his advances. Reading his staffers notes on Kohberger, Serulneck, of Central Valley, said: 'Hey, this guy makes creepy comments, keep an eye on him. He'll have two or three beers and then just get a little too comfortable.' Kohberger, who studies criminology at WSU, has been charged with the murders of four University of Idaho students in their off campus house on November 13 Kohberger, who studies criminology at WSU, has been charged with the murders of four University of Idaho students. Officers called to the scene of the bloody crime on November 13 quickly discovered a K-Bar knife sheath next to the bodies of Maddie Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. Unsealed court documents show the painstaking work done by officers, who matched the DNA found on the sheath to Kohberger's by comparing it to his father's DNA which was a 99.9998 percent match, and identified via a genetic genealogy website. Court documents recently revealed that police discovered a pillow covered in 'blood' in Kohbergers Washington apartment. A new search warrant, made public on January 17, shows that police also found several hair strands, including one suspected animal hair, a black glove, a computer tower and one unnamed item with a collection of 'dark red spots.' An Alice Springs man flew back from Bali with his phone allegedly loaded with vile child abuse material and now faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted. Border Force officials allegedly made the discovery on Wednesday as they searched the man's luggage at Darwin International Airport in the Northern Territory. They raised the alarm with the specialist Northern Territory Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team who obtained a search warrant for his home in the troubled town. Investigators from the combined Australian Federal Police and NT Police unit allegedly found more child abuse material stored on his social media accounts. The man, 38, was charged with one count of possessing or controlling child abuse material outside of Australia. The maximum penalty is 15 years' imprisonment. An Australian man flew back from Bali with his phone allegedly loaded with vile child abuse material and now faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted Border Force officials allegedly made the discovery on Wednesday as they searched the man's luggage at Darwin International Airport in the Northern Territory (pictured) He was remanded in custody and will next appear in court on Monday, February 6. Superintendent Greg Davis said the AFP continued to work with state, territory and international law enforcement partners 'to protect children from harm'. 'Our common goal is to protect children, wherever they live, and to ensure anyone who tries to harm them is identified and brought before the courts,' he added. Detective Senior Sergeant Matt Akers said child exploitation 'in any form' was 'reprehensible'. 'NT Police will continue to work tirelessly with our partners in law enforcement to ensure the safety of children everywhere,' he said. 'This investigation shows the importance of multi-agency operations working together to apprehend those in our community who pose a serious risk to those who are the most vulnerable.' The tenant had previously allowed him to fix property A tenant says she was shocked and upset after finding out that the handyman that had been coming to her house for a year was actually her landlord. The Melbourne woman, Kate Ritchie, shared a series of videos on Tuesday talking about how she unknowingly allowed her landlord - apparently posing as a handyman - into her home. Ms Ritchie posted the videos to her TikTok account, with people noting in response the landlord had likely breached her lease agreement. The tenant was told by her real estate agent that a handyman would be arriving at her house to clean out gutters following weeks of rain. Believing it to be reasonable, she welcomed the man - who had fixed parts of the house before - into her house, but realised something was wrong right away. A tenant, Kate Ritchie (pictured) in a Melbourne rental has been left shocked after finding out the handyman that had been sent to clean her gutters was actually her landlord 'Immediately I can tell he's a little bit irate,' Ms Ritchie says in the TikTok video. After some slight bickering about the man leaving doors open, he then started an argument with Ms Ritchie over the unkempt backyard. Ringing alarm bells, Ms Ritchie asked herself 'Why is this handyman, a contractor essentially, yelling at me for the state of my backyard?'. 'Mate, I don't want my yard looking like this either. We've had weeks of rain and this is extremely inappropriate,' she told the man. 'What's it to you? It's actually none of your business.' After Ms Ritchie pressed him, the man then revealed himself as not just the handyman. 'Well, actually it is my business because I own all of these properties,' the landlord replied. Now irate herself, Ms Ritchie then proceeded to remove herself from the situation to call the real estate agent and ask if she knew that the landlord was the handyman. The landlord apparently became irate after noticing the backyard was unkempt, launching into an argument and revealing himself (pictured, stock) The real estate agent revealed that she did know, but it was a 'little bit of a grey area because he is the handyman'. 'She had zero empathy, and we didn't want a bar of it to be honest,' Ms Ritchie said. Ms Ritchie then contacted consumer affairs who informed her the landlord's act breached her tenancy contract. However, Ms Ritchie did not pursue any legal action, instead they cleaned up the yard and told the real estate agent prior notice must be given if the landlord is to return. 'I told her [the real estate agent] to take it as a warning... because we actually really like this house, we enjoy living here,' she said. 'And the rental market is so effed anyway. 'I have a lot of respect for landlords. I know that view is not shared by most...' Ms Ritchie then found out her real estate agent knew that it was the landlord but it fell in 'a little bit of a grey area' as the landlord was also the handyman for the property Social media users were shocked by the story. 'Tricky situation as it's highly likely they will refuse to renew lease next time,' one user wrote. 'I have investment houses. There is no way I would step near the house someone is renting without proper notice,' a landlord wrote. One user had a very similar experience to Ms Ritchie, saying: 'This sounds scarily familiar where my real estate kept insisting they had a plumber' come out. [It] was the owner, who isnt a plumber at all.' 'Youre probably the fourth person to comment this exact situation,' Ms Ritchie replied. 'Seems like this is a common work-around to formal inspection rules,' another user replied. Major hospitals see decline in COVID-19 patients after break By HU DONGMEI in Yinchuan, ZHANG YU in Shijiazhuang and ZOU SHUO (China Daily) 09:55, February 03, 2023 Senior doctor Feng Ke (right), talks to a patient's relative at the emergency department of the Central Hospital of Ningxia Medical University in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, on Tuesday. CHINA DAILY It is common for Chinese people to hope for good health and fortune for Chinese New Year, and Li Yongqiang's new year wish is all about having a healthy body. The 55-year-old has been hospitalized at the Central Hospital of Ningxia Medical University for several days due to COVID-19 and will soon be discharged as he has almost recovered. Li, who lives in a township in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region's Wuzhong city, was transferred to the hospital in Yinchuan after his symptoms became more serious. The infection in his lungs was worse every time he took a CT scan at his local hospital and his kidneys were also damaged due to the side effects of medication. "I was worried that the Yinchuan hospital would be filled with COVID-19 patients and it would be difficult for me to get admitted, but the whole process was very smooth," he said. "I am very satisfied with the treatment. I have my own bed and the doctors and nurses are very responsible." According to Mi Feng, a spokesman for the National Health Commission, there is currently a low level of COVID-19 transmission in China, and the epidemic in the nation is steadily declining. "The number of our patients infected with COVID-19 dropped greatly during the Spring Festival holiday, compared with the peak in COVID-19 infections ahead of it," said Yin Xiaoping, deputy head of the Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University. Based in Baoding, Hebei province, the hospital put into use a national-level treatment center for epidemics in November, the first such center in use in Hebei. It has played an important role in preventing and treating severe infections of COVID-19. According to Yin, the hospital only saw a few severe COVID-19 patients during the holiday. "At present, there are no more than 20 COVID-19 patients in treatment at our hospital," she said, adding that they are all in stable condition. Intensive care medical resources at the hospital are mainly being used to treat non-COVID-19 patients, she said. "We have smoothly passed the peak of intensive care treatment for COVID-19 patients," Yin said. Looking back at the peak at the end of last year, Yin said medical workers at the hospital didn't have time to return home for about a month. "Our aim was to treat each patient well with all our effort and help them recover as soon as possible," she said. Feng Ke, a senior doctor at the emergency department of the Central Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, said the hospital received about 300 COVID-19 patients daily during the Spring Festival holiday, down from a peak of more than 500 every day in late December and early January. Most of the patients had complications from COVID-19 infections and were transferred from lower-level hospitals, he said. Many of the patients were in serious condition, so most medical workers did not take a break for the holiday, he said. However, he is deeply relieved that the infection peak has passed as he recalled the hectic scenes a month ago. Sometimes, a single oxygen tank had to be shared by several patients and doctors conducted CPR on the floor, Feng said. "During the peak, about half of the more than 200 medical workers in the emergency department were infected and many volunteered to go back to work as soon as their condition improved a little to keep the department functioning," he said. There were just 16 beds in the emergency department, and we had to treat more than 100 patients, and many of them had serious symptoms, he recalled. "Both of my parents were infected and as I did not have time to look after them, my father's symptoms got worse and he was hospitalized for more than a month," Feng said, adding that he spent Chinese New Year's Eve with his father in the hospital. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) North Korea's trade with Britain more than doubled on-year over the one-year period ending in September last year despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a report showed Friday. The value of Britain's transactions of goods and services with the North came to 104 million pounds ($127 million) in the cited period, up 116.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the report from the Department for International Trade. Britain's exports to the North jumped 174.1 percent on-year to 74 million pounds in the October 2021 to September 2022 period. Its imports from the North rose 43 percent to 30 million pounds, it said. Exports of services accounted for nearly 100 percent of Britain's outbound shipments to North Korea, but the report did not specify what types of services were provided. As of end-September, North Korea was Britain's 149th-largest trading partner, with the two-way trade accounting for less than 0.1 percent of Britain's total trade. (Yonhap) Prime Anthony Albanese says national cabinet has agreed to the need for a national gun database coordinating weapons registers across the states and territories, declaring 'we need to do better'. The nation's leaders and chief ministers met in Canberra on Friday, where they agreed to a 'nationally coordinated approach to the management of firearms. It's in the wake of the fatal Queensland shootout which claimed the lives of police constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow and good Samaritan Alan Dare. 'It's quite clear that we need to do better in cooperation between jurisdictions when it comes to firearms,' Mr Albanese told reporters. 'That was part of the issue that's been identified in Queensland.' Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk led the discussion for the need for a national gun register when national cabinet met on Friday The national cabinet received a high level briefing by ASIO director-general Mike Burgess about the rise of right-wing extremism in Australia and of so-called 'sovereign citizens'. 'The Commonwealth will always make available our senior national security advisors to state and territory governments to deal with the challenges that are there of keeping people safe,' Mr Albanese said. The nation's police ministers will report back to national cabinet mid this year, with options to implement a national firearms register. 'It's agreed that would be a necessary measure,' Mr Albanese said. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk led the discussion, with the backing of other state premiers, on increased information sharing between law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions. The deaths of Queensland constables Rachel Arnold and Rachel McCrow sparked calls for a national gun register Arriving at Parliament House ahead of the talks, Ms Palaszczuk said she was a 'really keen' supporter of a national firearms register. 'I'll be raising it at national cabinet especially after the tragic deaths of (Constables) Matthew (Arnold) and Rachel (McCrow) that were felt right across Australia,' she said. 'The national firearms registry will absolutely help - it will give agencies that opportunity to be able to log in and see who owns firearms.' Ms Palaszczuk said she expected the support of her counterparts to get the database up and running. Anthony Albanese (pictured) admitted cooperation between the state and territory jurisdictions needs to improve WA Premier Mark McGowan said he backed the move, and that the establishment of a national register 'has to happen'. 'We have to have fewer guns in our community and we have to have more easy tracing and tracking of guns across our community ... it's a no-brainer,' he told reporters in Canberra. In December last year, Queensland police officers Constable Matthew Arnold and Constable Rachel McCrow were murdered on a Wieambilla property, more than 300km west of Brisbane, by a trio of conspiracy theorists. Miami police were mocked after unveiling an African-themed police car to commemorate Black History Month. Mayor Francis Suarez presented the cruiser that was designed by the city police union on Thursday alongside Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales. The car displayed the 'Black Power' symbol along with African flags and the slogan 'Miami police support Black History Month.' 'This is a beautiful collaboration to commemorate Black history and Black History Month and the history of African Americans and our police department and our city,' Suarez said at the press conference. ''This is Black history.' While officials posed proudly by the car, some spectators were in disbelief. Miami police are slammed for designing an African-themed police car to honor Black History Month. The car made a debut on Thursday Many were quick to voice their opinions on Twitter. 'THIS CANNOT BE,' Sherrilyn Ifill, Former President of NAACP Legal Defense Fund, wrote. 'Policing is fixed now. Thank you, police car,' another person added. The Black Live Matter Twitter account also commented on the matter by posting a gif of Cardi B saying, 'I just hate it.' 'This has to be the clearest representation of being out of touch with reality because you have to be joking,' another wrote. The car displayed the 'Black Power' symbol along with African flags and the slogan 'Miami police support Black History Month' Several people weren't as proud of the department's way of celebrating Black History Month and were quick to voice their opinions on Twitter The Black Live Matter Twitter account also commented on the matter by posting a gif of Cardi B saying, 'I just hate it' The police department proudly showed off the car while having current and former officers pose alongside it. 'Today we honor and celebrate Miami Police Black History with unveiling of our new Black History vehicle,' the police department tweeted. 'Among all of the officers who were in attendance to commemorate the unveiling were some of our very first black police officers.' Critics went on to question how much the cruiser design cost, adding it was a waste of tax payer funds. 'For regular folks to get a vehicle wrap is about $5k,' one person wrote. 'Add in the custom design and government inefficiency probably upwards of $50k. We should do a FOIA request and find out.' Following the backlash, Mayor Suarez's office claimed they had nothing to do with the design of the car for Black History Month, reporter Joshua Ceballos said. 'I just spoke to Black police union @mcpba1946 president Stanley Jean-Poix,' Ceballos wrote on Twitter. 'He said Mayor Suarez's office had nothing to do with the design of the car, and the design had the full approval of the union before it was unveiled.' 'It celebrates our African ancestry,' Jean-Poix told Ceballos. Following the backlash, Mayor Suarez's office claimed they had nothing to do with the design of the car for Black History Month The Black History Month themed car was released nearly a week after protests broke out across the nation after footage of a hostile traffic stop left Tyre Nichols dead. The 29-year-old unarmed black man who was brutally beaten following a traffic stop on January 7. Nichols died on January 10, three days after he was brutally beaten by several Memphis police officers. Justin Smith, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III, Demetrius Haley and Tadarrius Bean were later charged with second-degree murder, assault, kidnapping, official misconduct and oppression in the fatal beating of Nichols. Preston Hemphill was also suspended with pay pending a hearing, but has so far been spared the criminal charges filed against his five police colleagues. Hemphill, 26, who joined the force in 2018, wore the body-camera that captured the first of four videos released by authorities on Friday of the traffic stop and violent confrontation that followed. A seventh officer who was not immediately identified has also been relieved of duty without pay, the police department said. The Black History Month themed car was released nearly a week after protests broke out across the nation after footage of a hostile traffic stop left Tyre Nichols dead Five Memphis police officers, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Emmitt Martin, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean, are all facing murder charges for their involvement in Nichols' death The son of a retired solicitor beaten to death in his Sydney home by his neighbour has told a court he no longer trusts the world, is afraid to leave the house and wishes he'd earned more so his father didn't have to live in public housing. Narelle Fiona Smith, 48, was found guilty of murdering Peter McCarthy, 77, following a trial in November, 2022. His son, James McCarthy, told a NSW Supreme Court sentence hearing on Friday he has become depressed, suicidal and agoraphobic since his father's murder in December 2020. 'I don't trust the world anymore,' Mr McCarthy told the court. The grief is a life sentence and has left him requiring increased psychiatric therapy and medication, which the family struggle to afford and which Mr McCarthy's wife has to administer. 'I can't be trusted not to attempt to overdose,' he said. Narelle Fiona Smith was found guilty of beating her neighbour to death with a frying pan Mr McCarthy said he wished he had been more successful in his own life so his father did not have to live in public housing at South Coogee in Sydney's east, where he met the neighbour who killed him. Smith pleaded not guilty and continues to deny her involvement. She appeared via audiovisual link, shaking her head during submissions from the Crown that she had intended to kill Mr McCarthy, as he attempted to defend himself. 'This was a brutal and savage attack on an elderly man in his own home,' crown prosecutor Katharine Jeffreys said. After inflicting significant facial injuries with a frying pan, breaking multiple bones and knocking out a tooth, Smith left the retiree's body in an undignified state on the floor of his home, where it remained for several days, Ms Jeffreys submitted. A deformed frying pan with a broken handle was found near his body, and DNA belonging to Smith was found in Mr McCarthy's home and under his fingernails. Not found at the home were his mobile phone, bank cards, cash and a travel card Smith took following the murder, which appeared to show no evidence of premeditation or motive, Ms Jeffreys said. Retired solicitor Peter McCarthy (pictured) was found dead in his South Coogee home with severe head and facial injuries in December 2020 Smith's barrister Sharyn Hall SC acknowledged her client's continued denial meant she would likely receive a longer sentence than if she had shown remorse. She urged the judge to find special circumstances due to Smith's traumatic childhood. 'She has a number of longstanding, entrenched issues which need to be addressed,' she said. While she can be treated in custody, the greater challenge for Smith will be reintegrating into the community, her barrister submitted. 'Given her background, given her unstable lifestyle from a very young age one wonders whether (she) has actually ever been fully integrated into society,' Ms Hall said. The judge noted her submission may have some force before adjourning to consider Smith's sentence, which he will deliver at a later date. Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Northern states are bracing for an arctic blast as a cold front from Canada blows through the Upper Midwest and an ice storm heads north after devastating the South. The National Weather Service warned of below zero temperatures in the Northeast and New England on Friday morning through Saturday, where wind chills could dip as low as negative 50 degrees due to a cold front moving from Canada. 'The wind chills have the potential to be [a] once in a generation cold late Friday into early Saturday,' the NWS warned. The freezing weather is forecasted after snow and icy conditions left 10 dead in the South earlier this week, along with 460,000 people losing power and thousands of flights canceled, with 805 called off on Thursday alone. As of Friday, 120 additional flights within, into, or out of the US have been canceled, with 356 more delayed, according to FlightAware.com. The arctic blast that devastated Texas is moving north that, coupled with a cold front from Canada, could cause record low temperatures in the Northeast and New England. Pictured: Icicles hang from the Angelina Eberly statue in downtown Austin, Texas The freezing weather and snow fall created disaster in the south, claiming at least 10 lives. Pictured: trucks stalled on an icy road in West Memphis, Arkansas More than 800 flights were canceled on Thursday alone due to the severe weather, with 120 additional flights called off as of Friday past midnight. Pictured: A grounded flight at the Dallas Love Field Airport A cold front from Canada is moving through the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest on Thursday is expected to hit the Northeast and parts of the Mid-Atlantic on Friday. CBS News weather producer David Parkinson forecasted record-lows in parts of Minnesota on Friday, warning about a third of all Americans that they will start their day with freezing winds. 'Nearly 100 million Americans will start their day below 20 degrees on Friday and 140 million will on Saturday,' he said. The NWS forecasted record dips for multiple cities in the Northeast. Worcester, Massachusetts, would hit negative 10 degrees; Boston was predicted to hit negative 6; Providence Rhode Island is expected to fall to negative 6, and New York City if forecasted to fall to 9 degrees. Record-low temperatures are predicted for many cities in the Upper Midwest and Northeast, with the predicted wind chill making it seem even colder Officials are warning residents to stay off the streets as the same winds and snow that left Texas devastated are predicted to hit and cause whiteout conditions. Pictured: roads closed off in Austin on Wednesday following the storm The wind chill in the north is expected to fall minus 50 degrees below zero The weather service forcasted snow squalls throughout the Northeast, warning that the accompanying high winds could create whiteout conditions. The NWS warned that the freezing temperatures could be exacerbated in the North due to the Great Lakes' 'lake effect,' which amplifies snowfall. Jay Broccolo, director of weather operations at an observatory in New Hampshire, warned that wind speeds could reach 100 mph in the state's Mount Washington area. 'We take safety really seriously in the higher summits,' Broccolo told USA Today, 'and this weekend's forecast is looking pretty gnarly, even for our standards.' The NWS said that while the arctic blast is expected to be intense, it will be short-lived and weathers should begin to rise by late Saturday. A cactus is covered in ice after freezing rain blasted through Central Texas with as much as an inch of ice overnight. The weather in the south is expected to continue rising The National Weather Service predicted record freezing temperatures in Boston, parts of New York City, Providence and Worcester, Massachusetts After being pounded by the freezing weather earlier this week, the South has begun seeing relief, especially Texas, which saw the bulk of the power outages and deaths. More than 400,000 customers in Texas still lacked power midday Thursday, according to PowerOutage, a website tracking utility reports. Frustration mounted in Austin, where more than 150,000 residents remained without power early Thursday, more than 24 hours after their electricity and heat went out. For many, it was the second time in three years that a February freeze caused prolonged outages and uncertainty over when the lights would come back on. Unlike the 2021 blackouts in Texas, when hundreds of people died after the states grid was pushed to the brink of total failure because of a lack of generation, the wide outages in Austin this time were largely the result of frozen equipment and trees falling on power lines. The city's utility warned that all power may not be restored until Friday. Following the roughest patch of the storm, Texans found relief and played in the snow and ice as the state works to recover from the damage The power loss and the deep freeze did inspire some more traditional winter weather hijinks, as a young girl went viral for putting on some Olympic-level figure skating moves in the Texas winter, while a man took his airboat out for a spin in the wild weather Pablo Vegas, who heads the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, vowed that the state's electrical grid and natural gas supply would be reliable and that there wouldn't be a repeat of the February 2021 blackouts. School systems in the Dallas and Austin area, plus many in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee, closed Thursday as snow, sleet and freezing rain continued to push through. Watches and warnings about wintry conditions stretched from the West Texas border with Mexico through Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana and into western Tennessee and northern Mississippi. A California woman was 'taken aback' after homicide detectives claimed they had matched her 23andMe DNA test to a 1986 cold case murder. Jacquleine 'Jackie' Vadurro, of Palm Springs, found herself 'living in my own Dateline episode' after San Diego cold case homicide detectives gave her a call to inform her that her DNA might match a woman who was brutally murdered in 1986. 'Oh my God, guys, I've literally had the weirdest 48 hours of my life,' Vadurro said in a January 20 TikTok. 'Forty-eight hours ago, I was sitting at lunch, eating my salad, minding my own business, and I got a no-caller ID call on my phone and I was like: "That's weird," but I answered it anyways.' On the other end of the phone, the detective told her that her 'DNA might be a possible match' to the woman who was fatally shot in the chest and thrown off a rural San Diego road. The woman had not been reported missing. Detectives told her she was 'ground zero' in the case as her DNA was the closest match to Jane Doe's. 'I was just so taken aback,' Vadurro told the New York Post. Scroll down for video Jacquleine 'Jackie' Vadurro, of Palm Springs, found herself 'living in my own Dateline episode' after San Diego cold case homicide detectives gave her a call to inform her that her DNA might match a woman who was brutally murdered in 1986 Through her and her mother's DNA, San Diego detectives were able to determine the Jane Doe was related to Vadurro on her mother's side 'Now they think that I might be her family member because of my DNA that I uploaded to 23andMe,' Vadurro said in the TikTok. 'First I thought it was scam, and I was like: "Oh my God, they're going to like clone me, ya know, who wouldn't want another one of me." But then I looked into it and they sent me their credentials and everything and I called the homicide department. 'They were legit. It was a real thing, super legit.' Police departments do not have access to 23andMe data, but had connected Vadurro through a long-lost cousin whose DNA had already been in the GED Match system. In order for them to potentially match Vadurro to the case, she had to upload her 23andMe results into the system. Detectives told her she was 'ground zero' in the case as her DNA was the closest match to Jane Doe's. 'I was just so taken aback,' Vadurro said What detectives almost immediately found out was that Vadurro was a near-perfect match, being both Italian and Mexican and having ties to Jalisco, Mexico, on her mother's side, where the victim was found. Detectives would later determine the victim was from her mother's side after Vadurro's mom sent over her own DNA sample to police and told Vadurro that the victim was her second or third cousin. 'They called me back within like 30 minutes and said: "Jackie, thank you so much. This is the biggest break we've gotten in this case in a whole year,"' Vadurro said in a follow-up video. Vadurro was eating a salad in late-January when detectives called her to tell her she might be a match to the victim. Detectives have not yet been able to identify the victim or the murderer as they are still building out her mother's family tree San Diego detectives have invited Vadurro to Florida to go over the other 'weird, interesting characters' in her family, which the Californian wishes to go to Vadurro told DailyMail.com on Friday that there is 'no real progress yet' and police have yet to identify the victim as they are still 'combing through my family tree.' However, they do believe the victim is connected to Vadurro's mother's great-grandfather's family. The number one match to the victim lives in New York, according to Vadurro, and she said the man wishes to buy the victim a headstone once she is identified. She also said that police do not believe the victim was a 'hooker or prostitute' as she was 'dressed really nice' in a skirt and sandals when she was found in 1986. The victim was also described as having 'long brown hair, brown eyes,' and was said to be 'very, very pretty.' She was also between the ages of 25 and 30. Despite still digging into Vadurro's family tree, the San Diego detectives have invited Vadurro to Florida to go over the other 'weird, interesting characters' in her family, which the Californian wishes to go to. At the moment, police have not identified the woman, nor the murderer in the 1986 case. Hunter Biden has been accused of attempting to intimidate John Paul Mac Isaac after the Delaware computer repair shop owner sued the president's son for defamation. Hunter, 52, first came into contact with Mac Isaac in April 2019, when he left his laptop at his shop - and never returned to collect it. The laptop has, since the eve of the 2020 election, been a source of fascination, with its incriminating photos of a drug-addled Hunter with prostitutes seized upon, and the wayward businessman's communications and accounts pored over for evidence that Joe Biden was involved in suspect international deals. Hunter in December hired veteran political lawyer Abbe Lowell, who previously represented Jared Kushner, and began fighting back. Lowell accused Mac Isaac of illicitly accessing the laptop, and so on January 27 Mac Isaac sued, seeking $75,000 in damages in a defamation case. On February 1, Lowell then wrote to the Justice Department and Delaware Attorney General, demanding Mac Isaac and others be prosecuted. On Thursday, Mac Isaac's attorney said he believed Hunter wants to criminally prosecute his client in order to enact revenge. Brian Della Rocca (far right), a lawyer representing Delaware computer repair shop owner John Paul Mac Isaac (center), on Thursday night accused Hunter Biden of 'intimidation' Hunter, 52, has hired a new team of lawyers in an attempt to aggressively counter the reporting on the contents of his abandoned laptop 'We finally tracked him down and we were able to serve him last week,' said Brian Della Rocca, speaking to Fox News host Tucker Carlson. 'And now all of a sudden, we see this.' Della Rocca said the call to bring charges against Mac Isaac was directly linked to Mac Isaac suing Hunter. 'He's trying to intimidate. And it's interesting to me that this happened when it did,' Della Rocca told Carlson. Della Rocca said that they hired a private investigator, who tracked Hunter down to Culver City, California and served him with the legal papers. 'It was very difficult to find where he was,' said Della Rocca. Earlier on Thursday, Della Rocca told The New York Post that Hunter was 'desperate' in trying to blame others for his misadventures. The store, founded by Mac Isaac in 2010, is now closed. It went under after reports of incriminating content on the laptop surfaced in October 2020 'Hunter's current actions are desperate attempts to continue to blame everyone else for his own actions,' said Della Rocca. He insisted that Mac Isaac was authorized to access the laptop, thanks to the document Hunter signed when he dropped it off in the Wilmington store. Former Delaware computer repair shop owner John Paul Mac Isaac 'When Hunter signed the work order, he gave authorization to John Paul to access the information on the laptop in order to recover the data,' Della Rocca said. 'The work order specifically says 'recover data to store server and contact customer when complete.' 'He could not recover the data without accessing it.' And he said Hunter was told that he would forfeit the laptop if he failed to return to the store to collect it after three months. 'The work order clearly explained that if any equipment was left in the shop for more than 90 days, it became abandoned and he agreed to hold The Mac Shop harmless for any damages or loss of property,' said Della Rocca. 'Once the property was abandoned, The Mac Shop became its owner.' Lowell on Wednesday wrote to the Justice Department and Delaware attorney general saying they believed Mac Isaac broke the law. Lowell also accused Rudy Giuliani - who was given a copy of Hunter's laptop - and his lawyer Robert Costello, plus Steve Bannon, who also accessed the files. Rudy Giuliani blasted 'frivolous' letters by Hunter Biden's legal team targeting people who obtained or distributed Hunter's infamous laptop Lowell, in his letter to the attorney general, wrote that there is 'considerable reason to believe [they] violated various Delaware laws in accessing, copying, manipulating, and/or disseminating Mr Biden's personal computer data. 'These unlawful actions caused the widespread publication, manipulation, and exploitation of Mr Biden's most personal information, wrote Lowell. Bryan M. Sullivan, another lawyer now representing Biden, sent a separate communication to Carlson and Fox News demanding that they correct falsehoods from his recent show or risk a possible defamation lawsuit. Giuliani on Wednesday night said the law suit was nonsense. 'This is a completely I don't know how to describe it. It's unethical on the part of the lawyers, because it's frivolous,' he said, during a night-time podcast from West Palm Beach. 'The complaint - that we should be investigated - is an attempt to get yet one more illegal investigation started by a Democrat inclined public officials.' On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre would not say whether people at the White House knew in advance about the new strategy, which comes amid GOP probes of Biden family members. 'As far as that piece, I would refer you to the White House counsel office,' she said. 'And again, don't have anything to add. This is something for his personal representatives to speak to,' she said, when asked about it by DailyMail.com. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wouldn't respond directly to a question about whether the White House knew in advance about Hunter Biden's legal strategy Jean-Pierre, who on Wednesday and in the past has repeatedly stressed efforts to avoid commenting on the Justice Department and investigations, was asked whether the lawyer letters from the president's son constituted pressure on investigators. 'I'm going to be pretty consistent, as I have been from this podium when it relates to that,' she said. 'That particular question that you're asking me is one we have been asked for the last two years. 'And I will say to you that that is something for Hunter Biden's personal representative to speak to. 'Just not going to speak to it from here.' She referred the question to the White House counsel's office. 'And as it relates to the agencies, as you were asking me: Look, this is a president that believes in the independence of the Department of Justice. 'He's been very clear about that. 'He believes that it should not be politicized - as he has said in the past.' Hunter's laptop contained dozens of intimate photos Her comments came as the former chief of the White House ethics watchdog, Richard Painter, called for a 'firewall' between the White House and Hunter Biden's growing team of lawyers. Painter said Hunter Biden is a 'private citizen, so he's going to disclose whatever he has to disclose.' But he told Fox News the first son is 'probably going to get away with not disclosing any of it.' 'Just like with these paintings he's selling and he should be disclosing who's buying the artwork, but he's not,' Painter added. 'And it will probably follow the same approach to the legal defense fund.' In May 2022, Mac Isaac filed a defamation suit against the then-House Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff, CNN, Politico and The Daily Beast, seeking damages of 'at least $1 million'. He argued that the outlets falsely said he was spreading Russian disinformation - which he says cost him his store, according to the New York Post. He claims in the suit that Rep. Schiff defamed him in an interview two days after the Post - and later DailyMail.com - began publishing revelations from the laptop. In an interview with Wolf Blitzer at the time, Schiff said - without providing any evidence - that he believed 'the Kremlin' was behind 'a smear campaign' of both then-presidential candidate Joe Biden, and his son Hunter. 'Well we know that this whole smear on Joe Biden comes from the Kremlin,' he said. 'That's been clear for well over a year now that they've been pushing this false narrative about the Vice President and his son.' Mac Isaac now claims in his lawsuit that CNN knowingly broadcast the 'false and defamatory story,' which caused him significant damage including the closing of his laptop repair store. He is also going after the Daily Beast, which claimed the laptop was 'purloined' in an article, as well as Politico, which reported that dozens of former intelligence officials believe the laptop was 'Russian disinfo.' The Daily Beast has since apologized. John Paul Mac Isaac is suing House Rep. Adam Schiff, CNN, the Daily Beast and Politico in a defamation case seeking 'at least $1 million' in damages According to the lawsuit, the Post reports, Mac Isaac was forced to close down his computer repair shop near the Biden family homes in Greenville, Delaware following the CNN report - when people started throwing eggs, vegetables and even dog feces at his door. He then reportedly went into exile in Colorado for a year. 'CNN's broadcast of the false statement accuses the Plaintiff of committing an infamous crime, i.e., treason by working with the Russians to commit a crime against the United States of America by attempting to undermine American democracy an the 2020 Presidential election,' the lawsuit states. As a result, Della Rocca told the Post, 'he has lost his business, friendships and his honorable standing in his community. 'This lawsuit is to attempt to repair a small portion of that damage caused by the defendants in the suit,' he continued. 'We intend to show that their actions were intentionally malicious.' Mac Isaac said at the time: 'After fighting to reveal the truth, all I want now is for the rest of the country to know that there was a collective and orchestrated effort by social and mainstream media to block a real story with real consequences for the nation. 'This was collusion led by 51 former pillars in the intelligence community and backed by words and actions of a politically motivated DOJ and FBI. 'I want this lawsuit to reveal that collusion and more importantly, who gave the marching orders.' He is being backed financially in his efforts by The America Project, a nonprofit founded by Trump loyalists Army Gen. Michael Flynn, his brother Joe Flynn and businessman Pat Byrne. Montana Senator Steve Daines fears the Chinese spy balloon floating above the United States was targeting his state's nuclear missile fields. Daines sent a letter to the Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday demanding information about the flight pattern and the 'hostile' country's possible agenda. While the Pentagon opposed President Joe Biden's request to shoot it out of the sky, Daines requested an urgent security briefing as he fears the state's air force base and US intercontinental ballistic missile silos are in jeopardy. China said of Friday it was looking into reports of the balloon and urged calm, adding that it has 'no intention of violating the territory and airspace of any sovereign country.' Daines wrote: 'It is vital to establish the flight path of this balloon, any compromised U.S. national security assets, and all telecom or IT infrastructure on the ground within the U.S. that this spy-balloon was utilizing.' Senator Steve Daines is requesting a safety briefing about the Chinese spy balloon that has been hovering over Montana The balloon is seen in the skies above Montana. Fefense officials confirmed the massive balloon has been in hovering above the US for a few days Daines insisted the Department of Defense take the surveillance of the balloon seriously, especially as it hovers over Montana. 'Montana plays a vital national security role by housing nuclear missile silos at Malmstrom AFB,' Daines wrote. 'Given the increased hostility and destabilization around the globe aimed at the United States and our allies, I am alarmed by the fact that this spy balloon was able to infiltrate the airspace of our country and Montana.' He further pleaded with Austin to take initiative for the 'safety and security' of Americans. 'There is no higher priority for your administration than the safety and security of the American people and it is imperative that your administration reassure them of that fact at this time,' Daines concluded. On Wednesday, Biden suggested the high-altitude balloon should be shot down, after it was spotted and reported by civilians in a commercial airliner, U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal. The Pentagon disagreed with the president while fearing civilian casualties if the giant balloon - the size of three buses - is exploded in the air. 'The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now,' Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told NBC News. 'We continue to track and monitor it closely.' Daines insisted the Department of Defense take the surveillance balloon of the balloon seriously China is thought to be flying a surveillance balloon over the United States, and Joe Biden (left) wanted to shoot it down. Pictured right is President Xi Jinping F-22 Raptors were sent from Nellis Air Force Base in southern Nevada, but they are not thought to have engaged with the balloon - their activities prompted a ground stop at the airport in Billings, however, with air traffic controllers citing a 'special military mission.' Sources told NBC News that there were concerns about the possible debris from shooting the balloon out of the sky. ABC News reported it was as big as three buses, and had what they termed 'a technology bay'. It was flying above Billings, Montana on Wednesday, NBC reported. Montana is home to fields of underground Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile silos. A senior defense official said that the U.S. has 'been tracking it for some time.' They added: 'And we have had custody of it the entire time it has been over U.S. airspace, entered the continental United States airspace a couple of days ago.' It is not the first time spy balloons have been spotted over the United States, but this one has stayed for longer than usual. Chinese spy balloons have previously been seen over Hawaii and Guam, officials said on Thursday night. The balloon's current flight path carries it over 'a number of sensitive sites,' a source told CNN - but the official said it does not present a significant intelligence gathering risk. Map showing the areas of the six Minuteman Missile wings on the central and northern Great Plains. The areas in black denote deactivated missile wings, the areas in red denote the active missile wings The Pentagon said that, once it was detected, they acted to prevent sensitive information being stolen. 'Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information,' they said - without specifying what actions they took. A defense source said: 'We know exactly where this balloon is, exactly what it is passing over. 'And we are taking steps to be extra vigilant so that we can mitigate any foreign intelligence risk.' The high-altitude balloon was spotted over Billings, Montana, on Wednesday - having flown in above the Aleutian Islands, through Canada, and into Montana. The Pentagon said the balloon is still over the U.S. - but would not say where. In a sign of how seriously the incursion was being taken, the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, gathered his military chiefs for an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the balloon. He was traveling in the Philippines at the time. It was just confirmed that the Chinese government currently has a spy balloon flying over the US which shut down the air space over Billings yesterday. This is footage from our reporter Travia outside the @KULR NBC studios of the ballon. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/uhjVeLk69C Bradley Warren (@bradmwarren) February 2, 2023 Lloyd Austin, the Defense Secretary, gathered his top advisors and military chiefs on Wednesday to discuss the spy balloon PENTAGON CONFIRMS SPY BALLOON Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary: 'The United States Government has detected and is tracking a high altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now. 'The U.S. government, to include NORAD, continues to track and monitor it closely. 'The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. 'Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years. 'Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information.' Advertisement Present were Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; General Van Herck, commander of NORTHCOM/NORAD, and other combatant commanders, NBC reported. They discussed shooting it out of the sky, but decided it was too risky to recommend. They decided not to 'take kinetic action due to the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field.' A defense source explained: 'We have to do the risk-reward here. 'So the first question is does it pose a threat - physical kinetic threat to individuals in the United States or the U.S. Homeland. Our assessment is it does not. 'Does it pose a threat to civilian aviation? Our assessment is it does not. 'Does it pose a significantly enhanced threat on the intelligence side? Our best assessment right now is that it does not. 'And so given that risk, that profile, we assess that the risk of downing it, even if the probability was low in a sparsely populated area of the debris falling and hurting somebody or damaging property that it wasn't worth it and that was the recommendation of our military commanders.' Pentagon leaders presented the options to Biden on Wednesday, NBC said. 'Currently we assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective over and above what the PRC can do through other means,' the senior defense official said. 'Nevertheless we are taking all necessary steps to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information.' The official said the balloon does not pose a threat to civil aviation because of its altitude. The U.S. is confident the balloon was launched by China, the source told NBC News, and has raised the issue with Beijing. The complaint was to the Chinese government 'through multiple channels both here in D.C. and in Beijing.' It is unclear whether China admitted the balloon was theirs. If the risk of the balloon changes, the U.S. 'will have options to deal with this balloon,' a source told CNN. 'We have communicated to [Chinese officials] the seriousness with which we take this issue,' the source said. 'But we have made clear we will do whatever is necessary to protect our people and our homeland.' The brazen move comes days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to the Chinese capital for high-level talks. Alan Joyce has sparked an extraordinary war of words between Qantas and Virgin Australia after he was accused of spreading 'serious misinformation' by his rival airline. In two TV appearances on Friday morning, the Qantas CEO gloated that his carrier's operational performance is 'better than what it was before Covid', despite recent issues that saw eight flights have to turn back in January. Mr Joyce told Sunrise and the Today Show that turnbacks are 'really rare' and insisted Virgin experienced the same amount 'or a bit more' in the same month. In a fiery response, Virgin slammed Mr Joyce for spreading 'serious misinformation'. That prompted another reply by Qantas, who told Daily Mail Australia that the Virgin statement was 'strange and disappointing'. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce (pictured) appeared on Sunrise and the Today Show insisting the airline had the same amount of flight turnbacks as Virgin Australia in January The row started after Mr Joyce's comments on Friday about the turnbacks suffered by Qantas in January. 'What I am saying is that Qantas mainline... in the month of January had eight turn backs, six on the 737s,' Mr Joyce told Sunrise host Natalie Barr. 'Virgin actually had roughly the same number, I think it was a bit more, on the 737 fleet which is around the same size.' This prompted a Virgin spokesperson to tell Daily Mail Australia the airline had four air returns in January - half the number experienced by its competitor. 'Virgin Australia wishes to correct serious misinformation provided by our major competitor's CEO during media interviews this morning,' Virgin Airlines said. 'In January we flew approximately 26 per cent more Boeing 737 flights compared to our major competitor, and experienced half of the air returns they experienced. 'We can confirm that Virgin Australia had four engineering related air returns in its mainline fleet in January 2023 - not the eight as suggested to media by our competitor - and one in February.' 'Three of those engineering related air returns have been in the past three weeks - not six or more as suggested to media by our competitor.' Virgin Airlines (pictured) accused Mr Joyce of spreading 'serious misinformation' and claimed it only had four engineering related air returns - half the amount of its competitor Virgin said its January mainline turnbacks included a Perth to Kalgoorlie flight on January 10, Perth to Brisbane flight on January 11, Darwin to Melbourne flight on January 20 and a Brisbane to Darwin flight on January 28. The airline said it is proud of its operational performance and conducted air returns in accordance with operational procedures without any risk to the flights. 'At Virgin Australia the safety of our guests and crew is always our number one priority,' Virgin Airlines said. Qantas Airlines fired back at its rival labelling the comments 'strange and disappointing'. The national carrier told Daily Mail Australia Virgin was 'whittling down' their figures based on semantics. 'Its strange that Virgin would choose to be defensive about turnbacks when our whole message today was that they are a normal and safe part of aviation,' Qantas said. 'And its disappointing that their only contribution to the public discussion on this topic has been to whittle down their turnback figures through careful definitions. 'Whether a turnback is for engineering reasons, a bird strike, a sick passenger or weather, they are all ultimately about safety and dont need to be minimised.' Qantas fired back labelling Virgin Australia's comments as 'strange' and 'disappointing' claiming the airline was diminishing its figures through careful definitions It comes after Qantas CEO Alan Joyce was mocked for claiming the airline is 'back to its best' despite several issues still plaguing his company The airline shared data collected from the global flight tracking service Flightradar24 showing Virgin's eight air returns with its 737 fleet in January. However, the data does not show the reasons for the flight turnbacks. It comes after Mr Joyce was criticised for claiming Qantas is 'back to its best' in an op-ed on Thursday. Mr Joyce heaped praise on his airline claiming the 'Spirit of Australia' had drastically improved its services right across the board. 'We've been the most on-time of the major domestic airlines for five months in a row,' he wrote. The CEO explained Qantas' turnback rate in the past 12 months was consistent with its pre-covid levels, with one returning plane for every 2,000 flights. 'Our service levels bags, cancellations, catering and the call centre are back to what customers expect from us. And we're working to make it better.' A Qantas tweet about Mr Joyce's comments sparked a furious backlash from irate customers who endured a disastrous series of months with the airline ranging from lost luggage, unresponsive call centres and 'flight credit' fails. A magistrate has dismissed an assault charge against former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro on mental health grounds. Barilaro pleaded not guilty to allegedly assaulting a camera operator and damaging their property outside a Manly restaurant in July 2022. He was leaving a dinner with friends when he saw cameras waiting outside, telling media he did not wish to be interviewed, the court was told. John Barilaro outside Sydney's Downing Centre court on Friday after his charge was thrown out Footage emerged last year showing John Barilaro in a heated moment with a Channel Seven cameraman The matter was due to be heard in September, however Barilaro's lawyer Danny Eid applied to Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Friday to have his charges dealt with on mental health grounds. Magistrate Susan Horan granted the application after 'compelling' evidence was presented to the court, including reports from Barilaro's treating clinicians. Barilaro has been ordered to continue routinely seeing his clinicians for the next three months and reasonable intervals at their direction after that, under the order which lasts for one year. Ms Horan said there was no evidence before the court showing Barilaro posed an ongoing threat to his alleged victim or the general public. Clinical reports described Barilaro as having recurrent depression, anxiety and complex PTSD, and his behaviour may have been an 'aberration' brought on by ongoing media attention. 'Having viewed the footage the objective seriousness is relatively minor,' Ms Horan said. The physical contact was brief and the use of force also minor, Ms Horan said, as was the damage to the camera. Mr Eid submitted Barilaro had a sustained mental health impairment since 2019, and Ms Horan accepted he had suffered significant stressors. They include his political responsibilities, the death of his father, defamation action he had brought against multiple parties and the scrutiny he was under over his appointment to an overseas trade role, which he resigned from within two weeks of being announced. Outside court, Mr Eid told reporters to have some boundaries. Mr Barilaro's lawyer said he 'has a good life ahead of him' 'I suggest certain sections of the media start treating people with certain boundaries because things can go sour and ugly very quickly,' he said. 'It's irrelevant who I'm directing this at but I think you know who I'm talking about and one has to start worrying about the actual story, not the narrative to push for a sensationalist grab.' 'He's got a good life ahead of him I'm sure that with good health, he'll continue to be a productive member of the community,' Mr Eid said. Barilaro stood quietly behind his sunglasses and lawyer before television cameras followed him away from the court. If you've ever opened the fridge in the hope of a nice refreshing beer only to be met with the disappointment to see you're all out then the latest invention from Victoria Bitter will certainly bring a smile to your face. The Melbourne-based lager producer has teamed up with alcohol-delivery service Jimmy Brings to launch a button drinkers can install in their home that will deliver a case of beer as soon as it's pressed. Dubbed 'The Big Green Button' the device can be magnetically attached to any fridge door. VB has launched a button that will add a six pack of beers to Jimmy Brings cart To ensure against any accidental ordering, the device needs to be tapped twice. The first tap will play an 'iconic VB tune' while the second will and a case of 375ml stubbies to a customer's Jimmy Brings cart. Luke Calavassy, Head of Jimmy Brings says the device will make ordering your favourite drinks easier than eve 'Just when you thought ordering via Jimmy Brings couldn't get any easier, we have proudly teamed up with VB to bring the Big Green Button to life' he said in a statement. The first tap will play an 'iconic VB tune' while the second will and a case of 375ml stubbies to a customer's Jimmy Brings cart 'Now VB lovers can get a case of stubbies delivered to their door in minutes, with the tap of a button.' Sarah Wilcox, Head of Classic Brands at CUB, the parent company of VB, said the new device reflects VB's comment to innovation. 'As one of Australia's favourite beers, we are always looking for new ways to deliver to our loyal customers in easy and exciting ways,' Wilcox comments. 'We're so excited to partner with Jimmy Brings to deliver Victoria Bitters thanks to the Big Green Button.' Jimmy Brings currently delivers to Sydney, Melbourne, Geelong ,Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast , Perth, Wollongong and Tasmania A pack of six is currently listed on Jimmy Brings website of $24, plus a delivery fee of $6.95. Jimmy Brings currently delivers to Sydney, Melbourne, Geelong, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast , Perth, Wollongong and Tasmania. Customers order via its website or app, with alcohol delivered in around 30 minutes depending on the exact delivery location. The button comes for free with every case of VB ordered on Jimmy Brings - or is for sale for $10. In this photo carried by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on April 26, 2022, North Korean soldiers stage a military parade to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Military Foundation Day at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang on April 25, 2022. By Nam Hyun-woo North Korea is anticipated to hold a nighttime military parade to celebrate its Feb. 8 Army Day anniversary, according to multiple reports showing satellite images of Pyongyang preparing for the event. According to 38 North and NK News, signs of North Korean military parade practicing were observed at North Korea's Mirim Parade Training Ground and Pyongyang Sunan International Airport. Citing Jan. 27 satellite images, 38 North reported that there were several military trucks and troop formations on the parade ground. A Jan. 28 satellite image revealed by NK News shows objects assumed to be large screens, projectors and light towers around Pyongyang's Kim Il-sung Square. Firework mortar tubes were being installed, indicating that the regime is preparing fireworks for the military parade during the upcoming 75th anniversary of its Army Day on Feb. 8. Reportedly, the South Korean military is also observing those signs, assuming that the parade could be held at night. The North has been exploiting nighttime events to showcase its new weapons in recent years, in what appears to be a bid to improve the visual effect of parades. After holding a nighttime military parade to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its Party Foundation Day, on Oct. 10, 2020, the North staged a nighttime parade on Jan. 14, 2021, to mark its 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of (North) Korea. On Sept. 9, 2021, the regime held a night parade to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of foundation day and commemorated the 90th anniversary of its Military Foundation Day with a nighttime parade on April 25, last year. With the North preparing another military parade, despite its COVID-19 lockdown, attention is growing on whether the regime will showcase new weaponry. During the Oct. 10, 2020, parade, the North revealed the Hwasong-17, which was the largest inter-continental missile that the North has developed to date. During last year's parade, North Korea unveiled a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile. Chilling CCTV footage shows a two-year-old girl being carried by an adult in a sling carrier just hours before her 'suspicious' death. The child of Jessica and Adam Hanbury, who has not been named, died on December 29 after being taken to hospital in Mackay, Queensland. Her death is being treated as 'suspicious' with police setting up an incident centre to treat the case as a 'serious investigation' of the 'highest priority'. Newly released footage shows the child being carried on a harness with a woman and several other young children in the United Chemist in Oak St, Andergrove in Mackay between 3.50pm and 4pm - just hours before she was declared dead. Chilling CCTV footage shows a two-year-old girl being carried by an adult in a sling carrier just hours before her 'suspicious' death. Seen right on woman's back The child of Jessica and Adam Hanbury, who has not been named, died on December 29 after being taken to hospital in Mackay, Queensland. The couple are pictured Detectives are hoping to speak to people in the footage, as well as any who visited Coles Supermarket on the same street between 4pm and 5.30pm that afternoon. The faces of the Hanbury family have been blurred in the footage, police said. The two-year-old had four older siblings. The family of seven had moved to Mackay, 970km north of Brisbane, in early 2020 and settled in the town's north. Queensland Police Detective Acting Inspector Chris Eaton has previously said the little girl was unwell in the days prior to her death. Police have not confirmed if she was sick or injured. Her death is being treated as 'suspicious' with police setting up an incident centre to treat the case as a 'serious investigation' of the 'highest priority'. The child is seen right Police are looking to speak to anyone who may have seen the two-year-old at the Chemist or Coles supermarket The little girl was being carried by an adult who was accompanied by several other children - who have been blurred in the footage A family friend said Mr Hanbury was at work when he received news of his daughter's hospitalisation. 'He didn't have a car so he borrowed mine and rushed to the hospital where his wife was,' he told the Courier Mail. 'I drove them home at 3am.' Detectives from Mackay Child Protection and Investigation Unit with the assistance of the Child Trauma Unit, Crime and Intelligence Command are investigating the sudden death of the girl. Detectives from Mackay Child Protection and Investigation Unit with the assistance of the Child Trauma Unit, Crime and Intelligence Command are investigating the sudden death of the girl and are hoping those shopping can help MDMA and magic mushrooms have been approved for use by psychiatrists to treat some mental health conditions. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved the prescription of MDMA for treating post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin, which is the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, for treatment-resistant depression. The change in law will come into force on July 1. The two drugs are still classified as prohibited and outside of psychiatrist treatments they will only be legally allowed in clinical trials. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved the prescription of MDMA for treating post-traumatic stress disorder The TGA ruling, announced on Friday afternoon, prompted mixed reaction from medical researchers and academics. The Mind Medicine Australia team, who lodged an application for the change in law, celebrated its approval. A statement from the group read: 'We are delighted with the decision which will be welcomed by so many suffering Australians. It specifically recognises the current lack of options for patients with specific treatment-resistant mental illnesses and the supporting evidence of safety and efficacy from clinical trials. 'The support that we have had throughout this process has been incredible and overwhelming. 'Finally, our hearts go out to all those Australians suffering from treatment resistant depression and treatment resistant post-traumatic stress disorder. They will now have the opportunity of accessing this breakthrough treatment with their mental health professionals, which has shown such positive safety and efficacy results internationally.' However, Swinburne University Professor Susan Rossell, who leads Australia's biggest trial on the effects of psilocybin on depression, is concerned more research needed to be done. 'These treatments are not well established at all for a sufficient level of broad-scale implementation,' she said. 'We've got no data on long-term outcomes at all, so that worries me a lot, which is one of the reasons why I'm doing my very large study.' Psilocybin, which is the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, will be used for treatment-resistant depression Meanwhile, Australian National University associate professor David Caldicott said the classification change represented an inevitable outcome that could have occurred years ago. 'MDMA was being used as medication in 1985, when it was banned by executive order of the President of the USA, and against the advice of medical professionals and administrative agencies,' he said. 'Perhaps most excitingly, many of the treatments that are emerging with these previously banned products require only a brief exposure to facilitate therapy, and not the life-long prescription of drugs that do little more than dull the edge of psychological trauma.' Dr Paul Liknaitzky leads Monash University's clinical psychedelic research project, which already delivers psychedelic-assisted therapies to clinical patients. 'We have witnessed up-close the potential of our treatment to change people's lives for the better; yet the safety and effectiveness of psychedelic therapies depends on a unique set of professional competencies and considerations that are in scarce supply within mental healthcare,' he said. 'For clinical psychedelic services to be sensible, safe and useful, considerable professional and public education will be needed, and questions of affordability, eligibility, oversight, and standards of care should be addressed. 'With this schedule change coming in a matter of months, Australia has very little time to get across this.' Melbourne University's Chair of Clinical Psychology Professor Kim Felmingham said MDMA's reclassification was both exciting and promising, but also called for additional reserach. 'No one PTSD treatment is a panacea that will treat everyone with PTSD effectively and MDMA is not an exception,' Prof Felmingham said. 'Additional research on this topic would allow us to streamline our health resources, direct people to the most effective treatment for them and improve the accessibility of treatments for people living with PTSD.' AN SNP MSP was shouted down by a Question Time audience last night after repeatedly refusing to say whether transgender rapist Isla Bryson is a man or a woman. Nicola Sturgeon's Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth kept calling the sex attacker 'the individual' on the BBC show last night, with viewers branding it 'excruciating' TV. And the audience in Glasgow, the city where Nicola Sturgeon has her constituency, reacted angrily after two minutes of Ms Gilruth declining to say what Bryson's gender is. It came after the crisis over Ms Sturgeon's gender laws deepened yesterday after she refused three times to say whether Bryson, who before being charged with rape was called Adam Graham, is a woman - despite the abuser initially being placed in a women's prison. The First Minister also suggested she believes a transgender rapist is only pretending to be a woman undermining her partys policy on self-ID - a central plank of the SNP's Gender Recognition Reform Bill. Some have claimed the scandal could see her forced from power. Nicola Sturgeon's Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth kept calling the sex attacker Isla Bryson 'the individual' on the BBC show last night, with viewers calling it 'excruciating' The First Minister and her MSPs tried to avoid answering questions about Isla Bryson, who - as Adam Graham - was convicted of violent sex attacks on two women and was initially placed in a women's jail On Question Time last night, panellist Ella Whelan said to Ms Gilruth: 'Most people at home will have noticed that you keep saying "the individual". Is Adam Graham a man or a woman? What is your answer?' The MSP replied, 'This individual is a rapist', before saying she didn't 'know enough about the individual concerned to make a judgment' - and adding that Nicola Sturgeon felt the same way. Ms Gilruth then said that the Scottish Prison Service should be 'trusted' to make the decision about what prison a trans person should be in - before Ms Whelan cut in to say: 'You haven't answered my question.' The Transport Minister for Scotland said: 'Yes I have.' But angry members of the audience shouted: 'No you haven't'. Host Fiona Bruce then said: 'I think we should give her one more chance to answer.' But there were boos when Ms Gilruth repeated: 'This individual is a rapist'. Ms Sturgeon contradicted both the insistence of her colleagues that the double rapist is indeed a woman, and her governments view that anyone should be allowed to change sex legally at the stroke of a pen. It comes after the SNP leader was forced into a humiliating U-turn on Bryson who started transitioning only after being charged with two rapes committed when he was a man called Adam Graham being held in a female prison. And in an excruciating TV interview earlier this week, Ms Sturgeon was forced to admit that transgender women can be treated differently to biological females. Yesterday she was put on the spot again in the Scottish Parliament. Asked if she agreed with her justice secretary, Keith Brown, that the rapists identification as a woman must be accepted, Ms Sturgeon would say only: I think that a rapist should be considered a rapist. That is what I think. Im not going to get into the individual circumstances of that particular individuals claims to be a woman because I dont have enough information about that. Asked again if Bryson was a woman, the First Minister said: This individual claims to be a woman. What I said is that I dont have information about whether those claims have validity or not. Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross then read a quote from one of Brysons victims, who said: I dont believe hes truly transgender. I feel as if hes made a mockery out of them using it. As far as Im concerned, that was to make things easier for himself. Ms Sturgeon told MSPs: 'I'm not going to get into the individual circumstances of that particular individual's claims to be a woman because I don't have enough information about that' In response, Ms Sturgeon said: The quote that Douglas Ross narrated there, my feeling is that is almost certainly the case. Campaign group Fair Play For Women said: So Nicola Sturgeon says she cant say if this individual rapist is a woman because I dont have enough information about that. 'Self-ID doesnt rely on you having information about anything. Thats the point and why it makes bad law. Law lecturer Michael Foran said: Nicola Sturgeon cant refuse to get into the details of whether a convicted rapist should be classed as a woman. She proposed law that would allow them to do so by self-declaration and her party voted down all amendments seeking to add safeguards to prevent self-ID for rapists. An 82-year-old grandmother-of-six who has been charged with allegedly importing $3.2million worth of cocaine has claimed she's innocent and has 'never even touched a cigarette'. Evdocia 'Effie' Phelivanidis, from Adelaide, was charged alongside her 30-year-old grandson Kosta Phelivanidis after South Australia police raided her home of 56 years on Wednesday. Police will allege the octogenarian - who is described by neighbours as a 'lovely lady who loves to sew' - was part of a drug syndicate who were attempting to import at least 8kg of cocaine. But after being released on bail, the mother-of-two told Channel Seven she had 'no idea' about any cocaine in her home and has 'never touched drugs, not even a cigarette'. Evdocia 'Effie' Phelivanidis (pictured) from Adelaide, was charged alongside her 30-year-old grandson Kosta Phelivanidis after South Australia police raided her home of 56 years on Wednesday She said police found a box at her home allegedly containing illegal drugs but she 'didn't know' why it was there. 'It was just a box with sticks inside, I don't know,' the Greek-born grandmother-of-six said. 'I don't know [if it was dropped] by the post office man or a different man.' she added. Phelivanidis and her grandson, who lives with her, were charged with attempting to traffic in a large commercial quantity of cocaine on Wednesday and will appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court in April. Phelivanidis and her grandson Kosta (pictured) were charged with attempting to traffic in a large commercial quantity of cocaine on Wednesday and will appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court in April 'This is another example of the unwavering determination of Serious and Organised Crime Branch detectives to stop the flow of dangerous illicit drugs into South Australia,' said Detective Superintendent Billy Thompson, Officer in Charge Serious and Organised Crime Branch. Friends added to Channel 7 that Phelivanidis was a 'really lovely lady' and was suffering from memory and health problems after the death of her 85-year-old husband - also known as Kostas - four years ago. 'We're all shocked. When I heard the news I thought "no way, not Effie'" I would not have thought she knew what it was,' said one neighbour. Special Tasks and Rescue Group officers (pictured) raided the sandstone home on Wednesday, and walked Kostas out in cuffs Another neighbour described her as an 'avid sewer' who 'loves her family' and uses a walking frame to 'travel up the street and hug friends'. Special Tasks and Rescue Group officers raided the sandstone home on Wednesday, and walked Kostas out in cuffs. In South Australia, the maximum penalty if found guilty of trafficking in a large commercial quantity of a controlled drug, such as cocaine, is life imprisonment, a $1m fine or both. Vladimir Putin is set to unleash 'unstoppable' hypersonic Zircon missiles during his upcoming war games with China and South Africa. The new Mach 9 nuclear-capable Zircon missiles, which travel at speeds of nearly 7,000mph, will be fired from the Russian warship Admiral Gorshkov during naval exercises off the coast of South Africa. The 'training launch' of the missile, one of the world's deadliest weapons, will be aimed at a 'surface target' at a distance of more than 310 miles. The upcoming launch of the deadly missiles comes after the Admiral Gorshkov conducted an 'electronic' launch at an 'enemy surface target' as it sailed in the western Atlantic off the coast of United States last week. The Zircon missiles will also now be fired from the Russian frigate during naval drills between Russia, China and South Africa in the Indian Ocean. Vladimir Putin is set to unleash 'unstoppable' hypersonic Zircon missiles during his upcoming war games with China and South Africa. Pictured: This image shows a Zircon hypersonic cruise missile being launched by the Gorshkov from the Barents Sea on May 28, 2022 The upcoming launch of the deadly missiles follows the Admiral Gorshkov conducting an 'electronic' launch at an 'enemy surface target' as it sailed in the western Atlantic off the coast of United States last week The three nations will engage in the war games from February 17 to 27 off South Africa's east coast near the cities of Durban and Richards Bay. 'During the upcoming exercise with the navies of South Africa and China, a training launch of a Zircon hypersonic missile will be carried out, to be the first-ever during an event of this kind,' a source told Russian state news agency TASS. The Gorshkov has been closely monitored by NATO navies on its mission armed with the 6,670mph Mach 9 weapon which has a maximum 625 mile range. The frigate is also carrying Kalibr missiles, a type used in Russia's war in Ukraine. Last month, it emerged that the warship had staged war games and conducted an electronic launch of the Zircon missiles off the coast of the US after it deviated from its course. Terrifying footage showed the Russian Navy preparing for a nuclear launch as the hatch opened in preparation for the deadly missile to be launched. 'The electronic launch and the work by the shipborne combat team confirmed the missile system's designed characteristics demonstrated during preliminary and state trials,' the vessel's captain Igor Krokhmal said at the time. Earlier last month, the frigate was escorted through British waters by the Royal Navy, and French and Spanish ships then escorted it through the Atlantic. Launch of an 'unstoppable' Zircon nuclear-capable hypersonic missile from the Admiral Gorshkov frigate Pictured: A sailor is on duty onboard of the Admiral Gorshkov frigate The Russian frigate 'Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov' armed with Zircon (Tsirkon) hypersonic weapons leaves the naval base in Severomorsk on January 4 The Gorshkov, which is on its first deployment, set sail from Severomorsk on January 4. Putin has previously claimed the Zircon missiles have 'no equivalent in the world' and their arrival comes at a much-needed time for Russia after multiple setbacks in Ukraine. After setting sail on its first deployment on January 4, the vessel immediately fired a test launch of the nuclear-capable cutting-edge Zircon missiles into the Barents Sea, hitting a target 620 miles away in the White Sea, the Kremlin claimed. Putin could hardly contain his joy announcing the news last month as he said: 'I am sure that such powerful weapons will make it possible to reliably protect Russia from potential external threats and will help ensure the national interests of our country.' Last month, it emerged that the warship had staged war games and conducted an electronic launch of the Zircon missiles off the coast of the US after it deviated from its course The president proudly said it was an 'important, if not momentous, event' as the vessel set sail in a task force from Severomorsk. Moscow has boasted that the Gorshkov is 'the most dangerous enemy of surface ships in the world's oceans' now it is armed with the new hypersonic missile. The frigate's captain Igor Krokhmal has said previously: 'No one will see the missile launch or its flight. 'They will only see when the missile hits the target. 'A surface target, a coastal target. I don't think there will be anything to counter this in the next few years.' The vessel is set to reach the Indian Ocean in two weeks to join navies from China and Russia to conduct military drills. The drills will happen around the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine on February 24 and will bring more focus on the push by Russia and China for global influence, and the refusal of South Africa a leading voice on its continent to side with the West and condemn Russias actions in Ukraine. The South African government said it has a neutral stance over Ukraine and has called for dialogue and diplomacy, but the upcoming naval drills have led the countrys main opposition party to accuse the government of effectively siding with Russia. A Chicago woman is accused of keeping her mother's body in a freezer for nearly two years while living in a nearby apartment. Eva Bratcher, 69, appeared in court on Thursday after being charged with hiding her 96-year-old mother's death and having a fake identification card. Regina Michalski's body was found this week in a garage freezer near the apartment they had shared, police said. Investigators believe she died on March 4 2021. The cause will not be determined until the body has thawed. The allegations are 'very disturbing', judge David Kelly said while setting a $20,000 bond for Bratcher. Mr Kelly turned down a defence lawyer's request for a lower bond to get Bratcher out of jail. Eva Bratcher (left), 69, appeared in court on Thursday after being charged with hiding the death of her 96-year-old mother Regina Michalski (right) and having a fake identification card Investigators said they are trying to determine if Bratcher was collecting her late mother's benefits, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Bratcher's estranged daughter, who lives in Kentucky, asked police to check the home after losing contact with her grandmother. 'What could go wrong? Apparently, everything,' Sabrina Watson said. The 38-year-old said she had to be taken to hospital when she became overcome by anxiety with the stress of the previous few days. Speaking to ABC7, she said: 'My grandmother was put in a freezer, like she wasn't human. There's basically nothing my mother wouldn't do for money. And if that means putting a body in a freezer, she will put a body in a freezer.' Watson recalled an incident two decades ago suggesting that her mother may have been collecting social security that was meant to be for her dead grandmother. As Bratcher was about to go to prison over a previous case, she told her then-14-year-old daughter that she should bury her grandmother under a different name if Michalski died while she was behind bars. 'She said "listen, listen very carefully. If your grandmother passes away, here's what I want you to do. There are some papers underneath her bed with an alternate name. You bury her under that name". And I said "why?" and said: "because, idiot, I want the social security checks to keep coming."' While reports said Michalski was 96-years-old, that might not be true. Prosecutors said a calendar was found suggesting she died in March 2021. Regina Michalski's body was found this week in a garage freezer near the apartment they had shared, police said. Police were seen removing a freezer from her home (pictured) Her body was found by investigators in the deep freezer kept in the garage of a two-flat apartment building in Portage Park, near where she had lived with Bratcher. 'I did suspect she was no longer alive and with us. I did not suspect her being found in the conditions she was found, and where she was found,' Watson said. Prosecutors said they found an ID in the home that had Bratcher's photograph on it, but her late mother's name, and a receipt showing that the freezer had been purchased around a week after investigators think Michalski died. Michalski's body was discovered after Watson called police and asked them to carry out a well-being check on her grandmother, who she had not seen in decades. She told ABC7 that she had been scanning obituaries for years looking for her grandmother's name, knowing that she was in poor health. Watson said her mother had blocked her phone number, and no one would answer the door if she would visit her mother's home when she visited Chicago. At one point, she even took the drastic step to make a Facebook group warning others about her mother. It was titled 'Keep Eva Michalski/ Bratcher in Prison'. Citing court records, ABC7 reported that Bratcher was sentenced to four years in prison in 2010 for forgery in Illinois. In 2006, she also pleaded guilty to felony counts of forgery and later that year was found guilty of misdemeanor counts of battery and violating an order of protection in two other cases. She has also faced a range of other charges that were dropped. Watson said her grandmother was a Polish immigrant who had grown up under the Nazi occupation of her country. 'She made these amazing Polish dishes that I will never taste again. And it's horrible that I didn't take the time to you know learn her recipes,' Watson said. Bratcher is set to appear in court again on February 21. European Union officials are expected to warn Ukraine that its hopes of a fast track to membership will not be met at a key summit in Kyiv today. The bloc's leaders granted candidate status to Ukraine in June last year, just months after Russia sent troops into the pro-Western country. But the path to full membership remains long, and could take years. It is understood that EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and the head of the European council Charles Michel will quietly inform Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky that his country will not enjoy special treatment - though no announcement will be made that could detract from the alliance built between Kyiv and Europe. Zelensky and Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal remain undeterred, however. 'I believe that Ukraine deserves to start negotiations on EU membership this year,' Zelensky declared to the media on Thursday after talks with von der Leyen. 'Only together a strong Ukraine and a strong European Union can protect the life we value.' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (L) shake hands after a joint press conference following their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, 02 February 2023 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky receives European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv, Ukraine February 2, 2023 Von der Leyen, Zelensky and Shmyhal hold a Ukraine and EU flag in Kyiv Von der Leyen arrived in Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Thursday with Michel and the EU's most senior diplomat, Josep Borrell in preparation for today's summit. Air raid sirens rang out in Kyiv and across Ukraine this morning, but the summit is expected to go ahead without delay. Yesterday the EU chief was seen warmly greeting Zelensky ahead of a joint press conference, where the pair signed an EU and Ukrainian flag before holding them up together in front of photographers. Earlier this week, Ukraine expanded anti-corruption efforts by raiding the residences of an oligarch and a former interior minister, a key issue for Kyiv to secure approval to join the EU. Von der Leyen tweeted that Ukraine was 'taking notable steps forward to meet our recommendations, while at the same time fighting an invasion'. 'We have never been closer,' she said, noting that the EU was 'working on extending tariff-free access to our market'. Shmyhal has called holding the summit in the capital 'a powerful signal to both partners and enemies', and on Tuesday said Kyiv had 'a very ambitious plan to join the European Union in the next two years.' Ukraine has in recent weeks secured promises from the West for deliveries of modern battle tanks to fight Russian forces, and Kyiv is now asking for long-range missiles and fighter jets. And Zelensky has warned that the Kremlin is consolidating its forces for a fresh offensive. Russia is 'preparing to try to take revenge, not only against Ukraine, but against a free Europe and the free world', he told a Thursday press conference. Von der Leyen stands alongside Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal in Kyiv yesterday Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen in Volgograd, Russia, 02 February 2023 Von der Leyen said the EU was looking to finalise fresh sanctions against Russia by February 24, the first anniversary of the conflict's start. Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted that Moscow is weathering the barrage of sanctions imposed by Ukraine's Western allies and will continue its military campaign in Ukraine. But von der Leyen said sanctions were already 'eroding' Russia's economy, 'throwing it back by a generation'. She estimated that an existing oil price cap alone was costing Moscow around 160 million euros every day. 'We will introduce with our G7 partners an additional price cap on Russian petroleum products and by the 24th of February - exactly one year since the invasion started - we aim to have the 10th package of sanctions in place,' she said. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov however claimed yesterday his nation had plans to overshadow pro-Ukrainian events arranged by Western and allied countries around the world to mark the anniversary of the February 24 invasion. And Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov warned that the Kremlin has mobilised 500,000 troops for a major new offensive in Ukraine in an attempt to swing the momentum back in Moscow's favour. The Prime Minister says Vladimir Putin is 'completely deluded' to compare his invasion of Ukraine with Russia's defence against Nazi Germany in World War II. Vladimir Putin made the comments in a speech celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over the Nazis at Stalingrad, now known as Volgograd, in World War Two to take a jab at Germany. Anthony Albanese said on Friday Putin's invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine a year ago was illegal and premeditated. 'There are all sorts of excuses he will come up, but the regime in the region that doesn't support democracy and supports authoritarianism is his own,' said Mr Albanese told Sky News. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy) slammed Putin for comments comparing his invasion of Ukraine to Russia's defence of Nazi Germany in World War II 'If he wants to look for authoritarianism, then he should look in the mirror. And that's why Australia stands with Ukraine,' Mr Albanese added. Putin made the speech this week, continuing his frequent characterisation of Ukraine as a hotbed of neo-Nazi beliefs, although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is of Jewish descent. 'The ideology of Nazism in its modern form and manifestation again directly threatens the security of our country,' Mr Putin said. 'Again and again we have to repel the aggression of the collective West. 'It's incredible but it's a fact: we are again being threatened with German Leopard tanks with crosses on them.' Australian Defence Force personnel are training Ukrainian soldiers in England. Australia has also just signed an agreement with France to provide even more military support to the embattled eastern European nation. Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech at a concert in Volgograd during commemorations for the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory at the Battle of Stalingrad during World War Two (pictured) Mr Albanese said Putin's invasion of Ukraine almost a year ago was illegal and premeditated ( pictured damage of an overnight missile strike in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, on February 2, 2023) Despite this, Ukraine continues to ask for support in the form of tanks to help fend off Russian attacks. Asked about the matter, the Prime Minister said he's open to further support, but noted the support provided already has been substantial. 'This is a bipartisan issue. The former government also provided support ... before the last election, and they have supported all the measures that were put in place,' he said. He pleaded guilty to being drunk on an aircraft at Birmingham Magistrates' Court A drunk Ryanair passenger was fined after he was 'verbally aggressive' towards cabin crew and forced the captain to consider diverting the flight. Stephen Stokes, 58, was returning from a holiday in Portugal and claimed he drank half a bottle of brandy to calm his nerves after losing his medication. He pleaded guilty to being drunk on an aircraft at Birmingham Magistrates' Court yesterday. He was hit with a 745 bill made up of a 400 fine, 185 costs and 160 victim surcharge. Stokes, of Winchester Drive, Marston Green, Solihull, West Midlands, boarded the plane in Faro, Portugal, on January 16 this year. Stephen Stokes, 58, was returning from a holiday in Portugal and claimed he drank half a bottle of brandy to calm his nerves after losing his medication Stokes pleaded guilty yesterday at Birmingham Magistrates' Court to being drunk on an aircraft, and was hit with a 745 bill Ekene Pruce, prosecuting, said: 'He was observed to have consumed a half a bottle of brandy, which was 500ml, and he had become verbally aggressive towards the crew and was repeatedly told by the air crew not to be loud and aggressive. He also smashed a glass. 'The captain considered diverting the flight, however reconsidered and landed at the destination. Officers came aboard and removed the defendant in an intoxicated state.' Phillip Haycock, defending, explained that Stokes lost his mental health medication prior to leaving, but thought he would be able to board the plane because it was a short flight. Mr Haycock said: 'He bought alcohol, not for himself as he doesn't ordinarily drink. He's a solitary individual and keeps himself to himself. He bought it as a present for his mother. 'However when at the airport just as he was about to board he became quite ill and took a few sips of the brandy. He thought it would calm his nerves. However, that didn't do the trick. 'Regrettably, he must have been drinking from it whilst on the flight. He has very, very little recollection of the incident on the plane. He remembers breaking the glass. It slipped from his hand. It wasn't a case of him throwing it.' Stokes was 'verbally aggressive towards the crew' and was repeatedly told by them 'not to be loud and aggressive' Mr Haycock added: 'He has apologised unreservedly to the company and I suppose he's been banned from future flights. I don't think he will be travelling on airlines in the future because of his difficulties. 'He is ashamed of his behaviour. He has tried to keep it to himself. He doesn't want to bring this to the attention of his family.' After deliberating for several minutes the magistrates ruled to impose a fine, despite warning Stokes that similar cases have warranted jail sentences. The chair of the bench said: 'This offence was of a serious nature. It was in a confined space, you were aggressive and we are sure other passengers would have been concerned. 'The cabin crew were also concerned about your behaviour and to the extent they had to contact the captain to see if the flight needed to be diverted. On an aircraft you have to consider the safety of every passenger.' A letter written by Princess Diana in which she discusses her marital woes is set to go on sale. The letter on a single sheet of Kensington Palace headed note paper is dated May 11, 1995 and addressed to a Mrs Cotton. The letter reads simply: 'If only life were so simple. It is my dearest wish. Sadly the reality is I am one of three people in a triangle'. It was written six months before she famously told Martin Bashir on the BBC 'there were three people in this marriage' - in reference to her, King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla. A letter written by Princess Diana in which she discusses her marital woes is set to go on sale. The letter reads simply: 'If only life were so simple. It is my dearest wish. Sadly the reality is I am one of three people in a triangle' Princess Diana and King Charles are pictured in Seoul in 1992, the year that they formally separated The letter goes on sale at Chiswick Auctions on February 14. Letters written by Princess Diana are not uncommon at auction but head of sale Valentina Borghi says this one is of particular interest. She says is has 'such personal and intimate content' and is 'quite remarkable as it references directly that famous quote 'there were three people in this marriage'. The identity of Mrs Cotton, someone with whom Diana could share such personal information, is currently unknown. 'I am afraid the vendor bought the letter from a dealer some time ago with very little additional information' says Valentina Borghi. 'So far we have not been able to identify Mrs Cotton but are hoping someone out there will know who she is.' The auction house has given the letter an estimate of between 1,800 and 2,200 but are hopeful it may bring more. The letter was written the year before Diana and Charles divorced. They had separated in 1992 but continued to carry out royal duties together. Diana was killed in a car crash in the Tunnel de l'Alma in Paris in 1997. The letter was written six months before she famously told Martin Bashir on the BBC 'there were three people in this marriage' - in reference to her, King Charles and Camilla Charles went on to marry Camilla in 2005, but the couple had been romantically involved for several years of his marriage to Diana. Diana's interview with Bashir was watched by 23 million people and caused a worldwide media frenzy. To secure access to the princess, Bashir showed her brother, Earl Spencer, false bank statements which suggested his former head of security had been receiving money from tabloids and the security services to spy on his sister. Once he had gained access, Bashir told Diana a string of lies, convincing her that Prince Charles was having an affair with then royal nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke - now Alexandra Pettifer - and that she became pregnant and had an abortion as a result. The sale comes as a set of 32 other letters and cards written by Diana to her friends Susie and Tarek Kassam are also heading to auction and are set to sell for 90,000. Written between late 1995 and throughout 1996, Diana opened up about topics such as being isolated and fears her phone was being bugged. The couple are selling the letters because 'owning the documents is a great responsibility' that they did not wish to pass on to their children. The Kassems have kept some of their more personal and confidential correspondence with Diana. The couple, who live in London, are selling the letters at Lay's auctioneers in Penzance, Cornwall on February 16 U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, and Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Park Jin, left, address the media at the State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., Feb. 3. EPA-Yonhap The United States remains committed to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend South Korea, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday, as people in South Korea are beginning to question the need for their country to consider its own nuclear armament. The top U.S. diplomat reiterated that there should be no doubt about such U.S. commitment. "We are committed to defending the Republic of Korea using the full range of our capabilitiesnuclear, conventional missile defense capabilities," Blinken told a joint press conference with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin following their bilateral talks here. "So there should be no doubt in anyone's mind, starting with Pyongyang, of our commitment to defend our allies, our partners, our friends, and to extended deterrence," he added. Extended deterrence refers to the U.S. commitment to use all its military capabilities to defend South Korea when necessary. Some in South Korea have begun to question the possibility, as well as the willingness, of the U.S. providing such capabilities in a timely manner amid evolving North Korean nuclear capabilities. Pyongyang conducted more than 90 missile tests in 2022 alone, while firing 69 ballistic missiles that marked a new record for ballistic missiles launched in a single year. Its previous annual record was 25. "Today, we reaffirmed our commitment to improving our allied defense against common threats, as well as our commitment to defending the Republic of Korea, using the full range of U.S. capabilities, including nuclear, conventional and missile defense capabilities," said Blinken, referring to South Korea by its official name. The top U.S. diplomat added the alliance "is the linchpin of peace, stability and prosperity in the region, and is poised to grow stronger still." Park stressed the importance of efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. "Secretary Blinken and I also reaffirmed our unwavering determination to denuclearize North Korea," Park said of his talks with his U.S. counterpart. "This is at the forefront and center of our joint efforts to establish sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula. Peace without denuclearization is fake peace." A printing firm is in a women's rights row after declaring it would no longer make stickers defining them as 'Adult human females' for a prominent campaigner. Helloprint - which has a UK branch but is headquartered in Rotterdam - has suddenly refused to supply them to Kellie-Jay Keen, who is the founder of Standing for Women. Her now well-known dictionary-style design shows the word 'Woman' above a definition which reads 'adult human female' and has been printed by them some 80,000 times. The firm also made a T-shirt designed by Ms Keen and worn by JK Rowling which described First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as a 'Destroyer of women's rights' over the controversial Gender Recognition Act. But now the company - who has accepted 75,000 of orders from the cause - now says they are 'offensive material'. Helloprint refused to supply them to Kellie-Jay Keen, the founder of Standing for Women The firm made a T-shirt designed by Ms Keen and worn by JK Rowling which described First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as a 'Destroyer of women's rights' Ms Keen put in three orders to the company, which she had been using since 2018. She told MailOnline: 'The company has printed every sticker I've ever sold for the last five years, and now they won't print the dictionary definition of the word woman. I've probably ordered 80,000 from them in the past. 'I just have no idea why they have gone and done this. 'I can only think they have got new staff who have decided they are not going to do it anymore. Ms Keen's dictionary design has become well-known among those interested in the debate Isla Bryson, who - as Adam Graham - was convicted of violent sex attacks on two women and was initially placed in a women's jail 'They have printed most of it before without any trouble. I have taken great care over the years never to disclose who prints my stuff in case they are targeted by the trans lobby. 'That famous T-shirt JK Rowling wore, I designed and had printed - Helloprint actually made it.' MailOnline understands Helloprint originally objected to a leaflet in one of the orders which said the adoption of trans ideology threatened women's rights and spaces. Concerns over whether male predatory sex offenders could pose as women to gain access to female-only areas is something many campaigners have raised in the past. One of Kellie-Jay Keen's Standing For Women on September 18 last year in Brighton Helloprint - which has an average revenue of $32million - describes itself as 'driven by culture' But this led to agents at the firm deciding a 'Let Women Speak' banner, the Sturgeon slogan and the 'Woman definition' could also be seen as 'anti-trans' or 'harmful'. Staff at the company then concluded the definition suggested trans people were not women. The issue of women's rights potentially being threatened by a rush to adopt policies helping transgender people is a long-running controversey. Campaigners worried about the moves cite dangers of Ms Sturgeon's Gender Recognition Act, that would make gender self-identification possible in Scotland. The nightmare scenario could see a predatory male sex offender pretending to be a woman to target them in single-sex spaces. And the idea has also paved the path for criminal men to pose as women to try and be sentenced to time in female prisons. Isla Bryson was convicted of violent sex attacks on two women while living as a man called Adam Graham. Bryson was initially sent to a women's prison on remand but has since been taken to an all-male unit. One of Bryson's victims has said: 'I don't believe he's truly transgender. I feel as if he's made a mockery out of them using it. As far as I'm concerned, that was to make things easier for himself. 'You've got genuine cases where people are desperate to get reassignment for the right reasons because they've been born into that body... not because they've raped two people and decided that's an easy way out.' Helloprint - which has an average revenue of $32million - describes itself as being 'driven by culture'. Its website declares: 'We love diversity, we love change and we love to give back where we can.' Today Helloprint CEO Hans Scheffer said in a statement to MailOnline: 'Helloprint is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and we strongly oppose any discriminatory views or opinions. We embrace the freedom for everyone to be, or become, who they want without fear or judgement and freedom of speech is something we place great value on. 'Customers at Helloprint are free to print whatever they want, so long as it doesnt contravene our policies. As such, we reserve the right to refuse any content that is deemed to be racist, discriminatory, or offensive. 'We have worked with Ms Keen on previous occasions and are aware of her beliefs. Where these can be conveyed in line with our commitment to freedom of speech, we have delivered content for her, but when we have felt that there is harmful or offensive content, orders have been refused. 'Any discussion around such topics can be delicate, and as a company we continually seek to improve our approach to these so that we provide a safe and equal environment for our employees, customers, and partners alike. 'During a recent cluster of orders placed by Ms Keen, it was agreed by several Helloprint agents that part of the order contained offensive material which was consequently refused. As part of that cluster of orders, some content was refused that was not (when viewed in isolation) discriminatory or offensive. We maintain, however, that when viewed in the wider context of Ms Keens anti-trans narrative, it could be perceived as inflammatory. 'Unfortunately, Ms Keen has chosen to view this decision as Helloprint being "anti-women" which is absolutely not the case. 'To be clear, Helloprint is in no way "anti-women" (51% of our team are female) and we are proud to be a company that welcomes people from 38 different nationalities. We embrace anyone who believes in the right to be yourself whilst respecting others anything else would be in direct opposition to our belief in inclusion and equality.' A Mafia fugitive who had been on the run for 17 years after being accused of beating two brothers to death has been found working in a pizzeria in France. Edgardo Greco, 63, was caught by Interpol after he bragged about his authentic Italian recipes in a Saint-Etienne newspaper. The 'Ndrangheta gangster, known as the 'prison killer' had lived in the French town since 2014 after fleeing an arrest warrant in 2006 over the murder of two brothers in Calabria. Stefano and Giuseppe Bartolomeo were lured into the back of a fishmongers in 1991 and viciously beaten to death with iron bars before their bodies were dissolved in acid. Interpol, the international police organization based in Lyon, France, said the killings were 'part of a 'mafia war... that marked the early 1990s' in Italy. Edgardo Greco, who had been on the run for 16 years, has been arrested in France where he worked as a pizza chef His Perna-Pranno clan was linked to a string of murders as it fought for supremacy in Calabria in the 1990s. Greco, who was jailed for bank robbery, earned his moniker after trying to stab an enemy in jail in the 1980s. But he vanished after being accused of the double murder before appearing in France under the name Paolo Dimitrio. He initially started working as a chef in Lyons and opened his own restaurant before moving to Saint-Etienne in 2014. Investigators kept tabs on him via his accomplices but Greco was oblivious to their probe. He even gave an interview about his pizza-making expertise to local newspaper Le Progres. Italian carabinieri and anti-'Ndrangheta police officers talk at the Interpol headquarters in Lyon An Interpol statement said French police, with help from Italian colleagues, arrested Edgardo Greco in Saint-Etienne Investigators kept tabs on him via his accomplices but Greco was oblivious to their probe The article read: 'A little corner of Italy has just taken up residence at 19 rue Pointe-Cadet. 'This is where Paolo Dimitrio chose to make his dream come true: "to create elaborate Italian cuisine, using only fresh and homemade ingredients."' Agatino Saverio Spoto, an Italian Carabinieri police official, said: 'His passion for cooking was one of the elements that betrayed him.' The 'Ndrangheta, based in the 'toe' of the Italian peninsula, is one of the worlds most powerful cocaine traffickers and is seen as the largest threat among organized crime syndicates. In recent years, 'Ndrangheta mobsters have been arrested around Europe and even in Brazil. 'No matter how hard fugitives try to slip into a quiet life abroad, they cannot evade justice forever,' Interpol chief Jurgen Stock was quoted as saying in the statement. Last year, one of Italy's most wanted mobsters, Giocchino Gammino, was caught after 30 years on the run when he was spotted on Google Street View in Spain. An Italian mafia fugitive was caught after 20 years on the run after detectives spotted him on Google Maps in Spain (pictured right, by his grocery store) The gangster, who had been convicted of murder, fled from a prison in Rome in 2002 and was living under the radar in Galapagar, a town north of Madrid. The 60-year-old had changed his name, worked as a chef and opened a fruit and vegetable shop. Nearby, they found a listing for a restaurant named Cocina de Manu which had been closed for some time. But its Facebook page was still visible online, showing Gammino posing in his chef's whites, and the menu had a specialty of Sicilian supper, with a design similar to the icon black and white poster for The Godfather film. But instead of the puppeteer holding the strings behind Don Corleone, a pair of hands were holding a fork and spoon with spaghetti dangling down. And earlier this month, Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro was caught after 30 years evading justice. Italy's most-wanted mafia boss, Matteo Messina Denaro (centre), was arrested at a private hospital after 30 years on the run The head of the notorious Cosa Nostra gang who was nicknamed 'The Devil' following a string of brutal murders was captured when armed police swarmed a private medical facility in Palermo, Sicily, where he was undergoing treatment. The 60-year-old had tried to outrun the police officers on foot and pushed his way through a series of hospital doors - but he only made it as far as a bar that was part of the same building where he had been seeing doctors for colon cancer checks. As the officers cornered the now frail mafia boss, Messina Denaro meekly gave them his name before they bundled him into a waiting black minivan in front of shocked patients and medical staff. Messina Denaro, who had a 12-year-old boy strangled and his body dissolved in acid, was taken to a secret location by police immediately after he was detained. A trigger man who once reportedly boasted he could 'fill a cemetery' with his victims, Messina Denaro was a leading figure in Cosa Nostra, the real-life Sicilian crime syndicate depicted in the Godfather movies. Footage has emerged of a gang of bullies who launched an attack on a teenager in McDonald's as they hurled chairs and punched him until he was left black and blue. The shocking video posted on Twitter, shot at the Conduit Street McDonald's in Lichfield, began with at least eight people all dressed in black attacking the teenager who was cornered and unable to escape. The attack happened on Monday, 30, January at 7.20pm in Staffordshire. The video showed the victim thrown into a table and hit several times by a gang dressed in all black before one member through a chair which nearly smashed into his head. One user posted a picture of the victim's face which was left black and blue from the attack. On Monday, 30, January at 7.20pm, a teenager was attacked at the Conduit Street McDonald's in Lichfield, Staffordshire The video, originally shot on Snapchat and posted on TikTok, was captioned: 'Ion wanna hear talk from no Lichfield yute again.' The video was then shared to Twitter and captioned by one user as: 'All these people to attack one lad in Lichfield McDonalds. F*****G COWARD BULLIES !!' Other videos shared to social media showed the fight started when the victim, who was wearing grey joggers, was talking to two others who were dressed in all black and hiding their faces. During the conversation another bully, with their face covered by a balaclava, stood on the restaurant's table and threw a punch to the right-hand-side of the victim's face. While stunned, another person also dressed in black punched him on the left side of his face which threw him into the side of the table. This then led to each of the gang members attacking the teenager on the floor as they punched and kicked him while he was lying on the floor. The boy then tries to stand to his feet while the gan each throw punches to his face before one ultimately throws a cream chair which nearly smashes into his head but instead hits the wall directly above him. The group then run out of the restaurant as the manager walks over to stop the fight. The footage also showed other young diners stunned in horror as they watched the vicious attack take place. The victim is thrown into the table and hit several times by the gang before one through a chair which nearly smashed into his head The gang cornered the teenager not letting him escape as they each took turns to attack the boy The fight broke out after the victim was talking to two bullies dressed in black before another stood on a table and punched him in the face The brawl broke out as young diners look in horror before a McDonald's manager walked over to break up the attack The video which was shared on social media caught footage of young diners shocked as they watched the attack break out across the fast food restaurant Stafforshire Police confirmed two teenage boys suffered facial injuries because of the incident The footage showed one teenager being viciously attacked by the gang but the police confirm two teenagers were injured when they were called to the fast food chain. Staffordshire police said: 'Two teenage boys suffered facial injuries. Damage was also caused to furniture inside of the restaurant. An investigation is underway and officers have increased patrols in the local area as they carry out inquiries. Any witnesses, or anyone with any information, can contact us via 101 or report online, quoting incident number 609 of 30 January.' Most analysts agree the strategic value of Bakhmut is not worth the casualties U.S. officials have estimated the number of Russian troops killed and wounded in Ukraine is nearing 200,000 as bitter World War One style warfare continues to rage on the front lines. The officials, who spoke to the New York Times on condition of anonymity, warned the number of casualties is extremely hard to measure. But they added that continued trench warfare, close-quarter fighting and heavy use of artillery in and around the city of Bakhmut in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region has dramatically increased the death toll in recent weeks. The city has earned the moniker 'the Bakhmut meat grinder' due to the highly attritional warfare observed there since the conflict escalated towards the end of last year. Ukraine's armed forces, which has been keeping a running total of Russian losses since the war began, claims almost 130,000 of Putin's troops are confirmed dead - though Western intelligence officials caution the actual death toll is likely lower. Moscow meanwhile has not released any official death tolls since the early days of the war. Ukrainian soldiers fire a Pion artillery system at Russian positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk region Missile remnant is seen after shelling as the Russia-Ukraine War continues, during wintertime in Bakhmut, Ukraine on January 28, 2023 A damaged car and pile of debris are seen as the Russia-Ukraine War continues in Bakhmut, Ukraine on January 28, 2023 Ukrainian servicemen rest as they make a trench near Bakhmut on February 1, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine Moscow has been trying to seize control of Bakhmut in the industrial Donetsk region for months in what has become the longest and bloodiest battle of the invasion. Putin's troops are pounding Ukrainian trenches in the city - once home to 70,000 but now little more than a ruin - day and night with artillery before troops charge into front-on attacks against machine gun nests. The no man's land between front lines is now littered with shell holes, skeletons of trees shredded by shell-fire, and bodies of dead soldiers. 'They are just meat to Putin,' a commander named Kostantyn told the FT on a visit to the front. 'And Bakhmut is a meat grinder. For what? A f****** metre of our land.' The city sits on an important confluence of supply routes and, when fighting started at least, was seen as a vital staging point for assaults further into Donbas - particularly the nearby cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk. Now, though, the battle is more symbolic than practical. Most analysts agree the blood price that Russia has paid trying to take Bakhmut - thought to be more than 100 troops per day - is not worth the value of capturing it. But Putin promised the Russian people that Donbas would be liberated. And the path to that goal - however fantastical - lies through Bakhmut. So the show must go on. The latest Western estimates of the shocking scale of Russian casualties comes as President Vladimir Putin leveraged a World War II commemoration to whip up support for his army's efforts in Ukraine. Fighting continues to rage in Bakhmut while Russia launched further missile strikes on Kramatorsk yesterday People walk on a destroyed bridge to cross a canal towards the disputed area in Bakhmut on February 1, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine A man passes by a burnt car, following shellings the night before, in Bakhmut on February 1, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine A Ukrainian soldier wounded on the face by a piece of artillery shrapnel is brought to a hospital near the frontline in Bakhmut The soldier is treated by medics, with reports suggesting that both Ukraine and Russia are suffering heavy losses around the city Arriving in the southern city of Volgograd yesterday for commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory at the Battle of Stalingrad - a victory achieved at an enormous human cost - Putin compared Russia's so-called 'special military operation' in Ukraine to the war against Nazi Germany in 1941-1945. The Soviet Union lost an estimated 20 million people in World War II and the legacy of what is known in the country as the Great Patriotic War is venerated. As the war in Ukraine drags on, Russia's collective cultural memory of World War II is playing an ever more important role in the Kremlin's propaganda messaging and Putin's rhetoric. 'Again and again we are forced to repel the aggression of the collective West,' Putin declared yesterday in the city on the Volga River formerly known as Stalingrad. 'Readiness to go until the end, to do the impossible for the sake of the motherland, for the sake of truth was - and is - in the blood, in the character of our multinational people,' he added. Putin attends a wreath-laying ceremony during an event marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his speech on Thursday, February 2, 2023 as he attends commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad The 1942-43 Battle of Stalingrad raged for nearly six months and when it was over the city was in ruins and more than a million soldiers and civilians had lost their lives. The Red Army's victory marked a turning point not only for the Soviet Union, which had suffered several heavy defeats, but also for the Allied forces, which together went on to conquer Adolf Hitler's fearsome Wehrmacht and brought an end to the Nazi regime. Ukraine earlier this week warned that Russia is preparing for a 'maximum escalation' of the war as Kyiv braces itself for an anticipated springtime offensive. Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, said Putin could be planning another simultaneous attack on the country from the north, south and east on February 24 to coincide with the anniversary of the invasion. He told Sky News: 'Russia is preparing for maximum escalation. It is gathering everything possible, doing drills and training. Ukraine is expecting Russia to launch a major assault, ordering forces south from Belarus, north from Crimea and east from the Donbas to encircle and strangle Kyiv's forces. 'We do understand everything is on the table,' Danilov said. Speaking about whether the worst is yet to come on the battlefield, Danilov said: 'Of course, we went through an extensive difficult period, but I'm conscious that the main fights are yet to come and they will happen this year within two to three months. 'These will be defining months in the war. We have our own plans and they are clear to us. They're not hidden from our main partners.' Jeremy Corbyn today demanded his 'absurd and disgraceful' Labour suspension be reversed to allow him to represent it at the next election. The 73-year-old hardliner was booted out of the parliamentary party more than two years ago for comments he made about an investigation into anti-Semitism during his time in charge. The current independent MP for Islington North, the London seat he has represented for four decades, has been told he can only return if he apologises for downplaying the racism, something he refuses to do. In a podcast interview today he lashed out at the decision to kick him out and begged to be allowed back in before the next election expected in 2024 or early 2025, when he will be 75. But he also used the same interview to defend a Labour backbencher, Kim Johnson, who was censured for branding the Israeli government 'fascist' this week. This week Mr Corbyn has been joined by serving Labour backbenchers at rallies supporting massive co-ordinated public sector strikes that have brought much of the country to a halt He joined RMT kingpin Mick Lynch in central London, along with allies John McDonnell, Sam Tarry and Rebecca Long-Bailey, despite Keir Starmer's warning that no MP should be on a picket line 'if they want to be in government' Sir Keir Starmer has already effectively closed the door on predecessor Jeremy Corbyn standing as a Labour candidate at the next election Speaking to Global Radio's The News Agents podcast about his suspension, he said: 'It's disgraceful. It is absurd and disgraceful. I've been a Labour MP since 1983. 'I've been elected every election since then, obviously, 10 times. And I've been a Labour Party member since I was 16 years old. And I was elected as a Labour MP by my very loyal constituents in Islington North. And I think the whole thing is absurd.' 'Labour Party members ought to be allowed to decide the future of their party. The Labour Party members ought to be allowed to decide who the Labour candidates are that after all, that is what Keir Starmer was elected leader to do 'I get on very well with the Labour Party members locally. I support them locally. I work with the local council. I campaigned with the Labour Party locally. And I work as best as I can and as hard as I can to represent in my constituency. And I'm very happy doing that. And I would like to continue doing that.' Mr Corbyn is likely to be 75 by the time the next election takes place in 2024 or 2025, and if he wins he could serve until he is 80. According to the i paper, he recently told locals in his constituency he has no plan to retire. If he were to run again as an independent it could cause a headache for Labour and his successor Sir Keir Starmer, as he won his seat for the party with a 26,188 majority in 2019. However, some senior party figures believe that a Labour candidate could win against him. This week, Mr Corbyn was joined by serving Labour backbenchers at rallies supporting massive co-ordinated public sector strikes that have brought much of the country to a halt. He joined RMT kingpin Mick Lynch in central London, along with allies John McDonnell, Sam Tarry and Rebecca Long-Bailey, despite Sir Keir's warning that no MP should be on a picket line 'if they want to be in government'. The party leader has already effectively closed the door on his predecessor standing as a Labour candidate at the next election. While Mr Corbyn remains a Labour Party member he sits as an independent MP because he refuses to apologise for his response to an Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) investigation into anti-Semitism. Asked about the situation in December, Sir Keir told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I don't see the circumstances in which he will stand at the next election as a Labour MP.' Mr Corbyn had the whip removed and was suspended by Labour in the aftermath of the highly critical EHRC report in 2020. He had his party membership reinstated within weeks, but Sir Keir refused to readmit him to the group of Labour MPs. In his initial response to the EHRC report, Mr Corbyn claimed the scale of anti-Semitism in the party had been 'dramatically overstated for political reasons' by opponents both inside and outside Labour, along with the media. But he later attempted to clarify his comments in a statement to the party, saying concerns about anti-Semitism are 'neither 'exaggerated' nor 'overstated'. El Salvador has highest incarceration rate in world with 2% of population in jail El-Salvador has unveiled a mega-prison built to house 40,000 suspected gangsters as part of the country's war on gangs that has seen 63,000 suspected criminals incarcerated in just ten months. The Terrorism Confinement Center, which will be guarded by over 800 soldiers and police officers, more than doubles El Salvador's incarceration capacity and will help relieve some of the overpopulation in the country's prison system. The prison, which covers 166 hectares (410 acres), will house some of the 63,000 suspected gang members who have been arrested under a 10-month state of emergency that was supposed to last 30 days. 'All the terrorists who (caused) grief and pain to the Salvadoran people will serve their sentences... under the most severe regime,' said Deputy Justice Minister Osiris Luna. The government's strict crackdown on gangs has meant El Salvador has the highest incarceration rate in the world with nearly two per cent of its adult population behind bars. The Terrorism Confinement Center, which will be guarded by over 800 soldiers and police officers, more than doubles El Salvador's incarceration capacity and will help relieve some of the overpopulation in the country's prison system The prison, which covers 166 hectares (410 acres), will house some of the 63,000 suspected gang members who have been arrested under a 10-month state of emergency that was supposed to last 30 days A prison warden shows anti-riot equipment, during a tour in the "Terrorism Confinement Center" (CECOT) prison complex in El Salvador But the rising inmate population as a result of the anti-gang measures, which the vast majority of the population supports, has stretched the country's already overwhelmed prison system. Now, the new prison - one of the largest in Latin America - will house 40,000 suspected criminals to relieve some of the pressure on the prison system. The authorities have not said when the first inmates would be transferred to the hi-tech facility built in an isolated rural part of a country that for long was at the mercy of a multitude of gangs. In the new prison, President Bukele has said, inmates will no longer have access to 'prostitutes, PlayStations, screens, mobile phones and computers' as he claimed they had in other jails. Those held at the new CECOT would, instead, be made to work, according to Deputy Justice Minister Osiris Luna, to 'compensate for some of the damage they did to society.' President Bukele on Wednesday said the prison, which was built in just seven months, 'is a fundamental element in finally winning the war against gangs' in the violence-plagued Central American country. Built near Tecoluca, 46 miles southeast of the capital San Salvador, the gigantic prison complex covers 166 hectares (410 acres), Minister of Public Works Romeo Rodriguez said on Tuesday. The perimeter will be secured day and night by 600 soldiers and 250 police members, while prison officials with assault rifles will guard the inside. Now, the new prison - one of the largest in Latin America - will house 40,000 suspected criminals to relieve some of the pressure on the prison system Prison security agents stand guard outside cells in the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador An officer supervises video monitors in the Terrorism Confinement Center on Thursday Aerial view of the newly inaugurated prison, at an isolated rural area in a valley near Tecoluca, 74 km southeast of San Salvador Salvadoran Minister of Public Works Romeo Rodriguez tours the prison security rest area in the Terrorism Confinement Center Electronic equipment will block cell phone signals to prevent any communication from the prison, the government has said. The government's crackdown on gangs in the last 10 months has sparked wide-spread criticism of alleged rights abuses but it has also won President Nayib Bukele sky-high popularity at home. Under the state of emergency measure, some constitutional rights have been suspended, including allowing authorities to make arrests without a warrant and giving the government access to citizens' communication. The state of emergency was introduced after a wave of murders attributed to criminal gangs. The mass arrests of suspected gangsters have been criticized by human rights organizations. Last Friday, Human Rights Watch denounced 'severe prison overcrowding' as a result of the roundup some claim has been indiscriminate. Without the newly-built CECOT, the country's 20 prisons had a total capacity of 30,000 inmates. A prison warden shows the screen of a body scanner, during a tour in the Terrorism Confinement Center Troops and police officers stand outside the newly inaugurated prison, at an isolated rural area in a valley near Tecoluca El Salvador's largest prison, La Esperanza, currently holds 33,000 people despite having a capacity of 10,000. The new prison has not been universally welcomed, with Miguel Montenegro, director of the non-governmental Human Rights Commission of El Salvador calling it 'an embarrassment for the country.' 'The government boasts of having the largest prison in Latin America, but it is not a reason for pride,' he said, pointing to a risk of overcrowding and violence from amassing thousands of alleged members of rival gangs. The rector of El Salvador's Central American University Andreu Oliva said the new prison appeared to prioritize punishment over rehabilitation, saying everyone 'deserves a second chance.' Bukele, who has made reducing the murder rate a key priority, has previously accused critics of his shakeup of defending gangsters. Four people have been charged and three teenagers cautioned after two wild brawls in Sydney's south-west which police say are linked. The first brawl saw two mothers and a group of teenagers allegedly fight outside a St George Bank in the Bankstown Central Shopping Centre on January 30. Up to 15 people were involved in the wild brawl, which is said to have lasted 10 minutes, and which saw a 52-year-old woman taken to hospital after sustaining an injury to her lip. Just days later, three teenagers ruthlessly beat another boy at Condell Park High School in a targeted attack believed to be in retaliation for the earlier fight. Now, a police investigation has established the two fights were linked. The wild brawk in Bankstown allegedly involved up to 15 people and was said to have lasted 10 minutes. Footage captured the fight, showing a woman knocked to the ground while another two punched her (pictured). Police have now charged four people A 17-year-old boy was arrested in Condell Park on Wednesday and taken to Bankstown Police Station. He was denied bail after facing children's court on Thursday charged with common assault and affray. Police arrested another 17-year-old boy in Kingsgrove on Thursday and charged him with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company and affray. He was refused bail and appeared before the children's court on Friday. A 16-year-old boy was also issued a caution after attending Bankstown Police station. Meanwhile, on Friday, a 46-year-old woman was arrested and taken to Campsie Police Station before she was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm in company. She was granted conditional bail and will face Bankstown Local Court on March 2. Police also arrested a 16-year-old boy and charged him with assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company. The teenager was refused bail and will appear before children's court on February 4. The victim of the fight at Condell Park High School (pictured) spoke with police, which led to subsequent inquiries and arrests. Footage of the fight shows the attackers holding the victim in a headlock as they punch, kick and stomp on him in a targeted ambush Two teenage girls, aged 15 and 16 years old, were issued cautions in relation to the Bankstown shopping centre incident. The Condell Park fight victim spoke with police before a family member took him to a doctor for his minor injuries. Footage of both brawls was captured by onlookers and shared widely on social media. At one stage during the video of the fight which broke out in Bankstown a woman is allegedly thrown to the ground while another two climb on top of her and start raining down punches. In the shocking footage of the ambush at Condell Park High School, one boy is seen holding the victim, who is curled up on the ground, in a headlock while two others kicked him. A naughty puppy forced his owner to shell out 2500 on a lifesaving operation after he chewed through a TV remote and swallowed the batteries. Sharon Nicholson, 51, was heading to bed on last month when she saw her Hungarian Vizsla Dexter had nicked the remote off her bed and started eating it. After attempting to wrestle the remote from the dog, she began to offer him treats to coax his jaws off his prize. However four-month-old Dexter had already chewed through the case and swallowed one of the Duracell batteries in the few seconds he'd had it, leaving the mother-of-two frantic with worry. Amazingly, despite his meal Dexter was behaving fine but vets told her to bring him in straight away for fear the battery acid could leak and burn through his insides. Dexter was just four-months-old when he bit off more than he could chew In just a few seconds Dexter was able to chew through the remote and swallow the battery X-ray pictures show how close the battery came to Dexter's vital organs A grim x-ray shows the cylindrical power source lodged inside him - perilously close to his internal organs. After trying to coax the battery out of his body by making the dog throw up, the vets were eventually forced to fish it out from down his throat. Sharon had to pay 2,500 for the procedure, which thankfully her insurance will cover. She has said she doesn't blame Duracell for the accident, is now urging owners to keep battery-powered items out of reach and seek medical help if in a similar predicament. Duracell said they were 'very sad' to hear about Dexter's accident, are glad it's been safely removed and are always seeking to raise awareness of how to use and store batteries safely. Sharon, from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, said: 'The vets told me to bring him straight down because they weren't sure whether he'd bitten into it first. 'If he'd bit into it first then it was highly dangerous because of the battery acid but luckily he hadn't. 'I was in tears knowing the battery was still in his tummy [the following day]. 'It was just the thought of losing him, putting him through a procedure and thinking it was only a slim chance he would survive that.' A scope was pushed down Dexter's throat in order to extract the battery The operation to save Dexter's life cost Sharon 2,500 Thankfully Dexter has now made a full recovery and seems to have learnt his lesson The operation Dexter had consisted of a scope being wiggled down his throat. The grim procedure was successful and Sharon says he's now back to normal. She explained: 'They anaesthetised him and put a scope with loops on the end down his throat to fish it out. 'It was inside him for nearly 24 hours, it's a miracle it didn't leak in that time. 'He didn't have to be cut open, which is what we were worried about. Dexter's now fine, he's back to normal. 'I was elated when I knew he was going to be alright, I told the vet I could have hugged him. 'The operation to fish it out cost 2,500, thankfully the insurance will cover it. 'It's not Duracell's fault, it was just an accident. I've been through the house and made sure everything's out of reach. 'My advice to any dog owners in a similar situation would be to make sure everything is out of reach and if anything does happen like that seek a vet's help immediately'. Mr Doddy, who performed the procedure, said: 'We saw Dexter, a four-month-old Hungarian Viszla puppy, here at Swift Referrals on a Saturday evening. 'He had swallowed a battery from the TV remote control. His own vets had given him a drug to make him vomit the offending item up again, but it remained stubbornly in the stomach. 'He was sent here where x-rays confirmed that the battery was still present.. You might think that we could have just left the battery where it was, in the hope that Dexter would pass it 'out the other end'. 'However the strong stomach acid can corrode a battery, this causing the toxic contents to be released and absorbed into the bloodstream. 'So, under general anaesthesia, we passed an endoscope and with some delicate manoeuvres, retrieved the missing AAA. 'While we were in there, we also retrieved two sections of a gent's leather belt and several twigs. 'Dexter has been firmly told to stick to dog food.' A Duracell spokesman said: 'We are very sad to hear about Dexter's accident and hope that he is recovering swiftly. 'We are glad that the battery, and the other items that he had eaten, were safely removed. 'Duracell is always seeking to raise awareness of how to use and store batteries safely. 'As part of that, we recommend that consumers regularly check the devices in their homes to make sure that batteries are secure and cannot be removed easily. 'In addition, new batteries and used ones should be stored in a safe place until they can be recycled correctly.' Nicola Bulley's two young daughters are 'asking where their mummy is', a close friend of the missing mother revealed today as the search for her reaches the seven-day mark. On Friday morning, members of the local community stood by the side of the road holding signs bearing Ms Bulley's photo, urging people to contact police with information. The mortgage adviser, 45, disappeared one week ago as she was walking her dog along the River Wyre in Lancashire. Her final sighting was at 9.10am and 25 minutes later her phone and dog lead were found on a riverside bench. Nicola Bulley, 45, disappeared one week ago as she was walking her dog along the River Wyre in Lancashire It's been a week now since the mother of two vanished while walking her dog, springer spaniel Willow, on a towpath by the River Wyre This morning, Ms Bulley's friend Emma White told broadcasters that the missing mother's 'two beautiful little girls are asking where's their mummy'. She told Good Morning Britain: 'They are asking all these questions and we can't give them answers. 'As a family they are being so strong for those little girls. Timeline: Mystery of mother who vanished while walking her dog January 27 8.43am Nicola Bulley walked along the path by the River Wyre, having dropped her two children off at school 8:50am (approximately) - A dog-walker somebody who knows Nicola saw her walking around the lower field with her dog. Their two dogs interacted briefly before the witness left the field via the river path 8.53am She sent an email to her boss 8.57am - She sent a text to a friend to organise a playdate 9.01am She logged into a Teams call 9.10am (approximately) A witness somebody who knows Nicola saw her on the upper field walking her dog, Willow. Work is ongoing to establish exactly what time this was. 9.30am The Teams call ended but Nicola stayed logged on 9.35am (approximately) Nicola's mobile phone and Willow were found at a bench by the river by another dog-walker. The dog's harness was found on a bench along with her phone, which is still connected to a work conference call. The dog's lead was on the floor. 10.15am - The alarm is raised around an hour later by a walker who finds her springer spaniel Willow running lose. Jan 28 - Feb 2 - Police hunt for Ms Bulley, including by searching the stretch of river where she was last seen. Advertisement 'They know mummy's missing. Today, apparently their hair wasn't quite right from one of the little girls because that's not the way mummy does it.' Appealing for anyone with information to come forward, she added: 'She's a daughter, mother, partner, sister and a great friend, and we all just want Nikki back. 'So if anybody has anything that they can give the police, anything just share it please.' Speaking on Friday, a week after Ms Bulley disappeared, Ms White described the mix of emotions her friends and family were feeling. She said: 'Seven days on and its such a tough milestone today, believe me. 'We're all finding it tough today but seven days, so we are out today in force. 'The community has come together once again, we have got banners printed, placards of Nikki. 'Everybody's trying to find that missing piece of the jigsaw.' Describing the situation as 'surreal', she added: 'We have got this feeling of great sadness, you've got heartache, mixed in there with a whole lot of hope. 'You just can't explain the feeling that's going on.' Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Ms White described her good friend as 'the most beautiful person'. She said: 'She's beautiful on the outside, but she's also the kindest soul on the inside. 'She's thoughtful, she's caring, and then her and Paul together adds a little bit of magic. 'They created these two beautiful humans, who are just wanting to know where their mummy is.' Another friend, Heather Gibbons, told Sky News that Ms Bulley's disappearance was 'completely' out of character. She said: 'If Nikki could be at home with her girls, that's where she would be. 'She's been working so hard towards building up her career again, everything in life is great and she loves life, so we just know that if Nikki could be at home that's where she would be.' Paul Ansell said he 'cannot get his head around' how Ms Bulley had vanished, and said his focus was on staying strong for their two daughters Sky News' crime correspondent Martin Brunt said that 'forensically' work was complete at the location where Ms Bulley was last seen. Police insist there is evidence of no crime at Ms Bulley's disappearance is the subject of a missing person's inquiry. Meanwhile, Ms Bulley's partner told how he will 'never lose hope', one week on from her disappearance. Paul Ansell said he 'cannot get his head around' how Ms Bulley had vanished, and said his focus was on staying strong for their two daughters. Speaking near the scene where Ms Bulley was last seen, Mr Ansell told broadcasters: 'Every single scenario comes to a brick wall. Every single one of them. 'All we are doing is sitting there going round and round and round through each scenario.' He added: 'We're never, ever going to lose hope, of course we're not, but it is as though she has vanished into thin air. It's just insane.' Police are continuing to search for Nicola around the area where she was last seen on the River Wyre in Lancashire Emma White described Ms Bulley as a 'beautiful person' and urged anyone with information of her whereabouts to come forward The 44-year-old said his 'whole focus is my two girls' and that he was 'hoping to goodness' that people would come forward with new information following an interview with Ms Bulley's parents and sister on Thursday. Earlier today, it emerged Ms Bulley had booked a playdate with a friend in her final text minutes before she disappeared. She had sent a text at 8.57am just before logging on to a Teams call while she walked her dog along the River Wyre in Lancashire, locals were told at a village meeting. A resident of St Michael's on Wyre told the Mirror: 'She booked a playdate, 8.57, she sent a text message to a friend whose mortgage she had just recently signed off on to arrange for the girls to go for tea this week.' The local, who did not want to be named, said this was more evidence that she had no intention of voluntarily disappearing, adding: 'You wouldn't have done that if you were going to get up and go missing.' Howard Millington, a former police detective with a 30-year career at Greater Manchester Police, has called her case 'very unusual' and 'very concerning'. In an interview with Sky News, he said: 'It will have been quickly escalated, I've no doubt. Lancashire Police have spared no expense in resourcing this properly.' On Friday morning, members of the local community stood by the side of the road holding signs bearing Ms Bulley's photo, urging people to contact police with information. Nicola Bulley was last seen walking her dog Willow along the River Wyre in Lancashire on Friday, January 27 Yesterday, police issued a public appeal for a woman seen in CCTV wearing a red coat on the River Wyre around the time Ms Bulley vanished last Friday morning. MailOnline can now reveal that the 67-year-old woman, Christine Bowman, told police she did not see Ms Bulley during her walk with her own dog Snowflake. Ms Bowman said she was baffled by the appeal to track her down because she had already spoken to officers on the day Ms Bulley disappeared - and she 'doesn't know anything'. The local resident - who police hoped could provide key pieces of information in the search for Ms Bulley - does not travel as far as the bench where the missing mother's phone and dog were found. 'The security camera footage that she was caught on was taken from the caravan park next to the towpath. 'That's as far as she goes, she doesn't walk her dog further along the footpath than that point.' And Ms Bowman told The Mirror she was doubly confused by the public appeal given she'd reportedly already told police she had no information to offer. The retired teacher said: 'It has made local women fearful. If they have husbands or partners, they have been taking the dogs out instead.' It was a devastating blow for Ms Bulley's family, who have been waiting with bated breath for updates in the investigation. In the appeal to track down the woman yesterday, a spokesman for Lancashire Police said: 'She is described as wearing a red and white coat with a fur hood, light-coloured trousers and a light bobble hat. 'She was walking a small, white dog. The woman was seen on CCTV at around 8.48am on Allotment Lane, close to where Nicola was last seen and was also seen near to the gate at the end of Allotment Lane.' The 67-year-old woman in a red coat who was the subject of a police witness appeal told officers she did not see Ms Bulley during her walk However a friend said: 'Their paths did not cross, she has no information on where Nicola could be sadly.' As the investigation reached the one week mark, a source from St Michael's Angling Association said the stretch of river where Ms Bulley vanished is notorious and 'very dangerous', with a depth of about 15ft. READ MORE: Fifteen vital questions about mother-of-two's disappearance that are leaving police and family baffled Advertisement 'The combination of the depth and how cold it is at this time of year makes it very dangerous,' he told The Times. 'I certainly would not want to fall in there and I'm a very strong swimmer.' Specialist police divers have been painstakingly searching the riverbed for clues. Ms Bulley's sister Louise Cunningham made a heartfelt plea yesterday, saying she needed to 'get my sister back'. Joining her family for a round of television interviews, she said: 'Something has got to have been missed. Somebody must know something. People don't just vanish into thin air. 'There has got to be somebody who knows something and all we are asking is, no matter how small or big, if there is anything you remember that doesn't seem right, then please reach out to the police. Get in touch and get my sister back.' Ms Cunningham said her family felt they were 'stuck in a nightmare'. 'We're going round in circles to piece together what happened. We've got to keep an open mind,' she told ITV News. 'We have no idea where she is. There's no evidence to point us in any direction. 'My hope is that she's still out there. We just want her home. Her children need her home. It's heartbreaking. We're such a close-knit family, we'd do anything for any one of us. 'Somebody must know something, people don't just vanish. If there's anything you might have seen, please get in touch with the police.' This is the moment a 71-year-one woman was swallowed up by an 8ft sinkhole which opened up in her front yard in New York before two more people fell in trying to rescue her. Police reported that Luz Bedoya fell down the hole which opened in her front yard at around 6am on Thursday 26 January. When two men tried to rescue Bedoya, who says she was screaming for help, they also fell in to the hole reportedly measuring eight ft by ten ft. A responding officer pulled one person out with the help of a bystander, and the other two were helped out with a ladder. Benjamin Orengo found his wife stuck in the sinkhole and said: 'Everybody is doing okay, thank God [...] It could have been worse.' 71-year-old Luz Bedoya is caught on her doorbell camera before falling into the sinkhole Bedoya suddenly disappeared into the hole after walking out into her yard in the dark The cause of the sinkhole is not known. Huntington town inspectors speculate that a water pipe leak and heavy rain caused the ground to open up. Luz Bedoya fell into the hole as the walked into her yard in the dark. A doorbell video shows her falling into the hole. Orengo later found his wife and two others stuck in the hole. All three were taken to Huntington Hospital nearby for evaluation. It is not clear for how long they were stuck in the hole. Benjamin Orengo found his wife in the sinkhole that he estimated was about 8-foot deep Coverage shows the unsafe area cordoned off after victims were helped out with a ladder Sinkholes have a number of causes. When water washes away soil underground, open spaces can emerge between rocks. Changing groundwater gradients can also flush out material between rocks, leaving open spaces that are susceptible collapse. Cold weather can also lead to the ground freezing and thawing, disturbing the water and soil below. Sometimes sinkholes are caused by multiple factors, like drilling, injecting water and heavy loads on the surface. A South Korean F-35A fighter takes off at an air base in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, to join combined air drills with the United States on Feb. 3, in this photo released by the Republic of Korea Air Force. Yonhap South Korea and the United States on Friday staged combined air drills, involving U.S. F-22 and F-35B stealth fighters, in a show of America's "invariable will and capability" to keep its security commitment to the Asian ally, the Republic of Korea Air Force said. The allies conducted the drills over the Yellow Sea, just two days after they staged air maneuvers, involving B-1B strategic bombers and F-22 and F-35B jets from the U.S. military. In both drills, the South deployed its F-35A jets. "The combined drills this time were conducted with the goal of improving combined operational capabilities and interoperability between the Air Forces of South Korea and the U.S.," the armed service said in a statement. "It demonstrates the U.S.' invariable will and capability to carry out its defense commitment to South Korea," it added. "While maintaining a solid combined defense posture, the South Korean and U.S. Air Forces will continue to strengthen combined drills to acquire strong response capabilities and posture against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats." The exercise comes a day after the North warned it would "take the toughest reaction" to any military action by the U.S. under the principle of "nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for an all-out confrontation." During his visit to Seoul earlier this week, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said there would be more deployments of advanced military assets to ensure U.S.' security commitment. The drills over the Yellow Sea not far from Chinese shores also raised speculation that they were intended in part to put press on Beijing to do more to rein in North Korean provocations, observers said. (Yonhap) A joint Anglo-Italian architectural project has produced a 'floating city' concept - a collective of orb-like houses that would supposedly house up to 50,000 people in the event global warming leads to mass flooding. The concept was hatched by an international team of architects and designers led by Italian firm Luca Curci Architects and UK-based Tim Fu Design, who came together to design a eco-friendly village that adapts to future climate demands. Computer-generated images revealed the imagined design of the city is akin to the dystopian 2013 sci-fi flick Elysium starring Matt Damon. The city remains squarely in the virtual realm, at least for now. But the architectural firms plan to showcase developed blueprints of their eco-creation at this year's Biennale Architettura - a world-renowned architectural festival and expo in Venice. The concept was hatched by an international team of architects and designers led by Italian firm Luca Curci Architects and UK-based Tim Fu Design Buildings are interconnected by web of walkways and green spaces The designs show a range of different structures and homes of varying size, but all have minimalist yet luxurious interiors Designs for floating city concepts are shown in these images provided by Luca Curci Architects and Tim Fu Design Concept artwork of the floating city shows a web of smooth white structures interconnected by a series of curved streets radiating out from the city centre. The futuristic, neutral aesthetics of the city's buildings are peppered with lush green spaces, while in one design a lush forest runs along the perimeter of the town. Photos also show a mix of high and low-rise homes that offer spacious living with glam interior design. Architects Luca Curci issued a statement surrounding the release of their design, created in response to the 'threat of climate change.' 'The Floating City is designed to support the global response to the threat of climate change. Floating Cities will shape our future. The firm added: 'The sustainable city allows its residents to get into a healthier lifestyle, in connection with natural elements, re-thinking the traditional concept of community and society.' The future community will feature a total of 25 acres of interconnected platforms and various neighbourhoods, Luca Curci said. Each section will contain a mix of high-rise and low-rise buildings surrounded by a membrane of photovoltaic glasses which provide electricity to the whole floating system, making it energy-independent. Photos show a mix of high and low-rise homes that offer spacious living with glam interior design The futuristic, neutral aesthetics of the city's buildings are peppered with lush green spaces, while in one design a lush forest runs along the perimeter of the town The future community will feature a total of 25 acres of interconnected platforms and various neighbourhoods, Luca Curci said 'The Floating City is designed to support the global response to the threat of climate change. Floating Cities will shape our future,' Luca Curci Architects said It is difficult to determine when the first floating city was designed, as the concept has likely been around for centuries, especially in coastal communities where people have historically sought ways to adapt to rising waters. However, in recent years there have been various proposals and designs for floating cities, with the purpose of addressing the challenges posed by climate change and sea level rise. One of the most notable floating city concepts was proposed in 2021 by OCEANIX, which received funding from the UN to construct a web of interconnecting platforms with enough living space to house 12,000 people in the city of Busan, South Korea. The construction of OCEANIX Busan is estimated to cost $200 million (150 million), and is due to be completed by 2025. 'We are on track to delivering OCEANIX Busan and demonstrating that floating infrastructure can create new land for coastal cities looking for sustainable ways to expand onto the ocean, while adapting to sea level rise,' Philipp Hofmann, CEO of OCEANIX, said last year. The idea of a floating city may sound like a concept from the latest science fiction blockbuster. But it's set to become a reality in Busan, South Korea, where scientists backed by the UN are building the world's first prototype floating city The project, called OCEANIX, was announced in 2021, but new design images have now been unveiled. They show how interconnected platforms will cover a total of 15.5 acres, with enough space to accommodate 12,000 people The project aims to help people living in coastal areas, whose communities are at risk of being wiped out amid rising sea levels. According to OCEANIX, two in five people around the world live within 62 miles of a coastline. 'OCEANIX's modular maritime neighbourhood will be a prototype for sustainable and resilient cities,' said Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director of the BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, who are some of the lead architects on the project. 'As our first manifestation of this new form of waterborne urbanism, OCEANIX Busan will expand the city's unique character and culture from dryland into the water around it. 'We believe OCEANIX's floating platforms can be developed at scale to serve as the foundations for future resilient communities in the most vulnerable coastal locations on the frontlines of climate change.' The floating city will be set over a stunning blue lagoon, and formed of 15.5 acres of interconnected platforms, connected by bridges. The city will be split into different neighbourhoods including living, research and lodging covered in low-rise buildings. All built structures in the city will be kept below seven stories to create a low centre of gravity and resist wind, according to OCEANIX. An Australian carer is fighting for his life after falling from the roof of a four-storey building while on holiday in South Korea. Angus Catt, 26, from Melbourne was visiting Seoul with his brother Will Catt when tragedy struck on January 22. It's unclear what caused his fall. The 'larger than life' carer, who works with disabled people, was knocked unconscious. He was then incubated with multiple injuries to his chest and brain and suffered two cardiac arrests on his way to the hospital. His family are now facing a medical bill upwards of $410,00 and fear without further intensive and specialist treatment, he is unlikely to make it home to Australia. Angus Catt, 26, from Melbourne was visiting Seoul with his brother Will Catt when tragedy struck on January 22nd The 'larger than life' carer, who works with disabled people, was knocked unconscious from his fall. He was then incubated with multiple injuries to his chest and brain and suffered two cardiac arrests on his way to the hospital The cost of his bed alone in the ICU at Severance Hospital in Seoul is $2,000 a day. His family is hoping he will be stable enough by February 9 to be taken back to Australia in an Air Ambulance at the cost of $260,000. His hospital bills are expected to be $150,000, but will rise if he is kept there longer. His insurance company Alliance's position will not accept any liability or help with the emergency repatriation or medical costs due to a loophole he was unaware of, his crowdfunder says. 'Angus is a larger than life, fun & cheeky character who has touched so many hearts with his beautiful energy,' his fundraiser reads. 'He has always lived life to the fullest and has brought so many along with him on his journey. 'He has fractured vertebra and ribs, but the extent of the fractures cannot be determined until he stabilises. 'His lungs are improving but still compromised. As a result of the fall, Angus is now facing extremely high medical costs. His family are now facing a medical bill upwards of $410,00 [AUD], and fear without further intensive and specialist treatment, he is unlikely to make it home to Australia His family is hoping he will be stable enough by February 9th to be taken back to Australia in an Air Ambulance at the cost of $260,000 'The bed costs and drugs alone are running over $2000/day; despite this, it is vital to keep him here until he is in a condition where travel won't compromise him further.' His family are hoping to crowdfund to pay for his medical bill, with more than $200,000 already donated. Angus's mother, Sally Catt, said her son was an 'infectious' character, who loved his job working with those on NDIS and 'exudes joy'. Multiple family members and close friends, including his father Jim Catt, brother Will and mother Sally are now in Seoul. Due to Covid restrictions, Angus can only have one visitor for a maximum of 15 minutes a day. He was able to move his mouth and had slight eye movement after a visit from his father this week. 'He was moving his hand in response to Jim's hand, so much more than we expected,' Sally wrote in an update on the crowdfunding page. Angus (pictured with friends in Sydney) was able to move his mouth and had slight eye movement after a visit from his father this week 'It was Sunday 6pm when Will rang us, worried that Angus hadnt made it home after hed peeled off with some newly made friends the night before,' Sally explained. 'At 6.30pm I had the call from the embassy that theyd found him. 'The news was grim - a fall from 4 floors - unconscious, intubated, with multiple injuries, 2 cardiac arrests and 2 CPRs on the way to the hospital, unstable condition but in ICU at Severance Hospital in Seoul.' Tory Brexiteers and DUP leaders have fired a warning shot across Rishi Sunak's bow with a demand he halt building work on new customs checkpoints in Northern Ireland. Former Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg and other ex-ministers including John Redwood and Mark Francois are among those who have called on the Government to halt work on posts for agri-food checks at Ulster ports. The devolved powersharing institutions at Stormont collapsed last year after the DUP withdrew co-operation as part of its protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol. In the absence of devolved government, responsibility falls on Defra to construct new facilities at Northern Ireland ports to check goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK, checks that are opposed by the DUP. Last month, the Government published legislation to ensure completion of the facilities for agri-food checks. But in an early day motion tabled by DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, 14 MPs say that 'injurious' checks would 'give effect to a customs border that divides the United Kingdom, treating Northern Ireland like a foreign country'. Former Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg and DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson led calls on the Government to halt work on posts for agri-food checks at Ulster ports Rishi Sunak has scrambled to soothe DUP and Tory MP nerves over Northern Ireland protocol concessions as No10 played down hopes a deal is nearly done In the absence of devolved government, responsibility falls on Defra to construct new facilities at Northern Ireland ports to check goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK They add that they would also 'protect the integrity of a different legal regime in Northern Ireland created by laws in over 300 areas imposed by a polity of which it is not a part and in which it has no representation', namely the European Union. Rishi Sunak scrambled to soothe DUP and Tory MP nerves over Northern Ireland protocol concessions today as No10 played down hopes a deal is nearly done. The UK and EU are said to be 'inching' towards a settlement that could end years of wrangling over post-Brexit rules. Brussels is believed to have agreed a package that includes scrapping routine checks on products destined for the province. The bloc also appears to have accepted that the European Court of Justice would only be able to intervene if the domestic courts refer issues. However, Downing Street said there were still 'significant gaps' and it is far from clear that the terms will be acceptable to unionists in Northern Ireland, or Tory Brexiteers. Meanwhile the Government is facing a legal challenge over the legislation used to override Stormont. A judicial review challenge, brought by loyalist activist Jamie Bryson, asserts that the statutory instrument enabling the completion of infrastructure for agri-food checks is unlawful because it treats Northern Ireland as the entry point into the European Union. His claim states that the Northern Ireland Protocol itself asserts that Northern Ireland is part of the customs territory of the United Kingdom. Mr Brysons legal representatives have served a pre-action letter to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The protocol, which was agreed by the EU and UK as a way to keep the Irish land border free-flowing post-Brexit, has created a series of new customs and regulatory barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Negotiations between London and Brussels to resolve issues with the operation of the protocol are continuing. FBI agents are now investigating after a Republican councilwoman was 'shot in the face seven times' while driving her SUV home as Governor Phil Murphy said it was 'not politically motivated'. Eunice Dwumfour, 30, was shot outside of her home in Sayreville, New Jersey on Wednesday night, with friends calling it a 'targeted and personal attack'. According to friends, the mother-of-one was shot seven times in the face and seven times in the body. She crashed her SUV with her slumped over the wheel, with horrified neighbors hearing multiple gunshots and then a crash. Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office and Sayreville Police are leading the investigation, with the FBI now becoming 'involved' in the investigation. FBI agents are now investigating after a Republican councilwoman was shot in the face seven times while driving her SUV home Republican councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour married a pastor who lives in Nigeria just before Thanksgiving According to friends, the mother-of-one was shot seven times in the face and seven times in the body Dwumfour was found inside of her white Nissan SUV with multiple gunshot wounds on Samuel Circle just before 7.30pm. She recently married a pastor who lives in Nigeria, just before Thanksgiving, and lived in the apartment with her 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. Friend and Pastor Nelia Rodriguez told The Ingraham Angle that she believes the incident was a 'personal attack'. She added: 'We believe it [was] very personal because she was shot seven times in the face and another seven shots were hitting everywhere else. 'So for somebody to get so close to somebody and shoot them so many times, it has to be personal.' The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office said the investigation into Dwumfour's death is ongoing and officials have not released a motive or any information about a suspect. There have been no arrested in the case, with officials seen searching a wooded area near her home after witnesses claimed they saw a man run off in that direction after the shooting. Police received a tip that the murder weapon had been dumped in the area, so brought in police dogs to search the area. A friend told DailyMail.com that she and her family had just returned from Nigeria on a church trip - describing her as 'bubbly and nice' Police received a tip that the murder weapon had been dumped in the area, so brought in police dogs to search the area She ousted the sitting Democrat in the Borough of Sayreville in November 2021, in a shock election win, and was not up for reelection until 2024. A friend told DailyMail.com that she and her family had just returned from Nigeria on a church trip - describing her as 'bubbly and nice'. Family members told USA Today that she lived at the property with her 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. Her sister Priscilla said: 'She was always happy, very humble and had respect.' Friends of the councilwoman paid tribute to her as an 'amazing friend' who 'loved god'. Detective Juan Rodriguez and Pastor Doctor Nelia Rodriguez posted online saying: 'I just saw her this morning at the store. Friend and Pastor Nelia Rodriguez told The Ingraham Angle that she believes the incident was a 'personal attack' She recently married a pastor who lives in Nigeria, just before Thanksgiving, and lived in the apartment with her 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship Eunice Dwumfour on her wedding day when she married a pastor who lives in Nigeria The Republican councilwoman with her new husband before she was shot earlier this month She crashed her SUV with her slumped over the wheel, with horrified neighbors hearing multiple gunshots and then a crash She crashed her SUV with her slumped over the wheel, with horrified neighbors hearing multiple gunshots and then a crash 'I remember saying to her I'll see you at the HRC meeting tomorrow not knowing tonight was going to be the end of her life. 'I can't stop crying. She was 30 years young and full of life. You will be missed my dear, precious friend.' Dwumfour was a Certified Business Analyst and Scrum Professional for Fire Congress Fellowship inc. and a part-time EMT. She graduated from William Paterson University and served as a Director of Churches for the Nigerian-based Champions Royal Assembly. In a statement Sayreville Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick said: 'The community is shocked and saddened at the loss of Eunice Dwumfour, who was a dedicated member of our Borough Council who was truly committed to serve all of our residents. 'The fact that she was taken from us by a despicable criminal act makes this incident all the more horrifying.' Dwumfour was a Certified Business Analyst and Scrum Professional for Fire Congress Fellowship inc. and a part-time EMT The windscreen of her car was covered as emergency services raced toth the scene of the shooting at 7.22pm Her white SUV was seen being removed from the scene by authorities in the early hours of the morning The mayor said that she believes that law enforcement 'will bring this fast-moving investigation to a quick and successful conclusion and look forward to the identification, arrest, and successful prosecution of the person responsible.' Sayreville Republican Chair Karen Bailey Bebert added: 'We remember Eunice for how she lived, not for how she died. 'She was the embodiment of Sayreville, living the American Dream, overcoming challenges with grit and a smile. 'And always giving of time and love to others. She embodied Sayreville and will be terribly missed by all who were fortunate enough to know her.' Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy added that he was 'stunned' by her murder and branded it an 'act of gun violence'. He told WNYC that there was 'little known' about the motivation for the incident which 'does not appear to eb related to her potion as an elected councilwoman in Sayreville.' Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a planned visit to China following the detection of the balloon - which has been spotted by pilots The balloon was pictured over Missouri on Friday afternoon after floating over Montana, where officials feared it could have snooped on nuclear sites The Chinese spy balloon which has triggered a diplomatic crisis between Beijing and Washington was floating over Missouri on Friday afternoon - as pilots reported sightings of it just a few thousand feet above their aircraft. Images posted by the National Weather Service in Kansas City, MO, showed an unidentified balloon flying over the state which is believed to be the Chinese surveillance device. The balloon was previously above Montana, where officials feared it could be attempting to gather intelligence on nuclear missile sites. A report from the crew of a Cessna Citation private jet on Friday afternoon said they observed a 'derelict balloon adrift' while cruising at 43,000 feet near Kansas City. They said the balloon was floating at around 50,000 feet, which could cause safety concerns among aviation officials. Military and defense officials previously said the balloon was floating at around 60,000 feet and doesn't pose a threat to civilians or civil aviation. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a planned visit to China following the detection of the balloon, which Beijing has said is a civilian airship that blew off course - a claim rejected by the Pentagon. A US defense official said the balloon is the size of several buses - but doesn't post an immediate threat to Americans. The balloon, pictured over Montana, has been tracked for several days but officials decided not to shoot it down over fears about debris. China claims it is a civilian airship used for meteorological research A model of the path taken by the balloon suggests it originated in central China then entered continental United States airspace over Alaska and through Canada The Chinese surveillance balloon is estimated to be about the width of three buses. The balloon is fitted with solar panels to power the on-board equipment, which could include long-range cameras and radar. It was traveling at an altitude of around 60,000ft on Friday afternoon, but the balloons can reach heights of around double that Blinken was expected to travel this weekend for a visit which included a landmark meeting with President Xi Jinping. The trip was postponed on Friday morning after the balloon triggered alarm in the White House and the Pentagon. The incident adds to a series of recent controversies that have further strained the tense relationship between China and the United States. The National Weather Service in Kansas City said: 'We have had several reports across northwest MO of a large balloon visible on the horizon. It is now visible from our office in Pleasant Hill and the KC Metro. We have confirmed that it is not an NWS weather balloon.' The Pentagon said the balloon was floating at around 60,000 feet on Friday afternoon The development prompted one weapons manufacturer to offer anyone who could shoot it down 'an AR of your choice on the house'. Beijing had urged calm while it established the 'facts' before a statement on Friday morning said the balloon was a weather research device that had 'deviated far from its planned course'. The Chinese foreign ministry said it regretted that the balloon had mistakenly entered US airspace. The Pentagon disputed China's version of events on Friday afternoon. Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told a press briefing: 'We know it's a surveillance balloon.' The possibility the balloon could be shot down was not ruled out during the briefing, but military officials have so far decided against the measure. A senior State Department official said the presence of the balloon in US airspace was an 'unacceptable' and 'clear violation of our sovereignty, as well as international law'. The official said it was concluded 'conditions are not right' for Blinken to carry out the visit to China, but added: 'We believe in diplomacy to responsibly manage the most complex bilateral relationship we have. We are committed to maintaining open lines with the People's Republic of China at all times, including during this incident.' The official added: 'I'll also reiterate that this is a postponement and the Secretary have plans to travel at the earliest appropriate opportunity when conditions allow.' The balloon - which is as large as three buses and hovering at about 60,000ft - was detected earlier this week as it entered airspace in Montana, triggering fears it could be monitoring nuclear sites there. JUST IN: Pilots are now reporting the Chinese spy balloon floating a few thousand feet above them. "DERELICT BALLOON ADRIFT" at 50,000 feet was just reported by the crew of a Cessna Citation private jet cruising at 43,000 feet near Kansas City. pic.twitter.com/xuOBY8xt7U Pete Muntean (@petemuntean) February 3, 2023 A missile alert facility near Belt, Montana. Officials feared the spy balloon could be used to gather intelligence about nuclear sites in the state US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has cancelled a trip to China which included a meeting with President Xi Jinping after the balloon was detected earlier this week A model of the path the balloon is thought to have taken, created by meteorologist Dan Satterfield, showed it originated in central China China had further blamed the balloon's entry into US airspace on its limited steering capability. Independent modeling suggested the balloon would be over southeast Missouri by Saturday. A statement added: 'The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure,' citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond one's control. Officials in the US said it was 'confident' of preserving communications with China despite the incident and that Blinken's visit would be rescheduled once conditions are 'right'. The fiasco is yet another escalation of the tensions between the United States and China. CIA director William Burns said on Thursday that President Xi had ordered the Chinese military to be prepared for an invasion of Taiwan by 2027. Burns' comments followed calls from senators for TikTok to be removed from Apple and Google's app stores over fears the hugely-popular Chinese-owned app posed a threat to national security. Why would China launch a 'spy balloon' over Montana? Beijing suspected of delving into the 'Cold War playbook' The detection of the suspected Chinese spy balloon over the United States triggered speculation that Beijing was mounting a concerted surveillance effort near sensitive military sites. China has claimed the balloon is a civilian airship that blew off course, but analysts have said the balloon could be a Cold War-era espionage technique deployed in US airspace. Balloons have been used as a spying technique - including by the US - since the 1950s. But technological advancements mean modern models are harder to detect and have much greater surveillance capabilities. The balloon currently floating over the US is about the size of three buses. It is believed to have flown over the Aleutian Islands in the northern Pacific Ocean, and then crossed Canadian airspace into the United States. One model suggests it's likely to drift further into the Midwest and over Missouri by Saturday, but the nature of the device and changing weather makes an accurate prediction difficult. The balloon is large enough that destroying it would rain down debris, risking the safety of people on the ground, US officials said. The balloon's path takes it over 'a number of sensitive sites', a senior Pentagon official said when asked about the presence of nuclear missile silos in Montana. 'Clearly, they're trying to fly... this balloon over sensitive sites... to collect information,' the official added. However, the balloon's tech is not 'revolutionary' and its observations are not better than what China is capable of seeing through other means such as its spy satellites. China's claim that the balloon is a civilian weather-monitoring device are not totally baseless. Such balloons, which can appear similar to a surveillance device, are common tools for meteorological research. China has sent such balloons over the United States in recent years, the senior Pentagon official said. The official did not share details, but indicated the flights were detected as far back as the administration of the previous president Donald Trump. However, the official added, this is the first time a Chinese balloon has stayed in US airspace for an extended period. Advertisement Republican senators had called on Blinken to cancel the trip, which was agreed by Biden and President Xi. Montana Senator Steve Daines feared the Chinese balloon floating above the state was targeting nuclear missile fields installed there. US officials said they have taken 'custody' of the balloon. They are thought to believe it has 'limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective'. Republican leaders and former President Donald Trump had led calls for the balloon to be show down. Canada was also monitoring a 'potential second incident' on Friday as officials worked to determine whether a separate sighting was the same balloon. In a statement on Thursday, the Canadian government said: 'A high-altitude surveillance balloon was detected and its movements are being actively tracked by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). 'Canadians are safe and Canada is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident.' Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who served under Trump, accused China of a 'brazen act'. He told CNN the US should '[bring] it down so that we can capture the equipment and understand exactly what they are doing. Are they taking pictures? Are they intercepting signals?' 'Failing that I would definitely shoot it down, provided that there's no risk to people on the ground.' Esper said it was a matter of 'great concern' that the balloon was flying close to missile fields and strategic bomber bases. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said the balloon was alarming but not surprising. 'The level of espionage aimed at our country by Beijing has grown dramatically more intense & brazen over the last 5 years,' Rubio said on Twitter. Arkansas' Republican Senator, Tom Cotton, said: 'President Biden should stop coddling and appeasing the Chinese communists. Bring the balloon down now and exploit its tech package, which could be an intelligence bonanza. 'And President Biden and Secretary Austin need to answer if this balloon was detected over Alaskan airspace. If so, why didn't we bring it down there? If not, why not? 'As usual, the Chinese Communists' provocations have been met with weakness and hand-wringing.' The discovery has put the militaries and intelligence services of the United States and Canada on alert. F-22 fight jets were mobilized to track the device as it oved over Montana, which borders Canada, on Wednesday. A US defense official said it entered US airspace 'a couple days ago' but its exact location has not been shared. The balloon flew over the vast state of Montana, which borders Canada, and at an altitude well above commercial air traffic. Before that, it's path was tracked over the Aleutian Islands in the northern Pacific Ocean, then over Canadian airspace into the United States. A US official said the balloon was as large as three buses. 'There have been reports of pilots seeing this thing, even though it's pretty high up in the sky,' the official added. 'So, you know, it's sizeable.' The balloon is large enough that destroying it would rain down debris, risking the safety of people on the ground, US officials said, adding: 'Does it pose a threat to civilian aviation? Our assessment is it does not. Does it pose a significantly enhanced threat on the intelligence side? Our best assessment right now is that it does not.' China is thought to be flying a surveillance balloon over the United States, and Joe Biden (left) wanted to shoot it down. Pictured right is President Xi Jinping CIA Director William Burns pictured on Thursday at Washington's Georgetown University, where he called China the 'biggest geopolitical challenge' facing the United States China's President Xi Jinping has ordered his military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, the director of the CIA has warned. Pictured: Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers during military training at Pamir Mountains in Kashgar, northwestern China's Xinjiang region Pictured: A map showing China's likely tactics when it comes to an invasion of Taiwan The balloon situation is the latest strain on America's relationship with China. Senators also called this week for Apple and Google to ban the Chinese-owned TikTok app from its stores over national security fears The news initially broke as CIA Director William Burns was speaking at an event at Washington's Georgetown University, where he called China the 'biggest geopolitical challenge' facing the United States. Elaborating on China's readiness for an invasion of Taiwan, Burns added: 'Now, that does not mean that he's decided to conduct an invasion in 2027, or any other year, but it's a reminder of the seriousness of his focus and his ambition. 'Our assessment at CIA is that I wouldn't underestimate President Xi's ambitions with regard to Taiwan,' he said, adding that the Chinese leader was likely 'surprised and unsettled' and trying to draw lessons by the 'very poor performance' of the Russian military and its weapons systems in Ukraine. Russia and China signed a 'no limits' partnership last February shortly before Russian forces invaded Ukraine, and their economic links have boomed as Russia's connections with the West have shriveled. The Russian invasion had fueled concerns in the West of China possibly making a similar move on Taiwan, a democratic island Beijing says is its territory. China has refrained from condemning Russia's operation against Ukraine, but it has been careful not to provide the sort of direct material support which could provoke Western sanctions like those imposed on Moscow. 'I think it's a mistake to underestimate the mutual commitment to that partnership, but it's not a friendship totally without limits,' Burns said. TGA looking into new rules of paracetamol sales Australian supermarkets will be limited to selling paracetamol packets with a maximum of 16 tablets inside in a bid to stop overdoses. New rules from the Therapeutic Goods Administration will see both pharmacies and supermarkets reduce the amount of the painkiller customers can buy at once. Customers are currently able to purchase packs of up to 100 paracetamol tablets or capsules over the counter at chemist stores without talking to a pharmacist. Australian supermarkets will be limited to selling paracetamol packets with a maximum of 16 tablets inside in a bid to stop overdoses That number would be reduced to 32 under the proposed changes, with anything above that requiring a pharmacist's supervision. The maximum size of packs available in supermarkets or convenience stores would be reduced from 20 tablets to 16, the Therapeutic Goods Administration said on Friday. Australians would also require a pharmacist's approval to buy bulk packs of paracetamol under proposed new rules. The medicines regulator has made the decision in a bid to lower rates of intentional overdose. New rules from the Therapeutic Goods Administration will see both pharmacies and shops reduce the amount of the painkiller they can buy at once Customers are currently able to purchase packs of up to 100 paracetamol tablets or capsules over the counter without talking to a pharmacist A final decision is expected to be made later this year with public submissions invited until March 3. About 50 Australians die of intentional paracetamol overdose each year, according to an independent report commissioned by the regulator. Overdose rates are highest among adolescents and young adults. Other previously flagged changes included potentially restricting minors from buying the painkiller without a prescription. In its interim decision, the regulator found age restrictions would have a limited impact on impulsive overdoses and would 'disproportionately and unjustifiably' affect access for minors who lived independently. Blister packaging would instead be required for packs sold without a pharmacist's supervision to deter overdose from ingesting large numbers of tablets. The regulator is also encouraging supermarkets to restrict sales to a single pack at a time and urging consumers not to stockpile paracetamol. It said the interim decision was intended to strike a balance between minimising misuse of the drug and ensuring access for the treatment of acute and chronic pain. While survival rates from a paracetamol overdose are typically excellent, this is only if treatment occurs within six hours of ingestion. Delayed treatment can result in serious liver injury and sometimes death and can be complicated by different forms of the drug. New Hampshire's Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said he'd still vote for former President Donald Trump even after calling him 'f***ing crazy.' Speaking to CNN's Alisyn Camerota on Thursday, Sununu replied 'yes, absolutely,' when asked if he'd support the Republican nominee in 2024, even if that meant backing the former president. 'I'm a Republican, I'm gonna support the Republican nominee because I can guarantee that they're better than any of the Democrats that would likely sit in that presidential seat,' Sununu replied. The moderate governor, who's flirted with jumping in the 2024 race himself, spoke at the white tie Gridiron dinner in Washington in April and turned Trump into a punchline. 'He's f***ing crazy,' Sununu said to a roaring crowd. 'I don't think he's so crazy that you could put him in a mental institution, but I think if he were in one, he ain't getting out.' New Hampshire's Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said he'd still vote for former President Donald Trump even after calling him 'f***ing crazy' On Thursday, Sununu downplayed the joke saying it was just that - a joke. 'Yeah, that was funny. It was a roast. It was a funny joke,' he said. Camerota pointed out that there was often a 'germ of truth' in jokes. 'If it's what you feel, why would you support him?' she asked. Sununu answered that he made jokes about his own family - as his father is the Granite State's former governor and his brother served in the House - as well as President Joe Biden and former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who was seated nearby when he gave his Gridiron roast. 'And so, the fact that someone might say something humorous or whatever, doesn't qualify or disqualify them from anything,' Sununu said. Sununu said he believed that the left flank of the Democratic Party would challenge Biden in the 2024 primaries. He also said he didn't think Trump - the first candidate to announce in 2024 - would ultimately win the GOP nomination. Earlier this week, the Post and Courier was first to report that former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley planned to announce a run in mid-February. Others in the mix include former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis - who's receiving the most ire from Trump for potentially running against the ex-president. Sununu also made a pitch for himself during the interview. 'I think people are going to look at not just who can win, but who can actually get stuff done. Right? Who's gonna bring the results to the table,' he said. 'I'm incredibly proud - people want me to run, are talking to me about running for president, because of the results we've gotten here in New Hampshire - we have no sales tax, we have no income tax, the lowest poverty rate, the most efficient government, No.1 in individual liberties.' 'We are very proud of that record and 49 other states would love that to come to the rest of the country, so we can be a model for that and Ii can shepherd that through,' Sununu added. 'So be it.' Cabin crew tried in vain to break the brawling group apart from each other Video shows women hitting each other on flight from Salvador to Brazil A flight to Brazil descended into chaos as a mass brawl broke out between more than a dozen women, with the group slapping and screaming at each other in front of bewildered passengers. Video shows the women hitting one another and pulling each other's hair while the cabin crew tried in vain to break them apart in the chaotic scenes during a Gol Airlines flight from Salvador to Sao Paulo on Thursday. The mass brawl between the 15 passengers became so frantic and aggressive that one of the women involved spilled out of her strapless top and was forced to cover her breasts with her hands. The flight attendants were caught in the middle of the brawl, with the women leaning over the bewildered crew members to slap each other. The row reportedly erupted between two families after a mother asked another passenger if she could swap seats with her child, who has special needs. The shocking footage shows a woman with curly hair trying to jump onto the seats behind her to reach other passenger - but she is held back by a male flight attendant Within seconds, another screaming passenger ran up to the woman and began pulling on her hair and slapping her repeatedly - the flight attendant caught up between them Another woman, wearing a white bandeau top, is seen pulling on the same woman's hair. At one point she tries to get leverage by sitting on top of a seat as she pulls on the woman's curly hair But when the mother's request was turned down, she became angry and began attacking the other passenger, according to local media. Video shows how the row quickly escalated and ended up in a mass brawl between a group of women. The shocking footage shows a woman with curly hair trying to jump onto the seats behind her to reach other passenger - but she is held back by a male flight attendant. Within seconds, another screaming passenger ran up to the woman and began pulling on her hair and slapping her repeatedly - the flight attendant caught up between them. Another woman, wearing a white bandeau top, is seen pulling on the same woman's hair. At one point she tries to get leverage by sitting on top of a seat as she pulls on the woman's curly hair. But the woman in the strapless bandeau top quickly stops pulling the woman's hair after she realised her crop top had slid down, leaving her topless in the aisle. Flight attendants tried to pick one woman up from under her arms and drag her away from the brawl as they tried in vain to get the passengers under control. The fight broke out while passengers were waiting to take off from Salvador International airport in Bahia to Sao Paulo-Congonhas Airport in Brazil. Video shows the women hitting one another and pulling each other's hair while the cabin crew tried in vain to break them apart in the chaotic scenes during a Gol Airlines flight from Salvador to Sao Paulo on Thursday But the woman in the strapless bandeau top quickly stops pulling the woman's hair after she realised her crop top had slid down, leaving her topless in the aisle Video shows the women hitting one another and pulling each other's hair while the cabin crew tried in vain to break them apart in the chaotic scenes during a Gol Airlines flight from Salvador to Sao Paulo on Thursday The flight attendants were caught in the middle of the brawl, with the women leaning over the bewildered crew members to slap each other The crew finally managed to get control of the group and 15 passengers were eventually escorted from the plane and the plane set off for its destination following a nearly two hour delay. Gol Airlines later said in a statement: 'The scene in the video doing the rounds on social networks took place before flight G3 1659 took off this Thursday from Salvador (SSA) to Congonhas (CGH), in Sao Paulo. 'The people involved in the scenes of aggression were disembarked and did not continue their journey. 'The company condemns all acts of violence and stresses that the actions taken by the crew were taken with regards to safety, Gol's number-one priority.' Emergency responders have been bombarded with false distress calls from skiers following an Apple watch upgrade that mistakes hitting the slopes for car accidents. Apple released an upgrade to its latest IOS system that automatically calls emergency services if you suffer a car wreck in September. But the system appears to be easily tricked when skiers are flying down a mountain, when a wipeout is accidentally registered as a severe casualty despite them being completely unharmed. And with ski-season ramping up in resorts across the US, dispatchers have been buried under an avalanche of false distress calls, with the sensitive system reportedly sending hundreds of incorrect calls to operators. For skiers who have saved emergency contacts in their phones, the system also sends a distressing message letting their loved ones know they have been in a severe car accident. Emergency dispatchers have reportedly been swamped with false crash notifications from Apple users hitting the slopes Apple's crash detection system is already turned on by default, with the latest version released in September Apple has said it is familiar with the problem, with a spokesman saying: 'We have been aware that in some specific scenarios these features have triggered emergency services when a user didn't experience a severe car crash or hard fall.' The company also noted that when a device sends an emergency call it buzzes and sounds an alarm to the user, giving them a chance to call off the signal. Despite users being given a 10-second warning to cancel the distress call, it appears that the brief fail-safe system hasn't stopped dispatchers from being inundated with fake calls. Frustrated law enforcement told KTVQ that the issue has ramped up significantly in the time since Apple released the software. 'We took our numbers from 911 misdials from previous years, even last year, and they're up 30 per cent this year,' said Carbon County Sheriff Josh McQuillan. Jeff Schmidt, general manager of a ski resort in the area, added: 'The watch doesn't know if you fell and broke your back or if you slipped on a piece of ice and you're getting back up. 'But if the watch is set to that, and calls 911, to me it's a problem. It robs the resources of 911 for something else.' One 911 dispatcher revealed to KSL News that every single call from ski resorts she has received from the technology have been false alarms. However, they said being sent the distress call is better than the alternative. 'If we can avoid the emergencies that's a good thing. We don't want you to turn the feature off, we would rather have you be safe.' Apple's emergency crash notification software struggles to tell whether a ski-slop wipeout is different to a disastrous car wreck One 911 dispatcher has revealed that every single call she has received from the system has been a false alarm How to set up Crash Detection Crash Detection is turned on by default for supported iPhone and Apple Watch models. However, Apple also recommends that users take two key steps to make sure their device is able to share the information that your emergency contacts and emergency responders need. Firstly, Apple advises setting up your Medical ID and emergency contacts in the Health app. Next, it recommends turning on Location Services for Emergency SOS. On your iPhone, tap Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services, and make sure Emergency Calls & SOS is turned on. Advertisement While the issue steals precious time away from emergency responders, another dispatcher insisted that the alternative would be far worse as they urged skiers to keep the system in place. 'God forbid you forget to turn that back on when you leave the mountain and end up in crash,' they said. 'We'd rather not even risk that, and I'd rather have a couple 911s that were a misdial or the false alarm type things than actually have something happen and we don't actually get notice of it.' The crash detection system is already turned on by default for Apple users who have up-to-date software. It is available on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models with the latest version of iOS, and is also available on several recent versions of the Apple Watch with the latest update of WatchOS. The software features a dual-core accelerometer - capable of detecting G-force measurements of up to 256Gs - and a new high dynamic range gyroscope. These are used in combination with components in previous iPhone models, like the barometer, which can detect cabin pressure changes. The system can also track GPS and speed changes alongside utilizing the device's microphone, which can recognize loud noises typified by severe car crashes. Apple has trained its algorithms on over a million hours of real-world driving and crash record data to accurately detect when an accident has taken place. While the misfiring system has caused frustration for some, skier Karl Farnsworth took to Facebook last year to praise Apple's software after he suffered a horror 350 foot fall off a slope. 'I fractured 11 vertebrae,' he said. ' 'My Apple Watch sent an emergency 'hard fall' notice to 911 which prompted swift mobilization of the ski patrol! Nice job, Apple!' Skier Karl Farnworth, center, praised the automated distress call system after he suffered a severe accident on the slopes last year A 24-year-old Texas man has been arrested in connection with the kidnapping of two tamarin monkeys from Dallas Zoo. Davion Dwight Irvin was taken into custody near Dallas Aquarium on Thursday and charged with animal cruelty. He was booked into Dallas County Jail but it is unclear at this time if he has posted bond. It came after officers found the monkeys inside an empty church that was also filled with cats, birds and other small animals. Meanwhile Irvin was shown in eerie security footage creeping around the zoo apparently eyeing up animal enclosures. Officers found the monkeys inside an empty church (pictured) that was also filled with cats, birds and other small animals Meanwhile Irvin was shown in eerie security footage creeping around the zoo apparently eyeing up animal enclosures The video captured him lurking around the mesh enclosures at an animal habitat near the Dallas World Aquarium, before being caught. The exotic monkeys were found on Tuesday by officials inside a church closet in Lancaster, approximately 15 miles away from the Dallas Zoo. The animals were unharmed though temperatures inside the building were only 37 degrees, officials said. Police were tipped off when the church pastor told them that Irvin may be the same person who has been breaking into their church. Irvin was booked into the Dallas County Jail but it is unclear at this time if he has bonded out When officials went to the empty church to investigate the burglaries they had found a slew of other animals inside including, cats and birds. Sources told WFAA they are looking into the possibility that Irvin is connected to all the incidents that took place at the Dallas Zoo in the prior weeks. The church pastor's daughter, Tonya Thomas said members from the church had recognized Irvin attending services at the church. She told the authorities about a series of break-ins happening at the church that they were renovating into a community center. Irvin was caught after surveillance cameras at the zoo captured him lurking around the area where the exotic monkey's disappeared. Sources told WFAA that prior to the monkeys been snatched Irvin had been spotted in areas that are for staff only. Sources also told the news outlet he had been asking about the clouded leopard that disappeared about thee weeks ago from its enclosure after its cage had been cut. The animal was eventually found. Over the last few weeks there have been a series of other calamities happening at the zoo, including a vulture who was found with what appeared to be some type of puncture, and also some fish and other items had been stolen. Police were tipped off when the church pastor told them that Irvin may be the same person who has been breaking into their church Video surveillance of the 24-year-old suspect, Davion Dwight Irvin Zoo officials would not provide any further details regarding the vulture's death, refusing to do so until police progress further with their investigation. Cops are pictured at the zoo - located just a six hours' drive from Broussard - last month Earlier this month, authorities in Dallas have had their hands full with a separate investigation, following a series of incidents that have transpired in recent weeks, which have seen several animals snagged, tampered with, and even killed. The first of the bizarre incidents occurred on January 13, when a clouded leopard named Nova suddenly went missing from its enclosure. The event sparked a day-long search for the 25-pound feline, which was eventually tracked down by cops a few hours later just off the zoo property. It was subsequently returned to its enclosure safe and sound. Forced to close down during the search for the cat, the zoo resumed operations as normal the next day - until it was discovered that a second habitat - one housed a breed of monkey known as langurs - had also been cut into. Fortunately, the hole was discovered before any of the animals could escape. A police report later alleged the incidents were both a result of 'criminal mischief' spurring zoo staffers to implement a series of added security measures including the installation of additional cameras and increased security patrols at night. A week later, a 35-year-old endangered vulture was found dead inside its habitat, causing the zoo to again go to the local police department, this time asking for help in its own investigation - which found that the vulture's cause of death was from a wound. It was soon discerned the vulture's passing was likely the result of foul play, with officials deeming it 'suspicious.' Two days later, the zoo again would find itself seemingly targeted, when two emperor tamarin monkeys went missing from their own enclosure, which also had been cut into. The first of the bizarre incidents occurred on January 13, when a clouded leopard named Nova (pictured) suddenly went missing from its enclosure. The cat was found safe hours later Operations at the zoo would return to normal the next day, that is until zoo officials discovered that a second habitat - housing a breed of monkey known as langurs - was similarly cut into On January 21, a 35-year-old endangered vulture named Pin was found dead, with the zoo issuing a statement saying that its death did not appear to be 'natural' Meanwhile yesterday it emerged a dozen monkeys had been stolen in a zoo burglary in Louisiana. The primates were taken from their enclosure at Zoosiana on Saturday, staffers at the Broussard zoo revealed in a statement, adding that the incident occurred moments before midnight. In total, 12 squirrel monkeys were taken, the zoo said - with officials claiming an unidentified perpetrator targeted other small monkeys during the break-in as well, before only taking the aforementioned animals. Zoosiana, a six hours' drive from Dallas, offered its first statement on their break-in on Monday, revealing on Facebook that the 'facility was broken into shortly before midnight on Saturday, January 28th.' It continued: 'The individual targeted facilities of smaller primates and specifically compromised the Squirrel Monkey exhibit. The individual was unfortunately successful in stealing 12 squirrel monkeys. 'The remaining squirrel monkeys have been carefully assessed by both the Zoosiana veterinarian and animal care team, and there are no other apparent issues affecting their health or well being,' it added. 'All other animals are accounted for and appear to have been undisturbed.' Zoo officials did not specify how many squirrel monkeys had initially been in the enclosure, but said that are working with local, state, and federal agencies to try to locate the missing monkeys. A dozen monkeys have been stolen in a zoo burglary in Louisiana - the latest in a string of animal thefts across multiple states The pint-sized primates - known for their expressive faces and inquisitive personalities - were taken from their enclosure at Zoosiana Saturday, staffers at the Broussard zoo said Monday Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on Jan. 2. Yonhap Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk was sentenced to two years in prison on Friday for using his influence to receive academic favors, including university admissions, for his children. The Seoul Central District Court also found Cho guilty of interfering with an inspection into a corruption case by using his power as a presidential aide. The court, however, did not immediately lock up the former minister who served under the previous Moon Jae-in administration. Cho was indicted in 2019 on a dozen charges, including fabricating various documents to help his two children get into universities and graduate schools, including a medical school. The former minister was also charged with receiving bribes worth 6 million won ($4,900) in the form of a scholarship for his daughter, who attended a medical school in the southeastern city of Busan. He was indicted again on charges of using his power as a presidential aide to end an inspection into bribery allegations involving a former Busan vice mayor. On Friday, the court found Cho guilty of most of the charges related to academic fraud and ordered he forfeit 6 million won. "The nature of the defendant's crime is bad as he repeatedly committed the crime for several years while serving as a university professor," the court said in its ruling. The court also said Cho is strongly blamed for damaging society's justice in the school admissions system. The court, however, acquitted Cho of several charges related to his family's suspicious private equity investments. Following the ruling, Cho thanked the court for acquitting him of those charges and said he will file for an appeal. Prosecutors, who had sought a five-year prison term for Cho, are also expected to appeal the case. In the same ruling, the court also gave a one-year prison term to Cho's wife, Chung Kyung-sim, as an accomplice in education irregularities. Chung has already been serving a four-year prison term for forging her daughter's academic credentials for school admissions and forging documents for her son. The ruling comes nearly three years after the scandal first surfaced, which served as the biggest setback for the previous Moon administration. Cho, a celebrity law professor at the top-notch Seoul National University, served as a senior presidential secretary for civil affairs from 2017 to 2019. He was appointed as a justice minister in September 2019 before stepping down about a month later amid the scandal. (Yonhap) The Massachusetts mother who is accused of strangling her three young children was allegedly 'overmedicated' on at least a dozen prescription drugs, and was trying to get help for the 'suicidal and homicidal thoughts' they caused, according to her lawyer. Midwife Lindsay Clancy, 32, who was on leave from her job at Massachusetts General Hospital, was injured when she jumped out of the window of her Duxbury home. The mother of three killed her children, Callan, eight months, Cora, five, and Dawson, three, after her husband Patrick left the family home in Massachusetts to pick up take-out. Clancy and Callan initially survived the apparent murder-suicide attempt with the midwife jumping out of a window on the property's top floor but the baby died on Friday. The mother's defense attorney is now saying 'horrific overmedication' of prescription drugs that 'caused homicidal ideation, suicidal ideation' may have been a trigger - saying the medicine turned her into a 'zombie'. Midwife Lindsay Clancy (pictured left), 32, who was on leave from her job at Massachusetts General Hospital, was injured when she jumped out of the window of her Duxbury home Kevin J. Reddington told the Boston Globe she did not overdose but Clancy and husband Patrick had tried to get help for how the prescriptions were making her feel. 'One of the major issues here is the horrific overmedication of drugs that caused homicidal ideation, suicidal ideation,' Reddington said. 'No overdose [by Lindsay.] They [Lindsay and her husband Patrick] went to doctors repeatedly saying 'Please help us.' This was turning her into a zombie...The medications that were prescribed were over the top, absolutely over the top.' Reddington says that between October and January, Clancy was prescribed a dozen medications: Zolpidem which is sold under the brand name Ambien, clonazepam, which is sold under the brand name of Klonopin, diazepam which is sold under the brand name Valium, fluoxetine which is sold under the brand name Prozac, lamotrigine, which is sold under the brand name Lamictil, lorazepam, which is sold under the brand name Ativan, mirtazapine, which is sold under the brand name Remeron, quetiapine fumarate, which is sold under the brand name Seroquel, and trazodone. He says the overmedication is the key to his defense when Clancy is tried on three counts of murder. 'The black letter law definition of lack of criminal responsibility in Massachusetts says that if a person suffers from a mental disease or defect. In Massachusetts, if you have involuntary intoxication, that would be a defect.' Clancy remains in a Boston hospital room, unable to walk or get out of bed and with an unclear prognosis, according to Reddington, who said that he's hired a toxicologist to build their defense. 'It's over medication, absolutely over medications - possibly with a component of post-partum depression.' 'She had medical care and treatment on a regular basis,' he added. 'And her husband was very proactive in trying to protect her and help her with the doctors' medication she was prescribed. They went through hell and they didn't come back.' The mother of three killed her children, Callan, eight months, Cora, 5, and Dawson, 3, after her husband Patrick left the family home in Massachusetts to get take-out He said that his client is not only unable to walk or get out of bed - though he wouldn't use the word 'paralyzed' - but is also not in good 'emotional shape.' Reddington was asked if Patrick Clancy had ever been warned about leaving the children alone with Lindsay. 'No,' he said. 'Not that I'm aware of. Course not. He loved her. He knew she was a great mother, a fantastic person.' She will be arraigned via Zoom on Tuesday, Reddington said and claims he will ask Plymouth District Court to allow Clancy to await trial in a hospital or mental health facility rather than a prison. Duxbury Police have confirmed that she is 'improving daily' after remaining in the hospital, adding that she has 'spoken to friends and family'. Kevin J. Reddington (pictured), the mother's defense attorney is now saying that thoughts of suicide and homicide were on Clancy's mind due to taking far too many prescription drugs Duxbury Police have confirmed that Lindsey Clancy is 'improving daily' after remaining in the hospital, adding that she has 'spoken to friends and family' Her horrified husband, Patrick, 34, discovered Clancy lying unconscious outside their home when he returned from work at around 6pm on Tuesday and called 911 Plymouth County District Attorneys' office are working on scheduling an arraignment with police for Clancy. However, she will only appear in court when she is physically able to do so, with her husband issuing a heartfelt plea for people to forgive his wife. Horrified Patrick, 34, discovered Clancy lying unconscious outside their home at about 6pm on January 24 and called 911. He said: 'Any parent knows, it's impossible to understand how much you will love your kids until you have them. 'The same goes for understanding the devastation of losing them. Cora, Dawson, and Callan were the essence of my life and I'm completely lost without them,' he wrote. 'I want to ask all of you that you find it deep within yourselves to forgive Lindsay, as I have. 'The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients. 'The very fibers of her soul are loving. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace.' Heartbreaking pictures show Cora, right and Dawson, left, smiling together. The siblings were pronounced dead at hospital Father Patrick Clancy was out for 25 minutes to grab takeout for his family when he found his wife, Lindsay, unconscious after dropping from their second-floor window. Inside their home, daughter Cora (left) and son Dawson (right) were dead Her grandmother, Rita Musgrove, added that 'everything is so difficult' and the family doesn't know how the tragedy will play out. Investigators are probing if the midwife was suffering from postpartum psychosis, as she was on leave from her job at Massachusetts General Hospital. Friends of the Clancy family have set up a GoFundMe to support Patrick and assist in paying for medical bills, funeral bills and legal bills. So far it has exceed the $1million goal, with the page adding: 'This assistance is especially needed because Pat will be unable to work for the foreseeable future as he weathers this painful, life-altering tragedy.' A vigil took place last week at the Holy Family Church in Duxbury, with a priest saying that the mother had been 'trying to deal with mental illness' before becoming 'overwhelmed'. Plymouth County District Attorney confirmed that Callan died at a Boston area hospital on Friday morning Five-year-old Cora and three-year-old Dawson were pronounced dead on arrival to hospital Duxbury Police work at the scene where the two children were found dead on Tuesday night Officers arrived at the family home on Tuesday after a frantic Patrick had discovered his wife unconscious on the ground below a second-floor window. They discovered the three young children 'unconscious' upstairs 'with obvious signs of trauma'. Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz said it appeared that they had all been strangled. Cora and Dawson were pronounced dead on arrival at hospital, while Callan was given CPR at the scene. Clancy will be arraigned on charges including two counts of homicide and three each for strangulation and assault and battery with a deadly weapon for the deaths of her two children. It is expected that further charges will be added for the death of Callan. Cruz said they will now conduct autopsies to determine how the children died and findings will be made public when a death certificate is issued. Clancy, pictured with Cora as a baby, was a midwife at Massachusetts General Hospital Cops discovered the three young children 'unconscious' upstairs 'with obvious signs of trauma' on Tuesday evening Neighbors and those who do not know the family have added their own offerings He said of the family: 'I cannot begin to fathom the pain, the depths of pain they must be feeling. 'This is an unimaginable, senseless tragedy, and it is an ongoing investigation.' Cruz warned, 'nobody's here to speculate', adding 'we're well aware of the fact that anybody charged with a criminal crime is presumed innocence until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.' He wrapped up the conference by saying: 'Certainly our hearts and condolences go up to the Clancy family'. Lindsay Clancy's father-in-law, Christopher Clancy, said: 'We're all heartbroken right now.' Duxbury Fire Chief Robert Reardon and Deputy Chief Brian Monahan issued a joint statement that urged responders to reach out if they're having trouble coping. They said: 'Tragedies like these are always difficult to comprehend and process. 'We are all left struggling with many emotions. Please know that all public safety personnel have been offered, and will continue to be offered, needed support.' The Wareham Fire Department showed their love for the Clancy family, the three young children who died and their fellow first responders by adding to a memorial of flowers and stuffed animals. Clancy had previously shared online that she was struggling with postpartum anxiety. Callan was initially the only child to survive the incident, but he died on Friday morning Lindsay Clancy, 32, is accused of killing her daughter Cora, 5, son Dawson, 3, and now baby Callan, who was eight months old, at the family home in Massachusetts. Pictured L-R: Lindsay, Dawson, Corey and husband Patrick Tributes have been laid outside the home where the tragedy occurred, with balloons and flowers left by well-wishers piling up Clancy pictured with her husband Patrick, 34, who called authorities after finding her lying unconscious outside their home on Tuesday evening While Lindsay appeared to be a proud mother on Facebook, she shared about struggling with postpartum anxiety after the birth of her latest child. Last July, she wrote that six weeks after the child's birth, she was feeling 'dialed in' and sought to focus on exercise, nutrition and her mindset, which she claimed 'made all the difference.' In 2020, she wrote online: 'So unbelievably thankful for this family and life,' along with doting images of her children. Feelings of depression can be common after childbirth, but on rare occasions, they can lead to full postpartum psychosis. In this extreme form of PPD, a mother can suffer from severe depression and hallucinations which can lead her to harm herself, her children, or both. The hospital where Lindsay works said in a statement: 'We are shocked and saddened to learn of this unthinkable tragedy. We extend our deepest sympathies to all those affected by these devastating events.' If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call the 24hr National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255; contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741; or chat with someone online at suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Horrifying video footage has captured the moment a Tesla driver is filmed asleep at the wheel on a California highway. The female motorist can be seen wearing a pink shirt and sunglasses while her body appears limp and unconscious at the wheel. Tesla's autopilot system is able to assist drivers but it does not make the vehicle totally autonomous, the company's website states. The incident was captured by a fellow motorist who asked 'are you nuts?' Users are required to keep their hands on the wheel to maintain control. The sleepy driver was caught on video by a fellow motorist at around 4pm on the 15 Freeway near Temecula. The person filming is said to have followed the vehicle for 15 minutes, honking and trying to get the driver's attention, reports local station KTLA 5. She then called 911 to report the incident. A voice in the video is heard saying: 'Look at how dangerous that is. You guys I'm sorry that is too damn dangerous. 'Sleeping and this car is driving you. Are you nuts?' It is not the first time a Tesla driver has been caught sleeping at the wheel and abusing the vehicle's autopilot system. In 2019, a man in sunglasses driving a white Tesla was filmed unconscious as the car, also in California. It comes after Tesla's new self-driving feature was slammed by even its lawyers owners who said it made them 'nervous.' In December Tesla gave their new Enhanced Autopilot safety assist feature to owners to trial for 30 days for free before being given the option to purchase it for $5100. The feature was made available for the Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X owners. Enhanced Autopilot provides automatic lane changing assist, automatic parking and the ability to summon the car to your location. 'None of the "functions" really worked well,' wrote one person in the Facebook group Tesla Owners Australia. 'Rather than make life easier, they made me nervous, and from my experience were dangerous.' Tesla also recently came under fire after it emerged a 2016 promotional video misled viewers about the capabilities of its self-driving technology. A testimony from a senior engineer at the firm said the video falsely suggested the car was able to stop at a red light and accelerate at a green light. The video, which remains archived on Tesla's website, was released in October 2016 and promoted on Twitter by Chief Executive Elon Musk as evidence that 'Tesla drives itself.' But the Model X was not driving itself with technology Tesla had deployed, Ashok Elluswamy, director of Autopilot software at Tesla, said in the transcript of a July deposition taken as evidence in a lawsuit against Tesla for a 2018 fatal crash involving a former Apple engineer. Designer Paco Rabanne, who shocked the fashion world with his daring and unwearable runway looks in the 1960s, has died aged 88 in Brittany. The eccentric icon, whose real name was Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo, used metal, plastic and paper to create his space-age designs, which led to him being dismissed as 'the metal worker' by Coco Chanel. The designer - who was rarely seen in public after retiring in 1999 - was nicknamed 'Wacko Paco' and claimed to have lived multiple lives. Among them he said he was a Parisian prostitute during the reign of Louis XV and Tutankhamun's killer. He believed he was 78,000 years old, had met God on multiple occasions, been visited by aliens, and had sex with the Earth. He also predicted in 1999 that Paris would be destroyed later that year when the Russian space station Mir crashed to Earth. Designer Paco Rabanne, who shocked the fashion world with his daring and unwearable runway looks in the 1960s, has died aged 88 in Brittany 'I have always had the impression of being a time accelerator,' he wrote in typically enigmatic style for a retrospective at Antwerp's fashion museum, MoMu, in 2016. 'Of going as far as is reasonable for one's time and not indulge in the morbid pleasure of the known things, which I view as decay.' He was born in 1934 shortly before the Spanish Civil War. His father, a Republican colonel who was a commander of the Guernica garrison, was shot dead by Francoist troops. His mother worked as the chief seamstress at Cristobal Balenciaga's first fashion house in the Basque country in Spain before moving the family to Paris. In the French capital, the young Rabanne started making sketches for Dior and Givenchy in his spare time from his architecture degree, and then worked at a concrete producer for ten years. But his passion for design could not be dulled and he began making jewellery for luxury brands before starting his own fashion house in 1966. The bold stylist was branded the 'enfant terrible' of the fashion world when his debut runways showcased his innovative designs, using unconventional materials. His show brought immediate fame and notoriety when he stunned the audience with '12 Unwearable Dresses', his models dancing barefoot down the catwalk in outfits made of sharp metal. His stardom reached further heights when in 1968 he designed the iconic green Barbarella outfit worn by Jane Fonda in the eponymous film. After the media furore around his own line, Rabanne signed a deal that year that brought him under the ownership of the Barcelona-based Puig family, heavyweights in the fashion and fragrance industry. The eccentric icon, whose real name was Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo, used metal, plastic and paper to create his space-age designs (pictured in 1966) The designer pictured in front of one of his boutiques in Paris His designs brought him immediate fame and notoriety when he stunned the audience with '12 Unwearable Dresses' Spanish designer Paco Rabanne (pictured in 1999) has died aged 88 in Portsall, Brittany Rabanne acknowledges applause at the end of his 1999 spring/summer haute couture show in Paris His stardom reached further heights when in 1968 he designed the iconic green Barbarella outfit worn by Jane Fonda in the eponymous film He also dressed Audrey Hepburn, Mia Farrow and Francoise Hardy during the height of his fame. He famously dressed global superstar Lady Gaga in outfits made entirely of paper for her 2011 appearance at the MTV Europe Music Awards. It marked his entry into perfumes that would see his name become synonymous with cologne, ultimately even eclipsing his fame as a designer. A statement shared on his official Instagram account said: 'The House of Paco Rabanne wishes to honour our visionary designer and founder who passed away today at the age of 88. 'Among the most seminal fashion figures of the 20th century, his legacy will remain a constant source of inspiration. 'We are grateful to Monsieur Rabanne for establishing our avant-garde heritage and defining a future of limitless possibilities.' Rabanne poses with a model wearing a white dress with a metallic headpiece after presenting his 1992/93 autumn-winter haute couture collection in Paris The bold stylist was branded the 'enfant terrible' of the fashion world after he presented his innovative designs at his early shows Rabanne tastes his model's dress made of chocolate as he showcased his esoteric designs Jose Manuel Albesa, president of Puig's fashion and beauty division, said: 'Paco Rabanne made transgression magnetic. Who else could induce fashionable Parisian women to clamor for dresses made of plastic and metal? 'Who but Paco Rabanne could imagine a fragrance called Calandre the word means automobile grill, you know and turn it into an icon of modern femininity? 'That radical, rebellious spirit set him apart. There is only one Rabanne. With his passing, we are reminded once again of his enormous influence on contemporary fashion, a spirit that lives on in the house that bears his name.' Marc Puig, chairman and chief executive officer of Puig, added: 'A major personality in fashion, his was a daring, revolutionary and provocative vision, conveyed through a unique aesthetic. 'He will remain an important source of inspiration for the Puig fashion and fragrance teams, who continuously work together to express Mr Paco Rabanne's radically modern codes. I extend my sincere condolences to his family and to those who have known him.' A transgender woman who exposed her 'penis and testicles' when she opened her front door to two police officers has been fined 320, a court heard. Jane Knightingale, 55, stood fully unclothed in the doorway of her house during a confrontation with the two constables who had been called to her house in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, following reports of a violent disturbance. Knightingale then refused to allow the police officers into her home, called one a 'Nazi fascist' and said her name was 'James Savile OBE' when asked to identify herself during the drunken exchange on January 17, 2020. She stood trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court this week accused of obstructing police, making homophobic and racially offensive comments, as well as intentionally exposing herself to officers. Jane Knightingale, 55, has been fined 320 for intentional exposure and obstruction of police The transgender musician, who court papers state is also known as Jason Pilley, was arrested and claimed she was bundled into a police van and taken to Livingston police station while still unclothed. PC David Hughes said he and a colleague found a 'bloody handprint' on the front door of Knightingale's home following a report of a disturbance around 10.30pm. He said he was left 'shocked' when Knightingale answered the door to them while fully naked. When procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie asked PC Hughes what he observed when the door opened, the officer said 'her nakedness' and 'her penis'. He also said the woman told him to 'f*** off' and called his colleague 'a German Nazi fascist'. Knightingale told an officer to 'f*** off' and called another 'a German Nazi fascist' in January 2020 PC David Jones also told the court he observed Knightingale's 'penis and testicles' when she opened the front door. The officer said he was called 'a German Nazi' and 'a p**f' and added the woman 'kept calling herself James Savile OBE' when asked what her name was. Knightingale, originally from London, told the court she identified as 'trans' and as 'a female' while giving her evidence during last Monday's trial. She denied using homophobic and racist remarks towards the officers and claimed she was put into a waiting police van 'stark naked in the middle of winter for about an hour'. She also told the court she was 'scared' of the officers' aggressive behaviour and that 'they didn't give me the opportunity to get dressed'. Sheriff Fiona Reith found the charges of Knightingale making homophobic and racially offensive remarks had not been proven by the Crown. But the sheriff did decide Knightingale was guilty of intentionally exposing herself to the officers and to obstructing them when they requested entry to her property. The sheriff said: 'As for charge five (intentional exposure) I accept the evidence of the police officers including the evidence of PC Hughes to the effect that Miss Knightingale was told to cover up and in fact her penis was on display. 'In all the circumstances I am satisfied this charge was made out, however it was again at the lower end of the scale.' Knightingale was fined a total of 320 for committing both of these offences. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene accused Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of acting like a 'teenage girl' after the New York Democrat accused the Georgia Republican of 'trafficking in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.' 'I have repeatedly asked you to debate me, but you have been a coward and can't even respond. But you go on CNN and lie about me,' Greene tweeted Thursday night. 'When are you going to be an adult and actually debate me on policy instead of run your mouth like a teenage girl?' Ocasio-Cortez appeared on Anderson Cooper 360 Thursday night and railed against House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's choice to allow Greene and Republican Reps. Paul Gosar and George Santos sit on committees, just hours after the House GOP voted to remove Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over anti-Semitic comments she made early in her Congressional tenure. 'George Santos claimed that his grandparents were in the Holocaust. That was a lie. A disgusting lie. Marjorie Taylor Greene regularly trafficking in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories,' Ocasio Cortez said, adding that Gosar and Greene were 'inciting violence against specific members in the body.' The Democratic majority in the last Congress voted to remove Gosar and Greene from their committee assignments after Gosar retweeted a video that showed a cartoon version of him killing AOC and after Greene liked a comment that suggested then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should be shot in the head. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene accused Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of acting like a 'teenage girl' after the New York Democrat accused the Georgia Republican of 'trafficking in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories' 'I have repeatedly asked you to debate me, but you have been a coward and can't even respond. But you go on CNN and lie about me,' Greene tweeted Thursday A 2018 Facebook post of Greene's that was discovered by the left-leaning Media Matters also made waves - as she said she believed California's deadliest wildfire was potentially caused by space lasers that were connected to the Rothschilds and former Gov. Jerry Brown to clear the way for a high-speed rail system. 'He has appointed all three of them to House committees - not just one but multiple,' Ocasio-Cortez continued. 'Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was engaging in 9/11 conspiracy theories, Kevin McCarthy appointed her to the Homeland Security Committee.' A 2018 video showed Greene referring to American Airlines Flight 77 as 'the so-called plane that crashed into the Pentagon,' adding, 'It's odd there's never any evidence shown for a plane in the Pentagon.' 'So there is really no consistency here,' AOC added. 'And it needs to be very well known that this targeting of Ilhan Omar is because the Republican base finds it easy. The Republican base finds it self-rewarding.' Ocasio-Cortez's CNN appearance came after she delivered an angry address on the House floor ahead of the successful vote to remove Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. She brought up 9/11 in the House chamber as well, comparing the effort to oust Omar - a Muslim - to the Islamophobia that followed the 2001 terror attacks. 'I think one of the things that we should talk about here is also one of the disgusting legacies after 9/11 has been the targeting and racism against Muslim Americans throughout the United States of America and this is the extension of that legacy,' she said. Ocasio-Cortez's CNN appearance came after she delivered an angry address on the House floor ahead of the successful vote to remove Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee Responding to Greene's tweet, AOC ridiculed the Georgia Republican's request for a debate 'Consistency? There is nothing consistent with the Republican Party's continued attack, except for the racism and incitement of violence against women of color in this body,' the New York Democrat continued. Without naming Gosar, she noted how a member of the Republican caucus threatened her life. 'And the Republican caucus rewarded him with one of the most prestigious committee assignments in this Congress,' she yelled. Gosar was added to the House Oversight Committee and put back on the House Committee on Natural Resources, where he previously served. 'Don't tell me this is about consistency. Don't tell me that this is about a condemnation of anti-Semitic remarks when you have a member of the Republican caucus who has talked about Jewish space lasers,' she continued referencing Greene, adding 'and also elevated her to some of the highest committee assignments in this body.' 'This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America,' she stated. 'Don't tell me - because I didn't get a single apology when my life was threatened,' she concluded, slamming a notebook down on the rostrum. Responding to Greene's tweet, AOC ridiculed the Georgia Republican's request for a debate. 'Hey there! In case you forgot, we sit on the same committee, which debated for the first time this week,' Ocasio-Cortez replied. 'I don't blame you if you forgot. You spent almost no time there.' 'In the few minutes you did show up, you claimed one elementary school got *$5 billion dollars* to teach CRT,' she added, using the acronym for 'critical race theory. At a House Oversight Hearing on Wednesday, Greene falsely claimed that a an Illinois elementary school received $5.1B to teach Critical Race Theory, which Republicans argue makes white students feel bad about their skin color. Greene clapped back at AOC, explaining her brief appearance at the hearing. 'Yeah it's busy in the majority remember that?' the Georgia lawmaker said. 'So can you explain why you sickos in NY abused COVID relief funds for things like Drag Queen story time? Was it a good time to brainwash kids and lie to them about gender when your state forced them to stay home from school?' she then asked. Greene then pointed out that a business called 'Drag Queen Story Hour LLC' had received $6,875 from the Paycheck Protection Program, a Trump-era program to help small businesses survive the pandemic. AOC did not respond to Greene's query. Advertisement The grieving twin daughters of Lisa Marie Presley were seen out in public this week for the first time since their mother's tragic, untimely death, both bearing an uncanny resemblance to their beloved mom and granddad Elvis. Just as they had done in previous years, Harper and Finley Lockwood, 14, were planning to celebrate their mother's birthday on February 1, most likely alongside older sister Riley and grandmother Priscilla. But the two sisters were instead forced to spend the day Lisa Marie would have turned 55 honoring her memory, while still coming to terms with her shock passing just three weeks ago. Harper (in green) and Finley (in white) Lockwood, 14, were seen out in Santa Monica on Wednesday - their first public appearance since their mother Lisa Marie Presley's untimely death last month The two were joined by their father, guitarist Michael Lockwood, on what would have been their mom's 55th birthday Lockwood, who was married to Lisa Marie from 2006 to 2021 - has been supporting his twin daughters after it was reported they would not be returning to the Calabasas home where their mom suffered a fatal cardiac arrest last month Lisa Marie is pictured with her daughters last June at a ceremony honoring three generation of Presleys in Hollywood. At 14, Harper and Finley are five years older than their mother was when her father, Elvis, died in 1977 aged 42. Lisa Marie was the only child of the King of Rock The fraternal twins were the poignant image of their late mother and their grandpa Elvis on Wednesday as they were spotted spending time with their father, guitarist Michael Lockwood, in Santa Monica. The girls were seen putting on a brave face while picking up refreshing iced beverages at a local cafe, before heading off in their dad's SUV. Both sisters were dressed comfortable and casually. Harper wore a black body suit under a green short-sleeved button-up shirt and black Uggs. She was also seen sporting a yellow Starface pimple patch made popular by celebrities like Justin Bieber and Millie Bobby Brown on her forehead. Finley, meanwhile, was sporting a white oversized hoodie, cargo pants, and sneakers, and carried a large, cream-colored messenger bag. At 14, Harper and Finley are only five years older than their mother was when her father, Elvis, died in 1977 aged 42. She was the only child of the King of Rock. And just like their mother, the twins are heirs to the rock and roll icon's distinct looks, and perhaps his talent, with those famous Presley sleepy eyes and bone structure becoming more evident as they blossom into beautiful young women. The fraternal twins were the poignant image of their late mother and their grandpa Elvis Finley was sporting a white oversized hoodie, cargo pants, and sneakers, and carried a large, cream-colored messenger bag Harper, meanwhile, wore a black unitard under a green short-sleeved button-up shirt and black Uggs. She was also seen sporting a yellow star-shaped pimple patch - made popular by celebrities - on her forehead The girls appeared to be faring well as they stopped to pick up refreshing iced beverages at a local cafe The girls had been living with their mother at their $4million Calabasas home when she suddenly suffered a fatal cardiac arrest on January 12, but have since been splitting their time between their grandmother Priscilla Presley's house and their father's place - as they have been reportedly too traumatized to return to their home. Meanwhile, Priscilla marked her late daughter's birthday on Wednesday by promising to protect her three grandchildren and keeping the family together. Speaking to Page Six, the Presley matriarch said: 'Today would have been Lisa's 55th birthday. My wish is to protect my three grandchildren and keep our family together. 'From the first moment I held Lisa in my arms, I've protected, loved and guided her, as I have my son. Our hearts are broken, and I am having to learn how to live without my only daughter,' she told the outlet. 'We truly love all of you, and we feel your prayers. Thank you so much for caring so deeply for our family.' The son that Priscilla mentioned is Navarone Garcia, the son of film producer Marco Garibaldi. He revealed this week how he was injured by a camel a few days before Lisa Marie's death, when the 2,000 lb. animal 'got his whole head in its mouth' at a California animal sanctuary. Priscilla is also battling granddaughter Riley Keogh over Lisa Marie's trust, claiming a signature on the document is false. The document was amended in 2016 to cut Priscilla out. Harper and Finley were Lisa Marie's only children with ex-husband Michael Lockwood. Throughout their parents' divorce, the twins lived with their grandmother in LA They were seen getting into their dad's SUV after picking up some refreshments The twins were 'grooms women' at their father's wedding this past October Harper and Finley were Lisa Marie's only children with fourth husband Michael Lockwood. The two were married for 15 years before splitting in 2021. She also had two children, Riley and Ben Keough with first husband Danny Keough. Ben shot himself dead in 2020 aged 27. Throughout their parents' divorce, the twins lived with their grandmother in LA. In October their father remarried, to celebrity hairdresser Stephanie Hobgood. The twins were 'grooms women' at their father's wedding. Lockwood said, following Lisa Marie death, that the girls were with him. 'Michael had been hoping for a speedy and complete recovery because her children needed her. It is very sad it didn't turn out that way,' said Joe Yanny, Lockwood's spokesman. 'Michael's world has been turned on its ear. He is with both of his daughters now.' Lisa Marie died on Thursday, January 12 from cardiac arrest at age 54 two days after making an appearance at the Golden Globes. Lisa Marie's finances remain contentious. Her fourth husband, Michael Lockwood, lost his 2016 bid in their divorce to undo their prenup, but he reopened the case in 2021, demanding she pay the $4,600-a-month child support that a court ordered (pictured 2012) Presley had been struggling with the traumatic loss of her son Benjamin, and had shared a poignant post on Instagram thanking friends for well wishes on her 52nd birthday - the first without her son She was laid to rest at Graceland late January next to her son Ben. Lisa Marie's estate was put into a trust following her passing. Earlier, it was revealed that Graceland, the legendary mansion which once belonged to Elvis Presley and brings in $56million a year, will go to Lisa Marie's three daughters. Prior to her death, Elvis' daughter was bringing in more than $100million a month from her father's estate and businesses, after inheriting his large fortune at the age of 25. Presley earned more than $4,000 a month from the Graceland estate and an estimated $104,000 a month from Elvis Presley Enterprise. Lisa Marie is pictured with twins Harper Vivienne and Finley, daughter Riley, and son Benjamin, who took his own life in 2020 Priscilla is contesting a 2016 amendment to Lisa Marie's trust that pushed her out as trustee and replaced her with Lisa Marie's children Riley and Ben. Icon: Elvis pictured with wife Priscilla Presley and their daughter Lisa Marie, pictured in 1970 Graceland, the Memphis, Tennessee, estate, was bought by her Mississippi-born father Elvis in the spring of 1957, when he was 22 and had just hit fame. The 1939 house and its grounds were sold to the young rocker for $100,000, and on his death in 1977 they passed to his only child, Lisa Marie. Priscilla who divorced Elvis in 1973 transformed the faltering estate into a tourist attraction on his death, opening it to visitors in 1982. On the first day it opened, 3,000 people visited the estate. The grounds now see 600,000 visitors a year - making it second only to the White House and the Biltmore Estate for tourist numbers. And while the house sees a stream of people gawk at the jaw-dropping excess of the jungle room, and gaze at the fabulously kitsch white and blue 1970s living room, the building remains in use as a family home where the Presleys gather for dinners and reunions. A cache of forgotten gifts to Margaret Thatcher which were saved from a storage unit have gone on sale. The collection, including an oil painting of the former Prime Minister and a bronze bust of US President Ronald Reagan, was locked away in a storage unit. The assortment of items, which also includes a photo of the Iron Lady posing with three members of the SAS in the wake of the Iranian Embassy Siege, had been forgotten about. The vendor's father worked at the London tip in the early 2000s and was amazed to find the belongings. He saved the collection and brought them home to keep them safe. An unsigned oil painting of Margaret Thatcher seated in a blue dress in a green armchair is one of the stand out items The items, which also include a remarkable photo of the Iron Lady posing with three members of the SAS in the wake of the Iranian Embassy Siege, had been forgotten about When he died five years ago he passed the items on to his son. They are now being sold at auction. The stand out items include the cache is an unsigned oil painting of Margaret Thatcher seated in a blue dress in a green armchair. It comes with a brass plaque reading: 'From a true friend and admirer with sincere best wishes on your birthday, 13th October 1995.' The message is signed by Professor Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, at the time a future Prime Minister of Indonesia. It is tipped to sell for 700 when it goes under the hammer. The black and white photograph given to Mrs Thatcher by the 22nd SAS Regiment after the successful storming of the Iranian Embassy in 1980, is another stand out item. Another unusual item in the collection is a large bronze plaster bust of President Ronald Reagan, whom Thatcher formed a close relationship with during her time in office A painting of a study of a kilim textile suspended in a doorway, bearing presentation inscription 'Mrs. Thatcher, Remembering you Forever' is also part of the sale The framed picture shows her flanked by three elite soldiers in gas masks holding assault rifles. It is inscribed with 'To Mrs Thatcher from 22 SAS Regt' and is tipped to sell for 600. The successful military operation to free 26 hostages at the embassy in London after a six day siege was a big boost to Thatcher's reputation. Another unusual item in the collection is a large bronze plaster bust of President Ronald Reagan, whom Thatcher formed a close relationship with during her time in office. It was thought to have been presented to her during a state visit to the US in June 1982 at the end of the Falklands War. The 22ins tall sculpture is expected to sell for 700. The general practice for storage units is to send any unwanted items to landfill. All of the items will be going up for sale at Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers of Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, as part of their Out of the Ordinary sale. Auctioneer Mark Wilkinson said: 'The exact circumstances of how these items came to be thrown away are unknown - although it is typical for storage companies to dispose of the contents of units when accounts are closed. 'There are some historic objects in the collection, items that point towards some of the important relationships and events in Margaret Thatcher's tenure as the PM.' The sale will take place on February 7. Jill Biden departs for a whirlwind weekend in California on Friday where she'll pay homage to cancer treatment facilities as well as presenting at the music industry's biggest night on Sunday. The first lady will spend three-days in the Golden State to discuss her and President Joe Biden's Cancer Moonshot and to visit the USS Gabrielle Giffords in San Diego as part of her Joining Forces initiative. She'll cap off her trip by presenting at the Grammys on Sunday. Other presenters include Viola Davis, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Billy Crystal, James Corden, Olivia Rodrigo and Cardi B. She is not the only first lady to appear at the Grammy Awards. Michelle Obama made a surprise appearance at the Grammys in 2019 and, a year later, won for best spoken word album for the audiobook version of her memoir, 'Becoming.' Jill Biden will be on a three-day trip to California to mark World Cancer Day, celebrate her Joining Forces Initiative and present an award at the Grammys And Hillary Clinton won a Grammy in 1997 for best spoken word album for her book 'It Takes a Village.' This is Biden's first cancer advocacy stop following her Mohs surgery in January after having lesions removed from her face and chest at Walter Reed National Military Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. She was subsequently pronounced cancer free by the White House doctor. For both the president and first lady, the fight against cancer is personal. Jill Biden began her advocacy in 1993, when four of her friends were diagnosed with breast cancer. The Bidens lost their son Beau to brain cancer in 2015. They relaunched their Cancer Moonshot - which had started when Joe Biden was vice president - last year with the goal of ending cancer as we know it. Michelle Obama made a surprise appearance at the Grammy Awards in 2019 - above she is with Jada Pinkett, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Lopez, and Lady Gaga backstage at the Staples Center Jill Biden will visit the San Diego-based Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords The first lady starts her trip in San Diego ahead of World Cancer Day on Saturday to visit Logan Heights Family Health Center which received Cancer Moonshot funding late last year to increase cancer screenings in underserved communities. Then she'll visit San Diego-based Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords to discuss her Joining Forces initiative. The ship is named after former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who is a gun violence survivor. It is the third Navy ship named after a woman. Jill Biden comforted Mary J. Blige during an event at the White House for the Moonshot Cancer initiative in October Then she heads to Los Angeles to join comic Trevor Noah who is hosting Sunday's Grammy Awards from Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. The ceremony will include performances by Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith, Lizzo, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs and Steve Lacy. A 25-year-old army veteran has been arrested after police stormed his Hollywood apartment and found a stockpile of high-powered rifles, shotguns and handguns. Officers said on Thursday there was a 'high chance' they had intercepted a potential Mass Shooting in the county which is still reeling from the tragic Monterey Park attack. However they later backtracked, claiming there was no evidence Braxton Johnson, who neighbors described as 'odd', was planning an attack. Authorities were first alerted to Johnson on Tuesday after he allegedly made violent threats to security staff at his apartment building and people outside. Dramatic video footage captures the moment they later storm his 18th floor apartment where they found two assault rifles and high-capacity ammunition magazines, all of which are illegal in California. Police initially said their raid on Johnson, pictured, had thwarted a potential mass shooting but they later backtracked They also found three semiautomatic pistols, a sniper rifle, a shotgun and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition. Several rifles were pointed from windows toward a nearby park, the LAPD had said. Police didn't identify the park, but online maps show a dog park next to the apartment complex. Police uncovered two assault rifles and high-capacity ammunition magazines, three semiautomatic pistols, a sniper rifle, a shotgun and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition Johnson served in the Army as an Infantryman from July 2016 to February 2020, an Army spokesperson told ABC news. According to his Facebook profile, his father Kenny Johnson also appears to collect guns. The pair have posted photographs together of them both holding rifles. Dramatic footage has captured the moment officers storm into Johnson's home. At a news conference Wednesday, police Lt. Leonid Tsap had said there was a 'high chance' that officers, along with building security staff and witnesses who grabbed Johnson, had 'prevented a mass shooting.' But police backtracked in a statement Thursday. 'At this point of the investigation, there are no indications that any persons were threatened with a firearm nor have we identified any intent by Johnson to plan a mass shooting incident,' the statement said. Johnson served as an infantryman in the US army between July 2016 and February 2020 'We are working with our federal partners to exhaust all investigative leads and believe there is no threat to the public.' Police also said they had talked to Johnson's family 'to provide any support services needed.' Johnson, 25, pleaded not guilty Thursday to two counts of possession of an assault weapon, one count of criminal threats and one count of solicitation of murder. He was jailed on $500,000 bail, but a judge on Thursday raised his bail to more than $1 million. Details about the threats authorities said he made Tuesday have not been released. The L.A. County DAs Office said he asked one woman if she had anyone 'who needed killing, reports KTLA. Johnson's neighbor Denis Tone said the 25-year-old talked about his weapons and that the high-rise apartment gave him 'good sight lines.' Neighbors described Johnson as 'odd' claiming he frequently talked about his weapons 'I took it to mean rifles, a rifle shot, but I thought he was just BSing,' he told KTLA. 'In retrospect, Im kind of taken aback.' Johnson posts regularly on social media, with lots of pictures showing him as a clean-cut, smiling young man. In other shots he is holding onto a rifle. The DAs office also praised the 'brave actions' of the witnesses in the case. 'Los Angeles County is still reeling over the tragic mass shooting in Monterey Park,' L.A. County District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement. 'Were it not for the brave actions of the witnesses in this case, this could have also been an incredible tragedy. 'I want to also thank the LAPD for quickly apprehending this person and potentially saving countless lives.' Johnson lived on the 18th floor of a high rise building along Sunset Boulevard, pictured Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial has heard some explosive testimony from dozens of witnesses including first responders and close family friends over the past two weeks - but many questions remain with the defense yet to bring its case. His lawyers are facing evidence of calls deleted from the alleged killer's phone, a video that places him at the crime scene and another showing he changed his clothes on the night that Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were shot dead. Prosecutors claim he killed the pair at the family's sprawling hunting estate in Moselle in South Carolina's Lowcountry on June 7, 2021, because the walls were closing in on his financial crimes. The disgraced attorney, 54, had racked up debts in the millions and was due in court in days over a fatal boat crash in which Paul was driving under the influence. But the defense say the claim is 'ludicrous' and instead theorize Paul and Maggie were killed in revenge for the boat accident which left 19-year-old Mallory Beach dead in February, 2019. Here DailyMail.com presents six unanswered questions from Murdaugh's blockbuster double murder trial: WHERE ARE HIS CLOTHES? Murdaugh wearing a white t-shirt and khaki shorts after cops arrived (left). He called 911 at 10.07pm on June 7, 2021. Earlier, in a Snapchat video taken by Paul at 7.56pm, Murdaugh wears a blue dress shirt and beige pants Prosecutor Creighton Waters asks witness Jeff Croft, a SLED senior special agent, about a .300 Blackout rifle recovered from the property. Paul was killed with a shotgun and Maggie with a rifle - but no murder weapon has ever been found Alex Murdaugh with his son Paul and wife Maggie. The pair were 22 and 52-years-old when the prosecution say the disgraced attorney shot them dead at the Moselle estate on June 7, 2021 WHY DID HE CHANGE AND WHERE ARE HIS CLOTHES? Murdaugh changed his clothes on the night of the killings. He was wearing a white t-shirt and khaki shorts when police arrived and appeared 'clean from head to toe.' But a Snapchat video taken at 7.56pm by Paul shows that Murdaugh was wearing a dress shirt and long pants an hour before the killings. It is not clear whether those clothes were ever located. A search of the house was carried out by detective Katie McAllister the day after the killings on June 8. She had a search warrant but opted for a 'consent search' out of consideration for the family - there were some 25 to 30 grieving people at the house and she did not want to turf them out. McAllister searched every room while accompanied by Murdaugh's brother, John Marvin and a lawyer from his firm, Lee Cope. She said she found no bloody clothes and no evidence that blood had been washed away in any of the bathrooms. However, no forensic examination was conducted. The white t-shirt and shorts Murdaugh was wearing when cops arrived were forensically examined. SLED investigator Melinda Worley told jurors that after testing his shirt and shorts, they came back with a presumptive positive result. However, the court also heard that false positives can be triggered by the presence of bleach or rust. 12.56am: Murdaugh in police car wearing a white t-shirt and shorts Murdaugh's lawyers made legal filings before trial that law enforcement had 'destroyed' his t-shirt and relied on the expert opinion of a retired policeman without scientific credentials. Prosecutors hired Tom Bevel 'to opine that the white cotton T-shirt Mr. Murdaugh wore the night Maggie and Paul were murdered is stained with high-velocity blood spatter, most likely resulting from shooting Paul,' the filing in November stated. But Bevel's first report 'emphatically said the shirt contained no stains consistent with back spatter resulting from a gunshot', said the filing by defense attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin. 'Yet for some reason, without any additional evidence he changed his opinion entirely after an in-person visit from lead [South Carolina Law Enforcement Division] SLED investigator David Owen,' they wrote. Photos of the t-shirt showed it stained blue with sections cut out. Murdaugh's attorneys said this would 'prevent anyone else from conducting subsequent tests.' In another January motion, Murdaugh's defense lawyers stated the t-shirt was tested for blood 12 times with negative results. The defense argued that any blood present is only on the bottom third of the shirt and was only transferred after Murdaugh 'frantically checked [his wife and son] for signs of life.' Photos of the t-shirt showed it stained blue with sections cut out. Murdaugh's attorneys said this would 'prevent anyone else from conducting subsequent tests.' WHY WERE HIS HANDS CLEAN AFTER HE SAID HE TOUCHED THE BLOOD-SOAKED BODIES? Murdaugh told 911 he had checked his wife and son's pulses - but when cops arrived they saw no blood on him. Blood was everywhere at the scene. There were pools of blood under Maggie and Paul and spatters across the ceiling and walls of the kennel. Murdaugh's attorney, Dick Harpootlian, told jurors Paul's head 'literally exploded ... like a watermelon.' The alleged killer said he had even tried rolling Paul's body over but detective Laura Rutland, one of the first on the scene, said he was 'clean from head to toe'. Rutland testified that she saw no visible footprints or knee prints near the bodies. The detective added that it looked like Murdaugh had changed clothes because his clothes were both clean and dry, despite the fact he had sweat on his face. SLED investigator Worley testified that swabs of Murdaugh's Chevrolet Suburban came back with likely positive results for blood around the driver and front passenger sides. Murdaugh fired up his car at 9.06pm - the prosecution say soon after the killings - and drove to his mother's residence in Almeda, around 15 minutes away. His mother's caregiver Michelle 'Shelley' Smith had a conversation with Murdaugh while he was there - she is listed as a witness but has not yet given evidence. Murdaugh's lawyer places a hand on his shoulder to comfort him as he sobs. The 30-minute interview took place around 1am - about four hours after the killings - inside a state agent's vehicle. The inside of Murdaugh's Chevrolet Suburban. SLED investigator Worley testified that swabs of Murdaugh's Chevrolet Suburban came back with likely positive results for blood around the driver and front passenger sides. WHY DID HE DELETE FIVE CALLS TO MAGGIE FROM HIS CELL PHONE? Murdaugh made five calls to Maggie between 9.04pm and 9.06pm - shortly before he left to visit his mother in Almeda - and then twice more at 9.45pm and 10.03pm - apparently on his way back to Moselle. The calls were deleted from Murdaugh's call log - but they did appear in Maggie's. At 9.47pm, Murdaugh texted Maggie, saying: 'Call me babe.' Prosecutors say that at 8.49pm Maggie and Paul's phones locked forever and they were killed shortly after. However, Maggie's phone continued to record movement, steps and orientation changes. Murdaugh's phone showed regular movement throughout the evening - but between 8.09pm and 9.02pm there are no steps recorded. This window of time spans the period when the prosecution say he was at the kennels and shot Maggie and Paul. MURDAUGH'S LAST TEXT AND CALLS TO HIS WIFE: At 9.47pm Alex Murdaugh texted Maggie, saying: 'Call me babe.' The prosecution say she had been dead almost an hour by this point. The phone also shows Maggie's missed calls, including five from Alex on the night of the murders Maggie's phone was discovered on a roadside a quarter mile from the crime scene the following afternoon, while Paul's was found resting on his back after Murdaugh told cops it fell out of his dead son's pocket when he checked on him. The prosecution suggest that Murdaugh was handling his wife's phone at the murder scene and made a series of calls and texts to the device in order to 'manufacture an alibi.' The defense have rebutted this suggestion, highlighting how steps recorded on Alex's phone do not align with his wife's, so it is not possible he was holding both phones at the same time in the aftermath of the shootings. They have also suggested that the orientation changes could be explained by hitmen driving away in a getaway car and throwing the phone out of the window. HOW CAN HE DENY HE WAS AT THE MURDER SCENE AFTER WITNESSES SAID THEY HEARD HIS VOICE IN VIDEO TAKEN MINUTES BEFORE THE KILLINGS? Murdaugh claims that last time he saw Maggie and Paul alive was when they were having supper at the house around 8.15pm. He told cops he only saw them at the kennels when he arrived back from his mother's home to find them dead. He called 911 at 10.07pm. However a video taken at 8.44pm by Paul - just minutes before prosecutors say he and his mother were killed - places Murdaugh at the scene. Rogan Gibson, who described the Murdaughs as his 'second family', testified that he was '100 per cent' certain he could hear Alex's voice along with those of Paul and Maggie. He had been talking to Paul throughout the evening and also told jurors that in a phone call with Paul at 8.40pm he could also hear Alex. Another friend of Paul's, Will Loving, also testified that in the video from the kennels he was positive he could hear Alex's voice. WHY KILL PAUL AND MAGGIE IF HE WERE SUCH A 'LOVING' FATHER AND HUSBAND? The prosecution say the disgraced attorney's life was spiraling out of control and that on the day of the murders he had been confronted over stealing $792,000 from his legal firm. The state argues Murdaugh shot his wife and son to divert attention away from a decade of malfeasance that was gathering 'like a perfect storm.' Murdaugh - a chronic opioid addict - would go on to arrange for a hitman to shoot him in the head three months later in a botched life insurance scam. Prosecutor Creighton Waters said: 'He was burning through cash like crazy. He was out of options. The $792,000 was gone in no time at all. He had been living in a velocity of money that is really quite stunning. 'And he constantly needed to achieve more money to avoid the reckoning that was coming. 'The evidence will show on that particular date, June 7, 2021, when he's being asked about these fees, the financial condition is not there. He's extremely leveraged in the debt that he has. 'And he's forced to do these things to stay ahead.' The defense theory is that somebody killed Paul and Maggie in revenge for the boating accident in February 2019 that left 19-year-old Mallory Beach (pictured) dead. The defense theory is that somebody else killed Murdaugh's wife and son in revenge for a boat crash (the Murdaugh boat Sea Hunt is pictured) during which Paul had been driving under the influence, killing a 19-year-old woman, in February 2019 The defense is adamant that there is 'no logical connection' between the evidence of financial crimes and the deaths of Maggie and Paul. Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian argued that given the brutality of the execution-style killings, it is simply 'not believable' that Murdaugh - a 'loving' husband and father - could have carried them out. They point to the Snapchat video taken by Paul at 7.56pm as evidence of a 'bonding' experience between father and son. Harpootlian told jurors: 'All that was left was the front of [Paul's] face. Everything else was gone. His brain exploded out of his head, hit the ceiling in the shed and dropped to his feet. Horrendous, horrible. Butchering. 'So to find Alex Murdaugh guilty of murdering his son, you're going to have to accept that within an hour of having a extraordinarily bonding, you can see it in the Snapchat, that he executes him in a brutal fashion. Not believable. Not believable.' WHY WERE TWO GUNS USED IF THERE WAS ONLY ONE SHOOTER AND WHERE ARE THE MURDER WEAPONS? Two different guns were used to kill Paul and Maggie, but no murder weapon has ever been found. Prosecutors say Murdaugh first used a shotgun to kill Paul before turning a .300 Blackout assault rifle on Maggie. The prosecution claim he caught the pair unaware and that there were no defensive wounds. However, the defense dispute this, arguing that wounds to Paul's arm indicated he was attempting to shield himself from the shots. They say Maggie was hit in the back of the head, indicating that she was running away from the shooter. The defense also argues that the distance between the shots fired indicates that there could have been two shooters. The camo shotgun that was taken from Murdaugh by the first officer who arrived at the scene. He was holding a camo shotgun when police arrived, he said, because he feared whoever killed his wife and son were still 'out there' Murdaugh's lawyers theorize that Paul and Maggie were killed in revenge for the fatal boating accident in February, 2019. Prosecutor Creighton Waters told jurors: 'The evidence is going to show that neither Paul nor Maggie had any defensive wounds. 'Neither one of them had any defensive wounds, as if they didn't see a threat coming from their attacker. And the evidence is also going to show that both Maggie and Paul were shot at extremely close range.' But defense attorney Dick Harpootlian said: 'Paul Murdaugh was shot twice with buck shot, 12 gauge buck shot, once in the chest. By the way, that shot would indicate it was in the chest and came out under his arm by somebody that might have been holding up their hands. 'So when [the prosecutor] says no defensive wounds he perhaps hasn't held a shotgun. I could make the same speculation that the attorney general can because that's all he's doing is speculating.' He added: 'Maggie is shot running. No defensive wounds because she's shot running and after she falls to the ground and has one bullet that has hit her and probably traveled up and hit her brain, she's on the ground and whoever the perpetrator was walked up, took that AR and put one in the back of her head. Executed. Executed.' WHERE MAGGIE DIED: A pool of blood is seen outside the kennels near the doghouse where Maggie Murdaugh was shot dead. Fire AR bullets in total, with two piercing her brain WHERE PAUL DIED: Blood spatters on the floor inside the storage room at the kennels where Paul Murdaugh was shot dead. He was killed with a shot to the chest and a second to the head. Two shotgun shells were recovered by cops - two 12-gauge shells, two different brands - one Federal, the other Winchester MURDER SCENE: Paul's body lies outside the storage room, while Maggie lies just outside the kennels by the doghouse Maggie was found face down after being shot five times, according to a report by forensics expert Kenneth Kinsey. He suggested three of the shots hit her while she was standing. Two of the shots would have been instantly fatal, piercing her brain. One of those shots passed through her left breast, the other was fired into the back of her head. One of those bullets hit her while she was 'holding herself up on her knees and her right hand with her shoulders and head down.' Paul was also found face down. He was first hit in the chest from 'several feet away', leaving him standing and heading for a door, before a second shot in the neck and shoulder blew out his brain. 'Brain was severed and exited through the anatomical right side of (his) head. Brain was completely detached from (his) head,' Kinsey said. Visitors commemorate former President Park Chung-hee in his birthplace located in Gumi City, North Gyeongsang Province, in 2019. Korea Times file By Lee Yeon-woo The southeastern city of Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province has become embroiled in criticism for its plan to build another memorial center for former President Park Chung-hee at a cost of 100 billion won ($ 81.94 million). Given that the industrial city has already invested 120 billion won in various projects such as establishing an archive and a park to commemorate the Gumi-born former president, critics have accused the new plan of being a waste of taxpayers' money. Earlier this week, the city devised a plan to prepare a "dignified" place where people can honor Park and his philosophy. "To match his status, we will create a new memorial as a tourist attraction which can represent Korea, by connecting the nearby Saemaeul Movement-themed park, the presidential museum, and the birthplace," Gumi City Mayor Kim Jang-ho said. His birthplace, which has been memorialized, attracts around 200,000 visitors annually and has received 4.25 million visitors to date, Kim said. The city further explained that there are safety concerns over the existing memorial site, which is confined and on a slope. President Yoon Suk Yeol also commented that the memorial site is "too small" after visiting Gumi City on Wednesday. He requested that the mayor and local congressmen seek ways to improve it. President Yoon Suk Yeol bows in respect to former President Park Chung-hee at his birthplace located in Gumi City, North Gyeongsang Province, Wednesday. Courtesy of the presidential office Montana is famed for its empty plains, wild river canyons and its status as home to one of the nation's three publicly known large-scale nuclear missile silos. So when a suspected Chinese spy balloon was spotted loitering in the air of the 'big sky state' it was not long before analysts suggested its most likely target: Malmstrom Air Force Base, which has been dubbed America's 'doomsday' base. 'Montana plays a vital national security role by housing nuclear missile silos at Malmstrom AFB,' state senator Steve Daines wrote in a letter to the Pentagon, raising the alarm on Thursday. Its location in the west of the country meant the air base was marked out in the 1950s as an ideal spot to base missiles trained on the Soviet Union. Today the U.S. Air Force maintains 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles across 13,800 square miles of central Montana, making it the biggest complex of nuclear arms in the western hemisphere. Malstrom Air Force Base in Montana houses 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, which can be in the air in less than four seconds after a launch command Malmstrom Air Force Base is located in Cascade County in the state of Montana, in the US. It lies about seven miles from the Great Falls and is home to the 341st Missile Wing 'We are the guardians of doomsday,' wrote a commander in 2013. 'That isn't an exaggeration.' It is one three bases that together house the country's arsenal of 400 Minuteman III missiles. The silos in Montana are run by the 341st Missile Wing, whose mission is to provide 'lethal combat capability by delivering long-range precision nuclear strikes within a moment's notice.' The closest it has come to doing that was during the Cuban missile crisis. When an American U2 surveillance plane spotted Soviet military personnel deploying medium and intermediate range ballistic missiles throughout Cuba in 1962, President John F. Kennedy needed to respond. He imposed a naval blockade of the island and ordered Montana's Minuteman I missile to be put on alert. But they were so new that engineers had only just finished building their launch control facilities. No one was entirely sure if the systems would work properly. Even so, the first Minuteman was brought to 'alert' on October 27, 1962. A Launch Control Facility under construction near Malmstrom in the 1960s. Missiles were placed on alert during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis Airmen of the 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron inspect cable connections of an ICBM during a Simulated Electronic Launch-Minuteman test in September 2020 'Montana plays a vital national security role by housing nuclear missile silos at Malmstrom AFB,' state senator Steve Daines wrote in a letter to the Pentagon, raising the alarm Why would China launch a 'spy balloon' over Montana? Beijing suspected of delving into the 'Cold War playbook' The detection of the suspected Chinese spy balloon over the United States triggered speculation that Beijing was mounting a concerted surveillance effort near sensitive military sites. China has claimed the balloon is a civilian airship that blew off course, but analysts have said the balloon could be a Cold War-era espionage technique deployed in US airspace. Balloons have been used as a spying technique - including by the US - since the 1950s. But technological advancements mean modern models are harder to detect and have much greater surveillance capabilities. The balloon currently floating over the US is about the size of three buses. It is believed to have flown over the Aleutian Islands in the northern Pacific Ocean, and then crossed Canadian airspace into the United States. One model suggests it's likely to drift further into the Midwest and over Missouri by Saturday, but the nature of the device and changing weather makes an accurate prediction difficult. The balloon is large enough that destroying it would rain down debris, risking the safety of people on the ground, US officials said. The balloon's path takes it over 'a number of sensitive sites', a senior Pentagon official said when asked about the presence of nuclear missile silos in Montana. 'Clearly, they're trying to fly... this balloon over sensitive sites... to collect information,' the official added. However, the balloon's tech is not 'revolutionary' and its observations are not better than what China is capable of seeing through other means such as its spy satellites. China's claim that the balloon is a civilian weather-monitoring device are not totally baseless. Such balloons, which can appear similar to a surveillance device, are common tools for meteorological research. China has sent such balloons over the United States in recent years, the senior Pentagon official said. Advertisement A day late the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev climbed down and ordered the Soviet missiles to be removed from Cuba. Today, the missiles have been upgraded to their third incarnation, all watched over by some 3,300 military personnel and 600 civilians. Each missile is 60ft in length and weighs in at almost 80,000 lb, with a range of 8700 miles. If the launch order comes, it would race into air from the silo in less than four seconds, climbing 70 miles above Earth before reaching its target on the side of the planet in 25 minutes before unleashing twenty times the explosive power of the bomb that killed 140,000 people in Hiroshima. For now, defense officials are playing down the idea that the high-altitude balloon could be gathering important information. But it has already triggered driplomatic ructions. On Friday morning Antony Blinken postponed his planned trip to China, where he was expected to meet the country's leader, Xi Jinping. Although the U.S. prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot down the intruder, the Pentagon ultimately decided against intervening as it could create a debris field large enough to endanger people below.. However, a defense official told the Associated Press it was headed over the Montana missile fields, but the U.S. has assessed that it had only 'limited' value in terms of providing intelligence China couldn't obtain by other technologies, such as spy satellites. Republican leaders and former President Donald Trump have led calls for the balloon to be shot down. Canada was also monitoring a 'potential second incident' on Friday as officials worked to determine whether a separate sighting was the same balloon. Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who served under Trump, accused China of a 'brazen act'. He told CNN the US should '[bring] it down so that we can capture the equipment and understand exactly what they are doing. Are they taking pictures? Are they intercepting signals?' 'Failing that I would definitely shoot it down, provided that there's no risk to people on the ground.' Esper said it was a matter of 'great concern' that the balloon was flying close to missile fields and strategic bomber bases. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said the balloon was alarming but not surprising. 'The level of espionage aimed at our country by Beijing has grown dramatically more intense & brazen over the last 5 years,' Rubio said on Twitter. A model of the path taken by the balloon suggests it originated in central China then entered continental United States airspace over Alaska and through Canada A Crufts-winning dog breeder has been jailed for failing to control her pet Belgian Malinois, which mauled a visitor causing her 'significant' injuries and distress. Margaret Peacock, 70, today appeared at Salisbury Crown Court, after being found guilty at a trial last December of being in charge of a dangerously out of control dog named Mako. Natasha Turner was injured by the dog and required surgery to her foot. She suffers from permanent nerve damage which will require another operation. Peacock, who is registered disabled with multiple sclerosis, was jailed for two years and six months, fined 228. and Judge Richard Parkes KC also banned Peacock from owning dogs. The judge also ordered that Peacock's remaining two collie dogs and another Belgian Malinois be seized by police. Margaret Peacock, 70, appeared at Salisbury Crown Court, after being found guilty at a trial last December of being in charge of a dangerously out of control dog named Mako Victim Natasha Turner said she suffered constant pain and anxiety after the attack and could still smell the dog Sian Beaven, prosecuting, told the trial that Miss Turner had visited the home of the defendant in Farnborough, Hampshire, to do some DIY, and to visit her own dog, Bobo, which was staying there, when the attack happened. Giving evidence, Miss Turner said she had visited Peacock on February 1, 2021, to move her bed to another room so it would be nearer to a woodburner because of the cold. Describing the incident, she said: 'It happened really quick, when we realised it was going wrong I was scared because I didn't think I was going to get the dog off between us. 'It was like someone had got a knife put it in your leg and was tearing it through with a knife, that's the only way I can describe it. 'I was screaming. I was crying my eyes out. It was really, really bad.' Miss Turner said that Peacock helped her to get the dog off but was bitten herself in the process, before the defendant managed to put the dog back behind the gate where it was normally kept. She said that Peacock asked her afterwards not to contact the police because she was worried the dog would be put down, and also bought her gifts in an attempt to stop her from reporting the incident. GRAPHIC CONTENT: Miss Turner was injured by the dog and required surgery to her foot Pictured is a bloody trainer belonging to victim of the dog attack, Natasha Turner The defendant had denied that Mako carried out the attack and told the court that Ms Turner arrived injured at her front door having been attacked by a stray dog elsewhere. Ms Beaven added that Mako, which had been subject to a dog behaviour contract because of two previous incidents, had since been euthanised because of health problems. The contract required Mako to be kept under control when visitors were at the property. Dr Candy d'Sa, animal behaviour consultant, told the court that she inspected Peacock's home and found it unsuitable for keeping dogs. She said: 'The environment is absolutely unsuitable for animals, especially intelligent and active dogs. It was dangerous, barren and it was filthy.' In a victim impact statement read to the court, Miss Turner said she underwent surgery for the injury to her foot and she might need further surgery for nerve damage. She said she suffered constant pain and anxiety after the attack and could still smell the dog. She added that the attack had an ongoing psychological impact on her and said: 'I am angry all the time, I struggle to sleep because I have nightmares of the attack, I feel nervous and worried.' The court heard that Peacock was previously given a suspended prison term in 2017 for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal after she killed eight puppies by placing them in a freezer and a ninth by hitting it over the head. Ms Beaven said that the defendant had been concerned that the puppies might have genetic abnormalities as the parents were brother and sister. Judge Richard Parkes KC told Peacock : 'You have shown no remorse whatsoever for what happened, indeed you continue to protest even today that Miss Turner turned up at your door having already been attacked by some savage stray. 'The only real mitigation in this very serious case is the fact that you are elderly and suffering from multiple sclerosis, a condition which plainly requires long-term treatment.' He was buried upright because he wanted his left-wing ideas to remain standing The 52-year-old was riding his motorcycle when two gunmen on a bike shot him A mayoral candidate who was shot dead in Colombia sparked controversy among his family because he was buried upright. Luis Vasquez, 52, was riding his motorcycle to his farm Monday morning when he was assassinated by gunmen aboard a moped. The well-known business man, who reportedly entered the race for the mayor's seat in Mogotes, a city in the the north-central province of Santander, was declared dead on the scene. A source with Colombia's Attorney General's Office told online news portal Ecolecua that as killing was result of personal feud that Vasquez had. No arrests had been reported as of Friday. Luis Vasquez was shot dead by two men aboard a motorcycle while he was riding his moped to his farm in the north-central Colombian city of Mogotes on Monday morning. The 52-year-old, who was running for the municipality's mayoral seat, was buried upright because he wanted his leftist ideas to remain standing As part of the funeral services, Vasquez's wife, Marlene Figueroa, specifically ordered the digging of his gravesite to be set up so that coffin could be placed upright. According to Figueroa, Vasquez wanted to be buried upright because he wanted his leftist 'ideas' to continue. The bizarre burial was held Wednesday and was vehemently opposed by his family, including his daughter, Andrea Vasquez. A friend of the family, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Vanguardia newspaper that the family skipped a church service and transported Vasquez's remains directly to the cemetery. 'It is a decision of their relatives who have different thoughts than the traditional religions,' the person said. Despite opposition from some family members, Luis Vasquez's wish to be buried upright were honored 'We were prohibited from using cell phones while the burial ritual was performed.' However, footage of the burial was leaked online and showed the casket being lowered into the grave. Vasquez, who was running under the left-wing Humane Colombia party ticket, had several brushes with the law in the past although the prosecutor's office said the assassination was not politically motivated. Eva Green 'could make a B-movie' without ending her career, her agent told the High Court - as he admitted he urged the actor to walk away from a doomed sci-fi movie and 'work on a film with Dame Judi Dench'. Casino Royale actress Ms Green was due to play the lead role in dystopian thriller A Patriot but the multimillion-pound production was abandoned in October 2019. The 42-year-old is now suing production company White Lantern Film, claiming she is entitled to her 810,000 fee for the project despite its cancellation. White Lantern Film is bringing a counterclaim against the French actress, alleging she undermined the independent film's production, made 'excessive creative and financial demands' and had expectations 'incompatible' with the movie's budget. Meanwhile, lawyers for the company and lender SMC Speciality Finance have also claimed Ms Green 'fraudulently' claimed to be ready and willing to make the film when she had no intention to do so. Eva Green's agent Charles Collier (right) said the actor was 'wrong' after she claimed that starring in a B-movie 'could kill [her] career' During Friday's hearing, Max Mallin KC suggested that Mr Collier had 'begged' Ms Green to work on a film with Dame Judi Dench and an experienced crew, rather than work on A Patriot During her evidence on Monday, Max Mallin KC, for the production company, discussed a text message from Ms Green suggesting that the film under executive producer Jake Seal would be a 'B-s*****-movie'. Ms Green told the court: 'When an actor has appeared in a B-movie they are labelled as a B-actor, you never get offered quality work ever again.' She added that appearing in such a film 'could kill my career'. But on Friday, Charles Collier, who has been Ms Green's agent for 17 years, told the High Court that the former Bond girl was 'wrong'. 'I heard Eva say a B-movie could be the end of her career. She's wrong about that... She could make a B-movie,' he said. Ms Green suggested that the film under executive producer Jake Seal would be a 'B-s*****-movie' Mr Collier, a former media lawyer, said that Ms Green never breached a contract or failed to report for a day's work in nearly two decades. 'Eva, for all her dear sweet passion and love for this film... she never breached,' Mr Collier later said. 'If she has to do a B-movie, she has to do a B-movie. That's her contract. If she has to do it, she has to do it.' He added: 'A B-movie would not be the end of her career, but breaching her contract and not turning up for work?.. The show must go on.' During Friday's hearing, Mr Mallin suggested that Mr Collier had 'begged' Ms Green to work on a film with Dame Judi Dench and an experienced crew, rather than work on A Patriot. Mr Collier replied: 'I certainly recall that I had advised her to do another film rather than this one. 'There were times where I felt so deeply concerned about the mess of this production... I had real grave concerns that they could not make this film happen.' The agent said he 'advised her to walk away' when Ms Green legally had the opportunity. However, Mr Collier later said that Ms Green had kept wanting to make A Patriot, telling the court: 'Each time she had been given a safe exit route she had not taken it due to her love for the film.' The trial is due to finish on February 10, with a decision expected in writing at a later date. The US Postal Service may have shared the private information of up to 68 million households with labor unions and is now trying to hide it, a lawsuit claims. Tens of millions of Americans received sets of four free Covid-19 tests in the mail by filling out a form on the USPS website with their full name, email and postal address. The program, authorized by the Biden Administration, was lauded for improving access to rapid coronavirus tests. By March 2022, USPS said it delivered over 270 million tests to more than 68 million households. But a nonprofit union watchdog Americans For Fair Treatment (AFFT) spotted small print on the online form which allows USPS to 'disclose your information to third parties without your consent', including 'labor organizations as required by applicable law.' Oddly, this small print differed slightly from USPS' standard privacy notice, which makes no mention of unions. A lawsuit obtained by DailyMail.com claims the US Postal Service may have shared with unions the private information of up to 68 million households and is now trying to hide it Tens of millions of Americans received sets of four free Covid-19 tests in the mail by filling out a form on the USPS website with their full name, email and address. A nonprofit union watchdog group spotted small print on the online form which allows USPS to 'disclose your information to third parties without your consent' AFFT CEO Elisabeth Messenger said she fears that if passed to unions by USPS, the data could be used for political campaigning. 'We're talking over 70 million households by now. That's more than half the households in the United States,' she told DailyMail.com. AFFT CEO Elisabeth Messenger told DailyMail.com she fears that if passed to unions by USPS, the data could be used for political campaigning 'The unions have done an incredible job of gathering data in the past, getting union members' boots on the ground to door knock and be available for political candidates. 'Many AFFT members left their union because they saw how Big Labor abused its power by sharing union members' data and money with progressive political candidates. 'This would be the freshest, most accurate data you could get, no one is going to put a fake address. People really wanted these Covid tests, so they gave the most accurate information.' Last February AFFT filed a Freedom of Information Act request to USPS asking how it came up with this disclaimer allowing personal data to be shared with labor organizations, and requesting 'all records concerning USPS's disclosure to any labor organization of information it obtained through the COVID-19 test webform.' 'The public should understand why USPS has departed from its published Privacy Act notice just for the COVID-19 webform but for no other situation,' the nonprofit's request said. 'AFFT seeks to learn and educate the public about why USPS would provide sensitive information that is covered by the Privacy Act to labor organizations and the extent to which it has done so.' At first, the postal service claimed in its response that there were 'no responsive records'. It later released nine pages of emails between USPS staffers that were so heavily redacted, only the dates and correspondents' names were visible. In April, AFFT sued in a Washington, DC federal court, claiming USPS conducted an 'inadequate search' and reached an 'arbitrary and capricious' decision not to disclose more information. In April, AFFT claimed in a lawsuit that USPS conducted an 'inadequate search' and reached an 'arbitrary and capricious' decision not to disclose more information AFFT's lawyer, David Dorey, said postal officials are 'hiding behind a legal smokescreen' and 'stonewalling' his clients. 'I am personally unaware of any statute that would authorize the post office to give Americans' personal details to labor unions. We have looked,' he said. Dorey is senior litigation counsel for The Fairness Center, a law firm that says it provides 'free legal services to those hurt by public-sector union officials'. 'They are avoiding our client's simple questions: Why does USPS say it can without consent share Americans' personal information with union officials, and what has it actually done with that information?' he added. 'Why not answer the question? If you haven't done anything with this information, why not just say that? I would love to know. But instead they're hiding behind legal process.' Last February, AFFT filed a Freedom of Information Act request to USPS asking how it came up with this disclaimer allowing personal data to be shared with labor organizations, and requesting 'all records concerning USPS's disclosure to any labor organization of information it obtained through the COVID-19 test webform' The postal service claimed there were 'no responsive records'. USPS later released nine pages of emails between USPS staffers that were so heavily redacted, only the dates and correspondents' names were visible When approached for comment by DailyMail.com, a USPS spokesperson said: 'As this matter is the subject of pending litigation, we are unable to comment.' Messenger said that since she filed the information request, the post office started using the same small print when customers make purchases online and at stores. 'If you bought stamps or mailed packages during Christmas at any kiosk inside the post office, that language also came up,' the nonprofit chief said. 'It seems a strange coincidence the USPS would expand a union-friendly privacy policy to include all purchases made at USPS.com and in post offices just in time for the busy holiday season. 'Why is our nation's post office sharing information with a private organization that has been defined as political by the Supreme Court? That is troublesome.' Dorey said both sides have filed all their briefs, and are currently waiting for a ruling from the judge, Royce Lamberth. A five-year-old boy was picked on and given a three hour detention when his Christian parents tried to get him excused from the schools pride parade, a court heard today. Izzy Montague, 38, wrote to Heavers Farm Primary School in Norwood, southeast London, requesting her son be removed from the event in June 2018, as it went against her Christian beliefs. The invitation stated the school would be celebrating the differences that make you and your childs family special. The school denied the request which prompted Ms Montague to write a lengthy email complaining against the headteacher Susan Papas. Izzy Montague (pictured), 38, wrote to Heavers Farm Primary School in Norwood, southeast London, requesting her son be removed from the LGBT event in June 2018 Pictured: Heavers Farm Primary School ( CC 3.0 , courtesy of Pafcool2 ) where headteacher Ms Susan Papas told Mrs Montague that her son had to attend the lesson Mrs Montague has previously appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain, where she sparked controversy after telling a gay father his sexuality 'is a choice' during debate on LGBT lessons in schools Giving evidence today Mrs Montagues husband, Shane Montague, told the court he did not think it was the schools job to teach children about same sex families. Ian Clarke, representing the school, asked him: Given the existence of pupils from same sex families at the school, is it sensible and right that the school acknowledges that fact to the children? Not at four years old, replied Mr Montague. At any age? asked Mr Clarke. Well, they will get to know about it at a later age but not at four years old, said Mr Montague. But say a child from reception has a same sex family, that child is going to mention that fact to their friends... is it sensible for the school to address that before the potential for any bullying comes up? asked Mr Clarke Im not sure if thats their job or not, replied Mr Montague. Izzy Montague has previously appeared on ITV to argue that teaching LGBT issues is wrong. She said it should be her choice whether to teach her children about LGBT The parents also claim that after they issued their complaint, their son was picked on by members of staff. On 8 October (2018), your son gets a detention, and you say it was totally out of character because he is ordinarily well behaved and hadnt been in detention before, said Mr Clarke. Well, there is a difference isnt there in that your son had been in reception before then so hes moved up into the main school, into the next age group up, yes? Yep, said Mr Montague. And you use of the word ordinarily well behaved, I take that as, of course a five-year-old isnt always well behaved, said Mr Clarke. Not in the level of spitting in someones face or throwing pencils, said Mr Montague. Not at home? asked the barrister. No, all children misbehave, but not like that, said the father. And you agree when a child misbehaved at school the school is entitled and must address those issues...your son misbehaves and gets sent to leadership room, you accept that? asked Mr Clarke. No I dont accept that and I dont accept that they kept him there for over three hours and that he has another detention the following day, said Mr Montague. Mr Clarke said: You say that your son has been picked on because you and your wife complained about LGBTG event yes? Yes, replied Mr Montague. Mrs Montague, supported by the Christian Legal Centre, is suing the school on the grounds of direct and indirect discrimination, victimisation and breach of statutory duty under the Education Act 1996 and the Human Rights Act 1998. It is the first time that a UK court will scrutinise the legality of imposing LGBT ideology on primary schools. The hearing continues. US officials feared the balloon could be monitoring sensitive nuclear sites in Montana - but China claims is a civilian airship which blew off course The visit has been postponed after the detection of a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the United States this week Blinken was scheduled to travel to China on Sunday for a visit which included a landmark meeting with President Xi Jinping The U.S. cancelled Secretary of State Antony Blinken's long-planned trip to China over a Chinese 'spy' balloon that the State Department called a 'clear violation' of U.S. sovereignty. Although U.S. diplomats noted a rare statement of regret from China, the U.S. determined that Blinken's trip could not be 'productive' under the circumstances, with the spy balloon still traveling over U.S. airspace at 60,000 feet under monitoring by the U.S. military. The decision puts on hold Blinken's planned visit, which was to feature a landmark meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, on a trip President Biden and Xi announced the visit during their own high-stakes summit meeting in Bali in November. 'We do acknowledge, we note the PRC statement of regret,' a senior State Department said Friday when announcing the decision. 'But again, the presence of this balloon in our airspace is clearly unacceptable and a clear violation of our sovereignty. And our clear assessment was that under these current conditions, it wouldn't be constructive to visit Beijing at this time.' Blinken 'postponed' his planned trip 'following the detection of a suspected spy balloon over the United States, which Beijing has claimed is a civilian airship which blew off course.' Deflating: Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Beijing of his decision to postpone his trip to China Friday morning in what the State Department called a clear violation of U.S. 'sovereignty' Notably, the official would not state when pressed by reporters whether the U.S. believed Beijing's excuse. ABC News had reported Blinken didn't want to blow up the situation with the cancellation, while not wanting it to dominate his agenda while there. But 'in this current environment it would have significantly narrowed the agenda that we would have been able to address,' the senior official said. The trip was postponed on Friday morning after the balloon was detected earlier this week and monitored flying worryingly close to sensitive nuclear sites in Montana. 'We know that its a surveillance balloon,' Air Force Brig Gen. Gen Ryder told reporters Friday. He said it was flying at 60,000 feet and posed no risk to Americans, but would not provide exact location information as it made its way across the continental U.S., moving eastward from Montana. While the military tracked the balloon, U.S. diplomats raised the matter with top Chinese diplomats in Washington and Beijing, while contacting allies as well. 'Once the balloon was detected, the US government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information. We've directly communicated with the PRC government through multiple levels about this Issue,' said the official. Blinken told China's ministry of Foreign Affairs of his decision Friday morning, and his apparent government jet was spotted at Joint Base Andrews late Friday morning, in a sign of the sudden cancellation. A US defense official said the balloon is the size of several buses - but doesn't post an immediate threat to Americans. The balloon, pictured over Montana, has been tracked for several days but officials decided not to shoot it down over fears about debris. China claims it is a civilian airship used for meteorological research But given the high stakes with Taiwan, North Korea, and other issues on the table, the U.S. says the cancellation is temporary. 'After consultations with our interagency partners, as well as with Congress, we have concluded that the conditions are not right at this moment for Secretary Blinken to travel to China,' said the official. 'We believe in diplomacy to responsibly manage the most complex bilateral relationship we have. We are committed to maintaining open lines with the PRC at all times, including during this incident.' 'I'm confident that our channels of communication will remain as important as ever and those channels to remain open,' the official added. China's foreign ministry said the balloon 'seriously deviated from the scheduled route' and expressed regret that 'the airship strayed into the United States due to force majeure' and claimed it was used for scientific research 'such as meteorology' something Pentagon disputed. The detection of the balloon, which triggered alarm in the White House and the Pentagon, adds to a series of recent controversies that have further strained the tense relationship between China and the United States. Beijing had urged calm while it established the 'facts' before a statement on Friday morning said the balloon was a weather research device that had 'deviated far from its planned course'. The Chinese foreign ministry said it regretted that the balloon had mistakenly entered US airspace. Republican leaders and former President Donald Trump had led calls for the balloon to be show down. The balloon - which is as large as three buses - was detected earlier this week and recently entered airspace in Montana, triggering fears it could be monitoring nuclear sites there. China further blamed the balloon's entry into US airspace on its limited steering capability. Independent modeling suggested the balloon would be over southeast Missouri by Saturday. A statement added: 'The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure,' citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond one's control. The US is yet to respond to China's claim about the balloon's provenance but the cancellation of the Blinken visit indicates the White House's anger over the debacle. Officials in the US said it was 'confident' of preserving communications with China and that the visit would be rescheduled once conditions are 'right'. The fiasco is yet another escalation of the tensions between the United States and China. CIA director William Burns said on Thursday that President Xi had ordered the Chinese military to be prepared for an invasion of Taiwan by 2027. Burns' comments followed calls from senators for TikTok to be removed from Apple and Google's app stores over fears the hugely popular Chinese-owned app posed a threat to national security. Republican senators had called on Blinken to cancel the trip, which was agreed by Biden and President Xi. Montana Senator Steve Daines feared the Chinese balloon floating above the state was targeting nuclear missile fields installed there. US officials said they have taken 'custody' of the balloon. They are thought to believe it has 'limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective'. A model of the path the balloon is thought to have taken, created by meteorologist Dan Satterfield, showed it originated in central China The balloon flew over the Aleutian Islands in the northern Pacific Ocean, and then crossed Canadian airspace into the United States. Canada is monitoring a 'potential second incident' Why would China launch a 'spy balloon' over Montana? Beijing suspected of delving into the 'Cold War playbook' The detection of the suspected Chinese spy balloon over the United States triggered speculation that Beijing was mounting a concerted surveillance effort near sensitive military sites. China has claimed the balloon is a civilian airship that blew off course, but analysts have said the balloon could be a Cold War-era espionage technique deployed in US airspace. Balloons have been used as a spying technique - including by the US - since the 1950s. But technological advancements mean modern models are smaller, harder to detect and have much greater surveillance capabilities. The balloon currently floating over the US is about the size of three buses. It is believed to have flown over the Aleutian Islands in the northern Pacific Ocean, and then crossed Canadian airspace into the United States. One model suggests it's likely to drift further into the Midwest and over Missouri by Saturday, but the nature of the device and changing weather makes an accurate prediction difficult. The balloon is large enough that destroying it would rain down debris, risking the safety of people on the ground, US officials said. The balloon's path takes it over 'a number of sensitive sites', a senior Pentagon official said when asked about the presence of nuclear missile silos in Montana. 'Clearly, they're trying to fly... this balloon over sensitive sites... to collect information,' the official added. However, the balloon's tech is not 'revolutionary' and its observations are not better than what China is capable of seeing through other means such as its spy satellites. China's claim that the balloon is a civilian weather-monitoring device are not totally baseless. Such balloons, which can appear similar to a surveillance device, are common tools for meteorological research. China has sent such balloons over the United States in recent years, the senior Pentagon official said. The official did not share details, but indicated the flights were detected as far back as the administration of the previous president Donald Trump. However, the official added, this is the first time a Chinese balloon has stayed in US airspace for an extended period. Advertisement Canada was also monitoring a 'potential second incident' on Friday as officials worked to determine whether a separate sighting was the same balloon. In a statement on Thursday, the Canadian government said: 'A high-altitude surveillance balloon was detected, and its movements are being actively tracked by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). 'Canadians are safe and Canada is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident.' Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who served under Trump, accused China of a 'brazen act'. He told CNN the US should '[bring] it down so that we can capture the equipment and understand exactly what they are doing. Are they taking pictures? Are they intercepting signals?' 'Failing that I would definitely shoot it down, provided that there's no risk to people on the ground.' Esper said it was a matter of 'great concern' that the balloon was flying close to missile fields and strategic bomber bases. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said the balloon was alarming but not surprising. 'The level of espionage aimed at our country by Beijing has grown dramatically more intense & brazen over the last 5 years,' Rubio said on Twitter. Arkansas' Republican Senator, Tom Cotton, said: 'President Biden should stop coddling and appeasing the Chinese communists. Bring the balloon down now and exploit its tech package, which could be an intelligence bonanza. 'And President Biden and Secretary Austin need to answer if this balloon was detected over Alaskan airspace. If so, why didn't we bring it down there? If not, why not? 'As usual, the Chinese Communists' provocations have been met with weakness and handwringing.' The discovery has put the militaries and intelligence services of the United States and Canada on alert. F-22 fight jets were mobilized to track the device as it hoved over Montana, which borders Canada, on Wednesday. A US defense official said it entered US airspace 'a couple days ago' but its exact location has not been shared. The balloon flew over the vast state of Montana, which borders Canada, and at an altitude well above commercial air traffic. Before that, its path was tracked over the Aleutian Islands in the northern Pacific Ocean, then over Canadian airspace into the United States. A US official said the balloon was as large as three buses. 'There have been reports of pilots seeing this thing, even though it's pretty high up in the sky,' the official added. 'So, you know, it's sizeable.' The balloon is large enough that destroying it would rain down debris, risking the safety of people on the ground, US officials said, adding: 'Does it pose a threat to civilian aviation? Our assessment is it does not. Does it pose a significantly enhanced threat on the intelligence side? Our best assessment right now is that it does not.' China is thought to be flying a surveillance balloon over the United States, and Joe Biden (left) wanted to shoot it down. Pictured right is President Xi Jinping CIA Director William Burns pictured on Thursday at Washington's Georgetown University, where he called China the 'biggest geopolitical challenge' facing the United States China's President Xi Jinping has ordered his military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, the director of the CIA has warned. Pictured: Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers during military training at Pamir Mountains in Kashgar, northwestern China's Xinjiang region Pictured: A map showing China's likely tactics when it comes to an invasion of Taiwan The balloon situation is the latest strain on America's relationship with China. Senators also called this week for Apple and Google to ban the Chinese-owned TikTok app from its stores over national security fears The news initially broke as CIA Director William Burns was speaking at an event at Washington's Georgetown University, where he called China the 'biggest geopolitical challenge' facing the United States. Elaborating on China's readiness for an invasion of Taiwan, Burns added: 'Now, that does not mean that he's decided to conduct an invasion in 2027, or any other year, but it's a reminder of the seriousness of his focus and his ambition. 'Our assessment at CIA is that I wouldn't underestimate President Xi's ambitions with regard to Taiwan,' he said, adding that the Chinese leader was likely 'surprised and unsettled' and trying to draw lessons by the 'very poor performance' of the Russian military and its weapons systems in Ukraine. Russia and China signed a 'no limits' partnership last February shortly before Russian forces invaded Ukraine, and their economic links have boomed as Russia's connections with the West have shriveled. The Russian invasion had fueled concerns in the West of China possibly making a similar move on Taiwan, a democratic island Beijing says is its territory. China has refrained from condemning Russia's operation against Ukraine, but it has been careful not to provide the sort of direct material support which could provoke Western sanctions like those imposed on Moscow. 'I think it's a mistake to underestimate the mutual commitment to that partnership, but it's not a friendship totally without limits,' Burns said. A newlywed New Jersey Republican councilwoman who was 'shot in the face' while driving her SUV home was seen 'speaking to a man' before the shooting. Eunice Dwumfour, 30, was killed outside of her home in Sayreville, New Jersey on Wednesday night, with friends calling it a 'targeted and personal attack'. She crashed her SUV and was slumped over the wheel after the attack, with horrified neighbors hearing multiple gunshots and then a crash. Friends initially claimed that she was shot seven times in the face, and law enforcement sources say she was shot as many as 14 times in total. Some neighbors also told the station they had seen Dwumfour speaking to a man outside her car on security footage just before the shooting. Eunice Dwumfour and her new husband Eze Kings at their wedding ceremony in November Eunice Dwumfour kisses her new husband Eze Kings at their wedding in Nigeria in November 2022 - weeks before the New Jersey councilwoman was shot dead in her car Eunice Dwumfour shares a special moment with her new husband Eze Kings at their wedding in Nigeria in November 2022 FBI agents are now investigating after Sayreville, New Jersey Republican councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour was shot in the face seven times while driving her SUV home Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office and Sayreville Police are leading the investigation, with the FBI also now also involved in the probe. Officers are appealing for anyone with new information to come forward, including surveillance which may help them track down the man she was seen speaking to. Dwumfour married a pastor who lives in Nigeria, just before Thanksgiving, and lived in the apartment with her 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. Pictures from her wedding day show how happy the mother-of-one was, grinning next to her new husband Eze Kings. Kings posted on Facebook about the loss of his bride after the shooting by wishing her a happy birthday in advance. He wrote on Friday: '4th March is your birthday happy glorious birthday in addy my love.' 'Addy' is Nigerian slang for the word advance Just weeks before her tragic death, Eunice looked on top of the world as she posed for wedding photos with her friends and family Eunice Dwumfour poses in her wedding gown with family and friends at her wedding to new husband Eze Kings Their whole future ahead of them: Eunice Dwumfour poses for a photo with Eze Kings A friend told DailyMail.com that she and her family had just returned from Nigeria on a church trip - describing her as 'bubbly and nice' She married a pastor who lives in Nigeria, just before Thanksgiving, and lived in the apartment with her 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship He accompanied the post with several photos of the couple's wedding, which Dwumfour had celebrated in an Instagram post on December 7, where they celebrated being 'Officially Mrs. Kings.' Just five days ago, Kings wrote in a Facebook post: 'LIFE START AFTER MARRIAGE.' Alexandra Bryan, a neighbor who lives close to where the shooting happened, told the New York Times she heard what she thought were fireworks twice just after 7 p.m. Wednesday. 'Two times, right after one another', she said. 'Like five seconds apart. 'It's a really nice complex,' Bryan added. 'Children are able to play around without parents. It's always quiet. That's why it's such a shock to everybody.' Dwumfour was found inside her white Nissan SUV with multiple gunshot wounds on Samuel Circle just before 7.30pm. Friend and pastor Nelia Rodriguez told The Ingraham Angle she believes the incident was a 'personal attack'. She added: 'We believe it [was] very personal because she was shot seven times in the face and another seven shots were hitting everywhere else. 'So for somebody to get so close to somebody and shoot them so many times, it has to be personal.' The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office said the investigation into Dwumfour's death is ongoing and officials have not released a motive or any information about a suspect. There have been no arrests in the case, with officials seen searching a wooded area near her home after witnesses claimed they saw a man run off in that direction after the shooting. Police received a tip that the murder weapon had been dumped in the area, so brought in police dogs to search. Police received a tip that the murder weapon had been dumped in the area, so brought in police dogs to search the area Dwumfour ousted the sitting Democrat in the Borough of Sayreville in November 2021, in a shock election win, and was not up for reelection until 2024. A friend told DailyMail.com that she and her family had just returned from Nigeria on a church trip - describing her as 'bubbly and nice'. Family members told USA Today that she lived at the property with her 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. Her sister Priscilla said: 'She was always happy, very humble and had respect.' Friends of the councilwoman paid tribute to her as an 'amazing friend' who 'loved god'. Detective Juan Rodriguez and Pastor Doctor Nelia Rodriguez posted online saying: 'I just saw her this morning at the store. Friend and Pastor Nelia Rodriguez told The Ingraham Angle that she believes the incident was a 'personal attack' She crashed her SUV and was slumped over the wheel, with horrified neighbors hearing multiple gunshots and then a crash 'I remember saying to her I'll see you at the HRC meeting tomorrow not knowing tonight was going to be the end of her life. 'I can't stop crying. She was 30 years young and full of life. You will be missed my dear, precious friend.' Dwumfour was a Certified Business Analyst and Scrum Professional for Fire Congress Fellowship inc. and a part-time EMT. She graduated from William Paterson University and served as a Director of Churches for the Nigerian-based Champions Royal Assembly. In a statement Sayreville Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick said: 'The community is shocked and saddened at the loss of Eunice Dwumfour, who was a dedicated member of our Borough Council who was truly committed to serve all of our residents. 'The fact that she was taken from us by a despicable criminal act makes this incident all the more horrifying.' Dwumfour was a Certified Business Analyst and Scrum Professional for Fire Congress Fellowship inc. and a part-time EMT The windscreen of her car was covered as emergency services raced to the scene of the shooting at 7.22pm Her white SUV was seen being removed from the scene by authorities in the early hours of the morning According to friends, the mother-of-one was shot seven times in the face and seven times in the body The mayor said she believes that law enforcement 'will bring this fast-moving investigation to a quick and successful conclusion and look forward to the identification, arrest, and successful prosecution of the person responsible.' Sayreville Republican Chair Karen Bailey Bebert added: 'We remember Eunice for how she lived, not for how she died. 'She was the embodiment of Sayreville, living the American Dream, overcoming challenges with grit and a smile. 'And always giving of time and love to others. She embodied Sayreville and will be terribly missed by all who were fortunate enough to know her.' Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy added that he was 'stunned' by her murder and branded it an 'act of gun violence'. He told WNYC there was 'little known' about the motivation for the incident which 'does not appear to be related to her potion as an elected councilwoman in Sayreville.' A High Court judge in London has made an order aimed at protecting an American woman from being harassed by her estranged British husband, despite the woman never living in the UK. The woman, who lives in the United States, had asked Mrs Justice Knowles to make a Forced Marriage Protection Order to protect her from 'harassment and intimidation' from her husband. She said she was married under 'duress' nearly a decade ago and her husband had subsequently 'raped' her. Lawyers representing the woman had staged an appeal after a lower-ranking family court judge refused to make a Forced Marriage Protection Order because the woman was neither 'physically present' in the legal jurisdiction of England and Wales, nor a British citizen. They said a Forced Marriage Protection Order could protect people 'from being forced into a marriage', and protect people who had been forced into a marriage. Mrs Justice Knowles (pictured) had considered arguments at an online appeal hearing in the Family Division of the High Court earlier this year Lawyers argued that there was no 'statutory bar' to a British judge granting such an order when an applicant was neither physically present nor a British citizen. They also argued that the woman should be protected by a British judge because her husband was 'both physically present in the UK' and was a British citizen. Mrs Justice Knowles had considered arguments at an online appeal hearing in the Family Division of the High Court earlier this year and has outlined her decision to allow the woman's appeal, and make a Forced Marriage Protection Order, in a ruling published online. She said the woman could not be identified in media reports of the case. The judge said legislation governing Forced Marriage Protection Orders had a 'wide and protective jurisdiction' and sent 'clear messages' of 'real importance'. 'First, victims abroad who are forced into marriage with a British national or someone habitually resident here may be able to avail themselves of protective orders in this jurisdiction to counter such abusive behaviour and mitigate its harms,' she said, in her written ruling. 'British nationals or those who are resident here should be aware that they cannot force a person into marriage and escape legal sanction for their behaviour in the family court merely because their victim is neither habitually resident nor a British national. 'Forced marriage is a global phenomenon, with many forced marriages in the UK having an international dimension. 'In a world of global social media, it is possible for perpetrators to continue their abuse online with easy access to their victim, wherever their victim is based and whatever the nationality of their victim.' A High Court (pictured) judge in London has made an order aimed at protecting an American woman who has never lived in the UK from being harassed by her estranged British husband The woman watched the hearing, via a link, from her home in America - the man was not involved in the hearing and was not represented by lawyers. Mrs Justice Knowles heard that the man and woman were both of Pakistani descent and had been married in Pakistan in 2014. Barrister Teertha Gupta KC, who led the woman's legal team, told the judge that the woman had visited Pakistan in the summer of 2014 with family members. She had been taken to the man's house and told to 'get ready' for a wedding she had 'no notice of and did not consent to', Mr Gupta said. Mr Gupta said the woman was 'too afraid to say no' and agreed 'under duress' and 'out of fear of repercussions'. He said her husband had raped her throughout their time together. Mr Gupta said the man had subsequently returned to the UK and the woman to the US. He said the woman had not seen her husband since 2014, but that he was 'harassing' her online. Mr Gupta said the woman had told her husband that she wanted a divorce and did not want him to contact her. She had failed in a bid to nullify the marriage, in the US, he said. Her attempts to 'obtain protection' in the US had also failed and she had been advised, by American police, to 'seek protection in the UK', Mr Gupta told the judge. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin joined the fight for gas ovens Thursday, by co-sponsoring bipartisan legislation with Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz to stop a government ban of the appliances. 'The federal government has no business telling American families how to cook their dinner, which is why Senator Cruz and I introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure Americans decide how to cook in their own homes,' the West Virginia Democrat said in a statement. Manchin offered that the 'last thing that would ever leave our house' is the family's gas stove, vowing to fight any government 'overrreach.' Since Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. gave an interview to Bloomberg in January stating that 'any option is on the table' when it came to the future of gas stove use, Republicans have been up in arms over the matter. GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson, a former White House doctor, said he'd rather die than cook with electric. BACK THAT GAS UP: Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin joined the fight for gas ovens Thursday, by co-sponsoring bipartisan legislation with Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz to stop a government ban of the appliances Republicans have been angry for weeks after Since Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. said a gas stove ban was on the table, as the appliances are linked to higher rates of childhood asthma 'I'll NEVER give up my gas stove. If the maniacs in the White House come for my stove, they can pry it from my cold dead hands. COME AND TAKE IT!!' Jackson said. When Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pointed out that 'ongoing exposure to NO2 from gas stoves is linked to reduced cognitive performance,' Jackson lashed out at her - and shared a photo of the New York congresswoman's gas stove. 'AOC says gas stoves cause 'reduced cognitive performance' - yet she uses a gas stove? Is this a self diagnosis?' Jackson tweeted. 'AOC, as a medical doctor, I can tell you this: what's wrong with your head IS NOT caused by stoves. Something WAY BIGGER is causing your decreased cognitive function!' Jackson even went as far to set up a URL - SaveTheStoves.com - that links to a WinRed donation page, which asks visitors to sign a petition, but also signs them up for texts and calls from Jackson's Congressional campaign. 'We can't let the maniacs in the White House get away with this! Add your name now to the official petition to SAVE OUR STOVES!!' the website says. A number of Republicans pointed to a 2020 tweet showing first lady Jill Biden cooking veggies over gas. 'Rules for thee but not for me,' tweeted Cruz, sharing the picture of the first lady. In a statement Thursday, Cruz said 'radical environmentalists' were to blame for a proposed ban. 'The Consumer Product Safety Commissions proposed ban on gas stoves is the latest egregious scaremongering by the Far Left and their Biden administration allies,' Cruz said. 'I am pleased to partner with Senator Manchin in this bipartisan effort to stop the federal government from issuing regulations that put the interests of the Green New Deal before the well-being of American families.' In his interview with Bloomberg, Trumka had pointed to the more concrete link between gas stove use and childhood asthma. In an October memo, first reported by Fox News this week and used as evidence that Trumka - a Biden appointee - was serious about a ban, the CPSC commissioner did mention climate change. 'The need for gas stove regulation has reached a boiling point,' Trumka also said. It was unclear if the pun was intentional. 'CPSC has the responsibility to ban consumer products that emit hazardous substances, particularly, when those emissions harm children, under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act,' Trumka wrote. 'Emerging evidence is sufficient to conclude that gas stoves in homes emit toxic gasses that cause illness and that lower-cost, safer alternatives are available.' Trumka pointed out that New York and Los Angeles had already banned the stoves in new construction for 'for health and inequity reasons.' 'There is sufficient information available for CPSC to issue an NPR in FY 2023 proposing to ban gas stoves in homes,' he said. 'The additional work needed to complete an NPR is primarily economic; the available health and scientific evidence on illnesses caused by the relevant gasses at the concentrations present in homes with gas stoves already exists.' After GOP outcry, Trumka pointed out on Twitter that any such ban would only apply to new products. The White House was also forced to respond. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the president 'does not support banning gas stoves.' 'And the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is independent, is not banning gas stoves,' Jean-Pierre said at her January 11 briefing. The memorial site for the Itaewon tragedy, installed 400 meters from the disaster site in central Seoul, is surrounded with banners put up by the domestic far-right civic group New Freedom Union, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin By Lee Hae-rin Sunday will mark the 100-day anniversary of the Itaewon tragedy of last Halloween. The bereaved families remain agonized, not only from the lack of proper investigation but also by far-right protesters surrounding their mourning site. At the western end of Itaewon-ro, about 400 meters from the site of the tragic crowd crush that took at least 159 lives on Oct. 29, 2022, is a temporary memorial space set up by the Association of Families of Itaewon Disaster Victims and civic groups on Dec. 14. A dozen bereaved family members and citizen volunteers stand before the pictures of the victims and offer white flowers and hot tea to mourners, while sad, serene music plays in the background. However, the site is hardly recognizable from the outside, as it is surrounded by banners irrelevant or even insensitive to the Itaewon tragedy. "Stop forcing people to grieve," one banner reads, while others list the number of deaths from accidents that happened during the tenure of the 2017-2022 Moon Jae-in administration, adding, "Never seen President Moon apologizing (for these disasters)." These banners have been put up by the far-right civic group New Freedom Union. Established in 2021 by Kim Sang-jin, a far-right YouTuber and leader of President Yoon Suk Yeol's fan club, the group consists of some 500 members who have held numerous conservative protests against liberal politicians and the former president. Kim told The Korea Times on Friday that they put up banners and hold what he calls "silent protests" there because the memorial space has turned into "a hideout for political agitators," referring to activists and religious leaders who he believes are coaxing the bereaved families into urging the government to apologize and investigate the disaster. A banner, which reads in Korean, "We mourn for those who passed in the Marine Corps helicopter disaster under the Moon Jae-in administration," is displayed by the far-right group New Freedom Union in front of the Itaewon memorial site, Jan. 30 Five marines died in the accident on July 17, 2018. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar Kim said they also have "mourning feelings" for the victims and their bereaved families. A couple of the group's members are stationed at red tents a few meters from the memorial space and livestream the mourning on their YouTube channels. However, they are not welcomed by the bereaved families, volunteers and mourners. "I am so shocked (to see the banners), why can't they take them down?" a Seoul-based mourner told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity, Thursday. "I wonder if they (far-right protesters) would do the same if it had been their own family members and friends who died," another said. The police said the banners cannot be removed because when the conservative group signed up last December for the use of the space, they also registered the banners as "protest materials." Kim said the group will keep displaying the banners "as long as the memorial site stands." In December, the presence of the far-right group was more chaotic. Lee Mi-hyeon, a senior official of the civic group jointly running the memorial site with the bereaved families, said it "was like a nightmare." Lee said that the far-right protesters screamed, played loud machine sounds from speakers on trucks and displayed hate speech against the bereaved families several times. Their harassment reached a peak last Christmas, when the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice (CPAJ) held a street requiem Mass, she said. Middle-aged far-right YouTubers allegedly associated with the New Freedom Union derided the bereaved families, even calling them "corpse sellers," and livestreamed them collapsing into tears, Lee said. When Lee Jong-chul, the leader of the bereaved families group, told the press about the secondary victimization by the far-right group, Kim sued Lee for defamation, or in Kim's words, for "pretending to be socially vulnerable." In response, the bereaved families requested the Seoul Western District Court issue a restraining order against Kim's group, Dec. 29, which will be decided upon next Monday. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) also conducted a field investigation of the situation last month. Restaurant and shop owners nearby also wish the far-right protests would stop. Kim Tae-eung, who runs a restaurant across the street, confirmed that he and his neighbors have reported the far-right banners and protests to the police and local government several times, but their complaints have been denied citing freedom of assembly. The authorities have taken the offending banners down few times, but seem to have "given up" now because the far-right protesters keep putting them up again shortly after. Kim underscored that local merchants, along with the bereaved families, are also victims of the tragedy and urged the authorities to ascertain the truth and hold the responsible accountable, so that the neighborhood can recover. Meanwhile, the mourning continues at the memorial site. Bereaved families who lost loved ones in the Itaewon tragedy on Oct. 29, 2022, read letters attached to flowers given by mourners at the memorial space near Noksapyeong Station in central Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin A 'nosey' shopper says she was 'crying tears of laughter' after claiming to have found someone else's shopping list littered with 'absolutely horrendous' spelling errors - including 'quecumber'. Emily Phillips was doing her food shop in Asda in Edinburgh, Scotland, when she said she found the list at the bottom of her basket. Ms Phillips then had a peak at what the last person who had used the basket had bought. She said she counted 15 spelling mistakes including 'redi maid lasanier, serial and quecumber' and the only word the writer had spelled correctly was 'milk'. Other typos include 'buther' for butter, 'choclit', 'mins meet', 'sweat potatas' and 'colsar'. Emily Phillips was doing her food shop in Asda in Edinburgh when she said she found the list of bad spellings at the bottom of her basket Emily shared the list with co-workers who urged her to post it on social media and the image has attracted more than 300,000 views. The majority of commentors said it left them in hysterics but some failed to see the funny side and blasted Emily for trying to make whoever wrote the list 'feel small'. Emily said: 'I was shopping in Asda. I find something in the bottom of the basket all the time and I'm really nosey so I always look through people's shopping lists to see what they've been getting. 'I opened that one and thought "what?". I thought it was so funny and I was really laughing so I took a photo and sent it to my friend. I was in real tears with laughter. 'At first, I thought it was really funny then I was like "oh bless". Then I threw it away but I had to take a photo because I thought it was really funny. 'You understand every single word very easily because it's written exactly how you say it out loud. I thought it was really funny that the only word on the entire list that was spelled correctly was milk and other than that they're all absolutely horrendous. 'It's so funny because that's how it sounds, it works which is the bizarre thing. 'I have to say, the way they've spelled mincemeat and ready-made lasagne is really funny. The way they've spelled cucumber is actually harder than the way it's actually spelled. I don't really understand it.' Emily said since posting the list on Twitter she has been inundated with commentors claiming that the note belongs to their friends while others argued that sharing the image made the writer look small. Emily hit back by arguing that the list could have been written as a joke to make someone laugh. One wrote: 'If you were intending to make the author look small, you've achieved the opposite effect.' Another said: 'Buther killed me off.' A third commented: 'Quecumber is excellent'. Another wrote: 'I can read and understand every item, as could the person that wrote it. That's the main thing.' Emily said since posting the mispelled list on Twitter she has been inundated with commentors Emily said: 'When I saw the notifications on Twitter, I thought 'oh my God, loads of people have seen it, I don't know what to do'. 'Loads of people have tagged their friends and laughed at the spelling. One person said I was trying to make someone feel small. I just said that I'm not, it's just a laugh, cheer up. 'I don't know who this person is, I don't know if the person who wrote that was doing it for a laugh. It does seem almost unbelievable because you would assume people could spell really simple words. 'Maybe someone thought they'd write it and leave it in a basket and someone will find it and think it's really funny. 'It's not about trying to bully someone, I don't know who the person is and I'm never going to see them. Oh well, people will think I'm trying to be mean but I'm not.' Harvard has scrapped its 'misinformation' research program and severed its ties with the project's controversial director, who used her position to cast doubt over the Hunter Biden laptop story. The project's leader Dr Joan Donavan is a so-called expert in the dangers of social media misinformation, and has publicly challenged the Hunter Biden laptop story during her time at the university. She led the project since its inception in 2019 with the aim to 'help newsroom leaders fight misinformation and media manipulation'. Donavan used her role to cast doubt over the media's coverage of the Hunter Biden laptop story, which saw the president's son's missing laptop appear in a Delaware repair shop containing a treasure trove of illicit images and damaging emails from his work at Ukrainian energy company Burisma. The story was notably suppressed by several major media corporations ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Dr Joan Donavan has consistently championed Democrats through her role as a 'misinformation' expert Donavan frequently cast doubt over the veracity of the Hunter Biden laptop story, previously branding it a 'straw man' in an April 2022 tweet Hunter Biden has been accused of intimidation amid the backlash to a story about him leaving a laptop containing damaging emails in a Delaware repair shop The director of Harvard's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy announced the institution was cutting ties with Donovan in an email obtained by Semafor. The email stated that the Technology and Social Change Project, which studied disinformation online, was being shuttered for what the outlet referred to as 'bureaucratic reasons.' 'The Kennedy School's standing policy is that all research projects must be led by a full faculty member,' said the email. 'While there can be limited exceptions, those can't continue indefinitely without a faculty member as the principal project leader and academic head. According to her Harvard staff page, Donavan supposedly 'leads the field in examining internet and technology studies, online extremism, media manipulation and disinformation campaigns.' Alongside her focus on the Hunter Biden laptop story, she has also analyzed topics including white nationalism and social change activism online. Donavan has become a loyal servant of Democrat causes during her time at Harvard, but has now seen her ties to the university severed The 'misinformation' specialist has also made repeated visits to the White House Donavan utilized her position within the Harvard project to cast doubt over the Hunter Biden laptop story's veracity after it was first published by the New York Post on the eve of the 2020 presidential election. Despite the story being stood up in the years following its original publication, Donavan remained defiant in her public skepticism. In a tweet from April 2022, a year and a half after the story first broke, she slated the story as a 'straw man' point for those who oppose President Biden. Alongside a photograph where she is pictured next to Charlie Warzel, a staff writer for The Atlantic, Donavan wrote: 'Me and @cwarzel Looking at the content on the Hunter Biden Laptop, the most popular straw man question at #Disinfo2022.' She also questioned the veracity of the article during a podcast appearance on the day of the 2020 presidential election. Speaking on the Harvard Kennedy School podcast PolicyCast, she said: 'The sourcing of the laptop being dropped off in Delaware at a lonely repairman's shop that's just... 'If you can charge $85 for fixing a broken laptop, I want to know you. It's a broken laptop, right? 'So, the sourcing of it just stinks of tradecraft. It stinks of a drop. 'And many cyber-security professionals are waiting for an opportunity to forensically analyze the contents of this hard drive.' She also claimed that because other stories about Hunter Biden had circulated prior to the bombshell laptop leak, the story was less likely to be true. 'What we see as researchers when they're trying to make a story happen time and time again, and it doesn't, then you start to see the intensification and adaptation of tactics,' she said. 'So, we pretty much expected more and different styles of attack, including a leak, but was really suspicious of it, is you've got someone with millions of dollars. 'He can't afford Geek Squad at Best Buy to come to his house for the laptop that he has evidence of crimes on? I mean, it's really hard to believe.' A series of damaging and illicit photographs and emails have come to light after Hunter Biden accidentally left a laptop in a repair shop which contained a trove of information about his past Dr Joan Donavan has had her ties to Harvard severed after the university shuttered her 'misinformation' research project Hunter Biden has recently been accused of attempting to intimidate the Delaware computer repair shop owner John Paul Mac Isaac, who has sued him for defamation. The president's son allegedly attempted to enact revenge on Mac Isaac after he brought the story surrounding his laptop to light. The two first encountered each other in April 2019, when Biden left his laptop at the Delaware computer shop and failed to collect it. Since it was first reported on the eve of the 2020 election, the laptop has been a source of controversy for the Biden administration, with its incriminating photos of a drug-addled Hunter with prostitutes widely circulated. The laptop also contained troves of communications over the wayward businessman's history in Ukraine, raising questions over his father's suspect international deals. Hunter in December hired veteran political lawyer Abbe Lowell, who previously represented Jared Kushner, and began fighting back. Lowell accused Mac Isaac of illicitly accessing the laptop. This led Mac Isaac to sue on January 27, seeking $75,000 in damages in a defamation case. On February 1, Lowell then wrote to the Justice Department and Delaware Attorney General, demanding Mac Isaac and others be prosecuted. On Thursday, Mac Isaac's attorney said he believed Hunter wants to criminally prosecute his client in order to enact revenge. 'We finally tracked him down and we were able to serve him last week,' said Brian Della Rocca, speaking to Fox News host Tucker Carlson. 'And now all of a sudden, we see this.' Della Rocca said the call to bring charges against Mac Isaac was directly linked to Mac Isaac suing Hunter. 'He's trying to intimidate. And it's interesting to me that this happened when it did,' Della Rocca told Carlson. Following backlash to his connection with Hunter Biden, Mac Isaac has launched a defamation suit against then-House Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff, CNN, Politico and The Daily Beast, seeking damages of 'at least $1 million'. A convicted felon accused of raping and murdering schoolteacher Eliza Fletcher has pleaded not guilty to all charges related to her killing. Cleotha Abston-Henderson, 38, was arraigned at Shelby County Criminal Court today on multiple charges including the rape and abduction of another woman. He pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder of the billionaire heiress as well as appearing in court in connection with the rape of Alicia Franklin in 2021. Abston-Henderson, 38, is accused of killing elementary school teacher Fletcher, 34, after bundling her into his car during an early morning run in September last year. The convicted felon was indicted on January 25 on charges of especially aggravated kidnapping, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and tampering with evidence. Eliza Fletcher, 34, (pictured) was kidnapped after being forced into a black SUV in September last year and dumped at an abandoned house Abston-Henderson, 38, is accused of killing elementary school teacher Fletcher, 34, after bundling her into his car during an early morning run in September last year Judge Lee Coffee' told Fletcher's family, who were in court, that the case would be a 'long journey'. He said: 'This is going to be a long journey; these cases do not resolve themselves in a brief period of time. 'If this case goes to trial, it will probably be two to three years before it's actually tried. I hope we can compress it to less than that.' The Shelby County District Attorney's Office has also filed a notice to seek enhanced punishment on the case so that it may file a notice to seek life in prison without the possibility of parole or even the death penalty. Tennessee is a state with the death penalty, with prosecutors previously saying they were not ruling it out if he is convicted. The convicted felon has denied first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, and tampering with evidence. Abston-Henderson was identified in the rape of Franklin after he was arrested for the murder of Fletcher, with a DNA kit flagging him as a potential suspect. A DNA kit was sent to the investigation bureau two days after the crime allegedly took place on September 21, 2021. Jennifer Case, his public defender, argued at a previous hearing that she wanted a gag order for her client. The convicted felon, pictured in court today, was indicted on January 25 on charges of especially aggravated kidnapping, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and tampering with evidence Authorities confirmed that a body found in long grass near an abandoned property was that of Fletcher Wearing a green-issued prison jumpsuit Abston-Henderson entered his pleas next to his public defender Jennifer Case Case argued that certain aspects of the case should not be made public, after Memphis Police Chief C.J. David called her client a 'dangerous predator'. The Memphis Police Department said in a statement: 'An official CODIS hit was not received until after the unfortunate event that occurred on September 2, 2022. 'Probable cause to make a physical arrest of any suspect did not exist until after the CODIS hit had been received.' A spokesman for Tennessee Buero of Investigations (TBI) confirmed the dates of the kids and the system flagging up the match. However, they noted that the evidence against Abston was placed in a 'queue of unknown assailant kits, as no request was made for TBI analysis to be expedited, and no suspect information or DNA standard was included in the submission.' Authorities confirmed that a body found in long grass near an abandoned property was that of Fletcher. Missing mother Eliza Fletcher pictured with her husband Richie and their two children. The family described her as a 'special' woman who was taken away from them in a 'senseless' manner Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy confirmed that the incident was 'isolated' and that Fletcher had never met her attacker before. When asked whether Abston-Henderson should have been released early after spending 22 years in prison for kidnapping a lawyer, Mulroy said: 'It's easy to talk about things 20202 hindsight. Cleotha Abston, pictured in 2000, was first arrested when he was just 11 years old and was in and out of juvenille court when 16 times in five years before he kidnapped a lawyer 'In this particular case clearly, he shouldn't have been on the street. Our office opposed parole at the time and in hindsight the parole decision was a tragic one. 'When you have repeat violent offenders, they need to be dealt with very strongly.' When asked by DailyMail.com if Fletcher was sexually assaulted, the DA refused to answer. A obituary for the teacher described her as a 'born athlete', who 'found great joy' in her morning runs and was 'not afraid to be vulnerable. It comes after court documents reveal that he was previously convicted of raping a man when he was a teenager. Abston, 38, was just 11 when he first appeared in Shelby County Juvenile Court, in Memphis, Tennessee, charged with theft of property $500 or less. He was detained 16 times from October 1995 to May 2000 for rape, aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a weapon. Abston, who is accused of taking the keen jogger, drove with her in his GMC terrain for an hour and a half before the vehicle was spotted turning into the road where her body was discovered. Officers searched underneath the porch of the house where she was found Cops discovered the missing mother-of-two in long grass close to where her Lululemon running shorts were found in a trash bag According to Action News 5 his first charges were filed against him in June 1995, and he was part of the 'LMG' gang which stands for 'Lemoyne Gardens Gangstas'. Records show that Abston was accused of raping a man and was placed in the custody of Shelby County's Youth Services Bureau. Two weeks after he was released from his final spell at the SCYSB to his mother's care, he was transferred to adult court for kidnapping lawyer Kemper Durand. DA Mulroy added: 'I'm not going to go into the juvenile court record for obvious reasons. We can go into the adult court record which shows a conviction for kidnapping. 'We will hear more about his record at the appropriate time in court.' Abston was sentenced to 22 years in prison for the offence, and was released in 2020 before violently bundling Eliza Fletcher, 34, into an SUV. Police also discovered Fletchers Lululemon purple running shorts in a trash bag less than half a mile from where her body was discovered on Victor Street According to the criminal affidavit in the case, Mario Abston's neighbors witnessed the suspect cleaning out his car and reported that he had been acting strange. New surveillance footage shows Abston cleaning out the GMC Terrain after kidnapping the mother-of-two Footage shows the suspected killer driving to the home of his brother, Mario, at the Longview Gardens apartment complex around 8am on the Friday she went missing. Less than four hours earlier Abston is accused of kidnapping the heiress seven miles away, close to the University of Memphis. In the video, he can be seen sitting in his car after arriving at the complex before getting up and going to the trunk of the car. It's unclear what he was getting from the trunk. After rummaging around in the vehicle's trunk, Abston runs into his brother's home before returning to the car and spends more than an hour on the passenger side of the GMC Terrain. His brother Mario, 36, described his brother as acting 'strangely', and has also been arrested on several felonies that are unrelated to Fletcher's case Officers found a semi-automatic handgun, a scale with a bag of heroin and fentanyl, and he was charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony and possession of controlled substances. Fletcher was last seen about 4.20am on Friday, when she was jogging (right) in Memphis and a man approached her and forced her into an SUV after a brief struggle, police said Memphis Police Officers were seen searching the area where Eliza was found. She remained hidden by long grass and foliage for four days before discovery with blood seeping into the soil Abston told police that his brother had been cleaning the interior of his GMC Terrain with floor cleaner, as well as washing his clothes in the sink of the house. Cleo Henderson, Abston's father, is currently in prison for second-degree murder and is scheduled for release in 2044. Another neighbour confirmed that Abston was acting 'very strange', and police determined that his phone pinged near to where Fletcher was taken. Officers removed a dumpster close to Abston's brothers low-income apartment complex over the weekend. Cops discovered the missing mother-of-two in long grass close to where her Lululemon running shorts were found in a trash bag. She was discovered by the steps of a dilapidated one-story property just yards from where police last spotted the vehicle she was forced into. A bloodstain remained at the bottom of the stairs next to the patch of dirt where her body was found, with flies still swarming the area and locals reporting a 'stench of decay'. The area where the body was found is just a hundred yards from the Longview Gardens apartment complex - where Abston's brother, Mario, lives. Abston was previously charged with kidnapping and tampering with evidence in relation to her disappearance, as well as other unrelated charges. Surveillance footage obtained by police, which has not been released, show a man running 'aggressively' towards Fletcher and forcing her into the passenger side of the vehicle. The pair struggled, and the car then sat in the parking lot for four minutes with Fletcher inside before driving off to an unknown location. Police tracked him down after finding his DNA on Champion sliders that were left behind during the struggle with Fletcher, as well as her cell phone and water bottle. Victims of the contaminated blood scandal feel 'righteous anger' and are 'right to demand change and right to demand restitution', the final day of a long-running public inquiry has heard. Sam Stein KC, representing 23 people affected by infected blood or blood products, including relatives who supported a partner through terminal illness, told the Infected Blood Inquiry that they had 'truly lived through the worst of times'. The independent inquiry was ordered six years ago by then Prime Minister Theresa May to look into the circumstances in which men, women and children treated by health services were given infected blood, in particular since 1970. Chaired by former High Court judge Sir Brian Langstaff, the inquiry is also examining the support provided to patients following infection, questions of consent, and whether there was a cover-up. In the final closing submissions to the inquiry on Friday, after almost four years of evidence heard around the UK, Mr Stein said of the victims he represents: 'Our clients have been infected, affected and killed by this scandal. Chaired by former High Court judge Sir Brian Langstaff, the inquiry is also examining the support provided to patients following infection, questions of consent, and whether there was a cover-up 'Our clients' lives have been devastated and derailed by their and their loved ones' exposure to infected blood products.' Mr Stein told the hearing in London: 'They have truly lived through the worst of times - the stigma, the fear, the endless desperate day-to-day ill health, the pain, the brain fog and continual sleep deprivation.' The inquiry - ordered by Mrs May in 2017 - follows the death of around 2,400 patients in what has been referred to as the biggest treatment disaster in the history of the NHS. The fiasco resulted from contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s which led to thousands being infected with HIV and Hepatitis C. Most of those involved had the blood-clotting disorder haemophilia and were given injections of the US product Factor VIII. The enquiry has since heard that thousands of adults and approximately 380 children received infected blood products or transfusions during treatment by the NHS. More than 500 victims of the worst treatment disaster in NHS history have died during the long-awaited infected blood inquiry A timeline of the contaminated blood scandal which began in the early-1970s 1972: NHS starts importing large batches of Factor VIII products from United States to help clot blood of haemophiliacs. 1974: Some researchers warn that Factor VIII could be contaminated and spreading hepatitis. Late-1970s: Patients continue to be given Factor VIII, with much of the plasma used to make the product coming from donors such as prison inmates, drug addicts and prostitutes. 1983: Governments in both the UK and the United States are told that Aids has been spread through blood products. Mid-1980s: By now the blood products such as Factor VIII, were being heat-treated to kill viruses, but thousands of patients had already been infected. 1991: Blood products imported from US are withdrawn from use. The government awards ex-gratia payments to haemophiliac victims threatening to sue. 2007: Privately-funded inquiry into scandal set up by Lord Archer of Sandwell but it does not get offical status and relies on donations. 2008: Penrose Inquiry launched, but victims claim the seven-year investigation was a 'whitewash'. 2017: Independent inquiry into contaminated blood scandal announced by Prime Minister Theresa May. April, 2019 Infected Blood Inquiry starts hearing evidence. Advertisement Mr Stein said many of his team's clients were campaigners who had fought for justice and truth, and 'if ignored' had 'knocked on another door'. Mr Stein told the inquiry: 'They never stopped and without them - and this needs recognition - this inquiry would never have happened. 'All of our clients are passionate, unrelenting and angry but this is a righteous anger. This is the righteous anger of the ignored, the side-lined and the discriminated (against). 'We don't apologise for our clients' visceral anger. We don't apologise for their desire for truth and for proper compensation for the damage done to them. 'Instead let me be pin-point clear - they are right to be angry, and they are right to demand compensation, right to demand change and right to demand restitution.' Mr Stein also claimed the responses of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) during the inquiry had shown an 'absolute lack of candour' and a failure 'to realise that apologies must mean something'. In its submissions to the inquiry last month, the Government said interim compensation payments of about 400 million showed it accepts its 'moral responsibility' to help victims. But more than 500 of those infected in the scandal have died since the enquiry was ordered in 2017, according to the Haemophilia Society. Eleanor Grey KC, for the DHSC, told the inquiry on January 18 that the hearings had 'given a powerful voice' to patients harmed by contaminated blood treatments and to their loved ones. The DHSC's written closing submissions to the inquiry, dated December 16 last year, said the department accepted that 'things happened that should not have happened' and that no statements made on its behalf should detract from its 'unreserved' apology. The final inquiry report is expected to be published in mid-2023. The Haemophilia Society expects that a wider group of affected people will be offered compensation following this. Britain's struggling high streets have been dealt another fresh blow as it was tonight announced fashion giant M&Co will shut 170 shops - putting 1,910 jobs at risk. A spokesman from Teneo, who were appointed as administrators of the business, confirmed the sale of M&Co brand and intellectual property to Yours Clothing but not the stores, The Sun reports. The Peterborough-based group is also the owner of the menswear line BadRhino, the womenswear retailer Long Tall Sally and the maternity brand Bump It Up Maternity. An insider source also told The Sun that the sale of the brand means M&Co's 170 shops will close forever, putting 1,910 jobs at risk. The company previously known as Mackays fell in to administration on December 9, for the second time in just two years. Britain's struggling high streets have been dealt another fresh blow as it was tonight announced fashion giant M&Co will shut 170 shops - putting 1,910 jobs at risk The M&Co brand has been bought by Yours Clothing, according to Drapers . A spokesman from Teneo, who were appointed as administrators of the business, confirmed the sale of M&Co brand and intellectual property to Yours Clothing but not the stores, The Sun reports Several senior staff members at M&Co, including the chief financial officer, left the business last month in a wave of redundancies at the retailer. It is understood that, should a buyer not be found for the physical stores, staff employed at those sites will also face redundancy. Administrators at Teneo put the bust business up for sale with an auction deadline for potential buyers. Teneo blames M&Cos collapse on the sharp rise in costs while squeezed household budgets have also cut down sale numbers. At the time of M&Co's administration, online clothes are being discounted at 50 per cent off, while in shops items have 25 per cent off promotions. Industry experts also said at the time that M&Co had not attracted high street players such as Frasers, Next and Marks & Spencer who have recently swooped on bust retailers. M&Co isn't the only store vanishing from Britain's high streets, as just this week, Paperchase announced it collapsed into administration after it couldn't find a buyer. Tesco has announced a deal to buy the brand and intellectual property from the insolvency specialists - but the move means Paperchase's stores are expected to shut, with hundreds of staff likely to face redundancy. 'Unfortunately, despite a comprehensive sales process, no viable offers were received for the company, or its business and assets, on a going concern basis. 'However, there has been significant interest in the Paperchase brand and attendant intellectual property. At the time of M&Co's administration, online clothes are being discounted at 50 per cent off, while in shops items have 25 per cent off promotions Companies like M&Co or Paperchase going into administration comes in a wave of high street closures, after the bloodbaths of 2008 and 2020, as firms struggle to cope with the soaring bills and a slump in sales due to the cost of living crisis M&Co isn't the only store vanishing from Britain's high streets, as just this week, Paperchase announced it collapsed into administration after it couldn't find a buyer (pictured: a woman walking past shuttered shops in Chatham, Kent, one of many high streets to have suffered a decline in recent years) 'The joint administrators will continue trading the company's operations in the short term, with all stores remaining open and trading as normal.' Supermarket giant Tesco has bought the Paperchase brand and intellectual property after the stationery chain entered administration. However, the supermarket chain's deal for the business will not include any of the retailer's 106 stores and is therefore expected to impact hundreds of jobs. Companies like M&Co or Paperchase going into administration comes in a wave of high street closures, after the bloodbaths of 2008 and 2020, as firms struggle to cope with the soaring bills and a slump in sales due to the cost of living crisis. In November, fashion chain Joules, which produces posh wellies loved by the likes of Kate Middleton, Taylor Swift and Holly Willoughby, announced it was facing administration, putting 1,600 jobs and 132 stores under threat. The pressure caused by the cost of living crisis is also felt by giants like Marks & Spencer, who revealed in November that it expects to spend 100million more on energy in 2023. The burger chain Byron Burger also recently fell into administration and is to close nine restaurants effective immediately. Fashion giant H&M also isn't safe of closures and recently announced it would be shutting a few of its stores - two branches in Hartlepool and the Isle of Wight - in the UK in 2023 after already shutting branches during 2022. Pub chain Whetherspoons announced in December that 10 pubs would be closed and another 35 were up for sale after they were hit with inflated running costs. The face of Britain's High Streets has changed since March 2020 and the Covid pandemic, as data shows a large rise in cafes, pubs, fast-food outlets and tattoo studios having been opened since then. Fashion giant H&M also isn't safe of closures and recently announced it would be shutting a few of its stores - two branches in Hartlepool and the Isle of Wight - in the UK in 2023 after already shutting branches during 2022 Since the Covid pandemic forced businesses to close in March 2020, Britain's High Streets have become increasingly dominated by hairdressers and cafes, data shows (file image) While the likes of department stores, clothes shops and banks have seen significant drops in numbers following the two years of lockdowns and trading restrictions. Between March 2022 and March 2020 there was a decrease of 9,300 retail outlets as shoppers decided to use online stores. The data also shows that Britain's High Streets are becoming places where people do things rather than buy things - as highlighted by a large rise in the number beauty salons and cafes. The number of clothes shops operating in Britain is down 4,300 since March 2020 and there are more than 800 fewer High Street banks. Between March 2022 and March 2020 there was a decrease of 9,300 retail outlets as shoppers decided to use online stores. The data also shows that Britain's High Streets are becoming places where people do things rather than buy things - as highlighted by a large rise in the number beauty salons and cafes. A widow whose husband was tragically crushed to death as he cleaned a travelator at Waterloo Tube Station has launched a legal battle for compensation of more than 200,000. Father-of-three Christian Tuvi, 44, suffered fatal injuries when his supervisor activated the walkway for just 26 seconds as he worked underneath, a High Court claim said. Now his widow Abigail Ayensu is suing London-based Cleshar Contract Services for damages after the accident in September 2019. The company, for whom he worked as a sub-contractor, admitted liability for the horrific accident in April 2022, according to court documents. But the two sides have been unable to agree on how much compensation Ms Avensu should receive, and now the court will decide. Christian Tuvi, 44, suffered fatal injuries when his supervisor activated the walkway for just 26 seconds as he worked underneath, a High Court claim said His widow Abigail Ayensu is suing London-based Cleshar Contract Services for damages after the accident happened at Waterloo Tube Station in September 2019 She is seeking damages for herself and for the couples children Christine, 19, Samuel, 17, and Abigail, 15. Mr Tuvi from Cambridgeshire, worked through his own company, as well as working for the NHS and being a member of the Territorial Army, and was a devoted family man who supported his family, said Ms Avensu. At the time of the accident, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan called for quick answers over Mr Tuvis death under the moving walkway, connecting the Jubilee Line to the Northern Line, so that lessons could be learned. But a year later, in the midst of the pandemic, his family said they were in limbo, still waiting for a series of investigations to finish before an inquest could take place. In September 2020, the familys solicitor, Charlotte Rankin said they were absolutely devastated by Mr Tuvis death. She said: He was a hardworking loving father, and the last thing they expected when he went to work was that they would have a knock on the door from the police to tell them that he had been involved in such a horrific incident. Of course, given the tragic consequences, and the complexity of the circumstances surrounding what happened, the family understand the need for thorough investigations to take place. The company, for whom he worked as a sub-contractor, admitted liability for the horrific accident in April 2022 They are also very mindful of the limitations caused by the Covid-19 crisis and are therefore very grateful to everyone who is working so hard under such difficult circumstances. Sadly, however, while the family are being kept informed of progress, the ongoing nature of the investigations do mean that they remain very much in limbo, and desperate for answers as to what happened and whether more could have been done to protect Christian. The new court documents reveal that the accident happened as six men cleaned a 105m-long moving walkway at Waterloo Station, made up of 570 steps. Two men went to the drive end, one into the middle, and Mr Tuvi and a colleague were told to clean the return end, farthest away from the controls, the claim says. The men went into the machine room at 0148 hours on September 18 but within minutes Mr Tuvis colleague had gone off to look for some de-greasing equipment, and there seems to have been no further communication with Mr Tuvi from the drive end, the court will hear. Just after 2am, the walkway was activated briefly, and then again for 26 seconds, in which time it travelled 4 metres, and collided with Mr Tuvi, crushing him and causing injuries from which he died at the scene. Ms Avensu blames Cleshar Contract Services for her husbands death, saying it failed to carry out a risk assessment, failed to have a plan specifying the sequence for cleaning tasks, failing to check staff for fatigue, or warn that movement was about to start. The company should have checked both ends of the walkway to ensure it was safe before starting the inching forward process, but failed to wait for an all-clear signal, or ensure there were two workers at the far end, and allowed one man to be left alone, it is alleged. The claim says that the company negligently allowed the walkway to be moved, crushing Mr Tuvi, and failed to take any care of him. Cleshar Contract Services Ltd was contacted by MailOnline for comment. A Tennessee board on Friday suspended the emergency medical technician licenses of two former Memphis Fire Department employees for failing to render critical care to Tyre Nichols after he took a beating from police that ultimately killed him. EMT Robert Long and advanced EMT JaMichael Sandridge were both fired last week. Five Black officers have been fired and charged with second-degree murder, among other charges. Two other officers were suspended. The Justice Department has now opened a civil rights probe into the attack on Nichols on January 7. He died from his injuries in hospital three days later. Three fire department employees were fired after Nichols died. Former fire department Lt. Michelle Whitaker was the third employee let go, but her license was not considered for suspension Friday. The department has said she remained in the engine with the driver during the response to Nichols' beating. Emergency Medical Services Board member Jeff Beaman said during Friday's emergency meeting that there may have been other licensed personnel on scene - including a supervisor - who could have prevented the situation that led to the death of Nichols. Beaman said he hopes the board addresses those in the future. EMT Robert Long and advanced EMT JaMichael Sandridge were both fired last week after they failed to provide Tyre Nichols (pictured) with critical care after he'd been beaten by Memphis police officers on January 7. He died three days later The image from bodycam footage of the brutal attack shows Nichols slumped against a car. Five officers have been charged with second-degree murder Nichols is seen in this image on the ground as medics arrive during a brutal attack Nichols, a father-of-one, was initially pulled over by cops who claimed he'd been driving recklessly. Memphis police have since said there was no evidence of that Matt Gibbs, an attorney for the state Department of Health, said the two suspensions were 'not final disposition of this entire matter.' Board members watched 19 minutes of surveillance video that showed Long and Sandridge as they failed to care for Nichols, who couldn't stay seated upright against the side of the vehicle, laying prone on the ground multiple times. They also considered an affidavit by the Memphis Fire Department's EMS deputy chief. 'The (state) Department (of Health) alleges that neither Mr. Sandridge nor Mr. Long engaged in emergency care and treatment to patient T.N., who was clearly in distress during the 19 minute period,' Gibbs said. Board member Sullivan Smith said it was 'obvious to even a lay person' that Nichols 'was in terrible distress and needed help.' 'And they failed to provide that help,' Smith said. 'They were his best shot, and they failed to help.' Fire Chief Gina Sweat has said the department received a call from police after someone was pepper-sprayed. When the workers arrived at 8:41 p.m., Nichols was handcuffed on the ground and slumped against a squad car, the statement said. Long and Sandridge, based on the nature of the call and information they were told by police, 'failed to conduct an adequate patient assessment of Mr. Nichols,' the statement said. An ambulance was called, and it arrived at 8:55 p.m., the statement said. An emergency unit cared for Nichols and left for a hospital with him at 9:08 p.m., which was 27 minutes after Long, Sandridge and Whitaker arrived, officials said. Charged with second degree murder are (left to right) Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Emmitt Martin III Memphis officers Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith have also been charged with second-degree murder Officer Preston Hemphill has been suspended with pay pending a hearing, but was spared criminal charges An investigation determined that all three violated multiple policies and protocols, the statement said, adding that 'their actions or inactions on the scene that night do not meet the expectations of the Memphis Fire Department.' Nichols was beaten after police stopped him for what they said was a traffic violation. Video released after pressure from Nichols family shows officers holding him down and repeatedly punching, kicking and striking him with a baton as he screamed for his mother. Six of the officers involved were part of the so-called Scorpion unit, which targeted violent criminals in high-crime areas. Police Chief Cerelyn 'CJ' Davis said after the videos release that the unit has been disbanded. At Nichols' funeral on Wednesday, attended by thousands including VP Kamala Harris and Rev. Al Sharpton, calls for reform and justice were interwoven with grief over the loss of a man remembered as a son, a sibling, a father and a passionate photographer and skateboarder. This is the horrifying moment a desperate California mom hurled her 10-month-old baby over a fence as gang members closed in on her - before they were both shot dead execution-style. Two gang members now have been arrested in connection with the brutal cartel massacre, that also killed four other members of her family on January 16. The arrests were announced Friday by the Tulare County Sheriff's Office, with the suspects named as Noah David Beard, 25, and Angel 'Nanu' Uriarte, 35. Uriarte was reportedly in a gun battle with ATF agents prior to his arrest, and is currently in hospital after being shot. Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux has said both men arrested are members of the Nortenos gang, while two of the Parraz family who were killed were members of their rival Surenos gang. Heartbreaking CCTV footage shows the moment the gang members begin to walk back towards the home with the mom and her baby inside Young mom Alyssa Parraz is seen running away from the massacre while holding her baby The 16-year-old then seen throwing her 10-month-old baby over the property fence as she attempts to flee After throwing her baby over the fence, then attempts to flee the scene where four of her family members were shot dead After hurling her baby in a desperate attempt to save his life, Alyssa is seen being hunted down by the gang members The two men, named as 25-year-old Noah David Beard and 35-year-old Angel 'Nanu' Uriarte, killed six in the horrific California shooting In the heartbreaking footage, the young mother can be heard frantically pleading for help from a 911 dispatcher as the gang members hunt her down. 'They're coming back in. I'm too scared,' she said as the men turn back towards her family home. 'The guys are coming. Please hurry, they're coming back in.' Alissa is seen fleeing from the home with her 10-month-old baby, who she then hurls over the property fence in a desperate bid to save his life. She was tragically found later in a ditch, still cradling her baby Nycholas, near the California home where four of her family members were also killed. Police rushed to the scene at around 3:30am after multiple shots rang out at the California neighborhood of Goshen, a small farming town roughly 220 miles southeast of San Francisco. It was initially believed that there was an active shooter situation unfolding due to the high number of bullets that were fired. Deputies arrived seven minutes later after the call came in and reported initially finding two people dead. It was later learned that the desperate 911 call came from a surviving victim of the shooting, who had managed to live after hiding in the home. After discovering the grisly scene, deputies then found a third victim in the doorway of the property. Continued searches led them to find several more victims both inside and outside the family home. In all, the execution-style massacre led to the deaths of Eladio Parraz Jr, 52, Marcos Parraz, 19, Jennifer Analla, 49, Rosa Parraz, 72, Alissa Parraz, 16 and Nycholas Parraz, who was just 10 months old. Alissa Parraz, 16, was found dead in a ditch, still cradling her baby Nycholas, near the home where four of her family members were also killed The home is pictured from above where the family were butchered by the gang members last month Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux told reporters that the shootings were targeted. Law officials announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the gunmen Sheriff Boudreaux said that one of the victims later died in hospital, despite the best efforts of deputies who immediately started CPR on the scene. The young mother who was killed has been seen on the heartbreaking footage attempting to flee the massacre with her 10-month-old baby boy when one of the gunmen stood over them and 'fired rounds into their heads', California cops have revealed. Alissa Parraz, 16, was found dead in a ditch, still cradling her baby Nycholas, near the home where four of her family members were also killed. At a press conference following the killings, Sheriff Boudreaux said the massacre was a deliberate attack on the family. 'None of this was an accident. It was deliberate, intentional and horrific,' he said. 'These people were clearly shot in the head and they were also shot in places where the shooter would know that a quick death would occur,' said the sheriff. 'This is also similar to high-ranking gang affiliation and the style of executions that they commit.' Authorities had recently conducted a drug-related search warrant on the same home. The hunt for the men convened numerous law enforcement agencies, including the ATF, DEA, FBI, Homeland Security, Department of Justice, and the California Department of Corrections. Alissa Parraz, 16, was found dead in a ditch, still cradling her baby Nycholas 52-year-old Eladio Parraz Jr, pictured, was killed along with six others in the horror January 16 shooting Rosa Parraz, 72, left, and Marcos Parraz, 19, right, are among the victims who have been identified by police Jennifer Analla, 52 was also killed in what police have described as a 'horrific massacre' Two other people survived the attack by hiding in a nearby trailer, as they watched the intruders enter the property on a surveillance camera feed. However, the sheriff said that 'by the time they came on (the feed) it was too late to do anything.' The survivor who was able to avoid the gunmen was said to be 'in such a state of fear that all he could do was hold the door, hoping he was not the next victim.' Boudreaux previously specified that law enforcement is familiar with the home, a property where gang activity 'has routinely occurred in the past'. He did not provide any further specifics during the press conference after the attack. He added that not all of the victims are drug dealers or gang members, however - including Alissa, Nycholas and 72 year-old Rosa. There was 'no reason' for the shooter to target the young mother and baby, Boudreaux told reporters. 'I know for a fact this 10-month-old baby was relying on the comfort of his mother,' he said, 'There was no reason for them to shoot that baby, but they did. 'It's shocking for the nation, shocking to our county, shocking to our state, and I have to tell you I'm receiving phone calls from across the country.' Two arrests were made after a multiple-agency search for the gang members The hunt for the men responsible was assisted by resources provided by the ATF, DEA, FBI, Homeland Security, Department of Justice, and the California Department of Corrections Local reports indicate that one of the men was in a gun battle with ATF agents prior to his arrest, and is currently in hospital after being shot Earlier this month, cops served a search warrant on the home that led to the arrest of Eladio Parraz Jr., a convicted felon who was killed during the shooting. Boudreaux said that Parraz Jr. was not the 'initial intended target' but declined to elaborate further. Parraz Jr., 52, had an extensive criminal record, with offenses including reckless driving to evade arrest, as well as the possession of firearms and drugs. He was arrested after officers responding to a parole compliance check found ammunition, firearms and methamphetamine in the house, according to court records. Parraz Jr. was released on bail four days later. Royal Navy sailors were rushed to hospital today after drinking contaminated water on a ship, it has been alleged. Frigate HMS Portland was diverted to Portsmouth Naval Base today after a sailor noticed the warship's drinking water had been 'contaminated' with chemicals. A defence source told MailOnline a number of sailors have been taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth. The source said: 'The situation is quite serious. The ship has done everything they should do. They found out about it this morning and came alongside in Portsmouth. 'They have got scientists on board investigating. The water has been contaminated by something. A number of personnel have been taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital for treatment.' Frigate HMS Portland (pictured) was said to have diverted to Portsmouth Naval Base today after a sailor noticed the warship's drinking water had been 'contaminated' The Royal Navy confirmed that 'a small number of personnel' were taken to hospital A Royal Navy spokesman said: 'We can confirm that HMS Portland has returned to HMNB Portsmouth as a precautionary measure, following an issue with one of the ships fresh water systems. 'The health and safety of our personnel is of the utmost importance and we are taking a number of measures to safeguard the ships company whilst the issue is investigated.' The Royal Navy also confirmed that 'a small number of personnel' were taken to hospital 'as a precaution' but it is unclear how severe their injuries are. The spokesman has since added: 'Nearly all involved have been discharged from hospital. 'All are expected to make a full recovery. 'We take the health and welfare of our people very seriously and will review processes to ensure this does not happen again.' HMS Richmond was also stood up to cover any contingencies. MailOnline approached the NHS for comment. It is currently unclear what injuries were sustained during the HMS Portland incident It is understood the problem was caused following a mix-up by a young engineer, who alerted rapidly alerted senior sailors on the ship of the error. 'If they were not to do that this could have been a whole lot worse,' a naval source told The Sun. 'Integrity and honesty are key components of the Royal Navy and we are glad they have been upheld.' The warships use fresh water reverse osmosis and on this occasion the engineer is believed to have put the wrong chemicals in the wrong hole. A defence source told MailOnline that a number of sailors have been taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth HMS Portland - launched in 1999 - is used by the Royal Navy for a number of purposes including security operations and warfighting. The 4,900-tonne ship is currently being upgraded to receive new radars, engines and a sea-based supersonic missile defence system. Reports of water contamination comes just weeks after HMS Portland announced that it was monitoring Russian warship Admiral Gorshkov and its accompanying tanker Kama as they sail into the North Sea. The Russian vessel is armed with new Mach 9 nuclear-capable Zircon missiles, which travel at speeds of nearly 7,000mph, as well as Kalibr missiles. Reports come after HMS Portland announced that it was monitoring Russian warship HMS Portland departed from its home port at Plymouth on Saturday, January 7, and was also reported to be equipped with 'cutting-edge sonars, sensors and torpedoes for specialist operations'. In a statement, HMS Portland's Commanding Officer Commander Ed Moss-Ward said: 'Escorting warships in UK territorial waters and the adjacent sea areas is routine activity for the Royal Navy.' Rep. Nancy Mace, the last Republican holdout who ultimately joined her caucus in voting to boot Rep. Ilhan Omar from Foreign Affairs, said the uproar on the House floor over the Minnesota Democrat's ouster was 'drama queens on display.' 'I would say that was complete drama queens on full display. And there's no surprise there that they would use racism as an excuse,' Mace, R-S.C., told 'Fox and Friends' on Friday morning. 'They weren't there two years ago when Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar were being kicked off. They weren't using that as an excuse. And it's really unbelievable. But it's very typical of the Squad to see that kind of behavior on the floor.' Omar's allies broke into hysterics as their progressive comrade was about to be booted from the high-powered committee. Speaker Kevin McCarthy cobbled together his caucus on a united front to remove Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee due to 'anti-Semitic remarks' she made in previous terms. 'I would say that was complete drama queens on full display. And there's no surprise there that they would use racism as an excuse,' Rep Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told 'Fox and Friends' on Friday morning Only Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, voted 'present,' citing the need to recuse himself on a matter that could come before his Ethics Committee. Some cited national security concerns, while others noted that Democrats had kicked two Republicans off committees over remarks they made. A small number of Republicans were not originally on board with the ouster, citing free speech issues, but they were ultimately swayed to vote with the caucus. Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., gave her stamp of approval after McCarthy promised 'due process' - meaning Omar could appeal the decision to the Ethics Committee. Mace became a 'yes' vote after McCarthy promised to put forward a new bipartisan process for removing members from committees. Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., accused Republicans of 'white supremacy' as she and other left-wing members of the Squad condemned their efforts to remove Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. 'This institution is better because of her leadership and the foreign affairs committee benefits from her perspective,' she said. 'So, let's talk about what's really happening. 'Republicans are waging a blatantly Islamophobic and racist attack on Congresswoman Omar and I've said it before I'll say it again: The white supremacy happening is unbelievable.' Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) accused Republicans of 'white supremacy' as she and other left-wing members of the Squad condemned their efforts to remove Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee Before the vote count was handed down, progressive firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York condemned the GOP for what she said amounted to 'racism and incitement of violence against women of color.' 'Don't tell me this is about consistency. Don't tell me that this is about a condemnation of antisemitic remarks...This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America,' AOC said emphatically. And Democratic Rep. Rashid Tlaib of Michigan broke down as she said: 'Congresswoman Omar, I am so sorry that our country is failing you today through the chamber. 'You belong on this committee.' She raised her voice in a howl as she was told her time was cut off. 'You belong on this committee,' she half sobbed, half screamed before her microphone was cut off. Democrats screamed 'no' before the GOP completed Speaker Kevin McCarthy's bid to get the Squad member removed over her history of comments comparing Israel to Hamas and the Taliban and saying the relationship between the Jewish state and the U.S. is 'all about the Benjamins' in 2019. 'She described 9/11 by saying "some people did something",' McCarthy said when explaining why he wanted to boot her from the committee in a press conference after she was kicked off. McCarthy insisted Omar's removal was not 'tit-for-tat' - brushing off Democrat allegations it is 'revenge' for removing Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar from their assignments. Before the vote, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez condemned the GOP for what she said amounted to 'racism and incitement of violence against women of color' House Republicans on Thursday voted to kick Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee over her antisemitic comments in chaotic scenes in Congress. 'She described 9/11 by saying "some people did something",' McCarthy said when explaining why he wanted to boot her from the committee in a press conference after she was kicked off Omar told Republicans 'I am an American', and said losing her seat on the committee for a term would not make her go away. In his press conference before the vote House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries 0f New York admitted Omar has used 'antisemitic tropes' - but questioned why Omar was being booted. He added there had been 'no accountability' for Republicans who had put out seemingly antisemitic tweets. Jeffries referenced a 2021 tweet Rep. Thomas Massie put out accusing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) of 'foreign interference in our elections' for putting out an ad targeting him. But Massie does not sit on the Foreign Affairs Committee - McCarthy has said that Omar would be allowed to participate in other committees but represented a 'national security concern' on this one. Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., suggested Republicans were being racist for targeting Omar, a Muslim Somali American. 'Could it be the way she looks?' he said on the House floor to Democratic applause. While Republicans mentioned her previously negative remarks about Israel, several also suggested that the move is payback for House Democrats removing two hardline right Republicans from their posts in the last Congress. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) walks to her office flanked by AOC, Rep. Sara Jacobs (over her left shoulder) and a scrum of reporters 'The overwhelming number of members I talked to are - they don't feel like given her past and perhaps current views that she should have a seat on Foreign Affairs,' South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson said. Omar's fellow House Foreign Affairs Committee member Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky told DailyMail.com that's he's spoken to the congresswoman about the current situation and she has a 'right to free speech' - but not to a committee post. 'The Foreign Affairs committee involves, you know, sensitive intelligence briefings and things like that, and when it comes to our national security and when it comes to our relationship with Israel, her views have a bearing on her ability to serve on that committee,' Barr said. Barr also pointed out that Republicans are giving Omar an avenue for 'due process' after Spartz agreed to support the resolution on Tuesday night if the progressive had an avenue to appeal the decision to the House Ethics Committee. 'We are providing a process,' Barr said. 'We're providing an appeal.' Alluding to Democrats stripping conservative Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia of her previous committee assignments over inflammatory social media posts before she joined Congress, he also said: 'We are also not kicking people off of committees because of statements that they've made before they were in Congress. These are statements she's made as a member of Congress.' 'And that is a significant distinction between what Speaker Pelosi did and what Kevin McCarthy did.' Rep. Tom Cole, who chairs the committee that passed Tuesday night's resolution to boot Omar off of Foreign Affairs, told reporters on Wednesday morning that the full House process could start as soon as today. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy vowed retribution for the removal of Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar from their committees in the last Congress 'They were warned two years ago, 'If you do this, there will be consequences.' You're not going to, you know, deny our members committees, and kick Kevin McCarthy appointees off things like the January 6 committee while you put their political equivalents on and think there's not going to be consequences with the majority changes,' Cole said. 'Now, the chickens are coming home to roost, so to speak.' He added, 'What I hope happens is each side learns something from this and we don't go down this road again.' 'But it's not going to be a situation where they were allowed to do that to our members, and now they don't even acknowledge what they did was a mistake, that might help,' Cole said. Along with Greene's removal for social media activity parroting QAnon conspiracies and calling for violence against high profile Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 117th Congress also removed Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar for posting a video depicting himself attacking progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Florida Rep. Byron Donalds incredulously asked DailyMail.com, 'Are you serious?' when questioned about why he believes Omar should be kicked off the high-profile Foreign Affairs panel. 'First of all, Congresswoman Omar - this is now the third time that issues have been made about her anti-Semitic comments. In 2019. There was a resolution brought to the House floor, specifically about her, that Nancy Pelosi watered down to just say Congress opposes antisemitism,' Donalds said. 'Well, of course Congress opposes antisemitism, but there is one member that has had this rhetorical issue, and frankly philosophical issue, for some time. 'We have our political issues here in the United States. We all know that. But Israel being our most important ally in that region has not been a point of this- of disagreement between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to foreign policy, save for one member. So why should that member continue to sit on Foreign Affairs?' Korea and the United States are in talks over a possible state visit to Washington by President Yoon Suk Yeol in the first half of the year, a diplomatic source said Friday. If it materializes, it would be the first state visit to the United States by a Korean president in 12 years. President Lee Myung-bak was the last president to pay such a visit to Washington in 2011. The source said the allies are keeping other options open, such as an official visit or a working visit. April is seen as the most likely time for the trip. A state visit is the highest form of a visit by a head of state, and is typically accompanied by an official welcome ceremony, an inspection of an honor guard, a state dinner and an address to Congress. Yoon's visit would coincide with the 70th anniversary of the two countries' alliance at a time when his administration is seeking a closer alignment with Washington on both security and economic issues. The presidential office said it has no details to reveal as of now, given that it is customary for the two countries to simultaneously announce a state visit and the need to consider the congressional calendar. "The two countries are in talks over a U.S. visit, and nothing has been decided yet," a senior presidential official said. (Yonhap) A Massachussets mother who is accused of strangling her three children to death before trying to kill herself will now be evaluated for postpartum mood disorders and mental health issues after her lawyer claims she was horrifically 'overmedicated' on prescription drugs. At an emergency hearing on Friday afternoon, a judge ruled Lindsay Clancy, 32, may be examined by a forensic psychologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston where she is currently admitted as a patient. Clancy's lawyer, Kevin J Reddington, said the drugs had left her feeling feeling like a 'zombie' as investigators probe the theory she was suffering from post-partum psychosis. 'We've got a person who suffered grievously as a result of what possibly could be postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis,' Reddington told the court, according to The Boston Globe. It comes after a local priest said he had given the mother her Last Rites as she lay in her hospital bed unable to walk the day after the catastrophic event. Father Patrick Clancy was out for 25 minutes to grab takeout for his family when he found his wife, Lindsay, unconscious after dropping from their second-floor window. Inside their home, daughter Cora (left) and son Dawson (right) were dead Five-year-old Cora and three-year-old Dawson were pronounced dead on arrival to hospital Reverend Bob Deehan, of the local Duxbury Church, also told The Boston Globe he had visited her husband Patrick Clancy at his parents' home and the two prayed together, prompting the latter to forgive his sick wife. Attorney Kevin Reddington, who is representing Lindsay, told Fox News a hearing had been scheduled on Friday regarding his motion to allow a forensic psychologist to evaluate her. Lindsay, who was on leave from her job at Massachusetts General Hospital, killed her three children Callan, eight months, Cora, five and Dawson, three, after Patrick, 34, left the family home in Massachusetts to pick up take-out. Clancy and Callan initially survived the apparent murder-suicide attempt with the midwife jumping out of a window on the property's top floor but the baby later died. Husband Patrick has since said he forgives his ill wife, writing: 'The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients.' Reverend Bob Deehan has now revealed the forgiveness came after the two prayed together at Patrick's parents' home. 'There'd be moments, an interjection, he'd say something or his mother would,' Deehan told The Boston Globe. Plymouth County District Attorney confirmed that Callan died at a Boston area hospital on Friday morning 'We prayed together ... A lot of it was just of kind of being present and supportive.' Later that say, Deehan drove to Boston where he gave Lindsay Clancy the Sacrament of Anointing the Sick, often referred to as the Last Rites, as she lay in her hospital bed. It is claimed that Lindsay was suffering from 'horrific overmedication' of prescription drugs. Her lawyer Reddington says the concoction 'caused homicidal ideation, suicidal ideation' may have been a trigger - adding the medicine turned her into a 'zombie'. 'One of the major issues here is the horrific overmedication of drugs that cause suicidal ideation,' Reddington told the Boston Globe. 'They [Lindsay and her husband Patrick] went to doctors repeatedly saying, 'Please help us. 'This was turning her into a zombie ... the medications that were prescribed were over the top, absolutely over the top.' Investigators are probing if the midwife was suffering from postpartum psychosis, as she was on leave from her job at Massachusetts General Hospital. Friends of the Clancy family have set up a GoFundMe to support Patrick and assist in paying for medical bills, funeral bills and legal bills. So far it has exceed the $1million goal, with the page adding: 'This assistance is especially needed because Pat will be unable to work for the foreseeable future as he weathers this painful, life-altering tragedy.' A vigil took place last week at the Holy Family Church in Duxbury, with a priest saying that the mother had been 'trying to deal with mental illness' before becoming 'overwhelmed'. Father Robert Deehan said he had given Lindsay the Last Rites as she lay in her hospital bed Cops discovered the three young children 'unconscious' upstairs 'with obvious signs of trauma' on Tuesday evening Clancy, pictured with Cora as a baby, was a midwife at Massachusetts General Hospital Officers arrived at the family home on Tuesday after a frantic Patrick had discovered his wife unconscious on the ground below a second-floor window. They discovered the three young children 'unconscious' upstairs 'with obvious signs of trauma'. Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz said it appeared that they had all been strangled. Cora and Dawson were pronounced dead on arrival at hospital, while Callan was given CPR at the scene. Clancy will be arraigned on charges including two counts of homicide and three each for strangulation and assault and battery with a deadly weapon for the deaths of her two children. It is expected that further charges will be added for the death of Callan. Cruz said they will now conduct autopsies to determine how the children died and findings will be made public when a death certificate is issued. He said of the family: 'I cannot begin to fathom the pain, the depths of pain they must be feeling. 'This is an unimaginable, senseless tragedy, and it is an ongoing investigation.' Cruz warned, 'nobody's here to speculate', adding 'we're well aware of the fact that anybody charged with a criminal crime is presumed innocence until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.' He wrapped up the conference by saying: 'Certainly our hearts and condolences go up to the Clancy family'. Lindsay Clancy's father-in-law, Christopher Clancy, said: 'We're all heartbroken right now.' Duxbury Fire Chief Robert Reardon and Deputy Chief Brian Monahan issued a joint statement that urged responders to reach out if they're having trouble coping. They said: 'Tragedies like these are always difficult to comprehend and process. 'We are all left struggling with many emotions. Please know that all public safety personnel have been offered, and will continue to be offered, needed support.' The Wareham Fire Department showed their love for the Clancy family, the three young children who died and their fellow first responders by adding to a memorial of flowers and stuffed animals. Clancy had previously shared online that she was struggling with postpartum anxiety. Neighbors and those who do not know the family have added their own offerings Robbers were able to swindle thousands of dollars from three men at one of New York City's most popular gay leather bars by using facial recognition technology while they were incapacitated. The three partygoers aged 47, 42 and 39 visited Chelsea hotspot The Eagle NYC - which brands itself 'New York's premier gay leather bar' - on separate nights last October and November, the NYPD told DailyMail.com. Authorities believed facial recognition software on their smartphones allowed criminals to access their cash to the tune of anywhere between $1,000 and $5,000. The bar was perhaps aware of this, having posted a now-deleted Instagram video of who they believed to be suspicious characters. 'Do not take rides from these guys,' they wrote. 'We are told that they have someone in a car (around nearby street corners) waiting for these guys to bring someone.' The three partygoers, 47, 42 and 39, visited Chelsea hotspot The Eagle NYC - which refers to itself as a 'New York's premier gay leather bar' - on separate nights last October and November Two further victims were swindled at the Hotel Chantelle about three miles south of the bar. A 19-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man were approached on November 26 and December 18 and the suspects pulled off the same heist. Police believe this to be the work of the same criminals as the robberies at The Eagle. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing, the NYPD said. Captain Robert Gault of the NYPD's 10th Precinct told NBC News the victims were possibly not sober when this happened. 'What we think is happening with this scheme is they're being lured away from the club, maybe to say, 'Hey, you wanna come with me? I got some good drugs,' or something like that,' Gault said. 'And then, once they get into a car to do whatever it is that they're going to do, at some point or another, they don't know what happened when they wake up.' What Gauld's team has been able to do is connect each case based on license plates, vehicles and a phone number connected to the suspects. Authorities believed facial recognition software on their smartphones allowed criminals to access their cash to the tune of anywhere between $1,000 and $5,000 The bar was perhaps aware of this, having posted a now-deleted Instagram video of who they believed to be suspicious characters Two further victims were swindled at the Hotel Chantelle about three miles south of the bar DailyMail.com has reached out to The Eagle NYC for comment. Police noted similarities - but no direct connection - to a case in November where two gay men were killed and a dozen others were drugged and robbed. Two gay men have been killed in eerily similar circumstances just five weeks apart, but more than a dozen are believed to have been targeted so far. According to NYPD sources cited by The New York Post, a homicide investigation is underway and operating on the belief that the two men were both targeted by a gang. Both John Umberger, 33, a Washington, DC, political consultant who disappeared in May and Julio Ramirez, 25, who vanished in April, had been out enjoying a night out on the city's gay scene before ending up dead the following day. John Umberger, 33, a Washington, DC political consultant was killed after leaving a New York City gay bar in May Julio Ramirez, 25, a Brooklyn social worker, was killed after leaving a New York City gay bar in April The men's cellphones were both missing at the time their bodies were found and their bank accounts containing tens of thousands of dollars had been emptied. So far, five months after their deaths, there has been no word from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg who appears to be 'impeding' the investigation. No warning has even been issued to the gay community for people to be on the lookout for anything suspicious when they're on a night out. The gang's MO sees them preying on gay men in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. In both instances, the victims were seen leaving a gay club or bar accompanied by three men. This is the hilarious moment a raccoon gives cops the runaround at a Colorado store after it was chased out of a wall it got trapped in. The critter was seen breaking into the Boulder distribution center after a truck from Louisville arrived with a delivery. The pallets were being unloaded when workers noticed the raccoon crawl out and escape. The employees launched a search for the animal during the morning and were unable to find it. A raccoon was found trapped along a wall at a warehouse in Boulder, Colorado, before leading cops on a 45-minute chase before it was caught The Boulder Police Department said the raccoon travelled in a truck from Louisville and hid in pallets that were unloaded into a distribution center The raccoon was finally found stuck upside down between lumber along a wall after a 45-minute hunt. One of the workers was attempting to slide the panel when the raccoon jumped out from its hiding spot. The animal ran past Boulder Police Animal Protection Supervisor J. Whittle and led cops on the chase. Police bodycam footage showed the officers running after the raccoon and a worker grabbing a kennel and setting it up on the floor before trapping it. Workers at a Boulder, Colorado, distribution center work to remove a wall panel and help police trap an intruding raccoon A Boulder Police Department and warehouse workers take a moment to relax after chasing after a raccoon before it was trapped inside a kennel 'We finally found the raccoon we were looking for,' Whittle said. Whittle said they were able to track down the Louisville address where the truck picked up the pallets and made sure to send the raccoon back to its stomping grounds. 'He had plenty of hiding spots and trees and dumpsters,' Whittle said. 'I hope he found his family and friends back in Louisville.' When Mikhail Lyubimov returned to his mothers Moscow flat last month, he was a very different young man from the one whod gone to war in Ukraine. In his three months on the frontline, the 25-year-old had witnessed scenes of scarcely believable horror. Stricken by panic attacks, he began drinking heavily. But it was when he was ordered to return to his unit for a second tour of duty that he decided he could take no more. The day before he was due to report back for another stint on the frontline, he threw himself out of a tenth-floor window in full view of his mother and fell to his death. His tragic story offers a revealing insight into the state of Russias army. Some 180,000 Russians have been killed or wounded during the war on Ukraine. Pictured: Newly-conscripted soldiers in Russia 25-year-old Mikhail Lyubimov (pictured) had witnessed scenes of scarcely believable horror. Stricken by panic attacks, he began drinking heavily and eventually threw himself out of a tenth-floor window As it adopts a meat-grinder approach to warfare, with wave after wave of conscripts being driven into a hail of bullets, tank and artillery fire on battlefields all over eastern Ukraine, morale has never been lower. Some 180,000 Russians have been killed or wounded, according to credible estimates from Norways army chief. And after so many members of Russias standing army have been slaughtered, Vladimir Putins regime like Stalins before him is increasingly turning to its prison population to reinforce the frontline. Many of the troops being used as cannon fodder are convicted murderers, rapists and thieves, all lured to the front by the promise of a pardon if they survive for six months. Ukrainian soldiers who have been on the receiving end of Russian attacks are also convinced that enemy soldiers are fortified by drugs that enable them to keep fighting until they bleed out even when hit by machine guns and which leave them so desensitised that they clamber over the corpses of their dead comrades as though they are nothing more than fallen tree trunks. No wonder recruits such as the tragic Lyubimov prefer a quick end than a lingering death on the battlefield amid the carnage inflicted on them by the Western-armed Ukrainians. As it adopts a meat-grinder approach to warfare, with wave after wave of conscripts being driven into a hail of bullets, tank and artillery fire, morale has never been lower. Pictured: Evgeny Prigozhin (left) assists Vladimir Putin during a dinner in 2011 One Russian draftee recently described how he had witnessed a desperate soldier take his own life after getting his first taste of the war. He blew up a grenade in his hands, he said. He was torn in half before my eyes. Others seek to avoid being sent to Ukraine by rendering themselves medically unfit. Gruesome videos have been posted online showing men getting friends to smash their arms or legs with sledgehammers. Internet searches for how to break an arm or how to break a leg at home have spiked in Russia since Putins notorious partial mobilisation was announced five months ago. While the draft officially ended at the end of October, when defence minister Sergei Shoigu insisted the Russian army had raised sufficient manpower, the fact is that men of fighting age are still being press-ganged into service on the quiet. A year on from the invasion of eastern Ukraine, with the Russians losing men at a rate of an estimated 20,000 a month, Putins demand for more troops to hold the lines let alone advance remains insatiable. One way of replacing the dead is to turn reservists and conscripts into regular soldiers, so the army can deploy them at will. A report from Astra, an independent Russian news source, says some conscripts were taken to a forest a few days ago, cut off from outside contact and told to sign contracts as regular soldiers. There was shooting at their feet to ensure they obeyed. There has been little in the way of organised resistance to this sort of behaviour because, in the main, it is men from the poorest and most marginalised communities in Russia who have been targeted for the call-up. Affluent families in Moscow and St Petersburg benefit from a policy not to recruit so intensively in places where the elite reside, and they can also draw on a wide variety of well-established techniques designed to help their sons dodge the draft. These include keeping them in education, sending them abroad or soliciting treatment for non-existent problems with drugs or mental health. Then theres that old favourite: calling on friends in high places. Members of Russias ethnic-minority communities are not so lucky. They have been deliberately targeted by Putin, not only to swell the ranks but to diminish the likelihood of rebellion in remote regions. After all, many of the young men who oppose his rule will never return home. One Russian draftee recently described how he had witnessed a desperate soldier take his own life after getting his first taste of the war. Pictured: Russian soldiers practice on a military training ground Take the village of Gvasyuga in the Khabarovsk region, 5,250 miles east of Moscow. There, a staggering 30 per cent of the available men have been mobilised, according to a report this week by iStories, another independent Russian news source. Meanwhile, the death toll in some ethnic Siberian communities is six times as high as the fatalities among the mainly Slavic soldiers drawn from Moscow and St Petersburg cities where the wealthy are still partying as though there is no war. The region sending most men to fight is Krasnoyarsk, also in faraway Siberia, which has provided a grossly disproportionate 28,000, or 5.5 per cent of Russias entire reserve. Once drafted, its clear they enter a truly barbaric war. Late last year, the Ukrainian secret service intercepted a call between a Russian soldier and his family in which he admitted he and his comrades had eaten a dog. Another told his mother he was in such despair he wanted to hang himself. The Russians were shooting everyone, including civilians, he said. With their menfolk at the front, it has fallen to Russias wives and mothers to lobby the Kremlin. Relatives of soldiers from one region in Russias far east had the temerity to appeal to Putin directly after being stonewalled by their regional governor and the mens commanders. Their faces sick with worry, the women explained their husbands and sons members of Regiments 143 and 394 had been stationed on the frontline without proper weapons or equipment. Their uniforms were in tatters, they said, and they were riddled with fleas and scabies. Putin ignored them. Soldiers have warned of their uniforms in tatters and they were riddled with fleas and scabies. Putin (pictured) ignored them A group of Chechen wives and mothers also begged that no more men be sent to the front. We ask you to leave our men, our brothers, our children at home, they wrote to their regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov, one of Putins most fanatical warlords. The response was brutal. Their husbands were told to beat their wives, who were now deemed to be enemies of the people. Meanwhile, an understanding of the pointlessness of all this cruelty and sacrifice is setting in. Enraged at seeing Putin at a stage-managed gathering of supportive women, Olga Tsukanova, 46, head of the Russian Council Of Mothers And Wives who has collected 700 complaints concerning soldiers issued a brave and direct challenge to the president. Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin], are you a man or what? she demanded. Do you have enough courage to look into our eyes openly, in a meeting with women who werent hand-picked for you? Women who arent in your pocket, but real mothers? She now stands accused of discrediting the armys campaign in Ukraine, a crime that can easily lead to jail. But still they speak out. Katya, from Siberia, recently buried her only son, who was 27. She wept as she said: My boy was killed in some Ukrainian field, and for what? Ukrainians are not our enemies. I am half-Ukrainian. Why has Putin set us against each other? I stood bereft at my sons funeral as a military official told me he had died a hero serving the motherland. But how can we have heroes in a criminal war? Across Russia, as such funerals go on and on, people are beginning to speak more openly. Soldiers from one Siberian region, forced to the frontline, begged their wives and sisters to protest on their behalf. It is now -20c outdoors. We have to live here, in the ice, said one. Pictured: Rescue teams work to find survivors in the rubble of the destroyed building In such conditions we wont be able to fight . . . We refuse to go to the front and sit in the trenches and wait for mortars to arrive. Only the convicts have answered Putins call with gusto. Remarkably, one in four members of the Russian military is estimated to be a former criminal, with most serving with the Wagner Group, a private army set up by Putin crony Yevgeny Prigozhin. But the use of convicts threatens to unleash mayhem. Some of these hardened criminals have already survived their six-month stint at the frontline and are being sent home as free men. Law-abiding Russians are terrified that they will kill and rape once more. Some of them have even been recommended for medals and hailed as Russias new heroes. One such unlikely figure is Alexander Tyutin, 66, who was jailed in 2021 for organising the brutal 2005 contract killing of his business partner, the latters pregnant wife and their two children. Tyutin reportedly urinated on their graves after the funeral. He was caught years later after being duped by an undercover cop posing as a hitman when he tried to commission a second contract killing, this time of his late wifes niece who was disputing his right to her aunts 93,500 inheritance. Pictured: Rescuers work at a site of a residential building destroyed by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kramatorsk, Ukraine February 2, 2023 This monster had served only 18 months of his 23-year sentence when he was sent to fight for Putin. His war service complete, Tyutin was freed last month and has been seen relaxing alongside Western tourists on holiday in Antalya, Turkey, with his glamorous new wife. Of course, the Moscow elite are happy for convicts to be sent to the frontline. Many more middle-class Russians would be called up to fight if it wasnt for the use of prisoners such as Tyutin. Yet even with criminals to bolster its military ranks, all the signs are that Russia needs a larger supply of fighters than either the army or its jails can provide. This is being achieved by a combination of carrot and stick. Teenage conscripts who are eligible for military training, but by law must not be sent to the front are being quietly recruited on inflated salaries. Meanwhile, new rules will prevent men of military age driving abroad (to countries such as Georgia and Kazakhstan) to avoid the draft. In future, drivers will have to book slots to leave Russia, making it easier for the authorities to halt them at the border. How much longer can all this go on? We hear little of those who refuse the draft. But there is no doubt that mutiny is happening and that Russia is hiding the true extent of it. Deserters caught by the authorities in Russia are locked in hellhole makeshift jails, often cellars. At the front, men labelled traitors are being tortured and killed. One deserter, Dmitry Perov, 31, was shot dead after he fled the war zone to see his wife. His body was left to rot in a snowy field as a message to others. Historically, the Russian people have endured more torment than most, both at the hands of their own leaders and invaders such as Napoleon and Hitler. But there has been no invasion of Russian territory and, as the death toll mounts and the futility and the human cost of this bloody war becomes more apparent, the internal opposition will only grow. CNN's new American Pain documentary which airs at 9pm on Sunday, February 5 reveals the rise and fall of prescription pill empire The brothers were accused of incentivizing doctors to hand out large prescriptions and even roped their mother into the criminal operation A new documentary is set to lay bare the astonishing tale of how two identical twin brothers trafficked $500 million worth of prescription medication across America at the height of the country's opioid crisis. Chris and Jeff George ran four 'Pain Clinics' in South Florida which became one-stop 'candy stores' for painkillers, signed off by lax doctors who were given financial incentives, between 2008 and 2010. Desperate customers would travel for hundreds of miles from all across the country to get their hands on the drugs which have ravaged local communities and led to more than 3,000 overdose deaths. The George brothers, now 42, raked in $40million in profit from the clinics and would compete with each other over their lavish lifestyles which involved boats, monstrous cars and flashy watches. They are now accused of 'pouring gasoline on opioid crisis fire' in American Pain, a documentary from CNN - in which Jeff brags: 'I believe weve created a new form of tourism - we were basically the Disneyland of painkillers.' The documentary premiers at 9pm on Sunday February 5. Chris and Jeff George ran four 'Pain Clinics' in South Florida which became one-stop 'candy stores' for painkillers between 2008 and 2010. The brothers trafficked more than $500 million worth of prescription medication and would compete with each other over their lavish lifestyles Their clinics prescribed 18 million units of oxycodone alone - ranking it among the top nine purchasers of oxycodone in the nation. The film comes from Emmy Award-winning director Darren Foster and it features FBI wiretap recordings and undercover videos as well as the brothers' exclusive jailhouse interviews. It charts the rise and ultimate decline of their empire, culminating in the brothers' arrests in 2011. Astonishing scenes show dozens of customers lining up outside their clinics waiting for their turn. They would be greeted by doctors who had been recruited through local newspaper adverts and would hand out large and frequent prescriptions. The physicians were paid per person they treated - offering a cash incentive to keep dolling out the meds. The doctors did not obtain prior medical records or prescribe any alternative treatment. Huge bouncers waited outside the doors to stop customers from snorting their pills in the parking lot. One clinic referred people without MRIs to a trailer behind a strip club, where they could get lap dances while waiting for new scans from sham radiologists, claims one FBI. The brothers thought the imaging would make their organization look more legitimate, federal officials said. To stay under the radar, the clinic would only accept credit cards or cash. The clinics would recruit doctors through local newspaper adverts and would incentivize them to dish out large and frequent prescriptions Their tale is exposed in CNN documentary American Pain which premieres Sunday February 5 The boys would compete with each other over their lavish lifestyles. Pictured Chris with his monster truck Chris is pictured with partner and later wife was Dianna Marie Pavnick, a former stripper Their operation came at a time when prescription painkillers meant big business and local communities were only just beginning to realize how toxic the legal drugs could be. 'The George brothers did not start the opioid crisis. But they sure as hell poured gasoline on the fire,' said retired FBI agent Kurt McKenzie. 'They became the largest street-level distribution group operating in the entire United States. 'Nobody put more pills on the streets than they did. Nobody and they were operating in broad daylight.' McKenzie led an investigation into the brothers nicknames Operation Oxy Alley. It was sparked after the clinics showed up at scenes involving drug overdoses. Shortly after investigators bugged clinic phones and send undercover agents to buy drugs. The American Pain clinics prescribed 18 million units of oxycodone alone - ranking it among the top nine purchasers of oxycodone in the nation The operation, which generated tens of millions of dollars, was connected to 3,000 overdoses One customer told an agent 'It's like a candy store down there.' McKenzie said: ' Before this case, the public only knew that people were dying from drug overdoses, they had no idea how the system worked, McKenzie said. 'The George brothers created the blueprint.' The film also shows drug dealers driving to the clinics from Kentucky in rented buses marked 'Tree of Life Baptists Church.' But the empire finally came crashing down in August 2011. Federal investigators raided their homes and discovered illegal weapons, drugs and other items. Chris George pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy and was sentenced to 17 years in prison. He served 11 years and was released in September 2021. Meanwhile Jeff pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge and was sentenced to 15 and a half years. On top of that he was convicted of second-degree felony murder in relation to the fatal overdose of a patient. He received an additional 20-year sentence and remains in prison. He also was convicted of second-degree felony murder in the fatal overdose of a patient, according to court filings. He received an additional 20-year sentence for the murder charge and remains in prison. Their mother Denice Hagerty was also indicted in the case as she worked at one of the pain clinics. She pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Some 29 other people, including thirteen doctors, were all caught up in the criminal proceedings. Inside an American Pain clinic. The brothers' mother mother Denice Hagerty worked with them in the operation 'Of the 20 highest-prescribing physicians in the entire country, five of them worked at just one of Chris facilities, said McKenzie. 'These are real doctors. They have real licenses and what looked to be a real clinic.' A Eurasian eagle owl has escaped its enclosure at Central Park Zoo in New York City after vandals cut its stainless steel mesh cage. The owl, named Flaco, was reported missing from its exhibit on Thursday night and later spotted on the city's iconic shopping stretch on Fifth Avenue. Flaco was then intercepted by the NYPD on a sidewalk by 60th Street but able to elude their custody. On Friday morning he made off into Central Park. 'Our focus and effort at this time is on the safe recovery of the owl,' zoo officials said in a press release. 'We will issue updates as needed.' It comes after a series of break-ins at animal enclosures across the US, including in Texas and Louisiana. A Eurasian eagle owl has escaped its enclosure at Central Park Zoo in New York City after vandals cut its stainless steel mesh cage. The police tried to contain the own in a cage but it became scared and flew off The owl, named Flaco, was reported missing from its exhibit at Central Park Zoo on Thursday night, and was later spotted walking along New York City's iconic shopping stretch on Fifth Avenue Eurasian eagle-owls are one of the larger owl species with a wingspan greater than 6 feet and have mottled brown and black feathers with distinctive ear tufts. They are not native to North America. This one might do fine in Central Park if it knew how to hunt, said David Barrett, an avid birder who chronicles the city's avian population via Twitter accounts including Manhattan Bird Alert and Brooklyn Bird Alert. Eurasian eagle-owls have even been known to make their home in urban environments like city parks, so long as long as there are adequate nesting spots and prey to hunt. After years of captivity, however, 'this owl has surely lost its skills for hunting,' Barrett said. He estimated that the owl would starve after a day or two in the wild. Zoo staff located the owl perched in a tree on Thursday night and stayed with it throughout the night. At sunrise on Friday morning it then flew from the tree on 5th Avenue into Central Park, where the zoo said it made visual contact. It is understood that Flaco spent the morning and afternoon in the park. Barrett confirmed on Friday afternoon that rangers had been sent to investigate how the owl might be brought back into captivity. The Eurasian eagle-owls are indigenous many countries in both Europe and Asia, from much of Spain to as far as China to the east. They can live for around 60 years. It take the name eagle-owl because of its size, which is not dissimilar to that of an eagle. They are among the largest types of owl in existence. Flaco, pictured on the loose last night, was able to evade the NYPD and made off into Central Park in the morning On Friday morning at sunrise the bird was spotted in Central Park and perched itself on a tree near to 5th Avenue, where police had tried to capture it the night before After years of captivity in Central Park Zoo it is not expected that the owl will have the hunting skills it would need to stay alive in the wild The vandalism at the New York City zoo occurred after a string of animal disappearances and other odd incidents across the country, including at the Dallas Zoo. A 24-year-old Texas man was arrested on Thursday in connection with the kidnapping of two tamarin monkeys from Dallas Zoo. The man was taken into custody near Dallas Aquarium on Thursday and charged with animal cruelty. Both monkeys were found unharmed on Tuesday, a day after they went missing, just south of the zoo in Lancaster. The man was discovered after officers found the monkeys inside an empty church that was also filled with cats, birds and other small animals, police said. Meanwhile he was shown in strange security footage creeping around the zoo apparently eyeing up animal enclosures and eating Doritos. Less than a week ago a dozen monkeys were stolen in a zoo burglary in Louisiana. The primates were taken from their enclosure at Zoosiana on Saturday, staffers at the Broussard zoo revealed in a statement, adding that the incident occurred moments before midnight. In total, 12 squirrel monkeys were taken, the zoo said - with officials claiming an unidentified perpetrator targeted other small monkeys during the break-in as well, before only taking the aforementioned animals. Officers have yet to make an arrest in the case. Officers found the monkeys inside an empty church (pictured) that was also filled with cats, birds and other small animals A missing rifle Alex Murdaugh bought for his son Paul could be the murder weapon as an expert told jurors that markings on ammo used to kill Maggie are identical to those on other shells found at the family's hunting lodge. Paul Greer, a weapons expert for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), told jurors Friday that .300 Blackout casings discovered near Maggie's body came from the same firearm as shells found outside the gunroom at the house, in a field and at the shooting range. Prosecutors say Murdaugh killed Paul, 22, and Maggie, 52, at the kennels of the family's estate in South Carolina's Lowcountry on the night of June 7, 2021. Paul was shot twice with a shotgun, while Maggie was shot five times with an assault rifle loaded with .300 Blackout. Neither murder weapon has ever been identified. However, jurors have heard about two .300 Blackout rifles owned by the Murdaughs that are unaccounted for. Murdaugh bought two .300 Blackout rifles (pictured) as Christmas presents for his sons Buster and Paul in 2016. Paul lost his gun and a replacement rifle, a third .300 Blackout, was bought in April 2018. Neither the lost gun or its replacement have ever been accounted for Maggie and Paul Murdaugh (left) were murdered in June 2021. Alex denies the killings. Their oldest son, Buster, is shown, right Greer said the shells found around Maggie and elsewhere on the estate had been 'loaded into, extracted and ejected from the same firearm at some previous time.' The defense attacked Greer's evidence, arguing it was impossible to know if the casings had been shot from the same weapon without ever having recovered it. Defense attorney Jim Griffin asserted that two different .300 Blackout rifles could leave the same markings on a shell casing. Griffin grilled Greer on whether every single Blackout rifle in the world leaves its own signature tool mark on the shell casing it ejects. The weapons expert did not answer directly, saying, 'It's hard to say,' but he stood by his conclusions. When pressed for an answer he said he could not give a yes or no because he had not seen every .300 Blackout in the world. He also admitted that firing pin marks on the shells were inconclusive, but breech, extractor and ejector marks all matched. The expert also testified about the two shotgun shells recovered from the feed room where Paul was killed. He said these were fired from the same shotgun. Murdaugh was holding a Benelli 12 gauge shotgun when cops arrived on the night of the murders - he said to protect himself in case the shooters were still nearby. Greer said the shells loaded into that weapon were consistent 'in construction and head stamp information' with the spent shells found near Paul. But Greer's findings were inconclusive as to whether this gun or another similar weapon fired the shells. Jurors heard earlier this week that Murdaugh bought two .300 Blackout rifles as Christmas presents for his two sons Buster and Paul in 2016. Paul lost his gun and a replacement rifle, a third .300 Blackout, was bought in April 2018. Murdaugh's firearms dealer cousin John Bedingfield said Murdaugh paid $9,188 for the two original .300 Blackout rifles. They were each equipped with a thermal scope and a suppressor. The replacement rifle bought two years later cost set him back $875, because it was not equipped with the same attachments. It was Paul's mother Maggie who picked up the guns when they were ready. SLED agent Jeff Croft holds the only .300 Blackout rifle recovered from the Murdaugh estate - two others remain unaccounted for MURDAUGH GUN CABINET: During his interview with cops, Murdaugh said that there were probably 25 guns on the estate. He said that in addition to the camo shotgun officers took off him when they arrived there were 'all kinds of rifles.' He added: 'I mean you name 'em, we have 'em' Murdaugh told cops that Paul had a tendency to have his belongings 'strung out' everywhere, including guns. 'He would leave anything anywhere, and it was not unusual for there to be guns out there,' he told detectives on June 10, 2021 - three days after the murders. On the night of the killings Maggie was found face down after being shot five times, according to a report by forensics expert Kenneth Kinsey. He suggested three of the shots hit her while she was standing. Two of the shots would have been instantly fatal, piercing her brain. One of those shots passed through her left breast, the other was fired into the back of her head. One of those bullets hit her while she was 'holding herself up on her knees and her right hand with her shoulders and head down.' Paul was also found face down. He was first hit in the chest from 'several feet away', leaving him standing and heading for a door, before a second shot in the neck and shoulder blew out his brain. 'Brain was severed and exited through the anatomical right side of (his) head. Brain was completely detached from (his) head,' Kinsey said. Prosecutors are still laying out their case, which includes a video they say puts Murdaugh at the scene of the crime moments before the pair were shot dead. He denies the murders, and says he was visiting his elderly mother at the time of the killings. Earlier this week, jurors were shown video taken by Paul at the kennels at 8.44pm in which two witnesses told jurors they can hear the voice of Alex and Maggie. All activity on Maggie and Paul's cell phones stopped suddenly at 8.49pm - this is when the prosecution say they were killed. WHERE MAGGIE DIED: A pool of blood is seen outside the kennels near the doghouse where Maggie Murdaugh was shot dead with two AR bullets to the head WHERE PAUL DIED: Blood spatters on the floor inside the storage room at the kennels where Paul Murdaugh was shot dead. He was killed with a shot to the chest and a second to the head. Two shotgun shells were recovered by cops - two 12-gauge shells, two different brands - one Federal, the other Winchester MURDER SCENE: Paul's body lies outside the storage room, while Maggie lies just outside the kennels by the doghouse Murdaugh claims that the last time he saw his wife and son was when they had supper together around 8.15pm. He said he fell asleep in front of the TV while Maggie and Paul went down to the kennels. The alleged killer said he tried calling Maggie before going to visit his mother, who is in the late stages of Alzheimer's disease. Call logs show Murdaugh tried ringing Maggie three times between 9.04pm and 9.06pm. She did not pick up. He fired up his Chevrolet Suburban at 9.06pm and he texted Maggie that he would be right back and was going to check on his mother, who lives around 15 minutes away. Murdaugh called his wife twice more - apparently on his way back home - at 9.45pm and 10.03pm. She did not answer. Waters told jurors last week, it is 'up to you to decide whether he's trying to create an alibi.' Murdaugh claims that when he arrived back at the house, he found Maggie and Paul lying dead at the kennels. He called 911 at 10.07pm. A 20-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a 36-year-old who died after being stabbed in a park. Ronaldo Griffiths, from Bristol, has been charged with the murder of Adam Ali Ibrahim. Ali Ibrahim was fatally stabbed following a fight in Castle Park. He was found injured at around 4.30pm on Tuesday evening. Avon and Summerset police confirmed the cause of death was a stab wound, following the post-mortem examination. Griffiths has also been charged with attempted grievous bodily harm of another person, and possession of an offensive weapon, as well as the murder charge. Police are seen on the scene of a fatal stabbing at Castle Park in the city centre, on February 01, 2023 in Bristol, England Avon and Summerset police confirmed that the cause of death was a stab wound, following the post-mortem examination Local police said an incident occurred between two groups of men at Castle Park at around 4.25pm, shortly before the fatal stabbing Griffiths remains in police custody and is set to appear at Bristol Magistrates Court tomorrow. Avon and Somerset Police said four other individuals had been arrested in connection with their investigation. They include two 36-year-old and 23-year-old men who were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. They were both released on bail. A 26-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of murder and released under investigation, as well as a 22-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder who was released without charge. Local police said an incident occurred between two groups of men at Castle Park at around 4.25pm, shortly before the fatal stabbing. Police and paramedics were called to the scene following reports of a knifing. Officers yesterday said one of the men who was involved in the altercation fled from the park on his bike as a wounded Ali Ibrahim made his way to the adjacent Fairfax Street. Adam Ali Ibrahim was then found by a member of the public at around 4.30pm that afternoon. A police officer looks on at the scene at Castle Park where a man was stabbed to death, February 1, 2023 Police at the scene on Wednesday morning where a man was stabbed to death in Castle Park, February 1, 2023 Last year, the Bristol city centre was named one of the 'most dangerous' places in the UK. The city centre was ranked as the 47th most dangerous place in England and Wales during the year ending January 2022, crime figures revealed. The west country city recorded 53,783 crimes in 2021-22, a significant increase from the 46,988 crimes recorded in the year prior, according to the JSNA Health and Wellbeing Profile. Violence against the person represented 36 per cent of all recorded crimes in 2021-22 with 19,313 offences, followed by 8,513 theft offences (or 15.8 per cent of all crime) and 8,070 public order offences (15 per cent of all crime). Data shows that 19.4 per cent of Bristol residents say the fear of crime impacts their day-to-day life. The undocumented migrant was rushed to a local medical facility and treated for incapacitating injuries' The teen led cops on a pursuit on Interstate Highway 35 on Wednesday and the truck hit an embankment and landed on a road above the one he was traveling on A 15-year-old boy was arrested and is facing multiple charges, including human smuggling, after the stolen pickup truck he was driving crashed in Texas A San Antonio a teenager was taken into custody after the stolen pickup truck they were smuggling a migrant on crashed on a highway in Texas. The 15-year-old boy and a 12-year-old boy led police on a high-speed highway pursuit Wednesday when he crashed the vehicle into an embankment in Frio County. The police dashcam showed the pickup truck being chased on Interstate Highway 35 before the driver control of the vehicle on the rainy road. The pickup truck hit the side of the wall and impact of the crash sent the vehicle flying into the shoulder of a road. A 12-year-old boy from San Antonio, Texas, lies on the ground moments after the pickup truck he and a 15-year-old boy were smuggling a migrant on crashed on a highway Wednsesday The Texas Department of Public Safety said the vehicle had been previously stolen Video footage released by the Texas Department of Public Safety showed a cop pulling out the 12-year-old, a reported runaway, out of the truck. The boy begs one of the police officers for help and tells the agent the agent that his teen friend is trapped in the pickup truck. He is then placed on the ground and tells the cop that the male undocumented migrant had threatened to kill them unless they gave him a ride. The 15-year-old driver of a stolen pickup truck used to smuggle a migrant is pulled out through the back of the vehicle after he crashed it into an embankment on Interstate Highway 35 in Frio County, Texas. He was arrested and charged with evading arrest causing bodily injury, human smuggling causing bodily injury, illegal use of a motor vehicle and possession of drugs The teenager then steps out of the through the back of the pickup trucks cabin. The 12-year-old then shouts, Help me please, to which the teen replied, What happened bxxxx? Several seconds later, three cops pulled out the migrants through the front windshield. The individual, whose name and nationality was not released, was rushed to a local hospital, where he was treated for incapacitating injuries. The teenage driver was arrested and charged with evading arrest causing bodily injury, human smuggling causing bodily injury, illegal use of a motor vehicle. He was also charged with drug possession. US officials feared the balloon could be monitoring sensitive nuclear sites in Montana - but China claims is a civilian airship which blew off course The visit has been postponed after the detection of a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the United States this week Blinken was scheduled to travel to China on Sunday for a visit which included a landmark meeting with President Xi Jinping Former Pentagon officials have been left scratching their heads by the Biden administration's decision not to neutralize a Chinese spy balloon floating over U.S. mainland. David Stillwell, who served as Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs under the Trump administration, told DailyMail.com the balloon was likely form of mind game by Beijing ahead of the meeting between Sec. Antony Blinken and Chinese President Xi Jinping. 'This demonstrates a common tactic by Beijing to test others before important meetings.' He noted that in 2007 the Chinese shot an anti-satellite weapon before then-Defense Sec. Robert Gates arrived in the nation. The U.S. didn't cancel, but 'should have,' Stillwell said. 'Beijing loves playing in the gray area. Is this a surveillance operation? Is it a weather balloon? The fact is, it doesn't matter,' Stillwell added. A US defense official said the balloon is the size of several buses - but doesn't post an immediate threat to Americans. The balloon, pictured over Montana, has been tracked for several days but officials decided not to shoot it down over fears about debris. China claims it is a civilian airship used for meteorological research 'It is a violation of US sovereign airspace and if we can't absolutely confirm it is not conducting surveillance, we need to neutralize it. Shooting it down would show Beijing that American policy is consistent between administrations and will remain that way.' Simone Ledeen, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, told DailyMail.com it was 'surprising' the balloon wasn't stopped before breaching U.S. airspace. 'What's surprising is that there are many ways to deter a foreign nation's surveillance balloons from entering our sovereign airspace and it does not appear the administration is taking any significant action,' she said. 'We have robust air defense systems which we should have deployed. These range from antiaircraft guns, surface to air missiles and fighter jets, depending on the altitude and other factors. Ostensibly the balloon was observed before it entered our airspace- action should have been taken at that time.' The Pentagon said in a press briefing Friday it had not shot down the balloon for fear that falling debris could damage American civilians. 'Any potential debris field would be significant' and could cause 'civilian injuries or deaths or significant property damage,' said Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder. Meanwhile the U.S. canceled Secretary of State Antony Blinken's long-planned trip to China over the spy balloon that the State Department called a 'clear violation' of U.S. sovereignty. Although U.S. diplomats noted a rare statement of regret from China, the U.S. determined that Blinken's trip could not be 'productive' under the circumstances, with the spy balloon still traveling over U.S. airspace at 60,000 feet under monitoring by the U.S. military. Deflating: Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Beijing of his decision to postpone his trip to China Friday morning in what the State Department called a clear violation of U.S. 'sovereignty' China is thought to be flying a surveillance balloon over the United States, and Joe Biden (left) wanted to shoot it down. Pictured right is China's President Xi Jinping 'We do acknowledge, we note the PRC statement of regret,' a senior State Department said Friday when announcing the decision. 'But again, the presence of this balloon in our airspace is clearly unacceptable and a clear violation of our sovereignty. And our clear assessment was that under these current conditions, it wouldn't be constructive to visit Beijing at this time.' Blinken 'postponed' his planned trip 'following the detection of a suspected spy balloon over the United States, which Beijing has claimed is a civilian airship which blew off course.' The balloon was first detected earlier this week and monitored flying worryingly close to sensitive nuclear sites in Montana. 'We know that it's a surveillance balloon,' Air Force Brig Gen. Gen Ryder told reporters Friday. He said it was flying at 60,000 feet and posed no risk to Americans, but would not provide exact location information as it made its way across the continental U.S., moving eastward from Montana. While the military tracked the balloon, U.S. diplomats raised the matter with top Chinese diplomats in Washington and Beijing, while contacting allies as well. 'Once the balloon was detected, the US government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information. We've directly communicated with the PRC government through multiple levels about this Issue,' said the official. Blinken told China's ministry of Foreign Affairs of his decision Friday morning, and his apparent government jet was spotted at Joint Base Andrews late Friday morning, in a sign of the sudden cancellation. A model of the path the balloon is thought to have taken, created by meteorologist Dan Satterfield, showed it originated in central China But given the high stakes with Taiwan, North Korea, and other issues on the table, the U.S. says the cancellation is temporary. 'After consultations with our interagency partners, as well as with Congress, we have concluded that the conditions are not right at this moment for Secretary Blinken to travel to China,' said the official. 'We believe in diplomacy to responsibly manage the most complex bilateral relationship we have. We are committed to maintaining open lines with the PRC at all times, including during this incident.' 'I'm confident that our channels of communication will remain as important as ever and those channels to remain open,' the official added. China's foreign ministry said the balloon 'seriously deviated from the scheduled route' and expressed regret that 'the airship strayed into the United States due to force majeure' and claimed it was used for scientific research 'such as meteorology' something Pentagon disputed. The detection of the balloon, which triggered alarm in the White House and the Pentagon, adds to a series of recent controversies that have further strained the tense relationship between China and the United States. The balloon flew over the Aleutian Islands in the northern Pacific Ocean, and then crossed Canadian airspace into the United States. Canada is monitoring a 'potential second incident' Beijing had urged calm while it established the 'facts' before a statement on Friday morning said the balloon was a weather research device that had 'deviated far from its planned course'. The Chinese foreign ministry said it regretted that the balloon had mistakenly entered US airspace. Republican leaders and former President Donald Trump had led calls for the balloon to be show down. The balloon - which is as large as three buses - was detected earlier this week and recently entered airspace in Montana, triggering fears it could be monitoring nuclear sites there. China further blamed the balloon's entry into US airspace on its limited steering capability. Independent modeling suggested the balloon would be over southeast Missouri by Saturday. A statement added: 'The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure,' citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond one's control. The US is yet to respond to China's claim about the balloon's provenance but the cancellation of the Blinken visit indicates the White House's anger over the debacle. Officials in the US said it was 'confident' of preserving communications with China and that the visit would be rescheduled once conditions are 'right'. The fiasco is yet another escalation of the tensions between the United States and China. CIA director William Burns said on Thursday that President Xi had ordered the Chinese military to be prepared for an invasion of Taiwan by 2027. Burns' comments followed calls from senators for TikTok to be removed from Apple and Google's app stores over fears the hugely popular Chinese-owned app posed a threat to national security. Republican senators had called on Blinken to cancel the trip, which was agreed by Biden and President Xi. Montana Senator Steve Daines feared the Chinese balloon floating above the state was targeting nuclear missile fields installed there. US officials said they have taken 'custody' of the balloon. They are thought to believe it has 'limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective'. Why would China launch a 'spy balloon' over Montana? Beijing suspected of delving into the 'Cold War playbook' The detection of the suspected Chinese spy balloon over the United States triggered speculation that Beijing was mounting a concerted surveillance effort near sensitive military sites. China has claimed the balloon is a civilian airship that blew off course, but analysts have said the balloon could be a Cold War-era espionage technique deployed in US airspace. Balloons have been used as a spying technique - including by the US - since the 1950s. But technological advancements mean modern models are smaller, harder to detect and have much greater surveillance capabilities. The balloon currently floating over the US is about the size of three buses. It is believed to have flown over the Aleutian Islands in the northern Pacific Ocean, and then crossed Canadian airspace into the United States. One model suggests it's likely to drift further into the Midwest and over Missouri by Saturday, but the nature of the device and changing weather makes an accurate prediction difficult. The balloon is large enough that destroying it would rain down debris, risking the safety of people on the ground, US officials said. The balloon's path takes it over 'a number of sensitive sites', a senior Pentagon official said when asked about the presence of nuclear missile silos in Montana. 'Clearly, they're trying to fly... this balloon over sensitive sites... to collect information,' the official added. However, the balloon's tech is not 'revolutionary' and its observations are not better than what China is capable of seeing through other means such as its spy satellites. China's claim that the balloon is a civilian weather-monitoring device are not totally baseless. Such balloons, which can appear similar to a surveillance device, are common tools for meteorological research. China has sent such balloons over the United States in recent years, the senior Pentagon official said. The official did not share details, but indicated the flights were detected as far back as the administration of the previous president Donald Trump. However, the official added, this is the first time a Chinese balloon has stayed in US airspace for an extended period. Advertisement Canada was also monitoring a 'potential second incident' on Friday as officials worked to determine whether a separate sighting was the same balloon. In a statement on Thursday, the Canadian government said: 'A high-altitude surveillance balloon was detected, and its movements are being actively tracked by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). 'Canadians are safe and Canada is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident.' Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who served under Trump, accused China of a 'brazen act'. He told CNN the US should '[bring] it down so that we can capture the equipment and understand exactly what they are doing. Are they taking pictures? Are they intercepting signals?' 'Failing that I would definitely shoot it down, provided that there's no risk to people on the ground.' Esper said it was a matter of 'great concern' that the balloon was flying close to missile fields and strategic bomber bases. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said the balloon was alarming but not surprising. 'The level of espionage aimed at our country by Beijing has grown dramatically more intense & brazen over the last 5 years,' Rubio said on Twitter. Arkansas' Republican Senator, Tom Cotton, said: 'President Biden should stop coddling and appeasing the Chinese communists. Bring the balloon down now and exploit its tech package, which could be an intelligence bonanza. 'And President Biden and Secretary Austin need to answer if this balloon was detected over Alaskan airspace. If so, why didn't we bring it down there? If not, why not? 'As usual, the Chinese Communists' provocations have been met with weakness and handwringing.' The discovery has put the militaries and intelligence services of the United States and Canada on alert. F-22 fight jets were mobilized to track the device as it hovered over Montana, which borders Canada, on Wednesday. A US defense official said it entered US airspace 'a couple days ago' but its exact location has not been shared. The balloon flew over the vast state of Montana, which borders Canada, and at an altitude well above commercial air traffic. Before that, its path was tracked over the Aleutian Islands in the northern Pacific Ocean, then over Canadian airspace into the United States. A US official said the balloon was as large as three buses. 'There have been reports of pilots seeing this thing, even though it's pretty high up in the sky,' the official added. 'So, you know, it's sizeable.' The balloon is large enough that destroying it would rain down debris, risking the safety of people on the ground, US officials said, adding: 'Does it pose a threat to civilian aviation? Our assessment is it does not. Does it pose a significantly enhanced threat on the intelligence side? Our best assessment right now is that it does not.' CIA Director William Burns pictured on Thursday at Washington's Georgetown University, where he called China the 'biggest geopolitical challenge' facing the United States China's President Xi Jinping has ordered his military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, the director of the CIA has warned. Pictured: Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers during military training at Pamir Mountains in Kashgar, northwestern China's Xinjiang region Pictured: A map showing China's likely tactics when it comes to an invasion of Taiwan The balloon situation is the latest strain on America's relationship with China. Senators also called this week for Apple and Google to ban the Chinese-owned TikTok app from its stores over national security fears The news initially broke as CIA Director William Burns was speaking at an event at Washington's Georgetown University, where he called China the 'biggest geopolitical challenge' facing the United States. Elaborating on China's readiness for an invasion of Taiwan, Burns added: 'Now, that does not mean that he's decided to conduct an invasion in 2027, or any other year, but it's a reminder of the seriousness of his focus and his ambition. 'Our assessment at CIA is that I wouldn't underestimate President Xi's ambitions with regard to Taiwan,' he said, adding that the Chinese leader was likely 'surprised and unsettled' and trying to draw lessons by the 'very poor performance' of the Russian military and its weapons systems in Ukraine. Russia and China signed a 'no limits' partnership last February shortly before Russian forces invaded Ukraine, and their economic links have boomed as Russia's connections with the West have shriveled. The Russian invasion had fueled concerns in the West of China possibly making a similar move on Taiwan, a democratic island Beijing says is its territory. China has refrained from condemning Russia's operation against Ukraine, but it has been careful not to provide the sort of direct material support which could provoke Western sanctions like those imposed on Moscow. 'I think it's a mistake to underestimate the mutual commitment to that partnership, but it's not a friendship totally without limits,' Burns said. First lady Kim Keon Hee waves to a crowd during her visit to Seomun Traditional Market in Daegu, Jan. 11. Courtesy of the presidential office By Nam Hyun-woo Kim Keon Hee is building her role as first lady by organizing and attending a variety of meetings, in what appears to be a bid to help her husband, President Yoon Suk Yeol. According to officials from the ruling bloc, Kim on Thursday had a closed-door luncheon with approximately 20 spouses of ministers, commission chairpersons and other members of the Cabinet at the presidential residence in Seoul. The presidential office refused to confirm Kim's undisclosed schedule. On Wednesday, Kim also had a luncheon with approximately 30 deputy and assistant secretaries of the presidential office to encourage them in their work. Kim also appeared publicly in a meeting with about 200 designers on Jan. 31, where she noted that overseas leaders have been expressing interest in Korean designers. On Jan. 27 and 30, Kim invited 21 female lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party to the presidential residence for lunch. Participants said that they shared New Year's greetings but did not have detailed conversations with Kim. On Jan. 11, Kim visited a traditional market in Daegu, a conservative stronghold, to encourage citizens there. First lady Kim Keon Hee speaks during a meeting with designers in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Jan. 31. Courtesy of presidential office Her moves come as Yoon has been concentrating his efforts on economic issues in recent weeks. After his trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Switzerland last month, most of Yoon's public appearances have been related to the economy. This week, Yoon has attended the Financial Services Commission's (FSC's) New Year policy briefing, a meeting on follow-up measures to the UAE's announcement to invest $30 billion in Korean firms, a meeting on training semiconductor experts, a visit to silicon wafer manufacturer SK Siltron's plant and a luncheon with Korean entrepreneurs who had won innovation awards at the Consumer Electronics Show. Yoon also attended a luncheon with officials involved in Korea's export of nuclear reactors to the UAE. Yoon's messages have been focused on revitalizing the country's economic dynamism. During the FSC briefing, he asked the government to improve its readiness for finance companies and promised to be the "No. 1 salesman" for Korean companies' overseas businesses. During the semiconductor events, Yoon pledged government support to help chipmakers overcome the current market downturn, stressing to them that Korea's survival hinges on science and technology. "While Yoon is focusing on economic growth, technological progress, training chip experts and other major national tasks, the first lady is taking care of issues that the president cannot," an official at the presidential office said. Until last year, Kim mostly appeared at volunteer services and events for the underprivileged. But she is now strengthening her presence in other areas, as Yoon's job approval rating is currently at stable about 40 percent. In an interview with Chosun Ilbo last month, President Yoon said there are many things to do as first lady. Reportedly, Yoon recently asked Kim to "visit as many places as possible as a humble gesture." The British firm behind Dove soap and Cornetto has made over half a billion pounds selling its products in Russia since it invaded Ukraine, the Daily Mail can reveal. Unilever, which also makes Domestos bleach and Hellmanns mayonnaise, has refused to shut up shop making it one of the few Western firms remaining. Its presence in Russia, where it has 3,500 employees and four major production facilities, means it contributes tens of millions of pounds in taxes to Vladimir Putins war chest. Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith branded Unilever a disgrace and led calls for its brands to be boycotted. Campaigners said Unilevers Russian operation had made over 500million and was providing Putin with enough funds to pay for 17,000 soldiers. The fallout from Unilever making more than half a billion pounds selling its products in Russia since it invaded Ukraine is a major embarrassment for the company's boss Alan Jope, pictured Campaigners said Unilevers Russian operation had made over 500million and was providing Putin with enough funds to pay for 17,000 soldiers The row is a major embarrassment for Unilever and its boss Alan Jope particularly as the company is notorious for burnishing its woke credentials. It has emerged that Unilever still sells its hugely popular Magnum and Cornetto ice cream brands in Russia Earlier this month, the company was blasted as truly bonkers for claiming one of its soap brands can inspire women to rise above sexism. Its sales bonanza in Russia drew criticism from across the political spectrum in Britain. Accusing the firm of hypocrisy, former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said: The saccharine sentiments of Unilevers corporate governance are not reflected in accepting Russian blood money. I prefer honest capitalism to self-serving sanctimony. And Labour MP Chris Bryant said: Its depressing Unilever still dont get it. Theyre making money off the back of Putins bloodstained war against Ukraine. Their excuses are pathetic. Criticism of Unilever comes after Paul Smith finally pulled out of Russia after the Mail exposed the fashion tycoons lucrative ties to the rogue state. However, two other luxury British brands Agent Provocateur and Rolls-Royce are yet to cease trading in Russia. In March, London-based Unilvers chief executive Mr Jope promised to create an economic ringfence around the country, saying the company would not profit from its business there. He added that Unilever would only sell its essential food and hygiene products in Russia which are made locally. But it has since emerged Unilever still sells its hugely popular Magnum and Cornetto ice cream brands in Russia. Sir Iain, who recently returned from a trip to Ukraine feeding families who had been shelled out of their homes, said Unilever should be ashamed. He added: It is absolutely appalling Unilever thinks it is okay to sell its products there. I would love to take the head of Unilever to the frontline and say, What do you say to feeding Russia simply because you want to make a profit? The Moral Rating Agency, a lobby group which monitors Western firms operating in Russia, estimated Unilever has made 556million of sales in the past year. The group said its total economic contribution in the country amounts to 1.2million a day. Founder Mark Dixon said: First, it supports the war economically but then condemns the war. Next, it says its ice cream is an essential food when its not essential at all. If Unilever doesnt boycott Russia, its products should be boycotted. An immoral brand doesnt taste very good when you think about its association with the invasion of Ukraine. Unilever declined to comment. Liz Truss is to champion the case for tax cuts to boost growth when she makes her first major intervention this weekend since leaving No 10. The former prime minister is set to outline the policy agenda she believes is required to stimulate the UKs economy in an article for a Sunday newspaper. Despite her premiership ending in turmoil after she was forced to reverse almost all of her planned tax cuts, Ms Truss will restate the need for a smaller state. She will reflect on what happened and the policy agenda that is required to deliver the growth everybody wants, a source close to the ex-PM told the Daily Mail last night. She is also expected to outline the institutional barriers she felt stopped her delivering her agenda for growth in the article. Former prime minister Liz Truss is set to outline the policy agenda she believes is required to stimulate the UKs economy Conservative colleagues supportive of her views have formed the Conservative Growth Group to lobby the Government over taxes and City deregulation ahead of the Budget. A WhatsApp group formed to support the Liz for Leader push last year has been revived and has seen several Tories joining recently, Sky News reported. One source said: Theres a lot going on behind the scenes. The Conservative Growth Group was reportedly formed last month with around two dozen MPs including the ex-PM. Ms Truss has kept a low profile since being ousted in October, but allies said that after a period of reflection she is ready to use her platform to share her views. She fully intends to stand as an MP again in her South West Norfolk constituency, but does not expect to return to ministerial office, sources said. Instead, Ms Truss will use her influence around Westminster and the world to champion causes she is interested in. This month she will fly to Japan to attend a conference on threats posed by China, with the former prime ministers of Australia and Belgium, Scott Morrison and Guy Verhofstadt. In a speech to the conference, Ms Truss will raise concerns about Chinas ambitions towards Taiwan. Just before Christmas she visited a gathering of centre-Right figures from across the globe in Washington DC. It emerged that, following a series of private meetings while she was across the pond, she told US politicians she remained determined to rouse Britain from economic stagnation. According to US website Politico, Ms Truss also made it known that she did not trust her successor Rishi Sunak to do the job. It was claimed that she acknowledged mistakes in the way she pushed ahead with her economic plans, but was not said to have shied away from her low-tax agenda on her US trip. Politico reported that Ms Truss told Kevin Hern, a member of the US House of Representatives, that she wanted to create a similar body to the Republican Study Committee an influential group in Washington to house all of their ideas into a collective group in order to hold the current Prime Minister accountable, according to Mr Hern. Elon Musk has scored a major victory in the courtroom after a jury found he was not liable for misleading investors in 2018 tweets about potentially taking Tesla private. On Friday afternoon, the nine-jury person jury said investors in the class-action case failed to prove that they were misled by the Tesla CEO. In 2018, Musk tweeted that he had the financing to take Tesla private even though it turned out he hadn't gotten an iron-clad commitment for an aborted deal that would have cost $20 billion to $70 billion to pull off. The tweets caused Tela's stock to surge during a 10-day period covered by the lawsuit before falling back after Musk abandoned a deal, based on evidence presented during the three-week trial. The infamous 2018 read: 'Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.' Elon Musk, center, leaves a federal courthouse in San Francisco on Friday after a jury found he was not liable for misleading investors in 2018 over a tweet The case is centered around a tweet Musk sent in August 2018 where he claimed the funding was 'secured' for a deal to take Tesla private Pictured: A court sketch of Musk awaiting the jury's verdict on Friday It was then followed by another tweet stating that the trade was imminent: 'Investor support is confirmed. Only reason why this is not certain is that it's contingent on a shareholder vote.' Alex Spiro, Musks attorney, admitted that the 2018 tweets were 'technically inaccurate,' but he told the jurors: 'Just because it's a bad tweet doesn't make it a fraud.' The final day of the trial was notable as Musk showed up to court, even though his presence wasn't legally required. He sat stoically in court as he was vilified as a rich narcissist whose reckless behavior risks 'anarchy,' while his defense hailed him as a visionary looking out for the 'little guy.' If the jurors had decided the tweets duped investors, Musk and Tesla would've been on the hook for billions of dollars in damages. Nicholas Porritt, a lawyer for the Tesla shareholders in the trial, had urged the jurors to rebuke Musk for his 'loose relationship with the truth.' 'Our society is based on rules,' Porritt said. 'We need rules to save us from anarchy. Rules should apply to Elon Musk like everyone else.' Although his presence wasn't required, Musk still showed up to court following a four-year spat with Tesla investors who claimed he duped them The investors said Tesla's value shifted because of Musk's tweets in 2018 claiming he was going to take the company private at $420 per share Musk's attorney, Alex Spiro (left) said his client's only mistake was making a 'bad tweet' Glen Littleton, the lead plaintiff in the case, testified that he had liquidated positions after Musk's tweet because he believed Tesla was going private, The Wall Street Journal reports. 'This represented a threat to my livelihood,' Littleton told the court. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen, who presided over the trial, decided last year that Musks 2018 tweets were false and has instructed the jury to view them that way. Court sketching captures Elon Musk defending claims he misled investors with a 2018 tweet claiming Tesla might go private, with shares selling for $420 a piece During roughly eight hours on the stand earlier in the trial, Musk insisted he believed he had lined up the funds from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund to take Tesla private after eight years as a publicly held company. He defended his initial August 2018 tweet as well-intentioned and aimed at ensuring all Tesla investors knew the automaker might be on its way to ending its run as a publicly held company. 'I had no ill motive,' Musk testified. 'My intent was to do the right thing for all shareholders.' Following the impact of Musk's tweet on the stock in 2018, he was swiftly forced to forfeit his position as Tesla's executive chairman and pay millions of dollars in fines and legal fees. Another female was among those charged in sting He continues to run his crime empire from behind bars More than a dozen alleged members of feared prison crime boss George Marrogi's gang have been busted after his girlfriend used a 'hot' phone during jailhouse calls to him inside. On Friday, 15 alleged gangsters, including a woman, fronted the Melbourne Magistrates' Court after being arrested in raids across Melbourne Another seven will appear in court next week, including Marrogi himself, while two others have already been dealt with. George Marrogi, 33, was the mastermind of a $50 million drug deal from behind bars Charity worker Antonietta Mannella has pleaded guilty to helping Marrogi run his business from jail Reporters chase alleged Marrogi clan member Jesse Clarke down the road after he appeared in court The alleged crew are accused of helping Marrogi launder the dirty money for his multi-million dollar crime empire he operates from behind bars. The alleged launderers went before the magistrate in single file, with some declaring their innocence as they faced a waiting media pack outside. A 52-year old Roxburgh Park man is the suspected head of Marrogis money laundering arm, the Herald Sun reported. He has been charged with a a swag of offences, including dealing with money or property reasonably suspected of being proceeds of indictable crime greater than $10million The police operation, codenamed 'Steelers', involved wide-ranging investigations into Marrogis activities. Detectives allege those involved with the crime gang funnelled drug money through property, companies and luxury vehicles. It was reported police seized a $400,000 stolen Porsche, $20million in proceeds of crime, more than $2.2million in cash and almost 6kg of cocaine. A woman (left) was among those alleged to have helped Marrogi run his criminal empire An alleged Marrogi cohort tells reporters the 'truth' will come out Just days ago it was revealed Marrogi was still able to mastermind a $50 million drug trafficking operation while caged in one of Australia's toughest jails. He was aided in his drug business by 'cleanskin' girlfriend Antonietta Mannella, who pretended to be his lawyer to help him move a massive drug shipment. It was the use of her phone, which was bugged with secret police listening devices, that unravelled the alleged crime operation that culminated in the police sting on Marrogi's alleged minions. Last year, Marrogi was sentenced in the Supreme Court of Victoria to a total of 32 years in jail over the cold blooded public execution of a drug rival. But jail has not seemed to have stopped Marrogi from taunting police from within. Marrogi was back before a judge last week after being caught in a scheme to traffic massive quantities of drugs. The latest venture by the Notorious Crime Family syndicate has resulted in the jailing of a once law abiding charity worker, who now faces life in jail. Mannella, 28, of Mickleham, has pleaded guilty to helping Marrogi run his business from Barwon. The County Court of Victoria heard Mannella had been the best friend of his dead sister when she inexplicably hooked-up with the jailbird. Until then, Mannella had lived a faultless life and had previously handed out food to the homeless on Melbourne's streets for a charity established in memory of Marrogi's sister Meshilin, who died from complications related to Covid-19. The court heard Mannella and some of Marrogi's cohorts attempted to move 800 litres of the drug Butanediol from South Australia to Victoria. George Marrogi in happier times. He will spend most of his life behind bars Antonietta Mannella pretended to be a lawyer to help George Marrogi attempt to deal drugs Marrogi and Mannella have pleaded guilty to attempting to traffic a large commercial quantity of illicit drugs. The $50 million plan had hinged on a brazen scheme that saw Mannella pose as Marrogi's lawyer. While all prisoner phone calls are monitored and recorded by Corrections Victoria, the pair banked on a well known exemption that allows unmonitored calls with legal personal, which are regarded as privileged. In circumstances that were not explained, the court heard a phone used by a real lawyer representing Marrogi diverted to Mannella whenever the crook rang it. Mannella would answer the phone by impersonating 'Cassidy' in a poor attempt to throw off prison snoops. The pair would then speak in code as they went about organising the movement of four 200-litre drums of Butanediol - the key ingredient in gamma hydroxybutyrate, or GHB. The court heard Marrogi was able to convince a man who owed him cash to organise the shipment, which revolved around a 71-year old truck driver driving the drums across the border into Melbourne. The elderly driver was picked-up by police as he drove into Horsham in Victoria's west. The mission had been doomed from the start. The court heard Australian Federal Police had Mannella's phone tapped and had listened to every conversation she had with the crime boss. Marrogi and Mannella will be sentenced this month. The 15 who appeared in court on Friday will return to court on April 23. An empty shed yards away from a wealthy beachfront is up for sale for 250,000 - but only your boat will be able to stay there. Whilst there are endless possibilities to settle down in beautiful areas of Wales for a quarter of a million pounds, this property offers the opportunity to splash out on a building that lives on directly on the beach. The boathouse is built into the bottom of a cliff that opens onto the golden sands overlooking the harbour in the popular village of Abersoch, dubbed Cheshire-on-Sea. It is a favourite holiday destination for wealthy visitors such as Wayne and Coleen Rooney with properties selling for more than 3m overlooking the beach. The building is the only privately owned boathouse of its kind along this part of the coastline, making it an enticing prospect. An empty shed yards away from a wealthy beachfront in Abersoch, Wales, is up for sale for 250,000 Access to property is gained from the roadway down a slope into the harbour itself and along the pedestrian pathway The boathouse is built into the bottom of a cliff that opens onto the golden sands overlooking the harbour It was originally built in 1931 into the side of the cliff face for the purpose of housing a small boat. Inside, the building measures approximately 26 feet by 14 feet, and includes a timber-beamed mezzanine area to provide extra storage and make optimum use of the space. It features a concrete slipway offering access onto the beach through double iron gates. Access to property is gained from the roadway down a slope into the harbour itself and along the pedestrian pathway. The beach is surrounded by the stunning Snowdonia mountain range along with with Cardigan Bay sea views. Estate agents Beresford Adams said: 'A remarkable opportunity to acquire a detached boat house in an iconic picturesque setting to the seaward side of Abersoch Outer Harbour breakwater with direct access onto the sandy beach and into the sea at high water.' The Boat House is marketed as 'of particular interest to boating enthusiasts' and could be the perfect place for those with a variety of water-based equipment. Abersoch beach is becoming an increasingly popular coastal designation for tourists and holiday home owners in Wales. The 250,000 Boat House overlooks to beautiful Welsh coastline where the scenery is unbeatable The view from the Boat House is hard to beat: Owners can look out to sea or enjoy the picturesque views of the Welsh village The shed is built directly onto the beach, meaning that anyone keen to get their boat into the water will have a smooth transition Originally purposed as a fishing port, the area draws in a large sum of visitors who want a day at the seaside and is also renowned as a centre for sailing, surfing and watersports. According to website Visit Wales, the beach is considered to be 'safe' with no severe currents or rips in normal conditions and a motor boat exclusion zone providing a secure area for bathers. However, although the idea of moving to the Welsh coastline may seem appealing to many, home owners face paying 250 per cent of their council tax bill as the local council introduces a 150 per cent increase in a clampdown on second homes in one of Britain's most scenic areas. It features a concrete slipway offering access onto the beach through double iron gates The empty shed includes a timber-beamed mezzanine area to provide extra storage and make optimum use of the space This is set to be introduced in April this year in popular areas for holiday homes along the Welsh coast in the county of Gwynedd - including Snowdonia and the North Wales coast. Discussions around the Council Tax Premium across Wales has largely focused on the impact of holiday homes on the local housing economy as it has widely led to an increase in prices surpassing what some local residents can afford. It will hit second home owners in the county including well-heeled seaside villagers, such as Abersoch. The Boat House is a freehold property and is currently for sale for offers over 250,000 with Beresford Adams, call the Abersoch branch on 01758 580061 to find out more. Pictured: The floorplan shows how the building measures 26 feet by 14 feet - providing plenty of space for possessions Pictured: The map above shows the approximate location of the boat shed on the Abersoch coastline in Cardigan Bay Advertisement It may sound a little like Jurassic Park scientists using the DNA of extinct beasts to help bring them back to life. But although it's impossible to have Tyrannosaurus Rex walk the Earth again (more on why later), experts say there's a real possibility that the Tasmanian tiger, woolly mammoth and even the dodo could rise from the dead. That's because millions of dollars are being injected into a US startup venture that plans to use a Nobel Prize-winning genome editing method called Crispr-Cas9 to 'de-extinct' long-lost species. First it began working on the mammoth, then the Tasmanian tiger, and this week Colossal Biosciences revealed that its scientists would also be trying to bring back the flightless dodo. Here, MailOnline looks at how the science works, as well as which other creatures could be revived with the help of either stem cell technology, cloning or a process known as 'back-breeding'. The real-life Jurassic Park: Scientists have revealed a list of extinct animals they have been trying to bring back from the dead using a mixture of gene-editing, cloning and back-breeding In Steven Spielberg's 1993 film (pictured), dinosaurs are brought back to life using DNA preserved in amber. However, it is not possible to 'de-extinction' the prehistoric creatures because exposure to UV light and the action of bacteria break down DNA into smaller fragments until eventually there isn't enough left to use it for gene-editing Which animals do scientists want to bring back from the dead, and how? Dodo Went extinct: 1662 Lived in: Mauritius Genome sequenced? Yes, in 2022 Closest living relative: Nicobar pigeon How could it be brought back? Crispr-Cas9 gene-editing The dodo is one of the world's most famous extinct creatures. But after scientists successfully sequenced its entire genome for the first time last year , efforts are now under way to bring the flightless bird back from the dead The dodo is one of the world's most famous extinct creatures. But after scientists successfully sequenced its entire genome for the first time last year, efforts are now under way to bring the flightless bird back from the dead. Return of the Dodo? Scientists launch project to bring back the extinct species - READ MORE Reborn? Scientists have launched a project to bring back the dodo using stem cell technology Advertisement Colossal Biosciences, based in Dallas, Texas, wants to 'de-extinct' the dodo, more than 350 years after it was wiped out from the island of Mauritius in the 17th century. Having obtained the 3ft (one metre) tall bird's genome, experts will next have to gene-edit the cell of a close living relative, which for the dodo is the Nicobar pigeon. The aim is to make the genome match that of the extinct bird's, or get as close to it as possible, with the help of Crispr-Cas9. This is a technique that can 'cut and paste' small sections of DNA, meaning scientists can delete or edit certain genes so that they more accurately represent the animal they are looking to recreate. In mammals, this gene-edited material would then be embedded in the reproductive system of an existing relative of the species. But because the dodo is a bird, the technique has to be tweaked somewhat because it needs to account for an external egg. This will be tricky, as no one has yet managed to use gene-editing for birds in this way. In the dodo's case, scientists will take primordial germ cells embryonic precursors of sperm and egg that pass on genetic code from one generation to the next from a Nicobar pigeon. They will then edit these cells to more closely resemble a dodo, such as its flightlessness, and then insert them back into a host pigeon egg. When the resulting chick hatches it may have a few differences compared to the original species, just because of how challenging it is to 100 per cent replicate an extinct creature's genetic code. But it would be a start. And the hope is that this dodo-like creature could be born within the next five years. Woolly mammoth Went extinct: 10,000 years ago Lived in: Steppe tundra, from Spain across Eurasia to Canada, and the Arctic to China Genome sequenced? Yes, in 2008 Closest living relative: Asian elephant How could it be brought back? Crispr-Cas9 Colossal doesn't just want to bring back the dodo. It is also working to 'de-extinction' the woolly mammoth (artist's impression), although it is not the only company that has raised the idea of doing so To create an elephantwoolly mammoth hybrid, researchers would take DNA from ancient specimens and combine them with artificial elephant stem cells to create a hybrid embryo. This would be brought to term in either a surrogate mother or an artificial womb In a similar way to the iconic flightless bird, researchers plan to create a sort of elephant-mammoth hybrid using the woolly mammoth's closest-living relative, the Asian elephant Colossal doesn't just want to bring back the dodo. It is also working to 'de-extinction' the woolly mammoth, although it is not the only company that has raised the idea of doing so. To do this, in a similar way to the iconic flightless bird, researchers plan to create a sort of elephant-mammoth hybrid using the woolly mammoth's closest-living relative, the Asian elephant. Again, the first thing to do is sequence the genome of the woolly mammoth from a well-preserved specimen such as one recovered after being frozen in permafrost. This was first done successfully in 2008. The next step is where the process differs from the dodo, and birds in general, because it involves using somatic cells such as skin cells, rather than primordial germ cells. Once again, the DNA from a host living animal in this case the Asian elephant is spliced together with that of the woolly mammoth using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool. When scientists are satisfied that the hybrid cells are functioning correctly, the nucleus transfer begins. This is where the nucleus from a donated Asian elephant egg is removed, and the hybrid nucleus, which is the Asian elephant nucleus edited with the woolly mammoth DNA, is inserted in its place. Electrical pulses are then applied to the egg to stimulate fertilisation, causing it to divide and grow into an embryo. After the embryo has developed, it is implanted into a surrogate African elephant, where it will be carried to term. Colossal hopes the process will end in the birth of a woolly mammoth, or an animal closely resembling the species, which company aims to achieve within four to six years. Tasmanian tiger Went extinct: 3,000 years ago Lived in: Australia and New Guinea Genome sequenced? Yes, in 2017 Closest living relative: Fat-tailed dunnart How could it be brought back? Crispr-Cas9 Colossal Biosciences, a startup based in Dallas, Texas, has announced plans to start the 'de-extinction' of the species, using stem cell technology To bring back the Tasmanian tiger, once again skin cells will be taken from a living species with similar DNA in this case the fat-tailed dunnart and turned into 'thylacine' cells using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing Another venture of Colossal Biosciences, the plan to bring back the Tasmanian tiger was announced in August last year. This will work in much the same way as with the woolly mammoth. Once again, skin cells will be taken from a living species with similar DNA in this case the fat-tailed dunnart and turned into 'thylacine' cells using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing. They will then be reprogrammed as stem cells, before new 'marsupial assisted reproductive technologies' will be needed to use the cells to make an embryo. Once an embryo is created, it would then be transferred into either an artificial womb, or into a dunnart surrogate to gestate. Christmas rat Went extinct: Between 1898 and 1908 Lived in: Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean Genome sequenced? Yes, in 2022 Closest living relative: Norway brown rat How could it be brought back? Crispr-Cas9 An artist's depiction of the Christmas Island rat (Rattus macleari), which was driven to extinction between 1898 and 1908 Pictured, the Norway brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) - a widespread extant rat species and the dominant rat in Europe and much of North America In March last year, scientists revealed plans to bring back the extinct Christmas Island rat, 119 years after it was wiped out. This time it is not Colossal Biosciences, but the idea is the same. An international team of academics outlined in a research paper how the use of CRISPR could lead to the rat's 'de-extinction'. Rattus macleari, commonly known as the Christmas Island rat or Maclear's rat, was a large rat endemic to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. But it was driven to extinction at some point between 1898 and 1908, possibly in 1903, likely due to diseases brought over on European ships. The recent study was led by evolutionary geneticist Dr Tom Gilbert at the University of Copenhagen, who said he was planning experiments to 'de-extinct' the creature in the near future. However, he told MailOnline that bringing it back from the dead would not be easy. 'The tools are now in theory available that people could use to bring things back... for example, labs are trying use gene editing to change elephant genomes to add mammoth specific mutations,' Dr Gilbert said. 'If you were to try use genome editing to change the genome of a living species into a genome of an extinct one, you'd only be able to make some of the changes, not all, so you'd end up with some kind of hybrid. 'And that raises the question: what's the end goal? If you want a hybrid go for it. If you wanted the pure lost form, you're gonna be disappointed.' In the case of the Christmas rat, the whole process would be the same as for the woolly mammoth and Tasmanian tiger, but would require the rat's closest living relative. This is the Norway brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). Pyrenean ibex Went extinct: 2000 Lived in: France and Spain, in the Pyrenees Genome sequenced? No How could it be brought back? Cloning The Pyrenean Ibex (pictured) went extinct a lot more recently than the other animals above Here is where the science starts to differ slightly, and we get more into the realms of the techniques used to create Dolly the Sheep in 1996. When it comes to the Pyrenean Ibex, it vanished from the Earth a lot more recently than some of the other animals above. But it also has the unfortunate distinction of going extinct twice. The first time was in 2000 when the last living Pyrenean ibex, a type of goat, was killed by a falling tree. Three years later, researchers successfully cloned the creature, only for the newborn to die of a lung defect shortly after birth. Nevertheless, resurrecting the Pyrenean Ibex focuses on a different method to gene editing. It involves essentially cloning the dead animal by taking the nucleus from an intact cell, before transferring it into the egg of a close living relative in the hope that an embryo will form. The technique is a great de-extinction approach for living species that are close to extinction, because the resulting animal that is created is identical. But the problem is that cloning requires intact living cells. Therefore it cannot be used on long-lost animals such as the woolly mammoth, Tasmanian tiger or dodo, so CRISPR is needed instead. Aurochs Went extinct: 1600 Lived in: Europe, Indian subcontinent and north of Sahara Genome sequenced? No How could it be brought back? 'Back-breeding' A type of prehistoric cow, aurochs once roamed the plains of Europe but became extinct in the 1600s. Despite dying out such a long time ago, auroch genes can still be found in various breeds of cattle in Spain, Portugal and Italy (pictured) A type of prehistoric cow, aurochs once roamed the plains of Europe but became extinct in the 1600s. Despite dying out such a long time ago, auroch genes can still be found in various breeds of cattle in Spain, Portugal and Italy. This opens up the possibility of a different technique to resurrect the animal. Geneticists are now 'back-breeding' these descendent species to produce offspring more similar to an auroch. The only issue is that although the cattle may resemble the auroch, they will never match the animal genetically and will remain two separate species. Southern gastric-brooding frog Went extinct: 1983 Lived in: Queensland Genome sequenced? No How could it be brought back? Cloning Scientists are also working to bring back the southern gastric-brooding frog, a species which was native to Queensland but became extinct in 1983 Scientists are also working to bring back the southern gastric-brooding frog, a species which was native to Queensland but became extinct in 1983. They are doing so using a variation of the cloning technique. This species of frog reproduced in a rather peculiar way - swallowing its fertilised eggs and using its stomach like a womb. The first step to 'de-extinction' the creature took place in 2013 with the transferring of the nucleus from a frozen frog cell into the empty egg of a closely-related amphibian. In the same way described above, the cells began to divide and an embryo was created. However, the experts have so far struggled to get behind this stage as none of the embryos developed into tadpoles or frogs. They have been working to overcome the problem ever since. Can dinosaurs be brought back to life? No, sadly (if that's the right word). There's no reason to worry about a real life Jurassic Park in the sense of dinosaurs once again running riot. In the 1993 film, the prehistoric beasts are resurrected using a DNA-filled mosquito that has been preserved in amber for millions of years. There is truth to this in the sense that mosquitos from the time of the dinosaurs did preserve in amber. Tyrannosaurs rex (pictured in an artist's impression) was a species of bird-like, meat-eating dinosaur classified as a theropod. But there's no reason to worry about a real life Jurassic Park in the sense of dinosaurs again running riot thanks to gene editing But when amber preserves things, it tends to preserve the husk, not the soft tissues, which means you don't get blood preserved inside mosquitos in amber. It is still possible to find blood residue inside ancient insects, but that doesn't mean there will be DNA in it, and even if there was, it would be of little use to bringing dinosaurs back from the dead. That's because over time, exposure to UV light and the action of bacteria break down DNA into short fragments. The older the sample is, the smaller the fragments are that are left behind, until eventually there isn't enough left. So this is why there's no chance of seeing dinosaurs walk the Earth again. Last year it was found that half all UK species are threatened or near-threatened Report reveals that 80 per cent of butterfly species have declined since 1970s Experts have warned they are 'hugely concerned' for the future of Britain's butterflies after a report found 80 per cent of species have declined since the 1970s. The State of the UK's Butterflies 2022 report, released today, revealed number have dropped dramatically in the last 50 years. Decreases in butterfly populations on this scale are a 'huge concern' as the insects are an integral part of the UK ecosystem, scientists said. The news follows the release of the new Red List of British butterflies last year, which showed half of all the remaining species in Britain are now classed as threatened or near threatened. Species that rely on particular habitats such as flower-rich grassland, heathland and woodland clearings, have been the most affected, the report says. Species that have declined include the Northern Brown Argus (pictured), which has recorded a 57 per cent decrease in numbers across the UK Although it remains widely distributed, mainly around the UK coastlines, numbers of Grayling butterflies (pictured) have also dropped by 72 per cent Of the four UK countries, England's butterflies have fared the worst while Scotland's have shown a pattern of overall long-term increases. Species that have declined include the Northern Brown Argus, which has recorded a 57 per cent decrease in numbers across the UK. Although it remains widely distributed, mainly around the UK coastlines, numbers of Grayling butterflies have also dropped by 72 per cent. The Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary is another species in trouble, with figures showing a 66 per cent decrease in abundance since the 1970s. Other species listed on the butterfly Red List include the Adonis Blue, the Wood White and the Wall butterfly. The charity Butterfly Conservation, who compiled today's report, say governments need to step up and take necessary action to protect habitats, help nature's recovery and prevent more species from being lost. Other species listed on the butterfly Red List include the Adonis Blue (left), the Wood White (middle) and the Wall butterfly (right) Julie Williams, CEO of Butterfly Conservation, said: 'This report is yet more compelling evidence of nature's decline in the UK. 'We are totally dependent on the natural world for food, water and clean air. The state of our species and habitats shows that the natural world is in trouble. 'We need swift and effective action on this. The decline in butterflies we have seen in our own lifetimes is shocking and we can no longer stand by and watch the UK's biodiversity be destroyed.' Despite the gloomy picture painted in the long-term trends, the report also highlights examples proving that conservation action can turn around the fortunes of threatened butterflies. These include the successful recent reintroduction of the Chequered Skipper to England, and peatland restoration on lowland bogs in Scotland benefitting the Large Heath butterfly population. The Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (pictured) is another species in trouble, with figures showing a 66 per cent decrease in abundance since the 1970s The report also highlights examples proving that conservation action can turn around the fortunes of threatened butterflies. These include the successful recent reintroduction of the Chequered Skipper to England Land-change is known to be the most significant driver of the decline of butterflies, seeing the reduction of suitable habitats. Last year's Red List provides evidence that climate change is another important factor, as all four British butterflies with northerly distributions were listed as threatened or near threatened. These are the Large Heath, Scotch Argus, Northern Brown Argus and Mountain Ringlet that are all adapted to cooler or damper climates. Targeted conservation efforts saw four species move into less at-risk categories on the list. A Defra spokesman said: 'This week we launched our Environmental Improvement Plan which is a comprehensive delivery plan for the government's stretching environmental targets, including halting and then reversing the decline in nature. 'We are taking action to protect wildlife like our precious butterflies and have committed to create and restore at least 500,000 hectares of new wildlife habitats, starting with 70 new wildlife projects including 25 new or expanded National Nature Reserves and 19 further Nature Recovery Projects.' Dead as a dodo? Think again, because a U.S. tech entrepreneur, Ben Lamm, plans to bring the extinct, fat, flightless pigeon back to life, along with other long-gone species such as woolly mammoths, and make a profit while doing so. Or so he claims. His firm, Colossal Biosciences, announced this week that it has raised more than 120 million for the project. But the plan raises plenty of questions. Can it be done? Will it be safe? Is it ethical? How will it make money? Fortunately, a non-profit body, called Revive & Restore, run by the entrepreneur Ryan Phelan and to which I am an adviser, has been thinking through these issues for the best part of a decade. Until recently, extinction of a species looked irreversible. The dodo lived on Mauritius and, like many flightless birds on islands, proved vulnerable to monkeys and cats introduced through the migration of people. It became extinct in the mid-1600s. Only a few tatty skins remained. There was once hope that cloning might resurrect some extinct species, especially flash-frozen mammoths in the permafrost, but it turned out their genes were too fragmented. Dead as a dodo? Think again, because a U.S. tech entrepreneur, Ben Lamm, plans to bring the extinct, fat, flightless pigeon back to life It did not even work for a recently extinct Pyrenean ibex. But what we have been able to do in more recent years and thanks to huge advances in DNA sequencing is to piece together the genetic code of long dead creatures. The passenger pigeon, the thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) and the great auk, which have all been gone for a century or so, have been sequenced in this way. The mammoth, dead for a few thousand years, also. To general surprise, in 1997, a Swedish scientist managed to map the DNA of a Neanderthal human, dead for more than 40,000 years. And last year the same was finally done for the dodo. Forget Jurassic Park, though: dinosaurs, dead for tens of millions of years, remain inaccessible, their genetic material having disintegrated long ago. Extracting their genes from mosquitoes in amber made a good plot for a novel and movie franchise, but cant and wont work in practice. For the dodo, though, the genetics are actually the easy part. There are three more leaps scientists will have to make before extinct species can be reborn. All of which are currently impossible but they may not be for ever. The first is to be able to edit the genes in a cell from a related living animal to make them the same as the extinct species. For the dodo, the closest cousin is the Nicobar pigeon; for the great auk, the razorbill; for the mammoth, the Indian elephant. Other long-gone species such as woolly mammoths could also make a comeback and a profit could be made The invention of gene editing in 2012 made de-extinction look like it might not always be science fiction. But current gene editing techniques cannot work accurately on a large scale to make the tens of thousands, maybe millions, of small changes needed to create a dodo genome (the entire set of DNA found in a cell) out of a pigeon genome. The technology is fast advancing, however, and within a decade it might be possible to have a pigeon cell containing a complete set of dodo genes sitting in a test tube. The next step then would be turning that cell into a bird. This also looked impossible until a breakthrough a few years ago. Scientists at Scotlands Roslin Institute worked out how to implant chicken cells in a duck embryo so when the duck grew up it produced chicken sperm. It is not much of a leap then to think that, one day in many readers lifetimes, a male and female set of domestic pigeons will be able to produce dodo sperm and dodo eggs. Together they would conceive a complete dodo. Mammoths will be harder, because you will have to find a suitable womb in which to implant a mammoth embryo (Indian elephants will reject foreign embryos). Ben Lamms Colossal says it plans to invent an artificial womb along the way, but it wont be easy. The final step would be to rear some healthy new specimens, get them to breed and generate a genetically diverse population capable of surviving in the wild. And there is a lot that can go wrong. For example, the first animals of a de-extinct species might prove to be terribly deformed if even a tiny mistake is made during gene editing. But as for the many moral objections people raise to de-extinction, many of them turn out to be baseless. Indeed, we can rest assured that a de-extinct species will not bring novel diseases back with it. Defrosted mammoth remains that may have preserved all manner of pathogens with them in the permafrost do carry that risk newborn animals do not. Some people also say animals end up extinct for a reason better to leave them dead. But that reason has often been human greed (we turned great auks into pillow stuffing) or carelessness (the pests that killed dodos were brought to Mauritius by people). For most of these species, an ecological niche still exists. There are fish in the North Atlantic for great auks to eat. Tasmanian tigers can prey on wallabies. Passenger pigeons would live off acorns. In fact, they would likely improve ecosystems. There is a tree on Mauritius called the tambalacoque, for example, whose seeds were thought to germinate better if they went through the guts of dodos first. When it comes to mammoths, some argue that their loss transformed the ecology of Siberia, turning fertile grass steppe into infertile fir forest. Recreating that steppe would be good news for other species of mammal and bird. By the way, mammoths would be no more scary or dangerous than African elephants are today: despite their name, they are about the same size. Then there is the worry that de-extinction would take the pressure off conservationists to save threatened species, but this seems unlikely. Of course, we need to tread carefully. All biotechnology should be subject to strict regulations; the recent dangerous harvesting and altering of wild bat viruses in China proves as much. Matt Ridley, pictured, is a former Tory peer and author of How Innovation Works But really, a few new dodos waddling around a forest in Mauritius is far less risky than what the Wuhan scientists were doing. There is one step that I would never want to see taken, though. And thats bringing back Neanderthal man. To keep them in a zoo would be outrageous; to integrate them into society impossible. It would be an ethical disaster. Not to mention that theyd likely have to be carried in the womb of a human female. Ben Lamms plans for Colossal are certainly ambitious. It feels a bit reminiscent of Steve Jobss philosophy of fake it till you make it: announce something before you have invented it. For Jobs, of course, it worked but de-extinction is much harder than making the iPhone. (Though thats for Lamms investors to worry about, not the rest of us.) One thing is for the rest of us to worry about: if he is successful, who should be in charge of deciding what can be reborn? Mad tech billionaires should not be able to foist long-dead creatures on to the world without permission. It really must come down to governmental decisions and likely international agreement and regulation. I dont expect to see live dodos in London Zoo, or great auks swimming off the Hebrides, or mammoths marching across the steppe before I die. But I do think my children might and I envy that more than I fear it. Matt Ridley is a former Tory peer and author of How Innovation Works. An original iPhone, still in its packaging, is expected to sell for more than $50,000 (41,000) at auction. The iPhone, released in 2007, features a 3.5inch screen and 2-megapixel camera. If it achieves its estimate it will sell for more than 80 times the original $599 (490) pricetag. It was put up for auction by its American owner Karen Green, who was given it as a gift by friends. Because the phone did not work on the network provider Ms Green used, she simply left it on a shelf, unused. She realised she was sitting on a potential goldmine when she saw that an original, unopened iPhone had sold for $10,000 (8,100). An original iPhone, still in its packaging, is expected to sell for more than $50,000 (41,000) at auction. Here Steve Jobs holds up the new iPhone that was introduced January 9, 2007 Ms Green says the proceeds of the auction will be used to help with the costs of running her cosmetic tattoo studio in New Jersey. The auction, run by LCG Auctions, began last night and closes on February 19. Ms Green said: I thought to myself, Oh my God, I think I have the original. I called my son and I was like, Go get the phone and make sure its not opened. Greens iPhone was appraised for just $5,000 (4,100) when she appeared on a US daytime TV programme. Last October a first generation iPhone was auctioned for nearly $40,000 (33,000). Ms Green plans to use the proceeds of the auction to help with the costs of running her new cosmetic tattoo studio, in New Jersey. She added: If I could hold off on the phone for like another 10 years, I probably would. The iPhone, released in 2007, features a 3.5inch screen and 2-megapixel camera The only reason why I am selling that phone is because I need to support this business. Bidding will start at $2,500 (2,000) but the phone is estimated to fetch $50,000 or more, based on the sale price in the October auction and its widespread media coverage. Ms Green said: It took me almost a year to get it up and running, and when you dont have an income for a year because you dont have a place to work and youre trying to get out on your own, your resources start to go. A rare sea eagle known as the 'flying barndoor' has returned to the Isle of Wight after spending two years flying about Europe. The bird is a white-tailed eagle - a huge species with a wingspan of up to 8 feet (2.4 m) which became extinct in Britain by the early 20th century. While the species returned to Scotland in the 1970s, it was only brought back to England as part of a reintroduction scheme on the Isle of Wight in 2019. The project, run by the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England, involves the release of 60 juvenile birds over five years, and this male - named G463 - is one of them. Since his journey began in 2020, he has visited seven different countries as part of an over 10,000 mile (17,000 km) trip around the continent. A rare sea eagle known as the 'flying barndoor' has returned to the Isle of Wight after spending two years flying about Europe. Pictured: G463 at Minsmere on January 31 2022 Routes taken by the 'flying barndoor' white-tailed eagle. Red = Route taken from October 13 2020 - December 31 2021 White = Route taken from January 1 2022 to January 9 2023 He left the island in October 2020, and, after a few months in southern England, became the first bird from the scheme to cross the Channel in April 2021. The bird returned that November, and spent most of the winter in East Anglia, Suffolk and south Somerset, before returning to mainland Europe on April 3 2022. 'It was notable that like many of the other young eagles, he was returning to favoured locations first encountered during his initial explorations,' said Roy Dennis, the trust's founder. While he was spending some time in the Biesbosch wetland in the Netherlands, the foundation received photos showing that G463 had lost his right leg below the knee. Using data from the accelerometer in the eagle's tag, Mr Dennis's team deduced he sustained an injury while in north Norfolk in December 2021, as he was 'more sedentary than usual'. It is thought to have been the result of blood loss through entrapment or entanglement, or an electric shock, however he has not let it stop him pursuing his European adventures. G463 returned to England on September 20 2022, first to his preferred spots in west Norfolk for October, and then south Somerset and Dorset for the rest of the year. While visiting Poole Harbour, he was spotted with other birds from the Isle of Wight reintroduction scheme. He had an 'aerial tussle' with another younger male, and spent time with a female that the team hope he will pair up with in the coming weeks. After 27 months away - the longest period of any bird from the scheme - he finally retuned to the Isle of Wight on January 9 this year. The reintroduction project to bring them back to the south coast, where they were once widespread, involves releasing up to 60 birds taken from the wild population in Scotland as youngsters, over five years. Seven were released in 2020 (pictured) WHITE-TAILED EAGLES The white-tailed eagle is the largest UK bird of prey. It has brown body plumage with a conspicuously pale head and neck which can be almost white in older birds, and the tail feathers of adults are white. In flight it has massive long, broad wings with 'fingered' ends. Its head protrudes and it has a short, wedge-shaped tail. This species went extinct in the UK during the early 20th century, due to illegal killing, and the present population is descended from reintroduced birds. Source: RSPB Advertisement Other birds in the reintroduction scheme tended to return to the island and South Coast as they approached breeding age after a period of time exploring the rest of the UK. Three birds from the first two territorial pairs spent time in Scotland in their first two calendar years before establishing themselves in the Arun valley in West Sussex and the Isle of Wight. But intrepid G463 has visited the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and France as well as mainland England. Mr Dennis said that he roosted close to the release area and the island's two resident white-tailed eagles on his first night back. However he was then chased off elsewhere on the island, before crossing the Channel once more and making his way back to Poole Harbour. The Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation will still keep a close eye on G463 to ensure he continues to thrive with only one foot, but it is 'encouraging' that he has survived so far. The white-tailed eagle suffered huge declines in Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries and it is still persecuted by gamekeepers because it feeds on birds, rabbits and hares. G463 returned to England on September 20 2022, first to his preferred spots in west Norfolk for October, and then south Somerset and Dorset for the rest of the year. Pictured: G463 at Chard Junction Gravel Pits on November 27 2022 The white-tailed eagle is the largest bird of prey in the UK, and has a black-ridged tail, golden eyes and yellow talons, legs and beaks. Pictured: G463 at Poole Harbour on January 21 2023 It is the largest bird of prey in the UK, and has a black-ridged tail, golden eyes and yellow talons, legs and beaks. But, over the past 40 years, the eagles have been successfully reintroduced to Scotland and Ireland. The 2019 reintroduction project aimed to bring them back to the south coast, where they were once widespread, by relocating birds hatched in the wild in Scotland. When the programme was accepted, Mr Dennis said: 'White-tailed eagles were once a common sight in England and southern Europe but were lost centuries ago. 'I can remember as a lad walking along Culver Cliffs to see where the eagles had once lived. 'It is incredible now to be able to play a part in returning these birds back to their home.' While visiting Poole Harbour in late 2022, G463 (below) was spotted with other birds from the reintroduction scheme. He had an 'aerial tussle' with another younger male G812 (above) The white-tailed eagle suffered huge declines in Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries and it is still persecuted by gamekeepers because it feeds on birds, rabbits and hares Before COVID-19 and avian flu halted proceedings, 13 sea eagles had been familiarised with the Isle of Wight and released. In 2021, a license was granted to the foundation by Natural England to introduce a small breeding population of the eagles to west Norfolk. Concerns were raised in the past about the impact on livestock such as lambs from the birds. However, the team said no issues with conservation sites or farms had been recorded with any of the 13 birds released on the Isle of Wight at the time. Visitors fill the venue of the SEMICON Korea exhibition held at COEX convention center in Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul By Baek Byung-yeul SEMICON Korea, an annual semiconductor exhibition, has proven that the industry has unlimited growth potential despite currently being overshadowed by its worst-ever slump, as many industry officials and jobseekers filled the exhibition hall on Friday, the last day of the three-day event. Hosted by SEMI, an industry association, the event had been held online since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this year's SEMICON Korea came as a full-scale offline event in Seoul, featuring around 450 companies from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Europe and the United States. The exhibition, which took place on the first and third floors of the COEX convention center, was crowded with thousands of visitors starting early in the morning. Visitors wearing name tags of their companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix went around to booths to explore new technologies in the industry. Despite big companies struggling with decreased demand for semiconductors in the second half of last year, an industry official expressed confidence that continuous investments would be made in the industry through this exhibition. "I have participated in this event for more than a decade and this is the first time I have felt that there are so many people. I heard that some suppliers located far from Seoul sent hundreds of employees to the venue by bus to let them explore the latest trends," an industry official at the venue said on condition of anonymity. "Although the chip market has been struggling for a while now, the number of applications that require semiconductors will increase and the related parts, materials and equipment suppliers will be able to receive more orders." As well as officials based in Korea, overseas officials also said they were able to reaffirm the bright future of the semiconductor industry by visiting the exhibition. "At the SEMICON Korea, I see the great energy. I asked myself where the recession is. Everybody sees the long term and believes there will be such a strong long-term opportunity," said Anand Nambiar, executive vice president and head of Semiconductor Material Solutions and Electronics Business at Merck. As the participants felt, SEMI also expects the global semiconductor market to more than double over the next 10 years. Cho Hyun-dae, president of SEMI Korea, estimated more than 60,000 visitors visited during the three days. Visitors take a look a promotional booth of the Netherland's chip equipment maker ASML during the SEMICON Korea exhibition held at the COEX convention center in Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul Global semiconductor companies such as ASML, Tokyo Electron and KLA set up counseling spaces for recruitment at their booths, as the chip industry has been working to recruit more engineers to get ahead of their competitors. Most visitors were industry officials but university students looking for their future jobs also visited the exhibition venue. "I visited the venue with my friends to see what kinds of companies are taking part in the exhibition. We knew the names of big companies like Samsung and SK, but we could see that there are so many companies that supply parts, materials and equipment to these big firms through this exhibition," a university student majoring in electrical engineering said on condition of anonymity. "I had opportunities to talk with officials from many semiconductor companies. Especially I had talks with officials from Japanese companies such as Tokyo Electron and I was able to get advice from Korean officials of the Japanese firms on how to join these companies." A mutant two-headed snake named for a Batman villain has shared the fate of its comic-book counterpart. Born in captivity, the Aussie snake was taken to The Unusual Pet Vets in Jindalee, Queensland, after hatching with two heads. The carpet python was soon dubbed Two-Face like Batman's nemesis Harvey Dent, who dies at the end of the 2008 film, The Dark Knight. And just like his namesake, the snake did not survive. Vet Josh Llinas said: 'The snake was hatched in captivity and was initially thought to be twins in the egg, but when it came out of the egg it was apparent that was not the case. A mutant two-headed snake named for a Batman villain has shared the fate of its comic-book counterpart Born in captivity, the Aussie snake was taken to The Unusual Pet Vets in Jindalee, Queensland, after hatching with two heads The carpet python was soon dubbed Two-Face like Batman's nemesis Harvey Dent, who dies at the end of the 2008 film, The Dark Knight 'It is not known for sure how this happened but it is thought it was destined to be twins that did not fully divide. 'All other individuals in the clutch were normal so it is not expected to have been an issue with the incubation.' The odds of a two-headed snake hatching are thought to be about one in 100,000. And the odds of such a snake surviving are longer still. Dr Llinas said: 'In this case, the challenges would be basic ambulation difficulties due to the severe spinal changes and the position of the heads. 'There would be difficulty eating as this species is a constrictor which would have lead to issues. 'It would have ben difficult for any food to pass past the insertion point of the second head. 'There were two hearts and one was a lot smaller it was being compressed by the larger heart, and it was suspected it would have failed in the near future.' The odds of a two-headed snake hatching are thought to be about one in 100,000. And the odds of such a snake surviving are longer still Vet Josh Llinas said: 'The snake was hatched in captivity and was initially thought to be twins in the egg, but when it came out of the egg it was apparent that was not the case' A postmortem revealed that as well as two heads the snake had two brains, two lungs, two stomachs, two gall bladders and two hearts He continued: 'A number of tests were performed and the snake was unlikely to live with a good quality of life. 'Which was why euthanasia was performed to end and prevent suffering.' A postmortem revealed that as well as two heads the snake had two brains, two lungs, two stomachs, two gall bladders and two hearts. Both heads shared a single set of intestines and kidneys, and they had just one testicle between them a normal snake has two. Although each head functioned independently, it was the left head that ultimately decided which direction the body moved in. Scientists have created an entirely new type of ice that neither floats nor sinks and more closely resembles a liquid than frozen water. It could even hold clues to life beyond Earth by offering an insight into the processes that shape the oceans of Saturn and Jupiter's moons, where some scientists believe extra-terrestrial organisms may exist. The new form of ice is amorphous, which means that unlike ordinary crystalline ice - in which the molecules arrange themselves in a regular pattern - its molecules are in a disorganised form and resemble a liquid. Researchers believe ordinary ice could undergo shear forces in the ice moons of the outer solar system because of the tidal forces exerted by gas giants such as Jupiter, providing conditions that come close to replicating those used by scientists at University College London (UCL) and Cambridge in their new experiment. Odd: Scientists have created an entirely new type of ice that neither floats nor sinks and more closely resembles liquid water The new form of ice is amorphous, which means that unlike ordinary crystalline ice where the molecules arrange themselves in a regular pattern, it has molecules that are in a disorganised form and resemble a liquid The theory is that if this ice does exist there, perhaps in cracks in ice sheets, it could have implications for potential alien life. This is because one of the properties of the new type of ice is that it stores a lot of energy in its creation - and releases a large amount in its destruction. HOW DOES ICE FORM? Water is composed of two hydrogen atoms bound to an oxygen atom. However, due to the uneven distribution of electrons in these molecules, the hydrogen atoms take on a faint positive charge while the oxygen atoms take on a negative charge. This gives liquid water many of its unusual properties but also affects the crystal structure it takes when it freezes, too. Once temperatures drop below freezing point for water, the electrical charges on the molecules cause it to form an open lattice structure, which is why water expands when it freezes. Its slipperiness is caused when pressure or friction causes a thin layer of ice to melt, reducing the traction on the surface. Advertisement This burst of energy has a knock-on effect on how tectonics might work on these moons, as well as potentially for extra-terrestrial organisms. Senior author Professor Christoph Salzmann, from University College London, said: 'Water is the foundation of all life. 'Our existence depends on it, we launch space missions searching for it, yet from a scientific point of view it is poorly understood. 'We know of 20 crystalline forms of ice, but only two main types of amorphous ice have previously been discovered, known as high-density and low-density amorphous ices. 'There is a huge density gap between them and the accepted wisdom has been that no ice exists within that density gap.' That's because the density of liquid water lies in the middle and therefore scientists thought it impossible for ice to form at that density. But researchers found that the ice produced in their experiment had a density right between the other two known forms of amorphous ice - at almost exactly the same density as liquid water. They named this new goldilocks type of ice medium-density amorphous ice (MDA). In their experiments, the UCL and Cambridge researchers used a process called ball-milling vigorously shaking ordinary ice together with steel balls in a jar cooled to -200 degrees Centigrade. Rather than ending up with small bits of ordinary ice, the process yielded a novel amorphous form of ice. Co-author Professor Andrea Sella, of UCL, said: 'We have shown it is possible to create what looks like a stop-motion kind of water. This is an unexpected and quite amazing finding.' On a molecular level: The new type of ice is very similar in molecular structure to liquid water (left), compared to ordinary crystalline ice (right) It could hold clues to life beyond Earth by offering an insight into the processes that shape the oceans of Saturn and Jupiter's moons, where some scientists believe extra-terrestrial organisms could exist. Pictured is Saturn's largest moon, Titan Researchers believe ordinary ice could undergo shear forces in the ice moons of the outer solar system because of the tidal forces exerted by gas giants such as Jupiter. Pictured is Jupiter's icy moon Europa Professor Salzmann added: 'Our study shows the density of MDA is precisely within this density gap. 'This finding may have far-reaching consequences for our understanding of liquid water and its many anomalies.' Professor Angelos Michaelides, lead author from Cambridge's Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, said: 'Amorphous ice in general is said to be the most abundant form of water in the universe. 'The race is now on to understand how much of it is MDA and how geophysically active MDA is.' The research has been published in the journal Science. The Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) No Fly List found on an open server last week has been published on the dark web where anyone can see the 1.5 million entries - and it could 'help terrorists sneak into the US.' DailyMail.com obtained the complete list from 2019, which shows many highly profiled members of the Chinese Communist Party, Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), gun runners and convicted terrorists from the Middle East. A security expert told DailyMail.com that while the content shared to the dark web is more novelty to most downloaders, it provides information to individuals on the No Fly List. '[The No Fly List] could be used by people on the list to avoid being flagged by using fake info to get onto a plane,' Paul Field, a New Jersey-based security consultant, told DailyMail.com. The bypass could be done when the individual purchases the ticket online or by modifying their boarding pass with a stolen name. The TSA's No Fly List, found on an unprotected server last week, has now been shared toa forum on the dark web. Here, anyone can see the list and it could be used by individuals to bypass airport security The No Fly list screening program grew from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and involved airlines comparing their passenger records with federal data to keep dangerous people off planes. However, the list has since shrunk over the years. The unprotected server was run by CommuteAir and was first uncovered by a Swiss hacker who goes by crimew - they declined to comment when asked by DailyMail.com. Field said it is doubtful hackers were able to obtain the list just by reading crimew's blog about the discovery to access the No Fly List for themselves. 'They blocked out specific server names and Amazon cloud buckets on the screenshots so very doubtful,' he said. 'I think they lied to the DDOSecret site that they shared it with, and who said they were only sharing with journalists.' DDOSecret stands for Distributed Denial of Secrets and is a journalist non-profit that allows the free transmission of data in the public interest. This group shared news of the breach and is offering the list only to journalists and researchers due to the personal identifiable information. The No Fly List, which is from 2019, was shared to the dark web this week Individuals on the list can use this information to alter boarding passes to bypass security DailyMail.com found names of gun runners from London, convicted terrorists from India and gang members from the IRA while scanning the 1.5 million entries. One of the IRA members is part of the Balcombe Street gang and was found guilty of a car bomb attack. Another entry shows the name of an individual member of the neo-Nazi Afrikaner Resistant Movement. Hundreds of individuals, if not thousands, are associated with the IRA, but more entries show names of terrorists from the Middle East. One individual from the Middle East is said to have played a role in radicalizing young Muslims in the UK and then recruited them to Al-Qaida. Approximately 988 entries are with the name 'John,' 507 in the list show the last name 'Garcia' and more than 6,000 first names of Mohammed. There are duplicated entries and others for the same person but with different spellings. Some of the individuals are as young as 13 years old. 'I'm going to assume its children of known people that may not be using fake IDs, but the people traveling with them are,' said Field. And several entries for Osama Bin Laden, who was killed in 2011, but with different spellings. 'The total of individuals is much less because there's a separate line for every person's alias,' said Field. 'There's also obviously not much reconciliation done as Bin Laden is still in there.' crimew said they stumbled upon the unprotected server out of sheer boredom. 'Hardcoded credentials there would allow me access to navblue apis for refueling, canceling and updating flights, swapping out crew members and so on,' reads the hacker's blog. Field told DailyMail.com that because crimew is in Switzerland they cannot be extradited for the breach. 'Most white hat hackers wouldn't have released the list, but the hacker who found it is already charged with previous hacking crimes but is located in a country that won't extradite,' he said. '[It] makes you think it's being rubbed in the US government's face. 'But they can't travel to most places as she would be grabbed and extradited. '90% of hackers in 'the underground' do it for kudos from other hackers and to be seen as the best, not for any financial gain. 'And the fact that they posted the whole process makes me think that is the situation.' DailyMail.com has contacted the TSA regarding the matter. While the TSA has yet to respond to the latest leak, it did comment on the initial breach. 'On January 27, TSA issued a security directive to airports and air carriers. The security directive reinforces existing requirements on handling sensitive security information and personally identifiable information,' a TSA spokesperson told DailyMail.com. 'We will continue to work with partners to ensure that they implement security requirements to safeguard systems and networks from cyberattacks.' Advertisement Air France has introduced a brand-new business-class cabin with 48 seats for its Boeing 777-300s that offers all-aisle access, privacy doors, wireless charging and 6ft 5in lie-flat beds. Plus, the new turn-left offering has seats in the centre of the cabin equipped with a central panel that can be lowered to create a 'convivial space' for passengers travelling together. Also of note is a 17.3-inch 4K high-definition anti-glare screen that passengers can enjoy using a noise-reducing headset. If they bring their own headphones they can connect to the system using Bluetooth or a socket. The seats are finished in wool, brushed aluminium and full-grain French leather. The premium economy cabin, with 48 seats, is also new to the 777, but not Air France it's the same set-up that the carrier uses on its Airbus A350. Air France has introduced a brand-new business-class cabin with 48 seats for its Boeing 777-300s (above) that offers all-aisle access, privacy doors, wireless charging and 6ft 5in lie-flat beds The seats are finished in wool, brushed aluminium and full-grain French leather Here each seat offers 96cm of legroom, reclines to 124 degrees, has USB A and C ports and a 13.3-inch 4K high-definition screen with Bluetooth connection. The economy cabin, meanwhile, has 273 seats that, impressively, share the same 13.3-inch screen found in premium economy, but legroom is 79cm and recline 119 degrees. Air France pointed out that as customers board the aircraft they are greeted by a backlit winged seahorse, 'embodying the company's founding myth and rich history'. The first Boeing 777 fitted with the new cabins flew from Paris-Charles de Gaulle to New York-JFK on January 20, with Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and Dakar in Senegal also now served by the revamped plane. The new turn-left offering has seats in the centre of the cabin equipped with a central panel that can be lowered to create a 'convivial space' for passengers travelling together The Points Guy UK was given a tour of the new cabin before it entered service and commented: 'Instead of reinventing the wheel with its new business-class product, Air France took an already solid product and added more modern touches' The premium economy cabin (above), with 48 seats, is also new to the 777, but not Air France it's the same set-up that the carrier uses on its Airbus A350s Pictured above is the new economy class cabin in Air France's Boeing 777s. The seats share the same 13.3-inch screen found in premium economy The Points Guy UK was given a tour of the new cabin before it entered service and commented: 'Instead of reinventing the wheel with its new business-class product, Air France took an already solid product and added more modern touches along with some beautiful dashes of colour. 'Things like wireless charging, 4K monitors and doors on the seat make this a desirable and competitive product. And, everyone on the plane will benefit from some of these enhancements at least with the monitors and Bluetooth audio pairing system.' Air France said: 'Thanks to this new major step in Air France's move upmarket, all of the company's long-haul business cabins will be equipped with seats that transform into full-flat beds by the end of 2023, compared to 90 per cent today. By this date, the entire fleet will also be equipped with in-flight Wi-Fi, compared to 97 per cent today.' Air France said: 'Thanks to this new major step in Air France's move upmarket, all of the company's long-haul business cabins will be equipped with seats that transform into full-flat beds by the end of 2023, compared to 90 per cent today' The first Boeing 777 fitted with the new cabins flew from Paris-Charles de Gaulle to New York-JFK on January 20 Read more: The astonishing winning shots in the 2022 Travel Photographer of the Year awards Advertisement He's used to photographing Britain's most famous family - but now he's turned his lens on a community that couldn't be further removed from the public eye. Matt Porteous, the royal photographer behind Prince William and Kate Middleton's official family photographs, has captured pictures of the residents of Scotland's remote Knoydart peninsula for his latest project. Set along the country's beautiful western coast, the extremely isolated community of Knoydart can only be reached by boat - there's a ferry service from the Highland village of Mallaig - or via a challenging two-day hike. Populated by just over 100 residents, it's home to what the Guinness World Records declares as Britain's most remote mainland pub - The Old Forge. As part of the series, Matt sent a drone over the peninsula's breathtaking landscape and photographed a local ranger, a skipper and a hotel owner. Interestingly, all of the pictures were taken on a camera phone, the OnePlus 11 5G, as the photography series sets out to celebrate the launch of the new mobile device. Royal photographer Matt Porteous has captured pictures of the residents of Scotland's remote Knoydart peninsula for his latest project The extremely isolated community of Knoydart can only be reached by boat or via a challenging two-day hike Matt is the royal photographer behind Prince William and Kate Middleton's official family photographs. Above is one of his shots of the royal family in 2021 One of Matt's subjects was Jayne Eddie, a skipper for Western Isles Cruises, who also ferries residents' shopping, freight, goods and mail. She tells MailOnline Travel that one of the perks of her job is having 'close encounters' with dolphins, minke whales, porpoises, orcas and sea birds as she sails to and from the peninsula. Knoydart ranger Finlay Greig, another resident to feature in the series, has similarly sighted some stunning wildlife in the area. One of Matt's subjects in the new photo series was Jayne Eddie (above), a skipper for Western Isles Cruises Jayne ferries residents' shopping, freight, goods and mail on her boat All of the pictures in the series were taken on a camera phone, the OnePlus 11 5G, as the photography series sets out to celebrate the launch of the new mobile device Jayne says that one of the perks of her job is having 'close encounters' with dolphins, minke whales, porpoises, orcas and sea birds as she sails to and from the peninsula He says: 'If you wait long enough in solitude you will be gifted something from nature. 'Minke whales, otters, red deer, roe deer, pine marten [a type of weasel], golden eagles and white-tailed eagles are all regularly encountered.' Finlay says that part of his job is helping to run the 'most scenic campsite in Scotland' - Long Beach campsite - which he says is 'blessed' with views of the isle of Rum to the west and the peak of Meall Buidhe to the east. Knoydart ranger Finlay Greig, pictured above, was another resident to feature in the series Finlay has sighted minke whales, otters, red deer, roe deer, and golden eagles in his time as a ranger on Knoydart Finlay's truck driving through the magnificent scenery of Knoydart Finlay says that part of his job is helping to run the 'most scenic campsite in Scotland' - Long Beach campsite Are there any downsides to living on Knoydart? Finlay admits that the 'lack of a barber shop is one', adding: 'Not being able to get a haircut before the photo shoot was devastating.' The third and final resident to appear before Matt's lens was Rebecca Rutherford, who owns and runs the Doune Knoydart hotel and restaurant. The biggest hurdle in running a hotel on the peninsula, she reveals, is bringing in supplies. She says: 'We have no road to our property so everything, including guests, supplies, fuel, furniture, and materials all have to come on our own boat.' Rebecca Rutherford (above), who owns and runs the Doune Knoydart hotel and restaurant, also appeared in the series Rebecca says that the biggest hurdle in running a hotel in such a remote location is bringing in supplies Hotel owner Rebecca reveals: 'We have no road to our property so everything, including guests, supplies, fuel, furniture, and materials all have to come on our own boat' Most of the business's walk-in custom comes from passing yachts - though one previous guest did reach the peninsula via sea kayak, she reveals. Adding another layer to the photography series, according to a statement, Matt carried out the entire shoot from his London studio, directing the drone and the camera remotely. The statement says: 'With zero network connectivity to contend with, OnePlus connected Matt via satellite technology to enable him to expertly guide the locals from his studio over 500 miles away, whilst shooting their portraits using the smartphone.' The camera phone was mounted to a drone and flown over Knoydart. Matt carried out the entire shoot from his London studio, directing the drone and the camera remotely Reflecting on the shoot, Matt says: 'This was the most challenging test because I've never before led a portrait session using a smartphone, much less one that is soaring through the air while I'm hundreds of miles away' Pictured on the left is the remotely-operated drone capturing shots of Rebecca. 'The residents of Knoydart have incredible stories to tell,' Matt (pictured right) reveals It continues: 'Using the industry-leading colour science of Natural Colour Calibration developed with Hasselblad [a camera brand], the smartphone was able to capture the landscape's natural beauty in true-to-life colours and deliver DSLR quality photography, thanks to optical image stabilisation capabilities.' Commenting on the shoot, Matt - who recently captured the Prince and Princess of Wales's Christmas card pictures - says: 'This was the most challenging test because I've never before led a portrait session using a smartphone, much less one that is soaring through the air while I'm hundreds of miles away. 'However, the OnePlus 11 boasts an outstanding camera system that made it possible for me to capture DSLR quality images, even under challenging circumstances... the residents of Knoydart have incredible stories to tell from Jayne Eddie, the Western Isle Cruises Skipper, to Finlay Greig the local Ranger and I'm honoured to have been able to use the OnePlus 11 to help share a visual snapshot of their way of life.' There, he witnesses 'some of the richest and most varied wildlife in the country' Black sky erupts into brilliant purple, white and electric blue. The air is thick with the stench of wet mud and pollen. Huge bullets of hot rain graze our skin and hammer the open-top Land Rover as we wrestle our way through sodden dirt tracks. Welcome to Africa, our guide Bongani laughs, with one hand on the wheel and a torch in the other. Big cats love the rain, its the perfect camouflage. An hour ago it was a baking 35c (95f). Now the herds of zebra, nyala, impala, buffalo, kudu, waterbuck and more that dozed in the muggy evening have all scampered for shelter. As we reach the only stretch of Tarmac for miles around, a pungent smell of oil rises from the road. Slick tar steams in the headlights and, up above, the night continues to jolt itself awake. Then we screech to a stop. Close encounter: Henry Jones explores Pafuri, a 65,000-acre area of private bushland and the uppermost section of South Africas Kruger National Park. Above, an elephant roams the national park during sundown Two baby elephants galumph into the road ahead, followed swiftly by rather angry-looking parents waving their trunks at us. We have to keep moving, the rains distressed them, Bongani shouts. Back in my room a sleek concrete construction perched on stilts off the edge of a rocky incline overlooking the Luvuvhu river the thunder relaxes outside and the hymnic buzz of cicadas returns. Yesterday I was in chilly North London. Now Im a two-hour drive from any notable civilisation with no phone signal, let alone Wi-Fi. I sleep like a log. The Outpost is one of just two lodges in Pafuri, a 65,000-acre area of private bushland and the uppermost section of South Africas Kruger National Park. Were at the very north of the country here, away from the touristy bustle of the main park further south. Down there you can safely expect the Big Five in one drive. But what you forgo in copious game sightings in Pafuri, you get back in the most gorgeous solitude. The weather is almost tropical; and with that comes some of the richest and most varied wildlife in the country. Pafuri makes up less than two per cent of the wider Kruger bush, yet it contains a staggering 80 per cent of the regions bio-diversity, including some 350 species of rare birds. Henry's luxurious base is The Outpost, pictured, which is one of just two lodges in Pafuri Red hornbills (or Zazu from the Lion King), bright-blue Mevess starlings, green Tarzan pigeons and purple rollers swirl past. Did you see that shadow overhead? I ask. A black eagle, Bongani says, barely looking up. And that alarm-like call? A tropical boubou. And that chirping in the distance? Thats a zebra, Henry. Life quickly shifts here; its dinner by candlelight out on the veranda of the main lodge soon after sunset and freed from emails, social media and box-set binges its early to bed before an even earlier start. Suddenly Im a morning person, jumping up at 5am to gawk on the balcony at the cinematic scene unfolding in 4D: orangey-pink deliciousness bursting over misty grasslands and fat baobab trees. 'The weather is almost tropical; and with that comes some of the richest and most varied wildlife in the country,' Henry says of the area. Above is a baby baboon in Pafuri The Outpost offers two drives a day, one at dawn and one into nightfall, with time in between to swim at the lodges pool or indulge in a spa treatment. The room achieves the desired indoor-outdoor-but-not-really-too-outdoor blend. All that separates you from the elements is canvas and a mosquito net. But the free-standing bath and other hotel finishes are welcome luxuries. Trucks loaded with freezers bring in weekly deliveries of dragon fruit, venison steak, rainbow trout and rabbit. And I find it surprisingly easy to slip into the routine of coffee and muffins first thing, followed by breakfast, lunch, high tea and a three-course dinner. Henry witnesses a romantic proposal on a visit to the Lanner Gorge (pictured) TRAVEL FACTS Africa specialist Rainbow Tours (rainbowtours.co.uk, 020 8131 3689) offers five-nights all-inclusive at the Outpost from 5,189 per person, including return flights. Advertisement My drive companions for the stay, British couple Simon and Sarah, visited four years ago and have returned for a 30th birthday. One day, gathered at the top of Lanner Gorge for a sundown gin and tonic, Simon gets down on one knee and proposes. Of course, Sarah accepts (how could she not!) and we toast them with champagne. Before apartheid, Pafuri was home to the Makulekes. A 1969 government edict saw the land forcibly taken and its people displaced. But when the area was returned to rightful ownership in 1996, the community chose not to go back, instead renting it to lodges which almost exclusively hire staff, like Bongani, of Makuleke heritage. Our drives, therefore, are punctuated by countless lessons: that wild sage is rubbed on the skin as an insect repellent. That leopard urine smells like popcorn. That the call of blacksmith lapwings sounds like the clank of a hammer on metal. And that lala palms from Zimbabwe are so called because their sap can be brewed into a highly intoxicating drink (lala means to sleep). This is Bonganis home; and ours to enjoy for a brief but dazzling time only. Reese Witherspoon revealed that she used to park the Porsche belonging to Denzel Washington when she was a teenager as part of a school internship. The 46-year-old actress during an appearance on Thursday on Jimmy Kimmel Live in a little black dress was asked if she ever had any Hollywood jobs that were behind the scenes. 'Yeah. Actually, I was an intern on a movie that Denzel Washington starred in called Devil In A Blue Dress,' Reese told Jimmy, 55, referencing the 1995 neo-noir thriller. Reese said she already had started acting, but her school had a two-week internship opportunity in January. 'So I was like, ''Oh, I'll get a job.'' I wanted to learn the other sides of the business. Not just doing the acting part. So I was in pre-production. And I had to answer the phone. ''Devil in a Blue Dress. Devil in a Blue Dress''. And then whenever Denzel came in, I had to park his Porsche,' Reese revealed. Porsche parker: Reese Witherspoon revealed that she used to park the Porsche belonging to Denzel Washington when she was a teenager as part of a school internship 'Really?,' Jimmy asked. 'Which is not a good idea for a 17-year-old kid,' Reese said. 'With a brand new drivers license.' 'I stripped all the gears, terrible,' she added. Reese said she saw Denzel a few years ago at a wedding. 'He's like, ''I've heard you tell this story about how you used to park my Porsche.'' And I was like, ''Yes, I did.''. And he was like, ''But, did you know that your costumes on Water For Elephants, who took them in and out of your trailer?'' And I was like, ''No, I have no idea.'' And he's like, ''My daughter'',' said Reese, referencing her 2011 romantic drama. 'That was amazing. Like this full circle,' Reese said. 'You should let her ruin your car,' Jimmy quipped. 'You know, it's only fair.' Reese was on the ABC talk show promoting her upcoming romantic comedy film Your Place Or Mine also starring Ashton Kutcher, 44. Neo-noir thriller: Denzel is shown in a still from the 1995 neo-noir thriller Devil In A Blue Dress Romantic comedy: Reese was on the ABC talk show promoting her upcoming romantic comedy film Your Place Or Mine also starring Ashton Kutcher, 44 They play longtime best friends in the film and Reese admitted they did not know each other very well before working together. Reese said she reached out to Ashton about a month before they started the movie and suggested they get to know each other better since their characters are so close. They agreed to send each other a daily video sharing something about their lives, but Ashton ended up talking trash about his beloved Chicago Bears with Reese's sons who are fans of the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. Film stars: Ashton Kutcher and Reese are shown on Thursday at the world premiere of Your Place Or Mine in the Westwood area of Los Angeles Jimmy's nephew Wesley Kimmel, 13, then joined Reese on the talk show as he portrays her son Jack in Your Place Or Mine. Wesley was attending the film's premiere and then was headed to Atlanta for his next movie. 'I'm making this Christmas action movie. I can't say much, but it's going to be awesome,' Wesley said. Family affair: Jimmy's nephew Wesley Kimmel, 13, then joined Reese on the talk show as he portrays her son Jack in Your Place Or Mine 'Can you say who's in it?,' his uncle asked. 'It's with Chris Evans, J.K. Simmons, Bonnie Hunt, Nick Kroll and The Rock,' Wesley said referencing the upcoming film Red One. Red One is scheduled to be released by as an Amazon Prime Video original film during the 2023 holiday season. Your Place Or Mine is scheduled to be released on February 10 by Netflix. As Sergeant Catherine Cawood, she has millions of viewers on tenterhooks ahead of this Sunday's Happy Valley finale. And for Sarah Lancashire, the gritty role in BBC1's crime drama has marked a change of pace from the characters that made her a household name. The Oldham-born actress, 58, is perhaps still best known for playing barmaid Raquel in Coronation Street, but has had a varied career since leaving drama school. Her first major role, as a beauty contestant in swimwear and high heels, was on stage in 1986 in Manchester Library Theatre Company's The Beauty Game. Stage role: Sarah Lancashire (centre) in The Beauty Game in 1986 Road to fame: Lancashire with Bill Tarmey as Jack Duckworth in Coronation Street in 1986 Actor: Lancashire with Mark Wingett in The Bill in 1991 and back in the Rovers as Raquel in 1994 Actor: Lancashire with Mark Wingett in The Bill in 1991 and back in the Rovers as Raquel in 1994 She then had a fleeting appearance in Coronation Street as Jack Duckworth's prospective lodger, and also in an episode of The Bill, before returning to Corrie as Rovers Return barmaid Raquel, becoming one of the ITV soap's best-loved characters. Her character left the Street in 1996, walking out on hapless husband Norman 'Curly' Watts. Ms Lancashire said that quitting was 'like jumping off a cliff at midnight' but her desire to pursue other kinds of acting led to roles as a nurse in ITV's Where The Heart Is, as a factory worker in BBC1 drama Clocking Off and as a lawyer in the BBC comedy series Chambers. She signed a deal with ITV worth a reported 1.6million, which saw her star in an adaptation of D H Lawrence's novel Sons And Lovers. A return to theatre saw her appear in the West End in musicals Guys And Dolls and, in 2011, Betty Blue Eyes. Versatile: With James Fleet and John Bird in Chambers in 2000, and with Rupert Evans in Sons And Lovers in 2003 Talent: On stage in Betty Blue Eyes in 2011 and in Last Tango in Halifax in 2014 Cooking up a cliffhanger: As a TV chef in Julia in 2022 and as cop Sgt Catherine Atwood in Happy Valley Cooking up a cliffhanger: As a TV chef in Julia in 2022 and as cop Sgt Catherine Atwood in Happy Valley Ms Lancashire then starred in BBC1 comedy drama Last Tango In Halifax, which would run until 2020. It was written by Sally Wainwright, who also created Happy Valley, which first aired in 2014. Before filming the final series of the crime drama, Ms Lancashire, who is married to TV executive Peter Salmon and has three children, began playing TV chef Julia Child in the HBO series Julia. Happy Valley has gained a cult following in the US through Netflix. Upcoming: A trailer for the final episode of Happy Valley was released this week ahead of the upcoming finale on Sunday Fans there and in the UK are gearing up for an explosive final episode, with a trailer suggesting a fiery showdown between Sgt Cawood and villain Tommy Lee Royce, played by James Norton. A trailer for the final episode of Happy Valley was released this week ahead of the upcoming finale on Sunday. The 16 second clip teases the final showdown between Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) and Tommy Lee Royce (James) after his daring escape from court before the police sergeant is shown breaking down in tears. The trailer opens with Tommy's son Ryan (Rhys Connah) being questioned by police about when he last had contact with his dangerous dad. A series of scenes of the police moving in on Tommy follow as Catherine is heard saying 'he's still out there, he's going to be angry and he's going to be even more desperate and dangerous'. The short clip ends with a bloodied Tommy appearing to hit somebody on the ground and a final shot of Catherine in tears. Viewers tuned into the breathless penultimate episode of the BBC drama on Sunday evening as Tommy revealed his grand plans. Tommy escaped at the end of the fourth episode of this series with fans learning in Sunday's fifth instalment that he planned to run off to Marbella, with his son Ryan in tow. Viewers admitted they could barely watch the dramatic episode as everything lined up for a dramatic showdown between Tommy and Sargent Catherine, as he revealed he plans to kill her before jetting off to Spain. Producers are said to be so desperate to keep the show's climax a secret that they have filmed five different endings. More than six million viewers are expected to tune in on Sunday to learn how the cat-and-mouse game will be resolved. Villain: More than six million viewers are expected to tune in on Sunday to learn how the cat-and-mouse game will be resolved (Tommy Lee Royce pictured) Why was Neil REALLY taking Ryan to see Tommy and will villainous Rob be framed for murder? Five outstanding issues we want resolving ahead of the explosive Happy Valley finale WARNING: CONTAINS SERIES 3 EPISODE 4 SPOILERS It has so far been an explosive ride from beginning to end, with so many different interlinked plots running it is almost impossible to keep up. Episode four saw Tommy Lee Royce's grand escape from a Leeds courtroom, Rob Hepworth's discovery of his wife's lifeless body and Sargent Catherine Cawood's many mentions of her impending retirement, deeming it just too good to be true. But as the final series of Happy Valley draws to a close, with just two episodes left to air, viewers have been discussing the issues fans simply need the answers to. Why? It has been the question on viewers' lips since it was shockingly revealed during episode two that Neil Ackroyd [Con O'Neill] was the person taking Ryan Cawood [Rhys Connah] to see his father Tommy Lee Royce [James Norton] in prison Why was Neil REALLY taking Ryan to see his dad Tommy? It has been the question on viewers' lips since it was shockingly revealed during episode two that Neil Ackroyd [Con O'Neill] was the person taking Ryan Cawood [Rhys Connah] to see his father Tommy Lee Royce [James Norton] in prison. During a heated confrontation with Ryan's grandmother Catherine Cawood [Sarah Lancashire], Neil weakly explained that he was taking Ryan to visit Tommy because he 'would have done it anyway', with or without his help. However the explanation hasn't been enough to satisfy viewers, who have predicted that there is more to the relationship between Neil and Tommy. Neil's involvement in the series had previously gone no further than being Clare Cawood's [Siobanne Finneran] boyfriend, who she had known years previously and then rekindled her relationship with. Looking back at Neil's mysterious arrival in the show in series two, some have wildly suggested that Neil could have been planted into the family by Tommy in order to gain their trust, especially Ryan's, to deliver messages and bring him to the 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? Reaction: Looking back at Neil's mysterious arrival in the show in series two, some have wildly suggested that Neil could have been planted into the family by Tommy in order to gain their trust, especially Ryan's, to deliver messages and bring him to the prison Why did Tommy ask Ryan to come and see him in court? Happy Valley viewers watched in horror as Ryan bunked off school to watch his dad's court appearance, where he was standing trial for the murder of Gary Gaggowski. During their previous prison visit, Tommy had insisted that Neil bring Ryan to the court in Leeds to watch the trial from the public gallery. Although Neil declined to take Ryan this time, the youngster managed to make his way their alone in order to see his father stand trial. Once again when quizzed by Catherine, who asked why Tommy would want Ryan there, Neil asked that it was 'so he could see him'. He's out of here! Fans had also been scratching their heads at the invite, until it was revealed during the explosive hour-long extravaganza that Tommy had made his Great Escape Unsatisfied with the answer, Sergeant Cawood dug deeper into why Tommy would want Ryan at his hearing, especially once she learned of his grand plans to take him bungy-jumping, despite his lifetime jail sentence. Fans had also been scratching their heads at the invite, until it was revealed during the explosive hour-long extravaganza that Tommy had made his Great Escape. After Knezevic heavies Matija and Ivan caused a ruckus outside the courtroom to distract security officers, Tommy seized the moment and jumped out of the dock. He was later seen diving into Nico's newsagents, where he picked up a bike and some cycling gear which had been left to aid his escape. Some have mused that Tommy invited Ryan in a twisted attempt to impress him. One person said: 'It didn't seem like Richard being there saved Ryan. So did Tommy just want Ryan there to see it? Did he think he would be impressed?' Riding into the sunset: He was later seen diving into Nicos newsagents, where he picked up a bike and some cycling gear which had been left to aid his escape However others have suggested that the criminal wanted his son close by - and more importantly away from supergran Catherine - in order to kidnap him. A different person guessed: 'He's gonna go, they are gonna break Tommy out and then he's gonna 'kidnap' Ryan - BETS.' It came to light that Tommy had struck some sort of deal with the Knezevics in order to escape prison, with the Speak Spanish in 7 days dvd he was listening to suggesting that he could be heading for sunnier climes, possibly with Ryan in tow. Others have noted that Ryan's catchphrase throughout the series has been 'revenge is a dish best served cold', leading them to believe that in a shocking twist Ryan is actually out to get his dad and will turn on him later in the series. Will PE teacher Rob Hepworth be framed for murder? Things took a murderous turn during episode three when rogue pharmacist Faisal Bhatti [Amit Shah] bashed Joanne Hepworth [Mollie Winnard] over the head with a rolling pin after she threatened to expose his pill-pushing secret. After striking her over the head, Faisal injected Joanne with air, which was originally intended for her husband Rob Hepworth [Mark Stanley] as they plotted his demise. She was later discovered by her husband after the police were alerted to her disappearance, but not by Mark, who appeared less than concerned by her absence as he repeatedly told everyone he was 'too busy with work'. Oh no! Things took a murderous turn during episode three when rogue pharmacist Faisal Bhatti [Amit Shah] bashed Joanne Hepworth [Mollie Winnard] over the head with a rolling pin after she threatened to expose his pill-pushing secret Following a visit from two officers, Mark noted a suitcase in his garage, which he opened to discover his wife's lifeless body inside. Rob's abusive behaviour has been noted throughout the series, including by Sargent Cawood, who had been in touch with Joanne and was trying to help her. It's not looking good for the PE teacher, who now has the body stashed in their family home and a very likely motive for murder. Faisal appears set to get away scot free, but who knows how the storyline will continue to unravel as we reach the final two episodes. Throughout the series there has also been emphasis on Rob and Joanne's youngest daughter's refusal to take her coat off inside the house. One person wrote: 'Desperate to know why the little sister won't take off her coat though #HappyValley,' Smells like trouble: It's not looking good for the PE teacher, who now has the body stashed in their family home and a very likely motive for murder Another person added: 'Yes, it's almost midnight and yes, I'm still thinking about Happy Valley. Those two big storylines peaking: the choreography of the writing and direction! But also, still, the details. The breadcrumbs being laid. TAKE THAT COAT OFF.' A third person added: 'Also, the kid with her coat on is gonna be a huge part of their story I reckon,'. Another called the coat 'significant'. While Rob has not been shown being physically abusive towards his daughters like he is towards his wife, some have suggested this may be the reason why. Others have heartbreakingly suggested that it so she feels a sense of security when he is near. Viewers are no doubt aching to know the answers to the Hepworth drama. Is Tommy the REAL big boss of the drugs gang? Some fans have even done a deep dive into series one and two to look at loose ends and revealed there are some characters who have made an unexpected return. One user harked back to a storyline from series two, which involved a Croatian woman who was trafficked named Ilinka Blazevic [Ivana Basic]. The storyline appeared to hit a dead end, until the Croatian gang - the Knezevics - returned in series three and were most recently seen helping prison escapee Tommy. However some viewers have suggested the Tommy is really the one in charge of the gang. The Knezevics went to a lot of trouble to get Tommy out of jail but it is currently unclear why they went to such an effort. Evidence so far includes thug Ivan stating that the 'big boss' would be attending his wedding on Wednesday, which happens to be a day after Tommy's release. Will Sargent Cawood make her retirement do? Fans have predicted the ultimate showdown between Catherine and Tommy following his daring escape from the courtroom during his murder trial. Tommy's escape signalled a final showdown between him Catherine, but with it being the final series some viewers are beginning to worry that the lead won't make it to the retirement she has been counting down to. It has not gone unnoticed by viewers that Catherine has mentioned several times she is looking forward to winding down when she leaves the force in a matter of days. Watch out Catherine! Tommy's escape signalled a final showdown between him Catherine, but with it being the final series some viewers are beginning to worry that the lead won't make it to the retirement she has been counting down to Her retirement do has also been noted more than once, as well as the pot of money that has been raised for her leaving present, currently standing at more than 2,000. However the lighthearted nod to Catherine's happy ending has spelt trouble for some viewers, who predicted she would instead meet a sticky end. '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. Another viewer predicted a 'Thelma and Louise' style ending for the enemies, tweeting: 'Catherine will take Tommy out, with the perfect Thelma and Louise ending.' 'Catherine or Tommy are going to die, aren't they?' asked another The end: Tommy's escape signals that a final showdown is building, but with it being the final series some viewers are beginning to worry that Lancashire's lead won't make it to retirement '#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. Another fan singled out another scene in episode four, suggesting that Catherine's beloved Land Rover, bought for her retirement trip, could have a part to play. 'Please let Catherine run Tommy Lee Royce over in the landrover, with Alison's newly installed alternator, on the way to the ferry taking her on her retirement travels. That's the happy ending to #HappyValley we all want. #saveCatherineCawood' Others have more hopefully suggested the ending would be relying on an obvious trope if Sarah's character was to die after repeatedly mentioning her retirement. Fingers crossed Catherine lives to enjoy her trip to the Himalayas with Ryan. Read MORE about Happy Valley Happy Valley continues on Sunday at 9pm on BBC One. Sparks flew when they tied the knot on Thursday's episode of Married At First Sight. And there was still plenty of chemistry between Caitlin McConville and Shannon Adams as they arrived at the Palazzo Versace for their Gold Coast honeymoon. In photos taken on August 24 last year, while MAFS was in production, the newlyweds looked smitten as they rocked up to the hotel in a white Peugeot 2008. There was plenty of chemistry between MAFS newlyweds Caitlin McConville and Shannon Adams as they arrived at the Palazzo Versace for their Gold Coast honeymoon In photos taken on August 24 last year, while MAFS was in production, the couple looked smitten as they rocked up to the hotel in a white Peugeot 2008 Caitlin, 27, looked summer chic in a blue top and white shirt. The makeup artist completed her look with loose white pants and accessorised with black sunglasses. She pulled back her long blonde hair into a low ponytail. Caitlin looked summer chic in a blue top and white shirt The makeup artist, 27, perched a pair of black sunglasses on her head Meanwhile, Shannon sported a light blue shirt and grey shorts, as well as a comfortable pair of boat shoes. The personal trainer, 30, topped off his ensemble with a wide-brimmed hat and a fancy gold wristwatch. It comes after Thursday's episode saw Caitlin burst into laughter when her husband bizarrely thought they'd been sent a letter from Audrey Hepburn. The makeup artist smiled at her new husband as they were ushered from the car Caitlin pulled back her long blonde hair into a low ponytail Hepburn, a star of Hollywood's Golden Age, has been dead since 1993. After checking into their Versace suite, Shannon read a letter congratulating the couple on their wedding day. The beginning of the letter included a quote by Hepburn, which read: 'Love is the best investment, the more you give, the more you get in return.' She completed her look with loose white pants Shannon sported a light blue shirt and grey shorts, as well as a pair of boat shoes Shannon read the quote aloud before asking his wife: 'Did Audrey Hepburn write this to us?' Caitlin laughed in disbelief and responded: 'No, I think she's dead.' 'Oh is she? God bless her,' Shannon said before continuing to read the letter. It comes after Thursday's episode saw Caitlin burst into laughter when her husband bizarrely thought they'd been sent a letter from Audrey Hepburn After checking into their Versace suite, Shannon read a letter congratulating the couple on their wedding day, which began with a quote from Hepburn The personal trainer later told producers his connection with Caitlin was blossoming and things were going well. 'Me and Caitlin, we are getting along really well. She's ace to talk to. It's not really a struggle, she's great,' he said. This isn't his first time Shannon has been recruited by Channel Nine. Shannon read the quote aloud before asking his wife: 'Did Audrey Hepburn write this to us?' Caitlin laughed in disbelief and responded: 'No, I think she's dead' The personal trainer later told producers his connection with Caitlin was blossoming and things were going well He previously appeared in a commercial for the 2018 season of Love Island Australia alongside host Sophie Monk. And in 2019, he competed against the likes of Love Island's Maurice Salib and Lochie Carey for the Manhunt Australia Male Model of the Year title. Shannon is also a former child actor who appeared in shows such as Blue Heelers, Neighbours and Rush. Alistair Champion and his wife Kate have pocketed a tidy $17million profit after quietly selling their Rose Bay property in May last year. After buying the Susan Rothwell updated beachfront home for $18million in 2019, the pair sold for a staggering $35million. The co-founder of Laser Clinics Australia, 45, originally acquired the property from the late Susan Feller, and he sold it to Viet Dung Tran from Melbourne's Springvale. Alistair Champion and his wife Kate have pocketed a tidy $17million profit after quietly selling their Rose Bay property in May last year Despite being the 12th top sale in the market last year, the settlement was kept quiet, suggesting Champion, who featured on the AFR's Young Rich List until he turned 40, may have sold without an agent. The boutique triplex sits on the shorefront of Collins Avenue in Sydney's eastern suburbs. It boasts a huge, breezy living and dining area in the back which opens onto a terrace and lush green lawn with privacy hedges. The boutique triplex sits on the shorefront of Collins Avenue in Sydney's eastern suburbs A curved staircase moves between the floors and the long kitchen features state-of-the-art appliances. The property has changed hands several times after it was first bought in 1989 by the Feller family for $4.15million. They acquired it from the McGrath banker family before having it redesigned by architect Michael Suttor. The long kitchen features state-of-the-art appliances Despite being the 12th top sale in the market last year, the settlement was kept quiet, suggesting Champion, who featured on the AFR's Young Rich List until he turned 40, may have sold without an agent It was redesigned once more in 2014 by Susan Rothwell. Champion bought the home as quietly as he sold it with Sotheby's Michael Pallier refusing to publicly disclose the sale until independent sources discovered it. The millionaire currently resides in his Ilicus mansion in Woollahra which he bought in 2017 for $13million alongside his wife Kate. Decoupling from China is not the answer 10:22, February 03, 2023 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily The U.S. has been addicted to slowing and even cutting China's development through decoupling from China over the recent years. It increased tariffs on imported goods from China and maintained the policy to date. It not only restricted investment from Chinese enterprises in the U.S., but also attempted to limit U.S. companies' investment in China for political purposes. Besides, the U.S. oppressed Chinese high-tech firms with political means, abused export controls, and coerced and incited other countries to form cliques to contain China. These practices have severely undermined market rules and international economic and trade order, threatened the stability of global industrial and supply chains, and impeded global recovery. The U.S. should realize that it's impractical to decouple from China. Based on their comparative strengths and the choices of the market, China-U.S. economic and trade ties are a mutually beneficial relationship featuring structural synergy and convergence of interests, which enjoy strong internal dynamics through win-win cooperation. China-U.S. trade has set record highs in the recent two years, reaching $750 billion in 2021 and nearly $760 billion last year, much higher than the $583.7 billion in 2017. Trade between the U.S. and China is on track to break records, a signal of resilient links between the world's top economies amid fears of "decoupling," Bloomberg has reported. China boasts a complete industrial supporting system and well-developed infrastructure. It has more than 1.4 billion people including over 400 million middle-income earners, and is the world's largest market with huge consumption potential. Due to the enormous attractiveness of the Chinese market, it's been a consensus in the business world that investing in China is investing in the future. U.S. attempts to move industrial chains out of China are not in line with the interests of American enterprises. According to the 2022 American Business in China White Paper issued by the American Chamber of Commerce in China, China is still a prioritized market for U.S. companies - 83 percent of the chamber's members report they are not considering relocating manufacturing or sourcing outside of China. The U.S. would lose more than it gains by forcing decoupling. Pinelopi Goldberg, the Elihu Professor of Economics at Yale University, said in an article that the U.S. seems to have forgotten how much it benefitted from China's opening over the past few decades. She pointed out it is wrong to presume that global welfare is a zero-sum game, and that China's ascent implies America's decline. By provoking a trade war and building barriers with a zero-sum game mindset, the U.S. will only harm others without benefiting itself. Studies have indicated that the cost of the trade war unilaterally started by the U.S. is by large shouldered by U.S. enterprises and consumers. According to a report released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, decoupling from China severely threatens the interests of the U.S. in trade, investment, services and industry. The report said U.S. investors would lose $25 billion per year in capital gains, and American GDP would see a one-time loss of up to $500 billion. An American semiconductor manufacturer predicted that the new round of export control measures against China could result in billions of dollars lost in its revenue and reduce its R&D spending which helps it maintain global competitiveness. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers said it would be an enormous and staggering error for the U.S. to decide that it was its policy to suppress Chinese economic growth in the name of national security. Facts have once again proved that China and the U.S. cannot decouple from each other. The U.S. practice to force decoupling from China, even at the sacrifice of itself and its allies, is an irrational and unsustainable choice against economic laws. Economic globalization is a response to development of productivity and, as such, represents an unstoppable historical trend. Despite the oppression by the U.S., China has maintained the world's largest trading country in goods for six years in a row. Over 73 million yuan (about $10.8 million) of cargo are traded between China and other countries every minute on average. The decoupling strategy of the U.S. cannot stop economic globalization, but will only give up the opportunities to cooperate with China to other countries. China has the world's most complete industrial system and a domestic demand market that boasts the largest potential. It is able to achieve domestic circulation, which gives guarantee and confidence for China to cope with external oppression. Decoupling will not stop China's steps to make innovations, nor will it hinder the country's high-quality economic development. The U.S., following unilateralism and protectionism to contain and suppress China, hurts the global economy. Australia's East Asia Forum said in a recent article published on its website that U.S. policy looks very much like crude protectionism industrial policy, and the U.S. has become "spoiler-in-chief" of the international trade regime. International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warned that the longer-term cost of trade fragmentation could reach almost 7 percent of global output in a severe scenario. If technological decoupling is added to the mix, some countries could see losses of up to 12 percent of GDP, she added. World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala also said that decoupling and severing supply chains is not conducive to the development of the world economy and international trade. The U.S. and China are vital and irreplaceable components of the global economic system, and the cost will be too high for both countries and the global economy if the worst fears about decoupling materialized, said Singapore's former top diplomat Bilahari Kausikan. The Chinese and American economies are deeply integrated, and both countries can benefit from each other's development. As the world's two largest economies, China and the U.S. should deepen cooperation to promote their relations. The two sides need to respect each other, pursue mutual benefit, focus on the larger picture, and nurture a sound atmosphere and stable relations for cooperation. (Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.) (Web editor: Chang Sha, Du Mingming) Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) CEO Cheong Seung-il, third from left, speaks during a meeting attended by KEPCO affiliates and subsidiaries at the KEPCO Art Center in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap By Lee Kyung-min Debt-ridden Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) plans to sell non-essential assets and cut expenditures to secure 20 trillion won ($16 billion) over the next five years as part of an emergency austerity measure to offset snowballing operating losses, the state-run firm said, Friday. Propelling the rushed effort to fortify financials is the recent spike in heating costs due to raised gas and electricity prices. Russia's prolonged invasion of Ukraine has pushed up global key commodity prices, fanning concerns about a full-fledged energy crisis. Korea, which relies on imports for over 93 percent of its energy needs, is taking a direct hit from the geopolitical conflict. CEOs of KEPCO and its subsidiaries and affiliates had a meeting Friday to spearhead the plan whereby the largest state-run firm will aim for a financial statement 14.3 trillion won healthier compared to last year. Its other subsidiaries and affiliates will see an improvement of 5.7 trillion won. They will sell off 2.9 trillion won worth of non-core assets, reduce redundancies to streamline projects (5.6 trillion won), cut spending (3 trillion won), increase profit (1.1 trillion won) and increase capital (7.4 trillion won). The efforts will be underpinned in part by expansion of public-private partnerships to expedite joint overseas projects. Chief among them are construction of nuclear reactors, as well as businesses concerning hydrogen energy and offshore wind power systems. KEPCO CEO Cheong Seung-il said the latest plan aims to address financial soundness concerns and seek timely measures. "We will continue seeking measures to overcome the unprecedented recent crisis brought on by rapid deterioration of financial sustainability," he said. "KEPCO and its state-run partner firms will mobilize utmost efforts to bolster exports of Korea's power generation systems, including nuclear energy and new growth driver energy sources." Euphoria star Chloe Cherry has been charged with retail theft of a $28 blouse from a shop in her native Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The 25-year-old actress, who also has a background in the adult film industry, was charged in connection with a December 27 incident that took place at the downtown Lancaster retail complex Building Character, according to court docs, LancasterOnline.com reported. According to a criminal complaint, an employee at the retailer showed authorities surveillance footage showing Cherry, whose real name is Elise Jones, taking a Moda International blouse into a fitting room, and the blouse was not recovered from the dressing room afterwards. Police said that the employee informed them that Cherry had used a credit card to pay for separate garments, according to court docs, and that Cherry told officers she had taken the item and gave it back to them. The owner of Building Character Marty Hulse told the outlet that the blouse had been taken from the retailer Jenny & the Clowder, which is upstairs from most of the vendors. The latest: Euphoria star Chloe Cherry, 25, has been charged with retail theft of a $28 blouse from a shop in her native Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Pictured last April in LA Hulse told the outlet that the retailer that many time shoplifters are caught by the evidence they leave behind. 'Most times, when we find people who are shoplifting, we don't find them in the act,' Hulse told the outlet. 'They'll take the tag off of it and throw it somewhere. Then we see the tag, and we can find them on the camera and where it came from, and that's exactly what happened. 'I know it sound piddly, but when it comes down to it, we're all small businesses - you're stealing from your neighbors.' The complex's general manager Joel Henry told the outlet that with a surveillance system that was updated in recent years, around one or two shoplifters have been caught each month. Hulse and Henry told the outlet that they were not aware that Cherry was an actress on an HBO show until her mother told police about it. Authorities said that Cherry has a prior retail theft conviction on her record dating back to April of 2015, the outlet reported. A rep for Cherry, who plays the role of Faye on the popular HBO series, told TMZ that 'in December, there was confusion over a blouse that wasn't properly charged to my client's credit card. 'In no way did she "admit" to taking the blouse, since that was not the case. This story seems to be more about a local store trading on a celebrity's name more than anything else.' Cherry is slated to appear in court in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for a preliminary hearing in the case March 1. Cherry plays the role of Faye on the popular HBO series starring Zendaya Cherry was pictured last month at a Saint Laurent show during Paris Fashion Week Pamela Anderson stunned in a fashionable (and warm) ensemble while leaving her New York City hotel with son Brandon Thomas Lee. The 55-year-old blonde bombshell has been in the Big Apple to promote both her Netflix documentary Pamela: A Love Story and her memoir Love, Pamela. The Baywatch beauty made a number of revelations while promoting both the book and the documentary, including that she only made $4,000 a year from Baywatch residuals. She also opened up about being molested by a babysitter when she was just a child and that she'd still be open to getting married for a sixth time. She also attended a special screening of Pamela: A Love Story with Brandon and the film's director, Ryan White. Pam steps out: Pamela Anderson stunned in a fashionable (and warm) ensemble while leaving her New York City hotel with son Brandon Thomas Lee Anderson stepped out with a black and white knit coat and a matching cravat draped around her neck. She had her blonde locks pulled up and wore black leather gloves to stay warm in chilly NYC weather. The actress completed her look with a matching black and white knit skirt that fell past her knees and black knee-high heeled boots. Her son Brandon opted for a white dress shirt over a black sweater over a tan overcoat that fell to his knees. He also sported a trimmed mustache and goatee while stepping out with light blue jeans. Brandon completed his look with a pair of white sneakers as he left the hotel arm-in-arm with his famous mother. Her son Brandon served as a producer on the Netflix documentary Pamela: A Love Story, which is now available on Netflix. The director of the documentary, Ryan White, who made last year's Good Night Oppy, revealed last week he was 'shocked' that Anderson wasn't remarkably wealthy. Pamela's look: Anderson stepped out with a black and white knit coat and a matching cravat draped around her neck 'She was the most famous woman in the world on the most famous show in the world and she doesn't have a nest egg from from Baywatch to rely upon,' White said. White added that he, 'just assumed' she would be fabulously wealthy, but realized half-way through the documentary shoot when she insisted on paying while they were out to eat, since he always paid, customary for a documentary director. 'She said, like, "Ryan, you always pay. Just let me pay this once." As she was handing over a credit card, she made this like half joke [about how her credit card sometimes] doesn't work,' White said. No nest egg: 'She was the most famous woman in the world on the most famous show in the world and she doesn't have a nest egg from from Baywatch to rely upon,' White said 'I laughed, but she was like, "No, really, a lot of times throughout my career my credit cards were declined. I am just not a good financial planner,"' White said Anderson told her. 'It's shocking for how for how famous she is and how much much a part of American pop culture she's been for the last 30-something years that she had been in financial trouble that many times. It was really revealing and really humanizing,' White added. Her son Brandon Lee, who is a producer on the documentary, admits in the documentary that she had been in debt for most of her life. However, she still doesn't regret monetizing her infamous sex tape with Tommy Lee, which was estimated to have generated $77 million in revenue. Director: 'I laughed, but she was like, "No, really, a lot of times throughout my career my credit cards were declined. I am just not a good financial planner,"' White (middle) said Anderson told her Susanna Reid is said to have been left furious after a string of embarrassing errors were made on Good Morning Britain this week. The broadcaster, 52, allegedly 'made her feelings very clear' and confronted senior executives after a series of blunders and mistakes made their way into the live broadcast. Spelling mistakes, wrong dates and graphic mis-designs have all slipped through during live broadcasts of the show in recent weeks, leaving the host allegedly embarrassed. Among the errors was one incident in which News Correspondent Ben Chapman's name was spelt incorrectly during his live broadcast from Romania. As Ranvir Singh presented the segment, she introduced Ben for his section - with his name appearing on the screen as 'Ben Champan'. 'She made her feelings very clear': Susanna Reid, 52, reportedly stormed off of the Good Morning Britain set after making her feelings clear over a string of embarrassing errors Another incident saw GMB air a segment paying tribute to the death of Lisa Marie Presley, with the word 'remembering' also spelt wrong on screen, as the graphic read: 'Remebering'. And that wasn't all, as the wrong date was shown while Susanna was presenting the show one morning. A source told The Sun: 'She made her feelings very clear, and confronted the senior executives over it. 'Susanna is totally professional and just wants high standards as Piers or any other presenter would have done. 'The last thing anyone wants is her walking away in anger.' Susanna doesn't appear to be the only one aggravated by the gaffes, as some viewers took to Twitter during the live morning shows to highlight GMB's mistakes. Calling out a poster it had made for rugby player Levi Simeon Davis, who went missing in October 2022, many noticed that the wrong year was printed on the graphic. '@gmb your poster for missing Levi has wrong date on it - says October 2023,' wrote on viewer. Oops: Among the errors was one incident in which News Correspondent Ben Chapman's name was spelt incorrectly during a live broadcast from Romania Blunder: While another incident saw GMB air a segment paying tribute to Lisa Marie Presley, with the word 'remembering' spelled incorrectly on screen as 'remebering' Getting noticed: Susanna doesn't appear to be the only one aggravated by the gaffes, as some viewers took to Twitter during the live morning shows to call out GMB on its mistakes Good Morning Blunders: The errors that occurred on air News Correspondent Ben Chapman's name was spelt incorrectly during a live broadcast from Romania While paying tribute to Lisa Marie Presley, the word 'remembering' was spelt incorrectly The wrong date was shown while Susanna was presenting one morning Presenter Richard Madeley misgendered Sam Smith, who goes by they/them pronouns Advertisement While another advised: 'Your poster shown on this morning's news for the missing male is wrong check the date it's showing October 2023 #GMB.' Good Morning Britain got into some hot water last week, too, but this time it was a verbal error from presenter Richard rather than a typo. The presenter was left apologising for misgendering Sam Smith, who uses the pronounds they/them. Richard had been debating whether or not Sam's latest music video for I'm Not Here To Make Friends is over-sexualised when the slip-up happened - where he accidentally referred to Sam as 'he'. Co-host Susanna was quick to correct his mistake - and Richard then apologised. And while a panel was discussing the video, Richard also misgendered guest Shivani Dave, who uses they/them pronouns. Richard apologised a second time and said: 'I am so sorry. I will learn to do that.' Shivani later tweeted: 'Been getting messages from people worried about Richard Madley misgendering me on @GMB 'I corrected him, he apologised and took it on board. A masterclass on how to do things if you mess up, we shared a thumbs up and I told him his hair looks great.' Sorry: Good Morning Britain got into some hot water last week too as presenter Richard Madeley was left apologising for misgendering Sam Smith, who goes by they/them pronouns Incorrrect: Richard had been debating whether or not Sam's latest music video for I'm Not Here To Make Friends was over-sexualised when he slipped up by accidentally referring to Sam as 'him' Having grown up in Croydon and studied broadcast journalism, Susanna had her big break presenting on BBC Breakfast from 2003 to 2014 with the late Bill Turnbull, before moving to Good Morning Britain. There she famously had the unenviable task of trying to get a word in edgeways alongside Piers Morgan, until he left abruptly in March 2021 following comments he made about the Duchess of Sussex. There's been no permanent male anchor since, rather a revolving cast including Richard Madeley, Martin Lewis, Ed Balls and Rob Rinder. Manu Feildel's son Jonti played a brutal prank on his father on Friday morning when he convinced the My Kitchen Rules star he'd failed a drug test. The 18-year-old, who just signed with the South Sydney Rabbitohs' junior division, told the celebrity chef, 48, he'd ruined his NRL career before it had even begun after a wild weekend doing drugs. But it was all a prank orchestrated by The Kyle and Jackie O Show because Jonti wanted to get his dad riled up. Manu Feildel's (right) son Jonti (left) played a brutal prank on his father on Friday morning when he convinced the My Kitchen Rules star he'd failed a drug test Jonti told radio hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson he was nervous about calling his fiery French father because 'I feel like he's going to blow up'. After some encouragement, he called the restaurateur, who was asleep in his hotel in New Zealand where he had been filming. 'I f**ked up, dad. Next week, the Bunnies are going to drug test us,' Jonti began. Jonti (pictured), 18, who just signed with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, told the celebrity chef, 48, he'd ruined his NRL career before it had even begun after a wild weekend doing drugs He continued: 'I went and smoked weed with my friends last weekend so I'm not sure if it's going to be in my system or not.' At this point, Feildel went ballistic as he scolded his son: 'Come on, bro. Come on. F**k. F**k, Jonti. F**k, f**k, f**k, Jonti. Come on. S**t, bro. 'We've talked about this. Think about your freaking career, man. I don't want to tell you off, Jonti. I really don't want to tell you off, but you know you've got to grow up.' But it was all a prank orchestrated by The Kyle and Jackie O Show because Jonti wanted to get his dad riled up. (Pictured: radio hosts Kyle Sandilands, left, and Jackie 'O' Henderson, right) Feildel went on to say he already thought Jonti's drinking was too much and tried not to judge it, 'but now you're smoking f**king reefer. What's next? F**k.' After some more back and forth, Feildel eventually calmed down and told Jonti he understood what it was like to be an 18-year-old making mistakes. But when Jonti asked his dad to pee in the cup for him so he could pass the upcoming drug test, Feildel was adamant his son would have to take responsibility for his actions, even if it meant losing his spot on the team. Jonti told radio hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson he was nervous about calling his fiery French father because 'I feel like he's going to blow up' 'At the end of the day it's a good f**king slap in the face. A good f**king lesson for the future,' he said. It was at this point Sandilands and Henderson interrupted to reveal the whole thing was a lie and Jonti hadn't been taking drugs. Feildel sounded relieved as he responded: 'You bunch of w**kers. Oh, my God. I was just about to cry.' Comedian Dave Chappelle has fled Perth in a private jet hours after his performance was abruptly interrupted mid-show when a wild brawl broke out in the crowd. Fans have recalled how the controversial Emmy-winning stand-up comedian was performing at a packed RAC Arena on Thursday night when a commotion that involved yelling and swearing broke out in a top tier at the back of the venue. No footage of the wild scenes has emerged as Chappelle has maintained a strict no-phones policy at his performances for at least six years. It's understood Chappelle was discussing how he was famously tackled on stage in LA's Hollywood Bowl by an audience member almost a year ago when all hell broke loose. Chappelle was spotted arriving at a Perth Airport private jet hangar early Friday morning following the drama-filled first concert of his Australian tour. Dave Chappelle was pictured leaving Perth on Friday morning, hours after the first show of his Australian tour was marred by a wild brawl in the crowd He was casually dressed in a black singlet top, black pants and white sneakers. Chappelle will perform two shows at Sydney Olympic Park this weekend, several days after he was seen meeting fans and taking selfies outside a Jamaican restaurant in inner-city Surry Hills. Fans at Thursday night's performance praised Chappelle on his professionalism. 'Dave Chappelle showed me he is the GOAT in Perth tonight and an absolute professional. Shame some bogans in the crowd decided to have a fight half way through his set,' one man tweeted. 'I was most impressed with how quickly he got the crowd back.' Many in the confused crowd were unsure whether the fight was real or part of Chappelle's show. 'About halfway through the set, there was a lot of yelling, swearing, and commotion coming from one of the top-tiers up the back,' an attendee told The West Australian. 'When he realised a fight had broken out, he cracked a joke about their crappy behaviour, before quickly moving on. 'It was an awesome show and luckily wasnt ruined by the brawl. Dave Chappelle and the arena staff handled it really well.' Dave Chappelle (pictured at Perth Airport on Friday) will perform two shows in Sydney It's understood it took 10 minutes for security guards to break up the melee. Chappelle will also do two shows in Melbourne next weekend before heading to Brisbane, followed by Auckland. Tickets to his Sydney shows at Qudos Bank Arena start from $188. Chapelle has previously explained the reasons behind his strict no-phone policy. 'So I knew that anything I said in the room I was saying to everybody whether they were in the room or not, which is not an empowering feeling as a comedian,' he told US talk show Jimmy Kimmel in 2017. 'It's like Fight Club rules apply. What I'm saying to you is I'd rather just keep it in the room. 'The other thing is, comedians need the element of surprise so if someone sees the joke that I'm doing before I get to that city then I got to do all new jokes and I couldn't write fast enough. 'I say a lot of crazy s***, It's not malicious but there you go.' The controversial comedian (pictured) has a no-phones policy at his performances Chappelle sparked widespread backlash in 2021 for material in his Netflix comedy special 'The Closer' that some in the LGBTQ+ community said ridiculed transgender people. His supporters viewed it as a cry against cancel culture. The special even spurred a response from transgender star Caitlyn Jenner, who also defended the comedian for his comments. In the special, Chappelle joked women view trans women the same way black people might view white women wearing blackface. He also said women are entitled to feel anger toward trans women, since Jenner won Glamour magazine's 2015 Woman of the Year award. 'I'd be mad as s*** if I was a woman,' Chappelle sarcastically said in one bit that had been deemed problematic. 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 supermodel Irina Shayk, 37 was bundled up for the outfit, sporting a navy puffer jacket and grey jeans. He completed his outfit with a grey beanie, sneakers and a pair of black aviator sunglasses. The American Sniper star was seen chatting with his daughter as he carried her backpack in his hand. The sighting comes after a swirl of rumors last year that he had rekindled his romance with Irina. Doting dad: Bradley Cooper was a doting dad as he held hands with his adorable daughter Lea, five, on an outing in NYC on Thursday Meanwhile Lea braved the cold weather in a fuzzy white winter coat and a matching hat. The little one also sported a white frilly dress, white leggings and a pair of tiger striped UGG boots. She appeared to enjoy the walk with her dad, and was seen skipping while holding his hand. Bradley and Irina further fueled the reconciliation rumor mill at the end of November when they were spotted spending Thanksgiving together with Lea. The two 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. Irina and Bradley previously set the rumor mill churning over the summer when they reportedly took Lea on vacation together. At that time there was even speculation that Bradley and Irina were mulling the prospect of having another baby. Sweet: The actor, 48 who shares Lea with Russian supermodel Irina Shayk, 37 was bundled up for the outfit, sporting a navy puffer jacket and grey jeans Adorable: The American Sniper star was seen chatting with his daughter as he carried her backpack in his hand Staying warm: He completed his outfit with a grey beanie, sneakers and a pair of black aviator sunglasses Back on? The sighting comes after a swirl of rumors last year that he had rekindled his romance with Irina 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 that Bradley was amenable to the idea. 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. Family vacation: The duo set the rumor mill churning over the summer when they reportedly took Lea on vacation together 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.' Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling temporarily moved their family to Australia while the longtime Hollywood leading man works on his new action film The Fall Guy. And while Gosling is out shooting his scenes, Mendes appears to be playing the role of main caregiver at home looking after their two young daughters, along with a lot of the other essential domestic duties. But then there are times when the actress takes care of the business of her own career and commitments, as well as making sure she takes some quiet time of her own, for which one instance looks to have been documented in a new Instagram post. On Thursday, with the Ghost Rider star feeling blue, in the fashion department, and posted a quick video of herself sitting outside on a bench next to some green plants and tress decked out in a striking blue dress with some sheer sections. 'Blue era,' she wrote in the caption, along with a blue heart emoji, adding, 'Gracias.' to her glam team that helped make her stunning look a reality. 'BTS from today': Eva Mendes, 48, described her 'current mood as hormonal' when she posted a photo and video of herself relaxing in a striking blue dress on Instagram The clip, which has a snippet of the song Players from Coi Leray playing, begins with a close look at the Miami, Florida native running her right hand through her dyed red locks that were styled long and flipped to the right. As the camera shot pushes out, Mendes looks off to the right while viewers get a full-body look at the sleeve-less number that falls down to her thick open-toe heels. 'Bout to catch another flight (yeah) - The apple bottom make 'em wanna bite (yeah) -I just wanna have a good night,' Leray can be heard singing, which could be a sign from the actress that she's could be headed out for a night on the town later in the evening. Mendes, 48, also posted a scenic shot of what appears to be a harbor or inlet, with a few palm trees situated next to a home on the waterfront. Stylish: The Instagram clip, which has a snippet of the song Players from Coi Leray playing, begins with a close look at Mendes running her right hand through her dyed red locks that were styled long and flipped to the right Feeling blue: The mother of two also revealed she was in a 'blue era' in the caption of the video she shared from her temporary home in Australia Temporary digs: Mendes and Gosling first brought their family to Australia to begin shooting The Fall Guy in September, and then returned around the new year In a sign she's loving her temporary accommodations, Mendes added a few red hearts that pop up from the bottom corner of the clip. The mother of two, who seemingly confirmed her marriage to longtime partner Ryan Gosling in an interview in Australia in November, also posted a side angle photo of herself sitting on the same bench, while flashing a seductive stare at the camera. 'BTS from today,' she captioned the photo she shared on her Instagram Stories, adding, 'Current mood: hormonal.' The couple returned to Australia, arriving by a private jet in Sydney, just in time for the new year, and then were taken to her temporary home by limousine. They have been spotted out and about in recent weeks, which included taking their daughters: Esmeralda, eight, and Amanda, six, on a nature walk to Scenic World At The Blue Mountains in New South Wales, where the staff there praised them for being 'the most charming, warm, and wonderful guests.' Mendes also posted a scenic shot of what appears to be a harbor or inlet, with a few palm trees situated next to a home on the waterfront Lovin' it: The Training Day star added a few red hearts to seemingly express her love of the area That goodwill did not extend to the production of The Fall Guy. Many residents were outraged when they found out Sydney Harbor Bridge was shut down in both directions from 3am to 10am last Sunday so that Gosling, 42, and company could shoot stunts for the movie. Even the cycleway and footpath was closed from 5.30am to 10am. Frustrated locals took to Twitter to blast the production for causing major traffic delays across the city. The Fall Guy, which began shooting Down Under in September, also stars Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke, Hannah Waddingham and Teresa Palmera. Sight-seeing: Mendes and Ryan Gosling (center) took their two daughters: Esmeralda, eight, and Amanda, six, on a nature walk to Scenic World At The Blue Mountains in New South Wales, where the staff there praised them for being 'the most charming, warm, and wonderful guest' Hitched: After more than 11 years as an item, Mendes appeared to confirm she and Ryan Gosling are married when she referred to him as 'her husband', while promoting the Ronald McDonald House charity during an appearance on Today Australia; the actress os pictured while doing her charitable work with the Ronald McDonald House Westmead The superstar pair first got together when they worked together on the epic crime drama film The Place Beyond the Pines (2011). After more than 11 years as an item, Mendes appeared to confirm they are married when she referred to Gosling as 'her husband', while promoting the Ronald McDonald House charity during an appearance on Today Australia,' according to Page Six. 'I'm loving it here,' the Training Day actress said. 'Everybody is amazing, everybody is welcoming us, it's been so beautiful. My husband Ryan is here and our children are here, we're having the best time.' Fans went into a frenzy upon the news, considering that the couple rarely share about their personal lives when it comes to the media. Dancing With The Stars pro Peta Murgatroyd bared her blossoming baby bump in a string of Instagram pictures this week. The 36-year-old is expecting her second child by her husband and fellow Dancing With The Stars hoofer Maksim Chmerkovskiy. She proudly displayed her pregnancy on Instagram this Thursday, revealing in her caption that she is 20 weeks along. The pictures showed her playfully pulling goofy faces, sticking her tongue out and pretending to bite down on one of her fingers. Her husband leapt into the comments section to gush: 'You're so hot,' throwing in a set of heart and fire emoji for good measure. 'Candids': Dancing With The Stars pro Peta Murgatroyd bared her blossoming baby bump in a string of Instagram pictures this week He and Peta welcomed their son Shai in 2017 and Peta has been open about her heartrending fertiility struggles as she attempted to have another child. Last month she announced: 'After 2 years of constant struggle and heartache, 3 miscarriages and a failed embryo transferwe have a healthy bun in the oven.' She celebrated the new development with a breathtaking photo-shoot of her displaying her blossoming baby bump in lingerie. She dished in an interview with People magazine in mid-January that she was nearly 18 weeks pregnant and said: 'All natural, it just happened.' Peta was on the verge of trying a second round of in vitro fertilization when she received the news that she had conceived. 'I didn't even know I was pregnant for so long until I was really feeling sick. I danced through Dancing With The Stars with it,' she said. 'I started feeling weird, started feeling a little bit sick and a little bloated and I didn't want to test for weeks,' Peta candidly confessed. She was near the 'six or seven-week' point of her pregnancy by the time she finally took the test and 'I think it was the fastest positive I've ever seen in my life.' Baby on board: The 36-year-old is expecting her second child by her husband and fellow Dancing With The Stars hoofer Maksim Chmerkovskiy All that sweet affection: Her husband leapt into the comments section to gush: 'You're so hot,' throwing in a heart and fire emoji for good measure The Auckland-born hoofer dished: 'It just came up super quick and I was just shocked. It's been completely different from my past pregnancy. It wasn't like I jumped for joy and I shouted from the rooftops: "Oh my God, I'm pregnant. Yay!" Peta, who has suffered three miscarriages, said: 'It was more like a: "Okay, well let's see what happens because I've been through this four other times, and it hasn't worked." So I was very skeptical. I didn't even tell Maks for a while.' At the moment she knows the sex of the baby, as she 'can't wait' and needs 'to know these things,' but has not decided whether to make the information public. Taking the news to Instagram, she wrote: 'It brings me immense joy to finally announce that @maksimc and I are expecting our Chmerkovskiy #2.' She shared: 'After 2 years of constant struggle and heartache, 3 miscarriages and a failed embryo transferwe have a healthy bun in the oven :)) It was a shock to all of us and we found out right before I was going in for my second round of IVF.' Said she: 'I want to thank ALL OF YOU whove been on this fertility journey with me from the beginning. It feels like Im sharing this news with my extended family. Thank you for sharing your stories and tips to get me through my IVF cycle and thank you for the plethora of encouraging comments and DMs I read them all.' Peta concluded: 'This news has brought extraordinary bliss to our family and we have so much to be grateful for .coming June 2023.' In a shattering People interview last year, she revealed how 'petrified, embarrassed, and ashamed' she felt when she miscarried for the first time. Happiness: Last month she announced: 'After 2 years of constant struggle and heartache, 3 miscarriages and a failed embryo transferwe have a healthy bun in the oven' Spellbinding: She celebrated the new development with a breathtaking photo-shoot of her displaying her blossoming baby bump in lingerie The loss occurred in the autumn of 2020 in a Whole Foods bathroom, leaving her 'sobbing' and 'wailing' for hours as she sat on the toilet. When she miscarried again nine months later, she was about to fly to New York to tell Maksim she was pregnant, and instead had to tell him she had lost the baby. In October 2021, when her husband was in his native Ukraine to work on its version of Dancing With The Stars, Peta endured a third miscarriage. At the time she was so ill with COVID-19 that she 'couldn't open a dishwasher' or even 'open the fridge to feed Shai, to get him some toast.' After fainting in her son's bedroom, Peta - who at that point did not even know she was pregnant - was rushed to the hospital and informed she had lost a baby. Peta ultimately discovered that she had a hormonal disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome that was affecting her fertility. She announced last June that she was attempting IVF, declaring: 'For the first time in nearly two years, I feel excited. 'I'm in a much happier place. I got answers.' 'I don't have any other words but hope and positivity,' said her husband. 'I'm crossing my fingers that this is going to work.' Parents of two: She announced last June that she was attempting IVF, declaring: 'For the first time in nearly two years, I feel excited' Cold Case Forensics: The Murder Of Rachel Nickell Rating: **** The Apprentice Rating: ** An hour with Dr Angela Gallop is like a tutorial from a real-life Sherlock Holmes. True crime enthusiasts, grab a pen and make notes as you watch. The veteran crime scene scientist, whose first major investigation was into one of the Yorkshire Ripper murders, detailed the techniques used to identify the killer of Rachel Nickell, in Cold Case Forensics (ITV). These included simple methods I have not seen employed in any TV drama. One was to reconstruct an attack, wearing gloves coated in black fingerprint powder. The smudges showed where DNA traces were most likely to be left by an assailant. In Rachel's case, which involved sexual assault, buttons and the hems of clothes were key sites. Another was to take 'hair combings' by padding a brush with cotton wool and running it over the scalp of a victim. Cold Case Forensics: The Murder Of Rachel Nickell (ITV) detailed the techniques used to identify the killer of Rachel Nickell (pictured) Crucial particles are caught by the soft fabric, instead of falling away. Combings from Rachel's toddler, Alex, revealed fragments of red paint that were matched to the killer's toolbox. But these came to light only when Dr Gallop was put on to the case a decade after the murder. By then, the psychopath who raped and stabbed her on Wimbledon Common, as she walked with her two-year-old son in 1992, had struck again killing a mother and daughter in their own home. The documentary made no excuses for abysmal failings by police. Robert Napper, the murderer, had been reported by his own mother, three years earlier . . . and they ignored her. Wisely, the programme didn't dwell on the story, told many times before, of how detectives tried to entrap an innocent man, Colin Stagg, into a confession, while Napper continued his attacks. Instead, the focus was on the forensics. Some of the science behind DNA enhancement breakthroughs became too technical, but Dr Gallop's patient explanations kept reverting to what really mattered: the human elements. A footprint on the common matched Napper's shoe, but seemed too small until the experts demonstrated how mud causes the track to shrink as the foot lifts. An hour with veteran crime scene scientist, Dr Angela Gallop, is like a tutorial from a real-life Sherlock Holmes Dr Gallop cited a dictum by pioneering French investigator Edmond Locard: 'Every contact leaves a trace.' I recognise that quote it's the inspiration for the BBC forensics drama Traces. But I hadn't read the comment by Locard's disciple, Paul Kirk, who explained how a criminal sheds countless clues: 'Wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as a silent witness against him.' I'd always assumed that the eponymous Silent Witness in that other BBC drama was a corpse dissected by pathologist Dr Nikki Alexander. Not so, it seems. There are no silent witnesses in The Apprentice (BBC1). This bunch can't shut up, even when talking themselves ever deeper into trouble. 'I hold myself accountable for that load of rubbish,' announced Shazia after a disastrous pitch, apparently unable to understand that the point of this game is to blame everyone else. This year's crop lacks a standout idiot the sort of disaster magnet who can barely tie shoelaces, but remains steadfastly oblivious to their own stupidity. Instead, the show is relying on collective stupidity, and the candidates respond. Tasked with filming adverts for an electric motorcycle, one group hired an actress who couldn't ride a bike. Sweet shop boss Megan came up with an inadvertently hilarious slogan for electricity on two wheels: 'Take charge of your bike, take charge of your woman.' Maybe that's the way to convert Hell's Angels to e-power. Go for the chauvinist market. Dwayne Johnson said that his mother Ata Johnson is ok following an auto accident she was involved in on Wednesday evening in Los Angeles. The 50-year-old superstar on Thursday took to Instagram with an image of a red Cadillac vehicle with significant damage to the passenger's side. 'Thank you God shes ok,' the wrestler-turned-actor said of his mother, 74, in the caption of the post. 'Angels of mercy watched over my mom as she was in a car crash late last night.' The Black Adam star added that 'shell survive and continue to get evaluated,' noting the obstacles she's previously overcome. 'This woman has survived lung cancer, tough marriage, head on collision with a drunk driver and attempted suicide,' the A-list actor said. 'Shes a survivor, in ways that make angels and miracles real.' The latest: Dwayne Johnson said that his mother Ata Johnson is ok following an auto accident she was involved in on Wednesday evening in Los Angeles Johnson thanked authorities with the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Fire Department 'for being so caring & focused' and 'for staying on phone and talking me thru it all.' Johnson, whose father Rocky Johnson died in January of 2020, urged his followers to show love to their parents. 'I got one parent left, so if you still got your mom and dad make sure you hug em hard, cos you never know when youll get that 3am call we never want to get,' he said. The news came on an already solemn day amongst the pro wrestling community amid the death of 'The Genius' Lanny Poffo at 68. Across the social media format, a number of Johnson's contemporaries across in entertainment and sports sent kind words to the caring son in the wake of the scary accident. Wrestling star Mercedes Varnado said, 'Glad shes good. Sending love and prayers.' Olympian Lolo Jones said, 'Prayers for her recovery! Glad shes ok!!' Rosie O'Donnell said, 'prayers answered,' while Pierce Brosnan said, 'God bless.' Actress Sarah Shahi said, 'Omg DJ. Im def saying a prayer to the angels.' The mother and son were pictured together at a December 2019 event in LA Johnson posed in between Ata and his late father Rocky Johnson in LA in May of 2015; his father died in January of 2020 Bodybuilding industry icons Phil Heath and Ronnie Coleman both sent kind messages to Johnson. 'Brother, I am so sorry your mom endured this but very thankful to God shes okay,' Heath said. 'I can only imagine the stress you felt in that moment. Sending love and prayer.' Coleman said, 'I know exactly what you mean. I lost my only parent almost 6 years ago. That hole never heals and i miss my mom every day. God Bless yours and may she live forever.' As her son had said, Ata has bravely persevered through a number of difficult life events. She successfully battled stage three lung cancer in 2010, and in August of 2014, survived a head-on collision after she was stuck head on by a drunk driver headed home from a family fundraiser, TMZ reported. Johnson told Express in 2018 about his mother's suicide attempt, which happened when he was 15 after the family was evicted from an apartment amid lean times in their business. 'She got out of the car on Interstate 65 in Nashville and walked into oncoming traffic,' Johnson said. 'I grabbed her and pulled her back on the gravel shoulder of the road.' The resilient star added, 'Whats crazy about that suicide attempt is that to this day, she has no recollection of it whatsoever - probably best she doesnt.' LG Uplus Corp. said Friday last month's data breach affected a total of 290,000 users, about 110,000 more than initially suspected. On Jan. 10, the nation's third-largest wireless carrier disclosed that personal data of 180,000 customers, including their names, birth dates and phone numbers, had been breached. The company said on its website Friday it found personal data of about 110,000 more customers, who had terminated their subscriptions, was also compromised. It had been storing the data under the e-commerce consumer protection law. The leaked data does not include financial information, it added. "We are actively cooperating with the investigation by the authorities and the government to determine when and how the personal data was leaked," the company said. The case is being investigated by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the Personal Information Protection Commission and the Korea Internet Security Agency. "We will strengthen our monitoring system so that such an incident does not happen again and do our best to come up with countermeasures." (Yonhap) The mystery surrounding the Australian fitness influencer who filed for bankruptcy has been solved after her identity was revealed in an official document. Rumours were abuzz last week about which social media celebrity was in financial strife, and now it can be reported the woman in question is Christie Swadling. She was named after an anonymous user on the Tattle Life gossip forums paid $15 to obtain the publicly available paperwork on Ms Swadling's bankruptcy filing. The mystery surrounding the Australian fitness influencer who filed for bankruptcy has been solved. Rumours were abuzz last week about which social media celebrity was in financial strife, and now it can be reported the woman in question is Christie Swadling (pictured) Ms Swadling, a 27-year-old fitness influencer and YouTuber, listed her job as an 'advertising and marketing professional' in the paperwork filed on December 29. The status of her bankruptcy is 'undischarged', which means she will still need to pay back particular debts. It also means she will not be able to borrow again from financial institutions without the disclosure of her bankruptcy. Ms Swadling, a 29-year-old fitness influencer and YouTuber, listed her job as an 'advertising and marketing professional' in the paperwork filed on December 29. The status of her bankruptcy is 'undischarged', which means she will still need to pay back particular debts It also means she will not be able to borrow again from financial institutions without the disclosure of her bankruptcy The release of the debtor's petition did not specify the outstanding debts. The document was published on Tattle Life after a user decided to pay the $15 clerical fee to settle the speculation about the mystery bankruptcy once and for all. 'Well, well, well. Look what we have here. Best $15 spent,' they wrote. The document was published on Tattle Life after a user decided to pay the $15 clerical fee to settle the speculation about the mystery bankruptcy once and for all 'Public register states she has been bankrupt since December 29. She probably got approval to leave for Bali but chances of her travelling again are slim to none.' It comes after the Instagram gossip account Dutch Minty shared a redacted version of the filing last week, with the influencer's name censored. There is no minimum amount owed for an individual to claim bankruptcy. It comes after the Instagram gossip account Dutch Minty shared a redacted version of the filing last week, with the influencer's name censored There is no minimum amount owed for an individual to claim bankruptcy According to the Australian Financial Securities Authority, a creditor must be seeking $10,000 or more to apply to make you bankrupt. Swadling, who boasts 117,000 followers on Instagram, raised eyebrows just days before her filing when she was busted using a slimming app to transform her figure in a Christmas-themed Instagram video. The clip showed the glamorous blonde shaking her hips seductively while clutching a wine glass in front of her Christmas tree. Swadling, who boasts 117,000 followers on Instagram, raised eyebrows just days before her filing when she was busted using a slimming app to transform her figure in an Instagram video Eagle-eyed fans noticed a bizarre, warping effect around her midsection - a tell-tale sign that editing software was used to make her waist appear slimmer. The app glitched noticeably as Christie moved closer to the camera, causing some vases and a portion of the tree in the background to bend out of shape. The blunder was first spotted by Instagram 'snark' account @Celeb_Spellcheck, which re-shared the clip among other examples of influencer fails. The clip showed the glamorous blonde shaking her hips seductively while clutching a wine glass in front of her Christmas tree. However, eagle-eyed fans quickly noticed a bizarre, warping effect around her midsection (circled in red) Just days after it was revealed Dan Aykroyd is reuniting with Ghostbusters stars for a new movie set in London, the actor has landed a new hosting gig. The 70-year-old actor will host the new series A History Of the World in Six Glasses for Fox Nation, according to a press release. He will host the new series with comedy legends Jim Belushi, Kevin Nealon, George Wendt and Jon Lovitz. The 'six-part comedic docuseries' was announced on Thursday by Fox Nation president Jason Klarman. The series will, 'chronicle the history of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, soda and their respective impact on the world.' New host: Just days after it was revealed Dan Aykroyd is reuniting with Ghostbusters stars for a new movie set in London, the actor has landed a new hosting gig Fox Nation: The 70-year-old actor will host the new series A History Of the World in Six Glasses for Fox Nation, according to a press release The show was developed by Play House Studios and written and directed by Rob Long, a former executive producer of the long-running NBC hit series Cheers. 'I laughed out loud watching every episode and learned so much about the cultural impact of these iconic beverages,' Klarman said in a statement. It was announced last month that Aykroyd will be joined by Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver for a new Ghostbusters movie that will shift the story to London. 'Studio bosses are taking a classic franchise, setting it in a new location but keeping the magic of the original. It's going to be brilliant,' a source told The Sun. 'London is perfect. It gives so much license to look back at classic landmarks and British history, but still in an urban setting,' it was shared. Gil Kenan will direct the untitled sequel, after serving as a writer and producer on 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Belushi is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live and his hit sitcom According to Jim. He most recently starred last year in Gigi & Nate and he has the film Fight Another Day in post-production with Martin Kove. Return: It was announced last month that Aykroyd will be joined by Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver for a new Ghostbusters movie that will shift the story to London New movie: He most recently starred last year in Gigi & Nate and he has the film Fight Another Day in post-production with Martin Kove The actor is currently filming Fairytale with Anna Popplewell, Colin O'Donoghue and Archie Panjabi. Lovitz is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, the animated show The Critic and movies like A League Of Their Own and Trapped In Paradise. He'll next be seen in Paper Empire with Kelsey Grammer, Denise Richard, Robert Davi and Steve Guttenberg. Jon's work: Lovitz is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, the animated show The Critic and movies like A League Of Their Own and Trapped In Paradise Coming soon: He'll next be seen in Paper Empire with Kelsey Grammer, Denise Richard, Robert Davi and Steve Guttenberg Kevin Nealon was also nominated for a primetime Emmy for his work on Saturday Night Live in 1987 along with Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations for his performance in the comedy series Weeds. He most recently starred in two Sister Swap movies and he stars with Karen Gillan in the new film Late Bloomers. George Wendt is best known for his role of Norm Peterson on the hit series Cheers, which earned him six primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, and he has movies Compound Fractures and Love's Second Act in post-production. Kevin: Kevin Nealon was also nominated for a primetime Emmy for his work on Saturday Night Live in 1987 along with Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations for his performance in the comedy series Weeds Connie Britton put on a dazzling display as she arrived at the launch party for her February cover of DuJour magazine on Thursday in New York City. The soiree was co-hosted by DuJour CEO Jason Binn at the Gospel social club in the Big Apple's swanky SoHo neighborhood. The actress, 55, stunned attendees in a royal blue sequin jumpsuit that hugged her impressively fit frame. Her glitzy getup was left slightly unbuttoned at the collar. To cinch in her already slim waist, Connie accessorized with a black leather belt. The Boston native stood on black platforms that were just barely visible from under her jumpsuit's flared legs. Covergirl: Connie Britton put on a dazzling display as she arrived at the launch party for her February cover of DuJour magazine on Thursday in New York City Her voluminous red hair was worn in loose waves and she threw on silver hoop earrings for added sparkle. The Friday Night Lights star posed for photographers beside a large-scale version of her DuJour cover, which shows her in a chic outfit in the backseat of a vintage car. Jason Binn made sure to get in on the fun as he took the cover off the easel to take snaps with Connie. He co-hosted the celebration with Roberto Coin's Peter Webster and Gospel's founder James Huddleston. Connie made her grand entrance by walking down a wooden staircase while Jason introduced her over the mic. It was captured by DuJour's social media team who eagerly shared the footage with their Instagram following. The Nashville actress also took a moment to thank everyone for attending as well as to express her excitement over being DuJour's February covergirl. She offered plenty of friendly waves and even took a moment to show off her dance moves as music blasted over the speakers in the lounge. Glitzy: The actress, 55, stunned attendees in a royal blue sequin jumpsuit that hugged her impressively fit frame The Friday Night Lights star posed for photographers beside a large-scale version of her DuJour cover, which shows her in a chic outfit in the backseat of a vintage car Soiree: The soiree was co-hosted by DuJour CEO Jason Binn at the Gospel social club in the Big Apple's swanky SoHo neighborhood Jason has Roberto Coin's Peter Webster and Gospel's founder James Huddleston as his co-hosts After receiving a roaring applause, Connie and Jason made their way to a private table with James. The party came shortly after Connie filmed an appearance on the Late Late Show with Stephen Colbert. On her Instagram Story, the American Horror Story alum was captured hanging by the stage door just moments before she stepped in front of the camera. Grand entrance: Connie made her grand entrance by walking down a spiral wooden staircase while Jason introduced her over the mic Taking the mic: The Nashville actress also took a moment to thank everyone for attending as well as to express her excitement over being DuJour's February covergirl Party time: After receiving a roaring applause, Connie and Jason made their way to a private table with James She also posed by her designated dressing room featuring a digital sign with her name on it. She credited celebrity makeup artist Gita Bass, hairdresser Anthony Campbell and her stylist Katie Bofshever for making her TV-ready. Earlier this week, Connie got all dolled up to attend the premiere of her new Apple TV+ series Dear Edward starring Taylor Schilling. Late-night: The party came shortly after Connie filmed an appearance on the Late Late Show with Stephen Colbert 'On my way!!!' The American Horror Story alum was captured hanging by the stage door just moments before she stepped in front of the camera For the starry occasion, Connie rocked another stylish jumpsuit but this time in a bold red color with an off-the-shoulder design. Dear Edward centers around a 12-year-old who becomes the lone survivor of a plane crash. Colin O'Brien plays the survivor in question named Edward while Taylor plays his Aunt Lacey who becomes his primary caregiver following the crash. In the series, Connie plays Dee Dee, a woman who lost her husband on the same flight Edward survives. Dear Edward will hit the streaming platform on Friday, February 3. Big premiere: Earlier this week, Connie got all dolled up to attend the premiere of her new Apple TV+ series Dear Edward starring Taylor Schilling In a new interview, Connie shared how the drama series served as a conduit for her own experiences with grief. 'I find having gone through grief in my own life that a lot of times we don't have ways to work through it and to handle it,' she told PARADE. 'We're not given the tools or the language for it. This was really a wonderful opportunity to try to explore that.' She explained that by playing Dee Dee she learned that 'grief comes in many forms.' 'Because grief can certainly come from the loss of a loved one, but it can also come from the loss of your own sense of self or your own sense of what you know or what you perceive your life to be.' Lone survivor: Dear Edward centers around a 12-year-old (played by Colin O'Brien) who becomes the lone survivor of a plane crash Wentworth actress Leeanna Walsman and former Home and Away heartthrob Stephen Peacocke are set to lead the cast of Channel Nine's new crime drama, Human Error. The six-part series centres on a female detective who uncovers a criminal conspiracy that threatens to destroy her entire life. Production on the show, which co-stars Wolf Creek's Matt Day, has already commenced in Melbourne reports TV Blackbox. Wentworth actress Leanna Walsman (left) and former Home and Away heartthrob Stephen Peacocke (right) will lead the cast of Nine's new crime drama, Human Error The behind-the-scenes talent on the series includes writer-producer Greg Haddrick of the Underbelly franchise. Inspired by true events, the series will follow Detective Holly O'Rourke (Walsman), who investigates what appears at first to be a routine murder case. Things get complicated as Holly steers her homicide team into a web of intrigue that ultimately threatens her family. The show will also feature rising star and winner of the 2022 Heath Ledger Award, Rahel Romahn, as a detective who is drawn into Holly's case. The six-part series centres on a female detective who uncovers a criminal conspiracy Pictured: Walsman (right) on the red carpet in Sydney in 2022 Veteran Aussie actor, Steve Bisley of Mad Max fame, co-stars as Holly's father while Matt Day plays her husband Luke. Meanwhile Peacocke plays the character Dylan Mackenzie, a fellow investigator, involved in Holly's case. Other featured cast include Rob Collins (Mystery Road), Jane Allsop from House Husbands and Anthony J Sharpe, recently seen in Stan's hit series Black Snow. The Stan Originals film - Black Snow is available now only on Stan. Peacocke plays a detective in the new crime drama Emily Joy (Fisk), Ethan Lwin (Joe vs. Carol), Debra Lawrence (Please Like Me) and Daniela Farinacci (East West 101), also co-star. Human Error could be the ideal follow-up to Nine's successful Underbelly series, which has been running since 2008. The franchise scored high ratings earlier this year for the controversial two-part drama Underbelly: Vanishing Act about fraudster Melissa Caddick. Inspired by true events, the series will follow Detective Holly O'Rourke (Walsman), who investigates what appears at first to be a routine murder case Channel Nine's Head of Drama Andy Ryan said Human Error will be the 'must-watch' crime drama of 2023. 'The Nine network has always been the home of Australian crime drama,' he said. The show, which is supported by VicScreen and Screen Australia, is being made by Underbelly producer Greg Haddrick and Dan and John Edwards (Bump). Actor Rahel Romahn (pictured) who co-stars in the series, was the recipient of the prestigious Heath Ledger Scholarship in 2022 Writer Samantha Winston (Les Norton) is also on board as producer, while Underbelly author John Sylvester is a consultant on the series. Ned Kelly (2003) director Gregor Jordan will write the series with Haddrick and Winston. Human Error is produced by local company Roadshow Rough Diamond with Channel Nine. The show will be sold internationally by the UK.'s ITV Studios. Fans will get to see Human Error on Nine and 9Now in 2023. Pink's husband Carey Hart was seen working out with a kettlebell Thursday, as he has a catheter installed in his chest. The one-time motocross competitor, 47, took to Instagram Thursday to document his physical recovery after undergoing spinal fusion surgery in December, as he shared a shot of a home workout and message of optimism as he forges through the challenging time. Hart, who is father to 11-year-old daughter Willow and six-year-old son Jameson with the Grammy-winning artist, 43, said last month that an infection he had led to the installation of a catheter in his chest. 'Chest tube baby,' the Seal Beach, California native captioned the shot, in which he wore black shorts with black gloves and worked out on a red mat. 'My old & infected self is still getting after it.' Hart said he was halfway through the antibiotic treatment he's undergoing, and that he liked the new workout line from Fox Racing Moto, adding, 'Check out all their tech gear for men and women!!! Stuff is legit.' The latest: Pink's husband Carey Hart, 47, was seen working out with a kettlebell Thursday, as he has a catheter installed in his chest Hart wrapped up the post in saying, 'No excuses people, you got this. Get after it, give it 100%.' Hart explained his medical situation in detail in last month, as he posted a trio of images in which he was administering himself antibiotics via a home medical kit, and how his chest looks with the catheter and wires affixed to it. He said that he learned about 'a couple days before Christmas ' that he had 'an infection in some old hardware in [his] body,' which led to a stressful holiday season. 'I got this tunneled catheter installed in my chest,' Hart said. 'Now for the next 41 days I have to inject antibiotics to knock this sucker out. 'I can handle a bone sticking out of my skin, but this catheter is definitely nerve racking. Wonder if I can push some caffeine through it? Just kidding.' Hart, who recently celebrated his 17th anniversary with the Get the Party Started artist, said that the extensive medical care was not how he wanted to begin the new year, but that he's 'thankful it was found and modern medicine has the tools to treat it.' He wrapped up in saying, 'Gonna be a long 6 weeks, but I got this. Coming back better and stronger. Take care everyone, and stay healthy!' Hart took to Instagram December 1 with a shot of himself in a hospital bed following the surgical procedure. 'Surgery went great!!!!!' he said. 'Already been up and out of my bed 3 times cruising the surgery center. Ended up fusing the vertebrae because the joint was a bit hammered.' Hart recently celebrated his 17th anniversary with the Get the Party Started artist, who was pictured at an event in LA in November Hart last month revealed that he's undergoing intensive medical treatment for an infection that requires use of a catheter installed in his chest Hart shared an image of a home medical kit with antibiotics he is taking Hart posted an image of his chest looks with the catheter and wires affixed to it Molly Ringwald paid tribute to her husband Panio Gianopoulos in celebration of their 22 years together. On Wednesday, the 1980s teen film icon took to her Instagram page and shared some sweet sentiments to her husband along with a recent photo of the couple and a throwback snap of them snuggling up seemingly earlier on in their relationship 'Today, the "getaway car" and I are together 22 years! Happy anniversary to us!' she gushed in the caption, adding, '3 kids, 3 dogs, 1 cat and a lot of love. Best decision I ever made. Here's to 22 more, at least.' The 22 year anniversary appears to represent the time they've been together as a couple, considering that that weren't officially married until 2007. In the cover photo, Pretty In Pink star has her arms wrapped around her man, and their heads leaning on one another, while they were seemingly enjoying a romantic dinner for two at a restaurant. Happy anniversary: Molly Ringwald, 54, shared sweet sentiments about husband Panio Gianopoulos, 47, in celebration of their 22nd anniversary as a couple, along with a recent photo of the couple and a throwback of them snuggling up together Ringwald, 54, looks to be decked out in a black ensemble with her red locks pulled back off her face with a hair tie, with the exception of the strand of locks falling around the frame of her face. The Greek-American writer and book editor, 47, can be seen wearing a dark sweater with a zipper that was undone several inches, and his hair cut in a close crop style. For the second picture in the Instagram post, Ringwald thought she'd do a comparison to the first by posting an old photo showing the former Brat Pack star wrapping her arms around Gianopoulos that appears to be taken back around the turn of the century. They looked to be engulfed in a conversation with friends and/or family, while sipping wine at a restaurant or bar. Throwback: The actress called her romance with Gianopoulos 'the best decision I ever made', in the post that also included this throwback snap of the couple The duo often take pride in their three children: Mathilda, 19, and 13-year-old twins Roman and Adele, by posting photos, videos and messages about them on their social media platforms. Known as one the screen queens of the 1980s with roles in such coming-of-age classics as Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), Pretty In Pink (1986) and The Pick-up Artist (1987). Just over a year ago, during an appearance on SiriusXM's Radio Andy in 2021, the Roseville, California native opened about raising their three kids and whether she has sat down to watch any of her old movies with them. "It definitely is a different time. People ask me if I've watched them with my kids, and I did watch the first one ... with Mathilda,' she admitted. 'And it was such an emotional experience that I haven't found that strength to watch it with my two other kids.' Lovebirds: While the couple have been together for 22 years, they didn't get married until 2007 Sharing her films with the kids: The actress says she has only watched one of her old teen films with one of her daughters, and doesn't have plans to do it again as of yet; she is pictured in Pretty In Pink (1986) She added at the time, 'My 12-year-old daughter Adele is the most woke individual that you've ever met, and I just don't know how I'm gonna go through that, you know, watching it with her and [her] saying, "How could you do that?"' Gianopoulos knows a thing or two about love and romance as the author of How to Get Into Our House and Where We Keep the Money, a short story collection about men and women struggling to find and keep love. His stories, essays, and poetry have appeared in various magazines and newspapers over the years. Before becoming a writer exclusively, Gianopoulos worked as a book editor at such companies as Crown Publishing, Talk Miramax Books, Bloomsbury Publishing and Backlit Fiction. Just days before the 2003 romantic comedy How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days celebrates its 20th anniversary, Matthew McConaughey reveals the bizarre reason he took the role. Back in December, the 53-year-old actor's co-star Kate Hudson revealed she 'pushed' for McConaughey to star alongside her, and that she told then-Paramount CEO Sherry Lansing that McConaughey was her 'first choice' to play Benjamin Barry. Still, even after being offered the role, he was torn on whether or not to take the project or not, he ultimately decided after a chance encounter with a fortune teller. 'I remember considering whether I was going to do it or not one night while on a walk down Sunset Boulevard when suddenly, this guy comes up out of nowhere to mehe was a fortune teller guru [and] goes, Can I tell you your fortune real quick?' McConaughey began. 'I was like, "Yeah, man. Sure." He immediately goes, "Theres a movie youre considering right now. Its a romantic comedy. You have to do this or it will be one of the biggest regrets of your life. It is going to be a blast, it is going to be an incredible experience and it is going to make a bunch of money,"' he said. Bizarre: Just days before the 2003 romantic comedy How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days celebrates its 20th anniversary, Matthew McConaughey reveals the bizarre reason he took the role Pushed: Back in December, the 53-year-old actor's co-star Kate Hudson revealed she ' pushed' for McConaughey to star alongside her, and that she told then-Paramount CEO Sherry Lansing that McConaughey was her 'first choice' to play Benjamin Barry The actor added, 'I remember thinking, Did the studio hire this guy? I laughed at the thought, but I also remember taking a more serious consideration. I think I even accepted the offer the next day.' Hudson was already attached to the project before McConaughey, revealing she immediately struck to the idea of playing alongside him. 'We were looking at guys and kept going back and forth about who would be the right guy. The guy for me was really important,' Hudson said. 'Matthew came up in a meeting and I thought that was a great idea. I loved his energy. We immediately just got along,' she added. Once McConaughey was cast, that brought a new set of challenges, as director Donald Petrie explained. 'I went to the writers and said, Okay, I gotta have some kind of subtle explanation of why this guy is an advertising exec in Manhattan, and yet hes got that Texas twang about him,"' Petrie explained. 'So we took his father and made him be a Navy guy, so he would have been stationed at different places around the world, and Celia Weston, who came in to play the mom, she is Southern,' he added. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days went on to gross $105.8 million domestic and $177.5 million worldwide from a $50 million budget. Accepted: The actor added, 'I remember thinking, Did the studio hire this guy? I laughed at the thought, but I also remember taking a more serious consideration. I think I even accepted the offer the next day' McConaughey also opened up about his and Hudson's now-famous pose on the poster, which he had noticed has been copied many times over since then. 'I will tell you something funny about the poster. We found that pose where we were kind of leaning backward looking over each others shoulders,' he began. 'Shes in that long, elegant, yellow dress, and Im in a classic black tux, back to back. It was the perfect posture to represent the film,' he added. 'Now if youll notice, quite a fewand Im in a couple of themrom-coms repeated a version of that same dance for their posters,' the actor said. Jules Sebastian stepped out to walk the family dog in her Sydney suburb of Maroubra on Friday. The stylist appeared a tad tense as she strolled down the road, amid ongoing drama with her former neighbour. The 41-year-old wore a stern expression as the pug pulled on the lead and ran ahead of her. Jules Sebastian (pictured) stepped out to walk the family dog in her Sydney suburb of Maroubra on Friday She opted for a sporty ensemble, including a sleeveless black shirt emblazoned with The Upside logo. Jules added a pair of running shorts, also in a dark tone, and had on a pair of white sneakers. The media personality appeared to have on minimal makeup and completed her look with sunglasses and a black cap. The stylist appeared a tad tense as she strolled down the road, amid ongoing drama with her former neighbour The 41-year-old wore a stern expression as the pug pulled on the lead and ran ahead of her She opted for a sporty ensemble, including a sleeveless black shirt emblazoned with The Upside logo It comes after Jules' husband Guy Sebastian was allegedly threatened by an elderly neighbour during a confrontation that spilled into the street when long-running tensions boiled over. The inaugural Australian Idol winner sought an apprehended violence order after Phillip Richard Hanslow, 65, allegedly threatened to kill him and kicked over a boundary fence outside his home in the Sydney beachside suburb of Maroubra. NSW Police confirmed to Daily Mail Australia officers were called to a Maroubra home about 1.30 pm on January 23 following reports of a neighbourhood dispute. Jules added a pair of running shorts, also in a dark tone, and had on a pair of white sneakers The media personality appeared to have on minimal makeup and completed her look with sunglasses and a black cap Hanslow was taken to Maroubra Police Station, where he was charged with stalking with intent to cause physical harm and damaging property. Phillip Hanslow was calm and composed as he faced court for the first time in his life on Thursday. When his matter was called, Hanslow fronted the magistrate and calmly explained his situation. 'I don't want to enter a plea today because I tried to get Legal Aid to represent me but there was no one available,' he told the magistrate. He then explained that a proposed two-week adjournment was not sufficient because he has to go to hospital within that time to get a bowel infection removed. The matter, which lasted less than five minutes, was adjourned to March 9. Pedro Pascal has another surefire hit on his hands with HBO's The Last Of Us, with the third episode and its touching love story deemed by many fans as one of the best TV episodes of all time. The 47-year-old Chilean actor appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday evening, where he was promoting the hit show, which airs Sunday nights at 9 PM ET on HBO. The actor also teased new details about the highly-anticipated third season of The Mandalorian, which will debut March 1 on Disney Plus. Pascal will also be hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend with musical guest Coldplay. The Chilean-born actor also revealed the late-night Zoom calls he had with series creator Craig Mazin and video game creator Neil Druckmann... which lead to some bizarre dreams. Big hit: Pedro Pascal has another surefire hit on his hands with HBO's The Last Of Us, with the third episode and its touching love story deemed by many fans as one of the best TV episodes of all time Pedro on Fallon: The 47-year-old Chilean actor appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday evening, where he was promoting the hit show, which airs Sunday nights at 9 PM ET on HBO 'That was a really strange circumstance I was actually in London and everyone else was in Los Angeles,' Pascal began. 'And I got sent these scripts and said - I was told that "Craig Mazin wants you to read the scripts. And if you like them, he'd like to talk to you." I loved Chernobyl. The miniseries that he -- show ran for HBO,' Pascal added. Pascal added, 'I read the first script, and I was like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah I want to meet him I want to meet him." "And we talked we fell in love. And they were like, "Will you stay up a little bit" - At this point, it was getting kind of late in London - "To talk to Neil druckmann, the creator of the video game. Genius,' Pascal said to applause. Pascal added, 'I stay up for that zoom. We all fall in love again. And then I -- and then, at that point, it's really late. I've got to get up in the morning. I take an Ambien to go to sleep just in case -- they've got my adrenaline kind of going and my -- my hopes up. But I get a call, and I get told that I got the job after I took the Ambien,' he said with a laugh. The actor added he was, 'excited, I guess, but I didn't remember,' revealing he woke up the next morning and didn't even remember that he got the job. 'I woke up in the morning. And the first thing that occurred to me, was like, "Oh, man, I really want that job. And I'm in London. They're in L.A,"' he added. 'I'm going to wait by the phone all day long this hasn't happened in a while, you know. I'm going to be longing. And I'm going to think about it all day long,' he said, not even realizing he was offered the job last night. Strange: 'That was a really strange circumstance I was actually in London and everyone else was in Los Angeles,' Pascal began Stay up: "And we talked we fell in love. And they were like, "Will you stay up a little bit" - At this point, it was getting kind of late in London - "To talk to Neil druckmann, the creator of the video game. Genius,' Pascal said to applause Didn't remember: The actor added he was, 'excited, I guess, but I didn't remember,' revealing he woke up the next morning and didn't even remember that he got the job 'Yeah, and it's like, "Oh, congratulations. So happy for you," when I looked at my phone I was like, "Oh yeah I got the job!" he joked. When asked to describe the show and his character, Pascal added, 'I play Joel Miller. He has a bad day everybody -- the planet has a really bad day. And fungus, cordyceps finds a way to cross over into human DNA and ends the planet in 24 hours very light, happy stuff.' 'A very traumatic event shapes this man into who he is 20 years later which is, you know, this dystopian world with fascistic governments and very contagious cordyceps that turns you into an infected monster. It's good times,' Pascal joked. Joel: When asked to describe the show and his character, Pascal added, 'I play Joel Miller. He has a bad day everybody -- the planet has a really bad day. And fungus, cordyceps finds a way to cross over into human DNA and ends the planet in 24 hours very light, happy stuff' Traumatic: 'A very traumatic event shapes this man into who he is 20 years later which is, you know, this dystopian world with fascistic governments and very contagious cordyceps that turns you into an infected monster. It's good times,' Pascal joked When asked if he can say anything about Season 3 of The Mandalorian, he did confirm, 'I will say, there will be more Mandalorians. A lot of them big epic battle. Plural maybe.' Pascal plays the title character, a devoted bounty hunter that hails from Mandalore, who has been charged with the care of a creature named Grogu, a.k.a. Baby Yoda. When asked about the beloved and adorable character, Pascal teased, 'He's been very good he's still learning. Teaching.Protected. Protecting.' Pascal also joked, 'I think if I say any more I'll be replaced, not just as The Mandalorian, but as a human being in life. Mandalorian: When asked if he can say anything about Season 3 of The Mandalorian, he did confirm, 'I will say, there will be more Mandalorians. A lot of them big epic battle. Plural maybe' Jonnie Irwin has bravely thrown himself into a huge house renovation to set his family up for life. The TV presenter, 49, has ripped out his bathroom and has taken on extra work to help fund the project - with fans hailing his 'strength and determination' as he battles terminal cancer. Jonnie was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2020 but only revealed his diagnosis to online followers on his social media in November, saying it had spread to his brain, giving him just months to live. The Escape To The Country host, who moved up to Newcastle so his wife Jessica, 40, can be nearer her family, has been documenting his renovation project on social media and been offering tips on redecorating. Father-of-three Jonnie has been busy picking out marble worktops and paint colours for the bathroom and told his fans how to go about picking the right shade. Jonnie Irwin has bravely thrown himself into a huge house renovation to set his family up for life He said: 'Always thought an en-suite of the main bedroom needs to be more than a corner shower and a toilet. 'So I've extended ours into an adjacent cupboard and doubled the size to something that befits a main bedroom. Looking promising...' Fans took to the comment section to applaud Jonnie on his efforts, saying they can't wait to see it completed. One wrote: 'Well done Jonnie. Im moving home so I can be closer to my family. Cancer is scary but it cannot stop us from preparing xx'. Another added: 'That's brilliant, Jonnie. Hope you're doing ok and not in too much pain. Well done for keeping going. God bless.' A third follower chimed: 'Bravo. your strength and determination is an inspiration to others.' Jonnie later took to Instagram to reveal he had been filming some voiceovers for Morning Live and joked: 'Beats staring at tiles- and goes towards paying for them!' The TV presenter has had to keep on working to pay the bills as while he has life insurance, he doesn't have critical illness cover. Renovation: The TV presenter, 49, has ripped out his bathroom and has taken on extra work to help fund the project - with fans hailing his 'strength and determination' Battle: Jonnie was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2020 but only revealed his diagnosis to online followers on his social media in November Work: Jonnie later took to Instagram to reveal he had been filming some voiceovers for Morning Live and joked: 'Beats staring at tiles- and goes towards paying for them!' Inspirational: Father-of-three Jonnie has been busy picking out marble worktops and paint colours for the bathroom and told his fans how to go about picking the right shade Impressed: Fans took to the comment section to applaud Jonnie on his efforts, saying they can't wait to see it completed Jonnie went public with his diagnosis in November, after secretly battling cancer for two years. The married father of three children son Rex, three, and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac said he hoped sharing his diagnosis would inspire others to 'make the most of every day'. He told Hello magazine: 'I'm carrying a dirty secret it's become a monkey on my back. I don't know how long I have left, but I try to stay positive and my attitude is that I'm living with cancer, not dying from it. I set little markers things I want to be around for. I got into the habit of saying, 'Don't plan ahead because I might not be well enough'. 'But now I want to make plans. I want to make memories and capture these moments with my family because the reality is, my boys are going to grow up not knowing their dad and that breaks my heart.' Building: He said: 'Always thought an en-suite of the main bedroom needs to be more than a corner shower and a toilet. 'So I've doubled the size to something that befits a main bedroom' Decor: Jonnie was deliberating which black marble top to use Jonnie was diagnosed with cancer while filming Channel 4's A Place In The Sun in Italy in 2020. He had been driving when his vision became blurred and doctors at home discovered he was terminally ill. Cancer drugs and chemotherapy have helped prolong his life. Private battle: Jonnie went public with his diagnosis in November, after secretly battling cancer for two years (pictured with wife Jessica, son Rex, three and twins Rafa and Cormac) The Leicestershire-born presenter is being supported by his wife Jessica, 40. He said: 'Within a week of flying back from filming, I was being given six months to live. I had to go home and tell my wife, who was looking after our babies, that she was on her own pretty much. That was devastating. All I could do was apologise to her. I felt so responsible.' The couple live with their three children in Newcastle, having moved there from Hertfordshire in 2020. Couple: Jonnie and Jess tied the knot within 12 months of meeting in 2016 after Jonnie convinced his new love to hand in her notice at work and go travelling with him Jonnie said he had chosen to keep his illness private until now. His case is reminiscent of Dame Deborah James' battle with bowel cancer, which she chose to make public to raise awareness and funds for research. He said: 'I might inspire people who are living with life-limiting prospects to make the most of every day, to help them see that you can live a positive life, even though you are dying. 'One day, this is going to catch up with me, but I'm doing everything I can to hold that day off for as long as possible. 'I owe that to Jess and our boys. Some people in my position have bucket lists, but I just want us to do as much as we can as a family.' Heartbreaking: Jonnie was diagnosed with cancer while filming Channel 4 's A Place In The Sun in Italy in 2020 Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attend an EU summit, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 2. Reuters-Yonhap After months of agonizing, the U.S has agreed to send longer-range bombs to Ukraine as it prepares to launch a spring offensive to retake territory Russia captured last year, U.S. officials said Thursday, confirming that the new weapons will have roughly double the range of any other offensive weapon provided by America. The U.S. will provide ground-launched small diameter bombs as part of a $2.17 billion aid package it is expected to announce Friday, several U.S. officials said. The package also for the first time includes equipment to connect all the different air defense systems Western allies have rushed to the battlefield and integrate them into Ukraine's own air defenses, to help it better defend against Russia's missile attacks. For months, U.S. officials have hesitated to send longer-range systems to Ukraine out of concern that they would be used to target inside Russia, escalating the conflict and drawing the U.S. deeper in. The longer-range bombs are the latest advanced system, such as Abrams tanks and the Patriot missile defense system, that the U.S. has eventually agreed to provide Ukraine after initially saying no. U.S. officials, though, have continued to reject Ukraine's requests for fighter jets. Ukrainian leaders have urgently pressed for longer-range munitions, and on Thursday officials said the U.S. will send an undisclosed number of the ground-launched, small diameter bombs, which have a range of about 95 miles (150 kilometers). The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the aid package not yet made public. To date, the longest-range missile provided by the U.S. is about 50 miles (80 kilometers). The funding in the aid package is for longer-term purchases, so it wasn't clear Thursday how long it will take to get the bomb to the battlefield in Ukraine. Ukraine's defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said Thursday the country is prepared to offer guarantees to its Western partners that their weapons won't be used to strike inside Russian territory, adding that Kyiv needs weapons with a range of up to 300 kilometers (about 185 miles) to expel the Russian forces. ''If we could strike at a distance of up to 300 kilometers, the Russian army wouldn't be able to mount a defense and will have to withdraw,'' Reznikov said at a meeting with EU officials. ''Ukraine is ready to provide any guarantees that your weapons will not be involved in attacks on the Russian territory. We have enough targets in the occupied areas of Ukraine, and we're prepared to coordinate on (these) targets with our partners.'' The U.S. aid package includes $425 million in ammunition and support equipment that will be pulled from existing Pentagon stockpiles and $1.75 billion in new funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is used to purchase new weapons from industry. A stevedore sits in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle before loading it onto the ARC Wallenius Wilhemsen, Jan. 25, at the Transportation Core Dock in North Charleston, S.C., in this image provided by the U.S. Transportation Command. AP-Yonhap The assistance initiative, which will pay for the longer-range bombs and the air defense system integration, also funds two HAWK air defense systems, anti-aircraft guns and ammunition, and counter-drone systems. Since Russia's invasion last February, Western allies have pledged a myriad of air defense systems to Ukraine to bolster its own Soviet-made S-300 surface-to-air missile defense systems, and the latest aid package aims to provide the capability to integrate them all, which could improve Ukraine's ability to protect itself against incoming Russian attacks. The U.S. has pledged medium- to long-range National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, and truck-launched short-range Avenger air defense systems; the Netherlands, Germany and the U.S. are sending Patriot missile defense systems; Germany is sending medium-range IRIS-T air defense systems; and Spain is sending Aspide anti-aircraft air defense systems. The addition of longer-range bombs to the latest aid package was first reported by Reuters. Ukraine is still seeking F-16 fighter jets, which U.S. President Joe Biden has opposed sending since the beginning of the war. Asked Monday if his administration was considering sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, Biden responded, ''No.'' On Tuesday, the Ukrainian defense minister was asked if Biden's ''no'' to F-16s was the final word. ''All types of help first passed through the 'no' stage,'' Reznikov said. ''Which only means 'no' at today's given moment. The second stage is, 'Let's talk and study technical possibilities.' The third stage is, 'Let's get your personnel trained.' And the fourth stage is the transfer (of equipment).'' (AP) She is yet to confirm rumours that she is pregnant with her second child. And Ferne McCann wrapped up warm in a black padded coat and bright pink beanie as she enjoyed a fun-filled trip to Paris for her pal Ellis Ranson's 30th birthday on Friday. The former TOWIE star, 32, looked like she was having a great time with the group as they caught the Eurostar and visited the Eiffel Tower. Ferne dressed perfectly for the chilly weather in the stylish jacket which she teamed with a black and white scarf, leggings and comfy boots. The First Time Mum star added another pop of colour to her look with a fuchsia bag that matched her hat as she flashed the peace sign. Stylish: Ferne McCann wrapped up warm in a black padded coat and bright pink beanie as she enjoyed a fun-filled trip to Paris for her pal Ellis Ranson's 30th birthday on Friday The group also posed for shots in front of the famous landmark and looked like they were having a great time. She penned in the caption: 'Paris is always a good idea. Celebrating my girls 30th @ellisransonx . 'I have been looking forward to this little trip for ages. Now I'm off to get the steps in, take 100 more pics of the Eiffel Tower & eat croissants with my besties.' In recent weeks, rumours have been swirling that Ferne is expecting her second child, her first with fiance Lorri Haines. The First Time Mum star is yet to comment on the reports. A friend told The Sun last month: 'Ferne is over the moon. From the moment she met Lorri she knew she wanted to marry him and have his kids. 'They're both ready to commit and are looking forward to their future together.' Ferne is said to be expecting a baby with her businessman fiance Lorri, 31, six months after the couple announced their engagement. Trip! The former TOWIE star, 32, looked like she was having a great time with the group as they caught the Eurostar and visited the Eiffel Tower Crew: Ferne dressed perfectly for the chilly weather in the stylish jacket which she teamed with a black and white scarf, leggings and comfy boots Mother-of-one Ferne met her partner during a trip to Dubai just over one year ago and he proposed during a romantic holiday to France in July 2022 after just six months of dating. Ferne has a daughter Sunday, five, from a previous relationship with jailed acid attacker ex-boyfriend Arthur Collins. Lorri also has a son the same age as Sunday with his former partner. Ferne has made no secret of her desire to start a family with her partner of a year, saying she wanted a baby before the couple started planning their wedding. Pose! The First Time Mum star added another pop of colour to her look with a fuchsia bag that matched her hat as she flashed the peace sign Speaking in September after announcing her engagement, Ferne told Closer magazine: 'I haven't thought too much about wedding plans, we made the decision that we would like to have another baby first. 'I'd love for Sunday to have a sibling, and extend and grow our family. I really want a baby now, I'm so ready, but every baby is a miracle, and it will happen when it's meant to be.' Looking to the future, Ferne said she definitely wants to have more children and joked about having as many as 10 kids, adding that she wants to move to the countryside by the time she is 40. Ferne's first pregnancy with Sunday was marred with controversy after her boyfriend at the time, Arthur Collins, was arrested for orchestrating an acid attack. Happy Valley's Amit Shah has praised the BBC for not letting 'impatient viewers' binge watch the series. The actor, 41, who plays pharmacist Faisel Bhatti in the show which is transmitted every Sunday, appeared on Friday's Lorraine ahead of this weekend's nail-biting finale. He said: 'The show is like torture, credit to the BBC to release one a week so it created debate instead of people binging it like most shows'. However the actor remained tight-lipped about what will happen to his 'unlikely murderer' refusing to 'ruin' the final episode for fans. 'I can't ruin the final - people are so impatient! I can't ruin it!' Hold your horses: Happy Valley's Amit Shah, 41, has praised the BBC for not letting 'impatient viewers' binge watch the series Amit, who joined the smash hit show this series, admitted to host Lorraine Kelly that it was a daunting prospect. 'When I first read the script I was scared by the size of the show. I was intimidated by it!'. The pharmacist has found himself in a perilous situation after selling drugs from his pharmacy led to him brutally murdering patient Joanna Hepworth (Mollie Winnard). Going on to discuss the character actor Amit said: 'He's an unlikely murdered, he's a regular guy that would normally blend into the background. He's not a slick drugs kingpin he doesn't fit in'. 'All these characters are so beautifully rounded and flawed. You think he's done bad stuff but you have to look at why. He is in a pressure cooker situation'. A trailer for the final episode of Happy Valley was released this week ahead of the upcoming finale on Sunday. The 16 second clip teases the final showdown between Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) and Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) after his daring escape from court before the police sergeant is shown breaking down in tears. Actor : Amit, who plays pharmacist Faisel Bhatti in the show which is transmitted every Sunday, appeared on Friday's Lorraine ahead of this weekend's nail-biting finale Secrets: However the actor remained tight-lipped about what will happen to his 'unlikely murderer' refusing to 'ruin' the final episode for fans The trailer opens with Tommy's son Ryan (Rhys Connah) being questioned by police about when he last had contact with his dangerous dad. A series of scenes of the police moving in on Tommy follow as Catherine is heard saying 'he's still out there, he's going to be angry and he's going to be even more desperate and dangerous'. The short clip ends with a bloodied Tommy appearing to hit somebody on the ground and a final shot of Catherine in tears. Scary: Amit, who joined the smash hit show this series, admitted to host Lorraine Kelly that it was a daunting prospect Finale: Going on to discuss the character actor Amit said: 'He's an unlikely murdered, he's a regular guy that would normally blend into the background. He's not a slick drugs kingpin he doesn't fit in' Drama: Faisel has found himself in a perilous situation after selling drugs from his pharmacy led to him brutally murdering patient Joanna Hepworth (Mollie Winnard, left) Viewers tuned into the breathless penultimate episode of the BBC drama on Sunday evening as Tommy revealed his grand plans. Tommy escaped at the end of the fourth episode of this series with fans learning in Sunday's fifth instalment that he planned to run off to Marbella, with his son Ryan in tow. Viewers admitted they could barely watch the dramatic episode as everything lined up for a dramatic showdown between Tommy and Sargent Catherine, as he revealed he plans to kill her before jetting off to Spain. Producers are said to be so desperate to keep the show's climax a secret that they have filmed five different endings. More than six million viewers are expected to tune in on Sunday to learn how the cat-and-mouse game will be resolved. Former Married At First Sight star Olivia Frazer has become one of Australia's biggest OnlyFans creators in the past year. But she still managed to shock fans by simulating a raunchy sex act on stage at male strip show Magic Men in Sydney on Saturday. The 29-year-old stunned onlookers when she got on stage with celebrity stripper Will Parfitt and got on all fours with her dress hiked up to her waist. Married At First Sight star Olivia Frazer (pictured) shocked onlookers by simulating a sex act on stage at the Magic Men strip show in Sydney on Friday Parfitt, who was shirtless in a pair of jeans, then grabbed Olivia by the hips and started to thrust into her as hip-hop music blasted from the speakers. He then stood up and walked around in front of Olivia, grabbing her blonde hair and thrusting his crotch into her face. Olivia was at the strip show with her former co-star Carolina Schimidt, who also let her hair down by getting a lapdance from an oiled up male stripper in a G-string. While the Married At First Sight brides brought some star power to the show thanks to their reality TV fame, their notoriety pales in comparison to Parfitt. The 29-year-old stunned onlookers when she got on stage with celebrity stripper Will Parfitt and got on all fours with her dress hiked up to her waist The 32-year-old has become a huge social media star thanks to his resemblance to Channing Tatum, who famously plays a male stripper in the Magic Mike films. The UK-born hunk boasts 1.6million followers on Instagram and 6.8million followers on TikTok. The stripper previously told Daily Mail Australia that he can earn more than $3,000 in a single weekend. Meanwhile, Olivia is raking in big bucks on her OnlyFans page, where she posts explicit photos and videos of herself. 'I do OnlyFans now and crush it,' she recently told Maxim magazine. 'I reached the top 0.01 per cent of all OnlyFans creators in June 2022.' She added: 'The page itself is the naughty things that would get my Instagram account shadow-banned again. The super naughty things are released in the DMs.' When asked what the secret to her success is, Olivia responded: 'I'd like to think that it's because I'm a curvier girl who just embraces it.' The stripper then stood up and walked around in front of Olivia, grabbing her blonde hair and thrusting his crotch into her face Last year, Olivia boasted about pocketing $500,000 in her first four months as an OnlyFans creator. But the bombshell has since admitted she's struggling to maintain the same level of success on the platform due to her own mental state. Appearing on her ex-'husband' Jackson Leonie's YouTube series Chats with Jackson and Friends in December, Olivia admitted she hadn't felt motivated enough to disrobe for raunchy photo shoots. 'Not really feeling my sexiest. It's not one of those things you can just snap into. You really have to be in the mood to take sexy pictures and things like that,' she said. Last year, Olivia boasted about pocketing $500,000 in her first four months as an OnlyFans creator Olivia clarified she was still making money on OnlyFans despite her waning popularity and lack of new content. 'Even though my account has been relatively dormant from how it was originally, it's still, like, a good passive income,' she insisted. 'I think it's because I posted so much at the beginning there's still content to purchase. I'm slowly getting back into it.' Olivia charges subscribers $14.99 per month, which is on the pricey side for OnlyFans. Coronation Street actor Adam Little has confirmed his exit from the soap after his character Blake Myers was sent to prison. Taking to Instagram the star, who joined the show in June 2022, paid tribute to the soap's cast and crew before describing bad boy Blake as 'crazy'. Adam's final scenes aired on Monday night with viewers rejoicing after his character was sentenced for the stabbing of Alya Nazir [Sair Khan] as well as the attempted murder of Maria Connor [Samia Longchambon]. Sharing a black and white snap of himself on the famous street he wrote: 'Thank you to @coronationstreet for the opportunity to be a part of this storyline and play crazy man Blake!' 'It's been a blast working with such a friendly cast and crew who have made me so welcome'. Exit: Coronation Street actor Adam Little has confirmed his exit from the soap after his character Blake Myers was sent to prison Before adding: 'Thank you to all the viewers who have supported and sent me lovely messages it's really appreciated.' Former co-star Luke Delaney (who played Dave Fairchild) commented: 'Smashed it lad. See you out there.' Blake's prison sentence was climax of the show's terrifying extremism plot that promoted 72 complaints to Ofcom. The scene in question took place as Maria gave a speech at an event organised to highlight the Weatherfield refugee drop-in centre. As Maria welcomed the refugees, Max Turner was on his phone listening to a character named Blake making a racist speech pledging to put an end to the refugee centre by whatever means necessary. A far right gang has recently groomed the teen, isolating him from his loved ones and pushing him to help spread Griff's racist agenda. Blake has also been manipulated and acted out by attempting to murder councillor Maria. Pushing his way through the crowd in the restaurant Black revealed he had a knife on him and Alya stepped in front of Maria as he tried to hurt her. Adam's final scenes aired on Monday night with viewers finally rejoicing after his character was sentenced for attempted murder - resulting in 72 Ofcom complaints Alya was stabbed and seriously injured in the struggle before Gary Windass, played by Mikey North, tackled Blake to the ground. However, it was too late for Alya as she dropped down clutching her chest where her wound was bleeding. Blake was arrested by police and blamed the attack on Max. Thanks! Sharing a black and white snap of himself on the face street he wrote: 'Thank you to @coronationstreet for the opportunity to be a part of this storyline and play crazy man Blake!' Viewers were left less than impressed by the 'bloody violence' scenes and took to Twitter to complain about the dark episode. MailOnline has contacted a spokesperson for Coronation Street for comment. It comes as serial killer Stephen Reid will put himself under even more pressure on the show next week, as he plots a secret business deal behind Carla Connor's back. In upcoming scenes, Stephen joins forces with Sarah Platt and Michael Bailey to bring in a slew of new clients, even asking Beth Tinker to work through the night to make up some samples. Terrifying: The episode has so far been hit with a total of 72 complaints about the violence that saw Alya stabbed and nearly killed Scary: Viewers hit out at the programmes on going terrifying extremism plot where an attempt was made to murder Maria Connor, played by Samia Longchambon But, Stephen struggles to hide his deal from Carla when she nearly spots the client in the factory... will she realise what he's been up to. Stephen (Todd Boyce) has been desperate to boost his earnings in recent weeks after killing Teddy Thompkins (Grant Burgin) and his son Leo (Joe Frost) to hide his mounting debts. And next week, Michael (Ryan Russell) and Sarah (Tina O'Brien) agree they need to think big with their designs and bombard all of the retailers on Stephen's list. SPOILER:It comes as serial killer Stephen Reid will put himself under even more pressure on the show next week, as he plots a secret business deal behind Carla Connor's back However, it appears that Sarah's workload could spark tension in her relationship with Adam, as she turns down their dinner plans. Admitting she needs to work late again as they're trying to win a big contract, Adam (Samuel Robertson) tells her that they need to make time to talk about having a baby. Sarah admits that now isn't the right time to be thinking about a baby, and in the factory she watches as Beth (Lisa George) works away on new samples. At odds: Sarah's focus on work begins to cause tension in her marriage to husband Adam, admitting that now isn't the right time to try for a baby Having spent all night working on them, Beth admits to Michael that her machine has jammed, and if Carla (Alison King) sees it she'll realise she's been moonlighting. Sarah and Michael meet up with Rufus from Donahues and show him their samples, while Stephen shows him around the factory. However, his cover is nearly blown when Carla returns and Stephen quickly steers Rufus away. Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX. James Norton revealed US stars Amy Schumer and Bob Dylan 'love' Happy Valley as he discussed the drama's popularity in a recent interview. The actor, 37, who plays vindictive villain Tommy Lee Royce in the series, explained that Americans find England 'fascinating.' Speaking to Vera magazine, he said he received a direct message on Twitter from comedian Amy confessing her love for Happy Valley. James gushed: 'People find our little island fascinating. When you ask Americans where they're from, they're still obsessed with our heritage because it's in some ways theirs. 'Happy Valley is quintessentially British in its specificity to that part of England. There's a fascination with that.' Exciting: James Norton, 37, has revealed US stars Amy Schumer and Bob Dylan 'love' Happy Valley as he discussed the drama's popularity in a recent interview James continued: 'It's a brilliant police procedural but at its heart it's about family. What translates across the world is that everyone knows what it is to have messed up families that you can't tear yourself away from. It's cool.' His comments come after a trailer for the final episode of Happy Valley was released today ahead of the upcoming finale on Sunday. The 16 second clip teases the final showdown between Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) and Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) after his daring escape from court before the police sergeant is shown breaking down in tears. The trailer opens with Tommy's son Ryan (Rhys Connah) being questioned by police about when he last had contact with his dangerous dad. A series of scenes of the police moving in on Tommy follow as Catherine is heard saying 'he's still out there, he's going to be angry and he's going to be even more desperate and dangerous'. On screen: The actor who plays vindictive villain Tommy Lee Royce in the series, explained that Americans find England 'fascinating' Famous fans: Speaking to Vera magazine, he said he received a direct message on Twitter from comedian Amy confessing her love for Happy Valley and Bob Dylan also likes the show The short clip ends with a bloodied Tommy appearing to hit somebody on the ground and a final shot of Catherine in tears. Viewers tuned into the breathless penultimate episode of the BBC drama on Sunday evening as Tommy Lee Royce revealed his grand plans. Tommy escaped at the end of the fourth episode of this series with fans learning in Sunday's fifth instalment that he planned to run off to Marbella, with his son Ryan in tow. The end is near: A trailer for the final episode of Happy Valley has been released ahead of the finale on Sunday showing Sarah Lancashire's Catherine Cawood breaking down in tears Viewers admitted they could barely watch the dramatic episode as everything lined up for a dramatic showdown between Tommy and Sargent Catherine, as he revealed he plans to kill her before jetting off to Spain. Producers are said to be so desperate to keep the show's climax a secret that they have filmed five different endings. More than six million viewers are expected to tune in on Sunday to learn how the cat-and-mouse game will be resolved. She's been juggling presenting duties in South Africa and the United Kingdom, dividing her time between the Love Island villa and the Aftersun studio. And Maya Jama made the most of her time abroad on Friday as she soaked up the sunshine in a skimpy black bikini. The presenter, 28, wowed in a stunning Instagram clip as she showcased her incredible figure after visiting the villa in time to see a shock double dumping. Maya put her ample cleavage and toned stomach on display as she danced around in the tiny two-piece. She allowed her natural beauty to shine through by going makeup-free, while her glossy raven locks were left loose to frame her pretty features. Sizzling: Maya Jama showed off her incredible figure in a bikini on Friday after squeezing in a quick trip to the Love Island villa in South Africa for a shock double dumping She delighted viewers when she made her Love Island hosting debut last month. And fans will be treated to another dose of Maya Jama on Friday's episode when she returns to the villa to announce the surprise double dumping. As night fell in the Villa the Islanders got the shock of their lives as Maya, 28, strutted her stuff into the villa in an orange figure-hugging dress. With the group gasping, Maya announced: 'Hello lovelies! Surprise, did you miss me Can you please all gather by the fire pit.' As the Islanders sat before her, Maya continued: 'I'm sure you're all wondering why I'm here you have definitely been a busy bunch. Well, I've got some very important news.' Yet Maya will not have had the chance to witness the aftermath, jetting back to London in order to present Aftersun on Sunday night. One of the guests on the spin-off show will be Zara, who touched down at London's Heathrow Airport on Friday after her shock villa boot. Despite having just stepped off an 11-hour flight, the 24-year-old model looked fresh-faced and chirpy as she strolled through the terminal with her minder. Incredible: Maya put her ample cleavage and toned stomach on display as she danced around in the tiny two-piece Gorgeous: She allowed her natural beauty to shine through by going makeup-free, while her glossy raven locks were left loose to frame her pretty features It comes after Thursday's episode ended with the threat of the dumping, as the villa's strongest couple hit the rocks after a racy kissing challenge. Hours after dropping the 'L-bomb,' Shaq and Tanya's romance was plunged into crisis, as he accused her of being 'disrespectful' by passionately kissing the other boys.... leaving her admitting that his behaviour 'gave her the ick.' For one couple, it was the end of the road as Olivia and Spencer agreed that there was no spark between them, but for another roots were planted, as Jessie friendzoned new bombshell Casey to stay loyal to Will Young. Love Island airs on ITV2 and ITVX at 9pm daily. She's back: Maya will not have had the chance to witness the Love Island dumping aftermath, jetting back to London in order to present Aftersun on Sunday night (pictured last week) They've been happily married for 22 years. And bearded Pierce Brosnan, 69, and his beloved wife Keely Shaye, 59, Smith looked incredibly happy as they enjoyed a dinner date in Santa Monica on Thursday night. The besotted couple joined friends at upmarket restaurant Giorgio Baldi and Pierce looked very handsome wearing a chic navy ensemble. Keely pulled out all the stops wearing a black top and embellished skirt, with a string of green beads worn around her neck. The couple were pictured holding hands outside the restaurant as Pierce gently guided his wife across the road. Holding hands: Bearded Pierce Brosnan, 69, looked dapper as he joined glam wife Keely Shaye Smith, 59, for dinner date in Santa Monica on Thursday night Looking good: Pierce exchanged vows with Keely in his native Ireland in August 2001 Pierce exchanged vows with Keely in his native Ireland in August 2001. The couple met at a party in 1994 after the death of Pierce's first wife Cassandra Harris in 1991, and hit it off before eventually deciding to tie the knot seven years later. The couple share two sons together, Dylan, 25, and Paris, 21, who are the youngest of Pierce's five children. The Mamma Mia! hunk also has son Sean, 38, and adopted son Chris, 49, as well as his late adopted daughter Charlotte with Cassandra. Pierce adopted Cassandra's children Chris and Charlotte after their father Dermot Harris died in 1986. It's has been a happy time for the Brosnan household as Pierce celebrated the birth of his fourth grandchild shortly recently. Sharing a snap on Instagram, the four-time Bond actor revealed Jaxxon Elijah to the world. In a short caption, Pierce said: 'Jaxxon Elijah Brosnan, born 3:06pm 11/12/22 all good blessings to you my dearest grandson, welcome.' The baby's parents are Pierce's son Sean Brosnan and daughter-in-law Sanja Banic, who together also have a seven-year-old daughter called Marley. Date night: The couple recently attended the GQ Men of the Year party together recently Nicky Hilton shared an inside look at her process for getting ready for the Marc Jacobs runway show on Friday. She posted a series of photos on Instagram revealing the gorgeous black lace gown she chose to wear. But the siren also admitted that she chose not to wear one of the items the fashion house sent her. She captioned the post, 'Got all glammed up for Marc Jacobs PS- I regret to report that I chickened out and skipped the runway shoes after all' The mother of three - who looked great in a fuzzy coat last week in NYC - then shared a photo of herself holding up a pair of truly sky high clunky platform sandals that would be a challenge for anyone to wear. The socialite wore her blonde hair in an updo with tendrils of hair pulled out of it to frame her face. Sky high platforms: Nicky Hilton shared BTS photos of her getting ready for the Marc Jacobs runway show in New York City including a shot of the shoes she 'chickened out' of wearing Lacy dress: Nicky looked glamorous in a floor length black lace gown with black leather opera gloves She also wore black leather opera gloves that came up above her elbows. Nicky took the photos sitting on the edge of her marble bathtub. The 39-year-old accessorized the look with a simple silver link necklace. She did not share what shoes she opted to wear instead of the ridiculously high platform sandals. The blonde bombshell also shared photos of her invite to the show at the Park Avenue Armory as well as a BTS photo of the runway. Nicky has become quite the fashion plate as she's grown older. Recently, she was spotted on the streets of New York City in a chic and stylish look. She wore a cream turtleneck sweater underneath a camel brown boucle jacket, wide-legged jeans, and brown boots and accessorized with a brown handbag, e and accessorized with a pair of sunglasses and silver hoop earrings. That outing came just days after her older sister Paris Hilton revealed she and her husband, Carter Reum, had welcomed a son via surrogate. Paris revealed the happy news on social media, posting a photo to her of her hand and her new baby boy's hand and wrote in the caption: 'You are already loved beyond words.' Chickened out: The star's caption was light hearted and honest Lady in red: The socialite also shared a snap of the runway show featuring an all red avant-garde look Mrs. Rothschild: Her invitation to the exclusive Manhattan fashion show was addressed to her married name Nicky posted a throwback photo of her and Paris with their mother, Kathy Hilton, from the 1980s to her Instagram. The author was congratulating her sister and brother-in-law. She captioned the post: 'Welcome to mommyhood @parishilton! So so incredibly happy for youuu! Its the most beautiful ride. There is no greater love. You are going to be the best mommy. What a lucky boy!' An exclusive invite: The envelope holding her invitation to the fashion show looked tiny next to the platform sandals It is a plot twist worthy of the TV dramas she stars in. Actress Gillian Anderson appears to have rekindled her relationship with The Crown creator Peter Morgan. The pair, who dated for four years until 2020, were pictured hand-in-hand in central London. Ms Anderson, 54, looked stylish in a black aviator-style jacket with black trousers and heels, while Morgan, 59, was dressed casually in trainers, brown trousers and a dark hooded jacket. The couple never lived together when they dated, with Ms Anderson once joking: If we did, that would be the end of it. Gillian Anderson and The Crown creator Peter Morgan pictured walking hand-in-hand The pair were pictured in central London together The pair, who dated for four years, appear to have rekindled their relationship Gillian Anderson and Peter Morgan pictured in September 2020 The split was reportedly amicable, with suggestions that their highly demanding work schedules played a part in the relationship ending. Within weeks of their split Morgan was dating film-maker Jemima Khan but the pair called it quits by February 2021. The pair reportedly fell out in after Morgan failed to portray Princess Dianas story as respectfully or compassionately as Ms Khan, a friend of the princesss, had hoped in The Crown. Ms Anderson, who played Margaret Thatcher in series four of the Netflix drama, attended the shows series five premiere at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, last November. The pair, who split amicably in 2020, were seen together in central London The couple pictured together at the Golden Globe Awards in January 2020 Gillian Anderson and Jemima Khan at the 2018 pre-Bafta party thrown by British film producer Charles Finch A source at the time said: She and Peter are good friends again, and she was there to support him. Its not clear whether this extends into a romance they are a very private pair. Ms Anderson, who plays uninhibited sex therapist Jean Milburn in another hit Netflix show, Sex Education, recently to write to her about about their sex lives for a book she is working on. Writing in the Guardian, she said: I want women across the world, and all of you who identify intrinsically as women now queer, heterosexual and bisexual, non-binary, transgender, polyamorous all of you, old and young, whatever your religion, and married, single or other, to write to me and tell me what you think about when you think about sex. Only Fools and Horses star Nicholas Lyndhurst is busy filming the Frasier revival this week, it has been confirmed - in his first major role since his son's death. The legend will appear in two episodes of the Paramount+ reboot of the US sitcom - which was a Cheers spin-off - as Alan, a friend of Kelsey Grammer's character Dr Frasier Crane. The 61-year-old actor - who played Rodney Trotter in Only Fools and Horses opposite Sir David Jason as his older brother Del Boy - will film his scenes in front of a live studio audience in LA. Kelsey, 67, is delighted to have Nicholas onboard after they become friends from starring together in The 2019 West End production of The Man of La Mancha. A representative for Frasier said: 'Frasier Crane in the next chapter of his life as he returns to Boston with new challenges to face, new relationships to forge and an old dream or two to finally fulfill. Frasier has re-entered the building!' Role: Only Fools and Horses star Nicholas Lyndhurst is busy filming the Frasier revival this week, it has been confirmed - in his first major role since his son's death The new series will also feature the actress Toks Olagundoye as Olivia, a co-worker of Frasier, and Jack Cutmore-Scott as the psychotherapeutic radio presenter's son Freddy Crane. Freddy is described as a mixture of his father and his grandfather, Marty Crane, a role played by John Mahoney, who passed away in 2019 aged 77 from complications from throat cancer. The offspring of Frasier's character description reads: 'Years ago, Freddy rejected following in his father's footstepsdropping out of college to become a firemanand he's never looked back until now, when recent troubles have left him with no one to turn to in his life.' News of the series - which will not involve his former co-stars David Hyde Pierce, Jane Leeves, and Peri Gilpin - was confirmed last month after speculation dating back to 2021. Jack - who is best known for his work in the TV series Deceptio - quipped about his casting as reason to break his nearly five year Instagram hiatus. The 35-year-old actor wrote on the social media platform in January: 'Frasier' is coming back!!! 'That's got to be worth an Instagram post after almost five years. Also hi! I know it's been a while, but I hope you are doing well.' Best known for his role as Rodney Trotter in British sitcom Only Fools And Horses, Nicholas's performances in Goodnight Sweetheart, New Tricks and Butterflies are just a few other titles under his belt. Exciting: The legend will appear in two episodes of the Paramount+ reboot of the US sitcom - which was a Cheers spin-off - as Alan, a friend of Kelsey Grammer's character Dr Frasier Crane Tough: The actor has had a difficult few years, after losing his son Archie at the age of 19 following a brain haemorrhage The actor has had a difficult few years, after losing his son Archie at the age of 19 following a brain haemorrhage. It was then claimed that he was considering retiring from acting following the tragic loss. At the time the star's close friend, writer Laurence Marks, 73, said that Nicholas may not return to public life after his heartache, something the actor's camp insists is 'ridiculous'. Laurence told the Daily Star Sunday: 'Nicholas underwent tragedy. It must have broken his heart. It would break anyone's heart. Friends: Kelsey, 67, (pictured) is delighted to have Nicholas onboard after they become friends from starring together in The 2019 West End production of The Man of La Mancha 'He has always kept himself to himself and now he'll do that more than ever. Now he's lost his son, he'll never come out again. I doubt we will see him do any more acting.' However, a representative for Nicholas told MailOnline: 'It is complete nonsense that Nicholas Lyndhurst is retired or retiring. It comes after an insider claimed that the long-anticipated Frasier sequel could leave fans disappointed over missing cast members, Z-list writers and producers and a lack of lavish sets. Sources familiar with the new show, helmed by Kelsey Grammer as he reprises his role as Dr. Frasier Crane, claimed the set was running on a low-budget with novice actors and writers, RadarOnline reports. Back in the day: Best known for his role as Rodney Trotter in British sitcom Only Fools And Horses (pictured with Dellboy), Nicholas's performances in Goodnight Sweetheart, New Tricks and Butterflies are just a few other titles under his belt 'With the Paramount+ Frasier reboot, you're getting the actor you know and love in his most famous role, but you're not getting much else,' the sources said. 'There will be no lavish sets and none of the beloved faces fans held dear. Even the writers and producers are Z-list.' The alleged troubles come just months after Grammer, 67, announced that the reboot was greenlit by Paramount+, with the beloved actor serving as the executive producer. The 90s saw Grammer propel to nationwide fame on the Cheers spin-off series, Frasier, with the actor reportedly in talks for years to try and revive the show. However, Grammer is set to be the only returning original cast member after David Hyde Pierce, who played Fraiser's little brother Niles, is said to have demanded a larger role in the reboot and more pay. Reunion: News of the series - which will not involve his former co-stars David Hyde Pierce, Jane Leeves, and Peri Gilpin - was confirmed last month after speculation dating back to 2021 'David has become a huge star on Broadway,' a source told RadarOnline. 'He doesn't need the show, so he decided to leverage his appearance to the hilt. In the end, he overplayed his hand and lost.' The fallout with Niles led to the show scrapping a big reunion scene and instead opting to move Dr. Frasier out of his Seattle hometown to a new city with a brand new cast. 'They were all excited about coming back and were devastated when they found it wouldn't be happening,' an insider told the outlet. The missing big-name actors are accompanied by a lack of seasoned writers, as the show's chief scribes are Chris Harris and Joe Cristalli. Both writers have short profiles on IMDB, with Harris previously working on How I Met Your Mother and David Letterman. Cristalli's best known work is Life In Pieces, a canceled CBS sitcom starring Colin Hanks, the son of famed actor Tom Hanks. Despite the lack of big names attached to the show, sources said Kelsey is hoping his charm along will see long-time fans return. 'Kelsey's bet is he'll be enough to attract a big audience,' one insider said. 'The reboot will have all of those delicious one-liners that made him so famous to begin with.' Along with a missing Niles, one of the original show's most popular characters, Frasier's father, Martin, also won't be returning. Martin was played by John Mahoney, who died aged 77 in a Chicago hospice in February 2018 due to complications from throat cancer. Also missing from the reboot will be Jane Leeves, who played Daphne Moon, and Peri Gilpin, who played Roz Doyle. Their absence, Grammer said, will be dealt with on the show. 'We'll certainly be responsive about the fact that there was a brother and such. But the new world for Frasier is one of new friendships and some new twists and turns he didn't know were still in there,' Grammer said in October. Paramount+ confirmed the reboot had been in development in February 2021, with Grammer announcing last July that the scripting was underway. The Iconic Series, Frasier, is available to stream now only on Stan in Australia. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, left, shakes hands with South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup at a joint press conference after their meeting at the defense ministry in Seoul, Jan. 31. AP-Yonhap The U.S. is expanding its military presence in Asia, in a string of moves aimed at countering Beijing and reassuring Indo-Pacific allies that America will stand with them against threats from China and North Korea. The U.S. actions stretch from Japan to the Solomon Islands. And they involve more and increasingly advanced military exercises in the region and additional troop rotations in key areas facing the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea. In some cases, they also could provide logistical support in the event of any conflict with China, specifically in defense of the self-governing island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own. The announcements in recent weeks have triggered angry responses from both China and North Korea. And they come as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to go to China next week in what will be the first visit by a Cabinet-level official in the Biden administration. South Korea In Seoul on Tuesday, Austin announced that the U.S. would increase its deployment of advanced military assets to the Korean Peninsula, including fighter jets and aircraft carriers to boost joint training and planning. He and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-Sup agreed to expand their combined military exercises, including more live-fire demonstrations. And they discussed preparations for a simulated exercise in February aimed at sharpening their response if North Korea used nuclear weapons. North Korea test-fired dozens of missiles in 2022, including potentially nuclear-capable ones designed to strike targets in South Korea and the U.S. mainland. The U.S. resumed large-scale military drills last year, including an aerial exercise involving U.S. strategic bombers in November, in a stepped-up effort to deter Pyongyang. The allies had scaled back exercises in recent years to create room for diplomacy with North Korea during the Trump administration and because of the COVID-19 pandemic. North Korea, in response, said it's prepared to counter U.S. military moves with the ''most overwhelming nuclear force.'' It said the expansion of military exercises is pushing tensions to an ''extreme red line.'' Japan Last month, the U.S. and Japan agreed to adjust the American troop presence on the island of Okinawa in part to enhance anti-ship capabilities that would be needed in the event of a Chinese incursion into Taiwan or other hostile acts in the South or East China sea. They also added a formal mention of outer space in the longstanding U.S.-Japan security treaty, making clear that ''attacks to, from and within space'' could trigger the mutual defense provisions of the treaty. And Japan announced it would begin constructing a pair of runways on the small southern island of Mageshima where joint exercises, amphibious operations and missile interception could begin in about four years. The island would be a hub for troop deployments and munition supplies in case of a conflict like a Taiwan emergency. The changes in the U.S. deployment on Okinawa will transform the 12th Marine Regiment into a smaller, more rapidly mobile unit the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, which will be better equipped to fight an adversary and defend the U.S. and its allies in the region. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin walks past military guards during arrival honors at the Department of National Defense in Camp Aguinaldo military camp in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, Feb. 2. Reuters-Yonhap His performance as psychopath Tommy Lee Royce in Happy Valley is spellbinding to BBC viewers. And as we approach the finale of the show this Sunday, it can be revealed that James Norton's star power has helped to sell out the entire 12-week run of A Little Life at the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End. The show a tough watch which clocks in at an epic three hours and 40 minutes will run for up to eight performances a week from March to June at the Pinter, after previewing in Richmond. Both venues are sold out. Norton plays lawyer Jude in A Little Life, based on Hanya Yanagihara's best-selling novel about four college classmates in New York and directed by Ivo van Hove. The show originated in Amsterdam, in Dutch, and this will mark its English-language premiere. Leading man: James Norton's star power has helped to sell out the entire 12-week run of A Little Life at the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End It comes after James revealed US stars Amy Schumer and Bob Dylan 'love' Happy Valley as he discussed the drama's popularity in a recent interview. The actor explained that Americans find England 'fascinating.' Speaking to Vera magazine, he said he received a direct message on Twitter from comedian Amy confessing her love for Happy Valley. James gushed: 'People find our little island fascinating. When you ask Americans where they're from, they're still obsessed with our heritage because it's in some ways theirs. 'Happy Valley is quintessentially British in its specificity to that part of England. There's a fascination with that.' James continued: 'It's a brilliant police procedural but at its heart it's about family. What translates across the world is that everyone knows what it is to have messed up families that you can't tear yourself away from. It's cool.' His comments come after a trailer for the final episode of Happy Valley was released today ahead of the upcoming finale on Sunday. The 16 second clip teases the final showdown between Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) and Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) after his daring escape from court before the police sergeant is shown breaking down in tears. One to watch: His performance as psychopath Tommy Lee Royce in Happy Valley is spellbinding to BBC viewers The trailer opens with Tommy's son Ryan (Rhys Connah) being questioned by police about when he last had contact with his dangerous dad. A series of scenes of the police moving in on Tommy follow as Catherine is heard saying 'he's still out there, he's going to be angry and he's going to be even more desperate and dangerous'. The short clip ends with a bloodied Tommy appearing to hit somebody on the ground and a final shot of Catherine in tears. Former Victorias Secret model Joy Corrigan showcased her toned abs as she arrived to Catch LA in West Hollywood on Thursday. The 28-year-old supermodel made a jaw-dropping appearance in a pink top with fabric straps tied under her chest and around her hips to hold up her low-slung skirt. The racy ensemble had peak-a-boob slits on her chest and a long fabric hanging from her skirt over high black boots. Joy styled her signature blonde locks straight over her shoulders with a center part and opted for pink lips and smokey eyes as she arrived at the Nader sisters x Clarins launch event. The stunner added a black blazer, which slid off her shoulders as she posed for a few snaps. Sidewalk runway: Joy Corrigan, 28, showcased her fit figure in a busty pink top and coordinated skirt on Thursday when she made a jaw-dropping appearance at West Hollywood hotspot Catch LA Flaunt it: The racy pink outfit was held together with fabric straps tied under her chest and around her waist and hips, holding up her low-slung skirt Joy finished off the look with a white clutch bag slung over her shoulder. Corrigan was joined by her brother James who wore a black button-up shirt, black pants hemmed with scissors, white sneakers, and a long red printed robe. Famous for her eye-popping bikini pics, the beauty recently celebrated her 28th birthday in Mexico at a luxurious beachside resort. She has been dating tech executive Ted Dhanik, 46, and the pair have been spotted on several vacations together, soaking up the sun in tropical locales. Since serving as one of the first executives of MySpace, Dhanik has earned a reputation outside of Silicon Valley for his romantic escapades in Hollywood. He dated American Pie sex symbol Tara Reid in 2017 before striking up a relationship with America's Got Talent contortionist Marina Mazepa. The aspiring designer never fails to promote her own swimwear line, Naked Species, which certainly lives up to its name as Joy recently frolicked up and down Miami Beach in a chainlink bikini that barely contained her. Trusted chaperone: Corrigan was joined by her brother James who wore a black button-up shirt, black pants hemmed with scissors, white sneakers, and a long red printed robe From the back: Joy styled her signature blonde locks straight over her shoulders and down her back and added a black blazer to match her boots Corrigan started Naked Species with her sister Gina and the bombshell siblings favor a less-is-more aesthetic when it comes to creating swimwear. In an interview with Maxim last year, the model discussed her laid back attitude towards showing her body in front of the camera. 'I love to be sexy and I love to show skin 'cause I work out really hard to get the body that I have. I've always been very free-spirited about it.' The North Carolina native added that she tries to keep every picture 'classy' and declared that her goal is to be 'a visual showcase of the beauty of what a woman can look like.' 1923, the series that tells the origin story of Yellowstone's Dutton family, has been renewed for a second season at Paramount+. Legendary stars Harrison Ford, 80, and Helen Mirren, 77, play Jacob and Cara on the Taylor Sheridan show. The project takes place at a time 'when pandemics, historic drought, and the end of Prohibition all plague the mountain west, and the Duttons who call it home,' notes Paramount+. The news of a renewal comes just weeks after the December 2022 premiere episode of the first season. At the time, the show made headlines for debuting with 7.4 million viewers, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Series update: 1923, the series that tells the origin story of Yellowstone's Dutton family , has been renewed for a second season at Paramount+ The premiere episode - which featured Helen's Cara Dutton killing a trespasser and more - had four broadcast cable airings, three on Paramount Network and one on CMT. After its success, Tanya Giles, Chief Programming Officer at Paramount Streaming, said: 'Anchored by Taylor Sheridans incredible vision and the performances of legends Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford, we felt confident this next chapter of the Dutton Family origin story would resonate with audiences.' 'We are thrilled with the record-breaking early response to the first episode and cant wait to introduce more audiences to this incredible journey of perseverance, heartbreak and adventure set amongst the backdrop of the Mountain West,' she added. 1923 features Ford in his first major television role, portraying Jacob Dutton alongside Oscar-winning Mirren as his wife Cara Dutton. The cast also includes Darren Mann, Michelle Randolph, James Badge Dale, Marley Shelton, Brian Geraghty, Aminah Nieves, and Jerome Flynn. 1923 is the second Yellowstone prequel series, following last year's 1883 starring Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as James and Margaret Dutton. Sheridan also has another present-day spin-off entitled 6666, set on the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas, and expected to debut in 2023. Yellowstone debuted its fifth season in mid-November, debuting to 10.3 million viewers across Paramount Network, CMT, TV Land and Pop. Star-studded: Legendary stars Harrison Ford, 80, and Helen Mirren, 77, play Jacob and Cara on the Taylor Sheridan show Last year Harrison told THR how he was introduced to 1923: 'I had met with Taylor, who gave me a very brief outline of what he had in mind, and I went on faith and my experience with Yellowstone, 1883.' He gushed about the director, 'Hes produced a work of incredible ambition, scale, scope [and] cinematic ambition. Taylor thinks of each of these episodes as a one-hour movie. And thats the product that were getting.' Weeks before the announcement of a second season, the iconic actor said he'd hope to continue with the show. 'I have been very satisfied and encouraged and challenged by the work at hand. We have another season, I hope, to get to know this character and see him in different circumstances. But Im having a great time. Im really enjoying it,' he said last December. Millie Court and Chloe Burrows were all smiles as they headed out for lunch together in Manchester on Friday. The Love Island stars were seen heading to the Menagerie Restaurant and Bar, and Millie sported a beautiful plunging white dress with a paint splatter pattern. She paired the frock, which showcased her slender legs, with a green khaki jacket. The beauty toted her essentials in a sequinned silver bag and added inches to her frame with strappy gold heels. Meanwhile, Chloe donned a daring silver corset top and complemented her look with a pair of denim jeans. Pals: Millie Court and Chloe Burrows were all smiles as they headed out for lunch together in Manchester on Friday Chloe wrapped up in a black leather jacket, wearing her blonde tresses in loose waves. Millie and Chloe, who live together in London, have been enjoying time in Manchester after heading up North for a shoot. The pair grew close during their time in Love Island and recently headed to Miami together for a party holiday across the pond. It comes after Millie Court defended Chloe last month after fans claimed she was being 'rude' by smashing plates in a restaurant in Dubai. The reality star had recently returned from a lavish girls' holiday to the UAE with her villa co-star, after openly documenting their trip on social media. And in a Q&A with her followers on their flight home, Millie clarified that Chloe had been smashing plates at the swanky restaurant Opa, where the move is part of the eatery's traditional Greek experience. Asked about the funniest part of her trip, Millie replied by posting a video of Chloe smashing her plate while standing on her chair in the restaurant, but hit back at fans claiming that their behaviour was 'rude.' She wrote: 'Definitely Opa, we had the best night this night and for those who thought we were being rude just throwing plates. Everyone does it, it's part of the whole experience.' Stunners: Millie toted her essentials in a sequinned silver bag and Chloe opted for a stylish Louis Vuitton clutch Both Millie and Chloe had openly documented their break on social media, after jetting to Dubai to ring in the New Year. Just hours earlier Millie revaled that they were on their way home, posting a snap of lavish Emirates plane seat with the caption: 'Hair of the dog then konk out for 8 hours... Essex see you soon.' On Tuesday, Millie showed off her incredible figure in a black and white bikini while sharing a series of racy snaps with her followers. Sharing a series of pictures on Instagram with fans, Millie captioned her post: 'Fresh-faced beach babez.' Millie's bikini and matching sarong featured an eye-catching zebra print. Smiles: Chloe also wrapped up in a black leather jacket while her friend Millie went for a green khaki number Chloe meanwhile stripped off into a tiny black string bikini and pulled her blonde locks back and off her face into a high bun. The trip marked Millie's 14th holiday of 2022, with the girls jetting to the Middle East just after Christmas. ASOS ambassador Millie had already holidayed last year in the French Alps, Thailand, Ibiza, Paris and Portugal. In the alps, Millie was slammed by fans for wearing a bikini in the snow. The Love Islander admitted that the comments 'hurt' and confessed that perhaps she doesn't have as thick skin as she needs, with some internet users thinking she's 'not human' because she appeared on a reality show. Gillian Anderson appears to have rekindled her romance with The Crown creator Peter Morgan after they were spotted walking hand-in-hand in London. The 54-year-old actress and the 59-year-old screenwriter dated for four years before they went their separate ways in 2020. The split was reportedly amicable, with suggestions their highly demanding work schedules played a part in the relationship ending. Within weeks of their split Peter was dating film-maker Jemima Khan but the pair called it quits by February 2021. While the pair put on a cosy display during their stroll through the UK capital, the pair never lived together while they were dating. Back on? Gillian Anderson, 54, appears to have rekindled her romance with The Crown creator Peter Morgan, 59, after they were spotted walking hand-in-hand in London Gillian once told The Guardian: My partner and I dont live together. If we did, that would be the end of us. It works so well as it is and it feels so special when we do come together.' American star Gillian, who played Margaret Thatcher in series four of Netflix drama The Crown, attended the shows series five premiere at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, last November. A source at the time said: 'She and Peter are good friends again, and she was there to support him. Its not clear whether this extends into a romance they are a very private pair.' Now, as Gillian appears to be growing close to Peter once again, MailOnline takes a look back at her relationships over the years. Clyde Klotz (1993-1997) Gillian's first husband was former X-Files assistant art director Clyde Klotz, 61, who she married in 1994. The pair jetted to Hawaii for a Buddhist ceremony before going on to have daughter Piper Maru, 28, together. Production designer Clyde, who has worked on films including 21 Jump Street and 50 Shades Of Grey, divorced three years after their nuptials in 1997. Looking back: Gillian's first husband was former X-Files assistant art director Clyde Klotz, 61, who she married in 1994 (pictured in 1995) Adrian G. Griffiths (1996-1997) Gillian went on to have a brief relationship with Canadian Adrian G. Griffiths, now 58. When the pair were dating, he was acting under the name of Adrian Hughes, and appeared in The X Files as Sherman Peacock as well as a number of TV movies and series. Adrian hit the headlines at the time when he was convicted with multiple counts of sexual assault. Rodney Rowland (1997-1998) Workmates: Gillian was linked to Rodney Rowland after the pair worked together on season four of The X Files, which aired in February 1997 (pictured in 1997) Gillian was linked to Rodney Rowland after the pair worked together on season four of The X Files, which aired in February 1997. The California native, now 58, played the character of Ed Jerse, with Gillian's Dana Scully emotionally connecting with Ed in the episode before encouraging her to get a snake tattooed in the small of her back. The pair dated for a matter of months until 1998. Julian Ozanne (2002-2007) Ex-hubby: Gillian's second husband was Kenyan-born British director, producer, and former photojournalist Julian Ozanne, now 58 (pictured in 2003) Gillian's second husband was Kenyan-born British director, producer, and former photojournalist Julian Ozanne, now 58. Julian started his career as a foreign correspondent at the London Financial Times before going on to work at a number of investment banks and the World Economic Forum. He is known for his bold views on the Zimbabwean government and has worked in social activism. In addition, he is a filmmaker and has worked on a number of documentaries, including Lara Croft: Lethal And Loaded, and Giorgio Armani: A Man For All Seasons. Gillian and Julian married in Hawaii in 2004 but later began divorce proceedings in 2006. Mark Griffiths (2006-2012) Family man: Gillian went on to meet Mark Griffiths, a neighbour in London's Notting Hill - have two children together, Oscar, 16, and Felix, 14 (pictured in 2009) Gillian went on to meet Mark Griffiths, a neighbour in London's Notting Hill. He owned a wheel-clamping business and was known for dating Spice Girl Geri Halliwell. Screen star Gillian and businessman Mark have two children together, Oscar, 16, and Felix, 14. They officially split in 2012, with a representative telling Us Weekly at the time: 'Gillian Anderson and her partner Mark Griffiths have amicably separated after six years together.' Peter Morgan (2016-2020 and present?) Prior to appearing to reunite and stepping out hand-in-hand this year, British screenwriter Peter and Gillian were romantically linked from 2016-2020. Her performance in series four of The Crown as Margaret Thatcher in 2016 was the first time she had worked with Peter, who was a writer on the series. While the pair both lived in London, Gillian lived with her two sons Oscar and Felix while Peter lived elsewhere. She previously told The Guardian: 'My partner and I dont live together. If we did, that would be the end of us. It works so well as it is and it feels so special when we do come together. 'There is nothing locking us in, nothing that brings up that fear of, "Oh gosh, I cant leave because what will happen to the house, how will we separate?" 'I start to miss the person I want to be with, which is a lovely feeling.' While they worked together on The Crown, they decided not to talk about work while they were first together for the sake of their relationship. Gillian told TV Week: 'We made a pact that we werent going to talk about it at all. 'I wasnt allowed to talk with him or express opinions about the scripts, and he wasnt allowed to express opinions about my performance. 'Somehow we managed to stick to it which is unbelievable because neither of us can keep from expressing our opinions the rest of the time!' He's a fabulous figure who has made his home in the glitz and glam of television land. However, Rylan Clark-Neal, TV presenter Emma Willis, and Strictly's Oti Mabuse, announced on Friday that they will leave the creature comforts of telly to trek the Scottish Highlands, to raise money for Red Nose Day. The trio revealed on Friday's BBC Breakfast that they will be spending three days and two nights hiking over the brutal landscape of the Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands, immersed in a vast wintery landscape with no roads and little shelter. The challenge will see the three celebs taking on wild camping, and equipped with ice axes and crampons battle the ever-changing elements to summit Cairngorm Mountain. Setting off from Braemar next Wednesday they will become completely self-sufficient, relying only on the provisions they can carry with them. Ain't no mountain high enough: Rylan Clark-Neal, along TV presenter Emma Willis, and Strictly's Oti Mabuse, announced on Friday that they will be trekking the Scottish Highlands to raise money for Red Nose Day The X-Factor contestant turned TV personality ,34, who is already in Scotland to begin training, doesn't exactly see himself as a Bear Grylls-style outdoors extraordinaire. Rylan said: 'I've never been camping in my life. I've never slept in a tent. I have never worn camping attire. The only camping I do is camping it up on a Saturday night!' He continued: I think the hardest part for me throughout this entire challenge is going to be... the entire challenge.' 'I'm not going to lie to myself - this isn't what I'm used to, and this isn't what I'd ever choose to do. But here I am, and I just hope I come out of it in one piece and don't lose any veneers in the snow.' The presenter, however, recognised, despite the arduous task ahead of him, the importance of the challenge. He said: 'I think what's going to keep me going through the entire challenge is obviously the girls and knowing that we're doing it for a great cause. The better we do, fingers crossed, the more money we raise.' 'Knowing where the money will go is definitely going to be my motivation when I'm ready to chuck it all in and call the chopper.' Challenge accepted: The trip will be spending three days and two nights hiking and wild camping over the brutal landscape of the Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands 'The only camping I do is camping it up on a Saturday night': TV personality Rylan admitted he is not exactly well-experienced with the outdoors Co-traveller and TV presenter Emma ,46, seemed a bit more upbeat about the trek ahead. She said: 'I said yes to taking on this Red Nose Day challenge for a couple of reasons. First one being when Comic Relief asks, you should always say yes. Second one is, I love to do things that take me out of my comfort zone and I kind of made a promise to myself at the beginning of this year that I was going to do the things that scare me. Even the Voice UK presenter, however, saw that this would be no easy feat. 'It's going to be difficult. And the more I talk about it, the harder it seems. I think you have to switch your brain into 'there's no other option, but to succeed' mode.' 'I got to visit a project that is funded by Comic Relief a few days ago that supports homeless young people and they were phenomenal so they will be the people at the forefront of my mind.' 'There's no other option, but to succeed': Both Emma (right) and Oti (left) understood the monumental task ahead of them 'Being able to help in some way - for me is what I've been raised to do': South African Oti recognised the good Red Nose Day does coming from 'a country where we need a lot of help' The money raised for Red Nose Day will help support people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and tackle issues such as homelessness, mental health problems, and food poverty in the UK and around the world. Professional dancer Oti, 32, said: 'I love everything about Red Nose Day. It feels like the whole country is coming together to help one another out and I feel like in this day and age it's so important that we actually help each other.' She continued: 'The money that we will hopefully raise will help a lot of people. I come from a country where we need a lot of help and being in this situation being able to help in some way for me, is what I've been raised to do. 'I'm so glad I don't have to do this by myself. Things like this, and challenges like this can get lonely, especially the fact that we're on the mountain for three days. I'm so glad I have people who are positive, who are so kind, who are so giving.' Every step of their adventure will be captured for a special documentary, produced by Twofour, called Frozen: Emma, Oti and Rylan's Red Nose Day Challenge. It will air on BBC One and iPlayer in the run up to Red Nose Day, which will take place on Friday 17th March. Advertisement Keeping Up With The Kardashians veteran Kylie Jenner has shared some sizzling photos from her trip to the Turks And Caicos in the Caribbean. The eye-popping snaps were placed on her Instagram account early on Friday morning much to the joy of her 380M followers who called the snaps 'amazing' and said she was a 'goddess.' The mother-of-two wore a brown bikini top with a sheer top on top as well as green and pink bikini briefs with a little paisley skirt. The outfit made the most of her incredibly toned and slender figure - which she showed off days ago on the beach in a black suit - just one year after welcoming her second child, son Aire, with rapper Travis Scott. The 25-year-old raven-haired cosmetics mogul added funky and lime green feathered high heels that matched her Jacquemus boa for an offbeat feel. New look: Keeping Up With The Kardashians veteran Kylie Jenner has shared some sizzling photos from her trip to the Turks And Caicos in the Caribbean. The eye-popping snaps were placed on her Instagram account early on Friday morning much to the joy of her 380M followers who called the snaps 'amazing' and said she was a 'goddess' A very strappy statement: The mother-of-two wore a brown bikini top with a sheer top on top as well as green and pink bikini briefs with a little paisley skirt The only thing she placed in her caption was an emoji of an angel. The sister of Kendall Jenner - as well as Kim, Kourtney, Rob and Khloe Kardashian - was posing on the balcony of an old white building with palm trees around her. The high school graduate was pictured alone in the photo gallery. She does not appear to be with her ex Travis not her kids on this getaway. Earlier this week she was seen in a skimpy black string bikini as she walked on the beach solo in the Turks And Caicos. This week both her kids had birthdays: Stormi turned five on Wednesday and Aire turned one on Thursday. The looker threw parties at her Hidden Hills, California mansion but it is hard to tell where she is now - she seems to be in both the Caribbean and Hidden Hills at the same time. It is likely her trip to the Caribbean took place several days ago and she is only now sharing photos from the tropical paradise. In early January it was reported that she and rapper Scott decided to call it quits for the second time after the two stars rekindled their romance in 2020. Full of pizazz: The mother-of-two wore a brown bikini top with a sheer top on top as well as green bikini briefs with a little skirt Nice kicks: The 25-year-old raven-haired cosmetics mogul added funky and lime green feathered high heels that matched her Jacquemus boa for an offbeat feel She thinks she is a little angel: The only thing she placed in her caption was an emoji of an angel A source close to the TV personality and the Texas-born rapper, 31, informed Us Weekly: 'Kylie and Travis are off again' and 'were supposed to spend the holidays together'. However, the beauty mogul notably whisked herself away to Aspen for the New Year. Jenner was joined by her sister Kendall and a few close friends, such as Hailey Bieber and her husband Justin Bieber. 'This has happened so many times before, theyre known to be on again off again. But always remain friends and great co-parents,' the insider added to Us Weekly. Jenner also brought along her mini-me daughter Stormi on the snowy getaway to ring in 2023. A fun take on island glam: The siren from Calabasas had on massive starfish earrings in yellow gold The back story: In this image, the cover girl showed off her bottom in the paisley green and pink skirt This boa sure makes a statement: The lime neon green fuzzy boa had a tag on it that read Jacquemus Jenner and Scott were not in attendance at the Kardashian-Jenner annual Christmas bash together last month in December. However, earlier that same month before the holiday season officially kicked off, the businesswoman was spotted in Miami alongside other family members, such as Kim and Khloe Kardashian, as they stopped by Wayne and Cynthia Boichs party during Art Basel Miami where both Scott and renowned rapper 50 Cent performed. During the star-studded gathering, Jenner and her then boyfriend were seen sharing an affectionate moment, including an embrace as she supported the Goosebumps hitmaker. The pair first made the decision to spend time apart in October 2019 after sparking a romance in 2017. In February 2018, the two had their first child, a daughter called Stormi. Some Insta fun in the bathroom: The Life Of Kylie veteran also took some selfies in the same outfit Slim is in... as always: From this angle her midsection looks almost impossibly narrow; she has been working out often in her home gym 'They are taking some time but not done,' a source told People at the time of the first split. 'They still have some trust issues but their problems have stemmed more from the stress of their lifestyles.' Another insider had informed Us Weekly: 'Kylie and Travis have been on and off at various times throughout their relationship,' adding that the Kylie Cosmetics founder, 'still loves Travis and this isnt considered a full breakup to either of them.' Following their separation, the stars still remained close and quarantined together during the Covid pandemic. In May 2021, a source gave an update about the status of Kylie and Travis' relationship, informing People that the two reportedly, 'love each other' and 'enjoy spending family time with Stormi'. The insider further added that at the time: 'Kylie and Travis also have date nights. They have worked hard to create a family situation that's best for them... They are not exclusive, but Kylie isn't seeing anyone else, either.' Jessica Chastain cut a stylish figure as she arrived at ABC Studios to appear on The View in New York City Friday morning. The 45-year-old Oscar-winning actress looked stunning in a long emerald green blazer and matching fitted pants. The beauty, who narrowly missed contracting COVID-19 earlier this month, wore her signature long red hair down with a middle part and opted for glossy nude lipstick and blush for a youthful glow. She smiled and waved at onlookers, who gathered outside the building to catch a glimpse of her. Chastain talked up her return to Broadway after 10 years in Henrik Ibsen's landmark drama A Doll's House, which will open March 9 at the Hudson theatre. Looking good: Jessica Chastain cut a stylish figure in an emerald green double-breasted suit as she arrived outside The View in New York City on Friday where she talked up her return to Broadway in A Doll's House Lovely: The Oscar winner wore her signature red hair straight down her back with a middle part and opted for glossy nude lipstick and blush for a youthful glow The plot of A Doll's House follows the power struggle between a man and his wife as she attempts to assert her freedom. Jessica plays Nora Helmer in a freshly relevant take on the classic drama written nearly 150 years ago in 1879. She said she feels 'nervous' about getting sick while starring on Broadway. The actress is set to take on the leading role of Nora in the Henrik Ibsen play A Doll's House - which tells the story of a housewife who finds herself limited in life by a male-dominated world - at the Hudson Theatre from March, but Jessica has admitted to being anxious about her role in the production. The acclaimed actress - who is one of the most sought-after stars in Hollywood - explained: 'It's pretty great. I'm doing a play right now in New York, I'm gonna be doing A Doll's House, and I'm playing Nora. So I'm really excited about that. 'I'm a little nervous about getting sick but I've got my mask. I'm doing both but oh my gosh, you have to be so careful in the theatre and I don't want to let my cast down.' The performer most recently starred in Showtime's miniseries George & Tammy, about George Jones and Tammy Wynette, which aired its finale episode last month. Showtime miniseries: George & Tammy, created by Abe Sylvia is a story based around the tempestuous marriage of Country Western music couple George Jones and Tammy Wynette The show reunited her and Michael Shannon, whom she starred with in the 2011 psychological thriller Take Shelter. The show follows Tammy and George as they thunder through drugs, fights, and even - in her case - shock therapy. The duo had a dramatic and explosive marriage from 1969 to 1975, scarred by problems including his galloping alcoholism. Back on stage: Chastain talked up her return to Broadway after 10 years in Henrik Ibsen's landmark drama A Doll's House, which will open March 9. The plot follows the power struggle between a man and his wife as she attempts to assert her freedom Her latest show: The performer recently starred in Showtime's miniseries George & Tammy alongside Michael Shannon, whom she starred with in the 2011 psychological thriller Take Shelter Tammy herself eventually became addicted to painkillers for years before dying of a heart attack at the age of just 55 in 1998. In addition to her busy work schedule, Chastain is married to Gian Luca, an executive for the fashion brand Moncler. The Eyes of Tammy Faye star and her spouse share two young children named Giulietta and Augustus. Gillian Anderson says she still struggles to put her needs first and exercise self care in her relationships. The actress, 54, admits it's taken years for her to find her voice and speak up without fear of offending people, and insists she still struggles to find the courage to do so today. Looking back at situations she found herself in the past, she told the Womens Prize for Fiction Podcast: 'When I was younger, the amount of situations that I put myself in, knowing it was a bad idea. 'Oh my God, the voice of reason and self care on my shoulder, saying, "Back away from take a step back." 'I did listen and I still struggle with it which is ridiculous. I'm incredibly outspoken, and feel like I'm too outspoken most of the time. Speaking out: Gillian Anderson, 54, says she still struggles to put her needs first and exercise self care in her relationships 'I stand up for myself and my needs and what I want, and what is fair. I find myself sometimes clamming up or shining a verbal light on something because I'm afraid of hurting somebody's feelings, afraid they'll be angry with me. 'Even though I know what I need to say is important and true, and something that I need, and I just I It boggles my mind why those two things can coexist. 'I could be both of those women and I think it's a lifelong challenge. I'm really old and I've been struggling with it for a long time, and I don't imagine it ending anytime soon.' Gillian is launching a new project in the form of a book called Dear Gillian in which she hopes to explore and empower the sex lives of women across the globe, with the Sex Education star asking females to submit anonymous letter divulging their fantasies.' It comes after Gillian sparked speculation she's rekindled her romance with The Crown creator Peter Morgan after the pair were spotted walking hand-in-hand in London together. Peter was a writer on series four of the Netflix show in 2016, in which Gillian starred as late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Gillian and the 59-year-old screenwriter dated for four years before they went their separate ways in 2020. The split was reportedly amicable, with suggestions their highly demanding work schedules played a part in the relationship ending. Back on? It comes after Gillian sparked speculation she's rekindled her romance with The Crown creator Peter Morgan (pictured in 2020) Within weeks of their split Peter was dating film-maker Jemima Khan but the pair called it quits by February 2021. While the pair put on a cosy display during their stroll through the UK capital, the pair never lived together while they were dating. Gillian once told The Guardian: 'My partner and I dont live together. If we did, that would be the end of us. It works so well as it is and it feels so special when we do come together. 'There is nothing locking us in, nothing that brings up that fear of, "Oh gosh, I cant leave because what will happen to the house, how will we separate?" 'I start to miss the person I want to be with, which is a lovely feeling.' While they worked together on The Crown, they decided not to talk about work while they were first together for the sake of their relationship. Gillian told TV Week: 'We made a pact that we werent going to talk about it at all. 'I wasnt allowed to talk with him or express opinions about the scripts, and he wasnt allowed to express opinions about my performance. 'Somehow we managed to stick to it which is unbelievable because neither of us can keep from expressing our opinions the rest of the time!' American star Gillian, who played Margaret Thatcher in series four of Netflix drama The Crown, attended the shows series five premiere at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, last November. A source at the time said: 'She and Peter are good friends again, and she was there to support him. Its not clear whether this extends into a romance they are a very private pair.' Bernice Blackstock's feud with her sister Nicola King over the B&B descended into a food fight in Friday's episode of Emmerdale. Earlier this week, the sisters were at loggerheads because both wanted to take over the Grange, owned for years by Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell). It seemed that Nicola (Nicola Wheeler) and Jimmy (Nick Miles) were going to be the new owners after they raised the asking price of the B&B and told Eric. But on Friday's episode, Nicola bumped into Bernice (Samantha Giles) and was furious, revealing that she knew Eric had given her and Bob an extra day to raise the funds and that she knew they would be taking over the B&B. The two began arguing, with Bernice emptying food waste for the anaerobic digester all over Nicola. Food fight: Bernice Blackstock's feud with her sister Nicola King over the B&B descended into a food fight in Friday night's episode of Emmerdale Nicola retaliated, also hitting Bernice with the rancid old scraps meant for the rubbish. She hissed: 'You absolute cow', as the row got even more heated, throwing waste into her sister's face. The war of wards escalated into full on mutiny, with Nicola screaming and hitting Bernice with more rubbish. Despite the nasty fight between the siblings, Bernice was later very happy as she and Bob managed to raise the funds and took over the B&B, toasting with bubbly. Bob sold his and Viv's (Deena Payne) wedding rings so that they could reach their target and get to the asking price. Bernice made her grand return to Emmerdale in 2021, after two years out. She had left after dumping Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson), the night before their wedding, subsequently disappearing. Bernice caused chaos with her return because Liam was preparing to wed Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi) before she came back. Feud: The sisters were at loggerheads because both wanted to take over the Grange and Nicola (Nicola Wheeler) discovered on Friday that Bernice (Samantha Giles) gazumped her offer Mad: The two began arguing, with Bernice emptying food waste for the anaerobic digester over Nicola Messy: Nicola was hit in the face with food waste by Bernice as their row got more and more heated Bernice left hurriedly for Australia to look after her former husband, Charlie, who had been involved in an accident. She was set to make life complicated for Liam and Leyla. Broken-hearted Liam took time to recover after his ex-fiancee disappeared and was furious that she was returning just as he got his life together. As for Bernice's daughter Gabby (Rosie Bentham) - who was pregnant - she was not thrilled that her unreliable mother had returned, as she was flourishing at Home Farm under the guidance of Kim Tate (Claire King). Speaking about actress Samantha's return to the soap, Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw said at the time: 'I am thrilled to have Samantha Giles returning to Emmerdale as Bernice. 'Samantha is such a fabulous actress and her portrayal of Bernice is a wonderfully warm, complex mix of tragedy and comedy that always brings a whirlwind of fun and drama.' She added: 'Constantly misunderstood, often getting things terribly wrong, Bernice promises to cause quite a stir from the moment she lands back in the village and will certainly turn lives upside down as she tries to navigate through the changes since she left.' Vicious: The war of wards escalated into full on mutiny, with Nicola screaming and hitting Bernice with more rubbish Opening up about her decision to return to the Yorkshire Dales, Samantha added at the time: 'As an actress leaving a role that you love is always a hard decision and I'd been lucky to work so consistently for so long which is rare in our business.' She continued: 'So I knew the time had come to be brave and take the leap back in 2019 to pursue my other passion of writing and focus on getting my first book published. 'I'm a big believer in fate so when Emmerdale offered me the chance to return as Bernice I took it as a sign that it was meant to be.' Samantha concluded: 'I'm delighted to be returning to play out Bernice's future storylines which I'm sure are going to keep the audience entertained. 'She certainly arrives back with a bang that's all I'm allowed to say right now and I'm looking forward to releasing my next two books whilst juggling her hectic onscreen life!' Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning attends a news conference in Beijing, Feb. 3. Reuters-Yonhap China said Friday it is looking into reports that a Chinese spy balloon has been flying in U.S. airspace and urged calm, adding that it has ''no intention of violating the territory and airspace of any sovereign country.'' Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning also said she had no information about whether a trip to China by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken planned for next week will proceed as scheduled. At a daily briefing, Mao said that politicians and the public should withhold judgment ''before we have a clear understanding of the facts'' about the spy balloon reports. Blinken would be the highest-ranking member of President Joe Biden's administration to visit China, arriving amid efforts to mitigate a sharp downturn in relations between Beijing and Washington over trade, Taiwan, human rights and China's claims in the South China Sea. ''China is a responsible country and has always strictly abided by international laws, and China has no intention of violating the territory and airspace of any sovereign country. As for the balloon, as I've mentioned just now, we are looking into and verifying the situation and hope that both sides can handle this together calmly and carefully,'' Mao said. ''As for Blinken's visit to China, I have no information,'' she said. A senior defense official told Pentagon reporters that the U.S. has ''very high confidence'' that the object was a Chinese high-altitude balloon and was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. One of the places the balloon was spotted was over the state of Montana, which is home to one of America's three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said the balloon is ''currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground.'' Ryder said similar balloon activity has been seen in the past several years and the government has taken steps to ensure no sensitive information was stolen. President Biden was briefed and asked the military to present options, according to a senior administration official, who was also not authorized to publicly discuss sensitive information. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, advised against taking ''kinetic action'' because of risks to the safety of people on the ground. Biden accepted that recommendation. Everyone is praying for a Happy Valley happy ending for Sergeant Catherine Cawood on Sunday night. Yorkshires finest is due to hang up her police hat and retire within days, but not before shes tied up a few loose ends. First she has to sort out the gangster Knezevics family aka the Halifax Mafia, solve the murder of teachers wife Joanna Hepworth and get psychopath Tommy Lee Royce back behind bars where he belongs. Her dream is then to drive her restored Land Rover to the Himalayas, to hike there in the fresh air of the foothills, far from the tw*ts and sh*tpots who soil her working life criminals and colleagues alike. But will she make it out alive? Not if Tommy has his way. The triple killer and rapist wants a gun and he wants to complete his unfinished business with the policewoman he loves to hate. At 9pm tomorrow, Happy Valley will boil down to its primeval essence, a straightforward battle between good versus evil as Catherine and Tommy fight to the bitter end. The question is, who will triumph in the last ever episode of this popular drama? It just doesnt bear thinking about. Everyone is praying for a Happy Valley happy ending for Sergeant Catherine Cawood (pictured) on Sunday night JAN MOIR: First she has to sort out the gangster Knezevics family aka the Halifax Mafia, solve the murder of school gym teacher's wife Joanna Hepworth and get psychopath Tommy Lee Royce back behind bars where he belongs Im in such a state of dread at what might befall our heroine that I cant even bring myself to watch the new BBC trailer. Meanwhile, social media sites and chatrooms blaze with speculation and hypotheses about what is going to happen to whom and why. On Twitter, even TV presenter Dan Walker wants to share his Happy Valley thoughts and has posted my climax theory. Not now, Dan! Were all too busy wondering if Catherine will turn up for her leaving party and what the cops will buy her with their whipround collection hopefully a new scarf. After six long years, Happy Valley returned to BBC1 for a third and final series on New Years Day. This farewell outing over the moors and dales has gripped millions over the past five weeks, with even latecomers who missed the first two series now frantically binge-watching all episodes to be part of the unmissable last hurrah for one of British televisions greatest dramas. Happy Valley will boil down to its primeval essence, a straightforward battle between good versus evil as Catherine and Tommy fight to the bitter end I mean it. Happy Valley is damn near, just about perfect. The cast, the characters, the dialogue and the plot are all superb, while the various themes the abusive husband, the family tragedy, the organised crime, the casual sexism are all stitched together in a credible and satisfying way. In addition it is all so solidly rooted in time and place, as Yorkshire as a slab of ginger parkin, but never slipping into syrupy parody. And while any series that has dazzling supporting turns from James Norton as Tommy Lee Royce and Siobhan Finneran as Catherines sister Clare has to be special, there is no doubt who is the real star of the show. In Sergeant Catherine Cawood, writer Sally Wainwright and actress Sarah Lancashire have created a vibrant and unforgettable character, with every bevelled detail of her persona impeccably observed, from her plain- speaking ways and her moral code to her hideous knitted scarf. Women in particular love Catherine. We loved her from the very first scene in the very first series back in 2014, when Sgt Cawood introduced herself, fire extinguisher in hand, to a petrol-soaked junkie threatening to set himself alight. Im Catherine, by the way, she said. Im 47. Im divorced. I live with my sister, whos a recovering heroin addict. Ive two grown-up children one dead, one who dont speak to me and a grandson. The triple killer and rapist Tommy Lee Royce (pictured) wants a gun and he wants to complete his 'unfinished business' with the policewoman he loves to hate She was wearing a pair of cheap sunglasses she had just purchased in a corner shop. Why? He can send himself to paradise thats his choice but hes not taking my eyebrows with him, she told a colleague at the time. That was all it took to burn Catherine into our hearts and minds, but there was more to her than that, so much more. The central tragedy of Sgt Cawoods life is that her daughter Becky killed herself, after being raped by Tommy Lee Royce and giving birth to their son, Ryan (played as a child and now as a teen by the same affecting actor, Rhys Connah). Granny Catherine brought up Ryan and her decision to do this cost her a husband and a son because neither of these weak men could cope with Ryan being in the family home. Catherine just got on with it and all parties are reconciled now, but sometimes her expression reveals everything; the weight of womanhood, the worry of motherhood, a grandmothers anxiety for the difficulties ahead for this misbegotten boy and underpinning it all the instincts of a policewoman who hopes for the best but prepares for the worst. She knows Tommy Lee Royce is incapable of rehabilitation or regret, that he is unworthy of respect or second chances, but no one will listen to her. Catherine just got on with it and all parties are reconciled now, but sometimes her expression reveals everything; the weight of womanhood For Catherine is the epitome of the overlooked, middle-aged woman. Superiors and inferiors often disregard her opinions, even though she talks solid common sense. Perhaps that is because she looks so chaotic; outspoken and overweight, her hair is a mess and her mascara cobwebbing down her face, darkening the shadows under her eyes. Yet appearances are deceptive, for Catherine is tough and smart, experienced and wise to the ways of the world, a woman who has been around the block too many times to count, most of them in a high-viz vest and a bad temper. Youre getting too bloody old for this, Catherine, love, she says to herself, sprinting after a drug pusher. She doesnt suffer fools gladly because she doesnt suffer fools at all and her scorn for humbug is heightened by having had to listen to so bloody much of it for years. Yet everyone else thinks they know better than her. Why does nobody listen to me? she wailed recently. Why indeed? The first episode of series three plunged us straight back onto the mean streets of Sowerby Bridge, while more people watched the second episode than viewed Tom Bradbys ITV interview with Prince Harry to promote his new book. No wonder. His privilege-soaked grumbles about the lack of sausages in royal life were no match for an unbearably tense low-speed car chase that took in HMP Sheffield and a coffee shop. Only Happy Valley could wring so much top quality, hold-your-breath drama from two menopausal women in anoraks chatting at a table or someone chopping up a beetroot on a wooden board. Catherine is tough and smart, experienced and wise to the ways of the world, a woman who has been around the block too many times to count, most of them in a high-viz vest and a bad temper Pressure has ratcheted up with every scene and the series grip on the nation has tightened as we inch towards tomorrows denouement. But what is the secret of Happy Valleys award-winning success and the light it shines where other cop shows fail? Perhaps because it is equal parts police procedural and family drama. Perhaps because matriarch Catherines struggle to do her best for her blended, mixed-up family resonates with so many. Perhaps its because James Norton is such a handsome psychopath. Even Joanna Lumley is a fan. Tommy Lee Royce, he makes my valley happy, she joked on a recent radio show. Sally Wainwright is a genius and Happy Valley has its own seam of black humour, but it would be foolish to expect many laughs now, not if Tommy has his way. He was last seen shivering under a dirty candlewick in a grotty hiding place, pouring poisonous daydreams of escape and redemption into the ears of his impressionable son, Ryan. Tommy talks rot. He talks of bungee jumping, of Marbella and living a new life together but what is his real plan? To kill Ryan to get back at Catherine? To kill them both? Oh God! We will find out soon enough. She's been hard at work filming for season five of Brassic in recent months. And Michelle Keegan looked back on the busy time by sharing a collection of behind-the-scenes snaps from the set this week as filming came to an end. The actress, 35, shared that it had been 'chaotic mayhem' working with her co-stars on the Sky drama series, sweetly adding that she felt 'so lucky' to be part of the 'special' show. Beaming alongside co-stars such as Aaron Heffernan and Lee Mack, who joined the show for the new series, for some snaps, others showed her with the production crew. Love Island's Lana Jenkins even made a cameo in the post as she was a Make-up artist on the show, prior to her TV debut in the South African villa. That's a wrap! Michelle Keegan finished up filming for season 5 of Brassic on Friday - as she looked back on five months of 'chaotic mayhem' via Instagram On set: She shared a slew of behind the scenes snaps with her 6.3M Instagram followers Sharing a glimpse into what goes on behind the cameras with her 6.3M Instagram followers, Michelle appeared off-duty while relaxing with cast and crew for the pictures. As the roles were even reversed in others as she snapped the set's camera operators in their natural habitat. Taking to the caption to reflect on the filming, the brunette beauty penned: 'Wrap on Brassic season 5!!! 'Cant believe how fast these past 6 months have gone, 6 months filled with chaotic mayhem, freezing cold locations and a whole lot of love & dedication. Feel so lucky to be working on such a special show. Cant wait for you guys to see what weve been upto. Big love as always .' Series four of the show aired last September, with the fifth installment set to be released later this year. On-screen, Michelle portrays single mother Erin Croft in the comedy-drama, which follows Vinnie O'Neill (Joseph) and his five friends, including Michelle's character. The group struggle to get by in the fictional town of Hawley, and often resort to petty crime for money. Bit chilly? Michelle showed the less glamorous side of acting as she and co-stars wrapped up warm for the rural filming Sweet: While the actress displayed the close connections that she had formed with cast and crew members The BAFTA-nominated series began back in 2019 and will be released on Sky Max and Now TV. Michelle will surely be happy for some down-time after wrapping up the filming, which came shortly after she spent four months working in Australia. The former Coronation Street star spent the extended time Down Under whilst filming for 1950s BBC drama Ten Pound Poms - created by Bafta-award winner Danny Brocklehurst. Familiar face: Love Island's Lana Jenkins even made a cameo in the post as she was a Make-up artist on the show, prior to her TV debut in the South African villa Lisa Rinna has gone from Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star to a fashion runway model. On Thursday the 59-year-old reality TV dynamo was seen in a very revealing and eye-popping outfit as she walked a fashion show in Copenhagen, Denmark. The siren - who was last at the 80 For Brady premiere - was a part of the Rotate Birger Christensen's presentation. The former soap opera star had on a black leotard that was so low cut she was on the verge of a wardrobe malfunction. The suit was sliding down toward her nipples even though it had thin straps over her shoulders. Lisa seems to be stepping in the shoes of her 21-year-old daughter Amelia Hamlin who has become one of the most in-demand models in the industry. The star even made a comment when seeing mom's images on Instagram as she wrote, 'DYING!' Wicked good: Lisa Rinna has gone off Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills and onto a fashion runway. On Thursday the 59-year-old reality TV dynamo was seen in a very revealing and eye-popping outfit as she walked a fashion show in Denmark Mommy and daughter: Lisa seems to be stepping in the shoes of her daughter Amelia Hamlin who has become one of the most in-demand models in the industry as she has worked for Tropic Of C, Hudson and Sonora In her Instagram caption Lisa said she was up to 'Vogue business. Thank you so much Thora and Jeanette! Love you! ' wrote the former Bravo bunny. 'Founded by influencers Thora Valdimars and Jeanette Friis Madsen in 2020, @rotatebirgerchristensen #LisaRinna walks for #Rotate during #CPHFW AW23.' Her daughter Amelia wrote in the comment section, 'DYING' in all caps. Pal Kim Zolciak from RHOA said, 'Wow' with two fire emojis. Lisa took to Instagram again the next day to post two photos in that leotard. Her caption read, 'HAPPY ' as she added a caption for Vogue Scandinavia. The photographer Maria Rogers Dotter was also named. In a video where Lisa was strutting on the runway she said, 'Copenhagen time.' Rinna did not disappoint on the Rotate Birger Christensen runway as she made a big impact with her sexy noir one piece. Slaying it: The former soap opera star had on a black leotard that was so low cut she was on the verge of a wardrobe malfunction. The suit was sliding down toward her nipples even though it had thin straps over her shoulders Meow time: In her Instagram caption she said she was up to 'Vogue business. Thank you so much Thora and Jeanette! Love you! ' wrote the former Bravo bunny. 'Founded by influencers Thora Valdimars and Jeanette Friis Madsen in 2020, @rotatebirgerchristensen #LisaRinna walks for #Rotate during #CPHFW AW23' Over her racy one piece was a leopard print fur coat that was inching its way down her back. The coat also had a cute leopard print lining. Her highlighted brown hair was worn straight up in a wild look and her makeup was dramatic for the Danish event. She also sported bleached eyebrows which her daughter has become known for. The TV star wore heavy doorknocker gold earrings and walked in black pointy pumps. Her daughter wore a leotard well too: Amelia seen in a black one piece while in a kitchen Glam gal: Her highlighted brown hair was worn straight up in a wild look and her makeup was dramatic for the Danish event. The star wore heavy doorknocker gold earrings and walked in black pointy pumps She also modeled a black sequined gown later on in the show which was much more modest as it had a high neckline and to-the-elbow sleeves. Lisa has been on runways in the past. She was a part of the Dennis Basso show in 2020 with Kyle Richards. Last week Lisa was in Paris for fashion week as she supported Amelia. Rinna has another daughter, Delilah Belle, who also works as a model. She attended the shows for Kenzo, Ashi Studio and Mugler. Rinna recently departed The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The reality TV regular recently announced she is walking away from the show after eight years but producers on the show won't be trying to find a new cast member to replace her because it's just not possible to fill the shoes of the fan favorite. Speaking to New York Post column Page Six during a panel at the 2023 Realscreen Summit in Austin, Texas, executive producer Alex Baskin explained: 'I think you never look to replace someone who just departed - because there is only one Lisa Rinna.' When asked about who could be brought in as a new cast member, Baskin added: 'I think you look for someone who is going to both fit in and stand out ... Another look: She also modeled a black sequined gown later on in the show which was much more modest as it had a high neckline and to-the-elbow sleeves All the confidence in the world: She kept her steady gaze as she walked in front of a fark-haired model The family: From left, Amelia, Harry, Lisa and Delilah at Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches premiere held at Harmony Gold in Los Angeles 'You want someone who has relationships with the rest of the group, someone who will be a real girlfriend to them and, at the same time, someone who will make a distinct impression.' Lisa announced her exit from the show in a statement published by People.com which read: 'This is the longest job I have held in my 35-year career and I am grateful to everyone at Bravo and all those involved in the series. It has been a fun eight-year run and I am excited for what is to come!' Her husband Harry Hamlin later insisted his wife had made the right choice, telling the publication: '[It was the] correct decision, the right decision to make at this point after eight years. I think she took it as far as she could take it, and she elevated the show. 'Now it's time to move on. Eight years is a long time to do anything, the same thing over and over again. It's time to move along.' King Charles is known to mend rather than spend not least on his favourite old coats. Now he is seeking a soft furnishings upholsterer to keep the rooms at his palaces up to scratch. The Royal Household advert admits that the post based at Windsor will stretch the successful applicant. Commanding a less-than-regal annual wage of 25,000 a year, the job description says the new upholsterer will be helping to preserve a collection that will be enjoyed by future generations. Royal: King Charles is known to mend rather than spend not least on his favourite old coats Having received the title Knight Bachelor in the New Years honours list for services to music and charity, Sir Brian May, as he is now known, suggests its high time people started acting accordingly. People arent bowing enough really, and I havent got my Round Table yet, but were working on it, jokes the 75-year-old Queen guitarist, who is married to former EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, 73. Sex Education's Emma won't get carried away... Rising acting star Emma Mackey has a word of advice for aspiring actors who are at risk of over-exploiting themselves to make a name in the acting industry. You have to protect yourself because youll be very tempted to give way to those sides of yourself because you want to prove yourself and be like, I can do this and look at all of the stuff I can do, Ill do anything, the Sex Education star tells me at a screening in Central London. The French-British actress, 27, who played Emily Bronte in Emily adds: But actually keep some of that to yourself and keep it for those special ones. Mackey is one of the five actors to be nominated for an EE Rising Star Award at this years Baftas, its the only award to be voted for by the public. Actor: Rising star Emma Mackey has a word of advice for aspiring actors who are at risk of over-exploiting themselves to make a name in the acting industry Having informed his children that they wouldnt be getting any of his estimated 320 million fortune on his demise, Sting rubbed salt in the wound by telling two of them who did go into the music industry that its not all about making money. Describing his life advice to Joe, whose band Fiction Plane supported The Police on their 2007-2009 reunion tour, and Eliot, whos released three albums, the 71-year-old says: I did tell them that music is always its own reward, and its not about having hits or selling concert tickets or having platinum discs. They said, Well, its all right for you, Dad. Last year Sting swelled his coffers even further, by flogging his back catalogue in a deal reportedly worth 183 million. Shh! Loyal pals plan a big do for Dame Viv Despite her fame and lust for publicity, Queen of Punk Dame Vivienne Westwood, who died in December, had a very low-key funeral at a small Peak District church, with just a scattering of close friends and family. But I can reveal that a big high society send-off is now being organised which will allow supermodel Kate Moss and most of Dame Viviennes famous friends to mourn the designer at a memorial service to be held in London. Thats according to one of Dame Viviennes best pals, celebrity photographer Ki Price, whose famous subjects have included Johnny Depp. Was there even a funeral? he asks me at the launch of artist Ray Rossis exhibition at Red Eight Gallery, Royal Exchange. Ive always been loyal to Vivienne so dont really want to talk about it. But there is something happening now. I expect everybody will be there. Eddie Redmayne won an Olivier for his menacing turn as the Emcee in last years revival of Cabaret at the Kit Kat club in Londons West End. And the 41-year-old Oscar winner got himself geared up to perform the song Two Ladies, by, erm, taking all his clothes off. Talent: Eddie Redmayne won an Olivier for his menacing turn as the Emcee in last years revival of Cabaret at the Kit Kat club in Londons West End When we were in rehearsal, we were trying to come up with ideas and it was good but a bit polite. There was a moment when we were encouraged to try something different and . . . basically I stripped almost naked to humiliate myself as much as possible. When you see that moment in the show, that song is like an orgy, with positions you can never imagine people getting into and copies of Mein Kampf being used for horrendously inappropriate things. Achtung! The smart sets talking about... Daredevil Delphis 80mph Cresta Run She turned heads before Christmas by dyeing her locks red, but now Delphi Primrose third of Lord Dalmenys five-strong brood with ex-wife Caroline is a high-speed blur. The Tatler cover girl, whos on the books of Storm Models, has just sped, head-first, down the Cresta Run, the fearsome toboggan ice track in St Moritz, from which women were barred in 1929 a ban finally lifted in 2018. It was feared that theyd damage their breasts on the toboggans, causing breast cancer, says a Cresta member, reminding me that expert riders hurtle along at more than 80 mph. Happily, Delphi, 19, seen celebrating her achievement (right), made it down all in one piece. Achievement: She turned heads before Christmas by dyeing her locks red, but now Delphi Primrose third of Lord Dalmenys five-strong brood with ex-wife Caroline is a high-speed blur Late broadcasting hero and Voice Of Rugby Bill McLaren, who would have been in his 100th year, will be sorely missed today as the Six Nations kicks off. However, I can reveal his family are keeping his sporting influence alive. This week, a lifesize bull made of metal is being sold by the foundation set up in his name, and Bull McLaren is hoping to fetch several thousand to invest in nurturing new talent in his sport. Bull is up for grabs at a fundraiser in Edinburgh. Daughter Linda Lawson tells me: We are going to launch a schools tournament in Dads hometown Hawick in his name. Country Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Canada Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cuba, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Dominican Republic Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Haiti, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Jamaica Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Mexico, United Mexican States Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu US Virgin Islands Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. 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 Pope Francis waves at well-wishers before meeting with bishops in Kinshasa, Congo, Feb. 3. AP-Yonhap Pope Francis is due to arrive on a three-day visit to South Sudan on Friday to promote peace and reconciliation in the world's youngest country, riven by the scars of civil war and extreme poverty. The "pilgrimage of peace" is the first ever papal visit to South Sudan since the predominantly Christian nation gained independence from Muslim-majority Sudan in 2011 after decades of conflict. It follows a four-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a brutal conflict in the mineral-rich east was high on the pope's agenda. Peace has also eluded South Sudan, with a five-year civil war leaving 380,000 people dead, four million displaced, and the young country deeply impoverished. Crowds began lining the streets of Juba hours before the pope's arrival, waving the national flag and holding aloft banners welcoming Francis to South Sudan. Some people wore traditional clothing or the garb of religious orders, while others ululated, blew horns and whistles, and sang hymns. The 86-year-old pontiff is expected to meet victims of conflict, as well as the country's political and church leaders, between prayers and an outdoor mass that is expected to draw large crowds. The visit Francis's fifth to Africa was initially scheduled for 2022 but had to be postponed because of problems with the pope's knee. The affliction has made him dependent on a wheelchair and has seen the itinerary pared back in both countries. 'We want to achieve peace' He will be joined in South Sudan by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, underlining the broad appeal of Christianity in the devout country of 12 million people. "I am very excited to see him," Hanah Zachariah, 20, told AFP, one of dozens of pilgrims who walked nine days from the town of Rumbek to Juba, a journey of around 400 kilometers (250 miles), in a bid to see the pope. Francis promised in 2019 to travel to South Sudan when he hosted the country's two warring leaders, President Salva Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar, at a Vatican retreat and asked them to respect a hard-fought ceasefire for their people. In scenes that reverberated in South Sudan, where 60 percent of the people are Christian, the Argentine knelt and kissed the feet of two foes whose personal armies had been accused of horrific war crimes. But four years later, the country remains mired in intractable conflict. In a sign of the chronic violence, at least 21 people were killed in a cattle raid on the eve of his visit, in what authorities termed a reprisal attack in South Sudan's state of Central Equatoria. War-weary citizens have pinned their hopes on Francis to encourage much-needed unity in a nation riven with ethnic and political division. "We have suffered a lot. Now, we want to achieve peace," said Robert Michael, a 36-year-old businessman, beneath one of many towering billboards in Juba welcoming the pope. Friday has been declared a public holiday. Officials have encouraged people to turn out in droves but have not offered an estimate of how many are expected to attend the pope's appearances. Attendees cheer ahead of the arrival of Pope Francis at Juba International Airport in Juba, South Sudan, Feb. 3. AFP-Yonhap Travelers wearing face masks with their luggage head to the immigration counter at the departure hall of Lok Ma Chau station in Hong Kong, following the reopening of the border with mainland China, Jan. 8. AP-Yonhap China said on Friday it will fully restore travel across its borders with Hong Kong and Macau next week, dropping COVID testing requirements and daily quotas after a lengthy pandemic separation. The semi-autonomous cities have both stuck to Beijing's zero-COVID strategy for nearly three years, splitting families, cutting off tourism and suffocating businesses. The State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said on Friday that all remaining restrictions would be dropped starting midnight on February 6, with group tours allowed to resume. Limited travel across the border between Hong Kong and mainland China resumed in January after Beijing abruptly axed its isolationist policy. Initially, only 60,000 people were allowed to cross each day in either direction and they were required to show a negative PCR test. Hong Kong leader John Lee said on Friday that the partial reopening had been "orderly, safe and smooth". Hong Kong's lengthy separation from its biggest source of growth inflicted a heavy toll, with some estimating it cost the financial hub $27 billion. Mainlanders have long made up the vast majority of visitors to Hong Kong, with around 51 million arriving in 2018, nearly seven times the city's population. City officials are hoping an influx of visitors will revitalize the recession-hit economy, injecting cash into the once-vibrant tourism and retail sectors. Unvaccinated overseas travelers will be allowed to visit Hong Kong starting Monday, but Lee said pre-arrival rapid antigen tests will still be required. "As the full reopening of the border with mainland China will bring a large surge in travel, to ensure risks are manageable we will keep the testing requirement for overseas travelers for a period of observation," he said. The full relaunch of travel with the mainland comes a day after Lee rolled out a rebranding campaign to woo overseas tourists, pledging more than half a million free flights and "no isolation, no quarantine and no restrictions". Outdoor masking remains compulsory in Hong Kong, though Lee has said the policy could be scrapped after the winter flu surge. (AFP) UPDATED: Many local restaurants are offering special menus for Valentine's Day 2023 - here are some of the best. Celebrate Valentine's Day in Dayton Cover photo: Black Tie Chocolate Cheesecake at Firebirds Wood Fired Grill Not sure where to celebrate Valentine's Day with your special someone? No problem. Many local restaurants are offering specials for Valentine's Day and together with the Miami Valley Restaurant Association, we've rounded up some of the best menus for you to peruse. Where to dine in Dayton for Valentine's Day Reserve a table for you and that special someone at one of these fine restaurants. Basil's On Market - Beavercreek Available: February 10th-18th (Mon-Thurs: all day. Fri & Sat: starts at 4 p.m. Sunday closed.) $80 for 2/ $40 for 1 Includes 1 glass of house wine or draft beer FIRST COURSE Basils house salad: Fresh greens with pepperjack cheese, cucumber-tomato ceviche, and fried garbanzo beans with Basil vinaigrette. SECOND COURSE NY Strip topped with basil butter, red-skin smashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. OR Cheese Tortellini with classic meatballs and basil marinara (can substitute chicken) topped with Parmesan cheese and fresh Basil. THIRD COURSE **Shared dessert** Chocolate brownie with fresh strawberries and whipped topping. Basil's On Market - Beavercreek 2729 Fairfield Commons Blvd 45312 Call (937) 702-3160 for reservations Basil's On Market - Troy Available: February 10th-18th (with Sunday being closed) $70 for 2/ $35 for 1 Includes 1 glass of house wine or draft beer FIRST COURSE Basils house salad with your choice of dressing. SECOND COURSE Blackened salmon with mushroom risotto, Asparagus, and a red pepper coulis. OR Sliced medallions with a red wine demi-glaze, mushroom risotto, and asparagus. THIRD COURSE Chocolate brownie heart with fresh berries and whipped topping Basil's On Market -Troy 18 N Market Street 45373 Call (937) 524-5916 for reservations Valentine's Day Menu at Corner Kitchen Available: Friday, February 10 - Tuesday, February 14 Starter: Crab Cake -lump crab,old bay, chipotle remoulade, greens Entrees: Duck breast -Five spice rub, tart cherry reduction, grilled asparagus Corner Carbonara -bacon, grist provisions bucatini, peas, parmesan Filet Oscar -10oz Keener Farms Filet, lump crab cake, grilled asparagus, bearnaise Salmon and Beet Risotto -Pan seared salmon, goat cheese, dill creme fraiche Dessert: Chocolate Lava Cake -Bourbon macerated berries, whipped cream Lemon Mascarpone Dumpling -Strawberry preserves, whipped cream Corner Kitchen - 613 E. Fifth Street, Dayton, OH 45402 Call (937) 938-5244 for reservations Valentines Day at Chappys Social House - Washington Township Available: February 10,11, 12 & 14 Valentine Lovetini 8.95 Citrus Vodka, Malibu Rum, Peach Schnapps, Cranberry Juice CHAPPYS SURF & TURF 24.95 10oz Sirloin Steak topped w/4 Cajun Fried or Grilled Shrimp served w/choice of 2 sides THREE COURSE DINNER FOR TW0 49.95 FIRST COURSE Chappys Famous Chicken Tortilla Soup MAIN COURSE (Each Person Choose One) Slab Slow Smoked BBQ Ribs Sirloin Steak (10 oz) 2 Pork Chops - Beer Brined or Grilled Bourbon Glazed Salmon Beer Battered Cod - Grilled Mahi Mahi - Smothered Chicken Breast (Each person picks 2 sides) THIRD COURSE DESSERT TO SHARE Chappys Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake Chappys Social House - 7880 Washington Village Dr, Dayton, OH 45459 Call (937) 439-9200 for reservations Valentines Day Dinner at The Amber Rose - Troy Available: Tuesday February 14th through Saturday February 18th 4pm-8pm In addition to our full menu, enjoy these specials for Valentines Day Shrimp Cocktail 15 Prime Rib - 36 served with loaded baked potato Vodka Pasta - 23Topped with pan seared shrimp Amber Rose Restaurant - 1400 Valley Street, Dayton, OH 45404 Call (937) 228-2511 for reservations Valentines Day at Firebirds Wood Fired Grill - Miamisburg Table for Two Available February 1-28th 4pm-close $39.95 Per Person Starter (Select one for the table) Lobster Queso Steakhoue Meatballs Seared Ahi Tuna* Classic Wedge Salad for Two Main Courses (Select your entree) 7 oz Filet* - Lobster and spinach fondue/choice of side Honey Chile Glazed Grilled Salmon* - Ancient grains pilaf/asparagus/roasted tomatoes/grilled corn/charred corn salsa Tomahawk Prime Pork Chop - Wood-grill certified Duroc pork chop/red wine poached apples/green chile mac & cheese (photo above) Jumbo Lump Blue Crab Cakes - Bold remoulade/wonton slaw/choice of side Dessert (Select one for the table) Creme Brulee Cheesecake 5-Layer Lemon Cake Black Tie Chocolate Cheesecake (cover photo -top) Firebirds Wood Fired Grill - 3500 Rigby Road, Miamisburg, OH 45342 Call 937-865-9355 Fleming's Steakhouse Valentine's Day Three-Course Menu - Beavercreek Available: February 10 - February 14 All entrees include salad and dessert. Salad choice of FLEMING'S SALAD** walnuts, tomatoes, dried cranberries, red onion, lemon balsamic vinaigrette CAESAR SALAD romaine, parmesan, fried capers, crispy prosciutto Entree choice of PETITE FILET MIGNON & CRAB-STUFFED SHRIMP SCAMPI* | 85 (photo above) three shrimp stuffed with savory crab filling, sauteed roasted campari tomatoes & white wine herb butter three shrimp stuffed with savory crab filling, sauteed roasted campari tomatoes & white wine herb butter PETITE FILET MIGNON & LOBSTER TAIL SCAMPI* | 95 sauteed roasted campari tomatoes & white wine herb butter sauteed roasted campari tomatoes & white wine herb butter PRIME SURF & TURF FOR TWO* | 230 35oz prime tomahawk*, north atlantic lobster tail, four crab-stuffed shrimp, sauteed roasted campari tomatoes & white wine herb butter Dessert choice of CHOCOLATE GOOEY BUTTER CAKE honeycomb brittle, chocolate sauce & caramel honeycomb brittle, chocolate sauce & caramel NEW YORK CHEESECAKE classic preparation, strawberry red wine sauce & fresh mint Cheers to your love... THE SCARLET CLOVER | 16 Gray Whale Gin, Fino Sherry, fresh-squeezed lemon juice and strawberry Gray Whale Gin, Fino Sherry, fresh-squeezed lemon juice and strawberry DAOU CABERNET SAUVIGNON, PASO ROBLES | 18 / 72 Black raspberry, pomegranate and cherry preserve meld with herbs and cranberry on the palate Fleming's Steakhouse - 4432 Walnut St (The Greene), Beavercreek 45440 Smith's Boathouse Valentine's Dinner for Two - Troy Available: Feb. 10th, 11th, and the 14th If you're looking for a place to take that special someone to celebrate, we'll be offering an AMAZING Valentine's Dinner for Two - $125 32 OZ BONE IN WAGYU TOMAHAWK STEAK 2 BUTTER POACHED JUMBO TIGER SHRIMP GRILLED VEGETABLES AND CRISPY POTATOES HOUSE SALAD INCLUDED CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRY MOUSE Don't forget to make your reservations. Limited quantities available! Smith's Boathouse 439 N Elm St, Troy, OH 45373 Call (937) 335-3837 The Caroline Valentine's Dinner - Troy Available: Friday 10th, Saturday 11th, and Tuesday, February 14th. APPETIZERS: CRAB CHOWDER - CUP $6 BOWL $9 5 JUMBO SHRIMP SERVED WITH OUR HOUSE COCKTAIL SAUCE $16 AHI TUNA- SEARED RARE, SERVED WITH WASABI AND SWEET & SPICY ASIAN SAUCE $16 3 TRADITIONAL PORK EGG ROLLS WITH SWEET & SOUR AND HOT MUSTARD, ASIAN SLAW $13 THE CAROLINES CRAB CAKES- SERVED WITH REMOULADE SAUCE $16 BOURBON MUSHROOMS- SAUTEED IN BOURBON, BUTTER, GARLIC AND ONIONS. SERVED WITH GARLIC BREAD $12 SALADS: CAESAR SALAD $7 HOUSE WEDGE WITH CHOICE OF DRESSING $7 CAESAR SALAD WITH GRILLED CHICKEN $16 GRILLED SALMON $18 CRAB CAKES $18 SEARED AHI TUNA $18 DINNERS: ROAST PRIME RIB OF BEEF AU JUS, HORSERADISH 12 OZ. $34 THE CAROLINE HOUSE STEAK-SEASONED 10 OZ. CERTIFIED ANGUS TOP SIRLOIN ON A BED OF BURGUNDY MIXED MUSHROOMS $29 6 OZ. CERTIFIED ANGUS FILET MIGNON GARNISHED WITH BURGUNDY SAUCE, PORTABELLO MUSHROOMS AND TANGLED ONION RINGS $34 BLACKENED SALMON WITH A VODKA TOMATO BASIL SAUCE OVER PENNE PASTA $28 CHICKEN MARSALA SAUTEED CHICKEN BREAST IN A BUTTER, MUSHROOM AND WINE SAUCE $25 JUMBO SEA SCALLOP LINGUINI - 5 SEA SCALLOPS WITH ONIONS, MUSHROOMS, GARLIC AND SUNDRIED TOMATOES IN A MADEIRA WINE BUTTER SAUCE $31 SIDES: STEWED TOMATOES BAKED POTATO FRESH GREEN BEANS PREMIUM SIDES: $5.00 ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH PARMESAN--- LATKES POTATOES WITH SRIRACHA SOUR CREAM DESSERT: TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH KAHLUA GANACH $8 NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE $8 REESE'S CUP CHEESECAKE $9 COFFEE ICE CREAM OR DUTCH APPLE ICE CREAM $8 VANILLA CREME BRULEE $9 The Caroline - 5 S Market St, Troy 45373 Call (937) 552-7676 The Florentine Valentine's Day Specials - Germantown Available: Feb 10 19, 2023* , ** $100 Surf and Turf Dinner for Two 26oz Porterhouse, 2 Lobster tails, 2 side salads & 2 loaded baked potatos OR 20oz Ribeye, 2 Lobster tails, 2 side salads & 2 loaded baked potatos $50 Farm and Sea Appetizer: Shrimp Cocktail Entree: Chicken Florentine, Lobster tail, side salad and roasted red potatos * Reservation required with meal selection **All specials include a dozen roses The Florentine - 21 W Market St, Germantown 45327 Call (937) 855-7759 Valentine's Day Menu at Rip Rap Roadhouse - Huber Heights $50 A couple - choice of salad, one entree each with side and a dessert to share Available: Tuesday, February 14 SALAD CAESAR SALAD Fresh chopped romaine tossed in our house made Caesar dressing. Topped with croutons and shaved parmesan INSALATA DELLA CASA Fresh greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, bacon, crispy pasta, and creamy Parmesan dressing ENTREES Peppercorn Steak 8oz USDA Prime 45-day wet aged sirloin. Cooked to order and topped with a creamy peppercorn sauce. Served with fresh mashed potatoes Chicken Piccata Parmesan crusted Chicken Medallions tossed with capers and fettuccini and dressed in a lemon butter sauce Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara Seasoned chicken and shrimp tossed with fettuccini in a creamy sauce with bacon, sundried tomatoes, and peas Southwest Salmon Blackened Salmon topped with black bean corn salsa served on a bed of cilantro lime rice then dressed with a house made southwestern sauce DESSERT MINI MIXED BERRY BEIGNETS Three beignets filled with mixed berry jam and drizzled with raspberry sauce MINI ASSORTED CHOCOLATE BEIGNETS Dark chocolate, white chocolate and chocolate hazelnut beignets drizzled with chocolate sauce Consumption of undercooked meat, poultry, eggs, or seafood may increase the risk of food-borne illnesses Rip Rap Roadhouse - 6024 Rip Rap Rd. Huber Heights, OH 45424 Call (937) 236-4329 Roost Modern Italian - Dayton Available: February 14 We don't have a Valentine's Day menu for Roost as yet, they are still working out the details. But we're just going to leave this here... AffogatoWhiskeyChocolate Cake "A Love Story" You're welcome. Roost Italian 524 E. Fifth St., Dayton, OH 45402 Call: (937)-222-3100 ALSO READ: Put on your dancing shoes, enjoy a romantic evening under the stars, or register for a couples painting workshop! Check out these unique, fun ways to celebrate Valentines Day around the Dayton area. Electrical works were in progress and some plastic material dumped in the ground floor caught fire. Representational Image/DC Hyderabad: Fire broke out in the under construction Secretariat building in Hyderabad in the wee hours of Friday. The new Secretariat building is being readied for inauguration on February 17, which coincides with Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Raos birthday. However, there were no casualties reported. Over 11 fire-fighting engines reached the place and brought the situation under control. Media was denied entry to the premises. Construction work was expedited with the date of inauguration approaching fast. According to information, electrical works were in progress and some plastic material dumped in the ground floor caught fire. Shapoorji-Pallonji was awarded the contract of the Rs 600-crore swanky building. At 3 am, flames erupted from the ground floor and soon spread to the other floors. Reportedly, KCR has been considering the construction of the Secretariat as a prestigious project and reviewing the progress of the works constantly. State BJP President Bandi Sanjay blamed the fire accident on the poor quality of work and haste with which construction was executed. Terming it an unfortunate incident, the BJP leader demanded the inaugural be postponed. Instead of inaugurating Secretariat on Chief Minister's birthday as planned, the BJP leader said it should be inaugurated on Ambedkar's birthday on April 14. TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy said projecting the mishap as a mock drill is not correct. He demanded an all-party delegation to be allowed to visit the spot for a fact finding. Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha during Budget Session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. (Photo: PTI) NEW DELHI: Proceedings of both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day on Friday to reconvene on Monday as the Opposition members continued sloganeering, demanding a debate and a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the allegations of fraud against the Adani Group. It is learnt that Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting to discuss the proceedings of the ongoing Budget Session amid Opposition's uproar over the Adani issue. Several Union ministers and senior BJP leaders attended the meeting. The Opposition parties have been demanding a discussion and a probe into the allegations levelled in the Hindenburg's Adani report. A day after they unitedly led the charge against the government over the Adani issue, at least 16 Opposition parties met on Friday morning to coordinate their strategy in Parliament on the issue and decided to step up their attack on the government, demanding an immediate discussion. As soon as the Lok Sabha convened for the day, the Opposition members were on their feet, shouting slogans and demanding an investigation into the Adani case. Speaker Om Birla appealed to members to stop their protests and participate in the discussions. An unrelenting Opposition, however, continued their protests and sloganeering, forcing Birla to adjourn the proceedings till 2 pm. The Opposition members continued with their demand after the House met for the second time in the day. Amid sloganeering from the Opposition, Rajendra Agarwal, who was in the Chair, allowed the laying of parliamentary papers in the House. Agarwal urged the Opposition members to return to their seats and allow discussion on the "Motion of Thanks" on the President's address to a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament. As protests continued, he adjourned the Lok Sabha for the day. Similar scenes played out in the Uppar House. First, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2.30 pm and later for the day to reconvene on Monday. As the House met in the morning, Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected the 15 adjournment notices filed by the members of several Opposition parties to discuss the Adani issue. As the uproar continued, the chairman adjourned the House till 2.30 pm. When the Rajya Sabha reconvened after lunch, the Opposition members continued their demand, while Dhankhar urged the members to maintain order and allow the House's business to be taken up. As the Opposition members continued their protest, the chairman adjourned the proceedings of the House for the day. Among the 16 parties whose leaders met in the chamber of the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge are the Congress, DMK, SP, AAP, BRS, Shiv Sena (UBT), RJD, JDU, CPM, CPI, NCP, NC, IUML, Kerala Congress (Jose Mani), K.C. (Thomas) and the RSP. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that the Opposition's demand remains the same. "Only an independent investigation will save LIC, SBI and other institutions forced by the Prime Minister to invest in the Adani Group," Ramesh said. The Congress has been alleging that the investments made by the public sector undertakings LIC and SBI into the Adani group have been forced by the Prime Minister. The government, meanwhile, has not responded to the issue so far. The Adani Group stocks, where LIC is heavily invested, have lost over $100 billion in value since a tiny New York short seller came out with a damning report alleging financial and accounting fraud by the ports-to-energy conglomerate. The Adani Group has denied all charges and called the report malicious and full of lies. As the slide in Adani Group stocks continued in the markets on Friday, the Opposition said the rout has threatened the value of investments made by the LIC and public sector banks. Supreme Court (PTI) NEW DELHI: Attorney General R. Venkataramani on Friday informed the Supreme Court that the Centre will soon clear the names of five judges recommended by the collegium on December 13, 2022 for elevation from HCs to the top court. The AG was responding to queries from a bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Abhey S. Oka over status of the recommendations pending for elevation to the top court. He assured that the warrant of appointment will be issued very soon. In view of the Attorney General R. Venkataramanis assurance, the matter was adjourned for February 13, 2023. The Collegium recommended five judges for elevation to the apex court Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal, Patna High Court Chief Justice Sanjay Karol, Manipur High Court Chief Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar, Patna High Court judge Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Allahabad High Court judge Manoj Misra. On January 31, the Supreme Court collegium recommended two more names for elevation as top court judges Justice Rajesh Bindal, Chief Justice, Allahabad High Court and Justice Aravind Kumar, Chief Justice, High Court of Gujarat. While recommending their names, the Collegium had said the names recommended by it on December 13, 2022 "shall have precedence over the two names recommended presently for appointment to the Supreme Court." Meanwhile, AG sought time regarding the pending recommendations concerning the appointments of judges in the High Courts. The court has also expressed its concern over the Collegium recommendations relating to the transfer of the High Court judges pending. Describing it a serious issue, the court cautioned that delay in the transfers of judges might lead to administrative actions which may not be palatable. The court also said that it will not let third parties to clear names in this and warned that it doesn't make the court take a difficult stand. "We have put to the Attorney General that any delay in this may lead to administrative actions which might not be palatable," the court said. The court was hearing the petition against the Centre for keeping the Collegium- recommendations for the appointment of judges to various High courts and Supreme Court pending. In a statement issued Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed shock at the Kalatapasvi death. He underlined that the top director had brought great fame to Telugu culture and film industry. (Photo: DC) Vijayawada: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan have expressed grief over the demise of well-known veteran film director K. Viswanath on Thursday night in Hyderabad. In a statement issued here on Friday, the AP Chief Minister expressed shock at the Kalatapasvi death. He underlined that the top director had brought great fame to Telugu culture and film industry. Jagan Mohan Reddy recalled that the state government has honoured the top film director by Lifetime Achievement Award named after late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. He expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved family members. Governor Harichandan expressed profound grief and sadness over demise of Viswanath. He described him as a veteran film director, screenwriter and actor, well known for his classic films like Siri Siri Muvva, Sankarabharanam and Sirivennela. Telugu Desam supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock. He said Viswanaths demise is a great loss to the film industry and conveyed his profound grief to the doyens family members. Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan expressed deep anguish on his and his partys behalf to the bereaved family members. He said he had a personal rapport with Viswanath from the time the veteran had directed his brother Chiranjeevis films Subhalekha and Swayamkrushi. AP BJP chief Somu Veerraju described the demise as a great loss of a personality who popularised films based on classical music, culture, dance and folk themes. Minister K. Roja described Viswanaths demise as a great loss for not only the Telugu film industry but also Telugu people. Somesh Kumar had failed to appear before the court for the contempt case which was pending from 2019. Twitter Hyderabad: Justice Mummineni Sudheer Kumar of Telangana High Court on Thursday issued bailable warrants against former chief secretary Somesh Kumar, for his wilful disobedience to court orders in relation to a plot of land in Jubilee Hills. Somesh Kumar was sent to his originally allotted cadre in Andhra Pradesh last month. Somesh Kumar had failed to appear before the court for the contempt case which was pending from 2019 . The judge issued warrants against him and adjourned the case to two weeks. The contempt case was filed against Somesh Kumar, then revenue chief secretary , for not implementing the court orders which favored G. Surya Rao in relation to Plot No. 533 , Road No 26 of the Jubilee Hills Co-operative House Building Society, Jubilee Hills Colony, Hyderabad. The society had allotted the plot of land to Surya Rao and it was registered in 1987. The state government without following procedure resumed the land later the same year. Surya Rao appealed in the High Court which in 1996 gave orders in his favour. The government again attempted to resume the land and the owner approached the High Court once more. The government`s contention was that the area covered by Plots No. 533, 534 and 535 was needed by the government for providing access to the campus of the Institute of Administration, which is located near the main gate of the Dr Marri Chenna Reddy Human Resources Development Institute. The High Court in 2019 directed the government to pay compensation for the petitioners plot under the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act or else allot another plot in the vicinity equal to the value of Plot No. 533. The exercise in this regard should be completed within four months from the date of receipt of a copy of the order, the court said. As the government failed to do so, the contempt case was filed and Somesh Kumar failed to attend the court. Central government paid 2,110.23 crore out of 2,267.29 crore of the state government bills under the Resettlement and Rehabilitation package from 2014 to December, 2022. By Arrangement Kakinada: The Union Government has made it clear that it will not be possible to deposit money directly into the accounts of the displaced persons in relation to the Polavaram Irrigation Project construction. In response to a question posed by Kakinada Lok Sabha member Vanga Gita, the Union minister for Jala Shakthi Gajendra Shekawat said the state government was undertaking the construction of the project with funds sanctioned by the central government. "Therefore, it is not possible to deposit money directly into the accounts of displaced families of the project." He said that the money spent on the project by the state government was being promptly reimbursed by the Centre and there was no delay in the payments from the Centre. The minister also said that the central government paid 3,431. 59 crore of bills under the Land Acquisition Act from 2014 to December 2022 out of the 3,779.05 crore submitted by the central government. He said the central government paid 2,110.23 crore out of 2,267.29 crore of the state government bills under the Resettlement and Rehabilitation package from 2014 to December, 2022. Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw speaks in the Lok Sabha. (PTI) HYDERABAD: From the highest-ever capital outlay of Rs 2.4 lakh crore that the Union Budget has provided to railways, Telangana received a significantly higher share of Rs 4,418 crore, which is 45 per cent more than the Rs 3,048 crore given last fiscal. Of that, Rs 600 crore has been earmarked for the Phase II of Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) in Hyderabad, railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Friday during a virtual conference with officials of South Central Railways (SCR). The railway minister stated that SCR was allocated Rs 13,786 crore, which translates to an overwhelming 65 per cent jump from Rs 8,349.75 crore in 2022-23. The total budget allocation for infrastructure projects and safety works, falling fully or partly in Telangana in 2023-24 is at Rs 4,418 crore, he said. The allocation for Andhra Pradesh is Rs 8,406 crore, compared to Rs 7,032 crore in 2022-23, which is a 20 per cent increase. It was because of unforeseen delays that the original sanctioned amount for MMTS Phase II, which was Rs 816.55 crore in 2012-13, has increased. Recently, the Telangana government decided to release Rs 200 crore for the MMTS Phase 11, which covers 101 km. Work has been completed on Malkajgiri-Bolaram double-line electrification for 14 km; Telapur-Ramchandrapuram for six km, Medchal-Bolaram doubling for 14 km, Moula Ali-Ghatkesar quadrupling for 12.2 km and Falaknuma-Umdanagar doubling for 13.5 km. Meanwhile, doubling and electrification works are progressing on the Sanathnagar-Moula Ali and Moula Ali-Malkajgiri-Sitaphalmandi sections. Maintenance centres for Vande Bharat Express trains are coming up in Hyderabad, Kacheguda and Secunderabad stations. An amount of Rs 185 crore has been allotted for the 151-km Manoharabad-Kothapalli new line project, which was sanctioned in 2006-07 at a cost of Rs 1,160 crore. This is a 1/3 cost-sharing project between railways and Telangana government, which will provide the land. As of now, 44 km of the project stands completed. The Bhadrachalam-Kovvur new line project has been sanctioned Rs 20 crore. The project was sanctioned in 2012-13 covering a distance of 151 km at a cost of Rs 1,445 crore, which was later revised to Rs 2,154.83 crore. An amount of Rs 10 crore has been allotted for the Manuguru-Ramagundam new line project while Rs 345 crore has been allotted for Munirabad-Mahbubnagar new line project. M Venkaiah Naidu paid tributes to the mortal remains of renowned film director & Kalatapasvi Sri K. Viswanath at his residence in Hyderabad. (Photo: Twitter: @MVenkaiahNaidu) Vijayawada: A pall of gloom has descended on Pedapulivarru village in Bhattiprolu mandal of Bapatla district due to passing of Kasinathuni Viswanath. Every villager is sad, with none of them left untouched by what Viswanath has done for the village. They turned up in large numbers to pay their floral tributes to the departed legend. Villagers recalled that Viswanaths family lived in Pedapulivarru until he was 10 years old. After that, Viswanath's father shifted the family to Vijayawada, where he had been the manager of a cinema theatre. Viswanath received his higher education in Vijayawada and graduated from Andhra Christian College in Guntur. Around that time, Viswanath's father introduced him to famous director and producer B.N. Reddy, which led to him entering the film field. Pedapulivarru village elder K. Subba Rao recalled Viswanath being very friendly whenever he met the locals. Subba Rao said they used to visit the house of Viswanath in Chennai, where they got a chance to view film shootings. The village elder said even after becoming a legendary director, Viswanath did not cut his relationship with his village and villagers. During Corona times, Vishanath donated oxygen machines to Pedapulivarru, which helped locals a lot. Sajja Basavapunnaiah, whose family purchased the house and farmlands of Viswanaths father when they shifted to Vijayawada, said Viswanaths house turned very lucky for him, as he got a job soon after buying the house. Teachers and students of Vignan University also paid floral tributes to Viswanaths photo. Vignan chairman Dr Lavu Rattaiah recalled their university conferring an honorary doctorate on Viswanath during its fifth convocation. Hindu College Guntur principal P.M. Prasad and vice-principal K. Durgaprasad recalled that Viswanath studied Intermediate in Hindu College and degree at AC College in Guntur. They recalled that whenever Viswanath visited Guntur, he used to visit these colleges. Hindu College had also felicitated him. Friday's development was a follow-up to the truce worked out between the two camps a few days ago during the course of hearings at the Telangana High Court. (Photo: Twitter/ @DrTamilisaiGuv) HYDERABAD: Constitutional obligations were met with and legislative practices were followed by the two warring personalities Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on the first day of the Assembly Budget Session on Friday. The Chief Minister facilitated the Governors address to the joint session of the Council and the Assembly after a year or so and Dr Soundararajan stuck to the custom of reading out the text furnished by the government that was loaded with praise of Chandrashekar Rao and the BRS government. Fridays development was a follow-up to the truce worked out between the two camps a few days ago during the course of hearings at the Telangana High Court. The move kicked up a huge political controversy with the Congress accusing the BRS and the BJP of reaching an understanding to stop it from coming to power in the next Assembly elections. Giving credence to the criticism, Chandrashekar Rao spared the Governor the embarrassment of reflecting the ruling partys criticism of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government. Apparently reciprocating the gesture, the Governor heaped praise on Chandrashekar Rao and the state government. Contrary to expectations of even the BJP leaders. she avoided a repeat of Tamil Nadu where Governor R.N. Ravi had recently skipped several parts of the address. Sources close to the ruling party told Deccan Chronicle that a conscious decision was taken to not incorporate any lines that even indirectly referred to what the BRS harps, on the injustice meted out to Telangana in Central allocations. "Puli gandripulu vintamanukunte, pilli kootalu vachai (we expected to hear the roar of a lion, instead we ended up listening to a cat meowing)," was the instant reaction of senior Congress leader T. Jagga Reddy. Another Congress leader, A. Mahesh Reddy, said the episode of the Governors address was directed by the BJP Central leadership with which Chandrashekar Rao struck a deal. "Today the understanding between the two parties came out openly," he alleged. Even BJP legislators were in a tight spot but tried to work out a via media solution. While stating that Governor had to read out the address approved by the Cabinet, as per the legislative custom, BJP MLA M. Raghunandan Rao and former MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, in separate media interactions, accused Chandrashekar Rao of forcing her to utter lies about the BRS government. Minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan PTI Colombo: State Minister for External Affairs V Muraleedharan will represent India at Sri Lanka's 75th Independence Day celebrations to be held here on Saturday and hold bilateral interactions with President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, officials said on Friday. Along with Muraleedharan, several other foreign dignitaries, including the head of the Commonwealth Patricia Scotland are to attend the main event in the capital, Colombo. The security has been beefed up in the capital with armed troops manning the most popular junctions in and around Colombo's immediate suburbs. The trip by Muraleedharan to Colombo comes nearly two weeks after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Sri Lanka. Muraleedharan will have bilateral meetings with Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Sabry, officials here said. Muraleedharan will also have an interaction with the prominent members of the Indian diaspora. His two-day visit is a reflection of deeper bilateral engagement between the two nations at a time the island nation is reeling under an economic crisis. Last month, Sri Lanka thanked India for its generous support of a USD 3.9 billion credit line extended to it last year and the assurances given by New Delhi to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to restructure the country's debt. Sri Lanka, which is trying to secure a USD 2.9 billion bridge loan from the IMF, was negotiating to get financial assurances from its major creditors -- China, Japan and India, which is the requisite for Colombo to get the bailout package. During mid-2022 Sri Lanka faced the worst economic crisis since independence 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 the then president Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Last year in April, Sri Lanka declared its first-ever debt default in its history. The Independence Day celebrations have been criticised by Sri Lanka's Opposition groups who dubbed the rupee 200 million events an extravagance amid the ongoing economic crisis. The main Opposition has declared they would officially boycott the main Independence day event to be held at the Galle Face promenade, the site of the months-long public protests from April to August last year against the government for mishandling the economic crisis. In the north and eastern Tamil regions, black flags are to be raised claiming that the Sinhala majority rulers had denied political freedom to the Tamil minority. Sinhalese, mostly Buddhist, make up nearly 75 per cent of Sri Lanka's 22 million population while Tamils are 15 per cent. A radical students union has called for a day of protest. A 24-hour continuous sit-in protest is to be staged from 3 pm on Friday at the busy Maradana junction in central Colombo to protest against the celebrations. The Catholic Church has announced an official boycott of all Independence Day events to protest what they called inaction by the government to hold accountable the culprits behind the devastating 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed over 270 people, including 11 Indians. With the Adani Groups stocks continued to be hit hard by the Hindenburg Researchs report, Prime Minister Narendra Modis government on Thursday subtly distanced itself from a power purchase agreement between Indias richest man Gautam Adanis conglomerate and neighbouring Bangladesh, although the deal appeared to have run into a hitch. The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has sought revision of a 2017 agreement to buy electricity from a 1600 MW plant of the Adani Power Limited a unit of the Adani Group at Godda in Jharkhand in India. The BPDB has asked for the revision of the deal as the price the Adani Power Limited asked for electricity generated at the coal-powered plant appeared to be too expensive. I understand you are referring to a deal between a sovereign government and an Indian company, Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said in New Delhi, when journalists asked him about the position of the Government of India on the BPDBs objection to the high coal prices cited by the Adani Power Limited. I do not think we are involved in this, said Bagchi, distancing the Government of India from the hitch the deal had apparently gone into. Also Read: Adani crisis worsens as investors flee; Opposition demands probe Indias diplomats had in the past cited the November 2017 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Adani Power Limited and the BPDB for supply of power to the neighbouring country from the plant at Godda in Jharkhand as an example of bilateral cooperation between the two nations, particularly in the energy sector. The UNB news agency of Bangladesh reported that the BPDB had sought revision of the deal as it had received a request from Adani Power Limited in connection with opening Letter of Credit in India to import coal for the power plant for supply of electricity. In our view, the coal price they have quoted ($400/MT) is excessive it should be less than $250/MT, which is what we are paying for the imported coal at our other thermal power plants, the UNB quoted an unidentified BPDB official saying. The UNB also reported that the BPDB had asked for review of the power procurement agreement and readjustment of the tariff structure before it could start importing electricity from the Adani Power Limiteds plant in India. We do think that greater economic integration and connectivity with our neighbours assist our process of development. We have been talking about our neighbours benefiting from the economic growth of India," the MEA spokesperson said. We have tried to make it easier for connectivity, be it physical or energy or power transmission or any of those or even waterways, he said, noting that Bangladesh had an important place in Indias 'Neighbourhood First' policy. "And, under that, we of course, would like to see greater economic interconnections, integration of projects, investments. But, if a certain project is not working for financial or economic reasons, I don't think that's a reflection on the relationship, said Bagchi. He, however, said that New Delhi would continue with its efforts to see how it could bring India and Bangladesh closer together through greater economic investment and trade linkages. Asked if any foreign governments reached out to New Delhi inquiring about the status of Adani Group in the backdrop of the report of the Hindenburg Research on the conglomerate, the MEA spokesperson said that he was not aware of any such discussion. "I do not know if they will approach the MEA. I am not aware of any such outreach at all. I do not think it is a foreign policy issue. If there is any query that they might have vis-a-vis a private organisation, maybe they will route it through other concerned departments. I am not aware...I do not think we have been approached by any government," he said. Bagchi also dismissed the speculation that controversy over the Adani Group would cast a shadow over Indias G-20 presidency. The Derry branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) has held a vigil at Free Derry Wall in the city. The event took place on Saturday afternoon, during the Bloody Sunday commemoration weekend. Speaking to Derry News, Derry IPSC branch representative, Catherine Hutton: We are here to mark the massacre on Thursday past (January 26) of nine Palestinians in Jenin Refugee Camp during an early morning raid by the Israeli army. It is very poignant because the Bloody Sunday events are being held this weekend and it is so reminiscent of what happened here in Derry 51 years ago. What is happening in Palestine and the oppression has got to the point where every day there are one or two Palestinians killed. Since the start of January, there have been more than 30 Palestinians killed. So, the world is watching and not doing anything, so we have to do what we can. We have to raise our voices in any way we can. Today is really just to show respect for the dead and also to show support for Palestine and show them they are not alone, said Cathy Hutton. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Just how good is the iPhone 14 Pros camera prowess? Digits Test Centre has had no qualms in hailing Apples iPhone as the de-facto video benchmark for gauging every other smartphones video chops for the better part of a decade. Circa 2023, the time has come for even the best in Bollywood to stake their reputations on the iPhones video capabilities. Fursat, a sci-fi time-travelling Bollywood-style musical by acclaimed filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj and starring Ishaan Khattar and Wamiqa Gabbi, is the latest proof of this endeavour. Far from a hobbyist or amateur production, and certainly, beyond any of Apples iPhone video ads, Fursat is Bollywoods first non-commercial movie shot completely on an iPhone the iPhone 14 Pro and produced entirely by Apple India. Its a homage to the iPhone 14 Pros cutting-edge video capabilities, performing at the highest levels of filmmaking in all its unrestrained glory. In fact, the iPhone 14 Pro is the invisible star act of Fursat, which helps bring the Bollywood experience to life, not only matching up to the rigorous demands of award-winning film director Vishal Bhardwaj but surpassing all his expectations of what he thought an iPhone 14 Pro was capable of achieving. Its frankly unbelievable what this tiny handheld gadget that can fit inside your pocket is able to capture through its camera, said Vishal Bhardwaj, at a special media screening of Fursat in Mumbai. As a device, its taking you out of the limitations which we had when we were growing up. We didnt have the luxury which iPhone is providing every budding filmmaker today, he further emphasised. Apart from the iPhone 14 Pros overall stellar video capture experience, both Vishal Bhardwaj and Swapnil Sonawane, director of photography of Fursat, were blown away by the iPhones Action and Cinematic modes. Fursats opening sequence shows Ishan Khattar furiously sprinting through an old, tiny market alley not unlike Aladdin running through the streets of Agrabah crisscrossing through a maze of street sellers and pedestrian traffic. It gets your heart pumping instantly, where Swapnil Sonawanes behind-the-lens artistry truly shines, but he humbly credited the scenes excellent cinematography largely to the iPhone 14 Pros camera. I didnt know how much the iPhone could handle, but the way it did was just fantastic, said Swapnil Sonawane, who did remarkable work on Netflixs Sacred Games, among other several claims to fame Bollywood projects. I think Action mode is the most amazing update. For the iPhone 14 Pro to be held in your hand and run with all your might looking at the actor, one can get extremely steady shots, without an external gimbal, he said of how he captured the running sequence of Ishaan Khatter in Fursat. Of course, we all know Action mode supports up to 2.8K resolution and 60 fps with Dolby Vision or ProRes recording to allow for uncompromising video shots. In another seminal ensemble scene of Fursat, shot entirely in a train compartment, where all three protagonists of Fursat are face-to-face, the iPhone 14 Pro showcases its Cinematic mode, with a beautiful depth-of-field effect and automatic focus changes to the video in 4K at 30 fps. The way Cinematic mode shifts focus is the way the focus puller would, it's an emotional shift focus, which is what was absolutely beautiful about it, Swapnil Sonawane emphasised about the iPhone 14 Pro. Even Digits Dhriti Datta writes about these two new video modes in her review of the iPhone 14 Pro Max and its overall video quality as follows, The video quality is the absolute best in the business on the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The footage captured is smooth, true to life, has great dynamic range, and looks professional. Apart from Action and Cinematic modes, there are some macro and wide-angle shots, showing the full repertoire of the iPhone 14 Pros camera. Despite it being an ode to the iPhone 14 Pro, all said and done, Fursat is quite enjoyable its a Bollywood-style musical full of songs and dances with an emotional love story at its heart, accentuated by elements of science-fiction and time travel. Whats not to like? A short and sweet tour de force by Vishal Bhardwaj, if anything the 30-minute playtime of Fursat feels a bit too short. Ready to see what the future of filmmaking looks like? You can watch Fursat movie for free on YouTube. Read Digits review of the iPhone 14 Pro Max. For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page. OnePlus 11 is set to launch in India on February 7th along with the OnePlus 11R and the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 at a Cloud 11 event. As the launch is around the corner, OnePlus has taken a dig at its competitor, Samsung. In a series of recent tweets, OnePlus has not even spared Apple. They called out Samsung for the steep pricing of their Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. This does not end here. OnePlus even offered a $200 extra trade in credit for those users who are willing to switch to OnePlus from Samsung. The offer will be valid for users willing to buy the new OnePlus 11 in exchange for the Samsung Galaxy. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra's price starts at 1,24,999 in India and $1,199 (over 98,000) in the US. The starting prices in India are a whopping 15,000 over the price of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra which was released last year in 2022. If reports are to be believed, the prices of the OnePlus 11 5G are expected to be around 54,999 for the 12GB+256GB storage variant in India. Its not just the prices, OnePlus also called out Samsung for not offering a charger in the box. They took a dig at Samsung by mentioning how they offered a 200MP camera but no chargers. OnePlus also commented on the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra's design. They stated how the new phone had the same design as its predecessor. OnePlus also tweeted that they are good with just watching movies on phones, not making them. OnePlus also questioned why these phones are called 'Galaxy'. Why do they call it the Galaxy? Astronomical pricing tweeted the brand. Earlier, Samsung has also taken such digs at Apple. Lets have a glimpse at the OnePlus 11s expected specifications OnePlus 11 expected specifications The OnePlus 11 is expected to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor paired with three storage options; 12GB/256GB, 16GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB. It runs on Android 13OS and packs a 5000mAh battery with 100-watt fast charging support. The OnePlus 11 could be equipped with a 6.7-inch LTPO3 AMOLED display with a resolution of 1440 x 3216 pixels which supports a 120Hz refresh rate. OnePlus 11 could feature a 50-megapixel primary camera, 32-megapixel telephoto lens for optical zoom and 48-megapixel ultrawide lens for wide-angle shots. It might have a 16-megapixel selfie camera. For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page. Smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has partnered with German camera maker Leica for their smartphone camera development. The first product out of the Xiaomi - Leica partnership, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra was the first smartphone in the world to come with a 1-inch sensor, followed by the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2, which was launched only in China. Going forward, the two companies aim to bring extreme technological breakthroughs in the smartphone camera department. Now, while the Xiaomi 12S Ultra did not come to India, the OEM has decided to keep India in its plans going forward. Last month, Xiaomi and Leica held a press briefing in New Delhi where the two brands told us about what they have in store for the smartphone camera department. What is the Xiaomi-Leica partnership all about The strategic partnership between the two brands has already led to some of their best camera tech like the 8P Aspheric lens used in the Xiaomi 12S Ultras camera, the photography styles on the Xiaomi 12S Ultra that Leica has helped create, and of course, the Xiaomi-Leica concept phone which has a physical detachable lens. During the briefing, Leica told us that the partnership between the two brands has four main focus areas. These include Optical design, Lens and Camera module, image quality tuning, and image approval. Leica went into detail about how the company, over its 154-year-long experience, has mastered these four areas. The company also explained how it plans to implement these technologies in Xiaomi smartphones, in order to further blur the lines between smartphones and cameras. One of the main focus areas of the partnership is to bring Leicas expertise in the camera and lens technology to Xiaomi smartphones, in order to bring smartphone photography to the same levels as cameras. The briefing focused on how clicking good images on a camera requires different elements, while on smartphones, with the help of AI, OEMs can make things much more streamlined and hopefully better in terms of quality. The idea is simple, Xiaomi will bring its expertise in the mobile imaging systems and AI algorithms, while Leica will bring its optical engineering, design, imaging software and consumer experience to smartphone photography to the partnership. This is also an opportunity for Leica to expand its expertise from traditional cameras to now smartphone cameras and imaging technology. In the briefing held in New Delhi, both Leica and Xiaomi talked about their plans to bring more Xiaomi smartphones with Leica-powered cameras. The company did not give us much details, but from what we could gather, the next Xiaomi flagship (most likely the Xiaomi 13) to launch in India will come with cameras co-engineered with Leica. Given that Xiaomi did not announce any plans to bring smartphones with Leica cameras to India at the start of the partnership, the company has gauged the interest in India, and seeing the success of Vivos similar partnership with Zeiss in India, Xiaomi now has India in its plans for Leica-engineered camera tech on smartphones. For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page. Yangtze River fishing ban sees positive progress: ministry Xinhua) 10:51, February 03, 2023 BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- A 10-year fishing ban in the key waters of China's Yangtze River basin has achieved solid progress in ecological conservation, with aquatic bioresources gradually recovering, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Thursday. The Yangtze finless porpoises, an endangered species known as the "giant panda of the water," has been more frequently spotted in the Poyang Lake, the Dongting Lake, and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, according to the ministry. In the Jianli section of the Yangtze River, the number of fish roe produced by the four major Chinese carps, namely black carp, grass carp, silver carp and bighead carp, during the breeding season surged from less than 100 million to 7.87 billion, said the ministry. In 2022, a total of 18,525 cases of illegal fishing along the Yangtze River were investigated by local agricultural departments, and 3,462 suspects were transferred to the judiciary, Tang Renjian, minister of agriculture and rural affairs, told a press conference. Next, local authorities will continue to implement policies to provide resettlement opportunities and other supports for people previously engaged in the fishing business. They will also strengthen the targeted monitoring of those at risk of falling back into poverty, and provide them with timely assistance, Tang said. Efforts will also be made to develop aquaculture, tourism and other industries along the Yangtze River, utilizing policy support and technical training if conditions permit, according to the minister. To restore the biodiversity along the river, China implemented a full fishing ban in 332 conservation areas of the Yangtze River basin in January 2020. The move has since been expanded to a 10-year moratorium along the river's main streams and major tributaries, effective Jan. 1, 2021. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Europe is anxious to deal with concerns that unionists have over the operation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, Tanaiste Micheal Martin has insisted. Irelands deputy premier was speaking after meeting the main five political parties in Belfast amid the continuing stalemate within the devolved government. It came as DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson suggested that a deal between the EU and the UK over differences on the contentious post-Brexit trading deal could be reached within weeks. But Sinn Fein highlighted the one-year anniversary of the collapse of the Stormont Executive, with party vice-president Michelle ONeill accusing the DUP of punishing the public. One year ago, former DUP first minister Paul Givan resigned as part of his partys protest over the post-Brexit deal. The DUP contends the protocol is a border in the Irish Sea and is undermining the union between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, as well as hampering trade. Today marks one year since the then-First Minister of Northern Ireland resigned. Twelve months and one Assembly election later, it is disappointing that people in Northern Ireland still do not have the strong devolved government that they deserve. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/x19bsPu19S Chris Heaton-Harris MP (@chhcalling) February 3, 2023 Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris spoke of his disappointment in a series of tweets at reaching the one-year anniversary of the impasse. Today marks one year since the then-first minister of Northern Ireland resigned. Twelve months and one Assembly election later, it is disappointing that people in Northern Ireland still do not have the strong devolved government that they deserve, he said. Negotiations between the UK and the EU on differences within the protocol are ongoing. Mr Martin said the people of Northern Ireland deserved government. An Executive should be sitting today, working to support workers and families as living costs rise, and fixing our health service. I want to make politics work for everyone across society. There should be no more excuses or delays, the blocking of an Executive must end now. pic.twitter.com/z5wUIHAFBY Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) February 3, 2023 The context is there in terms of the negotiations and discussions that are under way between the United Kingdom Government and the European Union team. I made the point to the parties this morning, there is a significant degree of confidentiality surrounding those negotiations and discussions, and I am in agreement with the need to provide space to both the negotiating teams to see if they can bring about a resolution of the issues around trade. He added: We believe the issues can be resolved but that is a matter in the first instance for the EU negotiating team and the United Kingdom. There are a lot of challenges, I would not understate the difficulties that both sides will face in trying to resolve the issues. Mr Martin also said the EU was sensitive to concerns unionists had about the protocol. I think Europe is very aware and sensitive of the points of view and concerns that the unionist community have put forward in respect of the protocol issue, and having that seamless trade within the UK single market, he said. These are issues that have been advanced strongly by the unionist parties, both the DUP and the UUP, and other parties are clear that if issues of that nature can be resolved, theyre happy enough to see them resolved. I do genuinely believe that the European Union is very anxious to deal with those concerns that unionism has. Speaking after his meeting with the Tanaiste, Sir Jeffrey said progress had been made between the EU and the UK over the protocol. He said: My understanding is that on some of the technical issues, the UK and EU sides have reached a level of agreement but there are still significant gaps to be bridged. We hope we can get an outcome over the next few weeks that unionists as well as nationalists can support. It depends on the level of progress. We dont yet know the progress made. This could land within the next few weeks. I think, given that there are some major political issues still to be resolved, it could take longer. The important thing for me is the quality of the outcome, not the length of time taken. Ms ONeill said she pressed on Mr Martin the need for the EU and UK to close out on a deal on the protocol as quickly as possible. I think he shares the same assessment, that there does appear to be good soundings coming from what is happening, she said. People seem to have went quiet, I hope that that means that theyre working really hard, that theyre going to get to a point where there is a deal on the protocol. Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw said her party had emphasised to Mr Martin an urgent need to reform the Stormont institutions after the latest period of collapse. He said that he is in support of reform but I dont think that he has the same timescale as we would in that we should allow the negotiations with the EU to complete, get the institutions back up and then talk about how we reform the institutions, she said. Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie expressed frustration at the lack of information he said local politicians were being given about the protocol negotiations. He said: It is becoming incredibly frustrating, we are not being kept in the loop as to what is happening in regards to the negotiations between the EU and the UK, and if were not involved, if they try to bounce unionism, its simply not going to work. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said that despite positivity around the EU/UK talks on the protocol, it was still in the DUPs hands whether the Executive would return if a deal was struck. We know all the problems in the health service and the economy and everything else, and were desperately in need of local politicians to take responsibility, he said. European Parliament president Roberta Metsola has paid tribute to murdered journalist Veronica Guerin, and said that EU efforts have intensified to protect women from violence. The Maltese MEP has been vocal about ending violence against women since beginning her tenure as president of the EUs parliament. She paid tribute to 23-year-old Co Offaly teacher Ashling Murphy, who was killed while out jogging, upon taking up the role on January 18 last year the same day as Ms Murphys funeral. In November, Ms Metsola gave a speech to MEPs after Bernice Cassar, a 40-year-old mother-of-two, was shot at through the windscreen of her car and killed in Malta. She is one of many examples of abuse and murder of women in Europe simply for being women, Ms Metsola said. Stop killing women. No more excuses. Protect women. We need action, now. Ms Guerin was shot in June 1996 while her car was stopped at a traffic light outside Dublin. Aged 37, she had been attacked and threatened multiple times before her death. The memorial to Ms Guerin in Dublin Castle is inscribed with Be not afraid. Ms Metsola spoke to Ms Guerins brother Jimmy and his wife Louann at the memorial on Friday morning, before laying a wreath of white flowers at it. Mr Guerin told the EP president about the memorial, about a DCU journalism scholarship in Veronica Guerins name, and about how students of journalism had visited the memorial over the years. He also told Ms Metsola that he found out his sister had been shot when a friend rang him. Ms Metsola told the PA news agency that she was deeply moved at the monument and paid tribute to Ms Guerin. I wanted to pay tribute to Veronica Guerin, she said. A woman. A journalist, who gave her life for the truth. It was important for me to do that in Dublin on behalf of the European Parliament. Too many journalists have paid with their lives in Europe and that is a price too high to pay. We are determined to do what we can to protect journalists with European legislation. It was a deeply moving moment for me to be there with her family and an important moment to show that Europe remembers the legacy of journalists like Veronica Guerin or Daphne Caruana Galizia. We honour them. Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia died in a car explosion at her home in October 2017. She had been investigating corruption in her country. Violence against women is rising, Ms Metsola told PA. We are seeing too many cases of domestic violence around Europe. Legislation is one answer and I must say that Irish MEPs are leading the charge in the European Parliament on this. The EU has in recent years intensified its efforts on this issue. Last year the EU launched the long-awaited proposal for a directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence. I hope this will help make a difference. Ireland must hold a similar process in parallel to the Omagh bomb inquiry, the Irish Foreign Affairs Minister has been urged. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris announced on Thursday that there would be an independent inquiry into the dissident republican blast which hit the Co Tyrone town on August 15 1998. The bomb killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, and injured hundreds of others. In 2021, a Belfast High Court judge recommended that the UK Government carry out an investigation into alleged security failings in the lead up to the attack, and that a similar probe should be established by the Irish Government. On Thursday, Irish Justice Minister Simon Harris said they would await the details of the UKs inquiry before announcing what action they would take. Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin met the major Stormont parties in Belfast on Friday. During his first meeting of the day, with DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the Tanaiste was told his government must step up to the mark. After the meeting, Sir Jeffrey said: If this inquiry is to establish the full picture however, that requires the Republic of Ireland to also hold a similar process in parallel. The bomb was placed by republican terrorists in Omagh but it was planned, prepared and transported to Omagh from the Republic of Ireland. I trust the Irish Government will step up to the mark on this legacy issue as well as others. The issue was also raised with Mr Martin by the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP. Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie said: We did say to Micheal Martin that we believe the Irish Government needs to do more, not just on the Omagh bomb inquiry, we think they need to have their own inquiry in Ireland, but on legacy as as a whole, remembering, of course, that hundreds, if not thousands, of our citizens here in Northern Ireland were killed or injured by attacks, which came from Ireland, and the perpetrators returned back to Ireland again. We did make the point strongly that they need to do more. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said he believes it is very clear that the Irish Government are committed to not being left behind in terms of this investigation. I think yesterday was a very good day for the Omagh families, it took far too long, he said. But I have no doubt that the Irish Government will step forward and not be left behind when it comes to investigating the Omagh bombing. Sector after sector of workers are joining the growing strike wave. Further coordinated walkouts are in store, following Wednesdays day of action. To strengthen the movement, these struggles need to be united and organised from top to bottom. Wednesday 1 February saw around 500,000 workers taking strike action over pay and conditions, and against the Tory anti-union laws. The last time this many workers walked out together was during the 2011 public sector pensions dispute. But the difference between now and then is like night and day. Now, there is over a decade of accumulated anger and discontent exploding onto picket lines and into the streets. The ruling class recognises this. That is why the Tory government is preparing for battle with their latest draconian legislation against the right to strike. This week, half a million workers went on strike - an historic day for the class struggle in Britain. But now we must face the question: what is the way forward? Here, Dylan explains why you should join Socialist Appeal and help us build a fighting, revolutionary leadership. pic.twitter.com/STQjaS3ogt Socialist Appeal (@socialist_app) February 3, 2023 Unite general secretary Sharon Graham commented recently that the Tories are waging a forever class war. We completely agree. It is necessary for the labour movement to prepare for war also. The bosses and their representatives are getting organised. And so must we. Coordinated action Already, trade union leaders have announced that the next big offensive will take place on 15 March, to coincide with Budget Day. Recent moves to coordinate strike action are a welcome step forward / Image: Socialist Appeal These moves to coordinate strike action are a welcome step forward. They are a recognition of the fact that the Tories anti-union laws are a threat to the whole of the organised working class. Only united action can defeat this. Not everyone at the top of the trade union movement feels the same way though, it seems. For instance, Pat Cullen, leader of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), explicitly ruled out joining the 1 February day of action. Our dispute is about the nursing profession and doing a deal for nursing is my only priority, Cullen told the Guardian. My members spoke very clearly to give the RCN a unique mandate for strike action. Consequently, nurses are next set to strike on 6 February, alongside ambulance workers. This attitude contrasts with the militancy of rank-and-file nurses, however. A NursingNotes survey found that 71% support escalated action. And coordination with other unions particularly in the public sector would surely be welcomed as part of this. The fact is, whether the union leaders like it or not, their members and the wider working class increasingly recognise that the problems they are fighting all have a common enemy: the Tory government and the profit system they protect. Grassroots organisation Despite the strike wave growing since last summer, however, the movement still lacks a serious and organised force to link these struggles together and connect them to a political programme. Enough is Enough has largely gone quiet since October last year / Image: KateOsborneMP Twitter The Enough is Enough campaign, launched last August, showed the potential to play this role, providing a lightning rod around which the energy of workers and youth could coalesce. The campaign initially tapped into the radical mood that exists, with tens of thousands attending rallies, and hundreds of thousands signing-up in support. With leading figures from the trade unions backing it, linking the strikes to demands aimed at tackling the cost-of-living crisis, Enough is Enough could have easily established groups across the country to help organise local grassroots activists. This possibility was hinted at on 1 October, when the campaign helped to organise rallies and protests in over 50 towns and cities in support of striking posties and rail workers. Since then, however, Enough is Enough has largely gone quiet. And there have been no moves to launch or organise local branches. Similarly, other campaigning organisations like the Peoples Assembly and Momentum are nowhere to be seen locally, for the most part. At one point, at the peak of the anti-austerity movement or the Corbyn era, these organisations also had hundreds and even thousands attending their meetings and events. But they have long since become moribund. Momentum today is even in a serious financial crisis. As a result, at a grassroots level, trade unionists and activists lack a nationwide campaign to coordinate their fightback. This is hamstringing the movement, and needs to be rectified in order to strengthen and advance the struggle. Strike committees Within the unions, although there are increasing levels of coordinated action, often this is simply announced from the top, with little discussion of how rank-and-file members can link up locally or within the workplace. During some recent strikes there have been local efforts to discuss and organise between unions / Image: Socialist Appeal Nevertheless, there is an instinctive appetite for such unity. During some recent strikes such as those at the University of Leeds or Fawley refinery there have been local efforts to discuss and organise between unions. Here and there, trades councils are also starting to reawaken, bringing together representatives of different unions, and organising local rallies and solidarity efforts. This should be built upon going forwards. Similarly, in some areas, in advance of the 1 February strikes, teachers and parents set up local solidarity networks to organise support for the NEUs picket lines. All of this shows the enormous creativity and potential strength that exists amongst the working class, and how workers will move to unite across unions and workplaces, and within their communities to fight back. But unfortunately, there is not yet a wider, nationwide concerted effort to organise workers across different unions whether this be in the same industries, workplaces, or localities. To strengthen, maximise, and win the fightback, therefore, what is required are cross-union strike committees that can mobilise and coordinate action at a rank-and-file level. Lessons of the past We need to learn the lessons of the past. Previous efforts to organise grassroots activists ended up concentrating power at the top, leaving members disenfranchised, disillusioned, and disempowered. Related to this, their bureaucratic leaderships consistently restricted their demands to stay well within the confines of capitalism. Instead of learning from history, organisations like Momentum were doomed to repeat it: capitulating to the right wing of the labour movement; and falling for the divide-and-rule tactics of the ruling class. All of this flowed from the woolly, weak, reformist politics of these official lefts. In truth, they have no confidence in the power of the working class to change society. Instead, they believe that capitalism can be patched up; made nicer and kinder. In turn, instead of mobilising and organising workers to fight against the bosses system, these left leaders go down the path of least resistance, seeking compromises at every turn. The result is that there is now in the middle of this deep crisis of British capitalism and explosion of the class struggle an enormous vacuum on the left. Revolutionary leadership Huge class battles portend. The period ahead will be unlike any that most workers will have ever experienced. The consciousness of millions will be shaken up and transformed. On the basis of these struggles, a new left is starting to emerge / Image: Socialist Appeal On the basis of these upheavals, a new left will be forged one with the iron determination to fight the bosses, the Tories, and their rotten system. What is required above all is the building of a revolutionary organisation, armed with a bold socialist programme, that has roots in the working class; a Marxist tendency that can provide direction and leadership in the ranks of this resurgent labour movement. This is what Socialist Appeal is attempting to build. We urge you to join us in this crucial task. This past month, reports flooded in of the deluge of rain hitting California. Californians were faced with dire situations, and at least 22 lives were lost. In all, over 30 trillion gallons of water fell in the state, according to a student scientist. But in a state with an unyielding drought, the majority of that water flowed right back out to sea. Back in 2011, the city of Copenhagen in Denmark experienced a similar although short-lived deluge, when 150mm almost 6 inches of rain fell in a two-hour period, the most rain in a 24-hour period in over 55 years. Coupled with a study from 2021 noting that a large increase in intense, slow-moving storms would happen in the future in Denmark and across Europe, the city began to develop a plan to manage the water from these types of short-burst intense rainfalls that are predicted to be more regular occurrences not just in Copenhagen, but across the globe, as a result of the climate crisis. The result was the Cloudburst Masterplan, a multi-municipality plan that will help to control the damaging effects of intense rain in Copenhagen. In total there are more than 250 larger scale projects across the city, said Martin Zoffmann, communication manager of Ramboll Water, the company that is helping plan and implement the master plan, in an e-mail. The projects are interconnected in branches and [it] provides protection and improved livability throughout the city via its multifunctional and blue-green design. As an example: St. Annae Square, in central Copenhagen. This area, once a flood-prone field, has been redesigned so that the rainwater now heads out to the harbor. This has not only helped to prevent the water from pooling in the main square where people go, but also from damaging adjacent buildings. The area was redesigned into a bowl shape, and new storm pipes and gutters were built so that excess water flows out to the harbor. Ramboll is using whats called blue-green infrastructure in its designs. Blue-green infrastructure can be defined as hydrological functions with urban nature, landscaping and urban planning in other words, planning with both water and land being considered together. And other flood-prone cities are taking notice. Another example? The Copenhagen Masterplan caught the eye of the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Hurricane Sandy, though a once-in-a-lifetime event, showed that New York City was sorely lacking in water management and particularly in management in times of intense downpour. When the DEP got word of the Masterplan, they visited Denmark on five occasions to explore the project. Back in 2015, the two cities signed a cooperation agreement to improve climate resilience in both cities by sharing knowledge and technical information. And when Hurricane Ida hit the New York area with 10 inches of rain in a three-hour period in 2021 the very definition of a cloudburst it made the creation of some kind of heavy rain mitigation plan that much more urgent. During a visit in 2022, Alan Cohn, the managing director of Integrated Water Management at the NYC DEP, said, What inspired me most this visit was Copenhagens climate adaption efforts integrated with urban renewal work. This includes pooling different types of expertise and resources to revitalize open space in communities, while incorporating cloudburst management in the process. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection and Ramboll Water took a knowledge exchange tour of Copenhagen, sharing information about climate adaptation. Ramboll Water What did this eventually lead to? In January of this year, NYCs Mayor Eric Adams announced a $400-million expansion of the Cloudburst project that will target four flood-prone neighborhoods across the city: Corona and Kissena Park, Queens, Parkchester, Bronx, and East New York, with more to come in the years ahead. The infrastructure projects will incorporate grey and green infrastructure, which uses natural lands in combination with pipelines, reservoirs and treatment plants, to absorb, store, and transfer excess storm water. Expanding our cloudburst programs is key in helping us protect New Yorkers from extreme rainfall, and making our city greener, said Mayors Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Executive Director Kizzy Charles-Guzman in a statement. Green infrastructure projects are much-needed in environmental justice communities, and the proposed ideas will expand and improve access for pedestrians and cyclists. New York already has two Cloudburst pilot projects underway in Southeast Queens. These projects complement sewer and green infrastructure projects. The NYC Green Infrastructure 2020 Annual Report included a rendering of this Cloudburst project in a large NYCHA courtyard: An article posted on Grist last October goes into detail about this plan, and how the New York City Housing Authority has been leading the charge in cloudburst management projects. So, this unique partnership between Copenhagen and New York City has resulted in shared knowledge and the implementation of climate resilience projects in both cities. Ramboll, the Copenhagen company, is also working with Miami, Singapore, and other cities to help with flood mitigation. And while the management of large bursts of water remains the focus, it is all a part of water management and perhaps one day, California, with its hugely complex water management systems, can figure out a way to retain some of the water being lost back out to sea, while at the same time reducing the devastating impact of flooding a result of huge volumes of liquid. Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions. An international quartet of Greenpeace-affiliated climate activists have boarded a Shell-contracted vessel bound for the oil fields of the North Sea with a simple message for the fossil fuel company: Stop Drilling. Start Paying. Carlos Marcelo Bariggi Amara of Argentina, Yakup Cetinkaya of Turkey; Imogen Michel of the UK and Usnea Granger of the U.S. managed to board the White Marlin at 8 a.m. Tuesday and went on to occupy an oil and gas platform that will be used to unlock eight new oil wells. Fellow activists Yeb Sano from the Philippines and Waya Pesik Maweru from Indonesia also approached the vessel but were unable to board. Shell must stop drilling and start paying, Sano, who is also the executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said in a press release. Were taking action today because when Shell extracts fossil fuels it causes a ripple of death, destruction and displacement around the world, having the worst impact on people who are least to blame for the climate crisis. The activists approached the vessel while it was located north of the Canary Islands. They arrived in three smaller boats launched from Greenpeaces Arctic Sunrise and then used ropes to climb onto the 51,000-tonne Shell-contracted ship. There was a couple of meters of swell. It was a bit of an adventure to get on board, Granger said, as The Guardian reported. But we are well and safe. We have all the equipment we need to keep ourselves safe. The protest is intended to draw attention to the fact that Shell and other fossil fuel companies are contributing to the climate crisis without paying for any of the losses and damages it causes. Granger told The Guardian she had friends who had been forced to flee their homes because of wildfires and hurricanes. Climate justice activists on Shell oil platform. Greenpeace Shell and the wider fossil fuel industry are bringing the climate crisis into our homes, our families, our landscapes and oceans, Sano said in the press release. So we will take them on at sea, at shareholder meetings, in the courtroom, online and at their headquarters. We wont stop until we get climate justice. We will make polluters pay. The action comes as Shell is expected to announce around $83 billion in profits for 2022 on Thursday, according to Greenpeace and The Guardian. Major fossil fuel companies have raked in record profits due to the high oil and gas prices associated with the ongoing energy crisis. Shell reported record quarterly profits during the first three months of 2022 and broke that record again during the years second quarter, as Reuters reported. The oil platform targeted by the climate activists is bound for the Penguins oil and gas field 150 miles off of Scotlands Shetland Islands, according to The Guardian. It marks the first new crewed production platform that Shell is sending to the North Sea in 30 years, Greenpeace said, and it could help Shell extract 45,000 barrels of oil a day from the Penguin oil field. If all of the oil and gas in the Penguin oil field were burned, it would generate more than the yearly greenhouse gas emissions of Norway, according to The Guardian. The International Energy Agency has calculated that, if policy and financial leaders want to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, they should not invest in any new oil and gas developments beyond those planned as of 2021. Shell says that Penguin is an already active oil field, according to The Guardian. However, the new platform could also be used to generate oil and gas from a new source Shell is currently drilling. In response to the protests, Shell emphasized safety. These actions are causing real safety concerns, with a number of people boarding a moving vessel in rough conditions, a Shell spokesperson said in an email to Bloomberg. We respect the right of everyone to express their point of view. Its essential they do that with their safety and that of others in mind. As of Wednesday, the four activists were still occupying the platform, Greenpeace tweeted. UPDATE Four brave activists are STILL OCCUPYING a 34,000 tonne oil platform on its way to the North Sea. It's time for Shell to start paying up for the loss and damage it's caused. Let's show some support for their brave actions #MakeShellPay pic.twitter.com/QcRJ5A9pqG Greenpeace (@Greenpeace) February 1, 2023 They said they had supplies to remain in place for several days, according to Greenpeace. 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. A satellite detected a 4.6-mile-long cloud of methane over Wyoming containing far more gas than the operator of the gas plant from which it likely originated told regulators it released. Bloomberg reports Tallgrass Energys Douglas Gas Plant told regulators it accidentally vented 2.1 metric tons of methane over five separate releases on December 6 and 7, and NASAs Landsat 9 satellite detected the cloud just before the last release ended. The 4.6-mile cloud required methane to have been released at 76 to184 metric tons per hour, scientists estimated. Its highly unlikely the volume reported by the operator could account for the emissions rate observed by the satellite coming from the facility, Manfredi Caltagirone, head of the International Methane Emissions Observatory, told Bloomberg. Methane traps more than 80 times more heat in the atmosphere than CO2 over a 20-year period. Rapidly slashing methane pollution, especially by fixing leaks and releases from oil and gas operations, is among the most efficient and cost-effective means of limiting short term global warming. The NASA satellites observations were corroborated by two European satellites. For a deeper dive: Bloomberg For more climate change and clean energy news, you can follow Climate Nexus on Twitter and Facebook, sign up for daily Hot News, and visit their news site, Nexus Media News. 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. Ogale is a farming community in Nigeria whose residents can no longer farm. Bille is a fishing village where nearly all the fish have died. Both lay the loss of their livelihoods at the feet of oil giant Shell, whose more than half a century of oil exploitation in the Niger Delta has left it one of the most polluted places on Earth, in the words of Amnesty International. Now, nearly 14,000 individuals and institutions from the two communities have filed claims against Shell in the High Court in London, calling on the company both to clean up the devastating pollution and compensate them for its effects. As we speak, oil is spilling in my community every day, people are dying, leader of the Ogale community King Emere Godwin Bebe Okpabi told The Intercept. A total of 11,317 individuals and 17 institutions such as churches and schools from Ogale filed their claims on Jan. 27, according to The Intercept and representing law firm Leigh Day. These claims joined 2,335 from Bille individuals issued at the High Court in 2015 for a total of 13,669. In addition, two representative claims have been filed for the approximately 40,000 residents of Ogale and approximately 15,000 residents of Bille. The legal case against Shell on behalf of the Bille and Ogale communities from the Niger Delta has taken a significant step forward following the filing at the High Court. The communities are represented by @DanielLeaderLD and Matthew Renshaw. https://t.co/sPuaiV2mQ3 pic.twitter.com/c9N3ZxvqjB Leigh Day (@LeighDay_Law) February 2, 2023 The news of the lawsuits comes the same week that Shell reported a record $42.3 billion in profits in 2022 due to elevated oil and gas prices partly spiked by Russias invasion of Ukraine, as The New York Times reported. In comparison, cleaning the pollution from the Niger Delta would cost around $1 billion over the first five years, according to a UN estimate reported by The Intercept. Shell said in 2021 it would cease its operations in the Niger Delta but said nothing about cleaning legacy pollution, according to Leigh Day. At a time when Shell is making unprecedented profits it is high time that it addressed the ongoing pollution caused to these communities by its operations, Leigh Day partner Matthew Renshaw said in a statement. The question must be asked whether Shell simply plans to leave the Niger Delta without addressing the environmental disaster which has unfolded under its watch? Shell first discovered oil in Nigeria in 1956, according to The Intercept. Since then, 17.5 million liters (approximately 4.6 million gallons) of oil have spilled in the Niger Delta, according to Shell figures reported by Amnesty International. This has had a devastating impact on the health of the deltas peoples and ecosystems. A 2017 study found that babies born in Nigeria were two times more likely to die during their first month if their mothers were living near an oil spill before becoming pregnant, as The Guardian reported at the time. In 2011, the UN Environment Programme published a three-year study finding that the impacts of daily oil pollution among the deltas Ogoni people were an immediate danger to public health and recommended what would have amounted to the largest land-based pollution cleanup in history, according to Leigh Day. However, that cleanup never took place. In the legal documents, Ogale residents claim that their main source of drinking, farming and fishing water has become so polluted with oil that it has killed fish and destroyed cropland, The Guardian reported. The water drawn from wells is brown or shiny and reeks of oil. In Bille, the pollution has killed most of the fish and shellfish the community once relied on, contaminated mangroves and comes right up to their doorsteps during high tides. Tap water in the Ogale area of the Niger Delta is visibly brown due to devastating Shell oil spills. Over 13,000 residents from the Ogale and Bille communities have filed claims against Shell.https://t.co/rAZf2zsWjhhttps://t.co/sPuaiV2UFB Leigh Day (@LeighDay_Law) February 2, 2023 Shell has maintained that it is not responsible for oil spills that it argues are largely caused by illegal activity. A lot of the spills have been caused by theft and sabotage, Shell CEO Wael Sawan told CNBC. And even when we have tried to go back in to be able to remedy those leaks, which were caused by third parties, we havent been able to sometimes access it because of security concerns. So, there is a really troubled context in Nigeria and thats a context that is best for the Nigerian government to deal with rather than a private enterprise. However, Nigerian communities have won legal victories against Shell before. In 2015, Leigh Day brought another case before the British court on behalf of 15,000 members of the Bodo community, who were granted around $68 million in compensation and a mandated cleanup, according to The Intercept. In 2021, a Dutch court also ordered Royal Dutch Shell to pay Nigerian farmers harmed by pollution from one of its subsidiaries. In this particular case, the UK Supreme Court ruled, also in 2021, that there was a good arguable case that UK parent company Shell plc was liable for pollution caused by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, its Nigerian subsidiary, according to Leigh Day. Shell continues to maintain that it is not responsible for the actions of its subsidiary or any pollution resulting from bunkering. Further, it argues the villagers have no legal standing and that it cannot be sued for spills that occurred more than five years before the claims were filed. This case raises important questions about the responsibilities of oil and gas companies, Leigh Day partner Daniel Leader said in a statement. It appears that Shell is seeking to leave the Niger Delta free of any legal obligation to address the environmental devastation caused by oil spills from its infrastructure over many decades. At a time when the world is focused on the just transition, this raises profound questions about the responsibility of fossil fuel companies for legacy and ongoing environmental pollution. The answers will have to wait until 2024, when the full trial is likely to take place. One case of mad cow disease detected in the Netherlands The Netherlands has confirmed a case of mad cow disease on a Dutch farm after a deceased cow tested positive for the illness, marking a rare instance of the cattle affliction that can lead to a fatal brain disease in humans who consume infected beef, Washington Post reported. Piet Adema, the Netherlands' Agriculture Minister, said the farm where the mad cow case was discovered has been sealed off, and the infected animal did not enter the food supply, presenting no threat to food safety. Tests conducted on the dead 8-year-old cow from the farm in South Holland province showed that the animal had a naturally occurring form of the mad cow disease called atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and not classical BSE which is caused by consuming contaminated feed. Food safety authorities are conducting an investigation to trace the offspring of the infected cow and any cows that ate the same feed or grew up with it. If any of the animals test positive for BSE, they will be euthanised, tested, and destroyed. The last case of BSE was detected in the Netherlands was in 2011. - Washington Post For a product that its own creators, in a marketing pique, once declared too dangerous to release to the general public, OpenAIs ChatGPT is seemingly everywhere these days. The versatile automated text generation (ATG) system, which is capable of outputting copy that is nearly indistinguishable from a human writers work, is officially still in beta but has already been utilized in dozens of novel applications, some of which extend far beyond the roles ChatGPT was originally intended for like that time it simulated an operational Linux shell or that other time when it passed the entrance exam to Wharton Business School. The hype around ChatGPT is understandably high, with myriad startups looking to license the technology for everything from conversing with historical figures to talking to historical literature, from learning other languages to generating exercise routines and restaurant reviews. But with these technical advancements come with a slew of opportunities for misuse and outright harm. And if our previous hamfisted attempts at handling the spread of deepfake video and audio technologies were any indication, were dangerously underprepared for the havoc that at-scale, automated disinformation production will wreak upon our society. NurPhoto via Getty Images OpenAIs billion dollar origin story OpenAI has been busy since its founding in 2015 as a non-profit by Sam Altman, Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, Elon Musk and a host of other VC luminaries, who all collectively chipped in a cool billion dollars to get the organization up and running. The altruistic venture argues that AI should be an extension of individual human wills and, in the spirit of liberty, as broadly and evenly distributed as possible. Subscribe to the Engadget Deals Newsletter Great deals on consumer electronics delivered straight to your inbox, curated by Engadgets editorial team. See latest Subscribe Please enter a valid email address Please select a newsletter By subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy. The following year, the company released its first public beta of the OpenAI Gym reinforcement learning platform. Musk resigned from the board in 2018, citing a potential conflict of interest with his ownership of Tesla. 2019 was especially eventful for OpenAI. That year, the company established a capped for-profit subsidiary (OpenAI LP) to the original non-profit (OpenAI Inc) organization, received an additional billion-dollar funding infusion from Microsoft and announced plans to begin licensing its products commercially. In 2020, OpenAI officially launched GPT-3, a text generator able to summarize legal documents, suggest answers to customer-service enquiries, propose computer code [and] run text-based role-playing games. The company released its commercial API that year as well. I have to say Im blown away, startup founder Arram Sabeti wrote at the time, after interacting with the system. Its far more coherent than any AI language system Ive ever tried. All you have to do is write a prompt and itll add text it thinks would plausibly follow. Ive gotten it to write songs, stories, press releases, guitar tabs, interviews, essays, technical manuals. Its hilarious and frightening. I feel like Ive seen the future. 2021 saw the release of DALL-E, a text-to-image generator; and the company made headlines again last year with the release of ChatGPT, a chat client based on GPT-3.5, the latest and current GPT iteration. In January 2023, Microsoft and OpenAI announced a deepening of their research cooperative with a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar ongoing investment. I think it does an excellent job at spitting out text that's plausible, Dr. Brandie Nonnecke, Director of the CITRIS Policy Lab and Associate Professor of Technology Policy Research at UC Berkeley, told Engadget. It feels like somebody really wrote it. I've used it myself actually to kind of get over a writer's block, to just think through how I flow in the argument that I'm trying to make, so I found it helpful. That said, Nonnecke cannot look past the systems stubborn habit of producing false claims. It will cite articles that don't exist, she added. Right now, at this stage, it's realistic but there's still a long way to go. What is generative AI? OpenAI is far from the only player in the ATG game. Generative AI (or, more succinctly, gen-AI) is the practice of using machine learning algorithms to produce novel content whether thats text, images, audio, or video based on a training corpus of labeled example databases. Its your standard unsupervised reinforcement learning regimen, the likes of which have trained Googles AlphaGo, song and video recommendation engines across the internet, as well as vehicle driver assist systems. Of course while models like Stability AIs Stable Diffusion or Googles Imagen are trained to convert progressively higher resolution patterns of random dots into images, ATGs like ChatGPT remix text passages plucked from their training data to output suspiciously realistic, albeit frequently pedestrian, prose. They're trained on a very large amount of input, Dr. Peter Krapp, Professor of Film & Media Studies at the University of California, Irvine, told Engadget. What results is more or less an average of that input. It's never going to impress us with being exceptional or particularly apt or beautiful or skilled. It's always going to be kind of competent to the extent that we all collectively are somewhat competent in using language to express ourselves. Generative AI is already big business. While flashy events like Stable Diffusions maker getting sued for scraping training data from Meta or ChatGPT managing to schmooze its way into medical school (yes, in addition to Wharton) grab headlines, Fortune 500 companies like NVIDIA, Facebook, Amazon Web Services, IBM and Google are all quietly leveraging gen-AI for their own business benefit. Theyre using it in a host of applications, from improving search engine results and proposing computer code to writing marketing and advertising content. Wikipedia / Public Domain The secret to ChatGPTs success Efforts to get machines to communicate with us as we do with other people, as Dr. Krapp notes, began in the 1960s and 70s with linguists being among the earliest adopters. They realized that certain conversations can be modeled in such a way that they're more or less self-contained, he explained. If I can have a conversation with, you know, a stereotypical average therapist, that means I can also program the computer to serve as the therapist. Which is how Eliza became an NLP easter egg hidden in Emacs, the popular Linux text editor. Today, we use the technological descendents of those early efforts to translate the menus at fancy restaurants for us, serve as digital assistants on our phones, and chat with us as customer service reps. The problem, however, is that to get an AI to perform any of these functions, it has to be specially trained to do that one specific thing. Were still years away from functional general AIs but part of ChatGPTs impressive capability stems from its ability to write middling poetry as easily as it can generate a fake set of Terms of Service for the Truth Social website in the voice of Donald Trump without the need for specialized training between the two. This prosaic flexibility is possible because, at its core, ChatGPT is a chatbot. Its designed first and foremost to accurately mimic a human conversationalist, which it actually did on Reddit for a week in 2020 before being outed. It was trained using supervised learning methods wherein the human trainers initially fed the model both sides of a given conversation both what the human user and AI agent were supposed to say. With the basics in it robomind, ChatGPT was then allowed to converse with humans with its responses being ranked after each session. Subjectively better responses scored higher in the models internal rewards system and were subsequently optimized for. This has resulted in an AI with a silver tongue but a just sorta skimmed the Wiki before chiming in aptitude of fact checking. Part of ChatGPTs boisterous success having garnered a record 100 million monthly active users just two months after its launch can certainly be marked up to solid marketing strategies such as the too dangerous neg of 2020, Natasha Allen, a partner at Foley & Lardner LLP, told Engadget. I think the other part is just how easy it is to use it. You know, the average person can just plug in some words and there you go. People who previously hadnt been interested in AI, didn't really care what it was, are now beginning to take notice. Its ease of use is an asset, Allen argues, making ChatGPT something that's enticing and interesting to people who may not be into AI technologies. It's a very powerful tool, she conceded. I don't think it's perfect. I think that obviously there are some errors but it'll get you 70 to 80 percent of the way. Leon Neal via Getty Images Will Microsofts ChatGPT be Microsofts Taye for a new generation? But a lot can go wrong in those last 20 to 30 percent, because ChatGPT doesnt actually know what the words its remixing into new sentences mean, it just understands the statistical relationships between them. The GPT-3 hype is way too much, Sam Altman, OpenAIs chief executive, warned in a July, 2020 tweet. Its impressive but it still has serious weaknesses and sometimes makes very silly mistakes. Those silly mistakes range from making nonsensical comparisons like A pencil is heavier than a toaster to the racist bigotry weve seen with past chatbots like Taye well, really, all of them to date if were being honest. Some of ChatGPTs replies have even encouraged self-harm in its users, raising a host of ethical quandaries (not limited to, should AI byline scientific research?) for both the company and field as a whole. ChatGPTs capability for misuse is immense. Weve already seen it put to use generating spam marketing and functional malware and writing high school English essays. These are but petty nuisances compared to what may be in store once this technology becomes endemic . I'm worried because if we have deep fake video and voice, tying that with ChatGPT, where it can actually write something mimicking the style of how somebody speaks, Nonnecke said. Those two things combined together are just a powder keg for convincing disinformation. I think it's gasoline on the fire, because people write and speak in particular styles, she continued. And that can sometimes be the tell if you see a deepfake and it just doesn't sound right, the way that they're talking about something. Now, GPT very much sounds like the individual, both how they would write and speak. I think it's actually amplifying the harm. The current generation of celebrity impersonating chatbots arent what would be considered historically accurate (Henry Fords avatar isnt antisemitic, for example) but future improvements could nearly erase the lines between reality and created content. The first way it's going to be used is very likely to commit fraud, Nonnecke said, noting that scammers have already leveraged voice cloning software to pose as a marks relative and swindle money from them. The biggest challenge is going to be how do we appropriately address it, because those deep fakes are out. You already have the confusion, Nonnecke said. Sometimes it's referred to as the liars dividend: nobody knows if it's true, then sort of everything's a lie, and nothing can be trusted. Donato Fasano via Getty Images ChatGPT goes to college ChatGPT is raising hackles across academia as well. The text generator has notably passed the written portion of Wharton Business Schools entrance exam, along with all three parts of the US Medical Licensing exam. The response has been swift (as most panicked scramblings in response to new technologies tend to be) but widely varied. The New York City public school system took the traditional approach, ineffectually banning the apps use by students, while educators like Dr. Ethan Mollick, associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania's prestigious Wharton School, have embraced it in their lesson plans. "This was a sudden change, right? There is a lot of good stuff that we are going to have to do differently, but I think we could solve the problems of how we teach people to write in a world with ChatGPT," Mollick told NPR in January. "The truth is, I probably couldn't have stopped them even if I didn't require it," he added. Instead, Mollick has his students use ChatGPT as a prompt and idea generator for their essay assignments. UCIs Dr. Krapp has taken a similar approach. I'm currently teaching a couple of classes where it was easy for me to say, okay, here's our writing assignment, let's see what ChadGPT comes up with, he explained. I did the five different ways with different prompts or partial prompts, and then had the students work on, how do we recognize that this is not written by a human and what could we learn from this?. Is ChatGPT coming for your writing job? At the start of the year, tech news site CNET was outed for having used an ATG of its own design to generate entire feature-length financial explainer articles 75 in all since November 2022. The posts were supposedly rigorously fact checked by human editors to ensure their output was accurate, though cursory examinations uncovered rampant factual errors requiring CNET and its parent company, Red Ventures, to issue corrections and updates for more than half of the articles. BuzzFeeds chief, Jonah Peretti, upon seeing the disastrous fallout CNET was experiencing from this computer generated dalliance, immediately decided to stick his tongue in the outlet too, announcing that his publication plans to employ gen-AI to create low-stakes content like personality quizzes. This news came mere weeks after BuzzFeed laid off a sizable portion of its editorial staff on account of challenging market conditions. The coincidence is hard to ignore, especially given the waves of layoffs currently rocking the tech and media sectors for that specific reason, even as the conglomerates themselves bathe in record revenue and earnings. This is not the first time that new technology has displaced existing workers. NYT columnist Paul Krugman points to coal mining as an example. The industry saw massive workforce reductions throughout the 20th century, not because our use of coal decreased, but because mining technologies advanced enough that fewer humans were needed to do the same amount of work. The same effect is seen in the automotive industry with robots replacing people on assembly lines. It is difficult to predict exactly how AI will impact the demand for knowledge workers, as it will likely vary, depending on the industry and specific job tasks, Krugman opined. However, it is possible that in some cases, AI and automation may be able to perform certain knowledge-based tasks more efficiently than humans, potentially reducing the need for some knowledge workers. However, Dr. Krapp is not worried. I see that some journalists have said, I'm worried. My job has already been impacted by digital media and digital distribution. Now the type of writing that I do well, could be done by computer for cheap much more quickly," he said. I don't see that happening. I don't think that's the case. I think we still as humans, have a need a desire for recognizing in others what's human about them. [ChatGPT is] impressive. It's fun to play with, [but] we're still here, he added, We're still reading, it's still meant to be a human size interface for human consumption, for human enjoyment. Fear not for someone is sure to save us, probably ChatGPTs shared-reality shredding fangs will eventually be capped, Nonnecke is confident, whether by congress or the industry itself in response to public pressure. I actually think that there's bipartisan support for this, which is interesting in the AI space, she told Engadget. And in data privacy, data protection, we tend to have bipartisan support. She points to efforts in 2022 spearheaded by OpenAI Safety and Alignment researcher Scott Aaronson to develop a cryptographic watermark so that the end user could easily spot computer generated material, as one example of the industrys attempts to self-regulate. Basically, whenever GPT generates some long text, we want there to be an otherwise unnoticeable secret signal in its choices of words, which you can use to prove later that, yes, this came from GPT, Aaronson wrote on his blog. We want it to be much harder to take a GPT output and pass it off as if it came from a human. This could be helpful for preventing academic plagiarism, obviously, but also, for example, mass generation of propaganda. The efficacy of such a safeguard remains to be seen. It's very much whack-a-mole, right now, Nonnecke exclaimed. It's the company themselves making that [moderation] decision. There's no transparency in how they're deciding what types of prompts to block or not block, which is very concerning to me. Somebody's going to use this to do terrible things, she said. All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing. The tech industry is reeling from the combination of a rough economy, the COVID-19 pandemic and some obvious business missteps. And while that led to job cuts in 2022, the headcount reductions have unfortunately ramped up in 2023. It can be tough to keep track of these moves, so weve compiled all the major layoffs in one place and will update as the situation evolves. March Roku layoffs Roku shed 200 jobs at the end of 2022, but it wasn't done. The streaming platform creator laid off another 200 employees in March 2023. As before, the company argued that it needed to curb growing expenses and concentrate on those projects that would have the most impact. Roku has been struggling with the one-two combination of a rough economy and the end of a pandemic-fueled boom in streaming video. Lucid Motors layoffs If you thought luxury EV makers would be particularly susceptible to economic turmoil, you guessed correctly. Lucid Motors said in March that it would lay off 18 percent of its workforce, or about 1,300 people. The marque is still falling short of production targets, and these cuts reportedly help deal with "evolving business needs and productivity improvements." The cuts are across the board, too, and include both executives as well as contractors. Meta slashed 11,000 jobs in fall 2022, but it wasn't finished. In March 2023, the company unveiled plans to lay off another 10,000 workers in a further bid to cut costs. The first layoffs will affect its recruiting team, but it plans to shrink its technology teams in late April and its business groups in late May. The Facebook owner is hoping to streamline its operations by reducing management layers and asking some leaders to take on work previously reserved for the rank and file. It may take a while before Meta's staff count grows again it doesn't expect to lift a hiring freeze until sometime after it completes its restructuring effort in late 2023. Subscribe to the Engadget Deals Newsletter Great deals on consumer electronics delivered straight to your inbox, curated by Engadgets editorial team. See latest Subscribe Please enter a valid email address Please select a newsletter By subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy. February Rivian layoffs Rivian conducted layoffs in 2022, but that wasn't enough to help the fledgling EV brand's bottom line. The company laid off another six percent of its employees in February, or about 840 workers. It's still fighting to achieve profitability, and the production shortfall from supply chain issues hasn't helped matters. CEO RJ Scaringe says the job cuts will help Rivian focus on the "highest impact" aspects of its business. Zoom layoffs Zoom was a staple of remote work culture at the pandemic's peak, so it's no surprise that the company is cutting back now that people are returning to offices. The video calling firm said in February it was laying off roughly 1,300 employees, or 15 percent of its personnel. As CEO Eric Yuan put it, the company didn't hire "sustainably" as it dealt with its sudden success. The layoffs are reportedly necessary to help survive a difficult economy. The management team is offering more than just apologies, too. Yuan is cutting his salary by 98 percent for the next fiscal year, while all other executives are losing 20 percent of their base salaries as well as their fiscal 2023 bonuses. Yahoo layoffs Engadget's parent company Yahoo isn't immune to layoffs. The internet brand said in February that it would lay off over 20 percent of its workforce throughout 2023, or more than 1,600 people. Most of those cuts, or about 1,000 positions, took place immediately. CEO Jim Lanzone didn't blame the layoffs on economic conditions, however. He instead pitched it as a restructuring of the advertising technology unit as it shed an unprofitable business in favor of a successful one. Effectively, Yahoo is bowing out of direct competition in with Google and Meta in the ad market. Dell layoffs Brandon Bell via Getty Images The pandemic recovery and a grim economy have hit PC makers particularly hard, and Dell is feeling the pain more than most. It laid off five percent of its workforce in early February, or about 6,650 employees, after a brutal fourth quarter where computer shipments plunged an estimated 37 percent. Past cost-cutting efforts weren't enough, Dell said the layoffs and a streamlined organization were reportedly needed to get back on track. Deliveroo layoffs REUTERS/Eric Gaillard Food delivery services flourished while COVID-19 kept people away from restaurants, and at least some are feeling the sting now that people are willing to dine out again. Deliveroo is laying off about 350 workers, or nine percent of its workforce. "Redeployments" will bring this closer to 300, according to founder Will Shu. The justification is familiar: Deliveroo hired rapidly to handle "unprecedented" pandemic-related growth, according to Shu, but reportedly has to cut costs as it deals with a troublesome economy. DocuSign layoffs Michael Vi via Getty Images DocuSign may be familiar to many people who've signed documents online, but that hasn't spared it from the impact of a harsh economic climate. The company said in mid-February that it was laying off 10 percent of its workforce. While it didn't disclose how many people that represented, the company had 7,461 employees at the start of 2022. Most of those losing their jobs work in DocuSign's worldwide field organization. GitLab layoffs Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images You may not know GitLab, but its DevOps (development and operations) platform underpins work at tech brands like NVIDIA and T-Mobile and shrinking business at its clients is affecting its bottom line. GitLab is laying off seven percent of employees, or roughly 114 people. Company chief Sid Sijbrandij said the problematic economy meant customers were taking a "more conservative approach" to software investment, and that his company's previous attempts to refocus spending weren't enough to counter these challenges. GoDaddy layoffs Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) GoDaddy conducted layoffs early in the pandemic, when it cut over 800 workers for its retail-oriented Social platform. In February this year, however, it took broader action. The web service provider laid off eight percent of its workforce, or more than 500 people, across all divisions. Chief Aman Bhutani claimed other forms of cost-cutting hadn't been enough to help the company navigate an "uncertain" economy, and that this reflected efforts to further integrate acquisitions like Main Street Hub. Twilio layoffs Twilio eliminated over 800 jobs in September 2022, but it made deeper cuts as 2023 got started. The cloud communications brand laid off 17 percent of staff, or roughly 1,500 people, in mid-February. Like so many other tech firms, Twillio said that past cost reduction efforts weren't enough to endure an unforgiving environment. It also rationalized the layoffs as necessary for a streamlined organization. January Google (Alphabet) layoffs REUTERS/Peter DaSilva Google's parent company Alphabet has been cutting costs for a while, including shutting down Stadia, but it took those efforts one step further in late January when it said it would lay off 12,000 employees. CEO Sundar Pichai wasn't shy about the reasoning: Alphabet had been hiring for a "different economic reality," and was restructuring to focus on the internet giant's most important businesses. The decision hit the company's Area 120 incubator particularly hard, with the majority of the unit's workers losing their jobs. Sub-brands like Intrinsic (robotics) and Verily (health) also shed significant portions of their workforce in the days before the mass layoffs. Waymo has conducted two rounds of layoffs that shed 209 people, or eight percent of its force. Amazon layoffs Amazon had already outlined layoff plans last fall, but expanded those cuts in early January when it said it would eliminate 18,000 jobs, most of them coming from retail and recruiting teams. It added another 9,000 people to the layoffs in March, and in April said over 100 gaming employees were leaving. To no one's surprise, CEO Andy Jassy blamed both an "uncertain economy" and rapid hiring in recent years. Amazon benefited tremendously from the pandemic as people shifted to online shopping, but its growth is slowing as people return to in-person stores. Coinbase layoffs Coinbase was one of the larger companies impacted by the crypto market's 2022 downturn, and that carried over into the new year. The cryptocurrency exchange laid off 950 people in mid-January, just months after it slashed 1,100 roles. This is one of the steepest proportionate cuts among larger tech brands Coinbase offloaded about a fifth of its staff. Chief Brian Armstrong said his outfit needed the layoffs to shrink operating expenses and survive what he previously described as a "crypto winter," but that also meant canceling some projects that were less likely to succeed. IBM layoffs MIGUEL MEDINA via Getty Images Layoffs sometimes stem more from corporate strategy shifts than financial hardship, and IBM provided a classic example of this in 2023. The computing pioneer axed 3,900 jobs in late January after offloading both its AI-driven Watson Health business and its infrastructure management division (now Kyndryl) in the fall. Simply put, those employees had nothing to work on as IBM pivoted toward cloud computing. Microsoft layoffs REUTERS/Matt Mills McKnight Microsoft started its second-largest wave of layoffs in company history when it signaled it would cut 10,000 jobs between mid-January and the end of March. Like many other tech heavyweights, it was trimming costs as customers scaled back their spending (particularly on Windows and devices) during the pandemic recovery. The reductions were especially painful for some divisions they reportedly gutted the HoloLens and mixed reality teams, while 343 Industries is believed to be rebooting Halo development after losing dozens of workers. GitHub is cutting 10 percent of its team, or roughly 300 people. PayPal layoffs Justin Sullivan/Getty Images PayPal has been one of the healthier large tech companies, having beaten expectations in its third quarter last year. Still, it hasn't been immune to a tough economy. The online payment firm unveiled plans at the end of January to lay off 2,000 employees, or seven percent of its total worker base. CEO Dan Schulman claimed the downsizing would keep costs in check and help PayPal focus on "core strategic priorities." Salesforce layoffs Stephen Lam/Getty Images) Salesforce set the tone for 2023 when it warned it would lay off 8,000 employees, or about 10 percent of its workforce, just four days into the new year. While the cloud software brand thrived during the pandemic with rapidly growing revenue, it admitted that it hired too aggressively during the boom and couldn't maintain that staffing level while the economy was in decline. SAP layoffs REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski Business software powerhouse SAP saw a steep 68 percent drop in profit at the end of 2022, and it started 2023 by laying off 2,800 staff to keep its business healthy. Unlike some big names in tech, though, SAP didn't blame excessive pandemic-era hiring for the cutback. Instead, it characterized the initiative as a "targeted restructuring" for a company that still expected accelerating growth in 2023. Spotify layoffs Eduardo MunozAlvarez/VIEWpress via Getty Images Spotify spent aggressively in recent years as it expanded its podcast empire, but it quickly put a stop to that practice as 2023 began. The streaming music service said in late January that it would lay off 6 percent of its workforce (9,800 people worked at Spotify as of the third quarter) alongside a restructuring effort that included the departure of content chief Dawn Ostroff. While there were more Premium subscribers than ever in 2022, the company also suffered steep losses CEO Daniel Ek said he was "too ambitious" investing before the revenue existed to support it. Wayfair layoffs Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images Amazon isn't the only major online retailer scaling back in 2023. Wayfair said in late January that it would lay off 1,750 team members, or 10 percent of its global headcount. About 1,200 of those were corporate staff cut in a bid to "eliminate management layers" and otherwise help the company become leaner and nimbler. Wayfair had been cutting costs since August 2022 (including 870 positions), but saw the layoffs as helping it reach break-even earnings sooner than expected. All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing. YouTube Music workers strike at Googles Austin offices Its the first time Google-affiliated worker have gone on strike. YouTube Music workers in the Austin, TX area who voted to unionize are striking. The Alphabet Works Union-CWA (AWU-CWA), which represents the contractors, says this is the first time a group of Google-affiliated workers has gone on strike. Cognizant, an Alphabet subcontractor, staffs the (more than 40) striking workers. They say Alphabets current return-to-office date of February 6th threatens their safety and livelihoods since their $19-per-hour pay makes it hard to afford relocation, travel and healthcare costs. The AWU-CWA says most contractors were hired to work remotely, and nearly a quarter of them dont live in Texas. The YouTube workers say Alphabet and Cognizant only announced the abrupt return to office after they had already voted to unionize. In a statement, however, Cognizant said that these return-to-office plans have been in place and communicated since December of 2021, well over a year ago. Additionally, they accuse managers of sending work to other offices to chill the union efforts while adding that a supervisor made implicit anti-union threats. Finally, the workers have appealed to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to be recognized as jointly employed by Cognizant and Alphabet; the designation would force Alphabet to negotiate based on US labor laws. Subscribe to the Engadget Deals Newsletter Great deals on consumer electronics delivered straight to your inbox, curated by Engadgets editorial team. See latest Subscribe Please enter a valid email address Please select a newsletter By subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy. "The layoffs showed we are just entries in a spreadsheet to Google executives. This isn't the Google I thought I joined. This strike is what I joined Google for. Thank you." - Google software engineer spoke out in support of striking workers #YouTubeStrike Alphabet Workers Union (AWU-CWA) (@AlphabetWorkers) February 3, 2023 Cognizant provided Engadget with the following statement: Cognizant respects the right of our associates to disagree with our policies, and to protest them lawfully. However, it is disappointing that some of our associates have chosen to strike over a return to office policy that has been communicated to them repeatedly since December 2021. Associates working on this project accepted their employment with the understanding that they were accepting in-office positions, and that the team would work together at a physical location based in Austin. Although it wasnt a labor strike, 20,000 Google workers from 50 offices participated in a 2018 walkout. That movement was in response to the companys practice of rewarding executives accused of misconduct. The YouTube Music strike began at noon EST today outside of the Austin Google Office. If you live elsewhere, you can check in on a livestream of the strike on Facebook. Update, 2/3/23 4:15PM ET: This story has been updated to include a statement from Cognizant noting that it has communicated return-to-office plans since December of 2021. All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing. When it comes to future long-term health care planning, it is essential to remember that family is just as important as money. That was the message delivered by a nationally known expert on long-term care planning. Speaking to insurance agents and financial advisors, Matt McCann said that protecting income and assets from the rising costs of long-term health care should be part of retirement planning. However, the consequences on the family cannot be ignored. "Unpaid family caregivers may face challenging consequences when caring for an older parent. These consequences can include physical, emotional, and financial strains and loss of time and opportunity." Long-Term Care Affects Families and Finances McCann said long-term care is both a cash flow and a family issue. Many people, including financial professionals, ignore long-term care's impact on the entire family. "Caring for an aging parent often requires long hours of unpaid work, which can lead to burnout and feelings of frustration and guilt. Financially, providing care for an older parent often results in loss of income or job opportunities. It also means many hours away from their spouse and children," McCann said. Emotionally, this burden can be overwhelming, and family caregivers face depression and physical health problems. Even for those with substantial savings, a lack of a long-term care plan can still be difficult for loved ones. "I hear from some people that they can self-fund future long-term care expenses. Even if they have millions in assets, someone will still have to decide which accounts to liquidate, find caregivers or facilities, monitor the care, and make decisions on your behalf. This is emotionally hard when making these decisions for a parent. Another question is will they make the same decisions as you would?" Access to Quality Care McCann says everyone deserves quality long-term care services when they need them. Family caregivers are untrained for this role. Quality care is costly, and those costs are rising rapidly nationwide. Timing is another consideration. McCann said you can't time when you need long-term care; you can't time the markets, and you won't know what your loved ones will be doing in their lives when this happens. These unknowns should be planned for in advance. "If someone needs care when the markets are down, you will be selling off assets at a loss. Often a loss is still a taxable gain. Either way, taxes are a consideration. When you self-fund long-term care, your care will cost more, and your family will be left dealing with all the details. There is a better way," McCann said. Self-Funding Often Means Denial Self-funding future long-term care is often a code of denial. "When someone tells me they are easily affordable long-term care and will self-fund those future costs, what they are telling me is they don't think they will ever need care. Why would anyone readily agree to pay more money and burden their family if they think they may need care in the future? Since Long-Term Care Insurance is so affordable for many people the only reason someone would not plan and say they will "self-fund" is if they are convinced they will never require care." Denial of the need for long-term care planning can have serious consequences for both individuals and their families. Failing to plan ahead can leave a person in a position where they are unable to make important decisions about their future, leading to them relying more heavily on family members and long-term health care providers. "In talking to the adult children of someone needing long-term care, they share they are overwhelmed and frustrated that their loved ones did not plan," McCann said. Aging Has Consequences People require help with daily living activities or supervision due to dementia for many reasons. Chronic health problems, accidents, mobility issues, dementia, and frailty due to aging all increase the risk of needing help, and this care is expensive. "Will you or someone you know need long-term care in the future? You either will or you won't. If you bet you will never need care and you lose, the consequences fall on your family. When I share that with someone, they realize it is better to plan instead of ignoring the issue and hoping for the best." LTC Insurance is Medically Underwritten McCann said too many people delay and wait too long to start planning. Long-Term Care Insurance is medically underwritten, so someone must have reasonably good health to obtain coverage. Typically most people get coverage in their 50s when premiums are still very affordable, and someone's health is still good. With several states considering the LTC Tax, acting sooner makes sense. While avoiding a tax should not be a primary reason for getting a Long-Term Care policy, it could be a bonus. But McCann notes many people are unaware of several government benefits and tax incentives they can take advantage of when they have Long-Term Care Insurance. McCann says those who are self-employed or own an LLC, S-Corp, or C-Corp can deduct the premium without offering coverage to anyone else. In addition, someone with a Health Savings Account can use the pre-tax money from their account to pay the premium. Most states also participate in the partnership program. Partnership Long-Term Care Insurance provides additional asset protection. "Postponing planning for long-term health care can have devastating consequences as your health declines, and you become more reliant on others. Most people want to maintain control and independence. They want access to quality care -- including care at home. If you have a family you love and money to protect, Long-Term Care Insurance is an affordable way to ensure will reduce the stress and anxiety that can is placed on loved ones," McCann said. Taking the time to create a long-term health care plan now can give you and your loved ones the confidence that you will be able to live out your remaining years with dignity and security. "Your loved ones will have the time to be family and not caregivers. Your legacy is maintained while ensuring you have access to quality care." McCann Helps People Nationwide McCann is licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. He represents all the major brands in long-term care planning. His unique process allows you to speak with him on the phone and view his computer screen, allowing someone to become educated about options, research, and shop safely and efficiently. Insurance premiums are regulated, and every insurance company must file its products and pricing with each state for approval before being allowed to offer any product to a consumer. You can get free and accurate quotes from all the top companies, along with professional recommendations - Free and Accurate Quotes. Media Availability McCann is available for radio, TV, and podcast interviews. He also speaks to groups and organizations worldwide on the issues of aging, caregiving, health, and long-term care. Contact McCann through his website for information Speaker of the House Matt Regier, R-Kalispell. (Blair Miller/The Daily Montanan) The state of Montana has an extra $2 billion or so packed in its pocket, according to the Governors Office. The best plan for those dollars? This week, Democrats unveiled their idea, and they also shot criticisms at plans from Republicans that have already steamed through the House. Instead of embarking on a billion dollar spending spree, Montana Democrats will take a responsible approach to the budget surplus, saving for the future and putting Montanans money to work in our communities, said Senate Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, in a statement. But Thursday, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte said he was encouraged by the progress during the session for getting Montanans tax relief with the largest tax cut ever. Weve been clear. Montanans have overpaid their taxes, and we need to give it back, Gianforte said at a press conference. A package of five bills now moving to the Senate after clearing the House on Thursday includes a property tax rebate, an income tax rebate and an expanded business equipment tax exemption, among other proposals. Gianforte said the business equipment tax measure will help 5,000 small businesses, farms and ranches. A sixth bill, to pay down state debt, is expected to pass the House on Friday. The governor also said his administration is proposing a $1,200 child tax credit and an adoption tax credit. Hes said hed like to see bills on his desk to sign as soon as possible, and he reiterated that message Thursday when it comes to the $1 billion in property and income tax relief for Montanans. They deserve it. And they need it without further delay, Gianforte said. (Earlier, he had said he was shocked when a House committee temporarily tabled a property tax relief proposal. The committee cut the amount in half.) But Democrats want to tap the brakes on the package of bills, which they describe as irresponsible spending. They have asked the GOP to slow down and stop helping rich people so much they dont need it. This is irresponsible and short sighted, said House Minority Leader Kim Abbott, D-Helena, in a statement. How does a one-time payment help Montana seniors afford their property taxes next year? Or, she said, workers who need housing or families who need child care? Democrats have a different plan, which they unveiled earlier in the week. They would like to spend $500 million on immediate relief for priorities such as workforce housing, affordable child care and senior care. Theyd also like to put $1 billion into a permanent trust, similar to the coal trust fund, where the principle remains intact. We can count on it being there, our kids can count on it being there, and their kids can count on it being there, said Flowers at a news conference Tuesday. Hannah VanHoose, with the House Democrats, said they werent able to have their regular meeting with the Governors Office this week, but the Montana Future Fund will be on the agenda next week. This session, the Democrats have a super minority, if thats the other side of the coin when Republicans hold a supermajority. However, Flowers said theres interest in the idea of a trust fund, and members of his party are courting support. Nearly everybody recognizes the opportunity that this kind of surplus represents and that it makes sense to save some of this for the future, he said. In a news release, House Democrats also touted a couple of bills heard this week they described as fair tax relief, House Bills 280 and 285. The former would provide property tax relief for homeowners and renters, and the latter would increase the Earned Income Tax Credit up to 60% of the federal credit to help more working families. Neither has gotten through committee yet. A GOP bill, Senate Bill 121, also ups the EITC, but it would go from 3% to 10%. That bill, which also reduces the income tax rate, passed the Senate on second reading and is moving forward. Thursday at a press conference, Republicans said the meaty surplus is due to the industrious sacrifice of dedicated taxpayers. Speaker of the House Matt Regier of Kalispell said Republicans agree the money belongs to working Montanans, and theyre excited to send it back. He disputed the criticism from Democrats that the Republican plan is reckless since theyre taking care of families and businesses. Republicans also have argued those with more money pay the lions share of the taxes so they should get more relief. (Im) happy to know were one step closer to putting money back in pockets of more than 460,000 hardworking taxpayers, Regier said. Reporter Blair Miller contributed to this story. The post GOP tax relief bills advance; Gov praises progress, but Dems unveil own plans for $2B surplus appeared first on Daily Montanan. Fairfield, MT (59436) Today Partly to mostly cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High around 45F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 22F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. A suspected spy balloon flies above Billings, Montana. U.S. officials told NBC they believe it belongs to China. (Photo by Chase Doak, used with permission.) A Chinese surveillance balloon was detected above Billings within days of a hearing on a bill to prevent foreign adversaries from buying up agricultural land in Montana. NBC reported Thursday the U.S. military had been monitoring a suspected Chinese spy device hovering over the northern U.S. for the past few days and identified in Montana on Wednesday. The Pentagon said it has very high confidence the balloon is from China, according to the Associated Press. Montana has nuclear missile sites. Sources told NBC the U.S. government made sure the balloon cant collect sensitive information and briefly considered shooting it down but decided against doing so because of possible danger to people on the ground. They said it is not considered a threat to aviation. However, U.S. defense leaders continue to track it and may still take it out, sources told NBC. Sen. Ken Bogner, R-Miles City, is sponsoring the bill heard in committee on Jan. 26 with only proponents and no opposition that he said will help protect the U.S. from foreign adversaries, including China. In a statement Thursday, Bogner said news of the possible spying is evidence his legislation is much needed. It would ban foreign adversaries from owning, leasing or renting critical infrastructure in Montana. A reported Chinese spy balloon operating in U.S. airspace, including over Billings, is yet another example of the seriousness of Chinas interest in operating asymmetrically within the borders of the United States, said Bogner, a Marine Corps veteran. This is why my Senate Bill 203 is so important for us to pass. At the hearing, Bogner said he planned to work on some amendments, but he said Montana should be proactive to be sure buyers with bad intentions dont control land in the state. He said the federal government determines foreign policy, and the Secretary of Commerce has found China, North Korea, Russia and Iran should not be trusted, especially with critical infrastructure. He said that infrastructure includes agricultural production land. It supports our economy here in Montana and helps feed the entire nation, Bogner said. We need to be securing our borders against those countries that want to do us harm. In testimony to the Senate Agriculture Committee, representatives from the Montana Farm Bureau Federation and Montana Stockgrowers Association both said the concern was well-discussed at their recent annual meetings. Nicole Rolf, with the Farm Bureau, said members have a wide range of opinions. But really what they came down to and could agree on is that we needed to make sure to protect and keep agricultural lands and critical infrastructure things that are important to Americans out of the hands of our adversaries, Rolf said. Critical Infrastructure Critical infrastructure is defined in Montana law as systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of the systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of those matters. Sam Sill, with the Montana Association of Realtors, was among the supporters who said food security is critical. He said he appreciated the balanced approach in the bill it didnt overly infringe on private property rights and still allowed people to do business with friendly foreigners such as Canadians. Sill urged the sponsor to ensure any amendments didnt create an undue burden on property owners with inspections or enforcement. Bogner said hes doing research to figure out the best way to enforce the legislation. Some 339 counties in the U.S. have some type of similar prohibition, he said, and hed like to find out the best way to track red flags in sale agreements. These adversaries have done a good job of hiding who they are through shell corporations, so there needs to be some kind of investigative piece, Bogner said. Thursday, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte issued a statement in response to the suspected spy balloon. From the spy balloon to the Chinese Communist Party spying on Americans through TikTok to CCP-linked companies buying American farmland, Im deeply troubled by the constant stream of alarming developments for our national security, Gianforte said. In December, citing a warning from the FBI, the governor banned the use of TikTok on state equipment and for state business in Montana due to grave security concerns, a move also related to concerns about China. The Senate Agriculture Committee has not acted on the bill, and Bogner said he anticipated amendments would take some time to develop. Our adversaries are becoming more sophisticated in how they compete with and threaten the U.S. economically, culturally and militarily, Bogner said at the hearing. While national security is primarily the responsibility of the federal government, keeping our adversaries from buying up critical parts of Montana is something we can achieve at the state level. Officials told NBC that aircraft including F-22 Raptors were deployed from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada but did not say whether they had planned to possibly shoot down the balloon. Officials also said similar occurrences have taken place over the last several years, although one difference this time is the duration of the flight over the U.S. U.S. and China relations are tense. NBC said the balloon flew over the Aleutian Islands, through Canada and into Montana, and one official told the news outlet the U.S. is confident it belongs to China. Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls controls 150 intercontinental ballistic missile silos, the Pentagon told the Independent. Wednesday, the possible spy balloon temporarily affected Billings Logan International Airport. A Ground Stop was issued that stretched from Helena to Billings and lasted approximately two hours from around 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., according to the airport. Airport Assistant Director of Aviation and Transit Shane Ketterling said in a statement the stop took place in the afternoon when few flights are scheduled. A total of three flights experienced delays; two inbound flights were diverted and arrived in Billings late, and an outbound United Airlines flight was also delayed, Ketterling said in an email. Since the Ground Stop was lifted, there have not been any more issues or delays. The post Spy balloon from China over Montana as state senator moves to thwart foreign adversaries appeared first on Daily Montanan. Over 16,000 has been raised following a series of farmhouse breakfast events held to promote the importance of good mental health and local food production. Over 25 farmhouse breakfasts were served up across Wales between 23-29 January to raise vital funds for an agricultural charity. The breakfast week is held in order to promote the health benefits of having breakfast, as well as promoting the food produced by local farmers. The annual initiative also puts a spotlight on mental health within the farming industry. This year's events, which were held on farms across Wales, have raised over 16,000 for farming charity the DPJ Foundation. FUW President Glyn Roberts, who hosted a breakfast event on his farm, said: We have enjoyed an immensely successful farmhouse breakfast week and I thank everyone who has supported us and joined us for breakfast. "It is vital that we keep talking to each other and that we share the load that often wears us down. Guto Bebb, the FUWs chief executive, added: Staff, elected officials and members of the union have gone above and beyond the call of duty once again. "Breakfast events across Wales were very well attended and as well as shining a spotlight on maintaining good mental health. "They also provide an excellent opportunity to speak to our politicians and discuss many of the important farming matters such as the Agriculture (Wales) Bill and the Sustainable Farming Scheme. Prospective postgraduate agriculture students have until the end of April to apply for bursaries which pay up to 75% of course fees. NFU Mutuals 2023 Centenary Award is offered to selected students who are undertaking a postgraduate course in agriculture (Masters or PhD) within the UK. The award was created by the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust in 2010 to celebrate NFU Mutuals 100th birthday, with the objective of creating a legacy for the future. To date, 49 agricultural students have received bursaries to help further their studies. It is open to individuals who have gained, or are expected to gain, a 2:1 or above in agriculture or a related degree. They must have been accepted or provisionally accepted on a Masters or PhD course in agriculture in the UK, in autumn 2023. To select the students, the judging panel will be looking for applicants who are "not only excellent academic performers, but also have a real passion for agriculture and demonstrate potential to become a future industry leader". Talking about the scheme, Jim McLaren MBE, NFU Mutual Chairman, said: At NFU Mutual we are passionate about protecting rural lives and livelihoods. "Our Centenary Award aims to champion research and innovation for UK agriculture, whilst also supporting outstanding individuals who have a drive to make a difference to the industry in their future careers. Frances Thomas from Powys, was one of three postgraduate agricultural students to receive the Centenary Award bursary in 2022, helping fund her MSc Agrifood Innovation at Aberystwyth University. Frances explained how the award has helped her achieve her ambitions: I relish the opportunity to enhance my knowledge and advance my career position with the support of this prestigious award. My masters course will provide me with knowledge and expertise of measuring environmental impacts and effective waste management strategies within food supply chains. "If youre interested in undertaking postgraduate studies in agriculture, I would encourage you to consider this scheme. The bursary I have received will make a huge difference. Am I eligible? The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust has identified four topics of interest for students to be eligible for the award: The application of science and innovative technologies to enhance productivity, efficiency, and profitability for UK farming businesses Building resilience and safeguarding the physical and mental wellbeing of those living and working in the UK agricultural industry Tackling the risks of climate change, whilst maintaining food security, to improve the sustainability of UK agriculture Identifying opportunities for supporting nature and biodiversity in the development of farming and land management practices in the UK. Prospective students who think they may be eligible to apply for the award in 2023 should contact centenary_award@nfumutual.co.uk. The closing date for the 2023 Centenary Award is 30 April. The first ever Women in Investment and Finance Charter in Africa is to be launched during the workshop by the Association of Women in Investment and Finance in Mauritius (AWIFM). This charter has the objective to federate all actors in the sector to raise awareness and take action towards improvement of gender balance at the workplace. Its aim is also to nurture the inclusive culture necessary to sustain it. The workshop will see the launch the Africa RISE report, which was requested by AWIFM and the Ministry of Financial Services and Good Governance in order to conduct an analysis of existing gender frameworks, identifying gender gaps and crafting policy orientations towards ensuring gender balance in the sector in Mauritius. Although gender inequality at the workplace in Mauritius has roots in gender-biased conservative as well as patriarchal norms, and culture, the report concludes that the issue of providing a psychologically safe workspace for women remains critical. Policymakers tend to focus on what is tangible, such as laws, policies and budgets. Yet, it is important not to neglect the invisible power of norms at the risk of missing a deeper understanding of social change. The report points out that the business sector has recently taken deeper interest in the gender concept and implications of gender inequalities and is working on plans and policies towards enhancing gender equality at their level. It also identifies gaps in rules and practices and offers suggestions on how to close these gaps. It recommends that corporate leaders should develop corporate awareness about gender equality through research on critical gender equality issues, training, sharing best practices, and joining voluntary corporate initiatives. Commenting on this initiative, Mahen Kumar Seeruttun, Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance, said: We cannot expect to grow in a world where women are not involved in decision-making or given equality. We will keep building on this momentum and both the government and the association will pursue their coordinated efforts to enhance gender balance to contribute towards the sustainability of our economy. Initiatives such as the report we are launching today will help fast forward the women agenda so that we do not have to wait another century to reach perfect equilibrium. Women of Mauritius have played an immeasurable role in the countrys economic development. At home, in the fields or in our manufacturing industry, the role of Women has been remarkable. Highlighting the European Unions support for the report, H.E. Mr Vincent Degert, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Mauritius, commented: There is a need for strong commitment to womens access to finance and investment as it will boost the economy and allow the country to make decisive progress towards gender equality in all spheres. I am glad that the report on Bridging the Gender Gap in Investment and Financial Services Sector in Mauritius, which is funded under the Africa RISE programme a European Union funded Regional Technical Assistance Facility aims at accelerating the advancement of women leaders in investment and finance in Mauritius while providing an advocacy role on gender equality for this sector. Setting out the benefits to be achieved as companies sign up to the Charter, Jessica Naga, Vice President of The Association of Women in Investment and Finance, said: As Vice President of The Association of Women in Investment and Finance, I am thrilled with the launch of a Charter that can bring together industry players committed to achieving gender equality in the public and private sectors. By signing the Charter, companies will express their commitment to promoting gender balance, set clear objectives and targets internally, and gradually but sustainably bring more inclusivity at all levels of their organisation. Summing up the role of Africa Rise in the launch workshop, Manisha Dookhony, Economics and Market Reform expert at Africa Rise, elaborated: As a regional facility, Africa Rise is supporting this launch workshop as the first step towards many similar engagements. The charter is a concrete step towards the implementation of the recommendations from our team of experts. Our long term goal is to encourage and foster an environment for many similar actions to be rolled out across Africa. Africa Rise: Women in Finance Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires The Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) has planned to inspect 10,000 more factories across the country, according to prime minister's private sector industry and investment adviser Salman F Rahman, who recently attended the second meeting of the national committee formed to prevent accidents in factories, mills, industrial and commercial establishments. BIDA has already inspected 5,206 factories. The meeting also discussed the matter of converting the Directorate of Inspection of Factories and Establishments into an authority by increasing its manpower and jurisdiction, Rahman was quoted as saying by a news agency. The Bangladesh Investment Development Authority has planned to inspect 10,000 more factories across the country, according to prime minister's private sector industry and investment adviser Salman F Rahman, who recently attended the second meeting of the national committee to prevent accidents in factories, mills, industrial and commercial establishments. Out of the total inspected factories, he said, 17 factories that score less than 25 per cent of the specified criteria will be given an opportunity to improve their overall situation over the next three months. "If a certain amount of improvement does not happen, those companies will be sealed," he added. He said 206 companies scoring 50 per cent of the criteria will be given an opportunity for the next six months. All inspected industrial establishments will be notified of their existing defects and instructed to correct them within a specified period. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS) WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - FirstEnergy Corp. (FE) said that it agreed to sell an additional 30% ownership interest in its FirstEnergy Transmission LLC business to Brookfield Super-Core Infrastructure Partners. FirstEnergy noted that proceeds from the $3.5 billion all-cash deal will further strengthen its financial position. The transaction is expected to close by early 2024. FirstEnergy Transmission LLC is the holding company for three of FirstEnergy's FERC-regulated transmission utility subsidiaries: American Transmission Systems, Incorporated (ATSI); Mid-Atlantic Interstate Transmission, LLC (MAIT); and Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Company (TrAILCo) - which comprise one of the largest transmission systems in PJM. FirstEnergy also owns transmission assets in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland that are not part of FirstEnergy Transmission. In May 2022, FirstEnergy completed the sale of a 19.9% non-controlling interest in FET to Brookfield. Upon closing of the transaction announced today, FirstEnergy will remain the majority owner of FirstEnergy Transmission, and FirstEnergy's workforce will continue to operate the business. FirstEnergy will retain nearly 70% of its overall regulated transmission portfolio. Additionally, FirstEnergy said Thursday that it has increased its 2021-2025 long-term growth plan to about $18 billion, an increase of approximately $1 billion from the $17 billion target established in 2021. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Cambridge University Press Assessment launches new trials of digital GCSE, IGCSE and A Level mock exams this week Mocks pave way for digital exams as permanent part of system Thousands of students are set to sit on-screen mock 'high stakes' exams such as GCSEs for the first time starting this week, as Cambridge launches major trials in schools. Exam boards OCR and Cambridge International, both part of Cambridge University Press Assessment, are offering GCSE Computer Science, IGCSEs in English and AS Level History, as on-screen 'mock' tests in early 2023. Jill Duffy, Chief Executive of OCR, said: "Students and teachers embraced digital learning by necessity during the pandemic. Now we can harness the best of that technology in assessment by choice." Results within a fortnight Cambridge digital mock trials will run in weekly sessions until 19 March in up to 30 UK schools and 35 around the world. The on-screen mocks based on real exam papers will be marked by Cambridge examiners, and results delivered to students within 14 days of sitting exams. Schools will pay about 10 for each digital exam. Following these 2023 trials, the digital mock service will be offered to all schools as a permanent part of assessment services from Cambridge. Assessment experts at Cambridge anticipate digital exams will become a permanent part of the exam system for high stakes qualifications such as GCSEs, IGCSEs and A Levels. Jill Duffy, Chief Executive of OCR, said: "Digital assessment is not a hypothetical future; it's happening right now. "We will use insights from these trials to make our digital mocks a user-friendly option for all schools and colleges. Students will be able to take the highest quality online tests, building on our established paper exams, where schools opt to do so. Our development approach based on trials and research ensures we deliver high-quality, robust digital assessments. "Digital assessment will never fully replace traditional exams, but technology is improving the student experience and can make exams more effective, resilient and flexible with access to faster feedback and results." A glimpse of the future Cambridge is building a future where digital assessments go beyond the limits of paper tests. Digital qualifications have the potential to be more interactive and give students the chance to demonstrate skills that are more authentic to the subject. Cambridge International experts will be trialling assessments this year for a new digital computing qualification that could run alongside the existing IGCSE in Computer Science. Trials will take place in approximately 20 schools in countries from Chile to Zambia. Students will be able to demonstrate coding and problem-solving skills which are closer to industry practice in a series of mini tests. A second Cambridge International project will investigate how a digital A Level history qualification could be assessed, to better meet the needs of young historians. For example, it will look at new ways of assessing sources, including capturing annotations digitally and looking at longer sources and curated online source banks. Rod Smith, Group Managing Director for International Education at Cambridge University Press Assessment, said: "We are looking into the future, taking steps forward informed by input from teachers, industry and our researchers. We're building digital-first qualifications around the world, exploring the immense potential for digital exams that can reach beyond the limitations of paper, while offering more flexible and personalised options." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230201005941/en/ Contacts: Sophie White sophie.white@cambridge.org 07913 076426 Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - February 2, 2023) - Saturn Oil & Gas Inc. (TSXV: SOIL) (FSE: SMKA) ("Saturn" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to the Company's January 31, 2023 press release, the Subscription Receipts (as defined below) will be listed for trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "SOIL.R" effective at the opening of markets on February 3, 2023. On January 31, 2023, the Company closed its previously announced bought deal offering (the "Bought Deal Offering") and issued a total of 59,242,000 subscription receipts ("Subscription Receipts") at a price of $2.11 per Subscription Receipt for gross proceeds of $125,000,620. The Bought Deal Offering was completed by way of a prospectus supplement to the Company's base shelf prospectus and was underwritten by Echelon Capital Markets, as sole bookrunner and co-lead, Canaccord Genuity Corp., as co-lead, and with syndicate underwriters including Eight Capital, Beacon Securities Limited and Paradigm Capital Inc. Each Subscription Receipt represents the right of the holder to receive, upon closing of the Company's previously announced arrangement to acquire Ridgeback Resources Inc. by way of statutory plan of arrangement (the "Ridgeback Acquisition") (expected to close in Q1 2023), without payment of additional consideration, one common share of the Company. If the Ridgeback Acquisition is not completed by May 31, 2023 (being 120 days from the closing date of the Bought Deal Offering) or if the Ridgeback Acquisition is terminated at an earlier time, the gross proceeds of the Bought Deal Offering and pro rata entitlement to interest earned or deemed to be earned on the gross proceeds of the Bought Deal Offering, net of any applicable withholding taxes, will be paid to holders of the Subscription Receipts and the Subscription Receipts will be cancelled. About Saturn Oil & Gas Inc. Saturn Oil & Gas Inc. is a growing Canadian energy company focused on generating positive shareholder returns through the continued responsible development of high-quality, light oil weighted assets, supported by an acquisition strategy that targets highly accretive, complementary opportunities. Saturn has assembled an attractive portfolio of free-cash flowing, low-decline operated assets in Southeastern Saskatchewan and West Central Saskatchewan that provide a deep inventory of long-term economic drilling opportunities across multiple zones. With an unwavering commitment to building an ESG-focused culture, Saturn's goal is to increase reserves, production and cash flows at an attractive return on invested capital. Saturn's shares are listed for trading on the TSXV under ticker 'SOIL' and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under symbol 'SMKA'. Further information and a corporate presentation is available on Saturn's website at www.saturnoil.com. Saturn Oil & Gas Investor & Media Contacts: John Jeffrey, MBA - Chief Executive Officer Tel: +1 (587) 392-7902 www.saturnoil.com Kevin Smith, MBA - VP Corporate Development Tel: +1 (587) 392-7900 info@saturnoil.com Reader Advisory FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND STATEMENTS. Certain information included in this press release constitutes forward-looking information under applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information typically contains statements with words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "intend", "estimate", "propose", "project", "scheduled", "will" or similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to, the listing of the Subscription Receipts, the completion of the Ridgeback Acquisition and the conversion of the Subscription Receipts. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by Saturn, including expectations and assumptions concerning: the timing of the listing of the Subscription Receipts, the timing of closing of the Ridgeback Acquisition and the conversion of the Subscription Receipts. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which have been used. Although Saturn believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because Saturn can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, the ability to close the Ridgeback Acquisition in the timeframe expected, or at all, ability to accelerate capital expenditure programs, risks associated with the oil and gas industry in general (e.g., operational risks in development, exploration and production; the uncertainty of reserve estimates; the uncertainty of estimates and projections relating to production, costs and expenses, and health, safety and environmental risks), constraint in the availability of services, commodity price and exchange rate fluctuations, the current COVID-19 pandemic, changes in legislation impacting the oil and gas industry, adverse weather conditions and uncertainties resulting from potential delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures. These and other risks are set out in more detail in Saturn's amended and restated Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2021. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date hereof and Saturn undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. All dollar figures included herein are presented in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise noted. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/153486 Les membres du gouvernement a donne leur accords pour le replacement du Newspapers and Periodicals Employees (Remuneration) Regulations par le Media Employees (Remuneration) Regulationsm qye le Education (Amendment) Regulations 2023 sera promulg1e afin doffrir le Sir Anerood Jugnauth National Scholarships au premier et premiere collegiens classes dans le cote economique pour les examens de la HSCm de l.impact des dernieres pluies sur la secteur agricole entre autres. 1. Cabinet has agreed to Regulations being made to repeal and replace the current Newspapers and Periodicals Employees (Remuneration) Regulations by the Media Employees (Remuneration) Regulations, which provide for the review of wages and conditions of employment in that sector. The Newspapers and Periodicals Employees (Remuneration) Regulations were last reviewed in 2001. 2. Cabinet has taken note that in the latest edition of the Economist Intelligence Units Democracy Index, published in January 2023, out of 165 independent states, Mauritius was ranked among the only 24 countries in the world considered as full democracy and is the sole State to be classified as such in Africa. 3. Cabinet has taken note that the Education (Amendment) Regulations 2023 would be promulgated to provide for the award of the Sir Anerood Jugnauth National Scholarships to the first ranked boy and the first ranked girl on the Economics side at the Cambridge Higher School Certificate (HSC) Examinations. 4. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of two Addenda to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology and the Educational Consultants of India Ltd for the implementation of Phase IV (Grade 5) and Phase V (Grade 6) of the Early Digital Learning Programme project. Each Addendum provides for the supply and commissioning of tablets and related devices. Provision has, inter alia, been made for the supply of the system software and the hosting of a Classroom Management Software on a cloud server. 5. Cabinet has taken note of the impact of the recent torrential rainfall in Mauritius on the agricultural sector and the assessment carried out to determine the extent of losses caused to plantations and livestock. The Food and Agricultural Research and Extension Institute and the Small Farmers Welfare Fund were closely monitoring the situation and continuing their assessment. With respect to sugarcane, the Mauritius Cane Industry Authority had informed that there is no significant damage to sugarcane plants. Cabinet has also taken note of the arrangements being made by the Agricultural Marketing Board for the supply of vegetables, coconuts and lemons for the forthcoming Thaipoosam Cavadee and Maha Shivaratree festivals. 6. Cabinet has taken note that the National Innovator Hall of Fame, a competition to be organised by the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council, would be launched in February 2023. This award aims at recognising the efforts of innovators from the Republic of Mauritius, through an open competition, and appreciating how their contributions might positively impact on the daily lives of citizens. The objectives of the competition would be to: (a) recognise and reward local outstanding innovators; (b) fuel innovation and creativity among the local people; (c) gauge the level of innovation and creativity in the Republic of Mauritius; and (d) catalyse the innovation culture in the younger generation. 7. Cabinet has taken note that World Seagrass Day would be organised on 01 March 2023 at Poste Lafayette. World Seagrass Day was declared by the United Nations General Assembly on 22 May 2022, following a resolution on the need to emphasise the conservation of seagrass in marine environments. In that context, the Ministry of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping would carry out sensitisation and educational programmes at eight places around the island targeting school children, fishers and coastal communities under a project financed by the United Nations Environment Programme Nairobi Convention, under their scheme Implementation of the Strategic Action Programme for the Protection of the Western Indian Ocean from land-based sources and activities. 8. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the official visit of the Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade to Rodrigues from 23 to 25 January 2023 in the context of the elaboration of the National Human Rights Action Plan 2023 2030 and the preparation of the next Universal Periodic Review Report. The main objective of the visit was to invite inputs from the various Commissions of the Rodrigues Regional Assembly on issues pertaining to human rights in view of the drafting of these two major documents. 9. Cabinet has taken note of the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic prevailing in Mauritius. As at 02 February 2023, there were 10 active cases of COVID-19, out of which five were admitted at the New ENT Hospital. Over the period 26 January to 02 February 2023, no death was attributed to COVID-19. 10. Cabinet has taken note that there was no suspected case of mpox in Mauritius during the period 26 January to 02 February 2023. 11. Cabinet has taken note of the renewal of the contract of Mr Hariduth Chand Ramgoolam as Director of the Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund. 12. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Board of the National Library with Mr Anish Khugputh as part-time Chairperson. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Regulatory News: As part of its strategy of profitable growth in renewable energies, TotalEnergies (Paris:TTE) (LSE:TTE) (NYSE:TTE) is selling to Credit Agricole Assurances 50% of a 234 MW portfolio of renewable projects, including 23 solar power plants with a capacity of 168 MW and 6 wind farms with a capacity of 67 MW. Of the 29 power plants in the portfolio, 25 are already operational (180 MW) and the four others (54 MW) will be commissioned in the first half of 2023. This transaction implies an enterprise value of the portfolio of 300 million (100%) equivalent to a multiple of 16 x EBITDA. This partial sale to Credit Agricole Assurances allows TotalEnergies to accelerate project cash flows and improve the return on invested capital, in line with its business model for renewable energy development. TotalEnergies' teams will continue to ensure the asset management, operation and maintenance of the 29 power plants. They will provide enough energy for 200,000 people and will prevent the emission of some 96,000 tons of CO2 per year for thirty years. "This partial sale demonstrates the strength of our business model, which ensures a return on invested capital in renewable energies of more than 10%. We are pleased to partner with Credit Agricole Assurances and support its investment in the energy transition. With its strong teams and business model, TotalEnergies intends to continue its development in France where we aim to reach 4 GW of renewable generation capacity by 2025," said Vincent Stoquart, Senior Vice President, Renewables at TotalEnergies. "This transaction is in line with our strategy as a long-term institutional investor in the acceleration of renewable energies, in favor of the energy transition and a low-carbon economy. In line with the Credit Agricole Group's climate commitments, this transaction will increase our investments in renewable energies and help us reach an installed capacity of 14 GW by 2025," said Florence Barjou, Head of Investments at Credit Agricole Assurances. TotalEnergies and renewable electricity As part of its ambition to get to net zero by 2050, TotalEnergies is building a portfolio of activities in electricity and renewables. At the end 2022, TotalEnergies' gross renewable electricity generation installed capacity is 17 GW. TotalEnergies will continue to expand this business to reach 35 GW of gross production capacity from renewable sources and storage by 2025, and then 100 GW by 2030 with the objective of being among the world's top 5 producers of electricity from wind and solar energy. About TotalEnergies TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, cleaner, more reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people. Twitter: @TotalEnergies LinkedIn: TotalEnergiesFacebook:TotalEnergies Instagram:TotalEnergies About Credit Agricole Assurance Credit Agricole Assurances, France's leading insurer, brings together the insurance subsidiaries of Credit Agricole. The Group offers a range of savings, pension, health, personal protection and property insurance products and services. They are distributed by the Credit Agricole Group's banks in France and in eight countries around the world, by wealth management advisors and general agents. Credit Agricole Assurances' companies cater to individuals, professionals, farmers and businesses. Credit Agricole Assurances has 5,300 employees. Its premium income at the end of 2021 will amount to 36.5 billion euros (IFRS standards). www.ca-assurances.com Cautionary Note This press release, from which no legal consequences may be drawn, is for information purposes only. The entities in which TotalEnergies SE directly or indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. TotalEnergies SE has no liability for their acts or omissions. The terms "Company" or "TotalEnergies company" refer collectively to the company TotalEnergies SE and the companies it controls directly or indirectly. Such terms are used solely for the sake of convenience for purposes of the present communication. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" may also be used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TotalEnergies SE nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005141/en/ Contacts: TotalEnergies Media Relations: +33 1 47 44 46 99 l presse@totalenergies.com l @TotalEnergiesPR Investor Relations: +33 (0)1 47 44 46 46 l ir@totalenergies.com Credit Agricole Assurances Francoise Bololanik: 33 (0)1 57 72 46 83 06 25 13 73 98 Nicolas Leviaux: +33 (0)1 57 72 09 50 06 19 60 48 53 service.presse@ca-assurances.fr Alarming rise in the prevalence of neurological disorders, and technological advancement in the healthcare sector drive the growth of the global disposable EEG electrode market. PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Disposable EEG Electrode Market by Shape (Cup Electrode, Disk Electrode, and Needle Electrode), by Application (Diagnostic, and Therapeutic), by End User (Hospitals and Clinics, Diagnostic Centers, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031." According to the report, the global disposable EEG electrode industry generated $386.3 Million in 2021, and is estimated to reach $542.2 Million by 2031, witnessing a CAGR of 3.5% from 2022 to 2031. The report offers a detailed analysis of changing market trends, top segments, key investment pockets, value chains, regional landscapes, and competitive scenarios. Download Free Sample Report: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/13689 Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities- Improving healthcare infrastructure, rise in the number of neurological diseases and various strategies adopted such as product launch and product approval drive the growth of the global disposable EEG electrode market. On the other hand, rising use of alternatives, such as reusable EEG medical electrodes restrain the growth to some extent. However, increase in initiatives taken by government and rise in expenditure by government to develop healthcare infrastructure are expected to create lucrative opportunities in the industry. Covid-19 scenario- Use of disposable medical equipment has been increased during the pandemic for the prevention of COVID-19 infection. Thus, this factor is anticipated to have positive impact on the growth of disposable EEG electrode. In addition, increase in the prevalence of hospital acquired infection and rise in the awareness regarding prevention of cross contamination in hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic centers is anticipated to drive the growth of market. The hospitals and clinics segment to maintain its dominance during the forecast period- By end user, the hospitals and clinics segment held the largest share in 2021, garnering nearly three-fourths of the global disposable EEG electrode market revenue, and is projected to maintain its dominance by 2031. The same segment would also showcase the fastest CAGR of 3.7% during the forecast period. This is driven by rise in the number hospitals & clinics and rise in number of professionals who can treat neurological diseases. Purchase Inquiry: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/13689 The diagnostic segment to rule the roost- By application, the diagnostic segment contributed to more than two-thirds of the global disposable EEG electrode market share in 2021, and is projected to rule the boost by 2031. The same segment would also display the fastest CAGR of 3.6% throughout the forecast period. Increase in the prevalence of brain disorders, sleep disorders are anticipated to drive the application of disposable EEG electrodes for diagnosis purpose and fuel the segment growth. North America garnered the major share in 2021- By region, North America held the major share in 2021, garnering more than three-fifths of the global disposable EEG electrode market revenue, and is expected to dominate by 2031. This is due to the rise in the number of product launch and product approval, increase in the number of key players, and developed healthcare infrastructure across North America. Asia-Pacific, on the other hand, would showcase the fastest CAGR of 4.4% from 2022 to 2031. Leading Market Players- CONMED CORPORATION KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V. NATUS MEDICAL INCORPORATED GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY NIHON KOHDEN CORPORATION MEDTRONIC PLC AMBU A/S BRAIN SCIENTIFIC, INC RHYTHMLINK INTERNATIONAL, LLC CADWELL INDUSTRIES, INC The report analyzes these key players in the global Disposable EEG Electrode market. These players have adopted various strategies such as merger, new product launches, and product approval to increase their market penetration and strengthen their position in the industry. The report is helpful in determining the business performance, operating segments, developments, and product portfolios of every market player. Trending Reports in Healthcare Industry (Book Now with 10% Discount): Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) Testing Market by Disease Type (Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Herpes Simplex Virus, Syphilis, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and Other Diseases) and Location of Testing (Laboratory Testing, and Point-of-care (POC) Testing): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030 mHealth Market by Type (mHealth Devices and mHealth Services), Stakeholders (Mobile Operators, Device Vendors, Healthcare Providers, and Content Players), and Application (Cardiovascular Diseases, Diabetes, Respiratory diseases, Neurological Disorders, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027 Oncology-Cancer Drugs Market By Drug Class Type (Chemotherapy, Targeted Therapy, Immunotherapy (Biologic Therapy), and Hormonal Therapy), By Indication (Lung Cancer, Stomach Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Liver Cancer, Esophagus Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Kidney Cancer, Bladder Cancer, and Other Cancers): Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030 Vaccines Market by Technology Type (Recombinant & Conjugate Vaccines, Live Attenuated Vaccines, Inactivated Vaccines, Toxoid Vaccines, and Other Vaccines), Indication (Pneumococcal Disease, Influenza, Human Papilloma Virus, Meningococcal Disease, Rotavirus, Varicella, Measles, Mumps, & Rubella {MMR}, Diphtheria, Pertussis, & Tetanus {DPT}, Polio, Hepatitis, and Other Indications), and End User (Pediatric, Adults, and Travelers): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031 Sleep Aids Market by Product (Mattress & Pillows, Sleep Laboratories, Medications, and Sleep Apnea Devices) and Sleep Disorders (Insomnia, Sleep Apnea, Restless Leg Syndrome, Narcolepsy, Sleepwalking, and Other Sleep Disorders): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030 About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/disposable-eeg-electrode-market-to-reach-542-2-million-globally-by-2031-at-3-5-cagr-allied-market-research-301738194.html Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. DUBAI, Feb 13, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - The 10th Global Forum on blockchain, cryptocurrencies and mining -- Blockchain Life 2023 takes place on February 27-28 in Dubai.The event is attended by key industry players, government representatives, heads of international companies and funds, investors, promising startups teams and beginners. It's noteworthy that the Forum is a meeting point for a premium crypto audience including world Crypto Whales.What to expect?- Whales of the crypto industry at one place- Top speakers with world-changing insights and analytics- Global expo of the latest Web 3.0 technologies- Breakthrough smart networking app- The legendary AfterParty on the luxury yacht tripTop speakers:- Yat Siu - Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Animoca Brands, Founder and CEO of Outblaze- Sergei Khitrov - Founder of Listing.Help and Jets.Capital- Ben Zhou - Co-founder and CEO of Bybit- Dr. Marwan Alzarouni - CEO of Dubai Blockchain Center- Carl Runefelt - Crypto Entrepreneur, Founder Of CryptoJobs.com- Chris MMCrypto - Cryptocurrency Expert, Co-Founder of MMCrypto- Gabriel Abed - Ambassador of Barbados to the UAE- Dr. Mohamed Al Hemairy - Director of Technology Transfer Office at University of Sharjah, Blockchain & Crypto Advisor- Manan Shah - Founder and CEO of Avalance Global Solutions and CyBirb- Gracy Chen - Managing Director of BitgetWhere and when?February 27 - 28, Dubai, Atlantis the Palm.Buy a ticket now: https://blockchain-life.com/asia/en/tickets-rowSource: Blockchain Life 2023Copyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. SHIJIAZHUANG, China, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from Great Wall New Media: Several groups of images were captured for the first time, in which female Baer's Pochards were leading their chicks on the water. Wild birds are an ecological barometer and the growing population of Baer's Pochards is a vote for the efforts the province has made in improving the lake's ecology. Along with the improvement of the lake's eco-environment and the reappearance of the paradise of birds, more and more locals are becoming bird lovers and protectors. Currently, the lake is home to 237 wild bird species. In particular, 10 and 43 species are respectively under the first-class and second-class state protection. Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1995539/0203.mp4 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/returning-home-301738257.html Fujitec Co., Ltd. (TOKYO:6406): We disclosed in the "Notice Concerning a Shareholder's Request for the Convocation of Extraordinary General Meeting of the Shareholders" dated December 6, 2022, that the Company received a request from Oasis Japan Strategic Fund Ltd. (the "Proposing Shareholder") to convene an extraordinary general meeting of the shareholders (the "Request") (*). We hereby notify you that the following resolutions, which will be included as agenda items at the upcoming special meeting of the shareholders with a record date of December 31, 2022 to exercise their voting rights (the "Extraordinary General Meeting of the Shareholders"), were adopted at the board of directors meeting on January 20, 2023. The board has resolved that the Company's proposal (Agenda Item 1) shall be submitted, and that, after careful consideration, all of the Proposing Shareholder's proposals (Agenda Item 2 through Agenda Item 7), shall be opposed (the "Opposing Opinion") during the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Shareholders. For details and further information regarding Company's Position and the Opposing Opinion, please refer to the separate presentation materials that are disclosed on the Company's website. Please see our presentations for more information https://www.fujitec.com/announcement/3082 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005151/en/ Contacts: Fujitec Co., Ltd. ir@jp.fujitec.com Reading, Pennsylvania--(Newsfile Corp. - February 3, 2023) - Pennsylvania-based nonprofit human services organization, Inperium Inc, has announced the expansion of its services into the state of Tennessee. The firm has recently concluded an affiliation with Shelby Residential and Vocational Services, Inc. (SRVS), the largest provider of services for individuals with disabilities in West Tennessee. The new affiliation is part of Inperium's expansion plan, aiming to make its services available to everyone in need, through the Inperium Constellation. The affiliation with SRVS will be Inperium's first in the state of Tennessee. Inperium Inc provides a wide range of human services, including programs that improve the quality of life for children and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities or behavioral health needs. Through its unique 'Affiliation Model', the organization provides collaboration opportunities to other organizations without requiring them to merge with Inperium. Once an organization is affiliated with Inperium, they help the affiliates to enhance their quality and consistency of services, financial diversity, and continuity of care by utilizing their collective resources. The affiliation with SRVS intends to enhance the service to those with disabilities enabling them to live meaningful lives. Inperium Inc made its first affiliation in 2016. Today the organization has 34 affiliations in total, spread across 14 states, Tennessee being the latest on the list. "We are the fastest-growing nonprofit human services organization in the United States. We are proud of our impressive growth within a short period of time. Our new transaction with SRVS is our third affiliation in 2022. We are committed to expanding our services to other states and serving people in need of support through our Inperium Constellation method," says Ryan Smith, Founder and CEO of Inperium Inc. About Inperium Inc Inperium Inc is a 501(c)(3) & 509(a)(3) nonprofit human service organization, headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania, United States. The organization was established in 2015 by Ryan Smith. Specializing in non-profit organization management, Inperium Inc provides approaches that facilitate access to business and professional shared services. This approach allows organizations to focus on the advancement and sustainability of their unique missions through affiliation as an alternative to traditional mergers. Inperium's network includes non-profits/for-profits providing person-centric health-related support & other business services to the organizations it aids. Media contact: Name: Jenifer Gassen Email: Jgassen@inperium.org To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/153573 Marula Mining PLC ("Marula'' or the "Company") 3 February 2023 Marula Mining Seeks Listing on AIM Marula Mining (AQSE: MARU), an African focused mining and development company, is pleased to update the market and shareholders on its intention to seek a listing of Marula's ordinary shares on the London Stock Exchange's AIM market ("AIM") ("Listing"), subject to the preparation and acceptance of all the requisite documentation and regulatory approvals. Highlights: Cairn Financial Advisers LLP retained as the Nominated Adviser ("NOMAD") for the Listing Mining capital markets law firm Memery Crystal, appointed as the Company's legal advisers Accounting firm Saffery Champness LLP has also been appointed as Reporting Accountant Monecor ( London ) Ltd, trading as OvalX, to continue in its role as the Company's Broker, with a joint broker set to be appointed in due course ) Ltd, trading as OvalX, to continue in its role as the Company's Broker, with a joint broker set to be appointed in due course Geological technical consultants to be appointed later this month and will complete a detailed Competent Persons Report on Marula's portfolio of battery metals focused assets in Africa . AIM is currently home to approximately 852 companies with a combined market capitalisation of almost 135 billion, and the Company's proposed Listing is beneficial to the continued growth of the Company and development of its mining projects in East and Southern Africa. Jason Brewer, Marula Mining PLC CEO said: "At Marula, we strongly believe that a listing onthe London Stock Exchange's AIM market should prove to be transformational for the Company. AIM has established itself as one of the world's most successful and established market for dynamic high growth companies, supported by a significant community of companies, advisers and investors. "Marula is going from strength to strength and continues to deliver on its strategy, which is why we believe a listing on AIM is in line with this strategy as we continue to reach milestones, and seek out exposure to a larger pool of investors. "We believe that an AIM listing provides the Company with the chance to access a diverse set of investors and increased liquidity, and offers a new pool of investors the opportunity to invest in our critical mineral assets, as we collectively push toward the global green transition. Our recent production of lithium from the Blesberg project is proof of our commitment to this, as we seek out near term growth opportunities in and out of our existing portfolio. With our clearly defined growth strategy, and positive market setting for the commodities in which we are focused, we believe the Company is well positioned to thrive on a market where, traditionally, mining companies have succeeded. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Advisers for being part of our team. I look forward to sharing further updates on the proposed listing in the coming months." The Directors of Marula are responsible for the contents of this announcement. About Marula Mining Marula Mining (AQSE: MARU) is an African focused battery metals investment and exploration company and has interests in several high value mine projects in Africa; Blesberg Lithium and Tantalum Mine in South Africa, Nkombwa Hill Project in Zambia and Kinusi Copper mine and Bagamoyo Graphite Project in Tanzania. As we advance operations at these battery metals focused projects, Marula will continue to build and expand its interests in other high-quality projects in Africa. Marula's strategy is to identify and invest in advanced and high-value mining projects throughout East, Central and Southern Africa that the Directors believe would deliver returns for its shareholders. The Board and management team aims to establish Marula as a socially and environmentally responsible, sustainable, and profitable producer of critical metals and commodities that are of increasingly strategic importance to modern technologies and the global economy. Marula's shares are currently traded on the AQUIS Stock Exchange (AQSE), Marula is exploring opportunities to admit its shares to trading on AIM, the market operated by the London Stock Exchange Group plc, and Kenya's Nairobi Securities Exchange. For enquiries contact: Marula Mining PLC Jason Brewer, Chief Executive Officer Faith Kinyanjui Mumbi Investor Relations Email: jason@marulamining.com Email: info@marulamining.com AQSE Corporate Adviser Cairn Financial Advisers LLP, Liam Murray / Ludovico Lazzaretti +44 (0)20 7213 0880 Broker OvalX, Tom Curran / Thomas Smith +44 (0) 20 7392 1568 Financial PR and IR BlytheRay Tim Blythe / Megan Ray / Said Izagaren +44 (0)20 7138 3204 Caution; Certain statements in this announcement, are, or may be deemed to be, forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are identi?ed by their use of terms and phrases such as 'believe', 'could', "should" 'envisage', 'estimate', 'intend', 'may', 'plan', 'potentially', "expect", 'will' or the negative of those, variations or comparable expressions, including references to assumptions. These forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts but rather on the Directors' current expectations and assumptions regarding the Company's future growth, results of operations, performance, future capital and other expenditures (including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof), competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities. Such forward looking statements re?ect the Directors' current beliefs and assumptions and are based on information currently available to the Directors. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 3, 2023) - Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: VGANF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company"), a leading consolidator of emerging food brands is pleased to announce that in the month of January it has expanded distribution of its Holy Crap Cereal and Oatmeal SKUs through various in-store retailers and an online B2B wholesale platform serving Canadian and US retail markets. "In a busy sales month our team has delivered three separate wins expanding the distribution of both our cereal and oatmeal lines of Holy Crap. Our wins consist of welcoming Thrifty Foods as a new retailor, gaining an additional listing at Whole Foods (Western Canada), and we have successfully gained listed status with 9 SKUs with Faire - an eCom platform for providing wholesale distribution to small and medium sized businesses throughout Canada and the US," said Shawn Moniz, CEO of Happy Belly. "It's been an incredible start to the new year as we continue to see the results of being a sales-driven organization. We are confident that we will continue to grow distribution as the year unfolds while driving results and creating shareholder value." January Distribution Milestones Thrifty Foods New retailor listing in 24 stores. Initial order for 2 SKUs of our superseed cereal Apple Cinnamon, All-Natural Blend Whole Foods (Western Canada) Additional SKU listing in all 7 stores. All-Natural Blend Existing SKUs already listed: Apple Cinnamon and Mango Coconut Faire (Canada and US) Listing of all four (4) SKUs of our superseed Cereal Mango Coconut, Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry Apple, All-Natural Blend Listing of all five (5) SKUs of our Oatmeal SKUs Cranberry Chocolate, Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry Cocoa, Mango Coconut, Maple Holy Crap Foods To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/153575_0a88fef5146ae806_001full.jpg Furthermore, Marco Contardi has resigned as a director of the Company for personal reasons, effective January 31, 2023. We thank Mr. Contardi for his time as a director and wish him well. About Faire An online B2B platform servicing wholesale transactions across Canada, the US and Europe. Hosting over 600,000 retailers across 25,000 cities that represent 85,000 brands across a 5 million small business consumer database. Now more than ever, consumers are choosing to support local brands. There are millions of thriving small businesses in North America and Europe who collectively represent a trillion-dollar market. With our global community and the power of technology, Faire is helping fuel the growth of brands everywhere. About Whole Foods We seek out the finest natural and organic foods available, maintain the strictest quality standards in the industry, and have an unshakeable commitment to sustainable agriculture. Add to that the excitement and fun we bring to shopping for groceries, and you start to get a sense of what we're all about. About Thrifty Foods Located in beautiful BC, operating 26 stores, we are your local grocery store focused on food, driven by our fresh expertise and supported by superior customer service. We pride ourselves on our organic foods, great customer service, and having our customers know that when they buy from Thrifty's they are buying local, fresh, great tasting foods. About Holy Crap Foods Inc. At Holy Crap Foods Inc. our mission is to create products that create a healthy gut through simple, quality ingredients that ultimately feed the connection between gut and mind. Holy Crap is an organic, gluten free, non-gmo high fiber breakfast cereal for today's consumer that expects their food to work hard for them. Our great tasting cereal helps maintain a healthy gut which creates a happy mind. About Happy Belly Food Group Happy Belly Brands To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/153575_0a88fef5146ae806_002full.jpg Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: VGANF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company"), a leading consolidator of emerging food brands. For more information please visit: www.HolyCrap.com , www.YamChops.com , www.LumberHeads.com , www.HealWellness.ca , www.LettuceLoveCafe.com , www.LadyGlazeDoughnuts.com , www.PirhoGrill.com, and www.HappyBellyFG.com . Happy Belly Food Group Shawn Moniz Chief Executive Officer FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: www: www.happybellyfg.com or email hello@happybellyfg.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur, and include the future performance of LumberHeads Food Co. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the business plans for Happy Belly described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedar.com. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/153575 Uptime Institute, the Global Digital Infrastructure Authority, a Dominus Capital, L.P. portfolio company, announced today that it has completed its acquisition of Academia Group Limited and all of its global subsidiaries including CNet Training, Ltd. CNet Training, located in Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk, England, is an International award-winning technical education company. CNet Training has been designing and delivering professional network and data center infrastructure training programs since 1996 and has trained over 83,000 data center professionals across 45 countries. "The data center industry is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. The continued, extraordinary industry expansion requires a growing and diverse workforce, however concerns over the industry's ability to attract, educate, and retain skilled technical staff persist. This acquisition will help our respective customers thrive in a rapidly changing ecosystem, by giving them access to a range of world class corporate learning and development technical education programs that are backed up by practical experience and specialized domain expertise," said Martin V. McCarthy, CEO, Uptime Institute. CNet Training dramatically extends the range and depth of Uptime Education offerings and positions Uptime as the Learning Development partner of choice around the world. The combined offerings will include solutions valuable for every point in a career for a digital infrastructure professional. This includes entry level staff, even adolescents in apprenticeships, to post graduate degrees in Data Center Leadership for savvy, long serving professionals. "We are excited to join the accelerating Uptime team. CNet Training was already growing quickly, but now will have many more opportunities through further geographic expansion, and new service offerings, as a part of Uptime. As we look forward to this next phase, I want to personally thank all our clients, staff, and investors who have supported us over these past 26 years of delivering unique value and in bringing ongoing innovation to the Digital Infrastructure Education market," said Andrew Stevens, CEO of CNet Training. Uptime Institute's Intelligence team recently completed a market research study indicating the number of staff needed to design, build, and operate data centers will continue to grow globally from about 2.0 million in 2019 to nearly 2.3 million by 2025. A wide range of specialist jobs (230 detailed in Uptime Institute Data Center Career Pathfinder, developed in association with Google, Meta Microsoft) are required by the sector to support its continued expansion. The combination of Uptime Institute and CNet Training will directly address the evolving training needs of all current and future data center employees as they progress through their careers. Bob Haswell, Founding Partner at Dominus Capital, added, "This first acquisition for Uptime under Dominus ownership will further establish Uptime Education as the unparalleled leader in Digital Infrastructure Education around the world. Uptime is the undisputed market leader worldwide, with results-oriented solutions for both providers and consumers of services delivered through mission critical data center, the true digital foundries, and factories of the Internet economy. The ongoing availability, resiliency, sustainability, security, and business value of these key infrastructure building blocks still overwhelmingly depend on the quality and capabilities of the workforces that operate them, and the skill, training and education of each individual team member." Uptime Institute continues to identify and assess potential add-on acquisitions to broaden its offering and continue to execute on its mission to help data center owners, operators, and tenants ensure resilient, available, sustainable, and secure digital infrastructure. About Uptime Institute Uptime Institute is the Global Digital Infrastructure Authority. For over 25 years, the company has established industry-leading benchmarks for data center performance, resilience, sustainability, and efficiency, which provide customers assurance that their digital infrastructure can perform across a wide array of operating conditions at a level consistent with their business needs. Uptime's Tier Standard is the IT industry's most trusted and adopted global standard for the design, construction, and operation of data centers the backbone of the digital economy. With its Tier Standard and Certifications, Management Operations reviews, SCIRA-FSI financial sector risk assessment, broad range of additional risk and performance assessments, Intelligence research services, and accredited training courses completed by over 10,000 data center professionals, Uptime has helped thousands of companies in over 100 countries to optimize critical IT assets while managing costs, resources, and efficiency. Uptime Institute is headquartered in New York, NY, with offices in London, Sao Paulo, Dubai, KSA Singapore, and Taipei. For more information, please visit www.uptimeinstitute.com. About CNet Training CNet Training (CNet) has been delivering technical education programs since 1996. Today CNet is the global leader in technical education for the digital infrastructure industry, comprising the data center and network infrastructure sectors and is the only industry dedicated education provider to award both internationally recognized qualifications and professional certifications. A significant part of CNet Training 's history is the development of the highly acclaimed Global Digital Infrastructure Education Framework, which offers industry professionals an opportunity to plan technical education, qualifications, and certifications to meet on-going individual and business needs. Since CNet's inception it has delivered training across 218 delivery locations in 45 countries and in 19 time zones. Over 83,000 individuals of 153 different nationalities have accessed CNet Training's technical education. For more information, please visit www.cnet-training.com About Dominus Capital, L.P. Based in New York, Dominus Capital is a leading middle-market private equity investment firm focused on management-led buyouts and growth capital investments in family-owned and founder-operated companies in the business services and light manufacturing sectors. Drawing on the experience, knowledge and network of its founders and a team of in-house operating executives, Dominus works hand-in-hand with exceptional management teams to unlock the untapped potential of its portfolio companies. Recently named one of the top 50 middle market private equity firms, Dominus takes a long-term approach to investing and has a consistent and highly successful track record of achieving significant growth at its portfolio companies. The Dominus team has executed more than 90 transactions over the past 20+ years. For more information, please visit www.dominuscap.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005099/en/ Contacts: Brenda South, Uptime Institute bsouth@uptimeinstitute.com 206-706-4647 (Oslo/Rafnes, Norway, 3 February 2023) Europe's largest generator of renewable power, Statkraft and chemical company INEOS Inovyn at Rafnes in Bamble have signed two new long-term power agreements. The agreements will secure the majority of the power needed for the existing manufacturing activities and also the additional power required for planned investments into electrification and hydrogen production as part of INEOS Inovyn Norway's plans to decarbonise its assets in Norway. INEOS Inovyn, European leader of the Chlor-Vinyl industry operates a world scale integrated site in Norway producing fundamental raw materials for various industry?sectors as diverse as automotive; building and construction; paints and adhesives; food; healthcare and medical; personal care; pulp and paper; textiles; and water treatment. Long term supply of clean energy is critical for the sustainability of the activity. The largest agreed power contract covers a capacity of 100 MW, equal to an annual volume of 876 GWh of documented renewable energy. The new long-term agreement replaces the existing power contract, which expires in May 2023. The second long-term power agreement covers up to 30 MW, adding 263 GWh per year for the period from 2026. The agreement is linked to INEOS Inovyn's extensive development plan in process electrification and hydrogen production in order to further reduce carbon emission of the asset at Rafnes. The power agreements are sourced from Statkraft's renewable hydropower assets in Norway. "Statkraft is proud to renew its long-standing partnership with INEOS Inovyn, securing their facilities at Rafnes access to renewable hydropower for another long-term period. The agreement emphasizes Statkraft's important role as a major supplier to Norwegian industry and shows that it is possible to secure long-term power contracts even in today's market," says Hallvard Granheim, EVP Markets in Statkraft. "The fact that we are also contributing to INEOS Inovyn Norway's planned investments in extensive emission reductions is a value added, perfectly in line with our vision to renew the way the world is powered," he adds. "These long-term green energy supply agreements allow us to continue to competitively supply our customers in Europe and elsewhere in the world. They also allow us to pursue our ambitious asset development plans which we have put in place to reach our?2030 CO2 reduction targets and to continue the decarbonization of our operations to deliver net zero emissions by 2050," Geir Tuft, CEO of INEOS Inovyn, commented. "Statkraft's support is critical for us to carry out this ambition as early movers in Norway and hence achieve our climate goals benefiting the full value chain for our customers", he added. Selling electricity to power-intensive industries is an important part of Statkraft's activities. In 2023, Statkraft will deliver around 10 TWh on such contracts. In 2022, the company signed eight new contracts with a total volume of 25 TWh over the contract period and negotiations for more contracts are ongoing. About Statkraft Statkraft is a leading company in hydropower internationally and Europe's largest generator of renewable energy. The Group produces hydropower, wind power, solar power, gas-fired power and supplies district heating. Statkraft is a global company in energy market operations. Statkraft has 5,000 employees in 20 countries. www.statkraft.com About INEOS Inovyn Norway INEOS Inovyn is Europe's leading producer of vinyls and in the top three worldwide. With an annual turnover of EUR 4.5 billion, INEOS Inovyn has approx. 4,200 employees and manufacturing, sales and marketing operations in 8 countries across Europe. INEOS Inovyn's portfolio consists of an extensive range of class-leading products arranged across General Purpose Vinyls; Specialty Vinyls; Organic Chlorine Derivatives; Chlor Alkali; Hydrogen and Vinyls Technologies. INEOS Inovyn's annual commercial production volume is circa 10 million tonnes. INEOS INOVYN in Norway is operating assets at the Rafnes site in Bamble and at the Herya site in Porsgrunn. www.inovyn.com?and?www.ineos.com For further information, please contact: Lars Magnus Gunther, press spokesperson, Statkraft AS Mob: +47 91241636 E-mail: lars.gunther@statkraft.com Attachment European DefenceFund:Dassault Aviation launches,at the industrial level, the EICACS project, a European initiative for the standardization of collaborative air combat The European Union provides 75 million for this project, which is preparing the future interoperability standards for European combat aircraft Dassault Aviation is coordinating the work of a consortium of 37 industrialand research partners from 11 European countries (Saint-Cloud, France, February 3, 2023) - Dassault Aviation hosted today at its Saint-Cloud headquarters (France), the kick-off meeting of the EICACS project (European Initiative for Collaborative Air Combat Standardization) with its European industrial and research partners. The grant contract, awarded by the European Commission on 19 December 2022, designates Dassault Aviation, recognized for its ability to manage complex cooperative programmes, as the coordinator of this study project, which brings together 37 industrial partners and research organizations from 11 European Union countries. Supported by the European Union to the tune of 75 M within the framework of the 2021 programme of the European Defence Fund (EDF), this project aims to define, within a European framework, the future interoperability standards for collaborative air combat. It will strengthen the ability of European air forces to fulfill their missions ever more effectively and to act in coalitions involving both manned and unmanned systems, future air combat systems and existing platforms, as well as their upgrades. Dassault Aviation is delighted with the launch of this three-year study works, which brings together the entire European combat aeronautics industry, as well as various research organizations, around a project that is crucial for the European Union's air forces. * * * ABOUT DASSAULT AVIATION: With over 10,000 military and civil aircraft PRESS CONTACTS: Corporate Communications Stephane Fort - Tel.: +33 Mathieu Durand - Tel.: +33 Defense Communications Nathalie Bakhos - Tel.: +33 HD photos: mediaprophoto.dassault-aviation.com HD videos: mediaprovideo.dassault-aviation.com Attachment Policymakers in Israel are trying to create better conditions for large-scale solar projects. Land for ground-mounted facilities is still limited to 2,000 hectares, which equals 2 GW of installed capacity.The scheme for Israel's budgetary bill, just made public by the new government, includes the cancellation of the limit set by the national zoning committee. This limit has been blocking land allocations for ground-mounted PV for two years now. "Until now, there has been a limit of 2,000 hectares imposed by the national zoning committee," Eitan Parnass, the director of the Green Energy Association ... Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Pure Bright and Warm Cooperative (CEO Taek Sang Kwon, 'Cooperative') announced its plans to showcase food products made of local ingredients in Korea to the European and Southeast Asian markets. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005129/en/ PurePlan Citron Juice 1KG (Photo: Pure Bright and Warm Cooperative) Founded in 2013, the Cooperative is a social enterprise that processes and distributes food made from local raw materials grown in Goheung, Jeollanam-do, South Korea. It is dedicated to reinvigorating the local community and creating jobs based on its high value-added profit model. The name of the Cooperative reflects its aspiration to create a better world by having a pure body and mind (honestly), developing bright (innovative) products and content with warmth (love). The Cooperative's iconic brand is "PurePlan," which uses Korean citrons, pomegranates, and gingers cultivated in Goheung as raw materials to produce and sell various beverages including; 'Clean Yuja', 'PurePlan Citron Juice', 'PurePlan Pomegranate Juice', 'PurePlan Ginger Juice', 'Trufru Yuzu Pear', and 'Trufru Pomegranate Red Ginseng'. The Cooperative will develop its citron products into high-end and luxury ones to strengthen its competitiveness in overseas markets under the slogan, "The most local is the most global." It also plans to enter local platforms such as Amazon in USA, Alibaba in China, and Qoo10 in Japan to build its own overseas distribution network. The Cooperative is currently exporting Goheung citrons to the United States, China, and Southeast Asia using low-temperature extraction and pasteurization technology. Its aim is to develop sugar-free citron drinks and introduce them to the European market in the future. Taek Sang Kwon, CEO of Pure Bright and Warm Cooperative, said, "Korean citrons are gaining more and more popularity and preference abroad thanks to their excellent taste and scent. Based on this global trend, the members of the Cooperative and I will work together to make our products firmly position themselves in overseas markets in the near future." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005129/en/ Contacts: Pure Bright and Warm Cooperative Min Jung Hwa +82-61-834-3665 pbwcoop@gmail.com Classic New York Pizzeria and Upscale Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Pizza Franchise Concepts Target UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey, Africa and Egypt for Expansion HOUSTON, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chef Anthony Russo, the creative culinary mind, founder and CEO of chef-driven concepts Russo's New York Pizzeria and Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen, is attending the Gulfood Show AL Mustaqbal plaza HP-J14 Pavilion upon announcing a growth strategy to expand both brands' international footprint across the Middle East, specifically targeting the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Turkey, Africa, and Egypt. This bold growth phase is reflective of the brands' ever-growing presence in the region, with locations already in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. the Russo's New York Pizzeria already in the market. The brand plans to add 30 franchise locations to the Middle East region in the next five years. As part of this effort, Chef Anthony Russo will be meeting with interested and qualified investors while at the Gulfood 2023 food show the event will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre and runs February 20 - 24 booth location AL Mustaqbal Plaza HP - J14 Pavilion Additionally, Chef Anthony Russo will be hosting a Discovery Day from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.February 25 at Nakheel Mall 447Q location. Prospective franchisees are welcome to sample Russo's Italian cuisines and authentic, New York-style pizza while touring the restaurant's old-world charm, modern design and innovative hospitality. Interested guests will need to RSVP for this event by emailing anthony@nypizzeria.com "When it comes to increasing our global presence, expansion in the Middle East is quickly heating up," said Russo, who has 40 years of culinary expertise featuring fresh, homemade Italian cuisine using family recipes since 1978. "We've seen incredible development in the UAE and Saudi Arabia thus far, but the demand for family-friendly, Italian dining continues to grow. Russo's is dominating the classic pizza and Italian scene and we're thrilled to award more international business teams an opportunity to be a part of this exciting franchise growth." Menu innovation has been at the heart of the Russo's Restaurants brands for more than 32 years, blending generations of the Russo's family Italian recipes. Through Chef Anthony's handpicked ingredients and a commitment to research and development, the brands have continued to stay ahead of culinary trends. A prime example is the restaurants' full line of gluten-free pizzas and pastas - a sincere response to the request for great-tasting, gluten-free menu selections from health-conscious families and thousands living with Celiac disease, worldwide. Also, since the company has gone international, local flavors of the Middle East can be found in many of the recipes, connecting the local culture to authentic New York style pizza and classic Italian cuisine. Russo's Restaurants offers a rare franchise opportunity for entrepreneurs interested in proven brands that are entirely chef driven. Beyond consumer convenience, Russo's is leading the Italian dining category by creating a business model that offers: A smaller footprint (1,200-4,000 sq. ft.) for Delivery outlet to full service A low-cost entry into the restaurant business with an initial investment starting around $395,000 in select markets in select markets Average food costs and labor costs are 21.8% and 25.4% respectively* Average sales volume per unit is $1,1 million * To learn more about Russo's franchise development opportunities, visit https://russosfranchise.com. About Russo's Restaurants Russo's Restaurants is a national and international franchisor of the fast casual and casual dining brands Russo's New York Pizzeria and Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen. Based in Houston, Russo's Restaurants is composed of a mix of corporate and franchised locations across Texas, Oklahoma, California, and Florida. Russo's has entered international markets as well, with locations in Dubai, Qatar, Saudi Arabia in the United Arab Emirates. Chef Anthony Russo created Russo's Restaurants by applying his unique, family recipes featuring New York-style pizza, and by developing a broad variety of handcrafted pasta dishes, calzones, salads, sandwiches, soups and desserts. At its heart, Russo's Restaurants reflects Chef Anthony's commitment to his New York roots where food and family come first. To learn more about Russo's franchise development opportunities in the Middle East, visit www.russosfranchise.com. * These figures represent the average restaurant revenue of six (6) U.S. domestic Company-operated Russo's New York Pizzeria locations of various designs and sizes for fiscal year ending December 31, 2021, along with average Food Costs and Net Income for the seven (7) U.S. domestic Company-operated Russo's New York Pizzeria outlets only. Actual results could vary substantially from unit to unit and Franchisor cannot estimate the results of any franchise. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1312068/Russo_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/chef-inspired-us-brand-to-exhibit-at-gulfood-show-russos-new-york-pizzeria-set-on-franchise-middle-east-expansion-301737937.html The Bermuda Business Development Agency (BDA) is pleased to announce that Gallagher Re has joined the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers (ABIR) and EY as headline sponsors of the second annual Bermuda Risk Summit. Adam Schwebach, Executive Vice President, Gallagher Re, said, "Gallagher Re is proud to support the second Bermuda Risk Summit, an annual event that showcases the breadth and versatility of Bermuda's globally significant risk market. This event serves as a timely opportunity to connect with industry leaders ahead of midyear renewals and we applaud the BDA for their efforts in making the Bermuda Risk Summit a success." David Hart, BDA CEO, said, "We are just so excited to welcome Gallagher Re as our third and final headline sponsor, along with ABIR and EY. The theme of the 2023 Bermuda Risk Summit, being held from March 6-8, 2023, at the Hamilton Princess Beach Club is 'Innovation, Sustainability and Collaboration. We anticipate an even stronger attendance level than last year, as this event is just placed perfectly in front of an extremely important June 1 renewal season." Guests should act before midnight on Monday, February 6 to secure special hotel room rates starting at $359 (plus tax). From February 7, hotel room rates will increase significantly, or may be sold out, due to limited availability. To book your room please call 1-441-295-3000 or the Global Reservations Centre on 1-800-441-1414. Alternatively, click here to reserve your room online. Please use the booking code: 'Bermuda Risk' to take advantage of the preferred rate. The Bermuda Risk Summit will begin with a keynote conversation with Bermuda's Premier and BDA CEO David Hart, while Sophie Roberts, Head of The Insurer TV will moderate a group CEO panel made up of Peter Bell, CEO, Everest Re, Stephen Catlin, CEO, Convex, Chris Schaper, CEO, AIG, and Megan Thomas, CEO, Hamilton Re. The BDA is also pleased to announce that Bermuda Brokers, Florida Insurance Council, KPMG, Meenan P.A., MS Reinsurance and Rein4ce have come on board as supporting sponsors. Goslings will be our spirits partner. They join diamond sponsor Hyperexponential, gold sponsor SS&C, silver sponsors AM Best and Kirkland Ellis, WIFI sponsor Demotech, supporting sponsor Aon, and our official media partner, The Insurer Other sponsorship opportunities are still available. Please e-mail bermudarisk@bda.bm if you wish to participate. Some of the speakers confirmed to date include John Huff, CEO, ABIR, who will moderate a global capacity shortfall panel with Chris Bonard, CEO, ED Broking (Bermuda) Limited, Lara Mowrey, Global Head of Distribution, Guy Carpenter, Jim Fiore, Executive Managing Director, Chief Strategy Officer, Capital Advisory, Aon, and Ben Radford, Head of Gallagher Re, Bermuda. Susanne K Murphy, Insurance Regulatory Consultant, Meenan P.A. will moderate a market perspectives from Florida's C-Suite panel featuring Tom Gallagher, COO, People's Trust Insurance Company, Melissa Burt DeVriese, President, Security First Insurance, Jennifer Montero, Chief Financial Officer, Florida Citizens Property Insurance Corporation and Cecil Pearce, President, Florida Insurance Council. Suzanne Williams Charles, Director of Policy and Regulation, ABIR will moderate a panel of international regulators featuring Chlora Lindley-Myers, President, National Association of Insurance Commissioners and Gerald Gakundi, Director, Supervision (Insurance), Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA) and Andrew Dyer, Head of London Markets, Bank of England. Joseph Petrelli, President, Demotech and Todd Kozikowski, President, 44North, LLC, will present their findings on Florida's disparate litigation levels Curtis Dickinson, Executive Adviser, Bermuda International Long-Term Insurers and Reinsurers (BILTIR) will moderate an updates from the life sector panel featuring Mark Yu, Head of Enterprise Capital Strategy, New England Asset Management, James Claxton, Associate Partner, EY, Martin Maringi, Deputy Director, Supervision (Insurance), BMA and Michelle Moloney, EVP Chief Risk Officer, Pacific Life Reinsurance. Christian Dunleavy, Group Chief Underwriting Officer, Aspen, Chris Hayward, Chief Underwriting Officer, MS Amlin Reinsurance, Seamus Fearnon-EVP, CRT European Markets, Arch Capital Group Ltd and Kostya Zolotusky, CEO, Itasca Re will explore the growing significance of specialty lines Kerr Kennedy, Associate Partner, EY, will moderate the future of cyber reinsurance panel with Yosha Delong, Global Head of Cyber, Mosaic Insurance, Noel Pearman, SVP, Cyber Product Line Leader, AXA XL, Sebastien Plummer, Cyber Specialist Broker, Gallagher Re, and Edouard Von Heberstein, CEO Spectra. Edward Mishambi, SVP and Chief Risk Officer-Europe, Renaissance Re who will moderate a panel entitled global financing conditions a rating agency discussion that features Peter Giacone, Global Head of Insurance, KBRA, Stefan Holzberger, Chief Rating Officer, AM Best, Brian Schneider, Senior Director, Global Analytical Co-Head, Fitch, and Joseph Petrelli. A panel discussing investor's experiences of Bermuda featuring Scott Frederick, Managing Partner, Sands Capital Ventures, Adrian Jones, Managing Director, Re/Insurance and Partner, HSCM Ventures, and Armin Rothauser, Senior Partner, Castlelake Investments will be moderated by Stephen Weinstein, past BDA Chair. Saadia Savory, Vice President, Excess Casualty, Aspen, and Shannon Totten, SVP, Casualty Insurance Practice Leader Bermuda, Sompo International, will discuss Bermuda's vibrant casualty lines of business And finally, Gero Michel, Group CRO, AIG Re will discuss the future of risk with Tom Johansmeyer, SVP, Head of PCS, Verisk, Susan Pateras, Deputy Chair, BDA, and Andrew Smith-Chief Risk Sustainability Officer, Conduit Re. The full agenda is available here The immediate economic impact of our 2022 event, which had a total of 350 delegates (80 from overseas), including lodging, transportation, food and beverage, retail and recreation was estimated at over one million dollars, and supported around 200 jobs. CONNECTING BUSINESS The BDA encourages direct investment and helps companies start up, re-locate, or expand their operations in our premier jurisdiction. An independent, public-private partnership, we connect you to industry professionals, regulatory officials, and key contacts in the Bermuda government to assist domicile decisions. Our goal? To make doing business in Bermuda smooth and beneficial. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005294/en/ Contacts: Stuart Roberts, Director of Communications PR stuart@bda.bm +1 441 292 7774 EQS-News: Lagos Free Zone (LFZ) / Key word(s): Miscellaneous European Union (EU) Ambassador pledges support to drive Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Lagos Free Zone 03.02.2023 / 18:00 CET/CEST The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. European Union (EU) Ambassador pledges support to drive Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Lagos Free Zone LAGOS, Nigeria, February 3, 2023/ -- The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Samuela Isopi, has pledged her support to drive Foreign Direct Investment to the Lagos Free Zone (LFZ) (www.LagosFreeZone.com). She made this known during an official visit to Lagos Free Zone in Lagos on Friday, January 20, 2023. During the visit, Ambassador Isopi, commended Tolaram - the promoters of Lagos Free Zone, for the incredible achievements recorded so far. She explained that integrating Lekki Port with the Zone remains the biggest game-changer for the Nigerian economy and the West African region. According to her, LFZ is an economic hub that would significantly help advance regional integration by promoting bilateral trade between Nigeria and other countries within the ECOWAS sub-region. "We are impressed with the vision and concept we have seen here. We are glad that foreign investors can now find a one-stop shop where all they need in the processing, energy autonomy, and skill sets are available. Not only that, they are now open to some incentives, such as tax exemptions, that would enable them to succeed. In addition, we are glad that we now have Lekki Port which would help decongest existing ports and promote trade among ECOWAS countries. With this, we are highly optimistic that the West Africa region will witness desired development", she said. In his welcome remarks during the visit, the Chief Executive Officer of Lagos Free Zone, Dinesh Rathi, described the Zone as the best investment destination in Nigeria for foreign direct investment. LFZ's self-sustainable business ecosystem includes warehouses, standard factories, a logistics hub, a fire station, broadband network connectivity, residential developments, a medical facility, solid waste management, and an independent gas-based power plant. Rathi explained that the Zone, promoted by Singapore-based Tolaram, is the first privately owned special economic Zone in Nigeria, covering an area of 850 hectares of land. He noted that the Zone is unique in its focus on delivering ease of doing business, giving businesses in the Zone a competitive edge. "Lagos Free Zone offers many competitive advantages and incentives for investors interested in locating their businesses in the Zone; these include single-window clearance for regulators, enabling infrastructure, the opportunity to live-work-play, and access to global markets. Another symbolic advantage is that LFZ is the only Zone integrated with a deep seaport," he said. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Lagos Free Zone. About Lagos Free Zone: Promoted by Singapore-based Tolaram, Lagos Free Zone is Nigeria's first private free trade Zone. Centrally located in Lagos State, the commercial centre of West Africa's largest economy, the Zone covers an area of 850 hectares. It is fully equipped with world-class infrastructure and a single clearance window for ease of doing business. Lagos Free Zone is the only free Zone in Nigeria, integrated with the Lekki deep seaport, allowing access to regional and international markets. With a focus on the ease of doing business, Lagos Free Zone is at the forefront of serving your business in Nigeria. 03.02.2023 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.eqs-news.com Regulatory News: Lysogene (Paris:LYS) (FR0013233475 LYS), a phase 3 gene therapy platform Company targeting central nervous system (CNS) diseases, today announced the appointment of Come de La Tour du Pin, currently VP Finance/Chief Financial Officer ad interim, as Chief Financial Officer. He will replace Stephane Durant des Aulnois who has decided to leave the Company to pursue other opportunities. Mr. de La Tour du Pin joined the Company in 2020 as Vice President Finance before becoming CFO ad interim in November 2022, and has been involved in the fundraising, investor relations and FP&A activities. Prior to joining Lysogene, he gained extensive experience within the investor relations teams at Ipsen and at Groupe Casino. Before that, he acquired a solid background in investment banking at BNP Paribas and in audit at PwC. Come graduated from EM Lyon Business School About Lysogene Lysogene is a gene therapy Company focused on the treatment of orphan diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). The Company has built a unique capability to enable delivery of gene therapies to the CNS to treat lysosomal diseases and other disorders of the CNS. A phase 2/3 clinical trial in MPS IIIA is ongoing. An adaptive clinical trial in GM1 gangliosidosis is also ongoing. Lysogene is also developing an innovative AAV gene therapy approach for the treatment of Fragile X syndrome, a genetic disease related to autism. The Company also entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Yeda, the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science, for a novel gene therapy candidate for Parkinson disease with GBA1 mutations. www.lysogene.com. Forward Looking Statement This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements, especially on the Company's progress of its clinical trials and cash runway. Although the Company believes its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, all statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release about future events are subject to (i) change without notice, (ii) factors beyond the Company's control, (iii) clinical trial results, (iv) increased manufacturing costs, (v) potential claims on its products. These statements may include, without limitation, any statements preceded by, followed by or including words such as "target," "believe," "expect," "aim," "intend," "may," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "objective", "project," "will," "can have," "likely," "should," "would," "could" and other words and terms of similar meaning or the negative thereof. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control that could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the expected results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other risks can be found in the Company's regulatory filings with the French Autorite des Marches Financiers, including in the 2021 universal registration document, registered with the French Markets Authorities on April 19, 2022, and future filings and reports by the Company. Furthermore, these forward-looking statements are only as of the date of this press release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. If the Company updates one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that it will or will not make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. This press release has been prepared in both French and English. In the event of any differences between the two texts, the French language version shall supersede. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005182/en/ Contacts: Contacts Corporate Come de La Tour du Pin Chief Financial Officer come.delatourdupin@lysogene.com + 33 1 41 43 03 90 Contacts Patients contact@lysogene.com Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares For immediate release 3 February 2023 FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC (the "Company") MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES The Company announces that it has today purchased 100,000 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 898.46 pence per Ordinary Share. Such shares will be held in treasury by the Company. The transaction was made pursuant to the authority granted at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 17 January 2023. Following this transaction, the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury is 14,277,611; the total number of Ordinary Shares that the Company has in issue, less the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury following such purchase, and therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 210,713,692. The figure of 210,713,692 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for calculations of interests in the Company's voting rights in accordance with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules. For and on behalf of Frostrow Capital LLP Company Secretary For further information, please contact: Victoria Hale Frostrow Capital LLP Tel: 020 3 170 8732 ABOUT 195 candidates, some of them from Manicaland, are in limbo after their Zimbabwe School Examination Council (ZIMSEC)s November 2022 Advanced Level results were withheld over suspected cases of irregularities and malpractices, The Manica Post can reveal. The A Level results were released on January 13, and three weeks on, the affected candidates are yet to access their results. Section 34 of the ZIMSEC Act, Chapter 25:18, empowers the exam regulating body to annul results for candidates who had pre-access to examination papers to uphold the integrity of the examinations system in the country. It reads: . . . the board may cancel or postpone any examination or annul the results of any examination, either throughout Zimbabwe or in respect of any examination centre or area within Zimbabwe, if the board is satisfied that (a) an unauthorised person has obtained access to any examination material; or (b) the contents of any examination material have been revealed to an unauthorised person; or (c) there has been an impersonation of a candidate sitting the examination or any other form of fraud or dishonest conduct in regard to the examination; or (d) any rule or regulation governing the examination has been contravened; and that it is necessary to cancel or postpone the examination or annul the results, as the case may be, in order to preserve the integrity of the examination system in Zimbabwe. On Wednesday, ZIMSEC spokesperson, Ms Nicholette Dlamini confirmed that results for hundreds of A Level candidates are being withheld. Ms Dlamini said affected candidates have 42 days to query for their results through their respective exam centres or schools. It is understood that a number of schools in Mutare, Rusape, Chipinge and Mutasa have already approached ZIMSEC over the withheld results. Over 100 learners and ZIMSEC officials from different parts of the country were arrested in connection with the leakage of O Level Mathematics Papers 1 and 2; as well as English Paper 2 and some A Level papers. Ms Dlamini said some candidates, individual supervisors, invigilators, exam administrators and members of the public found culpable of aiding such vices were arrested and appeared before the courts. Exam centre administrators who were the source of the leakage were also arrested. Kudakwashe Betserai of Masvingo was arrested in Mutare after he fraudulently registered a SIM Card in the name of ZIMSEC, before going on to advertise that he had the capacity to replace lost certificates at a replacement fee of US$150. Betserai masqueraded as a ZIMSEC official and was found selling fake certificates and some question papers. He was therefore charged with fraud and contravening Section 35(a) and (b) of the ZIMSEC Act, Chapter 25:18, for unlawfully gaining access or revealing contents of examination material. The matter is still pending before the courts. Six Gaza High School (Chipinge) learners Musuthu Sithole, Brian Cossan, James Hlanguyo, Ashad Sibiya, Tazwa Zibuke and Takudzwa Mubohera were convicted by a Chipinge magistrate and were slapped with suspended jail terms and community service sentences. The six had their results withheld, a development confirmed by school head, Mr Stanley Thondlana. The school has been approached by the six to query for their results, a process being followed by many schools in the province. Said Ms Dlamini: A total of 195 candidates had their results withheld for the A Level 2022 examination session. Results are withheld in cases of suspected malpractice. This indicates that the results cannot be issued at present, but may follow after investigations are conducted. The centre or school will be informed of the outcome. If a candidate wishes to make a query of their results, there is a provision to do so within 42 days from the release of the results. This should be done in writing through the school. Candidates who have been found guilty of examination malpractice can register to sit in another session and write their examinations. ZIMSEC issued a statement on October 17, 2022, informing the nation that some candidates had pre-access to some question papers. Another statement was issued on October 20, 2022, giving an update on the investigations into the matter. The leaked question papers were shared on various social media platforms, including WhatsApp and Telegram. In light of the leakages, Ms Dlamini said ZIMSEC has tightened the security of question papers, whether during transit to exam centres or when they get there, adding that the police will remain on guard to wipe out any residual unscrupulous elements within the chain. Deputy Manicaland Provincial Education Director, Mr Simon Muganhu said while every exam cycle is synonymous with missing results, the numbers have gone up, adding that the rot is likely to be worse at O Level. It becomes exceptional if at all exam results are not withheld, but this year, it was worse because a number of schools in Manicaland were involved in exam malpractices. In cases where the misdemeanour is prosecuted and conviction secured, the results will be cancelled. Since A Level results are a stepping stone to tertiary education, it means the affected candidates will not be able to proceed until they acquire clean results. A significant number of schools in Mutare, Rusape and Chipinge were implicated and some cases are before the courts while others were concluded. The rot is likely to be worse at O Level because that is where many cases were reported, said Mr Muganhu. However, school heads have blamed ZIMSEC for the recurring examination leakages that seem to be undermining the integrity of the countrys public examinations. National Association of Secondary Heads (NASH) chair, Mr Arthur Maphosa is on record saying the leakage of examinations is unfair on candidates, teachers and parents who would have worked hard to prepare for the examinations, only for them to be nullified. Manica Post LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / February 3, 2023 / International Endeavors Corporation "IEC" (OTC PINK:IDVV) today commented on the Mexican Federal Electric Commissions announcement that phase one of their solar project will be operating in April 2023. Mexico was urged to accelerate its transition toward renewable energy following Russias invasion of Ukraine las year, Marcello Ebard, Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary said late Thursday. Ebrard made these comments after visiting dozens of foreign diplomats near the U.S. Border to view a huge new solar energy project. "Mexico is making a really great effort because it didn't consider (the shift to renewable energy and electric vehicles) would be so fast," Ebrard said. The decisions made by the United States and Mexico in the past year to invest heavily in those areas "didn't appear so near before the war." "We too have to change the focus," he said. "It has to go faster." Mexico will power up the first phase in a large solar energy project located near a beach resort that is popular with tourists who travel from the United States. The $1.6 billion total project will generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity, enough to power approximately 500,000 homes. It will be Mexico's largest solar project. Rows of solar panels are located in Puerto Penasco at the border of Arizona and California, where they tilt with the sun. They can be seen extending from the horizon above the sand, just below the Gulf of California. The project will eventually encompass 5,000 acres at the point where the desert flattens between rugged brown mountains, and the blue sea. Juan Antonio Fernandez (the strategic planning director of the Federal Electric Commission) stated Thursday that the Federal Electric Commission intends to make the project's first 120 megawatts operational by April 29. Sonora Gov. Alfonso Durazo was a former Cabinet minister with Ebrard and argued that Sonora should become the center for Mexico's electric car production. Sonora is home to 5 gigawatts total of solar power, and has the largest known lithium deposits in the country. This is a crucial component of electric vehicle batteries. Ebrard said the plan represented a "new model of development." "We're not going to be able to do that in all of the states at the same time," he said. "But we have to demonstrate that that idea can be real and is not wishful thinking." International Endeavors Corp, a Company currently developing a solar project in Baja Mexico was happy to see this announcement. Company Vice President Bill Martin stated "IDVV began establishing a presence in Mexico and Latin America, taking the stance that these areas are going to have tremendous growth in both the short and long term. We believe that this announcement regarding Mexico's solar development will enable us to expand into other regions of Mexico faster than expected. Many areas of Mexico desire clean solar energy as well as a way to improve their ROI with crypto." About Us International Endeavors Corporation ("IEC") is an alternative energy company that is centered on the marketing, sales, distribution, and installation of solar technology, battery storage, bi-directional charging and clean energy crypto mining rigs in the US and Latin America. We are focused on providing solutions to improve ROI to on & off grid clients. In addition to our main business, we are engaged in locating, acquiring and partnering with "Eco Friendly" established companies, brands, and technologies in the green energy sector. The Company currently is reporting its financial information on OTCMarkets. Our filings can be seen at https://www.otcmarkets.com Follow us Twitter https://twitter.com/IDVVcorp Website https://IDVVCORP.COM Disclaimer Forward-Looking Statements are included within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements regarding our expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, including words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements and involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance, or achievements. International Endeavors Corporation (IDVV) is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaim any such obligation to) update or alter our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Contact: Bill Martin, Vice President Phone: 1-619-343-3199 Email: billmartinidvv@gmail.com SOURCE: International Endeavors Corporation, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738060/Mexican-Federal-Electric-Commission-Solar-Project-To-Be-Operating-In-April AUSTIN, MN / ACCESSWIRE / February 3, 2023 / Hormel Foods Corporation, (NYSE:HRL), a Fortune 500 global branded food company, has been named one of the World's Most Admired Companies, by Fortune magazine. "We are extremely proud to be included on this prestigious list," said Jim Snee, Hormel Foods chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer. "For 132 years, Hormel Foods has brought innovation, beloved brands and outstanding value to our consumers, customers, communities and shareholders. This honor is well-deserved recognition for the great work being done every day by our 20,000 inspired team members." Corporations featured on the Most Admired List are rated by executives, directors and analysts in their respective industries based on nine criteria, including investment value, quality of management and products, social responsibility, people management and ability to attract talent. A company's score must rank in the top half of its industry to be included on the list of companies with the strongest reputations. Fortune collaborated with Korn Ferry to determine the industry groupings by using the Fortune 1000 listing and the Global 500 listing. The Fortune World's Most Admired Companies list identifies the companies that enjoy the strongest reputations within their industries and across industries. "Fortune congratulates all of the companies whose competitors and peers recognize their achievements and voted them onto the 2023 Fortune World's Most Admired Companies list, as well as the top 50 All-Stars, who have been named the best of the best by the broader business community in a challenging year," said Fortune Editor in Chief Alyson Shontell. Hormel Foods has a longstanding reputation as one of the most successful food companies in the world, and in 2022 received numerous honors and accolades, including being named one of America's Most Trustworthy Companies and one of America's Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek; recognized as one of the World's Top Female-Friendly Companies by Forbes and one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media; and was recently names to the Investor's Business Daily annual list of the 100 Best ESG Companies. Read the Hormel Foods company spotlight here. See the full 2023 list here. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Hormel Foods Corporation on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Hormel Foods Corporation Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/hormel-foods-corporation Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Hormel Foods Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738058/Hormel-Foods-Named-to-Fortunes-Worlds-Most-Admired-Companies-List NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 3, 2023 / United Airlines Inc.: Black History Month is upon us! Whether you are in the U.S. or somewhere abroad, this is a time for all of us to celebrate the contributions, impact and influence Black people have had on society. As United reflects on the progress that has been made toward making our society more equitable, we also celebrate our teams' participation in the 2023 events that commemorated the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. United Airlines' Dr. Martin Luther King Day activities began on Friday, Jan 13., when their internal Business Resource Group, BEACON (Black Excellence Amplified Continuously in Our Network); the Global Community Engagement (GCE) team; and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) team attended the City of Chicago's 37th Annual Interfaith Breakfast. The breakfast was hosted by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, honoring Congressman Bennie G. Thompson and the family of Emmett Till. Themed "Defending the Dream," the breakfast allowed United to showcase their commitment to DEI progress within the Chicago community. Simultaneously in New Jersey, volunteers packed meals alongside the New York Giants and in partnership with The Food Bank of New Jersey. The global airline sponsored two parades in both Denver and Houston on Jan. 16. Nearly 300 employees participated in both events, embodying the unity and collaboration that Dr. King envisioned for our society. Coined as the "Marade" (march and parade), this year's theme was "Strength through Justice," and tens of thousands joined to march in Denver. Nearly 100 of United's Denver employees engaged with local families, businesses and community organizations who were in attendance. United's Aviate and Pilot Strategy Managing Director Michael Bonner spoke on his life growing up, serving in the military, his current role at United and how important it is for us to become one and support and love each other. "It was a great experience seeing people from all walks of life come together to celebrate MLK Jr's life and his work," said Denver Ramp Service Employee Marcel Hoy, who also photographed the event. "But also recognizing that we still have work to do. United volunteers represented in a big way both in size of the group as well as chanting 'Good Leads The Way!' along the route." In Houston, more than 200 employees walked alongside the United Airlines parade float, interacting with the local community through music, fun and fellowship. "Building and teaching the next generation was one of the highlights of my day at the MLK 45th Annual Parade," said Houston Service Center Passenger Revenue Accounting Project Manager Chrishonda Warner. Houston Hub VP Phil Griffith and Alliances Managing Director and newly appointed BEACON President Mika Tupy represented United, promoting the airline's community impact and involvement along with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and other elected officials. "Let me tell you, United showed out! And you all have some rhythm, too. I want to thank you for participating on that scale," said Mayor Turner during his remarks at United's Houston Inflight Training Center ribbon-cutting event on Jan. 17. Immediately following the Houston parade, participants gathered at the United BBQ Truck to eat, dance and interact with other vendors and local residents. "It was great to see United colleagues honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through our weekend of service," said Charter Operations Senior Analyst Marcus Marshall. "BEACON is committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment and will continue to honor his legacy through our work at United and in the communities we serve." United employees also participated in two additional MLK Day Parades in San Francisco and Atlanta. "This was my first march in San Francisco and you could feel the love power and uplifting energies in the crowd with everyone coming together again," said Airport Operations Customer Service Senior Manager Clarissa Ingram. "It was truly inspiring to be part of the march, not just as a person from the community, but to represent and to show so many that a major company like United fully supports not just this MLK walk and activities, but their black employees overall in this way." On Monday Jan. 16, more than 30 volunteers participated in the MLK Day of Service in Chicago hosted by United community partner, M3 (My Block, My Hood, My City). Jamal Cole, M3 CEO and Founder, kicked off the event with an inspiring speech about activism, which set the tone for the day. "I was humbled by the number of people that required assistance and inspired by the number who braved the elements to provide it!" said Airport Operations Customer Service Assistant Manager and O'hare Airport BEACON Chapter President Lisa Cole. In partnership with M3, the team collected food, PPE, winter apparel - includinghats, gloves and scarves - and home goods that would be delivered to more than 500 seniors across Chicago. "MLK once said, 'We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always right, to do right,'" continued Lisa. "Members of BEACON and the O'hare Chapter were there to do right, and while the skies weren't friendly, we remembered that Good Leads The Way." GCE Program Administration Senior Specialist Jermell Stills was one of the many BEACON and GCE team members who made an extraordinary effort to execute United's participation in these MLK Day events. "Orchestrating the MLK Day events was easily one of the most memorable experiences of my professional career," said Jermell. "All volunteers were engaged throughout each event; and for me, personally, it was the moment where my United colleagues became my family. As a company, we honored very important aspects of Dr. King's vision and legacy - UNITY and a strong commitment to the communities in which we serve." Jermell was one of the many United employees who participated in the MLK Day parade in Houston. "I was overwhelmed with the turnout and energy of United volunteers," he said. "The community welcomed us, embraced us and celebrated with us from start to finish. Our good truly led the way this year for MLK Day 2023." "I love working for a company that doesn't just say 'Good Leads The Way,' we actually do it!" added Chrishonda. "UNITED strong!" View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from United Airlines Inc. on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: United Airlines Inc. Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/united-airlines-inc Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: United Airlines Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738069/Hundreds-of-United-Airlines-Employees-Honor-MLK-Across-the-US DUSSELDORF, GERMANY / ACCESSWIRE / February 3, 2023 / Corporate Citizenship is a key element of Henkel's sustainability strategy. To help people leading a better life, the company has set itself the goal to improve the lives of 30 million people worldwide*. This commitment among others is based on the volunteering engagement of its employees including dedicated housing and renovation projects. UN-Habitat estimates that by 2030 about 3 billion people will need access to adequate housing**. This corresponds to about 40 per cent of the world's population and a demand for 96,000 new affordable and accessible housing units every day. To further drive social progress and to support families and kids in need by dedicated construction activities Henkel's Adhesive Technologies business for Craftsmen, Construction and Professional has initiated the Corporate Social Responsibility program 'Welcome Home'. Under this program, each year Henkel employees from all over the world can volunteer for several new building or renovation projects in collaboration with renowned NGOs. In 2022, employees from all over the world volunteered in seven construction or renovation projects to improve the living conditions locally. Key objective of 'Welcome Home' is to enhance the livelihood of people by renovating and building homes, schools or playgrounds. The initiative offers volunteers the opportunity to help on a personal level and to engage in team building activities. Henkel supports the 'Welcome Home' volunteering activities with product donations from its broad portfolio of products for construction and renovation under well-known brands such as Ceresit or Pattex. Since the program start in 2016, 'employees altogether have spent more than 900 volunteering days and have realized more than 20 projects in 13 different countries. "We are convinced that volunteering is the lifeblood of social commitment and that the impact of personal engagement can really make a difference", explained Mark Dorn, Corporate Senior Vice President Craftsmen, Construction & Professional at Henkel Adhesive Technologies. "With our 'Welcome Home' initiative we aim to drive social progress by offering our employees the opportunity to volunteer in tangible construction projects that immediately help families and kids around the globe. Especially after the limitations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic the last years we are very proud about the great outcome and achievements in 2022." Overview of 'Welcome Home' projects in 2022 South Africa - Nelson Mandela Build In collaboration with Habitat for Humanity and the Nelson Mandela Foundation a team of Henkel employees built a 2-bedroom home with separate living, kitchen and bathroom areas in the city of Guateng. The activities included mixing cement, laying bricks and assisting expert builders with building the home. Brazil - Heliopolis Henkel volunteers supported Habitat for Humanity in the renovation of homes for four families living under hard conditions in Heliopolis, Sao Paolo. Some of the activities included painting, plastering, material preparation, demolition, masonry, and grouting. United States - Foundation Builder In partnership with Habitat for Humanity Henkel sponsored a new home as part of a neighborhood revitalization plan to improve life in Cleveland. The Henkel volunteers engaged in different activities such as framing, painting, and finishing works. United Kingdom - Bolton Adventure Playground Henkel volunteers helped renovating an adventure playground where children can learn and develop new skills in a nurturing and supportive environment in Kennington, London. The activities included fixing and repairing existing play structures, painting and decorating. Romania - SOS Housing Henkel volunteers supported the Habitat for Humanity project SOS Villages in the city of Bucharest that offers a family to children who have run out of parental support or are in the risk of losing it. The employees replaced parts of the roof of two houses as well as helped with the thermal insulating of facades and of the roof. Mexico - House Build In collaboration with Habitat for Humanity a volunteer team sponsored one house for a vulnerable family in the city of Donato Guerrera. The activities included the finishing of interior walls and the waterproofing of the roof. Colombia In collaboration with the Catalina Munoz Foundation Henkel volunteers helped renovating a school in the city of Sibate'. The team used prefabricated solutions to enlarge the classroom to create additional space for more students. * compared to base year 2010 - see page 113 Henkel Sustainability Report. ** Housing | UN-Habitat 'Welcome Home' is a major Corporate Volunteering project within Henkel. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Henkel on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Henkel Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/henkel Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Henkel View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738070/Henkel-Volunteers-Support-CSR-Projects-for-Renovation-and-Building-Around-the-Globe VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 3, 2023 / The Power Play by The Market Herald has announced the release of new interviews with Bocana Resources, Silver Bullet Mines and Osino Resources discussing their latest news. The Power Play by The Market Herald provides investors with a quick snapshot of what they need to know about the company's latest press release through exclusive insights and interviews with company executives. Bocana Resources (TSXV:BOCA) announces exploration plans for the Escala Area Concession Bocana Resources (BOCA) is now focused on the development of the phase 1 exploration plan for the Escala Project in Bolivia. The company is in the process of identifying and selecting a regional exploration drilling company and identifying drill sites to begin the phase 1 program. Bocana CEO Tim Turner sat down with Shoran Devi to discuss the company's exploration plans. For the full interview with Tim Turner and to learn about Bocana Resources, click here. Silver Bullet Mines (TSXV:SBMI) discovers new sulphide vein structures at its Buckeye Silver Mine Silver Bullet Mines Corp. (SBMI) reported results from its Buckeye Silver Mine in Arizona. The company believes it may have intercepted an area of higher-grade mineralization sooner than expected. Peter Clausi, VP Capital Markets at Silver Bullet Mines, spoke with Shoran Devi about this discovery. For the full interview with Peter Clausi and to learn about Silver Bullet Mines Corp., click here. Osino Resources (TSXV:OSI) progresses with definitive feasibility study for Twin Hills Gold Osino Resources (OSI) has provided an update on its definitive feasibility study (DFS) for its Twin Hills Gold Project in Namibia. Heye Daun, Osino's Co-Founder, President and CEO, met with Shoran Devi to discuss the implications of the study. For the full interview with Heye Daun and to learn about Osino Resources, click here. Interviews for The Power Play by The Market Herald are released daily. To learn more about the companies featured in The Power Play or to explore our other interviews visit? The Power Play by The Market Herald. About The Market Herald The Market Herald Canada is the leading source of authoritative breaking stock market news for self-directed investors. Our team of Canadian markets reporters, editors and technologists covers the entire listed company universe in Canada. We cover over 3,985 businesses, their people, their investors, and their customers. We write the stories that move the Canadian capital markets. DISCLAIMER: Report Card Canada Media Ltd. ("Report Card") is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market Herald Limited, an Australian company ("Market Herald"). Report Card is not an advisory service, and does not offer, buy, sell, or provide any other rating, analysis or opinion on the securities we discuss. We are retained and compensated by the companies that we provide information on to assist them with making information available to the public. 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While we strive to provide only quality links to useful and ethical websites, we have no control over the content and nature of these sites. These links to other websites do not imply a recommendation for all the content found on these sites. Site owners and content may change without notice and may occur before we have the opportunity to remove a link which may have gone 'bad'. Please be also aware that when you leave our website, other sites may have different privacy policies and terms which are beyond our control. Please be sure to check the Privacy Policies of these sites as well as their "Terms of Service" before engaging in any business or uploading any information. CONTACT: The Market Herald marketing@themarketherald.ca themarketherald.ca SOURCE:?The Market Herald View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738099/The-Power-Play-by-The-Market-Herald-Releases-New-Interviews-with-Bocana-Resources-Silver-Bullet-Mines-and-Osino-Resources-Discussing-Their-Latest-News VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 3, 2023 / This press release is being disseminated as required by National Instrument 62-103 - The Early Warning System and Related Take Over Bids and Insider Reporting Issuers in connection with the filing of early warning reports (the "Early Warning Reports") by Kings Chapel International Limited ("Kings Chapel"), John Conlon and Braam Jonker in respect of their ownership positions in CoTec Holdings Corp. (TSXV:CTH) (the "Corporation"). On February 2, 2022, the Corporation announced that it had completed a third closing of a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of units at a price of $0.50 per unit ("Units"). Each Unit consisted of one common share of the Corporation (a "Common Share") and one warrant to purchase a Common Share at a price of $0.75 per share for a period of 12 months from the date of issuance. Upon completion of the Private Placement, there were 47,474,220 Common Shares outstanding. Kings Chapel, which is owned by an irrevocable discretionary trust associated with Julian Treger (CoTec's Chief Executive Officer and a director of CoTec) and Mr. Conlon purchased Units under the Private Placement. Mr. Treger also purchased Units under the Private Placement and may be considered to be acting jointly with Kings Chapel in respect of the acquisition and voting of Common Shares. Mr. Jonker did not participate in the Private Placement but has recently acquired Common Shares in open market purchases over the TSX Venture Exchange. The number of Common Shares beneficially owned on an undiluted basis by each of Kings Chapel, Mr. Conlon and Mr. Jonker and their joint actors, immediately prior to and immediately after the Private Placement, along with the percentage of outstanding Common Shares represented by such Common Shares is set out below: Shareholder Common Shares Prior to Private Placement % of Outstanding(1) Common Shares After Private Placement % of Outstanding(2) Kings Chapel / Julian Treger 6,709,359(3) 17.43% 14,224,807(3) 29.96% John Conlon 6,080,971(5) 15.80% 6,130,971(6) 12.91% Braam Jonker 7,408,988(7) 19.25% 7,532,632(8) 15.61% Notes : (1) Based on 38,489,316 Common Shares outstanding. (2) Based on 47,474,220 Common Shares outstanding. (3) Consists of 6,304,359 Common Shares owned by Kings Chapel and 405,000 Common Shares owned by Julian Treger. Kings Chapel also held 1,698,2999 warrants to purchase Common Shares and Mr. Treger held 200,000 warrants and 1,924,466 options to purchase Common Shares. On a partially-diluted basis, Kings Chapel and Mr. Treger collectively owned 26.14% of the outstanding Common Shares. (4) Consists of 11,516,307 Common Shares owned by Kings Chapel and 2,708,500 Common Shares owned by Julian Treger. Kings Chapel also held 1,698,2999 warrants to purchase Common Shares and Mr. Treger held 2,503,500 warrants and 1,924,466 options to purchase Common Shares. On a partially-diluted basis, Kings Chapel and Mr. Treger collectively own 47.63% of the outstanding Common Shares. (5) Mr. Conlon and joint actors also held 130,919 warrants. On a partially-diluted basis, Mr. Connon and joint actors owned 16.08% of the outstanding Common Shares. (6) Mr. Conlon and joint actors also hold 180,919 warrants. On a partially-diluted basis, Mr. Connon and joint actors own 13.24% of the outstanding Common Shares. (7) Mr. Jonker and joint actors also held 200,000 warrants. On a partially-diluted basis, Mr. Jonker and joint actors owned 19.67% of the outstanding Common Shares. (8) Mr. Jonker and joint actors also hold 200,000 warrants. On a partially-diluted basis, Mr. Jonker and joint actors own 15.96% of the outstanding Common Shares. Kings Chapel, Mr. Treger, Mr. Conlon and Mr. Jonker hold Common Shares for investment purposes. Each of them has a long-term view of the investment and may acquire additional securities including on the open market or through private acquisitions or sell the securities including on the open market or through private dispositions in the future depending on market conditions, reformulation of plans and/or other relevant factors. Depending on market conditions, general economic and industry conditions, the Company's business and financial condition and/or other relevant factors, each such shareholder may develop such plans or intentions in the future. A copy of the Early Warning Reports to be filed by Kings Chapel, Mr. Conlon and Mr. Jonker in connection with the transactions described above will be available on the Corporation's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. The head office of the Corporation is located at Suite 428, 755 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1X6. Kings Chapel's address is No. 2 The Forum, Grenville Street, St. Helier, Jersey, JE1 4HH. Mr. Conlon's address and Mr. Jonker's address is c/o the Corporation at Suite 428, 755 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1X6. To obtain a copy of the Early Warning Reports filed under National Instrument 62-103, please contact Braam Jonker at (604) 992-5600. SOURCE: CoTec Holdings Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738098/CoTec-Holdings-Corp-Shareholders-Report-Updated-Ownership-Positions Drilling Update Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 3, 2023) - Rome Resources Ltd. (TSXV: RMR) (FSE: 33R) ("Rome" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that based on visual interpretation and niton analysis, the Company's first three diamond drill holes on exploration permit PR 15130, which is located within the Bisie North Tin Project ("BNTP"), have all intersected anomalous tin and zinc mineralisation. The BNTP is comprised of two contiguous properties, exploration permit PR 13274 and exploration permit PR 15130, which are situated in the Walikale District of the North Kivu Province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo ("DRC"). The current drill program has been designed to test 300m of potential strike of a newly defined, high grade, contiguous tin in soil anomaly at the BNTP. Drill holes MADD001 and MADD002 on PR 15130, totalling 533m, intersected a broad shear zone with strong chlorite alteration and intensive sphalerite (zinc) and anomalous tin mineralisation over circa 160m downhole length (~100m true width). The Company intends to drill an additional hole to test the zone at shallower depths in order to potentially identify the source of the high-grade tin in soil anomaly on the crest of the ridge. A zinc soil anomaly lies further to the southeast, which suggests that the mineralised zone plunges to the northwest as it has little surface expression in the area of drilling. Drill hole MADD003 intersected a chlorite altered shear zone that appears to be strongly mineralised in tin, copper, zinc, lead and arsenic. This hole, however, was abandoned at 116.5m due to difficult ground conditions without testing the full potential of the shear zone. The association of tin, copper, lead, zinc and arsenic from this hole's core is similar to the mineralization at Alphamin's neighbouring Mpama North tin mine. The core showed strong zircon and arsenic mineralisation that supports the potential of a granitic source for the mineralised hydrothermal fluids, which would have been driven off as the tin granites cooled. The Company is currently drilling two additional holes on PR 15130, MADD004 and MADD005, to further test the mineralised potential of the shear zone identified in MADD003. All planned, completed and holes in progress are shown in Figure 1 and the geology and major shear zones intersected in the drilling are shown in section in Figure 2. All samples will be sent to COAL laboratories in Lubumbashi for sample preparation and a representative sample will be forwarded to ALS Global in Johannesburg for analysis. Results are expected within 60 days. Additional drill holes have been planned and drill pad preparation has commenced in the area of artisanal workings on PR 13274. Current artisanal mining is concentrated within a shear zone of roughly 10 metres in width where channel sampling results reported up to 1m at 11% tin. Figure 1: Diamond Drill Hole Collar Positions on the Tin in Soil Anomaly To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9037/153628_85f4764004ed0946_001full.jpg Figure 2: Section Across both Shear Zones Intersected in the Drilling. Note MADD003 Ended in the Eastern Shear Zone To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9037/153628_85f4764004ed0946_002full.jpg Figure 3 (a) Sphalerite (Zinc) Mineralisation; Figure 3 (b) Cassiterite veinlet (tin) To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9037/153628_Figure3.jpg Dr Georg Schnura, CEO and President of Rome commented, "We are extremely excited about the visual observations at this early stage of our drilling programme. The mineralisation intersected in MADD003 and the associated high-grade tin in soil anomaly (>500ppm Sn) are both highly encouraging indicators that our Company is targeting the correct mineralised system. We note that similar mineralised systems have been observed at neighbouring Alphamin's Mpama North mine and Mpama South resource. In particular, our project's eastern zone has strong copper mineralisation and visual stringers of tin mineralisation, which is similar to the mineralisation at the San Rafael mine in Peru, one of the world's largest tin producing mines. We believe that significant tin mineralisation could be encountered from surface at our Bisie North property, given the strength of the high-grade tin in soil anomaly." QP Statement Dr Deon Vermaakt is a consultant of Rome Resources Ltd and qualified geologist and is a registered Professional Natural Scientist (Geological Science) with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP Reg. No. 400074/03). Dr Vermaakt is a qualified person (QP) under NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. About Rome Resources Rome Resources Ltd. is a mineral exploration company that has entered into two option agreements to acquire 51% direct and indirect interests in two contiguous properties situated in the Walikale District of the North Kivu Province in eastern DRC, which are collectively referred to as the "Bisie North Tin Project". Rome intends to fund exploration on the project up to the completion of a definitive feasibility study. For further information, please contact: Dr. Georg Schnura President, CEO and Director Telephone: (604) 687-6140 Email: romeresourcesltd@gmail.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The information in this news release may include certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward-looking statements. Although Rome Resources Ltd believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, Rome Resources Ltd disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise. 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. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/153628 ABUJA, NG, Feb 4, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - The Director General, NITDA (National Information Technology Development Agency), Kashifu Inuwa has called on international investors to invest in the Nigerian tech ecosystem because doing so is valued and comes with many rewards. Speaking on the "Evolution of the Nigerian Tech Ecosystem" to the Ludwig von Bayern Startup Lions, Inuwa said there are four comparative advantages you won't find anywhere but in Nigeria.Firstly, Inuwa suggested that Nigeria's large population and its emerging economic status positioned as a suitable investment destination in Africa. "Nigeria alone has 15% of the population and the GDP, so investing in Nigeria is like investing in Africa. Moreover, it is emerging because if you look at the tech-ecosystem, Nigeria attracts 30% of African FDI. Last year alone, the country attracted more than USD 2 billion."Secondly, Inuwa suggested that the level of support the government now gives to the tech ecosystem is unparalleled in the history of the country. He said the government has been supporting innovation and startup. There are many interventions in terms of policies, laws and infrastructure to help businesses to grow."In 2019, the President expanded the mandates of our ministry to cover digital economy. Before, it was just ministry of Communications but realizing that communication is not an end, but a means to an end, while the end is how we can use technology for economic prosperity."He recalled the Nigerian Startup Act, the Executive Order on the Ease of Doing Business, which includes incentives like visa on arrival and business incorporation under 24 hours, each aimed at transforming the economy."Thirdly, we have youthful and talented population which you won't find elsewhere in the world. While the developed countries are suffering from aging population, we have one of the youngest populations in the world," he observed."Finally, any investment has high potential for social and economic impacts, and helps the country solve its many challenges. We have challenges that require innovative solutions; we have challenges around healthcare, financial inclusion, education, transportation, and logistics. And you all know: IT or technology can provide faster solutions for us to solve all these problems."So, come to Nigeria and invest. You will easily feel our comparative advantages," concluded Inuwa.While urging investors to look the way of Nigeria, Inuwa invited them to grace the Africa Tech Conference that comes up in July 2023.NITDA, National Information Technology Development Agency, NIGERIA.More information: https://nitda.gov.ng, Mail to: info@nitda.gov.ng.Source: NITDA, Federal Govt of NigeriaCopyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. Alcoa Corporation (NYSE: AA) today announced that a majority of the workers at its San Ciprian complex in Spain have agreed to an improved plan for the restart of the aluminum smelter in 2024. In December 2021, Alcoa announced a two-year curtailment to work on plans for a stronger smelting facility, which had faced exorbitant energy prices that threatened its viability. In 2022, the Company announced the signing of two long-term wind power purchase agreements (PPA) to secure up to approximately 75 percent of the smelter's needs at full capacity. The supply of energy will depend on the permitting and development of the windfarms. The updated agreement with the workforce provides a detailed schedule that will commence the restart process in phases beginning in January 2024. The agreement also includes increased investments in the facility and protections for the workforce. "With this latest agreement, we have additional flexibility and a clear direction for the future as we continue to work constructively with our workforce and other stakeholders to begin the restart process in 2024, supported by wind-based power agreements and increased investments designed to improve the smelter's viability," said Alcoa President and CEO Roy Harvey. "We will continue to work cooperatively with the regional and national governments in Spain as we move forward with these plans." The Company has agreed to provide a total of $181 million for both capital investments and restart expenses, which is $78 million higher than the original agreement. Highlights of the new agreement include: Capital Investment: The agreement provides for $146 million in capital projects, primarily for the development of a new anode plant. Restart Expenditures: Restart expenses of $35 million remain unchanged from the original agreement. Labor: Alcoa extends its existing commitment not to initiate any collective dismissal processes (ERE or ERTE) at the aluminum plant until December 31, 2026, as well as other labor benefits. The workers' representatives undertake to maintain social peace at least until December 31, 2026. Restart Timing: The phased approach to the restart process will begin on January 1, 2024. Alcoa plans that all pots will be restarted by October 1, 2025, and from October 1, 2025 until the end of 2026, the minimum production will be 75 percent of the nominal capacity of 228,000 metric tons per year. As a result of the agreement, Alcoa expects to record restructuring-related charges in the first quarter 2023 of approximately $50 million (pre- and after-tax), or $0.28 per share, to be paid over 2024 and 2025. About Alcoa Corp. Alcoa (NYSE: AA) is a global industry leader in bauxite, alumina and aluminum products with a vision to reinvent the aluminum industry for a sustainable future. With a values-based approach that encompasses integrity, operating excellence, care for people and courageous leadership, our purpose is to Turn Raw Potential into Real Progress. Since developing the process that made aluminum an affordable and vital part of modern life, our talented Alcoans have developed breakthrough innovations and best practices that have led to greater efficiency, safety, sustainability and stronger communities wherever we operate. Dissemination of Company Information Alcoa Corporation intends to make future announcements regarding company developments and financial performance through its website at www.alcoa.com, as well as through press releases, filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, conference calls and webcasts. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements that relate to future events and expectations, and as such constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include those containing such words as "aim," "ambition," "anticipates," "believes," "could," "develop," "endeavors," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "goal," "intends," "may," "outlook," "plans," "potential," "projects," "reach," "seeks," "sees," "should," "targets," "will," "working," "would," or other words of similar meaning. All statements by Alcoa Corporation that reflect expectations, assumptions or projections about the future, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Although Alcoa Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that these expectations will be attained, and it is possible that actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks and uncertainties. Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements is contained in Alcoa Corporation's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Alcoa Corporation disclaims any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether in response to new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005369/en/ Contacts: Investor Contact: James Dwyer 412-992-5450 James.Dwyer@alcoa.com Media Contact: Jim Beck 412-315-2909 Jim.Beck@alcoa.com Hong Kong launches campaign to woo global visitors Xinhua) 11:03, February 03, 2023 Tourists visit the Peak Hong Kong scenic spot in south China's Hong Kong on Aug. 20, 2019. (Xinhua/Lu Hanxin) Hong Kong has prepared 500,000 free air tickets for global tourists, HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee announced at the launching ceremony of the "Hello Hong Kong" campaign. HONG KONG, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has launched a campaign to lure tourists, business travelers and investors, with a series of incentives announced. Hong Kong has prepared 500,000 free air tickets for global tourists, HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee announced at the launching ceremony of the "Hello Hong Kong" campaign on Thursday. Guests to Hong Kong can take advantage of an array of special offers, vouchers and other incentives to make their experience in Hong Kong more fantastic and memorable, he said. Photo taken on June 22, 2022 shows decorations celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai) Hong Kong will host more mega events and giant trade shows to boost its MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) sector, Lee said, adding that business communities and professional groups will reach out to various parts of the world throughout the year, to tell their global counterparts the great and true stories of Hong Kong. "We are inviting prominent guests, from business heavyweights and political dignitaries, to media chiefs and influencers, to come to Hong Kong and see for themselves the welcoming atmosphere, promising opportunities, and many exciting developments and new attractions here," he said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) yesterday handed a revised report on the delimitation of constituency and ward boundaries to President Mnangagwa, taking into account concerns raised by stakeholders that are not at variance with the Constitution. At the same time, ZEC chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba said Zimbabweans must always remember that the mandate of the elections management body was to the Constitution of Zimbabwe and not to a few individuals. After handing the report to President Mnangagwa at State House in Harare, Justice Chigumba said she was confident that the President would approve of the revised preliminary delimitation report because ZEC had applied its mind to concerns that were raised, both by the President himself and Parliament. What we did, is we resubmitted to the President the concerns and our responses to those concerns, she said. The corrections are reflected in the preliminary delimitation report that ZEC handed over to the President yesterday. Justice Chigumba said ZEC submitted two documents to the President, one that contains responses to concerns raised by the President himself and the other responding to issues raised by Parliament. The ZEC chairperson made an impassioned plea to Zimbabweans to put the country, its laws, and the Constitution first before selfish interests. She said Zimbabweans must always realise that opinions on the interpretation of the law can differ but the focus should, in the case of elections, not be on differences but that which binds Zimbabweans together. Let us focus on what unites us and less on what divides us. As ZEC we have been mandated to conduct all electoral processes in Zimbabwe, and I would like to reassure Zimbabweans; we do not do electoral processes in order to benefit individuals or to benefit certain organisations. We conduct elections to benefit our country. This is an election year and we would like to go to elections in peace and in a non-toxic environment. We would like to go to elections in an environment where constitutional processes are accepted by Zimbabweans, and where there are questions or queries, we sit down as Zimbabweans, talk about it, and bring each other on board, Justice Chigumba said. In that spirit, she challenged Zimbabweans, from across the political divide, to ensure that this year the country has a peaceful environment and demonstrate by deeds that indeed Zimbabweans are a peace-loving people who have come of age. As the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, we have done our best in drawing the boundaries, what we are appealing for, from our voters, from the Zimbabwean people, is for peace; no violence as we go towards elections, said Justice Chigumba. However, as the chairperson of Zec, I pride myself that ZEC is a family. Whatever is happening or not happening at ZEC, we can assure Zimbabweans that within the next month or so, we will have everything under control so that we go to elections as a united ZEC. Herald Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 3, 2023) - Universal PropTech Inc. (TSXV: UPI) ("UPI" or the "Company") announces today that Brian Presement has been appointed to the board of directors to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Daniel Cohen. Mr. Presement is currently the President and CEO of Unite Communications. From its start-up over 21 years ago, he has overseen its growth from a regional company offering limited services, to a national full service telecom company, recognized by The Globe and Mail in 2022 as one of the fastest growing companies in Canada. Over the last number of years, Mr. Presement has been an advisor, board member and investor in many start ups in a number of industries. He currently serves as a director and/or officer of several reporting issuers and publicly traded companies, in addition to chairing several sub committees on these boards. Mr. Presement also devotes many hours to non profit groups, and currently serves as the Board Chair of Clarico Place of York Region. Chris Hazelton said, "I would like thank Daniel for his years of service to the Company, and we are looking forward to Brian's contributions to the board as we move forward in a new direction." About Universal PropTech Inc. Universal PropTech Inc. (TSXV: UPI) is a TSX Venture Exchange listed company focused on evaluating acquisition opportunities in order to enhance shareholder value. Contact Information Universal PropTech Inc. Chris Hazelton President and Chief Executive Officer chazelton@universalproptech.com (647) 300-2957 Forward-Looking Statements Certain information provided in this press release constitutes forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information typically contains statements with words such as "anticipate", "believe", "forecast", expect", "plan", "intend", "estimate", "propose", "project", or similar words suggesting future outcomes. The Company cautions readers and prospective investors in the Company's securities not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information as, by its nature, it is based on current expectations regarding future events that involve a number of assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the Company. The forward-looking information included herein is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking information included herein is made as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange ("Exchange"), nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/153608 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 3, 2023) - Defence Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: DTC) (FSE: DTC) (OTC Pink: DTCFF) ("Defence" or the "Company"), a Canadian biopharmaceutical company specialized in the development of immune-oncology vaccines and drug delivery technologies is pleased to announce the start of its ARM vaccine manufacturing in preparation of its Phase I clinical trial targeting patients with solid cancer tumors. Defence is continuously striving to exploit its AccumTM technology in many verticals. Defence demonstrated that AccumTM has the capacity to enhance biomedicine's accumulation in target cells and the AccumTM molecule can be modified and enhanced to behave as an anti-cancer drug, AccuTOXTM. The most recent discovery of the Defence team is that AccumTM can be engineered to reprogram mesenchymal stromal cells, which are naturally immune-suppressive, into antigen-presenting cells capable of mounting potent anti-cancer responses which lead to the ARM vaccine. "Today marks another important infliction point for Defence as the production of its ARM vaccine in preparation for its Phase I clinical trial to treat solid cancer tumors. This success is two-fold: the use of a novel type of stem cell never applied before in the design of cancer vaccine combined to a new function discovered for our AccumTM platform technology," says Mr. Plouffe, CEO and President of Defence Therapeutics. The roadmap to Phase I In collaboration with Allucent, Defence is currently preparing its application to Health Canada to initiate its Phase I clinical trial in 2023. Meanwhile, the final pre-clinical studies, supervised by Dr. Rafei, Defence's VP - Research and Development, are currently being conducted to identify the best dosing regimen (cell dose, timing of administration and routing). In parallel, GMP-grade human cells are currently being expanded in a GLP cell processing facility at the Lady Davis Institute cell processing center, Montreal, Canada, to conduct the dry runs required by Health Canada prior to Phase I clinical trial approval. These studies consist of assessing the expansion potential of cells as well as the time required to generate enough cellular doses to treat all enrolled patients. Various quality control studies related to antigen capture, processing and presentation will be validated to ensure reproducibility of the different ARM vaccine batches generated from various unrelated healthy donors. Once the Master and Working cell banks established via these runs, cancer cell lysates obtained from patients will be prepared, characterized and stored accordingly for ARM vaccine pulsing. "I have always looked at mesenchymal stromal cells from a different angle, an angle different from the mainstream use of these cells. This study will not only provide new hope for cancer patients, but it may provide a solution to a decade-old problem related to the design of anti-cancer cell vaccines," adds Dr. Rafei, the VP - Research and Development of Defence Therapeutics. The completion of the dry runs along with all required quality control steps is to be expected by mid-spring. Defence will then meet with Health Canada to obtain permission for its Phase I clinical trial, with the objective to beginning it in 2023. Once the Phase I clinical trial will be completed, this universal off-the-shelf ARM vaccine could be adapted to accommodate patients with various cancer tumor types. About Defence: Defence Therapeutics is a publicly-traded biotechnology company working on engineering the next generation vaccines and ADC products using its proprietary platform. The core of Defence Therapeutics platform is the ACCUMTM technology, which enables precision delivery of vaccine antigens or ADCs in their intact form to target cells. As a result, increased efficacy and potency can be reached against catastrophic illness such as cancer and infectious diseases. For further information: Sebastien Plouffe, President, CEO and Director P: (514) 947-2272 Splouffe@defencetherapeutics.com www.defencetherapeutics.com Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements." All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Neither the CSE nor its market regulator, as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/153576 mlean, a Valladolid, Spain-based provider of continuous improvement software for manufacturers, raised EUR3m in Series A financing. Backers included Caixa Capital Risc and other investors. The company intends to use the funds to double its headcount to expand its international operations in Germany, France, the UK, Spain, Portugal, and the LATAM region. Founded in 2014 and Roberto Delgado, CEO, mlean provides a set of web and mobile products from objectives deployment to managing the shop floor. The mlean Production System has focused its efforts to collect the knowledge of thousands of employees on the production line to improve manufacturing processes in a single digital point. The mlean products are already in more than 400 factories worldwide, in 32 countries, and used by 100.000 people. The mlean Production System is already translated into 17 languages and for multiple industries. FinSMEs 03/02/2022 Phlo, a Glasgow, UK-based digital pharmacy company, raised 10M in Series A funding, a combination of equity investment and the conversion of existing loan notes. The round was led by Thairm Bio, alongside support from Scottish Enterprise and a number of other high-profile angel investors. The company intends to use the funds to expand the reach of Phlo Digital Pharmacy, and to scale Phlo Connect, a digital infrastructure platform for healthcare providers. Led by CEO Nadeem Sarwar, Phlo provides a UK digital pharmacy currently offering a same-day NHS and private prescription delivery service to patients in Birmingham and London, and launching in Manchester in 2023. Over 110,000 orders have been delivered since the platforms launch in 2020, with user numbers more than doubling year-on-year. The companys second product, Phlo Connect, provides digital pharmacy infrastructure that enables healthtech companies and private healthcare providers to offer a seamless digital pharmacy service. Phlo existing partners include Babylon, Leva Clinic, SkinDoc, Syrona Health, and The Dermatology Partnership. FinSMEs 03/02/2023 Flagler students to work alongside professional filmmakers with the launch of a Cinematic Arts major A new interdisciplinary Cinematic Arts major at Flagler College will let aspiring filmmakers get involved with all elements of narrative and feature filmmaking in a program designed to model a realistic professional film environment. As a freshman, you'll be playing with the toys, you'll be using the equipment, you'll be using the cameras, and you'll get immediate access, Program Coordinator and Communication Professor, Tracy Halcomb said. Whereas I think it would take you maybe two to three years be at a larger school before you get that kind of hands-on experience. Whether youre a writer or a video producer, Halcomb and Visiting Filmmaker Jim Gilmore have worked together to create an interdisciplinary program designed to cater to multiple student interests as part of Flagler Colleges academic strategic plan. Were giving students a broad foundation of academic experiences, many of them very applied, Halcomb said. I think its very unique in that every department in our school of Creative Arts and Letters is represented in the major. The program is modeled after universities with more established cinematic arts programs to give students hands-on experience working with professionals. Theyll be in the field, collaborating on projects aimed to be distributed nationally, setting this program apart as a networking opportunity for students. One of the challenges was figuring out how to create a cinematic arts program in a smaller liberal arts college, Gilmore said. There's this really cool idea for professional connection to keep generating creative products out of this program, and out of all the different departments in the school. The first project the program will collaborate on is a film about Fort Mose Historic State Park, the site of the first legally sanctioned free African settlement. Students will be involved from the get-go with pre-production and maintain involvement throughout the entire process of the film. We think employers will be able to look at that and say, okay you've got an idea of how this all works, said Gilmore. When I taught here just within the department, we were teaching students how to make short personal films, but we never really had the time to connect all the dots to make a big thing. Gilmore said the idea behind this Cinematic Arts program is that it will continue to attract filmmakers seeking collaboration. Most undergraduates don't work on any kind of feature length, or even significantly long film in their undergraduate career, Gilmore said. And saying, is there a way we can bring that to our undergraduates here at Flagler, and there is. Halcomb said this program is also a great complimentary minor or major for anyone looking to broaden their horizons. Gilmore said students will be able to work with cameras and professional equipment right off the bat without needing a lot of prerequisites. We've tried to design it so that someone coming from theater, or the arts or creative writing, would be able to get familiar and comfortable with it really quickly without having to take a bunch of technical classes to have that expertise, Gilmore said. Halcomb and Gilmore have been working together for years prior to this program, even after Gilmore moved to work at the University of Michigan, they continued to collaborate on academic conferences and multi-year projects. Their documentary Cracking Aces, explores the world of professional women poker players and was featured in multiple film festivals. Halcomb said she hopes that students will use this class as an opportunity to help create high-caliber work theyre proud of. I hope that they would feel as though and they would have a portfolio that would help support their belief that they are a very creative storyteller, Halcomb said. Tagged As MSI has announced its partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing for the upcoming Bathurst 12 Hour! This partnership marks MSIs first involvement in the real world of 4-wheel motorsport. With the rapid global rise in popularity of sim racing and gaming, MSI said that it remains committed to bringing the best products to enable racers and gamers to achieve success in the virtual and real world of racing. The Craft-Bamboo Racing team will contest in the Bathurst 12 Hour from February 3th to 5th, 2023, an annual endurance race for GT and production cars held at the Mount Panorama Circuit, in Bathurst, Australia. The team will race in a full MSI-branded Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the Pro Class. With accurate tuning under MSIs high-performance computer, these Mercedes-AMG race cars will release their ultimate power. The two parties will go on relevant cooperation in the first half of 2023, the highly anticipated year. Commenting on the partnership, Sam Chern, MSI Marketing Vice President, said: We are excited to be partnering with Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing for the upcoming Bathurst 12 Hour in Australia. On top of being our first partnership in the world of GT racing, we are really looking forward to bringing new gaming technology for racers to excel in the virtual world. This partnership is a testament to our dedication as we strive for cutting-edge innovation and enable the best user experience for our consumers. Darryl OYoung, Team Craft Bamboo Racing Director, said: Craft-Bamboo Racing is proud to welcome MSI, a world-leading gaming brand, as the title partner of our Mercedes-AMG GT3 entry to the Bathurst 12 Hour in Australia. MSIs high-performance products bring vital speed and processing power, and this is exactly what we strive for on the racetrack as we fight for every tenth of a second. This creates a perfectly aligned partnership as we aim for victory on the racetrack. I cant wait to see the beautiful MSI livery in person and look forward to a successful partnership with MSI. Lebanon Fire District personnel responded to a mechanic shop fire Wednesday night, Feb. 1 on Airway Road. Initial reports indicated there were three occupants inside the building when it caught fire, according to a district news release. The battalion chief arrived on scene and found a steel building with heavy black smoke billowing from the eaves. An incident commander contacted a woman in the driveway who said there was only one occupant in the building who was trying to extinguish the fire. The incident commander made contact with the occupant and had the person evacuate the building, according to LFD. Firefighters deployed hose lines and started looking for the source of the fire using a thermal imaging camera, according to the news release. Crews located multiple hot spots, removed insulation in the roof lines and walls and began extinguishing the fire. Firefighters were on scene for about an hour as they conducted overhaul on the building. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation, LFD said. Lebanon firefighters would like to remind its citizens not to attempt extinguishing a out of control fire, but to call 911 quickly, the agency said in the news release. The city of Millersburg is seeking to swap 167 acres of what leaders consider less-than-ideal farmland for 163 acres of high-quality farmland outside city limits with hopes of building it out as an industrial center. Not all residents in Millersburg are happy about it. It is going to change the whole nature of the community and the land use pattern in that area for the negative, said Peter Kenagy, a North Albany resident who lives across the river from the properties. Millersburg doesnt seem to care what we think, and they have their own very narrow version of what should happen. If the Linn County Board of Commissioners approves Millersburgs request, the removed land would go to the county and the citys boundary would be shifted to annex in the desired higher-quality farmland, currently a hazelnut farm on Conser Road. The proposed development of the new property is valued at up to $200 million and would employ as many as 90 people to start, according to Jill Miles, senior business recruitment officer with Business Oregon. In time, the project could be valued as high as $1 billion and provide as many as 1,000 family-wage jobs, she said. Millersburg was formed intentionally as a place of industry in the early 1970s to avoid annexation into Albany and having to pay taxes to Albany. Employment and job creation has always been a top priority. A part of the citys urban growth boundary, the desired property has been slotted for road development since the 1970s. Millersburg Community Development Director Matt Straite said city staff analyzed alternative properties and decided that this one fit the criteria for expansion. We had to start with the property that was already defined to be a space where the city could grow someday, he said. Those who oppose the land swap maintain that the lands are not equal in terms of farmland quality, and that if the city wants to develop, they should do so in an area that is not prime farmland. This seems to be a unique area not only because of the soils but the community of people out there, said Paul Harcombe, who farms near Millersburg. As farming operations get bigger, those kinds of communities begin to break down, and I think that we would be sorry when theyre gone. That the properties are not equal, said the citys attorney, Salem-based Alan Sorem, is of no consequence because Oregon land use laws do not require it. The Linn County commissioners held an initial hearing Monday, Jan. 24 at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center. After hearing comments for and against the swap, they decided to receive public comments until Feb. 7. The commissioners will reconvene the public hearing with an anticipated decision at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 7 at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center. A long time coming Straite first brought the idea of ditching the undesired property to the Millersburg City Council in 2020, explaining why the area was unfit for expansion. It all starts with the Willamette River. Given that (the first property) is so close to the river, it has a FEMA floodway designation, Straite said at a City Council meeting last July. Pulling land out of a floodway is a lot more difficult than just getting out of the floodplain. It would be a really bad idea to develop that land at all. The council ended up unanimously voting to remove the land from city limits with plans to annex the near-equal sized second property into its urban growth boundary, which is used to keep development from encroaching into farmland and forests. The owner of the desired property, Paul Kuehne, supports the effort. The countys Planning Commission conducted a public hearing to review the application Jan. 10, during which it heard from about a dozen speakers in opposition to the plan. The commission unanimously voted against the plan and recommended the Linn County Board of Commissioners also deny the plan map and zoning map amendment applications. Some of the neighbors around the impacted properties say they did not receive notice for the hearings, an issue county Commissioner Roger Nyquist raised at the Jan. 24 hearing. Millersburgs response was that they put meeting notices in the local newspaper per code. Its like Millersburg was trying to slip this under the radar, Harcombe said in an interview with Mid-Valley Media. Its not a good way to do business. It was then at the Jan. 24 meeting the fourth public hearing on the issue so far that the Board of Commissioners discussed the land swap. The commissioners did not make a decision, instead opting to receive written comments at the Linn County Planning & Building Department until 5 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 7. Proponents and opponents will then have two weeks to read and respond to each others comments. A closer look at the properties The first property the one currently within Millersburg city limits is zoned as farmland but for decades was used to capture treated water from the former International Paper Mill. It is now filled with ravines and prone to flooding, neighboring farmer Skip Gray said in written comments. Grays property borders the land in question and his family once owned the property, where records show 51 different crops were grown over the years. Dave Nofziger is another nearby farmer who takes issue with the swap. The community is full of multigenerational farmers, he said. His land was bought by his grandfather in 1950 and has stayed in the family ever since. Nofziger said he and two others within a half-mile of the properties were notified of the swap by the county, not the city. He, Kenagy and Gray took it upon themselves to inform the others, as many did not know to look for the notice in the newspaper. Nofziger said that while there have been loose promises from the current hazelnut orchard owner to farm the marshland, in reality, farming land that is underwater for part of the year will prove to be extremely difficult. One of the criteria that must be met for the swap to take place is that it will be compatible with adjacent uses and will not adversely impact the overall land use pattern in the area. Opponents of the swap point to this rule as their first line of defense against the city, saying it will absolutely negatively impact the land use pattern. In his application to the county, Strait said agricultural uses next to industrial uses do not typically present conflicts, but if they do arise, they will be identified and mitigated at the design review stage. The city has had industrial ... uses next to agricultural land uses for years, he said in the document. Expanding the city industrial land uses to the west with this swap will not result in new adjacency conditions that do not exist today. Still, the county commissioners were not convinced, so the city is drafting a document that will provide more details on how conflicts will be dealt with. Nofziger and Harcombe acknowledged that this will be a tough decision for the commissioners, but they hope the livelihood of the community will be taken into consideration. This would all go away and never come back, Nofziger said. Its tough for us to swallow. Related stories: BOSTON, Feb. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Whittier Street Health Center, a community health center with a mission to serve as a center of excellence that provides high-quality and accessible health care and social services that achieve health equity, social justice, and the economic well-being of a diverse patient population, will conduct its annual meeting in conjunction with a Black History Month celebration on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 12 p.m. at its 1290 Tremont Street, Roxbury address. Imari Paris Jeffries, the executive director of Embrace Boston (www.embraceboston.org), with a mission "to dismantle structural racism through our work at the intersection of arts, culture, and research and policy," will serve as the keynote speaker. Embrace Boston recently unveiled a 22-foot tall bronze sculpture on Boston Common inspired by a photograph of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King hugging Coretta Scott King after learning he had won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. The sculpture depicts just the couple's arms and hands and is intended to serve as a symbol of Boston, representing love, belonging, and hope. Paris Jeffries was named executive director of Embrace Boston in June of 2020, bringing a wealth of experience from the nonprofit management, community activism, education reform, and social justice sectors to the role. He has served in executive roles at Parenting Journey, Jumpstart, Boston Rising, and Friends of The Children, and sits as a Trustee of the UMass System, as well as on the boards of USES and Providers Council. He also served on former Governor Baker's Black Advisory Commission. "We look forward to welcoming Imari Paris Jeffries and discovering more about the remarkable work Embrace Boston conducts to realize its vision of an inclusive and equitable Boston where all belong and prosper," said Whittier Street Health Center's President and CEO Frederica M. Williams, who will share the State of the Health Center address during the annual meeting portion of the event. Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history. About Whittier Street Health Center Whittier Street Health Center is an independently licensed community healthcare center with a mission of providing high-quality, reliable and accessible primary healthcare for diverse populations while promoting wellness and eliminating health and social disparities. Whittier Street Health Center is a champion of equitable access to high-quality, patient-focused care, social justice and economic equity. For more information, please visit www.wshc.org as well as Facebook (www.facebook.com/WhittierStreetHealthCenter), Twitter (@Whittier_Boston), or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/whittier-street-health-center), or call 617-989-3221. Contact Information: Nicole Hales president, PRfirst info@prfirst.com 617-947-7983 Related Images Image 1: Imari Paris Jeffries Imari Paris Jeffries, keynote speaker at Whittier Street Health Center Annual Meeting This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment Newark, New Castle, USA, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global infusion pump market is expected to clock at US$ 17.7 billion by 2030. The global infusion pump market is primarily driven by the rising prevalence of chronic diseases such as cancer, arthritis, diabetes, and cardiac diseases. Additionally, the introduction of novel infusion pumps with regulatory approval is fueling the global infusion pump market. Moreover, the increasing adoption of the infusion pump and technological advancement are boosting the growth of the infusion pump market. However, the high cost of the infusion pump and the strict regulatory approval process are holding back the growth of the global infusion pump market. Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report: https://www.growthplusreports.com/inquiry/request-sample/infusion-pump-market/8060 Growth Drivers The introduction of novel technology is fueling the global infusion pump market. Infusion pump help in releasing drugs systemic and controlled manner to achieve desired therapeutic results. New infusion pumps provide high accuracy of dose, support microdose, and artificial intelligence which helps self-analyses for drug release. In September 2021, new implanted infusion pump technology for type 1 diabetes treatment was acquired by Medtronic. The technology sets itself apart from other implanted pumps by providing MRI compatibility, occlusion detection, and improved insulin delivery precision. The resulting pumps are lighter and smaller than many other insulin pumps on the market right now, despite these advancements. The global infusion pump market has been analyzed from four different perspectives Type, Application, End User, and Region. Excerpts from by Type The global infusion pump market based on type has been segmented into: Volumetric Pumps Syringe Pumps Enteral Pumps Insulin Pumps Elastomeric Pumps Implantable Pumps Others Insulin pumps dominate the global infusion pump market owing to the introduction of the novel insulin pump, technological advancement, and the high presence of key players. Furthermore, it provides superior therapeutic control to insulin pens, high dose accuracy, improved blood glucose monitoring, and effective HbA1c level management, all of which are promoting the growth of the global insulin infusion pump market. Excerpts From by Application The global infusion pump market based on the application has been segmented into: Diabetes Oncology Pain Management Others Diabetes pumps are dominating the global infusion pump market owing to the rising number of geriatric populations, growing prevalence of type 2 diabetes, growing public awareness of the disease, and more affordable diabetes diagnostics. Additionally, rising government initiatives for diabetes management and increasing insulin pump usage are fueling the global diabetic infusion pump market. The International Diabetes Federation estimates that by 2045, almost 783 million adults will have been diagnosed with diabetes. Oncology infusion pumps are anticipated to experience exceptional growth in the years to come due to an increase in cancer cases and research and development spending on cancer management. Get your Customized Research Report: https://www.growthplusreports.com/inquiry/customization/infusion-pump-market/8060 Excerpts from End User The global infusion pump market based on end user has been segmented into: Hospitals & Clinics Ambulatory Care Home Care Others The hospital segment dominates the global infusion pump market owing to the rise in chronic diseases and increased hospital patient traffic for diagnosis and treatment. Additionally, favorable reimbursement policies and rising infusion pump adoption in hospitals are contributing to the growth of the infusion pump market. Excerpts from by Region Segmentation The global infusion pump market has been segmented into: North America Europe Asia Pacific Rest of the World The global infusion pump market is dominated by North America, followed by Asia Pacific. The large share of North America in the global market is attributed to the high adoption rate of novel technologies and the rising prevalence of chronic diseases in the region. The North America infusion pump market is also being driven by favorable reimbursement policies, a developed infrastructure, and a high concentration of key players. Excerpts from Competitive Landscape The prominent players operating in the global infusion pump market are: B. Braun Melsungen AG Baxter Becton Dickinson and Company F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd Fresenius Kabi AG ICU Medical, Inc. Insulet Corporation Medtronic Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd Smiths Medical Terumo Corporation Table of Content INTRODUCTION Market Ecosystem Timeline Under Consideration Historical Years 2020 Base Year 2021 Forecasted Years 2022 to 2030 Currency Used in the Report RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Approach Data Collection Methodology Data Sources Secondary Sources Primary Sources Market Estimation Approach Bottom Up Top Down Market Forecasting Model Limitations and Assumptions PREMIUM INSIGHTS Current Market Trends (COVID-19 Perspective) Key Players & Competitive Positioning (2021) MARKET DYNAMICS Drivers Restraints/Challenges Opportunities GLOBAL INFUSION PUMP MARKET - ANALYSIS & FORECAST, BY TYPE Volumetric Pumps Syringe Pumps Enteral Pumps Insulin Pumps Elastomeric Pumps Implantable Pumps Others GLOBAL INFUSION PUMP MARKET - ANALYSIS & FORECAST, BY APPLICATION Diabetes Oncology Pain Management Others GLOBAL INFUSION PUMP MARKET - ANALYSIS & FORECAST, BY END USER Hospitals & Clinics Ambulatory Care Home Care Others VALUE PROPOSITIONS RELATED TO THE REPORT: Powered with Complimentary Analyst Hours and Expert Interviews with Each Report Comprehensive quantitative and qualitative insights at segment and sub-segment level Covid 19 impact trends and perspective Granular insights at global/regional/country level Deep-rooted insights on market dynamics (drivers, restraints, opportunities) and business environment Blanket coverage on competitive landscape Winning imperatives Exhaustive coverage on 'Strategic Developments' registered by leading players of the market CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS: Distributor Landscape Assessment Pricing Intelligence Customer Base Assessment Investment & Initiatives Analysis 'Business Profile' of Key Players Buy now complete report here: https://www.growthplusreports.com/checkout-8060 About Us: Growth Plus Reports is part of GRG Health, a global healthcare knowledge service company. We are proud members of EPhMRA (European Pharmaceutical Marketing Research Association). Growth Plus portfolio of services draws on our core capabilities of secondary & primary research, market modelling & forecasting, benchmarking, analysis and strategy formulation to help clients create scalable, ground-breaking solutions that prepare them for future growth and success. We were awarded by the prestigious CEO Magazine as "Most Innovative Healthcare Market Research Company in 2020. DALLAS, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Carl Brown, founder and President of Simply RFiD, TikTok wonder, and RFID expert, hosts a weekly online roundtable "Transforming Inventory Accuracy." This roundtable brings up to six top retailers together to discuss how accurate inventory enables today's omnichannel supply chains - and, how to get there from here. Quarterly inventories are obsolete. To compete today, inventories must be done daily or weekly. Before RFID, the only choice was manual barcode counts that took days and were only 75-85% accurate (Source: Gartner Contemporary Retail Report, November 2021). Still, when RFID became viable around 2008, the value of RFID wasn't there because the concept of how to use a global accurate inventory didn't exist. Omnichannel and e-commerce are driving requirements for retailers. Store inventory must be connected to the web and it must be accurate. This weekly roundtable explores the best practices for achieving 99% levels of inventory accuracy. "Store managers often think they have 95%+ accuracy - but, how do they know? Once RFID goes in, the truth is closer to 70%," says Carl Brown. "That's normal. It's impossible to measure without RFID - in this roundtable we discuss how to move from the unknown to the known, in an open format of sharing best practices and outcomes." Retailers in previous roundtables include: Nike Adidas Macys Carters Ralph Lauren Urban Outfitters Wal-Mart Crocs Dollar Tree The next roundtable is February 7 at noon, Eastern. Roundtables are closed door. Press may apply to attend and audit, along with retailers at https://www.simplyrfid.com/mtb. Carl can be reached for comment on TikTok, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Contact Information: William Montalbo Vice President, Marketing william.montalbo@simplyrfid.com +1 703.343.1689 Related Images Image 1: Inventory Accuracy Roundtable with Carl Brown Retailers meet in an discussion on Inventory Accuracy with RFID hosted by Carl Brown, President of SimplyRFiD This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment Dublin, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Recreational Boating Companies in China" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This study focuses on China's Recreational Boating industry assessments and company profiles. In the two past decades, the industry has been growing at a fast pace. The dramatic expansions of the manufacturing capabilities and rising consumer consumption in China have transformed China's society and economy. China is one of the world's major producers of industrial and consumer products. Far outpacing other economies in the world, China is the world's fastest growing market for the consumption of goods and services. The Chinese economy maintains a high speed growth which has been stimulated by the consecutive increases of industrial output, imports & exports, consumer consumption and capital investment for over two decades. Rapid consolidation between medium and large players is anticipated since the Chinese government has been encouraging industry consolidation with an effort to regulate the industry and to improve competitiveness in the world market. Although China has enjoyed the benefits of an expanding market for production and distribution, the industry is suffering from minimal innovation and investment in R&D and new product development. The sector's economies of scale have yet to be achieved. Most domestic manufacturers lack the autonomic intellectual property and financial resources to develop their own brand name products. This new study analyzes the industry structure, capacities and output. Major producers' production locations, market shares and profiles are presented. The primary and secondary research is done in China in order to access up-to-date government regulations, market information and industry data. Data were collected from the Chinese government publications, Chinese language newspapers and magazines, industry associations, local governments' industry bureaus, industry publications, and in-house databases. The author is one of the leading sources for up-to-date market information and research on the fastest-growing Chinese markets. They have published over 1,500 reports focusing on the Chinese markets, industry forecasts and company profiles. The report provides hard-to-find market data and analyses. The publications are intended to help international marketers identify business opportunities and promote their product sales in the Chinese markets. Key Topics Covered: I. INTRODUCTION Report Scope and Methodology Executive Summary II. RECREATIONAL BOATING INDUSTRY ASSESSMENTS Recreational Boating Industry Overview Market Size Market Growth Drivers Labor Costs Major Producer Facility Locations and Sales Market Share of Key Producers Potential Entrants Major Foreign Investments Technology Development III. RECREATIONAL BOATING PRODUCER DIRECTORY Recreational Boating Producer Profiles For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/96mvg7 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Dublin, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Gesture Recognition Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global gesture recognition market size reached US$ 10.8 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to reach US$ 38.6 Billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 23.65% 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 on different end use industries. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor. Gesture recognition is a perceptual user interface (PUI) that captures and interprets human motions to control devices or applications. It relies on a camera for feeding image data into a sensing device and a software correlates it with a predetermined gesture library. Once the gesture is interpreted, the computer focuses on the execution of the user's command. At present, gesture recognition is rapidly gaining traction in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) environments to assist e-learning. The incorporation of gesture recognition technology to provide an interactive and realistic gaming experience, along with the rising number of professional gamers, represents one of the key factors bolstering the market growth. Moreover, wearables with gesture recognition are finding extensive application in the healthcare industry to offer contactless navigation of X-ray display and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Apart from this, leading automotive manufacturers are integrating gesture recognition in different systems, such as air conditioning, windows and windshield wipers, to reduce driver workload and allow safe driving. Furthermore, the emerging automation trend in industrial processes is escalating the demand for robots, which, in turn, is driving the market growth. Additionally, the technology is being utilized to manage photos and files and initiate online payments via smartphones. Besides this, the rising adoption of contactless methods for performing different tasks in various end use industries, coupled with a shift towards e-learning solutions, due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, is anticipated to impact the market positively. Competitive Landscape: The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players being Apple Inc., Cognitec Systems GmbH, EyeSight Technologies Ltd, Infineon Technologies AG, Intel Corporation, Microchip Technology Incorporated, Microsoft Corporation, QUALCOMM Incorporated, Sony Corporation and Synaptics Incorporated. Key Questions Answered in This Report: How has the global gesture recognition market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years? What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global gesture recognition market? What are the key regional markets? What is the breakup of the market based on the technology? What is the breakup of the market based on the end use industry? 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 gesture recognition market and who are the key players? What is the degree of competition in the industry? Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 142 Forecast Period 2021 - 2027 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2021 $10.8 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2027 $38.6 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 23.6% Regions Covered Global Key Topics Covered: 1 Preface 2 Scope and Methodology 2.1 Objectives of the Study 2.2 Stakeholders 2.3 Data Sources 2.3.1 Primary Sources 2.3.2 Secondary Sources 2.4 Market Estimation 2.4.1 Bottom-Up Approach 2.4.2 Top-Down Approach 2.5 Forecasting Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Introduction 4.1 Overview 4.2 Key Industry Trends 5 Global Gesture Recognition Market 5.1 Market Overview 5.2 Market Performance 5.3 Impact of COVID-19 5.4 Market Forecast 6 Market Breakup by Technology 6.1 Touch-Based 6.1.1 Market Trends 6.1.2 Market Forecast 6.2 Touchless 6.2.1 Market Trends 6.2.2 Market Forecast 7 Market Breakup by End Use Industry 7.1 Consumer Electronics 7.1.1 Market Trends 7.1.2 Market Forecast 7.2 Automotive 7.2.1 Market Trends 7.2.2 Market Forecast 7.3 Aerospace and Defense 7.3.1 Market Trends 7.3.2 Market Forecast 7.4 Healthcare 7.4.1 Market Trends 7.4.2 Market Forecast 7.5 Others 7.5.1 Market Trends 7.5.2 Market Forecast 8 Market Breakup by Region 9 SWOT Analysis 10 Value Chain Analysis 11 Porters Five Forces Analysis 12 Price Analysis 13 Competitive Landscape 13.1 Market Structure 13.2 Key Players 13.3 Profiles of Key Players 13.3.1 Apple Inc. 13.3.1.1 Company Overview 13.3.1.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.1.3 Financials 13.3.1.4 Financials 13.3.2 Cognitec Systems GmbH 13.3.2.1 Company Overview 13.3.2.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.2.3 SWOT Analysis 13.3.3 EyeSight Technologies Ltd. 13.3.3.1 Company Overview 13.3.3.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.3.3 Financials 13.3.4 Infineon Technologies AG 13.3.4.1 Company Overview 13.3.4.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.4.3 Financials 13.3.4.4 SWOT Analysis 13.3.5 Intel Corporation 13.3.5.1 Company Overview 13.3.5.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.5.3 Financials 13.3.5.4 SWOT Analysis 13.3.6 Microchip Technology Incorporated 13.3.6.1 Company Overview 13.3.6.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.6.3 Financials 13.3.6.4 SWOT Analysis 13.3.7 Microsoft Corporation 13.3.7.1 Company Overview 13.3.7.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.7.3 Financials 13.3.7.4 SWOT Analysis 13.3.8 QUALCOMM Incorporated 13.3.8.1 Company Overview 13.3.8.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.8.3 Financials 13.3.8.4 SWOT Analysis 13.3.9 Sony Corporation 13.3.9.1 Company Overview 13.3.9.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.9.3 Financials 13.3.9.4 SWOT Analysis 13.3.10 Synaptics Incorporated 13.3.10.1 Company Overview 13.3.10.2 Product Portfolio 13.3.10.3 Financials For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/6qiawq Attachment EDMONTON, Alberta, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vytal Filtration Technologies is pleased to announce the opening of a new office in Visalia, California. Through this expansion, Vytal will bring most of the filtration solutions offered to its Canadian customers to this very significant geographic market. The California office will focus on the energy, food and beverage, municipal water, agriculture, wine, and power generation industry segments. CEO Brian Jones remarked, "We are proud to partner with Paul Deming and confirm his appointment as Vice President, Western United States, for Vytal. Paul brings several decades of process filtration experience to Vytal and will provide outstanding leadership to drive the future success of our business in this market." Cal Bunko, Founding Partner of Vytal will support Paul and Vytal with this important entree into the United States market. Cal commented, "I am excited to bring Vytal expertise and innovative technologies to this market and to help customers achieve their goals. I am pleased to be supporting Paul as he brings his 30+ years of filtration experience to Vytal in the Western United States market." Paul Deming added, "I am very excited to be involved with Vytal and lead their growth plans for the Western United States market. I look forward to connecting with old customers and friends as well as making many new ones over the coming years as we build this business." Vytal is driven to keep the world healthy, productive, and clean. Vytal's mission is to help customers maximize efficiency and uptime by delivering the best industrial filtration solutions. Vytal employees have a wealth of knowledge, which they combine with a broad portfolio of filtration products. Vytal's employee expertise, in combination with its portfolio of solutions, helps build enduring relationships with customers as they help solve their filtration challenges. Vytal Filtration Technologies is proud to be part of the Hokanson Capital group of companies www.hokansoncapital.ca. Where others see obstacles, Hokanson Capital sees opportunities. Where most investment funds have rigid, unforgiving parameters, Hokanson Capital works with entrepreneurs across a range of businesses from early stages through to businesses with a long history. For Hokanson Capital, it is about partnering with people in a shared vision. To learn more about Vytal Filtration Technologies please visit us at vytal.ca, vytalusa.com or contact us at info@vytal.ca or infousa@vytalusa.com. Contact Information: Mark Patrician VP Markets and Products mark.patrician@vytal.ca 403-816-2665 Related Files Vytal Press Release_Feb 3.pdf Related Images Image 1: Vytal Filtration Technologies This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment NEW ORLEANS & BATON ROUGE, LA, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Louisiana has the fourth highest HIV diagnoses rates in the country, so beginning on Feb. 7, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt honoring Black and Brown lives lost to HIV and AIDS will travel to the state as part of Change the Pattern, a national campaign to end HIV in Black, Brown, and LGBTQ+ communities across the Southern United States. The AIDS Memorial Quilt Feb. 7 -11, the National AIDS Memorial, Southern AIDS Coalition (SAC), and Gilead Sciences will showcase two major displays of the AIDS Quilt at two HBCU campuses -- Dillard University in New Orleans and Southern University & A&M College in Baton Rouge. The five-day AIDS Quilt displays, taking place during Black History Month, are free to the public and include quilting workshops, educational forums, and student events. For more information about Quilt locations, event times, and special programming, visit changethepattern.org/LA. We are so honored to partner with these two distinguished HBCUs to bring the AIDS Memorial Quilt to Louisiana during Black History Month. The Black community faces systemic struggles that we can no longer ignore, not just in the fight to end HIV, but across numerous health and social justice issues," said Dafina Ward, Executive Director, SAC. We will change the pattern by having honest conversations about these issues, demanding change through our voices and raising awareness through education, and sharing our own stories without shame. Visitors of the AIDS Quilt displays one of the largest ever in the state -- will see hand-stitched panels honoring Black and Brown lives lost to AIDS, many of which were made by Louisianans to honor and celebrate the stories of their friends and loved ones. Newly crafted Quilt panels recently made by residents and HBCU students will be displayed publicly for the first time, introducing the Quilt's importance to a new generation while spreading awareness of how HIV affects lives across the South. Among the 200 Quilt panels displayed at Dillard University are several made by actress Sheryl Lee Ralph that she created for her friends and celebrities lost to AIDS. At Southern University, nearly 175 panels will be displayed, including one sewn by Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks. Throughout the week at both HBCU locations, students and area residents are invited to come together in fellowship and celebration for quilting workshops to make new panels for the Quilt for Louisianans who have been lost to HIV and AIDS so that their stories are forever shared and remembered within the fabric of the 54-ton national treasure. Free educational forums, movie nights, and health information will help spark conversation to reimagine the fight to end HIV/AIDS in Louisiana and reach communities that continue to be most impacted today. These Quilt displays, quilting workshops, and educational events are designed to raise awareness about the HIV crisis in the state that has persisted for far too long, said Jada Harris, Quilt program manager at the National AIDS Memorial. By sharing the stories of Louisiana and Southern lives lost to AIDS through these beautifully hand-stitched quilt panels made by Louisianans, we are introducing the importance of the Quilt and its powerful stories to a new generation to change the pattern and end HIV in our community. In addition to Gilead Sciences as the presenting partner, Louisiana community partners include Dillard University, Southern University and A&M College, Chevron, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana. Gilead is so proud to support this innovative program bringing sections of the Quilt to Louisiana and throughout the U.S. South as a powerful teaching tool and connector to raise greater awareness and help change these statistics, said Dr. Shanell McGoy, senior director of Corporate Giving at Gilead Sciences. To end the HIV/AIDS epidemic, we must examine new ways to reach and actively engage communities continually and disproportionately impacted by HIV. Alarming Statistics Tell the Story Statistics show the importance of the Change the Pattern initiative in the Southern U.S. In 2020, the South comprised 38 percent of the U.S. population but represented over half of new HIV diagnoses. The HIV epidemic continues to affect communities of color and marginalized populations disproportionately. According to AIDVu, Louisiana ranks 4th in the nation for the highest diagnoses rates, with over 27 percent occurring in New Orleans and nearly 20% in Baton Rouge. Of those new diagnoses living with HIV in the state, 78.5% are Black or Hispanic. Nearly 60% of new HIV diagnoses are under the age of 34. The disproportionate burden of HIV in the South is among Black women, Black and Latinx gay and bisexual men, and Black and Latinx transgender women. Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, North Carolina, and Tennessee rank in the top 15 states with the highest rates of HIV in the country. Racism, HIV stigma, homophobia, poverty, and barriers to health care continue to drive these disparities. About Change the Pattern In the fight to end HIV and AIDS in the Southern U.S., the National AIDS Memorial has partnered with Southern AIDS Coalition to bring sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt honoring Black, Brown, and LGBTQ+ lives lost to HIV and AIDS to communities throughout the region to raise awareness about the HIV crisis that persists today within communities of color and marginalized populations. Funded through a $2.4 million grant from Gilead Sciences, Change the Pattern is focused primarily on reaching communities disproportionately impacted by HIV and AIDS through free Quilt displays, quilt-making workshops, educational programming, and advocacy. Learn more at www.changethepattern.org. MEDIA INFORMATION: Toolkit Attachments BERWYN, Pa., Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Positive Physicians Insurance Company (PPI), a leading medical professional liability carrier serving hundreds of healthcare practices across 10 states, is pleased to announce that Cobie Buchman has joined Its Senior Leadership Team as Senior Vice President of Claims. Cobie brings with him more than 22 years of national claims experience in medical professional liability. Most recently, he served as Claims Director for ProAssurance, where he managed a team of Claims Specialists across the Central and Western United States. Throughout his career, he has specialized in claims evaluation and resolution, employee development and mentorship, systems and process development, mergers & acquisitions, and strategic planning within the medical professional liability industry. He is a licensed P&C adjuster and graduated from the University of Georgia with a BS in Biology. "Cobie is an extraordinary addition to our Senior Leadership Team," said Michael Roque, CEO of Positive Physicians Insurance Company. "His extensive leadership and national claims experience in the MPL industry will play a crucial part in executing Positive's strategic vision moving forward." About Positive Physicians Insurance Company Positive Physicians Insurance Company, a Pennsylvania-domiciled insurance company, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Positive Physicians Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX: PPHI). The Company underwrites medical professional liability coverage for physicians, their corporations, medical groups, clinics, and allied healthcare providers. Medical professional liability insurance protects physicians and other healthcare providers against liabilities arising from the rendering of, or failure to render, professional medical services. We offer claims-made coverage, claims-made plus, occurrence-based policies as well as tail coverage in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Delaware, Maryland, South Carolina, Michigan, Florida, Texas, and Georgia. For more information, please visit www.positivephysicians.com. Contact Information: Shaun Fisher SVP of Marketing & Business Development sfisher@positivephysicians.com (888) 335-5335 Related Files CB press release.docx Related Images Image 1 This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment Dublin, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "COPD and Asthma Devices Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global COPD and asthma devices market size reached US$ 40.82 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to reach US$ 57.09 Billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.75% during 2021-2027. Companies Mentioned Adherium Limited Aristopharma Ltd. AstraZeneca PLC Baxter International Inc. Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH Cohero Health Inc. Koninklijke Philips N.V. Omron Corporation Pari Respiratory Equipment Inc. Recipharm AB Verona Pharma plc. 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 on different end use sectors. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an inflammatory disease that leads to obstructed airflow from the lungs. Its early symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, chronic cough with or without mucus, frequent cold, and throat soreness. On the other hand, asthma, also known as bronchial asthma, is a respiratory disorder that affects the airways in the lungs. Its symptoms are shortness of breath, chest tightness, trouble sleeping, and coughing or wheezing attacks. These respiratory diseases are treated using various devices that help deliver inhaled medication. COPD and asthma devices, also known as pulmonary drug delivery devices, are used as permanent treatment or rescue therapy for respiratory diseases. As a result, they are gaining immense traction across the globe. COPD and Asthma Devices Market Trends: The growing global geriatric population, which is highly susceptible to chronic respiratory disorders, represents one of the key factors positively influencing the market. In addition, rising occurrences of respiratory diseases caused due to the rising smoking of cigarettes are increasing the sales of COPD and asthma devices. Apart from this, the increasing expenditure on healthcare and continuous automation in the healthcare industry are contributing to the market growth. The widespread adoption of advanced medical solutions is offering lucrative growth opportunities to manufacturers across the globe. At present, healthcare practitioners and pulmonary diseases specialists are preferring a combination of a drug and a device on account of their fast and effective outcome. Furthermore, the expansion of chemical industries is resulting in the rising environmental pollution level and breathing problems, which, in turn, is driving the market. Additionally, the introduction of portable drug delivery devices is propelling the market growth. Key Questions Answered in This Report: How has the global COPD and asthma devices market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years? What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global COPD and asthma devices market? What are the key regional markets? What is the breakup of the market based on the product? What is the breakup of the market based on the indication? 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 COPD and asthma devices market and who are the key players? What is the degree of competition in the industry? Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 143 Forecast Period 2021 - 2027 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2021 $40.82 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2027 $57.09 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 5.7% Regions Covered Global Key Topics Covered: 1 Preface 2 Scope and Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Introduction 4.1 Overview 4.2 Key Industry Trends 5 Global COPD and Asthma Devices Market 5.1 Market Overview 5.2 Market Performance 5.3 Impact of COVID-19 5.4 Market Forecast 6 Market Breakup by Product 6.1 Inhalers 6.1.1 Market Trends 6.1.2 Key Segments 6.1.2.1 Drug Powdered Inhalers (DPIs) 6.1.2.2 Metered Dose Inhalers (MDIs) 6.1.2.3 Soft Mist Inhalers 6.1.3 Market Forecast 6.2 Nebulizers 6.2.1 Market Trends 6.2.2 Key Segments 6.2.2.1 Compressor Nebulizers 6.2.2.2 Ultrasonic Nebulizers 6.2.2.3 Mesh Nebulizers 6.2.3 Market Forecast 7 Market Breakup by Indication 7.1 Asthma 7.1.1 Market Trends 7.1.2 Market Forecast 7.2 COPD 7.2.1 Market Trends 7.2.2 Market Forecast 8 Market Breakup by Distribution Channel 8.1 Retail Pharmacies 8.1.1 Market Trends 8.1.2 Market Forecast 8.2 Hospitals 8.2.1 Market Trends 8.2.2 Market Forecast 8.3 Online Pharmacies 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 For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/xzqn2h-and-asthma?w=12 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachment Smithtown, New York, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Americas VetDogs announced that Congressman Patrick McHenry (NC-10), introduced bipartisan legislation, H.R. 807: The Working Dog Commemorative Coin Act on Thursday, February 2, 2023. Rep. McHenry was joined by 73 other members as co-sponsors in reintroducing the legislation to the 118th Congress. From the battlefield to the home front, working dogs provide an invaluable service, said Congressman McHenry. Not only do these incredible animals serve alongside our troops and law enforcement, but they also assist wounded veterans when they return home. Im proud to sponsor this bipartisan legislation to honor and support working dogs contributions. With a goal to have the bill passed in 2023 and in production in 2025, this bipartisan legislation will instruct the Department of Treasury to mint a three-coin commemorative series to honor the critical role working dogs play in our society. All sales of coins will include a surcharge, which will be paid to America's VetDogs for general expenses associated with the fulfillment of its mission. It costs more than $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place one service dog; however, there is never a charge to the disabled veteran, servicemember, or first responder. We are honored to have been selected for this unique opportunity and appreciate the support from Congressman Patrick McHenry and 73 other bipartisan members who have co-sponsored H.R. 807: The Working Dog Commemorative Coin Act, said John Miller, president & CEO, Americas VetDogs, Not only will this bipartisan bill and commemorative coin represent the life-changing work service and military working dogs provide, it will also support Americas VetDogs to continue our impactful mission of providing these highly trained service dogs to veterans and first responders with disabilities, at no charge to the individual. Celebrating its 20th Anniversary, Americas VetDogs is a national nonprofit organization that serves the needs of veterans with disabilities from all eras who have honorably served our country. Funding comes from the generous contributions of individuals, corporations, foundations, businesses, and service clubs. The organization has placed nearly 950 service dogs with individuals in all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. To learn more about Americas VetDogs and The Working Dog Commemorative Coin Act, visit VetDogs.org/coin. About Americas VetDogs For 20 years, Americas VetDogs (www.VetDogs.org) has trained and placed guide and service dogs to provide independence, enhanced mobility, and companionship to veterans with disabilities from all eras. In 2015, VetDogs opened its programs to first responders, including fire, police, and emergency medical personnel. America's VetDogs is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded by the Guide Dog Foundation and serves clients from across the United States. Americas VetDogs relies on contributions from generous individuals, corporations, service clubs, and foundations to fund its mission to help those who have served our country live with dignity and independence. It costs more than $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place one assistance dog, but Americas VetDogs provides its services completely free of charge to the individual. Americas VetDogs has been accredited by both the International Guide Dog Federation and Assistance Dogs International. Learn more, including how to apply, volunteer, donate, at VetDogs.org. ### Attachment LAS VEGAS, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Textbroker International, a leading provider of web-based content, announces the launch of the free tool Transparent.ai to help distinguish between human-written and AI-generated content. In November 2022, U.S. research company OpenAI released ChatGPT, a chatbot that recorded 1 million registered users in just five days. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize the way text is handled and can make the work of text creators even more creative and efficient. However, dangers and risks arise from unreflective use. With the Transparent.ai service, launched at the beginning of February 2023, Textbroker is proactively countering the possible misuse of AI. The free tool records the entire process of careful text creation and issues certificates to be shared with clients, readers and visitors, publishers, or educators. ChatGPT is a language model based on deep learning technology that has been trained with millions of texts from the Internet. The dialogue-based model can produce texts in the shortest possible time, capture linguistic subtleties and subtle meanings, and be used as a research source by providing information and inspiration. The AI-generated content can hardly be recognizable to readers. Available AI detectors provide not only a few hits but also false positives and false negatives, thus offering no reliable results. In their blog post, OpenAI write: "our classifier correctly identifies 26% of AI-written text (true positives) as "likely AI-written," while incorrectly labeling human-written text as AI-written 9% of the time (false positives)". Currently, pure AI texts are increasingly being published on the Internet without reflection for cost reasons. This creates numerous risks in terms of facts and misinformation. ChatGPT itself states in response to the question about potential dangers that "AI systems can make incorrect decisions based on faulty data or algorithms" or "reinforce discrimination and prejudice when trained on incomplete or biased data sets." The currently unresolved legal situation regarding copyright for AI-generated content should also not be ignored when using the chatbot. "Only when human performance becomes transparent to each person can we effectively prevent misuse of AI, protect our creative industries, and use AI as it is intended: as a powerful tool that helps people become even more creative and efficient," says Jan Becker-Fochler, founder of the Textbroker platform. "The ability to communicate human experience and research skills eloquently and convincingly has a significant value that deserves to be seen and rewarded. That is why Textbroker has launched the free Transparent.ai service." Transparent.ai: Visibility and traceability in the copywriting process Transparent.ai is a web-based tool that makes the creation process and, thus, the effort behind a text, visible. The solution records which parts of the text were written by humans, which parts were incorporated into the result through copy and paste, and what exactly was exchanged or improved during the text creation process. The authors of the text receive a certificate that they can provide to their readers, clients, educators, or anyone else as an independent quality seal to improve transparency. Additional enhancements are currently under development to make the tool even more powerful in the near future. Together with ChatGPT and Transparent.ai, humans achieve high-quality content Neil Patel, New York Times bestselling author, writes about the possibilities of AI: "What Google wants you to do is take the AI content and use it as a starting place and modify it. Take that AI-written content and make it better - provide more value. Add your E.A.T.: expertise, authority, trust." Textbroker supports the approach of using artificial intelligence as a subordinate tool for high-quality writing. The use of ChatGPT is not generally prohibited on the platform. Rather, each client can flexibly decide for each job whether AI may be used or not. Transparent.ai is available now as an MVP in a public beta phase. The development of the tool is still in its infancy but is intended to show what is possible. The goal of the public beta is to further develop the service through feedback from creative and education professionals. Transparent.ai website: https://www.transparent.ai/ Contact Information: Jan Becker-Fochler Founder & CTO contact@transparent.ai Related Files transparent_ai_seal.png Related Images Image 1: Screenshot of Transparent.ai This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment ATLANTA, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the support of customers, Jim Ellis Automotive Group closed out the sixth annual Holiday Giving Campaign with a $65,000 donation to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. A portion of the profit for each new or used vehicle sold at all of the 20 Jim Ellis Automotive dealerships between Dec. 1 and Dec. 31, 2022, contributed to the donation. Jim Ellis Automotive Group selects a different Atlanta-area charity to support through their annual holiday giving campaign. Over the last five years, Jim Ellis Automotive has donated over $250,000 to groups serving women and children in need across the Atlanta area from the holiday giving campaigns alone. Established in 1995, the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta cares for more than 2,400 children with cancer and more than 5,800 children with blood disorders annually. The Holiday Giving Campaign donation will be directed to the Family Support Team, a team of 35 individuals who help provide for the emotional and spiritual needs of the patients in the form of child life, psychology, chaplaincy and social work positions. "We are proud to partner with the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta," said Jim Ellis Automotive Group Vice President Stacey Ellis Hodges. "We hope our donation can give a child the gift of growing up." "We are incredibly grateful to the Jim Ellis family for their long-standing commitment to the thousands of children cared for at Children's and the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center," said Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center Development Director Sara Orton. "Their support is invaluable as we continue to provide the best care for the kids of Georgia and beyond." About Jim Ellis Automotive Group Jim Ellis Automotive Group has been serving the Atlanta area since 1971, starting with Volkswagen as the flagship brand. The group has expanded to 17 brands and 20 dealerships, covering Atlanta, Buford, Kennesaw, McDonough, Marietta, Sandy Springs and South Fulton. Brands include Alfa Romeo, Audi, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Genesis, Hyundai, Kia, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo. Visit in stores or shop from the comfort of your home at jimellis.com. For more information, please visit https://www.jimellis.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JimEllisAuto/ Instagram: @jimellisauto YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Jimellisautomotive/videos?app=desktop Contact Information: Loren Roberts Associate Director of Marketing lorenr@jimellis.com 770-234-8157 Related Images Image 1: Jim Ellis Check Presentation to CHOA Jim Ellis Automotive presents check to CHOA. This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment TORONTO, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Terra Firma Capital Corporation (Terra Firma or the Corporation) (TSX-V: TII), a real estate finance company, has announced, subject to regulatory approval, the appointment of Mr. Mike Kirchmair as a member of the board of directors of the Corporation (the Board), effective January 31, 2023. Mr. Kirchmair is the Chief Financial Officer of Great Gulf Group and brings 30 years of experience in the real estate sector, both corporate and global. Mr. Kirchmair has a Chartered Professional Accountant designation and holds a Master of Business Administration from McMaster University. We are pleased to welcome Mr. Kirchmair to Terra Firmas Board of Directors, said Dov Meyer, Executive Chairman. He will be a strong addition to our Board with his extensive experience in real estate and through working for various Fortune 500 companies. We are confident that Mike will add considerable value to the Corporation initiatives. Additionally, Terra Firma announced the departure of Mr. Jerry Patava, Director of Great Gulf Group, as a member of the Board, effective January 31, 2023. Mr. Patava joined the Terra Firma Board of Directors in 2017. Along with being a member of the Board, Mr. Patava served as the Investment Committee Chair and as a Governance, Compensation and Nomination Committee member. During his time with Terra Firma, Mr. Patava made many contributions to the success and growth of the Corporation through his extensive real estate and finance experience. "The Board would like to thank Mr. Patava for his dedication and contributions over the years and wish him well in his future endeavors, added Dov Meyer, Executive Chairman. Both Mr. Patava and Mr. Kirchmair are representatives of Great Gulf Group, one of North Americas largest real estate developers, in addition to being a shareholder of Terra Firma. About Terra Firma Terra Firma is a full service, publicly traded real estate finance company that provides real estate financings secured by investment properties and real estate developments in the United States and Canada. The Corporation focuses on arranging and providing financing with flexible terms to real estate developers and owners who require shorter-term loans to bridge a transitional period of one to five years where they require capital at various stages of development or redevelopment of a property. These loans are typically repaid with lower cost, longer-term debt obtained from other Canadian financial institutions once the applicable transitional period is over or the redevelopment is complete, or from proceeds generated from the sale of the real estate assets. Terra Firma offers a full spectrum of real estate financing under the guidance of strict corporate governance, clarity and transparency. For further information please visit Terra Firma's website at www.tfcc.ca. The TSX-V has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. The TSX-V does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. For further information, please contact: Terra Firma Capital Corporation Glenn Watchorn Chief Executive Officer Phone: 416.792.4702 gwatchorn@tfcc.ca or Terra Firma Capital Corporation Y. Dov Meyer Executive Chairman Phone : 416.792.4709 ydmeyer@tfcc.ca or Ali Mahdavi Managing Director Spinnaker Capital Markets Inc. Phone: 416.962.3300 am@spinnakercmi.com Houston, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First-generation sophomore students participating in the University of St. Thomas-Houston's (UST) Rising Stars Internship Program are the beneficiaries of an innovative collaboration between the UST and global communications company, Soulcast Media located in California. This one-of-a-kind partnership offers the cohort of students real-world communication skills prized by employers in today's workplace. This is Soulcast Medias first university partnership providing communications training to college students and the launch of its Collegiate Communications Program for Career Success. Jessica Chen is an Emmy Award Winner, #1 LinkedIn Instructor, Top Keynote Speaker Starting in late February, students will participate in 12 virtual live training workshops each month to learn from communication expert Jessica Chen, Founder and CEO of Soulcast Media. "We are thrilled to be partnering with a fantastic institution who is committed to preparing their students for workplace success," Chen said. "At Soulcast Media, we believe communication skills are foundational. Navigating the intricacies of the workplace takes speaking skills that require strategy and tact. We are honored to provide monthly communication training to prepare students with the skills to best show up and speak up at work confidently." The 12 communication topics include: 1. Speaking to your boss 2. Navigating difficult conversations 3. Leadership messaging 4. Communications awareness 5. Speaking up in meetings 6. Communications barriers 7. Advocating for yourself - me to we 8. Advocating for yourself - new opportunities 9. Overcoming the fear to lead 10. A manager's mindset 11. Public speaking 12. Building credibility Before starting Soulcast Media, Chen was an award-winning TV News Reporter. She graced the television networks of ABC10 News and NBC 4News and stations in the greater New York City region. Her company works with Fortune 100 companies, global teams, and individuals on presentation, executive presence, and communication presence. She has trained employees at Google, LinkedIn, the CDC, Harvard Business School Alums, Mattel, Medtronic, HP, DraftKings and many more. Her communication courses consistently rank as the most popular on LinkedIn and have reached more than 2 million learners around the world. Articles written in Forbes, Fortune, Entrepreneur, and Market Watch, Inc. chronicle Chen's teaching method. Rising Stars: The Power of Education at Work At the heart of UST is the imperative to serve, especially those with limited access to educational excellence. With this in mind, UST launched the Rising Stars internship program that offers qualified students the opportunity to continue their education journey at UST while gaining valuable work experience at local companies. The program pairs students with corporate sponsors to earn funds toward tuition. This model helps students build personal connections that will influence them beyond college. "Partnering with Soulcast Media for the Collegiate Communications Program for Career Success is a huge opportunity for students in the Rising Stars program," Director of the Rising Stars Internship Program Dan Garcia said. The 60 students selected to be a part of the program will be learning important communication and marketing skills that will translate into success in real-world job scenarios and in the classroom where students can display more confidence in navigating their college career. UST's Promise to Students is to prepare them for Success at Work and Life "UST's commitment is to graduate students who can thrive in life and in the workplace," Arthur Ortiz, UST's Chief Strategic Officer for Partnerships and Engagement, said, Excellent communication is probably the most important skill one can have as a student and carry into work environments that have become increasingly complex. Effective communication with family, friends, colleagues, and in relationships enhances one's ability to live a good and authentic life. Ortiz hopes to roll out this program to all UST undergraduates soon. "We would like to change the way colleges and universities teach communication skills," he said. We want this communication training to be part of a blueprint for UST to assist graduates toward a life-changing trajectory. As an Hispanic-serving Institution, with an undergraduate student population that mirrors the diversity of Houston, UST's aim is for these students to rise to leadership positions and to eventually take their place in boardrooms across America. Trend Articles on College readiness for work: New Cengage Report Finds Recent College Graduates Feel Underqualified to Enter the Workforce https://www.cengagegroup.com/news/press-releases/2021/new-cengage-report-finds-recent-college-graduates-feel-underqualified-to-enter-the-workforce/ 'Soft skills' are essential: Why college may not have prepared you for success at work https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/05/27/new-graduates-may-lack-skills-they-need-success-work/5239641001/ OPINION: College graduates lack preparation in the skill most valued by employers collaboration https://hechingerreport.org/opinion-college-graduates-lack-preparation-in-the-skill-most-valued-by-employers-collaboration/ Are Colleges Really Preparing Students for the Workforce? https://www.paragonone.com/post/are-colleges-really-preparing-students-for-the-workforce ### About University of St. Thomas University of St. Thomas is a comprehensive university, grounded in the liberal arts. Committed to the unity of all knowledge, UST offers programs in the traditional liberal arts, professional, and skilled-based disciplines. Graduates of the University of St. Thomas think critically, communicate effectively, succeed professionally, and lead ethically. Attachment Decatur, Alabama, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Decatur, Ala. Virtual Railfan, Inc. the leading provider of 24/7 live streams of popular railroad locations for train fans, is proud to announce the installation of high-definition cameras at the Historic Decatur Union Depot in Decatur, Alabama. Mounted on the historic building, the cameras offer spectacular views of the parade of trains that roll by the depot every day. Although the viewers tune in to watch trains the live chat which accompanies each feed provides a unique opportunity for people to converse about the station, the city, its history, and events while they wait for the next train. Our camera is a window into the community, exposing millions of our YouTube fans and potential tourists to Decatur. Adds Mike Cyr, President and CEO of Virtual Railfan, Inc. When asked about Virtual Railfan coming to Decatur, David Breland, Manager of Historic Resources for the City of Decatur/ Decatur Parks and Recreation, states We are thrilled that the Historic Decatur Union Depot has been added as a Virtual Railfan site! About 400,000 railroad enthusiasts throughout the world currently subscribe to this live rail platform which is viewed online tens of millions of times annually. Only the most interesting rail sites are chosen for inclusion proving Decaturs continuing rail importance for the past almost 200 years. This selection was made possible after years of background work by the City of Decatur and Decatur-Morgan County Tourism. We celebrate the historical, cultural, and tourism economic benefits which will be brought to Decatur by VR and look forward to hosting many VR rail enthusiasts and their families at the Historic Decatur Railroad Depot Museum in the future. President/ CEO of Decatur Morgan County Tourism, Danielle Gibson shares, We are so happy to have been a partner in bringing this incredible asset to the city of Decatur." The Decatur livestream can be found on YouTube: https://youtube.com/virtualrailfan, and on the Virtual Railfan website: https://virtualrailfan.com. About Decatur Morgan County Tourism Decatur Morgan County Tourism is a not-for-profit organization promoting tourism and economic growth in Morgan County. Travel-related expenditures for Morgan County in 2021 exceeded $333 million and state lodging taxes collected reached nearly $1.7 million. The tourism and travel industry within Decatur and Morgan County provided 3,588 direct and indirect jobs for local residents and total travel-related earnings exceeded $88 million. For information on special events and attractions in Decatur and Morgan County, call 800.524.6181 or 256.350.2028; or visit https://www.visitdecatural.org/. HOUSTON, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kayne Anderson NextGen Energy & Infrastructure, Inc. (the Fund) (NYSE: KMF) announced today that it reached a conditional agreement with institutional investors relating to a private placement of $40 million of senior unsecured notes (Notes). The private placement is expected to fund on or about March 29, 2023. Net proceeds will be used to refinance existing leverage and for general corporate purposes. The table below sets forth the key terms of the Notes to be issued: Series Amount ($ in millions) Rate Maturity Series F Notes $40 5.18% 3/29/2033 Closing of this transaction is subject to investor due diligence, legal documentation, and other standard closing conditions. The Notes issued in connection with this private placement will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration. Kayne Anderson NextGen Energy & Infrastructure, Inc. (NYSE: KMF) is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, whose common stock is traded on the NYSE. The Funds investment objective is to provide a high level of total return with an emphasis on making cash distributions to its stockholders. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its total assets in securities of Energy Companies and Infrastructure Companies. The Fund anticipates that the majority of its investments will consist of investments in NextGen companies, which we define as Energy Companies and Infrastructure Companies that are meaningfully participating in, or benefitting from, the Energy Transition. See Glossary of Key Terms in the Funds most recent quarterly report for a description of these investment categories and the meaning of capitalized terms. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy, nor shall there be any sale of any securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer or sale is not permitted. Nothing contained in this press release is intended to recommend any investment policy or investment strategy or consider any investors specific objectives or circumstances. Before investing, please consult with your investment, tax, or legal adviser regarding your individual circumstances. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This communication contains statements reflecting assumptions, expectations, projections, intentions, or beliefs about future events. These and other statements not relating strictly to historical or current facts constitute forward-looking statements as defined under the U.S. federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements involve a variety of risks and uncertainties. These risks include but are not limited to changes in economic and political conditions; regulatory and legal changes; energy industry risk; leverage risk; valuation risk; interest rate risk; tax risk; and other risks discussed in detail in the Funds filings with the SEC, available at www.kaynefunds.com or www.sec.gov. Actual events could differ materially from these statements or our present expectations or projections. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Kayne Anderson undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements made herein. There is no assurance that the Funds investment objectives will be attained. eTranzact wins Leading Fintech Solution Provider in Ghana Zadok Kwame Gyesi Business News Feb - 03 - 2023 , 08:36 eTranzact Ghana Limited, a financial technology entity, has been adjudged the Leading Fintech Solution Provider of the Year, 2022, at the second edition of the Ghana Fintech Awards, held in Accra. The brand further consolidated its leadership position in Ghanas Fintech Industry by winning the Fintech & Bank Partnership of the Year, and the Fintech Innovation Company of the Year. The awards were in recognition of the companys work and commitment to ensure excellent service delivery across the business eco-system in the country as well as continuous investment in infrastructure and a renewed focus on customer experience. Executive Director of eTranzact, George Babafemi, in his address on receiving the award, expressed his gratitude to the organisers for the recognition of the hard work and commitment made by the company over the years toward universal financial inclusion and transformation of the business ecosystem. He said, as pioneers in the fintech industry, providing bespoke electronic and convenient payment solutions is the firms greatest asset. As a company, we thrive in ensuring we provide to customers secure, convenient, and cost-effective means of receiving or making payment, buying airtime or bundle as well as paying bills, at the comfort of their homes and provide tailor-made solutions to suit an organization or individuals electronic need. This is a great feat for eTranzact, and we are extremely thankful to our customers and colleague workers for giving us a reason to still be in business after all these years. Indeed, being recognised by your peers is a great honour, Babafemi added. Chief Executive Officer, eTranzact Ghana, John Apea, also commenting on the award said: We dedicate these awards to our customers, clients, partners, and staff for their unflinching support and commitment to eTranzact. We will continue to work hard to provide relevant digital platforms that are cutting-edge, secure, and convenient. The second edition of the Fintech Awards, organised by the Ghana Fintech and Payment Association (GFPA), was held in Accra to reward and recognize Ghanaian companies that are contributing immensely to the development and transformation of the fintech space in the country. GFPA has been established to be the voice of the players in the financial technology space, working to transform citizens' lives in Ghana and beyond while serving the last mile. It seeks to be a unique fintech and digital payment services association of its kind in West Africa and one of the few dedicated platforms for Fintech companies in Ghana and by extension, Africa to connect with potential investors, partners, and clients. The association strives to bring the best in FinTech companies across the continent, supporting each other's growth and helping to forge lasting relationships with international financial institutions, corporates, and retail consumers. Resist temptation to block airlines repatriation of profits IATA Maclean Kwofi Business News Feb - 03 - 2023 , 11:07 The international body of association of airlines is warning Ghana against any move to prevent the repatriation of profits by its members. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said there was the need for the country to resist the temptation of such an action because of its potential impact on the profitability of airlines. Such a move would also impact the countrys attractiveness to international investors and derail the progress made so far by the country as far as the gains made in the aviation sector was concerned. There are reports about Ghana planning to follow in the footsteps of Nigeria which has blocked multinationals including international airlines from repatriating their profits. Sources said the government was planning to introduce a fresh policy to restrict access to foreign currency for imports as well as block investors seeking to repatriate their profits from doing so as part of a broader bid to halt the fast depreciation of the local currency. But IATA maintained that any imposition of such policy may derail gains made by the country in the aviation industry over the years. The Regional Vice-President of IATA in-charge of Africa and Middle East (AME), Kamil Al-Awadhi, at the fourth Aviation Ghana Stakeholders Breakfast Meeting in Accra, observed that any attempt to impose a policy of such nature may do Ghana more harm than good. Consequently, he commended the government and the Bank of Ghana (BoG) for the exemplary way by which it was managing the repatriation of airline funds despite the economic challenges faced by the country. The context Nigeria last year blocked international carriers operating in that country from repatriating their profits amounting to some US$450 million as at July last year. Africa's largest economy restricted access to foreign currency for imports and for investors seeking to repatriate their profits as the country addressed a severe US dollar shortage. ICAO process Mr Al-Awadhi also called on Ghana to follow the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) process of increasing airport charges. Ghana must also resist the appetite of increasing charges without following the ICAO principles; such increases can lead to the erosion of Ghanas competitiveness as a destination, he said. He said adherence to ICAOs policies on charges and infrastructure through consultations with airlines and industry players was prior to ensuring fairness. He said the recent increase in charge by Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the introduction of new charges by Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) was an example in question. Resilience The vice-president noted the airline industry has been resilient in the face of the global pandemic, coronavirus COVID-19 crisis that shocked and disrupted the everyday lives of citizens of the world. He said last year, airlines worldwide lost a combined US$6.9 billion down from the US$9.7 billion in 2021. He said the fact that airlines were able to cut their losses in 2022 in an era of rising cost, labour shortages, strikes, operational disruptions and many mishaps plus growing economic uncertainties speaks volumes about people's desire and need for connectivity. According to him, in 2023, it was expected that the industry would accrue US$4.7 billion profit, the first industry profit since 2019 which according to him was a great achievement, considering the scale of the financial and economic dimension caused by the governments imposed pandemic restrictions. The global economy The Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, said it was common knowledge that the global economy heavily depended on the air transport industry. He said aviation connected people, cultures, and businesses reiterating the importance of the industry to the global economy. However, he said the industry evolved around many different factors and actors for growth. He said it was not the right time to raise charges while some actors in the value chain were trying to make up for the lost revenues during the COVID-19 pandemic. The minister added that every increase deterred travellers and accrued less revenue not just for the airline but also for stakeholders across the aviation value chain, including manufacturers, maintenance, ground support. The meeting The breakfast meeting, which is an initiative of Aviation Ghana, is a series of dialogues that feature selected topics and is aimed at influencing government policies in favour of businesses in the aviation industry. It brought together players in the private sector, policy makers and people from the government to deliberate on the recovery of the aviation industry. On the theme, Post-COVID-19 recovery process and the journey ahead. Discussants included the Managing Director of GACL, Pamela Djamson-Tettey; Deputy Director General of GCAA, Daniel Acquah; customer service expert, J. N. Halm; and Accountable Manager of Passion Air, Edward Annan. Daily Graphic Editorials NPP, as party, must demand probe Enimil Ashon Editorials Feb - 03 - 2023 , 10:38 DEAR reader, have you read the Auditor-Generals Report on the COVID-19 Alleviation Funds? It has broken every Ghanaian heart. In 2020, during the countrys worst tragedy in living memory, as hundreds of our compatriots were gasping to COVID deaths, some political actors and public servants were allegedly fattening their private bank accounts with moneys donated, borrowed or taken from our Consolidated Fund. It was equivalent to picking the pockets of accident victims in the throes of death. For fear that nothing will ever come out of these revelations, I want to share some best practices to urge civil society groups, including the Christian Council, Ghana Pentecostal Council, the Chief Imam, Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, Occupy Ghana, Imani Africa, TUC, CLOGSAG, the three teacher unions and nurses/midwives to issue press statements, rise up and refuse to sit down until government acts or Parliament sets up a bi-partisan probe into the matter. Account Before I share the best practices, however, I wish to reproduce the information given by the Minister for Transport when he appeared before Parliament on June 10, 2021 to give account of the contract signed with Frontiers Healthcare Services, the company that undertook COVID testing at Kotoka International Airport (KIA). He said per the concession agreement, Ghana Airports Company was supposed to receive US$10 per test conducted, and Frontiers Healthcare was to keep US$140 as their service charge. Each passenger tested paid $150. He told Parliament: Between September and December 2020, the total amount realised from the COVID-19 testing at the KIA was US$17,590,500. So, as per the concession agreement, Frontiers Healthcare Services retained US$16,202,200 for its services. The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), on the other hand, received US$1,167,300 from testing a total number of 117,187 passengers. (Source:https://thebftonline.com/11/06/2021/govt-earns-us1-16m-in-royalties-from-airport-covid-19-test/) If the Ministers facts were correct, how come that on September 26, 2022, GACLs CEO told JoyNews that her company was unaware of the amount of money made by Frontiers Healthcare Service? (The interview was procured on the back of a request by Multimedia Broadcasting on the strength of the Right to Information Law). When JoyNews sought to know the modalities that led to the selection of Frontiers for the contract, the GACL boss said her company is not in possession of the chronology of the processes that led to the selection and award to Frontiers Health Services to provide the COVID-19 testing at the Airport. Question: Who selected Frontiers? Who negotiated and agreed on US$10 for Ghana and US$140 for Frontiers? Ghanaians must know. Now, dear reader, below are what I consider best practices in other parts of Africa. On January, 30, 2021, Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera fired his Labour Minister and arrested 19 officials for fraudulent use of funds meant to fight the coronavirus. What was the Ministers offence? An Auditor Generals Report discovered that he used 613,000 Kwacha (about US$800) worth of COVID-19 funds for allowances during a trip to South Africa with the President. ($1 = 779.4900 Kwacha). The President, in a televised address, said, I cannot have in my Cabinet any individuals who either spend money budgeted for one thing on something else or do not ask tough questions to ensure that the money they are spending on something was budgeted for that purpose. To the whole country, he declared, "There are no sacred cows." To the countrys civil servants, the President warned, If the finger of evidence points to you as one of the Sency Miller releases Okuku Seku Kofi Duah Showbiz News Feb - 03 - 2023 , 12:21 UK-based Ghanaian versatile artiste, Sency Miller has released his first project of the year, Okuku Seku, on various digital streaming platforms. The song, which is a precursor to his highly anticipated EP, has generated a buzz around his craft and has received critical acclaim by music experts. Okuku Seku a slang word for fair-weather friends, a term popularized by the legendary late Paapa Yankson gives a narrative of Millers experiences with fair-weather friends and his honest take in life. The hi-life inspired song, fused with afro-rhythm and soul vibes matched with his effortlessly sound on a well-produced instrumental with production credit to Melba Made and Samsney. Miller has hinted at a possible release of accompanying visuals for Okuku Seku, teasing fans with a trailer on his personal YouTube channel. The video, which Miller has previously said in interviews was shot largely in Mexico and the UK by fast rising video director Leo. Today's World News - From Africa, Asia, U.S, Europe and Middle East Chinese spy balloon - US tracks suspected surveillance device BBC.com International Feb - 03 - 2023 , 12:18 The US is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted flying over sensitive sites in recent days. Defence officials said they were confident the "high-altitude surveillance balloon" belonged to China. It was most recently seen above the western state of Montana. Follow @Graphicgh The military decided against shooting it down in case debris falls. China warned against speculation and "hype" until the facts are verified. The object flew over Alaska's Aleutian Islands and through Canada before appearing over the city of Billings in Montana on Wednesday, US officials said. A senior defence official said the government prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, in case the White House ordered the object to be shot down. Canada said on Friday that it was monitoring "a potential second incident" involving a surveillance balloon, but did not say which country could be behind it. It said in the statement that it is working closely with the US to "safeguard Canada's sensitive information from foreign intelligence threats". Why use a spy balloon instead of satellites Top military leaders, including Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, met on Wednesday to assess the threat. Mr Austin was travelling in the Philippines at the time. Class 6 pupil meets Education Minister Linda Sah Junior News Feb - 03 - 2023 , 11:32 A Class Six pupil of the Kedzi-Havedzi AME Zion Basic School in the Volta Region, Doris Ahiable, had the rare opportunity of meeting the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, one-on-one after she was invited by the sector minister to his office in Accra. Her invitation to the ministers office followed a letter of commendation to him for the distribution of textbooks to schools across the country last year. Accompanying the 16-year-old to the office of the minister was the Headmistress of the school, Ms Juliet Lormko Kuenyetor; her class teacher, Mr Edmund Gadasu, and her father, Mr Anthony Gidiglo, among other personalities. Dr Adutwum later presented four books to encourage her to read and broaden her horizon. Ms Ahiable, who could not hide her joy, told the minister that she had to commend the delivery of the books which were critical to teaching and learning. According to the youngster, the textbooks came at a time they were needed most, because it helped them greatly in teaching and learning at school. Ms Ahiable said before the distribution of the textbooks, pupils found it difficult to appreciate some of the things they were being taught. However, with the textbooks, the situation had changed. For his part, Dr Adutwum lauded the youngster for taking the bold initiative to write to him. I want this to be part of your story; that you took the initiative and wrote and because of that you are here and have brought all of us together. I want to commend you for the bold initiative; it would take you far. I have always felt strongly that the difference between the altitude that we get to or we dont get to is based on our attitude, he said. Asked what she would like to be in future, Ms Ahiable said she would want to be a teacher. Dr Adutwum, therefore, urged Ms Ahiable not to limit her sight and that she could rise through the ranks to even become the Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES). He said she could do more if she remained focused. He told her that taking the step to write was an achievement for her and that other children should take inspiration from her. I just want you to know that we are here and you have good support so go and do your very best and other children would look up to you, and also draw inspiration from you, the minister said. A Deputy Minister of Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, also praised Ms Ahiable for writing to the minister. Ms Kuenyetor also thanked the minister for the invitation to meet him. Gaborone West International School celebrates 15th anniversary Priscilla Asantewaa Obeng Junior News Feb - 03 - 2023 , 12:08 The Headmaster of Gaborone West International School, Mr Francis Kwaku Nyarko, has asked parents and teachers to teach children the rich Ghanaian cultural values to mould them to become responsible adults. He explained that the rate at which some revered Ghanaian norms such as greetings and decent dressing were fast sinking was worrying. Mr Nyarko, who was speaking at the 15th anniversary and fifth graduation ceremony of the Gaborone West International School, urged all stakeholders to teach children proper etiquette and good mannerisms so they would grow to preserve the rich cultural heritage. Mr Nyarko, addressing the gathering. I strongly express my abhorrence at the growing phenomenon where many young people rain insults and use vulgar words for people who are old enough to be their fathers and grandfathers. Insulting adults is alien to our culture, I entreat you to exhibit a high sense of respect for the elderly in our society, he stated. Mr Nyarko also encouraged teachers to set good examples to students by not using negative words on them as they tended to affect their psyche and self-esteem. A choreography display by the primary pupils. Speaking on the theme, Sustaining quality education in Ghana, the role of the private school, the guest speaker for the occasion, Mr David K. Dodzie, highlighted the important role private schools play in the development of the child, noting that it was important for parents to choose schools that afforded their wards the best to be able to excel in their academic endeavours. He also lauded the school for their continuous provision of quality education to schoolchildren and encouraged them to keep up with the good work. Parents graced the occassion. Fifty pupils graduated from the school. Twenty-six preschoolers graduated to Basic One whereas 24 pupils moved to the junior high school (JHS). They received certificates while awards were presented to students who excelled in their examinations in the 2021/2022 academic year. Hardworking teaching and non-teaching staff also took home awards. Mr Nyarko led some invited guests to cut the anniversary cake. Some dignitaries admiring the project work of pupils on exhibition. Learners graduate at BabyLand International School Junior Graphic Junior News Feb - 03 - 2023 , 11:53 BabyLand International School, Kumasi, has held its seventh graduation ceremony with a call on parents to invest in the future of their children by providing them with all their educational needs for them to excel. The Director of the school, Ernestina Yeboah, who made the call, asked parents to build a strong foundation for the children by allowing them to access quality education which would propel them to attain greater heights. Mrs Yeboah advised the children to take their education seriously in order to realise their dreams. She commended the teaching and non-teaching staff for their selflessness and for impacting positively on the lives of the children. The ceremony, which took place on the schools premises was full of spectacular performances from the graduating pupils and others who exhibited their talents in various disciplines. Some of the activities, which included cadets drills, poetry recitals, drama, fashion shows, choreography, among others, added colour and excitement to the occasion. The school presented certificates to the graduating class from Kindergarten Two and Class Six pupils, as well as the 2022 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates. Some selected pupils from nursery to junior high school (JHS), as well as teachers, were given awards for their academic excellence and meritorious services to the development and progress of the school. Ghana Education News University of Ghana students embark on street protest against cost of education Getrude Ankah Nyavi Education Feb - 03 - 2023 , 12:17 Some students of the University of Ghana (UG) on Friday converged at Obra Spot at Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra to protest some decisions taken by the management of the university. The Ye abre mo Demo (We are tired of you) protest was led by a group from the University of Ghana's that termed themselves as "Concerned Students Association." They said they are against the decision of the university to allow only level 100 students into Commonwealth and Sarbah Halls and relocate continuing students to other hostels. The new directive to reassign the continuing students to other halls comes on the back of numerous clashes between students of Commonwealth and Mensah Sarbah on campus. The students also lamented the high cost of university education. They accused the university management of increasing fees by more than the 15% contrary to what was approved by Parliament. Chinese FM urges Turkiye to take China's concerns on Xinjiang-related issues seriously Xinhua) 11:06, February 03, 2023 Performers dance at the grand bazaar in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Jan. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Fei) A sound China-Turkiye relationship not only serves the people of the two countries, but is conducive to promoting the unity and cooperation of developing countries, said the Chinese foreign minister. BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Thursday urged Turkiye to take China's concerns on Xinjiang-related issues seriously to ensure the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations. Qin made the remarks in a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu. A sound China-Turkiye relationship not only serves the people of the two countries, but is conducive to promoting the unity and cooperation of developing countries, he said. China is willing to work with Turkiye to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, give full play to the role of bilateral cooperation mechanisms to advance practical cooperation between the two countries, and promote the continuous development of China-Turkiye relations, Qin said. While expressing appreciation in Turkiye's repeated statement of its firm adherence to the one-China policy, Qin said China supports Turkiye in pursuing a development path that suits its own national conditions and safeguarding national sovereignty and security, and opposes external forces' interference in Turkiye's internal affairs. The Chinese foreign minister said that the two sides should enhance communication on regional affairs, strengthen coordination on multilateral occasions such as the United Nations, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries. For his part, Cavusoglu said that Turkiye attaches great importance to Turkiye-China relations and is willing to strengthen bilateral dialogue and consultation with China, deepen cooperation in economy, trade and other fields, enhance coordination and cooperation in international affairs and promote the further development of bilateral relations. Turkiye will, as always, adhere to the one-China principle and will not use China's internal affairs to smear and attack China, he added. The two sides also exchanged views on issues of common concern. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Court grants bail to rioting Krobea Asante students Daily Graphic Feb - 03 - 2023 , 09:00 THE Asokore-Mampong District Court has granted bail to the 43 rioting students of the Krobea Asante Vocational Training Institute at Effiduase in the Sekyere East District in the Ashanti Region. Each of the students was granted a GH2,000 bail with a surety to justify and were directed by the court to report to the Effiduase Police once a week until their next appearance on March 2, this year. The court, presided over by Samuel Buabin Quansah, also directed the students to sign a bond of good behaviour. More arrest Prosecuting, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Kofi Blagodzi, told the court that the police had arrested four more suspects, thereby increasing the number of suspects to 43. He said the police were also conducting forensic tests and investigations on the properties destroyed during the disturbances, and pleaded with the court to give the police more time to conduct thorough investigations into the matter. Incident The students were arrested during a violent demonstration which resulted in extensive destruction of properties belonging to the school and other private individuals on campus. The police have charged them with conspiracy to commit crime, unlawful entry, causing damage and stealing. They first appeared in court on January 24, this year, and were remanded in police custody to reappear today. Present in court were the parents and guardians of all the 43 suspects who were expected to stand in as sureties for their children and wards. GNA Fire sweeps through 15 shops, houses at Tema Community 2 Daily Graphic Feb - 03 - 2023 , 10:04 Some residents and traders at Tema Community Two, near a mosque close to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust Flats (SSNIT), are counting the cost of an inferno which swept through more than 15 structures and shops on Wednesday night. The fire outbreak, which started around 6:30 p.m. destroyed many shops. Seven shops were described as completely burnt. The shops included two drinking spots, an electrical repair shop, a bicycle repairing shop, a pen for livestock, and two places of abode. A shop owner, Joseph Kojo Anderson, in an interview at the scene, said the fire started in one of the drinking spots where a lady was alleged to be cooking on a gas cylinder. He said they suddenly heard an explosion and rushed inside, only to see fire coming from the shop, which later spread quickly to other shops. Mr Anderson could not tell if the explosion came from the gas cylinder or another object. Spot operator A drinking spot operator, Joseph Monney, who was also affected, told the GNA that: I was asleep when I had a called that my shop was on fire. I rushed there only to find that all my goods had totally been destroyed by the fire. My livestock shop has also been burnt by the fire with all the livestock inside. Another victim, Abubakari Mumin, also told the GNA that his house had been totally burnt down. My house was burnt down, and I was not able to retrieve a dress to wear as I am speaking to you, the only thing I have is the dress and the slippers Im wearing, he said. The Chief Executive Officer of Health Reform Herbal Clinic, Emmanuel Aniwah, said all the glass windows and doors at the clinic got smashed as a result of the explosion and the heat that emanated from it. The residents, however, commended the personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) for the quick response to the distress call. When we called them, they came early with three fire tenders filled with water and started working immediately, they said. The GNFS Tema Divisional Officer Grade III Fiifi Oppong, told the GNA, at the scene said that the cause of the fire could be immediately ascertained but investigations would commence soon. DOIII Oppong advised residents to desist from illegal electrical connection and even, if necessary, they should consult a certified electrician. GNA Kako business goes sour: Banker to cough up GH475,500 Elizabeth Konadu-Boakye Feb - 03 - 2023 , 08:33 An Accra Circuit Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of a 48-year-old banker and economist for allegedly defrauding a woman under the pretext of investing her money into salted fish (kako) business. The accused, Alex Kodua, was allegedly given an amount of GH475,500 to invest in the kako business but didnt invest and went into hiding. A warrant was issued last Wednesday for his arrest after he refused to appear before the court presided over by Samuel Bright Acquah. He is to appear on February 28, this year. The fact of the case as read in court by the prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Maxwell Oppong were that the complainant Theresa Duku in the month of October 2021 lost her job as a banker. Alex, who was her friend, approached her with claims that he was into the purchase and supply of kako. The accused person convinced the complainant to invest her money into the business, and get good returns. The accused person thereafter demanded and collected cash, in the sum of GH30,000.00 from the complainant under the pretext of investing same into the said business, he said. He added that some days later, Alex brought some returns to the complainant as profit he generated from the money he received from her. Trust ASP Oppong said, Alex after winning the trust of the complainant, asked the complainant to contact her friends who might also be interested in the deal. The complainant fell for the prank and raised funds from her family and friends to the tune of GH475,500.00. She handed over the funds to the accused person who promised to use the money to order the said salted fish for the complainant which will enable her do the business herself, he said. The accused person after collecting the money ASP Oppong said, went into hiding and suddenly stopped communications with the complainant. On July 7 2022, the prosecutor said, the complainant reported the issue to the police and Alex was traced and arrested at his hideout. He admitted the offence and pleaded with the police to give him up to ending of August 2022 to return the money but that failed. Investigation however revealed that, the accused person had never been involved in the purchase or supply of any salted fish as he had portrayed, the prosecutor revealed Geodrill builds Home Economics block for TAMASCO Daily Graphic Feb - 03 - 2023 , 09:01 Geodrill Limited, a company in the extractive sector, has financed the construction of a Home Economics Block for the Tamale Senior High School (TAMASCO) with GH210,000. The company presented two cheques for GH150,000 and GH60,000 towards the construction of a befitting block for the schools Home Economics Department. It also furnished the block with modern facilities for the over 600 students taking the course. The gesture was to meet the growing demand for Home Economics, a vital subject that teaches life skills such as cooking, budgeting and textiles. It also empowers students, particularly young women, to take control of their lives and make informed decisions about their futures. Inauguration The Director of Human Resources of Geodrill Limited, Iddi Baah-Kurey, explained that the donation formed part of the companys corporate social responsibility and was to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country. Mr Baah-Kurey commended the management of the school, the 1983 Year Group, in particular, Dr Abdallah Ali-Nakyea, for supervising the construction and delivering it on budget within schedule. He expressed satisfaction about the project, saying this contribution will go a long way in ensuring that more students, particularly young women, have access to the valuable knowledge and skills that this subject provides. The Home Economics block Context A refreshed Home Economics block gives students the opportunity to develop their creativity and problem-solving skills, which can be applied in a variety of careers. From fashion design and interior decoration to food science and nutrition, the skills learned in the Home Economics classes can lead to a wide range of career opportunities and contribute to local development. Appreciation The Headmaster of the school, Mohammed Mustapha Yakubu, praised his predecessor, Rev. Edward Azeka, for collaborating with good corporate entities such as Geodrill Limited to make the project a reality. The project is a dream come true as it will help the school to achieve the vision of training students to be self-employed afterwards, he said. Rev. Azeka observed that Geodrill Limited's presentation came at an appropriate time, and praised the company for its generosity. Geodrill Limited, a mining services company, was recently adjudged the first runner-up for Best Performing in Local Manufacturing of Mining Supplies and Support Services category at the 2022 Ghana Mining Industry Awards in Accra. Resist temptation to block airlines repatriation of profits IATA cautions Maclean Kwofi Feb - 03 - 2023 , 08:57 The international body of association of airlines is warning Ghana against any move to prevent the repatriation of profits by its members. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said there was the need for the country to resist the temptation of such an action because of its potential impact on the profitability of airlines. Such a move would also impact the countrys attractiveness to international investors and derail the progress made so far by the country as far as the gains made in the aviation sector was concerned. There are reports about Ghana planning to follow in the footsteps of Nigeria which has blocked multinationals including international airlines from repatriating their profits. Sources said the government was planning to introduce a fresh policy to restrict access to foreign currency for imports as well as block investors seeking to repatriate their profits from doing so as part of a broader bid to halt the fast depreciation of the local currency. But IATA maintained that any imposition of such policy may derail gains made by the country in the aviation industry over the years. The Regional Vice-President of IATA in-charge of Africa and Middle East (AME), Kamil Al-Awadhi, at the fourth Aviation Ghana Stakeholders Breakfast Meeting in Accra, observed that any attempt to impose a policy of such nature may do Ghana more harm than good. Consequently, he commended the government and the Bank of Ghana (BoG) for the exemplary way by which it was managing the repatriation of airline funds despite the economic challenges faced by the country. The context Nigeria last year blocked international carriers operating in that country from repatriating their profits amounting to some US$450 million as at July last year. Africa's largest economy restricted access to foreign currency for imports and for investors seeking to repatriate their profits as the country addressed a severe US dollar shortage. ICAO process Mr Al-Awadhi also called on Ghana to follow the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) process of increasing airport charges. Ghana must also resist the appetite of increasing charges without following the ICAO principles; such increases can lead to the erosion of Ghanas competitiveness as a destination, he said. He said adherence to ICAOs policies on charges and infrastructure through consultations with airlines and industry players was prior to ensuring fairness. He said the recent increase in charge by Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the introduction of new charges by Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) was an example in question. Resilience The vice-president noted the airline industry has been resilient in the face of the global pandemic, coronavirus COVID-19 crisis that shocked and disrupted the everyday lives of citizens of the world. He said last year, airlines worldwide lost a combined US$6.9 billion down from the US$9.7 billion in 2021. He said the fact that airlines were able to cut their losses in 2022 in an era of rising cost, labour shortages, strikes, operational disruptions and many mishaps plus growing economic uncertainties speaks volumes about people's desire and need for connectivity. According to him, in 2023, it was expected that the industry would accrue US$4.7 billion profit, the first industry profit since 2019 which according to him was a great achievement, considering the scale of the financial and economic dimension caused by the governments imposed pandemic restrictions. The global economy The Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, said it was common knowledge that the global economy heavily depended on the air transport industry. He said aviation connected people, cultures, and businesses reiterating the importance of the industry to the global economy. However, he said the industry evolved around many different factors and actors for growth. He said it was not the right time to raise charges while some actors in the value chain were trying to make up for the lost revenues during the COVID-19 pandemic. The minister added that every increase deterred travellers and accrued less revenue not just for the airline but also for stakeholders across the aviation value chain, including manufacturers, maintenance, ground support. The meeting The breakfast meeting, which is an initiative of Aviation Ghana, is a series of dialogues that feature selected topics and is aimed at influencing government policies in favour of businesses in the aviation industry. It brought together players in the private sector, policy makers and people from the government to deliberate on the recovery of the aviation industry. On the theme, Post-COVID-19 recovery process and the journey ahead. Discussants included the Managing Director of GACL, Pamela Djamson-Tettey; Deputy Director General of GCAA, Daniel Acquah; customer service expert, J. N. Halm; and Accountable Manager of Passion Air, Edward Annan. Joseph Siaw Agyapong Soldiers Block inaugurated at 37 Hospital Donald Ato Dapatem Feb - 03 - 2023 , 07:17 President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has inaugurated a 300-bed accommodation block at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra. Known as the Joseph Siaw Agyapong Young Soldiers Block, the facility will accommodate young soldiers who will undertake their basic training in medical care at the military hospital. Inaugurating the project, President Akufo-Addo said although the number of soldiers undergoing training had been increasing, there had not been a corresponding increase in accommodation for the trainees to be on the hospital premises to learn their trade. In order to address the challenge, the then Director General of Health Services of the Ghana Armed Forces, Brigadier General Ralph Ametepe, commenced the project in 2016 with internally generated funds but it could not be completed. The project stalled in 2018 because it ran out of funds but the successive directors at the hospital continued the project, albeit at a slow pace, until it was revived in 2021 by the current Chief of the Defence Staff. Commitment to welfare President Akufo-Addo explained that the Chief of the Defence Staff, in 2021, appealed to the Jospong Group of Companies to assist with the completion of the block, and the conglomerate agreed to do it as a corporate social responsibility at no cost to the GAF. The President, therefore, commended Jospong Group of Companies for the support in ensuring that the 300-bed accommodation was completed. He assured the officers, men and women of the Armed Forces of the governments commitment to their welfare and well-being and noted that since his assumption of office in 2017, his government had rolled out a number of measures to help deal with some of the challenges facing the Armed Forces. Some of the measures, the President mentioned, included phases one and two of the Barracks Regeneration Project and the Military Housing Projects, which he launched in 2017 and 2021. The front view of the 300-bed facility for young soldiers at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra. Pictures: SAMUEL TEI ADANO President Akufo-Addo said the government was also striving to complete stalled Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and Ministry of Defence projects commenced in 2016 to add to the accommodation stock. Those, together with ongoing accommodation projects, the President explained, would provide about 3,000 accommodation units for the GAF soon, and it would be the largest provision of accommodation units for the forces. We will continue to stay true to the pledges we made in our 2016 and 2020 manifestoes, which brought in and retained my party, the New Patriotic Party, and I, into office. Government will continue to construct much-needed accommodation infrastructure to enable the 37 Military Hospital and the Ghana Armed Forces to perform their role as required by the Ghanaian people, President Akufo-Addo said. Assistance The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Jospong Group of Companies, Joseph Siaw Agyapong, said the group believed in assisting organisations whose work impacted on the greater majority of society and it was for that reason it supported the military, adding that the contribution of the military to the socio-economic development could not be overemphasised. He said in the last five years, the Jospong Group had had closer collaboration which had culminated in the training of the top executive of the management staff and drivers of the company by the Ghana Armed Forces. Collaboration The Chief of the Defence Staff, Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, said the Ghana Armed Forces was collaborating with the company in the area of fleet management, vehicle maintenance and construction, and used the opportunity to ask for such assistance. He commended the Jospong Group for the support and the past and present commanders of the 37 Military Hospital for their initiative and determination to ensure that the troops were properly accommodated. Kennedy Agyapong donates to KATH Kwadwo Baffoe Donkor Feb - 03 - 2023 , 07:46 A Presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, has described as pathetic the current state of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH). He said the health facility that served as a referral centre for 12 regions in the country should be a centre of excellence and not in distress. Delivery of quality health care, according to him, should not solely depend on the government and consequently charged the business community within and outside the country to come on board and assist the hospital. Donation The MP said this when he presented 100 beds and mattresses to the Accident and Emergency Unit of KATH last Monday. The donation was in fulfilment of a promise he made last year when he donated $150,000 as the yearly maintenance fees for a linear accelerator machine which is used for the treatment of cancer at the Oncology Department. I have visited the wards of the hospital, and KATH is in distress and needs help. I am going to be an Ambassador for KATH and tell the story and the needs of the hospital, he said. Mr Agyapong said the hospital did not attend to people from the Ashanti Region alone but people from far and near, including his region, the Central Region, and pledged to be an ambassador of the facility. He applauded the new KATH CEO for the initiative in reaching out to people to adopt and support the hospital and upgrade it to a standard to meet the status of a modern health facility. Interaction with patients The NPP aspiring flag bearer also used the opportunity to interact with the health workers and patients at the various units of the hospital. He visited the various wards, the Oncology unit and the Accident and Emergency units. He charged the management and the workers to take proper care of medical equipment to save lives and also ensure the health centre was clean to avoid infections. He pledged to change the fortunes of the facility when voted into power as the next President of Ghana. KATH CEO The Chief Executive Officer of KATH, Professor Otchere Addai-Mensah, appealed to the benefactor to mobilise individuals, the business community and corporate entities to adopt some of the wards for refurbishment to meet the standard of a modern health facility. He said though KATH served more than 10 regions in the country it lacked lots of quality medical equipment to deliver quality health care to patients. He was grateful to the MP for responding to the appeal of the hospital. MDAs owe Graphic GH14million - Managing Director Emmanuel Bonney & Yaa Kuffour Senyah Feb - 03 - 2023 , 06:54 Ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) owe the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) GH14 million, the Managing Director of the company, Ato Afful, has indicated. He said the GCGL had taken an initiative, on the instruction of its Board of Directors, to write to the Minister of Finance to enable the MDAs to defray their indebtedness to the state-owned autonomous media house. He said the company had been following up on the issue and expressed the hope that by the end of next month, we will get a better hand around that matter. We are working through the State Interests and Governance Authority and also the Ministry of Information to get a certain clarity on that, he added. PAC Mr Afful made the disclosure when the GCGL appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament in Accra yesterday as one of the agencies under the Ministry of Information. He was responding to a question from the Vice-Chairman of the PAC, Dr Samuel Atta Mills, on the status of MDAs indebtedness to the company. Mr Afful said the overdue receivable of the company was to the tune of GH24 million, with advertisements amounting to GH14.6 million and unpaid subscriptions (copies of newspaper sales) pegged at GH9.8 million. MDAs contribute significantly to the debt of the Daily Graphic; they contribute about 60 per cent of the newspaper receivables and also they owe the company for adverts placed, he added. Asked by Dr Atta Mills whether the receivables now were better than last year, Mr Afful answered: That position is much better because out of the efforts at reviewing our business, we had to tighten our credit policy and other systems at the backend of our business, including reinforcing our Finance directorate. Report He said the company was now able to report clearly in terms of where its revenue buckets were and the receivable positions on a day-to-day basis and a month-to-month basis. But one of the pleas I would make is that at the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) level, the debts are not moving that much, he said. Mr Afful said if the MMDAs were paying on a quarterly basis, based on how they received subventions or support, their indebtedness would be minimal. However, he said, the receivables had accrued over five to 10 years, and that anytime the assemblies were pursued to settle their indebtedness, they reacted by cutting subscriptions. Meanwhile, he said, the same bodies came back to the company for help to promote the work of government, saying: This is not helping us. Curiously, Mr Afful said, the cost of the companys production inputs had tripled over the last 18 months, as they were dollar-indexed. He, therefore, underscored the need for all institutions that owed the company to settle their indebtedness as the company continued to play the role of a Big Brother in the media industry. Textbooks The Managing Director also cited the governments textbook project, in which the GCGL took part as a printer and delivered the books ahead of schedule, saying the company was yet to be paid for work done. A member of the committee and Member of Parliament (MP) for Builsa South, Dr Clement Apaak, confirmed that publishers and printers had confirmed that the government was yet to pay them regarding the project that they undertook and urged the government to do the needful. In response to a question by the MP for Ningo-Prampram, Sam George, for the Daily Graphic to publish the frequencies of radio stations for public good, the MD said the company would consider that. Commenting on a suggestion from the Deputy Ranking Member, Davis Opoku Ansah, on the company leveraging subscriptions to shore up its revenue, the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said although subscriptions formed part of the revenue basket, it also formed part of the challenges that were being spoken about, in which some entities, particularly public ones, subscribed but did not pay. He said he had assisted the company to collect outstanding debts but the recovery rate had not been good because of obvious challenges. Mr Oppong Nkrumah said now it was better to cut down on the subscription and the cost associated with it than to incur debt. New Times Corporation Earlier, the Managing Director of the New Times Corporation, Martin Adu-Owusu, had, among other things, told the committee that for over 30 years the company had not been supported. We have never received support. Now we are taking our destiny into our hands, he said. But Mr Oppong Nkrumah said the ministry was looking at a number of options on how to get the corporation support to be a well-functioning and profitable entity. Yes, a number of options are being considered, he said. NGO settles 14-year-olds medical bills Daily Graphic Feb - 03 - 2023 , 09:32 A 14-year-old boy, (name withheld), who was detained at the Amasaman Government Hospital in the GA West Municipality following an illness, has finally been released following the payment of his bills by the Hands of Gold Foundation (HOGF). The foundation also donated an unspecified amount to his caretaker, Juliana Nyarko, for his upkeep. The Director of Finance and Logistics of HOGF, Rose Adjei Boateng, told journalists that it was gratifying that her outfit could come to the aid of the boy. She explained that the plight of the boy came to the foundation's attention when their Director of Administration visited the hospital for his check-up. Mrs Boateng said while at the hospital, the director overheard the nurses at the facility discussing the boys issue and decided to engage them. Engagement After the engagement, he felt touched by the boy's story and brought it to the attention of the management of HOGF and a decision was quickly taken to assist the poor boy. Mrs Boateng said the boy needed a lot more help to see him through school and entreated other well-meaning individuals and corporate Institutions to contact Hands of Gold Foundation if they wanted to give him some form of assistance. Recounting the incident, Mrs Nyarko said she met the boy almost unconscious in an area around Kutunse some time ago. Humanitarian On humanitarian grounds, she decided to offer him assistance by carrying him to the nearest hospital for care. She gathered later that the boy had lost his mother not long ago to HIV/AIDS and as a result, his father abandoned him and absconded with another woman. Mrs Nyarko said while on admission, the boy was also diagnosed of the disease. After weeks of medical attention and treatment, he was discharged about a week ago but was detained due to his inability to pay the bills. Mrs Nyarko thanked the foundation and encouraged them to extend this benevolence to other people who may genuinely need help. Hands of Gold Foundation is an Accra-based non governmental organisation that primarily focuses on the welfare of women, children and the vulnerable in society. Vice-President honours service person for dedication to Weija Leprosarium Timothy Gobah Feb - 03 - 2023 , 07:01 The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has honoured a female National Service person, Donna Elikplim Agbeshie, for her dedicated service to the Weija Leprosarium, where she did her service and took care of the cured lepers. Dr Bawumia, who is a life patron of the Cured Lepers Aid Committee, presented a citation of recognition to Ms Agbeshie at the commemoration of this years World Leprosy Day at the Weija Leprosarium in Accra. The commemoration was on the theme: United for Dignity. Ms Agbeshie, a product of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), was recommended by the President of the Lepers Aid Ghana, Rev. Father Andrew Campbell, under whose direct supervision she discharged her national service obligation. Adoption Ms Agbeshie was commended for the adoption of the habit of regularly visiting the wards to show compassion and take care of the lepers on admission. That show of compassion for the lepers at the leprosarium was admired by the Vice-President, who advised Ghanaians to stop discriminating against people living with leprosy but rather give them care and attention, adding that leprosy does not make one unintelligent. When lepers are given the chance, they will be able to exhibit their God-given talents, he stressed. National Service Scheme The Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Osei Assibey Antwi, was full of praise for Ms Agbeshie. He said many people would not want to be with lepers, but Ms Agbeshie braved the odds and accepted her posting to the leprosarium to offer her national service there, to the admiration of the authorities of the facility. He urged the youth to emulate the commendable attitude Ms Agbeshie had exhibited to help the needy and the vulnerable. He said the NSS would continue to monitor the activities of national service persons and appropriately recognise and honour those who excelled in their duties. Mr Antwi was at the Weija Leprosarium to join hands with the Vice-President and Father Campbell to commemorate this years World Leprosy Day. He advised national service persons deployed to every part of the country and future service persons not to see their posting as punishment but rather as an opportunity to give back to society whatever they might have received earlier from the State. For his part, Rev. Father Campbell praised Ms Agbeshie and highly commended her for how she had conducted herself throughout her service at the leprosarium. He said only a few people would do what Ms Agbeshie had done, and that the honour was well deserved. Ms Agbeshie, for her part, thanked the Vice-President and the NSS for recognising her selfless dedication to her obligations and honouring her. She said for her, it was only service to humanity that pushed her to offer the needed assistance to the cured lepers. She said she considered it a civic duty and responsibility, as a young Ghanaian graduate, to contribute her quota through this small way to show compassion and love to the needy who have found themselves in such a situation. On the commemoration of the day itself, Rev. Fr Campbell said stigmatisation still remained a challenge for cured lepers, in spite of continuous education. He underscored the need for people in society to embrace those affected by the disease and give them affection. Rev. Fr Campbell Rev. Fr Campbell noted that lepers had been cautioned against begging for alms on the streets, as the practice undermined efforts to make their lives better. He expressed gratitude to the government and especially the Vice-President for his contribution to the well-being of lepers. All cured lepers are placed on the governments social intervention programme called the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty. They also receive stipends from the District Assemblies Common Fund. The Vice-President made a cash donation of GH50,000 to the Lepers Aid Committee. He and his wife, Samira Bawumia, have, over the years, hosted a number of cured lepers at their residence. 2 Discharged, re-arrested over GPHA managers murder Benjamin Xornam Gloveri Politics Feb - 03 - 2023 , 08:28 Two suspects standing trial for the alleged murder of Josephine Asante, the deceased Marketing and Public Affairs Manager of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), have been discharged by the TDC District Court in Tema. They were, however, re-arrested shortly after the court proceedings last Thursday, by personnel of the Cold Case Unit set up under the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to assist in investigations. The two, the personal driver of the deceased, Amos Apeku, and her houseboy, Christian Adjei, were arrested in connection with the death of the former Marketing and Public Affairs Manager of GPHA four years ago. After years of court processes, the Attorney Generals Department advised that the two suspects be discharged in the four-year-old case. The advice was read in the court presided over by Benedicta Antwi. Recall Ms Asante was murdered on January 13, 2019, at her residence at EMEFS Estates near Afienya in the Greater Accra Region. The deceased 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 report said she was discovered dead the following morning after occupants of the house found the keys to her bedroom on the compound. It added, however, that the assailant(s) did not take any properties of the deceased. Subsequently, Apeku and Adjei were later hauled before the Tema TDC Magistrate Court for the death of the former Marketing and Public Affairs Manager of GPHA. The Criminal Division of the Accra High Court granted bail to Christian Adjei on July 31, 2019, in the sum of GH200,000 with two sureties, one of which must be justified. Apeku was also granted bail by the High Court in Accra. Ayariga petitions CHRAJ over alleged military killings in Bawku Getrude Ankah Nyavi Politics Feb - 03 - 2023 , 12:36 The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Bawku Central in the Upper East region, Mahama Ayariga, has petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate the alleged killing of 10 people by military men on an operation in the Bawku area. The incident happened this week. Mr Ayariga is demanding GH500,000 as compensation for the families of each person allegedly killed by the military. Compensation of GH500,000 for each and every one of those whose lives were taken to be paid to their immediate families as punitive damage," he stated in the petition to CHRAJ. In the petition dated Friday, February 3, 2023, Mr Ayariga indicated he was doing that in his capacity as the Member of Parliament for the area. He indicated his petition was under regulation 2(2) (a) and (b) of C.I. 67 pertaining to several acts of violation of the human rights of some residents of Bawku by members of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF). He said the GAF has violated the constitutional right to life of his constituents. Among the rights violated included the sacred right to life of 10 citizens of Bawku who were shot to death by members of the armed forces engaged in Operation Gongong in Bawku on Tuesday 31st January and Wednesday 1st February 2023. Childrens rights. Womens rights and property rights were violated." GAF response Meanwhile, the Ghana Armed Forces has stated that they engaged a group of armed men and neutralised six of them. The military in a statement on Thursday, February 2, 2023, said In a separate incident, sporadic firing was heard around Sabongari General Area. A Patrol Team dispatched to assess the situation spotted unknown armed men at Gozesi-Valley side in Sabongari wearing black T-shirts with Black Hoodies." Troops engaged them and neutralised six (6) armed men. During the engagement, some armed men took cover in a mud house within the immediate vicinity to engage the Team. The GAF said one of the armed men attempted to attack the troops with a cutlass but was disarmed in the process. During the operation, a local woman found with a gunshot injury on her left hand was sent to Bawku Presbyterian Hospital by troops for treatment, the army added. Ayariga's position Mr Ayariga in his petition to CHRAJ said, I reject the self-serving coverup account of the circumstances surrounding the brutal killings contained in the statement of the Ghana Armed Forces engaged in Operation Gongong and hereby call for an investigation by the CHRAJ so that eyewitnesses can give an accurate account of the brutality with which the military executed the killings." "The incidents occurred on the 1st of February 2023. An earlier killing of 2 persons in Patelmi in Bawku by members of the Ghana Armed Forces occurred on 26th of January 2023, he added. Below is a copy of the petition: Jefferson Sackey donates 3,000 books to Ablekuma Central Donald Ato Dapatem Politics Feb - 03 - 2023 , 12:53 The Deputy Director of Communications at the Office of the President, Jefferson Kwamina Sackey, has donated 3,000 exercise books to be distributed to school children in the Ablekuma Central Constituency in Accra. The move falls under the broad policy Education Support Programme, a scheme he has instituted to support children in the area, especially wards of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Polling Station Executives in the constituency. Speaking to the Daily Graphic after the presentation, Mr Sackey, noted that he had lived in the area for 30 years and cast his ballot in the constituency since he started voting and believed that parents must be supported in offering quality education to their wards. He said he has always believed that the children of the area were the very people who would grow to become leaders of the country, holding responsible positions in corporate entities and political appointments. He said it, therefore, behoves all to support in nurturing their ambitions. He said it was under that conviction that he had instituted the Education Support Programme to offer his widows might in meeting the parents halfway. I lived in new Russia as a child where I started primary education at Seven Great Princess Academy in Laterbiokorshie before being moved to Riss Memorial School in Dansoman. l see how parents suffer when school reopens and the tall list of books they have to buy, he told the Daily Graphic. Mr Sackey who started his journalism career at TV Africa as a reporter/news anchor and rose through hard work and professionalism to reporting for international networks like CNN, and Deutsche Welle Television among others assured that the support would not be a nine-day wonder. A resident of the area, Mr Robert Nsiah, told the Daily Graphic that he was not surprised at the show of generosity by Mr Sackey because during his days as a reporter, he used his skills as a journalist and the camera to bring to the attention of authorities, problems on the area, especially education facilities. Umicore has signed a long-term agreement with Finland-based Terrafame Ltd. for the supply of low-carbon, sustainable high-grade nickel sulfate. Following the successful completion of the qualification process, commercial deliveries have already started with further ramp-up of volumes to take place during 2023. Terraframe produces nickel and cobalt sulfates, which are used as battery chemicals. The company says that its nickel sulfate production capacity can fill the needs of around one million electric cars per year. In January, Terraframe signed a nickel sulfate supply agreement with Stellantis. (Earlier post.) A 2020 life-cycle analysis by Sphera Solutions GmbH, verified by Prof. Dr. Matthias Finkbeiner, Technical University of Berlin, found that the carbon footprint of Terrafames nickel sulfate is 1.75 kg CO 2 / kg NiSO 4 , compared to the industry average of 5.4 kg CO 2 / kg NiSO 4 (the latter figure based on a life-cycle assessment study conducted by the Nickel Institute, based on data collected from its members). The company says that its bioleaching method is the main factor behind the small carbon footprint; bioleaching uses microbes to extract metals from ore. Air is blown into stacks of ore and the stacks are irrigated with an acidic solution. The stacked ore is first leached in the primary heap for about 15 months. The ore is then reclaimed and conveyed onto a secondary heap for final leaching. With bioleaching, ore does not need to be crushed nor grinded as fine as in the traditional process, and high temperature metallurgical processes are not used in further processing. After bioleaching, precious metals from the leach solution are separated into solid form. The company precipitates the metals gradually into zinc, copper, nickel and cobalt sulfides, and further processes the nickel and cobalt sulfides into nickel and cobalt sulfates. With this partnership, Umicore and Terrafame reconfirm their strong commitment to establish a sustainable battery materials value chain in Europe. The European value chain will secure the high-quality European-origin battery materials which are fully aligned with the environmental and human rights principles outlined in Umicores Global Sustainable Sourcing Policy as well as Terrafames sustainability commitments in line with the leading global sustainability principles. The low carbon footprint of Terrafames processes was a critical consideration for Umicore in light of its ambition to decarbonize the battery materials value chain. High-quality nickel is a critical raw material for the production of cathode materials used in batteries for electric vehicles. Against a background of an accelerating transition to electromobility in Europe, this agreement for locally produced nickel sulfate allows the industry to meet the growing demand for cathode materials from its customers in the region. This agreement will cover a substantial part of the future nickel requirements of Umicores cathode materials plant in Poland. This plant, which started production mid-2022 and is fully powered by renewable electricity, is Europes first gigafactory for cathode materials. This agreement complements Umicores diverse long-term supply contracts for critical battery metalslithium, cobalt, nickeland follow long-term agreements for the sustainable supply of lithium. Event provides updates on programs with Genesis Alkali, Western UW President Ed Seidel chats with people at the "UW in Your Community" event at Western Wyoming Community College. The University of Wyoming is always looking for more ways to improve their partnerships with community colleges and businesses throughout the state, including Western Wyoming Community College and the trona industry, specifically through a partnership with Genesis Alkali. To share some of the success of the partnerships with Sweetwater County, representatives from the university hosted a "UW in Your Community" event at Western Monday night. At the event, Professor Patrick Johnson, the head of UW's Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, gave an update about the university's partnership with Genesis Alkali and the initial success of a new minor program that trains students to work in the trona industry. "We started a process control minor, and that came from inspiration from working with the trona industry in general and through a generous donation from Genesis Alkali to allow us to buy some lab equipment to train students on and start a process control simulator," Johnson explained. Process control is a crucial part of the trona industry which involves "the design of industrial control systems that oversee processing and manufacturing, while maintaining quality assurance and strict safety protocols," according to a press release UW released in 2019. "The demand for qualified process control employees outpaces the availability," the press release explained. "Typically, process control is an area in which Genesis Alkali prefers to hire experienced people, but because of the shortage, the company wants to take a different approach. It is donating $100,000 in seed funding to establish a minor in process control." The first courses for the new minor began in the fall of 2019, and last spring the university had the first students graduate from the program. "Students that have started going through it are getting job offers immediately," Johnson said. "It's high-demand. It's a good example of the partnership with the university and the industry and Sweetwater County. We responded to their need and we're able to offer something that was relevant to the industry." In addition to the new minor, the university has also started new programs to give students more practical experience and training. "We started a co-op program so students can be on jobs from January through August at industry sites and taking two classes online asynchronously to keep on track," Johnson explained. "So they can get practical experience while getting their degree." The idea for the co-op program was inspired by conversations Johnson had with Bruce Pivic in Rock Springs. Also during the "UW in Your Community" event, Western President Kim Dale and UW President Ed Seidel spoke about the partnerships between the university and the college, including the success of the new Wyoming Innovation Partnership (WIN), which is designed to provide an easier path for students to complete their education and hopes to address economic and workforce development. Dr. Dale said the college and university are always working together to create "seamless transfer opportunities" for students. President Seidel explained that WIN is "an attempt to align all of higher education in the state." He also mentioned that the university is working on 2+2 programs, which he said will help students "hit the ground running." Board of Trustees member Laura Schmid-Pizzato explained the 2+2 programs will allow students to study two years at a community college and two years at the university and will make transferring easier. Local students also spoke about their experiences at UW during the event, including Green River High School graduates Emily and Sarah Foerster and Rock Springs High School graduates Alison Jensen and Isabella Spicer. Before the event at Western, the representatives from UW held assemblies at Green River High School and Rock Springs High School. A local student is looking for community support in order to raise funds to buy a Diabetic Alert Dog. Elena Barrera is a teenager currently attending Green River High School. She was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes about four years ago. "I have always had the thought of having a service dog and I'm going to college next year and have decided to take the step," Barrera explained. Barrera will use a Wyoming breeder named Duty Dogs, located in Cody, for her dog. They have been breeding diabetic alert dogs for a while and have a song with Type One Diabetes. "They just had a set of puppies born on Christmas Day and will be working on training them very soon," Barrera explained. "Once they train the dogs and get to know their abilities I will be assigned a dog." The dog will be selected following a temperament test administered when the puppies are seven weeks old in February. The puppy will then begin training with Duty Dogs for about 18 to 24 months. The delivery time frame is flexible since Duty Dogs will determine when the dog is ready for placement based on its ability to recognize and alert to low blood sugar. The dog will be placed temporarily with Barrera for a week during the spring or summer of 2024 before final placement in the fall or winter of 2024. This will allow Barrera to experience life with a service dog and give feedback to Duty Dogs for final training. Barrera will also be able to travel to Cody to visit the dog while it is going through training. "With the service dog, it will make going to college much easier for me as I will feel more comfortable during nighttime highs and lows," Barrera said. Barrera is deaf and has cochlear implants that she removes at night, so she cannot hear blood sugar alarms if they go off. The dog will be able to alert her when her blood sugar is out of range. Photo courtesy of Elena Barrera Duty Dogs had a new litter of puppies born Christmas Day that will be trained to be Diabetic Alert Dogs. "The dog will be able to alert me all day but during the night will be the most important time," Barrera said. Barrera will have to make payments for the dog. The cost of the dog is $3,000 and the cost of training is $1,600 a month for 15 months, adding up to a total of $30,000 for the dog and the training. Barrera is looking for businesses and companies that are willing to help with fundraising and donations. Several local businesses have already been doing what they can to help Barrera get her dog. Red White Buffalo will be doing a fundraising event this Saturday, Feb. 4, and Stellar Coffee will be donating 10% of their sales and all tips received next Tuesday, Feb. 7. Those interested in helping out can contact Barrera at elenalillianmay@gmail.com. Simon Sanchez High School continues to get its sanitary permit renewed each year, despite the fact that the school hasnt been subject to a graded health inspection for years and is infested with rats, leaking, and covered in black mold. Sen. Chris Barnett, during a sit down between lawmakers and the Department of Public Health and Social Services on Friday, said administrators at Sanchez told him that the school has not been inspected since 2016. Barnett, chair of the legislative Committee on Education, toured the facility this week with Sen. Sabina Perez. Hes shared multiple photos online of rodents caught in traps, that were apparently purchased by school staff, flooding and mold growth. The school maintains a "C" rating. An initial inspection by Public Health is required for the issuance of a sanitary permit, said Chief Environmental Health Officer Tom Nadeau. But theres nothing in Guam law that requires an inspection before the sanitary permit goes up for renewal each year. Sanchez was the subject of several ungraded inspections, meant to help school officials understand what they needed to do to be in compliance with sanitary requirements. The law mandate us to do inspection four times a year of every facility, Nadeau said, upon questioning from Barnett. But it's not a secret that we are not able to meet that requirement. But we do triage. We prioritize based on the risk to the community, so those that are high risk, like the young, the elderly and the sick. Nadeau said that an inspection of Sanchez would be forthcoming, but he could not provide senators a date as inspections were not done on advance notice. If permits were being issued without inspections, Barnett said, in my estimation, its not really worth the paper its printed on. Sen. Tom Fisher continued with the line of questioning. Just to reiterate what Sen. Barnett said, there is no real reason why the public at large should rely on a sanitary permit? Fisher said, adding that the permits were meant to indicate that a facility was safe and clean. Nadeau replied that the first issuance of a sanitary permit showed a facility had met Public Healths requirements, but the renewal is just a continuation of that. Sen. Roy Quinata said he was an alumni of Simon Sanchez, but after seeing the state of the school, would not want to go there. I think it's a ridiculous government excuse my language screw up. It continues to be nonsense after nonsense. And again, we shut down the school in 2014, And it seems like that's the bottom line. We just need to shut it down to get it fixed, he said. Even if a school fails an inspection, by getting a D or lower, the failure is not enforceable until 2024, per Public Health regulations, Nadeau said. Speaker Therese Terlaje, chair of the Committee on Health, said that the Division of Environmental Health had brought up numerous times their staffing issues, and had been attempting to correct them by increasing fees and hiring more personnel. Nadeau added that principals at all Guam Department of Education schools had been trained multiple times about health code violations. "If GDOE schools, or an eating facility wishes to shut down because they have deficiency problems, operational problems, that question the safety of the community, they have the option to shut down. It doesn't require Public Health to tell them that they have a problem," he said. Barnett in a release said he has written acting Guam DOE Superintendent Judith Won Pat about conditions at the school. The search for a missing diver continued Friday with no new leads, as local and federal agencies combed the area where the man was last seen in Agana Bay. The U.S. Coast Guard Command Center received a call on Thursday morning from a colleague of the 35-year-old man, reporting him missing. The divers were doing contract commercial diving to support telecommunications. A joint incident command post has been set up by the Navy and Guam Fire Department, Coast Guard and Guam Police Department at The Cove event space to search outside and inside the reef line where the diver was last known to be. Our units have continued to search since 6:30 a.m., said Capt. Kevin Reilly, GFD public information officer. While he could not give a probability of survival, Reilly said the man was a technical diver and very experienced, which increases the chance that he is alive. Two Coast Guard vessels are patrolling the waters and a helicopter from the Navy Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 is searching from the sky. We will continue throughout the nighttime and provide 24-hour coverage at the incident command center doing shoreline searches as well as having the Coast Guard assets throughout the night, said Reilly. He said they are also dropping datum marker buoys along the bay. They track the water current and relay data to the U.S. Coast Guard Command Center, and they relay that information to us so we can create a better search pattern, said Reilly. Anyone with information on the shore should call 911. Vessels with information should call the U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam Joint Rescue Sub-Center at 671-355-4824. The diver was last reported wearing a black wetsuit with orange fins, a rebreather and a spare oxygen tank. Although the waters of Guam are very inviting, Reilly said they are also very deceiving and currents, tides, wind, waves and regular swells can change very quickly. To stay safe when swimming or boating, it is important to know your limitations and go with someone else. Resources to check before getting in the water are the National Weather Service on Guam and Civil Defense surf and small craft advisory memos. If in doubt, dont go out, he said. The construction of the new Ukudu power plant will require a total of 25 "major heavy hauls" on Marine Corps Drive, according to Doosan Ukudu Power, which this week provided more details about how the first of 12 loads already at the port will be moved. Twelve 70-foot-long bundles of generator parts arrived at the port from South Korea on Nov. 3 and have been stored atop concrete pillars at the port until contractors got permission to move them. The loads some of which weigh nearly 200 tons are the disassembled sections of the power plants heat recovery steam generator. The first transport will start at about 4 p.m. Saturday. The road to the port, Route 11, will be entirely closed to other traffic for about two hours until the self-propelled modular transport reaches Marine Corps Drive. Moving at 1 mph, the transport will be on Marine Corps Drive from about 6 p.m. until 6 a.m, when it will turn onto the access road to Two Lovers Point. Although the transport will use the northbound lanes, southbound traffic also will be stopped for several minutes, at a time according to Doosan, when the transport crosses into the southbound lanes to avoid hitting traffic signal arms and when the transport crosses bridges and culverts. All traffic also will be stopped between Calvary Chapel, in Asan, and the Adelup intersection, until the transport moves past the intersection, according to Doosan. The traffic plan calls for one northbound lane to remain open to traffic, except when traffic is temporarily stopped at major intersections, bridges and culverts and near Adelup. Guam police officers will direct traffic and stop all vehicles 250 feet ahead of and behind the transport when it crosses bridges and culverts, the company stated. Doosan published a schedule of alternate routes on its web site poweronthemove.org and also plans to post live tracking information on its site so motorists can confirm the transports location and plan their trips. The Department of Public Works recommended that motorists avoid Marine Corps Drive during the transport. The (self-propelled modular transport) for the most part will travel down the center of Route 1 until raised medians are encountered, according to Doosan. The SPMT will maneuver around infrastructure when it can be avoided and will place steel plates where we cannot avoid crossing over it. Crews with the Guam Power Authority and telecom company Docomo Pacific will be part of the transport convoy, according to Doosan, so GPA can turn off the power and adjust power lines as needed. Although Docomo already has raised its cables along the route, Docomo crews will be there to address any issues, if needed, according to Doosan. All other utilities have confirmed their lines have been raised to ensure safe passage, Doosan stated. GPA in 2019 signed a contract with a consortium formed by Korea Electric Power Corporation and Korea East-West Power Company that will finance, build and operate the new 198-megawatt power plant and sell the electricity to GPA. The fuel-efficient plant is scheduled to start operating next year, significantly reducing the amount of fuel needed to generate power for the island and lowering power bills for GPA customers. Although GPA has stated the plant could start operating by early 2024, Doosan this week stated it will start operating in October 2024. The last of the 12 loads currently at the port is scheduled to be moved by March 6, according to Doosan, which stated 13 more large power plant parts are scheduled to arrive during the next few months. Two gas turbines and two gas turbine generators are scheduled to arrive next Tuesday, according to Doosan, and the other nine parts will arrive between late March and late April. A man napping in his vehicle was allegedly beaten awake by a man wearing brass knuckles who robbed him and stole his car, according to a magistrates complaint filed Friday in Superior Court. The suspect in the case was previously charged in a 2020 attack at a cemetery that sent another man to the hospital after he was beaten unconscious. Jordan Michael Babauta, 31, is charged with armed carjacking as a first-degree felony, second-degree robbery and theft of a motor vehicle as second-degree felonies and aggravated assault as a third-degree felony. The carjacking and robbery charges include a special allegation of use of a deadly weapon brass knuckles in the commission of a felony. Police were called to Toto, where a man told them he was beaten and his 2021 Toyota Corolla was stolen by Babauta last week. He said he was playing darts with his brother at a friends house, and while the others were socializing, he fell asleep in his vehicle. He awoke to a strike to his face, followed by more punches to his face and head. He told police he was hit at least 10 times, and when the beating stopped, he looked over and recognized Babauta, according to the complaint. Babauta ordered the man to hand over his necklace, and the man complied. The man escaped from the car and fled to a nearby residence, where he saw (Babauta) enter the driver seat of his Corolla, start the ignition and leave. Police noted bruising to the mans eye, swelling on his forehead and a cut on his lip, according to the complaint. When interviewed by police, Babauta said he knew the man, but denied seeing (him) in a long time, the complaint stated. The complaint did not indicate whether the vehicle had been recovered. Babauta was arrested and charged in the 2020 case in November 2022. That case involved a man who had been napping in his vehicle after visiting his mothers grave, according to court documents. A gray Scion with two men pulled up next to him, and the driver of the Scion asked him for a cigarette. As he reached for a cigarette, the passenger got out of the Scion and quickly approached him. The man told police he was knocked out, and while in and out of consciousness was kicked and punched multiple times while on the ground, according to the complaint. The man later picked Babautas photo out of a lineup, according to documents in that case. According to documents provided Friday by the Office of the Attorney General, Babauta has prior convictions for theft, drugs, robbery and criminal mischief. In addition to the cemetery robbery case, he has another pending case for motor vehicle theft. He faces up to 85 years in prison if convicted in the case filed Friday. Published on 2023/02/03 | Source New stills and behind the scenes images added for the Korean drama "Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist - Season 2" (2022). Advertisement Directed by Kang Hee-ju, Park Won-gook Written by Choi Min-ho-II, Lee Bom-I, Park Seul-gi-I Network: tvN With Kim Min-jae-I, Kim Hyang-gi, Kim Sang-kyung, Ahn Chang-hwan, Jeon Guk-hyang, Yeon Bo-ra,... 10 episodes - Wed, Thu 22:30 Synopsis Adapted from a novel and follow-up to "Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist" Yoo Se-poong, a well-known physician of the medical center, was kicked out after being involved in a royal conspiracy. He turns into a true physician from the heart after meeting Gye Ji-han and Seo Eun-woo. Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2023/01/11 In this round of applications, there is EUR 277 million in EU funding available for high capacity backbone networks and for 5G infrastructure for transport routes and local public services. Finnish operators apply for a total of EUR 61.5 million in funding from the European Commission under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for five communications projects. On 2 February 2023, the Ministerial Finance Committee endorsed the applications. In the current call for applications, funding will be provided, in particular, for the strengthening of the core network connections and for the deployment of the quantum communications infrastructure. Five projects apply for funding to improve connections 1. The Far North Fiber Europe 1 project seeks funding of EUR 56.8 million for seabed surveys and for the planning and construction of the submarine cable system in the Northwest Passage. The objective of the project coordinated by Cinia Ltd is to significantly improve the hull network connections between Europe, North America and the Far East. 2. A secure 5G infrastructure for next generation wireless, wearable AR/VR-based healthcare solutions the project seeks EUR 1.55 million in funding for 5G solutions. In a joint project coordinated by Edzcom Oy, the University of Oulu, the Oulu University Hospital and private operators strive to promote the introduction of AR and VR technology in health care by constructing a safe 5G infrastructure. 3. Elisa Backbone applies for funding of EUR 2.99 million for a core network project aimed at expanding the optical fibre network in northeast Lapland. The project coordinated by Elisa Corporation aims to implement several interfaces for cross-border connections between Finland and Norway. 4. Baltic Ring applies for funding of EUR 50,000. The aim of the project coordinated by the Swedish Arelion Sweden AB is to use the existing optical fibres to establish a backbone network connection linking Sweden and Finland with a new route to the rest of Europe via the Baltic States. The application concerns the contribution of the Finnish subsidiary Telia Carrier Finland Ltd to the project. 5. Project2 seeks funding of EUR 148,150 for the construction of the backbone network connection between Turku and Stockholm. A project coordinated by the Swedish Global Connect AB would promote the access of households and businesses to high-speed connections through terrestrial and submarine cables. The application concerns the contribution of the Finnish subsidiary GlobalConnect Oy to the project. Whats next? The European Commissions call for funding applications will end on 21 March 2023. However, for quantum information technology projects the deadline for applications will be on 13 April 2023. Since the applications require a national statement of support, the Ministerial Finance Committee must approve them before they can be submitted to the Commission. According to an indicative timeline released by the Commission, decisions on the granting of funding will be made at the end of 2023. The Commission is expected to open the next call for applications for communications projects in spring or summer. HT Source: Ministry of Transport and Communications South Africa: Police officer in court for corruption A 32-year-old police sergeant will on Friday appear before the Temba Magistrates Court, in Tshwane, facing charges of corruption and extortion. The police sergeant was arrested on Thursday at the Temba Police Station by the Hawks' Serious Corruption Investigation assisted by Counter Intelligence Investigation. Hawks spokesperson, Colonel Katlego Mogale, said the sergeant, attached to the Temba detectives, allegedly solicited R4000 gratification from relatives of two female suspects who had been arrested for shoplifting. Information was received by the team who operationalised it. During the disruptive operation, the suspect was handed over R3000 and arrested but in his possession, the team found R2900, and the balance was found on another member, said Mogale. The investigation is continuing and more arrests are imminent, she said. Meanwhile, North West South African Police Service (SAPS) Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, on Thursday welcomed the arrest of Sergeants Orapeleng Sekane and Pogiso Chacha for corruption. The two, both aged 42, who work as court orderlies at the Wolmaransstad Magistrates' Court, were arrested by the Provincial Anti-Corruption Investigation Unit (ACIU) on Tuesday. North West SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said: The pair reportedly solicited R1000 from a malicious damage to property accused on condition that they destroy the docket, which was registered in August 2021. A notice to appear was eventually issued against the man after he failed to appear in court. It was upon confrontation by one of the man's relatives on Monday, 30 January 2023, that the police officers decided to pay back the money. The matter was reported to the police and that culminated in the arrest of the pair during an undercover operation, he said. Consequent to their appearance before the local Magistrates' Court, the accused, who are also subjected to departmental investigations in terms of the South African Police Service (SAPS) Discipline Regulations, were each granted R500 bail. They are expected to make a second court appearance on 3 March 2023. The Provincial Commissioner applauded the ACIU members for their swift response and reiterated that employees who lack integrity and dent the image of the service will not be tolerated. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2023-02-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Chinese foreign trade enterprises go all out to expand overseas market 11:09, February 03, 2023 By Luo Shanshan ( People's Daily China's annual foreign trade value topped 40 trillion yuan (about $5.94 trillion) for the first time in 2022, and the country maintained the world's largest trading nation in goods for six consecutive years. As the new year has arrived, foreign trade enterprises are going all out to embrace the overseas market. Photo taken on Jan. 28, 2023 shows a busy scene at a container terminal in Haikou, south China's Hainan province. (People's Daily Online/Yang He) At the Zhoushan port in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang province, containers were unloaded from two 200,000-ton vessels by 45 bridge cranes and 122 gantry cranes. Such a busy scene at the port was a result of the diligent work of foreign trade enterprises, including Bianfeng Machinery Group based in Jiashan county, Zhejiang province. "Our new orders have been scheduled to March and April. It's a bumper year for foreign trade companies," said Wang Shengshuang, chairman of board of the company. According to Wang, the company plans to join over 10 international exhibitions this year and will invite its foreign clients to have investigation tours to the company. "Meeting clients is meeting opportunities," the man said. This year, multiple provinces, including Jiangsu, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Sichuan, have sent business delegations overseas and invited foreign merchants to China. They have also launched a series of measures to better facilitate the trade sector, which enhanced foreign trade enterprises' confidence in expanding market. "Before the Chinese New Year, we had already stocked up our overseas warehouses, so that commodities could be immediately shipped to foreign consumers," said Zeng Qiuping, who runs an appliance company in Shunde district, Foshan, south China's Guangdong province. Workers manufacture electric wheelchairs to be exported to the U.S. and other countries in a workshop of a company in Fengcheng, east China's Jiangxi province, Jan. 31, 2023. (People's Daily Online/Zhou Liang) Though workers were on vacation during the Chinese New Year, the company's foreign trade business was not suspended, Zeng told People's Daily. Compared with the traditional make-to-order strategy, cross-border e-commerce directly faces consumers and production can be scheduled in advance based on previous sales data. Zeng said the overseas warehouses of his company make logistics more efficient and thus improve consumers' experience. "The export volume of our capsule coffee machines is expected to rise by over 25 percent this year," the man noted. Because of its advantages, such as online transaction and short transaction chain, cross-border e-commerce is favored by foreign enterprises. New business forms of foreign trade services emerged, including overseas warehouses, constantly improving the quality and efficiency of China's foreign trade sector. On Jan. 2, 2023, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement took effect in Indonesia. Obtaining the RCEP certificate of origin, a food additive company based in Nantong, east China's Jiangsu province, enjoyed a tariff reduction of around 42,000 yuan ($6,245) for a batch of aspartame it exported to the Southeast Asian country, which was worth $117,800. Solar panels are being produced by robotic arms in a workshop of Ronma, a photovoltaic product manufacturer in Dongying, east China's Shandong province, Jan. 6, 2023. (People's Daily Online/Zhou Guangxue) "This policy just boosted our confidence," said Yu Haifeng, manager of the commerce department of the company. According to him, Indonesia is the company's regular market. Before the RCEP agreement took effect, the Chinese food additive manufacturer had to pay tariffs at a rate of 5 percent for its exports to Indonesia, and now the tariff stands at zero, Yu said. In the past year since the world's largest trade deal came into force, China has further strengthened its cooperation on trade and investment with other RCEP members. Last year, China's foreign trade with the other 14 RCEP economies grew by 7.5 percent on a yearly basis to 12.95 trillion yuan ($1.93 trillion), accounting for 30.8 percent of the country's total exports and imports. So far, China has signed 19 free trade agreements with 26 countries and regions, with partners covering Asia, Oceania, Latin America, Europe, and Africa. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Du Mingming) TOGA Group, Atlassian and Dexus have joined forces with not-for-profit organisation My Foundations Youth Housing (MFYH) to launch The Central Project, providing those in need with temporary accommodation. The building known as The Central Project has been made available as an interim housing solution while Development Approval (DA) is being assessed for TOGAs development. Previously operating as the TFE Hotels Adina Apartment Hotel Sydney Central, The Central Project has the capacity to house up to 50 people while they transition to more permanent accommodation. The Central Project is located next to Central Station and alongside Atlassians new Sydney headquarters, Atlassian Central, currently under construction and the three buildings that will comprise Central Place Sydney. TOGA, Atlassian Central and Central Place Sydney will bookend the northern end of Sydneys new technology and innovation precinct. TOGA Group Managing Director, Allan Vidor, said this maximises a unique opportunity to collaborate with Atlassian, Dexus and MFYH to make the most of a fully equipped, apartment hotel that is available for affordable housing. Through this initiative were able to provide 3-4 floors of secure and affordable apartments and make a real difference to the lives of young people and refugees. These homes will act as a much needed stop-gap while residents are finding their feet, helped by the team at MFYH and Settlement Services International, Mr Vidor said. Ric Wang, Global Head of Real Estate & Design, Atlassian said the company was proud of the partnership with TOGA Group and Dexus, and thrilled to be working with My Foundations Youth Housing. Since the early days of Atlassian, giving back has been part of our DNA. We see this as a unique opportunity to use an otherwise unoccupied property to make a difference for those in need, having people benefit from the space, Mr Wang said. Peter Morley, Dexus Project Director Atlassian Central, said the initiative was a product of strong collaboration and innovative thinking. Our partnership with Atlassian, My Foundations Youth Housing and TOGA Group to support at-risk youth and refugees in need of accommodation demonstrates the positive social impact organisations can have when they think outside the box, he said. Rebecca Mullins, CEO, MFYH, said the project showcases the impact of collaboration between corporate partners and charitable bodies. MFYH believes all young people should have a safe, supportive and affordable home, and this project offers accommodation smack bang in central Sydney for people in need, with transport connections and job opportunities on their doorstep, Ms Mullins said. MFYH has a history of partnering with TOGA Group, co-launching the Addison Project in 2014, which provided temporary accommodation to 850 young people over four years. The Central Project includes an anchoring retail space where Thread Together will open a shop to provide clothing for the occupants and others referred from social agencies. Anthony Chesler, CEO of Thread Together said the pop-up marketplace provided new clothing on a take what you need basis. By collaborating with retailers and department stores they are able to provide brand-new clothing to thousands of individuals and families every week, and simultaneously save unsold clothing from being disposed of in landfill sites. Having access to the right clothing plays a critical role in helping restore dignity and empowering people to realise their full potential, and we are delighted to provide our services to a new cohort as part of this innovative project in central Sydney, Mr Chesler said. About TFE Hotels TFE Hotels (TOGA Far East Hotels) is Australia's International Hotel Group - headquartered in Sydney and operating in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Austria, Singapore and opening in Switzerland in 2023. TFE has a portfolio of seven hotel brands - A by Adina, Adina Hotels, Vibe Hotels, Quincy Hotels, Travelodge Hotels, Rendezvous Hotels and Collection by TFE Hotels which includes The Calile Hotel, The Hotel Britomart, Hotel Kurrajong and The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins, with more in the development pipeline. TFE Hotels acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands we conduct business upon and pays our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We respect the Country itself, including its trees, animals, spirits, waters, skies, stars, and special sites. Jodi Clark TFE Hotels (Public Relations and Communications) +61 2 9356 1048 TFE Hotels Wait! Before you go Please sign up for our Evening Digest and Breaking Newsletters Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Subscribers to Register-Star or The Daily Mail are eligible to receive full access to HudsonValley360. If you have an existing print subscription, please make sure your email address on file matches your HudsonValley360 account email. Indie Spotlight: Angela Benson, CEO/Artist Manager at Vitae Records Angela V. Benson is a business entrepreneur, artist manager, and a Professional member of the Recording Academy. Born and raised in Chicago, she is most widely recognized for her work with GRAMMY nominated recording artist Matt B. from A2IM Tell us about how you got your start in the music industry, and how it lead to the work you do today. I had a nontraditional start to the music business. I graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2012 with intentions to pursue a career in the medical field. However, throughout my life, I always was connected to music in some way. From singing in the church choir as a young child to teaching myself piano, music was always a part of my life. It was the passion that I never thought I would be able to pursue because my mother was very strict when I was young. Like most moms, she wanted my older brother and I to have careers in something more stable than music. So it never was something I thought I could do. In the summer of 2009, I met Matt B by random happenstance at Millenium Park in Chicago. And from that day forward, my life forever changed. He had just recently went solo from being in a trio singing group with his brothers, and he asked me if I would be willing to help him in his journey. I had literally no idea how to do it, but I really loved his music and what he had been working on. So I agreed, and I began helping him with little things here and there like updating his website, editing photos, creating flyers, and burning CDs for his mixtapes. We would go on the Southside of Chicago and pass out these CDs and flyers to anyone who would listen or be willing to give us a chance. Eventually that work lead to developing Matts sound and brand as an artist, which was certainly challenging and took many years to perfect. I also started outreach in the city to book shows and appearances for Matt. Even though I didnt truly know how to do the job, I just trusted my gut and instincts. Little did I know that this would be my first baby steps of becoming an artist manager and label owner. Follow your heart and trust your own instincts, because that energy is usually right. Angela Benson, CEO of Vitae Records By 2014, we had managed to secure an international distribution deal with a Tokyo-based label named StarBase Records. In an effort to help Matt maintain his power of creativity over his music and brand, we founded Vitae Records together and signed him to our own label. I also became his official manager. We partnered with StarBase Records to distribute Matts Japan-exclusive album LOVE & WAR, which instantly hit #1 on iTunes R&B in September 2014. At that moment, I knew we were onto something and had to keep up the momentum. That one moment eventually led to international success across all of Asia, and allowed us to eventually start expanding Matts footprint to other regions of the world. Since the US has always been a notoriously hard market to crack, we always tried working it backwards so to speak and taking advantage of the international markets first. That idea eventually led us to tackling the African market in 2021 with Matts internationally-acclaimed record Gimme Love featuring Ugandan star Eddy Kenzo. This led to our GRAMMY nomination. It has been such a crazy journey. From initially following a different path toward medical school to landing in my passion field of music has been nothing short of a dream. I pray that my story is inspiring and shows that you can do anything that you set your mind to. With no formal training as a manager or label owner, I prayed, trusted my instincts, and stayed consistent. And by Gods grace, the many years of hard work and effort planting seeds of success are finally beginning to bear fruit. Is there a success story or career milestone that you are most proud of? Im grateful for every milestone that I have accomplished. However, I am most proud of this years GRAMMY nomination. For years, so many people had told me it was impossible to achieve something like a GRAMMY this early in Matts career. Many laughed and said many discouraging words. But theres power in prayer, faith, and determination. When you know that you have something special, theres a fire that lights up inside of you. That fire fuels you to push past all of the noise and simply get the work done. When Matt recorded Gimme Love with Kenzo, I instantly felt in my heart that it was a hit. However, despite sharing it with many of my industry colleagues in the very beginning, I soon found out that the feelings were not mutual across the board. I didnt receive much interest when looking for people to help me support the record and its rollout, but I remained confident in my teams abilities. I knew that with consistency and a lot of hard work, the impossible was surely possible. And now here we are today, with a GRAMMY nomination and over 20+ awards for the single. God truly rewards those who remain faithful and stay the course. Are there any projects youre working on or company updates that youre most excited about? We are working on a lot of exciting things for 2023! Im really excited about Matts upcoming African-inspired EP. Im also really looking forward to touring this year, and also onboarding an artist or two very soon. Outside of your work in music, do you have any other hobbies/ particular areas of expertise/interest etc.? I still love to play the piano in my spare time. I also really love to read and paint. Anything that allows me an artistic escape brings me peace. Anything else to add? To all those who are just starting out and looking to pursue a career in artist management, start their own label, or some other area of the music business, I encourage you to keep going. Follow your heart and trust your own instincts, because that energy is usually right. The journey is long and arduous, but it will 100% be worth it. It is very fulfilling to wake up everyday and do a job that I truly love, and I wish the same blessing for anyone in pursuit of their dreams. Share on: MCLA Green Living Seminar Presents 'Doughnut Economics' NORTH ADAMS, Mass. Della Duncan, economist, Host of the "Upstream Podcast," and Co-Founder of the California Doughnut Economics Coalition, will give a talk titled "Doughnut Economics" at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at the MCLA Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation, Room 121. The presenter will attend via zoom. As part of MCLA's Green Living Seminar series, this event is free and open to the public. About Della Duncan According to a press release, Della Z Duncan is an economist who offers consulting to organizations contributing to equitable and sustainable economic systems change, facilitates inspiring "Work that Reconnects" retreats, and hosts the "Upstream Podcast" which covers mainstream economic thinking through documentaries and conversations. Duncan is also a Senior Atlantic Fellow of Social and Economic Equity at the International Inequalities Institute in the London School of Economics, the Course Development Manager of Fritjof Capra's Capra Course on the Systems View of Life, a Gross National Happiness Master Trainer, a founding member of the California Doughnut Economics Coalition (CalDEC), and a Senior Lecturer at the California Institute of Integral Studies, Santa Cruz Permaculture, Vital Cycles Permaculture, and Gaia Education. She holds an MA in Economics for Transition with Distinction from Schumacher College, a BA in International Relations and Sociology with highest honors from the University of California, Davis, a graduate certificate in Authentic Leadership from Naropa University, and has completed Joanna Macy's Work that Reconnects Intensive Program. MCLA's annual Green Living Seminar Series continues through April 19, presenting a series of lectures on the theme of "Capitalism and the Environment." Every semester, the Green Living Seminar Series centers around a different topic, timely and relevant to current sustainability issues. Seminars take place on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. Grant recipients and sponsors pose for pictures on Wednesday. Berkshire Black Economic Council Announces Grant Recipients The first Leaders for Equitable Pittsfield grant recipients range from an ice cream owner to a skin care products entrepreneur to a sewing collaborative for immigrants. Here they are with BBEC director A.J. Enchill, left, and board member Auric Enchill. PITTSFIELD, Mass. The Berkshire Black Economic Council made its first grant awards to six organizations on Wednesday evening. The Leaders for Equitable Pittsfield recipients are Maggie Sadoway Immigrant Co-op leader Maria Arias, Gustitos Boricuas/La Cocineras Latinas owner Miriam Orengo, Grice Beauty owner Ranish Grice, Guelce Marketing Collaborative owner Jocelyn Guelce, Cravins Ice Cream owner Ludwig Jean-Louis, and Berkshire International Market owner Goundo Behanzin. Each business stood out amongst 16 applicants and received approximately $4,000. Grice, who launched a luxury line of skin care products, said the economic council helps businesses visualize what their future looks like and provides entrepreneurs with a support system. "I don't want to get into business and struggle because I didn't get in business to struggle," she said. "So it's good to have somebody like [BBEC Executive Director A.J. Enchill and BBEC board member Auric Enchill] and having our back and really showing passion and being there for us." "It was hard to fill out this application and that push that AJ gave me is what I needed to get to the next step, to see what it is that we're going to need to set me up, to get me out there ready for the future." Ice cream shop owner Jean-Louis agreed with this sentiment, adding that it is not easy to leave your comfort zone but the support the BBEC gives them a "solid moral boost." And Orengo thanked BBEC through a translator because, she said, it is really important to support the Latino community, especially when it comes to uplifting women, and that she is attempting to set an example. These unsuspecting entrepreneurs had attended the event under the guise that they were coming in for an interview. Representatives from Boston Federal Reserve Bank's Leaders for Equitable Local Economies program and BBEC sponsors gathered in a dark room excitedly waiting to surprise them. As the lights flicked, on the room erupted in cheers and shouted congratulations at the surprised business owners. "At the end of the day, we're just really proud of the entrepreneurs doing, as I mentioned during the presentation, really impactful work," A.J. Enchill said. "It's these small businesses that drive this city forward and we're just happy to be on the other end, funding them and making sure that they have the capital to get the job done at the end of the day." The funding that BBEC receives from the Leaders for Equitable Local Economies program helps to build up entrepreneurs and make Pittsfield a more diverse and robust local economy, he said. "We're grateful for this opportunity. And we hope to be able to continue our grantmaking efforts for the city for the city of Pittsfield and beyond," Enchill said. Supporting local leadership is important to smaller cities, especially younger leaders, and representative leadership, said Boston Federal Reserve Bank co-lead Ines Palmarin. One thing that is important to consider when looking at this is that the people trying to make a difference get paid for their time, she said. They don't have all the answers at the bank but they know these community leaders are the experts of their own community. "We're trying to figure out how we can help and be resourceful and be a true partner in this work. And what I love about Auric and A.J. is that they're so fast, lean into learning, and what it takes to be in the space of trying something new," she said. "This is an 18-month pilot, we're into a year. I can tell you I've been in economic development for 20 years. You guys in one year, the impact that you're having in your community is incredible." The grant stemmed from the idea of looking into the city's history and determining if there was a gap between Black, indigenous, and people of color communities and the community at large, Enchill said. During this research, they did not have to look very far to confirm their suspicions that this gap indeed existed, he said, and this grant is to help entrepreneurs and increase local supplier diversity efforts to make Pittsfield all that it can be. They developed an application using a ranking system and a table that predicted desired answers from applicants so they knew what they were looking for. "It is a small community here in Pittsfield. It's a small community and we don't want to get into the weeds of that, but we want to be able to make sure that we're being fair with how we're grading the scores are the applications that are coming our way," Enchill said. "And so that was implemented and we're hoping that the city of Pittsfield does the same with that." In addition to this grant, the council will also be developing another grant to recruit new businesses downtown. "As many of you all know, the pandemic was not easy on a local economy by no means and so as a result, we lost a few businesses in our downtown. But now we're able to use the information that we learned through this grant to develop another grant to recruit new businesses into these vacant storefronts," Enchill said. "With the funds from this next opportunity, applicants can fit out the space to make that space turnkey and also have flexible capital to then negotiate with the landlord to make the necessary improvements for that specific entrepreneur." Adams OKs Final $2.3M Borrowing for Wastewater Treatment Plant ADAMS, Mass. The Board of Selectmen has approved the final loan notes and other conditions for borrowing for the wastewater treatment plant project. The board's vote authorizes Treasurer/Collector Kelly Rice to work with bond counsel to issue loan documents. The loan is from the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust, which the board approved $5.49 million of borrowing from for the project in November last year. Town Administrator Jay Green said another vote was necessary for borrowing the remaining funds. Town meeting gave the OK to the $5.49 million for the plant in 2021 and approved the additional funds in November. "You approved the same type of document for that first batch of money. We're now being asked to do this again for that second batch of money at $2.3 million," Green said. "That will bring us to a full borrowing amount of $7.4 million that we have to use to pay the contractor for the $7.4 million worth of work," he said. The plant was built in 1968 and received a partial upgrade in 2006. Construction is already ongoing, as the project went out to bid last year. Green explained that the debt service for the borrowing will not be the entire $7.4 million. "I don't have that exact number for you tonight because the Clean Water trust needs to apply all of that loan forgiveness. And then the final amount that's calculated is the amount that the town will owe back to Clean Water Trust," he said. In other business: The Zerbini Family Circus, a circus that travels around the country, is coming to Adams from July 14 to 16 with several shows at Bowe Field. Joe Martin came before the board the inform them of the circus' arrival. He noted Berkshire County hosted the fair before, setting up in Dalton with help from the Dalton Lions Club. "We already have permission from the fairgrounds. We met with all the departments for Adams," he said. "There is no exotic animals in the circus. There's dogs and cats and donkeys and ponies. No lions, no tigers, no bears." The board also approved the facility use request for the Adams Street Fair and accompanying parade on June 24 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Martin attended on behalf of the fair as its committee chair. The board approved a 5 percent cost of living adjustment, a request by the Adams Retirement Board. Bill Flynn, the administrator for the retirement board, said special state legislation allows retirement boards to request a one-time 5 percent increase rather than the usual limit of 3 percent. "We, by statute, can only go to 3 percent. This was a special act of Legislature just to allow us to go up to 5," Flynn said. He noted that this will likely not affect the town budget, and if it did it would not be for several years. The board approved the ratification of Curtis Crane as a sergeant for the Adams Police Department. Crane is a lifelong Adams resident and is the handler for Kumar, the town's K9. "With Kumar's leadership, Curt has been involved in numerous drug seizures, evidence recoveries and tracking vulnerable persons, whether they be injured or missing," said Police Chief K. Scott Kelley. "I am extremely proud of Kurt's growth and his accomplishments. I see that he works every day to the best husband, father and police officer that he can, in that order. His dedication to the town shows, and I would be honored to have him as a sergeant." After numerous delays , the board approved the innholder license for the Mount Royal Inn. Board Vice Chair Christine Hoyt said Building Commissioner Gerald Garner, who could not attend the meeting, did complete his final inspection. The board approved the appointment of Barbara Ziemba to the Council on Aging. The COA Advisory Board voted to appoint Ziemba at its most recent meeting. The Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) industry continues to be a reliable source of employment for Filipinos. In fact, the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) recorded a 10.6% increase in revenue last 2021 at $29.49 billion. With the pertinent role that BPOs play in the country, leading cross-border payments platform Payoneer aims to strengthen the industry further through intensified collaborations with outsourcing leaders in the Philippines. Payoneer Regional Vice President of South East Asia Miguel Warren gives an impassioned speech during The Payoneer 2022 Forum Payoneer recently held a forum at New Clark City to discuss industry trends, challenges, and opportunities with key stakeholders. I think its really important to bring together all the different stakeholders that are involved in cross-border international business so we can interact, engage, and learn from each other on how to take the customer experience to the next level. At Payoneer, its our goal to help customers grow internationally, to go global, and to be able to help them realize all the potential that tomorrow holds, said Miguel Warren, Payoneer Regional Vice President of South East Asia. Filipinos: The Gold Label Customer Experience Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) Managing Director Rosario Cajucom-Bradbury noted that the Philippines accounts for 40% of the global customer experience market by headcount, owing to the gold label quality work of Filipinos. With Filipinos being known globally as one of the best in the outsourcing business, more opportunities await Filipinos not just in Manila but in other provinces too. Aiming to generate an additional 1.1 million direct jobs by 2028, IBPAP targets to strengthen the presence of BPOs in cities outside of Metro Manila. In terms of emerging locations for the industry, Cajucom-Bradbury noted that Iloilo, Pampanga, Angeles, Metro Clark, Bacolod, and Davao City are already being leveraged for voice-based and transactional BP services. Our vision is to become the worlds number one experience hub for digitally enabled and customer-centric services while driving inclusive and sustainable economic growth and social growth for the Philippines, said Cajucom-Bradbury. Growing BPOs in PH: CEOs share lessons and opportunities One with the goals of IBPAP and CCAP, CEOs of different outsourcing companies exchanged stories and insights to further strengthen the BPO industry in the Philippines. In his talk, Clark Outsourcing CEO Zack Williamson shared the importance of building a COOLture to keep employees engaged and inspired. Creating a fun environment starting with the office design and balancing it with high belief in employees, are some of his topline tips for BPO leaders. On the other hand, Guerilla Creative Marketing President Vanessa Janssen pointed out the importance of acquiring the right clients. She said, Find the right clients who pay the right money for your staff. A good company, culture, leadership, and management will spot the potential. Meanwhile, TeleWorkPH Founder and CEO Marge Aviso reminded about the importance of partnerships especially with regards to cash flow. Partners make or break your future. I cannot emphasize enough how paramount Payoneer has been as a partner to Telework PH because of their ability to collect cash right away. Payoneer is the leading cross-border payments platform that offers innovative solutions so companies can thrive in the global digital economy. The company is trusted by the worlds leading digital brands serving over 2,000 top marketplaces. The forum not only allowed us to understand the industry better but also inspired us to take the big leap with IBPAP and the whole outsourcing community. For us at Payoneer, taking that leap means staying true to our goal of connecting more freelancers, online outsourcing businesses and BPOs to global opportunities now more than ever, said Warren. Pouch, the first lightning service provider in the Philippines, has partnered with Strike, the worlds leading digital payments platform built on Bitcoins Lightning Network, to facilitate fast, secure, and low-cost remittance payments from the U.S. to the Philippines. Pouch has partnered with Strike to make digital payments faster, cheaper, and more accessible for people globally. Customers, including Filipino expats in the U.S., can now send U.S. dollars to the Philippines and have the funds received as Philippine pesos in a recipient's bank or mobile money account. Pouch was founded in August 2021 by CEO Ethan Rose, who left his software engineering job in the U.S. to focus on his passion improving the experience of sending money back home to the Philippines. With its customer-centric approach to cross-border remittance services, Pouch was able to quickly grow its presence in the country. In 2022, Pouch spearheaded the massive adoption of bitcoin and the use of the lightning wallet in Boracay, turning the summer destination into a Bitcoin Island. According to the World Bank, the Philippines is one of the top five global remittance markets in the world. Remittance inflows from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) posted a 5.7 percent year-on-year growth to USD2.64 billion in November 2022. Many Filipino families rely on remittances to cover their household expenses, such as food, utility bills, education, and debt payments. However, transfer fees take a huge portion of those funds. The average transaction cost of sending remittances to the Philippines is 4.57% based on data from the World Bank. One of the World Banks Sustainable Development Goals aims to reduce money transfer costs to 3% of total transaction value by 2030. Pouch seeks to realize this ambition by providing faster and more convenient payments across borders at the best possible exchange rates. "The U.S. to Philippines remittance market is one of the largest in the world, and until now, most Filipino-Americans have been limited to outdated options," said Ethan Rose. "With Pouchs partnership with Strike, we are revolutionizing the way cross-border payments are made, empowering people to easily send money to their loved ones back home. We are proud to be a part of building the world's most powerful payment network for global transactions, he added. Remittances are a broken system and Strike delivers an incredibly empowering experience for people to send money around the world in nearly an instant, said Jack Mallers, Founder and CEO of Strike. Were excited to partner with Pouch to advance financial inclusion and bring fast, low-cost cross-border payments via the Lightning Network to the Philippines. Our technology allows us to both improve on the existing cross-border experience and include those that have previously been excluded by legacy payment rails. On Thursday, the Pentagon revealed that it was tracking a Chinese spy balloon flying over the United States. AFP This development has stirred tensions between the two countries, just days ahead of a US diplomat's rare visit to Beijing. Upon the sighting, President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and top military officials considered shooting down the balloon but were advised otherwise. They were told that the destruction of the balloon would endanger too many people on the ground, a senior defence official told US media. 'Intent of balloon is for surveillance' The official, who chose to be anonymous, told the reporters that "the intent of this balloon is for surveillance". He added that the balloon had flown over the northwest United States, where there are sensitive airbases and nuclear missiles in underground silos. AFP However, the Pentagon did not believe it constituted a dangerous intelligence threat. "We assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective," the official said. Meeting to tackle tensions between the countries The discovery of the aircraft comes just days before an expected visit to China by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, with managing heightened tensions between the two powers at the top of the agenda. Blinken's visit to Beijing, which follows a meeting last November between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit, will be the first trip to the Asian country by the United States' top diplomat since 2018. Antony Blinken/ Image By Reuters In addition to ongoing disputes over trade and intellectual property, relations between the two countries have frayed, particularly over democratically-governed Taiwan, which China has pledged to reunite with the mainland. The United States has been selling arms to Taiwan to defend itself, and Biden has said Washington would help protect the island if China attacked. Fighter jets were flown to examine the balloon The defence official said that the balloon entered US airspace "a couple days ago" but that American intelligence had been tracking it well before that. Austin, who was in the Philippines, held discussions Wednesday with top Pentagon officials after Biden asked about options for dealing with the balloon. AFP Fighter jets were flown to examine it while it was above Montana as discussions took place. But the Pentagon decision was "not to take kinetic action due to the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field," the official said. Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder confirmed the balloon was still being tracked over US airspace. "The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic. It does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground," Ryder said in a statement. Canada's statement points to other surveillance activities Canada's defence department said it was working with the United States late Thursday to track a balloon, signalling there could be other surveillance activities. "Canadians are safe and Canada is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident," the department said, without giving further details or mentioning China. Beijing has sent surveillance balloons over the United States in the past. However, the senior US defence official said this one has lingered in US airspace much longer. He added that "the seriousness of the issue" with the balloon had been raised with Beijing officials. China has offered no immediate comment on the issue. (With inputs from AFP) For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. Microsoft's Bing search engine is getting the ChatGPT treatment very soon. According to a new report by Semafor, Microsoft is planning to integrate a faster version of OpenAI's ChatGPT called "GPT-4" into its Bing search engine. Search Engine Journal Microsoft embraces ChatGPT with open arms In January, Microsoft announced that it would invest $10 billion in OpenAI after pouring $1 billion into the ChatGPT maker in 2019. The GPT-4 is essentially a faster version of ChatGPT that is currently available to use for everyone, with a premium plan worth $20 a month also being rolled out. With GPT-4, Bing would be able to respond to queries a lot faster and the new tool's responses are also reported to be more human-like and detailed. ChatGPT The incorporation of ChatGPT's capabilities into Bing would give some edge to the Microsoft search engine that has largely remained in the shadows of Google Search. It's of importance to note that Google is also reportedly working on incorporating a similar tool within its search engine. Nevertheless, Google might finally have some real competition on its hands - something that tends to benefit users the most. Also read: ChatGPT Maker Releases New Tool That Detects AI-Generated Text To Limit Abuse While Microsoft hasn't confirmed the same yet, it's the most likely outcome of the company's investment in OpenAI. In addition, Semafor reported that OpenAI is building a mobile version of the ChatGPT app. With this, ChatGPT could cement the groundwork for its dominance in the AI-driven content market. It also appears that OpenAI is testing a new feature in Dall-E that would be able to generate videos using artificial intelligence. Reuters Regardless, it seems that numerous reports from last month that claimed Microsoft was planning to integrate ChatGPT with its Bing search engine were on to something after all. It's also possible that Microsoft is bringing OpenAI's language AI technology into signature Windows apps like Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Also read: Why Meta's Artificial Intelligence Head Thinks ChatGPT Isn't 'Particularly Innovative' Recently, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told The Wall Street Journal that Microsoft is planning to make OpenAI's systems as commercial platforms to allow industry-wide application. In a blog post, Microsoft had claimed that it will introduce "new categories of digital experiences" based on OpenAI's model. What do you think about Microsoft's plans for GPT-4 and Bing? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com. 'Friendzoned' is a phrase that most of us remember hearing Joey use on the American comedy F.R.I.E.N.D.S. when he told Ross he was in the "friend zone." NBC Since then, the problematic term, often used by heterosexual men when women do not return their romantic affections, has made its way into the everyday vocabulary. A man in Singapore has reportedly sued a woman for S$3 million (nearly Rs 18 crore) for rejecting his advances, citing "emotional trauma" as the basis of his claim. The man rejected by a woman took it to heart and filed two lawsuits against her, alleging that she had "traumatized" him and "damaged" his reputation. A Singaporean man named Mr. K. Kawshigan met Ms. Nora Tan in 2016, and the two quickly became friends. In September 2020, it became apparent that they had different perspectives on their relationship. Mr. Kawshigan considered Ms. Tan "his closest friend" and desired a more serious commitment from her, while Ms. Tan saw him as "just" a friend. Ms. Tan recommended they spend less time together, expressing a need for "boundaries" between them. She encouraged him to be "self-reliant" as well. Mr. Kawshigan was not amused and threatened legal action as a result. On October 22, the man threatened to sue her for "monetary damages arising from negligent infliction of emotional distress and possible defamation." Unsplash She texted her friend that her "discomfort (was) real," but he gave her an ultimatum nonetheless. According to The Straits Times, he told her that until she "complies with his demands" to take their relationship to the next level, she risks "irrevocable damage to her personal and professional endeavors." Ms. Tan consented to counsel to avoid going to court, but after 18 months of trying, they were still unable to agree. representational Image She filed a harassment suit against Mr. Kawshigan, who texted her about filing a claim against her. Ms. Tan "could no longer deal with his solicitations for further involvement and his failure to respect her personal limits," so she sought to end all communication with him. She broke up with him, and he threatened to sue her in the high court for $3 million (2.6 million) because she had damaged his "stellar reputation" and caused him "trauma, depression, and impacts." Unsplash Along with this, he sued her in the magistrates' court for 17,8k (about $22,000) for allegedly breaking their commitment to work on their relationship. As a result of their unpleasant relationship, he stated he had to give up on opportunities to make money and develop business connections. Reportedly, he also wanted to get paid back for the money he had to spend on therapy and rehabilitation courses. Nonetheless, in January of this year, the court ruled that Mr. Kawshigan's second minor claim was "manifestly groundless and without substance," and thus, he lost. After looking at all of the evidence, Deputy Registrar Lewis Tan of the State Courts came to the following conclusion: "Taken as a whole, I find that the claimant started this action to annoy or oppress the defendant by forcing her to defend different claims based on the same facts in different forums." The judge stated, "This court will not be an accessory to his calculated attempt to compel engagement from the defendant, who, after years of massaging the claimant's unhappiness, has finally decided to stand up to his threats rather than cower and give in to his demands." The preliminary hearing for the 3.6m High Court action will take place on February 9. (For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram.) (Trigger Warning: Please contact the mental-health helpline or support group and look for resources and treatment options for yourself or a loved one struggling with an eating disorder. Helpline volunteers are trained to help you find the necessary support and information.) People with strange obsessions and hobbies have a way of totally astonishing you. A woman from the United States disclosed that she had fought an addiction that involved mattresses. The woman had developed an addiction to eating mattresses. Pinterest After a woman named Jennifer appeared on the TLC program "My Strange Addiction," the eerie addiction's history was disclosed to the public. Jennifer asserted on the show that she had been consuming mattresses for around twenty years. She claims she first indulged in the behavior when she was only five. As a kid, Jennifer began eating sponges found in the car that belonged to her family at the time. Regretfully, as time passed, the behavior pattern got much worse. She is now able to consume one square foot of mattress every single day. Jennifer said that she had once devoured her mattress and then eaten the one that belonged to her mother. "I start with the good stuff. The good stuff to me is the pillowtop itself. I like my mattress plain and straight up, with no mayonnaise, butter, or none of that," said the woman to LADBible. She said that if a mattress had a foul odor or the sponge was gone, she would stop eating it. Jennifer's addiction has thankfully not led to any significant health issues. "The side effects of eating mattresses, gas is really the only one youd have. It enters my body and leaves my body; it enters my system and goes out," said the woman to HuffPost. Jennifer's Mattress Eating Addiction Meanwhile, doctors cautioned that she might meet an untimely end if she didn't stop consuming many mattresses. She was warned that she risks a future of liver disease and intestinal blockage. (For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram.) In January, Allianz, the global insurer with a strong presence in Australia, became the first insurance company to officially join the federal governments Cyclone Reinsurance Pool (CRP). The pool is administered by the Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation (ARPC) and aims to make property insurance more affordable for Australians in the north of the country by reducing the cost of reinsurance for cyclone and cyclone-related flood damage. In the second half of 2022, there was a nearly 50% spike in clicks by Ontario-based job seekers on job postings in other provinces compared to the same period in 2019, according to the Indeed findings, which were reported on by the Canadian Press. Van Ede has more than 30 years of experience in trade credit insurance across several continents. Prior to joining WTW he was deputy global head of credit solutions at Aon. He has also held executive positions at Marsh, Atradius in the Netherlands, and Credit Guarantee Insurance Corporation in South Africa. Cash flows from operations in the whole of 2022 increased 48% to $3.2 million an all-time high compared to the prior year. The rise is primarily due to the transaction costs in the prior year period and strong operating income growth, Aon said. This team of litigators provides us with the opportunity to establish an office in Boston, which is a key insurance market, while further enhancing our defense and insurance coverage nationwide, in line with our strategy, said Eileen King Bower, partner and chair of Clyde & Cos North American board. We welcome these talented attorneys to Clyde & Co and look forward to integrating them quickly into our region. We used to be just like this about abortion. Were still at it now when it comes to talking about neutrality. However, its with a united Ireland we really do hit it out of the park with the level of immaturity in our debate. We have an interesting picture being painted recently through opinion polls with accompanying academic research. It is not one bit pretty to look at. A joint project between Arins and The Irish Times is joining a lot of dots and highlighting some real contradictions. Were happy to virtue signal our republican credentials, but fall far short when it comes to any more than that. We learned from a previous instalment of this research at the end of last year that 66% of people in the south would vote in favour of unity, yet the most recent instalment reveals that half of us are not even bothered to visit, to view life as it exists across the border. Half of southerners, according to Ipsos polling, conducted simultaneously in the south and the North, have taken no day trip at all to the North and only 29% have taken a day trip to the North either several times or lots of times in the last five years. Only 21% have stayed in the North multiple times. Comparing the two sides, three-fifths of southerners have not overnighted compared with one third of northerners. A whopping two thirds of southerners have no friends in the North. Anecdotally, I know far more people who have never crossed the border than have done so. In fact, the farther away you travel from it the more likely this is to be the case. Significantly, in fact, just under 68% of respondents in Munster have no cross-border connections, compared to 27% in nearby Connacht/Ulster. How can you describe this other than a very poor effort in terms of engagement with what so many continue to insist on considering as those Nordies. Yet no conflict is seen in this and the continued yearning, expressed to opinion pollsters, for the fourth green field. Skewed logic What sort of skewed logic is this? We want repossession but in truth have no idea what it is we are yearning to get back; never travelled there, never met the people, no idea what might be of concern to them. This research collaboration between the Royal Irish Academy and the University of Notre Dame in the US is dedicated to analysing and researching Ireland, north and south. Even more illogical is those earlier survey findings, from December, was where almost half of all voters said that changes to our national anthem and flag would make them less likely to vote for a united Ireland in a possible referendum. It was yet another indicator of the reluctance we have to put ourselves out in any way, and for all our nostalgia-fuelled desire to bring everyone back together we also would not want to foot the bill for tax hikes. We see which side appears to have given far more thought to a united Ireland and its consequences in the findings that show that a border poll would be easily defeated in Northern Ireland but would pass comfortably in the south. Even at the most basic of levels it is easy to understand why. Interesting, though, those polls also found there is strong backing north and south for the actual holding of referendums on unity. Sinn Fein wastes no time in telling us that unity is its top political priority. The expectation is high that party will be in government after the next general election, with a concurrent expectation that, by then, the party will be in power also in the North. It is a plain fact that unionism is not in a good place right now. The small-minded among us can choose to revel in that, but hopefully a significant number who wish for unity will move beyond the superficial and consider how it can be brought about successfully. United society A united society that prospers will not happen without a lot of thought, conversation, political leadership, and willingness to endure a little suffering, be that financially or in agreeing to something like a new national anthem. I mean, how gracious would a triumphant Sinn Fein be to the unionist community in such a scenario? How easy would that party make it for unionists to be willing to seal the deal, with the mountain of work to be done to agree the nuts and bolts of unity in advance, as well as the ongoing work that would be needed to ensure everything settled down and bedded in? Again, to no great surprise, we learned from these polls that Sinn Fein would be the strongest party in this united Ireland. This is based on questions to ascertain how voters looked on political parties over the border from them. The other parties would be left trailing in the Sinn Fein wake, at the disadvantage of attempting to broaden their profile and appeal after the event. Think about unionists, from the most vocal hardcore group, to the silent carefully watching one. They can see from recent years how the DUP strand of unionism has been in an utterly abusive relationship with the British government, and power-sharing in a continuous state of nothingness. So what would be the attraction of a united Ireland to them? Even if there wasnt 100,000 welcomes on the mat, would there be a slightly warm one? Would there be concessions, pragmatism, a willingness to see things from the other side? In the south, voters are more likely to favour a referendum vote in the next five years, while in the North a majority of voters want a border poll in the next 10 years. Again the cant happen soon enough vibe from our own brethren, but accompanying that an absence of willingness to swallow the many reality pills that exist. There was considerable commonality when it came to identifying the most important issues to arise over the next decade with both sides naming housing, healthcare and the economy at the top of the list. However, on that thorny constitutional question, only 12% in the south said preparing for a referendum on a united Ireland should be one of the top four priorities, with a further 15% identifying achieving a united Ireland as a priority. This compared with 11% in the North prioritising referendum preparation, and 9% for achieving a united Ireland, but 27% stating keeping Northern Ireland in the UK should be a priority. This is not an easy issue to catch hold of in its entirety. There are so many separate moving parts, myriad different agendas, multiple political parties, ordinary voters, and an absolute bucketload of bitter historical baggage. However, surely the least we can do, especially if you are one of the majority of more than four to one who would vote in favour of unity in a referendum, is to take off those narrowly focused republican goggles and give the matter a little mature reflection. Burma Martial Law Imposed on 37 Myanmar Townships, Including Resistance Strongholds Regime troops in Yangon in early March 2021. / The Irrawaddy Myanmars military government has imposed martial law in 37 townships across the country, including in the resistance strongholds of Sagaing and Magwe regions. Martial law came a day after the regime extended emergency rule for six more months, two years since the coup on February 1, 2021, signaling more oppression. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing told the National Defense and Security Council on Wednesday that security needed to be tightened in 65 of the countrys 330 townships to restore the rule of law. Martial law sees 37 townships in eight regions and states being put under the direct control of regional commanders. Among them are 11 townships in Sagaing, five each in Magwe and Bago, two in Tanintharyi, seven in Chin, four in Kayah, two in Karen and one in Mon, according to the junta statement. Military courts will hear any criminal cases deemed critical of the regime. The junta warned that the death penalty and life sentences would be handed down. No appeals for verdicts will be allowed in those cases, except for the death sentence, in which case, appeals can be submitted to Min Aung Hlaing for a final decision. The regime declared martial law in parts of Yangon, Mandalay and Chin State in 2021. Nearly 100 people have been given death sentences in those townships. War Against the Junta Dozens of Myanmar Junta Forces, Officials Killed in Three Days of Resistance Attacks Resistance fighters of Homanlin-PDF / HPDF 124 At least 27 Myanmar junta forces including junta-appointed administrators and pro-regime militia members as well as three resistance fighters were killed in the last three days as Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) escalated their attacks on regime targets across the country. In one case, PDF groups occupied a town in Upper Myanmar. Incidents were reported in Sagaing, Mandalay, Magwe, Bago and Tanintharyi regions and Mon and Kachin states. The Irrawaddy has collected the following reports of significant attacks from PDFs. Some military casualties could not be independently verified. Town occupied by PDF groups in Sagaing Homalin-PDF claimed it and other PDF groups managed to occupy the town of Shwe Pyi Aye in Homalin Township, upper Sagaing Region after a clash with regime forces on Wednesday. During the raid on the town, many regime forces were killed. There were no PDF casualties despite the regime conducting air strikes in an attempt to reoccupy the town. The resistance groups also warned people to be alert due to the potential for heavy clashes in the area. Seven junta troops killed in PDF ambushes in Sagaing Six regime forces were killed in Sagaing Township, Sagaing Region on Thursday when four PDF groups used land mines to ambush a military vehicle near a village, said Tawgyi Mwaybwae group, which joined the attack. The PDF group also claimed its sniper managed to kill a soldier during its ambush of a military detachment in Madaya Township, Mandalay Region on Wednesday. It also used land mines to ambush two vehicles transporting regime forces in the township. Police station attacked in Sagaing Combined resistance forces attack a police station in the town of Myinmu on Wednesday. / Kyaukse Nagarni Guerrilla Force Local resistance group Moe Nyo Revolution Force claimed it and two other PDF groups used firearms and heavy explosives to attack the police station in the town of Myinmu in Sagaing Region on Wednesday. Regime police responded with firearms. Police casualties were unknown. Three PDF fighters killed in clash in Sagaing Resistance group Black Wolf Army said it lost three of its forces during a clash with a military detachment near a village in Shwebo Township, Sagaing Region on Wednesday. Junta-appointed township administrator killed in Mon PDF group Special Operation Force claimed it assassinated U Ko Ko Lay, the junta-appointed administrator for Paung Township, Mon State on Wednesday. The victim was a pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia leader and a representative of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). Following the military coup, the victim masterminded operations to arrest anti-regime activists and the killing of PDF forces and their family members in the township. The administrator was also planning to arrest people who joined the nationwide silent strikes on Wednesday. A PDF video shows the administrator being shot repeatedly by a gunman until he dies. Junta-appointed administrator and pro-regime militia leader assassinated in Bago Bago Region PDF claimed its member PDFs assassinated a junta-appointed village administrator and a pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia leader in Phyuu and Htantapin townships in Bago Region on Thursday and Wednesday. The militia leader, Myin Thein, was chased and shot dead by Htantapin-PDF while he was attempting to flee into a military base in Htantapin Township on Thursday. PDF assassins escaped without casualties despite being fired upon by regime forces. The junta-allied militia leader confiscated many plots of land belonging to civilians. The victim was also notorious for asking the junta to jail innocent civilians, the PDF group said. On Wednesday, Phyuu-PDF killed junta-appointed Mya Paegu Village administrator Nyunt Win in the township. The administrator often accompanied military detachments and provide the junta with information about the movements of revolutionary organizations. Regime forces in Bago hit by mines while removing protest banners Two regime soldiers were seriously injured in Moe Nyo Township, Bago Region on Monday when Moe Nyo-PDF used mines to attack regime forces removing a vinyl sheet bearing slogans condemning the junta chief and the regimes sham election near a village, said Bago Region PDF. Pro-regime militia group attacked in Magwe Two pro-regime militia members were killed and four others including the chief of the regime-run township electricity department were injured in Kanma Township, Magwe Region on Wednesday when PDF fighters attacked the militia forces on two vehicles, said Myaing-PDF, which conducted the attack. The military group were returning from gambling and attacked while attempting to hit the resistance forces with their vehicles at a PDF checkpoint. The PDF group later used a drone to drop bombs on regime forces trying to retrieve the vehicles. After being bombed, the regime forces abandoned the vehicles and fled. Police outpost bombed by PDF drone in Magwe Yesagyo-PDF said it used a drone to bomb a police outpost in Pakhan Nge Village in Yesagyo Township, Magwe Region on Wednesday. During the mission, they lost a drone worth 8 million kyats (about US$2,800 at the unofficial rate). Military reinforcements ambushed with land mines in Mandalay Many regime forces are thought to have been killed or injured in Thabeikkyin Township, Mandalay Region on Thursday when two PDF groups used land mines to ambush two military vehicles carrying reinforcements from two locations near the town of Tagaung, said Wild Elephant Guerrilla Force, which joined the attack. The military vehicles were traveling to a military checkpoint in nearby Tingyaing Township, which is currently the target of attacks by Katha District PDF groups. The two PDF groups also used a drone to drop a bomb on 15 more regime soldiers performing security duty on a road to protect the two vehicles from PDF ambushes, said the resistance group. Six regime forces killed in PDF drone strikes in Mandalay A PDF drone drops bombs on regime targets in Madaya Township on Wednesday. / Unicorn Guerrilla Force Four junta soldiers and two pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia members were killed in Madaya Township, Mandalay Region on Wednesday when seven PDF groups used drones to drop bombs on a military detachment near Hintha Village, claimed Unicorn Guerrilla Forces, which joined the attack. The PDFs video shows a bomb dropped by a drone exploding near regime forces. Eight regime forces killed in PDF land mine ambush in Tanintharyi At least eight regime troops were killed and six injured in Kawthaung Township, Tanintharyi Region on Wednesday afternoon when Kawthaung-PDF used land mines to ambush two military vehicles carrying 60 troops near a bridge, claimed the PDF group. The military vehicles were traveling to Maryan Village in Khamaukgyi town, where a deputy pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia leader, U San Tin, was assassinated by Kawthaung-PDF that morning. The PDF group also seized two M16 rifles, ammunition and knives from the slain militia leader. Security police battalion bombed in Kachin States capital Security Police Battalion 30 was bombed in Kachin States capital Myitkyina early on Thursday, according to local Kachin media citing residents near the incident. Three bombs exploded in the compound of the police battalion, but casualties were unknown. War Against the Junta Pro-Regime Militia Killing Spree Checked by Myanmars Growing Resistance Pro-regime militia members at a military base in Kantbalu Township, Sagaing Region in October last year. Along with relentless assaults on regime targets, resistance forces have also escalated attacks on pro-regime militia groups and their villages in upper Myanmar over the past few months. Resistance forces believe that suppressing pro-regime militias and their bases also protects the public from further atrocities committed by junta troops and allied militia. Until recently, Pyu Saw Htee militia members trained and armed by the junta were cooperating with military detachments to raid and torch villages during operations against resistance forces mainly in the Anyar Regions of Magwe, Sagaing and Mandalay in the center of the country. Now, though, the scene has changed significantly. Pro-regime villages hosting the bases of regime forces and allied pro-regime militia are facing near daily attacks and raids as well as drone and artillery strikes by resistance groups. Many pro-regime villages have also been blockaded by resistance groups. The first Pyu Saw Htee militia groups were formed by the junta in mid-May 2021 after the parallel civilian National Unity Government (NUG) called for the formation of Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) to resist the regime. The militias consist of active and retired military personnel, civil servants, members of the militarys proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party and ultranationalists. They emerged at a time when attacks on military-appointed ward administrators and their offices were erupting across the country. At first, the militias were suspected of bombing schools across the country and spreading misinformation on social media and at teashops, markets and banks to claim the attacks were carried out by NUG forces. But when the regime expanded its attacks from resistance forces to anyone who opposed military rule, militias started accompanying the military units and participating in junta atrocities including killing civilians, and looting and burning houses in anti-regime strongholds. Notable among those atrocities was the massacre of a family of eight, including three children, in mid-January. The family, supporters of Myanmars ousted National League for Democracy (NLD), were killed by the Pyu Saw Htee group in Kantbalu Township, Sagaing Region. Jewelry and money were also looted from the house. Days later, a militia member detained by PDF members admitted responsibility for the killing of the family. Between December and January, a military detachment of around 130 troops reinforced by militia members raided and burned over 250 houses in Sagaings Kyunhla and Kanbalu townships, killing 13 civilians. Over 10,000 residents were also forced to flee their homes, according to the Kyunhal Activists Group, which tracks junta atrocities. The troops and militia also looted houses in both villages, stripping them of livestock, furniture and electronic devices as well as agricultural machinery and equipment. Meanwhile, local PDF groups are organizing in a bid to prevent junta troops and militia in pro-regime villages from raiding nearby villages. Ko AT (not his real name), of the Kyauklonegyi-PDF based in Kani township, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that local resistance groups have now managed to surround and blockade the pro-regime village of Alel Kyun in Kani Township, Sagaing. Around 60 pro-regime militia led by two dozen junta troops and police no longer risk leaving their base to raid nearby villages. Now, they dont dare to venture out as our PDF forces have surrounded their village. Land mines have also been planted around the village. The pro-regime village now has to smuggle in food the town of Kani, Ko AT said. He added: We are not merciful to them [Pyu Saw Htee] as they kill our civilians. A combined PDF force raided the village twice last year, while the junta retaliated with airstrikes on the resistance groups. Local PDF groups said they teamed up last week to seize Pyu Saw Htee bases in three pro-regime villages in Sagaings Shwebo and Pale townships, killing 35 militia members, wounding 15 and taking 20 prisoner. On Jan. 27, several PDF groups combined to attack and burn the pro-regime village of Thalalbar after fighting with troops and allied Pyu Saw Htee for hours, according to the Tike Nal PDF, which participated in the assault. Civilian casualties were also reported in the clash as many residents had been prevented from leaving the village by regime forces and Pyu Saw Htee. When asked what he felt about the Pyu Saw Htee militia, resistance member Ko AT said, If they realize the situation and surrender, we will welcome them and treat them as defecting combatants. Because we are all civilians. Guest Column The Stumbling Military Adhocracy in Myanmar Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing during the Armed Forces Day parade in Naypyitaw in March 2022. / AFP The two-year anniversary of the military coup detat in Myanmar was met with a silent strike in many parts of the country. Outside Myanmar embassies in Thailand and other countries, protesters screamed out the name of dictator Min Aung Hlaing, slightly adjusted to Mah Ar Lah (an accusation of carnal knowledge between a general and his mother) and condemned the coup and two years of violence. The State Administration Council (SAC) marked the occasion with an extension of the state of emergency by six months, putting plans to conduct nationwide elections in doubt. Is this a permutation of repressive rule that indicates the regime is losing ground against multiple enemies around the country? That the bureaucratic capacity to actually hold elections was too daunting, or that rising violence against the electoral infrastructure is a deterrence? Two years after the coup, the SAC is admitting failure. The National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) meeting notes contained the SACs version of the scale of the post-coup conflict, which even if their data cannot be trusted, indicates widespread violence by the ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and the multiple Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) across Myanmar. Notification Number 1 from the NSDC meeting yesterday said in clear terms; (a)ll attendees including the Pro Tem President discussed the situations of killing innocent people, blowing up public places, posing armed intimidation and coercion on the people committed by CRPH, NUG and their subordinate PDF terrorist groups aiming to cause utter devastation to the State [my italics]and the unusual circumstances of the country that they are making attempts to seize the State power in insurgent and terror ways. This indicates the military cannot consolidate power. Or it could mean they simply cant be bothered to hold elections right now. The meeting discussed the need for a new census, accurate voter lists, a new Proportional Representation voting system, and the amendment of the Political Party Registration Law to reduce the number of parties from 88 to a more manageable level so that they can be engaged in the political field more effectively and efficiently. All of this tinkering in the midst of a civil war seems like a lot of effort for a process that is devoid of a sliver of credibility. The central takeaway from the copious points discussed at the NDSC is that: More work and time are required for the prevalence of peace and stability and the holding of the elections and therefore we would like to request the entire mass of people and respective organizations to cooperate with the government. Whatever appropriate cliche works here, kicking the can down the road or lipstick on a pig, the SAC is clearly an adhocracy making it all up as they go along, and not especially effectively (in the Alvin Toffler sense). The majority of the West realize clearly this election talk is a farce. The world should actually take the lead of the Americans and denounce the entire electoral exercise in unequivocal terms. For those diplomats, emissaries or academics, or great men of peace from Switzerland or Scandinavia that still believe their character can forge positive mediation with the military, the extension of the state of emergency is an updated data point that Min Aung Hlaing and his henchmen are making it all up as they go. Its pointless to engage in any micro-analysis of anything the SAC does when it involves the constitution or anything related to the law. Under the current circumstances, the Chief Justice is essentially a cheap suburban solicitor writing an indemnity clause for a half-wit hoodlum. The age of humoring the regime as if theyre serious men is over. And lets all retire the fallacy that the military has any fidelity to the constitution. So much of the country is in open rebellion because the military staged a coup then couldnt contain the inevitable resistance to that takeover and the widespread atrocities committed by the SAC forces. For any military obsessed with non-disintegration of the union to actually profess less than half of your country is peaceful is a clear admission of failing in your central duty as a military: we knew Min Aung Hlaing was a loser but its refreshing to hear him basically admit it. The sheer proliferation of armed groups and the scale of local resistance from new groups and many well established EAOs is the main reason the military cant ensure full control. This isnt just about elections, this is about counterinsurgency, development, the very functioning of the country. It was heading this way before the coup and it has accelerated in the past two years. Elections are not completely off the table however. Yet even in the SACs make-believe world the technical ability to conduct anything approaching even clearly fake elections will be circumscribed by lack of bureaucratic capacity, confusion, boycotts and violence. In some senses the SAC will welcome anti-elections violence to discredit the resistance. The horrific impact on Myanmar society wont matter to them. Its all about demonstrating to their own support base that they have an embattled but ultimate legitimacy. What Min Aung Hlaing needs to convey to his military base is not that elections are important, but that the strategy of pacification can be ultimately successful, and he has no convincing evidence that is happening. Anyone from field commanders or the senior leadership in Naypyitaw know they have unleashed hell and the only way out is to end violence and seek negotiations. The cabinet reshuffle and the new SAC advisory board is just a shabby shell game, and another admission of slow-drip defeat of military rule. We might possibly see more rats jump a sinking ship, but there are plenty of rats who will go down because they dont know any other way and they are terrified of the inevitable vengeance from their own people. And the military has a plentiful supply of psychopaths to draw on to keep fighting for the foreseeable future. Min Aung Hlaing is wholly to blame for this conflagration. One hopes that the Senior General is seriously rattled that his retirement plan is now looking uncertain. Assuming the presidency might be less likely than a lamppost, a length of rope and a cheering crowd on a highway in Naypyitaw: the Benito Mussolini outcome. Or even more enticing, ending his days wearing an orange onesie in The Hague, with no access to hair dye and years of listening to his catalogue of high crimes in the International Criminal Court (ICC), knowing a slow death in a prison cell with stodgy food is inevitable, his only solace watching re-runs of the South Korean soap opera Flower of Evil and his rebirth as a dung beetle the cosmic justice he deserves. The SACs subordinates must also be looking askance at the stark reality of a country divided. We know very little about the inner workings of the senior military leadership, of their sense of failure in containing armed resistance cementing the military takeover. What is the morale of the frontline soldiers and officers who must be feeling on some level a deep sense of embattlement and distance from their own population? How voluntary were the new additions to the SAC Central Advisory Body, and how do civilian members of the regime feel about the protracted nature of the civil war and how no clear winner is obvious? So too many of the SACs interlocutors, the small signatories to the 2015 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) who have continued to schlep to Naypyitaw to resuscitate a dead peace process. For many of them, including Khun Okkar from the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO) who genuflected abjectly to Min Aung Hlaing to receive an award recently, a deplorable obsequiousness to the dictator, do they believe they are on the wrong side of history even more than before the coup? There must be immediate excommunication from the peace-industrial complex for all individuals who are cooperating with the SAC, and the determination to exclude most of them from any future political settlement which has at is core the exclusion of the current junta leadership in any negotiation at all. For all people struggling against the regime, in violent or peaceful ways, take this extension as vindication that resistance is working, but the end isnt in sight. It must also be a relief that with elections being delayed the targeting of anyone perceived as supporting the preparations can be suspended and fundamentally rethought. If, as Ko Ye Myo Hein of the Tagaung Institute of Political Science (TIP) has urged over the past several months, the disparate armed groups need to better coordinate then extra effort and support should be marshalled to achieve this. Ko Ye, the most astute analyst of post-coup conflict, has scripted precisely what needs to be done, and how it can be translated into reality. Also, targeting air power and the personnel and supplies, the defense factories, the intelligence infrastructure and the personnel (such as two Sit-Tat intelligence officers ambushed and assassinated north of Bago recently) are all multiple ways to continue to hamper and frustrate the military. However, never underestimate the ability of the Myanmar opposition to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The perennial problem of mistrust, simmering hatred, and male ego could fracture the resistance even more. Now is the time to be extra vigilant against fratricide of all kinds, and to contain and manage inter-PDF fighting. The NUG is unfortunately not accomplished on leadership and is unlikely to accomplish this, so perhaps the broad resistance complex should embrace the complexity and variated capabilities and maintain the momentum they have been gathering for two years. The resistance needs to mature and not insist on the immediate delivery of Stinger missiles and assorted wishful thinking, or the delusional belief that the US Burma act and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is poised to deliver a cascade of high-tech weaponry. Efforts have to be redoubled to plan carefully how more support could help a multi-front resistance complex. The NUG should not be axiomatically granted full recognition; they have to seriously lift their performance before any consideration of that is pursued, and seek to be part of, not the sole leader of, a united front approach to denuding the military. However, the international community should speak clearly and forcefully to denounce all forms of elections-related violence from all parties to the conflict. Encouraging a boycott should be accompanied by insistence on a non-violent rejection of the farce. If the election ever does take place, and lets not be rash in our predictions, it should be permitted to play out in farcical fashion, not degenerate into an even greater bloodbath. The war will inevitably go on. The SAC may be realizing that decreasing violence and cutting deals, in some repeat of the post-1989 standfast peace agreements, is unlikely to work and that the civil war has passed its fail-safe point. Heavy firepower and atrocity is all the SAC have to sustain themselves, this post-coup mixture of high and low tech violence and the dawning realization that after 600 days of incessant containment and abuses against civilians theyre still no closer to winning. No army has ever won a war from air power alone, and the Myanmar military is no different. Every air strike or village torching just increases peoples anger and determination to continue resisting. However, we must remember that this is an army that has believed for 75 years that state building is inherently violent and divisive, and that counterinsurgency is a process not a result. Hence, endless war. That doesnt mean the resistance writ large is winning yet, but they are definitely seeing a diminishing of military power to match the complete lack of legitimacy of the regime. If the emergency extension shouldnt be perceived as a major event, but another indication of a flailing junta, then we must also relish the schadenfreude in any setback for the SAC. David Scott Mathieson is an independent analyst working on conflict, human rights and humanitarian issues on Myanmar. David Goldsmith has been appointed and returned as business development manager at Australian wealth accounting solutions provider Class. Im delighted to announce the return of David Goldsmith to the Class business, a respected industry professional with a depth of experience and expertise, said Class general manager growth Jo Hurley. Over the years David has built extensive relationships with top tier accounting, auditing, SMSF administration and financial planning firms by helping these businesses to embrace and use technology to benefit client outcomes and drive efficiencies, Hurley said. This year marks 10 years since David first started his journey with Class and found his passion for SMSFs, technology innovation and solutions that transform the way businesses do work. So, were excited to welcome him back to the Class team. Early in his career, Goldsmith started out as an accountant, including working in the Channel Islands, England before moving back to Australia where he then made the switch to sales working for BankLink helping accountants to streamline their banking transaction data. He then joined Class as business development manager in 2012. Goldsmith was head of sales for specialist SMSF audit company Evolv Super Audits, and now returns to the Class business with deep industry knowledge and expertise. Im really looking forward to working with Jo and the team doing what I love which is supporting Class customers and partners with market-leading cloud based SMSF technology solutions, Goldsmith said. Class delivers best-in class innovation and automation for Australias top accounting firms and is focused on enhancing customer experiences and continuing to develop solutions that create even more value for its customers and partners. I look forward to catching up with existing Class customers and partners as well as making new connections face to face when I attend the SMSFA Association national conference this February. Goldsmiths appointment reflects a continued focus on supporting current customers and partners, building relationships and propositions for new customer segments, and positioning the business for growth. A rough estimate of 6.11 million Australian households subscribed to at least one video streaming service in Q422 representing 61% householdsa decline of 38,000 households quarter on quarter (a softer fall from the 180,000 decline last quarter), according to Kantar Worldpanels Entertainment on Demand study in Australia, which examined consumer behaviour within the Video on Demand (VoD) market over three months to December 2022. CommsWire previously reported that the UK market for video streaming has shown signs of recovery after a tough 2022, according to Kantar. The study found the following: 1. Five percent of households slashed a new video streaming service in Q422, amounting to 490,000 households (an increase of 20,000 on the previous quarter) and a total of one million new subscription services were taken out. 2. Amazon Prime Video continues to lead in attracting new subscribers with almost 20% share, while considerable share growth was enjoyed by Paramount+ this quarter, accounting for 16% of new SVoD subscriptions, largely on the back of attractive Black Friday deals. Other noteworthy increases are seen for Netflix, Binge (with House of the Dragon continuing to drive sign-up) and AMC+ with its new standalone service launching in Q422. 3. Over 1.3 million SVoD services cancelled between October and December 2022. While a lower proportion of SVoD churners are leaving the category entirely this quarter (29%), an increasing number of households are not replacing cut services as they begin to trim their SVoD portfolio, resulting in a slight decline in the average number of SVoD services held at 3.4. Furthermore, nearly one in four SVoD households plan to cancel a service in the next three months. 4. Wednesday was the most enjoyed SVoD title in the quarter and was the top title driving acquisition of new Netflix customers. Stans Yellowstone was the next most watched title and, among the 30% of new customers signing up to Stan for specific content, around one in four did so for the Yellowstone series. Increasing sign-up to Amazon Prime fuels growth in Prime Video subscriber base Australians signing up to Prime continues to grow with 29% of households now owning a Prime membership. Seventy percent of these Prime members actively use Prime Video with this figure stable quarter on quarter, implying that the Prime Video user base has grown in line with the increased uptake of Prime. However, the proportion of customers using their membership for the Prime Delivery service has seen the biggest increase up to 38% (up from 33% in Q322), undoubtedly driven by Black Friday and Christmas sales. Value for money continues to be the biggest driver of satisfaction among Prime Video customers, growing quarter on quarter, and contributing significantly to the increase in Prime Videos NPS rating which has grown to 21ppts. Whilst this remains just below the market average of 23ppts, it is well ahead of key competitors Stan, Binge, and Paramount+. While specific content is the biggest driver of new sign-ups to Prime Video (typically Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power and The Boys), factors which are increasingly driving sign-up are variety of TV series or classic films and the quality of the shows, proving that the streaming provider is already reaping the benefits of its increased investment in local content. Tulsa King and Black Friday deals drive Paramount+ share of new subscriptions Paramount+ share of new subscriptions leapt into second place in Q422, up to 16%. A big factor driving this increase was specific or exclusive content, in particular, Tulsa King, with this new drama series accounting for 13% of all new customers drawn to the platform. However, new sign-ups were driven by value for money on the back of the Black Friday deals, offering substantial discounts on monthly and annual subscriptions when signing up direct to Paramount+ or when accessing via Prime Video Channels. With around one in four new subscribers signing up for a year, the proportion of current subscribers planning to cancel their Paramount+ service in the next three months has declined in the quarter to 17.5%. Wednesday Addams draws new customers to Netflix Netflix share of all households accessing VoD services continues its downward trajectory, declining from 77.6% in Q322 to 76.8% in Q422, with more than half of these churners dropping out of the category completely. However, Netflix share of new subscriptions sees a welcome increase quarter on quarter up to 8.7% in Q422. Of the 34% of customers who took out a new service with Netflix for specific content, Wednesday was the biggest draw, allowing Netflix to recoup some of the Gen Z and millennial customers lost in previous quarters in 2022. Twelve percent of all VoD subscribers state Wednesday as their favourite show. So, how has the launch of the ad-supported service been received in the final quarter of 2022? Of all new services taken out with Netflix in Q422, 16% were the lower cost Basic with Ads plan, a cost-saving of $4 to $6.99 a month. Netflix boasts the highest rate of customer loyalty at 97%, with customer churn having dropped from 4% last quarter to 3% in Q422 among the 97% remaining with the provider since Q322, 7% have downgraded to the ad-supported tier. Currently, it is too early to say whether or not that 7% would have churned had the lower cost tier not been introduced. However, it cannot be ignored that a far higher than average proportion of those who have cancelled their Netflix service in Q422 cited the need to save money as their primary reason and this figure has increased by 5ppts quarter on quarter to 46%, according to Kantar. This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 02 February 2023. This Week in Review A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. Chinese FM holds talks with UN General Assembly president Xinhua) 11:10, February 03, 2023 Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang holds talks with Csaba Korosi, president of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Bin) BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang held talks with Csaba Korosi, president of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in Beijing on Thursday. Qin said that the world today faces an endless stream of challenges, and all parties have high hopes for the United Nations, adding that it should continue to play an important role in global governance. He said the United Nations should uphold peace and security, and safeguard fairness and justice, while upholding universal benefit and inclusiveness, staying true to multilateralism, abandoning ideological confrontation, and promoting mutual learning among civilizations. "The United Nations General Assembly is the most universal and representative charter body of the United Nations," he said. "China will continue to fully support the work of the General Assembly and its President." China's development is a growing force for peace and justice, Qin noted, adding that China will uphold true multilateralism, promote the overall progress of mankind with Chinese-style modernization, and bring new opportunities to the world with China's new development. For his part, Korosi said that China is an important partner of the United Nations and thanked China for its strong support of the United Nations over the years. The United Nations attaches great importance to China's influence and leadership as a major country and has always adhered to the one-China principle, he said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Pope Francis arrived on a three-day visit to South Sudan on Friday to promote peace and reconciliation in the world's youngest country, traumatised by civil war and scarred by poverty. The "pilgrimage of peace" is the first ever papal visit to South Sudan since the predominantly Christian nation gained independence from Muslim-majority Sudan in 2011 after decades of conflict. The pope, sitting in a wheelchair, was greeted after his plane touched down at Juba airport by a number of dignitaries including South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir. It follows a four-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a brutal conflict in the mineral-rich east was high on the pope's agenda. Peace has also eluded South Sudan, with a five-year civil war leaving 380,000 people dead, four million displaced, and the young country deeply impoverished. Crowds began lining the streets of Juba hours before the pope's arrival, waving the national flag and holding aloft banners welcoming Francis to South Sudan. Some people wore traditional clothing or the garb of religious orders, while others ululated, blew horns and whistles, and sang hymns. The 86-year-old pontiff is expected to meet victims of conflict, as well as the country's political and church leaders, between prayers and an outdoor mass that is expected to draw large crowds. The visit -- Francis's fifth to Africa -- was initially scheduled for 2022 but had to be postponed because of problems with the pope's knee. The affliction has made him dependent on a wheelchair and has seen the itinerary pared back in both countries. - 'We want to achieve peace' - He will be joined in South Sudan by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, underlining the broad appeal of Christianity in the devout country of 12 million people. "I am very excited to see him," Hanah Zachariah, 20, told AFP, one of dozens of pilgrims who walked nine days from the town of Rumbek to Juba, a journey of around 400 kilometres (250 miles), in a bid to see the pope. Francis promised in 2019 to travel to South Sudan when he hosted the country's two warring leaders, Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar, at a Vatican retreat and asked them to respect a hard-fought ceasefire for their people. In scenes that reverberated in South Sudan, where 60 percent of the people are Christian, the Argentine knelt and kissed the feet of two foes whose personal armies had been accused of horrific war crimes. But four years later, the country remains mired in intractable conflict. In a sign of the chronic violence, at least 21 people were killed in a cattle raid on the eve of his visit, in what authorities termed a reprisal attack in South Sudan's state of Central Equatoria. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the church leaders to put pressure on South Sudan's leadership to "address the country's ongoing human rights crisis and widespread impunity." "They should also press South Sudan's leaders to take concrete steps to end attacks on civilians and to ensure accountability for serious abuses," Mausi Segun, HRW's Africa director, said in a statement released Friday. War-weary citizens have pinned their hopes on Francis to encourage much-needed unity in a nation riven with ethnic and political division. "We have suffered a lot. Now, we want to achieve peace," said Robert Michael, a 36-year-old businessman, beneath one of many towering billboards in Juba welcoming the pope. - 'Brutal atrocities' - Friday has been declared a public holiday. Officials have encouraged people to turn out in droves but have not offered an estimate of how many are expected to attend the pope's appearances. Roads in the capital have been tarmacked for the occasion, and security officials said Wednesday that an additional 5,000 police and soldiers would be on the streets. The visit follows a trip to Kinshasa, the capital of neighbouring DRC, marking the first time since 1985 that a pope has travelled to the deeply troubled country, which has Africa's biggest Catholic following. Before boarding his plane on Friday, the pope -- who appeared fatigued -- urged Congolese bishops to focus on the people and not just "political activity". About 40 percent of DRC's more than 100 million people are Catholic, according to estimates, and the church retains huge influence. Earlier during his trip, Francis slammed "brutal atrocities" after hearing harrowing accounts from eastern Congo, including testimony from victims of sexual violence and mutilation at the hands of militias. He added that the conflict was driven by greed for resources at the expense of innocent victims and denounced "economic colonialism" in the turbulent region. Francis also hosted a mega-mass at Kinshasa's airport and implored young Congolese to shun corruption, at a packed stadium event attended by tens of thousands. burs-amu/txw/ri In Australia, as the country readies for a referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, First Nations people in the state of Victoria are grappling with the legacy, and continuing reality, of colonisation in a unique truth-telling commission, known as the Yoorrook commission. Established as part of the ongoing process of negotiating a Treaty between the state government and local Aboriginal communities, in December the Commission heard Elders, community leaders and experts speak out about systemic injustice in the states child protection and criminal justice systems. The Commissions December hearings were the second round in what is expected to be a years-long process of truth-telling and information gathering. The stories of past and present injustice told before Yoorrook will go towards creating an official public record of the impact of colonisation on First Peoples. At the Commissions launch, Deputy Chair Sue-Anne Hunter said that the history of Victoria has been told by the side of the oppressor. And when you only have one side of the story, its always an imbalance. While countless reviews, inquiries and commissions have come and gone without significant action, there is a quiet confidence that Yoorrook, designed and led by Indigenous Victorians, and as a part of a definable Treaty process, will lead to self-determined solutions. We were taken without my parents being informed Indigenous experts and practitioners in the child protection field told the Commission that Western conceptions of what a good family looks like continue to perpetuate a racist system of state-sponsored child removal, which many Australians believe to be condemned to a shameful past. Representatives from the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency submitted that every problem we have today in Victorias child protection and criminal justice systems is a direct result of centuries of racist policies, legislation and reinforced discriminatory practices. Witnesses drew a link between historical child removal practices and modern policies and legislation which see Aboriginal children 20 times more likely to be placed in out-of-home care than their non-Indigenous peers, and which have presided over a dramatic increase in the number of Aboriginal children brought into contact with the child protection system. Aunty Charmaine Clarke, a Gundijtmara elder and family violence researcher, told the Commission of being taken into state care aged two because her parents, as itinerant fruit-pickers, had no fixed address. We were taken without my parents consent. We were taken without them being informed either, said Clarke. Aunty Geraldine Atkinson likewise spoke to a childhood of moving regularly to avoid welfare officers, after the state tried to remove her following her fathers death. Wherever we lived we were under scrutiny. We were always under scrutiny about how we were living, where we were and the conditions we lived in. It was traumatising [to see other children removed]. You would think that you would be next. The trauma developed from past generations, and the consequent fear of the child protection system, intergenerationally continues, Jacynta Krakouer, a social worker and academic, told the Commission. Hostile government policy, which views parents being unwilling to cooperate with welfare officers as a risk factor for children, further compounds the problem. That trauma response animates real fear and you dont want to talk to them because you are scared its going to happen to you what happened to our ancestors, what happened to our Elders, said Krakouer. Child protection or child carelessness? The Commission heard that policy and legislation that ignores Aboriginal history and culture continues to deliver bad outcomes for First Nations people. Victorian-era understandings of what good parenting looks like continue to underpin child protection legislation and practice, and dont account for kinship-grounded models of child-rearing. Krakouer cited examples of children being placed with the non-Indigenous side of their families by child protection because they were seen to have the model standard of good parenting. The absence of self-determination in developing child protection policy creates a situation in which past wrongs are re-committed, and Aboriginal children are disconnected from their families and their culture. The Commission heard of the high rate of removal of Aboriginal infants in Victoria, which sits at 18 times that of non-Indigenous children. It was noted that many of the risk factors influencing contact with the child protection system are historical and static they are beyond the control of families to alter, no matter how motivated they may be. The peculiarities of unborn notifications where an individual can make child protection aware of concerns about the wellbeing of an unborn child further entrench Aboriginal disadvantage and perpetuate a system of child removals. Mothers are not informed that a notification has been made, and child protection does not have the power to make a referral to a community-based service before the birth. Karinda Taylor, from First Peoples Health and Wellbeing, told the Commission of an instance where this legislative framework played out when an unborn notification was made by police when the mother was five weeks pregnant following a domestic dispute. In the intervening period, the mother left the relationship and found new living conditions, and the notification went undisclosed and unrecognised until the birth: The first person that she sees, before any of her family arrive to meet her baby, is a child protection worker to take her baby. While the state continues to pathologise and punish Aboriginal family structures and ways of parenting, the states level of care is, in many cases, not up to standard: If the State were held to the same standards that our families are held to, the state would have the children removed from their care, said Krakouer. The Commission was told of the Department dropping children on the doorsteps of carers at night with $20 and some clothes, while significant administrative failings were spoken of in 2021, child protection did not have a primary address for 462 children in its care, while another 171 were at address unknown. In Australia, indigenous children are 20 times more likely to be placed in out-of-home care by child welfare services than non-indigenous children. Anoek De Groot / AFP Criminal responsibility at 10 years old The interrelationship between Victorias child protection and criminal justice systems was emphasised by witnesses before the Commission, with systemic racism and the historic and ongoing trauma of child removal perpetuating overrepresentation in the criminal justice system. Witnesses were united in pressing the need for Victorias age of criminal responsibility to rise from the current 10 years of age out of step with international standards and contributing heavily to the criminalisation of Aboriginal children, while perpetuating cycles of trauma. Aunty Geraldine Atkinson told the Commission about her brother, who, after being caught stealing $20 from his teacher as a 10-year old, was removed from his family, sent to various juvenile detention facilities across the state, before winding up in adult prison and ultimately dying at a young age. Now thats the story of a child being removed at about 10 years of age then what their life trajectory is Do we still want that to occur? Do we still want to see our people locked up at 10, still being babies, not having a chance to change their lives? Stories like Atkinsons continue to be replicated under a system described by Meena Singh, Victorias Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People, as having devastating consequences for Aboriginal young people and their families. Karin Williams, a youth justice worker, spoke of supporting a 10 year old child in court who had been locked up overnight. He didnt have anyone. I sat with him. I was crying like a baby beside him because it was disheartening. He was crying. He was distressed because he had no one with him. He ended up getting locked up again, I think, because he had no one around to take him home. Police racism and excesses Compounding legislative settings that criminalise children and perpetuate trauma, the Commission heard that institutional racism pervaded Victoria Police. Representatives of the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) said that police, in responding to calls from carers over behavioural issues, regularly ignored a legislative directive to de-escalate and proceed without arrest in such circumstances. The Commission was told that police used derogatory and degrading language towards children in these situations, and excessive force, including the use of chokeholds, when making arrests. One child, M, who has been in 12 different care homes since the age of 11 and has serious mental health and disability issues, has spent months in prison despite never being sentenced to a term of imprisonment. He was subject to violent arrests some resulting in hospitalisation and became targeted by police. In some cases, VALS submitted, police officers appear to pursue a vendetta against Aboriginal children once they become known to police. Children in detention many of whom are on remand are exposed to institutionalised racism and brutality, the Commission further heard. Representatives of Kurnai Legal Practice spoke of uncovering racially-motivated strip-searching of children by police. [After speaking to clients] we realised very quickly it was only Aboriginal children who were being routinely subjected to strip searches. Only after they were issued subpoenas and presented with evidence did the police drop their denials and institute a change of policy. As with child protection, the Commission was told that the institutions which have committed past injustices against Aboriginal Victorians continue to do so today. There is a direct line between structural conditions of colonisation, including police practices, and the contemporary criminal justice system which continues to reproduce marginalised peoples as criminal sub-groups, submitted the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria. There was agreement among witnesses that only Treaty and self-determination can effect transformational change to repair the harms of colonisation, which continue to manifest themselves today. The discriminatory effect of bail laws Victorias harsh 2018 bail laws which have seen a precipitous increase in Indigenous incarceration provide a case study into the need for self-determined solutions, said witnesses. The provisions create a reverse onus in applying for bail, requiring those with past convictions, even for minor offences such as shoplifting or failure to appear, to prove exceptional circumstances to be bailed. Aboriginal people face an additional hurdle, according to Tessa Theocharous from Kurnai Legal Practice: We have not had one case for a First Nations person where the police prosecutor will consent to bail. We have some non-Indigenous clients and there is a noticeable difference in the police approach to these clients. The laws have had tragic consequences in 2020, 37-year old Veronica Nelson died in prison after being denied bail on a shoplifting charge. A coronial inquest this week found Nelson received cruel and degrading treatment at the hands of prison staff, and that the laws have a discriminatory effect on First Nations people. You cant have a Treaty without truth A constant thread throughout the two weeks of hearings was the pressing need for self-determined solutions. The institutions police, government departments, and religious charities which perpetrated the injustices of the 19th and 20th centuries are the same which operate in todays criminal justice and child protection systems. Many witnesses insisted that only a true break from these symbols of colonialism can produce meaningful and lasting change. The First Peoples Assembly of Victoria, the body charged with Treaty negotiation, submitted that from the earliest stages of colonisation, colonialists used violence and policing, and forcibly separated First Peoples children from their families. The reality for our people is that the conflict has never stopped. While past inquiries may have come to nought, Yoorrook offers a new mode of confronting the past, entirely self-determined, and informing a Treaty negotiated on First Peoples own terms. Peter Hood, a member of the Assembly, told Justice Infoof fairly heated debate about the direction of the Commission when it was being designed. But the beauty of it was we were all paddling up the same stream. Come five oclock when its time to lay down your shields, everybody was like family. As to the evidence heard by the Commission, Hood says that not every story will be told there's thousands out there but its peeling off a layer or two, like an onion. What happens when you peel an onion? You get teary. A lot of these stories were very difficult to tell, especially for Elders. It can be very emotional to speak about. For all these years theyve never ever spoken about it. You cant have a Treaty without truth, says Hood. Despite the innumerable challenges ahead, theres reason for optimism, he says: Its been a hard slog, but theres definitely light at the end of the tunnel. Lee Do Hyun is becoming more unstoppable as he continues to carve his name in the Hallyu scene! Boasting his pretty face and immersive acting chops, he's without a doubt among the most successful actors today. Here are his best works worth checking out! 'Youth of May' In the 2021 romance drama "Youth of May," Lee Do Hyun sent the viewers in a limbo. He played the role of Hwang Hee Tae, an intelligent student who's selfless and full of love; this made everyone root for him in life and love. Because of his gripping performance and chemistry with Go Min Si, the drama enjoyed great reception and incredibly high ratings. '18 Again' Lee Do Hyun showed off his versatility in the fantasy rom-com drama "18 Again." He took on his first ever dual role, portraying Go Woo Young and Hong Dae Young, two characters that many supporters cheered for. The actor's journey as a mischievous father to a clueless teenager trying to win the heart of his first love truly appealed to the viewers. At the 2021 Baeksang Arts Awards, Lee Do Hyun received a nod as the year's Best New Actor. 'Melancholia' In another melodrama entitled "Melancholia," Lee Do Hyun was able to prove that he's an actor who exudes great chemistry with anyone he's partnered with. Despite his age difference with Im Soo Jung and the public's doubt about the work, the two still depicted a beautiful romance between a loveable teacher and a timid yet thoughtful student. Lee Do Hyun's "Melancholia" delivered comfort to the viewers amidst the depressing atmosphere during the pandemic. 'The Glory' Lee Do Hyun's most recent and buzz-inducing Netflix drama "The Glory" is certainly one of his best works yet! He plays the role of Joo Yeo Joong, a troubled plastic surgeon who plans to seek revenge from his father's murderer while pursuing a teacher, played by Song Hye Kyo, whose heart is also filled with revenge. The drama instantly won over the hearts of the viewers. In particular, Lee Do Hyun trended for his performance. The actor would sometimes put on a bright facade and the next moment, he's already willing to kill for his love interest-although a little morbid, both domestic and international fans rooted for him. YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN THIS: Lee Do Hyun Originally Refused To Star In 'The Glory'- Here's Why KDramaStars owns this article. Written by Elijah Mully. Bae Doona talks about her upcoming K-drama "Next Sohee" and reveals why she is fond of headlining mystery shows Known for her awards and global fame, the 43-year-old star is recognized for her versatility and ability to deliver top-notch performance. As the award-winning actress stars in back-to-back activities, Bae Doona shares thoughts about past and upcoming projects and why she keeps on choosing mystery drama as her next on-screen projects. Bae Doona on Creating Better World for Children Through Her Films and Series In an interview conducted by media outlet WikiTree, the South Korean star was asked why the majority of her films and K-dramas were in the mystery genre and centers on children. Bae Doona says that she wants "young people to live in a better world" and see it through her dramas hence why she'll "definitely going to join more movies about children" in the future. Moreover, the actress talks about her struggles and how she didn't want young people to experience the trials that she has been through. "I think I can somehow tell children about everything in their process of becoming adults. Basically, I think children should be protected and live a happy life," the actress added. Bae Doona has a slew of remarkable mystery series and films under her belt. The award-winning movie "A Girl at My Door" transformed the 43-year-old star into a local police officer who is sent to work in a small village. There, she meets a teenager named Sun Do Hee, played by Kim Sae Ron, and takes her in to protect her from her abusive stepfather. Apart from it, Bae Doona headlined the hit K-drama "Stranger" seasons 1 and 2 playing the role of Lieutenant Han Yeo Jin, and worked alongside the top-notch prosecutor Hwang Shi Mok played by Cho Seung Woo. They joined forces to eradicate corruption at the prosecutors' office and solve a serial murder case. From "A Girl at My Door" and "Stranger" she also played a police officer role in "Broker." The drama film revolves around brokers who find a new family for a baby left in a baby box or a safe place for children to be placed if parents feel that they don't fit to take care of them. Interestingly, after the successful premiere of her comeback movie "Broker" at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival along with award-winning Song Kang Ho, IU, Kang Dong Won, and more, Bae Doona has a back-to-back movies that also made a debut at the prestigious festival. "Next Sohee" is the first Korean film to be selected as the closing film at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and screened as part of Canada's Fantasia International Film Festival. Bae Doona New Movie: 'Next Sohee' Release Date Months after its premiere at international film festivals, "Next Sohee" officially hit local theaters this February. It follows the story of a high school student named So Hee, played by Kim Si Eun who gets murdered. The fearless detective Oh Yu Jin, portrayed by Bae Doona investigates the murder case. It will be Bae Doona's second film with director July Jung who also helmed the movie "A Girl at My Door." KDramastars owns this article Written by Geca Wills A sought-after Hallyu star, Song Hye Kyo becomes a hot topic after the actress lands a hit K-drama "The Glory." Interestingly, the 41-year-old beauty gained the attention after an online community spoke about the actress' lead stars. In a post shared in theqoo, titled "Consistent mention of Song Hye Kyo by actors who worked with her," her former co-stars mentioned one thing in common after describing their working relationship with the actress. Song Hye Kyo's True Personality Revealed by Former Leading Men In the said post, Kang Dong Won, who worked with Song Hye Kyo in the 2014 movie "My Brilliant Life," described the actress as a "captain of easy-going women." At the time, he shared in an interview that her easygoing personality brightens the room. "She is a mood-maker who is good at leading things. To put it mildly, I feel like she is a captain," Kang Dong Won shared in a broadcast interview at the time. In the said film, Kang Dong Won portrayed Song Hye Kyo's on-screen husband who has a son with a rare genetic disorder. On the other hand, Lee Seung Joon, who played Song Sang Hyun in the K-drama "Descendants of the Sun," also expressed the same thoughts about the Hallyu queen. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: These Hallyu Top Stars Are Named the Most Good-Looking Celebrities in Real Life Despite the actress' celebrity status, the actor calls Song Hye Kyo an "easy-going person," adding, "She comes to me first to make me feel comfortable." Lastly, Ahn Bo Hyun worked with the actress in the same drama. At the time, he is playing one of the soldiers under Song Joong Ki's team. During his guest appearance on MBC's "Radio Star" back in 2018 he admitted that he had a huge crush on Song Hye Kyo. "All the actors who played male soldiers fell for Song Hye Kyo's charm," he added. Moreover, the actor shared that he initially thought that the Hallyu queen would come on set all glammed up but because she is a top actress; however, he was surprised after The Glory" star came with no makeup and with bun hair "I wondered if someone could be that easy-going," he furthered. Song Hye Kyo Drama: 'The Glory Season 2' to Premiere on THIS Date After the successful finale of the revenge series, Song Hye Kyo's drama "The Glory Season 2" will be released on March 10 with 8 episodes via Netflix. In addition, she is also in talks to lead the upcoming K-drama "The Price of Confession" with Han So Hee. KDramastars owns this article Written by Geca Wills The deputy grand chief of 49 First Nations in northern Ontario says communities are mourning after a 10-year-old girl died in a house fire on Weenusk First Nation over the weekend. A Calgary Fire Department fire fighter drives a fire truck in Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, April 14, 2020, amid a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh 137 Shares Share February 3rd marks the annual observance of National Women Physicians Day, a special day dedicated to honoring the countless female physicians who have dedicated their lives to the health and well-being of their patients. The holiday was created in response to the fact that although women make up over half of all medical school graduates, they still only make up a small percentage of physicians in practice today. This day is meant to honor the accomplishments of female physicians and recognize their struggles and encourage more women to enter the field. What is the meaning of February 3rd? In 2016, President Obama declared February 3rd as a day of celebration to honor the path that women physicians have paved since 1849. This day marks the birthday of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive her medical degree in the United States in 1849. During her time in medical training, she faced numerous challenges, being ridiculed, ostracized, and even barred from participating in instruction that her male colleagues received. Regardless, Dr. Blackwell forged ahead and spent her life advocating for gender equality and reform in medicine. It isnt just another Hallmark holiday. It is believed that Hallmark holidays were created to make money on days unrelated to cultural or religious events, and it worked For example, Mothers day generates around $30 billion in gross revenue annually. There are many greeting cards, novelty items, and gifts to shower women with love for tackling one of lifes greatest challenges, being a mother. Women are not being served breakfast in bed on National Woman Physician Day, like Mothers Day; female physicians are provided with pot-luck lunches and cake. Although many in the past have called into question the meaning of this holiday and how it reflects on women, we should use this day to celebrate the incredible drive woman have to care for their patients and inspire all women to work together to better the health care profession. This article reflects on 1) past accomplishments of women, 2) present accolades and obstacles of women, and 3) future work to be done by female physicians. Highlight past accomplishments by female physicians: The following is a list of women whose contributions to society have helped change medicine and altered the careers of many that came after them. Dr. Mary Edwards Walker First female U.S. Army surgeon in 1863. Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler First African American female physician in 1864. Dr. Sara Baker Contributions to public health policy significantly reduces maternal and child rates in the 1900s. Dr. Margaret Chung First American-born Chinese female physician in 1916. Dr. Louise Pearce Developed a drug to cure African sleeping sickness with colleagues in 1920. Dr. Katharine Bishop Co-discovers vitamin E in 1923, Dr. Gladys Dick Discovered bacteria causing scarlet fever in the 1920s. Dr. Leila Alice Denmark Co-developed a vaccine for pertussis in 1929. Dr. Gerty Cori Describes the Cori cycle (lactic acid cycle) to help treat diabetes in 1929. Dr. Hattie Alexander Developed treatment for influenza meningitis in 1939. Dr. Helen Brooke Taussig Co-developed the Blalock Taussig Thomas shunt for congenital heart defects in 1944. Dr. Jane Wright Discovered cancer could be treated with methotrexate in 1951. Dr. Virginia Apgar Created the APGAR score in 1953 Dr. Patricia Bath Invented the Laserphaco Probe system for removing cataracts in 1986 Dr. Antonia Novello First woman and first Hispanic woman to serve as surgeon general in 1990 Dr. Jocelyn Elders First African American surgeon general in 1993 Dr. Nancy Dickey First woman to be the president of AMA in 1997 We are celebrating female physicians today! As we celebrate the amazing woman in medicine today, it is great to see that most entering and graduating from medical schools are women. Women make up approximately 52 percent of those graduating, while women only comprise about 36 percent of the current physician workforce. It is worth acknowledging the incredible work that female physicians do daily. Although the health care industry remains dominated by male physicians, recent studies show that female physicians have a more patient-centered communication style which can lead to improved outcomes. Female physicians have been found to have higher patient satisfaction scores; there are also some studies suggesting a trend toward improved patient compliance and better outcomes. Female physicians have been found to have similar or better patient outcomes when treating chronic conditions such as diabetes and congestive heart failure and taking care of patient preventative care items. Lastly, there are studies suggesting that female physicians have a shorter length of stay and lower readmission rates for elderly hospitalized patients than their male counterparts. Future work for female physicians Women physicians continue to reshape and advance medicine, despite facing a disproportionate share of domestic and family responsibilities and numerous challenges in advancing their careers. Studies have shown that women do, on average, two hours per day more on childcare and household responsibilities as compared to their male colleagues. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted how women physicians were disproportionately affected, with many cutting down their work hours, giving up leadership roles, and looking for alternative careers. Recent studies have also shown that female physicians suffer a greater burnout rate than male physicians (51 to 36 percent, respectively). This is further worsened by the wage discrepancy between sexes. Despite being highly trained professionals that are equivalent to males, female physicians, unfortunately, experience a massive wage gap that leaves them making $2 million less than their male counterparts over the course of their careers, as published by RAND corporation in 2021. We propose that all physicians collectively work toward the following: Greater focus on flexible schedules for women looking to be with family more Equal compensation for woman physicians More leadership roles for women Final thoughts On National Women Physicians Day, we can honor those who have blazed a trail for other female physicians while also recognizing current female doctors hard work, dedication, and tenacity. This day is an opportunity to highlight womens unique challenges as they strive to achieve professional success in a traditionally male-dominated profession. This is no Hallmark holiday. The importance of celebrating National Women Physicians Day goes beyond honoring individual female physicians. It is also about raising awareness for gender-based inequalities in the health care system, such as lower pay for female doctors, a smaller percentage of female representation in leadership positions, and inadequate medical care for womens health issues. By highlighting these issues on National Women Physicians Day, we can help create a more equitable health care system that works for everyone. Happy National Womans Day to our colleagues and friends! This day is more than just another Hallmark holiday. Corinne Sundar Rao is a board-certified internal medicine physician and founder, Legacy Physicians, which helps hospitals find well-qualified physicians at a much lower overhead than they would pay staffing agencies. She can be reached on LinkedIn and Facebook. Aaron Morgenstein is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and founder, FlexMedStaff.com, a fully transparent and free marketplace for physicians to find new clinical and non-clinical opportunities to improve work-life balance. Contact Aaron here. A minister with responsibility for housing refugees needs to be appointed to deal with the worsening situation of a shortage of accommodation, according to an opposition party leader. Labour leader and housing spokesperson Ivana Bacik has called on Government to appoint a Special Minister with Responsibility for Housing Refugees to the Housing Department. Questioning the Tanaiste in the Dail today, Deputy Bacik said the information vacuum created by Government is being exploited by 'sinister actors' in local communities. Deputy Bacik said: We in Labour are calling for a Minister to be appointed with the purpose of creating a strategy to house refugees in communities. The Government also needs to adopt a centralised approach to getting information out to local communities in a timely way when new accommodation is being opened. It is undeniable that there are sinister actors who are trying to further a far-right agenda in all this," Deputy Bacik said. "They are seeking to exploit the information vacuum to sow fear and distrust in local communities. "We have seen intimidation of families and children by some protesters. This week, a public meeting that we organized was attacked, and our own Labour public representatives have been threatened for expressing solidarity with refugees and asylum seekers. Across Ireland, we have seen communities offering a welcome to those who have come here seeking refuge from war and persecution. But we need a more co-ordinated government approach to support communities. "We need to see the appointment of a special minister in the Department of Housing and we need Government to allocate additional resources to IPAS to ensure sufficient capacity in the provision of accommodation," Deputy Bacik said. The unprecedented challenge in finding accommodation requires a coherent, NPHET-style response, led by the Taoiseach with a senior CMO-style figure, according to Deputy Bacik. "We also urgently need a public information campaign and community funding rolled out to those to support those communities which are extending that Cead Mile Failte, the Labour leader added. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today A mix of clouds and sun with gusty winds. High 83F. Winds S at 25 to 35 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 51F. SSW winds shifting to WNW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 80%. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his upcoming trip to China in response to the flying of a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the United States, according to US officials. (The Center Square) Two members of Congress representing almost the entirety of Washington east of the Cascades want to stop a particular group of foreign nationals from owning, controlling, or profiting from American agricultural land. U.S. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, and Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, have introduced the Prohibition of Agricultural Land for the Peoples Republic of China Act in the House of Representatives aimed at keeping members of the Chinese Communist Party from owning American agricultural real estate. Agriculture is Eastern Washingtons number one industry. We simply cannot allow companies from China to lock down our resources and undermine our farmers and ranchers ability to feed the world, said Rep. McMorris Rogers in a statement. Americans should not be forced to rely on China for the food they put on the table. Prohibiting the Chinese Communist Party from purchasing farmland in the United States is a no-brainer that will support domestic food production and decrease our dangerous dependence on foreign adversaries. The text of the bill calls on the president to take such actions as may be necessary to prohibit participation in programs administered by the Secretary of Agriculture by nonresident aliens, foreign businesses, or any agent, trustee, or fiduciary associated with the Government of the Peoples Republic of China. The wording is broad and aimed at preventing not just CCP members, but all affiliated persons and entities from meddling in the free market of American agriculture. It also bans the same entities and individuals from participating in any United States Department of Agriculture program, with the notable exception of food safety inspections. If adopted into law, the bill could have significant repercussions. A recent report, from the FDA entitled Foreign Holdings of U.S. Agricultural Land notes that by the beginning of 2020, China already owns or indirectly controls nearly $2 billion in US agricultural land. Another report from the USDA notes that in the previous decade Chinese investment in agriculture has risen by over 1000% outside its own borders. Currently only six states Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Oklahoma have some form of legislation on the books banning foreign nationals from owning agricultural land. The bill would extend those protections to the rest of the nation. The Chinese Communist Party is a threat to American democracy, co-sponsor Rep. Newhouse said. The United States is engaged in a great power struggle with the CCP, and we must respond with tough policies that will protect our farmland and food supply chain. The bill is worded to prevent future purchases. It is unclear how, if enacted, this legislation would affect current holdings by CCP-affiliated entities. ARMYs were captivated by BTS Jungkook's cover of Sam Smith's "Unholy," which he sang during a 4-hour livestream! Would you like to know more about the live? Then read on! BTS Jungkook Sings 'Unholy' During Weverse Live, ARMYs Shocked With Cover On February 2, BTS Jungkook held a livestream with fellow member V. At first, the maknae was initially checking in with ARMYs in Weverse to see how everything's going so far. In the stream, the maknae showed his adorable friendship with V, giving off bestie vibes. Jungkook also offered fans a much-anticipated tattoo tour, and even enjoying his time with Bam, his cherished Doberman. On Weverse, Jungkook sang a total of 37 songs, which kept ARMYs entertained. However, one song cover from Jungkook got fans wilding, when the maknae sang "Unholy" by Sam Smith, featuring Kim Petras. With Jungkook's amazing vocals, all eyes and ears were locked on him. Fans were delighted enough to see one of them do a stream, but they never expected something daring! ARMYs couldn't move on with his cover, leading them to express their shock on Twitter. Some even mentioned how happy they are seeing him in livestream after a long while. See their reactions below: after the jungkook drought we had the most boyfriend weverse live from him i love him so much more nath seokjin's military wife (@jeonjoji) February 2, 2023 I GOT GOOSEBUMPS! twin_Sharon (@Sharonlopez102) February 1, 2023 JUNGKOOK SINGING UNHOLY OMG pic.twitter.com/O5CgANDj9e hourly vminkook (@hourlyvmk) February 1, 2023 bh intern after they see that jungkook sang unholy on live for millions of people: pic.twitter.com/SF9ICUOUJw trinh (@trinhers) February 1, 2023 BTS Jungkook Goes Viral For Singing THIS Popular Anime Opening Soundtrack In the same Weverse live, BTS Jungkook also went viral for singing a well-known anime soundtrack. The maknae sang "Kick Back" from Kenshi Yonezu, the opening song from anime "Chainsaw Man." ARMYs who are fond of the anime went wild, since the idol is also familiar with the show, and knows the song by heart. CHAINSAW MAN OPENING BY JUNGKOOK pic.twitter.com/SDvurOfq5C soft koo pics (@jksdgie) February 1, 2023 The anime was released on October 12, 2022, which caught anime fans' attention, including Jungkook. It has garnered a massive fanbase for its manga, characters, OST, and graphic sequences in the show. See the rest of their reactions below: "This is a dream. I can't believe he's singing Kick Back." "I'm gonna watch chainsaw man because of him now." "Omg if there's any higher power out there, thank you very much. I don't know what I did to deserve this, but thank you." "Chainsaw Man is going to be the most-watched anime this week. This is just amazing." "The way he knows it by heart." "He's so real for this!" "Please, I still can't believe this is real." "Today was the happiest day in my life." Which song covers from Jungkook are your favorites? Did you watch the whole livestream? Let us know in the comments below! Read KpopStarz for more K-pop news. KpopStarz owns this article Written by Israel Monte Chinese FM urges Japan to honor commitments, act prudently on major issues Xinhua) 11:12, February 03, 2023 This photo taken on Dec. 19, 2022 shows a view of the Tokyo Tower at sunset in Tokyo, Japan. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu) China and Japan are close neighbors separated by a strip of water, and peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation are the only correct choices for both sides, the Chinese foreign minister said. BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Thursday urged Japan to uphold an objective and rational perception of China, honor its commitments and act prudently in words and action on major issues such as history and Taiwan. In a telephone conversation with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Qin also expressed his hope that Japan will act cautiously in the area of military security, and stop provocations by right-wing forces on the Diaoyu Islands issue. China and Japan are close neighbors separated by a strip of water, and peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation are the only correct choices for both sides, the Chinese foreign minister said. The two sides should learn from history, stay true to their original aspiration, thwart disturbances, steer their relationship in the right direction, and work together to build China-Japan relations that meet the demands of the new era, Qin said. Noting that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Qin said that China is willing to take this opportunity with Japan to review the spirit of the treaty, fulfill the obligations under the treaty, and adhere to the important political consensus of being cooperative partners and not posing a threat to each other. China stands ready to work with Japan to deepen cooperation in various fields and promote the improvement and development of China-Japan relations on the right track, he added. Qin said he hopes that Japan will continue to uphold market principles and the spirit of freedom and openness in conducting economic, trade and scientific cooperation with China, and earnestly handle the disposing of nuclear-contaminated water in an open, transparent, scientific and safe manner. Qin said the two sides should adhere to strategic independence and work together for the sound development of Asia. For his part, Hayashi said Japan and China cannot achieve their development and prosperity without support of each other, and bilateral relations enjoy broad cooperation prospects and great development potential. Japan is ready to work with China to take the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Japan-China Treaty of Peace and Friendship as an opportunity to review the spirit of the treaty, implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, promote dialogue and communication at all levels and people-to-people exchanges, advance practical cooperation and build constructive and stable Japan-China relations, he noted. He said that Japan welcomes China's positive contribution to the international community and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) MOONBIN&SANHA (ASTRO) have revealed their tour schedule poster for their first fan concert, 'DIFFUSION' on February 1, 2023, at 6 pm KST through Fantagio's official social media accounts. 'DIFFUSION' is the first unit fan concert since debuting as a unit two and a half years ago. READ ALSO: ASTRO's Yoon Sanha and Moonbin Are the New Hosts of "Show Champion" MOONBIN&SANHA will begin their fan concert in Seoul on March 18, 6 pm KST and on March 19, 4 pm KST. The unit will visit eight cities in seven countries, including Manila, Bangkok, Macau, Taipei, Jakarta, Tokyo, and Osaka. The schedule poster also teases the possibility of adding tour stops with the phrase 'AND MORE' at the end. After recently completing their third mini album INCENSE promotions, MOONBIN&SANHA will gift a special time to fans at 'DIFFUSION'. Since the show's title 'DIFFUSION' is the continuation of their latest album INCENSE, MOONBIN&SANHA plan to continue to captivate their fans with the unit's outstanding charms and performances. RELATED ARTICLE: MOONBIN&SANHA Reveal Main Promotional Posters for Their Fan Concert, 'DIFFUSION' VIXX Leo has left fans scratching their heads with his airport fashion. Upon seeing his getup, Starlights shared their thoughts online. Here's what people are saying. VIXX Leo Leaves Starlights Confused With His Airport Fashion On February 2, VIXX members Leo, Ken, and Hyuk were seen departing for their fan concert, "ING: As Always." The three idols were spotted in Gimpo International Airport, Seoul, where various photographers witnessed them heading for Tokyo, Japan. The members became the center of the attention, due to their stylish outfits and presence. Since they have graced the airport with their charms, the photographers didn't hesitate to take pictures. While many were thrilled to see them, one member caught attention for his clothing, to which fans considered as odd. In an online forum, fans laid out photos of Leo sporting a yellow coat. Some even hilariously pointed out the report that resembled Leo's coat to a tablecloth. On the discussion, Starlights investigated the origins of the clothing, and they ended up discovering that Leo had worn a Cashmere Sweater. While most of the fans were hysterical with the tablecloth resemblance, others expressed how much it suits Leo. Meanwhile, some stated that the coat has nothing to do with its peculiarity, but for its color. They suggested the coat would look better if it had dark shades instead. Fans commented on the discussion: "Seeing just the top, I thought that the journalist was being too harsh but looking at the bottom, I can understand." "After seeing the top, it made me think it was fine. But after seeing the fringes at the coat's bottom, I burst out laughing." "We have a tablecloth with similar print on top of our kimchi fridge." "The title made me think that the wording was way too harsh, but I can't refute this. Sorry, Leo." "It's not the coat, but the color that's the issue here. It'd be better if it was a dark neutral color or in black though." "But the coat suits him." VIXX Leo, Ken, & Hyuk Posts Announcement Regarding Fan Concert 'ING: As Always' In other news, VIXX member Leo, Ken, and Hyuk revealed big news to Starlights. On December 14, the idols posted a video announcement, revealing details about their fan-concert "ING: As Always." On the video, the members expressed their excitement. VIXX Leo announced the concert's venue and dates. VIXX Ken added that the group will finally present Starlights new performances. VIXX Hyuk furthered that even if January might be a cold month, they will showcase fans hot stages in the concert. "It's indeed good news. VIXX 2023 fan concert will be held at KBS Arena for two days on January 6 and 7." "We wanted to present you a happy time as you've waited us for so long." "The month of January would be very cold, but we'll be there to see you with a steaming hot present, so you all need to be ready for that." What was your reaction to Leo's airport fashion? Tell us in the comments below! Read KpopStarz for more K-pop news. KpopStarz owns this article Written by Israel Monte 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 Sri Lanka concluded its 4th Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) during the 42nd Session of the UPR Working Group on Wednesday 1st February in Geneva. Sri Lankas National Report was prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with input from government ministries and agencies through an inclusive and broad-based process where civil society organizations and the National Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka were also consulted. The UPR is conducted as a review mechanism by the UPR Working Group of the UN Human Rights Council in four year cycles. Sri Lankas last UPR review was in 2017. Delivering the opening statement via a pre-recorded statement, the Head of Delegation, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry highlighted the progress and achievements made by Sri Lanka since its last review including the implementation of the recommendations accepted. Sri Lanka envisages 2023, the 75th anniversary of independence, to be a year of socio-economic stabilization, reconciliation, and recovery. The Minister also said that it is important to learn from the past, and it is equally important to move on, to build better and stronger. The Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Himalee Arunatilaka highlighted legislative and policy measures implemented by Sri Lanka during the reporting period including the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, strengthening efforts on the reconciliation processes and the national independent institutions. The Sri Lanka delegation responded to the queries and comments from the floor ranging from issues relating to inter alia freedom of expression and assembly, the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), migrant workers, rights of minorities, combating corruption, social protection, rights of women, persons with disabilities, children, food security and progress achieved on SDGs. The Review was conducted in a constructive atmosphere with the participation of delegates from 106 countries providing their appreciation, comments and recommendations covering a broad range of issues on the floor. Appreciation was expressed for the implementation of recommendations accepted by Sri Lanka in the 3rd Cycle, despite the socio economic challenges posed by the COVID pandemic and global crises. Serbia, Zambia and Cuba welcomed the implementation of recommendations accepted in the last Cycle. Bangladesh welcomed efforts to establish gender equality, and curb gender based violence. Bhutan commended Sri Lanka for its concerted efforts and progress in implementing its human rights obligations despite the enormous socio-economic challenges. Nepal welcomed the adoption of the National Nutrition Policy. India took note of the engagement by the Government of Sri Lanka with members of the international community and other organizations on various aspects of human rights situation and reconciliation issues in Sri Lanka. Maldives congratulated the Government for introducing a policy for Gender Mainstreaming in all sectoral Ministries that includes the establishment of gender focal points, gender-responsive budgeting and anti-sexual harassment committees. Pakistan appreciated Sri Lankas continued cooperation with UN human rights mechanisms while also welcoming legislative, administrative measures such as the enactment of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Amendment) Act No 12 of 2022, 21st Amendment to the Constitution and measures under National Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force. Thailand commended Sri Lanka for achieving COVID vaccination coverage of its targeted population above WHO targets. Japan appreciated the positive steps taken by Sri Lanka since the previous review cycle, including the implementation of Amendments to the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Japan said it considers it important that the international community support Sri Lankas own efforts to foster reconciliation in the country. Chile, Egypt and Ireland also noted with appreciation the recent amendments to the PTA. The UK welcomed Sri Lankas commitments on respect for the rights of those from all religious and ethnic groups and further said Sri Lankas recent efforts to foster political inclusion and constitutional reform are particularly welcome. Qatar, noted with appreciation the adoption of the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. This was also welcomed by Spain. Algeria, welcomed the constitutional amendment of 2022. Turkiye was pleased to observe that Sri Lanka amended the Prevention of Terrorism Acts and held an All-Party Conference to revive reconciliation process. Philippines welcomed the recent approval of the establishment of the Office for Overseas Sri Lankans. Nigeria commended the Government for its unwavering commitment to its international human rights obligations and continued cooperation with human rights mechanisms. Saudi Arabia commended Sri Lankas tireless work to achieve the goals of sustainable development and combat human trafficking. Namibia appreciated the specific legislative, policy and institutional measure adopted by Sri Lanka with the aim of fulfilling its obligations under international human rights law. Oman appreciated the National Action Plan to combat trafficking of persons. China, Russia, Cuba, Venezuela and Malaysia made supportive statements on Sri Lankas efforts. UAE appreciated ongoing national reconciliation path in line with local priorities and policies. Several other countries commended Sri Lankas continuous efforts to promote human rights of its people, in particular the adoption of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, work of the independent commissions and domestic reconciliation efforts including the work of the OMP, OR and ONUR. Countries also underlined the importance of the promotion and protection of the rights of children, women, persons with disabilities, older persons and migrants. Many countries appreciated the constructive engagement of Sri Lanka with the UPR process and the efforts take in preparing the national Report. Belgium appreciated efforts by the government to tackle gender-based violence while noting remaining challenges. Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Hungary and Vietnam commended Sri Lankas progress made on the SDGs. Several countries welcomed Sri Lankas efforts towards socio-economic stabilization, reconciliation and recovery despite challenges. While thanking all Government and civil society partners who engaged in the UPR process and the delegations who spoke during the Review, Sri Lankas Permanent Representative in Geneva said that Sri Lanka will carefully consider the recommendations received In closing the Review, the President of the Council and Chair of the Session, PR of the Czech Republic thanked the Sri Lanka delegation for its engagement and readiness to answer all questions and comments, as well as the preparations which he said were done in an excellent manner. The delegation of Sri Lanka was led by Foreign Minister Ali Sabry. The delegation in Geneva comprised of the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva, senior officials from the Presidential Secretariat, the Attorney Generals Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN, as well as over 20 line Ministries joining virtually from Colombo. Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN Geneva 1st February 2023 Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 3 (ANI): Indian fintech pioneer Paytm in an exchange filing informed about the resignation of Non-Executive Director Douglas Feagin from its Board. Feagin is the senior vice-president of the Ant Group, and had joined One97 Communications (OCL)'s Board in July, 2021, at the request of the nominating shareholder. In his letter to Paytm, he wrote, "Paytm's journey to achieving profitable financial services of scale in India has been inspiring. In recognition of the company's growth as a publicly-listed company and the maturity of the business, at the request of the nominating shareholder, I hereby resign from my position as a director on the Board of Directors of Paytm." Also Read | U.S. Job Growth Likely Remained Strong in January Amid a Persistently Resilient Labor Latest Tweet by Reuters. Feagin added that he remains confident in Paytm's management team and wishes for their continued success. Paytm is expected to share its third quarter or December quarter (Q3FY23) earnings on Friday, where analysts expect the company to announce strong revenue growth with reduction in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (Ebitda) losses. Also Read | Bangladesh: LPG Price Hiked by 22.15 Taka per Kg to 124.85 Taka, Announce BERC. In December 22, Paytm disbursed loans worth Rs 3,665 crore (USD 443 million) in the given period, growing 330 per cent on-year. The fintech company added one million payment devices during the quarter and the number of merchants paying subscription for payment devices touched 5.8 million as of December 2022, according to data available. The company's consumer engagement was at its highest on the Paytm Super App with average monthly transacting users at 85 million for the quarter ended December 2022, up 32 per cent year-on-year. Paytm also posted consistent growth in total merchant payments volume as the total merchant GMV (gross merchandise volume) aggregated to Rs 3.46 lakh crore (USD 42 billion) for the quarter ended December 2022, marking a year-on-year growth of 38 per cent. (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], February 3 (ANI/PRNewswire): NSDC International Ltd, a subsidiary of National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India has selected German Technology firm Certif-ID International GmbH (Certif-ID), as its technology partner to rollout its digital credentialing and future of work platform to support Indian talents to gain recognition and employment opportunities across the world. The contract was signed by Ved Mani Tiwari, COO (Officiating CEO) of NSDC and Timothy Miller, Founder and Managing Director of Certif-ID International. Also Read | Bangladesh: LPG Price Hiked by 22.15 Taka per Kg to 124.85 Taka, Announce BERC. In partnership, the platform supports aspiring candidates to achieve their goals of working internationally. Certif-ID provides technology and training solutions to enable skilled professionals; and employers to gain trust and transparency in the sourcing process. Certif-ID enables candidates to differentiate themselves with digital tools, CVs, videos and a wallet with verifiable credentials anchored on the blockchain. Equally employers are able to verify the authenticity of candidate documents in just a few clicks. NSDC aims to support 3 million candidates to secure international employment by 2025. Technology plays a pivotal role in achieving this goal. Intelligent skills matching, training recommendations, verifiable credentials, and competency and skill assessments form the basis for ensuring candidates meet the requirements of international markets. Building a common skills framework across borders will revolutionize how training is delivered and candidates showcase their skills. Also Read | Digi Yatra To Be Implemented at Kolkata, Pune, Vijayawada and Hyderabad Airports by March 2023 for Contactless Processing. Ved Mani Tiwari, COO (Officiating CEO) of NSDC, said, "In line with our new brand identity and focus, we are committed to achieving the country's skill development mission. We are therefore excited to partner with Certif-ID and adopt their verifiable skilling platform and in partnership develop the world's largest Phygital Skilling Ecosystem. With an initial focus on International markets, we are creating a verifiable talent pool of internationally recognized talent, and in doing so fulfilling our promise to reduce skill gaps across the world." Talking about this partnership, Timothy Miller, Founder and Managing Director of Certif-ID, stated that, "India has a unique opportunity to leverage its demographic dividend and provide skilled resources for the world. NSDC is paving the way for skilled professionals to gain international recognition and secure lucrative employment opportunities abroad. At Certif-ID we are excited and humbled to be selected by NSDC as its technology partner for this aspiring journey." As a part of this initiative, NSDC and Certif-ID will identify skilled candidates and support them to upskill, learn languages, and develop cultural awareness of international markets. A candidates journey starts with internationally recognized digital credentials being issued to successful candidates by NSDC. Credentials are anchored on blockchain and stored in a digital wallet called 'SkillPass'. Candidates are then able to develop a state of the art digital, verifiable portfolio of skills and experiences that are shared directly with recruiters internationally. With its International Skilling Centers, NSDC certifies top talent across the country and provides candidates with the opportunity to build a digital skills profile and continue to upskill and apply for skill matched international job opportunities. Moving forward, the platform will automate much of the skill verification, document validation and visa issuance process, to seamlessly provide access to international recruiters and companies. Giving boost to Government Skill India Mission, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a nodal skill development agency, working under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India, is a unique Public Private Partnership (PPP) that aims to catalyse the creation of a large and quality vocational training ecosystem in India. Since inception in 2010, NSDC has trained over three crore people through its collaboration with training partners pan India. NSDC has established 37 Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) and implements the Government's flagship skill development schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), among others. NSDC also funds enterprises, companies and organisations that provide skill training. The organisation enables private-sector capacity building in skill development by offering concessional loans, other innovative financial products, and strategic partnerships. Certif-ID is a 'Future of Work' platform that connects education to employment in the technical skills sector. With a vision to bridge the skills gap, and enable skilled professionals to work wherever there is a demand. The platform provides a digital credentialing solution to enable educators to anchor digital records on the blockchain. Technical professionals can also use Certif-ID to build a 'SkillPass' digital SSI wallet that helps them showcase their skills, build a digital portfolio, record video CVs, and share their certificates with potential employers. Connecting key stakeholders in the technical sector, Certif-ID focuses on streamlining the sourcing process, and bridging the skills gap between education and employment while establishing trust and transparency. This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Utrecht [Netherlands], February 2 (ANI): The tuberculosis vaccine (also known as the BCG vaccine) does not protect the elderly with co-morbidities against illness symptoms induced by a coronavirus infection. This was documented in the BCG-PRIME research, which began during the early days of the corona pandemic when there were no vaccinations against the virus. The study was conceived and carried out in a very short period of time in 20 Dutch institutions led by UMC Utrecht as a collaborative effort. The full results of the study were published this week in Clinical Microbiology and Infection after the primary findings were disclosed in 2021. Also Read | Poor Oral Health May Contribute to Declines in Brain Health, Says Study. In the early phase of the corona pandemic, there was a major medical and societal need for a vaccine that could protect against (the consequences of) corona infection. This applied in particular to elderly people with comorbidities because it had quickly become clear that they were at increased risk of a severe course of infection. One candidate drug to bridge the period to effective corona vaccines and antivirals was the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine. This vaccine - the most widely administered vaccine in the world - has been used in many countries for decades to prevent tuberculosis (TB). The BCG vaccine has the additional advantage of inducing a defence through the innate immune system that is broader than just against TB. Moreover, a few small studies had indicated that this vaccine could potentially protect elderly people from respiratory infections - particularly infections of viral origin. Large Dutch study Also Read | National Wear Red Day (USA) 2023 Date, Significance & History: Everything You Need to Know About the Day Dedicated to Increasing Awareness of Cardiovascular Disease. The hypothesis that the BCG vaccine might protect against severe COVID-19 led Dutch researchers guided by UMC Utrecht to urgently set up a large, well-controlled study that could provide a definitive answer to the question of whether the BCG vaccine protects elderly people with co-morbidities against COVID-19. The study was conducted from September 2020 onwards at 20 Dutch hospitals, including all UMCs and the Santeon top clinical hospitals, with help from an EU 8.5 million grant from ZonMW. BCG vaccine offers no protection Investigator and first author of the article Eva Koekenbier MD (Program Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, UMC Utrecht) summarizes the results of the study: "The main outcome of the BCG-PRIME study was the occurrence of COVID-19. The analysis showed that disease manifestations of COVID-19 occurred as frequently (hazard ratio 1.12; 95% confidence interval 0.87-1.44) in elderly people with co-morbidities who had received the BCG vaccine (129 out of 3,058 participants) as in those who had received placebo (115 out of 3,054 participants). We also found no difference between the two groups in terms of the number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19, the number of respiratory infections requiring medical treatment, the number of serious adverse events and mortality." Study lead Prof. Marc Bonten MD PhD (Program on Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, UMC Utrecht) added: "Despite the fact that the outcome of our study was disappointing, we can be proud of the fact that we were able to successfully design and conduct the study - the largest to date on this topic - in a very short time and under great pressure. After only 4 months, we were able to conclude from a preliminary analysis that there was no major protective effect, which is certainly of interest for future studies. Furthermore, this study is an excellent example of a special collaboration in which the clinical trial infrastructure at the UMCs, the SANTEON hospitals and a number of other hospitals was efficiently used in order to scale up quickly, allowing us to vaccinate the required number of participants in the shortest possible time." The study A total of 6,112 elderly with co-morbidities aged 60 years and older participated in the placebo-controlled BCG-PRIME study between September 2020 and December 2021. Participants were recruited through hospital wards, outpatient clinics and anticoagulation services. Patients were monitored for 6 months after vaccination via their own hospital. The study had two primary endpoints: (a) the number of cases of proven COVID-19, or (b) the number of cases of respiratory tract infections for which medical treatment took place. The study was designed by UMC Utrecht, with support from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. Interim results were released through a press release in January 2021. (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], February 3 (ANI): BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh on Friday demanded a central agency inquiry into the alleged excise scam in Punjab, which happened soon after the AAP government came to power. Chugh said that an in-depth inquiry should be conducted into how money laundering took place in Punjab as well after a prolonged tug-of-war between the AAP government and liquor cartels. Also Read | Supreme Court Seeks Response From Centre, State Govts on Plea To Transfer Religious Conversion Cases From High Courts. He suspected that the money laundering in Punjab might have been used by AAP in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections. Chugh said media reports suggest that a liquor nexus mafia comprising Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sateyndra Jain and K. Kavitha, daughter of Telangana Chief Minister KCR, operated in Delhi to extort money running into crores of rupees. Also Read | Delhi Shocker: Minor Girl Gang-Raped in Fatehpur Beri; Two Arrested. He said that a similar exercise was conducted in Punjab as well which needed an in-depth inquiry. He said that the investigation into alleged kickbacks of Rs 100 crore related to the excise policy revealed that part of these funds was used in the election campaign of AAP for the Goa Assembly elections 2022. He also alleged that it was a grave matter of national security that a cartel was created by top AAP leaders to continuously generate illegal funds. "Liquor nexus mafia comprising Kejriwal, Sisodia, Jain and K. Kavitha, daughter of Telangana CM KCR, operated in Delhi to extort money running into crores of rupees," alleged BJP National Secretary Tarun Chugh. A new Excise Policy of the Delhi government was introduced in November 2021 but soon scrapped after Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended the CBI probe. The charge sheet had named seven accused, including AAP's communications chief, Sisodia's close aide Vijay Nair, and Hyderabad-based businessman Abhishek Boinpally. Sisodia had demanded action against the Chief Secretary and the resignation of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Vinai Kumar Saxena. The CBI inquiry was recommended on the findings of the Delhi chief secretary's report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, officials had said. The ED and the CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Excise Policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority's approval. The beneficiaries diverted "illegal" gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection. An alleged, the Excise Department had decided to refund the Earnest Money Deposit of about Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer against the set rules. Even though there was no enabling provision, a waiver on tendered licence fees was allowed from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, due to COVID-19. This allegedly caused a loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer, which has been instituted on a reference from the Union Home Ministry following a recommendation from Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena. (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], February 3 (ANI): Proceedings of Lok Sabha were adjourned till 2 pm on Firday while those of Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 2:30 pm today due to opposition parties reiterating their demand for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the tanking of Adani Group company shares that has led to a stock market rout. A number of Opposition leaders including Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, DMK Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi Siva, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari, BRS MP K Keshava Rao, Shiv Sena MP (Uddhav Thackeray faction) Priyanka Chaturvedi, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dr Syed Naseer Hussain, and CPI(M) MP Elamaram Kareem gave suspension of Business notice to their respective Houses to hold a discussion on the allegations levelled by US-based Hindenburg Research against Adani Group. Also Read | Indias #G20 Sherpa Given a Demo of the Digital India Mobile Van Van Sent off to Latest Tweet by PIB India. When the Rajya Sabha assembled for the day, Jagdeep Dhankhar urged members to let the House continue with its designated business. However, as Opposition members raised slogans, he adjourned the proceedings till 2.30 pm. In Lok Sabha, too Opposition members demanded a discussion but Speaker Om Birla disallowed it saying the House is to take up the important discussion on Presidential Address. As the opposition protest continued, the House was adjourned till 2 p.m. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Woman Strangles Husband to Death Following Dispute Over Rs 6,000 in Kanpur, Buries Body in House; Arrested. Prior to the day's session, Opposition parties held a meeting in the Parliament today. Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh described the Adani stock row as "corruption" and alleged that it is the corruption of the Narendra Modi government. "I have given a notice under Rule 267 today also, and we demand the constitution of a JPC or a Supreme Court-monitored time-bound inquiry of the matter. It is not the corruption of Adani alone, it is the corruption of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government. Adani has the protection of PM Modi," Singh alleged. He further demanded an answer from the Prime Minister and said that he cannot "escape" the questions. "Whose black money is this? If the Prime Minister is silent on the issue, his black money is there in foreign countries which are coming to India. Whose money was brought into Adani's company through fake companies from the foreign land? PM Modi is surrounded by questions and cannot escape from answering," the AAP MP said. Speaking to ANI ahead of the day's session, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that there is no harm in demanding a JPC and a nudge from the Prime Minister's Office would be sufficient for the constitution of a JPC. "What is the harm in demanding the constitution of a JPC? The entire stock market has been reeling under total uncertainties. It is incumbent upon us to seek justice for the people of our country. It is easy to concede to our demand. Just a knock from the PMO is enough for the constitution of a JPC. The government should concede to the demand of the Opposition parties," he said. Congress MP Manish Tewari stressed on the probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee into the alleged corruption and said that it is important that the JPC looks into the "India's regulatory architecture which governs our financial system". "We do not want a talk out, we want a JPC not because it is individual specific, but we are concerned about the failure of the regulatory institutions that why an unknown company puts out a report and the markets react in this manner. Has there been a failure of RBI? It is important that a JPC should look into the efficacy of India's regulatory architecture which governs our capital markets and our financial system. So, rather than come defensive, the government must agree to a JPC," he said. Shiv Sena MP (Uddhav Thackeray faction), when asked about the ruckus created by the Opposition in the Parliament, said that there will be a ruckus and alleged that the voices of the Opposition are being "suppressed". "If there will not be a ruckus on this issue, what other issue will the ruckus be for? It is a matter of looting the country. We will definitely create a ruckus when it comes down to LIC and SBI. The Parliament should run, and we will raise the issue. But our voices are suppressed. We are with the Congress demand for a JPC probe," he said. Congress MP K Suresh said that the government is "not ready" to give a statement on the issue. "We demanded a statement from the government yesterday. But the government is not ready to give any statement or clarification. The House was adjourned after he demanded a discussion on the issue. Today also we are moving an adjournment motion on the matter," he said. Mallikarjun Kharge, ahead of the joint meeting of Opposition parties said, "We have called the meeting of the Opposition party. We will discuss the steps to be taken further. We give notices according to the rules." Yesterday, both houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day after the Opposition created a ruckus and demanded a discussion on the Hindenburg report on the Adani conglomerate. The Opposition leaders on Thursday had demanded a discussion on the Hindenburg report against Adani Enterprises while also seeking the constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the alleged aberrations. (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, Feb 3 (PTI) The Congress has strongly objected to the introduction in the Rajya Sabha of a private member's bill which seeks to repeal the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Repeal Bill, 2022 was listed for introduction in the Upper House of Parliament on Friday by BJP member Harnath Singh Yadav. Also Read | Delhi Shocker: Minor Girl Gang-Raped in Fatehpur Beri; Two Arrested. The bill could not be taken up as the House was adjourned for the day following an uproar by Opposition members over the Adani issue. Congress MP Naseer Hussain gave a notice to the Rajya Sabha secretariat objecting to the introduction of the bill. Also Read | GMR Airports Infrastructure Shares Worth Rs 330 Crore Offloaded by Two Entities. In his notice, Hussain said he objects to the bill as it tends to adversely disturb the social fabric, shared living and age-old brotherhood of our society and create communal disharmony. "This bill is unconstitutional as it affects the secular nature of our Constitution striking at the very roots of basic structure doctrine," he said. The Congress member said the enactment of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act laid to rest various issues relating to places of worship. "Therefore, the collective wisdom of this very Parliament needs to be respected," he said, adding past issues with the potential of creating chaos with the assimilative culture and traditions of society need not be raked up. Hussain said the Act has already been challenged through a writ petition in the Supreme Court and, hence, this issue is sub-judice. "Therefore, any discussion pertaining to this matter will only hamper the judicial proceedings. It has always been the time honoured convention of Parliament to respect the judiciary and not to as such take up matters which are under consideration of courts of law," Hussain said in his notice. The Act prohibits conversion of any place of worship and provides for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Guwahati (Assam) [India], February 3 (ANI): In a crackdown against people involved in child marriages in the state, Assam Police on Friday said that as many as 1,793 people have been apprehended so far in the state. While talking to ANI, Prasanta Kumar Bhuyan, Inspector General of Police (IGP) (L&O) and spokesperson of Assam police said, "Till Friday morning, 1,793 persons have been arrested by police across the state." Also Read | Hindenburg Report on Adani Group: MPs From 16 Parties Meet To Form Strategy in Parliament. "Out of these, 131 persons have been arrested in Biswanath. The arrested persons' figure might be increased. Operations are still on," Prasanta Kumar Kumar Bhuyan added. The state-wide crackdown against child marriage was launched on Thursday night, following the directions of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Also Read | Stock Market: Sensex, Nifty Rise in Initial Trade Amid Rally in US Markets. Earlier, Guwahati Police Commissionerate on Friday said that as many as 53 people have been apprehended so far. Besides this, 192 cases related to child marriage have been registered at different police stations under the commissionerate, Whil two persons from the Moirabari area in the Morigaon district were arrested on Thursday night for marrying girls below 18 years, while six accused were apprehended from the Majuli district. On the other hand, Dhubri district police have detained at least 96 persons for their alleged involvement in child marriages. Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday night chaired a video-conference meeting with senior officials of the police department, including Superintendents of Police of all districts, regarding the police actions that would be launched state-wide from today onwards against the practice of child marriage in the state. The Chief Minister appealed to the people to support the government's action to rid the state of the evil practice of child marriage. (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], February 3 (ANI): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday conducted searches at 37 locations in Jammu & Kashmir in the question paper leak of the Financial Accounts Assistants (FAAs) recruitment exam. A senior official confirmed that the searches are underway at the premises of Jammu & Kashmir government officials, some J&K forest officials, two CRPF personnel, touts and other gang members at various locations in the Union Territory. Also Read | #BudgetSession | Lok Sabha Adjourned Till February 6. Latest Tweet by ANI. In November, CBI registered a case in connection with alleged irregularities in the examination for the posts of Accounts Assistant, Finance Department, conducted by the Jammu & Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB). CBI has registered case against 20 accused, including the former member of the JKSSB, section officer Anju Raina and Karnail Singh, who was then Medical Officer of the BSF frontier headquarters and also an accused in the JK Police Sub-Inspector recruitment examination scam case. Also Read | Supreme Court Issues Notice to Centre on Pleas Against Blocking of BBC Documentary on 2002 Gujarat Riots. The examination was conducted by the board on March 6 and its results were published on April 21. The results showed a high percentage of selected candidates were from the districts of Jammu, Kathua and Reasi, leading to allegations of paper leak and other irregularities, the FIR stated. (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, Feb 3 (PTI) Four people associated with the Hizbul Mujahideen on Friday pleaded guilty before a Delhi court in a money laundering case related to the Jammu Kashmir Affectees Relief Trust terror funding matter. Mohammad Shafi Shah, Talib Lali, Muzaffar Ahmad Dar and Musthaq Ahmad Lone told the court that they did not claim trial in the matter and accepted the allegations labelled against them by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Also Read | Today, We Are Giving Priority to the Development of Northeast and Assam. Tourism Plays a Latest Tweet by ANI. Special Judge Shailendra Malik posted the matter for February 16 for further proceedings, including arguments on the quantum of sentence to be awarded to them. "After making them understand the process, the accused persons have voluntarily agreed to plead guilty. All the accused persons are being represented by their advocates who have also made them understand the process and consequences of pleading guilty," the judge said. Also Read | Kerala Budget 2023: Petrol, Diesel and Liquor To Cost More After Finance Minister KN Balagopal Proposes Rs 2 Cess; Opposition Fumes. The court also recorded separate statements of each of the accused regarding the plea of guilt. The accused persons along with Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) chief Syed Salahuddin and others laundered funds collected and received from Pakistan through different mediums for its expenditure and distribution to active cadres of the HM and other terrorist outfits, purchase of material used for explosives and terrorist acts and abetment of terrorist acts, according to ED Special Public Prosecutor Nitesh Rana. He submitted before the court that the terror outfit was allegedly involved in funding around Rs 80 crore for terrorist activities in India. Advocate Ali Khan, also appearing for the agency, had told the court that the ED had attached several properties in Kashmir that belonged to the accused persons. The court had earlier declared Salahuddin and a few others proclaimed offenders in the case lodged under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED had filed a criminal case of money laundering in this instance after taking cognisance of a National Investigating Agency charge sheet filed against Salahuddin, Shah and others under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and sections of the Indian Penal Code. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. New Delhi [India], February 3 (ANI): Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh on Friday said that a Geological Survey team will conduct a study of the underlying factors of cracks developed in the houses in Jammu and Kashmir. Taking to social media, Singh also informed that a relief camp has been set up for the residents of the affected houses in the valley. Also Read | Kichcha Sudeep Sparks Rumours of Joining Politics After Karnataka Congress Chief DK Shivakumar Attends Dinner at His Residence. "I am in touch with DC #Doda, Sh Vishesh Mahajan. A Relief Camp has been set up for the residents of the affected houses. Meanwhile, a Geological Survey team is already on its way to the affected spot to study the underlying causative factors. Short and long-term remedial measures, as required, will be undertaken," he wrote. It is pertinent to mention that recently, houses in Uttarakhand's Joshimath developed cracks and the Uttarakhand government declared Joshimath's all nine municipal wards as "landslide-subsidence zone" under the disaster management act and began the evacuation of residents from these areas but now the people in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda have also started to witness cracks in their residences. Also Read | Jammu and Kashmir Avalanche: Two Avalanches Hit Bandipora, No Casualties. According to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Doda, Athar Amin Zargar, the cracks had started appearing in a house in December last year and have now started to aggravate. "Cracks were reported in a house in December in the Doda district. Till yesterday, six buildings developed cracks, but now these cracks have started to increase and the area can be seen sinking as several structures in the area have developed cracks," SDM Doda, Athar Amin Zargar said talking to ANI. He further mentioned that the administration has been working to constitute a team to assess the situation. He said, "A preliminary assessment was done last night and a Geologist of National Highway also came here in the night and in the morning. They will submit their assessment report by this evening." "The DM has spoken to the Director of Geology Mining and they too are constituting a proper team for the assessment of the situation to find the actual reasons behind it. Attempts are being made to save the area, but it has sunk. It would be difficult to save it. The government is trying to find a solution so that the damage does not reach other nearby areas," the Doda SDM added. Meanwhile, one of the locals expressed her apprehensions and demanded an appropriate shelter to keep themselves and their children safe. Earlier on Wednesday, a three-storey building collapsed at the Narwal Yard Transport Nagar Area of Jammu, however, the officials said that there were no casualties reported as the people were evacuated before the incident took place. The reported incidents in the districts of Jammu are similar to the atrocities faced by the people in Joshimath town of Uttarakhand's Chamoli where severe land subsidence has sunken the holy place in the state. Last month, hundreds of residents were shifted to relief centres in safe places after cracks appeared at several homes in Joshimath, suggesting subsidence. The reports of the widening of cracks also came to the fore after the town received heavy snowfall in January. (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, Feb 3 (PTI) An IndiGo passenger who was to travel to Patna from Delhi airport boarded a different flight and landed at Udaipur, and aviation regulator DGCA is probing the incident. The incident whereby the passenger landed at Udaipur airport happened on January 30. Also Read | Delhi Shocker: Minor Girl Gang-Raped in Fatehpur Beri; Two Arrested. "We are aware of the incident that took place with a passenger in 6E-319, Delhi-Udaipur flight. We are engaged with the authorities on this matter," the airline said in a statement on Friday. According to a DGCA source, the passenger had booked an IndiGo flight for Patna from Delhi. Also Read | GMR Airports Infrastructure Shares Worth Rs 330 Crore Offloaded by Two Entities. The source said that when he was in the boarding area, the boarding process was on for the flights to Patna and Udaipur from different gates. The passenger by mistake got into the queue for the Udaipur flight and boarded that flight. He realised the mistake only on landing at the Udaipur airport, the source said. Further, the source said the airline came to know about the incident after the passenger alerted airport officials. Later, IndiGo flew him back to Delhi and the next day, he took the flight to Patna, the source added. "We have sought a detailed report about the incident from the airline. We will act and do whatever is to be done," the source said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], February 3 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said that the government will start taking applications for 'Ladli Behna Yojana' from the International Women's Day, on March 8, 2023. The poor women would be given Rs 1000 a month under this scheme for financial empowerment. Also Read | Delhi Shocker: Minor Girl Gang-Raped in Fatehpur Beri; Two Arrested. Chouhan said that he wanted to make life easier for women in the state. Along with the earlier schemes, now the Ladli Behna Yojana would improve the lives of women. "With the amount received under the scheme, women would be able to arrange household items for their children," he said. Also Read | GMR Airports Infrastructure Shares Worth Rs 330 Crore Offloaded by Two Entities. He also said, "Many of our public welfare schemes that were stopped by the previous government, have been restarted. What has not happened anywhere has happened in Madhya Pradesh and I will do what no one has done." "I am happy that 83 lakh people have been identified in the state through the Mukhya Mantri Janseva Abhiyan, who are eligible to take advantage of government schemes. The work of distribution of approval letters to benefit all these citizens in 38 different schemes is going on in the state. Today, letters of approval were distributed to over 24,94,000 beneficiaries of Bhopal, Sagar and Ujjain divisions," Chouhan said. Talking about the 'Vikas Yatra' which will begin from February 5, CM Chouhan said, "Work will be done to connect the left out people with the schemes. It is our resolve to ensure that no eligible family remains deprived of the benefits of the schemes." Chouhan said, "Our government is a farmer friendly government. Correcting the fraud done with the farmers by the previous government, we paid the crop insurance amount as soon as we returned to power and gave the amount of crop insurance to the farmers. Our government has deposited Rs 2,25,837 crore in the accounts of farmers in various schemes like crop insurance, relief amount for horticulture, solar pump and electricity subsidy in the last two and a quarter years. This assistance will continue." "Till now Rs 6,000 was being received by a farmer's family under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi and Rs 4,000 under Mukhya Mantri Kisan-Kalyan Yojana. Now these farmer families will also get Rs 12,000 under the Ladli Behna Yojana. This way, the farmer's family will start receiving Rs 22,000 annually in a year,"Chouhan said, adding that Rs 12,000 crore would be spent every year and Rs 60,000 crore in five years in Ladli Behna Yojana. (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, February 3: A 19-year-old college student was stabbed to death with sharp-edged weapons in the middle of a Mumbai road on Thursday evening by two unknown persons, Chunabhatti police informed. The deceased has been identified as Mukhtar Sheikh, a resident of Chembur area. According to the police, on Thursday evening, around 6.30 pm, two youths stabbed Sheikh and fled from the spot. The accused are currently absconding. In a badly injured condition, people took the student to the nearest hospital, where the doctor declared him brought dead, the police informed. Mumbai Shocker: Man Assaults Woman After She Raises Objection to His Cat Entering Her Home in Bhiwandi; Complaint Filed. The victim was apparently returning home from college in the Chunabhatti area of Mumbai. According to the police, the case has a love affair angle to it. A girl was in love with a boy earlier, but she left him and started loving the deceased (Mukhtar Sheikh), due to which the old lover of the girl, along with a friend, carried out the incident, stated the police. Mumbai Shocker: Husband Tries To Kill Wife by Forcibly Feeding Her Juice Laced With Poison in Dombivali, Arrested. The police have identified one of the accused involved in the murder. The Chunabhatti police have registered a case under sections 302 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the two unidentified persons. The police are further investigating the matter along with the crime branch. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Amritsar, Feb 3 (PTI) A Pakistani drone entering into India from along the International Border in Punjab has been shot down by the Border Security Force (BSF) troops on Friday, a senior officer said. The unmanned aerial vehicle was downed around 2:30 am near border post Rear Kakkar in the Amritsar sector of the state. Also Read | Karnataka: Traffic Police To Give 50% Discount in Traffic Fines in e-Challan Cases, Know Last Date and How to Get Rebate on Pending Penalty. The drone has been recovered this morning between the border fence and zero line. A packet containing suspected contraband has also been recovered with it, a BSF spokesperson said. Further search for possible drone droppings is underway in the area, he said. Also Read | Gurugram Hit-and-Drag Video: Sparks Fly as Car Hits and Drags Bike for Over 3 Kilometres, Driver Held After Clip Goes Viral. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Gomati (Tripura) [India], February 3 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President Jagat Prakash Nadda on Friday said that five years ago, Tripura was famous for violence and disturbance but under the BJP rule, the state is known for development, connectivity, and infrastructure. "Tripura has become a peaceful state under BJP rule," Nadda said. Also Read | Supreme Court Seeks Response From Centre, State Govts on Plea To Transfer Religious Conversion Cases From High Courts. The BJP national president was addressing the Vijay Sankalpa Jansabha at Amarpur in the Gomati district. "I can see from people's faces that they're going to choose BJP again," Nadda said. Also Read | Delhi Shocker: Minor Girl Gang-Raped in Fatehpur Beri; Two Arrested. "Development' has been the priority of our government, and we are ensuring to mainstream the women, poor, underprivileged and the downtrodden population of the state. The PM Ujjwala Yojana and PM Awas Yojana have been transforming people's lives here. - Shri @JPNadda," a tweet from the BJP said. "We are working for Peace and Development in Tripura. Tripura has immense potential in developing the tourism sector; be it sports, infrastructure, education or health, Tripura is making high strides on every front. - Shri @JPNadda," another BJP tweet said. Nadda on Friday said that the budget has been increased by four times for the tribal communities adding that for the past 70 years, no one cared for the tribals. Nadda said, "It is a matter of pride for the tribal society that today our president is Droupadi Murmu. For 70 years no one cared for tribals. I am happy that eight central ministers are tribals, our CM is tribal. For tribal communities, the budget has been increased by four times." "Union Budget 2023-24, the first budget of 'Amrit Kaal' is a blueprint for India's development; it is filled with aspirations and a framework to make the nation's economy truly inclusive and empowered," he added. The BJP national president also lauded the government for the progress in Tripura. "Today we can say with pride that it is the 'New Tripura' with new aspirations. PM Modi has a special concern for North East. Tripura is moving forward under BJP's rule," he said. "PM Modi had said that the state of Tripura could also make progress just like any other part of the country, and these five years stand as testimony to his very belief," said Nadda. JP Naddu also launched a scathing attack on previous governments over a large number of scams. Targeting the previous Congress and Communist rule in the state, he said, "There had always been corruption, violence, cheating and whatnot under the Congress' rule, and under the Communists' rule. They have both stood together now, both are corrupt. But the BJP has come ahead to save Tripura from the clutches of corruption and misrule." (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], February 3 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami called upon people in the state to work to come forward to help the government in its resolution to make the state drug-free by the year 2025. Dhami on Thursday inaugurated de-addiction workshop 'Mission Drugs Free Devbhoomi' organised in the district jail of Dehradun. Also Read | Taliban Welcomes Indian Budget 2023-24, Says 'Will Help Improve Ties Between Nations'. "De-addiction is a very important subject. It is our resolution that by 2025 not even a single person of Devbhoomi should be addicted to drugs," Dhami said. The Chief Minister said that the campaign of government has to be made a grand campaign and in this process, the contribution of every resident of the state is important. Also Read | Delhi Shocker: Teenage Girl Sexually Assaulted by Friend in Anand Vihar; Case Registered. "For the accomplishment of this resolution, along with the government, society, youth, NGOs, celebrities, successful people and various social-educational institutions will have to come forward and work together. This campaign of the government has to be made a grand campaign. The contribution of every Uttarakhand resident is important in this mass campaign," the Chief Minister said. Dhami asked youth of the state to make others aware of the side effects of drugs. The chief minister inspected the computer training centre operated courtesy of the Vedanta Foundation in the District Jail, the Jail Ornaments Exhibition, the handmade exhibition by women prisoners, and the Vocational Training Centre in Jail. The Chief Minister inquired about the well-being of the prisoners and asked them to adopt positive thinking. He said that it is expected that the products manufactured in the jails will be available for sale in the local market in future as well. Chief Minister Dhami gave his message through Doon Jail Radio operated from the jail. The Chief Minister also announced that the name of the Prisons Department would be changed to "Prison Administration and Correctional Service" and "Prisoner Correctional Home" would be replaced by "Prisoner Correctional Home". Stating that prison is also a part of society, Dhami said that prisoners should consider prison as a place of penance and reform and take a pledge to contribute to nation-building by joining the mainstream of society with positive thinking in future. "It is the resolution of the government that in 2025 when we are celebrating the silver jubilee of the establishment of the state, our state should become completely drug-free. We will be the leading state in every field. Uttarakhand will also make its invaluable contribution in the campaign of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat," he said. "Prisons also house drug addicts, whose maintenance or care is a big challenge for the prison administration. Awareness about the drug-free campaign should also be brought in all the prisons of the state," Dhami 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) New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday condoled the death of renowned filmmaker Kasinadhuni Viswanath, and said he was a stalwart who distinguished himself as a creative and multifaceted director. Also Read | #Apple Announced Its Financial Results for Its Fiscal 2023 First Quarter Ended Dec 31, Latest Tweet by IANS India. The Dadasaheb Phalke awardee, known as 'Kalatapasvi, died at a private hospital in Hyderabad. He was 92. In a tweet, the prime minister said, "Saddened by the passing away of Shri K Viswanath Garu. He was a stalwart of the cinema world, distinguishing himself as a creative and multifaceted director. His films covered various genres and enthralled audiences for decades. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti." Also Read | Karnataka: Traffic Police To Give 50% Discount in Traffic Fines in e-Challan Cases, Know Last Date and How to Get Rebate on Pending Penalty. Viswanath was unwell for some time and was suffering from age-related issues, sources said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) Chemical and Fertilisers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday called on investors to invest in Indian plastic industry and assured a strong government support. Addressing CEOs conclave at PLASTINDIA here, the minister said, "the country boasts a strong and impartial legislative structure along with favourable manpower and technical expertise", an official statement said. Also Read | Jharkhand Home Guard Recruitment 2023: Vacancies Notified For 1478 Posts at Dhanbad.nic.in, Here's How to Apply. "India provides a big market as the consumption power is increasing along with a rising middle class," he said and asked investors to understand India's ethos and invest in the country's growth story. More than 90 CEOs of the plastic industry from both India and abroad participated in the conference. Also Read | Google To Host Event About Artificial Intelligence on February 8. (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, Feb 3 (PTI) Max Healthcare Institute on Friday said it will invest around Rs 400 crore to expand its Mohali-based hospital. The construction of the new building that will house 170 beds officially commenced today, the healthcare provider said in a statement. Also Read | Jharkhand Home Guard Recruitment 2023: Vacancies Notified For 1478 Posts at Dhanbad.nic.in, Here's How to Apply. On completion of the project by the end of the third quarter of 2024, the hospital bed capacity will go up to 400 beds from the existing 231, it added. "To be built with an investment of close to Rs 400 crore, this expansion will not only strengthen the existing healthcare infrastructure in the tri-city area and the state of Punjab, but also create job opportunities at scale across clinical and non-clinical roles," Max Healthcare noted. Also Read | Google To Host Event About Artificial Intelligence on February 8. The new building will house niche specialities, including liver transplant, bone marrow transplant, renal transplant, orthopaedics and neurosciences, it added. The hospital currently employs close to 1,000 doctors, nurses and other full-time staff. "We continue to witness a steady rise in demand for tertiary healthcare services in the region that covers Punjab and the three neighbouring states," Max Healthcare Senior Director and Chief Operating Officer- Cluster-2 Harinder Singh Chehal stated. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Vienna [Austria], February 3 (ANI): The Austria government revoked the diplomatic status of four Russian diplomats based in Vienna, including two at Moscow's mission to United Nations agencies in the city, according to the Federal Ministry. The Federal Ministery, in a statement, stated, "The Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria announces its decision to revoke the diplomatic status of four Russian diplomats in Vienna. Two diplomats of the Russian Embassy have engaged in acts incompatible with their diplomatic status. Therefore, they are declared personae non-gratae under Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations." Also Read | China Says US Must Show Some Sincerity, Actually Do Something To Help Sri Lanka. The statement further informed that two diplomats of the Russian Permanent Mission to the United Nations have committed acts incompatible with the Headquarters Agreement and will also have to leave the territory of the Republic of Austria. The four Russian diplomats concerned must leave the territory of the Republic of Austria within one week at the latest, i.e. by the end of 8 February 2023, it read. Also Read | Taliban Welcomes Indian Budget 2023-24, Says 'Will Help Improve Ties Between Nations'. Vienna is a major diplomatic center hosting both the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and United Nations organisations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency. (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], February 3 (ANI): British lawmaker Lord David Alton has urged the broadcaster to rethink its commercial decision, after an investigation by Deadline revealed that BBC StoryWorks is producing ads for at least 18 Chinese clients, including nine state-affiliated bodies. Alton wrote to Tim Davie, the Director-General of the BBC, demanding that he review the activity of the commercial unit BBC StoryWorks. Also Read | Bangladesh: LPG Price Hiked by 22.15 Taka per Kg to 124.85 Taka, Announce BERC. StoryWorks produced a glossy ad campaign for China Global Television Network after it was banned from broadcasting in the UK. Xinhua, the state media news agency, and Huawei, the controversial tech giant, were among StoryWorks' other clients, reported Deadline. In a letter to Davie, Lord Alton said, "I write to request that you review this arrangement. It is difficult to see how it can be legitimate to provide revenue to a state credibly accused of genocide and crimes against humanity (let alone the imprisonment of journalists and pro-democracy advocates)." Also Read | Air India Express Flight From UAE to Calicut Lands at Abu Dhabi Airport After Flames Detected Mid-Air in Engines. Meanwhile, the BBC defended StoryWorks' relationship with the Chinese propaganda machine, saying StoryWorks was "entirely separate" from its newsgathering operations and that contracts with state media do not stop journalists from reporting on the country "without fear or favour." Lord Alton told Deadline: "It's simply not realistic to believe that commercial relationships with the Chinese Communist Party have no bearing on behaviour. His bread I eat, his song I sing. The BBC say that contracts with Chinese state media do not stop journalists from reporting on the country 'without fear or favour.' Really? This either represents a worrying naivety or a sleight of hand." Notably, Lord Alton was among a group of nine UK lawmakers banned from entering China last year after criticising Xi Jinping's regime. The crossbench peer has shared platforms with Uyghurs and helped give voice to dissidents and activists who he said had been "intimidated and bullied" by the Chinese government. He also monitored Hong Kong's last free elections, researching the plight of pre-democracy leaders. Lord Alton sits on the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, an international group of lawmakers who focus on relations with the Communist superpower. Moreover, a cash-for-propaganda deal between the BBC and Chinese tech giant Huawei was revealed by the UK-based publication The Spectator. Steerpike, The Spectator's gossip columnist in an article said that amid budget cuts and the licence fee future looking uncertain, the BBC developed some questionable new corporate partnerships. One of them is with Huawei, the Chinese tech giant which was sanctioned by the US in 2019 and barred from the UK's 5G network in 2020 over security concerns, said Steerpike. BBC recently ran into controversy in India over its two-part documentary 'India: The Modi Question' on the role of then Chief Minister of Gujarat and now Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in the 2002 Godhra riots. The Indian government has criticised the BBC documentary. Foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said it lacked objectivity and was "propaganda". (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], February 3 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met Cambodian lieutenant general Hun Manet here and the two exchanged views on the current geopolitical situation and regional challenges. "Pleased to meet Lt. Gen Hun Manet of Cambodia today afternoon. Exchanged views on geopolitical situation & regional challenges. Agreed on the need for independent-minded nations to cooperate closely," Jaishankar tweeted on Friday. Also Read | China's Authoritarian Rule Suppresses Freedom of Tibetan People. Manet is also the commander of the Royal Cambodian Army. According to Jaishankar, there were also discussions on possibilities in defense, security, connectivity, and digital delivery. Also Read | China Scuttles Pakistan's Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project Over Delayed Payments. A Cambodian delegation led by Manet earlier on Friday called on the Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar. "A delegation from Cambodia, led by Lt. Gen Hun Manet, Dy. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces & Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army, called on the Hon'ble Vice President & Chairman Rajya Sabha, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar at Parliament House today," Dhankar tweeted on Friday. The Cambodian delegation led by Manet is on a visit to India from February 2-4, on the invitation of India's Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande. "A delegation led by Lt. Gen @hunmanet_coarmy is visiting India on an invitation from General Manoj Pande, COAS from 2-4 Feb 2023. Cd'A a.i. Mr. Richhpal Singh met the delegation at Phnom Penh airport and conveyed best wishes for a successful visit," the Indian embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia tweeted on Thursday. India and Cambodia in November 2022 decided to start direct air linkages between the two countries with an impetus on tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the sector. "We are trying to start direct air linkages between India and Cambodia which would give a great impetus to tourism. When there are direct flights, people would love to come and see Angkor Wat and Cambodians would love to see the land of Buddha," said Devyani Khobragade, India's Ambassador to Cambodia. What the Taj Mahal is to India, Angkor Wat is to Cambodia. The city of Angkor is also home to the UNESCO World Heritage site, Angkor Wat. Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia and one of the largest religious monuments in the world. Regarding Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's recent visit to Cambodia to attend the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit and the 17th East Asia Summit, Khobragade said, "VP's first official visit abroad is to Cambodia. India in Cambodia is celebrating the 70th anniversary of our bilateral relations. We have been trying to increase institutional linkages in various sectors. We signed four MoUs during the visit." (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Peshawar, Feb 3 (PTI) Amidst a wave of terror attacks in Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday acknowledged the failure to avert the Peshawar carnage that killed over 100 people and called for "national unity" to tackle the menace. Addressing an apex committee meeting at the Governor House here on the mosque attack and the overall emerging terrorism situation in Pakistan, Sharif also expressed frustration at the criticism levelled against the federal government from opposition parties in the wake of a series of terror attacks. Also Read | China Scuttles Pakistan's Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project Over Delayed Payments. "There is a need for unity across the political spectrum. This act of terrorism managed to breach the security check post and reach the mosque. We should not feel hesitant in admitting the facts," Sharif was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper. In the Peshawar mosque attack on Monday, a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up during the afternoon prayers, killing 101 people and injuring more than 200 others. Also Read | Bangladesh: LPG Price Hiked by 22.15 Taka per Kg to 124.85 Taka, Announce BERC. The police on Thursday said that the bomber disguised himself in a police uniform to sneak into the high-security zone and was riding a motorcycle with a helmet and mask on. Pakistan has been hit by a wave of terrorism, mostly in the country's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, but also in Balochistan and the Punjab town of Mianwali, which borders the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Expressing sympathies with the families of the deceased in the mosque attack, Sharif said that it was being asked how terrorism which had been eradicated a few years ago let this happen. In the wake of this incident, undue criticism was seen on social media. This is certainly condemnable. The occurrence of the incident due to security lapses will be probed. But saying this was a drone attack and similar related accusations were uncalled for in this tragic time, he was quoted as saying in the report. The Friday meeting was attended by several senior functionaries of the Pak government, including Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir, chief ministers of four provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan, federal ministers and national political leaders. Sharif said that the entire Pakistani nation was thinking about how the menace would be tackled in future. What measures will be taken to stop this terror wave? It is the need of the hour that provinces and the Centre along with the leaderships of political parties take ownership and shun their differences, be they political or related to any religious reasons. We should unite and tackle this, he said. Calling it a tough time for the country, Sharif, who is also facing a difficult time managing the country's debt-ridden economy, vowed the country would collectively overcome this challenge. All resources will be mobilised. This meeting reaffirms our aim to sit together until this menace is eradicated, he said. The prime minister further emphasised that the government will not rest until terrorism is eradicated and his government will try to control terrorism despite the many challenges facing the country, according to another report in The Express Tribune newspaper. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington, Feb 3 (PTI) Quad, an informal grouping of four countries Australia, India, Japan and the United States, has agreed to leverage machine learning and related advanced technologies to enhance cyber security, the White House has said. Officials of Australia, India, Japan and the United States met in New Delhi on January 30-31 for the Quad Senior Cyber Group, during which they reaffirmed their commitment to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient, it said. Also Read | China Says US Must Show Some Sincerity, Actually Do Something To Help Sri Lanka. In the longer term, the Group committed to leverage machine learning and related advanced technologies to enhance cyber security and establish secure channels for Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERT) and private sector threat information sharing, the White House said in a statement on Thursday. The Group also committed to create a framework and methodology for ensuring supply chain security and resilience for information communication technologies (ICT) and operational technology (OT) systems of critical sectors, it said, adding these objectives form an important part of the future-looking, leading-edge work plan for the Group. Also Read | Taliban Welcomes Indian Budget 2023-24, Says 'Will Help Improve Ties Between Nations'. The White House said progress on these objectives will enhance Quad members' national cyber capabilities, lowering the number of serious cyber incidents and improving their response capabilities. Closer collaboration on machine learning research will enable better detection of network intrusions and improving cyber risk management of critical infrastructure, it said. The framework for secure threat information sharing by CERTs and private sector entities will enable better real-time cooperation and assessments as cyber incidents arise, the White House said. A supply chain methodology will encourage major software services, products, and providers leveraged by governments to adhere to a Quad-endorsed best practice guideline for cyber security ICT and OT requirements for critical infrastructure, it added. Observing that telecom security is a core function of national security, the statement said working in conjunction with Quad CET Working Group, the Group will strive to ensure that security-by-design and best practices of cyber security are incorporated in ORAN and 6G technologies. Our meeting advanced the Group's positive and ambitious agenda. Quad partners are working together to better secure cyberspace and foster an international digital economy that works for everyone, including regional partners in the Indo-Pacific, the White House said. The Quad countries, it said, are committed in the near term to drive more secure software services and products by common Quad government security practices, establish common cyber security requirements for nations' critical infrastructure, conduct a Quad Cyber Challenge (a campaign to raise awareness among our populations and drive action to improve cyber security), collaborating on capacity-building activities and information sharing in the Indo-Pacific region under the Quad Cybersecurity Partnership. Among other things, the Group discussed the importance of utilising trusted vendors in telecommunications infrastructure as part of our shared commitment to promote safe, resilient networks and technologies, including through exploration of open and interoperable network solutions which are occurring in each of and among our countries, the statement said. These efforts demonstrate the Quad's commitment to building regional capacity and ensuring the delivery of an open and secure telecommunications infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific, it said. According to the statement, the Quad Cyber Challenge Campaign will promote basic cyber security awareness among individuals, organisations, businesses and governments throughout members to prevent them from becoming victims of cyber crimes and threats that can cause untold financial and personal damage. We are committed to provide educational resources to our citizens to increase their cyber security as part of this effort, it said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, February 3: Russia supports India becoming a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, Moscow's Ambassador to Delhi Denis Alipov said at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA)-Russian Council Dialogue. "Russia supports India's commitment to becoming the permanent member of the US Security Council. We see the current Indian presidency in the G20 in the SCO as an opportunity to efficiently promote the agenda of these crucial associations. We appreciate the ideas on the consensus-based response to the challenges with regard to emerging energy and food crises, as well as through sustainable development needs. Especially in the global south," Alipov said, addressing the Indian Council of World Affairs-Russian Council Dialogue. Russia Once Again Backs Indias Permanent Membership at UN Security Council. "We are working very closely on major topics such as supply chains, resilience, infrastructure financing, digital transformation, promotion of startups architecture, etc, which are supposed to significantly contribute to restoring the global economy. Together we also realized that in order to succeed, there should not be any place for artificial alienation rights which create mistrust and undermine stability," he added. He added that there is growing interest in other dynamic developing nations to join the BRICS which needs to be duly accommodated. The Russian Ambassador to India also pointed out the establishment of an independent payment system which means expanding the use of national currencies. France, UK Back Indias Bid for Permanent UN Security Council Seat. "The process has accelerated in the duration space where SEO occupies a unique place as a gravitational platform. The continuous expansion of the organization speaks for itself. So as we the prospects of intensified cooperation and security in energy investments, infrastructure, and logistics as well as people-to-people types. At the same time, we have a strong belief that Eurasian stability would greatly benefit from closer interaction between the three major powers in Asia Russia, India, and China," he said. "Bilaterally we have done a great job building an independent payment system, expanding the use of national currencies in mutual settlements that ultimately ensure record-high turnover exceeding 30 billion USC last year. I would agree with Ambassador Kapoor that caution is there," Alipov added. In the dialogue, Alipov also said that Russia has become the largest oil supplier to India and contributes significantly to the country's energy security. He also stated that a strong push has been given to business and interregional contexts. There is an immense prospect in sectors such as airport infrastructure, sea and rail infrastructure, steel production, petro-chemistry, startups, aircraft and shipbuilding, agriculture, advanced technology, development, and digitalisation. Russia has a lot to offer to India and vice-versa in all these areas, with western companies leading, the Russian Ambassador to India added. In his address, the Russian Ambassador said further that India has taken a neutral stance as regards excluding Moscow from multilateral institutions. "India has taken a neutral stance as regards the efforts to exclude Russia from multilateral institutions, including Opcwbwc, back to UNESCO and others. Our India's priority is to achieve democracy as global governance. With the enhanced role of developing states of Asia, Africa, and Latin America," Alipov said. On the ongoing conflict between Russia-Ukraine, which started last year on February 24, he said, "The Ukraine conflict is not a land-grabbing attempt by Russia to restore them as is being presented. It's the consequence of the consistent violation of the same universal principles that shrined in the Russia-India treaty and the unwillingness of the dominant world centers to embrace democracy in international relations. It's not a coincidence that against this backdrop, the Indian position defending its legitimate national interests and Prime Minister of Sovereign Decisions gets criticized. Russia and India share a ramified network of platforms and groupings that help promote the prospective global agenda for the benefit of the broader international community." Delhi-Moscow ties, espeically with regard to the purchase of Russian oil, have drawn much attention since the armed military conflict with Ukraine broke out. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kyiv [Ukraine], February 3 (ANI): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his war-torn country deserved to start European Union accession talks 'this year', CNN reported. Zelenskyy said he had reached an important mutual understanding with EU President Ursula von der Leyen regarding Ukraine's bid for accession into the European Union. Also Read | China Says US Must Show Some Sincerity, Actually Do Something To Help Sri Lanka. Zelensky said he had productive talks with the commission leader, and members of the College of the European Commission and this showed that all parties understood "the fact that Ukraine needs constant and full support in defense against Russia," the Ukrainian president said in his evening address Thursday. "And about the fact that our further integration should give energy and motivation to our people to fight despite any obstacles and threats. I believe that Ukraine deserves to start negotiations on EU membership already this year," CNN quoted him as saying. Also Read | Taliban Welcomes Indian Budget 2023-24, Says 'Will Help Improve Ties Between Nations'. Zelensky thanked EU Chief and her colleagues in the EU for the military, financial, and social support of Ukraine 'on the path of integration'. Ukraine is all set to host the 24th EU-Ukraine Summit on Friday where Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen will meet with Zelenskyy, as per the EU's statement. This is the first EU-Ukraine summit since the start of the Russian aggression, and also since the European Council granted Ukraine the status of candidate country. In this, the leaders will discuss, Ukraine's European path and the accession process, the EU's response to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, Ukraine's initiatives for just peace and accountability, cooperation on issues of reconstruction and relief and in the areas of energy and connectivity, and global food security. The leaders are expected to issue a joint statement at the end of the summit, as per CNN. Earlier, in January, Zelenskyy held talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Leyen for European Union's support. Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is waiting for the first tranche of macro-finance aid in January. He tweeted, "Glad to start the year talking to @vonderleyen. Thanked for the EU support. Waiting for the 1st tranche of macro-fin aid in Jan, the 1st batch of LED lamps, school buses, generators & modular houses. Coordinated steps on Ukraine European Union Summit. We feel supported & will win together." Ursula von der Leyen assured Volodymyr Zelenskyy that European Union continues to stand with Ukraine. She stated that European Union will support Ukraine's 'heroic struggle' and fight for freedom against the offensive. In a tweet, Leyen said that the EU is supporting Ukraine with generators, light bulbs, shelters, and school buses. Ursula von der Leyen tweeted, "In the 1st call of the new year with President @ZelenskyyUa, I conveyed my wholehearted support and best wishes for 2023 to the Ukrainian people. The EU stands by you, for as long as it takes. We support your heroic struggle. A fight for freedom and against brutal aggression." (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Filmmaker Roman Polanski, who fell from grace in France since the premiere of his last film An Officer and a Spy in competition at Venice in 2019, is back with The Palace that could make a surprise splash on the festival circuit. Polanski, who fled the U.S. in 1978 after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl, was leading a pleasant life in France for decades until he came back into the global spotlight with the Lido premiere of An Officer and a Spy and scooped the Grand Jury Prize, reports Variety. Sanaa: Radhika Madans Thriller Drama to Have Its World Premiere at Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2023. Shortly after the movie's Venice bow, Polanski faced new allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denied. When he went on to win best director at France's Cesar Awards, the country's equivalent of the Oscars, industry outcry prompted a complete overhaul of the leadership of the awards. As per Variety, the scandal sparked the birth of France's own #MeToo movement, spearheaded by French actor Adele Haenel, the star of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, who walked out of the Cesar ceremony upon hearing Polanski's name. 2023 Sundance Film Festival Winners Announced: Latest Tweet by Golden Globe Awards. But while no French financier, producer or broadcaster has dared touch 'The Palace', Polanski may not have been cancelled on the festival circuit. His black comedy 'The Palace', which is set in a posh hotel in the Swiss Alps resort of Gstaad, and stars Mickey Rourke, John Cleese and Fanny Ardant, is being considered by both the Cannes and Venice selection committees. Variety further states that however, the film, which is backed by Italy's RAI Cinema, is also slated for an April 6 theatrical release in Italy. This, in theory, would make a Cannes bow improbable and rules out Venice. Several Italian exhibitors have confirmed that they are expecting to release the film on April 6. But RAI Cinema chief Paolo Del Brocco told Variety that the Italian release for the $17 million 'The Palace' "is not cast in stone." He also didn't rule out a Cannes premiere for the film, which is now in post. The April 6 Italian release date for The Palace is not incompatible with a Cannes bow. Italian auteur Nanni Moretti's films regularly launch from Cannes after being released in Italy. However, in order to go to Venice, the Polanski film's Italian release date would need to be changed. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 03, 2023 04:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). San Francisco, February 3: Google will host an event on February 8 in which it will share about its work in artificial intelligence (AI). The company will share how it is "using the power of AI to reimagine how people search for, explore and interact with information, making it more natural and intuitive than ever before to find what you need", according to an invite sent to The Verge. The 40-minute event will be streamed on YouTube. The report further mentioned that the invitation contains references to Google Lens, Translate, Shopping and Maps. Artificial Intelligence Could Help Answer the Question Are We Alone in the Universe?, Says Study. Earlier this week, it was reported that the tech giant was testing ChatGPT-like products, which will use its LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) technology. Indian Firms To Hike Their Artificial Intelligence Spend by 10% in Three Years: Report. Under new AI-powered chat products, the company was testing a chatbot called "Apprentice Bard", with which users can ask questions and receive detailed answers similar to ChatGPT, also a new search desktop design that could be used in a question-and-answer form. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 03, 2023 03:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). A phone call from an unidentified man, threatening to blow up the Ram Janmabhoomi complex was received by Manoj Kumar, an Ayodhya resident at 10 am on Thursday. Kumar alerted the police about the call received on his mobile phone. As soon as the information was received, police swung into action and ramped up the security of the Ram Mandir complex. According to the UP police, the caller made threat call from Delhi. Bomb Threat in Mumbai: Unknown Caller Threatens to Blow Up Dhirubhai Ambani International School; Case Registered. Ram Janmabhoomi Bomb Threat: Uttar Pradesh | Manoj Kumar who is residing at Ram Lalla sadan in Ayodhya got a call on his phone at around 5am today where a person from Delhi said that by 10am there'll be a blast at Ram Janmabhoomi. Teams formed to arrest the person: SP Madhuban Singh pic.twitter.com/laprQH9do7 ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) February 2, 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.) There are still pirates in the Caribbean, as shown in a recent case heard by a court in Guyana. The trial resulted in the Guyanese court sentencing two men to their deaths over the killings of seven fishermen in a case of high-seas piracy. The court ruled that Nakool Manohar, 45, and Premnauth Persaud, 48, should receive the death sentence for masterminding a high-seas attack on a group of fishing vessels near the Suriname coast. Seven of the fishermen died in the attack while around a dozen others were left drifting in the Caribbean waters for days before finally being rescued. According to the Associated Press, the two modern-day "Pirates of the Caribbean" can appeal their ruling to the local court of appeals and also to the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice. However, it is still unknown what course of action they will be taking. Justice Navindra Singh said that the pirates' attacks were so heinous that there was "no reason not to impose the death sentence." The judge also ruled that it would be reckless to "allow them to be released into society at any time." The judge ruled that their death sentence will be imposed through hanging, which is still legal in Guyana. Hanging was also how many pirates in the Caribbean met their demise during the golden age of piracy. READ MORE: The Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard Case is Not Yet Over The Pirates Committed Atrocities on the Guyanese Fishermen The 2018 pirate attack that led to the deaths of seven fishermen was one of the deadliest incidents that happened in Guyana in recent years. Guyana's then-President David Granger called it a "great massacre" and a "great tragedy." The group of 20 fishermen was working in four boats just off the coast of neighboring Suriname. This was when the pirates attacked, beating and robbing the fishermen, who were mostly from Guyana. During the attack, the pirates forced many of their victims into the sea. They also tied weights into the legs of some of them. Guyana had been mostly successful in curbing piracy off its waters. However, Granger admitted that the attack was a huge setback for his government. He also extended his sympathy to the family of the victims and gave them financial support, according to the BBC. Piracy Levels Hit the Lowest in Decades for 2022 The ICC revealed its annual global piracy report for 2022 and announced that global piracy incidents hit the lowest levels in decades. The ICC annual report recorded only 115 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in 2022, which is down from the previous tally of 132 attacks in 2021. Of those attacks, 107 vessels were boarded, two were hijacked, and five were attempted attacks. Only one vessel was fired upon by pirates. For the Americas region, the ICC reported that there was a 33% decrease compared to 2021. However, it noted that several countries in the Americas and the Caribbean, including Brazil, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, and Haiti, continue to be affected by armed pirate attacks. READ MORE: Suspects in Haiti President's Assassination Handed Over to the U.S. This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: In the Caribbean, Pirates have Returned to Plague an Island Paradise | Foreign Correspondent - ABC News In-depth The United States Pentagon has been monitoring a suspected Chinese spy balloon that has been located flying over the United States airspace for a couple of days. However, Pentagon has decided against shooting the spy balloon due to risk of harming people on the ground, according to officials, according to Associated Press News. The Pentagon noted that once the spy balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect sensitive information. One senior defense official noted that Pentagon has "very high confidence" that the spy balloon was from China and was seen flying over sensitive sites to collect information. Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, noted that the spy balloon allegedly from China is "currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial traffic." Ryder added that the surveillance balloon does not present a military or physical threat to the people on the ground. The Pentagon press secretary noted that there have been similar balloon activity in the past several years, adding that the U.S. government took precautionary measures to ensure it did not gather sensitive information. READ NEXT: White House Remains Mum on Joe Biden's Voicemails to Son Hunter Biden About Business Dealings Where Was The Chinese Spy Balloon? The balloon was spotted in Montana. Montana was home to one of the United States' three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. Officials also noted that the object first flew over Alaska's Aleutian Islands, through Canada, and appeared over Montana. The spy balloon is being tracked across the continental United States, with U.S. President Joe Biden deciding against "military options" due to the risk to civilians. Another Pentagon senior official told ABC News that the spy balloon was the size of three buses and complete with a technology bay. Ryder said that despite the spy balloon instance happening over the past few years, it showed to hang out for a longer period of time "this time around." ABC News contributor, Retired Col. Steve Ganyard, speculated that the balloon was an experiment gone wrong. The retired colonel went on to say that spy balloons are not controlled after their release and are normally equipped with a mechanism to deflate over an open area, adding that those mechanisms can fail. U.S.-China Relations State Secretary Antony Blinken is scheduled to meet China's President Xi Jinping, marking him as the first U.S. state secretary to have a meeting with the Chinese president in almost six years. He is also the first of Biden's cabinet secretaries to visit China. Blinken is visiting China after Biden and Xi agreed in November in Bali to find ways to stabilize U.S.-China relations. Another Biden cabinet member to visit China is U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who aims to visit China later this year. Yellen had a meeting with the top Chinese economic official, Liu He, in Zurich last month. Meanwhile, a top Air Force general recently said that the United States and China would "probably go to war" over Taiwan in 2023, according to a leaked memo, which the Pentagon quickly dismissed. READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden, a 'Direct Beneficiary' of His Son Hunter Biden's Foreign Deals, Says Head of Government Accountability Institute This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: U.S. tracking suspected Chinese spy balloon - from CBS News Once again, Texas is freezing, and much like before, Texans are going through the ordeal without any power as the ice storms don not just bring in harsh cold weather, but also blackouts. This is the second time in three years that Texas is experiencing a February freeze, with wind chills going below freezing. Much like the previous incident two years ago, there is also uncertainty about when the power would return. One of the most affected is the city of Austin, as the local newspaper, the Austin American Statesman, reported that thousands of the city's residents have already lost their power last Wednesday. This was the result of the ice causing various problems, including tree limbs falling on power lines. Austin Energy has reported that over 100,000 homes have already reported that they are without power as of Wednesday morning. The Austin Fire Department has also responded to arcing wires. However, multiple fire stations in the city have also reported losing power. As for Austin Energy customers, the company stated that they might be without power until Thursday. Texas Residents Shiver Inside Their Homes as Blackouts Continue Texas, which has its own independent power grid that is separate from the rest of the United States, has been severely affected by these blackouts. According to the Associated Press, around 430,000 Texas residents experienced the blackout, 156,000 of whom are from Austin. Around 30% of the city's customers have been left without power since Wednesday, with many of them complaining that the city still has not given them any clear explanations on what to expect. READ MORE: Caribbean Pirates Sentenced to Death in Guyana Officials in Austin have come under fire thanks to this latest February Freeze, as they did not provide any estimates as to when the power would be restored. They also failed to hold a news conference until Thursday to allay the concerns of residents. However, during that Thursday press conference, Mayor Kirk Watson promised to review the city's communication protocols for future disasters. However, there are differences between the 2021 state-wide incident and this year's incident as this latest one was the result of frozen equipment and ice-burdened trees and limbs falling on power lines, as opposed to the previous one that saw a total failure of the Texas grid and Ted Cruz flying to Cancun as his constituents froze. At Least 10 Dead in Latest February Freeze The latest February freeze brought about by Winter Storm Mara has not only caused a major blackout but also 10 deaths so far. The Weather Channel noted that all ten deaths were caused by icy road conditions, with seven deaths coming from Texas, two from Oklahoma, and one from Arkansas. The winter storm also caused hundreds of flights to be canceled, as airlines canceled over 450 flights from the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. It also forced an Austin hospital to postpone several important procedures due to the blackout it caused. For now, ground crews all over Austin are working to repair damaged power lines and clear trees that have fallen over due to the winter storm. READ NEXT: Kari Lake Facing Probe Over Possible Campaign Violation This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Winter and ice storm warnings for North and Central Texas - KPRC 2 Click2Houston As Peru's protests continue, the country's foreign minister admitted that they do not have any evidence to support claims that criminal groups were backing demonstrations, contradicting its president. In a recent interview, foreign minister Ana Cecilia Gervasi contradicted the allegations of Peru's president, Dina Boluarte, about the origin of deadly protests rocking the country, The New York Times reported. Boluarte claimed that narco-trafficking groups, the illegal mining industry, and political activists in neighboring Bolivia organized the most violent demonstrators. Boluarte's critics noted that her claims were designed to undermine the protests while she presented herself as the "symbol of order." Boluarte recently accused criminals of driving Peru protests in a national address. She claimed that what was happening in Peru was "not a peaceful protest," noting that it was a violent action created by a group of radical people. The current president of Peru described the said group of people as having an "economic agenda" based on drug trafficking, illegal mining, and smuggling. Elected officials repeated Boluarte's claims and posted the allegations all over social networks. However, Gervasi noted that the government had no basis to support the allegations, adding that investigators are still looking at it. READ NEXT: Peru President Dina Boluarte Supports Moving up National Elections to Later This Year President Dina Boluarte on Peru Protests Dina Boluarte has already called for a dialogue between protesters after a clash with police left one person dead and 30 wounded. In a press conference, the president said she called on "political leaders to calm down." Boluarte earlier said she was sure Congress would agree to move the national elections to April 2024 instead of the previously scheduled 2026. She disregarded the idea that her possible resignation "would solve the crisis and the violence," according to Voice of America. Boluarte once said she had no intention of staying in the position of president, adding that she would go once a general election had been conducted. Protester Rosa Soncco from the southern Cusco region noted that they do not believe "her words anymore." In attempts to maintain order, Boluarte called a state of emergency in Peru, which allowed the army to assist police in quelling unrest. Peru Protests Protests in Peru started after Congress impeached its former president Pedro Castillo on December 7. Castillo was impeached and arrested for trying to dissolve Congress. He is currently being held in pre-trial detention for rebellion charges. Castillo's presidency represented the poor population of Peru, being a leftist former teacher and political novice to the presidency in 2021. Poor rural Andean regions were angered after Castillo was removed from the country's highest position. Aside from Castillo's impeachment, among the factors contributing to the continuing protests is the "deep distrust of Lima politicians after years of mismanagement and infighting." Protesters have blocked roads, taken over airports, and set some buildings ablaze. They demanded Boluarte's resignation, the closure of Congress, and a new constitution. Protesters are also clamoring for the release of Peru's former president READ MORE: Peru's New President Dina Boluarte Faces Genocide Probe Amid Deadly Protests This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Lima Businesses Struggle Amid Violent Political Protests - From Reuters The Biden administration has reunited nearly 700 children separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border because of former President Donald Trump's controversial family separation policy, officials said Thursday. According to the Associated Press, President Joe Biden issued an executive order to reunite families forcibly separated at the southwestern border during the Trump administration on his first day in office. The Biden administration has formed a task force to reunite migrant children with their families. Thursday marked the second anniversary of the task force. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that thousands of children were separated from their families due to the Trump administration's policy designed to discourage illegal immigration by criminally prosecuting people for illegally crossing the border. Since the children cannot be held in criminal custody with their parents, they were transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services before they were sent to live with a sponsor. Usually, these sponsors are a relative or somebody connected to the family. Human rights groups said the Trump administration" s policy is inhumane and cruel. It has led to many families suing the federal government. READ NEXT: New Biden Policy Slows Down Illegal Immigration Hundreds of Migrant Families Still Separated Due to Donald Trump's Family Separation Policy Data released by the DHS showed that from 2017 to 2021, 3,881 children were separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border, and around 74% of those have already been reunited. The report further noted that 2,176 children had been reunited with their families before the task force was created and 689 afterward. However, that still leaves nearly 1,000 kids not reunited with their families. Al Jazeera reported that the DHS remained optimistic about reuniting these migrant children with their parents, as the task force uses government records and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to locate their families. In a statement, the DHS said the number of new families identified continued to increase "as families come forward and identify themselves." There are still 998 children who are still not reunited with their parents. However, the DHS noted that 148 are "in the process of reunification," while another 183 families "have been informed of the opportunity to reunify" via an NGO. Why Many Migrant Children Separated From Their Families Due to Donald Trump's Policy The administration of Donald Trump implemented the controversial policy as early as March 2017, only a few months into office. It directed the Border Patrol's El Paso sector to suspend its "family unit policy." By March 3, 2017, the former president started to consider family separation. A few days later, or on March 6 of the same year, then-DHS Secretary John Kelly told CNN that they were considering separating parents from their children if caught by Border Patrol agents. This separation was used to deter immigrant families from crossing the border together. The policy was eventually implemented formally, separating thousands of families. However, according to American Oversight, the Trump administration did not have an adequate plan to reunite these families. Thus, leading to the crisis that migrant families are still facing today. READ MORE: Venezuelan Migrant Numbers at U.S.-Mexico Border Drop by 90% This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Family Separation: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO) - From Last Week Tonight King Charles III will not be featured in Australia's new $5 bill that is currently designed with a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Instead, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) said the bill's new design will pay tribute to "the culture and history" of Indigenous Australians. In a statement, the country's central bank noted that the decision of its board follows consultation with the Australian government, which supported this change, according to BBC. The statement added that the new banknote will take several years to be designed and printed. The RBA said the current $5 banknote, which is the only bill in Australia to carry the image of a British monarch, will continue to be issued and can still be used even after the new banknote is released. Aboriginal lawmakers and community leaders reportedly welcomed the decision. Lidia Thorpe, a Greens senator and DjabWurrung Gunnai Gunditjmara woman, tweeted that "this is a massive win for the grassroots, First Nations people who have been fighting" to decolonize the country. BBC reported that First Nations people lived in Australia for more than 60,000 years before British colonization. King Charles became the British monarch after Queen Elizabeth II's death last September. The late Queen also appeared on Australia's coins. READ NEXT: King Charles Wants Prince Harry, Meghan Markle To Attend Coronation Britain on Australia's New $5 Bill Britain is reportedly "relaxed" on reports about King Charles not appearing on the new $5 bill, according to British high commissioner to Australia, Vicki Treadell. Treadell said the United Kingdom was "not at all" offended by the decision, according to The Guardian. She told ABC radio that it would be up to Australia to decide "what it wants on its coins, and on its notes," adding that "you are a realm in your own right." Treadell went on to say that Britain has its own position and own relationship with the royal family. She noted that they would not "dream of imposing or indeed having views or commenting" on what Australia "chooses to do in their own right." Australians for Constitutional Monarchy accused the government of a "forlorn and futile attempt" to clear the way toward republicanism. A Liberal senator and staunch monarchist, Dean Smith, said the decision was "disappointing" and was a "missed opportunity." King Charles Coronation Buckingham Palace has revealed that King Charles' coronation will see three days of celebrations across the country in which the public will be urged to participate. The coronation is scheduled to take place on May 6. The event will include a "Coronation Big Lunch" and "Coronation Concert." The celebrations will conclude on the extra bank holiday on Monday. In a statement, UK Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Michelle Donelan said everyone is "invited to join in." During the coronation event, Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, will arrive at Westminster Abbey in procession from Buckingham Palace, called "The King's Procession." The King and Queen Consort will then appear on Buckingham Palace's balcony to end the day's events. Besides the royal family, Charles' coronation will also be attended by other royals from around the world. Representatives from the Houses of Parliament and key figures from Commonwealth countries are also expected to join in the event. READ MORE: Prince Harry's Controversial Memoir 'Spare' Is Now Fastest-Selling Nonfiction Book, Breaks Guinness World Record This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: King Charles Portrait Will Not Feature on Australia Banknote - From The Mirror Three bodies found Thursday in Detroit are believed to be those three Michigan rappers who have been missing for almost two weeks. Three police sources familiar with the investigation told The Detroit News that the bodies, believed to be rappers Armani Kelly, 27; Dante Wicker, 31; and Montoya Givens, 31, were found under a pile of debris in the basement of a vacant apartment building in Highland Park. In particular, the sources noted that investigators found the men's bodies inside the Northcourse Apartments building on Thursday. Detectives were led to the area after obtaining the three men's cellphone data. The Michigan rappers' mobile phones "pinged" to a location near the abandoned apartment complex. After an extensive search of the building by numerous police officers, the remains were discovered in the basement under old construction equipment. A source told the outlet that the victims had been shot. READ NEXT: Missing Guatemalan Rapper Neshie Found Dead Michigan Rappers Possibly Killed by Former Inmates Michigan State Police, who is leading the investigation into the bodies, have yet to confirm the victims' identities, but sources revealed them to The Detroit News. Michigan State Police 1st Lt. Mike Shaw said the apartment complex on the corner of McNichols and Log Cabin was not operating. 'It's supposed to be abandoned, but there are a lot of squatters in there,' Shaw noted. Lorrie Kemp, Kelly's mother, previously expressed fear that former inmates murdered her son after he was released from prison last year for an armed robbery charge, The Daily Mail reported. Kemp and Kelly's fiance Taylor Perrin reported him missing two days after the rapper disappeared. However, it took police a whole week to realize Wicker and Givens had also been missing in what detectives have called an "extraordinary' case." According to Perrin, Kelly met the other two men during his eight years in prison. Kemp believed her son might have been targeted by those he encountered in jail and he was already dead before his body was discovered. "I'm angry because you did eight years in prison, and you didn't die, and now you come out, and they kill you," Kemp said after the three men mysteriously vanished. "He's dead - I don't care. I love that people are optimistic, and I love that they think there's hope, but I know in my gut," she added. Missing Michigan Rappers Were Supposed to Perform but Canceled The missing Michigan rappers were supposed to perform at Lounge 31 in Detroit on January 21 but had not been heard from since the show was canceled last minute due to equipment problems, MLive reported. Last week, Warren police arrested a 15-year-old boy driving Kelly's 2017 Chevrolet Equinox without a license plate. A Detroit police source told The Detroit News that the boy told police that a man asked him to pick up the vehicle on Schoolcraft in Detroit. Authorities looked into the teenager's mobile phone. Calls and texts had led them to a man who lives on Ashton in Detroit. The source told the outlet that the man had an outstanding warrant for alleged fraud. The insider said the man's house was searched Monday after the police got a warrant, and he was also taken into custody for questioning. The teenager has been charged in connection with possessing Kelly's vehicle. Police said he was already arrested last week at an apartment complex in Warren. The source noted another break in the case came after authorities found a video of the man wearing gloves cleaning out Kelly's car. READ MORE: Illinois Public School Official Steals $1.5 Million This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Bert Hoover WATCH: Bodies Found Believed to Be Missing Rappers in Michigan - From FOX 32 Chicago An American tourist was found dead at the base of a waterfall in Brazil four days after he was reported missing. According to the Daily Mail, a search and rescue team on Wednesday recovered the body of Raul Jimenez, a 30-year-old Delray Beach, Florida resident, who disappeared after being swept away by a flash flood in the central Brazilian state of Goias. The fire department said the American tourist was found dead at the base of a waterfall in Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park at Alto Paraiso de Goias by a military unit specializing in search and rescue operations. READ NEXT: American Tourist's Body Found Rotting Inside Colombian Apartment How American Tourist Raul Jimenez Died in Brazil Raul Jimenez was reportedly taking a vacation in Brazil with two of his friends. They went on a hike on Saturday when the waterfall in Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park suddenly picked up strength. The American tourist and his friends were walking through rocks when the water level increased. The floodwaters reportedly became shoulder-deep and swept them away downstream. NBC 6 South Florida reported that both Jimenez's friends survived the ordeal, with one of them managing to hold onto a rock for about six hours before rescuers arrived. The American tourist went missing, and his sister and parents flew to Brazil to help with the search while his friends in Florida held a vigil. Jimenez's sister, Gabriela Jimenez, told the outlet that her brother's bag "started floating away with the water and he was like, 'no, I want to get my bag,' so he was, like, I want to go and get my bag, and then he tried to get his bag and the water came flashing down, and it took him." Gabriela noted that her brother was a "happy spirit" and a "happy person." She also said that Jimenez was a musician and an artist who loved adventure. She added that her brother was "not someone who would put his life at risk." The Brazilian military spent days trying to find Jimenez, using drones, helicopters, and divers to search for him. GoFundMe Page Created For American Tourist's Family After news of his death was confirmed, some touching tributes on social media honored Raul Jimenez. Along with a photo of her and her husband with Jimenez at their 2020 wedding," Ananda Leigh, wrote on Instagram: "Thank you for shining your light into this world... Your smile lit up the room... You will forever be in our hearts dear brother. I am lucky to have many special memories together playing, praying, singing, being silly, loving life." A GoFundMe was also created to support his family, but it closed after reaching a total of $33,856. The U.S. State Department earlier said that they were ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance to the family of the deceased American tourist. READ MORE: Indigenous Tribe Holds American and British Tourists Hostage in Peru to Protest Oil Spill This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Chapada Dos Veadeiros National Park - Brazilian Highlands , Hiking Trails With Amazing Waterfalls - From in the Wild Brazil Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger was seen at the University of Idaho's Student Union building weeks before the four college students were killed, according to witnesses. Three students told PEOPLE that they believe they saw Kohberger at the Student Union building on the Idaho campus weeks before the killings. They said they later recognized the suspect after he was arrested for the murders. Chelsea, a sophomore at the University of Idaho, said she saw Kohberger at the food court of the Student Union, drinking water while sitting by himself "early in the semester." The 28-year-old Idaho murder suspect was a graduate student at Washington State University, about eight miles away across the state line. Chelsea said Kohberger "was the type to stare" and would not "look away if you caught him staring." She noted that the suspect did not smile, nod, or say anything and "just stared." "I told my friend not to be suspicious but to look at him, because the eye contact was making me uncomfortable... It was so weird that we ended up leaving and eating outside, because we wanted to get away from him," she told the outlet. READ NEXT: Idaho Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger's Motive Not Important to Be Convicted Idaho Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger at the University of Idaho's Student Union Another female student told PEOPLE that she also became "uncomfortable" after Bryan Kohberger's intensely stared at her after she allegedly ran into him on the campus. The student said she "definitely saw him more than once." She added that she saw the suspect frequently enough that she assumed he was also a student at the University of Idaho," Daily Mail reported. The University of Idaho has yet to comment on the alleged Kohberger sightings. However, the campus hired more police and increased the number of officers on the ground after the murders, despite Kohberger's arrest. These were not the only instances Kohberger made a woman uncomfortable. Jordan Serulneck, who runs Seven Siren Brewing Company in Kohberger's home state of Pennsylvania, recalled the suspect's problematic interactions with women at his bar. Serulneck told NBC that Kohberger was a guy who makes creepy comments, and the suspect once called a staff "a b**ch" for refusing his advances. Idaho Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger Arrested Bryan Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains on December 30 after seven weeks of a nationwide manhunt for the killer who stabbed four University of Idaho students to death inside their shared house in Moscow, Idaho. The case affidavit detailed that Kohberger was linked to the case after his DNA was found at the crime scene and his cell phone pinging near the locations of the victims. Kohberger was charged with four counts of murder and one count of felony burglary. He has yet to enter a plea but will reportedly do so in his next court date in June. Through his lawyers, Kohberger earlier implied that he would be entering a "not guilty" plea. READ MORE: Idaho Murders: Surviving Roommate Did Not Call 911 After Chilling Encounter With Killer Suspected to Be Bryan Kohberger This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: What to Know About the Idaho Murders - From Washington Post Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, was sued for defamation by the Delaware computer repair shop owner who came into possession of his controversial laptop. According to the New York Post, Hunter was served with a defamation lawsuit by John Paul Mac Isaac last Friday or five days before the president's son sought a federal investigation into former President Donald Trump's allies and the Wilmington computer repair shop owner. Mac Isaac reportedly hired a private investigator to track down Hunter to serve him with the lawsuit, and the detective found the president's son in Culver City, California, last week. "It was very difficult to find where he was... We finally tracked him down, and we were able to serve him last week... And now all of a sudden, we see this," Brian Della Rocca, a lawyer representing Mac Isaac, told Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Thursday. The lawyer was referring to the letters sent out by Hunter's lawyer pleading for a criminal investigation into Mac Isaac and Trump's allies who allegedly disseminated the president's son's personal data from his laptop. Hunter Biden's camp has since accused Mac Isaac of illegally accessing the laptop, so the latter sued the president's son, seeking $75,000 in damages in the defamation case. Mac Isaac's lawyer believed Hunter directed his lawyer to seek a criminal probe against his client as payback. Della Rocca noted that the call to bring charges against Mac Isaac was directly linked to his client suing the president's son. "He's trying to intimidate. And it's interesting to me that this happened when it did," the lawyer told Carlson. He added that Hunter's present actions are desperate attempts to continue to blame others for his own actions. Della Rocca maintained that Mac Isaac was authorized to access the laptop, as indicated by the document Hunter signed when he dropped the water-damaged laptop in the Wilmington store, Daily Mail reported. 'When Hunter signed the work order, he gave authorization to John Paul to access the information on the laptop in order to recover the data,' the lawyer noted. He also said it was written in the "work order" that Hunter would forfeit the laptop if he failed to return to the store to collect it after three months. Della Rocca noted that the president's son knew that "once the property was abandoned, The Mac Shop became its owner," as he was told about it. READ NEXT: Hunter Biden Net Worth 2022 Hunter Biden Seeks Criminal Probe Into John Paul Mac Isaac, Donald Trump Allies Over His Laptop Hunter Biden's lawyer asked the Justice Department's National Security Division in a letter Wednesday to investigate Donald Trump's allies and John Paul Mac Isaac, who accessed and disseminated personal data from his controversial laptop. Some of Trump's allies named in the letter, which Hunter's attorney Abbe Lowell signed, include Steve Bannon, Rudy Giuliani, Giuliani's own lawyer, and John Paul Mac Isaac, who claimed that Hunter abandoned his laptop at his store. The letter accused Mac Isaac, Giuliani, and others of "theft of computer services" and "possession of stolen property." The letter noted that Mac Isaac chose to work with Giuliani, who was Trump's lawyer at the time, "to weaponize" Hunter's computer data against his father "by unlawfully causing the provision" of Hunter's personal data to the New York Post, which first wrote about the laptop. The letter said Giuliani provided the information to a New York Post reporter shortly before the 2020 presidential election and also to Bannon. Hunter's lawyer noted that the president's son never consented to share any of his personal information or be accessed in that manner. The letter said this "failed dirty political trick directly resulted in the exposure, exploitation, and manipulation" of Hunter's private and personal information. It added that "politicians and the news media have used this unlawfully accessed, copied, distributed, and manipulated data to distort the truth and cause harm" to the president's son. Hunter's lawyer also wrote the same letter to the Delaware attorney general's office. The president's son is requesting a probe into the same people for allegedly violating several "Delaware laws" in accessing the information from his laptop. Inside Hunter Biden's Laptop John Paul Mac Isaac said the man who had given the laptop had come to his shop twice but never returned to get the computer or external hard drive on which its contents had been stored. He noted that he was not sure whether the man who came to his shop was Hunter Biden. But the man, when asked to fill out a work order, identified himself as "Hunter Biden." When no one retrieved the laptop's computer or external drive, Mac Isaac then contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation as he started being scared for his safety because he knew what was on the laptop. The agents then gave him a receipt for what they had taken. The documents reportedly found on Hunter's laptop described the deals he had and how fast he spent his money. Data on his hard drive showed that he spent more than $200,000 per month from October 2017 through February 2018 on luxury rooms, Porsche payments, dental work, and cash withdrawals. Some of the laptop's contents also allegedly include text messages showing Hunter paying his legal assistant thousands of dollars under the table while they were in a sexual relationship over several months in 2018 and 2019. It also kept photos of him having sex with the assistant in or around June 2018, the New York Post reported. The assistant is reportedly one of at least four women with who Hunter had sexual relations while they were on his payroll. The laptop's contents also include Joe Biden's involvement in his son's business ventures. Hunter was being investigated by the Justice Department over his finances, including some of his business dealings in China. Hunter Biden and his father were frequently accused by Donald Trump and his associates of wrongdoing concerning his business dealings in China and Ukraine during the 2020 election campaign. Both allegations were denied, with Joe Biden telling a reporter at the time that it was a "smear campaign." READ MORE: Michigan: Missing Michigan Rappers Found Dead This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Bert Hoover WATCH: Hunter Biden's Lawyers Call for Investigations - From NewsNation Prison officers in Laois are being forced to manage prisoners in a jail that is bursting at the seams in Portlaoise due to a shortage of beds revealed in the latest prison population figures. Daily population figures published by the Irish Prison Service (IPS) on Thursday, February 2 show that there would be no place for officers to put new prisoners at Ireland's biggest prison in Portlaoise unless the temporary release safety valve was not available. The latest figures showed that there were 865 prisoners behind bars at the Midland Prison in Portlaoise. The data shows that the jail is at 99% capacity. The IPS figures also reveal that the prison system across Ireland is full. There would be no available beds for newly jailed inmates if there weren't 27 prisoners on temporary release. The IPS says the total figure that should have been in jail was 903 - the prison has a total of 875 beds. Meanwhile, there are 213 inmates in the jail next door, the high-security Portlaoise Prison. It has a capacity for 231 prisoners so is 92% capacity. The situation at the Midlands Prison is mirrored across the system. The IPS reports that jails were at 100% capacity on Thursday with 4,416 in jails with a bed capacity of 4,411. There were 258 prisoners on temporary release. One prison Limerick (Female) Prison - has reached high of 164% capacity. The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) voiced concern in response to published figures showing the number of beds across the Irish prison estate has reached capacity. It said that to place this level of imprisonment in context, the number of people in Irish prisons was just 750 in 1970; 1,200 in 1980; 2,100 in 1990; and 2,948 in 2000. The Trust said that as numbers continue to rise, news of almost 50 people sleeping on mattresses in prison in the last few weeks paints a picture of the extent of the issue. The IPRT called on the Minister for Justice to make immediate efforts to adequately resource the proposed actions in the recently published Review of Policy Options for Prison and Penal Reform to ultimately reduce the number of people sent to prison and support a move away from responses to offending that cause unnecessary further harm to people and their families. Molly Joyce is the IPRT Acting Executive Director. The Government have indicated that they are committed to exploring the policy of prison as a last resort through providing alternatives to prison such as community-based sanctions where appropriate. The policy position is there but we can see by the growth in numbers of people in prison that the policy is far from reality on the ground. "While there were some welcome reductions in the use of imprisonment in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, more recent data suggests that this has not been sustained and we are back to business as usual. The amount of people in prison accelerated in 2022 and the numbers are continuing to grow into 2023. "This is a watershed moment for Irish prisons. We now have a prison population that is growing at a worrying rate and without strong action from Government the problems caused by this rapid rate of increase will continue. In the short-term the impact of these numbers is on overcrowding. But we risk reaching a point where rehabilitative services cannot be delivered effectively in prisons, which undermines one of the core purposes of imprisonment. The number of people in prison can be reduced now by careful and structured use of temporary and early release measures. In the longer-term, measures to reduce Irelands prison population need to be adequately resourced and implemented. "We welcome departmental commitments to move away from practices that rely heavily on imprisonment, but for people sitting in overcrowded prisons this week and communities who want to see meaningful change and safer societies, action is needed now. "There continues to be an over-reliance on imprisonment for people convicted of less serious offences, despite its damaging social and economic impact on individuals, families, and communities, she said in a statement. IPRT said it is further concerned that the continued delay in publishing the Prison Chaplain Annual Reports for 2021 misses an opportunity to shed light on what is happening on the ground in Irish prisons. Previously published chaplain reports have highlighted various issues within the prison system, including the impact of overcrowding. Padraig Walshe was a role model for Irish farming by being a determined and staunch advocate for the agriculture sector across five decades, according to Macra. Laois man and Macra President John Keane spoke on behalf of the organisation of which Mr Walshe himself led in the 1980s. Mr Keane said the Macra community is greatly saddened to hear of their former leader's untimely passing "On behalf of all Macra members both past and present, I want to send our sincere condolences to Padraig's family and friends at this very sad time. This is a huge shock for those close to Padraig and our thoughts are with all those that mourn his loss. "Padraig was Macra na Feirme President from 1987-1989 and served the organisation with great distinction. "Padraig will be greatly missed by all in the farming community. Padraig was a role model for all in agriculture, he was both an excellent farmer and a determined and staunch advocate for the agriculture sector across five decades," he said. Mr Keane, who is from Errill, also spoke about the close link he had to Mr Walshe through the county connection. "Padraig has long been a great friend of all in Macra, as a fellow Laois man he was always as constant presence and a fountain of sound advice through out my time in Macra and as President," he said. The Macra President concluded by outlining the difference his predecessor has made through his leadership and the roles he filled. "Padraig has been at the forefront of Irish farming life for over five decades from Macra na Feirme President in 1987 to IFA President in 2006 and then as COPA President in 2009 he has led our industry through incredible change," he said. Mr Walsh is survived by his wife Ella, and his children Julianne, Catherine, Elma and Pat. Laois Government TDs in Laois have joined in the tributes paid to the late Padraig Walshe. Minister Sean Fleming and Charlie Flanagan TD were united in praise of the Durrow dairy farmer who has been involved in campaigning on farm issues for 50 years to his death on February 1. Minister for State and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Sean Fleming said he was very sad to learn of the passing of the former IFA President. He said he had met Mr Walsh recent in Timahoe. "He was a great president of the IFA. He worked tirelessly and was fearless in defending the rights of farmers. "He was involved in Macra na Feirme from an early age and recently in my role as Minister for State in the Department of Finance with responsibility for insurance, I would have met with Padraig to discuss these issues in his capacity as a director of FBD...He did Laois proud," he said. The Fianna Fail TD extended sympathy to his wife Ella and their family at this very sad time. Fine Gael's Laois Offaly TD Charlie Flanagan also joined in the tribute and praise his contribution to Irish life. The sudden passing of Padraig Walshe has been greeted with shock in his local community. I offer my condolences to his wife Ella and his family. "As a member of Dail Eireann, I want to acknowledge the fearless and robust campaigning and advocacy of Padraig Walshe over many decades, whether as a teenager in Macra na Feirme or as President of the IFA. Padraig always placed community rural and agriculture issues to the fore of his life," he said. The deceased is survived by his wife Ella, and his children Julianne, Catherine, Elma and Pat. Over 50% of the 315 social houses and apartments in Laois given out to tenants in 2022 are owned by approved housing bodies, and the percentage is set to grow much higher for 2023. A growing number of people are getting long awaited keys to social homes as the council tries to tackle the housing shortage in Laois, and to cut its waiting list of over 1,800 people and families who cannot otherwise afford a home. In 2022, 315 people and families were taken off that waiting list and given the keys to houses and apartments . One fifth of them are people with a disability, totally 67 of the homes. Just over half of those new tenants, 157 of them, have moved into homes owned by approved housing bodies, which are not for profit private housing agencies approved by Government, such as Cluid, Respond, Sophia and Cooperative Housing. The swing towards AHB ownerships is set to continue. There are 347 more social homes under construction to deliver this year in Laois and 259 are being built by AHBs, three quarters of the houses. The homes come with a clause that tenants will rent for life, and can never have an option to buy them out and own the home, as the housing bodies remain the owners and landlords, not local authorities. Concern was also recently expressed by some Laois councillors who claim that council tenants are being charged more for rent in AHB owned homes, a query that has not yet been answered by the council which has requested the information from the housing bodies. The number has grown since 2019 when AHBs accounted for 26 of the new Laois social homes, about 19% of the houses that year. In 2020 AHBs built 95 social homes in Laois, or 43% of the total. In 2021 they built 102, or 39%. Of the remaining 156 tenants of new social homes in 2022, 59 moved into newly built or turnkey council homes, 74 got relet refurbished council homes, 18 moved into homes leased by the council and five into houses purchased by the council. The council CEO John Mulholland gave the figures at the January meeting. Looking back at 2022, 313 people have been housed in the past year through a combination of solutions, our own relets, acquisitions, approved housing bodies and leasing. 216 new houses were in existence by the end of December that werent there at the start of the year. Our target for the year under the Housing for All programme was 200, we have exceeded that. We are confident that a number of houses will be over the line in the next few weeks to add to that, he said. Mr Mulholland added that there are 347 more social homes under construction, and a further 469 are being considered or planned. The Minister for Children has announced a new proposal to encourage parents to take on childminders. Minister Roderic OGorman has received Cabinet approval for his proposals for childminding subsidies. These proposals are aiming to change the legal status of childminders. If successful, childminders will be able to be regulated, which will subsequently allow more parents to access the National Childcare Scheme (NCS). At the moment, the NCS is only available to parents who send their children to creches or childcare faciltities, and is therefore disqualifying childminders. This is a huge blow to the childcare sector across the country. It is estimated that there are around 15,000 childminders in Ireland, but less than 100 of these are registered. As well as the childminders proposal, the Minister has also brought forward plans to amend the powers of the Tusla Early Years Inspectorate. These plans have also been approved by the Government, and if they are brought to law, they will ensure that Tusla will be given the necessary abilities to deal with those who do not comply with childcare regulations. Ultimately, Tuslas new granted powers would allow it to shut down unregistered childcare centres, and to temporarily suspend childcare services if concerns are raised about childrens welfare. Leitrim was well represented in European Parliament headquarters recently, as Liam Reynolds from Ballinamore was part of a large group of students from across the region who travelled to Strasbourg as guests of MEP Maria Walsh. The business students from Atlantic Technological University (ATU), formerly GMIT, were part of a 42-strong contingent from the university. The group also included four lecturers Deirdre McHugh, Lorna Moynihan, Cian Marnell and Myles McHugh. The Midlands-North-West MEP is the only Irish member on the Culture and Education Committee, (CULT), and on the Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL). The designation of 2023 as European Year of Skills is therefore very applicable to her work and priorities in both committees, as well as within the constituency. It was an absolute pleasure to welcome the ATU contingent and to speak with the students and give them an introduction and a better understanding of the workings of the European Parliament. It was also a great opportunity to connect them with Europe and build up the European identity, while also showing them that there are so many opportunities within the Parliament for graduates, said MEP Walsh. Prior to visiting the European Parliament, the ATU students had completed a course module in European Studies and so it was particularly interesting for them to experience life in Strasbourg first hand. I believe it opened eyes to the potential opportunities that the EU Institutions have for graduates. We discussed roles in media, translations, with Political Groups as well as the Institutions themselves, for example, to help them learn a little about the availability of jobs. They also met some of the other MEPs to get a background on different files. It was great for them to hear from the Trade Committee, for example, outlining would require people with a business or economic background. Its not just about politics, the European Parliament offers so much more, explained MEP Walsh. As one the youngest sitting MEPs, and the youngest Irish MEP, Walsh is extremely conscious of the importance of empowering young people and ensuring the EU remains relevant across all generations. Welcoming such a large group from ATU was fantastic and great credit goes to their lecturers, for seeing the importance of the EU and enabling each student to come and see the European Parliament at work. It was heartening to see the interest and enthusiasm among the students and to play a part in improving the connection the students have with European identity. You never know we may see some of these students back in Parliament sooner than we think, she added. Former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon has said hes still terrified of getting it wrong when performing, as he gears up to compete to become Irelands Eurovision entry. His band Public Image Ltd, also known as PiL, are among the six acts competing to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Liverpool this May. The other acts include Andrew Carr (also known as ADGY), Jennifer Connolly, Wild Youth, Leila Jane, and the duo K Muni & ND, made up of Kofi Appiah and Nevlonne Dampare. The flagship RTE television programme The Late Late Show will host a special programme on Friday night where Irelands entry for the 2023 Eurovision will be selected. Eurovision hopefuls gathered in RTE television studios in Dublin on Thursday where they met their competition and spoke of their nerves and excitement ahead of the selection process. This is something that I watched when I was young with my parents, Lydon said of the Eurovision contest. I remember Johnny Logan, I remember Cliff Richard, I remember Sandy Shaw and now Johnny. Its as good as any other way of listening to music, I dont have any prejudices about things like that. He added that he chose Ireland because Im as much Irish as anybody else by blood. Lydon, formerly known as Johnny Rotten, said his song Hawaii, dedicated to his wife of nearly 50 years, Nora, who has Alzheimers disease, gives an opportunity to raise awareness of an illness that affects a lot of people. I dont know what Im going to go through doing this today. Im even shaking now thinking about it. It means the world to me, this is our last few years of coherence together. And I miss her like mad. I miss my missus, if you keep voting for me Im going to miss her even more. He said he was still terrified of mugging it up, getting it wrong, letting people down mostly letting Nora down. Kofi Appiah and Nevlonne Dampare, who are from Co Longford, told the PA news agency that they somewhat accidentally ended up competing to be Irelands entry. My youngest siblings are two huge fans of the Late Late Toy Show and they really wanted to go onto the show, Kofi said. So, I was like How can I be the best big brother and get these guys on the show? So I looked up the application form on the RTE website and I was filling out the form and I was like I cant be bothered to fill out this form so Im just going to leave it. So I clicked out of it and then I see Enter Eurovision 2023. He said that as a joke, he would submit something and completely forgot about it. A few days after my birthday, I got a call I wasnt going to answer it as well, he said, with Nevlonne adding it came as a complete shock. Conor ODonohoe from the band Wild Youth said that two of the band members are from Tallaght in Dublin. Theres not a pub or chipper that doesnt have a poster up somewhere. The support has been amazing, he said. Jennifer Connolly, who turned 19 just a few days ago, said she was nervous but very excited. My mom kind of told me I should apply. I looked it up, applied, didnt hear for months, and then got a random phone call. She said her mother is ecstatic, and that the Irish-speaking island community where theyre from are buzzing with excitement. Its such a lovely community, and the whole of Connemara have been so good to me, so supporting, she said, adding that students from her old primary school had sent her a video wishing her good luck. Dozens of German-made Leopard 1 tanks, owned by Freddy Versluys the CEO of Belgian defence company OIP Land Systems, who said could help Ukraine if he received export permits from the Belgian regional government of Wallonia and from Germany to sell them, are seen in a hangar in Tournais, Belgium January 31, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman YVES HERMAN / REUTERS Germany said on Friday, February 3, it has issued authorization for Leopard 1 tanks to be sent to Ukraine, in a further boost for Kyiv as it seeks heavier weapons to counter Moscow's forces. Berlin has already said it will provide Ukraine with 14 Leopard 2s from its military stocks, but manufacturers also want to send tanks they have in storage. "I can confirm... that an export license has been issued," government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit told a regular press briefing when asked about Leopard 1s. He declined to give further information, saying more details would likely emerge in the coming days and weeks. First entering service in the 1960s, the Leopard 1 is the forerunner of the more advanced Leopard 2, which is widely used by armies across Europe. Read more How and when will the tanks promised to Ukraine be delivered? German magazine Der Spiegel reported that it concerned 29 Leopard 1s, which were in storage at a military manufacturer. The Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper meanwhile reported that two manufacturers want to refurbish dozens of Leopard 1s to send them to Ukraine, although they have faced problems in procuring ammunition. Last month, Berlin finally agreed to send the powerful German-made Leopards to Ukraine, following weeks of sustained pressure from Kyiv and its European allies. Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Scholz justifies timeframe of tank delivery to Ukraine Under German law, Berlin has to approve the export of the tanks, even in cases when other countries who bought them want to re-export them. While scores of nations have pledged military hardware for Ukraine in recent weeks, Kyiv has been clamoring for the more sophisticated Leopards, seen as key to punching through enemy lines. Le Monde with AFP Top Islamic scholars and clerics believe that using force against the state is prohibited in Islam. The use of violence to oppose the state is regarded a breach of the ideals of peace and justice, and it contradicts Islamic teachings. by Muhammad Wasama Khalid Pakistans present issue of armed rebellion against the state has become a serious source of concern for the country and its people. The growth of militant groups, as well as their use of violence and intimidation to oppose the authority of the government, has led in major instability, loss of life, and disruption of everyday life. These groups, working under various political and ideological banners, strive to impose their own vision for society via the use of force, which is directly contrary to the states promotion of the ideals of peace, justice, and order. Closeup of Islamic Muslims holy Book Quran with wooden stand and paternoster Tasbeeh on a wood table and black background [ Photo Credit: GR Stocks/Unsplash] The issue of armed insurrection against the state is critical in the current situation because it has far-reaching repercussions for the country and its peoples destiny. It calls into question the states ability to maintain law and order while also ensuring the safety and security of its residents. It also weakens the countrys political and social stability, producing an atmosphere of dread and uncertainty that pervades all parts of life. Islamic law, as outlined in the Quran and Hadith, promotes peace, justice and obedience to the state. The Quran explicitly states that O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination (4:59). The use of violence for political or ideological objectives is severely forbidden in Islam and contradicts the religions precepts. One of the main reasons why armed revolt against the state is haram is because it violates the idea of loyalty to legal authority. Islam believes that obeying legitimate authority is a religious requirement, and that Muslims should respect and follow people in positions of power if their directives are in accordance with Islamic law. Individuals who engage in violent rebellion are basically rejecting this concept and striving to topple rightful authority, which is regarded a terrible sin. Based on the ideas outlined in Islamic law, the thesis statement of this article is that armed revolt against the state in Pakistan violates Islamic law and contradicts Islamic teachings. The use of violence to attain political or ideological ends not only violates the ideals of peace, justice, and loyalty to the state, but it also jeopardizes the countrys and its peoples stability and security. This article will present a thorough review of Islamic law addressing armed rebellion against the state and show how terrorist groups in Pakistan are acting in clear violation of these principles. Islamic Law and Its Stance on Armed Rebellion Against the State: Islamic law, commonly known as Sharia law, is a complete legal and moral guiding system based on the Quran and Hadith. It encompasses all areas of life, such as personal and social behavior, economic transactions, and political issues. The Quran and Hadith are unequivocal in their condemnation of violent insurrection against the state. As previously stated, the Quranic verse 4:59 mandates obedience to those in power, and using force to dispute this authority is deemed a breach of the ideals of peace and obedience to the state.Additionally, the Hadith states that Whosoever kills a person who has a treaty with the Muslims, shall not smell the fragrance of Paradise, though its fragrance may be smelt from a distance of forty years. This emphasizes the sanctity of life and the importance of respecting treaties and agreements. Top Islamic scholars and clerics believe that using force against the state is prohibited in Islam. They believe that because the state was founded by the will of the people, it has the right to employ force to preserve law and order and defend its residents. The use of violence to oppose the state is regarded a breach of the ideals of peace and justice, and it contradicts Islamic teachings. The Islamic community as a whole agrees that violent insurrection against the state is not allowed in Islam. This viewpoint is shared by academics and practitioners from many sects and schools of thought within Islam, and it is founded on the principles given in the Quran and Hadith. The Islamic communitys agreement on this topic serves as a powerful reminder of the significance of peace, justice, and loyalty to the state in Islamic teachings, as well as the sanctity of life. The Impact of Armed Rebellion on Society and Religion: Armed rebellion against the state has far-reaching and detrimental consequences for society and its people. Militant groups use of violence and intimidation causes instability, fear, and disorder, which impacts all sectors of life. The loss of life and property as a result of armed conflict disrupts societys regular functioning and impairs the states capacity to deliver basic services and maintain the safety and security of its residents. Armed revolt also has a negative impact on Islams reputation as a religion of peace. Many perceive the conduct of violent organizations claiming to operate in the name of Islam as directly contradicting the religions values of peace and justice. This hinders the Islamic communitys attempts to present a favorable image of the religion and weakens knowledge of Islams actual character as a peaceful and just way of life. Armed rebellion against the state weakens and destabilizes the states ability to maintain law and order and secure the safety and security of its population. The use of violence to challenge official authority produces a climate of dread and uncertainty that pervades all parts of society. This affects the states capacity to deliver essential services like health care, education, and infrastructure, as well as eroding confidence between the state and its population. The disruption and instability caused by armed revolt also fosters the propagation of extreme ideology and the recruitment of new members by militant groups. Conclusion: Armed insurrection frequently results in violence, damage, and death. Human life is highly valued in Islam, and the killing of innocent lives is considered one of the most serious crimes. According to Islamic religious edict, any armed action against the state of Pakistan constitutes a rebellion and is prohibited (haram) under Islamic law. This is a consensus shared by top Islamic scholars and clerics who have stated unequivocally that the use of force to implement Sharia, including armed confrontation against the state, sabotage, and all forms of terrorism, is categorically prohibited by Islamic teaching and is considered a rebellion or mutiny. Armed revolt against the state is not only a breach of Islamic law, but it is also a grave threat to the countrys stability and security. The emergence of non-state actors and terrorist attacks in Pakistan has alarmed both the government and the general people. In Pakistan, there have been episodes of armed revolt against the state, most notably terrorism and sabotage. These behaviors not only violate Islamic law, but also hurt Islams and the Muslim communitys reputation. They also hinder the efforts of those fighting for the countrys peace and stability. Muhammad Wasama Khalid is a Correspondent and Researcher at Global Affairs. He is pursuing his Bachelors in International Relations at National Defense University (NDU). He has a profound interest in history, politics, current affairs, and international relations. He is an author of Global village space, Global defense insight, Global Affairs, and modern diplomacy. He tweets at @Wasama Khalid and can be reached at Wasamakhalid@gmail.com US Representative Ilhan Omar talks to reporters as she leaves the House chamber at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, February 2, 2023. JOSE LUIS MAGANA / AP The Republican-led Congress voted on Thursday, February 3, to oust Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar from the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, citing her anti-Israel comments in a dramatic response to Democrats booting far-right Grand Old Party lawmakers. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was able to rally Republicans against the Somali-born Muslim in the new Congress although some GOP lawmakers had expressed reservations. Removal of lawmakers from House committees was essentially unprecedented until the Democratic ousters two years ago of hard-right Republican Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona. The 218-211 vote came after a heated, voices-raised, debate in which Democrats accused the GOP of going after Omar based on her race. Omar, who has apologized for 2019 remarks widely seen as antisemitic, defended herself on the House floor, asking if anyone was surprised she was being targeted. Democratic colleagues hugged her during the vote. "My voice will get louder and stronger and my leadership will be celebrated around the world as it has been," Omar said in a closing speech. Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes McCarthy takes on speaker role as far right gains ground within GOP House Republicans focused on six statements she has made that "under the totality of the circumstances disqualify her from serving on the Committee of Foreign Affairs," Republican Michael Guest of Mississippi, the incoming chairman of the House Ethics Committee, said. Republicans have clashed with Omar since she arrived in Congress and former president Donald Trump frequently taunted her at his rallies in ways that appealed to his supporters. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Omar has at times "made mistakes" and used antisemitic tropes that were condemned by House Democrats four years ago. But that was not what Thursday's vote was about, he said. "Its about political revenge," Jeffries said. Omar is one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. She is also the first to wear a hijab in the House chamber after floor rules were changed to allow members to wear head coverings for religious reasons. Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes The House of Representatives has become the epicenter of MAGA revenge Le Monde with AP Green MP Sandrine Rousseau at the Assemblee Nationale, January 31, 2023. JEAN-CLAUDE COUTAUSSE FOR "LE MONDE" For a left-wing party in need of a universal concept and an opportunity to speak to the greatest number of people, the pension reform seems to be almost like a godsend. Perhaps the last consensual social gain, a reward for a lifetime of work, the pension escapes from the criticism that targets other social benefits, from welfare to unemployment benefits. The left is determined to defend it. It argues that the two thirds of French people opposed to the controversial reform are neither "lazy" nor disconnected idealists. Yet accusations of complacency and worse are still brought forward. On Sunday, January 29, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin condemned "lazy and bourgeois-boheme leftism" and its "profound contempt for the value of work, which the workers and the working class defend", in an interview with Le Parisien. At a time when people are rallying against the reform, the left, determined to speak both on the value of work and the "right to laziness," seems to be hesitating on how to do so. Is this really the right time to resume this discussion? There is the risk of losing consensus among the majority of French people opposed to the reform, who are not all on the left nor adept at philosophical debates on a "leisure society". But there is also a risk in not doing so. By being too defensive, left-wing parties lose the opportunity to advance an alternative narrative on work and free time. Read more Pension reform: The French town halls on strike to support demonstrators Those who address the subject generally evoke history. This is the case of Francois Ruffin, who recalls the polls conducted in the 1980s, in which the French thought that the retirement age would go down and be fixed at 55. "In which direction is history going? The reduction of working time," said the MP from the left-wing NUPES alliance uniting four parties. According to Ruffin, the neoliberal turn driven by Ronald Reagan in the 1980s reversed the logic of social progress everywhere. The 'lazy' left and Vichy In recent years, few people on the left have ventured to talk about reducing working hours. Perhaps because the French 35-hour workweek, and its disputed record in terms of job creation, was swept aside politically by President Nicolas Sarkozy's motto of "working more to earn more" and his fiscal exemptions on overtime. In "Les 35 heures en France: pourquoi sont-elles toujours en debat?" ("The 35-hour Work Week in France: Why is it still Being Debated?", 2021), economist Philippe Askenazy recalled that accusations of the left being "lazy" go back to Vichy, to the June 17, 1940 speech by Philippe Petain targeting the Popular Front and the 40-hour work week: "The spirit of enjoyment replaced the spirit of sacrifice." The key, Askenazy believes, is "a constant doctrine of French liberals on working time." Faced with this constant on the right, since the reforms of 1998 and 2000 made by then labor minister Martine Aubry, the left has finally somewhat reopened the issue. But it has not spoken on the moral value of work as a source of pride and identity, with the exception of Socialist politician and former education minister Benoit Hamon and his proposal for a universal income, in 2017. But some are now ready to do so. "Let's take stock of the 35 hours again!" said Green MP Sandrine Rousseau. "It is not perfect we gave days off to executives and shortened workers' days by 20 minutes but these errors can be corrected." Read more French pension reform is 'anti-women', says opposition For the Green MP, who is a defender of the "right to laziness," public opinion is ready for a debate about working time and free time. She believes that the pension reform is so contested because by opting for an increase in the legal age rather than lengthening the contribution period, it closes the door to all employees who would have been willing to sacrifice their pension in order to work less. "Emmanuel Macron forces us to work more, it's not right," she said. Sure of themselves, the Greens would also like to talk about the proposal of a 32-hour work week, during the debates on the reform in the Assemblee Nationale. 'There is a desire for something else' On the left, there is some convergence on the idea that the relationship to work, shaken by the intensification of tasks for some people and the deterioration of work conditions for others, calls for a new political response. Fabien Roussel, national secretary of the Communist Party, the self-proclaimed standard-bearer of the value of work, prefers to confine it to concrete elements, first and foremost better salaries, which are automatically a source of a better pension. "People want to slow down, to take care of their loved ones. There is a desire for something else," says Ruffin. According to him, a left-wing policy must "support all those moments when people take whole sections of their lives out of the market and the supermarket and nourish this desire." For the Greens, it is also an opportunity to redefine the relationship to work in light of climate issues. Rousseau notes that working hours have consequences in terms of carbon emissions: Employees who work "long hours" have more carbon-intensive leisure activities and mobility, she said. Working two more years also means polluting for two more years. There are so many burning questions in the intellectual sphere, such as job quality, taking domestic work into account, and zero-carbon conversion, as evidenced by recent op-eds in Le Monde by the sociologist Dominique Meda and the philosopher Patrice Maniglier, that political parties are far from having finished clarifying. Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes France's pension reform is also much about the EU 'In the name of the working class' Maybe the left isn't so disunited in this debate, even though Roussel continues to make jabs at the "fleminists" feminists "in favor of flemme (laziness)". It is unanimous in condemning a reform that could potentially result in mass unemployment. As Ruffin says, "the same people who fire you before 60 want to make you work until 64!" For political scientist Remi Lefebvre, opposing the reform allows left-wing parties to defend interests that are much broader than those of their voters alone. "The reform is rejected in the name of the working class, but everyone knows that the well-educated left-wing voters will barely be affected by the reform. The idea being spread is that the left is not rallying for their interests." This is exactly what Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure said on January 17 at a rally in Paris: "Having studied for a long time and not being able to retire at full salary before 65, this reform does not concern me, nothing is asked of me (...) If nothing is asked of me, it means that a lot is asked of everyone else, mainly those who started working early, earned the lowest salaries and had the most exhausting jobs!" Broadening its discourse is no mean feat for a left that is often accused of speaking only to itself. The issue is all the more critical because if the rallying fails, left-wing leaders believe that the resentment created by the adoption of the reform and its social cost will open the way for the Rassemblement National (RN), without this far-right party having to make the slightest effort toward the world of work. Julie Carriat Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version. A CRIMINAL with 41 previous convictions who repeatedly defiled a teenage girl at locations in Limerick has had his six-year jail sentence halved on appeal. The sentencing court heard that in the aftermath of the offences the girl had suffered with anxiety, depression and had been suicidal, attempting to take her own life in her bedroom before her mother discovered her. The Court of Appeal found, however, that the consecutive sentences imposed on the man were not merited and that such a structure "should be used sparingly". The now 38-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his victim, had been sentenced to a total of six years' imprisonment on two counts of defilement of a 16-year-old girl in 2016, when he was 32-years-old. He had pleaded not guilty to four counts of defilement but was convicted by a jury at Limerick Circuit Court of engaging in a sexual act with a child under 17, contrary to Section 3 of the Criminal Law (Sex Offences) Act 2006, in July and August 2016. He was subsequently sentenced on two counts, with the other two charges taken into account by the trial judge. The judge sentenced the man to four years' imprisonment on the first defilement charge and to three years and six months' imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended, on the second. He directed that the sentences were to run consecutively to each other. At the Court of Appeal, the male successfully appealed the severity of the sentences being run consecutively. The sentences were further reduced to three years on all four charges with all four sentences to run concurrently. The trial heard that the complainant would call to the defendant's home when his daughter was present. The accused was complimentary of her appearance and got her to massage him, which then developed into intimate touching. On a walk in a wooded area near his home in July 2016, he defiled the girl by having sex with her. There followed 120 phone calls to the girl in the period between July 8, 2016, and August 26, 2016. He defiled her a further three times at his apartment in August. However, the mother of the complainant found a bus ticket belonging to the girl who had lied about her whereabouts. The girl's mother then discovered photos of both the girl and the male on his Facebook page, which led her to believe that there could be an improper relationship between the two. The girl told her of the nature of the relationship and her mother then reported the matter to gardai. At the time of his sentencing, the male had 41 previous convictions, including those for firearms offences, possession of drugs, theft and road-traffic matters but none of a sexual nature. In sentencing, Judge Patrick Meghan said the male had committed a breach of trust, showed no remorse and groomed the girl to control her. Judge Meghan said the injured party had suffered with anxiety, depression and had been suicidal, attempting to take her own life in her bedroom before her mother discovered her. He noted the male was twice her age at the time of the offences, that he took "full advantage" of her, did not use a condom and had deprived her of her sexual development. At the Court of Appeal Brian McInerney SC argued against the imposition of consecutive sentences on his client, submitting that it was appropriate that they run concurrently. He submitted the offending took place over a relatively short period and that there had not been multiple victims involved. Counsel said his client admits knowing the age of the girl at the time of the offending and that he now accepted his guilt. Mr McInerney said there was no violence and that no intoxicant was used and that the male had now abandoned an appeal against his conviction. During the orginal trial, the defence had also argued that there had been no issue that the offending occurred without her consent. Monika Leech BL, for the State, said the consecutive nature of the sentences was due to there being two separate incidents of defilement involved. Ms Leech said that at the time of his sentencing the accused had abused a position of trust, made 120 phone calls to the girl in grooming her, showed no remorse and did not offer a guilty plea to be considered in mitigation. In quashing the original jail sentence of six years, Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy said the court would re-sentence the male to three years on each of the four defilement charges. Ms Justice Kennedy said the male had "exploited" the girl, which had a "severe impact" on her development. The judge said that the girl's consent was not something the male could rely on in his defence. However, Ms Justice Kennedy said the consecutive element of the sentencing was "not, in our view, merited" and was a structure that "should be used sparingly" when sentencing. Ms Justice Kennedy said the court would quash the original sentence "to properly reflect the gravity of the harm done". The male was also placed on the sex offenders register. WORK to improve movement of fish through Annacotty Weir has taken a big step forward as consultants are to be appointed to report. The waterway on the edge of the city has been identified as a significant barrier to the free movement of fish, and its hoped this project will see species like Atlantic salmon, sea lamprey, river lamprey, eels and trout be able to migrate both upstream and downstream. Inland Fisheries Ireland has secured 99,481 under a special fund designed to protect river-life. Now, the agency has published tender documents, seeking a consultant to prepare options on how this project will look. This options report must consider all environmental and engineering circumstances that are present at the site, upstream and downstream of the weir. The appointed consultants will then present a preferred option for fish pass improvement works at Annacotty Weir. They will also be required to attend project meetings and public consultation meetings to outline their findings. Following the approval of the preferred option, the consultants will then be required to prepare design, calculations, and drawings of the preferred option. What will then happen is a planning application will be submitted to Limerick City and County Council. Green Party councillor for the area Sean Hartigan welcomed the development saying: As an angler, a councillor and a conservationist, protection of our waterways is one of my main priorities. THERE has been another twist in the fabled story of Staker Wallace which goes back over 200 years. Patrick Staker Wallace (or Wallis) was executed in Kilfinane by the British in the lead up to the 1798 rebellion. Wallace was commander of a local division of United Irishmen. He was arrested following an alleged plot to murder the local landlord, Capt Oliver who then offered his freedom in return for the names of other United Irishmen and the location of their weapons. Wallace refused. He was jailed in Kilfinane and underwent public flogging before he was publicly hanged and beheaded. His head was put on a spike above the Market House for a number of weeks before he was buried in the town. The actions of the Irish patriot, believed to be from Bulgaden, were never forgotten. He is remembered in song - A Lament to Staker Wallace; name of a GAA Club and a statue in Kilfinane. Fast forward to 2006 when human bones were discovered in Kilfinane when the council were carrying out urban renewal works. Locals believed that the remains of Wallace were among the bones found. It was thought three men were buried in the grave. However, it appears Wallace was forgotten about for 14 years as the Limerick Leader revealed in 2020 through correspondence from the council that, This project was put on a back burner due to ongoing pressure of work. Kilfinane man James OBrien, who raised his concerns in 2020 over the delay with Minister for State Niall Collins, said: Those bones lay forgotten for over 200 years. It's a fright to God if they are forgotten again. Mr Collins said, Sitting on skeletal remains for over 14 years, which are an integral part of the history, heritage and culture of Kilfinane is simply not acceptable. He called on the council to immediately begin the testing process. Funding was sought in 2021 under the 2022 council budget with an osteoarchaeologist (scientific study of human skeletons) procured in October 2021. Funding was confirmed in January 2022 and the bones were delivered to the osteoarchaeologist. Last September, Sarah McCutcheon, archaeologist with Limerick City and County Council, said the osteoarchaeologist had completed her review of the bones. A summary of the information gleaned is that the minimum number of individuals contained in the collection is five although there might be up to seven. There is no clear evidence of any skeletal material from a 65-year-old individual (Wallace age when he was killed). The age range for the material is between 25 and 45-years-old. It looks like Staker Wallaces bones may not be part of the collection, said Ms McCutcheon. However, there is now conjecture over his age and that he may not have been a pensioner after all. Some including the Kilfinane Coshlea Historical Society have long been open to the possibility that Staker Wallaces age was exaggerated. In a new update this month, Ms McCutcheon said they took two samples for dating to Queens University in Belfast. The results were better than expected and indicated a late 18th century date for both samples. The osteoarchaeologist is investigating the possibility / options with pursuing DNA, said McCutcheon. She said that although none of the bones can be definitively identified as belonging to Staker Wallace I think it is reasonable to suggest that his body, at least, is included in the assemblage, particularly if there is reason to think now that he may be closer to 45-years-old rather than over 60 as suggested elsewhere. RUSALs plans to expand its facility in Limerick have suffered a setback after an environmental coalition secured High Court approval to challenge the planning permission received. An Bord Pleanala has given the refinery at Aughinish in West Limerick, the green light to expand its bauxite residue disposal area known as the red mud pond'. In filings before planning bodies, the firm says this ruling will ensure the plant can operate to at least 2039, and protect the almost 500 jobs on site. However, now an alliance of environmental groups have been given leave by High Court Judge Richard Humphreys to seek a judicial review on the multi-million euro project. This bid was launched by Futureproof Clare alongside Ecojustice Ireland and the Cappagh Farmers Group among others. They have claimed that expanding the facility will potentially bring about the largest environmental catastrophe ever in Ireland. Judge Humphreys granted the groups leave to appeal on January 23 last, with the case next up for mention in Dublin later this month. The expansion poses a significant threat to the health of our ecosystem and Futureproof Clare is committed to fighting this decision through all legal channels, said the group in a statement. Tim Hannon, a local resident and member of this group stated: An Bord Pleanalas decision to grant planning permission for the extension of the red mud disposal area did not examine the connection with the existing alumina production facility, and did not address the observed environmental impacts which were acknowledged in previous planning applications to An Bord Pleanala and industrial emissions licence applications to the EPA. Our legal advisors are of the opinion this represents an error of law by failing to take into account the overall environmental impacts of the Aughinish facility in deciding to permit further expansion. It was Sinead Sheehan, another member of the group, who claimed if the dam were to breach, we would see the largest environmental catastrophe ever in Ireland. Our legal team has advised us that Rusal did not carry out sufficient environmental assessment to determine the proposed expansion would be safe in the context of the environmental impact of already existing infrastructure there. The last thing we want is a red mud spill in an area of conservation on the Shannon, she added. Rusal did not return a request for comment from the Limerick Leader as the newspaper went to press. A PILOT process has commenced on the northside of Limerick city to divest school(s) from their Catholic patronage to a multi-denominational ethos. The Limerick Leader understands that representatives from nine schools JFK, Parteen, Salesian Girls, Christ the King, Our Lady Queen of Ireland, Thomond, Gaelscoil Sairseal, St Marys, Corpus Christi were invited to a meeting before Christmas. Limerick is one of a number of pilot areas around the country. Preparations for Holy Communion and Confirmation would have to take place outside school hours in the divested schools. Minister for Education Norma Foley announced in March 2022 arrangements were being put in place in a number of towns and areas of cities that have no multi-denominational primary schools to identify potential schools and to engage with school authorities, school staff and school communities with a view to agreeing on a transfer of patronage and change of ethos, where there is sufficient demand. As part of this pilot, the department has made available a number of independent facilitators to work with the school patron and relevant school authorities at a local level to progress the reconfiguration pilot initiative. A spokesperson for the Department of Education said: The voice of the parent and school community is important in the context of a decision to change to a multi-denominational ethos. It is thought that the purpose of the project on Limericks northside is to have one or two schools divested from its Catholic trusteeship. One parent, who didnt wish to be named, said the entire reconfiguration process appears to be very cloak and dagger. Parents are unaware of the selection process and cannot understand why these nine schools were directed to participate in this process. It seems that one or two schools will be divested of their patronage once a tiny bit of interest is shown by staff or parents. My childrens school is dynamic, progressive and extremely inclusive. It has a proud Catholic culture while also embracing children from other cultures and traditions, said the parent. The adjoining church is very involved in supporting all of our families, they said. The church actively fundraises for the school to deliver therapeutic interventions such as play therapy, speech and language therapy and occupational therapy directly to the children in the community. No one can tell us if we would lose all these supports if we are to change patronage. Our church is so interlinked and intertwined with the school and the community. Parent and child classes take place in the church, music groups take place in the church along with being used by our children, teachers, parents and the entire community as a safe space. There is no appetite in the community where I live for a change of patronage so why are we being targeted and dictated to about attending meetings about a process which we have had no input into and no prior information? The uncertainty and secrecy of the whole process is very worrying, said the parent. Another parent Ailis Ni Chofaigh, who was contacted by the Leader, said many religions hold Sunday schools which would facilitate learning about the practices of the religion outside of school hours. Currently in some schools in Ireland, like Educate Together, Holy Communion preparation classes take place immediately after school and on school grounds with the local priest. In order to provide inclusive education we should have secular or multi-denominational education. By continuing single denominational public schools we continue a system of exclusion whereby we are segregating children as young as four years of age based on religion. The department has committed to divesting schools and is behind on delivery of this. No one loses out here, said Ms Ni Chofaigh. The mum, who lives in the county, said the Catholic Church can still provide religious instruction and education within their own facilities. Holy Communion prep can take place in the community, either after school on school grounds, in the church or a community centre. Religious education still takes place in school but from a multi-denominational approach, which is in fact more educational and inclusive. It's a logical approach to provide inclusive education that teaches religion from multiple perspectives, including discussions of non-belief. It makes sense to hold specific religious services / practices, such as Holy Communion, within the church itself and outside of school hours. It doesn't make sense to segregate children based on religion, said Ms Ni Chofaigh. Local councillor, Conor Sheehan said this was something he would broadly welcome but it must be done in consultation with parents and the wider school community. "I believe that this will strengthen the link between those who want to take part in these ceremonies and the church. Religion is currently taught in primary schools for over two hours a week with much longer time spent on the subject in second and sixth class on hymns and prayers to prepare children for the sacraments of Communion and Confirmation. "From a purely practical point of view, moving this outside of school time will allow this valuable time to be diverted to key skills such as literacy and numeracy which is especially relevant given the amount of valuable classroom time lost due to Covid," said Cllr Sheehan. The Labour councillor said he understands that the sacraments of Communion and Confirmation are important to people and those who want their children to take part will still be able to do so. We need to accommodate those of many faiths and none within our education system and our society and school communities are increasingly diverse which is something we must reflect upon. I believe the broader issue of separating church and state within the education system must be looked at by a Citizens Assembly as we need a national conversation about how we achieve a modern, secular and equality-based education system fit for the future," said Cllr Sheehan. A Limerick Diocese spokesperson said: "As part of a series of nationwide pilot programmes sought by government to explore the demand for divestment of Catholic primary schools to other or non denominations, the Department of Education has engaged an independent facilitator to conduct such a pilot with schools on the north side of Limerick city. "This is currently underway through meetings with teachers and parents and is expected to conclude in early March. The Diocese of Limerick is fully supportive of this very important and informative listening process." ST JOHN'S Hospital in Limerick city centre is to once again start accepting patients who are seeking emergency care in limited cases. The hospital is to provide its existing Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) in St John's for people who have sought an ambulance. A similar facility at Nenagh General Hospital will provide the service on this basis initially, with St John's following soon after, HSE sources have indicated. Medical patients with a GP referral and now people brought by ambulance will be seen at the MAU in St John's, if deemed appropriate by paramedics and doctors there. People who feel they need still emergency care are advised to continue presenting to the ED - and not St John's Hospital. This is being done in a bid to relieve the waiting times at the Dooradoyle hospital, which earlier this year was forced to declare an emergency incident following unprecedented overcrowding. Following this, a protest was held in Limerick which drew 11,000 people who demanded improved public health conditions in the region. The St John's move was confirmed by a spokesperson for the University of Limerick Hospitals Group (ULHG). "We are pleased with the progress of this initiative to date. An evaluation involving our MAU physicians and our National Ambulance Service (NAS) partners will be necessary before a decision is made on any expansion of the service. However, we have every expectation of success for the Ennis pathway, with a view to continuing that service and, with the agreement of NAS and the HSE, expanding it to our MAUs in Nenagh and St Johns Hospitals," they said. It means that patients will be treated in hospitals closer to their homes with less pressure on the UHL system as a result. Elsewhere, St John's Hospital's board of management this week welcomed UHL boss Prof Colette Cowan, Prof Brian Lenehan, Joe Hoare and Prof Paul Burke to its board meeting. They were discussing the next steps in progressing the capital development plan at the hospital, with hopes that a new 150-bed unit can open on the grounds of the facility. LimerickLive has contacted ULHG for further comment on this. Germany drops face mask mandate on long-distance transport Xinhua) 11:26, February 03, 2023 BERLIN, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- After almost two years, Germany no longer mandates the use of protective face masks on long-distance trains and buses as the COVID-19 pandemic loosened its grip on the country. The new rule entered into force on Feb. 2. Some of the country's federal states had lifted the mask mandate earlier. As infection numbers are declining, Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach has brought forward the end of mandatory mask use from April, but continues to recommend voluntary mask use. Since the beginning of 2023, Germany's COVID-19 incidence has dropped from around 160 cases per 100,000 residents to just 92 on Thursday, according to official figures. The last remaining measures -- the obligation for infected persons to self-isolate and the mask requirement at healthcare facilities -- are also to be lifted soon. Meanwhile, German vaccine developer BioNTech is upgrading one of its plants in Marburg, Hesse, at a cost of 40 million euros (43.7 million U.S. dollars) to manufacture its own plasmids for vaccine production, the company announced on Thursday. Plasmids are ring-shaped DNA molecules that can be used as a central starting material for the production of messenger RNA not only in vaccines against COVID-19 but also in drugs against other infectious diseases and cancer. "Medical biotechnology is a key technology of the 21st century," Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday during his visit to the BioNTech plant, adding that the pandemic had "proven Germany's capability as a location for innovation and manufacturing of medicines." (1 euro = 1.09 U.S. dollar) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, all are facing the worst situation regarding terrorist activities. In present scenario, any type of blame-game would simply add to the gravity of situation. by Ali Sukhanver Some people might be misguided by the thought that the menace of terrorism in Pakistan was successfully crushed to the roots a few years back and after the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan things have become quite normal but actually the situation is not that way. Terrorists and terrorism both are still alive; it seems they had hibernated themselves for a very short period of time. Once again, they are out of their short sleep and ready to do more. The recent bomb attack on a mosque in Peshawar on 30th January seemsthe beginning of a fresh wave of terrorist activities in Pakistan. The terrorists have chosen a time when Pakistan is passing through the toughest period of its history with a lot of political and economic instability. Different experts on security affairs were already apprehendingoccurrence of such incidents. It is also being feared thatmore episodes of the same type could take place in near future. Certainly the law-enforcement agencies will have to be more active and more vigilant against the peace-destroyers. Afghan nationals walk along a fenced corridor after crossing into Pakistan through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing point in Chaman on August 28, 2021 following the Taliban's military takeover of Afghanistan. [Photo: AFP] Even the last year had not been very peaceful regarding terrorist activities in Pakistan. According to a think-tank based in Islamabad The Pak Institute for Peace Studies, Pakistan had to face 254 militant attacks in the year 2022. More than 400 Pakistanis lost their lives in these attacks. The Arab News said referring to the report prepared by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies that The toll is significantly higher than last year 2021, when 335 people were killed by militants in 207 incidents, and in 2020, when 146 attacks killed 220. The most affected area had been Baluchistan where foreign-patronized terrorists targeted security forces and particularly the Chinese nationals working on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project which is a multibillion-dollar project having a lot of possibility of strengthening Pakistans economy. Attacks on the Chinese nationals certainly effected the work on CPEC project as hovering security threats make things very difficult for the foreigners working on different development projects. It seems that the sole target of all terrorist activities was nothing but to create hurdles in the way to completion of the CPEC. Now the beginning of 2023 does not seem very pleasant and hopeful with reference to the terrorists activities in Pakistan specifically in Baluchistan and KPK province. On 18th of January, according to the Voice of America, a militant attack from across the Iranian side of the border had killed four Pakistani soldiers.The attack took place in the remote Panjgur district in southwestern Baluchistan province. Sources say that the terrorists used Iranian soil to target a convoy of security forces patrolling along the border. The government of Pakistan, just after the incident, asked the Iranian side to hunt down the terrorists on their side. Whatever happened there at the Pak-Iran border was certainly very much unexpected and disappointing even for the Iranian government and the Iranian embassy in Islamabad strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Pakistani troops but this act of condemnation is not the solution to the problem. Without looking into the matter in detail, such incidents might reoccur in near and far-future.Panjgur district of Pakistans southwestern Baluchistan province is an area which borders Iran and Afghanistan. The area surrounding Panjgur had always been terrorists hot favourite. In 2019, both PakistanandIran had expressed their desire toform a joint quick reaction force to counter and combat militant activitiesalong the border. Unfortunately that desire has yet not been materialized. Though no terrorist group has yet claimed the responsibility of blood-shed in Panjgur. On December 19th 2022, in another incident of the same type four members of Irans security forces were killed in a firefight near the Pakistan border. The killed ones were members of The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. These four were killedafter a fight with an unnamed terrorist group, said the Aljazeerareferring to a statement released by the Iranian state media.The incident reportedly took place in Saravan, in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan, near the Pakistani border. The attackers allegedly fled to Pakistan when IRGC ground forces repelled the assault. The situation in Afghanistan is also deteriorating with reference to the terrorist activities. Last year on 23rd September several people were killed and dozens more wounded when a car bomb went off at a mosque in Afghanistans capital, Kabul. The worshippers streaming out of the mosque afterthe afternoon prayers were targeted. According to the Aljazeera,gunshots rang out several minutes after the explosion in Wazir Akbar Khan area which is the location of many foreign embassies and NATO. More than 15 people were killed and 41 wounded in that incident. Earlier on 18thAugust 2022, a huge explosion ripped through the crowded mosque during evening prayers, injuring 33 people and killing another 21. Prior to that in April 2022, two boys schools were targeted in the western Kabul. The targeted schools were Abdul Rahim Shahid high school and the nearby Mumtaz Education Centre, both located in the Dasht-e-Barchi area. More than ten students were killed and around 30 seriously wounded. In short, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, all are facing the worst situation regarding terrorist activities. In present scenario, any type of blame-game would simply add to the gravity of situation. Be it Afghanistan or Iran or Pakistan; terrorism is in the benefit of no one. We all will have to join our efforts with all possible devotion and dedication to curb this menace. The government of Afghanistan will have to play the most active role in resolving the situation as a consistent peaceful atmosphere is the most-required and most-needed element for the stability and firmness of that war-torn country.The point to rememberis that the flames of terrorism never remain limited to some particular area or some specific region; they are like a pandemic which goes on and moves on from one place to other. We must never forget the Twin-Towers tragedy which was the most horrible episode in the long series of terrorist activities. All self-proclaimed Super Powers including the US, China and others must step forward and try to Do More against the revival of terrorists era particularly in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. The Tanaiste has said it is good news that an Irish soldier who was seriously injured in a Lebanon ambush has been discharged from hospital to continue his recovery at home. Micheal Martin also said that the UN report into the incident is expected in the coming weeks. Shane Kearney, 22, was seriously wounded when the armoured UN vehicle he was travelling in was surrounded by a group of armed attackers in Lebanon last month. The Irish UN peacekeeper was injured in the shooting incident which left 24-year-old Private Sean Rooney dead. Trooper Kearney, from Killeagh in Co Cork, was medically evacuated from Lebanon to Ireland, where he has been receiving care at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin. The Defence Forces confirmed that Mr Kearney is being discharged from Beaumont Hospital on Friday. He still requires further medical treatment later in the year but the medical staff are satisfied with his continued and steady progress to allow him to continue his recuperation at home with his family, it said. Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin welcomed the news that Trooper Kearney was going home. I visited Shane Kearney last Monday in Beaumont Hospital. We had a very good chat, he said, adding that he brought news back from Camp Shamrock to him following Mr Martins recent visit to the Lebanon. Its good news that hes going home. hes been through a very traumatic time, the Cork native said. Last week, Mr Martin visited Irelands peacekeeping troops at Camp Shamrock and laid a wreath at a memorial to Private Rooney. Mr Martin has said the Irish government is absolutely determined to see those responsible for Mr Rooneys death to be brought to justice, and encouraged the Irish soldiers in Lebanon to use support services available to them. He also met the Lebanese ministers for foreign affairs and defence, Dr Abdullah Bou Habib and Maurice Sleem, in Beirut. When I was in Lebanon, I met with the minister for foreign affairs and the minister for defence and pressed the need for a comprehensive investigation into the murder of Sean Rooney and the attack on our peacekeeping troops in Lebanon, and also met with the Secretary General of the United Nations. We expect the UN nations report in mid-February. I dont have any further updates in respect to the investigations that are underway, Mr Martin said. Lebanons military tribunal has charged seven suspects over the attack that killed Mr Rooney and injured Mr Kearney, as part of one of the three investigations that were launched in the wake of the incident. Two other probes are being carried out by the UN and Irelands Defence Forces. With the ongoing expansion of its European headquarters in Raheen, Limerick, Analog Devices International (ADI) is currently recruiting across a range of disciplines at every level. The global firm has exciting opportunities for semi-conductor professionals in particular, including equipment technicians, process engineers, software engineers, and more. ADI is a global semiconductor leader that bridges the physical and digital worlds to enable breakthroughs at the Intelligent Edge. ADI combines analog, digital, and software technologies into solutions that help drive advancements in digitized factories, mobility, and digital healthcare, combat climate change, and reliably connect humans and the world. Local Employer for Over 40 Years ADI was one of the first US high-tech companies to establish a presence in Ireland in 1976 and has become an employer of choice. Now employing over 1,300 people at its original and main Irish hub, Analog Devices in Limerick is home to ADIs European based Research and Development center and Ireland global operations manufacturing facility. Jim Nagle, Senior Director Global Operations & Technology, Analog Devices, said For almost 50 years, Analog Devices has been known worldwide for engineering greatness and operational excellence. Our products make the world function and it all begins with our people. Great things are never done by one person. They are done by a team of people. We solve some of the worlds most complex problems. The ingenuity of our people drives our ability to make an impact as we create a more sustainable, connected and healthier world for future generations. Here, everyone has the opportunity to build a career dedicated to challenging the limits of whats possible, he continued. Embedded in the Community ADI organises significant STEM outreach programs targeting from 10-18-year-old students, e.g. the Analog Devices Primary Schools Robotics Competition where schoolchildren go to battle with their self-designed sumo wrestling robots. Over 7 years, more than 4,900 students across Limerick city and country have participated in the competition. Employees are heavily involved in charitable and social endeavours throughout the region such as Time to Count, help with reading programs, Special Olympics and more. Through the Analog Devices Annual Community Awards Program, the company donates 100,000 annually to 40 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups in Munster - all nominated by employees. Embracing Diversity Employee Networks are the driving force behind ADIs evolving culture. Current networks organized around a dimension of diversity include the Analog Veterans Network, LGBTQ+ Network, Neurodiversity Network, People of Color and Allies Network, Womens Leadership Network and Young Professionals Network. Other Networks that help shape organizational culture and policy include the Green Team and Cultural Activities Board. Sustainability in its DNA ADIs green credentials are many. On a local level, they have a very active Green Team who oversee programmes like Bee pollination and sustainable landscaping. The company was just announced as the first employer in Munster to have Gold Friendly Employer Certification status. For more see www.analog.com/careers * Sponsored content For nearly 150 years, Lincoln University of Missouri has figured prominently in the lives of the Logan family. Sisters Sheila Logan Symes and Joyce Logan Webb can claim at least five generations of Jefferson City Logans who have spent their school days on the historic campus. The familys long history and passionate pride in their alma mater has brought the Logans honor as Lincoln Universitys Family of the Year for 2023. The Logans love affair with Lincoln stretches back almost as far as the schools history. Dixon Logan began the family tradition by attending Lincoln Institute from 1876 to 1878, a mere 10 years after Lincoln was founded. His son, Benjamin Harrison Logan, followed in his fathers footsteps, earning a certificate in shoe repair in 1914 and then sharing his skills as a civilian employee of the military for two years in Virginia. At that same time, Eula Oliver Sanders was also attending Lincoln, following in the footsteps of her mother, Lincoln alumna Callie Henderson Sanders. Eula received certificates in sewing in 1913 and pedagogy (teaching) in 1916. Eula Oliver Sanders photographed above outside the Second Baptist Church in Jefferson City, Mo. Benjamin returned to Jefferson City in 1916 and married Eula. He opened Logan Shoe Repair in 1919. The couples five children Kenneth, Colette, Harrison, Herbert and Leon were Lincoln alumni of both LU High School and Lincoln University. Herberts wife Josie also graduated from Lincoln. The eldest, Kenneth, attended LU until 1940 as an English major with a bent toward business he joined Logan Shoe Repair while still a student and ran the family business until he closed the shop in 1962. Kenneths daughters, Joyce and Sheila, continued the Logan LU legacy. Joyce earned a degree in speech and drama from Lincoln in 1965; Sheila graduated in 1985 with a degree in home economics education. I have lived in houses on Lafayette Street and Roland Court in Jefferson City where I can look out my front window and see Lincoln for the past 68 years, says Joyce. It gives me a strong sense of roots to know our ancestors attended and earned degrees from that same institution. Joyce returned to Lincoln for a degree in elementary education and taught in Jefferson City public schools for 25 years. The Logans Lincoln connection extended to the next generation when her son Michael returned home after his service in the Army and attended Lincoln, earning credits toward a degree he eventually received from another college. He appreciated being able to attend Lincoln, Joyce says, as he was transitioning from one stage of his life to the next. Like his mother, Michael Webb found comfort in Lincolns familiarity. I chose Lincoln because it was home, Joyce says. At the time, it was what I was most comfortable with. Benjamin and Eula Logan, great-grandparents of Joyce and Sheila Logan. For Sheila, Lincoln University became much more than the school across the street that so many family members had attended. Lincoln has provided the avenues to achieve everything since I graduated, she says. After graduating in 1985, Sheila found teaching jobs at Tarkio College, Langston University and Lindenwood University but some of her most treasured memories are as an educator and adviser at Lincoln. She wore many hats at Lincoln instructor; director of University Center, Tower Hall and Martin Hall; central reservationist; university hostess; and adviser to Miss Lincoln University, Voices of Heaven and the pompom squad. She later served as president of the Jefferson City chapter of the alumni association. Photo of Kenneth Logan, Joyce and Shelia's father. Interacting with students, faculty, staff and alumni gave Sheila a varied perspective at Lincoln and a chance to serve her alma mater in many ways. The skills she taught to those she mentored were ones she knew would transfer to life. Being adviser to Miss Lincoln University were some of most joyous moments, Sheila says. I had the opportunity to teach not only the queens but also their escorts the art of walking, the importance of knowing the 'Kings English,' speaking, greeting people, how to curtsy, table manners, how to set a table, and what it means to have a person who believes in you. As an instructor, Sheila imparted one classroom lesson that everyone under her tutelage learned: I made sure that every student that I taught, that I encountered, learned the alma mater, she says. I was so serious about this that the alma mater was a part of their final examination. My students had to write out the alma mater, all three verses. It was important to know, she told them, that Lincoln University had alumni around the world. I told them to sing 'Lincoln, O, Lincoln' and they would always have a friend! State-owned Bank of Baroda on Friday reported a net profit of 3,853 crore for the December quarter, up 75.4% from the year ago owing to higher net interest income. The bank beat estimates by a Bloomberg poll of analysts which had predicted a profit of 3,341 crore. Its provisions fell 4.1% year-on-year (y-o-y) to 2,404 crore. Of this, 817 crore was provisions for non-performing assets (NPAs) and bad loans written off, down 81% from the same period last year. Its net interest income, the difference between interest earned and expended, stood at 10,818 crore in the December quarter, up 26.5% y-o-y. Its net interest margin, a key metric of profitability was at 3.37% as on 31 December, up 24 basis points (bps) from the year ago. It was important for BoB to start firing on all engines, and there were two challenges, if you go a year back," said Sanjiv Chadha, chief executive, Bank of Baroda. One, though a lot of segments were growing fast, home loans were not keeping pace. Two, as part of the banks deliberate strategy, corporate loan growth was a bit tepid, he added. Now you will see growth in corporate loans is catching up, and every single segment is growing in double digits. When you look at retail segments, you will see transformation of balance sheet in progress," added Chadha. The banks gross bad loan ratio, or total bad loans as a percentage of total advances, fell 272 bps y-o-y to 4.53%. After setting aside provisions, net NPA ratio declined 126 bps from the year-ago to reach 0.99%. Its advances grew 19.7% to 9.23 trillion, led by retail loan growth of 29.4%. Its total deposits grew 17.5% y-o-y to 11.5 trillion. The banks capital adequacy ratio under Basel III norms stood at 14.93% as of 31 December, down 54 bps y-o-y. On Friday, the banks shares gained 6.2% on BSE to close at 163.65. For us, in terms of order of importance, most important is asset quality, then comes margins, and then growth. But we still want to protect our market share by keeping the other two intact. The deposit growth is something that we anticipated is going to be slower to credit growth this year," he said. Just 10 days ago, Gautam Adani and his sprawling energy-to-ports empire looked invincible. Now, a damning short-seller attack has left the billionaire battling the worst crisis of his corporate life and is raising bigger, darker questions about Indias credibility as a global growth engine and a destination for international investors. The Adani Group has shed $108 billion in market value since Hindenburg Research accused it of stock manipulation and accounting fraud in a 24 January report. But it was only when the tycoon scrapped a $2.4 billion share sale this week that the potential for lasting impact became clear. Adanis rebuttal had failed to reassure investors. Once ranked No. 2 among the worlds wealthiest, he has tumbled to No. 21 on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The small, but famed, US short seller has revived old doubts about corporate governance at the Adani conglomerate. The fallout from its almost 100-page report threatens to undermine investor confidence in India more broadly, and in the nations regulatory framework whether its claims ultimately prove to be true or not. Things are moving very fast in the market, with a potentially major reassessment of the risks of investing in Indian equities by international investors," said Singapore-based Gary Dugan, chief executive officer of Global CIO Office, an asset manager and financial advisory firm. That reassessment includes governance, corporate transparency, nepotism and indebtedness." Adani, 60, has been close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for decades. And his business with investments in capital-intensive projects such as airports, power plants and data centers is at the heart of Modis growth agenda. As a national champion, the tycoon has aligned his business interests with Modis development goals, often stepping in where the state lacks resources or competence, helping create thousands of jobs. If the slide in asset prices continues and further shakes investor confidence in Adanis empire, that would be a setback for Indias growth story at a pivotal time. Banks like HSBC Holdings Plc and companies like Apple Inc. are expanding in India to hedge their exposure to China, where a government crackdown on businesses and an erratic pandemic policy have turned investors wary. The truth is that Adanis scandal is not coming at the best of all times for India as China is reopening," said Alicia Garcia Herrero, chief economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis SA. Foreign investors are clearly watching." Hindenburg, in its report, alleged that Adani used offshore shells for money laundering and siphoned from listed companies. The short seller, which took a position in offshore Adani securities, characterized the groups meteoric rise as the largest con in corporate history." While many of the claims have circulated among the Indian investing class and media for years, their emergence in the global conversation seemed to trigger a crisis of confidence. Hindenburg has repeatedly declined to comment on its short positions on Adani. In a 413-page response, Adani said Hindenburgs conduct was nothing short of a calculated securities fraud under applicable law." But the damage was done. Eight of the 10 worst-performing stocks in the MSCI Asia Pacific Index this year are now Adani firms, while bonds issued by the Indian billionaires flagship company have fallen to distressed levels in US trading. The turmoil has not only hammered Adani Group shares but is also hitting banks that have given loans to the companies. Government-controlled State Bank of India has tumbled 11% since the Hindenburg report came out. Foreign institutional investors pulled a net $2 billion out of Indias stock market from the country Jan. 27 through Jan. 31, the biggest three-day selloff since March, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The Adani-related headlines are generating a high level of negative attention, which could dampen investor appetite for Indian stocks," said Jian Shi Cortesi, a fund manager at Zurich-based GAM Investments, which oversees more than $80 billion in assets. While we dont see Adani dragging down the whole Indian stock market, we think this could lead to India underperforming other Asian markets such as China." However, some veteran emerging-market investors like Mark Mobius remain unfazed by the meltdown and dismissed chances of a broader contagion. This does not reflect the overall viability of the Indian market and economy," said Mobius, co-founder of Mobius Capital Partners LLP. We dont make decisions based on the index but on the viability of individual companies over the long term." Hugh Young, Asia chairman of abrdn Plc, which managed more than $600 billion in assets as of June, said his fund is waiting to dive in after the declines. Adanis Defense But its apparent even to casual observers that the declining fortunes of the Adani empire has the potential to shake the fundamentals of the Indian economy in a way few other corporate crises can. In fact, Adanis key line of defense is to braid together the fate of his conglomerate with that of Asias third-largest economy. Hours after pulling the share sale, Adani reiterated in a televised speech that the fundamentals of the company are strong, the balance sheet is healthy and the decision wont affect existing operations and future plans. Clad in traditional attire, he signed off with two words at the end of his televised speech Thursday: Jai Hind," meaning Victory to India." Days earlier, Chief Financial Officer Jugeshinder Singh stood in front of a fluttering Indian flag to reject Hindenburgs allegations. For years, Adani companies have delivered the sort of infrastructure projects India has needed. His integrated businesses touch hundreds of millions of Indians each day, from the chain of ports that deliver coal from Adani mines to company power plants running electricity to households through his transmission units. Along with developing more than 3,100 miles of the countrys road network, Adani Group is the largest private operator of Indias sea and airports, controlling 33% of Indian air cargo traffic and 24% of its shipping capacity, according to company presentations. The conglomerate plans to plow some $70 billion into renewable energy projects that are key to Modi achieving Indias Net Zero goals. The groups expansion has been fueled by leverage, with net debt at about 1.6 trillion rupees ($19.7 billion) another concern thats been dogging investors. The conglomerate has no dollar debt maturing until 2024. In a sign its debt servicing capacity in the near term looked safe, an Adani unit made a payment for scheduled coupons Thursday. Having just reported a rather ambitious budget on Feb. 1, the central government now faces questions on whether its infrastructure project plans could be derailed along with Adani, one of its most critical investors. There is no doubt that Adanis star is tethered closely to Modis own political trajectory the conflation of the Adani Groups interests and Indias national interest is striking," said Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Adanis beginnings were far from remarkable. A college dropout from the western state of Gujarat, he dabbled in diamond trading in Mumbai before returning home to set up the familys polymers import-export business that would later become Adani Enterprises. His ascent thereafter coincided with the rise of Modi, who was elected Gujarats chief minister in 2001. Their ties were cemented when Adani defended Modi after the latter was accused of failing to prevent one of Indias worst sectarian riots that killed more than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, the following year. The charges, consistently denied by Modi, were later dismissed by the nations top court. The businessman then helped found a biannual Vibrant Gujarat forum that helped burnish Modis image as a dynamic development-focused leader who got things done. In a highlight of the friendship, Modi attended a party Adani threw for the wedding of his son Karan in 2013, a year before Modi was elected as Indias prime minister. Since Modi came to power, Adani has become the poster child for his administrations use of private capital to boost infrastructure and domestic manufacturing. Now that the conglomerates ability to keep delivering is coming into question, the market crash has spilled into politics, with Modis rivals sensing weakness. The fracas overshadowed the delivery of Indias budget on Wednesday as opposition parties chanted the billionaires name. It caused another uproar on Thursday, with lawmakers demanding a probe into the Adani Group following the Hindenburg claims. It will have some impact on foreign investment," said Mohan Guruswamy, a former adviser to the countrys finance ministry. There will be a loss of confidence in Modi now." This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Riding on the success of its iPhone 13 model, Apple Inc. registered a third straight quarter of double-digit growth" in India, confirming its leadership of the premium smartphone market and moving closer to a ranking among the top five phone brands in the country. During the quarter, Apple India registered its record revenue and iPhone shipments, Apple CEO Tim Cook said. Were bringing retail there and bringing the online store there and putting a significant amount of energy there. Im very bullish on India," Cook said during Apples quarterly earnings call on Thursday. Analysts attributed much of Apples growth to its aggressive promotions during festive season sales. The iPhone 13, for instance, was available at under 50,000 during the first week of 2022s festive season sales in September last year, and it topped shipment charts during last years festive season. According to researcher Counterpoint, iPhone 13 was the top-selling product in the overall Indian smartphone market last October. Apple was also the leader in the premium smartphones segment of devices priced above 30,000, capturing 50% of the market in the December quarter, too, according to Counterpoint. Further, It had a 42% market share for the whole of 2022. Samsung was ranked second with a 21% market share, followed by OnePlus with 11%. Premium devices accounted for 16% of all devices in the December quarter and 11% for 2022. The June and September quarters also set all-time revenue records" for Apple in India. Its good December quarter performance in the country comes at a time when the Cupertino-based technology company saw its December quarter global revenue decline due to the disruption of iPhone production in China. We feel very good about how we performed, and thats despite the headwinds that weve talked about. Taking a step back, India is a hugely exciting market for us and is a major focus," Cook said. In the December quarter, Samsung led the overall phone market with a 20% market share in India, according to quarterly shipment data from Counterpoint published on 27 January. Vivo, Xiaomi, Oppo and Realme were the other brands in the top five with 18%, 18%, 11% and 8% market shares, respectively, during the period. Apple was close behind Realme at sixth place with nearly 8% market share for the December quarters shipments, according to the Counterpoint note. Apples overall 2022 market share stood at 4.5%. According to Prachir Singh, senior research analyst at Counterpoint, Apples rise in fortunes also comes amid a phase of decline for the overall smartphone industry. Singh added that while Apples market share grew 12% from a year earlier in the December quarter, the overall Indian smartphone industry saw a 20% decline during the same period. Apple shipped nearly 7 million units during 2022, according to industry analystsa growth of around 16% y-o-y in a year when the rest of the smartphone industry saw a 9% y-o-y decline to ship 152 million units last year, according to the Counterpoint report. Sanyam Chaurasia, an analyst at market research firm Canalys, said Apple shipped 1.9 million iPhones in the December quarter and was the sixth leading smartphone vendor in India. Navkendar Singh, associate vice-president for devices research at IDC, concurred, adding that the company would have seen further growth through 2022, but shipments were stifled as a result of supply chain concerns that hit the availability of Apples newest generation iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, last November". Apples success in India also stems from the fact that the country is emerging as a major manufacturing centre for iPhones. Apple is looking to expand production in India as it looks to diversify manufacturing and reduce dependence on China. Last month, Piyush Goyal, Union minister of commerce and industry, said at an industry event that Apple plans to expand iPhone production in India from the current 5-7% to 25% of its overall production. Were putting a lot of emphasis on the (Indian) market. Theres a lot thats been done, from financing options and trade-ins, to make products more affordable and give people more options to buy. Theres a lot going on there," Cook said. View Full Image Apple already operates its flagship retail store, called Apple Store, as premium, user-friendly customer experience centres In many markets, Apple already operates its flagship retail store, called Apple Store, as premium, user-friendly customer experience centres equipped with trained customer interaction experts called Geniuses to offer hands-on technical support. Mint .eported on 12 January that Apple is hiring workers for its offline stores, which are expected to open in Delhi and Mumbai in the first half of this year. Among the highlights of Apples results call was a reinforcement of the commitment to bringing Apple Retail to India. One only invests in retail when you are confident of the growth prospects of the market," Faisal Kawoosa, chief analyst and founder of techARC, tweeted on Friday. Kawoosa added that offline still sells 65% of smartphones to end consumers. Counterpoints Singh concurred that the physical look-and-feel matter more" in the premium segment, giving offline sellers a fillip as the covid-19 pandemic concerns eased. Globally, though, Apple was unable to replicate its India success. The companys overall quarterly revenue declined 5% y-o-y to $117.2 billion, making it the largest quarterly decline for the company since 2016. Cook attributed the decline to the strong dollar, the disruption of production in China, which impacted the supply of iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, and the overall macroeconomic environment, which impacted consumer spending. iPad and Services were the only verticals that saw growth during the quarter. Revenue from iPad grew 30% to $9.4 billion, while services revenue grew 6.4% to $20.77 billion. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Abhijit Ahaskar Abhijit writes on tech policy, gaming, security, AI, robotics, electronics and startups. He has been in the media industry for over 12 years. Read more from this author Google, the tech giant has recently fired around 12,000 employees this January, due to which many workers of the company staged protests on both US coasts this week to call attention to labor conditions for subcontracted workers and support thousands of co-workers who were laid off. One rally was held on Wednesday at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California, while another took place near Google's corporate offices in New York City, according to Bloomberg news. About 50 employees staged a protest in New York outside a Google store on Ninth Avenue, just minutes after parent company Alphabet Inc reported fourth-quarter results, including $13.6 billion in profit. Alberta Devor, a software engineer said, "Today, Google has debunked its own rationale for laying off 12,000 of our co-workers. It is clear that the menial savings the company is pocketing from laying off workers are nothing in comparison to the billions spent on stock buybacks or the billions made in profit last quarter." The demonstrations were organized by the labor group Alphabet Workers Union, which doesn't have collective bargaining rights, and whose members include Google subcontractors as well as employees, Bloomberg reported. In an interview, Devor who has worked at Google for more than three years and is an AWU member said, Today shows that some of the issues were talking about affect all workers regardless of what their actual job title or job status is." In California's rally, dozens of subcontractors spoke out against what they called substandard conditions, including what they said were poverty wages and no benefits." Their tasks include reviewing content to help train the companys AI-powered algorithms, as well as screening YouTube clips and searching ads for offensive or sensitive material. However, the workers say their pay and benefits fall far below Googles own minimum standards and benefits for its direct contract workers, as per Bloomberg reports. Zai Snell, one of the subcontractors at the protest in California said, We would like to at least be able to have some chance of survivability with this job." These layoffs have sparked widespread concern and criticism, and have led to calls for companies to be more responsible and sensitive toward their employees. While the tech industry has always been known for its rapid change and innovation, its crucial for companies to be mindful of the impact that their actions have on peoples lives. (With Bloomberg inputs) Tripura Assembly Elections: BJP national president JP Nadda is scheduled to launch the party's poll campaign in the poll-bound northeast state today, Friday. At first, he will launch a Vijay Sankalp Yatra from Amarpur and then conduct two rallies here. He will then hold a meeting of the top leaders in the state to fine-tune the party's strategy for the upcoming elections. Apart from this, 35 other rallies would also be taken out across the state, led by both the Central and State level ministers, according to the news agency ANI. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister Smriti Irani would also participate in the rallies today. Meanwhile, the BJP is likely to release its election manifesto for Tripura in the next week. The saffron party posted a stunning victory in Tripura in the 2018 Assembly elections, a Left bastion with Manik Sarkar being its Chief Minister for over two decades. After its poll victory, BJP appointed Biplab Deb as Tripura's Chief Minister and in May 2022 appointed Manik Saha for the role. For the elections at 60 Assembly seats in the northeastern state, which are slated to be held on February 17, the BJP has fielded 55 candidates. Former CM Manik Sarkar, hailing from the Communist Party of India (Marxist), would also contest the upcoming Assembly polls to the state. Earlier on January 27, BJP held a CEC meeting in the national capital to finalize the names of the candidates for the upcoming Tripura Assembly elections. The party announced its first list of 48 candidates for the Tripura Assembly polls, fielding Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik from Dhanpur. Chief Minister Manik Saha will contest the upcoming state assembly polls from the Town Bordowali constituency. For the first time, 11 women candidates have been given tickets in the state assembly election. Tripura will go to polls on February 16. Votes will be counted on March 2 along with Nagaland and Meghalaya. (With ANI inputs) Adani Enterprises/Adani Ports/Ambuja Cement: The NSE on Thursday placed three Adani group companies under the short-term additional surveillance measure (ASM) framework, effective Friday. This means that these stocks will be subjected to more stringent rules. Also, intraday trading will require a 100% upfront margin and is expected to curb a lot of speculation and short selling. The move by the stock exchange comes after a rout in the shares of the billionaire Gautam Adani's group companies in the aftermath of a scathing report by a US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research. Life Insurance Corporation: The government does not plan to sell additional shares of state-run Life Insurance Corp. of India to the public in FY24 due to unfavourable market conditions and weak retail demand, Tuhin Kanta Pandey, secretary of the department of investment and public asset management (Dipam), said in an interview. Events that adversely affect the markets have repercussions on disinvestment deals as well, Pandey said, alluding to the sell-off in the Adani group stocks and its impact on the wider market. Tata Consumer Products: Tata Consumer Products on Thursday reported a 25.6% rise in consolidated net profit to 364.43 crore for the December 2022 quarter. This is against a net profit of 290.07 crore in the year-ago period, Tata Consumer Products said in a regulatory filing. The consolidated revenue of Tata Consumer Products major grew by 8.29% to 3474.55 crore in the quarter under review from 3208.38 crore a year ago. Consolidated EBITDA for the quarter declined by 2% to 458 crore. Railtel Corporation: RailTel Corporation informed on Thursday, that the company has received a Work Order from the State Bank of India (SBI) for providing 4G LTE connectivity to 15,000 offsite ATMs across the country. The mini-ratna public sector undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Railways will also take care of the operation and maintenance of the entire network for a period of five years. Besides last mile connectivity, the project also includes the establishment of Network Operations Centre (NOC), backhaul connectivity to the data centre & disaster recovery centre (DC-DR) of SBI, live dashboard for SLA monitoring, 24X7 helpdesk, etc," the PSU said in a press release. Hindustan Zinc: The government is likely to sell a part of its remaining stake in Hindustan Zinc Ltd by next month said DIPAM Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey. This stake sale will help it achieve the revised sell-off target of 50,000 crore for the current fiscal, he added. In the coming fiscal, the government has lined up strategic stake sales in companies like HLL Lifecare, PDIL, Shipping Corporation and BEML in order to meet the disinvestment target set in the 2023-24 Budget. Centre presently holds a 29.54% stake in Hindustan Zinc or HZL. In 2002, it sold 26% of HZL to the mining billionaire Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta group. MOIL: State-owned miner MOIL on Thursday said that its quarterly net profit fell 68.1% year-on-year to 39.52 crore in the quarter ended December. The company reported a profit of 123.88 crore in the corresponding period of last year. In the third quarter, the profit after tax was 45% higher than the second quarter of FY23, the Ministry of Steel said in a statement. Net sales fell 16.89% to 302 crore in the October-December quarter. The revenue from operations, however, rose 28% sequentially from 236 crore. Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals: Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd on Thursday reported a 40% decline in consolidated net profit at 88.19 crore in the December quarter impacted by higher expenses. The company had posted a consolidated net profit of 148.26 crore in the year-ago period, Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd (CGCEL) said in a regulatory filing. Consolidated revenue from operations during the quarter under review stood at 1,516.21 crore as against 1,410.59 crore a year ago, it added. Total expenses were higher at 1,422.92 crore, up from 1,225.9 crore in the third quarter of last fiscal, it added. Berger Paints: Berger Paints India Ltd on Thursday reported a decline of 20.47% in its consolidated net profit at 201.17 crore in the third quarter ended December 2022. The company had posted a net profit of 252.97 crore in the October-December period a year ago, Berger Paints said in a regulatory filing. Its revenue from operations was up 5.59% at 2,693.59 crore during the quarter under review as against 2,550.77 crore in the year-ago period. Berger Paints' total expenses were at 2,437.84 crore, up 9.39% in Q3/FY23, as against 2,228.56 crore a year ago. Godrej Properties: Realty firm Godrej Properties on Thursday reported a 51% increase in consolidated net profit at 58.74 crore for the third quarter ended December 2022, while sales booking jumped over two-fold to 3,252 crore on strong housing demand. Its net profit stood at 39.02 crore in the year-ago period. The total income declined to 404.58 crore in the third quarter of this fiscal from 466.91 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year, according to a regulatory filing. Apollo Tyres: Apollo Tyres on Thursday said its consolidated net profit increased 30% to 292 crore for the December quarter, aided by robust sales in the domestic market. The company had reported a net profit of 224 crore in the year-ago period. Revenue from operations rose 13% to 6,423 crore, as against 5,707 crore in the October-December quarter of the previous fiscal, the company said in a statement. "The domestic demand has helped us tide over the recessionary trends elsewhere. Having said that, our European Operations have still outperformed the market in the first 9 months of this fiscal," Apollo Tyres Chairman Onkar Kanwar said. The Taliban has blatantly ignored the appeals by organisations and high officials as Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary General for reversing the ban on education for women. The Taliban administration in Kabul known variously as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan [self-declared] or Defacto authorities remained defiant over international and regional stakeholders request for observing universal human rights particularly towards women and the media. The Taliban claimed that the world must honor its culture and traditions which are based on interpretation of the Sharia by the top religious leadership led by Mullah Hibatullah, known as the Supreme Authority. Men ride atop an armored vehicle during a celebration of the anniversary of the Taliban's return to power in Kabul on Aug. 15. 2022 [Photo Credit: NAVA JAMSHIDI/GETTY IMAGES] Numerous delegations from the United Nations, Organization for Islamic Cooperation, international and regional stakeholders visited Afghanistan in the month of January seeking the Taliban to open education for women and permit them to work in the NGO sector. A number of stakeholders visited Afghanistan during the month to appeal to the Taliban to mainstream with international human rights amongst other issues. The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous visited Kabul and met with the Taliban authorities to discuss Afghan womens rights and other issues. Minister Muutaqi expressed his gratitude and hoped that the UN delegation would portray Afghanistans true image to the international community. Women are engaged in educational and health sectors in significant numbers whereas those who used to work in government offices are paid salaries at home. The number of female inmates has reduced considerably, and broad facilities have been provided in the business sector, Muttaqi said. Muttaqi also reiterated that not recognizing the Afghan government, travel bans on the Islamic Emirate authorities and restrictions on the banking system have led to numerous problems. While the senior Taliban officials met the delegation and appeared ready to engage in a discussion on womens rights, but there were no serious breakthroughs, or even major progress, on getting the countrys rulers to back down on their policies on womens rights. The Organizations of the Islamic Cooperation held an extraordinary meeting on Afghanistan in Jeddah aimed at considering the situation in Afghanistan following the decisions taken by the de facto Afghan authorities to close down schools and universities to girls and women for an unspecified period and suspend women from working in all national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in violation of the purposes of Islamic law and the methodology of the Messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad. Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) continued the distribution of aid to at least 47,400 vulnerable families in Afghanistan. The Taliban has blatantly ignored the appeals by organisations and high officials as Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary General for reversing the ban on education for women. There has been only limited breakthrough in this direction as the Taliban continued to defy these requests. In the interim the Group has tightened conservative religious edicts and implementation such as public flogging for crime. On January 28, Talibans Ministry of Higher Education issued a new decree banning female students from taking university entrance exams (Kankor) this year in all public and private universities in Afghanistan. The international benevolence towards the hardline extremist Taliban regime is based on the empathy for the Afghan people who have suffered for the past many decades and in case ignored now may fall into the trap of extreme penury, human suffering and loss of lives of the most vulnerable essentially the children. The aid and assistance to the Taliban includes packages of hard cash flowing in the country sustaining the economy and providing for the peoples livelihood to some extent despite a very harsh winter. There are apparently no signs of weakening of the Taliban resolve to maintain its ideological extreme beliefs even though some amongst them have from time to time called for a change. These latter voices are few and far between and are coming mainly from officials who are in Kabul the capital whereas the ideological edicts have been issued from Kandahar the clerical headquarters of the de facto authorities. Under the circumstances hoping for a change of approach in Afghanistan soon is unlikely. Source: Security Risks Research Amid the ongoing Adani Enterprises rout, Opposition Congress on 2 February announced it will hold nationwide protests in front of Life Insurance Corporation Offices and State Bank of India branches in all districts on February 6. "Government at the Centre is using common people's money to support their closest friends. Congress party has decided to have nationwide agitation across districts of the country in front of LIC and SBI offices on Monday," ANI quoted Congress general secretary KC Venugopal as saying. According to Congress, the exposure of LIC and public sector banks like the SBI to the Adani Group has significant implications for middle-class savings. Meanwhile, the opposition leaders are expecting the government to brazen it out and not concede their demand. So they will try to use the Parliament stage to corner Modi. ALSO READ: Gautam Adani likely to prepay share pledges to boost confidence: Report In the session in Parliament, the opposition leaders even sought a debate and a probe by a joint committee into the fraud-allegation-triggered rout in Adani group company stocks. They forced adjournment of proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in the pre-lunch session. The joint Opposition dubbed the stock crash a "Maha ghotala (scam) in Amrit Kaal" and lashed out at the government over the Hindenburg report against Adani Enterprises. Apart from this, the leaders questioned the government's "silence" over the issue. They even slammed the government over the rejection of their suspension of Business notices to discuss the issue. Leading from the front, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge led the attack at the Centre and demanded an investigation into the matter under the supervision of CJI or the constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee. "Either a Joint Parliamentary Committee or a team under the supervision of the CJI of the Supreme Court should investigate this," Kharge said. Though several Opposition MPs have given a suspension of business notices to the respective Houses of Parliament on the issue, both Houses were adjourned soon after the Session began at 2 pm. The leaders who gave the notice in their respective Houses include Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, CPI(M) leader in Rajya Sabha MP Elamaram Kareem, Shiv Sena MP (Uddhav Thackeray faction) Priyanka Chaturvedi, CPI Rajya Sabha MP Binoy Viswam, Bharat Rashtra Samithi Lok Sabha MP Nama Nageswara Rao, BRS Rajya Sabha MP K Keshava Rao, Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh among others. The first part of the session will conclude on February 13. Parliament will reconvene on March 12 for the second part of the Budget Session, which will conclude on April 6. With agency inputs. The weekly meeting between Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal could not take place on Friday as the two sides were engaged in a tussle over governance-related issues. Sources at the LG's office said Kejriwal did not turn up at the Raj Niwas for the meeting scheduled at 4 pm and no reason was given by his office in this regard. An official at the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) confirmed that the meeting did not take place, without giving any reason for it. With the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by Kejriwal, slamming Saxena over a range of issues, including a proposal to send school teachers for training to Finland, the weekly meetings between the two constitutional functionaries have not been taking place for several weeks. Accompanied by his deputy Manish Sisodia and other AAP MLAs, Kejriwal had marched to the Raj Niwas last month and sought a meeting with the LG, alleging that his government's proposal to send teachers to Finland was not approved by Saxena. The LG had invited Kejriwal and Sisodia for a meeting with him, but the chief minister turned down the offer, insisting to take other AAP MLAs along with him. In a letter to Saxena, Kejriwal had suggested a meeting with him and was asked to bring 10 of his MLAs and the deputy chief minister last week. However, Kejriwal excused himself from the meeting with the LG, saying he was scheduled to inaugurate mohalla clinics in Punjab. The last meeting between the chief minister and the LG took place on January 13. Lieutenant General Hun Manet, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and Commander of Royal Cambodian Army along with a delegation is on his maiden visit to India from 2-4 February 2023. This is a milestone in the army-to-army relations between the two countries as this is the first visit by any Commander of Royal Cambodian Army. On 3 February, the General Officer commenced the visit by paying tributes to the fallen heroes of the Indian Armed Forces by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial. He called on Giridhar Aramane, Defence Secretary and was briefed on Indian indigenous defence equipment manufacturing eco-system by the Department of Defence Production (DDP) and the Army Design Bureau," the ministry of Defence said. The Lieutenant General then called-on the Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Deputy National Security Advisor, Vikram Misri. Later in the day, the visiting General Officer was accorded a Ceremonial reception and Guard of Honour at the South Block lawns after which he called on General Manoj Pande, the Chief of the Army Staff. During the meeting, General Manoj Pande, COAS reaffirmed Indias support to Cambodia by offering customised training modules for the Royal Cambodian Army and Lt Gen Hun Manet announced the schedule for the conduct of first Army to Army Staff Talks in Cambodia. The Indian Army will be conducting tailor made courses in various contemporary subjects at its premier training establishments and deploy a Training team to Cambodia. Both Chiefs signed the Terms of Reference for Staff Talks and exchanged customised training folders," the ministry added. On 4 February, the Lt Gen is scheduled to visit Rajputana Rifles Regimental Centre Delhi Cantt, where he will witness the training of Agniveers and a display of indigenous defence equipment. He is also scheduled to call-on General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff prior to his departure from New Delhi. India and Cambodia have shared centuries old cultural, religious and people to people connect. Cambodia remains a key partner in Indias Act East policy. Both nations share cordial relations in the field of defence and security. Defence Cooperation between both countries is governed by Bilateral Defence Cooperation Agreement signed in 2007. Military relations between India and Cambodia have grown over the recent past and are planned to expand in various fields such as training cooperation, Counter-IED, demining and UN Peacekeeping. Bilateral mechanism between both the Armies is being institutionalised by means of Army-to-Army Staff Talks which will enhance the defence cooperation between the two countries," the ministry said. Renowned filmmaker and Dadasaheb Phalke awardee Kasinadhuni Viswanath died at the age of 92 years around Thursday midnight. He took his last breath at a private hospital here. The filmmaker was not well for some time and was suffering from age-related issues, according to the news agency PTI. Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Film Director SS Rajamouli, Music Director MM Keeravani, Actor Chiranjeevi and other film stars pay last tribute to veteran film director Kalatapasvi K Viswanath in Hyderabad. Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu pays tribute to veteran film director Kalatapasvi K Viswanath, who passed away last night at the age of 92 in Hyderabad. pic.twitter.com/pRRqTziENO ANI (@ANI) February 3, 2023 Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao expressed his condolences over the death of Viswanath, a release from the Chief Ministers Office said. Viswanath was a rare distinguished film director who chose an ordinary story and turned it into a classic movie on the silver screen with his amazing talent." In a tweet post, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed his grief over the death of the filmmaker. Vishwanath is a mirror of Telugu culture and Indian arts. Films under his direction have brought unparalleled respect to the Telugu film industry. He will remain forever in the hearts of Telugu people as an artist," he said. Know more about filmmaker K Viswanath Popularly known as 'Kalatapasvi', Viswanath was born in February 1930 in Andhra Pradesh. A prominent name not just in Telugu cinema but also in Tamil and Hindi films, he became the 48th recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke award, the highest recognition in Indian cinema. He was conferred with the award for the year 2016. Viswanath, who started his journey as a sound artist, directed award-winning films such as "Sankarabharanam", "Sagara Sangamam", "Swati Mutyam", "Saptapadi", "Kaamchor", "Sanjog" and "Jaag Utha Insaan" in his long career that included an equally successful stint in front of the camera. His other honors include Padma Shri in 1992, five National Awards, 20 Nandi Awards (given by the Andhra Pradesh government), and 10 Filmfare trophies including the Lifetime Achievement award. Viswanath, who made 50 movies since 1965, was a celebrated filmmaker in the Telugu film industry. He had also been active in Tamil and Hindi cinema. He debuted as a director with "Aatma Gowravam", which starred Akkineni Nageswara Rao and won the Nandi Award for the best feature film. The filmmaker followed it with "Chelleli Kapuram", "O Seeta Katha", "Jeevana Jyoti" and "Sarada". Viswanath also ventured into mainstream acting, working in movies like "Swarabhishekam" (which he directed as well), "Pandurangadu", "Narasimha Naidu", "Lakshmi Narasimha" and "Seemasimham", "Kuruthipunal", "Kakkai Siraginilae" and "Bagavathi", among others. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: India has reported 99 new covid-19 cases and zero deaths in the last 24 hours, the union health ministry data showed on Friday. Active cases have increased to 1,764 while total number of covid cases have reached 4.47 crore. The country reported 530,741 covid related deaths since the onset of the pandemic. Karnataka reported 133 active cases, while Kerala has 1198 active cases. Maharashtra has 73 active cases, Odisha 85 cases, Rajasthan 16 cases, Tamil Nadu 32 active cases; Uttar Pradesh 15 and West Bengal has 45 active cases. With the decline in the trajectory of covid cases, scientists believe that Omicron and its sub lineages will not affect India as large number of populations is already exposed to the virus and vaccinated. Scientists say that people in India have developed hybrid immunity (due to vaccination and natural infection). However, they suggest people to wear masks in crowded places and complete their vaccination doses if not done yet. At present, large number of cases is being reported in China and other countries as a result of which the central government has tightened covid control measures. The government has directed the INSACOG, under the supervision of Department of Biotechnology (DBT), to keep a close watch on covid situation in the country and continue to do constant genome sequencing to track any new variant. The government is conducting RT-PCR testing for people returning from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and South Korea and mandated the filling up of Air Suvidha forms for travelers from six countries under which 72-hour prior RT-PCR testing is compulsory. Besides, surveillance at the hospital level is also going on to monitor lnfluenza-like illness (lLl) & SARI cases. The country has conducted over 1,55,731 tests in the last 24 hours taking the total trajectory of covid testing to 91.59 crore so far. Under the covid vaccination drive, more than 220.54 crore vaccine doses have been administered to the people across the country so far. In the last 24 hours, around 1,60,387 vaccine doses were administered. w India would take a balanced approach, with bold but prudent steps, to drive economic growth and expects its China-plus-one strategy to work, finance secretary T.V. Somanathan said in an interview. Regarding the US-based Hindenburg Researchs accusations of share price manipulation and accounting fraud by Adani Group companies, Somanathan said public financial institutions exposure to any single firm is minimal and poses no risk to depositors or policyholders. He further added that the Centres production-linked incentives are deliberate strategic measures aimed at directing new production capacity and are not subsidies to companies. Edited excerpts: The Adani group is facing fraud allegations. Will the government seek information from the company? Public finance institutions exposure to any one company is so small that it is not at all a risk for the depositors or policyholders of the public financial institutions. I can categorically say that there is no risk to them. Usually, the beneficial economic results of capex come with a lag. In the meantime, is there anything else that the government could do? The demand and employment effects of capital expenditure are immediate. It is the growth effects that come with a lag. While the asset is being constructed, it immediately creates some demand and some employment to the extent the money is spent. It is the multiplier effect (of infrastructure spending) that comes later. That may take till the asset is completed and it gets into operation; then, you will see the full results. That will take a longer time. I dont see what more could be done unless we decide to give up fiscal prudence and go even further. India is a bright spot in terms of growth, but the animal spirits of industry are still not alive. Your comments? There is a lot of evidence of micro, small and medium enterprises investing quite well. It is the big sector which is not. The economic survey seems to think it is changing. (The survey said the governments robust capex could bring back the industrys animal spirits, with early signs of private investment rebound already visible.) What is the biggest takeaway from this budget? India will be bold in its push for growth without compromising on macroeconomic stability. We will be bold, but we will also be prudent. That has been our approach to the budget. Commodity prices and extreme weather conditions have brought uncertainty to budget numbers. Is there anything that we can insulate ourselves, and what is the strategy for it? It is difficult to insulate ourselves because we are totally dependent on imports for much of our oil requirement and a considerable part of our non-urea fertilizers. We can go for a long-term contract for fertilizers, which we are doing. And there are some efforts to diversify our petroleum sourcing. But that does not completely take away the volatility. We have some (hydrocarbon) assets, but if those assets are in strategically difficult areas, then they become unusable. I think these are things we will have to live with. For the next fiscal, you must have thought of front-loading capex. So how much of the 10 trillion might we spend in the first half? Typically, the expenditure gets backloaded in the fiscal. So if we can do 50:50, it will be good. I think a reasonable target is to spend 50% in the first half. It may not seem like front-loading, but it is front-loading because the natural cycle is the other way. The natural cycle is 40:60. So if we could shift it to 50:50, we would have front-loaded. We are accelerating the process by, for instance, the guidelines of the 1.37 trillion will be issued very soon, even before the start of the fiscal. So we are trying to accelerate everything to the extent possible. In the revised estimate for FY23, there is a minor saving in terms of capex. Are you confident of spending the full extent of allocated funds? That (the minor saving) is mainly on the 1 trillion loan for states which is going to be 76,000 crore. The central sector is going to reach the target. For the next year, are you confident of full spending? I am reasonably confident. I think the Central spending will go through. Spending by states will also go through, but in states, certain aspects have a conditionality that is kept deliberately. That is, we want something (reforms) to be achieved and then give the funds. That takes a bit of time. Next year, it may be faster as they are also used to the system. What is your assessment of the PLI schemes performance? It was widely expected that more sectors would be included in the Budget. I think that is a wrong expectation. PLI is expected to be selective and focused on a few areas, and there is a certain target level of fiscal outlay, which is fixed for which different sectors have to compete. Some have been announced, and some are being assessed by the NITI Ayog and the DPIIT. But it is not ever-expanding. There are specific parameters. One, where there is an industry which has a lot of domestic demand and is sourced from abroad, and if it is set up here and it is done at a scale where component suppliers and the ecosystem can be built around them, then we can be very competitive in that industry. And we can replace imports with competitive domestic production. The second type of PLI is where there is a strategic need for domestic production. For example, advanced pharma intermediates for drugs and medical devices. We dont want to be in a situation where we dont get raw materials for antibiotics because we have to import them. Here, the criterion is not cost competitiveness. The main criterion is strategic availability domestically. The third kind of PLI is in the sunrise sectors, where India has an opportunity to become a global leader without having to catch up with anyone. If you take green hydrogen or lithium-ion batteries, we are not behind (anyone) since it is a new technology. PLI will be a selective approach. We are positioning India as an alternative to China and Europe, but some other Asian countries, like Vietnam, seem to do well in that regard. Your comments? The global investment will eventually come because India is the only effective alternative that can offer volume. High natural gas price affects subsidy outgo. What is the outlook for the next fiscal? Gas price affects urea price. We are assuming that next years average cost of fertilizers will be 20% lower than this year, which I think is very reasonable given todays prevailing prices. We have allocated 2.25 trillion this year, and next year it is 1.75 lakh crore. Prices have already come down from what it was earlier this year. The government is behind the divestment target. Your comments? Divestments which can be done without legislation, are being done. The ones which require legislation are not coming through. There are legislative constraints. Besides, the assets are still here. So, IDBI will go through, but the rest is unlikely. Dilasha Seth contributed to the story. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has spoken about the drawbacks of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) citing a 'WhatsApp' message. The Chief Minister said, "Yesterday I got a message on Whatsapp where a Central govt official said that if the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) is implemented then the country will go bankrupt by 2030". Further, Khattar said that in 2006, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also opposed the Old Pension Scheme. "Manmohan Singh is a great economist and he said in 2006 that the Old Pension Scheme will make India backward as the vision of the scheme is myopic," Khattar said. #WATCH | "Yesterday I got a message on Whatsapp where a Central govt official said that if the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) is implemented then the country will go bankrupt by 2030," says Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar in Chandigarh(02.02) pic.twitter.com/d2RmHFaZjR ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2023 Recently, the Reserve Bank of India also sounded a note of caution on reversion to the old pension scheme by some states, saying it poses a major risk on the "subnational fiscal horizon" and would result in the accumulation of unfunded liabilities in the coming years for them. Earlier, the governments of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand informed the central government and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) about their decision to restart the OPS for their employees. The government of Punjab November 18, 2022, too had issued a notification regarding the implementation of the OPS for the state government employees who are presently being covered under the NPS. In 2004, the Union government came out with the National Pension System (NPS), a defined contribution pension scheme replacing the old pension scheme. Under the old pension scheme, employees get a defined pension. Under this, an employee is entitled to a 50% amount of the last drawn salary as pension. However, the pension amount is contributory under the National Pension System, which is in effect since 2004. Several economists too have expressed concern over reverting to the OPS saying it would put stress on states' finances. Former Deputy Chairman of the erstwhile Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia recently spoke against bringing back the OPS, saying it is one of the biggest 'revadis'. For 2022-23, the RBI report said states have budgeted an increase in revenue spending, mainly led by non-developmental expenditures such as pension and administrative services. Budget allocations towards medical and public health and natural calamities have been lowered, while housing outlay has been increased, the RBI report mentioned. New Delhi: Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Friday called upon members of the international community to strive to make meaningful progress in creating more opportunities for decent work and inclusive growth for all. Addressing the G-20 Employment Working Group Meeting, the minister said that the challenges facing the global labour market are complex and far-reaching and it is only through cooperation and collaboration that we can hope to find meaningful solutions. The three-day meeting began on Thursday in Jodhpur. A panel discussion was held on Thursday and sessions began on Friday. Addressing the opening session, Shekhawat said the current situation of employment and social security around the world has been affected by coronavirus pandemic. Many small and medium-sized businesses have been particularly hit hard, leading to job losses across a wide range of sectors," he said. Income inequality has risen as well as the number of people living in poverty. In many countries, governments had to spend more on fighting the pandemic, leaving less money for other programmes and services, the minister said. This has put a strain on social security systems. Efforts have been made by many countries in terms of providing economic stimulus and support for workers, but the employment and social security sectors are still facing challenges," he said. To mitigate the economic blow of the pandemic, the minister said, the Indian government has taken several measures to ensure immediate relief and a relatively faster V-shaped recovery that is also inclusive. He said India through worlds largest public distribution system, distributed food grains to 800 million people during the pandemic and continuing till date. Also, under the world largest government funded Health Assurance Scheme i.e. Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, India provides health coverage for over 500 million people, and collateral-free loans to help about 3.2 million street vendors, among others. The minister said if all came together, issues important to the economic and social well-being of our nations can be addressed. Karnataka state government has announced one-time measure of a 50 per cent rebate on fines in e-challans for pending traffic challans across the state. The rebate will granted to violator only if they pay fines till 11 Feburary,2023. The Karnataka state government took the measure of offering 50 per cent rebate on fine in e-challans to clear the backlogged cases. The order was issued by Pushpa V.S., Under Secretary, Transport Department, on Thursday. E-challan cases are those who are booked when violations are caught on traffic surveillance cameras. The state issued an order on the 50 per cent rebate as part of the decision taken at a January 27 meeting presided over by Justice B Veerappa, executive chairman, Karnataka State Legal Services Authority. In Bangalore there were over two crore e-challan cases which may total up to a penalty of 500 crore, said Dr. M.A. Saleem, Special Commissioner (Traffic), Bengaluru, according to a report by The Hindu. It makes up for over 80 per cent of of such cases pending across Karnataka. In Bangalore, people who want to pay the e-challan fine can visit the neartest traffic police stations or go to the Bangalore traffic police site. (https://bangaloretrafficpolice.gov.in) For the rest of the state, fine against the e-challan can be paid by visiting the nearest police stations in their area or through the Karnataka One portal. New Delhi: Lenders may extend the commercial operations date (COD) for Adani Powers Godda thermal plant in Jharkhand, which was set up to supply power to Bangladesh, by six months, as the laying of the transmission lines is yet to be completed, said two people in the know. Power Finance Corp. (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corp. (REC) have already disbursed loans of around 10,000 crore for the plant that was expected to supply 750 MW of power to Bangladesh, starting March. However, if the COD is postponed, the operationalization of the unit will also be delayed. In power sector, COD refers to the date when a facility starts generating power to earn revenues under long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) . One of the two officials said transmission lines in Bangladesh have not been completed yet and that is the major reason for extending COD. Repayment of the debt starts only after commencing of the commercial operations date," said another official. As per the agreement, Adani Power will install a dedicated 106-km transmission line from Godda to the interconnection point at the border and a 28-km transmission line is being built by Power Grid Corp. of Bangladesh connecting the Rohanpur substation to Indo-Bangla border. Email queries to PFC, REC, Adani Power, the union ministry of power and Power Grid Co. of Bangladesh did not elicit a response till press time. An Adani Power official said anonymously the project is in schedule. The development comes at a time the Bangladesh Power Development Board has sought a revision to the agreement with Adani Power due to the high prices of the coal sought by the company. It signed a 25-year PPA with Adani in November 2017 for supplying 1,496 MW of electricity from the power plant. Import and transportation costs of fuel will be borne by Bangladesh and the price is a factor in power tariffs under the PPA. Adani Power had requested a demand note from BPDB quoting a price of $400 per metric tonne for coal, but Bangladesh feels it is far higher than internal market prices. The power plant is one of the projects being developed by India to boost economic ties with its neighbour, which will also consolidate Indias strategic position in South Asia. During the India visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in September last year, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani met her and said in a tweet that both sides are committed to commissioning the 1600 MW Godda Power Project and the dedicated transmission line to Bangladesh would be completed by 16 December, 2022. Last month, Nasrul Hamid, the Bangladeshi state minister for power, energy and mineral resources during his visit to the plant had said: By mid-March, we will hopefully get around 750MW from the power plant." The eastern neighbour is increasing its domestic power generation and import of power in a bid to ensure energy security as it has faced some severe power outages over the years. Diplomatic Cables Prove Top U.S. Officials Knew They Were Crossing Russias Red Lines on NATO Expansion by Branko Marcetic Nearly a year in, the war in Ukraine has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and brought the world to the brink of, in President Joe Bidens own words, Armageddon. Alongside the literal battlefield, there has been a similarly bitter intellectual battle over the wars causes. Commentators have rushed to declare the long-criticized policy of NATO expansion as irrelevant to the wars outbreak, or as a mere fig leaf used by Russian President Vladimir Putin to mask what former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently called his messianic mission to reestablish the Russian Empire, in a Washington Post opinion piece. Fiona Hill, a presidential adviser to two Republican administrations, has deemed these views merely the product of a Russian information war and psychological operation, resulting in masses of the U.S. public blaming NATO, or blaming the U.S. for this outcome. The flags of NATO member countries are seen ahead of NATO foreign ministers meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday, April 6, 2022. [ Photo Credit: CNN/Anadolu Agency] Yet a review of the public record and dozens of diplomatic cables made publicly available via WikiLeaks show that U.S. officials were aware, or were directly told over the span of years that expanding NATO was viewed by Russian officials well beyond Putin as a major threat and provocation; that expanding it to Ukraine was a particularly bright red line for Moscow; that such action would inflame and empower hawkish, nationalist parts of the Russian political spectrum; and that it could ultimately lead to war. In a particularly prophetic set of warnings, U.S. officials were told that pushing for Ukrainian membership in NATO would not only increase the chance of Russian meddling in the country but also risked destabilizing the divided nationand that the United States and other NATO officials pressured Ukrainian leaders to reshape this unfriendly public opinion in response. All of this was told to U.S. officials in both public and private by not just senior Russian officials going all the way up to the presidency, but by NATO allies, various analysts and experts, liberal Russian voices critical of Putin, and even, sometimes, U.S. diplomats themselves. This history is particularly relevant as U.S. officials now test the red line China has drawn around Taiwans independence, risking military escalation that will first and foremost be aimed at the island state. The U.S. diplomatic record regarding NATO expansion suggests the perils of ignoring or outright crossing another military powers red lines and the wisdom of a more restrained foreign policy that treats other powers spheres of influence with the same care they extend to the United States. An Early Exception NATO expansion had been fraught from the start. The pro-Western, then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin had told then-U.S. President Bill Clinton he [saw] nothing but humiliation for Russia if you proceed with plans to renege on the verbal promises made years earlier not to extend NATO eastward, and warned that this move would be sowing the seeds of mistrust and would be interpreted, and not only in Russia, as the beginning of a new split in Europe. Just as containment architect George Kennan had predicted, the decision to go ahead with NATO expansion helped inflame Russian hostility and nationalism: The Duma (the Russian parliament) declared it the largest military threat to our country over the last 50 years, while the leader of the opposition Communist Party called it a Treaty of Versailles for Russia. By the time Putin became president the day before the new millennium, the initial hopes and plans of the early 90s [were] dead, a leading liberal Russian politician declared. The first round of NATO enlargement was followed by the organization bombing Yugoslavia in 1999, which was done without the UN Security Council authorization, and triggered Russia to cut off contact with the alliance. By 2000, the revised Russian national security strategy warned that NATOs use of force beyond its borders would be seen as a threat of destabilization of the whole strategic situation, while military officers and politicians started claiming that if NATO expands further, it would create a base to intervene in Russia itself, the Washington Post reported. Ironically, there would be one exception to the next two decades worth of rising tensions over NATOs eastward expansion that followed: the early years of Putins presidency, when the new Russian president defied the Russian establishment to try and make outreach to the United States. Under Putin, Moscow reestablished relations with NATO, finally ratified the START II arms control treaty, and even publicly floated the idea of Russia eventually joining the alliance, inviting attacks from his political rivals for doing so. Even so, Putin continued to raise Moscows traditional concerns about the alliances expansion, telling NATOs secretary-general it was a threat to Russia in February 2001. [I]f a country like Russia feels threatened, this would destabilize the situation in Europe and the entire world, he said in a speech in Berlin in 2000. Putin softened his opposition as he sought to make common cause with then-President George W. Bush administration. If NATO takes on a different shape and is becoming a political organization, of course, we would reconsider our position with regard to such expansion, if we are to feel involved in the processes, he said in October 2001, drawing attacks from political rivals and other Russian elites. As NATO for the first time granted Russia a consultative role in its decision-making in 2002, Putin sought to assist its expansion. Then-Italian President Silvio Berlusconi made a personal request to Bush, according to an April 2002 cable, to understand Putins domestic requirements, that he needs to be seen as part of the NATO family, and to give him help in building Russian public opinion to support NATO enlargement. In another cable, a top-ranking U.S. State Department official urged holding a NATO-Russia summit to help President Putin neutralize opposition to enlargement, after the Russian leader said allowing NATO expansion without an agreement on a new NATO-Russia partnership would be politically impossible for him. This would be the last time any Russian openness toward NATO expansion was recorded in the diplomatic record published by WikiLeaks. Allies Weigh In By the middle of the 2000s, U.S.-Russian relations had deteriorated, partly owing to Putins bristling at U.S. criticism of his growing authoritarianism at home, and to U.S. opposition to his meddling in the 2004 Ukrainian election. But as explained in a September 2007 cable by then-President of New Eurasia Foundation Andrey Kortunov, now director general of the Russian International Affairs Councilwho has publicly criticized both Kremlin policy and the current warUnited States mistakes were also to blame, including Bushs invasion of Iraq and a general sense that he had given little in return for Putins concessions. Putin had clearly embarked on an integrationist foreign policy at the beginning of his second presidential term, which was fueled by the 9/11 terrorist attacks and good relations with key leaders like President Bush and other leading NATO allies, Kortunov said according to the cable. However, he said, a string of perceived anti-Russian initiatives, which included Bushs withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty and further expansion of NATO, ultimately dashed Putins hopes. What followed was a steady drumbeat of warnings about NATOs expansion, particularly regarding neighboring Ukraine and Georgia, much of it from Washingtons NATO allies. [Former French presidential diplomatic adviser Maurice] Gourdault-Montagne warned that the question of Ukrainian accession to NATO remained extremely sensitive for Moscow, and concluded that if there remained one potential cause for war in Europe, it was Ukraine, reads a September 2005 cable. He added that some in the Russian administration felt we were doing too much in their core zone of interest, and one could wonder whether the Russians might launch a move similar to Prague in 1968, to see what the West would do. This was just one of many similar warnings from French officials that admitting Ukraine and Georgia into NATO would cross Russian tripwires, for instance. A February 2007 cable records then-French Director General for Political Affairs Gerard Arauds recounting of a half-hour anti-U.S. harangue by Putin in which he linked all the dots of Russian unhappiness with U.S. behavior, including U.S. unilateralism, its denial of the reality of multipolarity, [and] the anti-Russian nature of NATO enlargement. Germany likewise raised repeated concerns about a potentially bad Russian reaction to a NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) for Ukraine and Georgia, with then-Deputy National Security Adviser Rolf Nikel stressing that Ukraines entry was particularly sensitive. While Georgia was just a bug on the skin of the bear, Ukraine was inseparably identified with Russia, going back to Vladimir of [Kyiv] in 988, Nikel recounted, according to the cable. Other NATO allies repeated similar concerns. In a January 2008 cable, Italy affirmed it was a strong advocate for other states entry into the alliance, but is concerned about provoking Russia through hurried Georgian integration. Norways then-Foreign Minister (who is now the prime minister) Jonas Gahr Stre made a similar point in an April 2008 cable, even as he insisted Russia mustnt be able to veto NATOs decisions. At the same time he says that he understands Russias objections to NATO enlargement and that the alliance needs to work to normalize the relationship with Russia, reads the cable. Almost Complete Consensus The thinkers and analysts that U.S. officials conferred with likewise made clear that the anxieties of Russian elites over NATO and its expansion, and the lengths they might go to counteract it. Many were transmitted by then-U.S. Ambassador to Russia William Burns, who is presently Bidens CIA director. Recounting his conversations with various Russian observers from both regional and U.S. think tanks, Burns concluded in a March 2007 cable that NATO enlargement and U.S. missile defense deployments in Europe play to the classic Russian fear of encirclement. Ukraine and Georgias entry represents an unthinkable predicament for Russia, he reported six months later, warning that Moscow would cause enough trouble in Georgia and counted on continued political disarray in Ukraine to halt it. In an especially prescient set of cables, he summed up scholars views that the emerging Russia-China relationship was largely the by-product of bad U.S. policies, and was unsustainableunless continued NATO enlargement pushed Russia and China even closer together. Cables record Russian intellectuals across the political spectrum making such points again and again. One June 2007 cable records the words of a liberal defense expert Aleksey Arbatov and the liberal editor of a leading Russian foreign policy journal, Fyodor Lukyanov, that after Russia had done everything to help the U.S. post-9/11, including opening up Central Asia for coalition anti-terrorism efforts, it had expected respect for Russias legitimate interests. Instead, Lukyanov said, it had been confronted with NATO expansion, zero-sum competition in Georgia and Ukraine, and U.S. military installations in Russias backyard. Ukraine was, in the long term, the most potentially destabilizing factor in U.S.-Russian relations, given the level of emotion and neuralgia triggered by its quest for NATO membership, stated the counsel of Dmitri Trenin, then-deputy director of the Russian branch of the U.S.-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in a Burns-authored February 2008 cable. For Ukraine, he said prophetically, it would mean that elements within the Russian establishment would be encouraged to meddle, stimulating U.S. overt encouragement of opposing political forces, and leaving the United States and Russia in a classic confrontational posture. Indeed, opposing NATOs enlargement eastward, particularly in Ukraine and Georgia, was one of the few security areas where there is almost complete consensus among Russian policymakers, experts and the informed population, stated a cable of March 2008, citing defense and security experts. Ukraine was the line of last resort that would complete Russias encirclement, said one defense expert, and its entry into NATO was universally viewed by the Russian political elite as an unfriendly act. Other experts cautioned that Putin would be forced to respond to Russian nationalist feelings opposing membership of Georgia, and that offering MAP to either Ukraine or Georgia would trigger a cut-back in the Russian militarys genuine desire for cooperation with NATO. From Liberals to Hardliners These analysts were reiterating what cables show U.S. officials heard again and again from Russian officials themselves, whether diplomats, members of parliament, or senior Russian officials all the way up to the presidency, recorded in nearly three-dozen cables at least. NATO enlargement was worrisome, said one Duma member, while Russian generals were suspicious of NATO and U.S. intentions, cables record. Just as analysts and NATO officials had said, Kremlin officials characterized NATOs designs on Georgia and Ukraine as especially objectionable, with the Russian Ambassador to NATO from 2008 to 2011, Dmitry Rogozin, stressing in a February 2008 cable that offering MAP to either would negatively impact NATOs relations with Russia and raise tension along the borders between NATO and Russia. Then-Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin underscored the depth of Russian opposition to their membership, a different March 2008 cable stated, underlining that the political elite firmly believes that the accession of Ukraine and Georgia represented a direct security threat to Russia. The future, Karasin said, rested on the strategic choice Washington made about what kind of Russia it wanted to deal witha Russia that is stable and ready to calmly discuss issues with the U.S., Europe and China, or one that is deeply concerned and filled with nervousness. Indeed, numerous officialsincluding then-Director for Security and Disarmament Anatoly Antonov, who is currently serving as Russias ambassador to the United Stateswarned pushing ahead would produce a less cooperative Russia. Pushing NATOs borders to the two former Soviet states threatened Russian and the entire regions security, and could also negatively impact Russias willingness to cooperate in the [NATO-Russia Council], one Russian foreign ministry official warned, while others pointed to the policy to explain Putins threats to suspend the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty. CFE would not survive NATO enlargement, went a Russian threat in one March 2008 cable. Maybe most pertinent were the words of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, at the time a veteran diplomat respected in the West, and who continues to serve in the position today. At least eight cablesmany, though not all of them, written by Burnsrecord Lavrovs expressions of opposition to expanding NATO to Ukraine and Georgia over the course of 2007-2008, when Bushs decision, over the objections of allies, to publicly affirm their future accession led to a spike in tensions. While Russia might believe statements from the West that NATO was not directed against Russia, when one looked at recent military activities in NATO countries they had to be evaluated not by stated intentions but by potential, went Burnss summary of Lavrovs annual foreign policy review in January 2008. On the same day, he wrote, a foreign ministry spokesperson warned that Ukraines likely integration into NATO would seriously complicate the many-sided Russian-Ukrainian relations and lead Moscow to have to take appropriate measures. Besides being an easy way to garner domestic support from nationalists, Burns wrote, Russias opposition to NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia is both emotional and based on perceived strategic concerns about the impact on Russias interests in the region. While Russian opposition to the first round of NATO enlargement in the mid-1990s was strong, Russia now feels itself able to respond more forcefully to what it perceives as actions contrary to its national interests, he concluded. Lavrovs criticism was shared by a host of other officials, not all of them hardliners. Burns recounted a meeting with former Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, a Gorbachev protege who had negotiated over NATOs first expansion with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who warmly eulogized him years later as a pragmatist. The U.S. push for MAP for Georgia and Ukraine infuriated Russians and threatened other areas of U.S.-Russia strategic cooperation, Primakov had said, according to Burns, mentioning Primakov was asked later that day on TV about rethinking Crimeas status as Ukrainian territory. [T]his is the kind of discussion that MAP produces, he saidmeaning that it inflamed nationalist and hardline sentiment. Primakov said that Russia would never return to the era of the early 1990s and it would be a colossal mistake to think that Russian reactions today would mirror those during its time of strategic weakness, Burnss cable stated. This went all the way to the top, as U.S. officials noted in cables reacting to a famously strident speech Putin gave at the Munich Security Conference in February 2007, which saw Putin assail NATO expansion and other policies as part of a wider, destabilizing U.S. abuse of its sole-superpower status. Putins tone may have been unusually sharp, Primakov told Burns, but its substance reflected well-known Russian complaints predating Putins election, shown by the fact that talking heads and Duma members were almost unanimous in supporting the speech. A year later, a March 2008 cable reported then-German Chancellor Angela Merkels farewell, two-hour-long meeting with Putin, in which he argued strongly against MAP for Ukraine and Georgia. Putins Exit Any illusions this stance would evaporate with Putin leaving the presidency were quickly dispelled. Such warnings continued and, if anything, grew more intense after Putin was replaced by his liberal successor, Dmitry Medvedev as president of Russia, whose ascent sparked hopes for a more democratic Russia and an improved U.S.-Russian relationship. Under Medvedev, officials from the Russian ambassador to NATO and various officials in the foreign ministry to the chairman of the Dumas international affairs committee made much the same warnings, cables show. In some cases, as with Karasin and Lavrov, it was the same officials making these long-standing complaints. Medvedev himself reiterated well known Russian positions on NATO enlargement to Merkel on his first trip to Europe in June 2008, even as he avoided bringing up MAP for Ukraine and Georgia specifically. Behind Medvedevs polite demeanor, Russian opposition to NATO enlargement remained a red-line, according to both conservative and moderate observers, one June 2008 cable reads, a view shared by a leading liberal analyst. Even critics to his right read Medvedevs words as an implicit commitment to use Russian economic, political and social levers to raise the costs for Ukraine and Georgia if they moved closer to the alliance. The cables author, then-Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow Daniel Russell, concluded he agree[d] with the common wisdom. By August 2008, following the war with Georgia, Medvedev started to sound a lot more like his predecessor, threatening to cut ties with the alliance and restating grievances about encirclement. A cable from after the end of the five-day war between Russia and Georgiawhich an EU-commissioned report would later blame the Georgian government for startingstated that even the most pro-Western political experts were pointing the finger at the U.S. for jeopardizing the U.S.-Russian relations, with U.S.s dismissal of Russias concerns over, among other things, NATO expansion being a key part of their analysis. Echoing Burns, one analyst argued that Russia finally felt strong enough to stand up to the West when it ignored its concerns. Those concerns were central at a roundtable of Russian analysts months later a January 2009 cable showedwho explained to a group of visiting U.S. congresspeople Russians deep displeasure with the U.S. government, and stressed the bitter divorce between Russia and Georgia would be even uglier with Ukraine. Pushing MAP for the country helped the America haters come to power in Russia and gave legitimacy to the hard-liners vision of fortress Russia, said one Russian analyst. Increasingly, cables show, such warnings came from liberals, even those who hadnt previously viewed NATO and the United States as Russias chief threats. An August 2008 cable described a meeting with Russian Human Rights Ombudsman Ambassador Vladimir Lukindescribed as a liberal on the Russian political scene, someone disposed toward cooperation with the U.S.who explained Medvedevs post-war recognition of the independence of Georgias breakaway regions, which he had at first opposed, as a security-driven response to NATOs drift toward Russias borders. Because escalations like the 2008 U.S.-Poland missile defense agreement showed anti-Russia actions would not stop, he said, Moscow had to show that, like the U.S., it can and will take steps it deems necessary to defend its interests. The cable concluded that Lukins views reflect the thinking of the majority of Russian foreign policy elite. Selling NATO to Ukraine Other than Burnswhose Bush-era memos warning of the breadth of Russian opposition to NATO expansion and that it would provoke intensified meddling in Ukraine have become famous since the Russian invasionU.S. officials largely reacted with dismissal. Russian objections to the policy and other long-simmering issues were described over and over in the cables as oft-heard, old, nothing new, and largely predictable, a familiar litany and a rehashing that provided little new substance. Even NATOs ally Norways position that it understood Russian objections even as it refused to let Moscow veto the alliances moves was labeled a case of parroting Russias line. U.S. officials were similarly dismissive of explicit warningsfrom Kremlin officials, NATO allies, experts and analysts, even Ukrainian leadershipthat Ukraine was internally divided over NATO membership and that public support for the move was not fully ripe. The east-west split within Ukraine over the idea of NATO membership made it risky, German officials cautioned, and could break up the country. Ukraines three leading politicians all took foreign policy positions based on domestic political considerations, with little regard to the long-term effects on the country, one said. Those very politicians likewise made clear public opinion wasnt there, whether anti-Russian former Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ogryzko of Ukraine, or more Russian-friendly former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovychlater misleadingly painted as a Kremlin puppet and was ousted as president in the 2014 Maidan protestswho boasted to a U.S. diplomat that support for NATO had jumped under his tenure. In response, the cables show, NATO officials pressed Ukrainian leaders to take a firm public stance in favor of joining, and discussed how to persuade Ukraines population so that they would be more favorable [toward] it. Ogryzko later disclosed to Merkel that a public education campaign is already underway, and that Ukraine had discussed the issue of public education campaigns with Slovakia and other nations that had joined NATO recently. This came in spite of acknowledged risks. Cables record liberal Russian analysts cautioning that [then-Ukrainian President Viktor] Yushchenko was using NATO membership to shore up a Ukrainian national identity that required casting Russia in the role of enemy, and that because membership remained divisive in Ukrainian domestic politics, it created an opening for Russian intervention. Experts tell us that Russia is particularly worried that the strong divisions in Ukraine over NATO membership, with much of the ethnic-Russian community against membership, could lead to a major split, involving violence or at worst, civil war, Burns wrote in February 2008. Russia, he further wrote, would then have to decide whether to intervene; a decision Russia does not want to have to face. Despite the dismissive attitude of many U.S. officials, parts of the U.S. national security establishment clearly understood Russian objections werent mere muscle-flexing. The Kremlins anxieties over a direct military attack on Russia were very real, and could drive its leaders to make rash, self-defeating decisions, stated a 2019 report from the Pentagon-funded RAND Corporation that explored theoretical strategies for overextending Russia. Providing more U.S. military equipment and advice to Ukraine, it stated, could lead Moscow to respond by mounting a new offensive and seizing more Ukrainian territorysomething not necessarily good for U.S. interests, let alone Ukraines, it noted. Warnings Ignored Nevertheless, in the years, months, and weeks that led up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, successive U.S. administrations continued on the same course. Ukraines cooperation with NATO has deepened over time, the alliance itself says today. By the wars outbreak, the country frequently hosted Western troops at a military base, Ukrainian soldiers received NATO training, it planned two new NATO-linked naval bases, and has received unprecedented sums of U.S. military aid, including offensive armsa former President Donald Trump policy his liberal predecessor had explicitly rejected, out of concern for provoking a disastrous response from Moscow. Three months before the invasion, Ukraine and the United States signed an updated Charter on Strategic Partnership guided by Bushs controversial Bucharest declaration, which both deepened security cooperation between the two countries and supported Ukraines membership aspirations, viewed as an escalation in Moscow. As U.S. military activity has increased in the region since 2016, sometimes involving Ukraine and Georgia, NATO-Russian tensions have ratcheted up too. While Moscow publicly objected to U.S. missions in Europe that experts feared were too provocative, NATO and Russian forces have experienced thousands of dangerous military encounters in the region and elsewhere. By December 2022, with fears of invasion ramping up, Putin told Biden personally that the eastward expansion of the Western alliance was a major factor in his decision to send troops to Ukraines border, the Washington Post reported. None of this means other factors played no role in the wars outbreak, from Russian domestic pressures and Putins own dim view of Ukrainian independence to the copious other well-known Russian grievances toward U.S. policy that frequently appear in the diplomatic record, too. Nor does it mean, as hawks argue, that this somehow justifies Putins war, any more than understanding how U.S. foreign policy has fueled anti-American terrorism that justifies those crimes. What it does mean is that claims that Russian unhappiness over NATO expansion is irrelevant, a mere fig leaf for pure expansionism, or simply Kremlin propaganda are belied by this lengthy historical record. Rather, successive U.S. administrations pushed ahead with the policy despite being warned copiously for yearsincluding by the analysts who advised them, by allies, even by their own officialsthat it would feed Russian nationalism, create a more hostile Moscow, foster instability and even civil war in Ukraine, and could eventually lead to Russian military intervention, all of which ended up happening. I dont accept anyones red line, Biden said in the lead-up to the invasion, as his administration rejected negotiations with Moscow over Ukraines NATO status. We can only imagine the world in which he and his predecessors had. This article is distributed by Globetrotter in partnership with the American Committee for U.S.-Russia Accord. Branko Marcetic is a Jacobin staff writer and the author of Yesterdays Man: The Case Against Joe Biden. Senior BJP leader Uma Bharti's campaign of tying cows in front of liquor shops to shun alcohol , received support from MP Home Minister, Narottam Mishra as he called her campaign to be a good thing" on Friday. It is worth noting that Uma Bharti is spearheading a campaign against liquor consumption in Madhya Pradesh. Under the campaign, she tied stray cows in front of a liquor shop in Orchha town of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday. Uma Bharti even called upon people to drink cow milk and leave alcohol. While running the campaign, she made it clear that the government shold not cash in on the habit of drinking. When asked about Uma Bharti's campaign on quitting alcohol, Narottam Mishra replied, It is a good thing." Uma Bharti is known for opposing alcohol consumption and sale in Madhya Pradesh. Last year in June, she had thrown cow dung on the same liquor shop where she protested by tying the cow in front of it. Moreover, she also threw a stone at a liquor vend in Bhopal last year in March. Earlier, the politician was asking for a complete liquor ban in the state, but now she is demanding the regularisation of alcohol in the state. It is worth noting that Madhya Pradesh will witness Assembly polls by the end of 2023. Commenting on Congress MLA Sanjay Yadav's support to Uma Bharti's campaign, Narottam Mishra said the opposition party was latching on other's effort as it is devoid of issues to combat the BJP. Congress MLA Sanjay Yadav had said that he will join Uma Bharti in her fight against liquor sale. He said that there has been rampant sale of illegal liquor in villages under government protection". While addressing the public at a Republic Day function, MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the state will come up with a new excise policy that would discourage drinking. In addition to supporting Uma Bharti, Narottam Mishra also refuted reports of an activist of the banned Popular Front of India being arrested in Sheopur. He claimed the government's move to rename Islam Nagar in Bhopall as Jagdishpur was a reflection of the people's demand. It is worth noting that till Covid pandemic, Madhya Pradesh was among the top revenue generator from tax on liquor. (With agency inputs) The affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) has said that the new income tax regime may give relief to the taxpayers in terms of ease in filing returns with a lower tax burden but it can have an "adverse impact" on their savings. The SJM urged the Centre to tweak the new tax regime to promote savings by the middle class. "As expected, the income tax burden in the new tax regime has been reduced for the middle class and for the ultra-rich, which will have an impact on the total revenue of 37,000 crore," SJM co-convenor Ashwani Mahajan said in a statement. "The Swadeshi Jagran Manch believes that the new income tax system may give relief to the taxpayers in terms of ease in filing returns with lower tax burden but it can have an adverse impact on the savings being made by income-tax payers," he said. The SJM impresses upon the government to "tweak" the tax regime to promote saving by the middle class, he said, adding the middle class is an important source of government borrowing and capital formation. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for 2023-24 in Parliament on Wednesday. The SJM termed the Union Budget "growth-oriented" and welcomed various provisions made in it but underscored the "lack of sufficient efforts" on the part of the government needed to promote manufacturing in India. India is witnessing a trade deficit and "unprecedented imports" from China today but the same could not catch sufficient attention of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Mahajan said, demanding that the Centre put a curb on imports from China by increasing tariffs. "We urge the government to increase tariffs on products where there exists sufficient excess capacity. This will curb import from China and promote manufacturing in the country," he said. Mahajan said it was expected that there will be an emphasis on manufacturing in the Union Budget for 2023-24. "The Swadeshi Jagran Manch expresses its dissatisfaction over the lack of sufficient efforts taken to promote manufacturing," he said, adding the government should have hiked tariffs on products, "both final as well as intermediate". *With agency inputs Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said the International Monetary Fund was giving his country a tough time over unlocking a $1 billion loan at a time when the country's economic situation is "unimaginable". Pakistan secured a $6 billion IMF bailout in 2019, which was topped up with another $1 billion last year. An IMF delegation is in Pakistan to restart stalled talks for releasing the $1 billion loan. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the most liked world leader with an approval rating of 78%. According to the latest data from business intelligence company Morning Consult, the Indian leader has the highest rating among the 22 surveyed nations, with Mexico's Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in second place. US President Joe Biden, UK's Rishi Sunak and Canada's Justin Trudeau rank futher down the list. According to the data shared on the organisation's website, 78% of people approve of PM Modi while 18% disapprove of him. PM Modi's approval rating has increased in recent days, standing at 79% in the third week of January. Approval ratings are based on a seven-day moving average of adult residents in each country, with varying sample sizes. The latest approval ratings are based on data collected from January 26-31 this year. Swiss leader Alain Berset stands in third place with a 62% approval rating, followed by Australian PM Anthony Albanese at 58%. Global Leader Approval: *Among all adults Modi: 78% Lopez Obrador: 68% Albanese: 58% Meloni: 52% Lula da Silva: 50% Biden: 40% Trudeau: 40% Sanchez: 36% Scholz: 32% Sunak: 30% Macron: 29% Yoon: 23% Kishida: 21% *Updated 01/31/23https://t.co/Z31xNcDhTg pic.twitter.com/du3QgM6wQV Morning Consult (@MorningConsult) February 3, 2023 Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also clocked high approval ratings within the country. According to the latest edition of India Today's Mood of the Nation poll, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is projected to win 284 seats if the elections were held today. Meanwhile the Congress is projected to win 191 seats. PM Modi remains India's favourite to hold the prime ministerial post with 52% of voters in support of his government. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said the country's banking system remains resilient and stable, amid concerns about the exposure of lenders to the embattled Adani Group. "Various parameters relating to capital adequacy, asset quality, liquidity, provision coverage and profitability are healthy. Banks are also in compliance with the Large Exposure Framework guidelines issued by the RBI," the central bank said. The RBI added it remains vigilant and continues to monitor the stability of the Indian banking sector. The RBI said it was issuing the comments as there had "been media reports expressing concern about the exposures of Indian banks to a business conglomerate". It did not name the Adani Group. BBC Documentary on PM Modi: The Supreme Court will take up the requests challenging the central government's decision to block the controversial two-part series on the 2002 Gujarat riots today, Friday, February 3. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud told the lawyer appearing for the petitioner to mention the matter on Friday, according to the news agency PTI. The top court was hearing a plea filed by Vishnu Gupta, president of Hindu Sena, and Beerendra Kumar Singh, a farmer, which has also sought an investigation against BBC and its employees. The plea alleged that BBC has been biased against India and the Indian government and said the documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a result of a deep conspiracy against the global rise of India and its prime minister. "The documentary film by BBC relating to Gujarat violence 2002 implicating Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not only reflective of anti-Narendra Modi cold propaganda broadcast to tarnish his image alone but this is anti-Hinduism propaganda by BBC to destroy the social fabric of India," the plea said. The apex court also agreed to list a PIL on February 6. Advocate ML Sharma has filed the petition for an early hearing before a bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud. Sharma challenged the Centre's decision to ban the documentary India: The Modi Question, alleging that the ban was malafide, arbitrary, and unconstitutional. The PIL also urged the apex court to call and examine the BBC documentary - both parts I and II - and sought action against persons who were responsible and involved directly and indirectly with the 2002 Gujarat riots. On January 21, the Centre issued directions for blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the controversial BBC documentary "India: The Modi Question". (With inputs from agencies) Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has claimed that the letter sent to the Congress top command in his name is fake. The letter in question was addressed to Sonia Gandhi, chairwoman of the AICC, and warned that disagreements over tickets would spark unrest inside the party ranks. Sharing a copy of the purported letter, Siddaramaiah tweeted, "I have not written any such letter. This is a malicious fake letter. This is how the BJP workers have conspired to create confusion among our workers. The BJP workers have lashed out that they have sunk to the lowest level like their leaders. In order to confuse the workers about the party, which is poised to win the next election, the letter was released, Siddaramaiah claimed. Also Read: Karnataka allows pre-university courses in schools from next academic year The veteran Congress leader's absence from the Bharat Jodo Yatra conclusion in Srinagar increased rumours about a potential conflict over ticket allocation for the 2018 Assembly elections between the former chief minister and Karnataka Pradesh Congress (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar. Siddaramaiah has said, he is going to file a complaint with the police while he believes that the culprits behind this misdeed will be found and punished. Additionally, he claimed that the letter was issued in his name with the malevolent objective of destroying his connection with the president of the KPCC. "A fake letter in my name is being circulated. Some miscreants did this with the malicious intention of spoiling the relationship between me and the KPCC president. I wish to clarify that I have nothing to do with this letter," he said. Also Read: Karnataka Polls: Ex-CM Siddaramiah eyes return of Cong; BJP begins preparations Siddaramaiah previously stated that he would not join the BJP, even if they promised to make him the nation's president or prime minister. "Not even my dead body will go to the BJP," he said. The former chief minister of Karnataka earlier stated that the Centre's "anti-people" policies continued with the Union Budget, which reflected "Ameer Ke Saath, Garib Ka Vinash" (Standing by the Rich, Pulling down the Poor). According to the Congress leader, no assistance was given to farmers and jobless people who were harmed by the pandemic. (With agency inputs) Amid the Adani group crisis, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman defended India's financial sector stating that it is very well regulated and referring to the recent controversy around the Indian conglomerate she added, one instance, no matter how much it is talked about globally, is not going to be indicative of how well Indian financial markets have been governed. Commenting on the SBI and the LIC getting tangled in the controversy, the finance minister said their exposure to Adani Group stocks is very well within the permitted limits. "I want to recall the words...coming from the horse's mouth has more credibility. Both SBI and LIC have issued detailed statements. And I know the chairperson or the CMD he has himself come out and explained how they are not overexposed or whatever they said. And also said, look, we are sitting over profits for the exposure that we have which is well within the limit. That's what I understood. I read it through media," Nirmala Sitharaman told News 18. They have very clearly said their exposure is well within the permitted limit and they are sitting over profit even with the valuation falling, the finance minister said. " Speaking on how well-placed is the Indian banking sector at this moment, Sitharaman noted that NPAs coming down to a low and recovery is happening. On how the world is reacting to the Adani crisis, Sitharaman said, "India remains as before, absolutely well-governed with a stable government and a well-regulated financial market. As a result, the investor confidence which existed before shall continue even now. Our regulators are normally very stringent about certain governance practices. One instance should not be going to be indicative." On the Budget date, despite all the chaos around the Adani crisis, the markets had gone up. Speaking on this, the finance minister said, "The Budget has covered all the sections of society. The details took a long time in the preparation for the Budget. I am glad if it's received very well and now it motivates me to now better implement it down to the very last person. The immediate impact of the Budget on the market and subsequent to let's say for whatever reason it traded back.... I think in the next few days the Budget's impact will still continue to hold the markets high." Responding to the US's allegation that China has sent a surveillance balloon over American airspace, Beijing on Friday responded by saying it was for weather research and was pushed by the wind and that it regrets that the airship strayed. In a statement late Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the balloon a was civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research. The ministry said the airship has limited steering capabilities and deviated far from its planned course" because of winds. On Thursday, a senior American defense official told Pentagon reporters that the U.S. has very high confidence" that the object spotted over U.S. airspace in recent days was a Chinese high-altitude balloon and that it was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nations three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. The defense official said the U.S. has assessed that the balloon has limited" value in terms of providing intelligence that couldnt be obtained by other technologies, such as spy satellites. The Pentagon decided not to shoot down the balloon, which was potentially flying over sensitive sites, because of concerns of hurting people on the ground. The news came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was expected to make his first trip to Beijing this weekend. The visit has not been formally announced, and it was not immediately clear if the balloon's discovery would affect his travel plans. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she had no information on the trip. Blinken would be the highest-ranking member of President Joe Bidens administration to visit China, on a mission to mitigate a sharp downturn in relations between the countries amid trade disputes and concerns about Beijings increasingly aggressive stance toward Taiwan and in the South China Sea. Tensions with China are particularly high on numerous issues, ranging from Taiwan and the South China Sea to human rights in Chinas western Xinjiang region and the clampdown on democracy activists in Hong Kong. Not least on that list of irritants are Chinas tacit support for Russias invasion of Ukraine, its refusal to rein in North Koreas expanding ballistic missile program and ongoing disputes over trade and technology. On Tuesday, Taiwan scrambled fighter jets, put its navy on alert and activated missile systems in response to nearby operations by 34 Chinese military aircraft and nine warships that are part Beijings strategy to unsettle and intimidate the self-governing island democracy. Twenty of those aircraft crossed the central line in the Taiwan Strait that has long been an unofficial buffer zone between the two sides, which separated during a civil war in 1949. Beijing has also increased preparations for a potential blockade or military action against Taiwan, which has stirred increasing concern among military leaders, diplomats and elected officials in the U.S., Taiwans key ally. The Pentagon is tracking what it said was a Chinese surveillance balloon over sensitive nuclear sites in the western US, an incident that injected new strain into relations before a planned Beijing visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The balloon was first spotted earlier this week and had been loitering over Montana, where Minuteman III intercontinental-ballistic-missile silos are located, a senior Defense Department official said, adding that it posed no physical or intelligence threat. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin informed President Joe Biden of the incursion, but recommended leaving it alone because of the possible risk of falling debris. US officials declined to answer several questions about the balloon, including the precise target of its surveillance, its size or other specifications. It is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground," Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters. Later Thursday, Canadas defense department said it was tracking a potential second incident," without elaborating. The White House declined to comment on the Canadian statement. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Friday that Beijing was looking into the claims and cautioned the US against hyping" them up. We have no intention to violate other countries sovereignty and airspace," Mao told a regular news briefing in Beijing, adding that she hoped the relevant parties will handle the matter in a cool-headed way." The administration disclosed the balloons existence just days before Blinkens expected China trip, the first such-high-level visit to Beijing since before the coronavirus pandemic. The trip was presented as part of Bidens effort to set a floor" under the relationship, and it was unclear if Blinken would go ahead. The senior official said the US had raised the balloon issue with China, and the Wall Street Journal reported that the State Department had summoned the Chinese charge daffaires. Mao sidestepped questions about whether Blinkens trip was happening, saying she had no information to provide. It wasnt the first time a spy balloon had been spotted over US territory, although this one appeared to be staying longer than in past cases. The technology doesnt offer China any intelligence-gathering capability beyond what its low-orbit satellites already provide, the US official said. The official declined to say why the US believed the balloon belonged to China, saying only that US had high confidence in the assessment. The Chinese have for decades complained about the US surveillance by ships and spy planes near its territory, leading to occasional confrontations. Austin convened a meeting of his top advisers while on a trip to the Philippines on Wednesday and informed Biden. The US defense chief had been in the Philippines as part of a US effort to rally allies and counter what officials believe is Chinas increased assertiveness in the South China Sea and toward Taiwan. Tensions between Washington and Beijing have been running high, with the Biden administration becoming more explicit about its willingness to defend Taiwan in the event of a conflict. Last week, an Air Force general told his staff he believed the US and China would be at war by 2025. China, at the same time, has taken a softer tone, calling for an end to hostile rhetoric. The Chinese may see the spy balloon as a bargaining chip that may give them leverage in the talks with the US," according to Michael Raska, an assistant professor at Nanyang Technological Universitys S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. They are aware that Washington is interested in restarting a dialogue on crisis management mechanisms and may be testing the US reaction, he said. The Biden administration also briefed staff for the Gang of Eight," a group including the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees, another official said. Biden faces pressure at home to respond strongly to any perception of Chinese encroachment. Republican lawmakers demanded action, with Representative Mike Gallagher, the chairman of a new House committee meant to highlight the Chinese threat, saying the presence of the balloon makes clear that the CCPs recent diplomatic overtures do not represent a substantive change in policy." Chinas brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed, and President Biden cannot be silent," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, said in a tweet. EQS-Ad-hoc: The Social Chain AG / Key word(s): Disposal/Investment The Social Chain AG: Sale of the Agency Business in UK and USA 03-Feb-2023 / 08:28 CET/CEST Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Publication of Insider Information according to Article 17 of Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION, PUBLICATION OR TRANSMISSION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (COLLECTIVELY, "UNITED STATES") OR TO ANY U.S. PERSON (AS DEFINED BELOW), CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION MAY BE UNLAWFUL OR IN WHICH THE OFFERING OF SECURITIES IS SUBJECT TO REGULATORY RESTRICTIONS. THERE ARE OTHER RESTRICTIONS. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTE AT THE END OF THIS PUBLICATION. The Social Chain AG: Sale of the Agency Business in UK and USA Berlin, February 3, 2023 The Social Chain AG (WKN: A1YC99, ISIN:DE000A1YC996, Ticker: PU11) (the Company) is selling its agency business in UK and the United States. Today, a respective share transfer and purchase agreement has been signed pursuant to which the entire share capital of Social Chain Ltd (Manchester) including its direct subsidiary Social Chain USA Inc (New York) is sold and transferred to Brave Bison Group PLC. In the course of the transaction, all trademarks containing the name Social Chain will be sold and assigned to the buyer as well. The Company and the German based agency are both granted a comprehensive license for the use of the respective trademarks. The Companys supervisory board has already approved the transaction. As consideration for the sale and transfer of the share capital the parties agreed on a total purchase price in a converted amount of approximately EUR 20 mio. (on a cash/debt free basis), whereby an initial consideration in the converted amount of approximately EUR 8.7 mio. (before cash/debt free adjustments) is being paid on the completion date. A conditional contigent consideration is due for payment subject to sufficient business development of the target companies in three installments until 2025. The buyer is financing the initial consideration by issuance of new shares. Completion of the transaction is therefore subject to successful placement of the new shares by the buyer. The parties envisage successful closing until mid-February. The Company expects the sale to result in a non-cash effective impairment of the goodwill of the target companies in a high single digit million range which will be reflected in the 2022 consolidated financial statements. www.thesocialchain.ag Notifying Person: Sarah Pust I Investor Relations Gormannstrae 22 10119 Berlin +49 163 208 4182 ir@socialchain.de Important Notice This announcement constitutes neither an offer nor a solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities of the Company. This announcement is not intended for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or within the United States and may not be distributed to U.S. persons (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act) or publications with a general circulation in the United States. This announcement does not constitute or form part of any offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for any securities in the United States. The securities are not and will not be registered under the Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under the Securities Act or an exemption from registration under the Securities Act. The Company does not intend to conduct a public offering of securities in the United States. In the United Kingdom, this publication is only addressed to (i) persons falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order"), (ii) Persons falling within Article 49(2) (a) to (d) of the Order (high net worth corporations, partnerships, etc.) or (iii) persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be made available under applicable securities laws (such persons collectively, the "Relevant Persons"). This publication must not be referred to or relied upon by any person other than a Relevant Person. The securities referred to in this announcement are not being sold or offered for sale in Canada, Australia or Japan, or to or for the account of any person resident or resident in Canada, Australia or Japan. No measures have been taken to offer, purchase or distribute the securities in countries where this is not permitted. This publication does not constitute a recommendation as to an investment into the Company. Investors should consult a professional adviser as to the suitability of an investment into the Company for the person concerned. This release may contain certain forward-looking statements, estimates, opinions and forecasts regarding the future business, results of operations and results of The Social Chain AG ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are identified by words such as "believe," "estimate," "anticipate," "expect," "intend," "will," or "should," or their negation, and similar variations or terminology. Forward-looking statements include all matters that are not based on historical facts. Forward-looking statements are based on the current opinions, forecasts and assumptions of the Management Board of The Social Chain AG and involve significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results, performance and events to differ materially from the results, performance and events expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements may differ. Forward-looking statements contained herein should not be taken as guarantees of future performance or results and are not necessarily reliable indicators of whether or not such results will be achieved. The forward-looking statements contained in this release speak only as of the date of this release. The Company will not update the information, forward-looking statements or conclusions contained in this release to reflect subsequent events and circumstances, nor will it reflect subsequent events or circumstances, or any inaccuracies that may arise after the issue of this release as a result of new information, future developments or other circumstances, correct, and assumes no obligation to do so. Neither the Company nor any other person assumes any responsibility whatsoever that the forward-looking statements or assumptions contained herein will materialize. London: Lord Jo Johnson, younger brother of former British prime minister Boris Johnson, has resigned his non-executive directorship of a UK-based investment firm linked with the now-withdrawn Adani Enterprises Follow-on Public Offer (FPO). 'The Financial Times' newspaper referenced UK Companies House records to reveal that 51-year-old Lord Johnson had been appointed as a director of London-based Elara Capital Plc in June last year and resigned on Wednesday, the day when the Adani Group announced the withdrawal of the FPO. Elara, which described itself as a capital markets business raising funds for Indian corporates, was among the bookrunners on the FPO. Johnson insisted he has been assured of the company's "good standing" and has stepped down due to his own lack of "domain expertise". "I joined the board of Elara Capital, an India-focused investment firm based in London, as an independent non-executive director last June in the hope of making a contribution to UK-India trade and investment ties, which I have long supported and co-written a book about," Jo Johnson said in a statement after news of his resignation was announced by the newspaper. "I have consistently received assurances from Elara Capital that it is compliant with its legal obligations and in good standing with regulatory bodies. At the same time, I now recognise that this is a role that requires greater domain expertise in specialised areas of financial regulation than I anticipated and, accordingly, I have resigned from the board," said Johnson, a House of Lords peer. According to the newspaper, it is Elara's asset management business that is under the spotlight after US short seller Hindenburg Research linked Mauritius-based funds run by the London firm with Adani Group companies. The Adani Group has categorically denied Hindenburgs accusations, calling them a malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale, baseless and discredited allegations". Raj Bhatt, Elara Capitals chief executive and founder, referred the newspaper's request for comment to its compliance officer, who is yet to respond. Meanwhile, the companys website notes that Bhatt founded Elara Capital Plc in 2002 primarily as a capital markets business, raising funds for Indian corporates through "GDRs [global depository receipt], FCCBs [foreign currency convertible bond] and the London AIM market [London stock exchange sub market]. It adds: "Since its first GDR issue in 2003, Elara has raised funds for several Indian corporates. Since then, the group has diversified further into corporate advisory, asset management, broking, mergers and acquisitions and private equity. "Elara has not only diversified the product range, it also has diversified into other emerging markets through its fully licensed offices in New York, Singapore, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and London. "Starting with fundraising, Elara soon evolved into a full service investment bank." This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on 2 February said that it will block Wikipedia if the platform fails to take down content deemed to be sacrilegious within 48 hours, reported Bloomberg . The countrys telecom regulator said that they have degraded the platform's services on non-compliance of an earlier direction to remove unlawful content, according to a statement. Though PTA did not elaborate on measures taken. Adding more, the PTA made it clear that if Wikipedia fails to remove the content in question, it will be blocked within Pakistan. There is slowness and definitely itll impact especially those who use Wikipedia for education and information purposes," Wahaj-us-Siraj, Chief Executive Officer of internet provider Nayatel, said in a text message. ALSO READ: Did Saudi govt infiltrate Wikipedia to control content? All you need to know Earlier on 1 February, PTA issued an official statement about the notice under applicable law and a court order was given to the services alongside an opportunity for a hearing. "PTA has degraded Wikipedia services in the country on account of not blocking/removing sacrilegious contents. Wikipedia was approached for blocking/removal of the said contents by issuing a notice under applicable law and court order(s). An opportunity of hearing was also provided, however, the platform neither complied by removing the blasphemous content nor appeared before the Authority," the official statement of Pakistan Telecom Authority said in an official release. "Given the intentional failure on part of the platform to comply with the directions of PTA, the services of Wikipedia have been degraded for 48 hours with the direction to block/remove the reported contents," the official release added. As per details, blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan and its laws condone capital punishment for anyone convicted of affronting Islam. In the past too, Pakistan has taken action against various social media platforms for broadcasting content deemed blasphemous. With agency inputs. In a bid to attract more Indian customers, SriLankan Airlines, the state-owned airline entity of Sri Lanka, said it is going to start operations from additional three cities in India including Ahmedabad. At present, it flies out of nine Indian cities. The state carrier has also launched a new marketing campaign specific to the Indian market, so Indians can start coming back to the politically-battered country. On his recent visit to India, SriLankan Airlines CEO Richard Nuttall told Mint that Indians accounted for nearly 390,000 tourists to the country in 2019. Today, India is the number one source market for Sri Lanka along with Russia. During the political turmoil, the country, he added, relied heavily on Indian airports to help them fuel up since they did not get aviation fuel for two months. The company has launched its new marketing campaign Dil Full of Sri Lanka where its bundling one plus one tickets for flyers along with four and five star hotel stays at lower costs. For this, it has tied up with select travel agents to retail these. An American media has reported that CIA director William Burns took a secret trip to Moscow in January and offered 20 per cent of the Ukrainian territory to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as part of a peace plan drawn by the Joe Biden administration. While speaking to the news magazine Newsweek, a CIA official rejected the report and called it "completely false." The White House also responded to the report, and Sean Davett, deputy spokesperson at the White House's National Security Council said the report is not accurate." The report by Washington Post claimed that the CIA director traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine last month and met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He tried to offer a peace proposal between Russia and Ukraine, the NZZ reported later. The peace proposal allegedly offered "around 20 per cent of Ukraine's territory" to Russia. Ukraine denied it "because they are not willing to have their territory divided" while Russia believes that they "will win the war in the long run anyway," the NZZ reported. Meanwhile, Russia has rejected the reports that the US has offered any secret deal to end its war with Ukraine. The report also talked about the division in the US administration over the Russia-Ukraine war with William Burns and Biden's National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, "wanted to end the war quickly so they could focus on China," while Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin didn't want to let Russia get away with destroying the rule-based peace order and called for massive military support for Ukraine." The report came days after the US announced a fresh $2 billion package of military assistance for Ukraine which will include longer-range artillery weapons. The package was announced as Ukraine is planning a fresh offensive against Russian forces to recapture its lost territory. Google is all set to roll out ChatGPT rival soon, confirmed the companys CEO Sundar Pichai. He revealed the technology giants plan to add AI features to its search engine. Pichai said during the Q4 earnings call on Wednesday that people will very soon be able to interact directly with its newest and powerful companion to search in experimental and innovative ways. The Google Search will leverage Language Model for Dialogue Applications which is the companys own language model. It will help the browser to provide factual and conversational query results. As per Pichai, the improved search can be introduced for testing in the coming weeks and months. It is expected that the development could take place during the Google IO 2023 event scheduled for May. During the earnings call, the Google CEO hinted at the development as he often mentioned the capabilities of AI and how the world is eager to use it, referring to the response for ChatGPT. "AI is the most profound technology we are working on today," Pichai said. Moreover, he announced that Google will also soon offer new tools and APIs for developers to build and design their own applications on AI. Commenting on the concerns related to AI chatbots, Pichai said the company is investing for a while and it is clear that the market is ready to use the AI powered platforms. He added, I feel comfortable with all the investments we have made in making sure we can develop AI responsibly and we'll be careful." Meanwhile, some personal data of the customers using the Google Fi service may have been stolen by hackers in a recent cyberattack, according to the American tech conglomerate Google. This was reported by The Verge, an American technology news website that reported that the cyberattack was likely to be in connection with a T-Mobile data breach earlier this month In an email sent by Google to the customers using Google Fi it said that the cell network's primary network provider had become aware of suspicious activity in a system containing Google Fi customer data.Hackers may have gained access to some user data through the compromised system, including phone numbers, SIM card serial numbers, account status, and information on mobile service plans, according to Google. Local 3 News spoke with Hamilton County's Juvenile Court Judge Rob Philyaw to get his take on the bill. He says this bill goes against the reason juvenile court exists. Russia reported that they had 2,600 tanks available at the time of February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. There was visible evidence that nearly 1,600 were lost during the first few months of the invasion. While 924 were destroyed, another 664 were damaged and abandoned. Most of these tanks were undamaged and captured intact after their crews abandoned them. These were repainted to identify them as Ukrainian and used against the Russians. Many of these tanks eventually became unusable because Ukraine did not have replacement parts for them. Ukraine used similar tanks but not all of the replacement parts for Ukrainian tanks were suitable for the captured Russian ones. Russia had a similar problem with the thousand tanks that survived the invasion and over a thousand more that were brought in as replacements. The replacement parts problem was even more acute for the Russians because they changed their tank tactics in the face of the numerous Western top-attack ATGMs (Anti-Tank Guided Missiles) that quickly destroy Russian tanks because of the way these tanks use their autoloaders, which puts many exposed shells and their propellant charges in the turret. If the turret is hit by a top attack ATGM, all those propellant charges explode, killing the three-man crew and often blowing the turret off the tank. Russia responded to this by using their remaining tanks only for direct-fire artillery support for Russian troops. This meant using HE (high-explosive) shells that explode when they hit something, usually the ground, and create many high-speed metal fragments that will wound or kill troops and damage structures and unarmored vehicles. These shells are effective if they hit something but they are not accurate and often just hit the ground, where most of the fragments go into the ground or fly harmlessly into the air. In Ukraine Russian tanks have used more HE shells than ever before. Russia used them occasionally in Afghanistan, and during the Chechen wars of the 1990s. In both these wars Russia had air superiority and could use helicopters and ground attack aircraft as well as conventional artillery. In Ukraine Russia has lost the tank war as well as the artillery war. Using 125mm HE shells fired by tanks seemed to be a practical solution. It was, but there were unwanted side-effects. Firing HE is less accurate the farther away the target is. That means a 125mm HE shell fired at a maximum range will land up to sixty meters from where it was aimed. The 125mm accuracy problem was confirmed in 2018. That was when the Russian army conducted tests to measure the effectiveness of HE shells fired from the smooth bore 125mm guns tanks are equipped with. The test results recommend against tanks using HE shells. The ones on hand were not discarded but no new ones were manufactured. Russian tanks in Ukraine appear to have used about 100,000 of these shells and in doing so discovered another problem. These shells caused barrel wear on the 125mm tank gun liners. These liners are common in tank guns and tube artillery. Its cheaper to replace a worn-out liner than to replace the entire barrel and attached loading mechanism. Tube artillery barrel liners are good for 5,000 to 6,000 shells fired. On Russian tanks the liner wears out after about a thousand shells are fired. Most of the Russian tanks in Ukraine used for firing HE shells found that their barrels already had a lot of wear on them and heavy use of HE increased liner wear to the point where all shells (anti-tank or HE) were much less accurate. Russian tanks can have their liners replaced but it happens so infrequently that the process is not simple. It involves removing the turret from the tank to replace the liner. This can only be done in one special facility and that means putting the entire tank on a train flat car and shipping it to the facility and then shipping it back. This meant that most of the Russian tanks with worn barrel liners were useless except as machine gun-armed vehicles. Thats hardly worth the fuel and other spare parts (like the tracks) required. This is apparently why Ukrainian troops have seen few or no Russian tanks in the last few months. This means less shell fire at Ukrainian troops and Ukrainian artillery can concentrate on other targets, like Russian infantry and supply stockpiles. The Ukrainians want Western tanks, particularly American M1s and German Leopard 2s because they are both considered the best designed and effective tanks available. The M1 has extensive combat experience against Russian tanks and has never, so to speak, been defeated by Russian T-90, T-72 or T-55 tanks. Like the Leopard, the M1 has multiple layers of armor protections including an APS (Active Protection System) and safer storage of tank shells and propellant inside the turret. An effective fire extinguishing system can quickly deal with any type of fire. The fire control system is one of the best available, allowing the M1 to accurately fire on the move and hit an enemy tank several thousand meters distant. The United States and Germany can supply all the spare parts needed to Ukrainian users. Worn barrels on the Western tanks are easier to replace. An Alzheimer's special care center is facing a $10,000 fine for mistakenly pronouncing one of its residents dead. If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view unlimited articles for the month, please choose this option. A Longford man who has pleaded guilty to threatening to kill an ISPCA officer told a court last week of how he was ready to go to war with gardai. Dylan Greene (28), 87 Springlawn, Longford, Co Longford made the admission at a sitting of Longford Circuit Criminal Court last Friday. The computer programmer and web designer had previously pleaded guilty to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to ISPCA animal welfare officer Karen Lyons at the accused mans home address on January 28, 2021. Mr Greene revealed the level of angst he harboured against gardai following a number of previous encounters with members attached to the force. I was ready to go to war, he said, during the course of a lengthy Newton hearing, before Judge Kenneth Connolly. A Newton hearing is a special hearing used in circumstances where there has been a plea but certain relevant facts are disputed and its left to a judge to decide whos telling the truth. Mr Greene said one of those involved an incident in 2017 during which his now seven-year-old son sustained serious head injuries after falling from a third floor apartment balcony in Longford town. Under cross examination from State prosecuting counsel Shane Geraghty BL, Mr Greene explained why he told Ms Lyons to bring Gardai to his door after receiving a report to the charitys animal welfare hotline number the previous day. I did say: Get the guards, Mr Greene stated, while revealing a further, more recent interaction with the force. I was ready for full on war with the Gardai. The fact they could tie me up in handcuffs in front of my son with brain damage for a joint. Mr Greene said when three members of Gardai arrived following his stand off with Ms Lyons, tensions may well have overspilled but for the intervention of his partner. Mr Geraghty put it to him that his statement given to Gardai was both misleading and self serving after initially denying he would kill her. No, I swear on the bible, he replied. I am a traveller and I swear on the truth. If I was to lie, my grandfather would turn in his grave. When I said I did not threaten her (Ms Lyons), I wanted to get out (of the garda station). My brain was racing at 100 m/ph. Asked if he called Ms Lyons a dirty w**re, Mr Greene responded: I might have. Quizzed further about what exactly he shouted at the ISPCA official, he confirmed he branded her a simple handicap. I genuinely said I was going to stab her to death and called her the height of names. Mr Geraghty, interjected for a second time, insisting Mr Greene knew, based on his own acknowledgement of possessing a high IQ, what exactly his motives were in the hours after his arrest. You made a conscious decision to be untruthful to gardai in interview, he told the father of four and that he had lost utter control when Ms Lyons attempted to examine the accused mans dogs. Mr Greene rejected that assertion, saying how an incident involving his brother when aged just 14 still riled him to this day. No, if I lost control, I would have locked myself away, he said. The court was told it was not the first time Mr Greene and Ms Lyons had crossed paths over animal welfare related issues. The year previously, Ms Lyons called to Mr Greenes home which resulted in the latter surrendering his American Staffordshire dog to the ISPCA. Ms Lyons, who broke down in the witness box as she relived the events of two years ago, said she was accused of euthonising Mr Greenes dog. She recalled being called a prostitute and told to get off Mr Greenes property. I was very shocked he reacted to me that way, she said. I said: 'I am just here to see the dogs' and straight away he was very cross and he said: 'You have no right to be here, there is nothing wrong with my f****** dogs and get the f*** out of here. I said: 'Dylan, why are you being like this?' He said: 'You killed my dog, I can prove it.' The jury in the case was ultimately discharged in a trial which had been expected to take at least two days to complete. The court, meanwhile, also heard a victim impact statement from Ms Lyons, who told of how she still struggled to comprehend the level of aggression she witnessed on the day of the incident. I couldn't believe what had happened, she said, revealing how she had since begun experiencing bouts of paranoia with her faith in people having also been dented as a result. My whole body began to shake. I have a very trusting nature and have always treated people in the way I would like to be treated. Following the culmination of the Newton hearing, Judge Connolly told Mr Greene he had been left more than perplexed by the way the Longford man had conducted himself in court. You give me real cause for very serious concern in relation to your demeanour, he said. Judge Connolly also praised Ms Lyons for the way she had held herself together in court, before once again turning his attention to Mr Greene. I feel you don't really understand the very significant nature of what you did, he told him. Judge Connolly, in adjourning the case to May 9 next, remanded Mr Greene on continuing bail subject to a number of conditions. Among them included orders to contact his own GP within seven days to discuss anger management, counselling andappropriate medication, to commit to supervision from the probation services and to sign on at Longford garda station three times weekly. One step out of line and I will put you in jail, he told him. I think you are a very articulate man and obviously very intellegent. But this lady was entitled to do her job and whether you like it or not, she has statutory functions she has to carry out. As far as I see it she carried them out perfectly. He remanded Mr Greene on bail to appear back before Longford Circuit Criminal Court on May 9. A special competition will take place among Ireland's six Eurovision hopefuls on tonight's (February 3) Late Late Show. Viewers at home will cast votes for their favourite song and help to decide who will represent Ireland in Liverpool this May at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest. The six acts competing tonight include ADGY (Too Good for your Love), CONNOLLY (Midnight Summer Night), Wild Youth (We are One), Leila Jane (Wild), K Muni & ND, Kofi Appiah and Nevlonne Dampare (Down in the Rain), and Public Image Limited (Hawaii). The six songs were selected from hundreds of entries received by RTE. Host of The Late Late Show Eurosong Special, Ryan Tubridy, said, "This Friday is going to have a big, bright and sparkly line up of acts. Big stars, big numbers and big expectations because this could well be Irelands chance to reclaim their title as Eurovision winners. So, I would say get ready to party and join us for what should be quite the extravaganza." Eurovision commentator Marty Whelan will capture all the backstage action throughout the show as the Green Room correspondent, and Ryan will be joined in studio by an expert Eurovision panel. Liverpool will host the 67th Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine, and the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place in the Liverpool Arena next to the River Mersey on Saturday, May 13, with Semi-Finals on Tuesday 9 and Thursday 11. Ireland - which still holds the records for most Eurovision wins with a tally of seven victories - will compete in the first half of the first semi-final in Liverpool on May 9. The Late Late Eurosong Special will air on RTE One tonight at 9.35pm. Music, Movies & Entertainment, Local News, Religion, Community, Charity & Cause By Chris Boyle Published: February 03 2023 The event will raise funds to help support The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County and the St. Johns Baptist Church of Westbury Food Pantry. This weekend, observing Black History Month, the soulful singing voices of the Long Island community gather together for a musical celebration to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. one of the greatest leaders of our time, who worked tirelessly for social justice. Judy Liman, a board member of HMTC explained Sundays Standing Together as a Community event will hear members of these choirs performing together to support love and peace through music. Liman explains that the mission of HMTC of Nassau County is to teach the history of the Holocaust and its lessons through education and community outreach. The center teaches about the dangers of antisemitism, racism, bullying and all manifestations of intolerance. And that brings it all back to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is this inspirational leader, through his words and actions, who stood up to face adversity and has motivated generations to do the same. His legacy reminds us to continue to be up-standers and to find ways to uplift and love our neighbors. The Shireinu Choir of Long Island was established in 2017 to celebrate Jewish culture and history through music, the choir features traditional and contemporary composers. Songs are sung in many languages: English, Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino and Italian, according to the choirs director, Deborah Tartell. Our members come from all over Long Island. In addition, we have members from Queens and Manhattan. While the choir focuses on Jewish Choral music, it is non- denominational and auditions those of all levels of faith and nationalities. In this Sundays concert, we have songs reflecting the term: Tikkun Olam: meaning repair the world. It is our responsibility to elevate and improve our communities, our world. Through Shireinus outreach, the Free Will Baptist Church of Freeport- Mass Choir, enthusiastically joined in participation of this event. The Choir is dedicated and committed to uplifting the people of God through song. Reverend LaChrista Brown comments that No matter what language we speak, where we come from or what color we are, music proves: We are the same. We are one. The events featured speaker is nationally recognized educator and author, Dr. Anael Alston. Alston is currently the Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Access, Equity, and Community Engagement in the New York State Education Department. Dr. Alston has been a staunch advocate for advancing the educational opportunities and support afforded to thousands of young men of color in New York State to improve their school and life outcomes. Alston has oversight of the historic My Brother's Keeper Alliance created by President Barack Obama to improve outcomes for boys and young men of color. Crime By Chris Boyle Published: February 03 2023 Multiple Companies Owned by Patrick Hinchy Sold Software Products that Allowed Individuals to Spy on their Partners without Their Consent. New York Attorney General Letitia James today secured $410,000 from Patrick Hinchy and 16 of his companies for illegally promoting spyware that allowed individuals to monitor another persons device without their awareness. The software products sold by Hinchys companies allowed users to secretly monitor activity on another device, including call logs, text messages, photos and videos, location, Gmail activity, WhatsApp and Skype messages, social media activity, and browsing history. The companies advertisements and promotions led customers to believe that using their products for spying was legal, however, installing and using stalkerware to monitor another adults mobile device without their consent violates numerous state and federal laws. As a result of this agreement, Hinchys companies must pay $410,000 in penalties and modify their apps to alert device owners that their devices are being monitored. Snooping on a partner and tracking their cell phone without their knowledge isnt just a sign of an unhealthy relationship, it is against the law, said Attorney General James. These apps and products put New Yorkers at risk of stalking and domestic abuse, and were aggressively promoted by Patrick Hinchy through 16 different companies. Todays agreement will block these companies from allowing New Yorkers to be monitored without their awareness, and will continue our ongoing fight to protect New Yorkers rights, safety, and privacy. A consortium of companies owned by Hinchy promoted several apps as tools to spy on spouses or intimate partners without their awareness or consent. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that Hinchy and his companies also misrepresented their refund and data security policies, failed to disclose the potential harm to a device caused by the installation of their products, and created sham review sites to lure customers into purchasing and using the stalkerware products. The investigation revealed that Hinchy created numerous websites that purported to provide independent technology advice, but in reality, solely promoted the stalkerware products sold by Hinchys companies. Hinchys stalkerware companies also failed to disclose the need to perform an invasive procedure, known as rooting for Android devices or jailbreaking on Apple devices, and the risks associated with such procedures. Customers were also misled by confusing refund policies and false claims regarding the data security of information obtained by the stalkerware products. Todays agreement requires Hinchy and his companies to pay $410,000 in penalties, disgorgement, and costs. In addition, Hinchys companies must modify the apps and software so that the owner of the device being monitored is notified and informed of the types of information collected by the app or software and made available for viewing by the user of the product. The agreement further requires Hinchy and his companies to make accurate disclosures regarding endorsements, rooting and jailbreaking requirements, refund policies, and data security. The companies owned by Hinchy and named in todays agreement include Powerline Group Inc., Powerline Media LLC, Powerline Data LLC, Powerline Digital LLC, Powerline Commerce LLC, ILF Mobile Apps Corp., Auto Forward Data Services LLC, DDI Utilities Inc., DDI Data Solutions Inc., Highster Mobile Inc., Highster Data Services LLC, PhoneSpector LLC, Safeguarde LLC, BFG Marketing LLC, Digital Security World LLC, and CTS Technologies Corp. This matter was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Marc Montgomery, Jina John, and Laura Mumm of the Bureau of Internet and Technology, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Kim A. Berger and Deputy Bureau Chief Clark P. Russell. The Bureau of Internet and Technology is a part of the Division for Economic Justice, which is overseen by Chief Deputy Attorney General Chris DAngelo and First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy. Governor Kathy Hochul has announced the ribbon cutting of Long Island University's College of Veterinary Medicine Learning Center at its Long Island University Post campus in Brookville, Nassau County. Long Island University invested $53 million to establish the College of Veterinary Medicine, which includes today's announcement of the new $26 million Veterinary Learning Center. This state-of-the-art, 33,100-square-foot facility serves as the anchor of the College of Veterinary Medicine and will prepare students enrolled in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program with a comprehensive education and real-world skills through a four-year program. Supported by New York State funding of $12.75 million, the College of Veterinary Medicine is the only veterinary program recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education in the New York metropolitan area and one of only four veterinary schools in the Northeast United States. "New York State's investment in Long Island University College of Veterinary Medicine underscores our commitment to meeting the growing demand for state-of-the-art veterinary services and ensuring New Yorkers have access to education and training for the career path of their choice," Governor Hochul said. "These new facilities, equipped with the latest technology and staffed by experienced educators, will provide students with the hands-on experience they need to become competent and compassionate veterinary professionals who can safeguard animal health and preserve the environment." The education and training provided in veterinary programs is the cornerstone of producing highly-skilled professionals in the field of animal care and public health. The Learning Center offers hands-on learning experiences through clinical rotations and internships, allowing students to gain practical skills and knowledge in a variety of settings. The facility features state-of-the-art student-faculty research laboratory spaces comprising large lecture theaters, classrooms, clinical skills laboratories, seminar rooms, and a small animal simulation suite including examination rooms, surgical suites, and a medical imaging center. Students will gain real-world experience in surgery, diagnostic support, intensive care, and other areas critical for successful veterinary practice through external partnerships with more than 75 affiliates, including primary care and specialty clinics, zoos, research laboratories, shelters, veterinary industry leaders, and other universities. Veterinary professionals play a vital role in the agricultural sector, which is a major contributor to the economy. The presence of Long Island University's (LIU) veterinary program will attract skilled professionals, bringing new job opportunities and economic growth. New York State's investment in this program also supports the growth of veterinary professionals to meet the growing demand in this field. Graduates of the program will be well-prepared to enter the workforce as practice-ready veterinarians or to pursue an advanced specialization in their chosen field. The facility's state-of-the-art technologies, along with the experienced faculty and hands-on experiences, prepare the students for real-world veterinary medicine, which is a constantly evolving field that requires the latest technology and knowledge. The program is currently in its third year and has enrolled approximately 300 students to date with the anticipation of growing to approximately 450 veterinary and graduate students in the 2023-24 academic year. Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, "LIU's College of Veterinary Medicine stands out as a beacon of how education and research can converge to bring about positive change for animals and enhance the health and prosperity of our communities. New York's strategic investment in innovation and education is evident in the Veterinary Learning Center's cutting-edge curriculum, research, and community partnerships that will work together to transform students into agents of change in the field of veterinary medicine." Empire State Development Board Chairman Kevin Law said, "As one of only four veterinary schools in the Northeastern United States, the Veterinary Learning Center is a game-changer for the future of veterinary medicine. With its innovative approach to education, emphasizing hands-on learning and real-world experience, students are equipped with the essential skills and knowledge to excel in the field. Congratulations to Long Island University on its commitment to advancing veterinary medicine and promoting the well-being of all." State Senator Monica R. Martinez said, "As a longtime animal lover and advocate, I am excited Long Island has its first College of Veterinary Medicine with this state-of-the-art home supported by New York State. I am glad LIU's program is built on partnerships and real-world education with existing providers like the Town of Babylon Animal Shelter." Assemblymember Charles Lavine said, "Already a national leader in the field of veterinary medicine, this learning center will provide even more resources for students and make a wonderful addition to the ever-growing campus of LIU Post." Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said, "I am so proud that the Town of Oyster Bay is home to Long Island University, a hub for academic excellence and world-class research with a reputation for prestige in our community and beyond. Since its launch three years ago, the College of Veterinary Medicine has become a tremendous asset, as one of only four veterinary programs in the Northeast. I thank LIU and New York State for their investment in the next generation of leaders in veterinary medicine by building this new learning center and join you in celebrating its grand opening." Village of Brookville Mayor Daniel Serota said, "Long Island University is one of the jewels of the North Shore of Long Island. With the addition of the Veterinary School, we now have a diamond in our crown." Long Island University President Dr. Kimberly R. Cline said, "The College of Veterinary Medicine has been a catalyst for Long Island University's advancement as a top academic and research facility as part of Long Island's world-class life science corridor, and it would not be possible without strong support from Governor Hochul and Empire State Development. We are very proud of our new College of Veterinary Medicine facilities and connected clinical and research experiences which provide students with significant opportunities to become leaders in veterinary medicine." Long Island Regional Economic Development Council Co-Chairs Linda Armyn, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at Bethpage Federal Credit Union and President of Farmingdale State College Dr. John Nader said, "New York State's investment in the LIU College of Veterinary Medicine campus, home to 21st century facilities and top-tier instructors, is a forward-thinking choice that will have lasting benefits for our society and economy. With the increasing demand for veterinary services, it is essential that we equip future generations of professionals with the necessary education and training they need to succeed as caring veterinary practitioners." (Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Friday and not separately reported by Alliance News: ---------- N Brown Group PLC - Manchester-based clothing and footwear retailer whose brands include JD Williams, Simply Be and Jacamo - Homa Alliance, the wife of Non-Executive Director David Alliance, buys 1.2 million shares at GBP0.40 per share for GBP460,000 in total on Thursday. ---------- Bank of Ireland Group PLC - Dublin-based bank - Completes the acquisition of KBC Bank Ireland PLC portfolios, with a projected total value of EUR7.8 billion of loans and EUR1.8 billion of deposits. In October 2021, the company signed a binding agreement for the acquisition. "I welcome KBC Ireland's c.150,000 customers to Bank of Ireland. While the transfer of products will take place over the coming weeks, our relationship with you begins today. Our ambition is to be your trusted partner in all financial decisions, big and small, in the years ahead," CEO Myles O'Grady comments. "This is a very important strategic and commercial acquisition for Bank of Ireland. I'd like to thank colleagues who worked on this deal over the past two years, and acknowledge the professional and constructive approach of KBC throughout the process." ---------- Alphawave IP Group PLC - London-based connectivity technology provider - Sutardja Family LLC, closely associated with Executive Director Sehat Sutardja, buys 135,087 shares at GBP0.95 each on Monday and 500,000 shares at GBP0.95 on Wednesday. Following these transactions, the Sutardja Family LLC's holds a 13% stake in the issued share capital of the company. ---------- By Abby Amoakuh, Alliance News reporter Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Download Image: Web The Lycoming College Art Gallery will welcome a new exhibit of photographic and video art by Sanh Brian Tran. Entitled The Other Side of the Rainbow, his exhibit will premiere on Friday, Feb. 24, with a gallery talk at 5:30 p.m. It will run until March 26, and is free and open to the public. Trans work draws on inspiration from expressing his background. He is a first-generation Vietnamese immigrant, the first of his family to become a white-collar working attorney, and also the first to come out as gay. After leaving his attorney job to pursue photography, he moved to central Pennsylvania and focused his work on depictions of rurality in conjunction with queer gender expression and performance. It combines the queer and rural identities, expressing them both without throwing away one or the other, in an attempt to provide more representation of both facets that most often are not thought of as together. To Tran, The Other Side of the Rainbow depicts not the traditional immigrants journey, but the life that comes after it. It showcases his meditation on his identity and the reality of being the person who is so many firsts in his family. Tran explores his adjustment to rural central Pennsylvania after living most of his life in the large cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, and the path he takes to pursue his own American dream as opposed to what he was expected to follow. The Other Side of the Rainbow, is compiled of photos and videos that mostly depict self-portraits of Tran in fashions of his own design, each geared toward the expression of queer and non-traditional gender identities in traditional rural settings. This exhibit is the second time Tran has shown his art at Lycoming College, following his Bong lai cai collection in 2016. In addition, Trans art has been showcased at locations all around the country, including exhibitions in the Right Window in California and OUE Gallery in Ohio. Tran is the recipient of awards such as the Pride and Prejudice: Gender Realities in the 21st Century Juror Award in 2018, and the Purchase Award and Top Prize for Photography from the State Museum of Pennsylvania in 2019. The Lycoming College Art Gallery, located in downtown Williamsport at 25 W. Fourth St., contributes to the citys arts culture and allows the College to become more involved with the surrounding community. Lycoming art students have the opportunity to interact with visiting artists and learn first-hand the inner workings of an art gallery. The gallery is open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 4-8 p.m. For more information, please visit the gallery online at: https://www.lycoming.edu/art/gallery/22-23.aspx. Advertisement Alcohol Cravings Among College Students Her previous research has found that having a strong life purposethe sense that your life is guided by personally meaningful values and goalsis associated with many health benefits, including easing the loneliness of COVID-19 isolation and reducing the effort it takes to make healthy choices."Values and purposes can have powerful effects on how people think and behave," Kang says. "And what's interesting about this study is that we asked participants, 'How much sense of purpose in life do you feel right now?' Because your level of purpose can fluctuate day by day."For this study, Kang and her colleagues charted the behavior and attitudes of 54 healthy college students, with daily surveys over the course of a month. Once a day, participants answered questions about their current level of purpose in lifeand every morning and evening they reported how much they craved and consumed alcohol."We focused on craving because it is one of the strongest predictors of actual drinking. If you crave, then you're more likely to drink," Kang says. "But just because you crave alcohol doesn't mean that you're going to go out and drink, so we wanted to know what's nudging these social drinkers into drinking when they crave alcohol."The student volunteers also received fMRI brain scans, which gave a real-time picture of their brain activity while they were exposed to alcohol cues, like photos of beer, wine, and liquor or photos of people toasting at a party. Researchers analyzed the participants' brain activity within the ventral striatum, the area of the brain previously associated with reward and craving.Individuals whose brains showed greater activity when they saw alcohol cuespeople with higher neural alcohol cue reactivitywere more likely to drink after craving alcohol.When this data was matched with life purpose data, Kang and colleagues found something interesting: These neurally sensitive drinkers did not necessarily drink more if they were feeling a strong life purpose when they craved alcohol. And if they felt less purposeful? They were more likely to drink heavily after having a craving for alcohol.This finding opens the door to discovering new strategies to discourage binge drinking in college students, especially those with higher neural cue reactivity, not by talking about drinking specifically, but by helping students focus on their mission, purpose, and values. Kang suggests that future research could test interventions used in other purposes in life and related studiesstrategies like reflecting on what matters to you or making positive wishes for other people.While the researchers caution that further testing would be needed to determine whether the findings would generalize to non-college populations, they note that many studies point to the strong link between purpose in life and health behavior across diverse populations.And Kang underlines the importance of studying college populations. "College students are in a formative time in their lives, where they are learning the norms around alcohol use and setting their own habits that will affect their health later in life," she says. "So, I think there's a lot of preventive values in studying alcohol use in college populations."Source: Eurekalert U.S. New Jersey councilwoman shot dead outside home Xinhua) 11:28, February 03, 2023 WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- A New Jersey councilwoman was shot dead outside her home on Wednesday night, according to authorities. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said on Thursday that he's "stunned by the news of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour's murder last evening in an act of gun violence." Dwumfour, 30, was inside her vehicle when she was shot, officials said. She reportedly sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. A motive for the shooting was not immediately disclosed. Police did not say whether a suspect was identified or an arrest had been made. The New Jersey State Police are supporting the ongoing investigation, according to Murphy. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) NEW YORK Federal authorities are investigating a military veteran's claim that U.S. Rep. George Santos raised $3,000 for life-saving surgery for his pet dog several years ago, then never turned over the money for the animal's care, according to a published report. U.S. Navy veteran Richard Osthoff told Politico on Wednesday that two FBI agents contacted him after he went public last month with his story about his experiences with Santos in 2016. Osthoff told the news site he gave the agents text messages he exchanged with Santos, who at the time was going by the name Anthony Devolder. Im glad to get the ball rolling with the bigwigs, Osthoff said. I was worried that what happened to me was too long ago to be prosecuted. The local news site Patch reported last month that Osthoff, now 47, was living in a roadside tent in Howell, New Jersey, in May 2016 when his pit bull mix, Sapphire, developed a life-threatening stomach tumor. A veterinary technician connected Osthoff to Santos' pet charity, Friends of Pets United, Osthoff said. Authorities have said the group was not a registered charity. According to Osthoff, Santos set up a GoFundMe account and raised $3,000 for Sapphire's surgery but never turned it over. Sapphire died in 2017. Santos, a Republican, has declined to answer questions about the matter and also refused to do so at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday. In a tweet on Jan. 19, however, he wrote that the reports that I would let a dog die is (sic) shocking & insane. My work in animal advocacy was the labor of love & hard work. Over the past 24hr I have received pictures of dogs I helped rescue throughout the years along with supportive messages, he wrote. A message seeking comment was left with Santos attorney, Joseph Murray. Santos is already facing investigations over multiple lies he told about his life story, work history and family background. The congressman announced on Tuesday that he is temporarily stepping down from two congressional committees, saying in a prepared statement that he wanted to focus on serving his constituents without distraction. Another veteran who worked with Osthoff in his fruitless quest to save Sappire's life told The Associated Press he could hardly believe Santos would renege on his promise to help. I said, Rich, why dont you just relax; nobody wants to take money away from a disabled veteran and his sick dog. Im sure this is a mistake, said Michael Boll, a retired Union Township, New Jersey, police officer and founder of a group called the New Jersey Veterans Network. Boll said he talked to Santos on the phone, telling him, You dont have any right to this money. Either give it all back to the people who donated it, or give it to a veterinarian Rich will choose in his area so hed have a credit to take the dog there for treatment. Anthony wanted nothing to do with that and refused to take any further calls from me, Boll said. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn said he could not comment on whether the office is investigating the fundraising drive for Osthoff's dog. ___ Parry reported from Atlantic City, New Jersey. An alleged Chinese spy balloon that has been flying over the United States is raising alarm among lawmakers, who say the episode demonstrates the growing threat Beijing poses to the United States. Much of the congressional reaction is coming from Republicans who are using the incident to argue the Biden administration is not aggressive enough toward China, including some prominent lawmakers agitating for the U.S. military to shoot the dirigible down -- despite the Pentagon saying doing so risks debris hurting civilians on the ground. But there's also bipartisan concern that the event signals China is growing increasingly bold and dangerous. Read Next: Sources: Fort Sill Commander Suspended from Duty for Allegedly Breaking Hunting Rules on Base "This provocation is completely unacceptable, and I am in close contact with Department of Defense and Intelligence officials," said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., over whose state the Pentagon said the balloon flew earlier this week. "We are still waiting for real answers on how this happened and what steps the administration took to protect our country, and I will hold everyone accountable until I get them. I will always defend Montana and our national security from hostile adversaries like China." This congressional session was already expected to be marked by an increased focus on China, which the Pentagon has labeled the primary national security challenge facing the United States. The House created a new committee focused on China, officially called the Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. That committee is meant to look more holistically at military and economic competition with Beijing than the existing committee structure, where several panels looked at siloed pieces of the issue. The House Armed Services Committee is also using its first hearing of the congressional session to hear expert testimony on "The Pressing Threat of the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] to U.S. National Defense," a sign of the committee's priorities for the year. That increased attention on China comes after Congress had already been stepping up its work to compete with Beijing, particularly with efforts to shore up Taiwan's defenses in the midst of fears China could try to invade the island in the not-too-distant future. For example, the defense policy bill approved in December authorized $10 billion in grants for Taiwan to buy American-made weapons and called for the Pentagon and the State Department to craft a comprehensive program of U.S. military training for Taiwan. But the balloon incident is sure to hone Congress' focus on China even more. "The Chinese Communist Party should not have on-demand access to American airspace," China Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and ranking member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., said in a joint statement Thursday night. "Indeed, this incident demonstrates that the CCP threat is not confined to distant shores -- it is here at home and we must act to counter this threat." The Pentagon publicly revealed the presence of the balloon over the United States on Thursday evening, saying it had been over Montana the day before. While officials have not disclosed specifically what they believe China is spying on, they have said the flight path brings the balloon over "sensitive sites," and Montana is home to Malmstrom Air Force Base, which houses some of the nation's intercontinental ballistic missiles. As of Friday, the balloon had moved eastward above the central United States, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a news briefing. Ryder would not disclose a more specific location, but the National Weather Service said Friday a "large balloon" that is not a weather service balloon was spotted from northwest Missouri, while Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said it was above the northeast part of his state. On Friday, Chinese officials acknowledged the balloon was theirs, though they claimed it was a weather balloon blown off course by the wind. The Pentagon brushed off that explanation, with Ryder telling reporters that "the fact is we know that it's a surveillance balloon." He also said the balloon is "maneuverable," suggesting the craft is not simply riding the wind. "The balloon has violated U.S. airspace and international law, which is unacceptable," Ryder said. While this is not the first time U.S. officials have monitored a Chinese spy balloon in recent years, officials said this incident is different because the balloon has been lingering for a longer period than before. While U.S. officials debated shooting down the balloon, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley and U.S. Northern Command commander Gen. Glen VanHerck recommended President Joe Biden not order it shot down because of the possibility of debris hitting people and structures on the ground, a senior defense official told reporters in a briefing Thursday. Further, the Pentagon assessed the balloon provides China little added intelligence capability beyond its spy satellites and does not pose a threat to commercial aircraft or U.S. civilians on the ground. But that has not stopped some lawmakers from demanding the military bring down the balloon. "It was a mistake to not shoot down that Chinese spy balloon when it was over a sparsely populated area," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, tweeted Friday. "This is not some hot air balloon, it has a large payload of sensors roughly the size of two city buses & the ability to maneuver independently." Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized the Pentagon for "not tak[ing] proactive measures to address this airspace incursion by the People's Republic of China." "No incursion should be ignored and should be dealt with appropriately," Wicker said in a statement. Ryder would not answer questions Friday on whether there are circumstances under which the military would shoot down the balloon, including when it's over a body of water and so at less risk of hitting something below. While the military continues to monitor the situation, lawmakers are demanding more information. Tester, who is the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee's defense subpanel, will receive a classified briefing next week, his office said. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., also requested a briefing for the Gang of Eight, which consists of the speaker, the House minority leader, the Senate majority and minority leaders, and the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Intelligence committees. Even as some lawmakers fretted over the presence of the spy balloon, others downplayed that the activity represented a new threat. "I don't want the American people to think this is something new and that all of a sudden we have a concern that we didn't have before," Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., said Friday on CNN, noting China has had low-orbit spy satellites "for years." "Those concerns are there. They have to be mitigated. They have to be addressed. We have to confront the Chinese government." -- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel. Related: A General Warned of an Impending War with China. Airmen Under His Command Say it Was 'Inappropriate' The commanding general of Fort Sill, Oklahoma, was temporarily suspended from duty Friday as part of an investigation into allegations of repeated violations of hunting rules on base, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation. Maj. Gen. Kenneth Kamper, an artillery officer, was suspended in the midst of an inspector general investigation into his conduct. Fort Sill is currently hosting Ukrainian troops, who started training on the Patriot missile system last month, the first major training for the force on American soil. Sources indicated that the conduct being investigated by the inspector general was not related to the training. Read Next: Hundreds More Soldiers Kicked off Tricare in Yet Another IT Blunder The investigation is tied to hunting on Fort Sill property, with some complaints revolving around Kamper allegedly not going through the proper approval process and skirting local rules, according to two Army officials with direct knowledge of the situation. Brig. Gen. Shane Morgan, who was promoted last week and served as commandant of the field artillery school at the installation, will serve as interim commander. Fort Sill is home to some 20,000 troops and is central to the Army's artillery and other long-range weapons training. This includes the Patriot missile system, the weapons platform on which roughly 100 Ukrainian troops are training. "Neither the investigation nor the change in leadership will have any impact on the operations or mission at Fort Sill, including the current training of Ukrainian forces on the Patriot missile system, and the suspension was not related to the mission or training of Ukrainian soldiers," Cynthia Smith, a service spokesperson, told Military.com in a statement. In many cases, generals suspended from duty are typically assigned to an assistant role for another element of the Army, though Kamper will stay at Fort Sill for now. Any planned retirements are often put on hold until the inspector general completes its investigation and senior leadership decides whether to take disciplinary action, which can include a reduction in rank. "You all have probably heard, or soon will, that Ken has been suspended due to allegations of counterproductive leadership. As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time for our entire family," Kamper's wife, Krista Kamper, wrote in an email reviewed by Military.com to spouses of other senior leaders at Fort Sill. "I hope you will understand my decision to step back from community activities, board positions and social events in these upcoming months as my focus will be on our family and finding our way forward." Kamper took over as commander of Fort Sill in February 2020. Before that, he served as deputy commanding general for the III Armored Corps at Fort Hood, Texas. He was commissioned in 1989 from the United States Military Academy at West Point. -- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon. Related: No Action Taken Against Army Officer After Public Dustup with Tucker Carlson over Women Serving CAIRO The United States has stepped up pressure on Middle East allies to expel the Wagner Group, a military contractor owned by an oligarch with close ties to Russias president, from chaos-stricken Libya and Sudan where it has expanded in recent years, regional officials told The Associated Press. The U.S. effort described by officials comes as the Biden administration is making a broad push against the mercenaries. The U.S. has slapped new sanctions on the Wagner Group in recent months over its expanding role in Russias war in Ukraine. The group is owned by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Pentagon has described it as a surrogate for the Russian Defense Ministry. The Kremlin denies any connection. The Biden administration has been working for months with regional powers Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to pressure military leaders in Sudan and Libya to end their ties with the group, according to more than a dozen Libyan, Sudanese and Egyptian officials. They asked for anonymity to speak freely and because they were not authorized to discuss the issue with the media. A senior Egyptian government official with direct knowledge of the talks said the Wagner group is at the top of every meeting. The group doesnt announce its operations, but its presence is known from reports on the ground and other evidence. In Sudan, it was originally associated with former strongman Omar al-Bashir and now works with the military leaders who replaced him. In Libya, it's associated with east Libya-based military commander Khalifa Hifter. Wagner has deployed thousands of operatives in African and Middle Eastern countries including Mali, Libya, Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Syria. Its aim in Africa, analysts say, is to support Russias interests amid rising global interest in the resource-rich continent. Rights experts working with the U.S. on Jan. 31 accused the group of committing possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Mali, where it is fighting alongside government forces. Wagner tends to target countries with natural resources that can be used for Moscows objectives - gold mines in Sudan, for example, where the resulting gold can be sold in ways that circumvent Western sanctions, said Catrina Doxsee, an expert on Wagner at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Prigozhin did not respond to a request for comment sent to the press department of the Concord Group, of which he is an owner. The groups role in Libya and Sudan was central to talks between CIA director William Burns and officials in Egypt and Libya in January. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also discussed the group with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in a late-January trip to Cairo, Egyptian officials said. Weeks after the visits, Burns acknowledged in a Thursday speech at Georgetown University in Washington that after recent travel to Africa, he was concerned about Wagner's growing influence in the continent. That is a deeply unhealthy development and were working very hard to counter it, Burns said. Burns and Blinken called on el-Sissis government to help convince Sudans ruling generals and Libyas Hifter to end their dealings with Wagner, an Egyptian official briefed on the talks said. The group and Prigozhin have been under U.S. sanctions since 2017, and the Biden administration in December announced new export restrictions on its access to technology and supplies, designating it as a significant transnational criminal organization." Sudan Leaders in Sudan have received repeated U.S. messages about Wagners growing influence in recent months, via Egypt and Gulf states, said a senior Sudanese official. Abbas Kamel, the director of Egypts Intelligence Directorate Agency, conveyed Western concerns in talks in Khartoum last month with the head of Sudans ruling sovereign council, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the official said. Kamel urged Burhan to find a way to address Wagners use of Sudan as a base for operations in neighboring countries such as the Central African Republic, the official said. Wagner started operating in Sudan in 2017, providing military training to intelligence and special forces, and to the paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces, according to Sudanese officials and documents shared with the AP. The RSF, which grew out of the feared Janjaweed militias, is led by powerful general Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who has close ties with the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Dagalo has been sending troops to fight alongside the Saudi-led coalition in Yemens long-running civil war. Wagner mercenaries are not operating in a combat role in Sudan, officials said. The group, which has dozens of operatives in the country, provides military and intelligence training, as well as surveillance and protection of sites and top officials. Sudanese military leaders appear to have given Wagner control of gold mines in return. The documents show the group has received mining rights through front companies with ties to Sudans powerful military and the RSF. Its activities are centered in gold-rich areas controlled by the RSF in Darfur, Blue Nile and other provinces, according to officials. Two companies have been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for acting as fronts for Wagners mining activities Meroe Gold, a Sudanese gold mining firm, and its owner, the Russian-based M Invest firm. Prigozhin owns or controls both, according to the Treasury Department. Despite sanctions, Meroe Gold is still operating across Sudan. The Russian mercenaries helped the paramilitary force consolidate its influence not only in the countrys far-flung regions, but also in the capital of Khartoum, where it helps run pro-RSF social media pages. The main camp of Wagner mercenaries is in the contested village of Am Dafok on the border between the Central African Republic and Sudan, according to the Darfur Bar Association, a legal group that focuses on human rights. Nobody can approach their areas," said Gibreel Hassabu, a lawyer and member of the association. Libya In Libya, Burns held talks in Tripoli with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, head of one of Libyas two rival governments. The CIA director also met with Hifter in eastern Libya, according to officials with Hifters forces. One official briefed on the meeting in al-Rajma military complex, the seat of Hifters command just outside Benghazi, said Wagner was the main issue discussed. U.N. experts said Wagner mercenaries were deployed Libya since 2018, helping Hifter's forces in their fight against Islamist militants in eastern Libya. The group was also involved in his failed offensive on Tripoli in April 2019. The U.S. Africa Command, AFRICOM, estimated that some 2,000 Wagner mercenaries were in Libya between July-September 2020, before a cease-fire. The mercenaries were equipped with armored vehicles, air defense systems, fighter aircraft and other equipment supplied by Russia, according to AFRICOM. The report also said Wagner appeared to be receiving money from the UAE, a main foreign backer of Hifter. Since the 2020 cease-fire, Wagner's activities have centered around oil facilities in central Libya, and they have continued providing military training to Hifter forces, Libyan officials said. It is not clear how many Wagner mercenaries are still in Libya. U.S. officials have demanded that mercenaries be pulled out of oil facilities, another Libyan official said. Hifter did not offer any commitments, but asked for assurances that Turkey and the Libyan militias it backed in western Libya will not attack his forces in the coastal city of Sirte and other areas in central Libya. Egypt, which has close ties with Hifter, has demanded that Wagner not be stationed close to its borders. There is no evidence yet that the Biden administrations pressure has yielded results in either Sudan or Libya, observers said. Doxsee, the expert, said the U.S. and allies should resist promoting narratives that Russia is bad and what we have to offer is good, and instead focus on offering better alternatives to Wagner. Ultimately, at the end of the day, Wagner is a business. If you can cut out the profit and you can reduce the business case for using Wagner, thats what is going to make it a less- appealing case, she said. ___ AP writer Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed. GWENYA Foreign direct investments (FDIs) are imperative to Eswatini as they broaden the markets spectrum. Lush Hair Eswatini, an investment by Tolaram Group in Eswatini for manufacturing hair products yesterday released the first truckload consignment of hair products made in a factory locally, which is situated in Ngwenya industrial site. The company is part of the 27 factory shell opened by the government to promote and assist foreign investors. Present to witness the release was the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo, who was part of the team that invited the Tolaram Group to invest in Eswatini. The minister was introduced by Raybind Patel the factorys head in Southern Africa. Khumalo said after returning from an investment mission in Singapore last year, they confirmed the investment by Tolaram Group in Eswatini for manufacturing hair products. With the products of Lush Hair being exported the minister said they would now be adding a new item into our export basket from non-traditional products which augur well with their economic diversification drive. We are told that within the hair products category, there will be various items including hair extensions and weaves of superior quality that will be added. Machine We look forward with great anticipation on the expected arrival of the poly propylene machine which will ensure the manufacture of the fibre locally as part of backward value chain integration, he added. The minister further mentioned that the Tolaram Group through this venture has employed 150 people and further assured that the company would be doubling the number by end of March this year and he expects exponential growth in employment opportunities by end of the year. To date, the country has constructed and commissioned 27 factory shells and these factories cover an area of about 197 500 square metres. The factories are distributed around the country to encourage decentralisation. This was mentioned by the minister exclusively to the business desk. Source Khumalo said foreign companies who have invested in Eswatini were encouraged to source their inputs from local suppliers. In fact most of the foreign companies do business with local suppliers as it is cheaper for them to do so. However there are gaps and limitations in the capacity of local supply which often requires importation of what cannot be sourced in the country. Furthermore, not only the business community is benefiting from the corporate sector since most of these companies have a strong presence in the social sector through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes, he added. Not even the hardship brought by COVID-19 could deter investors from helping communities one of the investors in the energy sector donated solar geysers to all clinics in the country, at a time when the clinics were in desperate need to running water for improved hygiene, he added. When asked on how many companies have shown interest in investing in Eswatini, the minister said their pipeline indicates a healthy appetite for companies that want to expand and diversify in the country. He said over a handful of these companies were at advanced stages of readiness to expand. When J.J. Stakem started his aviation consulting company in 2016, he was its lone employee. He began Objective Area Solutions converting one wall of his garage, already filled with gym equipment, into a whiteboard for whenever inspiration struck. "I would just work out and draw, conceptually put things down," Stakem, a former Marine Corps pilot, told Military.com. "I did that probably for a year or so." Stakem's startup has grown considerably since then, earning recognition on Inc. Magazine's 2023 Vet100 list of the fastest-growing, veteran-owned businesses in America. That list was compiled in conjunction with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University, which coordinates the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV). Stakem was accepted into the EBV program months after launching Objective Area Solutions, and he considers what he learned there instrumental in helping craft his vision for the business. More than 2,200 vets have graduated from the EBV program since its launch in 2007. Besides Syracuse, seven other universities -- Texas A&M, UCLA, Connecticut, Missouri, Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia, Florida State and Louisiana State -- are also involved with the program. EBV is divided into three phases, starting with a month of online courses centered around business fundamentals, followed by an intense 1-week residency at one of the participating universities, and then a year of ongoing support. All costs, including travel, accommodations and learning materials, are covered, said Melissa Bird, project manager for IVMF's entrepreneurship and small business portfolio. "Vets don't need any previous business experience or educational requirements," Bird told Military.com. "The main eligibility requirement is post-9/11 veterans with an honorable discharge and service-connected disability." The economic impact of veteran-owned businesses is significant. The more than 320,000 businesses owned by vets in 2020 produced an estimated $927 billion in revenue and accounted for 3.6 million employees and nearly $177 billion in payroll, according to the Census Bureau's 2021 Annual Business Survey. Businesses such as those started by Stakem and Chris Dambach, a retired Marine Corps infantryman, contributed to those statistics. Dambach started what became Industry Standard USA in 2010 in Syracuse, New York. The company handles general contracting but also offers such services as lawn care, snow removal, janitorial work, window washing and tree removal. Dambach developed a sense for business early. When he was 10, he recalled hopping into dumpsters to retrieve scraps of wood left over from a large neighborhood development project. Dambach used what he found to build ramps, which he sold to older kids so they could jump their bikes. "I was always hustling," Dambach told Military.com. Chris Dambach (holding the piece of paper) founded his company, Industry Standard USA, in 2010 -- three years before he completed the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans. (Photo courtesy of Chris Dambach) While on border patrol in Iraq, Dambach and others started talking about what they were going to do once they returned to the States. When it was Dambach's turn, he hesitated, unsure of his future plans. Asked what he was good at, he mentioned he had a lawn-care business in high school called the Yard Monkeys, and the group encouraged him to pursue that again after he transitioned out of the Marines. Dambach accepted the challenge. Three years after starting his business, he was accepted into EBV. Before going through the program, Dambach described himself as "a little naive" about business and credited EBV with opening his mind regarding what his company could become. "I would probably be years behind where I am today [without EBV]," Dambach said. "Being in a classroom of like-minded individuals and veterans that are trying to accomplish the same goals as you, entrepreneurship, there's something to be said for that. There's a certain energy in that room that can't be described." As a veteran starting a business, Dambach stressed a willingness to think long term and not to expect overnight success. That's something Stakem understands as well. It took two years before he hired his first employee, a former Marine air traffic controller who is now Objective Area Solutions' chief operating officer. All along, though, Stakem's company has benefited from a small board of advisers, using IVMF as a resource to help him find members. "There's a balance between taking what you've learned in the military and also realizing there's a lot to learn about how to apply that outside," Stakem said. "... The most powerful thing I have, hands down, is my connection to other veterans. It's just a unique group of people that will help each other out almost all the time, and folks should ask for that help." Stakem and Dambach have. They both said they stay connected to vets through the IVMF's entrepreneurship bootcamp program. "Without EBV, I wouldn't be where I am today, for sure," said Dambach, whose company recently was part of a successful bid for a multimillion-dollar project to replace the parking lot at the VA hospital in Albany, New York. "I can say that without question." -- Stephen Ruiz can be reached at stephen.ruiz@military.com. Want to Know More About the Military? Be sure to get the latest news about the U.S. military, as well as critical info about how to join and all the benefits of service. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox. Chips and snacks are must-haves for a Super Bowl party, but if you really want to impress your guests or your hosts, you want to bring something they can sink their teeth into. Even if you're not a Chiefs fan, you have to admit: Kansas City meats are something to celebrate. "My mom is from Wisconsin, so brats were a staple in our house growing up," KC Cattle Company founder Patrick Montgomery tells Military.com. There's probably no better person to ask about making the perfect brat than a meat expert like him. Since Wisconsin is home to Sheboygan, the Brat Capital of the World, his mom probably knew a thing or two as well. "In my world, you boil the brat in beer for 10-15 minutes before you throw it on a very hot grill to get a good crust," he says. "Internal temp should be no more than 160 degrees." That's just how you make the average bratwurst. KC Cattle Company takes brats to another level with bacon cheeseburger brats and a "Red, White and Boom" brat stuffed with blueberries, mozzarella and red pepper flakes. Now that's a brat. (KC Cattle Company) Whether you're a meat-smoking enthusiast, Wagyu beef lover or just want to have some of the best hot dogs, bratwurst or pulled meat sandwiches around, you might be surprised at what he's got in store. What's not a surprise is that Montgomery loves his work. Locals and restaurants in Kansas City love it, too. "When I look at our original business plan, I have to laugh at how far we've come, but looking forward, we still have a long way to go," Montgomery says. "This market perpetually faces turmoil, and we have to figure out how to do things smarter and we strive to be the industry leader in Wagyu beef." Montgomery founded KC Cattle Company in 2017. He was then a 27-year-old former Army Ranger who served two deployments to Afghanistan with the 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. Joining the military was something he was set on doing since the 9/11 attacks. "I joined the military because of September 11th," he says. "After watching the towers fall, I made a promise to myself that's what I would do when I was fighting age." When he joined, he chose the Army and became a Ranger because his brother-in-law, Jeremy Katzenberger, was a Ranger. "He was pretty convincing to follow that same route," says Montgomery. Montgomery (far left) with fellow Rangers in Afghanistan. (Courtesy of Patrick Montgomery) Montgomery and Katzenberger talked a lot about starting a business after leaving the Army. Montgomery would serve for 4 years, but Katzenberger would give the ultimate sacrifice. He was killed in action on June 14, 2011, during an operation in Afghanistan. Montgomery would accompany his brother-in-law back home to Missouri. After his time in the military, Montgomery came home to Missouri, too. He studied animal science at the University of Missouri, came up with a business plan to start running his own farm, found a unique product to offer consumers and bought a piece of land outside Kansas City. KC Cattle Company was founded to honor the memory of Jeremy Katzenberger. Wagyu beef refers to any cow bred in Japan -- the word "wagyu" literally translates to "Japanese cow." Wagyu meat has gained an appreciation in the U.S. and abroad in recent years because of its marbling, the unsaturated fat in the cows muscle. This kind of marbling not only gives the beef a richer flavor, it makes the meat more tender when cooked and has less of an impact on cholesterol health. Yeah, a more heart-healthy beef. You read that right. And that's from the National Institutes of Health. (KC Cattle Company) The cows on Montgomery's farm are raised in a stress-free environment. There are no whips, no prods. The all-veteran staff of KC Cattle Company use a "bucket method" to control the cows, in which the farmhands use a bucket of food to entice the cows. When the cattle see the bucket, they're happy to see the person holding it. No stress response means better meat. The knowledge, pride and effort the staff put into their work shows in the product. "Beef was what I decided on because it was something I was passionate about," he says. "It's been healing for me and the other veterans we help." KC Cattle Company ready to supply your Super Bowl party with chorizo, sausages and even Wagyu beef hot dogs. Its founder also has some words of wisdom for veterans looking to start their own businesses after serving. "I remember hearing on a podcast that entrepreneurs kill themselves by trying to launch the 'perfect' product to the point where it is detrimental to getting started," Montgomery says. "I have found this to be true. "No matter what you do, your first product is going to suck, compared to a future product five years down the road. The funny thing is, where the market tells you your product sucks might be completely different than what you thought, so get your product on the market fast and adapt quickly as you listen to your customers." To see the company's full offerings, including meat bundles and pure Wagyu beef, check out KC Cattle Company online. -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook. Want to Know More About Veteran Jobs? Be sure to get the latest news about post-military careers as well as critical info about veteran jobs and all the benefits of service. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox. Popular Ghanaian celebrity blogger and freelance journalist, Ameyaw Kissi Debrah has recounted his days as a child. He disclosed that his father managed to provide everything he needed to make life comfortable. In an interview on Accra-based Hitz FM, the seemingly rich mans son, (Dbee) remarked that his father had a principle of providing a quality life for his children. The internally recognised blogger explained that the father wanted them to experience the best of life. Having had all he and his other siblings wanted at their disposal, Mr. Debrah said all they needed to do in return was take their studies seriously and always come out with flying colours. My dad was the kind who always wanted to make life comfortable for us so he gave us everything we wanted. He also made sure we were delivering in academics, work and all that, he revealed. Ameyaw Kissi Debrah comes from Kwahu Obomeng in the Eastern Region of Ghana. He was born to Mr. Kwame Kissi Debrah and Constance Atuobi Debrah. He grew up in a family of four (4) children. He has two brothers and a sister and he happens to be the second born. There have been many claims around Covid vaccines linked to the sudden deaths of doctors in Canada and athletes but this its not true. COVID vaccines are safe and effective. All vaccines have undergone rigorous testing in clinical trials and have been tested on human volunteers before being certified for use in various countries. All though covid vaccine is new, the process of vaccine manufacturing (for e.g., using mRNA) has been a well-established technique for many years. The thorough knowledge and advances of which have helped scientists and doctors across the globe to produce a vaccine in such a less time. Some people have side effects after getting their COVID-19 vaccine, while others might have no side effects. In rare cases, people have experienced serious health events after COVID-19 vaccination. Any health problem that happens after vaccination is considered an adverse event. An adverse event can be caused by the vaccine or can be caused by a coincidental event not related to the vaccine, such as an unrelated fever, that happened following vaccination. Ever since, the rollout of vaccines, health authorities have been closely monitoring the adverse events using Vaccine Adverse Reporting System (VAERS). Data analyzed over the past two years has reassured the fact that serious adverse events like Anaphylaxis, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP), Myocarditis/Pericarditis, GBS are very rare and few in million occurrences and for all practical purposes be ignored. Anyone who has been administered vaccination, is under scrutiny for any serious adverse events. So far, globally there has been no convincing data, irrespective of the type of vaccine administered, to implicate COVID vaccines as a cause for sudden deaths which is referred to as sudden cardiac death / Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome(SADS) . It is term used to describe unexpected cardiac death in young adults. This occurs most frequently in adults in their mid-30s to mid-40s, and affects men twice as often as it does women. It can also occur in people younger than that, such as teenage athletes who suddenly die while playing a sport. Cause of SADS SADS has existed long before the COVID-19 outbreak, and subsequent vaccines were available. It is usually something that runs in families where you see some kind of an acquired, either electrical problem, or something called a cardiomyopathy, which is a problem with the heart muscle, leading to sudden unexplained death in young individuals. Any condition that puts a strain on the heart or damages heart tissue can increase the risk of sudden death. Some conditions that can lead to sudden cardiac death in young people are: Thickened heart muscle Heart rhythm disorders Blunt chest injury Congenital heart defect If you have somebody in your family, a parent, a sibling, a cousin, or an aunt and uncle who died suddenly, for unexplained reasons, those are the types of populations in which we really ramp up our screening efforts. The reason we also tend to focus on athletes is not so much so because necessarily, they have a higher risk of having [SADS], but because they may have a higher risk of dying from it, if they do have it due to the stress involved. Dr Dimpu Edwin Jonathan, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Aster RV Hospital As Russian President Vladimir Putin attends World War II commemorations in southern Russia, on the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in Stalingrad, Europe continues to support Ukraine in the war against Russian invaders. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen is in Kyiv ahead of Friday's Ukraine summit. The European Commission chief is in Kyiv with a team of commissioners and the bloc's most senior diplomat Josep Borrell. "We are here together to show that the EU stands by Ukraine as firmly as ever. And to deepen further our support and cooperation," she wrote in a tweet. In recent weeks, Von der Leyen has said that Europe must prevail in the face of Russia's aggression and that unprecedented EU sanctions have left its economy facing a "decade of regression". Last week, the French Foreign Ministry denied that France or its allies were fighting a war against Russia, following a Western decision to send heavy tanks to Ukraine. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that the European Union and specifically the European Commission chief had called for Russia to be defeated so its economy would be devastated for decades. "Is this not racism, not Nazism not an attempt to solve "the Russian question" Lavrov added, evoking Russia's victory against Nazi Germany in World War II. Russia saves Europe from Hitler The Battle of Stalingrad, which turned the tide of World War II 80 years ago when German forces capitulated to the Red Army, remains a powerful symbol of patriotism in Russia. The fighting raged for more than six months in 1942 and 1943 before the Russians defeated Nazi soldiers trapped in the ruined city in the depths of winter. By the time it was over, on 2 February 1943, between one and two million people had died. The first-ever surrender by the Nazis was glorified in Russia as the event that rescued Europe from Adolf Hitler. Russian president Putin has frequently drawn parallels between what he calls Moscow's "special military operation" in Ukraine and the Soviet war against Nazi Germany. The Russian leader launched his invasion in Ukraine in February last year, saying Russia needed to "de-Nazify" the country. Betraying De Gaulle's testament Support for the Russian version of history has apparently come from one unlikely source. Visiting Moscow, where he is attending a conference on historical memory and the Second World War, Pierre de Gaulle, grandson of wartime hero Charles de Gaulle, has been widely cited as a critic of Europe's intervention on the side of Kyiv. According to official news agency editorialist, Elena Karaeva, De Gaulle's grandson has had the courage to raise the alarm on the dangers of Europe continuing to supply heavy weapons to Ukraine, an action which could lead the entire world to the brink of disaster. MBABANE - The reinsurance industry in Eswatini is dominated by foreign companies, mostly from South Africa. According to the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) annual report, the local market generated E385 million in reinsurance premium. Of this, only nine per cent, a figure of E35 million, was placed locally. FSRA said there was a notable year on year increase in Gross Written Premiums (GWP) of five per cent from E506 million to E530 million. Quarter on quarter GWP increased by 50 per cent from E267 million. The top four classes of insurance business collectively contributed to 66 per cent of the GWP amounting to E350 million. Central Bank of Eswatini governor Dr Phil Mnisi in the financial stability report issue six said, Assets of the insurance industry amounted to E6.6 billion at the end of June 2022 from E6.3 billion in June 2021. This increase in total industry assets was driven by growth in assets for the short-term sector of 15.6 per cent and growth of 6.3 per cent for the long-term insurance sector. The governor mentioned that value of insurers assets had been on an upward trend since the first quarter of 2021, even attaining levels above those recorded prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Contracted Mnisi added that investment income contracted over the year ended June 2022. He said the sectors investment income recorded a loss of E79.1 million from a surplus of E318.8 million recorded in June 2021. This decline in investment income was observed for both sectors but was more pronounced in the long-term insurance sector (-130.8 per cent), he said. The above mentioned further prompted government and the private sector to create and promote locally owned insurance companies. The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has refuted allegations by some individuals in Bawku that soldiers deployed on 'Operation Gongong' to restore calm in the area are killing innocent Kusasi youth and women in their homes and communities. It is also alleged that military personnel have seized Zoogin, a Kusasi community. GAF wishes to categorically state that these allegations are false and unfounded,a statement said. It further explained that information received from the National Investigations Bureau by the Operation Gongong Team of GAF early this week indicated that passengers on board a yellow KIA Grand Bird Bus with Registration Number AS 3672-21 travelling from Accra to Missiga were attacked by unknown gunmen around Kpawelga on the Bawku Highways. The gunmen fired through the tyre and engine compartment of the vehicle. The bus is currently packed at Assylum Down, Bawku Divisional Police Station for the investigation to be conducted. Also one KIA Rhino truck with registration number AS 7093-17 was hit and the driver of the truck, Alhassan Abdella aged 40, from the Gonja tribe sustained a gunshot wound on the left foot. He is currently receiving treatment at the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital. Again, it added, on Wednesday 1 February 2023, gunshots were heard around South Natinga in Bawku. A Patrol Team rushed to the general area of the shooting where a suspect, Abdul Malik Haruna, aged 35 from the Mamprusi tribe was arrested. He has since been handed over to the Bawku Police for further investigation. It must be also placed on record that based on a tip off by the Bawku Police on the hideout of the suspects alleged to be involved in the firing incident at Bawku, troops conducted cordon and search operations together with Bawku Police at Pateleme General Area. Three suspects, Fatau Alhassan Binda, aged 42, Abubakar Iddrisu, aged 44 and Alhassan Mustapha Binda, aged 33, all from the Dagomba tribe were arrested in a house at Pateleme. They were handed over to the Bawku Police for further investigations, the statement said. In a separate incident, sporadic firing was heard around Sabongari General Area. A Patrol Team dispatched to assess the situation spotted unknown armed men at Gozesi-Valley side in Sabongari wearing black T-shirts with Black Hoodies. Troops engaged them and neutralized six (6) armed men. During the engagement, some armed men took cover in a mud house within the immediate vicinity to engage the Team. One of the armed men attempted to attack troops with a cutlass but was disarmed in the process. During the operation. a local woman found with a gunshot injury on left-hand was sent to Bawku Presbyterian Hospital by troops for treatment. Following these incidents and the false allegations making the rounds, it has become necessary for GAF to disclose these outcomes in order to dispel false information and the wrong notion that a particular group is being targeted bt troops in Bawku. The Ghana Armed Forces therefore once again wishes to assure the general public of its commitment to protecting the citizenry at all times. It is therefore soliciting the support of all peaceloving Ghanaians especially indigenes of Bawku to facilitate the process of bringing normalcy to the area and also to aid GAF in de-escalating tension in the interest of the needed peace and security for the socio-economic development of Bawku and the nationa as a whole. -3news.com The East African nation of Somalia has been in a state of crisis for decades, with civil war, famine, poverty, and displacement plaguing its people. The root cause of many of these issues is the rampant corruption that has been entrenched in the country for decades. According to Transparency International, Somalia (12) is at the bottom of the CPI, and continually ranks as the most corrupt country in the world. For three decades, violence and Corruption is rampant, yet public officials continue to ignore the problem, as newly elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud dissolved two key anti-corruption bodies in October. Corruption in the country has led to a decaying infrastructure, an inability to provide basic services to its citizens, and has created an atmosphere of impunity for those in power. In this article, we will explore the crisis of corruption in Somalia, the effects it has had on the country, and what can be done to address it. Overview of Somalia's Political Situation Somalia is a war-torn country with a long history of political instability. The Somali government is currently struggling to maintain control of its territory, with the country divided into several autonomous regions. In recent years, the country has faced a number of challenges, including a severe drought, famine, and the rise of the extremist group al-Shabab. The country also faces a deepening crisis of corruption and mismanagement. Many senior government officials have been accused of misappropriating funds and failing to follow proper procedures. This has led to a lack of trust in the government, with many Somali citizens feeling that the government is not doing enough to protect the interests of the people. The Somali people are increasingly taking to the streets to express their frustration with the current system of governance. They are demanding greater accountability and transparency from the government, but their calls have largely been ignored by the authorities. It is essential that the Somali government takes urgent action to address the crisis of corruption and restore the confidence of its citizens in the system of governance. This can be done by introducing stronger anti-corruption laws and better oversight of government officials. It is also important that the government takes steps to improve the economy and create more opportunities for the Somali people. The Somali people deserve a government that is accountable and transparent. It is time for the Somali government to take action to end the crisis of corruption and ensure a more prosperous future for the country. The Impact of Corruption on Somalia Corruption has been a major problem in Somalia for decades and it is now spiraling out of control. This has had a devastating impact on the country and its people, resulting in a humanitarian crisis that is only getting worse. The rampant corruption has led to a lack of access to basic services for large sections of the population. This includes access to healthcare, education, and clean water, among other essential services. With the government unable to provide for its people, poverty has become the norm for much of Somalia. The judicial system in Somalia has also been largely ineffective in investigating and prosecuting cases of corruption, leading to a culture of impunity. This has enabled corrupt officials to continue to operate with impunity and siphon off resources that should be going to the people. In order to address the crisis of corruption in Somalia, there must be a concerted effort by international actors to create more accountable and transparent systems. This includes working with the Somali government to create more stringent anti-corruption laws and to ensure that those laws are enforced. It also involves supporting civil society organizations that are working to combat corruption and advocating for greater transparency in government. Only by tackling corruption head-on can we begin to create a more stable Somalia. International actors must work together to ensure that corruption is reduced and that the Somali people have access to the basic services they need to lead healthy and prosperous lives. The Role of International Actors The crisis of corruption in Somalia has reached an alarming level, leaving citizens feeling powerless and distrustful of their government. International actors have an important role to play in addressing this crisis and restoring trust in Somali government institutions. The international community must act together to tackle the root causes of corruption in Somalia, such as weak institutions and lack of accountability. This requires a holistic approach that focuses on both short-term and long-term solutions. In the short-term, international actors can provide support to Somali civil society organizations, which are working to combat corruption and promote transparency. These organizations can help to shine a light on corrupt practices and demand greater government accountability. In the long-term, international actors must provide support for the Somali government to build capacity and strengthen anti-corruption measures. This includes strengthening the rule of law, increasing public access to information, and encouraging public participation in decision-making processes. It is clear that the international community has an important role to play in addressing Somalias crisis of corruption. By working together and providing support to the Somali government and civil society organizations, international actors can help to restore trust in government institutions and build a brighter future for Somalia. The Growing Humanitarian Crisis The gravity of the humanitarian crisis in Somalia is hard to overstate. With public funds being embezzled and diverted, the country faces severe shortages of food, clean water, healthcare, and education. This has led to extreme poverty and malnutrition, with millions of Somalis living in abject conditions. The corruption crisis has also had a severe impact on Somalia's political and social stability. The government has been unable to provide basic security and stability to its citizens, leading to increased violence and unrest. This has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian crisis, as people are unable to access the resources they need to survive. The international community must take action to help Somalia address its corruption crisis and alleviate the suffering of its people. This could include providing humanitarian aid, as well as technical and financial assistance to help the government tackle corruption. In addition, the international community should support initiatives to improve governance and strengthen the rule of law, which are essential to addressing the root causes of the crisis. Somalia's spiraling corruption crisis has had a devastating effect on the country's people. If the international community fails to take action, the situation will only worsen. It is time to take decisive action to help Somalia address its corruption crisis and alleviate the suffering of its people. Somalia's Path Forward Somalia has been plagued by a history of conflict and instability, leading to a deficiency in government and infrastructure. This lack of strong government has led to a wide-spread problem of corruption, with government officials taking advantage of their positions and exploiting their power. This crisis of corruption has resulted in a lack of trust and transparency among citizens, leading to a further lack of development and economic growth. The path forward for Somalia involves stronger measures to combat corruption, including greater accountability for government officials, increased transparency in decision making, and an improved legal system to ensure that those engaging in corrupt activities are held to account. Additionally, the Somali government must invest in economic and social progress, such as through increased access to education, healthcare, and other social services. This will enable the Somali people to gain a greater sense of trust in their government, leading to increased investment and growth. In order to ensure that these anti-corruption measures are successful, the Somali government must ensure that all citizens have access to education and healthcare services. This will enable citizens to participate in decision-making processes, and to hold their leaders accountable. Additionally, increased investment in infrastructure and economic development should be seen as a priority, as this will create more jobs, stimulate economic growth, and ultimately lead to greater stability and prosperity. Ultimately, Somalia needs to take action to combat its spiraling crisis of corruption. By strengthening anti-corruption measures, increasing investment in infrastructure and social services, and increasing access to education and healthcare, the Somali government can create a path forward for the country. This will enable citizens to have greater trust and transparency in their government and lead to a brighter future for all of Somalia. Corruption in Somalia is a complex and pervasive problem that has had a dramatic and negative impact on the country's development. It is a major contributor to Somalia's lack of stability and its ongoing crisis. Despite persistent challenges, there has been progress made in recent years to address Somalia's corruption crisis. Through increased transparency and accountability in public institutions, improved public awareness of corruption and the implementation of anti-corruption laws, there is the potential for Somalia to make significant progress in combatting corruption. It is essential that these efforts continue and are bolstered to ensure a brighter future for Somalia and its citizens. Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, a presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has urged delegates preparing for the party's presidential primary to elect a candidate Ghanaians will prefer to lead the nation. He said the interest of Ghanaians ought to be paramount and, therefore, must override the choice of the party, if the NPP anticipated to retain political power in the next general election. Mr Kyeremanten gave the advice when he paid a courtesy on the Sunyani Traditional Council to officially inform the chiefs and queens of his decision to contest the party's presidential primary. Comparing himself with other aspirants, the former Trade and Industry Minister said he remained well-marketed, charismatic and influential, with a proven track record in the political space. With John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, it'll be easier for the NPP to win the confidence of the masses, and retain political power in 2024. He said he had served the Government and the nation in diligence, and if it came to popularity, he was very popular in the 'eyes and minds' of the Ghanaian electorate. As President Akufo-Addo retires in 2024, the NPP mantle had fallen on him to lead the party to a total victory, he said. Mr Kyeremanten called on the Traditional Council not only to endorse him but also speak and help convince the delegates to give him the nod to lead the NPP in the next elections. Nana Kwaku Sabeng II, the Akwamuhene and the Acting President of the Sunyani Traditional Council implored the aspirant to prioritise the development of Sunyani when he was given nod. He pledged the Council's support to him and expressed the hope that the delegates would endorse him overwhelmingly. GNA More than 600 delegates from the Krachi East Constituency of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), in the Oti Region have declared their unflinching support to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice President, for the presidential race. The executives include Electoral Area Coordinators, Polling station Executives, Constituency Executives, and the former Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Michael Yaw Gyato. Addressing the group at the Church of Pentecost Dambai Central Chapel, the former MP tasked the Executives to carefully weigh the merits of the Vice President's flagbearership and vote for him to lead the party to victory in 2024. He called on the rank and file of the party in the constituency to ignore propaganda machinery of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party that describes the NPP as an Akan party. He said the NPP had the most credible record of embracing every ethnic group in the country and tapping wide range knowledge of expertise from members and therefore would not reduce membership to only one ethic group. Mr Gyato, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) refuted the perception that the NPP is an Akan party, adding that the NPP cuts across all ethnic persuasions and always gives opportunities to members in all its endeavours. Speaking to the Executives, he said the founding fathers of the party were not only Akans and that the foundation of the party was built on solid inter-ethnic persuasion without any prejudice to ethnic groups. He said the labelling of the NPP as an Akan party especially by the people of northern decent and most instructively from the NDC was a smear campaign to create false impression to northerners that Akans in the NPP party dictated the pace in the party. He thanked the National Muslim Conference and the various Muslim groups around the country and diaspora for allowing their son to bridge the religion in Ghana. Mr Clement Mensah and Madam Adiza Memunatu and some die-hard executives believed that to break the eight years in office for political parties in the Fourth Republic, the Vice President, D, Mahamud Bawumia remains the preferred candidate for December 2024 polls. GNA Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Rabat on Thursday to reset his country's "strategic partnership" with Morocco despite criticism from within his own left-wing government about caving in to Moroccan pressure. At the talks, both sides agreed to show mutual respect, particularly in regards to matters of sovereignty. "We are going to avoid anything that may offend the other, especially with regard to our respective spheres of sovereignty," Sanchez said after he and a dozen ministers met Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch. It was the first such high-level meeting since 2015. "Today we are consolidating a new stage in relations between Morocco and Spain," Sanchez said, insisting that there was "enormous unexplored potential" between the two nations. "Moroccan-Spanish relations have never reached this level of cooperation and coordination," added Akhannouch. The visit comes less than a year after the Spanish leader drew a line under a year-long diplomatic crisis by reversing decades of neutrality on the Western Sahara conflict to back Morocco's position. But the concession to Morocco has drawn harsh criticism from across the Spanish political spectrum. Sanchez's number 3 in government, Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz -- a member of the hard-left Podemos -- declined to join the visit in line with her party's rejection of Sanchez's U-turn on the Western Sahara. The right wing has also denounced Sanchez, with Esteban Gonzalez Pons of the opposition Popular Party saying there was "no greater humiliation than bowing to the will of Morocco". But Sanchez has defended the move as essential for Spanish interests, calling Thursday for new investments in Morocco, where his country is already the third-biggest foreign investor. No meeting with king Around 20 deals were signed on Thursday to bolster Spanish investments in areas including renewable energy to education, as well as doubling Spanish state support for firms setting up projects in Morocco. Both countries said they were progressing in preparations to open customs offices in Ceuta and Melilla, Spain's two North African enclaves, but neither was mentioned explicitly in the final text summarising the meeting, nor was an opening date given. The enclaves have long been a magnet for people fleeing violence and poverty across Africa and seeking refuge via the continent's only land borders with European Union territory. Western Sahara was mentioned in the final document, with Spain ratifying its support for Rabat's plan of limited autonomy for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty, as announced in March last year. The diplomatic crisis began in 2021 when Brahim Ghali, leader of the Polisario Front that seeks independence for Western Sahara, was treated for Covid-19 in a Spanish hospital, angering Rabat. Weeks later, more than 10,000 migrants surged into Ceuta as Moroccan border forces looked the other way, in what was widely seen as a punitive move by Rabat. The standoff ended in March 2022 when Sanchez agreed to back Rabat's plan of limited autonomy for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty. A month later, he visited Morocco and was hosted by King Mohammed VI. This time, he was not hosted by the king, prompting further criticism at home, with the conservative El Mundo daily saying the Moroccan monarch had "shown his position of strength by standing Sanchez up". However, the king did invite Sanchez for a higher-profile state visit soon, which Sanchez said he had "accepted with pleasure". Cooperation over clandestine migration and terrorism was high on Sanchez's agenda, with Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska expected to ask Rabat to ensure migrant deportations return to pre-Covid levels, his office said. Since patching up ties, irregular migrant arrivals from Morocco last year fell by a quarter from the levels of 2021, interior ministry figures show. burs/hmw/js John Abdulai Jinapor, Minority Spokesperson on Mines and Energy 03.02.2023 LISTEN Minority Spokesperson on Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, John Abdulai Jinapor has backed calls for a wider consultation on governments gold for oil policy. The Yapei-Kusawgu legislator want government to be transparent about its policy. Speaking on Accra-based Starr FM, the former energy minister urged government to put the programme on hold and make sure Ghanaians are updated about it since people are not seeing its benefits. He argued that despite the 40,000 metric tons of petroleum products imported by government few weeks ago, prices of fuel have shot up this week. "You and I will go to the pump and pay almost 13 to 14 percent higher than we were paying even before this gold for oil policy was implemented. I think that the government should suspend this policy and consult further," he said. His request, he said, is not to tell the government to completely scrap the programme but to make sure that the citizens understand what it is about and the transactions that will go into it for it to be able to achieve its intended goals. We are not asking that government should completely abandon this project or program. Our point is that lets consult further, lets build consensus, lets cross the Ts and dot the Is. So that we can all have a program which will be all-encompassing, which will deal with the challenges holistically, Mr. Jinapor explained. He continued: When we do that, we will make progress as a country, but when you conduct this policy and program in such an opaque manner, without due diligence process, without any competitive process, you are going to see the kind of challenges that you are seeing. Government announced in November 2022 its decision to use a portion of the country's gold output, which it will purchase in cedis (GHS) from large and small-scale producers, in a "barter" arrangement to secure reliable and regular sources of affordable petroleum products for the country. The move, according to the government, is to ease the demand pressure for dollars, which has led to massive depreciation of the cedi. Pope Francis made repeated appeals for peace during his landmark trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo this week, but there was no let-up in fighting in the east. Putting an end to violence was a dominant theme of the pontiff's visit to Africa's largest Catholic country, where he arrived on Tuesday and was to depart for South Sudan on Friday. Dozens of armed groups have plagued eastern DRC for decades, many of which are a legacy of regional wars that flared in the 1990s and early 2000s. Since late 2021, the M23 rebel group has also captured swathes of territory in the turbulent region and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. Combat between the M23 and state forces continued during the pope's visit. By GLODY MURHABAZI (AFP/File) In a huge open-air mass in the capital Kinshasa, which organisers said drew a million people, Francis urged the faithful not to "give in to divisions". The 86-year-old later met victims of the conflict, who recounted horrors of mutilation and rape. He condemned the "inhumane violence" and called for mercy from God. "May he convert the hearts of those who carry out brutal atrocities, which bring shame upon all humanity," Francis said. The message was well received by worshippers, many of whom said they had hoped the pope's visit would spur peace. Theoneste Bahati Gakuru, 34, a human rights activist in the eastern city of Goma, said he thought the papal trip had drawn much-needed attention to the violence. He added that the international community should now "take action to stop this disastrous situation". Map of DR Congo locating North Kivu province and its cpital Goma.. By (AFP) Kathungu Matumaini, a nurse in the eastern city of Beni, said: "We are innocent, we know nothing about politics". She asked that her "tears and prayers be heard". Combat between the M23 and state forces continued during the pope's visit, while attacks by other armed groups also claimed the lives of civilians in the east. 'Your tears are my tears' On Wednesday in Kinshasa, Pope Francis told conflict victims "your tears are my tears". The same day, armed men, suspected to be members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), killed seven people in a village in eastern Ituri province's Irumu territory. The ADF, which the Islamic State group claims as its central African affiliate, is one of the deadliest armed groups operating in Congo's east. It has been accused of slaughtering thousands of Congolese civilians and carrying out bomb attacks in Uganda. Violence in the east remains routine. This week, the headless body of a five-year-old boy was discovered -- the suspected victim of a ritual killing. By GLODY MURHABAZI (AFP/File) Jean-Marie Ndjaza, a spokesman for the Lendu community in Ituri, said the pope's message of rejecting tribalism and violence must be heeded. "We need to avoid creating more victims," he said. Other residents of the east also took succour from the pontiff's words. Paulin Mulume, 30, said Francis had breathed hope into the heart of victims. "The pontiff will be their ambassador," said the activist in the South Kivu city of Bukavu. Violence in the area, however, remains routine. This week, the headless body of a five-year-old boy was discovered in the province -- the suspected victim of a ritual killing. The Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has visited Calvary Methodist 1 and 2 Basic Schools, Nii Amugi Basic School and Grey Memorial Basic School all under the Nii Amugi Cluster of Schools to observe learners who participated in the National Standardized Test (NST) on Thursday in Accra. According to the ministry, 750,000 Primary 2 and 4 learners in public and some private schools participated in NST in Literacy and Numeracy last year. The Minister interacted with the Primary 6 pupils of the Calvary Methodist 2 Basic School. Dr Adutwum shared his life story and adopted the class and pledged to pay them regular visits and provide them with the needed mentorship until they sit for their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). He said the NST was intended to generate data at the national level on how well Primary 2 and 4 learners are doing in Literacy and Numeracy. He added that it would provide information to decide on which schools and districts need specific interventions. The Minister lauded Teachers, Heads of Schools, and Test Administrators for their efforts in making the 2022 NST successful. The Office of the Upper East Regional Co-ordinating Council (REGSEC) has said it will be disastrous for the indigenes of Bawku to engage the military in a combat. Again, REGSEC appeals to both factions to desist from any attempt to engage the military in combat, since that will be catastrophic on the part of the civilians, the REGSEC said in a statement following its emergency meeting held on Thursday, 2 February 2023, to review the security situation in Bawku. The REGSEC further called on the people of Bawku to remain calm as it works to bring lasting peace to Bawku. REGSEC, therefore, admonishes the people of Bawku to stay calm as we go through the processes, the statement said. It also reminded the indigenes of Bawku and its environs to adhere to all the security measures put in place by REGSEC. Meanwhile, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has refuted allegations by some individuals in Bawku that soldiers deployed on Operation Gongong to restore calm in the area are killing innocent Kusasi youth and women in their homes and communities. The GAF also says allegations that military personnel have seized Zoogin, a Kusasi community is false and unfounded. GAF, in a statement, explained that information received from the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) by its Operation Gongong team early this week indicated that passengers on board a yellow KIA Grand Bird Bus with registration number AS 3672-21 travelling from Accra to Missiga were attacked by unknown gunmen around Kpawelga on the Bawku Highways. The gunmen fired through the tyre and engine compartment of the vehicle. The bus is currently parked at Asylum Down, Bawku Divisional Police Station, for an investigation to be conducted. Also, one KIA Rhino truck with registration number AS 7093-17 was hit and the driver of the truck, Alhassan Abdella, aged 40, from the Gonja ethnic group, sustained gunshot wounds on the left foot. He is currently receiving treatment at the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital. Again, GAF noted that on Wednesday, 1 February 2023, gunshots were heard around South Natinga in Bawku. A patrol team rushed to the general area of the shooting where a suspect, Abdul Malik Haruna, aged 35, from the Mamprusi ethnic group, was arrested. He has since been handed over to the Bawku Police for further investigation. GAF, in the statement, said it must be placed on record that based on a tip-off by the Bawku Police on the hideout of the suspects alleged to be involved in the firing incident at Bawku, troops conducted cordon and search operations together with the Bawku police at Pateleme General Area. Three suspects, Fatau Alhassan Binda, 42; Abubakar Iddrisu, 44; and Alhassan Mustapha Binda, 33; all from the Dagomba ethnic group, were arrested in a house at Pateleme. They were handed over to the Bawku Police for further investigations. In a separate incident, GAF further disclosed that sporadic firing was heard around the Sabongari General Area. A patrol team dispatched to assess the situation spotted unknown armed men at the Gozesi-Valley side in Sabongari wearing black t-shirts with black hoodies. Troops engaged them and neutralised six armed men. GAF said during the engagement, some armed men took cover in a mud house within the immediate vicinity to engage the team. One of the armed men attempted to attack troops with a cutlass but was disarmed in the process. During the operation, a local woman found with a gunshot injury on the left hand was sent to Bawku Presbyterian Hospital by troops for treatment. GAF said it is forced to disclose these outcomes in order to dispel false information and the wrong notion that a particular group is being targeted by troops in Bawku. GAF has assured the general public of its commitment to protecting the citizenry at all times. It is, therefore, soliciting the support of all peace-loving Ghanaians, especially indigenes of Bawku, to facilitate the process of bringing normalcy to the area and also to aid GAF in de-escalating tension in the interest of the needed peace and security for the socio-economic development of Bawku and the nation as a whole. Source: classfmonline.com 03.02.2023 LISTEN Member of Parliament for Adaklu Constituency, Kwame Governs Agbodza has bemoaned Ghanas current debt stock. Calculating the total public debt stock against the total population he said every Ghanaian owes GHS20,000. In a post on social media, the legislator said every Ghanaian should start thinking about how they are going to pay their share of the gargantuan debt. Meanwhile, the MP for Adaklu is blaming President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for burdening the country with so much debt. In case you forgot, let me remind you that, each of us owe about GHS20,000 . Start thinking of how you are going to pay your own. ..Say a big thank you to Akufo-Addo, Dr. Bawumia, and Ken Ofori-Atta, Kwame Agbodza said. "> According to data released by the Bank of Ghana, the countrys total public debt stock has shot up to GH575.7 billion at the end of November 2022, bringing Ghanas debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio to 93.5% from 75.9% at September 2022. Between September and November 2021, an additional GH108.3 billion was added to the debt stock. The Minority in Parliament blames what it describes as reckless borrowing by the government. MBABANE Miss Universe Africa opened voting lines on Monday for this years competition. The pageant will take place in South Africa (SA) at a venue yet to be disclosed. Mrs Universe Africa is a competition that is joined by married, divorced, widowed women who are ready to find themselves again. Representing Eswatini this year is Chakazile Motsa popularly known as Queen Chaka. She has appealed to the nation to vote for her as she is the only one representing Eswatini in the competition. She is contestant number eight in the voting list. She also shared with this publication that she was happy that the competition had reached this stage. I am so excited that the competition has reached a stage where we are now being voted for. Voting can be done at Boxer stores and Pick n Pay. Voting starts at E5 and the maximum is E100. I will be happy if emaSwati can vote for me as I can promise that I will not disappoint them. I will do my best to fly our beautiful flag high, Queen Chaka said. Counter According to Queen Chaka, when voting at shops, one can go to the money market counter at the selected stores, select the voting number of the contestant one wishes to vote for. From there, one can choose a voting bundle between E5, E10, E50 and E100. The cashier will then cast the votes on the Webtickets System and you will receive a voting receipt. Voting can be also done online through Webtickets website www.webtickets.co.za. Here you can just go to Webtickests online, search for Mrs Universe Africa vote. Select a bundle amount (E5, E10, E50 and E100) as well as contestant number. You will then be required to select contestant number and pay using credit or debit card. After all this is done you will then receive a voting receipt. In order to hype the competition, a high tea event themed Embrace yourself, African women! will be hosted on February 25 this month at Ramkiki Country Restaurant in South Africa. This event will feature three SA guest speakers namely; Judy Ranoto, Happy Ngidi as well as Portia M. Tickets are available for sale with Eswatini Mrs Universe Africas only contestant Queen Chaka and cost E1 200. Prof. Ransford Gyampo 03.02.2023 LISTEN Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon, Prof. Ransford Gyampo has hit out at the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURC) over the recent increase in utility tariffs. In a short post on social media, the political and socio-economic analyst lambasted PURC, indicating that the regulatory body has always been stomach-directional. The PURC on January 16 increased the electricity tariff by 30% and 8.3% for water effective February 1, 2023. Last Tuesday, the new tariffs took effect as Ghanaians were urged to brace themselves to pay more for the water and electricity they consume every month. Unhappy about the new increment, Prof. Gyampo in his post accused the PURC of never thinking about the poor Ghanaian. "The PURC is a stomach-directioned body. It has only increased and never decreased utilities. It has never been concerned about the shoddy services given to us by the utility providers. It has never considered the poor in society, Prof. Ransford Gyampo noted in a post on his Facebook page. A human rights NGO in Burkina Faso has accused the army of killing at least 25 civilians in the troubled nation's east, after relatives reported deaths to the group this week. A group called the Collective of Communities against Impunity and Stigmatisation (CISC) said relatives on Wednesday made "allegations of summary executions of civilians attributed to the Burkinabe Defence and Security Forces (FDS)." Neither the army nor Burkina's government have responded to the accusations made public in CISC's statement on Thursday. The killings occurred when a large convoy of over 100 vehicles travelled through three localities, escorted by dozens of pickup trucks carrying army troops in uniform, CISC said. Twelve people were killed in the village of Sakoani, seven in Piega and six others in the hamlet of Kankangou, it alleged. Residents of Sakoani, contacted by AFP, reported the discovery of 11 bodies after the convoy's passage on Wednesday. "The death toll continues to rise as information reaches us from the field," CISC said. Concurring testimonies, it said, described the victims as "unarmed civilians." CISC said it was continuing to collect information and called for an independent and impartial judicial inquiry. Alleged extrajudicial killings have been reported by people in several regions of Burkina, CISC said. Burkina Faso. By (AFP) A volunteer force supporting the army has been accused of killing 28 people in the nation's northwest on New Year's Eve. A landlocked country lying in the heart of West Africa's Sahel, Burkina Faso is one of the world's most volatile and impoverished countries. It has experienced repeated coups since gaining independence from France in 1960. The armed forces are struggling with a bloody seven-year-old insurgency by jihadists linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. Attacks have left thousands of dead, displaced at least two million and fuelled discontent in the military that led to two coups in 2022. Pope Francis on Friday left the Democratic Republic of Congo for a three-day visit to South Sudan to promote peace and reconciliation in the world's youngest country, riven by the scars of civil war and extreme poverty. Francis is due to land in Juba at 3:00 pm (1300 GMT), in the first ever papal visit to South Sudan since the predominantly Christian nation gained independence from Muslim-majority Sudan in 2011 after decades of conflict. Peace has eluded South Sudan in statehood too, with a five-year civil war leaving 380,000 people dead, four million displaced, and the young country deeply impoverished. The 86-year-old pontiff is expected to meet victims of the conflict, as well as the country's political and church leaders, between prayers and an outdoor mass that is expected to draw large crowds. South Sudan is a predominantly Christian nation that gained independence from Muslim-majority Sudan in 2011. By Simon MAINA (AFP) The visit -- Francis's fifth to Africa -- was initially scheduled for 2022 but had to be postponed because of problems with the pope's knee. The affliction has made him dependent on a wheelchair and has seen the itinerary pared back in both countries. He will be joined in South Sudan by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in what is being billed as a "pilgrimage for peace". Hope for peace Pope Francis arrives in South Sudan on Friday afternoon. By Simon MAINA (AFP) The visit has been long anticipated in a devout country of 12 million where the church is a deeply respected institution with a long history of peace building. "I am very excited to see him," Hanah Zachariah, 20, told AFP, one of dozens of pilgrims who walked nine days from the town of Rumbek to Juba, a journey of around 400 kilometres (250 miles), in a bid to see the pope. Francis promised in 2019 to travel to South Sudan when he hosted the country's two warring leaders, President Salva Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar, at a Vatican retreat and asked them to respect a hard-fought ceasefire for their people. In scenes that reverberated in South Sudan, where 60 percent of the people are Christian, the Argentine knelt and kissed the feet of two foes whose personal armies had been accused of horrific war crimes. But four years later, South Sudan remains mired in intractable conflict and hopes are pinned on Francis to encourage much-needed unity in a nation riven with ethnic and political division. Pope Francis addressed thousands of young people at a packed stadium in Kinshasa on Thursday. By ALEXIS HUGUET (AFP) "We have suffered a lot. Now, we want to achieve peace," said Robert Michael, a 36-year-old businessman, beneath one of many towering billboards in Juba welcoming the pope. Friday has been declared a public holiday. Officials have encouraged South Sudanese to turn out in droves but have not offered an estimate of how many are expected to attend the pope's appearances. Roads in the capital have been tarmacked for the occasion, and security officials said Wednesday that an additional 5,000 police and soldiers would be on the streets. Landmark DR Congo visit Pope Francis held a prayer meeting with the clergy and seminarians at Kinshasa's Notre Dame Du Congo Cathedral. By Tiziana FABI (AFP) The visit follows a three-day stop in Kinshasa, the capital of neighbouring DRC, where a bloody conflict in the mineral-rich east was high on the pope's agenda. It was the first time since 1985 that a pope has visited the deeply troubled country -- the size of continental western Europe -- which has Africa's biggest Catholic following. Before boarding his plane on Friday, the pope -- who appeared fatigued -- urged Congolese bishops to focus on the people and not just "political activity". About 40 percent of DRC's more than 100 million people are Catholic, according to estimates, and the church retains huge influence. Earlier during his trip, Francis slammed "brutal atrocities" after hearing harrowing accounts from eastern Congo, including testimony from victims of sexual violence and mutilation at the hands of militias. The pope also called for mercy from God. "May he convert the hearts of those who carry out brutal atrocities, which bring shame upon all humanity," the pope said. He added that the conflict was driven by greed for resources at the expense of innocent victims and denounced "economic colonialism" in the turbulent region. Francis also hosted a mega-mass at Kinshasa's airport and implored young Congolese to shun corruption, at a packed stadium event attended by tens of thousands. burs-eml/jm Already struggling without electricity for hours a day, many South Africans are now having to do also without water, as power outages batter the supply system. A power failure at a pump station feeding reservoirs and water towers caused taps to run dry in parts of Johannesburg and Pretoria, provincial utility Rand Water said this week. This further aggravated residents who for months have had to plan mundane activities such as cooking and do laundry based on a daily blackout schedule. Thomas Mabasa, a rail worker, said he had taken to showering at work -- a luxury not afforded to his children. "(They) have to go to school without bathing," the 43-year-old told AFP. He was among frustrated locals who took to the streets in Soshanguve, a township north of the capital, this week to protest the situation. Demonstrators disrupted traffic, blocking roads with stones and waste. "Sometimes we wait to see if the water will come back in the middle of the night to wake the kids up so they can shower before it runs out again," Mabasa said, as tyres burned on the street behind him. Theft and vandalism Africa's most industrialised economy has been crippled by record power cuts in the past year, as troubles at debt-laden state energy firm Eskom worsened. The utility provides about 90 percent of the country's electricity. Eskom's ageing coal-fired plants have been outstripped by demand. By Luca Sola (AFP) But for years it has failed to keep pace with demand as it struggles to maintain its ageing coal-powered infrastructure. Water and sanitation ministry spokeswoman, Wisane Mavasa said the government was working with water utilities "to improve the situation". "(The) energy crisis is impacting the water infrastructure," she said. One problem is that machinery is constantly being restarted because of power cuts, and this accelerates breakdowns, the government said. Pump stations and water-treatment, which need a steady flow of power to work properly, have been badly impacted, it said. Criminality has also contributed to the crisis, with Johannesburg's municipality saying hundreds of water tanks were stolen or vandalised in 2022. Water-scarce country Hospitals and schools have not been spared. Kalafong hospital in Pretoria, endured two days of no water at the weekend. Journalism student Ethel Malatji, 21, said her and colleagues at the Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria were unable to cook, clean or bathe. "We don't even have water to drink," she said. Her studies have also been disrupted by protesters burning tyres on a road she crosses to access part of the campus, she said. The problems have especially hit Johannesburg's Gauteng province, but not exclusively. Cape Town has had to close some of its beaches due to a sewage spill following electrical faults at some of its sewer stations. Crippling drought has inflicted water shortages in parts of South Africa in recent years. By RODGER BOSCH (AFP/File) Increasing demand has also put a strain on supply in the country's southeast forcing authorities to implement water rationing. That might become more common if energy and infrastructure problems are not addressed, said Dewald van Niekerk, who heads the African Centre for Disaster Studies at North-West University. "Electricity needs to drive those pumps," said van Niekerk. South Africa -- an already water-scarce country -- is set to experience extreme drought conditions in the next few years with the expected return of the El Nino warm weather pattern, he warned. There has been a shooting incident at Awutu Kwei in the Awutu Senya West District of the Central Region. A security man at post at Hao-xin Stone Quarry at Awutu Kwei has been shot multiple times by armed men. This was after some unknown armed men in masks raided the Hao-xin Stone Quarry site. The victim, Kofi Diaka was shot and left in an unconscious state. After the incident on Thursday evening, the victim was rushed to the University of Ghana Medical Center where he is now admitted to the intensive care unit receiving treatment. Information gathered indicate that the armed men shot the 30-year-old security man during a heist. After the operation, they reportedly bolted with GHS2,500. Alexander Thompson, a Safety Health Officer of Hao-xin Stone Quarry confirming the attack in an interview added that this is the third time the site has been attacked. He also revealed that the investors are now scared for their lives and considering other options. Israel expects to fully normalise ties with Sudan later this year after Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen returned from a lightning diplomatic mission to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. Cohen spoke to reporters on Thursday following a one-day trip to Khartoum that included high-level meetings with military leaders including Sudan's ruling general, Abdel-Fattah Burhan, who led a coup that overturned the country's transitional government in 2021. The agreement is expected to be signed this year and it will be the fourth [such deal]," the Israeli Foreign Minister said, referring to the US-brokered normalisation accords with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco in 2020. The announcement could help Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deflect attention from a recent spike in violence with Palestinians and widespread public anger over his plans to overhaul the country's judicial system which critics say will badly damage Israel's democratic system of checks and balances. For Sudan's ruling generals, a breakthrough with Israel could help convince foreign countries including the United States and the UAE to inject financial aid into the struggling economy. Sudan remains mired in a political stalemate between a popular pro-democracy movement and the country's powerful armed forces. Moving forward from 2020 'Abraham Accords' Earlier on Thursday, Sudan's Foreign Ministry said it would move forward to normalise full diplomatic ties with Israel. Sudan first signed a normalisation agreement with Israel in 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords to establish full diplomatic ties. However, the process stalled amid widespread popular opposition in Sudan. The military coup in October 2021 then deposed Sudan's government, upending the country's fragile democratic transition. Cohen said that he presented a draft peace treaty to the Sudanese that is expected to be signed after the transfer of authority to the civilian government that will be formed as part of the transition underway in the country. In its statement, the Sudanese ministry added that the talks aimed to strengthen cooperation in various sectors, including security and military. The ministry also spoke of a need to achieve stability between Israel and the Palestinian people in light of a recent surge in violence. French President Emmanuel Macron denounced on Thursday the "headlong rush" of Iran's nuclear programme after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in Paris to seek a stronger European stance against Tehran. In a statement released after a dinner meeting in the Elysee Palace, Macron warned that Tehran continuing with the atomic project "would inevitably have consequences". Israel has long accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, while Tehran insists its nuclear programme is aimed solely at generating energy. Netanyahu hopes Iran's role in supplying drones to Russian invaders in Ukraine, as well as its crackdown on protests at home, will prompt Western allies to drop any pursuit of a revival of the 2015 atomic programme deal. 'Ukraine card' The Prime Minister has also said Israel is considering sending military aid to Ukraine, apparently dropping its more neutral stance over the conflict in the hope of securing a more confrontational Western position towards Tehran. By "playing the Ukraine card", Netanyahu hopes to "consolidate an anti-Iranian front" with the West, said David Khalfa at the Fondation Jean Jaures, a Paris-based think tank. He hopes for "increased sanctions against Iran and the full addition of the Revolutionary Guards to the list" of sanctioned entities, Khalfa added - a step both France and Germany have so far resisted. France agrees that "firmness" is needed in dealings with Iran, a diplomatic source told French news agency AFP, saying the nuclear programme had reached "a dangerous point" and highlighting Tehran's role in the Ukraine war. Siding with Ukraine is not without risk for Netanyahu, as Russian air defences deployed in neighbouring Syria could be turned against Israeli aircraft during their occasional raids on Iranian interests there. Iran also holds several foreign citizens who are considered political hostages by Western governments. Macron's office said before the get-together that the French leader would also "reiterate the need for all sides to avoid measures likely to feed the cycle of violence" between Israelis and Palestinians, while offering "France's solidarity with Israel in the face of terrorism". Staying in France until Saturday, Netanyahu is also set to meet French business chiefs and leaders of the country's Jewish community, the Israeli embassy said. (with AFP) The Upper East Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has released a statement after a meeting over the recent killings in Bawku. After its meeting, REGSEC has admonished residents of Bawku to remain calm and not engage the military in any combat. REGSEC calls on the people of Bawku to remain calm as it works to bring lasting peace in Bawku. REGSEC asked factions to desist from any attempt to engage the Military in combat since that will be catastrophic on the part of civilians, part of the release said. During the week reports emerged that the military has brutalised and killed over 10 people. However, in a press release from the Ghana Armed Forces it describes the allegations as false. The attention of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has been drawn to allegations by some individuals in Bawku that soldiers deployed on Operation Gongong to restore calm in the area are killing innocent Kusasi youth and women in their homes and communities. They also allege that military personnel have seized Zoogin, a Kusasi community. GAF wishes to categorically state that these allegations are false and unfounded, the Ghana Armed Forces said in a release on Thursday. Rarely is age used as a weapon to mock a politician in a rational society. A society like this keeps an eye out for any signs of abuse. They are aware that the deliberate use of force, in whatever form it takes, can result in humiliation, intimidation, as well as psychological pain or distress, so these can include but are not limited to neglect of physical, emotional, and psychological areas. However, Chief Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, is one individual who has been met with abuse of all kinds due to his age in Nigeria, where it appears that anything can go, especially in politics. Because many people believe that he is too old to be Nigeria's president, those who subscribe to this irrational notion make old age appear to be a crime in the nation, omitting the fact that "Old wine tastes fine." The purpose of this article is not to promote Tinubu's electioneering campaign. Its purpose is to dispel the misconception that an elderly or ill person is of no use to the nation. But those who hold an opposing view against Tinubu do not recognize the greater implications of such an attitude toward old age. Whether Nigerians agree or not, it is evidence that one of the most significant social shifts of the twenty-first century is expected to be the aging of the population, according to "World Population Prospects: According to the 2017 Revision." The number of older people, or people 60 and older, is expected to more than double by 2050 and more than triple by 2100. This means that there were 962 million older people worldwide in 2017, as opposed to 2.1 billion in 2050 and 3.1 billion in 2100. Although the United Nations establishes a global ratio of old age at 60, experts believe that 65 is typically considered old age because it is at this point in life that the rates of illness and death begin to significantly rise in comparison to earlier years. While many Nigerians in the name of politics are perpetuating something that shouldnt be normalized, in the time of our ancestors, aging was treated with much more respect and beauty. Is it more misunderstood than human value itself today, with people forgetting that it is a natural process that has accompanied people for generations but that there has been an uneven fight against wrinkles in recent years? As evidenced by the media, young people are led to believe that their happiness is determined by how beautiful and flawless they appear. But the opposite is true here! As the literature on population aging expands, so does the abuse of Tinubu. Concerns ought to be raised regarding this negative trend. The difficulties posed by an aging population for existing social and economic structures should be of greater concern to the general public. If 60 is thought to be the average age of old age, many politicians and their supporters who insult Tinubu on social media and in mainstream media are either over 60 or have one or more health issues. As if they would never age or fall ill, people simply abuse others because of circumstances they would never choose for themselves. The fact that many people are unaware of the repercussions they are inflicting upon themselves by abusing elderly or ill individuals poses a threat. Those who are now old may have believed they would always be young. On September 11, 2022, an analysis by Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-Large, stated that the current President of the United States is 79 years old. While Nigerians make fun of their elderly citizens for the sake of politics, the US House speaker is 82 years old. The leader of the US Senate majority is 71 years old. At the beginning of 2021, the oldest senator in American history was on average 64.3 years old. The American public does not agree on many things, but this is one: simply put, our politicians are too old, said the analyst. In addition, the conventional age measurement is retroactive. It informs Nigerians of a person's life expectancy. But because they don't take into account changes in life expectancy, this is only a partial measure. Life expectancy serves as a common reference point for the concepts of young and old. It was learned that US President Joe Biden is 79 years old. Shortly after the 2024 election, he will turn 82. Biden has already been elected to his first term as president, making him the oldest person ever. Now, Americans are debating the appropriate age limit for public office. According to Cillizza's report, 4 in 10 Americans selected the age of 70 as the most common response in the CBS poll. One in four (26%) agreed that an individual should not be older than 60 to hold an elected position, while 18% agreed that the age limit should be 80. Therefore, how old is Tinubu? Despite the fact that Nigerians assert that they require new leadership, which of the presidential candidates is not actually older? Even though yours truly is a fervent supporter of Donald John Trump, an American politician, media personality, and businessman who was the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, Wikipedia says that Trump earned a bachelor's degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1968. Trump was born on June 14, 1946, at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in New York, New York, USA. He is 76 years old and might also be running for president of the United States in 2024. Keep in mind that, as stated earlier, the purpose of this article was not to support Tinubu in his political endeavors but rather to respect the elderly. Despite the fact that many are concerned about the prospective age, which is tailored to the future, the chronological agealso referred to as the "retrospective age"should not be abused. In order for the younger generation to comprehend that getting older is normal and will be a part of life in the future, it is past time to stop referring to old age as an insult and begin to view it as a good thing and a source of attractiveness. Onwumere is Director, Advocacy Network on Religious and Cultural Coexistence (ANORACC), Rivers state. WhatsApp: +2348032552855. Video cartoons circulating on social media have shed light on a Russian propaganda campaign aimed at sapping France's influence among its African allies, analysts say. They depict France as a voracious invader -- typically an animal predator eyeing the riches of its former colonies, only to be overcome by those it seeks to subjugate. "We are Macron's demons," say skeletons in one video, supposedly dispatched by French President Emmanuel Macron. A giant snake in France's red-white-and-blue colours appears and announces he wants to "conquer all of Africa". Several of these cartoons have surfaced since December, proliferating on social media through pro-Russian accounts and pan-African influencers, AFP's Africa Factcheck unit has found. A video put on Facebook on December 21 displayed an aggressive rat called "Emmanuel". Armed white men in the combat fatigues of Russia's mercenary group Wagner are seen coming to the rescue of soldiers carrying the flags of Mali, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. 'Russian trolls' How widely the videos have circulated and the impact they have are unclear. But they convey simple images which are effective across cultures and language barriers, a French military source admitted. A supporter at a pro-junta rally in Mali last May holds up a picture showing Vladimir Putin kicking Emmanuel Macron. By OUSMANE MAKAVELI (AFP) "They use the codes of child fiction that a wide cross-section can relate to and are clearly the work of Russian or pro-Russian trolls," possibly based in St Petersburg, Bamako or Ouagadougou, the source said. Several diplomats and experts told AFP the videos are weapons in a major campaign whipped up by Moscow to win support in the Sahel. They have fed into the anti-French hostility swelling in Mali and Burkina Faso -- fragile countries where a jihadist insurgency has sparked discontent in the army, leading to coups against elected leaders. "The African continent is becoming the expression of a proxy war... against Western interests and particularly those of France," said Emmanuel Dupuy, head of the Paris-based Institute for European Perspective and Security (IPSE). Mali's junta last year forced out French forces who had been key allies in its struggle against the jihadists since 2013, and Burkina this month followed suit. Wagner The Malian junta has woven close ties with the Kremlin, bringing in operatives that France and other say are Wagner mercenaries, and there is speculation that its counterpart in Burkina will follow suit. The latest clip was tweeted on January 14 from @Souleym25304454. This account had already pedalled accusations against France last April when a mass grave was dug up at Gossi in central Mali, close to a French military base that had just been handed back to the Malian army. Photographs of blurred-out corpses in the sandy soil were heavily circulated on social media. The French army denied involvement and put out pictures taken by a drone which it said showed Russian mercenaries burying dead bodies several days earlier. A monitoring organisation called All Eyes on Wagner said the new video emerged on Mali's "Day of Restored Sovereignty" -- a public holiday declared by the junta. Dupuy said the depiction of Wagner in the videos was revealing. It offered "proof that (Wagner) has changed its role somewhat, to present itself as a private army in the service of governments ... Mali today, perhaps Burkina Faso tomorrow," he said. Graphic codes and use of anthropomorphism are indicators of a video that may have originated in "the Prigozhin constellation," suggested Maxime Audinet, a researcher at the French military's Institute for Strategic Research (IRSEM), referring to Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. Long-standing technique The use of cartoons supporting Russia's narrative in Africa is not new. The last French troops leaving the Central African Republic in December. France's intervention in the CAR from 2013-2016 helped stabilise the country after a civil war erupted on sectarian lines. By Barbara DEBOUT (AFP) In 2019, a cartoon was used to glorify Wagner combatants in the Central African Republic -- another former French colony where France has chose to withdraw its troops, also in the face of hostility. Wagner deployed its men in 2018 to help the CAR's beleaguered government recover territory from rebel groups. The cartoon shows a bear "from a country far away in the north called Russia," who arrives to save an elephant attacked by hyenas trying to eat its food. The helpful bear then "establishes peace" between the wild animals on the savannah. Unlike other videos, that one carried credits at the end in the name of Lobaye Invest -- a company with mining rights in CAR, according to the US Treasury which sanctioned it in September 2020 over links to Wagner. Wagner's strategy is "to manufacture a favourable image... to justify through media and cultural means its establishment and by extension, to legitimise Russia's growing presence in the region," researchers Maxime Audinet and Colin Gerard wrote last year on on the French analysis platform Le Rubicon. France has been slow to understand the scale of what was happening in this information war, the commentators said. "We face a steamroller that plays with the perceptions of local people who are in existential difficulty," from war and famine, admitted a French military source. Paris is trying to catch up. The foreign ministry has set up a monitoring and strategy team and the army has put a general in charge of the issue. In November, Macron stressed that today "influence" is a "strategic priority". burs-cl/bp/ri MBABANE There are about 130 scholarships for students who want to study various courses in India, including Eswatini. The Indian High Commission in Eswatini Second Secretary Brahmam Jabattuni, announced two sets of scholarships yesterday offered by his home country to emaSwati and other nationalities that qualified for the Indian Council for Cultural Relation (ICCR). Jabattuni said the first batch had 30 scholarships strictly for emaSwati. The ICCR (www.iccr.gov.in) is offering 30 scholarship for students from Eswatini under the Africa Scholarship Scheme (G0179) for the academic year 2023/2024. These scholarships will cover from undergraduate to PhD courses, he said. He said applications from interested emaSwati students would be invited online through ICCRs A2A Scholarship Portal http://a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in, which would be operational from February 20, 2023. Slots The second batch of scholarships are100 ICCR Scholarship slots globally under the Lata Mangeshkar Dance and Music Scholarship Scheme (A1209), formerly known as ICCR Scholarship Scheme for Indian Culture, for pursuing study of Indian Culture such as dance, music, theatre, performing art, sculpture, Indian languages, Indian cuisine etc. for the academic year 2023/2024. He said the applications should be sent directly to the universities in the link provided. He added that there was an age restriction for all the programmes. For undergraduate courses, Jabuttuni said the age restriction was between 18 and 30 years, for PhD programmes was between 18 and 45 years. Further, he said the course durations were five years. These courses include Medical or Paramedical in Nursing, Physiotherapy, Anaesthesia, Fashion, Law courses and integrated courses. It may be noted that for Bachelor of Education, Biotech courses, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics are compulsory in 11-12 Grades (Form-IV and V) and mark sheets for Grades 10 to 12 (Form III-V), equivalent level of school should be uploaded along with transcripts, he said. Furthermore, applicants can apply to five universities or institutions in their order of their preferences. Other guidelines for application, he said a 500-word essay in English had been introduced to ascertain English proficiency. He said some universities would directly conduct interviews of applicants online. Payment As part of the Government of Indias guidelines on direct payment to beneficiaries, he said scholarship payment to students would be through the public financial systems (PFMS). The scholarships include return economy class airfares and the selected scholars will be issued one way air-ticket to the nearest airport to the university or institution. He advised interested students to conduct thorough research of the course offered, eligibility criteria and general information before applying for admission. He said the scholarship would be awarded only after the high commission was satisfied that the student intending to study in India had no serious health issues, had not submitted incomplete/fraudulent documentation or any other such parameters, which may negate the objective of promoting goodwill through these scholarships. All ICCR scholarship students have to obtain medical insurance coverage on their own at a cost of E750 per annum, which should secure a minimum assured sum of INR 500 000 equivalent to E110 000 per annum before their travel to India or immediately after reaching India, whichever is convenient. However, students can purchase medical insurance from any of the insurance companies of their choice in Eswatini or India. The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has said mosquito coil caused the fire outbreak that claimed three lives at Abuakwa in the Atwima Nwabiagya municipality of Ashanti Region. It says, an unattended lit mosquito coil in close contact with room combustibles caused the heart wrenching fire which claimed 3 lives and resulted in the destruction of three (3) bedrooms and their contents including roofing sheets, doors, utensils, furniture, household appliances and personal effects which run into several thousands of cedis. A mother,28, her daughter, 9, and her granddaughter, 6, were burnt to death on Wednesday, February 1. The deceased got trapped in their room, suffocated by the heavy smoke and burnt to death by the fire. Fire fighters believed the fire started at about 2:00am on the said day. The Ashanti Regional Fire Command said an unattended lit mosquito coil in close contact with room combustibles caused the fire which claimed 3 lives. Fortunately, two (2) other tenants in the affected house managed to escape unhurt from the ruinous fire, the Duty Officer, ASTNO Osei Gyamfi, explained. He said late call-up to the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) for help, as a result of late detection of fire and wrong address provided to the fire scene and poor road network led to the destruction of three (3) bedroom and their contents. 3news.com Dakar, February 2, 2023In response to multiple news reports that police arrested several people, including prominent members of Cameroons security forces, in connection to their investigation into the murder of the Cameroonian journalist Martinez Zogo, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: Cameroonian authorities must ensure transparency in the investigation into the brutal killing of Martinez Zogo and guarantee that the process is followed in a way that delivers full justice, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator, in New York. Unfortunately, past inquiries into the deaths of journalists, including Samuel Wazizi, have left much to be desired, and authorities must ensure that their investigations and findings surrounding Zogos murder are public and credible. On Thursday, February 2, in a statement published on social media, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, the secretary general of Cameroons presidency, announced that investigations led to the arrest of several individuals highly suspected of being involved in this heinous crime, and that others remain wanted. Ngohs statement did not name those arrested. According to the same news reports, the investigations led to the recent arrests of Leopold Maxime Eko Eko, head of the General Directorate of External Intelligence (DGRE), and Justin Danwe, director of operations at the DGRE. Unidentified attackers abducted Zogo, the director of the privately owned radio broadcaster Amplitude FM, from his car on the evening of January 17 in the capital city of Yaounde. The attackers chased Zogo, who had recently reported on alleged public embezzlement involving a prominent businessman, to the gate of the local gendarmerie office near the journalists home, where he had sought help. Zogos mutilated body was found on January 22; Cameroonian authorities announced the same day that they had begun an investigation to find the perpetrators and hold them accountable. In a separate incident, Cameroonian journalist Samuel Wazizi died in government custody in August 2019, but authorities failed to inform Wazizis family of the death for 10 months or hand over his body, according to CPJ research. CPJ has called for Cameroonian authorities to fully account for Wazizis death. At least five journalists remain behind bars in Cameroon in connection with their work, according to CPJs December 1, 2022, prison census. The Deputy Minister for Finance, Dr John Ampontuah Kumah, has given assurance that Ghana is prepared to host the 30th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). He made this known on Thursday in Accra, when a delegation from the bank officially informed him of the bank's decision to hold its 30th AGM in Accra from June 19th to June 25th, 2023. The government is prepared to host the event, which is expected to bring over 3000 participants into the country, he stated. Dr Kumah lauded the bank's commitment to African values and emancipation. He further assured the bank that the Ministry would accord it all the needed assistance, adding that the Minister was, particularly enthused about the banks overall commitment to the development of Africa. On his part, the Director for Communication and Events of Afreximbank, Mr Tito Alai, indicated that the delegation wanted to have an initial engagement with committees set up to start preparations for the AGM. He expressed the delegations gratitude to the local team for taking it on a tour of the hosting facilities. The Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has called on agencies under the Ministry to uphold and maintain the best practices established by USAID Partnership for Education over the past nine years. The partnership supports the Ministry of Education to improve reading performance of pupils in public primary schools. The Minister said this during the National Close-out ceremony for USAID Partnership for Education Learning on Wednesday in Accra. He gave the assurance that Ghana would use the USAID Partnership for Education Learning's success to reform the educational system. The learning activity, a nine-year (2014-2023) activity of the USAID, supported the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service and other affiliated institutions to improve the reading performance for early grade pupils. He said investing in the future literacy of this nation remained the safest approach to alter its course, adding that the government would ensure that the successes chocked were maintained. Dr Adutwum said it was important that every child in the country irrespective of where they found themselves were allowed to succeed. I believe that the better days of this nation are ahead of us and not behind us. If we leverage what we learn from these partnerships, especially the partnership that we are celebrating today, we will create a more equitable society through education, he said. Dr Adutwum said it was imperative that foundational learning be given the necessary attention because it was key to national development. On her part, the Mission Director of USAID, Madam Kimberly Rosen, expressed satisfaction with the project implementation and the outcomes. She said about 14 million locally developed and context-relevant TLMs, including Braille, had been distributed to over 16,000 primary schools. Over 68,000 teachers, curriculum leads and head teachers were trained using a systematic phonics-based teaching methodology, she added. Chairman of the National Peace Council, Reverend Dr Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, has urged residents in border town communities, particularly in the Northern regions to be vigilant amidst the inflow of asylum seekers from neighbouring Burkina Faso. According to multiple reports, at least 4,000 Burkina Faso nationals are seeking refuge in some parts of the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region, following terrorists' attacks in some border communities in Burkina Faso. Speaking to Citi News, Chairman of the National Peace Council, Reverend Dr Ernest Adu-Gyamfi urged residents in border communities to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement agencies to curb infiltration of terrorists into the country. The most important thing for us now is how do we ensure that among the over 3000 people coming in, the terrorists dont infiltrate to create chaos for us. That means that all the people within our border must be vigilant. On Wednesday, February 1, the Programme Coordinator for the Ghana Refugee Board, Mr. Tetteh Padi, said the board and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) are putting in place measures to accommodate the over 3000 refugees trooping into the country from Burkina Faso. These refugees have sought asylum in Sapelega in the Bawku West District. Housed in an uncompleted structure, these refugees are exposed to health hazards, and poor shelter and depend solely on donated foodstuff from local residents or non-governmental organisations. In an interview with Citi TV, Mr Padi said some of the refugees have been registered, but the number keeps increasing daily. We have been on the ground and we have registered some of them but as you are aware, the number keeps increasing so we together with UNHCR are mobilising to see what interventions can be made. Meanwhile, during a fact-finding visit to assess the refugee situation at Sepelega, Upper East Regional Director for the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) Mawuli Agbenu, called on the government and humanitarian organisations to assist the refugees with their basic needs and integrate with their relatives in Ghana. By Citi Newsroom Some aggrieved students of the University of Ghana, Legon have converged at Obra Spot in Accra to march against certain decisions of the university management. Students of the university, especially residents of the Commonwealth and Sarbah Halls have been protesting the decision of the university to allow only level 100 students into those halls and relocate continuing students to other hostels. The new directive to reassign the continuing students to other halls comes on the back of numerous clashes recorded between students of the respective halls in times past. Hundreds of students who returned to school in January were prevented from entering those two halls and were asked to go to other halls. The students are also accusing the university management of increasing fees by more than the 15% approved by Parliament. Citi News Charles Owusu Kumi who reported from the Obra Spot on Friday said the students who are in their hundreds said some of the decisions of the university are unfair and put a huge financial burden on the students. The students who were clad in red and black bands called on the government to come to their aid and stop the university management from enforcing the unpopular decision. By Citi Newsroom Member of Parliament for Bawku Central in the Upper East region, Mahama Ayariga, has petitioned the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) over the alleged killing of some 10 citizens by the military. The MP is demanding investigations into the incident and GH500,000 compensation for each person allegedly killed by the military. The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has denied killing some seven innocent people who were running for cover in Bawku during recent disturbances. The military in a statement on Thursday, February 2, however, stated that they engaged a group of armed men and neutralised six of them. But the Member of Parliament for the area has sent a petition to CHRAJ demanding investigations into the incident. In a petition, Mahama Ayariga stated In my capacity as the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central I hereby lodge a complaint on behalf of some residents of Bawku under regulation 2(2)(a) and (b) of C.I. 67 pertaining to several acts of violation of the human rights of some residents of Bawku by members of the Ghana Armed Forces. Among the rights violated included the sacred right to life of 10 citizens of Bawku who were shot to death by members of the armed forces engaged in Operation Gongong in Bawku on Tuesday 31st January and Wednesday 1st February 2023. Children's rights. Women's rights and property rights were violated. The military does not deny shooting and killing these residents of Bawku. A statement issued by the military authorities on 2nd February 2023 admitting responsibility for the killings is attached. Among the remedies being sought by the MP include; Compensation of Five Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH500,000.00) for each and every one of those whose lives were taken to be paid to their immediate families as punitive damage. Restraining the members of the Ghana Armed Forces from further acts of brutalities in Bawku in the exercise of their responsibilities to maintain peace in Bawku and adequate compensation to those who have suffered physical harm. Click here to read the full petition by Mahama Ayariga to Chraj By Citi Newsroom H.E. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of Malawi 03.02.2023 LISTEN I was blind, but now I see. This is what Vainesi, from Salima District in Central Malawi, said after surgery to treat trachoma. A mother of three, Vainesi had been unable to work or provide for her family once the disease began to affect her eyesight. Vainesi is one of millions of Malawians who joins me in celebrating a historic milestone in October, Malawi became the first nation in southern Africa to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem. Trachoma is a bacterial infection of the eyes that causes severe swelling and scarring of the eyelids and is the worlds leading cause of infectious blindness. As recently as 2015, 7.6 million people in Malawi were at risk from this disease, but now this threat has been removed from our land. I wish to pay particular tribute to all our partners and friends of Malawi who supported our efforts in fighting trachoma. Our success in eliminating trachoma comes hot on the heels of another elimination success. Two years ago, in 2020, we also eliminated lymphatic filariasis, a parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes that leads to disfiguring swelling and disability. Both trachoma and lymphatic filariasis are neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), a group of 20 diseases and conditions that cause immeasurable suffering and affect more than one billion people worldwide. These diseases disproportionately affect those living in rural areas, like Vainesi, and often trap affected individuals in cycles of poverty. Today, as countries across the globe commemorate World NTD Day 2023, I would like to reaffirm Malawis commitment to ending the burden of these diseases in our country and improving the quality of life of our citizens. And I am so proud of what we have accomplished so far. Many children will be able to go to school and achieve their full potential. Malawis 2063 vision of a wealthy, industrialized, inclusive and self-reliant nation, able to stand tall amongst nations, will be fully realized. It will take healthy people who can participate fully in economic development to make this a reality. Investing in NTD elimination programmes creates a ripple effect in society. It leads to better education, health and employment outcomes, and transforms lives and communities. Individuals like Vainesi in Salima District, who is no longer housebound and unable to see, are a powerful example of how incredible this transformation can be. This is why it is important that preventable diseases that limit the potential of individuals to play an active role as proud citizens, can be eliminated. The return on investment that weve seen in fighting these diseases has been both robust and far-reaching. These same health systems are now being leveraged to deliver steady progress against several other NTDs, including river blindness and schistosomiasis. What we now know is that progress fighting one NTD accelerates progress fighting other NTDs, building momentum and generating results. Of the 20 NTDs in existence, only six are present in Malawi today. Other countries in Africa are also seeing great success using this approach. Just this August, Togo celebrated eliminating an amazing four neglected tropical diseases since 2011 trachoma, lymphatic filariasis, human African trypanosomiasis, and Guinea worm disease. However, there is still much work to be done particularly in Southern Africa. An estimated 190 million people require treatment for at least one NTD among the 16 members states that comprise the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Malawi is the only SADC country to have eliminated an NTD, and the COVID-19 pandemic has threatened hard-earned progress. Concerted action is needed to galvanise action against NTDs and prevent future health threats from unraveling years of progress. But my message is one of hope and of the importance of making a commitment and accountability. This is why, I was proud to lead my country Malawi in endorsing the Kigali Declaration on NTDs - a high-level, political declaration which is helping mobilise political will and secure commitments against NTDs, joining Botswana, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, United Republic of Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Uganda, and Vanuatu. The theme of World NTD Day 2023 includes an important message: Act now. Act together. Invest in NTDs. I would like to see the names of all the countries in SADC on this list. When nations work together to lead NTD elimination efforts, we can accomplish so much. So today, I am calling on Heads of State in southern Africa to endorse the Kigali Declaration on NTDs and commit to its delivery. We are 100% committed to ending NTDs. Join us in committing to build a healthier, happier future. Dear Patriot, Permit me to share with you some disturbing facts the NPP need to be concern about going into 2024. In the last election, the NPP lost in almost all the major Zongos in the country, yet some people want us to believe that the Alhaji is our best bet for 2024. Not even his presence in the Zongos and his face on the posters plus Zongo Development fund and Ministry could bait the Zongo votes into our basket. If people in the Zongos could reject the Alhaji in such a disgraceful manner due to the Rawlings factor and the fact that most of them dont like the way he goes to church to dance and allow hands to be laid upon him, what do you think the fanatics in the 71.2% Christian Community would do to us should we mistakenly present him as our candidate? I dare to ask, where would the Alhaji get the votes from to win the 2024 election? From the Zongos, Christian community, Akan community, Youth community, Women community or Business community? The man is disadvantaged in all these communities. I really dont get it. How can any serious party that wants to win power present a candidate who is doubly disadvantaged relative to religion and ethnicity (minority in both) when these two play role in a game of numbers like politics! Have those shouting BMW really sat down to deeply brood over the issues? Or they are being carried away by emotion and cash. The man cant even win at his own Muslim backyard yet we are being told he can win the Christian votes for the party against John Mahama, a competitive Christian candidate. Only hatred would make someone believe this claim, I dare to say. Even in Walewale township where Alhaji casts his votes, out of 35 polling stations, the NPP won only 4 after spending so much resources in that area. And, dont forget we lost a safe seat like Nalerigu-Gambaga Constituency in North East where the Alhaji traces his root. So, you can understand why our total parliamentary seats in the five regions in the north reduced from 21 to 20 in the last election, after spending over 60% of the partys campaign resources in part of the country alone to create the so-called Bawumia-effect that never was. These truths they wont tell you. Again, while the Ashanti Region gave us 1,142,292 votes difference in 2020, Alhaji's region, North East, could only give the party a difference of 10,436, after spending more resources there than any other region. In the face of such massive difference in numbers, some people want the party to reject a candidate who can massively increase our votes in the Ashanti Region for the Walewale man. What at all has come over some of our people? Moreover, in a desperate attempt to dispel or deflate the reality of the religious factor within our body politic, the Alhaji has been visiting churches with fat brown envelopes. Charle the man has cash to spend paaa o! Perhaps Uncle Fred has whispered into his ears that he can buy the Christian votes. The other day I overheard someone talking about Saudi, Iran and Turkish cash. Not only that, the camp of Alhaji has also disturbingly started sponsoring publication of fake polls to project him as a frontrunner and also suggest the issue of religion and ethnicity, his two weaknesses, have no place in our elections. Who are they trying to deceive? The delegates or themselves! Were we not made to believe that with Alhaji as the head of Economic Management Team Ghanas economy would be sweeter than honey? And, now we are being told with him as our candidate the party would win more of the 71.2% Christian and 47.5 % Akan votes than Alan Kyerematen woud do against John Mahama. Are we really serious to win power? As I mentioned in one of my articles, religions role in politics is quite akin to the role of a silent killer in movies. It doesnt kill you with the mouth, it kills you subtly with the heart. It sweeps you away like an undercurrent. Patriot, permit me to share with you some analysis I made some time ago to bring to the knowledge of party delegates how the religious factor dealt a hefty blow to the NPP in the Ajumako Enyan Essiam Constituency in the 2020 elections. Let me briefly share that with you. In year 2008, NDCs Hon. Ato Forson won the seat from the NPP with a difference of 2,930. Before that time, the NPPs Isaac Edumadzi (now late) had dominated that constituency for three consecutive terms. Again, Ato Forson won it in 2012 with a difference of 3,290. In 2016, he won it again with a difference of 3,698. Ironically, in 2020, when the party treated that constituency as a special project and sent more resources there to oust Ato Forson, the difference unbelievably skyrocketed from 3,698 to 11,000. Yes, the difference was 11,000! And, do you know what caused that unimaginable increase in the difference? A religious factor! How? The painful truth is that the party mistakenly presented Dr. Rashid, a fine Fante-Muslim intellectual in an overly Christian-dominated constituency. The fanatic Christians in that constituency silently pulled the trigger and devastated the party, as the NDC quietly played the religious card. Interestingly, prior to the election, almost every big man in NPP visited that constituency to help get Dr. Ato Forson out. In fact, the party actually counted that constituency as one of the seats to be won easily because on the surface everything looked perfect massive never-seen-before keepfits. But, you see, religious factor doesnt show its teeth before it devours. Religious factor in politics has always been an undercurrent. Will I be wrong to boldly say that what happened in that constituency could be a perfect microcosm of what would befall the party should we mistakenly present the Alhaji as a candidate for 2024 in this overly Christian-dominated-country? I dont think so! Let me conclude with the Nigerian situation. In Nigerian, the PDP were the first to choose their candidate. Knowing that the country is slightly dominated by Muslims, they chose a Muslim from the North, Abunakar Atiku. Then came the turn of APC, the ruling party to choose their candidate. The contest became a two-horse race between the sitting Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, a Christian and Bola Ahmed Tinabu, a Muslim from the South. Interestingly, the Muslim President was supporting his Christian Vice-President, but the party found wisdom in choosing Tinabu so that PDP, with Atiku would not have advantage over them in the dominant Muslim Community. And whats even more interesting is that the Christian Community has largely rallied behind Peter Obi, believing that there could be split of votes between the two Muslims for Obi to win. Let no one deceive you, religion plays a key role in politics everywhere in the world. Even in America the Republicans tried to pin Obama down with a Muslim tag due to his middle name Husein. They did that deliberately to get the majority Christian community to vote against him. Obama had to quickly come out to show his baptismal certificate that he is Christian because he couldnt afford to lose the Christian votes. When it comes to the issue of religion, people rarely talk about it in the open for obvious reason. Most people prefer dealing with it quietly. A word to the wise! Shalom shalom! E. G. Buckman Bawku Central MP, Mahama Ayariga 03.02.2023 LISTEN Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga has petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHARJ) to demand compensation for the families of the 10 residents allegedly killed by the military. In his petition, the MP is demanding that every family of the 10 deceased residents from the alleged military shooting is compensated with GHS500,000. Compensation of Five Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (Ghc 500,000.00) for each and every one of those whose lives were taken to be paid to their immediate families as punitive damage, Mahama Ayariga said in his petition. The Bawku Central MP also wants the Ghana Armed Forces to be retrained from further acts of brutality in Bawku in the exercise of their responsibilities to maintain peace in Bawku. He also demands that there should be adequate compensation for those who have suffered physical harm. In his petition, Mahama Ayariga argued that the military engaged in acts that amounts to human right violation during the shooting in Bawku. In my capacity as the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central I hereby lodge a complaint on behalf of some residents of Bawku under regulation 2(2)(a) and (b) of C.I. 67 pertaining to several acts of violation of the human rights of some residents of Bawku by members of the Ghana Armed Forces. Among the rights violated included the sacred right to life of 10 citizens of Bawku who were shot to death by members of the armed forces engaged in Operation Gongong in Bawku on Tuesday 31st January and Wednesday 1st February 2023. Childrens rights. Womens rights and property rights were violated, the MP indicated in his petition. EZULWINI Could this be an oversight or simply administrative calculations that can be justified? This question begs an answer as the Eswatini Energy Regulatory Authority (ESERA) has made claims that Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) understated its regulatory clearing account (RCA) balance of E555 068 298 over-recovery. Accountingtools.com explains over-recovery as more than actually incurred in business. As part of its electricity tariff hike application, EEC submitted an RCA balance of E168 950 192 over-recovery for the regulatory period 2020/21 and E12 053 238 under-recovery for the period 2021/22 to be liquidated (net over-recovery of E156 896 954). Analysis After a thorough analysis of costs and based on the information available, ESERA approved an over-recovery balance of E358 374 362 for 2020/21 and over-recovery of E196 693 936 for 2021/22 resulting in a net RCA balance of E555 068 298 million over-recovery. The details of the RCA were unpacked by ESERA Tariff Analyst Nozipho Mthimkhulu during a meeting with the Editors Forum at Sibane Sami Hotel yesterday. Mthimkhulu explained that the regulator resolved that half the over-recovery, which was E277.53 million, be liquidated in the financial year 2023/24 and the other half be liquidated in 2024/25. A question was posed to Mthimkhulu, seeking clarity whether EEC lied in its declaration of the over-recovery and she explained that it was not lies in the true sense of the word as this could have been informed by a lot of factors. She stated that the submitted amount supported the companys figures as requested by the regulator and the latter comes in as auditors to verify the accuracy of the submitted information. For example, sometimes we deem some of the companys expenses that they incur as unallowed costs. It is not because they did not incur that cost but because after carefully analysing it, against the directives that the operator received from us, we sometimes find that it was negligence from their part or because they were ineffective or whatever other reason, she said. EEC Marketing and Corporate Communications Manager Khaya Mavuso said a number of engagements were held with the regulator relating to the tariff application, among which were the adjustments made on the EEC submission of reconciliations for the two years. Adjustments He mentioned that on submission of all relevant information relating to the tariff, the regulator analysed the submitted information and made necessary adjustments, as they deem fit, to costs and other input provided. He also revealed that this did not translate to deliberate omissions or any act of corruption on the part of the applicant. According to Mavuso, not all costs that the EEC submits for the reconciliations were automatic pass through costs, as the regulator made the determination. EEC had provided the regulator with explanations and justifications for its tariff application. During the tariff pronouncement on Wednesday, ESERA pledged to provide a detail of the tariff award, which we believe will also provide EECs perspective of the application, he stated. On the contrary, EEC extended its appreciation to ESERA for the final assessment of the tariff application, which had resulted in the announcement of the applicable tariff for the years 2023/24 and 2024/25. Mavuso highlighted that having received the ESERA award on Wednesday February 1, EEC was yet to unpack and further engage the regulator on its contents and issues of concern. He said this would then lead to the publication of the tariff schedule to be effected as of April 1, 2023, according to the requirement of the tariff methodology. EEC will further unpack the award and engage with ESERA on matters of concern. It is worth mentioning that all what we did during the tariff application was according to best practice. During the tariff application, EEC presented all supporting evidence towards the tariff application, he said. Award When unpacking the tariff award to EEC, Mthimkhulu stated that the tariff analysis resulted to an average increase of 10.14 per cent in 2023/24 and an average increase of 8.02 per cent in 2024/25. She explained that the implementation of these average tariff increases would see energy charges for domestic customers, small commercial customers, and industrial customers increase by 10.98 per cent, 10.90 per cent, and 10.80 per cent respectively. The regulator notes that the migration towards cost reflectivity had to take place over an eight-year period from 2021/22 financial year. However, considering the impact of the extent of the average tariff increases, inputs received from electricity customers during consultations, prevailing economic conditions, hence decided to limit the domestic energy tariff increase to 0.08 percentage points above small commercial tariff increase, she said. Three Kenyan police officers were on Friday given sentences ranging from 24 years in jail to the death penalty for the brutal murder of a rights lawyer and two other people. The bodies of lawyer Willie Kimani -- who had criticised police abuse -- as well as his client Josephat Mwenda and driver Joseph Muiruri were found wrapped in sacks and dumped in a river outside Nairobi in June 2016. The torture and killing of the three men sparked furious protests in Kenya, where many people fear the police. In July last year, High Court judge Jessie Lessit found the three officers, including a woman, as well as a police informer guilty of murder. A fourth policeman was acquitted. Lessit on Friday sentenced former policeman Fredrick Leliman to death while his colleagues were sentenced to 24 and 30 years in prison. The informer was given a 20-year term. "This was a most foul murder and execution that was most heinous," Lessit told the packed courtroom. She singled out Leliman for acting "in flagrant abuse of his office" and masterminding the murder "in a sophisticated master plan". Cliff Ombeta, a lawyer for the three officers, told AFP that they would all appeal the sentence. "This judgment cannot stand the test of any court of appeal judges," he said. Long quest for justice Kimani had been defending a motorbike taxi driver who accused Leliman of shooting him for no reason at a traffic stop in 2015. When the authorities found his body, Kimani's wrists were bound with rope, three of his fingers had been chopped off and his eyes appeared to have been gouged out. The victims' families and rights groups hailed the sentencing for standing up to unchecked police brutality. "We are happy and Kimani can finally rest in peace. Along the way, we had lost hope that we would get justice," Kimani's wife Hannah said, holding back tears. "This is a great start to the building of a culture of police accountability. The tolerance for rogue police officers is over," Amnesty International's Kenya director Irungu Houghton said on behalf 20 rights groups advocating for police reforms. The International Justice Mission (IJM), the global legal aid group which Kimani worked for, said it had hoped for higher sentences after 185 court hearings but were nonetheless "happy that justice has been found". Extrajudicial killings are rife in Kenya, and justice is rare with few examples of police being held to account. Missing Voices, a campaign group focused on extrajudicial killings in the country, said the sentences showed the justice system "can be trusted to deliver justice for victims of police criminality". Hit squads Police have been accused of running hit squads targeting people -- including activists and lawyers -- who investigate alleged rights abuses by officers. Anger: Hundreds of lawyers marched in Nairobi in July 2016 to protest at the killings. By TONY KARUMBA (AFP) In October, Kenya's new President William Ruto disbanded a feared 20-year-old police unit accused of extrajudicial killings and vowed an overhaul of the security sector. Prosecutors also announced in October they would charge police with crimes against humanity over a deadly crackdown on post-election protests in 2017, a landmark decision hailed by the UN's rights chief Volker Turk. The charges cover rape, murder and torture and include the case of a six-month-old baby girl whose death became a symbol of police brutality during the bloody election aftermath. Kenya's parliament established the International Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) in 2011 to provide civilian scrutiny of a powerful institution also reputed to be among the country's most corrupt. Only a handful of officers have been convicted as a result of IPOA investigations, even though the watchdog has examined more than 6,000 cases of alleged police misconduct, according to data covering the period from its inception to June 2020. Activists largely defend the IPOA's record, saying police often frustrate inquiries by refusing to cooperate. Although the death penalty is still handed out, Kenya has not carried out an execution after 1987. With just three weeks to go before Nigeria's presidential election, major cash and fuel shortages are stirring up public anger and tensions during campaigning for the country's top post. Candidates have traded accusations of blame over the shortages with the ruling party hopeful even suggesting his enemies had manufactured the crisis to undermine his election chances. Campaign rhetoric has been heating in the run up to the February 25 vote to decide on the successor to President Muhammadu Buhari, a former army commander who steps down after two terms in office. The election appears close with three leading candidates: Bola Tinubu of the ruling party All Progressives Congress (APC), main opposition party Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and Labour party hopeful Peter Obi. The naira currency exchange has caused cash shortages and queues outside ATMs and banks. By PIUS UTOMI EKPEI (AFP/File) Already grappling with widespread insecurity and economic fallout from the Ukraine war, Nigerians are also dealing with fuel shortages and limited access to cash due to a programme to exchange old bank notes for new ones. Across the nation, people are sleeping in cars outside petrol stations for a chance to fill their tanks while crowds jostle outside ATM machines and banks to try and access scarce cash supplies. Earlier this week, riots broke out in the northern city of Kano, with an angry mob protesting a visit by Buhari and blaming the ruling APC for the currency hardship. Tinubu, a former Lagos governor, has lashed out at enemies for purposefully creating the crisis to derail his own election. "They are trying to cause trouble and sabotage us," Tinubu told supporters at a rally in Abeokuta last week. "Whether there is fuel or not... we will vote and win." But powerful APC governor for Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, stirred up tensions further this week with a claim "saboteurs" in the presidential villa were trying to undermine Tinubu. "We are convinced there are some elements in the villa that want the APC to lose the election," El-Rufai told Arise News. "There appears to be very strong evidence of a conspiracy to incite voters against the APC." 'Godfather of Lagos' Known as the "Godfather of Lagos" for his political influence, Tinubu was instrumental in getting Buhari elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019. But he has rattled APC ranks with his claim "It's my turn" for the presidency. Information Minister Lai Mohammed told reporters he was unaware of anyone in the presidency working against Tinubu and said Buhari just wanted a free, fair and credible contest. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari steps down after two terms in office. By PIUS UTOMI EKPEI (AFP/File) But PDP candidate Abubakar's campaign was quick to point to Tinubu trying to distance himself from the Buhari government's record over eight years. "Tinubu ought to know that Nigerians can see through his antics and beguilements and that his diversionary theatrics on fuel and new naira notes cannot sway Nigerians at this moment," PDP spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan said in a statement on Twitter. Since emerging from military rule in 1999, Nigeria's elections have often been marred by logistical problems, violence and claims of fraud. The Independent National Electoral Commission or INEC this week said it was concerned fuel shortages may also disrupt its organisation of the ballot. The central bank on Thursday authorised banks to start distributing new naira currency notes in a bid to ease the cash shortages. First elected in 2015, Buhari promised to end a long war against jihadists in the northeast. But although Islamist militants have been driven out of swaths of territory they had controlled, the war is grinding on in the northeast. More than two million people have been displaced. Insecurity has also spread. Criminal militias in the northwest and central regions often carry out mass kidnappings and looting raids on villages. The New Edubiase Magistrate Court on Friday, February 3, heard the case of the two men arrested for exhuming a corpse at the New Edubiase cemetery in the Adansi South District of the Ashanti Region. The two were arrested on January 31, by the officers of the security services with the help of some residents. Today, the Police arraigned the suspects Kwabena Okeyer and Maxwell Ansah before the New Edubiase Magistrate Court. The two reportedly before their arrest went to see a fetish priest to sell the exhumed body to him. The priest from the information gathered was not interested but decided not to let the suspects get away with the act. He reported the matter to the police and helped the assigned officers to arrest the suspects. After the preliminary hearing by the New Edubiase Magistrate Court today, the two suspects have been remanded into police custody. They expected to reappear on February 14, but in a Circuit Court. Former President John Agyekum Kufour could not hold himself from the excitement of having a hard-working and benevolent Dr. Osei Kwame Despite paying him a visit together with his friends on his birthday. On his 61st birthday anniversary, the business magnate called on the statesman for blessings on his future endeavours. After receiving him and his colleagues in the East Legon Executive Fund Club, the former President thanked him for being a shoulder to the less privileged in the country. He acknowledged and thanked him for employing thousands of Ghanaian citizens in his Despite Group of companies, where he used the phrase, "killing many elephants for the entire nation to eat." Mr. Kufour blessed Dr. Despite and asked God to give him more years to extend his charity to every corner of the country. "I really did not expect to see the many people I have seen here today. When you give birth to a child, he should become greater than you, and that is the prayer of old men. He has come here for blessings, but I am praying to God that he grants me more years, but not just that, but with good health and blessings. "It is said that a single person kills an elephant for an entire nation to eat, but you have proven that you have killed many elephants, and so, may God bless you and add many years to your years," the former president blessed and prayed for Dr. Kwame Despite. A Deputy Energy Minister, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam has stated that there is no need for the government to put before Parliament, the gold for oil agreement for parliamentary scrutiny. This follows several calls for government to provide contract details of the recent fuel consignment brought under the gold for oil policy. Already, former President John Dramani Mahama has asked government to send the gold-for-oil agreement to Parliament for scrutiny and approval since the deal is an international financial transaction. Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam said such calls are baseless. I am surprised that everybody is talking about parliamentary approval. BOST has been buying petroleum products from international oil traders. Some of the international traders even working in Ghana have been looking for international traders who will bring petroleum products to Ghana. I have never heard anyone saying that they should go to Parliament for approval. So why this time? The former President noted that the deal is currently shrouded in complete secrecy with only government officials who are involved in the transaction knowing the details, describing the development as unacceptable. There is a complete lack of transparency about the transaction, and that is one of the major problems with this government. They hide everything and do as they please, he noted. Mr. Mahama believes with parliamentary scrutiny, Ghanaians will have value for money in the gold-for-oil deal and also know the beneficial owners behind the transaction. Industry experts such as the Institute of Energy Securities and COPEC have called on the government to disclose the quantity of gold it exchanged for the 40,000 metric tons of fuel as they raised questions over the viability of the deal. Meanwhile, the government has disclosed that the policy will not immediately lead to a reduction in fuel prices until more consignment arrives in Ghana. A Deputy Energy Minister, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, said the government didn't expect the prices of fuel to change immediately with only 10 per cent of the total deal. The expectation was that the arrival of the 40,000 metric tons would reduce the pressure on forex and also present the country with cheaper fuel, but that has not been the case as fuel prices have increased twice within the period upsetting the majority of Ghanaians. Mr. Egyapa Mercer said the first consignment was just part of the pilot process. It wasn't our expectation that it [gold for oil policy] will have an overnight effect because there are stocks that are already on the market, so you cannot expect that an injection of 10 per cent of the gold for oil policy will suddenly change the pricing dynamics. It is a process and not an event. citinewsroom 03.02.2023 LISTEN The Education Committee of Parliament is set to haul Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, before it on February 11 to answer questions relating to alleged corrupt activities in the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS). The Computerized School Selection and Placement System has come under scrutiny following allegations that some persons receive money in order to change schools for wards of some parents. In an interview with Citi News, Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament's Education Committee, Dr. Clement Apaak said the Committee will seek to hear from the Education Minister on measures he is instituting to prevent future occurrences of alleged corrupt activities during school placement. The Education Ministry commissioned a committee to investigate the allegations. Dr. Apaak said Parliament would want the entire country to know the progress of the investigations. Our goal is to get to hear what the outcome of that committees work has been and what recommendation has been made, and we want to seek from the Minister how we can ensure that this does not reoccur given that there are going to be placements next week. Essentially, our goal is to ensure that students who qualify on the basis of merit to be placed in grade-A schools are not short-changed because somebody is profiting for having access to the system. citinewsroom Pope Francis on Friday urged the leaders of South Sudan to make "a new start" for peace, warning that history would remember them for their actions, as he began a three-day visit to the violence-wracked country. "The process of peace and reconciliation requires a new start," the 86-year-old pontiff said in a speech at the presidential palace in Juba, calling for intensified efforts to end conflict in the world's newest nation. "Future generations will either venerate your names or cancel their memory, based on what you now do," he told an audience that included President Salva Kiir, his rival and deputy Riek Machar, as well as diplomats, religious leaders and traditional kings. Crowds began lining up in Juba hours before the pope's arrival. By Tiziana FABI (AFP) Since South Sudan declared independence from Sudan in 2011, peace has eluded the impoverished country, with a five-year civil war between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar leaving 380,000 people dead and four million displaced. "No more bloodshed, no more conflicts, no more violence and mutual recriminations about who is responsible for it, no more leaving your people athirst for peace," Francis said. The "pilgrimage of peace" is the first ever papal visit to South Sudan since the predominantly Christian nation gained independence from Muslim-majority Sudan after decades of war. It follows four days in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a brutal conflict in the mineral-rich east was high on the pope's agenda. Crowds of people, who began lining the streets of Juba hours before the pope's arrival, cheered as his convoy drove along freshly tarmacked roads, with some kneeling as he waved to them. South Sudan. By (AFP/File) Some wore traditional clothing or the garb of religious orders, while others ululated, blew horns and whistles, and sang hymns. 'Cement the peace' As well as the political leaders, the pontiff is also expected to meet victims of conflict, and church officials, between prayers and an outdoor mass that is expected to draw large crowds. The visit -- Francis's fifth to Africa -- was initially scheduled for 2022 but had to be postponed because of problems with the pope's knee. The affliction has made him dependent on a wheelchair and has seen the itinerary pared back in both countries. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland have also joined the pope in South Sudan, underlining the broad appeal of Christianity in the devout country of 12 million people. Francis promised in 2019 to travel to South Sudan when he hosted warring leaders Kiir and Machar at a Vatican retreat and asked them to respect a hard-fought ceasefire for their people. Pope Francis in April 2019 kissed the feet of South Sudan's President Salva Kiir (centre) and his deputy and rival Riek Machar. By Handout (VATICAN MEDIA/AFP/File) In scenes that reverberated in South Sudan, where 60 percent of the people are Christian, the Argentine knelt and kissed the feet of two foes whose personal armies had been accused of horrific war crimes. But four years later, the country remains mired in intractable conflict. Medical student Malek Arol Dhieu said the pope's decision to kiss the feet of the two men "laid a foundation for peace in our country". "The pope's visit will cement... the peace agreement so that peace prevails in our country," the 29-year-old told AFP. Kiir said he hoped the visit would "push us over the line on our journey for (a) peaceful and prosperous South Sudan." But in a sign of the challenges facing the nation, at least 21 people were killed in a cattle raid on the eve of his visit, in what authorities termed a reprisal attack in South Sudan's state of Central Equatoria. South Sudan is a predominantly Christian nation. By Simon MAINA (AFP) Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the church leaders to put pressure on South Sudan's leadership to "address the country's ongoing human rights crisis and widespread impunity." "They should also press South Sudan's leaders to take concrete steps to end attacks on civilians and to ensure accountability for serious abuses," Mausi Segun, HRW's Africa director, said in a statement released Friday. 'Brutal atrocities' At the meeting with the pope, Kiir announced that his government was willing to enter into peace negotiations with a coalition of rebel groups, which did not sign the 2018 agreement to end the civil war. The government in November withdrew from the talks, which were brokered in Rome by the the Catholic Community of Sant'Egidio, which has ties to the Vatican. Negotiations began in 2019 but have failed to curb violence in the south of the country. The pontiff's visit follows a trip to Kinshasa, the capital of neighbouring DRC, the first time since 1985 that a pope has travelled to the deeply troubled country, which has Africa's biggest Catholic following. Francis slammed "brutal atrocities" after hearing harrowing accounts from eastern Congo, including testimony from victims of sexual violence and mutilation at the hands of militias. burs-cml-amu/txw/bp Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and other government officials on Friday held their first meeting with Tigrayan leaders since a November peace deal, officials and state media said. The two sides evaluated "actions carried out on the implementation of the Pretoria and Nairobi peace agreements so far" and discussed issues that "need further attention," the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation said. The meeting took place at a resort in southern Ethiopia, it said. A peace deal between Abiy's government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) signed in South Africa's capital Pretoria in November last year silenced the guns in northern Ethiopia. Under the terms of the agreement, the TPLF agreed to disarm and re-establish the authority of the federal government in return for the restoration of access to Tigray, which was largely cut off from the outside world during the two-year war. Abiy's national security adviser Redwan Hussein said on Twitter that Abiy and other government officials "met today and held discussion with TPLF delegation regarding the progress of the peace process." "As a result, PM Abiy passed decisions about increasing Flights, Banking & other issues that would boost trust & ease lives of civilians," he tweeted. Since the deal was signed, there has been a limited resumption of aid deliveries to Tigray, which has long faced dire shortages of food, fuel, cash and medicines. Basic services such as communications, banking and electricity are slowly being restored to the stricken region of six million people, with the national carrier Ethiopian Airlines resuming commercial flights between Addis Ababa and Tigray's capital Mekele last month. While the TPLF announced it has begun disarming, local residents and aid workers say the Eritrean army and forces from the neighbouring region of Amhara remain in parts of Tigray and accuse them of murder, rape and looting. Access to Tigray is restricted, and it is impossible to independently verify the situation on the ground. 03.02.2023 LISTEN Mr. Joseph Ankrah staff of Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA) has been elected as chairman of Awudome Parliament Association (APA) a non-governmental organization based at Awudome Estate in the Greater Accra Region. Mr. Ankrah as the new chairman is mandated to steer the affairs of the group for the next two years. Mr. Ankrah obtained 33 valid votes cast to defeat his only contender Mr. Joseph Buxton who is a manager at a Plastic Manufacturing Company and had 23 valid votes cast at an election supervised by Awudome Community Leaders. Other elected officers were: Mr. Victor Quaye, Vice-President; Mr. David Collison, Treasurer; Mr. Emmanuel Okante, Secretary; and Mr. Stephen Ahovi, Organizer. Mr. Ankrah in his acceptance speech called for the renewal of community-centered self-help spirit, as a community we must also remember that whatever happens here has either a direct or an indirect impact on all. We must join forces to protect our community as in recent times the activities of criminals who use the Awudome Cemetery as operational abode is threatening the safety of residents. Mr. Ankrah said APA would initiate interventions and collaborate with the Police to make Awudome Estate safe, we must monitor the movement of criminals, identify their hideouts, and hint the Police. Mr. Theophilus Bruce-Cathline Junior APA former Chairman tasked the new Executives to continue with efforts to register the Association at the Registrar Generals Department. The Awudome Parliament Association is a community-based group that seeks to accelerate and enhance development, serve as community and environmental protection, and revive communal self-help focus. It also serves as Community Parliament to discuss national and community issues, ensure that the resident and members follow national trends, and participate in nation-building efforts as well as serve as Community Watch Group. -CDA Consult II Contributor The Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Samuel Nartey George has chided the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) for failing to settle on a date for its internal elections. The leadership of the ruling party in the last few days held various meetings to decide on a date for the primaries to elect a new presidential candidate for the 2024 general elections. While some party members are calling for the primaries to be held early, another group also wants it to be delayed. The meeting however ended inconclusively. Reacting to what is going on in the NPP, Sam George has expressed worry, arguing that if the party cannot even fix a date for a simple election, then how can Ghanaians trust President Akufo-Addos administration to fix the broken Ghanaian economy? If the New Patriotic Party (NPP) after the postponement and two days of three separate meetings even with the President in attendance cannot fix a simple date for internal elections, do you still believe they can fix the economy they broke? GOD save our Homeland Ghana, Sam George said in a post on Twitter. Following the NPPs inability to agree on a date for the partys primaries, it has been decided that more consultations should be done on the matter. MBABANE The actions of the SNAT executive portray terrorism. Minister of Public Service Mabulala Maseko, said these words when responding to concerns by the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) executive that he had branded the teachers union a terrorist entity. The minister said yesterday that his pronouncements came from the perception that the SNAT executive was associating itself with terrorists. He said these suspicions were compounded by the negative and nasty comments made on social media, also questioning the unions alignment with terrorists. He said the SNAT executive must not make him a scapegoat but use this as an opportunity for introspection. The membership is well-behaved but the executive does not have any good intentions, he said. Engage Maseko said the SNAT executive had to engage its membership before taking decisions to make a donation to someone linked to acts of violence in the country. He was referring to a recent incident in which SNAT Burial donated a casket to the late Mlandvo Khumalo, who shot and wounded a member of the Kings regiment (umbutfo). Khumalo had been declared a member of the Swaziland Solidarity Forces. The donation was later revoked. The minister said if the intentions of SNAT burial were pure, then they could have donated to the victims who died at the hands of the deceased. A chief was killed and a video taken before the murder, but nobody bothered to donate for him, despite the position he held in society, the minister said. Maseko said if the casket was a marketing strategy, then it was not well calculated. The minister said the SNAT executive had lost direction. They have blundered and now realise that they do not have support from their membership. The minister said the actions of the executive to ignore the members welfare was SNATs downfall. Maseko alleged that in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the executive did not make any donation of either masks or sanitisers to the teachers.Had they done this, he said, it would have shown how much they cared about their members welfare. On another note, Maseko said if the SNAT executive was professional, they would have intervened in the chaos which happened in schools, resulting in them being burnt down among other things. Instead, he said, SNAT was always in the forefront during protest actions. Maseko said the organisation also hosted meetings which were political in nature, led by unions which were anti-government - their employer. However, he said as a ministry, they had not yet branded SNAT as a terrorist entity, although their actions and characteristic showed that they were revolutionary and supported terrorist actions. He said after the donation to the Khumalo family, comments made by some people, especially on some social media platforms, were evident that SNAT should declare its position. Maseko said the members of the public, including SNAT members, did not support the action of donating a casket for Khumalo. He said the deceased, who was killed by the security personnel, was also on the police wanted list, but SNAT chose to support him. Maseko stated that some SNAT members registered their concerns as they were no longer happy with the executive. The SNAT executive should call a meeting and see how many of their members will show up, he added. As such, Maseko said teachers regretted having elected the current executive into office. Meanwhile, SNAT Secretary General (SG) Lot Vilakati said Masekos utterances of threatening to deregister the organisation for supporting terrorists were part of the reasons they felt they were being branded as terrorists. When asked on whether the union bothered to engage the minister to clarify his statement, he said they had not had the chance to do so. We realise that these are very serious allegations and wish to engage the minister, Vilakati said. Speaking on their SNAT platform page on Wednesday afternoon, Vilakati said their name had been dragged through the mud by high profile individuals, something that had attracted the attention of the police, who were following them. He said they had been harassed by the police in their premises. Vilakati said the police did not follow proper channels, including showing their search warrants. This, he said, they did not tolerate and would engage the national commissioner (NATCOM) of police on the issue. On the issue of following SNAT, leaders, the Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, said anyone who felt unsafe should come to the nearest police station. February 03, 2023 Ukraine SitRep: U.S.-Russia Talks, Bakhmut Retreat, Laughable Casualty Numbers The Swiss paper Neue Zurcher Zeitung published a piece today (in German) which claimed that CIA boss William Burns had offered 20% of Ukraine to Russia in exchange for peace in Ukraine. As Newsweek summarizes: NZZ reported on Thursday, citing high-ranking German foreign politicians, that in mid-January, Burns presented Kyiv and Moscow with a peace plan that would put an end to the war, which began when Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. According to the newspaper, the proposal offered "around 20 percent of Ukraine's territory"about the size of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. The Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov, the White House and the CIA rejected the claim: A CIA official told Newsweek that claims in the NZZ report that Burns took a secret trip to Moscow in January and that there was a peace proposal put forward by the director on behalf of the White House were "completely false." Last month, Burns traveled in secret to meet and brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, the Washington Post reported. The Neue Zuricher says that Kiev as well as Moscow had rejected the U.S. plan. That everyone is denying that this happened means that the Zuricher claims are likely true. We know that talks between Washington and Kiev are ongoing. On January 30 Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was in Egypt and met with its Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. A day later Shourky flew to Russia and met its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Egyptian media reported that Shoukry carried a letter from Blinken: The Egyptian state-owned news outlet Al-Ahram reported that Shoukry delivered a message to Lavrov from Blinken. The message appears to be in reference urging a halt to Russia's offensive in Ukraine. "Russia should stop these actions in order for negotiations to succeed, was the message, according to Al-Ahram. ... A State Department spokesperson told Al-Monitor that Blinken has had a consistent message that Russia should stop the war in Ukraine and remove its forces from the country for the sake of peace. The message he gave to Shoukry did not differ from this, according to the spokesperson. Lavrov described the proposal as "incomplete." Lavrov also praised Egypts balanced approach to the war in Ukraine. Lavrov further said Russia would continue to engage with Egypt on the Ukraine issue, Al-Ahram reported, citing the press conference. "We will stay in touch. And I trust that this will be in the interest of the friendship between the two countries," said Lavrov. In sum: Russia has accepted Shourkry's role as a middleman in the negotiations but wants a better offer from Washington. We will see what will comes from this. The U.S. knows that Ukraine's army is not able to hold the current defense line in its east. The fear is that it will run away when the line is breached. Ukraine has already pulled several brigades from the Bakhmut/Artyomovsk line to plug holes in other defense lines (Ugledar, Kremmina). On January 17, using the deployment map by Military Land, I counted 27 Ukrainian brigade equivalents in that area. The map now shows only 18 Ukrainian brigade equivalents on the Soledar-Bakhmut line. January 17 - 27 Ukrainian Brigade equivalents Source: Military Land Deployment Map - bigger - February 3 - 18 Ukrainian Brigade equivalents Source: Military Land Deployment Map - bigger Ukraine will soon give up on the city. The Ukrainian death toll in the city must be extremely high: [Mykola] Bielieskov, [a research fellow at Ukraines National Institute for Strategic Studies,] Bielieskov said that Ukraine compensates for its lack of heavy equipment with people who are ready to stand to the last. Lightly armed, without sufficient artillery support, which they cannot always be provided, they stand and hold off attacks as long as possible, he said. The result is that the battle is believed to have produced horrific troop losses for both Ukraine and Russia. Quite how deadly isnt known: Neither side is saying. ... Along the front line on the Ukrainian side, emergency medical units provide urgent care to battlefield casualties. From 50 to 170 wounded Ukrainian soldiers pass daily through just one of the several stabilization points along the Donetsk front line, according to Tetiana Ivanchenko, who has volunteered in eastern Ukraine since a Russia-backed separatist conflict started there in 2014. Russia has increased the intensity of the fight: Russian artillery barrages had risen from an average of about 60 per day four weeks ago to more than 90 per day last week. On one day alone, 111 Ukrainian locations were targeted. ... On Tuesday, Russian forces hit Ukrainian positions in Bakhmut with short-range artillery 197 times, and the two sides clashed some 42 times, Ukraines military said, significantly more than a month ago. Ukrainian forces beat back Russian soldiers, assaulting their lines time and again, the military said. The above confirms the artillery engagement numbers given in the daily reports of the Russia Defense Ministry. It also confirms that Russia has no lack of artillery ammunition. But despite that the New York Times is again stenographing implausible claims of high Russian casualties: The number of Russian troops killed and wounded in Ukraine is approaching 200,000, a stark symbol of just how badly President Vladimir V. Putins invasion has gone, according to American and other Western officials. While the officials caution that casualties are notoriously difficult to estimate, particularly because Moscow is believed to routinely undercount its war dead and injured, they say the slaughter from fighting in and around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut and the town of Soledar has ballooned what was already a heavy toll. With Moscow desperate for a major battlefield victory and viewing Bakhmut as the key to seizing the entire eastern Donbas area, the Russian military has sent poorly trained recruits and former convicts to the front lines, straight into the path of Ukrainian shelling and machine guns. The result, American officials say, has been hundreds of troops killed or injured a day. ... Ukraines casualty figures are also difficult to ascertain, given Kyivs reluctance to disclose its own wartime losses. But in Bakhmut, hundreds of Ukrainian troops have been wounded and killed daily at times as well, officials said. Better trained infantry formations are kept in reserve to safeguard them, while lesser prepared troops, such as those in the territorial defense units, are kept on the front line and bear the brunt of shelling. ... On Norwegian TV on Jan. 22, Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen, Norways defense chief, said estimates were that Russia had suffered 180,000 dead and wounded, while Ukraine had 100,000 killed or wounded in action along with 30,000 civilian deaths. I find these claims of high Russian casualties laughable because we know that the Russian artillery is firing several times more shells per day than Ukraine's army can provide. Artillery is the big killer in this war. There are often claims from amateur 'experts' that the defender has the advantage in urban warfare and less casualties than an attacker. Both claims are simply wrong: The idea that urban terrain favours the defender, a common claim by todays urban exceptionalists, is incorrect. In the 1980s the UKs Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) showed that urban terrain was not a defenders paradise. The opposite was true. The attackers almost always won, and in almost all cases for which detailed data were available, the defenders suffered high casualties. Notably, the deciding factor in urban operations was good training and supporting fires from armoured vehicles. Based on comparing historical analysis with trials using the Berlin Brigade, further research confirmed that urban operations usually, but not always, ended badly for the defender for very easily understood reasons. Skilled urban defences were rare and required pre-planned counterattacks best supported by armour. Yet more evidence was apparent from work done by Christopher Lawrence, who confirmed the DERA findings. ... Even a cursory analysis of commonly available data tends to support the above. For example, the Battle of Marawi saw 150 days of fighting where the defenders lost catastrophically, suffering a KIA loss rate of 6.52 per day compared to the attackers 1.12 KIA per day. Fallujah 2004 was fought over 50 days and saw the US attacker suffer 112 KIA at a rate of 2.24 per day while the defender suffered an estimated loss rate of 40 KIA per day. Operation Protective Edge in 2014 saw 49 days of fighting, with the IDF losing 67 KIA, so a casualty rate higher than Marawi at 1.3 KIA per day, but only very marginally. The fight for Bakhmut is way more intense than the above mentioned battles. The Russian forces are attacking urban conglomerations while having absolute artillery superiority and lots of ammunition and armor. The Ukrainian army is defending the cities mostly with little trained territorial brigades on foot while keeping its better trained and equipped regular units as backup. There is also an acute lack of armored support on the Ukrainian side. But we know from military history and science that the defender will usually have have multiple times more casualties than the attacker. We also know that good training and armored support is key for the defending side. The Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut have neither. Ten days ago the well informed Col.(ret.) Doug Macgregor put the numbers (video) of dead on the Ukrainian side at 122,000 killed plus 35,000 missed in action (presumed dead). The number of dead Russians (including Wagner forces and Donbas militia) is at 16,000 to 25,000 with 20 to 40,000 additionally wounded. The numbers have since increased with the Ukrainian ones several times those of the Russians. Despite that we are to believe that Russia is losing many more men men than the Ukraine? No one should be that stupid. Posted by b on February 3, 2023 at 17:09 UTC | Permalink Comments next page next page New Delhi, Feb 3 (UNI) Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighting the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir, and urged him to look into their matter. In his two page letter addressed to the PM on Thursday, a copy of which was shared on twitter on Friday by the Wayanad MP, mentioned that a delegation of a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits met him during his recent visit to the Union Territory, and told him that the authorities are asking them to go back to the Kashmir valley without providing security, putting their lives at risk. "A delegation of Kashmiri Pandits met me during the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' to apprise me about their problems. They told me that the authorities are asking them to go back to the Kashmir valley," the former Congress president wrote in his letter, citing the targeted killings of the Kashmiri Pandits by the terrorists in the valley. The letter further read,"It is a 'cruel' step to force Kashmiri Pandits, who are victims of targeted killing by terrorists, to go to the valley without any security guarantee. I hope you will take appropriate steps in this matter." The MP further wrote that during his meeting the delegation of the Kashmiri Pandits, he had assured that he will urge the PM to resolve the problems being faced by them. UNI DS SSP The City of La Vergne has approved a citywide conversion of its streetlight system to new energy-efficient LED fixtures, according to a news release from the city.The LED streetlights will reduce energy and maintenance costs while providing enhancements to both the aesthetics of the community and public safety. The project was expected to begin Feb. 6 and should be completed [] The Murfreesboro Police Department has added two mental health co-responders to the department, bringing the total number to three who work with officers, according to a MPD news release.Kevyn Wilson and Sydnee Kucenski-Land joins co-responder Heather Noulis who began working with Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) in February 2022.The City of Murfreesboro, MPD and Volunteer Behavioral Health Care System funded the [] U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-MN, walks to her office after being ousted by the Republican-led House of Representatives to serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Feb. 2, 2023. India, Republic of Congo agree to enhance cooperation in multilateral fora 14 Apr 2023 | 8:54 PM New Delhi, Apr 14 (UNI) India and the Republic of Congo (ROC) held the Second round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in New Delhi during which they discussed ways to further strengthen the bilateral ties and agreed to enhance their cooperation in the multilateral fora. see more.. Save Sharda Committee members meet LG Manoj Sinha 14 Apr 2023 | 8:52 PM New Delhi, Apr 14 (UNI) Save Sharda Committee members on Friday met Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha in New Delhi and apprised him about the future plans on Sharda Centre at the LoC in Teetwal under Kupwara District. see more.. India committed to enhancing ties: EAM to Mozambique President Nyusi 14 Apr 2023 | 8:30 PM New Delhi/Maputo, Apr 14 (UNI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is visiting Mozambique, on Friday called on President Filipe Nyusi during which he conveyed that India is committed to work for enhancing bilateral trade, defence and development cooperation, and people to people ties. see more.. Meeting on Chabahar agrees on importance of port in sending relief assistance to Afghanistan 14 Apr 2023 | 8:27 PM New Delhi, Apr 14 (UNI) The first meeting of the India-Central Asia Joint Working Group (JWG) on Chabahar Port was held in Mumbai during which the participants agreed on the importance of Shahid Behesti Terminal in facilitating shipments of humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan. India has sent 2.5 million tons of wheat and 2,000 tons of pulses to Afghanistan through the route. see more.. EU to impose fresh sanctions on Russia by Feb. 24: European Commission president Xinhua) 11:30, February 03, 2023 KIEV, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday that the European Union (EU) will impose new sanctions on Russia by Feb. 24, the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. "By the anniversary of the start of the full-scale offensive, we aim to have the 10th package of sanctions," von der Leyen was cited as saying by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. Speaking at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, von der Leyen said that the new sanction package, which is being prepared together with the countries of the Group of Seven (G7), is set to include an additional price cap on Russia's oil products. In addition, the EU is deciding on ways to use Russia's assets for the restoration of Ukraine, she added. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) (Natural News) Neighboring European nations Austria and Hungary have agreed not to send any weapons to Ukraine. Austrian Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner and Hungarian Defense Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky inked the agreement during a Jan. 30 meeting in the Hungarian capital Budapest. The defense ministers reiterated their clear position against providing Ukraine with war materiel to prevent a further escalation. Szalay-Bobrovniczky told reporters that the Hungarian government would only supply humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees, adding that Budapest and Vienna would be on the side of peace. We live in a time of danger, he remarked. Continuing that close cooperation is of utter importance. Meanwhile, Tanner warned that the greatest danger is the war which now involves hybrid warfare could spread to the rest of Europe. The effects are not only enormously felt in Austria, but also in Hungary. Eventually, the routes run through our neighboring country to us, the Austrian defense minister said. (Related: Europe quietly abandoning Ukraine by withholding military aid.) Late last month, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban described Ukraine as a no mans land and compared it to Afghanistan. The Hungarian leaders comments prompted Kyiv to summon the countrys ambassador to Ukraine over the unacceptable remarks. A high-ranking diplomatic source in the European Union disclosed that Budapest had blocked 500 million ($550 million) in military aid in the seventh package allocated to Ukraine. This was not the first time Hungary made such a move. In December of last year, the country also held up the EUs 18 billion ($19.8 billion) macro-financial assistance package to Kyiv. Media reports alleged that Budapests move was an attempt to force Brussels to release aid to the Central European nation. In a Jan. 29 video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it is important for Ukraine to continue receiving military support from partners because Russia seeks to prolong the war and exhaust [Ukrainian] forces. Other nations providing weapons to Ukraine Austria and Hungary went against the grain with their decision not to provide weapons to Kyiv. Meanwhile, other countries reiterated their pledge to arm Ukraine against its bigger enemy. A Jan. 27 report by Reuters revealed that France and Italy were close to finalizing a deal to supply Ukraine with the SAMP/T air defense system. The system jointly developed by a Franco-Italian consortium can track dozens of targets and intercept 10 of them at once. Kyiv specifically requested the system, also known by the moniker Mamba, back in November of last year. We are finalizing it with the Italians, one diplomatic source told Reuters. Its not very far off. A second diplomat disclosed: A political decision was made. Its now just finalizing the technical details because its a complicated system. Aligning with the diplomats revelations, French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu flew to Italy on Jan. 27 to meet his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto. Paris has previously supplied Ukraine with Mistral shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles and Crotale short-range air missiles, both used to intercept low-flying missiles and aircraft. The news of Paris and Rome providing additional military equipment to Kyiv followed earlier assistance by Germany and the United States. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that he would send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that 30 M1 Abrams tanks would be sent to the battlefield in Kyiv. Head over to WWIII.news for more stories about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Watch this Russia Today report about Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban being added to a list of Ukraines supposed enemies. This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: German foreign minister admits country is at war with Russia. NATO members are running out of weapons that they can send to Ukraine. West dead set on hastening start of World War III after approving heavy tanks for Ukraine. After securing new tanks from US and Germany, Ukraine now demanding F-16 fighter jets to combat Russia. Defense Department to boost production of artillery ammunition by 500% for Ukraine but will take two years just to build the new factories. Sources include: News.Yahoo.com EURACTIV.com Reuters.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) The Biden administration, through the Department of the Interior (DOI), imposed a ban on mining in 225,000 acres of land in Minnesota. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland signed Public Land Order 7917, which prohibited mining for a 20-year period on federal land in the Superior National Forest, near the Boundary Waters on Minnesotas Duluth Complex. The order withdraws the land from disposition under the United States mineral and geothermal leasing laws for the said period, subject to valid existing rights. The Department of the Interior takes seriously our obligations to steward public lands and waters on behalf of all Americans. Protecting a place like Boundary Waters is key to supporting the health of the watershed and its surrounding wildlife, upholding our tribal trust and treaty responsibilities, and boosting the local recreation economy, she said in a statement. Haalands order served a knockout blow to mining firm Twin Metals Minnesota (TMM), a U.S. subsidiary of the Chilean multinational Antofagasta PLC. The company was reported to have been deeply disappointed and stunned over the decision as their project is located just south of the Boundary Waters and within the new withdrawal area. TMM first proposed the development of a $1.7 billion underground project to mine copper, nickel, cobalt and other platinum-group metals in the area. The company has invested more than $550 million in the development of the project over the past 12 years. According to TMM, the area holds 95 percent of the nations nickel reserves, 88 percent of cobalt, 51 percent of platinum, 48 percent of palladium and 34 percent of the countrys copper. This region sits on top of one of the worlds largest deposits of critical minerals that are vital in meeting our nations goals to transition to a clean energy future, to create American jobs, to strengthen our national security and to bolster domestic supply chains, the company said in a statement. We believe our project plays a critical role in addressing all of these priorities, and we remain committed to enforcing [TMMs] rights. US will rely on outside sources for rare metals without domestic mining Without domestic mining for rare earth minerals, the U.S. must rely on countries with few labor or environmental laws. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one such nation, with 75 percent of the worlds cobalt supply mined there. The metal extracted from the countrys mines is then processed to make lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. According to Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN), the moratorium on mining could be related to an agreement President Joe Biden signed with communist China. (Related: Bidens climate agenda benefits communist China, not the Americans he supposedly represents.) Biden signed an agreement to fund mining projects in Chinese-owned mines in the [DRC] where over 40,000 children work as slaves in forced labor and inhumane conditions with no environmental protections, Stauber said. Meanwhile, todays mining ban nullifies a Project Labor Agreement with the local building and construction trade unions. The lawmaker for the Gopher State added that America needs to develop vast mineral wealth right here at home with high-wage, union-protected jobs instead of continuing to send American taxpayer dollars to countries like the DRC that use child slave labor. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), who chairs the House Committee on Natural Resources, also emphasized the need for America to mine rare earth minerals domestically. If Democrats were serious about developing renewable energy sources and breaking Chinas stranglehold on the global market, they would be flinging open the doors to responsible mineral development here in the U.S., he said. We cannot have a future of renewable energy without minerals, period not to mention their necessity to our defense systems, satellites, cell phones and virtually every other advanced technology. Metals.news has more stories about the mining of rare earth metals. Watch this video that expounds on the use of slave labor to mine cobalt. This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Lithium supply not large enough to not meet ambitious global EV deadlines, mining CEO warns. Green cult now going after lithium the key mineral used in batteries for electric vehicles. Copper faces long-term SHORTAGE as experts expect demand to exceed supply in the coming years. Lithium production setback will hinder EV growth; locals revolt over lithium mining impacts on water supplies. Sources include: JustTheNews.com BLM.gov GreenCarCongress.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Last week, the Biden regime announced a decision to protect more than 200,000 acres of land in Minnesota from mining operations, citing waterway preservation as the reason. At the very same time, Biden signed a deal with Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to continue high-intensity mining operations in Africa, which largely rely on child slave labor. Public Land Order 7917, signed by the Department of the Interior, blocks 225,504 acres of Minnesota land from being mined. This puts to an immediate end a nickel-copper mining proposal that had been introduced in the Midwestern state. Why, then, is it okay to continue exploiting Africa, we wonder? Here is what Bidens State Department said in a recent press release and associated memo of understanding about the continued U.S. partnerships with mining operations in Africa, which are needed to keep the green push into electric vehicles (EVs) going: Through this MOU, the United States will support the commitment between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia to develop jointly a supply chain for electric vehicle batteries. (Related: The entire green energy industry is built on the backs of child slave labor.) The green energy mining industry is also rife with pedophilia and commercial sexual exploitation of children DRC, we are told, is the worlds leading producer of cobalt, accounting for more than 70 percent of global production. Zambia, meanwhile, is the worlds sixth largest producer of copper. Both of these metals are critical for manufacturing batteries for EVs, mobile phones, laptop computers, and other electronic devices but they come at a price: cruel child slave labor. Thousands of children also work in cobalt and copper mines in the southern Copperbelt region, the Department of Labor acknowledges about conditions in DRC, adding that anywhere from 5,000 to 35,000 children work in artisanal cobalt mines. Prevalence of child labor is highest in the countrys artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector, which operates with minimal oversight. Child labor has been detected at one in four ASM sites, with informal or illegal ASM operations leaving children uniquely exposed to hazardous working conditions and, in some instances, to forced labor. Concerning Zambia, the Department of Labor has further drawn attention to what it calls illegal mining syndicates, or jerabo gangs. These exist all throughout the Copperbelt province to employ children for mining activities, including forcing children to load trucks with stolen copper ore. Commercial sexual exploitation of children is common, particularly along Zambias borders and transit corridors. The green energy industry, in light of all this, is anything but clean when considering the cost to childrens lives and livelihoods. If rampant abuse, both labor and sexual in nature, has to occur in order for the latest Tesla model to hit the showroom, then something is very wrong with the industry. The vast majority of these minerals are located in countries where mining practices are highly-destructive, says noted psychological researcher John Mac Ghlionn. When and where mining occurs, the immediate environment suffers, including the residents living in the vicinity. Women and children are particularly vulnerable. In the comments, a Natural News reader noted that child slave labor is a problem in other industries too, including in the garment industry. This is one of the social costs of globalism in general, it turns out: rampant abuse and exploitation of the innocent and vulnerable. Pretty much every electronic device is produced using cheap labor, wrote another. Child or not, its how things work, sadly, and why outsourcing is very lucrative. More related news coverage about the dirty underbelly of the green energy industry can be found at GovtSlaves.com. Sources for this article include: HumanEvents.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) A 19-year-old in Canada has died after taking a popular abortion pill with listed side effects including sepsis and death. An online system managed by the Canadian government for tracking adverse reactions to pharmaceuticals indicated that a 19-year-old girl who took the abortion pill to end an unwanted pregnancy died of septic shock. According to information about RU-486, a chemical abortion pill, listed on the website for Health Canada, women who take the pill are taking on the risk of serious harm and potentially even death. The products monograph clearly states a risk of both sepsis and infection and goes on to warn: Cases of serious bacterial infection, including very rare cases of fatal septic shock, have been reported following the use of Mifegymiso. Clostridium sordellii infection was observed in some women without abdominal pain or fever, that progressed rapidly to multi-organ failure and death. Despite these dangers, Health Canada approved the pill in 2015. Unfortunately, the pill is often touted as a safer alternative to a surgical abortion that many people do not think twice about taking. It is even referred to as a medical abortion or medication abortion in an attempt to give it some legitimacy to the fact that a baby is being intentionally killed. It consists of a two-drug combination pill. First, the mother is given a mifeprestone pill. This blocks the progesterone in her body, which is a hormone the pregnant women naturally produce to sustain and nourish their pregnancy. This has the effect of starving her growing embryo to death, which causes it to detach from the uterine wall. 24 to 48 hours later, the woman must then take a second pill called misoprostol to cause uterine contractions that allow them to expel their dead baby. This is often accompanied by significant bleeding. Growing concerns about dangers of chemical abortion pill Even those who are in favor of abortion in general have spoken out against the drug, with the pro-abortion authors of the book RU486: Misconceptions, Myths and Morals writing that it is an unsafe, second-rate abortion method with significant problems that amounts to medical violence against women. The national president of the Campaign Life Coalition, Jeff Gunnarson, said of the tragedy: Her untimely death is a tragedy that deeply affects everyone involved, including her family, friends, and community. The loss of young lives with so much potential is always devastating. It leaves behind a void that cannot be filled. The group is currently petitioning Health Canada to ban this dangerous drug and protect womens lives. A similar incident took place in 2001, when a 26-year-old Canadian woman died due to septic shock in a clinical trial of the pill. The woman, who was previously healthy, lost her life due to this drug, and her death temporarily stopped the expansion of its use. At least 14 women in the U.S. have died from the drug, which has been the subject of more than 2,000 adverse effects reported that include more than 600 hospitalizations and at least 300 women experiencing blood loss that was significant enough to need a transfusion. However, this is believed to only represent a small proportion of the real number due to underreporting. One of the most dangerous aspects of the drug is how it allows the common vaginal bacteria Clostridium sordellii to get into the cervical canal and enter the bloodstream, while its antiglucocorticoid effects impair the bodys ability to fight off the infection. This often happens without the type of warning signs seen with other types of infections, such as fever or pain, which means affected women are not able to seek help in time and are far more likely to die of sepsis. Unfortunately, the pro-abortion crowd does its best to make sure women dont know about the risks of this drug, presenting it as an easy solution to an unwanted pregnancy and some are paying with their lives. Sources for this article include: LifeSiteNews.com CampaignLifeCoalition.com (Natural News) Several Chinese corporations with extensive ties to the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have spent the past few years purchasing American private schools that have outstanding military officer training programs. In 2015, the New York Military Academy (NYMA), a 126-year-old preparatory school that was the alma mater of former President Donald Trump, was sold for nearly $16 million to the Research Center on Natural Conservation, a non-profit backed by a Chinese holding company. Two years later, the Florida Preparatory Academy in Melbourne, Florida, suffered the same fate when a Chinese education conglomerate purchased it as part of its plan to create a global educational alliance system. (Related: China continues to snatch up US farmland, American companies at alarming rates.) Both the NYMA and Florida Prep have strong Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) programs to train future officers of the United States Armed Forces. Chinese state-owned media outlets claim that Chinese corporations are interested in entering the American private school market in the hopes of cashing in on Chinese students quest for admission into a U.S. college. The think tank the Center for Immigration Studies noted that foreign students are more likely to obtain F-1 immigration visas if they apply to attend private schools. This acceptance rate is likely to go even higher if they sign up to become students at Chinese-owned institutions like the NYMA and Florida Prep. Officials from the former even said they expected a surge of Chinese students to enroll following its takeover. Chinese ownership of schools and military academies a threat to national security In a statement to the Washington Free Beacon, Republican Rep. Michael Waltz of Floridas sixth district, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, noted that Chinese ownership of schools with strong JROTC programs could pose a real threat to American national security interests. To the extent that those private schools have junior ROTC programs that are forming the backbone of the future leaders of our military, this is something I would hope and would expect the Defense Department would work with me to better understand, said Waltz. To this end, Waltz on Tuesday, Jan. 31, sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin urging the department to survey how many JROTC programs at private schools across the country are owned by foreign entities. With the ongoing military recruitment crisis, I am concerned that any students we recruit into the service from these CCP-influenced schools will have a sympathetic view of Chinas political and strategic aims, said Waltz in his letter to Austin. In 2021, records show that Chinese firms and government institutions secured over $120 million in contracts with American universities. From 2013 to 2020, about 115 colleges and universities received nearly $1 billion in monetary gifts, contracts or both from entities located in mainland China. Harvard University led the pack with nearly $94 million, the majority received in the form of gifts. Chinas influence in the American education sector is only growing, fueling speculation regarding Chinas motives and how many other educational institutions have been successfully infiltrated by the CCP. Without any significant change in government policy regarding the foreign ownership of American institutions, it is very likely that Chinese corporations will only continue. Waltz himself noted that he is concerned that the Pentagons resources are inadvertently helping promote and support these schools, and that the reality of Chinese ownership of American private schools should serve as a wake-up call. Read the latest news concerning China at CommunistChina.news. Watch this clip from InfoWars as Alex Jones talks to former Green Beret Ivan Raiklin about how the CCP captured the American government. This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Air Force general warns US will be at war with China by 2025. Think tank: Americas defense industry is not prepared for a war with China over Taiwan. University that housed Biden center pressed to end FBI China spy probe after big Beijing donations. Biden Center at UPenn received $54.6M from anonymous Chinese donations. Endangered freedom: Communist China is buying up American infrastructure, land and assets: Check out these examples. Sources include: FreeBeacon.com Reuters.com FoxNews.com Bloomberg.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) 1) Now that I have everyones attention, allow me to address why US establishment politicians are sending tanks, jets, weapons, equipment, and $100+ billion to Ukraine. It has nothing to do with Ukrainian citizens, and everything to do with Deep State assets/secrets in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/COELxEVoFE Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 (Article republished from ThreadReaderApp.com) 2) Lets go back to when and where it all began. Flashback to 2005. Then Senator Obama and Senator Lugar visited former Soviet biological and chemical facilities in Ukraine, and established the US Deep State roots in Ukraine. To counter bioweapons.https://t.co/wyQ0ZngFnB Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 3) When speaking of the labs in 2005, here is how they were described by WaPo. The labs were part of a Cold War network of antiplague stations that supplied highly lethal pathogens to Soviet bioweapons factories. So when Russia does anti-plague research its bioweapons. pic.twitter.com/v0DM3VnGQ6 Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 4) But when the US does defensive gain of function/directed evolution research, its not bioweapons. In 2005 @washingtonpost admits that anti-plague research results in the production of highly lethal pathogens aka bioweapons. Seems their tune changed in 2022. pic.twitter.com/q8H4ff26Bl Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 5) The US, led by Obama, passed the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Act of 2005. The US took over former Soviet labs and facilities, supposedly to destroy stockpiles of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons in Ukraine.https://t.co/wU45K8AxVZ Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 6) Obama opened the floodgates for the Deep State. Created biological weapons programs with the Ukrainian government, and established connections for US oligarchs to build biolab companies in the lawless land of Ukraine. Companies like Bidens Metabiota. https://t.co/eUwOO6ant4 Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 6) Obama opened the floodgates for the Deep State. Created biological weapons programs with the Ukrainian government, and established connections for US oligarchs to build biolab companies in the lawless land of Ukraine. Companies like Bidens Metabiota. https://t.co/eUwOO6ant4 Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 7) Then the situation turned sour. Under US supervision, Ukraine fell into civil war in February 2014 (Obama). In the disarray of war, State Dept (Clinton) and the CIA, took full control of Ukraines government. Nuland facilitated a regime change.https://t.co/GWzirDIslb Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 8) Nuland, who spilled the beans on the fear of Russian forces getting their hands on the biological research in Ukraine, engineered the Color Revolution in Ukraine. They started a civil war, then picked their puppet to run the government, creating a Deep State proxy. pic.twitter.com/mid0urxPcm Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 9) Now with complete control of the Ukrainian government, then the Bidens began their dirty work. Biden visited Ukraine 13+ times, securing US funding for Ukrainian oligarchs. Then used his power to fire a State prosecutor who figured out Bidens kick-back/laundering scheme. pic.twitter.com/BMjnFJb2By Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 10) So the reason why all of our tax dollars are in Ukraine, is because Ukraine is a Deep State proxy, controlled by the ruling families of the DNC/Soros. They are trying to protect their assets/secrets in Ukraine. Most consequential of which is their biological activity. pic.twitter.com/ZE9zAgySSK Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 11) The reason the US MSM went all out pro-Ukraine, is because the media is owned by the Pharma companies via advertisement money. The Pharma companies who rely on the biolabs in Ukraine to create pathogens so their vaccine scheme can profit Starting to make sense? Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 12) The reason the @FBI and @DHSgov went full Orwell and weaponized Big Tech to censor all reporting on the Biolabs in Ukraine, is because intel community is compromised by the Deep State. The Deep State who cant let people find out about their pathogen production scheme pic.twitter.com/U9iEuQ8Ybn Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 13) The reason the House Dems @DNC went insane and impeached Trump over making a single phone call to Zelensky in Ukraine is because they couldnt allow Trump to snoop around and investigate their Deep State proxy. Trump was on to whatever they were hiding. Aka bioweapons. Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 14) The reason Zelensky ordered the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense to destroy all State documents affiliated with US biolab companies Metabiota and Battelle the day that missiles started flying (2/24/22) Is because he knew Putin was looking for the bioweapons. pic.twitter.com/vy4aliRpxw Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 15) Big Pharma, MSM, Big Tech, the Intelligence Community, Zelensky, WHO/NIH, and Deep State politicians; are all working together to accomplish the same goal To cover up the criminal biological weapons production in Ukraine. All the entities who happened to benefit from C19. Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 16) The reason the @WHO advised Ukraine to destroy all their pathogens (at the labs that the MSM said didnt exist) is because the WHO knew Putin was looking for the bioweapons. The same @WHO that created a global medical police-state due to C19.https://t.co/em8DoZWqSr Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 16) This is why these entities are hyper-defensive about all things related to C19, biological research, and Ukraine. Its not because they are being philanthropic. Its because we are close to the proof of their crimes against humanity. For which, the punishment is harsh. Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 17) Tanks, jets, weapons, equipment, $100+ billion in taxpayer funds, the lives of the Ukrainian people All worthy sacrifices in the eyes of the Deep State. Whatever it takes to cover up their bioweapons production. WW3 already started. C19 was the first weapon fired. /END Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 30, 2023 Read more at: ThreadReaderApp.com (Natural News) Top European Union (EU) official Thierry Breton told Twitter CEO Elon Musk that the latters platform will have to do more over the coming months in preparation for the microblogging sites compliance with the blocs incoming social media regulations. Breton, the EU commissioner for the internal market and social media, went on a video call two months ago in which Musk expressed intentions to fully comply with the EUs Digital Services Act (DSA). DSA and the Digital Markets Act (DMA) aim to create a safer digital space where the fundamental rights of users are protected and to establish a level playing field for businesses. Together they form a single set of new rules that will be applicable across the whole bloc. The next few months will be crucial to transform commitments into reality, Breton said. We need to see progress toward full compliance with the DSA. My team will follow closely the work by Twitter and by all other online platforms. The law also carries hefty fines for noncompliance and the potential to block a platforms services in case of certain repeated infringements. According to a summary of the recent call provided by the EU commissioners office, the discussion was constructive and delved further into details than in previous meetings. An aide to Breton said the conversation lasted more than an hour. The commission expects to conduct a stress test on Twitter in the coming weeks. According to the aide, the test might involve a meeting between the tech giant and commission officials to look in detail at which elements of the social media sites practices are compliant, or not, with the new legislation. According to the Wall Street Journal, the DSAs requirements for large social-media companies include maintaining systems for taking down content that European national governments consider to be illegal and providing users with tools to appeal if they believe the material they posted was removed unfairly. It also requires regular outside audits. (Related: UK, EU demand Elon Musk keep censoring content on Twitter.) Good meeting with @ThierryBreton regarding EU DSA. The goals of transparency, accountability & accuracy of information are aligned with ours. @CommunityNotes will be transformational for the latter, Musk tweeted following the latest meeting. Community Notes is the companys crowdsourced fact-checking feature. The move has already solicited negative feedback. The Twitter account called Little Red Riding Pills replied to Musks tweet with: Free and unfettered speech is more important than ensuring accuracy of information. Let the consumer of information beware and let speech be free. Twitter shouldnt be Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a site where anyone can edit nearly any page and improve articles immediately. EU to ban TikTok if it will not comply with new content regulations The social media platform TikTok has been banned in several states in America despite its efforts to evade political and regulatory pressures in the country. Breton warned EUs laws may also sting the app as it also poses several unacceptable risks for European users. CNBC reported that Breton has already alerted TikToks CEO Shou Zi Chew in a meeting this month that the bloc may ban the app if it will not comply with new rules on digital content well ahead of a Sep. 1 deadline. In previous years, the EU was tolerating the Chinese-owned app, while U.S. lawmakers have been aggressively banning it over national security concerns. A proposed bipartisan bill also seeks to block the app from operating in the United States. Its not that the EU is soft on tech. Europe has fined U.S. tech giants for violating the EUs General Data Protection Regulation, the news outlet noted. However, TikTok has stayed out of regulatory scrutiny partly because its kept out of the crosshairs of commercial interests in Europe. But things will change now, officials said. The data dragon TikTok must be placed under the surveillance of the European authorities. Europe must finally wake up, German lawmaker Moritz Korner said. According to Abe Yousef of Sensor Tower, a company that provides industry-leading App Store Optimization (ASO) data and key metrics to monitor apps marketplace performance in real-time, TikTok has around 275 million monthly active users in Europe as of December 2022, which is more than one-third of the continents 750 million population. It is also the most-downloaded social media app last year in Italy and Spain, according to data.ai, formerly called App Annie. Visit Censorship.news for news related to laws and guidelines implemented on digital platforms to suppress free speech. Watch the video where investigative journalist Jefferey Jaxen and The HighWire host Del Bigtree discuss the EUs passing of the DSA. This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Elon Musk pledges to elevate citizen journalism to combat mainstream media misinformation. Corrupt Twitter employees secretly sold blue verification badges for upwards of $15K, Musk confirms. Twitter moderator fired by Musk expresses worries about potential free speech future of platform. Elon Musk pledges to elevate citizen journalism to combat mainstream media misinformation. Sources include: WSJ.com Digital-Strategy.EC.Europa.eu Reuters.com Twitter.com CNBC.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Tech giant Google has shown that its loyalties lie with Big Pharma after it censored the recent Project Veritas expose about Pfizer wanting to mutate the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). According to the Liberty Daily, the anti-corruption group led by James OKeefe noted this observation in a tweet. A Google search for Pfizer Project Veritas returned an It looks like the results below are changing quickly message. As of writing, a search for the aforementioned keywords returned several articles from mainstream media sources defending the drug manufacturer. The results have since been fixed, quite literally, the Liberty Daily said. Most of the top listings show fact check websites claiming the video is unverified, or corporate media news outlets calling the incident alleged. Google hates the truth. They always have. Theyre in the business of narrative-building, and the narrative theyre building regarding the recent Project Veritas bombshell is a lie: Nothing to see here.' A separate report by RedState showed that the censorship also extended to YouTube, which is owned by the California-based Big Tech company. The piece mentioned that a search with the phrase Project Veritas Pfizer displays the whistleblower groups YouTube page, but none of its videos. (Related: Damage control: Pfizer releases urgent guidance telling employees how to handle Project Veritas bombshell video.) What they do show you at the top of the page, however, is an independent fact-check from Newsweek saying that the Project Veritas video is unverified since the video doesnt show Pfizer in the actual act of mutating COVID. The point is to put people off of the Project Veritas video and have them take it less seriously. Whether this is a direct request to censor materials from Pfizer or the lefts continued hatred of Project Veritas remains to be seen. The revelation that Big Pharma and Big Tech are working together suggests that theres a concerted effort to hide this information. If thats the case, then one has to ask why. Pfizer planning to mutate SARS-CoV-2 to make more money The video, which has been censored on different Big Tech platforms, featured Pfizer Director of Research and Development Jordon Trishton Walker revealing how the New York-based drug company is planning to mutate the pathogen behind COVID-19. This would enable the company to develop new vaccines and rake in more profits. One of the things we are exploring is: Why dont we just mutate [SARS-CoV-2] ourselves so we could preemptively develop new vaccines? If were [going to] do that though, theres a risk. No one wants to be having a [pharmaceutical] company mutating viruses, Walker told an undercover journalist with Project Veritas. The Pfizer executive added that Pfizer scientists were optimizing the mutation process, albeit at a slow pace because everyone is very cautious. He added: I think they are also just trying to do it as an exploratory thing because you obviously dont want to advertise that you are figuring out future mutations. OKeefe and a film crew later confronted Walker over his remarks, revealing that everything the Pfizer director said was caught on video. Walker called the police and proceeded to assault the Project Veritas founder while waiting for law enforcement. He grabbed OKeefes tablet and smashed it on the floor. Visit EvilGoogle.news for more stories about Googles censorship. Watch this video of Jordon Trishton Walkers admission about mutating COVID-19 and the subsequent confrontation with James OKeefe. This video is from the Information Warfare channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: DOJ documents confirm Pfizer and FBI are communicating about Project Veritas. Pfizer official admits to Project Veritas that covid vaccines contain aborted baby cells. Project Veritas catches Facebook employees, contractors admitting to political censorship. Project Veritas video exposing Google and BANNED by Google is now available on Brighteon.com. Phreakazoid Pfizer executive goes BERSERK when confronted by Project Veritas over HIS OWN claims of virus mutation research and vaccine profiteering. Sources include: TheLibertyDaily.com RedState.com ProjectVeritas.com ThePostMillennial.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Memphis is burning! In that famous Tennessee city occurred a brutal murder of a young black man. Especially appalling, the murder resulted from the actions of five police officers. (We have to say all these things are alleged, of course, despite the video recording.) The criminally abusive acts of five police officers resulted in the death of Tyre Nichols. (Article by Kevin McGary republished from AmericanThinker.com) Already, people are declaring Tyres death a crime of racism. But are the murderous actions of five Memphis officers racist? Like Tyre, the five police officers are black. Does the fact that the officers were also black comport with claims of racism? Or do the heinous criminal acts of the five Memphis officers comport more with excessive gross force and callous disregard for human life? Whether deemed racism or frenzies of excessive force, there is no denying brazen acts of police brutality. The level of brutality carried out by these five Memphis officers confirms a malady of their hearts that prompted them to act in an inhumane way. Certainly, there are countless other evils, but there is no denying that both racism and police brutality exist. Still, was racism the motivating factor in the killing of Tyre Nichols? America does have a severe, systemic, and pervasive problem. The fundamental problem is rooted in the intense desire to view every individual and event and occurrence through the lens of race. Adopting a mindset that enshrines viewing everything through the lens of race is the problem. The race lens conveniently and simplistically uses race and racial strife as the explanation for most all evils. When every human evil is blamed almost exclusively upon race, blindness to real issues of crime and injustices will persist. Simplistically categorizing all crimes and injustices as racist means we never rigorously engage the issues to investigate other potential motivators. When racism is automatically asserted, it removes other issues (or mitigating circumstances) from being seriously contemplated. Problems are then never fully rectified and, therefore, are likely to continue. Tyre Nicholss brutal murder provides a perfect example of what can happen when actions are immediately and blindly deemed racist. When racism is deemed the de facto cause, other underlying factors (e.g., lack of training, the abusive culture within the department or special unit, lax hiring practices, ineffective psychological testing, etc.) can go mostly ignored. We pray the officers involved in Tyres death will be prosecuted to the fullest extent. However, if the five officers lacked proper training, or if their unit encouraged and tolerated horrible abuses of citizens, prosecuting them based on racism will do nothing to prevent abuses in the future. The racism narrative is compelling, but it is not the root of all evil. These days, however, the much-overused racism narrative is a constant and convenient veneer for race-baiting race-hustlers as they overlay it onto all interactions to agitate perpetually. This provides them with notoriety, money, and power. Regrettably, race-baiters attempt to gain influence and notoriety by inflaming a situation involving five black police officers murdering a young black man by shamefully asserting that this situation confirms the white supremacy and racism narrative. Every Black Life Matters (EBLM) recognizes that an evil heart can conjure almost infinite reasons to murder. In the instance of Tyre Nichols, shouldnt officer training and appropriate protocols be considered? Shouldnt recruitment, relaxed hiring practices, and psychological testing (or lack thereof) also be considered and reviewed? There are no easy, convenient answers as to why Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by five police officers. A rush to embrace racism as the answer to this brutal murder does not prevent these types of senseless murders from happening in the future. Only a serious, systematic, and rigorous review of existing protocols and procedures (at every level of the department) will help prevent future rogue actions of officers. Please join EBLM in praying for the Nichols family and friends. Please join us in condemning the five officers and demanding justice (maximum jail time and penalties) for the excessive use of force and grotesque brutality that caused Tyres death. Please join us in calling for the Memphis Police Department to rigorously review all policies, procedures, and recruitment and hiring and testing protocols to help ensure that Tyres murder will not be the first in a series. Please join us (www.everyblm.com) as we attempt to unite the country in the fight for liberty and justice for all! Read more at: AmericanThinker.com (Natural News) Viral samples collected from dozens of covid patients suggest that Merck & Co.s new anti-viral covid drug Lagevrio (molnupiravir) is triggering the formation of new strains of the disease. A preprint study compiled by researchers from the U.S.-based Francis Crick Institute and Imperial College London explains that the drug-linked mutations of the so-called virus are not necessarily more immune-evasive or lethal, but they are occurring. The fact that mutations are happening at all, rather than the miracle cure that Merck claimed would happen, is concerning especially as the drug gains traction in communist China and elsewhere. The way Lagevrio works is it creates mutations in the covid genome that supposedly prevent the virus from replicating inside the body, thus reducing the chance of severe illness. By nature of how the drug works, though, the mutations that inevitably result could be problematic. Theres always been this underlying concern that it could contribute to a problem generating new variants, said Jonathan Li, a virologist at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston. This has largely been hypothetical, but this preprint validates a lot of those concerns. (Related: Mercks molnupiravir drug also causes cancer, research shows.) Merck denies problems with molnupiravir; says theres no evidence the drug is spurring variants As usual, Merck is denying that molnupiravir is problematic in any way. Spokesman Robert Josephson told the media that there is no evidence to indicate that any antiviral agent has contributed to the emergence of circulating variants. Based on available data we do not believe that Lagevrio (molnupiravir) is likely to contribute to the development of new meaningful coronavirus variants, he added in an emailed response to questions about the new study and its findings. According to Josephson, any new variants or subvariants that emerge after taking molnupiravir must be caused by the pandemic. He says molnupiravir is a solution, not the problem, to all new variants. Josephson also pointed to an animal study as evidence that, in that particular case, Merck did not observe any problems when feeding molnupiravir to test critters. He also denied that what was observed in the new study had anything to do with the drug. The researchers involved with the new paper drew their conclusions from circumstantial associations between viral sequence origin and timeframe of sequence collection in countries where molnupiravir is available, Josephson alleged. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which first approved Lagevrio in late 2021, is refusing to comment on the new research because it came from a third party, and the agency only works with covid drug makers, according to MSN, not independent researchers. (Thats another issue altogether.) The study looked at about 13 million viral genomes in databases around the world to identify potential drug-linked mutations. Researchers found that drug-linked mutations were proportionally more common in countries where Lagevrio is likely to be used, including in the United States and Australia, as well as in places where it was introduced early. In Canada, France, and other countries where Lagevrio is unavailable, they further found, there are very few signature mutations present in viral genomes. These effects are visible in these databases, said Theo Sanderson, a Crick Institute geneticist who led the new study. It appears that people are being treated, some of them arent clearing their infections, and some are passing them on. Its a very distressing situation, added Lin. Theres no evidence that any of these mutants is worse in any way not yet but its well agreed that youre playing with fire if youre creating random mutations and hoping nothing bad will come of it. More news about Merck and its covid drug molnupiravir can be found at DangerousMedicine.com. Sources for this article include: MSN.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) The transgenic food industry in the United States faces a major blow as Mexico readies to enact a new law banning all United States imports of genetically modified (GMO) corn. Since most U.S. corn is genetically engineered, the American farmers who grow it will no longer have Mexico as a customer which could decimate their businesses, in some cases. Describing the situation as the most catastrophic thing to happen to corn farmers, Fox Business ran a segment on the move, which could force American corn farmers to switch to non-GMO or organic corn crops instead which would be good for everyone. Up until now, Mexico was the largest buyer of American corn. Our neighbors to the south have purchased more than $10 billion worth of corn, nearly all of which is patented and owned by biotechnology companies. One GMO corn farmer by the name of Elizabeth Hinkel of Hinkel Farms told the media that it will take a lot of work for her and other farmers to convert to non-GMO corn. It would be a huge investment if we had to go back to growing conventional, she complained. And on top of that, our yields would be decreased. (Related: In 2013, Mexico halted all plantings of GMO corn on its own soil.) Not only that, but corn prices in the U.S. will plummet after Mexico stops importing the countrys GMO corn crops, resulting in massive losses for GMO corn farmers. USDA blasts Mexico for protecting its citizens against toxic GMO corn; declares decision not grounded in science To be fair, American farmers should have seen the writing on the wall. There are few countries besides the U.S. that welcome GMOs in any way, shape, or form as they recognize the dangers inherent to consuming them. America has become a nation of obese, chronically ill, and often mentally deranged people, in large part due to pharmaceutical addiction and GMO consumption. Other countries, including Mexico, want nothing to do with this toxic lifestyle. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is blasting Mexico for this decision, calling it not grounded in science. The reality, though, is that it is not grounded in profits for large food and chemical corporations, which stand to lose big time by other countries rejecting GMOs. American farmers who grow toxic GMO crops are planning to march on Capitol Hill to demand that lawmakers take action to punish Mexico for trying to protect its citizens against GMO poisons. Will they succeed in this endeavor? Mexico, meanwhile, has implemented a 50 percent tariff on all corn leaving its country. It sure seems like Mexico is the place to be these days if clean food, self-sufficiency, and sovereignty are values you cherish. Notice the timing of this, pointed out a commenter. Right after a meeting with Obamas puppet (Biden), Canada, and Mexico. There is an operation going on under the radar, CO2 pipelines in the heartland (5 or 6) of central states. Because of food shortages across the globe, not just here, and since the pipeline issue is a concept derived from political motivation, the World Economic Forum, Obamas socio-communist administration, and various acronym support agencies are all pretending the corn will stay here for ethanol when the plan is to break We the American Citizen.' Another wrote that corn is a staple of life in Mexico, so of course the country wants only clean, GMO-free corn. They make flat cornbread out of it, called tortillas, and make all kinds of tacos with it, including breakfast tacos, this person wrote. The latest news about the dangers of GMOs can be found at GMO.news. Sources for this article include: WesternJournal.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) A former British defense minister is actually recommending that European and American men and women be sent to the meat grinder of Ukraine, which would automatically trigger World War III and a nuclear holocaust that would kill hundreds of millions of people. According to historians, the U.S. cited a concept known as the domino effect to justify both the Korean War and Vietnam, two conflicts that resulted in more than 110,000 dead American soldiers and three times as many wounded. The theory was that the U.S. had to stop the advance of the then-Communist Soviet Union, which was allegedly attempting to control or influence several countries along the periphery of U.S. allies to gain strategic advantages should war between the U.S. and the USSR break out. In hindsight, of course, the theory was flawed, but now it appears as though former UK Defense Minister Sir Gerald Howarth is using it to justify NATO boots on the ground in Ukraine. FORMER DEFENSE MINISTER OF UK SAYS NATO FORCES MAY NEED TO FACE RUSSIA ON THE GROUND pic.twitter.com/7LJ3Nksniq The_Real_Fly (@The_Real_Fly) January 31, 2023 As noted by Zero Hedge: It should be noted that a large percentage of the American populace and most of Europe have no interest whatsoever in engaging with Russia and possibly its allies in all out war, but the establishment appears intent on forcing the issue anyway. The delivery of NATO tanks and the possibility of longer range missiles will no doubt trigger a wider response from Russia, which will then be used by NATO as a reason to escalate further. At the very least, Howarth does admit what many in the alternative media have been saying for some time That Ukraines efforts have ground to a halt without further support from NATO troops. The deliveries of money and weapons are nothing more than a stop-gap; wars are won by men. Especially in this case; the conflict in Ukraine has bogged down into trench warfare with a 21st century touch the use of drones to both put enemy troops under surveillance and to attack them. Something like World War I meets the modern technological age. A pre-Russia invasion poll taken in February 2022 days before Vladimir Putin ordered his forces forward found that 42 percent of Americans surveyed said that the U.S. should send financial aid to Ukraine, compared to 24 percent who said it was a bad idea and 34 percent who said that they were unsure, The Hill reported, citing a YouGov survey. Fifty-five percent of Americans said that they were against sending U.S. troops in to fight Russian soldiers in the event of an incursion in Ukraine. Only 13 percent of those surveyed thought it was a good idea, the report added. And lets talk about any potential British contribution to this NATO army, should one be sent into Ukraine: Just last week, a senior U.S. military commander said British forces were in such bad shape they cant even defend their own country, let alone amass the force to contribute to an invasion that would trigger a third world war. The UK Independent reported: The British army is no longer regarded as a top-level fighting force, a senior US general reportedly told defence secretary Ben Wallace amid fresh concerns over the UKs military spending. Senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, chair of the defence select committee, said the army was in dire state and called on Rishi Sunaks government to reverse cuts to the army because we are at war in Europe. That follows a warning by defense sources that military budget cuts have been so severe that they have led to substantial declines in British army combat power. You havent got a tier one military, the unnamed senior U.S. general said, adding, its barely tier two. Sources include: Independent.co.uk TheHill.com ZeroHedge.com (Natural News) We previously discussed the movement in journalism schools to get rid of principles of objectivity in journalism. Advocacy journalism is the new touchstone in the media even as polls show that trust in the media is plummeting. Now, former executive editor for The Washington Post Leonard Downie Jr. and former CBS News President Andrew Heyward have released the results of their interviews with over 75 media leaders and concluded that objectivity is now considered reactionary and even harmful. Emilio Garcia-Ruiz, editor-in-chief at the San Francisco Chronicle said it plainly: Objectivity has got to go. (Article republished from JonathanTurley.org) Notably, while Bob Woodward and others have finally admitted that the Russian collusion coverage lacked objectivity and resulted in false reporting, media figures are pushing even harder against objectivity as a core value in journalism. We have been discussing the rise of advocacy journalism and the rejection of objectivity in journalism schools. Writers, editors, commentators, and academics have embraced rising calls for censorship and speech controls, including President-elect Joe Biden and his key advisers. This movement includes academics rejecting the very concept of objectivity in journalism in favor of open advocacy. Columbia Journalism Dean and New Yorker writer Steve Coll decried how the First Amendment right to freedom of speech was being weaponized to protect disinformation. In an interview with The Stanford Daily, Stanford journalism professor, Ted Glasser, insisted that journalism needed to free itself from this notion of objectivity to develop a sense of social justice. He rejected the notion that journalism is based on objectivity and said that he views journalists as activists because journalism at its best and indeed history at its best is all about morality. Thus, Journalists need to be overt and candid advocates for social justice, and its hard to do that under the constraints of objectivity. Lauren Wolfe, the fired freelance editor for the New York Times, has not only gone public to defend her pro-Biden tweet but published a piece titled Im a Biased Journalist and Im Okay With That. Former New York Times writer (and now Howard University Journalism Professor) Nikole Hannah-Jones is a leading voice for advocacy journalism. Indeed, Hannah-Jones has declared all journalism is activism. Her 1619 Project has been challenged as deeply flawed and she has a long record as a journalist of intolerance, controversial positions on rioting, and fostering conspiracy theories. Hannah-Jones would later help lead the effort at the Times to get rid of an editor and apologize for publishing a column from Sen. Tom Cotten as inaccurate and inflammatory. Polls show trust in the media at an all-time low with less than 20 percent of citizens trusting television or print media. Yet, reporters and academics continue to destroy the core principles that sustain journalism and ultimately the role of a free press in our society. Notably, writers who have been repeatedly charged with false or misleading columns are some of the greatest advocates for dropping objectivity in journalism. Now the leaders of media companies are joining this self-destructive movement. They are not speaking of columnists or cable hosts who routinely share opinions. They are speaking of actual journalists, the people who are relied upon to report the news. Saying that Objectivity has got to go is, of course, liberating. You can dispense with the necessities of neutrality and balance. You can cater to your base like columnists and opinion writers. Sharing the opposing view is now dismissed as bothsidesism. Done. No need to give credence to opposing views. It is a familiar reality for those of us in higher education, which has been increasingly intolerant of opposing or dissenting views. Downie recounts how news leaders today believe that pursuing objectivity can lead to false balance or misleading bothsidesism in covering stories about race, the treatment of women, LGBTQ+ rights, income inequality, climate change and many other subjects. And, in todays diversifying newsrooms, they feel it negates many of their own identities, life experiences and cultural contexts, keeping them from pursuing truth in their work. There was a time when all journalists shared a common identity as professionals who were able to separate their own bias and values from the reporting of the news. Now, objectivity is virtually synonymous with prejudice. Kathleen Carroll, former executive editor at the Associated Press declared Its objective by whose standard? That standard seems to be White, educated, and fairly wealthy. Outlets like NPR are quickly erasing any lines between journalists and advocates. NPR announced that reporters could participate in activities that advocate for freedom and dignity of human beings on social media and in real life. Downie echoes such views and declares What we found has convinced us that truth-seeking news media must move beyond whatever objectivity once meant to produce more trustworthy news. Really? Being less objective will make the news more trustworthy? That does not seem to have worked for years but Downie and others are doubling down like bad gamblers at Vegas. Indeed, the whole Lets Go Brandon chant is as much a criticism of the media as it is President Biden. If there is little difference between the mainstream media and alternative media, the public will continue the trend away from the former. MSM has the most to lose from this movement, but, as individual editors, it remains popular to yield to advocates in their ranks. That is what the New York Times did when it threw its own editors under the bus to satisfy the mob. As media outlets struggle to survive, these media leaders are feverishly sawing at the tree branch upon which they sit. Read more at: JonathanTurley.org (Natural News) A Thai government spokesperson told Professor Sucharit Bhakdi this week that his country could soon become the first in the world to nullify and make void its contracts with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. According to Bhakdi, the spokesperson said, in reference to the companys experimental covid vaccines, that we will see to it that Thailand is the first country in the world to declare this contract (with Pfizer) null. We are told that the Royal Family in Thailand was directly impacted by Pfizers covid injections, which reportedly harmed the kings daughter, Princess Bajrakitiyabha. Because of this, Thai authorities are working towards ending the countrys relationship with Pfizer. (Related: Thailand was among the many countries that were bullied by Pfizer into pushing covid jabs so the company could rake in billions of dollars in profits.) Bhakdi says he met with top government advisors and explained to them how the entire premise behind the vaccines is built on a throne of lies. Pfizer fraud is the only thing backing the jabs as there is no safety data to show they work as claimed. Upon hearing this, Thai government advisors were shocked and assured Bhakdi that they are making preparations to sever Pfizers contracts with the country. Thailand seeks billions in retribution from Pfizer for fraudulent covid injections In addition to ending the Pfizer contracts, the Thai government also plans to seek retribution to the tune of billions of dollars in payback from the company. That money will then go towards compensating all Thai people who lost their existence as a result of the Pfizer covid jab rollout. The discussion he cited having with the Thai government spokespeople, in conjunction with their advisors to the Thai Royal family, is significant, writes Nicholas Creed for The Daily Bell. The monarchy is revered by Thais, to the point of being sacrosanct and beyond reproach; subject to strict Lese-majeste laws being invoked when criticism is made of the Royal family. In short, the Royal Family of Thailand holds great sway and influence over affairs such as this. The Thai people trust its decisions and are sure to support this move to remove Pfizer from their nation. It was reported back in December that Princess Bajrakitiyabha collapsed from a heart attack after getting jabbed by Pfizer. This is the basis upon which the Royal Family is now moving towards holding Pfizer accountable for its crimes against humanity. If anything was going to awaken the Thai people from indoctrinated slumber, incurring their wrath and outrage at the scale of how badly they have been duped this would probably be it, Creed says, noting that up until now the Thai people fell for the mass psychosis and uniformed worship of the new normal ideology. I want to wake up from this nightmare. In the comments, someone wrote that Pfizer not only bullied but also bribed government officials, many through blackmail, into buying and distributing Pfizers covid shots to their populations. Fraud vitiates everything, this person added, noting that contract law, which is color of law, is chartered under Roman Canon law. Common law is superior to color of law. The Magna Carta is superior to Roman Canon law. The Constitution of the United States of America is supreme in America. Another wrote that Pfizer and its executives, including CEO Albert Bourla, need to have all of their assets seized, including those being held in banks around the world. Go out and arrest all Pfizer executives on your soil, this person added. These cockroaches have to be hiding in a country somewhere. The latest news about Pfizer can be found at Evil.news. Sources for this article include: TheDailyBell.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) We now live in a nation where doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, governments destroy freedom, the press destroys information, religion destroys morals, and our banks destroy our economy Chris Hedges (Article republished from Kunstler.com) The question you might ask these days: how did we weaponize everything in American life against ourselves? Can you name an institution that is not at war with the people of this land? The exact mechanisms for all that bad faith stand in plain sight these days, and persons responsible can be easily identified. Whats missing are discernible motives. For now, it just looks like the greatest collective act of ass-covering in history. Its pretty clear, for instance, that all the criminal misconduct in the FBI / DOJ continuing to this moment emanates from the years-long effort to cover up the seditious campaign to nullify Donald Trump starting well before Nov. 8, 2016. All the players in the agencies, and their news media accomplices, stand to lose at least their reputations, if the public cared about how dishonestly they acted. Many of those still working would lose their jobs and their livelihoods too, and quite a few would lose their freedom in prison. So, their motive to keep up the skullduggery is simple self-preservation. The Covid-19 pandemic looks like a pretty large-scale racketeering operation gone awry with plenty to hide. You have the reckless, symbiotic relations between the US public health bureaucracy and the pharmaceutical companies, and tons of money at stake, plus the colossal ego of hapless Dr. Anthony Fauci wishing to pose as an historic world-saver, another Louis Pasteur or Alexander Fleming. And then you have the amazingly foolish act of imposing an untested, dangerous vaccine on the world, and years of lying and covering-up its repercussions of injury and death. And then the opaque and nefarious roles of other actors in the story ranging from the CCP to the WEF to the Bill Gates and George Soros empires of money in what looks like genocide. Its harder to unpack the enigma of the obviously unfit Joe Biden getting installed in the White House. My guess: the Obama claque behind him knew that JB was easily manipulable, and that his lame rivals, Klobuchar, Buttigieg, Liz Warren, and especially the proud socialist Bernie Sanders, could not be counted on to do exactly what they were told. The Obama claque especially needed a president to appoint agency heads who would cover-up its creation of an Intel Community Frankenstein, and all that monster has inflicted on the American public. Of course, the main device the claque had for pulling Joe Bidens strings was the flagrant record of his many years of bribery and treason. The major effort to cover-up all that criminality was the DOJ and FBIs suppression since 2019 of the Hunter Biden laptop, and the most stunning upshot was that the incendiary evidence of bribery and treason came out anyway, because so many copies of the laptops hard-drive got distributed. And absolutely nothing was ever done about it, nor about the actual persons Christopher Wray, William Barr, and Merrick Garland who worked to squash it, making themselves accomplices to ongoing bribery and treason. All this criminal misconduct is connected in a foul matrix of lawbreaking. The fact-patterns are well-established. Dozens of excellent books have catalogued the misdeed of RussiaGate and scores of websites daily dissect the shady intrigues around the vaccine crusade. The infamies of gross election interference have been systematically laid-out in the Twitter Files of the past two months. Many books, published essays, and videos substantiate the reality of massive ballot fraud in 2020 and 2022, including the felonious role of Mark Zuckerbergs front org, the Center for Tech and Civic Life, and the election law manipulations of Lawfare goblin Marc Elias. Theres an understandable wish that upcoming hearings in Congress will lead to a reckoning for all of this. To banish consequence from public life, as we have done, is a pretty grave insult to nature, but who can tell whether accountability might restore our institutions at this point. We may be too far gone. The US is visibly collapsing now: our economy, our financial arrangements, our culture, our influence in world affairs, and our basic consensus about reality. Were entering a phase of disorder and hardship that is likely to moot the further depredations of a government at war with its people. For one thing, its becoming impossible to pretend that this vicious leviathan has the money to carry on because the money is only pretending to be money. Its no wonder that the collective ability for sense-making has failed. It will be quickly restored by each of us in the scramble to survive these disorders and hardships. The bewildering hypotheticals of recent years begin to dissolve like mist on the mountain and things come back into focus: your health, your daily bread, your shelter, your associations with other people close to you, your values, and most of all the power of your own choices. Nature, much insulted and maligned, will sort out the rest. Read more at: Kunstler.com (Natural News) On Feb. 24, 2022, the day Russia invaded Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree ordering government officials to destroy all information on Hunter Bidens Metabiota Company. The official memorandum from Zelensky explains that the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, with the help of the Security Service of Ukraine, organized the devastating destruction of personal files of servicemen, employees, and staff of the State Institution Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Research Anti-Plague Institute, I.I. Mechnikov of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, and the Zhytomyr Regional and Laboratory Centers of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, which worked together with scientists (at) Metabiota Inc. This document was first uncovered back in June and has since been verified as authentic. Another was also pulled from Hunter Bidens laptop discussing his ownership percentage in Metabiota this one was likewise confirmed to be authentic. (Related: Metabiota is also tied to Pentagon-run bioweapons laboratories in Africa.) What appears to have happened is that Zelensky panicked upon receiving word that Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to pull the trigger on his special operation in Ukraine. As such, Zelensky tried to burn all incriminating evidence before Putins troops could get to it. Did Zelensky keep some of the more incriminating documents against Hunter at Metabiota and Burisma to use as extortion against Joe Biden to get more money and weapons? We all know the answer, tweeted the DC_Draino Twitter account, which tweeted additional information see below about the links between the Pentagon, the 46 bioweapons laboratories in Ukraine, and Hunter Bidens money-laundering activities while at Metabiota. Remember when the Pentagon confirmed the US partnered w/46 Ukrainian Bioweapon labs? And Hunter Biden secured millions for 1 of the labs Metabiota? Well now we have a 2/24/22 letter from Zelensky ordering the destruction of all govt files for Metabiota Im sure its nothing pic.twitter.com/KUZhgcHPoc DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) January 29, 2023 Why was there a large fire outside the Ukrainian militarys intelligence headquarters after Zelensky ordered incriminating evidence to be destroyed? It turns out that Feb. 24, 2022, was also a momentous day at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and military intelligence headquarters, where a fire broke out in front of the building. Imagery captured that day showed what appeared to be Ukrainian officials burning documents in a large pile, presumably to keep it from getting into the hands of Russian soldiers. Amazingly, the scene of the burning documents was captured and aired by numerous corporate-controlled media outlets see below. It doesnt get any more incriminating than this, does it? 3) Yall remember when the MSM was showing the Ukrainian MoD and Military intelligence headquarters burning documents outside of their buildings? On 02/24/2022. The same day as the Zelensky Decree seen above. They were covering up their affiliation to US biological malfeasance pic.twitter.com/8O9mZGReyt Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 29, 2023 WWIII is going to be over a low-life crackhead, one commenter wrote in response to all these revelations. That explains the billions in hush money, responded another. We knew it, and now there is proof. Infuriating! Someone else wondered how much of that hush money ended up getting funneled back to fake president Joe Biden, also known as the big guy, via the FTX back door. Isnt this one of the things that Putin included in his complaint and evidence that Russia gave to the UN? wrote another. Of course, our government said it was disinformation, the UN itself has said nothing, and the paid trolls all chorus that to not want to spend our birthright helping the Bidens cover their crimes is to be a Russian simp. The latest news about Zelensky, Biden, and the criminal operations taking place in Ukraine can be found at Treason.news. Sources for this article include: TheGatewayPundit.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) A new analysis of the worlds most dangerous cities has found that nearly a dozen of them are located in what is supposed to be the most sophisticated and powerful nation on the planet America. There are 11 American cities listed among the worlds 50 most dangerous, according to the 2023 rankings from Numbeo, and they have one common factor they are all run by Democrats, and whats more, they have been for years decades, in most cases. The Crime Index 2023 lists Baltimore at No. 15, Memphis at No. 18, and Detroit at No. 19. Two additional cities, No. 23 Albuquerque and No. 27 St. Louis, are among the top 30 worst. Just the News reported, Brandon Scott, just 38 years of age, is the mayor of Baltimore. Jim Strickland Jr., an attorney and politician, is the 64th and current mayor of Memphis, where the Memphis police department has just announced plans to permanently deactivate the unit that five of the officers involved in the vicious beating of Tyre Nichols belonged to. Mike Duggan, meanwhile, is currently serving as the mayor of Detroit. In Albuquerque, Tim Keller, 45, is the mayor, and in St. Louis, Tishaura Oneda Jones is the mayor. Tracking back for a wider view yields a still grimmer perspective for Democrats, as another six Democrat-run cities rank among the worlds 50 most dangerous: New Orleans (#35), Oakland (#38), Milwaukee (#40), Chicago (#43), Philadelphia (#46), and Houston (#50). Again, all of these cities are run by Democrats, Just the News confirmed. The cities are given both a Crime Index and a Safety Index in the chart, with Crime scores lower than 20 considered excellent. Safety scores higher than 80 are considered good. The American cities dont even come close. Baltimore has a Crime score of 75.5 and a Safety score of 24.5 right there with Rosario, Argentina, and other second- and third-world cesspools of danger and violence. The report pointed out that last year the city reported robberies jumping 300 percent at convenience stores alone. In Memphis, there were 4,501 crimes reported just in the citys downtown region, and in Detroit, on New Years Day alone, six people were shot, with five of them winding up in the morgue. More than 200 police officers fled the department last year. Just the News said, Democrats have often been labeled soft on crime by their opponents. The latest Numbeo report will do little to stem such denunciations. Meanwhile, regarding the number of officers who left Baltimore, police departments all over the country are experiencing shortages of officers thanks to soft-on-crime district attorneys who dont prosecute criminals and Democratic defund the police politicians who have their own private security. Interestingly, a Fox News report from October found that 11 (some of them part of the group of 11 dangerous U.S. cities, not surprisingly) police departments around the country are having a particularly difficult time trying to recruit enough officers, leaving many to question what impact fewer cops has on overall public safety: National Police Association spokesperson Ret. Sgt. Betsy Branter Smith pointed to eleven cities that have experienced severe staffing issues after the anti-police rhetoric of 2020 and its political fallout: New York City; Chicago; Los Angeles; Philadelphia; Seattle; St. Louis; Louisville, Kentucky; Austin and San Antonio, Texas; and Phoenix and Tuscon, Arizona. I think this could be a generational problem, Branter-Smith said when asked how long she expects the staffing issues to last. This could go on for years. Even if, lets say, I could flip a magic switch tomorrow, and everyone loved the police and every kid in America wanted to be a cop it takes nine months to a year from the date of hire for a person to become a police officer. So, theres one problem. Even if we could fix this tomorrow, itll be a year before any of those staffing issues are addressed. Democrats are purposely destroying our cities, so Americans panic and beg them to implement authoritarian reforms, thereby negating our Bill of Rights. Sources include: FoxNews.com Numbeo.com JustTheNews.com (Natural News) Manage your pain naturally without relying on over-the-counter pain medications with these seven natural pain relievers: Boswellia (Boswellia serrata) Boswellic acids are the active constituents of Boswellia, an ayurvedic herb found from the resin of the plant, according to a study published in the journal Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Many clinical studies, including one published in the journal BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, have found that Boswellia and its extracts are safe and effective treatment options for patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Boswellia extracts can help alleviate pain, reduce swelling and improve knee-joint functions within seven days. Chili peppers (Capsicum frutenscens) A study published in the British Journal of Anesthesia noted that many topical creams, lotions and patches used to relieve pain contain capsaicin, which is present in chili peppers. Researchers indicated that three to five topical skin applications of it per day for two to six weeks showed beneficial effects against various pain syndromes, including post-herpetic neuralgia, diabetic neuropathy and chronic musculoskeletal pain. (Related: 80 percent of the worlds population still relies on ancient medicine made from plants and botanicals.) Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) Eugenol, also called clove oil, the main bioactive compound of clove, has been widely used for its anesthetic and analgesic action in dentistry. A study published in the journal Natural Product Communications reported that in addition to analgesic and local anesthetic activity, eugenol possesses significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular properties. Researchers in a study published in the Journal of Dentistry found clove gel to be as effective as benzocaine gel that dentists often use to reduce needle pain. They also concluded that even homemade clove gel has the potential to replace benzocaine as a topical agent before needle insertions. Devils claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) Devils claw, a traditional South African herbal remedy, contains iridoid glycosides, including harpagoside, which has been proven safe and effective in reducing pain and inflammation from fibrositis, gout, lumbago, myalgia, osteoarthritis, pleuritic chest pain, rheumatoid arthritis and tendonitis since the 1900s. A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine indicated that devils claw is a rich source of anti-inflammatory activity and is a safer option than the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, whose adverse effects are well documented. Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium L.) The flowers and the leaves of the feverfew herb, also called medieval aspirin, contains sesquiterpene lactones, including parthenolide, and other active constituents, such as flavonoid glycosides and pinenes. Also known as feather few or bachelors buttons, this medicinal plant is used in traditional and folk medicine to relieve full-body aches and pains associated with fever, migraine headaches, toothaches, stomach aches and long-lasting or chronic pain from rheumatoid arthritis. A study published in the journal Pharmacognosy Review concludes that feverfew flowers and leaves have analgesics or pain-relieving properties. Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) Researchers in a study published in Addiction and Health suggested that rosemary acts on receptors in the brain called opioid receptors, which are involved with the sensation of pain. You can benefit from rosemarys medicinally and pharmacologically active components, such as rosmarinic acid, carnosic acid and essential oil, by massaging the oil on the affected area. Mix one teaspoon of carrier oil (like jojoba oil) with five drops of rosemary essential oil to create an effective salve. (Related: Discover the many health benefits of the herbal spices rosemary and thyme.) White willow (Salix alba) Greek physicians from centuries ago used white willow bark as a natural remedy for pain associated with inflammation, particularly low back pain and osteoarthritis, headaches and other inflammatory conditions, such as bursitis and tendinitis. White willow bark contains an aspirin-like compound known as salicin and other salicylates, as well as polyphenols, which is responsible for the pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects of the herb in combination with its powerful anti-inflammatory plant compounds called flavonoids. Herbs have an important place in any preppers medicine cabinet, obviously with your doctors approval. Always consult your doctor or a naturopath whos an herbal specialist before trying more herbs for your pain management toolbox. Read more stories about natural medicine at AlternativeMedicine.news. Watch this video about 20 must-have herbs for first aid. This video is from the LDS Prepper channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Not just a cute plant, the bunny ears cactus relieves pain naturally. Tamarind more effective than standard analgesics, study shows. The cabbage tree relieves pain and inflammation without any of the side effects caused by conventional drugs. Sources include: Hindawi.com BioMedCentral.com Elsevier.com PubMed.NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov 1 ScienceDirect.com LiebertPub.com PhcogRev.com PubMed.NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov 2 Wiley.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) A British watchdog group says that Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla is guilty of making misleading and unsubstantiated statements about covid vaccines for children. During a BBC interview that was published on Dec. 2, 2021, Bourla told the media outlet that children as young as five should take covid injections for protection against the disease, even though the United Kingdom medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), did not approve the product for this age group until weeks later. I believe its a very good idea, Bourla stated about five-to-11-year-olds taking his companys injections. (Related: Bourla believes that anyone who objects to his companys covid jabs is a criminal guilty of spreading disinformation.) Citing education disruptions and the potential for children to develop so-called long covid, Bourla told the BBC that there is no doubt in my mind about the benefits completely are in favor of doing it. UK regulatory declare Bourlas statements to be of a strong unqualified nature The childrens welfare group UsForThem filed complaints about Bourlas statements that led to a panel from the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA) ruling that Bourla was out of line and had violated a number of rules in the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI). Pfizer appealed this ruling, resulting in an appeal board upholding five counts of breaches and three ABPI codes that require information and claims about drug products to be accurate, balanced, capable of substantiation, not raising unfounded hopes of successful treatment, and not being misleading as to the safety of the product all things that Bourla did by making misleading statements. According to the PMCPA, everything Bourla said to the BBC during the interview was of a strong unqualified nature. In essence, all he was doing was promoting his companys products, at the expense of children, to pad his own filthy pockets. The PMCPA later said it received an undertaking from Pfizer to prevent similar breaches in the future. Ultimately, the appeal board overturned the initial ruling that Bourla had breached the code by promoting the Pfizer-BioNTech injection for the 5-11 age group at a time when it had not yet been authorized by the MHRA. It also overturned previous rulings about Pfizer failing to maintain high standards, which brough discredit upon the drug industry. We are pleased the UKs PMCPA Appeal Board found Pfizer to have maintained high standards and upheld confidence in our industry, the two most serious rulings in this complaint from a UK campaign group, reads a statement of celebration from Pfizer after getting its way. In the UK, we have always endeavoured to follow the principles and letter of our industry Code of Practice throughout. We will review the case report in detail when we receive it, to inform future activity. Ben Kingsley, head of legal affairs at UsForThem, also celebrated the fact that UK regulators did admit that Bourla made misleading and unsubstantiated statements, even after the pharmaceutical giant opposed these claims with all of the resources at its disposal. I think to the average member of the public, wed regard misleading us about the safety of their product to be plenty more serious than bringing the repute of the pharmaceutical industry down, Kingsley said in a statement, adding that he found it quite surprising that Pfizers most serious objection was against claims that Bourlas actions had damaged confidence in the pharmaceutical industry. So I think it tells you something about the mindset and the priorities of pharma executives that they regard the abuse of the industry as being a more serious matter than misleading the public. More of the latest news about deadly and ineffective covid jabs can be found at ChemicalViolence.com. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) In promotion of his new book The Truth about Wuhan: How I Uncovered the Biggest Lie in History, Dr. Andrew Huff, a former EcoHealth Alliance vice president-turned-whistleblower, appeared with Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, this week to talk about all he saw and learned throughout the covid pandemic. In the latest episode of the Health Ranger Report from Brighteon.com, below, Huff talks about government corruption, bioweapons, Wuhan, China, where covid is now widely believed to have originated, and so much more. Describing himself as a product of 9/11, Huffs career began in the military. He eventually went to college and earned his PhD. Part of his doctoral thesis involved analyzing Americas food system for vulnerabilities to determine the best ways, hypothetically, to attack it. From this, Huff would make his way to Washington, D.C., to discuss this and other national security matters with high-level government officials. He would then be offered his choice of career, for which he chose to work at Sandia National Laboratories, a nuclear weapons and biologics facility. The top-secret clearance Huff was then given allowed him to see the other side of biologics and public health, which is how he eventually found himself at EcoHealth Alliance, the Peter Daszak-run group tied to the development of covid. (Related: Huff previously stated that there is no way covid naturally emerged.) Peter Daszak is an evil person, Huff reveals What first drew Huff to EcoHealth as its granola mission, as he calls it, to protect public health through conservation. Its environmental perspective was a draw compared to the national laboratory systems where Huff had already decided he did not want to spend the rest of his career. It didnt take very long after getting hired at EcoHealth for Huff to realize that the groups mission statement doesnt match its actual work. He, along with the rest of us, now realizes that EcoHealth was involved with the creation of bioweapons, which is why he became a whistleblower. One of the things that Huff learned very quickly after joining EcoHealth is that the group is involved in minor financial fraud or double dipping. Huff also discovered that his boss, Peter Daszak, is an evil person. EcoHealth also had a program called Predict that on paper was all about preventing the next pandemic, but in actuality was a farce. Lots of money was spent on collecting coronavirus samples, but it was not producing results because it was based on pseudoscience and Huff confronted Daszak about it. Everyone believes that Fauci was responsible for the gain of function work, but the truth of the matter is that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, wink, wink CIA-lite, Huff explains. USAID has a very humanitarian mission set, but its also been used by the CIA for 60 years to infiltrate other countries. It was USAID money, Huff says, that was used to link U.S.-based scientists working on gain of function research with their counterparts in communist China. This all started in 2012 and ultimately led to the release of covid in 2019. The rabbit hole is deep with Huffs revelations, which he unpacks even more during the rest of the interview and also in his book. Huff and Adams also discuss other pertinent matters such as the ongoing supply chain woes, the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines, the European energy crisis, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and so much more be sure to watch the full episode at Brighteon.com. You can also find the latest news about the covid scandal by visiting Plague.info. Sources for this article include: Brighteon.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered what could possibly be the oldest gold-coverered Egyptian mummy. The said mummy, who was named Hekashepes per the hieroglyphic inscriptions on his sarcophagus, was found among a whole set of tombs going back around 4,300 years ago. Hekashepes huge rectangular sarcophagus made of limestone was still sealed with mortar when the team of archaeologists discovered it. Team director Zahi Hawass said in a statement that Hekashepes mummy was at the bottom of a 49-foot-shaft near the Step Pyramid at Saqqara. His group had been working to reveal a cemetery of Egyptian tombs from the fifth and sixth dynasties. When the sarcophagus was examined, it was found to be completely sealed with mortar just as the ancient Egyptians had left it 4,300 years ago, said Hawass, a former antiquities minister who served twice in the position. When the lid was raised, we found the mummy of a man covered with gold leaf. He later clarified in an email to Live Science that while Hekashepes is the older gold-covered mummy they found, there are many more mummies older than him. This mummy is the oldest complete mummy covered in gold, he wrote. While little information about Hekashepes is available, he was mummified using artifical methods and appeared to be wealthy based on the fact that he was covered in gold leaf upon death. Francesco Tiradritti, Egyptology professor at Kore University of Enna in Italy, said Hekashepes was clothed and buried without bandages, based on the images posted online. The mummy appeared to be wearing a tunic with a belt and a huge necklace at the time of burial. Tiradritti, who is not involved in the diggings, said this may be an attempt to preserve as much as the living appearance of the deceased. Hekashepes fellow mummies also identified The archaeologists also identified several other figures buried with Hekashepes in the same necropolis. One such tomb belonged to a man named Khnumdjedef, who served as an inspector of the officials during his lifetime. Khnumdjedef served the Pharaoh Unas who ruled from about 2353 B.C. to 2323 B.C., based on hieroglyphic inscriptions in his tomb. Another tomb belonged to an official named Meri. According to inscriptions, the said official held a lot of titles in life, including keeper of the secrets and assistant of the great leader of the palace. A third tomb, meanwhile, belonged to the priest Messi and his wife. The said tomb held nine statues, with seven of them representing servants and the other two representing Messi and his spouse. A fourth tomb was also discovered at the end of a shaft 33 feet deep. The said tomb held a stone sarcophagus purportedly belonging to a man named Fetek, who was buried along with three stone statues depicting him together with an offering table. According to archaeologists, Khnumdjedefs tomb was also decorated with wall paintings depicting scenes of daily life and a painting of five jars lined up on top of what looks like a table. (Related: Ancient secrets to fantastic hair: Scientists uncovered 3000 year old hair wax from the hair of Ancient Egyptian noblewomen.) Referencing a published photo of the tomb, Tiradritti remarked that some of the paintings at Khnumdjedefs resting place were drawn with elongated proportions. He added that these became popular long after the inspector lived. Ultimately, the Italian professor concluded that it looks like the Egyptian mission found a necropolis that can be related to the pyramid of [Unas] and his cult. Follow Discoveries.news for more stories about ancient Egypt. Watch this video about a 4,300-year-old-mummy inside of a Pharaonic tomb. This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: DNA from mummy tomb suggests ancient Egyptians consumed sweet watermelons similar to modern varieties. Archaeologists uncover a dark chapter in Ancient Egyptian history: 60 Mummies found with evidence of GRUESOME deaths. Ancient Egyptian tomb reveals GRUESOME murals of cows being slaughtered. Sources include: LiveScience.com NYPost.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) The current regime came into power based on the lie that Joe Biden actually won the 2020 election, garnering more than 80 million votes with a faulty mind and campaigning from his basement, and the lies continue to flow from the administration on a daily basis to justify ongoing bad policies. One of them is providing tens of billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, which, before Russias invasion about a year ago, was considered one of the most corrupt countries in Europe, if not the most corrupt all of which explains why Joe and Hunter Biden were doing business there. Now, the regimes Treasury Department is claiming, beyond any reasonable justification, that none of the monetary and military aid being provided to Ukraine compliments of the U.S. taxpayer is being misused or misappropriated (stolen), though a recent report out of the country blows up that propaganda. According to a Reuters report: The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday said it had no indication that U.S. funds had been misused in Ukraine, but would continue to work closely with Ukrainian authorities to ensure appropriate safeguards were in place to avert corruption. It was the Treasurys first comment on the issue after Ukraines government last week dismissed a slew of senior officials in the countrys biggest political shake-up of the war following corruption allegations. We have no indication that U.S. funds have been misused in Ukraine, Treasury spokesperson Megan Apper said in response to a query from the newswire service. We welcome the ongoing efforts by the Ukrainian authorities to work with us to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place so that U.S assistance reaches those for whom it is intended. She went on to say that the U.S. Treasury will continue working with the World Bank to track American monetary disbursements to confirm that they are used as intended, as well as with Ukraine and other partners to tackle corruption. Sure, they will. As reported by Business Insider, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this month fired at least nine government officials, some of whom were taking bribes and helping themselves to a portion of the cash flowing into the country: Four deputy ministers and five regional governors were sacked by Ukraines cabinet on Tuesday, according to the Telegram channel of Oleg Nemchinov, the secretary of the cabinet of ministers. Ukraines deputy prosecutor general, Oleksiy Symonenko, also announced his resignation on the same day, the BBC reported. The wave of dismissals and resignations comes as some of Ukraines top leaders were accused of buying military food at inflated prices and taking luxury holidays as their countrymen fight Russias invasion, the report continued. Ukraine would see no return to the way things used to be, Zelenskyy said in a video address following the sackings, adding that the coming week would be the time of appropriate decisions. In August 2021, NBC News reported that through multiple U.S. administrations, officials knew that there was rampant corruption and misallocation of funds and equipment in Afghanistan but did nothing to stop it, claiming to be much more concerned about providing security, though in the end, Washington got neither. The sudden collapse of the government in Afghanistan, as well as the tragic images of Afghans trying to flee the surging Taliban, has politicians and the U.S. commentariat scrambling for answers. Some have blamed the administration for a botched evacuation. Others have blamed presidents current and past, either for making ham-fisted deals or for ignoring the lessons of previous American occupations, the report began. The Talibans swift conquest is attributable to many factors. But one that crosses multiple administrations yet is getting very little attention right now is corruption. Specifically, the kind of corruption the U.S. aided and abetted over many years, glad-handing crooked officials and stalling anti-corruption investigations, as ordinary Afghans struggled and watched officials grow wealthier and wealthier, the report continued. While corruption can hardly be described as the sole reason for the Afghan governments disintegration, it is a consistent through-line of multiple American administrations and an element that the U.S. has consistently overlooked, it added. Who seriously believes that now, the U.S. is monitoring all of the billions going to Ukraine? Sources include: NBCNews.com Reuters.com BusinessInsider.com (Natural News) Top hedge fund manager Mark Spitznagel has believed for some time that the U.S. economy, if not the global economy broadly, is in for a huge correction, and frankly, with the drums of World War III beating louder every day, it makes sense to assume he knows what hes talking about. A piece published by The Wall Street Journal describes Spitznagals investment style as, essentially, unorthodox but highly successful. The article notes that his firm, Universa Investments, has routinely produced amazing annualized returns on sometimes minuscule investments, producing anywhere from three to five times the initial value in a relatively short period of time. For example, when Covid sent global markets into a tailspin, returns were an estimated 4,000% in the first quarter of 2020. The fund also made $1 billion in a single day in 2015 during the Flash Crash,' the WSJ reported, as if to emphasize the fact that Spitznagel is as unconventional as he is successful. In short, he knows of what he speaks, which is what makes his prediction about a coming catastrophic collapse all the more believable. The WSJ noted: The only prediction he makes is one that investors who follow him have heard many times over more than a decadethat the financial system is due for a serious reckoning. In this latest letter, he calls it objectively the greatest tinderbox-timebomb in financial historygreater than in the late 1920s, and likely with similar market consequences. A Great Depression style wipeout is quite the call, yet Mr. Spitznagel offers no timeline and suggests that the conscious postponement of a crash has contributed to its eventual severity. The analogyone he has employed in the pastis that monetary and fiscal firefighters have been overzealous at stamping out financial conflagrations, setting the stage for an uncontrollable blaze. These apocalyptic predictions are where one suspects the consistent, coldly mathematical hedge-fund manager might be allowing his political views to color his commentary. He is closely associated with former presidential candidate Ron Paul, who has sought to abolish the Federal Reserve and restore the gold standard and who has been making similar calls for decades, the paper continued. The article goes on to note that there are options for investors so they can ride out the coming storm, which range from putting more money into gold and silver as well as buying additional stock while its low, holding it, and emerge on the other side of the disaster with shares that have monster value. But these strategies assume that the other side means a return to normalcy, and heres where the situation gets sticky. Because were human, we tend to believe that no matter how bad things get, once the worst is over, then things will be like they were before. Imagine youre a Ukrainian trying to survive Russias invasion; most citizens probably think that on the other side of the war and destruction is a rebuilding period and life returning to what it was before Russian troops stormed into the country. But what if Ukraine loses? Life will never return to the normal that it was prior to the invasion. And the same could be true for the kind of economic apocalypse that Spitznagel is predicting. If the U.S. economic collapse is systemic and catastrophic, there might not be a United States left to rebuild. Nothing will be the same ever again. Thats because whomever seizes power on the other end of the collapse will no doubt implement a much different form of government and build a far different society than what we are used to one that isnt forgiving, isnt free, and does not value liberty and individualism. Probably the best advice that anyone could give at this point is this: Get your affairs in order, save what you can, and pull your friends close. Youll need them. Sources include: WSJ.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Exclusive video footage and bombshell federal government records show that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now actively tracking people who just said no to covid vaccination. Whenever an unvaccinated patient goes to a doctor or hospital, a new CDC program keeps track of his or her every move. This was revealed during a Sept. 14-15, 2021, virtual Zoom meeting of the federal governments ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee, which includes representatives from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the CDCs National Center for Health Statistics. During that meeting, the committee discussed the implementation of new categories of ICD-10 codes to mark people as Unvaccinated for COVID-19, Partially Vaccinated for COVID-19, and Other underimmunization status watch the video below: CDC Plot To Track The Unvaccinated Revealed At September 2021 ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee Meeting pic.twitter.com/0E5AaCmDAm National File (@NationalFile) February 1, 2023 First created by the World Health Organization (WHO), the ICD-10 coding system is used by doctors every day to categorize different types of patients. These codes are routinely used by health insurance companies for billing purposes, and are maintained by the CDCs National Center for Health Statistics. Within ICD-10 codes are ICD-10CM codes, which are reportedly now being used by the CDC for tracking purposes. The CM, in this context, specifically designates people who are partially or entirely unvaccinated for covid. (Related: Remember when the CDCs smartphone app was found to contain hidden Russian software disguised as part of the app?) If youre unvaccinated, the government probably knows about it It was made very clear during that Zoom meeting call that the new codes are needed specifically to track unvaccinated people. Even people who had previously been jabbed with some covid injections but suffered side effects and stopped are to be tracked within the program. According to a document published on the CMS federal government website, the new tracking codes for the unvaccinated and the partially vaccinated started being used in April 2022. ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee staffer Dr. David Berglund, MD, read from page 194 of a CDC Topic Packet the following information pertaining to this you can hear him speak in the above video: During the current time of the COVID-19 pandemic, immunizations have provided protection for many people, but there is interest in being able to track people who are not immunized or only partially immunized. At the current time, this is a significant modifiable risk factor for morbidity and mortality, and of interest for clinical reasons, as well as of value for public health. NCHS is proposing creation of codes for unvaccinated for COVID-19, and for partially vaccinated for COVID-19. NCHS, in this context, refers to the National Center for Health Statistics, a federal government division of the CDC. An NIH government website further states about ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes that they tell the story of each patient encounter, describe etiologies of the disease process, explain the complications of care, provide a basis for medical necessity, support coverage for payment purposes, identify incidence of disease, and support statistical tracking for healthcare practices, as well as provide disease state information on medical practices across the continuum of care. The lesson here is this: stay far, far away from all doctors and hospitals, suggested someone on Twitter about how to avoid being tracked by the government like this. These people are criminals and should be prosecuted for this tracking of unvaccinated people, suggested another. I am so angry now, even more so than when my doctors nurse asked me if I was vaccinated. I suspected this was going to happen and I told her she had no right to ask me about that. The latest news about the CDC can be found at CDC.news. Sources for this article include: NationalFile.com NaturalNews.com CMS.gov (Natural News) Now that there is no more denying the existence of United States-run bioweapons laboratories in Ukraine, the latest story from the White House is that these facilities only exist to conduct some pandemic prevention research. This is according to National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby, who now admits that Ukraines biolabs are real. He also claims, though, that they were safely deactivated prior to the launch of Russias special military operation. Kirbys statements came after the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) released a new batch of information about the Pentagons biological programs in Ukraine. This information was obtained during the course of Moscows ongoing special military operation, which was first launched on Feb. 24, 2022. Russias Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense (RCB) Troops revealed on Monday that in 2022 the US evacuated Ukrainian specialists working on bioweapons to western countries, including the US, Canada and throughout the European Union, Sputnik News reported. The relocation was undertaken in part to prevent Russia from obtaining more information about activities by Ukrainian and U.S. specialists that may be in contravention of international obligations and treaty norms. RCB troops began exposing the extent of the U.S. bioweapons program in Ukraine last spring. (Related: Further evidence shows that Ukraine was planning to use its biolabs to attack Russia.) Nobody is buying the U.S. deep states propaganda concerning the Ukrainian biolabs According to Kirby, the Ukrainian biolabs arent bioweapons labs. He insists that no bioweapons work is being done by or with the United States with Ukraine in Ukraine. At the same time, however, Kirby admits that these facilities do exist and that they had to be deactivated before the Russian invasion. Why was there a need to do this at all if the facilities are supposedly bioweapons-free? If such a program was purely peaceful, then why were the works so promptly curtailed? is how Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov asked that question. Why are these issues handled by the military, but not the civilian specialists? In Antonovs view, the reason why Ukraines biolabs were safely deactivated prior to Russian President Vladimir Putins special operation is because Washington, D.C., did not want the results of whatever research was taking place inside of them to fall into the hands of the Russian military. You may recall from last March when D.C. was still denying the existence of any biolabs in Ukraine statements made by Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, who testified before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Ukraine. She was the first to admit that Ukraine has biological research facilities these were her exact words. We are now in fact quite concerned that Russian troops, Russian forces, may be seeking to, uh, gain control of [those labs], so we are working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach, Nuland admitted at the time. Just prior to this, Robert Pope, head of the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program at the Pentagon, claimed that some Ukrainian biolabs could still be holding pathogen strains left over in freezers from the Soviet bioweapons program. A report published on June 18, 2010, was also unearthed out of Great Britain admitting that a level-3 biosafety lab was built by the U.S. in the Ukrainian city of Odessa to study dangerous pathogens like anthrax, tularemia, Q fever, and others used by bioterrorists. Be sure to check out the full report from Sputnik News to learn more about these revelations. More related news coverage can be found at WWIII.news. Sources for this article include: SputnikNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Elijah Schaffer of Next News Network (NNN) has warned that federal government agencies are hijacking the Constitution. The NNN reporter lamented how the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) under the Department of Justice had hijacked the Second Amendment one of the most fundamental freedoms enshrined in the key document. He blasted the ATFs infringement of the right to keep and bear arms, saying that it is another example of unelected bureaucrats extending their power and authority by attempting to legislate without anyones approval or oversight. Schaffer cited the concerns of Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) over the ATFs new pistol stabilizer brace rule that she mentioned in a Jan. 25 tweet. ATFs ruling on their pistol brace rule is nothing more than the governments overreach, she tweeted. [President Joe] Biden and his unelected bureaucrats at the ATF are destroying our Second Amendment. Under the ATFs mandate, owners of pistol braces have to register them with the agency; convert the pistols into long-barrel rifles; destroy the entire firearm; or surrender both brace and firearm to the ATF. Schaffer also pointed to remarks made by Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) against the ATF proposal. The NNN reporter played footage of the congressmans speech, where he similarly denounced unelected federal bureaucrats targeting the Second Amendment. McCormick warned that the ATFs plan threatens to make criminals of tens of millions of law-abiding Americans. Moreover, he added that the extra fees and registrations desired by the law enforcement agency is an unnecessary punishment for shooting enthusiasts who purchased perfectly legal accessories to their legal firearms. Americans are tired of unelected federal agencies spending their tax dollars attacking and curtailing the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens, McCormick said in closing his speech. House Republicans want to abolish ATF The NNN reporter also cited a Jan. 20 Breitbart piece about Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) introducing a bill to abolish the ATF. The congressman for the Sunshine State tweeted: House Republicans have the ATF in our crosshairs. The continued existence of the ATF is increasingly unwarranted based on their repeated actions to convert law-abiding citizens into felons. My bill would abolish ATF once and for all. (Related: Defund the ATF Conservatives and politicians push to get ATF defunded and dismantled for anti-gun policies and actions.) Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) also introduced a bill to repeal the National Firearms Act. If passed, the ATF can no longer turn law-abiding gun owners into criminals. The situation with the ATF is a prime example of why we must pay close attention to our governments actions. It is not the first, second or third time that they have disregarded the will of Americans who understand their rights and exactly what these regulations are doing and who they are serving, Schaffer said. According to the reporter, the Founding Fathers were wise enough not to create an agency specifically intended to regulate firearms given that they understood how easy it was for a corrupt government to hijack an agency and twist it to suit their own agenda. Schaffer concluded by saying the American people can avoid this by making sure the ATF is terminated or the citizens will be paying the consequences soon. Americans must never forget the pushback against intrusive federal regulations and remain vigilant in preserving their treasured right to keep and bear arms. Watch Elijah Schaffer warn of the ATF possibly abolishing the Second Amendment below. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Unconstitutional: Government pushing for gun laws that brazenly contradict Second Amendment rights. The real goal of eliminating the Second Amendment is to obliterate the First Amendment (and enslave us all). Im Fired Up: Chad Caton blasts Rep. Jerry Nadler, ATF over attempts to violate Second Amendment Brighteon.TV Sources include: Brighteon.com Breitbart.com 1 Breitbart.com 2 (Natural News) Legal activist group Judicial Watch has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to obtain all records of communications involving the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the potential use of human fetal tissue in research and medications. Judicial Watch said it filed the lawsuit because the HHS failed to respond to their initial FOIA requests to the NIH for all communications concerning human fetal tissue, including but not limited to records, emails, texts, memoranda and handwritten notes, between the NIHs Office of Extramural Research and four other institutions the University of Pittsburgh, its medical center, the National Abortion Federation and Planned Parenthood. We have already established collusion between the University of Pittsburgh and the NIH over the fetal organ chop shop of the University of Pittsburgh paid for with federal tax dollars, explained Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton in a press release. The [administration of President Joe Biden] turned the spigot back on for taxpayer funding of this barbarism, and we want the details. Back in 2019, the administration of former President Donald Trump issued restrictions on the use of human fetal tissue from elective abortions in medical research. Under these regulations, any research proposal involving human fetal tissue would be subjected to review and approval by an ethics board. In 2021, the Biden administration changed this policy and dissolved the ethics advisory board, allowing research on human fetal tissue to proceed without scrutiny. By August of that year, Judicial Watch was able to obtain documents filed during an earlier lawsuit revealing that the University of Pittsburgh had received nearly $3 million in federal funding toward the creation of a tissue hub and collection site in the university for human fetal tissue ranging from six to 42 weeks gestation. Judicial Watch filed FOIA requests to the NIH to obtain more information, which led to the current lawsuit following the agencys refusal to comply with the request. HHS, NIH, other government agencies using material from aborted fetuses in research Judicial Watch has been working for years to uncover what kinds of research have been conducted using human fetal tissue, including before the rollback of the Trump-era policy. (Related: $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill contains sinister depopulation provisions: $575M to be spent on abortions in areas with high population growth.) In 2020, the organization found that, between December 2016 and August 2018, the NIH paid thousands of dollars to Advanced Bioscience Resources (ABR), a California-based biotechnology research company, for organs acquired from aborted human fetuses. The aborted material was used for the creation of humanized mice for research on HIV. In September 2021, Judicial Watch announced that, thanks to a FOIA lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it received communications and contracts between the FDA and ABR for the latter to provide fetal heads, organs and tissue for humanized mice research. After attempts by the FDA to hide certain information from its records, Judicial Watch was able to successfully lobby for the release of unredacted information. This includes the fact that the HHS had an agreement to purchase organs harvested from aborted human fetuses at a set price per organ that the government had to pay to ABR. A court at the time even suggested that there was reason to question whether the transactions violated the at the time still valid executive ruling regarding the sale of fetal tissue. Learn more about government support for abortions at Abortions.news. Watch Gary Fianchi of Next News Network discuss the federal governments next moves to enable millions of additional abortions per year in the United States. This video is from the News Clips channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Walgreens, CVS to sell ABORTION PILLS in states where abortion is still legal. Sickening abortion chaperone TikTok video shows there is nothing funny about infanticide. Associated Press instructs all media to use pro-abortion language when reporting on topic. Abortion industry wants legal immunity to kill live-birth babies who survive botched abortions. Angela Stanton-King urges people to set aside differences and unite against abortion, child mutilation Brighteon.TV. Sources include: GlobalResearch.ca NTD.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) (LifeSiteNews) A documentary film was published Monday on Childrens Health Defense that draws disturbing parallels between the Nazis propaganda push during the lead-up to the Holocaust, and todays psychological manipulation of the masses using the pretext of COVID-19. (Article by Emily Mangiaracina republished from LifeSiteNews.com) What were clearly seeing here is a replay of the same telltale signs of what precipitated the Holocaust in the 1930s, orthodox rabbi Michoel Green said in the first of a five-part Never Again documentary series by Holocaust survivor Vera Sharav. Green, who resolutely kept his synagogue open during the mass public closures of the COVID pandemic, unflinchingly pointed to what he sees as the striking resemblance between the Nazis modus operandi in demonizing the Jews, and todays shunning of the unvaccinated. Green, who resolutely kept his synagogue open during the mass public closures of the COVID pandemic, unflinchingly pointed to what he sees as the striking resemblance between the Nazis modus operandi in demonizing the Jews, and todays shunning of the unvaccinated. Green pointed out that in Nazi Germany, as during the COVID pandemic, authorities engaged in the marginalization of that minority, identifying the minority as a threat to public health, or [as] a public health risk. That is exactly what Goebbels did, said Green, referring to Nazi Germanys chief propagandist Joseph Goebbels. That was right out of the Nazi playbook. There is nothing more morally reprehensible than government or authority of any kind declaring other innocent human beings as a public health risk. And it doesnt matter if these people claim to be doing so innocently, for the greater good, because thats what Nazis did as well, Green continued. But that doesnt justify marginalization, persecution, and apartheid What were seeing nowadays is precisely that, he added, alluding to the prohibition of those not vaccinated against COVID-19 from entry to public venues in many places during the peak of the COVID outbreak. To highlight the historical parallel, he told the story of how a Jewish Holocaust survivor was invited to speak at an orthodox Jewish college and was eventually canceled because she could not show her vaccine papers. And they have become the modern-day purveyors of tyranny. Of persecution and marginalization of the minority, Green said. Green suggested that such injustices can only take place when safety and security are elevated as the highest values of society. He argued that they must be subordinated to freedom, which is a value worth dying for. The rabbi walks the walk in this regard. Green said that when his state governor decided that public worship was not essential, I decided right then and there, [and] told my wife, We are not shutting the doors of our synagogue for one day. My wife said, well, What if someone gets sick? What if we get sick and we die? Green replied, We have to be ready to die. We have to be ready to die before we allow the government to shut down our religious observances, our right to live and live freely Hear more eye-opening, stunning stories and reflections on the parallels between Nazi Germany and the COVID-era world, as well as little-discussed information on the five major companies that made the Holocausts scale possible, by watching part one of Sharavs docuseries here. Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com (Natural News) Payment firm PayPal Holdings Inc. is set to cut seven percent of its workforce, or about 2,000 employees. While we have made substantial progress in right-sizing our cost structure, and focused our resources on our core strategic priorities, we have more work to do, the firms CEO Dan Schulman said in a statement. The companys stocks have been deeply impacted by the downturn in the volumes of payments through its platform while the world eases out of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This is why it is now resorting to reduced spending that would include closing down offices across the U.S. and laying off employees. Schulman said these efforts should help the company save at least $1.3 billion this year. The South China Morning Post reported that PayPal shares increased 1.9 percent to $81.14 on Feb. 1 at 3:55 p.m. New York time. The stock has climbed 14 percent this year, outpacing the nine percent advance of the S&P 500 Information Technology Index. Just like other tech companies, the financial portal hired more employees during the pandemic to keep up with the demand for online payments due to public health mandates such as lockdowns. And though there has been an increase in payments via their services this year as compared to last year, that would still mark the lowest level of growth in the firms history as a public company. Over the past year, we made significant progress in strengthening and reshaping our company to address the challenging macroeconomic environment while continuing to invest to meet our customers needs, Schulman said. We must continue to change as our world, our customers and our competitive landscape evolves. PayPal hack exposes personal information of nearly 35,000 customers The mass layoff came a few weeks after PayPal got hacked and had the personal information of about 35,000 customers exposed, including their names and Social Security numbers (SSNs). The hackers used a method called credential stuffing, which involved automatically injecting login credentials that were found during previous data breaches. The company sent a notice of the data breach on the website of Maines Office of the Attorney General. It also sent a letter about the data breach to its 34,942 impacted users. (Related: PayPal hack exposes names, social security numbers of 35,000 customers.) On Dec. 20, 2022, we confirmed that unauthorized parties were able to access your PayPal customer account using your login credentials. We have no information suggesting that any of your personal information was misused as a result of this incident, or that there are any unauthorized transactions on your account. There is also no evidence that your login credentials were obtained from any PayPal systems, the letter reads. The hacking activity occurred between Dec. 6 and Dec. 8, 2022, when it eliminated access for unauthorized third parties, which it did not identify. During this time, third parties were able to view and potentially acquire personal information for certain users, such as full names, dates of birth, SSNs, addresses and tax identification numbers. PayPal suggested additional security features that enable the two-step verification in the account settings. When links are present in an email, individuals should hover [their] mouse over the links to view the actual destination URL and should not click on the link if [they] are unsure of the destination URL or website, the firm also suggested. The company assured its users that on their end, they have already reset passwords. Affected users will also get free identity monitoring services from Equifax, a consumer credit reporting company. Visit Glitch.news for more stories about hacking incidents. Watch this video of a PayPal user revealing that the platform linked an SSN to his account without his consent. This video is from Cahlens channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: WhatsApp HACKED: Nearly 500 million phone numbers from 84 countries and territories put up for sale. Metas Mark Zuckerberg fires more than 11K employees, takes blame for overestimating companys growth prospects. Amazon to fire 10,000 employees in biggest layoff in companys history. Redfin fires 13% of its staff in latest tech firm mass layoffs as inflation soars. Sources include: SCMP.com NewsRoom.PayPal-Corp.com CNBC.com ZeroHedge.com Apps.Web.Maine.gov DocDroid.net Brighteon.com (Natural News) The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proven time and time again that they are incapable of properly regulating the pharmaceutical industry. In the latest Pfizer drug approval, the FDA proved that they work for Pfizer and helped fast track a drug approvals in an anti-competitive way. FDA regulators recently reached out to Pfizer, urging them to apply for a new drug indication for their blockbuster cancer drug Ibrance. With this move, FDA regulators show that they will go out of their way to track down their friends at Pfizer and give them priority for new label expansions. After Pfizer was given the inside track, they quickly applied for the label expansion, monopolizing on cancer treatment fraud through their connections at the FDA. The FDA tips off Pfizer for label expansions, drug approvals This year, Pfizer reported that the FDA expanded a full approval for Ibrance. The new approval is for a combination of Ibrance and an aromatase inhibitor that can now be prescribed to newly-diagnosed HR-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer patients, regardless of their menopausal status. The combination drug was previously approved only for postmenopausal women. A careful examination of the prescription information for Ibrance shows no new efficacy data in the patient population. In fact, there is no update on clinical efficacy for Ibrances label. The label only includes the original results from the phase 4 PALOMA-2 trial and the phase 3 PALOMA-3 study. The first study only tested a combination of Ibrance and Novartis aromatase inhibitor Femara in postmenopausal women who were newly diagnosed with HR+/HER2- breast cancer. The PALOMA-2 trial failed to produce any convincing data for Ibrances efficacy. In fact, Ibrance failed to significantly improve the life expectancy of patients enrolled in the study. The second study combined Ibrance with AstraZenecas SERD drug Faslodex for patients who were previously treated, regardless of menopausal status. Pfizer did not produce any new clinical data, yet the FDA went out of their way to help Pfizer expand their Ibrance label so that it can be prescribed to all women who meet the diagnostic criteria. The FDAs latest approval letter (dated Dec. 13, 2022) openly admitted that the FDA reached out to Pfizer in December 2021 and requested they file an application to include pre/perimenopausal women in Ibrances label. Pfizer submitted the application for expanded market authorization for Ibrance on March 11, 2022, already knowing that the FDA would approve it, because the FDA requested it in the first place. Pfizers regulatory capture of the FDA allows for historic crimes against humanity Other drug companies are unable to compete with Pfizer because the FDA communicates directly with Pfizer and provides an inside track for their drug approvals. Novartiss competing drug Kisqali and Eli Lillys drug Verzenio were not given the same special treatment for license approval and expansion. The FDAs favoritism of Pfizer has nothing to do with science or data, and has everything to do with the revolving door they have with the government. How else would Pfizer continue to get away with their crimes against humanity in regard to the covid-19 vaccine? Pfizer was the first pharmaceutical company to get FDA authorization for the covid mRNA jab because there is a revolving door of fraud between Pfizer and the government. For instance, in June of 2019, Dr. Scott Gottlieb joined Pfizers Board of Directors, which was two months after he finished his term as Commissioner of the FDA. One year later, Pfizer received over $2 billion from Operation Warp Speed to expedite mRNA experiments on the population. Now, the FDA is making way for endless approval of Pfizers directed evolution experiments and yearly covid jab boosters, despite there being no evidence of efficacy or safety for the jabs. After forcefully and criminally generating $100.3 billion in revenue in 2022 and $81.3 billion in 2021, this criminal organization [Pfizer] continues to grant itself more power over the population and the rule of law through the regulatory facade, the fully-captured FDA. Sources include: HealthImpactNews.com AccessData.FDA.gov [PDF] FiercePharma.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com A great white shark decided to make a diver its buffet in the waters off Mexico earlier in January, according to recent reports, which said the incident occurred in front of a fisherman who was also present at that time. The marine predator decapitated the male diver who was searching for mollusks. Based on records, the incident is considered to be the the first fatal shark attack of 2023. Mexico's waters, particularly in the Gulf of California or the eastern Pacific Ocean that surrounds the waters of Baja California, are reportedly filled with great white sharks. In previous years, multiple shark attacks have been reported off the Pacific coast of Mexico. One of these shark encounters in the Central American country includes the legendary Black Demon Shark or El Demonio Negro in Spanish. First Fatal Shark Attack Manuel Lopez was engaging in a scuba diving activity on January 5 primarily for mollusks in Tobari Bay, Gulf of California, when a 19-foot great white shark suddenly came out of nowhere and ambushed the diver, according to the website Tracking Sharks. Lopez was collecting ax tripe, a mollusk-like scallop. The mollusks can be found at an approximate depth between 36 to 59 feet (11 to 18 meters) locally. However, the action of pulling these marine invertebrate animals can generate underwater turbulence and sound that could attract sharks, the shark-monitoring site explains. Also Read: Great White Sharks Eat Four Times As Much As Previously Estimated (VIDEO) Eyewitness Accounts Two other fishermen, who were with the scuba diver at the time, stated Lopez was decapitated. The victim was already diving when a lone shark ripped off his head and bit both his shoulders. This is according to a local named Jose Bernal, who was speaking for the fisherman and provided detail of the shark attack, as cited by Fox News. In addition, Bernal remarked that divers in the shark-infested waters were previously warned about "an increased shark presence" in the area. This led to most divers avoiding the water in the days prior to the January 5 shark attack. Lopez was reported wearing complete diving gear, including a surface supplied air source connected to the boat via compressor pumps with tethered ropes. Seafood Shortage Amid seafood shortage due to Mexico's economic hardship, some divers choose to risk it all since there is an increased demand for these marine supplies, Tracking Sharks reported. Also known as the Gulf of California, the Sea of Cortez is home to great white sharks, especially during the months of December and January when pregnant female sharks enter the region in order to feed. As preventative measures, some local biologists have advised the divers not to wear black wetsuits, which is a common color for divers, as sharks might mistake humans for seals. In addition, the experts recommend divers wear suits painted with white stripes to look like a poisonous coral snake, according to the tracking site, as cited by, as cited by the Business Insider. Related Article: Dead Great White Shark Washed Ashore Into California Beach Killed During Fishing Activity According to experts, the Avian Flu, which is currently taking a toll on UK bird farms, has been transmitted for the first time from birds to mammals. If there is a virus mutation in mammals, there is a chance that it will then spread to humans. Avian Flu on Mammals In addition to Powys in Wales, Shetland, the Inner Hebrides, and Fife in Scotland, cases have also been found in Durham, Cheshire, and Cornwall in England. Accordingly, there's a remote possibility that the virus will spread to people. More than 200 mammals, such as foxes and otters, have been shown to contract the illness, which has killed more than 200 million birds. Despite the extremely low risk, public health officials have stated that it is still possible for the mammalian mutation to start infecting humans. Further focused surveillance and testing of humans and animals exposed to the virus in Britain will therefore be conducted. Up to 66 mammals, including seals, have been tested by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), and nine otters and foxes have tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 strain. Virus Mutation The theory is that the animals that tested positive were fed dead or ill wild birds that had the avian flu. There was no proof of the virus hopping from animals to mammals, even though it was discovered that the animals had a virus mutation that made it more likely to infect mammals. According to the APHA, there is very little chance that GB mammals will become infected widely. Professor Ian Brown, the APHA director of scientific services, said that the e virus is definitely moving and is doing so in a single strain. There is a need to consider new strategies, like those international partnerships, to stop this disease and reduce the risk as a result of its global spread. Avian Flu Spread and Infection The disease can also spread to animals that consume wild bird droppings or that prey on infected birds. But last month, after an outbreak in Spain raised the possibility that the flu could spread from one infected mammal to another mammal, experts issued a warning regarding the H5N1 strain of avian influenza. An outbreak that started on January 19 in Eurosurveillance happened on a mink farm located in Carral in October 2022. The animals were found to be infected with a new strain of H5N1 that originated in gulls, according to genetic sequencing. Additionally, it has a genetic mutation that is thought to make some animal flu viruses more likely to be able to spread in mammals. Virus Infecting Humans A Harbin Veterinary Research Institute virologist in China named Hualan Chen issued a warning that the spread of the H5N1 strain among mammals may be more dangerous to the general public's health. Since the start of the most recent outbreak in October 2021, the H5N1 strain has been implicated in one human death in the UK. Four additional human fatalities have occurred, one of which occurred in China. Over the past 20 years, 21 countries have reported 868 cases of avian influenza H5N1 virus in humans, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). . Up to 457 of these incidents ended in death. This suggests that a sizable portion of infected individuals die. The national task force for avian flu in the UK is currently stepping up its monitoring of mammalian cases and virus genome analysis while closely monitoring the spread in wild bird populations around the world. Also Read: Mysterious Death of 40 Vultures Around North Carolina Water Tower Prompts Speculations: Poison or Avian Flu? New Influenza Pandemic Thijs Kuiken, an Erasmus University Medical Center Professor of viroscience in Rotterdam, has previously expressed concern that there is a slim possibility of a human spillover. The impact, if it does occur, he claimed, is substantial because it would signal the start of another new pandemic of influenza. The most recent data indicates that the avian influenza viruses that are currently affecting birds do not easily spread to humans, according to Dr. Meera Chand, the UKHSA incident director for avian influenza. Everyone should continue to be on the lookout for any indications shifting risk, Chand added. The HPAI virus typically disappeared during the early fall and summer months in previous years, but it persisted throughout the entire year in 2022. One pandemic associated with avian influenza or originating in birds is the 1918 flu, which is estimated to have killed up to 50 million people, Express reported. Related Article: Worst Avian Flu Outbreak of All Time Kills 50 Million Birds from 46 States, US A giant fireball passed over a Siberian city in late January and the spectacular event was caught on footage, it was reported earlier this week. The meteor was seen over the city of Krasnoyarsk in the region of Siberia, Russia, on the night of Tuesday, January 31. There were no immediate reports suggesting the space rock made significant impact or explosion in the area. Fireball in Siberia Geographer and amateur meteorologist Kirill Bakanov reported on Twitter that the fireball was spotted around 8:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Newsweek reported. Videos on social media show a very bright light before fading out due to an apparent explosion above the ground. According to a Twitter post of David Kime, the celestial body was captured on CCTV cameras, which showed the fireball lit up the sky over the regional capital and the space object was also noticed in Divnogorsk, a town in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. 1/ #astronomy #Meteorite #Russia A meteor flew over Krasnoyarsk The celestial body was caught on CCTV cameras. The bright fireball lit up the sky over the capital of the region, it was also noticed in Divnogorsk. pic.twitter.com/sKizwloBfb David Kime (@CyberRealms1) January 31, 2023 The latest Siberia fireball sightings occurred over a century after the phenomenon on what is called now the June 1908 Tunguska event, an incident involving a powerful explosion of a probable meteor of a small asteroid or comet. According to the Planetary Science Institute (PSI), the 1908 Siberia explosion involved a mysterious explosion in the skies of the region at 7:17 a.m. local time on June 30 of that year. While there were no realistic pictures of the phenomenon available, Russian scientists were able to collect anecdotal evidence from eye witnesses of the event. Also Read: Scientists Finally Figured Out the Mystery Fireball over Alberta, Canada What is a Fireball? A fireball is an alternative term to describe a very bright meteor, which is generally brighter than magnitude negative 4, which is relatively the same luminosity of the planet Venus as observed in the morning or night sky, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS). For instance, a bolide is a special type of fireball which is known for exploding in a bright flash at its send, often with observable fragmentation, sid the AMS, which also requests the public to report these events when they occur. Significant details may include the brightness, length, color, and duration of the meteor in the sky. The AMS says it shares fireball reports with organizations like the Meteoritical Society and the International Meteor Organization's Fireball Data Center (FIDAC). In the case of the Siberia fireball incident, relating sightings of bright meteors are also recorded by several organizations in Europe, including the European Space Agency (ESA). Fireball Hitting Earth Just like space rocks in general, including asteroids, comets, and meteorites, fireballs can also hit Earth despite being burnt by our planet's atmosphere once they enter. While a number of bolide disintegrates completely before touching the ground, there are instances where a meteor impact is successful. In November 2022, a fireball flew over the skies of Ontario, Canada, and was the sixth space object detected before it struck Earth, according to the ESA, as cited by The New York Times. It was the night of November 19 when word started spreading amongst a community of amateur and professional astronomers regarding falling meteor, urging observers to point their cameras and telescopes to the sky, NYT reported. Related Article: Rare Event: Huge 'Apocalyptic' Meteor Explodes In Siberian Skyline, Turns Night Into Day An extremely rare video shows volcanic lightning bolts crackling from Guatemala's Fuego volcano. Chino Aventuras, a mountain tour guide, recorded the footage while leading a group of 15 people up the active stratovolcano Fuego. These volcanoes have a conical shape created by layers of volcanic material accumulated during eruptions. Aventuras captured the surroundings of the volcano on camera for her video. The volcano is emitting ash from its crater as the camera pans to it. The tour guide can be heard gasping as bright lightning strikes can be seen coming from the summit of the mountain. January 11, 2023, ~ Lightning from Fuego? ~ Volcan de Fuego, Guatemala #volcano #fuego #guatemala Thanks to Crelosa! Is this lightning coming from the clouds or the plume rising from Fuego? Interesting phenomena. 1st two are real-time, 2nd is greatly slowed down. pic.twitter.com/W9K4CK4Oa0 Volcano Time-Lapse (@DavidHe11952876) January 12, 2023 An intense rumbling is audible coming from the volcano after the lightning strikes. Aventuras told Newsweek that volcanic ash and the electric storm that developed on top of the volcano contributed to the lightning. Although Aventuras has witnessed numerous lightning eruptions, she asserts that this was the largest she has ever witnessed in her ten years of guiding on the Fuego volcano. Fuego in Guatemala Among the most active volcanoes in the area, Fuego has been erupting recurrently since January 2002. It is one of the biggest in Central America, rising 12,362 feet above sea level. When it is not actively erupting, the volcano that towers over Antigua typically emits tiny plumes of ash and gas every 15 to 20 minutes. The most recent eruption of Fuego occurred in December 2022, and it started with sparse explosions and high ash clouds shooting above the mountain. More than 1,600 feet above the crater, lava was flowing. According to the National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology, and Hydrology in Guatemala, the volcano experienced two to eight explosions per hour between January 4 and January 10, and ash plumes rose more than 1.2 kilometers above the crater rim. Locals refer to Fuego as "the Volcano of Fire," and its eruptions have the potential to be fatal. Due to its propensity for highly explosive eruptions, it poses a particular threat to residents. In June 2018, the volcano had a particularly dangerous eruption. Communities were covered in ash from pyroclastic flows, which also harmed the quality of the air and water. 200 people perished as a result of these eruptions. Also Read: Indonesia's Mount Marapi Erupts Shooting Ashes 300 Meters into the Sky, No tourists Allowed Within 3 Km of Crater Volcanic Lighting Over the past 200 years, there have been about 200 eruptions where volcanic lightning has been observed. It's challenging to photograph the phenomenon because it only lasts for a fraction of a second. When different fragmented particles cross paths, generating static electricity within the ash plume, volcanic lightning results. Lightning results from the release of this buildup in the atmosphere, Newsweek reports. According to a 2019 study published in the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, the use of volcanic lightning as a research and monitoring tool to analyze explosive eruptions holds a lot of promise. Since lightning-produced radio signals can travel thousands of kilometers at the speed of light, their main advantages are rapid and remote detection. Alexa Van Eaton, a US Geological Survey's Cascades Volcano Observatory volcanologist and study author, said that, conversely, lightning detection is quick and effective through haze or complete darkness at distances of hundreds of miles. Additionally, unlike sound, light does not have path effects, making it a useful tool for volcano monitoring, National Geographic reported in 2018. Related Article: No Evacuation Issued as Fuego Volcano Eruption Persists with Active Lava Flows, Ash Fall, Crater Avalanches - Guatemala Early pandemic years coincided with some of California's greatest wildfires on record, resulting in the frightening orange-tinted sky and vast swaths of charred terrain. Some of the consequences of these fires are well documented, such as significant decreases in air quality, and a new study illustrated how these wildfires interacted with midwinter dry conditions to expedite snowmelt. Wildfires are increasingly burning California's snowy landscapes A DRI-led research team explored what happens to mountain snowpacks when bright, midwinter dry periods occur in forests damaged by catastrophic wildfire in a report published on Jan. 20 in Geophysical Research Letters. The researchers discovered a significant rise in flames burning in California's snowy landscapes in 2020 and 2021, when huge blazes such as the Dixie, Caldor, and Creek fires centered in snow zones. Using a midwinter dry spell from 2013, they discovered that comparable weather in the winter of 2021-2022 resulted in 50% less snow cover. The effects of wildfire on snow melt are compounded by an increase in solar exposure owing to the loss of forest canopy and a decrease in the snow's capacity to reflect sunlight. According to Arielle Koshkin, M.S., a Ph.D. student present at the Colorado School of Mines who co-led the study as part of her master's research at DRI and the University of Nevada, Reno. Satellite data revealed that, compared to the 2001 to 2019 average, wildfires burning in California's seasonal snow zones increased about tenfold in 2020 and 2021. What it means is that there is an increased overlap between fire and snow, with all of these cascading and compounding effects on the system, particularly the hydrology, according to Ben Hatchett, Ph.D., a climatologist at DRI who co-led the study with Koshkin. This massive spike in fire activity in California's icy regions is exactly what we anticipate seeing in the future. A severe winter drought followed in 2021-2022 when Tahoe City endured a 46-day midwinter dry spell , which was the second-longest since reliable records began in 1917; the long-term median is 22 days without precipitation. A comparable midwinter drought occurred in 2013, allowing the researchers to compare and contrast the consequences under more usual conditions with those that happened in a badly burned area. Forests with extensive wildfires that have burned down the tree canopy have more exposed snowpacks, which increases melting caused by bright days and mild nights (another recent DRI study examined the snowmelt impacts of spring heatwaves). Snowmelt is compounded further by the decrease of the snowpack's albedo, or the natural ability of white snow to reflect rather than absorb sunlight. Snow is powdered with the black carbon of burnt plants, which can increase melting rates by up to 57% in the winters immediately after a wildfire. The researchers discovered a total of 50 fewer days with snow cover in the winter of 2021 to 2022, the lowest number of snow cover days on record, inside the perimeter of the Caldor fire. The increased midwinter snowfall complicates estimating water availability from the natural snowpack reservoir. Water management must allow room in reservoirs throughout the winter months to prevent flooding, which means that early snowmelt may not be retained for later use in the dry season. Such research gives water managers the tools they need to make more precise predictions about the time and quantity of snowmelt. Koshkin intends to build on this study for her Ph.D. studies by looking at regional variations in fire effects on snow. She pointed out that the effects of wildfires on snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada may differ in Colorado and Idaho owing to differences in weather and snowpack conditions. The researchers stress that the wildfire consequences observed in this study are the result of high-severity wildfires rather than lower-severity burns such as managed fires. "This study really emphasizes the need of reintroducing fire to our environment in the sense that we need fire - good fire is the solution to our wildfire problem," Hatchett added, as per ScienceDaily. Reintroducing a more natural fire regime to our environment through the planned and cultural fire can help lessen the chance of future major fires. Also Read: Study Shows How Wildfire Triggers Major Forest Changes What are Exacerbating and Prolonging California Wildfires? As a result of climate change, California has been experiencing higher temperatures and drier seasons, resulting in longer and more extreme drought seasons, as per Earth.org. The conditions required to ignite a wildfire are more easily satisfied, enhancing the intensity of the fire once it begins. This is evidenced by the fact that more than half of California's 20 biggest fires have occurred in the previous four years. According to scientists, a 1C increase in temperature each year may increase the median burnt area by up to 600% in some types of woods, while another model predicts that acreage burned by wildfire might increase by 30% by 2060 compared to 2011 values. About 10-15% of wildfires occur spontaneously, and while they cannot be stopped, the severity and spread of these flames can be reduced. The California Wildfire and Forest Management Task Force was formed with a comprehensive strategy to speed measures to minimize wildfire risk for vulnerable areas, enhance the health of forests and wildlands, and accelerate action to battle climate change. This would entail prescribing controlled fire to decrease forest overgrowth, which serves as fuel for wildlife, as well as expanding sustainable timber harvesting programs. Related article: US Wildfires are Becoming Larger and More Frequent Since 2000: New Study Fort Polk, LA (71446) Today Sunny to partly cloudy. High 81F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High around 80F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low around 55F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. To subscribe, click here. Want to purchase today's print edition? Here's a map of single-copy locations. Sign up for our daily newsletter here ARCOLA Karina Warfel has a vision of how to turn an empty block in downtown Arcola into an eye-catching plaza modeled after one in Mexico. At a recent city council meeting, the Arcola High School senior gave a presentation on how the area that formerly housed the mammoth building known as the Metropolitan block could be used. You drive past it every day, and you see it and say, What could go there? Warfel said. Among the features in her plan would be a raised pavilion/stage area that could be used for concerts or small gatherings and parties, and signs featuring the citys name and emblems that set it apart, such as the high schools Purple Rider mascot, broomcorn and its place on the map, to encourage photo opportunities. Warfel also envisions a mural highlighting the broomcorn heritage with drawings of two churches both named after John the Baptist one in Arcola and one in Cadereyta Jimenez, Mexico representing the broomcorn connection between the two cities. She said the plaza would provide more opportunities for vendors, small businesses and community members to sell their goods besides the broomcorn festival. It could also provide space for other functions like a farmers market, she said. Warfel said the plaza could meet some of the needs and concerns the city has, including a centrally located event space, education about the citys Hispanic population for visitors, improved business and traffic flow downtown, and additional green space. I have been working closely with English as a Second Language, and it has given me more of an appreciation for the Hispanic population and how were unique, Warfel said. I think a fair amount of people want to know how can we incorporate more of the Mexican culture into our town. The city is about 40 percent Hispanic, with many having come there to work in the broomcorn industry. Warfel said the councils reaction was positive. Obviously they cant tell you, Yeah, were going to do this, she said. They have to review it. They were impressed how I organized the information. Just being a young person, they were impressed to have someone interested in improving Arcola. Mayor Jesus Garza said at least part of the open space could be developed as Warfel envisioned, but nothing is set in stone. Garza said about half of the block might be used for another purpose that includes a retail business, the details of which have not been formally announced. He said the plaza concept is something that has come up before, but Warfels presentation was more thought-out and impressive. After the earlier presentation, we started looking at numbers. Its quite a bit of money, Garza said, adding it might be something the city will look at in the future. City Administrator Bill Wagoner said officials would have to determine how much of Warfels concept could be included, adding that the council will take it under advisement. Hannah Myers, facilitator for the Illini Prairie CEO program that includes 10 students from Arcola, Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond and Tuscola high schools, including Warfel, said she is a brilliant student. Shes one of my best students, Myers said. She definitely has the drive and ambition and desire. Thats one of the things I honestly love about the CEO program, that alongside learning business concepts, its encouraging local talent to stay local. The Metropolitan block, located at the corner of Main and Locust streets, was nearly 150 years old when it was demolished in 2021. It was built in 1872. The host Julie Rovner KHN Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KHN's weekly health policy news podcast, "What the Health?" A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is the author of the critically praised reference book "Health Care Politics and Policy A to Z," now in its third edition. The public health emergency in effect since the start of the covid-19 pandemic will end on May 11, the Biden administration announced this week. The end of the so-called PHE will bring about a raft of policy changes affecting patients, health care providers, and states. But Republicans in Congress, along with some Democrats, have been agitating for an end to the "emergency" designation for months. Meanwhile, despite Republicans' less-than-stellar showing in the 2022 midterm elections and broad public support for preserving abortion access, anti-abortion groups are pushing for even stronger restrictions on the procedure, arguing that Republicans did poorly because they were not strident enough on abortion issues. This week's panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Victoria Knight of Axios, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times. Panelists Victoria Knight Axios @victoriaregisk Read Victoria's stories Rachel Roubein The Washington Post @rachel_roubein Read Rachel's stories Margot Sanger-Katz The New York Times @sangerkatz Read Margot's stories Among the takeaways from this week's episode: This week the Biden administration announced the covid public health emergency will end in May, terminating many flexibilities the government afforded health care providers during the pandemic to ease the challenges of caring for patients. Some of the biggest covid-era changes, like the expansion of telehealth and Medicare coverage for the antiviral medication Paxlovid, have already been extended by Congress. Lawmakers have also set a separate timetable for the end of the Medicaid coverage requirement. Meanwhile, the White House is pushing back on reports that the end of the public health emergency will also mean the end of free vaccines, testing, and treatments. A new KFF poll shows widespread public confusion over medication abortion, with many respondents saying they are unsure whether the abortion pill is legal in their state and how to access it. Advocates say medication abortion, which accounts for about half of abortions nationwide, is the procedure's future, and state laws regarding its use are changing often. On abortion politics, the Republican National Committee passed a resolution urging candidates to "go on the offense" in 2024 and push stricter abortion laws. Abortion opponents were unhappy that Republican congressional leaders did not push through a federal gestational limit on abortion last year, and the party is signaling a desire to appeal to its conservative base in the presidential election year. This week, the federal government announced it will audit Medicare Advantage plans for overbilling. But according to a KHN scoop, the government will limit its clawbacks to recent years, allowing many plans to keep the money it overpaid them. Medicare Advantage is poised to enroll the majority of seniors this year. Also this week, Rovner interviews Hannah Wesolowski of the National Alliance on Mental Illness about how the rollout of the new 988 suicide prevention hotline is going. Plus, for "extra credit," the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too: Julie Rovner: Axios' "Republicans Break With Another Historical Ally: Doctors," by Caitlin Owens and Victoria Knight Margot Sanger-Katz: The New York Times' "Most Abortion Bans Include Exceptions. In Practice, Few Are Granted," by Amy Schoenfeld Walker Rachel Roubein: The Washington Post's "I Wrote About High-Priced Drugs for Years. Then My Toddler Needed One," by Carolyn Y. Johnson Victoria Knight: The New York Times' "Emailing Your Doctor May Carry a Fee," by Benjamin Ryan Also mentioned in this week's podcast: Patients with glioblastoma-;the deadliest type of primary brain tumor-;may potentially benefit from immunotherapy medications called immune checkpoint inhibitors that stimulate an immune response against cancer cells. However, they may also experience brain swelling, or cerebral edema, during treatment. Cerebral edema is currently controlled by steroids that are highly immunosuppressive and thus, counter the benefit of immunotherapy. Thus, new drugs that control edema safely without causing immunosuppression are urgently needed. New research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) reveals that the blood pressure drug losartan can prevent immunotherapy-induced edema. The findings, which are published in PNAS, indicate that taking losartan may allow patients to continue receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors without developing adverse effects in the brain. Through the use of mouse models of cancer, single-cell RNA sequencing, immune cell blocking studies, and analyses of patient imaging scans, the scientists demonstrated that immunotherapy-induced edema results from an inflammatory response that disrupts the blood-tumor barrier, a modification of the blood-brain barrier that occurs with brain cancer. This response involves the enzymes matrix metalloproteinases 14 and 15, which reside in cells lining tumor-associated blood vessels and induce blood vessel leakage to cause edema. Experiments revealed that losartan can prevent immunotherapy-related edema by reducing the expression of these enzymes. Losartan also had many other beneficial effects in the tumor environment that enhanced the body's anti-tumor immune response. Combined with an immune checkpoint inhibitor, losartan improved survival in mouse models of glioblastoma, curing 20% of mice, which increased to 40% when combined with the standard of care involving chemoradiation followed by surgery. Cerebral edema is in and of itself a hallmark of primary brain tumors such as glioblastoma. In glioblastoma patients, we found that immune checkpoint blockade on average increases cerebral edema by approximately 20%. This is not only neurologically detrimental to patients; it can even be lethal." Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, senior author, director of the E.L. Steele Laboratories for Tumor Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Andrew Werk Cook Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School "Most patients who experience edema receive steroids to reduce the brain swelling; however, these drugs are highly immunosuppressive and thus counteract the effects of immunotherapy. Therefore, we have identified a viable pharmaceutical option for edema control that addresses the underlying mechanism of immunotherapy-induced edema, and also sensitizes the tumor microenvironment to immune checkpoint blockade therapy." Jain notes that because losartan is safe, effective, and affordable, it can be readily prescribed along with immunotherapy to patients with glioblastoma. Building on their previous approach published in PNAS in 2020 to identify biomarkers of response to immunotherapy, the team also identified factors in the tumor environment that may predict which patients are most likely to benefit from such a combination. The study's co-corresponding authors are: Meenal Datta, Mario L. Suva, and Lei Xu. Co-authors include Sampurna Chatterjee, Elizabeth M. Perez, Simon Gritsch, Sylvie Roberge, Mark Duquette, Ivy X. Chen, Kamila Naxerova, Ashwin S. Kumar, Mitrajit Ghosh, Kyrre E. Emblem, Mei R. Ng, William W. Ho, Pragya Kumar, Shanmugarajan Krishnan, Xinyue Dong, Maria C. Speranza, Martha R. Neagu, J. Bryan Iorgulescu, Raymond Y. Huang, Gilbert Youssef, David A. Reardon, Arlene H. Sharpe, and Gordon J. Freeman. This work was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute, National Foundation for Cancer Research, Nile Albright Research Foundation, Jane's Trust Foundation and Ludwig Cancer Center at Harvard. Many of the comic's online quizzes revolve around food high in fat, salt and sugar. Experts call it "incredibly irresponsible" and want the company to change its policy. The website of the UK children's comic the Beano describes itself as "100% safe for children" - but is its junk food-related content doing more harm than good? An investigation by The BMJ shows how the Beano's websitepromoted as a digital hub for 6- to 12-year-oldsshowcases products from well-known brands that are harmful to children, including fast food, confectionery, soft drinks and ultra-processed food. Since its launch in 2016, 47.9 million children have visited beano.com, which includes frequent references to well known high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) brands, explain Claire Mulrenan and Mark Petticrew at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and freelance journalist Harry Wallop. For example, there is a 'Ultimate McDonald's Quiz,' 'How Well do you know the Nando's Menu' quiz, and a 'Skittles jokes' page. There is also an 'Ultimate Food Logo' quiz, whose ten answers are: Greggs, Heinz, Pizza Hut, Nando's, Subway, Domino's, Quorn, KFC, Pizza Express and Burger King. There is even a quiz that features alcohol, with the question 'how long have humans been making beer for?' accompanied by an image of a pint being poured. There is no suggestion that any of these quizzes have been paid for by the brands themselves, which could be deemed as a form of advertising known as "advergames" under the self-regulating UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP). Health campaigners, however, are disappointed with Beano's willingness to showcase so many junk food brands - and to put these brands right at the front of children's minds, suggesting that a chocolate, fizzy drink or burger brand is "cool" - even if it's not taking money from the companies themselves. With estimates that 22% of reception aged schoolchildren are overweight or obese, rising to 37% of children by year 6, health experts are also deeply concerned. Kat Jenner, director of nutrition, research, campaigns, and policy at the Obesity Health Alliance, says, "It is an incredibly irresponsible way of promoting unhealthy food," while Boyd Swinburn, professor of population nutrition and global health at the University of Auckland and honorary professor at the Global Obesity Centre in Melbourne, believes that the company is being "naive" in giving "free advertising" to HFSS brands and products. Through these quizzes and games, beano.com also collects data on children's consumption preferences, which is then sold, on an anonymised basis, to companies looking to find out more about what children like and don't like. Beano insists that its surveys meet all legal and data protection obligations, and say "any suggestion that Beano is somehow contributing to increased consumption of HFSS products in children is false, misleading and damaging." Nevertheless, campaigners say that there's a question around whether the company has an ethical duty to safeguard child health, write the authors. Henry Dimbleby, lead author of the National Food Strategy, which called for a salt and sugar tax on processed food, says: "People at Beano might be thinking: 'Oh, well, you know, it's just a little bit of fun, that's what the kids like.' But I just think it is all pervasive in society. This stuff invades every element of their lives." Former health minister James Bethell agrees. Pointing to UK government plans to delay a ban on junk food adverts before 9pm on TV and online, he says: "What annoys me about this is just the relentlessness of it in young people's lives. There's no escape." Because Beano says that it hasn't taken money from any of the HFSS brands that so often feature in its quizzes, the stricter (and now delayed) rules about marketing junk food to children would not stop the company from continuing to showcase so many burgers, pizzas, crisps, and fizzy drinks or from suggesting that these brands were "cool" write the authors. Nor would it stop the comic running Forknite, a game fronted by one of its characters Minnie the Minx who has "been served up a plate of vile veg and she needs your help to eat them and defeat them!". J. Bernadette Moore, associate professor of obesity at the University of Leeds, says, "This idea that children won't like healthy food pervades all aspects of our society. Yet companies with such extensive young audiences must acknowledge that they are not merely reflecting child preferences but shaping them." Beano responded, "We take enormous care in what we present to children particularly around health and wellbeing," adding that its website also runs some positive content about fruit, vegetables, and healthy eating, including the "Ultimate Vegetarian Quiz." But Swinburn argues that Beano must do better, and he called on the company to change its policy and to no longer showcase products that are harmful to children - including alcohol, fast food, confectionery, soft drinks, and ultra-processed food. He concludes, "Corporations which are clever enough to capture and hold children's attention need to have very high ethical standards to ensure that they are not exploiting those same children by promoting unhealthy products to them." Among people who received more intensive treatment for high blood pressure, evaluations of MRI scans indicated a positive change in brain structures involved in its ability to clear toxins and other byproducts, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2023. The meeting, held in person in Dallas and virtually, Feb. 8-10, 2023, is a world premier meeting for researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science of stroke and brain health. The study is the first to examine whether intensive blood pressure treatment may slow, or reverse structural changes related to the volume of the brain's perivascular spaces, areas of the brain around the blood vessels that are involved in the clearance of toxins and other byproducts. These areas tend to enlarge as people get older or have more cardiovascular risk factors. If the brain cannot properly clear toxins and metabolic byproducts, they will accumulate and may contribute to the development of dementia. Some research has proposed that the pulsations of the cerebral arteries with each heartbeat help to drive the clearance of these toxic brain byproducts in the perivascular spaces. However, high blood pressure over the long term stiffens arteries, impairing function and the ability to clear toxins, resulting in enlargement of perivascular spaces." Kyle Kern, M.D., M.S., lead author of the study and clinical research fellow in the intramural stroke branch of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke The researchers analyzed brain MRI scans for 658 participants (average age of 67 years, 60% women) of the SPRINT-MIND MRI substudy. The trial began in 2010, and the last MRI scan was completed in July 2016. All participants had high blood pressure but none had previously been diagnosed with diabetes (Type 1 or 2), dementia or stroke. After an average 3.9-year follow-up period, 243 people in the intensive treatment group (systolic blood pressure goal of 120 mm Hg) and 199 people in the standard treatment arm (systolic blood pressure goal of 140 mm Hg) had pre and postMRI scans that were analyzed for the percentage of brain tissue taken up by perivascular spaces. Participants were screened at seven MRI sites across the U.S.: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Boston University, Vanderbilt University, Wake Forest University, University of Miami, University of Pennsylvania and Case Western Reserve University. In MRI scans taken when the study began, the percentage of brain tissue occupied by perivascular spaces was higher among the patients who were older and had a greater volume of white matter hyperintensities (areas of increased brightness on an MRI scan that are the best-established marker of damage to small blood vessels in the brain). These patients also had more brain atrophy, another marker of aging and declining brain health. After controlling for age and sex of the participants, and the study site where the MRIs were performed, the analysis found: At the start of the study, the volume of perivascular spaces was similar among participants in both blood pressure treatment groups. After almost 4 years of high blood pressure treatment, the volume of perivascular spaces had decreased significantly in the intensive treatment group but did not change in the standard treatment group. "Previous research has confirmed that effective blood pressure control is important for brain health. Our secondary analysis findings from SPRINT-MIND MRI suggest that intensive blood pressure control may be beneficial by reducing damage to the brain's toxin and byproduct clearance pathway," Kern said. While the original SPRINT-MIND MRI study demonstrated that intensive blood pressure control may slow the accumulation of white matter hyperintensities, this substudy found that it may contribute to reversing the effects of high blood pressure on perivascular spaces. "These results also suggest that perivascular spaces are more dynamic, and further research is needed to determine the relationship between perivascular space change and the progression of white matter hyperintensities," Kern said. The study is limited to the data available and the scope of knowledge that can be interpreted from the data. This includes not being able to determine whether the change in perivascular spaces improves thinking ability, or if it is a byproduct of blood pressure treatment that has no cause-and-effect relationship to cognition or cognitive decline. "The next step is to determine how perivascular spaces relate to cognition and cognitive decline in the SPRINT-MIND trial. That trial included high-quality cognitive function assessments at multiple time points, and forthcoming investigations from the trial will describe how perivascular spaces may relate to the effect of intensive blood pressure control on cognitive decline," Kern said. According to the American Heart Association, normal blood pressure is below 120/80 mm Hg. For adults, if systolic pressure (the top number) is 120 to 129 mm Hg, and diastolic pressure is less than 80 mm Hg, this is classified as elevated blood pressure. High blood pressure is a systolic pressure of 130 mm Hg or higher, or a diastolic pressure of 80 mm Hg or higher, that stays high over time. "These novel findings provide early evidence that it may be possible to reduce perivascular space size by intensive systolic blood pressure lowering. While not yet proven, the implication is that the intensive systolic blood pressure lowering may eventually be associated with better clearance of brain toxins and metabolic by-products and thus, provide a better chance to maintain brain health," said Philip B. Gorelick, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, chair of the American Heart Association's Stroke Brain Health Science Subcommittee and professor of neurology in the Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, who was not involved in the study. Co-authors are Ilya M. Nasrallah, M.D., Ph.D., and Clinton B. Wright, M.D., M.S. Authors' disclosures are listed in the abstract. The study was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a division of the National Institutes of Health. University of Virginia researchers and their collaborators have identified genes that play key roles in the development of coronary artery disease, the No. 1 cause of death worldwide. UVA's findings essentially pick culprits responsible for coronary artery disease (CAD) out of a far, far larger lineup of potential genetic suspects. That gives scientists promising targets as they work to develop new and better treatments. Genetic studies done in more than 1 million people in the last 15 years identified hundreds of locations on our chromosomes that increase the risk of having a heart attack. We now identified the genes that are responsible for this risk at these locations. We will be able to use these findings as new therapeutic targets." Mete Civelek, PhD, Senior Researcher, UVA's Center for Public Health Genomics and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Joint Program of the School of Medicine and School of Engineering About coronary artery disease Coronary artery disease is the most common form of heart disease, affecting more than 20 million Americans. It's estimated to be responsible for 1 in 4 deaths in the United States each year. The disease is caused by the buildup of fatty plaques in the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the heart, but the genetic (inherited) factors that contribute to its development remain murky. To home in on genes important in the development of CAD, Civelek and his team examined cells collected from 151 previously healthy heart transplant donors from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. This provided the scientists with a tremendous amount of information on gene activity in smooth muscle cells. These cells naturally line our arteries, but they also can serve as the foundation for the fatty plaques that build up inside those arteries. Using the gene-activity data, the scientists worked backward to triangulate specific gene variations responsible for harmful changes in the smooth muscle cells. Understanding these changes sheds light on plaque formation, a process called atherosclerosis, and, ultimately, on the molecular mechanisms responsible for coronary artery disease. "Current drugs that doctors prescribe work to reduce risk factors for heart disease, such as cholesterol-lowering drugs," Civelek said. "However, we need to identify drugs that target the disease where it develops. That is why it is important to find the genes responsible for the disease development in the arteries because that is where the plaques form." The new research provides many important insights into coronary artery disease. For example, the researchers found notable differences in gene activity between males and females in smooth muscle cells. They also identified important differences in smooth muscle cells that were multiplying, or "proliferating," and those that were not. To help his fellow scientists capitalize on the discoveries, Civelek has created a free, user-friendly website that lets heart researchers review and analyze his team's important new data. The website can be found at http://civeleklab.cphg.virginia.edu. "We expect that our findings will provide a rich catalog of genes for the cardiovascular community to study in years to come," Civelek said. "And, of course, we hope some of these genes will be targets of a new class of drugs that target the plaque development in the arteries to the benefit of millions of patients." Findings published The researchers have published their findings in the scientific journal Circulation Research. The team consisted of Redouane Aherrahrou, Dillon Lue, R. Noah Perry, Yonathan Tamrat Aberra, Mohammad Daud Khan, Joon Yuhl Soh, Tiit Ord, Prosanta Singha, Qianyi Yang, Huda Gilani, Ernest Diez Benavente, Doris Wong, Jameson Hinkle, Lijiang Ma, Gloria M. Sheynkman, Hester M. den Ruijter, Clint L. Miller, Johan L.M. Bjorkegren, Minna U. Kaikkonen and Civelek. Civelek had no financial interest in the work; a full list of the authors' disclosures is included in the paper. The research was supported by the American Heart Association, postdoctoral fellowship 18POST33990046 and Transformational Project Award 19TPA34910021; the National Institutes of Health, grants R21HL135230, R01HL148239 and F31HL156463; the Academy of Finland, grants 287478 and 319324; European Research Council Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme Grant 802825; the Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research; and Transatlantic Network of Excellence Awards 12CVD02 and 18CVD02 from Foundation Leducq, as well as its Junior Investigator Award. A new study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server provides a protocol for the systematic review of previous publications to determine the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on individuals with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Study: Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Individuals with Fibromyalgia a Systematic Scoping Review Protocol. Image Credit: Jo Panuwat D/Shutterstock *Important notice: medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. Stress and the COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people around the world in many ways, with some directly infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), whereas others experienced increased stress due to lockdowns, quarantine restrictions, and the consequences of social distancing. In addition to these personal effects, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a particularly profound impact on the lives of patients with chronic illnesses. For example, many of these individuals, such as those with heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity, are at an increased risk of severe illness if infected with SARS-CoV-2, thus necessitating these individuals to remain particularly cautious when interacting with the general public. FMS is a painful condition that causes affected individuals to be particularly sensitive to both psychological and environmental stressors. In addition to the musculoskeletal pain that is a hallmark feature of FMS, this disorder is also characterized by fatigue, sleep, memory, and mood issues. FMS symptoms often begin after a significant life event has occurred. For example, physical events, such as surgery, infection, or car accident, may lead to the development of FMS. FMS may also arise following various emotional events, such as childhood trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or other highly stressful and/or traumatic experiences. Emerging research has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the world to experience a mass trauma, with some individuals experiencing PTSD-like responses as a result of the pandemic. In fact, the stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has even been shown to exacerbate existing mental health issues including anxiety, depression, and psychosocial functioning. Thus, researchers have been interested in determining whether pandemic-related factors, such as previous SARS-CoV-2 infection or changes in healthcare access, may similarly worsen FMS symptoms. Previous studies on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on FMS symptoms have produced conflicting results, with some studies reporting increased severity and frequency of FMS symptoms, while others reported no change or improvement of symptoms. In one Italian study with 32 FMS participants, two-thirds of patients reported worsening of their symptoms according to their Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) scores. Comparatively, one-third of the patients in this study reported no change or improvement in their FMS symptoms. Thus, there remains a lack of conclusive evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on FMS symptoms. This information is important, as it will provide additional guidance for healthcare professionals managing FMS patients following exposure to certain stressors. The review protocol To begin, the study protocol emphasizes the importance of including studies assessing the experience of adults with FMS during the COVID-19 pandemic, including how various pandemic-related measures such as quarantines, changes in healthcare accessibility, lockdown, and remote work impacted this patient population. Studies where participants did not have FMS before the pandemic, as well as those including patients with fibromyalgia-like symptomatology and long COVID post-COVID-19 infection, should be excluded. Mixed population studies may also be considered if more than 75% of participants had FMS. Prospective and retrospective cohort studies, as well as analytical cross-sectional studies, case-control studies, descriptive cross-sectional studies, individual case reports, case series, and qualitative studies, may be included in the analysis. Test words in the abstracts and titles, as well as index terms, may be used for searching numerous dases CINAHL, Embase, Medline, and PsycInfo. The reference list of all included studies will be screened for additional studies. Unpublished studies will be searched in medRxiv, OPENGREY.EU, and clinicaltrials.gov. Thereafter, the screening of titles and abstracts will be performed by two independent reviewers. Relevant texts will be retrieved fully, followed by their assessment by two independent reviewers. Any disagreements between the two reviewers will be resolved through consultation with a third reviewer. Finally, the data will be extracted by two or more independent reviewers followed by their analysis. A narrative summary will also be provided, along with a tabulated presentation. *Important notice: medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. When Margarette Nerette arrived in the United States from Haiti, she sought safety and a new start. The former human rights activist feared for her life in the political turmoil following the military coup that overthrew President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1991. Leaving her two small children with her sister in Port-au-Prince, Nerette, then 29, came to Miami a few years later on a three-month visa and never went back. In time, she was granted political asylum. She eventually studied to become a nursing assistant, passed her certification exam, and got a job in a nursing home. The work was hard and didn't pay a lot, she said, but "as an immigrant, those are the jobs that are open to you." A few years later her family joined her, but her children didn't want to follow her career path. When she was a teenager, Nerette's daughter, now 25, would ask, "Mom, why are you doing that?" Nerette said. Her daughter considered the work underpaid and too physical. After many years, Nerette, now 57, left nursing home work for a job with the Florida local of the labor union SEIU1199, which represents more than 25,000 health workers. As the local's vice president for long-term care, she is keenly aware of the staffing challenges that have plagued the industry for decades and will worsen as aging baby boomers stretch the limits of long-term care services. The U.S. is facing a growing crisis of unfilled job openings and high staff turnover that puts the safety of older, frail residents at risk. In a tight labor market where job options are plentiful, long-term care jobs that are poorly paid and physically demanding are a tough sell. Experts say opening pathways for care workers to immigrate would help, but policymakers haven't moved. In the decade leading up to 2031, employment in health care support jobs is expected to expand by 1.3 million, a nearly 18% growth rate that outpaces that of every other major occupational group, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. These direct care workers include nurses of various types, home health aides, and physical therapy and occupational therapy assistants, among others. Certified nursing assistants, who help people with everyday tasks like bathing, dressing, and eating, make up the largest proportion of workers in nursing homes. In the decade leading up to 2029, nearly 562,000 nursing assistant jobs will need to be filled in the United States, according to a far-reaching report on nursing home quality published last year by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. But as the U.S. population ages, fewer workers will be available to fill those job openings in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and private homes. While the number of adults 65 and older will nearly double to 94.7 million between 2016 and 2060, the number of working-age adults will grow just 15%, according to an analysis of census data by PHI, a research and advocacy organization for older and disabled people that conducts workforce research. Immigrants can play a crucial role in filling those gaps, experts say. Already, about 1 in 4 direct care workers are foreign-born, according to a 2018 PHI analysis. "We do think that immigrants are critical to this workforce and the future of the long-term care industry," said Robert Espinoza, executive vice president of policy at PHI. "We think the industry would probably collapse without them." Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have long struggled to maintain adequate staff. The problem worsened dramatically during the pandemic, when those facilities became hotbeds for covid-19 infections and deaths. More than 200,000 residents and staff members died during the first two years of the pandemic, representing about a quarter of all covid deaths during that time. Since March 2020, the long-term care industry has lost more than 300,000 jobs, bringing employment to a 13-year low of just over 3 million, according to an analysis of BLS payroll data by the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living. Immigration policies that aim to identify potential workers from overseas to fill long-term care job slots could help ease the strain. But unlike other countries that face similar long-term care challenges, the U.S. generally hasn't made attracting direct care workers from abroad a priority. "Immigration policy is long-term care policy," said David Grabowski, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School whose research focuses on the economics of aging and long-term care. "If we really want to encourage a strong workforce, we need to make immigration more accessible for individuals." Most of the roughly 1 million immigrants to the U.S. annually are family members of citizens, though some come in on employment visas, often for highly skilled jobs. On his first day in office, President Joe Biden proposed comprehensive immigration reform that would have created a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers and revised the rules for employment-based visas, among other things, but it went nowhere. "There hasn't been a lot of interest or political will behind opening up more immigration opportunities for mid- to lower-level care aides such as home health aides, personal health aides, and certified nursing assistants," said Kristie De Pena, vice president for policy and director of immigration policy at the Niskanen Center, a think tank. The Biden administration didn't respond to requests for comment. Some local and regional organizations are working to connect immigrants with health care jobs. Ascentria Care Alliance provides social services, refugee resettlement, and long-term care services in five New England states. With state and private philanthropic funding, the organization is beginning to help refugees from Ukraine, Haiti, Venezuela, and Afghanistan get the supportive services they need language, housing, child care to enable them to take health care jobs at Ascentria's long-term care facilities and those of health care partners. The group has long helped refugees resettle and find jobs in traditional settings like warehouses or retailers, said Angela Bovill, president and CEO of Ascentria, which is based in Worcester, Massachusetts. "Now we're looking at what it would take to move them into health care jobs," she said. The alliance is applying to the Department of Labor for a grant to scale up the program. "If we get it right, we'll build a pathway and a pipeline to move at the fastest rate from immigrant to effective health care worker," Bovill said. Some long-term care experts say the U.S. can't afford to drag its feet on putting policies in place to appeal to immigrants. "We're competing with the rest of the world, other countries that also want these workers," said Howard Gleckman, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute. Canada, for instance, is going all in on immigration. In 2022, it welcomed more than 430,000 new permanent residents, the most in its history. Immigration accounts for almost 100% of Canada's labor force growth, and by 2036 immigrants are expected to make up 30% of the population, the government said. In the U.S., immigrants account for about 14% of the population, according to an analysis of census data by the Migration Policy Institute. Canada's Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot aims to identify and recruit refugees who have skills Canadian employers need. In January, after visiting a refugee camp in Kenya, recruiters offered jobs in Nova Scotia to 65 continuing care assistants. In a December survey of 500 U.S. nursing homes, more than half said staffing shortages have forced them to turn away new residents. These staffing challenges, said industry representatives, are likely to become an even heavier lift, with more closed facilities, units, or wings, after the Biden administration announced last year that it would establish minimum nursing home staffing requirements. A government mandate alone won't solve long-standing problems with inadequate training, pay, benefits, or career advancement, experts said. "Young people aren't going to clean 10 to 15 patients for $15 an hour," Nerette said. "They'll go to McDonald's. We need to face that reality and come up with a plan." A fund championed by Gov. Greg Gianforte to fill gaps in Montana's substance use and behavioral health treatment programs has spent $5.2 million since last year as the state waits for an additional $19 million in federal funding. Now, the Republican governor wants to put more state money into the Healing and Ending Addiction Through Recovery and Treatment initiative, but lawmakers and mental health advocates are asking for more accountability and clarity on how the money is spent. Republican Rep. Jennifer Carlson, chair of the Human Services Committee of the Montana House of Representatives, said her committee has heard bill proposals seeking to use HEART money for child care and suicide prevention programs, among others. She is sponsoring a bill to increase HEART initiative reporting requirements. "You really have to think, is that what that money is for, or is that just what's convenient?" said Carlson. Matt Kuntz, executive director of the Montana chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said a lot of questions have been floating around about the initiative this legislative session. "Nobody really knows exactly how this is being spent or the process of how to get it," Kuntz said. The legislature passed Gianforte's HEART initiative soon after he took office. It uses revenue primarily from recreational marijuana taxes for the state's $6 million annual share to be distributed to programs dedicated to treating substance use and mental health disorders. A federal match would bring the fund total to $25 million, but the state is waiting for full approval of its Medicaid waiver application from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The federal agency approved part of the waiver last year. "Until CMS approves the full HEART waiver, the state is limited in what we can do," said Jon Ebelt, spokesperson for the state Department of Public Health and Human Services. The health department submits a report to CMS four times a year. Department officials did not respond to a request by KHN for the latest report. The department is supposed to receive reports from tribal nations on how their funds were used. It didn't specify whether it had received any. Carlson's House Bill 310 would require the department to report HEART initiative spending to the Children, Families, Health, and Human Services Interim Committee each year. That reporting would allow lawmakers to know what the money had already been used for, and if there might be a better way to spend it, Carlson said. When Gianforte introduced the HEART initiative during his 2021 State of the State speech, he said it was designed to give directly to local communities, which know their own needs best. "This is not bigger government," the governor said at the time. The HEART money is distributed through grants and Medicaid-funded services. Of the $5.2 million distributed since 2022, $1.5 million has gone to Medicaid for services like inpatient and residential chemical dependency services, Ebelt said. Eight Indigenous tribal nations have received $1 million covering fiscal year 2022, the first year of the fund, and 2023, the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. Those grants went toward substance use prevention; mental health promotion; mental health crisis, treatment, and recovery services; and tobacco cessation and prevention. Seven county detention centers received a total of $2.7 million in HEART money through a competitive grant process to provide behavioral health services at those facilities. Missoula County hired a therapist, jail care coordinator, and mental health transport officer with its share. Gallatin County hired a counselor and two social workers, and Lewis and Clark County hired a therapist, case manager, and education and transport manager. Jackie Kerry Lemon, program and facilities director at the Gallatin County Detention Center, said the money had to be used for mental health and addiction services. "Our population is often in crisis when they come to us, so having that ability to have a therapist see them really does help with their anxiety and their needs at a good time," Kerry Lemon said. Democratic Rep. Mary Caferro said the HEART money could go toward increases in the Medicaid rates paid to health care providers, which a state study found fall short of the cost of care, or mobile crisis response teams, which the health department intends to provide as a Medicaid service. Caferro is sponsoring a bill on behalf of the National Alliance on Mental Illness to add youth suicide prevention to the list of programs eligible for HEART funding. Mary Windecker, executive director of the Behavioral Health Alliance of Montana, said the HEART fund initially was meant to support tribes and county jails, and only recently did it start funding community substance use and mental health programs, after last year's partial Medicaid waiver approval. That allowed larger substance use disorder treatment centers (more than 17 beds) to receive Medicaid reimbursement for short-term stays at institutions for mental illness, like Rimrock in Billings and the Badlands Treatment Center in Glendive. From July 2022 to January 2023, Ebelt said, 276 Medicaid recipients were treated in Rimrock and Badlands. A facility in Clinton, the Recovery Centers of Montana, opened in December and will be licensed for 55 additional beds able to serve patients with the new Medicaid benefit, Ebelt said. Gianforte proposed in his state budget to increase the amount going into the HEART fund by changing the funding formula from $6 million a year to 11% of Montana's annual recreational marijuana tax revenue. The Behavioral Health Alliance recommended that change, but, as with many of the health-related proposals in this legislative session, a major factor in the HEART initiative's success will be whether Medicaid provider rates are raised enough, Windecker said. If provider rates aren't funded at the full cost of care, people won't be available to provide the care the initiative promises, she said. The committee that meets to determine the health department's budget will hear a presentation about the HEART initiative on Feb. 9. Keely Larson is the KHN fellow for the UM Legislative News Service, a partnership of the University of Montana School of Journalism, the Montana Newspaper Association, and Kaiser Health News. Larson is a graduate student in environmental and natural resources journalism at the University of Montana. As Oncodesign evolves into Oncodesign Services and begins its journey as an independent business, CEO Fabrice Viviani explains his hopes and plans for the companys future. Fabrice Viviani, CEO, Oncodesign Services. Image Credit: Oncodesign Services Since the foundation back in 1995, Oncodesign has developed from an initial focus on preclinical discovery in oncology into a full-service CRO combining medicinal chemistry, biology, DMPK, pharmacology and pharmaco-imaging, along the way adding its own R&D portfolio of Nanocyclix that target kinases to treat cancer and other diseases. With two assets now nearing the clinic, 2022 was marked with the decision to split the company in two. And the new companies Oncodesign Precision Medicine and Oncodesign Services made their debut this autumn. Oncodesign Precision Medicine is now prosecuting the candidates, progressing the preclinical portfolio, and using AI to pinpoint new targets against cancer resistance using clinical data from patient monitoring. And Oncodesign Services encompasses all the aspects of the drug discovery CRO operations, being spun out with investment from French private equity fund Edmond de Rothschild Equity Strategies IV SLP, advised by Elyan Partners. Even before the debut of the stand-alone Oncodesign Services company, Fabrice Viviani (now its CEO) had busy past years growing the business, with a particular focus on developing integrated programmes. We have developed our integrated offers to run drug discovery programmes, with dedicated project teams where sponsors could use us as experts in oncology, inflammation and, in the light of the pandemic, in infectious diseases like Covid-19" Fabrice Viviani, CEO, Oncodesign Services. From small molecules to biologics And his ambition is now to grow these integrated operations. The business is focused around three modalities: small molecules, molecular radiotherapyand recently biologics. Small molecule discovery is our historical strength, and I still want to progress in that area, either to increase capacity with organic growth, or with external acquisition, he says. We can start with from target identification and validation, and go up to entry into the clinic, with backbone expertise in oncology and inflammation. But small molecules are not the only modality used to treat cancer, of course. Oncodesign Services is one of a small handful of CRO companies who can work with radioisotopes, whether for diagnostics or as molecular radiotherapy treatments. These are systemic agents targeting specific cancer antigens, with a radioisotope chelated to a biologic or a small molecule, and there is a growing wave of investment in the field, Viviani says. Related Stories ERES IV acquires a majority stake in Oncodesign Services The companys third modality was added earlier in 2022, in the form of biologics focused on therapeutic antibodies. Its a very large field, with good clinical precedence for antibodies and fragments of all kinds, being naked or conjugated to a small molecule drugs, he says. DRIVE-IDDS : Integrated Drug Discovery Services Importantly, Oncodesign Services is working with strategic partners to offer customers a broader, better service, via Drive-IDDS consortia that have been established for each of the three focus areas. With 230 people, we can do a lot but are not equipped to do everything, Viviani says. These are consortia of service companies, working together with the same mindset to develop drugs and customise programmes for clients. Each consortium has several partners. The one newly set up in 2022, DRIVE-Biologics, has two main partners: Abzena, based in Cambridge, UK, a CDMO whose biologics capabilities encompass services from biologics design and cell line development to commercial manufacture, and clinical advisory company Alira Health. Expansion is coming The companys sales and order book are both looking healthy, and Viviani is keen to focus heavily on science and technology, with areas ripe for development including protein degraders in the small molecules group, or chemistry around the manipulation of biologics. And he sees the companys new independence, with the backing of Elyan Partners PE fund, as a huge opportunity for growing the business. Our sales are about 30-35m now, and we want to reach 100m in five years time, he says. This will involve both organic growth and acquisition, in North America and Europe. The company already has an in vivo pharmacology lab team in Montreal, Canada to service North American clients, as well as commercial offices in the Boston area, but Viviani believes the business is ripe for expansion across the Atlantic. Together, lets stay connected to innovation After a huge amount of effort by the whole team in the past few months, the company is all set to hit the ground running in 2023. We will continue to do good science and develop our technology portfolio, he says. In three years time, I want 70% of our sales to be for our integrated service offer. Multi-year contracts with clients enables us to better anticipate what we can do for them, both in execution and guidance. As Looking down the line, Vivianis next ambition for the company is a second round of financing, which is why that 100m sales target is so important. We dont want to get too big a maximum of about 500 people would be ideal as that would leave us agile and flexible, he says. I dont want to simply increase capacity: we want to expand our capabilities and the innovative technologies we offer to our clients, with a better, more customised service. In his 2019 opinion in Box v Planned Parenthood, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote an impassioned concurrence describing abortions based on sex, disability or race as a form of 'modern-day eugenics'. He defended the challenged Indiana reason-based abortion ban as a necessary antidote to these practices. Inspired by this concurrence, state legislatures have increasingly enacted similar bills and statutes allegedly as a prophylactic to 'eugenics', its underlying discrimination, and the racial disparities eugenics caused. A new study published by the Journal of Law and Biosciences by George Washington University professor of law and founding director of the Health Law Initiative, Sonia M. Suter, finds that the motivation behind such bans is performative and backers are using concerns about eugenics to restrict reproductive rights. Her research finds that reason-based abortion bans actually harm the very groups impacted by the eugenics movements-; minorities, women, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community, and immigrants. In "Why reason-based abortion bans are not a remedy against eugenics: an empirical study", Suter challenges the allegedly anti-eugenic promise of abortion bans based on sex, disability or race by examining whether states with such laws have anti-eugenic legislative policies outside the context of abortion. The paper looked at three areas that can have eugenic-like or anti-eugenic effects by comparing states with and without abortion bans that also have laws that concern sterilization, conjugal visits, incest, assisted reproductive technology, substance use during pregnancy, prenatal information laws, and bans on wrongful birth and life claims, as well as laws that influence U.S. population through immigration and incarceration. Her analysis also looked at state's infant mortality rates and gender pay gaps. Suter wrote that "by exploring eugenics concerns in the terms offered to justify reason-based abortion bans, one sees how empty those stated concerns are when RBA-ban states largely fail to address them across several areas unrelated to abortion. In short, the 'anti-eugenics' project of reason-based abortion bans has helped make eugenics more possible today than ever." Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have further documented an association between a substantially higher risk of maternal morbidity and mortality among those with the inherited blood disorder sickle cell disease (SCD) compared to those without it. Their analysis, using a large national administrative database with records for pregnant people with SCD, found the maternal mortality rate was 26 times greater than the national average. This figure has not improved since the last time this population was assessed. The study findings, published Feb. 2 in JAMA Network Open, highlight a need for increased disease-specific interventions for pregnant people with SCD, as well as health disparities long known to affect people with the disorder. In the United States, the condition is most prevalent in the Black community, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2000 to 2003, the maternal mortality rate for people with sickle cell disease was 7.2 deaths per 10,000. In this study looking at data collected 15 years later, the mortality rate among pregnant people with SCD was 13.3 deaths per 10,000. People with sickle cell disease are already lacking profoundly needed research and clinical care. Pregnant people with sickle cell disease are at an even greater disadvantage." Lydia Pecker, M.D., assistant professor of medicine specializing in hematology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine In the new study, researchers applied the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Severe Maternal Morbidity (SMM) index to the National Inpatient Sample -; a nationally representative sample of hospital admissions in the United States. Their analysis covered information collected from 20122018, which included 5,401,899 deliveries. This figure comprised 3,901 deliveries among pregnant people with SCD and 742,164 deliveries among Black people. Eighty-four percent of those with sickle cell disease who delivered were Black pregnant people. Maternal mortality -; defined as death during pregnancy, at delivery, or soon after delivery -; was highest among those with SCD, at 13.3 per 10,000, compared to 1.2 per 10,000 among pregnant Black people and without SCD and 0.5 per 10,000 among non-Black, non-SCD patients during the study period. "Pregnancy can bring out negative side effects of any pre-existing condition, and sickle cell disease is no exception," says Ahizechukwu Eke, M.B.Ch.B., Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor of gynecology and obstetrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "Sickle cell patients require more interventions, including increased blood transfusions and more frequent ultrasounds to assess the condition of the fetus." The researchers noted that despite improvements in the care of people with SCD and improvements in the care of high-risk pregnancies, maternal mortality and morbidity rates of people with SCD have not improved. These findings suggest that advancements in SCD and high-risk OB care are not reaching enough pregnant people with SCD, the researchers say. In the United States, 90% of people with SCD are Black, so pregnancies among people with SCD are often exposed to the harms of systemic and interpersonal racism. These factors contribute to high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality among pregnant Black Americans and, the investigators show, this also affects people with SCD. "Our work demonstrates that people with sickle cell disease face risk over and above other pregnant people with Black race. Among the risks that are specific to people sickle cell disease are a highly morbid pre-existing condition, a lack of treatment options, in part due to the insufficient research focused on pregnant people with sickle cell disease, and to the absence of high-quality specialty care in many regions of the country," says Macy Early, fourth-year medical student at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and lead author of this study. SCD is an inherited blood disorder that is estimated to affect 70,000 to 100,000 Americans. The genetic alteration at the root of the disease affects red blood cells that contain hemoglobin, the protein responsible for transporting and delivering oxygen to the body, to become "sickled" in appearance. The disease not only causes anemia, strokes, organ damage and shortened life spans, but also repeated and frequent episodes of severe pain when the misshapen red blood cells get stuck in small blood vessels. Although SCD is a lifelong debilitating illness, advances in treatment have led to nearly all affected people reaching their reproductive years in the United States. As such, there is a growing population of people impacted by the effects of SCD in pregnancy and study of possible treatments is needed. For the mother, SCD is linked to heightened risks of blood clots, chronic pain, anemia and preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy). The researchers confirmed that babies born to people with SCD tend to be smaller than average, delivered early and show damage to the placenta. Data from this study also affirm that SCD is associated with an increased risk of fetal death. Researchers say they next plan to study data at the individual clinic level to analyze how outcomes for patients differ when high-quality OB care is accessible. They hope to accelerate research on risk and treatment during pregnancy, as well as continue to advocate for funding to ensure that all people in the United States receive high-quality care. A companion paper to this study comparing outcomes in pregnant people with sickle cell disease and those with nutritional anemia was also published on Feb. 2 in JAMA Network Open. Other scientists who contributed to this research are Alison Gemmill and Sophie Lanzkron of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health. This research was funded by the American Society of Hematology; the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; and the Mellon Foundation. Lanzkron receives funding from Global Blood Therapeutics, Imara, Shire, Novartis and the National Institutes of Health (NIH); is a consultant for Bluebird Bio and Novo Nordisk; and holds stock in Pfizer and Teva. Gemmill is a consultant for the World Health Organization and Population Reference Bureau and receives funding from the NIH and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The terms of these arrangements are managed by The Johns Hopkins University in accordance with its conflict of interest policies. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO). As it spread over the whole world, reports of infection in farmed mink began to appear, raising fears that they could spread it to humans reverse zoonosis. A recent preprint describes the situation in France, which has only four mink farms. *Important notice: bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. Introduction Farmed American mink (Neovison vison) were first found to be harboring the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in April 2020, followed by Denmark and then several other European countries. The Danish outbreak spread rapidly both within and among farms, with a variant called cluster S being identified as having emerged from mink infections in November 2020. The mink were considered to have acquired the infection from farm employees, but reverse transmission was also identified in both the Netherlands and in Poland. In France, no clinical symptoms of mink SARS-CoV-2 infection have been reported. Mink are typically slaughtered when they are almost a year old, that is, when they become young adults. All animals of the same batch are included in the slaughter at the end of each year. The current paper, which appears on the bioRxiv* preprint server, describes the investigation of all French mink farms towards the end of 2020. This was to maximize the chances of identifying SARS-CoV-2 infection in these animals at any time over the past year. The researchers used serology for anti-nucleocapsid (anti-N) antibodies and nucleic acid-based methods. What does the study show? The study included almost 2000 mink born in 2020. About 1600 swabs were collected from the throat and trachea, with 60 or more animals per building being sampled. The results showed that one farm currently harbored infected mink, with SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA) being detected in the swabs. Approximately 87% of samples from the infected farm were seropositive or doubtful, vs. ~1% in the non-infected farms. The positive samples showed neutralizing titers from ~80-2200, indicative of ongoing virus circulation. Of the 162 samples from the infected farm, just less than 55 were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, and 33 had low levels. Random positive samples were confirmed by seroneutralization assay, while negative samples from the other three farms were also verified by this method. None of the animals were symptomatic and none died, suggesting a mild illness that was missed by the farm. Genomic sequencing was carried out on samples with a low cycle threshold (Ct). However, the variant was different from that detected on any other farm in the Netherlands or Denmark by 13 SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms). Four of these led to changes in the amino acid sequence in the spike protein (silent mutation in S (S477N) or ORF1b. Yet, several different variants were found to be circulating within this clade during the sampling period. All these variants belonged to the 20A clade, and all were found in human samples collected in France during the same period. The other farms showed no sign of SARS-CoV-2, but a few samples were positive for mink Alphacoronavirus, mink-coronavirus sequence, and Caliciviridae were identified. These can cause asymptomatic infection, but the former is also known to cause epizootic gastroenteritis (ECG). The coexistence of these viruses could cause infected mink to show atypical symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection. What are the implications? The results of the study indicate that reverse zoonosis happened on this mink farm, with the same 20A clade being identified from all mink samples and human samples collected from the wave of human cases at this time. This clade has not been found in any other mink sequences worldwide. The period of circulation of the virus on the farm appears to have been limited to less than three months, since significant divergence was not observed among the genomic sequences from the farm mink samples. Human-to-mink transmission is thus likely to have occurred shortly before the outbreak. This is supported by the relatively low Ct values in some mink, especially since throat samples are positive for viral RNA from the second to 17th day after infection. Mink-to-mink transmission has been shown to be rapid by earlier researchers, who reported that the prevalence of the infection among mink went up from a mere 4% to 97% on one Danish farm. Finally, the existence of the alphacoronavirus infection on two farms, could trigger increased viral recombination with the betacoronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, circulating at the same time. This has been reported to occur in animals on farms and in the wild, and in humans. This could cause novel coronaviruses to emerge due to the combination of unpredictable phenotypic features and viral fitness. The presence of other silent potential pathogens on mink farms might alter the clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 in mink, accounting for the variability in clinical features of mink infection in various countries. *Important notice: bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. For the first time, researchers have discovered that prostate cancer can be killed by targeting a single enzyme, called PI5P4K. The findings, published recently in Science Advances, could help address the growing threat of treatment resistance in prostate cancer and could also lead to improved treatments for other cancers, such as those affecting the breast, skin, and pancreas. This is the first time this enzyme has been implicated in prostate cancer, and we expect that it will prove relevant to other cancers as well. An important element of improving precision medicine is using as many tools as possible to treat cancer while mitigating the risk of resistance." Brooke Emerling, Ph.D., co-senior author, associate professor at Sanford Burnham Prebys Many cases of prostate cancer can be treated through treatments that lower testosterone and other male sex hormones, but about 1020% of prostate cancer cases resist treatment within five years. This treatment-resistant prostate cancer can then spread to the rest of the body, where it becomes deadly. "Understanding how prostate cancer develops resistance is critical for discovering new therapeutic strategies to delay or reverse the progression of prostate cancer," says Emerling. The prostate gland requires male sex hormones, known as androgens, to grow. Prostate cancer hijacks the androgen signaling machinery of the prostate in order to grow rapidly, which is why treatments that disrupt these pathways are effective. "What's remarkable is that we've found an enzyme that can be targeted against prostate cancer even in cases where treatments that lower hormones are ineffective or where resistance has developed," says Emerling. "This could give us a whole new weapon against prostate cancer and other cancers that rely on this enzyme." The study was prompted by an observation made by Emerling's colleagues at the University of Bern, led by co-senior author Mark A. Rubin. They noticed that patients with treatment-resistant prostate cancer had high levels of PI5P4K, suggesting that this protein played a role in the cancer's ability to resist treatment and grow. Emerling's team was then able to show-;using multiple prostate cancer model systems-;that inhibiting this enzyme could kill treatment-resistant prostate cancer. "It was that initial observation from the patient data that really got us excited," adds Emerling. PI5P4K is part of a group of enzymes called PI5P4Ks that are involved in the metabolism of lipids, a type of molecule that includes fats, hormones, and many vitamins. While other areas of cancer metabolism have been extensively researched for decades, lipid metabolism has only recently emerged as a promising therapeutic avenue for cancer. "Treatments that target lipid metabolism could be an unexplored treasure trove, and it's something researchers are very interested in right now," says Emerling. "We're working to develop drugs to target this enzyme, and there are several companies out there developing their own drugs as well." Because of this interest, Emerling and her colleagues are optimistic about the future of this treatment approach. She says, "There's no drug yet, but I have high hopes that in the near future, we'll have something in clinical trials. That would be amazing." Thought Leaders The Institute of Cancer Therapeutics The University of Bradford To commemorate World Cancer Day, we spoke to a multidisciplinary team of researchers from The Institute of Cancer Therapeutics (ICT) based at the University of Bradford about their work in cancer research. Please can you introduce yourself and tell us about your professional background and current position at the ICT? I am an Associate Professor in Cancer Biology at the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics, University of Bradford. I focus on the in vitro and in vivo screening of novel therapeutics. My main research interests are drug resistance in colorectal cancer and applying the 3Rs to simple, non-invasive imaging techniques. My career has mainly been in the preclinical cancer pharmacology and cancer biology areas. I obtained a Ph.D. from University College London on osteosarcoma biology following chemotherapy and then subsequently held postdoctoral positions at Cardiff University, University of Bath, and University of Otago, where I investigated respectively osteosarcoma biology, homeobox gene regulation and expression, and the characterization of a novel reticuloplasmin. I subsequently worked in a start-up biotechnology company, Gendel Ltd, in Coleraine, researching a novel dr ug delivery technology. I then moved to the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics (then known as the Cancer Research Unit) at the University of Bradford, where I have been for 22 years in various positions. - Dr Steve Shnyder My name is Hannah, and I joined the ICT 3 years ago. My cancer research career started with an undergraduate dissertation project. After my undergraduate project, I was keen to develop my research skills, so I started looking for Ph.D. positions. Luckily, a particularly interesting project was being advertised at Hull York Medical School under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Maher and Prof Michael Lind. The project focused on the role of microRNA in malignant pleural mesothelioma (asbestos-related cancer) resistance to chemotherapy. We uncovered the ability of mesothelioma cells to effectively hide chemotherapy away from target areas and maintain resistance to therapeutics. I owe much of my passion for research to my supervisors, particularly Dr. Maher, who developed my academic potential and is an outstanding mentor. After completing three postdoctoral positions, I decided to make the leap to set up my own lab by applying for the position of lecturer at the ICT, University of Bradford. In my current role at the ICT, I am the principal investigator of a small group of Ph.D./MSc students. My lab is focused on mesothelioma biology and understanding why this disease is so resistant to treatment, mainly through exploring the function of the transportome. - Dr Hannah Moody I began my journey in science at the University of Havana, where I obtained my degree in Biochemistry. Then I completed my Ph.D. in Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology at the Autonomous University of Madrid. I have been working in the field of nanomedicines for drug delivery at different universities, the University of East Anglia, the University of Strasbourg, Queens University Belfast, and now, at the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics (ICT) at the University of Bradford. Currently, Im leading the group on Drug Delivery at the ICT, and Im also a lecturer in Biochemistry and Pharmacology at the School of Pharmacy. - Dr Amalia Ruiz How have you seen the field of cancer therapeutics change throughout your career? It has changed significantly from reliance on cytotoxic DNA-bashing compounds to the sophisticated targeted therapeutics we have today. - Dr Steve Shnyder In the area of drug delivery, where I conduct my research, things have significantly changed in the last 15 years. In the early 2000s, there was a major hype for applied nanotechnology in medicine. Drug delivery systems were seen as magic nanoparticles targeting the tumor and sparing the healthy organs. This boom, and the commercial successes of the first nanoparticle products, stimulated nanoparticle product developments in the industry. However, I have seen the field evolve over the years, and in my opinion, there are now two types of nanoparticles: commercially approved nanoparticles versus academic nanoparticles. Sadly, the speed of clinical drug development is generally slow, and the process is associated with a high attrition rate. Right now, we are observing a slowdown in the field of cancer drug delivery. I think we are in a moment of reflection, learning from the experience of the few nanodrugs that have been successful, seriously considering the challenges that pre-clinical and clinical trials have demonstrated in the last years, and thinking about how we can help better the patients. - Dr Amalia Ruiz What has been the most significant breakthrough in cancer therapeutics in recent years? The realization that harnessing the involvement of the tumor microenvironment is key to controlling tumor growth. - Dr Steve Shnyder Scientists are investigating genetic and molecular characteristics of cancer tumors in individual patients, and the possibility of CRISPR gene editing opens fantastic opportunities for editing cells within the next decade. We are also seeing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning transforming cancer care. - Dr Amelia Ruiz What is the most pressing challenge in cancer therapeutics, and how is that challenge being overcome? Acquired drug resistance better knowledge of resistance-causing factors and the ability to screen patients for susceptibility to resistance (and hence use of alternative therapy options) will hopefully reduce the incidence. - Dr Steve Shnyder Image Credit: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock.com The physicochemical characteristics of nanoparticles remarkably influence their pharmacological and safety profiles. Very subtle changes in composition and small deviations in the final manufactured products result in significant changes in their therapeutic efficacy and toxicity profile. Control and reproducibility batch-to-batch and standardization of the techniques to characterize their properties are key elements that scientists need to have under control if we want a safe translation of novel nanosystems into commercially viable medical products in the clinic. - Dr Amalia Ruiz The theme for World Cancer Day 2023 is #CloseTheCareGap, which started in 2022 and will end in 2024. This year is all about uniting our voices and taking action. How do you believe both the research community and the general public can support cancer research and patients? As researchers, we need to listen to cancer patients more about their needs so that we can adjust plans for novel treatments accordingly in line with this. As members of the general public, we need to put more pressure on our elected representatives to improve health services so that unnecessary suffering due to avoidable delays in treatment and care becomes a thing of the past. - Dr Steve Shnyder I believe the research community needs to work closely with patients and their families for better outcomes in cancer research. I am a passionate advocate for the patient and public involvement in research, and I feel this needs more emphasis than previously given. Only by truly involving patients in our research design, methods, outcomes, and dissemination can we better improve patients lives. Our work as cancer researchers can sometimes seem far from meaningful interventions. However, every piece of new research delves a little deeper into understanding how this complex group of diseases can be exploited so we can better treat cancer and even prevent it from occurring in the first place. - Dr Hannah Moody Image Credit: SewCream/Shutterstock.com At the ICT, we focus our research on developing new cancer treatments. However, as we can't work isolated in the lab, we are trying to connect with the public differently. There are three stages that are very important for us. The first one is identifying what the priority topics for our research are. Meeting with patients, carer groups, and members of the public is key in this process so we can design our research to attend to their needs. The second stage is the preparation of the study. Many of the funding bodies have a panel that mixes scientists and members of the public The third stage that is also very important for us is disseminating our results. Sharing our results shouldn't be only via a scientific article publication. We need to get in touch with patients, carers, and doctors to raise awareness, orientate, and give better support to the people that can benefit from these treatments. We are working in many events where researchers and members of the public can come together, be curious, and chat about research in a relaxed environment outside of mysterious laboratories or daunting dark lecture theatres. For example, aligned with the celebration of World Cancer Day, we will be celebrating the FROLIC Festival: (FROLIC=Fun day Related tO Learning about the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics), and it will take place in The Broadway shopping center in Bradford, on Saturday 4th of February, from 10.00am to 13.00pm. Since we are in the university environment, we also have an educational focus. At the University of Bradford School of Pharmacy, we teach different modules where we invite patients to get in touch with our students to enrich their professional training. We also make a significant effort to train our students to reflect on their community's demographic and cultural characteristics to improve their engagement with the patients. We embed, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in all our programs to address bias problems in patient care. - Dr Amalia Ruiz What is next for you and your research? To continue investigating novel mechanisms of drug resistance in colorectal cancer. -Dr Steve Shnyder My group is working on the potential repurposing of several drugs for mesothelioma treatment and modifying the chemical structures of certain molecules to improve drug efficacy in collaboration with my fantastic colleague Dr. Deborah Crawford. Moving forward, we hope to expand the group and collaborate with international colleagues on other thoracic cancer-focused projects. - Dr Hannah Moody The Royal Society is currently funding interesting research into developing thermosensitive liposomes for combinatory therapy in prostate cancer treatment. There is an urgent need to overcome the problems with chemotherapeutics systemic toxicity in cancer treatment. This project aims to prepare a formulation that can be activated using a Near Infrared laser and release the drug at the tumor site. - Dr Amalia Ruiz Where can readers find more information? Chinese envoy calls for greater global support for Iraq's counterterrorism efforts Xinhua) 13:21, February 03, 2023 UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy called on the international community on Thursday to continue supporting Iraq's anti-terrorism efforts. "The international community should continue to support Iraq in combating terrorism, eliminating terrorist extremist forces such as Da'esh, preventing their return and spread, and consolidating the hard-won achievements in counter-terrorism," Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council briefing on Iraq. Dai said that the current security situation in Iraq "remains dire," and terrorist remnants "are still conducting asymmetric attacks," resulting in casualties including among civilians. The United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da'esh/ISIL (UNITAD) should hand over the collected evidence to Iraq as soon as possible to help Iraq bring the terrorists to justice in accordance with its national laws, he said. "We welcome Iraq's continued efforts to advance the repatriation and resettlement of Iraqi nationals from al-Hol camp in Syria, and urge relevant countries to assume responsibilities as Iraq did and move forward as soon as possible with the identification and repatriation of foreign terrorist fighters and their families in Iraq," said the envoy. Over the past few decades, Iraq has been hit hard by wars, and its people have suffered a lot. The international community should actively help Iraq rebuild its infrastructure, accelerate economic and social development, and improve people's livelihood and well-being, he said. The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and other UN entities in Iraq should devote more resources and efforts to the priority areas most needed by the Iraqi people, carry out work in accordance with their mandates and division of labor, and fully leverage the role of the UN country team, he said. Dai said this year marks the 20th anniversary of UNAMI, and it is necessary to take this opportunity to seek the opinions of Iraq, and on that basis to systematically examine and evaluate the work and performance of UNAMI and carefully study the medium- and long-term prospects of the mission. China is a sincere friend of Iraq, and will continue to firmly support Iraq in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and continue to support Iraq in rebuilding its economy, restoring its industry, improving people's livelihood, and achieving sustainable development, he said. "We are ready to work with international community to make positive contributions to the long-term peace and stability in Iraq as well as peace and development in the region," he said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) The Honorable Christine E. Wormuth, 25th Secretary of the Army, speaks with Soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division, before having lunch with them and other U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii (USAG-H) Soldiers at the Sustainment Bistro on Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, Jan. 24, 2023. Wormuth addressed land lease, infrastructure, and quality of life concerns within the USAG-H, culminating in a Town Hall at Schofield Barracks. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Rachel Christensen) The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574. Community Perspective Send Community Perspective submissions by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Submissions must be 500 to 750 words. Columns are welcome on a wide range of issues and should be well-written and well-researched with attribution of sources. Include a full name, email address, daytime telephone number and headshot photograph suitable for publication (email jpg or tiff files at 150 dpi.) You may also schedule a photo to be taken at the News-Miner office. The News-Miner reserves the right to edit submissions or to reject those of poor quality or taste without consulting the writer. Letters to the editor Send letters to the editor by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707), by fax (907-452-7917) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Writers are limited to one letter every two weeks (14 days.) All letters must contain no more than 350 words and include a full name (no abbreviation), daytime and evening phone numbers and physical address. (If no phone, then provide a mailing address or email address.) The Daily News-Miner reserves the right to edit or reject letters without consulting the writer. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Bahrain has been hailed by the Vatican as an advocate of peace initiatives yesterday, in a statement commending the recent launch of the Declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain in Europe from Rome, Italy. The Declaration, the Vatican News said, is an important document that promotes religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence. It consolidates Bahrains role as an advocate of peace initiatives and carries the directions, objectives and messages of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, calling for religious tolerance and harmony. The Vatican website also recalled the launch of the Bahrain Declaration in 2017 in Los Angeles, in the presence of HM the Kings Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2020. The statement also shed light on the praise of His Holiness Pope Francis of the Bahrain Declaration during HHs historic visit to the Kingdom last November. Meanwhile, Bahrains efforts to boost peace, tolerance and coexistence were also yesterday hailed by the Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee at German Bundestag, Armin Laschet. During a meeting with the Board of Trustees Deputy Chairman of the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence Betsy Mathieson, Armin Laschet also stressed the importance of the Abraham Accords signed in 2020 in promoting peace in the region. Laschet said that the Declaration of Bahrain confirms the Kingdoms commitment towards religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Today, we see how these values are reflected in a society with a growing sense of responsibility towards the other, and how everyone joins hands to create a social fabric that is unparalleled, he noted. Laschet expressed honour in attending the inauguration of the Declaration of Bahrain, which was held recently in the Italian capital, Rome. He noted that the noble messages included in the declaration confirm the sound approach of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Agencies | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Bahrains contributions to promoting human fraternity are inspired by the royal visions of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, said Shura Council Chairman Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh. He commended the Government, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, hailing its support to HM the kings visions to promote global peace. He praised HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Ministers constant support and follow-up as well as continued directives to spearhead programmes and initiatives based on humanitarian principles. Al Saleh made the statement on the eve of the International Day of Human Fraternity, annually observed on February 4 in the world. The International Day of Human Fraternity was established by the United Nations General Assembly on a way to promote greater cultural and religious tolerance, through a resolution, which was co-facilitated by the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. In the statement, Al Saleh noted that Bahrains history reflects deep-rooted commitment to spreading love, affection, and brotherhood among all peoples and countries of the world, and encouraging constructive dialogues between different cultures, religions, and beliefs. He cited the historic visit of His Holiness Pope Francis and Grand Imam Sheikh of Al Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders His Eminence Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb, the organization of the Bahrain Forum: East West Dialogue which contributed to supporting Bahrains standing. Al Saleh stressed the legislative support to Bahrains diplomacy and foreign policy, noting the role of parliamentary diplomacy in highlighting Bahrains contributions to promoting the values and tolerance. Agencies | Tehran The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Iran blamed Israel for a drone attack on a military factory near the central city of Isfahan, the semi-official ISNA news agency said yesterday, vowing revenge for what appeared to be the latest episode in a long-running covert war. In a letter to the UN chief, Irans UN envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, said primary investigation suggested Israel was responsible for Saturday nights attack, which Tehran had said caused no casualties or serious damage. Iran reserves its legitimate and inherent right to defend its national security and firmly respond to any threat or wrongdoing of the Zionist regime (Israel) wherever and whenever it deems necessary, Iravani said in the letter. This action undertaken by the Zionist regime (Israel) goes against international law. Iran has accused Israel in the past of planning attacks using agents inside Iranian territory. The equipment and explosives used in the Isfahan attack were transferred into Iran with the help of anti-revolutionary groups based in Iraqs Kurdistan region under orders by a foreign security service, Irans Nournews said on Wednesday. A Japanese man who is suspected to have instructed a recent series of robberies across Japan had his girlfriend repeatedly bring defrauded money four years ago from Japan to the Philippines, where he is based. Japanese police believe that Watanabe Yuki is a member of a group linked to phone scams in Japan and had given instructions from the Philippines in the series of violent robbery cases in Japan. Tokyo police have already obtained an arrest warrant for Watanabe, who is now being held at an immigration facility in greater Manila, for fraud cases in Japan. His girlfriend, aged 32, was found to have repeatedly traveled to Manila in 2019 to deliver what are believed to be bundles of cash swindled from victims in Japan to Watanabe. Police and other sources say the woman was arrested in November 2019 for stealing cash cards from an elderly victim by making phone calls pretending to be a police officer. ...continue reading The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a 20-year-old apprentice, Josiah Godwin, for allegedly hacking his master, Saviour Joseph, to death at Imafon community, in the Akure South Local Government Area of the state. It was gathered that the suspect, after killing the deceased, dumped his corpse in a well at a site where they were working. A source said trouble started when the deceased, an asbestos operator, smashed the phone of the suspect on the floor over a dispute and the suspect attacked the deceased in retaliation. Narrating the incident, the elder brother of the deceased, Mr Odey Ogbaji, said the body of the 27-year-old was found four days ago in a well at the site where he (deceased) and his apprentice (suspect) went to work. He said, Last week Tuesday, my brother called me in the morning and we spoke. But on Wednesday, I tried his number but couldnt get through. I thought he had a flat battery, until Saturday that I was called by another younger brother of mine briefing me on his efforts to reach him but not successful. Afterwards, the deceaseds apprentice was contacted. When they got the boy, they asked him about the whereabouts of his master and he said his boss woke him up at night, collected his phone, smashed it on the floor and began to beat him and later asked him to go back and sleep. He said the following day, he decided to leave the site. So, we asked him how he would wake up in the morning without seeing his boss and leave the site. He said he thought his master went to a toilet when he left. When we checked the phone which he said was smashed, there was no scratch on it. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed the incident, adding that the suspect had been arrested. She said, The boy was angry, killed his boss and threw his body inside a well. The matter has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigative Department and after investigation, he will be charged. Nigerian social critic, Aisha Yesufu has claimed that typical Nigerian politicians would soon start decamping to join Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, because its glaring he would win the forthcoming presidential election. Yesufu also said those politicians would be welcome. The statement was contained in a post via her verified Twitter handle. The social critic is a known strong supporter of Obi. She said that good governance and accountability is what Nigerians expect from Obis government. She wrote, As it becomes more and more glaring that Peter Obi will win this election by the grace of God, the usual politicians will decamp and join him. They are all welcome. Good governance, accountability and transparency is what Nigeria expects from his government. Nothing less! Governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, will on Friday meet with President Muhammadu Buhari on to discuss challenges being faced by Nigerians over the scarcity of Naira notes. The governors will also discuss allegations that some members of his kitchen cabinet are working against the partys presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Kaduna state Governor, Nasir El-Rufai had stirred the hornets nest on Wednesday when he accused some elements within the Presidential Villa of working to frustrate Tinubu. He had also faulted the Naira redesign policy of the administration which he said has caused untold hardship to Nigerians and cast the party and Tinubu in a bad light. Recall some of the APC governors had expressed dissatisfaction and frustration on how the Central Bank of Nigerias policy on new Naira notes and scarcity of fuel have crippled economic activities in their states at a time the country is preparing for a general elections The APC governors will also let out their feelings over these twin problem to the president. It was also gathered that the governors will apprise the president on how some of his appointees and close aides are working together with the opposition to make his party lose the elections and demand quick action and sanctions against such individuals responsible for the current hardship on Nigerians. The APC governors will also demand that the President direct the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to review the cashless and new Naira policies to make for adjustments that will immediately alleviate the pains of Nigerians Recall many Nigerians have been expressing their frustrations over the twin problem of fuel scarcity and new Naira notes that have affected small businesses and inhibited daily traffic of people in and around their states. Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, has spoken on why the state revoked its approval of the Adokiye Amiesimaka stadium for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign rally. Wike spoke on Thursday at the Rivers PDP campaign rally in Degema LGA of the state. The Rivers government had approved the venue for Atiku Abubakar, standard-bearer of the PDP, to use for his presidential campaign rally scheduled to hold on February 11. But in a letter dated January 31 and addressed to Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto and director-general of the PDP presidential campaign council, Christopher Green, Rivers commissioner for sports, said the approval has been withdrawn. The state also alleged that there was a plot by the Atiku campaign organisation in the state to share the facility with a violent faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Reacting to the withdrawal of the approval for the campaign venue, Abiye Sekibo, director-general of the Atiku campaign in Rivers, accused Wike of working for Bola Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate. Speaking at the rally on Thursday, Wike said the state rescinded its approval to safeguard the facility from vandalism. He added that the supporters of the PDP presidential candidate in the state wouldnt have been able to fill the stadium. Dont say we stopped them from holding the rally; we didnt. They applied to me and I gave (Adokiye Amiesimaka stadium) to them. They now went back and began to meet with the faction of the opposition, and you know that opposition has never held any rally without violence, he said. And I said I cannot joke with Adokiye Amiesimaka stadium. Since we have this intelligence, we will not allow it. Did anybody force us to give them before? Are we not the ones who gave them? Did they pay money? Go and see the place. I know they are happy because they know there is no way they can fill that stadium. Instead of them to say thank God for covering our shame. President Muhammadu Buhari says the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) assured him that there was capacity, manpower and equipment to print enough new naira notes. He said the assurance was given to him before he considered giving approval for the naira redesign policy. The president spoke on Friday after meeting with governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the matter. There has been increased tension in the country as Nigerians struggle to obtain cash at banks and point-of-sale terminals. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had given a deadline of January 31 for the use of old notes but it was recently extended to February 10. However, several stakeholders have said the number of days is insufficient to guarantee the widespread circulation of the new notes. Speaking on Friday, the president said he demanded an undertaking from the CBN that no new notes will be printed in a foreign country and they in turn gave him assurances that there was enough capacity, manpower and equipment to print the currency for local needs. The president said that given the present situation, he will go back to find out what was actually happening. Buhari also expressed doubts about the commitment of banks to the success of the policy, describing them as inefficient. Some banks are inefficient and only concerned about themselves, even if a year is added, problems associated with selfishness and greed wont go away, he said. The APC governors had earlier appealed to the president to allow both the old and new naira notes to co-exist to ease the suffering of Nigerians. Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, said although the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) mopped up over N2 trillion of the old notes in circulation, only N300 billion worth of new notes were printed. Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, says President Muhammadu Buhari was shocked when he was informed that Senate President Ahmad Lawan was the anointed presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Speaking on Thursday while responding to questions on a programme on TVC, el-Rufai said the president said he had no idea about the choice of Lawan. In June 2022, hours before voting at the APC presidential primary was scheduled to start, Abdullahi Adamu, national chair of the party, had announced the senate president as the consensus candidate for the party. Its just an information he gave us. All of us are entitled to our opinion. We are all democrats. This decision was never taken by the NWC, but an information given to the NWC, Sulaiman Argungu, APC national organising secretary, had said at the time. The announcement had been met with mixed reactions, including a rejection by several APC governors. Speaking on Thursday, el-Rufai said Buhari was very clear about his position on the choice of a presidential candidate for the party. We heard that too. The members of the national working committee called us and said that the national chairman had told them that the senate president is the anointed one, the Kaduna governor said. Again, the northern APC governors asked for a meeting with the president. We went to the president and said Mr. President, this is what we are hearing; this is not what youve been telling us in the past two to three years. Is it true? And the president expressed shock and said Im not part of this. And right there and then, he summoned Garba Shehu to issue a statement that he has not anointed anyone. And he told us very clearly I have not anointed anyone. The All Progressives Congress (APC) governors have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to allow both the old and new naira notes to co-exist to ease the suffering of Nigerians. Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, said the request was made to the president when the APC governors met with him on Friday. El-Rufai was flanked by Abdullahi Ganduje, Kano state governor, while briefing journalists on the outcome of the meeting at the state house. He said although the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) mopped up over N2 trillion of the old notes in circulation, only N300 billion worth of new notes were printed. The governor said if the CBN intends to implement the cashless policy, the apex bank should have printed at least half of what was mopped up. He said the governors told the president that the masses are suffering and traders are losing their goods due to a lack of patronage. El-Rufai said they appealed to Buhari to reconsider his stance. The Kaduna governor however said the president did not decline or approve the request. He said Atiku Bagudu, Kebbi state governor and chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, is meeting with the president privately in a bid to convince him to shift ground on the matter. Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has dared the Aso Rock cabals he believes are opposed to the Presidential ambition of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 presidential election. El-Rufai had sparked a controversy on Wednesday when he said some persons in Aso Rock were working against Tinubu. While responding to a question in a yet to be fully released interview with BBC Hausa, El-Rufai said, Respecting people is not fear, I swear we dont fear anyone in this country, so we are not fearful, we respectful but if you show us you are not an elder, I swear we will fight you. The governors latest comment was shared on social media ahead of the full release. El-Rufai spoke in apparent response to the Villa elements he referred to in the Channels TV interview When he appeared on Channels Televisions Sunrise Daily programme on Wednesday, El-Rufai said persons who backed a different aspirant in the APC presidential primaries are now hiding behind President Buhari to pursue their interests. I believe there are elements in the villa who want us to lose the election because they didnt get their way; they had their candidate. Their candidate did not win the primaries. They are trying to get us to lose the election, and they are hiding behind the presidents desire to do what he thinks is right, he had said. Aisha, wife of the president backed El-Rufai over his claim that some elements in the presidency are plotting to sabotage Tinubus victory. The first lady, who wields great influence in the Villa, voiced her support for El-Rufai when she shared a clip of the interview containing the governors main allegation against the saboteurs who are non-members of the party and are exploiting the presidents goodwill for their selfish ends. But the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, responded saying officially, the government was not aware of anyone within the Presidential Villa engaging in such action. He said the government had been fair to all candidates regardless of party affiliation and that Buhari had consistently demonstrated that he was for free, fair and credible elections. The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has fined Continental Broadcasting Services Limited, owners of Television Continental (TVC), for airing hate speech and inflammatory comments. In a letter dated February 3 and signed by Balarabe Ilelah, NBC director-general, the commission said it monitored TVCs consistent breach of the Nigeria broadcasting code regarding the coverage of activities for the general election. The commission said hate speech, inflammatory, derogatory and unfair comments have been broadcast by the station, adding that the trend had become a house style on TVC. The commission cited references to a media briefing by Festus Keyamo, the spokesperson of the All Progressives Council (APC) presidential campaign council, as well as comments by Bola Tinubu, APC presidential candidate. On 06/01/23 at 12:29PM, the Joint Media Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council made the following comments while briefing the media. Festus Keyamo: Obasanjo and Atiku run a criminal enterprise, an empire of fraud in Abuja. At the same time that Ahmed Bola Asiwaju was toiling hard, beautifully and meticulously to rebuild Lagos, 2 criminals were stealing money in Abuja at the time they both stole from the SPV account at that time. Speaking about the whistleblower, Micheal Achimugu, he said, We suspect that some goons of Atiku Abubakar are planning eliminate him and members of his family. In fact, my big brother FFK actualy hinted me about something like that yesterday, the letter reads. On 24/01/23 at 03:39PM, during the APC Presidential Rally in Abia State. The APC Presidential Candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu after telling the public to vote APC under the symbol of broom, he went on to make the following comment You know what you do with the rest of them? They are like lizards, cockroaches and mosquitoes. Just take the broom, wipe them off. On 31/01/23 at 02:37pm, during the All Progressives Congress (APC) rally which held in Anambra State. The Partys Presidential Candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, also made the following remarks: When you hear Atiku use the word Muslim and say Wallahi, Talahi, you know what is in his heart? na lie I lie. Anytime you hear Atiku say Wallahi Talahi, just reply him say, na lie you lie. The NBC also made reference to a comment by Tinubu during the APC rally in Anambra, during which he referred to Peter Obi, presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), as a person who cannot keep promise. The commission also accused TVC of not giving equal coverage to all political parties. On 10th October, 2022, your station started its news with 17 minutes of APC news and 1 minutes of PDP story with a video clip that did not play, the commission added. The NBC, therefore, asked TVC to pay a fine of N2 million within two weeks of the receipt of the letter. Similarly, in a letter to Arise Global Media Limited NBC said for avoidance of doubt, some of such unprofessional broadcasts are listed below for your perusal. On the 24th of January, 2023, between 1.00pm 2.27pm, Arise TV aired Presidential campaign Rally of PDP which held in Delta State, replete with unfair remarks and mockery of the APC presidential Candidate by DINO Melaye. Mr. Melaye sang a song hand dey shake, leg dey shake, baba wey no well, e dey shout emilokan he further went on to fall down demonstrating the frailty of the APC presidential Candidate. Arise TV did not only air the programme but repeated the distasteful clip of Dino Melaye in a mockery of the APC Presidential candidate in another programme anchored by Ojy Okpe Whats Trending. The Presenter and her Colleagues had a good laugh over such unfair treatment of another. On the 26th January 2023, at 9.40am, during the programme Morning Show, a guest, Najaatu Muhammed described the Presidential Candidate of APC, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu as mentally deranged without caution from the anchor. The Guest had a field day with vituperations against the Presidential Candidate of the APC. She referred to him as Senile. On 31-01-2023 at 3:30pm, during the broadcast of the PDP Presidential Rally in Sokoto State, Dino melaye referred to the Vice Presidential Candidate of APC, Kashim Shettima as GCOB, meaning Grand Commander of Bandits. During the same Campaign, PDP Presidential chieftain, Dino Malaye said, we should be happy that our candidates hands dont shake, his legs dont shake and he doesnt have a bell that rings in his head he further said, if APC come for campaign, sing a song after them saying, APC are bed-wetters then he said again, his name is not Bola, his name is bola (the difference is in pronunciation, later meaning dustbin). Hajiya Najaatu in the same broadcast said, We are not going to vote for hypocrites, the one that lied that he is a muslim, but he doesnt know how to recite the suratul fatiha. We are not going to vote for an illiterate that doesnt know anything, if people insist on voting him then they should also get ready to allow him lead them in prayers He therefore said consequently, pursuant to the aforementioned Sections of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, Arise TV is hereby sanctioned and shall pay a penalty of N2,000,000.00 (Two Million Naira Only). Note that the penalty shall be paid within 2 weeks of the receipt of this Letter or sanction shall be graduated. Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, on Friday, condemned recurring attacks on political opponents and non-members of the ruling All Progressives Congress in Ebonyi State. HURIWA, in a statement read at a media briefing by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, urged the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, to change the Police Commissioner in the state, Aliyu Garba, for alleged complicity and for reportedly working in cahoots with the Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi; and the ruling APC in the state to terrorise opposition parties. The group described as anti-democratic tendencies in open display in Ebonyi and vowed to petition foreign missions, particularly the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia on the heightened levels of threats to the lives of political opposition politicians in Ebobyi State. HURIWA vowed to call for visa restriction against Governor Umahi, if within seven working days, there is no significant improvement in the respect to the fundamental human rights of all politicians irrespective of affiliations. The group also condemned the use of the state-owned security outfit, Ebubeagu, to intimidate political opponents of Governor Umahi of the APC in Ebonyi. Umahi, whose eight-year tenure as governor ends on May 31, is a senatorial candidate of the APC for the district. HURIWA said it is on record that Governor Umahi, out of intolerance for political opponents in the state, directed the police and other security agencies to withdraw orderlies and security details from candidates of political parties, directors-general party officials other than the APC. The governor has also spewed politically intolerant utterances ahead of the February 25 and March 11 general elections like the one he said on November 7, 2022 on Channels Television when he said there is no other political party in Ebonyi apart from APC and told opponents to shut up. Cases abound of political intolerance in Ebonyi by state-sponsored police and Ebubeagu officers. The police once dispersed Peter Obis supporters during a solidarity march in Abakaliki mid-September. The Labour Party candidate for the Oyi constituency at the Anambra State House of Assembly, Mr Obinna Okafor, once accused Umahi, of sponsoring the attack carried out on the supporters of Peter Obi. In January, an All Progressives Grand Alliance supporter in Ebonyi State, Amobi Ujar, was allegedly framed up and beaten to a pulp by members of the Ebubeagu Security Outfit in Enugu. Abakiliki-based journalists like Godfrey Chikwere, Peter Okutu, Agwu Chijioke, amongst others were all arrested and victimised by the governor using state-sponsored security agencies. Labour Party candidate for the Ebonyi South District, Linus Okorie, has been repeatedly victimised, abducted, arrested and remanded through state-sponsored security agents. HURIWAs Onwubiko said, Political violence of any form is an offence under the Electoral Act 2022 and a crime under extant criminal laws in Nigeria and its manifestations should therefore be arrested immediately as it endangers national security amid the forthcoming elections. HURIWA condemns the harassment, intimidation, killings of political opposition in Ebonyi State and the criminal and anti-democratic and unconstitutional activities of Ebubeagu in Ebonyi as a tool against opponents of the governor. We call on the IGP to change the commissioner of police in Ebonyi who is accused of compromising his neutrality and allowing the criminality of Ebubeagu to continue. We also call on the National Assembly, the DSS, the National Security Adviser, President Muhammadu Buhari to take steps to curtail the excesses of these barbaric outfit that has derailed. As a group, we also demand for independent investigation of all the allegations of politically motivated killings in Enonyi State and ask the outgoing governor to be a democrat and allow for freedom of expression and information and freedom of movements by all political contestants in Ebonyi State. HURIWA will not hesitate to write to the USA, UK Australia on the heightened levels of threats to the lives of political opposition politicians in Ebonyi State and call for visa restriction for the governor if within seven working days there is no significant improvement in the respect to the fundamental human rights of all politicians irresoecticevof affiliations. Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State is confident he will defeat his predecessor Gboyega Oyetola despite the tribunal judgement in his favour. The governor spoke on Friday in Osogbo at a meeting with Unit-to-Unit Ambassadors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun West District. Adeleke stressed that the judiciary plays an important role in strengthening democracy, recalling pronouncements that had helped to stabilise the nation. Noting that he has unshaken faith in the system, the Osun governor described himself as a beneficiary of judicial intervention. I cannot forget how the judiciary cleared me of forgery allegations. You cant have a strong democracy unless we all hold the judiciary as the indispensable arbiter, he said. Adeleke announced the process of appealing the tribunal ruling is ongoing and believes his mandate would be revalidated. He said the verdict got people of the state emotional and urge everyone to be calm and go about their daily activities peacefully. We have all the grounds to appeal and we are doing that. By God and man, our mandate will be revalidated through the same judicial process, he stated. The Justice Tertsea Kume-led tribunal held that the July 16, 2022 governorship election was not conducted in compliance with the Electoral Act. The majority judgement declared that Oyetola scored the majority lawful votes of 314,931 against Adelekes 290,266 after invalid votes were deducted. Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says Ademola Adeleke, governor of Osun, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are misbehaving in the state. Speaking on Thursday at a rally in Osogbo, capital city of Osun, Tinubu said the APC administration of Gboyega Oyetola would soon return to continue its good work. Adeleke was declared winner of the governorship poll held on July 16, but Oyetola had claimed that there was overvoting in 749 polling units across 10 LGAs of the state. Oyetolas argument was upheld by the Osun election petition tribunal and he was consequently declared the winner of the election in a judgment delivered on January 27. Amid the varied reactions to the verdict of the tribunal, Adeleke had advised residents of the state not to attend the APC presidential campaign rally over the likelihood of violence. In his remarks on Thursday, Tinubu accused the PDP of causing unrest in Osun. They were given little opportunity to rule for some months and they started misbehaving, killing, and creating unrest in Osun state, he said. Highlighting his plans for the state, Tinubu said he would support Osun to be a manufacturing and tourism paradise. You have fertile soil, abundant mineral resources, and a rich culture and history capable of attracting tourists from across the world, he said. A vote for me is a vote to develop all parts of this state and this country. Rural areas will not be forgotten but will be developed to support more economic activities and create better lives for the people. At the same time, our growing urban population you city boys will enjoy decent jobs and a living wage. The former governor of Lagos also asked the residents not to vote for Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of PDP, because he did not make a positive impact when he was vice-president. The Kaduna State Police Command has announced the rescue of a 6 year old stolen child who was earlier sold for N100,000. The police said on the 23rd January, 2023 at about 0400hours the Command received a report that one Hajara Ashiru f 6yrs old was missing and the Command immediately mobilised Operatives, swung into action and one Safiya Iliyasu f 32yrs who is a neighbor to the parents of the missing child was arrested and interrogated. During the course of investigation the following suspects were equally arrested; (1) Hussaina Adamu f 45yrs old of Hayin Mal. Bello and (2) Rukayya Abubakar f 32yrs old of Dirkaniya Quaters Kaduna in connection to the disappearance of the child. The victim was rescued unhurt after having been sold for the sum of One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000.00) in which a part payment of Five Thousand Naira (N5,000) was made to the prime suspect Safiya Iliyasu. The victim has since been handed over to her parents. Case under investigation and will be charged to court of competent jurisdiction on completion. Also , operatives of the Kaduna State Police Command have arrested 13 suspects in January for various crimes which included banditry, armed robbery, kidnapping, illegal trafficking in firearms, theft, child stealing, illegal trading of currency and other heinous crimes. While briefing journalists in Kaduna, Spokesperson of the Command,DSP Muhammed Jalige on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, CP Yekini Ayoku, said in the course of investigations into some of these cases, a number of recoveries were made which included one (1) AK47 Rifle, three (3) locally made fabricated revolver rifles, two (2) motorcycles, fifteen (15) cartridges, nine hundred and twenty five naira (925,000.00) cash and three (3) mobile phones. At this juncture, permit me to elucidate briefly on each of these cases as follows; On the 27th January, 2023 at about 1100 hours following a credible intelligence on the activities of unlawful trading of the Re-designed Naira Notes, DPO Sabon Gari Zaria led his patrol team to Dadi motor park Sabon Gari Zaria where they raided and arrested two (2) currency hawkers, namely; (1) Dalhatu Yusuf m 32yrs and (2) Muhammad Kabir m 18yrs all of Samaru Zaria and recovered different denominations of both old and the redesigned Naira Note from them. Also in a related development, one Thomas Tokan m of Hanwa area who is a security personnel attached to Stanbic IBTC Bank PZ branch was also arrested at the bank premises selling the re-designed Naira notes. Investigation is still ongoing, he said. He said on the 25th January, 2023 at about 1700 hours, the gallant Operatives of the Command acted on a credible intelligence, arrested one Sani Mamuda Hanazuwa m aged 25yrs, a known notorious kidnapper, who have been on the Commands wanted list. During the course of investigation the suspect confessed to have participated in more than ten kidnapping operations in Kaduna State alongside his gang members in which they have collected several ransom payments and killed at least two of their victims. The suspect is currently assisting the Police in investigation with a view to arresting his accomplices currently at large. He explained further that on the 17th January, 2023 at about 1340hours the operatives of the Command while on a Clearance Patrol/Stop and Search operation along Jos road by Kangiwa village, Soba LGA of Kaduna State intercepted one Shede Alh. Maude m of Liman Ibada village Soba LGA of Kaduna who was in possession of N820,000.00 to be delivered to a certain Abdullahi Ahmed a.k.a Masara at Kawo flyover bridge. The money was for the purchase of an AK-47 rifle for one Suleiman m (surname yet unknown). The said Suleiman is a notorious kidnapper. Both Shede Alh. Maude and Abdullahi Ahmed are in Police net assisting in the investigation while Suleiman is on the run with our Operatives on his trail. A Kano State Sharia court sitting in Filin Hoki, Kano, has remanded a popular Tiktoker, Murja Ibrahim Kunya, at a correctional facility for allegedly committing offenses contrary to Islamic teachings and threatening people on Tiktok. Murja appeared before the court presided over by Abdullahi Halliru over two count charges bordering on threatening to attack some people and releasing inciting videos that goes contrary to the norms and teachings of Islam, and may lead others wrong. NE recall that the Tiktoker was arrested by the police as a result of complaints filed by the Council of Ulama. However, when she was arraigned before the court, she pleaded not guilty to the charges that were against her. The judge adjourned the case to February 16th, 2023, for continuation of hearing, and ordered the remand of the convict in a correctional facility. Meanwhile, consel to Kunya, Barrister Yasir Musa, prayed the court to send her to Hisbah custody or the police instead of correctional centre, which was rejected by the council to the defendants, Barrister Lamido ABBA Soron Dinki. The scarcity of new naira notes, which has been a subject of discussion across major towns and cities in Nigeria, took another dimension on Friday when customers took to major streets in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to protest. It was gathered that bank customers in Ibadan have been finding it difficult to withdraw money. Our correspondent recalls that the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, had a few weeks ago introduced the newly redesigned N200, N500 and N1000 denominations across the country. The apex bank had also directed commercial banks to fill their Automated Teller Machines, ATMs, with the newly redesigned naira notes. The CBN also gave 31st January, 2023 as the deadline for the exchange of the old bank notes before extending till 10th February. It has also directed commercial banks to pay customers the new naira notes over the counter. Our correspondent however learnt that majority of the bank customers who went to withdraw money on Friday at various banks in Ibadan could not do so. This sparked protests in some parts of Ibadan. Some of the areas where the customers are currently protesting are Agodi Gate, Idi Ape and Iwo Road. The protesters burnt several tyres so to register their displeasure. A resident of Gate who spoke with newsmen said that the protesters were protesting their inability to withdraw money from the banks. Protests are currently ongoing at Gate and Iwo Road as I speak with you. They are burning tyres now, he said. A resident of Iwo Road also confirmed that the protest is ongoing. Yes. There is a protest here. People are currently protesting at Iwo Road over inability to collect their money from banks, he also said. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has accused Pat Utomi, a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), of invading its office in the Oshodi-Isolo LGA of Lagos. Olusegun Agbaje, INECs resident electoral commissioner who made the allegation, spoke on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television. Agbaje said Utomi, a professor of political economy, held an illegal press conference at the INEC office. He said the action of the professor was not expected of a senior Nigerian, noting that the commission has reported the matter to the police and Department of State Services (DSS). Today in Lagos, Professor Pat Utomi did what we did not expect a senior Nigerian to do, he said. He virtually invaded our office at Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area with some people that we didnt know and they held an illegal press conference inside our conference room at Oshodi. Pat Utomi is a senior person, we didnt expect that from him, that is an invasion. We informed the police accordingly and the DSS about this invasion. It is uncalled for, it is an act of intolerance on his part, what he did today could have led to violence if other people in the area had reacted that way. But I think the security agencies did their best to ensure that there was no violence in that area. Pat Utomi ought to be blamed for the type of invasion and aggression that he showed today. Agbaje said he would have addressed the grievances of the LP chieftain if he had approached him. At the INEC office in Oshodi LGA, some Nigerians have raised concerns over the difficulty faced in accessing their permanent voter cards (PVCs). Addressing the concerns, the INEC REC said a lot of people who migrated from the south-east zone of the country to Lagos did a fresh registration instead of doing a transfer of their polling units to the state. At Oshodi-Isolo LGA, we had a lot of people that migrated from the south-east and they wanted to vote in Lagos, he said. During our registration last year, instead of doing a transfer from the area (south-east zone), what they did was to do a fresh registration. Those who did transfer got their PVCs but those who did fresh registration apparently it amounted to double registration and they could not get their PVCs. The All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu has insisted that the Southwest would produce President Muhammadu Buharis successor. Tinubu said the Southwest supported the North to produce a president, hence the region would succeed Buhari in February. He spoke during his presidential campaign rally in Osogbo, the Osun State capital. Tinubu said the fuel and currency scarcity would not stop Nigerians from voting him as president come February 25. We collaborated with the North to elect a president of the Northern extraction; this time, we (Southwest) will succeed them. Nobody smashes the seed from a palm nut by being gentlemanly. We are not bastards. We were the ones that put them there and we will be the ones to succeed them. If you say you want to frustrate us, we have come a long way and no matter what you do, we will remain steadfast. We are grateful for the way you trooped out for us, he said. The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) National Central Bureau (NCB), Nigeria, has explained why it could not extradite Diezani Alison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum. Garba Umar, head of the agency, spoke on Thursday when he appeared before the house of representatives ad hoc committee investigating the alleged missing 48 million barrels of bonny light crude said to have been illegally sold in China in 2015. BACKGROUND Diezani was the minister of petroleum resources from 2010 to 2015 during the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan. Shortly before Jonathan handed over to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, she left the country. The former minister is alleged to have stolen $2.5 billion from the Nigerian government while she was a minister. Though she denied the allegations, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has since commenced a process to extradite her. The federal government had gained forfeiture of her properties located in Banana Island Foreshore Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, including 18 flats and six penthouses. But in January 2022, the former minister through her lawyers, filed a suit in the federal high court in Abuja seeking to stop the planned sale of her assets by the anti-graft commission. UK TURNED DOWN OUR REPATRIATION REQUEST Appearing before the committee on Thursday, Umar explained how he travelled to other countries to repatriate some former government officials to the country to face justice. If you remember we repatriated many Nigerians who were alleged to have swindled the Nigerian government. I went personally and brought Maina from Niger, he said. I brought the former attorney-general of the federation from Dubai and many other Nigerians who absconded, we brought them back to face justice and those who are in Nigeria hiding, we took them back to their various countries to face justice. Umar said the UK turned down their request to extradite the former minister, when Jude Ngaji, a lawmaker representing Ogoja/Yala federal constituency of Cross River state, asked why Diezani was not also repatriated. The issue of Diezani a warrant of arrest was issued. I am sorry to say the government of the UK turned down our request, he said. We followed mutual legal assistance (MLA) you can check that is mutual legal assistance to bring her back home. She went to court because according to them they have a system where they check our let me not go there. Six-day (Tuesday through Sunday) print subscribers of the Watertown Daily Times are eligible for full access to NNY360, the NNY360 mobile app, and the Watertown Daily Times e-edition, all at no additional cost. If you have an existing six-day print subscription to the Watertown Daily Times, please make sure your email address on file matches your NNY360 account email. You can sign up or manage your print subscription using the options below. Employees walk past a Merck sign in front of the company's building on Oct. 2, 2013, in Summit, New Jersey. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images/TNS) Krewe du Vieux captains say the city was inflexible while negotiating their parade route this year and wouldn't give them clear answers to their questions regarding the route. The krewe learned Jan. 30 that its route for the Feb. 4 parade this year excludes several blocks that have long been hotspots for spectators, including the strip of bars on Frenchmen and Decatur streets. Its the busiest stretch, its the liveliest stretch because there are so many bars, but also our members frequent those spaces, co-captain Sebastian Boegershausen told Gambit Feb. 2. Were familiar with the people who work there and the owners. Its where our friends are. Its always been special to us. Since December, krewe leaders had been proposing their ideas to city officials for a parade route similar to previous years, after marching along a shortened route in 2022. Krewe leaders say they understood the decision to cut back last years route, due to police officer staffing shortages and general uncertainty over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For this year, they sought more generous parade time spent in the Marigny and the French Quarter, particularly so they could pass by many of the city's bars and music venues clustered in the area. Krewe representatives met Jan. 27 with members of the New Orleans Police Department, Cantrell aides and other city staffers to discuss the route. They called that meeting a complete standoff. The krewe says in a Feb. 2 statement NOPD regarded their proposal as a non-starter and gave them two options: either to follow last years shortened route, which would have eliminated the Marigny rectangle; or add in the Marigny rectangle and eliminate the interior of the French Quarter by staying on major thoroughfares. They say the city did not provide an explanation of why the route would need to be shortened, which is particularly vexxing for members given city officials have touted an increased police presence as the driving factor in Uptown krewes returning to their traditional routes. We were told the addition of the seven blocks of Royal Street in the Marigny created an unacceptable traffic disruption on the French Quarter portion of the route, Boegershausen says. But it's unclear how the krewe traveling directly down Royal instead of turning onto Frenchmen would cause a major difference impact on traffic, because either way, the krewe has to cross Elysian Fields Avenue, a major thoroughfare. Krewe du Vieuxs route has varied from year to year, depending on where the krewe holds its official after-party. And the parade this year is technically similar in length to previous years though it is leaving out an area typically teeming with revelers. Leaders are furthermore frustrated that the city indicated that it was the krewe's decision to eliminate Frenchmen and Decatur on its own. NOPD gave us non-options and was inflexible on making either of those options more acceptable," the krewe wrote in the statement. "We remain baffled. The statement comes on the heels of Council President JP Morrells recent announcement that he will be drafting ordinances that could help downtown krewes solidify routes. Krewe du Vieux's theme, perhaps all too fittingly, is Krewe du Vieux Beats Off. Boegershausen previously told Gambit that the parade will poke fun at the self-aggrandizing behavior characteristic of elected officials in addition to the notion that city leaders are out of step with residents. In West Feliciana Parish, some property owners can't get insurance due to crime at Angola The federal judge overseeing New Orleans Police Department reforms applauded the agency Thursday for recruiting new officers and giving some police work to civilian employees, but she warned that its decade-old federal consent decree will not end prematurely. District Judge Susie Morgan expressed alarm over repeated comments by public officials about the limiting nature of the 2012 consent decree. She said the ending of it should not be read by anyone as "going back" to the Police Department's old ways. "When the consent decree ends, the reforms should not go away," Morgan said. Mayor LaToya Cantrell last summer sought to end the consent decree, blaming the restrictions and discipline imposed under it for waning morale and a swift exodus of officers. She said it "handcuffs" police. Addressing Morgan on Thursday, interim Police Superintendent Michelle Woodfork called herself an "avid proponent of constitutional policing." She said the department has three main goals: Improving public safety Retaining a positive work environment Using technology to streamline administrative systems Achieving them, she said, will move the department into the next phase of federal monitoring and on its way to exiting the consent decree, assuring that reforms will be "sustainable." "I assure you there will be accountability up and down the chain," Woodfork said. Woodfork said the Police Department recruited 19 cadets last week and is preparing to start another training academy in April. She also said police created two new roles for civilians, intake specialist and investigation specialist, both for simple reports and investigations so commissioned officers are free to speed up response times. Interim New Orleans Police Superintendent Michelle Woodfork touted a 20% decrease in violent crime in New Orleans in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year, saying her efforts to transform the department during her first 100 days as fill-in chief has yielded dividends. Two young men lay flat on the pavement, faces up, feet pointed at the other, motionless. A wild shootout had just ended at noon on a Sunday outside the courtyard of an apartment complex on Chef Menteur Highway in New Orleans East, with no victor. Justin Ganier was lined up in a parking stall, sneakers propped against a yellow curb, dead at age 23. Robert Moody, 25, wasnt far behind, shot 17 times and bleeding through his clothes in a scene posted to Instagram. The sudden, violent deaths of two young Black men settled a dispute that began the previous evening and escalated that morning an eruption over baked treats, witnesses told police. Moody lived there with his girlfriend, who had invited a friend, Ganier and the couples young boy to stay. They cooked my sons cinnamon rolls, said Moodys mother, Christy Dorsey, recalling a homicide detectives account. My son went off about the cinnamon rolls. Why you cookin my stuff? So my son cooked the girls cookies. The cookies got burnt. So the girl told my son, You must cant read. Moody had a stutter, and that kind of wisecrack would get to him, said his stepfather, Eddie Tillman. Witnesses told police he threatened to kill the woman. Moody and his girlfriend left for Walmart. The girlfriend said she tried to defuse it, Tillman said. When they returned from the store, Ganier, who had been at work, was there with his mother, packing up. The two men traded words before the gunfight. One witness described it as like 'The Matrix,' as both men fired from feet away while rolling on the ground. Police deemed Moody the perpetrator and first to fire, counted it as one murder and cleared two homicides as solved. To Tillman, the deadly shootout a year ago seemed to epitomize a familiar escalation among armed young Black men in New Orleans, a deadly game of chicken that he said he urged his stepson to avoid by stashing his gun. Its like you wont back down, he said. You got two people carrying guns for protection, so youre not scared to use it. So he knows hes strapped, and he knows hes strapped. Its a thing of, 'You gonna use it or not?' Murder capital In the nations most murderous city, young Black males are getting killed at rates reserved in most other places for diseases affecting the elderly. Close to half of New Orleans 265 murder victims last year were Black males ages 15 to 34, police data shows. Over the past three years, 1% of that cohort was murdered in the city. At that rate, 1 in 14 Black youths in New Orleans will be slain before they reach 35. The murder rate for that group was nine times higher than for everyone else in New Orleans last year. It was higher than the rate at which local seniors die from strokes, the third leading cause of death for New Orleanians 65 and over, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows. New Orleans police data on murder suspects suggests that a similar, slightly younger cohort of Black males is doing the bulk of the killing. The grim numbers add up to what many view as a ballooning public health crisis, a contagion of deadly violence that has gripped New Orleans over three straight years, with an outsized toll on young Black males. If theres an effective treatment, researchers and advocates say, it must target a culture in which shooting has become a go-to response to seemingly any threat. New Orleans appears to lead a national trend. Homicides of juveniles rose sharply in 2020, to their highest numbers since 2006, while homicides committed by juveniles also rose, according to the most recent federal data. In New Orleans, 24 juveniles were slain last year, up from 17 in 2021. Lines between perpetrator and victim easily blur in a city where gun violence is normalized among youths and trauma informs every encounter, said Samantha Francois, executive director of the Violence Prevention Institute at Tulane University. Most of the perpetrators of violence we do know were previously victims of violence. They may not have been a shooting victim, but they have a history or a past of other forms of violence victimization, she said. Samantha Francois "What we see as a result of that fending and dealing is, Let me pick up a gun so I can protect myself." Francois said the institutes work with New Orleans youths reflects a population kind of left to fend and deal on their own, with little organized around their interests. Were talking about young people with diagnosed and diagnosable mental health concerns and psychological disorders, to those just struggling to deal, she said. And what we see as a result of that fending and dealing is, Let me pick up a gun so I can protect myself. Or, Let me pick up a gun so that Im not a victim.' I want to avoid even being in that group of victims, so Ive now become the aggressor. Feedback loop of violence Nearly all young Black males who are murdered in New Orleans were shot, and the frequency of shootings in that population is increasing sharply, state trauma data shows. At current rates, Black males who live in New Orleans from ages 15 to 24 have about a 1 in 8 chance of showing up shot at University Medical Center over that perilous decade of life. Social media, where threats and violence are broadcast in an instant, has compressed the feedback loop for violence among youths, Francois said. Its developing into a belief that, This is an acceptable thing in my community, in the people I identify with. This is an acceptable way of dealing with challenging stuff in my life or when I feel like I might be challenged,' she said. Shooting Stats Black males who live in New Orleans from ages 15 to 24 have about a 1 in 8 chance of showing up shot at University Medical Center. Tulanes researchers are only beginning to probe police records and hospital data to understand deeper trends in the surge in shootings and killings in New Orleans, and the extent to which juvenile offenders drive it, the institutes directors said. Two years ago, the institute launched one of five national research hubs funded by the CDC to study youth gun violence, after decades in which Congress barred such funding under pressure from gun rights groups. Every morning, the institute receives a list of gunshot trauma patients at UMC, as part of an intervention program that began in August for young shooting victims. Anecdotally, those encounters point to personal disputes more than organized violence, said Julia Fleckman, associate director of the institute. A lot are domestic incidents between relatives or friends, she said. Its not necessarily related to them being affiliated with a gang or having some kind of connection to illegal activity. Culture of fear For decades, gun violence has been persistent as the leading cause of death and disability among this population, said Joseph B. Richardson, a University of Maryland professor of African American studies and medical anthropology. But resources for intervention have been slow to materialize, especially in the South, he said. Weve just totally dropped the ball in addressing it in the same way weve addressed opioid addiction, he said. I dont see a similar level of sensitivity and compassion for this racial group. Joseph B. Richardson "Many people carry guns because police arent going to respond to your safety needs... This is kind of the American narrative: You have to protect yourself." Richardson views the pandemic as an isolating catalyst on top of a culture of fear that young Black males experience in violent neighborhoods. We make assumptions people are carrying guns because they intend to maliciously harm someone. Many people carry guns because police arent going to respond to your safety needs, he said. This is kind of the American narrative: You have to protect yourself. At St. Annas Episcopal Church, which displays a running list of area murder victims outside the rectory on Esplanade Avenue, the Rev. William Terry points to these disasters of poverty and systemic racism. Thats an epidemic. Thats like the underlying virus thats always there and becomes very aggressive during times of social stress. Terry, however, sees a difference from the hard days after Hurricane Katrina, when displaced residents seemed to yearn to socialize. After the pandemic, it seems like a big apprehension to reconnect. Its like they lost their social skills, he said. A generation of kids spent two years of their life trying to be educated using video. It really wasnt that successful. Beyond the isolation of COVID restrictions, Tulane sociologist Andrea Boyles pointed to long-standing metrics in education and access to health care that place Louisiana near the bottom of national rankings. We live in an environment where people have more access to guns than they do social and human services, Boyles said. When that is the case, and remains the case, then we can anticipate crime at times to fluctuate. A study by LSU researchers looking at crime in New Orleans before and after Katrina found homicides, assaults and robberies were concentrated in disadvantaged areas, but they were less common in areas where residents trusted their neighbors. COVID and displacement from Hurricane Ida may have had a disasterlike effect, said Michael Barton, an LSU sociology professor who co-wrote the study. Barton also pointed to areas of the city that never really built back after Katrina. Theres still a lot of disadvantage in a lot of places where things can occur outside of the purview of police, he said. Dispute turns deadly Police arrived to find Ganier and Moody splayed out in the parking lot. It was enough for then-Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson to send a text message to Mayor LaToya Cantrell a few hours later. I was just calling to give you this crazy gist from Chef, it read. If it was crazy, police didnt find much of a whodunit. A brief incident report describes the two men as roommates, though relatives said they were hardly close. Ganiers mother, Candatha Beverly, said her son and other relatives were displaced in late 2021, when she moved from Tennessee Street in the Lower 9th Ward. Another son had been shot and paralyzed from the waist down, she said, and afterward, his rivals came to shoot up the house. Beverly acknowledged that Ganier was active in gangs and street crime after dropping out of The Net Charter High School when he turned 18. Im not going to say he was the best kid after that. Pretty much he was on his own, dealing with this Instagram social media, these gangs and everything, she said. He was into that pulling on (vehicle) door handles and everything. I tried to get help with him. They told me they couldnt help him unless he was in the system. Beverly said she rushed over when she got a call about an argument and violent threats at the apartment. When she arrived, her son was packing up to leave, but Moody was still fuming about Ganier's girlfriend. I guess he got highly upset because she used the cinnamon rolls. It escalated from there, she said. My son had to be the protector for his son and his girlfriend. She called and said (Moody) was talking about threatening her and the baby. The cinnamon rolls were for the child, who was hungry, Beverly said. Talking escalated to shots, she said. I ran for cover because I had my grandbaby. I seen them on the ground. I called 911. I told them my baby was on the ground, he was dead. He wasnt moving. Moody, a mechanic, wasnt into gangs or gunplay, Dorsey said as she sat last month a few feet from his urn. We call them studio gangsters, she said. Like they have studio rappers, who think theyre rappers because theyre at home. Still, one of her sons prized possessions was a black extended drum clip that hed bought online. Dorsey said it resembled a tuna can. These youngsters, they call it a dick, Tillman said. Youll find a lot of them walking into the corner store with the clip sticking way out. They out with em. Its just ridiculous. Moody crowed over his purchase and kept it close, attached to his handgun, though it wasnt seen with him as he bled out in the parking lot, said Tillman. A copy of Moodys autopsy report, which Dorsey received this month, added to the couples doubt over just what happened. It showed her son was shot 17 times, front and back. Dorsey suspects a third shooter jumped in and picked up one of the guns to kill her son, an account she said makes more sense than the one police gave her. This cant be over no cinnamon rolls, she said. New Orleans police have arrested two men in the Dec. 31 killing of a man who was shot outside the Winn-Dixie grocery store in Mid-City. Police said they booked Henry Tillman, 19, on Wednesday with second-degree murder, armed robbery and obstruction of justice and Jamyron Caffrey, 18, on Thursday with being an accessory to those crimes. The Police Department did not disclose a motive or any evidence linking them to the killing, which took the life of Oliver Brown, 17. Brown was fatally shot at about 11 a.m. while in a vehicle in the Winn-Dixie parking lot at 401 N. Carrollton Ave. A witness said the vehicle then crossed Conti Street and crashed into a van in front of Frey Smoked Meat Co. Fled in stolen car Police said his killers carjacked another motorist and fled in that person's vehicle. Upon obtaining warrants to arrest Tillman and Caffrey, the Police Department said, investigators found them already in custody at the Orleans Justice Center and rebooked them this week. Both had been arrested Jan. 30 on charges of possessing stolen property and unauthorized use of a moveable, and Tillman was additionally booked with possession of a stolen gun. Reegie's bar, seen from the road, at 1176 Bob Pettit Blvd., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Madison Brooks, a 19-year-old LSU sophomore, had been drinking at the bar before she was raped in the back of a car, before being dropped left in a neighborhood off Burbank Drive. She was fatally struck by a car on Burbank Drive about an hour later, around 2:50 a.m. on Jan. 15, authorities said. Deputies said Brooks had a blood-alcohol level of .319, nearly four times the legal limit to drive and enough to give someone alcohol poisoning and render them unconscious. LSU president William F. Tate IV, left, shakes hands with Gov. John Bel Edwards, right, as they and others including LSU chief administrative officer Kimberly Lewis, background left, and Grambling State University president Rick Gallot, Jr., right, talk just before the kickoff of the Louisiana Meauxmentum Summit, a two-day conference to discuss plans to improve higher education in Louisiana, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023 at LSU's South Stadium Club. China promotes aircraft development to serve emergency rescue missions Xinhua) 15:15, February 03, 2023 BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's indigenously-developed aircraft continue to make new progress to serve emergency rescue missions and help strengthen the country's emergency rescue capabilities. China has developed a series of aircraft with air rescue capabilities, including amphibious airplanes, helicopters and large unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), among others. A vital aeronautical equipment in China's emergency rescue system, the AG600 large amphibious aircraft has recently entered the airworthiness flight-test phase, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's leading plane-maker. AG600M airplanes, the firefighting model of the AG600 aircraft family, have arrived at the flight-test center in Yanliang District in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Codenamed Kunlong, or "water dragon" in Chinese, the AG600 aircraft family is being developed to serve emergency rescue missions, such as forest firefighting, maritime search and rescue. A member of the AG600 family, the AG600M is specifically designed to combat forest fires. This year is crucial for the development of AG600 aircraft. With the goal of making progress toward securing the airworthiness certification, the aircraft will undergo a series of tests in 2023. It is expected that the firefighting model and emergency rescue model of AG600 aircraft will obtain certification in 2024 and 2025, respectively, the Chinese planemaker said. A vast country with complex landforms, China has been continuously strengthening its capabilities in the air emergency rescue sector. China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) has proposed the improvement of the national emergency management system by strengthening and improving air rescue system options and capabilities. The Wing Loong large civil UAV family has tapped potential in the rescue and climate fields, by supporting telecommunications restoration for earthquake-hit regions and conducting cloud seeding operations over drought-affected areas. The Z15, also known as the AC352, obtained certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China last July. It can adapt to various environments and missions, and can play diverse roles such as delivering essential supplies and transporting injured people. In the future, more configurations within this series are expected to be designed for tasks such as firefighting and medical rescue, according to the AVIC. The AVIC is committed to meeting the needs of China's ever-improving emergency rescue capacities with independently-developed products, technologies and services to support people's livelihood, well-being and economic development of the nation. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) A Merrillville-based company landed an investment in a regional pitch competition. rel Eve co., an e-commerce company founded by Jasmine Bennett that sells feminine hygiene products, landed a $20,000 pre-seed investment in the Elevate Ventures contest for startups. Elevate Nexus has been the foundational element in my business' success," she said. "Winning the pitch competition has not only given me the funding and experience I needed to get rel Eve co. off the ground, I've also gained a warm welcome into an awesome community full of great minds and kind individuals. rel Eve co. was one of four winners in the northern Indiana competition along with SAFA, the personal safety and edtech company Kinga Safety and the enterprise management company New Territory Inc. The other three winners all hail from South Bend and are affiliated with the University of Notre Dame. Elevate Ventures, which is a partner of the Indiana Economic Development Corp., awarded $580,000 in investments to 14 Indiana-based startups that won its last three Elevate Nexus pitch competitions last year. A total of 46 companies competed in the contests, after being winnowed down from 88 applicants statewide. Elevate Ventures Executive Director of Entrepreneurial Programming Landon Young and a team of judges sought to back accomplished startups with innovative business models that target national or global markets. The innovation and determination displayed by these companies is impressive. In the face of obstacles, they continue to solve national or global level problems and create a tremendous amount of value in the process. We cant wait to pair the companies up with advisory services and resources to take them to the next level, Young said. The winning companies put the infusion of funding either $80,000 in seed investment or $20,000 in pre-seed investment toward scaling up their operations. Winning the Elevate Nexus pitch competition has given my company newfound life and traction. Thanks to their capital, we have increased our runway enough to execute on sales, while we complete our version 2.0, which enables us to sell into school districts. It has even helped us gain interest from other investors. I honestly dont know where my company would be if it werent for Elevate Ventures," said Kevin Celisca, CEO of Integrate Tech Inc., a Bloomington-based Edtech company. National Wear Red Day Friday raises awareness about cardiovascular disease, the No. 1 killer of women. The American Heart Association encourages people to wear red to observe the campaign. It hopes to save lives by encouraging families to have at least one person in the household who knows CPR. If you are called on to give CPR in an emergency, you will most likely be trying to save the life of a loved one: a spouse, a parent, or a friend, Beth Keyser, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana. We are proud to support the American Heart Associations Hands-Only CPR campaign and help bring awareness to the importance of knowing CPR this Heart Month. We encourage people to be prepared for a cardiac emergency by learning Hands-Only CPR to help save lives. The nonprofit that aims to fight heart disease and stroke is marking its Go Red for Women National Wear Red Day by calling on families to learn Hands-on CPR and practice it to the beat of pop music, to time the compressions correctly. The American Heart Association reports that more than 350,000 cardiac arrests take place outside of a hospital in the United States every year, 70% of which occur at home. Roughly 90% of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of the hospital die, but CPR can double or triple their chance of survival. People can learn CPR from viewing a 90-second video at heart.org/handsonlycpr. They should call 911 if someone collapses and then place one hand on top of the other and push hard and fast on the victim's chest. People can train by performing compressions to the beats of familiar hits like Stayin Alive, by the Bee Gees, Crazy in Love, by Beyonce, Hips Dont Lie, by Shakira or Walk the Line, by Johnny Cash. People also can learn CPR at half-hour-long training sessions at 1:30 p.m., 2:15 p.m. and 3 p.m. on March 30 at Avalon Manor on U.S. 30 in Hobart. To register, e-mail NWICPRTraining@heart.org. For more information, visit ShopHeart.org or WearRedDay.org. "Use me, use the name, let us come over and offer any kind of help or assistance that we possibly can." Olga Grozdanich already has her donation in hand. The 96-year-old Highland resident is eagerly anticipating the arrival of Patriarch Porfirije, the global leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church. On Friday evening, he will make his first visit to the Region, at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Schererville. Born Prvoslav Peric in 1961, he is the churchs 46th patriarch after serving as Metropolitan Bishop of Zagreb and Ljubljana. He will be accompanied by His Grace Bishop Nikodim of the Dalmatian Diocese and Father Sebastian, abbot of Monastery Krka. Several other bishops and clergy from the Americas are expected to be in attendance, according to church officials. Grozdanich and her husband came to the U.S. in 1951 on a boat from a German DP camp, for displaced persons. After arriving at Ellis Island in New York, she received $5, he got $10, and they were put on a cold bus to Indiana Harbor in Northwest Indiana. The rest is the best kind of history, said Sonja Ogrizovich, Grozdanichs daughter. They were among tens of thousands of Serbian refugees who arrived in the Chicago metro area after World War II to blend into the American melting pot. They all sought the same dream, fueled by a determined work ethic and guided by their religious faith. Many of our parents were employed by the steel mills and worked hard to make a better life for their children, who went on to become doctors, lawyers, nurses, engineers, teachers, politicians and businessmen, Ogrizovich said. We are proud of our heritage and culture, and we try to pass the customs on to the next generations. Their Serbian Orthodox faith served as a steady bridge from the old country to their new nation. This bridge remains a steady fixture in the lives of their descendants, including Ogrizovich and her 32-year-old son, a board member of the church. We are humbled and honored to host the patriarch, as well as many bishops, clergy and other dignitaries on Friday, Ogrizovich said. We look forward to their visit and will remember this as an extremely important day in the life of our Serbian community. Patriarch Porfirije, who also is a university professor and author of theological works, was elected and installed in February 2021, succeeding Patriarch Irinej, who served for nearly 11 years until his death in 2020. His global leadership position within the Serbian Orthodox Church is equivalent to the pope within the Catholic Church. Porfirije paid recent visits to New York City, Chicago and Milwaukee, where hundreds of people packed into the historic St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral. There, he led Sundays service marking St. Sava Day, a holiday commemorating the 13th-century founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church. For most of them, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. At St. George in Schererville, which led by Father Radovan Jakovljevic, Porfirije and his bishops will greeted with a 7 p.m. banquet at the Halls of St. George to mark the groups historic visit. A fundraising campaign to benefit the renovation of Monastery Krka and other monasteries in the Dalmatian Diocese will be a part of the evening, said Angelina Alavanja, the churchs secretary. (For more information, call 219-322-3355.) Although Im Croatian, not Serbian, I remember hearing about this historic and influential diocese in my childhood. Back then, the cultural and religious differences between Croatians and Serbians in this region mattered more than it does today. When I was a boy in the shadow of my father, Joe Davich, I was often asked whether I was Croatian or Serbian. I always answered with cautious leeriness so I didnt anger my elders or offend anyone. I recall attending summertime picnics featuring barbecued lamb, homemade strudel, stuffed cabbage and ethnic dishes I cant pronounce. Those picnics were usually peppered with curse words that introduced me to the Croatian and Serbian language, amplified by tamburitza music. This culture from the old country continues to tap me on the shoulder every now and then. Ten years ago, I invited the Braca Tamburitza Orchestra onto my Casual Fridays radio show, where they happily squeezed into our cramped studio to perform a few songs. Its the music that keeps our culture alive, bandleader Rich Krilich told me. Three years ago, I heard from a Croatian relative who I didnt know existed. I think we are related, Mihael Podnar wrote after stumbling onto an online column of mine. Podnar lives in Bilaj, a small village near the town of Gospic in Croatia, where my great-grandmother was born. Josip (Joseph) Devcic was born in Gospic in 1882. Filka Butkovich was born in Bilaj, Croatia, in 1885. After marrying in 1906 in Yugoslavia and emigrating to this country, they started a family in Hibbing, Minnesota, where their last name became Davich. My fathers name was Joseph Davich in his honor. During one of our online chats, Podnar mentioned that his village was celebrating the day when residents successfully defended themselves from Serbian rebels. Such ethnic differences no longer matter to me, I told Podnar. After the civil war in the Croatian and Bosnian territories in the 1990s, another wave of refugees arrived in the Region. We were happy to have them and went out of our way to welcome them into our community, Ogrizovich told me. Her 96-year-old mother, one of the oldest members of their church, feels the same way about Patriarch Porfirijes once-in-her-lifetime visit. My mom is begging me to take her to see the patriarch and the bishop from the area she was born, Ogrizovich said. HAMMOND A federal judge has imprisoned an Illinois man for an embezzlement scheme that victimized area businesses. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Jon E. DeGuilio imposed a 27-month sentence Thursday on Wendell Burts, 25, of Crete. Burts pleaded guilty last fall to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. A federal grand jury indicted Burts and his co-defendant, Oneida Herrera, 24, of Crown Point last year over allegations that they stole more than $190,000 from customers of First Merchants Bank in Lake County. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abizer Zanzi states in court papers that Burts recruited Herrera, a teller at the bank, to gain access to customer account and customer identification data, including Social Security numbers, addresses, dates of birth, drivers license numbers and recent account transaction details. Burt targeted small businesses not enrolled in online banking because they wouldnt receive immediate notification of suspicious transactions. Burts called the customers service department and fooled some into enrolling the account in online banking but changed the contact information so that Burts could manipulate transactions. He then transferred the customers money to other out-of-state co-conspirators, who then sent the money back to him as cash. Burts and Herrera attempted to steal more than $480,000 from 11 accounts between November 2020 and June 2021, but they only succeeded in stealing $190,178 from two accounts before they were discovered and shut down. The government arrested the pair last year on a conspiracy charge that carries a maximum penalty of 30 years' imprisonment. They initially pleaded not guilty and were set to stand trial last October. However, they gave up their right to make the government prove the case against them, in return for leniency. Burts pleaded guilty Oct. 6, Herrera on Nov. 18. She is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 22. CROWN POINT A jury has found two Illinois men guilty of murdering a Portage High School student during a 2019 robbery. Jurors deliberated a little over five hours Wednesday night before announcing guilty verdicts against Elrice L. Williams and Joe C. Pittman Jr. of murder, armed robbery and burglary. Lake Criminal Court Judge Natalie Bakota is set to sentence Williams, 29, of Park Forest, and Pittman, 29, of Chicago, on Feb. 28. Deputy Prosecutors Eric Randall and Robert Persin presented eight days of testimony and argument in the case. Prosecutors convinced jurors that the two were involved in a violent drug deal in which an innocent bystander, 18-year-old Alayna Ortiz, died. The crime took place the evening of Jan. 9, 2019, in a parking lot at the Park West Apartments complex in Griffith. Prosecutors presented evidence that Williams and Pittman had joined co-defendants Giovante M. Galloway, 25, of Gary, and his uncle, Juarez E. Rogers, 52, of Park Forest, in a plan to rob Ortiz's 22-year-old boyfriend. They targeted the boyfriend because he sold large amounts of marijuana and had loaned Galloway marijuana for resale on the street, according to police. Galloway owed the boyfriend a large sum of money and had no way to pay him back, other than stealing more marijuana and selling that, police said. Police said Galloways plan went into effect after marijuana was delivered to a residence in the 4400 block of Madison Street in Gary, where the boyfriend stayed. Galloway, his uncle, Williams, Pittman and a fifth man who later died in an unrelated homicide were breaking into the boyfriend's house to steal the marijuana, but a friend of the boyfriend repulsed them with gunfire, according to police. The boyfriend, accompanied by Ortiz, fled in a red SUV to the apparent safety of the Park West Apartments in Griffith. But defendants followed them from Gary to the Griffith apartment parking lot, pulling in behind the car to block them in. They then confronted the boyfriend with guns drawn, police said, and were driving away to escape when a shot was fired, fatally wounding Ortiz. The boyfriend, who has a drug-related criminal history, wasn't charged with any crimes in this case. A team of investigators pieced together the events from several eyewitnesses. The investigators included Griffith police; the Northwest Indiana Major Crimes Task Force; the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Secret Service; the Indiana State Police crime laboratory; prosecutor's offices in the Lake and Porter counties; the Lake County coroner; the South Suburban Illinois Task Force; the Northwest Regional SWAT team; and the Chicago Police Department. Galloway pleaded guilty in December 2019 and Rogers in April 2021 to reduced charges of attempted robbery and burglary. Both are awaiting sentencing. Williams attempted to plead guilty last fall to having fired the shot that killed Ortiz. But the judge rejected his change of plea because Williams later recanted and said he didnt mean to pull the trigger and that the gun accidentally went off. PORTAGE A Portage man who claims to have been shot by his wife told police she had been experiencing a break from reality and began firing a gun after being told she could not leave home with their 5-month-old daughter, according to newly filed charges in the case. He stated that she then chased him to the master bedroom and shot him in the back of his shoulder, Portage police said. Police said they found 13 spent rounds from an AR-15 rifle in the bedroom and adjoining bathroom, and two spent 9 mm rounds. The bathroom door bore approximately fourteen (14) bullet holes, a charging document says. There were ten (10) holes entering and exiting the bathtub. Several bullets appeared to have skimmed and entered the wall behind the bathroom door. Police said one bullet passed through the floor and damaged a window covering on the lower floor of the home. Officers also reported finding a tuft of hair in the house and blood on a shirt, sheet, floor and wall. Rachael Trinidad, 28, was taken into custody by Portage police Wednesday and was charged Friday with felony counts of domestic battery with a deadly weapon and battery causing serious bodily injury, records show. The shooting victim was treated at the scene, then taken to Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus in Gary, police said. Police said they were called to the house in the 2400 block of Juniper Street around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday. A man had called to report that he had been shot by his wife and took the gun away from her, but he feared that she was going to get another firearm. Dispatch further stated they heard additional shots be fired while on the phone with the caller, police said. As police arrived at the residence and took cover with their weapons drawn, they reportedly saw a woman, later identified as Trinidad, run out of the garage naked with blood on her face and carrying a baby in the frigid temperatures. Trinidad and the child were rushed to a police vehicle under the cover of an officer. As officers were attempting to direct the woman to a nearby ambulance, she made an attempt to go back to the home, police said. At that point, the baby was taken from Trinidad and rushed to the ambulance. Trinidad, who spoke incoherently, had injuries to her nose and a cut on the top of her head, police said. Meanwhile, other officers made their way into the house and to an upstairs bathroom, where the wounded man was, according to the incident report. The officers found a loaded AR-15 rifle at the bottom of the stairs leading to the second floor. The air in the bedroom smelled strongly of gunpowder, and I observed blood spots in multiple locations on the bedroom floor, an officer said in the police report. A man walked out of a nearby bathroom with a gunshot wound to his upper back, police said. The man had a towel over his neck/back area which had blood on it, according to the incident report. I also observed a gunshot wound located on (the mans) back area which was not actively bleeding. The man was directed to medics on the scene and officers said they found multiple blood pools and entry holes in the door and wall of the bathroom. Police said they also found a loaded pistol in the bathroom and were told by the man that three rifles and two pistols were in the residence. Trinidad was being held without bond Friday morning at Porter County Jail, officials said. Each of the charges she faces carry a potential prison term of one to six years. MUNSTER A Munster police officer opened fire Wednesday on a motorist in a stolen vehicle, who was reportedly ramming the vehicles of officers before being taken into custody, the Indiana State Police reported. The preliminary investigation, which is being handled by state police, indicates that around 7:40 p.m., Munster police officers were in the area of Ridge Road and Manor Avenue attempting to locate a stolen vehicle, Sgt. Glen Fifield said. The stolen black 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee was spotted by officers in a gas station at 323 Ridge Road. "When the officers drove into the parking lot of the gas station, the suspect got into the Jeep and proceeded to ram the police cars with his vehicle," Fifield said. "An officer then fired his weapon at the suspect, striking the windshield of the Jeep. "The suspect exited the Jeep and ran west from the gas station. Officers pursued the suspect on foot and a Taser was deployed, resulting in the suspect being placed into custody." The suspect, identified as Roy Viverette, 30, of Hammond, was given first aid at the scene and then transported to a hospital. He was cleared and taken to Lake County Jail, police said. Viverette has an active full extradition warrant out of Cook County, Illinois, for numerous offenses. None of the officers was injured, Munster Police Chief Stephen Scheckel said Thursday morning. The officer who fired the gun has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, the department said. The Munster Police Department requested that state police investigate the shooting, Fifield said. The Indiana Senate wants the executive and legislative branches of Lake County government to continue operating as they have for at least the past four decades. It unanimously approved Senate Bill 154 on Thursday to keep the county's purchasing and data processing agencies under control of the three-member board of commissioners instead of transferring management to the seven-member county council. In 2020, the council enacted an ordinance over the commissioners' veto taking the two agencies from the commissioners as provided by a never-implemented 1981 state law authorizing the transfer. Subsequent litigation filed by the commissioners in the Lake Superior Court and the Indiana Court of Appeals seeking to halt the transfer was decided in favor of the council, records show. However, Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, a former county council member, believes that it's inappropriate for the county's legislative body to be in charge of appropriating money to county agencies and contracting to spend that money. He said purchasing is a task that properly belongs to the county executive: "For good government, this is where it needs to be. It's the checks and balances we need to have." The 47-0 Senate vote advances the measure to the House for a final decision in coming weeks on sending the proposal to Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb to be signed into law. The legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores, and Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago; and Reps. Hal Slager, R-Schererville, and Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point, among others. The Lake County purchasing dispute originated in part with the council objecting to the commissioners repeatedly declining to award contracts for costly law enforcement equipment requested by Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr., including a nearly $800,000 Lake Michigan patrol boat, even though the council appropriated money for the purchases. Meet the 2023 Northwest Indiana legislative delegation State Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago State Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso State Rep. Pat Boy, D-Michigan City State Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage State Rep. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron State Rep. Mike Andrade, D-Munster State Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary State Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville State Rep. Kendell Culp, R-Rensselaer State Rep. Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point State Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie State Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland State Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary State Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesterton State Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell State Sen. Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores EAST CHICAGO East Chicago is moving forward with a renovation initiative focused on the Marktown neighborhood, although some residents say the requirements are too exclusionary. The program was introduced during a neighborhood meeting in November. Frank Rivera, executive director of redevelopment for East Chicago, said the city is looking to offer Marktown homeowners grants to fix up their properties. Homeowners would be able to receive up to $40,000 to make exterior improvements, such as patching foundations, repairing roofs, replacing windows and repainting walls. A similar program has operated in the Sunnyside neighborhood for about a decade. Over the years, Rivera said, the city has spent over $1.9 million renovating 38 residences. While the Marktown renovation will have no income qualifications, it is only open to homeowners who have lived in their house for at least 12 months and plan on remaining there for at least five more years. The final requirement, what Common Council Vice President Robert Garcia, D-5, called "a sticking point," is that homeowners who share a duplex must apply for the grant together. "As homeowners, the two of you have to come together and agree because we want everything to be copacetic," Rivera said. The city hired Pennsylvania-based architecture firm Urban Design Ventures LLC to complete a Marktown Neighborhood Housing Study. The findings were presented Wednesday at a community meeting. Maps posted along the walls of the Marktown Community Center showed that the historic community is a 40-acre patchwork of duplexes, quads, vacant land and parks. Walter Haglund, president of Urban Design Ventures, said 32 of the neighborhood's 146 residences are vacant, 67 are owner-occupied and 47 are rented. Many residents said they live in duplexes where the neighboring unit is owned by someone who lives out of state. One attendee said the unit next to his mother's has been vacant for decades. Over the years, the neighboring unit has fallen into disrepair; a hole in the roof has allowed water damage and mold to seep into his mother's unit. Garcia said absentee landowners are a big issue in Marktown; if duplex owners can only apply for the grant together, many residents will be left out. The city faced similar issues with absentee landowners during the Sunnyside renovation, Rivera said, and there is not much the city can do. The ultimate goals of the program are to improve the homes, create new housing stock and encourage homeownership. Rivera said he still has to go to the Common Council and request $1.6 million to fund the initiative. Haglund said 50 of the units are sound, 48 need minor repairs, 39 need major work and nine "may be economically infeasible to rehabilitate." Marktown residents were caught by surprise when two homes were demolished on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. "All of a sudden, I'm outside and there's bricks falling," Samantha Rodriguez said Wednesday. "Not one knock on the door, not one notice." The city demolished six houses in total; Haglund said the vacant ones were deemed unsalvageable. Many residents were upset about the demolitions, arguing that Marktown has far more pressing demands, such as the community center that has been closed for more than two years. The city hopes to build houses on the empty parcels, Haglund said, and the structures would match Marktown's historic design. Close Marktown resident Ryan Rodriguez, 2, plays Wednesday in the neighborhood in East Chicago. The neighborhood is slowly disappearing as BP buys homes and takes them down. A chalk note left for Marktown resident Kim Rodriguez on her fence by her granddaughter Wednesday in Marktown in East Chicago . Marktown resident Ryan Rodriguez, 2, plays on Wednesday in the neighborhood in East Chicago. The neighborhood is slowly disappearing as BP buys homes and takes them down. Marktown resident Kim Rodriguez stands Wednesday in Marktown, in East Chicago. In the background looms a massive production unit at the BP Whiting Refinery. Marktown resident Kim Rodriguez Wednesday in Marktown in East Chicago . BP can be seen Wednesday in Marktown in East Chicago . Marktown resident Ryan Rodriguez, 2, plays Wednesday in the neighborhood in East Chicago. The neighborhood is slowly disappearing as BP buys homes and takes them down. A Ripley's "Believe it or not" illustration depicts "Marktown, a community in Indiana." Some of the ornate parkland that was a hallmark of Marktown is shown after the planned community was built nearly 100 years ago. Brick homes are shown in the then-stylish Marktown planned community after it was built nearly 100 years ago. A corner of the Marktown planned community, in East Chicago, is shown from the air. The orderly streets of Marktown, a planned community nearly 100 years old in East Chicago, are shown in this aerial view. It is now slowly disappearing as BP buys and demolishes properties there. The orderly streets of Marktown and bordering parkland, in East Chicago, are shown from the southeast, with the sprawling BP Whiting refinery behind it. A planned community nearly 100 years old, it is now slowly disappearing as BP buys and demolishes properties there. The orderly streets of Marktown and bordering parkland, in East Chicago, are shown from the south, along with the industrial landscape surrounding it. A planned community nearly 100 years old, Marktown is now slowly disappearing as BP buys and demolishes properties there. The orderly streets of Marktown, in East Chicago, are shown, along with the industrial landscape surrounding it. A planned community nearly 100 years old, Marktown is now slowly disappearing as BP buys and demolishes properties there. Marktown in East Chicago . Marktown in East Chicago . Michael Rodriguez, 10, Syneca Howard, 6, Andrew Thompson, 12 and five year-old Marekel Gilleon play outside the Marktown Community Center. The Marktown Community was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District signs stands serves as a reminder of what was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. A Save Martown sign is hung in a home. The Marktown Historic District signs stands serves as a reminder of what was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. A couple walks in the park in the Marktown neighborhood. George Michels Bar and Grill use to serve as a hot spot for locals and steel workers. A young boy rides his bike down the streets of the Marktown neighborhood. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. Chicago editorial and commercial photographer Alyssa Schukar has taken portraits of Marktown residents and installed them throughout the neighborhood in East Chicago as part of the international Inside Out Project. This portrait is of resident Jorge Murillo. After the fall: Workers put the finishing touches on the removal of one of the homes being demolished in the East Chicago historic community of Marktown. Before the fall: A building in Marktown awaits its demise as one of a series of structures being knocked down in the East Chicago community. Time may be running out for Marktown, a noted historical site located in East Chicago, as the community's Tudor style buildings are slowly reduced to rubble. Volunteer Michelle Yacht installs a portrait taken by Chicago editorial and commercial photographer Alyssa Schukar on a fence in Marktown in East Chicago. The portraits are part of the international Inside Out Project. Chicago editorial and commercial photographer Alyssa Schukar has taken portraits of Marktown residents and installed them throughout the neighborhood in East Chicago as part of the international Inside Out Project. Chicago editorial and commercial photographer Alyssa Schukar, left, and Marktown Resident Kim Rodriguez pose for a photograph in front of a portrait taken by Schukar of Rodriguez on a fence in Marktown in East Chicago. The portraits are part of the international Inside Out Project. Chicago editorial and commercial photographer Alyssa Schukar, right, and volunteers Luke Franke, center, and Michelle Yacht, left, paste portraits Schukar has taken of Marktown residents on a fence in the neighborhood in East Chicago. The portraits are part of the international Inside Out Project. Chicago editorial and commercial photographer Alyssa Schukar has taken portraits of Marktown residents and installed them throughout the neighborhood in East Chicago as part of the international Inside Out Project. This portrait is of resident Jorge Murillo. Chicago editorial and commercial photographer Alyssa Schukar, left, and Marktown resident Kim Rodriguez pose for a photograph last year in front of a portrait taken by Schukar of Rodriguez posted on a fence in Marktown, in East Chicago. The portraits are part of the international Inside Out Project. Volunteers Luke Franke, center, and Michelle Yacht, left, paste portraits that Chicago editorial and commercial photographer Alyssa Schukar has taken of Marktown residents on a fence in the neighborhood in East Chicago. The portraits are part of the international Inside Out Project. Marktown resident Manuel Garcia walks past the remains of the old Mark Hotel on land that BP has purchased in Marktown in East Chicago. Crews demolish the old Mark Hotel on land that BP has purchased in Marktown in East Chicago. The old Mark Hotel was demolished on Tuesday in Marktown in East Chicago. In preparation for demolition fences have been put up around some of the ten properties the BP Whiting Refinery has purchased in Marktown in East Chicago. Marktown residents, from left, Judy Hicks, Kim Rodriguez, Adriana Munoz, and Jesus Vidaurri, protest the demolition of buildings purchased by the BP Whiting Refinery in Marktown in East Chicago. The old Mark Hotel was demolished Monday. In preparation for demolition, fences were put up around some of the 10 properties the BP Whiting Refinery purchased in Marktown, in East Chicago, two years ago. It has since purchased others and the community is slowly disappearing. Thomas Frank, former president of the Redevelopment Commission, takes photos of protesters for the Save Marktown Facebook page near the remains of the old Mark Hotel on land the BP Whiting Refinery has purchased in Marktown in East Chicago. Marktown residents look at the remains of the old Mark Hotel on land the BP Whiting Refinery has purchased in Marktown in East Chicago. The building, one of 10 BP has purchased, was demolished Monday. A school bus drives through Marktown in East Chicago. New additions to the BP Whiting Refinery in Whiting are seen from the Marktown neighborhood in East Chicago. EAST CHICAGO | BP can be seen from Marktown neighborhood in East Chicago. BP can be seen from Marktown neighborhood in East Chicago. Miguel Suarez poses for a portrait outside his home in the Marktown neighborhood in East Chicago. Suarez, 28, grew up in the house. Juan Laureano poses for a portrait at his home in the Marktown neighborhood in East Chicago. Laureano has purchased and renovated two homes in the neighborhood. Luciano Velasquez cleans his truck outside his home in the Marktown neighborhood in East Chicago. Velasquez has purchased and renovated several homes in Marktown. Decorations in the window of the Saurez home in the Marktown neighborhood of East Chicago. Diana Velez delivers mail in Marktown neighborhood in East Chicago. An abandoned building in Marktown in East Chicago. Houses in Marktown neighborhood in East Chicago. east Chicago-Marktown. east Chicago-Marktown. east Chicago-Marktown. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, the neighborhood of Marktown is fiercely loved by its small diverse community of residents. Kim Rodriguez stands in front of her home in Marktown. Rodriguez's family has owned the house for four generations and she grew up in the home. "I love Marktown. I was born and raised here. I don't know anywhere else," Rodriguez said. A school bus drives through Marktown in East Chicago on Tuesday. Marktown resident Miguel Suarez walks through the neighborhood in East Chicago on Tuesday. Suarez has lived in Marktown for 25 years. Gallery: Happy birthday, Marktown The historic Marktown neighborhood is turning 100. Marktown resident Ryan Rodriguez, 2, plays Wednesday in the neighborhood in East Chicago. The neighborhood is slowly disappearing as BP buys homes and takes them down. A chalk note left for Marktown resident Kim Rodriguez on her fence by her granddaughter Wednesday in Marktown in East Chicago . Marktown resident Ryan Rodriguez, 2, plays on Wednesday in the neighborhood in East Chicago. The neighborhood is slowly disappearing as BP buys homes and takes them down. Marktown resident Kim Rodriguez stands Wednesday in Marktown, in East Chicago. In the background looms a massive production unit at the BP Whiting Refinery. Marktown resident Kim Rodriguez Wednesday in Marktown in East Chicago . BP can be seen Wednesday in Marktown in East Chicago . Marktown resident Ryan Rodriguez, 2, plays Wednesday in the neighborhood in East Chicago. The neighborhood is slowly disappearing as BP buys homes and takes them down. A Ripley's "Believe it or not" illustration depicts "Marktown, a community in Indiana." Some of the ornate parkland that was a hallmark of Marktown is shown after the planned community was built nearly 100 years ago. Brick homes are shown in the then-stylish Marktown planned community after it was built nearly 100 years ago. A corner of the Marktown planned community, in East Chicago, is shown from the air. The orderly streets of Marktown, a planned community nearly 100 years old in East Chicago, are shown in this aerial view. It is now slowly disappearing as BP buys and demolishes properties there. The orderly streets of Marktown and bordering parkland, in East Chicago, are shown from the southeast, with the sprawling BP Whiting refinery behind it. A planned community nearly 100 years old, it is now slowly disappearing as BP buys and demolishes properties there. The orderly streets of Marktown and bordering parkland, in East Chicago, are shown from the south, along with the industrial landscape surrounding it. A planned community nearly 100 years old, Marktown is now slowly disappearing as BP buys and demolishes properties there. The orderly streets of Marktown, in East Chicago, are shown, along with the industrial landscape surrounding it. A planned community nearly 100 years old, Marktown is now slowly disappearing as BP buys and demolishes properties there. Marktown in East Chicago . Marktown in East Chicago . Michael Rodriguez, 10, Syneca Howard, 6, Andrew Thompson, 12 and five year-old Marekel Gilleon play outside the Marktown Community Center. The Marktown Community was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District signs stands serves as a reminder of what was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. A Save Martown sign is hung in a home. The Marktown Historic District signs stands serves as a reminder of what was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. A couple walks in the park in the Marktown neighborhood. George Michels Bar and Grill use to serve as a hot spot for locals and steel workers. A young boy rides his bike down the streets of the Marktown neighborhood. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. The Marktown Historic District was once a vibrant community. Chicago editorial and commercial photographer Alyssa Schukar has taken portraits of Marktown residents and installed them throughout the neighborhood in East Chicago as part of the international Inside Out Project. This portrait is of resident Jorge Murillo. After the fall: Workers put the finishing touches on the removal of one of the homes being demolished in the East Chicago historic community of Marktown. Before the fall: A building in Marktown awaits its demise as one of a series of structures being knocked down in the East Chicago community. Time may be running out for Marktown, a noted historical site located in East Chicago, as the community's Tudor style buildings are slowly reduced to rubble. Volunteer Michelle Yacht installs a portrait taken by Chicago editorial and commercial photographer Alyssa Schukar on a fence in Marktown in East Chicago. The portraits are part of the international Inside Out Project. Chicago editorial and commercial photographer Alyssa Schukar has taken portraits of Marktown residents and installed them throughout the neighborhood in East Chicago as part of the international Inside Out Project. Chicago editorial and commercial photographer Alyssa Schukar, left, and Marktown Resident Kim Rodriguez pose for a photograph in front of a portrait taken by Schukar of Rodriguez on a fence in Marktown in East Chicago. The portraits are part of the international Inside Out Project. Chicago editorial and commercial photographer Alyssa Schukar, right, and volunteers Luke Franke, center, and Michelle Yacht, left, paste portraits Schukar has taken of Marktown residents on a fence in the neighborhood in East Chicago. The portraits are part of the international Inside Out Project. Chicago editorial and commercial photographer Alyssa Schukar has taken portraits of Marktown residents and installed them throughout the neighborhood in East Chicago as part of the international Inside Out Project. This portrait is of resident Jorge Murillo. Chicago editorial and commercial photographer Alyssa Schukar, left, and Marktown resident Kim Rodriguez pose for a photograph last year in front of a portrait taken by Schukar of Rodriguez posted on a fence in Marktown, in East Chicago. The portraits are part of the international Inside Out Project. Volunteers Luke Franke, center, and Michelle Yacht, left, paste portraits that Chicago editorial and commercial photographer Alyssa Schukar has taken of Marktown residents on a fence in the neighborhood in East Chicago. The portraits are part of the international Inside Out Project. Marktown resident Manuel Garcia walks past the remains of the old Mark Hotel on land that BP has purchased in Marktown in East Chicago. Crews demolish the old Mark Hotel on land that BP has purchased in Marktown in East Chicago. The old Mark Hotel was demolished on Tuesday in Marktown in East Chicago. In preparation for demolition fences have been put up around some of the ten properties the BP Whiting Refinery has purchased in Marktown in East Chicago. Marktown residents, from left, Judy Hicks, Kim Rodriguez, Adriana Munoz, and Jesus Vidaurri, protest the demolition of buildings purchased by the BP Whiting Refinery in Marktown in East Chicago. The old Mark Hotel was demolished Monday. In preparation for demolition, fences were put up around some of the 10 properties the BP Whiting Refinery purchased in Marktown, in East Chicago, two years ago. It has since purchased others and the community is slowly disappearing. Thomas Frank, former president of the Redevelopment Commission, takes photos of protesters for the Save Marktown Facebook page near the remains of the old Mark Hotel on land the BP Whiting Refinery has purchased in Marktown in East Chicago. Marktown residents look at the remains of the old Mark Hotel on land the BP Whiting Refinery has purchased in Marktown in East Chicago. The building, one of 10 BP has purchased, was demolished Monday. A school bus drives through Marktown in East Chicago. New additions to the BP Whiting Refinery in Whiting are seen from the Marktown neighborhood in East Chicago. EAST CHICAGO | BP can be seen from Marktown neighborhood in East Chicago. BP can be seen from Marktown neighborhood in East Chicago. Miguel Suarez poses for a portrait outside his home in the Marktown neighborhood in East Chicago. Suarez, 28, grew up in the house. Juan Laureano poses for a portrait at his home in the Marktown neighborhood in East Chicago. Laureano has purchased and renovated two homes in the neighborhood. Luciano Velasquez cleans his truck outside his home in the Marktown neighborhood in East Chicago. Velasquez has purchased and renovated several homes in Marktown. Decorations in the window of the Saurez home in the Marktown neighborhood of East Chicago. Diana Velez delivers mail in Marktown neighborhood in East Chicago. An abandoned building in Marktown in East Chicago. Houses in Marktown neighborhood in East Chicago. east Chicago-Marktown. east Chicago-Marktown. east Chicago-Marktown. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, the neighborhood of Marktown is fiercely loved by its small diverse community of residents. Kim Rodriguez stands in front of her home in Marktown. Rodriguez's family has owned the house for four generations and she grew up in the home. "I love Marktown. I was born and raised here. I don't know anywhere else," Rodriguez said. A school bus drives through Marktown in East Chicago on Tuesday. Marktown resident Miguel Suarez walks through the neighborhood in East Chicago on Tuesday. Suarez has lived in Marktown for 25 years. HOBART The voting was unenthusiastic, but the City Council has unanimously approved a settlement agreement in connection with the property tax refund to Southlake Mall. Hobart must pay about $9 million because of the malls successful assessment appeal that covers several tax years. The municipality is among several mall taxing districts that will issue refunds of various amounts. The agreement approved Wednesday involves Lake County, Hobart and the Merrillville Community School Corp. Funding will be withheld from tax distributions for the refunds, and the agreement covers a variety of details surrounding the matter. A copy of the settlement agreement wasnt immediately available. City Attorney Heather McCarthy said the agreement was executed by the Lake County Board of Commissioners, and it heads to the Merrillville School Board for its consideration. She described the agreement as being amenable to all parties involved in it. This is the deal we got this is as good as we can get it, City Councilman Dave Vinzant said. Although the agreement was approved Wednesday, Vinzant expressed disappointment in the manner in which the appeal process was handled. He and other city officials have been frustrated that Hobart must pay millions of dollars for an appeal when the city isnt involved in assessment of properties. Because of the appeal, the city closed on two bond issues in December totaling about $10 million to ensure that Hobart has operating funds after the Southlake Mall property tax refund is withheld. Clerk-Treasurer Deborah Longer agrees that Hobart and other municipalities in the state dont have a say in the way assessments are done or the appeal process. She has said there is a push from Hobart for law changes in which the state could provide financial relief because of the strain the city is facing from the assessment appeal. Longer said law changes being sought arent only for Hobart, but for any government entity that could face major financial challenges brought on by property tax assessment appeals from big-box stores and other large buildings. The appeal in Hobart isnt a one and done, she recently said. This is going to keep happening, and youve got to fix it, and thats what were working on. Mayor Brian Snedecor has expressed concerns about city services being affected if relief isnt provided to the city. WINFIELD Deputy Marshal Jordan Billups-Taylor will serve as the police departments first investigator. Town Marshal Dan Ball made the announcement at the Winfield Town Council meeting last week. We are very lucky to have him and his experience. The knowledge he brings will be a great benefit to the department and to the town. This town is growing and we have to meet the needs whether it be with traffic or crime to make both residents and business people feel safe, Ball said. Billups-Taylor, 31, was promoted to detective corporal on Jan. 1. He was hired by Winfield in October 2021 after having worked as a full-time officer for the Lake Station Police Department. Before that, Billups-Taylor was a detective and captain at the New Chicago Police Department. He also served as a reserve officer at the Kouts Police Department and as a deputy reserve officer in Schneider. Since joining the Winfield department, Billups-Taylor has received numerous awards, including a distinguished service award and an exemplary service award for cases in which he was involved. Billups-Taylor will also represent the Winfield department on the Northwest Indiana Major Crimes Task Force. We will now have 30 agencies at our disposal. This is a great resource for us, Ball said. The task force is a countywide unit formed in 2006 to assist in the solving of major crimes. Billups-Taylors day-to-day job duties, as the departments first and sole investigator, will include conducting follow-up work on more serious cases, networking with the other officers, as well as filing any felony charges through the county prosecutor's office. We are also going to use him for background investigations for applicants, Ball said. The timing was right for the promotion of the departments first investigator, and Billups-Taylor was the right person for the job, Ball said. He has been in law enforcement for a long time. Has earned lots of certifications and training, and has a lot of resources and has done a lot of networking. He brought a lot of that with him, so its a blessing to get him on. Much of the certifications and training he did on his own initiative, Ball said. Hes also enrolled in college, with plans to attend law school. The Winfield Police Department was started in September 2014. The town of Winfield previously was served by the Lake County Police Department. The town, formed in 1993, is one of the fastest-growing communities in the state, according to Veridus Group, an Indianapolis-based company hired last year by the Town Council to draft a new comprehensive master plan. The Winfield Police Department, likewise, continues to grow to protect and serve a population that has tripled in size and was around 7,000 in the 2020 U.S. census, Ball said. The town is growing and we have to grow to meet the needs of the town and its residents, he said. The department has eight full-time officers, including the swearing-in last year of Skyler Hofer, its first female officer, and three part-time officers. Plans are to hire a ninth full-time officer this year. In two to three years, plans are to have a department with 15 full-time officers. Its quite a task before us, Ball said. Other plans include a stand-alone building; the agency's current space is on a lease arrangement with Winfield Township. We want to build our facility, and having our own building would be a goal in the next five years or so. If the town builds a stand-alone, we would be part of that, he said. In addition, the Winfield Police Department has been approved for membership with the Northwest Regional SWAT team. Deputy Marshal Chad Stroup, who trained for the team and is part of it, will represent Winfield on the SWAT team. INDIANAPOLIS Republican U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz said Friday she would not seek reelection to her Indiana seat next year or jump into the Republican primary for the states open U.S. Senate seat. Spartzs decision further solidifies the chances of U.S. Rep. Jim Banks for the Senate seat from the Republican-dominated state. Former Gov. Mitch Daniels declined earlier in the week to become a candidate. The Senate scramble started with GOP Sen. Mike Brauns move to make a 2024 run for governor, but Banks has consolidated support from former President Donald Trump and the Senate Republican national campaign organization. Banks has become a combative defender of Trump since first being elected to Congress from a heavily Republican district in northeastern Indiana in 2016. Being a working mom is tough and I need to spend more time with my two high school girls back home, so I will not run for any office in 2024, Spartz, 44, said in her statement. The Ukraine-born Spartz, who won her second term from a central Indiana district last fall, has been critical at times of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys government since the Russian invasion began last February, primarily regarding alleged high-level corruption. Spartz faced a tight and expensive campaign to first win the seat in 2020, but a Republican redrawing of congressional districts shifted the Democratic-leaning north side of Indianapolis out of the district and gave it more GOP-friendly rural areas north and northeast of the city. She received 61% of the vote last fall in defeating an underfunded Democratic candidate. Mercenaries from the Wagner private military company may have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in the West African nation of Mali along with the countrys military, United Nations experts said on Tuesday, calling for an independent investigation into multiple instances of human rights abuses. Since 2021, the experts have received persistent and alarming accounts of horrific executions, mass graves, acts of torture, rape and sexual violence, pillaging, arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances perpetrated by Malian armed forces and their allies of the Wagner company, a group of independent experts, enlisted by the U.N. Human Rights Council to look into the group, said in a statement. Since the Kremlin-affiliated group began conducting operations with the Malian military, its mercenaries have been suspected of disproportionately targeting civilians, raising alarms among human rights groups and Western governments who have repeatedly denounced the group at the U.N. Security Council. African officials have also increasingly warned about the risk of destabilization and ethnic violence that the group could provoke. Mira Lehr, a versatile Florida artist who helped found an early cooperative gallery for women artists in Miami Beach and whose paintings, sculptures and installations often reflected her concerns about environmental degradation, died on Jan. 24 in Miami Beach. She was 88. She died in a hospital, her family said in an announcement. No cause was specified. Ms. Lehr (pronounced lair), who exhibited in Florida, New York and elsewhere for decades, was adventurous in her artistic explorations. Some of her work used Japanese rice paper, although she said she had never studied Japanese art in depth. She created mangrove labyrinths out of rope and steel that exhibition visitors could walk through. Some of her more recent works involved fire she would burn holes in canvases or ignite strings of gunpowder on them to create the appearance of vines and other effects. Im lucky I still have eyelashes, she told The Forward in 2020. One of Ms. Lehrs formative experiences as an artist came in 1969, when she was among 26 participants in an experiment by the inventor and futurist R. Buckminster Fuller called the World Game, a logistics exercise often described as an antiwar game that involved parceling out the planets resources for the overall benefit of humanity. Manhattan prosecutors this week warned that they might file new fraud charges against Allen H. Weisselberg, a longtime top executive at Donald J. Trumps real estate business increasing pressure on Mr. Weisselberg to cooperate in a broader investigation into the former president, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Mr. Weisselberg, the Trump Organizations former chief financial officer, is already serving a five-month sentence in the Rikers Island jail complex after pleading guilty to unrelated tax fraud charges. While he testified against the company at its trial on the same charges last year, he has for years refused to turn on Mr. Trump directly. But as the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, jump-starts his offices effort to indict Mr. Trump, his prosecutors are using the prospect of additional charges to exert leverage over Mr. Weisselberg, the people with knowledge of the matter said. The potential charges, which prosecutors conveyed to the former executives legal team this week, center on insurance fraud and could lead to a significant prison sentence for Mr. Weisselberg, who is 75. He is facing the new round of pressure as the prosecutors begin to present evidence to a grand jury about Mr. Trumps involvement in paying hush money to a porn star during the 2016 presidential campaign. On Monday, the prosecutors began questioning witnesses in the grand jury about the hush money paid to Stormy Daniels, the porn star who said she had an affair with Mr. Trump. Her wallpapers come in a range of colors, including vibrant reds and soft pinks, and have names like Scribble or Doodles, describing Ms. Slaughters brushstrokes. You can tell where my brushstrokes are, Ms. Slaughter said. It feels like I painted your wall or your ceiling. She added that her most popular wallpaper for ceilings so far has been Doodles because its nondirectional and adds an extra dimension to the room. Dwellers have tried to add this extra dimension though ceiling decor on and off throughout the centuries. Homes in the late 1800s might have had as many as five different wallpapers on the ceiling at onetime, said Bo Sullivan, an architectural historian and a founder of the antique wallpaper retailer Bolling & Company. The most elaborate ceilings might have a center fill, perimeter fill, a ceiling border, special corner pieces and maybe center medallion prints, too. Intricate ceilings peaked during the Aesthetic Movement, which emerged from England in the late 1800s, he said. The movement was meant to be a departure from the stark ugliness of the Industrial Age. The houses of that era, even those of the middle class, were often decorated from top to bottom. The wallpaper was kind of like an outfit for the room, said Mr. Sullivan, who lives in Portland, Ore. And without a wallpaper, its a little bit naked. Ceilings continued to be papered past the turn of the century, often with just one pattern, until the 1950s and the arrival of midcentury modernism. Wallpaper used to be primarily about contributing to a spaces overall beauty. Brands like William Morris and Howell & Brothers produced wallpapers that were naturalistic and demure, featuring botanical and floral patterns. A New Jersey man admitted in federal court on Thursday that he had tried to hire a hit man on the dark web, paying $20,000 in Bitcoin in an effort to kill a 14-year-old who he feared would testify against him in a child pornography case, the Justice Department said. The man, John Michael Musbach, 31, of Haddonfield, N.J., pleaded guilty to a murder-for-hire charge in U.S. District Court in Camden, N.J., admitting that he had logged on to a website that promised to kill people in exchange for payment in the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. He could face up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 13. Mr. Musbachs motivation for the failed murder-for-hire plan, prosecutors said, dated back to the summer of 2015, when he exchanged sexually explicit photographs with the victim, who was then 13 years old and living in New York. The photos resulted in child pornography charges against Mr. Musbach, so he decided to have the victim killed so that the victim could not testify against him in the pending criminal case, the Justice Department said in a news release. That case concluded on Oct. 11, 2017, when Mr. Musbach pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child by sexual contact, according to the Justice Department. He was sentenced on Feb. 9, 2018, to a two-year suspended sentence with parole supervision for life. LOS ANGELES An actress and a hairdresser feigned friendship with a wealthy doctor, moved into his beachfront home in Malibu, Calif., and plied him with drugs including marijuana and LSD while defrauding him of at least $3 million, according to a federal indictment unsealed this week. The two face a range of criminal charges accusing them of duping the ailing physician and bilking him of more than $2.7 million before his death, the Justice Department said Thursday. They took even more of the mans money after he had died, the federal authorities said. The pair Anthony D. Flores, 46, and Anna R. Moore, 39 met the ophthalmologist in 2017, according to the indictment, which was filed in December in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The man, a successful investor who was worth more than $60 million but suffered from a mental illness that left him unable to care for himself, is not named in court documents. Mr. Flores, who also goes by the name Anton David, and Ms. Moore soon moved into the mans beachfront home, where they slowly took control of his life and his finances, according to the court documents. Mr. Flores also ran a window-cleaning business, the court filings said, and Ms. Moore was a yoga studio owner who, according to IMDb, once played a blonde student in The Life Before Her Eyes, a film starring Uma Thurman. Live updates: The U.S. has shot down the Chinese spy balloon. WASHINGTON The United States has detected what it says is a Chinese surveillance balloon that has been hovering over the northwestern United States, the Pentagon said on Thursday, a discovery that comes days before Secretary of State Antony J. Blinkens visit to Beijing. President Biden has chosen, for now, not to shoot down the balloon after a recommendation from Pentagon officials that doing so would risk debris hitting people on the ground, according to a senior defense official who was not authorized to speak publicly. The decision to publicize the discovery appears to put China on notice ahead of Mr. Blinkens Beijing visit the first by an American secretary of state in six years during which he is expected to meet with President Xi Jinping. The sudden appearance of the balloon is bound to raise already escalating tensions between the two powers. The official said that while it was not the first time China had sent spy balloons to the United States, this one has appeared to remain over the country for longer. Still, a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the balloon did not pose a military or physical threat and added that it had limited value in collecting intelligence. Another defense official said the Pentagon did not think that the balloon added much value over what China could glean through satellite imagery. Ukraines casualty figures are also difficult to ascertain, given Kyivs reluctance to disclose its own wartime losses. But in Bakhmut, hundreds of Ukrainian troops have been wounded and killed daily at times as well, officials said. Better trained infantry formations are kept in reserve to safeguard them, while lesser prepared troops, such as those in the territorial defense units, are kept on the front line and bear the brunt of shelling. The last public Biden administration estimate of casualties came last November, when Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that more than 100,000 troops on each side had been killed and wounded since the war began. At the time, officials said privately that the numbers were closer to 120,000. I would say its significantly well over 100,000 now, General Milley said at a news conference last month in Germany, adding that the Russian toll included regular military, and also their mercenaries in the Wagner Group. At two meetings last month between senior military and defense officials from NATO and partner countries, officials said the fighting in the Donbas had turned into, as one of them put it, a meat grinder. On Norwegian TV on Jan. 22, Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen, Norways defense chief, said estimates were that Russia had suffered 180,000 dead and wounded, while Ukraine had 100,000 killed or wounded in action along with 30,000 civilian deaths. General Kristoffersen, in an email to The New York Times through his spokesman, said that there is much uncertainty regarding these numbers, as no one at the moment are able to give a good overview. They could be both lower or even higher. A congressional mandate requires every presidential administration to give weapons of a defensive nature to Taiwan, and Mr. Bidens team is intent on accelerating that and shaping the sales packages so that Taiwan becomes a porcupine that China would fear attacking. A greater U.S. military presence in the Philippines would go beyond that it would make rapid American troop movement to the Taiwan Strait much easier. The archipelago of the Philippines lies in an arc south of Taiwan, and the bases there would be critical launch and resupply points in a war with China. The Philippines northernmost island of Itbayat is less than 100 miles from Taiwan. The United States is relying on Japan, which, like the Philippines, is a military treaty ally, to be the bulwark on the northern flank of Taiwan. Mr. Biden promised Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan last month that the Americans would help build up the Japanese military. Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, spoke by telephone with Eduardo M. Ano, his counterpart in Manila, on Jan. 17 to discuss the military cooperation agreement between the two nations and sites in the Philippines for American equipment and troops, a senior Biden administration official said. Mr. Sullivan reached out just days after Mr. Ano took up his post. That conversation built on a meeting that Mr. Biden had with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September. Mr. Marcos took office last June, and he has said that he plans to push back against Chinas claims in the South China Sea. The number of Russian troops killed or wounded since Mr. Putin launched his invasion nearly a year ago is nearing 200,000, U.S. and other Western officials estimate, up from an estimate of over 100,000 in November, swelled by the intense but largely stalemated fighting in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. The staggering losses reflect both how poorly Russia has fared in what the Kremlin expected would be a quick and easy conquest, and Mr. Putins ability and determination to throw massive resources into the fight. In Kramatorsk, in the Donbas, on Thursday, rescuers were digging through the rubble of a four-story building hit by rockets the night before, when a searing light raced across the sky. Firefighters, police officers and bystanders froze. Then came the booms, which sent people scattering in all directions for whatever cover they could find. One woman sobbed. Another one cursed. Fascists! she said. The overnight attack on Kramatorsk had killed at least three people and wounded more than a dozen. The Thursday barrage, which hit more than a dozen other buildings, local officials said, wounded another five. The authorities in France have provided few public details about the case against Mr. Martinez, which was a stunning turn in a career that he had most recently devoted to the protection of antiquities in conflict zones. But the French news media has reported that the police were trying to determine whether Mr. Martinez, a trained archaeologist, had looked the other way or been negligent in handling certificates of provenance for a handful of Egyptian relics, which included fake export licenses to sell looted antiquities. The relics, including a stone slab depicting the pharaoh Tutankhamen, were acquired for millions of euros under Mr. Martinezs leadership for the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a museum that opened in 2017 as a collaboration between France and the United Arab Emirates and that used the Louvre brand and expertise. Mr. Artuphel said in a statement that the court had ignored many factual and legal incoherencies in the case against his client. At a hearing in November, he argued that Mr. Martinez had only been alerted to doubts about the Tutankhamen artifact in 2019, three years after it was purchased, and that Mr. Martinez was not directly involved in the details of individual acquisitions. We have no doubt that the rest of the procedure will remedy this injustice, Mr. Artuphel said. In France, in the most complex cases, the road to a possible criminal trial starts with an investigation by special magistrates with broad investigative powers, who can press charges when they believe the evidence points to serious wrongdoing. But the magistrates can later drop the charges if they do not believe the evidence is sufficient to proceed to trial, or if investigators uncover new evidence. Thirty years ago, it was common to pick up a newspaper or a magazine and read about high drama in university literature departments. Star professors were either master thinkers introducing new rigor and glamour into a tweedy profession gone stale, or theory-addled tenured radicals taking a hatchet to the masterpieces of Western culture. These days, though, the news out of literature departments and the humanities writ large tends to be less about juicy faculty-lounge flame wars than about declining majors, shrinking budgets and the collapsing job market for Ph.D.s. Enter another professor, with a big book that aims to shift the conversation. In 1993, John Guillory published Cultural Capital, a dense study of the then-raging canon wars that has become a stealth classic. Now, in a follow-up, Professing Criticism, he takes on an even bigger question: What is literary criticism specifically, the kind of highly specialized, theoretically sophisticated textual readings generated by academic critics really for? Guillorys answer (if its even an answer) is complex. But what literary criticism is not for, he argues, is what many of his colleagues think it is for: changing the world. Linda Pastan, whose elegantly simple poems found beauty and, sometimes, pain in the ordinary sights and moments of life, died on Jan. 30 at her home in Chevy Chase, Md. She was 90. Her daughter, the novelist Rachel Pastan, said the cause was complications after cancer surgery. Ms. Pastan published 15 volumes of poetry, beginning in 1971 with A Perfect Circle of Sun. They have a fine feeling of mood and setting, The Wilmington News-Journal of Ohio wrote of the poems in that volume, and express a womans view of things with a simplicity. That womans view characterized many of Ms. Pastans poems, especially ones about family. Jean Naggar first encountered Ms. Pastans work in the early 1970s, when she was an editor at Liveright (which in 1975 published Ms. Pastans second book, Aspects of Eve), and she became her agent. Ms. Naggar said by email that those early poems spoke to me with a deep and overwhelming power, often bringing tears to my eyes. The dismantling of the Ministry of Culture. The gutting of federal funding for the arts. Proposals to tax books as luxury items. For many writers, publishers, and other literary professionals across Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaros conservative government felt like a yearslong assault on cultural production. So when former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in a once-unthinkable political revival, defeated Bolsonaro, promising to deliver more books in place of guns, many in the literary world celebrated. The victory came with a huge sense of relief, said Eliana Alves Cruz, a Rio-based writer who won Brazils most prestigious literary award, the Jabuti Prize, last year. Many of Lulas supporters hoped his return would mean a renewal of policies he had supported during his first two terms in office, when he created and grew programs that invigorated the countrys cultural sector. The investments, over years, helped expand the scope of who could get published in Brazil and who could access books; they supported the publishing industry and writers, but also fostered reading and literacy and helped reduce Brazils entrenched inequalities, writers and publishing professionals said. In the years since these federal policies were created, Brazilians were reading more, said Luiz Schwarcz, a co-founder of the prestigious publishing house Companhia das Letras and a writer himself. AN ASSASSIN IN UTOPIA: The True Story of a Nineteenth-Century Sex Cult and a Presidents Murder, by Susan Wels What do an experiment in free love, a renowned newspaper editor with a penchant for the occult, and a dour then murdered president have in common? Thats the question that the prolific historian Susan Wels poses in An Assassin in Utopia, which explores the interwoven fates of the radical preacher John Humphrey Noyes, the media impresario Horace Greeley and the doomed James A. Garfield, who was shot four months into his tenure as president of the United States and died of infection two months later. It spoils none of the rollicking pleasures of the book to reveal that the answer is a proto-incel named Charles Julius Guiteau, so lets set him aside for the moment. Instead, we can start as Wels does, with the spiritual awakening of Noyes and his ensuing desire to establish a model of communal living based on audacious religious doctrine. Among his precepts: Monogamous relationships are a perversion of Gods will; marriage is a group effort, involving numerous sexual relationships with an unlimited number of partners; men and women alike should work and participate in all household responsibilities. Additionally, it is the sacred task of older men and women to initiate the post-pubescent, and birth control is the sole responsibility of men who are expected to become proficient in the tantric art of male continence. From the start, Noyes horrified more conventional Christians. But the once-timid theologian had graduated from Dartmouth and Yale and come to the same conclusion that countless alumni have since: He was a perfect human being, incapable of sin. Noyes launched two newspapers to spread his ideology, financed by his heiress wife, Harriet. He established what came to be known as Oneida in 1848, having acquired 23 acres of land from one of his disciples. With both sides locked in a fight that is expected to grind on for months or even years, its clear that the war is in a much different phase than it was in a year ago. Weve decided to shift our approach to covering the conflict by pausing this newsletter. The Times is still devoting vast journalistic resources to covering the war and its effects on the world, and you can continue to read The Timess in-depth coverage of the war here and in our sister newsletters The Morning and the Evening Briefing, as well as others that youll see below. Id like to thank the many people who worked to make this newsletter your go-to guide for news about Ukraine: Yana Dlugy was at the helm as lead writer for four months. Our Kyiv bureau chief, Andrew Kramer, and our Moscow bureau chief, Anton Troianovski, shared many insights over the past months, as did the photographer Lynsey Addario and several other correspondents. As for me, Im glad I was able to help keep you informed about this devastating war and its far-reaching implications, even if the news was usually not happy. Well continue to report on the war in Ukraine and are ready to bring the newsletter back if events warrant it. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android. Bill Chan had never set foot anywhere in Mexico, let alone the lonely stretch of desert in the north of the country where he abruptly decided to build a $300 million factory. But that seemed a trifling detail amid the pressure to adapt to a swiftly changing global economy. It was January 2022, and Mr. Chans company, Man Wah Furniture Manufacturing, was confronting grave challenges in moving sofas from its factories in China to customers in the United States. Shipping prices were skyrocketing. Washington and Beijing were locked in a fierce trade war. Man Wah, one of Chinas largest furniture companies, was eager to make its products on the North American side of the Pacific. A jury decided Friday that Elon Musk was not liable for losses suffered by investors after he posted messages on Twitter saying he had secured the funding to take Tesla private in 2018. Investors had sued Mr. Musk, Tesla and the companys board, arguing that his statements about his embryonic plan to take the electric car company private had devastating financial consequences for them. But in a federal civil trial in San Francisco over the last three weeks, lawyers for Tesla and Mr. Musk, the automakers chief executive, have argued that he was such a successful businessman that he could have easily obtained financing to take Tesla private. Two posts on Twitter by Mr. Musk were at the heart of the case. On Aug. 7, 2018, he wrote on Twitter: Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured. He then wrote: Investor support is confirmed. Only reason why this is not certain is that its contingent on a shareholder vote. Teslas share price jumped after those posts and then tumbled after the proposal fell apart in less than three weeks. The federal judge in the case, Edward M. Chen, had already ruled that funding secured and Mr. Musks second statement were untrue, and that Mr. Musk was reckless when posting them. Con artists are using dating apps to prey on lonely people, and older ones are a growing target. In a pattern that accelerated during the isolation of the coronavirus pandemic, romance scams claimed $139 million from adults age 60 and older in 2020, according to data from the Federal Trade Commission, up from $84 million the year before. In one of the more alarming episodes of what has become a leading type of fraud aimed at older Americans, a Holocaust survivor was swindled out of his life savings of nearly $3 million, according to a federal indictment unsealed in New York last week. How do romance scams work? Alone at home as Covid-19 spread in the summer of 2020, Kate Kleinert decided to accept a Facebook friend request from a handsome stranger. He described himself as a Norwegian doctor working in Iraq and called himself Tony. After a couple of months of daily communication on encrypted messaging apps, Tony began asking for money. By December 2020, Ms. Kleinert, 69, had given Tony and two people claiming to be his children some $39,000 in gift cards. The scam devoured Ms. Kleinerts savings, her late husbands life insurance, her pension and her income from Social Security, leaving her destitute. Mr. Spitzer is unconvinced. This lawsuit is frivolous, and should be an embarrassment to the board, he said, but declined to discuss their motives. It should be beneath their dignity. Mr. Spitzer said he has also granted the co-op permission to store bricks on the disputed space. Its stupid, he said. Its like you let your neighbor park his car in your driveway for two weeks and they say, oh, by the way, I own your house. Adverse possession claims are rare in Manhattan, where every square foot of property is valuable, said Luise Barrack, the head of the litigation department at Rosenberg and Estis, a large real estate law firm. In nearly 40 years, she said she has only dealt with one such case. Ms. Barrack did not review the lawsuit, but said it could achieve at least one thing: delays. Given the slowdown in the courts since the pandemic, she said, it will be in litigation for a while. Residents of the 25-story, 1960s-era co-op building include Pier Luigi Loro Piana, the Italian billionaire and heir to the Loro Piana fashion company, who bought a three-bedroom apartment in 2014 for $11.3 million. He did not respond to requests for comment. Nedenia Rumbough, the granddaughter of Marjorie Merriweather Post, a business tycoon, bought a four-bedroom apartment in 2019 for $8 million, according to public records. Reached by phone, Ms. Rumbough declined to comment. Mr. Spitzer resigned as governor of New York in 2008 after revelations that he had been a client of a prostitution ring. After an unsuccessful run for New York City Comptroller in 2013, he assumed the family real estate business founded by his father, Bernard. Inside the F.B.I., where he spent 22 years, Mr. McGonigal was so trusted that he was tapped to run the investigation into a devastating breach that led to the imprisonment, execution or disappearance of more than a dozen Central Intelligence Agency informants in China, one of the F.B.I.s most sensitive assignments. The episodes described in a pair of indictments unsealed last week by federal prosecutors in Washington and New York paint Mr. McGonigal, 54, as aggressively entrepreneurial in seeking to generate business through the contacts and power his position afforded him, operating almost in plain sight without being detected despite the danger that someone with his knowledge could pose if corrupted. While still at the F.B.I., he developed a relationship with Prime Minister Edi Rama of Albania and took steps to benefit the politician, according to the prosecutors in Washington. Mr. Rama has portrayed himself as a reformer and as opposed to Russias war in Ukraine. But after his 2018 retirement, Mr. McGonigal worked the other side, on the payroll of a sanctioned Russian oligarch, Oleg Deripaska, once seen as a member of President Vladimir V. Putins inner circle, according to the indictment of Mr. McGonigal and another man, Sergey Shestakov, in New York. A spokesman for the F.B.I.s New York office declined to comment. An attorney for Mr. McGonigal, Seth D. DuCharme, did not respond to a request for comment. But after last weeks indictments, he said Mr. McGonigal had served the United States capably, effectively, for decades, and that his legal team looked forward to reviewing the governments evidence. The earliest crimes of which Mr. McGonigal is accused date to August 2017, but the F.B.I.s damage assessment likely is looking back much further, former officials said. That he may have lied while with the bureau about his acceptance of cash from a business associate and contacts with foreign individuals has also raised concerns about the breadth and duration of his possible deceptions. On a cold Tuesday afternoon in January, four women made their way down Guernsey Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. They had just finished lunch at Acre, a Japanese cafe and shop, where they had been served bento boxes and green tea, and were headed to 50 Norman, a new warehouse space nearby that housed three other Japanese businesses. The women, all Japanese immigrants, had driven in from New Jersey, at the advice of their friend, Chieko Koie, who had already dined at Acre and was interested in visiting the warehouse after seeing it on Instagram. The groups first stop at 50 Norman was Dashi Okume, which sells dashi, a soup base typically made from ingredients like dried fish, seaweed and mushrooms. The business, which opened in Tokyo in 1871, offers various ready-made dashi powder blends, as well as bins of dried ingredients for customers to make their own. For Japanese people, dashi is really important for making food, Ms. Koie said. Its like a piece of home here in Brooklyn. My colleagues Brian M. Rosenthal and Eliza Shapiro write that together, the firms collected $60 million to provide special education last year alone. The shift comes after Martin Handler, an executive at some of the citys top-earning special education providers, was arrested last month and charged with stealing millions in public money that was supposed to go for early education for low-income children. He has pleaded not guilty. Officials say the 20 firms all have ties to Handler or at least one of his co-defendants. Two of the companies are linked to Handler in public records Special Education Associates and Kids Domain Childcare Centers and operate from the same building in Borough Park, Brooklyn, as Handlers child care businesses. Handlers attorney did not respond to a request for comment, nor did representatives of many of the companies now shut out of funding. The indictment of Handler and his co-defendants, and the city order barring payments to the 20 companies, followed a New York Times article in December that revealed that many special education providers in the Orthodox Jewish and Hasidic communities had received a windfall of taxpayer money in recent years. The money covered services that were sometimes not needed or even provided. In response to the article, city officials said they were scrutinizing requests more closely. The world needs to act now, before H5N1 has any chance of becoming a devastating pandemic. We have many of the tools that are needed, including vaccines. Whats missing is a sense of urgency and immediate action. The best defense against a new deadly pathogen is aggressively suppressing early outbreaks, which first requires detecting them quickly. The United States, the World Health Organization and global health officials already have influenza surveillance networks, but many avian influenza experts told me they dont think the networks are functioning well enough given the threat level. Such surveillance would need to prioritize people in the poultry industry but also expand beyond that. Thijs Kuiken, an expert in avian influenza at Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, says farms for pigs another species susceptible to influenza should also be surveilled for bird flu. People interacting with wild birds and animals, as well as susceptible species of pets like ferrets, are also at higher risk. Its not enough to detect, though: Suppression would require a major effort and global coordination. Unfortunately, mink farms must be shut down even if it means killing the minks. They are typically killed anyway for their fur at about 6 months of age. Its hard to imagine a better way to incubate and spread a deadly virus than letting it evolve among tens of thousands of animals with an upper respiratory tract similar to ours crowded together. When the coronavirus infected Danish mink farms in 2020 and the minks generated new variants that then infected humans, the efforts to save the industry were futile because the outbreaks were uncontrollable. If different strains of flu have infected the same person simultaneously, the strains can swap gene segments and give rise to new, more transmissible ones. If a mink farmworker with the flu also gets infected by H5N1, that may be all it takes to ignite a pandemic. The following is a celebration of the cancellation of the Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative, an attempt by a committee of I.T. leaders at Stanford University to ban 161 common words and phrases. Of those 161 phrases, I have taken pains to use 45 of them here. Read at your own risk. Is the media addicted to bad news? Its not a dumb question, nor are you crazy to ask. After all, we follow tragedy like hounds on the chase, whether its stories about teenagers who commit suicide, victims of domestic violence or survivors of accidents in which someone winds up quadriplegic, crippled for life or confined to a wheelchair. We report on the hurdles former convicts face after incarceration, hostile attitudes toward immigrants and the plight of prostitutes and the homeless. Given the perilous state of the planet, you might consider this barrage of ill tidings to be tone-deaf. Well, Im happy to report good news, for a change. You might call it a corrective, or a sanity check, but whatever you call it (and what you can call things here is crucial), there have been several positive developments on American campuses. The chilling effects of censorship and shaming that have trapped students between the competing diktats of silence is violence and speech is violence the Scylla and Charybdis of campus speech may finally be showing some cracks. Matters looked especially grim in December, when the internet discovered the 13-page dystopically titled Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative. A kind of white paper on contemporary illiberalism, it listed 161 verboten expressions, divided into categories of transgression, including person-first, institutionalized racism and the blissfully unironic imprecise language. The document offered preferred substitutions, many of which required feats of linguistic limbo to avoid simple terms like insane, mentally ill and not to beat a dead horse, but Ill add one more rule of thumb. Naturally, it tore its way across the internet to widespread mockery despite a content warning in bold type: This website contains language that is offensive or harmful. Please engage with this website at your own pace. HAMBURG, Germany After months of indecision, hand-wringing and uncertainty, Germany last week committed to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. The delay was a measure of the decisions significance. For a country long wary of active military involvement in conflicts, the release of its most advanced war machine for battle with Russian troops is momentous. A taboo has been shed. The decision has revealed something of an enigma. Who is the man leading Germany during the fiercest conflict in Europe since World War II: a strategic genius or a fainthearted dawdler? Over a year into his tenure, Chancellor Olaf Scholz remains hard to decipher. On the one hand, his agreement with the United States will bring Ukraine more military power than expected. On the other hand, it took him half a year of ever-mounting pressure from allies, coalition partners and large parts of the German press to move on the issue, robbing Ukraine of time it doesnt have. So theres something for both interpretations. Yet decoding Mr. Scholz is crucial, not so much for understanding his first year in office as for navigating the months that lie ahead. Because the decisive question for Mr. Scholz as well as for NATO as a whole is not whether to send battle tanks to Ukraine. Rather, its the question of what the West should do once Ukraine starts using those tanks, especially in a potential advance toward Crimea. For all the importance of the past week, that test is still to come. So far, the chancellor has been notably timid: He tends to look on until, well, push comes to Scholz. He intervened in a fight about extending nuclear power only after his Green and Liberal ministers had spent months scratching each others political eyes out. It took him an entire year to accept that his original appointment as defense minister was clearly ill suited for the job. Rather than sack her for a series of blunders, he waited until she resigned. To the Editor: Re She Feared the Organ Donation System Would Kill Her. It Did, by Kendall Ciesemier (Opinion guest essay, Feb. 1): I read this essay with great sadness. When we testified together before Congress, I was inspired by Tonya Ingrams story and resonant voice to our legislators: Please dont make us wait. Tragically, she was one of 12,000 people last year on waiting lists who died or became too sick to receive a transplant. As a transplant surgeon who studies organ donation, I believe that the organ shortage is due to ineffective regulation and failing contractors. High-quality research over 20 years demonstrates that for every donor used, even more potential donors are wasted enough to end most deaths and dramatically reduce dialysis time. Members of Congress agree on the solutions: Replace failing local organ contractors and break up the national organ monopoly. Residents of these communities are not treated, Soss and Weaver write, as citizens facing social barriers or as victims needing protection from slum landlord predation, violence, and misaligned service provision but instead as potential criminal targets in need of surveillance. And while there were fewer and fewer resources for social investment through the 1990s and into the 2000s, there were always funds for law enforcement, so much so that state and local governments began handing previously unrelated tasks to police departments. By the early years of the twenty-first century, they note, police had become a normal presence in sites ranging from mental health agencies to hospital emergency rooms to schools to welfare offices. Whats more, as policing became the central institution in the social regulation of disadvantaged communities, police departments began to engage in the kinds of actions that call to mind the urban renewal of the 1950s and 60s. Under the guise of reclaiming spaces from social disorder and promoting urban development, police advanced the gentrification of urban neighborhoods and serviced race- and class-based residential segregation. The upshot of all of this is to make the police one of the most visible and proximate instantiations of state power in many citizens lives, Soss and Weaver write. In fact, as Weaver and the political scientist Amy E. Lerman observe in Arresting Citizenship: The Democratic Consequences of American Crime Control (a book I referred to in my previous column), there are a host of reasons to think that criminal justice contact rivals other more traditional politically socializing experiences and venues for civic education. And unlike other, less punitive (or even positive) interactions with the government, like those that often occur in schools, this contact cleaves citizens away from the traditional political community. These custodial citizens are then constituted not as participatory members of the democratic polity, but as disciplined subjects of the carceral state. The result is that rather than communicating that they are worthy and valued citizens, their experiences with criminal justice teach them that they have little voice and mark them outside consideration. As I have been saying, the American police are largely insulated from democratic control that much is obvious, even if it isnt always expressed in those terms. Much less obvious is the degree to which policing itself shapes, constricts and degrades the citizenship of millions of law-abiding Americans, making a mockery of the idea that they live in a democracy or enjoy anything like political equality. The desire for confrontation in all these takes absolutely makes sense as a retrospective analysis of the Republican situation in 2016, when the non-Trump candidates spent too much of their time (and money) going after one another until it was far too late to stop the Trump consolidation. But the 2024 landscape seems very different. The Trump consolidation already happened; most voters in the Republican primary electorate will have cast presidential ballots for him twice, found things to like in his policies or his judicial picks and identified with him against his Democratic enemies in various controversies. Which means that a rival Republican candidate is much more likely to win them over through simple fatigue, the normal way that a post-presidential succession happens, than through some kind of sustained attempt to tear down Trumps favorability within the G.O.P. And Longwells data shows that the fatigue story is basically whats already happening: The same polling showing the resilience of an Always Trump rump also shows DeSantis routing Trump in a potential head-to-head matchup, 52 percent to 30 percent, and still beating him handily, even in a crowded field. (And because DeSantis is polling so well, the field may not end up being all that crowded.) Relative to other recent polling, the DeSantis edge in the Bulwark poll is unusually high. But there are enough high quality polls showing Trump weakening to say that the Florida governor has become a plausible nominee, even a possible favorite and hes done so by staying in his lane and letting voters who are tired of Trump come to him on their own, without demanding that they actively reject the former president and all his pomp and works. Of course, if he indeed runs, DeSantis will eventually need to respond more fully to Trumpian attacks and prepare for debate stage confrontations. And if the governor withers under national scrutiny, Trumps core support is certainly enough for him to win a deeply fractured primary. But theres no reason to think that DeSantis stands to benefit from trying to peel away Trumps core supporters with targeted attacks on their beloved leader right now, when all his success has come from letting Trump keep his core and making himself appealing to the rest of the Republican electorate. And theres definitely no upside if a bunch of Republican donors or politicians or former elected officials come together and create a public Stop Trump front; nothing would help Trump more than reminding wavering voters that they prefer him to the old establishment. Though he says he has lived in Barclay Tower, a 58-story residential building in Manhattans TriBeCa for over a decade, Jeno Steiner has barely lingered in its resplendent lobby. He rarely sees the striated marble floors trimmed with handcrafted stone mosaics, the cornices of French chiseled limestone, or the seating areas of Japanese tamo ash and teak. Thats because his roommate is not allowed to set foot underneath its barrel-vaulted ceilings. Baxter, Mr. Steiners fluffy 10-year-old Shih-Poo, may only walk through the service entrance, where building rules insist all dogs squeeze alongside the Seamless deliveries, bicycles and moving crews. They may cross the lobby in one instance, Mr. Steiner said: carried by their owners. Ive gotten so used to it, Ive even brought guests up through the service entrance, said Mr. Steiner, 54, who runs a fetish wear company with his husband. He spoke as he and Baxter stepped out the side door, about 50 feet from the glamorous lobby, past a bike messenger and a housekeeper, for their afternoon constitutional. In day-to-day life, we encounter three forms of water: a vaporous gas like steam, flowing liquid water and hard, slippery ice. The ice of our everyday lives consists of water molecules lined up in a hexagonal pattern, and those hexagonal lattices neatly stack on top of each other. The hexagonal structure is not tightly packed, which is why ice is less dense than liquid water and floats. With permutations of temperature and pressure outside what generally occurs on Earth, water molecules can be pushed into other crystal structures. Scientists now know of 20 crystalline forms of water. The 20th form of ice was discovered last year. In addition, researchers also have documented two types of ice with jumbled molecules, what they call amorphous materials. Because one of the amorphous ices is denser than water, it is known as high-density amorphous ice; the other, with a density less than that of water, is low-density amorphous ice. Amorphous ices are not found on Earth, but they could be prevalent in outer space, in comets, interstellar clouds and icy worlds like Europa, a moon of Jupiter. There is even a type of water that is both liquid and solid. In 2018, scientists announced the creation of superionic water, which was simultaneously solid and liquid. Fashion is life-enhancing. And I think its a lovely, generous thing to do for other people. So said Vivienne Westwood, the gleefully subversive British designer who died in December at age 81. And so quoted Marc Jacobs, the erstwhile favorite fashion son of New York, as the epigraph for his latest show, which was a memorial of sorts not just to the influence of Ms. Westwood but also to the power and promise of great clothes. Heck, maybe to his part in the whole fashion system itself. Titled Heroes, it was held in the hushed, empty space of the Park Avenue Armory, left in darkness save for a row of chairs against one wall and a spotlit music stand. A single violinist was playing the jarring, dissonant notes of Philip Glasss Knee Play 2 from his opera Einstein on the Beach. Then from out of the darkness came the light. Or rather, a beat-up-looking cargo jacket and skirt glittering with Swarovski crystals, swathed and crimped into a bustle at the back: Ms. Westwoods signature twisted historicism, source code for so many designers, spliced into the basics of today. In the summer of 1992, Niffer Marie Desmond and her friend Caitlyn Meeks hosted a late night radio show called the Bucket Sisters at University of California, Santa Cruz, where they were undergraduates. On the show, they played CDs that were stacked on a shelf in the campus studio. One night, they stumbled upon a CD called Lo Fidelity, Hi Anxiety by Paul Allen Petroskey, whose artist name is Weird Paul. Typically, they would play a couple of songs from each CD. But this time, they played the entire album. I thought to myself, I have to see if I can find more of these, Ms. Desmond said, and I want to meet this guy. Though she kept the CD and listened to its 25 tracks often, she was unable to look for more of his music until 1998, when the internet became more accessible. Thats when I started searching for him, she said. Paco Rabanne, the Spanish designer whose futuristic creations gave shape to the dreams of the space age and redefined couture, died on Friday in Portsall, France. He was 88. His death was confirmed by Puig, the luxury group that owns the brand. No cause was given. Paco Rabanne made transgression magnetic, Jose Manuel Albesa, the president of the beauty and fashion division at Puig, said in a statement. Who else could induce fashionable Parisian women to clamor for dresses made of plastic and metal? Mr. Rabannes career was a moon shot unto itself. He burst onto the French fashion scene in 1966 with a collection called Manifesto: 12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials and chain-link minidresses composed of hundreds of plastic and metal disks. Three years later he introduced his first perfume, called Calandre (the name means car grill), which became the basis of a fragrance empire. He costumed Jane Fonda in the 1968 sci-fi film Barbarella, eschewed needles and thread for pliers (he once said that sewing is slavery) and made chain mail into a fabric. Experimentation and scent were the twin pillars on which his brand was built. They made his name resonate far beyond the salons of Avenue Montaigne and would go on to influence the work and business plans of generations of designers. But two months after its debut, ChatGPT has more than 30 million users and gets roughly five million visits a day, two people with knowledge of the figures said. That makes it one of the fastest-growing software products in memory. (Instagram, by contrast, took nearly a year to get its first 10 million users.) The growth has brought challenges. ChatGPT has had frequent outages as it runs out of processing power, and users have found ways around some of the bots safety features. The hype surrounding ChatGPT has also annoyed some rivals at bigger tech firms, who have pointed out that its underlying technology isnt, strictly speaking, all that new. ChatGPT is also, for now, a money pit. There are no ads, and the average conversation costs the company single-digit cents in processing power, according to a post on Twitter by Sam Altman, OpenAIs chief executive, likely amounting to millions of dollars a week. To offset the costs, the company announced this week that it would begin selling a $20 monthly subscription, known as ChatGPT Plus. Despite its limitations, ChatGPTs success has vaulted OpenAI into the ranks of Silicon Valley power players. The company recently reached a $10 billion deal with Microsoft, which plans to incorporate the start-ups technology into its Bing search engine and other products. Google declared a code red in response to ChatGPT, fast-tracking many of its own A.I. products in an attempt to catch up. Mr. Altman has said his goal at OpenAI is to create what is known as artificial general intelligence, or A.G.I., an artificial intelligence that matches human intellect. He has been an outspoken champion of A.I., saying in a recent interview that its benefits for humankind could be so unbelievably good that its hard for me to even imagine. (He has also said that in a worst-case scenario, A.I. could kill us all.) As ChatGPT has captured the worlds imagination, Mr. Altman has been put in the rare position of trying to downplay a hit product. He is worried that too much hype for ChatGPT could provoke a regulatory backlash or create inflated expectations for future releases, two people familiar with his views said. On Twitter, he has tried to tamp down excitement, calling ChatGPT incredibly limited and warning users that its a mistake to be relying on it for anything important right now. He has also discouraged employees from boasting about ChatGPTs success. In December, days after the company announced that more than a million people had signed up for the service, Greg Brockman, OpenAIs president, tweeted that it had reached two million users. Mr. Altman asked him to delete the tweet, telling him that advertising such rapid growth was unwise, two people who saw the exchange said. In just the last two weeks, an Emerson College poll found Mr. Trump leading Mr. DeSantis by 26 points, 55 percent to 29 percent, in a multicandidate field, while a Bulwark/North Star/Dynata poll over a similar period found Mr. DeSantis leading by 11 points, 39 percent to 28 percent. This is not normal. Its also a recent development. In the three months before the midterm election, 10 polling firms showed a much more typical 12-point spread in Mr. Trumps share of support, between 45 percent and 57 percent. Whether Mr. Trump is at 25 percent or 55 percent is no small matter. Believe it or not, early polling is fairly predictive of the eventual outcome in presidential primaries. It also has real-world consequences. It affects the decision-making of potential candidates, operatives and activists, many of whom have adopted a wait-and-see approach in part because there are so many conflicting signs of Mr. Trumps strength. And the existence of such a wide split betrays that the survey research industry may be in far worse shape than one might have otherwise guessed. While the exact reason for the vast spread in survey results is hard to ascertain, the likeliest explanation is that many well-known pollsters are collecting profoundly unrepresentative data. Although theres not a clear picture, a rough pattern in the data might hint at the actual state of the race. Higher-quality surveys have tended to show far less support for Mr. Trump. The Biden administration is taking a step toward lifting federal protections for grizzly bears in the northern Rocky Mountains, which could open the door to hunting in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho in the future, wildlife officials said. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said on Friday that the governors of Montana and Wyoming provided substantial information that grizzly populations in the regions around Yellowstone and Glacier national parks had improved and threats had been reduced. The wildlife service said it would now begin a yearlong review of whether the step of eliminating the safeguards was warranted. Once that review is completed, and if the agency finds the protections are no longer needed, they could be removed through a separate process that would include a period for public comments. Gov. Greg Gianforte of Montana had petitioned the federal government to lift protections on the grizzly bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, or N.C.D.E, the millions of acres in and around the states Glacier National Park. He said on Friday that he welcomed the announcement. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android. MEMPHIS Keedran Franklin, a community organizer and social justice activist, runs a South Memphis food truck these days called The Check-in. The idea, he said, is not only to feed the people of Memphis, but also to ask them how they are getting by, emotionally and spiritually, in one of the poorest large American cities, and one of the most dangerous. Its a combustion chamber of trauma thats what Memphis is, said Mr. Franklin, 36. We push it down and push it down, until it explodes. Thats what happened with Tyre. The funeral this week for Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old FedEx employee and skateboarder who died after being severely beaten by Memphis police officers who said they pulled him over for a traffic infraction, triggered a national moment of mourning for Mr. Nichols, and for the many other Black men brutalized at the hands of American police. At the same time, the bloody incident took its place on an ignominious roster of events that have shaped the story of Memphis as much as its 20th-century musical innovations, justly celebrated for transforming pop culture. The bodies of three Michigan men who disappeared on Jan. 21 after a canceled rap show in Detroit were found on Thursday at an abandoned apartment building in nearby Highland Park, Mich., the state police said on Friday. The men, Armani Kelly, Dante Wicker and Montoya Givens, were all supposed to attend a rap event at Lounge 31 in Detroit. But it was canceled, and no one had heard from the three after that. In a statement on Twitter on Friday afternoon, the state police described their deaths as homicides but said the cause and motive were unknown. It was not immediately clear if any arrests had been made in the case. The bodies were discovered on Thursday by the Detroit Police Department in an abandoned complex in Highland Park, just north of downtown Detroit. The three men could not initially be identified because of the cold weather and the conditions of the victims, said Lt. Michael Shaw, a public information officer for the state police, adding that their identities were unable to be determined just by sight alone. A prosecutor in Ohio said that three officers who were responding to a burglary call will not be charged in the fatal shooting of a man his family said had been cleaning out his dead grandmothers apartment. The Hamilton County prosecuting attorney, Melissa Powers, released video footage from body cameras worn by Wyoming Police Department officers. She said the officers had feared for their lives after the man, Joe Frasure Jr., 28, refused their demands to get out of a minivan and instead accelerated toward them in a confined space, putting their lives in danger. Lethal force was appropriately used here, Ms. Powers said at a news conference. She said the focus of her investigation was on whether the actions of the officers were reasonable and whether they had feared for their lives. Absent more credible potential primary threats, Biden allies are reveling in a sense of vindication after a stressful midterm campaign. Mr. Biden, they say, will counter concerns about his age in his re-election campaign with arguments about the value of his long experience in government. Hes always underestimated by people in his party and outside his party, said former Representative Cedric L. Richmond, who served as a senior adviser to Mr. Biden at the White House, rattling off a list of the presidents legislative accomplishments. They said he couldnt win the presidency. He did. But the next election may bear little resemblance to the last. Unlike in 2020, when Mr. Biden conducted much of his campaign over video from his basement because of the coronavirus, his re-election bid could require the kind of grueling travel that has long been customary in presidential contests. A noticeably more languid pace by Mr. Biden could set up a stark contrast if Republicans abandon Mr. Trump in favor of a younger nominee. Bill Shaheen, a D.N.C. member from New Hampshire, called Mr. Biden physically fit and energetic. But, drawing on personal experience, Mr. Shaheen, who is 79, added, Theres only so much you can do when youre our age. Having helped run primary campaigns in New Hampshire for presidents as far back as Mr. Carter and campaigned for his wife, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Mr. Shaheen said they could be exhausting. By the time the primaries were done, I was wiped out, he said. And the general election, as well I mean, it is extremely physically demanding. Still, Mr. Shaheen, who has strongly disagreed with Mr. Bidens effort to reshuffle the presidential primary calendar a move that would make New Hampshire the second contest alongside Nevada, rather than the first primary said that if Mr. Biden wants to run again, I want him to do it. Kitty Bennett contributed research. WASHINGTON President Bidens top economic aides have battled for weeks over a key decision for his State of the Union address on Tuesday: how much to talk about child care, prekindergarten, paid leave and other new spending proposals that the president failed to secure in the flurry of economic legislation he signed in his first two years in office. Some advisers have pushed for Mr. Biden to spend relatively little time on those efforts, even though he is set to again propose them in detail in the budget blueprint he will release in March. They want the president to continue championing the spending he did sign into law, like investments in infrastructure like roads and water pipes, and advanced manufacturing industries like semiconductors, while positioning him as a bipartisan bridge-builder on critical issues for the middle class. Other aides want Mr. Biden to spend significant time in the speech on an issue set that could form the core of his likely re-election pitch to key swing voters, particularly women. Polls by liberal groups suggest such a focus, on helping working families afford care for their children and aging parents, could prove a winning campaign message. The debate is one of many taking place inside the administration as Mr. Biden tries to determine which issues to focus on in a speech that carries extra importance this year. It will be Mr. Bidens first address to the new Republican majority in the House, which has effectively slammed the brakes on his legislative agenda for the next two years. And it could be a preview for the themes Mr. Biden would stress on the 2024 campaign trail should he run for a second term. WASHINGTON The Biden administration shot down a Chinese spy balloon on Saturday, prompting a diplomatic drama and raising questions about the next stage of an already tense relationship between the worlds two superpowers. The ordeal captured the attention of the nation on Thursday when U.S. military officials said they had detected a high-altitude surveillance balloon launched by China floating in the skies of Montana. The discovery prompted Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken to cancel a planned trip to Beijing. On Friday, Chinese officials declared that the floating orb was a mainly meteorological balloon that had floated into American airspace, attributing the cause to force majeure. A day later, when the balloon had finally made its way over the Atlantic Ocean, an F-22 fighter jet downed it with an air-to-air missile. The development comes months after President Biden and President Xi Jinping of China met in a high-stakes summit in Bali, Indonesia, to declare that neither wanted the fierce competition between their two superpowers to erupt into conflict. WASHINGTON As he waged his messy campaign to become House speaker, Representative Kevin McCarthy turned to a longtime friend, Jeff Miller, to serve as a kind of field general. Mr. Miller, his closest confidant, top fund-raiser and sometimes enforcer, hosted a pasta dinner and strategy session for the McCarthy political team at his luxury condominium in Washington. He then set up shop in the speakers office in the Capitol for the week of the vote, working the phones to persuade holdouts, tamping down conservative criticism on social media and urging some donors to press for yes votes from members they had funded. When Mr. McCarthy won, so did Mr. Miller, who in addition to his wide-ranging volunteer roles for his friend is one of Washingtons most prominent Republican lobbyists, representing a spectrum of blue-chip corporate clients with issues at stake in Washington. Rarely has a lobbyist enjoyed the access to a House speaker that Mr. Miller has with Mr. McCarthy, a California Republican. As Mr. McCarthy has gained power, Mr. Millers prominent place in his orbit has drawn increased scrutiny from watchdog groups that track political influence as well as from conservatives who see him as an unaccountable power behind the throne whose presence is starkly at odds with their increasingly populist, anti-corporate message. After spending decades as a local television reporter and anchor, Ms. Lake burst onto the political scene last year after winning a brutal primary election with a potent mix of election lies and cultural grievances. Her skills as a polished and ruthless communicator helped her come within 17,000 votes of winning Arizonas most politically powerful office as a first-time candidate and earned her the praise of former President Donald J. Trump, whose style she has often imitated. Heres your headline: Kari Lake is on the warpath, Ms. Lake said in an interview Thursday night. But it was unclear exactly where that path would lead. Seated in the corner booth of a Washington hotel bar, Ms. Lake drank a pint of Guinness and previewed opening salvos in a potential Senate race, attacking both Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who left the Democratic Party in December to become an independent, and Representative Ruben Gallego, a Democrat who is running for Ms. Sinemas seat, as radical leftists. Ms. Lake attempted to cast doubt on Ms. Sinemas reputation as a moderate, pointing to data that showed the Arizona incumbent often votes with President Biden. An NBC poll last year showed that American voters were split over whether Mr. Biden was moderate or liberal. Shes the furthest thing from an independent, Ms. Lake said. Someone somewhere said she did a couple of courageous things, well, she should do courageous stuff here every day. If you are blessed to be elected by the people, when you show up in Washington, D.C., you should be doing courageous acts every damn day. Inside the Biden administration, officials caution that Russias threats over nuclear escalation are not over, and that the next time the Kremlin wants to remind the West about the power of its arsenal, it could potentially move a nuclear weapon that it knows can be observed by the United States. The U.S. officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss deliberations. The Pentagon continues to war game what might happen if Mr. Putin moves tactical weapons into position as a reminder that he can back up his conventional forces. But overwrought threats, in the absence of other intelligence, are causing little stir. A nuclear threat last month by Dmitri Medvedev, the former Russian president who serves as a deputy chairman of Russias security council, was met mostly with shrugs in the United States. This week, in response to Germanys decision to supply Ukraine with tanks, Mr. Putin delivered a veiled warning. We arent sending our tanks to their borders, he said. But we have the means to respond, and it wont end with the use of armor. Everyone must understand this. At a speech in Washington on Thursday, William J. Burns, the C.I.A. director, said the United States had to take seriously the nuclear saber rattling of Mr. Putin and his advisers. Mr. Burns added that he had made clear to Russian officials the serious consequences of any use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine. It is a risk we cannot afford to take lightly; on the other hand, the purpose of the saber rattling is to intimidate us, as well as our European allies and the Ukrainians themselves, he said. So I think we have to stay on an even keel in weighing those threats carefully but also not being intimidated by them. For more than a year, weve been asking you for tips on exploring the Golden State and youve been delivering. California is treasured for its natural beauty, and youve recommended hundreds of the best places to soak it all in. The darkest desert campsites to see the stars, the best road trip routes to the worlds biggest trees or just your favorite hiking trails in your regional park. Today were offering a highlight reel of sorts. Recently, many of you have written to us about trips youve taken within the state that were inspired by reader suggestions published in this newsletter. Its been lovely to see how delighted youve been to discover, or rediscover, California and all its wonders. Below, Im sharing some of the notes and photos you sent in from your trips, which will hopefully provide some inspiration for future vacations. As always, please keep sending us your favorite places to visit in California by emailing us at CAtoday@nytimes.com. Well be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter. WASHINGTON In grabbing control of the House, Republicans promised a vote on a proposition that always strikes a chord with frustrated voters: imposing term limits on members of the House and Senate to finally depose those entrenched, out-of-touch lawmakers. Within months of taking power, the new majority put the idea on the floor, where it flopped spectacularly. That episode was in 1995, when Republicans, led by newly installed Speaker Newt Gingrich, pledged a vote on term limits as part of their vaunted Contract with America, only to have the proposal rejected by some of the same folks who signed off on the contract. Voters get much more excited about term limits than do those who would be bound by them. Now the new House Republican majority is again pursuing limits on how long members of Congress can serve, and the result is likely to be the same: failure to garner the votes needed to send a constitutional amendment to the states for approval. But that wont deter the backers of the plan, who once again say the public is fed up with career politicians and that those who reject term limits do so at their political peril. This is a long stairway, but you take the first step, said Representative Ralph Norman, the South Carolina Republican who is the lead backer of term limits in the House. Let everybody vote up or down. This time I think there will be consequences for those who vote against it. There is a time for politicians to go home and live under some of the rules they have passed. A Chinese balloon seen hovering over Montana this week has been described as an intelligence-gathering airship by the Pentagon and a stray civilian research airship by China. Whatever its intended use, the balloon offers a reminder of how for more than a century, governments have used balloons for surveillance and observation, most often during times of war. Thomas Paone, the curator for the lighter-than-air collection at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, which includes balloons, blimps, and airships, said that while balloon technology has changed over that time, the mission of observation has been a constant. Heres a look at this history. Both sides deployed them in the U.S. Civil War. The Confederate and Union armies used tethered balloons to observe troop movements in what Mr. Paone said was the first organized military effort in the United States to use balloons for observation. Ozempic and another drug, Wegovy, both contain semaglutide, which regulates blood sugar and insulin. It also reduces appetite and causes the stomach to empty more slowly, so that a person feels fuller faster. These drugs have become increasingly popular in the past year for their weight-loss effects. But for people who take them to manage diabetes as well as those who do so primarily to manage weight, going off them suddenly can take a toll. Doctors say patients should be aware of these ramifications. While some patients who try the drug choose to stop it, more and more have stopped simply because they cant find it anymore. The Food and Drug Administration has listed Ozempic and Wegovy as in shortage for months; Trulicity, another diabetes drug that can lead to weight loss, joined the list in December. Dr. Andrew Kraftson, a clinical associate professor in the division of metabolism, endocrinology and diabetes at Michigan Medicine, said that he was overwhelmed by messages from obesity and diabetes patients who wondered where their next dose was and how they would cope without the medication. When people cannot get it, Dr. Kraftson said, its a big SOS. We asked doctors what happens in the brain and body after someone stops taking these drugs. Blood sugar rises Dr. Janice Jin Hwang, chief of the division of endocrinology and metabolism at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, said patients would probably notice the effects of stopping Ozempic or Wegovy after a week or so. Like any medication, when you stop taking it, it stops working, said Dr. Robert Gabbay, chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association. When people suddenly stop semaglutide, the amount of glucose in their blood can surge, Dr. Gabbay said. Patients with diabetes may experience blurry vision, fatigue and excessive thirst and urination symptoms that may have led them to be diagnosed with diabetes originally. Some may end up in the emergency room from exhaustion, Dr. Gabbay added, often because of spikes in blood sugar. They may also become more susceptible to yeast or other fungal infections, which are linked to higher blood sugar. Its 1:02 p.m. Do you know what your brain is doing? If the answer is trawling the bowels of the internet instead of finishing those spreadsheets, it might be time to step away from your desk. Brain slumps are real, said Gloria Mark, a professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine. And the antidote to this midafternoon mind sludge isnt muddling through, no matter what hustle culture wants you to believe. Its the opposite: You should take a break. We cant expect to lift weights nonstop all day, and we cant expect to use sustained focus and attention for extended periods of time, either, said Dr. Mark, author of Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity. While your brain is not a muscle, the analogy is a good one, since staying focused requires our brains to burn energy, said Marta Sabariego, an assistant professor at Mount Holyoke College who studies attention and other goal directed behaviors. But the most compelling reason for taking a brain break is that it may improve your ability to do quality work. A 2022 systematic review published in the journal PLoS ONE found that even short breaks lasting 10 minutes or less reduced mental fatigue and increased vigor (meaning the willingness to persist when work became difficult). These breaks especially improved performance on tasks requiring creativity and less so for activities like basic arithmetic. It is just over a decade since the steamy capital of South Sudan exploded in joy, with revelers singing and dancing through the night to mark the birth of their nation as it split from its old enemy, Sudan. The new country was cheered on in 2011 by the American diplomats who had midwifed its delivery and the Hollywood celebrities who championed its cause. Billions of dollars poured into an ambitious state-building project that offered a fresh start to a people weary after decades of war. Freedom! they cried. Now that feels like a very long time ago. Engulfed by civil war, famine and most recently floods, the worlds newest country has been plagued by schisms and thwarted by leaders who pocketed its considerable oil wealth. No Western leader has ever made a public visit, leaving many South Sudanese feeling forgotten. Live updates: The U.S. has shot down the Chinese spy balloon. WASHINGTON Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Friday canceled a weekend trip to Beijing after a Chinese spy balloon was sighted above the Rocky Mountain state of Montana, igniting a frenzy of media coverage and political commentary over a machine that the Pentagon said posed no threat to the United States. Mr. Blinken called the Chinese surveillance an irresponsible act and a clear violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law. Chinas decision to take this action on the eve of my planned visit is detrimental to the substantive discussions that we were prepared to have, he said at a news conference on Friday afternoon. Mr. Blinken canceled the trip after civilians in Montana this week began spotting the balloon, which the Pentagon said was an intelligence-gathering airship. Military officials had been monitoring the balloon for days, and Mr. Blinken and a deputy secretly confronted Chinese diplomats in Washington on Wednesday. But it became a diplomatic crisis only as media attention mounted on Thursday night and Republican politicians called for President Biden and Mr. Blinken to act. Interested in visiting a place that still calls itself Asias world city despite mounting evidence that its marching toward an insular, authoritarian future? Would your answer change if the flight there were free? The Hong Kong government announced this week that it would give away about half a million plane tickets to foreign tourists, starting in March, as part of a post-pandemic campaign to revive its slumping tourism industry. The Chinese territory also rolled out a friendly-sounding slogan, Hello Hong Kong, and noted that two museums that had opened recently were providing visitors with more exciting experiences. Hong Kong is now seamlessly connected to the mainland of China and the whole international world, John Lee, the citys chief executive and a former police officer, said during a kickoff ceremony on Thursday. LONDON Charlie Clarke, a 34-year-old cafe owner in Birmingham, England, was feeling down about losing his dog to cancer, so he went over to a friends place in the countryside to take a stroll and get some fresh air. He brought his metal detector with him, gear for the new hobby he had picked up six months earlier. When he heard the unusually loud beeps emitted while he walked on his friends property in nearby Warwickshire, he thought he had probably come across a soda can. Instead, about a foot down into the earth, he happened upon a treasure that has electrified researchers, and could very well change the course of his familys future. Mr. Clarke pulled up a gold chain and heart-shaped pendant, adorned with symbols his friend recognized as connected to Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. At first, he thought it must have been from a costume, but it seemed far too heavy for that, he said in an interview on Friday. I knew it was special, he said. The pendant itself was an ornate spectacle: The front was decorated with a pomegranate bush, an emblem of Katherine, and an entwined, double-headed Tudor rose, which was employed by the Tudors starting in 1486. On the other side, the letters H and K for Henry and Katherine were written in Lombardic script and connected by a ribbon. BERLIN Germany has agreed to allow the export of its Leopard 1 battle tanks to Ukraine, a government spokesman said on Friday, creating an opportunity for increased tank transfers to Ukraine as battles intensify in the countrys east. The Leopard 1 is an older model of a German-made tank that Berlin approved the export of last month, the Leopard 2. The older tanks, which were produced from the 1960s to the 1980s, would need refurbishing before they could be ready for use in combat. They may also face a shortage of available ammunition. The Leopard 1 tanks will most likely come from the stocks of German weapons manufacturers. But the chancellors spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit, declined to provide details or comment on how many could be delivered. German news media reports have put the number at 29 to 88 tanks. I dont want to say much more at this stage, Mr. Hebestreit told journalists in Berlin on Friday. That will then become more concrete in the coming days and weeks. Mr. Greco was convicted in Italy of the 1991 murder of two members of a criminal organization during what prosecutors described as a mafia war between competing gangs in the city of Cosenza, in the Calabria region of the country. Mr. Greco eluded capture when a warrant for his arrest was issued in 2006, but he was later convicted in absentia. A European arrest warrant was issued in 2014. Image Edgardo Greco, in an undated image provided by the Italian Carabinieri. Mr. Greco was convicted in Italy of the 1991 murder of two members of a criminal organization. Credit... Italian Carabinieri, via Associated Press Tracking down Mr. Greco was not easy, Colonel Pini said. Often fugitives give themselves away when they contact close relatives, but Mr. Greco was not in touch with his wife and two sons, who live in Austria, or with relatives in Calabria, Colonel Pini noted. Investigators got a break late last year when, plumbing the internet for images of people who looked like Mr. Greco, they came across two articles. One, from 2014, showed a man whom they matched with Mr. Greco to 95 percent accuracy. They also came across a July 2021 interview in a St.-Etienne newspaper announcing the opening of an Italian restaurant, Caffe Rossini. Its owner, Paolo Dimitrio, said in the interview that his goal was to create an elaborate Italian cuisine, only with fresh and homemade products. Comparing photographs they had of Mr. Greco, investigators determined that Mr. Dimitrio was in fact the fugitive mobster. (Incidentally, Caffe Rossini went under a few months after opening. Covid didnt help, Colonel Pini said.) Technology has helped investigators find wanted criminals before. Last year, a Sicilian who was on Italys most dangerous fugitives list was tracked down using Google maps. An intruder wielding a crossbow who scaled a fence at Windsor Castle and threatened to kill Queen Elizabeth II on Christmas Day in 2021 pleaded guilty on Friday to treason, the first person to be convicted of such a charge in Britain in more than four decades. The episode occurred during the depths of the coronavirus pandemic, when the queen was sequestered at Windsor Castle, and drew disquieting comparisons to an even more serious breach in 1982, when a man broke into Buckingham Palace and entered her bedroom before being arrested. In the Christmas Day incident, the intruder, Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, of Southampton, was confronted by the police at a gate that led to the queens private quarters in the castle. Asked what he was doing there, he twice responded, I am here to kill the queen. The queen died of natural causes in September at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at 96, having survived a bout with Covid-19. She faced infrequent security threats during her 70-year reign, most famously in the 1982 episode, when the intruder, Michael Fagan, wandered the palace undisturbed before finding his way to Elizabeths bedroom and waking her up. She quickly called for help. The latest American weapons package for Ukraine, unveiled on Friday, includes the longest range weapons yet to push back Russian troops and strike logistical targets well behind enemy lines. But they come with a hitch: They will be deployed on the battlefield too late to be used against a broad assault by Moscow that seemingly has begun to unfurl in eastern Ukraine. That is also the case with most of the Western tanks, fighting vehicles and air-defense missiles that have been promised after months of pleas by President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. Most of the sophisticated weapons will also require rigorous training for Ukrainian troops, who have never used them, a process that usually takes months and sometimes as long as a year. And some of the arms like the rocket-propelled guided bombs that the United States is now offering in the $2.17 billion package have to be retrofitted from existing stocks or even built from scratch. I Saw Ammunition Being Made for Ukraine Natalie Keyssar for The New York Times The factory in Scranton used to repair steam locomotives, but since the 1950s it has turned metal bars into artillery shells. There, 20-foot pieces of steel are cut and heated to extraordinary temperatures before being pressed into shape. People buy traditional foods ahead of Lantern Festival People's Daily Online) 16:21, February 03, 2023 A worker prepares yuanxiao (glutinous rice balls stuffed with fillings of various flavors), a delicacy eaten during Chinas Lantern Festival, at a time-honored snack shop renowned for making traditional food in Dongcheng District, Beijing, Feb. 1, 2023. (Peoples Daily Online/Peng Yukai) (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Wu Chengliang) Begging is reportedly going digital in Indonesia, with street beggars posting clips on TikTok asking for virtual gifts instead of actually going out on the street. TikTok begging has reportedly become such a widespread phenomenon in Indonesia that the Government has been forced to step in to reign it in. The Asian countrys social minister has asked her staff to increase efforts of preventing begging, both online and offline, and Muslim groups have appealed to the general public in an attempt to stop begging and asking for free goods and money, which they claim demean human honor and are forbidden in Islam. However, there is little they can do against the wave of beggars enticed by TikToks gift-offering features, which allow them to exchange virtual gifts for real money. Photos: TikTok Byte Dances popular video-sharing platform allows creators with at least 1,000 followers to receive virtual gifts from their followers, gifts that can then be converted into actual money. This is a feature available on a slew of other social media platforms, but the popularity of TikTok apparently made it perfect for beggars. Instead of spending several out on the street, asking for handouts from generous passers-by, TikTok beggars need only record a video of themselves performing some pity-inducing acts, post it on the popular social network, and watch the money start rolling in. Photos: TikTok One popular trend has seen beggars, especially elderly women, appeal to viewers generosity by pouring mud water over themselves. Some of these mud baths can go on for hours and are apparently pretty profitable considering how popular they have become. Sadly for these modern beggars, the government has been cracking down on this sort of content, asking the platform to delete mud bath videos. Despite the Indonesian Governments attempts to curb the popularity of TikTok begging, experts say the trend is likely to continue as long as people continue to believe that they do good by giving directly to beggars. In the digital world, the way we give help doesnt feel like we are giving help, for example by giving gifts, or symbols or features. These gifts can then be capitalized on by the person asking for help, Devie Rahmawati, a sociologist at the University of Indonesia, said. Interestingly, Indonesia makes up TikToks second-biggest user base in the world with 99.1 million users, behind only the United States. A young German woman stands accused of premeditated murder after allegedly seeking out a doppelganger on social media and then brutally killing her in order to stage her own death. When police in Ingolstadt, Germanys Bavaria region, received calls about a dead woman in the car abandoned on the banks of the Danube river, they had no idea they were about to get involved in one of the most shocking murder cases in the countrys history. The body of a disfigured young woman was discovered on 16 August 2022 by an Iraqi-born couple who immediately believed it was their 23-year-old daughter, Sharaban. The body was found in their daughters Mercedes and despite the severe injuries to her face, she had the same general features and the same hair. However, a thorough autopsy soon proved that the body belonged to an Algerian beauty blogger, also 23, from the neighboring state of Baden-Wurttemberg Photo: Kyle Johnson/Unsplash As soon as the victims identity was established as one Khadidja O, a beauty blogger from Heilbronn, police started searching for Sharaban K, the young woman initially believed to have been killed. In what has been described as one of the most spectacular murder case twists in history, the suspected victim turned out to be the ruthless murderer. On August 19, 2022, Sharaban and a 23-year-old Kosovan named Sheqir K were apprehended and detained by Bavarian police. No motive for their arrest had been made public until this week when it was announced that investigators have gathered substantial evidence that the two had premeditated and carried out Khadidjas murder. Investigations have led us to assume that the accused wanted to go into hiding because of a family dispute and fake her own death to that effect, the Ingolstadt state prosecutors office said in a recent statement. During their investigation, authorities found that in the weeks before the murder, Sharaban K had actively been seeking out women who looked like her on social media. Using false accounts, she approached them and tried luring them to Ingolstadt with various offers. Most attempts were unsuccessful, but Khadidja O had agreed to meet after Sharaban made her an enticing cosmetics offer. On the day of the heinous crime, the 23-year-old beauty blogger was picked up from her home by Sharaban and her accomplice, Sherkin. While driving through a stretch of forest between Heilbronn and Ingolstadt, the pair stopped the car and made up a pretext for Khadidja to step out of the car at which point they proceeded to stab her to death. Investigators claim that they then put her back in the car and abandoned the vehicle on the banks of the Danube river, where it was discovered by Sharabans parents. The crime weapon has not been found, but the evidence is overwhelming, a police source told German newspaper Bild. The victim was killed with over 50 thrusts of the knife, the face completely disfigured. In convicted, the suspects in Germanys now-famous doppelganger murder case face life in prison. Three Republican Congressmen are calling for the immediate suspension of press credentials of reporters for the Al Jazeera Media News Network until it complies with the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Michael Waltz (FL), Jack Bergman (MI) and Alex Mooney (WV) view Al Jazeera as the propaganda arm of Qatar, which funds the satellite TV network. They cite various media reports about Qatars widespread spying on Members of Congress and its effort to influence US policy by leaking damaging information, including hacked contents, to the media. In their Feb. 2 letter to House leadership, the Congressmen note that credentialed members of the House and Senate galleries enjoy unparalleled access to the US Capitol. While this access is necessary for the media to provide accurate reporting to the American public, it is also the kind of access coveted by foreign powers seeking sensitive information from inside Congress, they wrote. Al Jazeeras various units have 136 credentialed staffers. That towers over the 82 New York Times staffers with credentials. Waltz, Bergman and Mooney say they have no reason to doubt that most of Al Jazeeras are legit, but that is not their case. They wrote: A media company with a substantial presence on Capitol Hill is the perfect front for inserting just a handful of intelligence operatives among the credentialled journalists, who would be effectively camouflaged by the presence of so many others also employed by Al Jazeera. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has restated his position to the Irish Foreign Minister that his party will not re-enter the Stormont Assembly until the Northern Ireland Protocol is replaced. Tanaiste Micheal Martin is meeting the main five political parties in Belfast amid the continuing stalemate within the devolved government. Sinn Fein Stormont leader Michelle ONeill said she told Mr Martin that a year without a functioning Assembly is not good enough, and accused the DUP of punishing the public. One year ago, former First Minister Paul Givan (DUP) resigned as part of his partys protest over the post-Brexit deal. The DUP contends the protocol is a border in the Irish Sea and is undermining the union between Northern Ireland and Great Britain as well as hampering trade. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris spoke of his disappointment in a series of tweets at reaching the one-year anniversary of the impasse. Today marks one year since the then-First Minister of Northern Ireland resigned. Twelve months and one Assembly election later, it is disappointing that people in Northern Ireland still do not have the strong devolved government that they deserve. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/x19bsPu19S Chris Heaton-Harris MP (@chhcalling) February 3, 2023 Today marks one year since the then-First Minister of Northern Ireland resigned. Twelve months and one Assembly election later, it is disappointing that people in Northern Ireland still do not have the strong devolved government that they deserve, he said. The restoration of the Executive, in line with the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, remains my top priority. I will continue to do everything I can to help the parties work together to make that happen. Negotiations between the UK and the EU on the protocol remain ongoing. Ms ONeill said she urged Mr Martin that the EU and UK close out on a deal on the protocol as quickly as possible. She said she was encouraged by what Mr Martin had said of the EU-UK negotiations. I think he shares the same assessment, that there does appear to be good soundings coming from what is happening, she said. People seem to have went quiet, I hope that that means that theyre working really hard, that theyre going to get to a point where there is a deal on the protocol. I hope that that happens speedily, I would encourage both sides to continue doing what theyre doing. Earlier Sir Jeffrey described his meeting with Mr Martin as a useful and constructive conversation. He said: Over eighteen months ago we outlined the parameters for the way forward. We set our tests and those continue to be our yardstick for measuring any deal between the EU and UK. There will be no restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive until the protocol is replaced with arrangements that unionists, as well as nationalists, can support. Northern Irelands place in the UK internal market must be restored and our constitutional arrangements must be respected. 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? SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said that despite positivity around the EU-UK talks on the protocol, it is still in the DUPs hands whether the Executive would return if a deal is struck. We know all the problems in the health service and the economy and everything else, and were desperately in need of local politicians to take responsibility, he said. I would also say, we wont have a government unless the DUP make a decision. For me, if the DUP do get significant movement on some of their asks, as long as we can protect geo market access for businesses and our economy here, then (DUP leader Sir) Jeffrey should be able to take yes for an answer. Hopefully, we can get a deal done and an Executive back up and running. But thats in the DUPs hands. Rumble 05 Apr 2023 This is the first video where I talk to direct to camera - the first of many. I talk about horrible experiences I've had.. euronews (in English) 11 Apr 2023 In an exclusive interview with Euronews, Sven Mary said the Belgian authorities have not found any new evidence to justify Eva.. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is hosting an in-person meeting today with the provincial and territorial finance ministers in Toronto to discuss issues including the transition to a clean economy, challenges in healthcare systems across the country, and the current economic environment. The New South Wales environment watchdog has issued clean-up orders to the supermarket giants for 15 warehouses and storage depots around the state where soft plastics have been stockpiled. To raise money for Ukraine's defense, "Star Wars" actor Mark Hamill plans to sign movie posters. Hamill is already an ambassador for the country's "Army of Drones" program. Almost one year into the war in Ukraine, the Bundeswehr finds itself still lacking military equipment and qualified personnel. A debate has flared up again whether general conscription could help solve the problems. Oneindia 08 Apr 2023 According to reports, in the first official visit from Ukraine since the Russian offensive started in February last year, the.. The story of Brighton forward Kaoru Mitoma's stunning rise to Premier League stardom, as told by one of his former team-mates in Belgium. When finance ministers meet in Toronto today, they'll hear both an update on the country's economic outlook and a pitch from Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland on the need for a shared response to the competitive challenges posed by the United States. The German government has approved further deliveries of battle tanks to Ukraine, according to a newspaper report. Meanwhile, IOC condemns Ukraine's Olympic boycott threat. DW has the latest. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's trip to China is postponed after a spy balloon is tracked across the US. The Belgian government is assessing whether to extend the life of three nuclear reactors that had been due to close in 2025, citing a need to "reduce risks in the energy supply" in lieu of the war in Ukraine. Montreal businessman Robert G. Miller, the subject of troubling allegations broadcast by The Fifth Estate and Radio-Canadas Enquete on Thursday evening, resigned from his role as CEO of the company he founded in 1968. Quebec crown prosecutors invite any person, victim or witness with information on this story to contact Montreal police. After fleeing the Spanish Civil War, Rabanne's family moved to Paris where he would make a name for himself as a pioneer of space-age fashion. Relations between the superpowers are in limbo as America's top diplomat postpones his trip to Beijing. Kyiv secured pledges from the West last month to supply main battle tanks to help fend off Russia's invasion. 2008-2023 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Newsy 14 Feb 2023 Watch VideoIt can be quiet out in rural Montana, but it was a different story when it recently became the focus of international.. EXCLUSIVE: Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said Hunter Bidens laptop was not Russian disinformationsomething he made clear on behalf of the U.S. intelligence community in 2020but told Fox News Digital on Thursday was, instead, a domestic disinformation campaign for political reasons. Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss will join the former leaders of Australia and Belgium at a conference in Tokyo later this month to call for a tougher A man who reportedly made violent threats was arrested,and investigators found guns and ammunition in his Hollywood high-rise apartment, where several rifles were pointed at a nearby park, police said Wednesday. (Feb. 2) Moscow is sending poorly trained recruits, including convicts, to the front lines in eastern Ukraine to pave the way for more seasoned fighters, U.S. and allied officials say. Old empires once jostled for control of this part of the world. Today, Turkey, Iran, Russia and the US are doing the same and even.. Eurasia Review 24 Feb 2023 Newsy 01 Feb 2023 Watch VideoTwo monkeys taken from the Dallas Zoo were found Tuesday in an abandoned home after going missing the day before from.. An assistant nursing professor at the University of New Brunswick says there is a crisis-level shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners in the country. The government of North Korea plans to send up to 500 troops or police officers to the Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts "to assist in reconstruction efforts." A Russian woman says she has been denied consular services by her country's embassy in Canada over claims her Facebook activity poses a security threat. A 42-year-old Pakistani man who spent nearly half his life in U.S. custody has been released from Guantanamo and resettled in Belize after suing the Biden administration for unlawful imprisonment. Department of Medicine Seminar Series: Improving the Assessment and Management of Diabetic Foot Ulcers Mr Fraser Harrold, MBChB, PhD, FRCSEd (T&O) Senior Lecturer, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Otago The number of people with diabetes in New Zealand exceeds 275,000 with the burden of disease disproportionally impacting Maori, Pacific & Indian populations. A 70% to 90% increase in prevalence is forecast over the next 20 years and the economic cost, estimated to be $2.1 billion, annually, in 2020, is projected to increase to over $3.5 billion, annually, in the next 20 years. Diabetes New Zealand proposed four focused areas for improvement, one of which included eye and foot screening. Eye Foot Syndrome was coined by Walsh in 1975, in which diabetic retinopathy (DR) was accompanied by diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) in patients with poorly controlled diabetes. The relationship between DFUs and DR is not yet fully understood. This talk lays out proposed research on the relationship between diabetic eye disease and diabetic foot disease using novel diagnostic tools. All University of Otago and Southern District Health Board staff and students are welcome to attend. Zoom ID: 785276986 Pwd: 580603 Zoom link: https://otago.zoom.us/j/785276986?pwd=WitPRzA4a0N6S3k4STE5WFRZeVFxUT09 Date Friday, 17 February 2023 Time 12:30pm - 1:30pm Audience Other Event Category Health Sciences Event Type Seminar Campus Dunedin Department Medicine (Dunedin) Location 9th floor Seminar room, Dunedin Hospital, Dunedin Cost Free Contact Name Amanda Buchanan Contact Email medicine.research-administrator@otago.ac.nz Save this event Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - The Kenya Government has offered to re-open the land border crossing point in Mandera to enhance trade with neighbouring Somalia, the interior ministry said on Thursday Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - The UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide on Thursday voiced concern over the worsening security situation in Nigeria, while urging the authorities to ensure counter-terrorism operations are conducted in line with international human rights and humanitarian law Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Abdoulaye Bathily, agreed on Thursday with the chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed al-Manfi, on the need for Libya's leaders to reach a national consensus that ends the political stalemate and leads to comprehensive national elections this year Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, Abdoulaye Bathily, has called on Libya's neighbours to increase their support to the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the Joint Military Commission, in order to implement the action plan on the withdrawal of foreign fighters and mercenaries Photo: (Photo : Daria Obymaha from Pexels) Vancouver based, former immigration and refugee lawyer, Katrina Sriranpong, left a busy law practice to pursue her passion as a philanthropist for an array of nonprofits, including Canadian and worldwide organizations that assist refugees, protect animals, preserve the environment, and combat human trafficking, especially of children. She is an advocate for the rights of children in war-torn countries and support programs aimed at rehabilitation, education and developmental aid for children. Sriranpong financially supports various groups, including UNICEF, Save the Children, War Child, the Orangutan Project, the New Hope Foundation, Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R), Elephant Nature Park, and Soi Dog Foundation. "I think nurturing a social conscience in the next generation is crucial to change," Sriranpong told Inspirationfeed magazine. "As a mother of two, raising children who care and contribute to society is extremely important to me. This is why traveling is so meaningful for me. It's an opportunity to expose my children to other countries and people who are less fortunate and find ways for my children to identify with other cultures. I believe we are all connected in some way." Before becoming a lawyer and mother, Katrina Sriranpong attended the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University in Canada, and the University of Leicester and Oxford University in England. Upon graduating, Sriranpong, whose parents were immigrants from Thailand, became the only Thai-speaking immigration lawyer to practice in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. "My father was deported from Canada when I was a young child," Sriranpong says. "I had the opportunity to witness firsthand the difficulty in navigating the complex web of immigration law and policy with their severe language impediments...I assisted refugees and victims of human trafficking through very difficult times in their lives," Sriranpong says. "I was dedicated to reuniting family members who had been forced to live apart for years." Sriranpong has also represented human rights activists from Syria and Ukraine in claiming refugee protection in Canada as well as other refugee claimants from India, Pakistan, Turkey, Mexica, El Salvador, Honduras, Somalia, Botswana and Albania. Katrina Sriranpong has compiled an impressive portfolio that underscores her commitment to nonprofit organizations in Canada and around the world. She utilizes her connections with lawyers and health care professionals to support the nonprofit organizations she cares deeply about. "I have extensive experience in Canadian immigration law," she said. "However, my passion is helping refugees flee conflict-stricken regions or persecution. And, as a former lawyer, I intend to continue my role in assisting refugees in immigrating and settling in Canada on a pro bono basis." According to the research, the lack of balance between work and family life is the key reason why highly educated women like Sriranpong leave the legal industry for different lines of work. Their practice also affects them: Practice areas such as immigration are especially vulnerable because they compel lawyers to empathize with stories of human-induced trauma. "The emotional stakes are high in this line of work, and the boundary between work and private life is almost nonexistent," Sriranpong said in an interview with Superbcrew. "My private life revolved around the deadlines imposed by immigration or the courts, and there were many years where I worked 12-hour days and on weekends." A study based on a survey of 2,863 working legal professionals in California and Washington, D.C., echoed the same problems Sriranpong felt within the legal industry. Published in the open-access journal PLOS One, the survey found that men leave law due to stress, but women take it further. The study showed they experience stress at greater rates than men. The Law Society of BC stated that the public is best served when lawyers reflect the communities they represent. However, women represent only 34 percent of all practising lawyers in BC and only 29 percent of lawyers who are in full-time private practice. The Law Society of BC produced an extensive report regarding gender and the legal profession, which documented numerous difficulties that many women face in the practice of law leading women to leave the profession disproportionately. The report included a number of recommendations aimed at the Law Society of BC. "I think the struggle to obtain work-life balance affects women differently than men," Sriranpong said. "The exodus of female lawyers from the legal profession is because women still carry a heavier load of child care and domestic duties compared to their husbands. Also, women are less likely to identify themselves based on their title or career." As a result, Sriranpong decided to take an indefinite leave from the practice of law in 2022 to pursue philanthropic work and to focus on raising her two young children. According to a new Korean report this morning, Apple's near field communication (NFC) payment service, Apple Pay, will land in Korea for all credit card companies. A high-ranking official from the Financial Services Commission said, "During the authoritative interpretation process, Hyundai Card decided to delete the exclusive contract clause that was included in the original contract. Therefore, other credit card companies can sign a contract with Apple to provide Apple Pay service in Korea at any time." The official added, "However, Hyundai Card receives an authoritative interpretation first, so it is not a monopoly, but 'priority' to service Apple Pay in Korea." Hyundai Card signed an exclusive contract with Apple for domestic Apple Pay service in August 2022 and planned the service within the year. In the course of the Financial Supervisory Service's review of terms and conditions and the Financial Services Commission's authoritative interpretation, Apple Pay's introduction to Korea was checked for violations of the Personal Information Protection Act due to personal information leakage , device supply rebates, validity of overseas fees attached to domestic payments when using Apple Pay, etc. As discussions on key issues were delayed, a conclusion could not be reached for several months. For this reason, late last month, the Financial Services Commission discussed key issues related to the introduction of Apple Pay with three credit card companies, including Shinhan, Samsung, and BC. In the end, it is known that Hyundai Card dropped the exclusive contract for Apple Pay in Korea and agreed to take all responsibility from the service card company when problems arise during the operation process. Lastly, ETNews reported that Hyundai Card will start service in Costco, Lotte Himart, Ediya, Mega Coffee, KFC, and large domestic convenience stores that support NFC payment, and increase the number of affiliated stores mainly in large stores. It's being reported this afternoon that Oscar nominee Tom Hardy and Atlanta Primetime Emmy nominee Zazie Beetz are set to star in the Apple TV+ drama series Lazarus, a project which is still nearing development and closing deals. The project is a co-production between A+E Studios and Range Studios and being sold to Apple. Lazarus is based on the Joona Linna book series by Lars Kepler (pseudonym for Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril), which has been lauded by such outlets as The New York Times, Washington Post and EW, selling more than 17M copies worldwide. In the series, an emaciated young man is found wandering along a train track. Thirteen years earlier, he and his sister went missing, presumed victims of the notorious serial killer Jurek Walter. To find the sister, police detective Saga Bauer must go undercover in the maximum-security psychiatric hospital where Jurek Walter has been kept since his arrest years ago. Hardy will play Jurek Walter and Beetz will portray Inspector Saga Bauer, in what I hear is akin to Hannibal Lector-Clarice Stalling type roles. For more on this, read the full Deadline report. Apple TV+: "Dear Edward" Premiere (Click on image to Greatly Enlarge) On Tuesday night Apple held the premiere event for "Dear Edward" at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. Those presented in the photo from event include: Colin OBrien, Taylor Schilling, Jason Katims, creator, showrunner, executive producer and writer, and Connie Britton. Dear Edward tells the story of Edward Adler (played by OBrien), a 12-year-old boy who survives a devastating commercial plane crash that kills every other passenger on the flight, including his family. As Edward and a diverse ensemble of others affected by the tragedy try to make sense of life after the crash, unexpected friendships, romances and communities are formed. Dear Edward will make its global debut with the first three episodes of its 10-episode first season this Friday, February 3, 2023, followed by one new episode weekly. Bingers will be able to watch the series in its entirety on March 24, 2023. For more photos and credits for the series, review Apple's full press release. Shot on iPhone 14 Pro: Fursat A Vishal Bhardwaj Film Yesterday, Samsung released their next-gen Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone. Samsung showcased two films (01 and 02) shot with their latest camera. One of the films was directed by Scott Ridley. Today Apple released the film "Fursat" that was directed by director Vishal Bhardwaj and Shot on iPhone 14 Pro. It's a magical story about a man so obsessed with controlling the future that he risks losing what he holds most precious in the present. Archive: Apple TV News First, though: Here are three items that went up yesterday on the website of the Interpreter Foundation: Conference Talks: Life Sciences Panel Discussion (featuring Emily Bates, R. Paul Evans, Steven L. Peck, Michael R. Stark, and Trent D. Stephens) This panel, comprised of five Latter-day Saint scholars in the life sciences (Emily Bates, R. Paul Evans, Steven L. Peck, Michael R. Stark, and Trent D. Stephens), was convened at the 9 November 2013 Interpreter Symposium on Science & Mormonism: Cosmos, Earth & Man. It provides personal perspectives from the scientists involved on the development of their ideas and their affinities for their professional work. Following these perspectives, they answer a potpourri of audience questions. Interpreter Radio Show January 22, 2023 For the 22 January 2023 episode of the Interpreter Radio Show, Steve Densley, Mark Johnson, and Dan Peterson discussed the Six Days in August film project, Dans recent article in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, and Joseph Smiths First Vision. Since Peterson was sick that night, he opted to do it from a distance, by telephone. Even so, he was not in especially fine voice, which probably limited his participation a bit and, thereby, almost certainly improved the discussion. In any event, the conversation has now been archived, delivered from commercial and other interruptions, and made available for your listening pleasure and enlightenment at absolutely no charge to you. The New Testament in Context portion of this show, for Come, Follow Me New Testament lesson 8, covering the first portion of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 and Luke 6, will be posted on Tuesday, 7 February 2023. The Interpreter Radio Show can be heard live and unrehearsed on Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640. Or, if youre not among the elect (in the Salt Lake Valley) whom fate has favored to be able to tune in by radio, you can listen to the show live on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com. Interpreter Radio Show January 29, 2023 In this, the 29 January 2023 episode of the fabled Interpreter Radio Show, the discussants were Martin Tanner, Terry Hutchinson, and John Gee. Their conversation focused on controversies around the Book of Abraham. The New Testament in Context portion of this show, for Come, Follow Me New Testament lesson 9, covering Matthew 67, will be posted on Tuesday, 14 February 2023. You may be unaware of this, but the Interpreter Radio Show is available for live listening each and every Sunday evening of the year from 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640 or, if you prefer or have no viable alternative, you can listen in live via the Internet at ktalkmedia.com. Why do people fall out of activity in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? In a highly predictable place elsewhere, I see that my views on this topic are being misrepresented. Again. (Color me astonished!) Apparently, it seems, I believe that people only leave the Church because they want to sin. They want to commit adultery, drink coffee, and commit other such devilish acts. Im a very mean-spirited and vicious person, and I am, of course, wickedly slandering those who disagree with me. Now, dont get me wrong. Im aware of people who have left the Church quite deliberately because they wanted to do something that the Church counsels them not to do. It happens. People do leave marriages, abandoning spouses and children, in order to sleep with somebody else, so why would such folks draw the line at leaving the Church? Still, there are presumably as many permutations and combinations of reasons for living as there are people. Likewise, there are people I know a fair number of them and have heard from many others who, so far as Im aware, leave for purely or at least largely intellectual reasons. Which is to say that they leave because of historical concerns (e.g., doubts about the historicity of the Book of Mormon and/or the Book of Abraham, dislike for what they know or think they know about early Latter-day Saint plural marriage, etc.), because of theological issues (e.g., seeming conflicts between faith and science), or, increasingly, because of socio-cultural tensions (e.g., regarding the status of women or controversies involved with LGBTQIA+ matters). At least historically, though it may be changing somewhat in the past decade or so Im convinced by admittedly anecdotal but very wide personal experience and broad reading that the large majority of inactives havent fallen away from the Church because, after considerable study and research and struggle, theyve come to the decisive conclusion that the claims of the Restoration are false. (They may eventually reach that conclusion, of course, simply because, the longer theyre away, the less attraction they feel for their one-time affiliation and involvement with the Church, the more distant it all seems, and the more they come to assimilate to the surrounding cultural and religious environment. Its perhaps rather like a long-ago former marriage.) Most, I think, drift away from attendance out of indifference, enjoying Sundays not taken up with church activities, enjoying a morning coffee, disliking church services, lack of interest in the issues at the forefront of the Gospel, and so forth. Not necessarily very dramatic. Usually, I think, not. The sudden decision to exit is, I think, relatively rare. Overwhelmingly, I think, most who once fellowshipped with the Saints but no longer do are still members of the Church. They havent asked for their names to be removed. I draw on my experience with a large and often long-time inactive or semi-active family on my maternal side. (My paternal family are almost entirely, so far as Im aware, inactive Lutherans.). In more than a few cases, I think, if you were to ask them, they would probably concede that the Church is true. They might even say that, yes, they probably ought to be reading the scriptures and praying. They just dont. They have other interests and other things to do, and their lives are, in their opinion, going pretty well without being churchy. My sense is that ideological ex-Mormons who are active in online fora where they continually reinforce each others conviction that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is false, evil, oppressive, laughable, and etc. form a unique subculture (as do, frankly, those of us who spend a significant proportion of our time countering such claims and arguing that the Church is true and good, that its leaders are sincere and good people who are attempting to serve God and to receive revelation and inspiration). Most people dont live in that world, just as most people arent addicted to news and politics (as I can easily be). Its easy, living in a subculture, to take that fish tank for the entirety of the sea. Its easy, living inside the Capital Beltway or with cable news on 24/7, to imagine that everybody out there cares just as much as you do about the latest events involving Kevin McCarthy, Ilhan Omar, Hunter Biden, and the political ambitions of Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley. But most dont. Posted from Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii. Including a Handy, Nine-Point Summary of Solid Exegetical Arguments for the Cousins Theory of Jesus Brothers Eric Svendsen is an anti-Catholic Protestant, who was, for a time, arguably the second most influential and active anti-Catholic polemicist online, after Bishop Dr. [???] James White. Then he suddenly vanished from the Internet in 2008. He had been indicating that he would do so as early as 2 November 2005, when he wrote on his blog that he was packing it in in large part because of the incorrigible and vitriolic pooling of ignorance that comes from self-styled apologists, each promoting his own version of a false gospel. He wrote on 27 April 2003 on his discussion forum: RC apologists will do or say just about anythingtrue or notto advance their cause. They engage in the strategy of deception regularly. Svendsen produced three anti-Catholic books with small publishers: Evangelical Answers: A Critique of Current Roman Catholic Apologists (Reformation Press, 1999), Who is My Mother? (Calvary Press: 2001), Upon This Slippery Rock (Calvary Press: 2002). This series of critiques is devoted to his doctoral dissertation from 2000: Who is My Mother?: The Role and Status of the Mother of Jesus in the New Testament and in Roman Catholicism. His words will be in blue. ***** See Part One: Svendsens Dissertation on Mary: 1. Preliminaries (Including Explicit Biblical Indications or Analogies for Marys Universal Intercession and the Notion of Fittingness) Svendsen cites orthodox Catholic John McHugh (a refreshing change there!), who defends Marys perpetual virginity in one specific manner: McHugh, convinced by the NT evidence that these brothers of Jesus must be part of his immediate family (else they would not be in constant company with Jesus mother), contends that these brothers of Jesus are actually cousins who were adopted by Joseph and Mary. . . . [S]ince Joseph was likely dead by this time we must ask the question, Why do we find the sons of Mary of Clopas (who was still alive at this time) still living with Mary the mother of Jesus instead of their own mother? There seems to be no good reason why Mary as a widow should somehow be more capable of supporting the sons of Clopas wife than Clopas wife herself. . . . [T]hat Joseph and Mary would become the foster parents of so many sets of unrelated siblings (at least three sets, and perhaps even more if we are to account for the sisters of Jesus using the same explanation) strains credulity . . . (pp. 44-45) I think a more plausible interpretation is to examine more closely the nature of Jewish families in Israel in the first century. The Hebrew household (if not virtually always) often would contain extended family members. It was not like our nuclear families of today. For example, in the book, Families in Ancient Israel (Leo G. Perdue, editor; Westminster John Knox Press, 1997) we find this description: The familial roles of males in the households kinship structure included those of lineal descent and marriage grandfather, father, son, and husband and those lateral relationships brother, uncle, nephew, and cousin. (pp. 179-180) The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (edited by Allen C. Myers, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, revised edition, 1975) makes the nature of the Israelite family very clear, by noting that it could include more than one nuclear family (thus, cousins would be residing together): The basic social unit, comprised of persons related by kinship and sharing a common residence. The Israelite family was an extended family known as the fathers house or household (Heb. bet-ab), consisting of two or more nuclear families (i.e., a married couple and their children) or composite families (an individual with multiple spouses and their offspring) . . . other kin (including grandparents), servants, concubines, and sojourners might also be reckoned part of the household (cf. Gen. 46:5-7, 26). (Family, p. 376) Moreover, on the next page, this reference work noted that clans also usually occupied the same or adjacent towns. Extended families stuck together. It was like a perpetual family reunion. This would account for first or second or third cousins (all referred to as brothers in Semitic or Near Eastern culture: then and now) hanging around in one place. This overcomes Svendsens objection. He needs to better understand Hebrew families in this period and region, and not think in terms of the modern American and European nuclear family. Svendsen continues to pile on McHughs belief in Marys perpetual virginity, and plays the old special pleading regarding ones prior dispositions card: There seems to be no reason to adopt McHughs thesis other than to accommodate the gratuitous assumption that these brothers of Jesus cannot be biological brothers. . . . At the end of the day, McHughs reconstruction raises more questions than it answers, and in any case seems like a farfetched solution in explaining the identity of the brothers of Jesus. In the words of Meier: One cannot avoid the impression that every escape hatch imaginable is being pried open because a highly unlikely position has been adopted a priori on other grounds (1992:22). Actually, McHughs and the orthodox Catholic position on this matter is based on rather solid biblical exegesis; serious, substantive, and formidable arguments: 1) In comparing Matthew 27:56, Mark 15:40, and John 19:25, we find that James and Joseph (mentioned in Matthew 13:55 with Simon and Jude as Jesus brothers) are the sons of Mary, wife of Clopas. This other Mary (Mt 27:61; 28:1) is called the Blessed Virgin Marys adelphe in John 19:25. Assuming that there are not two women named Mary in one family, this usage apparently means cousin or more distant relative. Matthew 13:55-56 and Mark 6:3 mention Simon, Jude and sisters along with James and Joseph, calling all adelphoi. The most plausible interpretation of all this related data is a use of adelphos as cousins (or possibly, step-brothers) rather than siblings. We know for sure, from the above information, that James and Joseph were not Jesus siblings. . . . 2) Jude is called the Lords brother in Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3. If this is the same Jude who wrote the epistle bearing that name (as many think), he calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James (Jude 1:1). Now, suppose for a moment that he was Jesus blood brother. In that case, he refrains from referring to himself as the Lords own sibling (while we are told that such a phraseology occurs several times in the New Testament, referring to a sibling relationship) and chooses instead to identify himself as James brother. This is far too strange and implausible to believe. Moreover, James also refrains from calling himself Jesus brother, in his epistle (James 1:1: servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ): even though St. Paul calls him the Lords brother (Gal 1:19). 3) Commenter Alex Lielbardis brought up this further argument: Mark 6:4 And Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin [(, / suggenes)], and in his own house. (cf. Jn 7:5: For even his brothers did not believe in him.) He added: The plural Greek word used refers to kinsfolk, relatives, or fellow countrymen. This same word is used by Luke in his account of the Annunciation which in the singular form specifically means a cousin: And behold, your kinswoman [ / syngenis] Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren (Luke 1:36). Thus, Jesus apparently replies with his cousins (relatives or kin) in mind, in response to what was said by those who were offended at him. The context of this incident was His preaching in His hometown of Nazareth. Both Mark (6:3) and the parallel text in Matthew (13:55-56), in the immediate context mention four brothers of Jesus and also, unnamed sisters. Jesus was catching flak from these relatives in His hometown. Both Matthew and Mark record Jesus as saying in response that a prophet is not honored in his own house. 4) Luke 2:41-51 describes Mary and Joseph taking Jesus to the temple at the age of twelve, for the required observance of Passover. Everyone agrees that He was the first child of Mary, so if there were up to five or more siblings, as some maintain (or even one), why is there no hint of them at all in this account? I recently wrote in-depth about this. If Jesus had brothers or sisters and He was the oldest, then He certainly would have had siblings at 12 years old, when His parents took Him to Jerusalem for the Passover (Luke 2:41-50) particularly since Mary was estimated to have been around 16 at His birth, which would make her still only around 28 at this time. Were to believe that it makes sense that she bore her first child at 16 and then had no more from 16-28, and then more than four after that? Thats not very plausible at all. 5) The Blessed Virgin Mary is committed to the care of the Apostle John by Jesus from the Cross (John 19:26-27). Jesus certainly wouldnt have done this if He had brothers (all of whom would have been younger than He was). 6) Nowhere does the New Testament state that any of Jesus brothers (adelphoi) are the children of Jesus mother Mary, even when they are referenced together (cf. Mark 3:31 ff.; 6:3 ff.; John 2:12; Acts 1:14). So for example, in Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55. Jesus is called the son of Mary and the carpenters son and only He is referred to in this way. The others (four brothers named in each passage) are not. It happens again in the book of Acts: Acts 1:14 All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers See how a distinction is made between Mary as the mother of Jesus and his brothers, who are not called Marys sons? Nor is she called their mother. These verses do not read in a siblings way. Svendsen writes: We further read that Jesus has brothers and sisters (in texts that place them with his mother), from which we infer that these are biological siblings (p. 58), but he doesnt delve deep enough into the texts, to notice the important distinctions made, as I have above. It looks like he simply sees only what he wants to see. 7) In the New Testament, none of these brothers are ever called Josephs children, anywhere, either. 8) Much has been written about the use of adelphos in the NT. Its range of use is almost precisely like how it is used in the works of the first century Jewish historian Josephus (as we would expect, since he was a fellow Israelite and lived in the same period). In Antiquities, Book XVIII, ch. 4, sec. 6, Josephus refers to Philip, Herods brother (likely using adelphos there). In Wars of the Jews, Book II, ch. 6, sec. 1, he refers to Archelauss brother Philip. But we know that they were not siblings (sons of the same mother and father). In Wars of the Jews, Book II, ch. 7, sec. 4, Josephus mentions Alexander, who was the brother of Archelaus, . . . This Alexander was the son of Herod the king . . . Again, he likely uses adelphos, but is not referring to literal siblings, since we know that this Alexanders mother was Mariamne. Wikipedia (Philip the Tetrarch) informs us that Philip was son of Herod the Great and his fifth wife, Cleopatra of Jerusalem, . . . half-brother of Herod Antipas and Herod Archelaus. The mother of the latter two men was Malthace. Seemingly unaware of this evidence, Svendsen writes: Indeed, even in the Greek literature contemporaneous to the NT there is no clear-cut example of adelphos or adelphe denoting a cousin (Meier, 1992:20) (p. 52). But as I just documented, Josephus refers to Philip, Herods brother and Archelauss brother Philip and Alexander, who was the brother of Archelaus even though they were not siblings in all three cases. Meier, and Svendsen who cites him, appear not to have searched Josephus as comprehensively as I have. Now I shall compare Josephus use of terms for relatives (excluding the straightforward terms mother, father, son, daughter), over against that of the NT. Adelphos appears in the NT 346 times and syngeneis [cousin] only appears twelve times. Anepsios [cousin] appears once (Col 4:10). Here is the breakdown of NT terms for relatives (in the RSV): brethren 191 brother(s) 159 sister 24 mother-in-law 5 daughter-in-law 3 father-in-law 1 cousin 1 uncle / aunt / nephew / niece 0 son-in-law 0 kin 1 Out of these 385 instances, 374 of them (or 97%) are either brother, brethren, or sister. The one appearance of cousin is 0.26% of the whole. Likewise, in Josephus (Antiquities and Wars of the Jews), out of 1024 terms for relative, 867 (85%) are brother, brethren, or sister. The thirteen appearances of cousin are 1.3% of the whole: remarkably similar usage to the NT, which also uses adelphos for non-siblings. 9) The same strikingly similar usage is found in the Septuagint (LXX): the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Adelphos appears 649 times (99%), syngeneis only appears five times (0.76%), and anepsios appears once (0.15%). These are all solid, respectable, exegetical arguments (tying into contemporary or near contemporary Greek usage in other well-known sources), that cant be dismissed as of no import. Critics have to grapple with them. In any case, the traditional, Catholic and Orthodox (as well as initial Protestant) view is not merely a matter of a gratuitous assumption and a highly unlikely position that has been adopted a priori on other grounds: as Svendsen and Meier rather condescendingly and disdainfully claim. They must do better than that. Well see if Svendsen truly grapples with these arguments. Im only near the beginning of his long dissertation. I predict that he wont. It will be helpful to examine the usage of adelphos in the LXX and the NT to see if we can adduce support for this usage in the NT texts that speak of the brothers and sisters of Jesus. . . . not a few are references to other kinds of relationships. (p. 47) Good! Bring it on! He continues, making observations that orthodox Catholics also make regarding adelphos: Genesis 9:5 uses adelphos to denote fellow man (also 2 Kings 7:6). In Gen 14:14-16 Lot is called the brother of Abraham (see also 13:8), though we know from other texts (14:12; 12:5) that Lot is the son of Abrahams biological brother. Here the meaning is simply close relative. The meaning relative is also found in Gen 24:27 where it refers to Abrahams immediate relatives, in Gen 24:59 where it refers to Rebekahs relationship to her mother and brother, and in Gen 29:12, 15 where it refers to the relationship between Jacob the nephew and Laban his uncle (cf. also Judg 9:18 for this sense). In each case, the relationship is a close one. (pp. 47-48) The word adelphos is also used of fellow citizens (Gen 19:7) or ethnic countrymen (Exod 2:11, 4:18; Lev 19:17). It is sometimes used to denote a fellow tribesman (distinguished from countrymen as a whole; Num 8:26, 16:10, 18:2, 6;Judg 18:8, 14; 19:23), or of the relationship between tribes 0udg 1:3, 17; 5:14; 1 Chron 9:9). On a broader scale it is used to denote the relationship between distantly related ethnic groups that share a common ancestry (e.g., the brotherhood of lsrael and Edom [Num 20:14; Deut 23:7] or Israel and Esau [Deut 2:4, 8] based on common Semitic ancestry). It may also be used to denote close friend (as in the case of David and Jonathan, 2 Sam 1 :26), associate (1 Chron 6:44[29]), companion (Prov 7:4; 18:9, 19;Job 17:14; 30:29), or simply friend as a term of endearment (2 Sam 20:9, where Joab calls Amasa adelphos just before killing him; see also Jer 22:18; 1 Kings 9:13; 20:32-33; 2 Kings 9:2). Tob 5:14, 17 is ambiguous and could mean either friend or relative. In a few cases the meaning is more like colleague (as in 1 Kings 13:30, fellow prophet). . . . Instances of cousins proper may be found in a couple of texts, including Lev 10:4 (the cousins of Nadab and Abihu) and 1 Chron 23:22 (the cousins of Eleazars daughters). (p. 48) On page 49 Svendsen notes that out of 368 NT usages of adelphos and its cognates, only 91 carry the meaning sibling (included here are the disputed passages that mention the brothers of Jesus). Thus, less than one-fourth carry the meaning of literal sibling that Svendsen and most Protestants insist is the case for the brothers and sisters of Jesus. He observes that Not surprisingly, the vast majority of instances (243) carry the meaning spiritual sibling (i.e., fellow Christian), and most of these (all but fifty-five) occur in the NT epistles. All agree on those usages. [T]here are no instances of adelphos in the NT that bear the meaning relatives, except of course where the reference is to biological siblings: With full brother and half-brother we exhaust the literal meaning of adelphos found in the NT. it never means stepbrother (the solution of Epiphanius), [or] cousin (the solution of Jerome (Meier, 1992:20-21). (p. 51) In similar vein, everywhere adelphos is used in contexts in which a brother is named it, too, always refers to a sibling. (pp. 52-53) To the contrary, in effect (as argued in my point #3 above) the named brothers of Jesus in Mark 6:3 and its parallel text Matthew 13:55-56 are by strong but not certain implication called cousins (sungenis / kin in RSV) by Jesus Himself in Mark 6:4. Also, by inexorable deduction, two of these brothers are described as sons of the other Mary (see my argument in point #1 above). This being the case, when they are called brothers elsewhere, the meaning must be first cousin or more distant relative; it cannot possibly be Jesus sibling. In any case, the very reason why we know that adelphos [in the LXX] can mean cousin, nephew, or some other relative is that the immediate context regularly makes the exact relation clear by some sort of periphrasis . No such clarification is given in the NT texts concerning the brothers of Jesus (Meier, 1992:17). (p. 52) This is simply not true. Brothers of Jesus James and Joseph (Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3) are called sons of the other Mary (Mt 27:61; 28:1), or Mary Clopas (Jn 19:25), in Matthew 27:56 and Mark 15:40. Mary Clopas is called the Blessed Virgin Marys adelphe in John 19:25, meaning, I believe, Marys sister-in-law (wife of Clopas, Josephs brother), according to very early tradition, from Eusebius, citing the historian Hegesippus). This would make them Jesus first cousins; yet they are called brothers (adelphe). And Jude calls himself the brother of James rather than of Jesus (Jude 1:1; #2 above). That more or less proves whose sibling he really is. Yet Svendsen can only react to this scriptural data with the following obtuse, exegetically despairing statement: Indeed, Meier (1992:11) may very well be correct when he says that to use Mark 15:40-or any of the women at the cross parallels-to attempt to explain the relationship between the various Marys and those designated the brothers of Jesus is to explain the obscure by the still more obscure. (p. 60) What, pray tell, is so obscure about Mary the mother of James and Joseph (Mt 27:56) and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses (Mk 15:40)? The only remaining question to resolve is the exact identity of this Mary. I submit that its not that difficult when we compare all of the relevant passages (and the related early traditional evidence). Shes clearly not Mary the mother of Jesus, since she is called her adelphe. Assuming for a moment that she was, it would be absurd to describe her as the mother of these two men, but not Jesus mother. That stretches credulity beyond the breaking point. Yet some Helvidians have desperately sought to make that very case. Ive debated them myself. In fact, this is Svendsens preferred view, as he affirms on page 63, while admitting that it is not without its weaknesses. And he himself provides the reason that I consider fatal to this hypothesis: why the gospel writers should suddenly change the designation of Jesus mother from the mother of Jesus (and equivalents) to the mother of James [and Joses] seems odd if not inexplicable. . . . perhaps it is Johns Mary the wife of Clopas who is to be equated with Matthew and Marks Mary mother of James and Joses (p. 63). [T]he existence of two sisters named Mary in the same household . . . plagues this view as well, and we may reject this view on the grounds that it would be highly improbable that two sisters should have borne the same name (McHugh, 1975:232). (p. 62) Its no problem if we take the view that this Mary is Blessed Virgin Marys sister-in-law. John 19:25 indicates that by calling her his mothers sister, Mary the wife of Clopas. Sister (adelphe) can possibly be a sister-in-law (no problem; husbands brothers wife in this case), and indeed we continue such a usage in English: when a particularly close sister-in-law or step sister, half-sister, etc., is simply called a sister. Sometimes close friends are said to be like a sister. Very early tradition backs it up, too. In Eusebius Church History, he states: Hegesippus [(c. 110 c. 180)] records that Clopas was a brother of Joseph (Book III, section 11, parts 1-2; translated by Arthur Cushman McGiffert. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 1. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. [1890], pp. 123-124 in the version translated by G. A. Williamson, Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1965. Hegesippus also refers to the Lords uncle, Clopas (Book IV, section 22, part 4; ibid., p. 181). This overcomes the odd scenario of two Marys as siblings. Svendsen notes Hegesippus opinion on this matter on page 64. *** 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: The Heart of Mary, by Leopold Kupelwieser (1796-1862). Photograph by Diana Ringo at Peterskirche, Vienna, Austria (9-22-13) [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license] *** Summary: I critique in great depth Protestant anti-Catholic apologist Eric Svendsens dissertation on the Blessed Virgin Mary, regarding the so-called brothers of Jesus. A press release about my latest book, now available for free: The Bible and Music. What do works like Handels Messiah and Bachs Passions have in common with contemporary songs like Leonard Cohens Hallelujah or Kendrick Lamars How Much a Dollar Cost? Like much of the worlds favorite music, these songs draw inspiration from biblical stories, and a new, free and open textbook published by the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) offers a unique learning approach to the subject. In The Bible and Music, the first open textbook published with a grant from the PALSave: PALNI Affordable Learning program, author James McGrath, Ph.D., Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University, explores the intersection of faith and music while inviting readers to experience the material firsthand through interactive video and audio clips. The chance first to teach a course on the Bible and music, then write a cutting-edge textbook on the topic, has been a dream come true, says McGrath. My career has been in the academic study of the Bible and religion. Alongside that has always been a love of listening to and playing music I never did anything with professionally, but that has been profoundly important to me nonetheless. Teaching the course provided the opportunity to figure out how best to explore this intersection for an audience that may not have a background with either the Bible or music. Writing the book has given me the opportunity to share what I have learned and what I teach, and to make it available not just for my future students, but anyone interested. The Bible and Music offers what no previous textbook on the subject has before. It provides readers with an overview of the highly influentialyet sometimes surprisingconnection between song and faith, with material dating back from ancient Israelite music and the musical notation in ancient Hebrew manuscripts, to the reception of the Bible in classical, rock, hip hop, country, and other genres of today. Offered digitally, it is the first textbook of its kind to engage readers in actively listening to the subject matter as they follow the readings. Best of all, it does this as an open educational resource (OER), meaning it costs readersprimarily college students and their instructorsnothing. McGrath was one of the first open textbook authors to apply for and receive a PALSave Textbook Creation Grant from PALNI in 2021. Offered to faculty from PALNI-supported institutions, the grant allows educators to develop open textbooks that are freely available online, making them part of a nationwide effort to reduce the cost of course materials for college students. Financed with support from Lilly Endowment Inc., each grant provides a maximum of $6,500 per project or $5,000 per author. As an inaugural grant recipient, McGrath agreed to have his book serve as the pilot project for the entire Textbook Creation Grant program. Since the release of McGraths book, there are now eight grant-funded titles in production with seven additional titles to be selected for creation in March 2023. It is extremely rewarding to see faculty authors like Dr. McGrath, who is so committed to creating high quality, low-cost course material, receive funding for a project and then see it come to fruition, says Amanda Hurford, PALNI Scholarly Communications Director. It is because of these educators that textbook affordability is becoming a reality. PALNI is grateful to them, and to our funding organization, Lilly Endowment, for enabling us to support them in the process. PALNIs OER Publishing Task Force, including Project Manager and Butler University Librarian Jennifer Coronado and PALNI Publishing Project Coordinator Heather Myers, supported the creation of the book. The Bible and Music by James McGrath is available for free through the PALNI Press. Visit PALSave: PALNI Affordable Learning online to learn more about Textbook Creation Grants and other OER opportunities offered through PALNI. ### About the PALSave Textbook Creation Grant Program With support from Lilly Endowment Inc., PALNIs PALSave Textbook Creation Grant Program awards funding to faculty members from PALNI-supported institutions to create open textbooks. Faculty are periodically invited to submit creation grant proposals for the courses they teach. Textbooks may cover any discipline at the undergraduate or postgraduate level. PALNI seeks proposals for textbooks geared toward specific fields of study that meet the inclusion criteria for the Open Textbook Library. The PALNI Open Educational Resource (OER) Publishing Task Force selects projects for funding based on proposal quality, clearly defined goals, need within the current open access body of work, and adoption potential within PALNI schools and beyond. PALNI coordinates peer review, copyediting, layout, and hosting services to assist grant recipients in their textbook creation. Each textbook is also supported by a local project manager to monitor progress and answer questions throughout development. The open textbooks are published on the PALNI Press-supported Pressbooks platform alongside other faculty-contributed works and are ultimately submitted to the Open Textbook Library and OER repositories. About Lilly Endowment Inc. Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. More information can be found at www.lillyendowment.org. About the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) is a non-profit organization that supports collaboration for library and information services for 24 colleges, universities and seminaries throughout the state. From its inception in 1992, the PALNI collaboration has been a key avenue for its supported institutions to contain costs while providing more effective library services. More recently, PALNI has adopted a model of deep collaboration that pools resources and people as a tool to expand services while keeping costs down. PALNIs board of directors, composed of all 24 library deans and directors from the supported organizations, convened a Future Framing Task Force in 2019 to address ongoing demographic challenges in higher education. The board has escalated this work in the wake of COVID-19, as the consortium seeks to manage the increased need for online support while reducing costs. Simultaneously, PALNI is expanding collaboration within its institutions and with external library partners to address challenges and build cost-effective services. Visit the PALNI website for more information. PALNI Supported Institutions Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary | Anderson University | Bethel University | Butler University | Concordia Theological Seminary | Christian Theological Seminary | DePauw University | Earlham College | Franklin College | Goshen College | Grace College | Hanover College | Huntington University | Manchester University | Marian University | Oakland City University | University of Saint Francis | Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College | Saint Marys College | Saint Meinrads Seminary and School of Theology | Taylor University | Trine University | University of Indianapolis | Wabash College The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has pledged his full support for initiatives and programmes that create jobs for the people of Asanteman and Ghana. The Asantehene made this known at the relaunch of the production of the great tasting, quality Ghanaian beer, Star Beer, in Kumasi, where it was originally brewed in Ghana. Assuring the people of Asanteman, Otumfuo said that he would always pledge his support for any good initiatives and projects in Kumasi and Ashanti that will bring pride, joy, and jobs to his people in the region to promote development in Ghana. "Today, I am very happy, as is Asanteman, for the revival of this business that once brought pride and joy to the people of Asanteman. We celebrate this occasion and anticipate the economic goodwill it will bring to us as a people", he said. The Asantehene, therefore, appealed to investors to take advantage of the serene business nature of Kumasi and the Ashanti Region as a whole to open factories to boost their businesses. Managing Director of Guinness Ghana, Helene Weesie, said: Ashantis are known to be proud of their culture and royalty and appreciate a brand that respects their values and proves it in its interactions with them. When we first started brewing here, it was about more than just creating a refreshing beer. It was about creating a connection to this city and its people As we continue to execute a strategy to grow and expand Star Beer nationwide through cutting-edge consumer insights and marketing, we retraced our roots and decided not to gloss over it. Im happy to say that, the connection Star has had with Asanteman has stood the test of time and is stronger now more than ever as we relaunch its production, in the Home of Star, where it belongs, she added On his part, the Head of Beers at Guinness Ghana, Roland Ofori also said: "Star Beer is a part of the city's culture and tradition. Apart from refreshing the people of Kumasi since the 1960s, Star Beer symbolizes the optimism of the everyday person in this region and that literally can be seen in the millions of sparkling bubbles in the liquid. Star Beer is not just a beer; it's a part of Kumasi's identity". For several years Star Beer has been a popular choice among consumers in Kumasi and it is often associated with casual occasions, good moments, celebrations and social events in the city. Made from rich locally sourced raw materials, Star Beer is now closer to consumers in Kumasi with its signature million sparkling bubbles. Star beer's great-tasting, award-winning quality has won 4 Awards at the prestigious Monde Selection Quality Awards with its most recent win being in April 2022. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Head of Linguistics at the University of Ghana, Professor Kofi Agyekum has expressed contrary views to Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) proposal for an abolishment of the protocol list system in Senior High Schools under the Computerized School Selection and Placement System. The Ghana Integrity Initiative, an anti-corruption organization, argues that protocol list provides room for people to cheat and also doesn't give fair and equal opportunity in the placement system. Responding to the GII demand on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show, Prof. Kofi Agyekum, popularly called Opanyin Agyekum, says the protocol list "cannot be scrapped" but rather suggested "there should be a cut-off point which should be transparent and strictly adherred to" in order to streamline the system. Listen to his full submissions below: Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Member of Parliament (MP) for Okaikoi South Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, Dakoa Newman, through her " MP's Financial Support to Students" has given financial support to 200 brilliant but needy students in her constituency. The beneficiary students, most of whom are pursuing undergraduate Degrees, Senior High as well as diploma and certificate courses, were drawn from several communities including churches within the Okaikoi South constituency. "The financial support given by the MP would go a long way to help me settle my tuition as well as foot other bills," A third year the University of Ghana female beneficiary student by name of Sandra Owusu made the above pronouncement while thanking the MP for the kind gesture. She seized the opportunity to express gratitude to the MP for her benevolence and further charged fellow beneficiary students to remain Studios in their quest of making their parents proud. This is the second time, the MP through her Financial Support programme, supported the needy students in her constituency. In her speech at a short ceremony held at Kaneshie, the lawmaker disclosed that financial support forms part of her efforts to enhance education in the area. According to Miss Newman, the aim of the Financial support is to sponsor brilliant but needy students from her constituency who are qualified to Senior High Schools as well as Tertiary Institutions. Speaking further, the MP mentioned that last year, hundred and Fifty (150) people, mostly students received Financial Support from her outfit and she decided to increase the total beneficiaries to Two-Hundred (200) because those needy students requiring support keep increasing. "We have plans of tying the financial support to the results of these students so that excellent students would receive double of the financial support they have received today," This move, the lawmaker disclosed, would motivate them (beneficiary students) to take their studies very serious whiles encouraging others to also study hard to be able to benefit from such educational support. The honourable MP underscored the importance of education and encouraged the beneficiary students to take their studies seriously so that they would be better equipped to transition into the countrys workforce. Speaking after receiving the funds on behalf of their children, some of the parents of the beneficiary students who could not hide their happiness thanked the MP and pledged to use the monies for the intended purpose. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Inspector General of Police of the Ghana Police Service, Dr George Akuffo Damparehas been commended for his effort to transform the service. A social commentator, Michael Tettey in a Facebook post has described the IGP as a transformational leader who cannot be hated. His commendation comes after the police resolved to no longer show or display the faces of suspects who are yet to be convicted. According to the police, the approach forms part of their effort to become a world-class police organization and the best institution in the country, serving as a reference point in Africa and beyond. Michal Tettey who is happy about the new approach shared his view on social media and commends the police head. Hate him or like him, this current I.G.P. appears to be up to something good; he's really proven to be a transformational leader. For decades if not centuries, many human rights activists have decried the Practice of displaying the faces of suspects who are yet to be convicted on television and newspapers. He said Adding that It's under his regime that this cry has been heard, Article 15 of the constitution categorically states that the dignity of every human being shall be inviolable, it goes on to say that People who are arrested on suspicion of wrongdoing, should not be subjected to degrading or dehumanizing condition and anything that detracts from their humanity. Article 19(1) (c) further states that People arrested on suspicion of wrongdoing are deemed innocent until convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction. For crying out loud, these are People, who are yet to go through a trial to ascertain their guilt or otherwise, so it's of no moment, to splash their images all over the media for people to see them. Many of these suspects actually go through trial and are acquitted, so imagine the damage and Public ridicule we would have subjected them to by showing their faces to the Public. COP Dampare deserves tonnes of commendation for standing up for the right of these Poor and hapless suspects, who have been subjected to this embarrassing situation for years without any voice or reason to speak for them. History would indeed be kind to this Professional Policeman. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UKGCC), a member-based trade association that promotes trade between the UK and Ghana, applauds the inauguration of the Independent Tax Appeals Board (ITAB) in Ghana by Government. The Board, created in accordance with the Revenue Administration (Amendment) Act, 2020 (Act 1029), will tackle tax disputes and appeals against objection decisions of the Ghana Revenue Authority. Anthony Pile MBE, Chairman of the UKGCC Executive Council, remarked, 'we hope that this will enhance revenue mobilisation, through speedy adjudication, accuracy, and fairness in tax dispute resolution'. This is welcoming news for businesses and investors in Ghana, as taxpayers will be given a chance to have a fair hearing of their cases and a determination of the proper amount of their liabilities by an independent body, before being required to pay them. In the previous system of tax appeals, taxpayers had to resort to costly and protracted litigation at the courts to have their disputes with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) resolved. The Board, independent of the Ghana Revenue Authority, will ensure an efficient and cost-effective appeal mechanism for tax cases in Ghana, thereby providing a system of transparency, balance, and increased confidence for taxpayers. Mr. Pile further added that, 'we are looking forward to the notice of appointment of the Executive Secretary of the ITAB who will be responsible for receiving appeals'. For years now, the UK Ghana Chamber of Commerce has been one of the business communitys foremost advocates for tax policy and administration reforms, that best provides an enabling business and investment environment, while raising revenues to support the economic development of Ghana. About the UKGCC The UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UKGCC) was established in 2016 to promote trade between the UK and Ghana. It is the leading UK business support organisation in Ghana. The UKGCC provides exceptional support for its members through the sharing of knowledge and ideas, creating platforms for building stronger networks and providing linkages with Government and its agencies. One of its key foci is to see Ghana become a significant economic partner for the UK as an export market, import source, investment destination and vice versa. It exists to further the business interests of its members across both countries and create more business opportunities. The Chamber is backed by the British and Ghana Governments through the UK-Ghana Business Council and the British Chambers of Commerce in the UK and is Africa Scotland Business Network Strategic Partner. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Dan Botwe, has stressed the need for effective collaboration between policymakers and academia to enhance the development of the country. Mr Botwe said this when he called on the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson, at her office as part of his three-day official working visit to the Ashanti Region to promote effective coordination between the Ministry, Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs) and the Assemblies. The call on the VC was to have a discussion with the Bureau of Integrated Rural Development (BIRD), the Department of Planners and the College of Agriculture at the KNUST to consider and examine the effective implementation of the Rural Development Policy. He suggested that good project research work by students should be considered for effective planning and called for deliberate efforts to be made for academia and policymakers to pursue policies and programmes that impact all Ghanaians. Vice Chancellor Welcoming the minister and his delegation, Prof. Dickson said that impactful research was not in publication alone but such research must be made available to people who could best utilise them. She emphasised that academia had the expertise to review the 2019-2023 Rural Development Policy together with the Ministry to find solutions to rural development challenges. She said her institution had signed Memoranda of Understanding with some deprived districts such as Sekyere Afram Plains and Sene West to provide them with technical assistance for the countrys benefit. Dan Botwe (3rd from left), Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, with Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson (4th from right), Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and other officials of the ministry after the meeting Tour Mr Botwe also visited the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, the Oforikrom and Ejisu Municipal assemblies as well as the Rural Development College at Kwaso, all in the Ashanti Region. Addressing senior management staff of the metro and the two municipal assemblies, Mr Botwe stated that the ministry by the 1992 Constitution was to pursue policies and programmes that would bring development to the people at the local level. He, therefore, urged the staff to pursue policies, programmes, and interventions that would bring development to their people. At the Rural Development College (RDC), Mr Botwe assured the staff and students of the college that the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) was working closely with the ministry, and very soon students after completion, could pursue a degree at the institute. Entourage The Head of the Office of the Local Government Service, Dr Nana Ato Arthur, who was part of the ministers entourage, advised the Assembly staff not to refuse postings where their expertise was needed. The minister was accompanied by his two Deputies, Osei Bonsu Amoah and Augustine Collins Ntim; the Chief Director of the MLGDRD, Marian Kpakpah. ARCC, Mrs Emelia Brobbey, Heads of Department under the ministry, and directors. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) taskforce on Wednesday arrested three shop managers in Accra for allegedly evading tax on the electronic Value Added Tax (VAT) system. The managers were arrested in Kasoa, Achimota, and North Industrial Area, for issuing non-e-VAT invoices. The three managers were sent to the Customs headquarters for their statements and then handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Police. The initiative is part of an ongoing nationwide VAT inspection exercise to ensure tax compliance and retrieve taxes due the state. Mr Joseph Annan, Area Enforcement Manager of GRA, in charge of Accra Central, said the exercise concluded what the Authority started on Monday to get rid of tax defaulters. He said the Authority had 50 taxpayers on its e- VAT system and noticed that some were issuing invoices not certified by the Commissioner-General as required by law. Section 41 of the VAT Act 2013, (Act 870) as amended by Act 1082 and Act 1087, states that every registered VAT taxpayer is required to issue an electronic VAT invoice with details that are prescribed by the Commissioner-General when they provide services or supply goods. Investigations by the Authority revealed that some taxpayers were involved in the issuance of false tax invoices or sales receipts, while others had failed to integrate the certified invoicing system into the invoicing system of the GRA Commissioner-General. Mr Annan said the punishment for such infractions as provided under the VAT Act included a fine of not more than one hundred penalty units or a term of imprisonment of not more than six months, or both, in addition to a payment of penalty of an amount of not more than GHc50,000 or three times the amount of tax involved. He said people who flouted the law could also be charged under sections 78 and 82 of the Revenue Administration Act, 2016 (Act 915) that focused on the failure to comply with tax law and impeding tax administration, respectively. The Commissioner-General will prosecute all persons found to have committed offences under the provisions of the tax laws, he said. He urged the public and all VAT taxpayers to report any tax infractions to the Authority for the necessary action. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, The Netherlands, has dismissed a $55 million judgment debt against Ghana which was being sought by a Chinese company over a traffic management project. The disputed project the Accra Intelligent Traffic Management System (AITMS) was signed between the government of Ghana (GoG) and Beijing Everyway Traffic & Lighting Technical Company Limited (simply known as Everyway Tech) in 2012. Under the contract, Everyway Tech was supposed to install new traffic signal systems in Accra, improve existing systems and reduce traffic congestion in the capital city through a coordinated traffic signal system. In 2022, Everyway Tech dragged Ghana to the PCA with a case that the GoG had cancelled the contract and unlawfully expropriated its investment in the country, in violation of the China-Ghana Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). Among other things, the claimant (Everyway Tech) sought damages of $55m from the GoG for the money it had expended on the AITMS before the alleged abrogation and unlawful expropriation. Under international law, a country can expropriate (take over) properties or investments of individuals or companies in its territory, provided the expropriation is done lawfully, is in the public interest and the country pays the required compensation to the affected entity. No jurisdiction In a unanimous decision last Monday, a three-member panel of the PCA dismissed Everyway Techs claim on the basis that the tribunal had no jurisdiction over the legality of the alleged expropriation of the companys investment by the GoG. It was the considered view of the arbitral tribunal that although the China-Ghana BIT allowed investor-state arbitrations to settle disputes, such arbitrations did not include the issue of legality of expropriation. The China-Ghana BIT, the PCA held, rather gave jurisdiction to arbitral tribunals over the amount of compensation to be paid to entities affected by expropriation by the two states under the agreement. The China-Ghana agreement contains a provision for investor-state arbitration in Article 10(1) of the treaty which is limited to disputes concerning the amount of compensation for expropriation. As such, neither China nor Ghana intended to arbitrate and made no arbitration offer to investors of the other contracting state in respect of disputes concerning the entitlement of expropriation or the breach of equitable treatment and protection under the treaty, the tribunal held. The arbitrators of the tribunal were Prof. Stavros Brekoulakis (Presiding Arbitrator), V.K. Rajah SC and Prof. Richard Oppong. A-Gs case upheld The PCA gave the decision after it had upheld an objection raised by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, challenging the jurisdiction of the tribunal to entertain the action. The tribunal upholds the respondents (GoGs) objections to the tribunals jurisdiction and finds that it has no jurisdiction to decide the claimants (Everyway Techs) claims in this arbitration, the PCA ruled. Mr Dame had argued before the PCA that under the China-Ghana BIT, it was only the courts of the two countries that had jurisdiction over the legality of expropriation made in each countrys territory. In that regard, per the argument of the A-G, since the dispute related to a contract in Ghana, only the courts of Ghana had jurisdiction to determine the legality of the expropriation, as alleged by Everyway Tech. AITMS project On December 16, 2011, Ghana signed a credit facility with the China Development Bank for a loan facility to develop 12 infrastructure projects in Ghana, including the AITMS project. Based on the credit facility, Everyway Tech was awarded the AITMS project in April 2012 and it subsequently signed an engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning (EPIC) contract with the Ministry of Roads and Highways on September 17, 2012, valued at $100 million. Under the EPIC contract, Everyway Tech was to supply equipment and provide technical services to the GoG in respect of the planning, design, construction, supervision, operation and training for the AITMS project. Per the terms of the contract, Everyway Tech was to, among other things, construct traffic signal control sub-systems at 257 junctions in Accra, provide 394 comprehensive violation capturing sub-systems, provide traffic guidance display systems at 20 locations and traffic flow collection and speed capturing sub-systems at 425 locations. The company was also to provide high-definition video monitoring sub-systems at 259 locations, 240km of fibre optic, 1,718 wireless magnetic detectors, road signs, lane markings and pedestrian handrails. Everyway Tech was expected to commence work on August 26, 2019, with the work scheduled to be completed in 24 months. Information available in the arbitral award shows that on December 22, 2018, Parliament approved the EPIC contract. Case of claimant Everyway Tech made a case that in November 2019, a delegation from the Ministry of Roads and Highways visited its factory in China and saw that it had manufactured equipment for shipment to Ghana for the AITMS project. The company also claimed that in January 2020, the Department of Urban Roads granted it permission to ship the equipment it had manufactured and which had been inspected by officials to Ghana for the AITMS project. On February 21, 2020, about six months after the commencement of the AITMS project, the first installations at two intersections in Accra were switched on, indicating the official launch of the AITMS project in Ghana, it said. However, on November 19, 2020, the Parliament of Ghana rescinded its decision of December 22, 2018 to approve the EPIC contract. It was the case of Everyway Tech that the EPIC contract was rescinded unlawfully, unjustifiably and at a period when it had completed a substantial amount of work. The Chinese company then dragged Ghana to the PCA, with a case that the GoG had breached Article 4(1) of the China-Ghana BIT. The respondent (GoG), however, argued that the decision of Parliament to rescind its approval of the EPIC contract was in the interest of the countrys national security. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Youth Chief of Abola Akwatse We, Nii Ayiteyfio Djata I is partnering Ghanas National Chief, Imam His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu to bring development to Oyarifa and its environs in the Greater Accra Region. In a courtesy call on Wednesday February 1, 2023 on the National Chief Imam at his residence at Fadama, the National Chief Imam lauded the initiative by Nii Ayiteyfio Djata. Speaking to Starrfm.com.gh Nii Gjata I stated that the initiative geared towards the construction of a mosque for the Muslim community in Oyarifa as well a school for the residents of Oyarifa. The Youth Chief of Abola Akwatse We stated that the National Chief was full of joy for the move and he prayed for the success of the construction works that the area will see soon. As the Youth Chief I have to help our area to see progress and development that is why I am engaging in what can open up Oyarifa for more development. When you see Oyarifa we will need a mosque and a school so we have demarcated a portion of our land so that the National Chief Imam can use for these construction works. Because we also have quite a huge number of Muslim communities, who will need such infrastructure, the Youth Chief stated. Nii Ayiteyfio Gjata I stated that that community development should be a collective thing and not left for only the government. When you go out to work you will definitely come home and you need a room to sleep in. So infrastructure should be paramount for us as a nation. One other thing I will love the involvement of the National Chief Imam is for Oyarifa to have factories. So that the youth can be gainfully employed. We also need the help of the government in this regard, we have lands so with the governments support we can achieved all of these. He asked for Gods guidance and protection for the President so that the nation can see more development and progress. Nii Ayiteyfio Gjata I was in the accompanied with Abola Asafoatse of Akwatse We, Nii Akwa Nsro Apim I for the visit. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video New Patriotic Party flagbearer hopeful, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong has disclosed that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was initially against his decision to join the race to be the partys presidential candidate. Speaking on Metro TVs Good Evening Ghana hosted by Paul Adom Otchere, Kennedy Agyapong stated that the president has since come to accept his decision despite his initial reservations. Yes, initially but he is okay with it now, he responded when the host questioned him on the presidents reaction to his ambition. Kennedy Agyapong mentioned that he is currently focused on galvanising the support of the partys grassroots for his candidacy after which he will seek the blessings of some persons of authority within and outside of the NPP. I want to deal with the grassroots first and their response, when I know I am a formidable candidate, the first person I will go to is President Kufuor, second, I will go to Otumfuo, third I will go to Central Regional House of Chiefs and inform them of my decision. What I am doing now is, I have introduced myself to the region and the constituencies. Now I am going to the grassroots, I will go there personally to speak to them, show them my contribution to the party and my achievements in this country; why although NPP is becoming unpopular there is still this candidate that Ghanaians are willing to give him a chance, he added. The likes of Kennedy Agyapong, Kwabena Agyapong, Joe Ghartey, Dr Afriyie Akoto and Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen have all announced their bids for the NPP flagbearership Meanwhile, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia who is yet to officially announce his bid is tipped as a lead contender in the race. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame has maintained that despite Ghanas stagnate position in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for the past 3 years, the government since its assumption of office in 2017 has taken bold steps to curb and fight the penchant for corruption in the country. Ghana has placed 72nd in the 2022 edition of the CPI. The report, which was released on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, and announced by Transparency International (TI) saw Ghana score 43 out of a total of 100, a score it has maintained for the past 3 years. However, speaking to journalists for the first time since the report was released, Mr. Dame noted that the government is committed to fighting corruption through the numerous institutional reforms it is putting in place and in no time, Ghana will improve its CPI. The effort to tackle corruption will only succeed if we understand the way corruption works. Corruption is mostly engaged in by government officials, businesses, Civil Society, the media, public servants, the church and virtually all members of the public. The system is in place for preventing and detecting corruption if it occurs. That must also be coupled with a strong mechanism for punishing crime. Since 2017, the government has focused on building a system for the prevention and detection of corruption. It has undertaken arguably the boldest initiatives since independence to reform and strengthens Ghanas capacity to tackle corruption, especially in the public sector. Some of these bold initiatives are the Right to Information Act 2019, Witness Protection Act, 2018, the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2018, and the amendment of the Criminal Offenses Act amongst others, he said. He pointed out that the fight against the canker is evident in the institutional reforms the government is putting in place along with the passage and amendment of laws that will help tackle and curb corruption. According to him, the financial empowerment of antigraft institutions like the Office of the Special Prosecutor, and the digitization of our Ports and Courts amongst hosts of digitization drive spearheaded by the government is proof that it is committed to rooting out corruption. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former MP for Adentan, Yaw Buaben Asamoa has refuted reports that the flagbearership bid of former Minister for Trades and Industry, Alan Kyerematen, is not being supported by the stalwarts of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP). Alan, as he is affectionately called, announced his intentions to contest in the upcoming NPP presidential primaries and has commenced a tour to meet the delegates of the party at the grassroots level. His tour of his home regionthe Ashanti region has been described by some supporters of his opponents as unsuccessful because the Members of Parliament in the region were not seen following him in their numbers. But Buaben Asamoa, a former National Communication Director of the NPP, who is now a key member of Alans campaign has described the reports from the camp of their opponents as inaccurate and fuelled by fear. In a comment shared widely with some party members, the astute legal practitioner argued that the grassroots support from the polling station executives and other grassroots party people is enough for the team. Somebody thinks the big guns in the NPP will decide the flagbearership. Wrong. And wrong again. It is the crowds of neglected Polling Station Executives, over 200,000 of them, who will decide, he said. Reacting to the comments from some NPP members who seek to mock their campaign strategy, Buaben Asamoa retorted, Hogwash. It wont wash. The so-called large majority is a mere three percent of the full delegates conference, and whilst they may have their procured say, the disrespected ninety-seven percent of delegates will definitely have their way. Below is his statement; A PYRRHIC MENTALITY HAS ONLY ONE END GAME. TOXIC FEAR Somebody thinks the big guns in the NPP will decide the flagbearership. Wrong. And wrong again. It is the crowds of neglected Polling Station Executives, over 200,000 of them, who will decide. And when they do, another pyrrhic victory may be on the cards for those who would rather scheme and traduce than respect genuine ambition. The ambition of servant leadership. A Pyrrhic Victory a victory that comes at a great cost, perhaps making the ordeal to win not worth it: it relates to Pyrrhus, a king of Epirus who defeated the Romans in 279 BCE but lost many of his troops. (httpps://www.meriam-webster.com> King Pyrrhus actions are perhaps on all fours with those who thought willfully haemorrhaging a majority of 169 would still leave them laughing. Wrong. An artificial majority and an opposition Speaker later, their lot is fear. Toxic fear. So, let them continue to focus on the top-heavy incumbency and make assumptions. Literally, polishing balls whilst the edifice we all contributed to building, crumbles. Bunch of failed MPs? Of course. The difference? Leadership. A visionary with a mission. A mission to recapture, restore, rebuild and reward. A mission to modernise the Party that has been willfully brought to its knees. A vision to create a politically functional fighting force, motivated by fairness, respect and reward. No. Not the pyrrhic winners. They would rather have another scheme. A scheme so sinister it shows how panicked they are. Its supposed to be simple. Manipulate the assumed pliant Special Congress of big guns to a rather absurd outcome for the heir apparent and then bend the rules to certify the bofrot result as final enough to bypass the entire delegates conference since a procured large majority have said so. Hogwash. It wont wash. The so-called large majority is a mere three percent of the full delegates conference, and whilst they may have their procured say, the disrespected ninety-seven percent of delegates will definitely have their way. Moreover, the National leadership may not be that pliant. And, a large majority in Parliament may have other ideas. Therefore best practice from the first special Congress. Copies of the post-Congress report are available. It's all about rules. Transparency in formulation, execution and into the delegate's conference. No full stops, twists and turns anywhere. That guarantees the Party going into 2024 with an open mind, willing to die a little to protect democracy and moderate our economic situation. So smart alecs have your spiteful say. The delegate's conference will certainly have its way. That way will be a freely elected, credible candidate, marketable to varied stakeholders, with a plan. A transformational plan for the benefit of many. Touche. Source: XYZ Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video There is a new face of the New Patriotic Party who wants to become flagbearer. Technically, Francis Addai-Nimoh is not a new political figure in the country, and even in the race to become the NPPs flagbearer, this would be his third attempt, but so far, he is the newest face to have popped up to express interest in the vacant role. This is the second time the former Mampong Member of Parliament (MP) is attempting to win over delegates to his party. Speaking at the official announcement of his intention to vie for the vacancy in his party, Francis Addai-Nimoh said that his decision to contest in the NPP flagbearer-ship race was informed by consultations and advice from some elders of the party, as well as research his team conducted. He added that he is confident that with his knowledge and values, he will help the NPP retain power for a third successive term. "I am humbled that my astute team has assessed my qualifications and motivations using some three criteria. Driven by my personal convictions, I am confident that my professional background and values can be useful in shaping the necessary initiatives that will significantly improve our country. "Coupled with the clarion call I have been receiving over these last years from our party members, rank and file and wide consultations with elders of the party, I, Addai-Nimoh, have thereby decided and officially announced my candidacy to be elected as the next flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party in the impending elections," he said. But who exactly is Francis Addai-Nimoh? Francis Addai-Nimoh studied Civil Engineering, obtaining his BSc Honours from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in 1993. Then, like now, fueled by his passion for professional transparency, he remains an incorruptible practical listener and pragmatic visionary for impactful socio-economic outcomes. Early in his professional life, as a civil engineer, along with other responsibilities later undertaken in government administration and private enterprise, his varied experience has helped guide his different endeavours to achieve optimal efficiencies, while always striving to contribute to improving daily life in Ghana. Francis had initially worked for a few engineering firms, gaining experience in data collection, road design, contract specification, construction supervision, bitumen production, and organizing training sessions to improve standards. In 2004, the Ministry of Roads and Highways hired Addai-Nimoh as a senior engineer, tasking him with monitoring and evaluating all Government of Ghana road projects. These responsibilities offered him the opportunity to become increasingly familiar with the extensive geography and resources across the length and breadth of Ghana. Here he continued to develop an extended network with a wide variety of people actively involved in their communities while enhancing his cross-cultural sensitivities towards the nations diversity. Francis Addai-Nimoh, a member in good standing of the Ghana Institution of Engineers, also holds an Executive Masters degree in Public Administration from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (2009). Previously, he had acquired knowledge and skills in International Procurement from the International Law Institute, Washington (2004), learned Program and Project Management at RIPA, London (2006), and enhanced his negotiation skills, Contract Management and Administration at the Ghana Institution of Engineers (2005). He has enjoyed developing leadership skills as far back as his school days, being elected to serve as Scripture Union President at Navrongo Secondary, Scripture Union President and Assistant Senior Prefect at Kumasi High School, and Students Representative Council President at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Addai-Nimohs first general election campaign had him elected as a Member of Parliament in 2008 for the Mampong Constituency in the Ashanti region, serving with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) until 2017. During this rise to prominence, he gained relevant knowledge and political insight while continuing to extend his network, namely by taking on a leadership role serving as a Ranking Member of Parliament on the Select Committee on Environment, Science, and Technology (20132017). Although fairly unknown at the time, Addai-Nimoh ran in the 2014 NPP flagbearer leadership race and placed 3rd out of 7 candidates when President Nana Akufo-Addo became head of the NPP. Since taking leave from government in 2017, Addai-Nimoh became Managing Director at Franstan Limited, which he had established, overseeing construction projects and other endeavours involving the general distribution of supplies, namely bitumen. Also propelled by his life-long dedication to charitable initiatives, as Chair of the Francis Addai-Nimoh Foundation (FAN Foundation), he also persistently championed impactful projects in education, food security, and poverty elimination. Now, however, Francis Addai-Nimoh is expected to face stiff competition from the likes of the former Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, former Food and Agriculture Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, and the MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, for the flagbearer-ship position of the NPP. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Chiefs and Queen Mothers of the Sunyani Traditional Council have declared that "this is the time God has ordained for Alan Kyerematen to be president of Ghana". Nana Kwaku Sarbeng, Akwamuhene of the Sunyani Traditional Area, said he admires the patience and wisdom with which Alan had conducted himself since he conceded to let then-candidate Nana Akufo-Addo go ahead of him for a shot at the presidency Now, the traditional council believes it is the appropriate time for Hon Kyerematen to assume the country's leadership and advised NPP delegates to choose their candidate for the 2014 general elections when they go to primaries later in the year. Hon Kyerematen urged the Chiefs to advise the delegates to select a flagbearer who would be acceptable to the entire country. "The country is expecting a turnaround based on a big vision to be delivered with competence," he said. Hon Kyerematen said the overreliance on the government to build industries to create jobs needed to change to a more efficient way of empowering the private sector to create jobs for the people. Hon Kyerematen noted that as Minister for Trade and Industry under President JA Kufuor, he initiated the Presidential Special Initiatives (PSI) in four different sectors of the economy, which could have yielded over $60 billion a year to the country, had the NDC, successor government to the NPP, had not terminated them after taking in 2008. He urged Ghanaians to ensure an NPP in 2024 to consolidate the progress made under the current government, including the big industrial transformation project under the 1D1F, the Business Resource Centres, producing well-rounded entrepreneurs, the Technology Support Centres providing modern cutting-edge tools and Free SHS and TVET, among others. All these initiatives have come to take advantage of AfCFTA, which is now making people describe Accra as the 'commercial centre of Africa', Mr Kyerematen said and urged Nananom to help the delegates take a good decision and select him as the candidate to continue the transformation on the foundation that the NPP government has built. In conclusion, Nananom said they expected a natural progression from President Nana Addo to Alan, in the same way, they saw President Kufuor giving it to President Nana Addo. They further advised Alan to improve his slogan to "Alan Cash, Aduro wo so" since there was no doubt that God was on his side. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A video capturing how Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa threw out a restraining order document from the secretary to the board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev Victor Kusi Boateng, who is also known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, has emerged online. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa was forced to kick out the document after the bailiff tried to force the document into his car on the compound of Metro TV after the Good Morning Ghana show. A man initially approached the lawmaker as he was just about to sit in his car after the show, the two were captured having a conversation after which a document was presented to him. The lawmaker did not take the document but went ahead to seat on his car, just as he opened his car, the bailiff tried to force the document into the lawmakers car but he immediately threw it out, kicked the document away from his car and drove off. Rev Kusi Boateng secures restraining order against Ablakwa The secretary to the board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev Victor Kusi Boateng, who is also known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, has secured an order of interim injunction against the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. The order restrains Okudzeto Ablakwa from publicly sharing any document belonging to Kwabena Adu Gyamfi for the next 10 days. The MP who disclosed this in a tweet shared on Friday, February 3, 2023, said that he was served the order after his appearance on Metro TVs Good Morning Ghana programme on the same day. One Kwabena Adu Gyamfi also claiming to have an alias as Victor Kusi Boateng has secured a 10-day restraining order seeking to stop me from further publications on the Conflict of Interest & Double Identity Scandal, parts of the MPs tweet read. The MP shared a picture of the order he was served which read: IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the 1" Respondent, SAMUEL OKUDZETO ABLAKWA is restrained from making further public disclosures of private documents, correspondence, communication and property belonging to the Applicant (Adu Gyamfi)." IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that this interim order will lapse after Ten (10) days, it added. BackgroundThe latest corruption expose on the National Cathedral by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, suggested impropriety on the part of the secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng.On January 16, 2023, the MP made some allegations against Rev. Kusi Boateng, who is the secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana.In an earlier revelation about the National Cathedral, Okudzeto Ablakwa said a whopping GH2.6 million was dished out to a company named JNS Talent Centre Limited.Further investigations into the alleged payment led to the discovery of one Kwabena Adu Gyamfi as a director of JNS Talent Centre.Having confirmed the identities of two out of three directors of the centre, Ablakwa dug deeper in a bid to discover the identity of the third director, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.According to his findings, citing a number of statutory documents, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi was the same as Reverend Kusi Boateng, who has allegedly been operating under the pseudonym Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. Source: Ghanaweb 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 Event Guide Africa, Africa Event Awards in partnership with Ghana Tourism Authority, Ministry of Tourism Art & Culture, Kaya Tours, Advance Media, and various stakeholders, has recently released its annual list of top 50 Events. The list comprises the most popular, innovative impactful events that took place in Ghana throughout the year 2022. The objective of the list is to showcase the diverse and dynamic events industry in Ghana and to highlight the organizers of events and their contributions to the country's economy and culture. In a statement by the CEO of Event Guide Africa, Kelvin Kenneth, he said, "The events industry in Ghana continues to thrive and grow, and we are proud to be at the forefront of promoting and celebrating the best events in the country. This year's list features a wide range of events, from large-scale music festivals to intimate theatre perform hand we are honored to recognize their achievements." Board Member and Spokesperson of Africa Event Awards, Prince Akpah also noted that event organizers must continue to work hard and strive for excellence in order to be recognized in the future. He also stated, "We encourage organizers to raise the bar and bring their best to the table. The events industry is highly competitive, and it is up to each individual to make sure that their events stand out and leave a lasting impression on attendees." The 2022 Top 50 Events list is a testament to the vibrant and thriving events industry in Ghana and serves as a source of inspiration for event organizers to continue to push the boundaries and bring the best events to the country. For more information on the 2022 Top 50 Events in Ghana and to see the full list below in alphabetical order or visit the Event Guide Africa website. www.eventguideafricanews.com 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 FILE - In this frame grab from video provided by the Tulare Count Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Mike Boudreaux speaks to the media near the scene of a fatal shooting in Visalia, Calif., on Jan. 16, 2023. Boudreaux said Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, that two gang members suspected in the massacre of six people last month in central California have been arrested, one after a gunbattle.(Tulare County Sheriff's Office via AP, File) The U.S. Willful Practice of Long-arm Jurisdiction and its Perils Xinhua) 17:04, February 03, 2023 BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Willful Practice of Long-arm Jurisdiction and its Perils February 2023 Contents Introduction I. An Overview of U.S. Long-arm Jurisdiction II. Exercise and Expansion of U.S. Long-arm Jurisdiction III. The Perils of U.S. Long-arm Jurisdiction Conclusion Introduction The United States has a longstanding practice of exerting frequent long-arm jurisdiction over other countries, including both its allies and countries with which it has hostile or strained relations. In recent years, the practice has kept expanding in scope, with U.S. "arms" stretching longer and longer. Examining cases of U.S. abuse of long-arm jurisdiction, this report lays bare the severe harm it has done to the international political and economic order and the international rule of law. I. An Overview of U.S. Long-arm Jurisdiction According to U.S. domestic law, long-arm jurisdiction refers to jurisdiction over persons or entities domiciled or resident outside the territory of the sanctioning state. First established by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of International Shoe Co. v. State of Washington (1945), long-arm jurisdiction allows state courts to exercise in personam jurisdiction in civil and commercial cases where jurisdiction cannot be exercised because the defendant is not domiciled in the state, on the basis that the defendant has some "minimum contacts" with the state. According to international law, the exercise of a country's jurisdiction over an extraterritorial person or entity generally requires that the person or entity or its conduct has a real and sufficient connection to that country. Yet the U.S. exercises long-arm jurisdiction on the basis of the "minimum contacts" rule, constantly lowering the threshold for application. Even the flimsiest connection with the United States, such as having a branch in the United States, using U.S. dollar for clearing or other financial services, or using the U.S. mail system, constitutes "minimum contacts." To exercise long-arm jurisdiction, the United States has further developed the "effects doctrine," meaning that jurisdiction may be exercised whenever an act occurring abroad produces "effects" in the United States, regardless of whether the actor has U.S. citizenship or residency, and regardless of whether the act complies with the law of the place where it occurred. The United States has also been expanding the scope of its long-arm jurisdiction to exert disproportionate and unwarranted jurisdiction over extraterritorial persons or entities, enforcing U.S. domestic laws on extraterritorial non-US persons or entities, and wantonly penalizing or threatening foreign companies by exploiting their reliance on dollar-denominated businesses, the U.S. market or U.S. technologies. In essence, long-arm jurisdiction is an arbitrary judicial practice, wielded by the U.S. government on the strength of its national power and financial hegemony, to enforce extraterritorial jurisdiction over entities and individuals of other countries on the ground of its domestic law. II. Exercise and Expansion of U.S. Long-arm Jurisdiction In the many years of exercising such jurisdiction, the United States has gradually developed a massive, mutually reinforcing and interlocking legal system for long-arm jurisdiction, and continued to lower the threshold and expand its discretionary power, thus shaping long-arm jurisdiction into a tool for the United States to advance hegemonic diplomacy and pursue economic interests. Such practice disregards other countries' sovereignty, blatantly meddles in others' internal affairs, seriously damages the legitimate interests of other countries, and disrupts the normal order of international exchanges. The expansion of U.S. long-arm jurisdiction is all-dimensional. Citing the "minimum contacts" rule and the "effects doctrine," the United States has developed massive and complex legal and enforcement systems to support its long-arm jurisdiction which is expanding in scope and fields of application. Long-arm jurisdiction has also become a means by which the United States abuses unilateral sanctions, especially secondary sanctions. To ensure the extraterritorial effects of U.S. sanction laws, the United States would usually exercise judicial authority to hold extraterritorial entities and individuals accountable for failing to comply with U.S. sanction laws. In addition to long-arm jurisdiction, administrative, economic, financial and other means would also be employed to implement its secondary sanctions. Compulsory extraterritorial evidence collection is another important means of long-arm jurisdiction. In the judicial process involving other countries, the United States frequently takes unilateral compulsory measures to collect evidence outside its own territory, circumventing normal channels of judicial and law enforcement cooperation between countries. It would directly ask banks and Internet firms that have branches or are listed in the United States to provide evidence such as account information and data located outside the United States. When other countries try to raise demarche, the United States would always respond by citing excuses such as "judicial independence" or "low efficiency in normal judicial assistance or law enforcement cooperation." These typical examples of long-arm jurisdiction have severely damaged other countries' judicial sovereignty, and the legitimate rights and interests of those subjects of evidence collection. The United States has put in place a whole-of-government system to practice long-arm jurisdiction, which features a division of labor among departments and inter-agency collaboration. The President and Congress are the main decision makers when it comes to sanctions. The President decides on most of the economic sanctions, and Congress participates through legislative activities under specific circumstances. At the heart of sanctions enforcement is the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), an agency under Treasury responsible for freezing assets subject to U.S. jurisdiction, formulating and adjusting lists of sanctioned individuals and entities, and reviewing and issuing licenses. The Department of State's Office of Economic Sanctions Policy and Implementation (SPI) is responsible for developing and implementing foreign policy-related sanctions. The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), an agency of the Department of Commerce, administers separate lists from the OFAC. On top of these, the U.S. government bolsters its sanctions enforcement through control of SWIFT and CHIPS, two major cross-border payment and clearing systems, by pressing them, when it deems necessary, to cut off contact with the financial institutions of the subject country to achieve the purpose of economic sanctions. The United States has stepped up legislation for long-arm jurisdiction. A wide range of laws in the United States advance long-arm jurisdiction, including Trading with the Enemy Act, International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and Helms-Burton Act. Others such as the USA PATRIOT Act and National Defense Authorization Act contain long-arm jurisdiction clauses. A number of presidential executive orders also involve long-arm jurisdiction. More and more U.S. federal legislation contains long-arm jurisdiction clauses to prevent Americans from circumventing U.S. laws by establishing subsidiaries in foreign countries, or foreigners enjoying less restrictions than Americans, or relevant international rules-making hurting U.S. interests. These legislative moves allow the United States to enforce long-arm jurisdiction in its diplomacy by citing domestic laws. There is a growing tendency of the U.S. applying long-arm jurisdiction to criminal cases, which is an extreme abuse of the practice. In recent years, a number of U.S. federal laws include extraterritorial clauses, which have been exploited by the Department of Justice to launch criminal investigations and prosecutions. In these proceedings, federal courts begin to apply the concept of long-arm jurisdiction when examining the basis of their jurisdiction by broadly interpreting the connection between the case and the United States, expanding the scope of personal and territorial jurisdiction, and lowering the threshold for the application of protective jurisdiction and general jurisdiction. III. The Perils of U.S. Long-arm Jurisdiction The United States is the only sanctions superpower in the world. According to the Treasury 2021 Sanctions Review, by fiscal year 2021,the number of active U.S. sanctions designations had increased to more than 9,400. Sanctions strain relations between countries and undermine the international order. Healthy state-to-state relations are the bedrock for peace and stability in the international order. In the 1990s, the United States introduced the Helms-Burton Act to impose economic sanctions through long-arm jurisdiction on individuals and entities worldwide conducting transactions with Cuba. It sparked strong opposition from the European Union, who in 1996 passed the Blocking Statute to neutralize through legislation the effects of U.S. long-arm jurisdiction within the EU, and enable individuals and entities in the EU to sue individuals and entities in the United States. Apart from this, the EU put forward a series of proposals and initiatives at the UN General Assembly, the Security Council, the World Trade Organization and other international bodies, calling on the international community to pay attention to the harmful effects of U.S. long-arm jurisdiction, and even resorted to the WTO dispute settlement procedures. So far, the "long arm" of U.S. jurisdiction has reached China, Russia, Iran, Syria, the DPRK, Cuba, France, the UK, Germany, Japan, among others. In an article published in Foreign Affairs, Professor Daniel Drezner of Tufts University criticized successive U.S. administrations for abusing economic coercion and economic violence and using sanctions as the preferred solution to diplomatic problems, which have been ineffective and causing humanitarian disasters. Since 1979, the United States has imposed various types of unilateral sanctions on Iran and other countries. In 1996, it rolled out the D'Amato Act which forbids foreign companies from investing in the energy sector of Iran and Libya, resulting in long-term damaging ramifications. Afterward, the United States keeps ramping up sanctions against Iran. Under the Trump administration, it harbored a policy of "maximum pressure" and wanted to use sanctions to effect a regime change in Iran. According to then Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, sanctions under the Trump administration caused at least US$200 billion worth of economic damage to Iran; he condemned such sanctions as inhumane, a crime and an act of terrorism. Between 1980 and 1992, the United States imposed unilateral sanctions on Libya, and from 1992 to 2003, it rallied or coerced allies into expanding sanctions against Libya. The World Bank noted that Libya suffered up to US$18 billion economic losses as a result of the sanctions, while an official Libyan estimate put the figure at 33 billion. Crude U.S. sanctions on Iraq after the Gulf War brought about serious consequences. From August 1990 to May 2003, they caused a total loss of US$150 billion in Iraq's oil revenue. As a result, the country's per capita income falls below its 1990 level of US$7,050 even to this day. The sanctions have also caused a serious humanitarian disaster, with infant mortality rate doubling and the under-five mortality increasing six-fold. Meanwhile, Iraq's education, health and social security systems were destroyed; its literacy rate fell from 89 percent in 1987 to 57 percent in 1997. Undermining the purposes and functions of various international governance mechanisms. The United States has frequently imposed unilateral sanctions outside the UN framework. In 2021 alone, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Department of Commerce and other agencies imposed various sanctions on as many as over 2,000 entities. As a result, the sanctioning function of the Security Council is undercut, seriously affecting its normal function of maintaining international peace and security. When the International Criminal Court (ICC) attempted to investigate suspected war crimes by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, the United States, with itself not being a member of the Court, responded by launching sanctions against ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and senior official Phakiso Mochochoko, sparking unanimous outcry from the international community. Despite the ruling of the Dispute Settlement Body of WTO that its Section 301 procedures are a violation of international law, the United States continues to launch various unilateral Section 301 investigations on imports from China and other countries, and keeps all existing Section 301 tariffs unchanged. Such actions have directly sabotaged the tariff concessions achieved by many rounds of difficult negotiations of the multilateral trading system, blatantly trampled on the purposes and spirit of the multilateral trading system, and eroded the cornerstone of the system's operation. Undermining the interests of companies of other countries. To maintain its economic and technological supremacy, the United States abuses its public power to interfere with normal international commercial exchanges and competition. Under the pretext of safeguarding national security and fighting against human rights violations, it has adopted a package of measures including the Entity List and economic sanctions to restrict foreign enterprises from obtaining raw materials, items and technologies vital to their survival and development, sometimes even used secondary sanctions to cut those companies' normal trade with enterprises from other countries in an effort to disrupt their supply chains root and branch. A case in point is the imprisonment of a senior manager from the French company Alstom. In 2013, in order to beat Alstom in their business competition, the United States applied the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act to arrest and detain Frederic Pierucci on charges of bribing foreign officials. He was further induced to sign a plea deal and provide more evidence and information against his company, leaving Alstom no choice but to accept General Electric's acquisition, vanishing ever since from the Fortune 500 list. The U.S. long-arm jurisdiction has become a tool for its public power to suppress competitors and meddle in normal international business activities, announcing the United States complete departure from its long-standing self-proclaimed champion of liberal market economy. In recent years, the United States has frequently employed the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (2016) to impose unilateral sanctions on entities in various countries deemed to have engaged in "serious human rights violations." However, while exercising such unilateral sanctions, the United States has often violated the basic human rights of the sanctioned subjects disregarding the fact that their human rights are also entitled to protection. When COVID-19 was raging in the world, the U.S. government did not relent in imposing unilateral sanctions on Iran, Syria and other countries, making it difficult for these countries to obtain the much-needed medical supplies to fight the virus. As a result of the sanctions, Iran has been cut off access to essential medicines and medical equipment, putting the health of millions of Iranians in jeopardy. To raise funds to fight the pandemic, the Iranian government applied to the IMF for a US$5 billion dollar exclusive loan, but the effort was blocked by the United States. Even worse, the United States prevented Iran from importing COVID vaccines by freezing its overseas funds and threatening vaccine suppliers. As the Brookings Institution estimated, during the height of the pandemic in Iran, U.S. sanctions further exacerbated the spread of the virus and could have caused up to 13,000 of deaths. Conclusion The U.S. long-arm jurisdiction is not something new. In spite of adaptations over time in its contents and measures, the nature of the U.S. long-arm jurisdiction has not changed: it has been, since the very beginning, a hegemonic tool to maintain U.S. hegemony, suppress foreign competitors, interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, and even subvert the governments of other countries. Over the last few years, the United States has abused long-arm jurisdiction by continuing to lower the threshold and intensifying measures to an unprecedented degree against wider range of targets. It not only undermines the principle of sovereign equality, violates international law, and erodes the multilateral order with the UN at its core, but also creates and intensifies tensions and conflicts among major countries, and poses a threat to the international security system established after World War II. It also interferes with and distorts normal international commercial exchanges and trade order, disrupts the supply chain of global trade, damages the interests of enterprises and raises their operating costs. The United States should renounce its illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction measures, and truly take up its international responsibilities as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Aiken, SC (29801) Today Mainly cloudy. A few peeks of sunshine possible. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 75F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 56F. Winds light and variable. About nine months ago, mediation in the long-running dispute between the state of South Carolina and the city of Augusta, Georgia against the Army Corps of Engineers ground to a halt on the problem of fish passage at the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam. On Jan. 27, a three-judge panel at the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in the case that arose from environmental mitigation requirements mandated by the Savannah Port expansion 125 miles south. Pending is the courts decision on whether to reverse a lower courts judgment to vacate the injunction on the Corps of Engineers to tear down the lock and dam and build a rock weir. There is no timeline for when that decision might be made. The hour-long, back-and-forth in Richmond, Virginia on Jan. 27 highlighted the divide for what elevation the upstream pool of water has to be to fulfill the economic and recreational needs of the region. Central to the case, filed in November 2019, has been whether U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel interpreted a piece of 2016 legislation correctly when he enjoined the Corps of Engineers from implementing its proposal to aid in the passage of endangered Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon farther upstream. Gergels order enjoins the Corps from implementing not only that specific weir but any proposal that does not maintain the pool that was in existence on the date of the [Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation] Acts enactment, which was 114.76 feet above sea level. That order supports with the position of South Carolina and Augusta. But the Corps of Engineers maintains this post hoc rationalization impermissibly placed a judicial gloss on the WIIN Act. The Corps says it must only maintain an elevation that ensures the purposes of that upstream pool: water supply and recreation. The statute itself doesnt include anything about water levels. It doesn't say an elevation. It doesnt say a water level. It does include language about purposes: water supply and recreation, said Michael Gray, attorney for the Corps of Engineers. Gray argued that interpretion is contrary to how Congress always legislates with these Corps projects and that, from an engineering standpoint, to stipulate an exact elevation down to the 100th of an inch is an impossible task for the Corps. The Corps is weighing everything. How do we achieve at the lowest cost possible the best fish passage that doesnt induce new flooding and that maintains the functions of the pool? That is in the heart of what the Corps of Engineers usually does and the way that Congress instructs the Corps to act, said Gray. Congress doesnt typically require particular water levels; and when it does, it says so, it lays it out, it says these are the water levels that we want in this particular place [] When it gives functions, it intends the Corps to serve those functions. Fourth Circuit Judge Paul Niemeyer, who heard the argument with judges Robert King and Albert Diaz, questioned whether the weir could indeed serve the purposes. The Corps attempt four years ago to assuage anxiety over its proposed solution instead became what respondents on the case call an unmitigated failure. Far from demonstrating its ability to maintain water elevations or allow adequate water supply and recreational activity the historic uses of the upstream pool a February 2019 draw-down test meant to simulate the Corps proposed solution left numerous docks mired in mud. The results were so destructive that the Corps stopped the test early. Niemeyer said that in that test, the Corps couldnt even demonstrate the [elevation] levels they were going to achieve with the proposed weir and, moreover, that such a weir is not capable of achieving them. Niemeyer said that distinction is important as it illustrates the division between the lower courts injunction and the language of the legislation it references. The biggest failure of Gergels order, he said, was to require that the Corps maintain the elevation of the upstream pool as recorded the day of the legislations enactment. The legislation itself requires merely that any solution be able to maintain this same elevation, he said. Gray, attorney for the Corps, argued the draw-down test was not representative and couldnt fully portray the elevations the weir was capable of producing because the dam upstream of the test site was undergoing repairs and not managing water flows normally. The Corps proposed weir, if implemented, would likely maintain an upstream pool that is 4 to 5 feet below what has been maintained by the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam: 114 to 115 feet above sea level. Chad Johnston, representing South Carolina, said this higher elevation is consistent with easements obtained by the state of South Carolina for the lock and dams construction 85 years ago; with the Corps own operational plan for the lock and dam; and with the Corps own mitigation plan thats linked to that Savannah expansion. We think its somewhat curious for the Corps to criticize South Carolina and Augusta as to our focus on specific water elevations because thats precisely what the Corps did in developing each of its project alternatives, Johnston said. Why is the upstream pool so important? New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam doesnt provide hydro-electric power and commercial transport ended during the 1970s. The lock and dam closed to the public in 2014 after it was deemed a public safety hazard and was formally deauthorized in 2016 by that same legislation being argued in the courts. But the structure provides for adequate water supplyf for Augusta and a handful of large regional manufacturers, such as Kimberly-Clarks North Augusta plant. U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-SC, has said the structure is critical to the economic success of both sides of the river and that everything should be done to maintain the pools elevation at historic levels. Augusta and North Augusta, as well as Aiken County, could eventually have local control over what happens with the lock and dam. The structure was intended, through a piece of 2000 legislation, to be conveyed to these local jurisdictions for operation and maintenance but this conveyance never occurred. Federal lawmakers in both Georgia and South Carolina have indicated a willingness to pursue this conveyance (and as recently as July 2020) should there be local buy-in to do so. That willingness was further underlined last year when Aiken Countys legislative delegation pushed hard for a portion of the states plutonium settlement to go toward maintenance of New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam, even though the $20 million that the city of North Augusta received for it, as approved by the General Assembly last June, cant be touched until the structure at least partially comes under the city's control. North Augusta city administrator Jim Clifford confirmed the funds would be solely for engineering a solution to fish passage at the lock and dam and not for handling the ongoing legal costs associated with it. FOLLY BEACH In the beachfront community known as the "Edge of America," many residents and property owners remain on edge as a vote approaches that could limit vacation rentals. A referendum is scheduled Feb. 7. While there are only two options on the ballot to cap short-term rentals, or not there are many sides to the impassioned debate. Along the streets weather-worn homes stand next to remodeled beach cottages and framework for new homes. Yards are lined with blue and white signs each serving as a clear stance supporting or opposing a short-term rental cap that often varies from neighbor to neighbor. The city prides itself as "Charleston's Beach Town," but some are second-guessing where to draw the line on overnight visitors. Much like Folly Beach's new $14 million concrete-and-wood pier that was inspired by the original wooden one, the city is learning to balance its past and future. Residents are grappling with the reality that the very thing they love about their community is the same thing that attracts more than a million tourists a year, according to city officials. Some see short-term rentals and the flow of transient guests staying in them as a threat to the established community and its longtime residents who don't want new neighbors every week. Should non-owner-occupied short-term rental licenses be capped at 800? It's up to the city's 1,886 registered voters to decide in what many call a defining moment for Folly Beach and how it manages come-and-go visitors. The question of how to manage short-term rentals is not new. Property owners have had to apply for short-term rental licenses since 2018. There are currently over 1,100 active licenses. A city committee was formed and provided recommendations to City Council on short-term rentals, but those recommendations were not followed up on. Some residents took their concerns to the City Council last summer. Feeling unheard, a group started a petition to create an ordinance that would establish a cap and distinguish owner-occupied and investor-owned short-term rentals. The ordinance failed in City Council and now is up for referendum vote, per state law. Under the proposed ordinance, those with short-term rental licenses may continue to operate and keep their licenses until there's a transfer to a new owner or family member. No new short-term licenses would be granted until the number of active permits falls below 800 a figure based on the number of pre-pandemic licenses in 2020. A waiting list would be established for future permits, but there are a lot of unanswered questions about further specifics or effects the limit would have. A community divided When Sam Meader and his wife moved to Folly Beach more than a decade ago, they started fixing up run-down cottages to rent. It was before the Airbnb era, so theyve always had a hands-on approach in managing their rentals. They now own eight units near their home and manage several rental properties. Folly Beach has always been a beach vacation and retirement community, but this issue has polarized and pitted neighbor against neighbor, Meader said. Caps have come before the council multiple times, and each time theyve said no. Last year, they passed wide-sweeping regulations and enforcement changes on short-term rentals. Why dont we let that play out before we rush to cap it? On the other hand, resident Chris Bizzell believes Folly Beach has reached a tipping point. Right now, we've got a decent mix, but I think if we fail to act at this point it is going to become imbalanced, Bizzell said. It's really a vote between what kind of community you want to live in. This is a first step. I can see this being amended down the road as the situation evolves, because it will change as the community evolves, too. Two advocate groups have been vocal about the vote. Folly United, led by Steve Goodwin, opposes the cap proposal. Save Follys Future, led by John McFarland, is pushing for the cap. Neither leader will vote on the matter, as they are nonresidents. Both groups share concerns of preserving the future and personality of their beach community. They just disagree on how to do that. Some have called it a cap, not just on short-term rentals, but on tourism. McFarland, a West Ashley resident who has long-term rentals on Folly Beach, said he believes the sense of community in the barrier island city is at stake, and they should focus on attracting renters and residents who will live on the island as their primary residence. We are at a defining point, McFarland said. I think that citizens realize that if we don't draw the line and say enough is enough, we will continue to lose that sense of community one lot at a time. McFarland said he and others worked hard to get the issue to a referendum vote so "every resident has an opportunity to voice their opinion." Goodwin, who is not related to the city's mayor with the same last name, said he believes there are other ways to accomplish the same goal. A 'no' vote doesnt mean we shouldnt address the challenges the community is facing, but it means we can take our time and find better solutions, he said. Goodwin, a Daniel Island resident who also is a local property manager for iTrip Vacations, said the cap can hurt families in neighboring communities that have invested in a Folly Beach home as a vacation home or retirement investment paid for by short-term rental income. Short-term rentals provide an avenue for middle-class families to afford a property for their vacations, retirement and to pass on to family, Goodwin said. If you eliminate that option, youre left with real estate that only the ultra-wealthy can afford. No vote for off-island property owners Kate Rowland Peabody lives on Johns Island but has two short-term rental properties on Folly Beach. What voters need to know The ordinance is listed on the ballot as follows: Should the City of Folly Beach amend Chapter 117 of its code ordinances (short-term rentals) by defining owner occupied short-term rental licenses and investment short-term rental licenses and limiting the number of investment short-term rental licenses to 800? Registered voters who are full-time residents ages 18 and older are eligible to vote. Voting may look different than typical elections. Folly Baptist Church, located at 77 Center St. in Folly Beach, will be the only polling location. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The due date to request absentee ballots has passed, but those who have one in hand need to return it to the county by Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. Absentee ballots will not be accepted at the polling location. If voters have questions about their voter registration, they can call the county office at 843-744-8683. We own these properties and we visit often because we live so close, she said. We are part of this community, too. We care about this community, too. We have a stake in this as property owners, yet we dont get the opportunity to vote? Michael Scarafile said that as a real estate agent for Carolina One Real Estate, property manager and short-term rental owner, the issue is not as clean-cut as it appears. He said he is cautious of an ordinance passing this way without more market research in place to inform the community of potential impacts. There are better ways to balance preserving Follys sense of community and protecting Folly property owners rights, Scarafile said. Each house is a story, a person. There are ways to regulate and enforce short-term rentals without capping them. Caps or bans address the symptoms of an issue, they do not solve the root cause. Scarafile and others have compared the situation to Sullivan's Island, which banned short-term rentals more than two decades ago. While an all-out ban isn't on the table for Folly Beach, he said restrictions of that nature not only divide communities but could bring unintended impacts on the housing market by changing the buyer pool. What happens after the vote? A "yes" vote signifies the voter supports enacting a cap on short-term rentals. A "no" vote means the voter does not agree with a cap. Mayor Tim Goodwin said that if the referendum passes, the proposed ordinance becomes adopted as any other city ordinance would be if it had gone through City Council. If that happens, City Council does have the ability to challenge it or amend it at a later time. Its binding in the fact that it creates an ordinance, but not binding in the fact that nobody could ever change it, the mayor said. Tim Goodwin said that managing visitor-related challenges is a delicate balancing act that cities across the state are each trying to figure out. Legal challenges are possible no matter which way the vote goes. One lawsuit has already been filed. A builder that operates five short-term rentals with two more being built sued the city over its pause of issuing short-term rental licenses. Michael Riffert with Folly East Indian Co. said in the suit that the moratorium does not comply with constitutional law, and that short-term rentals are a zoning issue which is exempt from the referendum process. Folly Beach Baptist Church, located at 77 Center St. in Folly Beach, will be the only polling location. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. A Charleston technology company that develops sales and marketing software for the real estate industry has been sold to a larger competitor in a deal that prompted some overlapping jobs to be cut. The sale of BoomTown to Utah's Inside Real Estate closed last month. The price and other terms of the deal were not disclosed. BoomTown's new owner is headquartered in Salt Lake City. It also specializes in real estate software. BoomTown founder and now-former CEO Grier Allen said that "certain redundant positions" were eliminated as part of the acquisition. The exact figure was not provided. Allen also called the deal "an exciting new chapter" for the onetime Charleston startup, which plans to continue to operating offices on the upper peninsula and in Carlsbad, Calif., under its existing name. The combined businesses have more than 700 employees nationwide and serve more than 500,000 agents and other customers. Inside CEO Joe Skousen will continue in that role. Allen is staying on after the sale as chief strategy officer. The acquisition brings together what the companies called "very complementary" sales and marketing tools for the real estate industry. BoomTown's original "software as a service" specialty was designed to help agents identify and generate sales leads. Founded in 2006 on Faber Street by Grier and a business partner, its main office is now in the Pacific Box & Crate development on the King Street Extension. The Charleston company said it had 100,000 customers at the time of the sale to Inside Real Estate. In 2014, BoomTown raised $20.1 million from Adams Street Partners and Susquehanna Growth Equity. It also made at least two acquisitions over the years. BoomTown is the second sizable local technology employer to come under new ownership this year. Daniel Island-based workplace software developer Benefitfocus Inc. was sold last month to Voya Financial in an all-cash deal valued at $570 million. SUMMERVILLE A developer recently paid just over $4 million for part of a nearly 1,000-acre Berkeley County tract where several hundred homes are planned. HIC Land LLC, based in Miami with a satellite office in Mount Pleasant, bought a 122-acre parcel along Linda Way near the Nexton Parkway interchange on Interstate 26 from The Whitfield Co. of North Charleston earlier this week, according to public land records. The newly sold site extends from Drop Off Drive near I-26 to Sheep Island Road, near the rear portion of the age-restricted 55-plus Del Webb Nexton neighborhood. Summerville planning director Jessi Shuler said 177 homes were approved last year near Linda Way for the first two phases of residential development within the nearly 1,000-acre tract. The entire parcel has been approved as a planned-unit development with about 700 housing units and several hundred thousand square feet of commercial and industrial space. Sign up for our real estate newsletter! Get the best of the Post and Courier's Real Estate news, handpicked and delivered to your inbox each Saturday. Email Sign Up! Shuler said HIC has been shepherding the land through the permitting process, and that D.R. Horton will be the homebuilder. Neither company responded to requests for comment Thursday. Summerville annexed the large swath of land west of Sheep Island Road, including the recently sold acreage, in 2020. The parcel, within the larger annexed tract that extends from I-26 to Wildgame Road, is west of the 5,000-acre Nexton development, which will one day have 7,500 residences. Nearby, site work is underway for two new supermarkets Publix and Harris Teeter within Nexton. Other commercial development is occurring on the opposite side of I-26, including construction of a new Summerville Nissan dealership. Several other ventures are in the works near the interchange where Nexton Parkway meets North Maple Street to the south. They include homes, apartments and commercial enterprises. Columbia, SC (29201) Today Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 78F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. COLUMBIA A 15-year-old Spring Valley High School student was arrested over the rash of school threats that disrupted class for tens of thousands of students in Richland and Lexington counties. At least 10 schools across the Columbia and Lexington areas received threats on Feb. 2, making it the third day in a row in which students and staff have been ordered to evacuate buildings or remain inside classrooms. The Richland County Sheriff's Department said investigators suspect the student was responsible for all of the Feb. 2 hoax threats, which they said were "done with intent to disrupt the schools' daily operations." The student was booked in the juvenile wing of the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center on charges of threatening to use a destructive device, conveying false information regarding attempted use of a destructive device, and student threats and disturbing schools. We take these cases very seriously, and individuals involved will be charged and taken to jail, Richland Sheriff Leon Lott said. We are working closely with Lexington authorities to identify individuals involved on their schools threats as well. This should serve as a warning to anyone else that wants to make threats that when we identify you, and we will, you will be charged and taken to jail. While police did not report any credible danger, the threats disrupted classes for 16,500 students, or about 15 percent of total public school enrollment in the two counties. In Richland County, Spring Valley and Richland Northeast high schools were targeted with threats, as well as Dent, E.L. Wright and Muller Road middle schools, according to Richland County School District Two. This was the third day of threats at Spring Valley, Richland County's largest school, and the second at Richland Northeast. "To the people that are doing this, please stop," Richland Two School District spokesman Greg Turchetta said at a news briefing prior to the arrest. "You're impacting our schools in a way that's harming students and that's the bottom line. So it's not a game. It's a crime." SULLIVAN'S ISLAND Town Council can control most all aspects of tree-cutting in its beachfront maritime forest because it can't be bound by decisions made by previous councils in the matter, a judge has ruled. The basic principle of Circuit Judge Jennifer McCoy's ruling is a town council cannot enter into an agreement that will bind a successive council into doing or not doing certain things. The decision, filed Jan. 30 in state court in Charleston, comes after a former Sullivan's Island council reached a settlement in 2020 that mandated more thinning of the maritime forest than the town had contemplated. That settlement resolved a decadelong lawsuit stemming back to 2010 from a group of homeowners next to the forest who wanted to see more management of the land from the town. The forest gradually grew on land that is accreting where the island meets the Atlantic Ocean. The effect has created a thicket between the large beach houses and the sandy beach, which blocked views of the ocean while also creating swampy and forested territory. Any future councils would have been bound to that previous agreement. The court decision changed that. "As mayor, I'm very pleased that the judge agreed with our contention that that settlement agreement was not consistent with South Carolina law and that it should be voided," said Mayor Patrick O'Neil. Since the settlement was agreed upon, Sullivan's Island residents elected a new council with a majority that was more favorably disposed to the maritime forest, O'Neil said. "We've heard a lot from many residents not all, but many residents who fervently disagreed with that agreement," O'Neil said. "That urged us to do something." The council brought forth a declaratory judgment that the prior settlement agreement was unenforceable and therefore void. The court agreed with that position. William Wilkins, a Greenville-based attorney with the firm Nexsen Pruett who represented the town, said he appreciated the prompt attention Judge McCoy gave to the matter. "She correctly applied the relevant principles of law, including the law that a town council may not enter into agreements that will bind a successive town council under the facts of this case," Wilkins said. Development is prohibited on the land at the center of the complaint. The town can permit or do certain amounts of cutting on the maritime forest when deemed appropriate or beneficial. Landowners can apply for permits to cut three species of bushes or trees in front of their property, between it and the beach. Guidelines are in place for how low the trees and bushes may be trimmed. Issues dividing residents in the matter included those who wanted a better view of the water or were concerned about the wild animals living in the forest, such as coyotes, and those who preferred allowing the natural state to continue. CLEMSON Former governor and now presidential candidate Nikki Haley was in a Clemson University boardroom serving as school trustee Feb. 3, but her continued service is unclear. As she walked into a board of trustees meeting, Haley dodged questions regarding continuing in the role, only commenting "Go Tigers" and referring questions to her communications team. The Post and Courier has reached out to Haley's camp for comment. Board Chairwoman Kim Wilkerson told The Post and Courier that Haley is allowed to stay on the board during the campaign but declined to comment on what changes would be made to accommodate a member running for the nation's highest office. "We're thrilled for her," Wilkerson said, without elaboration. University spokesman Joe Galbraith said, "Clemson has a long history of university trustees running for and holding public office." Jo Jorgenson, a psychology lecturer at Clemson since 2006, was the Libertarian presidential candidate in 2020. Her bid garnered 1.8 million votes, according to the Libertarian Party. In 2012, trustee Joe Swann ran for the District 8 S.C. Senate seat. Haley will formally announce her bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Feb. 15 in Charleston. Haley's role as a successor trustee is a lifetime appointment, one of seven on the board as outlined in university founder Thomas Green Clemsons will. The board, which sets policy and approves budgets and expenditures, meets quarterly, hosting hours-long meetings over multiple days with hundreds of pages of material to review. In its policies, Clemson acknowledges that state employees are entitled to engage in political activities during their own time and provided that no university or South Carolina public resources are used. This includes the right to communicate and meet with public officials, provided such contact is clearly in their personal capacity and not as part of their public employment. Haley had previously said she would not run against former president Donald Trump, who appointed her to the United Nations ambassador post. He announced his candidacy for a second term on Nov. 15. Haley graduated from Clemson in 1994 with a bachelors degree in accounting. She was named a trustee in October 2021, a few months after her daughter received a degree from the same alma mater. In 2004, Haley was elected to the S.C. House of Representatives, where she served before her role as governor from 2011-17. Her second term was cut short when Trump nominated her to the ambassador position, which then elevated current Gov. Henry McMaster the first statewide elected official in the nation to endorse Trump in his 2016 primary run from his lieutenant governor role. Haley resigned as ambassador in December 2018. BEAUFORT County officials have been eyeing two parcels of land along S.C. Highway 170 in Bluffton as potential locations for a new library and ballfields. While few have argued against the need for these facilities, the location presents a problem for the county. Both parcels, which total more than 100 acres, have been protected since 2016 as part of the popular Rural and Critical Land Preservation Program. County officials responded with a proposal to swap 60 of those protected acres for two other county-owned properties. That proposal has met with opposition, notably from the Rural and Critical Land Preservation Board. The conflict brings to light the challenge of preserving the integrity of the land conservation program while balancing the needs of the rapidly growing county. "You will never be able to buy this amount of property in the Bluffton Township for a library and ballfields and recreation fields at this amount of money," said Eric Greenway, county administrator. But opponents, including some Beaufort County Council members, say turning protected land over to the county would jeopardize the entire notion of publicly funded land conservation. District 5 Councilman Brian Flewelling, speaking during his last meeting as a council member in December, urged his colleagues to act with caution before considering using protected land to meet the county's needs. "I'd like to remind everybody that this particular motion, this particular program, has the opportunity or the probable result of killing our Rural and Critical Lands Program," he said. The lands program Beaufort County's Rural and Critical Land Preservation Program was the first dedicated land conservation program in South Carolina and remains indicative of the value county residents place on the environment. The program issues voter-approved bonds to pay for the preservation of land, such as the 162-acre Widgeon Point Preserve, located between the Broad and Chechessee rivers, and the 2,000-acre Oak Point property on St. Helena Island. In 2002, voters approved a $40 million bond, the first proposed by the program. Voters have approved four subsequent bond initiatives over the following 17 years. The program has preserved nearly 28,500 acres at a cost of $141.7 million, according to its 2021 annual report. The two parcels the county is currently interested in were slated for residential development when representatives from the lands program intervened in 2016. "Putting 400 residential units at the headwaters of the Okatie River was a threat," said Kate Schaefer, director of land protection for the Open Land Trust. To protect the headwaters, she explained, the program negotiated with the developer to purchase the properties. The proposal Assistant County Administrator Chuck Atkinson proposed the land swap during a Public Facilities Commission meeting on Oct. 17. County Council first discussed it nearly a month later, on Nov. 14. The administration's proposal, which requires approval by two-thirds of the council, targeted land on the east side of S.C. 170, south of the intersection with U.S. Highway 278. The 22.48-acre Evergreen Tract occupies the north end of the property. The county purchased it for $1 million. While the lands program put up most of the money for the purchase, the Beaufort County Stormwater Utility Management Board contributed nearly $156,000. The adjacent New Leaf Tract to the south consists of 86.5 acres and was purchased for $2 million. Again the county's stormwater utility contributed about $165,000 to the purchase price, while Rural and Critical Land paid the balance. "The Stormwater Utility put money into this, and they built a stormwater pond on the property to help manage the pollutant flow into the Okatie River," Schaefer said. The county's plan would split the entire property into three pieces. A new library would occupy 6 acres of a 20-acre parcel to the north. A center parcel totaling 46 acres would remain in the lands program. The southernmost 40-acre parcel would go to the county. It would be set aside for recreation fields. What's in it for the county? Atkinson asserted that the county can continue and even improve its ability to protect the Okatie River watershed while developing the site for a library and recreation fields. "If we can accomplish that same goal, or do a better job of protecting water quality through putting facilities there and actively managing it, and do both, then Rural and Critical wins, the marshes win and taxpayers in Beaufort County win," Atkinson said. District 7 Councilman Logan Cunningham has been a supporter of the land swap. He discussed the need for additional ballfields in the area, noting that the existing facilities are "maxed out." Amanda Dickman, the Beaufort County director of libraries, told The Post and Courier that the county has been looking for land to build a library in the Pritchardville-Okatie area for approximately 20 years. "As we know by living here, that population in that stretch of our county has only exploded," Dickman said. "The desire and the need that started 15 or 20 years ago has only grown." The location alongside S.C. 170 would provide easy public access to the facilities if they come to fruition. "I think it's a great location for a library," Cunningham said. The exchange In exchange for the 60 protected acres, the county offered two properties totaling about 18 acres. One is the 8-acre Camp St. Mary parcel, which the county purchased for $500,000 in 1997 with money from the general fund. The site sits on a high bluff overlooking a bend in the Okatie River. Along with a pier extending into the river, the parcel features a picnic pavilion. It also has several dilapidated buildings dating from the property's prior use as a summer camp for Catholic children in the Diocese of Charleston. While the parcel has not been appraised recently, Atkinson called it a very valuable piece of property. "In my opinion, I am not an appraiser, this makes up the largest chunk of value to value," Atkinson said. "So, acre for acre, we have a much more valuable piece of property here than what you would have at the Evergreen or New Leaf site." The second property the county is offering is a 10-acre plot along Bluffton Parkway, just east of Buck Island Road. While Atkinson acknowledged the Bluffton Parkway parcel was wet, he said it wasn't a wetland. The estimated value of the parcel is $250,000. "It is staff's contention, without an actual appraisal, that we are apples to apples," Atkinson said. "We are very, very close." Lands board weighs in The county's current proposal marks the second time a land swap has been on the table. In 2012, Rural and Critical Land agreed to exchange 20 acres of the Okatie Marsh along S.C. 170 for 42 acres of county-owned land along Chechessee Road. The county used that 20-acre parcel to construct the Beaufort County Animal Campus. More coverage To read more stories in the series about growth and development, go to postandcourier.com/boomandbalance/. According to Schaefer, after the 2012 deal the program codified language to guide similar considerations in the future. "The Rural and Critical program acknowledges that there may be some instances where property acquired under the Rural and Critical Lands Program may or may not be appropriate for county ownership in the future," Schaefer said. In keeping with that precedent, the Rural and Critical Land Preservation Board first considered the county's current proposal during its Dec. 8 meeting. At that time, the board decided it needed to analyze the properties that had been offered in the same manner it would consider any other property for preservation. Further, the board said a site visit was necessary before a vote could be taken on the county's resolution. Just after the new year, the board, county staff and some members of the public toured all the properties considered for the land swap. The board met again on Jan. 12 and at that time voted against the county proposal. With the exception of one abstention, the vote was unanimous. Beekman Webb, a Rural and Critical Lands board member, said the county's deal was not persuasive. "It was not an even swap," he said. However, more than a perceived inequity in the deal, Webb said he was concerned about betraying the public trust. "My main reason is the public opinion," Webb added. "Our board is called the Rural and Critical Lands Preservation Board. That's what everybody thinks we're doing with the money that they're paying. To me, it would be a big mistake to use that land for something else after it was determined to be worthy of preservation." 'A white elephant' Webb noted the land swap included only property the county already owned, and that the county already has the ability to protect those properties should officials be motivated to do so. "They don't have to move it to Rural and Critical to protect it," Webb said. "Camp St. Mary, they can just put a conservation easement on it if they want to. Or they can protect it with a deed restriction." Schaefer added that the Camp St. Mary parcel is zoned T-2, which means the minimum lot size for a home is 3 acres. At less than 9 acres, the parcel would support only two homes, making residential development of the property unlikely. "It's kind of a white elephant for the county because they don't know what to do with it," Webb said. Where things stand now During the Dec. 12 County Council meeting, District 4 Councilwoman Alice Howard put forth a motion to delay a vote on the land swap resolution until after the Rural and Critical board completed its analysis of the properties and the site visits. Her motion rescheduled the discussion for the Jan. 23 council meeting. Between those two meetings, the Rural and Critical board voted against supporting the resolution. When the agenda for the Jan. 23 meeting was published, the land swap resolution did not appear as a discussion item. The county appears to be reconsidering its options. "We're still talking with Rural and Critical Lands about a potential land swap, not the one that was on the agenda, something different," Beaufort County Council Chairman Joe Passiment told The Post and Courier after the January meeting. Webb noted the council is not obligated to follow the recommendation of the Rural and Critical board, but he added that it would be "very unusual" for the council to disregard the board's unanimous decision. State Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, shared concerns about the potential damage to public confidence that could result from the swap. He said it would be a mistake for the council to act against the recommendation of the Rural and Critical board. "I understand that they might be trying to retool the proposal, and I don't know what that might look like," Davis said. "But what I would say is, if they're going to propose something different, it's got to go back through the process again. It's got to go before the Rural and Critical Lands Commission." GEORGETOWN A state-funded study is being undertaken to identify drainage issues in Georgetown and Williamsburg counties, and the engineers involved are looking for residents to let them know where flooding is causing them worry. The two counties collectively applied for grant funding from the S.C. Office of Resilience, which was founded five years after a 1,000-year flood event brought the Black River to a record crest of 22.65 feet at Kingstree. Background data is being collected and meetings have already held with public officials in the two counties. Now the project's team is opening up to public input to identify further areas of concern. Senior project manager Hassan Ismail of engineering consultant McCormick Taylor held recent input meetings in Georgetown County with water resources designer Katie Ellis to hear from residents about which locations bring them the most problems. Bayview subdivision resident Debbie Cruz attended the Jan. 30 meeting at Howard Center in Georgetown to denote the area she said has seen worse and worse flooding since land was cleared for development near the Sampit River. "It's at the door level (of the big trucks). This last time it was extremely bad," Cruz said. Ismail said studies such as the one his company is carrying out for Georgetown and Williamsburg counties have been done in places as small as the town of Summerton in Clarendon County with a population of 814. "This is the largest that I know of that they've done, for the two counties," Ismail said. "It was a proactive effort by the counties' officials to go get this money awarded." Ismail said it is important that he and his co-workers have a complete list of areas of concern, though projects will be prioritized in the study's final report, slated for delivery in November. "The Office of Resilience and us, collectively, have found that we need to prioritize the areas of concern in order to be able to actually deliver this project on-time and on-budget," Ismail said. "So there's X amount of grant dollars, and for us to address every drainage problem in two counties would not be covered by this grant, unfortunately." Ismail and Ellis laid out maps for residents to point out and highlight frequently flooded areas close to them during the Howard Center meeting on Jan. 30 and another the following day in North Santee. Meetings have already been held in Kingstree and Greeleyville. Another public input meeting will be held at Andrews Regional Recreational Center on Feb. 21 at 5:30 p.m. Ismail said a meeting in Hemingway is planned, as well. Ismail is also accepting public input via email at hismail@mccormicktaylor.com. He said he is hoping to have the input portion of the project wrapped by the end of February. "We want people to continue to send us information," Ismail said. "We understand, you know, Monday nights are difficult and schedules may not work. I have had many people actually reach out to me directly either over the phone or via email, sending me pictures and information of areas that we're going to include on our list." Kingstree, SC (29556) Today Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms. High near 80F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight A few clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. WALTERBORO The chief financial officer of Alex Murdaughs former law firm testified at length Feb. 2 about how she discovered the prominent Hampton attorney had secretly stolen vast sums from his legal clients and law partners over the past decade. Under questioning from a state prosecutor, Jeanne Seckinger detailed the myriad schemes Murdaugh allegedly used to pilfer nearly $9 million from those who trusted him. A dummy bank account. Fake structured settlements. Fraudulent checks and money transfers. Seckingers testimony is an important piece of the states murder case against Murdaugh in the killings of his wife and son on June 7, 2021. It remains to be seen, however, whether a Colleton County jury will ever hear about it. Seckinger delivered her testimony with the jury excused from the room. So did two other witnesses who could speak to Murdaughs purported financial crimes: Michael Gunn, principal of an insurance company Murdaugh is accused of impersonating to steal from his clients; and Chris Wilson, a Bamberg attorney who testified he was tricked into helping Murdaugh plunder some $792,000 from his law firm. Their testimony came during a special hearing a sort of mock trial borne out of a protracted dispute between prosecutors and defense attorneys. They have been legally jousting over whether jurors should be told about Murdaughs alleged decade-long spree of thefts and betrayal. The S.C. Attorney Generals Office is calling witnesses and presenting exhibits; Murdaughs lawyers are cross-examining them. But they are delivering their case to an audience of one Judge Clifton Newman. If Newman sides with prosecutors, these witnesses will return to the stand to repeat their testimony before the jury. If Murdaugh's team prevails, jurors might never hear from them. Hounds at the door Prosecutors hope to show that Murdaugh, 54, was aware his financial crimes were about to be exposed, in part because Seckinger had confronted him on the morning of June 7, 2021, about $792,000 in missing fees from a case he worked with Wilson, the Bamberg attorney. In an act of calculated desperation, prosecutors say, Murdaugh fatally shot his 52-year-old wife, Maggie, and son Paul, 22, that evening. He hoped to engender sympathy for himself and delay Seckinger's questions, among inquiries, investigators allege. Months later, prosecutors said, Murdaugh attempted a similar scheme. Over Labor Day weekend 2021, they claim he organized a bizarre incident in which he was shot in the head and said an unknown assailant had tried to kill him. When the hounds are at the door for Alex Murdaugh, violence happens, lead prosecutor Creighton Waters told the judge. His tactic initially worked, Waters said. Seckinger backed off. A hearing scheduled for June 10, 2021 in which Murdaugh might have been forced to turn over details of his finances was postponed. But it all unraveled in September of that year when Seckinger and her coworkers at the Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth, Detrick law firm resumed their probe and uncovered a trail of thefts. All told, Murdaugh has been charged with nearly 100 crimes in the time since. +3 Murdaugh family friends hear Alex's voice in video filmed before slayings To Rogan Gibson, the Murdaughs were like a second family. He grew up with their sons, Paul and Buster, hunting, fishing and driving ATVs on the family's spacious Colleton County estate. But on Feb. 1, he became a star witness in the state's double murder case against the family patriarch, Alex Murdaugh. Murdaughs defense team argued Feb. 2 that the alleged financial crimes are irrelevant to the trial at hand where their client faces two counts of murder. Its all just a theory, defense attorney Jim Griffin told the judge. Theres no facts. Their theory is the best way out is for him to murder his wife and son and put himself in the middle of a homicide investigation? Griffin said prosecutors want testimony about the financial allegations admitted because they dont have enough evidence to convict Murdaugh of murder. Instead, they need to smear Murdaugh as a bad guy, he has said. Theyve got a whole lot more evidence about financial misconduct than they do about murder, Griffin argued. Thats what this is all about. Setting the stage These arguments are not new. The two sides have made and repeated them in legal motions and pretrial hearings. Yet the judge has held off deciding how much if any of the financial evidence should be admitted. On Feb. 2, he sent the jury out of the room so he could hear a preview of that aspect of the states case. Seckinger testified that in early September, she was on the verge of discovering a scheme in which Murdaugh allegedly sent millions in client money to a personal bank account. That day, Sept. 2, 2021, Murdaughs paralegal moved a folder on his desk and a check from Wilsons law office slipped out, representing part of the fees Seckinger had been searching for. It was proof, she said, that Murdaugh had been stealing from the firm his great-grandfather founded a century earlier. Taking the stand for the first time, Chris Wilson said he was misled by Murdaugh, a friend since middle school and his law school roommate. After a case they worked together, Wilson testified, Murdaugh told him he had received permission from PMPED to put his $792,000 share of the legal fees into annuities. So Wilson sent the money to Murdaugh directly in March 2021, instead of to his law firm as usual. But as the firm continued to question Murdaugh about the missing fees, Murdaugh reportedly told Wilson he wasnt able to buy annuities after all. Wilson testified Murdaugh pledged to send the legal fees back so Wilson could send the entire $792,000 to PMPED. Murdaugh then sent Wilson $600,000, money he came up with by taking out loans, and told him the rest was on the way. Wilson said he agreed to spot Murdaugh $192,000 in the meantime. On the stand, Wilson said he didnt see any red flags at that point. But in August, after the slayings, he was concerned Murdaugh might try to hurt himself, and he decided he needed documentation of the loan. He wrote a short promissory note on a page of lined notebook paper. Murdaugh signed it. Less than three weeks later, PMPED told Wilson that Murdaugh had stolen from the firm and from its clients. Wilson insisted that Murdaugh explain what happened. They met on the porch of Murdaughs parents home, where Murdaugh told Wilson he had been addicted to painkillers for more than 20 years and admitted to stealing money. He said he had (expletive) a lot of people up, Wilson said. The two did not speak again, Wilson said. Moving forward Murdaugh's trial will remain bifurcated for at least another day. The financial hearing will resume at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 3, though the jury will not be present. The judge indicated wants to hear from at least one more financial crime witness before issuing a ruling. That witness, however, isn't available to testify until Feb. 6. Though the fight over financial evidence dominated the day, the jury was able to hear witnesses testify specifically about the investigation into the June 2021 slayings. Dylan Hightower, an investigator with the 14th Circuit Solicitors Office, testified about call logs he pulled separately from Murdaughs phone and from the telecommunications company Verizon. When comparing the two records, Hightower testified, all but two of Murdaughs 75 calls from the date of the slayings had been deleted from his phone. Hightower said he couldnt say who deleted them or why. Investigators downloaded the contents of Murdaughs phone three days after the slayings. The state's 21st and latest witness, State Law Enforcement Division agent Katie McAllister, testified she searched every room of the main home on the Murdaughs 1,770-acre hunting property, known as Moselle, on the day after the slayings. Under cross-examination from defense attorney Dick Harpootlian, she acknowledged she found no blood or bloody clothes in the house that would have indicated the killer cleaned themselves up there afterward. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 79F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low 61F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. ATLANTIC BEACH After holding an unusual run-off election this week between three candidates, the tiny town of Atlantic Beach has finally filled its vacant Town Council seat. The Jan. 31 runoff was not without some minor hiccups, though, which came during the Feb. 2 Atlantic Beach Municipal Election Commission hearing. In the runoff, candidate John David won with 38 votes, or 57 percent of total ballots, while Michael Isom received 21 votes and Lenny Evans got eight votes. David, who is retiring from the military, said he ran for town council because former Councilman Jim Dewitt II whom David will succeed after his death was like a mentor to him. David's term expires Dec. 31, 2025. Im glad that they put their faith in me and we increased our vote count, David said, regarding those who voted for him. David said he supports more business development, particularly on 30th and 31st streets, and he strongly opposes the new 21-story oceanfront hotel project being considered by the towns Planning Commission. I have talked about preserving the waterfront so that everyone still has access to the beach and we maintain our status of being a nice and quaint city, David said. Isom declined to comment on the results, and Evans was unavailable for comment. Before Davids victory could be certified, his own ballot was questioned by Town Councilwoman Josephine Isom, Michael Isom's mother, who argued his primary residence was not Atlantic Beach. Josephine Isom said she believed this because David still lived in a Maryland home and still had a Maryland license plate. She also contested two other ballots on similar grounds. David asserted he lives full-time in Atlantic Beach and has owned his home there since 2020. He said he is selling his Maryland home, and he has been unable to change his license plate. Im just doing my civic duty, Josephine Isom said about contesting the ballots. I just want to make sure that we follow our rules and regulations. The commission accepted David's vote and confirmed that the three contested ballots would not have changed the election outcome. This runoff was held after no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote during the initial Jan. 17 election. Although runoffs typically feature two candidates, Atlantic Beachs election featured three candidates again because Michael Isom and Evans tied for second place. The election filled the seat belonging to Dewitt, who along with his wife, Gloria, both 52, were found shot to death Oct. 9 in their Columbia home. Before he was killed, Dewitt had served on the council for nearly a year, city officials said. Dewitt's son, Matthew Dewitt, 25, of Columbia, was arrested Oct. 10 in Atlantic Beach in connection with the couple's murders and the murder of Natasha Stevens, 52, of Conway, who was also found shot to death Oct. 9. Matthew is in custody on murder and weapons charges for allegedly shooting Stevens multiple times in her home. However, no formal charges have been brought against him for the couple's deaths, according to court records. Matthew has admitted to Stevens' murder and was denied bail in October. He remains at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center, according to booking records. Ebony Myers Clare should have celebrated a birthday on Feb. 3, her 41st. The licensed beautician and practical nurse "lived a life of bold love," said her mother, Nedra Myers. But that love was twisted and abused relentlessly by her husband, who shot Clare at least five times on Sept. 26, 2019, at their North Charleston home. She died hours later on a hospital operating table. The 37-year-old woman suffered abrasions on her hip, knees and a toe, according to the prosecutor. Evidence collected at the crime scene indicated Romane Clare chased his wife through their residence on Whitney Drive. Three years of legal wrangling, coupled with a backlog of criminal cases in the court, ended Feb. 2 when Romane Clare, 37, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter. He was set to stand trial next week for murder. Circuit Court Judge Bentley Price accepted the plea deal and sentenced Clare to 27 years in prison. The deal carried a sentencing range of 25 to 30 years behind bars. From the bench, the judge called Ebony Clare's death "inevitable." Her violent end was a culmination of years of domestic violence, as documented in numerous police reports and court filings, that was ultimately left to fester without forceful intervention. Romane Clare shot at his wife in 2014 and was later suspected of burning her with a cigarette, according to court documents and police reports. He was convicted of assault but served no prison time, Berkeley County court records show. "He was given a go-free pass to kill," said Alicia Kennedy, a victims advocate and co-founder of the Lowcountry nonprofit Palmetto Hope Network, which has stood by Ebony Clare's family. A previous shooting There were signs Romane Clare would kill his wife. He shot a revolver at her Dec. 9, 2014, at his Hanahan apartment after the couple who were dating at the time had a dispute over his unfaithfulness. The shooting, which was described in court filings and reported in The Post and Courier, left a hole through the kitchen wall and into the breezeway. Romane Clare was charged with attempted murder. But he pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and battery and unlawful possession of a pistol, court records show. A judge placed him on probation for three years. Kennedy, the victims advocate, said it is outrageous that the man did not serve prison time for firing a gun at his girlfriend. Cases of domestic violence can be difficult to prosecute. Abuse may be confined to the privacy of a home preventing witnesses and the victim might be reluctant to cooperate due to fear. "This person knows everything about you," Kennedy explained. "They know where your mother lives, they know your favorite places to go, they know where you work." Three years after the shooting, Ebony and Ramone Clare married in 2017. That victims stay with their abuser is a classic element to domestic violence, Kennedy said. She called on state agencies and community groups to show victims a safe path toward freedom. "I see bewildered victims not understanding the judicial system," Kennedy said. "We've got to do better so there are not more Ebonys." A stolen car, a cigarette burn and a fatal shooting The year she was killed, Ebony Clare voiced concerns about her husband to police at least twice. She reported her car stolen in April 2019, according to a North Charleston police report. She suspected her husband had taken the vehicle, which was registered in his name. She told authorities Romane Clare had previously shot a gun toward her head and that he "has been acting different lately." Police were dispatched that June to their Whitney Drive residence for a report of a domestic disturbance. Romane Clare's shirt was torn, the report states. Ebony told officers her husband accused her of stealing money and burned her chin with a cigarette. The husband said his wife grabbed him by the shirt and the cigarette burn was an accident. Both parties signed a form stating they did not want to press charges, the report states. The day Ebony Clare died, she called 911 to report her husband had shot her, according to Jessica Ashley Baldwin, the assistant solicitor who prosecuted the case. Police arrived at the home to find her lying on the driveway suffering from gunshot wounds, according to an arrest affidavit. Ebony Clare told officers her husband shot her. She was transported to MUSC, where she died during surgery. Her husband fled. He withdrew money from his bank account hours after the shooting, the solicitor said. Law enforcement caught him in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Seeking justice Romane Clare's attorney would have argued at trial that his client shot his wife in self-defense, pre-trial motions suggest. Following his time in prison, the inmate will be deported to Jamaica, his native country, according to Stephen M. Bowden, a public defender for Charleston County. Bowden said Feb. 2 that his client immigrated to the United States at the age of 20 to live a better life. Romane Clare did not make a statement at the hearing. Ebony Clare's mother and Palmetto Hope Network tried to buy the Whitney Drive residence in a foreclosure sale, with the plan to transform it into a transitional shelter for victims of domestic violence. They were outbid at auction. "My family and I seek justice," Myers told Price Feb. 2. The judge had offered to simply read her impact statement. The mother preferred to address the entire courtroom. "We are her voice because she cannot speak," Myers said. Editor's Note: A previous version of this article misstated the 2014 shooting that led police to charge Ramone Clare with attempted murder. Court documents state Ramone Clare fired a gun at Ebony Clare as she was fleeing his apartment but do not state she was hit by the bullet. SPARTANBURG Students at Converse University have a new resource for basic needs support in an effort to help them reach their full potential. Valkyrie Supply is a free basic needs hub thats located in a room on the lower level of the Montgomery Student Center. The space allows students to access food, toiletries, school supplies, hygiene products and career clothing. I'm really proud about Valkyrie Supply because I think in a very clear and overt way it shows the students that theyre a priority and that they are the main priority, said the university's chaplain, the Rev. Eliza Smith DeBevoise. On Feb. 3, the university is planning to host an 11 a.m. grand opening event for Valkyrie Supply. A part of Smith DeBevoises role is to serve as a confidential resource for students. There were students coming to her expressing a need for the university to expand what it was currently doing in terms of a food pantry. Before Valkyrie Supply, there was a small food pantry inside the universitys spiritual life office. Smith DeBevoise and her team created an on-campus food insecurity survey last year and found that 41 percent of students identified as food insecure. From the survey, Smith DeBevoise said she found out that the university needed to expand its basic needs model and relocate some resources into one space for students. In addition to a small food pantry, the university had a place inside of its career development office where students could access professional clothing, and the universitys wellness center offered personal hygiene products to students in need. After collecting data from the survey, the team responsible for helping create Valkyrie Supply began to visit universities and colleges across the county in search of options to address the issue and decided to create a basic needs hub for students. Any way that we can invest in them at that basic level to help them be successful is the impetus for this project, said Tori Good, executive director of career development at Converse University. If basic needs arent met, students cant show up as their best selves during class, internships, student leadership opportunities or on-campus jobs, Good said. The idea for a hub was presented to the universitys student government association for feedback last year. Student workers have helped with data collection, inventory and asking people on campus what their needs are. For Good, putting together Valkyrie Supply has allowed some students to be leaders in their own way because theyve been able to implement new creative strategies for the project. Having this hands-on experience for students is really incredible because they're learning, and they can take this opportunity and talk about it in a job interview about how they spearheaded this initiative, Good said. The room where Valkyrie Supply is located used to be a bowling alley and was turned into a tutoring center. The tutoring center was relocated to the universitys library, and the space had been used for storage until its most recent transformation. Rebecca Parrish, director of institutional grants at Converse University, said the project has allowed the university to expand what it does with its food service vendor AVI Foodsystems. The food service vendor has allowed students to donate leftover flex dollars that are on their meal plan cards. The donated money goes into an account that those responsible for handling the food portion of Valkyrie Supply have access to. The team can order food at the wholesale price through AVI Foodsystems. I feel like this is a spark for our campus that is going to lead to transformational change and a real shift in showing who Converse really is and that Converse is a community that really cares, Parrish said. Valkyrie Supply is open to any student. In order to receive items, students dont need to fill out any paperwork. The process is anonymous and free. Anyone interested in donating can visit www.converse.edu/life-at-converse/success/valkyrie-supply. The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) says it emerged a Level 5 Platinum Level organization in a summary report of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) Self-assessment Tool (SAT) released in Yenagoa on Wednesday. According to the Federal Government Bureau, the rating translates as Exceptional Performance with a performance level of 90.5%. In September 2022 the Board was adjudged the best among Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in the Executive Order (EO1) performance ranking for Ease of Doing Business for January to June 2022. After that ranking by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), NCDMBs Executive Secretary, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, was conferred with the Distinguished Capacity Development Award by President Muhammadu Buhari in October. BPSR, at a presentation ceremony at the NCDMB Conference in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State noted that NCDMB is structured to achieve its vision, mission and strategic objectives, which have been effectively communicated to relevant stakeholders and well understood by staff. Continuing in what it terms validated assessment and in-depth analysis of processes and practices of the agency, the Bureau reported that NCDMB has adopted robust financial and accounting policies that comply with financial regulations and are clearly reviewed to ensure efficient and reliable financial reporting, such as e-payment for all transactions supplies, contracts, salaries and entitlements of staff. On the Boards Key Areas of Weakness, the Bureau said among other things that The Governing Board has not ensured the establishment of an anti-corruption policy with an entrenched whistle-blower mechanism for NCDMB, and that The organisations strategic plans did not incorporate generation of additional financial resources with mechanisms to ensure transparent management and reporting on performance such resources. To underscore its conviction that NCDMB would strive for higher levels of performance beyond its Level 5 Platinum ranking, the Bureau recommends that the Board Develop formal code of conduct defining standards of behavior to which individual Governing Board members of NCDMB subscribe and adhere. Also, that The procurement staff are encouraged to sign an affidavit regarding their commitment not to engage in practices involving conflict of interests to improve compliance with the provisions of PPA 2007 [Public Procurement Act, 2007. Presenting the report, the Director General, BPSR, Dasuki Arabi, hinted that NCDMB is the first agency under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources that submitted itself willingly to undergo the assessment since the Bureau was mandated to deploy the tool in all federal ministries, departments and agencies. Represented by the Head, Strategy, Innovation and Research, BPSR, Mercy Okon, the Director General confirmed that the assessment was free from any influences and recommended the Board work with the Bureau to deepen reforms. In his closing remarks on behalf of NCDMB Management, Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Akintunde Adelana, thanked the BPSR, particularly its Director General for the painstaking assessment exercise and assured that the exceptional grade achieved by NCDMB would spur its staff to even do better. Noting that Getting a Platinum Level award is no mean feat, he promised that recommendations made by the BPSR would be carefully studied and implemented for even greater results. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday announced that Nigerias broadband penetration is now 100 per cent following the deployment of Starlink services in the country. In a statement posted on his official twitter page, the president expressed his excitement about the deployment of Starlink services in Nigeria. He further explained that the development has made Nigeria the first African country and the only one so far to enjoy the service rollout. We are delighted that Starlink services have been deployed in Nigeria, the president said. With this deployment of Starlink, we now have 100 per cent broadband penetration in Nigeria. Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, SpaceX, on Monday announced that it had commenced the operation of Starlink services in Nigeria, making Africas most populous country the first to receive such service across the continent. Starlink is a satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX launched in 2019. It provides satellite internet access coverage to about 46 countries while also targeting the global mobile phone service after 2023. It was founded by Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla and the microblogging site Twitter, with the aim of reducing space transportation costs to enable the colonisation of Mars. Although Starlinks internet services have been said to be accessible from any part of the country, bridging the existing internet connectivity gap across rural communities in Nigeria where other network operators could not deploy their services, analysts say that the high cost of Starlink services may not encourage many Nigerians to access it. Access Earlier on Tuesday, the Gigabit Libraries Network and the National Library of Nigeria signed an agreement to ensure that five public libraries gain free access to Starlinks LEO satellite broadband system. In a statement published on the GLN website, the network noted that the five libraries selected would be the first set of libraries to have such connection on the African continent. Although the Network did not list out the libraries to benefit from the internet connectivity, the statement hinted that the project pilot phase will kickstart in Lagos and Abuja. The Gigabit Libraries Network, today announced an agreement with the Nigeria National Library to outfit five public libraries as users of SpaceX/Starlinks LEO satellite broadband system. These are the first libraries to have such a connection on the continent, the group said. Working in partnership with the African Library and Information Associations and Institutions to initiate a set of five pilot projects in Abuja and Lagos, the GLN noted that the library sites will be part of a wider study on capabilities and potential benefits of this innovative and potentially revolutionary communications capability that can reach almost anywhere on the planet. In many African communities, the library is the only place to access free and/or cheap Internet. Getting libraries connected to fast, stable and affordable Internet, can be the only link between young people and opportunities; between learning new skills and making the mark for better employment prospects and between access to information that can debunk rumours and falsehoods, the statement said. According to the statement, the implementation of LEO technology appears to be yielding faster connection speeds with lower latency than traditional geostationary satellite based services, though with outstanding questions of capacity over time as more users participate. Commenting on the development, GLN Director, Don Means, said, There are many things to learn about how these new systems can serve towards closing the persistent global digital divide as well as integrate into the wider telecom ecosystem. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Olori Sekinat, the wife of the famous Lagos monarch, Oba Saheed Elegushi, has said she never thought she could share her husband with another woman. Oba Elegushi, Kusenla III, is the 21st Elegushi of the Ikate-Elegushi Kingdom. Mrs Elegushi is saying this barely two years after her husband married a second wife. In May 2019, the 46-year-old monarch married a Kano indigene, Hadiza Yakasai, at the Jumaat Mosque, Yankaba, Kano State. The new Olori is the daughter of Kano political figure, Tanko Yakasai. She is also a Business Development Manager in an organisation which plays in the oil and gas industry. While speaking with BBC Yoruba, Mrs Elegushi said, There is no man who is free of promiscuity, not on this earth. As the Olori recounted, she met the king, a student, at her late mums shop on Lagos Island, and they were in a two-room apartment as newlyweds. In an interview published in November 2021, she said her husbands decision to marry a second wife was a hard pill to swallow. Accepting fate Olori Sekinat also said that while her now affluent husband is believed to have several mistresses, she insisted that her husband remain her husband and vice versa. She said, God help me to be a patient person who can also persevere; my husband knows that I am not troublesome over issues that have to do with promiscuity because I know he loves me and holds me in the highest esteem, and no woman cant threaten me. READ ALSO: He has many friends, those he had flings with and those he got married to. This generally applies. But for me, I am not threatened because I know what belongs to me will stay with me. I never thought I could share my husband. He may have concubines, but he remains my husband, and I remain his wife. I never knew I wont have a male child, but God, in his infinite mercies, gave me three daughters. Although a female cant be crowned as a king, there is nothing a male child can do that my daughters wont do. Before the monarch was crowned, the Queen said her husband had insisted on marrying her, a development which also ignited her love for him. An enduring love story Narrating how she met the monarch, Mrs Elegushi said, I was born here in Lagos. My mummy has a shop in Lagos Island, where the current Elegushi, Oba Saheed Ademola, met me. He was clingy, but I told him I had someone I was dating. He insisted on being just a friend. Even when I told him I was going to my boyfriend, he would escort me there. In 2003, he proposed that he wanted to marry me, but I loved him just as he loved me despite his having other women; I accepted. Expectedly, liking other women should ordinarily be put off, but we gradually got along. I never knew he could become a king when his father passed away; I cried that I didnt want to be king. He also doesnt want any because he was a politician, he wanted to contest the House of Representatives, we already had a campaign office and all. In 2003, the couple had a grand wedding. Seven years later, he was crowned the 21st Elegushi of the Ikate-Elegushi Kingdom after his father, the late Oba Yekini Adeniyi Elegushi, passed on. When he was crowned, he was 34 years, which made him the youngest king in Lagos State. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will on Friday meet with President Muhammadu Buhari to discuss the 25 February presidential election. The Presidential Campaign Council of APC disclosed this on Thursday via a post on Twitter. According to the post, the discussion will specifically centre on the naira redesigning and fuel scarcity, two issue which have increased the Nigerians dissatisfaction with the ruling party. On the agenda of the governors are issues of the nationwide fuel scarcity and the new Naira notes that have caused social and economic stress for Nigerians especially small businesses who rely on daily cash transactions, the post reads. Over the past couple of weeks, the redesigning of some bank notes by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the short deadline have pitched some persons in the ruling party against the administration. On Wednesday, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State accused some elements in the Presidency of working against the victory of the ruling party at the polls. He equally dissociated the APC from some of the policies of the current administration. In another interview on TVC, Mr El-Rufai, a member of APC, said the party will defeat the cabal at the poll. Also, the Kano State governor, Umar Ganduje, a very close ally of Mr Tinubu, recently wrote a letter to Mr Buhari ahead of his visit to Kano State, stating disquietness in his state against the administration over the naira redesigning. Although the president later visited the state after the extension of the deadline for the legality of the old naira notes, there were reports that some angry youth allegedly stoned the convoy of the president. Earlier, Mr Tinubu had let the cat out of the bag when he stated that the redesigning of the naira and fuel scarcity are deliberate and targeted against his election. Mr Tinubu, in a statement, made in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, said he will win the election despite the attempt to stop him. The statement further fueled the speculation that there is a rift between President Buhari and Mr Tinubu. However, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Friday said Mr Buhari was committed to the election of the former Lagos State governor as president. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A State High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has convicted and sentenced two former members of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigerian Police Force to death for extra-judicial killings. The convicts, Magus Awuri and Shedrick Obibo, are to die by hanging, the judge, M.O. Opara, said while delivering judgement, Punch newspaper reported. The newspaper did not state when the judgement was delivered. The convicts were among the five members of the SARS team including an Assistant Superintendent, Samuel Chigbu, Olisa Emeka and Ogoligo that were facing trial for killing Michael Akor and Michael Igwe, while in their custody. The slain men were accused of stealing recharge cards in Oyigbo, Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State in 2015. Two of the police officers, Messrs Chigbu and Ogoli, however, died in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Centre in Port Harcourt while the three others were still on trial. Delivering judgement on the matter, Mr Opara found Messrs Ibibo and Awuri guilty of conspiracy to murder while Mr Emeka was acquitted. Addressing reporters after the judgement, the prosecution counsel said Mr Emeka was acquitted because they (the prosecution) failed to prove the case against him, but added that justice had been served for the family of the deceased. It will serve as a deterrent hopefully to other police officers and give some sort of closure to the families of the deceased person, the prosecution counsel said. Katherine Akoro, a mother to one of the slain men, was full of happiness over the judgement. She said the police officers would also experience a taste of their own medicine. They killed my son, carried our property in 2011. My son said I should forgive them, let them go and bring those things they took. READ ALSO: I said if you are carrying all that property, bring my son, I will be okay. I thank God he has fought for me. I am happy, Mrs Akoro said. SARS, a controversial police unit, was accused of having links to extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, extortion, torture and framing up of suspects. After several investigations on its activities, the unit was disbanded in October 2020 after Nigerians took to the streets during the EndSARS protests. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has promised an upward review of workers salaries and pensions if given the mandate in the 25 February election. Mr Obi said this on Thursday at his presidential campaign rally in Birnin Kebbi, the capital city of Kebbi State, pledging to build a new Nigeria devoid of mass poverty and criminalities. He also promised to invest massively in agriculture to ensure food security and export of agricultural produce to other countries. This country is a great country with landmass and courageous people; we can feed ourselves if we truly harness our potential for the better. I will also invest heavily in education and ensure that unemployment becomes history in this country as our youth will be gainfully engaged in empowerment programmes, he said. Mr Obi also promised to address security challenges bedevilling the country, especially the North. This years election is different as it is based on competence for I and my running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, to bring the glory of the country with commitment. We cant do it without your support by given us mandate; in that we will build a new Nigeria but with your support, he said. Also speaking, the state LP governorship candidate, Gambo Paul-Tashe, urged the people to vote for LP, promising that they would never regret their decision and voting. I urge you to also collect your Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and hold them tight because they are your weapon to choose your right candidates and give mandate to LP candidates at all levels, he said. (NAN). Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Nderitu, on Thursday, condemned the 24 January airstrike in which at least 27 herders, mainly ethnic Fulani, were killed in the Doma Local Government of Nasarawa state, North-central Nigeria PREMIUM TIMES reported how the police in the state said 27 pastoralists were killed in the airstrike, but Fulani groups claim 40 people were killed and scores of other civilians were injured. They were killed while returning from Benue State, after reclaiming their livestock seized by the Benue State Government. Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule, said the incident is under investigation. The Nigeria Air Force is yet to comment on the development, its spokesperson, Wapkerem Maigida, didnt respond to phone calls to speak about the bombing allegedly carried out by an air force bomber. UN speaks Ms Nderitu expressed concern over worsening security in Nigeria while urging the authorities to ensure counter-terrorism operations are conducted in line with international human rights and humanitarian law. She recalled that another airstrike in 2017 resulted in 54 civilian casualties at a camp for displaced persons in Borno State. Ms Nderitu was particularly concerned about the situation in the North-west and North-central regions of Nigeria, where the air attacks took place. These dynamics of targeting communities along identity lines, if unaddressed, risk further fuelling inter-communal tensions, recruitment by armed groups and retaliatory attacks, with an obvious impact on civilians, she added. The Special Adviser said the worsening security situation in Nigeria is characterised by the politicisation of transhumance, movement of livestock for grazing, and increasing divisions among communities, including stigmatisation along religious and ethnic lines. Warning ahead of elections In this extremely volatile environment, it is important that the general elections scheduled to be held on 25 February 2023 do not trigger violence and even atrocity crimes, she warned. Ms Nderitu also underlined concern for increasing trends of hate speech along identity lines, and incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence that permeates political discourse in the country. She called on all political leaders to abide by a peace accord they signed that includes a commitment to peaceful campaigns. Ms Nderitu also expressed concern over the manipulation of transhumance in political discourse, across the whole of West Africa and the vast Sahel region. READ ALSO: Continuous high levels of violence targeting communities about transhumance, including with hate speech and incitement to violence, are particularly concerning given upcoming elections in many countries in the region, she said. The UN official appealed for urgent action to address conflicts, prevent atrocity crimes and allow for peaceful elections to take place. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Federal High Court in Abuja has acceded to Festus Keyamos request to serve court documents on Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), over a fresh corruption allegation against the former Vice President. Mr Keyamo, Minister of State for Labour and spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council, is seeking Atikus arrest and prosecution by Nigerias anti-corruption agencies for alleged graft. Ruling on an exparte application on 1 February, the judge, James Omotosho, asked Mr Keyamo to serve the originating summons all subsequent processes in this suit on Atiku by substituted means. In a certified true copy of the order seen by PREMIUM TIMES on Friday, Mr Omotosho ordered the service of the filings on any adult staff of the Atiku Abubakar campaign organisation located at Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, Beside Access Bank, Wuse 2, Abuja. The judge added that the court filings could be served by pasting them at a conspicuous part of the Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign organisation officein Abuja. Subsequently, Mr Omotosho adjourned the suit till 7 March for hearing. Background On 16 January, Mr Keyamo issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Conduct of Conduct Bureau (CCB), the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest Atiku. In a petition dated 16 January, the APC PCC spokesperson, asked the anti-graft agencies to arrest Atiku on offences of money laundering, breach of the code of conduct for public officers, conspiracy, and criminal breach of trust and misappropriation. At the end of the expiration of the ultimatum, the minister filed his suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking an order compelling the security agencies to arrest Atiku. Mr Keyamo premised his suit on the allegations made by Michael Achimugu, who claimed to be a former aide to Atiku. Mr Achimugu, in a series of social media posts, accused Atiku of using Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) to commit financial fraud. According to Mr Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Achimugus outburst provides substantial evidence to corroborate his allegations against the PDP presidential candidate and former President Olusegun Obasanjo. As the ultimatum lapsed without any action taken by the anti-graft agencies by 19 January, Mr Keyamo lodged his suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking an order compelling Atiku to surrender himself to the EFCC, ICPC, and CCB for thorough investigations. The minister also prayed for an order compelling the agencies to arrest and prosecute Atiku. In the suit, Mr Keyamo listed Atiku along with EFCC, ICPC, and CCB as defendants in the case marked FHC/ABJ/CS/84/2023. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Ibom Air, a commercial airline owned by the Akwa Ibom State Government, is set to begin regional flights to seven African countries in April. The group Manager, Marketing and Communication for Ibom Air, Anie Essienette, disclosed this while briefing reporters in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Friday. The expansion, which comes a little over a year after the airline signed an agreement with Airbus for the purchase of 10 A220 aircraft to boost its fleet, will see the airline flying to the Central and West African countries. Mrs Essienette listed the African countries covered under the planned regional flight expansion, to include Liberia, Senegal, Gabon, Ghana, Cameroon, Cote dIvoire, and Gambia. Already, we have an invite to fly in Gambia but will commence regional operations in the next two months. Ibom Air started with three aircraft, but in the course of our operations additional two aircraft were acquired. When the demand for our services was higher, we requested for 10 more aircraft, Mrs Essienette said. Seven aircraft have been booked for international operations. They will be throughout 2023. As we speak, some experts have gone to inspect it to ensure that the aircraft are built to our specifications. Before the end of 2023, our own aircraft will be delivered but the Airbuses will be supplied in tranches, she explained. Ibom Air, which launched its maiden flight in June 2019, is rated as one of the most successful airlines in Nigeria. The airline won the best airline of the year award consecutively in 2020, 2021, and 2022, and is ranked the best airline by Travellers Awards. READ ALSO: Parameters considered by the award committee include average age of aircraft, schedule integrity, spread of services, customer care, and inflight services, and the total number of flights done. The airline on 16 December 2022 recorded its 2 millionth passenger since it began commercial flight. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal has disagreed with Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State dismissing Peter Obi as an insignificant contender in the forthcoming presidential election. Mr El-Rufai, while appearing on Journalists Hangout programme of TVC News on Thursday, argued that Mr Obi who is the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), cannot win the election despite opinion polls placing Mr Obi ahead of other presidential candidates in the election. Some polls had suggested Mr Obi leading while Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), respectively, were trailing the LP flagbearer. The polls put Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) as distant fourth behind the APC and the PDP standard bearers. According to the Kaduna governor, some of the polls were not conducted accurately. He added that Mr Obis party uses ethnicity and religious bigotry in its campaigns. But in an interview on Channels Television primetime show, Politics Today, on Friday evening, Mr Lawal dismissed Mr El-Rufais assertions. Contrary to Mr El-Rufais claims that Mr Obi cannot garner the statutory 25 per cent votes in all states of the federation, the ex-SGF said majority of voters in the northern states were tired of the failed promises of the APC and PDP governments. People in Katsina are eager to vote for Peter Obi because the APC government has failed to protect them. They are now taking refuge at motor parks due to insecurity, Mr Lawal said. He pointed out that the electorate in Adamawa, Benue, Plateau, Borno and other northern states are rooting for Peter Obi because they have seen the light. Mr Lawal who served as SGF in the President Muhammadu Buhari-led regime, was pressured out of office following allegations of contract fraud. He was tried by the EFCC but the court discharged and acquitted him of the charges. Mr Lawal insisted that the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of Mr Tinubu and Kashim Shetima would be rejected by Nigerians at the polls. He argued that the APC and the PDP were similar in the misgovernance that had plagued Nigeria since 1999. Mr Lawal said he had seen the light which Mr Obi and the LP represent, saying, The APC and the PDP represent darkness in the governance of Nigeria. In this election, every Nigerian is determined to have a say. (Mr) El-Rufai will see the shock of his life, Mr Lawal said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State Thursday said the Labour Partys presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will not win the 25 February presidential election. The governor in an interview with TVC News said the projection by ANAP Foundations poll and other opinion polls in favour of Mr Obi were not accurately done, thus can not be relied upon to measure the success of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party. Some polls had shown Mr Obi leading with Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), respectively, trailing him. Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) emerged as distant fourth behind Messrs Tinubu and Atiku. For instance, the ANAP poll conducted in early December 2022 showed 23 per cent of voters are willing to vote for Mr Obi in the presidential election and 13 per cent proposing to vote for Mr Tinubu who came second. Atiku came third with 10 per cent and Mr Kwankwaso was a distant fourth with only two per cent of voters proposing to vote for him. But Governor El-Rufai said the poll was not conducted accurately and that Mr Obis Labour Party is using ethnicity and religious bigotry in its campaign which will also make him not win the election. I was a teaching assistant for statistics, I understand it. I am not talking as a politician or a layman. The most important thing in looking at any opinion poll is the sample followed by the methodology. When you have hundreds of millions of registered voters and you are sampling three thousand registered voters, your results are unreliable, will have a high margin of errors and most of these polls (predicting Peter Obi as the winner of the election) are like that, Mr El-Rufai said. All the opinion polls conducted, the Bloomberg one, the ANAP one and the Ngozi Iweala one all use the telephone. Only 31 per cent of voters registered contain phone numbers. When you pick your sample out of the 31 per cent, from day one, your result is dead on arrival. I can take every one of these opinion polls and deconstruct them because I understand what is sampling and what is a methodology and those polls are a joke with the greatest respect, the governor said. He added that one reliable poll conducted shows that the election is going to be a close contest between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC). We have done a poll with a sample of nearly 40,000 across Nigeria and the results of the polls show that we are ahead, and its going to be a tight election. There is a large percentage of undecided voters. We must work hard to swing the undecided to our side but we are ahead. How can Peter Obi win any election? He is polling one per cent in Sokoto, two per cent in Katsina, and five per cent in Kano. That is where the votes are, all states are not equal. The fact that he is doing 70 per cent in Anambra State does not mean somebody doing 10 per cent in Kano is not better than him. Kano is four million votes, and the number of votes in Anambra is the size of one local government in Kaduna State. Peter Obi will win southeastern states, South-south, where else? He is not polling well in the South-west other than a drop in the ocean in Lagos. He is polling in the Christian enclaves in the north, but how many are they? Peter Obi cannot win the election, he doesnt have the number of states, and he doesnt have 25 per cent in more than 16 states, he cant go anywhere. Peter Obi is a Nollywood actor and that is all he will speak about. This election is between the APC and the PDP because they have the footprints and the spate. Ethnicity and religious bigotry will not take you anywhere and that is what the Labour Party campaign is about, Mr El-Rufai said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Presidential Campaign Director for Labour Party in Bauchi State, Alhassan Bawu, has joined the People Democratic Party (PDP). Mr Bawus defection comes barely three weeks before the presidential election. Mr Bawu said he defected to the PDP to support the partys presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. Mr Bawu told reporters on Tuesday in Bauchi, that the entire Labour Party leadership in the North-east had joined the PDP. He claimed that all Labour Party members who defected to the PDP in the North-east did that to help the PDP Presidential candidate of the party to win the election. READ ALSO: According to Mr Bawu, the Labour Party lacked structure at the ward, local and state levels, which guided their decision to pitch a tent with the PDP. We believe the Labour Party is not strong enough to win a single seat in the North-east. We are officially declaring that all the North-east executives of the Labour Party are defecting to PDP to support Atiku. We dont want to waste our votes, and we want to use this time to mobilise votes to who can win the election, Mr Bawu said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print President Muhammadu Buhari Friday urged citizens to give him seven days to resolve the cash crunch that has become a problem across the country from the policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria to change high value Naira notes with new ones. He was speaking to the Progressive Governors Forum who came to the Presidential Villa to seek solutions to the cash crunch which they said was threatening the good records of the administration in transforming the economy. President Buhari said the currency re-design will give a boost to the economy and provide long-term benefits while expressing doubts about the commitment of banks in particular to the success of the policy. Some banks are inefficient and only concerned about themselves, said the president, even if a year is added, problems associated with selfishness and greed wont go away. He said he had seen television reports about cash shortages and hardship to local businesses and ordinary people and gave assurances that the balance of seven of the 10-day extension will be used to crackdown on whatever stood in the way of successful implementation. I will revert to the CBN and the Minting Company. There will be a decision one way or the other in the remaining seven days of the 10-day extension, the president assured. The governors told the president that, while they agreed that his decision on the renewal of currency was good and they are fully in support, its execution had been botched and their constituents were becoming increasingly upset. They told the president that, as leaders of the government and party in their different states, they were becoming anxious about a slump in the economy and the series of elections that are coming. They requested the president to use his powers to direct the concurrent flourish of the new and old notes till the end of the year. READ ALSO: The president said when he considered giving the approval to the policy, he demanded an undertaking from the CBN that no new notes will be printed in a foreign country and they in turn gave him assurances that there was enough capacity, manpower and equipment to print the currency for local needs. He said he needed to go back to find out what was actually happening. President Buhari told the governors that, being closer to the people, he had heard their cries and will act in a way that there will be a solution. GARBA SHEHU Senior Special Assistant to the President Media and Publicity Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Pandemonium broke out on the University of Benin campus on Thursday when some soldiers clashed with the students in the university. There are varied accounts of what led to the clash. According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), a version of what happened said the crisis erupted when the students resisted attempts by the soldiers to jump the queue for the use of the ATM on campus, leading to fisticuffs between them. Another version said a large group of students descended on the soldiers when the military men upbraided some students for wearing camouflage. A clip of the incident, which is being circulated on social media, showed some angry students beating and kicking a lone soldier. The soldiers were said to have gone back to the campus on Friday for a reprisal, beating students and destroying cars. READ ALSO: The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, Lilian Salami, in a statement on Friday described the incident as unfortunate and said the situation on campus has been brought under control. She said the university management was holding discussions with the military authorities in Benin for an amicable resolution. Management acknowledges that these are challenging times for everyone and enjoins all to remain calm while efforts are being made to avert a recurrence. Management also calls on the students to constantly embrace dialogue in resolving issues that concern them rather than taking to protests, at any provocation. Such protests cause more injury and damage for the students and for other citizens, Mrs Salami, a professor, stated. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Supreme Court, on Friday, upheld the nomination of Agbu Kefas as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 11 March governorship election in Taraba State. An aggrieved PDP governorship aspirant, Jerome Nyameh, a professor, had urged the court to nullify Mr Agbus nomination for the poll on account of an alleged violation of the Electoral Act and the Constitution. But the court, while delivering judgement in the appeal, held that Mr Nyameh failed to explore the internal mechanisms of resolving primary election disputes before lodging the suit. A member of the five-man panel of the Supreme Court, Emmanuel Agim, who read the unanimous decision, said the appellant (Mr Nyameh) did not join other aspirants that participated in the primary poll as defendants as statutorily required. He dismissed two appeals on the subject matter. The court held that the appellants acted in breach of Sections 84 and 87(9) of the Electoral Act by failing to make use of the primary election dispute mechanism as contained in the partys guidelines. After dismissing the appeals, Mr Agim affirmed Mr Kefas candidacy for the PDP for the Taraba State governorship election. In the light of this, both appeals were deemed premature and lacking in merit as they were instituted without exploring the internal party options to seek redress before heading to court. Failure of the appellants to include other aspirants who took part in the primary at the early stages of the trial robbed them of rights to fair hearing, Mr Agim said. The Court of Appeal in Jalingo, Taraba State, had in November 2022, affirmed Mr Agbus nomination for the election. READ ALSO: The appellate court upheld the decision of the Federal High Court, Jalingo, which dismissed Mr Nyamehs suit challenging Mr Agbus nomination for the PDP primary election. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Mr Agbu at the governorship primary election of the PDP won the contest with 443 votes out of the 517 votes cast. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Angry protesters have taken to the streets of Ibadan, Oyo State capital, in an expression of frustration over the scarcity of naira notes and premium motor spirits(PMS), popularly called petrol. This protest has now spread to major areas in the ancient city, including Agodi-Secretariat, Iwo road, Idi Ape and Bodija. The protests had started on a small scale on Monday with no threat to businesses and other residents. However, it took a new dimension on Friday when the youth and traders started burning tyres and barricading roads. As of the time of filing this report Friday afternoon, no violence had been reported but businesses in many areas had closed shops. People across Nigeria have been groaning over the unavailability of petrol for many weeks. The difficulties are compounded by the scarcity of new naira notes as the 10 February deadline for the end of the old notes as a legal tender approaches. READ ALSO: State governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa in Abuja over the currency redesign crisis. According to a statement issued by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, at the end of the meeting, the president asked to be given seven days to review the situation. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The police in Nasarawa State, North-central Nigeria, on Friday, said the remaining four primary school pupils kidnapped at Alwaza, a community in Doma Local Government Area, have been rescued. The commands spokesperson, Rahman Nansel, in a statement said the security operatives rescued the pupils of Doka village in the Doma council area. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the pupils were abducted on their way to school and how two of them were subsequently rescued. The spokesperson said the operation to rescue the abducted pupils was led by the police commissioner, Maiyaki Muhammad-Baba. In continuation of the search to rescue the remaining four pupils that were earlier abducted on 20/1/2023 at LEA Primary school, Alwaza; on 3/2/2023 at about 7:00 The detachment of joint security operatives in collaboration with Hunters rescued the four pupils at Doka village, Doma Local Government Area The victims, Awazi Emmanuel, Success Ogah, Dominion Alhaji and Success Emmanuel have been taken to the hospital for medical examination and shall be reunited with their parents. The Commissioner of Police, Maiyaki Muhammad Baba, thanked members of the public for their support thus far and urges them to assist the police with relevant information that will assist in arresting the perpetrators of the dastardly act, the spokesperson said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A Non-profit organisation, Stand to End Rape (STER) has partnered with two Nigerian universities to quell recurring cases of sexual violence in tertiary institutions. This move is sequel to reports of sexual harassment of female students by staff of academic institutions. One of such reports done by the BBC spotlighted the issue on #SexforGrades. As a result, STER collaborated with Baze University, Abuja and River State University to introduce reforms in this regard in their institution and provide punitive measures for erring staff, according to a statement issued by STERs communications officer, Elfrida Adeleye, on Friday. Ms Adeleye noted that four years after the BBC report, theres been little to no tangible result has been produced which is why they (STER) launched the GirlLead Project. The project, supported by IVLP grant, produced and distributed educational tools and printable IEC materials in the two institutions of higher learning in Nigeria to teach Nigerian women and girls actionable steps to take after experiencing an incidence of sexual violence, Ms Adeleye said. The group also presented a survey of SGBV responses from the students to the management which would help inform policy changes and influence programming at both the institutions. STERs survivor forms were also shared with students to report any case of sexual violence they have faced in order to provide them with any support they may need, she added. Recall that the federal legislators in the Senate and House of Representatives passed the Sexual Harassment bill although after an initial rejection by the House of Representatives because they wanted other spheres of society like the workplace and religious institutions etc. included with academic institutions. READ ALSO: The bill was introduced to prevent, prohibit and redress sexual harassment of students in tertiary educational institutions. But President Muhammadu Buhari is yet to assent to the bill despite calls made by some civil society groups to sign the bill into law in September 2022. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A former emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, has responded to the allegation levelled against him by the Governor of Benue of State, Samuel Ortom, over the mass killing of pastoralists in the Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. This newspaper had reported how the police in the state said 27 pastoralists were killed in the airstrike, but Fulani groups claim 40 people were killed and scores of other civilians were injured. No one or group has claimed responsibility for the incident. The state governor, Abdullahi Sule, said the incident was under investigation. The Nigeria Air Force is yet to comment on the development. Its spokesperson, Wapkerem Maigida, did not respond to phone calls when last contacted by our reporter to speak about the bombing allegedly carried out by an air force bomber. Mr Ortom, in a press conference on Thursday, alleged that a group of Fulani elites are planning to eliminate him over the bombing incident. The governor alleged that the former emir led by some personalities is making all manners of accusations against him in a sinister attempt to set him up for hatred and attacks over the killing in Nasarawa. Mr Ortom revealed that the group, in a petition signed by 52 personalities, including Mr Sanusi, sent to President Muhammadu Buhari, had accused him of masterminding the killing of the pastoralists in Nasarawa. According to the governor, the group also fingered the Benue State Livestock Guards in the killings, claiming that the pastoralists were bombed on their way to Nasarawa after retrieving their seized cattle in Benue. But in an interview with BBC Hausa, Mr Sanusi said Fulbe Global, a coalition of pastoralists leadership, is not a murderer group rather it protects the Fulani culture, restores good morals known with pastoralists and fights for their rights while dealing with recalcitrants in the group. He accused Governor Ortom of working against pastoralists by establishing anti-grazing laws as well as setting up a state militia that targets pastoralists. Governor Ortom is the one who came with legislation that outlaws Fulani from grazing and established Benue Livestock Guards and armed them. They have killed Fulani. They confiscated their cattle. They extorted and oppressed them. This is not a mere allegation. Myself and the Lamidon Adamawa and late Ahmed Joda had a meeting with Vice President the then IG, Idris and Minister of Agriculture Audu Ogbeh where I presented a document to the attendants revealing that Benue state government would train these ranchers (Livestock Guards) how to use firearms which violates Nigerian laws. The federal government is not unaware of this but couldnt do anything. These people were armed and they killed innocents and impounded their cattle. The recent incident in Nasarawa was not the first of its kind. This is almost the fifth time they have shelled bombs on these people in Nasarawa. Neither the Nasarawa state governor nor traditional rulers raised the alarm that there were terrorists in their domain, so lets bombard them. All the air strikes that took place in Nasarawa were masterminded from Makurdi. We must hold him responsible since we know his position against Fulani. Its only an investigation that will avail him of the allegations. Why wont t there be an investigation to reveal who masterminded the bombardment? And who gives orders to the Air force to always launch these airstrikes? We wrote an open letter to the president, making him the commandant in chief. To this moment, there is no statement from the presidency to condole or sympathize with the victims families; let alone to talk about compensating them. The presidency is mum about it, on the other hand, if one person was killed in the south; they would speak out, Mr Sanusi lamented. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to allow both the old and new naira notes co-circulate until the end of the year. The governors said this Friday after they met the president to seek solutions to the cash crunch recorded across Nigeria, which they said was threatening the good records of the administration in transforming the economy. Led by the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, eleven other governors from APC-controlled states attended the meeting. President Buhari had earlier said the currency re-design will give a boost to the economy and provide long-term benefits while expressing doubts about the commitment of banks in particular to the success of the policy. Some banks are inefficient and only concerned about themselves, said the president, even if a year is added, problems associated with selfishness and greed wont go away. He said he had seen television reports about cash shortages and hardship to local businesses and ordinary people and gave assurances that the balance of seven of the 10-day extension will be used to crack down on whatever stood in the way of successful implementation. According to a statement signed by presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, the governors said they are in support of the policy and were convinced about the intent behind its thinking. However, they expressed concerns about the negative impact of the policy which has had a debilitating effect on Nigerians. They told the president that, as leaders within the party and the government in their various states, they were becoming anxious regarding the economic impact and the potential erosion to our democratic process, particularly the upcoming general elections, the statement said. They, therefore, requested that the president directs an adequate injection of the new notes and the continued utilisation of the old ones until the end of the year. Meanwhile, Mr Buhari stated that prior to the initial approval of the policy, he demanded an undertaking from the CBN that no new notes will be printed outside the country, and he received firm assurances that there was enough capacity, manpower and equipment for the domestic execution of the exercise. However, he would interrogate these assurances as part of his engagement with the responsible agencies of government, the statement said. Finally, he thanked the governors for bringing the cries of the people to him, given their proximity to them and assured that there will be a solution to the problem, the statement said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The APC Presidential Campaign Council says Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the opposition PDP in the 25 February presidential election, is Nigerias number one public enemy The council said this against the backdrop of a statement credited to Atiku where he said: There should be no further postponement of the new naira regime after the expiration of the February 10 deadline. APC PCC in a statement on Friday signed by Bayo Onanuga, its spokesperson, said it found it ludicrous that a man who joined the call for an extension of the deadline for naira swap last week is championing a new campaign against the further extension because he feels the suffering of Nigerians will serve his own political end to become president at all cost. The CBN had extended the deadline for naira swap to 10 February. However, despite the extension, Nigerians still find it hard to get the new notes. An earlier report by this newspaper revealed the harrowing experiences Nigerians go through daily to hunt for naira to spend. While at a rally in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the APC, alleged that the twin problems of fuel scarcity and new naira notes scarcity were plans of saboteurs to prevent him from winning the forthcoming presidential election. The statement noted that Atiku and the PDP had maintained what it called an opportunistic silence on the naira swap deadline with the hope they will benefit from the discomfort the policies will create for Nigerians and the resentment they will generate for the ruling APC. The campaign council noted that it is clear to every Nigerian of conscience that Atiku and the PDP do not mean well for the country. PDP and Atiku have become desperadoes who will wish calamity on the country as long as it makes them win an election they are destined to lose, spectacularly, the statement read partly. Read the full statement below: ATIKU ABUBAKAR IS NOW NIGERIAS PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE The current sabotage of the Naira notes swap and fuel scarcity that have caused untold hardship to millions of Nigerians across the country revealed the true character of Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as public enemy number one. Nigerians will recall that since the Central Bank introduced its current cash-limit and new Naira notes swap policies, Atiku Abubakar and PDP maintained opportunistic silence with the hope they will benefit from the discomfort the policies will create for Nigerians and the resentment they will generate for the ruling APC. While Atiku and PDP were in bed with the saboteurs and fifth columnists among the operators of Money Deposit Banks and oil marketers who created the current logjam to force the outcome of the February 25 Presidential election in favour of the former Vice President, our candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu courageously pitched his tent with the poor masses who have been most negatively impacted by the antics of these evil doers. Having realised they have lost the initiative and their antics exposed to Nigerians by Asiwaju Tinubu at the APC Presidential Campaign rally in Abeokuta, Atiku made a half-hearted appeal to CBN to slightly extend the deadline for the currency swap. We are currently at a loss to understand what informed the current call of Atiku on CBN not to extend the February 10 deadline despite the unmitigated hardship still being faced by many Nigerians who could not meet their basic daily needs as a result of lack of cash from banks and the empty ATM machines. Any one who lives in Nigeria and not Dubai and visits banks and ATM locations will feel sad that the CBN is making our people suffer for its badly timed Naira swap policy. The banks latest fire brigade approach in approving payment of N20,000 at the counter is far from offering relief as queues are still long, agony and frustrations widening, an invitation to riots. This poorly implemented policy has turned Nigerians to destitutes because they cannot access their own money in their bank accounts. People cannot get money to give their kids to school or pay for daily needs at corner shops, fruit shops, including buying newspapers. Transactions in market places have plummeted. The CBN governor gave insight into the nature of the problem when he revealed in Daura last Sunday that out of the N3.3 trillion in circulation, only N500 billion is in the bank vaults. So far only N1.9trillion had been received by the banks for swap. But people are not getting the new notes to spend, thus triggering the huge anger in the land against Emefiele. We thus find it ludicrous that a man who joined the call for an extension of the deadline last week is championing a new campaign against further extension because he feels the suffering of Nigerians will serve his own political end to become president at all cost. Atiku said callously: There should be no further postponement of the new naira regime after the expiration of the February 10 deadline. Anchoring his objection on the wrong reason, he said further: The CBN and the Presidency should be steadfast. The merits of the new naira policy far outweigh the little inconvenience we are experiencing. In passing off the suffering of our people as Little inconvenience, Atiku only comes across as a political leader disconnected from the Nigerian people that he is campaigning to govern. Certainly, living comfortably in Dubai for many years has drained Atiku of all empathy. This is a man who wants to be President and does not mind even if he presides over the graves of Nigerians as long as his inordinate ambition materialises in line with the prophecy of his marabouts. It is crystal clear to every Nigerian of conscience now that Atiku Abubakar and PDP do not mean well for our country. PDP and Atiku have become desperadoes who will wish calamity on the country as long as it makes them win an election they are destined to lose, spectacularly. Atiku is now public enemy number one in Nigeria. He is evil personified and must be rejected at the polls on 25 February. If Atiku Abubakar has the poor people of our country at heart like Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the PDP candidate will not be advocating for adherence to a policy that has become a burden too heavy to bear for our people. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Security experts and public affairs analysts in the north have expressed divergent views on security plans presented by the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu. In separate interviews with PREMIUM TIMES, the analysts unanimously agreed that the security situation in the North needs to be tackled headlong. The north, comprising 19 states, has been battling issues of insecurity and poverty. In the North-east zone, a 13 year old Boko Haram insurgency has devastated the region leading to the deaths and displacement of millions of people. In the North-west, terrorists loosely called bandits, have been wreaking havoc on residents, farmers and motorists for close to a decade. Humanitarian crisis has been on the rise as residents continue to flee their communities due to incessant attacks on the communities in the region. The North-central part has also been witnessing clashes between herders and farmers as well as ethno-religious crises. Tinubus plans In the policy document titled, Renewed Hope, Mr Tinubu pledged to prioritise security, if elected in the 25 February presidential election. We will mobilise the totality of our national security, military and law enforcement assets to protect all Nigerians from danger and from the fear of danger. We will expand and improve upon the use of technology, enhance recruitment of personnel, and bolster existing agencies and systems to achieve this fundamental national security goal, he said in the policy document. Mr Tinubu promised to provide a trained and disciplined anti-terrorists battalions, upgrade tactical communication and transportation for security agents, upgrade weapons systems to ensure security agents are capable of addressing security threats and recruitment of people who possess the technical skills required for todays military. He also plegded to reduce dependence on imported foreign military equipment, exploit aerial technological superiority, improve salaries of security agents, rehabilitate economic systems affected by violent groups, secure national infrastructure, seek international collaboration and reposition the police. Experts views Yusuf Anka, a security expert with knowledge of banditry, said the issue in the North-west requires a political solution. He said the steps being proposed by most of the presidential candidates have been used by the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari with no appreciable results. These military plans have all been undertaken by President Buhari. From my own perspectives, the issues need political approach and not to militarise the situation again. Military approach will just be the continuation of what is happening now; the terrorists will continue killing people while security agents continue hunting down for the terorrists. So there could be no end in sight. There are defined political ways to tackle the situation, Mr Anka, an indigene of Zamfara State, said. He said the military aspect especially ensuring the borders are well manned to stop weapons from being taken into the country, is a good plan but may not solve the situation. Soldiers are now overstretched; were just using them in the wrong direction. This is the eleventh year of banditry and there has been no weapon that was not used by this government to no avail, he added. Baba-Bala Katsina, a historian, said the security provisions are nothing short of political rhetorics to win elections. The issue of fighting crime especially of banditry type could not be executed successfully with only military strategy or equipment, because its a syndicated crime where the active criminals, community, politicians, business people, the judiciary staff, some security agents and others are also involved, he said. He said the plans didnt capture the issue of corruption in the security circle which he believes hinders the fight against banditry. The Immigration service, Customs, and NDLEA should have been captured in the plan too because its a transborder crime and hard drugs are being supplied and consumed along the line. Community based approach should also be involved, because it started as a communal conflict, and we can see how communities are deeply involved in it as vigilantes, informants, negotiators, suppliers of arms, food and drugs, he said. On his part, a senior lecturer of Political Science and International Relations, Jamilu Abdussalam, said the security plan of the APC standard bearer was well articulated and could work towards addressing the problems. He said if Mr Tinubu can stick to the plans if elected, there would be positive results in the fight against banditry though if there are other plans that need to be included. When were talking of national security, it goes beyond military and police. There are other things like poverty. You cant have a secured country without tackling poverty. Poverty and insecurity are friends, he said. The lecturer at the Umaru Musa Yaradua University said Mr Tinubu should have included the issue of tackling the problem of inequality among citizens. READ ALSO: Even the bandits, most of them feel theyre not being tested equally. Politicians dont share government resources equally. So, I think he should pay more attention to the issue of inequality not only on the side of the bandits but nationally, he said. Mr Abdussalam said what the presidential candidate should do is to look at the root causes of the issues and tackle them because military plans would only work for some months and that might not bring the desired solutions. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigerian government, on Friday, conferred the highest rank of ambassador-in-situ on 115 career diplomats from the ministry of foreign affairs. Speaking at the investiture ceremony, Nigerias Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, commended the diplomats for their dedication over the years. He said the conferment of the title shows that the president appreciates the sacrifices they have made over the years. Nigerias image and benefit in the global community have accrued over the years as a result of their efficient representations across the globe, Mr Onyeama said. One aspect of our foreign policy and diplomacy that we do not appreciate a lot is how Nigeria maintains an excellent relationship with every country in the world, he said, adding that these relationships are maintained by Nigerian diplomats in various countries. Ambassador-in-situ is the highest rank for persons in foreign service. A total of 16 women and 99 men were appointed at the ceremony. It is the recognition of work already done and positions they have attained. Automatically, when you achieve a certain level in the diplomatic service, you earn the right to be conferred by Mr President with the honour of ambassador-in-situ, Mr Onyeama explained. Additionally, there is a distinction between when a diplomat is accredited to a country as an ambassador and the recognition that comes with the level of work done and the level achieved. The appointees comprised both serving and retired diplomats in the foreign service. Anthony Ebipador, one of the newly appointed ambassadors, told PREMIUM TIMES he felt fulfilled and looks forward to being posted soon. Similarly, Nonyelum Afoekelu expressed excitement at her appointment adding that she is looking forward to serving. Another awardee, Walter Ajobo, speaking at the ceremony, thanked the president for the honour. We have waited patiently for a day like this. For those serving, it is career motivating and for the retired, it is career fulfilling, he said. He also thanked and commended the minister for facilitating the investiture while pledging his and his colleagues commitment to serving whenever they are called upon. In a vote of thanks on behalf of the appointees, Kabiru Musa thanked the president for honouring an agelong tradition. He said the conferment will serve as motivation to other colleagues to continue working diligently. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The presidential candidate of the ruling APC, Bola Tinubu, has alleged that some opposition elements want to create a political crisis over the ongoing fuel and naira scarcity confronting Nigerians Mr Tinubu made the allegation during his campaign visit to Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, on Friday. The nationwide frustration and hardship, Mr Tinubu said, are being exploited by fifth columnists to cause turmoil in the country so that the general elections slated for this month and March are postponed. They are hoarding Naira so that you can be angry and fight. They want confusion so that the election can be postponed. What they want is an interim government. But we are wiser than them. We will not fight. Any rat that eats the rat poison will end up killing itself, he said. A statement released by his media office on Friday and signed by Tunde Rahman quoted the former Lagos governor as saying that he is in the presidential race to better the lives of the people. Read the full statement below: At Ekiti rally, Tinubu says opposition elements want to create a political crisis with fuel, new Naira notes scarcity All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said the fifth columnists behind the current nationwide fuel and new Naira notes scarcity want to foist a political crisis on the country. Speaking at Ekiti Parapo Pavilion in Ado-Ekiti, venue of the presidential campaign rally on Friday, Asiwaju Tinubu said the people behind the crisis that is causing nationwide frustration and hardship to Nigerians want to spark turmoil that can lead to postponement of the general elections. They are hoarding Naira so that you can be angry and fight. They want confusion so that the election can be postponed. What they want is an interim government. But we are wiser than them. We will not fight. Any rat that eats the rat poison will end up killing itself. The former Lagos State Governor told the people that he is in the presidential race to better their lives. I am in the race for the betterment of the people. If it is what I will eat and what I need personally, God has provided for me. I am in this race to make life good and better for you too. Ekiti people are well educated people. They are well read; they dont joke with education. But it is not good to finish schooling and not get a job. So, we shall provide jobs for you. On that day, we will trek to the polling booths to cast our votes. Your polling booths are not far from where you live. So, you should walk down to cast your votes, Tinubu told his supporters. Rallying the people of Ekiti to hope for better and happy life in his prepared speech, Tinubu said he believes every Nigerian is entitled to live a life of dignity. I believe each and every Nigerian is entitled to a life of dignity and happiness free from the fear of hunger, poverty, violence and hopelessness. I believe we can do better as a nation. I believe we must do better. History calls. Destiny Calls. Greatness calls. I came here today to offer you my best and assure you that I will always work for you. Take a look at my plan and ideas for the nation. You will like them because they were developed out of concern and hope for your welfare and for your future. Parents, dont you want your children to enjoy a better life. Young people, dont you want a nation where you can realize your dreams and also be able to care for your parents, yet nurture and have children of your own. Join us, elect us so that the government will work to ensure that you have decent jobs, that farmers make a good living, that enough schools and clinics exist. We will expand industry, assure your peace and safety, make sure that our nation is well fed and without hunger and we shall renew your hope in Nigeria and in your future. Speaking on his plans for Ekiti State, Tinubu promised to focus on development of the agricultural sector, employing modern and mechanized farming. He also promised to make the state an exportation hub for its agricultural products, bringing more revenue to the state. My farm policy will establish commodity exchange boards guaranteeing prices for important crops so that you are ensured a decent living for your hard work. Our Agricultural Plan calls for agricultural hubs and improves access to finance. Both these will enable you to modernise farm operations, improve productivity while reducing the harshness of physical labour through mechanised equipment and modern technology. Your cocoa will supply users in Europe, Asia and beyond. More than that, through our plans to promote agro-allied processing, local companies will begin to turn cocoa into finished products. Ultimately, you will export chocolate candy and other fine things to the rest of the world. Implementing this plan in Ekiti and the rest of the nation means progress for you and the entire economy. For we shall grow more food, with less strain and effort. Increased food security means you will be able to visit the market to buy the food you need yet still have money left in your hand for other life necessities, he added. Citing the Ikogosi Warm Spring, Tinubu said the state will be a befitting tourist site for the country, attracting foreigners from in and out of the country and boosting the states resources. You are an industrious people living in a scenic and fertile land. Tourism will thrive under a government that prioritises security, development, commerce and creativity. Your beautiful warm springs and waterfalls will welcome tourists from across Nigeria and all over the world. The Ikogosi Tourist Centre will become known as a shining beacon of what Nigeria can achieve, he added. Just like in everywhere else, Tinubu emphasised his industrialisation plans, creating jobs and developing infrastructure across the country. On security, he said, Rest assured, my security strategy will be tough on kidnappers, killers, terrorists and bandits. My national security plan invests heavily on ensuring we have enough active, well trained and well-equipped security personnel to defeat threats wherever and whenever they emerge. We shall significantly augment the number of active duty personnel. Moreover, we shall invest in enhanced ground and air surveillance technology so that we can identify, track, outmaneuver and ultimately defeat those who seek to defeat our democratic and good way of life. They will witness and end their evil doings and terrible ways. I vow to mobilise the totality of our national security assets to protect all Nigerians from danger and from even the fear of that danger. In his address at the rally, Ekiti State Governor, Abiodun Oyebanji introduced Asiwaju Tinubu as an in-law who gave his daughter as wife to Ekiti people and the people of the state must reciprocate with 100% votes for him and all APC candidates. The governor assured the people of a better Ekiti State with Tinubu as president, the same point he made during the meeting of the APC candidate with Ekiti State Council of Traditional rulers. Among APC National Leaders and governors who attended the rally were former Interim National Chairman of the party Chief Bisi Akande, former governor Kayode Fayemi, Minister of Trade and Industry Niyi Adebayo, APC National Women Leader, Betta Edu, Ondo State Deputy Governor, Lucky Ayedatiwa, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, Senator Olamilekan Adeola and other Federal and State lawmakers from Ondo and Ekiti States. Tinubu Media Office Tunde Rahman February 3, 2023 Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The second part of the advice means to be careful about the Halal (pure and recommended) and the Haram (forbidden) food, because the Noble Quran and Hadiths of Prophet (Peace be upon him) mandate Halal food. Halal food means that food must be procured and purchased through fair, legitimate, and honest means. In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation may He extol the Messenger in the highest company of Angels and send His peace and blessings upon him likewise upon his family, Companions, and true followers. Dear brothers and sisters! In some of my previous Friday sermons (Khutbah) I discussed Luqman Al-Hakims first advice to his son with regards to the quality of Prayer (Salat). The second advice he gave was about food. He said that you should guard and watch your food intake. It is a two-part advice. One is that over eating should be avoided, because it is the root cause of ill health. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) had advised us to divide our stomach into three compartments; one for food, the second for water, and the third for air. If applied, this formula can ensure good health. The second part of the advice means to be careful about the Halal (pure and recommended) and the Haram (forbidden) food, because the Noble Quran and Hadiths of Prophet (Peace be upon him) mandate Halal food. Halal food means that food must be procured and purchased through fair, legitimate, and honest means. According to a Hadith quoted in Sahih Muslim: Prophet (Peace be upon him) mentioned a person, who had dust on his clothes and hair due to a long journey, was making supplications saying Ya Rabb, Ya Rabb, but his food, drink and dress was Haram. Though Allah Almighty accepts supplications of a traveler, but his involvement in Haram made his supplications unacceptable. According to one of Prophet (Peace be upon him)s Hadith: Supplications of three persons are accepted: the traveler, fathers supplication for his off spring, and supplication of the oppressed against the oppressor. According to yet another Hadith: Allah Almighty has appointed an angel, who day and night announces from Baitul-Maqdis that obligatory and supplementary prayers of a person, who eats Haram, will not be accepted. Anas (RA) asked Prophet (Peace be upon him) to pray for him so that he may become Mustajabud-daawah. The term Mustajabud-daawah means a person whose prayers and supplications are accepted. Prophet (Peace be upon him) replied: Ya Anas, earn an honest living and eat Halal food, Allah Almighty will make you Mustajabud-daawah, and will grant you whatever you ask. Keep yourself away from Haram, because even a morsel i.e. a small bite of Haram food invalidates supplications for forty days. [At-Targhib wat-Tarhib] There are many other spiritual and physical disadvantages of Haram food. Let me listed four disadvantages: 1. Haram food extinguishes the light of Iman (faith), and the heart become dark. 2. It makes man dull, lethargic, and inactive. 3. It causes to commit Haram deeds and corrupts thoughts and action. 4. It kills conscience and puts a barrier between man and virtue. The essence is that Haram creates a distance between man and religion, ruins the Hereafter, the door of virtues is closed on him, and that of temptations and sin is flung wide open. Yusuf Ibn Artat (Rahimahullah) is quoted in Kitabul-Kabair that when Shaitan (Satan) finds a youth busy in prayers and submitting to the obedience of Allah Almighty, he asks his friends to find about his food and drink. If it turns out to be Haram, then there is nothing to worry about as his prayers and obedience is futile and wouldnt be of any good to him. Respected brothers and sisters! In todays society Haram is practiced in many ways, and majority is not even aware of it. Interest, usury, bribery, cheating in commercial transactions, lying, disregards of duties of the self and rights of others, theft and larceny and many other Haram acts are a common practice. Knowledge is not scarce, but it is action which is missing. And the main reason is that our earnings are not honest, and our food and drink is not fair and pure. As a result we cannot practice virtue and are devoid of righteousness. According to a Hadith of Prophet (Peace be upon him) there will be some people on the Day of Judgment whose virtues will match the size of the mount Tihamah, meaning that they will have abundance of good deeds. But when they will stand before Allah Almighty, all their good deeds will be on no value, and they will be thrown into Hell Fire. Companions (RA) submitted, why will that happen o Messenger of Allah? Prophet (Peace be upon him) replied that they performed Prayer (Salah), observed fast, paid Zakah, and performed Hajj, but never saved themselves from Haram, which ruined all their good deeds. [Kitabul-Kabair] Allah Almighty says in verse 51 or Surah Al-Muminun: O Messengers eat good things and do good deeds. The Quranic verse has used the word Tayyibat which means nice, pure and decent things. In the Islamic Shariah, things that are condemned as Haram are neither pure, nor appealing to common sense, that is why Tayyibat means things which internally and externally are pure and appealing. The verse tells us that all the Prophets and Messengers were given two main instructions. One: Eat pure and Halal food, and Two: Perform good and righteous deeds. When Prophets and Messengers, who are Masum minal-Khata (incapable of committing sins), have been commanded as such, then we their followers should be very particular in taking all precautions possible to avoid Haram and the forbidden. Scholars say that the combination of these two commands Akli-Halal and Amalis-Salih, i.e the fairly earned wages and pure food and the righteous deeds are interdependent. There is a wise saying that goes as follows: Halal earnings and food make you do good and righteous deeds, and Haram earnings and Haram food prompts you to commit Haram acts and deprives you of the ability to think or do good. Dear Servants of Allah! It was due to the teachings of the Noble Quran and training of Prophet (Peace be upon him) that companions of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) were very cautious and conscious about their food. Let me give you just one example here. Once Sayyidinah Abubakar Siddiq drank the milk brought by his servant. He later asked as to where he did bring the milk from? The servant replied that he had performed a Kahanat for a certain tribe and was given milk in exchange as wages. Kahanat is a Haram act, a sort of chanting that was common in the pre-Islamic days. Hearing this Sayyidinah Abubakar Siddiq immediately put his finger in his throat and threw out, and kept doing that for some time. People who saw the situation thought that perhaps Sayyidinah Abubakar Siddiq will pass out due to pain. Sayyidinah Abubakar Siddiq made repentance, prayed and submitted: O Allah, I repent and apologise for the milk which has gone into my system. When Prophet (Peace be upon him) heard of the incident, he commented: Dont you know that nothing goes to the stomach of Abubakar Siddiq (RA), except what is Tayyib, pure and Halal food? [Bukhari and Muslim] All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation; may Allah extol the mention of our noble Prophet Muhammad in the highest company of Angels, bless him and give him peace and security and his family, his Companions and all those who follow him correctly and sincerely until the establishment of the Hour. Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumuah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okenes Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761. This Jumuah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today Friday, Rajab 12, 1444 AH (03 February, 2023). Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print As noted from the beginning, the call by His Eminence Saad Abubakar III, the sultan of Sokoto and president general, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), highlighting character and unity was fashioned as a general statement because of standing principles in the Caliphate. Yet, the very statement is in tandem with those of the leaders of the other major apex socio-cultural groups in the country, such as the Afenifere (Yoruba), Ohaneze Ndigbo, the Pan Niger Delta Forum, (PANDEF), the Middle Belt Forum (MBLF) His Eminence Saad Abubakar III, the sultan of Sokoto and president general, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) is known to wield admirable influence in the country. This explains the different shades of fake news making the rounds about his preferred candidate for the 2023 presidential election. But anyone familiar with the Sokoto Caliphate would know that a Sultan would rather speak in parables about any candidate of his choice than making it open. Lo and behold, on Thursday 19 January, the Sultan himself rose and finally spoke. He spoke volumes. He spoke about the kind of candidate the citizens should vote for. And he spoke in parables. The Sultan told Nigerians to vote for leaders with reputable character in the 2023 general elections. He challenged fellow Nigerians to think and rethink of who they are casting their votes to. He told us NOT to consider the religious or ethnic backgrounds of anybody we are voting for but Nigeria first. Please read the above statement as many times as can be convenient and very carefully. Done? Now, who, among the three top presidential candidates: Atiku Abubakar (Peoples Democratic Party), Peter Obi (Labour Party), and Bola Tinubu (All Progressives Congress) do you think the Sultan was referring to? I mean that candidate with a reputable character? Could the candidate with a reputable character be Atiku or Tinubu both of whom are currently at different courts of law, suing each other for various shameless offences, ranging from drug peddling, massive corruption, kickbacks, vote buying, questionable biodata, including forged birth and education certificates, and shady sources of income? The answer is simple: Any sincere supporter of Atiku or Tinubu would agree that neither of the two is an option if reputable character is a criterion for the Nigerian presidency. In a nutshell, it is a well-known fact that no Nigerian whether military or civilian has ever assumed the governance of the country with the type of background well known of Atiku and Tinubu. Never! Enter Peter Obi and character: No need to say much here! Even Obis worst enemy would vow that the man is God-sent anywhere reputable character is an attribute. Case closed! But lets keep the discussion open because the Sultans statement did not stop at the topic of character. Yes, he added that we should NOT vote on the basis of religion or ethnicity. So, could the Sultan be referring to a former vice-president who has staked his campaign on ethnicity? I mean Atiku who will go down in history as the first presidential candidate in history to openly warn his fellow Northerners not to cast their vote for candidates of Southern extraction for the president of the country? Or, could the Sultan then contradict himself by promoting Tinubu, the very Muslim-Muslim man, who appears to have staked his hope of winning on a dangerous belief that the election would be reduced to a warfare between the Muslims and Christians? Could Sultan Abubakar ever consider the same candidate who will be remembered in history for boasting that it is his turn to rule Nigeria, based on an arrogant claim that he made Buhari president? How about Peter Obi on religion and ethnicity? Lets call a spade a spade. Voters who have listened to Mr Obi would think Sultan Abubakar adapted his speech from the Obi-Datti Baba-Ahmed campaign manual. The Labour Party candidate has indeed become popular with the slogan that we should not vote on the basis of religion or ethnicity. He never fails to remind us that neither a Christian nor a Muslim can buy food or fuel cheaper because of his/her religion or ethnicity. As noted from the beginning, the call by His Eminence Saad Abubakar III, the sultan of Sokoto and president general, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), highlighting character and unity was fashioned as a general statement because of standing principles in the Caliphate. Yet, the very statement is in tandem with those of the leaders of the other major apex socio-cultural groups in the country, such as the Afenifere (Yoruba), Ohaneze Ndigbo, the Pan Niger Delta Forum, (PANDEF), the Middle Belt Forum (MBLF), and numerous others all of which have offered open endorsement to Mr Peter Obi. The timing of the call by the eminent Sultan was profound. It was made a few days after a consequential sermon by Bishop Samuel Olumakinde Alawode of the Maranatha Lord Cometh Ministries, Ibadan, Oyo State, now popularly known around the globe as The Yoruba Pastor. Like the Sultan, the Bishop was able to enlighten fellow citizens on the essence of character in choosing leaders in Nigerias 2023 elections. The man of God professes that the character of society is as good as the character of its leaders. But that was not all. In a life-changing sermon, Bishop Samuel Olumakinde Alawode rose and asked his congregants to raise their hands if they knew who they would vote for. Most of them responded and raised their hands. He told them he wanted to pray for them. Bishop Alawode then said a simple prayer: That man you want to vote for, may your children have his character and destinyThat man that you are rooting for, shouting on Facebook and shouting about, may your great grandchildren behave like him. May that leader be the picture of your childrenthe picture of your future. Interestingly, most of the congregants became nervous, frightened, terrified, and petrified. They became ashamed. They became ashamed and embarrassed that their motivation was neither for Nigeria first, as the Sultan had admonished, nor for the character, as the Muslin leader and the Yoruba pastor had prayed. The very sermon of Bishop Alawode and style of its delivery might have emerged as the most God-fearing and sincere religious oration capable of saving the country. This sermon has become a litmus test for our sincerity of purpose as Christians, Muslims, any other religion. It strikes deep into our conscience as Nigerians. Final Exercise: Now, in line with the admonitions of the Sultan and Bishop Alawode, please cast aside the influence of ethnicity, religion, bribery, money or party affiliation, and answer the following question: Who among the three top presidential candidates in the Nigerian 2023 elections: Atiku, Obi, or Tinubu, would you want your children and future generation to have as a role model, including his type of background, character, behaviour, and destiny? Let me lead by example and answer: Though I am a bonafide member of the APC; the candidate among the three that I can possibly have as a role model for my children and my future generation is Peter Obi of the Labour Party. That candidate with a reputable character is truly PETER OBI: He is truly blessed with the character, competence, capacity and, of course, the vigour and the sense of equity and justice ideal for the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. SKC Ogbonnia, a 2019 APC Presidential Aspirant, writes from Houston, Texas. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print He is a most faithful person in his private and public lives. He rarely challenged his political associates. His deference to Bola Ige was unbelievable. He was definitely shattered by the murder of Bola Ige. He was convinced that the killers of the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice were known to government. He has a disdain for protocols in government, except they add to the quality of governance. Pa Bisi Akande turned 84 on 16 January. Just as his role model, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Bisi Akande was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He struggled to attain greatness through dogged determination, self-discipline, hard work and providence. By all standards, he is certainly a statesman, an ascetic person and an unusual politician who had provided leadership at the topmost level for political parties at their formative years and nurtured them to the point of winning at local, state and federal levels. But he isnt the type who throws money around or subscribes to the general notion that money solves all problems. Really, in this regard he isnt a popular politician. He has a disdain for the notoriety of the money culture in politics. Rather, he prefers to deliver social services to electors in place of stomach infrastructure, an idea popularised by former Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State. He would rather not spend government money the way he wont spend his own. As a governor, he was miserly with public expenditure. At his inauguration as governor in 1999, he turned down requests by his aides that he should hold a lavish inauguration ceremony. He only spent N50,000 of his own money. Throughout his tenure as governor, he jealously guarded the need to separate his private expenses from public ones, even during private social celebrations. He is a most faithful person in his private and public lives. He rarely challenged his political associates. His deference to Bola Ige was unbelievable. He was definitely shattered by the murder of Bola Ige. He was convinced that the killers of the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice were known to government. He has a disdain for protocols in government, except they add to the quality of governance. His philosophy of power is about what it can be used for to advance the interest of the majority. His politics could be described as low profile, as he prefers being loud on governance rather than politics. To him, the campaigns for power grab are essentially deceitful and unethical. He would rather be meagre with campaign promises, rather than build castles in the air during campaign rallies. He is ever frank with voters. Elections are not a duel nor must they be won at all cost. If you refer to him as Mr Governance, you will be dead right. If you pay a visit to Bola Ige House in Osogbo, an architectural masterpiece, you wouldnt believe that the government of Akande never borrowed to execute the massive project. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, at the commissioning of the secretariat, marvelled at how Akande did it without borrowing. How are we to explain Akandes accomplishments as governor? His major asset is his formidable ethics and down-to-earth approach to this ephemeral life. He is a conservative fund holder. Being prodigal with public fund isnt for him. But he can be an embarrassment to typical Nigerian politicians, with their flamboyant traits and wastefulness. In the words of Professor Wole Soyinka, a Nobel laureate, in his Foreword to Bisi Akandes My Participation: Power hates truthPower engages in image-making, image burnishing, credit hustling, indeed, image fabrication(but in the hands of Bisi Akande) power feels exposed. A serious politician that Bisi Akande is, he wasnt familiar with brown envelopes to cultivate media practitioners. As governor of Osun State, he refused to indulge his wife as the First Lady and never allocated funds to that office. When he was accused of not being gender friendly in his administration, his response was that the office of the First Lady was not mentioned in Nigerias 1999 Constitution, as amended. In demistifying power and unveiling the phenomenon, Bisi Akande was embarrassingly simple hardly would you recognise him as your guest if youre hoping that he would be heralded and ushered into a venue by a convoy of expensive jeeps. In and out of government, Baba Omokeke (as his admirers refers to him) has remained himself. Whatever might be the situation, Pa Akande always talks straight, no matter whose ox is gored. He rarely does media packaging. He could be truthfully brutal when, in talking about a former deputy of his as governor, he said that the fellow crept into my life like a silent and malignant cancer. He was certainly full of regrets. That he is now in the same party with this former deputy of his is an indication that Akande is capable of cultivating political expediency when necessary. Without doubt, President Muhammadu Buhari wouldnt have hesitated in conceding any ministerial office to former Governor Bisi Akande, but Akande wasnt the type that is desperate to occupy any office at his age. He just fought for others to occupy juicy power in Buharis administration. His life is dedicated to serving the public public good, and nothing really personal. At 84, Pa Bisi Akande should feel fulfilled having facilitated a formidable alliance between the Yoruba of the South-West and the Hausa-Fulani group of the North-West. Without doubt, Akande is hopeful that his political investments in fixing a progressive government will be reciprocated in the election of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu next month. To a gentleman politician and a rebel (with apologies to Professor Azeez Olaniyan, in The Bisi Akande Phenomenon?) in government, I say happy birthday sir. Lai Olurode is a retired professor of Sociology in the University of Lagos (Unilag) and former National Commissioner with the Independent National Electoral Commission. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The civilised world knows that the Palestine belongs to two major nationalities; the Israelis and the Palestinians, hence it has settled for a two-state solution in which both peoples would live in secured states of their own. But the Israeli establishment, which is today peopled mainly by far right elements, wants to steal what is left of the Palestinian lands after its aggressive land grab began in 1967. In doing this, Israel is ready to exterminate the Palestinians, thereby creating a new Holocaust in their own image. The month of January has been one of the bloodiest in the Palestine, with at least 35 killed in various Israeli raids. Uncharacteristically, some Israelis were also killed. This happened when a lone Palestinian, armed with a handgun, killed seven Israelis in East Jerusalem, the traditional home of the Palestinians. Last year, 170 Palestinians were killed in Israeli raids, with about 10,000 injured. The Israeli system does not discriminate between adults and minors; between 29 September, 2000 and 26 December, 2008, Israeli forces killed 1,084 Palestinian children. Many of these conflicts arise out of the forced displacement and resettlement of Palestinians into internally displaced peoples camps, and the continuous illegal encroachment of Israeli settlers on more Palestinian land like Jenin. The January killings in the Palestine coincided with this years International Holocaust Remberance Day, which held on Friday, 27 January. It marked the horrific mass murder of six million Jews by Nazi Germany. There can be nothing more despicable than the Holocaust. There can be no excuse for it. But there is something about selective memory in world affairs. Without intending in any way to downplay the horrific Holocaust, how come the international community does not remember the 15 million Africans massacred in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by the Belgians under King Leopold II? For the massacre of six million Jews, West Germany agreed in September 1952 to pay Israel $714 million as reparation, why is Belgium not made to pay reparation for the 15 million massacred Africans? Rather, Belgium continues to keep the wealth and artefacts stolen from the DRC. Why does The International Community pretend the genocide in the DRC never occurred? The criminal Holocaust was carried out between 1941 and 1945, but about four decades before, genocide was visited by the same German establishment on the Namibian people. In that first genocide of the 21st Century, the Germans, who wanted to turn that beautiful country into a White Settler state, killed 65,000 of the 80,000 indigenous Herero people, and over 10,000 or half of the population of the Nama people. that a people were victims of genocide does not mean they would condemn the next genocide or even not perpetuate their own. This is the case of the genocide being carried out against the Palestinians by the Israeli state. This has gone on for decades, yet the International Community is not only silent, but states like the United States of America (USA) has never hidden its full support for the Israeli establishment, which is perpetrating these crimes against humanity. It was also in Namibia that the German establishment first experimented the mass killing methods like gassing people, which they used in the Jewish Holocaust. Perhaps if the world had stood against the Namibian genocide, that of the Jews, four decades later, would have been avoided. In April 1915, the Turks began the extermination of the Armenian people. About 1.5 million Armenians were massacred. Maybe if the world had risen up against the Armenian genocide, that against the Jews would not have occurred. But because the powerful arm of humanity, rather than criminalise genocide, has been selective on which mass slaughter is acceptable and which is not, we continue to experience the horror, and in some cases, the perpetrators get away with it. However, that a people were victims of genocide does not mean they would condemn the next genocide or even not perpetuate their own. This is the case of the genocide being carried out against the Palestinians by the Israeli state. This has gone on for decades, yet the International Community is not only silent, but states like the United States of America (USA) has never hidden its full support for the Israeli establishment, which is perpetrating these crimes against humanity. Israel has in the last few years become even more emboldened to perpetrate its genocide against the Palestinians following the accession of President Joe Biden to power in the USA. In a speech in July, 2022, Biden said: seeing Israel thrive, seeing the wildest dreams of Israels founding fathers and mothers grow into a reality that Israels children enjoy today, to me is close to miraculousA nation that has forged peace before and can do it againAnd a nation that will never dwell alone, because as long as theres the United States you will never be alone. Except for the Belgian genocide in the DRC, which was based on economic greed, perpetrators of genocide are usually guided by a self-righteous ideology which gives them a sense of superiority and makes them see their victims as inferior beings. Nazism, the ideology of Hitlers Germany, saw the Aryan as a racially pure and superior people with the divine duty to rule the world. They saw the Jews as inferior beings who may contaminate them. So to them, in exterminating the Jews, they were not killing human beings. This was the same ideology that informed the Apartheid system, which saw Whites as superior with the divine right to own South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, and if necessary, to eliminate the indigenous Black population, which to them, are inferior beings. After building a terrorist state, the Israeli establishment is always raiding and killing Palestinians in the name of fighting terrorism and terrorists. It is so lawless and disdainful of international conventions and opinions, that the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has a list of 46 journalists killed since 2000 by the Israeli military. The Israeli Zionist ideology, like Nazism, sees the Jews as a superior race to whom God had given the Palestine; a land flowing with milk and honey. They project themselves as Gods Chosen People who are superior to their Palestinian neigbours. The leading Israeli ideologues like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu see the Palestinians as inferior beings, hence killing them as they have done for decades and stealing their lands is a spiritual duty. This is also why the Israeli state, using its secret service, the MOSSAD, goes around the world killing those they see as the enemies of Israeli. This is why Israel in its massacres, does not differentiate between adults and children. After building a terrorist state, the Israeli establishment is always raiding and killing Palestinians in the name of fighting terrorism and terrorists. It is so lawless and disdainful of international conventions and opinions, that the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has a list of 46 journalists killed since 2000 by the Israeli military. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has documented 21 journalists in the Palestine killed by the Israeli military since 2002. The most infamous murder of a journalist was that of Palestinian-American journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh who, while standing with colleagues with a bold press tag on her, was taken out by an Israeli military marksman. To the Israeli establishment, anybody opposed to its genocide in the Palestine is a terrorist. This is why it is always attacking and bombing Iran and its military facilities. This is why it bombs Syria without provocation. The civilised world knows that the Palestine belongs to two major nationalities; the Israelis and the Palestinians, hence it has settled for a two-state solution in which both peoples would live in secured states of their own. But the Israeli establishment, which is today peopled mainly by far right elements, wants to steal what is left of the Palestinian lands after its aggressive land grab began in 1967. In doing this, Israel is ready to exterminate the Palestinians, thereby creating a new Holocaust in their own image. Owei Lakemfa, a former secretary general of African workers, is a human rights activist, journalist and author. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Akwa Ibom State Government approved the use of the Nest of Champions (GOA International Stadium), a state-owned property, by the All Progressives Congress for their Presidential Campaign scheduled for January 30, 2023. On the scheduled date, the Presidential candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu, landed at the Victor Attah International Airport, a state-owned and managed airport, without any hitch or hindrance and proceeded to the venue of his campaign, without any negative reaction from the citizens (as witnessed in other states where presidential candidates are stoned by youths in states not controlled by their party). At the venue, he, Tinubu, without any provocation, went on to hurl insults and threats at the government and people of our state, questioning the legitimacy of our Governor and threatening to send reptiles to invade the Governors lodge and eventually seizing the property. The Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, in his usual peaceful disposition, has decided not to respond to Tinubu, but it is the duty of the government to put some things in their due perspective for history and posterity. We do hereby state as follows: 1. The Government and people of the state did not at any time say or act in any way provocative to the person or campaign of Bola Tinubu. Instead, all the facilities used by his campaign were generously approved for their use, by the government, without any hitch or delay. 2. The residence which Bola Ahmed Tinubu has threatened to take over, totally belongs to the Government of our state and his threat is taken very seriously, considering his antecedents. Conversely, Akwa Ibom has been home to all Nigerians (including Yoruba people), who have, over many years, done business and even resided here, without any threat to them or their business. 3. The comments by Sen. Tinubu, to say the least, is immature and totally unexpected of a person of his advanced age. That is an insult to the Government and people of the state, and we demand an apology. 4. Mr. Udom Emmanuel was duly elected as Governor of Akwa Ibom State and therefore, it is clearly unpresidential and undemocratic for Sen. Tinubu to say that he calls himself Governor. 5. Sen. Tinubu should, during his campaigns, concern himself with answering questions about his nebulous history and his amorphous manifestos. The Presidency of our country is a very serious business that must be treated with seriousness and intellectual depth. READ ALSO: The Government advises all her citizens to ignore the vituperations of Sen. Tinubu and continue to co-exist peacefully with all Nigerians who are living and doing legitimate businesses in our state. Signed: Comrade Ini Ememobong Honourable Commissioner for Information and Strategy 31012023 Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State has expressed his concern on the hardship faced by the people as a result of the scarcity of the new Naira notes in the state. This was contained in a press statement issued on Thursday by the governors special adviser on media and public relations, Habibu Nuhu Kila. According to the statement, the governor is worried over the long queues of people at banks throughout the state. He said the development has almost crippled economic activities in the state. Mr Badaru said that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policy has failed to take cognisance of the local communities in its implementation and therefore called on the apex bank to immediately take all necessary measures to supply enough new notes to commercial banks in the state. Governor Badaru said he is mindful of the hardship faced by the people and appealed to them to be more patient as the state government would do everything possible to alleviate the predicament. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A State High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Thursday ordered a member of the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly to pay a 20-year-old Nigerian citizen N1.5 million over illegal arrest and detention. The judge, Edem Akpan, also directed the lawmaker, Uduak Odudoh, who represents Ikot Abasi and Eastern Obolo State Constituency, to publish a public apology to the man in a national and a local newspaper over his rights violation. The man, Promise Etete, in 2021, filed a case against Mr Odudoh, asking the court to compel the lawmaker to apologise to him publicly, as well as pay him N100 million as compensation for ordering the police to arrest and detain him illegally. A Lagos-based human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, handled the case on behalf of Mr Etete. The police arrested Mr Etete in 2020, detained and later charged with threat to life and defamation of character after he posted an article on Facebook against the lawmaker. Mr Etete said in the Facebook article the lawmaker was acting as though he was representing a faction, and not the whole of his constituency. He accused Mr Odudoh of poor representation and said the constituency has remained underdeveloped because of scam leaders. Mr Etete was first arraigned before a Magistrate Court in the state but the charges were struck out in December 2020 after the lawmaker failed to appear when the case came up for hearing, Mr Effiong said. Ill-motivated petition Justice Akpan, in his judgment, described as ill-motivated the petition written to the police by Mr Ududoh. The judge said the allegations of threat to life and cultism in the said petition were baseless. The court held that the posts made by Mr Etete were fair comments and that as a citizen he has the right to complain about issues in his constituency that he is aggrieved about, and that the lawmaker has a duty to respect such criticisms. READ ALSO: The court further held that Mr Ududoh violated Mr Etetes right to freedom of expression, dignity, and personal liberty. The lawyer, Mr Effiong told PREMIUM TIMES that the court verdict was a strong rebuke to the lawmaker and other political office holders in the country who feel that they can use their influence to subjugate citizens for criticising their misdeeds. We are telling them again today that oppressive and reckless deployment of law enforcement agencies to attack innocent citizens for voicing concerns over the poor state of our country will never be tolerated, he said. Enoch Enoch, counsel to Mr Odudoh, declined comments when contacted. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, has described the new policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to change high- value Naira notes with new ones as anti-people. He also said the policy will not in anyway fight corruption in the country. Mr Wike said this on Friday during a campaign rally for the PDP governorship candidate, Siminalayi Fubara, in the Okirika Local Government Area of the state. This policy is what? Anti-people, because the (new) notes are not there. Even when I have money in my account I cannot get 10,000. I cannot get fuel. Who is weeping, is it not the masses? Is it not the people?, the governor said at the rally monitored by PREMIUM TIMES. Speaking further, Mr Wike also criticised suggestions that the CBN policy was intended to fight corruption and a target against the political elite. Who told you that they are using it to fight politicians? You think I am not prepared for this election? They are merely fighting against the poor people. This policy is not targeted to fight corruption at all and fight politicians too. It is just a way to suffer the people who elected us to govern them. And our business is not to make the people suffer. They say no more use of old notes. It cannot work like that because it takes time. Look at the rural area and the level of illiteracy in the country, he said. Threat to insecurity He also said the new policy may affect security in the country, noting that the country may not be able to pay security officers money because of the growing cash crunch that has become a problem across the country. We cannot give these security agencies money any longer for them to use to pay those who are in the field. There is nowhere you see in this world..everyday CIA carries cash for operation the NIA carries cash for operation. But here we cannot give our security officers money. When you make policies, make them to favour the people, Mr Wike added. Background In recent weeks, Nigerians have been rushing to meet the CBN deadline for the phase-out of the old naira notes of N200, N500, and N1,000. This is against the backdrop of the countrys poor distribution of the newly redesigned notes, which has led to long queues at some ATMs and high charges for citizens at Point of Sale (POS) centres. As a result of the ongoing hardship experienced by many Nigerians, the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefile, on Sunday extended the deadline of 31 January, by 10 days up until 10 February.. On Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari also urged citizens to give him seven days to resolve the cash crunch that has become a problem across the country from the policy of the CBN to change high value Naira notes with new ones. He said this after the Progressive Governors Forum visited him at the Presidential Villa to seek solutions to the cash crunch which they said was threatening the good records of the administration in transforming the economy. READ ALSO: Meanwhile, the presidential candidate of the PDP Party, Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday, asked the Central Bank of Nigeria not to grant a further extension after the 10 February deadline for naira swap. This, he said, had become imperative to ensure the purpose and objective of initiating the redesigning of the currency are not destroyed. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Gunmen have killed the President of Ejemekwuru Customary Court in the Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, South-east Nigeria. The incident happened on Thursday. The judge, Nnaemeka Ugboma, was shot dead by gunmen who arrived on a motorcycle while he was presiding over a court session, according to a report by the Punch. The attack brought the court session to an end as lawyers, court staff and litigants fled the scene. They (gunmen) came into the court, dragged him out and shot him dead and drove off. His corpse was there as people in court fled, an unnamed source was quoted as saying. The Chairperson of the Owerri Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ugochukwu Allinor, has confirmed the killing of Mr Ugboma, according to the paper. Mr Allinor said the branch would disclose what action it would take on the incident. When contacted, the police spokesperson in Imo State, Henry Okoye, confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES. Mr Okoye, an assistant superintendent of police, said the police had begun an investigation to track down the suspects. The police spokesperson said calm had returned in the area and that police have also intensified patrol to forestall breakdown of law and order. Worsening insecurity Like other states in Nigerias South-east, security has deteriorated in Imo State with frequent attacks by armed persons. The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities. The latest attack occurred less than two weeks after gunmen beheaded the sole administrator of Ideato North Local Government Area of the state. READ ALSO: About two weeks ago, a police officer was killed by gunmen who attacked Oguta Divisional Police Headquarters in Oguta Local Government Area of the state. Gunmen, suspected to be members of the outlawed Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB), on 18 January, attacked Agwa Vigilante Group in Agwa Community in the same Oguta Council Area of the state. Three suspected members of the IPOB were killed by police operatives who foiled the attack. The Nigerian government has accused the IPOB of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks. IPOB is a group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A police officer and a vigilante operative were killed, on Thursday, when gunmen bombed a police anti-cult unit in Obosi, a community in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigerias south-east. The incident occurred at about 11 p.m. The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Friday. The hoodlums came in three unmarked vehicles a highlander (SUV), one Toyota Sienna, and one Toyota Corolla started shooting sporadically and threw petrol bombs in the station, said Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police. The police spokesperson said a combined team of police and vigilante operatives engaged the gunmen in a shoot-out during the attack and thwarted their plan to cause heavy damage to the station. During the gun duel by the responding team comprising the police and vigilante operatives, unfortunately, one police operative and a vigilante member were fatally hit by a bullet, he stated. He added that the fire ignited by the patrol bomb which the hoodlums threw inside the police compound affected partially a few of the offices. Mr Ikenga said the fire had since been put off and that the police had launched operations to track down the attackers. Increased attacks Like other states in Nigerias south-east, security has deteriorated in Anambra State with frequent attacks by armed persons. The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities. The latest attack occurred about two days after gunmen bombed an office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Ojoto, Idemili South Local Government Area and also attacked a Police Divisional Headquarters in Nnobi, another community in the same council area of the state, killing a 16-year-old boy and injuring a 15-year-old girl during the attack. READ ALSO: The Nigerian government has accused the IPOB of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks. IPOB is a group leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants to be carved out from the South-east and some parts of South-south Nigeria. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and one of his challengers, Adebayo Adelabu of Accord Party, on Friday, suspended their campaign activities due to protests in Ibadan, the state capital. The protest over the scarcity of fuel and new naira notes has been going on for a few days but intensified in many parts of the city on Friday with some protesters getting violent at the state secretariat where the office of the governor is located. Mr Makinde is seeking a second term as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Following the spread of the protest, the governor and Mr Adelabu said they were suspending political activities to sympathise with people in the state over the hardship caused by the scarcity. While Mr Makinde said the suspension is until further notice, Mr Adelabu said his own will be for three days. The state Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Wasiu Olatubosun, who announced the suspension in a statement, said the governor had directed all campaign activities of the PDP to be put on hold. As a mark of honor to citizens and residents of Oyo State, the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde has directed that all campaign activities of the party at all levels be suspended until further notice, he said. Governor Seyi Makindes love for his people necessitated this unprecedented move, at this time. We urge all residents and citizens of the State to remain calm as we navigate through this difficult period together. Mr Adelabu, a former deputy governor, operations of the Central Bank of Nigeria, called on the federal government to resolve the crisis. I sympathise with Nigerians in their present predicament. To say times are hard is an understatement. No one is left out in this situation. People have money in the bank and they cannot access cash, he said. I want to use this opportunity to call on the government to as a matter of urgency address the problem. Our people cannot continue to suffer while politicians are dancing around at rallies. These are the people we want to govern. Protesters on Friday injured a police officer when they stormed the state secretariat in the Agodi area of Ibadan. The protesters had arrived at the facility with stones, broken bottles, cutlasses, sticks and other weapons. They demanded to be addressed by Governor Makinde over the fuel scarcity and unavailability of cash at ATMs and point of sales terminals. But after security officers denied them access to the governor, the protesters hauled stones and other objects into the governors office, destroying public properties. A source at the secretariat who pleaded anonymity for fear of victimisation said a police Inspector, Dynasty Layemo, was injured in the melee. The source said the injured officer was evacuated to a hospital where he was receiving treatment as of the time of this report. The incident drove workers at the government secretariat into apanic. The police spokesperson in the state, Adewale Osifeso, confirmed the incident. However, Mr Osifeso said normalcy has been restored in the secretariat and its environs. He said the police had information that some group of people were planning to exploit the anger over the scarcity of fuel and new naira notes to unleash violence. Worthy of note is that, available intelligence reveals that certain unscrupulous elements have perfected plans to hijack the process, escalating the situation into full scale chaos by shutting down and attacking places of interest which includes but not limited to INEC facilities, Banks, Media houses, Schools, Correctional Centers and other critical infrastructures inclusive of looting major malls and business centers within the State, Mr Osifeso said. Members of the public are hereby advised, especially with reference to the youth segment, to avoid being used by agents of violence who want to capitalise on the situation to criminally enrich themselves, especially as we navigate towards the 2023 General Elections as the Command is fully prepared to mobilise fully to prevent these criminal elements from turning Oyo State into their playground, he added. Lastly, the good people of Oyo State are advised to go about their businesses without any fear of harassment or molestation as the relative tranquillity within cannot be negotiated with unscrupulous and criminal elements. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Classic New York Pizzeria and Upscale Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Pizza Franchise Concepts Target UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey, Africa and Egypt for Expansion HOUSTON, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chef Anthony Russo, the creative culinary mind, founder and CEO of chef-driven concepts Russo's New York Pizzeria and Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen, is attending the Gulfood Show AL Mustaqbal plaza HP-J14 Pavilion upon announcing a growth strategy to expand both brands' international footprint across the Middle East, specifically targeting the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Turkey, Africa, and Egypt. This bold growth phase is reflective of the brands' ever-growing presence in the region, with locations already in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. the Russo's New York Pizzeria already in the market. The brand plans to add 30 franchise locations to the Middle East region in the next five years. As part of this effort, Chef Anthony Russo will be meeting with interested and qualified investors while at the Gulfood 2023 food show the event will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre and runs February 20 24 booth location AL Mustaqbal Plaza HP J14 Pavilion Additionally, Chef Anthony Russo will be hosting a Discovery Day from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. February 25 at Nakheel Mall 447Q location. Prospective franchisees are welcome to sample Russo's Italian cuisines and authentic, New York-style pizza while touring the restaurant's old-world charm, modern design and innovative hospitality. Interested guests will need to RSVP for this event by emailing anthony@nypizzeria.com "When it comes to increasing our global presence, expansion in the Middle East is quickly heating up," said Russo, who has 40 years of culinary expertise featuring fresh, homemade Italian cuisine using family recipes since 1978. "We've seen incredible development in the UAE and Saudi Arabia thus far, but the demand for family-friendly, Italian dining continues to grow. Russo's is dominating the classic pizza and Italian scene and we're thrilled to award more international business teams an opportunity to be a part of this exciting franchise growth." Menu innovation has been at the heart of the Russo's Restaurants brands for more than 32 years, blending generations of the Russo's family Italian recipes. Through Chef Anthony's handpicked ingredients and a commitment to research and development, the brands have continued to stay ahead of culinary trends. A prime example is the restaurants' full line of gluten-free pizzas and pastas a sincere response to the request for great-tasting, gluten-free menu selections from health-conscious families and thousands living with Celiac disease, worldwide. Also, since the company has gone international, local flavors of the Middle East can be found in many of the recipes, connecting the local culture to authentic New York style pizza and classic Italian cuisine. Russo's Restaurants offers a rare franchise opportunity for entrepreneurs interested in proven brands that are entirely chef driven. Beyond consumer convenience, Russo's is leading the Italian dining category by creating a business model that offers: A smaller footprint (1,200-4,000 sq. ft.) for Delivery outlet to full service A low-cost entry into the restaurant business with an initial investment starting around $395,000 in select markets in select markets Average food costs and labor costs are 21.8% and 25.4% respectively* Average sales volume per unit is $1,1 million * To learn more about Russo's franchise development opportunities, visit https://russosfranchise.com. About Russo's Restaurants Russo's Restaurants is a national and international franchisor of the fast casual and casual dining brands Russo's New York Pizzeria and Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen. Based in Houston, Russo's Restaurants is composed of a mix of corporate and franchised locations across Texas, Oklahoma, California, and Florida. Russo's has entered international markets as well, with locations in Dubai, Qatar, Saudi Arabia in the United Arab Emirates. Chef Anthony Russo created Russo's Restaurants by applying his unique, family recipes featuring New York-style pizza, and by developing a broad variety of handcrafted pasta dishes, calzones, salads, sandwiches, soups and desserts. At its heart, Russo's Restaurants reflects Chef Anthony's commitment to his New York roots where food and family come first. To learn more about Russo's franchise development opportunities in the Middle East, visit www.russosfranchise.com. * These figures represent the average restaurant revenue of six (6) U.S. domestic Company-operated Russo's New York Pizzeria locations of various designs and sizes for fiscal year ending December 31, 2021, along with average Food Costs and Net Income for the seven (7) U.S. domestic Company-operated Russo's New York Pizzeria outlets only. Actual results could vary substantially from unit to unit and Franchisor cannot estimate the results of any franchise. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1312068/Russo_Logo.jpg SOURCE Russos New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen ECW Director Yasmine Sherif Statement: 500 Days After Taliban Ban on Girls' Secondary Education in Afghanistan - #LetAfghanGirlsLearn NEW YORK, Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks an unacceptable low point for humanity. For 500 days, the Taliban have denied secondary school-aged girls in Afghanistan their inherent human right to an education. This ban and more recent bans on Afghan girls from university education do not mirror the culture and faith of Afghanistan, a country representing a profoundly spiritual belief in Islam alongside a legitimately strong commitment to independence. ECW Director Yasmine Sherif in Afghanistan. Banning girls from school at higher levels harms all that Afghanistan stands for, and most importantly, harms the wellbeing of its people and the future of this war-torn country. These bans are rudimentary and in contravention of universal human rights, they violate the very principles of Islam, and the emphasis on education and learning for all - while also being a clear violation of girls' and women's basic human rights. Please join Education Cannot Wait and key leaders around the world including UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and UN Special Envoy for Global Education The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown in uniting for, and uniting with, every girl and woman in Afghanistan, while also calling on their sons, brothers and husbands to stand by them. Together, we must continue global efforts to push for the respect of all girls' and women's human rights in Afghanistan, including their fundamental right to inclusive, equitable, quality education. By banning girls' access to secondary school, barring young women from taking university exams, and taking extraordinary steps to limit girls' and women's roles in Afghan society, the Taliban are exacerbating the suffering of the Afghan people and deepening the humanitarian catastrophe that will create lasting socio-economic impacts on Afghanistan a country already on the brink of starvation, facing extreme poverty and devastating climate-disasters. The proud, resilient and stoic people of Afghanistan have suffered enough. It is time to embrace the very tenants of the Islamic religion that embody the concepts of peace, humanity, learning and education. By allowing all Afghan girls and boys to go to school, the de facto authorities have the opportunity to build a strong society, to end hunger and poverty for the Afghan people, and to rebuild a nation that has immense potential to recover and stand strong as a fiercely independent country. By providing access to education for every Afghan child, girl and boy, they have a chance to make a mark on history. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1995091/ECW_Director_Yasmine_Sherif.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1656121/Education_Cannot_Wait_Logo.jpg SOURCE Education Cannot Wait DUBLIN, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Targeting the CD47-SIRPA Axis in Oncology: Analytical Tool" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Targeting the CD47-SIRPa axis is emerging as one of the most promising new cancer immunotherapy approaches seeking to target innate immune response. This report reveals intense global interest and a growing list of stakeholders operating in this field. Users of this report get an un-biased, fact driven analysis of the position of each molecule and commercial player, always kept up to date with twice weekly updates. This analytical tool is the must have handbook for any business developer, BI/CI operative or clinical developer who needs to be on top of this hot and fast moving area of immune-oncology. This unique product is truly the only tool of its kind and is designed to give you a competitive edge in your drug surveillance and intelligence of the CD47-SIRPA axis in oncology, allowing you to power your decision making and advance your own interests. Keeping you "In the know" Simply put, our mission is to fuel your knowledge of immune-oncology, to make you the first to know about very early technologies and startups, emerging clinical trial results, drug approvals and the ever-changing competitive landscape. Targeting the CD47-SIRPA Axis in Oncology: Analytical Tool achieves this by continuously scanning development in CD47-SIRPA axis in oncology and reporting: Deals & Collaborations New technologies/drugs (emerging from patents, grants, abstracts (see Conference Coverage) etc.) Funding/Grants/IPOs Filings & Approvals Latest Clinical Trial Development & Results Newly launched clinical trials Conference Coverage of the world's twelve leading meetings in oncology* Quarterly & Annual Reporting This puts you in control of most, if not all, day-to-day developments in your field while also benefiting from one of the most comprehensive commercial pipeline review & competitive assessment tools available on the market today! Identify, prioritize, and lead scientific assessment of oncology opportunities and competition by multiple factors such as: Emerging Technologies Target Novelty Recent Funding Early & Late Stage Pipeline Biomarker/Companion Diagnostic Development (featured below) Entered Deals & Alliances Conference surveillance of world leading cancer meetings (featured below) Combination Therapy Choices (featured below) Outcome of Clinical Trials Indication Selection & Expansion Choices Drug Repositioning Opportunities For 20 years the author has supported better decision making across the oncology drug development industry. Your Targeting the CD47-SIRPA Axis in Oncology: Analytical Tool is based on two decades of proven methodology and transforms your computers desktop into a high capacity workbench within your area of choice. Even before launching this tool you have already eliminated the hundreds of hours of work needed to discover, process and piece together the thousands of sources that our team of oncology dedicated and highly experienced contents specialists have done on your behalf. Your Targeting the CD47-SIRPA Axis in Oncology: Analytical Tool covers more than 70 companies and partners who are today developing 81 CD47-SIRPA axis targeting drugs where of 76 are in active development in cancer across 28 different targets. Any data and/or analysis from the Analytical Tool is yours to keep and data/graphs/tables can be easily exported into Excel/PDF and various graphic formats for mixing with your own proprietary information. Let our expertise work for you With a simple point and click interface you can navigate the environment of current development, drill down into specific areas such as ongoing combination trials, biomarker analysis, selected scientific abstracts etc. and generate drug profiles, drug target profiles and company profiles (including Business Development & Licensing contacts). Any analysis generated by you is packed with presentation-ready graphs and tables to use in your reports and presentations. Your key to access development at the world-leading cancer meetings The Targeting the CD47-SIRPA Axis in Oncology: Analytical Tool is continuously updated according to twelve of the world's most influential meetings in oncology (AACR, ASCO, ASGCT, ASH, CMIT, EHA, EORTC-NCI-AACR, ESMO, SITC and BIO (International, Europe and Asia). If you are not able to attend any of the conferences in person, this Analytical Tool ensures that you are not missing out on the important take home messages you need to know about. Run combination therapy analysis like no other The Targeting the CD47-SIRPA Axis in Oncology: Analytical Tool delivers comprehensive combination therapy analysis, allowing you to analyze combination therapies from multiple perspectives; from a single drug to virtually any cross section of oncology drugs of interest. Unparalleled biomarker surveillance We also provide an outstanding oncology clinical biomarker surveillance & analysis, highlighting clinical phenotyping and patient stratification in trials. This analysis is based on our monitoring of the presence and usage of more than 1,000 biomarkers across tens of thousands of cancer clinical trials. Support and inspiration at your finger-tips You also have access to a great selection of How-to Training Videos showing best practice approaches to aspects such as competitive pipeline analysis right through to many real world case examples put forward by other users of our Analytical Tools. A tool to grow with and keep you informed Unlike a static report which just represents a particular snapshot in time, all of the Analytical Tools come with one year of online access to twice-weekly updates in both contents and features, pipeline alerts and online support etc. You can choose to renew your access to these updates and support on a yearly basis or go over to our industry leading full service platform covering all oncology drug development, 1stOncology. System Requirements Browser Application (Supports: Internet Explorer, FireFox, Chrome and Safari)) Internet access For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/aqy5x9-the?w=5 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets DALLAS, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association of Diversity in Clinical Trials (AOD) is being launched and introduced at upcoming industry conferences SCOPE and the Health Equity in Clinical Trials Congress this month. The AOD will become the first entity to represent industry in an effort to meet new government and regulatory demands in the field of diversity. The mission of the organization is to bring industry leaders together to establish much needed standards and best practices related to improving the representation of diverse participants in clinical trials. This will be achieved through the development, integration, and monitoring of quality and consistent diversity methodology across the research industry. Dr. Jerome Adams, Chairman of the Board of the AOD and former US Surgeon General stated, "there is no time like the present to take action on behalf of industry to develop standards, GCPs, and practices to guide and establish direction in this rapidly growing area of importance. Being involved in this groundbreaking step forward, is critical to the path towards progress for participants of diverse backgrounds." Dr. Diana Foster, who will share her significant experience in leading many initiatives in diversity believes, "the changing face of clinical trials will require a collaborative vision for change to be executed across the clinical trial spectrum. This will require consensus at a high level and the development of actionable standards to move the needle." A prestigious Advisory Board of leaders will be announced soon who will support this unprecedented step towards the assurance of representative diversity and inclusion in clinical trials. Diana Foster, Ph.D. The Association of Diversity in Clinical Trials [email protected] SOURCE The Association of Diversity in Clinical Trials ORANGE COUNTY, Fla., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, February 2, 2023, nationally renowned personal injury attorneys Bob Hilliard, Hon. John B. Martinez, and Jakub Banaszak of Corpus Christi, TX-based firm Hilliard Martinez Gonzales LLP (HMG), and nationally known civil rights lawyer, Ben Crump of Tallahassee, FL, held a press conference announcing a lawsuit filed on behalf of Mrs. Linda Stephens (age 70) against MidFlorida Credit Union for violations of the Florida Civil Rights Act, Negligence, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Conversion and Fraud. Attorneys Bob Hilliard and Ben Crump leaving a court house. Hon. John B. Martinez speaks at a press conference on behalf of Mrs. Linda Stephens. Her family and attorneys were also present at the press conference. According to the complaint, on April 13, 2021, Mrs. Stephens deposited $600 cash into a MidFlorida bank ATM. After multiple follow-up visits over the course of the following 30 hours, Mrs. Stephens' deposit was never posted to her account. Following repeated requests for the bank to grant her access to her money, which she needed to pay her mortgage, the branch manager called the police. Rather than assisting her with the transaction, the bank escalated the situation. Armed officers arrived, at which point Mrs. Stephens feared for her life. A few moments later, she was arrested. She was held, naked, in a cell for over 24 hours, subsequently suffering a broken nose due to rough treatment, along with being humiliated, dehumanized, and emotionally and physically exhausted. In the days following her release from jail, she was visited by a MidFlorida Credit Union employee who told her that if "they (MidFlorida) had followed through and cleared her funds the day before as they had promised", she would have never had to undergo such trauma. MidFlorida then offered her a $300 voucher for her mortgage payment. "The blatantly discriminatory and negligent practices of MidFlorida Credit Union and their employees denied Mrs. Stephens a fair and race-neutral banking transaction. She was treated with flagrant indifference and having the police called on her is nothing short of outrageous," Said Attorney John B. Martinez, "In this Country, these types of things shouldn't happen. But they happen every day. These are the things that we want to make sure don't happen. The only way we can make sure things like this don't happen, is we must hold the people accountable that do these things. And that's what we are going to do for Mrs. Stephens. We've got a long way to go, but we're going to keep fighting, so maybe this kind of thing won't happen." Martinez concluded during the press conference. Bob Hilliard has a forty-year history of fighting for social justice, Hilliard and Crump previously took on systemic racism in the banking industry, winning a large settlement against a financial institution that imposed unreasonable standards on its Black customers. The sizable settlements represent victories against the widespread, racist phenomenon known as "Banking While Black." The settlements provided funds to the victims of discrimination in the banking industry. In this most recent case, the attorneys from HMG and Crump once again seek to hold the responsible parties accountable for the outrageous and unfair treatment of Mrs. Stephens. SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW MEDIA CONTACT: Elisabeth Tabor (361) 201-1597 or email: [email protected] ABOUT HILLIARD MARTINEZ GONZALES Bob Hilliard has led HMG to the forefront of national trial law firms. Having tried over 100 jury trials, Mr. Hilliard is also a two-time winner of the National Law Journal's prestigious Elite Trial Lawyer of the Year award, as well as being recognized as a Super Lawyer for the past 18 years. Mr. Hilliard is double board certified and recognized as one of the top 100 trial lawyers in the United States. In the past six months, HMG's 40-lawyer firm has already secured over 100 million dollars in verdicts and settlements. For more information, visit https://hmglawfirm.com/. ABOUT BEN CRUMP LAW Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com. SOURCE Hilliard Martinez Gonzales LLP The report charts the transformation of FastFutures into a full-scale movement, supporting the upskilling of employees & diverse job seekers in the digital economy LONDON, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today FastFutures, powered by Avado, is proud to announce the top achievements of 2022 in its 'Impact Report & Strategic Vision 2022'. These include the BT Group sponsorship which supported 1,600 learners, Department for Education funding awards to deliver four critical skills bootcamps, and a pledge to upskill 10,000 learners in 2023. The Impact Report highlights diversity as a key pillar for FastFutures, with 64% female participants, 79% from diverse backgrounds, 33% living in the 50% most deprived areas of the UK and 38% unemployed (10x higher than the general population). All 100% of FastFutures participants were looking to reskill for a digital role, and 69% secured jobs upon completion. A highlight of the year was the launch of new, role-specific, Skill Bootcamp programmes: Data Analyst - Fundamentals, Data Analyst - Advanced, Digital Marketer, and a broader Digital Career Accelerator programme designed to enhance employability. A specific Data Bootcamp was also launched in partnership with BT Group, which focused on building capability in Power BI, with 85% diverse participants and 74% from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Coming in 2023 is the Generative AI Skills Bootcamp, focusing on in-depth training to harness the power of Generative AI tools and radically improve performance and productivity. Key to FastFutures' success have been the strong partnerships with leading Employer Partners, including BT Group, Shell, Legal & General, Trinnovo Group, Flutter, Health Education England, Tate & Lyle, Syncona, Blenheim Chalcot, Agilisys, Modulr and Syncona. Employer Partners have supported the programme through sponsorship, mentorship and giving learners insights into the digital workplace. The partnership with BT Group, one of the UK's most innovative brands, has been a pivotal milestone for FastFutures. FastFutures has ambitious plans. By the end of 2023, FastFutures has pledged to upskill 10,000 learners, place 1,000 people into jobs, and add 100 employers to its network. The FastFutures umbrella will expand even further, with Avado's Apprenticeships programmes redesigned and incorporated into the FastFutures Movement. Above all, FastFutures is committed to providing learners and employers with the digital skills, talent and opportunities they need to succeed in today's rapidly changing world. "At FastFutures, we are incredibly proud of the positive impact our programmes have had on learners across the UK to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in a rapidly changing world. The stories of personal growth that our participants have shared with us are a testament to the power of education and mentorship," explains Rosa Cerron-Reina, Social Impact Programme Director at Avado, the organisation behind the FastFutures programmes. "We're thrilled to be the lead sponsor of FastFutures this year," says Lauren Kahn, Responsible Tech & Human Rights Director at BT Group. "It's a great way to develop future talent for the country and inspire diverse and talented young people to pursue careers in digital and data. Through FastFutures, we have been able to reach over 1,600 young people in 2022 to support our aim of building a digital talent movement for BT Group and the UK." "The NHS and wider health and care sector has a shortage of skilled digital, data, technology (DDaT), and clinical informatics talent, and projections suggest that the demand for these skills is going to increase over the next decade and proactive action must be taken to bridge the skills gap. We are partnering with FastFutures to provide us with an entrepreneurial, engaging, and fresh approach to tackle the skills gap, with our future workforce front and centre, and have ambitious plans to make an impact across the system," shares Patrick Mitchell, Director of Innovation, Digital & Transformation, Health Education England. Read the full report here. About FastFutures FastFutures, powered by Avado, is a movement to champion ambitious and diverse talent across the UK. FastFutures focuses on training and development of key digital skills via Apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps, provides employability support to its learners whilst supporting the UK's most ambitious organisations with a talent pipeline and upskilling their existing talent. FastFutures was launched in 2020, as a unique work-readiness programme for diverse young people to future proof their careers in an environment disrupted by the pandemic. Since then, it has grown into a movement that has supported 7000+ learners. Learn more about FastFutures. About Avado Avado is an award-winning learning partner, who design and deliver digital, interactive learning experiences. These are aimed at equipping a diverse pool of UK talent with the future skills that they need to power both their own growth and that of their organisations. Avado are proud to support some of the largest and most innovative organisations in the UK with these important transformation and upskilling programmes including BT Group, Blenheim Chalcot, Legal & General, NHS and more. Learn more about Avado. SOURCE FastFutures & Avado Leading healthcare technology company hosted scholarship presentation to local high school students JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Availity, the nation's largest real-time health information network, presented scholarships to students from Jean Ribault High School during a ceremony held at the company's Jacksonville headquarters yesterday. The event is a poignant highlight of the Beyond School Walls program, a long-standing partnership between Availity, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida (BBBSNEFL), and Ribault to connect students one-to-one with mentors from Availity. In addition to celebrating the studentsseveral of whom have participated in the program for eight yearsthe event honored their workforce mentors at Availity. During the event, scholarships funded by Availity were presented to the students, in addition to special cords that will be worn at their upcoming graduation ceremonies. "It has been wonderful to see the effect mentoring has had on both the students and the Availity mentors," says Sara Alford, CEO of BBBSNEFL. "Yesterday's celebration speaks to the power of community involvement to positively impact the lives and future of these young men and women." Availity created 11 scholarship opportunities with Florida Prepaid College Board to help students plan and prepare for their future at the college or trade school of their choice. One of the scholarships was named after Availity CEO Russ Thomas, who was present for the festivities. "This is an exciting program not only for my students at Jean Ribault High School but for the community. Again, it allows them to get more into critical thinking skills, more communication, more collaboration," says Ribault principal Dr. Gregory D. Bostic. "It allows them to look beyond the school walls and see what's out there for them to do after they are finished with high school, go to college, and then decide their career choice." Availity launched the Beyond School Walls Program with BBBSNEFL in January 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the program to switch to virtual meetings until the 2022 school year kicked off in September, when Availity mentors welcomed their 'BBBS Littles' back to campus to focus on post-secondary plans, gaining workforce readiness, learning business and technology advancements and much more. "As a company, we are committed to enriching the communities in which we work by contributing our time and our treasure," says Jaynae Johnson, a Strategic Accounts Manager at Availity who guided many of the Beyond School Walls events and mentorship activities at the company. "Public/private partnerships to improve education are a great way to build sustainable communities. Working with BBBSNEFL and Ribault is an ideal partnership." Availity has deep roots in Florida, including community involvement on corporate and personal levels, and paid time off for employees who wish to volunteer. In fact, Availity's commitment to Ribault extends back to 2012. Dozens of Availity associates have volunteered time and resources to deliver one-to-one mentoring, school supplies, and schoolground landscaping to the Ribault community. About Availity Availity is the place where healthcare finds the answers needed to shift focus back to patient care. We work to solve communication challenges in healthcare by creating a richer, more transparent exchange of information among health plans, providers, and technology partners. As one of the nation's largest health information networks, Availity facilitates billions of clinical, administrative, and financial transactions annually. Our suite of dynamic products, built on a powerful, intelligent platform, enables real-time collaboration for success in a competitive, value-based care environment. For more information, including an online demonstration, please visit www.availity.com or call 1.800.AVAILITY (282.4548). Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Contact: Matt Schlossberg Director of Public Relations, Availity 630-935-9136 [email protected] About Big Brothers Big Sisters Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida's (BBBSNEFL) mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Big Brothers Big Sisters operates under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. By placing a caring adult in the life of a child, Big Brothers Big Sisters creates safe, high-quality, long-lasting mentoring relationships that help vulnerable youth not only beat the odds but change them and reach their full potential through personal and academic achievement. Professionally supported by our staff, individual roadmaps for success are developed in concert with parents, youth, and mentors. We know that mentoring works! In 2021-22, 97% of youth were promoted on time to the next grade, 97% of youth had no behavioral referrals or suspensions and 95% of youth maintained or improved school attendance. The need for mentors is urgent; one in three kids will grow up without a mentor (mentor.org). It takes just a few hours a month to expose youth to new beginnings and opportunities through mentorship. Together, we are defenders of potential. To learn more or become a mentor, visit bbbsnefl.org. Contact: Daiserae White Director of Communications & Outreach 904-586-4482 [email protected] SOURCE Availity HAYWARD, Calif., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Avirmax Biopharma Inc. (ABI), Chief Executive and Scientific Officer, Shengjiang Shawn Liu will present the Avirmax BioPharma Inc (ABI)'s progress in the innovation and development of genetic medicines for glaucoma treatment at Glaucoma 360 New Horizons Forum at The Westin St. Francis in San Francisco, Feb 03, 2023. Since its founding, Avirmax Biopharma Inc (ABI) has been focusing on developing an effective gene therapy product, ABI-902 for glaucoma treatment. Intravitreal administration of ABI-902 has demonstrated retinal ganglion cell (RGC) protection against N-methyl-D-Asparate (NMDA) excitotoxicity in mice and rats of partial optic nerve transection (pONT) measured by Detection of Apoptosing Retinal Cell (DARC) imaging technology. ABI-902 is manufactured by Avirmax CMC Inc. Now in its 12th year, the Glaucoma 360 New Horizons Forum unites key clinical, industrial, financial, and FDA leaders in a unique exchange on research innovation and advances in glaucoma treatment. Avirmax Biopharma Has Demonstrated ABI-902 for Optic Neuroprotection Tweet this Glaucoma is the second largest eye disease that leads to blindness in advanced stages. About 3 million individuals in USA and 80 million individuals worldwide are affected and the number expected to rise to 111 million globally by 2040. The main mechanism for glaucoma-induced blindness is the irreversible death of RGCs. Human eye has ~1.2 to 1.5 million RGCs which will never regenerate after glaucoma-related cell death. Drugs available in market target the IOP reduction and slow down the RGC death. Hopes for better treatment of glaucoma patients reside in protecting RGCs and lowering IOP simultaneously. Avirmax Biopharma Inc. (ABI) is a subsidiary of Avirmax Inc., a San Francisco Bay Area based company working on genetic medicine. Avirmax Inc. specializes in developing rAAV mediated therapeutics for ocular diseases using its proprietary protein and rAAV engineering technologies. Visit us at avirmaxBP.com for more information. Contact Please contact June Song, Associate Director for Operations Email : [email protected] Tel: +1-510-641-0201 Address 25503 Whitesell Street Hayward 94545 CA USA SOURCE Avirmax BOSTON, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: BHLB) today announced that its Board of Directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.18 per common share to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 16, 2023, payable on March 2, 2023. ABOUT BERKSHIRE HILLS BANCORP Headquartered in Boston, Berkshire Hills Bancorp (NYSE:BHLB) is the parent of Berkshire Bank. Founded in 1846, the Bank's vision is to serve as a high-performing leading socially responsible community bank. It empowers the financial potential of its stakeholders by making banking available where, when and how it's needed through an uncompromising focus on exceptional customer service, digital banking, and positive community impact. Providing a wide range of financial solutions through its consumer banking, commercial banking and wealth management divisions, the Bank has approximately $11.7 billion in assets and a community-based footprint of 100 financial centers in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Named one of America's Most Trusted Companies 2022 by Newsweek, Berkshire is also listed in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index and a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality. To learn more, follow us on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , and LinkedIn . Investor Relations Contacts Kevin Conn, SVP, Investor Relations & Corporate Development Email: [email protected] Tel: (617) 641-9206 David Gonci, Capital Markets Director Email: [email protected] Tel: (413) 281-1973 SOURCE Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. CHICAGO, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Trial lawyer and counselor Jason Elster, and Paul McGrady, a nationally recognized trademark and domain name authority and author of three books published by Lexis/Nexis, are now helping clients establish, protect, and grow their brands through their new law firm, Elster & McGrady LLC (E&M). The firm is a Chicago-based boutique focusing on Brands, Domain Names/ICANN, Social Media, and related Litigation, and it offers maximum flexibility to its corporate clients in billing arrangements, including a strong preference for monthly flat and project-based fees. BigLaw alumni Paul McGrady and Jason Elster rewrite the client experience at their new IP Boutique, Elster & McGrady Tweet this Partners Jason Elster and Paul McGrady. E&M's mission is simple: to provide top-quality legal services with concierge-level attention. Elster and McGrady offer clients an experience informed by over 34 years of collective practice in BigLaw, including partnerships at Greenberg Traurig, Winston & Strawn, and Taft. They achieve this by leveraging leading-edge technology and Great Lakes-inspired common sense. E&M can assist clients in any industry, and both nationally and internationally, with strategy and execution of brand management and enforcement. E&M also rewrites law firm culture, putting utmost importance on the well-being of its attorneys, paralegals, and staff. As McGrady explained, "We could not be more excited about this project. We intend to ensure that client satisfaction and quality of life for our professionals go hand in hand rather than being in competition with each other. We don't intend to evaluate our employees based on how many billable hours they can cram into a year, but rather based on the quality of their work, the value each brings to the clients they serve, and the supporting relationships they build within the firm. I can think of no better person to take this journey with than Jason Elster." "Our goal is to support our clients throughout their brand ecosystem, from creating and protecting their marks to preventing and resolving commercial disputes involving their reputations and technology," said Jason Elster. "This is an incredible opportunity to practice law with one of the sharpest minds and kindest hearts I know. Paul and I synergize on every level, and I am excited to offer clients practical and creative solutions on our new platform." The firm opens today, and E&M expects to move into its office space in Chicago's trendy North Center neighborhood in March. "We know many are moving away from in-person interactions in offices, but our firm is going to be built on a tight-knit group who believe we can have it all great clients, great friendships, the highest level of quality and service, and even some fun. Where better than Chicago, and where better than North Center?" said McGrady. Learn more about Elster & McGrady and their services at www.elstermcgrady.com. SOURCE Elster & McGrady NEW YORK, Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Books Market by Type, Distribution Channel, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2023-2027 report has been published by Technavio. Market growth is estimated to accelerate at a CAGR of 5.43% and register an incremental growth of USD 33.21 billion during the forecast period. The report includes historic market data from 2017 to 2021. In 2017, the market was valued at USD 94.24 billion. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of growth opportunities at regional levels, new product launches, the latest trends, and the post-pandemic recovery of the global market. Download a PDF Sample Report. Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Interactive Children's Books Market 2021-2025 2021-2025 Regional Analysis By region, the global books market is segmented into North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa. APAC will account for 38% of the market's growth during the forecast period. The increasing adoption of online channels and recovering regional economy are driving the growth of the regional market. Company Profiles The books market report includes information on the key products and recent developments of leading vendors, including: Bertelsmann SE and Co. KGaA: The company offers books such as The Whittiers. The company offers books such as The Whittiers. Idea and Design Works LLC: The company offers books such as Usagi Yojimbo Bunraku and Other Stories. The company offers books such as Usagi Yojimbo Bunraku and Other Stories. McGraw Hill Education Inc: The company offers books such as Principles of Internal Medicine. The company offers books such as Principles of Internal Medicine. Morris Publishing: The company offers books such as Traditional Comic Books. The company offers books such as Traditional Comic Books. News Corp: The company offers books such as Cook Books. The company offers books such as Cook Books. Oxford University Press Press Pearson Plc RELX Plc Roli Books Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd. Scholastic Corp. The Bureau International de I Edition Francaise To gain access to more vendor profiles available with Technavio, buy the report! Market Dynamics The market is driven by factors such as the increasing use of interactive books for early literacy, the growing popularity of eBooks, and the growing use of gamification for interactive learning. However, the growing incidents of privacy breach is hindering the market growth. Competitive Analysis The competitive scenario categorizes companies based on various performance indicators. Some of the factors considered include the financial performance of companies over the past few years, growth strategies, product innovations, new product launches, investments, and growth in market share, among others. Request a Sample Market Segmentation By type , the market is segmented into adult books, higher education course materials, K-12 instructional materials, children's books, and others . The adult books segment accounted for the largest share of the market. , the market is segmented into . The adult books segment accounted for the largest share of the market. By geography, the market is segmented into North America , Europe , APAC, South America , and Middle East and Africa . APAC held the largest share of the market. Related Reports: Magazine Publishing Market by Type, Application and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2023-2027: The magazine publishing market is estimated to decline at a CAGR of 0.65% and the size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 3,549.6 million between 2022 and 2027. The increase in the use of smartphones and tablets is notably driving the market growth, although factors such as the increasing competition among magazine publishers may impede the market growth. Medical Publishing Market by Product, Type and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2023-2027: The medical publishing market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 2.75% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 1,708.31 million. The rise in digital publishing is notably driving the market growth, although factors such as the high subscription cost of electronic and print media may impede the market growth. Technavio's library includes over 17,000+ reports, covering more than 2,000 emerging technologies. Subscribe to our "Basic Plan" at just USD 5,000 and get lifetime access to Technavio Insights What are the key data covered in this books market report? CAGR of the market during the forecast period Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the books market between 2023 and 2027 Precise estimation of the size of the books market and its contribution to the parent market Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior Growth of the books market across APAC, North America , Europe , Middle East and Africa , and South America , , and , and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of books market vendors Books Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 179 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.43% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 33.21 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023(%) 4.96 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution APAC at 38% Key countries US, China, Japan, UK, and Germany Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Aleph Book Co., Bertelsmann SE and Co. KGaA, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, Coordination Group Publications Ltd., Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH and Co. KG, Idea and Design Works LLC, McGraw Hill Education Inc., Morris Publishing, News Corp., Oxford University Press, Pearson Plc, RELX Plc, Roli Books, Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd., Scholastic Corp., The Bureau International de I Edition Francaise, The Walt Disney Co., Thomson Reuters Corp., ViacomCBS Inc., and Vivendi SE Market dynamics Parent Market Analysis; Market growth inducers and obstacles; Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis for the forecast period Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Browse for Technavio "Communication Services" Research Reports Table of Contents 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Market overview Exhibit 01: Executive Summary Chart on Market Overview Exhibit 02: Executive Summary Data Table on Market Overview Exhibit 03: Executive Summary Chart on Global Market Characteristics Exhibit 04: Executive Summary Chart on Market by Geography Exhibit 05: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Type Exhibit 06: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel Exhibit 07: Executive Summary Chart on Incremental Growth Exhibit 08: Executive Summary Data Table on Incremental Growth Exhibit 09: Executive Summary Chart on Vendor Market Positioning 2 Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem Exhibit 10: Parent market Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics 3 Market Sizing 3.1 Market definition Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition 3.2 Market segment analysis Exhibit 13: Market segments 3.3 Market size 2022 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027 Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 4 Historic Market Size 4.1 Global books market 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size Data Table on Global books market 2017 - 2021 ($ billion) 4.2 Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size Type Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion) 4.3 Distribution channel Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size Distribution channel Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion) 4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion) 4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion) 5 Five Forces Analysis 5.1 Five forces summary Exhibit 23: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027 5.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 24: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027 5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 25: Bargaining power of suppliers Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 26: Threat of new entrants Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 27: Threat of substitutes Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 28: Threat of rivalry Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.7 Market condition Exhibit 29: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027 6 Market Segmentation by Type 6.1 Market segments Exhibit 30: Chart on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 31: Data Table on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 6.2 Comparison by Type Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Type Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Type 6.3 Adult books - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 34: Chart on Adult books - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 35: Data Table on Adult books - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 36: Chart on Adult books - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 37: Data Table on Adult books - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.4 Higher education course materials - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 38: Chart on Higher education course materials - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 39: Data Table on Higher education course materials - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 40: Chart on Higher education course materials - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 41: Data Table on Higher education course materials - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.5 K -12 instructional materials - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 -12 instructional materials - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 42: Chart on K-12 instructional materials - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 43: Data Table on K-12 instructional materials - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 44: Chart on K-12 instructional materials - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 45: Data Table on K-12 instructional materials - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.6 Children books - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 46: Chart on Children books - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 47: Data Table on Children books - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 48: Chart on Children books - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 49: Data Table on Children books - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.7 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 50: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 51: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 52: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 53: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.8 Market opportunity by Type Exhibit 54: Market opportunity by Type ($ billion) 7 Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel 7.1 Market segments Exhibit 55: Chart on Distribution Channel - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 56: Data Table on Distribution Channel - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 7.2 Comparison by Distribution Channel Exhibit 57: Chart on Comparison by Distribution Channel Exhibit 58: Data Table on Comparison by Distribution Channel 7.3 Local book shops - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 59: Chart on Local book shops - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 60: Data Table on Local book shops - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 61: Chart on Local book shops - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 62: Data Table on Local book shops - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.4 Online - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 63: Chart on Online - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 64: Data Table on Online - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 65: Chart on Online - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 66: Data Table on Online - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.5 Specialty stores - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 67: Chart on Specialty stores - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 68: Data Table on Specialty stores - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 69: Chart on Specialty stores - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 70: Data Table on Specialty stores - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.6 Retail shops - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 71: Chart on Retail shops - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 72: Data Table on Retail shops - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 73: Chart on Retail shops - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 74: Data Table on Retail shops - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.7 Market opportunity by Distribution Channel Exhibit 75: Market opportunity by Distribution Channel ($ billion) 8 Customer Landscape 8.1 Customer landscape overview Exhibit 76: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria 9 Geographic Landscape 9.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 77: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 78: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) 9.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 79: Chart on Geographic comparison Exhibit 80: Data Table on Geographic comparison 9.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 81: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 82: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 83: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 84: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 85: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 86: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 87: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 88: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 89: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 90: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 91: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 92: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 93: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 94: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 95: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 96: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 97: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 98: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 99: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 100: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 101: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 102: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 103: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 104: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.9 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 105: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 106: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 107: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 108: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.10 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 109: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 110: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 111: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 112: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.11 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 113: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 114: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 115: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 116: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.12 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 117: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 118: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion) Exhibit 119: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 120: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.13 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 121: Market opportunity by geography ($ billion) 10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10.1 Market drivers 10.2 Market challenges 10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges Exhibit 122: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027 10.4 Market trends 11 Vendor Landscape 11.1 Overview 11.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 123: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation 11.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 124: Overview on factors of disruption 11.4 Industry risks Exhibit 125: Impact of key risks on business 12 Vendor Analysis 12.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 126: Vendors covered 12.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 127: Matrix on vendor position and classification 12.3 Bertelsmann SE and Co. KGaA Exhibit 128: Bertelsmann SE and Co. KGaA - Overview Exhibit 129: Bertelsmann SE and Co. KGaA - Business segments Exhibit 130: Bertelsmann SE and Co. KGaA - Key news Exhibit 131: Bertelsmann SE and Co. KGaA - Key offerings Exhibit 132: Bertelsmann SE and Co. KGaA - Segment focus 12.4 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Exhibit 133: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc - Overview Exhibit 134: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc - Business segments Exhibit 135: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc - Key offerings Exhibit 136: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc - Segment focus 12.5 Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH and Co. KG Exhibit 137: Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH and Co. KG - Overview Exhibit 138: Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH and Co. KG - Product / Service Exhibit 139: Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH and Co. KG - Key offerings 12.6 Idea and Design Works LLC Exhibit 140: Idea and Design Works LLC - Overview Exhibit 141: Idea and Design Works LLC - Product / Service Exhibit 142: Idea and Design Works LLC - Key offerings 12.7 McGraw Hill Education Inc. Exhibit 143: McGraw Hill Education Inc. - Overview Exhibit 144: McGraw Hill Education Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 145: McGraw Hill Education Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 146: McGraw Hill Education Inc. - Segment focus 12.8 Morris Publishing Exhibit 147: Morris Publishing - Overview Exhibit 148: Morris Publishing - Product / Service Exhibit 149: Morris Publishing - Key offerings 12.9 News Corp. Exhibit 150: News Corp. - Overview Exhibit 151: News Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 152: News Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 153: News Corp. - Segment focus 12.10 Oxford University Press Press Exhibit 154: Oxford University Press - Overview Press - Overview Exhibit 155: Oxford University Press - Product / Service Press - Product / Service Exhibit 156: Oxford University Press - Key offerings 12.11 Pearson Plc Exhibit 157: Pearson Plc - Overview Exhibit 158: Pearson Plc - Business segments Exhibit 159: Pearson Plc - Key offerings Exhibit 160: Pearson Plc - Segment focus 12.12 RELX Plc Exhibit 161: RELX Plc - Overview Exhibit 162: RELX Plc - Business segments Exhibit 163: RELX Plc - Key offerings Exhibit 164: RELX Plc - Segment focus 12.13 Scholastic Corp. Exhibit 165: Scholastic Corp. - Overview Exhibit 166: Scholastic Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 167: Scholastic Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 168: Scholastic Corp. - Segment focus 12.14 The Walt Disney Co. Exhibit 169: The Walt Disney Co. - Overview Exhibit 170: The Walt Disney Co. - Business segments Exhibit 171: The Walt Disney Co. - Key offerings Exhibit 172: The Walt Disney Co. - Segment focus 12.15 Thomson Reuters Corp. Exhibit 173: Thomson Reuters Corp. - Overview Exhibit 174: Thomson Reuters Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 175: Thomson Reuters Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 176: Thomson Reuters Corp. - Segment focus 12.16 ViacomCBS Inc. Exhibit 177: ViacomCBS Inc. - Overview Exhibit 178: ViacomCBS Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 179: ViacomCBS Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 180: ViacomCBS Inc. - Segment focus 12.17 Vivendi SE Exhibit 181: Vivendi SE - Overview Exhibit 182: Vivendi SE - Business segments Exhibit 183: Vivendi SE - Key offerings Exhibit 184: Vivendi SE - Segment focus 13 Appendix 13.1 Scope of the report 13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 185: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 186: Exclusions checklist 13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 187: Currency conversion rates for US$ 13.4 Research methodology Exhibit 188: Research methodology Exhibit 189: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 190: Information sources 13.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 191: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio HAMILTON, Bermuda, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Borr Drilling Limited (the "Company") (NYSE: BORR) (OSE: BORR) advises that the Company will hold a Special General Meeting on February 23, 2023 to approve an increase in the Company's authorized share capital required in connection with the successful placement of USD 250 million senior unsecured convertible bonds announced 25 January 2023. The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on February 6, 2023 as the record date for determination of the shareholders entitled to attend and vote at the Special General Meeting or any adjournment thereof. A copy of the Notice of Special General Meeting and Form of Proxy (the "Notice") and associated information can be found on the Company's website at http://www.borrdrilling.com and attached to this press release. The Notice and associated information will also be distributed to shareholders by normal distribution methods. This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5 -12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. Questions should be directed to: Magnus Vaaler, CFO, +44 1224 289208 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Public/16983/3708689/9410ac4872817c9c.pdf Borr Drilling SGM Notice SOURCE Borr Drilling Limited New technology designed to help inform real-time clinical decisions during kidney stone procedures MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance of the LithoVue Elite Single-Use Digital Flexible Ureteroscope System, the first ureteroscope system with the ability to monitor intrarenal pressure in real-time during ureteroscopy procedures. Ureteroscopy is a common procedure performed by urologists to diagnose and treat a variety of problems in the urinary tract, most commonly kidney stones.1 Research shows that about one in 10 people will develop a kidney stone at some point in their lives.2 During ureteroscopies, elevated intrarenal pressure (IRP) can occur in response to fluid irrigation which is used to maintain a clear visual field. High IRP may contribute to a range of post-operative complications including systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), sepsis and renal damage.3,4 The built-in pressure sensor on the LithoVue Elite ureteroscope tip is designed to allow urologists to make informed, pressure-related clinical decisions. Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/9029351-boston-scientific-fda-clearance-lithovue-elite-system/ "Multiple studies have shown the importance of understanding intrarenal pressure during ureteroscopy procedures to mitigate potential complications, but until now, urologists have lacked an easy way to measure pressure in real-time," said Ben Chew, M.D., M.Sc., associate professor, University of British Columbia.5 "This device represents an important and needed advancement in single-use ureteroscopes, which could help improve patient care and potentially lead to a clearer understanding of the impact of elevated intrarenal pressure on patient outcomes." The LithoVue Elite System, comprised of the single-use digital flexible ureteroscope and the StoneSmart Connect Console, builds on many of the features of the original LithoVue System with significant next-generation innovations. In addition to intrarenal pressure monitoring, device enhancements include: upgraded image quality: high-resolution digital chip and advanced imaging software designed to provide faster, sharper image quality and greater depth of field compared to the original LithoVue System; high-resolution digital chip and advanced imaging software designed to provide faster, sharper image quality and greater depth of field compared to the original LithoVue System; updated control features: two programmable buttons on the lightweight, single-use ureteroscope handle enable direct control of video and image capture without the need to coordinate with staff; and two programmable buttons on the lightweight, single-use ureteroscope handle enable direct control of video and image capture without the need to coordinate with staff; and streamlined integration: the StoneSmart Connect Console, LithoVue Elite's compact processing unit, is designed to work with existing operating room visualization towers and endoscopic monitors to reduce clutter and capital footprint. "We're at a critical moment in kidney stone care where patient demand is outpacing the number of urologists needed to address it," said Meghan Scanlon, senior vice president and president, Urology, Boston Scientific. "We designed the next-generation LithoVue Elite System to bring a greater level of precision and functionality in the way urologists diagnose and treat kidney stones, an increasingly common condition among adults.6 We are committed to developing clinical solutions, like the LithoVue Elite System, that are intended to make procedures more efficient, empower surgical decisions, optimize patient care and ultimately improve the treatment of kidney stone disease globally." The LithoVue Elite System is the latest device in the Boston Scientific single-use imaging portfolio, developed with physician feedback to advance patient care and eliminate infection risk associated with ineffective reprocessing of reusable scopes. It is also the first device built on the company's next-generation StoneSmart technology platform, intended to support potential interoperability with future Boston Scientific devices. Limited market release of the device in the U.S. will begin in the coming weeks. For more information about kidney stone solutions from Boston Scientific, please visit www.bostonscientific.com/LithoVueElite or StoneSmart.com. About Boston Scientific Boston Scientific transforms lives through innovative medical solutions that improve the health of patients around the world. As a global medical technology leader for more than 40 years, we advance science for life by providing a broad range of high performance solutions that address unmet patient needs and reduce the cost of healthcare. For more information, visit www.bostonscientific.com and connect on Twitter and Facebook. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words like "anticipate," "expect," "project," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "intend" and similar words. These forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and estimates using information available to us at the time and are not intended to be guarantees of future events or performance. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding our business plans, clinical trials, product launches and product performance and impact. If our underlying assumptions turn out to be incorrect, or if certain risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. These factors, in some cases, have affected and in the future (together with other factors) could affect our ability to implement our business strategy and may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the statements expressed in this press release. As a result, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of our forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such differences include, among other things: future economic, competitive, reimbursement and regulatory conditions; new product introductions; demographic trends; intellectual property; litigation; financial market conditions; and future business decisions made by us and our competitors. All of these factors are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of them are beyond our control. For a further list and description of these and other important risks and uncertainties that may affect our future operations, see Part I, Item 1A Risk Factors in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we may update in Part II, Item 1A Risk Factors in Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q we have filed or will file hereafter. We disclaim any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in our expectations or in events, conditions or circumstances on which those expectations may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this document. Media Contact: Nate Gilbraith 701.212.9589 References: ____________________ 1 National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Cystoscopy & Ureteroscopy. Available at: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diagnostic-tests/cystoscopy-ureteroscopy. Accessed June 2022. 2 National Kidney Foundation. Kidney Stones. Available at: https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/kidneystones. Accessed July 2022. 3 Tokas T, Herrmann TRW, Skolarikos A, et al. Pressure matters: intrarenal pressures during normal and pathological conditions, and impact of increased values to renal physiology. World J Urol. 2019 Jan;37(1):125-31. 4 Proietti S, Dragos L, Somani B, et al. In vitro comparison of maximum pressure developed by irrigation systems in a kidney model. J Endourol. 2017 May;31(5):522-7. 5 Dr. Ben Chew is a paid consultant of Boston Scientific Corporation. He has not been compensated for his quote within this press release. 6 Romero, V., Akpinar, H., & Assimos, D. G. (2010). Kidney stones: a global picture of prevalence, incidence, and associated risk factors. Reviews in urology, 12(2-3), e86e96. SOURCE Boston Scientific Corporation A young and ambitious web developer's successful attempt at ensuring that student essays are 'Not Dead' as claimed by proponents of ChatGPT. TORONTO, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tomer Tarsky, an AI enthusiast with expertise in coding and tech, has developed an innovative plagiarism checker at www.chatgptplagiarism.com that helps teachers detect if an assignment was written by an artificial intelligence tool like ChatGPT. The plagiarism tool, aptly named ChatGPT Plagiarism, follows a long-winded discussion at schools and colleges over worries that ChatGPT's capacity to produce essays and assignments on just about any topic could fuel academic fraud and hinder learners. ChatGPT Plagiarism Although other similar tools claim to do the same, they aren't foolproof. Tarsky developed his own plagiarism checker that is safer to use, considerably decreasing the chances of imperfect or incorrect results. Tarsky tested ChatGPT's limit by giving it complicated queries. The AI chatbot could write high-quality essays with a 0% plagiarism rating on standard plagiarism software like Turnitin. Evidently, students could use ChatGPT to write their reports, and teachers won't have a way of distinguishing them from authentic ones. While academic guidelines are revised to clarify how to incorporate AI tools into the learning loop, plagiarism checkers like this can help educators find and penalize AI-generated homework. "I decided to build this software as a response to rampant cheating and plagiarism made possible by ChatGPT. Since then, this resource has generated interest from teachers and educators from all walks of academic life. There is already high demand from educational institutions as teachers implement this software to ensure continued learning in their classrooms." - says Tarsky Tarsky's new software is already used across high schools, and the goal is to get it into universities and colleges. It works by having the teacher enter the topic of the essay. Then the software can generate thousands of ChatGPT essays based on that topic and compare the student's paper or report to the AI-generated ones to give it a ChatGPT plagiarism rating. ChatGPT had enough material to work with while sorting through text retrieved from the internet because of the long-available essay templates, study guides, and other prepared materials on common assignment subjects. It's also hard to ignore its ability to produce unique, personalized material utilizing natural language and grammareven if the content is pulled from a database. So, the battle to end AI-based cheating has started. And ChatGPT Plagiarism tool by Tomer Tarsky seems to be at the frontlines representing educators who are tired of grading human-sounding answers and reports that have, in fact, been written by AI. About the Founder Tomer Tarsky is a 22 years old web developer based in Toronto, Canada. He attended Wilfrid Laurier University for economics and has always had a knack for coding, AI, and technology. Having launched various startups, Tarsky has been following OpenAI's ChatGPT since 2016 and has thought about all the use cases it has, from copywriting to writing blogs, reviews, etc. Contact information Website: www.chatgptplagiarism.com . Email address: [email protected] Phone number: 647-923-4477 SOURCE ChatGPT Plagiarism LONDON, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the launch of the EV Magazine LIVE events series, with the inaugural event, EV Magazine LIVE - The Future of EV, due to kick off in just a couple of hours. EV Magazine is a new brand, launched in October, covering all things electric vehicles, connected car, and more. It is more than just a magazine though, the new publication will bring together executives from all over the world through the EV Alliance, webinars, Top 10 and Top 100 supplements, virtual and in person events, whitepapers, newsletters, and so much more. The inaugural event will cover the most pressing topics facing the electric vehicle industry to date, from the charging dilemma to the importance of electrification, explore the agenda here . A handpicked selection of VIPs will be in attendance at the London Transport Museum, and thousands of industry professionals are expected to tune in virtually through our interactive streaming platform, Brella. Not only will in person delegates get an exclusive tour of the London Transport Museum, unmatched networking and free drinks, they will also get up close to a brand new electric SUV AEHRA, the sole sponsor of EV Magazine LIVE, are bringing their brand new electric SUV, and today will be the first time that the SUV has been in the United Kingdom so in person attendees really are in for a treat. The world-class speaker line-up includes: Filippo Perini , Chief Design Officer at AEHRA , Chief Design Officer at AEHRA Alex Gilbert , Head of Energy & Electrification; Commercial Development at Transport for London , Head of Energy & Electrification; Commercial Development at Transport for Sara Sloman , Chief Strategy Officer at Paythru , Chief Strategy Officer at Paythru Rodi Basso , Co-Founder & CEO of E1 Series , Co-Founder & CEO of E1 Series Sam Clarke , Chief Vehicle Officer at GRIDSERVE , Chief Vehicle Officer at GRIDSERVE Martin Kearns , Head of E-mobility UK&I at Volvo Trucks There is still time to secure your virtual tickets, join us for an EVening like no other: https://live.evmagazine.com/register/ SOURCE BizClik Susan G. Komen Patient Care Center Helps Remove Barriers To Diagnosis, Treatment DALLAS, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In the United States, breast cancer affects Black women and white women in extremely different ways. White women are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease overall, however, Black women are more likely to have aggressive types of breast cancer and are 40 percent more likely to die from it. Since the founding of Susan G. Komen, the world's leading breast cancer organization four decades ago, much progress in detecting and treating breast cancer has been made. Yet, inequities in care, treatment and outcomes between Black and white women with the disease remain. This is unacceptable. Susan G. Komen's program Stand for H.E.R. a Health Equity Revolution seeks to remove barriers that prevent Black communities from accessing the high-quality care and services they need. Komen believes your race and where you live should not determine your access to quality breast care and resources. Black women often have aggressive types of breast cancer and are 40% more likely to die from it. This is unacceptable. Tweet this Black women face obstacles and challenges that white women do not due to a combination of factors, including barriers to early diagnosis, the aggressive nature of certain breast cancers that tend to be more common in Black women, such as triple negative breast cancer, systemic racism, discrimination, and a lack of quality care. Melissa Jones saw her life flash before her eyes when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her mother and aunt are survivors and as a single mother, she worried about her daughters and what would happen to them if she died. She felt overwhelmed, lost her job and struggled mentally, emotionally and financially. "I found support through Komen. I reached out and Komen helped me find the resources I needed, be it financial, emotional, medical. That's huge when you're going through breast cancer treatment. I was also provided with financial support through a Komen program that works with people in treatment," Jones recalls. Monique Eddins remembers being shocked when she received a breast cancer diagnosis. "I had to maintain my composure when I got the phone call because I was in class, so I told the nurse I would call when I was back in my office. When I called her back, she told me the stage, grade and that I have triple negative breast cancer. I had to come back in the following day to discuss a plan forward." Breast cancer does not run in Monique's family, yet through genetic testing, she learned she carries a genetic mutation that increases her risk of breast cancer. "Because of my BRCA 1 gene mutation, I am at risk of ovarian and pancreatic cancers as well. I have three boys ages 17, 15 and 14 and one daughter who is 9. I worry about all of them. They could be carriers of the gene mutation, too, and potentially get breast cancer," she adds. Roselyn White struggled to find the resources she needed while going through treatment for breast cancer. After recovering from surgery, she wanted to apply for a patient navigator position at Susan G. Komen so she could help patients overcome obstacles during their treatment to ensure a seamless, high-quality health journey. "In hindsight, having a patient navigator while I was undergoing treatment would have been so beneficial to me," she says. "It's hard to find resources when you don't know where to look." Breast cancer affects one out of every eight women in the U.S. throughout her lifetime, but lives can be saved when the cancer is caught early. Knowing your risk of breast cancer allows you to make informed choices about your health and take steps to minimize the chances of developing the disease. Learn more about risk here and ways you can take control of your breast health. Susan G. Komen's Patient Care Center provides support for anyone concerned about breast cancer. Call 1-877-GO-KOMEN (1-877-465-6636) or email [email protected] to connect with a professional who can provide emotional support, access to breast health services, information about clinical trials, breast health and breast cancer education and more. About Susan G. Komen Susan G. Komen is the world's leading nonprofit breast cancer organization, working to save lives and end breast cancer forever. Komen has an unmatched, comprehensive 360-degree approach to fighting this disease across all fronts and supporting millions of people in the U.S. and in countries worldwide. We advocate for patients, drive research breakthroughs, improve access to high-quality care, offer direct patient support and empower people with trustworthy information. Founded by Nancy G. Brinker, who promised her sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would end the disease that claimed Suzy's life, Komen remains committed to supporting those affected by breast cancer today, while tirelessly searching for tomorrow's cures. Visit komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN. Connect with us on social at www.komen.org/contact-us/follow-us/. CONTACT: Camille Smith Susan G. Komen (972) 855-1688 [email protected] SOURCE Susan G. Komen for the Cure CHICAGO, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Fire Resistant Lubricants Market by Type (HFA, HFB, HFC, HFDU, HFDR), End-Use Industry (Metal Processing, Mining, Power Generation, Aerospace, Marine, Construction), Region (Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, South America) - Global Forecast to 2027", size is projected to reach USD 2.4 billion by 2027 from USD 2.0 billion in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 3.4 % in terms of value during the forecast period. In order to avoid the fire hazards caused by metal-on-metal contact between the surfaces of moving parts, fire resistant lubricants offer protection. Although the surface of equipment appear to be smooth and polished, at the microscopic level they have rough surfaces. Smooth motion is hampered by friction. Additionally, it worsens surface wear, produces heat, and may even result in equipment failure or fire-related problems. Between moving parts a layer of film is formed when fire resistant lubrication is done correctly to eliminate friction, which leads to more streamlined operation and longer equipment life without fire concerns. Browse in-depth TOC on "Fire Resistant Lubricants Market" 271 Tables 73 Figures 256 Pages Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=239428812 A protective layer is created by preventing component surfaces from coming in contact with water or other corrosive chemicals. Fire resistant lubrication helps protect component surfaces from rust, corrosion, and fire leakages. Fire resistant lubrication prolongs the consistency, life, and efficiency of equipment by reducing wear, friction, excessive heat, corrosion, rust, contamination, and other factors. Exposure to several factors that could lead to potentially expensive equipment failures and breakdowns is decreased by fire resistant lubrication. "HFDU fire resistant lubricants was the second-largest type in the global fire resistant lubricants market, in terms of value, in 2021" The HFDU fire resistant lubricants can operate under extreme conditions, have high viscosity, and can withstand hot temperatures without oxidizing, which are some of the crucial factors which are likely to help the growth of the HFDU fire resistant lubricants market. Another factor for the growth of HFDU fire resistant lubricants is their better performance. The HFDU-type fire resistant lubricants have gained popularity because of their excellent lubricity, fire resistance properties, and good viscosity stability across a different range of temperatures. The HFDU-type fire resistant lubricants are much more versatile and compatible than HFDR fire resistant lubricants. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=239428812 "Metal processing segment projected to be the fastest growing end-use industry, in terms of value, during the forecast period" High varying temperatures and high friction involved in industrial processes necessitate the use of fire-resistant lubricants in the metal processing industry. The metal processing end-use industry consumes fire resistant lubricants on a large scale. Metal processing leads the fire-resistant lubricants market due to the huge demand for metals such as steel, aluminum, and others from industries such as automotive, general manufacturing, construction, packaging, and machinery. The steel production plant consumes fire resistant lubricants in assembly cranes, electric motors, bearings, and hot-temperature casting machines. "Asia Pacific is estimated to be the largest market for fire resistant lubricants, in terms of value, during the forecast period" Asia Pacific is estimated to be the largest fire resistant lubricants market in the metal processing and power generation industry. This is due to the increasing metal processing production in China, Japan, and India. According to the World Steel Association (WSA), China and India are the top crude steel producers, producing 1,032,790 thousand tons and 118,201 thousand tons, respectively, in 2021. The increasing steel production in China and India drives the demand for fire resistant lubricants in the metal processing end-use industry. Browse Adjacent Market: Bulk Chemicals and Inorganics Market Research Reports & Consulting Market Players The key market players profiled in the report include TotalEnergies SE (France), Quaker Houghton (US), Shell plc (Netherlands), and BP p.l.c. (UK), Exxon Mobil Corporation (US), Sinopec Group (China), Phillips 66 (US), LANXESS AG (Germany), Croda International Plc (UK), and Fuchs Petrolub SE (Germany), among others. Related Reports: Hydraulic Fluids Market - Global Forecast to 2027 Lubricants Market - Global Forecast to 2027 Food Grade Lubricants Market - Global Forecast to 2027 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. We have the widest lens on emerging technologies, making us proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients. The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing. Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we work with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies - helping them stay relevant in a disruptive ecosystem. Our insights and strategies are molded by our industry experts, cutting-edge AI-powered Market Intelligence Cloud, and years of research. The KnowledgeStore (our Market Intelligence Cloud) integrates our research, facilitates an analysis of interconnections through a set of applications, helping clients look at the entire ecosystem and understand the revenue shifts happening in their industry. To find out more, visit www.MarketsandMarkets.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/fire-resistant-lubricants-market.asp Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/fire-resistant-lubricants.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg SOURCE MarketsandMarkets Miller to focus on health and address allegations raised in CBC program MONTREAL, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Future Electronics today announced that - despite not being involved in the operations for a number of years - Chairman, President and CEO Robert G. Miller will permanently step down to focus on his very serious health issues and devote his attention to the protection of his reputation. Mr. Miller adamantly and vehemently denies the malicious allegations made against him, and confirms they are false and wholly unsubstantiated and that they arose as a result of a bitter divorce. They are now being repeated for financial gain. A police investigation was conducted into these allegations and the authorities determined that they were unfounded. Effective immediately, Omar Baig assumes the role of President and CEO. About Future Electronics Future Electronics is a global leader in electronics distribution, recognized for providing customers with global supply chain solutions, custom-tailored engineering services and a very extensive variety of electronic components. Founded in 1968, Future Electronics believes its 5500 employees are its greatest asset, with 170 offices in 44 countries. Future Electronics is globally integrated, with a unified IT infrastructure that delivers real-time inventory availability and access to customers. With the highest level of service, the most advanced engineering capabilities, and the largest available-to-sell inventory in the world, Future's mission is always to Delight the Customer. For more information, visit www.FutureElectronics.com. SOURCE Future Electronics SAN DIEGO SUPERIOR COURT JURY AWARDS SAN DIEGO MAN $8.4 MILLION IN HIS LAWSUIT AGAINST A CALIFORNIA VETERANS HOME AFTER SUFFERING MAJOR INJURIES AND DEVELOPING CHRONIC REGIONAL PAIN SYNDROME FROM A SLIP AND FALL INCIDENT ON THE PROPERTY SAN DIEGO, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A San Diego Superior Court jury has returned an $8.4 million verdict in favor of a 66 year-old man who tripped and fell at the State of California's veterans home located at 700 E. Naples Court in Chula Vista. On April 4, 2019, the man visited the home with a therapy dog to provide care to residents housed there. After completing that work, the man and his dog walked outside and headed toward a field on the property for the dog to relieve itself. On the way, the man tripped over an unusual second curb built on top of an existing curb. The second curb is pictured below: CHICAGO, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Grainger (NYSE: GWW), the leading broad line distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products serving businesses and institutions, today announced it ranked No. 1 among diversified wholesalers on Fortune magazine's 2023 list of the World's Most Admired Companies for the 10th consecutive year. "Each day, Grainger's 26,000 team members are resolute in fulfilling our purpose, We Keep The World Working, to make sure our customers have what they need to get their jobs done," said Grainger Chairman and Chief Executive Officer D.G. Macpherson. "Earning the top spot as the most-admired company in our category for 10 years in a row demonstrates our unwavering commitment to focusing on what matters, contributing to our communities and supporting our fellow team members." The Fortune World's Most Admired Companies list is based on an annual survey given to top executives, directors and financial analysts. This year, 645 companies in 52 industries were surveyed. To select and rank the World's Most Admired Companies, corporate reputation and performance were measured against nine key attributes: innovation, people management, use of corporate assets, social responsibility, quality of management, financial soundness, long-term investment, quality of products and services, and global competitiveness. To learn more about a career at Grainger, visit jobs.grainger.com. To see the full list of the World's Most Admired Companies visit the Fortune website. About Grainger W.W. Grainger, Inc., with 2022 sales of $15.2 billion, is a leading broad line distributor with operations primarily in North America, Japan and the United Kingdom. Grainger achieves its purpose, We Keep the World Working, by serving more than 4.5 million customers worldwide with innovative technology and deep customer relationships. The Company operates two business models. In the High-Touch Solutions segment, Grainger offers more than 2 million maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products and several services, such as technical support and inventory management. In the Endless Assortment segment, Zoro.com offers customers access to more than 11 million items, and MonotaRO.com provides more than 20 million items. For more information, visit invest.grainger.com. SOURCE W.W. Grainger, Inc. CHICAGO, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- COURT-APPROVED LEGAL NOTICE If you purchased raw chicken in the United States from January 1, 2012 through July 31, 2019, a class action may affect your rights. Para una notificacion in espanol, llame gratis al 1-877-888-5428 o visite nuestro website www.overchargedforchicken.com. The purpose of this notice is to inform you of your rights related to the class action lawsuit entitled In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation (End-User Consumer Action), N.D. Ill. Case No. 1:16-cv-08637, pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (the "Court"). On May 27, 2022, Judge Thomas M. Durkin issued an Order certifying a class of indirect purchasers defined as: "All persons and entities who indirectly purchased the following types of raw chicken, whether fresh or frozen: whole birds (with or without giblets), whole cut-up birds purchased within a package, breast cuts or tenderloin cuts, but excluding chicken that is marketed as halal, kosher, free range, organic, diced, minced, ground, seasoned, flavored, or breadedfrom defendants or co-conspirators for personal consumption in the Repealer Jurisdictions from January 1, 2012 to July 31, 2019" (the "Certified Class"). This notice provides Class Members with an opportunity to opt out of the Certified Class defined above. If you exclude yourself from the Certified Class, you will not be able to recover any award from any future settlements or judgments obtained by the lawyers for the Class, if settlements or judgments occur. Your decision to exclude yourself (or not) from the Certified Class will not affect your ability to participate in the previous settlements reached in this litigation. Your legal rights may be affected whether you act or do not act. Please read this notice carefully. Defendants have not admitted any liability and continue to deny the legal claims alleged in this lawsuit. No additional settlements have been reached with the Non-Settling Defendants. If there are any future settlements or judgments, you will receive an additional notice. WHO IS INCLUDED? The Certified Class is defined as: All persons and entities who indirectly purchased the following types of raw chicken, whether fresh or frozen: whole birds (with or without giblets), whole cut-up birds purchased within a package, breast cuts or tenderloin cuts, but excluding chicken that is marketed as halal, kosher, free range, organic, diced, minced, ground, seasoned, flavored, or breadedfrom defendants or co-conspirators for personal consumption in the Repealer Jurisdictions from January 1, 2012 to July 31, 2019. The "Repealer Jurisdictions" are: California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin. If you are a member of the Certified Class and do not exclude yourself, you may be eligible to participate in any additional settlements which may arise with the Non-Settling Defendants. WHAT IS THIS LAWSUIT ABOUT? This class action, In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation, N.D. Ill. Case No. 1:16-cv-08637, is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas M. Durkin presides over this class action. End-User Consumer Plaintiffs allege that Defendants and their co-conspirators conspired to restrict the supply of, and fix, raise, and stabilize the price of Broiler chicken, from at least January 1, 2012 through at least July 31, 2019, in violation of federal and state consumer protection and antitrust laws. The Court previously gave final approval to settlements between the Plaintiffs and Fieldale, George's, Mar-Jac, Peco, Pilgrim's, and Tyson. The End-User Consumer Plaintiffs' case is proceeding against all other Defendants who have not settled the case, known as the "Non-Settling Defendants." This is a class certification notice for the Non-Settling Defendants listed below: "Non-Settling Defendants" refers to Agri Stats, Inc.; Norman W. Fries, Inc. d/b/a Claxton Poultry Farms; Foster Farms, LLC and Foster Poultry Farms; Harrison Poultry, Inc.; House of Raeford Farms, Inc.; JCG Foods of Alabama, LLC, JCG Foods of Georgia, LLC, Koch Foods, Inc., and Koch Meat Co., Inc.; Mountaire Farms, Inc., Mountaire Farms, LLC, and Mountaire Farms of Delaware, Inc.; O.K. Foods, Inc., O.K. Farms, Inc., and O.K. Industries, Inc.; Perdue Farms, Inc. and Perdue Foods LLC; Sanderson Farms, Inc., Sanderson Farms, Inc. (Foods Division), Sanderson Farms, Inc. (Processing Division), and Sanderson Farms, Inc. (Production Division); Wayne Farms, LLC; and Simmons Foods, Inc. and Simmons Prepared Foods, Inc. If you are a member of the Certified Class, you may receive additional notices regarding the progress of the litigation and any resolution of claims against the Non-Settling Defendants. WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS AND OPTIONS? If you do not want to remain a member of the Certified Class and you do not want to be legally bound by the terms of any potential settlements or judgments, or if you wish to pursue your own separate lawsuit against Defendants, you must exclude yourself by submitting a written request to the Administrator stating your intent to exclude yourself from the Certified Class (an "Exclusion Request"). Your Exclusion Request must include the following: (a) your name and address; (b) a statement that you want to be excluded from the End-User Consumer Certified Class in In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation (End-User Consumer Action); and (c) your signature. You must mail your Exclusion Request, postmarked by April 4, 2023, to: Broiler Chicken Consumer Litigation, Attn: EXCLUSIONS, c/o A.B. Data, Ltd., P.O. Box 173001, Milwaukee, WI 53217. You can find more details about the Certified Class at www.overchargedforchicken.com or by calling toll-free 1-877-888-5428. Please do not contact the Court. SOURCE Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, PLLC NOIDA, India, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new report published by UnivDatos Markets Insights, the Neuroendocrine Tumor Treatment Market was valued at more than USD 1500 million in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 10% from 2022-2028. The analysis has been segmented into Products (Somatostatin Analogs (SSAs), Targeted Therapy, Chemotherapy, and Others); Indication (Lungs, Pancreas, Gastrointestinal, and Others); End-User (Hospitals, Clinics, and Others); and Region/Country. Click here to view the Report Description & TOC https://univdatos.com/report/neuroendocrine-tumor-treatment-market/ The neuroendocrine tumor treatment market report has been aggregated by collecting informative data on various dynamics such as market drivers, restraints, and opportunities. This innovative report makes use of several analyses to get a closer outlook on the Neuroendocrine Tumor Treatment Market. The neuroendocrine tumor treatment market report offers a detailed analysis of the latest industry developments and trending factors in the market that are influencing the market growth. Furthermore, this statistical market research repository examines and estimates the neuroendocrine tumor treatment market at the global and regional levels. Request for Sample Pages Market Overview Neuroendocrine tumors, or NETs, are a rare type of tumor that develops from cells in the nervous system and the endocrine/hormonal system. However, neuroendocrine tumors can also occur in the appendix, rectum, pancreas, and lungs. Neuroendocrine tumors can be benign or cancerous depending on their nature. Moreover, a growing number of drug approvals for the treatment, increasing prevalence and incidence of NET, and increasing government and public funding in R&D are the major factors for the growth of this market during the forecast period. Another factor fueling the growth of the neuroendocrine tumor treatment market value is the neuroendocrine tumor treatment market is anticipated to expand in the coming years due to the rising incidence of carcinoid tumors. For instance, as per the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a carcinoid tumor is rare in children and more common in adults. Experts think that carcinoid tumors affect 4 in 100,000 adults. Some of the major players operating in the market include Pfizer Inc., Novartis AG, Chiasma Inc., Ipsen, Abbvie Inc., Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., Jubilant Life Sciences Ltd., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., and Advanced Accelerator Applications. COVID-19 Impact Due to the pandemic's severe impact on health services for other diseases like cancer, hypertension, diabetes management, and cardiovascular emergencies, COVID-19 has had a slow negative impact on this market. Also, affected are selective procedures like orthopedic joint replacements. The healthcare industry as a whole has suffered as a result of healthcare professionals shifting their attention away from these diseases and toward COVID-19 criticality. The global neuroendocrine tumor treatment market report is studied thoroughly with several aspects that would help stakeholders in making their decisions more curated. On the basis of indication, the market is categorized into lungs, pancreas, gastrointestinal, and others. Among these, the gastrointestinal category holds a significant share of the market in 2020. This is mainly due to the rising incidence of gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors. For instance, according to the (NIH), the common primary sites are the gastrointestinal tract, accounting for 60 percent of the primary tumors, followed by the tracheobronchial tree, accounting for 25 percent of the primary tumors. Based on end-user, the neuroendocrine tumor treatment market has been classified into hospitals, clinics, and others. The hospitals category is to witness higher adoption of neuroendocrine tumor treatment during the forecast period. This is mainly due to the high number of patients admitted to hospitals for a variety of conditions and the rising demand for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Have a Look at the Chapters https://univdatos.com/report/neuroendocrine-tumor-treatment-market/ Neuroendocrine Tumor Treatment Market Geographical Segmentation Includes: North America ( United States , Canada , and Rest of North America ) ( , , and Rest of ) Europe ( Germany , United Kingdom , Spain , Italy , France , and the Rest of Europe ) ( , , , , , and the Rest of ) Asia-Pacific ( China , Japan , India , and the Rest of Asia-Pacific ) ( , , , and the Rest of ) Rest of the World North America is anticipated to grow at a substantial CAGR during the forecast period owing to the technological advancements in cancer therapies and the adoption of highly advanced techniques and systems in the neuroendocrine tumor treatment field will boost the North American market's expansion. The high growth of the market in the region is due to the high level of public awareness regarding the availability of cutting-edge therapies for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors. The major players targeting the market include Pfizer Inc. Novartis AG Chiasma Inc. Ipsen Abbvie Inc. Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. Jubilant Life Sciences Ltd. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd Advanced Accelerator Applications Competitive Landscape The degree of competition among prominent global companies has been elaborated by analyzing several leading key players operating worldwide. The specialist team of research analysts sheds light on various traits such as global market competition, market share, most recent industry advancements, innovative product launches, partnerships, mergers, or acquisitions by leading companies in the neuroendocrine tumor treatment market. The major players have been analyzed by using research methodologies for getting insight views on global competition. Key questions resolved through this analytical market research report include: What are the latest trends, new patterns, and technological advancements in the neuroendocrine tumor treatment Market? Which factors are influencing the neuroendocrine tumor treatment market over the forecast period? What are the global challenges, threats, and risks in the neuroendocrine tumor treatment market? Which factors are propelling and restraining the neuroendocrine tumor treatment market? What are the demanding global regions of the neuroendocrine tumor treatment market? What will be the global market size in the upcoming years? What are the crucial market acquisition strategies and policies applied by global companies? We understand the requirement of different businesses, regions, and countries, we offer customized reports as per your requirements of business nature and geography. Please let us know If you have any custom needs. About UnivDatos Market Insights (UMI) Browse Other Related Research Reports from UnivDatos Market Insights Neuroendocrine Tumor Treatment Market Report Coverage Report Attribute Details Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2028 Growth momentum Accelerate at a CAGR of over 10% Market size 2020 USD 1500 million Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, Rest of World Major contributing region North America to Dominate the Global Neuroendocrine Tumor Treatment Market Key countries covered United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, China, Japan, India, and Australia Companies profiled Pfizer Inc., Novartis AG, Chiasma Inc., Ipsen, Abbvie Inc., Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., Jubilant Life Sciences Ltd., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., and Advanced Accelerator Applications Report Scope Market Trends, Drivers, and Restraints; Revenue Estimation and Forecast; Segmentation Analysis; Impact of COVID-19; Demand and Supply Side Analysis; Competitive Landscape; Company Profiling Segments Covered By Products; By Indication; By End-User; By Region/Country About UnivDatos Market Insights UnivDatos Market Insights (UMI) is a passionate market research firm and a subsidiary of Universal Data Solutions. We believe in delivering insights through Market Intelligence Reports, Customized Business Research, and Primary Research. Our research studies are spread across topics across the world, we cover markets in over 100 countries using smart research techniques and agile methodologies. We offer in-depth studies, detailed analysis, and customized reports that help shape winning business strategies for our clients. Contact UnivDatos Market Insights Ankita Gupta Director Operations Ph: +91-7838604911 Email: [email protected] Website: https://univdatos.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1225049/UnivDatos_Logo.jpg SOURCE UnivDatos Market Insights Pvt. Ltd. LOS ANGELES, Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The reasonable cost service of HVAC Alliance Expert, Central Heating System Installation focuses on installing the best central heating system and securing it to ensure no problems arise. HVAC Alliance Expert, the top HVAC company in the industry, announced their affordable service to address the client's needs. This service aims to deliver what every home and business needs, central heating systems. HVAC Alliance Expert provides the highest quality services such as furnace repair , without the need for the client to leave home. HVAC Alliance Expert has serviced homes and businesses in the greater Los Angeles, CA region for years. The company has also earned thousands of clients from the San Francisco Bay Area because of its high-quality services. HVAC Alliance Expert has spread its reach, ensuring it is available in New York City, NY. Now, their services are available in major cities in the US, and clients won't find it difficult to book their services. The company has plans to reach more cities in the next few years and be available nationwide. Clients may book an appointment today, and the company's customer service will help the clients find the perfect schedule. Customers won't have to leave home to book an appointment to go to the service center since the company's hotlines are open daily for 24 hours. The company has the best heating maintenance and installation , and clients trust the company to deliver the best when it comes to new services. Proper installation of a central heating system is crucial for its efficient operation and longevity. Poor installation can result in wasted energy, higher utility bills, and frequent repairs. A central heating system can last for up to 20 years, but regular maintenance and cleaning is important to extend its lifespan. Upgrading to a more efficient central heating system can result in significant energy savings, improved indoor air quality, and enhanced comfort. The huge success of HVAC Alliance Expert's launch made news, and many more clients are calling the company's hotlines for a schedule. The noteworthy service is one of the many services the company plans to launch, and clients are excited to know what's in store for them in the future. Plans for innovative services to make each home and business a comfortable place to stay are in the works, and new clients are applying for a membership with the company. "HVAC Alliance Expert's goal is to provide our customers with the best services to address their HVAC concerns," said HVAC Alliance Expert founder Sardor Umrdinov. "The trust of our clients is important to us, which is why we continue to innovate our services and release the highest quality services that our clients can benefit from." About HVAC Alliance Expert: HVAC Alliance Expert, part of Home Alliance holding companies, offers the most trustworthy air-conditioning installation for homeowners in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York who wish to create a home-like environment through a cooling system. Upon receiving requests, we send our highly qualified and competent professionals to help our clients with their concerns. Our ultimate goal is to create a comforting and homey space where families can lounge and rest after an exhausting day. SOURCE HVAC Alliance Expert FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor America has developed its first original creative campaign for the Asian American market with its Asian American marketing agency of record, TEN Advertising. The campaign highlights the emotional journey of the prospective son-in-law gaining trust and being accepted by his father-in-law and his fiance's family through all the memorable moments they've built together over a long period of time. Through journeying with his trustworthy partner, Tucson, the prospective son-in-law was able to bridge generational and cultural differences and achieve familial harmony. The campaign, entitled My Love, My Son-in-Law, launched at the end of January and includes television, digital, and social media. Hyundai Tucson Asian American TV Spot (Korean version) Hyundai Tucson Asian American TV Spot (Mandarin version) Hyundai Tucson Asian American TV Spot (Cantonese version) Hyundai s My Love, My Son-in-Law | Screen grab of Hyundais TV ad with TEN Advertising Creative Tucson Campaign, Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. Hyundai Tucson Asian American TV Spot (Korean version) Hyundai Tucson Asian American TV Spot (Mandarin version) Hyundai Tucson Asian American TV Spot (Cantonese version) "Our first Asian American creative campaign places a strong emphasis on family values with an emotional story of a prospective son-in-law's journey to gain the trust and acceptance by his fiance's family, especially the father, chronicled by the memorable moments they created with their Hyundai Tucson," said Angela Zepeda, CMO, Hyundai Motor America. "Hyundai is proud to partner with TEN Advertising to connect with Asian American audiences on a more profound level that is authentic, inclusive and culturally significant." The "My Love, My Son-in-Law" campaign illustrates one of the most important moments in Asian culture, winning the approval of your loved one's family, and having a successful marriage. The Hyundai Tucson takes the crucial role of supporting the prospective son-in-law, and his long journey from meeting his life partner's parents for the first time to winning their approval by highlighting the vehicle's human-centric technology. "As Hyundai's Asian American agency of record, we are proud to represent a brand that is deeply committed to building an authentic relationship with this diverse consumer in multiple languages," said Karen Park, founder and president of TEN Advertising. "With a story of a prospective son-in-law's journey to form a new family, this creative emphasizes the importance of familial bonds and harmony, as well as creating long-lasting legacies." Hyundai 's My Love, My Son-in-Law | Screen grab of Hyundai's TV ad with TEN Advertising Creative Tucson Campaign, Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. The creative concept and media strategy of "My Love, My Son-in-Law" was conceived by TEN Advertising, and the creative was directed by South Korean Director YK Kim, who has won numerous industry awards, including the Clio Award. Kim successfully captured the awkward and tender moments in the story, filmed in Valley Village and Castaic Lake, CA, and created a universal vision that not only resonates with Asian Americans, but also reaches across cultural boundaries. TEN Advertising TEN Advertising is an independent, Asian and female-owned and operated full-service agency that offers marketing and advertising services to clients who are in need of reaching and connecting with the fastest growing Asian American consumer in the United States. Since TEN Advertising was founded in 2010 by Karen Park, a veteran of Asian American Marketing for 28 years, the agency has committed to supporting the success of its clients in the Asian American market and elevating the position of Asian American consumers as an invaluable market segment that deserves thoughtful communication and carefully planned outreach. TEN Advertising has accomplished these goals by guiding its clients with cultural intelligence and market insights, all while simultaneously interpreting their brand messagesand voicesaccurately in culturally relevant ways. Hyundai Motor America Hyundai Motor America focuses on 'Progress for Humanity' and smart mobility solutions. Hyundai offers U.S. consumers a technology-rich lineup of cars, SUVs, and electrified vehicles. Our 830 dealers sold more than 724,000 vehicles in the U.S. in 2022, and nearly half were built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. For more information, visit www.HyundaiNews.com. Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | TikTok Campaign Credits Client: Hyundai Motor America Agency: TEN Advertising Creative Director: Misun Ahn Production Company: Space Monster Director: YK Kim Director of Photography: Rob Russell Post-Production: Space Monster SOURCE Hyundai Motor America WOODLANDS, Texas, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inland Pipe Rehabilitation is pleased to announce that it has renamed itself as PURIS after recently joining forces with Inliner Solutions and Murphy Pipeline Contractors. PURIS, or P remier U nderground R enewal I nfrastructure S olutions, is a portfolio company of J.F. Lehman & Company. PURIS is a leading provider of turnkey water infrastructure solutions, specializing in environmentally sustainable trenchless pipeline rehabilitation. Headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, PURIS operates throughout North America and provides innovative, high-quality solutions to the sanitary, storm, and potable water markets. Leveraging decades of experience, PURIS delivers its proven solutions using an unrivaled portfolio of infrastructure renewal services, such as thermal and ultraviolet cured in-place pipe (CIPP), pipe bursting, geopolymer lining systems, and CompressionFit HDPE lining. Clients also benefit from PURIS's in-house inspection and liner manufacturing capabilities, ensuring quality service and efficiency. This comprehensive suite of technologies enables PURIS to offer clients the optimal rehabilitation solution for each unique application. Mick Fegan, Chief Executive Officer at PURIS, commented, "At PURIS, we engineer solutions that extend the life of infrastructure and create sustainability within our communities. We have the resources, expertise, and scale to ensure our projects are completed on time and within budget, all with best in class execution. By having strong control over our supply chain, manufacturing our own materials, and offering single-source accountability, we deliver a complete solution to revitalize critical infrastructure throughout North American communities." Glenn Shor, Chairman of PURIS and Partner at J.F. Lehman & Company, commented, "For over 50 years, clients have trusted the PURIS companies to manage their most complex infrastructure projects. PURIS's trenchless technologies and non-disruptive service delivery model protects vital infrastructure like roads, sidewalks, and boulevards from having to be replaced before their planned lifecycle, while keeping concrete, asphalt, and legacy piping out of landfills. To date, PURIS has diverted millions of linear feet of legacy pipe from landfills while reducing CO2 emissions. We are very proud of the positive environmental impact PURIS is making while also minimizing disruption to communities." For more information about PURIS and its family of companies, please visit www.puriscorp.com. About J.F. Lehman & Company, Inc. Founded in 1992, J.F. Lehman & Company focuses exclusively on investing in the aerospace, defense, maritime, government and environmental industries. The firm has offices in New York and Washington, D.C. www.jflpartners.com SOURCE J.F. Lehman & Company NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As per Facts and Factors study, The global eSIM market was valued at roughly USD 8.9 billion in 2021 and is predicted to grow to about USD 25.8 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 16.42% over the projection period. Report Link With All Related Graphs & Charts: https://www.fnfresearch.com/eSIM-market eSIM Market: Overview With the continuous expansion of smart connected electronics in every business sector, the demand for centrally managed web devices is continuously increasing. The requirement for remote connectivity for device management is growing. The number of smart device makers is fast expanding to meet this need. eSIMs are becoming incredibly popular since they enable customers to manage every connected device remotely, including mobile phones, cars, medical equipment, wearables, and others. Because of their "Machine to Machine" features and remote provisioning, e-SIMs are becoming incredibly common among smart device manufacturers. An eSIM, also known as an Embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC), is a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) in a generic form. It functions similarly to a normal SIM card. It has pre-programmed settings and can be programmed by plugging the card into a modem or computer. The eSIM was created for the telecommunications sector, primarily for network-attached storage installations (NAS). The principal application of eSIM is in the mass manufacture of Microsemi transistors and other embedded communication devices. There are various manufacturers who support eSIM based cards. eSIM manufacturers provide support for eSIM by providing hardware and software updates and upgrades, as well as their own line of e-SIM cards. eSIM is used in a wide range of networking devices, including laptop computers, digital cellular phones, modems, desktop computers, distribution equipment, wireless personal area networks, fax machines, printers, and many others. Get a Free Sample Report with All Related Graphs & Charts (with COVID 19 Impact Analysis): https://www.fnfresearch.com/sample/eSIM-market Key Insights: As per the analysis shared by our research analyst, the global ESIM market is estimated to grow annually at a CAGR of around 16.42 % over the forecast period (2022-2028) over the forecast period (2022-2028) In terms of revenue, the global ESIM market size was valued at around USD 8.9 Billion in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 25.8 Billion, by 2028. Facts and Factors published the latest report titled "eSIM Market By Use (Laptops, Smartphones, M2M, Tablets, Connected Cars, and Wearables), By Component (Energy & Utilities, Manufacturing Retail, Automotive, Transportation & Logistics, and Consumer Electronics) and By Region-Global and Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, and Forecast 20222028" into their research database. Industry Dynamics: Global eSIM Market: Growth Drivers Increasing popularity and M2M application is boosting the market's growth. Remote provisioning means the capability to download an operator account to an in-market SIM and alter or delete subscriber identity module (SIM) identities without physically accessing the SIM card. The eSIM card is a key facilitator for machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity, which includes seamless and simple mobile connections for all types of linked devices. M2M requires the widespread networking of machines across geographical areas. Embedded SIM eliminates the hassle of switching service providers, resulting in increased operational excellence, and runs in a controlled and safe environment. The most recent embedded SIM cards provide ensured profile interoperability as well as a key platform for participants to collaborate on common grounds. All these factors are likely to boost the growth of the global eSIM market in the near future. Global eSIM Market: Restraints Increasing security threats can hinder the market's growth. As technology advances, IoT device penetration increases, and M2M services proliferate, it becomes increasingly critical to provide safe and dependable communication among linked systems. As a result, ensuring the integrity of these systems has become a difficult effort. By offering automatic compatibility across connectivity platforms and different SIM operator profiles, embedded SIM cards enable the remote provision of SIM profiles. However, if security were compromised, the operational flexibility provided by an integrated SIM would be a waste of time. The e-SIM captures and maintains mobile network operator (MNO) credentials in the device's inbuilt software, which is vulnerable to different security breaches. It also uses various mobile network operators and physical systems, exposing it to the hazards of the virtual world. Directly Purchase a Copy of the Report @ https://www.fnfresearch.com/buynow/su/eSIM-market Global eSIM Market: Opportunities Growing demand for smart solutions can bring considerable growth opportunities. Smart solutions, such as smart cities, electric vehicles, and smart meters, are becoming more popular around the world as a result of the IoT infrastructure's flexibility and connectivity, as well as the accelerated drive for smart cities and economic growth in emerging nations. The progression and advancement of networks, the lower cost of devices such as actuators & sensors, and the rise of new marketing strategies are some of the major elements that will lead to the establishment of services such as automatic security systems, smart grid deployment, connected cars, and many others, resulting in increased investment opportunities in implementing creative smart solutions. As a result, the increased need for efficient technologies for a variety of applications in industries like energy & power, healthcare, agriculture, and automotive is projected to open up new opportunities for the global e-SIM market participants. Global eSIM Market: Challenges Inadequate standardization remains a challenge. The e-SIM business model is quite complicated, including numerous stakeholders. As a result, stakeholders must coordinate and collaborate to establish standards for efficiencies, interoperability, and cloud technology such as M2M communications and widespread sensor systems for the better execution of integrated SIMs across a wide range of applications. To address the issue of lack of standardization and ease industry-wide adoption of eSIM, international organizations such as the GSM Association (GSMA) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) are working to develop technical and operational standards. Global eSIM Market: Segmentation The global eSIM market is segregated on the basis of use, component, and region. By use, the market is divided into laptops, smartphones, M2M, tablets, connected cars, and wearables. The M2M segment is anticipated to account for the majority of the eSIM market during the projection period due to the numerous benefits provided by the application of eSIM in M2M devices, such as a simplified and efficient approach with no need to replace or insert a SIM card, enhanced security and reliability, a modern look, and no connector requirement. Furthermore, e-SIM provides efficient operation and smooth connectivity of M2M modules that are often hermetically sealed and located remotely. By component, the market is divided into energy & utilities, manufacturing retail, automotive, transportation & logistics, and consumer electronics. The consumer electronics segment continues to be a significant driver of change, innovation, and growth in a variety of technology areas. Consumer electronics applications based on E-SIM are expected to revolutionize the industry. Enhanced connectivity, excellent reliability, and better safety are just a few of the benefits of using e-SIMs in consumer electronic applications. Get More Insight before [email protected]: https://www.fnfresearch.com/inquiry/eSIM-market List of Key Players in eSIM Market: NXP Semiconductors N.V. Gemalto NV Infineon Technologies AG Giesecke+Devrient Mobile Security GmbH ARM Holdings KORE Wireless Group Inc. Deutsche Telekom AG STMicroelectronics. Key questions answered in this report: What are the growth rate forecast and market size for ESIM Market? What are the key driving factors propelling the ESIM Market forward? What are the most important companies in the ESIM Market Industry? What segments does the ESIM Market cover? How can I receive a free copy of the ESIM Market sample report and company profiles? Report Scope: Report Attribute Details Market size value in 2021 USD 8.9 Billion Revenue forecast in 2028 USD 25.8 Billion Growth Rate CAGR of almost 16.42 % 2022-2028 Base Year 2020 Historic Years 2016 2021 Forecast Years 2022 2028 Segments Covered By Use, By Component, and By Region Forecast Units Value (USD Billion), and Volume (Units) Quantitative Units Revenue in USD million/billion and CAGR from 2022 to 2028 Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa, and Rest of World Countries Covered U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, GCC Countries, and South Africa, among others Companies Covered NXP Semiconductors N.V., Gemalto NV, Infineon Technologies AG, Giesecke+Devrient Mobile Security GmbH, ARM Holdings, KORE Wireless Group Inc., Deutsche Telekom AG, STMicroelectronics., and Others Report Coverage Market growth drivers, restraints, opportunities, Porter's five forces analysis, PEST analysis, value chain analysis, regulatory landscape, market attractiveness analysis by segments and region, company market share analysis, and COVID-19 impact analysis. Customization Scope Avail of customized purchase options to meet your exact research needs. https://www.fnfresearch.com/customization/eSIM-market Free Brochure: https://www.fnfresearch.com/ask-to-analyst/eSIM-market Recent Developments June 2021 : Kigen (UK) Ltd.'s GSMA-compliant remote SIM software solution can now be paired with the Infineon compact e-SIM security controller and Kigen (UK) Ltd.'s GSMA-compliant 24mm x 24mm NBIoT SIM7070 module. Kigen (UK) Ltd.'s GSMA-compliant remote SIM software solution can now be paired with the Infineon compact e-SIM security controller and Kigen (UK) Ltd.'s GSMA-compliant 24mm x 24mm NBIoT SIM7070 module. January 2018 : Sierra Wireless introduces the Air Prime HL78 module, the industry's smallest, and low-power, multi-mode Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) cellular module designed for smart city applications and high-growth markets such as asset tracking and connected industrial equipment, medical, rural economy, and wearable device markets. Regional Dominance: North America dominates the eSIM market. North America holds the highest revenue share in the global e-SIM market and is predicted to maintain this position throughout the forecast period. The expansion is expected to be helped by network providers' strong presence and rapid technological advancements. Europe is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 13% during the forecast period. One of the important factors driving growth is the existence of prominent market participants such as Gemalto NV, ARM Holdings, and Giesecke+Devrient Mobile Security GmbH. Regional expansion is also projected to be helped by government laws on car assistance. During the forecast period, Asia Pacific is projected to have significant growth in the eSIM market. Consumer demand for embedded connectivity in automobiles and increased usage of IoT technologies are projected to fuel the regional e-SIM market expansion. Furthermore, the rising usage of consumer electronics products such as laptops, smartphones, and wearables, among others, is likely to boost growth in the future. Global ESIM Market is segmented as follows: eSIM Market: By Use Outlook (2022-2028) Laptops Smartphones M2M Tablets Connected Cars Wearables eSIM Market: By Component Outlook (2022-2028) Energy & Utilities Manufacturing Retail Automotive Transportation & Logistics Consumer electronics eSIM Market: By Region Outlook (2022-2028) North America The U.S. Canada Europe France The UK Spain Germany Italy Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea Southeast Asia Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa GCC South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa Press Release for eSIM Market: https://www.fnfresearch.com/news/global-eSIM-market Browse Other Related Research Reports from Facts and Factors Online Gambling & Betting Market Report : According to the report published by Facts and Factors, the global online gambling & betting market size was worth around USD 58 billion in 2021 and is predicted to grow to around USD 182.21 billion by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 11.8% between 2022 and 2030. According to the report published by Facts and Factors, the global online gambling & betting market size was worth around in 2021 and is predicted to grow to around by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 11.8% between 2022 and 2030. Early Childhood Education Market Report : According to the report published by Facts and Factors, the global early childhood education market size was worth around USD 247 billion in 2021 and is predicted to grow to around USD 487 billion by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 13.15% between 2022 and 2030. According to the report published by Facts and Factors, the global early childhood education market size was worth around in 2021 and is predicted to grow to around by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 13.15% between 2022 and 2030. 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Our database is been updated constantly to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the client's needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us. Contact Us: Facts and Factors Tel: +1 347 690-0211 USA/Canada Toll-Free No. +44 2032 894158 Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.fnfresearch.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1981423/FnF_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE FnF Research Kansas State Finance Council's APEX vote paves way for transformative expansion project in Wichita region WICHITA, Kan., Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Integra Technologies Inc., the largest U.S. Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) company, and Kansas Governor Laura Kelly jointly announced today that the State of Kansas approved Integra's Attracting Powerful Economic Expansion (APEX) incentive application for an expansion project that will create at least 2,000 jobs and $1.8 billion in capital investment in the Wichita region contingent on receiving federal CHIPS for America funding. Semiconductors are critical to our national and economic security, and now Kansas has a leading role, said Senator Moran Tweet this Integra Technologies employee semiconductor testing Integra Technologies employee semiconductor test analysis Integra secured Kansas' premier incentive package through a vote of the bi-partisan Kansas State Finance Council, paving the way for the company's transformative semiconductor (computer chips) project to apply to the U.S. Department of Commerce for CHIPS and Science Act funding. Integra's expansion plans are designed to address recent risks identified in the U.S. semiconductor supply chain, support the domestic semiconductor ecosystem, and strengthen advanced manufacturing in the State of Kansas. Integra is a fully integrated domestic provider of semiconductor packaging, test, qualification and other services. Over the next five years, Integra's expansion would create at least 2,000 new jobs and build a one million square foot state-of-the-art headquarters and production facility equipped with high-tech machinery. "Kansas is stepping up to help resolve a national security crisis by playing a key role in reshoring semiconductor production," Governor Laura Kelly said. "Our deliberate efforts to diversify the state economy since my administration began four years ago has prepared us for this moment. Partnering with Integra will secure Kansas' rightful position as a global leader in the semiconductor sector." Founded in Wichita 40 years ago, Integra is an employee-owned company (ESOP) with operations in Wichita and Silicon Valley, providing high-quality OSAT services for more than 500 active customers, including many from critical infrastructure sectors such as the military, aerospace, medical, aviation, automotive, commercial and industrial. OSAT providers play a critical role in the semiconductor industry, serving as subcontract manufacturers of semiconductor devices. The company performs the last half of the manufacturing required to make a chip and validate its functionality before they are shipped to become part of devices. "The semiconductors we work on are in multiple space applications, such as the Mars Rover and Hubble Telescope; more than 100 Department of Defense programs of record; as well as commercial applications that power everyday life," said Brett Robinson, Integra Technologies President and CEO. "On behalf of our employee-owners, we are especially grateful for Governor Kelly, Lt. Governor Toland and the Kansas Legislative leadership on the State Finance Council for supporting Integra with its premier economic development program, positioning us to transform domestic OSAT services while expanding in our home state," Robinson said. The August 2022 bi-partisan CHIPS Act was established to boost U.S. competitiveness, innovation and national security in the semiconductor industry. As part of the $52.7 billion, it will award $39 billion to U.S. companies in competitive grants to manufacturers to finance construction, expansion and modernization of facilities and equipment. A state and local incentive package is needed to apply for CHIPS funding. Robinson praised U.S. Senator Jerry Moran's national leadership for ensuring the U.S. is competitive in providing security and national defense through the CHIPS and Science Act. "Senator Moran recently invited and hosted Micron Technology, one of the leaders in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, to tour Integra and Wichita State University. We appreciate Senator Moran's commitment to our Kansas' workforce as we also fortify our nation's security through technology infrastructure." "Integra's decision to expand its Wichita operations for its largest semiconductor project to date is a testament to the talented workforce in Kansas and the importance of ensuring a reliable U.S. supply of microchips," said Senator Moran. "I supported the CHIPS and Science Act because semiconductors are critical to our national and economic security, and now Kansas has a leading role in making certain our nation is able to produce its own semiconductors." In addition, Robinson thanked Kansas Legislative leadership serving on the State Finance Council for their support. "APEX exists to promote unique large-scale opportunities at economic and job growth, and there is no better way to do that than having a Kansas company step up and fulfill our commitment to boost the Kansas economy and grow the Kansas workforce," Senate President Senator Ty Masterson said. "Wichita is increasingly the epicenter of critical global industries and this exciting megaproject continues that proud tradition." "As a long-time resident of Wichita, I couldn't be more excited about this opportunity with Integra. Our region hasn't seen something this transformative in years. By bringing the new sector of chip testing to our area and adding 2,000 new, high-paying jobs, the possibilities are endless. I'm thrilled to be a part of helping make this happen for our residents," Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins said. According to Integra, the jobs and capital investment over the first five years are the beginning of long-term expansion plans. "We have done extensive planning for this expansion because we anticipated the increasing need for our services," Robinson said. "With Kansas' and the Wichita region's support, we have the thorough plans, long-term experience and proven record to grow our country's share of this important market." Local and regional partnerships and support are also critical for a CHIPS for America application, including in workforce development. Robinson said that Integra has been working with the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas on a workforce outreach and training plan, closely coordinated with support from the Kansas Board of Regents, including every university and technical college in the state. "The Wichita region and Kansas have collaborated on robust workforce planning and support for this effort," Robinson said. "Our collective plan is especially focused on working with community partners to provide outreach and training paths for individuals and groups that may have barriers to employment. We are grateful to the partners in the Wichita area and Kansas because we have the talent infrastructure and partnerships to provide the world-class training and opportunities to grow and recruit this workforce, building the jobs of tomorrow." Integra's expansion includes a wide range of positions, with a significant percentage of entry-level jobs requiring a high school diploma or GED equivalent with training opportunities. The company will be hiring engineers, technical positions, and all the professional positions required for expanding its corporate headquarters, including sales, human resources, finance and more. "This catalytic opportunity is especially exciting because it provides for a local, proven, employee-owned company to increase our nation's competitiveness and security," said Greater Wichita Partnership President Jeff Fluhr. "It also continues to strengthen and build depth in the Wichita region's leadership in advanced manufacturing, including in semiconductors, while providing training and development opportunities for the vast expertise our talent has in this area." Robinson said the company expects to be able to announce the location within the Wichita region soon, pending a review of technical and site details related to properties under final consideration. "We are analyzing the final aspects of our space needs for this state-of-the-art solar-powered facility, and as soon as we've finished the last analysis, we will announce the site and begin working on the next step in the process to work with local leadership on the support needed for the CHIPS application," Robinson said. About Integra Technologies Integra Technologies is the largest U.S. OSAT company providing semiconductor back-end services to companies worldwide. For 40 years, Integra has provided packaging, assembly, and test services to more than 500 customers with complex requirements, such as aerospace, medical, and defense. The employee-owned company's headquarters is in Wichita, with operations in Wichita and Silicon Valley. www.integra-tech.com Connect with Integra Technologies LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube SOURCE Integra Technologies Susan G. Komen Commends Bill Introductions; Urges Quick Passage TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Susan G. Komen, the world's leading breast cancer organization, applauds Senator Lori Berman (D-Boynton Beach) and Representative Marie Woodson (D-Hollywood) for working with Komen to introduce legislation that would remove financial barriers to imaging that can rule out breast cancer or confirm the need for a biopsy. In 2023, more than 22,670 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 3,170 will die of the disease in Florida alone. "This legislation can make an immediate impact for thousands of people who require diagnostic or supplemental breast imaging yet are unable to afford it and often forego the tests," said Molly Guthrie, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at Susan G. Komen. "Everyone should be able to access the care they need and afford it, especially when it could mean the difference between a person's life and death." SB 460, introduced by Sen. Berman, and HB 575, introduced by Rep. Woodson, would eliminate out-of-pocket costs for diagnostic and supplemental breast imaging (such as an MRI, ultrasound, diagnostic mammogram) when medically necessary. These exams can be extremely expensive and require people to pay high out-of-pocket costs all before more expensive treatment even begins. A Komen-commissioned study found the costs to patients range from $234 for a diagnostic mammogram to more than $1,021 for a breast MRI. The cost of the test prevents individuals in Florida from getting the imaging they require, making it difficult to detect their breast cancer as early as possible. "As a seven-year breast cancer survivor, I am grateful for the treatment I was afforded. As soon as I knew my mammogram revealed a mass that subsequent testing determined was breast cancer, I was able to go forward with a treatment plan," said Senator Berman. "Not everyone has the same means. I hope to change that with this lifesaving legislation." An estimated 16 percent of people who receive annual screening mammograms nationwide get called back for diagnostic imaging. Additionally, these tests are often recommended for those who have previously been diagnosed with breast cancer and for some individuals who are considered at high-risk for breast cancer, making their out-of-pocket costs particularly burdensome to those individuals. "As someone who has personally benefitted from early detection, I cannot stress enough how impactful and important this legislation is," said Rep. Woodson. "We all know someone who has been affected by breast cancer. Early detection saves the lives and I look forward to working on this crucial legislation with Senator Berman." The use of breast cancer screening and follow-up diagnostics have led to significant increases in the early detection of breast cancer in the past 30 years. However, this is not true across all demographics. Evidence shows that Black and Hispanic breast cancer patients tend to be diagnosed at a later stage, perhaps due to delays in follow-up imaging after abnormal findings on an annual mammogram. More diagnostic and supplemental breast imaging is likely going to be needed due to "missed" breast cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts warn that missed mammograms could lead to more later-stage breast cancer diagnoses, once detected, so it is critically important that we increase access to affordable tests to those who medically require it. About Susan G. Komen Susan G. Komen is the world's leading nonprofit breast cancer organization, working to save lives and end breast cancer forever. Komen has an unmatched, comprehensive 360-degree approach to fighting this disease across all fronts and supporting millions of people in the U.S. and in countries worldwide. We advocate for patients, drive research breakthroughs, improve access to high-quality care, offer direct patient support and empower people with trustworthy information. Founded by Nancy G. Brinker, who promised her sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would end the disease that claimed Suzy's life, Komen remains committed to supporting those affected by breast cancer today, while tirelessly searching for tomorrow's cures. Visit komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN. Connect with us on social at www.komen.org/contact-us/follow-us/. CONTACT: Camille Smith Susan G. Komen (972) 855-1688 [email protected] SOURCE Susan G. Komen for the Cure South Africa: Citizens urged to go for regular cancer screening, testing The Department of Health has urged South Africans to go for regular cancer screening and testing for early detection, prevention, risk reduction and successful treatment. According to the department, over one-third of cancers are preventable, which means cancer risk can be reduced. The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo will, on Saturday, 4 February, lead a Cancer Awareness outreach programme, in collaboration with the Pink Drive Organisation as part of World Cancer Day commemorative activities. World Cancer Awareness Day is held annually on 4 February to raise awareness, improve education and increase access to life-saving cancer treatment to all citizens. The 2023 Cancer Awareness Day will be commemorated under the theme: Close the Care Gap, which recognises the power of working together between government, the private sector and civil society to make a difference and real progress in reducing the global impact of cancer. Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. Lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach and liver cancer are the most common types of cancer in men, while breast, colorectal, lung, cervical and thyroid cancer are the most common among women, the department said. The burden of cancer continues to grow globally, exerting physical, emotional and financial strain on individuals, families, communities and health systems. A range of free health services will be offered on the day, including mammograms, pap smears, and clinical breast examinations. Members of the media are invited to join the event that will be held tomorrow at Johannesburgs FWC Hospice from 9:00 to 15:00. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2023-02-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Correo Uruguayo, the national postal service in Uruguay, released a Chinese zodiac stamp on Jan 19 to mark the Year of the Rabbit and the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. According to Rafael Navarrine, director of the postal service, it's the 10th year in a row that they have designed and released a Chinese zodiac stamp. Wang Gang, China's ambassador to Uruguay, said during the launch ceremony that the Chinese embassy in Uruguay is willing to work with Correo Uruguayo to jointly carry out people-to-people exchange projects under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and raise the strategic partnership between the two countries to a new level. The stamp design is based on a rare photo of the Ili pika, an endangered species belonging to the rabbit family and endemic to Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. It was taken by local wildlife conservation expert Li Weidong in 2014. Li discovered and named the species in the 1980s. The small, fluffy mammal, around 20 centimeters long, has bright fur, big round ears, and brown mottled fur on its forehead and neck, and lives in the bare rocks with an altitude between 2,800 and 4,100 meters at the Tianshan Mountains. In 2021, China listed Ili pika as being under second-grade State protection. DUBLIN, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Japan Mining Drilling Services Market, By Mining Type (Metal, Coal, Mineral, and Quarry), By Type (Surface, Underground), By Region, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, FY2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Japan mining drilling services market is expected to grow at a rate of significant CAGR in the forecast period, FY2023-FY2027 The use of advanced technologies and equipment and the growing competition among the market players influence market demand. An increase in the need for minerals and coal production and the affordability of availing mining drilling services are expected to fuel the need of the Japan mining drilling services market. Mining drilling services refer to drilling operations carried out on a contractual basis for the extraction of minerals, metals, and coal. The services included in the mining drilling services include services for mine closure, exploration, production, and development along with body characterization, underground, and surface blast hole drilling. Mining drilling services improve the accuracy and efficiency of mining operations and enhance the safety of the workers, which is one of the main reasons they find applications in mineral, quarry, and coal mining. Rise In Efforts to Boost Mining Industry Supports Market Growth Increase in the efforts to flourish the mining industry as Japan depends majorly on the export of minerals and metals for its domestic usage. High-scale iron and steel production in the country requires extensive extraction and processing to make it suitable for use. The surge in the adoption of low-emission transportation and emission systems influences the demand for mining mineral sources. The use of advanced technology for integrating components in automobiles to use mineral-based fuel instead of fossil-based fuel contributes to market growth. Favorable government policies to support the extraction of domestic metals and non-metals and extensive research and development activities are expected to create growth opportunities for the growth of Japan mining drilling services market. Increasing energy requirements drives the market demand Increasing energy requirements due to rapid industrialization and urbanization are fueling the demand for the adoption of advanced services to meet domestic demand. Coal is extracted in Japan and finds several applications, such as electricity generation. The government of Japan has suggested that the power companies maintain a higher efficiency to thermal plants and the plants using petroleum and liquified natural gas. By setting up a requisite high target, the government is hoping only the essential market players are expected to survive till the next decade and make the necessary upgrades to stay in the market, which enhances the quality and quantity of the mineral explored from the reserves. Competitive Landscape Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Japan mining drilling services market. Furukawa Co. Ltd. Action Drill & Blast Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. Nittetsu Mining Co., Ltd. Boart Longyear Mining Company United Tractors Perenti Global Limited Report Scope: Japan Mining Drilling Services Market, By Mining Type: Metal Coal Mineral Quarry Japan Mining Drilling Services Market, By Type: Surface Underground Japan Mining Drilling Services Market, By Region: Hokkaido & Tohoku Chubu Chugoku Kyushu Others For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vu7tvt-mining?w=5 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets Wealth management firm recognized in Best Places to Work Small Company Category HERMITAGE, Pa., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- JFS Wealth Advisors is delighted to announce that it has been named on Pittsburgh Business Times' Best Places to Work ranking for 2022. JFS ranked alongside 33 firms in the small companies category based on the number of employees working in western Pennsylvania. JFS Wealth Advisors "We are delighted to be honored by Pittsburgh Business Times," said Robert Jazwinski, CPA/PFS, CFP, President and Managing Partner of JFS Wealth Advisors. "This award is particularly special as it is judged on an employee survey and is a recognition of our employee-centered culture where we encourage growth and development in a supportive teamwork environment." A team of nine employees from JFS, led by Managing Partner, Louis V. Colella, CPA/PFS, CFP, CEPA were thrilled to attend The Pittsburgh Business Times' awards luncheon to celebrate all of the Best Places to Work 2022 members. This event took place on January 19, 2023, at the Rivers Casino Events Center. Pittsburgh Business Times' Best Places to Work 2022 list is judged based on an online employee survey conducted by Quantum Workplace. The survey questions range across topics that include employee satisfaction, salary satisfaction and attitudes toward management. Companies are divided into four categories based on the number of employees working in western Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh Business Times is part of The Business Journals providing comprehensive coverage of business news from a local, regional, and national perspective. The Business Journals have an audience of over 10 million people reached via 44 websites, 64 publications and over 700 annual industry-leading events. Compensation was provided to obtain or use this rating. About JFS Wealth Advisors JFS Wealth Advisors, a full-service firm with 9 locations, is dedicated to helping financially successful individuals and families live their dreams by providing integrated financial planning and investment strategies for every stage of life. Honesty and integrity are at the core of their professional philosophy, and they believe in taking the time to get to know their clients' goals, challenges, and vision for the future. See important disclosures here: bit.ly/JFSFullDisclosures Contact: Gretchen Halpin Co-Founder Beyond AUM 800-583-2315 [email protected] https://beyondaum.com/ SOURCE JFS Wealth Advisors The like-minded brands come together to creative an immersive, pop-up experience at Kendra Scott's South Congress Flagship store this Valentine's Day AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of the brand's "Sweet on You" Valentine's Day campaign, Kendra Scott is partnering with Museum of Ice Cream beginning February 1st. The two synergistic brands that focus on experience, spreading joy, and inspiring human connection, are coming today this Valentine's Day to reimagine the way we experience ice cream and jewelry. Kendra Scott x Museum of Ice Cream - South Congress Back Room Well known for being a warm, welcoming & inclusive environment filled with color, moments of joy and sweet treats, Museum of Ice Cream's Austin location was the perfect place to capture Kendra Scott's "Sweet on You" Valentine's Day campaign. Launching just in time for Valentine's Day, the multi-pronged partnership will feature an immersive, experiential retail component in Kendra Scott's bustling South Congress Flagship location, a custom ice cream flavor, philanthropic give back, and more. The biggest scoop is taking place in Austin. Beginning February 4th, the South Congress flagships' back room will be transformed in true Museum of Ice Cream style, dressed with bananas, baubles, and hearts galore. A great place to take your Valentine, gal-entine, and family, the pop-up will feature interactive elements such as magnet letter boards, a letter writing station, photo-worthy moments, a lounge area, and of course, sweet treats and jewelry. At the Austin and Chicago outposts of the Museum of Ice Cream, guests will enjoy unlimited tastes of the limited-time "Kendra's Sweet on You" treat made with banana ice cream, pink chocolate topping, sprinkles, and a candy heart. At the New York Museum of Ice Cream, guests will enjoy unlimited tastes of strawberry ice cream with whip cream, sprinkles, and a candy heart. As giving back is a key pillar for both brands, Kendra Scott and Museum of Ice Cream will be surprising schools in Austin, Chicago, and New York in February with ice cream parties hosted by Museum of Ice Cream guides. Students will also work with the teams to construct their own Museum of Ice Cream ice cream truck to take home. Each classroom will receive an Amazon gift card to offset the cost of supplies for the teacher. "As a brand that places emphasis on innovation and puts the customer experience first, we are so excited to partner with an unexpected brand such as Museum of Ice Cream," said Tom Nolan, CEO of Kendra Scott. "It's always our goal to show up in new places, spread joy to our customers, and give back." "Our shared intention to spread joy and inspire wonder through creativity and thoughtful design make Kendra Scott a natural partner for Museum of Ice Cream," shared Maryellis Bunn, founder of Museum of Ice Cream. "Our collaboration celebrates the universal power of both ice cream and jewelry, coming together to create a new experience for visitors and shoppers alike." The Kendra Scott x Museum of Ice Cream Experience launches on February 4th at Kendra Scott South Congress. It is free and open to the public. To enjoy the full Musem of Ice Cream experience this season, visit museumoficecream.com to purchase tickets. For more information on Kendra Scott, please visit kendrascott.com. About Kendra Scott Kendra Scott LLC was founded in 2002 by Kendra Scott, who serves as Founder, Executive Chairwoman and Chief Creative Officer of her namesake brand. Known for its design and material innovation, use of color, and signature shapes, Kendra Scott offers Fashion, Demi-Fine and Fine Jewelry, watches, engagement rings, home accessories, and a men's collection, Scott Bros. by Kendra Scott. The company remains true to its founding philosophy of "Family, Fashion, and Philanthropy," and has donated over $50M to philanthropic organizations since 2010. Kendra Scott's customer-centric omni-channel approach includes a network of 130+ namesake experiential stores and pop-up locations, wholesale partners, including Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, Dillard's, and 850+ specialty boutiques. With over 2,500 employees, the Austin-based company was honored as one of Newsweek's Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces in 2022. Learn more at KendraScott.com . About Museum of Ice Cream Museum of Ice Cream, founded by Figure8, is a global lifestyle brand recognized around the world for designing award winning, multi-sensory experiential developments. MOIC has welcomed millions of visitors to its fully immersive, interactive spaces that create connection through the universal power of ice cream. With locations in Austin, Chicago, New York City, Singapore and Shanghai, Museum of Ice Cream remains a pioneer in the experience-first industry, continuing to develop unique concepts that provoke wonder and creativity. Each inclusive and interactive environment is designed to inspire imagination and play, helping to rediscover the kid in us all. For Press Inquiries, please contact: Melanie Daifotis, PR Manager, Kendra Scott [email protected] SOURCE Kendra Scott Surge in demand for high quality metal, from the industrial sector drives the growth of the global metal catalyst market. PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Metal catalyst Market by Catalyst Type (Platinum, Ruthenium, Palladium, Titanium, Zinc, Copper, and Others), Application (Automotive, Petrochemical, Pharmaceutical, and Others), And Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022-2031" According to the report, the global metal catalyst industry generated $18.8 billion in 2021, and is estimated to reach $29.1 billion by 2031, witnessing a CAGR of 4.5% from 2022 to 2031. The report offers a detailed analysis of changing market trends, top segments, key investment pockets, value chains, regional landscapes, and competitive scenarios. Request PDF Brochure: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/47724 Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities- Surge in demand for precious metals in the pharmaceutical industry is projected to drive the growth of the metal catalysts market during the forecast period. On the other hand, volatile prices of raw materials impede the growth to some extent. However, rise in investment by the major key players is expected to create lucrative opportunities in the industry. Covid-19 scenario- Volatility in prices of raw materials such as aluminum, copper, titanium, and other materials lowered the market demand, thus impacting the growth of the metal catalyst industry negatively. However, the rise in demand for construction, automotive, manufacturing units, and increasing focus on an escalating economic recovery across the globe has supported the metal catalyst market in 2021. The palladium segment to rule the market- By catalyst type, the palladium segment held the major share in 2021, garnering around two-third of the global metal catalyst market revenue. The same segment would also showcase the fastest CAGR of 4.4% during the forecast period. Widespread use of palladium catalysts in electronics, dentistry, and jewelry industry is likely to boost the market in the coming years. Another use of palladium catalyst is in the petrochemical industry as a catalyst in the production of terephthalic acid and in the purification o hydrogen peroxide. This factor is anticipated to drive the market growth; thus, creating remunerative opportunities for the market. Enquire for Customization with Detailed Analysis of COVID-19 Impact in Report @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/47724 The petrochemical application segment to dominate by 2031- By application type, the petrochemical segment accounted for nearly third-seventh of the global metal catalyst market share in 2021, and is expected to rule the roost by 2031. The same segment would also display the fastest CAGR of 4.7% throughout the forecast period. This is due to the fact that the expansion of the petrochemical industry in packaging, electronics, automotive, and construction is the key trend for the metal catalysts market. Asia-Pacific garnered the major share in 2021- By region, Asia-Pacific garnered the highest share in 2021, holding nearly third-seventh of the global metal catalyst market revenue in 2021, and is projected to retain its dominance by 2031. The same region would also portray the fastest CAGR of 4.8% during the forecast period. proliferating demand for iron & steel from various end-use sectors such as industrial, construction infrastructure, automotive and others have led the iron & steel manufacturers to increase their production capacities where metal catalysts are widely used for temperature stability purposes. Leading Market Players- ALFA CHEMISTRY BASF SE CHIMET S.P.A. HERAEUS HOLDING GMBH CLARIANT AG ALFA AESAR, THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC JOHNSON MATTHEY PLC VINEETH PRECIOUS CATALYSTS PVT. LTD. AMERICAN ELEMENTS EVONIK INDUSTRIES AG The report analyzes these key players in the global metal catalyst market. These players have adopted various strategies such as expansion, new product launches, partnerships, and others to increase their market penetration and strengthen their position in the industry. The report is helpful in determining the business performance, operating segments, developments, and product portfolios of every market player. Want to Access the Statistical Data and Graphs, Key Players' Strategies: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/metal-catalysts-market/purchase-options Similar Reports: Catalyst Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030 Nanocatalysts Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2026 Hydrodesulfurization Catalyst Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2028 Palladium Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031 Metal & Metal Manufactured Products Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030 Metal Packaging Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2030 About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. Pawan Kumar, the CEO of Allied Market Research, is leading the organization toward providing high-quality data and insights. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 [email protected] Web: www.alliedmarketresearch.com Allied Market Research Blog: https://blog.alliedmarketresearch.com Blog: https://www.newsguards.com/ Follow Us on | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube | Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Allied Market Research CHICAGO, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Microbiological Testing of Water Market is estimated at USD 1.6 billion in 2022. It is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.4% to reach USD 2.3 billion by 2027 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=134733441 Browse in-depth TOC on "Microbiological Testing of Water Market" 327 Tables 52 Figures 302 Pages By instrument, the Reagent and test kits market is projected to achieve the highest CAGR growth in the Microbiological testing of water market. The reagents & test kits are the fastest-growing segments in the Microbiological testing of water market. This is due to the advancement of testing methods that allow for the analysis of larger sample sizes while also reducing the time needed for sample testing. The Pharmaceutical segment is projected to dominate the Microbiological testing of water market and is projected to achieve the largest market share during the forecast period. Pharmaceutical research is an important industrial segment for microbiological water testing. Identification of novel organisms in water that are employed in drug development is one of the major applications. Microbiological water quality monitoring is significant for the pharmaceutical and biopharma business because of this important application of drug development. Pathogen-free water is a significant factor during the manufacture and research of various pharmaceutical products. The microbiological parameter is important in industry together with other water testing parameters since it can cause harmful microbiological effects and waterborne outbreaks when contaminated water is used. Microbiological water testing is required by stringent regulatory requirements and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) compliance to prevent health issues. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=134733441 Asia Pacific is projected to achieve the highest CAGR in the Microbiological testing of water market. The Asia-Pacific region is emerging as a huge market for microbial water testing as a result of increasing awareness of microbiological water contaminants and their effects on human health. The region's increasing need for packaged drinking water has led to the establishment of unauthorized companies that obtain their water from unregulated sources and sell it untreated. This has increased the demand for microbiological water testing, which is fueling the expansion of the market for microbial water testing equipment. Many leading companies, including Agilent Corporation (US), Shimadzu Corporation (Japan), and Thermo Fisher Scientific (US), have been providing microbiological water testing solutions to various Asian countries, particularly China. Key Market Players: The key players in this market include 3M (US), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (US), Danaher Corporation (US), Dohler Group (Germany), Agilent Technologies, Inc. (US), Shimadzu Corporation (Japan), Merck (Germany), PerkinElmer, Inc. (US), Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (US), IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (US), Avantor Inc. (US), Hardy Diagnostics (US), LaMotte Company (US), Accepta Ltd (UK), General Laboratory Products (US). These players focus on expanding their production facilities by launching products to grow their businesses and market share. They also focus on extensive R&D initiatives, geographical expansions, and strategic acquisitions to gain a foothold over the large extent of the market's supply chain. Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=134733441 Browse Adjacent Reports @ Food and Beverage Market Research Reports & Consulting Related Reports: Environmental Testing Market by Sample (Wastewater/Effluent, Soil, Water, Air), Technology (Rapid, conventional), Target Tested (Microbial Contamination, Organic Compounds, Heavy Metals, Residues, Solids), End Users and Region - Global Forecast to 2027 Food Safety Testing Market by Technology (Traditional and Rapid), Target Tested, Food Tested (Meat, Poultry, Seafood, Dairy, Processed Foods, Fruits & Vegetables, and Cereals & grains) and Region - Global Forecast to 2027 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. We have the widest lens on emerging technologies, making us proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients. The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing. Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we work with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies - helping them stay relevant in a disruptive ecosystem. Our insights and strategies are molded by our industry experts, cutting-edge AI-powered Market Intelligence Cloud, and years of research. The KnowledgeStore (our Market Intelligence Cloud) integrates our research, facilitates an analysis of interconnections through a set of applications, helping clients look at the entire ecosystem and understand the revenue shifts happening in their industry. To find out more, visit www.MarketsandMarkets.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/microbiological-testing-of-water-market.asp Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/microbiological-testing-of-water.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg SOURCE MarketsandMarkets DALLAS, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Neiman Marcus Group (NMG) and the Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) recently announced the 2023 recipients of the newly launched NMG x FSF Scholarship Fund. NMG awarded ten scholarships of $10,000 to undergraduate scholars at universities across the U.S. who demonstrated talent and commitment to advancing sustainable and ethical fashion. NMG x FSF Scholarship 2023 Recipients The program is part of NMG's strategy to Revolutionize Luxury Experiences. With the world's most desirable brand partners and 10,000+ talented associates, the company delivers exceptional experiences through its valuable relationships. Driven to meet the expectations of customers, NMG invests in people who share a responsibility to revolutionizing the fashion industry. The partnership with FSF is fueled by The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation, with a dedication to empower the next generation, cultivate a culture of Belonging and invest in a sustainable future. Since 2019, NMG and its Foundation have partnered with the FSF to fund scholarships, mentor students, connect rising talent to entry-level roles in the company's Executive Development Program (EDP) and provide executive leadership to the FSF Board of Directors. The new NMG x FSF Scholarship Fund intentionally builds upon the successful matriculation of FSF Alumni, like Mecca Hodge and Shanita Hunt, into NMG's EDP and Assistant Buyer roles in recent years. "The NMG x FSF Scholarship Fund represents our commitment to the evolution and impact of the next generation of fashion leaders," said Lana Todorovich, President and Chief Merchandising Officer, Neiman Marcus, and five-year board member of FSF. "NMG, and our talented associates, are working with brand partners to advance sustainable products and services. It all starts with cultivating a culture of Belonging and investing in diverse talent, elevating career journeys with the goal of creating positive change in our industry." In addition to pairing each Scholar with a mentor to support their career journey, Scholars will also gain access to educational programming with NMG leaders on topics like climate change, sustainable and ethical products, circularity, human rights and ESG reporting throughout the year. NMG will celebrate with scholars at FSF Live 2023, the 86th annual awards gala on April 3. "The FSF is pleased to announce the inaugural class of Neiman Marcus Group x FSF Scholars a new generation of innovative thinkers in the sustainable and ethical fashion space," said Peter Arnold, Executive Director, Fashion Scholarship Fund. "We are immensely grateful to the NMG team for providing our scholars with this opportunity, and for their continued support of the FSF's mission to foster equity by uplifting and empowering young talent." 2023 recipients of the NMG x FSF Scholarship Fund are as follows: "The Scholarship creates a talent foundation that builds on our past success and supports scholars as future changemakers in fashion," Todorovich concluded. From February through April 2023, Neiman Marcus stores across the U.S. will fundraise for the 2024 cohort of NMG x FSF Scholars at point-of-sale. For more information about NMG's philanthropic work and The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation, please visit neimanmarcusgroup.com/2021-report. The full list of 2023 FSF Scholars is viewable at https://www.fashionscholarshipfund.org/fsf-scholars-2023. ABOUT NEIMAN MARCUS GROUP (NMG) Neiman Marcus Group is a relationship business that leads with love in everything we do for our customers, associates, brand partners, and communities. Our legacy of innovating and our culture of Belonging guide our roadmap for Revolutionizing Luxury Experiences. As one of the largest multi-brand luxury retailers in the U.S., with the world's most desirable brand partners, we're delivering exceptional products and intelligent services, enabled by our investments in data and technology. Through the expertise of our 10,000+ associates, we deliver and scale a personalized luxury experience across our three channels of in-store, eCommerce, and remote selling. Our NMG|Way culture, powered by our people, combines individual talents into a collective strength to make life extraordinary. Our flagship brands include Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. For more information, visit neimanmarcusgroup.com. ABOUT THE FASHION SCHOLARSHIP FUND The FSF is the foremost fashion-oriented education and workforce development nonprofit in the U.S. The FSF works directly with the country's most talented young students from diverse backgrounds and awards over $1 million each year in scholarships to help these students from the FSF's network of 67 colleges and universities succeed in all sectors of the industry including design, merchandising, marketing analytics, and supply chain. The FSF also provides scholars with a wide range of internship and career opportunities, mentorship, networking, professional development, and unprecedented access to the industry's most influential leaders and companies, including its 10-week Summer Scholar Series and the Accelerator Grant Program for young entrepreneurs. SOURCE Neiman Marcus Group INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Commissioning Agents Inc. (CAI) announced Nick Armstrong has been named the Initial Senior Director of Digital Enablement, as CAI continues our investment in Digital Transformation for both our internal programs and our clients' operations. Mr. Armstrong has 15 years of experience in the Biopharmaceutical, Food, and Personal Care industries with innovation and digital enablement as the throughline. In past positions, he's led digital transformation consulting in Operational Readiness & Excellence, managing a portfolio of applications that enable business intelligence, and encouraging up and coming technology to the biopharmaceutical industry "Bringing lifesaving therapies to people and preventing shortages is the reason I joined the biopharmaceutical industry. The supply chain and regulatory complexities for this mission require a connected voice", Mr. Armstrong Nick explained. "I look forward to enabling digital transformation for CAI and the wider industry to make data driven decisions and bring technology that changes the way we work." Mr. Armstrong holds a B.S. and M.S. degree in Bioprocessing Science and Bioprocess Engineering, respectively, from North Carolina State University. He has held consulting and management positions in Process Development, Manufacturing Sciences & Technology, Reliability, and Facilities Management. "I'm excited to have Nick join the technology team and for the official establishment of Director of Digital Enablement role," stated Jackie Karceski, Chief Technology Officer of CAI. "I see this role as a natural evolution of CAI's growth and our focus on applied technology to improve our clients' operations, an integral part of our culture. Nick's experience and vision are a great fit for this role, and I look forward to working closely with him to deliver for our employee-owners." About CAI Since CAI's founding in 1996, we have delivered nearly a billion dollars in services for hundreds of clients across thousands of projects globally. With offices in the US, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, UK, Korea, Switzerland, India, Ireland, Italy, China, and Singapore, we have built an international team of over 800 professionals providing local support from a global company. Our engineering, technical, and consulting services are fashioned to deliver mission-critical facilities with a high level of performance and reliability. When operational readiness and startup are critical, CAI delivers to a higher standard. Contact: David Shenberger +13177219847 [email protected] SOURCE CAI OCEAN SHORES, Wash., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- If you love seafood, you won't want to miss the 15th Annual Ocean Shores Razor Clam and Seafood Festival, March 17-19, 2023 at the Ocean Shores Convention Center. Produced by the City of Ocean Shores and presented by the Quinault Beach Resort & Casino, the festival celebrates all things seafood. Admission is free. Fresh, whole Dungeness crab dinner Razor Clams, Photo Credit: Quinault Pride Seafood The festival's signature Clam Chowder Contest will feature nine restaurants offering public tastings of their inspired recipes. Festival-goers can vote for their favorite chowder in the People's Choice category, and the winning chef will receive a $1,000 prize. Participation in the tasting requires on-site purchase of a $10.00 Tasting Passport. For the second consecutive year, the Razor Clam and Seafood Festival is partnering with another beloved Northwest culinary event, the Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival. CrabFest organizers will bring their crab kettles, cooks and crew to Ocean Shores to serve-up dinners featuring fresh Dungeness crab from nearby Westport. Dinners include a whole Dungeness crab (avg. 2lbs) served either warm or cold with herbed new potatoes and cole slaw. Tickets are $45 ($40 for active military and dependents) or $25 for half-crab dinners. Tickets should be purchased in advance to guarantee availability and price due to the volatility of the crab and seafood market. Crab dinners purchased during the festival weekend will be at market price while supplies last. Get your tickets now at: tourismoceanshores.com/razor-clam-and-seafood-festival. Tickets are refundable up to 10 days in advance. Participants can enjoy everything from fresh crab shooters to Alaska scallops to wild salmon sandwiches and much more. Not a seafood fan? Not a problem! There will be something to delight every palate, including smash burgers and fries, Russian dumplings, crepes and other non-seafood dishes. Beverages include beer, wine, soft drinks and espresso. A Crab Benedict Brunch will take place on Sunday from 10am-1pm. Tickets are $25 and must be purchased in advance at tourismoceanshores.com/razor-clam-and-seafood-festival. Live music and artist booths will round out this culinary experience. Plenty of seating will be provided in a covered outdoor space and indoors. About Ocean Shores Ocean Shores is a top Washington coastal destination with activities for the whole family. If you love digging razor clams, the Razor Clam and Seafood Festival takes place on a scheduled clam dig weekend! Quinault Beach Resort & Casino is the perfect place to stay and play at the beach. More information at tourismoceanshores.com. Contact: Deborah Black [email protected] 206.799.4233 SOURCE City of Ocean Shores Serve a special menu to stores in 5 countries including Korea, U.S., China , Poland and Vietnam , and With its standardized recipes, realized local taste and quality anywhere in the world Starting with Korean 'Tteokguk' in January, planning to serve Chinese 'Jingjiang Lou Si' in February, and Vietnamese 'Gumjang' in March SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- OURHOME, a global food company based in Korea, announced that it has launched a 'Global Chefs' Special Meal Campaign' for customers using stores at home and abroad. Tteokguk, the first menu of the OURHOME Global Chefs Special Meal Campaign The 'Global Chefs' Special Meal Campaign' is a campaign that provides special menus recommended by global chefs every month on the same day to customers at OURHOME stores in Korea and abroad. Starting the first one in January, it plans to conduct 12 events for 2023. This campaign was designed to provide new experience and enjoyment to customers in the United States, Poland, China, Vietnam as well as Korea, by providing unique exotic dishes difficult to access. The special menu consists of local foods recommended by OURHOME's main chef for each country. Chefs from around the world not only recommended the menus, but also standardized recipes so that customers anywhere in OURHOME's global stores can equally enjoy the unique taste of local food. The first runner of this campaign is Korean food. On January 20th, OURHOME served Tteokguk, a Korean soup with rice cakes, as a lunch menu to celebrate the national holiday of Lunar New Year. Also, it delivered the meaning of Lunar New Year and the Korean tradition of eating the dish with family. In particular, staff in overseas stores paid close attention to sourcing fresh ingredients with standardized recipes in order to serve the same taste. "I had Korean food for the first time. It was a new experience for me. The texture of the chewy rice cake and soup were impressive" and "I look forward to enjoying the specialties of OURHOME's global chefs." Doniel Peron, a customer in New Jersey U.S.A., said. OURHOME plans to offer the following special menus simultaneously, starting with Korea's representative food Tteokguk in January. It will serve Jingjiang Lou Si (traditional Beijing cuisine, stir-fried thinly sliced pork) in February, Gumjang (Vietnamese fried rice) in March, American Buffalo Wings in April, Goulash Wiepuchowy (Polish Pork Stew) in May respectively. OURHOME is making efforts to provide the best food & beverage service anywhere in the world to satisfy customers. The company not only dispatches excellent master chefs and nutritionists selected through a systematic training system in Korea, but also trains local cooking staff based on the equivalent training system developed in Korea. More than 20,000 menu recipes have been standardized through customers' feedback and food & beverage trend surveys. And all efforts have been made to secure a local food ingredient supply chain system. Now store operation efficiency has been improved, from contracts to purchasing, ordering, menu management by localizing an advanced store operation system verified in headquarters. Meanwhile, OURHOME has been holding unique events that provide special experiences for customers using overseas catering stores. Last year, OURHOME provided Samgyetang, a Ginseng Chicken Soup, to overseas customers in line with Korea's Chobok, the first day of the dog days. And it is promoting K-food through a kimchi making event. With this campaign, OURHOME plans to present various events to promote Korean food culture and provide special experiences to customers. SOURCE OURHOME DUBLIN, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "India Ethanol Market Analysis: Plant Capacity, Production, Operating Efficiency, Technology, Process, Demand & Supply, Grade, Source, Purity, End Use, Distribution Channel, Region, Competition, Trade, Customer & Price Intelligence Market Analysis, 2015-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. India Ethanol market demand stood at 3250 Million Litres in FY2021 and is forecast to reach 5412.06 Million Litres by FY2030, growing at a healthy CAGR of 8.25% until FY2030. Companies Mentioned India Glycols, Bajaj Hindusthan Sugar Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd. Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd. Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd. Mawana Sugars Ltd. HPCL Biofuels Limited Jeypore Sugar Company Ltd. Simbhaoli Sugars Ltd. BSM Sugar E.I.D Parry India Ltd The Indian Ethanol (also called Ethyl Alcohol) market is projected to expand aggressively in the forecast period on the back of increased Ethanol consumption in fuel additives and beverages. Moreover, heavy investments made by the Government of India towards converting excess sugar to Ethanol, further strengthened by the government's vision to create an Ethanol Economy will accelerate the Ethanol demand in the forecast period. With the start of National Biofuel Policy 2018, which has put forth an Ethanol blending target of 10% by 2022 and 20% by 2030 from the current rate of 2-3%, Ethanol demand is set to grow by leaps and bounds in the period of forecast. Over the past five years, the Indian government has been encouraging Ethanol capacity expansion to cut its dependency on imported crude oil and channelize the excess sugar inventories into Ethanol production. These factors will further propel the growth of the Ethanol market in India. Ethanol is also a prominent alcoholic beverage, mainly found in beer, cider, wine, and spirits. Hence factors such as changing lifestyle along with growing adoption of the western culture are likely to drive the demand for Ethanol in the country. The increasing production of wine and other alcoholic beverages would further contribute to the growth of the Ethyl alcohol market during the forecast period. Because of its broad-spectrum germicidal properties, Ethanol also finds several applications in disinfectants and has been strongly recommended by WHO as an important constituent in alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Increasing demand for disinfectants with rising health consciousness among people will further escalate the Ethanol demand in the coming years. However, the COVID-19 outbreak rendered an unprecedented slump in the fuel demand as transportation and logistics remained hit due to lockdown measures taken to contain the virus spread. Despite the crash in fuel demand, Ethanol players remained opportunistic as demand from the hand sanitizer segment broke records since the pandemic hit the country. Ethanol is an essential ingredient in the production of alcohol-based hand sanitizers and has been recommended by WHO in potentially deactivating the virus. Hence, there was a sudden boost in domestic Ethanol demand in Q4 FY20, causing several sugar mills such as the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) and All India Distiller Association (AIDA) to increase their produced Ethanol volumes. India currently aims to achieve an E10 blend by 2020 and E20 by 2030. The country's Ethanol Blending Program highlights procurement of Ethanol produced directly from B-heavy molasses, sugarcane juice, and damaged food grains. A surplus sugar season coupled with financial incentives to convert excess sugar into ethanol is expected to boost the Ethanol produced volumes over the years ahead. Moreover, India's resolve to reduce pollution and dedication towards fulfilling its COP-21, the UN Climate Conference commitments, would drive the Ethanol industry in the long term. Also, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in FY19 approved 'Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana' for providing financial support to integrated bio-ethanol projects using lignocellulosic biomass and several renewable feedstocks. These factors would highly favor the growth of the Indian Ethanol industry in the future. Years Considered for this Report: Historical Years: FY2015 - FY2020 Base Year: FY2021 Estimated Year: FY2022 Forecast Period: FY2023- FY2030 Objective of the Study: The primary objective of the study was to evaluate and forecast Ethanol capacity, production, demand, inventory, and the demand-supply gap in India . . To categorize Ethanol demand based on application, end use, grade, source, purity, region, and sales channel. To study trade dynamics and company share in the India Ethanol market. To identify major customers of Ethanol in India . . To evaluate and forecast Ethanol pricing by grade in the India Ethanol market. To identify and profile major companies operating in the India Ethanol market. To identify major news, deals, and expansion plans in the India Ethanol market. Hefty investments in the expansion of Indian Ethanol Industry can potentially make India one of the largest Ethanol producers in the world. Indian Oil and SunLight Fuel are planning to foray into Ethanol production with over INR 2,500 crore greenfield investment. Several other private sugar mills and cooperatives are planning to follow the suit to address the issue of excess sugar production. INR 100 crore investment plan of the UP government to upgrade cooperative sugar mills to produce Ethanol along with sugar, is yet another venture into the country's Ethanol market. Despite the steady increase in Ethanol production, India is still a net importer of Ethanol. In FY20, the US remained the single-largest Ethanol supplier to India. In Q3 FY20, the government announced to increase the prices of different grades of Ethanol under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme for the forthcoming Ethanol procurement season 2019-20. Key Topics Covered: 1. India Ethanol Market Outlook, 2015-2030 1.1. Capacity By Company 1.2. Capacity By Location 1.3. Capacity By Technology 1.4. Capacity By Process 1.5. Production, By Company 1.6. Operating Efficiency By Company 1.7. Country-Wise Import 1.8. Country-Wise Export 1.9. Demand-Supply Gap 2. India Ethanol Demand Outlook, 2015-2030 2.1. By End Use 2.2. By Grade 2.3. By Purity 2.4. By Source 2.5. By Application 2.6. By Distribution Channel 2.7. By Region 2.8. By Company Share 3. News & Deals For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/dxmxpn-ethanol?w=5 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets SCARSDALE, N.Y., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Owen A. O'Connor, M.D., Ph.D., is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Most Trusted Healthcare Provider and for his contributions in inventing and developing many drugs for the treatment of blood cancers. Owen A. O'Connor, M.D., Ph.D Dr. O'Connor earned his Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science at Manhattan College in New York. He completed a Ph.D. in Environmental Medicine at the New York University Medical School, where he studied the mechanisms of chemical carcinogenesis. He received a Medical Degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the New York Hospital - Cornell University Medical Center. He also completed two fellowships, including one in medical oncology in the Department of Medicine under the Clinical Investigator Program (in the laboratory of Dr. Joseph R. Bertino) at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a second in clinical pharmacology in the Division of Pharmacology in the Department of Medicine New York Hospital - Cornell University Medical School. He was appointed Chief Medical Oncology Fellow in the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. O'Connor is an internationally renowned oncologist and is known for his expertise in drug discovery and development and in diagnosing and treating all forms of lymphoma. He has more than 20 years of experience in academic medicine. The doctor invented and pioneered the development of several first-in-class drugs to treat blood cancer, including one he co-invented for T-cell lymphoma, which has now been approved in over 35 countries worldwide. He has held several prestigious leadership positions at major cancer centers in New York City, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York University Medical Center, and Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. O'Connor has focused his scientific interests on developing novel, small molecules for blood cancer treatment. His interests have focused on chemistry through preclinical modeling and early-phase clinical studies to regulatory Phase 3 studies. Dr. O'Connor has published more than 250 articles in peer-reviewed journals, books and book chapters, and reviews on managing lymphoma and drug discovery. He is the editor of the first textbook on the Peripheral T-Cell Lymphomas and is now editing a new series of books for Wiley Sciences on Precision Cancer Therapies. The doctor was a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Lymphoma Research Foundation and the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and has received countless awards for his research, including being named to America's Top Cancer Doctors, cited among the Top 50 Irish-Americans in Science and Medicine by the Irish government, and inducted into the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame. He also received the American Cancer Society Research Professorship, the most prestigious honor bestowed by the Society. He has been a Castle Connolly Top Doctor since 2011. Dr. O'Connor is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Association for Cancer Research, and the American Society of Hematology. In his spare time, Dr. O'Connor enjoys creative photography and travel and spending time at his second home on Cape Cod. He actively supports the Association for the Preservation of Cape Cod and the Cape Cod Arts Center. The doctor would like to acknowledge his mentors, Dr. William Hait and Dr. Joseph R. Bertino. Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected] SOURCE Continental Who's Who Rise in use of particle counters across a wide array of industries such as automotive, healthcare, and food & beverage drives the growth of the global particle counters market. PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Particle Counters Market by Type (Airborne Particle Counters, Liquid Particle Counters, Others), by Modularity (Benchtop, Portable, Handheld), by Technology (Online Particle Counters, Offline Particle Counters), by Application (Cleanroom Monitoring, Drinking Water Contamination Monitoring, Aerosol Monitoring and Research, Indoor Air Quality Monitoring, Contamination Monitoring of Liquids, Chemical Contamination Monitoring, Other Applications (HVAC, Duck Leakage, etc)), by Industry Vertical (Life Sciences and Medical Device Industry, Semiconductor Industry, Automotive Industry, Aerospace Industry, Food and Beverage Industry, Others (Research Centres, Universities, )): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031" According to the report, the global particle counters industry generated $365.30 million in 2021, and is estimated to reach $936.8 million by 2031, witnessing a CAGR of 10.3% from 2022 to 2031. The report offers a detailed analysis of the changing market trends, top segments, key investment pockets, value chains, regional landscapes, and competitive scenarios. Download Free Sample [email protected] https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/31818 Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities- Rise in use of particle counters across a wide array of industries such as automotive, healthcare, and food & beverage drives the growth of the global particle counters market. On the other hand, high price of instruments and soaring implementation costs impede the growth to some extent. However, extensive research & development by the key players have paved the way for lucrative opportunities in the industry. Covid-19 Scenario- The major impact on end-use industries by the Covid-19 outbreak made the particle counters-producing companies pull up their operations, which affected the market growth significantly. However, as the global situation started getting back on track, the market for particle counters also recovered at a quick pace. The Portable Segment held the Major Share in 2021- By modularity, the portable segment held nearly half of the global particle counters market share in 2021, and is expected to retain its dominance by 2031. The same segment would also cite the fastest CAGR of 12.7% from 2022 to 2031. This is because portable particle counters are easy to transport and handle. The Cleanroom Monitoring Segment to Rule the Roost- By application, the cleanroom monitoring segment accounted for the major share in 2021, holding around one-third of the global particle counters market revenue. The same segment would also showcase the fastest CAGR of 12.6% throughout the forecast period. This is owing to the fact that particle counters are utilized by cleanroom personnel to maintain room hygiene and immediately detect potential particle contamination sources. Interested to Procure the Data? Inquire Here (Get Full Insights in PDF - 320 Pages) @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/31818 The Life Science and Medical Device Industry Segment to Maintain its Dominance During the Forecast Period- By industry vertical, the life science and medical device industry segment contributed to the highest share in 2021, generating around two-fifths of the global particle counters market revenue. The same segment would also portray the fastest CAGR of 12.4% from 2022 to 2031. This is due to the fact that life science & medical device manufacturers are required to adhere to numerous rules and regulations regarding the storage, testing, and production of their products. North America Garnered the Highest Share in 2021- By region, North America garnered nearly two-fifths of the global particle counters market share in 2021, and is projected to rule the roost by 2031. This is because the United States has the world's largest pharmaceutical market. The market across Asia-Pacific, on the other hand, would display the fastest CAGR of 11.6% from 2022 to 2031. Enquire for Customization with Detailed Analysis of COVID-19 Impact in Report @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/31818 Leading Market Players- RION Co. Ltd. PAMAS Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions TSI Beckman Coulter Climet Instruments Company Met One Instruments Particle Plus Chemtrac Particle Measuring Systems The report analyzes these key players in the global particle counters market. These players have adopted various strategies such as expansion, new product launches, partnerships, and others to increase their market penetration and strengthen their position in the industry. The report is helpful in determining the business performance, operating segments, developments, and product portfolios of every market player. Key Benefits For Stakeholders: This report provides a quantitative analysis of the market segments, current trends, estimations, and dynamics of the Particle Counters market analysis and Particle Counters market outlook from 2021 to 2031 to identify the prevailing Particle Counters market opportunity. The market research is offered along with information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities. Porter's five forces analysis highlights the potency of buyers and suppliers to enable stakeholders make profit-oriented business decisions and strengthen their supplier-buyer network. In-depth analysis of the digital film cameras market segmentation assists to determine the prevailing market opportunities. Major countries in each region are mapped according to their revenue contribution to the global market. Market player positioning facilitates benchmarking and provides a clear understanding of the present position of the market players. The report includes the analysis of the regional as well as global digital cinema cameras market trends, key players, market segments, application areas, and market growth strategies. Particle Counters Market Key Segments: Type Airborne Particle Counters Liquid Particle Counters Others Modularity Benchtop Portable Handheld Technology Online Particle Counters Offline Particle Counters Application Other Applications (HVAC, Duck Leakage,etc) Cleanroom Monitoring Drinking Water Contamination Monitoring Aerosol Monitoring and Research Indoor Air Quality Monitoring Contamination Monitoring of Liquids Chemical Contamination Monitoring Industry Vertical Life Sciences and Medical Device Industry Semiconductor Industry Automotive Industry Aerospace Industry Food and Beverage Industry Others (Research Centres, Universities, ) Buy this Research Report @ https://bit.ly/3XgxlHP Trending Reports in Semiconductor Industry (Book Now with 10% Discount): Biophotonics Market Trends, Analytics and Statistics mhealth Device Market Manufacturer, Report to 2031 Ducted Air Conditioning Market Size, Share | Industry Trends Eye Tracking Market Insight and Trends 2031 3D Cameras for Healthcare Market Size, Share | 2023 - 2031 About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 [email protected] Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/reports-store/semiconductor-and-electronics Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Allied Market Research LEMOYNE, Pa., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors installed its new officers during a ceremony at the Sunoco Performance Theater, Whitaker Center, in Harrisburg this week. Philadelphia Realtor Al Perry, a second-generation Realtor, will serve as the association's 100th president in 2023. Perry is the managing partner of Century 21 Advantage Gold, Pennsylvania's largest Century 21 firm, has worked in the industry for more than 26 years and is a member of the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors. "I'm honored to represent our 39,000 members this year. The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors has a long history of championing homeownership and private property rights in the commonwealth," Perry said. Preston Moore is PAR's president-elect this year. Moore is a sales associate with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, Hampton, in the North Hills of Pittsburgh. He has been a Realtor for nearly 20 years and is a member of the Realtors Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh. PAR's First Vice President is Bill Lublin, a member of the Bucks County Association of Realtors. Lublin is the chief executive officer of Century 21 Advantage Gold and the Lublin Corporation, a property management firm. David Dean, a Realtor for 16 years with Howard Hanna Real Estate in Sewickley, will serve as PAR's treasurer. Dean is a member of the Realtors Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh. Christopher Beadling is the immediate past president of the association. He is the vice president and broker of record for Quinn & Wilson, Inc. Realtors in Montgomery County and is a member of the Bucks County Association of Realtors. The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors is a trade/professional association that serves more than 39,000 members in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. SOURCE Pennsylvania Association of Realtors STOCKHOLM, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pixelgen Technologies , the single cell spatial proteomics company, announced today that it will unveil its groundbreaking Molecular Pixelation technology for spatial analysis of cell surface proteins in 3D at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology General Meeting in Hollywood, Florida, Feb. 6-9. "We're excited and honored to attend AGBT and to present details of our Molecular Pixelation technology for the first time publicly since we emerged from stealth in December 2022," said Pixelgen CEO Simon Fredriksson, Ph.D. "We aim to close the gaps in understanding cellular activity by offering a view of cell surface proteins and their spatial inter-relationships far exceeding existing technologies' capabilities. We believe our Molecular Pixelation technology will become an essential tool for spatial biology in cells and tissues." The company will provide details and data from its Molecular Pixelation technology during a poster presentation and a sponsored breakfast. The poster, titled "Spatial analyses of the single immune cell surface proteome by Molecular Pixelation," will be presented by Fredriksson on Tuesday, Feb. 7, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Regency Ballroom. The breakfast will take place on Feb. 8 from 7:30-9 a.m. at the South Palm Court. During the breakfast, attendees will have the chance to learn more about how Molecular Pixelation enables deeper single cell phenotyping. Details of Pixelgen's Molecular Pixelation technology come as the company prepares for a full commercial product launch later this year. To learn more about Pixelgen's AGBT participation and to enter to win a free kit as part of our dedicated conference offering, please visit our Pixelgen AGBT website here . About Pixelgen Technologies Pixelgen Technologies AB was founded in 2020 by a team of passionate, experienced innovators and entrepreneurs with a vision to bring a new spatial understanding to biology by mapping cell surface proteins and their spatial inter-relationships. The company has developed Molecular Pixelation, a DNA-based visualization technology for analyzing cell surface proteins, to gain novel insights into cellular activity that will advance better medicines and diagnostics. Pixelgen is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Contacts Corporate: Annika Branting [email protected] +46 762-69 68 46 Media: Susan Thomas [email protected] (619) 540-9195 SOURCE Pixelgen Technologies TOKYO, Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- From "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero," SON GOHAN BEAST joins TAMASHII NATIONS symbolic action figure brand S.H.Figuarts. It perfectly captures his voluminous hairstyle and shredded clothing. Numerous optional parts are in the set including effect parts of "Makankosappo: Special Beam Cannon". It is available only at PREMIUM BANDAI USA with limited quantities and order term. [S.H.Figuarts SON GOHAN BEAST] [Posing with Effect Parts] [S.H.Figuarts ORANGE PICCOLO] [S.H.Figuarts SON GOHAN BEAST & ORANGE PICCOLO] The Pre-Order will start from Feb 2nd 2023 8:00PM(EST) with Free Shipping of S.H.Figuarts 15th Anniversary Campaign(Only at USA). Also Free Shipping Coupon campaign(Limited Time Only) for coming pre-order S.H.Figuarts ORANGE PICCOLO is offered. Check more details at S.H.Figuarts SON GOHAN BEAST at PREMIUM BANDAI USA. S.H.Figuarts SON GOHAN BEAST Price : US$ 65.00 (Free Shipping Cost only at PREMIUM BANDAI USA) Pre-Order Start : Feb.2 2023 8:00PM(EST) Delivery : Aug.2023 Pre-Order at PREMIUM BANDAI USA : https://p-bandai.com/us/item/N2668603001001?utm_source=release&utm_medium=prn_ad_rl&utm_campaign=2023/02/03_collecters_dragonball *Due to the limited production run, we will stop accepting applications for reservations once the quantity available is fulfilled. S.H.Figuarts 15th Anniversary Campaign Campaign 1 : Free Shipping for S.H.Figuarts SON GOHAN BEAST Feb.2 2023 8:00PM(EST) ~ Until Pre-order limit reached Campaign 2 : Free Shipping Coupon for S.H.Figuarts ORANGE PICCOLO Feb.2 2023 8:00PM(EST) ~ Feb.28 11:59PM (EST) Campaign Page : https://p-bandai.com/us/cont/campaign/dragonball-cp06?utm_source=release&utm_medium=prn_ad_rl&utm_campaign=2023/02/03_collecters_dragonball About Premium Bandai USA PREMIUM BANDAI is BANDAI's official online store. From figures and jewelry to items ripped straight out of anime you love, PREMIUM BANDAI has high-quality merchandise that will set your heart ablaze. Moreover, the majority of PREMIUM BANDAI items are limited-time, limited-run, and pre-order-only. You can't get them anywhere else! About BANDAI SPIRITS BANDAI SPIRITS, a BANDAI NAMCO Group company, was established in 2018 to expand products and services among BANDAI's mature fan base worldwide. In 2019, BANDAI SPIRITS and BANPRESTO merged, enabling the provision of a diverse range of products and services to mature fans and further accelerating the pace of business growth overseas. For more information, visit bandaispirits.co.jp . SOURCE BANDAI SPIRITS CO., LTD. DALLAS, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Argent Trust Company, as Trustee of the Sabine Royalty Trust (NYSE: SBR), today declared a cash distribution to the holders of its units of beneficial interest of $0.637300 per unit, payable on February 28, 2023, to unit holders of record on February 15, 2023. Sabine's cash distribution history, current and prior year financial reports and tax information booklets, a link to filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission and more can be found on its website at http://www.sbr-sabine.com/. Additionally, printed reports can be requested and are mailed free of charge. This distribution reflects primarily the oil production for November 2022 and the gas production for October 2022. Preliminary production volumes are approximately 49,802 barrels of oil and 1,121,523 Mcf of gas. Preliminary prices are approximately $84.75 per barrel of oil and $5.53 per Mcf of gas. This month's distribution is slightly higher than the previous month's primarily due to increased production due to the timing of receipts through the end of the month as compared to the previous month's timing of receipts, offset by a decrease in both oil and gas pricing. The production from all the new horizontal gas wells in Panola County, Texas, has contributed approximately $1,804,534 reflecting September production including the recent new wells. All volumes and pricing are included in the tables below. Additionally, for the other three horizontal wells, also in Panola County, the receipts for two months approximately $704,000 posted for this month's distribution. As more regular monthly receipts are made in the months to come, additional information will be made available. The table below compares this month's production and prices to the previous month's: Net to Trust Sales Volumes Average Price Oil (bbls) Gas (Mcf) Oil (per bbl) Gas (per Mcf) Current Month 49,802 1,121,523 $84.75 $5.53 Prior Month 39,824 903,315 $88.18 $8.09 Revenues are only distributed after they are received, verified, and posted. Most energy companies normally issue payment of royalties on or about the 25th of every month, and depending on mail delivery, a varying amount of royalties are not received until after the revenue posting on the last business day of the month. The revenues received after that date will be posted within 30 days of receipt. Due to the timing of the end of the month of January, approximately $3,462,878 of revenue received will be posted in the following month of February in addition to normal receipts during February. Since the close of business in January and prior to this press release, $560,000 in revenue has been received. Approximately $193,000 for 2022 Ad Valorem taxes was deducted from this month's distribution as compared to $60,000 this time last year. These payments are normal expenditures at this time of year. The 2022 tax information packets are expected to begin mailing directly to unitholders in early March 2023. A copy of Sabine's 2022 tax information booklet will be posted on Sabine's website by March 1, 2023. In addition to the tax booklet the Sabine website will also offer two simple calculators for computing the income and expense amounts and the cost depletion. The calculators are currently expected to be updated with the 2022 tax information by February 28, 2023. The 2021 Annual Report with Form 10-K and the January 1, 2022 Reserve Summary are available on the Sabine website at http://www.sbr-sabine.com/. SOURCE Sabine Royalty Trust NEW YORK, Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Technavio, the global sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market size is estimated to grow by USD 772.25 million from 2022 to 2027. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.97% during the forecast period. APAC will account for 38% of the market's growth during the forecast period. The report includes historic market data from 2017 to 2021. In 2017, the market was valued at USD 1978.40 million. For more Insights, Request a sample report Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Sanitary Gasketed Plate Heat Exchangers Market 2023-2027 Global Sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market - Five Forces The global sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market is fragmented, and the five forces analysis covers Bargaining Power of Buyers The threat of New Entrants Threat of Rivalry Bargaining Power of Suppliers Threat of Substitutes Interpretation of porter's five models helps to strategize the business, for entire details buy the report! Global sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market Customer landscape The report includes the market's adoption lifecycle, from the innovator's stage to the laggard's stage. It focuses on adoption rates in different regions based on penetration. Furthermore, the report also includes key purchase criteria and drivers of price sensitivity to help companies evaluate and develop their growth strategies. Global sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market - Segmentation assessment Segment Overview Technavio has segmented the market based on application (food and beverage, dairy, biotech and pharmaceutical, home and personal care, and others) and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa). The food and beverage segment will grow at the highest rate during the forecast period. This is due to the increased demand for processed food brought on by improved economic conditions in developed economies. Sanitary GPHE is widely used in the food and beverage industry for various applications such as general heating, general cooling, energy-efficient evaporation and condensation, thermal solution sterilization, fragrance recovery, pasteurization, and deaeration. The use of sanitary GPHE in the food and beverage industry allows for the efficient and safe transfer of heat, which is essential for the production of high-quality food and beverages. This trend will lead to the growth of the food and beverage segment during the forecast period. Geography overview By geography, the global sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market is segmented into APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and the Middle East and Africa. The report provides actionable insights and estimates the contribution of all regions to the growth of the global sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market. APAC will account for 38% of the market's growth during the forecast period. This is due to the high demand for food in the region, particularly in the two most populous nations, China and India . The food and beverage market in APAC has been expanding rapidly, driven by an increasing population and rising disposable income. In APAC, the food and beverage business is primarily dominated by the unorganized sector, with many small and medium-sized business enterprises (SMEs) present in the region. With the growth of the e-commerce industry, SMEs are able to cater to a larger consumer base, which in turn drives the demand for sanitary GPHE in the food and beverage industry during the forecast period. Download a Sample Report Global sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market Market dynamics Key factor driving market growth The rising demand from the water and wastewater industry is the key factor driving the global sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market growth. For manufacturing sectors like medicines, food and beverage, and paper and pulp, water is a crucial element. The rising manufacturing operations in these end-user industries must comply with the strict environmental laws and water conservation standards established by governing agencies. In order to meet the growing demand for water, particularly in developing economies, more water treatment facilities will be established. This will significantly increase the need for sanitary GPHEs and boost the growth potential of the market during the forecast period. Leading trends influencing the market Growth in aftermarket sales is the primary trend in the global sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market growth. Depending on the application, gaskets have a short lifespan. To maintain process efficiency by stopping leaks and to comply with federal or local emission requirements, they must be updated on a regular basis. Vendors are concentrating more on aftermarket sales as most of these seals have a short lifespan and require frequent replacement. Additionally, technological advances in the design of sanitary GPHE and the developing chemical industry in China and India are expected to drive the growth of the global sanitary GPHE market during the forecast period. Major challenges hindering the market growth Volatility in raw material prices is a major challenge to the global sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market growth. It is anticipated that the market expansion will be hampered by changes in the price of the raw materials used to make sanitary GPHE. The cost of production is anticipated to rise due to the increase in the price of these raw materials, which will therefore lower vendors' profit margins. The price of transportation, secondary materials, and the energy used in the manufacturing of hygienic GPHE are all rising. Furthermore, factors like high market competition and stringent regulations and policies are expected to hinder the growth of the global sanitary GPHE market during the forecast period. Driver, Trend & Challenges are the factor of market dynamics that states about consequences & sustainability of the businesses, find some insights from a sample report ! What are the key data covered in this sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market report? CAGR of the market during the forecast period Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market between 2023 and 2027 Precise estimation of the size of the sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market and its contribution to the parent market Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior Growth of the sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market across APAC, North America , Europe , South America , and Middle East and Africa , , , and and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market vendors Gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Related Reports: Gas Turbines Market for Power Industry by Product, Technology and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2023-2027: The gas turbine market for the power industry is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 3.05% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 3,356.87 million. The increase in CCGT power plants is notably driving the market growth, although factors such as volatility in natural gas prices may impede the market growth. Hydraulic Manifold Market in UK by Application, and Type - Forecast and Analysis 2023-2027: The hydraulic manifold market in the UK is estimated to grow/decline at a CAGR of 3.49% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 2.86 million. The stringent regulatory norms and standards on vehicular emissions are notably driving the market growth, although factors such as the volatility in raw material prices may impede the market growth. Sanitary Gasketed Plate Heat Exchangers Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 154 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.97% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 772.25 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 5.14 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution APAC at 38% Key countries US, Canada, China, India, and Germany Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Alfa Laval Corporate AB, API Heat Transfer Inc., Danfoss AS, Delta T Heat Exchangers, Hisaka Works Ltd., HRS Process Systems Ltd., KAORI HEAT TREATMENT Co. Ltd., Kelvion Holding GmbH, onda SPA, Paul Mueller Co. Inc., Process Engineers and Associates, Southwest Thermal Technology Inc., SPX FLOW Inc., Techtrans Engineers, Tranter, Varalka Engineers Pvt. Ltd., Ved Engineering, Wenzhou Ace Machinery Co. Ltd., Wuxi Bes Heat Exchangers Co. Ltd., and Xylem Inc. Market dynamics Parent Market Analysis; Market growth inducers and obstacles; Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis for the forecast period Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Browse for Technavio "Industrials" Research Reports Table of Contents 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Market overview Exhibit 01: Executive Summary Chart on Market Overview Exhibit 02: Executive Summary Data Table on Market Overview Exhibit 03: Executive Summary Chart on Global Market Characteristics Exhibit 04: Executive Summary Chart on Market by Geography Exhibit 05: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Application Exhibit 06: Executive Summary Chart on Incremental Growth Exhibit 07: Executive Summary Data Table on Incremental Growth Exhibit 08: Executive Summary Chart on Vendor Market Positioning 2 Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem Exhibit 09: Parent market Exhibit 10: Market Characteristics 3 Market Sizing 3.1 Market definition Exhibit 11: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition 3.2 Market segment analysis Exhibit 12: Market segments 3.3 Market size 2022 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027 Exhibit 13: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 14: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 15: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 4 Historic Market Size 4.1 Global sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 17: Historic Market Size Data Table on Global sanitary gasketed plate heat exchangers market 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.2 Applicaton Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size Applicaton Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.3 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.4 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 5 Five Forces Analysis 5.1 Five forces summary Exhibit 21: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027 5.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 22: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027 5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 23: Bargaining power of suppliers Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 24: Threat of new entrants Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 25: Threat of substitutes Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 26: Threat of rivalry Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.7 Market condition Exhibit 27: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027 6 Market Segmentation by Application 6.1 Market segments Exhibit 28: Chart on Application - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 29: Data Table on Application - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 6.2 Comparison by Application Exhibit 30: Chart on Comparison by Application Exhibit 31: Data Table on Comparison by Application 6.3 Food and beverage - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 32: Chart on Food and beverage - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 33: Data Table on Food and beverage - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 34: Chart on Food and beverage - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 35: Data Table on Food and beverage - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.4 Dairy - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 36: Chart on Dairy - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 37: Data Table on Dairy - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 38: Chart on Dairy - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 39: Data Table on Dairy - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.5 Biotech and pharmaceutical - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 40: Chart on Biotech and pharmaceutical - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 41: Data Table on Biotech and pharmaceutical - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 42: Chart on Biotech and pharmaceutical - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 43: Data Table on Biotech and pharmaceutical - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.6 Home and personal care - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 44: Chart on Home and personal care - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 45: Data Table on Home and personal care - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 46: Chart on Home and personal care - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 47: Data Table on Home and personal care - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.7 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 48: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 49: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 50: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 51: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.8 Market opportunity by Application Exhibit 52: Market opportunity by Application ($ million) 7 Customer Landscape 7.1 Customer landscape overview Exhibit 53: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria 8 Geographic Landscape 8.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 54: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 55: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) 8.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 56: Chart on Geographic comparison Exhibit 57: Data Table on Geographic comparison 8.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 58: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 59: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 60: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 61: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 62: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 63: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 64: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 65: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 66: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 67: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 68: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 69: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 70: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 71: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 72: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 73: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 74: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 75: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 76: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 77: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.8 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 78: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 79: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 80: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 81: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.9 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 82: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 83: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 84: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 85: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.10 India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 86: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 87: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 88: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 89: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.11 Canada - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 90: Chart on Canada - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 91: Data Table on Canada - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 92: Chart on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 93: Data Table on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.12 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 94: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 95: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 96: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 97: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.13 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 98: Market opportunity by geography ($ million) 9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 9.1 Market drivers 9.2 Market challenges 9.3 Impact of drivers and challenges Exhibit 99: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027 9.4 Market trends 10 Vendor Landscape 10.1 Overview 10.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 100: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation 10.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 101: Overview on factors of disruption 10.4 Industry risks Exhibit 102: Impact of key risks on business 11 Vendor Analysis 11.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 103: Vendors covered 11.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 104: Matrix on vendor position and classification 11.3 Alfa Laval Corporate AB Exhibit 105: Alfa Laval Corporate AB - Overview Exhibit 106: Alfa Laval Corporate AB - Business segments Exhibit 107: Alfa Laval Corporate AB - Key news Exhibit 108: Alfa Laval Corporate AB - Key offerings Exhibit 109: Alfa Laval Corporate AB - Segment focus 11.4 API Heat Transfer Inc. Exhibit 110: API Heat Transfer Inc. - Overview Exhibit 111: API Heat Transfer Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 112: API Heat Transfer Inc. - Key offerings 11.5 Danfoss AS Exhibit 113: Danfoss AS - Overview Exhibit 114: Danfoss AS - Business segments Exhibit 115: Danfoss AS - Key news Exhibit 116: Danfoss AS - Key offerings Exhibit 117: Danfoss AS - Segment focus 11.6 Delta T Heat Exchangers Exhibit 118: Delta T Heat Exchangers - Overview Exhibit 119: Delta T Heat Exchangers - Product / Service Exhibit 120: Delta T Heat Exchangers - Key offerings 11.7 Hisaka Works Ltd. Exhibit 121: Hisaka Works Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 122: Hisaka Works Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 123: Hisaka Works Ltd. - Key offerings 11.8 Kelvion Holding GmbH Exhibit 124: Kelvion Holding GmbH - Overview Exhibit 125: Kelvion Holding GmbH - Product / Service Exhibit 126: Kelvion Holding GmbH - Key offerings 11.9 Paul Mueller Co. Inc. Exhibit 127: Paul Mueller Co. Inc. - Overview Exhibit 128: Paul Mueller Co. Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 129: Paul Mueller Co. Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 130: Paul Mueller Co. Inc. - Segment focus 11.10 Southwest Thermal Technology Inc. Exhibit 131: Southwest Thermal Technology Inc. - Overview Exhibit 132: Southwest Thermal Technology Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 133: Southwest Thermal Technology Inc. - Key offerings 11.11 SPX FLOW Inc. Exhibit 134: SPX FLOW Inc. - Overview Exhibit 135: SPX FLOW Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 136: SPX FLOW Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 137: SPX FLOW Inc. - Segment focus 11.12 Techtrans Engineers Exhibit 138: Techtrans Engineers - Overview Exhibit 139: Techtrans Engineers - Product / Service Exhibit 140: Techtrans Engineers - Key offerings 11.13 Tranter Exhibit 141: Tranter - Overview Exhibit 142: Tranter - Product / Service Exhibit 143: Tranter - Key offerings 11.14 Varalka Engineers Pvt. Ltd. Exhibit 144: Varalka Engineers Pvt. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 145: Varalka Engineers Pvt. Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 146: Varalka Engineers Pvt. Ltd. - Key offerings 11.15 Wenzhou Ace Machinery Co. Ltd. Exhibit 147: Wenzhou Ace Machinery Co. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 148: Wenzhou Ace Machinery Co. Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 149: Wenzhou Ace Machinery Co. Ltd. - Key offerings 11.16 Wuxi Bes Heat Exchangers Co. Ltd. Exhibit 150: Wuxi Bes Heat Exchangers Co. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 151: Wuxi Bes Heat Exchangers Co. Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 152: Wuxi Bes Heat Exchangers Co. Ltd. - Key offerings 11.17 Xylem Inc. Exhibit 153: Xylem Inc. - Overview Exhibit 154: Xylem Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 155: Xylem Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 156: Xylem Inc. - Segment focus 12 Appendix 12.1 Scope of the report 12.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 157: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 158: Exclusions checklist 12.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 159: Currency conversion rates for US$ 12.4 Research methodology Exhibit 160: Research methodology Exhibit 161: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 162: Information sources 12.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 163: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio BANGALORE, India, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sequencing Reagents Market is segmented by type (Sanger Sequencing, Next Generation Sequencing, Third Generation Sequencing), by application (Oncology, Reproductive Health, Clinical Investigation, Agrigenomics & Forensics, Others): Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20222028. It is published in Valuates Reports under the Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Category. The global Sequencing Reagents Market size is estimated to be worth USD 5.5 billion in 2021 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 15.9 billion by 2028 with a CAGR of 16.4% during the review period. Major Factors Driving the Growth of the Sequencing Reagents Market The two main variables that will affect the growth of the sequencing reagents market are advances in sequencing techniques and falling costs for genetic sequencing. Additionally, the Sequencing Reagents market is expanding at an accelerated rate due to the spike in the usage of sequencing techniques and different developments. Browse The Detailed Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-2C7687/global-sequencing-reagents TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF THE SEQUENCING REAGENTS MARKET In a wide range of analytical procedures, sample preparation is a crucial step in which a sample is biochemically or enzymatically prepared for further analysis. Sample preparation in the context of nucleic acid manipulation refers to the actions taken after the initial purification of DNA. Applications that call for the upstream preparation of nucleic acid samples have increased recently. For proper analysis, methods including next-generation sequencing, microarrays, and library building all require effective, homogeneous, and unbiased processing of nuclear material. As a result, there is now a greater requirement for novel reagents, novel formats of current reagents, and stricter quality standards in addition to a greater demand for high-quality sample preparation reagents. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Sequencing Reagents market. In the process of next-generation sequencing, high-quality library preparation is a crucial step (NGS). The best way to create indexed libraries for NGS from a minimal quantity of DNA or RNA input is with NGS Reagents, which are entire sets of tailored reagents. To complete the several stages needed for library preparation and target enrichment, it is necessary to purchase reagents from different vendors, validate them, and make sure that workflows are compatible. An integrated approach that combines these procedures with improved reagents would be beneficial given the priceless nature of NGS samples. This in turn is expected to drive the growth of the Sequencing Reagents market. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has emerged as a useful technique for providing a deeper and more precise look into the molecular foundations of individual tumors as genomics-focused pharmacology starts to play a greater role in cancer treatment. The choice of treatments to improve patient outcomes in the future is largely believed to be driven by NGS-driven companion diagnostics, as targeted medicines have become the new standard of care in oncology. NGS offers advantages over conventional techniques in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, and speed, and has the potential to have a big impact on the cancer area. It is unnecessary to request many tests to find the causal mutation because NGS may evaluate multiple genes in a single assay. The use of these procedures has increased as a result of technological developments in the field of protein and DNA sequencing and the decreased cost of these services, which has in turn allowed the global market for sequencing reagents to expand. Funding for research institutions rose due to increased R&D efforts, and the widespread use of these services in corporate research has also allowed the Sequencing Reagents market to grow more quickly. Get Sample Report Today: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-2C7687/Global_Sequencing_Reagents_Market SEQUENCING REAGENTS SHARE ANALYSIS: Due to technological advancements and an increase in the use of sequencing techniques, Asia-Pacific is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate during the projection period. The global sequencing reagents market is growing at the highest rate in the oncology segment due to factors like the increasing number of cancer patients, which has prompted researchers to invest heavily in developing novel medicines and conducting clinical research to provide better care for cancer patients. Buy Regional Market Chapter On North America: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-2C7687/global-sequencing-reagents/6 Buy Regional Market chapter On Asia Pacific: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-2C7687/global-sequencing-reagents/8 Key Companies: Thermo Fisher Scientific Bioline Takara Bio ArcherDX Fluidigm Corporation Pacific Biosciences of California F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG Oxford Nanopore Technologies Agilent Technologies Illumina BGI Qiagen Buy Chapter On Company Profiles: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-2C7687/global-sequencing-reagents/11 Buy Now for Single User + Covid-19 Impact : https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=QYRE-Auto-2C7687&lic=single-user SUBSCRIPTION We have introduced a tailor-made subscription for our customers. Please leave a note in the Comment Section to know about our subscription plans. SIMILAR REPORTS: - Refurbished DNA Sequencing Platforms market size is projected to reach USD 92 million by 2028, from USD 50 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 8.5% during 2022-2028. - Gene Sequencing market was valued at USD 17290 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 46590 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 18.0% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - The global Phase Change Material (PCM) market was valued at USD 1045.3 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 2361.5 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 12.2% during the forecast period 2023-2029. - Biotechnology Reagents market size is projected to reach USD 109070 million by 2028, from USD 66280 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 7.3% during 2022-2028. - Immune Repertoire Sequencing market size is projected to reach USD 128.8 million by 2028, from USD 103.3 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 3.2% during 2022-2028. - Targeted RNA Sequencing market size is projected to reach USD 6084.5 million by 2027, from USD 1407.6 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 22.5% during 2021-2027. - Sequencing Kits and Reagents Market - Global MicroRNA Sequencing (miRNA-Seq) Market Insights and Forecast to 2028 - Clinical Oncology Next Generation Sequencing Market - Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) Market - MicroRNA Reverse Transcription Market - Stem Cell Banking market size is estimated to be worth USD 1789 million in 2021 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 2927.2 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 7.2% during the review period. - Organ-on-a-Chip market size is estimated to be worth USD 80 million in 2022 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 581.2 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 39.1% during the review period. - Nanotechnology Market was valued at USD 1.76 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach USD 33.63 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 36.4% from 2021 to 2030. - Cell Culture Market accounted for USD 16,107.7 million in 2019 and is expected to reach USD 36,926.8 million by 2027, registering a CAGR of 10.9% from 2020 to 2027. 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CONTACT US: Valuates Reports [email protected] For U.S. Toll-Free Call 1-(315)-215-3225 For IST Call +91-8040957137 WhatsApp: +91-9945648335 Website: https://reports.valuates.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/valuatesreports LinkedIn - https://in.linkedin.com/company/valuatesreports Sitemap: https://reports.valuates.com/sitemap/html/reports/363 https://reports.valuates.com/sitemap/html/reports/364 https://reports.valuates.com/sitemap/html/reports/365 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082232/Valuates_Reports_Logo.jpg SOURCE Valuates Reports STOCKHOLM, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Highlights according to segment reporting: Revenue for the quarter amounted to SEK 40.4 billion (44.4); adjusted for currency effects, revenue decreased 19 percent. For the full year, revenue amounted to SEK 161.6 billion (147.6); adjusted for currency effects, revenue was unchanged. (44.4); adjusted for currency effects, revenue decreased 19 percent. For the full year, revenue amounted to (147.6); adjusted for currency effects, revenue was unchanged. Operating income amounted to SEK 3.5 billion (3.6); adjusted for currency effects, operating income decreased 8 percent. For the full year, operating income amounted to SEK 9.3 billion (9.8); adjusted for currency effects, operating income decreased 11 percent. (3.6); adjusted for currency effects, operating income decreased 8 percent. For the full year, operating income amounted to (9.8); adjusted for currency effects, operating income decreased 11 percent. Earnings per share amounted to SEK 7.28 (7.45) for the period, and SEK 18.62 (19.80) for the full year. (7.45) for the period, and (19.80) for the full year. The Board of Directors proposes a dividend of SEK 7.50 (7.00+3.00) per share. (7.00+3.00) per share. Operating cash flow from operations amounted to SEK -2.1 billion (2.5) for the period, and SEK -2.3 billion (4.2) for the full year, according to IFRS. (2.5) for the period, and (4.2) for the full year, according to IFRS. Adjusted interest-bearing net receivables(+)/net debt(-) totaled SEK 12.1 billion ( September 30, 2022 : 14.1). ( : 14.1). Order bookings in Construction amounted to SEK 51.6 billion (42.3) for the period. For the full year, order bookings amounted to SEK 162.7 billion (153.6). Adjusted for currency effects, order bookings quarter over quarter increased 9 percent. Rolling 12-month book-to-build ratio was 104 percent (116). (42.3) for the period. For the full year, order bookings amounted to (153.6). Adjusted for currency effects, order bookings quarter over quarter increased 9 percent. Rolling 12-month book-to-build ratio was 104 percent (116). Operating income in Construction amounted to SEK 2.3 billion (1.6), representing an operating margin of 5.4 percent (4.2). For the full year, operating income amounted to SEK 5.8 billion (5.0), representing an operating margin of 3.7 percent (3.8). (1.6), representing an operating margin of 5.4 percent (4.2). For the full year, operating income amounted to (5.0), representing an operating margin of 3.7 percent (3.8). Operating income in Project Development amounted to SEK 1.3 billion (2.1) in the period, and SEK 3.9 billion (5.2) for the full year. (2.1) in the period, and (5.2) for the full year. Return on capital employed in Project Development was 8.1 percent (11.8). Return on equity was 15.8 percent (20.1). This report will also be presented via a telephone conference and a audiocast at 10:00 CET on February 3, 2023. The telephone conference will be webcasted live at www.skanska.com/investors, where a recording of the conference will also be available later. To participate in the telephone conference, please dial +46 (0)8 5051 00 31, or +44 (0)207 107 06 13, or +1 (1) 631 570 56 13. This and previous releases can also be found at www.group.skanska.com/investors. This is information that Skanska AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the Senior Vice President Investor Relations set out below, at 07:30 CET on February 3, 2023. For further information, please contact: Magnus Persson, Executive Vice President and CFO, Skanska AB, tel +46 10 448 8900 Antonia Junelind, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations, Skanska AB, tel +46 10 448 6261 Karolina Cederhage, Senior Vice President, Communications, Skanska AB, tel +46 10 448 0880 Matti Kataja, Acting Head of Media Relations and Public Affairs, Skanska AB, tel +46 10 449 6798 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/95/3708373/1824095.pdf Skanska Q4 2022 ENG SOURCE Skanska NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dear Managing Director Georgieva, The Ad Hoc Group of Sri Lanka Bondholders (the "Bondholder Group") acknowledges the Sri Lankan authorities' engagement with their official creditors towards a resolution of the current crisis and restoration of debt sustainability. The Bondholder Group further acknowledges that such engagement has recently resulted in the Government of India (in its letter to the IMF, dated January 16, 2023 (the "India Letter")) delivering letters of financing assurances, committing to support Sri Lanka and contribute to its efforts to restore debt sustainability by providing debt relief and financing consistent with the IMF Extended Fund Facility Arrangement (the "IMF Programme") and the IMF Programme targets indicated in the India Letter. Similarly, the Bondholder Group through its Steering Committee stands ready to engage quickly and effectively with the Sri Lankan authorities to design and implement restructuring terms that would help Sri Lanka restore debt sustainability and allow the country to re-gain access to the international capital markets during the IMF Programme period. Based on the limited information available to us at this time, including information contained in the India Letter, we understand that the IMF Programme's debt sustainability targets are identified as (i) reducing the ratio of public debt to GDP to 95% by 2032, (ii) limiting the central government's annual gross financing needs to GDP ratio to 13% in the period between 2027 and 2032, and central government annual foreign currency debt service at 4.5% of GDP in every year between 2027 and 2032 and (iii) closing of the external financing gap. The Bondholder Group hereby confirms it is prepared to engage, through its Steering Committee, with the Sri Lankan authorities in restructuring negotiations consistent with the parameters of an IMF Programme and the targets specified therein (the "IMF Programme Targets"), which the Bondholder Group understands to be the targets identified in the India Letter; it being recognized that these negotiations will necessarily be further informed by the receipt of the forthcoming DSA. We would note that the finalization of an agreement will also be subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions: The central government's domestic debt defined as debt governed by local law is reorganized in a manner that both ensures debt sustainability and safeguards financial stability. Assuming that annual gross financing needs should not exceed 13% of GDP in the period between 2027 and 2032, whilst allowing for central government annual foreign currency debt service to reach 4.5% of GDP in every year between 2027 and 2032, domestic gross financing should therefore be limited at 8.5% of GDP for the period 2027-2032. While we recognize that the determination of the economic assumptions underpinning the IMF Programme Targets is ultimately the responsibility of the IMF and that the overall design of the IMF Programme is one that is negotiated between the IMF and Sri Lanka , it is nevertheless important that the Bondholder Group has the opportunity to express its views on both the economic assumptions underpinning these IMF Programme Targets and the adequacy and feasibility of the adjustment efforts contemplated under the IMF Programme. When considering any restructuring proposal that is made to the Bondholder Group, it is the Bondholder Group's intention to take into consideration the extent to which the economic assumptions and the adjustment efforts are consistent with these views. Recognizing the important commitments made by India in the India Letter, the Sri Lankan authorities will apply the principle of comparable treatment in respect of the debt relief requested and obtained from all their remaining official bilateral creditors. Sincerely yours, The Ad Hoc Group of Sri Lanka Bondholders All media inquiries should be directed to Greenbrook Advisory at the addresses below: Email / Telephone: [email protected] / +44 (0) 20 7952 2000 James Madsen ([email protected]) and Bree Taylor ([email protected]) SOURCE White & Case LLP NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun River Health has been approved to receive $1.8 million in omnibus appropriations funding from Congress requested by Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries for Sun River Health The Alpha School in Brooklyn, and $2 million requested by Senator Chuck Schumer and Representatives Sean Patrick Maloney for Sun River Health Beacon. "We are incredibly grateful to Senator Chuck Schumer and Representatives Hakeem Jeffries and Sean Patrick Maloney for securing these important funds for our community health center sites at The Alpha School in Brooklyn and in Beacon," said Anne Kauffman Nolon, MPH, Sun River Health CEO. "The funding for The Alpha School is a critical resource needed to bring this expanded health center vision to fruition. This expansion will ensure that more New Yorkers are able to access a wider variety of vital health care services, including walk-in primary care and behavioral health care, all utilizing using state-of-the-art equipment in a space that honors patients and creates a healing environment. The funding for Beacon will meet this community's growing needs, including by adding urgent care and expanding primary care." The $1.8 million for The Alpha School will support the expansion of the facility's primary care, behavioral health services, and OASAS programs in East New York, a medically underserved area in which more than 56% of the residents are low income and experience high rates of chronic health conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and HIV/AIDS. The $2 million in funding for Sun River Health Beacon will help create a six-exam room urgent care suite. For more information, contact: Jeffrey Palmer 917-692-9174 / [email protected] SOURCE Sun River Health The Foundation's Senior Leaders travel to Atlanta to meet with Georgia-based grantees and City of Atlanta's Economic Development team ATLANTA, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rockefeller Foundation announced that on Thursday, its president and a half dozen members of its senior leadership team met with three Georgia-based grantees, Our Village United, Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs, and The Common Market Georgia, several small businesses that have benefitted from Foundation investment, local entrepreneurs, and members of the City of Atlanta's Economic Development team. The meeting, which took place at The Gathering Spot on Northyards Blvd. in northwest Atlanta, marks the first time that The Rockefeller Foundation's senior leaders have traveled together to one of the organization's priority cities since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Rockefeller Foundations president and senior leaders met with three Georgia-based grantees in northwest Atlanta. (Left to right: Natalye Paquin and Dr. Rajiv J. Shah with The Rockefeller Foundation, Bill Green with Common Market, and Martina Edwards with ACE Loans) "Our leadership team has come down to Atlanta, a community that illustrates many of the challenges vulnerable people face in 21st century America and the many opportunities The Foundation and our grantees can embrace to advance our nearly 110-year-old mission of promoting the well-being of humanity," said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. "Because Atlanta ranks number one for income inequality in America, we have prioritized investing in the city as part of our broader effort to advance equity and economic opportunity and expand access to healthier food in the United States." Making Opportunity Universal in Atlanta The Rockefeller Foundation has invested more than $11.3 million in and around Metro Atlanta across its Equity & Economic Opportunity and Food programs since 2019. Recent collaborations include: Selecting Atlanta as one of a dozen U.S. cities where the Foundation invested in organizations and projects focused on breaking down barriers to capital and credit access for Black and Latinx small businesses through the The Rockefeller Foundation Opportunity Collective (ROC) . as one of a dozen U.S. cities where the Foundation invested in organizations and projects focused on breaking down barriers to capital and credit access for Black and Latinx small businesses through the . Supporting the efforts of Our Village United (OVU) , which works with Black entrepreneurs and organizational partners to create access to funding, technical assistance, and capacity building through the Foundation's ROC initiative. Since the 2020 grant to the ELEVATE program, a 12-week incubation program that connects solopreneurs and microbusinesses with small business and community resources, tools, and expertise within the Village Market Atlanta ecosystem, OVU has graduated 100 businesses through its program, dispersed over $45,000 in novel capital, and delivered over 200 hours of mentoring, 160 hours of direct training, and 107 hours of wellness support. , which works with Black entrepreneurs and organizational partners to create access to funding, technical assistance, and capacity building through the Foundation's ROC initiative. Since the 2020 grant to the ELEVATE program, a 12-week incubation program that connects solopreneurs and microbusinesses with small business and community resources, tools, and expertise within the Village Market Atlanta ecosystem, OVU has graduated 100 businesses through its program, dispersed over in novel capital, and delivered over 200 hours of mentoring, 160 hours of direct training, and 107 hours of wellness support. Investing in Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE ) , which is focused on providing economic development to underserved people and communities by supporting loans often referred to as the "missing middle" ( $100,000 to $250,000 ) and by coupling business advisory services with lending to ensure small business owners have the business acumen to build successful enterprises. Over the last 12 months, ACE has leveraged grant funding to deploy $2.7 million in capital to 22 small businesses and provided over 167 hours total of business advisory services. Their loans have also helped business owners retain 80 employees and create 54 local jobs. In addition to its initial grant in 2021, The Rockefeller Foundation provided a grant in 2022 as part of its Economic Opportunity Coalition in support of providing diverse and flexible lending solutions and educational resources to historically disadvantaged small business owners in the Metro Atlanta area. , which is focused on providing economic development to underserved people and communities by supporting loans often referred to as the "missing middle" ( to ) and by coupling business advisory services with lending to ensure small business owners have the business acumen to build successful enterprises. Over the last 12 months, ACE has leveraged grant funding to deploy in capital to 22 small businesses and provided over 167 hours total of business advisory services. Their loans have also helped business owners retain 80 employees and create 54 local jobs. In addition to its initial grant in 2021, The Rockefeller Foundation provided a grant in 2022 as part of its Economic Opportunity Coalition in support of providing diverse and flexible lending solutions and educational resources to historically disadvantaged small business owners in the Metro Atlanta area. Expanding access to healthier foods while building local capacity and creating more market opportunities for Black farmers and other underserved farm businesses through The Common Market, Georgia , nonprofit regional food aggregator and distributor that also supports local, sustainable small farmers. Following an initial planning contract to co-create a shared vision and strategy with several local partners, The Rockefeller Foundation awarded Common Market a three-year grant in 2022 to support a more equitable and resilient Atlanta regional food system. This includes significantly deepening Atlanta's commitment to good food procurement and supporting Black farmers and other small- and mid-sized regional producers with capacity investments, land access, forward contracts, and technical assistance. This funding also includes sub-grants to several local and regional partners, including Georgia Organics, The Conservation Fund, Emory University's Turned Environmental Law Clinic, and Health Care Without Harm. Dr. Shah was joined in the visit by Natalye Paquin, COO of The Rockefeller Foundation, who joined the Foundation in December after serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of Atlanta-based Points of Light, which was founded by former President George H.W. Bush to encourage people to change their communities and the wider world. "It is a pleasure to welcome my new colleagues to a city I've lived in and loved for years, and it's a privilege to meet Rockefeller partners, and see their inspiring work, in person," said Ms. Paquin. Additional members of The Rockefeller Foundation's delegation include Elizabeth Yee, Executive Vice President of Global Programs, Ashvin Dayal, Senior Vice President for Power & Climate, Mike Muldoon, Chief of Staff to the President, and Eileen O'Connor, Senior Vice President for Communications, Policy & Advocacy. About The Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We work to promote the well-being of humanity and make opportunity universal and sustainable. Our focus is on scaling renewable energy for all, stimulating economic mobility, and ensuring equitable access to health care and nutritious food. For more information, sign up for our newsletter at rockefellerfoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @RockefellerFdn. SOURCE The Rockefeller Foundation A roundup of the week's most newsworthy energy industry press releases from PR Newswire, including sustainable aviation fuel projects and investments in renewable energies. NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the energy and natural resources industry stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed. The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download. PR Newswire Weekly Energy Press Release Roundup, Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 2023. Photo provided by Honeywell. https://prn.to/3wD1TIP Read more of the latest energy-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNenergy on Twitter. Can't-Miss Earnings In addition to these popular releases, several must-read earnings reports crossed the wire this week, including the quarterly results for Honeywell, Spire, and Magellan Midstream. Catch up on all the latest earnings reports here. Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists. Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features: Customization: Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more. About PR Newswire and PR Newswire for Journalists For more than 65 years, PR Newswire has been the industry leader with the largest, most comprehensive distribution network of print, radio, magazine, television stations, financial portals and trade publications. PR Newswire has an unparalleled global reach of more than 200,000 publications and 10,000 websites and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages. PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals. For questions, contact the team at [email protected]. SOURCE PR Newswire A roundup of the week's most newsworthy health industry press releases from PR Newswire, including a survey of Americans' top health concerns. NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the healthcare industry stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed. The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download. PR Newswire Weekly Healthcare Press Release Roundup, Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 2023. Photo provided by MedStar Health. https://prn.to/3juF1bp Read more of the latest health-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNhealth on Twitter. Can't-Miss Earnings In addition to these popular releases, several must-read earnings reports crossed the wire this week, including the quarterly results for Amgen, Cardinal Health, and Boston Scientific. Catch up on all the latest earnings reports here. Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists. Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features: Customization: Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more. About PR Newswire and PR Newswire for Journalists For more than 65 years, PR Newswire has been the industry leader with the largest, most comprehensive distribution network of print, radio, magazine, television stations, financial portals and trade publications. PR Newswire has an unparalleled global reach of more than 200,000 publications and 10,000 websites and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages. PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals. For questions, contact the team at [email protected]. SOURCE PR Newswire A roundup of the week's most newsworthy technology industry press releases from PR Newswire, including the new Samsung Galaxy S23 and Vrbo's new party prevention technology. NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the business technology industry stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed. The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download. PR Newswire Weekly Technology Press Release Roundup, Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 2023. Photo provided by Samsung. https://prn.to/3Yh9tEL Read more of the latest business technology releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNtech on Twitter. Can't-Miss Earnings In addition to these popular releases, several must-read earnings reports crossed the wire this week, including the quarterly results for Meta, Silicon Labs, and Match Group. Catch up on all the latest earnings reports here. Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists. Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features: Customization: Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more. About PR Newswire and PR Newswire for Journalists For more than 65 years, PR Newswire has been the industry leader with the largest, most comprehensive distribution network of print, radio, magazine, television stations, financial portals and trade publications. PR Newswire has an unparalleled global reach of more than 200,000 publications and 10,000 websites and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages. PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals. For questions, contact the team at [email protected]. SOURCE PR Newswire Two popular proprietary cannabis brands Modern Flower and Roll One will launch statewide TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL ) (OTCQX: TCNNF ) ("Trulieve '' or "the Company''), a leading and top-performing cannabis company in the United States, today announced the February launch of two of its proprietary brands in Massachusetts, Roll One on February 3 and Modern Flower on February 10. Trulieve is launching two of its proprietary brands in Massachusetts, Roll One on February 3 and Modern Flower on February 10. "It's an exciting time for Massachusetts' cannabis market as we continue to expand our offerings and introduce proprietary brands in this growing state," said Kim Rivers , CEO of Trulieve. "Trulieve continues to focus on providing high-quality cannabis and offering a wide variety of innovative products that fit our customer's needs and budget." The two new product introductions in Massachusetts are: Roll One Launching statewide on February 3 , this is quality cannabis at an everyday value. The brand's indoor-grown flower is expertly tended to by industry-leading cultivators at local state-of-the-art facilities. Flower options will feature classic, quality strains available in a variety of increments including 7g ground flower, 3.5g whole flower, and 1g pre-rolls. Roll One is also introducing a new product to the Massachusetts market with a pre-roll 4-pack. Launching statewide on , this is quality cannabis at an everyday value. The brand's indoor-grown flower is expertly tended to by industry-leading cultivators at local state-of-the-art facilities. Flower options will feature classic, quality strains available in a variety of increments including 7g ground flower, 3.5g whole flower, and 1g pre-rolls. Roll One is also introducing a new product to the market with a pre-roll 4-pack. Modern Flower Launching statewide on February 10 , Modern Flower focuses on accessibility, quality, and reliability. Created for modern cannabis consumers with everyday use in mind, these popular indoor-grown strains and innovative products are created with cutting-edge technologies. These options are a combination of modern potencies and affordability, with a diverse set of offerings - so everyone can enjoy a new and Modern approach to cannabis. Available on launch day will be whole flower, 1g pre-rolls, and more coming soon. Roll One is also available at Trulieve locations in Arizona, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia (starting February 3). Modern Flower is available at Trulieve locations in Arizona, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia (starting February 10). Both Roll One and Modern Flower are also available at Trulieve's partner dispensaries in the Northeast. Trulieve dispensaries in Massachusetts are located in Framingham, Northampton and Worcester. For more information on store activations, promotions and locations, please visit trulieve.com/dispensaries/massachusetts. About Trulieve Trulieve is an industry leading, vertically integrated cannabis company and multi-state operator in the U.S., with established hubs in the Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest, anchored by leading market positions in Arizona, Florida, and Pennsylvania. Trulieve is poised for accelerated growth and expansion, building scale in retail and distribution in new and existing markets through its hub strategy. By providing innovative, high-quality products across its brand portfolio, Trulieve delivers optimal customer experiences and increases access to cannabis, helping patients and customers to live without limits. Trulieve is listed on the CSE under the symbol TRUL and trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol TCNNF. For more information, please visit Trulieve.com . Facebook: @Trulieve Instagram: @Trulieve_ Twitter: @Trulieve Investor Contact Christine Hersey, Vice President of Investor Relations +1 (424) 202-0210 [email protected] Media Contact Rob Kremer, Executive Director of Corporate Communications +1 (404) 218-3077 [email protected] SOURCE Trulieve Cannabis Corp. THE VETERAN INSTITUTE FOR PROCUREMENT OFFERS A SUPPORT NETWORK FOR VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESSES TO FLOURISH IN A HIGHLY COMPETATIVE DEFENSE INDUSTRY! TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cadence Coalition and Paragon Cyber Solutions, recently completed the Veteran Institute Procurement (VIP) GROW Program, a comprehensive training and certification program that helps veteran-owned businesses strengthen their ability to win government contracts and do business with both military and civilian agencies. On January 26, 2023, Cadence Coalition and Paragon Cyber Solutions was one of 45 companies from 16 states, plus D.C., to graduate from the Veteran Institute for Procurement (VIP) GROW Program. "This program will be a game changer for the growth of our companies. It offers extensive insight, resources, and mentorship. Cadence Coalition and Paragon Cyber Solutions were honored together and we are proud, to not only represent the Tampa Bay Defense Industry, and veterans, but also minority and woman-owned businesses." - Shandi Perkins/CEO and Founder of Cadence Coalition The first of its kind in the nation, VIP GROW is a 3-day, 27-hour comprehensive certification program designed for veteran-owned small businesses to increase their ability to win government contracts. Participants must be a C-level leader in a Veteran-owned small business operating for at least two years with a minimum of 3 full time employees and have experience working on government contracts as a prime and/or sub-contractor to a prime. Facilitated by subject matter experts, VIP GROW participants receive hands-on market-based instruction that helps establish best business practices for Federal government contracting. There are over 20 topics taught by highly experienced industry and government professionals with a focus on accelerating growth through best business practices. Curriculum subject examples include: Reducing risk to veteran-owned companies, their customers, and teaming partners; Accounting/ Budgets/ Developing Rates; Compliance Contracting Teaming, Joint Ventures, RFI; Financing/Capital Management; Human Resources; Insurance; Marketing Proposals & Capture Since the program launched in 2009, 1,113 Veteran-Owned Small Businesses have graduated from VIP GROW. VIP GROW graduates report growth rate averages of 57% within one year of graduating from the Institute and more than 180% two years after graduating. VIP is fully funded by the Montgomery County Chamber Community Foundation, partnerships with SBA, Lockheed Martin, and the State of Maryland, and VIP sponsors. SOURCE Cadence Coalition DUBLIN, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "UAE Pharmaceutical Market, By Drug Type (Generic Drugs v/s Branded Drugs), By Product Type (Prescription Drugs v/s Over-The-Counter Drugs), By Application, By Distribution Channel, By Region, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. UAE pharmaceutical market is anticipated to register growth with an impressive CAGR in the forecast period, 2023-2027, on the account of expanding healthcare industry and investment in the industry. Surging demands from the growing population of the country for efficient pharmaceutical products are further driving the growth of the UAE pharmaceutical market in the upcoming five years. Government Initiatives Drive Market Growth United Arab Emirates' government is actively focused on advancing the pharmaceutical industry. Initiatives like the Dubai Industrial Strategy 2030 and the Abu Dhabi vision 2030 is focused toward developing the pharmaceutical industry due to its future growth prospects, export potential and mid-term to long-term economic impact. Till recent past, the country pharmaceutical demands were highly met through imported drugs and pharmaceutical products. Going forward, the country is actively functioning to decrease the import of pharmaceutical and manufacture their own products through increasing investments in pharmaceutical and therapeutic products' research and development. In the year 2018, country imported pharmaceutical products worth over USD14.9 billion from the countries like Germany, USA, France and Switzerland. To increase their self-production of pharmaceutical products the country is initiating bonds with multinational market players. With favorable schemes and plans for the distribution channels and funding strategic location and sophisticated logistics infrastructure is also anticipated to further strengthen the growth of the UAE pharmaceutical market in the future five years. India - UAE Bilateral Trade Supports Pharmaceutical Industry India stands 3rd in terms of pharmaceutical products volume production and 14th in terms of value of the industry across the world. With the historic partnership, the countries are trying to establish a conjugated pharmaceutical industry that would benefit the industry in both countries. Moreover, with the recent pandemic effect the import-export channels have suffered drastically in recent years. Therefore, UAE is trying to establish more permanent solution to the surging demands for the pharmaceutical products in the country. Growing Instances Of Diseases Upsurges Drug Demands Increasing number of chronic diseases, infectious diseases, and lifestyle diseases are major factor influencing the growth of the pharmaceutical market in the country. Chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, neurological disorders, etc. are driving the market growth. 4,807 new cancer cases were observed in the country among both male and female population in the country. Infectious diseases due to higher tourism, and environmental factor, and the recent viral infection due to COVID-19 facilitated the demand for pharmaceutical products. Disrupted import channels, have pushed the pharmaceutical companies in the country to manufacture drugs and medicines in the country and government also supported the notion with higher investment in the sector. Competitive Landscape Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in UAE pharmaceutical market. Julphar Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries Bayer Consumer Health Lifepharma FZE Niner Pharmaceuticals LLC GlaxoSmithKline & Neopharma Pfizer UAE Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC Report Scope: UAE Pharmaceutical Market, By Drug Type: Generic Drugs Branded Drugs UAE Pharmaceutical Market, By Product Type: Prescription Drugs Over-The-Counter Drugs UAE Pharmaceutical Market, By Application: Cardiovascular Musculoskeletal Oncology Anti-infective Metabolic Disorder Others UAE Pharmaceutical Market, By Distribution Channel: Retail Pharmacy Hospital Pharmacy E-Pharmacy UAE Pharmaceutical Market, By Region: Dubai Region Sharjah Region Abu Dhabi Region Rest of UAE For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/6ww2v6 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets LONDON, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ulike, the leading hair removal brand known for its patented medical grade sapphire ice-cooling technology, launches its "Gift your love" Valentine's campaign on its official website. In this day of expressing love, Ulike encourages all the fans to celebrate the day smoothly with their loved ones, and treat themselves better with its iconic hair removal device. Equipped with a medical grade diamond sapphire ice-cooling hair removal technology, which is widely used in large salons, the Ulike Sapphire Air Hair Removal Device effectively avoids burning and heat injuries caused by high temperatures and ensures each treatment is painless and safe, delivering the beauty salon experience at home without costing a fortune. With a flat design on the head, the hair remover is easy to press on skin to remove unwanted hair from any part of the body including arms, legs, underarms, bikini lines and face without causing irritation or pain. Besides, Ulike's leading Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) technology has been cleared by FDA, is able to banish hair at the root by destroying the nutrient supply of the dermal papilla and hair follicles, permanently reduces hair regrowth over time, and bring users professional and visible results in just four weeks. During Jan. 28 to Feb. 14, Ulike provides not only Valentine's beauty inspirations on the site, but also a special discount for beauty fans to get the iconic Sapphire Air Hair Removal Device. About Ulike Founded in 2013, Ulike has focused on household beauty devices ever since and is now one of the most popular depilator brands in the world. With the vision to provide salon-grade hair removal at home for everyone, Ulike is dedicating on developing safe skincare treatments with innovative technology and cosmetic patents. For more information, please visit ulike.com SOURCE Ulike JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The FairTax Act of 2023, HR 25 was filed in the 118th Congress by Representative Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (GA-1). Prime examples of freedom fights are the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence and the Civil Rights Act. They are about the truth, "social justice", the "great good" and uniting people. The FAIRtax Act of 2023, HR 25, is the fight for "financial freedom" from the income/payroll tax system, defunding the I.R.S. and repeal of the 16th Amendment. The Act represents the largest transfer of power from the government to the people in over 100 years. The FAIRtax sales tax with monthly Prebate put the individual in control when, how much tax is paid and the individual tax rate. The Act is also about funding the government with a tax system that is simple, visible and efficient. The FAIRtax Act, HR 25 is to be scheduled for a House vote in the 118th Congress. Steve Hayes, President of the Americans for FAIR Taxation says, "The FAIRtax ACT is about financial freedom with real/true tax reform. There is much misinformation, half-truths and biased opinions about taxation because government, most politicians, lobbyists, the deep state, special interests and crony capitalists use the power and control of taxing for their advantage. Missing from all of their manic attacks is any attempt to defend the present corrupt income tax system or the IRS. If these people are against the FAIRtax Act, don't you think you should investigate its merits? Do not trust anyonefigure it out for yourself. Read the 133 page bill, learn more, view the videos, read the white papers at fairtax.org." A "yes" vote on the FAIRtax Act means: Part 1 of 2: Government to be funded with a national sales/consumption tax of $0.23 per dollar on all new goods and services. Used goods are not taxed. per dollar on all new goods and services. Used goods are not taxed. Part 2 of 2: Only one tax break, called the "Prebate", that most helps impoverished and low spenders, consists of a monthly tax refund of the FAIRtax. The "Prebate" is available only to legal U.S. residents and is based on subsistence level spending per family size. The Prebate means individuals will gain the financial freedom to determine with their spending when and how much FAIRtax they will pay and the effective tax rate. The Prebate disarms the sales tax critics. Defunding the I.R.S, repeal of the 16th Amendment (individual direct taxation), ending the income/payroll tax system and collecting the same total taxes. A "no" vote on the FAIRtax Act means: A doubling of the I.R.S. agents as the solution to tax cheating and evasion Denying financial help to citizens with lower income. Continuing a deceptive tax system that taxes business to drive up their prices to pay their added expenses. Example, taxing big oil means the consumer pays more at the gas pump. A tax code that D.C. manipulates to set one group against another--so we won't see just how poorly they are doing representing us. And what D.C. fears the most, the ability of the people to see the true cost of government because it will be not hidden but on the receipt of every new retail purchase. A vote against financial freedom, liberty and civil rights. Other benefits of the FAIRtax Act Financial freedom unifies America to ensure the I.R.S. is defunded and the 16 th Amendment is repealed Amendment is repealed Solution to tax evasion and cheating, approaching a $1 trillion per year problem per year problem Earn, save and invest without tax fears and concerns No annual tax filing and tax withholding No changes to Social Security and Medicare programs Moving the tax base from production to consumption, a larger/more stable base New tax collects the same total tax revenues as replaced taxes U.S. Treasury audits the 50 states who collect the FAIRtax tax from licensed businesses that are paid by the final consumer Link to video of What is the FAIRtax? https://fairtax.org/videos/how-the-fairtax-works Learn more, view the videos, contribute and join the all-volunteer organization at Fairtax.org. Florida Fair Tax Educational Association is a 501(c) (3) to inform and educate the citizens on alternatives to the current system of federal taxation based on the following principles: fairness, simplicity, transparency, pro-economic growth and revenue neutrality. Florida Fair Tax Educational Association PO Box 23346 Jacksonville, FL 32241 www.fairtax.org www.flfairtax.org www.fairtaxguys.com Facebook.com/fairtax FAIRtax video at https://fairtax.org/videos/how-the-fairtax-works Paid for by Florida Fair Tax Educational Association Contacts Americans for Fair Taxation Steve Hayes, President, and Randy Fischer, Marketing, 800-FAIRTAX and [email protected] Florida Fair Tax Educational Association Paul Livingston, President, [email protected] SOURCE Florida FAIRtax Educational Association Viettel's brand value reached US$8.9 billion in 2023 up US$ 144 m illion to 2022. T he most valuable telecoms brand in Southeast Asia , jumped 1 place in Asia and global telecommunications rankings . 8 consecutive years of increasing brand value on the Brand Finance Global 500 HANOI, Vietnam, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Viettel Group was named as the most valuable telecoms brand in Southeast Asia and the 17th in the world, according to the latest Brand Finance Global 500. Viettel Group, with a brand value of US$8.9 billion, ranked the 234th position globally, and is the only brand of Vietnam and the only telecoms one of Southeast Asia listed in the 2023 rankings. Viettel remains a series of 8 consecutive years of increasing brand value even in the context of the 2022 recession. All-out efforts bring spectacular growth in 2022 Viettel Group was named as the most valuable telecoms brand in Southeast Asia and the 17th in the world Viettels brand value reached US$8.9 billion in 2023 up US$144 million to 2022 In 2022, amid continued turbulence in the global economic environment and the far-reaching effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam still recorded high growth, and become a bright spot in the world economy. Vietnam's economy grew 8.02% in 2022, the highest rate recorded in the 2011-2022 period. The increase is three-times the growth in 2021 and exceeded the target of 6-6.5% set by the Government. Several Vietnamese firms rose as silver lightning of Vietnam's economy with billions of dollars in profits. Amid the uncertainties, Viettel pressed ahead with quality-oriented solutions in all fields such as telecoms, foreign investment, IT and digital services, Hi-tech R&D. Viettel earned pre-tax profits of VND43.1 trillion (US$1.8 billion) in 2022, the highest growth recorded since 2017. The profits rose 3% from 2021. The group's consolidated revenues increased by 6.1% to VND163 trillion (US$6.9 billion). Viettel said telecommunications continued to be its main source of revenue, as the company remained the largest mobile telecommunications service provider in Vietnam, with a market share of 54%. Last year, Viettel's foreign investment for the first time reached nearly US$3 billion. Meanwhile, it remitted home nearly US$500 million, the highest amount in the last five years. By the end of last year, it had repatriated nearly 70% of its total investment abroad. The digital solutions and services provided by Viettel also had a breakthrough when revenues from information technology solutions surged by 58%. About Viettel Group Viettel Group is an international enterprise headquartered in Hanoi, Vietnam. The group has investments in 11 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin-America. Viettel has five business lines including telecommunications and information technology (IT); research and manufacture of electronic and telecommunications equipment; defense industry; cyber security and digital services. Viettel Telecom, a member of Viettel Group, is the largest telecommunications service provider in Vietnam. SOURCE Viettel Group Effort Seeks to Raise Awareness Around Solutions and Services to Support Rural Americans WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FINN Partners, a leading global integrated marketing and communications agency, and OffScrip Health, a digital health media platform focused on patient engagement and empowerment, announced today that their joint initiative "Heartbreak in America's Heartland Crisis in Rural America" was highlighted by the Biden Administration in the White House's one year update on the President's Cancer Moonshot. From the White House Fact Sheet: New coalition launches to address the obstacles rural patient communities face accessing care. A broad national advocacy campaign is set to be launched, bringing together a diverse coalition of public-private partners to raise awareness and spur action to address the persistent, underlying issues that have caused rural America to fall behind in healthcare, technology, and infrastructure. The coalition includes Stupid Cancer, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Prevent Cancer Foundation, Cervivor, National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, Cancer and Careers, Triage Cancer, Tigerlily Foundation and Fight Colorectal Cancer Patient Advocate Foundation. Underpinning these efforts will be a storytelling campaign led by OffScrip Health, a leading digital health media platform focused on patient engagement, health equity, and access to care, and FINN Partners, a global integrated marketing and communications agency that will tackle critical issues impacting rural communities' health, such as access to care, broadband infrastructure, consumer goods, clean water, telehealth, and more. The series will also spotlight the new technologies, partnerships, and practices that can make a difference in addressing this crisis of care. FINN serves as the pro bono agency of record for the effort, which is centered on a multi-part documentary series produced by OffScrip Health and will appear on the network, intended to raise awareness, spark conversations, promote solutions and highlight the work of communities, leaders in business and health, and policymakers making a difference. As part of the campaign, OffScrip and FINN Partners are building a coalition of companies, academic institutions, and nonprofits. About OffScrip Health Founded in 2019 with a mission to accelerate empathy into healthcare communications, OffScrip Health is a leading digital health media platform focused on what should always matter most in healthcare: the patient. OffScrip Health is one of the fastest-growing patient access, impact, and content influencers in the U.S. market, engaging and interacting with millions of patients across oncology, rare disease, women's health, and more. OffScrip partners with clients in the pharmaceutical and life sciences sector, providing uncompromised access to hyper-targeted audiences concerning disease-state awareness, shared decision-making, health literacy, navigation services, media training, and franchise communications strategy. OffScrip Health was co-founded by 27-year cancer survivor Matthew Zachary one of the most respected, influential, and visionary patient advocate voices in healthcare and Andrew MacDowell, a digital communications executive and caregiver dad to his young son. About FINN Partners Founded in 2011 on the core principles of innovation and collaborative partnership, FINN Partners has grown from about $24 million in fees to almost $200 million in fees during the past 10 years, becoming one of the fastest-growing independent public relations agencies in the world and recognized as a PRovoke Media 2022 Agency of the Year. The full-service marketing and communications company's record-setting pace results from organic growth and integrating new companies and new people into the FINN world through a common philosophy. With more than 1,400 professionals across 33 offices, FINN provides clients with global access and capabilities in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In addition, FINN provides its clients with access to top-tier agencies worldwide through its membership in the global network PROI. Headquartered in New York, FINN has offices in: Atlanta, Bangalore, Beijing, Boston, Chicago, Delhi, Denver, Detroit, Dublin, Fort Lauderdale, Frankfurt, Guam, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Jerusalem, Kuala Lumpur, London, Los Angeles, Manila, Mumbai, Munich, Nashville, Orange County, Paris, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai, Singapore, Vancouver and Washington D.C. Find us at finnpartners.com and follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @finnpartners. Media Contacts OffScrip Health: Andrew MacDowell, Co-Founder & COO [email protected] FINN Partners: Celia Jones, JD, Global Chief Marketing Officer [email protected] +1 773 885 9781 Gil Bashe, Chair Global Health and Purpose [email protected] +1 732 371 0922 SOURCE FINN Partners DUBLIN, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Chemotherapy At Home Services Market" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global chemotherapy at home services market is anticipated to observe impressive growth during the forecast period, 2023-2027 The major factors include growing incidences of different types of cancer, and rising preferences towards at-home medical care, are bolstering the growth of the market. Chemotherapy is a medical practice that is mainly conducted for cancer patients. It uses powerful chemicals to kill fast growing cells in human body. The other factors supporting the market's growth are growing need to reduce the period of inpatient stays, the increasing population, changing societal behavior, increasing government investments, growth in geriatric population, and technological advancements in field of chemotherapy devices. Also, strategic partnerships and collaborations are fueling the growth of the market. For instance, CVS Health and the Cancer Treatments Centers of America (CTCA) worked in partnership to bolster the access to chemotherapy at home for eligible patients. Increasing Incidence of Cancer and Rise in Geriatric Population Rise in occurrences of various types of cancer such as lung cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer, and others, are propelling the growth of the market. Cancer is considered as second largest cause of mortality and disability across the globe. According to National Cancer Institute, roughly 5.5 million people in the United States are affected by cancer. This number is projected to rise to 20.3 million by 2026. Owing to the rapid increase in number of patients suffering from cancer, the surge in demand for chemotherapy rises, which augments the growth of chemotherapy at home services market, globally. Furthermore, rising geriatric population is also a key factor contributing the growth of the market. For instance, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 77.0 million people will be aged 65 & above by 2034, and this number is anticipated to reach 94.7 million by 2060. Increasing Preference for At-Home Medical Care and Various Technological Advancements Rising consumer inclination toward at-home medical care is bolstering the market growth, globally. The limited movement capabilities by elderly population are fueling the growth of the market. Rising incidences of hospital infections, and cost effectiveness of these devices are curbing the market growth. For instance, in 2021, as per the study, titled 'Predicting Patients at Risk for Prolonged Hospital Stays', only 1.2% of hospital stays lasted more than 21 days. Moreover, various initiatives are taken by government and non-government organization to bolster the growth of the market. In 2021, VS Health and the Cancer Treatments Centers of America (CTCA) collaborated to augment the access to chemotherapy at home for qualified patients. Competitive Landscape Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Chemotherapy At Home Services Market Portea Medical Pvt. Ltd. HealthCare atHOME Ubiqare Health Pvt. Ltd. Vitalis Health and Home Care Pty Ltd Medibank Private Limited. Advocate Medical Group View Health Pty Ltd CVS Health Corporation Report Scope: In this report, global chemotherapy at home services market has been segmented into following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below: Chemotherapy At Home Services Market, By Product: Chemotherapy Drugs Chemotherapy Infusion Pumps Chemotherapy At Home Services Market, By Route of Administration: Oral Intravenous Chemotherapy At Home Services Market, By Cancer Type: Breast Cancer Blood Cancer Ovarian Cancer Colorectal Cancer Others Chemotherapy At Home Services Market, By Region: North America United States Canada Mexico Asia-Pacific China India Japan Australia South Korea Europe & CIS & CIS Germany France United Kingdom Spain Italy South America Brazil Argentina Colombia Middle East & Africa & South Africa Saudi Arabia UAE For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/snj23f-at?w=5 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets Proposal unanimously approved with a high voting rate reflecting the common view of Validators to protect individual $XPLA holders The relief initiative represents a massive step towards support for $XPLA holders, helping to set a positive precedent throughout the Web3 industry A total of 19,600,000 $XPLA to be transferred to a Smart Contract SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The XPLA Blockchain, a next generation of Web3 mainnet developed with gamers at the core of its design, today announced that a governance proposal to support individual $XPLA holders related to the FTX incident has been approved with unanimous consent. Relief fund for $XPLA holders on FTX The voting on the Relief Fund Support proposal was conducted for seven days from January 24 until January 31, 2023, at 13:00 UTC. The vote was unanimous in favor of the proposal with three-quarters of eligible voters participating. Individual $XPLA holders could exercise their voting rights by delegating via proxy to Validators who were able to cast votes on their behalf. The voting process was fully transparent, and viewable through the XPLA Vault and XPLA Explorer advanced middleware based on the XPLA mainnet. The high participation rate and unanimous voting outcome are interpreted as a strong reflection of the Validators' desire to support the individual $XPLA holders. The XPLA Team and XPLA Chain ecosystem participants have opened unprecedented possibilities for practical support which could give an example to the digital asset industry. "The support for the XPLA community is phenomenal and we could not be happier that our ecosystem has approved this relief fund. These have been unprecedented times and our community has supported each other through it," stated XPLA CEO Paul Kim. "This is in stark contrast to the rejection of holder support votes that were attempted in other blockchain projects after the FTX incident. We are looking forward to starting the process of making our holders whole again." The relief proposal includes a total of 19,600,000 $XPLA which will be transferred to the Relief Fund Support Contract assigned from the Reserve Wallet. XPLA Chain ecosystem participants will be able to check the status since the transferred $XPLA will be stored on the Contract. The transfer process is expected to be completed in March and the details will be announced through the official community channel of XPLA. Support for the actual supply will be available when the $XPLA is claimable through a legal process with objective proof of ownership. XPLA team is also considering preemptively supporting individual $XPLA holders who have secured their proof of ownership if court proceedings are delayed. XPLA is the first blockchain to develop and approve a Relief Fund for individual holders concerning the FTX incident. About XPLA XPLA is the next generation of Web3 mainnet, developed with gamers at the core of its design. Based on the idea of "Explore and Play", XPLA is the newest innovation in the Web3 gaming space, using COSMOS SDK for optimization in partnerships with Animoca Brands, Xterio, YGG, Cosmostation, and Everstake. This new infrastructure serves as the bridge between Web2 and Web3 services and will feature games, art, music, and Dapps based on community-driven feedback from users. XPLA places heavy emphasis on User Experience and accessibility to craft the standard in game-centric Web3 services, opening up limitless possibilities for blockchain gaming. For more information, please visit https://xpla.io MEDIA CONTACT: M Group Strategic Communications [email protected] SOURCE XPLA SINGAPORE, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- XT.COM , the world's first socially infused trading platform, is thrilled to announce the listing of AAVEL on its platform in the innovation zone, and the AAVEL/USDT trading pair has been open for trading since 2023-01-26 12:00 (UTC). About AAVEL AAVEL, short for "Auto Associate Verify Economic Line", is a TRC20 token deployed on the Tron blockchain for the AAVEL network. AAVEL tokens are used to pay processing fees for secure device-to-device commerce between devices that are submitted by the manufacturers availing of AAVEL security services. Additionally, the AAVEL tokens can be used in activities such as device registration and device activation. The tokens are also utilized in rewarding auditors for actively submitting their device reviews to the network. Key participants in the AAVEL network can be rewarded in AAVEL tokens, participants such as device manufacturers or device owners in exchange for their participation in the network. About the AAVEL Network AAVEL network is a blockchain that seeks to be the standard identity and reputation-based trust environment for the IoT industry. AAVEL envisions a world where blockchain technology allows humans to confidently govern autonomous devices and smart contracts secured by on-chain ID and doxing. AAVEL is particularly focused on how blockchain meets the transactional requirements of the IoT sector. They combine on-chain and off-chain resources in its architecture to make it possible for IoT to function at scale while ensuring the permanence of a device's on-chain identity and reputation. It also incorporates off-chain components to support transactions at scale. This aims to provide immediate security for IoT devices while allowing flexible upgrades as technology evolves. As a member of the TRC community, AAVEL plans to promote and encourage other members of the AAVEL trust environment to adopt scaling solutions as they become robustly available. Examples of these scaling solutions are Plasma, Raiden, Sharding, Swarm, and other emerging technologies. Website: vkds.cn Whitepaper: AAVEL.pdf "We're delighted to have AAVEL listed on our trading platform. 2023 will be a great turning point for XT.COM as I'll be ensuring the utmost quality in trading opportunities and experience for XT.COM users," said Albin Warin , CEO of XT.COM. "The company is headed toward a brighter future and users can look forward to more unique web3 opportunities with our various trading portfolios." About XT.COM Founded in 2018, XT.COM crypto exchange now serves more than 6 million registered users, over 1,000,000+ monthly active users, 40+ million users in the ecosystem, and 800+ trading pairs. Covering a rich variety of trading categories together with an NFT aggregated marketplace, our platform strives to cater to its large user base by providing a secure, trusted, and intuitive trading experience. As the world's first social-infused digital assets trading platform, XT.COM also supports social networking platform-based transactions to make our crypto services more accessible to users all over the world. Furthermore, to ensure optimal data integrity and security, we see user security as our top priority at XT.COM. Website: https://www.xt.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/XTexchange Telegram: https://t.me/XTsupport_EN SOURCE XT.com SINGAPORE, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- XT.COM , the world's first socially infused trading platform, is thrilled to announce the listing of PLCU on its platform in the innovation zone, and the PLCU/USDT trading pair will be open for trading from 2023-02-03 10:00 (UTC). Users can deposit PLCU for trading at 2023-02-02 10:00(UTC) Withdrawals for PLCU will open at 2023-02-04 10:00 (UTC) About PLCU PLC Ultima (PLCU) is a cryptocurrency running on its own native blockchain using the CryptoNight hashing algorithm with a max supply of 11,000,000. This cryptocurrency aims to solve the problems of online payments and is designed to be easily accessible and usable by everyone, with the ability to mine PLCU coins on a smartphone. All users using PLCU cryptocurrency as payment can experience fast and secure service with low transaction fees. The development team has added the option for minting as a reward for network participation. The blockchain is decentralized, ensuring complete anonymity and independence. Users in the network can take advantage of this network feature to accumulate their PLCU holdings. The rewards that users earn from mining can be stored in the platform's digital wallet called Ultima wallet. It offers various functionality, from payment for goods and services to tracking and sending PLCU and other tokens globally. PLCU coin is not competing with other coins in the market but rather creating its own market. The goal is to become a leader in cryptocurrency payments, particularly as a means of mass payment. It intends to become a major entry point for fiat currencies with fast transaction times and low volatility risks. Currently, PLC Ultima network utilizes PLCU coins in their marketing campaigns to expand their reach in the cryptocurrency space currently and in the future. About PLC Ultima Blockchain PLC Ultima Blockchain is a blockchain-based network that aims to provide a global financial infrastructure and instant payments to millions of people who have no access to fintech services. The PLC Ultima technology is built on the Litecoin blockchain. The network chose the Litecoin blockchain because it is stable, transparent, and has a fast transaction speed that can benefit all PLC Ultima users around the world. Through this partnership with Litecoin, PLC Ultima is able to bridge the gap between traditional business and the crypto world by offering innovative solutions that will help its community stay competitive in a world where technology changes quickly. PLC Ultima was established in 2016 as a cutting-edge new business in Switzerland. A group of highly skilled crypto professionals with many years of experience designed the project. Currently, PLC Ultima consists of businesses from Switzerland, Germany, Austria, the United Arab Emirates, and Hong Kong. Each of these nations is renowned for its stability, security, sophisticated legal system, openness to experimentation, and dedication to identifying workable international solutions. Website: https://plcultima.com/en Whitepaper: plcultima.pdf Twitter: https://twitter.com/PLCU_OFFICIAL Telegram: https://t.me/plcultima "We're delighted to have PLCU listed on our trading platform. 2023 will be a great turning point for XT.COM as I'll be ensuring the utmost quality in trading opportunities and experience for XT.COM users," said Albin Warin , CEO of XT.COM. "The company is headed toward a brighter future, and users can look forward to more unique web3 opportunities with our various trading portfolios." About XT.COM Founded in 2018, XT.COM cryptocurrency exchange now serves more than 6 million registered users, over 1,000,000+ monthly active users, 40+ million users in the ecosystem, and 800+ trading pairs. Covering a rich variety of trading categories together with an NFT aggregated marketplace, our platform strives to cater to its large user base by providing a secure, trusted, and intuitive trading experience. As the world's first social-infused digital assets trading platform, XT.COM also supports social networking platform-based transactions to make our crypto services more accessible to users all over the world. Furthermore, to ensure optimal data integrity and security, we see user security as our top priority at XT.COM. Website: https://www.xt.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/XTexchange Telegram: https://t.me/XTsupport_EN SOURCE XT.com Kiev, Feb 3 : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen discussed cooperation and Kiev's European integration, Zelensky's press service reported. Speaking after the talks, which took place in Kiev on Thursday ahead of the Ukraine-European Union summit, Zelensky said the visit of von der Leyen and other EU officials to Ukraine marks an important milestone in Ukraine's European integration, Xinhua news agency reported. Zelensky said that he received a report from von der Leyen on the second part of the questionnaire that Ukraine had filled out to become a candidate for EU membership. "This is good news. This report will become the basis for the work of our government," he said. At their meeting, Zelensky and von der Leyen talked about trade liberalisation between Ukraine and the EU, financial cooperation, and energy security. The two sides also touched upon the issues of Ukraine's post-conflict reconstruction and new sanctions against Russia. The Ukraine-EU summit, scheduled to take place in Kiev on Friday, will discuss economic, financial, social, energy and humanitarian issues. Preparations for the next phase of Ukraine's integration with the EU will also be a topic of the summit, according to the presidential press service. In June 2022, EU leaders accepted Ukraine as a candidate for membership in the bloc. Kiev, Feb 3 : Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that his country is seeking to extend the duty-free trade with the European Union until the end of 2024, the government press service reported. While speaking at a meeting with visiting Executive Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis, Shmyhal noted that further deepening of trade relations with the EU is vital for Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia, Xinhua news agency reported. Shmyhal thanked the EU for the approval of the macro-financial assistance for Ukraine worth 18 billion euros (about $19.76 billion) and called on Brussels to contribute to Ukraine's reconstruction efforts. In 2023, Ukraine would need some $17 billion for the post-conflict recovery, he said. For his part, Dombrovskis said that the EU would continue to fully support Ukraine. The Ukraine-EU preferential trade regime, abolishing tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian industrial goods and foods, took effect in June 2022. Seoul, Feb 3 : North Korea has adopted a new law aimed at protecting state secrets, amid apparent efforts to tighten internal discipline, Pyongayng's state media said on Friday. The law was adopted at a plenary meeting of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) held in Pyongyang on Thursday, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The objective of the law on the "protection of state secret" is to contribute to guaranteeing national safety and the development of the "socialist construction" by establishing system and order, the KCNA said. Observers said the law appears aimed at tightening state control and discipline amid protracted economic challenges, reports Yonhap News Agency. South Korea's Unification Ministry regards the move as reflecting the Kim Jong-un regime's efforts to "strengthen its overall social order". The SPA is the highest organ of power under the North's constitution, although it rubber-stamps decisions by the ruling Workers' Party. During the meeting, the North also adopted laws on loans and national symbols, and reviewed the execution of a law on improving living conditions for discharged officers. New Delhi, Feb 3 : Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge called for a meeting of opposition parties on Friday to chalk out a strategy over research group Hindenburg's report on the Adani Group Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned on Thursday as the opposition demanded an investigation by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the new revelations. Kharge had said on Thursday: "We demand an investigation by the JPC on the issue and will raise the demand inside Parliament. We demand that a JPC should be constituted to go into the alleged irregularities." The opposition also alleged that the proceedings of both Houses of Parliament were adjourned to stop them from raising the Adani issue. Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh had said: "Both Houses of Parliament adjourned today till 2 p.m. because Govt did not agree to combined Opposition demand for an investigation into forced investments by LIC, SBI & other public institutions that have lost huge value in recent days endangering savings of crores of Indians." New Delhi, Feb 3 : Amid Adani row and the demand for a probe by a joint parliamentary committee into the allegations of accounting fraud and stock manipulation against the Group, Congress MP Manish Tewari on Friday moved an adjournment notice in the Lok Sabha on the China border issue. Tewari's notice states, "I hereby give notice of my intention to ask for leave to move a motion for the adjournment of the business of the house for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent importance, namely "That this House do suspend Zero Hour and other businesses of the day to have a detailed discussion on the border situation with China." In the notice, he said, "Since April 2020, China has engaged in what can only be described as a steady land grab. Till 16 January 2023, seventeen rounds of Commander level talks have taken place between India and China with little success. "All the while China continues to build significant infrastructure, including bridges, roads and accommodation for its troops. China is attempting to unilaterally change the status quo. "The clashes in the Tawang Sector in Arunachal Pradesh were another indication of China's steady aggression aimed at changing the status quo on the border. What is more, such aggression is no longer limited in territorial scope as is evidenced by the clashes that took place in Arunachal Pradesh, around 2,000 kilometers away from the place of previous clashes." He said there is a growing concern that China is unwilling to restore the status quo ante, a situation that puts India at a massive disadvantage. "Despite this, China's large trade surplus with us has continued to surge since the military confrontations began in 2020. The trade deficit for India stood at USD 101.02 billion, crossing the 2021 figure of USD 69.38 billion. "I urge the government to take this matter with utmost seriousness and have a detailed discussion in Parliament with regard to the border situation with China. I, hereby, request permission to raise this matter," Tewari said in the notice. New Delhi, Feb 3 : Disruptions by Congress-led opposition are likely to stall proceedings of both houses of Parliament on Friday too, over the research firm Hindenburg's allegations against Adani group. The opposition parties had stalled proceedings on Thursday over the issue and according to sources aware of developments, disruptions are likely to continue. Sources said that Congress and other major opportunity parties like the Trinamool Congress and DMK as well the Left parties are on the same page over launching vociferous protests against the government over the issue in both the houses today as well. On Thursday, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge along with other opposition parties, had sought an investigation into the allegations of fraud against one of India's biggest conglomerates led either by Supreme Court or joint parliamentary committee. Kharge has also called a meeting of like-minded opposition parties to discuss strategy in Parliament. The Lok Sabha is expected to take up the motion of thanks on the President's address, if proceedings are allowed to take off smoothly. Jerusalem, Feb 3 : Following his return from a "historic" visit to Khartoum, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen announced here that his country and Sudan have agreed to normalize ties and sign a peace agreement in Washington in a few months' time. Addressing a press conference here late Thursday, Cohen said that he met Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council and de-facto leader of the country, and other senior officials during the day-long trip, Xinhua news agency reported. The visit to Sudan which had been made "with the consent of the US, lays the foundations for a historic peace agreement with a strategic Arab and Muslim country". "The peace agreement between Israel and Sudan will promote regional stability and contribute to the national security of the State of Israel," the Foreign Minister said. Cohen said a signing ceremony is expected to take place after the planned transfer of power in Sudan to a civilian government following the military coup in October 2021 which was led by Al-Burhan. In a separate statement issued in Khartoum, Sudan's Sovereignty Council said the talks were held with the goal of establishing "fruitful relations with Israel" and strengthening bilateral cooperation in "agricultural, energy, health, water, education fields with special emphasis on security and military fields". But it did not say whether a peace agreement would be signed. Sudan is set to become the fourth Muslim Arab nation to sign a normalization agreement with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords, a series of US-brokered normalization deals Israel reached with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco to establish official relations in 2020. Egypt and Jordan signed peace treaties with Israel in 1979 and 1994 respectively. In 2020, Sudan agreed to normalize its relations with Israel as part of a deal brokered by the administration of former US President Donald Trump. An accord with Sudan holds particular symbolic importance as Khartoum was the venue for an Arab League meeting in 1967 where members vowed not to recognise Israel, after the Arab-Israeli war three months earlier. In the same year, Washington had removed Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. Sofia, Feb 3 : Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has signed a decree for the country to hold parliamentary elections on April 2, the fifth in two years. In a statement on Thursday, the President's press office said under the same decree, Radev also dissolved Parliament with effect from Friday. The President was obliged to make this move because the parties in Parliament failed to form a new cabinet after the elections held on October 2 last year. Radev also reappointed Galab Donev as caretaker Prime Minister for the interim period. There is only one change in his new cabinet with a new minister for culture. Bulgaria's National Assembly (Parliament) elects the government by a simple majority for a four-year term. San Francisco, Feb 3 : Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates made roti along with celebrity chef Eitan Bernath, who recently returned from a trip to Bihar, and ate it with ghee. A video was shared by Gates on the social media platform Instagram, in which Bernath teaches Gates how to make a roti. "We had a blast making Indian Roti together. Eitan just got back from a trip to Bihar, India where he met wheat farmers whose yields have been dramatically increased thanks to new early sowing technologies," Gates wrote in the caption. "He also met with women from 'Didi Ki Rasoi' community canteens who graciously shared their expertise in making the perfect roti." In the video, the duo was making rotis and brushing them with ghee. When Bernath asked Gates, "When is the last time you think you cooked?" "Well, if heating up soup counts, I do that regularly," Microsoft's co-founder replied. In February last year, Gates had praised India for the development, manufacturing and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines and termed the country's vaccine coverage as "very impressive". Hyderabad, Feb 3 : Former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, chief ministers and governors of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Friday condoled the death of legendary Telugu filmmaker K. Vishwanath. Venkaiah Naidu said he was deeply grieved to hear about the demise of the renowned film director. He noted that as a filmmaker, Vishwanath brought depth and dignity to the medium earning global recognition for his movies with a message. Naidu said Vishwanath who was known as Kalathapasvi raised the status of Telugu cinema and made "us globally popular". He conveyed condolences to his family and fans and prayed for his soul to rest in peace. The former Vice-President pointed out that Vishwanath started his film career as a sound recordist and won the Nandi Award at his first step as a director. "Giving great importance to language, culture and arts, his films portrayed the protagonists in ideal roles and stood as an idea by entertaining us and giving a message," he tweeted. Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan said she was saddened to hear about the passing away of Vishwanath. "Kalatapasvi's directorial classics like Shankarabharanam, Swathi Muthyam, Sagara Sangamam etc, will continue to inspire generations to come. Indian cinema lost a genius. Condolences," tweeted the Governor. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao also expressed his deep condolences. He said that Vishwanath was a rare distinguished film director who chose the ordinary story and turned it into a classic movie on the silver screen with his amazing talent. The Chief Minister recalled the discussion between Vishwanath and him on movies, music and literature when he visited the ailing noted director's home to console. CM KCR said that India's traditional values and culture have been given big importance in Vishwanath's films. He said that Vishwanath was the great Indian director, who visualised the conflicts that always arise in human relationships with music and literature as the main theme. Many prestigious awards like Dada Saheb Phalke and Raghupathi Venkaiah are a testament to the talent of Vishwanath as a director, the CM said. Vishwanath's name will remain until the Telugu film industry exists, he added. "Poets and scholars are immortal," said KCR and conveyed his deepest condolences to the bereaved family members. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said in his condolence message that Vishwanath's death caused deep grief. "Vishwanath was a mirror of Telugu culture and Indian arts. The films under his direction have brought unparalleled respect to the Telugu film industry. He will remain forever in the hearts of Telugu people as an artist," said the Chief Minister. Union minister for tourism and culture G. Kishan Reddy said Vishwanath left an indelible mark on Telugu cinema with his masterful storytelling and creative vision. "He won numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to Indian films," he said. New Delhi, Feb 3 : Sixteen opposition parties on Friday came together to chalk out a strategy in Parliament on the Hindenburg-Adani issue. The parties met at the chamber of Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of Opposition, in Parliament premises. Apart from the Congress, the DMK, Samajwadi Party (SP), AAP, BRS, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackrey group), RJD, JD(U), CPI(M), CPI, NCP, NC, IUML, Kerala Congress (Jose Mani), Kerala Congress (Thomas), and RSP attended the opposition parties meeting. The joint opposition demand is to constitute a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe the loss of money to the Public Sector Banks and LIC. On Thursday, both Houses of Parliament were adjourned as the opposition demanded an investigation by the JPC on the new revelations. Kharge had said on Thursday: "We demand an investigation by the JPC on the issue and will raise the demand inside Parliament. We demand that a JPC should be constituted to go into the alleged irregularities." The opposition also alleged that the proceedings of both Houses of Parliament were adjourned to stop them from raising the Adani issue. Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh had said: "Both Houses of Parliament adjourned today till 2 p.m. because Govt did not agree to combined Opposition demand for an investigation into forced investments by LIC, SBI & other public institutions that have lost huge value in recent days endangering savings of crores of Indians." New Delhi, Feb 3 : Leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday gave a notice for suspension of business under rule 267 to discuss the issue of investment by LIC, public sector banks and financial institutions in companies losing market value. The notice has been given amid an increasing likelihood of proceedings of both Houses getting disrupted over the US-based firm Hindenburg's allegations against Adani group, for the second day in a row. Meanwhile, 16 opposition parties attended a meeting in Kharge's chamber in Parliament to chalk out a strategy for the day. There is a likelihood of the Congress-led opposition parties stalling proceedings of both Houses over the Adani group issue. On Thursday too the proceedings of both Houses were washed out amid protests by the opposition. The 16 parties which attended the meeting were the Congress, DMK, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, AAP, NCP, Bharat Rashtra Samithi, National Conference, CPI, IUML, Kerala Congress (Jose Mani), Kerala Congress (Thomas) and RSP among others. Colombo, Feb 3 : In a counter-attack to a recent comment made by a US government official on Sri Lankas debt restructuring process to obtain the $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout, China said that Washington should show sincerity by helping the crisis-hit island nation "Rather than jabbing fingers at China's close cooperation with Sri Lanka, the US might as well show some sincerity and actually do something to help Sri Lanka weather through the current difficulties," spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Mao Ning said at a recent press conference. Ning was responding to US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland's remarks who said that what China had offered so far to Sri Lanka was not enough. Nuland was on an official visit to Colombo this week to mark the 75th anniversary of US-Sri Lanka relations. "What was said by the US side does not reflect the truth. The Export-Import Bank of China has already provided Sri Lanka with the letter to express support for its debt sustainability. Sri Lanka has responded positively and thanked China for that. "We support Chinese financial institutions in having consultations with Sri Lanka to seek a proper settlement to its China-related debt issue. We also stand ready to work with relevant countries and international financial institutions to play a positive role in easing Sri Lanka's debt burden. "As a friendly neighbour and true friend, China has been closely following the difficulties and challenges facing Sri Lanka and providing assistance for its economic and social development to the best of our capabilities. "As to Sri Lanka's debt to the Chinese side, China supports relevant financial institutions in having consultations with Sri Lanka to seek a proper settlement. "China stands ready to work with relevant countries and international financial institutions and continue to play a positive role in helping Sri Lanka navigate the situation, easing its debt burden and helping it achieve sustainable development," the spokesperson added. Sri Lanka, which is undergoing its worse economical crisis since gaining independence in 1948, is desperately awaiting the $2.9 billion conditional extended fund facility from the IMF but it requires the assurances from the major bilateral creditors -- Japan, China and India. While India has given its assurance to the IMF, China has offered a two-year debt moratorium to Sri Lanka. But the IMF has reportedly has stated that it was not sufficient for Sri Lanka to secure the bailout package. Jaipur, Feb 3 : Bhilwara - the textile city of Rajasthan which hit the national headlines for its deft handling of Covid pandemic - is back in news again, albeit for an entirely different reason. This time, it's a letter written to Bhilwara SP Adarsh Sidhu by Municipal Council Commissioner Durga Kumari seeking police assistance to "arrest" stray pigs creating nuisance in 70 wards of the city. When the letter reached the officials concerned, it sparked laughter among them. To overcome the embarrassment, she shot off another letter the following day clarifying that police help was needed to rule out the possibility of a dispute between the pig catching contractors. Notably, on February 1, the council Commissioner wrote a letter to Bhilwara SP saying that the people in 70 wards of Bhilwara are frustrated with the menace of stray pigs. She sought police to "arrest" the stray animals. "The SP Sir is requested to provide a police team to the Municipal Council Bhilwara to catch the stray pigs," read the letter. On seeing it becoming a laughing stock, the commissioner sent another letter to the SP informing him that new tenders have been issued to stop the stray animals wandering in the wards. As the new contractor is an outsider, there is a chance of a clash with the old contractor. The situation may deteriorate law and order in the Municipal Council area. Hence, Police 'Japta' be provided, said the second letter. Meanwhile, the letter is going viral on social media with the netizens having a field day posting hilarious comments. New Delhi, Feb 3 : Delhi Police officials had to face the ire of a court here which noted that the investigation agency cannot "act as per their whims and fancies" and that the courts have ample power to check the misuse or abuse of powers by the probe agencies. The court was deciding a bail application on January 28 when it observed that both the complainant and the accused had encroached upon government land and Delhi Police didn't do anything about it. When the court asked the police to transfer the investigation to some specialised agency dealing with land grabbing matters, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Central District replied that "it being the prerogative of the Investigating Agency the matter was not transferred". To this the court said that the report of DCP was based on wrong premises besides being evasive in nature. "Even if the investigation is the prerogative of the investigation agency, the IO as well as his senior officers, including the DCP and above rank police officers should keep in mind that this discretion is not absolute. "The investigation agency cannot act as per their whims and fancies and the courts have ample power to check the misuse or abuse of powers by the investigation agencies," the court noted. It also said that the energy of senior police officers should better be spent in improving the investigation mechanism instead of justifying manifestly improper conduct of investigating officers. The case and police lapse An FIR was lodged at the IP Estate police station in November 2021 by one Rahees. He alleged that Mehfooz and his aides broke into his shop and stole valuables. The police were told that the jhuggi cum shop was built on government land and it was an unauthorised colony. Initially the police lodged an FIR under sections 448, 380, 506 and 34 of IPC. Later on almost 15 days after the incident, Sana Begum, the wife of Rahess, made a supplementary statement and alleged that she was sexually harassed by the accused and his aide Faheem. The police then added sections of sexual harassment in the case. Accused Faheem then moved for anticipatory bail through his counsel Deepak Sharma. The counsel argued that the case was fake and there were lapses in the police story. "The investigating officer (IO) didn't serve any notice under section 41A CrPC. to the accused to join the investigation, which was mandatory. The allegations of sexual harassment were made as an afterthought. Faheem was not named in the FIR. The main accused Mehfooz had already been granted regular bail," argued Deepak Sharma while demanding bail. The court noted that the IO failed to produce a case diary to show that the accused was evading due process of law. It also noted that the report of first IO, Beniwal showed that no incident as mentioned in the FIR took place. The court also noted that Rahees and his worker Bhura didn't say anything that Sana Begum was sexually harassed. The court while noting it granted bail to Faheem. Court's suo moto on encroachments On May 5, 2022, the court directed the Joint Commissioner of Police to look into the matter. On May 20, 2022 the police informed the court that DCP Central District will fix the responsibility and time was sought. However, after this no reply was filed by the DCP Central and on July 27, 2022 the court sent a copy of the order to the Special Commissioner of Delhi Police for compliance. After this on August 4, Additional DCP Akshit Kaushal told the court that they were looking into the matter and will inform the court on August 5. However, again no communication was received from the DCP Central. In December 2022, the court got a response from the DCP Central in which it was said, "The present case was examined on merits. It was found to be devoid of seeking intervention of any specialised investigation or other agency. Hence, the investigation 'being the prerogative of the investigating agency' was not transferred." The court said that the report of DCP was based on wrong premises besides being evasive in nature. "Court orders were not complied and the court was kept in dark despite repeatedly giving orders. "What to talk of the IO, even a police officer ranked as high as Addl. DCP gave an assurance to the court that he will communicate to the court about the decision taken by his senior police officers regarding investigation to be done by a specialised agency in August but did not do so. Even on later dates, the information was not given to the court. This in itself shows the callous attitude of the senior police officers over such an important matter," the court noted while coming down heavily on police. "Additional DCP Akshat Kaushal informed that a decision relating to transfer of investigation to some specialised agency dealing with land grabbing matters appeared to be necessary. Hence, for the present DCP to say that the investigation being the prerogative of the investigation agency, was an uncalled for remark and should have been avoided. DCP should have made herself well aware of the facts, beforehand," the court noted. (Atul Krishan can be approached at atul.k@ians.in) Cairo, Feb 3 : The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) said the country's tourism revenues increased by 43.5 per cent to a record high of $4.1 billion in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2022-2023. Egypt's fiscal year begins at the beginning of July and ends at the end of June the following year, reports Xinhua news agency. The number of tourists visiting Egypt from July to September last year rose by 52.2 per cent to 3.4 million, while the number of nights tourists spent in the country increased by 47.1 per cent to 43.6 million, the bank said in an official statement. Over the past few years, Egypt's tourism sector, a main source of national income and hard currency for the country, has been greatly affected by the country's fight against terrorism, especially after a Russian plane crashed over the Sinai Peninsula in October 2015, killing all 224 passengers and crew on board. With improving security conditions in Egypt, tourism gradually recovered in the following years to bring Egypt a record high of $13 billion in revenues in 2019, when more than 13 million tourists visited the North African country, before tourist numbers declined again because of the Covid-19 lockdowns. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has also cast a shadow on the sector as the two countries have been among top sources of tourists to the country boasting many historic monuments. Abdel Fattah al-Assi, a former assistant minister of tourism and antiquities for hotel facilities control, attributed the revival of the tourism industry to the incentives provided for foreign travel agencies and the country's improved stability and security, among other factors. "After the Covid-19 lockdowns, more people will spend their holidays abroad, and Egypt has many advantages for tourists as it enjoys a nice weather and offers reasonable prices (for tourists)," al-Assi told Xinhua. The ongoing development in Egypt, such as better roads, less traffic and the renovation of most tourist destinations, will attrack more visitors, he noted. New Delhi, Feb 3 : Delhi Lt. Governor V.K. Saxena has approved a foreign tour by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, his secretary and secretary (education) to attend an event TESOL Education Convention in Portland, the US. Underlining a contradictory proposal on file to this effect by the Education Department that said that the cost of the visit will be borne by the organizers and there will be no financial liability upon the government and at the same time stating that the expenses for Sisodia's visit shall be borne by the GNCTD, the L-G agreed 'in principle for the proposed visit, subject to requisite clearances and completion of other codal formalities'. Sisodia had expressed his willingness to attend the event of TESOL Education Convention along with secretary or director (education) and his own secretary. The Department of Education had moved a proposal to this effect, which came to the L-G for approval. However, a Governor House official said that the proposal lacks clarity as to who will bear the expenses of Sisodia's visit. While in one paragraph, the Department has noted that "all expenses of the visit by Hon'ble DyCM will be borne by the TESOL and there will be no financial liability on the government", a subsequent paragraph further says that "all expenses of the visit by Hon'ble DyCM will be borne by the GAD, GNCTD". Despite noting that both these statements were contradictory to each other and it was not clear as to whether the Delhi government will bear the expenses for Sisodia's visit or not, L-G Saxena gave in principle approval to the proposed visit, subject to the requisite clearances from the concerned Ministries in the Government of India, including FCRA clearances from the Central government, as is the case with every foreign visit undertaken by any minister or officer of any state. London, Feb 3 : A Sikh couple murdered by their "knife-obsessed" son in the UK in 2020 could have been saved if the agencies involved with the family before the crime had rightfully addressed their concerns, a homicide review report said. Anmol Chana, then 25, stabbed his mother Jasbir Kaur, 52, and step father Rupinder Bassan, 51, more than 20 times at their home in Oldbury, West Midlands, in February 2020. He was sentenced to life in prison at the Birmingham Crown Court, with a minimum of 36 years in jail. The report, published this month by the Safer Sandwell Partnership, revealed how Chana had been a "constant threat" to his mother and had made a number of "threats to kill", the Birmingham Live reported. The family had been "seeking support" and "felt in danger" but their concerns "went unaddressed". Jasbir Kaur was accused of poor parenting and "labelled weak" despite making several cries for help about her violent and dangerous son. The report said: "The review recognised significant victim blaming by professionals in their response. Far from being 'weak' (a term used repeatedly to describe her parenting) she had shown incredible strength." It further said that Chana was "obsessed" with weapons and had warned he would kill his mother. From an early age, he was potentially twisted and dangerous, and talked about his "interest in death, hurting people or animals", the report noted. He been known to social services, GPs and mental health teams since childhood over his weird and violent behaviour. "It is clear from the report that, over many years of agencies' involvement with the perpetrator, more could have been done to address his violent behaviour and poor mental health, while also providing better support to his mother and sister who lived with ongoing fear and anxiety about what he would do next," Chief Superintendent Maria Fox, chair of the Safer Sandwell Partnership, was quoted as saying in Birmingham Live. After killing his parents, Chana stole money from the house and bought a ticket to flee the country, but was nabbed by the police. He had claimed before the Birmingham Crown Court that he killed his parents in self-defence but his story was dismissed as "fantasy" by the prosecutors, and jurors concluded he was lying. Washington, Feb 3 : Seven states in the parched southwest US are waiting for President Joe Biden's administration to resolve their dilemma pm how to fairly distribute waters from the waning Colorado River. Six of the seven states -- Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming -- reached an agreement this week, but the seventh and most significant, California, told the others to "get lost", Xinhua news agency quoted a Politico news report as saying on Thursday. The Colorado River, which supplies water to cities, farming areas and tribal nations from the Rocky Mountains to the U.S.-Mexico border, has been pushed to a breaking point by chronic overuse, drought and the effects of global warming. Due to an historic 1,200-year drought that dropped the country's two biggest reservoirs on the river, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, to record low levels, federal officials required each of the seven states that rely on the river to come up with alternatives for making water cutbacks by the end of January. Tuesday was the deadline imposed by the Interior Department for plans on how to voluntarily reduce water usage by 2-4 million acre-feet, or up to one-third of the river's annual average flow. The six Colorado River basin states "sketched out a joint proposal" on that day on how to meet the federal government's demand to make unprecedented cuts to water usage. Under the proposal, a large portion of the proposed water cuts would be made by accounting for evaporation and other water losses along the lower portion of the river, meaning a large reduction for California. The Golden State, the most populous state of the country, refused to accept it. "California is insisting on its legal claims under a compact dating back to 1922 as the river faces unprecedented strain because of climate change and population growth in the Southwest," Politico said. "The fact that six of them came together and put forth this proposal, that stands out," National Public Radio (NPR) said, "They're trying to meet the needs of cities and farms from Wyoming to Mexico, and that is not an easy task." The southern states most affected, California and Arizona, are pitted on two sides of the debate, with Arizona wanting water for housing communities and the ensuing tax benefits, while California argued its allocation of the river water helped feed millions from its verdant farm lands. California is also the river's largest water user, the Washington Post said, with the impasse suggesting that "wrangling over how to conserve the dwindling water supply, that serves 40 million people, will continue in coming months". The standoff thrusts the Biden administration into the position of deciding how to resolve competing claims on water shared among 40 million people. As the stalemate fell into the federal government's lap, California's six opposing states "urged President Joe Biden to support their proposal" in a letter on Wednesday, Politico said. "But California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, as well as the state's two senators have criticized the six-state plan," Politico reported, "saying it would disproportionately burden California cities and farmers." Moreover, recently, a new player entered the imbroglio, further complicating the issue and seemingly ignored in the conflagration between America's Southwest states. Over the years, the country of Mexico has grudgingly accepted cutting its allocation of the river. When the Colorado River reaches the US-Mexico border, it pushes up against Morelos Dam, nearly all the remaining water is shunted aside into an immense canal and flows toward the farmlands and cities of Baja California, but south of the dam, the last of the river disappears in the desert. In 2022, Mexico lost 5 per cent of its water from the Colorado River, but this year, it will lose 7 per cent. Mexico is entitled to receive 1.5 million acre-feet of water per year under a 1944 treaty, but in recent agreements with the US, Mexico has also agreed to take part in reductions when there is a shortage, according to the report. More than a century ago, the river's delta spread across 1.9 million acres of wetlands and forests, and was described by conservationist Aldo Leopold in 1922 as "a hundred green lagoons" and waters "of a deep emerald hue". The area, described by Leopold as "an oasis that teemed with fish, birds, beavers, deer and jaguars", as a pristine environment, however, was lost forever when the river was dammed. Chennai, Feb 3 : Celebrated actor Kamal Haasan has penned a heartfelt note for the late Telugu filmmaker K. Viswanath, who breathed his last on Thursday. The two had worked on iconic films such as 'Sagara Sangamam', 'Swathi Muthyam' and 'Subhasankalpam', and Kamal Haasan considers Viswanath to be his mentor. He tweeted: "Salute to a master." The poignant words, followed by a tribute penned in the actor's hand, are an indication of his esteem for the legendary director who highlighted Indian art and culture in his movies. The letter reads: "Kalathapasvi K. Viswanath gaaru fully understood the transcience of life and immortality of art. Hence his art will be celebrated beyond his lifetime and reign. Long live his art. An ardent fan, Kamal Haasan." The two had first collaborated for the 1983 movie 'Sagara Sangamam', which showcased Kamal Haasan's classical dance prowess as a proponent of Kuchipudi in Andhra Pradesh. The film went on to win two National Film Awards, three Filmfare South Awards and the Nandi Award for Best Feature Film (Bronze). Viswanath's Telugu movie 'Swati Muthyam' featured Kamal Haasan as the central character -- an autistic man who comes to the rescue of a young widow. The 1985 movie was India's entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. The two had last met when Kamal Haasan called on the legendary director during his visit to Hyderabad in November last year. Tributes, meanwhile, kept pouring in on Friday from leading Tollywood personalities. Megastar Chiranjeevi, actors Pawan Kalyan, Venkatesh and Murali Mohan, filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli, producer Allu Arvind and others paid their last respects at Vishwanath's Filmnagar residence in Hyderabad. Actors Naga Babu, Kota Srinivas and Brahmanandam, directors Gunasekhar, Raghavendra Rao, Ashwini Dutt and C. Kalyan, music director M.M. Keeravaani, and lyricist Chandrabose were among the other film personalities who were seen mourning the legend's demise at his home. Telugu Film Producers' Council president C. Kalyan announced that a holiday has been declared for the industry on Friday as a mark of respect to the legendary director. Talking to media persons after paying his last respects, Chrianjeevi said that Vishwanath's passing leaves behind an irreplaceable void in Indian cinema and is a personal loss to him. The megastar said Vishwanath brought global recognition to Telugu cinema. "It was my good fortune that I had an opportunity to work under such a great director. For actors like me, he was an encyclopedia. His films are like a library for today's young directors," Chiranjeevi said. "When somebody anywhere in the world asks us what is the greatness of Telugu cinema, we proudly say we have K. Vishwanath. Your signature on Telugu cinema and art in general will shine brightly forever," tweeted Rajamouli. "Another legend lost!! K Viswanath garu made a lasting impact with his memorable movies and characters. May his legacy continue to inspire future generations and his soul rest in peace," wrote actor Nagarjuna. Actors Balakrishna, Junior NTR, Ram Charan and Nani were among the other film personalities to mour the death of the maestro. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Los Angeles, Feb 3 : Hollywood actor Taylor Lautner was left with body image issues after starring in 'Twilight'. The 30-year-old actor spent his formative years playing shapeshifter Jacob Black in the series of vampire films based on the books by Stephanie Meyer. The actor explained that he was later "affected" by having to appear shirtless so often on screen, reports Female First UK. He said: "When I was in it, when I was 16 through 20 years old, I was starring in this franchise where my character is known for taking his shirt off every other second. No, I did not know that it was affecting me or that it was going to affect me in future with body image. In the first movie, I was 140 lbs and in 'New Moon' I was 175, so that wasn't my natural body. And I had to work hard for it, and I had to work very, very hard just to maintain it. As per Female First UK, the 'Tracers' star went on to explain that he had a negative reaction to seeing images of his changing body shared online and reminded fans that they can change whatever they want to about their body physically but it will be "all for nothing" if their mental health is not in check. Speaking on his 'The Squeeze' podcast, he added: But then seeing it online where they put the side by sides of me shirtless in the ocean in a scene in that movie compared to me in 'Eclipse' or whatever, and being like 'Wow, he's let it all go!' I was like 'Oh man!' Your body can look unbelievable. You can be ripped, shredded, whatever. You can lose weight, you can put on muscle and if you're not healthy mentally, then that's all for nothing because that can work against you." Islamabad, Feb 3 : Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has confessed that terrorists roam around in Pakistan but there is no safe haven for them,. He also ruled out that any terrorists were settled on any tract of Pakistan, Samaa TV reported. Although they roam around, but they haven't been able to settle in part of the country, he claimed. Sharif emphasized unity at this time to fight the scourge of terrorism. He said that it was a make-or-break situation and the political leadership must sit together to devise a comprehensive strategy against resurging terrorism in the country. The Prime Minister mentioned the successful military operations in the past which eradicated terrorism. He said that the nation questions how such incident took place after terrorism had been wiped off. Addressing the conspiracy theories, Sharif asked what should be said about the recent terror incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Samaa TV reported. In an oblique attack on his predecessor Imran Khan, Sharif said that a man wanted settlement of TTP members in Pakistan (after the US left Afghanistan), but isn't ready to sit with his compatriots. Sharif also said the security lapses in the Peshawar mosque blast must be investigated but baseless allegations should not be leveled against the government, Samaa TV reported. The premier chaired a meeting of the apex committee in Peshawar following the blast. The military brass also attended the meeting. He condemned the propaganda on social media following the deadly attack which resulted in over 100 casualties. Chandigarh, Feb 3 : The Border Security Force (BSF) shot down a drone that was smuggling contraband from Pakistan in Punjab's Amritsar district on Friday. The drone was recovered between the border fence and the Zero Line along with a packet of 5 kg heroin, wrapped in polythene. At about 2.30 a.m. troops deployed on the border heard a buzzing sound of a suspected flying object entering from Pakistan into the Indian territory near Kakkar village in he district, said the BSF in a statement. As per the laid down drill, troops endeavored to intercept the drone by firing. The whole area was cordoned and police and other agencies were informed. Tokyo, Feb 3 : Japan's agricultural, fishery and forestry product exports rose 14.3 per cent in 2022 from a year earlier to a record 1.4 trillion yen ($10.88 billion), marking a 10th straight record-breaking year, according to a government report released on Friday. The government indicated that the bumper exports in the recording period were due to dining industries in foreign countries recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw demand rise, while the yen's weakness added support, reports Xinhua news agency. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, agricultural product exports comprised a record 887 billion yen, with fishery and forestry-related items booking their best-ever results, rising 387.3 billion yen and 63.8 billion yen, respectively. Exports of scallops, the Ministry said, were particularly strong, surging 42.4 per cent from a year earlier to 91 billion yen, with China and the US as major destinations. Alcoholic beverages also posted upbeat results, with Japanese whiskey and sake exports increasing 21.5 per cent to 56 billion yen and 18.2 per cent to 47.4 billion yen, respectively. Owing to falling yields, exports of tuna and mackerel decreased in the reporting period, the ministry said, as did shipments of beef, which dropped 4 per cent to 52 billion yen, as rising prices hurt consumption. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement in the Asia-Pacific comprising 15 nations including Japan, Australia, China, Singapore and South Korea, which took effect in 2022, helped lift exports to a notable degree, the Ministry added. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government has set a target of the country's agricultural and fishery exports reaching 2 trillion yen by 2025 and 5 trillion yen by 2030. Canberra, Feb 3 : Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday that health reform would be the top priority for himself and state and territory leaders this year. Albanese made the remarks when meeting with state premiers and territory chief ministers to discuss an overhaul of the health system, reports Xinhua news agency. The leaders received a report into Medicare, Australia's universal healthcare system, that was commissioned by Albanese's government shortly after winning power in 2022. The report made 21 recommendations for improving the affordability and accessibility of healthcare and relieving pressure on hospitals. Hospitals across the country have reported growing waiting times at emergency departments, with people increasingly avoiding visiting their general practitioners (GPs) because of the costs. State and territory leaders had joined forces to call for the federal government to overhaul Medicare and increase hospital funding but agreed to wait until later in the year to decide how to address the strained system. "We all agree on what some of the issues are. Part of the issues are people are turning up at emergency departments because they don't have other options," Albanese told reporters after the meeting on Friday. "We know that the key, going forward, is to better integrate the systems, so that patients are what it is all about, better healthcare, and we know that the earlier the care is provided, the cheaper that care will be as well." The government has set aside A$750 million ($528 million) to fund the Medicare report's recommendations and the Minister for Health Mark Butler flagged further spending in May's federal budget. Los Angeles, Feb 3 : Filmmaker Roman Polanski, who fell from grace in France since the premiere of his last film 'An Officer and a Spy' in competition at Venice in 2019, is back with 'The Palace' that could make a surprise splash on the festival circuit. Polanski, who fled the U.S. in 1978 after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl, was leading a pleasant life in France for decades until he came back into the global spotlight with the Lido premiere of 'An Officer and a Spy' and scooped the Grand Jury Prize, reports Variety. Shortly after the movie's Venice bow, Polanski faced new allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denied. When he went on to win best director at France's Cesar Awards, the country's equivalent of the Oscars, industry outcry prompted a complete overhaul of the leadership of the awards. As per Variety, the scandal sparked the birth of France's own #MeToo movement, spearheaded by French actor Adele Haenel, the star of 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire', who walked out of the Cesar ceremony upon hearing Polanski's name. But while no French financier, producer or broadcaster has dared touch 'The Palace', Polanski may not have been cancelled on the festival circuit. His black comedy 'The Palace', which is set in a posh hotel in the Swiss Alps resort of Gstaad, and stars Mickey Rourke, John Cleese and Fanny Ardant, is being considered by both the Cannes and Venice selection committees. Variety further states that however, the film, which is backed by Italy's RAI Cinema, is also slated for an April 6 theatrical release in Italy. This, in theory, would make a Cannes bow improbable and rules out Venice. Several Italian exhibitors have confirmed that they are expecting to release the film on April 6. But RAI Cinema chief Paolo Del Brocco told Variety that the Italian release for the $17 million 'The Palace' "is not cast in stone." He also didn't rule out a Cannes premiere for the film, which is now in post. The April 6 Italian release date for 'The Palace' is not incompatible with a Cannes bow. Italian auteur Nanni Moretti's films regularly launch from Cannes after being released in Italy. However, in order to go to Venice, the Polanski film's Italian release date would need to be changed. Paris, Feb 3 : French President Emmanuel Macron and visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries and strengthen bilateral relationship in all areas, the Elysee said in a statement on Friday. During a working dinner on Thursday night, Macron said Netanyahu choosing France as his first visit outside the Middle East since his appointment as Israeli Prime Minister shows the "closeness" between the two countries and the two people, Xinhua news agency reported citing the statement. The two leaders hailed the quality of bilateral relations and exchanged views over issues of mutual concern, the Elysee noted. According to the the statement, Macron expressed his concern about the current situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories, stressing the importance of avoiding any measure likely to fuel violence. The French President also said that he is ready to contribute to the resumption of dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians for a political process toward a solution that meets the legitimate aspirations of both sides. In a separate statement, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said the two leaders also discussed the need to maintain regional stability, especially in Lebanon, and opportunities to expand the circle of peace. "Prime Minister Netanyahu also called for imposing significant sanctions on the Iranian regime and for the Revolutionary Guards to be included on the EU terrorism list" the PMO statement said. While discussing "ways to confront the Iranian nuclear threat, Netanyahu stressed that deterrence with Iran and its proxies in the Middle East needs to be strengthened", it added. In a tweet on Friday, Netanyahu said: "I met last night with French President Emmanuel Macron and we discussed in detail the ways to fight the Iranian nuclear threat. I emphasized the need to strengthen deterrence against Iran and its metastases in the Middle East, and said that significant sanctions must be imposed on the Iranian regime." Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 3 : Kerala Finance Minister K.N.Balagopal on Friday presented the Pinarayi Vijayan 2.0 government's second budget proposing a Rs 2 cess on petrol and diesel in addition to a Rs 20 hike on Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). Not only has it proposed a hike in property taxes, but also levied an additional tax on those who own a second home and on all homes that are kept locked. Another hike has come in the taxes for new vehicles, registration of land and also fees charged for government services. Besides, the judicial fee will also be increased. Denouncing the increased taxes, the Congress-led Opposition termed the budget a "tool" to loot the people and announced to launch a massive protest against it. Leader of Opposition V.D.Satheesan called it a daylight dacoity signalled through the budget. "At no cost will we allow this indiscriminate hiking of taxes and cess on petrol and diesel. We are going to launch an indefinite state-wide protest till the government rolls back the hikes as this budget will surely break the spine of the man on the street." A tippler, reacting to the hike in liquor price, said from now on three pegs daily, the consumption will have to be halved. At the commercial capital of the state - Kochi, the Congress workers staged a protest and burnt the copies of the budget against the Rs 2 cess on petrol and diesel. However, Balagopal defended the hike in taxes and said the only way to raise additional resources is to increase the price of liquor and through the cess on petrol and diesel. "The Centre has reduced the borrowing of our government by around Rs 2,700 crore and the only way to go forward is to hike the tax on petrol, diesel and liquor," he said. As soon as the budget presentation was over, the Opposition rose to protest and raised slogans demanding the immediate withdrawal of hike in taxes as it will lead to huge price rise. Satheesan, while inaugurating a protest march in front of a petrol pump at Kollam, said the burden on the man on the street due to these hiked taxes will come to Rs 4000 crore. "This hike comes at a time when the Left government and their leaders are always up in arms demanding the reduction of fuel prices. Likewise, the hike in liquor prices will lead to an increase in the consumption of drugs. The coming days will see more protests," warned Satheesan. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed New Delhi, Feb 3 : The Supreme Court on Friday warned the Centre on the delay in clearing the transfer of high court judges recommended by the apex court collegium, saying it may result in both administrative and judicial actions which may not be palatable. A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Abhay S. Oka told the Attorney General R. Venkataramani, representing the Centre, "Don't make us take a stand which will be very uncomfortable...", and further added that if transfer of judges is kept pending then it is a serious issue. Justice Kaul said transfer is a very serious issue and warned against the interference of third parties in the process. He told the AG that sometimes the government does it overnight and sometimes it takes longer and there is no uniformity, and added that even chief justices transfers are also pending. The bench orally observed, "We will have to take a difficult decision. Do not make us take a hard stand", and told the AG, who said the court may not record anything as it is happening. The top court stressed, "It has been happening! But when will this happen? Things have not been happening for years together..." During the hearing, advocate Amit Pai, counsel representing the petitioner, said that the court is being attacked from outside. Justice Kaul said, "We are used to it. Be rest assured that it does not bother us. It is for the authorities to know where to..." After hearing detailed arguments, the bench scheduled the matter for further hearing on February 13. The AG submitted that recommendations made for appointment of the five Supreme Court judges would be cleared shortly. On December 13, 2022, the apex court collegium had recommended for elevation of justices Pankaj Mithal, Sanjay Karol, P.V. Sanjay Kumar, Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Manoj Misra to the Supreme Court. On January 31, the collegium also recommended for elevation of Justice Rajesh Bindal, Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court and Justice Aravind Kumar, Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court as judges of the top court. The top court was hearing a contempt petition filed by Advocates Association of Bangalore against the Centre breaching the timeline for judicial appointments. Earlier, the apex court had expressed its displeasure over the delay in clearing of the names approved by the collegium for appointments. New Delhi, Feb 3 : The Indian Super League (ISL) on Friday announced the dates of the 2022-23 season's playoffs and final scheduled to be played in March. The playoffs will start on March 3 with the final being played on March 18, 2023. The playoffs will be played in a knockout and semifinal format. The top two teams at the end of the league stage will automatically qualify for the semifinals. Teams finishing between the third to sixth will feature in a single-leg playoff to determine the other two semifinalists. For the first time in the history of ISL, six teams will have the opportunity to go ahead to the league stage and stake their claim on the ISL trophy. Mumbai City FC and Hyderabad FC have already qualified for the next round with fierce battles underway for the remaining 4 spots. Format of playoffs Knockout 1: March 3- No 4 (Home team) vs No 5 (Away Team) Knockout 2: March 4- NO 3 (Home team) vs NO 6 (Away) Semi-final 1 - 1st leg: March 7 - No 1 (Home team) vs Winner of Knockout 1 Semi-final 2 - 1st leg: March 9- No 2 (Home team) vs Winner of Knockout 2 Semi-final 1 - 2nd leg: March 12- Winner of Knockout 1 (Home team) vs No 1 Semi-final 2 - 2nd leg: March 13- Winner of Knockout 2 (Home team) vs No 2 Los Angeles, Feb 3 : Ellie Bamber is set to star as Kate Moss in a new film detailing her infamous relationship with Lucian Freud. The "Serpent" and "Nocturnal Animals" star will play the British supermodel in "Moss & Freud", which will cover a period in the early 2000s when she sat for Freud, who will be played by Derek Jacobi ("Murder on the Orient Express"), reports 'Variety'. The project will be directed by James Lucas, who is known for his Oscar-winning live action short film "The Phone Call", starring Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent. Moss will executive produce with the support of the Lucian Freud Archive. Set around Freud's Holland Park studio and London in the heady days of early 2000s Britain, the story opens up to explore Freud's mysterious past and Moss's life as a globally recognised supermodel. As per 'Variety', Cornerstone is handling worldwide sales at the upcoming European film market. The Reset Collective will handle the release in Australia and New Zealand. At the peak of the supermodel era, Moss was at a crossroads in her life and work when she agreed to sit for Freud - the grandson of psychologist Sigmund Freud - over an intense nine-month period at his studio in Holland Park. Although from seemingly different worlds and often at odds, as their relationship develops, the two personalities discover they are kindred spirits with lots to learn from each other and, as a consequence, about themselves. The process becomes cathartic, leaving both changed forever. Moss recently spoke about the experience on BBC Radio 4 program "Desert Island Discs", revealing that the artist etched a tattoo of a bird into her thigh that now looks like "varicose veins." "I'm still probably the only living person with a Lucian Freud on my thigh," she told host Lauren Laverne. Chennai, Feb 3 : Cement major India Cements Ltd is looking at refurbishing its old plants located in Andhra Pradesh and Telungana at an outlay of Rs 1,500 crore to Rs 1,600 crore to be funded internally, said a top company official. Suffering a production cost disadvantage of about Rs 500 per ton as compared to the best in the market and in order to be at par with competition, India Cements has decided to refurbish its plants in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana acquired two decades back, Vice Chairman and Managing Director N.Srinivasan said. The company has engaged Krupp Polysius and FL Smidth and submit their report on making the plants efficient. "We have asked the experts to submit their report as how to make these plants as efficient to be on par with the competition. They are expected to submit the report soon," he said. According to Srinivasan, the refurbishment when started will take about 15 to 18 months to complete. Since India Cements has a basket of vintage plants and technology with varying operating parameters, this has pushed the cost of production against its peers, he said. The company has plants in AP and Telangana and they were acquired two decades ago. In terms of consumption of fuel (coal and oil) and power, India Cements has found it is incurring an additional cost of Rs 500 per tonne of cement produced compared to the most efficient players in the industry. The revamp programme is aimed at addressing this cost difference and improve the operational parameters of plants. According to Srinivasan, the refurbishment programme will start with Malkapur and Vishnupuram plants in Telangana. It will not cover its modern plants like Sankari in Tamil Nadu and Banswara in Rajasthan. India Cements has eight integrated cement plants - two plants in Andhra Pradesh at Chilamkur and Yerraguntla, two in Telangana at Vishnpuram and Malkapur, one at Banswara in Rajasthan, threein Tamil Nadu at Sankarnagar, Sankari and Dalavoi and two grinding units one near Chennai and the other at Parli in Maharashtra. The combined production capacity is about 16 million ton per annum. Srinivasan also said the company will increase volume of cement and sell more blended cement. Meanwhile, aided by Rs 294.28 crore profit on sale of investments, India Cements closed Q3 of FY23 with a net profit of Rs 90.73 crore. India Cements closed the quarter ended December 31, 2022 with a revenue from operations of Rs 1,219.46 crore (Q3FY22 Rs 1,108.46 crore) and a net profit of Rs 90.73 crore (Rs 3.30 crore). The exceptional income item of Rs 294.28 crore is the profit on sale of investments made in Springway Mining Private Ltd. According to India Cements, during the quarter under review, the company concluded the sale of investment held in its subsidiary Springway Mining Private Ltd (SMPL) for an agreed consideration of Rs 476.88 crore vide share purchase agreement (SPA) on October 10, 2022. Raichur : , Feb 3 (IANS) A nine-year-old boy was attacked by a crocodile in Karnataka's Raichur district on Friday, but saved by the quick response of locals, police said. According to police, the incident occurred when the boy, identified as Pavan, was playing in the river near Kortagunda village. Pavan had come to his grandparents' house to attend a local religious fair. He had gone to the river with his family members, and while they were washing clothes on the banks of river, the boy went into the river to play when he was attacked. However, locals, who saw crocodile approaching the boy, displayed presence of mind and quick response, rushed into the river, shouted, and threw things at the animal to drive it off. Though, Pavan was seriously injured in the incident, locals managed to save his life. The boy was now admitted to the Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) and doctors have stated that he is out of danger. Kochi, Feb 3 : The Kerala High Court on Friday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit, in a sealed cover, a report on their ongoing probe into the 2017 rape and 'murder' case of two minor Dalit sisters in Palakkad district. A bench of Justice K. Babu gave the order while hearing the plea of the mother of the two girl seeking monitoring of the probe. This case took place in January 2017, when the older of the two sisters, aged 13, was found hanging inside her home at Walayar in Palakkad by her younger sister, aged 9. The younger sister informed the police that she had seen two men leave the house that day and her parents claimed that their daughter had been murdered. But the police registered a case of unnatural death. After 52 days later, in March 2017, the younger sister was also found hanging in the same house. The victim's mother has expressed her displeasure in the ongoing CBI probe after she observed that the CBI has been ignoring material evidence in the case that points towards this being a case of homicide and not suicide. She was basing her feelings after the trial court had also observed that there was an indifference on the part of the CBI in their probe and they seems to be in a hurry to finish the probe without a proper investigation. Hence the mother sought that the court to monitor the CBI investigation and to direct the probe agency to look into homicidal angles in the death of the victims, the suspicious death of two accused in the case, and the involvement of child pornography mafia in the deaths of victims. New Delhi, Feb 3 : The world's largest annual craft fair, Surajkund Craft Mela 2023, will be the perfect place for Vivanta Surajkund-NCR to commemorate the Year of Millets. Vivanta Surajkund-NCR presents a culinary journey woven with the values of social responsibility at the festival, bringing in an unforgettable experience of the traditional Indian millet combined with the innovation of elegant dining. The hotel's painstakingly crafted menu, created by Chef Prashant Banerjee/Sous Chef in honour of the International Year of the Millet 2023, tells the story of the superfood in a gastronomically inventive way. In order to establish India as the "Global Hub of Millets" and to strengthen local communities, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) approved the declaration of 2023 as the International Year of Millets. All millets varieties at Vivanta Surajkund- NCR are sourced from farmers in the Himalayan foothills. These include the millet varieties Sorghum, Barnyard, Finger, Foxtail, Kodo, Little, and Pearl. Greek Sorghum & Vegetable Bowl, Mixed Millet Bhel Puri, Pulled Chicken & Millet Wrap, Foxtail Crested Fillet of Sole, Wok Tossed Kodo Millet with Bokchoy, and Sorghum & Walnut Brownie are just a few of the delectable dishes on the exquisitely curated menu for the Surajkund Mela. On the site, visitors can also get a taste of the "Millet Way of Life." The kiosk is based on the Paathya values that underlie all IHCL endeavours to forge a future of sustainable development and social responsibility through collaboration with all stakeholders. The kiosk is free of plastic, and the bottling plant also uses sustainable practises. Local potters and women from the Mela's vicinity will be present at the stall and the property moving forward to support local talent. Suju Krishnan, General Manager - Vivanta Surajkund-NCR said: "We are thrilled to be a part of the Surajkund Craft Mela 2023. The annual festival, which is the largest crafts fair in the world, is a melting pot of culture and we are grateful to be a part of the festivities organised by Haryana Tourism Authorities. This year's kiosk by Vivanta Surajkund-NCR is all about two things - The goodness of Millets and The Sustainable Way of Paathya. Look forward to welcoming the delegates for Surajkund International fair 2023." Prashant Banerjee, sous Chef, Vivanta Surajkund-NCR said: "Millet has been integral to the cultural history of India. While developing the menu for the International Year of Millets, we were inspired by the 'Nostalgic Millet Food Journey.' We wanted to honour the traditional millet by adding the Vivanta touch of innovation and contemporariness. Our meticulously crafted menu for the event, which will also be available at our property, is designed to experiment with the superfood to enthral the five senses, radicalise immunity and rejoice in the 'Millet Way of Life'." (IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in) Bengaluru, Feb 3 : Two police personnel were suspended on Friday for allegedly extorting money from a couple here. Head Constable Rajesh and Constable Nagesh were patrolling staff attached to Sampigehalli police station in the city. The action has been taken following a complaint by the couple to Bengaluru Police Commissioner Pratap Reddy. On December 8, Karthik and his wife were walking back to their residence on the premises of the Manyata Tech Park after attending a birthday party at 12.30 a.m. The accused cops stopped the couple and told them that they were not supposed to walk in the area after 11 p.m. They harassed the couple by questioning them about their relationship. When asked for identity cards, the couple showed them images of their Aadhaar cards in the mobile. At this, the policemen snatched their mobiles and demanded Rs 3,000 as fine. They had also threatened the couple with "serious consequences" if they failed to pay up. The couple had made a payment of Rs 1,000 by using QR code and reached home. Later, they had lodged a complaint with the Police Commissioner following which a departmental inquiry was ordered. Hanoi, Feb 3 : Vietnam considers trade facilitation, technical barriers reduction and improving products' quality among key tasks to diversify export markets amid multiple external challenges, as per local reports on Friday. Vietnam's scale of economy is still modest with limited resilience and competitiveness, therefore it is crucial to avoid the global recession, local newspaper Bao dau tu (Investment) reported, citing Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at a meeting, quoted by Xinhua. Noting that external factors have led to lowering demand and decreasing production in Vietnam, he said: "It is important to diversify exports and supply chains while developing a resilient and self-independent economy and increase demand for the domestic market of nearly 100 million people." Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien said that a range of measures are needed to facilitate production and exports, including diversifying export markets, taking advantage of 15 free trade agreements that are in effect and updating new regulations from buyers. "Companies should further accelerate diversifying market and avoid overreliance on traditional markets," he said at the meeting held on Friday. Though accounting for small share of Vietnam's export, northern Europe and Latin American markets still have much room for growth. With proper approach, Vietnam's products can increase their presence in these markets, he added. The Vietnamese manufacturing sector continued to face challenging business conditions in January this year with declining production and new orders, according to a report by S&P Global Market Intelligence. Patna, Feb 3 : Two persons have been arrested in connection with gang rape of a minor girl in Bihar's Sheohar district, police said on Friday. The incident occurred in a village coming under Shyampur Bhataha block in the district on Thursday. As the girl was returning from a local market, she was intercepted by two accused, and taken to an isolated place, and raped. The accused released the victim after few hours, threatening her to dire consequences if she revealed the incident to anyone. However, the victim, after reaching home, revealed her ordeal before mother. The victim along with her mother approached Shyampur Bhataha police station and filed a complaint against the accused. "The victim has identified the accused. Accordingly, we raided the houses of accused and arrested them. We have conducted the medical examination of the victim with confirms sexual assault. The accused are booked under the POCSO act and the case was transferred to women police station for further action," an officer of Shyampur Bhataha police station said. Lusaka, Feb 3 : Zambia's central bank on Thursday raised statutory reserve ratio, the rate at which commercial banks keep funds in the central bank, to address volatility in the foreign exchange (forex) market. Bank of Zambia's Deputy Governor Francis Chipimo said in a circular to all commercial banks that the ratio would be increased by 2.5 percentage points to 11.5 per cent. "This measure is aimed at addressing the increased volatility in the exchange rate which intensified in December 2022, and has persisted in 2023," he said, as quoted by Xinhua. The increased reserve ratio comes into effect on February 13. Chipimo said the country's currency has come under sustained depreciation despite the central bank's support to the market through sales of foreign exchange. Mumbai, Feb 3 : If you like the visuals of the song 'Tere Pyaar Mein' from the upcoming Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor-starrer 'Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar', here's some news for you. The song, which gives out a vibrant and cool vibe in terms of the visuals, has been shot across eight locations in Spain. The makers purposefully took the decision to shoot in such locations to add more vibrance and freshness to the song. Spain always adds a distinctive texture to the frame, and the fans of the Zoya Akhtar directorial 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' would agree. The first few frames of the song, where Shraddha looks ravishing in a flared red dress while Ranbir looks stunning in a white casual shirt, were shot in the beautiful Spanish village of Besalu. Ranbir is seen chasing Shraddha playfully across the beautiful mediaeval town through its cobblestone streets and beautiful bridges. Besalu brims with its own character in the song. A major part of the song has also been shot across the towns of Mallorca, an island with ravishing beach coves and beautiful villages. The water sequence where Ranbir and Shraddha are seen oozing sizzling chemistry has been shot in a tiny cove beach called Cala Deia, which is known for celebrity staycations. In addition, it has also been shot on the Borne Street and the beaches of Barcelona along with Sollar, Cala s'Almunia and Vallademosa. Talking about the song, 'Tere Pyaar Mein' has been sung by Arijit Singh, composed by Pritam with lyrics penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya. Directed by Luv Ranjan, produced by Luv Films' Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg, and presented by T-Series' Gulshan Kumar and Bhushan Kumar, 'Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar' will release in theatres worldwide on Holi (March 8). New Delhi, Feb 3 : A PIL has been moved in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre and the SEBI to inquire into alleged "criminal conspiracy" behind the Hindenburg report into Adani Group of companies, leading to crashing of its stock and huge losses to investors. The plea, moved by advocate M.L. Sharma, contended that US resident Nate Anderson of Hindenburg Research and his Indian entities "hatched a criminal conspiracy, did short sale in hundreds of billion dollars prior and thereafter on 25th January 2023, they released a concocted news as research report qua to the Adani Group of the companies, got crash in the share market and squared up their short sell position at the lowest rate". American short seller Hindenburg Research's report about Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has led to a stock rout, erasing over $ 100 billion from his empire and pushing him down on the global rich list. The Adani group rubbished the allegations made by the Hindenburg Research. Sharma's plea added: "They (Hindenburg) secured billions of profits by butchering citizens of India. However, SEBI did not suspend trading in the stock specially qua to the Adani group of the companies and allowed short sellers to exploit innocent investors." The plea pointed out at the constitutional questions which are involved in the issue, which should be decided: Whether SEBI is not duty bound to suspend trading in the short selling stock to protect investors? Whether intentionally short selling to crash stock in share market to square up via crashing market value via concocted artificial means is not a fraud punishable u/s 420 & 120-B of IPC along with the provisions of the SEBI Act. The plea said: "Whether entire profit in short selling via artificial conspiracy crashing stock value is not liable to be recovered from the short sellers couple with penalty and prosecution u/s u/s 420 & 120-B of IPC r.w. 15HA Sebi Act-1992." It demanded that court "issue writ of mandamus to the respondents to conduct inquiry to prosecute & register FIR. u/s 420 & 120-B of IPC r.w. S.15HA SEBI Act against the short sellers (Mr. Anderson and his associate (in India/US) for exploiting innocent Investors via short selling under the garb of artificial crashing via short selling couple with further direction to recover their turnover of short selling with penalty to compensate investors in the interest of justice". New Delhi, Feb 3 : China has tightened restrictions on Tibetan residents of a county in Sichuan province that has been a hotbed of resistance to Chinese rule, imposing measures to prevent contact with people outside the area, according to a media report. The communications clampdown in Drago county is the latest measure by Chinese authorities to bring locals to heel following the demolitions of huge Buddha statues in the area beginning 2021, as monks and local residents were forced to watch, sources in the region said, RFA reported. "Beginning January this year, local Chinese authorities in Drago county have warned Tibetans living in the region to stop communicating with people outside Tibet," said one of the sources who requested anonymity for safety concerns. "Their cellphones are randomly probed and they are restricted from sharing any kind of information with the outside. They are also not allowed to contact their family members or send money," the source said, RFA reported. A report issued in January by 'Free Tibet' and its affiliated research arm 'Tibet Watch' said that Chinese authorities have ramped up repression of Tibetans, razing significant religious structures while committing serious human rights violations in Drago county. The demolition of Tibetan Buddhist sites escalated under Drago county Communist Party chief Wang Dongsheng, who had earlier overseen a campaign for the expulsion of Buddhist clergy and destruction at Sichuan's sprawling Larung Gar Buddhist Academy. "Ever since Wang Dongsheng was appointed as county chief in Drago, the campaign against the Tibetans has gone from bad to worse," said another Tibetan who declined to be identified for fear of his safety, RFA reported. "There have been massive communication clampdowns along with other security measures which have been put into place," he told RFA, adding, "Also, the staff and those with authority in the monasteries have been forced to attend re-education programs." Since 2008, Drago county residents have participated in acts of resistance against the Chinese government, prompting interventions by authorities, including significant crackdowns in 2009 and 2012. Beijing views any sign of Tibetan disobedience as an act of separatism, threatening China's national security. Mumbai, Feb 3 : As the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 'Pathaan' continues to set new records at the box-office, the Badshah of Bollywood received praise from acclaimed author Paulo Coelho, who recently took to Twitter and spoke about his 'king' friend while calling him a 'legend' in the same breath. Paulo Coelho posted a tweet from SRK, which has a video of fans swarming outside his Mannat residence in Mumbai, with the caption, "King. Legend. Friend. But above all, AGREAT ACTOR (for those who don't know him in the West, I strongly suggest 'My name is Khan - and I am not a terrorist')." Reacting to the tweet, SRK wrote, "You are always too kind my friend. Let us meet up sooner than soon!! Bless you." This is not the first time that Paulo Coelho has lavished praise on SRK. In 2017, the author had congratulated the 'Baazigar' actor on the seventh anniversary of the movie 'My Name Is Khan' on Twitter, saying the actor delivered an Oscar-winning performance in the movie. He wrote, "His first (and only) movie that I watched (this year, even if it was released in 2008) was 'My Name is Khan'. And not only was the movie excellent, but SRK deserved an Oscar if Hollywood was not manipulated. He kindly offered to send the other titles; as you probably guess, it is not easy to find them in Switzerlanda." Gangtok, Feb 3 : Former Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling-led SDF on Friday called a 48-hour Sikkim bandh on February 4 and 5 to "convey a public message" to the Centre over the 'foreigner' remark against Sikkimese Nepali community in a recent Supreme Court judgement. Chamling, the president of the opposition Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) party, said: "Through this bandh, we must send a strong message from the people of Sikkim to the Central government that the people of the Sikkimese Nepali community are not foreigners. It is not possible for people to come up individually and raise their voice. We need a collective demonstration from the people of Sikkim. In a democracy, calling a bandh is the most appropriate measure to show our collective protest against the foreigner and immigrant stain on us." At the same time, the former 5-term Chief Minister appealed that the proposed Sikkim bandh should be "peaceful and non-violent", and sought support from the people in the interest of the Sikkim Nepali community and Sikkim. Though bandhs are rare in Sikkim, currently there is widespread discontentment among the majority Nepali speaking community after the Supreme Court referred them as persons of "foreign origin" in its verdict of January 31 over a petition filed by the Association of Old Settlers of Sikkim. Interestingly, the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) is celebrating its 11th party foundation day on February 4. "People should boycott SKM foundation day. The SKM is doing celebrations after making the Sikkimese Nepali community refugees. The stain on the Sikkimese Nepali community and dilution of Sikkimese status has happened during the SKM government. The SKM government failed to object in court when the Sikkimese Nepalis were being made stateless," Chamling told the media after a day-long dharna and rally in Gangtok against the Supreme Court's remark. The SDF president maintained that such references against the Sikkimese Nepali community raise questions on the 1975 Referendum that saw the abolition of the monarchy and merger of the then kingdom of Sikkim with India. Eighty per cent of the voters in the referendum were Sikkimese Nepali and if they are now foreigners, as per the nation's highest court, then it automatically raises doubts about the referendum's legality and status of Sikkim, he said. Various political parties and organisations are holding daily rallies in different parts of Sikkim to protest the immigrant tag on the Sikkimese Nepali community. A senior minister, Mani Kumar Sharma has already resigned from the cabinet, blaming the SKM government for not taking the sentiments of the people seriously. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang has said that the Sikkim government has filed review petitions before the apex court. "This is to inform everyone that the government of Sikkim has filed review petitions before the Supreme Court for suitably addressing the grievances and sentiments of the people of Sikkim concerning certain observations in the judgment pronounced on January 13," said Tamang in his official social media account on Thursday evening. Additional Advocate General of Sikkim and the Law Secretary, Sikkim government, are handling the matter in Delhi with legal experts, said the Chief Minister, adding, he is going to the national capital to personally meet Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju and top law officials of the country for further action. "I reassure everyone that the matter is being dealt with in all seriousness, and I will do everything possible to protect the rights and dignity of all the Sikkimese people," he said. Bengaluru, Feb 3 : Political circles in Karnataka are abuzz with rumours of Kannada superstar Kichcha Sudeepa joining politics following state Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar attending a dinner party at the actor's residence here. Shivakumar and Youth Congress state President Mohammad Nalpad attended the dinner party at Sudeepa's place on Thursday night, and both the leaders spoke to him at length during the occasion. As per sources, Shivakumar had invited Sudeepa to join the Congress and also invited him to participate in the campaigning for the party. However, the official details of the discussion are not known. Earlier, Ramya aka Divya Spandana had also spoken to Sudeepa about joining Congress party. Sudeepa has good relationships with all party leaders. Sometime ago, there were rumours said that he will join the ruling BJP. However, Sudeepa is yet to react to the development. According to sources, Sudeepa will contest Lok Sabha elections from Shivamogga or Chitradurga parliamentary constituencies. KPCC Working President Satish Jarkiholi has welcomed the purported development and stated that he would welcome the actor into the Congress. Vadodara, Feb 3 : The Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested two more accused in connection with the junior clerk paper leak case from Kolkata on Thursday night. Both accused are being brought to Ahmedabad, said sources in the ATS. Till date, a total of 19 accused persons have arrested in the paper leak case. The junior clerk's competitive exams conducted by the Gujarat Panchayat Service Selection Board was scheduled last Sunday. But early on Sunday morning, the Board cancelled the exams citing police information that a paper had been leaked. By the evening, 16 persons were apprehended by the police for their alleged role in the paper leak. On Thursday night, the ATS arrested Nishikant Sinha Kushwaha and Sumitkantsingh Rajput from Kolkata. Both are considered to be kingpins in the paper leak case. Mumbai, Feb 3 : Soon after Congress rebel Satyajeet Tambe won the Nashik Graduates Constituency polls as an Independent candidate, Maharashtra's Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar on Friday "advised" him to patch up and return to his Congress party. Speaking to media persons, the NCP leader suggested that with the elections over, Tambe - placed under suspension for six years by the Congress for anti-party activities in January - should now discuss his issues with senior leaders and his family members to take an appropriate decision. Pawar felt that Tambe - who won as an independent with Bharatiya Janata Party's backing, trouncing Maha Vikas Aghadi-backed Shubhangi Patil - could hammer out the issues with his father, senior Congressman Sudhir Tambe, who was suspended last month, and also his father-in-law, Balasaheb Thorat, the Congress Legislature Party leader. On his part, Tambe Jr. commented that he would have loved to be elected as a Congressman but has not taken any decision on his future course of politics, whether he would join the BJP or toy with other options. State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule maintained a cautiously neutral stance stating that it would be upto Tambe to take a decision if he wants to join the BJP or not. Pawar also revealed that earlier, NCP President Sharad Pawar had batted for a ticket to Tambe Jr. and even called up Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in this regard. He said the Congress should now show a generous heart, brush aside the bitter developments of the past one months and consider a rapprochement with Tambe, though the Congress has not reacted to the unsolicited counseling from the MVA ally. The MVA was in high spirits after bagging 3 seats of the five MLC biennial polls, while one went to independent Tambe and one went to the BJP. New York, Feb 3 : An investigation into the display of a bulldozer at the India Day Parade in New Jersey last year has said there is not enough evidence to file a bias intimidation charge, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office announced. According to a report in nj.com, the incident was "properly reported and classified as a bias incident". But the investigation did not reach the threshold for criminal charges, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Thomas Bryan of the Edison Police Department said in a joint press release issued late in January. The parade, organised by the Indian Business Association (IBA), featured a bulldozer with pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. A banner next to Adityanath's photo on the controversial float described it as "Baba ka Bulldozer". It was alleged that the bulldozer, a symbol of 'hate', was used to selectively target religious-minority communities in India -- a charge which was vehemently denied by the government concerned. The Edison Police Department had received numerous complaints concerning the bulldozer float. "The complainants reported that the float was an offensive and Islamophobic endorsement of the divisive practice of using heavy machinery to demolish homes of alleged criminals, protestors, and rioters in India. This brand of abulldozer politics' has been criticised as disproportionately targeting religious-minority communities in India," the prosecutor's office said in a press release. Although there was insufficient cause for charges, the prosecutor's office reiterated "its stance against hate in all forms," the nj.com reported. Condemning the incident, Edison's Indian-American Mayor Sam Joshi, in a statement, said that the bulldozer was used as "a symbol of division and discrimination". Following Joshi's statement, the Indian Business Association, which had organised the parade, had apologised. "We thank the Middlesex County Prosecutor's office for investigating the incident and welcome their decision to classify it as a bias incident," read the statement issued by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Mumbai, Feb 3 : Actress Aisha Ahmed, who is gearing up for her new streaming series 'Minus One: New Chapter', recently recollected her experience on shooting for the series bang in the middle of Delhi in Chandni Chowk. The actress, admitted to being completely bowled over by the lip-smacking street food during the shoot but, one thing she vividly remembered was how people around the location thought that Akshay Kumar is coming for the shoot given Khiladi Kumar has already shot a film with Chandni Chowk in its title. For a short schedule Minus One team shot in the national capital, sharing his experience in Delhi, Aisha Ahmed said, "Shooting in Delhi was lovely, there was obviously great food coming in for every meal because I've been in Bombay for so long that I've forgotten what good food tastes like. This was also the first time I shot in a live location. I've shot in Amritsar before but that was a guerrilla shoot, but here it was a proper shoot set up and we were bang in the middle of old Delhi". She further mentioned: "That was really fun, people were just standing and watching, they just kept looking and I don't think anyone had anywhere to go, they didn't care who it was, which actors were there, I'm sure they wouldn't have recognised us. We couldn't hear ourselves, people were constantly rooting and cheering. One thing I'll never forget is that we could hear people going around and saying "Akshay Kumar aa raha hai" and Ayush and I were looking at each other and thinking - 'Bro? Akshay Kumar?' We didn't know that. Being in a sweet old town like that It was just a beautiful feeling" The show explores how two people are trying to define their identities, and eventually learn to let go of the labels and be who they are meant to be. Aisha's co-actor in the series, Ayush Mehra said, "Shooting in Chandni Chowk was like shooting with 500 people surrounding you at all times, we had to have bouncers, security, and people looking at us. That day it felt like I was actually shooting. It was a beautiful experience because a lot of people were watching you, and they would come in the middle of the shot saying 'Hi'. They just knew that there was some shooting taking place so they showed up. It was a very fun, memorable, and a good day of shooting." Produced by Writeous Studios and created by Sidhantha Mathur and Shubham Yogi, 'Minus One: New Chapter' is set to release on Lionsgate Play on February 14. Agartala, Feb 3 : BJP national president J.P. Nadda on Friday claimed that the Congress and the CPI-M during their governance destroyed Tripura on all fronts while the BJP during the five-year rule created a 'new Tripura', establishing peace and boosting development. Addressing an election rally in Tripura's Kumarghat, Nadda criticised the Congress-CPI-M seat adjustments, saying the two parties have come together not for the state's welfare and development but to save their existence. In a seat sharing deal, the four-party Left Front has fielded candidates in 47 seats and allotted 13 seats to their new ally Congress, even as they have been arch political rivals in Tripura since 1952. "Congress-CPI-M 'Mahagathbandhan' (big alliance) aimed to bring back commission raj, insurgency, corruption, lawlessness and other misdeeds," the BJP leader said. Nadda said that to establish peace in Tripura, the BJP government in the state and the Centre have signed a peace accord with the militant outfit National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), and then its 88 cadres surrendered to the government. For the permanent settlement of the displaced Reang tribals, the Central government has also signed a four-partite agreement and over 35,000 Reang tribals are being provided with a permanent settlement in Tripura, investing Rs 600 crore, he pointed out. Highlighting the BJP government's efforts for the all-round development of the tribals across the country, Nadda said that for the first time a "tribal sister (Droupadi Murmu) is now a country's President". "There are eight central ministers who are tribals, several governors and Chief Ministers are tribals. For tribal communities, the budget has been increased by four times," Nadda said. The BJP president said that Tripura witnessed insurgency, violence and road blockades before the 2018 Assembly elections, but the 'double engine' government ensured peace and development. He said that investing Rs 980 crore for the Agartala-Akhaura (Bangladesh) railway project was being implemented to boost the state's trade and business and would facilitate the people of the state to go to other parts of the country very easily. The BJP leader said that during the Congress and the CPI-M regime, food from ration shops were looted, 'commission raj' prevailed, and liquidation was everywhere. Stressing on women empowerment, Nadda said that the BJP has nominated 12 women candidates in Tripura polls. "The people of Tripura have already decided to return to the BJP government for the second time in the February 16 elections to ensure that the double engine government continues to further speed up the development," he said. Nadda's rally on Friday was for the second time in the BJP-ruled Tripura in less than one month. The BJP's national president on January 12 addressed a rally in Agartala, after the eight-day long state-wide 'Rath Yatra', which was flagged off by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on January 5. New Delhi, Feb 3 : The Ministry of Rural Development said on Friday that the concern that lower allocation for the MGNREGA scheme for 2023-24 may affect the rural employment scheme is far from the truth. "A concern has been raised over the Union Budget allocating Rs 60,000 crore for the MGNREGA scheme for 2023-24, which is 18 per cent lower than the Rs 73,000 crore budget estimates of 2022-23. This may affect the rural employment scheme of MGNREGA to achieve its objective of providing wage employment against the demand from the rural households. This is far from thr truth," the ministry said in a statement on Friday. MGNREGA is a demand-driven scheme. Any household demanding employment shall be provided at least 100 days of unskilled manual work in a financial year in accordance with the scheme. During FY 2022-23, a total of 99.81 per cent rural households have been offered wage employment against their demand for work. If an applicant for employment under the scheme is not provided such employment within 15 days of receipt, he shall be entitled to a daily unemployment allowance, the ministry said. "In FY 2019-20, the BE was Rs 60,000 crore which got revised to Rs 71,001 crore; for FY 2020-21, the BE was Rs 61,500 crore which increased in the RE to Rs 1,11,500 crore; and for FY 2021-22, the BE of Rs 73,000 crore was revised to Rs 98,000 crore. Therefore, it can be seen that the actual releases to the states have been much higher than that provided for at the BE level. "Even during the current financial year 2022-23, the BE was Rs 73,000 crore, which was revised to Rs 89,400 crore. From the perusal of the above, it is inferred that the previous release has no bearing on the requirement for funds for next year," said the ministry. "Whenever additional fund is required, the Ministry of Finance is requested to provide the funds. The government of India is committed to release funds for wage and material payments for proper implementation of the scheme, as per the provisions of the act and guidelines applicable for Central government as well as the state governments," it added. Kolkata, Feb 3 : A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court here on Friday sent Trinamool Congress youth leader Kuntal Ghosh to 14 days judicial custody in connection with his alleged involvement in the multi-crore teachers' recruitment scam. Ghosh was arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) on January 21 and since then he was in the custody of the central agency. On Friday, he was presented at the court which sent him to judicial custody till February 17. Counsel for ED told the court that Ghosh allegedly received around Rs 19 crore from different candidates for arranging jobs as teachers in state-run schools and a major part of that amount reached the former state Education Minister and Trinamool Secretary General Partha Chatterjee, who is in judicial custody in relation to the same scam. Counsel also told the court that collection of scam proceeds by Ghosh was a two-way affair. First, he collected money promising jobs and when the investigation by central agencies like ED and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the matter started, he collected additional funds from the same candidates to make arrangements for fighting the legal battle if their services are terminated, counsel added. While moving his bail plea, Ghosh's counsel Raja Sengupta informed the court that the central agency had not recovered any money from Ghosh's residence. "My client has been arrested just on the basis of allegations. Hence, the case of money laundering cannot be slapped on him," he argued. 18-year old girl from Bharuch, GUJARAT got a new hand after a 13-hoir transplant surgery in Global Hospitals, Mumbai Image Source: IANS News 18-year old girl from Bharuch, GUJARAT got a new hand after a 13-hoir transplant surgery in Global Hospitals, Mumbai Image Source: IANS News 18-year old girl from Bharuch, GUJARAT got a new hand after a 13-hoir transplant surgery in Global Hospitals, Mumbai Image Source: IANS News 18-year old girl from Bharuch, GUJARAT got a new hand after a 13-hoir transplant surgery in Global Hospitals, Mumbai Image Source: IANS News Mumbai, Feb 3 : In what is termed as the first of its kind surgery in India, a teenaged girl from Gujarat, born with a congenital hand aplasia, has got a new right hand after a grueling and complex 13-hour surgery in a private Mumbai hospital. The 18-year-old girl, Samiya Mansuri hails from Bharuch in south Gujarat and was born with anomalies like hand and finger deformities which prevented her right hand from completely developing. "Her forearm, wrist and hand were severely deficient, she had very small finger nubbins, due to the deformity, all the blood vessels, muscles, bones and nerves were smaller than usual," said Dr Nilesh Satbhai, Senior Consultant, Plastic, Hand & Reconstructive Microsurgeon of Global Hospitals who led the team which operated on her. Her family had been running to different hospitals, including in Rajasthan, for a good hand prosthesis but finally realised that it would never give her a functional hand. Then, around two years ago, they consulted Dr Satbhai at Global Hospitals seeking a hand transplant, and after a series of discussions, the medical team agreed, and decided to do a transplant after Samiya turned 18 to enable take her official consent. As the eager Samiya looked at the calendar, on January 10, she turned 18 --- and miraculously, the family of a brain-dead 52-year-old woman from Indore happened to donate an arm that Samiya could use. Samiya was rushed from Bharuch to Global Hospitals here for the first-ever such limb transplant procedure in the country, Dr Satbhai said. "The donor limb that we got is matching the patient (Samiya)'s hand colour, though the size is slightly bigger. We have done the bone joining below the elbow, and modifying the blood vessels and nerves on the upper arm as she already had a functional arm," Dr. Satbhai told IANS later. He said that after a few months of exercises and physiotherapy and taking proper care, Samiya will have a hand that is more than 90 percent functional, will experience all types of sensations, and shall perform most normal duties like ordinary people. During the surgery, the medicos preserved all the existing functions of Samiya's elbow, but repaired the blood vessels and nerves above to match their size, and started her rehab programme for nerve recovery. "She will need around a year for a strong and fully functional hand," said Dr. Satbhai, as the hospital discharged the patient on Friday. "This surgery is a ray of hope for people with birth defects and awaiting a hand transplant. Samiya's successful story will inspire and encourage other donors to donate hands and change the lives of the beneficiaries for the better," said Dr. Vivek Talaulikar, Chief Executive Officer, Global Hospital. For the overjoyed Samiya, its like a dream come true and she celebrated the day by cutting a cake, gently raising her 'new' arm for media persons. Her mother, Shenaz Mansuri expressed her gratitude to the donor's family for helping their daughter in the "miracle" and the medical team for achieving this milestone that will enhance Samiya's life. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at q.najmi@ians.in) London, Feb 3 : A British Sikh who allegedly planned to "kill the Queen" on Christmas Day in 2021 and was arrested with a loaded crossbow has admitted to treason charges. Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, pleaded guilty to three charges, including an offence under the Treason Act, during a hearing at the Old Bailey on Friday. Chail, who appeared at the Old Bailey via video uplink from Broadmoor Hospital where he is presently held, will be sentenced by the court on March 31. He admitted intending to injure or alarm the late Queen under the Treason Act 1842, the Metro reported. A resident of Southampton, Hampshire, Chail had reportedly said: "I am here to kill the Queen", before he was handcuffed and arrested. He also admitted to making threats to kill and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place, namely a crossbow."He had made a video of himself stating his desire to harm the late Queen, which he sent to a group of contacts shortly before he was arrested," a Met Police statement said. In the video, which was recorded four days earlier and sent to Chail's contacts list about minutes before his arrest, he says: "I am sorry, I am sorry for what I have done and what I will do. I'm going to attempt to assassinate Elizabeth Queen of the Royal Family." In the video posted on Snapchat he said that the attack is a revenge for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre of Indians by British colonial troops. "I am an Indian Sikh. My name was Jaswant Singh Chail. My name is Darth Jones," Chail, a former supermarket worker, said in the video.The Queen, who passed away last year, had been celebrating holidays at Windsor Castle when the incident took place. According to reports, Chail had scaled the perimeter of the grounds with a nylon rope ladder, some two hours before his arrest. He was wearing a hood and mask and was carrying a crossbow loaded with a bolt, with the safety catch off and ready to fire.The prosecution told the court that the Supersonic X-Bow weapon he was carrying had the potential to cause "serious or fatal injuries". BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday sent a congratulatory message to Chris Hipkins on his taking office as New Zealand's prime minister. In his message, Li said that China and New Zealand are important countries in the Asia-Pacific region and each other's important cooperative partner. In recent years, China-New Zealand relations have enjoyed sound development and the two countries' cooperation in various fields has brought benefits to their people, which has made important contributions to regional peace, stability and prosperity, Li added. China-New Zealand relations have spanned 50 years, Li noted, adding that at this new historical starting point, the two sides should work together to carry forward the spirit of striving to be the first, strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, expand exchanges and advance cooperation, so as to continuously push forward the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership. Agartala, Feb 3 : Reappointment of retrenched 10,323 government school teachers, employment for youths, and restoration of law and order are some of the main promises featured in the CPI-M-led Left Front manifesto ahead of the February 16 Assembly polls. The election manifesto, released by Left Front Convener Narayan Kar, CPI-M state Secretary Jitendra Chiowdhury and other Left leaders, also promised maximum possible autonomy to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council. Chowdhury said that the BJP government at the Centre kept pending the 125th Aamendment of the Constitution but giving tall promises for the welfare of the tribals. The 125th amendment to the Constitution provides for the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram to safeguard the rights of the tribal population and their socio economic development in these states. The Left parties assurance for the greater autonomy to theTTAADC assume significance in view of the demand of the Tripura tribal party -- Tipra Motha Party (TMP) - to elevate the TTAADC areas by granting of 'Greater Tipraland State' or a separate state under Article 2 and 3 of the Constitution. Chowdhury said that the Left Front and Congress, which are contesting the February 16 elections under a seat-sharing agreement, would soon announce a common minimum programme. Tripura Left Front convenor Narayan Kar said that if the Front come back to the power, jobs for at least 2.5 lakh people in government, semi-government and private sectors in the next five years, free electricity for up to 50 units per family, land allotment to landless people and a ban on the privatisation of government-run educational institutions would be done. Among the other 81 promises in the manifesto are restoration of democratic, religious and political rights, and general law and order "destroyed by the BJP government" besides an all out war against drugs and efforts to ensure 200 days of work under MGNREGA. Justice would also be done for people who were cheated by the non-banking finance companies, the Left leader said. New Delhi, Feb 3 : The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday accused the BJP of backstabbing Delhiites by making officials unethically pass the MCD budget before the AAP government was formed. AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said the "BJP and its central government conspired to create a ruckus in the MCD and not let AAP form the government and now they have discreetly passed the MCD budget. It is the responsibility of the elected government of MCD to fulfil its promises by preparing the budget, but the BJP got the budget passed by fraud to prevent CM Arvind Kejriwal from fulfilling his promises." If the officials prepare the budget at the behest of the BJP's Central government, how will the Aam Aadmi Party fulfil its promises? asked Bhardwaj. He said that this is a huge fraud. "Earlier BJP used CBI and LG in Delhi to trouble AAP, similarly now every governor is troubling their state governments", he accused. "Today, the BJP has once again gone on to disappoint the citizens of Delhi. The Budget of the MCD is a very important document that gives the detailed breakdown of how much money the elected government hopes to spend in the fulfilment of its promises. Despite losing the elections to the AAP, the BJP has illegally passed the Budget of the MCD through the officials that it uses to control the corporation. This is the level to which the BJP can stoop to retain power. If this is how the MCD is to be run, then what was the point of conducting elections? Talking to the media, Bhardwaj said that the bureaucrats of the MCD who have passed the Budget should be asked to fight the MCD polls the next time. This is a betrayal of the people of Delhi. It is the AAP that has been elected by the people to run the MCD, but the people passing the budget are bureaucrats of the MCD, what sense does this make?" He claimed that the BJP has just taken another major step to cheat the people of Delhi and take revenge against them as they were voted out of power in the MCD. He concluded, "Even in the MCD, the BJP had a full-fledged plan to not let AAP form the government despite winning the elections in December last year. Under the pretext of maintaining law and order, they even brought in armed police forces and tried to use them to threaten the elected councillors of AAP. This act of getting the bureaucrats to pass the MCD Budget is another well-planned tactic of the BJP to retain power in the MCD despite the citizens of Delhi wanting them out of the corporation." New Delhi, Feb 3 : Amid doubts being raised over state-owned banks' exposure to Adani group, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday said that "the banking sector remains resilient and stable". "There have been media reports expressing concern about the exposures of Indian banks to a business conglomerate. As the regulator and supervisor, the RBI maintains a constant vigil on the banking sector and on individual banks with a view to maintain financial stability," the central bank said in a statement. The RBI has a Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC) database system where the banks report their exposure of Rs 5 crore and above which is used for monitoring purposes. "As per the RBI's current assessment, the banking sector remains resilient and stable. Various parameters relating to capital adequacy, asset quality, liquidity, provision coverage and profitability are healthy. Banks are also in compliance with the Large Exposure Framework (LEF) guidelines issued by the RBI," the statement added. The RBI said that it remains vigilant and continues to monitor the stability of the Indian banking sector. New Delhi, Feb 3 : The Election Commission (EC) is gearing up for the nine Assembly Elections this year and the Lok Sabha polls early next year with the aim of pushing the voter percentages through innovative communication strategies. As one of the initiatives, the EC, in collaboration with Subhash Ghai Foundation, produced a song - 'Main Bharat Hoon, Hum Bharat ke Matdata Hain', featuring celebrities from different walks of life, appealing to the people to cast their vote. The song, which was screened in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu on the 13th National Voters Day -- January 25, is already beginning to gain traction on social media through celebrities and influencers. Officials said that within a week since its launch, the Hindi and the multilingual format of the song had already got over 3.5 lakh views and 5.6 lakh impressions on four major social media platforms -- Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. The song is one of such initiatives of EC's 'Systematic Voter's Education and Electoral Participation' programme, which is the flagship voter education programme focused on inclusion strategies and action plans for enhancing participation from all categories of voters under EC's motto of 'No Voter to be Left Behind'. The song is aimed not only at educating the voters regarding their rights and responsibility towards strengthening democracy, but also at enthusing them for greater participation in the electoral process. As per EC officials, the song was finalised after a number of interactions of the team led by Subhash Ghai with the Election Commission led by Rajiv Kumar, Chief Election Commissioner. The Chief Election Commissioner said: "The song is dedicated to each voter who takes cognisance of their national duty and casts vote, beating all odds." The motivating lyrics of the song are written and composed by the filmmaker, Subhash Ghai, in association with Whistling Woods International School of Music, Mumbai and it is sung in Hindi and 12 regional languages including Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Assamese, Odia, Kashmiri, Santali covering the maximum geographical area. New Delhi, Feb 3 : A three-year-old minor girl was allegedly gang-raped by two men in a forest area in south Delhi, the police said on Friday. According to a senior police officer, on Friday, a woman along with her three-year-old daughter came to Fatehpur Beri police station and lodged a complaint in this regard. "In her complaint, the woman stated that her daughter went missing in the morning. While she was looking for her daughter, her neighbour told the woman that she had seen her daughter walking near the jungle area. The neighbour had also seen two persons going in the same direction towards the jungle area," said the official. After some time, the child was found crying. "The complainant saw that her daughter was bleeding from her private part. When the woman asked her about what happened, the child kept on crying," said the official. "The woman told the incident to her husband and they reported the incident to the police station. The victim (child) has been sent for medical examination and treatment to AIIMS hospital," the official added. Police said that both the accused, who took the girl inside the jungle, have been apprehended, and an investigation was underway. Karachi, Feb 3 : A place of worship belonging to the Ahmadi community in Karachi was vandalised by unknown miscreants, media reports said. The incident took place when unidentified men, chanting slogans against the community, vandalised the minarets of the worship place, The Express Tribune reported. The place of worship for the minority community, Ahmadiyya Hall, was built in the 1950s, according to community members, the report said. A video of the incident, circulated widely on social media, showed that the policemen deployed outside the site trying to keep away the miscreants but were unable to control the charged mob. The police are yet to register a case. "The community is in touch with the police," said SHO Preedy Sajjad Khan. Talking to The Express Tribune, Khan said that the miscreants also attacked the policemen. "We will register the case if the community does not come forward," he added. The spokesman for the Ahmadi community, Amir Mehmood, condemned the incident and lamented that the police failed to control the attackers. He maintained that recently, worship places belonging to his community were being targeted across Pakistan. Mehmood added that another worship place located on Martin Road was vandalized on January 18. "A case was registered but no one was arrested," he added, The Express Tribune reported. A senior member of the community said that they felt "insecure after such incidents" and the case regarding both attacks was launched in court. Last month, a historical worship place of the Ahmadi community situated at Moti Bazar, Wazirabad, which was established back in 1905, was allegedly desecrated by the district administration (police). A local leader of a right-wing political party, Irfan Iliyas Butt, had filed a complaint before Assistant Commissioner Wazirabad stating that the Ahmadi community had established a room similar in looks to a nearby mosque with minarets on it, The Express Tribune reported. New Delhi, Feb 3 : Incarcerated alleged conman, Sukesh Chandrashekhar has released one more letter in which he has claimed that he had never proposed to TV serial actor Chahatt Khanna, when she had come to meet him in Tihar Jail. Chandrashekhar's statement comes after Khanna, in an interview with a national daily, claimed that she was trapped in visiting him in Tihar jail, where he went down on his knees before her and proposed marriage. When she told him that she is already married and has two kids, she was told that her husband was not the right man for her. Khanna also told the publication that it was only after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned her in the alleged extortion case involving him - a little more than a year ago - that she learnt that Chandrashekhar is not former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa's nephew. In a letter addressed to the media, Chandrashekhar, who is in the capital's Mandoli jail, claimed that he never proposed to Khanna and she came for a business meeting for some movie production offer, which is also recorded in her statement to the ED. "I have no interest to date or be with women, who are already married or have children. I am not desperate like these Gold Diggers like Chahatt. My association with Chahatt, Nikki has been only for professional reasons, for which the meetings happened, and advance was paid," he said in his letter. "Chahatt says she did not realise that she was in Tihar!! How can someone not know that they are entering a jail for a mulaqat? Was she a 10 year old, in fact even a 10 year old would know what a jail looks like," he further said. "She claims that she was tricked by Pinky (Chadrashekhar's aide Pinky Irani), so I would want to ask, an actress who has done so many projects and a well connected person, how can she blindly trust someone and travel all the way to Delhi and come to Tihar Jail all alone? She is a trained liar. This shows what kind of stories she is making now," he said. "If she came to Tihar to meet me or if I was calling her as she claims, why did she not ever report anything to anyone or the police since 2018, what was stopping her to make a complaint all these years?" he added. Investigations are going on in a money laundering case involving Chandrashekhar and Bollywood actors, including Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi, who have also been questioned in relation with the case. Earlier this month, Delhi's Patiala House Court adjourned arguments in the alleged money laundering case and the matter will be next heard on February 15. Colombo, Feb 3 : Sri Lanka will release 588 prisoners on Saturday on presidential amnesty to mark the country's 75th Independence Day, a senior official said on Friday. Commissioner of the Department of Prisons, Chandana Ekanayake, said 557 of them are those rehabilitated by courts on drug-related offences, Xinhua news agency reported. He said 31 inmates, who were jailed for other offenses but deemed to have displayed good behavior during their imprisonment, will be released too. The presidential amnesty was granted by President Ranil Wickremesinghe under the powers vested on him under Article 34 of the country's constitution. The amnesty does not apply to those convicted of murder, serious drug offences, rape and armed robbery, Ekanayake said. Sri Lanka gave amnesty to 197 prisoners on its Independence Day last year. Sri Lanka got its independence from British rule on Feb. 4 of 1948. Hajjah : Feb 3 (IANS) Almost four years after the Yemeni government forces recaptured the Red Sea coastal city of Midi in the northwestern province of Hajjah from the Houthi rebels in April 2018, local visitors began to return to the city's beach. Local authorities allowed visits to the beach in December of last year, after spending nearly four years to remove the landmines that had been planted in the beach and some parts of the city, which is a few miles to the east of the beach and has become an abandoned site as a result of the Yemeni civil war that broke out in 2014, Xinhua news agency reported. "We are very happy today, because the authorities allowed us to walk on the beach and swim in the sea. Since the war broke out, we yearn to swim in the sea," said Ali Abdu, a teacher who has joined more than 100 primary and preparatory school students to visit the beach. "The war has affected all of us, especially children, most of whom suffer from war trauma. Therefore, this trip to the beach for fun may help them a lot to forget the tragedies and pains of the war," Abdu added. The civil war in Yemen erupted in late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels took over several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million, and pushed the country to the brink of starvation, causing what the United Nations says is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Before the war, Midi's beach, parks, hotels, and restaurants were bustling with visitors from all Yemeni provinces throughout the year, and hundreds of jobs were available, recalled Abdullah Mutanbek, a teacher and supervisor of the trip. The trip is Mutanbek's first visit to the beach since the civil war broke out. "It's terrifying to see how much damage has been done here. Tourist facilities, chalets, swimming pools, restaurants, hotels, and roads are all destroyed. Rusted bullet casings and other wartime debris are still widely scattered along the beach," he said. Despite the fact that locals were allowed to access the beach, the area is far from safe. In some areas of the region, demining operations are still underway. According to the statistics local government officials showed to Xinhua this week, the military demining teams have removed and destroyed more than 50,000 mines and explosive devices in and around Midi since 2018, including 52 naval mines. There aren't many people around and there aren't any services on the beach, however, the visitors are quite happy that life has returned to the deserted beach. While the students played and swam in the Red Sea, some teachers set up a tent nearby and started preparing lunch for them. Their laughter could be heard constantly. "We lit the fire to cook meat and rice to feed our students and make them feel happy," school teacher Hasan Musbeh Jerbahi told Xinhua. "It is an indescribable feeling that we are back to play and swim in the sea for the first time since the civil war broke out more than seven years ago. I'm very happy," said Yahya Mousa, a student from the school. "I wish the civil war ends very soon and the happy life comes back to all Yemenis," the 17-year-old student added. New Delhi, Feb 3 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) of Kolkata wing on Friday said it has attached movable assets worth Rs 3.30 crore and immovable assets with value of over Rs 3 crore in the course of an ongoing investigation into the matter of Saradha Group of Companies under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The ED said that these properties were owned by Saradha Group and other persons, who were beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime generated by Saradha Group of Companies. The beneficiaries include Nalini Chidambaram (wife of former Union minister and Congress leader P. Chidambaram), Debabrata Sarkar, Debendranath Biswas (ex-IPS and ex-MLA of CPM) and Anubhuti Printers and Publications owned by late Anjan Dutta, ex-minister in Assam. Saradha Group ran a chit fund scam with operations spread over the states of West Bengal, Assam and Odisha, till 2013. The quantum of total money mobilised by this company is about Rs 2,459 crore out of which nearly Rs 1,983 crore remains unpaid to the depositors till date, excluding the interest amount. The ED registered a case against Saradha Group of Companies in 2013 on the basis of FIRs by the Kolkata Police and the CBI. In the past, prior to the issue of this attachment order, ED Kolkata had issued eight Provisional Attachment Orders attaching assets/properties (value of more than Rs 600 crore). Bhubaneswar, Feb 3 : The Centre has allocated Rs 10,000 crore for development of railways in Odisha in the Union Budget for FY 2023-24, Railway Minister Awshwini Vaishnaw said on Friday. Speaking to mediapersons in Delhi, Vaishnaw said the Odisha government had demanded Rs 8,400 crore for development of railways in the state. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has allocated Rs 10,012 crore to the state, he said. The minister also announced that the 'Bande Metro' train will be introduced soon between Bhubaneswar and Puri. The Lingaraj Temple Road station near Bhubaneswar airport will be redeveloped so that the Bande Metro can be run from the station to Puri. With the introduction of Bande Metro, devotees who are arriving at the airport can directly visit Puri to have darshan of Lord Jagannath, Vaishnaw said. The minister also informed that 57 railway stations in Odisha will be modernised while about 280 km length of new railway line will be constructed during the next financial year. According to official sources, the highest allocation of Rs 1,599 crore has been made for the Khurda Road-Bolangir railway project while Rs 300 crore has been allocated for the new Talcher-Bimlagarh railway line and Rs 284 crore for the Janjatiya Gaurav corridor. Similarly, the Centre has made a provision of Rs 115 crore for the Jeypore-Malkangiri (130 km) line and Rs 100 crore for the Jeypore-Nabarangpur (38 km) project. An amount of Rs 50 crore has been allocated for the Naupada-Gunupur new broad gauge line up to Theruvali, while Rs 100 crore provision has been made for the Talcher-Angul line with Y-connection at Talcher. In the Budget, the Centre has also made a provision of Rs 50 crore for the Haridaspur-Paradip railway project. Moreover, Rs 920 crore has been given for thr Vizianagram-Sambalpur third line; Rs 560 crore for fourth line of Jharsuguda-Bilaspur; Rs 550 crore for doubling of Koraput-Singapur road; and Rs 505 crore for Narayangarh-Bhadrak third line. Amaravati, Feb 3 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday questioned Krishna Mohan Reddy, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) for Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in former minister Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy's murder case. The central agency also quizzed Naveen, who works in the house of the chief minister. The CBI officials questioned the duo for six-and-a-half hours in Kadapa. The federal agency had issued notice to Krishna Mohan Reddy and Naveen on the basis of call data of Kadapa MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy. The CBI officials are understood to have questioned the duo as to what had happened on the day when Vivekananda Reddy was murdered. They collected information about phone calls made or received by them. Last week, the CBI questioned Avinash Reddy, who is a cousin of the chief minister. He was grilled for more than four-and-a-half hours. Vivekananda Reddy, paternal uncle of Jagan Mohan Reddy, was found murdered mysteriously at his residence at Pulivendula in Kadapa district on March 15, 2019, a month ahead of the 2019 general elections. The 68-year-old former state minister and former MP was alone at his house when unidentified persons barged in and killed him. He was killed hours before he was to launch the YSR Congress Party's election campaign in Kadapa. Though three Special Investigation Teams (SITs) conducted the probe, they failed to solve the mystery. The CBI took over the investigation into the case in 2020 on the direction of Andhra Pradesh High Court while hearing a petition of Vivekananda Reddy's daughter Sunitha Reddy, who raised suspicion about some relatives. The CBI filed a chargesheet in the murder case on October 26, 2021, and followed it up with a supplementary chargesheet on January 31, 2022. In November last year, the Supreme Court transferred to a CBI court in Hyderabad the trial and probe into the larger conspiracy behind the murder. The apex court observed that doubts raised by Sunitha Reddy about getting a fair trial and investigation in Andhra Pradesh were reasonable. Washington, Feb 3 : The United States has postponed Secretary of State Antony Blinken's upcoming visit to Beijing over a Chinese surveillance balloon floating over America, calling it a "clear and unacceptable violation of national sovereignty (of the United States) and international laws". A senior state department official told reporters on a hurriedly convened news conference on Friday that the US has taken note of the Chinese statement of regret and stressed that the visit has only been postponed, and not cancelled, and the Secretary of State intends to visit China at the earliest opportunity when conditions are more conducive. Blinken was scheduled to leave for China later on Friday for wide-ranging talks in the follow-up to the first in-person summit between President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping in Bali on the sidelines of the last G-20 summit. The US said on Thursday that it was closely monitoring a Chinese spy balloon that is said to be the size of three passenger buses wafting across the sky and had considered shooting it down, but hesitated so far fearing falling debris on civilian populations underneath. This is not the first such sighting. It has happened before, but the US defence department said this is the longest Chinese spy balloon which has been seen hovering over the country. And it came as Blinken was preparing to visit China, while President Biden is slated to delver his first State of the Union speech in a Republican-led House of Representatives. The state department official said these sightings might have happened before but this was the first time it took place on the eve of the Secretary of State's visit to China. India will be following this spy balloon's flight as well for insights and lessons given its own border challenges with China, whose military has provoked a string of skirmishes along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in recent years, the last of them took place in December 2022, and with increasing frequency. "The US government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now," Pentagon Press Secretary and Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder said during an impromptu briefing on Thursday evening. "The US government, to include NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), continues to track and monitor it closely," he said. But the balloon poses no threat to commercial air traffic as it's positioned way above that height, Ruder said. President Biden has been briefed about the matter, according to news reports. A senior defence official who briefed reporters on the background that the US intelligence community has "very high confidence" the balloon belongs to China and the US has engaged China on it "with urgency, through multiple channels". The US is weighing options on how to deal with the balloon but for now, the official said, it's been decided at the highest level in the US military -- Chairman of joint chiefs of staff Mark Milley -- to let it float overhead, rather than to shoot it down. The key concern being the safety of civilians down below. "We did assess that it was large enough to cause damage from the debris field if we downed it over an area," the official said, adding, "I can't really go into the dimension but there have been reports of pilots seeing this thing, even though it's pretty high up in the sky. So... it's sizable." But the US is largely leery about the mission of this spy mission. "Currently, we assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collective collection perspective. But we are taking steps, nevertheless, to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information," the official said. New Delhi, Feb 3 : A 50-year-old woman on Friday allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her house in south Delhi's East Kidwai Nagar, the police said. The deceased has been identified as Anjana Rana. According to Chandan Chowdhary, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), at around 5.03 p.m., a police control room (PCR) call was received at Kotla Mubarakpur police station in which the caller informed that his mother had committed suicide. "A police team rushed to the spot. A 14 year-old-boy told police that his mother had committed suicide by hanging from a ceiling fan. He and his elder brother (18) brought down his mother after cutting the 'saree' which was used by her to hang herself from the ceiling fan," said the official. "The children's father, Vivek Rana came from the office and took the woman to hospital with his elder brother. Their father is said to be a Commandant of the Indian Coast Guard and he is posted at Indian Coast Guard HQ in Delhi," said the official. Meanwhile, the spot was also inspected by the crime team. "A suicide note has been recovered by the crime team and nobody has been blamed by the deceased," said the official. New Delhi, Feb 3 : The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from Centre and six state governments on a plea by Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind seeking transfer of over 20 cases, challenging laws regulating religious conversion, to the top court. A bench, headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, issued a notice on the Muslim body's plea moved through advocate M.R. Shamshad. The bench, also comprising Justice P.S. Narasimha, said: "Issue notice in petitions, in which no notices have been issued till now, including the transfer petition." The bench also asked Attorney General R. Venkataramani to file a reply. Five petitions are pending in Allahabad High Court, one petition in the Karnataka High Court, three in the Gujarat High Court, three in the Himachal Pradesh High Court, three in the Jharkhand High Court, and six in the Madhya Pradesh High Court. These petitions have challenged the respective state laws. The Muslim body has sought transfer of all these petitions from the high courts to the apex court. Also, two separate petitions have been filed by Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat governments challenging the interim orders of the respective high courts, which put on hold certain provisions of the state laws on conversion. The top court has scheduled the matter for further hearing after three weeks. On January 30, the top court had agreed to examine a clutch of pleas challenging the controversial state laws regulating religious conversions. NGO "Citizens for Justice and Peace" of activist Teesta Setalvad, had also moved the apex court in the matter but Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had challenged the locus standi. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in a written response to a petition filed by NGO 'Citizens for Justice and Peace', said: "The petitioner is guilty of collecting huge funds exploiting the agonies of riot affected people for which criminal proceedings are going on against Teesta Setalvad and other office bearers of the petitioner." It further added, "under the guise of serving public interest, the petitioner deliberately undertakes, and consciously and surreptitiously espouses, divisive politics in an attempt to divide the society on religious and communal lines. Similar activities/endeavors of the petitioner organization are also found in other states. Presently this activity is going on in the state of Assam". The NGO has challenged the laws passed by the Uttar Pradesh government and Chhattisgarh government. Attorney General R. Venkataramani had submitted that the high courts concerned should hear these petitions instead of the apex court. Washington, Feb 3 : In a sharp and sudden escalation of tensions, the US has postponed Secretary of State Antony Blinken's upcoming visit to Beijing over a Chinese surveillance balloon floating over America, calling it a "clear and unacceptable violation of US sovereignty" and "international laws". A senior State Department official told reporters on a hurriedly convened news conference call on Friday morning that the US has taken note of the Chinese statement of regret and stressed that the visit has only been postponed and not cancelled and the Secretary of State intends to visit China at the earliest opportunity when conditions are more conducive. Blinken was scheduled to leave for China later on Friday for wide-ranging talks in a follow up to the first in-person summit between President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping in Bali on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in November. Blinken informed his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi of his decision earlier in the day, the official said. Beijing had sought to defuse tensions expressing regret and said that the balloon - which it called an "airship" - "is civilian in nature, used for meteorological and other scientific research. Due to the influence of westerly winds and its limited control capability, the airship deviated from its intended course". Asked if the Chinese expression of regret was not enough, the official said: "We note the PRC (People's Republic of China) statement of regret. But again, the presence of this balloon in our airspace is clearly unacceptable and a clear violation of our sovereignty. And our clear assessment was that under these current conditions, it wouldn't be constructive to visit Beijing at this time." The official added: "But I'll also reiterate that this is a postponement. And the Secretary plans to travel at the earliest appropriate opportunity." The US had raised the spy balloon with the Chinese at multiple levels. The Secretary and Deputy Secretary conveyed this message clearly and directly to the PRC's senior Washington-based official on Wednesday evening, the official said, adding that the same message was delivered at senior levels in Beijing. The US also engaged close allies to inform them of the presence of the surveillance asset in our airspace. "We have noted the PRC statement of regret, but the presence of this balloon in our airspace is a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law and it is unacceptable that this has occurred," the official said. The US Department of Defense said Thursday it was closely monitoring a Chinese spy balloon that is said to be the size of three passenger buses wafting across the sky and it has considered shooting it down but has hesitated so far fearing falling debris on civilian populations underneath. This was not the first such sighting. It's happened before, but the US Defense Department said this is the longest Chinese spy balloon has been seen hovering the country. And it comes as Blinken was preparing to visit China and President Biden is slated to deliver his first State of the Union speech in a Republican-led House of Representatives. The State Department official said these sightings might have happened before but this was the first time it took place on the eve of the Secretary of State's visit to China. India will be following this spy balloon's flight as well for insights and lessons given its own border challenges with China, whose military has provoked a string of skirmishes along the Line of Control in recent years, the last of them took place in December, and with increasing frequency. "The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now," Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brigadier Gen. Pat Ryder said during an impromptu briefing on Thursday evening. "The US government, to include NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), continues to track and monitor it closely." But the balloon poses no threat to commercial air traffic as it's positioned way above that height, Ruder said. President Biden has been briefed, according to news reports. A senior defense official who briefed reporters on background said that the US intelligence community has "very high confidence" the balloon belonged to China and the US has engaged China on it "with urgency, through multiple channels". The US is weighing options on how to deal with the balloon but for now, the official said, it's been decided at the highest level in the US military - Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley - to let it float overhead, rather than to shoot it down. The key concern being the safety of civilians down below. "We did assess that it was large enough to cause damage from the debris field if we downed it over an area," the official said. "I can't really go into the dimension - but there have been reports of pilots seeing this thing, even though it's pretty high up in the sky. So ... it's sizable." But the US is largely leery of the mission of this spy mission. "Currently, we assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collective collection perspective," the official said. "But we are taking steps, nevertheless, to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information." Jaipur, Feb 3 : The first edition of the Rajasthan International Expo is scheduled to be held from March 20-22 at the Trade Facilitation Centre in Jodhpur. For the expo, invitations have been sent to 20,000 buyers from 28 countries. The state government has also reached out to Indian embassies around the world to gather a list of international buyers. This was disclosed by state Industries and Commerce Minister, Shakuntala Rawat, during the launch of the logo and brochure for the event on Friday. "The International Expo will be a major milestone in the field of exports with Jodhpur being the handicrafts capital of India. The Expo will feature a wide range of handicrafts, wooden and iron furniture, ceramic, and other products for export from Jodhpur. "Therefore, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has chosen Jodhpur to host this international exhibition, highlighting the importance of the region and its potential for growth. Also, the government of India recently approved special assistance of Rs 95 crore for capacity building of the already operational inland container depot in Jodhpur, making the Expo an enticing proposition," Rawat said. Rajiv Arora, Chairman, Rajasthan Export Promotion Council (REPC), said that invitations have been sent to buyers from 28 countries to join the upcoming Expo. "Buyers from Germany, France, the UAE, the UK, Singapore, the Netherlands, Mexico, Belarus, Chile, Hungary and Portugal have been invited to participate in the Eexpo," he said. New Delhi, Feb 3 : The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the Nagpur Central Jail's Superintendent to provide certain books, either as hard or soft copy, to Ehtesham Qutubuddin Siddique, who is a death row convict in the 2006 Mumbai train bombings case. A single-judge bench of Justice Pratibha M. Singh said that the books should be provided within four weeks' time failing which he is at liberty to file an appropriate plea before the court. Justice Singh said: "Considering this stand, the Superintendent of Nagpur Central Jail shall make available the books to the petitioner either in physical form or a soft copy within four weeks." The counsel for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) told the court that they have asked the prison authorities to purchase the books and give them to Siddique if he is not entitled to access the internet in jail. His petition seeking copies of certain publications free of cost under the RTI Act was disposed of. The I&B's counsel argued that the books he has requested for are quite pricey. Earlier on Friday, the high court had said that intelligence agencies' reports and dossiers cannot be made public under the RTI Act, especially if doing so will jeopardise the sovereignty or integrity of the nation. Justice Singh rejected Siddique's request for the reports that the governments of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh had submitted on 2006 Mumbai train bombings investigations. Siddique, a death row convict in the case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), has claimed that he was falsely implicated in the case and it amounts to violation of his human rights. On July 11, 2006, seven explosions had ripped through seven western line local trains in Mumbai, leading to the death of 189 people and injuring 829. New Delhi, Feb 3 : The Indian Army will conduct tailor made courses in various contemporary subjects at its premier training establishments and deploy a training team to Cambodia, the Defence Ministry said on Friday. Lieutenant General Hun Manet, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army, along with a delegation is presently visiting India (February 2-4). This is the maiden visit to India by any Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army. Manet was accorded a ceremonial reception and guard of honour at the South Block lawns after which he called on Indian Army chief General Manoj Pande. During the meeting, General Pande reaffirmed India's support to Cambodia by offering customised training modules for the Royal Cambodian Army, while Lt Gen Manet announced the schedule for the conduct of the first army-to-army staff talks in Cambodia. Both the chiefs signed the terms of reference for staff talks and exchanged customised training folders. Earlier, Lt Gen Manet commenced his visit by paying tributes to the fallen heroes of the Indian armed forces by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial. He also called on Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and was briefed on Indian indigenous defence equipment manufacturing eco-system by the Department of Defence Production (DDP) and the Army Design Bureau. He later called on Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri. On Saturday, Lt Gen Manet is scheduled to visit the Rajputana Rifles Regimental Centre in Delhi Cantt, where he will witness the training of Agniveers along with a display of indigenous defence equipment. He is also scheduled to call on General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff, prior to his departure from Delhi. The Defence Ministry said that India and Cambodia have shared centuries old cultural, religious and people-to-people connect. Cambodia remains a key partner in India's Act East policy. Both the nations share cordial relations in the field of defence and security. Guwahati, Feb 3 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday interacted with the NCC cadets and members of the National Service Scheme (NSS) belonging to Assam who had taken part in this year's Republic Day parade in the national capital. During the interaction, Sarma asked about the experiences they gained through their participation in the Republic Day parade. The Chief Minister also answered various queries of the NCC and NSS members regarding the life, work, motivation, etc., of the Chief Minister. He appealed to the young NCC and NSS cadets to continue working towards the process of nation-building by utilising the experiences gained during the preparations and practice for the Republic Day parade. Sarma also appealed to them to write about their Republic Day parade experiences in their respective educational institutions' magazines and souvenirs. "This would inspire others to imbibe a sense of nationalism and patriotism," he said. The Chief Minister responded to queries by the young cadets on success, failure, life-lessons, motivation, among others. "Life does not always move forward on a straight lane but often meanders along a zig-zag path. It is, therefore, important that one takes motivation not only from success stories but also learns from the stories of failures," Sarma said. He also said that there is no short-cut to success and one must take part in a healthy competition. The Chief Minister further said only those who realise the purpose of life manage to make a permanent place in people's memory. The event was attended by Additional Chief Secretary (Sports & Youth Welfare) Maninder Singh, Guwahati-based NCC Group Headquarters Group Commander Brigadier Dinar Dighe, and other dignitaries. New Delhi, Feb 3 : Two juveniles, working as field executives for a leading digital payment company on false pretences, have been apprehended for allegedly duping rickshaw pullers and vegetable sellers on the pretext of applying for bar codes, an Delhi Police official said on Friday. Police said that both the accused activated the e-wallet postpaid account of the victims secretly and siphoned off money from their payment accounts. The accused, who got the job using the identity of their older friends, are Class 11 students of a government school. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police, North, Sagar Singh Kalsi, a complaint was lodged by Ashish Kumar, an e-rickshaw driver, in which he stated that he has been duped of Rs 60,000 by two boys, who came to him and suggested him to apply UPI bar code for easy online payment. "The boys further told him that the service is free of cost and while using the application of the complainant, both transferred Rs 60,000 to some other account," he said. Police had also received another complaint with similar modus operandi and during investigation, both the juveniles, involved in the cases, were nabbed from Nangloi area. On questioning of the duo, it was revealed that one of them came to know about a part-time job of installing the bar codes and started working by using the ID of one of his friends who was above 18 years of age. "Another juvenile also got fascinated and started accompanying him. The duo used to go to random places and install bar codes for vegetable vendors, auto-rickshaw drivers etc. As installing the bar codes requires using the e-wallet account of their customers, they both grabbed the opportunity to cheat these account holders," the DCP said. "They had cheated three persons, including the complainants, of Rs 60,000, 8,000 and 8,000 respectively. The duo used to spend money on a lavish lifestyle and to impress their girlfriends," he added. Agartala, Feb 3 : BJP leader and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday that in the next 500 years, there will be no CPI-M government in India. Sarma, who is the convener of the BJP-led North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), while addressing three elections rallies in Tripura, said that without donation, not a sinle government service could be availed by the people of the state during the CPI-M regime. "CPI-M remained in power in Tripura as it got underground support from the Congress, otherwise the Left party would have been voted out of power 10 years back," Sarma said. The Assam Chief Minister said that the BJP will not allow dividing Tripura and urged people not to waste their votes by supporting the Tipra Motha Party (TMP). The TMP led by former royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman has been demanding to elevate the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council areas by granting 'Greater Tipraland State' or a separate state status under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution. Deb Barman, in the presence Sarma, had held inconclusive meetings in Delhi recently with Home Minister Amit Shah and discussed the separate state demand. After the meeings, the tribal leader unilaterally announced to contest the February 16 Assembly election without forming any alliance, and accordingly fielded 42 candidates to contest the elections to the 60-member Tripura Assembly. The Assam Chief Minister said that if the people vote for the TMP candidates, there would be no development in Tripura. He said the Tipra Motha can at best win two to three seats, which will not be enough to form government in Tripura. Tripura would have witnessed massive development during the last five years had there been no pandemic, which slowed down the welfare activities, Sarma said. The Assam CM also predicted that the CPI-M-Congress alliance will draw a blank in the upcoming elections. New Delhi, Feb 3 : Financially-stressed telecom company Vodafone Idea said on Friday that the government has directed it to convert a portion of its dues worth Rs 16,000 crore it owes to the exchequer into equity in the government's favour. "It is hereby informed that the Ministry of Communications has [directed] the company to convert the NPV of the interest related to deferment of spectrum auction instalments and AGR dues into equity shares to be issued to the government of India," the company said in a filing. The government will take 33 per cent equity in Vodafone Idea after converting all interest related to payments for spectrum and other dues into equity. This will make the government the largest shareholder in the telecom company. Vodafone Idea will convert dues of Rs 16,133 crore into equity and issue shares for Rs 10 each, the company informed. "We had sought a firm commitment that the Aditya Birla Group would run the company and bring necessary investments. The Birlas have agreed and hence we have agreed to convert. We want India to be a three-player market plus BSNL and ensure healthy competition for consumers," Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a statement. New Delhi, Feb 4 : A Delhi shop-owner has been arrested for allegedly staging a fake robbery of Rs 1 lakh, a Delhi Police official said on Friday. Police said that the accused identified as Nawal Kumar Jha, 45, resident of Budh Vihar, Rohini had filed an FIR with police claiming that when he was returning to his toy shop after delivering the items, two bike-borne men wearing helmets intercepted his vehicle and assaulted him with a paper cutter. Deputy Commissioner of Police, North, Sagar Singh Kalsi said that the matter was reported by Jha wherein he stated that he had received Rs one lakh as a payment for toys which he had delivered in his tempo from Kanjhawala to a shop near Filmistan. "When Jha along with his tempo reached Old Rohtak Road, near underpass, two men on a bike wearing helmets intercepted him and assaulted with a paper cutter and robbed the cash of Rs 1 lakh," said the DCP. During investigation, police teams scanned the CCTV cameras in and around the area and no bike was found chasing the Tempo as alleged by the complainant. Thus, his version was found to be false. Police questioned Jha and he finally revealed that the financial crisis forced him to stage the incident. "He was in a rented house and paying Rs 4,500 per month, but he did not pay his landlord for the last four months. Jha had to also pay instalment of insurance of his vehicle amounting to Rs 4,500 in the coming month and instalment of loan taken from home credit of Rs 6,462 was also due," said the official. "As his business was not in a good condition and due to no payment of the dues, he himself hatched a conspiracy and staged a robbery and got the FIR filed," the official added. The Kria SOM platform is helping make advanced technologies available to a wider community of engineers. The benefit of our Phoenix Soft ISP over a hardwired ISP means we are able to fully-customize our ISP to meet any specific application requirements. ~ Alfred Zee, CEO of Xfuse, LLC. Today, Xfuse, LLC, a developer of customizable imaging and video technology, announced the immediate availability of its Phoenix HDR ISP for the AMD Kria K26 System-on-Module (SOM) and KV260 Vision AI Starter Kit. For AI developers and computer vision engineers needing to capture real-time, data-rich imaging streams, the Phoenix HDR ISP can deliver fully-tone mapped HDR video up to 120dB dynamic range even in high contrast lighting conditions. While the standard Phoenix configuration is now easily accessible through the AMD Xilinx App Store for Kria applications, Xfuse is also able to fully customize its imaging pipeline for the specialized needs of developers for other AMD adaptive devices, including Zynq 7000 SoC and Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC. For step-by-step instructions on how to incorporate the Phoenix HDR ISP into their workflow, developers can visit the Xfuse website, here https://xfuse.ai/phoenix-isp-for-kria-som-2/. In conjunction with the Phoenix HDR ISPs immediate availability on the AMD Xilinx App Store for Kria applications, Xfuse is also now shipping its new Imager Access System (IAS) HDR sensor module tuned for the AMD Kria KV260 Vision AI Starter Kit. Based on the onsemi AR0239 CMOS imager capable of capturing up to 120dB/20EV of dynamic range at 1080p/30 full HD resolution, the sensor data is merged and tone mapped in the ISP leveraging Xfuses proprietary human vision technology. The Xfuse imaging module is ready for quick deployment in challenging environments encountered in AI, security, robotics, or consumer applications. The sensor module features an onsemi AR0239 CMOS imager, an M12 (S-Mount) lens holder, and a 2.9mm manual focus lens (included) with a 128.7 field of view. Our Kria SOMs and Vision AI Starter Kit are designed to streamline the development of advanced vision applications, said Chetan Khona, Sr. Director, Industrial, Vision, Healthcare & Sciences at AMD. With the unique capabilities of Xfuses Phoenix Soft HDR ISP available on the Kria KV260 Starter Kit, our customers creating the next generation of smart city, security and retail vision systems gain access to highly-accurate, real-time data streams in our out-of-the-box development kit. Fully-Customizable Sensor Agnostic HDR Video Adapted from Xfuses patented HDR technology, the Phoenix ISP is modeled on human vision. The proprietary technology guarantees retention of local image contrast as well as highlight and shadow detail, without producing halos or color shifts. Phoenix is also uniquely adaptable to support sensors of any resolution, color filter arrays and diverse HDR capture methods. Xfuse is able to customize its full, end-to-end ISP to meet the unique needs of any specific application. For specialized mission critical applications requiring real time imaging data, Xfuse can fine-tune its proprietary advanced algorithms to accurately tone map high contrast scenes with very low latency. We are excited that our Phoenix Soft ISP solution is now available for immediate download to the developers operating within the AMD ecosystem, said Alfred Zee, CEO of Xfuse. The Kria SOM platform is helping make these advanced technologies available to a wider community of engineers. The benefit of a Soft ISP over a hardwired ISP means we are able to fully-customize our ISP to meet any specific application requirements. Technical Capabilities of the Phoenix HDR ISP For engineers and camera designers developing mission critical applications, the highest-quality video signal and ultra-fast response times are imperative. Phoenix delivers real-time video capable of producing up to 120dB or 20EV steps of dynamic range while ensuring extremely low latency, and its unique HDR IP completely eliminates halo artifacts and color shifts. This allows Phoenix to capture up to 1080p HDR video in real-time that is fully tone-mapped at 30 fps. Phoenix is also able to accommodate automatic or full-user control modes. Phoenix ISP Key Features Optimized for AMD Kria K26 SOM and KV260 Vision AI Starter Kit Support for onsemi AR0239 HDR 1080p/30 Full HD Sensor 3-frame exposure merge block Up to 120dB/20EV High Dynamic Range Proprietary locally adaptive tone mapping technology Auto/manual exposure & white balance Ultra Low latency Auto de-ghosting and motion compensation Auto halo elimination Auto EV bracketing Pricing and Availability Developers interested in adding the Phoenix HDR ISP to their development tool kit, for the AMD Kria K26 SOM, KV260 Vision AI Starter Kit, or in a customized configuration, can visit the Xfuse website for a step-by-step guide to downloading a free fully-functional watermarked trial version. For more information on the Phoenix ISP, to access reference designs, or download the ISP, please visit https://xfuse.ai/. Engineers and designers looking to explore integration partnerships or schedule a demo, please email info@xfuse.ai. Developers interested in purchasing the plug-and-play Xfuse Image Sensor Module (AR0239) for the Phoenix HDR Image Signal Processor can purchase the device for $129 on Amazon. About Xfuse, LLC Headquartered in Burlingame, C.A., Xfuse, LLC is a developer of customizable imaging and video technology powering the next generation of artificial intelligence applications. The companys proprietary High Dynamic Range (HDR) Image Signal Processing (ISP) technology provides developers with complete control over the critical imaging pipeline necessary to advance self-aware robotics, autonomous guided vehicles, machine vision, and more. Able to fuse numerous data streams from imaging and non-imaging sensors in real-time, Xfuse ISPs are available to both in-house development teams and independent developers alike. For more information on Xfuse, LLC please visit: http://www.xfuse.ai/. 2023 Xfuse, LLC. All rights reserved. Phoenix, and all Xfuse, LLC logos, trademarks and symbols are the property of Xfuse, LLC. AMD, the AMD logo, Kria, Xilinx, Zynq, UltraScale+, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. All other logos, trademarks and symbols are the property of their respective owners. Archetype, a top digital management consultancy focused on performance management and data analytics, announced today that Joe Margotta, previously SVP & Practice Lead of Performance Management, has been appointed as the new Senior Vice President of Finance, providing leadership over growth and profitability across all of Archetypes business units. Ricardo Musquiz has been promoted to Vice President & Practice Lead of Performance Management. As the new SVP of Finance, Joe brings extensive experience in finance and accounting leadership, as well as a proven track record of driving growth and success in performance management consulting organizations. In his new role, Joe will be responsible for all accounting and finance functions, helping to ensure Archetype's continued healthy growth and prosperity. We look forward to the impact he will make in his new role. I feel very privileged to take on this new role at such an exciting time here at Archetype. As the industry leader in performance management and analytics platforms, Im honored to take charge of financial operations, as we continue our impressive trajectory for growth. Said Margotta. As the new Vice President & Practice Lead of Performance Management, Ricardo Musquiz will continue to partner with OneStream on Archetypes Performance Management go-to-market strategy, solving key business problems for customers, while maintaining Archetypes 100% project success and referenceability. Ricardo brings extensive experience in business development, project management, practice operations, and natural leadership to the team. OneStream continues to be the leader in CPM Solutions that unify finance processes, said Musquiz. As a Diamond partner, we are proud to be part of delivering the data and insights finance leaders need to make sound strategic choices in their organizations. I am delighted to lead our team of OneStream experts as they continue offering exceptional solutions that benefit our clients. These leadership appointments come upon reflection of the 24 months of sustained 55% growth and a renewed focus on scaling Archetypes delivery capabilities to meet the continued demand across all business units and sectors. Archetypes commitment to growth is unwavering, the market demands it, and our team embraces it, said CEO & Founder Jason Webster. However, continued success means evolution and innovation. These leadership changes are necessary to ensure our ongoing success. I enthusiastically welcome Joe into this new role. His experience will bring tremendous value as we manage expansion effectively and profitably. Ricardos appointment of Performance Management Practice leader ensures that we can grow aggressively while continuing to ensure our 100% customer satisfaction. View their online profiles: Joe Margotta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-margotta-b71a491/ Ricardo Musquiz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardomusquiz/ About Archetype Consulting Archetype is a top digital consultancy that is equally versed in both performance management and data analytics platforms that enables leadership with critical information needed for decision making. The Law Office of David A. Black in Phoenix is offering a $2,500 educational scholarship for persons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The firm has provided scholarships nearly every year since 2016. The Law Offices of David A. Black, a Phoenix criminal defense firm, is once again offering a scholarship to provide additional educational opportunities for students (and prospective students) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD, or autism). Since 2016, the firm has offered educational scholarships to disabled veterans, deaf individuals, and those with ASD. The current scholarship is the third such award aimed at increasing educational opportunities for persons with autism. This year, the amount of the scholarship has increased. The firm will award a scholarship of $2,500 as tuition assistance to the winner of the scholarship contest. The funds may be used to cover a portion of the tuition cost at a post-secondary school or other educational institution, including a trade school, college, university, junior college, or graduate school. Autism often presents various challenges to persons, including difficulty communicating. These challenges can present themselves in education and often continue throughout childhood and beyond. ASD includes a wide range of conditions: Asperger syndrome, pervasive development disorder, and others, many of which pose educational challenges which may deter individuals from continuing their education. This, in turn, may result in the inability to fulfill career aspirations. The attorneys and support personnel at the firm hope that the scholarship will provide an incentive that may make the difference in a persons choice to continue their education. If you are a citizen of the United States diagnosed with ASD, you are eligible to apply for the scholarship. You are not required to be in school at the time of the application, but we do require that the scholarship be used within a year of the award. We invite those who are interested in the scholarship to view the firms website, which contains the application itself, as well as eligibility information and the deadline for submission of the application. All applications must be completed and submitted to us on or before December 15, 2023. The firm will announce the results and the name of the winner of the scholarship on or before January 25, 2024. Any questions regarding the scholarship, the application or any related issues should be submitted to us via email: The Law Offices of David A. Black 40 North Central Avenue #1850 Phoenix, AZ 85004 (480) 280-8028 email michael@dbphoenixcriminallawyer.com We put deep passion and integrity into everything we do, and weve had the privilege of being entrusted with some of Tampas most prestigious cars. Were excited about the opportunity to broaden our reach so we can make even more people happy. T-Fats AutoSpa, Tampas top specialist in luxury car detail and maintenance care, is planning to expand so that it can provide more car owners with its unique mix of service, attention to detail, integrity, and passion. With the assistance of investment firm TRS Capital and its team of business experts, T-Fats AutoSpa plans to grow its fleet of mobile detailing trucks as well as open more studio locations in order to serve more customers throughout the state of Florida. T-Fats AutoSpa has been delivering the highest level of detailing and maintenance care services in the greater Tampa area for more than five years. Founded in 2017 by former Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Ayokunle TJ Fatinikun, the boutique car care studio offers a range of premier services as a one-stop shop, including: Foreign + domestic car detailing and protection, including showroom studio details Ceramic coating (an IGL Coatings Kenzo Certified Installer) Paint polishing + enhancements Paint protection film (PPF) application & maintenance 100% self-contained luxury mobile detailing Window tinting T-Fats AutoSpa has experience caring for ultra-high-end luxury makes such as McLaren, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche, as well as classic cars, brand new vehicles, commercial vehicles, and everything in between. I came up with this idea during a low point in my life, when detailing my car was one of the few things that gave me joy and confidence, says T-Fats AutoSpa Founder & CEO TJ Fatinikun. I had the vision of bringing this feeling to as many other people as possible. Every car is someones pride and joy; we love the smiles on our customers faces when they see how fantastic it looks. We put deep passion and integrity into everything we do, and weve had the privilege of being entrusted with some of Tampas most prestigious cars. Were excited about the opportunity to broaden our reach so we can make even more people happy. We chose to invest in T-Fats AutoSpa because of TJs knowledge, attention to detail, and commitment to pleasing customers with extraordinary service, said Robert Sires, CEO & Founder of TRS Capital. Our team has more than 200 years of combined experience in business consulting, and we will be working closely with TJ to grow T-Fats AutoSpa throughout Florida and beyond. T-Fats AutoSpa, Tampas specialist in luxury car detail and maintenance care, offers top quality in-studio and mobile detailing; ceramic coating; paint correction, enhancement, and protection; and window tinting for all kinds of vehicles, including rare high-end cars, new cars, classic cars, work vehicles, and everything in between. The boutique car care studio was named the Best Detail Company in 2021 by Tampa Magazine and has a 5-star rating on Google. For more information, visit http://www.tfatsautospa.com or call 813-847-3964. TRS Capital, an early stage investment company dedicated to investing in American success, provides not only funding but also consulting services to help companies thrive. The TRS Capital team has more than 200 years of combined experience in business investing and consulting. For more information, visit http://www.trscapital.com. Advancing diversity, equity and inclusion requires constancy and an acceptance that our work is never done. This award is not an indicator that weve made it, but a welcome nod that we are on the right path, said Vaco Holdings Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Farah Salam-Hottle. Vaco Holdings, a global professional services firm, has been named to Newsweek's first-ever ranking of America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity. Vaco Holdings scored four out of five stars among 1,000 companies grouped into 34 industries and six main sectors. The publication profiled the top companies that not only celebrate diversity but implement policies that cultivate an inclusive workplace and play key roles in carving out more sustainable and healthier workplaces of the future. Each year, Vaco Holdings and its family of brands create professional opportunities for thousands of people and design solutions for thousands of companies. Through an evolving mission to support environment, social and governance initiatives, Vaco Holdings is committed to ensuring fairness in the workplace; encouraging expression and the integration of diverse views and cultures; and safeguarding the health, safety, dignity and well-being of all people. Advancing diversity, equity and inclusion requires constancy and an acceptance that our work is never done. This award is not an indicator that weve made it, but a welcome nod that we are on the right path. We are thrilled to be recognized on this inaugural list, and we remain motivated to do more, said Vaco Holdings Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Farah Salam-Hottle. Vaco Holdings and its family of brands made great strides in 2022, including: Established seven new employee resource groups, engaging >200 employees across all brands Expanded access to diverse talent networks with four new partnerships: NABA (National Association of Black Accountants), ASCEND (the largest pan-Asian professional network), ALPFA (Association for Latino Professionals of America) and ACP (American Corporate Partners) Facilitated Inclusive Hiring Training across North America Hosted 12 celebrations, guest speakers and workshops to increase cultural awareness Delivered three Listening Circles to support underserved communities in crisis Newsweek and market data research firm Plant-A Insights based its scoring on a review of publicly available data, interviews with HR professionals and an anonymous online survey of a diverse pool of employees at companies with 1,000 or more employees in the U.S. Respondents were asked questions about corporate culture, working environment and other subjects at both their own companies and others they were familiar with. The survey yielded more than 350,000 company reviews. To view the complete list of Americas 2023 Greatest Workplaces for Diversity, go to newsweek.com/rankings/americas-greatest-workplaces-2023-diversity. To learn more about diversity, equity and inclusion at Vaco, go to vaco.com/about/diversity-inclusion. About Vaco Holdings: With expertise in accounting and finance, technology, operations, supply chain management, and governance, risk and compliance, Vaco Holdings encompasses a unique family of brands that provides end-to-end enterprise solutions: Focus Search Partners, a retained executive search practice; MorganFranklin Consulting, a finance, technology and business advisory firm; Pivot Point Consulting, a Best in KLAS healthcare IT consulting leader; and Vaco, a talent solutions company providing strategic staffing and direct-hire solutions. Since its founding in 2002, the company has grown to serve more than 12,000 clients across the globe with 10,000 employees. For the past 16 years, Vaco Holdings has made Inc. magazines list of the fastest-growing private companies. For more information, visit vaco.com. Global Whisky Challenge Logo Judges will taste top-scored products and select one Best of Show 1st place per winner at each competition. Our senior judges will taste the Best of Show-1st place winners in New York and choose the highest-scored product, the 2023 Global Whisky Champion. Wine Country Network Launches the Global Whisky Challenge Whiskies worldwide will compete to be crowned as Global Whisky Champion. Wine Country Network, Inc., publishers of Wine Country International Magazine and a global leader in producing professional beverage competitions, has announced that the company is launching the Global Whisky Challenge, the worlds first traveling whisky competition to be held in three countries. The Global Whisky Challenge will define excellence in whiskies worldwide. The worlds first traveling whisky competition will occur in Scotland, Japan, and the US. A seasoned team of US and International spirits judges will taste whiskies double-blind, scoring products based on 100 points using a proprietary rating system. The competition exclusively uses the NEAT professional spirits evaluation glass. Judges will taste top-scored products and select one Best of Show 1st place per winner at each competition. Our senior judges will taste the Best of Show-1st place winners in New York and choose the highest-scored product, the 2023 Global Whisky Champion. Part One: UK and European Whisky We cordially invite all UK and European whisky producers to enter their top whiskies! Competition Dates: April 15 & 16, 2023 Location: Glasgow, Scotland The competition will take place in Glasgow, Scotland. The first edition will focus exclusively on UK and European-made whisky. A select team of US and UK-certified spirits judges and seasoned beverage professionals will double-blind entries. Digital medals/certificates will be presented as Best of Show, Best of Class, Best of Region, Best of Country, Double Gold, Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards. Physical die-cast medals, award plaques, and laser-engraved barrelheads will be available. For details, visit: Globalwhiskychallenge.com Attn: Editors: 1) High-resolution photos available for publication usage. 2) Competition Co-Founder and Chairperson Christopher J Davies is available for Zoom and radio/podcast interviews Email requests to Christopher J Davies, cdavies@winecountrynetwork.com UK and European Distillers may enter online here: Enter Online: https://thedatastill.com/home/landing/5275 How to enter: 1) Enter online 2) *Pay your entry fee online (USD 400 per entry) 3) Ship 2-Bottles (700 ml or equivalent ounces) *European entries may be subject to duties charged back by shippers. The entrant must pay these additional costs. Entrants should ship two bottles per entry to arrive during March 2023 to our agent in Scotland: Commands Attn: Maureen Dunlop 9 Bleasdale Court Clydebank G81 2LE Scotland, UK Tel. 44 0141 944 3900 There will be two other editions of the Global Whisky Challenge in Japan (Asia and Oceana Whiskies) and the USA (US, Canadian and Mexican Whiskey). All three Best of Show-1st place winners will be judged in New York, where our senior judges will crown the highest-scored product, the 2023 Global Whisky Champion. Part Two: Asian and Oceana Whisky Competition Dates: May 6 & 7, 2023 Location: Tokyo, Japan Entry Fee: USD 400 Enter Online- Coming soon! Part Three: US, Canada, Mexico Whiskey Competition Dates: June 10 & 11, 2023 Location: New York, NY Enter Online-Coming Soon! World Global Whiskey 2023 Final Competition date: June 12, 2023 Location: New York, NY Additional Benefits to Top Winners: Special iconic award will be on loan for one year for display at the Global Champions distillery All winners will be featured in the inaugural edition of the World Book of Whisky Annual Magazine. Wine Country Network will publish issue one in August 2023 online and print. About The Competition Organizers: Wine Country Network, Inc, the publishers of Wine Country International magazine and the organizers of these world-famous beverage competitions, organize the Global Whisky Challenge: Denver International Spirits Competition: http://www.denverspiritscomp.com Denver International Wine Competition: http://www.denverwinecomp.com Drink Pink International Rose Wine Competition: http://www.rosewinecomp.com North American Bourbon and Whiskey Competition: http://www.whiskeycomp.com Canned Challenge: http://www.cannedchallenge.com Tequila Mezcal Challenge: http://www.teqmezchallenge.com (Screenshot of CMG promotional video for 2023 Lantern Festival Gala) CGTN America releases 2023 Lantern Festival Gala will be Held on Sunday People across China are holding various activities and preparing delicacies for the upcoming Lantern Festival, which falls on Sunday, February 5th. China Media Group will hold the 2023 Lantern Festival Gala on Sunday evening to celebrate the traditional Chinese festival. With a history of over 2,000 years, the Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar. It marks the end of Spring Festival celebrations and brings the festive atmosphere to a final climax. Lighting lanterns, solving riddles, setting off fireworks, eating Tangyuan, or Chinese sweet dumplings, and enjoying family time are all traditional activities on this occasion. On January 22, Chinas 12-year zodiac cycle welcomed the Year of the Rabbit. In Chinese astrology, rabbits symbolize longevity, peace and prosperity. China Media Group held the 2023 Spring Festival Gala on the eve of the Chinese New Year. The Spring Festival Gala, also known as "Chunwan," has taken place every year since 1983. It is an indispensable part of the celebrations for Chinese people to ring in the Chinese New Year. This year's gala featured a multitude of performances that adhered to the general tone of "joy, auspiciousness and jubilation," highlighting the theme of happiness and confidence. High-tech applications elevated the audio-visual experience to an unprecedented height. This years Spring Festival Gala has set a new viewership record with more than 16.2 billion people reached home and abroad, according to CMG. Click here to watch the CMG promotional video for 2023 Lantern Festival Gala. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-02-02/CMG-releases-promotional-video-for-2023-Lantern-Festival-Gala-1h5yX8XVG6Y/index.html FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. (This material is distributed by MediaLinks TV, LLC on behalf of CCTV. Additional information is available at the U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.) Barbara Webb, an Alaskan Native, who was born and raised in Juneau, Alaska, has completed her new book Life Observations: A Small Book of Verse: a compelling book of poetry that encourages readers to pause and appreciate the complexities and lessons that life offers. Author Barbara Webb went to undergraduate school and law school in Colorado, where she fell in love with all of the abundant sunshine and decided to stay. She lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband, John Webb, a former judge on the Colorado Court of Appeals. Webb discusses her work, sharing, A couple of years ago, my niece passed away. Although she had been clean and sober for some years, her previous alcohol and drug addiction had taken its toll. I wrote a verse in her memory, and the tone seemed a bit somber, so I wrote a second, more positive verse. Then I embarked on a year of writingnot every day, but when I thought of something to write about. She continues, This is the result. I do not aspire to call this poetry. These are simply my life observations, written in verse form. I was hopeful of incorporating some universality into the writing. I will let you decide whether I have succeeded. Published by Page Publishing, Barbara Webbs thought-provoking book of poetry shares her unique, keen observations of the world around her. Readers who wish to experience this work can purchase Life Observations: A Small Book of Verse at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708. About Page Publishing: Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com. Brandless was recognized as a leader in the Consumer Products industry and made a significant impact by providing community aid through its B.More Community Giving Program in 2022. Brandless is proud to announce that its been recognized among the 240 companies that made Inc.s Best in Business list for 2022. Inc. honors companies that are working to be purposeful before profitable and who demonstrate going above and beyond to make a positive impact on their industry. Brandless was recognized as a leader in the Consumer Products industry and made a significant impact by providing community aid through its B.More Community Giving Program in 2022. Brandless is founded on the belief that it should be easy to take better care of themselves, their families and the planet by offering simple and sustainable products that provide everything you need on your body, in your body and around your home. Since its inception, Brandless has expanded its product portfolio and marketplace through acquiring mission-driven businesses and brands. Over the last year, Brandless has furthered this mission by launching the B.More community giving program to expand its positive impact across the community. Under this program, Brandless supports causes both they and their community believe in and is another way the company is activating its mission to make better-for-you products more accessible. In 2022, Brandless is on track to donate $250,000 of product to causes including Ukranian and Afghan refugees and those experiencing homelessness through B.More. These efforts include: Sending 28,000 feminine hygiene pads and tamponstwo of the most requested itemsto Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Creating bundles of home and personal care products for refugees arriving in Utah. Donating 41,100 bottles of body care products to individuals experiencing homelessness in Utah and Kentucky. Through the B.More program, the Brandless mission to help people take better care of themselves, their families and the planet extends beyond Brandless own products. Brandless intentionally gives back with the purpose of recognizing and supporting communities in need worldwide. For more information about Brandless and its products, visit Brandless.com. About Brandless: Brandless is one of the worlds fastest-growing omnichannel commerce platforms. We make it easier for people to take better care of themselves, their families and the planet by working with the best ingredients, partners, and customers to drive community-led innovation and validation. By focusing on collaboration over control, quality over packaging and people over promotion, were leading a movement that believes that making better choices should be simple and easy. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and visit Brandless.com to order. "We are excited for this stage in our company's growth and view it as a continuation of a successful partnership," said Bill Butler, CEO of Dallas Network Services. "As The 20 MSP, we can now offer our clients even more advanced IT solutions and support, enabling them to excel in their industries." Dallas Network Services (DNS) today announced its acquisition by The 20 MSP, a leading managed service provider with offices nationwide. Dallas Network Services is a managed service provider based out of Addison, TX. The organization has experienced steady growth over the past several years and boasts a proven track record of client success and satisfaction. As a member of The 20's growth platform, Dallas Network Services has benefitted from The 20's business model, leveraging it to drive growth, enhance service offerings, and become a leading MSP in the Dallas area. With this acquisition, The 20 MSP and DNS seek to build on their preexisting partnership, remain on a rapid growth trajectory, and develop new, higher-value offerings for their collective client base. "We are excited to be at this stage in our company's growth and view it as a continuation of a successful partnership," said Bill Butler, CEO of Dallas Network Services. "DNS has succeeded by being a dedicated partner to small and medium-sized businesses, providing them with innovative technology to help them succeed. As The 20 MSP, we can now offer our clients even more advanced IT solutions and support, enabling them to excel in their industries," Butler added. "Dallas Network Services is an outstanding MSP that we have had the pleasure of collaborating with through our group," said Tim Conkle, CEO of The 20. "Their dedication to providing exceptional service and going above and beyond to ensure client success makes us confident that this acquisition will allow us to provide even better support and a wider range of services to our collective client base. We are proud to welcome this skilled and driven team to The 20 MSP family." This acquisition by The 20 MSP expands the company's national footprint and continues an aggressive growth plan that reflects the vigorous consolidation activity across the MSP industry. The 20 MSP has more acquisitions lined up in the coming months. "This is an exciting step forward in our growth journey, but it's one of many we plan on taking," said Conkle. About The 20 MSP The 20 MSP has been helping businesses succeed through better technology since 1986. As a leading provider of managed IT services, The 20 MSP serves hundreds of businesses nationwide, providing each one with white glove service, secure and streamlined IT infrastructure, and 24/7/365 support. We believe in building lasting relationships with clients founded on trust, communication, and the delivery of high-value services for a fair and predictable price. Our clients' success is our success, and we are committed to helping each and every organization we serve leverage technology to secure a competitive advantage and achieve new growth. To learn more, visit the20msp.com About Dallas Network Services DNS was founded in 1999 in Dallas, Texas. We specialize in serving small businesses by providing cost-effective and adaptable IT solutions to meet their ever-changing technology needs. Our mission is to offer routine outsourced IT services and comprehensive project-based support to small businesses in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and surrounding markets. By working with DNS, small businesses can access enterprise-level service at a small business price. Our services include installing and maintaining network infrastructure such as firewalls, routers, switches, servers, printers, email systems, virus protection, and desktop hardware and software, as well as cloud services. We also offer network integration and upgrades, assistance with Voice over IP (VoIP) phone systems, voice and data cabling, and project management. DNS provides a full range of services that one would expect from a large enterprise-level business. Preston the Preschooler as told by Marianna is an encouraging opportunity to engage preschoolers in conversations about their learning and making good choices. Preston the Preschooler as told by Marianna is the creation of published author Dr. B. Dr. B shares, Preston the Preschooler as told by Marianna is a delightful book that will bring meaning and excitement to the preschool classroom. The story begins with Preston arriving to school with his mom, and he is crying because he wants to stay with his mother. He doesnt want to go to school. Even though he begins his day sad about his mother leaving him, Preston quickly gets involved in the days routines and activities. His teacher, Senorita Garcia, is loving and supportive of Preston and has a calming effect on him. Through extended conversations and activities, Preston the Preschooler supports and promotes motivation, curiosity, and problem-solving (approaches to learning); social and emotional; language; physical; and cognitive early learning and development. Prestons classroom, along with the daily schedule, represents a high-quality learning environment. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Dr. Bs new book will encourage young readers in their understanding and expectations related to school. Dr. B shares in hopes of aiding upcoming generations in beginning a successful and fulfilling educational path. Consumers can purchase Preston the Preschooler as told by Marianna at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Preston the Preschooler as told by Marianna, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard is pleased to announce that attorney Eirene N. Salvi was honored with the Rising Star Award at the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Chicago Areas 35th Annual Installation Ceremony. The annual dinner, which was held at the University Club of Chicago on February 1, recognizes esteemed colleagues in the legal community as well as the organizations incoming officers, board of directors, and honorary directors. Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard was a proud sponsor of the 2023 event, proceeds of which benefit the AABA Law Foundations efforts to support the development of Asian Pacific American law students through scholarship. Eirene Nakamura Salvi concentrates her practice medical malpractice, personal injury, and product liability cases. During her time with the firm, she has obtained a number of noteworthy verdicts and settlements, including a record-breaking $148 million jury verdict on behalf of a dancer paralyzed by a collapsed pedestrian shelter at OHare International Airport, a Boone County record $9 million jury verdict in a wrongful death case, and a Kendall County record $4.25 million settlement in an auto accident case. Ms. Salvi is a highly involved member of the Illinois legal community. Currently, she is on the Board of Managers of the Chicago Bar Association, a co-founder and Vice President of the Chicago Committee of the Japanese American Bar Association, a board member of JABA Educational Foundation, a member of the Young Professionals Board of the Chicago Bar Foundation, and the Vice President of the Board of Lawyers Lend-A-Hand to Youth. Ms. Salvi received her law degree from the University of Notre Dame in 2015. She is fluent in Spanish, Japanese, and French. For more than 30 years, AABA Chicago has played a pivotal role in encouraging diversity, promoting the areas vibrant legal community, and representing the interests of thousands of community stakeholders. Guardian Angel: a compelling tale of loss and unexpected twists of fate. Guardian Angel is the creation of published author Elaine D. Butler, an English high school teacher who went to college in Springfield, where her family remained. She stayed in the education system for the rest of her career, teaching special education for over twenty years, then becoming a principal and, later, a superintendent. Butler shares, Mickey thought she had experienced quite a bit for a kid her age. She and her five younger siblings had moved around the whole country and met people from all over the world. Being a navy brat had its perks, but Mickey never felt like she belonged anywhere, that is, until she met Jamie. He felt like home, a dark, mysterious, broken home. This small town in Virginia wasnt like that though. The racism and turmoil had turned everyone against each other, and Jamie was smack-dab in the middle of it, being the leader of the white gang. Just what was Mickey getting herself into this time? Soon the violence, drugs, gang fights, and racism would send her family spiraling. Was Jamies love worth everything she would have to sacrifice? Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Elaine D. Butlers new book will have readers racing to see what will become of Mickey as a dangerous path begins to open to a love-struck teen. Butlers story tackles a variety of themes from discrimination to drug abuse as readers find themselves swept up in a whirlwind romance of dangerous proportions. Consumers can purchase Guardian Angel at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Guardian Angel, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Greg Gunter For clients exploring vacation or second-home ownership in San Miguel de Allende, Dream Pro Grega full-time resident since 2009offers a fresh wealth of personal insight into the business. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Broker and Owner Greg Gunterwidely known as The Dream Pro: San Miguels Dream Home Expert!earned his rank as the #2 Realtor in all of Mexico among the nations largest master franchise before starting BHHS Colonial Homes San Miguel as the nations first & flagship office for the brand. Greg loves matching Buyers and Sellers with their Dream Homesin fact, hes matched homeowners with their Dream Homes since 1974! In San Miguel de Allende, Luxury Collection Broker Greg proves an expert at matching Sellers and Buyers in the luxury market, having proved that expertise with the following critical designations: Luxury Lifestyle Broker Architect M.B.A. #2 Realtor nationwide for Mexicos largest franchise Mexicos only Realtor member of the now-defunct Forbes Real Estate Council Certified Luxury Home Marketing Guild member (multiple sales above $1MM USD in value) Certified Luxury Collection Specialist Member, Whos Who in Luxury Real Estate International Presidents Circle winner CIPS designation, a Certified International Property Specialist Gregs architectural background offers a unique perspective to his Luxury Collection clients, having designed and built his own $2.6 million USD luxury home in the U.S., an Umbrian-style farmhouse inspired by Under the Tuscan Sun author Frances Mayes. His award-winning homenamed Colorado Home of the Year by Colorado Homes & Lifestyles magazinewas also featured in the Wall St. Journal and The Denver Post. For clients exploring vacation or second-home ownership in San Miguel de Allende, Dream Pro Grega full-time resident since 2009offers a fresh wealth of personal insight into the business, legal, and lifestyle aspects of San Miguel, along with the personal experience of having designed & built his own Spanish Colonial home here and operating a local rental property. With over forty years of experience in real estate, Greg split his professional career between residential and commercial development. After earning his real estate M.B.A. from the University of Colorado, he invested a quarter of a century in residential & commercial retail real estate and was part of the development team responsible for landmark U.S. retail projects like the $625 million USD Academy Awards venue, Hollywood & Highland. Greg later cofounded a retail development services firm involved with the development of internationally renowned U.S. shopping meccas from The Forum Shops in Las Vegas to Houston Galleria, housing luxury tenants like Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Gucci, and other premier brands. Quoted as a local real estate authority in publications like Forbes, NextAvenue, the New York Post, International Living, and The Daily Beast, Greg is one of only two local Realtors chosen by reputation to represent San Miguel's Realtor market in the internationally published publication Overseas Retirement Letter. He was also the only Realtor invited from San Miguel to speak at eBays 2017 InCon real estate Conference in Mexico City. A past board member and supporter of several local charities, Greg also once penned a social column for our local bilingual newspaper, Atencion. He enjoys creating the regions most unique real estate marketing, and writes thriller novels in his spare time, promising visitors an equally thrilling tour of this UNESCO World Heritage Site we call home: San Miguel de Allende, voted #1 City in the World multiple times each by Conde Nast Traveler and Travel & Leisure. Visit Greg Gunter's Haute Residence Profile: https://www.hauteresidence.com/member/greg-gunter/ ABOUT HAUTE RESIDENCE Designed as a partnership-driven luxury real estate portal, Haute Residence connects its affluent readers with top real estate professionals, while offering the latest in real estate news, showcasing the worlds most extraordinary residences on the market, and sharing expert advice from its knowledgeable and experienced real estate partners. The invitation-only luxury real estate network, which partners with just one agent in every market, unites a distinguished collective of leading real estate agents and brokers and highlights the most extravagant properties in leading markets around the globe for affluent buyers, sellers, and real estate enthusiasts. HauteResidence.com has grown to be the number-one news source for million-dollar listings, high-end residential developments, celebrity real estate, and more. Access all of this information and more by visiting http://www.hauteresidence.com Welcome to Gods Kingdom (Luke 17:21 KJV): a heartfelt message of empowerment that will challenge readers to reflect and seek opportunities to grow, both personally and spiritually. Welcome to Gods Kingdom (Luke 17:21 KJV) is the creation of published author Harrison H. Jones, an Air Force veteran who holds a bachelors degree and masters degree. Jones shares, We make decisions in everyday life that are pleasing to the LORD, so often, we do what we dont want and dont do what we want. Paul of the Bible had the same problem as he wrote in Romans 7:15 (ESV): For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very things I hate. Reading this book will help a person to understand the motivational forces that drive the human creature to act and respond to the world around them. This book explains how the inner man and the outer man are at war with Gods will in each of our lives. By understanding the problem each person faces is within themselves, they have a better chance of overcoming their problem of doing the right thing. The right thing is what Gods will is in their life. Choosing the right actions requires a person to overcome themselves and follow Gods will. This book explains finding and doing the will of God. This book teaches the three wills of God to direct a person to the perfect will of God. The author uses his own life story to explain how he turned his life around and has learned how to deal with himself to overcome himself and Satans roadblocks keeping him from the Paul dilemma. This book teaches a person how to become unselfish and to be concerned about others and their needs. This is what God wants all of His human creatures to become, more selfless. This book teaches how to overcome the self-motivated human creature to be more serving of others and to be more pleasing to God. This book makes us more heaven-ready when God chooses to take us home to be with Him. Reading this book will do the following: Explain how to be saved. How being saved is the only way to heaven. How Jesus was and is the best example of unselfishness. How our Jesus loved us more than Himself. This book helps to prepare a person to spend the rest of their life (on this earth and eternity) walking in the Kingdom of God. This book will help its readers to live in Gods Kingdom. Christianity is living a life of being Christlike. This book teaches believers to live a God-pleasing life in Gods Kingdom. Gods Kingdom is inside every believer (Luke 7:12). Every person is invited to accept Christ and receive the Kingdom of God to indwell them. This book will explain what is expected of them. Each saved person has the responsibility to live their life as a citizen of Gods Kingdomliving a life that lets others know they are welcome to Gods Kingdom. Dont miss reading this book if you want to know how to please the King of kings, our Lord, and how to live in the perfect will of God. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Harrison H. Joness new book presents an impactful message regarding the pursuit of connection with God. Jones shares in hopes of offering a helping hand to readers in need of spiritual encouragement to turn back to God and seek His will. Consumers can purchase Welcome to Gods Kingdom (Luke 17:21 KJV) at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Welcome to Gods Kingdom (Luke 17:21 KJV), contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. "I believe when Latino-led companies achieve scale it not only benefits the investors and employees of that company, it attracts more investment into Latino communities, said podcast host Gary Acosta. Today, entrepreneur and investor Gary Acosta has launched a new podcast, Govies, Plutes, & Gangsters, which explores the critical role that government policy, capital deployment, and entrepreneurship play in closing the Hispanic wealth gap in America. "Latinos have the highest workforce participation rate and are driving growth in small business formations and homeownership but the wealth gap has remained large," said podcast host Acosta, Co-Founder & CEO of NAHREP, the country's leading Hispanic business organization, and Co-Founder of L'ATTITUDE, the preeminent event platform that celebrates the role of Latinos in the New Mainstream Economy. The podcast deploys an interview format and features some of the nations leading thought leaders and entrepreneurs who share their unique perspectives and experiences. Guests include: Award-winning music icon and industry legend Emilio Estefan, who reflects on lessons throughout his life, his world-famous family, and how his immigrant background fueled his relentless mindset for business. On-Air Political Analyst for MSNBC and bestselling author Anand Giridharadas, who engages in a provocative conversation about some of the governmental headwinds that are impeding growth in homeownership and wealth-building for Latinos. Entrepreneur and venture capitalist Laura Lucas, who discusses the importance of capital connections and the emergence of Latinas in the U.S. economy. International business executive Sol Trujillo, who emphasizes the necessity of "running with" one's own ideas as he recounts his legendary career running three 50-billion-dollar corporations in the U.S., Europe, and Australia. "I believe when Latino-led companies achieve scale it not only benefits the investors and employees of that company, it attracts more investment into Latino communities, said Acosta. "Throughout my career, I have been privileged to spend time with some of the most successful business leaders in America. I am excited to begin sharing these powerful conversations with the public. Govies, Plutes, & Gangsters is now available on https://garyacosta.com/ and all major podcast platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. For more information about the podcast, please visit https://garyacosta.com/ About NAHREP: The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), a nonprofit 501(c)6 trade association, is dedicated to advancing sustainable homeownership for the Hispanic community in America. NAHREP has a network of over 40,000 real estate professionals and 100 local chapters nationwide, hosting several national events per year and publishing multiple industry cornerstone reports annually and multimedia content. Join us in advocating for policies that grow sustainable Latino homeownership, read our 2022 policy priorities here. See the NAHREP Hispanic Homeownership by Congressional District Tool which measures Hispanic homeownership by U.S. congressional district, allowing constituents, advocates, policymakers, and lending and housing professionals to evaluate district performance at a glance. Watch the Hispanic Homeownership short film. Press Contact: NAHREP press@nahrep.org (619) 719-4813 "One of the main goals of this event is to make members feel empowered to be strong advocates for Marylands banking industry. - Drew Jabin, Maryland Bankers Association's Vice President, Head of Government & Community Affairs On Wednesday, February 1, the Maryland Bankers Association (MBA) hosted its annual Day in Annapolis event at The Governor Calvert House in Annapolis, MD. This was the first in person Day in Annapolis since 2020. Attendees were given the opportunity to learn from and connect with leaders in the state legislature, gain insight into Marylands legislative process by watching live legislative proceedings, and meet with their elected officials to discuss the importance of a strong and healthy banking industry. Participants also heard firsthand from Committee leadership in the Maryland General Assembly about trending policy topics and state-level government advocacy. Committee Chairs Melony Griffith (D), Will Smith (D), C.T. Wilson (D), and Kumar Barve (D) were among the speakers that headlined the event speaking on a panel discussing the banking industry in Maryland and how the Maryland Bankers Associations advocacy efforts impact policy decisions. "This is what effective advocacy looks like, said Drew Jabin, MBAs Vice President, Head of Government & Community Affairs. It was great to see Maryland legislators speaking with some of Marylands finest professionals in the banking industry. I am hopeful that attendees came away with a better understanding of the state legislative process and the policy work weve been doing. One of the main goals of this event is to make members feel empowered to be strong advocates for Marylands banking industry. Following the panel, attendees met with their state elected officials in the House of Delegates and the Senate to discuss the banking and finance issues that matter most to their customers. This event has been a tradition of ours for over 20 years, and its wonderful to be back together in person, said Ramon Looby, President and CEO of the Maryland Bankers Association. Theres nothing like this immersive learning experience, and we are all better advocates because of it. Thank you to our speakers, staff, and attendees. The success of this event helps propel our advocacy efforts in 2023. About Day in Annapolis The Maryland Bankers Associations "Day in Annapolis" is an annual advocacy event focused on giving participants the opportunity to understand the importance of advocacy at the state level. Please contact Drew Jabin, Vice President, Head of Government and Community Affairs, at djabin@mdbankers.com or Evan Richards, Government Affairs Manager, at erichards@mdbankers.com with questions or further inquiries. About the Maryland Bankers Association Founded in 1896, the Maryland Bankers Association (MBA) is the only Maryland-based trade group representing banks in the state. MBAs member banks employ 28,266 banking professionals in nearly 1,490 branch offices across the state. To find out more information, please visit http://www.mdbankers.com. Matrix Integration's engineers have identified three major trends that businesses need to address in 2023 to keep their systems up to date We always get calls for emergency situations, like when a system goes down and the company realizes data hasnt been backed up for three months, said Pritchett. Its like getting a call to put out a fire, when some proactive maintenance would have prevented the fire in the first place. Within the last several weeks, old and outdated tech has grounded planes and snarled airline traffic nationwide. If maintaining IT infrastructure and updating IT systems is so difficult for some of the most essential services in the country, how can everyday businesses and services expect to keep up? The answer is getting proactive, according to the expert team of engineers at Matrix Integration, a strategic IT infrastructure partner for more than 1,000 businesses and schools in the Midwest and beyond. Working closely with their clients, Matrixs engineers have identified three major trends that businesses need to address in 2023 to keep their systems up to date and avoid major shutdowns that could cost millions of dollars in lost revenue. Tim Pritchett, engineer operations manager at Matrix, is also a former CTO who is focused on helping clients keep their mission-critical data safe and operations running smoothly. We always get calls for emergency situations, like when a system goes down and the company realizes data hasnt been backed up for three months, said Pritchett. Its like getting a call to put out a fire, when some proactive maintenance would have prevented the fire in the first place. Stay Proactive to Combat These Market Trends Outdated IT and infrastructure have been identified as a major reason for the air traffic issues in recent days and weeks. The engineers at Matrix Integration have recognized three major challenges that are trending in their clients businesses, and recommend a number of ways to stay ahead of technology meltdowns. 1. Supply chain issues are making it difficult to replace old equipment. Keeping technology up to date is challenging when hardware is difficult to source, and this issue will continue into 2023. This means that companies need to extend the life of their existing equipment. Keeping equipment clean and up-to-date with firmware is key, said Rex Weisheit, a network engineer at Matrix Integration. Another tip: logging activities like patching, updating and service agreement deadlines. In one case, the Matrix team found that half the hard drives in a clients server farm had already failed and their support had ended six years ago. This is something the Matrix team can help with, but companies can do themselves if they have the time and capacity, said Cody Beadles, Matrix engineer. 2. Cybersecurity insurance is demanding more. Cybersecurity insurance is a necessary business expense today, insurance issuers are continuing to increase their requirements to issue a policy. Pritchett and his team often see businesses scrambling to get protections in place to meet insurance company deadlines. Make sure you know when your policies are coming up for review, said Pritchett. They will audit you, and you need to be ahead of the curve to avoid being dropped from your insurance carrier. And, without a policy, businesses could lose thousands, if not millions of dollars if a system is hacked. 3. The Edge requires updates in almost every area of IT. If a company is ready to take advantage of computing in an edge environment, that upgrade affects nearly every aspect of its IT infrastructure. The edge is pushing everything, said Beadles. This includes security needs, speed requirements and capacity requirements. Were seeing an influx of Big Data management which starts to directly affect the datacenter. For more information on Matrix Integration or trends in enterprise-level IT, visit matrixintegration.com. # # # About Matrix Integration Matrix Integration is a strategic IT solutions and managed services provider that has been in business for more than 40 years. With clients regionally and offices in Indiana and Kentucky, Matrix Integration works closely with businesses and institutions to provide personalized consulting and managed services along with networking, data center, security, collaboration, telephony, and computing solutions. Strategic partners include Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Aruba, Cisco, Meraki, VMware, Microsoft, and Veeam. Matrix Integration is a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and Women Business Enterprise (WBE), that has consistently been recognized on industry lists including CRN Solution Provider 500, CRN Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500, CRN Women of the Channel, and CRN Tech Elite 250. Were constantly seeking innovative ways to enrich our culture and support our team members, and this recognition is a direct reflection of those efforts, said Kevin J. Keane, Executive Chairman at PKF OConnor Davies. PKF OConnor Davies, one of the nations largest accounting, tax and advisory practices, is proud to announce that it has been named the Best Place to Work in Westchester by 914INC. Now in its second year, the regional survey and awards program spotlights members of the Westchester County, New York, business community that are taking meaningful measures to support employees and cultivate a sense of community in the workplace. This recognition marks the second consecutive year PKF OConnor Davies has been named to the ranking and the first time it has been awarded top honors. Were constantly seeking innovative ways to enrich our culture and support our team members, and this recognition is a direct reflection of those efforts, said Kevin J. Keane, Executive Chairman at PKF OConnor Davies. This honor further establishes PKF OConnor Davies in the Westchester County business community as an employer committed to fostering a progressive, positive and supportive work environment. PKF OConnor Davies package of benefits and perks including flex hours, profit sharing and first-day healthcare eligibility propelled it to the top of this years ranking. 914INC. also praised the organizations mentorship opportunities, including its formalized career-development and job-advancement programs, as well as its team-building and DEI-focused activities. In addition, the organizations community service efforts were spotlighted, including its work supporting Habitat for Humanity, Golden Scoop, Toys for Tots, Nourish Now and the Winter Wishes Gift Drive. PKF OConnor Davies employs over 215 Westchester-based team members, all of which work out of the Harrison office. Were extremely proud to earn top billing among this years cohort of Westchester Countys top workplaces, said Dawn V. Perri, Partner and Chief Human Resources Officer at PKF OConnor Davies. We pride ourselves on fostering a culture that prioritizes team member growth and well-being, as well as offers opportunities for camaraderie and community engagement. PKF OConnor Davies continues to expand through organic growth and acquisitions on the East Coast and beyond. It has supported this growth with a strategic combination of promoting from within coupled with an ongoing focus on top-tier external hires. About PKF OConnor Davies PKF OConnor Davies is a top-tier accounting, tax and advisory practice with a long history of serving domestic and international clients. Know Greater Value speaks to the confidence and guidance that our clients realize when they work with us. It reinforces our commitment to delivering the highest levels of value, expertise and service in everything we do. Our clients Know Greater Connections, Know Greater Insights and Know Greater Value. PKF OConnor Davies is the brand name under which PKF OConnor Davies LLP and PKF OConnor Davies Advisory LLC, independently owned entities, provide professional services in an alternative practice structure in accordance with applicable professional standards. PKF OConnor Davies LLP is a licensed CPA firm that provides attest services and PKF OConnor Davies Advisory LLC and its subsidiary entities provide tax and advisory services. For more information, please visit pkfod.com, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Our people are incredibly thoughtful and sincere in what they share with us, and Im most grateful to be entrusted with feedback which further enriches the supportive and rewarding workplace we have here at PRG. Philadelphia-based PRG Real Estate has been named a 2023 Top Workplace USA winner. This is the second consecutive year the company has been honored with this prestigious award. Celebrating more than 35 years in business, PRG takes pride in its people-focused culture. The Top Workplaces USA winners are chosen based on feedback from employees who provide data through the third-party survey administrator, Energage LLC. We are honored and humbled that our employees have given us the Top Workplaces designation for the second year in a row, stated Lindsay Lenow, Director of Human Resources at PRG. Our people are incredibly thoughtful and sincere in what they share with us, and Im most grateful to be entrusted with feedback that further enriches the supportive and rewarding workplace we have here at PRG. PRG is a multifamily investment and management company that owns nearly $2.0 billion in apartment homes across its 10,000-unit portfolio with 300+ employees nationwide. PRG believes the only way to offer a quality living experience is through its people. They achieve this mission by hiring and training the best in the industry and creating a supportive and rewarding workplace that inspires its people to achieve great things together. About PRG: PRG Real Estate owns and manages over 10,000 apartment homes throughout the United States. With over 35 years of successfully transforming communities, its 300 associates remain dedicated to providing residents with a great place to call home. For more information on PRG Real Estate, please visit http://www.prgrealestate.com. "Our plan is to continue acquiring operationally mature and high-performing MSPs from our group," said Tim Conkle, CEO of The 20 MSP. "The integrations are fairly seamless, as the MSPs we're acquiring not only share our tools, but our overall way of doing things and client-first philosophy." The 20 MSP, a leading managed service provider with offices nationwide, today announced its first acquisitions of 2023. The two acquisitions deepen the rapidly growing IT company's national footprint and continue an M&A spree that began last year with thirteen deals. Joining The 20 are Dallas Network Services (DNS), an MSP headquartered in Addison, TX (CEO/Owner Bill Butler), and Integrated Business Technologies (IBT), an MSP serving clients in the Tulsa and Oklahoma City areas (CEO/Owner Eric Kehmeier). Both organizations have made great strides as members of The 20's growth platform. Their year-after-year growth and high levels of customer retention and satisfaction marked them out as candidates for The 20's ongoing rollup, and The 20's leadership team is feeling energized and excited about joining forces. "DNS and IBT are exemplary MSPs that we've had the privilege of working closely with through our group," said Tim Conkle, CEO of The 20. "Their commitment to never cutting corners and going that extra mile to ensure client success makes us confident that these acquisitions are going to help us bring our collective client base even better support, along with a wider range of services and offerings. It's an honor to welcome these talented and motivated teams to The 20 family." These latest acquisitions expand The 20's national footprint and market reach, enabling it to better serve clients in new areas and industries. The deals also come during a period of rapid growth for the company, which The 20 expects to last through the year and beyond. "Our plan is to continue acquiring operationally mature and high-performing MSPs from our group," said Conkle. "The integrations are fairly seamless, as the MSPs we're acquiring not only share our tools, but our overall way of doing things and client-first philosophy. Expect more of the same in the coming months!" Pinecrest Capital Partners served as the exclusive financial advisor to The 20 MSP on the acquisitions and associated financing. About The 20 MSP The 20 MSP has been helping businesses succeed through better technology since 1986. As a leading provider of managed IT services, The 20 MSP serves hundreds of businesses nationwide, providing each one with white glove service, secure and streamlined IT infrastructure, and 24/7/365 support. We believe in building lasting relationships with clients founded on trust, communication, and the delivery of high-value services for a fair and predictable price. Our clients' success is our success, and we are committed to helping each and every organization we serve leverage technology to secure a competitive advantage and achieve new growth. To learn more, visit the20msp.com. About The 20 The 20 is an exclusive consortium for Managed Service Providers (MSP) aimed at dominating and revolutionizing the IT industry with its standardized all-in-one approach. The 20s robust RMM, PSA, and documentation platform ensures superior service for its MSPs clients utilizing their completely US-based Help Desk and Network Operations Center. Extending beyond proven tools and processes, The 20 touts a proven sales model, a community of industry-leading MSPs, and ultimate scalability. To learn more, visit the20.com Shady Grove Fertility launches Egg Freezing for Surgical Residents Program I am incredibly proud to work for organizations like US Fertility and SGF that have supported my development of an innovative program that will help women feel more confident when pursuing surgical careers. US Fertility founding partner Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) recognizes Women Physicians Day with the launch of a new program aimed to ease the financial burden of egg-freezing costs for surgical residents, a population with a higher risk of infertility. Female surgeons are at an increased risk of infertility and pregnancy complications due to the demand of surgical training schedules and the likelihood of delaying family-building while establishing their early surgical careers. The Egg Freezing for Surgical Residents program aims to safeguard family-building options for female surgical residents by offering egg-freezing services at a significant discount so that women can feel more confident when pursuing careers in surgery. The programs egg-freezing cycle package includes concierge scheduling, monitoring, egg retrieval, and cryopreservation of eggs. Prices vary slightly by practice region and eligibility and exclusion criteria apply. I began my own egg-freezing journey while on night shift rotations as an OB/GYN resident. Looking back 10 years later, now 38 years old, engaged, and ready to start my own family, I'm relieved to have frozen my eggs. Otherwise, I know I would have a higher chance of infertility, miscarriage, and chromosomal abnormalities if I conceived naturally at my current age, shares SGF Atlanta physician and program lead, Valerie Libby, M.D., M.P.H. At the same time, I feel obligated to give back and address the often-unspoken toll that surgical training has on women. I am incredibly proud to work for organizations like US Fertility and SGF that have supported my development of an innovative program that will help women feel more confident when pursuing surgical careers. While women represent 35.2% of active physicians,less than 25% of physicians in the surgical specialties are women. On average, female surgical residents are 10 years older at the time of the birth of their first child compared to their peers in the general US population. Surgical residents who found themselves pregnant during training cited negative stigmas associated with their choice to train while pregnant and dissatisfaction with childcare support and maternity leave options. 39% of these residents seriously considered leaving their residency programs and 30% would advise other women against pursuing a surgical career. It is time we reckon with the hard truth that many female physicians sacrifice opportunities to build their families in their pursuit of medical training, particularly those in the surgical specialties, says Theresa Rohr-Kirchgraber, M.D., President of the American Medical Womens Association (AMWA). AMWA commends US Fertility and SGF for raising awareness around the issue of physician fertility and providing a forward-thinking solution that helps extend family-planning options to surgery residents who are considering egg freezing. AMWA is working to change the culture of medical training so that building a family and building a career are equally attainable. A lack of timely awareness of the potential need for fertility preservation treatment is a key issue among female surgical residents. Discussions around infertility often take place late in a surgeons career,past the optimal childbearing age. A lack of family-building support from surgical training programs compounds the problem of underrepresentation and attrition among surgical trainees. A new initiative from the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS) outlines key steps training programs should consider, including recommendations for offering fertility insurance coverage, better paid leave benefits, and childcare support. The Association of Women Surgeons would like to congratulate US Fertility and Shady Grove Fertility on the program to make egg freezing more affordable for surgical residents, shares Marybeth Hughes, M.D., FACS, President of the Association of Women Surgeons. It is an important tool in family planning, particularly for women in lengthy, rigorous surgical training. We wholeheartedly support access to strategies for successful family planning including this program. Increasing diversity among the physician workforce is in the best interest of patients and organizations. Studies link diversity in the medical workforce with a higher quality of patient care as well as improved fiscal performance. Medical school costs alone are a significant barrier to entry, especially for students from underrepresented populations. Finding innovative ways to financially assist those in training can help improve high attrition rates and the overall diversity of residency programs. Egg freezing was considered experimental until 2012 when the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) jointly announced that they would no longer consider oocyte cryopreservation, or egg-freezing, an experimental procedure. While many practices continue to lack the volume and long-term data to understand their egg-freezing success rates, US Fertility is one of the few fertility networks with published egg-freezing pregnancy data. Should program participants choose to continue their treatment post-cryopreservation at a US Fertility practice, they will be able to better understand their probability of taking home a baby. For example, SGF has published data estimating that a woman younger than 38 who freezes 15 20 mature eggs will have a 70 80% chance of at least one live birth. Interested participants can learn more about the Egg Freezing for Surgical Residents program using this link. The program is now accepting applications and inquiries and will officially launch in March of 2023. About US Fertility US Fertility is the nations largest partnership of physician-owned and physician-led top-tier fertility practices, offering comprehensive fertility-market-focused non-clinical, administrative, and technical platforms that help practices improve patient outcomes and increase patient access. To learn more about partnership- or affiliate-status benefits, call 301-545-1308 or visit USFertility.com. About Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) SGF is a leading fertility and IVF center of excellence with more than 100,000 babies born from 30+ years of continuous innovation and patient-centered fertility care. With over 50 locations throughout the U.S. and in Santiago, Chile, SGF accepts most insurance plans and makes fertility treatment accessible and affordable through innovative financial solutions, including 100% refund guarantees for eligible patients. SGF is among the founding partner practices of US Fertility, the largest physician-owned and physician-led partnership of top-tier fertility practices nationally. Call 1-888-761-1967 to schedule a new patient appointment or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com for more information. Volkswagen Sedan Enthusiasts Can Buy the 2023 Volkswagen Arteon SEL R-Line Now at Elgin Volkswagen Drivers in Elgin, Illinois, in search of a stylish and powerful sedan should check out the 2023 Volkswagen Arteon SEL R-Line now available at Elgin Volkswagen, a local automotive dealership in the area. The 2023 Volkswagen Arteon SEL R-Line is available at a selling price of $46,659 with a dealership discount of $2,944. Equipped with a 2.0-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine, the 2023 Volkswagen Arteon SEL R-Line can deliver 300 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. When coupled with the 7-speed DSG automatic transmission and 4MOTION AWD with Active Control, this sedan will glide through the roads with smooth gear shifts. Climatronic Touch three-zone automatic climate control with advanced air filter and leather seating surfaces ensure that the passengers are both comfortable and convenient. App-Connect smartphone integration enables the drivers smartphone to be connected with the Arteon SEL R-Line offering seamless connectivity. This powerful sedan also comes with a host of advanced driver assistance features, including a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), Engine Brake Assist, Electronic Stability Control and a Rear-View Camera System. Prospective buyers are encouraged to drop by the Elgin Volkswagen dealership located at 2630 Auto Mall Dr. Elgin, Illinois 60124. Drivers can also schedule a test drive of the 2023 Volkswagen Arteon SEL R-Line online and reach out to the friendly and knowledgeable dealership staff at 847-428-2000 for further information requests. Don't judge the ALA's first in-person LibLearnX Conference by its modest attendance figures. As I noted in my report for Publishers Weekly, for its first in-person winter event in three years, the ALA faced stiff headwinds: the pandemic and its impact still loom large, and libraries and vendors alike are facing a very uncertain economy. In speaking with librarians at the show, my impression is that the meeting showed real value. Amid the challenges of 2023, LibLearnX highlighted the importance of gathering in-person. And it succeeded in showing that there is life after Midwinter. American Libraries has a lot of LibLearnX program coverage worth checking out. Nice piece by Deb Aoki at Comics Beat on LibLearnX, featuring lots of comics, manga, graphic novels. "As the first in-person event held in a while, the crowds were modest, and the exhibit hall was smaller than years past, and definitely much quieter than usual. But the people who did come were happy to reconnect with each other in person again, and several mentioned that they appreciated the opportunity to have conversations and collaborate in a setting that was more intimate and low-key..." Black History Month is off to a chilling start with news this week that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has apparently swayed the College Board into changing its AP African American studies course. "After heavy criticism from Gov. Ron DeSantis, the College Board released on Wednesday an official curriculum for its new Advanced Placement course in African American Studiesstripped of much of the subject matter that had angered the governor and other conservatives," reports the New York Times this week. "The expunged writers and scholars include Kimberle W. Crenshaw, a law professor at Columbia, which touts her work as foundational in critical race theory; Roderick Ferguson, a Yale professor who has written about queer social movements; and Ta-Nehisi Coates, the author who has made the case for reparations for slavery. Gone, too, is bell hooks, the writer who shaped discussions about race, feminism, and class." In an open letter posted on Medium, more than 650 scholars blasted the DeSantis administration's actions to dictate the content of the AP African American studies course. "This is censorship and a frontal attack on academic freedom," the letter reads. "Contrary to DeSantiss claims of promoting freedom in education, he is suppressing learning in his state and limiting the freedom of Florida students to choose what they can learn. He is destroying core educational principles that should be sacrosanct to all leaders in a democratic society." Last week we shared news of classroom libraries being made inaccessible to students in Manatee County Florida, as a new law would subject librarians and educators to prosecution for making available resources deemed "inappropriate" by the state. Now, the local Herald Tribune reports that some Manatee County commissioners are expressing similar concerns for the county's public library. "After accepting donations from the Friends of Lakewood Ranch Library and the Manatee County Library Foundation, commissioners expressed apprehension that the funds could open the door to a 'woke agenda' in the selection of the library materials made available," the paper reports. Oh, but nothing to see here, says conservative heavyweight National Review, which dismisses what's going on in Florida as "The Great Florida Classroom Library Freak-Out." The "freak-out in Manatee County seems to have been based on at least two things: conflicting messages from the district about what books should be temporarily removed from classroom shelves until they are vetted, and a lack of clarity about what materials could actually lead to a teacher or staff member being criminally charged," the report contends. At progressive stalwart The Nation, publisher and editorial director Katrina vanden Heuvel weighs in on the surge in books bans and censorship. "Right-wing activists have taken over school boards across the country, banning books on topics from slavery to the Holocaust, rejecting courses like AP African American Studies, and prohibiting teachers from discussing gender identity in the classroom. Now, in a comically transparent escalation of this anti-intellectual crusade, they are targeting libraries," she writes. "Worse, theyve embraced a characteristically cruel approach to doing so: bullying librarians." The LA Times has a story on the kind of bullying librarians are facing. "A number of school board meetings in recent years have become explosive and emblematic of the countrys political animosities," the report states. "Parents yell, boo, shake fists, and hold up sexually graphic images in dramas that play out on social media." In addition to her typically comprehensive (and frightening) weekly censorship roundup at Book Riot, Kelly Jensen also has a piece calling out one of the groups fueling the attacks on librarians and pushing for these restrictive laws: Moms for Liberty. Also at Book Riot, Arvyn Cerezo reviews the state of diversity in the publishing industry. Spoiler alert: "the publishing industry remains white, and more work is needed to be done to level the playing field." EveryLibrary has released its 2022 annual report. Check out their strong work on behalf of libraries. In Texas, a new bill caught our attention this week: it would empower the state to ban vendors (publishers?) that offer what the state deems "obscene" materials. Another potentially concerning development for publishers, as earlier this year we reported on a bill in Texas that would require publishers to develop and implement a rating system (which the state could then manipulate) for books sold to schools in the state. In Virginia, a state senate committee voted unanimously to table a library e-book bill introduced last month with a "Pass By Indefinitely" vote. In a statement, the Association of American Publishers, which strongly opposes library e-book legislation, said the "decisive vote" was "a resounding rejection of state-level legislation that seeks to unconstitutionally infringe on well-established federal law protecting the rights of creators. However, the Passed By Indefinitely action allows the committee to "reconsider the legislation at a later meeting." Meanwhile, Connecticut has introduced a new library e-book bill, SB 500. And finally, the Urban Libraries Council this week released a new white paper, Food Is a Right: Libraries and Food Justice. "We know children cant learn well if they are hungry, and we believe food is a basic human right, said ULC President and CEO Brooks Rainwater, in a release. As trusted community anchors, public libraries are well-positioned to use their resources and relationships to positively address food insecurity for people of color. Access to food and nutrition information is an equity issue, and many libraries have made providing programs and services in distressed neighborhoods a priority. Good stuff. The Week in Libraries is a weekly opinion and news column. News, tips, submissions, questions or comments are welcome, and can be submitted via email. Jessica George. St. Martins, $27.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-250-28252-1 In this pitch-perfect debut, George captures the uncertainty, freedom, and anxiety of a London womans mid-20s. Narrator Maddie Wright is a people pleaser who earns the nickname Maame (the responsible one) from her family. She has an unsatisfying theater admin job where she is often the only Black person in the room, and while her older brother, James, lives his life as he wants and her mother spends most of her time in her homeland of Ghana, Maddie steps up as the main caregiver for her Parkinsons afflicted father. Between her mother hitting her up for money and her incommunicative father, Maddie searches on Google for career guidance and dating advice, as well as remedies for panic attacks and grief. As her social life further dwindles and she worries shell always be a virgin, Maddie begins the slow descent into a dull existence. Then her mother finally comes back to take care of Maddies father, and Maddie moves into a flat with two roommates who are determined to help her live a larger life, starting with a list of actions to turn her into The New Maddie. But just as shes getting a taste of independence, tragedy strikes at home and at work, and shes forced to confront the microaggressions she faces in daily life, as well as ask herself how she deserves to be treated. The works ample magnetism resides in the savvy portrayal of Maddie as a complicated, sharp, and vulnerable person who is trying to figure out adulthood. Readers will revel in this. Agent: Jemima Forrester, David Higham Assoc. (Jan.) The firms say that they will forge a formal co-production pact for scripted projects and develop and produce what they call bold, authentic and entertaining film and television content that smashes stereotypes and organically integrates East and West for global audiences.Too often, Southeast Asia has been portrayed in a mix of styles on screen with, for example, iconic establishing shots of Kuala Lumpur s Twin Towers soon giving way to a location that resembles Vietnam, mixed with Hong Kong by way of Vancouver. And stories set here are frequently told from a Western perspective with white saviour characters leading the charge, side-lining local voices, explained Min Lim, head of production at Double Vision and partner in Sympatico.[We] have a production set in Malaysia it will be filmed here, and the characters will speak proper Malay. And more importantly, we will have Asian characters as true and equal leads in stories that are as much about them and their country as it is about their Western counterparts. To this end, every title on the Sympatico slate has both Southeast Asian and British writers and creatives working closely together to ensure that they will be nothing less than true collaborations.Added co-partner and founder of Argo Films Richard Johns: Strategically, Southeast Asia is certainly a region to watch and well-placed to deliver the next big thing. Not only do territories such as Malaysia have their own unique culture, people and locations but it also has an industrious and skilled production sector and a highly competitive film and TV production incentive. Sympatico is on course to deliver some cracking scripted content with the sort of high production values, distinctive stories and universal themes that are essential for broadcasters and streamers looking to offer something different to their audiences.Projects in advanced development on the Sympatico slate include Emergency (pictured), an espionage thriller, in partnership with Fremantle , that tells the story of the worlds first campaign to win the argument as well as the war. Set in a 1951 Malaya battling for independence and inspired by real events, it follows a controversial British SAS commander and a local undercover agent in a Communist unit in a race against time to stop all-out war.Sympatico is expected to go into production on at least two projects in 2023, with conversations on some underway with international broadcasters, streamers and other potential partners. Hannah Godwin / Instagram By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 02/03/2023 ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. couple Hannah Godwin and Dylan Barbour have officially set their wedding date, and it's surprisingly coming up soon!Hannah took to Instagram on Tuesday and posted a slideshow of engagement photos with Dylan in which the bride-to-be looks beautiful in a champagne-colored mini dress."August '23," Hannah captioned the post, adding bride and groom emojis.Hannah tagged Dylan in her post, and members of Bachelor Nation expressed their excitement for the couple."Yayyy!!! Very happy for you both," Hannah Brown commented."Omg it's happening!!!" wrote Abigail Heringer Hannah, who accepted Dylan's marriage proposal on 's sixth season in June 2019, also posted a TikTok video titled "GOIN TO THE CHAPEL BABY!!!!!!"In the video, Hannah did a makeup tutorial while she opened up about her 2023 wedding."So how do I say this casually? We have a wedding date! Like, actually!" gushed the bubbly blonde model and social-media influencer."You would think that after being engaged for almost four years that I would give myself enough time to really plan it out and be particular, but, you know, it's happening in six months -- in August!"Hannah said she's been "doing research" for her big day on Pinterest and TikTok."I don't know if this will show up on BrideTok, but I'm a bride. First of all, how do you accept that you're a bride? It makes me feel old," Hannah joked."A part of me is kind of sad it's going to be in six months because that means it's all over, like, the whole wedding thing. And I want to enjoy it for longer, kind of, but I guess it has been four years, so whatever."Hannah then requested tips, advice and recommendations from her followers."[I'm interested in] photographers, florists, or things you wouldn't have done. Please let me know, because I am a little stressed," she admitted."We do have wedding planners, which is a big help, but as somebody who doesn't love making decisions a ton, this is going to be new for me. Besides for choosing the date or location, we haven't done anything."Hannah confirmed she hasn't even asked her bridesmaids to be in the wedding party, nor has she invited anyone yet."I haven't tried on dresses [either]. We haven't done anything," Hannah shared."I can also tell I'm probably not going to be a bridezilla. I just want to embrace and enjoy the day and feel relaxed. You know when you have a birthday and there's too much pressure on it and you don't enjoy it? That's my biggest fear."Hannah explained how she just wants to have fun at her wedding and focus on her union with Dylan.The video concluded with Hannah teasing how her content on TikTok going forward will mostly be "wedding related.""It's in six months and I have no choice but for everything in my life to be wedding, basically!" Hannah said."I've been a little stressed with everything that comes with having a wedding. It's way different than it used to be. What if someone thinks something I do is not cute or ugly? But you know what? Screw it!... It's real and I've got this!""So yeah, go wedding! Let's do it!" she exclaimed.Hannah revealed earlier this month that she and Dylan had been "sneakily" looking at wedding venues , but fans probably never expected their wedding plans to come together this quickly.For several years, Hannah and Dylan were in no rush to get married after their engagement.In fact, the pair revealed last year that they had decided to postpone their wedding in order to cut back on spending since they had just bought a new home together in San Diego, CA, in late 2021.Hannah and Dylan have also been traveling the world together in recent years, including a recent vacation to Paris, France.In February 2022, Hannah checked in with her followers to answer their burning questions, and one person chose to ask about her dream wedding dress."Part of me wants simple, but then I'm like... I can always wear a simple dress. You know? Maybe I go big, like Vogue. I don't really know," Hannah told the fan.Hannah and Dylan initially decided on an early 2020 wedding, but their planning got derailed due to the global outbreak of coronavirus -- and now more than three years have passed."[The date has been] pushed back a bit. We've been eyeing 2023 so we'll see how it goes," Hannah told Us Weekly in September 2021.Dylan said at the time he and Hannah hoped to wed in Spring 2023 because they don't want to exchange vows in the winter, and Hannah shared how they had already hired a wedding planner and anticipated tying the knot in California since the West Coast has captured their hearts."We're loving being engaged," Hannah gushed to the magazine in 2021. "We are excited to, like, start the next chapter whenever that is though. We are getting eager for it."But Hannah and the Vizer app co-founder were still looking for the perfect place to have their wedding."We've been kind of working on that a little bit. I think that, like, [the] vibe that we've been saying from the very beginning, we're still thinking of anything that feels outdoor, European-ish," Hannah disclosed."I don't know where that's going to be, but that's the vibe at least we're aiming towards."Hannah also previously confirmed she and Dylan don't want to get married on television for ABC cameras and viewers."For our wedding, we'd just want it to be personal, like, as close-knit as we possibly can. We want to just keep it personal and small," Hannah explained.Hannah said she believes the wedding will be "more enjoyable" the more intimate it is."And we won't have to be greeting people the whole time essentially," she added."It's going to be nice I think just to have everybody -- like for it to be a memory for everybody and not just like us. We want to really enjoy it."Hannah and Dylan also expressed how they didn't appreciate criticism about their delayed wedding or doubts about their future as a couple.Hannah told Us in 2021 how she and Dylan "love" being each other's rock and support system."We just are each other's No. 1 biggest fan and it's really cool. It's really cool," Hannah gushed.Prior to meeting on , Hannah competed for Colton Underwood 's heart on The Bachelor's 23rd season and Dylan appeared on The Bachelorette's fifteenth season.During 's sixth season, Dylan called Hannah the love of his life and said he had no doubts in his mind that she was his person.Dylan basically fell in love with Hannah during the first week of Paradise, but Hannah was a little terrified of investing her heart so quickly into a man following her breakup with Colton.Dylan, however, never gave up on their potential, even when Blake Horstmann was trying to charm Hannah and steal her away.After Hannah worked through "a few obstacles" inside of herself, she and Dylan got engaged on the beach in Mexico.During the reunion portion of 's sixth season, Dylan said popping the question to Hannah was "the best decision" he'd ever made."We talk all the time, like, 'How did this all work out for us?' But for some reason, it did. He's my person and I have a different kind of love for him that I knew existed, and that's really special," Hannah shared in Summer 2019.Hannah also revealed at the time they had met each other's families and she'd be moving from Birmingham, AL, to California in order to be closer to Dylan and his job.Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group Mike Yarish/FOX By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 02/02/2023 ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. judge Stephen "tWitch" Boss' memory is being honored by Gap in a new advertising campaign."IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR FRIEND STEPHEN 'tWitch' BOSS, 1982-2022," Gab writes in an ad of tWitch posing in menswear for Gap prior to his death in December 2022.In the photos, tWitch was modeling Gap's limited-edition collaboration with a Haitian-owned menswear line called The Brooklyn Circus.TWitch appeared to be dancing during the photo shoot as he sported cuffed jeans, black loafers, and a letterman jacket with the year 1969, when Gap was founded, on his chest.Some images also featured the former dancer and choreographer wearing a white Henley and a wide-brimmed hat."The Brooklyn Circus and Gap share in the heartbreaking loss of beloved icon Stephen 'tWitch' Boss, who was a longtime supporter of the Brooklyn Circus community, [founder] Ouigi Theodore's work and a core part of this campaign thanks to his personal friendship with Ouigi Theodore," read a press release obtained by Us Weekly on Monday.TWitch's late wife, former Dancing with the Stars pro and fellow alum Allison Holker , commended the brand and company for capturing tWitch's "true essence" in the campaign."When Stephen and I first saw his images from the campaign, it brought tears to our eyes," Allison said in the press release."He was so moved by how they captured his true essence, and he was excited for the world to see them. We pay tribute to Stephen's life by sharing these images in homage to the joy and light be brought to everyone around him."TWitch was found dead at age 40 on December 13 in a Los Angeles motel, the Oak Tree Inn in Encino, CA -- which was less than one mile from his house -- from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, tWitch died by suicide and there were "no signs of foul play," Us reported at the time.Gap and The Brooklyn Circus also revealed that, in honor of tWitch, they'll be donating to Vibrant Emotional Health and supporting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The organizations offer free counseling to people in crisis or emotional distress.TWitch is survived by Allison, their son Maddox, 6, and their daughters Weslie, 14, and Zaia, 3.Allison welcomed Weslie from a previous relationship, but tWitch adopted her as his daughter.Allison penned a sweet message to her late husband on Instagram earlier this month, writing, "To my husband, best friend, babe, Chee-chalker, Superman and father of my children I LOVE YOU FOREVER and ALWAYS!"Allison shared a slideshow of family photos, including pictures from Allison and tWitch's engagement and 2013 wedding."We will forever remember you as the true beacon of light that you were and we will continue to cast your light and love throughout the world," Allison continued in the caption. "Thank you for our incredible memories and our beautiful life shared together."When tWitch's tragic passing first made headlines, Allison confirmed his death in a statement without revealing any details."It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us," Allison said."Stephen lit up every room he stepped into. He valued family, friends and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him. He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans."She continued, "To say he left a legacy would be an understatement, and his positive impact will continue to be felt. I am certain there won't be a day that goes by that we won't honor his memory.""We ask for privacy during this difficult time for myself and especially for our three children. Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you," she concluded.Allison and tWitch had celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary just a few days before tWitch took his own life.Married by co-executive producer Jeff Thacker, Allison and tWitch exchanged vows at SYTYCD creator and former judge Nigel Lythgoe's vineyard and winery in Paso Robles, CA, in December 2013.Maddox was born in March 2016, and then Allison gave birth to Zaia in November 2019.TWitch had served as the DJ for The Ellen DeGeneres Show after rising to fame as a contestant Season 4 of in 2008, when he finished as the runner-up.Allison and tWitch were also All-Star dancers on Season 7 of in 2010, when the pair connected romantically.TWitch returned to as a member of its judging panel for Season 15, which aired on Fox in 2018, and then again for Season 17, which aired in Summer 2022.TWitch was also a semifinalist on MTV's The Wade Robson Project in 2003 as well as the runner-up on Star Search. Tulsa King and Rocky star Sylvester Stallone has signed on to star in a Paramount+ docu-series, along with his wife Jennifer Flavin Stallone and adult daughters Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet. ADVERTISEMENT The Family Stallone is set to premiere exclusively on the streaming service this spring in the United States and Canada. It will include eight episodes. "After playing some of the most legendary characters in cinematic history, three-time Academy Award-nominee Sylvester Stallone is ready to give cameras access to what he would consider the greatest role of his lifetime: dad," according to a press release. "This new series starring Stallone's three daughters, wife and himself offers a seat at the table of one of Hollywood's most famous families." Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Well known for chart-topping bands like R.E.M and the B-52s, Athens has a reputation for new wave and alternative rock music. But local hip-hop legend Ishues newest album, Legacy,'' demonstrates that the Athens music scene is just as diverse as the city itself. Unfortunately, UGAs reputation as a major SEC football school detracts from its other sports. After all, who would stop to consider other sports when UGA already has one so noteworthy? Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Plenty of sunshine. Near record high temperatures. High 89F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Some clouds. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable. You are the owner of this article. 'This is heartbreaking': Detective in Danby murder case still hopeful one year later Chinese Embassy in the UK said on Wednesday China firmly opposes and strongly condemns UK's wrongful remarks on so-called 2-year anniversary of "HK BNO scheme". The UK must stop interfering in HKSAR's affairs and China's internal affairs, said a spokesperson of the embassy. The following is a readout of the spokesperson's comments on the report: Question: The UK Home Office hyped up on social media the so-called 2-year anniversary of "HK BNO scheme" and claimed that the UK will continue to honour their "commitment to Hong Kongers". What is your comment? Embassy Spokesperson: Relevant remarks from the UK side grossly interfere in Hong Kong's affairs and China's internal affairs and trample on basic norms governing international relations. The Chinese side firmly opposes and strongly condemns this. Hong Kong has long returned to China, and Hong Kong's affairs are purely China's internal affairs. The core content of the Sino-British Joint Declaration is about China's resumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong. This document does not give the UK any responsibility over Hong Kong after the latter's return to the motherland. The UK side's insistence on using Hong Kong National Security Law as an excuse to fabricate and implement the so-called BNO scheme is in serious violation of Sino-British Joint Declaration and the agreement between the two sides in the relevant MOU. Facts have fully proven that by manipulating the BNO scheme, the UK side has no intention whatsoever to "protect the freedom of Hong Kong people", but every intention to discredit and stir up troubles in Hong Kong. Such outright political manipulation will never succeed. Hong Kong has entered a new stage in which it has restored order and is set to thrive. Hong Kong residents now enjoy peaceful life and Hong Kong's business environment has become more favorable. The democratic rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents guaranteed by law are fully protected. As Hong Kong ushers in brighter prospects for development, we have every confidence in its future. We strongly urge the UK side to wake up to the reality and the historical trend, abandon its colonial mindset, respect basic norms governing international relations, stop manipulating the BNO scheme, and stop interfering in Hong Kong's affairs and China's internal affairs. Chhim Sithar led NagaWorld employees in a strike for higher wages and better working conditions. Workers from the NagaWorld casino hold placards during a protest outside the National Assembly building in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Jan. 4, 2022, to demand the reinstatement of colleagues who were laid off in 2021. Cambodia lashed out at the United States for giving a human rights defender award to a union leader involved in a labor strike by casino workers demanding better wages and working conditions, saying the move honored a law-breaking person. The U.S. State Department on Wednesday recognized Chhim Sithar, the arrested head of a union representing employees at the NagaWorld Resort and Casino in the capital Phnom Penh, as one of 10 individuals deserving of the Global Human Rights Defender Award. The annual award aims to recognize leadership and courage while promoting and defending human rights and exposing rights abuses by governments and businesses. The move of the Department of State does not represent a genuine wish of the majority of the Cambodian people as it emboldens certain forces who readily exploit the situation for their hidden agenda, the Cambodian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued Thursday. Chhim Sithars arrest reflects Cambodian authorities intensifying crackdown on labor activists, human rights activists and political opponents under the autocratic rule of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power for 38 years. Police initially arrested Chhim Sithar in December 2021, charging her with inciting social chaos for leading a strike at the casino. The workers had demanded higher wages and the reinstatement of eight jailed union leaders and nearly 370 others they said were unjustly fired. Released on bail, Chhim Sithar was arrested again on Nov. 26, 2022, after returning to Cambodia from a labor conference in Australia, allegedly for violating bail conditions that apparently restricted her from leaving the country. Ros Sotha, executive director of the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, told Radio Free Asia that Chhim Sithar was recognized for her nonviolent activism, and that the government must respect human rights. If it fails to restore human rights, it will affect other government sectors and finally affect the governments reputation among the people and the international community, he said. NagaWorld union member Chan Sreyroth said she was pleased that Chhim Sithar received the award, and hoped that it might push the Cambodian government to resolve the labor dispute. Ou Tep Phallin, president of the Cambodian Food and Service Workers Federation, said the award was a recognition of Chhim Sithars bravery. The award is an encouragement for activists to know that if you are doing something correctly, the world will recognize you, she said. Translated by Samean Yun for RFA Khmer. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster. Kong Korm (C), once Cambodias deputy foreign affairs minister, has resigned as an advisor to the opposition Candlelight Party. A senior advisor to Cambodias opposition party resigned after authorities announced plans to pursue a lawsuit against him, alleging that comments he had made in January condemning the seizure of his property showed malicious intent to cause social unrest. The suit is the latest effort by the longtime Cambodian strongman and his Cambodian Peoples Party to target members of the Candlelight Party, which has emerged as the CPPs main opposition in the run-up to general elections scheduled for July. Kong Korm, 80, stepped down after the CPP filed a lawsuit against him for U.S. $500,000. Hun Sen had already demanded the return of the house and land Kong Korm was allowed to use when he was a CPP official in the 1980s and early 1990s. Though he claimed the property legally belonged to him, Kong Korm forfeited it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after Hun Sen ordered an investigation. As a member of the Candlelight Party, Kong Korm has attacked the CPP verbally, prompting a warning from Hun Sen that he would take legal action if the advisor continued his criticism. In a letter dated Jan. 31 and released publicly on Thursday, Kong Korm apologized to Hun Sen and the CPP for forcing the party to file a lawsuit against him, and said his association with the Candlelight Party had been a mistake. I accepted my mistakes and apologized to the CPP president who deemed my latest political activities caused harm to CPP leaders dignity and disturbed society harmony, wrote Kong Korm, who served as Cambodias foreign minister from 1986 to 1987. After reviewing the reasons and considerations on the new world order as well as the environment of regional geopolitics, especially Cambodias politics that is paying attention to the next generation, I, Kong Korm, have decided to end the duty and activities as the advisor of the Candlelight Party as of now, he said. Kong Korm and his family have moved out of the house, which together with the property has an appraised value of U.S. $13 million dollars. Candlelight Party spokesman Kimsour Phirith said the party respected Kong Korms decision, which the spokesman said was made for health reasons. RFA could not reach Kong Korm for comment on Thursday. CPP spokesman Chhim Phal Virun said no one pressured Kong Korm to resign and that Hun Sen and the CPP would not benefit from his departure. It is normal for people to have mutual forgiveness, he told RFA. Kong Korm has retired, and this is a personal decision. Cambodian political commentator Kim Sok suggested that Kong Korm might have been pressured to give up his role, though his departure would not hurt the Candlelight Partys popularity. Kong Korm decided to lose his house and land, so it is clear that his personal security is at risk, he said. Government authorities have been cracking down on Candlelight Party members ahead of the July 23 vote to elect members of the National Assembly. Hun Sen has repeatedly attacked his opponents in public forums. CPP authorities have also sued Candlelight members on what many observers see as politically motivated charges. The Cambodian Peoples Party holds all seats in Parliament. Hun Sen, who has been in power for nearly 38 years, will seek another five-year term in office in the upcoming election. Translated by Samean Yun for RFA Khmer. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Jim Snyder. China said the airship is for meteorological research and was mistakenly blown off course. UPDATED at 1:20 p.m. EST on 02/03/2023 The Pentagon said that a Chinese high-altitude balloon flying over the U.S. had the capability to conduct surveillance and was controllable, despite China's contention it is a weather-monitoring system that had simply been blown off course. The discovery of the airship this week prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a planned visit to China. "We know it's a surveillance balloon," Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder told reporters today. "We do know that the balloon has violated U.S. airspace and international law, which is unacceptable. And so we've conveyed this directly to the [China] at multiple levels." Canadian defense officials said they are also monitoring a potential second incident in Canada and their intelligence agencies are working with American partners to safeguard Canadas sensitive information from foreign intelligence threats. Blinken was expected to fly to China on Friday evening. But a senior State Department official said today that the trip is being postponed in response to the discovery of the balloon flying over Montana earlier this week. Ryder, who is an Air Force brigadier general, said that the balloon was traveling at an altitude of 60,000 feet, well above the flight patterns of commercial air traffic. He said the balloon is moving eastward and is now somewhere over the center of the continental U.S. The U.S. had considered shooting down the balloon but has chosen not to because it did not pose a physical or military risk to people on the ground, Ryder said. Earlier, U.S. officials had said that President Biden asked for military options but was advised not to shoot the balloon down over concerns that debris could cause casualties on the ground. "For now we're continuing to monitor and review options," Ryder said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference at the Waldorf Astoria in Jerusalem on Jan. 31, 2023. Ronaldo Schemidt/Pool via REUTERS China's response China's Foreign Ministry has acknowledged that the balloon is Chinese, but said it had "deviated far from its planned course" due to wind currents. "It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes," the ministry said. "The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure. The Chinese side will continue communicating with the U.S. side and properly handle this unexpected situation caused by force majeure." China said it is continuing to investigate. "Speculation and hype are not conducive to the solution of the problem until facts are clear, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Friday, urging both sides to handle the matter calmly and prudently." The balloon is believed to be the size of three buses. Ryder said it had a "payload" beneath it, which he likened to the basket underneath a blimp. He said it was expected to be over the United States for another couple of days. An Air Force police guard stands watch over a nuclear missile silo at Malmstrom Air Force Base in northern Montana, near the Canadian border, Aug. 22, 2005. Credit: Reuters/Adam Tanner Angry U.S. reaction The discovery of the balloon prompted the Billings airport to shut down on Wednesday and a number of Air Force assets including F-22 fighters were mobilized. Montana is home to Malmstrom Air Force Base, one of the most sensitive U.S. military installations, equipped with siloed nuclear weapons. According to the Defense Department, instances of this activity have been observed over the past several years, including prior to this administration. Some U.S. political figures reacted angrily to the news. Chinas brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed, and President Biden cannot be silent, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy wrote on Twitter. McCarthy, who is reportedly planning a visit to Taiwan in April, said he is requesting a Gang of Eight briefing, or a national security briefing for eight congressional leaders from the intelligence committees. Republican Senator Tom Cotton called on Blinken to cancel his trip to China before that decision was announced. The U.S.'s top diplomat had been expected to visit China on Feb. 5-6 and meet with China's president, Xi Jinping. The State Department official said the trip wasn't canceled, only postponed. The conditions are not right at this moment for Secretary Blinken to travel to China, an official said today. Relations between the two superpowers have grown more strained in recent years over security concerns, trade, the Taiwan issue and strategic competition. Gray zone tactic Chinese high-altitude balloons are not a rare phenomenon and have been detected many times in East Asia. They appeared four times in Taiwans airspace in February and March last year. A balloon with a cross-shaped object was spotted flying over the northeastern region of Japan in 2020. At that time, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said that it was closely monitoring the balloon. The balloon in the latest Montana incident was released probably not for the purpose of taking pictures because satellites can do that job, but to test U.S. air defense radar and collect various U.S. electronic intelligence, said Su Tzu-yun, a military expert from Taiwans Institute for National Defense and Strategy Research, a government think tank. The JY-400 tethered reconnaissance balloon at the 2018 Zhuhai Air Show in China. Credit: Taiwans Central News Agency Another military analyst said apart from surveillance, the incident is a political irritant now that civilians are aware of it. I guess we could call this another gray zone tactic, said Alexandre Neill, adjunct fellow at Hawaiis Pacific Forum think tank. Gray zone activities are generally not explicit acts of war but harmful to the security of a nation. China is sending them through Japanese, Canadian and U.S. airspace. Should these allied countries be tolerating Chinese surveillance balloons transiting national airspace? Neill asked. According to Su, the U.S. military may not want to shoot the balloon down for counter-intelligence reasons. By observing the movements of this balloon, as well as electronic communications of the datalink they can examine the real intention of the Peoples Liberation Army, said the Taiwanese military expert, describing it as the art of intelligence. In recent years, China has been developing new types of balloons and spacecraft. The Aviation Industry Corporation of China last year registered three special-configuration hot air balloons that the manufacturer said were designed for civilian use but can also be deployed for surveillance. For their part, U.S. companies have also been making high-altitude military-grade balloons for reconnaissance and communication purposes, especially in areas that lack satellite coverage. Experts say balloons are cheaper than satellites and have a longer cruising time in the air. They can move slowly and observe specific areas for a long period. Updates story to include comments from Pentagon briefing. In this July 8, 2022 photo, President Joe Biden, left, talks with Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns, right, as he is introduced to speak at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to be able invade Taiwan within the next four years, CIA director William Burns said Thursday. Speaking at Georgetown University, Burns said U.S. authorities knew as a matter of intelligence that Xi had ordered his countrys military to be ready to invade the democratic island by 2027. Now, that does not mean that he's decided to conduct an invasion in 2027, or any other year, but it's a reminder of the seriousness of his focus and his ambition, the CIA director said. I wouldn't underestimate President Xi's ambitions with regard to Taiwan. In this Dec. 17, 2019 photo provided by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese honor guard raise the Chinese flag during the commissioning ceremony of China's Shandong aircraft carrier at a naval port in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province. (Li Gang/Xinhua via AP) The estimate is in line with that offered by the now-retired commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Philip Davidson, who told the Senate in 2021 that he saw a threat in the next six years, a statement he reiterated to a Japanese newspaper last month Its also the latest in an increasingly long line of estimates from American officials about when China might launch an invasion. U.S. Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan last week became the latest senior military official to offer his own estimate, writing in a leaked memo: My gut tells me we will fight in 2025. The estimate was shared by Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas and chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, who said I think hes right. Burns, though, also noted that Xi was likely surprised and unsettled by the drawn-out aftermath of Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine, and would be trying to draw lessons from Moscows failures before launching any invasions of his own. 'The soldiers were so thin from not being able to eat ... that the shaved heads made them look like prisoners.' In permission supposedly granted from Kim Jong Un himself, North Korean soldiers are now allowed to grow out their hair to a length of three centimeters so that they no longer look like convicts whose heads are shaved, sources in the country told Radio Free Asia. Previously, men who served in North Koreas 1.3 million-strong military seven years is mandatory for all able-bodied men were required to keep their hair length under 1 millimeter. While in more plentiful times, the well-fed soldiers were easily distinguishable from malnourished prisoners, that doesnt seem to be the case anymore, reflecting poorly on the militarys image. According to the propaganda, supreme leader Kim Jong Un felt sorry for the men and so relaxed the haircut standards, a military official in the northwestern province of North Pyongan told RFAs Korean Service on condition of anonymity to speak freely. The permission to grow their hair up to three centimeters comes from the supreme commanders thoughtful consideration for the units, at least in propaganda, the source said. The measure was reluctantly taken because the soldiers were so thin from not being able to eat properly that the shaved heads made them look like prisoners, he said. The change is being used to promote the greatness of the commander-in-chief. In preparation for the new regulations, the military began training some soldiers as barbers in January, the source said. Each company has been assigned a new recruit to this role. Before, soldiers shaved each others heads with clippers. Soldiers complaints But another source in Ryanggang province, near the Chinese border, who confirmed the development said it also was prompted by complaints from the soldiers themselves. The military has been saying that the supreme commander took the matter under special consideration, but the authorities were forced to make this move because so many soldiers had been griping that they were indistinguishable from prisoners because of their shaved heads, the second source said. In a file photo, North Korean youths enlisting in the People's Army board the enlistment train. Credit: Yonhap News The haircut policy had been one of many reasons that high school students try to avoid military service, according to the second source. Those who attend university can be given deferrals and those deemed medically unfit can get exemptions. He was doubtful that the haircut change would do much to improve the militarys image. Even if the authorities allow soldiers to grow their hair up to 30 millimeters, will it change the perception of the military? the second source asked. You have to spend seven years suffering from hunger and hard work. Who would want to sign up? Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee and Leejin J. Chung. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster. As so-called 'stormtroopers' they will provide labor for mining, construction work, and other government projects. North Korean soldiers scoop up coal on the river bank of the North Korean town of Sinuiju, across from Dandong, China. North Korea is ordering young men and women not presently in the military, including those granted exemptions or deferrals from mandatory service, to serve for three years as stormtroopers a glorified name for military manual laborers, sources in the country told Radio Free Asia. After completing high school, every able-bodied man must serve seven years in the 1.3-million-strong military, and every woman five. College-bound men and women can get deferrals until after they graduate, and people deemed unfit for service due to disease or disability are given exemptions. But lately, theres been a manpower shortage to complete ambitious construction projects in the capital Pyongyang, harvest the coal mines or maintain rural roads. So authorities ordered everyone currently not enlisted between 19 and 30 to be a stormtrooper for the next three years. Among those to be affected by the order are young men and women who went straight to factories out of high school, a resident of the northeastern province of North Hamgyong told RFAs Korean Service on condition of anonymity for security reasons. Like prison camp Young people say that the experience is like laboring in a prison camp, the source said. Life as a stormtrooper is the most difficult, as they suffer doing hard labor under strict discipline, the source said. The youth are more reluctant to join the stormtroopers than any other position in the military [they] fear this stormtrooper compulsory service system because it applies to everyone, regardless of if theyve been previously excluded or exempted from the service. In some cases, former soldiers who completed their mandatory service will be made to do a three-year stint as a stormtrooper, the source said. Those who have completed their military service but have not yet joined the Workers Party must complete three additional years of service as a stormtrooper to be eligible to join the party, said the source. Membership perks Membership in the ruling Korean Workers Party has many benefits including preference for jobs, better food rations and more housing options. It used to be almost automatic for every man who completed his mandatory service time, which used to be 10 years. RFAs Korean Service estimates that about 25% of the North Korean population are members, but according to a March 2021 RFA report, supreme leader Kim Jong Un ordered changes in new member policy, awarding fewer memberships each year and decreasing the proportion of new memberships coming from the military from 90% to 70%, angering many of the soldiers nearing the end of their service time. Now many of the former soldiers are griping again. Even though they finished their seven years, they must do an additional three as stormtroopers because they were not selected as party members. Parents think it is absurd that their military exempt or deferred sons and daughters have to join the stormtroopers, a resident in the northwestern province of North Pyongan told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely. The stormtrooper enlistment order does not apply to married women, the second source said. More and more parents are rushing to get their young daughters married so they can avoid stormtrooper duty. Another way to get out of duty is by bribing the local officials in charge of staffing the groups of stormtroopers, according to the second source. The officials will take them off the stormtrooper selection list in exchange for a bribe of 300,000 won [U.S.$37.50] per month, the second source said. Young people with a lot of money can still drop off the roster or delay their selection but the children of ordinary folks who have no money or power have no choice but to suffer doing hard labor. Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee and Leejin J. Chung. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster. The remains of homes burned by junta troops in Ye-U township, Sagaing region on Jan. 16, 2023. A series of brutal arson attacks across Myanmar destroyed 4,807 homes and burned 23 people to death, according to the shadow National Unity Government. Its Ministry of Interior and Immigration and Fire Brigade Department said Wednesday there were 138 arson attacks by junta troops across the country in January. Sagaing region was hardest hit with 4,271 houses burned, killing 17 locals. Arson attacks also destroyed 10 religious buildings and a school, the statement said. In Magway region, 357 houses and one religious building were destroyed. More than 50 homes were destroyed in Kayin state and Mandalay and over 30 in Tanintharyi region. Arson attacks in Mon, Rakhine and Chin states were in single figures but six locals were burned to death in Chin. The figures were compiled from reports by organizations in the field and releases from civil society groups, the statement said. A woman from Sagaing regions Khin-U township said troops burned homes even though there was no resistance from villagers and no pro-democracy militias in the area. The brutality of the junta army is beyond words, said the woman who refused to be named for safety reasons. They entered the village without fighting. They torched the houses until they were satisfied and left the village. I cant understand why they are so cruel to the people. Residents said the most brutal troops are from Infantry Battalions 361, 368 and 369, blaming them for a series of human rights abuses in Sagaing region. The junta claims the arson attacks were carried out by Peoples Defense Forces. A statement on Jan. 24 said 1,122 houses in 22 villages in Sagaing regions and Kachin state to the northeast were destroyed in 23 attacks by National Unity Government Peoples Defense Force troops in the final two months of 2022. Nearly 800,000 Sagaing residents have been left homeless by attacks in the past two years 15% of its population, according to the independent Institute for Strategy and Policy (Myanmar). It said last month, more than 43,000 buildings were burned down since the military seized power from the democratically elected National Unity Government in a February 2021 coup. Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn. The women died mostly from small arms fire, artillery blasts and torture. Women hold a portrait of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, during an anti-coup demonstration in Mandalay, Myanmar, Friday, March 5, 2021. By the time they heard the soldiers enter their village, it was too late to flee. The three women Nyo Kyin, 50, Aye Aye Win, 40, and her 13-year-old daughter Moe Yi hid in the outhouse behind their home, hoping they wouldnt be found, a resident of the village in Myanmars northern Sagaing region said about the July 22 attack. But a junta soldier found them and shot them in the head, said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing fear of reprisal. Their bodies were found near the toilet. The troops then set fire to nearly 100 houses, or around one-third of the dwellings in the 1,000-person village, before pressing on with their scorched earth offensive elsewhere in the embattled northern region. The women are just three of at least 363 women killed by the junta in the two years since the military seized power in a Feb. 1, 2021, coup, according to Thailands Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma). The individuals, ranging in age from 1 month to more than 60, died from small arms fire, heavy artillery blasts, torture during interrogation and after being taken hostage by military troops, the group said in a report published Wednesday. Some were raped, some were hit by artillery, others died when the military shot at peaceful civil protests, said an official with group who also declined to be named. Some women died in prison. They were arrested, detained and killed. Others were killed by the juntas shelling. The findings were based on reports by family members of victims, as well as from people who witnessed the crimes, the official said, although he added that the actual number of women killed is likely even higher. Women targeted on a daily basis In Sagaing and Magwe regions, where fighting between the military and anti-junta Peoples Defense Force paramilitary groups continues, residents say regime soldiers raiding villages sexually assault women and arrest those who cannot escape on a daily basis. In another terrifying attack on Dec. 28, junta troops raided Ah Lel Sho village in Sagaings Khin-U township, killing nine civilians, including a 45-year-old woman named Htay Win and a 48-year-old woman named Chaw Po. A person close to Win Htay's family, who refused to be named for security reasons, told RFA that the soldiers tied Win Htay and Chaw Pos hands behind their backs and shot each of them in the head in the middle of the village. Htay Win and Chaw Po chose the wrong direction to run that day The troops raided out of the blue and we had to flee frantically, the source said. I saw them arrested ... But instead of releasing them after interrogation, the soldiers killed them brutally. I feel really disgusted by their cruelty. However, not even those who manage to flee the fighting and village raids are safe, sources told RFA. On Jan. 16, heavy artillery fired by a military unit based in Shan states Pekon township hit a refugee camp in nearby Mobye townships Kaung Saung village, killing a 33-year-old refugee named Elizabeth, her uncle told RFA. The uncle, who gave his name as Mr. Yaw, said the soldiers had been firing artillery aimlessly and werent even involved in a battle at the time of Elizabeths death. There were some huts built for refugees of conflict on higher ground, above the village monastery, he said. The shell hit her hut directly and she died on the spot. Mr. Yaw said residents of refugee camps are at particularly high risk from military ground patrols and heavy artillery strikes. Finding justice for women victims Women's rights activists told RFA that military village patrols regularly target women and children because they are more vulnerable and called for the junta to be tried for its crimes at an international court. So far, the military has enjoyed near total immunity from punishment, said Nang Moh Moh, co-secretary of the Womens League of Burma. The people of Myanmar and the international community must hold the terrorist junta responsible for these crimes so that the women who they have victimized can receive justice. Attempts by RFA to reach junta Deputy Information Minister Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment on AAPPs findings went unanswered Thursday. However, on Aug. 17, 2022, junta chief Sr, Gen. Min Aung Hlaing told the U. N. Secretary Generals Special Envoy to Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer that reports of troops killing civilians and burning their homes were untrue. According to the AAPP, authorities in Myanmar have killed at least 2,948 civilians and arrested 17,604 others since the coup, mostly during peaceful anti-junta protests. Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster. Welcome back to The Azadi Briefing, a new RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here. I'm Mustafa Sarwar, a senior news editor at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead. The Key Issue The Taliban warned private universities in Afghanistan on January 28 that female students were banned from taking university entrance exams scheduled for later this month. In a letter, the Taliban said any university that disobeyed the order would face legal action. Around 140 private universities operate in Afghanistan. Of the 200,000 students enrolled in them, up to 70,000 are women. The Talibans letter came after it barred women from attending private and public universities in December, in a move that triggered widespread condemnation. Days later, the militants also banned Afghan women from working for local and foreign NGOs. The United Nations and representatives from Western nations have held talks with Taliban officials to convince them to reverse their mounting restrictions on women. Why It's Important: It appears those diplomatic efforts have failed, with the Taliban doubling down on its ban. In the wake of the Talibans refusal to budge from its repressive policies, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Washington will impose additional visa restrictions on Taliban officials who are responsible for, or complicit in, repressing women and girls in Afghanistan. Scores of Afghan female students and women's rights advocates have expressed dismay at the Taliban reinforcing its university ban. "This conveys destructive messages to society and the women and girls who were denied the right to education and work, Sonika, a women's rights activist in Kabul, told Radio Azadi. A dark future awaits the women of Afghanistan." What's Next: It appears unlikely that the Taliban will overturn its recent restrictions on womens rights, despite a local and international outcry. The militants are more likely to continue enforcing more repressive measures against women. The Talibans war on womens rights is likely to further isolate its government, which remains unrecognized by any country in the world. The Week's Best Stories Hundreds of Afghan military officers were sent to India for military training in 2021. But after the Taliban toppled the Western-backed Afghan government, many have remained stranded in India, where they are on temporary visas and ineligible to work or receive government help. Officers who spoke to Radio Azadi said they fear returning to their homeland even as they live in dire conditions in India. A group of young Afghan women have arrived in Central Asia to study at local universities on European Union-funded scholarships. It is part of a project launched in 2019 to bring hundreds of Afghan women to study abroad and return to their home country as skilled specialists. But with the hard-line Taliban in power, the project and the students' futures are unclear. What To Keep An Eye On Iran has announced that it will build a trade center in Afghanistan as it looks to expand trade and business ties with the Taliban. Irans Deputy Minister for Industry, Mining, and Trade Seyyed Mohammad Musavi was quoted on January 31 by the Mehr news agency as saying that Tehran intends to invest in Afghanistan and assist its neighbor in the fields of technology and construction. Why It's Important: Irans Shia clerical regime and Afghanistans Sunni Taliban rulers were once sworn enemies but have become allies. Differences remain between the sides. Tehran has yet to recognize the Taliban regime and deadly clashes have erupted between Taliban fighters and Iranian security forces along the countries' 900-kilometer border. But there has also been growing economic and political cooperation between the sides, which have both been hit by U.S. sanctions. The announcement of an Iranian trade center in Afghanistan is the latest sign of deepening ties. Iran is one of the few countries that has maintained its embassy in Kabul. Tehran is also wary of the presence of Islamic State-Khorasan militants in Afghanistan, who have targeted the Taliban and the countrys Shia minority. That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. Until next time, Mustafa Sarwar If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday. 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. Even this long after his death at the hands of Ottoman police in 1903, Balkan revolutionary Gotse Delchev can't find peace. Last century, the tug-of-war over Delchev's place in shared history and tightly interwoven national narratives led to his burial, exhumation, and reburial in Greece, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia. Now, Macedonians and Bulgarians are braced for possible provocations around a joint ceremony to mark the 151st anniversary of Delchev's birth outside his current resting place, a sarcophagus in the courtyard of the Church of the Ascension of Jesus in North Macedonia's capital of Skopje. A similar event last year drew increased security measures but passed without incident. But a reemergence of Bulgarian-Macedonian tensions, including a violent attack on a Macedonian citizen who identifies as Bulgarian two weeks ago, sparked a brief diplomatic breakdown last week and cast a long shadow over their mutual border while fueling Macedonians' fears that crucial national goals remain hostage to the whims of their EU neighbor. With the two countries bitterly divided over elements of their common history and culture, why are tensions dramatically increasing now and what can be done to address the long-standing issues that have precluded good relations? Bulgarian Elections The most obvious impetus might lie in Bulgaria's failure to elect stable leadership. The snap elections due there on April 2 are its fifth in just two years, highlighting an obstacle to progress in any negotiations with Sofia: inconsistency. Amid threats from Sofia after the vicious beating in Ohrid last month of Hristijan Pendikov, Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani called the Bulgarian elections an "aggravating circumstance." Ruslan Stefanov, director of the economic program at the Center for the Study of Democracy in Sofia, also fears things will get worse before they get better. "It's politically exploited on both sides of the border," Stefanov said. There are now more extremist parties in the Bulgarian parliament, he said, but a new left-wing nationalist grouping in North Macedonia presents a similar problem. "There are not that many issues that can make a party stand out, win votes. I think parties see this [historical debate] as a vote winner because it's emotional, it appeals to the historical myths of the two nations," Stefanov said. "You know how it goes with myths: Even if they're very similar, they tend to clash." Weaponizing History With 'Culture Clubs' Delchev has been at the center of some of those contested "myths," although the distinctions might be lost on many outsiders. What's most important is that Bulgarians and Macedonians regard him as a hero for battling Ottoman rule around the turn of the century but disagree over his national identity and the ultimate aims of his secret society at the time, the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO), which in Skopje is referred to as the Macedonian Revolutionary Organization. A joint Bulgarian-Macedonian commission on historical and educational affairs was even formed to seek consensus on how to honor Delchev and a handful of other figures, as well as how to teach about them. But the recommendations have not been implemented. Stefanov noted that differing interpretations were taught under the previous education systems in Soviet-satellite Bulgaria and communist Yugoslavia. For most Bulgarians and Macedonians, he said, "by the seventh grade, you're there, you're stuck with it." "And then, all of a sudden [after the collapses of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia], somebody comes in and tells you, 'Well, this is not exactly what you should say.'" To make matters worse, both countries have stoked these age-old tensions over historical figures with the openings of "cultural clubs." In April 2022, with then-Prime Minister Kiril Petkov and a vice president in attendance, Bulgarians opened a cultural club in the North Macedonia town of Bitola. The club was named after Ivan (Vancho) Mihailov, a figure who lived for most of the 20th century and who as the IMRO's last leader espoused Bulgarian nationalism and thus dealt a blow to Macedonian identity. In October 2022, a similar club drew protests when it opened in Ohrid under the name "Tsar Boris III," a Bulgarian emperor when that country was part of the Nazi-fascist Axis in World War II. Both clubs were the target of protests and other incidents, including the Mihailov center being set on fire at one point. "I didn't hear a single Bulgarian politician say, 'Hey, maybe it's not that wise to name these clubs in exactly the way they did, or their benefactors did,'" Stefanov said. "Or, 'Well, they could have named it thousands of other ways that wouldn't have incited any hurt feelings, but no, they want to name them in exactly this way.'" The Macedonian parliament subsequently passed legislation requiring Justice Ministry approval for organizations named after historical figures. And in early November 2022, a previously registered group opened a Macedonian culture club in the Bulgarian city of Blagoevrgrad named after Nikola Vaptsarov, a 20th century poet and resister against Tsar Boris's leadership whom the organizers declared to be Macedonian. Bulgarian authorities quickly moved to ban the group that founded the club. A 'Vicious Circle' Zoran Nechev, a senior researcher in the EU department at the Institute for Democracy in Skopje, called it a "vicious circle." "It's intended to be a provocation, that's the whole point," Nechev said. "It's not about opening a 'Bulgarian cultural club' as such -- no one objects to that but just the way they are named." It was the secretary of the Tsar Boris club, Pendikov, who was so brutally beaten on January 19, following two previous attacks, that prompted Sofia to demand that North Macedonia's EU accession negotiations be conditioned on the prosecution of hate crimes against Bulgarians. After the Pendikov attack and his transport on a Bulgarian government plane to a Sofia hospital, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Milkov alleged an "atmosphere of impunity." He announced what turned out to be a brief withdrawal of Bulgaria's ambassador and further suggested that Sofia would "review several components and elements of our bilateral cooperation." His Macedonian counterpart Osmani was quick to counter that "the entire nation can't be blamed for the actions of a few individuals," and said a suspect had already been apprehended and an investigation was ongoing. He pledged "zero tolerance" for such violence, especially as a response to interethnic problems. But the damage was done. Macedonian Elections North Macedonia's elected leaders face their own reckoning, too, with a deadline looming to amend their constitution to avoid botching EU membership talks. It's a result of the so-called French proposal from July 2022 that persuaded Bulgaria to drop -- or merely suspend, in the eyes of critics of the deal -- its veto of the Macedonian framework for EU negotiations in exchange for concessions including a pledge to add "Bulgarians" to the preamble of the Macedonian Constitution as a constitutive people. Both sides also agreed in a related protocol to establish a mechanism for lowering tensions and monitoring for possible hate crimes. The deal sparked street protests and dramatic confrontations with angry Macedonian nationalists, and prompted opposition demands that Bulgaria do the same and officially recognize the Macedonian minority in that country. North Macedonia conditionally opened its screening process with the European Union two days after Skopje signed the bilateral protocol at the center of the Paris-brokered agreement, but it still has not amended the constitution. Managing to finagle its passage could cost any government in Skopje its mandate and force snap elections. Nechev's institute opposed the French deal at the time because it thought the amendment obligation would mean North Macedonia "would become a target for winning political points in Bulgaria, based on nationalism, using the EU context," he told RFE/RL. He argued those "red flags" augured Sofia's more recent threats. "Diplomatically, politically, economically -- however you want to put it -- we're the weaker side in the context of joining the EU and the Bulgarians are inside the European Union," Nechev said of Macedonians' dilemma. "They can exploit the situation as much as they want." He also noted another aspect of the pledge. "The pressure is on our side now, regardless of whoever is in power or comes to power," Nechev said. "Now, if we want to one day become a member of the EU or progress in the [accession] process, we have to change the constitution. It has to be done." Neglected Corners Of Bygone Blocs Both Nechev's and Stefanov's think tanks have argued recently that Bulgaria and North Macedonia have more pressing problems than the thorny debates over national heroes. "As with many things in the Balkans, you can talk about history endlessly," said Nechev. "But still it takes like five hours and the road is not good if you go from Skopje to Sofia. That's the reality; those are the practical things." While they've come a long way from their Eastern Bloc and Yugoslav days, they say that both "face outstanding governance challenges" and desperately need further investment to upgrade their economies. "Essentially, these two countries were the furthermost corners of the [respective] blocs, and so our border was probably the most dilapidated thing after the Berlin Wall, and it still looks that way," Stefanov said. "So we think it's time -- after the French proposal -- for our politicians to focus on delivering development to people on both sides of the border." In a recent report on "promoting constructive capital" in both countries, the Center for the Study of Democracy in Sofia and the Institute for Democracy in Skopje agreed that "the EU and NATO frameworks provide ample resources" to prioritize a joint agenda for investment and economic growth. They further argued for finalizing rail and road connections, interconnecting gas and electricity grids, and fostering joint public-private partnerships. Stefanov said he was especially "saddened" to see the Bulgarian government intimating in connection with the Pendikov attack that joint projects might be suspended. The Role Of Russia Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski emerged from a meeting of the country's Security Council on January 23 alleging that elements or institutions in Bulgaria linked to Russian intelligence were leading a campaign against his country. Pendarovski said that, ahead of the Delchev anniversary, he'd proposed a ban on entry by a Bulgarian member of the European Parliament, along with others planning to arrive in Skopje for the event. The controversial MEP, Angel Dzhambazki, fired back on social media with what was widely regarded as a veiled threat against Pendarovski by referencing a Yugoslav king's assassination by an IMRO revolutionary in 1934. The Macedonian president's proposed ban was later rejected. Russia is widely seen as benefiting from European instability, particularly since its invasion of Ukraine, but it was unclear what specific ties Pendarovski was alleging. Nechev cited previously documented efforts by Moscow to foul Balkan relations and said some Bulgarian political elites have been conducive to Russian interests in the region, including on the question of Macedonia's EU bid. Stefanov suggested neither Bulgarian nor Macedonian intelligence agencies had been subject to dramatic reform or lustration since the Soviet and Yugoslav eras. But more broadly, he said, "Very specifically, clearly, both in Bulgaria and North Macedonia, Russia is working to push all these buttons, and it does." He mentioned the intense activities of Russia's embassies in both countries, as well as Putin's pointed comment in 2017 that the Cyrillic script and Slavic literacy "came from Macedonia," a comment aimed squarely at Bulgarians' pride. "So I would say that one should be a fool to think that the Russians will not be using this, because it's such low-hanging fruit," Stefanov said. Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. To subscribe, click here. www.rferl.org/a/31793259.html I'm RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here's what I've been following during the past week and what I'm watching for in the days ahead. The Big Issue Iran appears to be making headway toward renewing official ties with Saudi Arabia and Persian Gulf states that in some cases have been publicly avoiding Tehran for decades. The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia held talks in Beijing on April 6 in a significant step toward restoring diplomatic relations, which were cut in 2016 after protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following Riyadhs execution of prominent Saudi Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Iran also accepted an invitation from Saudi King Salman for President Ebrahim Raisi to visit Riyadh, while Tehran said it will send a similar invitation to the Saudi king. Meanwhile, a Saudi delegation traveled to Iran on April 9 to discuss the reopening of the embassy in Tehran and a consulate in Mashhad. The trip came as Iranian media reported on April 8 that a street sign near the Saudi consulate in Mashhad provocatively named after Sheikh al-Nimr had been quietly removed. An Iranian delegation also arrived in Saudi Arabia on April 12 to pave the way for the reopening of Iranian diplomatic missions there. Iran is meanwhile taking steps to improve ties with other countries in the region, naming an ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and working to decrease tensions with Egypt and Bahrain. Why It Matters: Iran and Saudi Arabia appear to be pursuing implementation of last months Chinese-brokered agreement, possibly clearing the way for Tehran to de-escalate tensions with other countries that followed Riyadhs lead on a rupture seven years ago. What's Next: Tehran and Riyadh could move surprisingly swiftly toward normalization, but its no sure thing. Abdolrasool Divsallar, a visiting professor at the Catholic University of Milan (UCSC), told me that the political environment between the two regional rivals could encourage the start of military and security talks within months. But Divsallar also warned that opponents at home and abroad could still undermine the agreement. Hard-liners in Iran may act as a spoiler rather than as a supporter of the deal, he said, adding that Israel could do the same. The regional tensions between Israel and Iran, on one side, andbetween Iran, Saudi [Arabia] and the United States, on the other side, are two dynamics that make this process very fragile, he said. Divsallar also suggested that any normalization between Iran and countries with less appetite for a quick restoration of ties, for instance Bahrain, could take longer. They feel more secure under the current status quo rather than immediately normalizing their ties with the Islamic republic and losing their leverage, he said, adding, They may wait to see a major change of policies. Stories You Might Have Missed Irans civil aviation sector has for years been under Western sanctions that prevent it from purchasing new aircraft or spare parts for repairs. Now, Russia's oldest airline, Aeroflot, has sent one of its passenger planes to Iran for repairs for the first time ever. Aeroflot reportedly ran into obstacles at home stemming from Western sanctions over Russias ongoing, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The RBK media group cited an Aeroflot representative and sources close to the company on April 11 as saying that an Airbus A330-300 had been sent to Tehran on April 5 to be repaired by specialists from Iran's Mahan Air. Iranian pensioners staged protests in more than a dozen cities across Iran, demanding higher pensions amid soaring prices. Protests were reported on April 9 in Tehran, Ahvaz, Mashhad, Isfahan, Arak, Qom, Shush, Tabriz, and several other cities where retirees complained of poor living conditions and chanted anti-government slogans. Labor protests in Iran have swelled as the economy deteriorates following years of mismanagement compounded by crippling U.S. sanctions. What We're Watching Prominent Iranian female religious scholar Sedigheh Vasmaghi has challenged Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the Islamic republics mandatory hijab law. In a letter published online, Vasmaghi asked about the reasoning behind Irans strict model for womens dress and said the Koran does not specify the need for women to cover their hair in public. There is no evidence to show that during the time of the Prophet Muhammad women were harassed and punished for not covering their hair or even their bodies, Vasmaghi, who has published several books on Islamic jurisprudence, wrote. Why It Matters: Vasmaghis letter is significant for its timing -- just days after Khamenei asserted that the removal of the hijab in public was religiously banned. But it is also important because it comes from a religious woman who wears the veil while opposing the mandatory hijab, which is seemingly being defied by a growing number of women. That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. Until next time, Golnaz Esfandiari If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Wednesday. Tetyana Honcharova never thought she'd survive the Russian assault on Kamyanka. She says the invading army looted and burned its way through the village located in the eastern Kharkiv region. Honcharova says at one point she witnessed Russian armor running over a car with someone inside but didn't know if the driver was already dead. The March battle marked part of Russia's failed efforts nearly a year ago to move in quickly and take Kyiv. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned a warning by Kyrgyz authorities that threatens to block the websites of investigative journalist outlet Kloop if it does not take down an article over the controversy surrounding the cost of reconstructing public facilities destroyed in border clashes with Tajikistan last year. "Kyrgyzstan authorities' attempt to censor Kloop, one of the country's most respected news outlets, once again shows the absurdity and arbitrariness of its false information law, which should never have been enacted," said Gulnoza Said, the CPJ's Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. While Kyrgyzstan is known for having a vibrant and pluralistic media environment compared to its Central Asian neighbors, human rights groups have warned that the climate for free expression has deteriorated since President Sadyr Japarov first came to power in October 2020, especially with the approval of the Law on Protection from False Information, adopted in August 2021. In late October, Kyrgyz authorities blocked the local-language websites of RFE/RL, known as Radio Azattyk, after it refused to take down a video about deadly clashes along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border. In the case of Kloop, the Ministry Of Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policies objected to part of a January 20 report regarding allegations that the state Community Development and Investment Agency (ARIS) had inflated its construction costs. On January 25, Kloop reported that ARIS denied the allegations, but the ministry sent a letter dated February 1 that demanded Kloop "immediately" remove or amend the January 25 article, as ARIS objected to the summary of its denial, the article's headline, and the mention of a government official who accused the agency of inflating its costs. Failure to obey the demand would result in Kloop's websites being blocked for at least two months under the false-information law. Kloop has denied the article contains any false information and has refused to take it down. "Authorities should withdraw their threat to block Kloop's website, repeal the false information law, and cease their escalating repression of the independent press," the CPJ's Said added. In the case of RFE/RL, the video in question was produced by Current Time, a Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with Voice of America. Kyrgyz officials have claimed that the authors of the video "predominantly" took the position of the Tajik side. In response, RFE/RL President and Chief Executive Officer Jamie Fly said that the broadcaster "takes our commitment to balanced reporting seriously" and that after a review of the content in question, "no violation of our standards" was found. Days after the blocking of the RFE/RL local websites, the government froze Radio Azattyk's bank account in Bishkek. Kyrgyz authorities have also suspended the accreditation of 11 RFE/RL correspondents at parliament. RFE/RL has said it is "will pursue all available legal means to preserve our operations in the country." Dozens of media organizations, domestic and international rights groups, Kyrgyz politicians, and lawmakers have urged the government to unblock Radio Azattyk's websites. ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Opposition activist Madina Koketaeva, who unsuccessfully took part in March 19 parliamentary elections, has been detained in Kazakhstans largest city, Almaty, amid an ongoing crackdown over dissent following the balloting. A friend of Koketaeva, Zhibek Amenova, told RFE/RL that police detained the activist on April 14. "She received a subpoena ordering her to come to police for questioning at 5 p.m. today, but police detained her early in the morning," Amenova said, adding that Koketaeva's detention was linked to her participation in an unsanctioned rally on April 9 challenging the official results of parliamentary elections. Since the vote, several activists and participants in the balloting have been detained as the government clamps down on shows of opposition to an election easily won by the main ruling party. On April 13, noted opposition activist Rysbek Sarsenbaiuly was arrested and hours later ordered to pay a 120,000 tenge ($265) fine for taking part in the same rallies. A day before that, courts in Almaty sentenced opposition politician Mukhtar Taizhan and activist Alnur Iliyashev to 15 days in jail each on similar charges. That came after a court in the northwestern city of Oral sentenced journalist Luqpan Akhmedyarov to 15 days in prison over his participation in April 9 rallies protesting the results of the parliamentary elections. Koketaeva, Akhmedyarov, and Taizhan unsuccessfully participated in the March 19 balloting as independent candidates. The ruling Amanat party won a majority of seats in the elections, which many independent candidates and opposition activists called rigged, citing the improper counting of ballots and government pressure on public employees to vote for certain parties. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which had an observer mission present at the elections, noted after the vote that "limits on the exercise of constitutionally guaranteed fundamental freedoms remain and some political groups continue to be prevented from participating as political parties in elections." While the voting "was organized in a smooth manner overall," the OSCE said "significant procedural irregularities were observed." The European Union, marking the second anniversary of the "politically motivated" sentencing of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, says it is "deeply disturbed" over reports of his treatment behind bars. The 46-year-old Kremlin critic was handed a 2 1/2-year prison sentence for violating the terms of an earlier parole when he was medically evacuated in a coma after suffering a near-fatal poisoning in August 2020 that he blames on Russian security operatives acting at President Vladimir Putin's behest. The original conviction is widely regarded as a trumped-up, politically motivated case. In March 2022, Navalny was handed a separate nine-year prison term on charges of contempt and embezzlement through fraud that he and his supporters have repeatedly rejected as politically motivated. "The verdict came after A. Navalny's arbitrary arrest and imprisonment upon his return to Russia after receiving life-saving medical care in Berlin. He needed it after an attempted murder in Russia in August 2020 using a chemical-warfare nerve agent prohibited by the Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Russia is a state party," the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said in a statement to mark the second anniversary of the sentencing on February 2. Concern has been growing in recent months over Navalny's health and his treatment in prison. Navalny, who has been a persistent thorn in Putin's side by exposing corruption and organizing pro-democracy protests, said on social media on February 1 that he was being placed in a solitary confinement cell for six months. That comes on top of spending more than 100 days in solitary in the past six months for what he and his supporters say are dubious reasons. "The main torment of imprisonment is, of course, the inability to see the faces of your family, to talk to your loved ones. I haven't had any visits for 8 months and yesterday I was told that I'd be transferred to a cell-type facility for the maximum possible term of 6 months," he wrote on Twitter. "Even maniacs and serial killers serving life sentences have the right for meetings, but I do not," he added. "When such thing happens to you, you understand even more acutely how important it is to fight this unscrupulous government, how important it is to do at least something to free Russia from the yoke of these scoundrels from Russia and dispel the dope with which they have enveloped the heads of millions," he added. Since January 1, dozens of lawmakers, lawyers, and physicians in Russia have urged Putin, the Prosecutor-General's Office, and the presidential Council for Human Rights to intervene on behalf of Navalny amid reports his health has dramatically worsened. "Reports of repeated ill-treatment, physical and psychological torture by the Russian prison authorities against A. Navalny are deeply disturbing. The Russian authorities are responsible for his safety and health, and we call them to account," Borrell said in his statement. He added that the EU "stands in solidarity" with Navalny and others, including ordinary Russian citizens, "who dare to speak the truth despite the great risk to themselves." Ukrainian forces will continue their fight to hold on to the eastern city of Bakhmut, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on February 3 amid warnings of continued intense fighting and a coming offensive by Russian forces. "Nobody will give away Bakhmut. We will fight for as long as we can. We consider Bakhmut our fortress," Zelenskiy said as he hosted European Union leaders to discuss Kyiv's desire to join the bloc and an additional sanctions package. 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. Zelenskiy said European sanctions should aim to ensure Russia cannot rebuild its military capability as he delivered his message on Bakhmut, which has been the focal point of Russia's monthslong battle in Donetsk. "If weapon [supplies] are accelerated, specifically long-range weapons, not only will we not abandon Bakhmut but we will also begin to remove the [Russian] occupiers from the Donbas," he said. Zelenskiy's comments come after U.S. media reports saying the United States has advised Ukraine to withdraw from Bakhmut. U.S. officials quoted by Bloomberg said this would allow Kyiv to gather forces for a spring offensive. The official, who spoke to Bloomberg anonymously, said the United States believes a withdrawal from Bakhmut would not affect the war, and Russia would not be able to use it to capture Kramatorsk and Slovyansk. Zelenskiy said Kyivs forces have a chance of beating back the looming offensive if supplied with the right Western weapons. Kyiv has continued to request more powerful modern weapons, including F-16 fighter jets, even after securing pledges from its Western allies to send tanks as its forces brace for an expected new onslaught by the Kremlins troops in eastern Ukraine. Moscow says Russian forces are encircling Bakhmut from several directions and battling to take control of a road that serves as a supply route for Ukrainian forces. The EU announced on February 3 that it is ramping up its military training mission for Ukraine, raising it from an initial target of 15,000 troops to up to 30,000. The leaders of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania met on February 3 in Riga, calling afterward for weapons deliveries to Ukraine to be sped up, saying the coming months may be decisive in the course of the war. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said arms supplies from Ukraine's allies should not come too late. "It is of clear importance that we see the results as quickly as possible including results [on] the battlefield. Aid to Ukraine must not be too late and it should not be fragmented," Kallas said. "Russia is preparing for a new large scale offensive and our assistance to Ukraine must be sufficient in order to confront it," she said. The Ukrainian military said earlier on February 3 that Russian troops are not slowing their push in several areas of Donetsk region despite suffering heavy losses. The Russian attacks over the 24 hours that ended early on February 3 were concentrated mainly on four directions -- Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Novopavlivka -- the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in its morning briefing. At the same time, the General Staff said, Russia's continued attacks on Ukraine's civilian and infrastructure objectives have resulted in civilian deaths and damage. With reporting by Reuters. dpa, and AFP A hospital in the city of Balaklia in Ukraine's Kharkiv region has reopened after state and international funds were used to repair and reequip it. Medical staff say the hospital was shelled by Russian forces and that surgeons were forced to kneel in the corridors as Russian soldiers opened fire in the corridors. The Russian side accused Ukrainian forces of shelling the building. 9 At times, Oleksandrs unit detects enemy drones and shoots them down using anti-drone rifles. Or an enemy drone detects a Ukrainian one and tails it, at which point the Ukrainians try to capture it and add it to their stock. We got four of their drones this way recently, and they took two of ours, Oleksandr said. In the eastern city of Bakhmut, months of relentless Russian assaults and waves of World-War-I-style infantry charges are taking their toll on exhausted Ukrainian forces. Just a few kilometers north, Ukrainian soldiers were forced to retreat west and south from the salt-mine town of Soledar after weeks of pounding by Russian troops. Still further north, Ukraines effort to capitalize on a successful counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region by retaking more territory nearby appears to have stalled at what battlefield experts called the Svatove-Kreminna line, with Russian troops intensifying attacks. And about 150 kilometers to the south, Ukraine is rushing reinforcements to defend Vuhledar and, according to some reports, push back Russian positions, which now include marine infantry from Russias Pacific Fleet. After months of morale-boosting Ukrainian victories, powered in large part by Western weaponry, the tides of battle are turning yet again: For now, momentum seems to be shifting to Russia, bolstered by tens of thousands of mobilized men and thousands of prison inmates recruited and sprung from behind bars by the notorious mercenary group Wagner. Ukrainian commanders and political leaders, including President Volodymyr Zelenskiy himself, are warning not only about the difficult conditions that Ukrainian troops are fighting under in multiple locations in the Donbas. Theyre also warning of an imminent new Russian offensive, which the current intensifying fighting may be a prelude to. Theyre right now preparing for a maximum activization, Oleksiy Danilov, the chairman of Ukraines National Security and Defense Council, told RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service on January 28, referring to Russian commanders. They want to show some sort of achievement by the anniversary of the invasion. It is no secret that they are preparing for a new wave by February 24, he said. Whether its a direct prelude to a new offensive, or merely a slow-motion beginning to one under way, the intensifying fighting on the Donbas is the latest phase in the Russian invasion, now in its 12th month. 'The Situation Has Changed Dramatically In Bakhmut' In the initial phase, Russian forces attacked Ukraine from the north, south, and east, succeeding in capturing territory in the south, but failing in their primary objective: seizing Kyiv, toppling the government, and cowing the Ukrainian military into surrender. In phase two, Russian forces repositioned to the Donbas, and focused efforts on taking the Luhansk cities of Syevyerodonetsk and Lysychansk over the summer. They also captured the Sea of Azov port of Mariupol after a scorched-earth three-month siege. Ukrainian forces stunned many Western experts in September, October, and November, with a pair of counteroffensives that pushed Russian forces out of the northern Kharkiv region and led to the recapture of Kherson the only regional capital Russian forces had taken since February 24, 2022 -- in the south. Those Russian failures, which were accompanied by repeated shuffling of commanders, led to President Vladimir Putins mobilization order in September, to bring up to 300,000 Russian men into the battle. Known colloquially as mobiki, those mobilized soldiers are showing up in the Donbas and elsewhere in sizable numbers now, military and intelligence experts said. The failures have also been accompanied by a rise in the profile, and clout, of Wagner, a notorious mercenary paramilitary group. Its founder, wealthy St. Petersburg businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin with close Kremlin ties, bolstered Wagners ranks with thousands of prison inmates. U.S. officials have said Wagner has recruited up to 50,000 convicts to fight in Ukraine. Those former inmates have been used in months of relentless assaults on Bakhmut, with Ukrainian soldiers reporting waves of soldiers attacking positions, and in many cases, being mowed down. "The situation has changed dramatically in Bakhmut, one Ukrainian soldier, identified by the alias Agronomist, said in a post published by Ukraines Joint Force Task Force. When we came here, we also fought with ordinary [regular] Russian military, not professionals or special force units. Recently, Wagner fighters and the GRU have appeared in our sector, the soldier said, referring to the Russian military intelligence agency. They are doing a pretty good job and have been fighting for not the first year. It's quite difficult to fight them. Indeed, conditions were worsening in Bakhmut for Ukrainian units, Konrad Muzyka, a Poland-based defense analyst, said. The overall situation in the Bakhmut area is deteriorating for Ukrainians, mainly because [the] Russians fire control the main supply roads leading to the city, he wrote in an analysis on January 31. All but one [of the] ground lines of communication leading to Bakhmut are under Russian fire control meaning exposed to artillery, rocket, or tank fire. 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. In its daily assessment on February 1, the Institute for the Study of War said Wagner and GRU units were bringing in more elite troops to add to the human wave attacks in Bakhmut. These techniques, which are likely helping reinvigorate the stalled Russian advances in and around Bakhmut, are not likely scalable to support larger offensive operations the U.S.-based think tank said. Amid reports that Ukrainian supply, and escape, routes were narrowing to just a road to the northwest, Colonel Serhiy Cherevatiy, spokesman for Ukraines Eastern Command, said January 31 that Bakhmut was still being supplied with food, ammunition, and weapons. Still, other front-line officers repeated the observations that the fighting around the town was intense, and hinted at the possibility that Ukrainian commanders might order a retreat. You have to understand that scenarios such as withdrawing temporarily from some territory should always be considered, Major Maksym Zhoryn, of Ukraines 3rd Assault Brigade, told Current Time. Well fulfill whatever orders are issued, Zhoryn said. In Soledar, a town about 18 kilometers north of Bakhmut, straddling an important highway northeast, toward Lysychansk and Syevyerodonetsk, Ukrainian commanders ordered what they said was a controlled retreat earlier this month after weeks of similarly intense assaults spearheaded by Wagner-recruited prison inmates. Russian forces may feasibly seek to use gains north of Soledar as a launching pad for northeastward attacks towards Syversk, the Institute for the Study of War said. That would support enveloping the Ukrainian defensive position on the west side of the Siverskiy Donets River. In Vuhledar, about 150 kilometers to the south of Bakhmut, Ukrainian troops reported an increased tempo in Russian attacks, led by marine infantry units from the Russian Pacific Fleet. Ukrainian commanders said their positions had been reinforced with more troops, and claimed that the marine units had suffered major losses. Rushed Offensives? For now, the main question is: What comes next? Ukraines Western allies have continued a firehose of weaponry and materiel for Kyiv, most notably the recent decisions to supply powerful new battle tanks and armored vehicles: M1 Abrams, Leopard 2s, Challengers, Marders, Bradleys, and AMX-10s. Many Western experts say the tanks, in particular, could provide Ukraine with an advantage over Russias older tank workhorse the T-72. And Ukrainian officials fear stalemate could turn into attrition, which favors Russias bigger economy and bigger population. That means Kyiv is eager to show its ability to make quick battlefield gains and regain more territory, in case Western patience runs thin and purses are tightened. But, if the repeated warnings of Ukrainian officials are correct, Russian commanders are also eager prove to the Kremlin that they are still capable of battlefield victory. The Kremlin wants something more offensive, more forward, more territory. Right now, the pieces of evidence that would support that thesis; there are reports in the last couple days that things are picking up now, Dara Massicot, a military researcher at the RAND Corporation, a U.S.-based think tank, said in a podcast earlier this week. There are rumors that all of the Russians that were being trained in Belarus are now starting to decamp and maybe committed somewhere else. So I definitely think there is a potential from Russia's perspective in the near term -- it benefits them to try to make progress before new capabilities are introduced, she said. Earlier this month, Putin again shuffled the top commanders in charge of the Ukraine operation, demoting General Sergei Surovikin after just three months, and giving the command back to the chief of the general staff, General Valery Gerasimov, who was in charge at the outset of the invasion. I think with the shuffling in command, I think that the chances the Russians try to rush and do an offensive before they're ready [have] gone up, Massicot said. The European Union acknowledged Ukraine's "considerable efforts" in recent months to advance toward membership in the 27-nation bloc and urged Kyiv to continue on that path after EU leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the Ukrainian capital in a show of support. Speaking at a news conference after the meeting on February 3 with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, Zelenskiy pressed again for negotiations to start relatively soon. As air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv and across Ukraine, Zelenskiy told the news conference that Ukraine's goal was to start negotiations this year, adding "this is not just a purpose but a major overwhelming goal." 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. Von der Leyen said there were no rigid timelines for Ukraine to join the European Union, and reiterated that Kyiv must meet certain benchmarks as part of its membership push. A joint statement published after the meeting mentioned Ukraine's determination to start talks "as soon as possible" without providing a date. It also said that a formal review of Kyiv's efforts to fulfill a set of conditions to begin accession talks is due later this year. Ukraine was granted candidate status for membership in the 27-member bloc in June. However, Brussels has been firm in its position that while it backs Ukraine's bid, the country will need to implement a wide array of democratic and economic reforms and root out endemic corruption before it can be admitted, and that the admission process could take many years. Among the reforms are changes to the selection procedure for constitutional judges and the passage of legislation limiting the influence of oligarchs. Zelenskiy has pledged to root out entrenched corruption that has weakened the effectiveness of state institutions even as the country faced an increasingly aggressive Russia since 2014, culminating with Moscow's unprovoked invasion. Several high-ranking officials' homes were raided by anti-corruption agents on February 1 in a second sweep in a week. Both von der Leyen and Michel made positive public statements about Ukraine's progress and the EU's commitment to supporting Ukraine's goal. Von der Leyen commended the Ukrainian government for taking swift action against corruption, and Michel said Ukraine and the EU "are family" and the future of Ukraine "is within the European Union." But he did not comment on a timeline. Von der Leyen, who arrived in Kyiv on February 2 with a team of 15 commissioners, told the news conference that the EU's next sanctions package against Russia would target components used in Russian drones that have been deployed in Ukraine. Responding to a remark by Zelenskiy, who said Kyiv hopes the bloc's sanctions campaign will gain momentum again after appearing to have "slightly slowed down" recently, von der Leyen said: "We will introduce with our G7 partners an additional price cap on Russian petroleum products, and by February 24 -- exactly one year since the invasion started -- we aim to have the 10th package of sanctions in place." The summit comes after the EU commissioners met their counterparts in the Ukrainian government for the first-ever joint meeting on February 2. With reporting by Reuters, AFP and AP I'm Steve Gutterman, the editor of RFE/RL's Russia/Ukraine/Belarus Desk. Welcome to The Week In Russia, in which I dissect the key developments in Russian politics and society over the previous week and look at what's ahead. To receive The Week In Russia newsletter in your inbox, click here. Seeking to subjugate Ukraine through brute force, Russian President Vladimir Putin turned to the historic Battle of Stalingrad in an attempt to justify a war that has killed tens of thousands of people, engendered countless accusations of atrocities by Moscow's forces, and clouded his own country's future. Here are some of the key developments in Russia over the past week and some of the takeaways going forward. Another Time, Another War As Russia marked 80 years since the end of the Battle of Stalingrad with gestures that seemed to focus more on the Soviet dictator than on the monthslong bloodbath in the city that bore his name -- putting up a bust, changing road signs, and invoking him in TV reports -- the Kremlin tried to turn a pivotal event long past into an analogy for its ongoing war on Ukraine. In a February 2 visit to Volgograd, symbolically renamed Stalingrad again for the duration of the ceremonies, Putin predictably said that Nazism "in its modern form" poses a "direct" danger to Russia -- and just as predictably, but wrongly, suggested without evidence that the sources of this threat are "the collective West" and Ukraine. But beyond death and destruction, the 1942-43 battle and the war Russia is now waging against Ukraine have little in common, and the attempt to draw parallels is riddled with obvious flaws. The biggest: In Ukraine, Russia is on the offensive. That alone ruins the analogy, because at Stalingrad the Red Army was defending the country, trying to stop Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's forces from driving deeper into Soviet territory. The Soviet troops succeeded, and the tide of World War II was turned. 'War Crimes Literally From Day One' By contrast, the large-scale invasion of Ukraine that Putin launched almost a year ago was unprovoked, and the fact that Moscow is on the offensive has stood out in horrific relief from the start. "Russian war crimes began literally from day one of Putin's renewed invasion. [Human Rights Watch] documented the use of cluster munitions that hit a hospital and a preschool on February 24," Andrew Stroehlein, European media and editorial director at Human Rights Watch, wrote in a Twitter thread on the group's work on the war since that day. Stroehlein subsequently pointed out that the thread, which linked to dozens of HRW reports containing evidence of atrocities in both individual incidents of and broader trends, was not comprehensive. "Russia has committed more atrocities than all the human rights groups in all the world could ever have the capacity to investigate," he wrote on February 1. "This is only a sample of the horror of Putin's invasion." Of course, investigators and journalists are also documenting evidence of atrocities in what historian Sergey Radchenko called Russia's "stupid, criminal war." Cities Destroyed Russian attacks are killing civilians on a daily basis. On January 14, a missile struck an apartment building in Dnipro, killing at least 46 people. On January 29, at least one civilian was killed in strikes on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, which has been pounded repeatedly since the invasion began. And on February 1, a Russian missile killed at least three people in Kramatorsk, a city in the Donetsk region. The hospital that Human Rights Watch said was hit by cluster munitions on February 24, part of an attack that it said killed four civilians, is in Vuhledar, a coal town southwest of the city of Donetsk. Nearly a year later, fighting there is fierce -- as it is in Bakhmut, a city that Russian forces have been pressing hard to take for months as they attempt to control the whole of the Donbas -- the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. A Familiar Narrative Bakhmut and other cities and towns in the Donbas are the stuff of images that evoke the Battle of Stalingrad: Jagged ruins jutting from rows of razed buildings. Not to mention images that hark back more than 100 years, to the trenches of World War I. Putin's claim that the Soviet Union's World War II allies are now sources of Nazi-style threats to Russia may sound bizarre, but it's not new: for years, he has been making similar assertions in speeches at the annual Red Square military parade marking the anniversary of the Allied victory over Hitler's Germany in 1945. Now, with the war in Ukraine, he and other Russian officials are making these suggestions more directly, simply fitting the false claim that Ukraine is run by neo-Nazis into the long-standing narrative -- repeated with increasing frequency as the Kremlin tries to portray Moscow as the victim of an existential war launched by NATO, rather than an aggressor seeking to subjugate Ukraine -- that the United States and the West are bent on tearing Russia apart. The fact that Russia is on the offensive in the war against Ukraine also means Putin's claim in his Volgograd speech that Russia is "once again being threatened by German tanks" is inaccurate: Contrary to what the Kremlin tells Russians regularly, Western governments have made no threats to attack Russian territory or to help Kyiv do so. Michael McFaul, the U.S. ambassador to Moscow in 2012-14, wrote that "Putin's comparison of the Battle of Stalingrad with his current invasion of Ukraine is disgusting." "What an insult to the Russians, Ukrainians, and other soldiers of the USSR who died to defeat actual Nazis in Stalingrad in 1943," McFaul wrote on Twitter. That's it from me this week. If you want to know more, catch up on my podcast The Week Ahead In Russia, out every Monday, here on our site or wherever you get your podcasts (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts). Yours, Steve Gutterman RFE/RL intern Ella Jaffe contributed to this report. Members of Girl Scout troops 993 and 10 met with Coventry Town Council President Hillary Lima and District 25 Rep. Thomas Noret in the Coventry Council Chambers Thursday evening to talk about democracy Weather Alert ...National Weather Service Cold Water Safety Message... ...Please check with state and local authorities regarding guidelines for allowed activities... * Very warm air temperatures today in the mid and upper 70s are expected. This may cause people to underestimate the dangers of the cold water temperatures which are currently only in the 40s across Lake Champlain, and in the 30s and 40s in the regions' smaller lakes and rivers. * The cold water temperatures can quickly cause hypothermia to anyone immersed in the water. According to the US Coast Guard, when the water temperatures are below 50 degrees, the chance of immediate incapacitation due to cold shock is extremely high. Anyone on small boats, canoes or kayaks should plan accordingly if recreating this weekend and use extreme caution to avoid this threat. Paddle smart from the start and always wear your life jacket! The three new species of nautiluses belong to the genus Nautilus and represent populations on the easternmost edge of the overall habitat range of the genus. Nautiluses are a charismatic group of marine mollusks best known for their rich fossil record. But today they are restricted to a handful of species in two genera (Nautilus and Allonautilus) of the cephalopod family Nautilidae. The three universally accepted modern Nautilus species of 21st century taxonomists are Nautilus pompilius (type species), Nautilus macromphalus, and Nautilus stenomphalus. Nautiluses first appeared 500 million years ago during the Cambrian explosion and are distant cousins of squid and cuttlefish. These creatures are described as living fossils because they have remained virtually unchanged for millions of years. They occur in the tropical waters of Pacific and Indian oceans, near the coast of Japan, Fiji, New Caledonia and Australia. Nautiluses have a shell diameter 10 and 25 cm across and more than 90 tentacles the most of any cephalopod. Unlike those of other cephalopods, their tentacles have grooves and ridges instead of suckers. These grooves and ridges are coated with a sticky secretion that help the animals grip food and pass it to their mouth. They use their sharp, beaklike mouth to break food apart, and their radula (a band of tissue lined with tiny teeth) to further shred their food. Nautiluses swim using jet propulsion, expelling water from their mantle cavity through a siphon located near their head. By adjusting the direction of the siphon, they can swim forward, backward or sideways. To avoid predators by day, nautiluses linger along deep reef slopes as deep as 700 m. At night, they migrate up to shallower depths of about 70 m to feed and lay their eggs. While most cephalopods are fairly short lived, a nautilus may live for more than 20 years, reaching maturity in 12 to 15 years. The female lays relatively few eggs between 10 and 18 per year. Her eggs take about 12 months to hatch. The populations of nautiluses within American Samoa, Fiji, and Vanuatu have already been effectively isolated from each other because of warm, surface seawater temperatures, depth implosion limits below 800 m, and their nektobenthic lifestyle, one of endless foraging just above the bottom, and thus within a few meters of the benthic environment at most, said Des Moines marine biologist Gregory Barord and colleagues. We combined morphological characteristics with previously published population genomic results to newly describe each population of Nautilus within these archipelagos as a unique species. The characters that showed the most differentiation between the species included multiple color pattern traits (i.e., percent of shell pigmented in matures specimens and striping patterns) and, while not yet quantified, the actual hue of pigment in freshly caught specimens. The three new species, Nautilus vitiensis, Nautilus samoaensis, and Nautilus vanuatuensis represent populations of nautiluses on the easternmost edge of the overall habitat range of Nautilus. Nautilus vitiensis inhabits areas along the coast of Viti Levu, Fiji at Suva Harbour and Pacific Harbour. Nautilus samoaensis inhabits areas near Pago Pago, American Samoa. Nautilus vanuatuensis inhabits sites within Mele Bay, Vanuatu. The designation of these three populations as distinct species provides insight into evolutionary radiation of the genus and clarification for future conservation practices, the researchers said. The fact that we were able to combine the morphology and genetics to differentiate these species provides a foundation for managers and other officials to begin to efficiently identify distinct species of nautilus shells that may come through as trade products. Their paper was published in the journal ZooKeys. _____ G.J. Barord et al. 2023. Three new species of Nautilus Linnaeus, 1758 (Mollusca, Cephalopoda) from the Coral Sea and South Pacific. ZooKeys 1143: 51-69; doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1143.84427 l Une ONG de defense des droits de l'homme du Burkina Faso a accuse l'armee d'avoir tue cette semaine au moins vingt-cinq civils, dont des femmes et un bebe, dans l'est du pays, selon un communique parvenu vendredi a l'AFP. Ni l'armee ni le gouvernement burkinabe n'ont reagi dans un premier temps a ces accusations. L'est du Burkina est l'une des regions les plus touchees par la violence de groupes jihadistes, combattus par l'armee et ses suppletifs. Mercredi soir (1er fevrier), "le Collectif contre limpunite et la stigmatisation des communautes (CISC) a ete saisi par plusieurs parents de victimes" faisant etat "dallegations d'executions sommaires de civils qui seraient attribuees a des corps des Forces de defense et de securite burkinabe (FDS) dans les localites de Piega, Sakoani, et Kankangou", indique un communique du CISC parvenu vendredi a l'AFP. Ces executions auraient eu lieu lors du passage dans ces trois localites situees le long de la Route nationale 4 (RN4) d'un convoi de "plus dune centaine de vehicules" en partance mercredi pour la mine d'or de Boungou et "escorte par des dizaines de vehicules pick up 4x4 qui transportaient plusieurs FDS en tenue" militaire, selon le CISC. Douze morts (dont trois femmes et un bebe) sont evoques dans le village de Sakoani, a environ 125 km de Fada NGourma, chef-lieu de region de l'Est, sept (dont quatre femmes) dans le village de Piega a 60 km de Fada N'Gourma, et six dans le hameau de Kankangou sur le territoire du village de Sampieri, selon le CISC. Des habitants de Sakoani joints par l'AFP, ont temoigne de la decouverte de "onze corps" sans vie apres le passage du convoi. "Le bilan ne cesse de salourdir au fur et a mesure que les informations nous parviennent du terrain", selon le CISC. Selon lONG, des temoignages concordants decrivent les victimes comme "des personnes civiles non armees". Exigeant la fin de ces "crimes contre l'humanite", le CISC affirme continuer a "collecter les informations afin de pouvoir traduire tous les responsables et leurs commanditaires devant la justice" et a demande "louverture dune enquete judiciaire independante et impartiale sur ces crimes". D'autres cas dexecutions extrajudiciaires sont regulierement signales par les populations de plusieurs regions du Burkina, affirme le CISC. La veille du jour de l'an, des suppletifs civils de l'armee avaient ete accuses d'avoir tue 28 personnes dans le nord-ouest du Burkina. Le Burkina Faso est confronte depuis 2015 aux attaques de groupes jihadistes lies a Al-Qaida et a l'Etat islamique qui se multiplient. With the rising digitalization and business expansion due to the growing globalization of economies, today as there exists prolific opportunities for positive growth, while the risk follows, theres plenty of reason to buy the insurance care plans. Additionally, where the demand for personalized insurance offerings is creating a rise for usage-based insurance as a primary business model, technology as disruptor has been effectively shaping the insurance industry and will continue to redefine it. In a recent conversation with the Editor of Silicon India, Amit Tiwari, Co-Founder & COO, Xceedance shared his insights on the impact of technology to redefining the Insurance sector. What are your thoughts on the current insurance industry in India and abroad? According to the Straits Research report, the global Insurtech market was valued at $3,774 million in 2021 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 46.10 percent by 2030 to account $114 billion. The Indian market trails more established markets like North America and Europe in the insurance tech space, but it is quickly gaining momentum. Innovators in China and India appear to be best positioned to move beyond a supporting role and challenge the region's industry incumbents, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence analysis. This report also states that India is the second-largest insurance technology market in Asia-Pacific, accounting for 35 percent of the $ 3.66 billion insurtech-focused venture investments made in the country. How is technology enabling smooth functionality for insurance businesses? Every aspect of our world has been altered by technology, which is arguably the most significant factor in altering human requirements and business practices. The insurance industry is no exception. The leaders in the insurance industry have begun to move toward cutting-edge technologies that will assist them in becoming more customer-centric and achieving operational excellence. With the help of technology, insurers can now easily implement successful business strategies for entering or expanding into emerging markets by increasing their size, increasing their growth rate, and placing a greater emphasis on various aspects of insurance. New technologies like cloud computing, AI, ML, advanced analytics, the global positioning system (GPS), and telematics are providing new ways to measure and control risk, connect with consumers, and broaden insurability. Tell us about the various technologies that are disrupting the insurance business. Also, how are they enabling the companies to offer hassle-free services to their customers? Technology's benefits to businesses in the sector often reflects its widespread adoption in the industry, sometimes without obvious effects on customers. While that is not the case with AI in the insurance industry, which does benefit customers. Today's most disruptive technologies in the insurance sector include artificial intelligence, data extraction and analytics, robotic process automation, and low-code/no-code platforms. Artificial Intelligence (AI): Insurance firms benefit from AI by streamlining essential strategies, increasing productivity, and improving customer service across all client touchpoints. Insurance companies will be able to better understand their customers with the help of this data, opening the door for tailored product and service offerings, pricing, and faster service delivery. Data Extraction: The selection of risks, administration of policies, underwriting procedures, claims, analytics for loss modelling, evaluation of insured assets, and regulatory reporting can all be enhanced with better data access. Strong data extraction models can be produced using IPA (Intelligent Process Automation), NLP (Natural Language Processing), and ITI (Intelligent Text Ingestion) technologies. Big Data/Analytics: Insurers can develop meaningful consumer interactions and an improved understanding of risk in distribution, underwriting, claims, and customer service by securing both unstructured and structured data for analysis. Advanced analytics can be used in actuarial practise to establish premiums, manage portfolios (including propensity analysis and loss prevention), and assess & estimate unpaid claims. Robotic Process Automation (RPA): RPA makes it possible to automate repetitive but complicated procedures and tasks, which frees up resources for more strategically important work, boosts throughput, decreases turnaround time, and improves the overall efficiency of insurance operations. Technology with Low-Code/No-Code: Low-code/no-code technology is ground-breaking because it makes it possible for non-programmers to develop applications more quickly than with conventional methods. This provides companies with countless options for designing and managing software applications and insurance products, including networking, connectivity, and rating algorithms. The development of better client interactions, enhanced connections, and more efficient procedures will be the result of insurance companies looking to new technologies. What impact has the ongoing digitization phenomena created on the insurance business? How is it making insurance more affordable and accessible to customers? Digital transformation is now a global phenomenon that has an impact on all economies and industries. The insurance industry is one sector that has benefited greatly from digital transformation. The advantages for the insurance industry include: Shorter policy creation cycle: Insurance providers can now streamline their workflows, thanks to digital transformation as the time it takes to develop a new policy has significantly decreased. Increased sales: Digital tools and interfaces have simplified the insurance buying process, allowing customers to purchase coverage online and without the administrative hurdles previously required. This makes it easier for insurers to sell to new customers outside of traditional markets. Improved Risk Assessment: Insurance companies are now able to offer individualized policies thanks to the utilization of data and analytics for a deeper comprehension of their clients. The insurance industry has begun moving toward a customer experience (CX)-oriented model. Presently, 90 percent of insurers have a C-suite position (like Chief Customer Officer (CCO) or Chief Customer Experience (CX)) dedicated to the customer experience, with 85 percent of insurers reporting they use CX initiatives throughout the customer journey. In your opinion, how will the insurance industry evolve in the days to come? What opportunities do you foresee? According to a recent report, rapid economic expansion and a focused regulatory push will help India become the sixth-largest insurance market in the world within the next ten years. Insurance companies recognize the opportunity this presents and are doing everything in their power to jump on the technological bandwagon as technology adoption continues to rise across all industries. However, technology alone wont push them to the front of the line, instead, these technologies can facilitate data-driven, secure, and automated services (like fraud detection and claims processing) which will help them stand out in a crowded and increasingly competitive market. Here are the top 10 stocks that could be in focus in today's trade: Adani Enterprises/Adani Ports/Ambuja Cement: The NSE on Thursday placed three Adani group firms under the short-term additional surveillance measure (ASM) framework, effective Friday. This means that these stocks will be subjected to more stringent rules. Also, intraday trading will require a 100% upfront margin and is likely to curb a lot of speculation and short selling. The move by the stock exchange comes after a rout in the shares of the billionaire Gautam Adani's group companies in the aftermath of a scathing report by a US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research. Life Insurance Corporation: The government does not plan to trade additional shares of state-run Life Insurance Corp. of India to the public in FY24 because of unfavourable market conditions and weak retail demand, Tuhin Kanta Pandey, secretary of the department of investment and public asset management (Dipam), said in an interview. Events that adversely affect the markets have repercussions on disinvestment deals as well, Pandey said, alluding to the sell-off in the Adani group stocks and its effect on the wider market. Tata Consumer Products: Tata Consumer Products on Thursday reported a 25.6% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 364.43 crore for the December 2022 quarter. This is against a net profit of Rs290.07 crore in the year-ago period, Tata Consumer Products said in a regulatory filing. The consolidated revenue of Tata Consumer Products major grew by 8.29% to Rs 3474.55 crore in the quarter under review from Rs 3208.38 crore a year ago. Consolidated EBITDA for the quarter decreased by 2% to Rs 458 crore. Railtel Corporation: RailTel Corporation informed on Thursday, that the company has received a Work Order from the State Bank of India (SBI) for providing 4G LTE connectivity to 15,000 offsite ATMs across the country. The mini-ratna public sector undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Railways will also take care of the operation and maintenance of the whole network for a period of five years. Besides last mile connectivity, the project also includes the establishment of Network Operations Centre (NOC), backhaul connectivity to the data centre & disaster recovery centre (DC-DR) of SBI, live dashboard for SLA monitoring, 24X7 helpdesk, etc," the PSU mentioned in a press release. Hindustan Zinc: The government is expected to sell a part of its remaining stake in Hindustan Zinc Ltd by next month said DIPAM Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey. This stake sale will support it achieve the revised sell-off target of Rs 50,000 crore for the current fiscal, he added. In the coming fiscal, the government has lined up strategic stake sales in firms like HLL Lifecare, PDIL, Shipping Corporation and BEML in order to meet the disinvestment target set in the 2023-24 Budget. Centre presently holds a 29.54% stake in Hindustan Zinc or HZL. In 2002, it sold 26% of HZL to the mining billionaire Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta group. MOIL: State-owned miner MOIL on Thursday said that its quarterly net profit fell 68.1% year-on-year to Rs 39.52 crore in the quarter ended December. The firm reported a profit of Rs123.88 crore in the corresponding period of previous year. In the third quarter, the profit after tax was 45% higher than the second quarter of FY23, the Ministry of Steel said in a statement. Net sales fell 16.89% to Rs 302 crore in the October-December quarter. The revenue from operations, so, rose 28% sequentially from Rs 236 crore. Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals: Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd on Thursday reported a 40% decline in consolidated net profit at Rs 88.19 crore in the December quarter effected by higher expenses. The firm had posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 148.26 crore in the year-ago period, Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd (CGCEL) said in a regulatory filing. Consolidated revenue from operations during the quarter under review stood at Rs1,516.21 crore as against Rs1,410.59 crore a year ago, it added. Total expenses were higher at Rs1,422.92 crore, up from Rs1,225.9 crore in the third quarter of last fiscal, it added. Berger Paints: Berger Paints India Ltd on Thursday reported a decline of 20.47% in its consolidated net profit at Rs201.17 crore in the third quarter completed December 2022. The company had posted a net profit of Rs252.97 crore in the October-December period a year ago, Berger Paints said in a regulatory filing. Its revenue from operations was up 5.59% at Rs2,693.59 crore during the quarter under review as against Rs2,550.77 crore in the year-ago period. Berger Paints' total expenses were at Rs2,437.84 crore, up 9.39% in Q3/FY23, as against Rs2,228.56 crore a year ago. Godrej Properties: Realty company Godrej Properties on Thursday reported a 51% increase in consolidated net profit at Rs58.74 crore for the third quarter ended December 2022, while sales booking jumped over two-fold to Rs3,252 crore on strong housing demand. Its net profit stood at Rs39.02 crore in the year-ago period. The total income declined to Rs 404.58 crore in the third quarter of this fiscal from Rs 466.91 crore in the corresponding period of the last year, according to a regulatory filing. Apollo Tyres: Apollo Tyres on Thursday said its consolidated net profit increased 30% to Rs 292 crore for the December quarter, supported by robust sales in the domestic market. The company had reported a net profit of Rs 224 crore in the year-ago period. Revenue from operations rose 13% to Rs 6,423 crore, as against Rs 5,707 crore in the October-December quarter of the last fiscal, the company said in a statement. "The domestic demand has helped us tide over the recessionary trends elsewhere. Having said that, our European Operations have still outperformed the market in the first 9 months of this fiscal," Apollo Tyres Chairman Onkar Kanwar stated. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has indicated the industry's plan to add AI (artificial intelligence) features to its search engine. The CEO said that users will "very soon" be capable of "communicating directly" with its "newest, most powerful model as a companion to search in experimental and imaginative ways" during the Q4 results call on Wednesday." Google Search will leverage LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications), Google's own language model, to offer "factual" and conversational results to queries. This comes a day after a report stated that Google is gearing up to rival ChatGPT, the AI-powered chatbot that has gone viral. Pichai notes that the improved search should be available for testing in the "coming weeks and months." This could be during the Google IO 2023 event in May, which is the company's annual developer conference where it showcases new software and hardware. During the earnings call, Pichai kept returning to the power of AI and how the world is ready to use it, referring to the public's positive response to OpenAI's ChatGPT. "AI is the most profound technology we are working on today," Pichai said in his opening remarks. The executive announced that Google would also provide new tools and APIs for developers and partners to build their "own applications and discover new possibilities on AI." Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL/Kotak) today announced that it has implemented the first phase of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)s Digital Rupee (ea). KMBL is among the eight banks shortlisted by RBI to implement a pilot project for issuance of Digital Rupee, a legal tender that is similar to bank notes and coins, issued in a digital form by RBI. KMBL today rolled out the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) to a Closed User Group (CUG) of customers, which includes retail consumers and businesses. Deepak Sharma, President & Chief Digital Officer, Kotak Mahindra Bank said, We are delighted to be a part of RBIs initial pilot of Digital Rupee. CBDC aligns with the RBIs vision of developing a digitally powered economy, promoting digital transactions, and reducing dependency on cash. At Kotak, it has been our constant endeavour to offer a wider choice of financial products and world class banking experience to our customers by leveraging our technology infrastructure. Digital Rupee will give a huge fillip to the Government of Indias vision of Digital India and CBDC will act as a change agent for the finance ecosystem in the country. KMBL will launch the Digital Rupee pilot in Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad. Limited KMBL customers will be sent an email/SMS invite to download the Digital Rupee app. The digital rupee wallet operates in a similar fashion as a physical wallet but in a digital form, and will be accessible for download on Android operating system smartphones. Step by step procedure to be on-boarded on eRs app: Customer opens ea app. He/she is shown the terms and conditions. Once he/she accepts it, an introduction screen is visible. After he/she will click on 'Next', the SIM binding process begins. User will be asked to set up an app PIN, enter name and select recoverable wallet type. He/she is asked to set up a digital wallet pin and then a wallet address is created. Customer will be asked to link a bank account to the wallet. Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal. Please purchase an Enhanced Subscription to continue reading. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! San Mateo, CA (94402) Today Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 58F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear. Low near 45F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. The rise in the number of selective schools has contributed to a brain drain in the comprehensive public system, with the share of high achievers in some state schools plummeting in the past 15 years. A snapshot of results from a dozen south-west Sydney comprehensive high schools shows the concentration of top-achieving HSC students in some schools fell by up to 80 per cent between 2006 and 2021. The proportion of HSC high achievers at some comprehensive high schools in Liverpool, Camden and Fairfield has fallen significantly since 2006. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer The analysis by education expert and former principal Chris Bonnor shows the drop in high achievers at comprehensive high schools in Liverpool, Camden and Fairfield came as at least four partially selective schools opened in the area and the number of private schools grew. There are 48 selective high schools in NSW, more than 10 times any other state or jurisdiction. In December, the government announced it would open another, for 2000 students, in Westmead. Another proposed selective school in Leppington is in the planning stage. Sydneysiders satisfaction with life has bounced back after the pandemic, but the high cost of living continues to sully the experience for many and contributes to loneliness, pessimism and a desire to leave the city. With inflation at a 30-year high, interest rates rising and rents soaring, 85 per cent of Sydneysiders polled in December said they were concerned about the cost of living and 40 per cent were very concerned. The polling found overall satisfaction with Sydney bounced back after the upheaval of COVID-19. Credit: Flavio Brancaleone The Ipsos poll, conducted for the Committee for Sydney think tank, also found a link between cost-of-living pressure and loneliness. The survey found Sydneysiders tend to feel alone or left out at a rate on par with comparison cities London, New York and Toronto. Among those who said they felt lonely at least some of the time, 56 per cent were very concerned about the cost of living. But among those who never felt lonely, that figure fell to 32 per cent. Logically, stretched finances constrain someones ability to go out and socialise. The state health department has warned people in northern Victoria to take extra measures to prevent mosquito bites, after a person contracted the mosquito-borne Japanese encephalitis virus while spending time in the Buloke Shire and Swan Hill area. Health authorities said on Friday they had confirmed the second locally acquired case of the tropical virus this mosquito season. In late December authorities reported a Campaspe resident had contracted JEV. Mosquito numbers have increased in eastern Australia with the wetter weather conditions. Credit: QIMR Mosquito Control Laboratory People spending time outdoors in northern Victoria are strongly recommended to take measures to prevent mosquito bites to reduce their risk of mosquito-borne disease, a statement released by the Health Department on Friday says. These include people who work, live or spend time outdoors in northern Victoria, particularly inland riverine regions and near the Murray River. Every day when I arrive at The Ages office, I walk past a large quote emblazoned on the wall. The black letters, about the size of fists, remind everyone who works here of our duty to readers. The quote says The Age does certain things differently from other newspapers because were not there as a means of simply passing a word from a mouth to an eye, weve a responsibility to our readers and to society in general. The quote by Graham Perkin that is inscribed on the wall of the lobby at The Age. Credit: Simon Schluter They are the words of revered Victorian journalist Graham Perkin, who became editor of The Age in 1966, aged 36, and led the publication with skill and conviction until his death in 1975. Perkin knew then what many in our industry have only now realised with the sorcery of data analytics: readers want depth and quality, excellence and rigour. They want a publication with scruples that is willing to fight for its readers, its city, and hold power to account. One that will doggedly pursue public interest investigations to shine light on the darkest parts of our society, but also celebrate Melbournes successes and be constructive and mature in its approach to difficult subjects. Thousands of Victorian businesses who are continuing to suffer the financial impact of COVID-19 lockdowns are closer to having their class action case against the state heard. The State of Victoria on Friday lost an attempt to delay the case, which has been brought by lead plaintiff burger bar 5 Boroughs NY on behalf of a group of businesses over economic loss resulting from the 2020 lockdown. Melbournes Federation Square during lockdown in 2020. Credit: Penny Stephens The businesses are seeking damages from the state, saying it breached its duty to take reasonable care in implementing infection-prevention procedures at quarantine hotels, resulting in the spread of COVID-19 and a 112-day lockdown. The government attempted to stay the proceedings pending a resolution to separate criminal proceedings brought by WorkSafe against the Department of Health over its hotel quarantine program. Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe has demanded that none of her fellow Greens MPs, including another Indigenous senator, meet with Indigenous community members about the Voice to parliament, insisting only she was allowed to do so. Thorpes argument relied on the fact that she is the partys First Nations spokeswoman, a position that is under scrutiny after the formal deal struck last week that gives Thorpe free rein to campaign against the proposal while the Greens decide if they will support the referendum. The Greens will announce their stance next week. Senator Lidia Thorpe and Greens leader Adam Bandt struck a deal allowing her free rein to campaign against the Voice. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen In deciding where the Greens stand on the referendum, party leader Adam Bandt must reckon with Thorpes Indigenous activist base, who reject the Voice and demand treaty first, while maintaining the support of mainstream Greens voters who support the Voice much more strongly than Labor voters, according to polling. Assault charges laid against former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro after he allegedly lashed out at a cameraman last year have been dismissed in a Sydney court on mental health grounds. Barilaros lawyer Danny Eid told a hearing in the Downing Centre Local Court on Friday that his client had been subjected to some filth, some absolute grubby practices by sections of the media, and warned that a funeral could result if the harassment of public figures did not stop. John Barilaro leaves the Downing Centre Local court after having assault charges dismissed on mental health grounds. Credit: Kate Geraghty Barilaro was charged with assault and malicious damage in August last year after an alleged clash with a cameraman during a night out with friends in Manly on July 23. In footage from the incident, Barilaro can be seen pushing the cameraman and his camera away from him before walking away and waiting at traffic lights to cross the road. Barilaro told radio station 2GB the following Monday morning that he had been intruded on and harassed since his controversial appointment to a $500,000-a-year trade commissioner post in New York became the subject of a parliamentary inquiry. Paris: Police in south-eastern France have arrested a convicted murderer linked to Italys most powerful organised crime group, the ndrangheta, who was on the run for 16 years, Interpol and Italian police said. Italys ANSA news agency reported the 63-year-old had been working for the past three years as a pizza-maker in Saint Etienne, where he had lived since 2014. Edgardo Greco, a convicted murderer linked to Italys most powerful organized crime group, the ndrangheta, who was on the run for 16 years, the last three in a pizza shop. Credit: Carabinieri/AP An Interpol statement said French police, with help from Italian colleagues, arrested Edgardo Greco in the city, south-west of Lyon. He was wanted for two murders in 2006 and accused of attempted murder in another case. Italian authorities said the two people killed in 2006 were brothers who were beaten to death with a metal bar in a fish shop in Calabria. Interpol, the international police organisation based in Lyon, France, said the killings were part of a mafia war ... that marked the early 1990s in Italy. Washington: The US Congress could not support the $US20 billion ($28.3 billion) sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey until Ankara ratifies the NATO memberships of Sweden and Finland, a bipartisan group of senators said. Sweden and Finland applied last year to join the trans-Atlantic defence pact after Russia invaded Ukraine, but faced unexpected objections from Turkey and have since sought to win its support. Ankara wants Helsinki and Stockholm in particular to take a tougher line against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is considered a terror group by Turkey and the European Union, and another group it blames for a 2016 coup attempt. A Turkish F16 flies over naval ships during an annual NATO naval exercise on Turkeys western coast on the Mediterranean last year. Credit: AP The three nations reached an agreement on a way forward in Madrid last June, but Ankara suspended talks last month following protests in Stockholm in which a far-right Danish politician burned a copy of the Muslim holy book, the Koran. BONAIRE:--- After a successful first edition, the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) released the second edition of BioNews Kids. BioNews Kids is a free printed and online nature magazine for children of ages 9 to 11 on the six Dutch Caribbean islands. It was designed to increase reading, spark curiosity, and educate kids about the extraordinary nature of the six Dutch Caribbean islands, including its threats. This in support to the nature education programs of the Protected Area Management Organizations in Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten. Around 17,500 printed copies in Papiamentu, Papiamento, English or Dutch were distributed to children on the Dutch Caribbean islands. An online version of the second edition of BioNews Kids can be found here. Supporting Nature Education and public awareness The mission of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) is to support the Protected Area Management Organizations (parks) on the six islands of the Dutch Caribbean. One of DCNAs goals is the promotion of educational outreach and public awareness. Therefore, in 2021 the first edition of BioNews Kids a branch of BioNews, which is for adults was created. BioNews is a free monthly digital newsletter that gives updates on the latest nature news with a focus on research and monitoring, events, and overall activities concerning the members of DCNA. Multilingual nature magazine for kids BioNews Kids is a freely available magazine in English, Dutch, Papiamento, and Papiamentu for youth aged 9 to 11 on Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Maarten. The magazine is made available through the nature education programs at the Protected Area Management Organizations (parks). The aim of BioNews Kids is to promote reading on the islands with a magazine that is applicable to the experiences of the children on these islands with the nature they can find in their own backyards. Theme: Terrestrial The main theme for this second edition of BioNews Kids is the terrestrial environment. Kids can read amongst others about the Caribbean flamingo and the Red-billed tropic bird and meet Barry the Bat. The magazine also includes activities such as coloring pages, puzzles, and a craft activity. Besides these activities, readers can begin grasping environmental words and use the photo ID of terrestrial animals continuously. Contact your local park organization education officer for a hard copy of BioNews Kids or click here for the online version of this edition. For questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . BioNews (Kids) is generously sponsored by the National Postcode Lottery and created by the DCNA. PHILIPSBURG:--- In the last couple of days, we have been barraged with information on the miss management by the Management team and Minister of Justice and the lack of health supervision happening in the Philipsburg holding cells and Point Blanche prison in Sint Maarten. Many of us have read articles written by key persons in our community, but few were the ones really tackling the main problem and bringing possible solutions to the forefront. Before going into the Saga of the Point Blanch Prison, I would like to show my sympathy to the family members of any person that became a victim of an incarcerated person. This article is not to talk positively about any person in the system, because when you commit a crime you should do the time, but it is to bring awareness to the human rights violations committed against a detainee. As a detainee you have rights, and these rights are written in the Landsbesluit, Houdende Algemene Maatregelen, Houdend Vaststelling van Gevangenismaatregel. Therefore, by law, the Country of Sint Maarten must abide by these laws. Many violations are occurring currently at the Point Blanch Prison, although, the first dilemma I will talk about in this article will be the Health Care provided to the detainees. According to Article 7 Lid 1 of the Landsbesluit, Houdende Algemene Maatregelen, Houdend Vaststelling van Gevangenismaatregel, the Minister, assisted by the head of services, and the directors, are responsible for appropriate medical care for the detainees. This has not been happening for years according to the Prison Association Representative. During my visit with a member of the prison association, many points were brought to my attention. Some of the points discussed that are related to this article are: According to the law, at the arrival of a new inmate, the prisoner must be examined within 24 hours of his or her intake (Article 8 lid 1). This has not been happening under the law. Many new inmates did not get a health check but instead have just been asked regular questions about their health by a prison guard instead of the required specialized medical caregiver as indicated by law. This is a very problematic issue that can be a health threat to other inmates. The medical representatives were always prescribing a once-a-week prescription of Xanax 1.5 mg (alprazolam) to the detainees, which was to treat anxiety and panic disorders but since they are out of Xanax they have replaced the medication with Dormicum which consists of 15mg per dose which is 10 times stronger than the previous Xanax provided. Most inmates do not feel at ease taking such a strong medicine and believe that other options should be provided to the inmates. Another point that has been neglected by the Minister and the management team of the prison is the presence of medical staff at Point Blanche. It has been noticeable by many that there is barely any medical staff present during the day. When an inmate becomes ill, he or she often has to wait for the nurse of the second shift to arrive to be able to attend a medical visit. In short, there is barely a medical nurse onsite. According to the inmates, the nurse does not properly take the time to examine the inmate but always rushes them off so she can continue with other things. The mannerism in which the inmates get treated by some of the medical staff is inappropriate and inhumane. This statement has been backed up by some of the staff members of the Point Blanche prison. The constant absence of a medical doctor at the facility is one of the main concerns of the detainees. The doctor is only present once a week and for the remainder of the week, the detainees would have to fend for themselves while hoping that a nurse will be present for their assigned shift. The case of the inmate, F. Jerome, has been a situation that has been worrying many prisoners in the Point Blanche Prison. This inmate has been suffering from a severe infection stemming from his abdomen for many years. According to the Prisoners Association, this inmate is not receiving the proper medical treatment. He has been pleading for proper care but is only receiving shots in his abdomen as medication. It has been brought to my knowledge by the member of the Prison Association that the Sint Maarten medical system is denying to perform surgery, even though the French side is willing to do so. Inmate Jerome even suggested taking the responsibility of payment upon himself just to be able to have this surgery. But till today nothing has been done to make sure this inmate gets the proper care he is entitled to. There are staff currently working at the facility that has great concern for the health of inmate F. Jerome. Note: If an inmate needs to be treated outside of the facility, the Director can assign 1 or more prison guards or any assigned personnel (Article 11 Lid 4) to guard and accompany the inmate, but this is hardly ever done. Why? Taking treatment outside of prison does not mean the inmate has to be liberated. After receiving their specified treatment, he or they shall return to prison to sit out the remainder of their sentence. Furthermore, there is a lack of proper mental health care provided for the detainees. Many of these inmates suffer from mental health issues and are not treated properly. According to the Raad voor de rechtshandhaving (December 2016), it has been advised the government of Sint Maarten that the organization needs to hire a psychologist or specialized social worker to treat these inmates as soon as possible. It is a mandatory service to help inmates deal with their mental state. To this date, it is not up to par. The above-mentioned points are a few of the medical problems and inconsistencies that the inmates incarcerated in the Point Blanch Prison are facing daily. The excuse of shortage in the budget and the Minister constantly promising to investigate the situation are disrupting the correct progress from occurring. Rendering to Article 14 and Article 15 Lid 1, the Minister, assisted in this by the head of the service and the directors, ensures that the cell areas, workshops, areas for personal and MEDICAL CARE, kitchens, as well as the facilities and equipment contained therein, meet the requirements that apply to them, given the state of the art of knowledge in health sciences and the state of art, may reasonably be claimed. These Articles have been violated by the Minister and current persons in command and have not been handled accordingly. The only response the prisoners are receiving is that they are working on the progress, and they will just have to wait. How long does it take to handle these issues, where is the structure, where is the management, and where is the Minister? On this small island, too many of the human rights of the detainees are being violated. And this has been documented in the report from Raad voor de Rechtshandhaving: enitentiaire inrichting Sint Maarten dated December 2016. Once more, I do not condone criminal activities but as a community, we need to realize that prison, death, and hospitals dont discriminate. Any person can get themself in an undesired situation that can land them in the prison system. And none of us would like to go through a neglected medical system. With all the violations presently occurring in the Detainee centers in Sint Maarten, especially Point Blanch, it should be looked into getting Point Blanch under higher supervision if no changes are made within the next year. It is time that parliament demands answers and explanations on the so-called plans of reform. We need to respect human rights and we need to implement them according to the law of the land. Lets listen to all voices and take these matters into serious consideration. The inmates are screaming to be heard and the guards are working in an unpleasant as well as the dangerous environment and all we can read in the news is We are working on it. As a concerned citizen, I believe that all opinions should be stated and heard, and the inmates are as important to our community as a person that enjoys his/her freedom. If we do not shape them into better people while they are in Point Blanch, we are releasing monsters back into our community. The Point Blanche Saga will continue.... Ydellienne Heerenveen Tinone Reports Completion Of Successful Phase 1 Drill Program And Discusses Future Plans For Its Great Pyramid Tin Project, Tasmania, Australia TinOne Resources Inc. (TSX.V: TORC) (OTCQB:TORCF) (\TinOne\ or the \Company\ https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/tinone-resources-inc/ ) is pleased to announce it has completed its Phase 1 drill program at its Great Pyramid Tin (Sn) Project (aGreat Pyramida or the aProjecta) located in the tier one mining jurisdiction of Tasmania, Australia. Drilling has now concluded with a total of 4,687 metres completed and data compilation and modelling are underway. The program has been successful in continuing to define significant tin mineralization near surface, at depth and adjacent to historical drilling. Highlights Great Pyramid mineralization extended to approximately 380 metres below surface. Interpreted granite source not encountered, therefore mineralization remains entirely open at depth. Mineral Resources Tasmania geophysical modelling interprets granite at depth below Great Pyramid in the range of 700 a 1300 metres. Mineralization remains open in all directions laterally. Integrated stratigraphic-structural model being developed to assist numeric modelling. aWe are very pleased to have completed our Great Pyramid Phase 1 drill program safely and within budget,a commented Chris Donaldson, Executive Chairman. aThe results of the program have been outstanding in delivering consistent tin intersections from within the area of historical activity and, importantly, outside this area.A These results and geological interpretation indicate that the Great Pyramid system is of significant scale and has only been partially tested, to date.A Our geological team is developing its detailed interpretation and will be using this information to plan our next phases of drilling which will be focussed on fully testing the system.a Key Results The 2022 program was designed to: Test the depth and lateral dimensions of mineralization within the vicinity of the historical drilling and resource estimate; Obtain grade and continuity data utilising modern drill and analytical techniques, within the area of the historic exploration activity; and Test a large-scale IP chargeability anomaly adjacent to the historic resource. Tables 1 and 2 present full results from the 2022 program and compiled results from all historical drilling known from the Great Pyramid area. The tables show that the 2022 program returned results in line with historical data and includes outstanding intersections of higher grade such as: 22GPRC012 78 metres @0.51% Sn (see Company news release September 06, 2022) 22GPRC016 51 metres @0.29% Sn (see Company news release September 06, 2022) 22GPRC021 14 metres @0.36% Sn (see Company news release January 18, 2023) 22GPRC022 15 metres @0.45% Sn (see Company news release October 11, 2022). The 2022 Great Pyramid drill program was highly successful in confirming the presence and tenor of significant tin mineralization in the area of historical drilling activity and historical resource estimate. Weighted average tin grade for all 2022 recorded intersections[1] was 0.23% Sn which is in accord with historical drill data (Tables 1 and 2). In addition, the program successfully defined significant mineralization at depth below the historical resource estimate in the area of sparse historical drilling.A Highlights at depth included: 22GPRC003 (see Company news release November 22, 2022) 18 metres @0.31% Sn from 308 metres downhole 4 metres @0.46% Sn from 330.6 metres downhole 13 metres @0.22% Sn from 359 metres downhole 22GPRC006 (see Company news release September 06, 2022) 49 metres @0.17% Sn from 65 metres downhole Including 8 metres @0.3% Sn from 86 metres downhole These TinOne drill holes and the historical data have not defined the lower limit of the system, which remains entirely open at depth. A relatively minor component of the program was directed to testing the lateral extent of mineralization due to access, with the network of historical drill access tracks being utilized to obtain a more cost effective drill program for this first round of drilling. However, despite this, the program has also delivered significant results laterally away from the historical drilling and resource estimate, with highlights including: 22GPRC021 (see Company news release January 18, 2023) 40 metres @0.13% Sn from 58 metres downhole 14 metres @0.36% Sn from 128 metres downhole 17 metres @0.21% Sn from 181 metres downhole 22GPRC002 (see Company news release June 29, 2022) 14 metres @0.18% Sn from 3 metres downhole 6 metres @0.22% Sn from 24 metres downhole These drill holes and historical drill data have not defined the lateral limits of the Great Pyramid system, which remains open laterally in all directions (Figure 2). Three drill holes (22GPDD010, 22GPRC018A, 22GPRC019, 22GPDD023) were drilled (for a total of 1275.9 metres) to test IP chargeability anomalies to the northeast and east of the area of historical exploration activity. These holes intersected sedimentary rocks of the Mathinna Supergroup with strong hornfels effects at depth and variable amounts of pyrite (interpreted to be both diagenetic and hydrothermal) and minor base metal sulphides. No significant tin mineralization was encountered. The chargeability anomalies may be explained by the presence of pyrite, however more detailed analysis, including petrophysical property measurements, will be undertaken and integration into the broader Great Pyramid geological model undertaken. Geological Interpretation The tin systems of northeastern Tasmania are regarded as classical examples of granite-related tin-polymetallic systems (Taylor, R.G. 1979, The geology of tin deposits).A Well known systems such as Anchor (Taheri and Bottrill, 2005, Devonian granites and associated mineralization in northeast and northwest Tasmania), Aberfoyle[2], Lutwyche2, Storya?s Creek2, Rex Hill2 (see TinOne news release July 07, 2022) and Royal George 2 are hosted in or directly associated with Devonian granites of the S-type alkali feldspar suite and it is generally regarded that the granites are the source of hydrothermal fluids and metals for formation of the systems.A In the Aberfoyle, Lutwyche and Storya?s Creek systems, the bulk of mineralization is hosted in Mathinna Supergroup sedimentary rocks above the granite body, with deeper mining levels and drilling demonstrating the connection. In these systems a clear zoning from tin-rich at higher levels above the granite zoning downward to higher tungsten content adjacent to and within the granite. The Aberfoyle system is known over a vertical extent of in excess of 300 metres. It is highly significant that in most respects (mineralogy, metal association, alteration character), the Great Pyramid system conforms to the granite-related model, yet no granite has yet been encountered in the project area.A Mineral Resources Tasmania (MRT) developed an integrated geophysical and geological model for the Scamander Mineral Field, including Great Pyramid (Scamander 3D geological and geophysical model). The Great Pyramid system occurs on a steep gradient (ashouldera) in the MRT model, and the model estimated that the upper granite surface exists at between 700 and 1300 metres below the Great Pyramid system (Figure 3).A (https://www.mrt.tas.gov.au/geoscience/3d_geological_and_geophysical_modelling/scamander_3d_geological_and_geophysical_modelling). The TinOne 2022 drill program provided support for this model and the granite association of the Great Pyramid system with the key evidence being the consistent presence in deeper holes of spotted hornfels[3]. However, despite drilling to depths of almost 400 metres below surface, no granite has yet been encountered at Great Pyramid. In the other Mathinna Supergroup hosted systems in Tasmania (e.g. Aberfoyle, Lutwyche, Storya?s Creek), mineralization continues to the granite contact and also within the granite. By comparison (and in context of the MRT model and observed geology), it can be interpreted that the Great Pyramid system may extend for a significant distance below current drill levels and potentially continue into the interpreted underlying granite. The mineralization encountered to date at Great Pyramid is interpreted to have two inter-related control mechanisms (Figure 4). Structure north easterly striking, steeply dipping structures (TinOne observations, historical exploration reports by Aberfoyle Ltd and BHP Ltd) that transect the sedimentary package and are interpreted to have acted as conduits for mineralizing hydrothermal fluids arising from the granite at depth. Sedimentary rock type not all of the sedimentary sequence is equally favourable for the production of elevated tin grades and therefore certain units are more strongly mineralized. These units tend to be the more quartz-rich sandstone parts of the sequence and it is interpreted that their brittle fracture patterns within the favourable structural domains promotes mineralization. A challenge is that the Mathinna Supergroup sedimentary rocks were strongly folded at a time before intrusion of the granite magma and formation of the related mineralization. The interaction of the folded sedimentary geometries, structural zones and interpreted granite is schematically shown in Figure 4. The figure highlights the potential geometries and relationships expected at Great Pyramid and illustrates why in some places the mineralization is more laterally continuous than in other places.A The figure also illustrates that, based on knowledge from other deposits in northeastern Tasmania, mineralization could be expected to continue in favourable host rocks into the interpreted granite contact. Next Steps With the successful completion of the Phase 1 drill program, the TinOne technical team has significantly advanced its understanding of the Great Pyramid system and focus has now shifted to interpretation and integration of the various data sets. This interpretation and modelling phase will develop an understanding of the inter-related controls discussed above and guide more efficient targeting of additional drilling and future resource estimation. TinOne has engaged a PhD-trained expert in the structural geology of northeastern Tasmania and a PhD-trained expert sedimentologist to work together with the TinOne team and an external resource geologist to develop an integrated structural-sedimentological-geostatistical model. This model will inform additional drilling, principally targeting lateral extensions and a resource estimation at the appropriate time. [1] See Table 1 and 2 notes for parameters. [2] See https://tinone.ca/project/aberfoyle-tin-resource/ [3] Hornfels a a contact metamorphic rock formed by the heating of sedimentary (or other) rocks by the intrusion of a magma, including granite. About the Great Pyramid Tin Project Geological Setting The Great Pyramid deposit is located around a topographical feature known as Pyramid Hill and is hosted by Silurian to Devonian Mathinna Supergroup sandstones.A The mineralization is formed by closely spaced sheeted northeast trending, cassiterite (SnO?) bearing veins associated with silicification and sericite-pyrite alteration. The deposit style and regional comparisons suggest that a tin-fertile granite exists at depth below the deposit, however this has not been encountered in drilling and the deposit is open at depth. Geological interpretation indicates that certain sedimentary units within the folded Mathinna Supergroup sediments are more favourable hosts and diamond drilling being undertaken by the Company during the current campaign, combined with numerical modelling, will assist in developing a deeper understanding of controls on grade for follow-up drilling. The deposit is currently known over a strike length of more than 500 metres with an average width of approximately 150 metres. The depth extent of the deposit is unknown with only nine historical drill holes greater than 150 metres deep. These rare deeper holes encountered encouraging tin mineralization to depths of approximately 300 metres below surface2. Historic Resources and Drill Data1 A historical mineral resource estimate was completed on the Great Pyramid Project (the aHistorical Estimatea) for TNT Mines Ltd.1,2,3,4,5 (Table 2). NOTES Source: aInferred Mineral Resource for the Great Pyramid Tin Deposit in Tasmania, Abbott, 2014a prepared by Jonathon Abbott of MPR for Niuminco Group Ltd. The effective date for the Historical Estimate is February 26, 2014. The Historical Estimate was prepared using the 2012 Australasian Joint Ore Reserves Committee Code (JORC). The Historical Estimate was not completed using CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves and is not supported by a technical report completed in accordance with National Instrument 43-101. The estimation of the Historical Estimate utilized close spaced historic percussion (~85%) and lesser diamond drill holes with drill spacing in the estimation area typically 15 x 30m and locally closer. The Inferred Resource was estimated using Multiple Indicator Kriging method of 1.5 metre down-hole composites within a mineralized domain interpreted from tin grade. Continuity of tin grades was characterised by indicator variograms at 14 indicator thresholds. The estimates are extrapolated a maximum of approximately 30 metres from drilling. Gemcom software was used for data compilation, domain wireframing, and coding of composite values, and GS3M was used for resource estimation. Resources were estimated into 15 by 30 by 3 m blocks (across strike, strike, vertical) aligned with the 067o trending drilling grid. Planview dimensions of the blocks approximate average drill hole spacing. For precise volume representation, resource estimates include the proportion of block volumes within the mineralized domain below surface. The modelling included a three-pass octant-based search strategy. Search ellipsoid radii (across strike, along strike, vertical) and minimum data requirements for these searches were: Search 1: 20 by 20 by 4 m (16 data), Search 2: 30 by 30 by 6 m (16 data), Search 3:30 by 30 by 6 (8 data). Model validation included visual comparison of model estimates and composite grades, and trend (swath) plots, along with comparison with estimates from alternative estimation methodologies and previous model estimates. The Historical Estimate is restricted to the area of close spaced drilling and 90% of the resource occurs within 40 metres of surface. Although the limited deeper drilling has encountered mineralized material this was not included in the Historical Estimate. The mineralized domain wireframe used to constrain the estimates was primarily interpreted on the basis of tin assay grades and restricts estimates to the volume tested by reasonably close spaced drilling. The wireframe was trimmed by the cross-cutting dyke and soil units interpreted from drill hole logging and geological mapping. Investigation of alternative interpretations included resource estimation with assumed dominant mineralization controls varying from flat lying to steeply west dipping. These models did not give significantly different total estimates. The reader is cautioned that the Historical Estimate is considered historical in nature and as such, is based on prior data and reports prepared by previous property owners. The reader is cautioned not to treat them, or any part of them, as current mineral resources or reserves. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the Historical Estimates as current resources and TinOne is not treating the Historical Estimates as current resources. Significant data compilation, re-drilling, re-sampling and data verification may be required by a qualified person before the Historical Estimates can be classified as a current resource. There can be no assurance that any of the historical mineral resources, in whole or in part, will ever become economically viable. In addition, mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.A Even if classified as a current resource, there is no certainty as to whether further exploration will result in any inferred mineral resources being upgraded to an indicated or measured mineral resource category. The Company has determined that the Historical Estimate is reliable, and relevant to be included here because it was estimated using close spaced drilling with modern geostatistical methods and software by an experienced resource geologist and provides a guide to the location of the Great Pyramid mineralized zone. This will be used to assist in targeting drilling to undertake testing of the extent and grade of the mineralized system. Quality Assurance / Quality Control Drill core and RC samples were shipped to ALS Limited in Brisbane, Australia for sample preparation and for analysis. The ALS Brisbane facilities are ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 17025 certified. Tin and tungsten are analysed by ICP-MS following lithium borate fusion (ALS method ME-MS85), overlimit results are reanalysed by XRF (ALS method XRF15b).A Forty-eight element multi-element analyses are conducted by ICP-MS with a four-acid digestion (ALS method ME-MS61). Control samples comprising certified reference samples, duplicates and blank samples were systematically inserted into the sample stream and analyzed as part of the Companya?s quality assurance / quality control protocol. About TinOne TinOne is a TSX Venture Exchange listed Canadian public company with a high-quality portfolio of tin projects in the Tier 1 mining jurisdictions of Tasmania and New South Wales, Australia. The Company is focussed on advancing its highly prospective portfolio while also evaluating additional tin opportunities.A A TinOne is supported by Inventa Capital Corp. Qualified Person The Companya?s disclosure of technical or scientific information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Stuart Smith., Technical Advisor for TinOne. Dr. Smith is a Qualified Person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43-101.A Contact Information: For more information and to sign-up to the mailing list, please contact: Chris Donaldson, Executive Chairman Tel: (604) 813-3931 Email: info@tinone.ca 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. SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release includes certain aForward?Looking Statementsa within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and aforward?looking informationa under applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words aanticipatea, abelievea, aestimatea, aexpecta, atargeta, aplana, aforecasta, amaya, awoulda, acoulda, aschedulea and similar words or expressions, identify forward?looking statements or information. These forward?looking statements or information relate to, among other things: the development of the Companya?s projects, including drilling programs; and future mineral exploration, development and production. Forward?looking statements and forward?looking information relating to any future mineral production, liquidity, enhanced value and capital markets profile of TinOne, future growth potential for TinOne and its business, and future exploration plans are based on managementa?s reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on managementa?s experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the price of gold and other metals; no escalation in the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; TinOnea?s ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms. These statements reflect TinOnea?s respective current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of other assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward?looking statements or forward-looking information and TinOne has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the Companya?s dependence on early stage mineral projects; metal price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Companya?s mining activities in Australia; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to reliance on the Companya?s management team and outside contractors; risks regarding mineral resources and reserves; the Companya?s inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects, including the inaccuracy of reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs of such projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of COVID-19; the economic and financial implications of COVID-19 to the Company; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; the Companya?s interactions with surrounding communities and artisanal miners; the Companya?s ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and the factors identified under the caption aRisk Factorsa in TinOnea?s management discussion and analysis and other public disclosure documents. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward?looking statements or forward-looking information. Although TinOne has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. TinOne does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward?looking statements or forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable Blog Archive Apr 2010 (22) May 2010 (25) Jun 2010 (8) Jul 2010 (12) Aug 2010 (18) Sept 2010 (19) Oct 2010 (29) Nov 2010 (30) Dec 2010 (18) Jan 2011 (13) Feb 2011 (21) Mar 2011 (23) Apr 2011 (19) May 2011 (31) Jun 2011 (36) Jul 2011 (46) Aug 2011 (26) Sept 2011 (12) Oct 2011 (15) Nov 2011 (17) Dec 2011 (7) Jan 2012 (18) Feb 2012 (4) Mar 2012 (12) Apr 2012 (17) May 2012 (10) Jun 2012 (21) Jul 2012 (8) Aug 2012 (15) Sept 2012 (7) Oct 2012 (17) Nov 2012 (20) Dec 2012 (10) Jan 2013 (58) Feb 2013 (59) Mar 2013 (60) Apr 2013 (98) May 2013 (134) Jun 2013 (203) Jul 2013 (293) Aug 2013 (350) Sept 2013 (363) Oct 2013 (347) Nov 2013 (374) Dec 2013 (438) Jan 2014 (543) Feb 2014 (474) Mar 2014 (525) Apr 2014 (527) May 2014 (470) Jun 2014 (408) Jul 2014 (472) Aug 2014 (522) Sept 2014 (441) Oct 2014 (471) Nov 2014 (496) Dec 2014 (535) Jan 2015 (535) Feb 2015 (520) Mar 2015 (579) Apr 2015 (657) May 2015 (679) Jun 2015 (673) Jul 2015 (728) Aug 2015 (803) Sept 2015 (922) Oct 2015 (920) Nov 2015 (801) Dec 2015 (791) Jan 2016 (781) Feb 2016 (834) Mar 2016 (929) Apr 2016 (864) May 2016 (946) Jun 2016 (1044) Jul 2016 (881) Aug 2016 (1035) Sept 2016 (966) Oct 2016 (918) Nov 2016 (854) Dec 2016 (885) Jan 2017 (879) Feb 2017 (777) Mar 2017 (896) Apr 2017 (872) May 2017 (850) Jun 2017 (851) Jul 2017 (971) Aug 2017 (1040) Sept 2017 (998) Oct 2017 (1144) Nov 2017 (1046) Dec 2017 (838) Jan 2018 (873) Feb 2018 (769) Mar 2018 (885) Apr 2018 (808) May 2018 (827) Jun 2018 (820) Jul 2018 (840) Aug 2018 (854) Sept 2018 (844) Oct 2018 (851) Nov 2018 (870) Dec 2018 (912) Jan 2019 (919) Feb 2019 (827) Mar 2019 (957) Apr 2019 (913) May 2019 (1007) Jun 2019 (934) Jul 2019 (949) Aug 2019 (936) Sept 2019 (910) Oct 2019 (920) Nov 2019 (874) Dec 2019 (908) Jan 2020 (941) Feb 2020 (848) Mar 2020 (898) Apr 2020 (848) May 2020 (822) Jun 2020 (787) Jul 2020 (819) Aug 2020 (858) Sept 2020 (841) Oct 2020 (873) Nov 2020 (811) Dec 2020 (780) Jan 2021 (765) Feb 2021 (716) Mar 2021 (819) Apr 2021 (805) May 2021 (815) Jun 2021 (824) Jul 2021 (830) Aug 2021 (832) Sept 2021 (791) Oct 2021 (754) Nov 2021 (683) Dec 2021 (693) Jan 2022 (694) Feb 2022 (654) Mar 2022 (740) Apr 2022 (745) May 2022 (748) Jun 2022 (701) Jul 2022 (704) Aug 2022 (702) Sept 2022 (699) Oct 2022 (737) Nov 2022 (718) Dec 2022 (692) Jan 2023 (662) Feb 2023 (611) Mar 2023 (692) Apr 2023 (302) Registrations of authorized natural and legal persons doing business in Romania were 3.04 percent up in 2022 from the previous year to 152,809, of which 113,931 were limited liabilities, shows data centralized by the National Trade Register Office (ONRC) consulted by AGERPRES. Most registrations were in Bucharest - 29,068 (+20.93 pct compared to 2021), and in the counties of Cluj - 9,199 (+6.69 pct), Ilfov - 7,933 (+12.38 pct) and Timisoara - 7,106 (+0.91 pct), told Agerpres. Conversely, the lowest number of registrations occurred in the counties of Covasna - 954 (-10.42 pct compared to 2021), Ialomita - 1,079 (-1.55 pct) and Tulcea - 1,111 (-14.67 pct). According to ONRC, the business areas to see the most registrations are wholesale and retail trade; motor vehicle and motorcycle repair (27,033; -8.16 pct compared to the previous year), professional, scientific and technical activities (16,560; +20.81 pct) and construction (15,583; -4.12 pct). As many as 11,212 authorized natural and legal persons were registered in November 2022, the majority thereof in Bucharest (2,343) and in the counties of Ilfov (624), Cluj (588) and Timis (499). The authorities with the Nadlac II Border Crossing Point (PTF) apprehended on Friday a number of 20 migrants hidden in a van, who attempted to illegally exit Romania, in order to get to western Europe, the driver of the vehicle being under criminal investigation, told Agerpres. "A Romanian citizen, aged 21, arrived at the border to complete border formalities on his way out of the country. The man was driving a van registered in the Czech Republic and was traveling, without a load, on the Romania-Austria route. Based on the profile of risk, a thorough control of the means of transportation was conducted, following which the border policemen discovered, in the cargo compartment, twenty foreign citizens," a press release sent by the Arad Border Police shows. The foreigners were taken in for investigations, and it was established that they are citizens for Bangladesh, India, Ghana, Gambia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, aged between 21 and 43. They intended to illegally get to a western European state, according to the Romanian authorities. The foreigners entered Romania legally, based on personal documents, and ten of them are asylum seekers. The border policemen are investigating migrant trafficking, in relation to the Romanian driver and in respect to the migrants, investigations are conducted for the fraudulent attempt to cross the state border. Arrivals in tourist accommodation units totaled 11.299 million people in 2022, an increase of 21.8pct compared to 2021, according to data released on Friday by the National Statistics Institute (INS). Of the total number of arrivals in 2022, the arrivals of Romanian tourists in accommodation units represented 86pct, while arrivals of foreign tourists accounted for 14pct. The overnight stays recorded in tourist accommodation units in 2022 totaled 24.319 million, an increase of 17.8pct against 2021, told Agerpres. Of the total number of overnight stays in 2022, the overnight stays of Romanian tourists in tourist accommodation units represented 85.8pct, while the overnight stays of foreign tourists represented 14.2pct. The average length of stay in 2022 was 2.1 days for Romanian tourists and 2.2 days for foreign tourists. The net usage index of tourist accommodation units was 30.1% of total tourist accommodation structures, in 2022, up 3.6pct compared to 2021. By country, the most foreign tourists recorded by the tourist net usage index accommodation units in 2022 came from: Germany (173,500 people), Israel (150,500 people) and Italy (122,800 people). The arrivals of foreign visitors to Romania, as recorded at the border crossing points, accounted for 12.696 million people in 2022, an increase of 87pct compared to 2021. The departures of Romanian visitors abroad, as recorded at the border crossing points, meant 17.265 million people, in 2022, increasing by 48.3pct versus 2021. The arrivals registered in tourist accommodation units in December 2022 totaled 807,200 people, an increase of 39.3pct compared to December 2021. Of the total number of arrivals, in December 2022, the arrivals of Romanian tourists in accommodation units represented 84.2pct, and the arrivals of foreign tourists 15.8pct. The overnight stays registered in tourist accommodation units in December 2022 totaled 1.562 million, an increase of 41.9pct compared to December 2021. Of the total number of overnight stays, in December 2022, the overnight stays of Romanian tourists in tourist accommodation units represented 81.6pct, while the overnight stays of foreign tourists accounted for 18.4pct. The arrivals of foreign visitors to Romania, as recorded at the border crossing points, in December 2022, totaled 1.036 million people, an increase of 89.6pct compared to December 2021. The departures of Romanian visitors abroad, registered at the border crossing points, in December 2022, totaled 1.205 million people, an increase of 46.5pct compared to the same month of 2021. Arrivals in apartments and rooms for rent registered in December 2022 totaled 72,200 people, an increase of 43.8pct compared to December 2021. Of the total number of arrivals, in December 2022, the arrivals of Romanian tourists in apartments and rooms for rent represented 89.6pct, while the arrivals of foreign tourists represented 10.4pct. The overnight stays registered in apartments and rooms for rent in December 2022 totaled 142,300, an increase of 41.6pct compared to those in December 2021. Of the total number of overnights, in December 2022, the overnight stays of Romanian tourists in apartments and rooms rented represented 87.8pct, while the overnight stays of foreign tourists meant a percentage of 12.2pct. Arrivals in apartments and rooms for rent totaled 1.056 million people, in 2022, an increase of 40.0pct compared to 2021. Of the total number of arrivals, in 2022, the arrivals of Romanian tourists in apartments and rooms for rent represented 92.5pct, and the arrivals of foreign tourists 7.5pct. Of the total number of overnight stays, in 2022, the overnight stays of Romanian tourists in apartments and rooms for rent represented 92.2pct, while the overnight stays of foreign tourists registered a percentage of 7.8pct. Romania is actively supporting the expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor and immediate actions and concrete steps are needed in order to accomplish this thing, Energy Minister Virgil Popescu stated at the official opening of the ministerial meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council in Baku, told Agerpres. "This morning I have participated in the official opening of the Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Romania's President Klaus Iohannis and Commissioner Kadri Simson attended this ceremony, occasion on which they conveyed important messages regarding the construction of the future design of the energy market, in the current geopolitical context," the minister wrote on his Facbook page. According to him, Klaus Iohannis underscored the importance of Romanian-Azerbaijani partnership and conveyed that our country "pledged its continuous commitment to be part of the efforts aimed at developing and expanding the Corridor towards new markets in Central and South-East Europe." President Iohannis underscored that Romania remains "highly interested in accessing additional volumes of Caspian gas to cover our own growing national consumption." "Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev also reiterated the commitment to support through concrete projects the desideratum of achieving energy security. It will be an important day, in which alongside Azerbaijani, Georgian and Hungarian partners we will establish the concrete framework to achieve the project of the submarine cable for energy transmission through the Black Sea. Moreover, within the speech I delivered at the ministerial meeting, I have conveyed again that Romania is actively supporting the expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor and immediate actions and concrete steps are needed in order to achieve this thing. Moreover, I also proposed to have semestrial meetings in order to draft a concrete expansion plan. Any proposal for an additional gas transmission project in Southeastern Europe and the Balkans is welcomed, taking into account that the availability of gas shall be one of the greatest challenges of 2023," the Energy minister underscored. He mentioned that Romania has an operational and viable transmission infrastructure of natural gas which can contribute to the regional energy security, to the implementation of the development plans of the Southern Gas Corridor and the transmission of Azerbaijani gas on regional markets. "In these unprecedented times of volatility and transition, the partnerships between governments and energy companies remain essentials in order to ensure an open dialogue on an agenda which needs to stimulate investments, energy security, transaction and innovation," the minister also wrote on his Facebook page. An official delegation led by President Klaus Iohannis is in Baku, where the Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council takes place. The Romanian delegation is made up of Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu, Energy Minister Virgil Popescu, Director of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) Eduard Hellvig, Presidential Advisers Cosmin Marinescu, Luminita Odobescu, Daniela Barsan and Delia Dinu. The 9th Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council in Baku is also attended by European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, as well as officials from many countries such as Azerbaijan, Turkey, Italy, the UK, Georgia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, Croatia. The General Inspectorate of the Border Police (IGPF) informs that on Thursday, a number of 62,006 people entered Romania through border points, of whom 7,928 were Ukrainian citizens, told Agerpres. According to a release sent to AGERPRES on Friday, approximately 130,000 people, Romanian and foreign citizens, with more than 40,300 means of transportation, completed the control formalities at the border crossing points nationwide, both on the way in and on the way out. As of 10 February 2022 (the pre-conflict period), a number of 3,451,784 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania. In the relevant areas - the border crossing points and the "green border," the border policemen discovered 61 illegalities (32 offenses and 29 contraventions) committed by both Romanian and foreign citizens, with the amount of fines enforced exceeding 51,300 RON. Assets of an estimated value of approximately 234,600 RON were impounded. On Thursday, a number of 18 foreign citizens were not allowed to enter the country because they didn't meet the requirements stipulated by the law, while a number of 21 Romanian citizens were not allowed to leave the country for various legal reasons. President Klaus Iohannis stated on Friday that Romania is an important producer of hydrocarbures in Europe at this moment and that our country intends to further strengthen this role by further developing the gas reserves in the Black Sea, told Agerpres. "Natural gas remains a critical complementary element in supporting the decarbonisation process. Within the European Union, Romania has been actively advocating for the inclusion of natural gas and nuclear energy in the green taxonomy, as essential technologies in the transition process to a carbon-free economy. We thus see a predictable and long-term use of natural gas in the European Union's economy. Romania is currently a significant producer of hydrocarbons in Europe, a role that we intend to enhance with the gas reserves already discovered in the Black Sea. Moreover, additional substantial volumes will become available in 2026-2027. Romania will be able to contribute further to the energy security and resilience in Europe," said Iohannis, at the ministerial meeting of the Advisory Council of the Southern Gas Corridor, which he opened alongside his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev. He reiterated Romania's strong engagement in promoting energy cooperation in the region, both through capitalizing on available energy production potential and on cross-border energy transport infrastructure. An important example in this respect is the Agreement on Strategic Partnership in the field of green energy development and transmission between the Governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, and Hungary, signed during the visit of President Aliyev to Bucharest, on 17 December 2022. "Through this Agreement, we will develop a Black Sea Green Electricity submarine cable, providing valuable contributions to a stronger European energy security. This Strategic Partnership is also in line with the REPowerEU plan and will strengthen economic growth, security, resilience and climate action for Europe and for our partners," said Iohannis. According to him, energy cooperation between the European Union and its member states, on one hand, and Azerbaijan, on the other hand, has a strategic priority. More than that, this cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union is required by the logic of the market. The head of state reiterated Romania's solid and continuous commitment to regional cooperation "as the way to finding sustainable solutions to common challenges, in particular for our common energy security." Participating in the ministerial meeting of the Advisory Council of the Southern Gas Corridor were also the European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, and officials from several country, such as Azerbaijan, Turkey, Italy, UK, Georgia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, Croatia. Romania's President Klaus Iohannis is participating today, along with his Azerbaijani counterpart, in the official opening of the 9th Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council in Baku, where also attending will be European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, told Agerpres. The Romanian retinue in Baku also includes Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu, Energy Ministr Virgil Popescu, Director of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) Eduard Hellvig, as well as presidential advisors Cosmin Marinescu, Luminita Odobescu, Daniela Barsan, and Delia Dinu. Also today, according to the official schedule, Iohannis will lay a wreath at the monument on Martyr's Lane in Baku. Iohannis' official visit to Azerbaijan began on Thursday, at the invitation of his counterpart Ilham Aliyev. After a conversation with Aliyev, Iohannis said that on Friday the signing of a new contract for the delivery of Azerbaijani natural gas to Romania April 1, 2023 - April 1, 2024 will take place by the companies Romgaz and Socar. He emphasised that both the Southern Gas Corridor and the future submarine cable for the transmission of electricity produced in Azerbaijan from renewable sources, both projects supported by the European Commission as well, will contribute significantly to ensuring the energy security of the European Union. In his turn, Aliyev said that by signing a new contract between Romgaz and Socar for the delivery of natural gas, all opportunities in Romania will be used to export Azerbaijani gas to other European markets. We are entering a new phase; in Bucharest last month, an agreement was signed to deliver Azeri gas to Romania. We will also address other European markets through you and we will use all these opportunities from Romania to export gas from Azerbaijan far beyond, Aliyev said after meeting Iohannis. President Klaus Iohannis stated on Friday that Romania remains highly interested in accessing additional volumes of Caspian gas in order to cover the growing national consumption, told Agerpres. "Since the very beginning, Romania has recognized the important contribution that Azerbaijan and the Southern Gas Corridor bring to fulfilling Europe's energy needs. Romania has pledged its continuous commitment to be part of the efforts aimed at developing and expanding the Corridor towards new markets in Central and South-East Europe. And we remain highly interested in accessing additional volumes of Caspian gas to cover our own growing national consumption," the head of state said at the ministerial meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council in Baku, opened alongside his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. President Klaus Iohannis underscored that, in the past years, Romania has made substantial investments in developing the gas transmission capacity, but also the connectivity with the neighboring countries. Among these, he said that Romania have laid a brand-new transport infrastructure across the country, namely the Bulgaria-Romania-Hungary-Austria gas interconnector (BRUA) gas pipeline - and completed the upgrade of interconnectors with Bulgaria and Hungary. "Romania's Transgaz has joined forces with gas transmission system operators in Greece, Bulgaria, and Hungary for the development of the Vertical Corridor. The renewed Memorandum of Understanding signed by the four companies in December 2022 will enable bi-directional gas flows between South and Central Europe, through Romania, enhancing the security of supply in the whole region. (...) Since January 2022, and also as a result of investments made by the Romanian gas transmission operator, the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline can operate in reverse-flow mode. This provides an alternative supply route to gas volumes from Azerbaijan, through Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania, and onwards to markets downstream. (...) The gas pipeline connecting the Romanian gas network to the capital city of Chisinau has been commissioned in October 2021 and is now fully operational. The pipeline can carry enough gas to cover the yearly consumption of right-bank Moldova," Iohannis added. He concluded that all these consistent efforts and solid investments which Romania made provide solid options for expanding the Southern Gas Corridor towards new markets in South-East and Central Europe. "This is a win-win situation: the geography of Azerbaijan gas exports is diversifying, while strengthening Europe's energy security," Iohannis stated. According to the president, the Southern Gas Corridor has proved, in the two years since becoming operations, its strategic importance for Europe's energy security. "We have to commend all those who showed vision, political will and determination to make this Corridor a reality," the head of state said. He showed that this Corridor becomes even more important at this particular time, when Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has drastically changed the geopolitical context, especially when we talk about energy security. The head of state mentioned that, in this context, the European Union and the member states "have taken decisive steps to substantially reduce the dependence on unreliable gas sources, as they carry a geopolitical price tag that is just too high to pay." "This strategic course of action towards trustworthy partners such as Azerbaijan, has been long advocated by Romania. And we have enjoyed the benefits of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and Azerbaijan, since its launch in 2009," the president stated. He pointed out that the responses to Europe's questions in terms of energy require solidarity, regional cooperation and a diversification of sources and transport routes, and these are key principles, which are encapsulated by projects such as the Southern Gas Corridor. President Iohannis said that last year everyone has to confront with unprecedented energy challenges: gas shortages or lack of affordable gas supplies, price volatility, market turbulence, and these challenges required complex policies and regulatory shifts. "The gas from Azerbaijan, delivered through the Southern Corridor, came as a safety net for many states in the region. The assurances given by Azerbaijan, personally by President Aliyev, on the availability of Caspian gas for the European market, have provided much-needed stability and predictability at a very stressful juncture for the markets. The conclusion of the Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership in the field of Energy signed by the European Union and Azerbaijan in July 2022 opens the way for further cementing the role of the Southern Corridor as an essential component of the EU's diversification strategy," the head of state said. The 9th Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council in Baku is also attended by European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, as well as officials from many countries such as Azerbaijan, Turkey, Italy, the UK, Georgia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, Croatia. Users of the platform for the online issuance of criminal record certificates created 14,314 new accounts in the first 48 hours since the platform became operational, told Agerpres. "In the first 48 hours after the actual launch of the platform meant for the online issuance of criminal record certificates, 14,314 new accounts have been created in the hub of the Ministry of Interior. Thus, 12,137 of these accounts were validated through ghiseul.ro and 271 citizens went to the police units for the validation of the accounts," informs a press release of the Ministry of Interior (MAI) sent to AGERPRES on Friday. According to the MAI, 9,776 criminal record certificates were generated through the online platform. Romgaz National Gas Company (SNGN) and Socar Trading, a subsidiary of the national oil company of the Republic of Azerbaijan signed on Friday in Baku a new individual contract for the delivery of Azerbaijani natural gas to Romania, told Agerpres. "In order to ensure our country's consumption need, today, I have participated in the signing ceremony of a new individual contract for the delivery of Azerbaijani natural gas to Romania, between the SNGN Romgaz SA and Socar Trading, the subsidiary of the national oil company of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The contract provides for the possibility of delivering quantities of up to 1 billion cubic meters until 31 March 2024 and will enter into force on 1 April 2023, thus extending the contractual framework established by the first individual contract concluded by the companies at the end of last year," Minister of Energy Virgil Popescu wrote on his Facebook page. According to him, the cooperation between Romania and Azerbaijan in the energy area includes several levels, namely gas, LNG and green energy. "At the same time, we discussed in detail the joint projects that Romgaz and Socar are developing," Virgil Popescu underscored. "The signing of this contract once again proves the excellent cooperation between SNGN ROMGAZ SA and SOCAR, a cooperation initiated at the beginning of last year and formalized by signing a Memorandum of Understanding in June 2022. The parties plan to continue their cooperation relationship for the enhancement of the mechanisms for natural gas deliveries from Azerbaijan to Romania as well as with the aim of exploring new cooperation possibilities for implementing energy projects of mutual benefits," according to a Romgaz release. The contract signing ceremony was attended by Minister of Energy Virgil Popescu, Azeri Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov, President of Socar Rovshan Najaf, Romgaz Interim CEO Razvan Popescu, Romgaz Interim Deputy CEO Aristotel Jude and Secretary of State George Niculescu. An autographed undergraduate thesis by Titu Maiorescu and the authographed doctoral thesis of Zoia Ceausescu were sold on Thursday evening at an auction at Casa Artmark, told Agerpres. According to the results of the auction of rare books, maps, manuscripts and autographs, the law thesis written by Titu Maiorescu in 1861 in French and defended at the University of Paris, sold for 2,000 euros. The unique copy is part of the edition published according to the provisions of the university regulations and includes corrections, additions and handwritten comments of the author. After 1861, Titu Maiorescu returned to Romania with three university degrees - a doctorate from Berlin, a bachelor's degree in letters and philosophy from the Sorbonne, and a bachelor's degree in law from Paris. He was a university professor and rector of the University of Iasi, leader of the Junimea Literary Society. At the same auction, Zoia Ceausescu's doctoral thesis "Extrapolari operationale" (Operational extrapolations) fetched 600 euros. The original copy is autographed and has a dedication by Nicolae Ceausescu's daughter. According to Artmark, after winning a PhD in Mathematics in 1980 at the University of Bucharest, Zoia Ceausescu published 22 works recorded in the database of the American Mathematical Society. Eiffel's "Noi cercetari asupra rezistentei aerului si aviatiei realizate in laboratorul Auteuil" (New researches of the resistance of air and aviation carried out in the Auteuil laboratory) also sold at the auction. The book has a handwritten dedication by the designer and builder of the famous Parisian tower Gustave Eiffel to Henri Coanda at the time when the latter was technical director of the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and sold for 1,600 euros. A two-volume set of the social novel "Morometii" by Marin Preda sold for the same price. It has the author's handwritten dedication to philosopher Dumitru Ghise. An editio princeps of "Trilogia valorii" (The Trilogy of Values) by Lucian Blaga, bearing the author's handwritten signature and a dedication in Romanian that reads: "To the lady everywhere present between the lines of this book..." sold for 600 euros. Longtime St. Louis area Girl Scout leader Bonnie Barczykowski was named CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA. Barczykowski, who has served as CEO of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri council since 2012, will succeed Sofia Chang on Feb. 13. The two will transition leadership responsibilities through the month of February. During her time with the Eastern Missouri council, Barczykowski led a $50 million Her Future is Our Future campaign to fund capital projects, scholarships, programs and the organizations endowment. She holds a bachelors degree in education and an MBA from Lindenwood University. ST. LOUIS Adult-use, recreational cannabis can be sold in Missouri dispensaries beginning Friday, giving consumers an unexpected boost to their weekend plans. Expectations throughout the industry had been that the licenses required to sell non-medical cannabis would not be issued by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services until Monday. But the department threw a curve Thursday afternoon, announcing that it would issue licenses on Friday to the dispensaries that qualified for them. As soon as a dispensary receives its license, it can begin selling marijuana to anyone older than 21. Area dispensaries said they are ready for the expected crowds. There was an inkling from the state that it could have the potential to go early on Friday, said Laurie Gregory, chief marketing officer of Good Day Farm, an Arkansas-based grower, manufacturer and dispensary with several area locations. Its been day by day and moment by moment, she said. Were waiting, were prepping, were ready. Recreational-use marijuana will initially be sold only at already-existing medical-use dispensaries. State health department spokeswoman Lisa Cox said at least 170 of these dispensaries statewide are eligible for licenses Friday, which will be given to any store in good standing with the department. Good standing means the license is not suspended, revoked, or otherwise inactive at the time the request is made, she said. Greenlight dispensaries, with 15 locations across the state, have been spending about $7 million or $8 million on improvements to make sure we can efficiently handle the adult-use consumer and not isolate the medical-marijuana patients that built its business, said CEO John Mueller. New pickup windows have been installed in the lobbies and separate lines will be established to handle the returning medical marijuana patients. And for the stores that have drive-thru windows, Mueller said, were putting in new speaker boxes, Chick-fil-A style. The company has added 80 employees to handle the increased business. About half of them will staff the dispensaries, and the other half are on the cultivation and production side of the business. Many cannabis companies grow and process their own marijuana, turning some of it into edibles and vape pens in their own facilities. Recreational-use cannabis became legal when voters passed Amendment 3 last November, allowing non-medical users to possess up to 3 ounces of cannabis and medical users to possess up to 6 ounces. I think the first week will be a little chaotic, Mueller said. I think youll see lines just to be among the first consumers. A lot of people in Missouri, a heavily conservative state, have been waiting a long time for this. Customers have been getting impatient. Dan Pettigrew, co-founder of Black-owned Viola Brands, said that nine out of 10 visitors to the new ViolaSTL dispensary in Downtown West have come in to buy as recreational customers. When the dispensaries another is set to open Monday on the Cherokee Street corridor receive their licenses to sell adult-use cannabis, Pettigrew said he expects sales to increase by a factor of 10. We think, for a number of reasons, sales will increase more in urban markets than rural markets, Pettigrew said. Greenlights Mueller said he is also expecting sales to soar. While medical use sales are now $40 million per month in Missouri, he thinks the state will soon see monthly sales of $80 million or even $100 million. With recreational-use marijuana now legal, many of the companies expect it will take a big bite out of the still-thriving illegal market. Mueller said the fact that all legal weed is tested for 54 contaminants will appeal to many consumers who have been buying pot on street corners, as will product consistency and the burgeoning variety of marijuana strains. Good Day Farms Gregory said the fact that it is legal can make a big difference. She was in Michigan when the state made the move to legal recreational cannabis. I was in a dispensary and a man came in, probably in his 70s. He walked into the store, raised his hands and started crying. He said, I never thought I would see the day when I could walk in and buy this plant that has helped me so much, she said. Each week, I publish the First Course, an email newsletter that dishes insight, news, tips and more from St. Louis thriving dining scene. Exclusive to the newsletter is a weekly recommended dish from an area establishment. Here is a sampling of the recommendations Ive offered in recent weeks. If you want to read these as soon as I send them every Thursday morning, visit stltoday.com/newsletters and subscribe to the First Course. Jerk chicken with passion-fruit boba at Cleveland-Heath I dont have many opportunities to write this. At Cleveland-Heath in downtown Edwardsville, I encountered something Ive never seen before: boba as in boba from boba tea as part of a savory dish. The pearls of passion fruit boba garnish Cleveland-Heaths jerk chicken, which is served over a less surprising mound of coconut-cilantro rice and black beans. Evan Buchholz, the restaurants chef and owner, had intended the boba for a dessert but thought it could add a tropical note to the chicken and cut through the jerk seasonings spice. The passion fruit boba indeed does both. The sweet-tart pops enliven the chicken (and the rice and beans, for that matter) and contrast, if not dampen, the jerk seasonings bite. This is a fun, delicious dish. Buchholz and his wife, Gina, took ownership of Cleveland-Heath in late 2021. At the time, he was already serving his second stint as the acclaimed restaurants executive chef, and he has proven himself the ideal fit for maintaining the Cleveland-Heath standard (I began my recent lunch with a cup of the restaurants always comforting posole) and pushing it to new heights. Where Cleveland-Heath, 106 North Main Street, Edwardsville More info 618-307-4830; clevelandheath.com Birria (as in the stew) at Tienda El Ranchito If you have enjoyed the boom in recent years of quesabirria and birria de res tacos, you owe it to yourself to try the dish that is the parent of both: birria, the stew of goat (or beef), from the Mexican state of Jalisco. During my time in St. Louis, I have found only two places serving birria with goat. One, Pueblo Nuevo in Hazelwood, closed in 2020. The second is Fairmont City mainstay Tienda El Ranchito, one of several notable Mexican restaurants in the small Metro East community. (Right across Collinsville Road from Tienda El Ranchitos parking lot is another must-visit, Mi Tierra Bonita.) Here an order of birria brings a tremendous bowl brimming with dusky red-orange consomme and hunks of bone-in goat. The meat isnt lean, but it adds even more body to the already lush broth. The consomme is certainly spiced but isnt so hot that the goats distinct flavor cant assert itself. The consomme will stain your favorite shirt. You wont mind. The goat meat makes it difficult to compare this birria with the consomme accompanying the beef birria at other area restaurants. (For my money, the best of those beef borths is at Tacos La Jefa.) If you happen to know of another restaurant serving birria as a stew with goat, please let me know. Where Tienda El Ranchito, 2565 North 32nd Street, Fairmont City More info 618-875-1521; tiendaelranchito.com Poke at Hello Poke As I wrote in my recent review of Sando Shack, owners Amy Guo and Dan Jensen originally moved from Seattle to St. Louis to open Hello Poke at the Food Hall at City Foundry. With the delays to the debut of the Food Hall, the couple founded Sando Shack in the meantime. Guo and Jensen didnt abandon Hello Poke, though. It was one of the inaugural restaurants when the Food Hall finally did open in August 2021. I have spent a fair amount of time at the Food Hall since then see my reviews of Chez Ali, Chicken Scratch, Sureste and a three-for-one look at 4 Hens Creole Kitchen, Fordos Killer Pizza and Intergalactic but I hadnt visited Hello Poke until recently. Poke restaurants, at least as they have appeared in St. Louis in recent years, are difficult to review in a traditional sense. Often, the whole point is to build your version of the Hawaiian dish from a menu of base, protein and topping options. Such is the approach at Hello Poke. I went with a relatively straightforward bowl: ahi tuna, rice and spicy mayonnaise with cucumber, green onion, ginger and jalapeno. Here you choose a crunch to finish, and I opted for onion crisps (like the bits in green-bean casserole). I couldnt ask for much more from a bowl of poke. The flavors were fresh, clean and bright, and each element had the proper texture, from the just-firm-enough rice to the very thin but still just-a-little-crisp cucumber. Hello Poke will make for a welcome change of pace whenever I can tear myself away from Sando Shacks fried chicken sandwiches. Where Hello Poke at the Food Hall at City Foundry, 3730 Foundry Way More info facebook.com/hellopokestl Pork poutine at Eat Crow Youll have to give me the benefit of the doubt when I say my new years resolution for you, dear reader, is to cut back on the burgers and fried chicken sandwiches in 2023. I buckled but didnt break at Eat Crow, which opened in late July in Soulard. A spinoff of Maplewood mainstay the Crows Nest maybe best known for its weekend Metal Brunch menu Eat Crow features a similar menu, including an appealing selection of burgers. If you dont already know the Crows Nest, the pork poutine ($13) makes a fitting introduction to its new sibling: waffle fries dressed with pork gravy and a gouda-jalapeno sauce, showered with bacon and garnished with green onion. Wait! some north-of-the-border pedant might interrupt. Those sound like cheese fries, not true poutine. Sure, fine, whatever. Eat Crows pork poutine is an excellent basket of cheese fries. The gouda-jalapeno sauce is exceptionally creamy, with the just-right piquancy to stand up against the twin oinks of all that bacon and the thin but still richly flavored pork gravy. I ordered the pork poutine as my main course, but the dish is listed among Eat Crows starters. You could order it as a prelude to a burger or the restaurants fried chicken sandwich. Not me. Not this week, at least. Where Eat Crow, 1931 South 12th Street More info 314-934-1400; eatcrowstl.com Chris Condon, a longtime broadcaster who created the mold in St. Louis for hard-charging investigative reporters, died Monday of pneumonia in New Rochelle, New York. He was 99. Condon became a well-known personality while working for 23 years, from 1961 to 1984, at KSDK (Channel 5), which was KSD at the time. During his career in St. Louis, Condon interviewed many prominent newsmakers, including President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Among his survivors are two daughters, Kathleen Condon and Ann Gallagher. A funeral Mass and burial will be on June 10 in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. During his stint as a reporter and anchor, Condon became well-known for his hard-pressing, sometimes confrontational, style of reporting. Gerard Christopher Condon was born on Oct. 7, 1923, in Union City, New Jersey. He attended Fordham University. His studies were interrupted by World War II, during which he served in the Army Signal Corps. After his honorable discharge as a staff sergeant, Condon returned to Fordham and earned a bachelors degree in philosophy. Spurred by his work for Armed Services Radio during the war, Condon pursued a career in radio in 1948, after working at several East Coast radio stations, Condon switched to the relatively new medium of television in 1956 and worked in Tulsa and Kansas City before coming here. After working as a reporter for several years, Condon moved into the studio in the late 1960s and became the markets most popular anchor. Julius Hunter, a longtime reporter and anchor at KMOV (Channel 4), began his career here at KSD in 1970, and he was assigned to Condon for training. Chris was incredibly patient, kind and instructive to the new kid on the block, Hunter said. Though he was well-known to be short of stature, (he) was a giant of a TV news journalist: tough, eloquent, relentless. Another reporter mentored by Condon was KSDKs Mike Owens, who began at the station in 1983. He was a great guy; a hard-working, old school reporter, Owens said. He actually was the guy who trained me, showed me how to write for TV, how to handle editing. Owens said Condons willingness to confront elected officials and police officers while reporting stories earned Condon his colleagues respect. But, Owens said, the police didnt care much for him. Longtime KTVI (Channel 2) broadcaster Don Marsh said he met Condon a number of times while both covered the same news event. He was a very intense guy on assignment and he was completely focused on whatever story he was covering, Marsh said. There was not a lot of chitchat. Daughter Kathleen Condon said her family did not see that aggressive style, but did agree that he was reserved in demeanor. Dad didnt talk about his work. He was a just the facts man, she said, adding, But if you asked his opinion, hed give it to you. Kathleen Condon said her father most enjoyed trips to Carlyle Lake, where he indulged in his passion for sailing, which he continued after retiring to South Carolina. Condon returned to reporting at KSD in 1976, after Patrick Emory was named as the stations main anchor. His television career in St. Louis ended abruptly in 1984, apparently connected to a lawsuit filed against Condon and the station over stories in the late 1970s about corruption in St. Louis politics. In August 1984, a jury award awarded $1.1 million to a city employee who had filed a libel suit against Condon and Pulitzer Broadcasting Co., which owned the station at the time. (In 1986, an appeals court reduced the award to $100,000.) Two days after the verdict, Condon resigned from the station; neither he nor the station would comment publicly to Post-Dispatch media critic Eric Mink. Citing sources, Mink wrote that Condon was extremely upset when the station refused to issue a statement of support for him after the jury verdict. Mink also noted that the station was planning to take Condon off the air for one week. After his resignation, Condon did some freelance reporting for publications, including the Globe-Democrat. He was later inducted into the St. Louis Media Hall of Fame. Art Holliday, a St. Louis native and now KSDKs news director, worked with Condon for about four years and called him one of the iconic reporters and anchors that I remember as a kid. Said Holliday, He is a legend here at KSDK. ST. LOUIS The company that cleans St. Louis court buildings announced this week it would vacate its contract with the judicial circuit after drawing scrutiny from local unions, workers and public officials for its treatment of disabled employees. On Thursday, Charlotte Hammond, CEO of Alton, Illinois-based Challenge Unlimited Inc., which provides staffing and workforce training for people with disabilities, sent a letter to city officials announcing the organization would end its contract with the court on April 3. It was originally set to expire June 30. In recent months, some employees accused the company of mistreating its disabled workers and punishing them for organizing. St. Louis aldermen jumped to the employees defense, showing up at demonstrations and passing a resolution this week in support of the employees and the union. Im asking my colleagues to stand up and advocate for these disabled workers, said Alderman Shameem Clark Hubbard on Friday. Hammond, however, accused the union of misleading elected officials about the company. She said Challenge Unlimited had hired 52 people with disabilities to work in the 22nd Judicial Circuit courthouses over the course of its five-year contract and had been praised by the court for its superior work. She said the company would pursue all available legal rights against the union for its unfounded and false accusations, past, present or future. A representative for the service employees union did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. Joel Currier, a spokesman for the 22nd Judicial Circuit, said in an email the courts were exploring options for janitorial services once the contract expired in April. The courts primary concern at this time is for the potential loss of employment for Challenge Unlimiteds workers, he said. ST. LOUIS A St. Louis man was charged in federal court on Wednesday for a deadly July carjacking. The man, Loyse Dozier, 20, was already facing charges for carjacking another woman whom police say he shot in August. Court records show he also completed probation in August after being charged for burglary, kidnapping, assault and other felonies in 2019. On July 10, Laruth Jones, 34, was carjacked for her Mercedes before being fatally shot outside Raqqa Food Mart in St. Louis County. The car was later found burned about 6 miles south in the citys College Hill neighborhood. On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Dozier is charged with carjacking resulting in death, brandishing and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, resulting in death, attempted carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury, possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm as a previously convicted felon. Authorities say the month after Jones was killed, Dozier shot another woman multiple times while trying to steal her Kia Optima outside of a city Walgreens on the 1400 block of North Grand Boulevard. In addition to Doziers cellphone being found in the womans recovered Kia, police say the shell casings from the shooting at Walgreens matched with shell casings from Jones fatal shooting in July. When arrested, authorities say he was caught with a gun. St. Louis County police investigated Doziers case along with St. Louis metropolitan police and the FBI, which announced a joint task force to investigate carjackings last month. The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday turned down a request to postpone next weeks execution of a Jennings man. Attorneys for Leonard Taylor had filed a motion with the Supreme Court, asking that the execution be pushed back 90 to 120 days so experts could conduct an additional review of the victims times of death. The court denied Taylors request without a written explanation, as is typical for such orders. A St. Louis County jury in 2008 convicted Taylor of four counts of first-degree murder and sentenced him to death in the 2004 deaths of his girlfriend and her three children. Taylor, 58, did not testify at trial but claims he is innocent of the killings. Taylor is scheduled to die by lethal injection Tuesday at the state prison in Bonne Terre. The murder victims were Angela Rowe, 28; her daughters, Alexus Conley, 10, and AcQreya Conley, 6; and her son, Tyrese Conley, 5. All had been shot execution style at the house on Park Lane that Rowe sometimes shared with Taylor. "Any additional delay simply frustrates the interests of justice," Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey wrote in a court filing Wednesday. Prosecutors and defense attorneys sparred over several issues in court filings this week submitted to the Missouri Supreme Court. One of the key points was whether the bodies had rigor mortis when they were discovered. The presence of rigor mortis, a stiffening of the joints and muscles during postmortem rigidity, would be key for Taylor's defense, as medical experts say it normally sets in a few hours after death and disappears about 36 hours later. Taylor's attorneys claim he has an airtight alibi because he left for California eight days before the bodies were discovered in the family's Jennings home on Dec. 3, 2004. Airport surveillance footage confirmed when Taylor left town, and his defense team claims that the presence of rigor mortis proves the victims could not have been killed before he left. Prosecutors argue Taylor shot the four victims execution-style before he left town on November 26, 2004. Joe Lebb, an investigator for the St. Louis County medical examiner's office, said at Taylor's trial that two of the four bodies showed signs of rigor mortis when they were found. Bailey told the state Supreme Court that Lebb "had never been trained in how to identify rigor mortis and had learned to do it 'by just watching somebody else.'" In response, Taylor's attorney Kent Gipson said it was "not possible that rigor mortis would still be present in a dead body a week or more after the person expired." Gipson said Lebb had years of experience and "any layperson can easily detect rigor mortis in a dead body." At Taylors trial, the deputy medical examiner who performed the autopsies, Dr. Phillip Burch, said the killings could have happened two or three weeks before the discovery of the bodies. Burch said his opinion changed he initially said they'd died just a few days before they were found after realizing that air conditioning was running in the house and the thermostat was turned to 50 degrees, which would have slowed decomposition. Gipson argued that Burch's time of death window changed once authorities learned of Taylor's alibi, and the change was part of the prosecutor's "shenanigans." Taylor's defense team asked the Supreme Court to give a local forensic pathologist, Dr. Jane Turner, time to review the times of death. However, Bailey indicated that giving Turner more time to investigate the time of death could, in the end, provide competing expert testimony, not proof of actual innocence. With execution just days away, Gipson is now asking the court to stay the execution and appoint a special master to hear Taylors claims of innocence, prosecutorial misconduct and ineffective assistance of counsel. Taylor also is asking Gov. Mike Parson for clemency. ST. LOUIS Police on Friday released the name of the 53-year-old O'Fallon, Missouri, man killed when a car fleeing a traffic stop hit two other cars near the St. Louis County border. Jimmy Mitchell died at the scene of the crash just after noon Jan. 20, police said. He was not involved in the pursuit. The incident began when a St. Louis County officer attempted to pull over a stolen Hyundai and it fled into the city, police said. The Hyundai crashed into two other cars, Mitchell's Chevy Camaro and a Ford Fiesta, in the citys Patch neighborhood. The driver of the Fiesta refused medical treatment. Three occupants of the Hyundai an 18-year-old and two teenagers were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A fourth person ran from the scene. Several witnesses told the Post-Dispatch that St. Louis County police were chasing the vehicle, a gray Hyundai, when it crashed at Broadway and River City Casino Boulevard. Both county police and city police, which took over the investigation, said officers from the county did not chase the vehicle. Police said they determined later that the Hyundai was stolen; they did not say what prompted the initial attempted traffic stop. Rates of stolen Kias and Hyundais exploded last year a trend also seen nationally because of a viral TikTok video that shows how to break into and drive off in many models of the South Korean-made vehicles using just a screwdriver and a USB charging cable. Thefts of Kias and Hyundais jumped 1,450% last year in the city, from 273 to 3,958. The same was true in St. Louis County, where a jump from 140 to 1,621 marked a 1,157% increase. JEFFERSON CITY A House committee focused on crime prevention advanced a wide-ranging plan Thursday, keeping a plan to appoint a special prosecutor in St. Louis and killing a measure Democrats supported to keep minors from carrying guns in public. Instead of allowing Gov. Mike Parson to appoint a special prosecutor in any jurisdiction anytime he determines it is necessary following a review, the new legislation allows him to appoint a special prosecutor if the number of homicide cases that have not been filed, declined, or adjudicated over the last year exceeds 35 per every 100,000 residents. While the legislation was aimed at St. Louis, the change means a special prosecutor could be appointed in any jurisdiction that meets the threshold. Rep. Lane Roberts, R-Joplin, said he was confident the city of St. Louis would meet the threshold for a special prosecutor. The special prosecutor would have exclusive jurisdiction to prosecute seven violent crimes: first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, first- and second-degree robbery and vehicle hijacking. Before appointing a prosecutor the governor would also be required to review crime statistics and determine that a threat to public safety and health exists in the jurisdiction, according to the legislation. Unlike the first draft, the governor wouldnt be able to select any attorney he wants for the job. The new legislation requires him to submit a request to the Missouri special prosecutor appointment committee, a five-member panel including the executive director of the Missouri Office of Prosecution Services, a prosecutor from a first-class county, a prosecutor from a second-class county and two prosecutors from third-class counties. Members of the committee would be selected via a secret ballot vote of the prosecuting and circuit attorneys of the state. The committee would select a special prosecutor with a five-year term, which the governor would be required to appoint. The prosecutor would be an at-will hire, meaning they could be terminated for any legal reason, and wouldnt be required to live in St. Louis. Over the objections of Roberts and Democrats on the crime committee, Republican rank-and-file members stripped a provision from the bill Thursday restricting unsupervised minors from possessing firearms in public, with an exception for hunting. The limit had been inserted following bipartisan talks between three Democrats and three Republicans on a crime prevention working group appointed by House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres. Plans to provide Medicaid services for six months to individuals newly released from prison, and for the state to assist inmates in obtaining photo identification and other important documents prior to their release, are included in the updated legislation advanced on Thursday. The legislation also creates a reimbursement program for qualifying Missouri police officers who paid tuition for basic law enforcement training. The measure, approved Thursday by the House Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee by a vote of 19-3, will need to clear a House rules committee before debate before the full chamber. The legislation is House Bill 301. ST. LOUIS A 22-year-old Berkeley man was charged with murder Friday in a man's shooting death earlier this week. Jalen Black is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. He is in custody on a $1 million bail. Around 4 a.m. Tuesday, police found 34-year-old Todd Bishop shot in his mother's front yard in the 8000 block of Busieck Avenue in Berkeley. He was pronounced dead at SSM Health DePaul Hospital - St. Louis. Officers said they found shell casings in the driveway of Black's home, at 8010 Busiek Avenue, next door to where Bishop was found. They searched his home and found a Glock that matched the casings at the scene and in Bishop's body, investigators said. Later, Black told police he fired the shots, according to court documents. The city's police force had asked the Major Case Squad to help investigate the killing. UPDATED with mugshot, no bail allowed and more details on suspect ST. LOUIS Prosecutors on Friday charged a man after two St. Louis police officers were shot near Soulard Market Thursday night. Police returned fire, hitting the suspect in the ankle, authorities said. One of the injured officers was shot in the side of his torso. He was treated at a hospital and released. The other officer was shot in the torso and arm and considered stable at a hospital, authorities said Friday. Cortez Darrell Sipes, 35, was charged with two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action, unlawful possession of a firearm, resisting arrest by fleeing and interfering with a felony arrest. Sipes was treated at a hospital for his injuries and released to the jail, where a judge ordered Sipes be held without bail. He lives in the 5100 block of Highland Avenue in St. Louis. The shooting, in a busy entertainment section of south St. Louis, left residents, patrons and business owners disturbed on Friday. The incident began around 10:30 p.m. Thursday when Third District officers tried to stop a Ford F-150 truck in the 800 block of Julia Street, in the Lasalle Park neighborhood near Soulard, in connection with a first-degree robbery investigation. The officers, in a marked patrol SUV, turned on their lights and siren, police said. The Ford drove away, went through the courtyard of the Soulard Market and crashed, police said. Sipes ran from the vehicle and fired shots at the officers at South Ninth Street and Lafayette Avenue. The officers returned fire, hitting him in his ankle, said St. Louis police Chief Robert Tracy. Sipes collapsed in an alley. Both officers are men. One is 38 and has been with the police department 14 years. He was also shot on the job about a decade ago. The other officer is 24 and has two years of service. Jordan Fanger, 28, was arriving in Soulard to meet friends at a karaoke bar on South Ninth when he heard the barrage of gunfire first just two shots, then a rapid succession of at least 20 rounds, he said. He said he hopped out of his car and ran into the bar, warning the employees to lock their doors. It sounded like so many rounds being shot, Fanger said. It was not something Ive heard before. Fanger is a former Soulard resident who now lives in Collinsville. Soulard, in my opinion, used to be a nice bubble, and I felt safe there, he said. Now it just seems like every week gunshots ring out. Nothing of this caliber. I feel like Soulard has become a more dangerous place, and crime is creeping into areas of the city that used to be safer areas. St. Louis police reported 22 aggravated assaults involving firearms in Soulard last year, up from 13 in 2021. Soulards rate of 5.7 such assaults per 1,000 residents in 2022 ranked 40th out of 74 city neighborhoods with populations above 900. The Mark Twain I-70 Industrial neighborhood had the highest rate, 44.3. A man was shot and killed earlier this year in a Soulard parking lot, and three days later another man chased down and killed someone he said tried to steal his car at a Soulard gas station. Scott Youll, whos lived for six months in a townhome on Ninth Street just across from where the shooting happened, said he and his girlfriend were watching TV when the shots rang out. I went and looked out the window, and then a couple of cop cars flew by, he told the Post-Dispatch. I saw the guy in the street. There were a couple of shots, then we looked at each other, and then we just heard a barrage of shots. Youll said he doesnt feel the neighborhood is very safe, noting he hears gunshots at least once every two weeks and both his and his neighbors car were recently broken into. He added that he rarely walks the neighborhood alone after dark. Tracy provided an update early Friday outside Barnes-Jewish Hospital, where he visited one of the officers around midnight Thursday. Lets all remember that this is a dangerous job that we do, said Tracy, who started his job as St. Louis police chief less than a month ago. His longtime career in law enforcement included most recently the position of police chief in Wilmington, Delaware. Tracy said the Ford truck apparently had been used in a robbery Tuesday in the 3800 block of Lindell Boulevard. Sipes had no attorney listed in court files Friday. Sipes has a lengthy criminal history. In 2005, he was convicted of assault on a law enforcement officer; prosecutors said he punched a St. Louis police officer in the face. He also was convicted of multiple drug offenses and weapons charges. In 2008, at age 21, he was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. With family in the gallery at his sentencing hearing, he told the judge he was committed to improving himself, according to a transcript. Youve really dug yourself a hole, U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber told Sipes. You have to change. You have to change because if you dont, youre going to spend the rest of your life in prison. Sipes was released in 2011. Two years later, he was sentenced to prison again being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to court records. Court records list his current occupation as a barber. The Force Investigative Unit is investigating Thursdays shooting, as it does all police shootings in the city. The officers were wearing bullet-resistant vests, but the vests have openings that allow for mobility, said a spokesperson for the department. Tracy noted the violence is not unique to St. Louis. Each and every city is going through their issues, so lets not make this about St. Louis, Tracy said. But it is a serious issue. People that carry guns that will shoot at other citizens shoot at our police officers have to be brought to justice. Michael Macchi, owner of Bogarts Smokehouse in Soulard, said the area feels relatively safe to him. He said the shooting could have happened anywhere, and he noted that Sipes just took a few turns and ended up in Soulard. What happened here last night is happening all over the city, he said. His restaurant just celebrated its 12th year in the neighborhood, and he said hes looking forward to another 12. Its just like any other neighborhood, unfortunately. Things are happening no matter where you are, he said. Everybody is more aware of their surroundings, you know? The police force is understaffed, I think everybody is just frustrated. Wed like to see our elected officials step up and support the police and the first responders, you know, work together to get this thing under control. Ethical Society of Police, which advocates for racial equality in policing, released a statement about the shooting Friday afternoon. Our officers go to work every day not knowing if theyre going to come back home, healthy or alive, ESOP said. Despite meager wages and blatant disrespect by our local government, these officers did the job they swore an oath to do like all the other men and women of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Ben Haug, who works at Protagonist Cafe near the scene of the shooting, has lived in his Soulard residence for about six months. He lived in the neighborhood for a year previously, as well. He said he feels the neighborhood is safe and walks to work every day. I dont feel unsafe walking at night, because we get off at like 7:30-8 p.m., he said. So I always feel fine. You always have to keep your eye out obviously, but I feel like Soulard has unfortunately been the site for a few bad things that have happened. I dont necessarily know if its an unsafe area. Its been a victim recently of some bad things happening. JEFFERSON CITY Nearly 200 Missouri dispensaries as of Friday were able to sell marijuana to anyone 21 and older, marking the official start to the states legal cannabis program following voter approval last year. The Department of Health and Senior Services said Friday it had converted 207 medical marijuana dispensaries for comprehensive sales, as well as 72 manufacturers and 56 cultivators. Of the 207 dispensary licenses converted, 196 were approved to open their doors to adults Friday. A list of licensed facilities was available on the states website. Sixty-eight dispensaries in the St. Louis region were approved to operate. The department advised consumers to use cannabis with caution, and asked people to review health information on cannabis before using it. Officials warned against using cannabis while pregnant, driving under the influence, or allowing individuals younger than 21 to access marijuana. The state also said edibles such as gummies, chocolates or sodas pose a greater risk of poisoning than smoked marijuana and that effects can take up to two hours after ingestion. The delay can cause some people to eat too much, which can lead to poisoning and/or serious injury, the state said, warning that children and pets can mistake edibles for regular food or candy. The state levies a 6% tax on recreational sales, on top of regular sales taxes. Municipalities across the state are set to decide this April whether to tack on an additional 3% levy to recreational sales. While there are no rules for how local tax revenue may be spent, the amendment requires that the health department use revenue generated to run the program. After that, revenue will be devoted to carrying out marijuana crime expungements required under the law and then divided equally into three pots: for substance abuse treatment programs, the state public defenders office, and to the Missouri Veterans Commission and allies. The states medical marijuana program is still intact, with about 205,000 active patients, Moore said Monday. Medical sales are still taxed at 4%, in addition to regular sales taxes, and additional local taxes are not allowed. Tax revenue, after paying for the program, goes to the Missouri Veterans Commission. Missouri is the 21st state to legalize marijuana for adult use. Dan Viets, coordinator of the Missouri NORML chapter and one of the authors of the amendment legalizing marijuana, noted the health department also began accepting personal cultivation applications on Friday. The option to grow for oneself is a fundamental right which has been part of legalization in the great majority of the 20 other states which have now taken the historic step of repealing the criminal prohibition of responsible adult marijuana use, Viets said. Ryan Herget, CEO of Good Day Farm, said the company expects sales at its 19 Missouri stores, which previously only sold cannabis for medical use, to double or triple. He said the company hired about 200 new employees in anticipation of increased demand. Missouris constitutional amendment to legalize recreational pot use also called for the expungement of records of past arrests and convictions for nonviolent marijuana offenses, except for selling to minors or driving under the influence. More than 5,200 past crimes had been wiped from Missourians records as of Thursday. Josh Renaud of the Post-Dispatch and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Updated at 4 p.m. On this version of Hot off the Wire: President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met for more than an hour at the White House, aiming to avert a national debt limit crisis. House Republicans have voted to oust Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. A published report says federal authorities are investigating whether embattled New York Rep. George Santos raised $3,000 for life-saving surgery for a disabled veterans dog and then kept the money for himself. Federal prosecutors say a New York man has pleaded guilty to making threatening phone calls to Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. The Philippines says it is allowing U.S. forces to broaden their footprint in that Southeast Asian nation. The most expansive federal report in over two decades on guns and crime shows a shrinking turnaround between the time a gun was purchased and when it was recovered from a crime scene. A whale that washed ashore in Hawaii over the weekend likely died in part because it ate large volumes of fishing traps, fishing nets, plastic bags and other marine debris. President Joe Biden attended the annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday in Washington and delivered a message of unity. People gathered Thursday at Gobblers Knob as members of Punxsutawney Phils inner circle summoned the groundhog from his tree stump at dawn to learn if he has seen his shadow and they say he did, meaning six more weeks of winter. Australia is removing the British monarchy from its bank notes. The nations central bank said Thursday its new $5 bill would feature an Indigenous design rather than an image of King Charles III. Regarding the letter Prolonged Ukraine war offers only disastrous outcomes (Jan. 29): The letter writer correctly notes that a Russian victory in Ukraine would have a disastrous outcome. He posits the only alternative as being prolonged war and therefore advocates a reasonable compromise, such as a plebiscite among Ukrainians. But I believe its impossible to compromise, given Russias record of aggression. Appeasement yields only further death and destruction. Moreover, the Ukrainian people support their governments military response to the Russian invasion, just as most Americans would oppose giving up some of our 50 states to a foreign invader. Fortunately, in my opinion, there is a third alternative: a decisive military defeat of Russia by Ukraine. Its the only one that can result in lasting peace. Anything else would reward Russia for its imperialism. In order to achieve this, its critical that the U.S. and other NATO countries provide Ukraine with the types of weapons it needs to prevail. While the recent announcement that the U.S. and Germany will provide Ukraine with battle tanks is a positive step, much more is needed. I believe Ukraine must be given weapons that will allow it to take the offensive, such as fighter jets and long-range missiles. Failure to provide such weapons would guarantee the prolonged war predicted by the letter writer. Greg Campbell Creve Coeur On February 3, 2023, Dufry and Edizione successfully closed the transfer of the 50.3% stake in Autogrill S.p.A held by Edizione S.p.A (through a wholly owned subsidiary) to Dufry. Through the closing, Edizione has become the largest shareholder of Dufry. Dufry will launch a mandatory public exchange offer on the remaining Autogrill shares. The combination of Dufry, global leader in Travel Retail, and Autogrill, global leader in Travel Food & Beverage (F&B), creates a unique, integrated Travel Experience Player Through the closing, Edizione holding a stake of about 27.5% has become the largest Dufry shareholder, joining Dufrys other long-standing shareholders, and Alessandro Benetton has become Honorary Chairman of Dufry, while Juan Carlos Torres continues as Chairman of the new enlarged company As previously announced, pursuant to Italian law, Dufry will launch a mandatory public exchange offer for the remaining Autogrill shares (excluding treasury shares), and expects to complete the full transaction including the mandatory exchange offer settlement by the end of Q2 2023 The combined entity addresses 2.3 billion passengers in more than 75 countries in around 5,500 outlets across around 1,200 airports and other locations with around CHF 14 billion turnover (2019 pro-forma) and CHF 1.3 billion of EBITDA (2019 pro-forma, pre-IFRS 16) The integration process will be launched following closing of the transaction Xavier Rossinyol, CEO of Dufry, commented: "I thank Edizione and its Chairman Alessandro Benetton as well as CEO Enrico Laghi for their trust in sharing our vision and supporting our strategy through their long-term commitment as a Dufry shareholder. I also thank Paolo Roverato and Gianmario Tondato da Ruos, Chairman and CEO of Autogrill respectively, for their key role and continued support in this transaction. Moreover, I thank the Dufry Board of Directors and its Chairman Juan Carlos Torres for their contribution towards this transformative business combination as well as all our shareholders for their trust in Dufry and our new strategy Destination 2027. I am looking forward to working together as a strong team combining the know-how and above all the passion of the Dufry and Autogrill colleagues. We will leverage our mutual skills to develop more compelling offers for our customers and build the next generation of travel experience together. I am grateful to Dufrys and Autogrills employees for their tireless work and significant contributions in bringing our joint vision to life. Alessandro Benetton, Chairman of Edizione, commented: Edizione, an Italian industrial holding company and now Dufry's largest shareholder, considers its shareholding in Dufry strategic, as are Atlantia and Benetton Group; as such, Edizione will give its maximum strategic, financial and operational support to this important project, in particular by focusing its commitment on three essential themes: sustainable growth, attention to the many people who work daily in the organization and compelling international vision. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the outstanding Edizione and Dufry teams who worked on the transaction. COMPLETION OF TRANSFER In accordance with the Combination Agreement entered into on July 11, 2022, and in consideration for the transfer of the 50.3% stake in Autogrill to Dufry, Edizione (through its wholly owned subsidiary Schema Beta S.p.A.) was issued mandatory convertible non-interest bearing notes convertible into an aggregate of 30,663,329 newly issued Dufry shares, at an implied exchange ratio of 0.1581 new Dufry shares for each Autogrill share. Edizione exercised its conversion right following closing of the transfer and was issued 30,663,329 Dufry shares (equal to 25.246% of Dufry's registered share capital). Considering the additional Dufry shares acquired on the market between the signing and the closing by Edizione, the latter holds a stake of about 27.5% of Dufry's registered share capital. FULL AUTOGRILL CONSOLIDATION AS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2023 Dufry will start to fully consolidate Autogrill from February 1, 2023 onwards and the integration process is about to be launched. The integration will also include defining a corporate identity and company name for the combined group, representing the enhanced portfolio, complementary offerings and valuable expertise of both companies. COMBINED GROUP IN FIGURES The combined Group serves over 2.3 billion passengers across all continents in approx. 5,500 outlets at around 1,200 airport and other locations, geneRating around CHF 14 billion turnover (2019 pro-forma) and CHF 1.3 billion of EBITDA (2019 pro-forma, pre-IFRS 16). With a global footprint and presence in more than 75 countries, the Group offers an exceptional experience and knowledge within the industry and enables strong, mutual value-creating relationships with concession partners and suppliers. The Group employs around 60,000 people from over 150 nationalities globally, united as one team. GOVERNANCE OF THE COMBINED GROUP With the closing of the transfer, the Dufry Board of Directors welcomes Alessandro Benetton (Chairman of Edizione) and Enrico Laghi (CEO of Edizione), both having been conditionally elected to the Dufry Board at the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders held on August 31, 2022, subject to the closing of the transaction. Enrico Laghi was also elected a member of Dufrys Remuneration Committee. As of closing, the Dufry Board of Directors is therefore composed of: Juan Carlos Torres, Chairman Alessandro Benetton, Honorary Chairman Enrico Laghi, Vice Chairman Heekyung Jo Min, Lead Independent Director, Chair of the Nomination and ESG Committee Mary G. Steel Guilfoile, Chair of the Audit Committee Luis Maroto Camino, Chair of the Remuneration Committee Xavier Bouton Joaquin Moya-Angeler Cabrera Ranjan Sen Lynda Tyler-Cagni Eugenia M. Ulasewicz As previously announced, Xavier Rossinyol with his extensive skills in both travel retail and travel food & beverage will lead the combined Group as CEO. Yves Gerster will continue as the Groups CFO. Members on the Autogrill Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer As a result of the transfer, Autogrills Board of Directors has a new composition. Autogrills former CEO Gianmario Tondato da Ruos, Alessandro Benetton, Franca Bertagnin Benetton, Massimo Di Fasanella dAmore Di Ruffano, Simona Scarpaleggia and Paolo Zannoni resigned from their respective offices. The following new members of the Board of Directors of Autogrill have been appointed: Bruno Chiomento, Francisco Javier Gavilan, Nicolas Girotto, Marella Moretti, Emanuela Trentin and Xavier Rossinyol. They will complement Autogrills Board of Directors and join the existing members Ernesto Albanese, Rosalba Casiraghi, Francesco Umile Chiappetta, Barbara Cominelli, Manuela Franchi, Maria Pierdicchi and Paolo Roverato. Bruno Chiomento, Francisco Javier Gavilan, Nicolas Girotto, Marella Moretti and Emanuela Trentin are independent in accordance with Italian law and the Corporate Governance Code of Companies Listed on Euronext Milan. Therefore, 11 out of 13 of the members of the Board of Directors of Autogrill will be independent. In accordance with the Combination Agreement, Dufry has indicated Paolo Roverato as Chief Executive Officer of Autogrill. Bruno Chiomento has been indicated by Dufry as new Independent Chairman of the Board of Directors of Autogrill and as member of the Control, Risk and Corporate Governance Committee, Human Resources Committee and Committee for Transactions with Related Parties. Dufry has also recommended Xavier Rossinyol as Chairman of the Strategies and Sustainability Committee and Marella Moretti as Chairwoman of the Human Resources Committee. The next Board meeting of Autogrill is expected to be held in the next few days and will resolve on the appointments of the Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and Committee members. Relationship Agreement As announced previously, effective upon the transfer, Dufry and Edizione entered into a long-term Relationship Agreement, which underlines the commitment of Edizione as long-term strategic anchor shareholder supporting the enhanced strategy of the combined entity. Edizione is entitled to designate three representatives out of 11 to the Dufry Board of Directors, and entered into a lock-up undertaking for a period of two years after closing, subject to customary exceptions. For further information, please click here Legal Disclaimer The mandatory public exchange offer (the "Offer") has not been and will not be made in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and any other jurisdictions where making the Offer or tendering therein would not be in compliance with the securities or other laws or regulations of such jurisdiction or would require any registration, approval or filing with any regulatory authority (such jurisdictions, including the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia, the "Excluded Countries"), by using national or international instruments of communication or commerce of the Excluded Countries (including, by way of illustration, the postal network, fax, telex, e-mail, telephone and internet), through any structure of any of the Excluded Countries financial intermediaries or in any other way. No actions have been taken or will be taken to make the Offer possible in any of the Excluded Countries. This document is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of offers to purchase or subscribe for shares. This document is not a prospectus within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act and not a prospectus under any other applicable laws. This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements relating to Dufry and its business. Such statements involve certain risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Dufry to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Readers should therefore not place undue reliance on these statements, particularly not in connection with any contract or investment decision. Dufry disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. 1 The exact exchange ratio being 0.1582781301928567 US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III visits the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City, Philippines, Feb 1, 2023. [Photo/Agencies] Despite concerns from China and all fellow peace-loving parties in the region, the Philippines agreed to the US to add four military bases in its soil. By strengthening its already very strong military presence in the Philippines, namely three to four aircraft carriers and two military base groups, the US doubtlessly hurts regional stability and increases regional tensions. Its latest move also threatens to distance the Philippines further from China by reducing their mutual trust. The more US troops that arrive in the Philippines are of course not coming for peace, but as a threat and for deterrence. The Philippines cannot count on the US military base making them safer. What's worse, it will only bring the country more trouble, given the hard lessons it has already learned, as well as other nations hosting US military bases. As early as 1993, a WHO report found that "toxic dumping, accidental spills, and environmentally destructive practices had made numerous sites at Clark Airbase and military base at Subic Bay unsafe and detrimental to human health." Their toxic waste included lead, aviation fuel, underground storage tank leaks, sewerage contamination, unexploded materials and radioactive materials. A similar situation happened in Yokosuka of Japan, where the local government now has plans to probe the US naval base situated there. In 2020, a local organization in Okinawa even published a pamphlet recording the crimes of US troops there, with rape records ranging from 1949 to 2016. Among the victims, the youngest was a 9-month-old baby that was robbed from her mother's arms and raped to death by a US soldier. On Jan 31, South Korean police collected evidence from a US military employee, suspected of sexually violating a local woman on July 24, 2022. The woman was witnessed running out of the US military calling for help and frantically describing her experience. Neither in history nor in reality have US military bases brought safety. The time has come for the Philippines to learn that undeniable fact. Zur Rose Group AG / Key word(s): Disposal Zur Rose Group hands over successful Swiss business to Migros to focus on growth in Germany 03-Feb-2023 / 07:00 CET/CEST Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Frauenfeld, 3 February 2023 Press release Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR Zur Rose Group hands over successful Swiss business to Migros to focus on growth in Germany Zur Rose Group sells its Swiss business to the Migros subsidiary Medbase and focuses on developing its B2C core business (with its focal point) in Germany With Migros as a leading healthcare provider, maximum development potential unfolds for Zur Rose Switzerland Proceeds of approximately CHF 360 million will flow to Zur Rose Group Transaction secures strategy and significantly strengthens capital structure to be best positioned to benefit from e-prescriptions in Germany and digitalisation in the healthcare sector The Zur Rose Group will focus on its B2C core business going forward with patients and customers at its centre it thereby builds on the expertise developed in Switzerland. With this concentration of its business activities, the Group will strengthen its position in the 50 billion Euro pharmacy market in Germany and in additional European countries. This applies in particular to the prescription business, which presents an enormous potential with the rollout of electronic prescriptions in Germany. The Group will continue to expand its digital health ecosystem through services for chronic patients and customers and through strategic collaborations with health partners. The focus lies on profitable growth. Transaction secures strategy and strengthens balance sheet of the Zur Rose Group As the future owner of the Zur Rose Switzerland business, the Migros subsidiary Medbase is taking over all operational units in Switzerland (excluding land and properties) with all employees. The Zur Rose Group will receive proceeds of around CHF 360 million from the transaction, of which approximately CHF 15 million are from the sale of IP rights to Zur Rose Suisse AG. The Group secures the implementation of its strategy and significantly strengthens its capital structure. The equity ratio increases to 73 per cent. The proceeds will leave the company largely net debt-free. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2023, subject to approval by the competition authority. Maximum development potential for Swiss business Since its foundation, the Zur Rose Group has been driving efficiency improvements and digitalisation in the healthcare sector. It thus plays an important role in curbing the rising costs in the healthcare sector. In both Switzerland and Germany, it has initiated connected and integrated partnerships with cost-conscious service providers and has thus developed into a leading provider of digital platform solutions. The integration of Zur Rose Switzerland into Migros as a long-standing partner will unlock large development potential. Walter Hess, CEO of the Zur Rose Group, says: With a clear focus on our B2C core business we will put patients and customers even more at the centre. In addition, this transaction will further strengthen our excellent position for the upcoming e-prescription rollout in Germany. At the same time, Migros is the ideal future owner for all our employees in Switzerland, under which Zur Rose can continue to develop successfully. Financial details of the transaction The proceeds from the sale of approximately CHF 360 million in cash comprise a first tranche upon completion of the transaction, expected in the second quarter of 2023, and an earn-out of CHF 47 million based on the achievement of Zur Rose Switzerlands 2023 EBITDA target, payable in the second quarter of 2024. Zur Rose Switzerland achieved revenue of CHF 687 million in 2022 with an EBITDA margin of around 3 per cent. Outlook The earnings expectations for 2022 communicated on 19 January 2023 remain unchanged. The new financial targets will be announced on 23 March 2023 on the occasion of the publication of the 2022 annual results. Morgan Stanley and Enqcor acted as financial advisors to the Zur Rose Group, Baker McKenzie and Homburger acted as legal advisors. At 11 a.m. CET today there will be a conference call for Analysts and the media. The following persons will present: Walter Hess, CEO, and Marcel Ziwica, CFO The presentation is available on the website: here Registration link for participants of the conference call: https://webcast.meetyoo.de/reg/peR4PZ6NW6LZ After registration, participants will receive a confirmation e-mail with personal dial-in details. Please dial in approx. 5 minutes before the conference call begins. To follow the live webcast, please us this link (no audio): https://www.webcast-eqs.com/zurroseag20230203/no-audio Alternatively, the presentation can be followed via live-audio webcast using the following link: https://www.webcast-eqs.com/zurroseag20230203 The playback of the webcast will be available after the event under the same link. Investors and analyst contact Dr. Daniel Grigat, Group Head of Investor Relations & Sustainability Email: ir@zurrose.com, phone: +41 58 810 11 49 Media contact Lisa Luthi, Group Director Communications Email: media@zurrose.com, phone: +41 52 724 08 14 Agenda 23 March 2023 2022 Full-Year Results and Outlook 2023 (11 a.m. CET: Conference Call/Webcast) 20 April 2023 Q1/2023 Trading Update 4 May 2023 Annual General Meeting 17 August 2023 2023 Half-Year Results (11 a.m. CEST: Conference Call/Webcast) 19 October 2023 Q3/2023 Trading Update Zur Rose Group The Swiss-based Zur Rose Group is Europes largest online pharmacy and one of the leading wholesale suppliers to medical doctors in Switzerland. It also operates the leading marketplace for health and personal care products in southern Europe. The company is internationally present with strong brands including DocMorris, Germany's best-known health platform. With its business model, the Zur Rose Group offers patients, customers and partners a broad range of products and services in the fields of e-commerce pharmacy, marketplace and professional health. In doing so, Zur Rose is pursuing its vision of creating a world for everyone to manage their health in one click. In 2022, about 2,400 employees in Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and France generated an external revenue of CHF 1,837 million serving more than 10 million active customers. The shares of Zur Rose Group AG are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (securities number 4261528, ISIN CH0042615283, ticker ROSE). For further information, please visit zurrosegroup.com. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 3, 2023 / This press release is being disseminated as required by National Instrument 62103 The Early Warning System and Related Take Over Bids and Insider Reporting Issuers in connection with the filing of early warning reports (the "Early Warning Reports") by Kings Chapel International Limited ("Kings Chapel"), John Conlon and Braam Jonker in respect of their ownership positions in CoTec Holdings Corp. (TSXV:CTH) (the "Corporation"). On February 2, 2022, the Corporation announced that it had completed a third closing of a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of units at a price of $0.50 per unit ("Units"). Each Unit consisted of one common share of the Corporation (a "Common Share") and one warrant to purchase a Common Share at a price of $0.75 per share for a period of 12 months from the date of issuance. Upon completion of the Private Placement, there were 47,474,220 Common Shares outstanding. Kings Chapel, which is owned by an irrevocable discretionary trust associated with Julian Treger (CoTec's Chief Executive Officer and a director of CoTec) and Mr. Conlon purchased Units under the Private Placement. Mr. Treger also purchased Units under the Private Placement and may be considered to be acting jointly with Kings Chapel in respect of the acquisition and voting of Common Shares. Mr. Jonker did not participate in the Private Placement but has recently acquired Common Shares in open market purchases over the TSX Venture Exchange. The number of Common Shares beneficially owned on an undiluted basis by each of Kings Chapel, Mr. Conlon and Mr. Jonker and their joint actors, immediately prior to and immediately after the Private Placement, along with the percentage of outstanding Common Shares represented by such Common Shares is set out below: Shareholder Common Shares Prior to Private Placement % of Outstanding(1) Common Shares After Private Placement % of Outstanding(2) Kings Chapel / Julian Treger 6,709,359(3) 17.43% 14,224,807(3) 29.96% John Conlon 6,080,971(5) 15.80% 6,130,971(6) 12.91% Braam Jonker 7,408,988(7) 19.25% 7,532,632(8) 15.61% Notes : (1) Based on 38,489,316 Common Shares outstanding. (2) Based on 47,474,220 Common Shares outstanding. (3) Consists of 6,304,359 Common Shares owned by Kings Chapel and 405,000 Common Shares owned by Julian Treger. Kings Chapel also held 1,698,2999 warrants to purchase Common Shares and Mr. Treger held 200,000 warrants and 1,924,466 options to purchase Common Shares. On a partially-diluted basis, Kings Chapel and Mr. Treger collectively owned 26.14% of the outstanding Common Shares. (4) Consists of 11,516,307 Common Shares owned by Kings Chapel and 2,708,500 Common Shares owned by Julian Treger. Kings Chapel also held 1,698,2999 warrants to purchase Common Shares and Mr. Treger held 2,503,500 warrants and 1,924,466 options to purchase Common Shares. On a partially-diluted basis, Kings Chapel and Mr. Treger collectively own 47.63% of the outstanding Common Shares. (5) Mr. Conlon and joint actors also held 130,919 warrants. On a partially-diluted basis, Mr. Connon and joint actors owned 16.08% of the outstanding Common Shares. (6) Mr. Conlon and joint actors also hold 180,919 warrants. On a partially-diluted basis, Mr. Connon and joint actors own 13.24% of the outstanding Common Shares. (7) Mr. Jonker and joint actors also held 200,000 warrants. On a partially-diluted basis, Mr. Jonker and joint actors owned 19.67% of the outstanding Common Shares. (8) Mr. Jonker and joint actors also hold 200,000 warrants. On a partially-diluted basis, Mr. Jonker and joint actors own 15.96% of the outstanding Common Shares. Kings Chapel, Mr. Treger, Mr. Conlon and Mr. Jonker hold Common Shares for investment purposes. Each of them has a long-term view of the investment and may acquire additional securities including on the open market or through private acquisitions or sell the securities including on the open market or through private dispositions in the future depending on market conditions, reformulation of plans and/or other relevant factors. Depending on market conditions, general economic and industry conditions, the Company's business and financial condition and/or other relevant factors, each such shareholder may develop such plans or intentions in the future. A copy of the Early Warning Reports to be filed by Kings Chapel, Mr. Conlon and Mr. Jonker in connection with the transactions described above will be available on the Corporation's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. The head office of the Corporation is located at Suite 428, 755 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1X6. Kings Chapel's address is No. 2 The Forum, Grenville Street, St. Helier, Jersey, JE1 4HH. Mr. Conlon's address and Mr. Jonker's address is c/o the Corporation at Suite 428, 755 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1X6. To obtain a copy of the Early Warning Reports filed under National Instrument 62-103, please contact Braam Jonker at (604) 992-5600. SOURCE: CoTec Holdings Corp. View source version on accesswire.com: Dream Finders Homes, Inc. (the Company, Dream Finders or DFH) (NYSE: DFH), announced today the appointment of William W. Weatherford to its Board of Directors. Mr. Weatherford brings more than two decades of governance, financial and risk management expertise to the Dream Finders Board. He is currently Managing Partner of Weatherford Capital, which he co-founded in 2015 to build and invest in businesses that positively impact the world. In 2012, prior to the founding of Weatherford Capital, Mr. Weatherford made history as the 84th Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, becoming the youngest presiding officer of any state legislative chamber in the United States at the time. Mr. Weatherford served in the Florida Legislature from 2006 until 2014 and used his position as Speaker to advocate for social mobility through free enterprise and education reform and focused his tenure on breaking the cycle of generational poverty. Mr. Weatherford currently serves as Chairman of the University of South Floridas Board of Trustees. Mr. Weatherford also recently served as Co-Chairman of the Host Committee for Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida. In addition to chairing the board at the University of South Florida, Mr. Weatherford currently serves on the boards of TECO Energy, Kitson & Partners, PayIt, SOMA Global, The Florida Council of 100, and The National Council for the American Enterprise Institute. Patrick Zalupski, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dream Finders commented, We are pleased to welcome Will to Dream Finders Board of Directors. Wills track record is truly impressive, and his vast experiences and accomplishments will prove to be an integral asset to Dream Finders. Will Weatherford added, I am honored to join the Board of Dream Finders as I believe the Companys unique foundation and operating model is best demonstrated in challenging macro-economic environments that we are experiencing today. I am looking forward to working alongside Patrick and contributing to the success and growth as the Company continues to deliver long-term value. Mr. Weatherford earned his B.S. degree in International Business from the Davis College of Business at Jacksonville University. About Dream Finders Homes, Inc. Dream Finders Homes (NYSE: DFH) is a homebuilder based in Jacksonville, FL. Dream Finders Homes builds single-family homes in Florida, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Colorado, Virginia, Maryland, and the DC Metro area. Through its mortgage and title joint ventures, DFH also provides mortgage financing and title services to its homebuyers. Dream Finders Homes achieves its industry-leading growth and returns by maintaining an asset-light homebuilding model. For more information, please visit www.dreamfindershomes.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005118/en/ Investor Contact: [email protected] Media Contact: [email protected] Anabel Fernandez Chief Financial Officer Robert Riva General Counsel Source: Dream Finders Homes, Inc. OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of a- (Excellent) of Finial Reinsurance Company (Stamford, CT). Concurrently, AM Best has affirmed the Long-Term ICR of bbb- (Good) and the Long-Term Issue Credit Rating of bbb- (Good) on $200 million, 7.125% senior unsecured notes, due 2023, of Finial Holdings, Inc. (Delaware). These companies are subsidiaries of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (Berkshire) [NYSE: BRK A and BRK B]. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings of Finial Reinsurance Company reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM). The ratings also reflect Finial Reinsurance Companys strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), which is offset by no prospective book of business, as the company has been in runoff since 2004. Capital generation in recent years largely has come from investment returns and careful management of runoff liabilities. The companys exposure to equity markets has substantially grown surplus in recent years, though surplus declined in 2022 to $854 million from a high of $1.1 billion at year-end 2021. Invested assets are managed by Berkshire. As premiums are virtually nonexistent and relate to reinsurance contracts with adjustable features and transactions between affiliates, pretax underwriting income was $17.8 million in 2021. That and pretax net investment income of $17.9 million drove net income of $30.7 million. The companys runoff nature contributes to its limited business profile, strengthened by the ownership of its parent, National Indemnity Company, which has a Long-Term ICR of aaa (Exceptional). Finial Reinsurance Company provides utility to the Berkshire organization by assuming select runoff liabilities from Berkshire affiliates; and an investment portfolio managed by Berkshire. The ERM assessment of appropriate is driven by managements expertise in running discontinued lines of business, and the ERM process is integrated with that of National Indemnity Company. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Bests website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Bests Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Bests Credit Ratings, Bests Performance Assessments, Bests Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bests Ratings & Assessments. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright 2023 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005411/en/ Christopher Pennings, CPCU Financial Analyst +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5611 [email protected] Steven M. Chirico, CPA Director +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5087 [email protected] Christopher Sharkey Manager, Public Relations +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159 [email protected] Al Slavin Senior Public Relations Specialist +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5098 [email protected] Source: AM Best AMA San Diego marketing awards program celebrates the most creative, inspiring, and effective marketing produced by agencies, consultancies, corporations, educational institutions, nonprofits and college students in San Diego. Award entries for 2022 work accepted through March 31. SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The American Marketing Association (AMA) San Diego Chapter has announced its new annual marketing awards program the Sandie Awards recognizing the best marketing campaigns and projects created by or for an agency, consultancy, corporation, educational institution, nonprofit or college student in San Diego County. Entries for work completed in 2022 are being accepted here through March 31. The Sandie Awards or Sandies will recognize work across 17 marketing categories ranging from branding and integrated campaigns to social media and video. See the full award categories list here. An awards gala on May 11 at the newly renovated Town and Country Resort will host hundreds of marketing leaders and professionals as the award winners are revealed live. Troy Johnson, food critic, Food Network star, and publisher of San Diego Magazine, will provide a keynote. Shelley Callahan, Senior Director, Marketing Operations at Maravai Life Sciences and an AMA SD Past President, will serve as master of ceremonies. Early bird tickets are $99, which includes a full-course dinner and wine. Gala ticket rates go up after March 31. Tickets are available here. AMA SD Sandie Awards Event Chair Rebecca Winkler says, We have a talented and vibrant marketing community in San Diego. The Sandie Awards will spotlight the inventive and successful marketing campaigns conducted in San Diego County and set marketing professionals apart as award-winning and representing the best of the best in the region. AMA SD Sandie Awards sponsors include: Sponsorship opportunities are available here. Chief Revenue Boss at Revenue Ranch and AMA SD Board President Frank Cowell says the new awards program is not only a celebration of world-class marketing produced in the region, but also an opportunity for marketers to gain inspiration. Ive seen incredible marketing campaigns come from boutique firms all the way up to the largest corporations in San Diego. The Sandie Awards provide a space for us to come together, see the amazing work marketers are doing in our region, and walk away inspired to raise the bar for our own work. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005376/en/ Hilary McCarthy Clearpoint Agency [email protected] 774 364 1440 Ron Marcus VP of Marketing for AMA San Diego [email protected] 858 224 2098 Source: American Marketing Association San Diego Management expects continued strong demand in 2023 for its proprietary soy portfolio ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Benson Hill, Inc. (NYSE: BHIL, the Company or Benson Hill), a food tech company unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants, today announced preliminary, unaudited 2022 financial results. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230202005831/en/ Benson Hill Announces Preliminary Unaudited 2022 Results and Initial 2023 Guidance. Management expects continued strong demand in 2023 for its proprietary soy portfolio. (Graphic: Business Wire) 2022 Preliminary Unaudited Results from Continuing Operations1 (Dollar Amounts in Millions USD) Reported (Excludes Fresh Segment) Impact of Open Mark-to-Market Timing Differences2 Excluding Open Mark-to-Market Timing Differences2 Consolidated Revenues $379 to $383 $(2.5) $382 to $386 Proprietary Revenues $71 to $73 $71 to $73 Consolidated Gross Profit $2 to $5 $(5.0) $7 to $10 Net Loss from Continuing Operations $(98) to $(102) $(5.0) $(93) to $(97) Adjusted EBITDA3 $(82) to $(86) $(5.0) $(77) to $(81) Cash, Restricted Cash and Marketable Securities as of December 31, 2022 $175 The expected financial results include the benefits of favorable soy commodity markets and strong demand for Benson Hills proprietary soy portfolio of products in the food ingredients, edible oil and aquaculture markets. However, higher than planned costs of sales related to logistics and operations in December, as well as measurement period adjustments related to purchase price accounting, will impact full-year gross profit from previous expectations. Our preliminary 2022 results are indicative of the tremendous progress we have made to advance our strategic objectives and sharpen our focus, said Benson Hill Chief Executive Officer Matt Crisp. We expect 2023 will be another year of significant growth for our proprietary soy portfolio as we expand availability with the 2022 harvest and look to capitalize on demand for our climate-conscious, seed-to-fork food and feed ingredients. 2023 Outlook 2023 Preliminary Guidance4 (Dollar Amounts in Millions USD) Consolidated Revenues $390 to $430 Proprietary Revenues $100 to $110 Consolidated Gross Profit $20 to $30 Net Loss from Continuing Operations $(125) to $(135) Adjusted EBITDA Loss3 $(63) to $(68) The expected increase in proprietary revenue and consolidated gross profit growth result from anticipated increased availability of proprietary products, greater contribution from partnerships and licensing, and continued strong execution in the closed loop business model. As a result, management expects a higher proportion of the revenue and gross profit mix to come from the proprietary soy portfolio. Consistent with the Companys strategic plan, management expects a greater use of free cash flow in 2023 versus the prior year due to the start of a two-year capital investment to produce texturized soy flour and an expected increased use of working capital to support the expansion of proprietary planted acres. Audited Results and Earnings Call Date Benson Hill expects to file its audited financial statements within its Annual Report on Form 10-K by March 16, 2023, and has scheduled its quarterly earnings call for March 13, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (webcast link). About Benson Hill Benson Hill moves food forward with the CropOS platform, a cutting-edge food innovation engine that combines data science and machine learning with biology and genetics. Benson Hill empowers innovators to unlock natures genetic diversity from plant to plate, with the purpose of creating nutritious, great-tasting food and ingredient options that are both widely accessible and sustainable. More information can be found at bensonhill.com or on Twitter at @bensonhillinc. Financial Disclosure Advisory The Company reports its financial results in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The expected financial results discussed in this press release are preliminary and unaudited, are based upon the Companys estimates, represent the most current information available to the Companys management, and are subject to the compilation of actual results. The Company has provided estimated ranges for this data primarily because its financial closing procedures for the year ended December 31, 2022, are not yet complete. These unaudited estimates are not a comprehensive statement of the Companys financial results for the year ended December 31, 2022. While the Company expects results will be within these ranges, actual results may differ materially from these estimates as a result of the completion of normal period-end accounting procedures and adjustments, including the completion of the preparation and review of the Companys financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022, and the subsequent occurrence or identification of events prior to the formal issuance of such financial results. All of the data presented above has been prepared by and is the responsibility of management. Benson Hills independent registered public accounting firm has not audited, reviewed, compiled or performed any procedures with respect to the accompanying preliminary financial data. Accordingly, the Companys independent registered public accounting firm does not express an opinion or any other form of assurance with respect thereto. Financial results are preliminary until the Companys audited financial statements included within its Annual Report on Form 10-K are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). As a result of the foregoing considerations and the other limitations on non-GAAP measures described in this release, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this preliminary financial information. Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures In this press release, the Company includes references to non-GAAP performance measures. The Company uses these non-GAAP financial measures to facilitate managements financial and operational decision-making, including evaluation of the Companys historical operating results. The Companys management believes these non-GAAP measures are useful in evaluating the Companys operating performance and are similar measures reported by publicly listed U.S. competitors, and regularly used by securities analysts, institutional investors, and other interested parties in analyzing operating performance and prospects. These non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of the Companys operations that, when viewed with GAAP results and the reconciliations to corresponding GAAP financial measures, may provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting the Companys business. By referencing these non-GAAP measures, the Companys management intends to provide investors with a meaningful, consistent comparison of the Companys performance for the periods presented. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered supplemental to, and not a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. The Companys definition of these non-GAAP measures may differ from similarly titled measures of performance used by other companies in other industries or within the same industry. Because non-GAAP financial measures exclude the effect of items that will increase or decrease the Companys reported results of operations, management strongly encourages investors to review the Companys consolidated financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are included in the tables accompanying this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or the Companys future financial or operating performance and may be identified by words such as may, should, expect, intend, will, estimate, anticipate, believe, predict, or similar words. These forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions made by the Company as of the date hereof and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding: the expected timing and anticipated benefits of the divestiture of the Fresh business, including the consummation of the pending transaction pertaining to the Fresh assets remaining to be sold; the expected financial and accounting impacts of the divestiture of the Fresh business; the Companys preliminary, unaudited, expected full year 2022 consolidated and proprietary revenues, consolidated gross profit, net loss from continuing operations, Adjusted EBITDA, and cash and marketable securities, and its currently expected preliminary guidance regarding certain full year 2023 financial results, including consolidated and proprietary revenues, consolidated gross profit, Adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow use; expectations regarding the sources of expected revenue and gross profit growth, including increased availability of proprietary products, greater anticipated contribution from partnerships and licensing, and continued strong execution in the closed loop business model; expectations regarding revenue and gross profit mix; expectations regarding uses of free cash flow; any financial or other information based upon or otherwise incorporating judgments or estimates relating to future performance, events or expectations; expectations regarding the Companys hedging and other risk management strategies, including expectations about future sales and purchases that relate to the Companys mark-to-market adjustments; the Companys strategies, positioning, resources, capabilities, and expectations for future performance; estimates and forecasts of financial and other performance metrics; projections of market opportunity; the Companys outlook and financial and other guidance; managements strategy and plans for growth; and the expected timing of the Companys release of its audited financial statements for 2022 and its earnings call regarding 2022 financial results. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: risks that the Company will not realize the anticipated benefits of the divestiture of the Fresh business, including risks relating to the failure to satisfy the conditions to the consummation of the pending transaction to sell the remaining assets of the Fresh business, risks that such transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all; risks relating to the availability and use of proceeds of the consummated and pending divestitures of the Fresh business, in light of contractual restrictions in the agreements governing the Fresh business divestiture and the Companys debt facilities, and risks relating to the Companys expected accounting treatment regarding the Fresh business divestiture; risks associated with the Companys ability to grow and achieve growth profitably, including continued access to the capital resources necessary for growth; risks relating to the failure to realize the anticipated benefits of our at-the-market facility to sell our Common Stock; risks associated with managing capital resources; risks associated with maintaining relationships with customers and suppliers and developing and maintaining partnering and licensing relationships; risks associated with changing industry conditions and consumer preferences; risks associated with the Companys ability to generally execute on its business strategy; risks associated with the effects of global and regional economic, agricultural, financial and commodities market, political, social and health conditions; risks associated with the Companys transition to becoming a public company; the effectiveness of the Companys risk management strategies; and other risks and uncertainties set forth in the sections entitled Risk Factors and Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements in our filings with the SEC, which are available on the SECs website at www.sec.gov. We expressly disclaim any duty to update these forward-looking statements, except as otherwise required by law. Benson Hill, Inc. 2022 Preliminary, Unaudited, Adjusted EBITDA Non-GAAP Reconciliation (Dollar Amounts in Millions USD) 2022 Estimate Net loss from continuing operations $ (98) (102) Interest expense, net 21 Depreciation and amortization 20 Stock-based compensation 20 Other non-recurring costs (45) Total Adjusted EBITDA $ (82) (86) The Company defines and calculates Adjusted EBITDA as consolidated net loss from continuing operations before net interest expense, income tax provision, and depreciation and amortization, further adjusted to exclude stock-based compensation, other income and expense, and the impact of significant non-recurring items. The reconciliation regarding 2022 includes an approximately $5 million loss for open mark-to-market timing differences related to the estimated net temporary impact resulting from unrealized period-end gains/losses associated with the fair valuation of futures contracts associated with the Companys committed future operating capacity. The approximate $5 million loss is expected to unwind in future periods. Management is presenting the impact of open mark-to-market timing differences to show the underlying operating performance during the reporting period. Benson Hill, Inc. 2023 Estimated Adjusted EBITDA Non-GAAP Reconciliation (Dollar Amounts in Millions USD) 2023 Estimate Net loss from continuing operations1 $ (125) (135) Interest expense, net 27 29 Depreciation and amortization 21 23 Stock-based compensation 14 15 Total Adjusted EBITDA $ (63) (68) ____________________________________ 1 The expected results exclude the Fresh business which was divested in a two-part transaction announced on January 3, 2023, the initial portion of which was consummated on December 29, 2022, and the second portion of which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2023. The Company will record the Fresh business as discontinued operations as of December 31, 2022. 2 Management is presenting the impact of mark-to-market timing differences to show the underlying operating performance during the reporting period. Mark-to-market timing differences comprise the estimated net temporary impact resulting from unrealized period-end gains/losses associated with the fair valuation of futures contracts associated with the Companys committed future operating capacity. The approximate $5 million loss is expected to unwind in future periods. 3 Reconciliations of non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures can be found at the end of the press release. 4 These figures are based on Benson Hills preliminary guidance for 2023 and exclude any future impacts from mark-to-market timings differences. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230202005831/en/ Investor Contact Benson Hill Ruben Mella, CFA 314-714-6313 [email protected] Media Contact Benson Hill Christi Dixon 636-359-0797 [email protected] Media Kit Source: Benson Hill, Inc. Cambridge University Press & Assessment launches new trials of digital GCSE, IGCSE and A Level mock exams this week Mocks pave way for digital exams as permanent part of system CAMBRIDGE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Thousands of students are set to sit on-screen mock high stakes exams such as GCSEs for the first time starting this week, as Cambridge launches major trials in schools. Exam boards OCR and Cambridge International, both part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, are offering GCSE Computer Science, IGCSEs in English and AS Level History, as on-screen mock tests in early 2023. Jill Duffy, Chief Executive of OCR, said: Students and teachers embraced digital learning by necessity during the pandemic. Now we can harness the best of that technology in assessment by choice. Results within a fortnight Cambridge digital mock trials will run in weekly sessions until 19 March in up to 30 UK schools and 35 around the world. The on-screen mocks based on real exam papers will be marked by Cambridge examiners, and results delivered to students within 14 days of sitting exams. Schools will pay about 10 for each digital exam. Following these 2023 trials, the digital mock service will be offered to all schools as a permanent part of assessment services from Cambridge. Assessment experts at Cambridge anticipate digital exams will become a permanent part of the exam system for high stakes qualifications such as GCSEs, IGCSEs and A Levels. Jill Duffy, Chief Executive of OCR, said: Digital assessment is not a hypothetical future; its happening right now. We will use insights from these trials to make our digital mocks a user-friendly option for all schools and colleges. Students will be able to take the highest quality online tests, building on our established paper exams, where schools opt to do so. Our development approach based on trials and research ensures we deliver high-quality, robust digital assessments. Digital assessment will never fully replace traditional exams, but technology is improving the student experience and can make exams more effective, resilient and flexible with access to faster feedback and results. A glimpse of the future Cambridge is building a future where digital assessments go beyond the limits of paper tests. Digital qualifications have the potential to be more interactive and give students the chance to demonstrate skills that are more authentic to the subject. Cambridge International experts will be trialling assessments this year for a new digital computing qualification that could run alongside the existing IGCSE in Computer Science. Trials will take place in approximately 20 schools in countries from Chile to Zambia. Students will be able to demonstrate coding and problem-solving skills which are closer to industry practice in a series of mini tests. A second Cambridge International project will investigate how a digital A Level history qualification could be assessed, to better meet the needs of young historians. For example, it will look at new ways of assessing sources, including capturing annotations digitally and looking at longer sources and curated online source banks. Rod Smith, Group Managing Director for International Education at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, said: We are looking into the future, taking steps forward informed by input from teachers, industry and our researchers. Were building digital-first qualifications around the world, exploring the immense potential for digital exams that can reach beyond the limitations of paper, while offering more flexible and personalised options. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230201005941/en/ Sophie White [email protected] 07913 076426 Source: Cambridge University Press & Assessment The sepsis study, led by Haichao Wang, PhD, was recently published in the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences journal, Science Advances MANHASSET, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sepsis is a silent and mysterious killer that makes up nearly a quarter of deaths worldwide. This disease often leads to shock and multiple organ failure, and because of its enigmatic features, researchers are looking at ways to combat it headfirst. Scientists from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research recently published in Science Advances the discovery of a novel protein that could be a potential therapeutic target for lethal sepsis. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005421/en/ Dr. Haichao Wang led the study published in Science Advances. (Credit: Feinstein Institutes) Affecting nearly 50 million people worldwide, sepsis occurs when the bodys immune system triggers excessive inflammation in an attempt to help fight against infections. If out of control, this inflammatory response can also cause damage to multiple organ systems and often leads to death. Other than adjunctive use of antibiotics, fluid resuscitation and supportive care, effective therapies to treat sepsis are lacking. The new study, led by Feinstein Institutes Haichao Wang, PhD, focuses on finding protein mediators that may contribute to uncontrolled immune responses to lethal infections. This research explores the identification of monoclonal antibodies that work against a pro-inflammatory protein mediator, procathepsin-L (pCTS-L), as the potential remedy. These anti-pCTS-L monoclonal antibodies may provide effective therapies for the clinical treatment of human sepsis and other infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Dr. Wang and his team were able to generate a panel of pCTS-L-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies that effectively reduced pro-inflammatory activities of pCTS-L in human immune cell cultures, and rescued mice from lethal sepsis. Sepsis is a complex and fatal complication. Despite decades of research, there remains a lack of treatment, said Dr. Wang, professor at the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes. The hope is that by identifying this new protein mediator to curb uncontrolled inflammation new drugs may be developed to prevent unnecessary death in septic patients. Septic patients often exhibit the simultaneous occurrence of pro-and anti-inflammatory pathways, which can lead them to suffer from immunosuppression, the inability to eradicate invading bacteria and eventually become susceptible to secondary infections. While additional research is needed, Dr. Wangs findings set a clear path for translational clinical trials to test novel monoclonal antibody therapies that can be used by clinicians to treat patients. The first step in drug discovery is identifying molecular targets, said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes, and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. Dr. Wangs research has done just that and opens new doors for exploring mechanisms to treat sepsis. Dr. Wang is an international research leader in sepsis. Last year, Dr. Wang earned the Shock Societys 2021 Scientific Achievements Award for his years of commitment and contribution to sepsis research. About the Feinstein Institutes The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50 research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its five institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, and molecular medicine. We make breakthroughs in genetics, oncology, brain research, mental health, autoimmunity, and are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine a new field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005421/en/ Julianne Mosher Allen 516-880-4824 [email protected] Source: The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Inspiration comes in many forms, some as simple as a news article. For St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital founder Danny Thomas, it was a news clipping he carried in his wallet, telling the story of a Black child in the South who was denied treatment because of the color of his skin. The article would solidify Thomass vision of building a hospital that would treat patients without discrimination. That dream became a reality when St. Jude opened its doors on Feb. 4, 1962 as the first fully integrated childrens hospital in the South. From that day, in an effort to provide world-class care and break barriers, St. Jude has treated patients regardless of family background and hired the best and brightest to treat them, including many of the first Black doctors to serve in a major research hospital. Among them was Dr. Rudolph Jackson, who joined St. Jude in 1968 and Dr. William Terrell, who helped launch the first major effort to understand the lifelong progression of sickle cell disease. St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital was founded as a beacon of hope for sick children regardless of race or their familys ability to pay, said Richard C. Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude. As we celebrate Founders Day this Feb. 4, we reflect on more than 60 years of challenging the status quo to help children survive and thrive, and all those who have helped make it possible. There remains so much more work to be done. Together, we will make cures possible for every child everywhere and create a more equitable future. Building on a foundation of radical inclusion and support from historically Black organizations like The National Pan-Hellenic Council and The Links Foundation, St. Jude shares its knowledge and resources with hospitals around the world. For example, St. Jude has recently partnered with a teaching hospital in Nigeria to conduct newborn screenings for sickle cell disease - the program has now tested more than 2,500 babies. Each year, St. Jude highlights the Black communitys help in making this life saving work possible. The annual St. Jude Spirit of the Dream honors African Americans for their outstanding support of St. Jude. The 2022 event accentuated Black female excellence by recognizing three women an astronaut, doctor and non-profit executive an important first in the events history. And St. Jude Celebration of Hope brought together 400 African American supporters last month in a joyous weekend of song and spirit ahead of the nationwide Urban Radio Cares for St. Jude radiothon. Donate to support research and treatment of childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases at stjude.org/hopeforall. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005420/en/ [email protected] Source: St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today participation by Joan Bottarini, Chief Financial Officer, at the following conferences: Attendance at the Wells Fargo 26th Annual Real Estate Securities Conference on Thursday, February 23, 2023 in New York, NY. Presenting at the Raymond James & Associates 44th Annual Institutional Investors Conference at 1:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 in Orlando, FL. Presenting at the J.P. Morgan Gaming, Lodging, Restaurant, and Leisure Management Access Forum at 9:20 a.m. PT on Wednesday, March 15, 2023 in Las Vegas, NV. All interested persons may listen to a webcast of the presentations, which may be accessed through the Companys website at investors.hyatt.com. Replays will be available for 90 days. About Hyatt Hotels Corporation Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company guided by its purpose to care for people so they can be their best. As of September 30, 2022, the Companys portfolio included more than 1,200 hotels and all-inclusive properties in 72 countries across six continents. The Company's offering includes brands in the Timeless Collection, including Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt, Hyatt Residence Club, Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, and UrCove; the Boundless Collection, including Miraval, Alila, Andaz, Thompson Hotels, Hyatt Centric, and Caption by Hyatt; the Independent Collection, including The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Destination by Hyatt, and JdV by Hyatt; and the Inclusive Collection, including Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, Zoetry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets Resorts & Spas, Breathless Resorts & Spas, Dreams Resorts & Spas, Hyatt Vivid Hotels & Resorts, Alua Hotels & Resorts, and Sunscape Resorts & Spas. Subsidiaries of the Company operate the World of Hyatt loyalty program, ALG Vacations, Unlimited Vacation Club, Amstar DMC destination management services, and Trisept Solutions technology services. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005374/en/ Media: Franziska Weber Hyatt Hotels Corporation + 1 312-780-6106 [email protected] Investors: Noah Hoppe Hyatt Hotels Corporation + 1 312-780-5991 [email protected] Source: Hyatt Hotels Corporation PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News: Lysogene (Paris: LYS) (FR0013233475 LYS), a phase 3 gene therapy platform Company targeting central nervous system (CNS) diseases, today announced the appointment of Come de La Tour du Pin, currently VP Finance/Chief Financial Officer ad interim, as Chief Financial Officer. He will replace Stephane Durant des Aulnois who has decided to leave the Company to pursue other opportunities. Mr. de La Tour du Pin joined the Company in 2020 as Vice President Finance before becoming CFO ad interim in November 2022, and has been involved in the fundraising, investor relations and FP&A activities. Prior to joining Lysogene, he gained extensive experience within the investor relations teams at Ipsen and at Groupe Casino. Before that, he acquired a solid background in investment banking at BNP Paribas and in audit at PwC. Come graduated from EM Lyon Business School. About Lysogene Lysogene is a gene therapy Company focused on the treatment of orphan diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). The Company has built a unique capability to enable delivery of gene therapies to the CNS to treat lysosomal diseases and other disorders of the CNS. A phase 2/3 clinical trial in MPS IIIA is ongoing. An adaptive clinical trial in GM1 gangliosidosis is also ongoing. Lysogene is also developing an innovative AAV gene therapy approach for the treatment of Fragile X syndrome, a genetic disease related to autism. The Company also entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Yeda, the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science, for a novel gene therapy candidate for Parkinson disease with GBA1 mutations. www.lysogene.com. Forward Looking Statement This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements, especially on the Companys progress of its clinical trials and cash runway. Although the Company believes its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, all statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release about future events are subject to (i) change without notice, (ii) factors beyond the Companys control, (iii) clinical trial results, (iv) increased manufacturing costs, (v) potential claims on its products. These statements may include, without limitation, any statements preceded by, followed by or including words such as target, believe, expect, aim, intend, may, anticipate, estimate, plan, objective, project, will, can have, likely, should, would, could and other words and terms of similar meaning or the negative thereof. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties beyond the Companys control that could cause the Companys actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the expected results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other risks can be found in the Companys regulatory filings with the French Autorite des Marches Financiers, including in the 2021 universal registration document, registered with the French Markets Authorities on April 19, 2022, and future filings and reports by the Company. Furthermore, these forward-looking statements are only as of the date of this press release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. If the Company updates one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that it will or will not make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. This press release has been prepared in both French and English. In the event of any differences between the two texts, the French language version shall supersede. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005182/en/ Contacts - Corporate Come de La Tour du Pin Chief Financial Officer [email protected] + 33 1 41 43 03 90 Contacts - Patients [email protected] Source: Lysogene Dr. Karen Johnson highlights 2022 Career Optimism Index study findings on employee mental health and opportunities for awareness and utilization of employer resources PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- University of Phoenix College of Doctoral Studies has released a new whitepaper, American Workers Mental Health and Its Implications in Their Careers, authored by Karen Johnson, Ed.D., research methodology group leader in the Universitys Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR). The purpose of the whitepaper is to identify mental health needs and the resources available through employers as reported in 2022 University of Phoenix Career Institute Career Optimism Index study, including what employees reported about their mental health, the support they need, and whether they believed that support was available from their employers. The findings have implications for employers to better understand mental health needs and awareness of resources by their workforce and contribute to talent retention. We continue to see the reverberation of how the pandemic impacted the mental health of our American workforce, states Johnson. Despite the disconnect in employers and employees perceptions of services offered, both groups overwhelmingly reported interest in and need for continuing mental health resources at a greater rate than before the pandemic. Employers can look at aspects like communication channels and workforce understanding of employee assistance programs to help close this disconnect. In her current role as a University Research Methodologist and previously as a committee chair in the doctoral program, Johnson has helped guide more than 100 students through the dissertation process. She also serves as a reviewer for the College of Doctoral Studies student publication workshop. Johnson earned a doctorate in Higher Education from Texas Tech University and completed her Master of Arts in Secondary Education and bachelors degree with University of Texas. Johnson has been a faculty member at the University of Phoenix since 2005. The full whitepaper is available at the University of Phoenix Career Institute webpage or as a direct link here. About the College of Doctoral Studies University of Phoenixs College of Doctoral Studies focuses on todays challenging business and organizational needs, from addressing critical social issues to developing solutions to accelerate community building and industry growth. The Colleges research program puts students in the center of an effective ecosystem of experts, resources and tools to help prepare them to be a leader in their organization, industry and community. Through this program, students and researchers work with organizations to conduct research that can be applied in the workplace in real time. About the Career Optimism Index The Career Optimism Index study is one of the most comprehensive studies of Americans personal career perceptions to date. The University of Phoenix Career Institute will conduct this research annually to provide insights on current workforce trends and to help identify solutions to support and enhance American careers and create equity in the workplace. For the second annual study, more than 5,000 U.S. adults were surveyed about how they feel about their careers at this moment in time, including their concerns, their challenges, and the degree to which they are optimistic about core aspects of their careers and their future. The study was conducted among a diverse, nationally representative, sample of U.S. adults among a robust sample to allow for gender, generational, racial, and socioeconomic differences and includes additional analysis of workers in the top twenty media markets across the country to uncover geographic nuances. This year, the study also explored insights from 500 U.S. employers who are influential or play a critical role in hiring and workplace decisions within a range of departments, company sizes and industries to provide comparison between the workforce and those who hire, train and retain them. About University of Phoenix University of Phoenix is continually innovating to help working adults enhance their careers in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant courses, interactive learning, and Career Services for Life help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. For more information, visit phoenix.edu. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005329/en/ Sharla Hooper University of Phoenix [email protected] Source: University of Phoenix The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Activision Blizzard Inc., a video game development and publishing company, agreed to pay $35 million to settle charges that it failed to maintain disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that the company could assess whether its disclosures pertaining to its workforce were adequate. The company also settled charges that it violated an SEC whistleblower protection rule. According to the SECs order, between 2018 and 2021, Activision Blizzard was aware that its ability to attract, retain, and motivate employees was a particularly important risk in its business, but it lacked controls and procedures among its separate business units to collect and analyze employee complaints of workplace misconduct. As a result, the companys management lacked sufficient information to understand the volume and substance of employee complaints about workplace misconduct and did not assess whether any material issues existed that would have required public disclosure. Separately, the SECs order finds that, between 2016 and 2021, Activision Blizzard executed separation agreements in the ordinary course of its business that violated a Commission whistleblower protection rule by requiring former employees to provide notice to the company if they received a request for information from the Commissions staff. The SECs order finds that Activision Blizzard failed to implement necessary controls to collect and review employee complaints about workplace misconduct, which left it without the means to determine whether larger issues existed that needed to be disclosed to investors, said Jason Burt, Director of the SECs Denver Regional Office. Moreover, taking action to impede former employees from communicating directly with the Commission staff about a possible securities law violation is not only bad corporate governance, it is illegal. The SECs order finds that Activision Blizzard violated Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(a) and 21F-17(a). Without admitting or denying the SECs findings, Activision Blizzard agreed to a cease-and-desist order and to pay a $35 million penalty. The SECs investigation was conducted by Eric J. Day, Yamini Piplani Grema, and Daniel M. Konosky and was assisted by Helena Engelhart Bean of the Denver Regional Office. The investigation was supervised by Danielle R. Voorhees and Mr. Burt, also of the Denver Regional Office. Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) announced today that the Company used proceeds of $21.3 million from real estate sales completed in January 2023 to reduce its first lien debt by $22.3 million. Approximately $5.0 million of the proceeds were used to repurchase approximately $6.1 million of 6.00% first lien notes due November 1, 2026 (the 2026 Senior Notes), representing a discount to par. The remaining $16.3 million of proceeds were used to repay amounts under its five-year senior secured term loan facility (the New Senior Secured Term Loan). We continue to make meaningful progress in reducing our first lien debt, which will continue to lead toward an improved capital structure and stronger balance sheet. We expect to sell another $50 million to $60 million in real estate and other assets in 2023, the proceeds of which we expect to use to pay down debt. As a result, we expect to reduce our debt within the year by approximately $120 million through the sale of real estate and other assets, along with our scheduled quarterly amortization payments, said Michael Reed, Gannett Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. About Gannett Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a subscription-led and digitally-focused media and marketing solutions company committed to empowering communities to thrive. With an unmatched reach at the national and local level, Gannett touches the lives of millions with our Pulitzer Prize-winning content, consumer experiences and benefits, and advertiser products and services. Our current portfolio of media assets includes USA TODAY, local media organizations in 43 states in the U.S., and Newsquest, a wholly owned subsidiary operating in the United Kingdom with more than 150 local news media brands. Gannett also owns digital marketing services companies branded LocaliQ, and runs one of the largest media-owned events business in the U.S., USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures. To connect with us, visit www.gannett.com. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain items in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements regarding our business outlook, our ability to create long-term stockholder value, our expectations, in terms of both amount and timing, with respect to debt repayment, our capital structure and balance sheet, our expectations regarding real estate and other asset sales, our strategy, our ability to achieve our operating priorities, our long-term opportunities, economic impacts, and future revenue trends and our ability to influence trends. The Company makes no guarantees or assurances that sales of any of the real estate or other asset sales in negotiation will close. Words such as "expect(s)", "believe(s)", "will", "outlook" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are based on managements current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. These and other risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, many of which are beyond our control. The Company can give no assurance its expectations will be attained. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements contained in this press release. For a discussion of some of the risks and important factors that could cause actual results to differ from such forward-looking statements, see the risks and other factors detailed from time to time in the Companys most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Furthermore, new risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict or assess the impact of every factor that may cause its actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Except to the extent required by law, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Companys expectations with regard thereto or change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005060/en/ For investor inquiries, contact: Matt Esposito Investor Relations 703-854-3000 [email protected] For media inquiries, contact: Lark-Marie Anton Corporate Communications 646-906-4087 [email protected] Source: Gannett Co., Inc. Primo Water Corporation (NYSE: PRMW) today announced that Primo Water has acquired an additional spring water source adjacent to its current Mountain Valley spring in Garland County, Arkansas. "This acquisition provides an additional high-quality sustainable water source to supplement Primo's award-winning Mountain Valley Water portfolio. Mountain Valley is the #1 Premium Spring / Sparkling Single Serve brand in the Natural Channel with dollar growth of +53% vs. prior year according to SPINS. It is the oldest continuously bottled spring water in the United States and is nationally distributed in major retailers and foodservice operators," said Tom Harrington, CEO of Primo. "This additional water source supports our continued growth and strengthens Primo's commitment to offer sustainable water solutions to customers across our footprint." For more information on the hydration solutions Primo offers, please visit www.water.com. ABOUT PRIMO WATER CORPORATION Primo Water Corporation is a leading pure-play water solutions provider in North America and Europe and generates approximately $2.1 billion in annual revenue. Primo operates largely under a recurring razor/razorblade revenue model. The razor in Primo's revenue model is its industry leading line-up of sleek and innovative water dispensers, which are sold through retailers and online at various price points. The dispensers help increase household penetration which drives recurring purchases of Primo's razorblade offering. Primo's razorblade offering is comprised of Water Direct, Water Exchange, and Water Refill. Through its Water Direct business, Primo delivers sustainable hydration solutions across its 21-country footprint direct to the customer's door, whether at home or to businesses. Primo sells dispensers online and in approximately 10,000 retail locations. Complementing the dispenser business, Primo offers pre-filled Water Exchange in approximately 17,500 retail locations and approximately 23,500 self-service Water Refill machines at retail locations. Primo also offers water filtration units across its 21-country footprint. Primo's water solutions expand consumer access to purified, spring, and mineral water to promote a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle while simultaneously reducing plastic waste and pollution. Primo is committed to its water stewardship standards and is proud to partner with the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) in North America as well as with Watercoolers Europe (WE), which ensure strict adherence to safety, quality, sanitation and regulatory standards for the benefit of consumer protection. Primo is headquartered in Tampa, Florida (USA). For more information, visit www.primowatercorp.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/primo-water-corporation-announces-acquisition-of-additional-mountain-valley-spring-site-301737955.html SOURCE Primo Water Corporation One of 3M Co. (NYSE: MMM) biggest investors has questioned whether a change in the chief executive at the company is needed due to its concerns about current CEO Mike Roman's leadership. According to The Wall Street Journal, Bert Flossbach, the co-founder and senior portfolio manager of German mutual-fund firm Flossbach von Storch AG, said in a letter to Mr. Roman dated January 28 that revenue and earnings at 3M have been disappointing since Roman took over in 2018, pointing to a total shareholder return of -32% during that time. 3M, a Minnesota-based company, has been dealing with litigation regarding its military earplugs and the "forever chemicals," otherwise known as PFAS. As a result of the litigation and other macro factors, 3M shares are down around 28% over the past 12 months. On Friday, it is down over 1%. Flossbach also reportedly stated that he was mainly concerned with 3M's operations versus the litigation. A 3M spokesperson told the WSJ that the company is in regular discussions with its shareholders and always welcomes their feedback. According to the WSJ, citing FactSet data, Flossbach von Storch AG is the eighth-largest 3M shareholder, with 1.6% of shares outstanding, as of September 30, 2022. Mr. Flossbach reportedly took aim at the 3 M's 2023 prospects, stating the firm finds it "increasingly hard to take confidence in your still positive statements regarding the underlying health of 3M if at the same time you yourself seem to be continually surprised by the negative development of the business, evidenced by the fact that you once again had to revise the earnings forecast and initiate further restructuring measures." He also demanded 3M provide specific answers regarding details on how they will achieve a distant better future. By Sam Boughedda The PayPal logo is seen on a smartphone in front of the same logo displayed in this illustration taken September 8, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) -A U.S. appeals court has revived a U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule governing how providers of digital wallets disclose commonly used fees to prepaid customers. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected an argument by PayPal Inc, one of the largest digital wallet providers, that the CFPB overstepped its authority by making fee disclosures mandatory, not optional. Friday's decision reversed a Dec. 2020 ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, D.C., who said the CFPB lacked power under the federal Electronic Funds Transfer Act or the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reforms to impose a mandatory "model clause" for the fees. Kannon Shanmugam of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison represented PayPal, while CFPB senior counsel Christopher Deal represented the regulator. The CFPB created its Prepaid Rule to offer consumers legal protections on prepaid accounts similar to those on products such as checking accounts, including the ability to challenge payment errors, unauthorized transactions and fraud. Among the charges to be disclosed were ATM withdrawal and balance inquiry fees, and fees for holding accounts, reloading cash, account inactivity and customer service. The appeals court said the CFPB's disclosure requirement was not a mandatory model clause because financial providers were free to use language "substantially similar" to what the regulator proposed. Though there may be only a "limited range of permissible wording," Circuit Judge Neomi Rao concluded that "the fact the Prepaid Rule requires the disclosure of certain content does not, standing alone, mandate a model clause." Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan and Circuit Judge Cornelia Pillard joined Rao's decision. A PayPal spokesperson said the company "remains unwavering in our commitment to protect consumers and in our efforts to alleviate confusion that would be created by this rule." The San Jose, California-based company had said that there were "significant differences" between digital wallets and prepaid cards, including that the cards' small size arguably necessitated "formulaic" disclosures. The appeals court returned the case to Leon to consider PayPal's other challenges to the Prepaid Rule, including constitutional and administrative law claims. PayPal was not challenging its obligation to disclose fees altogether. A CFPB spokesman said the regulator was pleased with the decision and will continue defending the rule. The case is Consumer Financial Protection Bureau et al v Paypal Inc, D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 21-5057. For Paypal: Kannon Shanmugam, of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison For CFPB: Christopher Deal (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York) Washington, D.C., Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the nation observes Black History Month 2023, UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is celebrating and acknowledging the fact that Black History Month is every day because Black Lives Matter every day! UNCF is continuing to make history by serving as the largest scholarship provider for students of color and supporting the excellence and high achievement of the nations historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and their graduates. This years month-long theme Black Resistance, designated by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), focuses on the contributions of African Americans and institutions, including HBCUs, to resist the status quo in leading economic, political and social change across the United States. Formed prior to and after the Civil War, HBCUs were for many years the only opportunity for higher education open to African Americans. For more than 180 years, they have consistently graduated outstanding Americans of all races, who have made great contributions to the economic, political and social advancement of our nation. UNCF is proud to join our nation to uplift Black History Month, and we call for the continued support of HBCUs as the institutions that have played a pivotal role in leading the Black resistance movement in America and providing solutions to the societal ills of this nation, said Maurice E. Jenkins, Jr., executive vice president, chief development officer, UNCF. HBCUs have provided and continue providing a safe space for the formation of activists and leaders, artists, business owners and educators. They were at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement, and Black Power and social justice movements. They stand as a testament to Black investment and creative thinking in the face of the changing landscape of higher education. UNCF co-founder Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and Dr. Carter G. Woodson were the two individuals who shaped the course of American history and were instrumental in the creation of Negro History Week, now known as Black History Month. Bethune, the founder and first president of UNCF-member Bethune-Cookman University, was the first female president of Woodsons Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, today known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Bethune and Woodson understood how education, whether in elementary, secondary or higher education institutions were the pathways for Black people and communities to resist the narrative that Black people are intellectually inferior. UNCFs mission continues the legacy and vision of Bethune and Woodson providing scholarships and other services to students who are from households with incomes less than $46,000, over 70% are Pell grant eligible, meaning they are from households with serious financial need, and nearly 40% are first generation college students. Yet at HBCUs, these students have an average access rate more than twice that of all institutions nationwide and five times that of Ivy Plus institutions. There are 101 accredited HBCUs currently operating in 19 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. While they constitute only 3% of higher education institutions in the country, HBCUs educate 10% of all Black college students. The HBCU student population is currently over 75% Black. These institutions account for 19% of degrees earned by Black students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields (U.S. Department of Education, 2019). Additionally, HBCUs account for 80% of Black judges, 50% of Black doctors, and 50% of Black lawyers. UNCF and HBCUs make Black History every day, which is made possible through loyal donors and partners, who make financial contributions to continue this work. To learn how to donate to help students, who need support to attend and complete college, visit UNCF.org/donate. ### About UNCF UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nations largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students education and development through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. While totaling only 3% of all colleges and universities, UNCF institutions and other historically Black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 15% of bachelors degrees, 5% of masters degrees, 10% of doctoral degrees and 19% of all STEM degrees earned by Black students in higher education. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark, A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF. Roy Betts United Negro College Fund, Inc. (UNCF) 240.703.3384 [email protected] Source: United Negro College Fund, Inc. (UNCF) OTTAWA, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leonovus Inc., (Leonovus or the Company) (TSXV: LTV) announces that it has entered into a loan agreement with two directors of Leonovus, (the Lenders) for a secured loan in the principal amount of CAD$100,000 (the Loan). The Loan will have a term of eighteen months from the advance date and will bear interest at the rate of 18% per annum and can be paid down at any time with the penalty of the full annual interest. The Loan will be secured by a general security agreement. Subject to approval of the TSXV, the Lenders will receive a bonus of 2,500,000 common share warrants (the Warrants) of the Company, each Warrant have an exercise price of CAD$0.040 per share and a term of eighteen months. No commission or finders fee were paid in connection with the Loan. All bonus securities are subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance. The number of common shares issued and outstanding at this time is 20,900,996. The Company intends to use the proceeds of the Loan for bridge working capital and plans to search for a strategic partner, investment, or acquisition. None of the proceeds will be used for investor relations or paid to related parties other than in the normal course of business operations. Advancement of proceeds under the Loan, and the issuance of the Warrants, is subject to approval of the TSXV and customary closing conditions. Insider Participation in Loans As two members of the board of directors of Leonovus, one being the CEO, (together, the "Insiders") are participating in the Loan, for the amounts of $50,000 and $50,000 respectively, and because they are expected to receive 1,250,000 and 1,250,000 warrants respectively, the Loan constitutes a "related party transaction" under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). Leonovus has relied on the exemption under 5.5(b) of MI 61-101 for the requirement to obtain a formal valuation for the Warrants issuable to the Insiders, and the exemption under Section 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 for the requirement to obtain minority approval as the total value of the Loan, and the value of the Warrants, are not equal to or greater than 25% of the market capitalization of the Company, whether considered separately or together. The Company will file a material change report with respect to the Loan. However, the material change report will likely be filed less than 21 days prior to the advancement of proceeds under the Loan. To learn more, please visit www.leonovus.com. This press release may contain forward-looking statements and information, which may involve risks and uncertainties, including statements relating to the expected use of proceeds , and statements relating to TSXV approval for the Loan and the Warrants. The results or events predicted in these statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Factors that might cause a difference include, but are not limited to, competitive developments, risks associated with Leonovus growth, the state of the financial markets, regulatory risks and other factors. There can be no assurance or guarantees that any statements of forward-looking information contained in this release will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. These and all subsequent written and oral statements containing forward-looking information are based on the estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, Leonovus disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers should not place undue reliance on any statements of forward-looking information that speak only as of the date of this release. Further information on Leonovus public filings, including its most recent audited consolidated financial statements, are available at www.sedar.com. 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. For More Information, please contact: Michael GaffneyChief Executive Officer[email protected] Source: Leonovus Inc LONDON, ENGLAND, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Skills-Profit.com, a leading trading platform created to support every trader, announces the launch of its automated brokerage services for traders in the stocks and crypto markets. The company is dedicated to providing traders with the tools and resources they need to succeed and achieve their financial goals.The new brokerage services offered by Skills-Profit.com include quick deposit and withdrawal of funds, advanced analytical tools, and a training center for new traders. The platform places a strong emphasis on safety, utilizing modern mechanisms to protect traders' funds.Traders can try out the platform with a free demo account and improve their skills before opening a live trading account. The platform also provides risk management tools to help traders limit losses and lock in profits."We are thrilled to launch these new brokerage services and provide traders with the tools they need to succeed in the financial markets, and trade in their format" said skills-profit CEOSkills-Profit.com has a proven track record of success, with over 1.5 million transactions per month and a diverse portfolio of over 800 different stocks from various global markets. The company is committed to expanding its international presence and making its mark in the global financial market with premium liquidity service and complete transparency.For more information about Skills-Profit.com and its new brokerage services, please visit the company's website at https://skills-profit.comAbout Skills-Profit.com: Skills-Profit.com is a trading platform with a mission to provide traders with the tools and resources they need to succeed in the financial markets. With a proven track record of success and a commitment to expanding its international presence, the company is dedicated to helping traders achieve their financial goals in their format . Tristan Baker tristan.baker at skills-profit.com Source: Skills-Profit GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Steelcase (NYSE: SCS) has been named among the worlds leading brands on the FORTUNE 2023 Worlds Most Admired Companies list for the 17th year, recognized as fourth in the Home Equipment and Furnishings category. Businesses featured on the Most Admired List, such as JPMorgan Chase, Walt Disney, Microsoft and Starbucks, are rated by executives, directors and analysts in their respective industries based on nine criteria, including investment value, quality of management and products, social responsibility, people management and ability to attract talent. A companys score must rank in the top half of its industry survey to be included on the list. "We're thrilled to be named to FORTUNE's Most Admired List alongside so many remarkable companies," said Sara Armbruster, president and CEO of Steelcase. "Recognition from other global leaders is always meaningful, and we're proud to celebrate the smart, innovative people who drive value and make Steelcase a great place to work, learn and thrive." Steelcase is a global company whose extensive exploration of the workplace helps it understand and respond to the ways work is changing and how those changes impact people. By applying user-centered research through a lens of human and environmental sustainability, Steelcase imagines new possibilities, designs and manufactures products for the worlds leading organizations and gives people better work experiences. The company partners with other leading brands to enrich its portfolio, increasing the range of options it offers to help customers work, learn and heal. To learn more about FORTUNEs list, visit fortune.com/worlds-most-admired-companies. About SteelcaseEstablished in 1912, Steelcase is a global design and thought leader in the world of work. We help people do their best work by creating places that work better. Along with more than 35 creative and technology partner brands, we design and manufacture innovative furnishings and solutions for the many places where work happens including learning, health and work from home. Our solutions come to life through our community of expert Steelcase dealers in over 800 locations, as well as our online Steelcase store and other retail partners. Founded in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Steelcase is a publicly traded company with fiscal year 2022 revenue of $2.8 billion. With our more than 11,000 global employees and dealer community, we come together for people and the planet using our business to help the world work better. Fortune is a registered trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited and is used under license. Fortune is not affiliated with, and does not endorse products or services of Steelcase. Contact: Chiara Licari Steelcase, 616.406.6494[email protected] Source: Steelcase Inc. SANTA ANA, Calif., Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unrivaled Brands, Inc. (OTCQB: UNRV) (Unrivaled, Unrivaled Brands, or the Company), a cannabis company with operations in California, announced the Grand Opening of its previously closed San Leandro retail dispensary on Saturday, February 4, 2023. The community is invited to celebrate the grand opening with a ribbon cutting at 9:00 AM. The grand opening will feature DJ Franzen, vendors, catering from Tacos El Guanatos and Big Mafi Burgers, and more throughout the morning and afternoon. Were thrilled for the grand re-opening of Blum San Leandro. Im so proud of our team and I want to thank Alicia, Joel, Miguel, Dave, and Justin of the Brick City Productions team for their hard work and partnership. I want to thank the entire Unrivaled Brands team, the City of San Leandro, and all our partners. We could not have accomplished this without everyones support, said Unrivaled Brands CEO, Sabas Carrillo. Blum San Leandro is located at 1915 Fairway Dr, San Leandro, CA 94577. Hours of Operation will be Monday through Sunday from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Customers interested in learning more can do so by following @blum_sanleandro on Instagram or by visiting the dispensary's website at www.letsblum.com. About Unrivaled Brands Unrivaled Brands is a company focused on the cannabis sector with operations in California. Unrivaled Brands operates four dispensaries and direct-to-consumer delivery, a cultivation facility, and several leading company-owned brands. Unrivaled Brands is home to Korova, known for its high potency products across multiple product categories, currently available in California, Oregon, Arizona, and Oklahoma. For more info, please visit: https://unrivaledbrands.com. Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this communication regarding matters that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, known as the PSLRA. These include statements regarding management's intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations, or forecasts for the future, and, therefore, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on them. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those projected. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law. The Company uses words such as anticipates, believes, plans, expects, projects, future, intends, may, will, should, could, estimates, predicts, potential, continue, guidance, and similar expressions to identify these forward-looking statements that are intended to be covered by the safe-harbor provisions of the PSLRA. Such forward-looking statements are based on the Companys expectations and involve risks and uncertainties; consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the statements due to a number of factors. New factors emerge from time-to-time and it is not possible for the Company to predict all such factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of each such factor on the business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. These risks, as well as other risks associated with the combination, will be more fully discussed in the Companys reports with the SEC. Additional risks and uncertainties are identified and discussed in the Risk Factors section of the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed from time to time with the SEC. Forward-looking statements included in this release are based on information available to the Company as of the date of this release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release. Contact: Jason AssadLR Advisors LLC.[email protected]678-570-6791 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/38e01cab-c609-4093-a909-824c0110b02d. A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/657c19f1-13d3-40d7-beec-abf18fd53a8e. blum San Leandro THE RE-UP Grand Opening Source: Unrivaled Brands, Inc. BOSTON, Feb. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Whittier Street Health Center, a community health center with a mission to serve as a center of excellence that provides high-quality and accessible health care and social services that achieve health equity, social justice, and the economic well-being of a diverse patient population, will conduct its annual meeting in conjunction with a Black History Month celebration on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 12 p.m. at its 1290 Tremont Street, Roxbury address. Imari Paris Jeffries, the executive director of Embrace Boston (www.embraceboston.org), with a mission "to dismantle structural racism through our work at the intersection of arts, culture, and research and policy," will serve as the keynote speaker. Embrace Boston recently unveiled a 22-foot tall bronze sculpture on Boston Common inspired by a photograph of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King hugging Coretta Scott King after learning he had won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. The sculpture depicts just the couple's arms and hands and is intended to serve as a symbol of Boston, representing love, belonging, and hope. Paris Jeffries was named executive director of Embrace Boston in June of 2020, bringing a wealth of experience from the nonprofit management, community activism, education reform, and social justice sectors to the role. He has served in executive roles at Parenting Journey, Jumpstart, Boston Rising, and Friends of The Children, and sits as a Trustee of the UMass System, as well as on the boards of USES and Providers Council. He also served on former Governor Baker's Black Advisory Commission. "We look forward to welcoming Imari Paris Jeffries and discovering more about the remarkable work Embrace Boston conducts to realize its vision of an inclusive and equitable Boston where all belong and prosper," said Whittier Street Health Center's President and CEO Frederica M. Williams, who will share the State of the Health Center address during the annual meeting portion of the event. Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history. About Whittier Street Health Center Whittier Street Health Center is an independently licensed community healthcare center with a mission of providing high-quality, reliable and accessible primary healthcare for diverse populations while promoting wellness and eliminating health and social disparities. Whittier Street Health Center is a champion of equitable access to high-quality, patient-focused care, social justice and economic equity. For more information, please visit www.wshc.org as well as Facebook (www.facebook.com/WhittierStreetHealthCenter), Twitter (@Whittier_Boston), or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/whittier-street-health-center), or call 617-989-3221. Contact Information: Nicole Hales president, PRfirst [email protected] 617-947-7983 Related Images Image 1: Imari Paris Jeffries Imari Paris Jeffries, keynote speaker at Whittier Street Health Center Annual Meeting This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment Imari Paris Jeffries Imari Paris Jeffries Source: Whittier Street Health Center SEATTLE, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Guides.Vote just released a nonpartisan guide to the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. The guide consolidates the candidates' experience, positions, and endorsements into one easy-to-use tool. The New York Times recently called the race "arguably the most important election in America in 2023," and given how confusing state Supreme Court races can be, our guide can help voters participate. Four years ago, a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat was decided by 6,000 votes, while three quarters of eligible voters stayed home. This primary could be equally close. It's possible that two conservatives or two liberals could advance to the April 4 general election, so it's important for people to vote even if they're on the fence as to who to support. Published since 2012, Guides.Vote's rigorously researched guides increase voter turnout by improving voter knowledge and confidence. "In a time of widespread political cynicism, disinformation, and spin, these guides provide a concise and credible way to compare candidate stands. Partners tell us that they help people get past both widespread misinformation and the myth that it's not worth voting because candidates and political parties are all the same, all corrupt, all lying and spinning," says Paul Loeb, Guides.Vote founder. A team of veteran journalists creates the guides to provide a trusted source of information for voters to compare candidates' positions on the issues including LGBTQ rights, abortion, redistricting and gerrymandering issues, and voting and gun rules. The guides help voters know what is at stake and why their voice matters. These guides are unique in how they're created, the information they provide, and the accessibility of their presentation. Our interactive website provides resources in English and Spanish for Wisconsin voters. Guides.Vote has made the guide available as a public resource and is distributing them on college campuses, through civic partnerships and on social media. News outlets are encouraged to link to our Wisconsin Voter Guide, post it on their sites, and share on social channels. #### ABOUT GUIDES.VOTE Guides.Vote produces nonpartisan voter guides, drawing on votes and stands candidates have taken as elected officials as well as what they've said at debates, town halls and in media interviews. The guides have been created and distributed to students at community groups and hundreds of colleges since 2012. Guides.Vote is sponsored by Youth Service America. Contact Information: Lauren McGowan Communications Director [email protected] 206.724.9688 Related Images Image 1 This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment Featured Image for Guides.Vote Featured Image for Guides.Vote Source: guides.vote FILE PHOTO: An Albertsons grocery store is seen, as Kroger agrees to buy rival Albertsons in a deal to combine the two supermarket chains, in Glendora, California, U.S., October 14, 2022. REUTERS/Aude Guerrucci By Mike Scarcella (Reuters) - A private lawsuit filed in California on Thursday seeks to stop Kroger Co's planned $25 billion purchase of rival Albertsons Companies Inc, a deal that state attorneys general, consumer groups and some U.S. lawmakers have questioned as harmful to competition in the grocery market. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 25 consumers in states including California, Texas and Florida who alleged the merger "will be used to increase prices for groceries, decrease the quality of food, eliminate jobs, close stores and offer less choice for consumers." Kroger is the biggest grocer in the U.S. by revenue, and Albertsons is the second-largest supermarket chain. Nearly 5,000 grocery stores would be under one corporate umbrella if the deal, announced in October, goes through. The companies have defended the deal as providing a "more efficient distribution chain" and also have said they are working with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on its regulatory review. The lawsuit appears to be the first private action challenging the deal. A representative for Albertsons declined to comment on Friday, and a Kroger spokesperson did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Stores under the Albertsons umbrella include Balducci's, Shaw's, Kings and Safeway. Kroger operates stores under banners including Harris Teeter, Pay Less and King Soopers. U.S. antitrust law lets private consumers sue over proposed mergers and acquisitions, apart from any enforcement action brought by a state or federal agency policing competition laws. Plaintiffs' lawyer Joseph Alioto in San Francisco, who was among the attorneys who filed the complaint, said "there's no question that Albertsons is a significant rival" of Kroger's. "It's competition that they are eliminating," he said. The lawsuit also said it seeks to force the disgorgement of a $4 billion dividend that Albertsons paid to shareholders after defeating a Washington state attorney general action challenging the payout. Plaintiffs claim the dividend "gravely weakens Albertsons' ability to compete." A federal judge in Washington, D.C., separately declined to issue a preliminary injunction blocking the dividend. The case is: Whalen et al v. Kroger Co et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 3:23-cv-00459. For plaintiffs: Joseph Alioto of Alioto Law Firm; Joseph Saveri of Joseph Saveri Law Firm; and other firms For defendants: No appearance yet Read more: Washington court paves way for Albertsons' $4 bln dividend, declines to review case Albertsons, Kroger CEOs defend $25 bln merger to U.S. Senate committee Farm, consumer groups urge U.S. to block Kroger's planned $25 bln buy of Albertsons (Reporting by Mike Scarcella in Maryland; editing by Leigh Jones) Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 2, 2023) - Measure Marketing Results, Inc.,a full-service digital marketing agency, has announced that it plans to introduce ground-breaking new technologies in its approach as NFTs and the Metaverse continues to grow, as a way for companies to communicate and interact with their customers. Measure Marketing Results is committed to understanding the individualized needs of its clients to develop impactful marketing strategies, which is why the agency is now leveraging NFTs for clients as of 2023. It made the decision based on research indicating that NFTs are helping brands embark on uncharted territory with their ability to create brand awareness and customer loyalty. Moving into 2023, Measure Marketing Results believes adopting and prioritizing comprehensive strategies, rather than focusing on one media channel, is key to providing the best possible results for its clients. "Companies will be ensuring that they are making extremely accurate investment decisions," says company spokesperson Francisco Hernandez. "As a team, we are making sure we understand the needs of our customers and nurturing those relationships. Prioritizing NFTs and not just focusing on one aspect of our expertise, like SEO, is how we will deliver better solutions." Measure Marketing Results and its founder and CEO, Arti Sharma, are continuously finding new ways to better serve clients in e-commerce, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, and B2B industries. Sharma and her team have a mission to encourage their clients to rethink their approach toward increasing visibility, sales, revenue, and market share. The firm has a successful track record in reaching articulated marketing goals through implementing scalable digital marketing initiatives that build brand awareness, generate and create demand, and strengthen customer relationships to support overall business growth objectives and increase revenue. Established in 2008, Measure Marketing Results has evolved into a team of 30, including digital marketing strategists, search marketing specialists, SEO experts, web designers, developers, and content creators. The agency's mission is to continue to execute strategic, innovative digital marketing campaigns to help grow revenue and sales for its B2B customers, primarily in the healthcare, manufacturing, and technology software industries. Measure Marketing Results Inc. is a Toronto based digital marketing agency that focuses on helping clients scale and grow their companies, obtain more customers, and increase their revenue. The firm offers results-oriented digital and internet marketing strategies to increase leads, and employs a team of digital marketers who specialize in attracting website traffic. Website: https://measuremarketing.com/ Contact Arti Sharma: [email protected] To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152489 Drilling Update Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 3, 2023) - Rome Resources Ltd. (TSXV: RMR) (FSE: 33R) ("Rome" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that based on visual interpretation and niton analysis, the Company's first three diamond drill holes on exploration permit PR 15130, which is located within the Bisie North Tin Project ("BNTP"), have all intersected anomalous tin and zinc mineralisation. The BNTP is comprised of two contiguous properties, exploration permit PR 13274 and exploration permit PR 15130, which are situated in the Walikale District of the North Kivu Province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo ("DRC"). The current drill program has been designed to test 300m of potential strike of a newly defined, high grade, contiguous tin in soil anomaly at the BNTP. Drill holes MADD001 and MADD002 on PR 15130, totalling 533m, intersected a broad shear zone with strong chlorite alteration and intensive sphalerite (zinc) and anomalous tin mineralisation over circa 160m downhole length (~100m true width). The Company intends to drill an additional hole to test the zone at shallower depths in order to potentially identify the source of the high-grade tin in soil anomaly on the crest of the ridge. A zinc soil anomaly lies further to the southeast, which suggests that the mineralised zone plunges to the northwest as it has little surface expression in the area of drilling. Drill hole MADD003 intersected a chlorite altered shear zone that appears to be strongly mineralised in tin, copper, zinc, lead and arsenic. This hole, however, was abandoned at 116.5m due to difficult ground conditions without testing the full potential of the shear zone. The association of tin, copper, lead, zinc and arsenic from this hole's core is similar to the mineralization at Alphamin's neighbouring Mpama North tin mine. The core showed strong zircon and arsenic mineralisation that supports the potential of a granitic source for the mineralised hydrothermal fluids, which would have been driven off as the tin granites cooled. The Company is currently drilling two additional holes on PR 15130, MADD004 and MADD005, to further test the mineralised potential of the shear zone identified in MADD003. All planned, completed and holes in progress are shown in Figure 1 and the geology and major shear zones intersected in the drilling are shown in section in Figure 2. All samples will be sent to COAL laboratories in Lubumbashi for sample preparation and a representative sample will be forwarded to ALS Global in Johannesburg for analysis. Results are expected within 60 days. Additional drill holes have been planned and drill pad preparation has commenced in the area of artisanal workings on PR 13274. Current artisanal mining is concentrated within a shear zone of roughly 10 metres in width where channel sampling results reported up to 1m at 11% tin. Figure 1:Diamond Drill Hole Collar Positions on the Tin in Soil Anomaly To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9037/153628_85f4764004ed0946_001full.jpg Figure 2:Section Across both Shear Zones Intersected in the Drilling. Note MADD003 Ended in the Eastern Shear Zone To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9037/153628_85f4764004ed0946_002full.jpg Figure 3 (a) Sphalerite (Zinc) Mineralisation;Figure 3 (b) Cassiterite veinlet (tin) To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9037/153628_Figure3.jpg Dr Georg Schnura, CEO and President of Rome commented, "We are extremely excited about the visual observations at this early stage of our drilling programme. The mineralisation intersected in MADD003 and the associated high-grade tin in soil anomaly (>500ppm Sn) are both highly encouraging indicators that our Company is targeting the correct mineralised system. We note that similar mineralised systems have been observed at neighbouring Alphamin's Mpama North mine and Mpama South resource. In particular, our project's eastern zone has strong copper mineralisation and visual stringers of tin mineralisation, which is similar to the mineralisation at the San Rafael mine in Peru, one of the world's largest tin producing mines. We believe that significant tin mineralisation could be encountered from surface at our Bisie North property, given the strength of the high-grade tin in soil anomaly." QP Statement Dr Deon Vermaakt is a consultant of Rome Resources Ltd and qualified geologist and is a registered Professional Natural Scientist (Geological Science) with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP Reg. No. 400074/03). Dr Vermaakt is a qualified person (QP) under NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. About Rome Resources Rome Resources Ltd. is a mineral exploration company that has entered into two option agreements to acquire 51% direct and indirect interests in two contiguous properties situated in the Walikale District of the North Kivu Province in eastern DRC, which are collectively referred to as the "Bisie North Tin Project". Rome intends to fund exploration on the project up to the completion of a definitive feasibility study. For further information, please contact: Dr. Georg Schnura President, CEO and Director Telephone: (604) 687-6140 Email: [email protected] Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The information in this news release may include certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward-looking statements. Although Rome Resources Ltd believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, Rome Resources Ltd disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise. 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. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/153628 Gyor, Hungary--(Newsfile Corp. - February 3, 2023) - True Forex Funds, an exclusive trading firm that focuses on funding talented traders with the latest technology, has introduced new trading services that generate new opportunities in forex trading using the latest technology. True Forex Fundsprovides traders with capital up to $400,000, allowing them to trade larger accounts. The company's goal is to provide opportunities for traders of all levels, including day traders, scalpers, swing traders, and new traders. The management team, with extensive experience in the forex industry, aims to create a transparent and efficient way of proprietary trading. With the new developments, the company prioritizes its traders and their success. It uses various trading strategies such as scalping, hedging, and automated trading to provide the suitable possible conditions for its clients during all market conditions. Moreover, the company has invested in technology and partnered with multiple liquidity providers to offer low spreads, constantly working to improve our services. It facilitates its clients with a wide range of trading solutions, including a personalized dashboard. True Forex Funds strives for excellence by working together with traders. To aid in this effort, the company has created a unique Dashboard that allows clients to access their performance data and statistics. This all-inclusive panel includes trading objectives, historical analysis, timestamps, and other helpful features. The information displayed on the Dashboard is directly sourced from the client's trading account, providing a user-friendly and informative experience for clients to gain insights and make informed decisions. In addition to that, True Forex Funds welcomes clients from all over the world who are 18 years or older, without any restrictions based on location or nationality. It values the diversity among its clients and strives to attract, retain, and motivate people from various backgrounds and perspectives. The company ensures that its clients are protected and that their payments and withdrawals are handled professionally. In conclusion, trading with True Forex Funds can help traders overcome common difficulties such as undercapitalization, emotional stress, distractions, unrealistic goals, and lack of support. About the company True Forex Funds True Forex Funds is an established propriety trading forum that offers funding and support to traders, helping them to overcome common difficulties and achieve their goals. It provides realistic trading objectives, a scaling plan, and a supportive community. Their goal is to make trading a more manageable and successful profession for its clients. Furthermore, it provides its clients with convenient customer support, a modern dashboard, and a supportive community. For further information, visit the following links: https://trueforexfunds.com/ https://discord.com/invite/48CvsQ2eG8 https://twitter.com/trueforexfunds Media Details: Company Name: True Forex Funds Contact Person: Richard Nagy Contact Email Address: [email protected] Address: Bajcsy-Zsilinszky t 27, 3rd floor office. 9021, GyQr, Hungary Website: https://trueforexfunds.com/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/153597 BUSAN, South Korea, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Atherosclerosis is a deadly disease; research suggests that proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and formation of a neointimal layer along the inner lining of arteries play a major role in the progression of this disease. However, the factors that control these processes were unknown so far. Now, researchers from Korea report an enzyme whose inhibition attenuates VSMC proliferation. Targeting this enzyme could thus present a new avenue for the treatment of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosisthe build-up of plaques, or atheromas, along the inner lining of arteriescan damage arteries and lead to serious complications like cardiac arrest, stroke, or even death if left untreated. It occurs when there is a proliferation of vascular smooth muscular cells (VSMCs) and formation of a layer (known as neointima) along arterial walls, eventually leading to their stenosis (i.e., narrowing), and a disruption of blood flow. It is treated by placing stents which widen the arteries. However, these are not always successful in the long term. For example, 30%40% of stents placed in femoropopliteal arteries re-stenose within 2 years of the procedure. Drug-coated balloons which provide the dual benefit of widening an artery while locally delivering drugs to prevent formation of the neointimaalso known as neointimal hyperplasia or NIHhave been used, but there is still a need for better therapies. And for better therapies, we need a better understanding of the process that leads to NIH, VSMC proliferation, and vascular injury. What factors control this process? A group of researchers from Korea, led by Professor Yun Hak Kim of Pusan National University, set out to find answers. Their study, which was published in Volume 18, Issue 13 of the International Journal of Biological Sciences on 8 August 2022, describes how a particular genephosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 2 (PCK2)and the enzyme that it encodes control the proliferation of VSMCs and development of NIH in samples of vascular injury and atheromas. Previous studies have reported that PCK2 is involved in glucose metabolism and promotes tumor growth and cell proliferation. Their first aim was to find genes which were differentially expressed in carotid atheromas. Not wanting to limit their findings, they started with a hypothesis-free approach, examining diseased and healthy gene profiles from the GSE (Gene Expression Omnibus) series. Says Prof. Kim, "We found six genes that were differentially expressed in disease, three of which were upregulated. The expression of two of theseincluding PCK2was associated with NIH in mouse models of vascular injury. Moreover, inhibition of PCK2 reduced the proliferation of VSMCs." Further mechanistic experiments revealed two signaling pathways which were associated with PCK2. These were the PI3K-Akt and FoxO pathways. Akt, a protein, activates cell growth; FoxO aids the expression of genes during cell proliferation. It is via these pathways that PCK2 and its gene regulate VSMC proliferation after vascular injury, the team reported. Prof. Kim also tells us, "VSMCs in human atheromas have a very high expression of PCK2. And given the findings of our study, we believe this enzyme can also be targeted to prevent arterial re-stenosis after stent placement and improve outcomes of vascular injury treatment." Let's hope that the team's findings lead to an improved treatment modality for atherosclerosis! ReferenceDOI: https://doi.org/10.7150/ijbs.75577 Title of original paper: Role of PCK2 in the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells in neointimal hyperplasia Journal: International Journal of Biological Sciences *Corresponding author's email: [email protected] Website: https://yunhakkim.pusan.ac.kr/ ORCID id: 0000-0002-9796-8266 About Pusan National University Website: https://www.pusan.ac.kr/eng/Main.do Media contact:Jae-Eun Lee[email protected]82 51 510 7928 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/atherosclerosis-vascular-injury-and-the-hunt-for-drug-targets-pusan-national-university-and-korean-researchers-new-findings-301737821.html SOURCE Pusan National University CHICAGO, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe: CBOE), a leading provider of global market infrastructure and tradable products, today reported January monthly trading volume statistics across its global business lines. The data sheet "Cboe Global Markets Monthly Volume & RPC/Net Revenue Capture Report" contains an overview of certain January trading statistics and market share by business segment, volume in select index products, and RPC/net capture, which is reported on a one-month lag, across business lines. Average Daily Trading Volume (ADV) by Month Year-To-Date Jan 2023 Jan 2022 % Chg Dec 2022 % Chg Jan 2023 Jan 2022 % Chg Multiply-listed options (contracts, k) 11,219 11,573 -3.1 % 10,615 5.7 % 11,219 11,573 -3.1 % Index options (contracts, k) 3,371 2,553 32.1 % 3,222 4.6 % 3,371 2,553 32.1 % Futures (contracts, k) 194 303 -36.0 % 191 1.5 % 194 303 -36.0 % U.S. Equities - On-Exchange (matched shares, mn) 1,425 1,794 -20.6 % 1,345 5.9 % 1,425 1,794 -20.6 % U.S. Equities - Off-Exchange (matched shares, mn) 92 108 -14.9 % 70 31.3 % 92 108 -14.9 % Canadian Equities1 (matched shares, k) 149,307 42,651 250.1 % 152,571 -2.1 % 149,307 42,651 250.1 % European Equities (, mn) 10,290 11,737 -12.3 % 8,522 20.7 % 10,290 11,737 -12.3 % Cboe Clear Europe Cleared Trades2 (k) 112,593 132,328 -14.9 % 95,464 17.9 % 112,593 132,328 -14.9 % Cboe Clear Europe Net Settlements2 (k) 865 889 -2.7 % 821 5.3 % 865 889 -2.7 % Australian Equities3 (AUD, mn) 667 844 -21.0 % 661 0.9 % 667 844 -21.0 % Japanese Equities3 (JPY, bn) 166 158 4.8 % 59 178.7 % 166 158 4.8 % Global FX ($, mn) 42,037 37,320 12.6 % 35,870 17.2 % 42,037 37,320 12.6 % 1Canadian Equities data include MATCHNow and NEO from June 2022 onwards. Before June 2022 it included MATCHNow only. "Net capture per 10,000 touched shares" refers to transaction fees divided by the product of one-ten thousandth ADV of shares for NEO and MATCHNow and the number of trading days for the period. 2 Cboe Clear Europe figures are totals (not ADV) for the months and years-to-date. 3 Australian Equities and Japanese Equities data reflects Cboe's acquisition of Cboe Asia Pacific (formerly Chi-X Asia Pacific) effective on July 1, 2021. January 2023 Trading Volume Highlights U.S. Options A total of 291.8 million contracts traded across all four Cboe U.S. options exchanges in January 2023. 53.1 million S&P 500 Index (SPX) options contracts were traded in total for the month, with an ADV of 2.7 million. Trading in SPX options with same-day expiration reached 1.2 million in ADV, comprising 44 percent of overall SPX volume and up five percent from December 2022. SPX options volume during Global Trading Hours (GTH) posted the second-best month ever in January with an ADV of 58,000 contracts 55 percent above 2022 levels. Total volume in Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) options was 11.4 million contracts, with an ADV of 571,000 contracts, up 10 percent from December 2022. Total volume in Russell 2000 Index (RUT) options was 1.1 million contracts, with an ADV of 55,000 contracts, the highest since January 2022. European Equities and Derivatives Cboe Europe Equities had an overall market share of 25.1 percent in January, making it Europe's largest stock exchange. Cboe BIDS Europe, Cboe's European block trading platform, had a 36 percent share of the LIS (large-in-scale) market, making it the largest platform of its type for the tenth successive month (Source: big xyt). Cboe Europe Derivatives traded 3,824 contracts, a record monthly figure and beating the previous high of 3,647 contracts in December 2022. About Cboe Global Markets, Inc. Cboe Global Markets (Cboe: CBOE), a leading provider of market infrastructure and tradable products, delivers cutting-edge trading, clearing and investment solutions to market participants around the world. The company is committed to operating a trusted, inclusive global marketplace, providing leading products, technology and data solutions that enable participants to define a sustainable financial future. Cboe provides trading solutions and products in multiple asset classes, including equities, derivatives, FX and digital assets, across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more, visit www.cboe.com. CBOE-V Cboe, Cboe Global Markets, Cboe Volatility Index, VIX and XSP are registered trademarks of Cboe Exchange, Inc. or its affiliates. Standard & Poor's, S&P, SPX, and S&P 500 are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services, LLC, and have been licensed for use by Cboe Exchange, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Any products that have the S&P Index or Indexes as their underlying interest are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor's or Cboe and neither Standard & Poor's nor Cboe make any representations or recommendations concerning the advisability of investing in products that have S&P indexes as their underlying interests. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and its affiliates do not recommend or make any representation as to possible benefits from any securities, futures or investments, or third-party products or services. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. is not affiliated with S&P. Investors should undertake their own due diligence regarding their securities, futures, and investment practices. This press release speaks only as of this date. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. disclaims any duty to update the information herein. Nothing in this announcement should be considered a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell any securities or futures in any jurisdiction where the offer or solicitation would be unlawful under the laws of such jurisdiction. Nothing contained in this communication constitutes tax, legal or investment advice. Investors must consult their tax adviser or legal counsel for advice and information concerning their particular situation. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and its affiliates make no warranty, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, any warranties as of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, completeness or timeliness, the results to be obtained by recipients of the products and services described herein, or as to the ability of the indices referenced in this press release to track the performance of their respective securities, generally, or the performance of the indices referenced in this press release or any subset of their respective securities, and shall not in any way be liable for any inaccuracies, errors. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and its affiliates have not calculated, composed or determined the constituents or weightings of the securities that comprise the third-party indices referenced in this press release and shall not in any way be liable for any inaccuracies or errors in any of the indices referenced in this press release. Options involve risk and are not suitable for all market participants. Prior to buying or selling an option, a person should review the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options (ODD), which is required to be provided to all such persons. Copies of the ODD are available from your broker or from The Options Clearing Corporation, 125 S. Franklin Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60606. Futures trading is not suitable for all investors and involves the risk of loss. That risk of loss can be substantial and can exceed the amount of money deposited for a futures position. You should, therefore, carefully consider whether futures trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances and financial resources. You should put at risk only funds that you can afford to lose without affecting your lifestyle. For additional information regarding futures trading risks, see the Risk Disclosure Statement set forth in Appendix A to CFTC Regulation 1.55(c) and the Risk Disclosure Statement for Security Futures Contracts. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cboe-global-markets-reports-trading-volume-for-january-2023-301738728.html SOURCE Cboe Global Markets, Inc. Nonprofit recognizes esteemed meteorologist for year-round contributions to education, disaster safety, and resilience TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Inc. (FLASH) named MyRadar, Capital Weather Gang, and FOX5 DC meteorologist Matthew Cappucci as the 2023 National Weatherperson of the Year. The award committee cited Matthew Cappucci's clever and innovative approach to using social media. Matthew is a meteorologist and storm chaser for MyRadar, an on-air meteorologist at FOX5DC, and publishes daily articles in The Washington Post. Additionally, he makes regular appearances on NPR, BBC News, DW News, and SkyNews Arabia. Matthew graduated from Harvard in 2019 with a degree in atmospheric sciences. The award committee cited Matthew's forecasting excellence and clever and innovative approach to using social media to educate others on disaster safety. His loyal fans also praised his ability to succinctly explain the weather to the public to help people understand what's happening while learning something new. "It is with great honor that we recognize Matthew for his dedication to bringing a new generation into the disaster safety and resilience movement through his innovative and multi-platform approach to weather awareness and education," said FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson. "He is creative, caring, and committed to helping his viewers, followers, and students become weather aware to stay safe. Congratulations to Matthew and all of our outstanding 2023 National Weatherperson of the Year finalists who serve the public with excellence every day, especially during hurricane season." "Matthew is a one-of-a-kind meteorologist," said Mike Linden, Director of Video and Social Media Content at MyRadar. "His love for weather is perhaps only outmatched by his love for helping people (and maybe waffles). Whether in the field or on the air, his passion for communicating the complexities of Mother Nature to people of all walks of life is simply unmatched in our industry." Below is a sampling of voter comments: Matthew is a huge advocate for preparedness in the DC area and beyond through his work. He educates the audience on the science and what to look out for when it comes to various types of severe weather. Matthew Cappucci communicates all of his weather knowledge in a very clear and understandable way, contributing to citizens' safety and resilience. Matthew's weather forecasts are fun, informative, and ever-present on social media. He represents a new generation of science communication through an indomitable passion for weather that shines through each of his many projects. His emphasis on education is vital to disaster safety. The 2023 finalist lineup included Amy Freeze, FOX Weather; Paul Goodloe, The Weather Channel; John Patrick, ABC7 Fort Myers; and Erik Salna, Extreme Events Institute FIU. Nominators cited the finalists for outstanding leadership through standout local forecasting, education, real-time updates, and life-saving information during extreme weather events. All received high marks from award voters for their contributions to the cause of disaster safety and resilience. Past National Weatherperson of the Year award winners include: 2014 Jim Cantore, On-Camera Meteorologist, and Co-Host, "AMHQ" - The Weather Channel 2015 Max Mayfield, former National Hurricane Center Director 2016 Alex Garcia, Chief Meteorologist - KABB-TV , San Antonio, TX , San Antonio, TX 2017 Dr. Richard Knabb, Hurricane Expert & Tropical Program Manager - The Weather Channel 2018 Ada Monzon, Chief Meteorologist, AMS Fellow - CBM-WIPR-TV, Puerto Rico Puerto Rico 2019 James Spann, Chief Meteorologist - ABC 33/40 , Birmingham, AL , Birmingham, AL 2020 Joe Snedeker, Morning Meteorologist - WNEP Newswatch 16, Scranton, PA Newswatch 16, Scranton, PA 2021 Ginger Zee, Chief Meteorologist - ABC News 2022 Ken Graham, Director - National Weather Service The National Weatherperson of the Year award coincides with the celebration of National Weatherperson's Day on February 5, the birthday of the pioneering weather observer John Jeffries. Jeffries work in the 1780s paved the way for many aspects of meteorology today. Finalists and winners are selected based on qualitative evaluation and public polling. About FLASH The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) is the country's leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from disasters. The FLASH partnership includes more than 100 innovative and diverse organizations that share a vision of making America a more disaster-resilient nation, including FEMA, Florida Division of Emergency Management, Huber Engineered Woods, International Code Council, ISO - Verisk Analytics, MyRadar, National Weather Service, Renew Financial, Simpson Strong-Tie, State Farm, and USAA. In 2008, FLASH and Disney opened the interactive weather experience StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes in Lake Buena Vista, FL. FLASH's signature program No Code. No Confidence. - Inspect2Protect.org provides consumers with a one-of-a-kind building code transparency tool to easily identify their community's building code. Learn more about FLASH and access free consumer resources by visiting www.flash.org and www.Inspect2Protect.org, calling toll-free (877) 221- SAFE (7233), following @federalalliance on Twitter, and Facebook.com/federalalliance. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/federal-alliance-for-safe-homes-names-matthew-cappucci-2023-national-weatherperson-of-the-year-301737992.html SOURCE Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) AUSTIN, Minn., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), a Fortune 500 global branded food company, announced the advancement of Henry Hsia to vice president of Retail marketing Snacking and entertaining. In this role, Hsia is responsible for managing all brand-building activities for the Hormel Foods growing portfolio of snacking and entertaining brands, including Planters, Corn Nuts, Hormel Pepperoni, Hormel Gatherings and Columbus. "We are very excited to have Henry lead the snacking and entertaining portfolio for the Retail business segment," said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer at Hormel Foods. "Henry has been instrumental in the exceptional growth of the Columbus brand within the Hormel Foods portfolio and has significant experience in the food industry. I look forward to his leadership in this important and growing segment of our business." Hsia joined Hormel Foods in October 2018, shortly after the acquisition of Columbus Craft Meats. Hsia led all marketing and R&D functions for the Columbus brand and played an integral role in the overall leadership of the Columbus Craft Meats team. Prior to Hormel Foods, he established a track record of exceptional results in marketing leadership positions at Ghirardelli, Basic American Foods, Otis Spunkmeyer and Clorox. ABOUT HORMEL FOODS Inspired People. Inspired Food.Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters, SKIPPY, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, WHOLLY, Hormel Black Label, Columbus, Jennie-O and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list by 3BL Media 13 times, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement Inspired People. Inspired Food. to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/. Contact: Media Relations Hormel Foods 507-434-6352 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hormel-foods-announces-advancement-of-henry-hsia-to-vice-president-of-retail-marketing--snacking-and-entertaining-301738716.html SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation TEQUESTA, Fla., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kevin James Kennelley is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Top Pinnacle Professional for his contributions to the Oil & Gas Industry. Dr. Kennelley earned a Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma in 1980. He earned a Master of Science in Metallurgical Engineering in material sciences in 1985 and graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy in Metallurgical Engineering and Material Sciences in 1986, both from the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Kennelley has served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Kennelley & Associates LLC since 2018. He was appointed as the Vice President and Head of Project Excellence with Maersk Oil from 2015 to 2018. He previously served in several positions with BP between 2002 and 2015, including the Vice President of Facilities Technology, the Vice President of Engineering and Technology for Global Projects, a project and engineer director, the Director of Engineering Excellence, and an engineering manager. Dr. Kennelley also worked for Carigali-Triton Operating Company from 2000 to 2002; ARCO Indonesia from 1994 to 2000; ARCO Exploration & Productions Research from 1990 to 1994; and Exxon Production Research from 1986 to 1990. The doctor was honored to be featured on an episode of the CBS news program, 60 Minutes. He was also presented with the D. Grant Mickle Award from the National Transportation Safety Board and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering Technology (IET). Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kevin-james-kennelley-is-recognized-by-continental-whos-who-301738518.html SOURCE Continental Who's Who -Studies are the first to confirm TE-exon splicing junctions can help differentiate tumors from healthy tissue, potentially solving a longstanding challenge for the field of immuno-oncology- -Results further confirm "grey genome" can be mined for meaningful cancer targets, offer a modality-agnostic approach to identify tumor specific antigens- PARIS, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mnemo Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing transformational immunotherapies, has announced publication of two groundbreaking scientific studies developed at Institut Curie, its closest academic collaborator, in the journal Science Immunology. The publications reveal TE-exon splicing junctions act as a source of novel recurrent, cancer-specific targets and have potential implications for developing more effective and less toxic immunotherapies. The findings presented further validate Mnemo's antigen discovery platform. The "grey genome," also known as the part of the dark genome that is annotated, transcribed and sometimes translated, accounts for approximately 45% of the total human genome. These genomic regions were historically disregarded because they are poorly understood; however, a recent growing body of evidence hints that probing the grey genome could expand the potential universe of previously unknown targets by identifying features that encode for cancer-specific targets that are both tumor-specific and shared by significant proportions of patients. "Current cancer targets originate from a very small percentage of the human genome, leaving regions with potential oncology targets largely overlooked," said Robert LaCaze, CEO of Mnemo Therapeutics. "By mining the grey genome, the authors have uncovered an entirely new class of cancer antigens that are highly tumor-specific and recurrent in cancer patients. We are eager to not only better understand how these new tumor antigens synergize with our current pipeline, but also the ways they might be further leveraged as part of strategic partnerships to advance the broader immuno-oncology field." In the first study*, directed by Sebastian Amigorena, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Immunology, and scientific co-founder of Mnemo, CNRS Research Director and head of the Immune Responses and Cancer team (Institut Curie/Inserm), and Marianne Burbage, Ph.D., Inserm Researcher on the team, researchers identified a new family of antigens derived from non-canonical splicing junctions in mouse tumor cell lines. These antigens prompt an immune response in tumor-bearing mice and successfully delayed tumor growth when these peptides were administered as prophylactic or therapeutic vaccines. Additionally, inactivation of Setdb1, a histone methyltransferase, resulted in increased expression of this family of antigens and tumor cell immunogenicity (the ability to trigger an immune response that stops tumor growth). The second study**, led by Amigorena and Joshua Waterfall, Ph.D., head of the Integrative Functional Genomics of Cancer team (Institut Curie/Inserm), specifically examined this family of antigens in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient and healthy tissue samples. The team identified tumor-specific non-canonical splicing junctions that generated immunogenic peptides in NSCLC patients, thus describing a new source of recurrent, tumor-specific antigens in NSCLC cancer patients. "Identifying targets that are unique to cancer cells and absent from healthy tissue has been a major barrier to developing more successful immunotherapies," said Amigorena. "The collective findings advance our knowledge of tumor-specific antigens, unlocking new possibilities for the treatment of cancer not only in the cell therapy space, but across multiple approaches and modalities." References: *Burbage M., Rocanin-Arjo A., Baudon B., Arribas Y.A., Merlotti A., Rookhuizen D.C., Heurtebise-Chretien S., Ye M., Houy A., Burgdorf N., Suarez G., Gros M., Sadacca B., Carrascal M., Garmilla A., Bohec M., Baulande S., Lombard B., Loew D., Waterfall J.J., Stern M-H., Goudot C., Amigorena S. Epigenetically-controlled tumor antigens derived from splice junctions between exons and transposable elements. Science Immunology. 2023 February. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciimmunol.abm6360 **Merlotti A., Sadacca B., Arribas Y.A., Ngoma M., Burbage M., Goudot C., Houy A., Rocanin-Arjo A., Lalanne A., Seguin-Givelet A., Lefevre M., Heurtebise-Chretien S., Baudon B., Oliveria G., Loew D., Carrascal M., Wu C.J, Lantz O., Stern M-H., Girard N., Waterfall J.J., Amigorena S. Non-canonical splicing junctions between exons and transposable elements represent a source of immunogenic recurrent neo-antigens in lung cancer patients. Science Immunology. 2023 February. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciimmunol.abm6359 About Mnemo TherapeuticsMnemo is driven to create powerful immunotherapies to improve the body's ability to detect and eradicate cancer. A lack of cancer-specific targets, coupled with lack of long-term persistence and sensitivity, create significant challenges in the field of immuno-oncology. Mnemo is committed to addressing these problems and engineering the future of immunotherapies to transform the lives of people with cancer through the discovery of novel cancer-specific targets, while boosting immune activity to treat solid tumors. Mnemo is headquartered in Paris and maintains state of the art laboratories in Paris, New York, and Princeton, New Jersey. The company leverages an international talent pool and global resources in its quest to create immunological cures. To learn more, visit https://mnemo-tx.com and follow Mnemo Therapeutics on Twitter (@MnemoTx) and LinkedIn. About Institut CurieInstitut Curie, France's leading cancer centre, combines an internationally renowned research centre with a cutting-edge hospital group, which treats all types of cancer, including the rarest. Founded in 1909 by Marie Curie, Institut Curie employs 3,700 researchers, physicians and health professionals across three sites (Paris, Saint-Cloud and Orsay), all of whom contribute to its three missions of treatment, research and teaching. As a private foundation recognised as a public utility, Institut Curie is authorised to accept donations and bequests, and thanks to the support of its donors, is able to accelerate discoveries and improve patient treatment and quality of life.For more information: www.curie.fr Since 2011, Institut Curie is certified as "Institut Carnot Curie Cancer". The Carnot label is a label of excellence awarded to academic research structures that have demonstrated quality and involvement in collaborative research. Curie Cancer offers industry partners the opportunity to set up research collaborations and benefit from the expertise of Institut Curie teams for the development of innovative treatment solutions for cancer, from biological target to clinical validation. Curie Cancer is a member of the Carnot FINDMED network, a group of 13 Carnot institutes, in order to facilitate access to their technology platforms and innovation capabilities for very small and medium-sized companies, SMEs and SMIs in the pharmaceutical industry.For more information: http://www.instituts-carnot.eu/fr/institut-carnot/curie-cancer - https://findmed.fr View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mnemo-therapeutics-and-institut-curie-announce-two-key-publications-in-science-immunology-highlighting-novel-approach-to-identify-unknown-therapeutically-relevant-cancer-specific-targets-301738628.html SOURCE Mnemo Therapeutics MILWAUKEE, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Moving can be a stressful and overwhelming experience, but with the right moving company, it can be a breeze. United Regions Van Lines is a top-rated moving company that specializes in moves from New York to Miami and back. 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The company has the personnel and equipment ready to handle corporate relocation requests and can start the process quickly while maintaining the highest standards of quality. Corporate clients can schedule a consultation for their relocation needs right away. Relocating can be a challenging task, especially if it involves moving across the country. Choosing a reputable interstate moving company can help ease the stress and ensure a smooth and successful move. United Regions Van Lines is known as a professional state-to-state moving company, offering a variety of quality services at an affordable price. This includes full or partial packing and unpacking, storage options, support for military or senior citizen relocations, and corporate relocation services. Choose United Regions Van Lines to help make your move effortless and exceed your expectations. The positive feedback from satisfied customers has been a great source of motivation for the company, despite facing challenges. The support and appreciation from individuals and families who have experienced the exceptional services of United Regions Van Lines is what drives the company to continue striving for excellence. United Regions Van Lines was established 25 years ago by a group of friends and has since become a respected leader in long-distance, interstate moving services. The company is known for its quality, exceptional customer service, and commitment to exceeding industry standards. They offer a comprehensive door-to-door moving package, referred to as a "white glove" service. Although they provide moving services throughout the United States, their main focus is on the West Coast, Midwest, and South regions. To find out more about United Regions Van Lines, visit their website. https://unitedregionsvanlines.com/ Contact:Jonathan Bleach877-770-1707[email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/united-regions-van-lines-is-committed-to-providing-a-stress-free-moving-experience-301737854.html SOURCE United Regions Van Lines SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 SCHEDULE 13G* (Rule 13d-102) INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN STATEMENTS FILED PURSUANT TO RULES 13d-1(b), (c), AND (d) AND AMENDMENTS THERETO FILED PURSUANT TO RULE 13d-2 (AMENDMENT NO. 4)* Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (Name of Issuer) Common stock, par value $0.00001 per share (Title of Class of Securities) 04523Y105 (CUSIP Number) December 31, 2022 (Date of Event Which Requires Filing of this Statement) Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule is filed: Rule 13d-1(b) Rule 13d-1(c) Rule 13d-1(d) *The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person's initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the disclosures provided in a prior cover page. The information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Act") or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes). 1 NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) Telemark Asset Management, LLC 2 CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (a) (b) 3 SEC USE ONLY 4 CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Delaware NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH 5 SOLE VOTING POWER 0 6 SHARED VOTING POWER 1,970,000 shares 7 SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 8 SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER See Row 6 above 9 AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON See Row 6 above 10 CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) 11 PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 2.98% 12 TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) IA;OO 1 NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) Telemark Fund, LP 2 CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (a) (b) 3 SEC USE ONLY 4 CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Delaware NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH 5 SOLE VOTING POWER 0 6 SHARED VOTING POWER 1,970,000 shares 7 SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 8 SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER See Row 6 above 9 AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON See Row 6 above 10 CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) 11 PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 2.98% 12 TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) PN 1 NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) Colin McNay 2 CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (a) (b) 3 SEC USE ONLY 4 CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION USA NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH 5 SOLE VOTING POWER 0 6 SHARED VOTING POWER 1,970,000 shares 7 SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 8 SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER See Row 6 above 9 AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON See Row 6 above 10 CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) 11 PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 2.98% 12 TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) IN Item 1(a). Name of Issuer: Aspen Aerogels, Inc. Aspen Aerogels, Inc. Item 1(b). Address of Issuer's Principal Executive Offices: 30 Forbes Road, Building B Northborough, MA 01532 Item 2(a). Name of Person Filing: This Schedule 13G is being jointly filed by Telemark Asset Management, LLC, Telemark Fund, LP and Colin McNay (collectively, the Reporting Persons) with respect to shares of Common Stock of Aspen Aerogels, Inc. Telemark Asset Management, LLC is the investment adviser of Telemark Fund, LP. Colin McNay is the President and sole owner of Telemark Asset Management, LLC. Each Reporting Person declares that neither the filing of this statement nor anything herein shall be construed as an admission that such Reporting Person is, for the purposes of Section 13(d) or 13(g) of the Act or any other purpose, the beneficial owner of any securities covered by this statement other than the securities actually owned by such person (if any). Item 2(b). Address of Principal Business Office or, if none, Residence: The address of the principal office of each Reporting Person is: One International Place, Suite 4620 BOSTON MA 02110 Item 2(c). Citizenship: Telemark Asset Management, LLC is a Delaware limited liability company and Telemark Fund, LP is a Delaware limited partnership. Colin McNay is a U.S. citizen. Item 2(d). Title of Class of Securities: Common Stock, par value $0.00001 per share Item 2(e). CUSIP Number: 04523Y105 Item 3. If This Statement Is Filed Pursuant to Sections 240.13d-1(b) or 240.13d-2(b) or (c), Check Whether the Person Filing Is a(n): (a) Broker or dealer registered under Section 15 of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78o); (b) Bank as defined in Section 3(a)(6) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c); (c) Insurance company as defined in Section 3(a)(19) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c); (d) Investment company registered under Section 8 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-8); (e) Investment adviser in accordance with Section 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(E); (f) Employee benefit plan or endowment fund in accordance with Section 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(F); (g) Parent holding company or control person in accordance with Section 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(G); (h) Savings association as defined in Section 3(b) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813); (i) Church plan that is excluded from the definition of an investment company under Section 3(c)(14) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-3); (j) A non-U.S. institution in accordance with Section 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J); (k) Group, in accordance with Section 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(K). If filing as a non-U.S. institution in accordance with Section 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J), please specify the type of institution: ____________________________ . Item 4. Ownership. (a) Amount beneficially owned: Each Reporting Person may be deemed to beneficially own 1,970,000 shares. (b) Percent of class: Each Reporting Person may be deemed to beneficially own what constitutes approximately 2.98% of the shares outstanding. (c) Number of shares as to which the person has: (i) Sole power to vote or to direct the vote: 0 (ii) Shared power to vote or to direct the vote: 1,970,000 shares (iii) Sole power to dispose or to direct the disposition of: 0 (iv) Shared power to dispose or to direct the disposition of: 1,970,000 shares Item 5. Ownership of Five Percent or Less of a Class. If this statement is being filed to report the fact that as of the date hereof the reporting person has ceased to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of the class of securities, check the following . Item 6. Ownership of More Than Five Percent on Behalf of Another Person. Not applicable. Item 7. Identification and Classification of the Subsidiary Which Acquired the Security Being Reported on by the Parent Holding Company. Not applicable. Item 8. Identification and Classification of Members of the Group. Not applicable. Item 9. Notice of Dissolution of Group. Not applicable. Item 10. Certification. Each of the Reporting Person hereby makes the following certification: By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were acquired and are held in the ordinary course of business and were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer of the securities and were not acquired and are not held in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having that purpose or effect. SIGNATURE After reasonable inquiry and to the best of the signatorys knowledge and belief, the signatory certifies that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct. Dated: February 3, 2023 TELEMARK ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC By: /s/ Brian C. Miley Name: Brian C. Miley Title: Chief Financial Officer TELEMARK FUND, LP By: Telemark Asset Management, LLC, investment adviser By: /s/ Brian C. Miley Name: Brian C. Miley Title: Chief Financial Officer By: /s/ Colin McNay Name: Colin McNay Title: President and sole owner of Telemark Asset Management, LLC EXHIBIT INDEX Exhibit Description of Exhibit 99.1 Joint Filing Agreement UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 SCHEDULE 13G/A Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. 6)* Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. (Name of Issuer) Common Stock (Title of Class of Securities) 86562M209 (CUSIP Number) December 31, 2022 (Date of Event which Requires Filing of this Statement) Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule is filed: Rule 13d-1(b) Rule 13d-1(c) Rule 13d-1(d) * The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting persons initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the disclosures provided in a prior cover page. The information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be filed for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Act) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes). Page 1 of 6 CUSIP No. 86562M209 13G/A 1. NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings, Inc. 2. CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (a) (b) 3. SEC USE ONLY 4. CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Japan NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH 5. SOLE VOTING POWER 0 6. SHARED VOTING POWER 75,397,029 7. SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 8. SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 83,896,829 9. AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 83,896,829 10. CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (see instructions) 11. PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 6.1% 12. TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (see instructions) HC, FI Page 2 of 6 Item 1(a). Name of Issuer: Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. Item 1(b). Address of Issuers Principal Executive Offices: 1-2, Marunouchi 1-chome, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo 100-0005,Japan Item 2(a). Name of Person Filing: Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings, Inc. Item 2(b). Address of Principal Business Office or, if None, Residence: 1-4-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8233, Japan Item 2(c). Citizenship: Japan Item 2(d). Title of Class of Securities: Common Stock Item 2(e). CUSIP Number: 86562M209 Item 3. If this Statement is Filed Pursuant to Rule 13d-1(b), or 13d-2(b) or (c), Check Whether the Person Filing is a: (a) Broker or dealer registered under Section 15 of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78o); (b) Bank as defined in Section 3(a)(6) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c); (c) Insurance company as defined in Section 3(a)(19) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c); (d) Investment company registered under Section 8 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-8); (e) An investment adviser in accordance with 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(E); (f) An employee benefit plan or endowment fund in accordance with 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(F); (g) A parent holding company or control person in accordance with 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(G); (h) A savings association as defined in Section 3(b) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813); (i) A church plan that is excluded from the definition of an investment company under section 3(c)(14) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-3); (j) A non-U.S. institution in accordance with 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J); (k) Group, in accordance with 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(K). If filing as a non-U.S. institution in accordance with 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J), please specify the type of institution: Parent Holding Company Page 3 of 6 Item 4. Ownership. Provide the following information regarding the aggregate number and percentage of the class of securities of issuer identified in Item 1. (a) Amount beneficially owned: 83,896,829 (b) Percent of class: 6.1% (c) Number of shares as to which such person has: (i) Sole power to vote or to direct the vote: 0 (ii) Shared power to vote or to direct the vote: 75,397,029 (iii) Sole power to dispose or to direct the disposition of: 0 (iv) Shared power to dispose or to direct the disposition of: 83,896,829 Item 5. Ownership of Five Percent or Less of a Class. If this statement is being filed to report the fact that as of the date hereof the reporting person has ceased to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of the class of securities, check the following. Item 6. Ownership of More than Five Percent on Behalf of Another Person. Not applicable. Item 7. Identification and Classification of the Subsidiary Which Acquired the Security Being Reported on by the Parent Holding Company. See Exhibit A. Item 8. Identification and Classification of Members of the Group. Not applicable. Item 9. Notice of Dissolution of Group. Not applicable. Item 10. Certifications. By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were acquired and are held in the ordinary course of business and were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer of the securities and were not acquired and are not held in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having that purpose or effect. Page 4 of 6 SIGNATURE After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct. Date: February 3, 2023 Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings, Inc. (Company) /s/ Hideaki Takamiya (Signature) Hideaki Takamiya / Senior Manager of Risk Management Dept (Name/Title) Page 5 of 6 Exhibit A Pursuant to the instructions in Item 7 of Schedule 13G, portions of the securities being reported on by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings, Inc. as a parent holding company are owned, or may be deemed to be beneficially owned, by its subsidiaries: each of (a) Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management Co., Ltd. and (b) Nikko Asset Management Co., Ltd. is classified as an investment adviser in accordance with 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(E) and as a non-U.S. institution in accordance with 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J). Page 6 of 6 AUSTIN, Texas Two Fort Bliss soldiers were arraigned Tuesday on murder charges in two separate deaths, according to court records from the west Texas Army base. Spc. Francisco R. Cardenas, 26, is accused of providing fentanyl to another person on March 28, 2022, and the person died, according to the soldiers charge sheet. Fort Bliss redacted the name of the victim from the court document. Cardenas is charged with murder and manslaughter, as well as nine other crimes. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin and about 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cardenas also faces charges for possessing a firearm in June 2021 while also possessing illegal drugs, according to the charge sheet. Other charges include distributing, possessing and using fentanyl between Oct. 1, 2021, and Sept. 7, 2022; using cocaine in July 2022; possessing dimethyltryptamine, a hallucinogenic drug, in June 2022; and disobeying orders between May and August 2022. Cardenas, who enlisted in January 2020, was put into pretrial confinement Sept. 9, 2022, according to his charge sheet. Fort Bliss officials declined to say where he is being held. Spc. Mason Klippert, 25, is charged with murder and manslaughter in the death of a child who was younger than 16 years old, according to the soldiers charge sheet. The incident occurred Aug. 9, 2019, in El Paso, the city where Fort Bliss is located. The victims name was redacted from the court document. Klippert, who is not in pretrial confinement, suffocated a young girl and caused a brain injury, according to the charge sheet. He enlisted in May 2017. Both men are assigned to the 1st Armored Division and were arraigned Tuesday by military judge Col. Robert Shuck of the 4th Judicial Circuit at Fort Bliss. Both pleaded not guilty and will face a jury of enlisted soldiers, according to online court records. Cardenas is scheduled to face a court-martial Feb. 27, according to online court records. Klipperts court-martial is scheduled for July 24. YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan American and Japanese first responders rehearsed emergency medical procedures involving radiation exposure Thursday, part of an annual joint drill centered on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. Now in its 15th year, the unnamed drill at the U.S. 7th Fleet draws from a rotating catalog of scenarios intended to keep the base and the Japanese government proficient in responding to radiation-related issues. Last year, for example, the drill focused on a simulated leak of radioactive coolant from the carrier. This joint response drill continues to foster strong relationships between the U.S. Navy, the city of Yokosuka and the government of Japan, Rear Adm. Carl Lahti, commander of Naval Forces Japan, told Stars and Stripes by phone Thursday. Working together helps further develop more trust and combined coordination. First responders rushed Thursday to treat a Ronald Reagan crewmember with a simulated medical condition and low-level radiation exposure. Teams from Puget Sound Naval Shipyards Yokosuka detachment prepared an isolation area for the faux radiation and later screened for residual contamination. Meanwhile, first responders from U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka arrived to treat and transport the patient. Later, the scenario described the patient has having a cardiovascular problem, and they were taken to Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital for further treatment. This gives us the opportunity to exercise a rare, but credible, problem aboard a nuclear-powered warship, Naval Forces Japan spokeswoman Cmdr. Katie Cerezo told Stars and Stripes during the drill. Future drills might include a high-level radiation exposure or a completely different problem, she said. This scenario was requested and agreed upon at multiple different levels, but its rotational, she said. What were trying to do is reassure the ability to respond and work with them. The exercises observers included Yokosuka Mayor Katsuaki Kamiji, base commander Capt. Les Sobol and representatives from a variety of groups. Cerezo declined to comment on whether the joint drill is meant to alleviate the Japanese publics concerns about the Ronald Reagans reactor. Last year, Japanese public opinion toward nuclear power began to improve. A Nikkei poll from March 2022 showed that a slim majority, 53%, favored restarting the countrys nuclear power plants. The response was the highest in favor of nuclear power since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns, Nikkei reported April 20. Meanwhile, 38% of respondents said Japan must not proceed with restarting the plants. A similar poll by Jiji Press in July showed similar numbers, with 48% of respondents in favor of restarting nuclear reactors, the Japan Times reported July 21. Carnival, Karnevale, Fasching, Fasnet ... the tradition of celebrating wildly before entering into the somber pre-Easter season of Lent is customary throughout much of Europe. These end-of-winter festivities are nothing new; in fact, many of the rituals carried out are thought to be pagan in origin and pre-date Christianity. Carnival rites are so important to some cultures that the time and space they occupy is referred to as the years fifth season. For those not brought up within their traditions, many communities carnival practices can be mystifying. Despite that, a handful of them are so unique in their very nature that they would be worth bearing witness to, at least once in a lifetime. Germanys Black Forest region In the heart of Germanys Black Forest region lies the town of Schramberg, a hikers paradise famed for its Fasnet celebrations. On carnival Sunday, the Hanselsprung sees costumed marchers, many wearing hand-carved wooden masks that have been handed down through generations, jump and carry out various antics to the sounds of bells and music. The action unfolds from 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 19. The second spectacle is the Da-Bach-na-Fahrt boat race, in which the towns bravest souls take to the waters of the brook that flows through town in small watercraft decked out like floats. Not all 80 riders in 40 boats will make it to the finish line without a dunk in the icy waters. The race, which begins at 1 p.m. on Feb. 20, is followed by another parade through the heart of town. Online: tinyurl.com/munmsm5b Binche, Belgium The town of Binche, located just a few miles east of Mons, plays host to one Europes oldest surviving street carnivals. The merriment is on full display come Shrove Sunday, when various masked revelers are joined by Mamselles, men dressed in extravagant female attire (from 4 p.m. on Feb. 19). On Shrove Tuesday, the characters known as Gilles enter the scene, unmistakable in their costumes of red, yellow and black, ostrich-feather hats, wooden clogs and bells, and most peculiarly, wax masks adorned with small round spectacles. In the company of harlequins, dancers and other costumed characters, they march through town to the sound of brass bands and drumbeats. Events culminate with the dance of the Gilles at the Grand Place as fireworks burst overhead. (Parade begins at 3 p.m.; fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Feb. 21). Online: tinyurl.com/3t963437 Acireale, Sicily The town of Acireale in Sicily is considered one of the carnival capitals of Italy. Just a short hop from Catania, between Mount Etna and the sea, the baroque beauty of a town stages a carnival best known for its parade featuring elaborate, papier-mache floats, many decorated with geraniums and other live blossoms. Other floats mock politicians, TV and movie stars and other celebrities. Some of the displays are crafted from locally-grown lemons and oranges, adding a sweet scent to the air. Sophisticated lighting systems make viewing the floats by night a special experience. Bands, majorettes, folklore groups, dancers and other masked performers complete the scene. Visitors have several chances to take part in festivities, with something slightly different on offer each day, including concerts, parades and general merriment. Carnival dates in 2023 include Feb. 4-5 and Feb. 11-21. The biggest parades take place from 3 p.m. Feb. 19 and from 10 a.m. Feb. 21. For most dates, tickets are required; these go for 7 euros when purchased online or can be purchased at booths set up along the parade route. Children under 120 cm enter free of charge. Online: carnevaleacireale.eu Basel, Switzerland In contrast to the above-named celebrations, Basels Fasnacht play outs one week later, starting on the Monday following Ash Wednesday and continuing for three days straight. The action kicks off at 4 a.m. on Feb. 27 with the so-called Morgestraich. The city lights are switched off and the eerie atmosphere of dark and cold becomes all the stranger as the faint sound of drums and piccolos starts to echo through the streets. Costumed musical groups known as cliques begin to emerge from all corners, each accompanied by a brightly burning, lantern painted in keeping with a theme known as a sujet. The cliques ply the streets until dawn, when marchers and viewers alike head into the bars and restaurants to fortify themselves, likely on the most traditional of dishes including a flour-based soup or cheese or onion cakes. From 1:30 p.m., the crowds return in force to witness the large street parade referred to as the Cortege. This consists of elaborate floats, horse-drawn carriages, and groups playing Gugge, a type of music played on brass instruments, pipes and drums at high volume and often intentionally off-key. The Cortege is staged once again at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 1. On Tuesday night, the Gugge music groups perform throughout town, including on stages in Basels main squares. On Monday and Wednesday nights, Schnitzelbank groups sing witty verses in the local dialect; outsiders may enjoy but wont get the joke. Attendees should be sure to purchase a Blaggedde, a badge whose purchase helps defray the cost of staging the festivities. Online: basel.com/en/events/carnival JUBA, South Sudan Pope Francis had waited years to visit one of the world's most troubled countries, with one planned trip scuttled because of the coronavirus pandemic, another because of knee pain. And when he finally touched down on Friday - to a marching band, to ululating crowds, to a city where stretches of road had been paved just for him - Francis said South Sudan had a "special place" in his heart. But it is also a country in shambles. A convergence of conflict, poverty and climate change have combined to create an astonishing set of traumas and obstacles - unresolved despite years of international mediation and personal attention from the pontiff, who in 2019 hosted rival South Sudanese leaders at the Vatican, kissing their feet and pleading for a "new age of peace and prosperity." For a pope who has prioritized outreach to the developing world, majority-Catholic South Sudan presents the ultimate test of the church's ability to help in nation-building. With his 48-hour visit, Francis is trying to harness his personal power, to highlight the plight of a country that is rarely visited by foreign leaders and is sometimes dismissed as a lost cause. Francis's most immediate goal on Friday was to suggest otherwise - urging the South Sudanese people to imagine a country without permanent conflict, pushing its leaders in particular to run the country responsibly, and end bloodshed and mutual recriminations. "Basta!" he said repeatedly in Italian, speaking to dignitaries and South Sudanese officials. Enough! "No more destruction," Francis said. "It is time to build." "History itself will remember you if you work for the benefit of this people that you have been called to serve," he said. "Future generations will either venerate your names or cancel their memory, based on what you now do." South Sudan has oil and fertile land, but it is widely regarded as one of the world's most corrupt countries, with officials accused of using oil revenue for personal gain. The United Nations says key humanitarian indicators are at their "worst point" since independence in 2011. Three-quarters of the country depends on the World Food Program for food. Last month, six journalists were arrested after a video appeared that seemed to show President Salva Kiir urinating on himself during a public event. That turmoil adds to the stakes for Francis, who is visiting in tandem with leaders of two other Christian denominations: the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the Presbyterian Rt. Rev. Iain Greenshields, who is the moderator of the Church of Scotland. A "pilgrimage of peace," they are calling it. Speaking Friday evening, seated next to the other Christian leaders and Kiir, Francis said he had taken the trip after "hearing the plea of an entire people that, with great dignity, weeps for the violence it endures, its persistent lack of security, its poverty and the natural disasters that it has experienced." He said that years of war and conflict "seem never to end." He specifically called for a "battle against corruption," saying that society risked being polluted by "the inequitable distribution of funds, secret schemes to get rich, patronage deals, lack of transparency." While he has been criticized over the past year for going easy on Russian President Vladimir Putin, this time there was an edge to his diplomacy. "I realize that some of what I have had to say may appear blunt and direct, but please, know that this arises only from the affection and concern," the pope said. In an interview, the mayor of Juba, Michael Allah-Jabu, said the pope's trip, above all, would give South Sudanese people the "feeling of love." "This can be a historical event in the history of the country," he said. "I do think with time - with time - people can change." For Francis, South Sudan marks the second leg of a challenging - but so far enthusiastic - trip to Africa, which started in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Kinshasa, ecstatic crowds filled stadiums and airport fields, or staked out spots along the road just to catch a glimpse. But in a sense that part of the trip was easier; while the Congo also has profound and pervasive problems, the epicenter of its violence is in the east, some 900 miles away from the capital, to which Francis restricted his visit. In South Sudan, the trauma is in closer proximity, with the upheaval wholesale. Either because of conflict or recent flooding, roughly 1 in every 3 South Sudanese people has been forced to flee their homes. That outcome is especially deflating given the jubilation - and brief period of hope - when South Sudan a decade ago conducted a referendum to break away from majority-Muslim Sudan. Led by Kiir, with his trademark 10-gallon cowboy hat, South Sudan became Africa's 54th state, cheered by the West. From the outset, South Sudan had some of the lowest benchmarks for living standards in the world. But the situation soon got worse. The two most relevant political figures - Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar - turned against one another, a power struggle that triggered full-on warfare between the two largest ethnic groups, the Dinka and the Nuer. The civil war is now over, and Kiir and Machar - who together met with the pope in 2019 - have made a tenuous peace, presiding in a unified government. But crucial elements of the peace deal remain unfulfilled, most importantly the formation of a unified army merging forces loyal to Machar and Kiir. Kiir said Friday that, "in honor of the pope's visit," his government would reenter talks with those parties, after previously saying the negotiations were being used by opponents as a stalling tactic to prepare for war. Generations scarred by ferocious war continue to fight in a constellation of small, complex conflicts - fueled by the guns with which the country is awash. Some smaller parties have not signed the peace deal. "The situation is horrendous in South Sudan, and it seems to keep getting worse despite the peace deal," said Alan Boswell, the Horn of Africa project director for the International Crisis Group think tank. The deal created a truce among the elites, he said, "but a lot of the rest of the county has descended into various forms of conflict and insecurity, with huge death tolls that would be shocking anywhere that wasn't South Sudan." Climate change is also contributing to conflict, as cattle herders, in the wake of flooding, have sought out drier land, sparking battles over territory. The capital itself has stabilized, and people familiar with Juba say it has developed quickly, if unevenly, in the past few years. It now has a few luxury hotels and more paved roads. But the situation deteriorates not far beyond the city limits. Even as the pope was arriving, South Sudanese media reported that 20 people had been killed 70 miles from Juba, in what one outlet described as a "cattle-related attack." Houreld reported from Nairobi. Expectations were always low that a visit to Beijing by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken would have halted the downward trajectory of U.S.-China ties, since the two countries had always had fundamentally different objectives for the high-level meeting. The two-day trip had been set to begin on Sunday when new tensions emerged ultimately leading it to be postponed. Pentagon officials disclosed the discovery of a possible Chinese spy balloon flying above the continental United States. The Chinese Foreign Ministry later described it as a "civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological purposes" that had been blown off course. Even before the postponement, however, commentators in China pointed to a hardening U.S. attitude toward Beijing, citing export controls targeting Chinese technology, expanded U.S. military access to the Philippines and a planned visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. In an editorial Wednesday, the state-run People's Daily said the United States must drop its "obsession" with containing China. While U.S. officials had hoped to establish guardrails to prevent tensions from spiraling into conflict, Beijing wants to reset the relationship on the basis of broad principles that would make issues like Taiwan or Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea off-limits. "It's like we are using two different yardsticks," said Rorry Daniels, managing director of the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York. "The two sides are agreed that it would be useful for ourselves and for the world to manage the relationship responsibly. But for the modus operandi, there's a big gap of what the expectations are." Here are three things that China wanted out of the meeting and any future Blinken visit: Establish the red lines For China, agreeing to prevent a crisis is not enough. Chinese leaders, diplomats and experts have repeatedly said that a fundamental reset is necessary to repair ties. Since Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with President Biden in Bali at the Group of 20 summit in November, Beijing has ramped up calls for a new "fundamental framework" of the relationship based on lofty principles like peaceful coexistence or mutual respect. "Only with principles can we have direction, and only with direction can we properly handle differences and expand cooperation," the People's Daily wrote on Wednesday, paraphrasing comments Xi made to Biden during that meeting. The goal for any future meeting will be to set a new tone for the next few decades - one where Washington would be obliged to respect China's core interests including its claims over Taiwan and the South China Sea, crackdowns in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, or its approach to human rights issues. "That is the core thing they want because once they have those principles and framework in place they can protect their bottom line," said Yun Sun, the director of the China program at the Stimson Center in Washington D.C. "They want to draw lines. They want to tell the Americans there are certain things you cannot do and cannot say." "The U.S. is much more focused on specific issues - what we can do together on specific issues - and the Chinese will say let's talk about the fundamental framework of our relations first." Show that China is back After almost three years of severe "zero covid" policies that have paralyzed the economy, improving ties with the United States is a way to show that China is open again for business. "After zero covid, this is the year for China to fight for its economy. So it's China's hope that the two sides can ease tensions on the trade and economic front," said Zhao Minghao, professor at the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. Since the reopening, Beijing has been keen to showcase its return to the global stage. Blinken had been expected to meet Xi, which would have made him the first U.S. secretary of state to meet the Chinese leader in years, after Mike Pompeo was snubbed in 2018. At the same time, China would have aimed to show that its leaders were standing up to U.S. pressure on Beijing to use its influence over Russia or North Korea. "We need to remind the U.S. that it cannot demand communication and cooperation from China while interfering in China's internal affairs and hurting China's interests," said Mao from the Foreign Ministry on Monday. "The Chinese government wants to show its own public that it can be tough with the United States on areas where the U.S. and China don't agree and that it can manage that toughness with a real open channel of dialogue," Daniels said. Stop those Taiwan trips Chinese officials this week have already called on the "relevant people" to stop McCarthy's plans to visit Taiwan later this year. China, which claims the de facto country as its sovereign territory, sees the visit as a violation of agreements between Washington and Beijing in which the United States said it would not support Taiwan independence. McCarthy's visit comes after that of former house speaker Nancy's Pelosi's trip in August, which was followed by days of Chinese military drills surrounding the main island. To China, such visits represent a worrying trend, while to Washington, China's saber-rattling over the visits signals looming conflict. In a memo leaked last weekend, a U.S. Air Force commander said he believed the United States would engage in a war with Beijing over Taiwan in the next two years. "A very big problem for both sides now is that neither feels that they are misjudging the other party," said Zhao. "China believes that the United States wants to establish one China and one Taiwan, and the United States believes China wants to take back Taiwan by force. This is the most troublesome deadlock right now." The Washington Post's Lyric Li in Seoul contributed to this report. TOKYO Starting in July, operating an electric scooter in Japan will no longer require a license or a helmet, though wearing one is encouraged, the National Police Agency announced recently. A revised law takes effect this summer to make hopping unencumbered aboard an e-scooter quick and easy for trips along city streets and sidewalks. Electric scooters have become a popular means of on-demand transportation for commuters and tourists in Japans major cities, according to a Dec. 26 report by The Japan Times. For example, a Tokyo-based e-scooter rental start-up, Luup, now has a fleet of 5,000 rental scooters and e-bikes across 2,340 pickup points in places like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, according to the report. The law permits e-scooters to travel up to 20 kph, or about 12.5 mph, on streets and up to 6 kph, nearly 4 mph, on sidewalks, according to the police agency. E-scooters may not exceed 190 cm, or 6.2 feet, in length, or 60 cm, just shy of 2 feet, wide, the agency said. They may have a maximum rated horsepower of 600 watts. Operators must be 16 or older to ride an e-scooter. Helmets are not required but riders will be obligated to make an effort to wear them, according to the revision. E-scooters may be operated on sidewalks at the lower speed limit provided theyre equipped with green indicator lights, according to the revisions. Scooters that meet traffic law standards may be operated without green lights until December 2024, but must bear a special license plate and may not be ridden on sidewalks, according a Jan. 19 report in the Mainichi newspaper. The revised law also unifies regulations for rental and personal scooters into one code, according to a Jiji Press report Jan. 19. Violators are subject to fines, according to Jiji Press. An operator with more than two violations within three years must attend a safety class. Federal law enforcement officials are in discussions with former vice president Mike Pence's legal team to perform a consensual search of his Indiana home to ensure there are no additional classified materials on the property, according to a person familiar with the matter. An exact date for the search has not been set, the person said. The search follows revelations last week that the former vice president handed over to the FBI "a small number" of documents bearing classified markings that his lawyers discovered at his home. Pence, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, is the latest politician to face scrutiny for potentially mishandling classified materials after leaving elected office. The Justice Department currently has two separate criminal probes into classified documents found at President Biden's and former president Donald Trump's personal properties. In Trump's case, the former president appears to have resisted government attempts to obtain official documents for months, including after a grand jury subpoena demanded the return of any material marked classified. That led to an FBI search of Trump's Florida property in which agents recovered 300 documents marked as classified. So far, the specifics around the retention of documents found on Pence's property appear to be drastically different, with the former vice president's lawyers saying they are being forthcoming with law enforcement. Biden's lawyers have also said that they allowed law enforcement officials to search his properties. The Wall Street Journal first reported that Pence's team is in contact with the Justice Department to schedule a search. Spokespeople for the Justice Department and FBI declined to comment. In a response on Twitter to reports of a potential search on Pence's property, Devin O'Malley, a spokesman for Pence, accused Justice Department officials of leaking to the press. He declined to comment further. In late January, a lawyer for Pence said that the former vice president brought in outside counsel with experience handling classified materials to search records stored in his Indiana home "out of an abundance of caution" after news broke that materials were discovered at Biden's home. The lawyer, Greg Jacob, said in a Jan. 18 letter to the National Archives that counsel "identified a small number of documents that could potentially contain sensitive or classified information interspersed throughout the records." Jacob said that Pence was "ready and willing to cooperate fully." Jacob said that Pence gave the FBI permission to collect the classified materials on Jan. 19 and planned to deliver the boxes in which those documents were found to the National Archives on Jan 23. O'Malley said at the time that no classified documents were found at the offices of Pence's nonprofit organization, Advancing American Freedom. In November, Attorney General Merrick Garland assigned veteran federal prosecutor Jack Smith as special counsel to oversee day-to-day operations of the criminal probe of Trump's handling of classified documents after leaving the White House. Smith is also managing aspects of the Justice Department's investigation of the events leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol that are most closely linked to Trump. In January, Garland appointed Robert Hur as a special counsel to oversee the Biden investigation. The attorney general has not commented on the documents discovered at Pence's home. (Tribune News Service) A Florida Army veteran was sentenced in Springfield federal court Thursday for sending threatening messages claiming he was going to shoot members of an anti-gun violence group if he didnt receive his pension. In Springfield federal court Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni sentenced Drummond Neil Smithson, 31, of Florida, to 14 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In November 2022, Smithson pleaded guilty to one count of use of interstate communications to transmit a threat to injure in connection with a threatening message he sent to the anti-gun violence group, Moms Demand Action. Smithson was originally indicted on the federal charge in May 2022. Around July 19, 2020, Smithson, an Army veteran, mailed a letter from Ayer, Massachusetts to the Department of Veterans Affairs Pension Intake Center in Janesville, Wisconsin. In that letter, Smithson threatened to shoot members of Moms Demand Action, a grassroots organization advocating for the end to gun violence, if he didnt receive his pension. In the letter, Smithson references a federal court case against him in the Southern District of Florida in which he is charged with possession of firearms and ammunition by a person prohibited to do so, court records show. Smithson was arrested in September 2019 after violating an order of protection that was served to him on June 29, 2019, by a Tennessee court. That order prohibited Smithson from possessing firearms or ammunition. On Sept. 12, 2019, Fort Lauderdale police officers accompanied Child Protective Services to his apartment, which he shared with his girlfriend, her two minor children, and two unrelated adults, and found him in possession of multiple firearms, court records said. Smithson told the officers he moved to Fort Lauderdale after his discharge from the Army and that he had spent a lot of time in psychiatric hospitals. When asked how he was feeling, Smithson said he still has anger issues. He told the officers he had two rifles and two handguns in the bedroom that he shared with his girlfriend and her two minor children. He eventually surrendered two AR-10 rifles, a Glock 9mm pistol, a KelTec PMR-30 handgun, and various types of ammunition to the officers, court documents show. Smithson was arrested on Sept. 19, 2019, after investigators learned of his order of protection. He told investigators he did not think Florida would enforce the Tennessee order because it was issued by a corrupt judge, records showed. Smithson also told authorities he bought AR-10s because they are more powerful than AR-15s and if someone comes knocking on my door with body armor and riot shields, I want to have the means to protect myself, court documents showed. He added, I have been targeted by corrupt protection orders and if they want to send a SWAT team into my apartment with body armor, I dont want to be sitting there with little BB-gun AR-15s. On Dec. 5, 2019, Smithson spoke with law enforcement by phone and told them he was living on a boat in Monroe County. During this conversation, Smithson told authorities the protection order was just a piece of paper used as a tool by the government that was not constitutional and he would intentionally violate the order. Smithson stated he had purchased two additional firearms since law enforcement removed his four firearms from his apartment in September, court documents said. Authorities were later able to confirm his firearm purchases through traced purchase reports. On Feb. 2, 2020, Smithson attended a Moms Demand Action gun control rally in Parkland, Florida, carrying a rifle case with the words Come take it painted on the case. He wore a Go-Pro digital camera to film the reactions of other attendees and possible confrontations. Smithson was eventually ejected from the rally by police after arguing with another attendee, court documents stated. In his July 2020 letter, Smithson wrote he had been incarcerated for about five months and his trial was set for Sept. 14, 2020. The letter in its entirety The U.S. Constitution says that I have the right to bear arms, so technically I did not even commit a crime by doing so. Some dumb*** judge took my kids away so I started buying Assault Rifles after the hearing. Bascially a Judge took Hostages so I started buying guns. Im sorry but if you take my pension there is going to be retaliation. I spent over 200 days in psychiatric hospitals to get it and Ill be damned if the government is going to just take it and walk free. Remember when that guy in Flordia walked into the VA Hospital waiting room and killed himself in front of 100 people? Sure is a good thing he didnt just walk in there and start shooting. You know why he did it? Because someone at the VA didnt take him seriously. If you want to be that someone then go right ahead. You take my pensions and the second I get out of prison I will go to a Moms Demand Action meeting. I figure if Im leaving I might as well take the trash on my way out right? It will be a first-hand lesson on why 1 of 30 people in a room may want to carry a gun. The Anti-gunners will all hide behind their chairs, calling 911, pleading for a guy with a gun to come and save them. Would be one hell of a big mess to clean up. Try me. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit masslive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The Pentagon on Friday rejected Chinas claim a balloon floating above the central United States was a Chinese civilian weather research craft, though the Defense Department said the airship posed no threat to Americans on the ground. The fact is we know that it's a surveillance balloon, Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagons top spokesman, told reporters. We do know that the balloon has violated U.S. airspace and international law, which is unacceptable. And, so we've conveyed this directly to the [Peoples Republic of China] at multiple levels. Ryder declined to provide many new details about the balloon, including its current location, after the Pentagon hastily called a news conference Thursday evening to announce the Chinese spy balloon was flying over Montana and had been tracked for days by the North American Aerospace Defense Command. The Chinese aircraft was floating eastward over the central United States as of early Friday afternoon at a roughly 60,000-foot altitude, Ryder said. The balloon was carrying a large surveillance payload and had changed course during its trek through U.S. and Canadian airspace, he said, calling the vessel maneuverable. Ryder also declined to provide information about how the Pentagon had determined the balloon was attempting to spy and posed no physical threat to Americans. A senior defense official on Thursday said the United States had considered shooting the balloon down with fighter jets, but ultimately decided against doing so because of fears its debris could hurt people or damage property below. Ryder would not say whether U.S. officials might revisit shooting down the vessel in the future, including if it flies over a large body of water. Earlier Friday, the State Department confirmed Secretary of State Antony Blinken had postponed plans to visit Beijing this weekend. Blinken was due to leave Washington for meetings Sunday and Monday, The Associated Press reported. The visit would have been Blinken's first to China as the top U.S. diplomat, and the first visit of a U.S. Secretary of State to Beijing since 2018. The balloons trek through American airspace was not the first of this kind of spying incident in recent years, Ryder said. However, he said details about past incidents -- including locations of past spy balloon incursions or the countries from which they originated -- were classified, the general said. He also did not say whether the Chinese spy balloons current location had been classified, but he noted people in its vicinity could look up in the sky and see where the balloon is. Chinas Foreign Ministry confirmed Friday that the balloon was Chinese. In a statement, it described the balloon as a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes. The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure, the statement reads, referring to uncontrollable circumstances. The Chinese side will continue communicating with the U.S. side and properly handle this unexpected situation caused by force majeure. Ryder said the United States would continue to track the balloon. He said the Pentagon believed it would remain over the United States for a few days. Stars and Stripes reporter Doug G. Ware contributed to this report. Maj. Gen. Kenneth Kamper was suspended from his position as the commander of the Army Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill, Okla., while the Army inspector general investigates unnamed allegations against him, service officials announced Friday. Gen. Gary Brito, commander Army Training and Doctrine Command, decided on the suspension, said Cynthia O. Smith, an Army spokeswoman. Kamper will remain at Fort Sill to perform duties directed by his chain of command, she said. Brig. Gen. Shane Morgan, deputy commander of the Fires Center of Excellence, will serve as interim commander and as the general court-martial convening authority. Smith declined to confirm the nature of the inspector generals review, but said it is not related to any allegations of sexual misconduct. Fort Sill is home to the Armys field and air defense artillery training facilities and trains about 20,000 soldiers each year for basic training and advanced individual training. Last month, roughly 100 Ukrainians troops arrived at the base to learn how to operate and maintain the Patriot missile system to help fend off aerial attacks in the countrys war with Russia. Neither the investigation nor the change in leadership will have any impact on the operations or mission at Fort Sill, including the current training of Ukrainian forces on the Patriot missile system, and the suspension was not related to the mission or training of Ukrainian soldiers, Smith said. Kamper took command of Fort Sill in March 2020, according to his official service record. He previously served as the chief of staff and later deputy commander of III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas, beginning in May 2017. About 25,000 service members are assigned to Fort Sill, which is located in Lawton, a town about 90 miles southwest of Oklahoma City. The Defense Department is doing a good job offering quality child care options for military families, but accessibility and affordability remain challenges, a recent government watchdog agency report found. Waitlists for on-base child care continue to be a pressure point for military families, and some, especially those of lower-ranking service members, are troubled by cost, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Thursday. When on-base child care was unavailable, families needed to use community-based, civilian child care centers, which can be more expensive than on-base care, even with fee assistance, according to the report, which included interviews with military family association representatives. That pinch is evident across military communities worldwide, potentially affecting family readiness and hurting military spouses who want to work. For example, DOD child care centers in the Kaiserslautern Military Community in Germany were managing to handle only about 65% of demand in September, officials told Stars and Stripes at the time. That was due to chronic staffing shortages. About 440 children were then on the waiting list at Army and Air Force care centers in the community. That figure was nearly identical to the tally four years earlier, reflecting a persistent backlog, the Stars and Stripes report found. The 2021 Military Family Lifestyle Survey by Blue Star Families found that 20% of active-duty spouse respondents who were unemployed but wanted or needed to work cited child care unavailability as an impediment to taking a job, and 34% said child care was too expensive, according to the study released in March 2022. DOD officials acknowledge challenges to meeting demand in some locations, according to the GAO report. Reasons include shortfalls in staffing and capacity. To address them, the Pentagon is building more Child Development Centers, starting nationwide recruiting for workers and expanding options for off-base care, the report stated. DOD spent more than $1 billion on child care programs in fiscal year 2021, the GAO said. About 76,700 children were enrolled in DOD child care programs as of September 2021. And the agency was offering fee assistance for the care of about 25,800 children of service members as of March 2022, the GAO said. Unlike at most civilian child care centers, meeting national accreditation standards is required for on-site development centers, school-age care programs and a majority of off-site child care providers. The Defense Department also does a good job ensuring training of child care employees, inspecting care centers and implementing quality educational programming, the report found. However, the report cited a lack of studies pertaining to the effectiveness of DOD child care programming on the development and learning of young children. DOD did not plan to evaluate its child care program and instead will focus resources on meeting child care needs, including recruiting and retaining staff, the GAO said. Former president Donald Trump said late Thursday that he "totally" disagrees with the assessment of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that the Capitol Police officer who shot Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol "did his job." "I totally disagree with the Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy," Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform. "ASHLI BABBITT WAS MURDERED!!!" McCarthy weighed in on the issue earlier Thursday when asked by a reporter if he agreed with a recent characterization by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) that Babbitt was "murdered" by a Capitol Police officer while she was trying to breach the doors near the House chamber on Jan. 6. "I think the police officer did his job," McCarthy said, without elaboration. An internal investigation cleared the Capitol Police officer of any wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of Babbitt. The Justice Department also determined that the officer would not face criminal charges in the killing of the 35-year-old California woman. In his post, Trump characterized the officer as a "Thug" and a "MISFIT." "He was not a hero but a COWARD, who wanted to show how tough he was," Trump claimed. McCarthy was initially critical of Trump after the insurrection but later visited him at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. The two have at least outwardly enjoyed a close political relationship in recent months. Trump offered a spirited endorsement of McCarthy last month as he was struggling to round up the necessary Republican votes to become speaker. Babbitt was among the group of Trump supporters who made their way into the Capitol on Jan. 6 to try to stop the certification of Joe Biden's election victory. The pro-Trump mob overran the Capitol complex in a violent siege that ultimately resulted in five deaths. The group Babbitt was with was battering the doors to the Speaker's Lobby, the hallway outside the House chamber where some lawmakers and House staff members were sheltering, when Babbitt attempted to crawl through a shattered window pane in the doors. Lt. Michael Byrd, a 28-year veteran with the Capitol Police, said he fired his gun that day only as a "last resort." He said he was trying to protect about 60 to 80 House members and staff who were sheltering beyond the glass doors of the Speaker's Lobby. Byrd, who was standing on the far side of the doors, fired a single shot at Babbitt, sending her tumbling backward onto the floor. Babbitt was hit in the shoulder and later died. Greene made the comments earlier in the week during a House Oversight Committee meeting after a Democratic member referred to the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols after a beating by police in Memphis. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Tex.) had expressed opposition to a Republican decision to disband a subcommittee focused on civil rights, arguing that Nichols's death was an example of what such a panel should be investigating. "I watched the video [of the beating], and it was tragic and extremely difficult to watch," Greene said. "But I'd like to also point something that I'd hope you share with me: There's a woman in this room whose daughter was murdered on January 6th, Ashli Babbitt." (Greene had apparently invited Babbitt's mother to attend the committee meeting.) "As a matter of fact, no one has cared about the person that shot and killed her," Greene continued. "And no one in this Congress has really addressed that issue. And I believe that there are many people that came into the Capitol on Jan. 6, whose civil rights and liberties are being violated heavily." Judge Michele Finan remanded him on continuing bail FORMER Ireland footballer Anthony Stokes has appeared in court on drugs and motoring charges after he was stopped driving in Dublin. The ex-Premier League player (34) was charged after he was allegedly found with cocaine following a traffic incident last month, with further counts brought today. Judge Michele Finan remanded him on continuing bail and adjourned the case at Dublin District Court for the directions of the DPP to be given. Mr Stokes, with an address at Wykham Point, Dundrum, Dublin is charged with possession of cocaine with intent to sell or supply and dangerous driving. The 10 separate offences are all alleged to have happened on January 6. The sale or supply drugs offence is alleged to have happened at Crumlin Garda Station, with a related charge of simple possession of the drug. The dangerous driving charges refer to a number of locations -Walkinstown Avenue, the Walkinstown Avenue/Long Mile Road junction, Kennelsfort Road Upper in Ballyfermot, Ballyfermot Road and, Knockmaroon Road, Castleknock. He is also charged with uninsured and unlicenced driving at Knockmaroon Road, and failing to produce his documents within 10 days. Anthony Stokes outside court Paddy Cummins - PCPhoto.ie Mr Stokes, wearing a black jacket, black and red t-shirt and black jeans stood at the back of the court until he was called to come forward by the judge. He then stood as a garda sergeant handed evidence into court by certificate of Mr Stokes' initial arrest and charge for six offences. Mr Stokes had been granted bail on those charges at the garda station. Garda Radoslaw Konczewski then gave evidence of further charging the accused with four more counts before today's court sitting. He said Mr Stokes made no reply after caution and was handed copies of the charges sheets. The garda said he had no objection to bail subject to conditions, which were that the accused provides an address he is residing at and a phone number. Defence solicitor Lorraine Stephens objected, saying bail had already been granted without conditions on the more serious charge. Anthony Stokes played for the Republic of Ireland The judge asked the garda why he was seeking conditions. Gda Konczewski replied that there was a possibility of further charges and Mr Stokes had provided different addresses which were not valid. "I'm concerned I won't be able to find him," the garda said. "Has he a history of not being able to be found?" Judge Finan asked, to which the garda replied "no." The court also heard the garda could contact the accused's solicitor and the judge said she would not impose bail conditions. Judge Finan extended bail from the original charges and adjourned the case to a date in December for the directions of the DPP. A written summary of the evidence was handed over to Ms Stephens. Mr Stokes was not required to address the court and has not yet indicated pleas to the charges. Mr Stokes won nine caps for the Republic of Ireland between 2007 and 2014. He began his senior career with Arsenal and also spent several seasons playing for clubs including Sunderland and Celtic. Carey has become a leading voice in the anti-asylum seeker protests which have sprung up across the city. Carey in his new Twitter rant Far-right activist Graham Carey was arrested at his home in Finglas, Dublin Far-right agitator Graham Carey is due to appear in court later this morning after being charged by gardai. Carey was arrested on Tuesday at his home in Finglas by members of the gardas Special Detective Unit. He was then held at a south Dublin Garda station where he was questioned under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. Carey, who previously protested outside Taoiseach Leo Varadkars home, has become a leading voice in the anti-asylum seeker protests which have sprung up across the city. He had claimed protestors were going to go through Finglas Garda Station at an anti-immigrant rally this week. In the wake of rising tensions over the housing of refugees in the area, Carey took to social media to tell gardai that they would need every f****** copper in the country to police protests in the northside suburb. Carey in his new Twitter rant However, Carey is now due to come before the court this morning after being formally charged. A garda spokesman said investigations into the matter remain ongoing "A man, aged in his 30s, arrested and detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, 1939 in Dublin on 1st of February 2023, has been charged. He is due to appear before the Criminal Courts of Justice (Court 1) this morning, Friday 3rd February, 2023 at 10.30am. Investigations are ongoing. Carey took to social media this week after a group of men entered a makeshift camp of homeless men on the banks of the Tolka in Ashtown, Dublin, and ordered the occupants to leave. I will not ask these people again to listen to me, he said. I'm gonna say - do what has to be done lads. Graham Carey talks to Sunday World reporter Patrick O'Connell "And I'm gonna sit back and fold me f****** arms and watch. They're gonna go through that station if you don't get the f*** out by your own will, he said. That's what they're gonna do and, no matter whether I'm there or not, they're going to be there. "And they have it in their head to protect their own f******* children, to protect their daughters, to protect their mothers from dirty f******* rapists, that's what we're doing. Now f*** the Garda, f*** the army, f*** the judges f*** the politicians, f*** them all. Another condition was that Mr Carey does not organise or participate in any protests or gatherings, either in person or online. Anti-immigration activist Graham Carey has been charged with incitement to hatred by distributing threatening and abusive videos online. Mr Carey (39) was barred from social media and ordered to stay away from refugee centres as part of his bail conditions when he appeared in Dublin District Court. The court heard he had replied "it won't be happening again" when the charge was put to him. Mr Carey, with an address at Dunsink Drive in Finglas is charged with one count of incitement to hatred, on January 30. The charge alleges that he distributed, showed or played a recording of threatening, abusive and insulting visual images or sounds that were intended or likely to "stir up hatred". The offence is under Section 2 of the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act, 1989. Today, Detective Sergeant Eamon Hoey said he arrested the accused for the purpose of charge at Shankill garda station at 9.55pm last night. When charged and cautioned at 11.05pm, Mr Carey replied: "In hindsight it won't be happening again. I will be taking a different approach going forward." Det Sgt Hoey had no objection to bail with "certain conditions." Graham Carey leaves court after being granted bail. Collins Courts As the conditions were discussed, and gardai requested he surrender his passport, Mr Carey said he had none. He was ordered not to apply for any new travel documents. Gardai initially sought a curfew starting at 8pm, but defence solicitor Rory Staines said his client was working and asked for no curfew, or a later one. "Nine at night will do," Mr Carey said. "I do be home at nine every evening." The judge said the curfew would be from 9pm to 6am. Another condition was that Mr Carey does not organise or participate in any protests or gatherings, either in person or online. He is not to participate in or post any videos on any social media platform. Judge Finan then broadened this and said she was barring the accused from social media. Mr Staines said that "might be a bit too broad" but the judge said social media was a complex issue and she thought it would be simpler for Mr Carey if he was barred. The judge said she could be addressed if the defence thought the matter was a breach of civil liberties. Mr Staines said it was not a condition he was expecting but he thought it was OK for the moment and if not he would bring it up again. The accused was also ordered to stay away from centres and locations housing refugees and sign on twice weekly at Cabra garda station. He must also provide a contact number and it was to be a "button phone," the judge said. She then read out the conditions to the accused in full "so he's very clear." Bail was granted in the accused's own bond of 200 with no cash required. Det Sgt Hoey objected to legal aid. The judge said it was a serious charge but a statement of the accused's financial means should be submitted to the gardai if legal aid was being sought. The accused was remanded on bail to appear in Blanchardstown District Court on April 28. The accused has not yet entered a plea to the charge. The notorious dissident was extradited from Ireland to Lithuania last May to face charges related to weapons smuggling for the Real IRA Liam Campbell was found civilly liable for the Omagh bombing in August 1998 which killed 31 people PA A lawyer for Omagh bomb suspect Liam Campbell says he was persecuted without grounds and illegally extradited from Ireland after a court ruling last week. The Court of Appeal in Lithuania upheld a lower courts decision to drop terror charges as the statute of limitations has expired. The notorious dissident was extradited from Ireland to Lithuania last May to face charges related to weapons smuggling for the Real IRA following more than a decade of legal challenges. TheSunday World revealed that Vilnius District Court terminated the criminal case against him in September after accepting defence submissions that the statute of limitations expired in January 2018. The statute of limitations for the offence had changed from 10 to 15 years in the period of time since the crime was committed. However, prosecutors argued that the statute of limitations should have been 15 years and appealed the decision to the Court of Appeal. Campbell, who had been allowed to return to Ireland following the District Court verdict, went to Lithuania for the Court of Appeal decision last Friday week. The appeal court agreed with the lower courts ruling that the statute of limitations was 10 years and had expired in 2018. Campbells lawyer Inga Botyriene told the Sunday World she believes the ruling means Campbell had been persecuted without grounds for the last five years. The criminal proceedings against Liam Campbell have been finally concluded and he will no longer be prosecuted in the criminal procedure in the Republic of Lithuania for the crime he was accused of. In addition, the procedural decisions made by the Lithuanian court allow us to state that Liam Campbell has been persecuted in the criminal procedure for the last five years completely without grounds and illegally, and his extradition from Ireland to the Republic of Lithuania was also illegal. Liam Campbell was found civilly liable for the Omagh bombing in August 1998 which killed 31 people PA The court also dismissed terror charges against co-accused Brendan McGuigan (43) from Omeath, Co Louth, who was not present in court but was represented by a legal team.The High Court in Dublin previously refused McGuigans extradition due to prison conditions in Lithuania Campbell was one of the founding members of the Real IRA and was sentenced to eight years by the Special Criminal Court for membership of the organisation in 2004. While he was never convicted in relation to the Omagh bomb which killed 29 people and unborn twins in 1998 he was one of four men found liable for the atrocity in a civil case. He was first arrested in relation to the Lithuanian charges in 2009 but had fought several legal battles to prevent his extradition. He returned to Ireland last September after the court ruling on the statute of limitations. In a European Arrest Warrant, the Lithuanian authorities alleged that while acting in an organised terrorist group, the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA), Campbell made arrangements to acquire a substantial number of firearms and explosives from Lithuania and smuggle them into Ireland. Read more Omagh bomb suspect Liam Campbell back in Ireland after terror charges dramatically dropped in Lithuania Omagh bombing victim's dad slams delay extraditing Real IRA chief to Lithuania It was further alleged that at the end of 2006 to 2007 Campbell made arrangements with others to travel to Lithuania for the purposes of acquiring firearms and explosives, including automatic rifles, sniper guns, projectors, detonators, timers and TNT. It was alleged he asked British cigarette smuggler Robert Jardine to set up a contact with a Lithuanian arms dealer to supply the weapons to the Real IRA. However, Jardine had been recruited years earlier to work for the British spy agency MI5. Jardine, who has since gone into witness protection, alleged he met dissidents including Campbell to discuss the plot. Campbell was arrested in May 2009 on a European Arrest Warrant in relation to the Lithuanian charges and spent four years in Maghaberry Prison before being released in 2013 after the Belfast Recorders Court refused to approve his extradition, saying he could be exposed to inhuman and degrading conditions while in prison in Lithuania. He was arrested in Dundalk on December 2, 2016, on foot of the second European Arrest Warrant. Both the High Court and Court of Appeal ordered that he be extradited. He appealed those findings and the length of time those appeals took meant the statute of limitations had expired by the time Campbell was finally extradited last year. Scott Delaney previously claimed he was once the biggest ecstasy dealer in Dublin The son of gangland killer Cotton Eye Joe Delaney has urged underworld figures to unite at an anti-immigration protest tomorrow at the Irish National War Memorial Gardens in Dublin. Scott Delaney, who also goes by the name Scott Knight, previously claimed he was once the biggest ecstasy dealer in Dublin. He is one of a number of gangland figures being monitored by the Special Detective Unit (SDU). He has now used TikTok to appeal to people to join the far-right National Party, which has been involved in a series of protests and has been widely condemned for inciting hatred of immigrants. The National Party is really the best choice we have for saving our country and our people, Delaney claimed. "Cotton Eye" Joe Delaney Kevin Mc Nulty The way I was thinking was, if everyone who belongs to the Irish underworld in Dublin, nearly 30,000 boys, and their families, were to all join the National Party, it only takes 20 to register. If everyone was to give support to the National Party, Ireland would be in a far, far better place. No homelessness. No country destroyed with heroin and crack cocaine the genocide powder If we all got together, if everyone put a bit of work in to help the National Party to get them into the Dail, our country would be restored, back to helping Irish people. No homelessness. No country destroyed with heroin and crack cocaine the genocide powder. Delaney went on to say he has joined the National Party and already feels better for it. He added that he is the best cultivator of weed in Ireland and has references from Europe to prove it. The National Party is the best way that we have to sort this country out OK. Ive got some big plans, big big plans, and I cant do it on my own, he said. Delaney previously served time in prison for his part in the murder of Mark Dwyer, who was killed over a stash of ecstasy. Far-right activist Graham Carey was arrested at his home in Finglas, Dublin Dwyer was tied to a chair and beaten with iron bars for several hours after 40,000 ecstasy tablets had been stolen. Joe Delaney decided Dwyer was behind the theft and ordered that he be kidnapped and brought to him. Scott Delaney was later convicted of murder, but this was quashed on appeal, and he was sentenced to five years on a new charge of accessory to murder. A source said the series of videos from Scott Delaney is further evidence that gangland criminals are becoming part of the far-right agenda. Lets not give the likes of Delaney too much credit in terms of brain power, the source said. Nonetheless, it is a new departure that criminals are throwing their weight behind this far-right narrative and rhetoric because, unfortunately, it can be influential. Lets not give the likes of Delaney too much credit in terms of brain power It has also emerged in recent days that gangland criminal Wayne Bradley called for weapons to be left at home as he joined an anti-immigrant protest that took place in Finglas on Wednesday night. Bradley, who was a close associate of murdered gang boss Eamon The Don Dunne, posted a series of messages on his Facebook account before the demonstration. He warned those attending the planned protest in his native Finglas not to bring weapons as it will ruin what we started. Todays protest has to be peaceful, a show in numbers is all we need, Bradley wrote online. The media have knowledge of it and thats what we set out to do. We cant have weapons of any kind, it will ruin what we started. There will be women and children at this, so everyone stay calm. I have a solicitor on trying to get Grame released. Thanks. The reference to Grame relates to far-right activist Graham Carey, who was arrested on Wednesday morning at his home by armed members of the SDU. He was held at a south Dublin garda station, where he was questioned. It is understood his arrest followed a lengthy investigation by SDU officers. He was still being detained last night. I dont know why there was a delay this long. We welcome that a date has been finally set for it A coroners inquest hearing has been confirmed into the death of Irish Coastguard volunteer and mother of two Caitriona Lucas (41) - more than six years after her death. The confirmation by the Limerick Coroners Office of the inquest to take place at Kilmallock Courthouse in Co Limerick on April 12th next brings to an end a six and a half year wait by the Lucas family. Ms Lucas lost her life during an Irish coastguard search operation at Kilkee in west Clare on September 12th 2016. Bernard Lucas on Friday welcomed the confirmation of the inquest and commented its about time. He said: I welcome it because by the time the inquest is held in April it will be six years and seven months. Its about time. I dont know why there was a delay this long. We welcome that a date has been finally set for it. A native of Ballyvaughan in north Clare, librarian, Ms Lucas - whose children, Ben and Emma, were aged 20 and 18 at the time of her death -was the first Irish Coast Guard volunteer to lose their life during active service. Ms Lucas's death also prompted two separate State Investigations. An Advanced Coxswain with the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coast Guard, Ms Lucas was helping the neighbouring Coast Guard unit from Kilkee in the search for a missing man on Sept 12th 2016, but Ms Lucas died when the Kilkee rigid inflatable boat (RIB ) which she was assisting with in the search capsized in a shallow cove. The two Kilkee crew with her were rescued, but Ms Lucas, who sustained a head injury, died in hospital. All three crew had lost their helmets, and the boats radio was not working. Ms Lucas hadn't expected to go to sea, but the unit was short a crew member. As Ms Lucas was pronounced dead in hospital in Limerick, responsibility for her inquest is with the Limerick coroners office. Ms Lucas had been a member of the Doolin unit of the Irish Coastguard since 2006. The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) report into Ms Lucass death concluded that the Irish Coast Guard (ICG) did not have an effective safety management system. The ICG contested the MCIBs draft findings in a detailed response, published in the appendix of the boards final report. In 2020, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided that no criminal charges should be brought in relation to the tragedy after a report was forwarded to it by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA). Mr Lucas has stated previously he was very disappointed the published MCIB report had failed to address questions over equipment his wife was wearing. Shortly after her death in a loving tribute, Bernard described Caitriona as caring, gentle, kind, wanted to help others, always had a warm smile and was 100% dedicated to everything she did. "She was an animal lover. She filled the farm with cats, dogs and goats. She was extremely hardworking and very modest. She was very brave and courageous and she loved the coast guard. He added: She always had the best outlook and advice on life. The love she had for life, her family, travel and helping others was immense. No problem or challenge was too big for her to overcome and she always knew what to say to other people to comfort them. The demand for dogs during the Covid pandemic, combined with unscrupulous puppy farmers out to make a quick buck, has led to a crisis The combination of Covid and unscrupulous puppy farmers has sparked a major crisis for dogs in Ireland. Rescue facilities are packed beyond capacity, there is a surge in dogs needing Prozac for anxiety and worrying signs that aggression and bites are on the increase. The news comes as a new group, Dog Advocacy Ireland, has launched with the aim of tackling puppy farmers and what they say is a disregard of statutory animal welfare legislation in Ireland. The group, set up by Dubliner John OCallaghan, has the backing of numerous respected professionals, including well-known vet Pete Wedderburn, dog behaviourist Suzi Walsh and rescue organisations around the country. John said: Im ashamed that the Republic of Ireland is coined the puppy farming capital of Europe. Apart from flying in the face of legislation, these dog breeding establishments yield over 200 million euros in dark tax money annually, which is arguably mis-appropriated. The demand for dogs during the Covid pandemic, combined with unscrupulous puppy farmers out to make a quick buck, has led to a crisis as some owners look to give their dogs up since restrictions have lifted, according to John and a number of experts we spoke to this week. Little Eoin was abused Rescues are full to capacity and cant take any more in. No doubt it breaks their hearts to do that, John said. Martina Kenny of My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue, who rescue dogs as well as horses, said many people who got dogs during Covid have been looking to get rid of them since restrictions lifted last year. There is a serious dog crisis in Ireland. Everybody is full to the brim. All the rescues and pounds are full to the brim and there are dogs that have no place to go. Theyre roaming the streets. The minute we saw so many people wanted to adopt during Covid we all said this is going to be a crisis the minute restrictions stop. We could see it coming from a mile away. Weve never been in such a situation where a dog would come in and we couldnt take it. She said during Covid they were able to rehome dogs faster than they ever had before as so many people wanted them, but that trend has been completely reversed in recent months. Little Eoin was abused We took in a little dog we called Eoin a while ago. He was badger baiting and dog fighting and I never saw anything like it. He was torn to bits and we spent a fortune back and forth with the vet. Hes doing great now but that kind of thing is constant. Hes running around the field now and having a great time, hes a little dote. Well-known dog behaviourist Suzi Walsh said she has also seen major issues with dogs since Covid. Im seeing aggression case after aggression case, she said. Im 18 years working with dogs and I never would have seen this level before. She said a key period in a dogs development is up to 14 weeks and if they are raised in a puppy farm environment and not socialised at an early age, they are likely to experience problems as they grow older. If a dog hasnt had exposure, they tend to develop a fear. When you get fears you get aggression. She said there is a surge in dogs being put on anti-anxiety medication fluoxetine, which is also known by the brand name Prozac. Cumming (57) who lost his job because the attention around his recent offending, spoke to the Sunday World exactly 20 years ago A far-right idiot convicted this week of sending grossly offensive material has been spouting hideous Nazi hate speech for over 20 years, we can reveal. Gregory Alan Cumming was lucky to walk out the public door rather than be taken to the cells of Newry courthouse on Tuesday after District Judge Anne Marshall suspended the five-month prison sentence for 18 months. The 57-year-old, from Orangefield Drive in Armagh, had earlier entered guilty pleas to four counts relating to the improper use of a public telecommunication network to send material which was grossly offensive including Nazi and Klu Klux Klan supporting rubbish. But we can reveal Cumming has a long history of spreading hideous hate speech and has even denied the Holocaust. In fact he spoke to the Sunday World exactly 20 years ago when he was the leader of the British Nazi Party in Northern Ireland a political party formed by a bunch of right-wing radicals who felt the BNP wasnt right-ring enough. Under the fake name Gary Allen Cumming told our reporter in 2003 how he was openly anti-Semitic and the Holocaust was a fiction put about by Hollywood and the Soviets. People dont find our views offensive, he said back then. We are anti-Semitic, I dont have a problem with that. People here are sophisticated and our policies on asylum seekers have gone down very well. We are a legal party which is legally promoting policies. We are Nazis. Far right campaigner Gregory Cumming Last year when the Sunday World confronted him at his home after he had been charged with spreading hate material, he was less chatty and slammed the door in our face without saying a word. It emerged in court this week he had lost his job because the attention around his recent offending. As well as being a leading figure in the British Nazi Party hes also a former member of the National Front and the British National Party. Cumming had originally been charged with distributing far right material intending to stir up racial hatred but that charges were finished by the PPS. On Tuesday at Armagh Magistrates Court, sitting in Newry, a prosecuting lawyer told the court the images and texts were uncovered on a phone found in Cummings house during a search. The material he had sent included a reference to Comrade 88, an image and text regarding a person dousing himself in flammable liquid and setting himself on fire and an image and text regarding the Klu Klux Klan (KKK), said the lawyer who did not go into further details about their content. According to the hate symbol database, 88 is a white supremacist numerical code for "Heil Hitler." H is the eighth letter of the alphabet, so 88 = HH = Heil Hitler and as one of the most common white supremacist symbols, 88 is used throughout the entire white supremacist movement, not just neo-Nazis. Defence counsel Patrick Taggart confirmed he had seen the material and revealed that the offences had already had a significant impact on Cumming who has lost his job since his arrest. Theres no sense of feeling sorry for himself but clearly, the investigation has had a significant impact, said the barrister who confirmed to DJ Marshall that Cummings is no longer a member of the NF or BNP. In terms of the pre-sentence report, he has shown his insight and he has and his recognition of the impact this material has, said the judge who said that having had the misfortune to see it herself they clearly were grossly offensive and menacing. Describing Cummings previously held views as very concerning, she said it was accepted this wasnt an orchestrated campaign but was misplaced and misinformed directed at people the private group had taken umbrage with. And she warned that people need to be awarejust because you are sitting in the house, alone, as some sort of keyboard warrior, sending these grossly offensive images and texts out to other people, you will be prosecuted. But Cumming is a remorseless racist and Nazi supporter who has continued to peddle horrific hate speech for various far-right groups. In 2005 Cumming was exposed by another newspaper for organising a sickening racist propaganda campaign across Ulster before moving across the Irish Sea to orchestrate the same campaign in Scotland. The self-confessed racist Cumming said at the time he had been booted out of the White Nationalist Party (WNP) after he attracted too much media scrutiny. In 2008 Cumming became a "recruiting officer" for the British People's Party a race-hate party linked Ayran Unity, an online cabal of extreme right-wing organisations and which had members in Northern Ireland at the time. A literature campaign run by Cumming and his cronies in the WNP coincided with a string of terrifying race attacks across Northern Ireland. At the time Cumming also complained that his mother, who he said was appalled at his extreme views and his involvement in "white power" organisations, had booted him out of the family home. He was later literally kicked out of the WNP and given a beating by a fellow fascist. "I am no longer involved in the WNP, he revealed in 2008. "I went out for a drink one Saturday night, and I have still got a black eye. He gave me a brave f****** smack - that's the way I have left the party. "I had a debate with a few of them. I was accused of this, that, and the other. I'm out of it. Most of the people who joined the f****** party have gone. "I'm out of it. I've been through enough." Esta tarde, el vicecanciller Ignacio Higueras y el embajador de Japon, Kazuyuki Katayama, presidieron la ceremonia de lanzamiento del 150 aniversario del establecimiento de relaciones diplomaticas entre Peru y Japon, que destaco los historicos vinculos de amistad bilaterales. pic.twitter.com/JcufOKDd8G Insurers are bringing in extra staff from overseas and warning it will be years before all claims are settled for flood damaged homes, cars and contents. The Insurance Council says so far 15,000 claims have been lodged after flood events in Auckland City, but that is just the start. Its consumer affairs manager Sarah Knox says people forced out of their homes due to flood damage should make a long-term housing plan . "A standard event for insurers, where it is a normal sized flood event, they will get through 90 per cent of those claims within a year. But this event is of an unprecedented scale so it will take a long time. "People need to make sure that they are now looking at their temporary accommodation with their insurers and setting themselves up so that they are there for the long haul with their insurers." Processing all the insurance claims will take years, says Sarah. "It's really difficult to be able to say how long is this going to take but it's not going to be days and weeks, we're talking months and years. This is an unprecedented event in terms of New Zealand's history for a flood event." Some insurers are bringing in staff from overseas to help with demand, she says. The country's largest insurer, IAG, has sent representatives to two community information hubs set up by Auckland Council, so flood-affected customers can discuss their claims in person. The earlier people contacted their insurer, the better, says Sarah. "If people think they have damage to their home they should contact their insurer and let them know about any extra care they need. "Insurers are triaging and prioritising and they really need that information on people's circumstances so that they can do their planning and put people in the right order." Sandringham resident Carla Caldwell is among those with insurance claims lodged. When Tuesday night's deluge came, she already had a clean up on her hands from Friday's flash floods, when a torrent of thigh-deep water took out fences and filled her garage. Her car is a write off and she has lost sentimental childhood items in the floodwater. "I've been dealing with a little bit of extra flooding this morning and just moving a few things out of the garage that we hadn't really thought about too much, but that has now gone, the sun is shining, so we're just drying a few things out." When the sky cleared, berms started piling up again with water damaged furnishings. Carla is realistic about what's ahead. "Because my car's a write off I'm expecting the payout from that quite promptly but in terms of the house and contents I'm expecting that to take a while, and while we're on the list for an assessor to come and look at the deck it's really not a priority compared to other people, so it'll be months." Those looking at more than a clean up, and need a builder, could also be in for a long wait. Master Builders chief executive David Kelly says it's too early to know the extent of damage to properties. "We do know this is a really big event but previous large events, and Christchurch is the obvious one that comes to mind, is that more emerges over time. The initial estimates are an underestimate of just how much work needs to be done." Builders will be in demand, he says. "It's going to be a real question around the sequencing of the work but undoubtedly the sector will be under pressure." For those with a house to clean, fix and file insurance claims on, having children return to school would be a relief. Carla is waiting to hear if her daughter will return this week, after the Ministry of Education changed its directive to allow schools to reopen from today. "She wants to help, it's not always very helpful and she worries when it rains so it would've been nice to have been able to drop her off and know that she was with her friends and having a great time." -Amy Williams/RNZ. In this second instalment, The Sun reporter Hunter Wells carries on exploring the appeal of Tauranga Farmers Market, which is celebrating 20 years of existence in 2023. The Tauranga Farmers Market is also a special place for Alistair and Diana Melvin too. They live nextdoor to a supermarket but on Saturday morning the farmers market summons them, and they answer. Every weekend since it started, says Alistair. Thats 20 years. Its a ritual, part of our lives, our biggest social event of the week. Like Wyn, who spends all week under his macadamia trees near Katikati. We dont have people like this strolling through the orchard, so this is our big social day out. Lyn knows her onions. Well, tomatoes actually. Shes been growing them for 32 years and selling them at the market for 15. We all like the familiarity. Its a very social occasion, people meeting, eating and chatting makes shopping so much more enjoyable. Then theres the information exchange the tomato plants at home are manky or arent fruiting so they ask the tomato lady, the chooks in the backyard arent laying so they ask the egg lady. Thats all okay because part of the farmers market ethos is to educate people about food. And thats what probably sets the farmers market and supermarket apart. I am standing and staring at the items on a supermarket shelf and saying: Well you arent talking to me, you arent telling me where you came from, who made you and the passion with which you were produced, says Trixie. But at the market you are talking to the producer, they will discuss every skerrick of their produce, and what a wonderful or lousy week it has been. Turning 20 Its a special place enjoying a special occasion, because the Tauranga Farmers Market is turning 20. It started at The Historic Village where Mary can remember selling red rascal spuds out of the boot of her car. The market was set up to provide local producers with an outlet, says Trixie. In those days there were also crafts. Nowadays they stick to their knitting, theyre an authentic, dyed in the wool farmers market. One foundation member still has a little bit of craft history dictates thats okay. Then one Wednesday, down at the Village, were told there was a big flood. The market went scuttling for higher ground and in just three days found a new, long-term home in the schoolyard at Tauranga Primary. Pitter patter during the weekdays, shuffling and shopping Saturdays. We are intrinsically tied to the school we pay a lease and make an annual payment to the school so children, whose families cant afford school camp, can actually attend. That makes the price of a dozen of Nickis eggs an attractive deal. Did you know they used to put an apple in one end of a Cornish pastie so the miners would get both savoury and sweet in one buttery short crusted treat when they went down the pit? And that the Welsh oggie is a Cornish pastie except the oggie is lamb and the pastie is beef with swede and potatoes and onions and seasoning? Alistair and Diana Melvin have attended Tauranga Farmers Market every weekend since it began. Photo: John Borren/SunLive. The pastie man should know hell sell perhaps 250 pasties from his truck at TFM this weekend. Been here 12 years wouldnt have invested all that time if I didnt enjoy it. Vendors are the salt of the earth people making a bit of extra coin and having great fun doing it. See, taste, like, buy The guitarist is picking his way through a Gershwin standard and the woman at the mic is crooning: Summertime and the livin is easy.... Its also sweet, and juicy. Because Billy, a wee dude, has half his face consumed by an outsized slice of watermelon. A vendor had just whacked off a sampler for Billy: the theory being see, taste, like, buy. Now that doesnt happen in a supermarket. You cant beat the smile on a kids face when you give them a slice of watermelon, says the vendor. Its one of natures truly great delights. Then you get to spit the pips. The Tauranga Farmers Market is open from 7.45am to midday Saturdays. Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. Presidenta Boluarte destaco la importancia de la deteccion precoz del cancer para salvar vidas. Lee la nota en: https://t.co/Tfg0hn492z pic.twitter.com/JyfsnUgHlb The picture shows a group of Turkish people in protest. The Turkish Foreign Ministry recently announced that the trilateral meeting with Sweden and Finland on their admission to NATO originally scheduled for February has been postponed indefinitely, throwing a spanner in the approval procedures for those two countries to join the organization as a package. It is learned that Turkey has repeatedly protested Swedens permission for what it has designated as terrorist organization supporters and right-wing extremists to gather in protest. Turkish president Erdogan said on January 23 that his country wont greenlight Swedens admission to NATO. NATOs expansion may be put on hold. Sweden and Finland both applied to join NATO in May 2022 on the grounds of national security. As a rule, the organization can only take in new members when a unanimous agreement is reached among all 30 existing members, and, as it turned out, Turkey is the first member to say no, citing Swedens consistent support for what it has designated as terrorist organizations. Through rounds of mediation by the US and European countries, Turkey, Finland and Sweden signed a memo at the NATO Summit held in June 2022. It affirmed that Turkey agreed on principle to their entry to the western alliance, while they no longer supported members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Syrias Kurdish military group Peoples Protection Units (YPG), and the Fethullah Gulen movement, in addition to lifting the defense equipment export ban against Ankara. The three countries also agreed to set up a regular mechanism to follow upon the implementation of the memo and strengthen cooperation in common security. The postponed trilateral meeting is the second under the mechanism. Foreign media reported that Turkey put off the meeting mainly because of the tension with Sweden resulting from two protests against Ankara held in the latter. PKK supporters did derogatory things about Turkish president Erdogan in a recent assembly in Stockholm, and the president slammed Sweden for indulging in the PKK terrorists and requested it to extradite 130 PKK members to Turkey, which he said was a prerequisite for agreeing to Swedens admission to NATO. Later two more protests were staged in Stockholm, in response to which Erdogan said Sweden could forget about its support for it to join the organization. Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called the Swedish governments permission of the protests incomprehensible and inexcusable, while Finland, eager to clear itself of the matter, said it would reconsider the package application had Swedens been deferred. Foreign media commented that Finland joining NATO alone would leave Sweden over a barrel as it would have no security guarantee from the organization after giving up the policy of military neutrality and non-alliance. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson later said joining NATO alongside Finland was the most important national security issue at the moment, and he would try to resume dialogue with Turkey. Analysts conjectured NATOs northward expansion might be put on hold because of Turkeys wrath with little chance of realization before June 2023. The NATO bloc may see rift. Turkeys wrath didnt just come out now, but has been simmering for a long time due to the countrys being squeezed within NATO. A large portion of Turkish people believe that countries like the US and Britain have consistently exercised hostile and destructive policies against their countries. The vice chairman of Turkeys Motherland Party said there was an anti-Turkey force inside NATO as evidenced by Swedens recent provocations, which might prompt Ankara to quit the organization. Although his threat to pullout was then explained as an overinterpretation according to a statement released by a Turkish government official, the long-standing conflict between Turkey and some NATO members has quickly exacerbated. Some members of Turkeys opposition parties even said the earlier military crisis between Turkey and Greece was also stoked by certain members. Foreign media commented that the divergences arising from the joining of Sweden and Finland have already eroded the organizations solidarity. Moreover, the members have taken different stances regarding the protests in Sweden and Turkeys response. America said its assessment found Sweden and Finland fully qualified to join the organization and it would help expedite the process as per the procedures. French right-wing forces publicly expressed their support for Sweden and called on Paris to put more pressure on Turkey. Belgium and Poland accused Turkey of making trouble and urged the US and Britain to control the discourse within NATO and facilitate Swedens entry. Mainstream media of certain members even published articles clamoring for the expelling of Turkey from the alliance. On the contrary, countries including Germany, Italy and Romania have expressed understanding of Turkeys concerns and thought what Sweden did too rash, which analysts said might once again aggravate the internal dispute over NATOs northward expansion. In particular, at a time when the US-Europe rift is hard to bridge, some European countries dont see eye to eye and a right-wing surge is in process in Europe, every move Ankara makes may further attenuate the alliances cohesion. With so many divergences and disputes piling up, NATO is far from a united, cohesive bloc now. Geopolitical landscape may be reshaped. In the past two years, Turkey has been very active on international and regional hotspot issues with a growing influence, playing a part in the tripartite talks with Russia and Syria, the food export negotiations, and the war intermediation in Central Asias Nagorno-Karabakh region. According to analysis, Turkeys disagreement with NATOs expansion will undoubtedly exert immense effects on Europe. For one thing, the arguments among European countries on such issues as religion, culture, democracy, and rights and interests may go deeper, and the traditional divergences between the old and the new Europe and among different regions of the continent may widen. Both will seriously affect the geopolitical landscape. For another, NATO members that have been temporarily united on the anti-Russia common ground may split apart because of their varying interests. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan says Armenian businesses will feel the positive effect if the land border with Turkey gets opened. Kerobyan also spoke about possible air trade. According to our information regular air cargo flights arent operated yet, Kerobyan told ARMENPRESS when asked on the possible economic impact of Turkey lifting the ban on air trade with Armenia. And, to be honest, given the proximity of the countries its possible that there wont be any [regular air cargo flights], because the land transport connection through Georgia is rather affordable. And at first glance, air [cargo] connection isnt too attractive, Kerobyan said. However, he did not rule out that some products will be transported by air. Nevertheless, cargo is transported on passenger flights too, which is basically a type of air cargo transport. There are no cargo planes yet, and perhaps there wont be any. We arent too worried about that, the minister added. Asked on the economic impact of the possible opening of the land border with Turkey, Kerobyan said: The opening of the border with Turkey will lead to high economic growth, because the Turkish market and the opening of connections will give broad possibility, access in terms of shipping goods to both the Turkish market itself and to countries in the Middle East. All of this shouldnt be viewed in a local, small picture. This is a small part of a larger picture. And if the geopolitical circumstances get arranged in our factor and eventually we reach that moment, then I am sure that all businesses in Armenia will feel the positive effect. Asked on the possible risks for Armenian manufacturers in conditions of the border being opened, the minister said that naturally there will be risks, but the government is carrying our serious work. As an example Kerobyan mentioned the unprecedented assistance given to process manufacturing enterprises and companies of a number of other sectors, so that the companies using the possibilities given by the high economic growth, among others, will be able to modernize their business, digitize and upgrade their equipment and processes and become competitive companies with higher productivity. With last years data, we funded deals worth 56 billion drams, as a result of which 901 contracts were signed for the acquisition of new equipment for business use, Kerobyan said. Interview by Anna Grigoryan Photos by Hayk Manukyan Cameramen: Hayk Barseghyan, Hovhannes Mkrtchyan icem@n BHPian Join Date: May 2020 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 31 Thanked: 89 Times re: Road Trip | Guwahati to Hyderabad | 2435 Kms | Kia Seltos Day 3 Muzaffarpur to Katni (MP) ~ 680 Kms Time Taken ~ 12 hours Tolls Day 3 Rs 835/- for 680 km Bihar [Rs 120 for ~265 km] NH22 (Saidpur Patedha 60), NH19/AH1 (Mohania 60) NH22 (Saidpur Patedha 60), NH19/AH1 (Mohania 60) UP [Rs 230 for ~160 km] - NH35 (Pratappur 130), NH135 (Baraudha 100) - NH35 (Pratappur 130), NH135 (Baraudha 100) MP [Rs 485 for 257 Km] NH135 (Masuriha 60), NH30 (Jognihai 80, Rathara(Rewa bypass) 30, Odaki Pipkhar 105, Kherwasani 110) The Route - We started our Day 3 around 7 am but getting out of Muzaffarpur took some time and was almost 8 am by the time we hit the highway. Google routed us through Hajipur JP Setu Danapur route. I am not sure about the condition of NH722 via Chapra, but this route took a lot of time. First there was smog till Hajipur, we couldnt see Ganga Ji while passing over the JP Setu due to the same. Then we got into standstill gridlock after Danapur. This wasted a lot of our time and finally we stopped somewhere after Arrah for lunch. In 4.5 hours, we had hardly covered 130 kms. Dont have the exact location but we had roti, tadka and couple of cups of matka chai in a roadside Dhaba which was great. We left NH922 which we joined after Danapur, into State Highway 102 to join NH319 at a place call Jagdishpur. Progress was slow till we joined NH19/AH1 near Mohonia. We entered UP around 3 pm and tanked up again. The car took in 27 litres covering 415km from last tankful indicating a mileage of 15.37 KMPL. Lot of road widening work is going on in NH19/AH1 which reduces the average speed. After bypassing Mughalsarai, we took a left to join NH35. Barring some work in the initial stretch excellent roads started for us which continued till Hyderabad. Continued till Mirzapur to join NH135 after that. Crossed into MP around 6 pm after climbing the ghats before Hanumana, which I presume to be part of Vindhya Ranges. Had a 20 min break just after crossing the UP-MP border for tea. Started at 6:30 again and had dinner after crossing Rewa bypass. Again, delicious rotis and egg scramble plus tea in a road side dhaba, a 30 mins break. Reached the hotel Foggy Morning, the 3rd image in the collage is of JP Setu over Ganga Ji Halted for Lunch in roadside Dhaba somewhere in NH922, before turning onto SH102 Good Roads started as soon as we got onto NH35 Into the sunset Day 4 Katni to Hyderabad ~ 888 kms Time Taken ~ 12 hours Tolls Day 4 Rs 1,580/- for 888Kms MP - [Rs 470 for ~280 Kms] NH30 (Mohtara 115), NH34 (Bahoripar 145), NH44 (Madai 110, Khawasa 100) NH30 (Mohtara 115), NH34 (Bahoripar 145), NH44 (Madai 110, Khawasa 100) MH - [Rs 505 for ~260km] NH44 (MANSAR 150, NAGPUR BYPASS 145, Daroada 110, Kelapur 100) NH44 (MANSAR 150, NAGPUR BYPASS 145, Daroada 110, Kelapur 100) TS - [Rs 605 for ~360 Km] NH44(Pippalwada 90, Rolmamda 100, Gamjal 55, Indalwai 80, Bhiknoor 85, Manoharabad 95), Hyd ORR 100 The Route - This was the longest part of the trip and also personally I had never covered so far in a day. But this was probably the most relaxed day and that may be a reason we didnt know when the alarms rang in the morning. We were to start by 7:30am but were still in bed till 8 am. A phone call woke me up and we quickly got ready, but breakfast was not yet being served, and it was 9 am by the time we started. Google was saying 1 am ETA at that point of time. But since we were going to my own place, we were quite relaxed, and it was aided by the fact that Telangana has excellent roads which we would cover after evening. Crossed Jabalpur by 10:30am and got onto NH34 which continued until Lakhondon before Seoni where it merged onto NH44, which goes on till Kanyakumari. We kept a steady pace and during the whole day hardly crossed 105 Kmph. Cruise control was used to the fullest potential, and I wouldnt be too far off to say that we were in cruise control for major part of the day. Crossed Pench National Park, which has an elevated section to isolate traffic from wildlife. I believe is an excellent initiative. Crossed into Maharashtra while being in the park. I was expecting check post from my previous experiences in Hyd-Pune sector, but there was none. This may be due to the location or being a holiday (Christmas). Stopped for Lunch after Nagpur bypass. Tanked up the car which took in 44.85 litres after 778 kms indicating a tankful to tankful of 17.35 KMPL giving the car a range of 800+ Kms which is pretty good. Continued on the beautiful roads and entered the last state of Telangana around sunset time. Stopped for a small tea break before Nizamabad. Reached the location in Hyderabad around 10:40 and after a quick dinner reached home around 11:30 pm. Not going into details on this part as there is a lot of content available. Covered around 888 kms just shy of 12 hours with a few breaks which totals to an average speed of around 75kmph, without going beyond 100 kmph. This tells a lot about the roads. Cruise control played its part to in maintaining the speed. Crossed Narmada and Godavari River systems too in the day. To sum it up in terms of expenses, I spent around Rs 20,000 on fuel and tolls. Rs 7000 on hotels and Rs 3000 on food and snacks, 30K for money cant buy experience. Avoided night drives to the extent possible as territory was unknown to me. Stuck to national highways, frequented by truckers as much as possible and used energy drinks (limited quantity) to keep sleep at bay. Stopped regularly even if for 5 mins to be alert and for stretching. There is nothing like having two drivers, doesnt let you get fatigued, and conversations help more than songs in long drives like these. For me this was an epic journey across half the country from the greens of Northeast and northern Bengal to farmlands in the Hindi heartland to Vindhyas to the Deccan Plateau. Crossed many major river systems and countless smaller ones. This gives you a perspective which is difficult to get via screen where we spend major part of our days today. I hope this is helpful to someone planning to take this route. Starting from Katni After crossing Jabalpur Elevated section in Pench After Nagpur there is a stretch which has lost the top layer making it bumpy and uneven, not very long though. Hit the 2k mark in the trip after Nagpur Somewhere in MH-TS border Signing off with social media status put up by my cousin. This machine performed fabulously, and we hardly felt tired driving. Muzaffarpur to Katni (MP) ~ 680 KmsTime Taken ~ 12 hoursThe Route -We started our Day 3 around 7 am but getting out of Muzaffarpur took some time and was almost 8 am by the time we hit the highway. Google routed us through Hajipur JP Setu Danapur route. I am not sure about the condition of NH722 via Chapra, but this route took a lot of time. First there was smog till Hajipur, we couldnt see Ganga Ji while passing over the JP Setu due to the same. Then we got into standstill gridlock after Danapur. This wasted a lot of our time and finally we stopped somewhere after Arrah for lunch. In 4.5 hours, we had hardly covered 130 kms. Dont have the exact location but we had roti, tadka and couple of cups of matka chai in a roadside Dhaba which was great. We left NH922 which we joined after Danapur, into State Highway 102 to join NH319 at a place call Jagdishpur. Progress was slow till we joined NH19/AH1 near Mohonia. We entered UP around 3 pm and tanked up again. The car took in 27 litres covering 415km from last tankful indicating a mileage of 15.37 KMPL. Lot of road widening work is going on in NH19/AH1 which reduces the average speed. After bypassing Mughalsarai, we took a left to join NH35. Barring some work in the initial stretch excellent roads started for us which continued till Hyderabad. Continued till Mirzapur to join NH135 after that. Crossed into MP around 6 pm after climbing the ghats before Hanumana, which I presume to be part of Vindhya Ranges. Had a 20 min break just after crossing the UP-MP border for tea. Started at 6:30 again and had dinner after crossing Rewa bypass. Again, delicious rotis and egg scramble plus tea in a road side dhaba, a 30 mins break. Reached the hotel Rishi Regency, Katni by 9:30 pm which we had booked via phone call while having dinner. Rs 2000 with breakfast and secure parking. Our goal was Jabalpur which was another 100 kms but due to the delays in the earlier part of the day we decided against pushing. Hotel felt a little old and rooms had a "circuit house/old bungalow" vibe, but overall can be opted by families. Nothing to complain. Called it a day with a plan to start by 7-7:30 am next day to cover the last 900 Kms.Foggy Morning, the 3rd image in the collage is of JP Setu over Ganga JiHalted for Lunch in roadside Dhaba somewhere in NH922, before turning onto SH102Good Roads started as soon as we got onto NH35Into the sunsetKatni to Hyderabad ~ 888 kmsTime Taken ~ 12 hoursThe Route -This was the longest part of the trip and also personally I had never covered so far in a day. But this was probably the most relaxed day and that may be a reason we didnt know when the alarms rang in the morning. We were to start by 7:30am but were still in bed till 8 am. A phone call woke me up and we quickly got ready, but breakfast was not yet being served, and it was 9 am by the time we started. Google was saying 1 am ETA at that point of time. But since we were going to my own place, we were quite relaxed, and it was aided by the fact that Telangana has excellent roads which we would cover after evening. Crossed Jabalpur by 10:30am and got onto NH34 which continued until Lakhondon before Seoni where it merged onto NH44, which goes on till Kanyakumari. We kept a steady pace and during the whole day hardly crossed 105 Kmph. Cruise control was used to the fullest potential, and I wouldnt be too far off to say that we were in cruise control for major part of the day. Crossed Pench National Park, which has an elevated section to isolate traffic from wildlife. I believe is an excellent initiative. Crossed into Maharashtra while being in the park. I was expecting check post from my previous experiences in Hyd-Pune sector, but there was none. This may be due to the location or being a holiday (Christmas). Stopped for Lunch after Nagpur bypass. Tanked up the car which took in 44.85 litres after 778 kms indicating a tankful to tankful of 17.35 KMPL giving the car a range of 800+ Kms which is pretty good. Continued on the beautiful roads and entered the last state of Telangana around sunset time. Stopped for a small tea break before Nizamabad. Reached the location in Hyderabad around 10:40 and after a quick dinner reached home around 11:30 pm. Not going into details on this part as there is a lot of content available. Covered around 888 kms just shy of 12 hours with a few breaks which totals to an average speed of around 75kmph, without going beyond 100 kmph. This tells a lot about the roads. Cruise control played its part to in maintaining the speed. Crossed Narmada and Godavari River systems too in the day.To sum it up in terms of expenses, I spent around Rs 20,000 on fuel and tolls. Rs 7000 on hotels and Rs 3000 on food and snacks, 30K for money cant buy experience. Avoided night drives to the extent possible as territory was unknown to me. Stuck to national highways, frequented by truckers as much as possible and used energy drinks (limited quantity) to keep sleep at bay. Stopped regularly even if for 5 mins to be alert and for stretching. There is nothing like having two drivers, doesnt let you get fatigued, and conversations help more than songs in long drives like these.For me this was an epic journey across half the country from the greens of Northeast and northern Bengal to farmlands in the Hindi heartland to Vindhyas to the Deccan Plateau. Crossed many major river systems and countless smaller ones. This gives you a perspective which is difficult to get via screen where we spend major part of our days today. I hope this is helpful to someone planning to take this route.Starting from KatniAfter crossing JabalpurElevated section in PenchAfter Nagpur there is a stretch which has lost the top layer making it bumpy and uneven, not very long though.Hit the 2k mark in the trip after NagpurSomewhere in MH-TS borderSigning off with social media status put up by my cousin. This machine performed fabulously, and we hardly felt tired driving. Last edited by icem@n : 2nd February 2023 at 22:58 . TM Roh, president and head of MX business at Samsung Electronics, delivers his opening speech at Galaxy Unpacked 2023, Feb. 1, at the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco. (Image Credit: Samsung) TM Roh, president and head of MX business at Samsung Electronics, delivers his opening speech at Galaxy Unpacked 2023, Feb. 1, at the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco. (Image Credit: Samsung) Its no secret that the smartphone has dramatically cannibalized the traditional digital camera space over the past several years. According to Statista, worldwide revenue for digital cameras was US$21.26 billion in 2022, down from a high of $29.03 billion in 2014. At Wednesdays Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event in San Francisco, Samsung unveiled its new Galaxy S23 series. Judging by the specs and new features in this new smartphone lineup, its hard to fathom how the traditional digital camera space will ever recover. In addition, Samsung had a few things up its sleeves to announce in the laptop space. Lets highlight a few items that caught my attention. S22 Ultra on Steroids While it could be said that the new S23 Ultra is simply an iterative update to the existing S22 Ultra, the revised features are nothing to sneeze at: an updated Snapdragon processor, a new 200-megapixel primary camera sensor, and a relatively modest change to the devices body. The S23 Ultra retains an integrated stylus, its S Pen. Mercifully, Samsung chose not to increase prices compared to the existing flagship S22 Ultra. Samsungs devotees will be pleased to see that the starting MSRP of the S23 Ultra is $1,199, but it now comes with 256GB of storage, twice the amount compared to last years model. Unfortunately, dont expect the egg industry to emulate Samsungs pricing strategy. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra specifications (Image Credit: Samsung) As it has been for the past several years, the big news is the premium high-res camera on the S23 Ultra. The device jumps from 108 megapixels in last years model to a whopping 200 megapixels this year. However, before one gets too excited about capturing 200-megapixel images with it (just imagine the file size), the S23 Ultras computational photography capability stitches 16 pixels together to enhance light and produces a much more pragmatic 12-megapixel image. Of course, you can change the phones settings to take a 200-megapixel image, but these sizes are usually needed only by professional content creators needing high-resolution wall-size images. Much more helpful is Samsungs claim that the main cameras optical image stabilization is significantly stouter, automatically correcting for 3 degrees of vibration versus the current 1.5 in the S22 Ultra. DSLR Replacement A few other subtle under the hood tweaks to the S23 Ultra caught my attention. The S23 Ultra incorporates a vision booster tone mapping algorithm that not only enhances the screen for viewing in very bright light environments but can also adapt to a wide array of lighting conditions, allowing the device to improve its battery performance. What also stood out to me during the event was Samsung continued positioning of its premium smartphones as a fundamental replacement for professional video and film production. To that end, famed movie director Ridley Scott, in a recorded interview broadcast during the event, effusively spoke about how he uses high-end Samsung smartphones to shoot nearly all the footage in his latest movie, professional-grade video quality, and the ability to shoot in small spaces that are simply not possible with larger legacy DSLR cameras. Director Ridley Scott discusses how he uses Samsung smartphones to shoot movie footage. (Image Credit: Samsung) Of course, this is something of a me too aspect, considering that Stephen Spielberg used an iPhone to shoot a music video last year. Nevertheless, Samsungs (with Apple in tow) embrace of computational photography in their premium smartphones is here to stay. Like Stephen Spielbergs young alter ego in The Fablemans which is nominated for Best Picture at this years Oscars its breathtaking to contemplate the modern smartphones impact on young filmmakers. New Galaxy Laptops Photo by Author While Galaxy Unpacked 2023 was vacant of any new tablet, earbud, or smartwatch announcement, new Samsung laptops got significant attention. Samsung has a modest laptop market share in the United States compared to competitors like Dell, HP, and Lenovo, but these new models could raise some eyebrows. Galaxy Book3 Ultra Thin and attractively designed, Samsungs new Galaxy Book3 Ultra is a credible challenge to the vaunted Apple MacBook Pro. With a 16 AMOLED display with a 3K resolution of 28801800 and a 120Hz refresh rate, this laptop has one of the brightest and most vivid screens Ive seen. Sporting a top-shelf Intel 13th Gen Core i7 or Core i9 processor with the latest Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics, its perfect for gaming and professional content producers. Galaxy Book3 Ultra (Image Credit: Samsung) I like Samsungs choice of discrete graphics since it supports Nvidia Broadcast capability with Eye Contact correction, which is sorely needed for podcast production and videoconferencing. With such horsepower in a compact and impressively slim form factor, Ill be interested to see how loud the unit runs, which was impossible to assess given the ambient noise in the demo area of the event. With a starting price of $2,199, its an intriguing alternative, at a more affordable price, to a comparable MacBook Pro. Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 More moderately priced laptops were announced as well. Samsungs new Galaxy Book3 Pro 360, which also comes with a 16 AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh, has a touchscreen and integrated style. This model utilizes Intels 13th Gen i5 or Core i7 processors and includes optional 5G radio support and standard Wi-Fi. Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 2-in-1 Laptop with S Pen (Image Credit: Samsung) Available in multiple memory and storage configurations, the Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 has a starting price point of $1,399. Galaxy Book3 Pro Last but not least, Samsung announced the entry-level Galaxy Book3 Pro with a starting price point of $1,149. This model is available with either 14 or 16 AMOLED displays, Intel 13th Gen processors, and more modest memory (8GB, 16GB, and 32GB) and storage configurations (256GB, 512GB, and 1TB). Galaxy Book3 Pro in Graphite (Image Credit: Samsung) Analysts Thoughts Its hard to assess the Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event in the proper context until Apple begins to show its cards, starting at WWDC in the June timeframe, followed up by its presumed iPhone 15 announcement, which generally occurs in September. At this moment, Samsung continues to push the accelerator on the computational photography aspect of the smartphone. Interestingly, no new foldable smartphone designs were announced at Galaxy Unpacked 2023, signaling limited market appeal for these devices due to high pricing and unconvincing usage models. Samsung may not like to acknowledge this, but the company and the industry needs Apple to jump into this category and validate the space. However, if industry rumors are accurate, Apple may not offer foldable smartphone (or tablet) models until 2024 or 2025. Ecosystem Advantages Beyond the hardware aspects of the laptops launched yesterday, its worth pointing out that Samsung emphasizes the importance of an integrated ecosystem among consumers. Apple has built a multi-billion-dollar business convincing consumers that there are integration virtues with owning Apple-branded devices that can seamlessly share content and resume work from device to device with a common user experience. Samsungs Galaxy Book experience puts a users entire library of Galaxy apps and features in a single place, making it easier to manage the users Samsung account. Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro multi-device experience presentation. (Image Credit: Samsung) Other PC vendors have attempted to do this with so-so results, chiefly because of the OEM differentiation dynamic and Windows open nature, which doesnt easily facilitate a shared experience. It remains to be seen if Samsung can pull that off. It also doesnt help that iPhone users about half of the entire smartphone market are not a part of the legacy Windows ecosystem from a text messaging standpoint. The inability to access iMessage on a Windows device is one of the core reasons why I remain ensconced in the Apple ecosystem, even though Windows-based devices are often more attractively priced and featured than comparable Apple products. I suspect Im not the only one stuck in this quagmire. Regardless, because of its legacy smartphone market presence, Samsung is one of the few companies that can offer an interesting alternative to Apples ecosystem. While the company is playing catchup to a degree with Apple, give Samsung credit for presenting a credible choice for consumers, as its always a win for consumers when they can make intelligent selections that best suit their usage model needs. What just happened? Sony's PlayStation 5 has just experienced its best quarter since launching in November 2020. Consumers bought 7.1 million consoles in the three months ending December 31, 2022, marking an 83% uplift compared to the same period a year earlier. The latest PS5 sales figures in Sony's third-quarter FY2022 financial results mean the PlayStation 5 has now sold 32 million units since release, placing it above the Sega Genesis and just below the Nintendo 64 on the list of best-selling consoles of all time. That's especially impressive considering the issues that the industry has had to deal with over the last few years; the PlayStation 4 had shipped just under 38 million units by this point in its lifecycle. The PS5 still has a long way to go before catching Sony's next best-selling games machine, the PlayStation Portable (80-82 million). The PlayStation 2, meanwhile, tops the best-selling consoles list with over 155 million lifetime sales. The PlayStation 5 was one of the most difficult products to find following its launch over two years ago---unless you were willing to pay scalpers two or three (or more) times the MSRP. The huge demand and chip crisis meant buying a PS5 often required a lot of luck, patience, and money. But the PS5 supply situation has been improving. The 12.8 million units sold during the first three quarters of financial year 2022 marks a 34% YoY increase and the PlayStation 5's best performance to date. Sony said twice this month that it has increased the supply of PlayStation 5 consoles, and that buying one should be a lot easier from now on. That confidence is reflected in the company's outlook for the final quarter: it has raised the annual PS5 sales target from 18 million to 19 million, so it expects to move another 6.2 million consoles before March 31. Video game sales also increased during FY22Q3, up from 62.5 million in the previous quarter to 86.5 million. That's down from the 92.7 million sold during the same three month period a year earlier, but Sony will still be happy, especially as 20.8 million of those games were first-party titles---at least 11 million were God of War Ragnarok. Digital downloads continue to make up most game sales, though their 62% share remains unchanged from last year. PlayStation Plus subscribers also went up, from 45.5 million to 46.6 million; monthly active users grew 10 million to 112 million; and the service's revenue has improved, likely a result of the more expensive tier's introduction. TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust What just happened? Apple just turned in one of its worst quarterly earnings reports in years. For the three-month period ending December 31, 2022, Apple posted quarterly revenue of $117.2 billion which is down more than five percent from the $124 billion generated in the year-ago period. Apple's big moneymaker, the iPhone, saw revenue dip to $65.8 billion in Q4 compared to $71.6 billion during the same period a year earlier. The Mac category brought in $7.7 billion, down from $10.9 billion year over year, and the wearables / home / accessories category fell to $13.5 billion from $14.7 billion. iPad sales increased year over year, from $7.2 billion in Q4 2021 to $9.4 billion this past holiday season. Similarly, Apple's services category went from $19.5 billion to $20.8 billion. CEO Tim Cook acknowledged the challenging environment it and others continue to navigate, but focused on the positives in Apple's accompanying press release. Cook highlighted the fact that Apple now has more than two billion active devices globally. Furthermore, the services business set an all-time revenue record in Q4. In an interview with CNBC, Cook pointed to three key factors that hurt Apple's results: production issues in China affecting the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, a strong dollar and the overall macroeconomic environment. Share value in Apple is up 3.7 percent in early morning trading on the report. Apple did not offer guidance for the coming quarter. In fact, the iPhone maker hasn't provided guidance since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Analysts told CNBC they expect Apple to generate around $98 billion in Q1 2023. Apple recently brought back a version of its full-size HomePod smart speaker complete with updated internals and a $50 lower price point. The company's long-rumored AR/VR headset could also break cover this year, perhaps at Apple's annual WWDC with a fall launch window. New iPhones are pretty much a given for September but don't expect to see updated iPads this year as those are reportedly being saved for 2024. Image credit: Hugo Agut Tugal, Zhiyue Shady: We've all been suspicious of cell and internet coverage maps. Every provider claims to have the best coverage, which is impossible, so there is good reason not to trust any of them. But fudging their coverage borders is more than just about getting your business. Some ISPs are laying undue claim to competing service providers' regions to prevent them from receiving grants to expand and improve local area broadband. Ohio ISP Jefferson County Cable (JCC) accidentally snitched itself out to the Federal Communications Commission recently for claiming coverage in an area it did not service. It started when Ryan Grewell, general manager for local rival provider Smart Way Communications, got calls from some of his customers saying that an updated FCC broadband map listed their addresses as having fiber internet service offered by JCC. Smart Way services these addresses, not JCC, so Grewell submitted several challenges to the FCC. At least one of the submissions got back to JCC executive Bob Loveridge. Thinking he was responding to the resident at the challenged address, Loveridge sent an email to Grewell admitting that his company lied to prevent its competitors from receiving grant money for fiber development in that area. Grewell shared the communication with Ars Technica. "You challenged that we do not have service at your residence and indeed we don't today," the January 9 email reads. "With our huge investment in upgrading our service to provide xgpon [10-Gigabit-capable passive optical network], we reported to the BDC [Broadband Data Collection] that we have service at your residence so that they would not allocate addition [sic] broadband expansion money over [the] top of our private investment in our plant." Grewell didn't know whether to be outraged or amused. "This cable company happened to just say the quiet part out loud," he told Ars over the phone. "[It's] a blatant attempt at blocking anyone else from getting funding in an area they intend to serve." As far as anyone can tell, Jefferson County Cable has no announced plans to develop fiber in the area in question. Since the FCC multibillion-dollar expansion program's grant money is awarded where it is needed, JCC had to admit to the commission that it made a mistake and submit a correction. Ars confirms that the coverage map was, indeed, updated. Unfortunately, it only excludes a single address in the contested area along Route 43. The homes next door and on the same street still show fiber service supplied by JCC. Furthermore, the issue is even more widespread than a single Ohio town. Officials in Nevada discovered the FCC's map has at least 20,000 mistakes in their state. Likewise, Vermont reported over 60,000. Ars Technica notes that currently, there are over a million challenges to the FCC map nationwide. If claims are looked at and responded to one at a time, who knows how long it could take to get the map fully corrected? Meanwhile, until everything is accurate, entire regions eligible for federal grant money to help expand and improve local infrastructure remain hostage to lying ISPs. The Facebook app is draining your Android or iPhone battery. How? (Photo : Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images) In this photo illustration, a person looks at a smart phone with a Facebook App logo displayed on the background, on August 17, 2021, in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY / AFP) George Hayward, a former employee of Facebook, shared this alarming information. For the past years, the social media giant has faced various accusations, especially regarding user data privacy. Now, the revelations shared by the data scientists revealed that Facebook's activities also affect smartphone battery life. Android, iPhone Battery Drained by Facebook? According to Android Authority's latest report, there's one reason why Facebook secretly drains your smartphone's battery. (Photo : Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images) Photo taken on October 18, 2021 in Moscow shows the US online social media and social networking service Facebook's logo on a tablet screen. - Facebook on October 18, 2021, announced plans to hire 10,000 people in the European Union to build the "metaverse", a virtual reality version of the internet that the tech giant sees as the future. Also Read: Lawyers Allege that Facebook, Instagram Cause Mental Health Illnesses to Users Hayward claims that the social media platform conduct "negative testing" activities. "I said to the manager, 'This can harm somebody,' and she said by harming a few we can help the greater masses," said the former FB employee. George also shared that the tech giant fired him because he refused to participate in Facebook's negative testing activities. Hayward tried to file a lawsuit against Facebook. However, his legal case has been withdrawn because the former employee was required to go to arbitration. What is Negative Testing? Negative testing activities are not illegal since app developers and companies rely on them to test their software's efficiency. For those unfamiliar with negative testing, it is the act of applying unexpected circumstances and behaviors to an app or software. Smart Bear explained that negative testing activities allow app developers to know if their products can handle invalid input or unexpected user behavior. With negative testing activities, Facebook and other online apps can ensure that their systems will not crash in case there are sudden issues. However, the main issue with Facebook's negative tests is that they affect people's smartphones, forcing users to charge their iOS and Android devices more frequently. Aside from negative testing, Facebook also faced criticisms because of other issues on its app. Recently, many experts worried about the risks of Facebook-connected apps. We also reported that Meta faced a lawsuit in Kenya after it was accused of amplifying hate speech on Facebook. For more news updates about Facebook and other social media platforms, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Related Article: Fake Facebook Profile Pictures Generated by AI Now on the Rise! How to Spot Them? 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. ChatGPT has 100 million users just two months after OpenAI launched the AI app. (Photo : Photo grab from Zac Wolf on Unsplash ) ChatGPT Users Reach 100 Million in Two MonthsMaking AI the Fastest-Growing App! The artificial intelligence made huge headlines after it was released back in November 2022. Comments about it are divided since many people are intrigued by its functionalities, while others are concerned about its effects. Despite criticisms, ChatGPT was still able to attract many users. Thanks to the efforts of OpenAI, its app is now considered the fastest-growing application. ChatGPT is Now the Fastest-Growing App! According to Engadget's latest report, ChatGPT was able to acquire 13 million uses per day in the month of January. (Photo : Photo by LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images) This picture taken on January 23, 2023 in Toulouse, southwestern France, shows screens displaying the logos of OpenAI and ChatGPT. - ChatGPT is a conversational artificial intelligence software application developed by OpenAI. Also Read: ChatGPT Coined 'B***Generator' by Princeton Computer Science Professor This detail was revealed by a new study conducted by UBS, an analytics firm based in Switzerland. Mashable reported that other apps took longer to reach 100 million users. For example, it took TikTok nine months to reach this number. Instagram also had to spend more than two years to reach 100 million users. "In 20 years following the internet space, we cannot recall a faster ramp in a consumer internet app," said UBS. As of press time, experts are unsure if ChatGPT can maintain its popularity. UBS analyst Lloyd Walmsley said that it depends on the AI app's "staying power." He added that artificial intelligence could have an element that people are looking for. Things You Can Do With ChatGPT For those who haven't tried the ChatGPT, there are lots of reasons why you should. This text-based artificial intelligence is designed to answer complicated questions and do many written tasks. For example, you can ask it to create your cover letter and resume. Aside from this, here are other cool things ChatGPT can do: ChatGPT can solve complicated math problems. ChatGPT can be used by teachers to grade essays written by students. ChatGPT can extract data from text. ChatGPT gives meaningful advice for relationships and other topics. ChatGPT can debug and explain IT-related codes. There are lots of things you can do using ChatGPT. But, as a user, you also need to know the things you must avoid when using this AI. Other stories we recently wrote about ChatGPT: Previously, ChatGPT's creator introduced a new tool to detect AI-generated text. We also reported how ChatGPT could help Microsoft Bing's success in the future. For more news updates about ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Related Article: Real Estate Brokers Now Use ChatGPT for Emails and Property Listings; Experts Claim AI Could Become an Industry Standard 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan says the high economic activity pace is maintained in the beginning of this year after the high growth in 2022. Kerobyan said major investment projects are planned for 2023 and the government is working to increase the entry of investment programs into the country. In 2022 the economic activity index of Armenia grew 14,2%. Addressing opinions that the growth mostly resulted from the inflow of Russians last year, Kerobyan said that growth was recorded in nearly all branches of the economy construction, process manufacturing, services, trade, with decline recorded only in mining. The world has become fragmented because of the Russian-Ukrainian war. And certain rearrangements took place as a result of that fragmentation. I am pleased to note that despite numerous difficulties we were able to utilize some part of the opportunities that this fragmentation has caused. Our task must be to cement these opportunities so that our businesses will be able to strengthen the success they recorded last year, Kerobyan said. Asked about the ferry service which was planned to be launched in 2022, Kerobyan said that the Lars checkpoint is working uninterruptedly at this moment and the vehicles traveling from Armenia reach Russia in one day. There is a large volume of trade turnover. The number of vehicles passing through the Lars checkpoint per day is unprecedentedly high. This too shows that we are maintaining the pace of high economic activity in the first months of the year, the minister said. Kerobyan said they continue working in direction of launching the ferry connection because an alternative route for the Lars checkpoint is a necessity. Negotiations continue. However, Kerobyan refused to mention timeframes for the possible launch. Speaking about the planned dry port project in Gyumri, Kerobyan said: We are creating a leading industrial infrastructure where companies can easily start their industrial processes, and also use logistical opportunities and transport to the nearest port or airport with comparably cheap prices. Its planned that the operator of the dry port will be selected during 2023 and the operator will begin the investment work. This project has been submitted to the Public Investments Committee chaired by the Prime Minister, where it was preliminarily approved. Kerobyan is in no hurry to mention specific numbers in terms of growth projections for 2023, reminding that none of the projections made in early 2022 turned out to be true because the world is very unpredictable due to various events. Nevertheless, the governments target will be at least the 7% growth of the GDP as stated in the budget. And we will focus on reaching this figure in our work, Kerobyan said. Asked about the governments planned work to ensure the economic growth, Kerobyan mentioned several tasks, including the acute demand for workforce. We are even turning to foreign workforce to meet the workforce demand. You can see that theres a rather large under-qualified foreign workforce in Armenia from India, Iran, Central Asia and elsewhere. The second main issue is the security issue, stabilizing and improving the security environment will naturally help economic activity. Third are the logistic issues, which trouble us a lot throughout the year, I hope therell be few such issues this year. We are now carrying out major work to increase the entry of investment projects into the Armenian market, Kerobyan said. The Minister of Economy said that today they are very far from the targets outlined in the government program, i.e. to bring the investments ratio up to 25% of the GDP. Kerobyan said they are trying to mobilize capacities in this direction. Furthermore, a number of major investment programs are currently in the final phase of discussions. Interview by Anna Grigoryan Photos by Hayk Manukyan Cameramen: Hayk Barseghyan, Hovhannes Mkrtchyan Discord voice integration has finally arrived with the latest update on PS5. As of now, only beta testers from the US, Canada, and Japan can test this new feature. Along with the ability to participate in group calls, Sony's most famous console is reportedly getting a 1440p Variable Refresh Rate support and more improvements for the dashboard. PS5 Beta Testers Can Now Join Discord Calls According to a report by Engadget, Sony earlier released Discord features on PS5 in January 2022. However, at that time, players could not access voice chat on the platform. The new report says that the Japanese gaming giant has finally rolled out this support with the arrival of the newest PS5 beta update. For you to use Discord support on PlayStation 5, Sony explains that users should have the app installed on their PC or smartphones. In short, the voice chat integration won't be accessible by just opening your PS5. There's a need to use your computer or mobile device for the call transfer to take place. For fans, this is what Sony needs to improve since this would help many gamers communicate easily with their friends during a gaming session. The recent Discord voice chat support might be similar to what Microsoft released for Xbox back in November 2022. However, this is much better since players can now join on voice servers and channels without connecting their console to a PC or any handheld device. Related Article: PS5 Restock Improves as Sony VR Headset 'VR2' Gets Ready to Launch PS5 1440p Support and Dashboard Improvements In another report by The Verge on Thursday, Feb. 2, the PlayStation 5 is slated to get much-needed Refresh Rate support for 1440p gaming. This feature is what many players want because this would greatly benefit them in terms of smooth gameplay. Along with 1440p support, Sony says that the share screen feature will be revamped. The PS5 dashboard will also improve, particularly in the party chats. With this, you can view your friends currently playing a PS5 game on the console. This makes it easier to interact with them. Other than that, Sony will introduce a feature where players can manually upload their game screenshots from the PS5. What's even better is that you can soon load your saved data on PS4 from your new games. You have two options to transfer your saved files from your old console to PlayStation 5 via ethernet or WiFi connection. In the next few months, all PS5 users will be able to access the Discord voice chat after the beta test that is currently ongoing right now. For more PS5-related stories, you can visit this link. Don't forget to regularly check this site for more updates about your favorite console. Read Also: Sony PS5 Pro Potential Release: Upgrade Includes Liquid Cooling 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The famed ION Trading UK organization was hit with a ransomware attack earlier and suffered from extensive effects of the hack. It disrupted global derivatives trading, according to reports. Now, the FBI is working with the United Kingdom's regulators to investigate the incident and learn more about what happened to the company. It is yet unknown what this attack brought for ION's customers, especially with the trading firm having massive connections worldwide. ION Trading UK Hit with Ransomware Attack ION Group first announced that it was hit with a cyberattack last Tuesday, Jan. 31, via a press release on its website, claiming that there was a disruption in its Cleared Derivatives division that was yet unknown. Several days later, the company gained more insight into the ransomware attack which affected its systems, claiming that it was contained to a specific environment. The trading group also claimed it had already disconnected all the affected servers after the incident. According to Reuters, this attack on ION would take days before it could regain operations, until Sunday, Feb. 5. Read Also: Crypto Exchange Bitzlato Allegedly Worked With Ransomware Groups; Founder Arrested FBI Now Investigating ION with UK Bloomberg's latest report says that the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is now joining hands with UK security agencies to investigate what happened behind this cyberattack. As per sources, 42 of ION's clients were affected by this, and the disconnected server caused several US and EU partner banks to input the derivatives manually. ION also confirmed that the LockBit gang from Russia carried out the attack. The trading group has not yet begun its crucial recovery steps to regain access and fix its accessed networks. However, it asks for until Sunday to address the issue and resume operations. Ransomware Attack There were confirmations from ION that the group behind this attack was the Russia-based Ransomware as a service (RaaS) organization LockBit which led the access. The gang is known for its notorious access to massive companies and influence all over the world, accounting for as much as 40% of the attacks in August 2022. However, the Lockbit gang was once branded as "hackers with a heart" after apologizing for a wrongful attack and claiming that they had a code in who or when to execute their malware. Early this January, the hacker group apologized for the attack against the SickKids hospital in Canada, saying that a fellow member violated their code. Despite previously apologizing for their actions, LockBit is at it again with their crimes against organizations and companies, with their latest victims allegedly ION Trading UK. Different security agencies are now looking into what happened, and it involved international collaborations to take place for this recent massive disruption. Related Article: FBI Takes Down Notorious Hive Ransomware Gang by 'Hacking' its Systems 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TikTok is facing another possible ban after a United States Senator asked the two major smartphone OS providers to ban the social media platform from its app stores. Apple and Google were given a letter by Senator Michael Bennet to remove TikTok from its availability in the country, mentioning its security issues and data collection tactics. This is also amidst the ongoing restructuring of TikTok, where ByteDance's reshuffle brought in an executive from its Chinese operations, Douyin. TikTok Ban: Senator Asks Apple and Google for App Store Removal According to the Colorado Senator, a letter was sent to Big Tech's executives, which appeals to them for TikTok's ban on their respective platforms, the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. "Like most social media platforms, TikTok collects vast and sophisticated data from its users, including faceprints and voiceprints. Unlike most social media platforms, TikTok poses a unique concern because Chinese law obligates ByteDance, its Beijing-based parent company, to 'support, assist, and cooperate with state intelligence work,'" said Sen. Bennet. The Senator also highlighted his concerns regarding TikTok's massive reach in the country and how it would be dangerous for an app known for collecting significant data can affect the citizens. Read Also: TikTok Attempts to Sell Project Texas Amid Growing US Mistrust in its Chinese Ownership ByteDance Appoints Douyin Executive for TikTok's Product Dev Amid this controversy, the South China Morning Post reported that ByteDance's reshuffle appointed a former Douyin executive, Fiona Zhi Ying, to head TikTok's product development for its global operations. The goal is to monetize TikTok's operations, which was proven effective with Douyin in China. This move may add to the rising tensions between TikTok and ByteDance in the US, especially with its ties to China and executives from the Chinese version of the app. TikTok's Security Concerns in the US There are significant concerns from lawmakers and political figures in the country regarding TikTok's presence among the public. It centers on security issues circling on data and information by the country, claiming that the short-word social media platform collects these and shares them with its Chinese operations under ByteDance. The US has already carried out several actions toward limiting TikTok's access to American data, and one of them was the mandate to ban the app on government devices. On the other hand, several schools in the country also banned TikTok from campus devices, citing security concerns against the app. The TikTok fiasco is not yet over, and it is still under heavy fire from regulators and agencies, with a US Senator already pushing for Apple and Google's ban of the app from its stores. This comes alongside the change in its administrations, putting yet another Douyin executive on TikTok's global operations to help the app grow more in monetization. Related Article: TikTok Changes Executives' Positions as a Commitment to the National Security Process 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Microsoft is integrating OpenAI's tech into another one of its products. It will be introduced to customer-relationship software intended to help Salesforce increase revenue, according to a report by Bloomberg on Thursday, Feb. 2. With the use of OpenAI's text-generation technology, Viva Sales can produce email responses for clients with the integration of Microsoft Office and video conferencing software. GPT 3.5 The AI technologies will extract information from customer records and Office email programs, including OpenAI's GPT 3.5, the platform that serves as the foundation for the ChatGPT chatbot. Emails with personalized text, information about prices, and promotions will then be generated using the collected data. The Microsoft Dynamics customer management software and Salesforce's competitor's program are both compatible with the Viva Sales app, which was first made available in October. Users who sign up for the premium versions of Dynamics receive it without charge, whereas Salesforce clients pay $40 per month, according to Bloomberg. Microsoft has been incorporating OpenAI's methods and products into its software for computer programmers and the cloud since last month, when the two companies announced an investment deal that is reportedly worth $10 billion. Read also: Google to Allow Microsoft 365 Integration on ChromeOS, When is it Coming? Will Microsoft Integrate ChatGPT in Bing? A person with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg last month that Microsoft plans to use ChatGPT to improve its Bing search engine. The development brought about by ChatGPT might be advantageous to Google's rival, Bing. This is due to rumors that OpenAi's collaboration with Microsoft will enhance Bing's search engine. According to Anton Korinek from the University of Virginia, the growing popularity of ChatGPT may "upend Google's market dominance." Microsoft is already using ChatGPT for its products and promotions; if this also applies to Bing, it might significantly improve its search capabilities. Microsoft has specific considerations for ChatGPT and was upfront about using the OpenAI tools to enhance its upcoming technologies. A person with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg last month that Microsoft has plans to use ChatGPT in improving its Bing search engine. Experts say that ChatGPT may just be the next big thing in the tech scene. In fact, the Gmail creator himself claimed that Google might just be a year or two away from "total disruption." Paul Buchheit predicts a scenario where the URL or search bar of Google will be replaced with AI autocompleting any questions from a user. This would render AI more effective in giving the best answers for various searches. He adds that AI will then utilize the old search engine backend to gather summary information for the user. He compares this to asking professional human researcher questions, but the difference is that the software can immediately address someone's request. He also noted that the situation could be similar to how Google killed The Yellow Pages, noting that it "used to be a great business, but then Google got so good that everyone stopped using the yellow pages." "AI will do the same thing to web search," said the Gmail creator. Related Article: Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo Are Skipping E3 2023, Report Says 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Google has an AI chatbot system already testing internally, and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed this on the latest Q4 2022 earnings call of the company. This new chatbot will partner with the company's search engine to debut an assistant for its future use, one that also rivals the famous ChatGPT tool from OpenAI. For now, Google is still gatekeeping the feature for the world as it aims to develop it further and be ready for when it is available, so it would avoid flopping among the public. Google's AI Chatbot to Rival ChatGPT, For its Search Engine Alphabet recently finished its earnings call for investors for the Q4 2022 report, which detailed its performance last quarter, also tying up the entire year. Apart from its statistics and numbers from last quarter, Google head Sundar Pichai also confirmed a new project underway for its search engine, with an AI chatbot coming soon. According to CNET, the internet company's AI developments are nearing its availability date for the public "in coming weeks and months." One of Google's top competitors, ChatGPT, has already gained massive significance among the public, with many analysts claiming that this may lead to the company's downfall. Read Also: Google to Allow Microsoft 365 Integration on ChromeOS, When is it Coming? Google's AI Chatbot: What is the Name? The reports claim that this new AI chatbot will be called the "Apprentice Bard," Despite sounding like it is from a medieval fiction game, this will soon arrive for Google's services among the public. Particularly, Apprentice Bard will help Google's search engine with the different needs of people to use it, one that would answer the questions or streamline better results. Google's AI Projects Google is not shy about artificial intelligence creations, as it has a few projects on its portfolio and development to soon debut to the world. One of them is the already available beta version of the LaMDA, the company's version of the chatbot, that is accessible via the AI Test Kitchen for all users interested in joining its initial operations. There is also one AI tool called the "Imagen Video" which allows users to use its text prompts to get commands and use it to generate high-resolution videos. Google claimed that it could output videos with a 1280x768 resolution with up to 24 frames per second, centering on diffusion models to help create the content from user commands. ChatGPT took the world by storm, and many predict that it could outsmart or defeat Google in the current technological world, which adds pressure to its projects. However, this does not mean that Google is falling behind, as it has different AI tools under development, with one soon becoming available via its search for all. Related Article: New Google Mass Layoff Confirmed as Company Invests More in AI; 12,000 Employees to be Affected 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. An alleged Chinese spy balloon is reportedly seen hovering about the airspace of the Northern US in the past several days, Pentagon officials say. (Photo : by Alex Wong/Getty Images) The Pentagon logo and an American flag are lit up January 3, 2002 in the briefing room of Pentagon in Arlington, VA. Chinese Spy Balloon Flying Over Montana, US The surveillance balloon was spotted flying right above Montana, which interestingly houses at least three nuclear missiles, according to a report by the South China Morning Post. A senior US defense official reportedly told the reporters at the Pentagon that they have "very high confidence" that the high-altitude balloon is from China. The defense official went on to note that they saw the surveillance balloon flying over sensitive sites in a bid to collect information. It is worth mentioning that the senior official opted to disclose these details anonymously, as they are sensitive information. Pentagon Now Tracks Alleged Chinese Spy Balloon Meanwhile, Aljazeera reports that the Pentagon has decided not to shoot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon due to the risk that comes with it. The officials believe such a move might end up harming the folks on the ground. So instead, the Pentagon is now tracking the alleged Chinese surveillance balloon hovering in the airspace of the Northern US. The press secretary of the Pentagon, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, confirmed in a recent briefing that they are still tracking the spy balloon. Read Also: Apple Safari's China Website Censorship Now Extends to Hong Kong Users Chinese Spy Balloon Altitude Besides that, Brigadier General Ryder gave an update on the altitude of the suspected Chinese spy balloon hovering over the US. (Photo : by PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images) The Pentagon logo seen during a media briefing October 21, 2014, in the Press Room of the Pentagon in Washington. The Pentagon press secretary says it is "currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic." However, Brigadier General Ryder notes that it "does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground." The US defense official disclosed that it is not the first instance that they have seen similar balloon activity in the past years. He notes that the US has already reached out to the authorities in China. The Pentagon press secretary says they have already "engaged" with them, relaying how serious this is. Despite that, China has yet to speak about the allegations of the US. The South China Morning Post notes in its story that the flying balloon incident comes amid the incoming first visit of the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, this weekend. However, it remains to be seen if the suspected Chinese spy balloon would affect the trip of the Secretary of State to China. In other news, the European Union (EU) now supports the US in its decision to block exporting chip-making supplies to China. Related Article: China to Use AI Against US over Taiwan Invasion, Smart Deterrence to Counter Forces 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Brazil has decided to sink decommissioned aircraft with a damaged hull as the 34,000-ton, 870-foot Brazilian aircraft carrier Sao Paulo could not find takers. The said aircraft has been towed around the Atlantic for months despite serious damage, and environmentalists believed it contained toxic materials. With that, the decision drew criticism from the group. Brazil is Towing the Now Decommissioned Warship Around the Atlantic According to the story by SCMP, Brazil has been towing the warship for months around the Atlantic. The aircraft known as the Sao Paulo is six decades old and has long been decommissioned. The navy and the defense ministry said they have been trying hard to look for a port that will accept the decommissioned warship. Per the departments, they have no choice but to "jettison it in a planned, controlled sinking due to the situation." The Navy and Defense Ministry Said They Had No Choice The navy and defense ministry decided to sink the old aircraft because of the "deteriorating buoyancy" and the "inevitability of a spontaneous, uncontrollable sinking." This leaves them no choice but to sink the warship before the worst can happen controllably. However, the move was not supported, as environmentalists criticized the decision, saying the aircraft carrier had a lot of toxic materials. To be more specific, the critics noted that the warship was packed with asbestos, heavy metals, and some other toxic materials. Environmentalists Criticize Their Decision to Sink the Ship Environmentalists believed that sinking the aircraft carrier could result in marine food chain pollution, harming marine life. The materials could leach into the water and cause pollution. Per @CovertShores on Twitter, an update was shared regarding the Sao Paulo warship. It was noted that the ship was supposed to make its way to Turkey for scrapping, but it could not get approved permission to do so. . ***Update*** The Ex-Brazilian Navy Aircraft Carrier Sao Paulo (ex-French Navy carrier Foch), is currently near Canary Islands. The ship was supposed to be going to Turkey for scrapping, but permission was denied so it has turned around. New declared destination = Brazil#AvGeek pic.twitter.com/C6u6TDIGTQ H I Sutton (@CovertShores) September 9, 2022 The Decommissioned Aircraft Carrier was Also an ex-French Navy Carrier Called Foch The newly declared destination for the decommissioned aircraft carrier returned to Brazil. The tweet also revealed additional details about the warship and how another country previously used it. Sao Paulo, an ex-Brazilian Navy Aircraft Carrier, was also an ex-French Navy carrier once known as Foch. The last part of the tweet revealed that it was supposed to be transported to Turkey, but it was denied. Read Also: What Are The Biggest Contributors to Carbon Emissions? Turkey Refused Entry of the Sao Paulo Over Asbestos Concerns According to Maritime Executive, Turkey refused entry to Sao Paulo over concerns about asbestos. The article also mentioned how environmentalists believed it contained "a substantial amount" of asbestos and hazardous materials. Robin des Bois, a French environmental group, described the ship as a literal toxic package weighing a whopping 30,000 tons. Basel Action Network's Jim Puckett also shared the risks to Brazil's navy if they decide to push through with their plan. Puckett notes that if the navy pushes through, it will violate three international environmental treaty terms. Related Article: Is That Spilled Pink Sauce? Researchers Turn Seawater Pink in PiNC Experiment at San Diego Beach 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A Colombian judge sought the advice of OpenAI's wildly popular ChatGPT to resolve a children's medical case, according to a report by local radio station Blu Radio. Many experts are already claiming that ChatGPT is the next big thing. Its application to law may indicate the vast applications of this AI tech. Law 2213 According to Judge Manuel Padilla Garcia, he used ChatGPT before delivering a ruling on Jan. 31. His move is considered legal because it applied Law 2213, which states that virtual tools may be utilized in certain cases. He asked the AI bot if an autistic minor should be exonerated from paying fees for their therapies. ChatGPT answered by saying that this is correct because laws in Colombia indicated that autistic minors are exempt from paying therapy fees. "Judges need to be aware of the evolution of justice and technology. Since the pandemic, in Colombia, we began to implement technologies in the courts and this is a huge window, today it could be ChatGPT, but later more tools may emerge for judges to use," Garcia said in a statement with Blu Radio (translated by Google). He added that the AI tool could help judges like him make understandable sentences with good writing. He also believes that ChatGPT may save time for judges about to deliver a decision, which is why the law allows tools like ChatGPT to be used in the justice sector of Colombia. "Even, ChatGPT can anticipate the decision that a court can make, since they are supported by the principle of equality in the use of precedents, that is, it serves as a parameter to precede this decision," Garcia added. He argues that using this tool does not make judges lazy and that their decision will remain independent. The move marks the first sentence at Colombia's national level to use artificial intelligence. However, Garcia clarified that his ruling was completely personal, private, and independent. He also believes that judges can continue to rely on tools like ChatGPT to help them in their ruling, especially in writing logical and concise sentences. Read also: Microsoft Will be Using OpenAI's ChatGPT to Write Emails for Clients "Not Responsible or Ethical" An expert in AI regulation and governance, Professor Juan David Gutierrez of Rosario University, does not approve of Garcia's move to use ChatGPT. He said on Twitter that "it is certainly not responsible or ethical to use ChatGPT as intended by the judge in the ruling in question". He also claims that ChatGPT "tends" to return incorrect results and does not distinguish fact from fiction. He noted that the tool warns this every time someone enters their queries. Despite its growing popularity, ChatGPT is still relatively new. According to its developers at OpenAI, its current version is still not meant for anything significant. Related Article: Google AI Chatbot to Rival ChatGPT for its Search Engine, But Stays in Secret to Avoid Flop 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After a long time of buyers struggling to get their hands on the PS5 console, the situation has recovered as the PS5 restock can be spotted at Walmart selling for a standard price. This comes after over a year of struggle for gamers to purchase the console. Sony PS5 Restock Suffered During the Chip Shortage Since the launch of the PS5, Sony has been struggling to deal with the demand for the console as buyers have been left with little to no choice but to purchase the console from resellers at a higher price. Now, the situation has recovered, and buyers can finally purchase the console close to its SRP. One major reason Sony struggled to deal with the demand was not because of price but because of the chip shortage. The chip shortage limited the supply of semiconductors that Sony could get, which was needed in producing the PlayStation 5 console. Resellers Were Profiting Out of the Limited PS5 Restock Supply The supply backlog left buyers no choice but to purchase the expensive console from resellers. As reported by Video Games Chronicle, some of these resellers were even able to sell hundreds of thousands of consoles, with one reporting they sold 130,000 PS5s. During the semiconductor shortage, reselling PS5s and Xbox Series Xs became lucrative as buyers had little to no choice but to purchase from these resellers. Luckily, the situation has eased as the PS5 can easily be spotted at Walmart with stock available. PS5 Digital Edition Now Costs Just $529.40 Buyers will no longer have to purchase either jacked-up PS5 models or second-hand deals, as they can purchase the console at its SRP and with bundles. The consoles also come directly from Sony, so buyers do not have to worry about warranties or other concerns. The basic model, the PS5 Digital Edition, can be spotted at Walmart, selling for just $529.40, and instead of the "Out of stock" that buyers used to see, buyers can easily add this item to their carts. This shows that the situation for consoles has finally recovered. Sony PS5 Digital Edition God of War Ragnarok Bundle Now Costs Just $589 Although a bit more expensive, buyers can also choose the PS5 Digital Edition God of War Ragnarok Bundle, which costs $589. This is still close to the original price, with only a little increase for the 'God of War Ragnarok' bundle. Read Also: PS5 Restock Improves as Sony VR Headset 'VR2' Gets Ready to Launch Sony PS5 Digital Edition Mightyskins Custom Skin Code Voucher Bundle Now Costs Just $558.99 Another option that buyers can choose is the Sony PS5 Digital Edition Mightyskins Custom Skin Code Voucher - Bundle. This bundle lets buyers choose the console and controller skins to something more original. Buyers can choose their original designs or a design from the list of available designs for the PS5 console. This bundle costs slightly less than the "God of War Ragnarok" variant at just $558.99. Related Article: Xbox 360 Store Shut Down Notice Was an 'Error,' Microsoft Says 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The alleged Chinese spy balloon has been confirmed by China to their airship. HAPPENING NOW: Photo shows the massive Chinese spy balloon over Montana. U.S. military is tracking the balloon. pic.twitter.com/RS52mQE9Og Antonio Sabato Jr (@AntonioSabatoJr) February 3, 2023 The Chinese government officials said the flying object was just in the U.S. aerial territory because strong winds blew it off course. The aircraft made huge headlines after multiple rumors claimed that it was a spy balloon used by China against the United States. A Chinese spy balloon casually invading our air space for all to see, conducting day after day of espionage in broad daylight undisturbed, is a stark visual demonstration of Joe Bidens crippling weakness and our excruciating national humiliation. Stephen Miller (@StephenM) February 3, 2023 Since its appearance created serious concerns, the Chinese foreign ministry asked the U.S. to act calmly, as reported by SCMP. Chinese Spy Balloon Update: China Confirms Airship Belongs to Them According to Independent UK's latest report, China said that the suspected surveillance aircraft is just their civilian airship. (Photo : Screenshot from Twitter post of @FoxyMaroon) Spy Balloon Update: China Confirms Its Their Airship, But Was Blown Off Its Planned Course President Biden stopped fighters from shooting down a giant Chinese spy balloon today. Pentagon sent up fighters to take it out but then called off. The balloon is still spy active and flying over all of us. This is what we get for electing a CHINA COMPROMISED PRESIDENT. pic.twitter.com/3UzeBcYpke Foxy (@FoxyMaroon) February 3, 2023 Also Read: Sony Star Sphere Nanosatellite Tests First Water-Based Space Propulsion The Chinese government clarified that it was mainly designed for meteorological research and not for spying. Beijing explained that the airship's steering capabilities were limited. This is why the strong winds were able to blow it off its planned course. The United States spends roughly $800 Billion on national defense each year. Someone please explain how a Chinese Spy Balloon was able to float into our airspace without early detection or interception by any branch of our military.. And why hasnt it been shot down yet?.. pic.twitter.com/ahg3lrpG0w Conspiralink (@conspiralink) February 3, 2023 China said they regretted their airship's unintended entry into the United States airspace. As of press time, the Chinese government said that it would continue cooperating with the U.S. to solve the unexpected airspace entry of their airship. Why the US is Concerned After the mysterious airship was spotted over Billings, Montana, Pentagon quickly took action. The intelligence organization said it had been tracking the balloon since it entered the airspace in the northern United States. Defense officials said that the flight path that the balloon is taking could carry it over sensitive military sites. Although this is the case, U.S. President Joe Biden disagreed about the idea of shooting down the balloon as it could lead to dangerous debris. On the other hand, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that China has no intention of violating the airspace and sovereignty of other countries. He also said that there's no need for speculations since they are not conducive until facts are clear. If you want to learn more details about the sudden appearance of China's civilian airship, you can visit this link. In other news, China's powerful lasers were able to recreate the magnetic explosions on the sun's surface. We also reported that China's Zhurong Mars rover stayed in its hibernation state even after a dust storm in 2022. For more news updates about China's aircraft and other aerial vehicles, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Related Article: Chinese Spy Balloon Seen Flying Over the US! Is Pentagon Tracking it Now? 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. YEREVAN, 3 FEBUARY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 3 February, USD exchange rate up by 0.44 drams to 396.48 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.38 drams to 433.59 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.02 drams to 5.63 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 1.71 drams to 486.01 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price down by 26.93 drams to 24495.52 drams. Silver price up by 12.32 drams to 311.48 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams. TikTok content creators in Australia are complaining about the removal of sounds from their videos. (Photo : Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images) This picture taken in Moscow on October 12, 2021 shows the Chinese social networking service TikTok's logo on a smartphone screen. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) Many of them already shared their negative experience, especially those who rely on TikTok to generate revenue. The issue happening in Australia as of writing includes TikTok sounds and the original content audio. This means that many Australian content creators are having their videos muted completely. TikTok Removes Sounds Used by Australian Content Creators Via The Guardian's latest report, many Australian TikTok influencers shared their disappointment. (Photo : Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images) In this photo illustration, the social media application logo, TikTok is displayed on the screen of an iPhone on April 13, 2020, in Arlington, Virginia - TikTok has pledged $250 million to local organizations around the world supporting healthcare, education, and struggling communities impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Also Read: TikTok Ban: US Schools Act to Ban TikTok From Campus Devices Amidst Data Privacy Concerns One is Mary McGillivray, a famous TikToker that focuses on art and history content. "It's really confusing because for a lot of my content, I upload my own audio tracks, where I've paid for a license from an external provider, so these aren't even TikTok sounds," said the online influencer. She added that they are being flagged as TikTok community guideline violations. Mary further stated TikTok feels like a platform that doesn't value its content creators. Because of this, McGillivray and other affected Australian users now consider moving to other social media platforms. TikTok Removes Sounds for a Reason For those who are asking if this problem is just a bug, it is not. SocialMedia Today reported that TikTok is conducting an in-app test in Australia. This activity involves restricting the capacity of content creators to add music to their videos. Because of this, many influencers are not able to use certain songs and audio. Many experts said that TikTok is doing this so that the online platform will not rely on music. They added that this would allow TikTok to have the upper hand when it comes to negotiating with music publishers. As of press time, it is unclear when will the TikTok test last. If you want to learn more about the sound removal activity, you can click here. Aside from this, TikTok is also busy with other activities to enhance its app business. Recently, the new TikTok state-affiliated labels rolled out in the United States. We also reported about the new digital regulations that the TikTok CEO discussed with EU officials and regulators. For more news updates about TikTok and other social media giants, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Related Article: Malicious TikTok and Twitter Posts That Show Andrew Tate Being Freed Alarm CCDH 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Spotify, one of the largest music streaming platforms in the world, seems to have gone down, leaving users unable to stream music or access the app, Independent reports. According to a number of user reports, songs failed to load, and the app showed an empty screen instead of the usual page full of songs. Some users were also shown an error message that stated "something went wrong," but the cause of the problem is unclear. Is Spotify Down? According to Down Detector, a website that tracks outages, the issues seem to be affecting users across the world. As of 10 p.m. Pacific time, 570 reports had been received, with 45% of users reporting problems with the app, 40% reporting problems with the website, and 15% reporting problems with audio streaming. Regardless of the widespread concerns, it appears that not all users are impacted. Some users have noted that even though the desktop version is inaccessible, the mobile app is still operational. This implies that the problem might be isolated to a particular region or platform. Read Also: Google AI Chatbot to Rival ChatGPT for its Search Engine, But Stays in Secret to Avoid Flop An outage is a rare occurrence for the top music streaming app, as Spotify is usually known for its reliability and consistent performance. The platform has millions of users across the world and is a crucial source of music for many. The company has not yet commented on the extent of the outage or when users can expect the platform to be back up and running. In the meantime, users are left to speculate and wait for an official statement from Spotify. Users can contact the app's customer service for more information about the recent outage. This is not the first time that Spotify has experienced outages. Back in October, Spotify experienced overwhelming traffic upon Taylor Swift's "Midnights" release, and thousands of users reported outages worldwide. On Jan. 27, the app also experienced a similar issue. The platform confirmed that the outage was not "limited to the Spotify website." The Spotify app on different platforms is also affected." A number of users have already tweeted about the recent outage. Check out this tweet. Is it me or Spotify is down? I cant play anything. It pauses immediately Grinch but not for BTS ArmyWife (@GAmarguetas) February 3, 2023 Spotify Customer Service To reach Spotify, you can post or search in the Spotify Community, where listeners help out and share ideas and solutions. You can also choose to contact the platform through a DM to their @SpotifyCares handle or send them a direct message on the SpotifyCares Facebook page. In Other News Tech Times reports that a Colombian judge asked OpenAI's ChatGPT, which is very popular, for help with a medical case involving children. Judge Manuel Padilla Garca used ChatGPT before issuing a ruling on Jan. 31. Garca followed Law 2213, which says that virtual tools can be used in certain situations. This meant that what he did was legal. Many experts are already claiming that ChatGPT is the next big thing. Its application to law may indicate the vast applications of this AI technology. Stay posted here at Tech Times. Related Article: Spotify Android Bug: Now Playing Disappears, Company Rolls Out Fix 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The FBI launches an alert about 'hacking by load' at mobile charging points at airports, hotels or shopping centers Las Margaritas is called 'food house', but it is much more "Thousands of corpses discovered": FSB published documents about Nazi atrocities in the prisoner of war camp near Stalingrad The Future of Online Casinos and the Technologies That Will Shape It "A deliberate and premeditated act": in Angers, an investigation opened after the ransacking of a church "Can cause very serious complications": doctors - about the increase in the incidence of measles in Russia 10 restaurants to eat (very good) for less than 40 euros in Madrid 30 years of my son and I overcame intractable diseases and developmental disabilities to become professional cellists | NHK Repsol will collect used cooking oil to make renewable fuel at its gas stations in Madrid Recommendations for the President: Lady Gaga and Bruce Cohen became co-chairs of the White House Committee on Culture and Arts The healthiest prepared dishes of Mercadona to get out of the way when we have not had time to prepare food Train tickets on the first day of the "May Day" holiday will be on sale from tomorrow Special trains such as "barbecue" have attracted attention The 77-year-old Taiwan compatriot landed to worship his ancestors, "After more than three years, I finally came back." Everything we learned (or not) from the Transition: "There were things pending, yes, but 45 years have passed and some have not been resolved" A cancer drug sold out in pharmacies for at least seven days Why is it heavy on your humidity? After reading the seconds, I understand! Kuzmenko and Sergachev's assistant doubles, Orlov's two points and Ovechkin's pass: what was remembered for the last day of the NHL regular season She demanded to separate from him and found all his money in the name of his mother. Shock at Moroccan Achraf Hakimi's divorce and Spanish wife Galtier case: PSG "supports" his coach who says he is "deeply shocked" by the accusations Beatriz Flamini's incredible statement after 500 days in a cave: "I didn't want to go out" Kvyat will perform at the World Endurance Championship under the flag of Italy Entering the 20th season of the Chinese Super League, what is different this time? The Bank of Japan unveils new banknotes and introduces a hologram that looks like a moving portrait The General Office of the State Council issued the Opinions on the Reform of the Independent Director System for Listed Companies The independent director system ushered in a comprehensive reform in response to the five major concerns of the market The new Housing Law extends the rent cap to all owners and reduces to five the houses of a large holder Mishustin: Russia's economy has coped with the challenges of the pandemic and unprecedented sanctions The first Hunan (Huaihua) RCEP Economic and Trade Expo was held in May (Focus on the Expo) Japanese and Korean SMEs take advantage of the Expo to explore the Chinese market The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and private enterprises in the Chengdu-Chongqing region joined hands to carry out exchanges The Housing Law puts tenants and landlords in agreement: "It's a farce" and prices will continue to rise Domestic oil prices are expected to rise on the 17th, and No. 95 gasoline in some areas may return to the "8 yuan era" May Day Holiday Train Tickets On Sale Today Be aware of these changes The head of the Wagner PMC, Prigozhin, said that the Russian Armed Forces benefit from a long battle for Artyomovsk He was accused of terrorism after a dispute over the price of bananas. Tunisian player Nizar Issawi dies after his body was set on fire Pensions: the oppositions react after the validation of the essence of the reform The sudden fall of the Russian ruble. As a result of sanctions or internal speculation? Validation of the pension reform: "there is neither winner nor vanquished", says Borne Inflation: the Smic will increase "by a little more than 2%" on May 1, according to Borne European questioning Kiev's ability to make a breakthrough in the war this year, Ukrainian official: We will fight until the last Russian soldier leaves Alessandro Lequio breaks his silence: "It makes me sad that my son is once again the protagonist of today" Former Pentagon adviser McGregor: Ukraine may disappear as a state by the end of the year Naoko, Emma Nogueiro and the other women in Sanchez Drago's life (always younger and with short hair) The Future of Online Casinos and the Technologies That Will Shape It Political scientist Dudchak on Hersh's statement about Zelensky: there are probably a lot of such stories Mass poisoning on MasterChef 11: "We're sorry. It is an absolutely exceptional case in these 11 years" The sexist murder of an influencer shakes the Dominican Republic: her ex shoots her in the head three days after trying The Bank of Japan unveils new banknotes and introduces a hologram that looks like a moving portrait "Can cause very serious complications": doctors - about the increase in the incidence of measles in Russia The athlete Beatriz Flamini leaves the cave where she has remained alone and isolated for 500 days She demanded to separate from him and found all his money in the name of his mother. Shock at Moroccan Achraf Hakimi's divorce and Spanish wife Beatriz Flamini's incredible statement after 500 days in a cave: "I didn't want to go out" Communities 2019 - Privacy The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. We know on our own skin in case of our two countries what is the price of peace and what importance it has for the development of the country and the peoples security, ARMENPRESS reports, Head of Armenia-Serbia Friendship Group Hayk Mamijanyan said during the meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Serbia Tatjana Panajotovic Cvetkovic. The meeting took place on February 3, where the Member of Armenia-Serbia Friendship Group Mikayel Tumasyan took part. Welcoming the Ambassador in Parliament, Hayk Mamijanyan expressed conviction that the Friendship Groups with new Head and members will promote the peaceful and normal development of the two countries as a result of joint close and effective work. Tatjana Panajotovic Cvetkovic thanked the MPs for the meeting. According to her, the Serbian and the Armenian peoples are connected with the historical-friendly commonalities. The peoples centuries-old friendship creates good basis for the development of cooperation of the two countries. Hayk Mamijanyan presented the situation created around Lachin Corridor, underlining that 120.000 people are under blockade. He spoke about the caused humanitarian crisis, the programmed ethnic cleansing carried out by Azerbaijan. Hayk Mamijanyan expressed hope that the international community will make great pressure on the Azerbaijani authorities, stressing that many international structures had already expressed their concerns and talked with the official Baku, proposing them to stop the blockade. Mikayel Tumasyan informed that in April 2022, as an observer, attended the presidential elections held in Belgrade. He noted that he had a number of meetings with high ranking persons, who warmly spoke about Armenia and Armenian people. Highlighting the work of the Friendship Groups, the deputy noted that at present there is a young Member of Serbian Parliament Armenian by his origin, who is also a member of Serbia-Armenia Friendship Group. During the talk the parliamentary diplomacy existing between Armenia and Serbia and the fact of cooperation in a number of spheres with serious potential of development was underlined. It was noted that the wish of giving new content and dynamics to the agenda of collaboration is great. A reference was made to the cooperation in the spheres of economy, tourism, culture, science and education. Two members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have had their legal immunity lifted by European lawmakers, following a request by Belgian authorities investigating a corruption scandal that has rocked the European Parliament, BBC News reported. February 3, 2023, 09:52 Two MEPs stripped of legal immunity due to corruption scandal STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 3, ARTSAKHPRESS: Italian Andrea Cozzolino and Belgian Marc Tarabella deny wrongdoing. The Qatargate affair unfolded when a Greek lawmaker and three other suspects were arrested on suspicion of corruption and money-laundering. One of the suspects then agreed to "tell all" as part of a plea deal. Pier Antonio Panzeri is alleged to have led a network that took bribes from Qatar and Morocco in return for influencing the European Parliament. Some 1.5m (1.3m) was recovered in cash in a series of raids in Brussels and Italy. Qatar has denied allegations that it sought to gain influence over MEPs while Morocco has hit back at "judicial harassment" and "media attacks". However, prosecutors have said Panzeri has admitted "criminal responsibility". Tarabella's home was raided last month when Belgian police detained the four suspects. Prosecutors then asked the parliament to lift his immunity from prosecution as well as Cozzolino's. Both men were members of the parliament's centre-left Socialists and Democrats grouping. The votes happened with little ceremony in a matter of seconds when lawmakers began a session of the European Parliament on Thursday morning. MEPs simply raised their hands as the details were read out. Marc Tarabella attended the vote himself. Afterwards he said he had voted to waive his immunity in order to "be able to respond to the investigators' questions and help authorities shed light on this affair." According to the parliament report on Tarabella, he is suspected by investigators of backing "certain positions within the European Parliament in favor of a third country in return for cash payments" for two years. Testimony against him suggests several payments totaling 120,00-140,000, the report adds. United States Congressman Frank Pallone joined demonstrators who gathered at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. to protest against Azerbaijans blockade of Lachin corridor. February 3, 2023, 11:09 Congressman Pallone joins demonstrators at Capitol opposing Azerbaijans blockade of Lachin corridor STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 3, ARTSAKHPRESS: Demonstrators were at the Capitol today opposing Azerbaijan's illegal and inhumane blockade of the Lachin Corridor. I proudly stood with them in calling for the United States to hold Aliyev accountable for his human rights abuses against the people of Artsakh, Congressman Pallone tweeted. She said in the book, Unfinished Business, that the establishment of the site sent a message that a developing countrys government can be bullied by a company from the developed world and had no choice but to put up with it in the name of economic development. This is the very reason why, from the very beginning, I pushed - unsuccessfully - for the waste to be shipped out of the country, she said. Lynas Corp chief executive Amanda Lacaze has said the group needs to double its production to keep up with demand. Credit: Ian Teh Its a turbulent period in Malaysias politics. The country has twice changed governments since Mahathirs second stint as leader unravelled in 2020. The latest person to occupy the prime ministers office - his former understudy and foe Anwar Ibrahim - has in the past been among the politicians to call for a review of Lynas licence being renewed. One of Lynas most vocal opponents Fuziah Salleh, who was a three-term MP in Kuantan, the electorate where the plant lies, is now a deputy minister in Anwars government but, surprisingly, may be less of a threat. She was made a senator after losing her seat in the recent election and her portfolio of domestic trade and cost of living is unrelated to Lynas. Loading Bridget Welsh, a research associate with the Asian Research Institute at the University of Nottingham, Malaysia, said the presence of Lynas remained a highly charged issue in the south-east Asian nation and could be seen as litmus test for a new government being pressed to engage in reforms. I do think this is a much more pro-environmental government and I think there will be reviews of key strategies, Welsh said. But I dont think Lynas is in the crosshairs at this particular juncture in part because there is no state election [coming up] in Pahang and because the government has got so many other fires that theyre probably not going to pick this particular battle. Lynas chief executive Amanda Lacaze will need both the decisions on the licence and related conditions to go her way to fulfil the immense opportunity before the group. But as she told investors and analysts this week, the company is preparing for every scenario - including a worst-case. Loading The best possible scenario is one where were running two facilities, which gives us a straight uplift in throughput, right through to one where we are required to close down one facility and operate the other, she said. It will be clear long before the first of July which of those we will be required to execute. The best-case scenario will be a big win for investors as Lynas seeks to keep up with demand for rare earths - 17 elements crucial to the manufacture of many hi-tech products such as mobile phones, electric cars and wind turbines. Lynas has outlined plans to increase production at its Mt Weld mine in Western Australia, and expand its rare earths processing everywhere it possibly can. Loading This includes retaining cracking and leaching in Malaysia on top of its new facilities in WA. We need to double our production basically, Lacaze told shareholders at last years annual meeting. That means weve got to do more at each stage, that we will have some additional separation assets like the proposed plant in the US. But by far the most cost-effective way ever to increase production is by increasing everything in your existing assets. But it was her lack of clarity on when Kalgoorlie will be operational that drew the attention of some analysts. Goldman Sachs Paul Young noted the timeline for matching up Kalgoorlie with the potential loss of its Malaysian license. It looks tight to say the least. Based on construction progress we think full ramp-up will be achieved at the end of 2023 at the very earliest, meaning either the Malaysian government must extend the waste disposal license for the cracking and leaching kilns at the Lynas (plant) or production (in Malaysia) may have to be temporarily curtailed, he said in a report this week. The Malaysian government appears to be cognisant of these issues. A delegation from Malaysia visited the Kalgoorlie site in December and Lacaze says Lynas is actively engaged with both the government and the regulators. Our position is that we have we run a low-risk operation, we are a lawful company, which is compliant with all regulations. And we have never been involved in any sort of health or environmental incident, she says. Heres what you need to know about the Adani Group, its founder and Hindenburg Research. Loading The Adani Group reached new heights in recent years. Adani started a polymers import-export business in the 1980s and gradually expanded into infrastructure. In the 1990s, he started building a port in Mundra, in his home state of Gujarat. He went on to add coal mines, power plants and airports to his portfolio. In the past decade, he secured one of his biggest international deals the Carmichael project in Queensland, one of the worlds largest open-pit coal mining operations. Last year, the Adani Group bought a cement business in India from Holcim, a multinational construction company based in Switzerland. In another sign of the diversification of his business, Adani took control of NDTV, an independent news outlet. The Adani conglomerates success in some ways paralleled the growing Indian economy, which is the fifth largest in the world. Adani, 68, has styled himself as an industrialist who is helping to address his countrys lack of infrastructure. Adanis critics say his rapid ascent has been helped by his close ties with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Credit: AP Critics say Adanis political connections set him apart. The Adani Group would not be where it is, its detractors say, without its founders proximity to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has helped the company win lucrative contracts or, in some cases, have bidding rules changed altogether. Modi, like Adani, is from Gujarat, and when Modi became prime minister in 2014, he flew to New Delhi on an Adani plane. Adanis relationship with Modi has created a widespread perception in India that Adani can strike any deal he wants, creating an uneven playing field. Adani has rejected claims of preferential treatment. The foundations of his business, he said in a recent interview, were laid in the 1980s, when the Indian government relaxed trade restrictions. My professional success is not because of any individual leader but because of the policy and institutional reforms initiated by several leaders and governments over a long period of more than three decades, Adani told the magazine India Today. Adani faced controversy before Hindenburgs allegations. The billionaire has generally kept a low profile even as he has become one of the worlds richest men. He is a follower of the Jain religion, which emphasises asceticism, and he and his family tightly control his conglomerate. (Hindenburg has criticised the ownership structure of his company.) Scrutiny, allegations Months before Hindenburg made its allegations, the dizzying rise of an Adani subsidiarys shares drew scrutiny. Much of the trading activity in the subsidiary, Adani Enterprises, was traced to holding companies based in tax havens, leading to speculation that the stock which had helped propel Adanis personal wealth was being manipulated. Shares in Adanis seven subsidiaries have soared more than 800 per cent in the past three years, according to Hindenburg. Loading Previously, Adanis company faced investigations into allegations of tax impropriety related to coal imports but was eventually cleared. Adani was also linked to an Indian stock market manipulation scam engineered by a Mumbai stockbroker, Ketan Parekh. As Adanis business empire has grown, he has turned to foreign banks to fund his acquisitions and investments. That, said Buckley, the Sydney analyst, could mean more scrutiny. The big issue is that Adani has spent the last four years in raising debt on Wall Street, Buckley said. If you raise money in America, you have to play by Americas rules. Hindenburg has a good track record. Named after the famous doomed airship, Hindenburg is what is known as an activist short seller on Wall Street. The firm hunts for frauds and other irregularities in public markets, exposes the wrongdoing and makes money while doing so. It profits when its target, often a publicly traded company, sees a drop in its share price. Activist short sellers have been criticised by some for betting against businesses. The shorts say they are helping police the market. Hindenburg, which is only a few years old, has targeted about 30 companies and made its name by taking down Nikola, the electric vehicle maker. According to Bloomberg News, stocks in those companies fell about 15 per cent, on average, the day after Hindenburg issued its reports, and were down 26 per cent six months later. Taking on a goliath In the Adani Group, Hindenburgs founder, Nathan Anderson, has taken on a goliath. Hindenburg said it had researched Adanis businesses for two years before publishing its report on January 24. The Adani Group has threatened to sue Hindenburg, which responded by saying it would welcome a suit in the United States, where it could demand Adani documents as part of legal discovery. Among Hindenburgs allegations are that offshore shell companies run by Adanis older brother, Vinod Adani, helped the conglomerate manipulate its share prices. The shell companies are also used to launder money from private Adani companies to the publicly listed ones, Hindenburg said, to maintain the appearance of financial health and solvency. Loading Highlighting what it called obvious accounting irregularities and sketchy dealings, Hindenburg said the fact that the listed Adani companies did not have long-serving CFOs was a red flag. The short seller also called into question the quality of the independent auditor for two subsidiaries, Adani Enterprises and Adani Gas. Employees of the auditor were essentially fresh out of school, hardly in a position to scrutinise and hold to account the financials of some of the largest companies in the country. Hindenburg went on to say that even if its allegations were ignored, the Adani Group companies were so overvalued that their stocks could fall 85 per cent. The group, Hindenburg added, is also overburdened by debt. The research reviewed by Park and his colleagues backs this up. Loading In health care, for example, doctors who were rewarded for achieving goals such as better patient outcomes got higher bonuses by selectively admitting healthier patients, Park said. In education, the frequency of cheating on standardised tests by teachers or administrators was higher when teachers were rewarded for classes that performed better, according to data from Chicago public schools. In a for-profit business, chief financial officers were more likely to withhold negative information about their firms if their bonuses were tied to the companys financial targets. The consequences of incentives have a lot to do with how theyre set up, Park said. People arent very motivated to cheat to hit goals that are too easy or entirely out of reach. But with incentives that are challenging but achievable people tend to focus on the goal over the value of what theyre doing, Park said. He pointed to a program at Sears decades ago that rewarded auto service employees for strict sales quotas. The company discontinued the commissions in 1992 after allegations came out that employees were defrauding customers, overcharging and billing for unneeded repairs. In a news conference at the time, then-Sears Chairman Edward A. Brennan said: It seems to me our incentive compensation programs created a wide opportunity for mistakes to be made, according to reporting from the Los Angeles Times. It is harder for workers to justify bad behaviour if they are acting solely on their own behalf, Park said. Team-based incentives, on the other hand, can encourage members to ignore or conceal ethical lapses to avoid disrupting the group. Studies that compared employees in individual incentive systems and team-based ones consistently showed that teams are more likely to falsify data and misrepresent products to juice performance. Loading Systems like these can create a workplace culture that pulls employees away from their values, such as the Wells Fargo scandal, according to Christian Busch, director of the global economy program at New York Universitys Center for Global Affairs. You create this fear among people that if you dont do x, y and z, then youre out, Busch said. Because of this setting, [workers at Wells Fargo] didnt have a lot of psychological safety so they didnt feel they could push back. Companies often incentivise one thing and hope for something else, said Bill Becker, associate professor of management at Virginia Tech. And while many incentives rely on financial rewards, the reality is that money brings out the worst in people, and it almost never brings out their best, Becker said. Loading Becker worked on a study published in 2018 that found that setting compensation goals led to more examples of dishonest managers getting paid bonuses for hitting certain targets. Such behaviour creates a slippery slope: Dishonesty became increasingly worse once managers had passed a certain threshold, the researchers found. People are much more motivated by recognition and positive reinforcement than they are by short-term rewards, Becker said. What we really want is to be respected and valued, Becker said. Thats when were really doing our best work, but that takes great leaders who do that on a daily basis. Stress and pressure can also entice employees to cut corners to achieve goals, Park said. When workers are cognitively or emotionally exhausted, they lose their resources for self-regulation. When they lose those, they will just think about the short-term goals in front of them, Park said. Then theyre more prone to act in an unethical way. Lack of accountability measures can also tempt bad behaviour in incentive programs. When an incentive to lie or cheat is presented without monitoring or penalty, the likelihood of ethically questionable behaviours such as over-claiming performance increases, according to the Academy of Management Annals research. In one experiment at a call centre, workers were told their company was cutting back on audits of their work. In reality, the company continued monitoring and found a sharp spike in workers boosting bonuses by logging fake calls. Incentives can be useful in some contexts, Park noted, especially when organisations are explicitly trying to encourage ethical behaviour, like whistleblowing. China has extended its influence globally over the past two decades. The directive from Chinese President Xi Jinping is that China should tell its stories well; it should project a credible, loveable and respectable image. Within China foreign affairs spokespersons speak of strengthening national discourse power while the propaganda system extols positive energy, a euphemism for nationalism, which is evident in trending topics on Weibo, Chinas equivalent of Twitter. In 2007, Joshua Kurlantzick published Charm Offensive: How Chinas Soft Power is Transforming the World. At that time China was under the stewardship of Hu Jintao and had yet to stamp its authority globally. The leadership in Beijing was seeking to strengthen its soft power, a term that had come into the political lexicon. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) appear on screen during a meeting via video link. CCTV news gives greater credence to Russia but also provides a perspective from Ukraine. Credit: AP Beijings Global Media Offensive updates Chinas influence campaign over the past 15 years, taking into account the presidency of Xi Jinping. In the title Beijing is code for the Chinese Communist Party and its various institutional organs. The book fits neatly into the ever-expanding China threat genre. In Kurlantzicks words: China is trying to smuggle information into foreign viewers screens, tablets, phones, and other places ... The new offensive, according to Kurlantzick, is more about sharp power. Both soft and sharp powers require some explanation because neither term is precise. Soft power is a desired but somewhat nebulous commodity. Nations seek to enhance their attractiveness globally through diplomacy, foreign aid and cultural exchange; at least this is how the US political theorist Joseph Nye depicted it, when he coined the term in 1990. This is why I show up when theres a whale stranding. Im not there sweating in my wetsuit, exhausted, hearing these whales communicating in despair. But what I am able to provide is telling the general public what these people are undertaking to help assist these animals. Thats sort of become a role that Ive undertaken, not intentionally. This week, its a viral TikTok of a fleshy washed-up appendage on Magnetic Island that looks like the severed tentacle of a monstrous cartoon octopus. A chunk of the videos six million viewers and much of the internet at large are convinced its a whale penis. That was an opportunity to go, hold on a second, lets just provide some grounded evidence. I havent heard of whales biting off each others genitalia, Pirotta says. Maybe its not a whale-related appendage. Maybe this is shark liver, or some other juicy biological component from an animal. Pirotta grew up on a 40-acre farm in Murrumbateman, 40 minutes out of Canberra. Her Italian mother nixed requests for a horse - too expensive, too dangerous - but allowed Pirotta to adopt Zac the dairy calf, carted down the Barton Highway from Canberra Milk in the back seat of the familys Land Cruiser. That was my closest thing I had to a marine mammal, I guess. And Spunky the ferret. Named for the rank bull terrier from Rockys Modern Life that eats trash and drinks his own saliva, this was another small, pungent miracle under the roof of a woman Pirotta describes as the cleanest woman in the world. Vanessa Pirotta studied whale snot collected using a drone. Credit: Jessica Hromas My mum was very entrepreneurial. She had a shoe shop for many years. She actually fitted David Attenboroughs grandchildren. Ive written to him and told him about that. The greatest gift her mother presented to Pirotta was a tape of Free Willy. It sparked an intoxication with the ocean - three hours away from home - and a fascination with the sleek bodies within it. Thats my first insight into killer whales and marine mammals and the wild and the captive environment. From then on I loved marine animals. I always wanted to be a dolphin trainer. Always, always, always. With the help of an Italian passport thanks to her mum, Pirotta jetted to London after high school to volunteer as a teachers aide at a school on the grounds of Windsor Castle. She spotted the Queen three times. I made a lot of money. I was smart. Wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta, on her time working behind a bar in London. When customers offered to buy her a drink, she asked for the money instead The last time I saw her, she was riding a horse, at 11 oclock on a Monday when I went for a run. She wasnt wearing a helmet. She was wearing a headscarf, like Sophia Loren. Pirotta worked at a London bar, despite the fact she doesnt drink. My mum was always against it. Her father was an alcoholic. Also, I found that a lot of the girls in England would drink to have confidence. And I felt that was just so stupid. Pirotta tracking whales through a theodolite. Credit: Wayne Reynolds When punters offered to buy her drinks, Pirotta smiled and asked for the cash instead. I made a lot of money. I was smart, she says. The scheme helped Pirotta fund trips to see where her mothers family was from in Avellino, east of Naples, and her fathers native Malta. When Pirotta returned home she enrolled in a Bachelor of Science at the Australian National University and worked at Canberras National Zoo. Then the siren song of her childhood dreams drifted back: she landed a volunteer gig at a marine facility in Coffs Harbour, which had dolphins and sea lions and fur seals. And so I went up and volunteered and at the end of my studies, I was offered a position to be a marine mammal trainer. There she honed the skills she would later use as a communicator able to impart sober scientific analysis with the flourish of a woman capable of summoning a backflip from a sea lion. It was also scientific. Pirotta trained dolphins to lie on their side and adapt to the feeling of a blood sampling needle pushing into the venous delta in their tails. She also first collected the elixir that would later kick-start her career: the bacteria-laced chuff of blowhole spray. A photo taken by Vanessa Pirotta of humpback whales off Sydney in July 2020. Credit: Vanessa Pirotta She was at the gym, on a day off from the dream job, when she got the call to say that her mum had died suddenly. Mum was living her life to the full. I had said goodbye as the last youngest child leaving home. I remember waving to her, Pirotta says. The BIll at The Cove Dining. We never knew that mum had an aneurysm. Its like a ticking time bomb in her head. She had complained of headaches and a sore neck. You had no time to process it. You would never have expected it. So, shock. I literally was in shock. Everything I did, I was kind of like, what am I doing now? That made me assess a lot of things. It does change the way you live your life. How? [You] just take every opportunity you can. My mum always did. Its almost like she knew that she was gonna go at a young age. Thats why I always just wanted to make the most of everything as much as I could. Because I dont know whats going to happen. Yeah. I think that experience has dictated a lot of things I do. Pirotta was 21, and her mother 52. Pirotta took a job as an environmental assessment officer with the government. She oversaw sea burials, where someones body is stitched into a shroud, weighted, and given to the ocean. The practice comes under the Sea Dumping Act. Part of her job was choosing burial sites that ensured the bodies didnt wash back up. During her stint in government Pirotta began harassing her eventual PhD supervisor Professor Rob Harcourt, now head of the Marine Predator Research Group at Macquarie University. Theyre amazing. We just know so little about them. Its an addiction. Vanessa Pirotta on mammals Then came the drone, and crying on a boat off Bondi when the drone first zipped back with a petri dish covered in blowhole spray. (The swab is destined for a PCR test, but instead of COVID-19 the samples yielded Antarctic whale viruses.) Within a week of completing her PhD Pirotta was in Madagascar catching whale snot. Shes also worked in Tonga, aiming a theodolite - those guns wielded by construction workers who look like theyre about to book you - to triangulate the location of humpback mothers and calves. Here, she swam with whales. Oscars childhood memories fell victim to what breastfeeding mothers and womens rights campaigners have fought against for a decade: censorship that implies innocent posts, including about birth and womens health, are somehow obscene while pictures of topless men are fine. Protests in 2013 about double-standards applied to nudity, under the banner #FreetheNipple, and nurse-ins at Facebooks headquarters produced a technical loosening of guidelines in 2015 to allow the natural and beautiful act of breastfeeding. Artist and design lecturer Dr Sara Oscar posted that Instagrams ethics are questionable after she had her childhood photos removed by the platform. Credit: Jeremy Weihrauch Tess Farry, a new mother to baby Olive, says this is important because if breastfeeding cannot be shown in full, little girls grow up thinking breastfeeding is weird and should be secretive, and little boys as well. If you dont see it, how do you know its natural? she says. In practice, pictures of womens physiology are frequently still viewed by moderation algorithms as so inappropriate that anyone, from maternity educators to fitness instructors, has a story about harmless photos being banned. Melbourne pilates instructor Cloe Bunter says she found it extraordinary when a stock photo of a pregnant woman wearing a crop top and leggings in a standard four-point kneeling pose was rejected by Instagram for use in a paid advertisement. Bunter says she was told perhaps the AI [moderation] thought the belly was a breast. Sara Oscar redacted my own nipples on her childhood Christmas photo after Instagram took it down for failing to meet community standards. Credit: Sara Oscar Meanwhile, a full frontal penis shot posted by rocker Tommy Lee last August graced his Instagram page, with 1.5 million followers, for hours without apparent consequences. But this gender inconsistency may be about to change. Last month, Metas independent oversight board of academics, journalists and politicians recommended an overhaul of rules outlawing womens bare chests, after two transgender and non-binary people posted posing topless (nipples covered) discussing healthcare and money for surgery. Loading The post was removed, but reinstated after the couple appealed. The oversight board recommended Meta define clear, objective, rights-respecting criteria for moderating nudity, so all people are treated in a manner consistent with international human rights standards. Meta welcomed the boards decision and has until late March to respond. Given technically-permitted breastfeeding and birth-related content is regularly taken down, many people remain unconvinced what they view as sanctioned sexism will improve. Sophie Walker is co-founder of the hit podcast Australian Birth Stories (11 million downloads and counting), co-author of a new book, The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth, and a regular victim of Metas moderators. Author and podcaster Sophie Walker has had innocent images linked with breastfeeding rejected on Instagram. Credit: Scott McNaughton Even a line drawing of a breast on the cover of a breastfeeding guide ad was rejected for not meeting community standards. There is always pushback: I have tried to get a breastfeeding image through and I can never get it through, says Walker. They say theyre banning sexually explicit images, when in reality theyre banning information about correct use of the breast to breastfeed, she says. They say they have a policy that allows breasts to be shown and naked bodies if its for breastfeeding or birthing, and yet I can never get it through. If its a porn star doing a swimsuit competition its fine, if its going to be pleasant for the male gaze it gets through. Im not slut-shaming, but it is a double standard. People can do what they like but I should be able to promote what women can do with their bodies. Instagram rejected this image on a guide designed to help new mothers learn how to breastfeed. Credit: Sophie Walker, Australian Birth Stories Walker is sceptical that, should the Meta boards recommendations be adopted, it will make a meaningful difference, because the guidelines already specify I should be able to show all this imagery. Sexual health educators are also so heavily edited on Meta platforms that nine out of 12 of those interviewed by Joanna Williams, a media researcher and PhD candidate at Swinburne University, said bans on their content restricted distribution of important health information to young people. Williams research was cited by Metas oversight board, and she says people from the LGBTIQ community are heavily hit by moderation that fails to comprehend nuances of gender. Nuance and understanding is really lost when you have automated content moderation ... when I last looked at the Meta statistics, about 98 per cent of moderation is automated, she says. They say theyre banning sexually explicit images when in reality theyre banning information about correct use of the breast to breastfeed. Sophie Walker, Australian Birth Stories Metas Australian arm could not comment on individual actions. But the platforms policy is to restrict some images of female breasts showing nipples, but allow those presented in protest, birth, breastfeeding and post-mastectomy scarring. If Meta does use this moment to update real-world moderation, it could be a win for womens right not to be automatically sexualised, and help remove remaining taboos around female bodies, says communications Professor Catherine Lumby, of the University of Sydney. The Perrottet government has handed the corruption watchdog a copy of a scathing investigation which found an intervention by the office of the then-deputy premier John Barilaro diverted funding for a $100 million bushfire recovery program away from Labor-held electorates. The Department of Premier and Cabinet provided the report exposing serious transparency failures to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Friday morning, sidestepping NSW Labor leader Chris Minns who had earlier threatened to do the same. John Barilaro leaves the Downing Centre Local court on Friday after assault charges were dismissed on mental health grounds. Credit: Kate Geraghty A damning report by the auditor-general released on Thursday revealed that instead of following guidelines, the office of the then-NSW Nationals leader devised their own rules to fast-track money to areas hit by the 2019 Black Summer catastrophe a switch that meant 96 per cent of projects funded were in Coalition-held seats. Minns issued the former deputy premier a 24-hour ultimatum to explain the reasons behind the 2021 decision or have the matter referred to ICAC by Labor. The Labor leaders office was drafting a letter to the ICAC on Friday afternoon. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh Sergey Ghazaryan sent letters to ambassadors of a number of countries accredited to Armenia, the press service of Artsakh MFA stated. February 3, 2023, 12:31 Artsakh Foreign Minister Sends Letters to Ambassadors of a Number of Countries in Armenia STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 3, ARTSAKHPRESS: In his letter, the Foreign Minister presented the humanitarian problems in Artsakh caused by the closure of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan, as well as the negative impact of natural gas and electricity supply disruptions on people's daily life and the republic's economy. It was emphasized that the blockade is not the first attempt by Azerbaijan to ethnically cleanse Artsakh, but is a direct continuation of the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan in 2020, as a result of which a significant part of the territory of Artsakh was occupied, and 38,000 people became refugees and IDPs. He noted that Azerbaijan's rejection of the Artsakh government's offer to conduct an independent international monitoring of the Kashen mine was yet another proof that the protest led by the Azerbaijani special services pursued a completely different goal, specifically, to take full control of the Lachin Corridor in violation of the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020. It was underlined that Azerbaijan's false claims that the road was open were refuted by the fact that from 12 December 2022 until today, no vehicle belonging to Artsakh residents passed through the Lachin Corridor. In fact, only the vehicles of the ICRC and the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent are allowed to pass through the blocked road. Moreover, failing to convince the international community of the allegedly ecological nature of the protest, the Azerbaijani authorities claim that the events taking place in the Lachin Corridor are their internal affair, which they do not have to discuss with any country. Meanwhile, it is obvious that all the above-mentioned actions of Azerbaijan pursue one single goal - ethnic cleansing of Artsakh. In his letter, Foreign Minister Sergey Ghazaryan urged the foreign Ambassadors accredited to Armenia to present to their Governments the real picture of what was happening on the ground. In particular, the letter said: We urge you to convey to your Government our appeal to take effective measures, including imposing sanctions or using other instruments of pressure, aimed at lifting the blockade of Artsakh and preventing the criminal intentions of Azerbaijan. A traumatised Afghanistan veteran sleeps on the floor with his head near a toilet for protection in a Queensland maximum security prison, a court has heard. Ex-soldier Christopher James Finn, 35, also had to join a gang in a bid to stay safe at a jail where accessing mental health support is difficult, Brisbane Supreme Court was told. A court has heard of an Afghanistan vets treatment in a Queensland prison. Justice Peter Applegarth said it would be a disgrace if Finns situation did not change, ordering Queensland Corrective Services provide a pre-sentence report. They must explain how they will manage Finns mental health treatment and his anticipated transition to another prison once he is sentenced. Its not often excavators are used to improve natural habitats, but residents in Melbournes north say the arrival of heavy earth-moving equipment this week has been like a dream. Workers spent the week breaking up and removing 50 metres of concrete panelling along the sides of the Moonee Ponds Creek in Strathmore, the first step in a decades-old bid to restore the waterway to its original state. From left to right: Moonee Valley City councillor Ava Adams, Friends of Moonee Ponds Creek member Anna Lanigan, Moonee Valley City deputy mayor Samantha Byrne and Friends of Moonee Ponds Creek member Nina Franceschi. Credit: Justin McManus Moonee Ponds Creek was concreted between 1940 and 1980 to control flooding and erosion. This weeks work covered the most northerly concrete section in Oak Park and Strathmore, but Moonee Valley mayor Pierce Tyson said the long-term aspiration was to fix the entire creek. GPs would operate after hours and be paid more for longer consultations while nurses, pharmacists and allied health workers would take on expanded roles in the biggest Medicare overhaul in 40 years, but decisions on funding these reforms have been put off until the May budget. The federal governments Strengthening Medicare Taskforce report released on Friday outlines ambitious remedies for the national healthcare system, but offers no immediate fix to overwhelmed emergency departments, declining bulk-billing rates and rising out-of-pocket medical costs. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with premiers and chief ministers after national cabinet on Friday. Credit: James Brickwood Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised the government would act on health reform, declaring it national cabinets top priority this year after his meeting with state and territory leaders on Friday morning. Doctors and health policy experts warned the reforms outlined in the report lacked detail and offered no short-term fixes to a growing healthcare crisis and no commitment from the government to increase the Medicare rebate for GPs. Prominent social activist Sally Rugg will keep her job as teal MP Monique Ryans chief of staff for at least two more weeks as she fights to have her dismissal overturned in court. The former Change.org head is claiming the Fair Work Act was breached during her departure from the office in a dispute about what she claims were unreasonably long work hours. Monique Ryan and Sally Rugg have entered mediation; Ruggs lawyer Josh Bornstein said his client felt strongly about the hours parliamentary staffers were supposed to work. Credit: Joe Armao; James Brickwood At a Federal Court hearing on Friday, the parties announced they would enter into mediation a type of out-of-court negotiation aimed at reaching a settlement until returning to the court on February 17. Rugg will continue to be paid until 5pm on February 17. However, she has not performed work duties for weeks, so it is doubtful that she will operate as chief of staff when Ryan attends the first week of federal parliament in Canberra next week. In politics, there is no use in looking beyond the next fortnight. It seems as true today as when UK politician Joseph Chamberlain said it in 1886. You never really know whats around the corner. If youve read the news this week, youll have seen that this week was a disappointing one for me, in a personal sense. But what detractors dont understand is that this is not, and never was, about me. Its entirely about you. Whenever there is a leadership change, the new leader decides who is going to be in their starting line-up. Sometimes Ive been on the front bench, sometimes I havent. But what has not changed during my 14 years in Parliament is that every single day Ive fought hard on the issues you care about. That will not change. Ill still be asking all the questions that need to be asked, whether its on information Labor is hiding from Parliament or the promises theyve broken. Thats the job the people of South Metro elected me to do, and Im as determined as ever. Right now, in WA: The Premier has handballed emergency powers to the Police Commissioner that would allow COVID-19 Officers to enter your home or vehicle without a warrant. The government is attacking faith-based schools to rob them of the right to employ and enrol people who share their same values. Our children are being exposed to a tsunami of hyper-sexualised advertising. The cost of housing, water, electricity and utilities is exploding. Abortion laws allow terminations for babies with Down Syndrome. Ambulance ramping is surpassing all previous record levels. Our power stations are now running on imported coal. Dangerous sex offenders are being released into the community while the Attorney General sits on his hands. Privacy breaches are out of control. Victims of child sexual abuse still must face their attackers at school because of stubborn inaction by the McGowan Labor Government. The Premier and his Attorney General have failed to introduce the elder abuse laws they promised would be expedited 6 years ago. Thats just not good enough. And, with your continued support, I will keep holding the Government to account on all these issues. If theres one thing that has repulsed me this week, its the attacks that have been directed at me because of my faith. Its not something Ive ever spoken about in public, because thats not the primary role of a legislator. My faith is my personal choice. I respect every other West Aussies decision on which faith they believe in or if they have none at all. But somehow, according to The West Australian, bible bashers and happy clappers their words have no right to be in Parliament or to speak in the public square. Ive put up with these kinds of slurs consistently throughout my time in Parliament, and have seen little point in saying much about it mainly because Ive simply been too busy scrutinising legislation and asking the questions that need to be asked. But this week was different. So lets make this point very clearly and very loudly. Those in politics or the media who hate the idea of people having faith, voicing their political beliefs and being represented, need to get over themselves. The continuous discrimination and attempts to chase people of faith out of the public square needs to stop. Because were not going anywhere. My office has been bombarded with messages of support this week and I am deeply grateful for those words of encouragement. Rest assured. Im still standing. Yours in the battle for freedom of association, conscience, speech and worship, Nick It has fast become a thriving business, particularly in the major centres. Thanathip Tum Rattanaroj, who owns the Gods Gift cannabis outlets in Bangkoks popular Sukhumvit district and in Pattaya, averages about 100 people through the door a day at each branch. Between over-the-counter sales and wholesale distribution from the three marijuana farms he also runs, his company is turning over between 6 and 7 million baht a month. The reason I started a cannabis business is because I thought its much better than alcohol and other drugs, said the 39-year-old, who is also a committee member of Thailands anti-money laundering and narcotics commission. Its just a herb. A herb that really helps with the economy and with the medical side. My family have a herbal factory as well. My growing process is quite big, so I do research as well as growing too. Government forecasts last year said the industry would generate annual revenues of more than 10 billion baht. But with the smell of marijuana now a ubiquitous feature of many streets in Bangkok and elsewhere, not everyone favours Thailands new income stream and its emergence as an Asian Amsterdam. People smoke marijuana at the Thai High Convention in Chiang Mai in December. Credit: Getty Images Recreational use is technically banned but widespread and remains a grey area with legislation held up in parliament. The policy shift, the first in the region, also now shapes as a key issue ahead of national elections in May. The drugs delisting has been called into question by organisations including the Medical Council of Thailand, which in September released a joint statement with 16 other groups of health professionals warning of harmful consequences if marijuana was used for anything but supervised medical purposes. Opposition parties Pheu Thai and Move Forward have also challenged the liberalisation, blocking the passage of a proposed cannabis and hemp control bill, as has the Democrat Party, the third-largest group in Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-chas ruling coalition. On the other side of the debate is Anutin Charnvirakul, public health minister and a deputy prime minister, whose Bhumjaithai Party the second-biggest in the governing bloc won wide support campaigning for decriminalisation before elections five years ago. Its going to be a big fight in the election, said Termsak Chalermpalanupap, who heads the Thai studies program at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. A marijuana pop-up truck along Bangkoks Sukhumvit Road. Credit: Getty Images Chalermpalanupap asserts in a new academic paper that cannabis was legalised hastily and without proper control measures. He says the continuing ambiguities about free marijuana remain a serious public health threat to Thai society. He adds in the paper that illicit trade and recreation use of marijuana have created serious concerns not only in Thailand, but also among fellow ASEAN members for whom marijuana remains a banned narcotic. Chalermpalanupap told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age this week it was very difficult to stop recreational smoking and also raised doubts about whether identification checks for customers, which have been introduced, would make any difference to who buys cannabis, and for what purpose. You can buy marijuana almost everywhere in tourist areas, he said. In Thailand, ID is not that important. Money is more important. There are other measures in place that are intended to regulate the market. There is a limit on the potency of the cannabis that can be sold: only products containing less than 0.2 per cent of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical that gives users a high, are legal. People under 20 years of age are also barred from buying marijuana and there are penalties of up to 25,000 baht or three months jail for smoking it in public. There are also no sales allowed online or through vending machines. There have been instances of inspections and arrests of vendors discovered to be flouting the rules. But amid reports of a four-fold rise in addiction to cannabis after the law change, even those in the business acknowledge significant holes in the system. To do testing, for example, [on the strength of cannabis being sold] I think its impossible because the price of checking THC is very expensive, said 35-year-old Piyatat Fang Didsayothin, who operates a premium cannabis farm called Sweet and High in Chiang Rai with his business partner Priraphong Jackie Lertkraiwan, 34. Priraphong Lertkraiwan, left, and Piyatat Didsayothin at their cannabis farm in Chiang Rai. Credit: Art Akkarawat For portable devices its not accurate at all. And the government has to spend a lot more money for equipment to cover all of the shops. Piyatat, who used to run a skateboard shop before he opened the farm, and Lertkraiwan only sell cannabis flowers, mostly wholesale to shops in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. They donate many of the roots and leaves from the plants they grow to cancer patients and believe very much in the merits of marijuana being used in traditional medicines to treat health ailments, as it was for centuries in Thailand before being outlawed in 1934. Patients have more chance to be healed now, Piyatat said. Now is a lot easier compared to the past. It is a view shared by Audsada, the cafe operator in Chiang Rai, who agrees the government has little power to manage the consumption of marijuana as it stands. Audsada Kantamas cafe on the outskirts of Chiang Rai. Credit: Art Akkarawat I think the protocol from the government is still not clear, he said. I think they still dont have anything clear to control the use of cannabis now. [But] why do they have to control the right of choosing the way people relax in a private area? Loading People who use cannabis understand it but people who dont understand still think that we are junkies. But why? People I know that use cannabis all have very good careers. Most of them use it to relax. Some of them use it for meditation, some to relieve themselves after work, some for help with sleeping. In Bangkok, Thanathip, the shop and farm owner, also allows customers to smoke inside his premises in order for newcomers in particular to be monitored. Like Audsada, he is of the view that the government should not concern itself with trying to crack down on recreational use. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Khachatryan held a meeting with the Ambassador of France to Armenia Anne Louyot. February 3, 2023, 13:43 Deputy PM, French ambassador discuss humanitarian situation in blockaded Artsakh STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 3, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: Khachatryan said that the Armenian government highly appreciates Frances commitment to develop and enhance economic cooperation with Armenia, the Deputy Prime Ministers Office said in a read-out. The Deputy PM emphasized the importance of the French support for the ongoing reforms agenda and pointed out the consistent implementation of the 2021-2026 Armenian-French Economic Cooperation roadmap. Speaking about the presence of major French companies in Armenia, the French Ambassador expressed Frances readiness to continue providing support to both short-term programs and long-term strategic reforms. The humanitarian situation in Nagorno Karabakh resulting from the blockade of Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan was also discussed. Possibilities for developing partnership in direction of programs of mutual interest were also touched upon. Cheyenne, WY (82001) Today Snow likely. High around 35F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 100%. About one inch of snow expected.. Tonight Mainly cloudy with snow showers around this evening. Low 26F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 60%. The UK economy will shrink and perform worse than other advanced economies, including Russia, as the cost of living continues to hit households, the International Monetary Fund has said. February 3, 2023, 17:05 UK to be worst-performing major economy in 2023, IMF says STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 3, ARTSAKHPRESS: The IMF said the economy will contract by 0.6% in 2023, rather than grow slightly as previously predicted, BBC News reported. However, the IMF also said that it thinks the UK is now "on the right track". Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the UK outperformed many forecasts last year. But shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the figures showed the UK "lagging behind our peers". The IMF, which works to stabilise economic growth, said it had downgraded its forecast for the UK because of its high energy prices, rising mortgage costs and increased taxes, as well as persistent worker shortages. It did not mention Brexit in its report as a factor for the UK not performing as well as others. Today marks three years since the UK left the EU. The UK is expected be the only country to shrink this year across all the advanced and emerging economies. Even sanctions-hit Russia is now forecast to grow this year. As a distraught father tries to come to grips with his little boy dying after being locked in a car for hours, the NRMA has advised passersby what to do if they see a child trapped inside a vehicle. On Thursday the boy was locked in a car outside shops at Glenfield in western Sydney. He was found at 3pm by his father who it was reported had forgotten he was there. The boy had been there since the morning with no one seeming to notice. The boy has since been identified as Arikh Hasan, who migrated with his family to Australia from Bangladesh, Daily Mail Australia reported. A witness, Mujammel Hossain, said the heartbroken father Newaz Hasan had gone to drop off his older son to Glenfield Public School and forgot to then drop off Arikh at daycare, leaving him in the hot car for about six hours. Arikh Hasan, 3, was found dead in a hot car in Glenfield after his father forgot he was there. Source: Facebook/ ABC "He kept telling me, 'I just forgot, I just forgot'," Mr Hossain told the Daily Mail. The boy's father is understood to have told police the same information when questioned, Seven News reported. NRMA advises to break the car window NRMA's spokesman Peter Khoury told Yahoo News Australia if a bystander sees a child locked in a car they should first see if the child seems distressed. "If the child is distressed or appears to be distressed, dont wait, break a window," he said. "Obviously break a window away from where the child is located in the vehicle, pick the window furthest away, break it, open the car, and remove the child from the vehicle." "If the child is not distressed, call Triple-0 or call the NRMA on 13 11 22, and between the police and ourselves or the ambulance, well get there. NRMA puts those calls at the top of the list regardless of whether or not they're members." Why are more children and pets being left in cars? Mr Khoury said the decade-high statistics for how many children are being left in cars are "alarming". "January this year we rescued 213 children it was the highest month in five years," he said. "And 2022 was the highest in 10 years considering both children and pets (4267) ." Story continues NRMA has urged bystanders to take action when seeing a child locked in a car, following the death of a three-year-old boy in a hot car in Glenfield. Source: 9 News/ABC "The overwhelming majority of those cases are accidental where people lock their keys in the car with their child and call us frantically." When asked why numbers are "on the rise", he mentioned two possible reasons, saying it's something NRMA have been "trying to get (their) heads around". "Anecdotally one possible element could be Covid, whereby people were just preferring to keep their children or pets in the vehicle rather than take them into the stores," he said. "Another factor could also be the weather. We didnt have a particularly hot 2022 and so because of that people thought "well its not hot, it's not an issue". Whereas we tell people that regardless of the weather, it's not safe to leave children in vehicles." Police believe no bystanders saw the child in the car For the three-year-old boy however, he was stuck in the car in scorching heat, with the temperature inside a hot car believed to reach almost double the outside temperature. The parked car he was in was left on Railway Parade, Glenfield in a public spot "throughout the day", surrounded by shops. Photos from the scene appear to show the boy's car seat on the righthand side of the car, facing the street, with the footpath on the left side of the vehicle. Despite being in a public space, police told Yahoo News Australia they believe no pedestrians or drivers passing by noticed the child. An owner of a nearby shop on the street told Yahoo News Australia she saw the car when "setting up shop" in the morning, however she "just didn't notice anything" out of the ordinary. Another owner of a store said they only found out about the incident after 3pm when emergency services arrived. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. By Shu Meng Many places in Iran have suffered a series of attacks recently. The targets of the attacks include military factories and other important military facilities. These attacks reflect the complex diplomatic situation and security pressure facing Iran, as well as the complexity and sensitivity of the situation in the Middle East. The mastermind behind these attacks has yet to be determined. However, some analysts point out that the US and Israel should be responsible for the series of attacks. Considering the US and Israel's stances on Iran, it is reasonable to take the two as suspects. The US had taken various actions in order to deter Iran. This round of attacks was mainly carried out by drones, and the backdrop is the failed negotiations on the Iran nuclear deal and Iran's supply of weapons to Russia. The attacks send a clear signal of warning. In addition, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a few days ago that the possibility of taking military action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons cannot be ruled out. This round of attacks happened just as Blinken was visiting Israel. In order to hinder the negotiation process of the Iran nuclear deal and curb the development of Iran's nuclear weapons and defense industry, Israel has sufficient motives to launch such attacks. Moreover, Israel's stance on Iran has become tougher after Benjamin Netanyahu regained power at the end of last year. Currently, Iran is facing increasing external pressure, which has a lot to do with the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Previously, some Western countries believed that the negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal was an effective way to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the focus of the West shifted from preventing Iran from possessing nuclear weapons to dealing with Russia, which brought room for relaxation of the Iranian nuclear issue to a certain extent. However, Iran sold drones and other weapons to Russia, and these drones were used on the Ukrainian battlefield. This has put Iran completely on the opposite side of the West. Therefore, putting tough pressure on Iran and weakening its willingness and capability to support Russia has become an important option for Western countries. Iran may take some retaliation in response after this round of attacks. However, due to the limited actual losses and the gap in military strength compared with the US and Israel, its retaliation may be carried out by foiling espionage activities instead of large-scale military retaliation. Even so, the impact of this round of attacks on the regional situation should not be underestimated. The prospects for the Iran nuclear deal negotiations are bleak. The relevant parties to the Iran nuclear deal held multiple rounds of negotiations on and off since April 2021 and repeatedly claimed progress made. In August 2022, the European Union submitted to the negotiating parties a "final text" to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. However, after the US and Iran exchanged written opinions on this text, the negotiation process began to stall. This round of attacks may arouse anti-America sentiment in Iran and worsen the relationship between Iran and the West. The resumption of the negotiations on the Iran nuclear deal will be more difficult because of the tough attitude of the US and Israel's "fueling the flames" actions. The situation in the Middle East will become increasingly intense. After this round of attacks, the pressure on Iran has become more prominent, and tensions with Israel and Arab countries may intensify. The US is promoting the establishment of an alliance system against Iran in the Middle East, which will further lead to confrontation among regional camps. In addition, Iran's high-profile support for Palestine has also added variables to the regional situation. In this context, Middle Eastern countries will continue to contest for ideological and regional dominance, and the process of "turning chaos into governance" in the Middle East will be long and difficult. 1 Dead, Officer Wounded in Shooting at Memphis Library Law enforcement personnel work at the scene of a shooting at a Tennessee library in Memphis, Tenn., on Feb. 2, 2023. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian via AP) MEMPHIS, Tenn.A shooting at a Tennessee library on Thursday left one person dead and a police officer critically wounded, authorities said. Officers were called to the Poplar-White Station Public Library around 12:30 p.m., where they encountered a man who had been the subject of a trespassing call in the same neighborhood about thirty minutes earlier, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Keli McAlister said on Thursday. The man had started a confrontation with another person inside the library, and when officers attempted to talk with him, he pulled out a weapon and shot one of them, McAlister said. The other officer drew his weapon, shooting and killing the man. McAlister did not identify the officers or the man who was killed by name. The officer was taken to a hospital in extremely critical condition, McAlister said. There were employees and patrons inside the library at the time of the shooting, but no one else was injured, McAlister said. The small library, on a busy street surrounded by high-rise office buildings, restaurants, and stores, was blocked by yellow crime scene tape, with two fire engines and an ambulance parked nearby. Memphis police officers and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents were talking outside. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is working on the case at the request of the Shelby County prosecutor. 49 Employees Fired From Federal Department for Receiving CERB Benefit While Still Working The landing page for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit is seen in Toronto on Aug. 10, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Giordano Ciampini) A federal department responsible for handing out financial benefits to Canadians who stopped working during the COVID-19 pandemic has fired 49 of its own staff who applied for and received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) while they were still employed. Testifying before the Commons public accounts committee on Feb. 2, Mary Crescenzi, assistant deputy minister of the Integrity Services Branch of Service Canada, a program operated by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), said an internal investigation was conducted when the department knew about employees who claimed the $2,000 per month COVID-19 benefit. It was discovered that some of our employees had availed themselves as any Canadian to apply for CERB benefits on their own time, Crescenzi said. Those individuals that did break the trust of the employer-employee relationship as we reviewed for cause, their security clearances have been terminated. She was responding to Conservative MP Michael Kram who asked how many of her departments employees were subjected to internal investigation. To date, we have terminated 49 individuals, she replied, stressing that the involved did not use any internal systems for their applications, and that they were fired because they had misrepresented their situation when they applied for the benefit. She added that the department alerted its chief security officer the moment they became aware of such cases. How many of those cases were referred to law enforcement? Kram asked. There was no referral to law enforcement as this was an internal investigation, Crescenzi said. And it was a review for cause in regards to breaking the Code of Conduct associated to the employees of all of our department. Dont Have Numbers These revelations come on the heels of a December audit of Specific COVID-19 Programs by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG), which reported that both the ESDC and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) had identified employees that claimed COVID-19 benefits. Auditor General Karen Hogan, who also appeared as witness Thursday, confirmed the audits findings when asked by Kram, but said the responsibility of referring the involved employees to law enforcement lies with the ESDC and CRA. There was an internal investigation that kicks off first. Its then up to the department and the agency whether they refer that case to law enforcement. But we felt that that investigation was the right first step, Hogan said. Kram asked Crescenzi if the monies received by the 49 individuals have been clawed back or were still part of the ongoing investigation. Those monies have been established as overpayments that must be repaid, and they are being treated as any other Canadian that received benefits they were not entitled to, Crescenzi said. They must be repaid. But have they already been repaid? Kram probed. Theyre in the process of being repaid. I would have to confirm the numbers that have been repaid, she said. The same questions were directed to CRA Commissioner Bob Hamilton, who testified that the agency had also identified staff claiming COVID relief cheques but could not disclose the numbers. I dont have numbers right in front of me, Hamilton said. Not very many, obviously, and I dont believe any of those cases have gone into a criminal investigation. Conservative MP John Williamson, chair of the public accounts committee, told the commissioner that not very many is not a sufficient answer. Would you be able to write to this committee afterwards the number that were subjected to the internal investigation? Williamson asked. Let me take that back and Ill endeavour to get you those numbers, Hamilton said. The OAGs report found that $4.6 billion were made to ineligible individuals ever since the federal government rolled out the various COVID-19 benefit programs, and estimated that at least $27.4 billion of payments to individuals and employers should be investigated further. The department and agency did not develop rigorous and comprehensive plans to verify the eligibility of recipients, the federal auditors wrote. We found that their post-payment verification plans did not include verifying payments made to all identified recipients at risk of being ineligible for all COVID-19 benefit programs. 998 Children Who Entered US as Illegal Aliens Remain to Be Reunited With Their Families: DHS A group of illegal aliens walk up the road after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico. Further up the road, they will board a bus bound for the Border Patrol processing facility in McAllen, Texas, on April 18, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) A task force established under the Biden administration two years ago has reunited over 600 children with their families who had tried to enter the United States illegally when a short-lived but strict border policy was in effect under the Trump administration. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday that 998 children remain to be reunited. The family separations took place under the Trump administrations zero-tolerance policy that was in effect from AprilJune 2018. It required all adults who cross the border into the United States illegally to be prosecuted. This meant that minors, who could not be held in criminal custody with their parents, were separated from their parents and were eventually typically sent to live with a sponsor, which is often a relative or another person linked to the family. Before the zero-tolerance policy, Border Patrol agents had found that illegal immigrants were renting children south of the border and pretending they were family in efforts to exploit legal loopholes to get a quick release from custody into the interior of the United States. Due to widespread backlash against families getting separated under the zero-tolerance policy, then-President Donald Trump halted family separations at the border less than three months after it was implemented. The Trump administration soon began reuniting the separated families, with people both criticizing and praising the administration for its efforts. Hundreds of families have sued the federal government. The Department of Health and Human Services under the Trump administration, tasked with reuniting families, subsequently identified almost 13 percent of the initial batch of parents as serious criminals, or that they had lied about being the actual parents. After President Joe Biden took office, his administration in February 2021 established the Interagency Task Force on the Reunification of Families to reunite the families that remained separated. In a statement on Thursday, the DHS said the task force has relentlessly pursued its mission of finding separated families and providing them the opportunity for reunification. By combing U.S. government records and coordinating with NGO partners to identify the separated children and their parents, the Task Force has to date identified 3,924 children who were separated between January 20, 2017 and January 20, 2021, the DHS announced. As of February 1, 2023, 2,926 separated children have been reunified, either before the establishment of the Task Force or through the leadership of the Task Force. DHS figures indicate that 689 have been reunited with their families since the task force was created. Of the 998 children who remain to be reunited, as of February 1, 2023, 148 children are in the process of reunification and 183 families have been informed of the opportunity to reunify by a contracted NGO. The number of new families identified continues to increase, as families come forward and identify themselves as separated under the previous administrations zero-tolerance policy. Reunification Services The task force has also informed the families about how to access reunification services, which means they can receive support in applying for humanitarian parole, arranging travel to the United States, and once here, accessing behavioral health services from a trusted provider, the DHS stated. Families can register for such services through the websites Together.gov or Juntos.gov, upon which they are provided with support services via the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a contract partner of the federal government. The task force has, to date, reached 1,999 families through the registration process on Together.gov/Juntos.gov, and referred the eligible families to the IOM to complete the humanitarian parole request process. It has also provided 735 families with behavioral health case management services and provided 385 families with behavioral health assessments and treatment, according to the DHS. The work to reunite families will continue until all separated families that can be found have been provided the opportunity to reunify, the DHS said. The Task Force is working closely with colleagues across DHS and other federal agencies to develop policies to prioritize family unity, protect against future family separations, and reunify any remaining separated families. Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report. Commentary I was always told as a kid that if you are caught doing something you shouldnt be doing it was best to stand up and own your mistake. Pretending that you were not engaged in what is clearly a bad act is rarely a good move and, on the contrary, is laughable the more you are in denial. To wit: If you are seen with your hand in the cookie jar, dont tell mom you are conducting a quality control experiment on chocolate chip distribution patterns per biscuit. It seems that China never learned that lesson. The United States has accused China of flying not one but possibly two spy balloons over North America, not coincidentally near sensitive military installations. Both Canada and the United States are monitoring the situation, and Washington brought up the matter with PRC officials, who eventually admitted that the balloon was Chinas property. Ottawa summoned Chinas ambassador to express its disapproval. Balloons? As spying tools? Is this serious? It is important to point out that these are not the same bags of hot air you associate with candles and birthday cakes. These are sophisticated pieces of surveillance that fly tens of thousands of metres in the atmosphere and are loaded with sensitive cameras that can zoom in and capture important IMINT (imagery intelligence) to help a country assess an enemys capabilities. Yes, it may be true that these are not as useful as satellitesafter all, a balloon goes where the wind takes itbut it must be of some value or nations would not deploy them. It is also possible, if not probable, that China has sent these over the United States as a way to thumb its nose at the Americans at a time of increasingly fraught bilateral relations. Some may dismiss this as just a minor incident in a bigger Cold War Chapter 2. After all, the balloon has been detectednot surprising given how controlled U.S. airspace is and has been since the Cold War Chapter 1and no real damage was done. (Or was it? Intelligence officials are notorious for their neither confirm nor deny responses.) And yet there is a bigger issue at play here. The fact is that China has been getting much more aggressive of late in throwing its weight around internationally. Whether it is economic, as in the Belt and Road Initiative (where it builds major infrastructure projects and gets to run them when the country where it is located cannot pay the tab), or political/security (undisclosed police stations in Canada, the United States, and elsewhere, harassing dissidents, stealing secrets, etc. ) in nature, Beijing seems to be bent on doing whatever it wants, irrespective of the circumstances. It is hard to see where this is all headed. We already have enough sensitive touchstones with the PRCXinjiang, Tibet, Falun Gong, Hong Kong, the so-called nine-dash line in the South China Sea, disputed islands near Japan, etc.that adding one more is not helpful. There does not seem to be any immediate end to Chinas flouting of international laws and conventions. True, spying is the worlds oldest profession and will go on regardless of where balloongate ends up. Nations will continue to push the envelope to gain an advantage over their adversaries, and will get caught with their hands in the cookie jar on occasion. It would just be nice to see China stop denying the obvious chocolate icing residue on its lips once in a while. U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack holds a virtual panel discussion at noon ET on Feb. 3 on driving improvements in child health through school meals. The Epoch Times will livestream the event. A former county clerk is answering calls from New York county clerks to increase the local share of revenue from services provided at county Department of Motor Vehicles offices. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who served as Erie County clerk from 2007 to 2011, wants county clerks to keep 10.75% of the revenue collected from DMV transactions. The proposed change is part of Hochul's 2023-24 executive budget proposal and is projected to increase the counties' revenue share by $13 million a year, according to the state Division of Budget. Since 1999, the 51 counties, including Cayuga, that operate local DMV offices keep 12.7% of the revenue from in-office transactions. For online transactions, the counties get 3.25% of the revenue. County clerks have long advocated for an increased share of the DMV revenue. Cayuga County Clerk Sue Dwyer told The Citizen that it has been a top priority for the New York State Association of County Clerks, especially after the state established an online system that offers many DMV services. The proposal to allow counties to retain 10.75% of the fee would result in clerks keeping a smaller share of the in-office revenue but a larger portion of the online funds. Based on 2022 revenue, Cayuga County's portion of the in-office DMV revenue would dip from $44,833 to $43,959, but its online revenue would rise from $36,895 to $85,142. Overall, the county's DMV revenue would increase 57%, from $81,728 to $129,101. "That is really significant for us," Dwyer said. M. Indica Jaycox, president of the New York State Association of County Clerks and the Schoharie County clerk, noted that the current revenue share has remained the same despite local DMVs handling more complex transactions, whether it is customers with conditional licenses, restricted licenses or insurance issues. There are several transactions that county DMVs perform but do not get a cut of the proceeds, she explained. Jaycox thinks Hochul's status as a former county clerk helped but she also credited Mark Schroeder, the state DMV commissioner, for listening to the clerks' requests over the years and advocating for the change. When Hochul unveiled her state budget proposal on Wednesday and details about the retention fee proposal began to be circulated, Jaycox said clerks across the state are "excited and very happy." "It finally came to fruition," she said. The state budget must be approved by legislators. Now that Hochul has released her proposal, state lawmakers will review it and develop their own budgets. Hochul, together with state legislative leaders, will negotiate a budget agreement with the goal of finalizing the spending plan before April 1 the start of the new fiscal year. America Needs a Better Ukraine Strategy Than Handing Off Weapons and Hoping for the Best Commentary As Russias invasion of Ukraine heads into its second year, the American-led strategy of handing off weapons to Kyiv and hoping the underdog can defeat the overdog needs adjustment. Both U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley have expressed concerns about the U.S.-German tank deal for Kyiv. But U.S. F-16 fighter jets have been rumored as the next Ukrainian ask. Supporters of the weapons-only strategy often cite Israel, usually with admiration. Israel doesnt ask for, want, or have American forces fighting for it. With American weapons and outside support, Israel defeats its enemy and remains secure. This, they say, validates the Biden administrations strategy. It isnt an exact analogy. Israel has an indigenous weapons and training capability and has spent its modern lifetime improving its ability to meet and defeat its enemies. Even so, it finds its ties, first to the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and now the US Central Command (USCENTCOM), a welcome source of allied cooperation. Israel isnt asking for American troop support, but certainly sees itself as part of an integrated defense in the Red Sea and beyond. Further, Israels state enemies have had battlefield doctrine, equipment, and outside political support that was manageable for Israel. Non-state actors represented challenges of a different, but not existential, nature. Iran in both its nuclear and terror-supporting modes presents a new threat and Israels doctrine has evolved accordingly. Ukraine, on the other hand, faces Russia. And Russias military history is one of grinding until the enemy gives up. The number of Russians Moscow was willing to commit to battle has historically been endless, and the destruction of enemy infrastructure and civilian targets is part of the plan. Stalins war in Ukraine cost an estimated 3.9 million Ukrainian lives. An estimated 40,000 Soviet civilians died in a defensive battle at Stalingrad, along with 800,000 Axis troops and 1,100,000 Soviet forces killed, wounded, or captured. Overall, Russian figures show 8.6 million military casualties in WWII and 2427 million casualties overall. To recount the statistics is NOT to suggest abandoning Ukraine, but to put American and NATO choices in perspective. And recognize that Russias President Vladimir Putin has choices as well. Stefano Sannino, secretary general of the European Unions European External Action Service, says Russia is now at war against NATO and the West, adding that Putin has taken the war to a different stage, raising the specter of a global conflict. Putin, he said, will increase indiscriminate attacks on civilians and non-military targets and retaliate against the West. Americas first choice is to decide that our goal is to defeat Russia. That may include adopting Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskys stated goals of a) recovery of all Ukrainian territory including Crimea, b) reparations from Russia, and c) war crimes trials. It may not include all of those things, but if the plan includes expelling Russian forces, Western soldiers are likely required. The NATO Air Forces plus tanks can push Wagner troops out of southern Ukraine; a Marine assault on Crimea could dislocate the Russians. The Russians will be defeated. Maybe. Putin may decide that this war is too important to lose. Battlefield nuclear weapons are only one choice he has. Attacks on other non-NATO countries, or even NATO countries, could quickly dissuade Europeans from joining President Biden and Zelensky. We didnt sign up for a European land war, could become the mantra. They didnt, but they behaved as if they did, and the war may come to them whether they want it or not. Choice number two is to announce that the allies will continue to provide weapons for the Ukrainians to use for as long as there remain Ukrainians to use them. All casualty statistics are suspect but the very range of numbers in this case is telling. In early Jan. 13,000 military casualties were reported by the BBC, and the U.N. High Commission on Human recorded 17,994 civilian casualties. Gen. Milley, however, estimated 200,000 military casualties on all sides last November. Youre looking at well over 100,000 Russian soldiers killed and wounded. Same thing probably on the Ukrainian side. Yes, the Russians are having trouble filling the ranks of their soldiers, but they have a wider field. At the same time, it is conceivable that even in the lower estimated range of military casualties, the Ukrainian military has lost its best trained professional soldiers early in the war. Their resources are much fewer. The third choice is to decide that the war will end in a negotiated settlement. Again, that isnt only a choice for the alliesit has to be agreed by Vladimir Putin. Who talks to Putin, what he/she says, and how Putin responds could set the stage for talks even if Zelensky has to be brought in as an unwilling partner. Or not. Having more weapons and more money may not be the determining factor in Americas choices in Ukraine. And analogies are not battlefield strategies. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. An Inside Look at How Chinas Cyberspace Surveillance Controls Pandemic Narrative 'Pandemic control' includes control of information: internal documents Security staff stand guard at the entrance of a residental area following Covid-19 cases in Zhangye in China's northwestern Gansu Province, on Oct. 23, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) The Epoch Times has received internal documents that reveal how Chinas propaganda machine controls its pandemic narrative on a local level. The documents were released by a county propaganda daily operations department. Three issuesNo. 106, 107, and 108of an internal bulletin, dated Nov. 29, 30, and Dec. 1, 2022, respectively, recorded the daily outcome of efforts to censor social media and release a positive image of COVID-19 policy in Guanghe County, in Chinas northwestern Gansu province. Red Header Documents Labeled as confidential, the red header documentsofficial documents with the name of the issuing agency printed in red at the topwere entitled Dynamics of Publicity Work of Epidemic Prevention and Control. They were prepared by the county response group responsible for publicity and public opinion in regard to epidemic prevention and control. The response group is typically led by the local propaganda department and local Chinese Communist Party (CCP) secretary, based on a report by state-run media Xinhua News. According to the three issues obtained by The Epoch Times, the work of the response group was routinely divided into three categories: handling of public opinion, trends of public opinion, and progress and analysis of public opinion. Under handling of public opinion, the bulletins indicate that Chinese social media such as Weibo and Kuaishou were routinely monitored for sensitive information. Methods of handling such information included deleting the information, suggesting that it be deleted, and reporting it to the authorities for investigation. Issue No. 108 concluded that between Sept. 12 and Dec. 1, 2022, the response group had identified a total of 5,161 pieces of information related to the epidemic, deleted 2,927 pieces of sensitive information on social media platforms Kuaishou, Douyin, and Weibo, and shut down 304 live broadcasts. Under trends of public opinion, Issue No. 106 summarized the trends of netizens posts: those reflecting daily life were increasing, and videos and pictures related to the pandemic were drastically decreasing. Issue No. 108 noted, Netizens complained about medical supplies and improper disposal of medical waste. Coordinated Censorship Through The Grid Regarding progress and analysis of public opinion, the response group stressed its campaign of positive online propagandacreating an atmosphere of populous fighting against the pandemic, through the concerted effort of community grid members to flood the web with official posts. An undated photo obtained by the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times reveals live footage monitored by a local grid member in Shandong, Chinas eastern coastal province. (Courtesy of Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times) The Chinese online surveillance and monitoring system, along with its ubiquitous cameras, has evolved into what is known as the grid, with grid members in charge of all neighbors within a particular grid. In urban areas, there are around 300 households in a grid, and in the suburbs, there are around 100 households in a grid. According to Chinese state-run newspaper Peoples Daily, in order to facilitate pandemic prevention and control, the grid system was strengthened into a better mesh in 2020, with a massive push to hire additional grid members and incorporate them into the local online surveillance system. At a grassroots level, grid members are local surveillance staff, assisting the efforts of Chengguanthe urban management force mainly targeting illegal street vendorsand police. The documents also discuss the coordination of propaganda, cyberspace efforts, and public security among departments to ensure timely and synchronized online and offline response. Put simply, this means the censorship and reporting of online information by grid members, and, offline, the capture of individuals guilty of propagating sensitive information by police. The Epoch Times spoke with Chinese affairs expert Wang He regarding the CCPs surveillance machine. Regarding synchronized online and offline efforts to target sensitive posts, Wang commented, the CCP cant tolerate criticism. In China, the solution to a problem is not to fix the problem, but to get rid of the person who reported the problem, he said. Thats how the CCP achieves the harmony of a Communist society, Wang said. Song Tang and Yi Ru contributed to this report. Appeals Court Finds Federal Gun Ban on Domestic Violence Offenders Unconstitutional A federal court on Thursday ruled that it is unconstitutional to ban Americans accused of domestic violence from possessing firearms, even if theyre subjected to restraining orders. Applying the logic the U.S. Supreme Court put forward last summer in deciding a landmark Second Amendment case, a panel of three judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously agreed that the federal ban on possessing a firearm while subject to a domestic violence restraining order should no longer be considered constitutional. In the June 2022 ruling, Supreme Court Justice Thomas Clarence set forth a new standard lower courts must follow. First, the court must determine whether the Second Amendments plain text covers an individuals conduct. If so, then that conduct is presumptively protected, and the government must prove that its law is consistent with this Nations historical tradition of firearm regulation. This two-step approach forms the basis of a lawsuit by Zackey Rahimi, a Texas man indicted by a federal grand jury for possessing a rifle and a pistol while under a civil protective order that he agreed to after allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend. That order expressly banned him from possessing any firearm. Involved in 5 Shootings According to court filings, Rahimi had been involved in five shootings since entering the agreement, including shooting into the home of someone who had just bought narcotics from him. After being involved in a car accident, he shot at the other driver and fled the scene, only to return and shot at the other drivers car. He also fired his gun in the air after his friends credit card was declined at a restaurant. Rahimi, while hardly a model citizen, is nonetheless part of the political community entitled to the Second Amendments guarantees, all other things equal, the appeal court judges argued. The question then comes to whether there is any well-established and representative historical analogue during the Early Republican years to a modern firearm ban for someone under a domestic violence restraining order. The analogues provided by the U.S. Department of Justice included historical laws designed to disarm dangerous people such as Native Americans and slaves; going armed laws that took guns away from people thought to pose a threat because of their perceived lack of loyalty to the state; as well as surety laws that allowed people to demand surety of the peace against someone who they had just cause to fear, which could result in that person being banned from carrying a gun in public or possessing guns at all. The judges found none of the analogues convincing, saying that these laws either dont count as analogues or are not consistent with this Nations historical tradition of firearm regulation. Through that lens, we conclude that [the federal laws] ban on possession of firearms is an outlier that our ancestors would never have accepted. Therefore, the statute is unconstitutional, and Rahimis conviction under that statute must be vacated, the court declared. Judge Cory Wilson, a Trump appointee, penned the courts opinion (pdf). He was joined by Judges Edith Jones, a Reagan appointee; and James Ho, a Trump appointee. In his separate concurring opinion, Ho argued that the two idealsthat the fundamental role of government in protecting citizens against violence and the individual right to keep and bear armsare entirely compatible with one another in the eyes of the nations founders. When the government detains and thereby disarms a member of our community, it must do so consistent with the fundamental protections that our Constitution affords to those accused of a crime, he wrote. For example, the government may detain dangerous criminals, not just after conviction, but also before trial. Our Founders envisioned a nation in which both citizen and sovereign alike play important roles in protecting the innocent against violent criminals. Our decision today is consistent with that vision. New Submarines Likely to Be a Tri-Nation Project: UK Defence Minister Australias new submarines could potentially see the U.S. and UK work together to design and build a brand-new submarine class altogether. The UKs Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the decision was ultimately up to the Australian government, noting it would also be collaborative. Its a joint endeavour. Whether that is the sharing of technology, and the understanding of how to do it, the sharing of the build, or the sharing of the design, he said after a meeting between Australian and UK ministers on Jan. 2. The Australian governments getting exactly to the position where it knows what it wants, he said. Im pretty confident that it will be a tri-nation project. The UK is currently developing the successor to its Astute-class nuclear submarine. The comments from Wallace come after Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles noted that Australia did not underestimate the challenge that was involved in arming itself with the capability but that the government was confident that the trilateral partners would be able to meet the challenges. AUKUS is central to that, Marles said. Read More Australian Defence Minister Not Concerned Over Potential Delays on Nuclear Subs I think what youll see is when we ultimately do announce the optimal pathway that weve been working on with both the United States and the United Kingdom, that what it really is, is a genuinely trilateral effort to see both the UK and the U.S. provide Australia with a nuclear-powered submarine capability. AUKUS was unveiled in September 2021 in a surprise joint announcement between U.S., UK, and Australian leaders that would see Australia armed with nuclear-powered submarines and take part in research cooperation in ground-breaking fields like quantum computing, undersea capabilities, hypersonics, and artificial intelligence. Concerns Around Delays In recent months, there has been speculation that U.S. shipyards will be unable to supply Australia with additional submarines because of a lack of extra capacity. The nuclear-submarine industry requires not only the right facilities but a highly trained workforce numbering in the tens of thousands. The U.S. and UK governments have pledged to assist Australia with training and upskilling its industry. However, Marles has downplayed any concerns about delays. Were confident that what we will be announcing in the coming weeks is a pathway that will be able to be delivered by all partners on time, and obviously, we are talking about a program that is not measured in weeks or months but is actually going to take place over years and decades, he told ABC Radios AM on Feb. 1. The minister is now jet-setting to the United States to hold further discussions on the program. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has also reported that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese may also travel to the United States in March to unveil the final plan alongside U.S. President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The UKs Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific, Anne-Marie Trevalyan said Australias submarines would likely be used to patrol the Indo-Pacific and secure trade routes. Free and fair-trade work if the waterways are clear and safe, she told reporters. A lot of the Royal Navys job for several hundred years was chasing pirates to allow those ships that want to move goods around to do so. So, the Australian commitment to want to have a next generation of submarines, which they can help assure the regions security, is one that we are absolutely committed to helping. Chinas Opposition to AUKUS Driven by Fear Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party has been vocal in its opposition to AUKUS, with the CCP foreign affairs spokesperson Mao Ning declaring it is fueling military confrontation in the Asia-Pacific and is driven by Cold War thinking. China is deeply concerned and firmly opposed to it, Mao said. According to China watchers, Beijing is genuinely worried about AUKUS, with mainland scholars and analysts responding to AUKUS with genuine concern and fear. Analysts believe this is due to Chinas fear of a Western-led coalition that, along with Japan, could contain China and bring the West into geostrategic dominance. With Japan at one vertex and India at the other, Australias nuclear submarines will allow the Allies to close a strategic triangle at the second island chains southernmost point, shortening the distance for reconnaissance, monitoring, and rapid response against China, as well as achieving long-range hypersonic precision strike capabilities, writes Tuvia Gering in an article for The China Project. Gering is a research fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS), who specializes in Chinese politics and foreign policy. She also notes this comes from the Chinese regimes inability to reflect on cause and effect, arguing that Chinese officials ignore Chinas own part in the regional geopolitical struggles, which include an ongoing rapid expansion of its nuclear arsenal in hundreds of new silos and mobile ICBMs, its recent test of nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles. Without the ability to reflect, they preach that Australia is the one to blame for current difficulties in bilateral relations, dismiss international tribunal arbitration on the South China Sea as waste paper, and blame Taiwan for having an unprecedented number of PLA jets travel into its Air Defense Identification Zone, Gering said. AAP contributed to this article. Austria Expels 4 Russian Diplomats Based in Vienna VIENNAAustrias government said Thursday that it has ordered four Russian diplomats based in Vienna, including two at Moscows mission to U.N. agencies in the city, to leave the country. The Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement that two diplomats at the Russian Embassy had engaged in acts incompatible with their diplomatic status and two at the permanent mission to the United Nations in Vienna committed acts incompatible with the Headquarters Agreement. It didnt elaborate. The diplomats were given a week to leave Austria. Western European nations and Russia have expelled each others diplomats on several occasions since Moscows full-scale invasion of Ukraine started nearly a year ago. Austria, a European Union member that has a policy of military neutrality, was initially hesitant to take such action but expelled four Russian diplomats in April after pressure from the public and EU partners. Austria has given aid to Ukraine but not military equipment. President Alexander Van der Bellen was in Kyiv on Wednesday on a trip meant to underline Austrias solidarity. Vienna is home to U.N. agencies including the International Atomic Energy Agency and the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime. The Russian Foreign Ministry said it would respond in kind to the diplomats expulsion, according to state news agency Tass. Russias ambassador to Austria, Dmitry Lyubinsky, said in televised remarks that he and Mikhail Ulyanov, the ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, separately visited the Austrian Foreign Ministry late Wednesday to hear about the decision. We voiced a resolute protest, rejected the unfounded allegations and warned about the inevitability of retaliatory measures, he said. Lyubinsky added that Austrian authorities failed to make specific accusations beyond unfounded claims and vague references to the opinion of special services. He said the decision would affect Austrias position as a neutral international platform for negotiations. Authorities: 2 Arrested in California Shooting That Killed 6 The victims of a shooting in Goshen, Calif., are displayed during a news conference in Visalia, Calif., on Jan. 17, 2023. (Ron Holman/The Times-Delta via AP) VISALIA, Calif.Two gang members suspected in the massacre of six people last month in central California were arrested early Friday, one after a gunbattle, the Tulare County sheriff said. Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said Noah David Beard, 25, was taken into custody without incident, and Angel Nanu Uriarte, 35, was wounded in the shootout with federal agents and was undergoing surgery. The suspects and members of the victims family have a long history of gang violence, but the motive for the shooting is not exactly clear, Boudreaux said at a news conference at the sheriffs headquarters in Visalia. The Tulare County District Attorneys Office charged both suspects with six counts of murder and other crimes. The six victims, including a teen mother and her baby, were gunned down on Jan. 16 in rural Goshen, a community of 3,000 in the San Joaquin Valley. The sheriff said the arrests stemmed from Operation Nightmare, in which multiple search warrants were served, and inmate cells associated with a prison gang were searched in multiple state prisons. The victims were identified as: Rosa Parraz, 72; Eladio Parraz, Jr., 52; Jennifer Analla, 49; Marcos Parraz, 19; Alissa Parraz, 16; and Nycholas Parraz, 10 months. The sheriff has said Alissa Parraz had just been awarded full custody of her son after he spent months in the foster care system. The two were reunited on Jan. 13three days before they were killed. The Goshen killings were part of a violent and deadly month in California. On Jan. 21, a shooting at Monterey Park dance hall killed 11 and wounded nine. The gunman later killed himself. On Jan. 23, shootings at two Half Moon Bay farms killed seven and wounded one before the suspect was arrested. Barr Defends Durham Probe, Says New York Times Ignored Basic Facts Attorney General William Barr speaks during a roundtable discussion on "America's seniors" hosted by President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington on June 15, 2020. (Leah Millis/Reuters) Former Attorney General William Barr is defending the probe into the origins of the U.S. government investigation into then-candidate Donald Trump, saying a critical report of the probe ignored basic facts. Barr, who was appointed by Trump after the latter became president, tasked U.S. Attorney John Durham to look into the governments Trump investigation, which involved surveilling Trump campaign figures and examining the unverified dossier compiled on behalf of Trump rival Hillary Clintons campaign. Durham was later made special counsel by Barr. The idea that there was a thin basis for doing it doesnt hold water, Barr told the Los Angeles Times this week, following a New York Times report that claimed there was a strained justification for opening the Durham-led probe. Barr noted that the probe didnt start as a criminal investigation and added that he made the move to examine whether there was an abuse of power. The New York Times ignored some fundamental facts as to why some of the information that Durham was seeking was very important information, Barr added, speaking after the California News Publishers Association meeting, which he attended on Feb. 1. The New York Times stands behind our story and the reporting it contains, a spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email. The story noted that Michael Horowitz, the Department of Justices inspector general, uncovered major problems with the applications to spy on Carter Page, a former Trump campaign associate, and that an FBI lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, admitted to doctoring an email to state that Page had never been a CIA asset when, in fact, he had been. But its authors said that Durhams probe had failed to find evidence about abuse of power. Durham brought charges against two other peopleClinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann, who brought a tip to the FBI without revealing he was being paid by the campaign, and Igor Danchenko, the primary subsource for Christopher Steele, the ex-British spy who compiled the Trump dossier on behalf of Clinton and other Democrats. Juries in Washington and Virginia acquitted both, though the cases brought to light significant evidence, including that neither Steele nor Danchenko provided information to corroborate the dossier. Durham has not said publicly whats next. Barr told the Los Angeles Times that Durham will explain in his report, to the extent hes allowed to put it out, the whole genesis of [situation] and how it all occurred. So whats wrong with that? You review something, you get the facts. Yes, we wanted to hold people accountable if something came up that indicated criminality, or you could prove criminality. But it wasnt a criminal investigation, it was a review to get the story. And he got the story, Barr added. Call for Investigation Reps. Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.) and Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) sent Horowitz a letter after the new report, saying they were alarmed and requesting Horowitz to investigate whether Durham or Barr violated any laws or department rules. They also asked Horowitz to determine whether there were sufficient grounds for the special counsel appointment. If the allegations in the report are true, they show Mr. Barr and Mr. Durham misled the American people, abused their prosecutorial powers, and corrupted the Department of Justice to pursue a false political narrative, the congressmen said. They may also have violated the law, Department of Justice regulations, and legal ethics in doing so. We request that you investigate this serious matter in an expeditious manner. Horowitz said during a hearing on Feb. 1 that he had not been aware of the letter but that he would read and review it. Editors note: This story has been updated with a comment from the New York Times. Biden Admin Spending Billions on Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Many Americans Will Never Use Commentary Its winter, with high temperatures well below freezing in Jackson, Wyoming, and barely above freezing in Wyomings capital, Cheyenne. Relying only on battery-powered electric vehicles in a cold climate takes courage because car batteries quickly lose their charge when temperatures are low. Yet the federal government wants to spend billions to build charging stations all across the countryincluding in cold-weather states where electric vehicles are often impractical. Cold temperatures are one reason why, at the end of 2021 (the latest full year available), Wyoming had only 510 registered electric vehicles, or EVs. Thats one per every 1,135 people, compared to one per every 69 people in California and one per every 228 in Florida, according to the Energy Department. Even so, Wyoming has been granted $27 million of the $7.5 billion that the new Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocates to states to build electric vehicle charging stations. That works out to over $52,000 per EV in the state. Wyoming is turning down the funds because the Cowboy State doesnt want to be responsible for maintaining a system of charging stations spaced 50 miles apart, as called for by the Infrastructure Act. Wyoming asked for the charging stations to be located only on smaller highways in the tourist areas close to Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park, but the federal government refused. As Congress considers raising the debt ceiling, such wasteful expenditures should be trimmed. Three states in similarly cold climates will also get large per-vehicle subsidies, according to the Department of Transportation. North Dakota has the fewest electric vehicle registrations in the United States: 380. It will receive $26 million for charging stations, or $68,000 per registered EV. Alaska, with $52 million, will get $40,000 per EV; and South Dakota will collect $43,000. Those three states, like Wyoming, are cold-weather states. West Virginia, which has 1,010 EVs, will get $46 million, or $46,000 each. California is getting a much larger allocation for its charging stations$384 million over five years. Drivers in the Golden State use EVs, so the stations will at least get some use. On a per vehicle basis, this works out to $682 per registered EV. But with California drivers piloting expensive Teslas and Hummers down sunny freeways, reasonable people might ask why electric charging stations for the well-off need to be provided by the taxpayer. President Joe Biden believes that these public charging stations will encourage Americans to buy more electric vehicles. The White House announced, President Bidens leadership is mobilizing public and private charging investment to accelerate the adoption of EVs and create good-paying jobs across manufacturing, installation, and operation. Some states may see more EV purchases as a result of more charging stations, but EVs cannot defeat the laws of physics and are unlikely to be popular in cold climates. Americans know that car batteries are susceptible to cold. Many of us have awakened on a cold winter morning to find our car batteries dead and in need of a jump start or a replacement. The American Automobile Association has a fleet of small vehicles whose sole purpose is to rescue troubled motorists in chilly situations. A study by truck manufacturer Autocar shows that electric vehicles lose, on average, a third of their range in the winter, which reduces the typical 240-mile range to 160 miles. If a heat pump is added to the car, the loss is less, but still, the 240-mile range would shrink to 180. Car results varied in the tests. The Fiat 500 42kWh Icon lost 40 percent of its range in the winter. The Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD lost 35 percent, and the Porsche Taycan 4S Performance Battery Plus, with heat pump, lost 22 percent. (The Taycan retails for between $83,000 and $166,000, depending on features). Gasoline-powered engines also work less efficiently in extreme cold, but the damage is not as great as with EVs. Unless and until battery technology changes, electric vehicles are not year-round vehicles in cold climate states. In such states, only high-income individuals can afford the luxury of owning a vehicle that cannot be used efficiently for much of the year. Elsewhere, most electric vehicles are expensive and largely owned by upper-income people. There is no need for average earners in Wyoming or elsewhere to subsidize higher-earners electric charging stations with their tax dollars. It is wasteful for Congress to build charging stations in states where electric vehicles cannot be used many months of the year. Indeed, its foolish to spend money on infrastructure that benefits only wealthy people who do not need government support. If tens of millions of dollars magically appeared with no strings attached in Wyoming or other cold-weather states, the money would almost certainly be put to a better use than electric charging stations. Individual states might instead build roads suitable for all vehicles or reduce taxes for residents and businesses. Just as the federal government did not provide gas stations and Tesla charging stations, it should not be funding charging stations for EVs. Its obvious that one of the worst uses of the funds is in Wyoming and other cold-weather states where EVs are generally impractical and unusable. Reprinted by permission from The Daily Signal, a publication of The Heritage Foundation. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Biden Administrations Climate Agenda Will Damage Two-Thirds of US Retirement Accounts: Kobach President Joe Biden speaks about the U.S. economy at Steamfitters Local 602 in Springfield, Va., on Jan. 26, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images) The Biden administrations new Department of Labor (DOL) rule allowing 401(k) managers to invest in Environmental Social Governance (ESG) funds will harm two-thirds of Americas retirement accounts, according to Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach in an interview that aired on Newsmakers by NTD and The Epoch Times on Feb. 1. Kobach said that the Jan. 30 change was being done in the name of this left-wing partisan agenda. He said, There should be no partisan agenda when it comes to investing our funds. It should be done based purely on financial return without any regard to whether it helps left-wing causes or right-wing causes. Kansas is one of the 25 states suing the Biden administration over its rule allowing 401(k) managers leeway to invest in ESG funds by stipulating that the managers can decide to invest by considering nonpecuniary benefits. Meaning they can make investing decisions where the benefits arent related to financial gain. Republican Kris Kobach is Kansass attorney general. (Courtesy of Kobach campaign) What this latest rule does is it basically says you can consider these non-pecuniary factors when deciding where to invest the retirees funds, Kobach said. And our lawsuit says, Hey, wait a minute, that violates the express terms of [the Employee Retirement Income Security Act] ERISA, which is the 1973 Act that President [Gerald Ford] signed into law that is designed to protect the employee retirement savings in these funds. And were saying, Look, you, as an agencyand its the Department of Labor under Biden thats doing thisas an agency, you can enact regulations, but your regulations cannot contradict the exact express terms of the law. Section 404 A of the law says very clearly that [401(k) managers] have to act for the economic benefit of the retiree, for the person whose assets are being invested. An Illegal Rule According to Kobach, the new ESG rule is illegal as it didnt go through Congress. Its illegal an agency cannot contradict the terms of the law that gives the agency the authority to act, Kobach said. If President Biden wanted to do this, he should try to change the law. He should try to change the terms of the ERISA statute and allow ESG considerations to weigh into the investment of these funds. I think that would be a horrible idea because it would mean we would gain less return on our retirement assets. But he cant do this unilaterally. As an executive, he cant use his agencys regulatory authority to do this. He has to go through Congress to do it. Circling back to the impact of the ESG rule, Kobach added, [The rule] basically means that [fund managers] can take into account things other than financial value, financial return, or pecuniary interests. Financial Return Only So, it opens up the door for the investment adviser who thinks, Well, you know, I think, you know, saving the Earth from climate change is a long-term interest that my investment strategy ought to consider. Well, thats not what theyre supposed to be doing. Theyre supposed to be looking at the financial return and the financial return only. Kobach added about the impact on retirement accounts, What that means in real terms is that companies that have anything to do with oil or fossil fuels, anything to do with firearms, anything to do, increasingly now with things like agriculture, and the beef industry, are going to be excluded. And that means that in almost every case, the return on investment for those funds is going to be lower because youre taking investment options off the table. Kobach said hes confident the states case against Biden will succeed. Bipartisan Pushback In addition to the states lawsuit challenging the legality of the Biden administrations new ESG rule, every GOP Senatorplus Democrat Joe Manchin (W.Va.)signed on to a disapproval resolution, protesting against the DOL directive. The resolution alleges that the Biden administration is putting the pensions of 152 million Americans at risk to support climate and social justice. A number of studies have shown that ESG investing policies have worse rates of return. For example, a study by UCLA and NYU found that over the past five years, ESG funds underperformed the broader market, averaging a 6.3 percent return compared to 8.9 percent return respectively. Additionally, in comparison to other investment plans, ESG investors generally end up paying higher costs for worse performance, a statement from Senator Mike Braun (R-Ind.) says. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) speaks during a Senate Budget Committee hearing in the Hart Senate Office building in Washington on Feb. 17, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) is leading a similar resolution in the House. His press release declares, Retirement plans should be solely focused on delivering maximum returns, not advancing a political agenda. If Congress doesnt block the Department of Labors rule greenlighting ESG investing in retirement plans, retirees will suffer diminished returns on the investment of their hard-earned money. Its time for Congress to act and I applaud Senator Braun and our colleagues for renewing this fight. Biden, Clinton Celebrate 30 Years of the Family and Medical Leave Act Former President Bill Clinton speaks during the second night of the Democratic National Convention, on Aug. 18, 2020. (Democratic National Convention via AP) President Joe Biden commemorated the Family and Medical Leave Acts 30th anniversary on Feb. 2 by encouraging federal agency leaders to expand provisions from the law and asking former President Bill Clinton to speak at the White House. In 1993, Clinton signed legislation that mandates certain employers to authorize as much as 12 weeks of unpaid leave if employees are ill, have a newborn child in their home, or are caring for a sick family member, without losing their jobs. It was Clintons first act as president. He was inaugurated on Jan. 20 and signed the act on Feb. 5. Clinton served two terms, and he told the audience in the White House East Room that the FMLA is what people have most often talked to him about since he left office in January 2001. After all these years, I still have more people mention the Family Leave Act to me than any other specific thing I did, Clinton said. And no one ever talks about what gets all the press coverageyou know, the political process, how long did it take, who got derailed, what went up, what went down. They tell you their story, Clinton added. Thats when you know, for good or ill, that we have united the country. The first time he boarded an airplane after leaving office, Clinton said, a really compelling flight attendant with a very intense stare asked if she could talk to him. She explained to Clinton that her parents were dying at the same time, and she would not have been able to support them without the FMLA. Theres no way we could support them with care, except because of the Family and Medical Leave Act. And I just wanted to tell you this, she said, Ive heard all these politicians give speeches about family values,' Clinton recalled. She said, I know how your parents die is an important family value. It was breathtaking. I never get on a shuttle after 20 years that I dont think about that woman. Bid to Expand Family Leave In early 2021, Biden attempted to extensively expand the family leave law to provide workers up to 12 weeks of paid family, parental, and personal illness leave and require that employees receive three days of bereavement leave as part of a $3.5 trillion spending initiative. Under the plan, employees would get up to $4,000 per month with a minimum of two-thirds of their average weekly pay. The program would cost more than $225 billion over a 10-year period, according to White House estimates. Bidens plan has not been passed by the House or the Senate. With Republicans back in control of the House, passing the paid leave program legislation appears unlikely, but Democratic lawmakers like Sen. Kristin Gillibrand of New York are advocating for an update to the law. They are urging Biden to include a paid leave proposal in his upcoming budget and bring forward proposed bills that would establish a national 12-week paid family leave system and increase access to the FMLA. We are going to find what common ground exists in both the House and Senate and see if theres some measure of paid leave that can be done with the Republican House, said Gillibrand, who attended Feb. 2s event. Im optimistic that theres something we can do together. I just dont know what it is yet. Almost Half of Workers Not Eligible The National Partnership for Women and Families reported that around 44 percent of American workers are not eligible for FMLA-supported leave because they are employed by small companies exempt from the law, do not work enough hours, and/or have not worked for their employer long enough. Approximately 15 million employees used FMLA in 2022, according to the organization. Biden wrapped up Feb. 2s gathering by announcing that he is asking federal agency leaders to support access to leave without pay for federal employees so the workers can bond with new children, take care of their own health, or care for family members in need. The memo also encouraged agency leaders to allow their staff members leave in the first year of their employment. Currently, federal employees do not qualify for leave until they reach one year on the job. You cant tell a newborn infant or a dying parent that youll be there for them next year, Biden said. And when serious illness strikes, you cant reschedule that either. So today I signed a memorandum to all federal agencies, urging them to let federal employees take leave during the first year of the job, from the time they get it, if they need it, Biden explained. Biden added that Im also directing the Office of Personnel Management to develop recommendations to help federal employees take leave when they need to find safety from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, which the president called safe leave and is not covered by the FMLA. Women Denied Basic Support In December, Biden noted, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act was passed. The measure takes effect on June 27, 2023. It filled an important gap in federal protection by requiring employers to make reasonable accommodations for pregnant women and new moms, like letting them have water breaks, bathroom breaks, [and] sit down and work breaks, Biden said. Think about it. Too many women have been denied just simple, basic support. Plus, this law gives new moms time off to recover after theyve had a baby. Thats considered a reasonable accommodation. I guess so, Biden added with a grin. Biden also mentioned that he signed the Pump for Nursing Mothers Act into law. This legislation requires employers to provide reasonable break time for workers to express breast milk and mandates that the employer offers a private place that is not a bathroom to perform that task. In early January, the Department of Defense released a memo announcing the expansion of the Military Parental Leave Program. Under this initiative, military members will be authorized to take as much as 12 weeks of leave after giving birth, adopting a child, or beginning a long-term foster care situation. Folks, this shouldnt be that complicated. It gets down to a word I guess we Irish overuse. It gets down to basic dignity, Biden said. Its about being a country where women and all people can both work and raise a family. Feb. 3, 1993 As the first step in resolving the $350 million Cayuga Indian lawsuit, state officials vowed yesterday to draft a preliminary settlement agreement this month. During an occasionally rocky four-hour negotiating session the first since September 1991 local, state, federal and Indian leaders agreed to try again to reach an out-of-court compromise that would end 12 years of litigation. The Cayugas will likely get at least $80 million and a new reservation in the Finger Lakes region, officials say. But the tribe may demand more. The federal government would likely cough up cash while the state would offer land, officials said. State officials said they would put together a proposed settlement package by Feb. 26, two weeks before the next scheduled bargaining session. Albany will work closely with local leaders, said Cayuga County Legislature Chairman Herb Marshall, R-Port Byron. Marshall said the negotiations got heated when U.S. Department of Justice officials, who ran the meeting, indicated that they intended "to dictate a settlement" that would ignore the views of area residents. "The Justice Department has to wake up and understand they represent the interests of all the citizens of this country, not just the Indians," Marshall said. Justice Department officials have ignored repeated requests for comment for several months. Bill C-11: Senate Passes Liberals Online Streaming Act The Liberal governments Bill C-11, which will bring large streaming platforms under the regulating authority of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), has passed in the Senate. Also known as the Online Streaming Act, Bill C-11 will amend the Broadcasting Act to give the CRTC authority to require online platforms like Netflix and Spotify to contribute to Canadian content rules or else face steep penalties. The legislation received 12 amendments from the Senate and will now go back to the House of Commons for a review of the changes, which Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez says he hopes will last less than a week before the bill can be passed. Rodriguez also said on Feb. 2 that the federal government would reject some of the Senates amendments. He did not specify which ones. Well see when the bill comes back, Rodriguez said during the Canadian Media Producers Associations 2023 Prime Time conference in Ottawa. There are amendments that have zero impact on the bill and others that may have some and those we will not accept. The Senates amendments to Bill C-11 include one meant to protect user-generated content on platforms like YouTube from the regulating power of the CRTC, and another that prohibits the CBC from broadcasting or publishing sponsored content. Another amendment will require companies to verify users ages before they are allowed to access sexually-explicit content. Some senators previously attempted to pass an amendment that would exempt online content creators and programmers making less than $150 million annually from the CRTCs regulation, but it was voted down 10-4 in November 2022. New Brunswick Sen. David Adams Richards said earlier this week that he is concerned C-11 will bring about a culture of censorship in Canada. This law will be one of scapegoating all those who do not fit into what our bureaucrats think Canada should be, Richards said in the Senate on Jan. 31 during the third reading of the bill. I do not know who will be able to tell me what Canadian content is and what it is not, but I know it wont be in the Minister of Heritages power to ever tell me, he added. Canadian Content The United States government has voiced concerns that Bill C-11 could discriminate against American companies as it will prioritize the online discoverability of content monetized by Canadian producers for viewers within Canada. We have concerns it could impact digital streaming services and discriminate against U.S. businesses, the U.S. Embassy told The Canadian Press on Jan. 11. Canadas International Trade Minister Mary Ng heard similar concerns about the bill from U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai during a meeting in November 2022. Ng said on Dec. 15, 2022, that the federal government was looking to resolve the United States concerns. Representatives from American streaming giants previously told the Senate communications committee that Bill C-11 needed to provide a more flexible definition of Canadian content in order to showcase all of the countrys artistic voices and not just the ones whose content is monetized by Canadian producers. Rodriguez has maintained that the legislation will help Canadian artists and content creators reach audiences within the country by giving them a level playing field with American producers and creators. The Canadian Press contributed to this report. Blindsight Is 2020 Commentary Why would a 66-year-old woman object so strenuously to policies designed to keep her safe? My book Blindsight Is 2020, just published by Brownstone Institute, takes on the question. The book grew out of my deep concerns about the pandemic lockdowns, mandates, and what I call COVID culture. Im honored to share a few details about the book with the Brownstone community. Remember the early days, when everyone was telling us to follow the science? Like many others, I had a problem with this slogan. From the day the lockdowns were announced, I wondered: Why are only scientists being consulted? Where are the mental health experts to tell us how social isolation will affect our most vulnerable, both young and old? Where are the economists to insist on a cost-benefit analysis? Where are the ethicists to weigh in on the appropriate balance between risk avoidance and human rights? Or the philosophers to zoom out to the big questions, like the perils of setting life apart from living? These perspectives, so often missing in the COVID discourse, carry no less weight than the epidemiologic one. A young human-rights lawyer has important insights to impart about a pandemic, as does an aging philosopher. Or an author of groundbreaking fiction. I stumbled into these insights in magazine articles, academic papers, podcasts, and elsewhere, and felt it was important to gather them in one place. Thats why the 46 dissenting thinkers showcased in the book include not just scientists and doctors, but philosophers, ethicists, economists, politicians, lawyers, writers, musicians, as well as a comedian and a priest. A book can only be so long, so I had no choice but to leave out many important figuresresearchers and scholars who continue to work tirelessly against the excesses and blind spots of the COVID era. My selection simply reflects the focus of the book and the aim of presenting perspectives from various disciplines and political bents. Beyond the Science The book takes the positionshared by many scientists, as it turns outthat a pandemic is not just a scientific problem, but a human one. The novel coronavirus response is being driven too much by the epidemiology, Mark Woolhouse states in his book The Year The World Went Mad. A professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh and one of the people I feature in the book, Woolhouse shares my dismay at the curious and conspicuous dismissal of the mental-health, human-rights, and economic perspectives on the pandemic. We epidemiologists were repeatedly told it was someone elses job to worry about these things, he writes. But whose? Nothing was ever made public. As a health and medical writer who works with doctors most days of the week, I have a deep respect for science. But science alone cannot dictate pandemic policy. The UK government, for one, understood this in the pre-COVID era. Before Covid, [we] had a much broader view of pandemic management, UK medical sociologist Robert Dingwallanother one of my featured 46told me in an interview. Our whole-government approach, which saw pandemics as a societal threat rather than a public health threat, was much admired in Europe. Managing a pandemic is not just about containing a virus, but about shepherding the human family through a massive societal upheaval. An upheaval that threatens not just lives, but livelihoods. Not just lung health, but mental health. Not just heartbeats, but hopes and dreams. Its about striking a balance between collective action and individual agency. Its about respecting that not everyone brings equal capabilities or resources to the navigation of public health directivesconsiderations that were jettisoned with COVID. Epidemiologists can do epidemiology. Public health experts can do public health. But none of these experts can do society or human nature any better than intellectuals from other disciplines or even ordinary people. No scientist has the legal or moral authority to tell someone they cant sit next to a parent on their deathbed. Letting people die alone may align with the goal of viral containment, but that doesnt mean it serves the greater good, whatever the term means. Yale University philosopher Samantha Godwin made this point in a 2021 Tweet: We have collectively accepted, without meaningful debate, the ideological belief that the greater good can be equated with maximum COVID mitigation, without concern for or recognition of the collateral harms caused by these mitigation efforts. I wrote the book to give pride of place to such insights, which the mainstream COVID narrative has summarily discounted. Embracing Reality The dominant narrative positions the virus as the enemy in a planetary waran enemy we must fight to the bitter end, costs be damned. The dissenting narrative views COVID as a guest that, while not exactly welcome, is here to stay, so we need to find a way to coexist with it without destroying our social fabric. In his book Gone Viral, Justin Hart calls the supporters of each narrative Team Apocalypse and Team Reality, respectively. My book runs with the second narrative: we can mitigate risk, but not eliminate it, and sharing the planet with the coronavirus while retaining our humanity means accepting this fact. Reality can only be denied for so long before you run out of resources to keep up the charade, says Heidi Buxton, the brilliant Colorado nurse who reviewed my manuscript before publication. The world today is much closer to 2019 True Normal than it is to 2020 New Normal, and a lot of that is because what the Covidians wanted is both logistically and psychologically impossible. In other words, pandemic policies must respect human naturea point made by several people quoted in the book. As an essayist and memoirist, I also enjoy weaving some storytelling into the mix. From attendance at a freedom rally and therapy with a Zoom shrink to a trip to Sweden and an LSD trip on a lake, I recount several personal experiences that sprang from my despair about the COVID policies. No book should try to be all things. While I have much respect for the researchers who continue to investigate the origins of the virus, early treatments, and vaccine side effects, the focus of Blindsight Is 2020 lies elsewhere. Its diverse voices shine a light on the fears and follies that set the COVID era in motion, and suggest a saner path forward. The book Blindsight Is 2020: Reflections on Covid Policies from Dissident Scientists, Philosophers, Artists, and More is available on Amazon. From the Brownstone Institute Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. British Energy Suppliers Ordered to Suspend Prepayment Meter Installations Energy regulator Ofgem says millions of customers expect 'action not warm words' Britains energy providers have been ordered to suspend all prepayment meter installations by industry regulator Ofgem. The move comes in the wake of The Times of London investigation that revealed how British Gas customers, including those disabled and mentally ill, had pay-as-you-go meters forcibly installed in their homes. Speaking on Thursday, Ofgem chief Jonathan Brearley said hed asked all suppliers to review all activities regarding prepayment meter warrants until they can reassure Ofgem that their processes are compliant with the regulators rules. I will not hesitate to take the strongest action in our powers where needed, Brearley said. No energy CEO can shirk their legal and moral responsibilities to protect their own customers, especially the most vulnerable. These are serious allegations for British Gas to deal with and we are opening a comprehensive investigation into British Gas on this issue. It is right British Gas has apologised following the very worrying allegations in The Times, but millions of customers expect action not warm words. British Gas, along with several more energy companies including EDF, have suspended the practice, while the Times has said Scottish Power and E.ON have also followed suit. OVO and Octopus Energy said they have not used the practice recently. Ofgems orders came just hours after ministers highly criticised British Gas and its owner Centrica for the controversial practice. Energy minister Graham Stuart has asked the energy giant to urgently outline redress for mistreated customers, while Business Secretary Grant Shapps described the forced pre-pay installations as outrageous. Stuart said he was horrified to read about the mistreatment of these customers, and said he would make sure justice prevails following a meeting with Centricas chief executive Chris OShea. He said: I have asked Mr. OShea to report back to me urgently outlining the role he will take personally to fix these very serious cultural issues. I told him I want to see these vulnerable, mistreated customers identified and redress provided. I will be monitoring matters extremely closely to make sure justice prevails. British Gas is one of a number of energy suppliers that have suspended pay-as-you-go installations. (Rui Vieira/PA) Shares Plunge Shares in Centrica plunged by more than 3 percent on Thursdayone of the worst performers on the FTSE 100 since the scandal broke. This follows The Times of London investigation which revealed how customers, including the vulnerable, were forced by British Gas onto the pay-as-you-go meters, or face having their gas switched off. An undercover reporter for the newspaper worked for debt-collecting contractor Arvato Financial Solutions and accompanied agents who used court warrants to gain entry into customers homes to force-fit the meters. The reporter witnessed agents from debt collecting company Arvato Financial Solutions breaking into the home of a single father of three young children with a locksmith to change the meter in sub-zero temperatures, meaning the family would have no heating unless they top up, according to the newspaper. Job notes involving British Gas customers in recent weeks also showed that a woman with severe mental health bipolar disorder, a woman who has mobility problems and is partially sighted, and a mother whose daughter is disabled and has a hoist and [an] electric wheelchair had their homes fitted with prepayment meters, the report said. Chris OShea, Centricas chief executive, has since described the practice as unacceptable. Protecting vulnerable customers is an absolute priority and we have clear processes and policies to ensure we manage customer debt carefully and safely, OShea said on Thursday. The allegations around our third-party contractor Arvato are unacceptable and we immediately suspended their warrant activity. The Epoch Times has reached out to Arvato Financial Solutions for comment. Last Resort Energy companies can obtain court warrants which give them legal rights to enter peoples homes and fit prepayment meters if customers have not paid their bills. Customers must then top up to continue receiving gas supplies and, if they fail to do so, they risk their heating being cutbut the government has said that forcible meter fittings should only ever be a last resort. Caroline Flint, chairwoman of the Beis-sponsored fuel poverty advisory committee, suggested conducting a review into whether the practice of forcibly installing energy prepayment meters should happen at all. Speaking to BBC Radio 4s Today programme on Friday, the former Labour MP said: I think energy companies have been given the benefit of the doubt on this for too long and now I think it is right to have this moratorium. But also, it is right to consider whether or not forced installation of meters should happen at all. Flint was also critical of the courts role in the affair, saying: We might need new laws but I think the courts need to look to themselves on this as well. I think there is a question about how these warrants seemed to have been waved through. Emma Pinchbeck, the chief executive of Energy UK, which represents suppliers, also told the BBC programme that putting households onto prepayment meters should be a last resort. There are really clear rules around thisprepay should be a last resort option to come after lots of contact with customers. It should never be the case that we are putting people on prepay who are in vulnerable circumstances. PA contributed to this report Commentary University of Lethbridge president Michael J. Mahons recent cancellation of a talk by Frances Widdowson marks yet another failure of Canadian universities to maintain open academic environments where candid speech and robust discourse are encouraged. Dr. Widdowson is a noted scholar of aboriginal issues whose views diverge from the mainstream narrative concerning Canadas treatment of its aboriginal peoples. Unlike Mr. Trudeau, for example, she doesnt think Canadians were genocidal. She believes that despite their many failings, residential schools bestowed educational benefits. And she has dissenting views concerning the vexed question of reconciliation. For many, shes a heretic. Dr. Widdowson was invited by Lethbridge philosophy professor Paul Viminitz to speak on How Woke-ism Threatens Academic Freedom. (A topic with which, alas, Dr. Widdowson is all too familiar. She was fired from Mount Royal University last year, accused of harassment and intimidation. Her case is in arbitration.) Predictably, student protesters objected to her presence on campus. At first, President Mahon refused calls to cancel Widdowsons talk and reiterated the universitys commitment to academic freedom. In his statement of Jan. 26, he wrote, the university protect [s] free inquiry and scholarship and Guest speakers are afforded the same freedom of expression as members of our campus community. He further noted that those who object to Dr. Widdowsons views may voice their disagreement, but they may not obstruct or interfere with others freedom of expression. Furthermore, Debate or deliberation on campus may not be suppressed because the ideas put forward are thought by some, or even most, to be offensive, unwise, immoral, or misguided. Dr. Mahon should be commended for his robust expression of quotidian truths concerning the norms of debate in the university (or at least these were the norms until about a moment ago). However, in that same missive, Dr. Mahon violated one of the sacred principles of academic ethics, namely, the need for the university to maintain institutional neutrality. As the universitys president, he wrote, We strongly disagree with assertions that seek to minimize the significant and detrimental impact of Canadas residential school system. It is not the place for a university to take sides in controversies. In 1967, the University of Chicagos Kalven Committee addressed the need for neutrality: a university must sustain an extraordinary environment of freedom of inquiry and maintain an independence from political fashions, passions, and pressures. A university, if it is to be true to its faith in intellectual inquiry, must embrace, be hospitable to, and encourage the widest diversity of views within its own community. Or to put the matter briefly, The university is the home and sponsor of critics; it is not itself the critic. But the story continues. A few days later, Dr. Mahon changed his mind about Dr. Widdowson and reversed his decision. In a letter on Jan. 31, he cited as the reason for her cancellation the safety of our diverse community. Moreover, disregarding the ideal of institutional neutrality, he wrote, We are committed to the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada. It is clear that the harm associated with this talk is an impediment to meaningful reconciliation. It needs to be stressed that it is not the place for a university to take a stand on a social issue, no matter how noble some members of the university community believe the cause to be. Dr. Widdowson has arrived at conclusions which differ from the narrative promoted by the government and its allies in the media and the chattering classes. But so what? If one disagrees with her, then the way to refute her views is with arguments and evidence, not by denying her a voice. By de-platforming her, the university has forsaken its mission. The viewpoint of an accomplished, knowledgeable and articulate scholar must, the university is saying, for the good of ends having nothing to do with scholarship or education, be dismissed out of hand rather than be discussed. President Mahon has denied the community of scholars at the University of Lethbridge the opportunity to hear a dissenting voice. Or, if you prefer, an opportunity to show Dr. Widdowson the errors of her ways. As Aristotle long ago recognized, democratic education ought to mean not the education that democrats happen to like, but the education that will preserve democracy. Universities, like the larger society they serve, require an open and unfettered exchange of ideas in order to thrive. Professors and studentsand visiting lecturersmust be given the freedom to speak their minds without fear of censure or denunciation. For it is only in the free exchange of ideas that we can come to know our own minds, develop our thinking, and test our ideas against the views of others. California State UniversitySan Marcos to Remove Founders Name The administration building at California State UniversitySan Marcos, which is named for the campuss founder, the late former state Sen. William A. Craven, will be renamed after the university systems board of trustees approved the change. The decision was made last month after the board received a report from a task forcecommissioned in 2021 by the campuss president, Ellen J. Neufeldtrecommended the change. Neufeldt had charged the task force to consider similar name changes at other universities, to evaluate the words and actions of Craven, and to consider the potential effects of continuing to associate his name and likeness with the campus. According to the task forces report on the issue, Craven suggested that all public schools in San Diego County make a count of suspected undocumented students using public services, and had made an insensitive remark regarding illegal immigrants during a hearing on border issues in 1993. There will be a lot of people who disagree with what Im going to say and it is just a thought that I had. It is not a philosophy. It seems rather strange that we go out of our way to take care of the rights of these individuals who are perhaps on the lower scale of our humanity for one reason or another and we really spend a lot of time and, obviously a lot of money, to discommode the people who pick up the tab to take care of the people that the law seems to favor, he said at the time. His remark was made during a seven-hour-long Senate hearing which included testimony from California residents, as well as heads of government agencies explaining the adverse effects they had suffered as a result of the large inflow of illegal immigrants. At the time, Craven was criticized for his comments, which some saw as racist. In response, however, he said that the comment was taken out of context amid a larger discussion and that he was only talking about the economic status of undocumented immigrants, according to the task forces report. Craven was remembered after his death in 1999 by former U.S. Rep. Randy Duke Cunningham (R-San Diego), who called him a courageous political leader with a tremendous commitment to public service who had represented the citizens of San Diego County for more than a quarter-century. However, it is his many accomplishments as a California state senator that will ensure his legacy, Cunningham said at the time addressing the U.S. Congress. The crown jewel of those accomplishments was the successful establishment of California State UniversitySan Marcos. The building will be temporarily renamed Administration Building until a working group recommends a new moniker, school officials said. Canada Monitoring Potential Second Incident Linked to Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Flagged by US In this picture obtained from social media, a balloon flies in the sky over Billings, Montana, on Feb. 1, 2023. (Chase Doak/via Reuters) Canada announced on Thursday it is coordinating with the United States to track a spy balloon high above the earth and that it was also monitoring a potential second incident. Canadas Department of National Defence announced that the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)a combined organization of the United States and Canadais actively tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon. The announcement reiterated what the Pentagon announced earlier on Thursday. The statement went on to say: Canadians are safe and Canada is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident. NORAD, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence, and other partners have been assessing the situation and working in close coordination, it added. Canadas intelligence agencies are working with American partners and continue to take all necessary measures to safeguard Canadas sensitive information from foreign intelligence threats. We remain in frequent contact with our American allies as the situation develops. The official Canadian and U.S. statements did not reference that the spy balloon is suspected to come from China. However, a senior Pentagon official told reporters on condition of anonymity that the department has a very high confidence that the balloon comes from China. The balloon flew over northwest United Statesthe site of sensitive airbases and strategic nuclear missiles, with the state of Montana being one of the three homes for U.S. siloed nuclear weapons. Clearly the intent of this balloon is for surveillance, the senior defense official said. And so the current flight path does carry it over a number of sensitive sites. First, our best assessment at the moment is that whatever the surveillance payload is on this balloon, it does not create significant value added over and above what the [Peoples Republic of China] is likely able to collect through things like satellites in Low Earth Orbit, the official said. But out of an abundance of caution, we have taken additional mitigation steps. Im not going to go into what those are. But we know exactly where this balloon is, exactly what it is passing over. And we are taking steps to be extra vigilant so that we can mitigate any foreign intelligence risk. The official added that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday had convened senior Pentagon leadership to determine whether the balloon should be shot down. But the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, and the commander of NORTHCOM, Gen. Glen VanHerck, strongly recommended not to take kinetic action due to the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field. The senior defense official said they have raised the issue with Chinese counterparts with urgency through their embassy here in Washington and through our embassy in Beijing. We have communicated to them the seriousness with which we take this issue, the official stated, adding: But we have made clear we will do whatever is necessary to protect our people and our homeland. And so if the risk profile that I described earlier, if that changes, we will have options to deal with this balloon. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Beijing was verifying the situation regarding the surveillance balloon. Until the facts are clarified, speculation and hype will not be helpful to the proper resolution of the issue, she told a regular daily briefing in Beijing on Friday. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced on Twitter he is requesting a Gang of Eight meeting in relation to the suspected Chinese spy balloon. Chinas brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed, and President [Joe] Biden cannot be silent, he added. The congressional Gang of Eighta colloquial termincludes the House speaker, House minority leader, Senate majority leader, as well as the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees. The members are responsible for congressional oversight of all intelligence agencies and are briefed on classified intelligence matters by the executive branch. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said: A Chinese spy balloon over the U.S. is alarming but not surprising. The level of espionage aimed at our country by Beijing has grown dramatically more intense & brazen over the last 5 years, he wrote on Twitter. Meanwhile, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said on Twitter that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken should cancel his trip to China. Blinken is expected to travel to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the coming days. Cotton also said on Twitter that Biden must answer why he has not secured U.S. airspace. Reuters contributed to this report. Canadian Militarys Surveillance System Should Be Better Equipped as China Sends Spy Balloons, Says Poilievre A balloon flies in the sky over Billings, Montana, on Feb. 1, 2023, in this picture obtained from social media. (Chase Doak/via REUTERS) The Canadian militarys surveillance systems should be better equipped to detect foreign incursions in Canadas airspace following the spotting of a Chinese spy balloon in the northern United States, says Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre. Why is it that our security and military apparatus does not have the ability to detect these kinds of unacceptable actions? Poilievre said during an interview with NTD Television, sister media of The Epoch Times, on Feb. 3. The Tory leader accused the Liberal government, which has been in power since 2015, of allowing Canada to become more vulnerable than ever to foreign regimes that try to spy on and interfere with our country. Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre holds a press conference in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Jan. 25, 2023.(The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick) Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly rises during Question Period, in Ottawa, on Nov. 24, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld) He was referring to a high-altitude surveillance balloon spotted hovering in American airspace near Billings, Montana, that the Pentagon said was most certainly launched by Beijing. Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said in response to the incident that she has spoken to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and that the Canadian government is collaborating with our American partners and continue to take all necessary measures to safeguard Canadas sensitive information. Earlier in the day, the U.S. State Department said that Blinken has decided to postpone his upcoming trip to Beijing over the incident. The Department of National Defence (DND) said it is working with Washington to track the balloon while also monitoring a potential second incident. The Epoch Times asked DND if the balloon entered Canadian airspace, but didnt receive a response. A report by Global News citing sources says the balloon spent some time in Canadian airspace. Global Affairs Canada said in a statement that it has summoned Chinas ambassador, Cong Peiwu, to explain the balloons presence. Chinese authorities have confirmed the balloon is from China, but say it was launched by a civilian for weather-research purposes and flew off course. Surveillance The incident comes after Auditor General Karen Hogan warned in November 2022 that Canadas northern surveillance equipment is outdated and incomplete, leaving both the Canadian Armed Forces and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) handicapped in their efforts to monitor possible foreign incursions. Hogan said in an audit that the federal government has failed for years to take the required action to address longstanding gaps affecting its surveillance of Canadas Arctic waters. NORADs deputy commander, Gen. Alain Pelletier, told a Parliamentary committee prior to Hogans audit that Canadas ability to detect Chinese and Russian aerial incursions in the Arctic is very limited. He added that NORADs North Warning System is in urgent need of modernization, as it was designed in the 1980s. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra responded to Hogans audit by saying that Canada is committed to addressing long-standing gaps in Arctic maritime domain awareness. Its not accurate to say that its wide open and its not being monitored. Its being monitored, Alghabra told reporters on Nov. 15, 2022, adding, The auditor general highlighted areas of improvement. Mimi Nguyen Ly and NTDs Vivian Yu contributed to this report. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is booted off the Foreign Affairs Committee. Democrats say its a politically charged act of revenge, while Republicans say its about national security. The House voted on a bill to condemn the horrors of socialism, with majorities on both sides of the aisle agreeing. But some lawmakers spoke against the resolution. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) joins us to discuss the House bill denouncing socialism. She also highlights the threats posed by the Chinese communist regime. Hunter Biden is asking federal agencies to investigate the possible illegal handling of personal data on his infamous laptop. This marks the first time hes acknowledged the laptop was really his. An attorney for former President Donald Trump joins us to discuss President Joe Bidens files. Find out how she compares the two discoveries of classified documents. A comprehensive report on guns and crime has been releasedthe first from the federal government in over 20 years. CCP Eager to Improve Trade Relations With Australia as Chinese Economy Sinks Into Crisis Mode A coal train awaits loading at BHP Billiton's Mt. Arthur coal mine in Muswellbrook, Australia. In October 2020, the CCP banned the import of Australian coal after former Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and former Prime Minister Scott Morrison publicly called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to launch an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19. (Ian Waldie/Getty Images) Australian Minister for Trade Don Farrell recently stated that Australia is committed to lifting its ban on AUD$20 billion (approx. $ 13.9 billion) worth of trade with China after the Chinese ambassador stated that China would lift the ban on coal imports from Australia. This comes as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempts to improve Chinas trade relations during its economic crisis. The Australian government released the conversation between Trade Minister Don Farrell and Sky News Australia on Jan. 30. Farrell said that one of the most important things he would discuss with China was the removal of high tariffs on major Australian exports, including wine, meat, lobster, and wheat. He also said that the Chinese regimes response had been very positive. Before the Chinese ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, publicly stated on Jan. 10 that China is seeking to lift the ban on coal imports from Australia, several Chinese state media outlets had already reported that the ban on coal imports from Australia might be lifted. The Shenzhen Securities Times said on Jan. 5 that several CCP officials had met with industry leaders on Jan. 3 to discuss the resumption of Australian coal imports and that the ban would be lifted as early as April 1 this year. In October 2020, the CCP banned the import of Australian coal after former Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and former Prime Minister Scott Morrison publicly called on the World Health Organization (WHO) in April 2020 to launch an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19. The former Chinese Ambassador to Australia, Cheng Jingye, threatened serious economic consequences as a result of Australias push for an investigation. Changing Foreign Policy In the May 2022 elections, the Australian Labor Party returned to power after nine years. New Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Jan. 13 that China is Australias major trading partner and it is in the interests of both countries to continue to develop a positive relationship. In an interview with The Epoch Times on Jan. 30, Professor Feng Chongyi, at the University of Technology Sydney, discussed the impact of increased economic and trade relations between Australia and China on future political ties between the two countries. Feng said: China is in a deep economic crisis with a collapsing real estate sector and shrinking government finances. The CCP is keen to improve its foreign relations to save the economy, and Australia is one of its main targets. Feng further said that the CCP wishes to control the entire South China Sea and to invade Taiwan, which will hurt Australias interests in the long run in regard to freedom of navigation in the region. At the same time, the CCP is currently expanding its influence in the Pacific Islands both economically and militarily, which also poses a threat to Australia since Australia is a U.S. ally. Impact of Chinas Sanctions Feng pointed out that the previous Australian government established a series of policies against the CCP with strong public support, so there are factors that prevent the current ruling Labor Party from going too far to reverse any of them. The CCP actually failed to restrict Australian coal exports in 2020 and has instead helped to create another market for Australia. Australia had largely completed restructuring its coal exports by 2021. Australias largest coal supplier, Glencore, exported 15.5 million tons of coal in the third quarter of 2021 (pdf), a 15 percent increase over the same period in 2020. The Australian governments December 2022 Resources and Energy Quarterly (pdf) shows that in the fiscal year 2021-22, the main importers of Australian metallurgical coal were India, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, and Taiwan; the main importers of Australian thermal coal were Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand. This shows that Australias coal industry performed well despite Chinas import ban. In 2020, the CCP banned the import of Australian beef from four major Australian meat exporters on May 12; on May 18, it imposed an 80 percent tariff on Australian barley; on June 5, it warned Chinese citizens not to travel to Australia; and on June 9, it advised Chinese students to avoid studying in Australia. In the face of heavy pressure from the CCP, Australias then-Prime Minister Morrison responded that he would never sacrifice Australian values in exchange for trade with China. CCPs Hostage Diplomacy Currently, two Chinese-born Australian citizens, journalist Cheng Lei and writer Yang Hengjun, have been jailed in China, without trial and without any clear reasons, for over two years. This action has strained relations between the two countries. Professor Feng Chongyi believes that the CCP might use the two Australian citizens as bargaining chips since it does not cost China anything to release them. It is still unclear how they offended the CCP. Chinas arbitrary detention of the two is another example of the CCPs hostage diplomacy. Cheng Lei, formerly a well-known Australian anchorwoman for the CCPs state broadcaster CGTN, was formally arrested in February 2021 after being detained by the Chinese authorities on Aug. 13, 2020, in Beijing on alleged espionage charges. Hengjun Yang, an Australian-Chinese writer, flew from New York to Guangzhou, China in January 2019 and then disappeared before the Australian government confirmed that he was detained in China. Professor Feng Chongyi was Yang Hengjuns supervisor during his doctoral studies at the University of Technology Sydney. Chinas Xi Is at a Breaking PointWill He Resist or Surrender? Commentary Russias foreign ministry recently announced that Chinese leader Xi Jinping will visit Russia in the spring and possibly in February, but the Chinese side has not confirmed. On Dec. 30 last year, when Russian President Vladimir Putin and Xi held a video call, Putin extended an invitation to Xi, and Russian media reported on it. But Chinese state-run media deliberately concealed the invitation in their coverage of the meeting. The Chinese medias response reflects Xis hesitation. He does not want to be tied to Putin, who could lose the war with Ukraine. If Russia becomes weak economically and militarily, Xi is worried that China would lose a powerful ally and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will be even more isolated in the international community. This is why Xi did not immediately agree to Putins invitation. Furthermore, Xi may have wanted to wait and see how the Russia-Ukraine war would progress. If Russia wins, Xi would go to Russia to show his determination to reshape the international order; but if Russia loses, Xi does not want Putin to drag him down, just as he has not provided concrete military aid to Russia after repeated warnings from the United States. Now, it seems that Xi has already made up his mind to visit Russia. This judgment is based on two reasons. First, Wang Yi, a member of the Politburo and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Working Committee, will visit Russia at the beginning of February. Usually, a foreign minister-level visit precedes an exchange of visits between the two heads of state, setting the tone for what the leaders will talk about and what results they may achieve. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow on July 4, 2017. (Mikhail Klimentiev/AFP/Getty Images) The second reason is related to the latest developments in the Taiwan StraitU.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will be visiting Taiwan later this year. Theres not much the CCP can do about McCarthys trip. When former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022, the CCP issued war threats through civilian channels and provocative actions through semi-official channels (such as retired Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin), including the possibility of Chinese military aircraft accompanying Pelosis plane. Instead, the CCP waited until Pelosi left Taiwan and then staged a military drill. So Xis visit to Russia would show the United States and the West that Sino-Russia ties are stronger than ever. How far can Sino-Russian cooperation go? A brief history of Xis childhood might give us a clue. Xi Jinpings father, former Vice Premier Xi Zhongxun, was persecuted by Mao Zedong during the Cultural Revolution, and Xi Jinping himself was implicated in several detentions and investigations in Beijing. He later left Beijing to save his own life, and followed other young people to the countryside in Yanan during the Down to the Countryside Movement launched by Mao. The campaign urged educated young people to move to the rural areas to learn the lifestyle of the peasants. Unable to endure the poverty and hardship in the countryside, Xi Jinping fled back to Beijing. Gradually he became one of the most hard-working communist youths. Given the harsh treatment that Xis family endured, most people would assume that Xi abhors Mao and the CCP. On the contrary, Xi worships Mao, and many of his policies lead China back to the Cultural Revolution. Why? Dr. Enrico Suardi, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University, said at The Institute of World Politics: Xi Jinping and his family were, without questions, the victims of the aggression of the communist authorities. His psychological defense was to identify with the aggressor. And so I use the concept of post-traumatic growth here. Spiritual development, finding new possibilities in life, active problem solving, finding meaning and purpose. Xis childhood experience shows that when he finds his opponents too powerful for him to overcome, he strives to become one of them. While this may not be the case in competition with democracies, it does show a high likelihood that he may be open to compromise. Xis abrupt ending of his zero-COVID policy, and the abandonment of his signature economic policies and anti-corruption efforts suggest the possibility of a sudden shift in his stance due to tremendous pressure. If we believe that this is a trait of Xis spiritual world, then what we need to do is not to guide him, but to put more pressure on him in key areas, including the military, diplomatic, economic, and political spheres. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Beijing (Gasgoo)- On February 2, AVATR Technology (AVATR), the new energy vehicle company backed by Changan Automobile, CATL, and Huawei, announced that Li Pengcheng, the former CEO assistant of XPeng, joined the company as vice president, CMO (Chief Marketing Officer), and deputy general manager of AVATRs user development center. Photo credit: AVATR Li Pengcheng is responsible for all AVATRs brand marketing related work, specifically in charge of the brand planning and strategy, product communication, public relations (PR), user experience and operation departments under the user development center, reporting to Tan Benhong, AVATR's chairman, CEO, and general manager of the user development center. Prior to joining AVATR Technology, Li Pengcheng once worked for global car brands, Chinese new energy vehicle brands, and internet user operation platforms. In 2019, Li Pengcheng joined Chinese new energy vehicle startup XPeng as general manager of brand public relations, responsible for the brand communication and PR matters of the startup, reporting directly to XPeng's chairman and CEO, He Xiaopeng. In November 2022, XPeng went through an internal organizational restruction, and Li's position was changed from vice president and general manager of PR to CEO assistant. In early December 2022, Li Pengcheng left the startup. Chinese Spy Balloon Can Maneuver, Will Stay in US for Few Days, Pentagon Says The Chinese surveillance balloon that floated over U.S. airspace is maneuverable and is currently in the central United States, a top Pentagon official told reporters on Feb. 3. The balloon, which had hovered over the state of Montana where nuclear silos are housed, has a large payload underneath the surveillance component of the balloon, according to Defense Department spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder. It is currently heading eastward at an altitude of about 60,000 feet, Ryder said, adding that he expects the balloons continued presence in the United States over the next few days. He didnt provide a specific location of the balloon, saying that its changing by the hour. We know the balloon has violated U.S. airspace and international law, which is unacceptable, Ryder said in a press briefing. We have conveyed this directly to the PRC at multiple levels, and in terms of specific locations I will not be able to go into specific locations other than to say it is moving eastward at this time, he said, using the acronym of the Peoples Republic of China. He said the balloon is maneuverable and has changed its course, which is why we are monitoring it, but refused to go into the timing of such change or how the Pentagon has been tracking it, when pressed by reporters. We know this is a Chinese balloon and it has the ability to maneuver, Ryder said. We assess the balloon does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. We will continue to monitor and review options. The balloon flew from China, then to the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and through northwest Canada before arriving somewhere in Montana on Wednesday, according to reports. The balloon has a surveillance device underneath large enough to be concerning if there were a debris field, according to Ryder. He said his department is monitoring the balloon closely and reviewing options. The Pentagon previously said it considered shooting down the balloon but eventually decided against the idea due to the potential risk for civilians on the ground posed by the debris. Ryder declined to say whether such action is still under consideration, maintaining that this is classified information. In this picture obtained from social media, a balloon flies in the sky over Billings, Montana, on Feb. 1, 2023. (Chase Doak/via Reuters) A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Mont., on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm for people on the ground, officials said Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. The Pentagon would not confirm that the balloon in the photo was the surveillance balloon. (Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP) A defense official also said the Pentagon had assessed that the balloon has limited value in terms of providing intelligence it couldnt obtain by other technologies, such as spy satellites. The Pentagon also put in place unspecified mitigation measures, the official said. It remains unclear how much or what sensitive information the balloon has gathered. The Chinese regime on Friday claimed the device is a civilian balloon doing meteorological research that had deviated far from its planned course due to forces beyond its control. Once the balloon was detected, we acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information, Ryder said. Earlier on Friday, Washington postponed a planned trip to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in response to the balloons discovery. President Joe Biden, at a press briefing focused on the U.S. economy on Friday morning, ignored a question about the visits postponement. The presence of this balloon in our airspace is a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law, and it is unacceptable that this has occurred, a senior State Department official told reporters. Ryder, when asked about Beijings statement, reiterated the same position. We are aware of the PRC statement. The fact is we know it is a surveillance balloon, he said. We know the balloon has violated U.S. airspace and international law, which is unacceptable. we have conveyed this directly to the PRC at multiple levels. Chinese State Council to Face Huge Personnel Changes, Indicating Xi Jinpings Purge of Li Keqiangs Influence The Chinese Communist Party's infighting mode may cause internal conflicts in the Xi factions: Analysis Party leader Xi Jinping votes at the closing of the 19th Communist Party Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Oct. 24, 2017. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) News Analysis The Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) State Council is reportedly carrying on large-scale personnel alternatives, with almost all the current leaderships expected to be shunned. Experts believe that the move partly suggests a deep grudge between the CCP head Xi Jinping and premier Li Keqiang. Li Keqiang was excluded from the list of the central committee members at the 20th party congress on Oct. 22 last year, during which Xi successfully secured his third term. According to Party practice, Li Keqiang will officially step down from his position in the coming 14th National Peoples Congress that convenes on March 5, 2023. Li Keqiang is supposed to have a month left in his term, but Xis men have been looking to take over the State Council, the CCPs top policy-making body. Hong Kong-based Ming Pao published an article on Jan. 26 saying that Xis administration will finalize the staffing of the State Council at the second session of the twentieth Central Committee in February 2023, personnel will be completely replaced, none of the old leadership will remain, and major changes will occur in the heads of ministries. Of the 37 constituent departments, agencies, and offices of the State Council, 27 heads were recently replaced or will be replaced within a year, and at least 70 percent of the heads of ministries are expected to be replaced. The change of leadership is unprecedented in the history of the State Council, the article said. Xis purge of Lis influence in the State Council was thorough, Wang Juntao, chairman of the National Committee and a prominent pro-democracy activist, told The Epoch Times on Jan. 29. Chinas Premier Li Keqiang speaks during a news conference following the closing of the second session of the 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People on March 20, 2018 in Beijing, China. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) A Deep Grudge Between Xi and Li According to Ming Pao, the current premier Li Keqiang, vice-premier Han Zheng, Sun Chunlan, Hu Chunhua, and Liu He, as well as State Council members Wei Fenghe, Wang Yong, Wang Yi, Xiao Jie, and Zhao Kezhi, will all leave the State Council. Wang said that the State Council has become an entity that must implement Xis ideas. The party and government are completely integrated, and Xi said the party should lead everything, so he decides all the personnel appointments. Chen Pokong, a U.S.-based commentator on current affairs, said on Jan. 29 in his YouTube commentary program that the complete change in personnel signals that Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang have long had a deep grudge toward one another. In late May 2020, Li said at a press conference that China has 600 million people earning an average of about 1,000 yuan ($148) per month. This statement was seen as a public rebuttal to Xis so-called realization of a moderately prosperous society by 2020. Chen further noted that Xi will replace all of Li Keqiangs people in the State Council with his own close confidantes, or at least the prospective Xi faction. In this case, the separation pattern of party and government, which was put up along with the reform and opening up policy at the end of 1978, will be totally subverted, Chen said. According to Chen, after the Mao era, the CCP emphasized the separation of the State Councils administrative system from the Partys administrative system. However, in the Xi era, Xi has rejected governing proposals from premier Li Keqiang in every possible way and inserted the Xi faction directly into the State Council, which has made all departments virtual and placed real power in his own hands. The consequences [of the totalitarian rule] will be even worse than those of Mao Zedong, Chen said. On the other hand, by Chens analysis, Li Keqiang and his men probably took the initiative to leave last October at the party congress when Xi was able to remain in his post as CCP leader for the next five years. Wang shared a similar opinion that those CCP senior officials know that once the top leader, like Xi, orders something to be done, they must carry it out, and they must bear the consequences, some are not willing to work for Xi anymore as they feel that if they do, they will have to take the blame for him in the future. Under Xis rule, a years-long zero-COVID policy and a U-turn on the harsh anti-pandemic approach have plunged the country into an economic recession and left millions of people on the brink of an existential crisis, some even losing their lives. Regardless of who initiated the personnel changes in the State Council, the two [Xi and Li] are in a deep feud in political opinion, Chen said. How Xi Appoints Officials Wang believes that Xis principle of appointing officials is not based on their intelligence quotient nor emotional quotient, but on their personal loyalty to him. On Jan. 29, 2016, the Political Bureau proposed that cadres enhance the four consciousnesses of the CCP, namely: political consciousness, unity consciousness, core consciousness, and aligned consciousness. In September 2018, the Political Bureau put forward two maintenances: resolutely upholding centralized leadership of the Party and Central Committee; resolutely maintaining the core of the Central Committee and the core of the Party as a whole, as party general secretary Xi Jinping. Cadres who are not in accordance with the four consciousnesses and two maintenances will be tossed from Xis power circle, Wang said. According to Ming Pao, Xis new leadership of the State Council includes Li Qiang as premier, Ding Xuexiang as executive vice premier, and three vice premiers He Lifeng, Liu Guozhong, and Zhang Guoqing, respectively; the State Council members will likely be Wang Xiaohong (who is also the Minister of Public Security), Li Shangfu (who is also the Minister of National Defense), Wu Zhenglong (who is also the Secretary General of the State Council), Shen Yiqin, and Qin Gang (who is also the Foreign Minister). Chinese Party leader Xi Jinping (L) walks with (2nd L to R) Li Qiang, Li Xi, Zhao Leji, Ding Xuexiang, Wang Huning and Cai Qi, members of the Chinese Communist Partys new Politburo Standing Committee, the nations top decision-making body, as they meet the media in Beijing on Oct. 23, 2022. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images) Xis Local Factions Is Xi really a winner-take-all? Chen holds the view that a new power struggle will soon take place within the CCP. Even if Xis men are dominant, there will soon be infighting as it can be divided into six major factions. Xis men include officials from Shanghai, Fujian Province, Zhejiang Province, and his fathers hometown province of Shaanxi, making up the four local factions; there is also the Tsinghua faction, which was developed by Chen Xi, head of the Organization Department of Central Committee, from Tsinghua University; and the military-industrial faction, led by Li Ganjie and Zhang Guoqing, who are now members of the Politburo of the Central Committee and have been provincial party secretaries, according to Chen. In addition, there is also a Xis wifes fraction, that is, Peng Liyuan, Xis wife, who is related to officials in Shandong Province. For example, Ma Xingrui, who is now secretary of the Xinjiang Party Committee and a member of the Politburo, is from Shandong Province, and Yin Li, secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, is also from Shandong Province, Chen said. He believes that the struggles within the CCP have never ceased, and this characteristic of the CCP determines that the six factions will soon be in a wrangling mode. Regarding issues around who will be Xis successor, there will definitely be a bloody and fierce battle ahead, said Chen, adding that in the Politburo Standing Committee alone, there are several major factions. For example, Ding Xuexiang, Director of the Central State Security Commission Office, represents the Shanghai faction; Cai Qi, Secretary of the Central Secretariat, represents the Fujian faction; and Li Qiang represents the Zhejiang fraction. Each of these factions will soon grow their membership in this organ system. In this respect, Xi may have driven his opponents supporters out of the State Council, but he can never keep the peace throughout his administration, Chen said. Kane Zhang contributed to this report. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. CIA Chief Warns of Chinas Serious Intent to Invade Taiwan by 2027 The United States is aware as a matter of intelligence that Chinese leader Xi Jinping has ordered his military to be prepared to invade Taiwan by 2027, CIA Director William Burns said on Thursday. Burns said that Xis order to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) military may not represent his timeline for the CCPs invasion of Taiwan, but it demonstrates his seriousness in pursuing this goal. Our assessment at CIA is that I wouldnt underestimate President Xis ambitions with regard to Taiwan, Burns said at an event at Georgetown University in Washington. Burns said he believes that Xi was likely unsettled by the Russian militarys performance in the Ukraine war and that he likely tried to evaluate the effectiveness of Russias weapons systems in Ukraine for his ambition toward Taiwan. The CIA chief also warned against underestimating the motivation behind the China-Russia no limits partnership declared last year. I think its a mistake to underestimate the mutual commitment to that partnership, but its not a friendship totally without limits, Burns noted. China has refrained from condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, citing Russias legitimate concerns on security issues as justification. In February 2022, the two nations declared a no limits partnership. According to their joint statement, Russia said it recognized Taiwan as an inalienable part of China and rejected Taiwans independence in any form, while the CCP backed Russias opposition to the enlargement of NATO. Taiwans Independence Taiwan has been a self-governing democracy since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949. Still, the CCP regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be united with mainland China by any means necessary. Chinese incursions into Taiwan have occurred almost daily as the CCP has increased military pressure on the self-ruled island. Taiwans military detected 23 Chinese aircraft and four vessels on Feb. 2, with 17 of the aircraft crossing the Taiwan Straits median line. Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said on Jan. 18 that China is more likely to make a move against Taiwan in 2027 as he believed that Xi might see aggression against Taiwan as a way to leave a legacy from his third term in office. In 2027, Xi Jinping is likely to go into his fourth term. And if in his previous three terms, he cannot claim any achievement during his office, he might need to think about something else for him to claim as his achievement or his legacy, Wu said in an interview with Sky News. Suspected CCP Spy Balloon Burns said that China represents the biggest geopolitical challenge to the United States, and that global competition with the CCP could be more intense than it was with the Soviet Union. Competition with China is unique in its scale, and that it really, you know, unfolds over just about every domain, not just military, and ideological, but economic, technological, everything from cyberspace, to space itself as well, he said. Separately, the U.S. Department of Defense announced on Thursday that it had been monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that had been hovering over the continental United States. The balloon was detected over Montana on Wednesday. Pentagon press secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the U.S. authorities acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information, but he did not elaborate. A senior defense official said the U.S. government has communicated with the CCP regime about the issue with urgency. It also appears that this is not the first time such a balloon has been seen above the United States. Currently, we assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collective collection perspective, the official said, according to the DOD. But we are taking steps, nevertheless, to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information. The U.S. authorities decided not to shoot down the balloon and instead allowed it to keep floating over the country following recommendations from defense officials. We did assess that it was large enough to cause damage from the debris field if we downed it over an area, the official said. I cant really go into the dimensionbut there have been reports of pilots seeing this thing, even though its pretty high up in the sky. So its sizable. Reuters contributed to this report. Conagra Recalls 2.6 Million Pounds of Meat Products Following Contamination Risk American consumer packaged goods company Conagra Brands is recalling millions of pounds of meat products after U.S. authorities deemed them a potential health risk due to likely contamination. Chicago-based Conagra is recalling roughly 2,581,816 pounds of canned meat and poultry products, the U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) announced in a recall alert on Jan. 31.The recall was initiated from a packaging defect found in products which can result in the items getting contaminated. No outward signs of contamination might be visible. Recalled products were manufactured between Dec. 12, 2022, and Jan. 13, 2023. The items, which were shipped to retail stores across America, have P4247 listed on the cans. The problem was discovered when the establishment notified FSIS after observing spoiled and/or leaking cans from multiple production dates at the establishments warehouse, the alert said. Subsequent investigation by the establishment determined that the cans subject to recall may have been damaged in a manner that is not readily apparent to consumers, which may allow foodborne pathogens to enter the cans. Dangers of Consuming Recalled Products The recalled Conagra products are being sold nationwide under the brand names of Hargis, Great Value (Walmart), Kroger, Amour Star, Prairie Belt, Valrico, Grace, Hereford, and Goya. The products come in several varieties and flavors like jalapeno and barbecue. Products include Amour Star Chicken Vienna Sausage-27.6 ounce, Great Value Vienna Sausage-4.6 ounce, Hargis House Potted Meat-3 ounce, Valrico Chicken Vienna Sausage-4.6 ounce, and so on. The full list of items can be found here (pdf), and the labels here (pdf). Many items feature expiry dates in December 2024. No confirmed reports of adverse reactions resulting from consumption have been received. The alert asked people concerned about illness or injury caused by consuming the items to contact a healthcare provider. Those who have already purchased the recalled products have been asked not to consume them and instead throw the products away or return them to the place of purchase. The biggest risk of cans that are bulging, leaking, or badly dented is that the food could be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, which you cant see or taste. The toxin it produces can be deadly even in very small amounts, said James E. Rogers, Ph.D., director of food safety research and testing at nonprofit organization Consumer Reports. A spokesperson from Conagra told the organization that they have informed retailers about the recall and are moving items off the shelves. Listeria Contamination Recall The Conagra recall came as FSIS issued another recall a couple of days earlier for 52,914 pounds of ready-to-eat sausage products manufactured by Daniele International. The sausages were manufactured between May 23Nov. 25, 2022. An FSIS inspection had found that the surfaces in which these products came into contact had the presence of bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. Less commonly, persons outside these risk groups are affected, the Jan. 29th recall warned. Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. In addition, Listeria infection can end up spreading beyond the gastrointestinal tract. It can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women as well as result in premature delivery or life-threatening infection for the infant. No adverse reactions from consuming these products were reported at the time of recall. On Dec. 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced recalling 200-gram packages of Enoki Mushrooms manufactured by Glendale-based Utopia Foods that were imported from China. These items were also judged to potentially be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Rep. Patrick Ryan Talks Legislative Priorities at First Town Hall New York 18th District Congressman Patrick Ryan speaks at his first town hall since election in Beacon, New York, on Feb. 2, 2023. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times) Newly elected U.S. Rep. Patrick Ryan (D-N.Y.) told district residents that two of his legislative priorities are environment and veteran issues at a Beacon town hall on Feb. 2. Ryan represents New Yorks 18th District, which includes all of Orange County, the bulk of Dutchess County, and a southern portion of Ulster County. He said he was interested in bills or projects that combine job creation with environmental protection, citing the recent expansion of Canadian battery manufacturer Zinc8 in Ulster County. The manufacturer just chose the county to build its U.S. headquarters, promising 500 new jobs. Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.), speaks to reporters at the National Purple Heart Museum in New Windsor, N.Y., on Nov. 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink) Ryan was appointed in late January to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, with a seat on its water subcommittee, which he said he had fought to get on. [The committee] not only overseas infrastructure spending and policy, but also has a huge say in water protection, water resources, and other environmental issues, he said. At a macro level, the thing that I come back to over and over, as a foundation, is waterwater access, water cleanliness it is so important, he added. Ryan noted an upcoming Environmental Protection Agency ruling that would lower the threshold for persistent chemical contaminants in drinking water, which is likely to prompt new legislation to bring water up to the new standard. Veterans As for veteran issues, Ryan said he would work to keep the Castle Point VA Hospital open and expand new medical services at VA hospitals in his district. Last year, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs issued a report that recommends the closure of Castle Point, which has so far escaped the fate partly due to strong advocacy by veteran groups. Im really worried that once [the report] is out there, it can rear its head again. So, we may call on vets again to rally to make sure we keep it open, Ryan said. He plans to advocate for more mental health resources, obstetrics and gynecology practices, and senior living options at local VA hospitals. A student asks a question at the first town hall of newly elected New York 18th District Congressman Patrick Ryan in Beacon, New York, on Feb. 2, 2023. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times) Ryan also mentioned the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics law that was passed last year, adding that his office would assist district veterans in getting their due share. The law is one of the largest expansions of veteran benefits in the nations history. The other House Committee that he was assigned to is Armed Services, which oversees defense budgets. [I will support] our military, making smart decisions about how we are spending our defense dollars, which certainly havent always been done, in my opinion, he said. Concerns of Local Residents At the town hall, Ryan also listened to district residents about their concerns about the lack of funding for autist adults, vaccine safety, and election integrity. One resident asked if Ryan was interested in founding and chairing a Common-Sense Caucus in Congress to bridge the partisan divide for the good of the country. It is at a time when we are dealing with massive issues that require real collaboration in good faith that Congress couldnt even organize itself, he said. We have to figure out how to make it work. A resident asks a question at the first town hall of newly elected New York 18th District Congressman Patrick Ryan in Beacon, New York, on Feb. 2, 2023. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times) He said to a hundred or so town hall participants, Thank you for caring enough to come out on a Thursday night. This makes me more optimistic about our country. I hope this is the beginning of more discussions, more conversations. Hold me accountable. Please tell me how Im doing, right and wrong, he added. He said he would set up field offices in all three counties and host more town halls across the district. A fifth-generation Ulster County resident, Ryan graduated from West Point, served in the Iraq War, and owned a technology company before winning a special election to succeed Mike Hein as Ulster County Executive in 2019. Last September, he won another special election to represent New Yorks 19th Congressional District, after which he was reelected to the neighboring 18th District for a full term. Corporate Lawsuit Dodge Imperiled After Court Rejects J&J Bankruptcy Tactic The Johnson & Johnson logo on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York on May 29, 2019. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters) Attorney Greg Gordon, a partner at the Jones Day law firm, offered an innovative solution to Johnson & Johnson and other major companies that faced mountains of lawsuits alleging their products sickened or killed people: They could use the bankruptcy system to force all plaintiffs into one settlement. It required fancy legal footworkcreating a subsidiary to shoulder all the liability, then putting that new company into Chapter 11. Plaintiffs lawyers attacked the gambit, known as the Texas two-step, charging it amounted to a bad-faith bankruptcy filing and a fraudulent ploy to shield the parent companies assets. Not so, Gordon told judges overseeing bankruptcies testing the novel strategy. The parent firms, he said, would give these subsidiaries plenty of moneybillions of dollarsto compensate plaintiffs. It turns out that Gordons play to reassure bankruptcy judges created a new legal problem. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday stopped the music on J&Js two-step, ruling that its cash-flush subsidiary had no legitimate claim to bankruptcy protection because it wasnt in financial distress. The ruling forces J&J back into trial courts to battle nearly 40,000 lawsuits and casts a cloud over the legality of the Texas two-step strategy. The plaintiffs allege J&Js talc products, including Baby Powder, caused cancer, which the company denies. The appeal court judges reasoning underscored what some legal experts call an inherent contradiction: bankruptcies being executed by multinational firms worth billions of dollars that were in little danger of running out of money to pay plaintiff-creditors. The panel dismissed the main argument underpinning Gordons and the companies primary defense of the strategy. The companies had contended the bankruptcies served the greater good of all parties, including plaintiffs, by delivering fair payouts more efficiently and equitably than the lottery offered by trial courts. The decision rejected the idea that a profitable company can force personal-injury claimants out of jury trials, and into a bankruptcy court, merely by arguing that doing so is more efficient than the civil justice system, said Melissa Jacoby, a professor at University of North Carolina School of Law with expertise in bankruptcy law. Gordon and Jones Day did not respond to requests for comment. A lawyer for Johnson & Johnsons subsidiary said in a statement that the company would seek a rehearing of the panels decision by the full 3rd Circuit court. The attorney, Neal Katyal, said the potential cost of fighting the lawsuits justified the bankruptcy filing. Reuters last year detailed the secret planning of Texas two-steps by Johnson & Johnson and other major firms in a series of reports exploring corporate attempts to evade lawsuits through bankruptcies. The judges reasoning on J&J, as a precedent, heightens the legal hurdles for companies pursuing the novel strategy. The ruling could leave two-stepping firms caught between the conflicting demands of bankruptcy courts and the appeals courts that are likely to hear more challenges to the tactic. Bankruptcy judges, for their part, are loath to approve any move that blocks creditors from tapping debtor assets. Their courts crack down on firms that try, for instance, to shield money by moving it out of company accounts before filing for Chapter 11, known as a fraudulent transfer of assets. Plaintiffs opposing two-step bankruptcies have alleged the tactic amounts to a creative fraudulent transfer because it shields the firm being sued by shifting its liabilities to a new shell company. Gordon said at a bankruptcy attorneys conference last April that J&J and three other firms attempting two-steps countered such concerns by agreeing to unlimited funding of their subsidiaries. The new units had ample cash to pay claims, the reasoning went, so fraud couldnt possibly be the intent. We dont even want to have an argument about fraudulent transfers, Gordon said. Gordons strategy worked in bankruptcy court but set up J&J for failure when it faced the 3rd Circuit appeals panel. J&Js assertions that it generously financed its subsidiary, LTL Management, undercut any claim of financial peril, the judges ruled. We take J&J and LTL at their word and agree that the subsidiary had plenty of money, wrote Circuit Judge Thomas Ambro, explaining why LTL did not qualify for bankruptcy. The judge noted that J&Js promise of unlimited funding was essentially an ATM for the subsidiary, insulating it from any threat to its financial viability. 50 Years of Litigation? Johnson & Johnson now finds itself facing the same mountain of litigation that prompted its bankruptcy gambit. Gordon, at the bankruptcy conference, described the lawsuits as completely unmanageable and a dire threat to J&J that could go on for decades. The companys costs of verdicts, settlements, and legal fees soared to about $4.5 billion in five years, he said. How do you litigate 40,000 cases? How do you deal with the fact youre getting 10,000 more per year, and theyre anticipated to continue for the next 50 years? Gordon asked. What do you do about that as a company, no matter how big you are? Johnson & Johnson, with a market capitalization of more than $400 billion, argues that the avalanche of lawsuits posed a serious financial threat. The current situation, with a significant volume of current and future claims, and a plaintiff bar business model primed to generate more, is exactly the sort of ongoing and future financial distress that courts have recognized as serving a valid bankruptcy purpose, Katyal, the lawyer for J&Js subsidiary, said in a statement to Reuters. J&J faces a steep challenge in seeking to overturn the bankruptcy dismissal, two legal experts said. The full 3rd Circuit is unlikely to reverse Judge Ambro because he is an expert in bankruptcy law, said Jacoby, the University of North Carolina law professor. And the U.S. Supreme Court typically intervenes only when there are conflicting decisions among courts of appeal, said Lindsey Simon, a University of Georgia School of Law professor. The 3rd Circuit is the only appeals court that has weighed in so far, but other circuits could soon take up challenges to similar bankruptcy filings. Creative Lawyers In addition to J&J, four other firms have pursued subsidiary bankruptcies aimed at halting dangerous-product lawsuits. Three of the firms executed Texas two-steps, with the help of Gordon and Jones Day: global construction giant Saint-Gobain and manufacturers Georgia-Pacific and Trane Technologies. (The strategy gets its name from the Texas law used to divide the company being sued into two, creating the subsidiary that absorbs liability.) 3M Co executed a similar bankruptcy maneuver to seek refuge from about 290,000 claims over allegedly defective military earplugs. Saint-Gobain, Trane Technologies, and 3M declined to comment. Georgia-Pacific did not respond to inquiries. The 3rd Circuit ruling does not directly affect these cases, but other courts could soon weigh in. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to hear arguments in coming months on a challenge to the 3M subsidiarys bankruptcy. Instead of creating a company, as in a Texas two-step, 3M assigned its lawsuits to an existing subsidiary. The goals were the same: To halt the lawsuits and force plaintiffs into a bankruptcy settlement. An Indiana bankruptcy judge last year, however, broke with typical practice by allowing the lawsuits to proceed against 3M even as its subsidiarys Chapter 11 case continued, essentially defeating the point of 3Ms maneuver. If the 7th Circuit sides with 3M and issues an opinion contradicting the 3rd Circuit decision, it could raise the chances of a Supreme Court intervention. If 3M loses, it could strengthen case law against such bankruptcy gambits and further discourage companies from pursuing them. A challenge to the Georgia-Pacific Texas two-step, meanwhile, is proceeding in the 4th Circuit. After a North Carolina judge rejected a plaintiffs challenge alleging the bankruptcy was filed in bad faith, plaintiffs attorneys made a different argumentone echoing the 3M case. The litigation, they asserted, should be allowed to proceed against Georgia-Pacific because the parent company did not file for bankruptcy. That issue is now pending before the 4th Circuit appeals court. The 3rd Circuit panel noted it did not intend to outlaw the Texas two-step outright. Judge Ambro went out of his way to praise lawyers such as Gordon for being inventive and experimenting with novel solutions. Still, the legal guard rails in Ambros ruling will make it much more difficult for companies to execute Gordons playbook, said David Molton, a Brown Rudnick LLP lawyer representing talc plaintiffs who challenged the J&J tactic. Ambro put pretty firm gates on bankruptcy tactics aimed at halting defective-product litigation, Molton said. What Judge Ambro did say is: Im not here to do away with creative lawyers, but Im here to tell you when that creative lawyering goes outside the bounds, Im going to put a stop to it, Molton said. By Dan Levine and Mike Spector A health expert coalition published a citizen petition on Jan. 31 requesting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to update COVID-19 vaccine package labels with the most recent data on safety and efficacy. In the filed petition, coalition members argued that the labels are outdated; recent safety and efficacy clinical data have not been included, and adverse events such as sudden cardiac deaths and pulmonary embolisms should also be added. Represented by professor Linda Wastila from the University of Maryland, the nine members of the Coalition Advocating for Adequately Labeled Medicines (CAALM) petitioned on Jan. 31, 2023, for 10 amendments to messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine labels. The Current COVID Vaccine Label is Severely Outdated One-half of the requested amendments were related to safety and the other half to vaccine efficacy. The main message of the petition is that the public and the health care community need to have the latest and most up-to-date information, coalition member and renowned drug safety advocate Kim Witczak wrote in an email to The Epoch Times. The current label is severely outdated. People have the right to have informed consent, she added. We filed a formal Citizen Petition requesting #FDA to update mRNA covid vaccine labelling. The current FDA approved label is SERIOUSLY out of date. Our petition outlines 10 safety and efficacy concerns. Please share.@drwasy @MartyMakary @VPrasadMDMPH https://t.co/nKhRiU68un pic.twitter.com/TbCljOgyGS Kim Witczak (@woodymatters) February 3, 2023 The coalitions first request is to update package labels with a statement saying that the vaccines do not and were not sufficiently tested on their ability to prevent transmissions, since many health officials and leaders of pharmaceutical companies have made comments that suggest there is established evidence that the vaccines are efficacious against infection and transmission. The coalition also requested fact sheets and package labeling on bivalent boosters to include the most recent safety and efficacy data, and to also include a statement that many of the primary shot and booster authorizations were based on surrogate data that do not predict vaccine efficacy. Missing Information: Pregnancy Trial Results and 4 Major Adverse Events A major amendment request that is of personal importance to Wastila is the fifth one, which requests the FDA to add a clear statement disclosing that there was a Pfizer phase 3 randomized trial in pregnant women that was completed as of July 2022, but no results have been reported. We think that part of the reason is because the results are so bad, Wastila, whose expertise is in pharmacotherapy and drug policy, told The Epoch Times. Or they cant report it because the samples [are] too small. Pfizer originally intended to recruit 4,000 pregnant women, but just short of 350 participated. Many of the amendments were related to information on vaccine safety or the lack of in-package labels. The coalition also requested the FDA add four adverse events to mRNA package labels, including multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, pulmonary embolism, sudden cardiac death, and neuropathic and autonomic disorders. These four adverse events are either critical or fatal, and evidence of such adverse events is all based on studies funded by U.S. federal or state health agencies. Evidence From Health Agencies, Manufacturers, and Peer-Reviewed Studies The coalition previously petitioned in July 2021 requesting the FDA to not give Pfizer and Moderna shots full approval without sufficient data on safety and efficacy. The FDA issued a letter rejecting the petition on Aug. 23, 2021, the same day Pfizer primary shots were given full FDA licensing. A major reason for the FDAs refusal was that the amendment requests lacked a scientific basis. So the references for this [petition], they almost all come from Pfizer, Moderna, FDA, CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), or some top-notched peer-reviewed manuscripts, Wastila explained. So I dont think they can use that claim. According to Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, adverse events are defined as any untoward medical occurrence associated with the use of a drug in humans, whether or not considered drug related. Pfizers (pdf) and Modernas definitions of adverse events are similar to the FDAs, and this would mean that the studies cited in the petition that tracked untoward medical occurrences after vaccination are arguably vaccine-adverse events. Causal relationships do not need to be established before the adverse event is added to the label. However, Wastila acknowledged that everyone may interpret what it means to be an adverse event differently. She believes that if people exposed to the treatment feel that their health has been negatively impacted, their experiences should be recorded as an adverse event. [If] they feel that it was caused by exposure, it should be treated and respected as such, Wastila said. The integrity of the patient-physician relationship [is that] a patient knows best, but were not honoring that process at all. Other Missing Information Additional updates to package labeling requested by petitioners include adding adverse events related to reproductive health. This includes statements on decreased sperm concentration, heavy menstrual bleeding, menstrual cycle changes, and detection of vaccine mRNA in breast milk. Myocarditis, which is listed as an adverse event on the package labels, would need to be updated for frequency, as per the petitions requests. A prospective study in Thailand that measured cardiovascular injuries in 301 students given two doses of the Pfizer vaccine found one case of myopericarditis, giving a possible frequency of one out of 301 per two-dosed individuals. A study in Hong Kong male teens reported the suspected risk of myocarditis or pericarditis to be around one out of 2,700 following two Pfizer doses. The FDAs own analysis estimated myocarditis or pericarditis risk to be about one out of 5,000 among double-dosed 16-to-17-year-old males. Other amendment requests are to add that Pfizers vaccine efficacy starts to wane after two months, supported by data from the companys own clinical trial, and that the authorized vaccines have a buffering ingredient that was not tested for safety, efficacy, and bioavailability in the clinical trials. The FDAs Response Under the Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, the FDA has until April 30, 2023, to respond to the petition. The FDA issued a letter on Jan. 31, 2023, acknowledging that the letter has been received, but has not issued any statement since responding to the contents of the petition. I would like to think that our petition would get a serious consideration by the FDA, Witczak wrote to The Epoch Times. However, I am not holding my breath, given that our first citizen petition that raised many of these concerns in early 2021 was denied the day that FDA approved Comirnaty. Wastila said that if the FDA denies part of the petition on scientific merit, they would be contradicting their own positions and analyses. This will open up an opportunity for debate and discussion, which will increase transparency. The FDA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Pfizer and Moderna also did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Democratic Senators Form Gun Violence Prevention Caucus After String of Mass Shootings A group of eight Democratic senators on Feb. 2 announced the formation of a Gun Violence Prevention Caucus that will see lawmakers work together to promote commonsense solutions to end soaring shootings across America. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) announced the formation of the caucus while condemning the number of mass shootings across the country. We wake every day to headlines of another mass shooting in this country, said Feinstein in a statement. We cant allow this to continue. The members of this caucus have all been leaders on the issue, proposing commonsense solutions to stop gun violence and keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals, Feinstein continued. We know that no single bill will solve the problem, but by working together to develop a comprehensive approach, we believe there is an opportunity to pass reasonable gun safety bills. Mass Shootings in California According to Feinsteins statement, the caucus members will focus on the successes and failures of state-level laws for violence involving guns, and how such laws could potentially be applied at a federal level, as well as strategies for drafting gun safety legislation that does not violate constitutional rights and avoids lawsuits. Members will also look at ways to engage local communities in the fight against gun violence, best practices for advocacy, and also ways to engage and work with the executive branch. The announcement of the Democratic caucus follows a string of mass shootings across the country, including two in California in January. On Jan. 21, a gunman opened fire on individuals celebrating the Lunar New Year at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, killing 11 people and injuring nine others. The suspect, Huu Can Tran, 72, died of a self-inflicted gunshot the following day at a strip mall parking lot in Torrance, according to police. He was declared dead at the scene. Just days later, seven people were killed in two farms in Half Moon Bay by shooter Chunli Zhao, 66. Zhao, a farmworker, was subsequently arrested on suspicion of seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. According to advocacy groups Everytown for Gun Safety and the Giffords Law Center, California, which has banned the sale of military-style weapons and has mandatory waiting periods and background checks for the purchase of firearms, is the top state for gun safety in the United States. Mass Shootings Jump in 2023 Red flag laws have been passed in the state under Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, including those allowing the court, at the request of family members of authorities, to confiscate guns from people deemed to pose a danger to themselves or others. Gun manufacturers also face stiff penalties in civil court if their firearms are used in a crime. That is despite pushback from gun rights advocates who fear that implementing stringent gun control measures violates their Second Amendment rights. According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), which began tracking mass shootings in 2014, there have been 54 mass shootings so far this year. The GVA defines mass shootings as events in which four or more people are injured or killed, not including the shooter. In January 2022, there were 34 mass shootings and in the same month a year prior, there were 32 mass shootings, according to GVA, making this January the worst on record. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden, who has long pushed for Congress to pass tighter gun-control legislation, continues to renew his call for Congress to pass legislation banning assault weapons. Democrats Propose Abraham Lincoln Statue Removal The Emancipation Memorial in Washington's Lincoln Park depicts a freed slave kneeling at the feet of President Abraham Lincoln, June 25, 2020. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo) Democrat and Confederate President Jefferson Davis may have been unable to expel President Abraham Lincoln from the capitol, but Democrat delegate Eleanor Norton (D-D.C.) might. Norton, Washington D.C.s non-voting Congressional representative, reintroduced legislation to remove a statue of Lincoln with a kneeling freed slave. The statue has stood in Lincoln Park near the Capitol since 1876. It depicts a slave, shirtless and shackles broken, about to stand up. Lincoln stretches out his hand over the man. Freed slaves paid for its creation. But according to Nortons press release, thats not enough. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 21, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) The paternalistic statue depicting a Black man on his knees in front of President Lincoln fails to recognize African Americans agency in pressing for their own emancipation, the delegates press release reads. Nortons bill would have the statue removed from Lincoln Park and placed in a museum with an explanation of its origin and meaning. She also noted that the freed slaves who paid for the statue didnt get input in its design. Although formerly enslaved Americans paid for this statue, the design and sculpting process was done without their input or participation, and it shows, Norton said. At the time, they had only recently been liberated from slavery and were grateful for any recognition of their freedom. Norton noted that renowned abolitionist and freed slave Frederick Douglass spoke to dedicate the stature but pointedly did not praise the statue. Past and Present Douglasss speech expresses a complex set of feelings. He refers to Lincoln as the white mans President but also praises him as a great man and liberator who hated slavery. We have done a good work for our race today, Douglass said at the statues unveiling. In doing honor to the memory of our friend and liberator, we have been doing highest honors to ourselves and those who come after us; we have been fastening ourselves to a name and fame imperishable and immortal; we have also been defending ourselves from a blighting scandal. The scandal, he continued, was that African Americans would be accused of ingratitude toward the man who freed them. In a letter to the National Republican newspaper reprinted in Smithsonian Magazine, Douglass told the public he would like to see a statue of a standing and clothed free slave too. Perhaps no one monument could be made to tell the whole truth of any subject which it might be designed to illustrate, he wrote. The Epoch Times reached out to Norton for comment but didnt receive a response by the time of publishing. DeSantis Announces $144 Million Boost for Rural Broadband in Florida Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Feb. 2, 2023, $144 in projects extending broadband access to underserved areas, many of them rural. It will help students in those areas keep up. (Guillaume Souvant/AFP via Getty Images) Following up on his release of Floridas proposed 2023-24 budget, Gov. Ron DeSantis is putting $144 million toward improving broadband internet access for under-served areas of the state. Speaking in Milton on Feb. 2, DeSantis presented a ceremonial check for almost $2.4 million to Santa Rosa County Communities to put 791 unserved locations online with fiber-optic cable. It is part of $144 million in federal funds the state is awarding to 58 different projects in 41 counties for better broadband access, with thousands of miles of fiber-optic lines planned. In 2022, the state allocated $400 million of its own money to broadband access, he said. The Yellow River in Santa Rosa County, Florida (Google Maps) This will benefit many, many under-and-unserved homes and businesses all throughout the state of Florida, DeSantis said. The initiative is designed to help businesses, families, and children keep up in a competitive world. Rhett Rowell, a teacher at Jay High School in Jay, a town near the Alabama state line, spoke about the projects impact. He said the high school is in one of the countys most rural areas. There are many advantages to living in rural America, but internet usage is not one of them, Rowell said. There is a digital divide that exists within our district. Whether youre surfing in the south or planting peanuts in the north end, the need for reliable internet is universal. Sizeable Disadvantage We have state-of-the-art technology in our schools. We have satellite classes where students are able to remotely attend classes at one school. Where we may not have a teacher teaching in that field, they can attend a class at a different school, Rowell said. But when students go home the same access to technology is not there. Ive seen firsthand the struggle that our teachers in rural areas have with accessing the internet, whether its uploading an assignment, or downloading resources, or trying to turn in some of the material for a dual enrollment class. Our students in rural parts of our county are at a sizeable disadvantage. And its even worse with a hardship case. Imagine a student, maybe, comes down with a broken leg, or becomes ill, or maybe even just a death in the family. We can provide that studentand we do provide that studentwith a laptop to bring home so they dont fall behind. But if they dont have that internet at home, obviously it does little other than be a paperweight. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Feb. 2, 2023, $144 million in grants for extending or improving broadband access, much of it for rural areas. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images) Its not just rural areas that are underserved, DeSantis said. Some much larger counties have the problem, as well. Sometimes theyll be in unincorporated areas and they just logistically havent been able to do it, so were going to be able to come in and help with that, he said. DeSantis and other speakers noted that young people staying online continuously wasnt the goal. He and his wife have three small children, ages 6, 4, and 2. We dont want them mired on the internet or on these computers. You got to get out and do things. The governor thinks children should drop off their cell phones when they enter a classroom because if theyre on their phones during class, you know, texting and stuff, theyre not going to be learning. Not Connecting For TikTok DeSantis said during his childhood, electronic distractions such as video games existed. But it wasnt to the [same] extent. I mean, you had to get outside. We were out there playing. We were out there doing all that. Now, you really can be just doing devices and all this stuff, day after day, and thats not healthy. Marva Johnson, group vice president for state government affairs at Charter Communications, which is a partner on the project, said Were connecting kids not to Tik Tok but to opportunities to extend their learning. Were connecting them not to Facebook but to opportunities to make sure they have access to great telehealth and telemedicine. During his speech, DeSantis talked about the proposed $114.8 billion state budget. He also touted workforce training programs and got in a dig against some of the trends at colleges and universities hes been sparring with. He praised the states training program for truck drivers, which has grown from 600 graduates to 3500 annually. A lot of the workforce, when you get real concrete skills, you make more money than some of these people going to college and getting a degree in zombie studies anyway. Beijing (Gasgoo)- Chery Automobile-backed Chinese automaker, Kaiyi Auto (formerly known as Cowin Auto), announced on February 3 its E5 sedan model officially rolled off the production line at the AVTOTOR factory in Russia. Photo credit: Kaiyi Auto This marked an important step for Kaiyi Autos foray into the Eastern European market and a new milestone for the companys global strategy. At the event, Kaiyi Auto and AVTOTOR Group, the local automobile manufacturing company, officially signed an SOP Agreement on the E5 model, as well as a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement. According to the agreement, AVTOTOR Group was authorized with the exclusive right to manufacture and distribute Kaiyi Autos vehicles in Eastern Europe and several CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries. AVTOTOR Group plans to officially sell the E5 model in the first quarter of 2023, and will continue to introduce three new models into the Eastern European market at the end of 2023 with an annual sales goal of over 30,000 units. Kaiyi Auto kicked off its global strategy layout in 2020. By the end of 2022, its vehicles are being sold in more than 30 countries and regions worldwide through various modes such as CBU and KD. Disbarred Attorney Tom Girardi Charged With Stealing More Than $15 Million From Clients Birds fly over the U.S. Courthouse in Los Angeles on Sept. 27, 2012. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images) Tom Girardi, co-founder of the defunct Los Angeles law firm Girardi Keese, was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly embezzling more than $15 million from several of his legal clients, federal prosecutors announced Feb. 1. The 83-year-old Girardithe estranged husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayneis charged with five counts of wire fraud, a crime that carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years. Girardi, who has Alzheimers disease, was deemed incompetent to manage his own affairs in June 2021 and was disbarred a year later. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada declined to comment on whether Jayne is being investigated as part of the ongoing probe into the Girardi Keese firm. Also charged in the indictment unsealed Wednesday was Christopher Kamon, 49, formerly of Encino and Palos Verdes, the firms former chief financial officer. The indictment alleges that, from 2010 to December 2020, Girardi and Kamon fraudulently obtained more than $15 million that belonged to the firms clients. Estrada said the defendants engaged in a widespread scheme to steal from their clients and lie to them to cover up the fraud. In doing so, they allegedly preyed on the very people who trusted and relied upon them the mosttheir clients. Attempts to reach a representative for Girardi were unsuccessful. Kamons attorney did not immediately return a call requesting comment. Also on Wednesday, Girardi, Kamon and former Girardi Keese partner David Lira were indicted in Chicago federal court on fraud charges for allegedly misappropriating more than $3 million in settlement funds intended for relatives of victims killed in the 2018 crash of a Lion Air flight in Indonesia. The substantial misappropriation alleged in this indictment compounded the grief and anguish of the clients who lost loved ones in the Lion Air crash, John Lausch, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said in a statement. Attorneys who violate the trust of their clients and breach a fiduciary duty that is paramount to the practice of law must be held accountable. To conceal the theft and misappropriation of settlement money in the Los Angeles case, Girardi and Kamon allegedly lied to clients, stating falsely, among other things, that the funds had not been paid. Girardi also allegedly falsely told clients that settlement proceeds could not be disbursed until certain purported requirements had been met, such as eliminating purported tax obligations, obtaining supposedly necessary authorizations from judges, and satisfying medical liens and other debts. Girardi became widely known when he was thanked in the credits of the 2001 Oscar-winning film Erin Brockovich, for which he served as an adviser. The attorney was part of the legal team when Brockovich successfully sued Pacific Gas & Electric in 1993 for contaminating the groundwater of a small California town. Estrada said that behind a public persona of integrity, for which he received numerous awards and commendations, Girardi was robbing and stealing from those people he claimed to be championing and committing fraud on a grand scale. After he was disbarred last year, the State Bar of California said it had received 205 complaints against Girardi alleging he misappropriated settlement money, abandoned clients, and committed other serious ethical violations over the course of his four-decade career. Girardi Keese, famous for representing plaintiffs in large-scale civil litigation against major corporations, collapsed in late 2020 after Girardi was accused in a Chicago lawsuit of embezzling money meant for clients the firm was representing in litigation over the airline crash. The lawsuit brought by plaintiffs firm Edelson PC has since been transferred to Los Angeles. Kamon, the first person to face criminal charges in the scandal, pleaded not guilty last week in Los Angeles to a federal wire fraud charge separate from the charges announced Wednesday. Prosecutors allege he funneled more than $10 million from the law firms operating accounts for his personal use. Kamon spent millions on home renovations, exotic cars, and female escorts, federal prosecutors allege. Kamon was arrested on the charge in November at Baltimore airport after arriving on a flight from the Bahamas, where he had purchased a $2.4 million home, court papers show. He remains in federal custody after his attorneys unsuccessfully argued for his release at several hearings. If convicted, he faces up to 14 years in prison, authorities said. A magistrate judge set a March 14 jury trial before U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton in downtown Los Angeles. An affidavit filed in the Kamon criminal case says Girardi wasnt aware of Kamons alleged $10 million side scheme. Girardi is in Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings, as is the now-shuttered Wilshire Boulevard law firm, which faces more than $500 million in claims. An initial court appearance for Girardi was tentatively set for Monday in federal court in downtown Los Angeles. Emergency Measures Issued as Arctic Blast Hits Northeast US A map posted by the NWS on Friday morning shows that dozens of counties in New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey were under wind chill advisories or warnings as of Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. (NWS) A significant swath of Arctic air that is forecast to hit the northeastern United States on Friday has prompted emergency measures across the region. The National Weather Service on Friday wrote that a strong arctic front and winds will trigger significant wind chills as much as -50 degrees Fahrenheit or colder across the Midwest and Northeast regions. A map posted by the NWS on Friday morning shows that dozens of counties in New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey were under wind chill advisories or warnings. A blizzard warning was in effect for the northern portion of Maine. The associated cold air will produce temperatures 15 to 35 degrees below average over parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and the Northeast through Sunday. Therefore, wind Chill Warnings and Wind Chill Advisories are posted from the Dakotas eastward to New England, the NWS said. Temperatures will begin to moderate over the Northern Plains/Upper Mississippi Valley by Sunday. Meteorologists told CNN that the cold combined with wind has placed more than 15 million people under wind chill warnings or advisories. Temperatures in most regions will likely have their highest temperatures of the day before sunrise as temperatures will fall throughout the day Friday. Strong winds will bring dangerously cold temperatures, with the peak of the cold in the Northeast occurring late Friday to Saturday morning, meteorologist Taylor Ward told the outlet. In New Hampshires Mount Washington State Park, atop the Northeasts highest peak, record-breaking wind chills of -110 degrees and wind speeds topping 100 mph were expected. Its definitely wicked cold, you can say that, said Frances Tarasiewicz, a weather observer for the park, Reuters reported. Today its a seasonal 5 degrees, but its coming at us quick, he said of the cold blast headed for the Mount Washington Observatory, where staff members live on the mountain in eight-day shifts. Emergency Measures Schools in Buffalo, New York, and several districts in Massachusetts canceled classes on Friday due to the low temperatures. The city of Boston, meanwhile, implemented a cold emergency on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, officials said. Boston is moving quickly to ensure that everyone is protected from the intense cold weather that will start Friday and last through the weekend. I want to thank the many city teams who have already begun preparations and will be responding to this weekends brutal cold weather, said Mayor Michelle Wu in a statement as her administration declared the emergency. I urge all Boston residents to take precautions, stay warm and safe, and check on your neighbors during this cold emergency. With extreme weather conditions and many of our students commuting to and from school, walking and waiting for public transportation outdoors, we have made the decision to close for the day, Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper also said in a statement. New Yorks Erie County issued a code blue in the county, which includes Buffalo, that allows people to seek overnight shelter when temperatures drop. Please dress appropriately and dont go out for extended periods in order to avoid frostbite or hypothermia, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said in a statement. As for Maine, Gov. Janet Mills said that temperatures this weekend will be extremelyand dangerouslycold across the state and urged residents to please take extra precautions, be careful if you go outside, and be sure to check on your family, friends, and neighbors to make sure they are okay. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul similarly urged residents to prepare for the cold, which will mostly hit western and Upstate New York. Those regions are expected to see temperatures as low as -15 degrees and wind chills as low as -25 to -50 degrees for a period lasting almost 48 hours, her office said. These extreme cold weather conditions bring an increased risk of hypothermia and frostbite, and fire and carbon monoxide poisoning from alternative heating sources, such as portable space heaters and fuel-burning appliances. Outside of the region, more than 450,000 homes and businesses in Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee were without electricity early on Thursday, according to Poweroutage.us, after half an inch (1.3 cm) of ice in some spots toppled power lines and trees. Reuters contributed to this report. This week, we feature a no-nonsense manual for the young approaching life after school and a roadmap for Americans to reject the path of socialism. Fiction A Debut to Remember The Lions of Lucerne By Brad Thor Brad Thors debut novel established his popular protagonist, Scott Harvath, as the source of action-packed and suspenseful reading. The ex-Navy SEAL turned Secret Service agent must uncover the truth after the murder of 30 agents and a kidnapped president. Pocket Star Books, 2002, 512 pages A Sweet, Funny Look at Love Vinegar Girl By Anne Tyler Prickly Kate Battista cares for her unconventional scientist father, monitors her flirtatious 15-year-old sister, and works in a daycare. When her father asks Kate to marry his brilliant lab assistant Pyotr to prevent his deportation (due to an expired visa), the fireworks begin. Will the bitter Kate find happiness? This retelling of Shakespeares controversial The Taming of the Shrew offers a wonderful take on love, marriage, and family, with Tylers humor and eye for human eccentricity in full play. Hogarth, 2017, 256 pages Advice How the Real World Really Works 50 Rules Kids Wont Learn in School: Real-World Antidotes to Feel-Good Education By Charles J. Sykes Everyone under 20 years old should read this no-nonsense, honest user manual for life. Starting with rule No. 1 (Lifes not fair. Get used to it.) and ending with No. 50 (Enjoy this while you can.), it offers 50 short essays on the way things really work once you finish school. Its advice runs counter to todays conventional, soft wisdom. Readers are told that they arent entitled, that humiliation is a part of life, and that being perpetually offended is a dismal way to live. Its worth reading. St. Martins Press, 2007, 192 pages History The Rise of the Conquistador Sword of Empire: The Spanish Conquest of the Americas from Columbus to Cortes, 14921529 By Donald E. Chipman This book offers an accessible history of the opening of the Americas. It provides a readable story for the general public and an accurate one for scholars, with a clear account of the initial settlement of the Caribbean and the conquest of Mexico. It has an entertaining narrative without compromising accuracy. These notable events are placed in a historical context, which avoids surrendering to 21st-century political leanings. State House Press, 2021, 320 pages Politics Roadmap to a Free Country Defeating Big Government Socialism: Saving Americas Future By Newt Gingrich America, as we know it, is at risk. Subtly and not so subtly, big government is taking over and infiltrating all aspects of Americans lives. Author, patriot, and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich offers strategies for Americans to reject these destructive influences and reclaim a great nation. Center Street, 2022, 288 pages Classics The Bard in the New World Shakespeare in America: An Anthology From the Revolution to Now Edited by James Shapiro Subtitled An Anthology from the Revolution to Now, this collection begins with an account of U.S. troops gathered in 1846 just prior to the war with Mexico. They decide to stage a production of Othello, with Lt. Ulysses Grant playing Desdemona. Grant did not have much sentiment and was replaced by a professional actress. And on it goes, with reviews, essays, and stories that demonstrate the enormous influence of Shakespeare in the making of America. An entertaining read for lovers of literature and our history. Library of America, 2016, 724 pages For Kids A Trek to Freedom The Long Walk By Slavomir Rawicz A small band of prisoners escape a Soviet gulag, cross mountains and deserts, and reach safety in India, all while facing fear, hunger, and the elements. A true story of resilience and the human spirit. Inspiring for teenagers. Lyons Press, 2016, 288 pages Childhood Delight The Snowy Day By Ezra Jack Keats Peter awakens to his city neighborhood transformed into a snow-covered wonderland. This inviting classic celebrates the simple childhood excitement and delight of exploring and playing in the snow. A lovely read for wintertime. Viking Press, 1962, 40 pages Eugenics, Then and Now Commentary The catastrophic COVID response has many people wondering whether we should really turn over public policywhich deals with fundamental matters of human freedommuch less public health, to a state-appointed scientific establishment. Must moral imperatives give way to the judgment of technical experts in the natural sciences? Should we trust their authority? Their power? There is a real history here to consult. Theres no better case study than the use of eugenics: the science, so called, of breeding a better race of human beings. It was popular in the Progressive Era and following, and it heavily informed U.S. government policy. Back then, the scientific consensus was all in for public policy founded on high claims of perfect knowledge based on expert research. There was a cultural atmosphere of panic (race suicide!) and a clamor for the experts to put together a plan to deal with it. The American Society of Human Genetics recently issued a report apologizing for its past role in eugenics. The statement is fine as far as it goes and provides a brief overview of eugenic history. However, the report, if anything, is too narrow and too weak. Eugenics was not merely bigotry with a gloss of science. Over time, it became the driving force behind segregation, sterilization, labor-market exclusion of the unfit, the careful management of immigration, marriage and procreation licenses, demographics, and far more. The underlying presumption always concerned the biological health of the whole population, which these elites imagined to be their exclusive purview. Based on that core idea, eugenic ideology came to be deeply embedded in ruling-class circles in academia, courts, elite media, and finance. Indeed, it was so orthodox that it was hardly disputed in polite company. Eugenic dreams filled the pages of newspapers, journals, and magazinesnearly all of them. Lets start with Harvard professor Robert DeCourcy Ward (18671931), who is credited with holding the first chair of climatology in the United States. He was a consummate member of the academic establishment. He was editor of the American Meteorological Journal, president of the Association of American Geographers, and a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Royal Meteorological Society of London. He also had an avocation. He was a founder of the American Restriction League. It was one of the first organizations to advocate reversing the traditional American policy of free immigration and replacing it with a scientific approach rooted in Darwinian evolutionary theory and the policy of eugenics. Centered in Boston, the league eventually expanded to New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. Its science inspired a dramatic change in U.S. policy over labor law, marriage policy, city planning, and, its greatest achievements, the 1921 Emergency Quota Act and the 1924 Immigration Act. These were the first-ever legislated limits on the number of immigrants who could come to the United States. Darwin and his followers laid the foundation of the science of eugenics, Ward alleged in his manifesto published in the North American Review in July 1910. They have shown us the methods and possibilities of the product of new species of plants and animals. In fact, artificial selection has been applied to almost every living thing with which man has close relations except man himself. Why, Ward demanded, should the breeding of man, the most important animal of all, alone be left to chance? By chance, of course, he meant choice. Chance is how the scientific establishment regarded the free society with human rights. Freedom was considered to be unplanned, anarchic, chaotic, and potentially deadly for the race. To the Progressives, freedom needed to be replaced by a planned society administered by experts in their fields. It would be another 100 years before climatologists themselves became part of the policy-planning apparatus of the state, so Professor Ward busied himself in racial science and the advocacy of immigration restrictions. Ward explained that the United States had a remarkably favorable opportunity for practising eugenic principles. And there was a desperate need to do so, because already we have not hundreds of thousands, but millions of Italians and Slavs and Jews whose blood is going into the new American race. This trend could cause Anglo-Saxon America to disappear. Without eugenic policy, the new American race will not be a better, stronger, more intelligent race but rather a weak and possibly degenerate mongrel. Citing a report from the New York Immigration Commission, Ward was particularly worried about mixing American Anglo-Saxon blood with long-headed Sicilians and those of the round-headed east European Hebrews. We certainly ought to begin at once to segregate, far more than we now do, all our native and foreign-born population which is unfit for parenthood, Ward wrote. They must be prevented from breeding. But even more effective, Ward wrote, would be strict quotas on immigration. While our surgeons are doing a wonderful work, he wrote, they cant keep up in filtering out people with physical and mental disabilities pouring into the country and diluting the racial stock of Americans, turning us into degenerate mongrels. Such were the policies dictated by eugenic science, which, far from being seen as quackery from the fringe, was in the mainstream of academic opinion. President Woodrow Wilson, Americas first professorial president, embraced the eugenic policy. So did Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., who, in upholding Virginias sterilization law, wrote, Three generations of imbeciles are enough. Looking through the literature of the era, we are struck by the near absence of dissenting voices on the topic. Popular books advocating eugenics and white supremacy, such as The Passing of the Great Race by Madison Grant, became immediate bestsellers and for many years after publication. The opinions in these bookswhich are not for the faint of heartwere expressed long before the Nazi experience discredited such policies. They reflect the thinking of an entire generation and are much more frank than one would expect to read now. These opinions were not just about pushing racism as an aesthetic or personal preference. Eugenics was about the politics of health: using the state to plan and curate the population toward its biological well-being. It should not be surprising, then, that the entire anti-immigration movement was steeped in eugenics ideology. Indeed, the more we look into this history, the less we are able to separate the anti-immigrant movement of the Progressive Era from white supremacy in its rawest form. Shortly after Wards article appeared, the climatologist called on his friends to influence legislation. Restriction League President Prescott Hall and Charles Davenport of the Eugenics Record Office began the effort to pass a new law with specific eugenic intent. It sought to limit the immigration of southern Italians and Jews in particular. And immigration from Eastern Europe, Italy, and Asia did indeed plummet. Immigration wasnt the only policy affected by eugenic ideology. Edwin Blacks War Against the Weak: Eugenics and Americas Campaign to Create a Master Race (2003, 2012) documents how eugenics was central to Progressive Era politics. An entire generation of academics, politicians, and philanthropists used bad science to plot the extermination of undesirables. Laws requiring sterilization claimed 60,000 victims. Given the attitudes of the time, its surprising that the carnage in the United States was so low. Europe, however, was not as fortunate. Eugenics became part of the standard curriculum in biology, with William Castles 1916 Genetics and Eugenics commonly used for over 15 years, with four iterative editions. Literature and the arts were not immune. John Careys The Intellectuals and the Masses: Pride and Prejudice Among the Literary Intelligentsia, 18801939 (2005) shows how the eugenics mania affected the entire modernist literary movement of the United Kingdom, with such famed minds as T.S. Eliot and D.H. Lawrence getting wrapped up in it. Remarkably, even economists fell under the sway of eugenic pseudoscience. Thomas Leonards explosively brilliant Illiberal Reformers: Race, Eugenics, and American Economics in the Progressive Era (2016) documents in excruciating detail how eugenic ideology corrupted the entire economics profession in the first two decades of the 20th century. Across the board, in the books and articles of the profession, you find all the usual concerns about race suicide, the poisoning of the national bloodstream by inferiors, and the desperate need for state planning to breed people the way ranchers breed animals. Here we find the template for the first-ever large-scale implementation of scientific social and economic policy. Students of the history of economic thought will recognize the names of these advocates: Richard T. Ely, John R. Commons, Irving Fisher, Henry Rogers Seager, Arthur N. Holcombe, Simon Patten, John Bates Clark, Edwin R.A. Seligman, and Frank Taussig. They were the leading members of the professional associations, the editors of journals, and the high-prestige faculty members of the top universities. It was a given among these men that classical political economy had to be rejected. There was a strong element of self-interest at work. As Leonard puts it, Laissez-faire was inimical to economic expertise and thus an impediment to the vocational imperatives of American economics. Fisher, whom Joseph Schumpeter described as the greatest economist the United States has ever produced (an assessment later repeated by Milton Friedman), urged Americans to make of eugenics a religion. Speaking at the Race Betterment Conference in 1915, Fisher said eugenics was the foremost plan of human redemption. The American Economic Association (which is still today the most prestigious trade association of economists) published openly racist tracts such as the chilling Race Traits and Tendencies of the American Negro by Frederick Hoffman. It was a blueprint for the segregation, exclusion, dehumanization, and eventual extermination of the black race. Hoffmans book called American blacks lazy, thriftless, and unreliable, and well on their way to a condition of total depravity and utter worthlessness. Hoffman contrasted them with the Aryan race, which is possessed of all the essential characteristics that make for success in the struggle for the higher life. Even as Jim Crow restrictions were tightening against blacks, and the full weight of state power was being deployed to wreck their economic prospects, the American Economic Associations tract said that the white race will not hesitate to make war upon those races who prove themselves useless factors in the progress of mankind. Crucially, the concern here was not just raw bigotry; it was purification of the population from inferior poisons. The dirty races needed to be separated from the clean one and ideally eliminated altogetheressentially the same rationale behind the exclusion of the unvaccinated from public accommodations in New York City only two years ago. Ely, a founder of the American Economic Association, advocated segregation of nonwhites (he seemed to have a special loathing of the Chinese) and state measures to prohibit their propagation. He took issue with the very existence of these feeble persons. He also supported state-mandated sterilization, segregation, and labor-market exclusion. That such views were not considered shocking tells us so much about the intellectual climate of the time. If your main concern is who is bearing whose children, and how many, it makes sense to focus on labor and income. Only the fit should be admitted to the workplace, the eugenicists argued. The unfit should be excluded so as to discourage their immigration and, once here, their propagation. This was the origin of the minimum wage, a policy designed to erect a high wall to the unemployables. Another implication follows from eugenic policy: government must control women. It must control their comings and goings. It must control their work hoursor whether they work at all. As Leonard documents, here we find the origin of the maximum-hour workweek and many other interventions against the free market. Women had been pouring into the workforce for the last quarter of the 19th century, gaining the economic power to make their own choices. Minimum wages, maximum hours, safety regulations, and so on passed in state after state during the first two decades of the 20th century and were carefully targeted to exclude women from the workforce. The purpose was to control contact, manage breeding, and reserve the use of womens bodies for the production of the master race. Leonard explains: American labor reformers found eugenic dangers nearly everywhere women worked, from urban piers to home kitchens, from the tenement block to the respectable lodging house, and from factory floors to leafy college campuses. The privileged alumna, the middle-class boarder, and the factory girl were all accused of threatening Americans racial health. Paternalists pointed to womens health. Social purity moralists worried about womens sexual virtue. Family-wage proponents wanted to protect men from the economic competition of women. Maternalists warned that employment was incompatible with motherhood. Eugenicists feared for the health of the race. Motley and contradictory as they were, Leonard adds, all these progressive justifications for regulating the employment of women shared two things in common. They were directed at women only. And they were designed to remove at least some women from employment. If you doubt this, see the work of Edward A. Ross and his book Sin and Society (1907). This eugenicist combined pseudo-science and secularized puritanism to argue for the total exclusion of women from the workplace, and to do so in The New York Times, of all places. Today, we find eugenic aspirations to be appalling. We rightly value the freedom of association, or so we believed before COVID lockdowns imposed stay-at-home orders, travel restrictions, business and church closures, and so on. It all came as quite the shock because we thought we had a social consensus that freedom of choice does not threaten biological suicide but rather points to the strength of a social and economic system. Following World War II, there developed a social consensus that we dont want scientists using the state to cobble together a master race at the expense of freedom. But in the first half of the century, and not just in Nazi Germany, eugenic ideology was conventional scientific wisdom, and hardly ever questioned except by a handful of old-fashioned advocates of human principles of social organization. The eugenicists books sold in the millions, and their concerns became primary in the public mind. Dissenting scientistsand there were somewere excluded by the profession and dismissed as cranks attached to a bygone era. Eugenic views had a monstrous influence over government policy, and they ended free association in labor, marriage, and migration. Indeed, the more you look at this history, the more it becomes clear that eugenic pseudoscience became an intellectual foundation of modern statecraft. Why is there so little public knowledge of this period and the motivations behind its progress? Why has it taken so long for scholars to blow the lid off this history? The partisans of the state regulation of society have no reason to talk about it, and todays successors of eugenic ideology want to distance themselves from the past as much as possible. The result has been a conspiracy of silence. There are, however, lessons to be learned. When you hear of some impending crisis that can only be solved by scientists working with public officials and other commanding heights to force people into a new pattern that is contrary to their free will, there is reason to raise an eyebrow, no matter the excuse. Science is a process of discovery, not an end state, and its consensus of the moment should not be enshrined in the law and imposed at gunpoint. We need only look at current U.S. law on the right of foreigners to visit this country. The United States does not allow the unvaccinated even to come see the Statue of Liberty in person. But unvaccinated U.S. passport holders can, all in the name of public health. Its a strange mix of nationalism and bogus health claims. And they say that eugenics is no more! Weve been there and done that, and the world is rightly repulsed by the results. Keep in mind: We have solid historical and contemporary proof that eugenic ambitions are capable of sweeping up the most elite intellectuals and policy circles. The dream of curating the population by force to make it more fit is a historical reality and not nearly as discredited as people tend to believe. It can always make a return in new guise, with new language, and new excuses. Im sure you can think of many signs that this is happening today. The driving force of eugenics was not merely racism or bogus theories of genetic fitness for living a full life, as the American Society of Human Genetics claims. The core was a broader assertion that one scientific consensus should override human choice. And that consensus implausibly centered on issues of human health: one central agency knew the way forward whereas regular people and their choices in life represented a noncompliance threat. How deep this fixation runs and how far they will get before popular moral revulsion stops them is the question. In the meantime, we need not take consolation from the high-profile statements by professional organizations that they are done with dividing the population by those who are fit to live freely and those who are not. From the Brownstone Institute Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Frustrated by Police Inaction, the Pro-Life Movement Takes Up the Work of Law Enforcement Last June a firebomb ripped through the CompassCare crisis pregnancy center in Buffalo, causing extensive damage but no deaths. Amid the rubble and soot, the words Jane was here were written on the wall, suggesting that the militant abortion rights group Janes Revenge was responsible. Almost immediately, authorities all the way up to the FBI assured the pro-life enterprise they would bring the perpetrators to justice. Eight months later, CompassCare officials say virtually nothing has happened. Aside from last nightnews of the federal indictment of two in Florida for acts of vandalismno arrests have been made in any of the scores of similar attacks that have damaged other crisis pregnancy counseling offices and churches coast to coast since word first leaked in late May that the Supreme Court would overturn Roe v. Wade, returning abortion laws to state legislatures. CompassCare CEO Jim Harden says this inaction has forced the pro-life movement to do the work of law enforcement on its own. His organization has teamed with the Thomas More Society, a nonprofit libertarian law firm in Chicago, to hire their own private investigators. The home of the firms president, Thomas Brejcha, was damaged by abortion supporters last July. Neither the Thomas More Society nor CompassCare elaborated on the private investigators hired to look at the attacks by abortion supporterswho they are, how many, or where deployed. But Brejcha said no price limit has been put on their services. The development comes at a time when many, especially on the right, are warning of the politicization of justice. A few of the examples they point to are the SWAT team arrest of Trump adviser Roger Stone; the armed search of former president Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago home in pursuit of classified documents (along with the multiple lawsuits specifically aimed at Trump); and Attorney General Merrick Garlands ordering the FBI to track possible threats of violence or intimidation after parents began confronting school boards about what their children were being taught in public schools. They say such heavy-handedness contrasts with law enforcement at the local, state, and federal levels turning a blind eye to obvious lawlessness not identified with the right. Examples include the nationwide George Floyd riots of 2020; smash-and-grab thefts at retail stores from New York to Los Angeles; homeless camps turned open-air drug bazaars; and city prosecutors declining to enforce laws because of concerns regarding systemic racism. I think the countrys gone bonkers, Brejcha said. We watched rioters looting in the south side of Chicago, where I grew up. I think what were doing is a normal response. Its not vigilante, but citizens taking civic action. Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told RealClearInvestigations: Im not surprised pro-life groups have had to conduct their own investigations after being attacked by radical abortion activists. Sadly, theyve been left with no other option because of the blatant politicization of the Biden FBI and the Justice Department. Abortion opponents are doubly incensed by what they consider aggressive action by the Department of Justice against them. They, along with several Republican members of Congress, accuse the Department of one-sided enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a 1994 law that prohibits violent, threatening, damaging, and obstructive conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with the right to seek, obtain, or provide reproductive health services. The Justice Department pursued dozens of anti-abortion activists in multiple states on FACE Act charges last year, chiefly for alleged offenses in previous years, according to its website. In October, federal prosecutors indicted 11 people in Tennessee, including an 87-year-old survivor of a Communist concentration camp, for alleged actions stemming from a 2021 incident. Another incident outside a Washington, D.C. abortion clinic in 2020 led to 10 more indictments in March and October of 2022. Abortion opponents note that, in contrast, federal officials have failed to make a single arrest in what the Thomas More Society counts as 161 attacks on pro-lifers since the leak of the Supreme Court draft decision last May. In addition to the CompassCare attack in Buffalo, these include actions against pregnancy crisis centers in Washington, D.C., and Oregon, as well as Brejchas home in Evanston, Illinois (unoccupied at the time). Federal prosecutors have made a cause celebre out of Mark Houck, a longtime anti-abortion activist and father of seven who was arrested in an FBI raid on his Pennsylvania home last September and now faces a Jan. 24 court date for alleged FACE violations. Houcks case stems from an incident outside a Philadelphia abortion clinic in October 2021. Houck and an abortion supporter tangled outside the clinic, with Houck claiming he was defending his son. Local police were called to the scene and declined action; a court complaint against Houck was dismissed when no one appeared to press the case. Nevertheless, months later the Justice Department took up the case. He was arrested at his Pennsylvania home by armed state and federal agents last September and charged with two FACE Act violations involving the alleged shoving incidents. He faces up to 11 years in prison. Thomas More Society lawyers are defending Houck, and they filed motions last month to dismiss the case, calling the FACE Act unconstitutional and accusing the Biden administration of viewpoint discrimination and selective prosecution. The FBI insists its agents have remained impartial. But anti-abortion activists say the bureaus claims are undermined by their own admissions. FBI Director Christopher Wray acknowledged in congressional testimony last November that, since the Dobbs Act decision, probably in the neighborhood of 70 percent of our abortion-related violence cases or threats cases are cases of violence or threats against pro-life, the victims are pro-life organizations. Asked repeatedly whether any arrest had been made in these cases, the FBI declined to comment. On Jan. 19, the day after RCIs most recent request for arrest data, the bureau reissued its November announcement of rewards up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest in nine more attacks against abortion opponents in addition to the Buffalo firebombing. The FBI is continuing to investigate a series of attacks and threats targeting pregnancy resource centers, faith-based organizations, and reproductive health clinics across the country, as well as to judicial buildings, including the U.S. Supreme Court, a spokesman said. The incidents are being investigated as potential acts of domestic violent extremism, FACE Act violations, or violent crime matters, depending on the facts of each case. Harden of CompassCare called the rewards a publicity stunt that reflects feigned interest by the Justice Department and said perhaps the investigators hired by CompassCare and the Thomas More Society could get their own investigatory work underwritten by the reward money. Harden said the reward money makes FBI Director Wray look like the hero absent results, Harden said. Its a day late and a dollar short. The FBI took CompassCares security video from the night of the attack and has refused to return it, and Harden said when he called last June to get an idea of any progress in the investigation, agents told him: We dont answer to you. Were not answering any of your questions. It was only last August, after Sen. Cruz criticized the Justice Department for politicizing its activity and accused it of neglecting the attacks on anti-abortion figures, that the FBI called and requested a meeting. There, the FBI tried to buy his silence, according to Harden. They said, If you back off well give this more attention, he recalled. Now they know theyll be under scrutiny from the House Judiciary Committeea reference to the Republican takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives this year. Like Harden, Brejcha said he has not seen any progress into the investigation of the vandalism of his house last July 1, despite a seemingly large number of leads. The demonstration at his house was advertised on social media and printed flyers. Protesters drove to a nearby park before marching to Brejchas house where the black-clad and masked activists tore out bushes, spray-painted the house, and tossed smoke bombs and paint bombs at it. No one was injured in the incident. Brejcha said videotape showed the protesters gathering in the park, and car license plates of protesters are available to investigators. But in the face of such evidence, he says, he does not believe a good faith effort has been made by police. A spokesman for the Evanston, Ill., police department confirmed to RCI last week there have been no arrests. The police told me theyd been tipped by the FBI that they would be targeting my house the next day, Brejcha said. Thats a threat. Brejcha said he did not want to attack the police, but they need to be more aggressive. There are so many connections between all these events. Hans von Spakovsky, a conservative attorney, told RCI he wasnt surprised that abortion opponents felt compelled to hire their own investigative staff given the lack of attention theyve received as victims. It is another shocking development that victims of violent attacks and harassment cant trust the FBI to actually investigate their case or the Justice Department to prosecute it, he said. It is even more evidence of the politicalization of federal law enforcement, one of the most dangerous developments in modern times. Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan sent a letter to Garland just before the November midterms demanding the preservation of documents and promising that one-sided enforcement of the FACE act would be among politicized moves his House Judiciary Committee would investigate. Outside of the abortion battles, some of those who feel similarly betrayed by authorities wish they, too, could hire their own police. In Phoenix, for instance, people have fought with city officials for months over The Zone, a growing homeless encampment where a charred fetus was found last November and a burned man in December. Id love to get private security here but who can afford it? said Angela Ojile, who owns an antique store across the street from The Zone and its estimated 1,000 people. I know the police have been told to stand down, and now theyve created a dangerous situation. Ojile described a nightmarish situation in which drug dealing, public defecation, and a threatening atmosphere overwhelm her, anyone she can convince to work in the store, and potential customers. Theres some scary people down there and I cant keep employees, she said. Theyre so petrified because people are getting beat up, held up, theres people running around half naked over there. The Zone, like the abortion battles, has spawned litigation. On one hand, the Goldwater Institute, a conservative Arizona-based think tank, has thrown its support behind a lawsuit that accuses Phoenix authorities of betraying the public trust. A spate of violent crimes including shootings, stabbings, and rape have made The Zone a perverse example of compassion run amok. Its just lawless, the Institutes Austin Vanderheyden told RCI. The city in its inaction has caused this. Phoenix has launched some small-scale clean-up operations but those have come under legal attack by the ACLU, which sued the city in part to block the removal of temporary shelters in The Zone. At both the federal and local level in these cases, the argument is the same: that officials have made law enforcement decisions based on politics. Its a hard word to talk about the politicization of the Justice Department, but there seems to be too much tolerance on one side of the political equation, Brejcha said. Harden said the decisions within the Justice Department that appear to green-light aggressive prosecution of abortion opponents while overlooking attacks by abortion supporters leaves groups and individuals with no choice but to move outside traditional law enforcement channels. This signals to me a breach of contract between the government and the people, he said. Civilized order depends on peoples trust that criminals will at least be pursued in good faith. But when they refuse to investigate crimes equally, their corruption becomes complete and they become complicit in the crimes themselves. Addendum, Jan. 25, 2023, 4:52 PM Eastern As RCI went to press, the Department of Justice announced the arrest of two individuals in Florida in connection with spray-painted threats at pregnancy resource centers. The article has been updated to reflect this. Addendum, Jan. 25, 2023, 11:22 AM Eastern After requests to the FBI for comment before RCIs publication deadline, the bureau responded post-publication: The FBI takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and reports them to the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. Contrary to the inference, the FBI has continued to rigorously investigate the arson of the CompassCare facility and will continue to do so. On January 19, the FBI began offering up to a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible for the arson. Guantanamo Bay Prisoner Freed in Belize After 20 Years in US Custody The entrance to Camp VI, a prison used to house detainees at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on March 5, 2013. (Bob Strong/Reuters) The U.S. government has released and transferred a Pakistani man from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba to Belize. The U.S. Defense Department said on Thursday that Majid Khan, 42, had been transferred to Belize after serving his sentence at the U.S.-run detention center for over a decade. Khan, a native of Pakistan, came to the United States with his family in the 1990s and grew up outside of Baltimore, The Baltimore Sun reported. In 2012, Khan admitted to conspiring with members of the al Qaeda Islamist militant organization and to providing material support for terrorism and spying. I deeply regret the things that I did many years ago, and I have taken responsibility and tried to make up for them. I continue to ask for forgiveness from God and those I have hurt. I am truly sorry, he said in a statement issued by his legal team. Khan said that he hopes to start a new life in Belize and start a business there. The world has changed a lot in twenty years, and I have changed a lot as well. I promise all of you, especially the people of Belize that I will be a productive, law-abiding member of society, he added. Majid Khan in 2018. (Center for Constitutional Rights via AP) Capture and Detention Khan was captured in Pakistan in 2003 and taken to an unidentified CIA black site, where he was subjected to a harsh interrogation program. He was later transferred to the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay in 2006. The Pentagon said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin notified Congress of his intent to transfer Khan last year, and that the necessary procedures were followed after consultations with partners from Belize. Speaking to reporters, Belizean foreign minister Eamon Courtenay said the U.S. government would provide all the funds to cover Khans integration into Belizean society, including housing and initial living expenses. The Belizean government regards Khans resettlement as a humanitarian act, Courtenay said, adding that Khan would be free to travel throughout Belize and live the rest of his life however he chooses. Khan is not in Belize as a detainee. He has served his sentence and is a free man, Courtenay said. Khan is not a terrorist, he has fully recanted, accepted responsibility for his action and asked Allah for forgiveness, and he has been de-radicalized. Wells Dixon, an attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights that represents Khan, said he hoped that Khans resettlement would serve as an example for other countries. Belize has done an outstanding job to prepare for his resettlement, and their success serves as a model for other countries to accept men who no one thinks should remain at Guantanamo but who cannot return to their home countries for humanitarian reasons, Dixon said. Khan Describes Treatment by CIA In a 39-page statement that Khan read aloud to a U.S. military sentencing commission in 2021, he described his treatment at the CIA site. Khan said he was beaten, subjected to the simulated drowning technique called waterboarding, and sexually assaulted. Khan also said that he had been deprived of sleep and food and was kept isolated and shackled in a cell with music blaring 24 hours a day. This went on for three years, from the time of his arrest in Karachi in 2003 until his transfer to Guantanamo in 2006, he said. Dawn arrives at the now closed Camp X-Ray, which was used as the first detention facility for al-Qaida and Taliban militants who were captured after the Sept. 11 attacks, at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba on Nov. 21, 2013. (Charles Dharapak/AP Photo) Former President George W. Bush established the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba in 2002 to house foreign terrorism suspects following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York and Washington that killed about 3,000 people. The prisons population peaked at about 800 inmates before it began to decline. Khan is the first detainee to be released from Guantanamo since October, leaving 34 detainees, 20 of whom have already been deemed eligible for transfer to another country. There were 40 detainees at Guantanamo when President Joe Biden took office in 2021. Biden has said that he hopes to close the facility. The federal government is barred by law from transferring Guantanamo detainees to U.S. mainland prisons. We remain dedicated to a deliberate and thorough process focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population at Guantanamo Bay and ultimately closing the facility. That is still where we stand, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. Reuters contributed to this report. Asafoetida has been an important herb and spice in Indian cooking and Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. India has always had to import it from Iran and Afghanistan, where it thrives in their cold climates. A new experimental crop in the cold Lahaul valley may eventually bring this herb home to India while reducing Indias import cost, which currently averages $100 million a year for 1,200 tons. What Is Asafoetida? Asafoetida (Ferula asafoetida) is a wild perennial fennel plant that grows up to six feet and has pale greenish-yellow flowers. It takes about five years to reach maturity. It is a strange astringent ingredient with a foul smell due to its high concentration of sulfur compounds, thus giving it names like Devils Dung or Hing. There are two main varieties: the more popular Hing Kabuli Sufaid, a sweeter milky white that is water soluble, and Hing Lal, which is red, very bitter, and oil soluble. The juice of the roots is processed into a resin that is ground into a powder for Indian cooking and medicinal treatments. The pure, full-strength powder is brown; the yellow powder has flour and turmeric added to reduce its strength. Like other Indian spices, asafoetida works best when it is fried in a bit of hot oil, butter, or ghee for several seconds before starting to cook your dish. Once heated, it smells and tastes almost like garlic or leeks. It is commonly used in lentil and vegetable dishes such as yellow dal, poha, yogurt soups, classic rogan josh, and some curries. Historical Significance To understand why this herb is so important to the Indian culture, we must look at its history and religious beliefs. Hindus and the Hindu tradition of Jains do not believe in eating garlic, onions, or any of the plants in the Allium family. All these plants are considered too stimulating to the nervous system and major internal organs. The Hindus believe this detracts from focusing on the spiritual life and practices. Ayurvedic medicine also uses garlic to stimulate sexual desires as it is an aphrodisiac and thus is also a distraction from the spiritual life. Asafoetida has been around for over 2,000 years. It was first mentioned in the Babylonian catalog of medicinal plants in the ancient library of King Ashurbanipal of Assyria as early as 600 BC. It is also mentioned in Hindu and Buddhist texts of that era. Some scholars believe it was eventually brought to India by way of Afghanistan during Alexander the Greats expeditions of 336323 BC. Current Research Experiment Farmers in the northern valley of Luhaul, high in the Himalayan mountains of India, have been given 800 plants by the government research group, Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, to cultivate as a pilot project. This area in the Luhaul Valley is a cold desert and ideal because asafoetida thrives in temperatures varying from 1020 degrees C (5068 degrees F). The soil is similar to the regions in Iran where a majority of the Indian import of asafoetida grows. If this experiment is successful, it will make asafoetida a local crop and boost the local economy while cementing the pride Indians already have for asafoetida. The target is to plant 750 acres of the herb over the next five years. Farmers have covered approximately 2.5 acres so far. Medicinal Uses Ayurvedic medicine, the traditional medical system of India for thousands of years, is based on three basic cleansing principles for balancing body, mind, and spirit. These three categories, called doshas, are Vata (air), Pitta (digestion), and Kapha (earth and water). As an alternative practice, treatments use holistic and natural approaches to healing. In addition to herbal medicines, it incorporates other healing methods like exercise, meditation, breathing, and physical therapy. In early Ayurvedic practices, asafoetida, besides having nutritional benefits, was often used for stomach problems as it enhances the activities of the digestive enzymes of the pancreas and small intestine, according to a paper in the Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. A tincture was topically used to relieve abdominal pain and gas, especially from foods such as lentils or beans. An extract from the dried stem and leaves was known to have an aphrodisiac effect on both men and women, so it was used to treat problems of libido. It was a common herb prescribed for treating hysteria. Today, Ayurveda uses asafoetida for many other ailments besides those of the stomach, such as those listed in the aforementioned paper. Breathing problems such as asthma and bronchitis are treated using a paste of asafoetida gently smeared around the chest and under the nose so that its aroma enters the body and lungs for a curative response. Often prescribed to kill parasites and worms, a paste can also be used directly on the skin to treat corns and calluses. There is some scientific evidence that the chemicals in asafoetida might help treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and intestinal gas. It may also protect against high levels of certain fats, including cholesterol and triglycerides, but further studies are necessary. Recent pharmacological and clinical studies have shown that asafoetida has several important properties, including diuretic, analgesic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal, antidiabetic, anticarcinogenic, antispasmodic, and hypotensive. For example, records show it was used as a treatment during the swine flu epidemic and for the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918. Indian wholesalers who import asafoetida sell it in blocks, coarse granules, or fine powder. Due to asafoetidas strong properties, they use minimal amounts to make various grades. Mr. Bhatia, a third-generation Indian merchant who sells more than 630,000 kilograms of asafoetida every year, claims all he needs is a whiff of asafoetida to distinguish the Afghani from the fruitier Iranian kind. Today, asafoetida is readily available from many suppliers worldwide and in various forms, including powder, oil, tablets, and capsules. Side Effects and Risks Although asafoetida has been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic treatments, records show there are possible side effects and risks for some people if ingested in large amounts. Some have reported tingling of the lips, burping, intestinal gas, diarrhea, and headaches. It may cause nausea and vomiting because of its intense flavor. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should avoid using asafoetida. The chemical substances in this spice might cause a miscarriage, and it has not been proven safe for babies. Asafoetida is known to decrease blood pressure and slow blood clotting. Therefore, it is not recommended if you are taking medications for bleeding disorders, epilepsy, or high blood pressure. Dosages have not yet been scientifically determined. Ayurvedic practitioners rely on their knowledge and experience to determine the appropriate amounts of asafoetida to prescribe depending on the ailment and the patients dosha. Those with questions or concerns should seek a qualified practitioner before taking asafoetida. Currently, 37 U.S. states have passed medical cannabis laws and 21 states have legalized recreational cannabis. Cannabis has proven beneficial for a range of conditions such as childhood seizure disorders, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite in people with HIV/AIDs. In the meantime, a new generation of cannabis products has exploded onto the scene, driven by marketing that fuels a multibillion-dollar industry. The average content of THC (tetra-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive and potentially addictive chemical in cannabis) in smoked whole-plant products has risen from one percent to four percent in the 1970s to 15 percent to 30 percent from todays cannabis dispensaries. Edibles and vapes may contain even higher concentrations of THC. While public perception that cannabis is a harmless substance is growing, the long-term benefits and risks of cannabis use remain unclear. However, one consistent pattern of research has emerged: Heavy long-term cannabis use can impact midlife cognition. New Research on Cannabis Use and Cognition in Midlife Recent research published in The American Journal of Psychiatry closely followed nearly 1,000 individuals in New Zealand from age 3 to age 45 to understand the impact of cannabis use on brain function. The research team discovered that individuals who used cannabis long-term (for several years or more) and heavily (at least weekly, though a majority in their study used more than four times a week) exhibited impairments across several domains of cognition. Long-term cannabis users IQs declined by 5.5 points on average from childhood, and there were deficits in learning and processing speed compared to people that did not use cannabis. The more frequently an individual used cannabis, the greater the resulting cognitive impairment, suggesting a potential causative link. The study also found that people who knew these long-term cannabis users well observed that they had developed memory and attention problems. The above findings persisted even when the study authors controlled for factors such as dependence on other drugs, childhood socioeconomic status, or baseline childhood intelligence. The impact of cannabis on cognitive impairment was greater than that of alcohol or tobacco use. Long-term cannabis users also had smaller hippocampi (the region of the brain responsible for learning and memory). Interestingly, individuals who used cannabis less than once a week with no history of developing dependence did not have cannabis-related cognitive deficits. This suggests there is a range of recreational use that may not lead to long-term cognitive issues. More Studies Are Needed on Cannabis Use and Brain Health The new research is just one of several studies suggesting there is a link between long-term heavy cannabis use and cognition. Still, future studies are needed to establish causation and explore how long-term cannabis use might impact the risk of developing dementia since midlife cognitive impairment is associated with higher rates of dementia. What Should You Do If You Experience Cognitive Effects of Cannabis? Some people who consume cannabis long-term may develop brain fog, lowered motivation, difficulty with learning, or difficulty with attention. Symptoms are typically reversible, though using products with higher THC content may increase the risk of developing cognitive symptoms. Consider the following if you are experiencing cannabis-related cognitive symptoms: Try a slow taper. Gradually decrease the potency (THC content) of cannabis you use or how frequently you use it over several weeks, especially if you have a history of cannabis withdrawal. Gradually decrease the potency (THC content) of cannabis you use or how frequently you use it over several weeks, especially if you have a history of cannabis withdrawal. Work with your doctor. Be open with your doctor about your cognitive symptoms, as other medical or psychiatric factors may be at play. Your doctor can also help you navigate a cannabis taper safely, and potentially more comfortably, using other supportive means. Unfortunately, most patients are not comfortable talking with their doctors about cannabis use. Be open with your doctor about your cognitive symptoms, as other medical or psychiatric factors may be at play. Your doctor can also help you navigate a cannabis taper safely, and potentially more comfortably, using other supportive means. Unfortunately, most patients are not comfortable talking with their doctors about cannabis use. Give it time. It may take up to a month before you experience improvements after reducing your dose, as cannabis can remain in the body for two to four weeks. It may take up to a month before you experience improvements after reducing your dose, as cannabis can remain in the body for two to four weeks. Try objective cognitive tracking. Using an app or objective test such as the mini-mental status exam to track your brain function may be more accurate than self-observation. Your mental health provider may be able to assist with administering intermittent cognitive assessments. Using an app or objective test such as the mini-mental status exam to track your brain function may be more accurate than self-observation. Your mental health provider may be able to assist with administering intermittent cognitive assessments. Consider alternative strategies. Brain function is not static, like eye color or the number of toes on our feet. Aerobic exercise and engaging in mindfulness, meditation, and psychotherapy may improve long-term cognition. Cannabis is an exciting yet controversial topic that has drawn both hype and skepticism. It is important for individuals and healthcare professionals to place emphasis on research studies and not on speculation or personal stories. Emerging studies suggesting the connection between long-term heavy use of cannabis and neurocognition should raise concern for policymakers, providers, and patients. Kevin Hill, M.D., MHS, is a contributor, and Michael Hsu, M.D., guest contributor to Harvard Health Publications. 2023 Harvard University. For terms of use, please see https://www.health.harvard.edu/terms-of-use. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Thursday that it has restricted imports from an Indian health care company amid a multistate bacterial outbreak linked to recalled eye drops. At least one person has died, five are permanently blind, and at least 55 cases have been identified as of Jan. 31 in the 12-state outbreak involving a rare and extensively drug-resistant strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, according to federal agencies. The outbreak is linked to two artificial tears products, EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharmas Artificial Tears. Most patients have reported using the EzriCare Artificial Tears product prior to infection, according to a health alert issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The FDA placed Global Pharma Healthcare Private Limited on its import alert list on Feb. 2 to prevent its products from entering the United States. According to the agency, the company failed to comply with current good manufacturing practice requirements and didnt provide an adequate response to a records request as it probed the outbreak. EzriCare Artificial Tears is a preservative-free product dispensed in multidose bottles. A Jan. 20 report (pdf) by the CDC noted that the agency discovered that most of those infected had used the EzriCare Artificial Tears product before getting sick. The CDC said it identified the presence of the outbreak strain in opened EzriCare bottles with different lot numbers collected from two states. The specific strain behind the outbreak, VIM-GES-CRPA, is so rare that it has never been seen before in the United States. Testing of opened bottles of EzriCare eye drops from two different states showed bacteria matching the outbreak strain, but the source of contamination remains unknown. On Thursday, the FDA issued a warning to consumers and health care practitioners not to purchase and immediately stop using EzriCare Artificial Tears or Delsam Pharmas Artificial Tears due to potential bacterial contamination. The agency said that using contaminated artificial tears increases risk of eye infections that could result in blindness or death. According to the CDC, cases are being investigated in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Washington. Global Pharma Healthcare is voluntarily recalling all lots within expiry of their Artificial Tears Lubricant Eye Drops, distributed by EzriCare, LLC and Delsam Pharma, owing to possible contamination, Feb. 1, 2023. (Courtesy of Global Pharma) Recall The artificial tears products were subject to the recall following multiple violations of manufacturing regulations by the company, including a lack of microbial testing and proper tamper-evident packaging controls. The bacteria, which are found in water and soil, can also be on peoples hands, and tend to mostly affect people with lowered immunity in settings such as hospitals. They are usually resistant to most antibiotics. In addition to demonstrating carbapenem resistance, isolates in this cluster are resistant to ceftazidime and cefepime; the subset of isolates that underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing for ceftazidime-avibactam and ceftolozane-tazobactam were also resistant to these agents, the CDCs Jan. 20 report stated. The infection is particularly difficult for doctors to treat owing to resistance to multiple antibiotics. Symptoms of an eye infection include eye pain or discomfort; yellow, green, or clear discharge from the eye; redness; increased sensitivity to light; and blurred vision. The CDC recommends that patients who have used EzriCare preservative-free artificial tears and experience these symptoms seek medical attention immediately. Health care providers are encouraged to perform culture and antimicrobial susceptibility tests if patients report use of the product. Patients infected or colonized with VIM-GES-CRPA should be placed in isolation and use appropriate precautions. The CDC does not recommend testing for patients who have used the product but are not experiencing any symptoms. Someone is diagnosed with the condition every four seconds. New research finds common virus infections are linked to developing a degenerative brain disease. But experts also have different opinions. Common Virus Infections Associated with Neurological Disease Risk: Study We are seeing mounting evidence, Heather Snyder, Alzheimers Association vice president of medical and scientific relations and who holds a doctorate in molecular biology, told The Epoch Times, that microbes and/or viruses in the brain may be triggering or contributing to some type of immune reaction that is related to the buildup of amyloid plaques and tau tanglesthe hallmark of Alzheimers disease. This is not limited to Alzheimers disease. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found an association between exposure to various viral diseases and an increased risk of many neurodegenerative diseases. They analyzed data (pdf) from over 300,000 people in a Finnish biobank and nearly a half million people in the UK biobank. These individuals had been diagnosed with different types of neurodegenerative diseases, including: Alzheimers disease Vascular dementia Parkinsons disease Generalized dementia Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Multiple sclerosis (MS) They were compared to people who hadnt been diagnosed with any of these neurological diseases. The result shows that patients who experienced influenza with pneumonia were more likely to develop five of the six diseases studied. Infection with the Epstein-Barr virus increased the risk of multiple sclerosis. Viral encephalitis was associated with an increased risk of Alzheimers disease, while shingles infection and intestinal viral infections were also associated with neurological disease. About 80 percent of viruses looked at in the study were neurotrophic, meaning that theyre able to attack the central nervous system through peripheral nerves or by crossing the blood-brain barrier. These viruses might increase disease risk by causing brain inflammation that reduces our cognitive reserves. However, researchers are unsure how long after infection people experience this increased risk. Although we are working with NDDs (neurodegenerative diseases) that generally occur in middle-aged to elderly study participants, it is unclear if viral exposures more than 15 years before NDD diagnosis contribute to risk, the study authors said. Dr. Bibhuti Mishra, chief of neurology at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills, part of Northwell Health in New York, said the study deserves attention because there is a huge amount of data. Vaccination Against Flu and Pneumonia The NIH researchers suggest using currently available vaccines for some of these viruses, including influenza, varicella-zoster (shingles), and pneumonia, to reduce neurodegenerative disease risk. After COVID-19, questions regarding vaccines started to arise. But some physicians think vaccination against these common viruses could still help certain people to reduce risk. Studies reported at the 2020 Alzheimers Association International Conference found that influenza and pneumonia vaccinations were associated with reduced risk of Alzheimers disease. The first study looked at an American health record data set of more than 9,000 patients over 60 years old. The findings indicate receiving a single flu vaccination was linked with a 17 percent reduction in Alzheimers incidence. Those vaccinated more than once experienced an additional 13 percent reduction. Another study researched the associations between receiving the pneumococcal (pneumonia) vaccine, with and without an accompanying flu shot, and Alzheimers risk. The findings suggest that receiving a pneumococcal vaccine between 65 and 75 years old could reduce Alzheimers risk by up to 30 percent after adjusting for factors like sex, genetics, race, birth cohort, education, and smoking habits. Among those vaccinated against pneumonia, who didnt have any genetic risk factors for Alzheimers, there was up to a 40 percent reduction in risk. Mishra said that vaccines could help, but many of the worst offenders, like viral meningitis and encephalitis, do not yet have vaccines. Chicken and Egg But is a viral infection the cause of neurodegenerative disease, or is it just a sign of a weakened immune system? The association is not proof of cause, said Mishra. Any infection will lead to inflammatory changes in the brain, and inflammation is already a significant presence in the brain of those who have neurodegenerative diseases, most prominently Alzheimers disease. He explained if you look at those infections that have the highest association with risk for neurodegenerative diseaseviral meningitis and viral encephalitisinflammation of the brain and brain membrane jump out with a 30- to 60-fold increased risk of neurodegenerative disease. He thinks viral infection can add fuel to the fire of inflammation that makes neurodegenerative diseases worse. And the highest association between risk of worsening neurodegeneration and virus infection is within the first year after viral infection, said Mishra. This could imply that the neurodegeneration must be fairly advanced at the time of a severe viral infection (encephalitis or meningitis) to have the highest risk. Snyder noted that while viruses and bacteria are prevalent in our environment, and there are studies suggesting an increased presence of these factors in the brains of people with Alzheimers, the disease itself affects the immune system. There are changes in the immune system as Alzheimers progresses and this may also be a contribution to why there is an increased presence, she said. Other factors that may potentially cause or contribute to Alzheimers disease progression include hypertension and diabetes, and these factors might also make individuals living with Alzheimers and related dementia more vulnerable to contracting viruses. Additionally, dementia symptoms, such as forgetting to wash hands, can also put a person at higher risk. The takeaway message is: Take care of yourself, said Snyder. Beijing (Gasgoo)- Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi recently unveiled several auto-related patents, which involve wearable devices, according to information released by Chinese corporate database Tianyancha on February 1. Photo credit: Xiaomi Specifically, the patent released is about wearable devices and data processing methods for wearable devices involving display screens, first Bluetooth module, and processors. The first Bluetooth module is used to establish a communication connection between the wearable device and the vehicle, and the processor is used to obtain the distance between the wearable device and the vehicle, and automatically switch the interface of the display to control one or more functions of said vehicle when the distance is less than a set distance threshold. Besides, Xiaomi also released a patent regarding a control method, device, electronic device, and storage media for vehicles in the field of autonomous driving vehicles intelligent control technologies. The device to be controlled is a built-in device of the vehicle used to detect the index value of at least one physiological characteristic of the user is in a preset interval, and send the aforesaid physiological characteristic and index value to the vehicle so that the vehicle can be controlled by the device. In other words, the patent allows the wearable device to conduct independent monitoring of the user, to achieve timely feedback control of the vehicle, to avoid situations where the users physical discomfort endangers the driving experience. Newsweek just published an editorial by Kevin Bass, a medical school student in Texas, about how the official scientific establishment in the U.S. got it wrong about COVID-19. At the risk of sounding immodest, all of the realizations that he catalogs in his essay were apparent to me by May of 2020, almost three years ago. People often ask me why I perceived at the beginning of this mess that our public health officials were lying to us. The answer is simple: I am a longstanding student of history (including medical history) and of human nature. It is precisely a lack of education in history that made so many people susceptible to being manipulated and defrauded by the Bio-Pharmaceutical Complex. Students of political history have often marveled that the Anglo-Irish statesman, Edmund Burke, made all of his accurate predictions about the French Revolution in 1790. Burke foresaw that the Jacobins would grossly mismanage everything and then resort to terror when none of their harebrained schemes worked. He predicted the bloody fiasco would end with the accession to power of a military commander. Three years after Burkes Reflections on the Revolution in France was published, the Reign of Terror began. Nine years later, Napoleon Bonaparte came to power through a combination of subterfuge and soldiers with fixed bayonets. How did Burke make these predictions? He knew history and he understood human nature. He therefore saw that the Jacobins had no idea what they were doing. None of their abstract schemes acknowledged the complex reality of human affairs. Their entire conception of reality was ideological, not practical, and they insisted on imposing it with fanatical zeal. Precisely the same is true of the Vaccine Syndicate that ran the official Pandemic Response. Its leaders are votaries of the COVID-19 Vaccine Cult, and all of their policies were in the service of getting a needle in every arm. Their monolithic policy totally ignored the complex reality of the problem. Those familiar with history (and medical history) could see by April of 2020 that The Science constantly invoked by our government health agencies was an ideological constructan Orthodoxyand not true science. True scientific inquiry was conducted by doctors in the field who had the courage to treat the illness instead of waiting for the heralded vaccine. Kevin Basss Newsweek is a good start. May the rest of the Official Follow the Science Establishment get out their forks and knives and start eating crow. Reposted from the authors Substack 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. The term superbug conjures images of bacteria with superpowersable to evade the effects of the antibiotics given to destroy them. The prolific use of antibiotics is thought to be the cause, and bacteria, in a fight for their survival, have adaptedmaking an increasing number of antibiotics ineffective against a growing number of bacterial infections. A new study published in PNAS on Jan. 23 has shown that antidepressants, some of the most widely prescribed medications in the world, cause antibiotic resistance, giving them the potential to become dangerous superbugs. Even after a few days exposure, bacteria develop drug resistance, not only against one but multiple antibiotics, Jianhua Guo, one of the studys authors and a professor at the University of Queenslands Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, told Nature. This is both interesting and scary. In the study, researchers exposed Escherichia coli, or E. coli, bacteria to five common antidepressants: sertraline (Zoloft), duloxetine (Cymbalta), bupropion (Wellbutrin), escitalopram (Lexapro), and agomelatine (Valdoxan). Then, over a two-month exposure period, the team exposed the bacteria to 13 antibiotics representing six different classes of drugs. Every one of the antidepressants caused the E. coli to develop antibiotic resistance, but two in particular, sertraline (Zoloft) and duloxetine (Cymbalta), had the most pronounced effects, producing the largest number of resistant bacterial cells. Guos interest in nonantibiotic drugs contributing to antibiotic resistance came in 2014, when his lab discovered that there were more antibiotic-resistant genes in domestic wastewater than in wastewater from hospitalswhere they use more antibiotics. This led to the discovery by his team and others that antidepressants were able to kill or slow the growth of certain bacteria, which Guo says provokes an SOS response, triggering defense mechanisms in the bacteria that help them survive and subsequently resist antibiotic treatments. These findings led Guo and his team to conduct the present study to find out if antidepressants could cause bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics. In addition to demonstrating that antidepressants cause antibiotic resistance, the study also found that the higher the dose of antidepressants, the faster the E. coli bacteria developed resistance and the more antibiotics they could resist within the two-month study window. Interestingly, the bacteria in well-oxygenated environments developed resistance more quickly than those in low-oxygen laboratory conditions. This might be good news for humans, as a low oxygen environment better represents the human intestine, where E. coli bacteria grows in the body. The study also revealed that at least one of the antidepressants, sertraline, sold under the brand name Zoloft, encouraged the transmission of genes between bacterial cells, allowing the spread of resistance through a population. These transfers can happen between different types of bacterium, enabling resistance to jump between species, which can include going from harmless bacteria to infectious ones. The Prolific Use of Antidepressants Worldwide, antibiotic resistance is a serious public health threat. An estimated 1.2 million people died as a direct result of antibiotic resistance in 2019and that number is expected to increase in the years ahead. A comprehensive epidemiological study led by the University of Bristol and published in the British Journal of Psychiatry Open analyzed data on more than 200,000 people. Researchers set out to see if long-term antidepressant use (over five years and 10 years) was associated with the development of six health problems: diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke (and related syndromes), and two mortality outcomesdeath from cardiovascular disease or from any cause. Researchers found that long-term antidepressant use was associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease and an increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and from any cause. The study notes that the risks were greater for those taking non-SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), which include mirtazapine, venlafaxine, duloxetine, and trazodone and that their use was associated with a two-fold increased risk of coronary heart disease, cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality at the 10-year mark. According to the Pharmaceutical Journal, antidepressant prescriptions in the U.K. have increased by 35 percent in the past six years, and those prescriptions rose by 5.1 percent in 2021/2022the sixth consecutive annual increase. These numbers highlight not only an alarming rise in antidepressant use but the implications of the potential antibiotic resistance of these drugs. Definitive Healthcare, which collects and analyzes health care data, compiled a list of the top 20 antidepressants by prescription volume in the United States. The top three prescribed antidepressants for 2021 were: Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride)18,337,255 prescriptions Desyrel/Oleptro (trazodone hydrochloride)15,175,105 prescriptions Wellbutrin (bupropion hydrochloride)14,849,887 prescriptions The 20 antidepressant medications on the list account for nearly 130.5 million prescriptions in the United States in 2021 alone. How Dangerous Is Antibiotic Resistance? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development. They cite that a growing list of infections including pneumonia, tuberculosis, blood poisoning, gonorrhea, and foodborne diseases are becoming harder and sometimes impossible to treat as antibiotics become less effective. Without urgent action, we are heading for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries can once again kill, the WHO stated. Some of the deadliest bacterial infections are tuberculosis, anthrax, tetanus, pneumonia, cholera, botulism, and pseudomonas infections. MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is one of the most common infections that have become resistant to antibiotics, and the symptoms generally begin as swollen, painful red bumps on the skin that look like pimples or spider bites. Many cases are mild, but some can cause more serious infections that can be life-threatening. Because MRSA is difficult to treat and resistant to antibiotics, its often referred to as a superbug. The PNAS study states that the United States high consumption of antibiotics16,850 kilograms annually in the United States alonewith the addition of their findings, highlights the need to reevaluate the antibiotic-like side effects of antidepressants. Implications for Humans Considering these effects were only observed in Petri dishes, more research is needed to know if antidepressants could fuel the rise of superbugs in human bodies or the environment. The implications for humans are difficult to predict, but the researchers reported that the two antidepressants that exerted the most extreme effects and the most resistancesertraline and duloxetinecaused effects after only one day of exposure. Simply put, at clinically relevant concentrations in the human colon (e.g., 50 mg/L), there may be enough antidepressants in the colon to drive resistance. Another concern is if the levels of antidepressants in wastewater might be causing bacteria to develop resistance, which has the potential to be a public health crisis. More research is needed to fully understand what concentrations would be significant and their implications for the future. With the unprecedented challenges the world has faced in recent years and the increasing prevalence of antidepressants, the new findings linking antidepressants to superbugs give another reason to explore other treatments for depression. **If you are taking antidepressants, dont stop taking these medications abruptly. Slowly reducing the amount over many weeks or months is the safest way to proceed. If youre interested in lowering your dose or stopping antidepressants completely, please consult with a health care professional that you trust to help you through the process. Heartbroken Over Girls Hating Their Bodies, Counselor Mom Pushes for State Law Change A teenager with a laptop in Arlington, Va., on June 11, 2021. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images) Peggy McFarlands conscience wouldnt let her stay silent. As a mother, teacher, and licensed professional clinical counselor, McFarland has repeatedly seen girls become conditioned to despise their own bodies, especially when they hit puberty. I just feel so brokenhearted, she told The Epoch Times, when I have seen how they start hating their bodies and being embarrassed and ashamed. And I just have this deep desire: How can I help these girls to feel that growing up being a girl is something wonderfuland not something terrifying?' Peggy McFarland, Idaho mother and counselor, in an undated photo. (PeggyMcFarland.com) After raising her blended family of five daughters and four sons, McFarland has dedicated her professional life to correcting and preventing body-image damage among girls. She even wrote a curriculum titled Healthy Transitions for Girls. But now, she said, the culture has exploited girls tendency to be self-critical, leading many girls to seek to transition into boys. That path is fraught with life-long social, medical, and health implications. Yet, across the United States, privacy laws and professional requirements block counselors such as McFarland from objecting to that course of treatment. Troubled that she could be thrust into such a moral and ethical dilemma, McFarland became the driving force behind a proposed Idaho law that would apply when counselors confront a crisis of conscience. The one-page bill, released on Feb. 1, makes a straightforward declaration: No person providing counseling or therapy services will be required to counsel or serve a client regarding goals, outcomes, or behaviors that conflict with the sincerely held principles of the counselor or therapist. Opposition and Support The law would apply not only to transgender-related issues but also to other scenarios; the bill makes no mention of the word gender. Even so, the blowback against Idaho House Bill 63 was almost immediate. About five minutes after the bill was printed, its sponsor, Idaho Rep. Julianne Young (R-Blackfoot), got a phone call in opposition to it. In an email, a therapist alleged that the bill contradicts accepted counseling principles. However, Young and McFarland are convinced that the proposal serves the best interests of therapists, clients, and parents. Chloe Cole (L) and Scott Newgent (R), who both regret undergoing masculinizing gender-transition procedures, are pictured with another protester at the First Do No Harm Rally against medical transition in Anaheim, Calif., on Oct. 7, 2022. (Courtesy of TreVoices.org/Scott Newgent) Scott Newgent, a nationally known transgender person who opposes gender-transitioning of children, agrees. Born female, Newgent bore three children before undergoing sex-change surgeriesprocedures Newgent soon regretted. Reversing the effects or detransitioning is next to impossible, Newgent told The Epoch Times, because of the cost, the strain on a persons body, and the limits of medical science. Even though the Idaho bill can apply to many situations unrelated to transgenderism, Newgent hopes for similar laws nationwide. These measures would benefit many therapists who want to buck the gender-affirming care trend but fear reprisals, Newgent said. Good for her, standing up, Newgent said, referring to McFarland. Being loving, being caring to anybody is telling the truth, with love and kindness on the other side. Tennessee passed a similar conscientious-therapist law in 2016; McFarland has discussed the Idaho bill with lawmakers from several other states. Lawmaker Gives Rationale Young told The Epoch Times that she drafted the bill after McFarland alerted her about the predicaments that therapists may face. This general issue of protecting freedom of conscience is something that has always been a concern to me, Young said. Thats why McFarlands points resonated with her. In late 2022, McFarland contacted Young and expressed her concerns about the potential of actually being put in a situation where she could be disciplined or lose her license, Young said, because she sees this trend toward pressuring counselors to provide care that is in conflict with some of those sincerely held beliefs. Idaho state Rep. Julianne Young. (Idaho House of Representatives) She said her bill acknowledges that a counselors first obligation is to take care of somebody thats in imminent danger of losing their life or causing the loss of someone elses life. Then, if a client wants to be counseled regarding specific goals, outcomes, or behaviors that conflict with a therapists personal beliefs or professional opinion, the state is not going to strong-arm the counselor to proceed in that manner, she said. Instead, the counselor will help the client find another therapist. And then they are relieved of any further professional obligations to that individual. And they cant be sued. They cant be prosecuted. They cant have their license called into question, Young said. She believes that lawmakers primary purpose should be to define peoples fundamental rights and provide protection for those. Our goal is not to tell everybody what to do all the time, she said. The purpose of the bill, she said, is to ensure mutual respect and conscience protections for counselors and therapists, and she thinks it strikes the right balance among all concerned. Informed Choice Paramount Theres another existing issue: Informed consent is lacking. The Idaho bill would help remedy that in two ways, McFarland said. Firstly, by helping parents and clients to know if they have chosen the right therapist for them, and secondly, by allowing open discussion of the risks and benefits associated with the gender-affirming model of care. They have the right to make an informed choice about who they want as their therapist, McFarland said. Lets be honest here. Everybody brings their values to whatever they do. We need to stop pretending that people dont have values, she said. And the goal should be that we are honest. McFarlands website describes her as a Christian wife, grandmother, teacher and therapist, making her core values clear to prospective clients, she said. Years ago, professional guidelines called upon counselors to disclose relevant differences of opinion to clients, McFarland said. That has since changed. Now, counselors are muzzled about their beliefs, particularly concerns about the sexualization of children and the serious harm that can come from transgenderism, she said. For a counselor to be considered multi-culturally competent, he or she must embrace the gender-affirming approach, McFarland said. Therefore, therapists face professional risks if they promote a therapy that doesnt affirm a childs transgender stance. Path of Harm Furthermore, Idaho law prohibits counselors from sharing information with parents of minor clients who are aged 14 or older. Thus, parents of these youths may be kept entirely in the dark about their childs gender confusion or other potentially life-altering circumstances. Similar confidentiality laws are in effect in other states, although the age limits vary. Besides being distressing to parents, this situation creates a potential legal peril for counselors, McFarland said. How would you feel as a parent if you find out that you sent your kid to a therapist and theyre helping that kid connect to the same people that put on a drag kids on stage event? McFarland asked. A protester demonstrates against a drag queen performance for children in Vancouver, Canada, on Jan. 14, 2023. (Jeff Sandes/The Epoch Times) This is a very real possibility, she said, because therapists are being told they need to connect transgender-identifying children with people of their culture. Thats what theyre asking me to do, McFarland said. And those are not neutral acts. Those are putting kids on a path of harm. Therapists who send children on a route that leads to gender transition may not realize the liabilities they have, because parents lawsuits are coming, she said. Thats whats happened in England. That nation had been a frontrunner in the gender-affirming care movement. But in recent months, England and other European countries have been putting on the brakes after rising complaints from detransitioners who wish they had never used hormones or surgeries to alter their appearance. In August 2022, news broke that 1,000 families were suing the Gender Identity Development Service at Londons Tavistock Centre. The Times of London quoted an attorney alleging that professionals there got children started on a treatment pathway that was not right for them. Amid such criticisms, Englands National Health Service ordered the Tavistock clinic to close by spring 2023. The Tavistock Centre in London in an undated file photo. (Aaron Chown/PA) Life-Altering Gate Many people think that socially transitioning a childallowing the child to experiment with a new name, cross-sex identity, clothing, and hairstylesis harmless experimentation. But McFarland said, Thats a gate that were opening up. And once they start to socially transition and get into that, research shows theyre going to continue and go on with these harmful puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. Worse yet, some of these medications can cause depression, an additional struggle for a vulnerable child who may already suffer from underlying mental and emotional issues. After hormones, the next step could be costly body-altering surgeries, some of which have high complication rates. Cover of Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters by Abigail Shrier. (Courtesy of Abigail Shrier) Gender-affirming proponents say these measures are life-saving because gender-questioning youths are at higher risk of suicide. However, an oft-cited 30-year Swedish study showed that transgender adults were 19 times more likely to kill themselves despite undergoing sex-change procedures. Newgent, the anti-transitioning activist, is aware of very few people who believe the surgeries improved their long-term quality of life. Newgent has faced repeated infections and other complications from the surgeries. Instead of facing a similar fate, children should be allowed to work through their gender questioning and any underlying issues, Newgent said. Both McFarland and Newgent point out that several studies show that large percentages of youths desist their claim of transgenderism if they dont begin the transition process. Trends Fueled Gender Ideology As the decades have passed, McFarland has observed societal trends adversely affecting girls. Images on social media and TV glorify unrealistic perfection and unrealistic fitness, she said. Then I saw the culture send big messages about androgyny so you look at kids, and theyre all in T-shirts and jeans, and sometimes you cant tell if theyre girls or boys, she said, noting that the trend turned toward hating your body and disassociating from your body. Now were going to mutilate your body and change it to be some other thing that it can never possibly be. Despite looking like a man, Newgent declared, I will never be a man, in the 2022 Daily Wire documentary What is a Woman?, which explored gender ideology. That statement gained international publicity for Newgent, who applauds McFarlands efforts. McFarland said her concerns began when she was trained on how to use a new assessment form. I just had a very bad feeling about it, she said. McFarland thinks parents would be shocked to know that many therapists use that same form, which asks more than 100 questions, several of which probe gender identity and sexuality for children from birth to age 18. A teenager presents a smartphone with the logo of Chinese social network Tik Tok in Nantes, western France, on Jan. 21, 2021. (Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images) Part of the assessment asks whether the childs parents support a childs desire for transitioning and the childs new culture. If not, it literally says theyre being discriminatory, and theyre oppressing their child, McFarland said. Further, the same remarks can be said about a therapist who doesnt abet the childs desire to transition, McFarland said, which could be personally and professionally harmful for the therapist. Her disquiet over the questionnaire caused her to dig for information. I just kept researching, researching, she said, and I just got darker, darker, deeper, deeper, deeper into that iceberg of harm of children. The process has been painful for her. But she cant ignore the facts she found. Thats why she felt compelled to act. Thats how McFarland turned into a reluctant activist. Its not something I feel brave about, she said. I felt like my heart is just broken, watching this happen to children and to parentsand they dont even know what theyre getting into. Navigating a Minefield But help is available for parents and children who seek it, McFarland said. Of particular note, she said, is a free booklet, Navigating the Transgender LandscapeSchool Resource Guide, published by the Child & Parental Rights Campaign. I cant say enough about this resource, McFarland said. Although the guide is intended for school administrators, the group says that parents will also benefit from the balanced approach to this complicated phenomenon. McFarland said the guide provides social, medical, and legal information to develop sound policies. Its a plan that protects all students and protects parents rights, she said. With this resource, you will be prepared to work with others and draw that line in the sand that we need to protect our kids and our freedoms. As parents, McFarland and her husband, Michael, have tackled challenges ranging from learning disabilities to depression and same-sex attraction. These life experiences prepared her well for her role as a counselor. McFarland likes to joke that these hurdles have earned her an honorary doctorate from The School of Hard Knocks. In reality, McFarland holds a Master of Science degree in mental health counseling from Capella University. Shes also a university instructor who teaches parenting to students all over the world, her website says. Counselor Peggy McFarland (3L) poses with some of her daughters and granddaughters at a family wedding in 2018. (Peggy McFarland) McFarland said she tries hard to help girls see that womanhood is something special, something to be celebrated. Toxic cultural messages make growing up more like a minefield than the hopeful journey it should be, she says on her website. Thats why I developed Healthy Transitions for Girls, a curriculum to help girls ages 8 to 14 to develop a positive body image. Under the heading Helping Girls Is My Passion, McFarland is pictured on her website with five young ladiessome of her daughters and granddaughtersat a 2018 wedding. Theyre all smiles, dressed in pastels and floral prints. To her, that picture radiates love, togetherness, and the unparalleled joy of sisterhooda feeling that could forge positive changes in the lives of the young girls she counsels. She just wants to share it freely. Hong Kongs Descent Into Tyranny Is a Tragedy: Report Hong Kong ranked 34th in the 2022 'Human Freedom Index' A Star Ferry boat crosses Victoria Harbor in front of a skyline of buildings during sunset, as a meeting on national security legislation takes place in Hong Kong, on June 29, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) According to the latest Human Freedom Index (HFI) 2022, Hong Kong fell from the worlds No. 1 in 2016 to 34th in 2022. The ranking of freedom of speech and freedom of association dropped to 78th and 140th, respectively. The report is jointly released by the Cato Institute, an American think tank, and the Fraser Institute, a Canadian think tank. (pdf) The Human Freedom Index compares the degree of personal and economic freedom in 165 countries and regions on the basis of 83 indicators in 12 categories, including the rule of law; security and safety; movement; religion; association, assembly, and civil society; expression and information; relationships; the size of government; legal system and property rights; sound money; freedom to trade internationally; and Regulation. The report names ten countries and regions whose Human Freedom Index fell sharply between 2007 and 2020, including Syria, Nicaragua, Hungary, Egypt, Venezuela, Turkey, El Salvador, Burundi, Bahrain, and Hong Kong. In terms of personal freedom, Hong Kong ranks 62nd; as for economic freedom, Hong Kong still ranks 1st. CCPs Negative Intervention on Hong Kong Hong Kongs descent into tyranny is a tragedy, concluded the report, but Hong Kong will continue to be an important lesson in the value of freedom. The fate of Hong Kong is now tightly tied to that of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It also predicts that the CCP will continue its oppression in Hong Kong, undermining its civil and individual liberties. Although Hong Kong maintains the highest level of economic freedom globally, it predicts that the CCPs intervention will usher a more negative impact on Hong Kongs economic freedom. In the past few years, the CCP has stepped up its crackdown on the free market, accelerated the arrest of corporate executives, and sped up the establishment of party cells within private companies. The institutions believe that the CCP will eventually exercise the same control over Hong Kong that it has practiced over the mainlands private sector. The report cites estimates from other institutions that 73 percent of Chinese private companies have established party cells. And since the beginning of 2021, 92 percent of the Top 500 Chinese companies have established similar CCP cells. In 2020, the partys infringements on freedom led to the end of the citys autonomous status under the one country, two systems model. The report stated that it was surprised by the situation in Hong Kong. For many years, although Hong Kong cannot be called a democratic region, it has maintained a high degree of freedom. However, in recent years, the score began to drop sharply, which reflects the increasing interference of the CCP in Hong Kong. It criticized the CCPs violation of Hong Kongs freedom. Given the ongoing attacks on Hong Kongs freedoms, the report added, we will be surprised if future reports do not show a continuing and pronounced degradation in the territorys ratings, including a noticeable decline in economic freedom. China Ranks 152, Down 2 Places China ranks 152 out of 165 countries and regions in the index, down two places from 2021. For their overall score, China dropped 35 places between 2000 and 2020. It ranks 154th in personal freedom and 116th in economic freedom. Hotel California Commentary It was a Friday afternoon, and I was driving through the city of El Cajon, California, where Im the mayor. I was lost in my music playlist when I was jolted back to reality by a phone call. My phone screen told me that it was the worst kind of callone from my city attorney. While the attorney, Morgan Foley, is a hardened legal veteran, even he seemed a bit shaken. He had just received a call from the office of the attorney general of California, Rob Bonta. The AGs staff told Foley that we were about to receive a cease-and-desist letter from Bonta himself. I knew immediately what the issue was: homelessness. Bonta and his allies on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors want to enable it. I dont. The History El Cajon (pronounced el ka-HONE) is a medium-sized city in the metro San Diego area. When I was elected mayor in 2008, downtown El Cajon and a vast grid of surrounding blocks were a hotbed of crime, urban blight, and homelessness. In my pre-political life, I had worked in mental health, first as a clinician with a nursing degree and then as a doctor of clinical psychology. Over a career of supervising mental health teams in hospital emergency room settings, Id had a lot of experience ministering to and caring for homeless people. I brought that with me when I took office. We hired a new city manager, rolled up our sleeves, and got to work. Partnering with city officials, social services, law enforcement, the business community, and nonprofits, we developed new homeless shelters and programs. We enlisted the citys pastors to pray, and much to the ridicule of many, we prayed with them. By 2020, any homeless person who would agree to get help had gotten it. Many became what are called housed homeless, but they were off the streets and being cared for. Meanwhile, the streets themselves were safer and more welcoming for all residents. Then came September 2022. We noticed a new and sudden influx of homeless people to our citynot just on the streets but taking over El Cajon hotels. I asked our police department to make some friendly inquiries with these folks to find out where they had come from. As it turned out, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, without consulting us, had launched a hotel voucher program that quickly overwhelmed our two-star, travel-lodge-type properties, turning every one of them into a homeless encampment. I objected, at first quietly and via networking, then loudly and on television. And that last piece is what triggered the cease-and-desist phone call from Bontas office. Cease and desist, you may know, can be a fancy legal way of saying sit down and shut up. And that was exactly Bontas message: If I continued to fight the county to try to restore order in our streets and hotels, then the full weight of Californias top law enforcement agent, in the most populous state in the unionthe fifth-largest economy in the worldwould come down directly on me and our city. In my minds eye, I saw Goliath in full armor and started looking for five smooth stones. Californias Decline Decades ago, California was the destination of dreams. When my father and countless others stopped here for a brief stay in San Diego on their way to fight in the South Pacific, Korea, or Vietnam, they found warm weather, beautiful new cities and suburbs, and a natural paradise that led down through the unspoiled pine forests of the High Sierra to the glistening Pacific. Today, however, the state is overpriced, overtaxed, and, in many places, riddled with crime and filth. Many large and medium-sized cities have become nearly uninhabitableoverrun by unchecked encampments of makeshift tents and ramshackle lean-tos. Drug zombies, criminals, and untreated psychotics roam the ruins and rule the places that were once the domain of the rich and powerful. The latter havent abandoned their castles of commerce, but they now quickly run from car to guarded lobby, deftly dodging feces, vomit, and vermin. Prostitution, rape, and the use and sale of drugs unfold in plain sight. Disheveled bodies lie in heaps on the streets. This is now so common that police rarely have spare resources to investigate whether these bodies are still alive. How did we get here? Lets start with a few basic facts. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development tells us there are currently 171,521 homeless people on the streets of California (pdf). To put matters in perspective, the next closest state is New York with slightly more than 74,000. Some argue that California is the most populous state and that the numbers reflect that. But how then can you explain second-place Texas, which has just 24,400 homeless? Well, some say climate is the determining factor. By this logic, Arizona should be a close second, but it falls far behind California with roughly 13,500 homeless people, and New Mexico has about 2,500. Even Hawaii, the most meteorologically idyllic state in the union, has just 6,000 homeless. The truth is, California is unique in the nation in that it has crafted a network of laws and policies that are so permissive that they actually encourage homelessness. Meanwhile, generous social benefits enable a lifestyle of addiction, even as ill-conceived laws discourage or prevent most standard enforcement techniques that cities have historically used to mitigate the practice of living on the streets. The result: People from all over the countryand the world, actuallycome here specifically to be homeless. Californias population accounts for 12 percent of the U.S. total of 334 million, but the state hosts 51 percent of the countrys homeless. What Happened in El Cajon? As mayor, I worked with our City Council to tackle the problem using an approach different from that of the big, liberal cities. We strove to provide a modern, treatment-based network of therapeutic options, while at the same time enforcing a policy that prohibits camping on the streets. We can do this because we have three homeless shelters and as such are shielded from the 2018 Boise ruling, which states that you cant prevent street camping unless you have a bed to offer. We have the beds. In fact, we spend more money per capita on homeless services than any other municipality in the region. When we first learned about the new hotel voucher program, City Manager Graham Mitchell went to assess the situation. What he found was first disturbingthen horrifying. Voucher recipients told him that county sheriffs deputies and even county staff members had dropped them off at the hotels. At one property, a drug dealer threatened to kill Mitchell if he didnt leave. After that, I went to see for myself. I found parking lots filled with trash and needles. Groups of young men, and some women, wandered in front of the hotels. Many appeared psychotic, arguing with lampposts or themselves. Drug dealers haunted the hotel entrances, shooting daggers with their eyes. Prior to this development, El Cajon police knew the names and faces of most homeless people on our streets. Thats because each person is approached up to a dozen times and offered supportive housing. Now, there were hundreds of new faces. The county hadnt discussed with us any of its plans. When pressed, officials refused to give any information. In frustration, I called a press conference to apply public pressure over this unfair and dangerous practice. I pointed out that although my city represents only 3 percent of the countys population, it was shouldering 45 percent of this hotel voucher program. I also noted that El Cajon police arrested 89 voucher recipients in just three days, most for outstanding felony warrants. On the advice of my city attorney, we sent letters to the hotel operators demanding that they comply with their conditional use permits. In our interpretation, the hotels had violated their permits when they brought in so many homeless that they ceased to be hotels and became instead de facto homeless shelters. The Crime Factor Homelessness in California used to revolve mainly around addicts and the untreated mentally ill. But in 2011, the state Legislature added a new toxin: crime. Assembly Bill 109 and, in 2016, Proposition 57 sought to ease prison overcrowding in California by simply deciding that many crimes were no longer punishable by incarceration. More than 70 crimes were redefined as less serious or nonviolent. This includes the rape of an intoxicated or unconscious person, sex trafficking, lewd acts with a minor of 15 years old and above, hostage-taking, assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence resulting in injury, and many others. Then, prisons began closingtwo in the past two years. After that, El Cajon saw a 35 percent spike in homelessness. Sacramento politicians claim that theres no correlation, but that defies logic. In San Diego County alone, 7,619 probationers were released into the county, with 1,077 being homeless upon release. Approximately 1 in 10 of the homeless in our region were once prisoners on early release. Meanwhile, in 2014, voters approved Proposition 47, converting a whole menu of crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, including shoplifting of items less than $950. In 2017, a group of 7-Eleven owners crowded into my office complaining that the homeless now steal from them with impunityand with no fear of the police. Proposition 47 also makes personal use of most drugs a minor offense, subject to a ticket or more likely no enforcement. In 2017, the legislature passed Senate Bill 180, which limits law enforcements ability to send chronic drug abusers back to prison. And most of those not confined will refuse any rehabilitative offer to get them off the streets. I know this not just statistically but from personal experience. My Experience You might be surprised to know that mayoring is a part-time job. Like most mayors, I lead a dual life. In addition to helping to govern a city, I own a health care company that specializes in psychiatric and psychological treatment. From 1994 to 2016, I worked in the emergency department at Paradise Valley Hospital, a facility in south San Diego County so gritty that cops and paramedics call it Death Valley Hospital. One morning at about 3 a.m., I was summoned to the emergency room, where a disheveled homeless woman was waiting for me, along with two grumpy cops. The cops explained that a Good Samaritan called in to report an older woman sleeping under a bridge in the rain. I noticed the woman had only one leg, having lost the other just below the kneean amputation due to poorly managed diabetes. I spoke gently to her, looked her in the eyes, and told her I wanted to help. The woman made it clear that she had no interest in help. I ordered blood tests anyway. A few questions and a look at her liver function told me all I needed to know: She was getting all her calories from vodka. I implored her to let me get her a bed. Ill put you on the medical floor until you get through the DTs, I said. After that, social workers will find you a place to stay. When she refused, I tried to coax her: Its cold and raining and youre sick. I warned her that she was going to die. The woman cursed me, then rolled out of the hospital on her Medicare-provided scooter, laughing and ranting as she went. Shell be back, I thought. And when she comes, well go through it all again. I knew this because we got so many addicts and psych patients in the ER that we needed two clinicians on every shift. Like this woman, most of the homeless we saw were abusing themselves to the brink of death. Some wanted to be admitted for a brief stay. They would get a bath, a few hot meals, and maybe some maintenance medications. After that, however, almost all heard the call of the streetsand their drugs of choiceand were back in the urban wild within a week. This kind of thing still happens today. As a Christian, this saddens me deeply as I work to obey Scriptural admonitions to aid the poor. But is enabling a life of addiction and psychosis, of hard living on rough streets, really helping? Or is it more compassionate to intervene, proactively if needed, when the poor and ill are unwilling to help themselves? Magnolia Street Within a week of learning of the countys voucher program, we also learned that El Cajons new hotel guests were selling drugs out of their tax-funded rooms. It was clear the county had no vetting process prior to shuttling their homeless to our town. The county protested that most were El Cajon natives. But further research, provided by the county itself, showed that only one person came from our city. How many homeless were being housed in San Diego proper or in the rich coastal communities, I wondered? Why were they being shunted to the eastand specifically to one of the few conservative areas left in the county? An answer may relate directly to another homeless battle I had recently had with San Diego County supervisorsand had won: Magnolia Street. Magnolia runs through El Cajon and then into an unincorporated area in the County of San Diegos jurisdiction. Its a commercial street with gas stations, machine shops, mom-and-pop restaurants, and other small businesses. Since El Cajon prohibits encampments, Magnolia Street was completely cleanuntil you reached the sign that says Leaving El Cajon. That sign marked a literal line of demarcation. A few yards beyond it, a massive homeless encampment sprang up in February 2022. Tents, shopping carts, and makeshift huts littered the side of the road under a freeway overpass. Business owners along Magnolia had begun complaining of people urinating and defecating in front of their doors. The street rang with curses, screams, and fistfights. People were having sex in the open and, of course, selling and abusing drugs. The camp was technically outside El Cajon city limits, which meant I was not its mayor. But Magnolia runs straight into our city, so we asked the county to clean up the property for the sake of those business owners just outside my jurisdiction. The county pushed back, citing the Boise decision as a reason for not getting involved. My next step: I invited our local media out to take a look. I pointed out to reporters that there were zero encampments on the El Cajon side of that Leaving El Cajon sign. But on the countys side, Magnolia looked like a war-torn third-world country. It was a striking dichotomy, a perfect real-time picture of conservative versus progressive policies. It also ignited a media firestorm. The public began to mobilize and put tremendous pressure on the county government. Then, the first of two horrible incidents occurred. A young high school girl with developmental disabilities was lured into the encampment. She was sexually assaulted, drugged, and kept in that altered mental state in a van while she was trafficked for sex. Then another young girl, this time not a minor but still a teenager, was found running naked from business to business begging for help. She cried hysterically that she had been raped at the encampment. She later waffled on her story of assault, but security cameras did verify that she was naked on the street. The resulting press coverage and citizen protest finally forced the county to act. In late May 2022, trucks and crews descended on the apocalyptic scene, and just like that, Magnolia Street was clean again. The people of El Cajon felt it was a great victorythat is, until we found out that the county had cooked up what may be a secret weapon of retribution: the hotel voucher program. The Current Battle The voucher program isnt new. Its essentially an extension of the Housing First model developed by New York clinical community psychologist Sam Tsemberis in 1992. If homelessness is caused by lack of housing, the premise goes, we should simply give homeless people houses. Soon many private and public figures announced that they could provide every chronically homeless person with permanent supportive housing, or PSH, and thus help end homelessness within a decade. Since then, all major cities have tried Housing First. All have failed miserably. In San Francisco, a PSH unit can cost up to $750,000. In Los Angeles, voters passed a bond issue for more PSH units. The city stated that they would cost $140,000 each. Instead, they cost triple that, and some cost more than $700,000. In many cities, landlords receive massive rents or use third-party for-profit maintenance companies to earn millions of dollars on properties for the homeless. In California, the only state to fully adopt the Housing First model, there has been, at great public cost, a 33 percent increase in permanent housing units for the homeless. That sounds great until you consider that Californias homeless population has risen by 33.8 percent overall and by 47.1 percent in the unsheltered population. How can we solve a problem if we fundamentally misunderstand its cause? Progressives suggest that the root causes of homelessness are lack of housing, people down on their luck, and high rents in a tough economy. Couple this with a strident devotion to the idea that any attempt to link homelessness with poor choices, addiction, or criminality is wrong, and you create a paradigm that ensures that any attempt to help will always end in failure. Heres the latest failure: Bonta demanded that we rescind our letters asking hotel operators to comply with their conditional use permits. Being committed to the rule of law and acknowledging that the attorney general is the ultimate legal authority in California, we obeyed. Then on Sept. 23, 2022, Bontas office threatened legal action. Bonta also posted a tweet touting his role in stopping us from having our hotels lower the number of homeless residents. I would like to tell you that well win this battle in the end. We have no doubt that El Cajons laws are constitutional, since theyre basically the same as those in every other city in California. But when a state collapses into a one-party system, laws become malleable fungible open to interpretation by those in power. Let this be a cautionary tale for other states that say, It cant happen here. It most assuredly can. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. House Judiciary Subpoenas FBI Director Wray and AG Garland for Targeting Parents FBI Director Christopher Wray (C), Attorney General Merrick Garland, and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco hold a press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington on Oct. 24, 2022. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) House Judiciary Republicans issued subpoenas to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland to produce documents about alleged FBI investigations of parents at school board meetings in response to a controversial directive that Garland issued in late 2021. The Epoch Times reviewed the subpoena, signed by Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), which forces Wray to turn over relevant documents to the House Judiciary Committee on March 1 at 9:00 a.m. ET due to the alleged misuse of federal criminal and counterterrorism resources. The subpoena wants all documents and communications referring or relating to meetings with U.S. Attorneys Offices in connection to Garlands memo issued in October 2021 to address violent threats that were allegedly made against school officials that Republicans later described as a politically motivated attempt to squash dissent. It also seeks to compel documents and communications relating to the establishment of a related Department of Justice task force. Since October 2021, Judiciary Committee Republicans have sent over one hundred letters to Biden Administration officials requesting answers about how the Administration used federal counterterrorism resources against American parents, the House Judiciary Committee said in a later news release. The Oct. 4, 2021, memo directed the FBI to team up with local law enforcement agencies and U.S. Attorneys to identify possible threats at school board meetings. It came in light of viral incidents where parents criticized school board members and teachers across the United States, accusing those officials of promoting left-wing or pro-LGBT viewpoints to students. All documents and communications relating to the FBIs EDUOFFICIALS threat tag and related investigations are also sought by House Judiciary Republicans, according to the subpoena. Weeks after Garlands announcement, House Judiciary Republicans, citing whistleblower testimony, revealed how the FBI created the threat tag to track allegedly threatening statements at board meetings and said it was proof that counterterrorism resources were being used against parents. This subpoena is continuing in nature and applies to any newly discovered documents, regardless of the date of its creation, it says. Any document not produced because it has not been located or discovered by the return date should be produced immediately upon location or discovery subsequent thereto. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) nominates House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for Speaker of the House of the 118th Congress during a speech in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Jan. 3, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) House Judiciary Republicans on Friday also subpoenaed Garland, asking the attorney general to hand over relevant documents and communications linked to his October 2021 directive. Namely, Republicans are seeking communications and documents between Garland and top officials in the National School Board Association (NSBA) regarding a September 2021 letter on alleged threats or violence at school board meetings. The Epoch Times also reviewed the subpoena sent to Garland, which asks him to provide GOP lawmakers with documents on March 1. Also subpoenaed was Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, who also has to produce communications and documents before the House Judiciary Committee on March 1. Response The FBI, in a statement to The Epoch Times on Friday, confirmed that the bureau received the subpoena but that Wray and other FBI officials are not targeting individuals for their speech. Instead, the bureau is investigating potential threats of violence, the statement said. The FBI has never been in the business of investigating speech or policing speech at school board meetings or anywhere else, and we never will be. Our focus is and always will be on protecting people from violence and threats of violence, a spokesperson for the FBI said. We are fully committed to preserving and protecting First Amendment rights including the right to free speech. Attempts to further any political narrative will not change those facts. The FBI recognizes the importance of congressional oversight and remains fully committed to cooperating with Congresss oversight requests consistent with its constitutional and statutory responsibilities. The FBI is actively working to respond to congressional requests for informationincluding voluntary production of documents. Controversy The controversial NSBA letter, later removed from its website, equivocated incensed parents at school board meetings with domestic terrorism, drawing outrage from parents groups and Republicans. The NSBA later apologized for sending out the letter and launched a formal review into the matter. But just days after the NSBA letter was sent, Garland issued a memo (pdf) and news release calling for greater partnership to address alleged threats against school board officials. Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nations core values, Garland said in a news release at the time. Those who dedicate their time and energy to ensuring that our children receive a proper education in a safe environment deserve to be able to do their work without fear for their safety. During an October 2021 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Garland told lawmakers that real threats of violence against school officials are not protected by the First Amendment. He also stipulated that officials are not investigating peaceful protests or parent involvement in school board meetings. About a year ago, Jordan and other Republicans said that whistleblowers came to them and alleged the FBI carried out dozens of investigations into American parents who complained about schools COVID-19 mandates and labeled them with a threat tag. The alleged FBI investigations targeted parents who were upset about mask mandates and state elected officials who publicly voiced opposition to vaccine mandates, the GOP lawmakers said at the time, noting that it was the EDUOFFICIALS tag that was used to label those individuals. In sworn testimony before this Committee, you denied that the Department of Justice or its components were using counterterrorism statutes and resources to target parents at school board meetings, the lawmakers wrote. We now have evidence that [is] contrary to your testimony. The Epoch Times has DOJ for comment on the subpoenas, which were first reported by Fox News on Friday. House Oversight Committee Chair Seeks Information from John Kerry Over Climate Negotiations With China U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry gestures as he addresses a press conference after a meeting with France's Economy and Finance Minister at The Ministry of Economy in Paris, France, on March 10, 2021. (Eric Piermont/AFP via Getty Images) House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has demanded information from Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (SPEC) John Kerry over his negotiations with the Chinese Communist Party. In a Thursday letter to Kerry, Comer also accused him of not handing over information related to his National Security Council role. Yet, you continue to engage in activities that could undermine our economic health, skirt congressional authority, and threaten foreign policy under the guise of climate advocacy, he wrote. The Committee requests documents and information to understand your role and provide necessary transparency over the SPEC and its activities. During last years World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Kerry told The Associated Press that the United States was making progress with China on climate issues. We are going to work on the practicalities of how we move faster [to lower emissions], he said. Maybe we can help with technology of some kind to help China move faster. Maybe China could help us better understand some things we could do better. At last months WEF, Kerry said that the key to combating global warming is money, money, money, money, money, money, money. In his letter, Comer blasted those statements. As a member of the Presidents cabinet, you should be representing the United States interests, he said. Your statements, however, consistently show disregard for American national security and taxpayer dollars. Comer also accused Kerry of downplaying Chinas human rights violations and its antagonism against the U.S. while promoting climate negotiations that the CCP does not even appear interested in entering. In an April 2021 interview with Foreign Policy magazine, Kerry said that the United States needs China in the fight against climate change irrespective of Beijings atrocities, which include genocide against Uyghur Muslims. China doesnt benefit by not having America as a partner in dealing with climate. And the United States doesnt benefit from not having China as a partner in climate. So were just disciplined, he said. We have differences on economic rules, on cyber. We have other differences on human rights, geostrategic interests, but those differences do not have to get in the way of something that is as critical as dealing with climate. Comer slammed Kerry for not turning over information tied to his offices activities, spending, and staffing between Jan. 20, 2021, when President Joe Biden took office and Kerry began his role, and the present. Comer gave the office until Feb. 16 to present all documents and communications regarding elements of the FY21, FY22, and FY23 budgets of the SPEC, including those discussed off the record. Comer also asked for a list of all individuals present at any discussions where elements of the FY21, FY22, and FY23 budgets of the SPEC were discussed, whether on or off the record. Additionally, the committee requested a full list, including names, titles, and salaries of all individuals currently and previously employed by the office of the SPEC, as well as all ethics and financial disclosures of those individuals. Comer also asked for all documents and communications between any individual or individuals within the office of the SPEC and any third party, including but not limited to any environmental advocacy group or foreign government official. Finally, Comer demanded all documents and communications regarding domestic and international travel of the SPEC. In a statement to The Epoch Times, a Department of State spokesman said that while the Department does not comment on Congressional inquiries, the Department works to appropriately accommodate such requests. Separately, the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate has and will continue to engage Members of Congress on international efforts to combat the climate crisis. Global pushback against the Chinese Communist Party: Beijing warns U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy not to visit Taiwan. In Europe, the Czech Republics House speaker plans to visit Taiwan, too. Back in the United States, a bill aims to prevent American reserve oil from getting sold to China, while some lawmakers are rooting out foreign influence in U.S. schools. And in the Indo-Pacific, alliances with the United States are getting stronger. Topics in this episode: Hunter Bidens Lawyers Deny Admitting So-Called Laptop Was His Hunter Biden attends a Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony honoring 17 recipients, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on July 7, 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) Lawyers for Hunter Biden are insisting that they did not admit in recent letters that the laptop computer dropped off at a Delaware computer shop belonged to their client. In Feb. 1 letters to the Department of Justice, Delawares top prosecutor, and the IRS, the lawyers called for investigations into John Paul Mac Isaac, who owned the computer shop, and others, stating in part that Mac Isaac worked to weaponize Mr. Bidens personal computer data. Mr. Mac Isaac has caused to be made publicly available restricted information of Mr. Biden as well as certain other members of Mr. Bidens immediate family who likewise qualify as covered persons, the letters stated. These letters do not confirm Mac Isaacs or others versions of a so-called laptop, Abbe Lowell, one of the lawyers, told Fox News. They address their conduct of seeking, manipulating and disseminating what they allege to be Mr. Bidens personal data, wherever they claim to have gotten it. Lowell did not respond to a request for comment. In the letters, representatives for Hunter Biden accused Mac Isaac of changing his story from initially saying he was not sure Hunter Biden dropped a computer off at his store before saying he was certain it was the businessman, and about how he copied the data from the computer. Brian Della Rocca, a lawyer representing Mac Isaac, has said that the computer became Mac Isaacs property after Mac Isaac contacted Hunter Biden multiple times to pick up the computer but Hunter Biden did not. Mac Isaac named Hunter Biden in a defamation lawsuit in Delaware and hired a private investigator to track down the presidents son, Della Rocca said on Fox News this week. That came before the letters calling for an investigation of Mac Isaac. The letters assume that Mr. Lowell is smarter than the attorneys in the Delaware Attorney Generals office and in the US Attorney Generals office. The laptop and original external drive are in the possession of the government. Charges for the crimes alleged by Mr. Lowell could have been brought long ago. No charges have been brought because the facts as presented by Mr. Lowell are lies. This is a purely political ploy in which Mr. Lowell should feel ashamed to be participating, Della Rocca told The Epoch Times via email. Hunter knows it is his laptop. He went to the Mac Shop twice. Once with the laptop. The second time with the external hard drive onto which John Paul transferred the data. We dont need the confirmation by Hunters legal team. Nor do the Attorneys General to which letters were sent, he added. Hearing The back-and-forth came ahead of a Feb. 8 hearing set to be held on how Twitter censored the first story on the computer, published in October 2020 by the New York Post. Twitter suspended the Posts account over a post promoting the story and claimed the article violated its hacked materials policy, even though internal files showed the company had no evidence the story was based on hacked materials. In the runup to the 2020 presidential election, Big Tech and the Swamp colluded to censor reporting about the Biden familys shady business schemes. The U.S. intelligence community and the FBI frequently communicated with Big Tech and advised Twitter executives to question the validity of any Hunter Biden storybefore the New York Post ever reported on it. We also know members of Twitters top censorship team debated how they could justify limiting the spread of the story. They landed on a policy that even some among them doubted, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement. Americans deserve answers about this attack on the First Amendment and why Big Tech and the Swamp colluded to censor this information about the Biden family selling access for profit. Accountability is coming, he added. Iran Blames Israel for Isfahan Drone Strike, Claims Legitimate Right to Respond An Israeli army Heron TP drone, known locally as the Eitan, flies during a display at the Palmahim Air Force Base in Israel in this March 7, 2007, file photo. (Ariel Schalit/AP Photo) Iran has officially blamed Israel for a drone strike that damaged a military facility recently in the Iranian city of Isfahan. Preliminary investigations suggest that the Israeli regime was responsible for this attempted act of aggression, Saeed Iravani, Irans ambassador to the United Nations, said on Feb. 2. Iran reserves its legitimate right to defend its national security and respond to any threats or wrongful actions by the Israeli regime. he said in a statement delivered to the U.N. Security Council and the secretariat-general. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a weekly Cabinet meeting at the Prime Ministers office in Jerusalem on Jan. 15, 2023. (Menahem Kahana/Pool via Reuters) On Jan. 28, a military facility in Isfahan, located in central Iran, came under attack by drones of unknown origin. According to Iranian authorities, the unsuccessful attack caused limited damage to the facility but didnt result in any casualties. Despite widespread speculation of Israeli involvement, the Jewish statea longtime enemy of Iranhas not claimed responsibility for the incident. Nevertheless, a day after the strike, the Wall Street Journal published an article explicitly stating that Israel was behind the attack. To support its assertions, the newspaper cited unnamed people familiar with discussions about the operation. Israel Mum on Drone Strike If the drone strike was in fact carried out by Israel, it would be the first known Israeli attack on Iran since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reassumed the premiership last December. On Jan. 30, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel, where he held closed-door talks with Netanyahu, known for his hawkish approach to Iran. At a subsequent press conference, Blinken said he and Netanyahu had discussed deepening cooperation to confront and counter Irans destabilizing activities in the region and beyond. In recent months, Western capitals have accused Iran of providing advanced combat drones to Russia for use in the latters ongoing invasion of Ukraine. While Tehran admits to supplying Russia with drones, it says the drones were delivered before Russia invaded Ukraine early last year. Moscow, for its part, denies using Iranian drones in the ongoing conflict. Kurdish Peshmerga fighters affiliated with Irans separatist Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), man a position near the town city of Altun Kupri (Perdi), north of Kirkuk, in Iraqs autonomous Kurdistan region, on Nov. 23, 2022. (Safin Hamed/AFP via Getty Images) The Kurdish Connection Officials in Tehran say last weeks drone strike, which occurred deep inside Iranian territory, was likely staged from somewhere inside Iran. On Feb. 2, Irans Nour news agency claimed that drone components and explosive materials used in the strike had entered Iran from next-door Iraqs autonomous Kurdish region. The news agency also claimed to have information suggesting that Kurdish opposition groups based in northern Iraq had smuggled the materials across the border on the orders of a foreign security service. While the news agency did not identify the foreign security service by name, Tehran has previously claimed that Israels Mossad intelligence service uses Iraqs Kurdish region to stage attacks inside Iran. Last summer, Iranian authorities arrested what they described as a sabotage team comprised of Kurdish militants who they accused of working for Israel. Iranian security officials said at the time that the team had intended to sabotage a sensitive military facility in Isfahan. In December, four people were executed in Iran after being convicted of working for Israels Mossad. A police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republics morality police, in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 19, 2022. (West Asia News Agency via Reuters) Foreign Actors Blamed for Unrest Since last September, Iran has struggled to contain anti-government protests that first erupted in the capital Tehran when a young woman from the majority-Kurdish city of Saqez died in police custody. The unrest has been largely concentrated in northwestern Iran, where most of the countrys roughly 10 million Kurds reside. In late November, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian accused foreign actors of attempting to foment civil war in Iran. While he did not name the countries allegedly involved, he claimed the same forces were arming terrorists based in Iraqs Kurdish region as part of ongoing efforts to destabilize the country. Late last year, Iranian missiles struck several targets in Iraqs Kurdish region, including the headquarters of the Erbil-based Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan and the Sulaymaniyah-based Komala Party. In late November, Iran struck the office of the Free Kurdistan Party, a dissident Iranian-Kurdish group based near the Iraqi city of Kirkuk. Tehran accuses the groups of fomenting unrestat the behest of foreign actorsin Iranian cities near the border. Northern Iraqs Kurdish Regional Government vehemently denies the Iranian claims. Baghdad, for its part, condemned the strikes, saying they constituted a violation of Iraqs sovereignty. Beijing (Gasgoo)- In the first month of 2023, Changan Automobiles new energy vehicle-dedicated brand, Shenlan, delivered 6,137 SL03 sedans, the automaker announced today. Photo credit: Shenlan The decline in sales was partially attributable to the lack of workdays in January, with the New Year's Day and the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays gathered in the month. During the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday travel rush, Shenlan set up pilot emergency charging stations in several service areas along the Chengdu-Chongqing Expressway. The iBC digital battery management system armed on the SL03 has been verified by multiple extreme electric safety standards, which guarantee smooth charging and discharging even under harsh environment. In February, the automaker planned to launch the first major OTA upgrade for the SL03, and the upgrade will be a comprehensive innovation of four major categories, including interactive experience, driving control, noise control, and assisted driving, while adding new applications for users to download and optimized details. By the end of 2022, Shenlan had opened up 570 order centers in 218 cities across China. Since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, U.S. Congress has approved over $110 billion in aid to Ukraine. Ukraine is going to become the modern-day Afghanistan, argues Kash Patel. We have no method of tracking the money we are sending to Ukraine as of right now. We are relying on the word of Zelenskyy and the people that he has placed in power. One year into the Russian-Ukraine war, we take a look at where we are now and why Patel is convinced conventional U.S. forces will end up on the ground in Ukraine. We also discuss the news that West Point is reinstituting a travel ban for unvaccinated cadetseven though the Department of Defense has dropped its vaccine mandateand Bidens Rehoboth Beach home recently being searched by the FBI. FULL TRANSCRIPT Kash Patel: Hey, everybody. Welcome back to Kashs Corner. Theres tons going on this week as usual. So Jan, what are we going to talk about, and where would you like to start? Jan Jekielek: We have to look back at the Biden classified docs. This seems to be something that just is continuing going on. Theres the Rehoboth Beach house thats come into play here. This is something we want to discuss. Were going to talk about the one-year anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine War. We need to look at that and the U.S. contribution to that, so to speak. Finally, something Ive wanted to talk about for a few weeks, the DoD mandate, with the DoD basically removing the vaccine mandate. but from what were hearing, perhaps not at West Point. Mr. Patel: Jan, weve done episodes extensively on my time as chief of staff at DoD, on Warp Speed and the rollout. What we want to talk about today is something we were very proud of then, and I think still are today. We never made the vaccine mandatory for anyone in the Department of Defense or anywhere else in the United States government. It was an option. When the Biden Administration came to power, they immediately reversed course and said, If you want to serve in our armed forces in uniform or as a civilian, you have to take a vaccine. Thats three million employees. The Department of Defense is the largest company on planet Earth, if you want to put it in that sort of perspective. So, that caused a big uproar. The bigger uproar, the biggest offense to me was not only were they forcing people to decide between serving this country or taking a vaccine that was contradictory to their faith or their convictions, they removed active duty soldiers and active duty service members who were in the military for 5, 10, 15, 20 years, and they took away their pay because they refused. Weve seen over the years, if you go through the court process, and weve known the entire time that that move by the Biden Administration was effectively unconstitutional. Now the courts have upheld that, so now the Biden Administration has finally lifted this mandate. So, I think its a step in the right direction. For me, the better thing would be how are you going to make all these folks whole that you kicked out of the military or that you suspended without pay? When you suspend someone in the military and remove them, the military operates on an ordered ranking system of structure. What does that mean? It means theres a chain of command. People get into the military to move up through that chain of command. When youre removed, when youre taken out of that chain of command for six months, a year, you lose the positioning you wouldve had, had you stayed. Its not like these soldiers and service members did something bad to get court-martialed because they committed a crime to remove themselves. They were pulled out by our government based on this effectively unconstitutional mandate. How they are going to resolve that is something Im very interested in. In my opinion, they must give all these soldiers back pay and restore them to the position they wouldve been in had they not been suspended unlawfully. Theres still a lot of work left for the Biden Administration to do. Mr. Jekielek: This is thousands of people. Mr. Patel: Yes, its not like five guys. Mr. Jekielek: Yes. Mr. Patel: Youre right, three millions a big number, but its thousands of people who signed up to serve the mission of the national security of the United States of America, so well see. I dont have a lot of faith in this administration providing for and prioritizing our men and women in uniform and our civilian soldiers, so to speak. So well see. Mr. Jekielek: A couple of things. First of all, there are these reports from John Solomons outfit, Just the News, that West Point has actually reinstated this travel mandate. Mr. Patel: Yes, and thats problematic right off the bat. They say theyre removing the mandate. Then one of the four service academies, as we call them, West Point, the one for the Army is effectively saying, You cant be a cadet at West Point unless you take the mandate. Now were still working through the verbiage thats in there, but thats the outcome. Of course, theyll have some sort of out by saying, You could probably attend. But if you do, you cant participate in all these training exercises, meaning you cant get your training education, you cant actually go through the programs and become a graduate of the West Point Academy. Theyll come back and say, You guys are not reporting that accurately. You can come to West Point, but if you can come and not do anything, then theres no point in going. Thats very disturbing. In my opinion, its completely unconstitutional. Mr. Jekielek: Congress has also been mulling over some kind of legislation that would help get these service members back. Mr. Patel: It would have to be an act of Congress. Youre talking about money that needs to be dispersed and spent. The budgeting operations of this country originate and must start in the House of Representatives, go to the Senate, pass both chambers, and then go to the presidents desk. Its not like the president can just by fiat print money and say, Were going to issue these funds. Theres pots of money he can pull from depending on the scenario and executive orders he implements. But this one has to originate in the Congress and I just hope Congress prioritizes it. Mr. Jekielek: Congress has been prioritizing funding Ukraine, right? Mr. Patel: Yes. Mr. Jekielek: The U.S. contribution to Ukraine has been to the tune of something like $110 billion at last count, and were about one year in. What is your take on where were at with this contribution? Is it reasonable? Is this leading to some kind of greater conflict, which is what Im increasingly hearing people say? Mr. Patel: Yes, its one of the biggest issues from a national security perspective thats currently impacting America. The decision-making process has been politicized, and many people in Congress are putting their politics ahead of what America should be doing to protect itself and its citizens, and then also, what we should be doing to help others overseas. Ive said repeatedly over and over when I go around the country and talk, America is the greatest nation in the world, and many times we are in a position to help other countries, which we do on a routine basis. Thats what makes us the United States of America. At the same time, my biggest problem, and maybe its because of my background, is printing money we dont have when we havent taken care of our people and our major national security issues at home. When the Biden Administration came into power, we handed off a very robust national security apparatus. It was the best national security apparatus in modern history. Weve talked about it on our showhow we wiped out terrorists, how we brought home hostages, how we secured the border, how we strapped the drug traffickers, the human traffickers, the sex traffickers, how we took on Iran, Russia, China, and the CCP. That was a lot of work we built. We handed it off and the Biden Administration essentially said, Okay, were going to do the opposite, and tragically, it has hurt America. Ive been proven right, and you can just look at the border. You can just look at the drug trade. You can look at the sex trafficking trade. You can look at how Iran and Russia and China treat us now. You can look at the situation in the Ukraine. There is now another sector of the world thats in a war. Are we going to get there? Ill get back to that. But I have a major problem with issuing 110 billion plus dollars, printing it and sending it to the Ukraine. Its not because I dont want them to get assistance, but its because all of these other issues at home have not been addressed or have been intentionally ignored. Finally, because weve been making such a fuss about it, people are now starting to ask the question, Where is our money going? Ive analogized this too. The Ukraine is going to become the modern-day Afghanistan. Like Afghanistan, the Ukraine does not have a superior banking system. Why does that matter? Its not like we wire money over to the Ukrainian national banks and then they disperse it throughout their government and then we can track where all those wires go. Its the same problem we had in Afghanistan. We were literally dropping off tons of cash. And then, we had this big rallying call years into the Afghan conflict saying, Where is this money actually going that were giving in aid to the Afghan government? When we started to track it, we found out it went to the Taliban, it went to Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations out there; not good. We have no method of tracking the money we are sending to Ukraine as of right now. We are relying on the word of Zelensky and the people that he has placed in power. I have a massive problem with that. American taxpayers should have a huge problem with that, and the United States government should have a problem with that. In what world is it okay to send one person $100 billion and just say, Okay, let us know how it goes. Thats what I mean when they say theyve politicized the process-free narrative that they want printed in the media, and to fly Ukrainian flags in America as some sort of victory that were helping this country. I just disagree with that fundamental premise. The victory would be helping that country in a smart, calculated way, where through Congress we have oversight of those funds; so we know we are not funding the deaths of innocent civilians, so we know we are not funding terrorist groups, and so we know we are not giving money to the Ukrainian government to spend on arms from Russia and China. People might think, Oh, thats crazy talk, but thats what happened in Afghanistan. Our money was being utilized against us, against American service members and against our allies there, literally. Im afraid thats where were heading right now. We havent even gotten to the other things that we have given the Ukraine. This is just pure cash that were talking about right now. Ive asked this Congress to investigate where this money has gone. The American people are owed that answer, because its our money. Its our taxpayer dollars. Mr. Jekielek: Theres a lot of really good reasons to be concerned, because the Ukraine was known as a place of corruption, a place for money laundering. Mr. Patel: Yes. Its not like we sent a billion dollars, as if that was even a small number to begin withweve sent a hundred times that amount to one country. I dont know how this Congress is allowed to get away with it. Zelensky is out there, he went on the world stage and said, Russia fired a rocket into Poland, which would literally be an act of war. It turned out that Russia fired no such rocket. It turned out that the rocket came from the Ukraine and was fired into Poland. Mr. Jekielek: It was a mistake, basically. Mr. Patel: If Zelensky is going to go out there and beg the world for more money and more money and come to the U.S. and sit in the well of our Congress and say, We want more money, and then call and demand of the new Speaker of the House provide more and more money, and call Mitch McConnell and say, We need more and more machinery, he needs to be more prepared about these global statements that bring us to the precipice of war, instead of doing what he did last fall with this missile launch. We just cant have full faith and trust in giving a leader $100 billion, and then having him say, Im not telling you where the money went. Mr. Jekielek: Another thing weve talked about on the show is the weaponry that is being sent to Ukraine. One of the suggestions was to make sure that its weaponry that the Ukrainians know how to use, because that reduces the direct involvement of the U.S. Military. But especially with these new tank deployments, it seems like this is a very different course of action being taken. Mr. Patel: Its been a very different course. The unique thing about American weaponry is that only Americans know how to use it. Its one of the national security features that goes along with what our defense-industrial complex produces. Lets talk about the defense-industrial complex for a second, because they are the biggest problem in the swamp, more so than Congress, more so than the lobbyists, and more so than the fake news media and the law firms that surround Washington, D.C. Why do I say that? Because they, the defense-industrial complex acts as overlords to many members of Congress in both the House and the Senate. They are their biggest campaign donors. They are their biggest employers in many, many, many, many states. I know this from the position that I used to be in as chief of staff at DoD passing a $750 billion defense budget, knowing where all of that money was allocated to, and what it was supposed to be used for. Ive literally seen billions of dollars worth of defense-industrial complex burn up before my eyes, because of failed production or making a faulty product or not doing their homework properly. Were not implementing a program for the national security defense of this country appropriately, and we keep lighting money on fire, sinking the defense industrial complex to Congress and now the Ukraine. We started sending surface-to-air missiles, SAMS, to the Ukraine, and then we started sending defense missile battery systems. We have sent seven years worth of surface-to-air missile defense systems to the Ukraine. What does that mean? It means if the companies in the defense-industrial complex who make the SAMS were to produce them for seven more years, thats how long it would take for us, America, to be made whole again, after what we gave to the Ukraine. Thats just one system. Then we gave him batteries. Now were giving them M1A1 Abrams tanks. For those that dont know, those are like the massively wide tanks with the humongous bazooka turret that you see in the movies. Its not a tank, as Joe Biden said, that is for defense posturing purposes. That is a tank made for war. Lets group these together now. Okay, what does this mean? Everybodys saying, Great, were giving the Ukrainians all of this weaponry. Okay, whos going to operate it? Are you just going to go over there and load them off the C-17 and give them the keys to the tank and the laptop that runs the battery system and say, Here you go, Ukraine? Because that would be an even dumber move than not educating the Ukrainians on how to operate that machinery. They dont have that training. Its not like we go around the world and give it to everyone, because we dont want the world to know how our defense apparatus works. Its part of the national security of our country. Thats not to say we dont share it with others on many different systems and programs, but youre talking about very specific weaponry that we have made and designed and built and trademark and patented in the United States of America for our defense. Now, whos going to do it? Its like no ones having this conversation, Whos going to the Ukraine and training these soldiers? What about maintenance? This style of equipment requires a heavy-duty cycle of maintenance day-in and day-out for years on end. Its not like you can just drop it off and say, Okay, this things going to run for the next 10 years. You just have to turn it on. Where are these maintenance parts coming from? What about the technicians? Its not like the Ukraine has the ability to keep up our systems. Theyre not trained on them. This is a tragic part about all of it, and its to your question about where are we going? In my opinion, as Ive said before, we will see conventional U.S. forces on the ground in the Ukraine. I said it two years ago that it would be two years, so I think its another maybe about a year from now that well see that. That means America will have engaged in another foreign land war. I think were already there. This is the U.S. Government being too cute by half by saying, Were just sending money. Were just sending tanks. Were just sending ammo. Were just sending battery systems. Were just sending SAMS. Were not sending people, so were not in a war with the Ukraine. What happens with all that equipment? Fast forward as with Afghanistan to 20 years down the road, we just gave away all that equipment because the Biden Administration didnt want to bring it back. And you know who took it? Russia and China. Are we setting up the Ukraine to be another modern-day Afghanistan? I think so. This is exactly the roadmap that was taken into Afghanistan by our government for two decades. It led to the death of over 5,000 American soldiers, two trillion in treasure spent there, and a disastrous withdrawal that has left Afghanistan on the precipice of going into another self-inflicted implosion, the fighting factions between the Afghan government, Taliban and Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. Im less worried about terrorists in the Ukraine, but I still am just as worried about a global conflict, a global war that involves our American soldiers. I just dont see how all these people in the Senate can say its our moral duty to go out and fund this fight for the Ukraine. I just couldnt disagree more. Its our moral duty to protect American interests. If youre the United States Congress, youve been sent there by the American people to do just that. I dont know exactly where its going, but unfortunately, this is where I see it going because these steps that have been taken are almost identical to the steps we took that got us into Afghanistan for so long. Its not like this Congress is going to turn around and say, Okay, thats it. Every week, or every other week, we hear about another billion going over there, another two billion going over there, another program going over there, and another system set going over there. These things cant just travel in a vacuum. People have to go with both the money and the machinery and our people are going over there. Its just a question of when is it going to be a uniformed soldier? Mr. Jekielek: There is still this question, what happens if one of these people on the ground, Americans that are doing the support work for the Abrams tanks gets killed by a Russian strike? What does that mean? Mr. Patel: From our definition, thats an act of war against the United States of America, when you kill a uniformed soldier. What happens when an aid worker dies, like we lost so many in Afghanistan? What happens when charities start going into the Ukraine, American charities, and people start getting taken hostage? What happens when contractors; American, non-military, and former military who are over there in the fight get killed, like weve seen already? Those questions have not been answered and Congress hasnt even prepared the American public to take on that questioning. Its as if they dont want to address that just now, because they know that eventuality is coming, and they have taken these steps that lead us right to that eventuality. I dont have any faith in the Biden Administration to keep us out of this conflict, because theyre making a decision based on politics; that is politically popular to support the Ukraine at all costs. I just find it completely ironic that this rallying call is being led by the Democrats and a lot of RINOs, for lack of a better term. All the people that used to be against war in the first place are now the champions of the Ukraine and taking the procedural steps that we took in Afghanistan that led us into a 20-year war. Mr. Jekielek: One last question on this topic. You started by talking about the defense-industrial complex and how significant it is in terms of donations to Congress and lobbying. What do you see as its role in all of this? Mr. Patel: Look, Ill be the first to say the defense-industrial complex is providing an invaluable service to the defense of this country, because it is required for private industry to come in and build the things we need; fighter jets, missile defense systems, ammunition, guns, helmets, and everything you can think of. Its not like the U.S. Government produces that stuff. We work with them and use their technology and then they provide us invaluable services. Im saying the defense-industrial complex has gotten too big and has become such a behemoth, that it has become a large-scale political operation. I know this because as my first day at DoD, I called the CEOs of, the big five, as we call them in the defense-industrial complex. Four of them called me back, and one didnt. I said, Look, I want to work together on ways of eliminating wasting billions of American taxpayer dollars if its not necessary. To their credit, most of them agreed. They said, Yes, we could cut some programs. We could be smarter on how we spend this money, and that pocket of money, or whatever was legislated. But thats a massive overhaul. That requires you to have two, what we call, under secretaries for research and analysis, and then theres another position over there that takes them on. Instead of saying to the defense-industrial complex, What do you need? We say, As a government, youre getting X, and we need you to perform this duty for us at this cost, not at a blank check. The reason the defense budget keeps ballooning and ballooning and ballooning is not just because of the Ukraine, but because the defense-industrial complex whos building all this machinery that we talked about are saying, Hey, you just gave away all our stuff. If you want us to rebuild it, pay us more money. Its just this vicious circle that has been allowed to operate in Washington, D.C., and people need to realize what the defense-industrial complex does thats good, and what we can do to cap it and oversee it from a congressional standpoint, and allow a much smarter expenditure of taxpayer dollars cash. Mr. Jekielek: Kash, in a future episode, well have to talk about the U.S. posture vis-a-vis Ukraine, and the U.S. posture vis-a-vis Taiwan. Theres some interesting discussion to be had there. Mr. Patel: There is. Mr. Jekielek: Lets talk about the Biden classified documents and this Rehoboth Beach search. Mr. Patel: Weve talked extensively about how the Hunter Biden investigation has led to what I believe is a launchpad for the Joe Biden classified document investigation. We are being proven right week in and week out. My bigger problem is not that the DOJ and FBI have corruptly hid the origins of the investigation. My bigger problem is that they have created a two-tier system of justice, which continues to be put on full display. Weve seen what? Four locations, five locations that classified documents have been found that Biden owned or leased or had office space, or however you want to couch it, going back some 20 years. Weve talked about it briefly. We are literally allowing the DOJ and FBI to say, You, the suspect, Joe Biden, because thats what he is, he is a suspect of a criminal investigation, You can work privately with your attorneys through us to create a completely different system of justice as it applies to you. I just dont understand the logic behind that. What I mean is, take the Rehoboth Beach house. We have said before, Congress should be subpoenaing every document in every location that Joe Biden has ever stayed in or had an office in, but the DOJ and FBI should have been doing the same very same thing. This Rehoboth Beach house search is a warrantless search. They did not go get a warrant. Remember, you can compare it to Mar-a-Lago, where they went and got a WhatsApp warrant and then took a SWAT team and raided it. By the time this episode airs on Friday, theyll be doing the SWAT team raid at the Rehoboth Beach House. Of course, Im being facetiousthat is never going to happen. But the fact that its never going to happen should highlight the biggest problem that Im attempting to portray for our audience. How is a criminal suspect allowed to go to the Rehoboth Beach house two weeks ago on vacation, Im talking about Joe Biden and his family, while he was a criminal suspect in a classified document investigation, when the FBI had all researched the Biden Penn Center, his office, and his home in Delaware? Why hadnt they gone out and already searched Rehoboth, and why had they let Joe Biden go to Rehoboth? Its like letting the bank robber go to every bank hes going to rob ahead of time. Then youre like, Okay, well come in after you and you guys tell us what we should be looking for. The bigger problem, Jan, is if you can believe this, and well put up the note for our audience, its now come out that Bidens personal attorneys back in November had an agreement with the Department of Justices National Security Division where I used to work to keep the matter quiet before the midterm elections. How is that acceptable? You continuously have Merrick Garland coming to the podium and saying, We are prosecuting without fear or favor. We are doing this based on the traditions and principles of the Department of Justice. I find that extremely hypocritical and unbelievably infuriating, because you are literally lying to the American public every time you say that. What traditions and principles at the DOJ allow for a criminal suspect to dictate how that investigation is going to be performed? Where are the grand jury subpoenas? We are the warrants? There is no tradition in principles at DOJ that allowed the DOJ to operate like this. Its only the weaponization and the politicization of the DOJ and FBI. Mr. Jekielek: Weve discussed on the show that Congress needs to play its role here, but it seems like theres some roadblocks in that. Mr. Patel: Yes, and we knew these roadblocks were going to happen. When I was running Russiagate for the House Intel Committee under then Chairman Nunes, we faced similar roadblocks. One of two things is going to happen. Either Congress is going to bend the knee and just have a paper fight for the next two years, which is going to be completely meaningless and totally a waste, or theyre going to step up like we did during Russiagate. I believe so far theyve done it methodically. Unlike the last Congress, which was led by the Democrats where they went straight to subpoenas on whatever committee, Jan 6th or otherwise, Jim Jordan and company have said theyve called people. Theyve said, Here are the letters that we are formally writing to you. We are informing the public of the scope of the investigation we want, and why we want it. Please provide it by X date. They have now had the letters responded to, and well put one up from the DOJ, just as an example. Now, were at that stalemate, Okay, whos going to give? This DOJ and FBI certainly are willing to drag out the fight. Is Congress willing to buck them by using the levers in Congress that they can? Weve talked about the inherent Contempt of Congress powers, but in order to get there, you have to issue subpoenas. Thats when it comes into play. Jim Jordan has done it appropriately where he said to certain witnesses, If you do not come forth, we will use compulsory process to mandate your presence and production. Thats the subpoena process. So, these things are out there. This is not like an answer we have to wait months for, were going to have an answer in a week or two. The question is, we now know the DOJs position. They have said again in this letter, which is in my opinion, full of meaningless hot air, they have said to Jim Jordan, The traditions and principles of the DOJ prevent us from providing you with the requested information relating to Special Counsel Hurs investigation in the Biden document classified scandal. There is no law in the United States of America that prohibits the disclosure of material to Congress from the Department of Justice, just because theres an ongoing investigation. That is a made-up fiction that the DOJ has translated into traditions and principles. I dont know who is allowing that form of police power to go into effect in America, but its hurting our overall law enforcement ability, and not just in the national criminal space that were talking about here, but for everyday Americans. Everybody knows thats just not how law enforcement works. If the cops think theres a crime somewhere, they call the prosecutors. They get warrants, they go do a search, and they go do a raid if necessary. They put people in grand juries, they issue subpoenas, and they get documents. If its important enough, they share that information with Congress, because Congress is a separate but equal branch of government, not subservient to the DOJ, that has a constitutional mandate to oversee the actions of the DOJ and FBI. We are now at basically the intersection of this fight. Lets see what Jim Jordan does. Lets see what Kevin McCarthy does. Remember the one lever we talked about that they havent pulled in a long time, which is fencing their money. You can take pockets of money from the FBI and DOJ, its a version of the Holman Rule thats been out there for a while, instead of taking all their money. I never argue that you should take all the operational funds of the FBI and DOJ. Theres lots of pockets of money you can take that will force them to produce documents, like they did for us in Russiagate when we pulled that lever one time, but that takes congressional leadership. Thats got to come from the Speakers office and the chairmans of the select committees. They have to be willing to do that. Are they going to do that? Because we now know DOJs position in the sand. Theyre not providing anything, and when they finally do show up to testify, they bring Garland and Wray. By the way, heres another point, every member of the DOJ and FBI teams that have touched this investigation must be subpoenaed, not just the leadership. We cant hide behind this tradition and principle of, You have to be a so-called SES or higher. Every GS 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15; every employee that is involved in this what I call criminal cover up, must be brought forth to Congress. Theres, again, no law in America that says they cant. My concern is, and Ive said this publicly when I speak around the country, even though Joe Biden is the target of a criminal investigation, hes really not the target. The target for me is the administrative state; the actors in the U.S. government at the FBI, DOJ, the IC, the DoD that are working to undercut our legal system, because they have created a whole new set of rules to apply to Hunter Biden or to Joe Biden. I want to fix that. The only way to fix that is to expose the corruption. The only way to do that is to produce the documents themselves to the American people, and to put the witnesses themselves on TV, on national broadcast, under oath, asking questions without time limits about every single investigation we are talking about here, and why those steps were taken. Youre going to see it is a giant paper tiger that will implode on itself if this Congress takes the necessary steps to do so. Mr. Jekielek: It sounds like therell be a lot of testimony if this actually happens. It will play out, and well see. Mr. Patel: Yes, a lot of testimony, and a lot of production, but you know what? That means well have a lot to talk about. Mr. Jekielek: Its time for our shout-out. Mr. Patel: This weeks shout-out goes to Lori Hancock. Thanks so much for your quotes on our board, and thanks so much to the thousands of people that participated in last weeks live chat. We love having live conversations during Kashs Corner with you, and we are very thankful that you are so participative every Friday night. We hope to see you next week on Kashs Corner. This transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity. Mr. Seo Chang-Seok attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sohyang Theatre in Busan, South Korea, on Feb. 2, 2023. (Kim Guk-hwan/The Epoch Times) BUSAN, South KoreaA Korean educator said Shen Yun is a something created by the divine, and no words can describe how touched I am by Shen Yun. Mr. Seo Chang-Seok, the president of the Education Center at the Allak College of Chungnyeolsa, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sohyang Theatre in Busan on Feb. 2. This is an amazing performance. Its majestic! he said. The scenes on stage convey the teachings from the divine beings. They are enormous and grand. 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. The choreography put all the 5,000 years of Chinese history inside the dances. The pictures that the dancers presented are gorgeous. The music, artistry, and expressions are extraordinary. With the brilliant costumes, the performance is amazing! he said. He said the dancers coordinated with each other so precisely, as if they were one persons movements. This level is extremely difficult to reach. This show is not something youd typically see. You cant imagine how great it is. Its like heavenly maidens are dancing for us. Its outstanding, he said. Mr. Seo was surprised by Shen Yuns backdrop, which can interact with the stage, letting dancers can travel back and forth between the stage and the backdrop. That human beings can make this kind of dynamic backdropwhat an awesome creation! he said. Mr. Seo said he was impressed by the concepts Shen Yun delivered him, which he summed up in three words: truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. I was very touched by these three words. We all should recite these three words. We should remember them in our hearts, he said. Mr. Seo appreciated Shen Yuns director. He said the director created this miraculous performance that was inspiring and uplifting audiences like himself. The Best Art in the World Mr. Doh Yong-bok is the president of SARATOGA, co-chairman of the Korean Chorus Organizing Committee, and the president of the Busan City Culture Award Winners Association. He praised Shen Yun as the best art in the world. Everything is excellent in Shen Yun. All of it is magnificent. The dances are incomparable. They perfectly present the sacred and the beautiful. They are models of the highest artistry, he said. I cant imagine how hard training needs to be to make this fabulous performance. Mr. Doh agreed that traditional values and culture are very important to a country and a nation. We wouldnt have todays society if we dont have traditions. Only by cherishing and embracing the culture we will have a bright future, he said. Mr. Doh also caught the concepts of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, which he thought were great and very important. Truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance are the foundation for us human beings. Everybody should attend Shen Yun, he said. I learned from Shen Yun that we can solve all the issues if we follow these principles and work hard to solve difficulties. The name Shen Yun means the beauty of divine beings dancing. Shen Yun delivers through music and dance the virtues from 5,000 years of Chinese civilizationlike loyalty, propriety, wisdom, justice, and benevolencevalues that are universal and shared the world over. Mr. Doh Yong-bok, the president of SARATOGA, attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sohyang Theatre in Busan, South Korea on Feb. 2, 2023. (Kim Guk-hwan/The Epoch Times) Mr. Kim Woo-ki is the chair of Gimhae Model Taxi Drivers Association. He said he liked Shen Yun very much and would introduce Shen Yun to all his friends. The dances are so vividly beautiful. They are fantastic. The live orchestras playing coordinates with the dances so harmoniously. I was mesmerized by them, he said. Mr. Kim said Shen Yuns level of beauty is not something you see every day. They are incredibly beautiful. Its really classic, he said. Shen Yun Performing Arts World Company kicked off its first performance in South Korea this season at the Sohyang Theatre in Busan on Feb. 2. In the following days, Shen Yun will perform in Busan, and then in the city of Gumi and Seoul, until Feb. 19. Reporting by Epoch Times Staff in Busan, South Korea. The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006. BUSAN, South KoreaA sinology professor at Pusan National University said he understood something very profound from watching Shen Yun Performing Arts. He said a new world is being built, and the door to enter the new world is to be a kind person. Professor Kim Sung-jin attended Shen Yun at the Sohyang Theatre in Busan on Feb. 2. He said the key values that New York-based Shen Yun delivers can be summarized with three words: truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. In the history of world civilizations, truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance were common concepts people pursued, he said. Compassion means being kind. Tolerance includes withstanding pressure and sticking to ones values until the end. Then we will be accepted by a beautiful world. The new world is inside truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. As a sinologist, Mr. Kim knows traditional Chinese culture very well. He said Shen Yun is saving and presenting the real Chinese culture, which is very important. I can feel that Shen Yun presenting the long-standing culture through dance movements, he said. Mr. Kim said human beings are facing an unprecedented crisis, and he saw a road of hope in Shen Yun. The Chinese Communist regimes virus is trying to harm all of us. We are trying all measures to stop the pandemic. I understood from Shen Yun that this epidemic will be eliminated, he said. The force which can solve the issues is the principles that the Creator gave us, which include truthfulness and kindness. Mr. Kim Sung-jin, a professor of Pusan National University, attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sohyang Theatre in Busan, South Korea, on Feb. 2, 2023. (Kim Guk-hwan/The Epoch Times) Mr. Kim said that he understood from Shen Yun that human beings will have a bright future if we can always remember to persevere through true concepts like the three principles when facing hardships and difficulties. The light of the Law Wheel [seen in the performance] is sweeping away the darkness and guiding the world toward the right direction, he said. From Shen Yun, I understand that the good and the kind will overcome evils suppression, and these people will enter that new world. Mr. Kim believes that the concepts of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance are beyond any single religion, and are actually what all religions aim for. There are a few programs in Shen Yun that tell of how to get rid of ill fortune. Its by following truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. I think people who find themselves without these principles should come to see Shen Yun, and change their mindsets. Then they will have the opportunity to enter the new world, he said. New York-based Shen Yun is the worlds top classical Chinese dance company, and has a mission to show the beauty and goodness of China before communism. For 5,000 years Chinas civilization was built on values and virtues from the spiritual teachings of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, virtues like loyalty, propriety, wisdom, justice, and benevolencevalues that are universal and shared the world over. Die Without Regret Mr. Park Sun-je is 95 years old. He is the president of Busan Free Christian Federation. He was very touched after attending Shen Yun and said he would die without regret because I attended the amazing performance. It shows that divine beings are saving people before they are to perish. This is formidable. I was very touched. Park Sun-je Human beings are very depraved. Shen Yun is restoring peoples morality. It shows that divine beings are saving people before they are to perish. This is formidable. I was very touched, he said. Mr. Park was impressed by Shen Yun artists skills and techniques, but he said he was moved by their cooperation even more. The artists coordinated with each other accurately. I saw their restraint. I saw they all tolerate and support others. This is marvelous. I had a great time, he said. Mr. Park was surprised by the dynamic backdrop, which was technologically advanced and matched the traditional classical Chinese dance perfectly. The technique is superb. Its fabulous, he said. Mr. Park Sun-je, the president of Busan Free Christian Federation, attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sohyang Theatre in Busan, South Korea on Feb. 2, 2023. (Kim Guk-hwan/The Epoch Times) 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. My Soul Is Purified Ms. Kim Hee-mi, the chairwoman of the General Federation of Powerful Persons of the Republic of Korea, said her soul was purified by Shen Yun. The colors, the dances are extraordinary. This is an admirable performance, she said. I was very impressed. All dancers took each movement very seriously, and their expressions are very honest and touching. Ms. Kim said the dances are very pure, and she felt the efforts of Shen Yun artists to revive the traditional Chinese culture. From the beginning, I felt the program is working to purify our souls. I felt like I was returning to my hometown, and my soul was fully purified in the end, she said with a big smile. Ms. Kim appreciated that Shen Yun artists traveled from New York to Busan in order to deliver an inspiring and uplifting performance to the Korean people. I want to invite more people to attend the show, she said. I hope Shen Yun artists can keep on performing. Shen Yun was founded in 2006 and quickly grew to become a global phenomenon. The 2023 season will be its biggest yet, with its eight equally sized touring companies set to visit more than 180 cities across five continents. Reporting by Epoch Times Staff in Busan, South Korea. The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006. LAPD: No Sign Weapons Suspect Was Planning Mass Shooting in Hollywood A man who allegedly made threatening comments to neighbors and staff at a Hollywood residential high-rise remained jailed Friday on charges of criminal threats and possession of illegal weapons, but police said there was no immediate indication he was planning to carry out a mass shooting. Braxton Johnson, 25, was charged Thursday with two counts of possession of an assault weapon, one count of criminal threats, and one count of solicitation of murder, according to the District Attorneys Office. He was being held in lieu of more than $1 million bail. Johnson was arrested late Tuesday night when police responded to reports of a man suffering a mental health crisis. That led to a search of the mans 18th-floor apartment at the Lumina Hollywood building at Sunset Boulevard and Gordon Street, where they seized three rifles, a shotgun, and three semi-automatic pistols. Hundreds of rounds of ammunition were also seized, along with tactical gear. Authorities said at least one of the weapons was aimed toward the apartment window, pointing toward a park below. There is a high chance that the officers, and obviously, security staff and the people who called, prevented a mass shooting from happening, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Lt. Leonid Tsap told reporters following the arrest. On Thursday night, however, the LAPD issued a statement saying there are no indications that any persons were threatened with a firearm, nor have we identified any intent by Johnson to plan a mass shooting incident. We are working with our federal partners to exhaust all investigative leads and believe there is no threat to the public. We are also in communication with Johnsons family to provide any support services needed, according to the statement. One resident told KNX Newsradio that the man had made comments about owning weapons and noting that his 18th-floor apartment provided a prime perch for sniping. Tsap said Johnson was in possession of weaponry with the ability to inflict a lot of damage to a lot of people. Police said they traced Johnsons criminal history to at least one other state, where an additional investigation was ongoing. The other state or states were not disclosed. District Attorney George Gascon in a statement also praised residents who came forward for potentially preventing an act of violence. Were it not for the brave actions of the witnesses in this case, this could have also been an incredible tragedy, Gascon said. I want to also thank the LAPD for quickly apprehending this person and potentially saving countless lives. Letters Explaining Australias $5 Note Shock Decision Released This photo illustration taken in Hong Kong on Feb. 2, 2023 shows the Australian $5 banknote. (Mladen Antonov/AFP via Getty Images) Letters from the Reserve Bank to some of governments most senior ministers about a decision to scrap the image of the late Queen from Australias $5 note can be revealed. King Charles III wont feature on the note, with the central bank announcing on Thursday it will replace the monarch with a new design which honours the culture and history of the First Australians. Letters sent by Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe to lndigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney and Treasurer Jim Chalmers have been publicly released, as well as the response by Chalmers. In correspondence to the treasurer, Lowe asked if it was the governments view whether the monarch should continue to feature on the $5 note. The bank recognises that whether or not the monarchs portrait is on Australias banknotes is of national significance, Lowe wrote. Accordingly, I am seeking the Australian governments view on whether or not a portrait of King Charles III should replace that of Queen Elizabeth II. In response, Chalmers thanked Lowe for the opportunity to provide the governments view. Of these two options presented by the bank, the government would be comfortable with a new design that honours the culture and history of First Australians, assuming a proper process for inclusive consultation is undertaken, the letter reads. Directed to Burney, Lowe said the central banks intention was to undergo an inclusive consultation process in deciding the new design. I am writing to seek your assistance and that of your office in determining how best we might undertake that consultation, Lowe wrote. The current $5 will continue to be issued until the new design is introduced and will remain legal tender. The face of King Charles III is expected to be seen on Australian coins later this year. Leviathan Must Be Stopped Commentary The past three years have been a demonstration project in tyranny. A mighty hegemon of government, media, tech corporations, and medical elite took charge of most nations, overriding the law, traditions, and civic rituals of billions of people. In the wake of this great experiment, all we see is catastrophe. But that isnt what they see. What they see is opportunity and a path to the future. Thats why there have been no apologies, no reforms, and no coming to terms. There have been some mild utterances to the effect that not everything has gone as planned. Even those have been few and far between. In the sweep of history, the past three years have been the most successful exercise of power on a global scale ever seenif by successful, we mean dramatically intensifying the wealth transfer from the peasants to elites and control of a ruling class over the whole population in the shortest possible amount of time. In that, what began in disease panic has been more successful than any heresy hunt in the Middle Ages, sedition purge in the early modern era, or war in our times. It was brilliant and spectacularly effective. Therefore, of course, they will try it again, building from this episode to do ever more. Whatever victories we seem to have wonthe rollback of vaccine mandates, the successful court cases, the opinion polls showing that people are angryneed to be understood in this light. There will be more and they will be institutionalized. The World Health Organization is working right now to institutionalize and codify the worst of the lockdowns and mandates, adding global disease surveillance through technology. The worlds central banks are working on a digital currency for the sole purpose of controlling all finance and economics. The World Economic Forum is the open conspiracy to dismantle much of the progress of hundreds of years and replace it with a dystopian vision of universal despotism. As a result, the distance between what we see and what they see has never been more vast. Back in the days of the Occupy Wall Street movement, protesters got some traction with the claim that most of the wealth in society is controlled by the 1 percent. The intuition was good but the specifics were wrong. The problem isnt the wealth as such. Its the power over our lives that the very rich have. The people and institutions that seek to control the world todayoccupying our lives and liberties in every respectare the real 1 percent. Meanwhile, the victims, by which I mean the vast majority of humanity, are lacking in a path forward, much less a plan on how to get there. This is why Jordan Peterson is now experimenting with the creation of a new institution thats forging a new path based on humane values and the old idea of freedom. It seems promising and we should all hope it moves fast. In this, he joins Brownstone Institute, The Epoch Times, many doctors organizations, and dissident scientists and journalists all over the world today. Were a tiny minority and practically unfunded relative to the machine were confronting. But that doesnt make the cause hopeless. We have the advantage of lacking the naivete of the past and also the values animating the new dissidents have been forged by resistance during the hard times. The institutions on which we used to depend to defend our liberties and rightsnonprofits, courts, intellectuals, academia, tech, and mediahave failed spectacularly. We had no idea just how many of them had long ago been already captured. We didnt know that the feds were deeply embedded at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. We didnt know that theyd already captured the news pages of The New York Times and so on. We thought that these institutions were merely ideologically biased. We didnt know that they had become tools of the regime. When the intellectuals and nonprofits went silent when lockdowns, mask mandates, and vaccine mandates came along, we thought that they were merely afraid to speak. We hadnt considered that their silence was evidence of a much deeper corruption. They were either being paid for silence or blackmailed into it. As a result, we were left to fend for ourselves and work to build up new and principled institutions such as The Epoch Times and Brownstone. Sadly, the ambitions of the alternative institutions far outstrip current reach and robustness. But its a beginning. And, truly, we are at a beginning. The social order we had in place before lockdowns utterly failed, and so that highlights the need to build new things if we desire to retain civilization in the old use of that term. The idea of freedom itself as the mother of what we call civilization dates back deep in our history. In the West, a decisive moment came in the 13th century with the Magna Carta. The message was clear: there are rights that are human rights that the government cant abrogate no matter the excuse. That claim was fundamentally challenged over three years. Most incredibly, the churches and other houses of worship were closed by government edict. Almost immediately, the media began a big campaign against singing. That shouldve told us everything we needed to know. Singing has profound metaphorical significance. The idea of the creation story is that God gave the first human life by breathing into him: the breath of life. Singing to God is the way humans give thanks back to God, using breath in praise. A government and media machinery that wages war on singing praise is warring against life itself. Think too of the communities that resisted. They werent the secular elites much less the academy or corporations. They were religious communities: the Hasidim, the Amish, the Mormons, the traditionalist Catholics, and later, the Evangelicals. It turns out, just speaking empirically, holding to a hard faith and living in a community of others who also hold that faith turned out to be the greatest single mental and intellectual protection against infection from the myths that were being dished out daily by Leviathan. What can we learn from this? It suggests that if we intend to resist the Great Reset, we need a worldview thats deeply embedded in our hearts and souls, a structure of conviction that goes far deeper than merely making money and consuming. My humble suggestion, then, is that if you dont have a faith, get one immediately. You need it to protect you against the lies of the secular elites, who are selling their own false version of religion. Beyond that, we desperately need institutional reform and revolution. People talk about reforming the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Education, the National Institutes of Health, and the FBI. Forget it. These institutions need to be completely defunded and defanged. Theyre corrupt to the core, to the point that theres no hope. In addition, we need dramatic legal reform. The quarantine power needs to go away. We need reform of money to get it away from the hands of the Federal Reserve. We need education solely in the control of families and communities. This is truly the emergency none of us wanted. But its here now and we must act on it. If you doubt it, spend some time reflecting on the events of the past three years. It wasnt some accident, and it wasnt some mistake. It was all a deliberate attempt to demoralize and dismantle everything you love. Seeing that and understanding that is the first step to inspiring action to stop this push to end the good life as we know it. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Liberals Drop Bill C-21 Gun Control Amendments That Would Ban Large Number of Rifles Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino and Minister of Rural Economic Development Gudie Hutchings speak to reporters in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Dec. 14, 2022, regarding Bill C-21. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) The Liberal government has withdrawn two controversial amendments to its gun control Bill C-21 during a meeting of the Commons committee on public safety on Feb. 3, after backlash from all opposition parties and various sectors of civil society. The two amendments being withdrawn had been tabled in late November with no consultations and pertained to establishing an evergreen definition of what the government considers to be an assault-style rifle, as well as adding hundreds of rifles used for hunting to the prohibited list. NDP MP Alistair MacGregor thanked the Liberal MPs on committee and said the amendments had derailed any progress that could have been made on the bill. And Ive never seen such a groundswell of opposition come really from everywhere all at once, he said. He added with this development MPs could go back to a constructive dialogue and raised the issue of ghost guns that were covered in one of the amendments and need to be addressed some other way. I hope Canadians are heartened listening to the conversations around this table where all four parties are agreeing to work together and cooperate and actually listen and hear each other, said Liberal MP Pam Damoff. The Liberals are seeking to ban what they consider weapons designed for the battlefield, and have already partly done so through regulation adopted in 2020 leading to the ban of 1,500 firearms model. Damoff showed some openness to listen to concerns from the gun lobby about the issue. Even the gun lobby has made comments about what is the definition of a military style assault weapon. Id like to hear from people with suggestions on that, is there a way forward to make sure that were getting this right? she said. Rifles designed for the rigours of war and which can fire in fully automatic mode are already not available on the open market. Liberal MP Taleeb Noormohamed also expressed a desire to work cooperatively with other parties going forward. He said whatever the outcome, he hopes through the process people will have felt their voices were heard and well represented in these conversations. Conservative MP Glen Motz welcomed Noormohameds words, but made a remark about why he thought they had gotten to this place. Its because the Liberals did exactly the opposite. They failed to respect peoples rights, they failed to consult indigenous people, they failed to consult with farmers and hunters, he said. The public safety committee will now continue its work on examining Bill C-21 and members spent the rest of the meeting debating the future format. Bill C-21 seeks to enshrine into law the current regulatory freeze on the transfer of handguns by limiting the ability to transfer to businesses and exempted individuals. It also seeks to remove an individuals possession and acquisition licence if he engages in an act of domestic violence. Other provisions include increasing from 10 to 14 years the maximum penalty of imprisonment for some indictable weapons offences. Lieutenant Who Shot and Killed Ashli Babbitt on Jan. 6 Was Doing His Job, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Says U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) gives remarks at a news conference in Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol on February 02, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) With the GOP-controlled U.S. House of Representatives yet to take up a list of issues ignored by the former Jan. 6 Select Committee, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Feb. 2 declared that Ashli Babbitt was not murdered and the Capitol Police lieutenant who shot her was doing his job. During McCarthys weekly press conference at the Capitol, a reporter asked him, Do you think Ashli Babbitt was murdered, or do you think the police officer who shot her was doing his job? McCarthy (R-California) didnt hesitate: I think the police officer did his job. Babbitt, 35, was shot and killed by then-Lt. Michael Byrd outside the entrance to the Speakers Lobby just before 2:45 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021. A 14-year U.S. Air Force and National Guard veteran, Babbitt was not armed as she started to climb through a broken window leading into the Speakers Lobby. Byrd fired a single shot from his Glock 22 service weapon, striking Babbitt in the left anterior shoulder. Ashli Babbitt on her final birthday, three months before she was shot and killed at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (CapitolPunishmentTheMovie.com/Bark at the Hole Productions) Byrd said he feared for his life and felt justified in shooting the 5 foot 2 inch, 115-pound Babbitt. The U.S. Justice Department agreed, ruling there was not sufficient evidence to prove that Byrd used excessive force. Capitol Police also cleared Byrd of wrongdoing. His name was kept from the public until late August 2021, when he went on national television to tell his story. From early July 2021 until late January 2022, Byrd was housed in a military hotel at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, costing Capitol Police tens of thousands of dollars. Ashli Babbitt Was Murdered: Trump Aaron Babbitt, Ashli Babbitts widower, said he was very disappointed with McCarthys remarks. Id venture to guess that Speaker McCarthy has very little actual knowledge about the events that led to my wifes murder, Babbitt told The Epoch Times. Speaker McCarthy gave an ill-informed, stupid answer to a stupid question from a hack reporter, Babbitt said. Theres a reason hes known as a blunderer. He has a lot to learn from Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has done a deep dive into my wifes murder. She is far more knowledgeable on the subject. McCarthys pronouncement lit up social media on both sides of the issue. The real Kevin has shown up, one man wrote on Twitter. Swamp rat, said another. Philip Anderson, who was trapped along with Rosanne Boyland in a human stampede on the Lower West Terrace on Jan. 6, said McCarthy is exposing himself for the absolute RINO, traitor, and coward that he truly is. Jan. 6 detractors pounced on the topic. Finally, a true statement from @SpeakerMcCarthy, one woman wrote on Twitter. The officer did his job. She didnt belong there and posed a threat to officers, another woman said. Former President Donald J. Trump ripped the idea that Byrd was just doing his job. I totally disagree with the Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, in that the police officer thug, who has had a very checkered past to begin with, was not just doing his job when he shot and killed Great Patriot Ashli Babbitt at point-blank range, Trump posted on Truth Social. Despite trying to keep him anonymous, shielded and protected, this MISFIT proudly showed up on NBC Fake Nightly News bragging about the killing, Trump wrote late Thursday. He was not a hero but a COWARD, who wanted to show how tough he was. ASHLI BABBITT WAS MURDERED!!! Murder Under Color of Authority Byrds views on the shooting being justified are far from universal. One of the nations top police use-of-force experts said Babbitt was murdered under the color of authority. In The Epoch Times documentary, The Real Story of Jan. 6, Stan Kephart said Babbitt was not an imminent threat to anyone. Byrd and other officers could have pulled Babbitt through the window and handcuffed her, or they could have retreated until her intentions became clearer, Kephart said. Supporters of the Babbitt family have high hopes that a new House investigative panel will examine the shooting, as well as the deaths of Rosanne Boyland, Benjamin Phillips, and Kevin Greeson. The Jan. 6 Select Committee did not investigate the deaths that occurred on Jan. 6. The exact moment Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd fires his Glock 22 pistol at Ashli Babbitt at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. (Jayden X/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) McCarthys statement put him directly at odds with Rep. Greene (R-Ga.), who described the shooting as a murder during a House Oversight Committee hearing on Jan. 31. There is a woman in this room whose daughter was murdered on Jan. 6, Greene said. Ashli Babbitt, theres never been a trial. In fact no one has cared about the person that shot and killed her, and no one in this Congress has really addressed that issue. The January 6th Committee did not address it. Greene was referring to Micki Witthoeft, Babbits mother, who was in the gallery during the House Oversight Committee meeting. Witthoeft is in Washington meeting with congressional leaders to garner support for a new Jan. 6 investigation. Witthoeft was not pleased with McCarthys statement on the shooting of her daughter. I will be making his office my first stop Monday, Witthoeft told The Epoch Times. I want to ask him if hes had the stomach to watch my daughters murder, or if he just says whatever his handlers tell him to say. Man Who Brandished Loaded Crossbow at Windsor Castle and Threatened Queen Pleads Guilty to Treason Deadly weapon been used in murders five times in five years An artist's impression of Jaswant Singh Chail, who appeared on a video link at the Old Bailey in London on Feb. 3, 2023. (Elizabeth Cook/PA) A man has pleaded guilty to an offence under the Treason Act after entering the grounds of Windsor Castle on Christmas Day with a loaded crossbow. It is believed to be the first prosecution under the Treason Act since 1981, when a teenager, Marcus Sarjeant, fired blank shots at the monarch during a Trooping the Colour ceremony in central London. Jaswant Singh Chail, 20, appeared at the Old Bailey on a videolink from Broadmoor high security hospital and pleaded guilty to three offences. One of those offences, under the Treason Act, involved attempting to injure or alarm the sovereign. Singh also admitted possession of an offensive weapon, namely a loaded crossbow, without reasonable excuse and making threats to kill the Queen. The court heard that he had been held at Broadmoor since February 2022 but doctors there agreed he was now fit to plead. Reporting restrictions were lifted by the judge, Mr. Justice Jeremy Baker, who adjourned the case for sentencing on April 21. Nick Price, head of the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: Chail entered the protected areas within Windsor Castle after making threats to kill Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Thankfully police officers intervened and nobody was hurt. This was a serious incident, but fortunately a rare one. The case will highlight the law on crossbows. 5 People in 5 Years Killed With Crossbows The Epoch Times has learned five people have been killed in England and Wales in the last five years with crossbows, which are currently legal to purchase and own. One of those was Sana Mohammed, who was eight months pregnant when her ex-husband, Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo, fired a crossbow bolt into her back as she ran up the stairs at her home in Ilford, east London, in November 2018. Mohammed died but the bolt narrowly missed her unborn son, who was safely delivered by emergency caesarean section. Unmathallegadoo was later jailed for life and told he would not be released for at least 33 years. Undated photo of the crossbow that Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, was carrying when arrested in the grounds of Windsor Castle in Berkshire, United Kingdom, on Dec. 25, 2021. (CPS) After Sanas death her local MP, Labours Wes Streeting, raised the matter in Parliament and the then-Prime Minister Theresa May said, We will consider the risks that such weapons pose to public safety and whether further measures are needed. May said in Parliament crossbows are subject to strict controls but Unmathallegadoos trial heard he had bought his crossbows online, which was and remains completely legal, as long as the purchaser is over the age of 18. In fact Unmathallegadoo purchased a second set of crossbows after the police found his first cache of weapons in a hide about half a mile from the murder scene. After the incident at Windsor Castle on Christmas Day 2021 the then-Home Secretary Priti Patel ordered a review of the law and the Home Office told The Epoch Times they were considering options to strengthen controls on crossbows. Patel was sacked as home secretary last year and replaced by Suella Braverman. The law on crossbows has not changed for more than 30 years. Last Legislation on Crossbows Was Passed in 1987 The Wildlife and Countryside Actpassed in 1981makes it illegal to hunt animals with the weapon, while the 1987 Crossbows Act specifically prohibits them from being sold to anyone under the age of 18. But it is entirely legal for any adulteven one with a long criminal record for violenceto buy a crossbow. Dozens of websites offer them for sale for as little as 70. However, they are considered offensive weapons and it is illegal to carry one in a public place without lawful authority, but in all five murders involving crossbows in recent years the weapon was hidden until the moment it was used. Undated photo of a mask that Jaswant Singh Chail was wearing when he was arrested in the grounds of Windsor Castle in Berkshire, United Kingdom, on Dec. 25, 2021. (CPS) In February 2020 Saghawat Ramzan brought a crossbow with him to rob a cannabis factory in Brierley Hill in the West Midlands. He used the weapon to kill Khuzaimah Douglas and then fired another bolt by accident, killing his own brother, Waseem, by mistake. Saghawat, his son Omar Ramzan, and Mohammed Sageer were all jailed for life last year. Gerald Corrigan, 74, was killed in April 2019 as he adjusted a satellite dish outside his home in Anglesey, north Wales. His killer, Terence Whall, 39, has never explained his motive. In May 2019 David Ball, 50, murdered Lee Atkins with a crossbow after a row in the street in Liverpool. Shane Gilmer was murdered by his neighbour, Anthony Lawrence, in Driffield, East Yorkshire, in January 2018. His partner, Laura Sugden, campaigned for a change in the law over crossbows and when Patel ordered the review after the Windsor Castle incident, Sugden said it was disheartening to think that Shane didnt matter. After Marcus Sarjeant was detained in Horseguards Parade on June 13, 1981, he told police: I wanted to be famous. I wanted to be a somebody. He pleaded guilty to trying to injure or alarm the sovereign and was jailed for five years. Sarjeant was released from prison in 1984, changed his name, and vanished into obscurity. Man Who Stood Next to Ashli Babbitt When She Was Shot on Jan. 6 Is Sentenced Iraj Javid (wearing grey knit cap) looks down at Ashli Babbitt moments after she was shot outside the Speakers Lobby at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Sam Montoya/Special to The Epoch Times) A Virginia man who stood next to Ashli Babbitt with his hands up after she was shot outside the Speakers Lobby on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced to 24 months of probation after apologizing for his completely aberrant conduct in the U.S. Capitol that day. Iraj George Javid, 32, of Bristow, Virginia, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Washington in a plea deal on one count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. Chief Judge Beryl Howell also ordered an unspecified term of home detention and required Javid to pay $500 in restitution to the Architect of the Capitol. Javid was seen on video in various places inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, including the hallway outside the Speakers Lobby where U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd shot Babbitt. Babbitt was shot as she climbed up into a broken window leading into the Speakers Lobby just before 2:45 p.m. When she fell back to the floor after being shot, Babbitt landed directly in front of Javid. Iraj Javid (right), his wife, Kelly, and their three children. (Defender Services Office/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) Javid stood with his hands up as members of the U.S. Capitol Police SWAT team moved in to render first aid to the mortally wounded woman from San Diego, California. He ducked down as one of the officers aimed his M4 rifle into the Speakers Lobby, unsure where the shot had come from. Federal prosecutors asked Howell to sentence Javid to 21 days in jail with 36 months of probation. Javids defense attorney suggested probation, including home detention. The maximum sentence for the parading misdemeanor is six months in jail. During any interaction with law enforcement that day, he raised his hands to signify that he intended no harm, assistant public defender Ned Smock wrote in Javids sentencing memo. Lost Job of 11 Years He did not push, insult, or harm any member of law enforcement, nor did he boast about his involvement or minimize his culpability or the seriousness of what happened on January 6 after the fact, Smock wrote. As a result of the charges filed against him, Javid lost his job and suffered other consequences. Mr. Javids decision to enter the Capitol that day has already dramatically altered the path of his life, Smock wrote. He lost his job of 11 years, he has been shunned by many members of his community, and he now has a criminal record. Prosecutor Niall ODonnell said Javid entered the Capitol even though he knew police were being assaulted by rioters. Javid was not deterred from entering and remaining inside the Capitol even though he observed multiple assaults on U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officers at the east Rotunda doors, ODonnell wrote in the governments sentencing memo. Javid stood mere feet away from rioters who were pushing and shoving officers while aggressively yelling at them. Javid was arrested on March 3, 2022, near his job at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. He was charged with four misdemeanors, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. As part of a plea agreement, all charges except the parading count were dismissed. In a letter to Howell, Javid expressed remorse for being at the Capitol on Jan. 6. I cannot explain the shame and pain Ive felt for my actions, he wrote. I wish I could have chosen differently that day, but I cannot. Beijing (Gasgoo)- Beijing-based new energy vehicle maker BAIC BJEV sold 2,125 vehicles in January 2023, edging up 0.14% year on year, according to its parent company BAIC BluePark on February 3. Photo credit: ARCFOX In the first month of this year, BAIC BJEV produced 914 vehicles, representing a 11.35% drop year-over-year. BAIC BluePark holds two major wholly-owned passenger vehicle brands, the ARCFOX premium electric vehicle brand, and the BEIJING brand, both of which sells new energy and oil-fueled vehicles. Notably, sales of ARCFOX vehicles throughout 2022 zoomed up 110% from a year ago. On January 30, 2023, BAIC BluePark released the forecast of its financial results for the year of 2022. The companys net loss attributable to shareholders is expected to be 5.2 billion yuan to 5.8 billion yuan ($770 million to $859 million) in 2022, versus the 5.24 billion yuan ($776 million) of net loss in the year 2021. External factors like the price rise on upstream power battery raw materials extruded BAIC BlueParks profitability, the company explained. In addition, the company's product sales were still holding a lot of unleashed potential, and the scale effect remained inconspicuous. At the same time, in order to enhance the automakers core competitiveness and market presence, BAIC BluePark persisted to invest in technology R&D and brand channel construction, all of which had an impact on the company's financial performance in 2022. Manchin and Cruz Introduce Bipartisan Gas Stove Protection Legislation Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced bipartisan legislation that would protect the use of gas stoves. Cruz, who is the incoming Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, and Manchin, who is the Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act. The legislation would block the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) from banning gas stoves. Manchin commented on the legislation during the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee opening remarks on Feb. 2: Gas stoves have been in the news lately, and Ive come out strongly against the Consumer Product Safety Commission pursuing any ban of gas stoves, the West Virginia Democrat said. Im introducing legislation today with Senator Cruz that would ensure they dont. And separately sending a letter to the Commission with Senator [James] Lankford [(R-Okla.)] seeking clarification about the Commissions sudden desire to conduct an RFI on gas stoves, the lawmaker went on. The letter Manchin referenced was addressed to Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric, questioning the comments made by administration officials about regulating the use of gas stoves. The letter (pdf) states that, while the commission has dissuaded public outrage about banning the stoves, Lankford and Manchin remain concerned about the commissions goals and potential future action on this issue. The future use of gas stoves has been in the headlines for weeks as the Biden administration considers ways to pursue its climate change goals. The internal administration memo, seen on Fox News, indicated that the administration may have been seriously considering the ban. Lawmakers and citizens alike voiced fierce pushback about the possibility. Make no mistake, radical environmentalists want to stop Americans from using natural gas, Cruz said, according to a representative from the Senate Commerce Committee Republican Press Office who responded to The Epoch Times request for comment. The Consumer Product Safety Commissions proposed ban on gas stoves is the latest egregious scaremongering by the Far Left and their Biden administration allies. I am pleased to partner with Senator Manchin in this bipartisan effort to stop the federal government from issuing regulations that put the interests of the Green New Deal before the well-being of American families. The legislation introduced by Manchin and Cruz prohibits the CPSC from using government funds to ban gas stoves or impose requirements that would significantly raise the costs of gas stoves, making them inaccessible to Americans. In light of the broader concerns about the administration looking to find ways to push out natural gas, I think its prudent to say were looking at this, Manchin said at his committee meeting. As Ive said before, the federal government has no business telling American families how to cook their dinner. Biden Admin to Brief Gang of Eight on Chinese Spy Balloon Following McCarthys Request House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) gives remarks at a news conference in Statuary Hall of the Capitol Building in Washington on Feb. 2, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) requested a Gang of Eight classified briefing on Feb. 2, after the Pentagon announced that it had been tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon floating over the United States. A spokesperson for Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told news outlets late Friday that the Biden administration is set to hold the requested intelligence briefing next week on the matter. The Gang of Eight refers to the four congressional leaders from the House and Senate and the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Select Committees on Intelligence. On Thursday, Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder announced that it was tracking a high altitude surveillance balloon flying over the United States, at a height well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. A senior defense official said the Pentagon has a very high confidence that the balloon belongs to the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), the Chinese regimes official name. The official added the Pentagon has engaged PRC officials with urgency through several channels, including the Chinese Embassy in the United States and the U.S. Embassy in China. We have communicated to them the seriousness with which we take this issue, the official said, but declined to offer details about the content of its message to China. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (R) walks past military guards during arrival honors at the Department of National Defense in Camp Aguinaldo military camp in Quezon City, Manila, Philippines, on Feb. 2, 2023. (Rolex Delapena-Pool/Getty Images) The official added that President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation and asked for military options. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, while traveling in the Philippines, convened a meeting to determine whether or not the balloon should be shot down. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Glen VanHerck, head of the U.S. Northern Command, strongly recommended against shooting it down, saying that falling debris could pose a risk to people on the ground. We had been looking at whether there was an option yesterday over some sparsely populated areas in Montana. But we just couldnt buy down the risk enough to feel comfortable recommending shooting it down yesterday, the official added. Montana is home to the Malmstrom Air Force Base, one of the countrys nuclear missile silo fields. The official said the Pentagon had determined the balloon has limited additive value over what China is able to collect via its satellites in Low Earth Orbit. Nonetheless, the Pentagon has taken mitigation steps to prevent potential foreign intelligence gathering, according to the official. China A group of bipartisan lawmakers has condemned Beijing over the discovery of the suspected Chinese spy balloon. Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.)the chair and ranking member on the Houses Select Committee on China, respectivelyissued a joint statement saying that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) should not have on-demand access to American Airspace. Not only is this a violation of American sovereignty, coming only days before Secretary Blinkens trip to the PRC, but it also makes clear that the CCPs recent diplomatic overtures do not represent a substantive change in policy, they wrote. Indeed, this incident demonstrates that the CCP threat is not confined to distant shoresit is here at home and we must act to counter this threat. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) wrote that Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi are spot on in their assessment. The Chinese Communist Party cannot be allowed to violate American airspace. America must meet the threat they pose to our livelihoods and our security, Deluzio wrote. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses the United Nations General Assembly during the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference in New York on Aug. 1, 2022. (David Dee Delgado/Reuters) Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to arrive in China on Feb. 5 for a two-day visit. Currently, it is unclear if the revelation of the spy balloon will have an impact on the trip. The Epoch Times has reached out to the State Department for comment. Several GOP lawmakers also commented on Blinkens upcoming trip to China. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) took to Twitter to say that Blinken should cancel his trip. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) asked that Blinken must hold President Xi [Jinping] accountable during his visit. This is unacceptable. @SecBlinken, you must raise this during your visit to China this weekend, wrote Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.) on Twitter, adding that she looks forward to a full briefing on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Chinas Foreign Ministry said Friday that a balloon was a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological purposes. The statement said the airship has limited steering capability and deviated far from its planned course because of winds. It said China regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace. Montana Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) sent a letter to Austin demanding a full security briefing from the Biden administration. The fact that this balloon was occupying Montana airspace creates significant concern that Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB) and the United States intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fields are the target of this intelligence gathering mission, Daines wrote. It is vital to establish the flight path of this balloon, any compromised U.S. national security assets, and all telecom or IT infrastructure on the ground within the U.S. that this spy balloon was utilizing, he continued. There is no higher priority for your administration than the safety and security of the American people and it is imperative that your administration reassure them of that fact at this time. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) questions U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as he testifies at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 3, 2022. (Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images) Another Montana lawmaker, Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), took to Twitter to ask Biden to recognize threats posed by China. Its unacceptable to allow communist China to invade our airspacethis is another clear example of Chinese aggression, Rosendale wrote. President Biden must start putting the American people first and recognize that China is a threat to our freedom, values, and way of life. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican, issued a statement saying he has received an informational briefing on the suspected Chinese spy balloon. From the spy balloon to the Chinese Communist Party spying on Americans through TikTok to CCP-linked companies buying American farmland, Im deeply troubled by the constant stream of alarming developments for our national security, Gianforte wrote. Previously, in part one of my interview with Mike Benz, he explained the existence of a whole-of-society censorship industry in the West. Benz has been tracking the rise of censorship for years as executive director of the Foundation for Freedom Online and a former State Department diplomat. Now in part two, Benz explains how tools originally developed to promote regime change were deployed against Americans. What you are doing in a regime-change operation is you are operationalizing huge masses of an indigenous or domestic population in order to create a ground-up overthrow of a sitting government. And in order to do that, you need to control the media infrastructure, you need to control the narratives that people believe. What was new is that in 2016, this began coming home, Benz says. Changes in America also corresponded with changes in the broader Western world, Benz says. There became a whole new military doctrineits not a new concept, [but] I think it was given a new namecalled hybrid warfare. NATO declared a new doctrine called from tanks to tweets. And a whole new lexicon emerged to describe the new censorship regime, Benz says, from digital resilience to media literacy to moderation and intervention. Whoever can control the Department of Dirty Tricks is able to use it to remove all opposition, Benz says. Missed part one? You can watch it here. FULL TRANSCRIPT Jan Jekielek: So, a couple of quick thoughts. Number one, Russia essentially became a code word for Trump. The second thing, this was all being done in the name of protecting democracy, if I recall. This is how its all being explained. Mike Benz: Right. Democracy is a fascinating word, both historically and in the context of the development of the censorship industry. Obviously, the thing that makes democracy the underpinning of the American governance system is this idea that government exists to serve the people. Its legitimized and its consent by the governed. That is, the government exists because the governed people consent to it, and it is their consensus that they want the government to do what its doing that way. Thats how we know that the government is serving us, rather than we are serving an overlord government. Democracy has been a rallying cry for the U.S. foreign policy establishment to use the Department of Dirty Tricks, if you will, for purposes of regime change and regime stabilization as a matter of foreign policy around the world, and as part of the management of the American world empire. By the way, I should say, as somebody whos had a career in the foreign policy establishment, I do not have a problem with that normatively. There are reasonable opinions on both sides about the necessity of regime change or counterinsurgency in various regions. I dont go there. My concern is over censorship and digital freedom and when the concept of using democracy as a pretext for regime change comes home and is used as part of a pretext for the regime change of a U.S. president on democracy grounds and using the same toolkit of the regime change context where control over media is absolutely essential. Because what you are doing in a regime change operation is you are operationalizing huge masses of an indigenous or domestic population in order to create a ground up overthrow of a sitting government. And to do that, you need to control the media infrastructure. You need to control the narratives that people believe, because you need them to believe that their government is evil or illegitimate or tyrannical, in order for them to overthrow that government. In that context, when theres a democracy threat, it creates a predicate for controlling the media in that territory. There are various ways that the U.S. State Department and various assets can be deployed on the media side and in the foreign context. What was new is that in 2016, this began coming home. This foreign to domestic switcheroo was done in the media context through several mechanisms, by the creation and the government funding of these professional censorship groups that were essentially cutouts of the U.S. State Department, or the U.S. Defense Department, or DHS. The so-called threat to democracy from social media fueling populism was a common slogan by which all the different stakeholders in the foreign policy establishment could ban together to say, Theres a common threat we all face, whether were Democrats associated with the National Democratic Institute or Republicans associated with foreign policy links like the International Republican Institute. Were not threatened by liberalism or conservatism, because thats a partisan thing. But if were commonly threatened by democracy, we can use that as our common rallying point for us all to pour those resources in together. Though what happened was they needed to create this new definition of democracy to justify censoring in the name of democracy. Essentially how they did that was by defining democracy as not being a consensus of individuals, and reflected by how people vote, but rather by defining it as a consensus of institutions. That is, what institutions prefer. This is a conceptual sleight of hand that is extremely dirty if you think about it at any level of depth. And by the way, youll see this in strange places the moment you start looking for it. Youll see, even early on in 2017, 2018, you had military and intelligence and foreign policy folks writing op-eds that there need to be more guardrails on even who you can make eligible to become president. There should be a 15-person panel comprised of senior military and intelligence folks who vet a person before they can even go through the process of being nominated for president. It was this idea that democracy should not be left up to the masses of people. There should be guardrails that make sure that the national security and the foreign affairs wings of the foreign policy establishment can basically pick the pool of people that the masses can have a say on. That is, the institutions get the first cut, and then the masses get the remnants. This was the redefinition of what democracy means to the foreign policy establishment. The moment you understand thats how they see things, you can see how they say that social media freedom is a threat to democracy. Because to them its not a democracy of what 10,000 people in Wisconsin think. Its what Harvard and MIT and the Council of Foreign Relations and the Atlanta Council and NATO and the World Economic Forum, and the Department of Homeland Securityits what these institutions collectively prefer. And so, threats to the institutional consensus at the individual level are a threat to democracy. This was the predicate by which you had the national security state descend on social media. Mr. Jekielek: I cant help but think that this all started happening during the Trump administration, which you eventually became part of. Mr. Benz: It did start a little bit before that. I would argue that the infrastructure for the foreign to domestic switcheroo technically started, if you were to pick a clean start point, I would describe it as being right after the Crimean annexation vote in early 2014. That was when the Obama administrations State Department and Defense Department and the foreign policy establishment decided that internet free speech was a serious problem in a foreign context. That is, hearts and minds in an internet free speech context could decide to vote against American interests. Up until that point, internet freedom had always been something strongly backed by the U.S. government, because it was so instrumental in having low-cost regime change. You simply flood a zone with hashtags and Facebook groups and influencers that have a relationship with the U.S. State Department, and then youre able to have an instant revolution like the Arab Spring. But what happened in 2014 is that backfired in some respects, and that created a whole new military doctrine. Its not a new concept, but it was given a new name called hybrid warfare. NATO declared a new doctrine called From Tanks to Tweets, saying NATO is no longer about tanks in traditional warfare. Its about political control over the covert NATO countries. And so, our new remit, and in fact right after the Brexit vote in June 2016, the very month after, in July 2016, at the Warsaw Conference, NATO essentially created an addendum to now engage in hybrid warfare as one of their core capacities. And it was these hybrid war centers that actually became the initial censorship industry professionals. For example, the Atlanta Councils Digital Forensics Research Lab was one of the four entities that DHS partnered with to censor your opinions about the 2020 election. They got their start in that interstitial period between 2014 and 2016, when they were doing early censorship work for NATO as part of the hybrid warfare doctrine. The problem was, in 2016, when Brexit and the Trump election happened, that infrastructure already had two or three years of prior development, and it simply moved westward to Britain and to the U.S. homeland. Now, the Trump administration was not aware of this. And I considered that to be my sacred duty during the Trump administration when I was at the White House. I was doing my morning pilgrimage through the various offices trying to tell people. I remember going over to the budget office and telling the budget folks, We have to stop the government grants of all these different institutions that are censoring an in-process election. We pulled up the grant pages and everyone said, Hey, theres no grants for censorship here. What are you talking about? I said, No, look, theyre calling it media literacy and digital resilience. You have to be able to understand censorspeak to know how they laundered all of this, because they know what theyre doing is dirty. They know that they cant call it what it is. Part of the function of the academic underpinnings is what Stanford and MIT and Berkeleys Data Lab does. It is to create a new dictionary of terms that can be used. Its not censorship. First, it was content moderation. Now, they use a new term called intervention, this idea that were actually not censoring what youre saying, were intervening to prevent you from hurting yourself with what you might say. Media literacy is a way of saying, Were not censoring you. Were simply getting you to be literate about what kinds of media you have access to. For example, if you read CNN or The New York Times, youre media literate. If you read, Breitbart or watch Fox News, you are media illiterate. They say, As part of our media literacy programs, were going to help social media companies contextualize low information integrity media literacy threats, like Tucker Carlsons show having normal distribution access on Twitter. Its all done through a laundering apparatus, which by the way is the bread and butter of how foreign policy operations work. When the CIA does an operation in Nicaragua, they dont come out and say, Hello, were a foreign intelligence service. The laundering process is when theres the use of front companies, theres the use of creative terminology, and when theres a whole branding and media effort. These are professionals doing a professional job with professional PR, and professional crisis communications. Theyre simply doing domestically what they have been empowered since the 1940s to do abroad, except now its coming to Boston instead of Baghdad. Mr. Jekielek: As you said during the Trump administration, there was this powerful use of AI, which just hadnt existed before, where you could stop speech in its tracks basically. Mr. Benz: Right. Technically, that AI was in its early stage of development during that 2014 to 2016 period, for a slightly different reason. In the run up to the Obama administrations military interventions in Syria, there was a dramatic concern or media escalation of the concept of homegrown ISIS threats, the idea that ISIS was growing in popularity on Twitter and Facebook, and they were recruiting there. At the time, DARPA [Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency], began really pouring money into funding for the use of natural language processing, machine learning, artificial intelligence-powered censorship capacities, and repurposing things that were done in the advertising space. If youre doing brand analysis, if youre a high-end luxury brand and you want to know what people are saying about Dior handbags on Twitter, there existed for some time the capacity to essentially scrape public conversations through using keywords, through using mapping networks, and through aggregating big data in order to create network maps of whos saying what about your brand, and then using that for purposes of ad targeting and attribution. DARPA basically took that commercial concept and said, Hey, you know what? Lets use this for counter-terrorism purposes and instead of amplifying or doing ad targeting, were going to use that to help do censorship of ISIS on Twitter and Facebook. And so, universities started receiving a tremendous amount of military funding to have military grade censorship capacities to take out ISIS. What happened was, in 2016, you went straight from ISIS being the target, to MAGA being the target. And it wasnt just MAGA, I dont consider this to be a partisan thing. I dont have empirical evidence that this was used against Bernie Sanders or Jeremy Corbyn or Left-wing populist groups, but I would be surprised if that was not the case. But the fact is, the AI story did start before 2016, but the chickens had not yet come home to roost on it. That is, it was still a part of the foreign policy toolkit, the things that we do abroad because its terrorism, and because its foreign policy. But we dont do this to Americans because Americans have free speech, and Americans have constitutional protections, and Americans have due process. That social contract was irreversibly broken after the 2016 election. The task now is to create a new social contract that really begins with a reckoning of what has happened. Mr. Jekielek: I definitely want to talk about that, but the obvious thing to talk about is what was being done to prevent ISIS recruitment, which is presumably the purpose of what youre describing. Basically, there are very real threats out there. Were in this place, and this is incredibly disturbing now. You have significant disinformation operations coming out of communist China that are targeting Americans specifically, and its something that we track. These threats exist and theyve existed before and there needs to be some way to counter them. And these tools were ostensibly created to deal with that in some way, so it almost feels like an intractable problem. Do we give up on all of that? Mr. Benz: This is why earlier in our conversation here, I said that I tried to be agnostic on that, because it is a very complicated issue. It wasnt until 2016 that we even had to grapple with the issue of this being so intentionally directed inward. I actually dont find it to be an ethical quandary, because I dont consider this to be an edge case. There are edge cases at certain times when the distinction between foreign and domestic is blurred, especially in a globalized world with a totally free and open internet. If someone retweets you from Mexico, thats not fundamentally different than someone retweeting you from Montana. But what was done in this case was so dirty, so out in the open, and so known at the time that it was a lie. Ill give you a great example. On January 6th, 2017, the Central Intelligence Agency produced their first piece of literature on Russian interference in the 2016 election. This set the stage for this inter-agency consensus that Russia had tilted the election in favor of Trump. Now, this was a highly touted finding at the time. It was all the clout, all the significance, all of the power of the white shoe, top of the food chain foreign intelligence service for the United States of America having an unambiguous, total agency consensus that Russia had interfered in the election with this so-called detailed 15-page memorandum, setting forth all the different ways Russia had done it. I read that report the day it came out. It was totally stunning in its complete absence of any sort of detail. All it had to corroborate all the flowery language and filler talk was an appendix at the very end, which said, RT, Russia Today, and Sputnik, the Russian radio channel, essentially had higher than expected engagement on Twitter and Facebook, and on their YouTube channels. When you compare their growth rates to growth rates at the BBC and other publicly funded national broadcasters of foreign governments, they had high levels of engagement. All the talk about the kinds of interference operations that 14 pages of the memo, 13 pages of the memo had referred to were completely divorced from what they actually put as their findings. It was not true. They didnt have evidence the entire time. None of this was an edge case. None of this said, Weve got evidence that Russia had spent $10 billion on social media. Even all that was alleged. All that was alleged was a hundred thousand dollars in Facebook ads. Thats less than a single middle class persons salary in the United States of America. A hundred thousand dollars. Clint Watts, who is the DHSs advisor on censorship for the 2020 election, gave keynote speeches for CISA [Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency]. One of his censorship advocacy pitches was that if we dont censor social media, people on social media will vote for the wrong president. He said that at a CISA disinformation conference in the fall of 2020. To use that as the predicate for this foreign to domestic switcherooI dont think we need to go anywhere near that ethical quandary. Mr. Jekielek: The implications of having these systems that traditionally would target foreign threats turned inward domestically, means that the whole system has been upended. Is that what youre saying here? Mr. Benz: What it means is that the foreign policy establishment has seized long armed jurisdiction over all things domestic. What really happens here is whoever can control the Department of Dirty Tricks is able to use it to remove all opposition on the political, social, and cultural side. This is why I come back to the conflict between the foreign policy establishment and populist political forces. Because when you really pierce through to the soul of the funding and the specific types of conferences where censorship thought leadership is done, or consensus building is manufactured, it really is in these trans-Atlantic foreign policy hubs where youve got representatives from the national security state, and then from the political and commercial stakeholders in the foreign policy establishment. What populist folks threatened to do as they began to be legitimized through social media in 2016, was to actually have their own domestic concerns addressed at the expense of foreign policy stakeholders. Domestic populists dont have access to the Department of Dirty Tricks. Theres no domestic central intelligence agency, if you will. Theres no domestic equivalent, other than DHS, you might argue, to the State Department or to various kinds of diplomatic or defense or intelligence spheres. The domestic faction has things like interior, agriculture, labor, housing, and urban development. These are the nuts and bolts of whats happening on your street corner. You dont have access to tanks or to advanced logistics or to entire howitzers of media assets. Prior to 2016, the foreign policy establishment wasnt particularly concerned with what the domestic populace thought about in their own neighborhoods. Before the manufacturing heartland turned into the Rust Belt, there was no real beef between the heartland and the foreign policy establishment when it came to what blue chip companies were doing in China or outsourcing of jobs or manufacturing. It wasnt really until the 1990s that there became even the beginnings of a financial, a commercial and in some sense a cultural cleavage between the domestic populace and the foreign policy establishment. There was conflict in the 1990s politically on both the Left and the Right, with establishment versus base elements of the Republican and Democrat parties, that was effectively neutralized during the Clinton administration, the Bush administration, and the Obama administration. It came back with a vengeance on both sides of the Atlantic through Nigel Farages movement with Brexit and through the Trump movement; the idea of serving the forgotten person, bringing back manufacturing, closing up a border, and having national sovereignty. All of these things had a connected underside at every single level that was consolidating power back into domestic forces, and taking that power from what used to be the domain of foreign policy. What Im trying to say here is you have a situation where the foreign policy establishment has cracked open that Department of Dirty Tricks. Now, they do care about what domestic populists say about whats going on in their own neighborhood. They do care about the domestic drivers of that, because if domestic populists get into power, they will vote. If they have any success on any metric whatsoever, it will undermine the political will for the foreign policy side. We see this happening right now with the Freedom Caucus of the GOP. The crux of the speakers fight with Speaker McCarthy was Matt Gaetz and the Freedom Caucus folks holding out for days in heated negotiations to get this reduction in military spending, so that it could be repurposed for domestic purposes. The foreign policy establishment didnt want that. The foreign policy wing of the Republican party didnt want that. They had to fight to the bone to get that concession on reduced military spending. You can understand from that perspective why certain factions within the U.S. military establishment, the U.S. State Department, and intelligence folks wouldnt want Matt Gaetz to have any success whatsoever. Because the more he succeeds, the more clout he has, the more pressure he can put on Kevin McCarthy, the less success the foreign policy establishment has. So, thats a clarifying example. Mr. Jekielek: Since were jumping into this, explain to me what is the significance of the subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government, which is a product of what you just described. Mr. Benz: It is long overdue. Its something Ive been calling for from within the White House for several years. Theres a certain poetry to this weaponization on a federal government subcommittee thats being housed within the House Judiciary Committee, and which some people are calling Church Committee 2.0. Theres certain poetry between that and the original Church Committee 1.0 in 1975. You had the development of a powerful and consolidated intelligence capacity in the U.S. government in World War II, and then consolidated through the 1947 National Security Act in 1947. And then, you had 30 years essentially of no brakes on that train. As it accrues more and more power, and you had this statutory grant of power get even more power through things like the NSC 10-2 [National Security Council Directive 10/2], which basically gave it all sorts of teeth. As more and more powers were given to the national security state, more and more abuses started happening to political dissidents domestically from entities that were only supposed to operate on foreign soil. You had situations in the 1960s when the CIA was doing battle with international communism. One of the things that came out was they were actually funding student groups on U.S. college campuses, operating domestically, running student newspapers, paying the National Student Association, and infiltrating college kids. And this was something that there was no oversight for. This capacity existed for 20 years, but there had never been any congressional investigation. There had never been any opening up the box to see all the dirt inside. In the analog sphere, the Church Committee, its a complicated topic. There was a lot that was left undone. There are fairly persuasive arguments that some elements of it were incomplete, or you might even argue a whitewash. But the fact is, there was essentially a two-year set of open hearings that were dramatic and powerful. They were so impactful that they actually helped bring Jimmy Carter to power. At the time, the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, and the IRS, which were the four targets of the original Church Committee, were being weaponized against Left wing groups, because they were the ones challenging the foreign policy establishment. They are the ones who would primarily be anti-war protestors, and the anti-imperialists. And so, you had this FBI, CIA, NSA, and even IRS convergence on those groups. It engendered a tremendous amount of political ire in the political Left at the time. They voted Jimmy Carter into power, partially on the basis that Jimmy Carter was going to reign in the intelligence services. And in fact, Jimmy Carter did that. He laid off 33 per cent of the entire operations division of the CIA. The operations division is really the beating heart of our foreign influence capacity. Now, he ended up getting in trouble with the Iran hostage situation in 1979. And then, Ronald Reagan inherited this situation of intelligence still having this sort of dirty name from the Church Committee hearings, but he still wanted to have this powerful foreign capacity. A lot of that was privatized through cutouts like the National Endowment for Democracy. We have no Church Committee equivalent for the digital age. In 1991, the world wide web came out. The internet was privatized, and you started to have the intelligence services, the diplomatic spheres, and the foreign policy establishment getting into the internet game. The abuses were really few and far between up until 2016. But weve now had many years of this Department of Dirty Tricks operating with no congressional transparency, with no one using subpoena power to pry open the agencies, and with nobody holding up the equivalent of the heart attack gun like Frank Church did with James Angleton during the Church Committee hearing. There has been no equivalent of, Were going to show the dirty laundry, not to discredit you, but actually to restore faith in you. The idea behind the Church Committees was not to disband the FBI and the CIA and the NSA. It was to reckon with where the American people were. Youre not going to get back our trust unless you come clean about what youve done, or at least a substantial portion of it. This is a difficult thing, because by nature, these are clandestine service operations. And even when what theyre doing is not clandestine in terms of its operational jurisdiction, theyre still under the cloak of secrecy because of national security. Basically, what Congress said at the time is Because we need you, we need to know your dirty secrets. The American people need you, because otherwise we cant trust you going forward, so we need tough love, essentially. We need to embarrass you in order to believe in you again. And its my contention that is needed now for the digital age, and thats really the only way that trust can be restored. Mr. Jekielek: When you were speaking earlier, it sounded like a lot of people were not really listening to you. Has that changed at all? Mr. Benz: I would say so. I do think that some of it just became so self-evident over time, that you really didnt have much choice. You can believe me or not, if I tell you the oxygen is running out of the room. You get to a point where the air is so thin that you cant breathe anymore, and that is whats happening now. But for Elon Musks acquisition of Twitter earlier last year, there were no breaks. Things were getting so bad so fast, and there were no outlets whatsoever. There were no shared internet platforms that had all institutions of society onboard. Even at the commercial level, you started having people who were not political, people who were just cultural commentators, sports figures, and people who didnt do politics for a living started to lose their bank accounts. They started to not have access to apps like Airbnb or Uber because of their opinions on a public health epidemic. I think people are listening now because the political angle has merged with the social and cultural one in a way that they are now no longer distinct things, such that they are no longer their own fields, in that sense. It is part of how people go through their day, because what they say online could now jeopardize their entire livelihoods. Mr. Jekielek: As we finish up, is this your vision for how to fix things, to have a Church committee 2.0, and then this will solve the issues? Where do things need to go? Mr. Benz: Its one component of a whole of society approach that has to be taken to internet freedom. Just as a whole of society approach was done on the censorship side, its a network attack and it requires a network defense. Strange bedfellows may need to bind together. I forget the quote, it may be from Ronald Reagan, who said during the heat of the Cold War that maybe the one thing that could unify humanity is a new threat from aliens or something that would get everyone together as a common humanity. There is an aspect through which people who believe in freedom are truly going to need to merge elements of government, private sector, civil society, and news media into a common effort to restore free and open internet using any and all assets available, even strange and creative ones that are not normally fit to such purpose. The Church committee 2.0 is absolutely vital and essential, even if only for symbolic purposes, to signal to people throughout civil society, throughout the private sector, and throughout other institutions that Congress is serious and public about this, and that they have your back. Washington is not all against you. Washington is not all on the side of censorship. You have the judiciary, the committee for rule of law who is on team freedom. Thats a very powerful signal, it emboldens people. It makes people take risks for freedom. The people who are afraid for their careers have husbands, wives, children, college funds, cocktail parties that they might lose, uncles who may not talk to them, and friends who might abandon them. It is a hard road to fight for freedom. There is no lobby for the American people. When people take an ideological stance for freedom and for little people, you are on your own in that. Every person who goes through that journey of fighting for that, experiences the isolation of that. To know that youve got a chairman like Jim Jordan, youve got respected, influential legislators who are going to have your back is vital to that. And I do think having that run as the Church Committee did as a multi-year thing, until we get to the bottom of it, will be a cleansing process. Mr. Jekielek: Given everything youre describing here, theres still a substantial portion of the American population who doesnt see what youre describing, or maybe doesnt want to see what youre describing, and is ready to accept the legacy media narratives on reality. How do we deal with that? Mr. Benz: The free and open internet was a rare instance of true information democracy and meritocracy in world history. Rather than losing hope that this monstrous, tyrannical system is all powerful and has seized control over things as basic as what you can say when you open your mouth, I would say take a minute to appreciate just how incredible it was that these freedoms opened up to the world. You could be some poor kid in Bangladesh whos got a great idea and if youve got access to a free and open internet, you could end up becoming a YouTube influencer with 10 million followers and have a level playing field with institutions like The New York Times in an instant. Thats something that came out of nowhere, essentially, with the development of a free and open internet, and only recently began to be batted back on. What you start to see when you start fighting for this is, although it is a lonely road at times, you make a lot of friends along the way, and often from places that you wouldnt expect. The process of being proud, and brave, and public in this fight is something that can actually cure the isolation and can cure the feelings of depression or helplessness that can come from simply accepting things the way they are, and feeling like you cant change it. Mr. Jekielek: Michael Benz, its such a pleasure to have you on the show. Mr. Benz: Thanks so much for having me. Mr. Jekielek: Thank you all for joining Michael Benz and me on this episode of, American Thought Leaders. Im your host, Jan Jekielek. Minister Pledges to Curb Canadian Universities Joint Research With Chinese Military Institute Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said he is unhappy with Canadian universities working with a Chinese military institution on sensitive high-tech research and pledged to introduce new guidelines to bolster research security. I am not happy and its unacceptable, Champagne said at the House Standing Committee on Science and Research meeting on Feb. 2. Im looking to impose additional requirements when it comes to strengthening research security in Canada, he said. We need to be eyes wide open, and we need to ensure that sensitive research and our IP [intellectual property] is adequately protected. And when it comes to national security there is no compromise. So therell be new guidelines being issued very shortly. The minister was responding to a question about a recent news report, first published by The Globe and Mail, that researchers from some 50 universities in Canada have been collaborating with a Chinese military institution, the National University of Defence Technology (NUDT), on research ranging from quantum cryptography to photonics to space science. The report noted that a research topic on quantum cryptology involves studying how laser interruptions can aid eavesdropping. NUDT was initially established in the 1950s as the Peoples Liberation Army Military Academy of Engineering, and changed to its current name in 1978 under direct care of then-Chinese Communist Party chairman Deng Xiaoping, according to the institutions webpage. It also said that the NUDT has a unique status of being under the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission, which is Chinas top national defence organization, and that the institution is heavily invested by the state and the military. In 2015, the United States banned NUDT by placing it on an export restriction list known as the Entity List, released by the U.S. Department of Commerces Bureau of Industry and Security. A decision to add NUDT to the Entity List said the U.S. government has reasonable cause to believe that it is involved in activities that are contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States. This is the same year this Liberal government was elected, and for eight years you havent blacklisted the NUDT, like [the United States]. For eight years, this Liberal government hasnt done anything about national security against the NUDT. Why not? asked Conservative MP Gerald Soroka. Youre looking at the minister who imposed the strictest conditions on research security. And I will continue to do so because as a former foreign affairs minister, I dont think theres many people who understand better what we need to do to protect our research and our IP, and Im very committed, Champagne said in response. The innovation minister touted his governments financial support to Canadian universities and pointed to the nearly $160 million investment in Budget 2022 to implement the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships, which was introduced in 2021 in response to activities by foreign governments, militaries, and other actors that are said to have posed real risks to Canadas national security and the integrity of its research ecosystem. The Globes report, however, noted that the guidelines havent deterred Canadian universities from collaborating with China, as none of the top 10 universities that are involved in research projects with NUDT have ceased their collaboration with the Chinese military institute. It cited a study by the U.S. strategic intelligence company Strider Technologies Inc., which said those ten universities alone have published 240 joint research papers in collaboration with NUDT, with the University of Waterloo topping the list, followed by the University of Alberta, McGill University, University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, the University of Victoria, McMaster University, Concordia University, and the University of Calgary. More Than a Dozen Democrats Express Safety Concerns Ahead of State of the Union The House of Representatives Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, in a file photo. (SAUL LOEB / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB Ahead of next weeks State of the Union, more than a dozen House Democrats have expressed concern over the safety and security of President Joe Biden and attendees. In a Wednesday letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), 14 House Democrats expressed worry over the safety and security of those who will be in the House chamber for the Feb. 7 address. We write with urgent concern for the safety and security of the President, other dignitaries, and guests at the upcoming State of the Union Address, wrote the members. The GOP House Majoritys new rules have made the safety and security of the House Chamber, the very seat of American Democracy, at risk to infiltration and violence with reckless changes to necessary preventative measures, they continued. As both of our chambers come together to hear a message from the President on the state of our Union, we are concerned for the safety and security of those present. The members expressed alarm over the magnetometers that were at the entrances to the floor of the lower congressional chamber being removed by the new House GOP majority. In the wake of the violent insurrection of January 6, an attempt by a Member of Congress to bring a concealed weapon onto the House Floor, other Members vowing to do so in contravention of House rules, and most recently a colleague distributing what appeared to be legitimate, and later revealed to be inert hand grenades on the House Floor, we know from experience that the House is vulnerable to multiple fronts of attacks both from inside and outside Congress, they wrote. Six days after the 2021 Capitol breach, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) tried to enter the House floor with a gun but was stopped by Capitol Police upon the magnetometer going off. She eventually was allowed entry, but it is unknown if she entered with her firearm. Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), a freshman member of Congress and U.S. Army veteran, gave away inert 40-millimeter grenades to colleagues accompanied by a letter calling on his fellow legislators to come together. The 14 Democrats asked for details on what safety and security precautions are being taken ahead of the State of the Union. We are amenable to receiving a closed-door briefing on the security plan such that the contents discussed are not available to those who would wish to do State of the Union attendees harm, they wrote. The letter was signed by Reps. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), Andre Carson (D-Md.), Yvette Clarke (D-Calif.), Lou Correa (D-Calif.), Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Jahana Hayes (D-N.Y.), Jared Huffman (D-Colo.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) and Nikema Williams (D-Ga.). Most Canadians Think Transgender Inmates Should Not Be in Womens Prisons: Poll A file photo of patches on the arm and shoulder of a corrections officer at the Fraser Valley Institution for Women in Abbotsford, B.C., on Oct. 26, 2017. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press) Almost 80 percent of Canadians think it is important to maintain single-sex housing in prisons, according to a poll released Feb. 2 by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI). Since 2018, however, prisoners in Canada have been housed in mens or womens federal prisons based on their self-identified gender. Clearly this is a sensitive topic and accordingly many people have a reluctance to talk about it. But we felt that given what was at stake is so importantnamely, the physical safety of womenthat we had to explore it, said Aaron Wudrick, MLIs director of domestic policy, in an email to The Epoch Times. Reconciling inclusivity for transgender people and safety concerns for women cannot simply mean staying silent about the latter to satisfy the former, Wudrick said. The poll also asked specifically about male-bodied inmates who self-identify as women being housed in female prisons (separate from other categories, such as female-bodied inmates being housed in male prisons). About 80 percent of those polled also said they dont support or are unsure about allowing this. In a recent high-profile case in Scotland, a male-bodied prisoner was housed at the Corton Vale womens prison but transferred back to a male facility after public outcry. Isla Bryson was convicted of raping two women while known as a man called Adam Graham. Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross raised the matter at First Ministers Questions on Feb. 2, saying, I believe anyone who rapes a woman is a man. Ross said that under current legislation there, Sex offenders like him can keep forcing their way into womens spaces. Alleged Sexual Assaults Cases have been reported internationally of transgender inmates allegedly raping female inmates. Five inmates at a womens prison in California filed a lawsuit last year after an alleged rape. Tomiekia Johnson is one of the inmates suing. She said, according to court documents, I am very offended at being treated as if I am some sort of bigot. It is not bigoted to ask for sex-separated facilities when I am changing, showering, sleeping, and using the toilet. She described one of the two transgender prisoners allegedly involved in the rape of a fellow inmate: M.C.H. is gigantic, tall, physically scary-looking, non-feminine, bizarre, creepy. His hair is a masculine haircut, but wild and unkempt. When I first saw him walking on the main yard, I knew he was a man right away. Since he does not look or act anything like a woman, I assumed he was one of the pretenders. From 2018 to 2020, Correctional Service Canada reports 99 gender diverse offenders in custody, with 62 percent of them being trans-women. About 20 percent are trans-men and 17 percent are other. The Epoch Times asked Correctional Service Canada (CSC) whether any incidents of sexual assault involving transgender inmates occurred in Canadian prisons. A spokesperson did not directly answer, but outlined CSCs policies on how to prevent sexual violence in prison and ensure inmates have avenues to report it. CSC said it remains committed to ensuring gender diverse offenders, including persons who identify as transgender or as two-spirit, are given the same protections, dignity and rights as others. CSC has zero tolerance for violence in its institutions and we take all allegations of sexual coercion and violence (SCV) very seriously. Human Rights Complaint Advocates for transgender inmates have said they are at risk of sexual assault in male prisons. Nastasia Laura Bilyk was convicted of second-degree murder in 1987 and is serving a life sentence. Bilyk started taking transitioning hormones in 2008 and told The Toronto Star in 2015 that a more feminine appearance had led to repeated rape by inmates at a male prison in British Columbia. West Coast Prison Justice Society advocated for Bilyk and other inmates, filing a human rights complaint against the Correctional Service of Canada in 2015. The complaint said that transgender inmates are most likely to be considered protective custody prisoners due to their vulnerable status as women with male biology. These women are required to live in prison with the most violent male sex offenders in Canada and puts them at great risk of sexual violence while incarcerated. The group also said that inmates were denied medically necessary gender-affirming surgery. CSC says it was the 2017 enactment of Bill C-16 that spurred it to decide a prisoners housing based on gender identity. Bill C-16 added gender identity or expression to the protections under the Canadian Human Rights Act. According to MLIs poll, half of Canadians believe male-bodied inmates who identify as women must be accommodated in some way, though less than a third believe they should be in female prisons. Female respondents were slightly more likely to say they should be in female prisons (35 percent of female respondents versus 20 percent of male respondents). MLI said there was agreement on these matters across regions, income, and education levels. However, Canadians 35 and older were more opposed to male-bodied inmates being housed with female inmates. MLI will release a full report on the subject of transgender people in Canadian prisons next week. My Big Coin Cryptocurrency Firm Founder Gets 8 Years in Prison for Fraud Randall Crater, the founder of the defunct cryptocurrency business My Big Coin, arrives at the federal courthouse to be sentenced, after he was found guilty of committing wire fraud and making unlawful monetary transactions, in Boston on Jan. 31, 2023. (Brian Snyder/Reuters) BOSTONThe founder of a defunct cryptocurrency business was sentenced on Tuesday to more than eight years in prison for defrauding investors and customers out of millions of dollars by marketing a virtual currency called My Big Coin with lies and half-truths. Federal prosecutors had urged U.S. District Judge Denise Casper in Boston to impose a 13-year prison term on Randall Crater to send a message to others in the first sentencing of a cryptocurrency company founder for a marketing fraud. While Casper concluded that that request went too far, she rejected Craters contention that a 30-month prison term was sufficient to punish him for his false claims, including that My Big Coin was a real cryptocurrency backed by gold. Certainly cryptocurrency is a newer enterprise, a newer market, a 21st Century market, Casper said. But the scheme at its core was age-old, and that was fraud. Crater, who was sentenced to 100 months in total and ordered to forfeit nearly $7.7 million, is expected to appeal. In court, he apologized but said he never meant to defraud anyone. I did not set out to steal money from anyone, he said. That does not mean I am not remorseful. A jury in July found Crater, 52, guilty of committing wire fraud and making unlawful monetary transactions in a prosecution that spilled out of a precedent-setting case by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The CFTCs 2018 lawsuit against Crater and his failed company, Nevada-based My Big Coin Inc., led to one of the first court rulings holding that a virtual currency could be considered a commodity within the regulators jurisdiction. Prosecutors subsequently secured Craters indictment in 2019 and accused him of causing investors and customers to lose $7.5 million from 2014 to 2017 with lies about My Big Coin, whose name sounded similar to the popular virtual currency bitcoin. Prosecutors said those false claims included that My Big Coin was a real virtual currency, was backed by gold, and had a partnership with MasterCard. Prosecutors said he used the money to buy cars, jewelry, artwork, and antique coins. By Nate Raymond National Firearms Registry on the Cards in Australia Weapons that were surrendered due to the National Firearm Amnesty are seen at the Victoria Police Forensic Services Centre in Melbourne, Australia, on Aug. 11, 2017. (Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) Authorities could have access to details of firearm ownership across Australia in the near future after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the creation of a national database was on the cards. Currently, firearms are registered on a state-by-state basis in Australia, yet the violent shooting of two police officers in Queensland last December has spurred political leaders to expand the system nationwide. On Jan. 3, Prime Minister Albanese said, after a National Cabinet meeting of the countrys premiers and chief ministers, that more needed to be done between the jurisdictions. That was part of the issue that has been identified in Queensland, and we agreed wed report back by the middle of the year through, the Attorneys-General Ministerial Council on the options to implement a National Firearms Register, and its agreed that that would be a necessary measure, he told reporters after the meeting. (L-R) ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan, Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas and Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff sign a Statement of Intent for First Ministers support for a Voice to Parliament after a National Cabinet meeting at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on Feb. 3, 2023. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas) Albanese also revealed that Australias leaders invited the director-general of the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Mike Burgess, to speak to them about the rise of right-wing extremism. In particular, the so-called sovereign citizens, and other issues as well, and we had a high- national security briefing on that for the premiers and chief ministers. Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan backed the move saying it has to happen. We have to have fewer guns in our community, and we have to have more easy tracing and tracking of guns across our community its a no-brainer, he told reporters in Canberra. Calls for National Registry After Deadly Siege Calls for a national registry began soon after a deadly siege in Wieambilla, Queensland, which claimed the lives of six individuals, including two police officers, an innocent bystander, and the three shooters. Police found, within the property of the three assailants, considerable weaponry, including unregistered rifles and shotguns. Weaponsthey are not an issue in the right hands. But you need to look at the licencing system, the national database, and can we do better? said Ian Leavers, head of the Queensland Police Union. Should it be better where people move from state to state? You need uniformity right across the board, he told the Today show on Dec. 14. A supplied undated combined image obtained Dec.13, 2022 shows Constable Matthew Arnold (left) and Constable Rachel McCrow who were killed in an ambush at a remote Queensland property in Australia. Police have shot dead three people at a remote property on Queenslands Darling Downs after an ambush in which two officers and a bystander were killed. (AAP Image/Supplied by Queensland Police) Australia first introduced strident gun regulations in 1996 after Martin Bryant killed 35 people with two semi-automatics at the tourist destination of Port Arthur in the state of Tasmania. In response, the federal government rolled out a gun buy-back scheme (funded by extra tax revenue), which has seen ownership of guns drop by 48 percent since 1997. Now 3.5 million guns are owned by Australians. In those same years, theres also been a significant shift in the countrys gun culture, said Associate Professor Philip Alpers, a specialist in firearm injury prevention at the University of Sydney. States and territories now operate individual licensing systems that restrict gun ownership to activities such as farming, pest control, recreational hunting, sport, animal welfare, and certain businesses. The University of Sydney estimated in 2021 that there were currently 3.5 million registered firearms in the country (population over 25 million) with 868,000 owners. The university also estimates there are 260,000 illegal firearms on the grey market or are undeclared. However, there have been reports that the figure could be as high as 600,000, which in a population of 26 million suggests that one in every 43 Australians potentially could access an illegal firearm. From July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, Australians handed in 17,543 firearms and 606 componentsincluding suppressors and magazinesaccording to the Permanent National Firearms Amnesty Annual Report published on Jan. 20 by the attorney generals department. The National Firearms Amnesty program was approved in 2019 by the then Coalition government. However, the program was delayed until July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. New Disneyland Pre-Show Features Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln Relationship Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California is now featuring a new video installation on the relationship between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass in honor of Black History Month. The 9-minute documentary, co-created by Disney and National Geographic, is playing at the parks Main Street Opera House for The Disneyland Story presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln exhibit. A portrait of Abraham Lincoln taken on November 8, 1863, 11 days before his famed Gettysburg Address. (Public Domain) The documentary details Douglasss life as a former slave who rose to be a powerful leader in the anti-slavery movement and his friendship with Lincoln. The video adds to the parks Douglass installation from last year in which the abolitionists bust and portrait were installed in the Opera House lobby next to those of Lincoln, whose story has been told since the attraction opened in 1965. The new pre-show video is narrated by ABC anchor Robin Roberts and includes testimonials from Douglasss third great-grandson, Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., and Dr. John Stauffer, an expert on the Civil War era and anti-slavery. According to the Disney Parks Blog, a group within the company known as PULSE Business Employee Resource Groupwhich advocates for cast members of African and Caribbean descent and backgrounds, according to the parkhad significant input within the documentary. We helped select the voice actors, we shared input on the script and gave feedback on all the images and entire video, said Veronica Horton, a member of the group, in a recent park statement. That input represents a milestone for the Black community this means everything. Were adding something that is meaningful in our history thats now part of Main Street, U.S.A. The park has not yet announced if the pre-show will remain at the Opera House after the end of February. Meanwhile, fans have already uploaded the video on YouTube. New Union Takes on Indoctrination of Scottish Education System First Minister Nicola Sturgeon chatting to pupils in a Modern Studies class in Glasgow, Scotland, on Nov. 14, 2022. (Robert Perry - Pool/Getty Images) A new union has been founded to counter the Scottish governments education policy, which the union claims is indoctrinating school children with ideas around white privilege and transgender ideology. The Scottish Union for Education (SUE) was founded after concerned parents, grandparents, teachers, and ex-teachers raised growing concerns about schools incorporating critical race theory and gender ideology into teaching materials. Stuart Waiton, senior lecturer in sociology and criminology at Abertay University, founded the union, which will operate under the banner of education not indoctrination. Other members include Emeritus Professor Lindsay Paterson, one of Scotlands leading educational experts, Penny Lewis, a Dundee University architecture lecturer, and teacher Stuart Baird. Something Needs to Be Done In a Substack post announcing SUE, Waiton wrote that much of the good work identifying the trends described above has been carried out by concerned Christians, but you do not have to be religious to recognise that there is a serious problem. Im an atheist on the left of politics but over the past few years I have worked with people from all sorts of backgrounds who recognise that something needs to be done, he added. Waiton told The Epoch Times that the unions campaigning will depend upon what people want to do. The union has been set up for its members to have a say about the SNP administrations education system. But we will be having online events and public meetings across Scotland, as well as developing research and attempting to put pressure on schools to listen to parents. We also hope to change the direction of education, to reestablish an understanding that schools should be about knowledge and subjects, rather than about socially engineering correct values, he added. Schoolchildren meet Clyde the Team Scotland Mascot and see the Queens baton at Priorsford primary School during the Birmingham 2022 Queens Baton Relay in Peebles, Scotland, on June 22, 2022. (Euan Cherry/Getty Images for the Birmingham 2022 Queens Baton Relay) Social Justice Materials in the Scottish education system, such as the Standard for Headship document produced by the General Teaching Council for Scotland, prioritise social justice in their values. In the SUE Substack, Waiton warned that part of the promotion of social justice, which starts in primary schools, is a belief in making children aware of intersectionality, and protected characteristics, and the need to understand the influence of gender. The Scottish government and education authorities have embedded anti-racism and race equality into many aspects of school. In its Promoting and developing race equality and anti-racist education report (pdf), the Scottish government wrote: As the child grows, they can see diversity for example in worked examples in mathematics, in literature and through interdisciplinary learning. The report also mentions white privilege. The Scottish government also promotes transgender ideology in its schools guidance document Supporting Transgender Pupils in Schools (pdf) which says that breast-binding can have a positive impact on a young persons mental health. The fundamental question that still needs to be addressed is this idea of whether you can self-identify as something, and thats ultimately the question that has to be answered. The only real answer is no you cant self-identity or you can, but the rest of society doesnt have to then respond, said Waiton. The union will campaign on the issues, rather than seek legal challenges. I trust ordinary people and their common sense more than I do courts, judges, and lawyers, said Waiton. In a democratic society thats how I think things should develop, that the public voice becomes even louder and it becomes impossible for the government to ignore them, he added. Pushback In the UK, there is some pushback to contested theories being taught as fact. Last July, the Conservative MP Miriam Cates discussed in Parliament how materials are being introduced into schools by external providers who are exposing children to deeply inappropriate, wildly inaccurate, sexually explicit, and damaging materials in the name of sex education. Last December Cates presented Education Secretary Gillian Keegan with research from Professor Eric Kaufmann, who had written a report for the conservative think thank Policy Exchange, arguing that UK education is almost as captured by ideologies as its American counterpart. Cates said she was concerned that children are being taught that the organising principle of society is racism, gender theory, the idea that there are many genders, and everyone has a gender identity. She called them very destructive ideas that are really attacking liberalism, the foundation of our democracy. In Wales, parents are fighting compulsory education on subjects such as equity, sex, gender, and sexuality. In December, child protection advocates Public Child Protection Wales lost a legal challenge against the Labour-led Welsh administrations compulsory Relationships and Sexuality Education lessons for pupils aged 316 years. The team said it is preparing an appeal. The Scottish government declined to comment for this article. New US Embassy in the Solomons Support democracy and oppose the CCPs malign influence U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman posing for pictures with the Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare after a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal at Skyline Ridge in Honiara, Solomon Islands, on Aug. 7, 2022. (Mavis Podokolo/AFP via Getty Images) Commentary The United States has a new embassy in the Solomon Islands. The Solomons are a group of 992 islands in the Pacific, approximately one-third of which are populated. Its a juicy target for China, which seeks to project its navy toward Australia and New Zealandboth are close U.S. allies. The United States hasnt had an embassy in the Solomons since 1993. Our sudden change of heart is due to mounting rivalry with China, specifically, Beijings defense pact with the archipelagic country. The Sino-Solomon agreement, signed and leaked in draft form in 2022, appears to allow for unprecedented intervention by the Peoples Armed Police in the case of local unrest. It also includes port services for Chinas ships, which would include the Peoples Liberation Army Navy. This gives Beijing a strategic foothold just a thousand miles off Australias northeast coast. The Solomons were once solidly within the United States and Australias sphere of influence, given our and Australias close relations and shared history fighting Imperial Japan during World War II. The Japanese invaded the Solomons in 1942. U.S. and allied efforts to liberate the island included the Battle of Guadalcanal, which cost more than 7,000 American lives and 8,000 wounded. More than 40 U.S. ships and 800 aircraft were destroyed in the Solomon Islands Campaign. So its particularly painful that the current leader of the Solomons, under allegations of corruption and a de facto coup, is turning toward Beijing. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare (R) and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang inspect honor guards during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 9, 2019. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images) In 1978, the Solomons chose to become independent of Britain, which must have cheered the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Following in the footsteps of its Marxist-Leninist forebears, the CCP has consistently targeted British and American imperialism as a stumbling block to Beijings own brand of the same. After the islands independence from Britain, the United States established its first Solomon Islands embassy but reduced costs by co-locating it with the embassy to the nearby nation of Papua New Guinea. At the tail end of the Cold War with the Soviet Union in 1988, the United States established its first embassy physically located in the Solomon Islands, in the capital city of Honiara. Five years later, in the context of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it closed. The money saved by U.S. taxpayers was at the cost of demonstrating inconstancy on the part of the United States to the people of the Solomons. A year after Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare ruptured relations with Taiwan in favor of Beijing in 2019, China established its first embassy in the Solomons. The defense pact that followed three years later caught the United States and Australia by surprise. Beijing has already provided crowd control equipment to the Sogavare government and paramilitary police training of local officers. This worries opponents of Sogavare, who think he could use them to impose his increasingly undemocratic government on an unwilling electorate. According to Grant Newsham, a retired U.S. intelligence officer and diplomat with several decades of experience in the Asia Pacific, the Solomon Islands is being subverted by a corrupt, thuggish prime minister who is determined not to hold a proper electionthat he would in all likelihood lose. Newsham, the author of When China Attacks: A Warning to America, wrote in an email to The Epoch Times about a large constituency in the Solomons that opposes the CCPs threat to their freedom and encroachments on their society and economy. Cleo Paskal, an expert on the Indo-Pacific at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, notes that the embassy is a good signal to locals and China that the United States cares. She says that it indicates to Australia and other U.S. partners that they need to improve their relations in the Pacific Islands. When the U.S. pulled out, there was an implicit understanding that, in the case of Solomons and some others, Australia would take the lead, she wrote in an email to The Epoch Times. This was disrespectful to Solomon Islanders and clearly didnt work as China romped through the region. Paskal warns that the first test for the new embassy is imminent, as there is a seemingly PRC-backed Vote of No Confidence against Premier Suidani of Malaita Provincethe one part of [the] Solomons that has stood up to Beijing. Newsham agrees that the diplomatic proof will be in the Solomons pudding. The indicator to watch, he wrote, is whether the new embassy and its top diplomat pay attention to and provide support for pro-U.S., pro-democracy constituencies and the basic concepts of honest consensual government, while also countering Chinese political warfare that is going full steam in the country. The Solomons benefit from the defense umbrella of the United States and its regional allies Australia and New Zealand. The country also enjoys U.S. and allied development assistance. Yet Sogavare and his allies bristle at any hint of U.S., Australian, or New Zealand influence in the Solomons, especially when it comes to opposing CCP influence. Yes, the Solomon Islands is a sovereign country. Like all countries, its encouraged to follow its national interests to a large extent. But Sogavares government is allegedly following its own corrupt interests, not those of the nation. It delayed elections based on an excuse, and so has only a tenuous claim to legitimate rule. And for the good of democracy and human rights globally, there should be limits to any nations collaboration with the worlds most dangerous dictators. This applies most of all to cooperation with communist China, given its totalitarianism, human rights abuse, and its goal of global hegemony. There are just limits to sovereignty when it comes to supporting totalitarianism. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. North Korea Warns of Overwhelming Nuclear Force to Counter US U.S. B-1B bombers, F-22 fighter jets, and F-35 fighter jets fly in air during joint drills between the United States and South Korea on Feb. 1, 2023, in a still from video. (South Korea's Defense Ministry Handout via Reuters/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) SEOUL, South KoreaNorth Korea said Thursday its prepared to counter U.S. military moves with the most overwhelming nuclear force as it warned that the expansion of the United States military exercises with rival South Korea is pushing tensions to an extreme red line. The statement by Pyongyangs Foreign Ministry came in response to comments by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who said Tuesday in Seoul that the United States would increase its deployment of advanced military assets to the Korean Peninsula, including fighter jets and aircraft carriers, as it strengthens joint training and operational planning with South Korea. South Koreas security jitters have risen since North Korea test-fired dozens of missiles in 2022, including potentially nuclear-capable ones designed to strike targets in South Korea and the U.S. mainland. In a statement attributed to an unidentified spokesperson of its foreign ministry, the North Korea regime said the expansion of the allies drills is threatening to turn the Korean Peninsula into a huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone. The statement said the North is prepared to counter any short- or long-term military challenge with the most overwhelming nuclear force. The military and political situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the region has reached an extreme red line due to the reckless military confrontational maneuvers and hostile acts of the U.S. and its vassal forces, the spokesperson said. North Korea for decades has described the United States combined military exercises with South Korea as rehearsals for a potential invasion, although the allies have described those drills as defensive. South Koreas Defense Ministry said the United States flew B-1B bombers and F-22 and F-35 fighter jets in an exercise Wednesday with South Korean fighters above South Koreas western waters. The United States and South Korea are also planning to a joint simulation this month aimed at sharpening their response if North Korea uses nuclear weapons. The North Korean statement portends another provocative run in weapons demonstrations in 2023, similar to how the North ramped up its own weapons launches in 2022 as the allies resumed their large-scale training. North Koreas actions included a slew of missile and artillery launches that it described as simulated nuclear attacks on South Korean and U.S. targets. DPRK will take the toughest reaction to any military attempt of the U.S. on the principle of nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for an all-out confrontation! the North Korean spokesperson said, invoking the countrys formal name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. When asked about the North Korean statement in the Philippines on Thursday, Austin said the United States is very serious about its commitment to defending South Korea and will continue to work alongside its allies and train and ensure that we maintain credible and ready forces. Ahn Eunju, spokesperson of South Koreas Foreign Ministry, said North Koreas expansion of its nuclear weapons and missile program and verbal threats of preemptive nuclear attacks have forced Seoul to react sternly to ensure the protection of its citizens. North Korea is the one thats elevating tensions on the Korean Peninsula by rejecting dialogue offers from South Korea and the United States and making nuclear and missile provocations and threats, she said, urging Pyongyang to return to denuclearization talks. Jeon Ha Gyu, spokesperson of South Koreas Defense Ministry, said the allies latest aerial drills were aimed at demonstrating the credibility of the U.S. extended deterrence, referring to a commitment to use the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear ones, to defend South Korea. He declined to reveal the exact number of U.S. and South Korean aircraft involved in the exercise. In a news conference following their meeting on Tuesday, Austin said he and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-Sup agreed to further expand their combined military exercises, including more live-fire demonstrations. They pledged to continue a timely and coordinated deployment of U.S. strategic assets to the region. The allies had previously downsized their training in recent years to create room for diplomacy with North Korea during the Trump administration and because of the COVID-19 pandemic. South Korea and the United States have also been strengthening their security cooperation with Japan, which recently included trilateral missile defense and anti-submarine warfare exercises during a provocative run in North Korean weapons tests. We deployed fifth-generation aircraft, F-22s and F-35s, we deployed a carrier strike group to visit the peninsula. You can look for more of that kind of activity going forward, Austin said. Tensions could further rise with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un doubling down on his nuclear ambitions. During a political conference in December, Kim called for an exponential increase in nuclear warheads, mass production of battlefield tactical nuclear weapons targeting South Korea, and the development of more powerful long-range missiles designed to reach the U.S. mainland. Kim could showcase his growing arsenal of nuclear-capable missiles next week as commercial satellite images indicate preparations for a huge military parade in capital Pyongyang, likely for the 75th founding anniversary of its army that falls on Feb. 8. Experts say Kims nuclear push is aimed at forcing the United States to accept the idea of North Korea as a nuclear power so it can negotiate badly needed economic concessions from a position of strength. Nuclear negotiations between the United States and North Korea stopped in 2019 because of disagreements over a relaxation of U.S.-led economic sanctions against the North in exchange for steps by North Korea to wind down its nuclear weapons and missiles programs. Not Just Spy Balloons: The CCPs Expansive Spy Campaign Against America A Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldier uses binoculars by the perimeter fence of the PLA Hong Kong Garrison barracks on November 17, 2019. (PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images) News Analysis News that the Pentagon is tracking a Chinese communist spy balloon hovering over the United States this week is raising concerns about the extent of the Chinese regimes espionage efforts against the United States and its citizens. But just how far is the regime willing to go to spy on and undermine the United States? The espionage efforts of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which rules China as a single-party state, go much broader and deeper than mere sensor balloons. Such efforts include human intelligence gathering, transnational repression schemes, cybertheft and hacking, intellectual property theft, and even the harvesting of Americans genetic material. In the words of one retired Air Force general, If [the CCP has] any access to American society, then theyll use that access to undermine American society. HUMINT and Transnational Repression Key among the CCPs efforts to spy on the United States are its traditional human intelligence (HUMINT) efforts, which rely on person-to-person exchanges of information, witting and otherwise. The CCPs HUMINT network permeates U.S. society at many levels, with many such efforts being overseen directly by the regimes top intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security (MSS). One of the most infamous such cases is that of Christine Fang, or Fang Fang, the alleged Chinese spy who posed as a university student and fostered relationships with numerous politicians in California and elsewhere, including Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) when he was a city council member, and used that access to collect intelligence on up-and-coming politicos. Fang reportedly targeted at least two Midwestern mayors and engaged in romantic or sexual relationships with them. Politicians arent the only targets of such espionage, however. Many everyday Americans, particularly those of Chinese descent, are frequently the preferred targets of the CCPs spy and harassment campaigns. In such efforts, MSS agents and their U.S. proxies have allegedly stalked a U.S. Olympic figure skater and her family, conspired with New York police officers to gather intelligence on the Asian American community, and even plotted to attack a U.S. Army veteran running for Congress in a bid to silence and intimidate people holding critical views of the CCP. FBI Director Christopher Wray testified that Chinese agents and their proxies actively stalked U.S. residents and planted bugs in their cars and homes. Cybertheft and Hacking Similarly, the regime has used cyberattacks and misinformation campaigns to illicitly collect U.S. defense information and sow division among American citizens. U.S. intelligence leaders have identified the CCP as the worlds largest malicious cyber actor. The Chinese regime and its affiliated hackers have stolen more data from Americans than all other nations combined. Such efforts are often aimed at stealing vital technological secrets, such as when suspected state-backed agents hacked into a U.S. government department last year and stole sensitive defense information. Likewise, CCP-sponsored hackers have penetrated and stolen sensitive information from multiple U.S. telecom firms. The incidents highlight what U.S. defense officials have long warned: that the regime is studying how the United States fights with the intent to develop technologies capable of toppling its military and forcibly transferring cutting-edge American technologies to China. Americans sensitive personal information is also a valued target, as evidenced by multiple massive hacks by Chinese actors over the years, including the breaches of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, credit-reporting agency Equifax, Marriott hotels, and insurer Anthem. These hacks resulted in hundreds of millions of Americans personal data being stolen. Officials and experts have said the regime is using this massive trove of Americans personal data to aid in its espionage and overseas influence operations and to feed its artificial intelligence technology. Social Media and Telecommunications The CCP also uses its control over the data of Chinese companies to leverage Chinese-owned social media and telecommunications giants against an unsuspecting American populace. TikTok, a popular short video app owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, is perhaps the most telling example of this. Described by intelligence leaders as a national security threat and labeled by security experts as a weaponized military application, social media giant TikTok has censored stories at the request of the CCP and has allowed its Chinese engineers access to U.S. user data. Officials have repeatedly sounded the alarm about the app because CCP law mandates that Chinese companies provide data to the regime upon request. Relatedly, employees at ByteDance used geolocation data from TikTok to illicitly stalk American journalists believed to be reporting on the company. The national security risks posed by Chinese social media apps also apply to other tech firms, including telecommunications. In recent years, Washington has cracked down on Chinese telecom firms, including Huawei and ZTE, for this reason. Huawei and its employees have been found to have deep links with Chinese military and intelligence. Federal prosecutors have charged the company with conspiracy to steal trade secrets, while the Canadian government alleged that the company actively employed CCP spies. The firm also reportedly actively engaged in covert attacks on Australian and U.S. networks as far back as 2012. Biodata The CCPs efforts to glean every last bit of information from the United States go further than intellectual property and surveillance balloons. Indeed, the assault goes down to the bone, and then down deeper: to Americans genetic material. Chinese biotechnology companies acquisition of clinical and genetic data of U.S. citizens through the companies partnerships with U.S. institutions poses national security risks, a top U.S. counterintelligence agency warned in 2021. The mass DNA collection performed by companies such as genome-sequencing firm BGI could be used in myriad ways against the United States, according to congressional reports. These include allowing the CCP to blackmail individuals with the threat of exposing embarrassing medical information and even using data on health conditions such as allergies to conduct targeted biological attacks against diplomats, politicians, high-ranking federal officials, and military leaders. Some experts have warned that the CCP could use this rich genetic information to create bioweapons to target certain groups of people. Importantly, while BGI is a private company, it has definite ties to the CCP. In January 2018, Chinas state-run media Xinhua reported that Du Yutao, the Party secretary of BGIs research institute, spoke of the importance of learning and putting into action of the spirit behind the 19th National Congress, referring to a twice-in-a-decade CCP meeting. BGI maintains concrete ties to the CCP, and its scientists have expressed their interest in the regimes efforts to develop biochemical weapons, which experts suggest may link the companys efforts to harvest the genetic material of Americans to a darker interest in developing weapons to be used against Americans. Nuclear and Hypersonic Research Beyond active efforts to spy on the United States, the CCP also uses state-sponsored talent programs to give itself a long-term edge in critical research. By recruiting experts and scholars from abroad to study or work in China, such talent programs aim to develop a new generation of researchers in areas crucial for Chinas technological and military development. The most telling case of this phenomenon concerns the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), the United States most advanced nuclear research center. According to a report, to date, at least 162 researchers from the LANL, at least one of whom had a top-secret security clearance in the United States, now work for China, where many of them now assist the regimes development of its most cutting-edge weapons, including hypersonic missiles. Many of the researchers who worked at the LANL came to the United States to be trained and work in areas critical to national security and were involved in the CCPs talent programs. For example, at least 59 of those who worked at the LANL and subsequently returned to China to do research were part of the regimes Thousand Talents Program or its youth branch. One report on the issue found that [Chinese] talent programs are ever-expanding recruitment networks with which the regime continuously usurps knowledge from the United States. Strategic Purchases of Farmland Chinese companies with links to the CCP are also purchasing strategic parcels of land in the United States, which has sparked concern that the regime could conduct espionage or otherwise sabotage U.S. national security interests. In recent years, Chinese land purchases near U.S. military bases in Texas and North Dakota raised alarm among locals and policymakers in state and federal governments. In one instance, a Chinese billionaire purchased 140,000 acres of Texas land. The billionaire in question is one Sun Guangxin, who maintains extensive ties to the CCP and has reportedly employed numerous government and military officials. Chinese investors purchased more than $6 billion in U.S. real estate between March 2021 and March 2022, according to the National Association of Realtors, making it the largest foreign buyer in terms of dollars spent. A controversial Chinese corn mill project in Grand Forks, North Dakota, on land thats within 15 miles of a U.S. Air Force Base housing sensitive drone, satellite, and surveillance technology, is now set to be terminated following warnings from the U.S. Air Force that the project posed a significant threat to national security. Many state officials have also sounded the alarm about Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland. As a result, some states are creating legislation to prohibit or restrict Chinese entities from buying U.S. agricultural land and businesses. These states include South Dakota, Florida, Texas, Virginia, Missouri, and Iowa. A suspected Chinese spy balloon has been found over the United States. The Pentagon said that it isnt able to see anything that Chinese satellites cant already see. So whats its purpose? The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution denouncing socialism on Feb. 2. The bills approval had overwhelming bipartisan support. But not everyone was on board. Police are still searching for answers in the tragic shooting death of a New Jersey councilwoman. The young mother was a rising star in the Republican Party. Topics in this episode include: 1. Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Spotted Over US 2. House Approves Bill Condemning Socialism 3. Project Veritas Video Addresses Reproductive Health 4. NJ Councilwoman Fatally Shot in SUV 5. Illinois New Gun Control Law 6. Florida Announces $144 Million Broadband Budget 7. 1 in 5 US Children Obese: CDC 8. Northeast Bracing for Wind Chills of Minus 60 9. Groundhog Day Predictions OC Executive Neuhaus Says States Withholding Federal Medicaid Dollars Hurts Taxpayers The Orange County Government Center in Goshen, N.Y., on Oct. 22, 2022.(Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) Orange County, New York, Executive Steve Neuhaus said Gov. Kathy Hochuls plan to boost state Medicaid spending for the coming fiscal year comes at a cost to local taxpayers. In her newly released state budget, Hochul proposes a stop to a longstanding practice of passing enhanced federal Medicaid dollars under the Affordable Care Act to county governments. Instead, the money will be retained for increased state-level spending. The proposed withholding is estimated to be $280 million for 57 counties outside New York City, according to an analysis by the New York State Association of Counties. Orange Countys share is $9.8 million, according to Neuhaus. Withholding nearly $10 million for Medicaid is a shift to County property taxpayers, Neuhaus said in a Feb. 1 press release. It is Albany making life less affordable for Orange County residents. If the withholding extends to New York City, the estimated impact could go up to $1 billion. The Epoch Times reached out to Gov. Hochuls office for comment. In her budget, Hochul proposes the largest ever state Medicaid spending, totaling $34.7 billion. Her plan includes a five percent increase in reimbursement rates for hospitals and nursing homes, new primary care and preventive benefits, and an expanded buy-in program for the disabled. Aside from Medicaid, her budget also calls for $1 billion in new health care facilities, $30 million annual investment in emergency medical services, and additional spending in long-term care. Last year, Hochul announced a multi-year $20 billion investment in the health care industry, including $1.2 billion in worker retention bonuses, $7.7 billion for minimum wage increases, and $500 million in cost-of-living adjustments in wages. Payroll Mobility Tax Hike Neuhaus also opposes Hochuls plan to raise payroll mobility taxes on businesses in the service area of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), including Orange County. The states inability to produce a budget which reflects the priorities of New Yorkers is alarming. It is no wonder that, in the last two years alone, half a million residents have fled New York, he said in the press release. Hochul said in her budget address that the MTA is on a fiscal cliff, a problem primarily created by the almost complete halt of ridership during the pandemic. This is not going to be a short-term problem. Its one we are going to have to face together going forward and requires fiscal discipline and action at all levels of government, she said. She proposes a multi-faced solution to save the agency from financial ruin, including raising payroll mobility taxes from 0.34 percent to 0.5 percent, which is estimated to bring in an additional $800 million. Formerly called the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Mobility Tax, the tax is imposed on certain employers and self-employed individuals within the MTA service area. Other plans to save the MTA include $300 million in one-time state aid, $400 million in improving MTA operating efficiencies, and around half a billion in tax revenues from downstate casinos. The state is due to pass a budget by Apr. 1. Outlawed Motorcycle Gangs to Be Refused Firearms Under Aussie States Proposed Gun Laws Over 17,000 firearms and weapons were surrendered in the most recent year of Australia's national gun amnesty. (Joel Carrett/AAP) Outlawed motorcycle gangs may need to use other means to showcase their criminal misdemeanour and villainous prowessat least in the Australian State of Tasmaniaas the state government seeks to amend its laws on gun ownership and usage. In a Feb. 1 statement, Tasmanias Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management, Felix Ellis, said criminal activity and gun violence were the key focus of these reforms, which is currently open for community consultation until March 17. Through these amendments, we are making it clear to the Tasmanian community that people who use firearms to threaten community safety will be penalised and prosecuted under our laws, Ellis said. We will be cracking down on people who threaten Tasmanians safety through their illegal or unsafe behaviour with firearms. Under the proposed changes, members of outlaw motorcycle gangs will have their firearms licences automatically refused and cancelled so as to ensure that dangerous gangs do not have access to violent weapons, Tasmania Police said in a statement. Members of the Rebels motorcycle gang ride to Perth on September 12, 2013 in Australia. Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales are cracking down on bikie gangs with new laws and a national anti-gangs squad. (Paul Kane/Getty Images) Other proposed changes include extended auditing obligations for the Auditor-General to firearms disposal to enhance auditing of guns and gun parts; extending the permanent firearms amnesty to enable firearm parts and ammunition to be surrendered to Tasmania Police without penalty; prohibiting the unlawful manufacture of firearms parts or ammunition or sound suppressors through modern technologies such as 3D printers; and adopt changes made to the National Firearms Agreement to reclassify lever-action shotguns. We are also making sure that people who use imitation firearms to commit crimes will be prosecuted. Gel blasters are not toys. They are intentionally manufactured to look, weigh and feel like firearms and have an operating system similar to an air rifle. People have used these to threaten and intimidate the public, and that is unacceptable, Ellis said. This comes as Queenslands Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is pushing for a national firearms register following the fatal shooting of two police officers in her state in December 2022. Gun Control Advocates Concerned Proposed Changes Could Make Firearms More Accessible According to Roland Browne, Vice-president of Gun Control Australia, Tasmania is the only Australian state that has not introduced a classification for lever action shotguns as a category B firearm under its categories of a firearms licence. [C]ategory B are for single-shot guns, and this was a product of the Port Arthur Massacre down here [in Tasmania] in 1996 that saw limitations on rapid firearm and semi-automatic self-loading guns being in the general populations handsand now with the lever action shotgun change we are seeing them introduced as category B guns, Browne told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It means that around Australia, recreational shooters can have these guns available. They have five cartridge magazines in contrast to every category B gun. Its a boom for the gun market and gun salespeople, and its going to put the community at risk. According to Tasmanias Firearms Act 1996, a person can only obtain a gun licence if they have a genuine reason under five different categories depending on the licence required, with each successive category having more requirements. Personal protection or protection of family or property is not a genuine reason. What we want to see around Australia, but certainly in Tasmania, is that theyre classified as category C with the other rapid-fire guns, and so theyre not easily available to the community, Browne said. Australians Hand Over Tens of Thousands of Weapons A total of 17,543 firearms weapons and 606 weapons components, including suppressors and magazines, were surrendered between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022, according to the Permanent National Firearms Amnesty Annual Report issued on Jan. 20 by Attorney-Generals Department. The National Firearms Amnesty program was approved in 2019 by the then Coalition government. However, the program was delayed until July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the reasons for the surrendering of weapons were because the firearm was not wanted or needed anymore, the firearms were obtained as a family heritage, or the firearm was given by a family member or friend. Australian Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia, on Oct. 12, 2022. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas) The Albanese government thanks those Australians who have participated in the permanent amnesty and urges gun owners to continue to hand in their unregistered or unwanted firearms, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a Jan. 21 statement. The report released today found Australians who surrendered firearms in that time period were primarily motivated to do so out of a sense of responsibility or because they did not require them. Meanwhile, a Deakin university study that interviewed 75 prisoners across 16 correctional facilities found that obtaining an illegal gun in Australia was relatively easy. Our research found that the black market for illegal firearms is closed to the general population, but if you are well connected and trusted within criminal circles, it is surprisingly easy to get your hands on a gun, Criminology Prof. David Bright said in September 2022. Western Australias Premier Mark McGowan said he would be backing Palaszczuks push for a national firearms registry at the Feb. 3 national cabinet meeting. Cindy Zhan and Victoria Kelly-Clark contributed to this report. Pentagon Tracking Chinese Spy Balloon Over Northern US The U.S. military is currently tracking a Chinese spy balloon over Montana, according to a senior Pentagon official. The United States Government has detected and is tracking a high altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now, said Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder in a Feb. 2 statement. A senior defense official told reporters the Pentagon has a very high confidence that the balloon comes from China. The high-altitude surveillance balloon allegedly floated over the Aleutian islands and Canada before crossing over the airspace of Montana, according to an NBC report that cited three unnamed government officials. In this picture obtained from social media, a balloon flies in the sky over Billings, Montana, on Feb. 1, 2023. (Chase Doak/via Reuters) Ryder said that North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected the balloon some days ago and that the military had taken measures to conceal any sensitive information that could be spotted from such a craft. The U.S. government, to include NORAD, continues to track and monitor it closely, Ryder said. The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years. Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information. A senior defense official said that Pentagon leadership including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin convened a meeting to determine whether or not the balloon should be shot down, but ultimately decided against that course of action due to the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field. While declining to specify the exact dimensions of the balloon, the official said the Pentagon assessed that the balloon, which is traveling in the atmosphere over U.S. airspace, is large enough to cause damage from the debris field if we downed it over an area. The official said that the balloons current flight path does carry it over a number of sensitive sites, without providing detail. Our best assessment at the moment is that whatever the surveillance payload is on this balloon, it does not create significant value added over and above what the PRC is likely able to collect through things like satellites in Low Earth Orbit, the official said, using an acronym for the Chinese regimes official name, the Peoples Republic of China. But out of an abundance of caution, we have taken additional mitigation steps. Im not going to go into what those are. But we know exactly where this balloon is, exactly what it is passing over. And we are taking steps to be extra vigilant so that we can mitigate any foreign intelligence risk, the official added. While surveillance balloons like this have crossed into the United States several times over the past years, a distinguishing factor in this instance, according to the official, is how long it has stayed over U.S. airspace. The official added the Pentagon has engaged PRC officials with urgency through several channels, including the Chinese Embassy in the United States and the U.S. Embassy in China. We have communicated to them the seriousness with which we take this issue, the official said, but declined to offer details about the content of its message to China. When asked if China wanted the ballon to be spotted, the official declined to speculate. I dont know why they did what they did. I will say that the past number of times it did not loiter over the continental United States for an extended period of time. Its different, the official said. The incident comes as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which rules China as a single-party state, is increasing its espionage efforts against the United States and its citizens, and has become increasingly belligerent towards its neighbors in Asia, as well as Western democracies. Relatedly, it was recently reported that a covert overseas police station operated by China in New York City had been shut down following a reported FBI raid. Experts have warned with increasing frequency that the CCP is preparing its military for a war to seize Taiwan that would likely draw it into conflict with the United States. As such U.S. officials have said that the regime is studying the United States military capabilities and building technologies with the explicit purpose of overcoming them. This article was updated to include remarks by a Pentagon official. A senior employee at drug manufacturer Pfizer is allegedly concerned about the possible side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine as it relates to womens menstrual cycles, according to a conversation that was filmed by the nonprofit journalism group, Project Veritas. Video footage of the conversation with Dr. Jordon Walker, a senior Pfizer employee, with the undercover reporter for Project Veritas was published on Twitter on Feb. 2. Walker is the director of research and development at the pharmaceuticals giant, according to a Pfizer receptionist. The company has not disputed that it employs Walker. In the footage, the senior Pfizer employee can be seen and heard expressing concerns over potential negative side effects of the companys vaccine on womens reproductive health, pointing to irregular menstrual cycles in women. There is something irregular about the menstrual cycles. So, people will have to investigate that down the line because that is a little concerning, Walker said in the video. The [COVID-19] vaccine shouldnt be interfering with that [menstrual cycles]. So, we dont really know, he said, before pointing to the science which he said suggests that the vaccine shouldnt be interacting with something known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG axis), which are the hormones that regulate their menstrual cycle and things like that, according to Walker. In this image from video, Pfizer Director of Research and Development Dr. Jordon Walker speaks about mutating COVID-19. (Courtesy of Project Veritas) I Hope We Dont Discover Something Really Bad Down the Line The HPG axis is a hormone-regulating mechanism that helps to regulate reproduction by controlling the uterine and ovarian cycles. When asked by the undercover reporter if the vaccine should be interfering with womens menstrual cycles, Walker responded that it shouldnt, but noted that theres something happening but we dont always figure it out. I hope we dont discover something really bad down the line. I hope we dont find out that somehow this mRNA lingers in the body and like because it has to be affecting something hormonal to impact menstrual cycles, he said. Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine is built on messenger RNA, or mRNA, technology. So somehow the vaccine must be interacting with that axis, the HPG axis, to be causing problems with the menstrual cycles, Walker said. When questioned by the reporter as to whether the HPG axis is what is causing fertility issues, Walker said: Yeah, because they control the cycle. So if its impacting that, it must be impacting these hormones somehow. But then we need to find out how its impacting these hormones because the signaling starts in the brain. The vaccine doesnt cross the blood-brain barrier, he added. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends COVID-19 vaccines for everyone aged 6 months and older, including pregnant women or those trying to get pregnant, providing they are eligible. A medical worker administers a dose of the Cominarty Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to a patient at a vaccination center in Ancenis-Saint-Gereon, France, on Nov. 17, 2021. (Stephane Mahe/File Photo/File Photo/Reuters) No Evidence Vaccines Cause Fertility Problems There is currently no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems (problems trying to get pregnant) in women or men, the CDC says. During the conversation, Walker, who appeared to be speaking at a restaurant and seemed unaware that he was being recorded, also noted that there is a lot of pressure to get vaccinated, adding that he himself had to get the vaccine otherwise I would have got fired. I hope we dont discover something really bad down the line If something were to happen downstream and it was, like, really bad? I mean, the scale of that scandal would be enormous, Walker added. While Walkers professional profiles have been removed from the web, Pfizer has not disputed that he was or is an employee of the company. In August 2021, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced it had awarded one-year supplemental grants, amounting to $1.67 million, to multiple institutions to investigate the potential links between COVID-19 vaccination and menstrual changes. The grants supported research that could help determine whether or not changes to menstrual cycles were linked to the vaccines themselves and how long such changes last. However, at the time of the announcement, NIH also stressed that an array of factors could impact menstrual cycles, including pandemic-related stress, lifestyle changes related to the pandemic, and infection with SARS-CoV-2. Studies Show Vaccines Delay Menstrual Cycles One of the studies funded by the grants included one published in September 2022 led by Oregon Health and Science University clinician-scientist Dr. Alison Edelman. It found that the COVID-19 vaccination can affect the menstrual cycle by increasing its length by less than one day. Nearly 20,000 people participated in the study across Canada, the UK, the United States, Europe, and other parts of the world, of which 14,936 were vaccinated and 4,686 were not. Researchers analyzed data on at least three consecutive cycles before vaccination and at least one cycle after, as well as data from at least four consecutive cycles over a similar time interval for unvaccinated participants. They found that on average, the vaccinated participants experienced an increase of less than one day in each cycle in which they were vaccinated: A 0.71-day (or less than 24 hours) increase after the first dose and a 0.56-day increase after the second dose. Additionally, women who received both vaccine doses in a single menstrual cycle saw their cycle increase by 3.91 days. However, 1,342 women saw their menstrual cycle increase by eight days or more, representing 6.2 percent of vaccinated individuals and 5 percent of unvaccinated people in the study. Women who were younger and who had longer cycle lengths before vaccination were more likely to experience the increase, the study noted. In February 2022, the European Medicines Agencys safety committee said it was reviewing reports of heavy menstrual bleeding and absence of menstruation from women who had been vaccinated with either Pfizer or Moderna shots. However, definitive links between the COVID-19 vaccines and long-term impacts on menstrual cycles have not yet been found. The Epoch Times has contacted Pfizer for comment. Police on 24-Hour Shifts Outside Chinese Funeral Parlors: Leaked Document A mourner carries the cremated remains of a loved one during a funeral in Shanghai, China, in a file photo.(Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) Covering up the massive number of fatalities caused by Chinas resurging pandemic has become a major task for Beijings health officials, as photos in international news media reveal long lines of hearses, makeshift morgues, and body bags lining hospital hallways. A leaked document from the State Councils health advisory group recently revealed how local governments are enforcing Chinas policy of limiting outside access to funeral parlors. The Epoch Times recently obtained a copy of an internal bulletin circulated by the State Councils Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism. The notice was marked no publication. The bulletin, dated Jan. 10, contained guidance on blocking access by the media to funeral homes, and gave examples of how local governments are handling this particular issue. Police on 24-Hour Shifts Among a number of local government measures, the bulletin revealed that in Jinan, a city in Chinas east coast Shandong Province, police are on 24-hour shifts outside funeral parlors. The document praised such measures, saying they are helpful inmaintaining order and traffic flow in the event of emergencies and preventing illegal acts by funeral parlor service registration agents, the notice stated. Funeral homes are a focus of stability maintenance as China reels from the massive outbreak that swept the country after the regime suddenly reversed its zero-COVID policies. Long lines of hearses make funeral homes clear evidence of the scope of the epidemic. The internal document seems to indicate a massive police presence at Chinas funeral homes. Foreign journalists have reported being pushed away by police and security guards stationed outside of funeral homes. The Beijing Dongjiao Funeral Parlor, a Beijing crematorium reportedly designated to handle COVID-19 deaths, was one example. According to a Dec. 19 Bloomberg report, guards pushed journalists to the back of the parking lot, as a line of minivans dropped off bodies, surrounded at one point by what seemed to be mourners or relatives. The crematorium had drawn attention after workers told foreign media including the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal that they were overwhelmed with bodies, in stark contrast to Beijings claims that it only had two COVID-19 fatalities that weekend. On Dec. 19, the Beijing Dongjiao Funeral Parlor issued an emergency notice to workers strictly prohibiting them from speaking to the press. In addition, workers were warned against online discussions, data leaks, or photos posted on social media. In early January, China released an updated death toll that contrasted sharply with previous tallies. Nonetheless, the regime continues to draw criticism for vastly underreporting the scope of the current outbreak. In a Jan. 22 interview, a New York resident who asked to be identified only as Cheng spoke to The Epoch Times Chinese language edition about the scope of the outbreak. A former Beijing resident who still maintains extensive contacts there, Chengs sources tell him theres a three-month backlog for cremation in the capital city, with one source estimating that an estimated 200,000 bodies are waiting to be cremated. Fang Xiao contributed to this report. Quebec-Based COVID Vaccine Manufacturer to Halt All Operations A vial of a plant-derived COVID-19 vaccine candidate, developed by Medicago, is shown in Quebec City on July 13, 2020, as part of the companys Phase 1 clinical trials. (The Canadian Press/HO, Medicago) A COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing company in Quebec is set to cease all operations after its owner and sole shareholder decided to pull investments because of significant changes in the COVID vaccine-making industry. Medicago Inc., which is headquartered in Quebec City and was the manufacturer of the plant-based COVID vaccine, Covifenz, announced on Feb. 3 that it will not be receiving any further investments from the Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG) and that it will now begin an orderly wind-up of its business and operations in Canada and in the United States. MCG wrote in a statement on Feb. 3 that Medicago had previously been preparing to transition its operations to a commercial-scale level. However, in light of significant changes to the COVID-19 vaccine landscape since the approval of Covifenz, and after a comprehensive review of the current global demand and market environment for COVID-19 vaccines and Medicagos challenges in transitioning to commercial-scale production, the Group has determined that it will not pursue the commercialization of Covifenz, MCG wrote. MCG also said it judged that Medicagos commercialization plans werent worth further investment and that it will now begin an orderly wind up of its business and operations. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in October 2020 that the federal government would invest up to $173 million in Medicago in order to support Canadas response to COVID-19 and future preparedness. Medicagos Covifenz vaccine was approved by Health Canada in February 2022 for individuals aged between 18 and 64, with the federal agency noting at the time that its safety for those under 18 had not been established. The two-dose vaccine, which was developed without animal products or live viruses, was said to be 70 percent effective at preventing COVID infectionsprior to the Omicron waveupon completion of its clinical trials. WHO However, the World Health Organization (WHO) rejected Medicagos vaccine application for emergency use in March 2022 because of the companys ties with tobacco companies. WHO has a strict policy against engaging with companies that promote tobacco. At the time, former Conservative Party leader Erin OToole criticized WHO for rejecting Medicagos vaccine while approving less effective vaccines that had been manufactured in China. The WHO has approved several less-effective emergency use vaccines funded by China, but is rejecting an innovative Canadian vaccine because of one of their investorsUnbelievable, OToole said in a Twitter post on March 25. MCG has not specified exactly when Medicagos business operations will be halted. Medicagos activities and its regular operations will be significantly reduced and refocused on the wind down process. The winding up process will be completed in due course, in accordance with local laws and regulations, it wrote. The company added it will promptly disclose any matters that may arise in the process requiring attention. This impact to the Groups earnings is currently under careful examination. The Canadian Press and Isaac Teo contributed to this report. A 20-year-old man has been charged with manslaughter for the fatal shooting of a freshman University of Nebraska-Lincoln student in Imperial on Thanksgiving night. Chase County Attorney Joel Burke on Wednesday charged Tristan Ferguson with manslaughter for allegedly causing Jesse Krausnick's death unintentionally while in the commission of an unlawful act and possession of a firearm in the commission of a second-degree assault. In a search warrant, Nebraska State Patrol Investigator J.J. Connelly said before dawn on Nov. 25, Ferguson, Krausnicks roommate, pointed a shotgun at Krausnick and pulled the trigger one time, believing the gun to be unloaded. First responders were called to the house at 126 W. 12th St. in Imperial, where they found Krausnick with a single gunshot wound. The 19-year-old died at the hospital. Officers arrested Ferguson, then 19, on suspicion of manslaughter, a felony. He bonded out of jail by posting a $100,000 appearance bond, and wasn't charged until this week. Burke, who was sworn in as Chase County Attorney this year, said he was waiting for additional reports from the State Patrol before making a charging decision. Ferguson now is set to make his first court appearance on the charges next week. In the affidavit to search Fergusons phone, Connelly alleged that prior to the shooting Ferguson had used a fake ID to buy a large amount of alcohol at an Imperial convenience store and it was distributed and consumed by minors at the house on West 12th. The investigator said data on Fergusons and Krausnicks phones could confirm or eliminate premeditation, and corroborate the evidence and actions of Ferguson at the time of the shooting. Krausnick was an agribusiness major at UNL. Imperial is in southwest Nebraska, about 50 miles south of Ogallala. 30 must-see Nebraska state and national park gems Box Butte State Recreation Area Pine Ridge National Recreation Area Snake River Falls Ashfall Fossil Beds Johnson Lake Nebraska National Forest Lake McConaughy Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area Calamus Reservoir Agate Fossil Beds Bridgeport State Recreation Area Buttes Cub Creek Recreation Area Chadron State Park Gavins Point Dam Courthouse and Jail Rocks Jeffrey Lake Toadstool Geologic Park Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge Fort Robinson Louisville State Recreation Area Ponca State Park Platte River State Park Scotts Bluff National Monument Indian Cave State Park Niobrara National Scenic River Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area Lewis and Clark Lake State Recreation Area Halsey Lookout Tower Smith Falls State Park Race Everywhere The casket of Tyre Nichols is seen during his funeral at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, in Memphis, Tenn., on Feb. 1, 2023. (Andrew Nelles/Pool/Getty Images) Commentary Recently, an unarmed 29-year-old African American, Tyre Nichols, was brutally beaten to death by five black Memphis police officers. They were charged with murder. All belonged to a special crime unit known as the Scorpions. Both the victimizers and victim were black. The Memphis police chief is black. The assistant police chief is black. Nearly 60 percent of the police force is black. The white population of Memphis is about 25 percent. The now-disbanded Scorpion unit of mostly black officers was created as a response to grassroots appeals to stop spiraling crime in mostly black neighborhoods. The death of Tyre Nichols could be attributed to many things: a basic lack of humanity on the part of the officers, poor police training, lax administrative supervision, and lowered hiring standards. Instead, no sooner was the beating death announced than accusations of systemic racism surfaced. Van Jones, the former Obama administration green czar and recent recipient of Jeff Bezoss $100 million courage and civility award, pronounced on CNN that the black police oppressors were acting out white racism. Some claimed that charging the five black officers with murder was itself racist. Others alleged that creating the unit in the first place to reduce black-on-black crime was racist. Yet when everything becomes racist, then nothing in particular can be racist. At about the same time, the City of San Francisco, along with the state of California, was exploring paying out huge cash reparations to its African American residents for the ancestral sin of slavery. That evil institution was abolished some 158 years ago through the Civil War, which killed some 700,000 Americans. Yet California was always a free state with no history of slavery. No resident of America in six generations has been either a slave or slave owner. Such multibillion-dollar payouts apparently are to be funded by a nearly bankrupt state facing a $25 billion budget shortfall. How do we quantify either current eligibility or culpability in multiracial California, where 27 percent of the residents were not born in the United States? Whites make up only 35 percent of the states population. College campuses increasingly greenlight racially segregated resident housing. These reactionaries seem eager to return to separate but equal apartheid, supposedly outlawed nearly 60 years ago by the 1964 Civil Right Act. A recent National Association of Scholars study found that of some 173 schools surveyed, 42 percent provided racially segregated residences. Some 46 percent offered racially segregated orientation programs. An overwhelming 72 percent hosted racially segregated graduation ceremonies. So-called safe spaces on campus exclude students on the basis of race, especially whites who are reduced to stereotyped members of a toxic collective. Race-based admissions have transmogrified from proportional representationthe entering class should reflect roughly the racial make-up of the nationto reparatory or compensatory admittance. So, for example, Stanford Universitys incoming class of 2026 lists white students at 22 percent of the enrolled, roughly one-third of their percentage of the nations general population. Ironically, current racial engineering resurrects the old quota systems used in the past to discriminate against Jews. Whitesto the extent we can determine any race in an intermarried, multiracial societydo not fit the now ossified definition of an exploitive majority. They no longer even compose a majority in most major American cities and in some states. They rank well behind many nonwhite ethnic groups in terms of per capita income, and millions of working-class Americans certainly dont fit the tired stereotype of privileged. In racist fashion, white males are often smeared as exhibiting collective white rage. Yet they commit suicide at double their demographicsand more than twice as frequently as blacks and Latinos. They were also killed in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq at twice their numbers in the general population. In terms of hate-crime offenders, whites are demographically underrepresented. The most overrepresented victims of hate crimes are whites of Jewish background. Whites commit violent crimes against those of different races at rates below their percentages in the general population. In sum, class, not race, remains the best litmus test of being underprivileged in America. It is no longer synonymous with race. No wonder the identity politics industry now strains to attach prefixes such as systemic or implicit to racism or micro to aggression, purportedly to ferret out bias that otherwise is not apparent. Pause to reflect that America is the only successful multiracial constitutional republic in history. To survive in an increasingly dysfunctional and hostile world abroad, the unique idea of the United States requires concord. But national cohesion is only possible through citizens subordinating their tribal interests to a common culture. Only then do they cease being automatons of warring tribes and collectives. As the world becomes ever scarier, Americans mustas Benjamin Franklin once warnedhang together, or most certainly they will soon all hang separately. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Rehoboth Beach Locals Comment on FBI Searching Bidens Vacation Home President Joe Biden's Rehoboth Beach home was searched by FBI for classified documents on Feb. 1, 2023. (Lily Sun/The Epoch Times) REHOBOTH BEACH, Del.The FBI searched President Joe Bidens vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Feb. 1 but found no improperly stored classified documents. This is the third time that the FBI has searched Biden-related facilities. Last November, the FBI searched Bidens former office at the Penn Biden Center think tank in Washington after his attorneys discovered classified materials there. Biden used the center when he was vice president during the Obama administration. On Jan. 20, Bidens home in Wilmington, Delaware, was searched by the FBI, and classified documents were found. Four people who live in the Rehoboth Beach area shared their views with The Epoch Times on Feb. 1 about the FBIs search of Bidens vacation house. Retired Doctor: Serious Issue Robert Cumming, a retired psychiatrist, comments on the FBI searching Bidens Rehoboth Beach home at Rehoboth Beach on Feb. 1, 2023. (May Lin/The Epoch Times) Its quite the news in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. So its very exciting that the FBI is here, said Robert Cumming, a retired psychiatrist who read the news that morning. I think this is a serious issue, Cumming said. He thinks issues concerning classified documents should be investigated, and the dangers that may be associated with them should be addressed. He said the investigation is good for everyone. Cumming doesnt think the FBI search will have that much impact on Biden. I think that the political divisions are so stringent at this point that if youre either a President Biden fan or President Trump fan, you probably wont be changing your mind based on what happens today, he said. Cumming said he is not a Democratic or Republican: Ive been an independent for decades and decades and decades. In the end, the 80-year-old offered some advice to all politicians. My advice is for all the old people to stop bothering the young people, let the young people take over the country, and run it the way that it should be run. And I would be grateful if they would do that, said Cumming. Retired Teacher: A Little Nervous Judy Blank, a retired teacher who taught special education and reading in a middle school, said that she has been giving the issue of classified documents a lot of thought. I dont understand why President Trump and then Vice President Pence and President Biden all have these classified documents in their homes, said Blank, who moved to Rehoboth Beach six months ago. I dont think it should have happened. I want an answer as to how this happened. Where are these leaks coming from? How are these documents getting from the White House to these private residences? If they are supposed to be completely classified, she said. And it makes me a little nervous because of international security, Blank said. I want the Republicans and the Democrats to start working together for the good of this country, said Blank, who offered some advice to the countrys politicians. Stop the nonsense, stop the infighting, stop putting your party first, and start putting the country first, she said. Retired Engineer: Should be Strictly Investigated Rifka Cholaky, a retired engineer, comments on the FBI searching Bidens Rehoboth Beach home at Rehoboth Beach on Feb. 1, 2023. (May Lin/The Epoch Times) Rifka Cholaky, a retired mechanical engineer who immigrated from Turkey, said, It should be investigated. Definitely. He said Biden was cooperating with the FBI and who was investigating him. Cholaky said that he voted for Biden but did not support him too much just because he didnt want Donald Trump to win. He said the FBI investigation could possibly affect Bidens re-election campaign. Retired Post Office Employee: Hope to Get the Truth Henry Rulapaugh, a retired post office employee, comments on the FBI searching Bidens Rehoboth Beach home at Rehoboth Beach on Feb. 1, 2023. (May Lin/The Epoch Times) Henry Rulapaugh, 83, who worked at the post office before retiring, said, I hope they get to the truth about the FBI searching Bidens house. Rulapaugh expressed his concerns about there being too much fake news in the media. Its hard to tell whats really going on this year, Rulapaugh said. Because depending on what news source you use, youll get an answer one way, and the next news source will give you 180 degrees different opinion on this, the same thing that happened, he said. Im finding out that probably half of it or more is complete lies. Rulapaugh believes the investigation will impact Biden. I think it will this time. In the past, the news was always slanted, but the truth is gradually coming out more and more, he said. May Lin contributed to this report. Release of Alice Springs Report Delayed Until Governments Can Consider the Findings The release of a snap report by the Central Australian Regional Controller Dorelle Anderson into alcohol restrictions in Central Australia has been postponed until both governments have had time to consider its findings. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the delay on Thursday afternoon via a social media thread on Twitter, in which he explained that he had met with Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles after receiving the report and that it would be released after both cabinets were able to consider its findings. I met with @NatashaFylesMLA this afternoon after having received the report from the Office of the Central Australian Regional Controller. The report will be considered by respective cabinets next week, Albanese said. Our governments will listen and respond with the action local communities want us to take. The report will be released by the NT Government after cabinet consideration, confirming next steps. Our Governments will listen and respond with the action local communities want us to take. Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) February 2, 2023 The announcement comes after the Northern Territory and the federal government last week appointed Anderson as the Central Australian Regional Controller, who will be responsible for developing an Alcohol Management Plan after a spike in youth crime and anti-social behaviour in Alice Springs made national headlines. Businesses and members of the community, including town camps, were set to have input into the plan and how they want alcohol managed in their community. The Territory government also wanted Anderson to look towards creating additional measures around liquor licensing, including the possibility of an opt-out system. Effect of Current Restrictions Unknown The report comes after the NT government backflipped on liquor restrictions, announcing a raft of new controls on alcohol sales in Alice Springs as a temporary measure to help police deal with a youth crime wave in the region. At present, sales of takeaway alcohol are now banned on Monday and Tuesday and hours of alcohol serving are reduced on the remaining days of the week from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The government also introduced a ban on multiple alcohol transactions, with Alice Springs residents only allowed to make one takeaway purchase per day via the banned drinker register. Alcohol bans in central Australia were first implemented in 2007 during the federal governments Northern Territorys Emergency Response, also known as the NT Intervention, to deal with increasing lawlessness and crime in Indigenous townships and communities, which were affecting women and children. Restrictions were continued in 2012 under Prime Minister Julia Gillards Stronger Future legislation (pdf), which expired in July 2022. Prior to the expiration, the NT government decided in May 2022 to amend the Liquor Act 2019 and Associations Act 2003 to allow for the sale of alcohol in the Indigenous regions. Northern Territory Senator Jacinda Price has criticised the NT and federal governments on the decision to lift the restrictions and said that both governments were warned by Indigenous community groups that this would simply create more issues in these communities. Price shared a letter on Facebook from nine indigenous advocacy groupsincluding the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, Yilli Housing, Danila Dilba Health Service, the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjarra Yankunytjatjarra Womens Council, and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisationto the federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney in June 2022, which outlined the Indigenous communities concern that the legislative changes by the NT government were wrong, and pleading for the federal government to extend the Stronger Futures for two years. We are now in a situation where the NTG (Northern Territory Government) has suddenly abandoned its generally admirable record on addressing the very high rates of alcohol consumption and severe related harm, the letter said. We believe that the entire process is a reversal of what should occur. The groups also noted that they did not believe that the alcohol restrictions were racist or discriminatory and that if restrictions were lifted, it would lead to a spike in alcohol-related injuries and offending. Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Darwin, in particular, are currently experiencing a seemingly unrelenting spate of property-related offending mainly by youths, they said. There is no doubt that many of the offenders are from families where adults have alcohol problems. To permit more access to alcohol will undoubtedly add fuel to fire, they said. Alcohol Bans Crucial for Alice Springs But Education a Key Solution Meanwhile, indigenous activist Noel Pearson has told The Australian on Wednesday that while alcohol restrictions to stabilising the family (and) to stabilising the community it was education that was vital to helping solve the issue. Whats happening there is the product of previous failures schooling failure is at the heart of it, he said. Pearson also said he believed that if the Indigenous Voice referendum was successful next year it would make clear demands of education providers to improve schooling and address youth crime. Ultimately, the voice will demand better results out of school education, he said. At the moment, demands are not heard. Governments are just rolling out rounds of new policy and then three years later say oh that didnt work. Its Groundhog Day. Remember Jimmy Lai? Hong Kong media mogul and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, is escorted by Correctional Services officers to get on a prison van before appearing in a court in Hong Kong, Dec. 12, 2020. (Kin Cheung/AP Photo) Commentary Do you remember Jimmy Lai, the successful Hong Kong businessman who founded the Giordano fashion chain and, subsequently, the Apple Daily media company? Jimmy Lai has been in prison since Dec. 31, 2020. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would like you to forget all about Jimmy Lai. Out of sight, out of mind. Lais life is a rags to riches story. After escaping China as a stowaway on a boat at just 12 years of age, Lai started working under oppressive conditions in a garment factory. He was promoted to factory manager before starting his own clothing business, which eventually became the very successful Giordano fashion chain. Following the Tiananmen Square massacre, Lai founded Next magazine, which became the most popular magazine in Hong Kong. People hold up copies of the Apple Daily as they protest for press freedom inside a mall in Hong Kong on Aug. 11, 2020. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images) Read by the middle class; the weekly publication appealed to the supporters of economic and political freedom. A sister publication, Sudden Weekly, also attracted a strong readership. In 1995, Lai launched Apple Daily, which had a distinctly pro-democracy editorial stance, earning the ire of the communist regime. By Hong Kong standards, the paper was a racy tabloid. It became the largest pro-democracy, Chinese-language, mass-circulation daily newspaper in Hong Kong. However, it was shut down by the CCP in June 2021. Imprisoned for Wanting Freedom Lai was jailed in December 2020 while awaiting trial on various charges. He was briefly released on bail, but this was reversed, and he has been imprisoned since the end of December 2020. Last December, he was sentenced to more than five years imprisonment on a series of falsified fraud charges, having already served two other sentences, including for lighting a candle and saying a prayer to mark the Tiananmen Square carnage and for participating in a peaceful protest. The CCP has gone to great lengths to keep Lai in jail. He is currently awaiting trial, finally set down for the coming September, for violating the National Security Law. This law is a vaguely worded, draconian provision that allows the regime to claim almost any action as a breach of national security. So desperate is the regime that it has tried to ban Lais chief legal counsel, London KC Tim Owen, on the trumped up suggestion that his representation of Lai would endanger national security. Hong Kongs Court of Final Appeal had approved Owens representation, leading the regime to appeal to Beijing to override the court. The reality is that the reference to national security is a cover to allow the regime to do whatever it pleases, which in this case, is to make an example of Jimmy Lai and jail him for life. Media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, the founder of Apple Daily, is detained by the national security unit in Hong Kong, China, on Aug. 10, 2020. (Tyrone Siu TPX Images of the day/Reuters) The CCPs claim that it abides by the rule of law is preposterous. Only in a totalitarian state like China could anyone believe that the rule of law applies. Lais story is told in the documentary film, The Hong Konger. Produced by the Acton Institute, it reveals that Lai became a Catholic in 1997. Having a British passport, the 75-year-old Lai could have left Hong Kong before he was arrested, but he chose to stay and fight for liberty and freedom. As his friend, William McGurn, a member of the Wall Street Journals editorial board, said: Hes in prison today for a simple reason. His publications told the truth about China and Hong Kong. While various individuals and organisations have spoken up for Lai, one voice has remained silent, Pope Francis. Lais friend, Cardinal Joseph Zen, also persecuted by the communist regime, has appealed to the Pope, but to date, the Vatican seems more interested in its secret deal with the CCP despite it having been blatantly breached. No One Is Safe In the meantime, Australian journalist Cheng Lei also remains in detention. The former anchor of the state-owned television station CGTN was detained in August 2020 and subsequently charged with supplying state secrets overseas. Australian journalist Cheng Lei is seen on a television set in Beijing, China, in this still image taken from undated video footage. (Australia Global Alumni-Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade/Handout via Reuters) No details of the charges have been provided to Australian authorities. Nor have the hearings been transparent, with embassy officials locked out on the pretence that the proceedings involve state secretsa vague notion to allow the regime to do what it likes. No foreigner is safe in China. Both the police and the judiciary are an arm of the CCP. Jimmy Lai and Cheng Lei cannot be forgotten. Their treatment should be condemned by all defenders of human dignity and liberty. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Rep. Jim Jordan Says GOP Will Have to Move As a Conference on Mayorkas Impeachment Ranking Member Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) listens during a House Judiciary Committee mark up hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington on June 2, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Several Republicans in the House of Representatives are calling for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to be impeached, but House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said the whole Republican conference will have to decide together on whether to proceed against the Biden appointee. I think [impeachment is] a decision well make as Republicans on the committee and as a conference, Jordan told NTD on Thursday. In January, Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) introduced a resolution to begin the impeachment process. In the first impeachment article, Fallon argued that Mayorkas had illegally implemented catch-and-release directives and, through his leadership, recklessly released more than 1,000,000 illegal immigrants into the United States. Fallon brought an additional impeachment charge alleging Mayorkas had perjured himself when he told Congress, under oath, that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has maintained operational control over the security of the U.S. border. In a third impeachment charge, Fallon accused Mayorkas of having slandered U.S. Border Patrol agents with his comments about allegations they had whipped illegal immigrants who attempted to cross the border. Judiciary Committee Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) voiced their support for impeaching Mayorkas after a committee hearing on Wednesday. Jordan told NTD he hasnt called for Mayorkass impeachment but said the secretary certainly warrants it. But whether we will, you know, move in that direction is going to be determined by Republican members of the Judiciary Committee, in consultation with the speaker and the Republican conference, he said. While Jordan favors impeaching Mayorkas, at least one Republican on his committee has said Mayorkass actions havent met the threshold for impeachment. Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) told NTD on Wednesday that he doesnt believe Mayorkas has yet committed a high crime or misdemeanor and instead called for Republicans to invoke the Holman rule to cut the secretarys salary. Democrats on the committee defended Mayorkass record on the job. This whole nonsense about the open border, that the Biden administration is open border, its just not true, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, told NTD. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) agreed, saying, I think its pretty clearly, from what my colleagues across the aisle have said, this is to make a political point, not to actually examine the facts. Currently, Republicans control 222 seats in the House of Representatives while Democrats hold 212 seats. The House Republican conference would need to muster virtually all of its members to support impeaching Mayorkas. The effort would then face longer odds in the Democrat-controlled Senate, where two-thirds of the body would be needed to convict Mayorkas and remove him from office. Jordan Weighs In on Biden, Trump Classified Documents Cases As the chair of the Judiciary Committee, Jordan is leading several oversight investigations into the Biden administration, including the recent discoveries of classified documents at President Joe Bidens private residence and former office space. Some of Bidens supporters have sought to establish a distinction between how Biden handled the classified documents and how former President Donald Trump handled the classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago home. In a Jan. 17 call with reporters, White House spokesman Ian Sams said the Biden team had handled his classified information the right way by immediately notifying authorities after they discovered potentially classified documents at Bidens home and office. Sams described Republican investigative efforts as political stunts and criticized them for seeking investigations of Biden after having defended former President Donald Trump when FBI agents raided his home for classified documents in August. Jordan responded to such defenses from Bidens supporters by noting a recent Washington Post article claiming Bidens attorneys and Justice Department investigators both thought they had a shared understanding about keeping the matter quiet. The first classified documents were found in Bidens old office space at the Penn Biden Center on Nov. 2, just days before the 2022 midterm elections. Neither the Biden White House nor the Department of Justice mentioned that discovery until Jan. 9, 2023, over two months after the midterm elections. When the Biden White House revealed, on Jan. 9, that potentially classified documents were found at the Penn Biden Center, they did not mention the fact that a subsequent search of Bidens Wilmington, Delaware, home had uncovered additional classified documents in December. Jordan said it was wrong for the DOJ to have its alleged shared understanding with the Biden team about its classified documents case when in fact they had this very public raid, as you all remember, 91 days before the midterm election at President Trumps house. From NTD News Romanian Court Rejects Andrew Tates Appeal Against Detention Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate are escorted by police officers outside the headquarters of the Bucharest Court of Appeal, in Bucharest, Romania, on Feb. 1, 2023. (Inquam Photos/Eduard Vinatoru via Reuters) BUCHARESTInternet personality Andrew Tate will remain in police custody until Feb. 27 after a Bucharest court rejected his appeal against his detention on Wednesday. Tate, his brother Tristan, and two Romanian female suspects have been in police custody since Dec. 29 pending a criminal investigation into alleged human trafficking and rape and charges of forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. They have denied the accusations. Their detention was extended until the end of this month on Jan. 20. On Wednesday a Bucharest court upheld the decision and rejected Tates appeal. Prosecutors can ask Romanian courts to extend the suspects detention for up to 180 days. Under Romanian legislation, prosecutors have filed charges against the four suspects, but the case is still under investigation and has not gone to trial. You know Im innocent, Tate told reporters as he was taken inside the courtroom earlier in the day. Asked whether he was hoping to be released on Wednesday, he said, There is not much justice in Romania. Prosecutors have said the Tate brothers recruited their alleged victims by seducing them and falsely claiming to want a relationship or marriage. The victims were then coerced to produce pornographic content for social media sites that generated large financial gain, prosecutors said. Tates defense lawyers have said prosecutors had no real evidence and have asked the judge to consider placing the suspects under house arrest rather than police detention. They asked the court for their freedom based on the lack of evidence against them and the lack of any criminal history, Tina Glandian, an American lawyer the Tates brought on their legal team as an advisor told reporters. Sask Premier Moe Says No to Digital ID Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says he will not concede to any request by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to have a digital ID be a condition of augmented federal health-care funding. The announcement was made in a response letter from Moe to citizens who inquired with the his office regarding this aspect of upcoming Canada Health Transfer negotiations in a meeting with Trudeau and other premiers on Feb. 7. The Government of Saskatchewan is not creating a Digital ID nor will we accept any requirements for the creation of a Digital ID tied to healthcare funding, wrote Moe. The Government of Saskatchewan will not share any personal medical information with the federal government. This information is protected under The Health Information Protection Act and will remain so. The Government of Saskatchewan may share already publicly available healthcare statistics, including the number of physicians in Saskatchewan and surgical wait times if requested by any party, including the federal government. Saskatchewan citizens group Unified Grassroots rallied supporters to contact the premiers office, MLAs, and the provincial privacy commissioner to ask Moe to resist Trudeaus plea for a national health ID. With the introduction of vaccine passports last year, we have seen how quickly private medical information can be weaponized and used to destroy the very fabric of our society, read the template letter the organization suggested to supporters. A national health identity system could once again open the door to discrimination, stigmatization and division at home and in the international space. In addition, it would be in violation of the spirit of the Canadian Bill of Rights, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Saskatchewan Public Health Act and the Health Information Privacy Act (HIPA). Unified Grassroots president Nadine Ness was glad the premier responded. Im glad that he took the time to respond to the numerous people that called him and emailed him, Ness told the Epoch Times by email. It shows how much this whole digital ID is very concerning for a lot of people in Saskatchewan. So Im glad that hes listening and responding. And its something I wish he had done all along, and maybe less mistakes would have been made by his party, she said. There was a time when they werent listening to people and they werent listening to the public because they felt that they already had the power, she noted, adding that while I dont blindly trust that they will hold to those words in that letter, Im hoping they will. Moe remained aligned with other premiers on the request for more health-care dollars. In recent years, federal funding of healthcare has fallen from 35 per cent of healthcare costs to 22 per cent. That is why it is critical to get a new Canada Health Transfer agreement where the federal government returns to a full funding partner of healthcare, wrote Moe. The Government of Saskatchewan will not surrender or weaken any personal health privacy rights when signing a new Canada Health Transfer agreement. Instead, we will work diligently toward a funding agreement that benefits Saskatchewan people by investing in healthcare in both rural and urban areas of our province. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin hold a press conference at 2:45 p.m. ET on Feb. 3, at the State Department after their meeting. Senators to Biden: No F-16s for Turkey Until Finland and Sweden Join NATO A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter taking part in the U.S.-led Saber Strike exercise flies over Estonia on June 6, 2018. (Ints Kalnins/Reuters) A group of bipartisan U.S. lawmakers led by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Thursday asking that he hold off on selling F-16 jets to Turkey until the country agrees to ratify Sweden and Finland as new members of NATO. The letter (pdf) talks about the senators concern regarding Turkeys refusal to allow Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance. A failure by Turkiye to uphold its commitments made under the trilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Turkiye, Finland, and Sweden should be taken into consideration, as Congress cannot consider future support for Turkiye, including the sale of F-16 fighter jets, until Turkiye completes ratification of the accession protocols. Such a failure on Turkeys part threatens the Alliances unity at a key moment in history, as Russia continues its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. At the June 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid, Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Sweden and Finland, saying the two nations needed to address some security concerns before Turkey would ratify them for membership. Since that agreement, both Sweden and Finland have worked to implement concerns outlined in that Memorandum, the senators said. Despite efforts put in by Sweden and Finland to fulfill Turkeys demands, Turkey is holding out and is unwilling to commit to a timeline to fulfill it. Americas continued support for Turkey on a number of security policies, including the sale of F-16 fighter jets, is based on a shared understanding of support for our democratic allies, the letter noted. Once the NATO accession protocols are ratified by Turkiye, Congress can consider the sale of F16 fighter jets. A failure to do so, however, would call into question this pending sale. The Turkey MOU In the MOU, Turkey asked Sweden and Finland to boost efforts to combat the Kurdistan Workers Party, which is listed as a terrorist organization in both European nations and in the United States. Turkey also wanted Finland and Sweden to bolster extraditions and deportations to Ankara. The two European nations have begun a review of their regulatory framework for arms exports as part of the deal. Sweden recently granted one of its first export licenses from the Swedish defense industry to deliver military equipment to Turkiye since 2019. Finland is also considering granting export licenses, the senators letter notes. Turkey has been holding off Swedens ratification as Ankara is reportedly unhappy with Swedens pace in meeting extradition requests. From time to time, Turkey mentions individuals that they want to see extradited from Sweden. My reply is that those issues are handled according to Swedish law. Swedish citizens will never be extradited to another country at all, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said during a security conference in January. There are a lot of factors at play here, domestic political factors as well as Swedens ability to prove that were serious about what weve said, Kristersson said. In late January, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cast further doubts about Swedens NATO membership after Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan burned the Quran in a protest. F-16 Deal and NATO Accession The Biden administration has mostly refused to link the F-16 sale to Turkey with Sweden and Finlands NATO accession, and has repeatedly said that it supports such a sale. Some Democrat senators have taken a hard stance against the sale to Turkey. During a recent event hosted by Al-Monitor, a news outlet covering the Middle East, U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) called Turkey an unfaithful ally and said the United States should consider sanctioning Ankara if Erdogan thwarts Swedens efforts to join NATO. There are going to be no F-16s going to Turkey if Turkey is not admitting Sweden and Finland, Van Hollen said. In January, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) said that he was strongly opposed to the Biden administrations proposed sale of F-16 jets to Turkey. He pledged to stand against the deal until Erdogan ceases his threats, improves his human rights record at homeincluding by releasing journalists and political oppositionand begins to act like a trusted ally should. Sweden and Finlands NATO accession have been ratified by 28 out of the 30 NATO member states, including the United States. The two countries that are yet to ratify are Hungary and Turkey. Hungary has committed to ratification when its legislators reconvene in February. SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican RepublicWhen the curtain opened for Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Eduardo Brito National Theater, Pelegrin Castillo felt it carried a very necessary message for this world so besieged by totalitarianisms of different signs. New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts was founded in 2006 by a group of leading Chinese artists who had fled the persecution of Chinas ruling communist party. Following the regimes violent takeover in 1949, Chinese traditional culture underwent a period of mass destruction. A former legislator and congressman, and president of the National Progressive Force, Mr. Castillo said he has always admired the Chinese people. I have followed their culture, he said. But to have the experience of seeing such an exquisite presentation, so well achieved of that great diversity and of that humanism with a transcendent sense for me is a reason of great satisfaction. He noted how important it is to keep traditional culture. Very important because art, culture, is the highest expression of the soul of the people, and it has a lot to do with the identity of a nation. Mr. Castillo said that, even with changes, its important to keep continuity and look to the past. China gives an example to the world precisely through the preservation of identity: not forgetting the ancestors, their experiences, their life experiences, and integrating them to the present in order to project a better future. He liked the spiritual and moral values supported by Shen Yun: this message of benevolence, this message of tolerance and, above all, the message of truth. The world is in urgent need of the search for truth. In the motto of the Dominican flag, the message of the Gospel of John stands out: And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.' That is to say that Dominicans have a mandate to seek the truth. When we see these types of expressions, we see the points of union. We see that in all of humanity there is a search for that truth, for that benevolence, for that spirit of justice and, most importantly, all of that leads to a great transformation. He sees the need to transform ourselves. The world needs a great spiritual transformationwhat could be called a new axial agethat will bring about the rebirth of that spirit, that sense of a humanity that recognizes itself as part of the great Being, of the existence of God: for Him, and by Him, and in Him. Reporting by NTD and Yvonne Marcotte. The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006. The US UH-60 "Black Hawk" helicopters are involved in training on Tinian, one of the Mariana Islands. By Zhou An According to US media reports, recent satellite images show that the US military is expanding the Tinian International Airport in the Western Pacific Ocean on a large scale. Analysts believe that the expanded airport is likely to be used by the US military as a backup facility to Guams Andersen Air Force Base to support the US expansion and strengthening of military deployment in the Western Pacific region. Tinian is one of the four constituent municipalities of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (the overseas autonomous states of America). It is situated east of the Philippines, south of Japan, and north of Guam. With an area of 102 square kilometers, the island is the third largest of the Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific Ocean. Before World War II, Tinian was controlled by Japan. After the US military occupied the island in 1944, a US air base capable of having B-29 bombers take off and land was established. The Allied forces took the opportunity to launch steady long-range bombing of the Philippines, the Ryukyu Islands and Japan, thus promoting a major change in the situation of the Pacific Theater during World War II. In 1945, the two atomic bombs dropped by the US military on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were also uploaded on Tinian. With the end of World War II, the focus of US military deployment shifted to Guam, south of Tinian. Guam's Anderson Air Force Base has become the command center and the most important forward base of the US Strategic Air Command (SAC) in the Western Pacific Ocean, and ever since the Air Force base on Tinian was gradually abandoned. In 2003, the US military returned to Tinian and repaired the airport thereon, making Tinian a training base for the US military. At the end of 2016, the US military began to expand the Tinian International Airport and has been increasing the pace of expansion recently. Tinian located near Guam, less than 3000 kilometers away from Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia, is geostrategically significant. According to the US military's assumption, once the Anderson Air Force Base on Guam is unavailable due to an attack or natural disaster, the Tinian International Airport is to provide support for those aircraft diverted. By improving the infrastructure and military facilities on the island, it is also possible to build a base on the island that can accommodate troops of temporary deployment and launch military attacks. However, the US military's expansion of the Tinian International Airport and resumption of the Tinian air base have met with resistance and opposition from the local people. As reported by the US media, the environmental protection department of Tinian has warned that the US military exercises on the island might cause aquifer pollution and damage coral reefs. Local people have also shown great concern that the continuous expansion may deliver a severe unfavorable effect on the development of animal husbandry and tourism therein. At the same time, the island has been shrouded in painful memories of the war. According to some islanders, there are still old tanks and cannons left from World War II on the island, and the older generation has still been incapable of getting rid of war trauma though the war had passed for many years. After the upgrade, the Tinian International Airport can accommodate 12 aerial tankers and have about 8-week military exercises each year as planned for the expansion. At that time, the roar of fighter jets is sure to bring the islanders into the fear of war again. Restarting the US Air Force base on Tinian is another move taken by the US military to strengthen its military presence in the Western Pacific Ocean and promote its distributed strikes and agile combat deployment (ACE). In addition to Tinian, the US Air Force bases on Saipan and Wake Island are also under intensive expansion. It is expected that after the expansion, bases on Guam, Tinian, Saipan, Wake Island and Hawaii will form an island-based basegroup that can take concerted action and have a certain depth, turning to be the "super military base" of the US military in the Western Pacific Ocean. Analysts pointed out that the US, with its deep-rooted Cold War mentality and hegemonic ideology, has continued to expand its island-based bases in the Western Pacific Ocean to strengthen its military presence, which would have a negative impact on regional peace and stability. (The author is a scholar of international issues.) A North Liberty man was sentenced last week to 25 years in federal prison for child pornography charges involving a minor he met on Snapchat and requested nude images and videos from her. Jacob John Preuschl, 28, was convicted of production of child pornography and transfer of obscene material to minors. Law enforcement identified him after the parent of an underage victim called the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's tip line after finding sexually explicit content between her daughter and Preuschl on a cellphone. The center referred the case to law enforcement in Nashville, Tennessee, which identified Preuschl and referred the case to Iowa authorities. Preuschl met the victim on Snapchat and communicated with her for about four months and requested nude images and videos, prosecutors said. He also sent graphic images of himself to the girl. After seizing his cellphone, law enforcement discovered Preuschl had communicated with several other minors on Snapchat and had acquired child pornography through the Telegram computer application. The sentencing judge additionally ordered Preuschl to pay a $10,000 special assessment under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act and $3,000 special assessment under the Amy, Vicky and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act, according to prosecutors. Preuschl also will serve seven years of supervised release following his prison term. The Joint Forensic Analysis Cyber Team and the Nashville Police Department investigated the case. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the U.S. Department of Justice's "Project Safe Childhood" initiative. Anyone having knowledge of a child being sexually abused is encouraged to call the Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-284-7821. Counties with the most emergency shelters in Iowa Counties with the most emergency shelters in Iowa #50. Hardin County #49. Des Moines County #48. Calhoun County #47. Mills County #46. Wayne County #45. Chickasaw County #44. Tama County #43. Louisa County #42. Boone County #41. Cedar County #40. Wapello County #39. Sioux County #38. Washington County #37. Buchanan County #36. Cerro Gordo County #35. Audubon County #34. Hancock County #33. Lucas County #32. Floyd County #31. Poweshiek County #30. Jones County #29. Fayette County #28. Delaware County #27. Jackson County #26. Keokuk County #25. Shelby County #24. Monroe County #23. Van Buren County #22. Pocahontas County #21. Clinton County #20. Mitchell County #19. Butler County #18. Cherokee County #17. Appanoose County #16. Winnebago County #15. Mahaska County #14. Greene County #13. Franklin County #12. Clayton County #11. Osceola County #10. Bremer County #9. Lyon County #8. Palo Alto County #7. Worth County #6. Monona County #5. Allamakee County #4. Ida County #3. Adams County #2. Winneshiek County #1. Howard County MONTREAL, CanadaModern communication devices allow us to talk and look up anything we want easily, but when was the last time we saw something so beautiful that it spoke to our soul? Diane Laroche, a professor at Universite TELUQ, shared that seeing Shen Yun moved her deeply. The performance provoked an elevation of spirituality, of the soul. It touches the soul, so it is excellent! said Ms. Laroche. The artists of New York-based Shen Yun, in their dedication to bringing true beauty to the stage, not only require themselves to excel in their art but also to remain pure and good at heart. I really liked the spiritual side, all the spirituality that came out and the deep values, the human values, said Ms. Laroche. It is certain that we felt purity. You could feel what they carry inside. Its soul to soul, she added. Shen Yuns mission is to revive the essence of 5,000 years of civilization in China before communism. Due to its focus on reviving traditional culture and its presentation of the truth of events under communist rule in present-day China, Shen Yun is not able to perform in China. Its clear to me that this show couldnt be done in China, and I think its a good opportunity to be able to show it elsewhereof whats going on in terms of exploitation and non-respect of certain spiritualities that people try to practice. We are lucky to be able to do our spirituality like we want. To be free of that, said Ms. Laroche. Shen Yun tackles some serious subjects in its performance, but audience members say that every dance leaves them with a sense of hope. I would say compassion, but maybe even a kind ofspiritual meditation, said Ms. Laroche. Ms. Laroche said the performance gave her goosebumps. She was able to feel the presence of higher beings and saw the light that the divine emanated coming from the performance. Its an entity, there was the light, she said. I would say I did not see through the dancers, musicians. What I saw was that there was something superior that was there, and that was above and that was complete, said Ms. Laroche. Reporting by Dongyu Teng and Maria Han. The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006. SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican RepublicMr. Carlos Veitia, director of the Eduardo Brito National Theater and former director of the Dominican National Ballet, is also the founder of Ballet Concierto Dominicano, a top ballet company in the Dominican Republic. He is well acquainted with what it takes to put on a great dance performance. On Feb. 2, he welcomed Shen Yun Performing Arts to the Eduardo Brito National Theater in Santo Domingo for their opening night performance and was left inspired. For me, this is a brilliant moment within my management in the theater because it is a dance company that believes in virtues, in discipline, in raising the human spirit, that all countries, all cultures, have to watch, he said. The National Theater will always be open to anyone who comes with art, to tell the truth about it. New York-based Shen Yun is the worlds premier classical Chinese dance company, and although it is welcomed all around the world, it is banned in China. Shen Yuns mission is to revive the 5,000 years of divinely inspired civilization of China, which the ruling Chinese Communist Party has worked to destroy over the past 70 years. Well, the public is here to decide what they believe and what they dont, Mr. Veitia said. Its a culture so enormous and so ancient, thats good, today it showed off. Mr. Veitia is a renowned dance choreographer himself and a former classical ballet dancer. In 1995 he was awarded as the Classical Choreographer of the American Continent, receiving the Kennedy Centers Fellowship of the Americas Award. He greatly appreciated Shen Yuns dancers and their training. It is a precious company, very well trained, of very well trained dancers, he said. Precious. Here we have great dancers, very good ones. What appeals to me about Shen Yun is exactly that; the work, the sweat they put on, thats called discipline, and that is vocation and love; how in sync they were, how musical they are, the beautiful choreographies made by the choreographers, I congratulate them with all my heart, profoundly, he said. What set Shen Yun apart, Mr. Veitia said, was the artists faith and conviction. It is a show full of beauty, as well as emotional, he said. I saw a lot of faith in what they did. I saw that they were convinced in their message, that is very important for each artist, and that is the case. I saw sincerity in their interpretation and I saw their heart set on their culture. I cannot fail to mention the wonderful orchestra, exquisite orchestra, marvelous. But I loved the show because as a whole, it is very professional, and that is a great virtue in art, he said. You can have very good dancers, as I repeat, there are very good ones here, the issue is teamwork, and I understand that Shen Yun is a world example for that. The result is a performance he heartily recommended to everyone. It is a show that everyone must see, everyone must come to see it and the whole world should follow, he said. People need to follow discipline, virtues, and beauty. The world needs a lot of that, he said. The world right now needs a lot to remember that you have to be honest with yourself, that we have to work because we are imperfect in every way, that we have to try to seek perfection, physical, and first spiritual to be able to get it physical, Mr. Veitia said. And that you cant waste time because life is short, he said. So I understand that you have to work on virtues, you have to try to be better human beings, and understand and respect each other. We all have the right to express ourselves. And we also have the right to live in peace, in peace, with one another. For Mr. Veitia, Shen Yun was precious, precious, wonderful. Its sublime, he said. Reporting by NTD. The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006. Some Christian Colleges Have Ties to Planned Parenthood: Study Students For Life of America, which represent prolife college students, is conducting an on-going study of Christian colleges with ties to Planned Parenthood (Courtesy of Students For Life of America SFLA) Nearly 10 percent of Christian colleges in the United States maintain ties with Planned Parenthood including several Catholic universities, according to an ongoing investigation by a national student organization. According to Students for Life of America (SFLA), 68 of the 784 colleges affiliated with a Christian church, including Catholic and conservative Baptist denominations, in the United States continue to maintain some type of relationship with Planned Parenthood, even after the group released its initial report back in 2021. SFLA President Kristan Hawkins told The Epoch Times in a statement: Were holding our schools accountable to cut ties with Americas greediest and most dangerous abortion vendor and will especially do so in a Post-Roe America where we know college students remain susceptible to the lies of Planned Parenthood. The Epoch Times reached out to several of the colleges identified in the SFLA report. The only one to provide a response was Baylor University. As a Christian university, Baylor respects the sanctity of life. We do not allow for the institutional promotion of abortion or abortion-related services on our campus, Lori Fogleman, vice president of media and public relations at Baylor, told The Epoch Times. Additionally, Baylor representatives frequently tour and support Care Net Pregnancy Center both financially and through volunteer work as part of the Universitys community outreach efforts. Following the release of the SFLA report, the Texas collegewhich identifies itself as a Baptist universityBears for Life, a pro-life group made up of Baylor students, launched an aggressive campaign against the administration including campus protests to end ties with Planned Parenthood. The universitys ties to Planned Parenthood date back to at least 2006 when it began distributing a handbook it provided to students listing the abortion groups Teen Education Program as an intern opportunity. Bears For Life and SFLA also censured the college for listing a job opening for a community health educator with Planned Parenthood on the schools social work website and offering a class that used a textbook that referred to abortion as safer than childbirth. As part of its ongoing investigation, SLFA recently released a separate list titled 11 Worst Performing Christian Schools that Failed to Promote Life. SLFA graded the colleges and universities based on the level of their connections to the abortion groups, with an F indicating deep ties to the abortion group. Those given an F included Duke University, which is affiliated with the United Methodist Church; Virginias Rhodes College, linked to the Presbyterian Church; and Augsburg University, a Lutheran college in Minnesota. Duke was cited for continuing to provide internships and fellowships with Planned Parenthood and for promoting chemical abortion pills through its Obstetrics and Gynecology School of Medicine. Rhodes earned its low grade for continuing to refer students to Planned Parenthood and also for encouraging engagement with the organization. Augsburg University was cited by the group for explicitly promoting Planned Parenthood, in the report. The universitys website includes a direct link to Planned Parenthood clinics. Notre Dame, probably one of the most notable Catholic universities in the country, was among the colleges given an A+ by SFLA. However, in a recent update to its report, the SFLA called out the Fighting Irish university for allowing two professors to continue to carry out their very pro-abortion views on campus. One of them, Tamara Kay, has identified herself as an abortion activist and is said to promote abortion rights in her courses. According to the student group Notre Dame Right To Life, Kay, a global affairs and sociology professor, has also openly promoted abortion bills on campus. Neither the college nor Kay responded to inquiries about the controversy, which has been covered by the National Catholic Register. According to Notre Dames newspaper Irish Rover, in defending herself against the backlash, Kay posted on social media that she was promoting her abortion views on Notre Dame campus as a private citizen. Initially, SLFA reported 22 of the 237 Catholic universities in the United States were connected to Planned Parenthood. They included Holy Cross, Regis College, and Marquette University. However, that number has since dropped to eight. In total, 40 colleges dropped their ties with Planned Parenthood following the release of the SFLA report, which had originally identified 108 Christian colleges with Planned Parenthood connections. Speaker McCarthy Addresses Democrats Issues With Statues, Portraits Offending symbols point out true history of Democratic Party, he says U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) gives remarks at a news conference in Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 02, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy says he is fine with Democrat demands that statues, portraits, and other artwork depicting former Confederate politicians, military figures, and slave owners be removed from public display. I thought they should have gone farther, he said. The subject came up during a press briefing on Feb. 2, when a reporter pointed out that, as speaker, McCarthy had the authority to determine what type of art was displayed in the House of Representatives. McCarthy said Democrats efforts to remove past symbols of racism need not stop with art. They should remove the name of their party as well, the Republican speaker said. A marble bust of Chief Justice Roger Taney is displayed in the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on March 9, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) After the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, Democrats joined activists in trying to remove any symbols of the Confederate South or Americas history with slavery. At that time, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered the removal of four portraits of past speakers because they had ties to the Confederate States during the Civil War. In 2021, Congress passed a bill ordering the removal of statues of historical figures with links to the Confederacy. The statues to be removed included a bust of Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and author of the Dred Scott Decision. The list also included John C. Calhoun, Charles Aycock, and James P. Clarke, among others who favored slavery or segregation. McCarthy said he understood the Democrats desire to remove the symbols considering their own partys history. According to McCarthy, each statue was of a Democrat. The sculptures had been approved by state legislatures that had been majority Democrats, and came from states that had civil rights histories that were spotty at best. I watched what the Democrats did, bringing Jim Crow laws to the South and going after black Americans, McCarthy said. The Party of Lincoln He pointed out that the Republican Party started with Abraham Lincoln, the president credited with freeing the slaves in America. McCarthy pointed out that slavery, defended by Southern Democrats, was the issue that brought about the Civil War. He called the war the greatest challenge ever to our Constitution. McCarthy said Joseph Rainey of South Carolina, the first black American elected to the House of Representatives, was a Republican. He suggested that the statues remind the Democratic Partys true history. If I was a Democrat, I wouldnt be proud of their legacy, I wouldnt be proud of their history, and I would want to change it, said McCarthy. Theres not one Republican you have to take down. Study Finds 70 Percent of Hongkongers in UK Emigrated for Political Reasons The Home Office of the U.K. recently announced that a total of 144,500 Hong Kong residents have been admitted to the country over the past two years since the British National (Overseas) (BNO) visa scheme was introduced on Jan. 31, 2021. A recent survey conducted by overseas Hongkongers found that nearly 70 percent of Hongkongers moved to the U.K. over the political situation, freedom, and personal safety concerns. Scholars describe them as political refugees. The survey was conducted by Citizens of Our Time Learning Hub, founded by Hongkongers who immigrated to the U.K. and collaborated with foreign Hongkongers media, The Chaser News. The questionnaires were distributed online from Nov. 1 to Nov. 29, 2022. About 822 valid questionnaires were returned from residents aged 16 or above who moved to the U.K. under the BNO Scheme. On Jan. 31, well-known Hong Kong scholars Chung Kim-wah and Benson Wong Wai-Kwok in the U.K. held an online press conference. They announced the report DeFactoPolitical Refugees Striving for Fulfillment: A Survey on the 2nd Anniversary of BNO Visa Scheme. The survey found that 69.5 percent of respondents had a university degree or above, with 37.3 percent having University undergraduate degrees and 32.2 percent with masters degrees or above. Around 14.2 percent have an associate degree or diploma. Nearly 54 percent of respondents are either parents with children who are in/will be in school or students who are studying. Graph showing near 70 percent of respondents received high education in the DeFactoPolitical Refugees Striving for Fulfillment: A Survey on the 2nd Anniversary of BNO Visa Scheme. (Produced by The Epoch Times) Political Refugees It found that nearly 70 percent of respondents emigrated to the U.K. under the BNO Visa Scheme for reasons: the political situation in Hong Kong (48.7 percent) or freedom and personal safety (21.7 percent); education and development of children (25.2 percent). Chung explained that the figure suggested most Hong Kongers worry that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) may brainwash their children in Hong Kong. Wong said that the Hongkongers holding BNO are political refugees at a certain level. Graph showing the main reasons why Hongkongers moved to the U.K. under the BNO visa scheme, in the DeFactoPolitical Refugees Striving for Fulfillment: A Survey on the 2nd Anniversary of BNO Visa Scheme. (Produced by The Epoch Times For the question regarding the most significant dates for Hong Kong memory, most of the interviewees chose July 21 Yuen Long Station Attack (68.7 percent), August 31 Prince Edward Station Attack (44.2 percent), and June 12 Police crackdown on a massive protest against extradition bill (39.2 percent); June 4, 1989, Tiananmen Square protest and July 1 Annual Rally/Storming of the Legislative Council Complex to protest the extradition bill (17.8 percent). Wong believed that the 2019 anti-extradition law amendment bill movement had already become an indelible collective memory and part of their sense of identity; that is also why the dispersed Hongkongers going to the U.K. are called political refugees. 70 Percent of Interviewees Adapted to Life in the UK In terms of employment, more than 52.1 percent of respondents are economically active, among which 42.6 percent were employed and 9.5 percent were self-employed or starting their businesses. About 21.2 percent of respondents were looking for jobs. Nearly 70 percent of respondents expressed they had already adapted to living in the U.K. The rest said they did not. Of those, 28.3 percent said that they desperately needed support in information on medical services, 28.2 percent need enhancing English speaking ability, 26.2 percent need understanding local society, politics, and economic system, 24.9 percent need seeking job opportunities, and 23.1 percent need familiarising with local culture and habit. Wong pointed out that 18.5 percent of respondents chose the cost of living support as desperately needed or very much needed. It reflected that some Hongkongers holding a BNO are economically disadvantaged. Some of them are forced to leave Hong Kong as refugees due to changes in Hong Kongs political situation. The survey also found that Hongkongers holding a BNO had limited knowledge about the U.K. government and the local councils. Although 75 percent of respondents knew about the Welcome Program launched by the U.K. government and the English Language Support (ESOL), less than half of the respondents heard about the destitution support and integration activities provided by Local Councils. Even 10.7 percent of respondents have never heard about any measures supporting Hongkongers. Some Interviewees Felt Guilty About Leaving Hong Kong The questionnaire invited the respondents to express their feeling after living in the U.K. Some interviewees expressed happiness about having freedom of speech in the U.K. Some felt lonely for not getting used to the lifestyle in the U.K., some are worried about the financial situation and cost of living, not adapting to the weather in winter and the language barrier. Some respondents felt guilty, longed for, and worried about Hong Kong. They felt guilt about leaving their families and the prisoners participating in the anti-extradition movement behind in Hong Kong and claimed they still cared about Hong Kong daily. Suspect in 2021 Shooting Death in Anaheim Arrested ANAHEIM, Calif.A man has been arrested in the shooting death of another man in Anaheim in 2021, police announced Dec. 2. Miguel Rodriguez, 20, of Anaheim was arrested in the fatal shooting death of 23-year-old Jonathan Romero, who was gunned down around 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 25, 2021 in the 1200 block of North Placentia Avenue, the Anaheim Police Department reported. Officers went to the location to investigate reports of gunfire, said Anaheim police Sgt. Jon McClintock. Upon arrival, they located Romero in the alleyway suffering from at least one gunshot wound, McClintock said in a statement. Romero was taken to a hospital, where he died, McClintock said. Over the past year, homicide detectives continued to work the case and identified Rodriguez as the suspect, McClintock said. Gang Unit investigators also identified Rodriguez as a suspect in an additional shooting that occurred in December 2022. On Jan. 27, Anaheim police SWAT personnel and Gang Unit investigators served several search warrants in the 2100 block of East Banyan Avenue, and arrested Rodriguez, McClintock said. Rodriguez was booked into the Anaheim Detention Facility on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, and is being held without bail. Anyone with information on the case was urged to call police at 714- 765-1900, or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS. Taiwan Representative to US: Use of Force to Change Status Quo Not Acceptable Hsiao Bi-khim (L), Taiwans new representative to the U.S., and Brent Christensen, director of the American Institute in Taiwan, attend an inaugural ceremony in Taipei, Taiwan, on July 20, 2020. (Chen Po-chou/The Epoch Times) Taiwans de facto ambassador to the United States Hsiao Bi-khim has asserted her stance that the island will not tolerate the use of force to change its current situation. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen are both slated to visit China in the coming weeks, marking the highest level diplomatic visits by the United States to China since 2018. We require a peaceful environment, an environment which does not allow the use of force to change the status quo, Hsiao said in comments on the issue that Blinken should bring up to China in his upcoming trip. Hsiao noted that the Taiwanese people and the American share a strong belief in upholding freedom and democracy. I think that is a significant part of the shared interests that we have. And we will continue to work with our American counterparts on this matter, Hsiao said during an interview with NTD on Feb. 1, The Epoch Times sister media outlet. And we do also hope that the U.S. will continue to work with us in ensuring peace and stability in the region and in defending our shared values, she added. It is the important role that Taiwan can play as a force of good in supporting these values, Hsiao said. Importance of Defending Taiwan Her opinion echoed that of the speaker of Taiwans parliament You Si-kun who is now in the United States to conduct a mission of promoting the values of freedom, democracy, and religious freedom in Washington. In an address to the International Religious Freedom Summit, You Si-kun sharply criticized Beijings suppression of religious minorities and described Taiwan as the only democracy in the Chinese-speaking world. He also stressed the island nations strategic importance at the center of key global sea lanes and as an important producer of semiconductors. So its very important to safeguard Taiwan, especially its democracy, he said. If Taiwan falls into the sphere of influence of CCP, then the beacon of democracy will be destroyed. And China may invade the first island chain, and will cause a threat to the entire world, You said, referring to Chinas ruling Communist Party and its ambitions in the Pacific region. Holding the CCP Accountable There has been growing pressure on the two U.S. secretaries to address human rights violations of the communist regime, among others, on their China trip. On Feb. 1, a group of Republican lawmakers led by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) sent a letter to Blinken and Yellen urging them to hold Chinas communist regime accountable for its crimes. The letter singled out the CCPs ongoing human rights violations against ethnic and religious minorities in Chinas Xinjiang region, which the United States recognizes as genocide. It said that the United States must hold the CCP regime accountable for its system of mass surveillance and internment, denial of individuals rights to peacefully practice their religion, and use of forced labor, sexual violence, forced abortion, and forced sterilization of women. Moreover, the letter said, the CCP continues to deny basic human rights to other groups whom the regime deems a threat, such as Tibetans, Christians, and Falun Gong practitioners. GOP lawmakers also warned that the pair should not allow their trips to become propaganda victories for communist authorities. We urge you to use the trips to hold the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accountable for its human rights violations, unfair trade practices, and increasing aggression in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond, the letter said. Anything less would be a concession to our countrys greatest threat. The sentiment of the letter echoed one issued by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) earlier in the week, which called on Blinken to shine a light on the CCPs atrocities. Lankford issued a letter (pdf) to Blinken on Jan. 31, asking Blinken to make defending the oppressed a defining focus of his planned trip to China. Lankford said in a Jan. 31 interview with NTD that he sent the letter because he was afraid that the Biden administrations desire for increased trade and enhanced climate policies might overshadow its commitment to hold the CCP accountable for its numerous atrocities. I wanted to make sure they werent going to talk about economic opportunities and trade and climate issues and leave out the people of China and what they continue to face under this regime, day after day after day. Andrew Thornebrooke and Reuters contributed to this report. CAIROA tanker transporting liquefied natural gas broke down in the Suez Canal on Wednesday but traffic in the global waterway was unaffected, a canal spokesperson said. The Bahamas-flagged Grace Emilia suffered a malfunction of its rudder and tugboats pulled it to the side of the canal to allow other vessels to pass, said George Safwat, a spokesperson for Egypts Suez Canal Authority. He told The Associated Press that the north-bound tanker stopped working in the southern part of the canal, where a two-lane waterway enables ships to transit. Canal services provider Leth Agencies reported the incident in a Twitter post, saying vessels can pass in both directions. Safwat, the spokesperson, said 68 vessels transited the canal on Wednesday. He said the canal tugs were towing the Grace Emilia to Great Bitter Lake to repair the malfunction. A statement from the vessels operators said no pollution or injuries had been reported from the incident. It said an underwater inspection, along with an investigation, would be conducted to determine the causes of the breakdown. Built in 2021, the Grace Emilia is 297 meters (975 feet) long and 46 meters (151 feet) wide. Its cargo tank capacity is 174,000 cubic meters. According to VesselFinder, a vessel tracking service provider, the Grace Emilia sails between the port of Dabhol in India and Cove Point in Maryland. Last month, a cargo ship carrying corn went aground in the canal before it was refloated to allow the resumption of traffic. In March 2021, the Panama-flagged Ever Given, a colossal container ship, crashed into a bank on a single-lane stretch of the canal, blocking the waterway for six days. Opened in 1869, the Suez Canal provides a crucial link for oil, natural gas and cargo. About 10 percent of world trade flows through the canal, a pivotal source of foreign currency to Egypt. The Suez Canal Authority said 23,851 vessels passed through the waterway last year, compared to 20,649 vessels in 2021. The canals annual revenues reached $8 billion, the highest in its history. By Samy Magdy Texas Governor Considers New Elections in Texas County After Ballot Issues Found Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called for a new election in Harris County, Texas, after ballot issues were more widespread than officials had estimated them to be. In response to an analysis that found there was a ballot paper shortage that was far larger than previously reported, the governor said that its so big it may have altered the outcome of elections. It may necessitate new elections, Abbott also wrote. It WILL necessitate new LAWS that prevent Harris Co. from ever doing this again. Abbott, a Republican, was responding to a KHOU-11 analysis suggesting that Harris County allotted ballot paper packets that were enough for 600 ballots to each of the countys 121 voting centers. However, the analysis found that the total votes that were cast exceeded that amount by upwards of hundreds of ballots in some instances. Previously, Harris County had said that 46 to 68 centers ran out of their allotted ballot paper. The countys elections administration released a report last month that had admitted there were problems during the Nov. 8 midterms, but it said that a full report will take months to complete. Harris County Elections Administrator Clifford Tatum, responding to KHOU on Tuesday, said that the implications of your article cast the cloud into the community that those locations ran out of paper. There were over 4 million sheets of paper in the street on election day, he also remarked to the station, suggesting there was no shortage. Harris County Refutes Governor A spokesperson for Harris Countys elections agency, Nadia A. Hakim, told The Epoch Times on Friday that the KHOU news story is, at best, misleading and disputed Abbotts assertion. One of several glaring failures of the story is that it compares turnout numbers at individual voting locations from 2018 (before countywide voting was implemented) to this past Novembers election (when voters could vote at any location in the county), Hakim added. This apples to kale comparison never clarifies whether any site requested or received any additional paper. Precinct-level turnout in 2018 is not comparable to countywide voting centers in 2022. This is a critical mistake in analysis. For the 2022 midterms, Harris County had nearly 5 million sheets of ballot paper and more than 3 million sheets of ballot paper were returned to the Elections Office after the conclusion of voting, Hakim said. There is no question that the supply of paper was more than sufficient for the 350,000 in-person voters who cast a two-page ballot on Election Day. Other Details In Novembers report, officials in the countywhich includes Houstonsome 170 of 782 locations werent able to complete their planned setups on Nov. 7 due to the Houston Astros World Series parade that was held the day before. The report did not specify which locations were impacted by the parade. Overall, while the initial media reports suggested a problem more extensive than what the [Election Administrator Office] has been able to confirm, the EAO will continue reviewing the processes and will implement systems to ensure this type of challenge is never encountered in the future, the report said. The report noted that paper ballot jams and inaccurate wait time updates caused issues at some polling locations. Our investigation has not yet revealed how many of these [voting centers] had to turn voters away due to a paper shortage, the report stated. Media reports claimed that a total of 24 VCs (3.1 percent) ran out of paper and had to turn voters away. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference in Houston, Texas, on Sept. 13, 2022. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) But it claimed that the judges at the VCs indicated that they did receive supplemental paper deliveries, and two of these [presiding judges] from these VCs reported they did not run out of paper at all. Harris Countys elections divisions did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced in November, meanwhile, that she was mandated to open an investigation into the midterm election after requests from Abbott and the Texas secretary of states office. A letter dated (pdf) Nov. 14 from the secretary of states office told Ogg that it is now attempting to review possible unlawful conduct regarding the handling of blank paper ballots during the contest. Based on interviews with local election judges, the office said Harris County might have violated two sections in the Texas Election Code. In 16 locations that were reviewed by the secretary of states office, according to the letter, five of them ran out of ballots and had to turn away voters. From the information we have been given, it appears that most of these locations requested paper early in the day but did not receive timely delivery, the letter said. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee told NPR last December that state investigation is just an escalation of the unnecessary and unwarranted scrutiny that theyve applied to Harris County elections since the county went blue several years ago. In the meantime, the Harris County Republican Party filed a lawsuit against the county and Tatum, arguing that several provisions were violated under the Texas Election Code during the Nov. 8 midterms. It was worse than what we even knew, Harris GOP Chair Cindy Siegel told KHOU this week, asserting that it was mismanagement at best. And theres no excuse in my mind. The Biomedical Security State, British Edition Commentary First, by way of contextual backdrop, let me offer a quick recap of some relevant developments, which I describe in more detail in The New Abnormal: November 2021: As reported by the New York Times, the Israeli government issued emergency pandemic legislation permitting Shin Bet (their equivalent of the CIA), to access mobile phones and extract track and trace data from suspected COVID patients without their knowledge or consent. December 2021: Canadas Public Health Agency confirmed that it had been extracting mobile phone data from the outset of pandemic to covertly track citizens movements, again without their knowledge or consent. Unlike Israel, this was not done legislatively or publicly. The agency confirmed that it planned to expand and continue this program until 2026. May 2022: Vice broke story that over the past two years, The CDC tracked Millions of Phones to See If Americans Followed COVID Lockdown Orders. The CDC used phone location data to, among other things, monitor citizens movements at schools and churches. They confirmed plans to use the data for applications beyond COVID in coming years. Researchers from Princeton demonstrated that with only four location data points, the supposedly anonymized data could easily be connected to specific persons. Evidence also emerged last year that the CIA has been using unauthorized digital surveillance to spy on Americans. Two members of the Senate Intelligence Committee warned that documents reveal serious problems associated with warrantless backdoor searches of Americans. Not to be left out of the digital panopticon game, news from Britain broke this week with the following headline: The article begins: A shadowy Army unit secretly spied on British citizens who criticised the Governments COVID lockdown policies, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Military operatives in the UKs 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 [Downing Street, the office of the British Prime Minister]. 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. But the most secretive is the MoDs 77th Brigade, which deploys non-lethal engagement and legitimate non-military levers as a means to adapt behaviours of adversaries. As happened with so many of our federal agencies in the United States, which have strayed beyond their original mission of protecting citizens from foreign threats to protecting the state from its own citizens, we see the following developments in the UK: 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 scrutiniseda 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. 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-ordinatedit was simply fear. Last night, former Cabinet Minister Mr Davis, a member of the Privy Council, said: Its outrageous that people questioning the Governments policies were subject to covert surveillanceand questioned the waste of public money. Our Missouri v. Biden case and the Twitter Files have revealed these kinds of surveillance and censorship policies to be operating in the United States, as I have previously written about here. This latest story suggests the British government has likewise been engaging in the same totalitarian policies against its own citizens. I am reminded here of CISA, a little known U.S. government agency thats been around for only about six years. The Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency was originally set up to protect us from cyberattacksmalware, computer viruses, etc. But a year or so into their existence, CISA leadership decided that their real mission was combatting another kind of threat, which they calledin a brilliant Orwellian euphemismdomestic threats to our Cognitive Infrastructure. Now, just what does this refer to? The new dangerous threats to our cognitive infrastructure are your thoughts, your ideas, the things you express for example on Twitter or Facebook or in the newspaper. With this sleight-of-hand, CISA quickly positioned itself to become the thought police at the center of the US governments illegal censorship regime. But back to the UK. The article describes the targeting of one of my favorite British journalists, Peter Hitchens: Mail on Sunday journalist Mr Hitchens was monitored after sharing an article, based on leaked NHS [British National Health Service] 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. 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 pro-lockdown 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. If you scroll to the bottom of the article, youll find that the Mail also published an accompanying commentary from the anonymous whistleblower, This snooping was wrong, it hangs over my proud Army career like a black cloud, and a commentary from Peter Hitchens, How shadowy censors tried to remove my unhelpful Covid views from YouTube. In Britain, Orwells country of origin, seven decades after the publication of 1984, it turns out that Big Brother is Always Watching. Perhaps this is a good moment to remind everyone that Orwells classic dystopian novel was meant to be a warning, not an instruction manual. Originally published on the authors Substack, reposted from the Brownstone Institute Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. This past mid-week, entire hallways and the Rotunda were packed with people waiting to testify on several major bills. There were strongly held opinions on both sides of these issues and committee hearings took several hours. A turn out of this kind is a good demonstration of how our Unicameral works, with the people of Nebraska acting as the second house, able to provide input in person, and through written testimony submitted on the legislatures website. LB 535, the voter identification bill, was heard by the Government Committee. This legislation is necessary because of the constitutional amendment that passed in the previous election. It now falls to the legislature to determine the guidelines for requiring identification to cast a vote. Those ready to testify at the hearing had comments prepared but the introducer, Sen. Slama, brought a new amendment which replaced the existing bill. One major difference in the amendment was a requirement for early or mail-in ballot envelopes to be signed in front of a notary public. There will be more amendments and work on this bill, but I do want to be mindful of the fact that there are many voters who cannot vote in person, and we need to ensure their ability to participate in elections. Another bill before committee this week would offer grants to recruit and retain new teachers. This bill would help new teachers, who receive the lowest pay, and also focus on certain high need areas such as special education, math, science and technology. LB 385 is designed to address teacher shortages being felt all across Nebraska but especially in areas outside of Lincoln and Omaha. Before covid, we were looking at statistics that in five to ten years, there would be more teachers retiring and leaving teaching than new teachers entering the profession. Covid magnified that, adding to early retirements and those simply leaving education. So we are facing shortages and without programs like this, it will be a challenge. The motorcycle helmet repeal bill was back before committee again this year, in the form of LB 91. It would allow any motorcyclist or passenger over the age of 21, who has completed a basic safety course, to ride without a helmet. Supporters say it would help keep visitors traveling through Nebraska, especially on their way to Sturgis, South Dakota, instead of going out of their way to avoid our state helmet law. I have signed onto this bill as a co-sponsor. One of the larger hearings last week involved LB 77, which would repeal the requirement to have a concealed handgun permit. Sen. Brewer has brought a constitutional carry bill for all of his years in the legislature. Current state law says a background check, a $100 fee and a training course are all required to obtain a concealed carry permit. His bill would waive the fee and course, and also keep counties and cities from making separate regulations. Only those individuals not otherwise prohibited from owning a firearm would be allowed to carry without the permit. I did sign on to LB77, as I have in the past. There are some things I might like to see added in the way of training. Sen. Brewer has met with law enforcement and added amendments in the past. But being unable to get the various law enforcement groups to agree, he bypassed their carve outs and introduced this current bill. Omaha and Lincoln police chiefs and several organizations testified in opposition to the bill. We hear from many who say this will lead to more guns. I do not think the number of guns will increase. In general, those with conceal carry now are the ones I trust to have them. Some may fall through the cracks, but that could be said of many different laws. And those who use firearms unlawfully to commit a crime were never going to apply for a permit anyway. LB 626, known as the heartbeat bill would ban most abortions at around six weeks gestation, once cardiac activity can be detected. As I mentioned, the Capitol was packed with testifiers and the hearing lasted nearly eight hours. More than 2,500 people submitted comments through the website. Last year, a bill was introduced that would have banned virtually all abortions in the state. This current bill does include several exceptions for rape, incest and life saving medical procedures. It also clarifies that it does not apply to ectopic pregnancies, in-vitro fertilization and other procedures that could lead to the end of a pregnancy. LB 626 would add restrictions to the current law, which right now allows abortions up to 20 weeks past fertilization. Instead of a criminal offense as proposed last year, LB 626 would allow for a doctors medical license to be revoked if they perform an abortion after cardiac activity is detected. There is a review process and other guidelines that would affect what could happen if a doctor performed an abortion after 6 weeks. The intent is not to try to catch a medical person in wrongdoing. The perspective is more about allowing abortion and at what stage of pregnancy. I believe this years bill does have the committee votes to get to the floor. At that point there will be a lot of discussion. Some senators have vowed to not let it pass, while others will do all they can to enact it into law. Obviously, the weeks hearings have generated many contacts via email, phone, letters and constituents dropping in to the office. I welcome and encourage you to keep these lines of communication open. Call anytime to 402-471-2620, or email mdorn@leg.ne.gov. The Legislative website has information on every bill, existing statutes, each senator, the schedule and much more. www.nebraskalegislature.gov The Debt Ceiling and Why It Matters An exterior view of the building of US Department of the Treasury in Washington on March 27, 2020. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images) President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) met on Feb. 1 to talk about raising the U.S. debt ceiling. However, many Americans may not have a whole grasp on what that is, although oddly, so many have an opinion on what should be done about it. For example, a recent poll conducted by RMG Research found that 79 percent of Americans think that the debt ceiling should be raised but are divided on whether that should be accompanied by spending cuts. Of the 1,000 registered voters surveyed, 45 percent said spending cuts should be a prerequisite for raising the limit, and 24 percent said it should be raised with or without cutting spending. A 2013 poll from National Journal shows that 62 percent of Americans thought that raising the debt ceiling would allow the government to borrow more money for future spending, which isnt the case. What Is the Debt Ceiling? The debt ceiling, sometimes called the debt limit, is the total amount of debt the federal government is allowed to have at one time. That limit is set by Congress and cant be exceeded without congressional approval. Freshly printed $20 notes at the U.S. Treasurys Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington on July 20, 2018. (Eva Hambach/AFP via Getty Images) The current U.S. debt ceiling is more than $31 trillion. To be more precise, its about $31,381,000,000,000. Hitting the debt ceiling is like hitting the limit on a credit card. Unless you have cash, you have to stop spending money, even on things youve already purchased, such as electricity or phone service. The United States would have reached the debt ceiling on Jan. 19 if Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen hadnt taken extraordinary measures to keep the nations bills paid for another five months or so. How Did We Rack Up $31.4 Trillion in Debt? How has the nation accrued a debt of $31.4 trillion? The short answer is that weve spent more money than weve received in taxes and other revenues for a long, long time. The United States began borrowing during the American Revolution and had accumulated $75 million in debt by the start of 1791. Weve been in debt ever since. Historically, the national debt has grown the most during wartime. It jumped $2.7 billion during the Civil War, reached $22 billion after World War I, and topped $4 trillion by the end of World War II. From there, the national debt settled back to around $3 trillion and remained there through the 1970s. The rest of our $31.4 trillion debt was created between 1982 and today. During that period, the national debt doubled approximately every seven years. Representatives gathered in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 3, 2023. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Some of that increase is attributable to unusual circumstances that called for emergency spending, such as in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic. More often, debt has increased because Congress elected to operate the country on a deficit budget. That means that we made a spending plan that intentionally exceeded our income, planning to borrow money to cover the difference. That has been the case in all but four of the past 52 years. Since 1970, weve spent more money than we had about 90 percent of the time. Cant We Just Cut Future Spending? Raising the debt ceiling is about paying for the past, not financing the future. If you wanted to remodel your kitchen, you might hire a contractor to do the work. You would sign a contract for, lets say, $5,000. If the contractor trusted you, you might not pay anything upfront. But when the contractor did the work, you would have to pay. If you didnt have cash, you might put it on a credit card. Thats essentially what happens when Congress passes a deficit spending bill. It obligates the country to spend money in the future for a commitment made today. So when Congress agreed to spend $1.7 trillion in 2023, members knew that would require borrowing money at some point. And that $1.7 trillion isnt all the government is committed to spending this year. Many spending commitments were made years ago but will come due in the months ahead. That includes things such as Social Security benefits, Medicare payments, employee salaries, defense contracts, and many other obligations. What Happens When We Hit the Ceiling? When you reach the limit on your credit card, you have three choices. You can pay all your bills with cash, ask the bank to raise the limit, or stop spending money. Its much the same for the government. But since the government planned to spend more than it would receive in revenue, paying cash for everything isnt an option. Either Congress must raise the debt limit or the U.S. Treasury must stop paying for some things. Biden has said that he wont consider any negotiation on the subject of the debt ceiling because failure to raise it would put the full faith and credit of the United States at risk. President Joe Biden speaks at the White House in Washington, on Jan. 20, 2023. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS) However, McCarthy and other Republicans are determined to use this occasion to get both political parties to stop overspending the countrys incomeor at least to spend less. The president will release his proposed budget on March 9. The parties have until early summer to reach an agreement. Thats when the United States will again reach its debt ceiling. The Ideas That Formed the Constitution, Part 16: John Locke and the 9th Amendment Commentary John Locke (16321704) was one of the greatest figures in English scholarship. His influence on the American Founding was enormous. Some have referred to him as a Founding Grandfather. Locke shared points of similarity with many other figures profiled in this series: He was a master of multiple fields, including science, several branches of philosophy, and medicine. (He was a practicing medical researcher and physician.) He was a man of affairs: He served on Britains Board of Trade, the primary agency administering relationships between Britain and its colonies. And he spent considerable time abroad. Lockes influence on founding-era political thought was based principally on two works: his Letter Concerning Toleration, which addressed freedom of religion, and his Second Treatise on Government, an examination of human rights and the origins and powers of governments. Lockes Letter Concerning Toleration James Wilson was one of the Constitutions framers and a leading ratifier. In a lecture at whats now the University of Pennsylvania, Wilson acknowledged the impact of Lockes Letter Concerning Toleration. This Letter was published in 1689, at a time when many believed government should suppress disfavored religions and sects. But Locke argued that government should tolerate all beliefs with only two exceptions: Catholicism, because the Pope was a foreign sovereign; and atheism, because atheists felt no responsibility to God. The Constitution, as supplemented by the First Amendment, carried Lockes view even further than Locke had. It recognized choice of religion as a right, not merely as a condition to be tolerated. It also granted full equality to Catholics. The Constitution did reflect some of Lockes skepticism toward atheism (a fact of which modern Supreme Court jurisprudence is unaware). It required state and federal officeholders to take an oath or affirmation, which by the law of the time required belief in God. This disqualified atheists from political office, although the Free Speech provision of the First Amendment protected their right to express their views. Lockes 2nd Treatise on Government I have outlined Lockes political theory in my book, The Original Constitution. For present purposes, its most relevant precepts are: God gives every person certain rights or powers (in the 17th and 18th centuries, right and power often were synonymous), which may be exercised at adulthood. Heads of families grant some of these rights/powers to government so it may protect those that are reserved. Government must exercise its rights/powers as a trustee, fairly and for the benefit of all. (Those who read earlier essays in this series may recognize the debt to Aristotle and Cicero.) As a rule, neither government nor individuals may infringe on the rights of others without their consent. Yet infringement sometimes occurs. This may be because of wrongdoing, a clash of individual rights, or the needs of government in performing its functions. When infringement occurs, those who benefit from the infringement must compensate the injured person for his loss. The last three on the list not only influenced our Constitution, but have also been imported extensively into the American civil law of contracts and other interpersonal relationships (pdf). Lockean Constitutional Sections Lockes treatise contained many more specific observations, some of which were realized in the Constitution. The Preamble reflects his view that the people at large create and consent to the new government. Lockes public trust concepts are embodied in provisions throughout the document (pdf). The presidential veto complies with his recommendation that the executive enjoy a share in the legislative power. The authority of the president to make treaties and conduct foreign affairs are examples of Lockes federative power, which he associates with the executive. The Fifth Amendment requires compensation when the federal government seizes property. I already have mentioned how Lockes views foreshadowed the Constitutions treatment of atheists. The Constitutions most obvious Lockean provision is the Ninth Amendment. It isnt, as often claimed, a repository of specific unenumerated rights. Rather, it was designed to clarify Lockes rule that any power not given is reserved. My prior Epoch Times essay on the Ninth Amendment describes its role in more detail. Locke in the Constitutional Debates During the founding era, Lockes precepts were very widely known and accepted. There was little need to describe them to others. Luther Martin of Maryland lectured his colleagues at the Constitutional Convention about Lockes views, but that only increased Martins reputation as a pompous pedant. During the ratification debates, the Constitutions advocates (Federalists) and opponents (Antifederalists) argued about whether the Constitution met Lockes standards. Wilson, the Constitutions principal promoter at the Pennsylvania ratifying convention, asserted that Locke anticipated the Constitutions division of sovereignty between state and federal governments. Wilsons ally, Thomas McKean, claimed that the lack of a bill of rights was consistent with Lockes views. Their adversary William Finley maintained that Locke would have disapproved of the decision to supersede the state constitutions by adopting a new federal one. At the Virginia ratifying convention, Patrick Henry contended fiercely against ratification. Edmund Pendletonthe convention chairman and the states leading lawyerresponded that Henrys views violated Lockes support for effective government. Outside the state conventions. Benjamin Rush of Pennsylvania, a noted physician and a Federalist, corresponded with David Ramsey of South Carolina, a historian and fellow physician. Rush told Ramsey that the Constitution would impose the rule of law, something Locke favored. A New York supporter of the Constitution calling himself A Country Federalist echoed this argument in a newspaper op-ed. A Pennsylvania Federalist writing as Margery praised the document as worthy of Locke. William Cushing of Massachusetts noted that the Constitution, consistently with Lockes views, erected a representative form of government. Antifederalists insisted the Constitution fell short of Lockes precepts. A Massachusetts writer calling himself A Republican Federalist said the Constitutional Convention had usurped authority, according to Lockes definition of usurpation. He also argued that it was improper to give slaves a three-fifths representation in the House of Representatives, because Locke had written that slaves had no civic status. Republicus used Locke to assail the Constitution for prescribing a bicameral instead of a unicameral Congress. (I have not been able to find evidence that Locke actually favored unicameralism.) Several of the Constitutions opponents relied on Locke while criticizing the initial absence of a Bill of Rights. Is Locke Overrated? Despite Lockes many appearances in founding-era discourse, some authors have tried to minimize his impact. From the left, Garry Wills, writing in the first edition of an otherwise excellent book, maintained that certain Scottish Enlightenment philosophers were greater influences on Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence than Locke. However, Wills later acknowledged his mistake. From the right, Yoram Hazony admitted the philosophers influence on the Declaration, but claimed the Constitution was written and ratified by anti-Locke conservatives such as Alexander Hamilton and George Washington. But this argument is historically inaccurate. The Constitution wasnt the product of any particular faction, conservative or otherwise: It emerged from negotiation and compromise among a wide spectrum of Americansa process brokered mostly by moderates such as John Dickinson, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, and Edmund Randolph. And in fact, Hamilton (pdf) and Washington (pdf) also greatly admired Locke. In my 30 years of constitutional scholarship, Ive identified only one Founder who seems not to have accepted Lockes fundamental precepts: Noah Webster, a man who had no role in the Constitutions framing and only a small role in its ratification. Misinterpretations and Criticisms of Locke As Forrest McDonald, the 20th centurys greatest constitutional historian, once pointed out, Locke often is astonishingly misinterpreted. For example, despite the rather libertarian cast of Lockes writings, Marxists and other collectivists have claimed him as one of their own. And some conservative traditionalists underestimate the extent to which Lockes views are consistent with different cultural traditions. Locke often is criticized for saying that governments are created by consent. Critics respond that they more often arise from family, tradition, and conquests. However, Locke anticipated and responded to such objections. He offered examples of commonwealths that did, in fact, arise from consent. Moreover, when Locke said men consent to governments, he was referring to heads of households; he fully acknowledged the role of families. More importantly, though, it really doesnt matter whether Lockes story about how governments arise is literally true. This is because it communicates a wider moral truth. To explain: Most religions teach myths everyone knows arent literally true. These stories are told because they offer moral lessons or other insights. Similarly, our legal system employs remedies that pretend the parties entered into a trust or contract, even though they never did. The remedies are used not because they describe literal fact, but because in proper circumstances they do justice. Indeed, we often use fictions or counter-factuals in daily life for their larger purpose: Swing through the ball helps a hitter understand how to hit. Act as if you cared presents a lesson on moral behavior. And so forth. The value of Lockes government creation story is that it provides moral guidance for how governments should treat citizens and how citizens should treat each other. Read prior installments here: first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. The Masking Debate Is Settled Commentary What is the Cochrane Library? The Cochrane Library contains high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making. It includes reliable evidence from Cochrane and other systematic reviews, clinical trials, and more. Cochrane reviews bring you the combined results of the worlds best medical research studies, and are recognized as the gold standard in evidence-based health care. The Cochrane Library has been reviewing the use of physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses since 2010. By physical interventions, they mean masks, shields, gowns, hand-washing, etc. This is not some short-term project, but a long-term, serious meta-analysis review. As stated above, the Cochrane reviews are considered the gold standard for healthcare agencies and professionals. When Jill and I took our fellowship training at Harvard in Global Clinical Research, the Cochrane methodology for medical research meta-analysis was taught as the preferred method. Background Viral epidemics or pandemics of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) pose a global threat. Examples are influenza (H1N1) caused by the H1N1pdm09 virus in 2009, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) caused by SARSCoV2 in 2019. Antiviral drugs and vaccines may be insufficient to prevent their spread. This is an update of a Cochrane Review last published in 2020. We include results from studies from the current COVID19 pandemic. Authors conclusions The high risk of bias in the trials, variation in outcome measurement, and relatively low adherence with the interventions during the studies hampers drawing firm conclusions. There were additional RCTs during the pandemic related to physical interventions but a relative paucity given the importance of the question of masking and its relative effectiveness and the concomitant measures of mask adherence which would be highly relevant to the measurement of effectiveness, especially in the elderly and in young children. There is uncertainty about the effects of face masks. The low to moderate certainty of evidence means our confidence in the effect estimate is limited, and that the true effect may be different from the observed estimate of the effect. The pooled results of RCTs did not show a clear reduction in respiratory viral infection with the use of medical/surgical masks. There were no clear differences between the use of medical/surgical masks compared with N95/P2 respirators in healthcare workers when used in routine care to reduce respiratory viral infection. Hand hygiene is likely to modestly reduce the burden of respiratory illness, and although this effect was also present when ILI and laboratoryconfirmed influenza were analysed separately, it was not found to be a significant difference for the latter two outcomes. Harms associated with physical interventions were underinvestigated. There is a need for large, welldesigned RCTs addressing the effectiveness of many of these interventions in multiple settings and populations, as well as the impact of adherence on effectiveness, especially in those most at risk of ARIs. This large group of international researchers reviewed dozens of rigorously correct, randomized clinical trials of physical interventions against respiratory diseases. These diseases included influenza and COVID-19 during the pandemic, and these researchers failed to find even a modest effect on infection or illness rates from any type of mask. Furthermore, the effects that masking is having on health, childhood development, speech development, etc. are unknown and are under-investigated. Ergogovernments arent funding this research. Without government funding, the answer to the damage done will never be answered. * * * So, here we are in 2023. Why does this matter? Mask mandates are gone, right? You think this is over? Not for our children and grandchildren. The damage done is ongoing and real. In blue states, such as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington, and California, masks in schools are still often required. Just look at recent headlines: The CDC is still recommends masking in areas with high transmission levels and also recommends indoor masking to protect high-risk contacts in medium counties. Currently, that means 27 percent of all counties in the USA. Scientism has replaced science. * * * Luckily, more and more Americans arent drinking the Kool-Aid. Only 15.5 percent of Americans have received the bivalent recent booster. The CDC has now removed the category of 6 months to under five on its vaccine tracker page, but the data can be found on a deep dive. It appears to be about 8 percent vaccinated for this age cohort. The message is getting out. We must keep fighting for our children and our health. Now it is time to get rid of the mask mandates, and the ability of the CDC to mandate products or massive quarantines ever again. It is time to regain personal freedoms lost. Originally published on the authors Substack, reposted from the Brownstone Institute Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. The Next Step in Floridas Education Revamp Commentary The normal give and take of democratic deliberation between citizens, while not always achieved in practice, has been the benchmark in American political culture over the course of our nations history. University of Florida law professor John Stinneford says, however, that these habits of free people are increasingly at risk. I think we have all noticed in recent years that society has become more polarized and civil discourse has declined, he notes. Instead of engaging with opposing viewpoints, we increasingly try to denigrate or destroy anyone who holds them. If this trend continues, many people worry that our over two-century experiment in democracy will fail. A Harvard law graduate who joined UFs Levin College of Law in 2009, Stinneford is looking to help revive civil discourse as the inaugural director of The Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education. The Hamilton Center looks to broaden and deepen civics education at the university level, an effort that many on both sides of the political divide recognize is necessary. Stinneford says that when he moderated a seminar last year for a bipartisan group of state and federal judges, the judges identified a lack of civics education as one of the greatest challenges facing our country. They reported that citizens and lawyers who come before them often display a serious lack of knowledge about how the government is structured and how democracy is supposed to work. We need efforts at every education level to teach civics, Stinneford contends, and instill basic values that are required of citizens living in a democracy, such as engaging in civil discourse and trying to reach resolutions without trying to destroy each other. He says that through the Centers curriculum and programming, students will have the opportunity to gain the knowledge, habits of thought, analytic abilities, and character that are essential for free citizens in a free society. Stinneford describes the Centers threefold mission as follows: educating students in the Western intellectual tradition and the debates surrounding the American Founding; offering public programming, including public lectures, debates, and symposia that model civil discourse; and assisting the Florida Department of Education in training K-12 teachers so that they can deliver high-quality civics education to their students. The classes the Center offers at the University of Florida will, according to Stinneford, introduce students to the core texts and great debates of Western Civilization, enabling students to think through the great questions of life: Who am I? Why am I here? What is the best way to structure society? What role can I play in promoting the common good? Although the Hamilton Center has a unique mission, Stinneford finds inspiration in programs at other universities, including the core curricula at the University of Chicago and Columbia University, as well as The School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership (SCETL) at Arizona State University, a program with similar aspirations of renewing the bonds of civic friendship among citizens. Although some UF faculty have expressed skepticism about the Hamilton Center, Stinneford emphasizes that his goal is to build on the universitys strengths and to develop strong relationships with existing departments: The Centers success is integrally related to the success of the University of Florida as a whole. We look forward to building ties throughout the university over time. Center faculty are already offering a limited number of courses at the University of Florida, and the Center has scheduled a series of public events featuring speakers such as Princetons Robert George, Union Theological Seminarys (and formerly Harvards and Princetons) Cornel West, Georgetowns Randy Barnett, the University of Pennsylvanias Mitchell Berman, and Peter Berkowitz of Stanford and the Hoover Institution. A friend and champion of the Hamilton Center, Berkowitz says that it will provide students with a liberal education in the best sense, furnishing students minds with the ideas and eventsand the controversies surrounding themthat formed Western civilization and shaped Americas constitutional order. By transmitting knowledge, protecting free speech, and fostering civil discussion, the Hamilton Center will equip students to think for themselves and contribute to the public interest. Promoting a culture of civil discourse is something close to Stinnefords heartin no small part because it is essential for maintaining self-government: A willingness to engage with neighbors rather than canceling each other will prevent our system of government from breaking down, replacing democracy with chaos or dictatorship, he argues. We think it couldnt happen here, but it could. From RealClearWire The Rise and Fall of Communist China: Part 1 Could China already be in decline? Commentary Is communist China rising, cresting, or in decline? There are conflicting signals and news reports, as well as wishful thinking in multiple directions. Let us examine the subject in two parts: the rise (part I) and the fall (part II). The Rise The willing and able assistance of virtually the entire post-World War II international order led by the United States facilitated communist Chinas rise over the last 50-plus years through massive foreign direct investment, access to foreign markets, and free trade provisions that have greatly enabled Chinas export economy. In parallel, the communists have been busy penetrating, corrupting, and subverting international organizations and foreign governments, universities, and other institutions in their quest to become the worlds leading economy and military power by displacing the United States. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been pursuing a number of intertwined goals aimed at world economic dominance in all spheres, with considerable success in the areas of trade, economic policy, international law, technology acquisition, intellectual property, and other spheres of influence. In addition, a well-coordinated information warfare campaign has been led by state-run Chinese media, the Chinese diplomatic corps, and fellow travelers in foreign countries to help demoralize their primary competitionthe United Statesin order to achieve their penultimate goal: world leadership in all human endeavors. The CCPs information warfare campaign has been very successful. Western media have marveled at the rise of China for years. Here are a few example headlines; it is almost as if the phrase was a CCP propaganda narrative planted in the echo chamber that exists among thoroughly bought-and-paid-for legacy media, think tanks, and U.S.-China friendship groups. Is that only happy talk, or is there a basis for concern? Chinese Successes Geopolitical leverage on the international scene stems from a strong economy and accompanying military might. China has developed both in spades. Over the past two decades in particular, China has achieved success perhaps beyond the wildest dreams of the CCP leadership. The growth of Chinas economy and military capabilities has been phenomenal. On the military front, communist Chinas navy has already eclipsed the U.S. Navy. From a 2021 Department of Defense report on Chinese military capabilities: The Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has numerically the largest navy in the world with an overall battle force of approximately 355 ships and submarines, including approximately more than 145 major surface combatants. The PLA-Air Force (PLAAF) is the third largest in the world, with over 2,800 total aircraft, of which approximately 2,250 are combat aircraft and a continuing stream of regular capability upgrades, including the development of fifth-generation (stealth) fighters and bombers. And as reported by the Financial Times, U.S. experts in the Pentagon are forecasting that the PLA-Rocket Force (PLARF) will quadruple its nuclear warhead arsenal to over 1,000 by 2030 (China is unconstrained by nuclear arms treaties). Parity with the United Statesand maybe dominance!could be right around the corner. China has also moved into space in a big way in recent years, with missions to Mars and the moon, as well as dozens of Earth-orbiting rocket launches in recent years. According to state-run Global Times, Chinas space launches continue to increase year on year: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) has delivered over 50 successful missions in a year, sending more than 140 spacecraft into space with a 100 percent success rate. This compares to NASAs 87 earth orbital missions in 2022, as reported by Space Stats Online. As an additional comparison, private company SpaceX launched 61 rockets in 2022, half of which was for the placement of Starlink satellites, as reported by Space Explored. China also shocked the world in 2021 by testing a potential first-strike strategic suborbital-launched hypersonic glide vehicle capability. A Long March 5B rocket, which is expected to launch Chinas Tianhe space station core module on April 29, 2021, at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in southern Chinas Hainan Province on April 23, 2021. (STR/China News Service/AFP via Getty Images) The Chinese economy is currently the second largest in the world and could overtake the U.S. economy in less than a decade, according to some observers (see here, here, and here). As research and development is the key to future economic dominance, it is noteworthy that China ranked No. 1 in the world for international patent applications through the Patent Cooperation Treaty last year, according to China Optics Valley. In addition, the World Intellectual Property Organization listed ShenzhenHong KongGuangzhou and Beijing as the No. 2 and No. 3 largest science and technology clusters in the world. According to Clarkson Research, China led the world in capturing 49 percent of global orders for new ships in 2022. Its shipyards also floated the worlds largest containership in August 2022. China dominates the solar energy production industry. According to Statista, China dominates all steps of solar panel production: polysilicon (66 percent of world share), solar cells (78 percent), and solar modules (72 percent). As reported by the Daily Caller, China continues to dominate the global market for electric vehicles (EVs) and batteries. Battery makers Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) and Build Your Dreams Limited (BYD) produce more than 50 percent of all electric vehicle batteries in the world, according to the Financial Times. China has pursued Chinese leader Xi Jinpings Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also known as One Belt, One Road) with considerable success around the world. As summarized by Statista, BRI is a long-term economic and political strategy of China to accelerate economic development at home and in emerging countries and to foster Chinas global influence. As of December 2022, there are 149 participating countries benefiting from Chinas average annual investment of $59.5 billion (halved due to the COVID-19 pandemic) for a total of over $1 trillion invested to date. The benefits to China are manifold: infrastructure contracts that employ Chinese workers in many of those 149 countries, access to raw materials that fuel Chinese manufacturing concerns, access to hydrocarbon resources, and foreign markets for Chinese finished goods. For example, the cargo volume transported by the China-Europe Railway Express, a key element of the BRI overland network, exceeded 1.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in 2021. Concluding Thoughts The CCP has worked hard to convince the world of Chinas benign intentions in order to keep foreign direct investment flowing and tariffs and other trade barriers minimized. For example, former Chinese leader Hu Jintaos long-forgotten policy of Chinas peaceful rise served to purposely mask the more unsavory aspects of the CCPs machinations, including genocide in Xinjiang, the persecution of the Falun Gong and other minority and religious groups, andmost importantlythe rise and increasing belligerence of the Peoples Liberation Army. Xi Jinpings reign over the past 10 years has ripped that mask off for all the world to see. The rise of China, as manifested by the Chinese economic and military juggernaut, as well as increasing Chinese persecution of minorities and intimidation of Taiwan, is finally capturing the notice of bipartisan members of the U.S. Congress. In a move to counter Chinas growing global influence, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 365 to 65 to create the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party on Jan. 11. From the above list of successes (only just a sampling), one might conclude that the communists will achieve their dreams of world leadership by the centenary celebration of the founding of the Chinese regime in 1949. However, the CCP is facing some serious headwinds, including many of its own making. Part II of this series will examine some of those headwinds and speculate as to whether the wobbly orbit of the CCP has reached its zenith. Read part II here. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Tories and NDP Vie Over Who Brought Down Bill C-21 Amendments Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre holds a press conference in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Jan. 25, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) Moments after the Liberal government announced on Feb. 3 it was withdrawing its controversial amendments to gun control Bill C-21, the Conservative Party and the NDP sought to take credit for the development. My Conservative team and I have forced Justin Trudeau into a temporary, but humiliating climb down today, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre told reporters in Ottawa. The two amendments tabled by the Liberals in late November related to introducing an evergreen definition of what they consider an assault-style firearm, as well as enlarging the list of prohibited firearms with rifles used for hunting. He is doing this because he got caught and because Canadians of all walks of life from across the countrylaw abiding, decent, Indigenous, Canadians, farmers, rural Canadians, who follow the lawstood up with Conservatives and forced him to temporarily pause this plan, Poilievre added. Poilievre insisted the backing down was only temporary, saying that Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus agenda is to ban all civilian firearms ownership in Canada and that he would do so if he obtained a majority in Parliament. When challenged on the claim by a reporter, Poilievre quoted what Trudeau said in a year-end interview with CTV. There are some guns, yes, that were going to have to take away from people who were using them to hunt, Poilievre accurately quoted Trudeau as saying. But Trudeau added afterwards in the interview that his government was not going after the right to hunt or after all firearms. Were going to also make sure that youre able to buy other guns from a long list of guns that are accepted that are fine for hunting, whether its rifles or shotguns, Trudeau said. We are going at some of the guns used to do it that are too dangerous in other contexts. Poilievre said only a majority Conservative government can protect the rights of law abiding hunters and farmers. He added the governments gun control measures directed at lawful owners are ineffective at stopping crime which has climbed steadily since 2015. NDP Also Takes Credit Contrary to the Conservatives, the NDP supports Bill C-21, which among other things will enshrine in law the current freeze on the transfer of handguns. But the NDP came out strongly against the amendments, for which no proper consultations had taken place and were opposed by the Assembly of First Nations. NDP MP Peter Julian told reporters on Feb. 3 that the bill could have moved ahead easily if the amendments had not been tabled. His colleague Alistair MacGregor said the amendments were retracted because of the NDPs work on the matter. He said he signalled to the Speaker of the House that the amendments were possibly out of scope and that he was about to table a motion at the public safety committee meeting on Feb. 3 to refer them to the Speaker. MacGregor didnt file his motion, as the Liberals proposed their own motion to withdraw their amendments at the beginning of the committee meeting. Im fairly confident that [the Speaker] would have ruled that they were out of scope, said MacGregor. MacGregor said he wasnt quite sure why the Liberals took that strategy with the bill. Up until today, I think their public stance had been quite firm that they were going to proceed with these amendments, I think they came to [the] realization through our signals this week that we were going to refer this on procedural grounds to the Speaker, he said. I dont know what reasoning the Liberals ultimately had for these amendments, but I definitely will underline the incompetence part of it. The NDP has a supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals to keep them in power until 2025, in exchange of investments in social programs. Insufficient Consultation Government House Leader Mark Holland told reporters on Feb. 3 that there had been insufficient consultation on the amendments and said they werent just retracted to appease the public. It is not our intention to impact those that are hunting and using firearms for hunting, and we acknowledge in regret that the consultations that we undertook were not sufficient, and that there were gaps in problems in the amendments, he said. But he added his government his keeping as a priority to remove the types of guns that Canadians want to see removed. The Liberals didnt say whether they will move forward with another attempt to craft an evergreen definition of what they consider to be an assault-style rifle, but Liberal MP Pam Damoff said during the committee meeting she would be interested to hear from the gun lobby on the issue. MP Julian did not directly answer a question on whether his party would support a new definition, instead raising the issue of proper consultations needing to take place. The Liberals have already put a freeze on handgun transfers through regulations in the fall of 2022 and have added over 1,500 rifle models to the prohibited list in 2020. The governments buyback program to collect these firearms has yet to become operational and Prairies provinces have said they will push back. Toronto Police Stretched Thin Ahead of Violent Transit Attacks, Says Union Head Toronto Police Association President Jon Reid speaks to the media at the scene of a shooting in Mississauga, Ont., on Sept. 12, 2022. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press) As Torontos population has grown, its police force has shrunk, says Toronto Police Association President Jon Reid, who represents about 8,000 officers. As a wave of violent attacks hits the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) system, Reid discusses the state of crime and policing in the city. Were down at least 400 officers over the last 10 years, he told The Epoch Times. Weve effectively been defunded, he said. The city recently approved a police budget increase of about $50 million (4.3 percent over 2022), and Reid said hes grateful, but that will just start to replenish the drought of resources from years past. Mayor John Tory said the new funding will bring 200 more officers; that would be only half the officers Reid said have been lost. Although the police budget hasnt been cut over the years, Reid said, its been a zero increase budget. The citys budget has increased, [but] the percentage of that budget which Toronto police actually utilizes has decreased. Their costs have gone up as their budget has stayed the same, Reid said, and officers have been spread thin. Officers have been pulled away from duties that are more labour-intensive, but could prevent crime, to just keep up with emergency response. Response times for 9-1-1 calls are now at more than 20 minutes for some calls, he said. Even with more funds, it may be hard to fill the policing gaps. Recruiting police officers across the world right now is an issue, Reid said. Its unfortunate, because its a fantastic job. But we end up where its only the negative situations that come to light [in the media]. Regarding the transit violence, Reid said Theres a level of criminality, in which people are just committing criminal acts. Also issues of mental health and addiction and homelessness are playing out on public transit. He said the criminal element and also people with mental health issues are colliding now with the general public that are just going about their daily tasks through life, either going to work, going home, or going to school. Police have said many of the attacks were perpetrated by young people, with some teenagers swarm attacking and some using BB guns to shoot at people. Im not really sure whats causing the these, he said. Its incumbent on parents to know where their kids are, what theyre doing. Parents need to pay attention also to know who theyre engaging with on social media. Reid has advocated this week for bail reform, which he says would keep some potential re-offenders off the streets. He said the smuggling of illegal firearms across the border from the United States is another major issue facing police right now. The U.S. guns are a huge problem, he said. Its upwards of almost 80 percent of the firearms being seized here in Toronto. Its going to take time to heal the public trust even if crimes decrease on the transit system, Reid said. The important piece is how do people perceive it? Do they really feel safe? Thats an important thing, both on the TTC and also in the community as a whole. Trump Pledges Peace Through Strength Unveiling His 2024 Hypersonic Defense Plan Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an election night event at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Nov. 08, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Former President Donald Trump unveiled a new military policy as part of his 2024 presidential campaign this week, proposing to develop a state-of-the-art, next-generation missile defense shield to protect the United States from hypersonic missiles. The former president pledged to build the shield as part of a peace through strength plan in a video posted on Twitter on Jan. 27. Just as Israel is now protected by the Iron Dome, a dream once thought impossible, America must have an impenetrable dome to protect our people, Trump said. We have technology that is unsurpassed, but our past leaders havent really wanted to use it. Vastly More Dangerous Trump alleged that the world has become vastly more dangerous under President Joe Biden and said that there is a danger of nuclear and hypersonic missiles due to the present political climate. Hypersonic missiles move at many times the speed of sound and six times faster than current missiles. Armed with nuclear weapons, they could annihilate entire cities and even countries within minutes, and we can not let this happen, Trump said. He said the threat is rising because other world leaders dont have respect for the current president, and if the United States becomes involved in a war, it would likely dwarf World War I and World War II. The best way to ensure that such a conflict never happens is to be prepared with unmatched technology and unrivaled strength, Trump said. The former president went on to promise that if elected again, he would work with Congress and military leaders to create a state-of-the-art, next-generation missile defense shield. The Epoch Times previously published an analysis of Chinas advancements in missiles, saying that experts fear the country is leading the United States in the race to hypersonic dominance. Chinese Missile Advances The Chinese regime has made notable developments in hypersonic missiles over the past few years. In 2021 the world was shocked and Pentagon officials were blindsided by reports that a Chinese missile circled the Earth before descending near the target. Since then, the US and China have both worked relentlessly to improve their hypersonic capabilities, and one analyst believes the United States is losing the race. China has effectively taken the lead in the hypersonic weapons race due to the breadth and depth of its technology investments, said Rick Fisher, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, a security-focused think tank. We are only seeing the beginning of their weapons developments in this field. Fisher observes that the United States and China are racing to build hypersonic weapons, and who deploys them first may determine who guides the international order in future decades. We must be able to defend our homeland, our allies, and our military assets around the world from the threat of hypersonic missiles no matter where they are launched from, Trump said near the end of his comments. We will have peace through strength. Trump: Truth About Fake News Reporting on Russia Hoax Is Finally Coming Out President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after participating in a Thanksgiving teleconference with members of the U.S. military, in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington on Nov. 26, 2020. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images) Former U.S. President Donald Trump says he finally sees some truth emerging about the fake news. More than six years after the media began covering the former presidents alleged collusion with Russiawhich Trump calls the Russia, Russia, Russia hoaxhas been dissected from within journalism. The Columbia Journalism Review (CJR), which calls itself the most respected voice on press criticism, recently published findings from an 18-month investigation: a 24,000-word expose entitled, The Press Versus The President. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on his way to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, on May 14, 2020 (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Days later, Trump reacted with righteous indignation to the tactics of the press, as revealed in the CJR article. It is a STAGGERING, detailed account of the lies, disinformation, and complete lack of journalistic integrity, Trump wrote Feb. 2 on Truth Social, singling out the purveyors of Fake News at the Washington Compost (sometimes known as the Washington Post), the Failing New York Times, and many others. Trump also decried the incalculable damage that dishonest coverage caused to his 2020 reelection bid. This Fake News, with all of its disinformation, had a huge impact on the 2020 Presidential Election, just one of the many ways that the Election was Rigged and Stolen, he wrote in another Truth Social message. This proves, once again, that the Corrupt, Woke, Radical Democrats stole the 2020 Election, making it impossible for that fact to be called the Big Lie, as the Marxists and Communists in our Country attempt to portray it. Meanwhile, Trumps allies cried out for media outlets to correct the record as his campaign to win back the White House gains momentum. Detractors, however, fault CJR for failing to put Trump himself far enough under the microscope. Important but Too Long CJR, in an introduction to its piece, wrote that the investigations findings arent always flattering, either for the press or for Trump and his team. CJR predicted that the articles revelations would be debated and maybe even used as ammunition in the ongoing media war being waged in the country. American computer analyst turned Russian citizen Edward Snowden, best known for leaking information about the National Security Administrations spying on Americans, weighed in with a brief analysis on Twitter for people who may think the piece was TL/DR, an abbreviation for too long, didnt read. His summary of the CJRs findings: Corporate media knowingly suppressed facts that cut against popular narratives, ignored denials, eagerly laundered partisan attacks via anonymous sources, and refuses to reflect on mistakes. CJR said its article raises issues that are important, and worthy of deep reflection as the campaign for the presidency is about, once again, to begin. The publication also wrote: No narrative did more to shape Trumps relations with the press than Russiagate. That term refers to the FBIs investigation of Trump, which began while President Barack Obama was in office and Trump was then running his first presidential campaign. Information later surfaced revealing that the federal government relied in large part on a Trump-Russia dossier to justify its investigation. But that dossier was found to be of dubious origin. A former British spy, hired by people with connections to Trumps political opponent, Hillary Clinton, used unverified information from people with ties to Russia. Despite a 22-month investigation by former special counsel Robert Mueller, none of the 103 allegations in the dossier was declared valid. Special counsel Robert Mueller speaks on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, at the U.S. Justice Department in Washington on May 29, 2019. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Big Impact Reporting on the allegations resulted in Pulitzer Prizes as well as embarrassing retractions and damaged careers, CJR noted. For Trump, the presss pursuit of the Russia story convinced him that any sort of normal relationship with the press was impossible. When Trump first announced his run for president in 2016, the real estate magnate/media personality was laughed off as a joke. But then he morphed into somewhat of a media darling. Everything Trump-related became clickbait. Before long, however, the media put Trump in its crosshairs; reporters were going all in on efforts to catalogue Trump as a threat to the country, CJR wrote. The publication said journalist Jeff Gerth took an encyclopedic look at one of the most consequential moments in American media history. Gerth is an investigative reporter who worked for almost three decades at The New York Times. His investigation for CJR required interviews with dozens of insiders connected to Trump and media organizations. Gerth wrote that the U.S. news medias coverage of Trump helped sink the American peoples trust in journalists. Prior to the 2016 election, most Americans trusted the traditional media, and the trend was positive, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer, Gerth said. The phrase, fake news was little-known, and the notion that media were enemies of the people was voiced only once on an obscure podcast, and not by Trump, according to a Nexis search. But those phrases later became fixtures in Trumps contentious relationship with reporters, and his supporters embraced those labels as they watched how many members of the mainstream news media handled Trump coverage. By 2021, a year after Trump left office, 83 percent of Americans saw fake news as a problem, and 56 percentmostly Republicans and independentsagreed that the media were truly the enemy of the American people,' Gerth wrote, citing Rasmussen Reports. Two Executives of Toronto Group Listed as an Overseas Chinese Police Station Met With Police in China: Reports A building in a business park in Markham, Ont., is seen on Oct. 31, 2022, one of three locations in the Greater Toronto Area identified by Spain-based human rights group Safeguard Defenders as being among the sites of at least 54 unofficial police stations allegedly run by police bureaus in China. (The Canadian Press/Cole Burston) Two executives of a Chinese business association in Toronto whose address is on a list of Chinese police service stations in other countries attended events in China with local police and other government officials to discuss providing policing services to overseas Chinese, according to reports and photos posted by multiple local state-run media outlets and on various WeChat channels in China. The two men, Weng Guoning and Yu Lin, are both senior members of the Canada Toronto Fuqing Business Association (CTFQBA). The CTFQBAs Markham, Ont., address appears on a list of 30 Fuzhou police overseas service stations in 21 countries. The Fujian Overseas Chinese Press published the list as part of a news article on a press conference held on Jan. 22, 2022, by the Fuzhou Public Security Bureaus 110 overseas police service desk on its establishment of those stations. Fuqing and Fuzhou are two cities in Fujian Province, which is on Chinas southeastern coast across from Taiwan. Fuqing is under Fuzhous administration. The stations are dubbed 110 overseasnamed after the police emergency line in China, 110. The CTFQBAs founding history, as described on its websites home page, says the association was established under the guidance of various Chinese state-, provincial-, and municipal-level government and official bodies, including the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Fuqing Municipal Committee. The UFWD functions as the CCPs primary foreign interference tool working to co-opt international politicians and facilitate espionage, among other activities that endanger national security, says a 2020 report by Public Safety Canada. On the CTFQBA website, Weng is listed as one of three permanent honorary presidents and Yu is listed as one of 43 vice-presidents. In February 2022, Weng and Yu attended separate meetings with local police and other government officials in Fuqing. The meetings were reportedly focused on discussions about providing police services to overseas Chinese and fighting crimes that impact overseas Chinese nationals, as first reported in a Jan. 19 article by the Found in Translation newsletter on Substack. The Epoch Times made multiple attempts to contact Weng and Yu but didnt hear back. An individual at the CTFQBA who answered a phone call last September didnt respond to questions. Subsequent calls went unanswered. The organization hasnt responded to any email inquiries from The Epoch Times. In October 2022, the RCMP said it had begun investigating reports of the three unauthorized Chinese police stations in Toronto. A senior Global Affairs Canada (GAC) official told parliamentarians at a House of Commons Canada-China committee meeting last November that GAC had summoned the Chinese ambassador on multiple occasions over the issue. The Epoch Times also reached out to the RCMP intelligence unit and the York Regional Police (YRP) for comment in relation to the conduct of Weng and Yu. Markham is a city in the Regional Municipality of York. The YRP declined to comment while an RCMP officer said the federal police force couldnt immediately respond. Deeply Feel the Warmth On Feb. 11, 2022, Weng attended an Overseas Police Lunar New Year Tea Party for police and overseas Chinese representatives hosted by the Fuqing Public Security Bureau, according to a Feb. 15, 2022, report by the Fuqing News Network. The news network is run by the Propaganda Department of the Fuqing Municipal Committee of the CCP, a CCP internal division in charge of spreading the Partys ideology and creating and disseminating its propaganda. The report said the participants discussed and exchanged views on efforts to combat crimes involving overseas Chinese and to strengthen [police] services for overseas Chinese. In response to the adverse impact caused by the current [COVID-19] pandemic, the police will strengthen measures to help overseas Chinese resolve their practical problems and provide them with more services and warmth, reads the article in Chinese. To protect the legal rights and interests of overseas Chinese, the police will keep a close watch on crimes that infringe upon those rights and interests and take strict measures to crack down on those crimes in accordance with the law, so that more overseas Chinese can have greater peace of mind and have their affairs go more smoothly while working hard abroad. Weng was one of five overseas Chinese community representatives at the party who were named in the report, from Canada, Argentina, Mozambique, Russia, and the UK. Weng had previously praised the overseas Chinese police stations publicly. In a March 2022 report by the Overseas Edition of the state-run media Peoples Daily, Weng said the stations make him deeply feel the warmth of my mothers family. That March 2022 report was also shared on the website of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (ACFROC). The ACFROC is an agency within the CCPs UFWD, according to a June 2020 report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) titled The party speaks for you: Foreign interference and the Chinese Communist Partys united front system. Besides being one of three CTFQBA permanent honorary presidents, Weng also has extensive connections with organizations in the Toronto Chinese-Canadian community, serving as president of the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations (CTCCO), an umbrella group with over 100 member organizations. The Epoch Times also tried to contact Weng through CTCCO but didnt hear back. Providing Services to Overseas Chinese Yu attended a similar Lunar New Year tea party in Fuqing on Feb. 18, 2022, held by the Honglu Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (HFROC), which is a branch of the ACFROC. Event attendees discussed how Chinese police could provide services to overseas Chinese and fight crimes involving telecommunications fraud that are of concern to overseas Chinese, including through contact with the overseas Chinese police service stations, 110 overseas. The event was reported in an article titled Honglu Street Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese Lunar New Year Tea Party, published on Feb. 20, 2022, by Fuzhou News, a local media outlet. The article cited Safety Fuqing, the official WeChat account of the Fuqing Public Security Bureau, as its source. The article is also posted on the HFROCs official WeChat account and on Fuqing United Front, the WeChat account of the UFWD of the CCP Fuqing Municipal Committee. Representatives of overseas Chinese organizations from some 10 countries and regions attended the party, according to the report. Among a number of photos accompanying the article, one shows Yu sitting with other business and community leaders around a conference table. Behind him is a screen that displays in Chinese, Honglu Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese Lunar New Year Tea Party, with a second line that reads in Chinese, Interaction between police and overseas Chinese, providing services to overseas Chinese. The article also included a group photo showing Yu and 19 other participants posing in front of the HFROC building, with two men in police uniform. Local government officials and CCP committee members attended the gathering, including Zhang Zhenyun, deputy secretary of the Honglu Street CCP Working Committee; and Zhang Xiaoyong, director of the Honglu Street Public Security Bureau, according to the article and accompanying photos. Zhang Xiaoyong was said to have especially spoken about the problem of telecommunications fraud and about police efforts to combat transnational telecommunications fraud, said the article. He also said Fuqing City is the first to establish special channels to provide services to overseas Chinese, such as helping overseas Chinese who wish to return to Fujian Province to settle down, providing temporary residence registration for overseas Chinese returning to China, extending and renewing drivers licences for overseas Chinese, as well as linking with 110 Overseas police service stations and other platforms to serve overseas compatriots to the maximum extent. The article also noted that in 2021, the Honglu Street Public Security Bureau in Fuqing established the first municipal liaison office liaising between Chinese police and overseas Chinese. It was established through joint efforts of the police bureau and the HFROC and served the combined functions of mediation centre, service centre, propaganda centre, and communication centre, acting as a bridge between the HFROC and Fuqing diaspora, the article said. According to the article, the overseas Chinese at the gathering praised the HFROC and the Honglu Street police bureau for their work in various areas to benefit overseas Chinese people and combat transnational telecommunication fraud. The participants also put forward suggestions for further strengthening the legal rights protection of overseas Chinese, communication between the police and overseas Chinese, and the work to persuade overseas Chinese nationals suspected of crimes to return to China to face justice, such as those living in northern Myanmar, said the article. Transnational Repression Some of the police services provided to overseas Chinese discussed at the Lunar New Year tea parties Weng and Yu attended are in line with the functions of the overseas Chinese police service stations whose existence raised global concerns in recent months following a report published by Spain-based NGO Safeguard Defenders last September. That report found at least 54 such outposts in dozens of countries. The NGO said it identified the stations based on open-source information, referring to the Fuzhou Public Security Bureaus January 2022 announcement as the source of 30 of those 54 outposts. Besides the Markham address of the CTFQBA, a federally incorporated not-for-profit organization, two other addresses on the Fuzhou police bureaus list are in the Greater Toronto Area. One has been identified as the location of a convenience store on Warden Ave. in Scarborough. The other is the address of a residential home in Markham. Just one of those 30 Fuzhou-linked stations was in the United States, in New Yorks Chinatown. According to the U.S. State Department in a recent email to The Epoch Times, The FBI has confirmed that the overseas police station in New York linked to Fuzhou has closed. This development follows a FBI raid that reportedly took place last fall at the building where the station was located. We continue to be concerned about PRC [Peoples Republic of China] transnational repression efforts around the world and are also coordinating with allies and partners on this issue, the State Departments email added. Chinese authorities, including the Chinese embassies in Canada and Ireland have previously said that the local stations werent involved in any law enforcement activities, but were offering administrative assistance to Chinese nationals living abroad, such as drivers licence renewals. The Safeguard Defenders report said these operations eschew official bilateral police and judicial cooperation and show the worrying growth of the CCPs transnational repression and long-arm policing. It noted that some of these stations in different parts of the world have reportedly targeted not only criminals and corrupt officials but also dissidents. Safeguard Defenders said evidence points to these stations often making use of local Chinese overseas home associations that are linked to the CCPs United Front system. Among those first overseas stations identified were a number of these hometown associations. The report said these associations, while often providing genuine services to the community, have by now become overwhelmingly co-opted by the CCPs United Front organizations, which seek to increasingly control the Chinese diaspora. The report also said some of these stations are related to a larger CCP campaign launched in 2018 that the regime said were aimed at combating telecommunication fraud by Chinese nationals living abroad, by persuading them to return to China to face criminal proceedings. The Chinese authorities have touted that some 230,000 overseas Chinese nationals had been persuaded to return to China between April 2021 and July 2022. Overseas Chinese police service stations, also known as 110 overseas, named after the police emergency number, 100, in China, are found in dozens of countries across five continents. (Courtesy of Safeguard Defenders) Investigations In a follow-up report, published in December 2022, Safeguard Defenders identified 48 additional Chinese overseas police service stations, bringing the total to 102, with an overall presence in 53 countries. Two of those 48 stations are in Canada, with one in Vancouver while the location of the other remains unknown. The reports prompted multiple countries to launch investigations into these stations, which allegedly are run by select local police forces in China and consist of a combination of physical overseas stations and an online platform to provide services and receive reporting. Filmmaker R. J. Cutler calls Jack Roland Murphy otherwise known as Murf the Surf televisions first true crime celebrity. Considered the mastermind behind the 1964 jewel heist of New Yorks Museum of Natural History, a convicted murderer, and a master of deception, Murphy captured the American psyche in a way Americans hadnt seen at that time. He was good-looking, well-dressed and exuded confidence and the public loved it. He was very garrulous, if garrulous means overly verbose and Trumpian in his speech patterns, Cutler says. He would often speak for several minutes at a time without letting up. He was not unwilling to keep me a little bit off balance in a way thats similar to how journalists have described it. And, he was interested in Cutler telling his story. An Oscar nominee for The War Room, an Emmy winner for "American High," Cutler has a way with stepping aside and letting the subject tell the story. He reminded me of the former guy, he says, alluding to Donald Trump. I had occasion to spend some time a decade or so ago with the former guy and I recognized that quality. Telling the story While Murphy died before Cutler could extensively record conversations with him, a producer, Ryan Gallagher, did a pre-interview that proved fruitful for the documentary. Called Murf the Surf" and airing on MGM+, it covers four periods in his life, using archival footage, animation, interviews and photographs to piece together the mans persona. Executive producer Ron Howard compares Murphy to the stars of 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye and Route 66. He was learning from that the hypnotic power of charisma and maybe it was an easier path to sort of use this medium (to get his way)," Howard says. Cutler says Murphy knew the power of celebrity. I dont want to say hes Keith Richards before Keith Richards, but its darker much darker, he explains. We see the darkness that it leads to and then, other questions are raised questions about faith and redemption and all those other things. Murf the Surfs story, he adds, enables viewers to have a deeper understanding of celebrities and politicians in the spotlight today. Different tactics While Cutler has had the opportunity to spend long periods of time with other subjects (a year with Billie Eilish, for example, to create Billie Eilish: The Worlds a Little Blurry), he didnt have the same opportunity with Murphy. Each film is absolutely its own riddle, he says. An upcoming documentary about Elton John, which captures his final year of touring, enabled Cutler to look back on the first five years of the musicians career and weave it into the last performance. The Eilish documentary reminded him of Dont Look Back, one D.A. Pennebaker did on Bob Dylan. But with Murf the Surf, it was clear this was going to be an archival film, he says. Interviews from the 1960s commingle with scenes from popular culture. Voiceovers (taken from Gallaghers interviews) and others re-created by actors help bring courtroom scenes to life. Four-part harmony As he was researching Murphys life, Cutler found the story neatly divided into four parts the jewel thief, the murderer, the prisoner (and religious convert) and the manipulator. Figuring into that fourth part, Cutler saw how he wanted the narrative of his life to be told as he wished versus what the truth was. Although Murphy died in 2020 -- before he could even see the result -- he did have an effect. He looked like Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief and he probably intended to dress like Cary Grant to catch up, Cutler says. Among the enigmatic parts of Murfs life? The spelling of that nickname. Newspapers called him Murph the Surf and Murf the Surf. We spell it with an F because thats how he spelled it, Cutler says. He said, Im on the front page of every newspaper. Im on your TV set. I sell newspapers and magazines, Cutler recalls. He knew his power. He was very intentional. He had a goal in mind. He was subtle in his firmness. He made it clear that he knew that I had a family and he didnt say anything else about it. He was manipulative in that way. My goal wasnt to sift fact from fictionthe goal was to have his version of the story told. We try to tell give full voice to the different points of view on it and demonstrate there were many who believed his version of events and many who didnt. Ultimately, we leave it to the viewer to see where theyll end up. But I think theres opportunity for great clarity. "Murf the Surf" begins Feb. 5 on MGM+. UK Ministry of Defence Bogged Down in Tech Upgrade Delays: Lawmakers Private Patrick Rodgers of Britains Anglian Regiment, 2nd Battalion, maintains the perimeter as a Chinook helicopter carries out a medical evacuation during a military exercise on Salisbury Plains near Warminster, England, on July 23, 2020. (Leon Neal/Getty Images) Britains Ministry of Defence (MoD) is bogged down in delayed projects and has failed to overhaul technological and IT systems to meet the demand of modern warfare, lawmakers have warned. In its Defence Digital Strategy report (pdf) published on Friday, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Commons found the department has been struggling to replace outdated legacy systems in its IT infrastructure. According to the report, the MoD has been struggling for years to deliver the major programmes necessary to replace over 2,000 systems and applications for 200,000 users, ranging from administrative and back-office IT to military platforms such as ships and satellites. An F-35B fighter jet lands onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth in Portsmouth, England, on Sept. 26, 2018. (Kyle Heller/Ministry of Defence via Getty Images) MPs said the rapid deployment of new technology was now at the very heart of the defence of the realm, with the urgency of this challenge demonstrated by the current conflict in Ukraine. But they said the Infrastructure and Projects Authority found thatof the defence IT projects large and critical enough to have their performance reportedthree had significant issues and twothe New Style IT Base and MODNet Evolvewere assessed as red (unachievable). The committee said significant cultural change is needed at the MoD if it was to tackle the fact its processes are set up to procure conventional military equipment rather than software. Genuine Sense of Urgency According to the report, the MoD recognises that digital technology is rapidly changing the character of warfare, but it is not yet able to exploit new technologies at pace and scale. This is because it does not fully understand what data it has; old legacy systems complicate tasks as routine as ordering a pair of boots; its processes are set up to procure conventional military equipment rather than software; and it lacks all the digital skills it needs. A Typhoon Tranche type 1 fighter jet prepares to land at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, England, on Oct. 21, 2008. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) The MoD has failed to solve these problems previously, the report said, but it now recognises the need to adopt digital technology as a military imperative. The committee said it agrees with the MoDs assessment that digital must urgently become a whole-of-Defence effort and that this will require significant cultural change. The committee also said the department faces a considerable challenge to recruit the digital specialist its strategy relies on, as it struggles with the pay it can offer candidates, the location of some of its posts, and the extended security vetting times needed for new entrants, which in some instances can take over 200 days. MPs said the departments target of doubling its recent recruitment of 150 specialists would be difficult to achieve. The report called on the MoD to make a down payment on a new way of operating in its digital action plan, which is expected in April 2023. The committee said the plan must display a genuine sense of urgency and come up with a thorough, realistic, and costed programme for delivering it. Not Up to the Task Dame Meg Hillier, a Labour MP who chairs the committee, said: The MoD as it currently operates is frankly not up to the task it faces. The scale and nature of the challenge of modern warfare is accelerating away from the ministry, while its bogged down in critical projects that are years delayed and at risk of being obsolescent on delivery. Two of its major digital transformation projects have been written off as unachievable by the oversight body. There is no world in which that is an acceptable situation at the heart of our national defence. British Army personnel teach members of the Ukrainian armed forces how to operate a multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England, on June 25, 2022. (PA Media) Mark Francois, a former Conservative defence minister and lead PAC member, said: The war in Ukraine brutally illustrates why we need advanced digital capabilities now, rather than many years from now. What more will it take for MoD to step up and acknowledge the procurement weaknesses which the PAC has, quite literally, been highlighting for decades now? The time for the usual MoD platitudes is over. We now need to see MoD radically reform its procedures, to provide equipmentincluding crucial digital systemsin a timely and cost-effective manner, before its too late. An MoD spokesman said: Defence Digitals improvement programme is a priority for the department, which is why were investing over 4 billion annually. We have made significant progress in delivering our IT projects, and following work in recent months only one of the six major Digital programmes is rated red. Maximising digital capabilities and data is fundamental to success in military operations and the committee recognises our strategy has the right priorities for achieving this. PA Media contributed to this report. US Should Take Moderate Approach to Russia-Ukraine War: Former Trump Strategist Dr. Sebastian Gorka, conservative radio host of America First, at his office at Salem Radio Network in Arlington, Va., on Oct. 22, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) While neoconservatives favor a deploy everything possible approach to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the opposite camp prefers that the United States not get involved in the war, Sebastian Gorka, former Trump strategist, advocates a moderate solution. Neoconservatives, who typically advocate the promotion of democracy in foreign policy by all means possible, including military force, call on the American government to send Ukraine battle tanks and deploy everything possible, asserting that the conflict is the ultimate test of Western civilization, Gorka said in a recent interview on EpochTVs American Thought Leaders program. Gorka considers Senator Graham (R-South Carolina) a neoconservative for his strong advocacy of sending military aid to Ukraine. Graham has urged the Biden Administration to provide advanced weapons to Ukraine since the outbreak of the war. In an April 2022 op-ed, Graham called on the United States and the Western world to provide Ukraine with additional lethal aid and capabilities such as larger Switchblade drones, fighter aircraft, more sophisticated missile defense systems, and tanks. Graham has also expressed his support for the $40 billion package of weapons and economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine passed by Congress in May 2022. During his January visit to Ukraine with two Democratic senators, Graham said at the press conference in Kyiv, Putin is trying to rewrite the map of Europe by force of arms. World order is at stake, according to his statement. After the visit, Graham lauded, in a statement, the decisions of the United States and Germany to send advanced tanks to Ukraine. We cannot let Putins bluster and threats determine the course of freedom for the 21st century, Graham said in the statement. It is in Americas national security interest for Russia to be defeated in Ukraine because Russias ambitions are to rewrite the map of Europe, and China is watching. Neo-Buchananites The opposite camp, that Gorka called neo-Buchananites, believes that the United States should not get involved in international conflicts as they are irrelevant to the country. In Gorks opinion, Tucker Carlson, a host of FOX News Channel, expresses the neo-Buchananite viewpoint. Carlson said at the 2022 FAMiLY Leadership Summit in Iowa, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, I dont really care one way or the other [what Putin does] because hes not my president; he doesnt preside over my country. What he does in Ukrainewhile I think historically significant, certainly significant to Ukrainiansis not more significant to me than what gas costs. In fact, its not even in the same universe, Carlson said. Moderate Way Neo-conservatives and neo-Buchananites represent two extreme approaches to the issues of national security and foreign policy, but Gorka would like to apply to these issues slightly more sophisticated thinking. The Russia-Ukraine war, lasting almost a year, is very important to America, Gorka said, because Putin, who has been leading Russia for about 20 years and is also a KGB colonel, has been saying that: not only Ukraine, but Poland, the Baltic states are illegitimate, fake nations that have no right to exist. On the flip side, sending tens of billions of dollars to Kyiv with zero accountability in practice is also not strategic, said Gorka, host of America First. Sending unaccountable pallets of cash to any country is dumb. A) its not good geopolitics and B) it smacks of corruption. America should not be involved with troops or any other massive military involvement in the conflict, Gorka said. He proposed that America can instead assist some NATO member-states, like Poland or Hungary, in supplying Ukraine with Soviet-era military equipment. Poland, Hungary, and some other NATO Allies in Eastern Europe used to be members of the Soviet-led military pact, known as the Warsaw Pact, and can still possess Soviet armaments. Such a proposal was once on the table, but it was shut down by the Biden Administration, Gorka added. Ukraine needs weapons it knows how to use. It doesnt need Patriot missile, batteries that nobody in Ukraine knows how to handle, so they can fight for themselves, Gorka said. Give them ammunition because they need ammunition. Gorka also advised providing Ukraine with intelligence target sets from American satellites to allow the Ukrainian military to extract the most damage on the invading forces by targeting them effectively. The former strategist also pointed out the need for a nuanced discussion about how the invasion of European countries on each other impacts America. Is NATO a threat to Russia? The narrative that the NATO expansion eastward is a threat to Russia was used to justify the Russian invasion of Ukraine somewhat. Russia considers NATOs enlargement after the end of the Cold War a threat to its national security. The eastward expansion of NATO, which is moving its military infrastructure ever closer to the Russian border is the fundamental threat for Russia, said Putin in his speech on Feb. 24, 2022the day Russia invaded Ukraineaccording to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1999, eight years after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, some former member-states of the Pact, Czechia, Hungary, and Poland, acceded to NATO. Further expansion took place in 2004 when seven other European countries, including three former Soviet republics, joined NATO. Gorka is a son of a Hungarian activist who was imprisoned and persecuted for organizing an anti-communist movement in Hungary. His father was liberated by the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and escaped to the UK. Although Gorka was born in the UK, he said that his ancestry gives him a certain perspective on the Russia-Ukraine war. Gorka argued that the West cannot be likened to the East, and the North Atlantic Alliance cannot be likened to the Warsaw Pact. On the surface, the Warsaw Pact was established for friendship and cooperation, Gorka said, but in reality, its members were satrapies of the Soviet Union. These were captive nations. In 1955 when the Warsaw Pact was formed, countries like Hungary and Poland did not have the option of not joining the Pact, Gorka said. The Baltic states were swallowed up by the Soviets in World War II, so they automatically participated in the Pact. On the contrary, NATO is a voluntary association, Gorka said. Its like joining a club. You can apply for NATO membership, but any nation that applies must demonstrate to the North Atlantic Council, to the extant members, that they bring something of value to the collective defense of the club. Since when is it our job to say, Nations like Hungary or Poland should not have been allowed?,Gorka asked rhetorically. Thats not the encirclement of the Russian Federationa country spanning from the Baltic Sea to the Chinese border with 11 time zones and nearly 4,500 nuclear warheads in its military stockpile, Gorka said. Its ignorance, a woeful ignorance of geopolitics.. Moral Aspect Gorka also brought up the moral aspect of the United States involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine inherited the worlds third-largest nuclear arsenal. Only Russia and the United States possessed larger nuclear stockpiles. The United States convinced Ukraine to give its nuclear weapons to Russia in exchange for a promise made by the U.S. and British governments to vouchsafe Ukraines security, Gorka said. In 1994, an agreement was signed, by the United States, the UK, Russia, and Ukraine, also known as the Budapest Memorandum, that formalized that accord. Ukraine put its trust in the United States, so the American reputation is on the line, Gorka said. Heres this tragic reality. There never wouldve been a Russian invasion if Ukraine still had those nuclear missiles. We told them to get rid of them, so we bear a moral burden, as well. Vienna Court Convicts 2020 Gunmans Alleged Helpers VIENNAAn Austrian court has convicted four men of terrorist offenses and participation in murder over their alleged links to a sympathizer of the ISIS terrorist group who carried out a deadly shooting in Vienna in 2020. Two of the men were sentenced to life in prison by the Vienna state court on Wednesday night and and the others to 20 and 19 years, respectively, the Austria Press Agency reported. Another two defendants were acquitted of the main charges, but were convicted of membership in ISIS and spreading the groups propaganda. They were given partially suspended two-year sentences. Four people were killed in the attack on Nov. 2, 2020, and the gunman also died. More than 20 other people, including a police officer, were wounded. Assailant Kujtim Fejzulai, a dual national of Austria and North Macedonia, had a previous conviction for trying to join ISIS in Syria. The six men who went on trial in mid-October werent accused of direct participation in the attack, but they allegedly helped or influenced Fejzulai as he prepared for the shooting. In one case, those alleged activities included procuring the weapons used in the shooting. Warner, Rubio Urge Immediate Compliance on Request to View Biden Classified Docs Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) (L) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), both members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, participate in a discussion at the Atlantic Council in Washington on July 16, 2018. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Ranking Member Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) have requested that the classified documents that were found at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in Washington and at President Joe Bidens home in Wilmington, Delaware, be turned over to the committee. In a Thursday letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Warner and Rubio also requested to receive classified documents that were discovered last year during the FBI raid of former President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida that occurred due to the former presidents failure to comply with a subpoena ordering him to turn over all classified documents. The two also asked for classified documents that were found last month in the Indiana home of former Vice President Mike Pence. Warner and Rubio accused Garland and Haines of not complying with letters they sent to them on Aug. 14, 2022, and on Jan. 11 asking for classified documents tied to Trump and Biden, respectively. On Jan. 23, the Department of Justice (DOJ) responded to the committees requests in a letter stating that it has a longstanding policy to maintain confidentiality of information regarding open matters and that [t]he Committees interest in overseeing the nations intelligence activities must be carefully balanced to protect the conduct and integrity of law enforcement investigations. In response, in the letter, Warner and Rubio said that while they agree with that sentiment, the DOJ alone does not decide this balance. In fact, our letters explicitly recognized the need to protect the Departments ongoing investigations, they wrote. Mindful of the Departments interests, the letters were narrowly tailored and only requested access to the relevant classified documents and an assessment of the risk to national security if the documents were to be exposed in public or to a foreign adversary, continued Warner and Rubio. This information does not implicate any of the concerns cited in the Departments January 28, 2023 letter. Warner and Rubio cited that since their committee is tasked with overseeing the nations intelligence community, they should be able to get the classified documents that have been seized that are tied to Trump, Biden, and Pence. Without access to the relevant classified documents we cannot effectively oversee the efforts of the Intelligence Community to address potential risks to national security arising from the mishandling of this classified information, lamented Warner and Rubio. The two said that their request is not unprecedented as there have been probes involving the mishandling of classified information the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence have accommodated the legitimate oversight needs of this Committee without detriment to any ongoing investigation. Garland appointed Jack Smith late last year to be the special counsel dealing with the federal investigations of Trump including the one surrounding the classified documents retrieved from Mar-a-Lago. The appointment was made shortly after Trump announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. On Nov. 2, 2022, six days before the midterm elections, around 10 classified documents were discovered by Bidens lawyers at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, as first reported by CBS News last month. Bidens lawyers have said that the documents, which stemmed from Bidens vice presidency, were turned over the next day to the National Archives, which in turn notified the DOJ. On Dec. 20, Bidens lawyers informed the DOJ that additional documents, also tied to Bidens vice presidency, were found in his garage in Wilmington. On Jan. 12, Garland appointed Robert Hur to be the special counsel dealing with the probe of the Biden classified documents. Eight days later, DOJ officials searched Bidens Wilmington home and found an additional six classified documents along with surrounding materials, some of which were from the Presidents service in the Senate and some of which were from his tenure as Vice President, according to Bidens personal attorney, Bob Bauer, in a Jan. 21 statement. On Wednesday, the FBI inspected Bidens vacation home in Rehoboth, Delaware, and did not find any classified documents, according to Bauer, who said the president consented to the search. Consistent with the process in Wilmington, the DOJ took for further review some materials and handwritten notes that appear to relate to his time as Vice President, he said in a statement. Last month, a lawyer for Pence, Matt Morgan, found around a dozen classified documents at Pences home in Carmel, Indiana, and turned them over to the FBI. The discovery came after Pence said in an interview that he didnt take classified materials. Pence lawyer Greg Jacob told the National Archives in a letter that the documents were mistakenly packed and sent to the former vice presidents Indiana home. The FBI is expected to soon conduct a search of the home for additional classified documents. Wave of Employee Turnover Hits Chinas IT Industry A woman walks past the headquarters of ByteDance, the parent company of video sharing app TikTok, in Beijing, China, on Sept. 16, 2020. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images) Chinas IT industry has seen a wave of resignations and layoffs since last year, affecting the Chinese communist regimes online censorship. Former employees believe political reasons and economic factors are behind the wave of employee turnover. Liu Jiang (pseudonym), a former employee of ByteDance, which is the parent company of TikTok, told The Epoch Times recently that he resigned from the company right before the Chinese New Year (Jan. 23, 2023). He said he was involved in the incident of accessing TikTok user data of two American journalists. Adding that his job at the company was reviewing data and labeling user behavior. Liu said his work unintentionally got involved in the situation, and he didnt want to be pushed into the limelight. According to Reuters, TikToks Chinese parent company ByteDance said on Dec. 22, 2022, that some employees improperly accessed the TikTok user data of two American journalists last summer and are no longer employed by the company. The TikTok logo is displayed at a TikTok office in Culver City, Calif., on Dec. 20, 2022. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) TikToks upper management confirmed in 2021 that the Chinese regime had taken a stake in the parent company Beijing ByteDance, and then sent in an official from the regimes Cyberspace Administration of China to serve as a director. Nearly half of U.S. states have banned the social media app owned by the Chinese company from state government devices due to security risks. According to the Chinese regimes national intelligence law passed in 2017, all Chinese organizations and citizens shall support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts, which includes providing any information requested by the regime for its national security. Liu said that many younger employees have been dismissed from the company under the guise of restructuring, but they all know there are political reasons involved. CCP Suppression of Freedom of Speech Chinese Internet companies have long helped the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) suppress freedom of speech. Just before the Chinese New Year, the CCP Cyberspace Administration issued a document on Jan. 18 to increase the suppression of public discussion around the sudden massive COVID-19 resurgence on the Internet, with a focus on controlling peoples recounts of what they see from trips to their hometowns. The outside world questioned if this was to purposely cover up the truth about Chinas real COVID situation and death toll. Hospital workers wheel a body on a gurney in the busy emergency room at a hospital in Beijing, China on Jan. 2, 2023. (Getty Images) Mr. Shi (pseudonym) from Lishui in Zhejiang Province, who used to be a Baidu Beijing Headquarters reviewer, told The Epoch Times on Jan. 28 that his job was to monitor data and help the regime identify and locate those users who freely posted messages that express negative emotions and the so-called dark side of society online. He said that some key technicians had quit the company, and it will take some time to replace them. Many technicians also deleted the [monitoring] data on servers when they left. The wave of employee turnover appears to have affected the CCPs planned censorship around Chinese New Year. Chinas Economic Instability Under the CCPs Zero-COVID policy that lasted for three years, Chinas GDP fell to a 40-year low last year. Liu said that the current economic instability is the root cause of the wave of employee turnover, as many companies have laid off employees. Not only ByteDance, but other companies have also seen large numbers of employee layoffs. I know dozens of the companies in Beijing [have let people go], he said. Well-known mainland financial citizen reporter Ranjiyuan said on Jan. 1 that a list of companies who laid off employees in 2022 circulating online showed that from January to December 2022, big IT companies such as Kuaishou, Baidu, Didi, Tencent, JD.com, Alibaba, iQiyi, Zhihu, ByteDance, Xiaomi and other companies have all laid off employees. The headquarters of Chinese technology giant Tencent is seen in Beijing on Aug. 7, 2020. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images) Li Wei (pseudonym), an employee of Tencent, told the Epoch Times, In 2022, my department cut the number of employees by 50 percent, and I was also transferred departments twice. Ranjiyuans report questioned, are there any IT companies that didnt lay off employees? The saying became an unanimous ridicule among the industry, and IT companies that havent had layoffs have become a rarity. On Dec. 30, 2022, a number of Chinese media outlets reported that ByteDance had started layoffs, and the estimated layoff rate would be 10 percent. Employees in their sub-companies, such as TikTok, Lark, TopBuzz, and others, have also received layoff notices. Ning Haizhong and Zhao Li contributed to this report Zara Starts Charging for Clothing Returns From Home in Spain Shoppers walk past a Zara clothes store, part of the Spanish group Inditex, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, on Dec. 13, 2022. (Borja Suarez/Reuters) MADRIDFashion giant Zara has started charging shoppers in Spain for returns of online purchases, the company announced on Wednesday, though store returns remain free. Customers now have to pay 1.95 euros ($2.13) if they wish to return pieces from home, with the cost deducted from their refund, Zara said on its Spanish website. However, items bought online can still be returned for free at physical stores, it added. As the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a boom in online shopping, customers became used to buying items to try at home since returns were often free, which raised costs for retailers. Inditex, which owns Zara, will also introduce return charges in Spain for its other brands such as Massimo Dutti and Pull&Bear. Early last year, Zara introduced charges for some online returns in Britain and other core markets, following similar measures from rivals such as Uniqlo or Next. There is also an environmental impact from the delivery vehicles involved in transporting the clothes and the European Commission wants to reduce the high percentage of returns of clothing bought online. Inditex expects online sales to exceed 30 percent of total sales by 2024. ($1 = 0.9163 euros) Zelenskyy Vows to Defend Fortress Bakhmut, Hosts EU Leaders in Kyiv Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (L) pose for a picture ahead of EU summit in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 2, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters) KYIVUkrainians will fight for as long as we can to hold the eastern city of Bakhmut, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed on Friday, as he hosted European Union leaders to discuss further sanctions on Russia and Kyivs prospects for joining the EU. Meanwhile, the United States said it would send more than $2.175 billion worth of military aid to Ukraine, including a new rocket that will double Kyivs strike range to reach most Ukrainian territory now held by the Russians. The head of the EUs executive Commission and the chairman of the 27 EU national leaders were in Kyiv to demonstrate support for Ukraine as the first anniversary of Russias Feb. 24 invasion of its neighbor approaches. As they and Zelenskyys government discussed a range of issues, air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv and across the countrya regular occurrence during months of Russian missile attacks on Ukraines energy infrastructure far from the battlefields in the east and southbut there were no reports of new air strikes. Zelenskyy, flanked by the EU leaders at a news conference, said European sanctions should aim to ensure Russia cannot rebuild its military capability. And he had a defiant message on Bakhmut, the focal point of Ukrainian resistance to Russias invasion and of Moscows drive to regain battlefield momentum. Nobody will give away Bakhmut. We will fight for as long as we can. We consider Bakhmut our fortress, he said. Moscow says Russian forces are encircling the city that had a pre-war population of around 75,000 from several directions and battling to take control of a road which is also an important supply route for Ukrainian forces. If weapon [supplies] are accelerated, specifically long-range weapons, not only will we not abandon Bakhmut but we will also begin to remove the occupiers from the Donbas [region of eastern Ukraine], occupied since 2014, Zelenskyy said. The U.S. military aid announced on Friday included rockets known as Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB), whose 151 kilometer (94 mile) range would put all of Russias supply lines in eastern Ukraine within reach, as well as part of the Crimea peninsula, also seized by Moscow in 2014. No EU Fast Track EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said a 10th sanctions package would hit trade and technology that supports Russias war machine. The package, which the EU is preparing for the anniversary of the invasion, is set to fall short of some of Ukraines demands, and Kyivs ambition to join the EU may take longer than it would like. Ukraine applied to join the EU days after Russia invaded last year. The EU has embraced the application, but rebuffed Ukraines calls for a fast track to membership while the country is at war. EU officials have listed multiple membership requirements, from political and economic stability to adopting various EU laws. The process is likely to take years. The EU has demanded Kyiv tackle what is perceived as endemic state graft. Zelenskiy has announced dismissals and investigations of an array of officials in the past two weeks. Asked at the news conference with Zelenskyy about Kyivs membership bid, the Commissions von der Leyen said: There are no rigid timelines, but there are goals that you have to reach. EU countries agreed on Friday on a Commission proposal to set price caps on Russian oil products from Sunday to limit Moscows ability to fund the war. They include a $100 cap on premium oil products such as diesel and a $45 limit per barrel on discounted products such as fuel oil, diplomats said. A similar price cap on crude oil took effect in December. The Kremlin said the plan would unbalance global energy markets but Moscow was acting to mitigate its impact. Russia will almost treble its daily sales of foreign currency to 8.9 billion roubles ($130 million) a day over the next month to compensate for lower oil and gas revenue. Russias monthly budget revenues from oil and gas fell in January to their lowest level since August 2020 under the impact of Western sanctions, Finance Ministry data showed. Tanks The German government said it had approved the delivery of Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine from its stocks. The tanks could be delivered sooner than advanced Leopard 2s that Germany and other countries pledged last week. Ukraines defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said the new tanks being supplied by NATO nations would serve as an iron fist in a counteroffensive to smash through Russian lines. Russia has been intensifying pressure on Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine, where Kyiv says Moscow is sending thousands of soldiers and mercenaries to their deaths for small gains. They bring in men from their draft and try systematically to find places to break through, Serhiy Cherevatiy, a spokesman for the Ukrainian armed forces eastern front, told Ukrainian radio NV. Moscow says a major objective in Ukraine is securing the rest of Donetsk province, one of four it claimed to have unilaterally annexed last year. Its forces have claimed incremental gains over the past week around Bakhmut. A Belarusian volunteer fighting for Ukraine inside the city said there was no sign yet Ukrainian forces were planning to pull out. For the moment its the opposite, the positions are being reinforced where the Russians are trying to cut us off Were holding for now. Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield accounts. By Tom Balmforth and Dan Peleschuk A coal-supporting North Dakota lawmaker has introduced a bill aimed at giving counties and local residents more information and say about planned wind projects before they proceed, a move the state agriculture commissioner says could have broad negative impacts. Rep. Anna Novak, R-Hazen, shared her support for House Bill 1512 on Thursday before the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee, saying North Dakota needs adequate wind permitting laws to protect residents. Novak is co-founder of the Facebook group Faces of North Dakota Coal, which advocates for Coal Country. This bill is not meant to shut down the wind industry in North Dakota. It might force the wind companies to work a little bit harder. But I believe that these are both commonsense changes in our law, Novak said. Required hearing The first section of the bill would require a wind developer to host a hearing before seeking leases from landowners. This would give people living in the area of a planned wind project a chance to voice their favor or opposition before leases are signed, according to Novak. Knowing about a project before any wind leases are secured is very important for wind projects in particular because they have such a large footprint in terms of acres or miles, but also from the base of the turbine to the tips of the blades, she said. Novak said she hears that wind companies first approach people who dont live on the property and may even live outside of the state. They likely inherited the land or rent it out to a local farmer. In visiting with people that signed wind leases on their property, Ive heard so many times that the wind companies essentially target the nonresident landowners to secure leases first, she said. It seems to me that theyre the low-hanging fruit because those people dont live there and dont have to deal with any of the negative impacts of having a wind farm on their property. The North Dakota Public Service Commission permits energy projects such as wind farms, a process that includes hearings, though those hearings might not come before the leasing process commences. Exclusion zones The bill also would enable counties to create "exclusion zones" for a proposed energy project -- areas where a company couldn't build. "Examples may include areas of significant wildlife habitat, hunting and recreation hot spots, scenic areas attractive to tourists, and perhaps most significantly, property overlying valuable lignite coal reserves or other mineral resources subject to future exploitation," said written testimony from Geoff Simon, executive director of the Western Dakota Energy Association, which supports the bill. Levi Andrist, lobbyist for the wind industry in North Dakota, said county zoning officials already have the authority to create zoning districts for certain activities and already have the right to approve or deny projects. He added that the bill "doesn't provide any criteria for which an exclusion zone could be established." The bill "compromises property rights of landowners who want to lease the land for wind projects," Andrist said. "This is not required for pipelines, it's not required for electric transmission, it's not required for oil and gas or lignite extraction, it's not required for large commercial or industrial facilities and we don't believe it should be required for wind leases," he said. "If a landowner wants to lease property, they should be free to do so without government interference." North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said that too much local control leads to people responding to emotionally charged issues when they might not have enough experience or expertise when putting restrictions in place. ... Theres a lot of projects throughout North Dakota that ag facilities and value-added ag facilities are tied into. And thats where it really concerns me. And we already have too many issues with zoning, Goehring said. He added that it would expand the "not in my backyard" sentiment. Carlee McLeod, president of the Utility Shareholders of North Dakota, in written testimony said the bill has several issues. Local counties already have authority in their zoning laws, she said. It interjects county jurisdiction into state jurisdiction. If a county wants to create additional requirements for zoning, it has that ability. If a refinement is desired, that refinement should occur in the chapter of code defining county powers or at the county level, McLeod said, adding theres significant constitutional issues with landowner restrictions in other sections of the bill. The second part of the bill would help protect mineral ownership. State Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms testified in support of this section, saying mineral owners should be allowed to voice their opposition to a wind project in regards to the value of minerals on their land. You would think after 128 years, we would know everything there was to know about minerals in North Dakota. But we learn something new every year. So critical minerals and rare earth elements were not on anybodys radar even five years ago. But were discovering that theyre a very important potential mineral resources in North Dakota, Helms said. That release could not be found. Crackdown on illegal Phuket taxi drivers launched PHUKET: More than 100 Phuket taxi drivers massed in Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday (Feb 2) to protest people using privately registered cars as illegal taxis. The drivers complained they were losing money to the illegal operators, and called for officials to ramp up efforts to curtail the illegal practice. tourismtransporteconomicspatong By The Phuket News Friday 3 February 2023, 09:00AM Phuket Vice Governor Anupap Rodkwan Yodrambam and Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) Chief Adcha Buachan were present to welcome the drivers and receive their formal complaint. Thinnakorn Chommueang, President of the Patong Taxi Operators Association, said local, legal, taxi drivers had suffered from illegal taxis on the island, especially those operating through [phone] applications that are not yet certified, he said. Therefore would like to demand that the provincial governor issue a provincial order to government agencies to deal with illegal black taxis, distinguishing cars that are allowed to operate through the application is proper, he added. Legal taxis operating through apps should be easily identifiable, just as vehicles registered with green-coloured licence plates are, Mr Thinnakorn said. We also ask the governor to order the PLTO to suspend allowing any vehicles currently undergoing the process of being legally registered from being allowed to be used for work until the process has been completed, he said. Mr Thinnakorn also called for decisive penalty measures to be implemented as correct action. Because if the fine is too low, the compensation made from operating illegally would be more than the fine, he said. In addition, there must be strict and severe punishment measures for those who violate Phukets orders for bringing the wrong type of vehicle that has not been certified by the transport office to serve customers and tourists, Mr Thinnakorn continued. To protect his colleagues interests, Mr Thinnakorn also called for the PLTO to suspend processing applications to have any new taxis legally registered, including vehicles brought in from other provinces where the car is already legally registered as a taxi. For this, he also called for an immediate provincial order to be issued by the governor. This impacts business operators [sic] who want to do the right thing. Therefore, we are calling for a ban on the registration of vehicles from other provinces. But if permission is granted, it must also be granted to people who come to apply for Phukets green licence registration, Mr Thinnakorn said. Oddly, however, no complaints have been made public about the PLTO refusing local people from being allowed to register their cars as green plate taxis. Vice Governor Anupap and PLTO Chief Adcha received the formal complaint and thanked Mr Thinnakorn and his fellow drivers for their efforts. PLTO DEFENDS ACTION Mr Adcha later held a small press conference to explain his offices efforts so far in curtailing illegal taxi drivers on the island. Claims on social media that the PLTO has done nothing about this are true, he said. The PLTO has conducted intensive campaigns on social media warning people to not operate illegal taxis, he said. Further, from Sept 9, 2022 to Jan 31, 2023, we have acted on all 90 complaints received about this, with 33 cases resulting in fines, and [the remaining] 57 cases are still being processed, Mr Adcha said. The PLTO will work with the Phuket Provincial Police to monitor and arrest illegal taxis and take strict legal action, he added. Mr Adcha invited people to report illegal taxis operating in their area by calling the taxi complaint hotline 1584, contacting the PLTO through its Line account @704jhnxb, through the PLTO Facebook page or by the Traffy Fondue application. The PLTO will investigate the facts and take further legal steps, Mr Adcha assured. ORDER ISSUED In response to the protest, Vice Governor Anupap, acting on behalf of the Governor of Phuket, yesterday issued a formal notice ordering all government agencies to take action against illegal taxi drivers in Phuket. The notice, marked Regarding illegal use of private cars as taxis, explained, As there are people who bring illegal taxis to use for passenger pick-up services in the Phuket area, this si causing trouble for and affecting legal public transport operators and affecting the image of Phuket as a tourist city. The notice made it clear that operating private cars as taxis was illegal, and that the Phuket Provincial Police and the PLTO were to consider revoking the drivers licence and the vehicle registration of repeat offenders as punishment as required by law. Police and the PLTO were instructed to take active measures in the matter, the notice said. Hazy vape law makes waves BANGKOK: The laws regulating e-cigarettes have sparked controversy, prompting a cabinet minister to propose vaping be legalised while police have launched operations to crack down on the sale of the devices. policecorruption By Bangkok Post Friday 3 February 2023, 09:08AM Chaiwut: Thinks vaping should be legal. Photo: Bangkok Post The move came after a police officer allegedly demanded a foreign tourist pay B60,000 for possessing an e-cigarette in Pattaya, triggering a public debate on whether owning vaping devices should be illegal. Critics ask why the devices are so easily available in the country if they are against the law, reports the Bangkok Post. Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn admitted yesterday (Feb 2) that e-cigarettes are popular with certain groups of people in Thailand and are legal in many other countries. Vaping has become part of their way of life, he said. In countries where vaping is banned by law, people still find ways to sell and use them secretly, leading to illegal businesses and bribes [among authorities]. They are still sold both online and in markets [despite being illegal]. We should stop pretending [vaping has been successfully banned]. We are still struggling to deal with the problem. Most importantly, I think vaping should be legalised so the government can collect taxes from e-cigarettes for the benefit of the public. If vaping is decriminalised and related laws are amended to be compatible with peoples way of life, this would also help prevent bribery and corruption. I will also push for the decriminalisation of vaping to be a policy of the Palang Pracharath Party for the coming general election, said Mr Chaiwut, who is also a deputy leader of the ruling party. Pol Maj Gen Theeradet Thammasuthee, commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureaus (MPB) investigation centre, said the MPB commissioner, Pol Lt Gen Thiti Saengsawang, has instructed all 88 police stations in Bangkok to ramp up crackdowns on those who sell e-cigarettes. Previously, a senior sergeant major in the police force was transferred to an inactive post pending an investigation after he was alleged to have demanded B60,000 from a foreign tourist who was caught with a vape. His transfer came in the wake of a news report and associated photos that aired on Channel 3 on Tuesday. A Chinese tour guide reportedly sent a message to other guides in his group saying a tourist under his care had been detained for possessing a vape by a policeman who demanded the whopping amount. After some bargaining, the sum was reduced to B30,000. The incident allegedly occurred in Pattaya around Jan 28. After learning about the report, Pol Maj Gen Kampol Leelaprapakorn, the Chon Buri police superintendent, sent an urgent letter telling the chief of Pattaya police to investigate the matter. The probe found the policeman was Pol Snr Sgt Maj Noppakrit Pornwatanathanakij, a traffic police officer. Pol Maj Gen Kampol on Tuesday transferred him outside Pattaya to assist with the operations centre at Chon Buri police headquarters. A fact-finding committee has been set up. Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phiewphan, commissioner of the Office of Legal Affairs and Litigation under the Royal Thai Police, said e-cigarettes are banned under the Customs Act, the Public Health Ministry Act and an announcement issued by the Commerce Ministry. Pol Col Prateep Charoenkul, deputy secretary-general of the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB), said the OCPB takes tough legal action against anyone selling e-cigarettes. Even if those who possess them do not know they are illegal, the devices must be confiscated and destroyed, he said. Patcharapan Prajuablap, secretary-general of the Thailand Youth Institute, said courier firms must be better scrutinised so illegal products cannot be shipped into the country easily. Rotary Clubs rally for coral reef restoration PHUKET: Efforts by two chapters of the Rotary Club in Phuket will see 39 blocks of 3D printed concrete frames installed at an ailing reef off Koh Maithon, just over eight kilometres southeast of Cape Panwa, to help the corals thrive. environmentnatural-resources By The Phuket News Friday 3 February 2023, 10:57AM The Rotary Club of Patong Beach and the Rotary Club of Mining for Phuket on Wednesday (Feb 1) signed a Memorandum of Understandign (MoU) to deliver the concrete frames to the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO). The announcement on Wednesday was an all-star affair, attended by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew and Apichai Ekwanakul, Deputy Director General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), who is currently serving as Acting Director-General of the DMC. Also present were Phuket Marine Office Director Natchapong Pranit, DMCR Marine Resource Conservation and Restoration Division Director Paitoon Panchaiyaphum and DMCR Region 10 Director Wissanu Janjai. Also present representing the main sponsor of the project was Apirat Leelaprit, Director of the CPAC Solution Center in Phuket operated by Siam Cement Company Co Ltd (SCG). Signing the MoU on behalf of the Phuket Mining Rotary Club was President Sasawat Limpanich, and representing the Rotary Club of Patong Beach was President Puwanai Best Wanamakok. The project is being funded through the "Save Underwater World" project, with funds raised by the Rotary Clubs and SCG through a Lad Rak Lay event at Central Floresta Phuket shopping mall in October last year. Rewat Areerob, present at President of the PPAO, explained that the concrete frames will be delivered in three sets and deposited at the reef in a project starting on Feb 16. The frames have been confirmed and approved by the DMCR to help coral larvae grow, and thus help ailing reefs to recover, Mr Rewat said. It is a material that can help corals to grow naturally and also provides a habitat for a variety of marine fish at the site as well, he said. This mission is therefore a very important cooperation of all sectors to participate in the restoration of Phukets coral reefs. which are marine and coastal resources that are important to the ecosystem and the integrity of the sea and a source of income in terms of tourism and People in Phuket who rely on fishing for an income, he added. It also promotes the image of sustainable tourism of Phuket, Mr Rewat said. Following the MoU signing, the Phuket Mining Rotary Club in collaboration with the Phuket Non-Formal Private Schools Association gave away 30 helmets to students from schools in Phuket under the clubs Save Roads Save Lives project. On Demand We have a new story every day on the front page of thephuketnews.com. Also like us on our Facebook page (facebook.com/thephuketnews) and be the first to watch all the new stories. Finally you can watch any segment, any time by going to thephuketnews.com/tv where all the stories are listed for you to enjoy. All our programs can be enjoyed in High Definition when watching on the internet. In-Room VDO Doctors would face a felony charge for implanting reproductive material into unconsenting patients under a bill the North Dakota House of Representatives passed Thursday. House Bill 1140, brought by Rep. Bernie Satrom, R-Jamestown, passed unanimously. It criminalizes "sexual reproductive imposition." Satrom told the House Human Services Committee earlier that his inspiration for the bill came after watching a film on Netflix. "Our Father" is the story of an Indiana fertility doctor who used his own sperm to impregnate unknowing patients, fathering likely dozens of children in the 1970s and '80s. He ultimately was given a one-year suspended sentence in 2017 and paid a $500 fine after pleading guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice, according to The Associated Press. Indiana had no law specifically forbidding the doctor's conduct. Neither does North Dakota, according to Satrom. "This particular bill would allow us to discourage that kind of behavior. If somebody decided to do something, it would provide some very serious consequences," Satrom told the House panel last month. Rep. Kathy Frelich, R-Devils Lake, called the bill "proactive." "We can sit back and rely on the theory of 'North Dakota nice' or we can act today," Frelich told the House. The House passed the bill with no discussion. The bill now goes to the Senate. Transparency issues brought to light in the wake of late Attorney General Wayne Stenehjems death are the subject of bills that would disclose the owners of state-leased property and extend requirements for retaining government emails. The House Government and Veterans Affairs Committee on Thursday held a hearing on House Bill 1288, brought by Rep. Shannon Roers Jones, R-Fargo. The proposal would require state leases and rental agreements to list owners with an interest of 5% or more in the leased property. Rep. Corey Mock, D-Grand Forks, is backing House Bill 1528, which would require state agencies to develop policies for reviewing and disposing of state data. The legislation, which has attracted 10 Republican co-sponsors, also would require agencies to keep emails and accounts for 90 days after deletion for review by a records administrator. Mock noted that he plans to propose an overhaul of the bill during a hearing next week. Stenehjem unexpectedly died in January 2022 at age 68 due to cardiac arrest. His appointed successor, Drew Wrigley, made public in June a $1.8 million building cost overrun incurred under Stenehjem. While responding to open records requests about the overrun, Wrigley found that Stenehjems spokeswoman, Liz Brocker, had directed her bosss government email account be deleted days after his death. Brocker, who has since resigned, also directed the deletion of former Chief Deputy Attorney General Troy Seibels email account after he resigned in March. An investigative report prepared for lawmakers by State Auditor Josh Gallion last fall noted Rep. Jason Dockter, R-Bismarck, as a co-owner of the attorney generals leased building at 1720 Burlington Drive in south Bismarck. Dockter was Stenehjem's campaign treasurer in 2016 and 2018. The lawmaker has said he and Stenehejm were friends, "but it didn't have anything to do with" the building. Lawmaker-landlords Roers Jones, an attorney, said her bill seeks to increase transparency without creating prohibitions or difficulties for the state in leasing property. We dont want to limit the pool of properties that the state can consider, because then they may not be getting the best terms, Roers Jones said. We just want to make sure that the public understands or has the ability to see who the states doing business with. She said the bill is not specifically directed at one episode or issue. I think weve seen these questions about legislators leasing property to the state come up over the course of years, Roers Jones said. Information of property owners could be made available through the state facilities management director, who negotiates state leases, she told the House panel on Thursday. Roers Jones was the only person to testify on the bill. The House panel did not take immediate action on her bill. The Legislatures interim Government Administration Committee last year considered but did not advance bill drafts related to restrictions or disclosure of legislators' holdings in state-leased property. The interim panel also reviewed a list of state agency space needs and leases, including lessors, though some corporations didnt provide or refused to provide names of their owners. That panel carried out a study that reviewed state-leased property and whether any restrictions or prohibitions should be imposed related to state officials and lawmakers who are lessors to the state government. The study, approved by the 2021 Legislature, unfolded before Dockters ownership in the attorney generals building was made public. Dockter said Roers Jones bill should extend to 5% owners of any company that does any business with the state, including contractors. Why just pick one? If the whole idea behind the bill is to disclose and be transparent, then we should be transparent with everything, he said. He wouldnt state his stance on the bill, saying he hadnt seen its testimony. Dockter declined to comment on whether he has heard from the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation or the North Dakota Ethics Commission in regard to the building cost overrun and ethics complaints filed against him in relation to his role in the building situation, respectively. Wrigley last fall tasked Montana investigators with further probing of the overrun, at the urging of an audit panel of North Dakota lawmakers. Dockter has maintained there was no wrongdoing in the building lease or overrun. House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson, said its very fair to disclose which legislators own buildings or are partners in buildings that are leased to state agencies. Lets be transparent. Lets be open, he said. Email recovery Mock said the elimination of Stenehjems email account was a tragedy that his bill aims to prevent in the future. Brockers swift move to have her bosss emails wiped after his death revealed a lack of checks and balances, Mock said. That situation shed a lot of light into what is possible and what happens when we dont have a process in place to preserve literally decades of information and artifacts, he said. Information technology officials and a private tech consultant have been unable to recover the deleted email accounts. Mock said he plans to propose changes to the bill that would scrap the language it currently contains but advance the mission of preserving electronic records. The Democratic lawmakers suggested amendment would require agencies to develop a policy for reviewing emails, accounts and other state data after a triggering event, such as the death or firing of an employee. The amendment also would establish a one-year recoverability period for any deleted data stored within the states email system. Mock said further tweaks could be made to the plan. In current practice, agencies have their own policies for reviewing and disposing of records, but they must maintain emails that are subject to open records requests or legal holds. Lefor said the state government should have a policy to hold emails indefinitely and not to delete them. Wrigley has said he would institute a policy to retain indefinitely the emails sent and received by the attorney general, deputy attorney general and office division directors, though its unclear whether such a rule has been established. Wrigley did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Gov. Doug Burgum on Thursday signed his first bill of the 2023 Legislature. House Bill 1199 provides a $68 million line of credit through the state-owned Bank of North Dakota to help finance the construction of 13 planned career academies across the state. The goal is to help students pursue careers in the trades, health care, technology and other sectors to help meet the state's workforce needs. Workforce has been a priority of the governor. Establishing career academies across North Dakota is a critical piece of our comprehensive efforts to address the states workforce shortage, he said in a statement. Federal money through the U.S. Treasurys Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund might ultimately cover the $68 million, according to Burgum's office. The bill also provides $20 million to the Bank of North Dakota for its PACE program, which helps communities expand their economic base by assisting primary sector businesses that make an investment or create jobs in a community. Both the House and Senate unanimously approved the bill. SEAN BERGEL, Wheeler, Baseball, Junior; Bergel struck out eight and allowed only five hits as Wheeler defeated Griswold in its season opener. Bergel walked just one batter and allowed two earned runs. CAMI BROWN, Stonington, Softball, Junior; Brown finished 11 for 16 in four games for the Bears. Brown doubled four times, tripled twice and drove in nine runs. CASEY MACERA, Westerly, Girls Lacrosse, Freshman, Macera scored five goals in a Division III win against Rocky Hill. Westerly ended a 15-game losing streak with the victory. ADAM CARPENTER, Chariho, Baseball, Sophomore; Carpenter pitched a two-hitter in his varsity debut as the Chargers beat East Providence. Carpenter carried a no-hitter into the sixth. He struck out 10 and did not walk a batter. Vote View Results Israel expects to fully normalize ties with Sudan sometime later this year, Israels foreign minister said Thursday, after returning from a lightning diplomatic mission to the Sudanese capital. Eli Cohen spoke to reporters after a one-day trip to Khartoum that included high-level meetings with military leaders, including Sudans ruling general, Abdel-Fattah Burhan, who led a coup that overturned the countrys transitional government in 2021. The agreement is expected to be signed this year and it will be the fourth such accord, Cohen said, referring to the U.S.-brokered normalization deals with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco in 2020. For Sudans ruling generals, a breakthrough with Israel could help convince foreign countries, including the United States and the UAE, to inject financial aid into the struggling economy. Sudan remains mired in a political stalemate between a popular pro-democracy movement and the countrys powerful armed forces. Earlier in the day, Sudans Foreign Ministry said it would move forward to normalize full diplomatic ties with Israel. Sudan first signed a normalization agreement with Israel, joining Morocco, Bahrain, and the UAE in 2020 as part of the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords to establish full diplomatic ties. However, the process stalled amid widespread popular opposition in Sudan. The military coup in October 2021 then deposed Sudans government, upending the African countrys fragile democratic transition. Cohen said that he presented a draft peace treaty to the Sudanese that is expected to be signed after the transfer of authority to the civilian government that will be formed as part of the transition underway in the country. In its statement, the Sudanese ministry added that the talks aimed to strengthen cooperation in various sectors, including security and military. It also spoke of a need to achieve stability between Israel and the Palestinian people. A Sudanese military official close to the discussions said Thursdays talks also aimed to ease Israels concerns that a future civilian government in Khartoum could reverse the course of normalization. He said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, that Israel and the U.S. want to ensure that the deal would proceed even after the military steps aside from politics. In December, Sudans top generals and some political forces signed a broad pledge to remove the military from power and install a civilian government. But talks to reach a final and more inclusive peace agreement on the transition are still underway and the generals have yet to accede much of their power. Three Sudanese military officials told The Associated Press earlier in the day that full normalization of ties will not be achieved anytime soon. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the talks with reporters. Also earlier on Thursday, Netanyahu indicated a breakthrough was in the works. We are continuing to expand the circle of peace, he said before flying to France, noting that Chad, which borders Sudan, opened a new embassy in Israel earlier in the day. We will continue to expand and deepen the circle of peace with additional countries, both near and far, added Netanyahu, who returned to office in December. During his previous 12-year term as premier, his government made it a priority to forge ties with formerly hostile countries in Africa and the Arab world. Although Sudan does not have the influence or wealth of Gulf Arab countries, a deal with the African country even as it is mired in a deep political and economic crisis would be deeply significant for Israel. Sudan was once one of Israels fiercest critics in the Arab world and in 1993, the U.S. designated it a state sponsor of terrorism. The Trump administration removed Sudan from that list in 2020, a move meant to help the country revive its battered economy and end its pariah status, and an incentive to normalize relations with Israel. Cohen spoke about the upcoming agreement as a peace treaty because of the two nations long-standing animosity. Sudan hosted a landmark Arab League conference after the 1967 Mideast war where eight Arab countries approved the three nos: no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel and no negotiations. Under its autocratic ruler Omar al-Bashir, Sudan was also a pipeline for Israels archenemy Iran to supply weapons to Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip. Israel was believed to have been behind airstrikes in Sudan that destroyed a weapons convoy in 2009 and a weapons factory in 2012. (AP) New York Rep. Mike Lawler (NY-17) on Thursday hailed the ouster of Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, telling YWN that the Minnesota Democrat has no place being on the powerful panel. Omar was tossed from the committee in a 218-211 vote following raucous debate during which Democrats accused Republicans of targeting the congresswoman over her gender and faith. Lawler says nothing could be further from the truth, and it was the things she said and did which undid her. Her words and actions as a member of Congress have anti-Semitic, and people saying and doing those things dont belong on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Lawler said. The Committee is an important and powerful one it is seen around the world as speaking for United States views on foreign world affairs, and as such, we need responsible people whose views align with Americas foreign policy views, Lawler continued. Ilhan Omar has made clear that her positions do not comport with Americans views not on Israel and not on a host of other issues. She has not been held accountable for rhetoric throughout the years, including her stunning comment that some people did something on 9/11, which as a New Yorker, I found deeply offensive, he added. There are hundreds of other Democrats that can be appointed to the Foreign Affairs Committee. Ilhan Omar doesnt need to be on it, and she shouldnt be on it. I was proud to vote to kick her off and Id do again. My district has over 100,000 practicing Jews in it, and we cannot have such individuals on powerful committees when anti-Semitism is rising in New York and across the country, Lawler concluded. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Israels attorney-general has told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he must not be involved in an overhaul to the countrys judicial system proposed by his government, saying in a letter made public Thursday that he risks a conflict of interest in his ongoing trial. You must avoid as part of your role as prime minister involvement in initiatives related to the legal system, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara wrote to Netanyahu in the letter, which was sent Wednesday. She said that meant Netanyahu could also not direct others to advance the plan. The letter included an opinion by Baharav-Miaras deputy, saying the overhaul would benefit the prime minister in terms of the administration of his trial. It said the changes would allow the governing coalition to more easily advance legislation that could assist Netanyahu. Justice Minister Yariv Levin responded to the order by stating: It turns out that conflict of interest is a strange thing. An elected official is not allowed to talk about legal reform but the legal advisor and her staff are allowed to act to thwart the reform that directly concerns their powers. Coalition chairman Likud MK Ophir Katz said that the letter is absolutely absurd, aside from being an attempt to silence people. Prime Minister Netanyahu went to elections with all these issues presented to the general public, including judicial reform, and we received a clear mandate from the public to implement these reforms. If we take the attorney generals words to their logical conclusion, every single judge and legal adviser would also be barred from commenting or intervening on the reforms due to their conflict of interest. This incident is just one more piece of evidence showing how desperately we need these reforms in order to restore our democracy to where it should be. Its a crazy legal situation in which the attorney-general who is in a conflict of interest is allowed to issue an opinion and speak about the issues on the agenda, while the prime minister is banned from being involved, wrote Kol BRamah reporter Yisrael Cohen. This is exactly why judicial reform is needed! Amir Fuchs, a senior researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank, said Baharav-Miaras position wont affect the plans progress. He said the attorney generals position is binding, meaning Netanyahu wont be able to deal with the legal changes, and neither will any of his political appointees on his behalf. But ministers in his government should be able to, he said. (YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem & AP) The United States and the Philippines announced an expansion of Americas military presence in the Southeast Asian country on Thursday, with U.S. forces granted access to four more military camps, effectively giving Washington new ground to ramp up deterrence against China. The agreement between the longtime allies was made public during the visit of U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who has led efforts to strengthen Americas security alliances in Asia in the face of Chinas increasing assertiveness toward Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The allies also said that substantial progress has been made in projects at five Philippine military bases, where U.S. military personnel were earlier granted access by Filipino officials. Construction of American facilities at those locations has been underway for years but has been hampered by unspecified local issues. Austin thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whom he briefly met in Manila, for allowing the U.S. military to broaden its presence in the Philippines, Washingtons oldest treaty ally in Asia. I have always said that it seems to me that the future of the Philippines and for that matter the Asia-Pacific will always have to involve the United States simply because those partnerships are so strong, Marcos told Austin. American leaders have long sought to reorient U.S. foreign policy to better reflect the rise of China as a significant military and economic competitor. Thursdays announcement comes as tensions between China and Taiwan have risen. China claims the self-ruled island as its own territory to be taken by force if necessary and Beijing has sent warships, bombers, fighter jets and support aircraft into airspace near Taiwan on a near-daily basis, sparking concerns of a potential blockade or military action. China and the Philippines, along with Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, have also been locked in increasingly tense territorial disputes over the busy and resource-rich South China Sea. Washington lays no claims in the strategic waters but has deployed its warships and fighter and surveillance aircraft for patrols that it says promote freedom of navigation and the rule of law but have infuriated Beijing. In a televised news conference with his Philippine counterpart, Carlito Galvez Jr., Austin gave assurances of U.S. military support and said the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which obligates the U.S. and the Philippines to help defend each other in major conflicts, applies to armed attacks on either of our armed forces, public vessels or aircraft anywhere in the South China Sea. We discussed concrete actions to address destabilizing activities in the waters, Austin said without elaborating. This is part of our effort to modernize our alliance and these efforts are especially important as the Peoples Republic of China continues to advance its illegitimate claims in the West Philippine Sea. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswomen Mao Ning accused the U.S. on Thursday of pursuing its selfish agenda with the new arrangement. Beijing has long been criticized U.S.-Philippine military cooperation as an effort to contain its growing influence. The U.S. has adhered to a Cold War zero-sum mentality and strengthened military deployment in the region, Mao told reporters at a daily briefing. This is an act that escalates tensions in the region and endangers regional peace and stability. In their news conference, Austin and Galvez declined to provide more details on the agreement. The U.S. defense chief said it did not mean the re-establishment of permanent American bases but noted that its a big deal. Galvez said there was a need for more consultations, including with local officials in provinces where visiting U.S. forces would establish a presence in Philippine military camps. A few dozen leftist activities held a noisy protest Thursday and set a mock U.S. flag ablaze outside the main military camp where Austin held talks with his Philippine counterpart. While the two countries are allies, leftist groups and nationalists have resented and often protested boisterously against the U.S. military presence in this former American colony. The country used to host two of the largest U.S. Navy and Air Force bases outside the American mainland. The bases were shut down in the early 1990s after the Philippine Senate rejected an extension, but American forces later returned for large-scale combat exercises with Filipino troops. The Philippine Constitution prohibits the permanent basing of foreign troops and their involvement in local combat. The countries Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement allows visiting American forces to indefinitely stay in rotating batches in barracks and other buildings they construct within designated Philippine camps with their defense equipment, except nuclear weapons. Philippine military and defense officials said in November the U.S. had sought access to five more local military camps mostly in the northern Philippine region of Luzon. Two of the additional camps where the U.S. wanted to gain access are in Cagayan province near Luzon islands northern tip, across a sea border from Taiwan, the Taiwan Strait and southern China. Other camps that would host American forces are along the countrys western coast, including in the provinces of Palawan and Zambales, which face the disputed South China Sea. The Philippine-US alliance has stood the test of time and remains ironclad, the allies said in their statement. We look forward to the opportunities these new sites will create to expand our cooperation together. Austin is the latest high-ranking American official to travel to the Philippines after Vice President Kamala Harris visited in November in a sign of warming ties after a strained period under Marcoss predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte had nurtured cozy ties with China and Russia and at one point threatened to sever relations with Washington, eject American forces and abrogate the Visiting Forces Agreement that allows thousands of American forces to come each year for large-scale combat exercises. I am confident that we will continue to work together to defend our shared values of freedom, democracy and human dignity, Austin said. As you heard me say before, the United States and the Philippines are more than just allies. Were family. (AP) As violent crime continues to plague the Big Apple, New Yorkers are losing their patience with Mayor Eric Adams, particulalry over his leadership in the area of crime. A new poll from Quinnipiac finds that the mayors approval rating has dropped to just 37% Joe Biden territory, if you will compared to 43% who disapprove of his job performance. New Yorkers main issue? Crime, of course. In all 5 boroughs, a majority or plurality said that crime in the city is their greatest concern. A law-and-order mayor confronts a cold winter of discontent as crime far eclipses all other voters concerns, Quinnipiac analyst Tim Malloy said of the poll result. For his part, Adams said that hes not concerned by his dipping poll numbers. Polls go up and down, up and down. Were just going to do what we do and thats produce for New Yorkers, Adams said. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Fox News star host Tucker Carlson pounded away at former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson after the latter said he was horrified at Carlsons bad ideas. Speaking at the Atlantic Council in Washington on Wednesday, Johnson blasted Carlson for pushing back against U.S. support for Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia. Ive been appalled to discover how many people Ive just been here for a couple days and its been wonderful I always have a wonderful time in Washington. But Ive been amazed and horrified by how many people are frightened by a guy named Tucker Carlson, Johnson said. Has anybody heard of a guy named Tucker Carlson? What is it with this guy? Bad ideas are starting to infect some of the thinking around the world about what Putin stands for, he added. Less than a day prior to Johnsons comments, Carlson said he had invited the former prime minister to his show to explain why Western countries should continue arming Ukraine. At one point he considered coming on this show to make his case, Carlson claimed. Boris Johnson is a famously erudite and articulate man. If theres one person in politics who might be able to explain how a third world war against Russia might conceivably strengthen the West and not just further empower China, it would probably be Boris Johnson. Carlson had a different perspective on Boris Johnson on Wednesday night. All these cowards in Washington are afraid of this show, Boris Johnson said derisively, Carlson stated. Yet, somehow he never mentioned that he is one of them. Again, we had just invited Johnson on this show hours before he said that. It was remarkable and remarkably dishonest. We knew that Johnson himself was a coward. We watched during Covid as he transitioned into a terrified old woman, but we had no idea he was also a liar. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Nechama Dina Krinsky, Vilna Yes, a criminal case has been lodged against me. Many people have asked me about the criminal charges Im facing; what caused them and what they can do to help. Allow me to share a little behind-the-scenes insight into our almost 29 years of our Shlichus in Lithuania, perhaps you will get a fuller picture. A Brief History My husband and I first visited Vilna for Purim 1994. A tiny advert in the local paper brought over 600 people to the Shul for a lively Purim celebration. That sealed our decision to become the Shluchim here. We were ready to work hard. Vilna had been a bastion of Yiddishkeit for generations but by this time the local community had been decimated by communism which had all but finished off what was left after the destruction of World War II. We were ready for challenges. Intermarriage and ignorance were rampant and many local Jews didnt even know they were Jewish. But we werent ready to have to handle the corruption and deceitfulness inherited from 50 years of Soviet occupation. At first, we were in for the shock of our lives! To this day, as we think weve seen the worst of it, we discover how much lower people can fall. Especially when there is money on the line. Since moving here later in 1994, just after Gimmel Tammuz, our activities faced abuse and attacks. In 1995 our kindergarten was shut down forcefully for one month; in 1996 a prosecutor hauled my husband in for questioning to try to intimidate us not to start a school. The health department was weaponized against us, resulting in us being forced to pay $10,000 to destroy 2 containers of perfectly good food. And these are just a few of the more significant of the insidious and devious tactics we encountered. We were admittedly a little naive; we had expected hard work, but we hadnt expected mob tactics and criminal behavior to be directed against us. It was a harsh introduction to the culture in the former Soviet Union, where perceived competition is destroyed, using any possible underhanded method. Who was behind it all? We realized almost immediately that something wasnt right. Soon after moving to Vilna the formal organization known as the Lithuanian Jewish Community (LJC), the entity who had initially asked Lubavitch HQ for a rabbi, asked my husband to help them take over the Shul. This raised red flags; the Shul was an independent organization. They were a secular, cultural organization for what purpose did they want to control the shul? Well, as they say, follow the money. We soon discovered that their effort to subvert and take control of another local independent Jewish organization, the Shul, was so that they could gain control of the soon to be restituted pre-World War II Jewish property that the Shul was about to receive from the Lithuanian government. They were very disappointed to learn that we came to Lithuania for one purpose only: To rebuild Yiddishkeit. And certainly not to get embroiled in their fight. Instead we started a summer camp; we founded a kindergarten and soon after, a school. We built a Chabad House, a Mikvah, a soup kitchen and established ongoing programming in smaller cities. Their fight for control never interested us and we focused on our work. BH, we performed many brissen. In 2001, our school had the very first 12th grade graduating class of a Jewish school in this country since the Holocaust. A number of our school graduates are making an impact in Jewish communities around the globe as Shluchos. In 2004, there was an expectation that the Lithuanian government was going to imminently create a restitution fund to distribute millions of Euros in lieu of returning communal religious property (such as Shuls, schools, etc.). Due to our ongoing impactful work in the local Jewish community, which was impossible for them to hide, the LJC leadership became terrified that we were going to end up with the restitution money they so desperately wanted. Their logic made sense; after all, we were the only ones spreading Yiddishkeit around Lithuania. However, instead of working with us, the LJC began to do everything in their power to try to shut us down. This even led to their perpetrating violent attacks against us. In one instance, my husband was accosted and physically thrown out of the Shul, which the LJC had since managed to take over. The Good Will Foundation It took longer than expected to receive the restitution money. In 2014, the Good Will Foundation (GWF) restitution fund was finally established, headed by the new LJC leader, Faina Kukliansky and Andrew Baker of the American Jewish Committee (AJC). At that point, the attempts to undermine all of our activities skyrocketed. Every request to the GWF for funding for Chabad or our School, or any other funding request, was summarily denied. They did their best to ignore our requests and when they couldnt they would employ subversive Soviet style tactics to undermine and try to force the closure of the school and cause an end to all Chabad work in Lithuania. Criminal Case with Huge red flags from the onset This just about brings us to where we are today. In August of 2021, twenty or so investigators, police and firemen descended on our school looking to take me in for questioning, sawing through a bullet proof door to force their way inside (I was not there). A few days later as I was in a government office filing some paperwork, I was arrested and taken to prison for 30 hours. At this point, I still had no idea what this was about, but from the many years of experience, I was quite sure who was behind it At a hastily arranged court case the prosecutor asked that I be jailed for two months over Tishrei! The judge rejected the prosecutors request, but instead subjected me to partial house arrest (6 PM to 7 AM) and forced me to wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet for three months. After the three months ended, this prosecutor (who is also the prosecutor in my criminal case) asked that these degrading restrictions be continued, but Baruch Hashem they were not. What was the accusation? In 2017 financial struggles threatened the schools continued existence. We tried valiantly to raise emergency funds which is not easy due to the lack of wealthy donors in Lithuania. The GWF was again approached with requests for urgent funding, which were again denied and ignored, forcing the schools closure. As the director of the school, they are now accusing me personally of intentionally causing its closure in 2017. While there is no crime in closing the school, the allegation is that it was done intentionally. This is considered a criminal offense, which carries a possible prison term. Corruption! Why was I being treated like a violent criminal for doing nothing wrong! The allegations are completely unfounded. Yet, the judge in the criminal case has continued to plow forward with the case, seemingly ignoring this evidence. In fact, her aggressive attitude towards me has now led to her denying me the possibility to travel to the Kinus HaShluchos! This entire case has been prosecuted as if I was guilty until proven innocent, while I am simply a Shlucha trying to do the Rebbes work under increasingly challenging circumstances! In fact, the current criminal case began a few months after an unsuccessful attempt to open other bogus criminal cases against my husband and I in connection with three young children that weve adopted. Boruch Hashem that case was closed before it reached court. But it still cost us a lot of time, gezunt, money, and most importantly took away from our Shlichus and our family! I hope this helps you understand the circumstances that were facing. It is certainly the most painful and difficult period of our shlichus. And while we dont know how it will all play out, were confident that the Rebbes brochos which have kept us going until this point will continue to protect and guide us going forward. Appreciation Ill conclude on a positive note. The outpouring of love, donations, Tehillim and support we have received since this has gone public are a huge comfort to me. To know that you care so much, is beyond words. It is so deeply appreciated! Thank you so much to each of you for whatever you have done and are doing; I feel the strength of your tefillos, your love and your support, which with the Rebbes brochos and Chassidim ayn mishpocha will see us through to victory! Thank you so much, Nechama Dina Krinsky P.S. If you are interested in more details about what I wrote, here is a link to my husbands blog: rabbikrinsky.blogspot.com Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the Republican address to the nation in response to President Joe Bidens State of the Union speech next week as the GOP seeks to show its creating a new generation of leaders. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell announced the role for Sanders, 40, the nations youngest governor, on Thursday. While President Biden keeps repeating old mistakes and failing Americans, a rising generation of Republican Governors are fighting for families, advancing new solutions, and winning, McConnell said in a statement. Sanders, the first woman elected governor of Arkansas, said she relished the opportunity to contrast the GOPs vision for the future against that of Biden and his fellow Democrats. We are ready to begin a new chapter in the story of America to be written by a new generation of leaders, she said. The daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sanders has signed several executive orders that have been cheered by conservatives since taking office last month. They include restrictions on public schools teaching critical race theory and a ban on TikTok on state devices. Shes also said her priority is getting Arkansas majority-Republican Legislature to approve education reform legislation that shes indicated will include some form of using public money to pay for private schooling or home schooling Before becoming governor, Sanders served as White House press secretary for President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019. She left the White House in 2019 to return to Arkansas, and had Trumps endorsement in her bid for governor. Biden, 80, will deliver the address on Tuesday Feb. 7. (AP) "I will address the issues before the court based on the appropriate standard of review, applying the applicable rules of interpretation. I will strive to do so based on the law, putting aside my personal views. I do not believe in judicial activism, which is generally defined as when judges or justices decide cases to advance their personal policies or views. I believe it is the role of the Legislature to determine policy, not the courts." -- New North Dakota Supreme Court Justice Douglas Bahr, before assuming his duties last week. q q q We need a functional building, not a Goldman Sachs building. -- Burleigh County Commissioner Steve Schwab, on the higher-than-expected cost of moving county offices to the Provident Building -- a project that is now on hold. q q q "(We) looked at each other and asked, You ready? and then headed down in that direction. It felt like an immediate adrenaline rush and like a switch flipped." -- University of Mary senior nursing student Josh Sipes, who with his girlfriend, Gracie Zottnick, came to the aid of a woman who suffered a medical emergency on a flight from Orlando, Florida, to Bismarck. q q q Theres nothing left. -- Kevin Cuba, son of Susan Hawks, who was burned along with her husband, Levi Hawks, when their Mandan mobile home exploded last month. A GoFundMe effort has been organized to help the couple. q q q Im not an overly emotional guy but it's kind of nice to know that you have another family member out there. -- Bismarck resident Jake O'Connell, who discovered through a DNA testing kit that he had a half sister 1,000 miles away in Texas. q q q With such limited snowfall we've dropped off our pace of reaching record-setting snowfall. Of course, we know that all it takes is one storm to get us right back into the running." -- National Weather Service Meteorologist Megan Jones, on Bismarck falling off the pace for a record winter snowfall in the city due to a dry January. q q q The idea is to have homicide investigators converging back from the bodies to the hub. You want to put paranoia and accountability as far up the supply chain as you can. -- Ladd Erickson, states attorney in McLean and Sheridan counties, on a bill aimed at punishing high-volume drug dealers, including those tied to overdose deaths. q q q Its not about how much this will cost, but how much it will benefit. -- Activist Carel Two-Eagle, of Standing Rock, on legislation that aims to provide universal free lunches and to end lunch debt shaming for students in North Dakota public schools. q q q We didnt come to the court for money, but it becomes a point of financial irresponsibility for someone to become a judge at some point. -- North Dakota Supreme Court Justice Daniel Crothers, on low salaries in North Dakota for judges and justices compared to other states. q q q "If the energy commission is to be replaced with a better structure for developing future energy policy, a green light today will send a message that solar -- no matter how small they are -- needs a place at the table, if we're serious about a comprehensive energy policy for the future." -- Sen. Mark Weber, R-Casselton, sponsor of a since-rejected bill to add a solar energy representative to North Dakota's EmPower Commission, an energy policy advisory group for the state. Federal authorities are investigating a military veterans claim that U.S. Rep. George Santos raised $3,000 for life-saving surgery for his pet dog several years ago, then never turned over the money for the animals care, according to a published report. U.S. Navy veteran Richard Osthoff told Politico on Wednesday that two FBI agents contacted him after he went public last month with his story about his experiences with Santos in 2016. Osthoff told the news site he gave the agents text messages he exchanged with Santos, who at the time was going by the name Anthony Devolder. Im glad to get the ball rolling with the bigwigs, Osthoff said. I was worried that what happened to me was too long ago to be prosecuted. The local news site Patch reported last month that Osthoff, now 47, was living in a roadside tent in Howell, New Jersey, in May 2016 when his pit bull mix, Sapphire, developed a life-threatening stomach tumor. A veterinary technician connected Osthoff to Santos pet charity, Friends of Pets United, Osthoff said. Authorities have said the group was not a registered charity. According to Osthoff, Santos set up a GoFundMe account and raised $3,000 for Sapphires surgery but never turned it over. Sapphire died in 2017. Santos, a Republican, has declined to answer questions about the matter and also refused to do so at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday. In a tweet on Jan. 19, however, he wrote that the reports that I would let a dog die is (sic) shocking & insane. My work in animal advocacy was the labor of love & hard work. Over the past 24hr I have received pictures of dogs I helped rescue throughout the years along with supportive messages, he wrote. A message seeking comment was left with Santos attorney, Joseph Murray. Santos is already facing investigations over multiple lies he told about his life story, work history and family background. The congressman announced on Tuesday that he is temporarily stepping down from two congressional committees, saying in a prepared statement that he wanted to focus on serving his constituents without distraction. Another veteran who worked with Osthoff in his fruitless quest to save Sappires life told The Associated Press he could hardly believe Santos would renege on his promise to help. I said, Rich, why dont you just relax; nobody wants to take money away from a disabled veteran and his sick dog. Im sure this is a mistake, said Michael Boll, a retired Union Township, New Jersey, police officer and founder of a group called the New Jersey Veterans Network. Boll said he talked to Santos on the phone, telling him, You dont have any right to this money. Either give it all back to the people who donated it, or give it to a veterinarian Rich will choose in his area so hed have a credit to take the dog there for treatment. Anthony wanted nothing to do with that and refused to take any further calls from me, Boll said. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Brooklyn said he could not comment on whether the office is investigating the fundraising drive for Osthoffs dog. (AP) By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com About 14 years ago, Dr. Spencer Johnson wrote a book titled Who Moved My Cheese? Its a parable about four mice that had it all, but then their world collapsed when their cheese disappeared. There are profound moral lessons in that book. In the past 14 months, the wholesale cost of potato kugel for yeshivos and shuls has doubled in price. Last year, yeshivos paid $30 for a large 18 x 26 pan of kugel. Now the price is $60 or more. For shuls that pay for their own Kiddush and slice that kugel into 50 pieces rather than 60, the wholesale cost of each slice of kugel is a whopping $1.20 a slice! It seems that there are four major factors that have contributed to the potato kugel crisis, The four factors are listed below in the order of the impact they have on the price of kugel. Eggs The price of eggs has shot up enormously on the wholesale level as well as on the retail level. The cost of a dozen eggs has risen to an absurd $7.99 in some local stores, and in Elis Market, a gourmet grocery store in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the cost of a dozen eggs was at $17.99! According to the U.S. border patrol on the U.S.Mexican border, the number of egg and poultry seizures more than doubled from October 1 to December 31. Vegetable Oil More than almost any other commodity, vegetable oil prices have skyrocketed. The cost of a 3-liter container now hovers between $13 and $19. An analysis by the International Food Policy Research Institute, a global research group, has stated that supply tightened prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine due to drought in South America, a typhoon in Malaysia, and labor shortages due to restrictions on mobility during the pandemic. Potatoes According to tradingeconomics.com, in the past six months alone (July 1, 2022 to February 1, 2023) the price of potatoes has risen an astounding 212% percent. Labor Potato kugel manufacturing, even if the company has one of those high-end Hobart 6460M potato-peeling machines, is a labor-intensive product, and the cost of labor has also skyrocketed in the post-pandemic era. The $12-per-hour employee is long gone, and workers are now demanding $16 or more per hour. Not The Time For Boycotts It is this authors view that on account of these unavoidable factors, a boycott should not be implemented. Halachically, boycotts should only be implemented when there is genuine price gouging, termed by the Torah as onaah. So lets get some background. The Torah (Vayikra 25:14) speaks of onaah, financial and verbal oppression. When you make a sale to your fellow or make a purchase from the hand of your fellow, you shall not oppress one another. Our sages (Bava Metzia 58b) state that this oppression refers to oppressive pricing. There is another verse that also discusses oppression, which, the sages state, refers to verbal or psychological oppression. Both Violations Many authorities (see Minchas Chinuch 67 and Dibros Moshe B.M. 53:1) write that one who financially oppresses an individual is also in violation of the second verse because whenever there is financial oppression there is also a psychological oppression, since being taken advantage of financially is also a form of psychological oppression. What is onaah all about and does it apply in the above situation? The general rule is that if a store charges above the market cost, this is considered financial oppression, onaah. It makes no difference if the purchaser was aware of the overpricing or not (Rema 227:7 based on the Mordechai 307:7). The laws of onaah apply to sales, purchases, and even rentals (S.A. 227:32). It applies to precious stones as well (S.A. 227:15). Here, however, most of our retailers are not charging prices that are above other markets. A quick stop at stores catering to other ethnicities reveals this. Types Of Onaah (A) If the overpricing is within 16.67 % of the market price (B) If the overpricing is exactly 16.67% above the market price (C) If the overpricing is above 16.67% of the market price. There is a debate among the Rishonim (Sefer HaChinuch and Baal HaMaor) whether one is fully permitted to charge within 16.67% of the market price or whether it is prohibited to do so, but if one did it the sale remains valid (Ramban). If it is exactly 16.67% more, then the sale remains valid but the overcharge must be returned. If the overcharging is over 16.67% then the victim may reverse the validity of the sale if he so wishes (see S.A. Y.D. 227:4). How Is Market Value Determined? There are two situations in which market value is determined: (1) If there is a set market price for the item; and (2) if there is a range of prices. If there is a set market price for the item in that neighborhood, some poskim hold that there is a problem of onaah even if it is less than 16.67% (see Aruch HaShulchan 227:7 and Machane Efraim onaah Siman 7). There is a debate in regard to where there is a range of prices in the community. The Beis Yosef (C.M. 209) suggests that onaah does not exist in such a situation. Most poskim (see Bach and Shach cited in Shevet HaLevi Vol. V #218) hold that even if there is a range of prices there is still a prohibition of onaah. Some poskim write that the figure is calculated by determining 16.67% above the highest price for the item within the range. Others write that one calculates 16.67% above the median price of the item. Rabbi Yaakov Yeshayahu Blau, ztl, in his Pischei Choshen (Vol. IV p. 296) seems to feel that this is the most authoritative view. There is another view that the determination of the market price is based upon what the majority of vendors sell the item for (Imrei Yosher Vol. II #155). This may also be the view of the Heishiv Moshe (Responsa #102). (It is possible that the Heishiv Moshe may be in agreement with Rav Blau, however, as the language is not clear.) There is another understanding of these halachos as propounded by Rav Chaim Kohn, shlita, in his sefer titled Hilchos Mishpat (page 294). His view, confirmed by this author in conversation with Rav Kohn, is that the true market price is determined by supply and demand and what the market will tolerate. Therefore, according to Rav Kohn, even if there is a minority of people who will purchase the item without looking at the price, this is still considered to be a valid market price. When this author suggested to Rav Kohn that this opinion may almost negate the concept of onaah, he responded as follows: In your example, where three stores price an item at $20 per pound and a fourth store prices it at $30 per pound, there are still buyers. Yet there would be no buyers at $50 per pound. The $50 would be considered onaah. Rav Kohns view was not accepted by the author of the Pischei Choshen and it seems it was not accepted by rabbanim with whom I had spoken in the area. Ignored Area Of Halachah If it is true that Rav Blaus view is the normative halachic view, then it would seem that there would be an obligation upon the store managers to determine the upper pricing limits of numerous items before they price their goods. This would seem to place an extraordinary strain upon the managers and owners of stores and supermarkets that sell numerous items. Yet, many poskim with whom this author consulted are of the opinion that it should be done. There are also times when there is onaah where the buyer took advantage of the seller and purchased the item for a price 16.67% below the market price (S.A. 227:1). Indeed, there is an opinion where even those who assist in a sale are in violation of the prohibition of onaah (Responsa Mishkenos Yaakov #59). Exceptions The laws of negating a sale or refunding the excess 16.67% do not apply to real estate. The laws of onaah do not apply to barter (S.A. 227:20) If a person fully understood the value of the item and agreed to the onaah, then there is no onaah negating the sale (S.A. 227:21). If he merely said that he is mochel the onaah but did not know the true value of the item, the laws of onaah still apply. If the quality of the item being sold is unavailable in the market, then this is certainly an exception where the laws of onaah do not apply. When there is no existent market for an item, onaah does not apply (Hilchos Mishpat page 294). The Aruch HaShulchan (227:7) writes that there may be a distinction between someone who sells a high volume of the item versus someone who only sells a small quantity of the particular item. Some poskim further qualify this by saying that onaah only applies when the prices are not so wide-ranging. However, if the prices are very extreme, then the laws of onaah do not apply at all. It is interesting to note that the Chofetz Chaim writes in his Laws of Rechilus (Sefer Chofetz Chaim, Siman 10 and 11) that if it is clear that the laws of onaah do apply, anyone who is aware of it should inform the vendor. Is Something So High Priced Considered Part Of Hotzaos Shabbos? The Gemara in Beitzah (Beitzah 12a) uses the expression, Borrow on My account and I shall paylavu allai vAni poreia. Hashem covers these expenses and He underwrites the costs. Does the exception apply to food items that have skyrocketed in price? The Shitah Mekubetzes (Beitzah 15b) cites the Ritvas view that all expenditures for mitzvos are included within this exemption. According to the Ritva, you get back any money that you spend on any mitzvah. The Gemara itself extends the exemption to expenses for talmud Torah for ones children and for rosh chodesh as well. Perhaps this might give precedent to include high-priced Shabbos expenditures to be exempted too. Rabbi Daniel Kleinman posed the question to Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky, shlita (Koveitz Hilchos Shabbos Vol. I page 11), as to whether purchases that one may consume on Shabbos but are not necessarily so are included in hotzaos Shabbos. Rav Kamenetsky responded that they are. Excessive or luxurious purchases, however, would not be included unless the person is on a remarkably high level of bitachon, a level that is not found in modern times. Rav Elyashiv, ztl, seems to have had a more nuanced view. The Shvus Yitzchak (section on electricity, 19:1) cites a ruling from Rav Elyashiv that the concept only includes tzorchei Shabbos and not luxuries. The Aruch HaShulchan (O.C. 250:4) writes quite clearly, however, that purchasing more meat and wine are included in the expense exemption. Perhaps the contradiction could be resolved by assuming that only in regard to extra meat and wine do we say that they fit into the definition of tzorchei Shabbos, the needs of Shabbos. Rav Nissim Karelitz, ztl, in his Chut Shani (Vol. I, pp. 4648) writes that expenses for the Shabbos eiruv would also be exempted. Rav Karelitz also deals with the issue of purchasing from a more expensive store. He concludes that if it is within the persons general budgetary means, then the more expensive local store is exempt, but if it is beyond what he would normally spend, it would not be included. He adds the caveat that even if it is within his means, it is only exempt if it would otherwise interfere with the persons Shabbos preparations. We can also perhaps see this idea from Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzattos explanation in his Mesilas Yesharim. He writes that Rav Nachman would contemplate what he would do according to his means to honor another person. The operative term is according to his means. On another note, Rav Chaim Kanievsky, ztl, was asked (see Ohr LYaakov page 72) whether the exemption included guests who would have their own food to eat had they not been invited. He responded that these expenditures are also exempt. The Moral Lessons Lessons can be drawn from Dr. Johnsons amusing book, and they apply to potato kugel as well. Economic factors have essentially moved our potato kugel away just as the cheese was moved from our four hapless mice characters. Thinking too much about your potato kugel might paralyze you, so just start looking for a better way or change up the recipe. We also have to realize that nothing but Hashem and Torah lasts forever, so lets all keep our eyes open for any changes that come. Kol ma david Rachmana ltav avidwhatever Hashem does is for the good. The author can be reached at [email protected]. Read more of Rabbi Hoffmans articles at 5TJT.com. The U.S. was tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon spotted over American airspace, and China said Friday that it would look into those reports, as the discovery further strained already tense relations between Beijing and Washington. The Pentagon decided not to shoot down the balloon, which was potentially flying over sensitive sites, because of concerns of hurting people on the ground. The news came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was expected to make his first trip to Beijing this weekend. The visit has not been formally announced, and it was not immediately clear if the balloons discovery would affect his travel plans. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she had no information on the trip. But she said China has no intention of violating the territory and airspace of any sovereign country and urged calm while the facts are established. Blinken would be the highest-ranking member of President Joe Bidens administration to visit China, on a mission to mitigate a sharp downturn in relations between the countries amid trade disputes and concerns about Beijings increasingly aggressive stance toward Taiwan and in the South China Sea. A senior American defense official told Pentagon reporters Thursday that the U.S. has very high confidence that the object spotted over U.S. airspace in recent days was a Chinese high-altitude balloon and that it was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nations three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. The defense official said the U.S. has assessed that the balloon has limited value in terms of providing intelligence that couldnt be obtained by other technologies, such as spy satellites. It was not clear what will happen with the balloon if it isnt brought down. Mao said China was working to understand the situation in the hopes that both sides can handle this together calmly and carefully. China is a responsible country and has always strictly abided by international laws, and China has no intention of violating the territory and airspace of any sovereign country, she said. A day earlier, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said similar balloon activity has been seen in the past several years and the government has taken steps to ensure no sensitive information was stolen. He said the balloon was traveling well above the height commercial aircraft fly at and didnt present a threat to people on the ground. Biden was briefed and asked the military to present options, according to a senior administration official, who was also not authorized to publicly discuss sensitive information. The senior defense official said the U.S. prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot down the balloon if ordered. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, advised against taking kinetic action because of risks to the safety of people on the ground. Biden accepted that recommendation. Even though the balloon was over a sparsely populated area of Montana, its size would create a debris field large enough that it could have put people at risk. The defense official would not specify the size of the balloon but said commercial pilots could spot it from their cockpits. The surveillance balloon was first reported by NBC News. A photograph of a large white balloon lingering over the area was captured by The Billings Gazette. The balloon could be seen drifting in and out of clouds and had what appeared to be a solar array hanging from the bottom, said Gazette photographer Larry Mayer. The balloons appearance adds to national security concerns among American lawmakers over Chinas influence in the U.S., ranging from the prevalence of the hugely popular smartphone app TikTok to purchases of American farmland. Chinas brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed, Republican Party House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tweeted. Tensions with China are particularly high on numerous issues, ranging from Taiwan and the South China Sea to human rights in Chinas western Xinjiang region and the clampdown on democracy activists in Hong Kong. Not least on that list of irritants are Chinas tacit support for Russias invasion of Ukraine, its refusal to rein in North Koreas expanding ballistic missile program and ongoing disputes over trade and technology. On Tuesday, Taiwan scrambled fighter jets, put its navy on alert and activated missile systems in response to nearby operations by 34 Chinese military aircraft and nine warships that are part Beijings strategy to unsettle and intimidate the self-governing island democracy. Twenty of those aircraft crossed the central line in the Taiwan Strait that has long been an unofficial buffer zone between the two sides, which separated during a civil war in 1949. Beijing has also increased preparations for a potential blockade or military action against Taiwan, which has stirred increasing concern among military leaders, diplomats and elected officials in the U.S., Taiwans key ally. (AP) One of the worlds richest tycoons has seen more than $100billion wiped off the value of his business empire in just over a week. Indian business mogul Gautam Adani, the university dropout turned billionaire, became the wealthiest person in Asia through the success of his Adani Group. But the conglomerate, whose operations span commodities trading, ports and energy, was last week rocked by a damning report by short-seller Hindenburg Research. After a two-year investigation, New York-based Hindenburg accused it of pulling the largest con in corporate history claims that sent shares across the Adani Group into free fall. The ten listed companies controlled by the conglomerate plunged almost 50 per cent on the stock market in Mumbai. Short-seller attack: Indian business mogul Gautam Adani (pictured), has seen more than $100bn wiped off the value of his business empire in just over a week That has wiped a total of $108billion or 88billion off the value of the conglomerate since the attack on January 24. Adani, who last year became the worlds second-richest man with a 120billion fortune, has seen his own personal wealth fall by close to 50billion. The 60-year-old married father of two broke his silence yesterday, insisting: Our balance sheet is healthy and assets robust. But he faces an uphill struggle to turn the situation around. In its devastating report, Hindenburg accused the Adani Group of stock price manipulation and accounting fraud. The report highlighted alleged improper use of offshore tax havens, as well as sounding alarm bells over high debt and the valuations of the public companies. The group has slammed the report as a malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale, baseless and discredited allegations. It lambasted the research firm as launching a calculated attack on India and said the reports conclusions emanated from an ignorance of Indian law. However, its 413-page rebuttal did not soothe investors nerves, and the Adani Group yesterday abandoned a 2billion fundraising designed to shore up the conglomerate. It marked a humiliating U-turn after it had attracted strong support from investors for the share sale. The group said the 2billion raised from Indias largest ever secondary share offering would be returned to investors. Mr Adani said: Given these extraordinary circumstances, the companys board felt that going ahead with the issue will not be morally correct. For me, the interest of my investors is paramount and everything else is secondary. Hence to insulate the investors from potential losses, we have withdrawn the sale. He said the setback will not have any impact on our existing operations and future plans. Regulators are now poring over the chaos with the Securities and Exchange Board of India probing the stock market rout. Indias central bank has asked local lenders about their links to the conglomerate, estimating banks were exposed to around 40 per cent of 20billion group debt. Both Adani and Hindenburg have stuck to their guns, meaning battle lines are now drawn, according to Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell. Whoever loses is going to get hurt and right now the share price collapse and multi-billion decline in stock market valuations means it is Adani and its controlling family that is currently on the back foot, the analyst said. The founder of Superdry has insisted he has no plans to take the fashion firm private at the moment. Chief executive Julian Dunkerton sought to dismiss speculation he was mulling a bid for the fashion group he set up in 2003. The Cheltenham retailers share price has taken a pummelling in recent years falling more than 90 per cent since early 2018, fuelling speculation Dunkerton may wish to buy it. But Superdry told the stock market: While there has been speculation that he is considering taking Superdry private, he said that there were no plans to do this at the moment. Shares in the brand, which is known for its hoodies and jackets once flaunted by David Beckham and Idris Elba, rose 4.1 per cent, or 4.8p, to 122.6p. Mulling a bid? Julian Dunkerton (pictured with his wife Jade Holland Cooper) has dismissed speculation he was mulling a bid for the fashion group Under takeover rules, the statement means Dunkerton cannot bid for the brand for six months unless there is another offer for the group or an agreement with the board. Superdry slashed profit guidance for 2023 to break even last week. It made a 17.7million loss before tax in the 26 weeks to October 29. Natwest boss Dame Alison Rose will appear before MPs in Parliament next Tuesday In a humiliating U-turn. Rose, 54, will give evidence to the Treasury Select Committee, just 24 hours after saying she was too busy, having been accused of skirting scrutiny. Committee member Dame Angela Eagle said it was an insult to Parliament and the public for Rose, whose bank is backed by the taxpayer, not to attend. NatWest said there were further discussions with the committee and Rose would show up. Eagle said yesterday: I am glad she has belatedly realised the importance of the committee and look forward to her appearance. U-turn: Natwest chief exec Alison Rose (pictured) said she will give evidence to the Treasury Select Committee, despite saying she was too busy just 24 hours after saying she was too busy Committee chairman Harriett Baldwin said she looked forward to questioning Rose, as well as the leaders of the UKs three other biggest banks. She added: Public scrutiny of our largest financial institutions is vital. , ", , , . . European Union leaders will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Friday, bringing the promise of new sanctions against Russia but likely dashing Ukraines hope for swift EU membership. The head of the groups executive commission, Ursula von der Leyen, arrived in Kyiv by train on Thursday, a symbolic journey to demonstrate support for Ukraine as the first anniversary of Russias Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of its neighbour approaches. Senior members of the EUs executive met their counterparts in the Ukrainian government, and von der Leyen and the chairman of the 27 EU national leaders, Charles Michel, will convene talks with Zelenskiy on Friday. Zelenskiy called for more punitive measures against Russia by the European Union, but new sanctions the bloc is preparing for the anniversary are set to fall short of his governments demands. We reached a very important mutual understanding, Zelenskiy said of Thursdays talks. That only together a strong Ukraine and a strong European Union can we defend the life that we value, and through our further integration, provide energy and motivation for our people to fight on regardless of obstacles and threats. While the EU backs Ukraine and supports democratic and economic reforms there it declines to offer a fast track to membership while Ukraine is at war. EU officials have listed multiple entry requirements, from political and economic stability to adopting various EU laws. The process is likely to take years. Some may want to speculate about the end game but the simple truth is that we are not there yet, an EU official said. The last country to have joined the EU was Croatia in 2013, a decade after formally applying. Ukraines neighbour Poland took 20 years until joining in 2004. Ukraine applied to join shortly after the invasion and in June received formal candidate status from the EU. ANTI-CORRUPTION DEMANDS EU officials said Thursdays talks included more arms and money for Ukraine as well as more access for its products in the EU market, helping Kyiv cover energy needs, sanctions on Russia and prosecuting its leadership for the war. The German government has approved the delivery of Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine from industrial stocks and is in talks on purchasing back 15 Gepard tanks from Qatar to send there, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported on Friday, citing government sources. The EU has demanded more anti-corruption measures from Ukraine, which is perceived as having endemic state graft, saying it must build a credible track record. To that end, Zelenskiy has this year announced investigations and dismissals of some officials, pointedly saying that the defence ministry needs to be clean. Authorities were investigating senior military officials in two cases of suspected corruption, officials said on Thursday. Separately, a criminal group suspected of embezzling state funds by selling overpriced eggs and other foodstuffs to defence officials had been arrested, the State Bureau of Investigation said. EASTERN BATTLEGROUND The EU-Ukraine summit coincides with an intensification of Russian pressure on Ukrainian forces in eastern battlegrounds and also in the northeast and south. Serhiy Cherevatiy, a spokesman for the Ukrainian armed forces eastern front, said Russias main asset was the number of forces it can deploy. They bring in men from their draft and try systematically to find places to break through our defences, he told Ukrainian radio NV. The aim is to fulfil the goal of the leadership to take control of all of Donetsk region. But this plan has been disrupted now for several months running. In Washington, CIA Director William Burns said battlefield developments in the next six months would be absolutely crucial and that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not serious about negotiations. The key is going to be on the battlefield in the next six months, it seems to us, Burns told a gathering at Georgetown University, adding: Puncturing Putins hubris; making clear that hes not only not going to be able to advance further in Ukraine, but as every month goes by he runs a greater and greater risk of losing the territory that he has illegally seized from Ukraine so far. Russian forces made two strikes on the town of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region, damaging buildings and causing some civilian casualties, the Ukrainian military said late on Thursday. A Russian missile hit an apartment block in the town on Wednesday, killing three people. Ukrainian aircraft launched four raids on concentrations of Russian troops and one command post, it said. Reuters was not able to verify battlefield reports. Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Russian forces of war crimes and targeting civilians, charges Russia rejects. Putin ordered what he called a special military operation to protect Russian security. Ukraine and its allies accuse Russia of an unprovoked war to grab territory. SOURCE: REUTERS Israel and Sudan will sign an historic peace agreement in Washington in a few months time, Israels foreign minister announced following talks in Khartoum. Eli Cohen said the text of the agreement was finalised during his one-day visit to see Sudanese leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Sudan agreed two years ago to normalise relations with Israel but a deal has never been implemented. It would become the latest Arab League country to establish such ties.The UAE, Bahrain and Morocco have officially normalised relations with Israel since 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords. Israel and Sudan have finalised a deal to normalise relations, with a signing ceremony expected following a transfer of power from the military to a civilian government in Khartoum, the Israeli foreign ministry said on Thursday. Sudans foreign ministry earlier said the deal was agreed during a visit by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen to move forward towards normalising relations between the two countries. After generations of non-recognition, Sudan pledged to take steps towards diplomatic ties with Israel as part of a 2020 deal brokered by then-U.S. President Donald Trumps administration, alongside normalisation deals between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco known as the Abraham Accords. Cohens visit to Khartoum was the first by an Israeli official acknowledged by Sudanese authorities, though there had been a series of exchanges by officials in recent years. During the visit, which was made with the consent of the United States, the parties finalised the text of the agreement, an Israeli foreign ministry statement said. The signing ceremony is expected to take place after the transfer of power in Sudan to a civilian government that will be established as part of the ongoing transition process in the country, it said. We definitely look forward to signing the agreement and then to having diplomatic representatives both in Israel and in Sudan, Lior Haiat, spokesperson for the foreign ministry who took part in the delegation, told Reuters. Cohen and Sudans ruling Sovereign Council chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, discussed deepening cooperation in security and military matters as well as agriculture, energy, health, water and education, Burhans office said. Sudans military, which has been in charge of the country since an October 2021 coup but says it intends to hand over power to a civilian government following ongoing talks, is seen as having led the move towards establishing relations with Israel. Civilian groups have been more reluctant and have previously said any deal must be ratified by a transitional parliament that has yet to be formed. According to state news agency SUNA, Burhans deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said he had no knowledge of the visit and did not meet the delegation. In January 2021 Sudan said its then-justice minister Nasredeen Abdulbari had signed the Abraham Accords during a visit by U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. As intelligence minister that same year, Cohen made a ground-breaking visit to Sudan, a majority Muslim country. Cohen said after returning to Israel later on Thursday that Khartoum was long remembered by Israelis as the city where the Arab League in 1967 proclaimed its Three Nos resolution on Israel no recognition, no peace and no negotiations. We are (now) building a new reality with the Sudanese, in which the Three Nos will become the Three Yeses, he said. Yes to negotiations between Israel and Sudan, yes to recognition of Israel and yes to peace between the states and between the peoples. SOURCE: REUTERS AND AGENCIES Waterloo regional police say theyve arrested three people and one person was taken to hospital following an armed robbery at Conestoga Mall in Waterloo. According to police, they were called to a jewelry store at around 4 p.m. Thursday after receiving several reports of an armed robbery in the mall. Witnesses told CTV News that they saw the incident happen at Raffi Jewellers. A viewer also shared a video which appears to show at least two people wearing all black walking around and grabbing items from the glass cases. Still from a cellphone video of an alleged robbery at Waterloo's Conestoga Mall. (Feb. 2, 2023) "Officers quickly arrived in the area of Conestoga Mall and made three arrests," said Const. Brad Hickey with the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS). "Officers went inside the mall and they did evacuate the mall. The reason for that is we want to ensure the safety of all individuals inside the mall and we also want to ensure there is no outstanding suspects in the mall." Initially there were reports of gunshots inside the mall but, according to a media release by WRPS, there was no evidence of shots fired. Police believe that it was the sound of breaking glass. MALL ROBBERY AND ARRESTS Police said four male suspects entered the store with hammers and batons and allegedly smashed display cases and stole merchandise. As the suspects fled the store, one was arrested by a security guard while the other three ran away. Once officers arrived on scene, they took over the arrest made by the security guard. The guard suffered physical injuries during the incident and was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police said the two other suspects ran across King Street North to an industrial area, where they were later arrested by officers. SEARCH FOR A SUSPECT A fourth suspect allegedly entered a vehicle in the mall parking lot which police said was occupied by a family. The driver of the vehicle and their young child were able to exit the vehicle before the male suspect stole it and fled the area. That vehicle, described as a grey Honda HRV, was last seen travelling south on King Street North in Waterloo. Police said the suspect still at large as of Friday morning, and is desrcibed as a Black man in his late 20s to early 30s, around 5'10" and roughly 230 pounds. He is described as having long curly hair tied back in a bun, and a short beard. A Waterloo regional police officer investigating an armed robbery at Conestoga Mall in Waterloo, Ont. (Feb. 2, 2023) INVESTIGATION AND CHARGES Police said the three suspects, ages 20, 21, and 24, and all from the Greater Toronto Area, were arrested and charged with the following: Robbery with a weapon Disguise with intent Possession of stolen property over $5,000 All three men are being held for a bail hearing. "Our detectives and patrol officers are canvassing for witnesses [and] video footage," said Const. Hickey on Thursday night. "We encourage anyone who has information, dash cam footage or cellphone footage to please contact police or Crime Stoppers." Conestoga Mall closed its doors after the robbery and posted a message to social media that it would remain closed until further notice. The mall reopened Friday and representatives said they continues to work closely with police. PREVIOUS ROBBERIES The Raffi Jewelers store in Conestoga Mall was also targeted by thieves in January 2022. Waterloo regional police eventually arrested two men from the GTA and recovered $300,000 worth of jewelry. Other robberies were also reported in April 2022 and May 2022, though no details about what store or merchandise were taken were released by police. -- With reporting by Krista Sharpe and Jeff Pickel The blame for the Omagh bomb must be kept firmly on the Real IRA, the sister of one victim said, after a public inquiry into the atrocity was ordered. The announcement of a public inquiry by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris on Thursday was broadly welcomed by the bereaved families. Clare Radford, whose brother Alan, 16, was killed, welcomed the announcement but said she had some reservations. Some 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, were killed in the Co Tyrone town in 1998 just months after the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, and hundreds more were injured. It was planted by the dissident republican group the Real IRA. A High Court judgment in July 2021 found there should be an investigation into whether the attack could have been foiled. Ms Radford described her familys grief as never-ending but said it is heightened when public attention is on the atrocity. You face the same battle every day you wake up, when Omagh is brought to the forefront of the media, we are now going into a public inquiry of sorts, it brings all those feelings back up to the surface that youve been trying to deal with for so long, she said. It never goes away but were regurgitating what had happened. Today I was transported back to 1998. I do welcome the public inquiry but I do have massive reservations that the public perspective could change from the terrorists, those who built a bomb, and drove it into Omagh town. I dont want the onus to be removed from them, and that is my biggest fear. I will be wholeheartedly invested in it (the inquiry) but I do have those reservations. Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was killed in the bombing, said for families that are seeking the truth about Omagh, the announcement is hugely momentous. Its what we have fought for for over 20 years and were glad were at a point now where we dont need to do any more fighting, we can move forward and we look forward to co-operating with the British government and the Irish government to get to the truth, he said. If there are deficiencies within the system, hopefully they will be identified and rectified, thats part of the function of a public inquiry. Its not to reapportion blame from those who perpetrated this act on to those who were left to pick up the pieces, its to find out what happened, and if there were deficiencies to identify them, learn the lessons and pass the lessons on. Stanley McCombe, whose wife Ann was killed in the attack, also welcomed the decision and said families loved ones were on their mind as they heard the announcement. You think about them every day, but more so now that weve got this far, and weve got someone who listened to us, he said. I promised Ann after Ann was murdered that I would fight for justice for her, and were nearly there now. [February 02, 2023] SPIE Announces the Best Products in the Photonics Industry at its 15th Annual Prism Awards Yesterday, SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, recognized the top-rated new optics and photonics products with the industry-focused Prism Awards. The gala evening, held during SPIE Photonics West, also marked the Prism Awards' 15th anniversary with a champagne toast, a timeline gallery of past winners, and a video showcasing a decade and a half of Prism highlights. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230202005690/en/ The 2023 SPIE Prism Awards: The evening's winners and presenters celebrate their successes and 15 years of photonics innovations. (Photo: Business Wire) Each year, the SPIE Prism Awards reflect the rapidly growing trajectory, exciting latest developments, and rich technical innovations across photonics and photonics-enabled industries. This year, the annual ceremony honored a range of established and emerging companies applying inovative and creative solutions to critical problems in areas such as augmented and virtual reality, sensors, lasers, quantum technology, and biomedical optical solutions. For consideration in the 2023 Prism Awards, SPIE received 76 applications from 19 countries. Finalists and winners were selected by a panel of international judges who leveraged their knowledge and acumen from across the technology commercialization and funding sectors. The distinguished judges' roster included the FDA's Zane Arp, iFocus' Adi Diner, AXA-XL's Simi George, MKS Instruments' Marc D. Himel, Coherent's Qiongying Hu, Chromacity's Shahida Imani, Teledyne Princeton Instruments' Jason McClure, Technology Scotland's Alison McLeod, Tesseract Health's Nishant Mohan, Engender Technologies' Cather Simpson, Ceres Technology Advisors' Linda Smith, TOPTICA's Mark A. Tolbert, and Nanovation's Ferechteh Teherani. "The Prism Awards always showcase an impressive spectrum of innovative solutions based on optics and photonics technology," said SPIE CEO Kent Rochford. "By providing products powered by photonics, all of these companies - and I am including the finalists as well as tonight's winners - are offering a terrific array of impactful technologies that will transform lives across the world. I am so excited to be here tonight to congratulate them in person." Below is the complete list of the award categories, the winners, and their winning products: AR VR MR: TriLite Technologies, Trixel 3 Biomedical: Philophos, KUOS-O100 Cameras and Imaging: Metalenz, PolarEyes Lasers: Kyocera SLD Laser, LaserLight LiFi System Quantum Tech: QuiX Quantum, 20-mode Quantum Photonic Processor Sensors: Ocean Insight, SpeedSorter Software: Dotphoton, Jetraw Test and Measurement: Precitec Optronik, Flying Spot Scanner (FSS 310) Photonics Media is the promotional sponsor of the SPIE Prism Awards. For more information on the Prism Awards and the 2023 winners, please visit the official website: www.photonicsprismaward.com/ About SPIE SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, brings engineers, scientists, students, and business professionals together to advance light-based science and technology. The Society, founded in 1955, connects and engages with our global constituency through industry-leading conferences and exhibitions; publications of conference proceedings, books, and journals in the SPIE Digital Library; and career-building opportunities. Over the past five years, SPIE has contributed more than $22 million to the international optics community through our advocacy and support, including scholarships, educational resources, travel grants, endowed gifts, and public-policy development. www.spie.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230202005690/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 02, 2023] Macquarie Global Infrastructure Total Return Fund Inc. announces estimated final distribution amounts Today, Macquarie Global Infrastructure Total Return Fund Inc. (the "Acquired Fund"), a New York Stock Exchange-listed closed-end fund trading under the symbol "MGU", announced that the Acquired Fund will make final distributions in connection with the reorganization of the Acquired Fund into abrdn Global Infrastructure Income Fund (the "Acquiring Fund"), a New York Stock Exchange-listed closed-end fund trading under the symbol "ASGI" (the "Reorganization"). The final distribution will be payable March 3, 2023 to common shareholders of record on February 24, 2023. The final Acquired Fund distributions will consist of substantially all of the Acquired Fund's undistributed tax-exempt interest income, ordinary income and capital gain net income, if any, earned and anticipated to be earned through close of business on March 10, 2023. In early 2024, common shareholders of the Acquired Fund will receive a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year 2023 that will tell shareholders how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes. The final distribution is as follows: FUND ESTIMATED DIVIDEND PER SHARE Macquarie Global Infrastructure Total Return Fund Inc. $0.13 The final distribution is being made in connection with an Agreement and Plan of Acquisition (the "Plan of Acquisition") providing for (i) the acquisition by the Acquiring Fund of substantially all of the assets of the Acquired Fund, in exchange for newly issued common shares of the Acquiring Fund; (ii) the distribution of such newly issued common shares of the Acquiring Fund to holders of common shares of the Acquired Fund; and (iii) the dissolution of the Acquired Fund thereafter. The Plan of Acquisition was approved by shareholders at the Special Meeting of Shareholders held on November 9, 2022, and the transaction is currently anticipated to close on or about March 10, 2023 at approximately 5:00pm ET. Following completion of the acquisition, the Acquired Fund will be delisted. About the Acquired Fund Macquarie Global Infrastructure Total Return Fund Inc., a diversified closed-end fund, is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The Fund's investment adviser is Delaware Management Company ("Investment Adviser"), a series of Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust, which is a subsidiary of Macquarie Management Holdings, Inc. ("MMHI"). MMHI is a subsidiary, and subject to the ultimate control, of Macquarie Group Limited. Macquarie Asset Management is a global asset manager that aims to deliver positive impact for everyone. Trusted by institutions, pension funds, governments, and individuals to manage more than $US508 billion in assets globally,1 we provide access to specialist investment expertise across a range of capabilities including infrastructure, green investments & renewables, real estate, agriculture & natural assets, asset finance, private credit, equities, fixed income and multi asset solutions. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its total assets (which includes the aggregate of the Fund's average daily net assets plus proceeds from any outstanding borrowings used for leverage) in equity and equity-like securities and instruments, such as common stocks, preferred stocks, convertible securities and hybrid securities issued by US and non-US issuers (Infrastructure Issuers) that primarily own or operate Infrastructure Assets. "Infrastructure Assets" are an underlying foundation of basic services, facilities and institutions upon which the growth and development of a community depends and may provide the necessities of everyday life, such as fresh water, roads, airports, utilities, power, steam heating systems, hospitals, schools and other social services. Past performance is no assurance of future results. Investment return and market value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate. Shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. An investor should consider the Fund's investment objective, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. Forward-looking statements are based on information that is available on the date hereof, and neither the Investment Adviser nor any other person affiliated with the Investment Adviser has any duty to update any forward-looking statements. Important factors that could affect actual results to differ from these statements include, among other factors, material, negative changes to the asset class and the actual composition of the portfolio. 1 As of September 30, 2022 Other than Macquarie Bank Limited ABN 46 008 583 542 ("Macquarie Bank"), any Macquarie Group entity noted in this press release is not an authorised deposit-taking institution for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Commonwealth of Australia). The obligations of these other Macquarie Group entities do not represent deposits or other liabilities of Macquarie Bank. Macquarie Bank does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of these other Macquarie Group entities. In addition, if this press release relates to an investment, (a) the investor is subject to investment risk including possible delays in repayment and loss of income and principal invested and (b) none of Macquarie Bank or any other Macquarie Group entity guarantees any particular rate of return on or the performance of the investment, nor do they guarantee repayment of capital in respect of the investment. 2023 Macquarie Management Holdings, Inc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230202005881/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 02, 2023] StratCap Exploring Strategic Alternatives for Strategic Wireless Infrastructure Fund I StratCap, LLC ("StratCap" or the "Company") has commenced a formal process to explore strategic alternatives for Strategic Wireless Infrastructure Fund, LLC ("Fund I"), including the possible sale of its portfolio of cell towers, wireless easements and related assets. The Company has engaged Media Capital Advisors ("MCA"), a provider of brokerage and valuation services to the wireless and tower sectors of the communications industry, to assist in this process. StratCap has indicated that it is working with MCA to identify possible buyers, including cell tower and telecommunications companies, real estate firms, sovereign wealth funds, private equity investors, and pension funds, for the Fund I portfolio of assets. Jim Condon, Managing Partner at StratCap, stated, "We believe that this is an opportune time to explore alternatives to enhance value for Fund I's investors." Todd Rowley, who manages Fund I and leads StratCap's Wireless Infrastructure Group (StratCap Wireless), added, "We've assembled a robust, diverse portfolio of mission-critical digital infrastructure assets that we believe will generate significant buyer interest in the marketplace." Notwithstanding the potential sale of the Fund I portfolio, the Company emains bullish on the sector and continues to acquire and manage these mission-critical assets across various platforms and verticals throughout its organization. StratCap expects to continue to expand its footprint in the digital infrastructure sector. As of December 31, 2022, Fund I owned and managed a diverse portfolio that included over 100 individual assets located throughout the U.S. with approximately 218 tenant leases and approximately 50% remaining available tower capacity. About StratCap StratCap is a privately held, global alternative asset management platform committed to providing access to dynamic asset classes and highly experienced asset management professionals. The Company is focused on a wide range of digital economy assets with an emphasis on digital infrastructure, sustainability, and technology-centric sectors.? Safe Harbor Statement Certain items in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements, which can be identified by words like "expect," "will," "intends," "think" and similar expressions. These statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements; StratCap can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained. Forward-looking statements are necessarily speculative in nature, and it can be expected that some or all of the assumptions underlying any forward-looking statements will not materialize or will vary significantly from actual results. Variations of assumptions and results may be material. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. StratCap expressly disclaims any obligation to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230202005764/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 02, 2023] MCAP Inc. Announces Acquisition of QwickBonds ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MCAP Inc. (OTC: MCAP), today announced the acquisition of QwickBonds ("QB") from Monroe Financial Partners, Inc., and its affiliate, QwickRate, LLC. MCAP Inc. continues to position itself as a leading customer service-driven financial technology company. David Menn, CEO at MCAP, commented, "The addition of the QwickBonds trading platform and its application software will enhance our trading technology product offerings for existing and new institutional customers. QB is a fixed income trading platform focused on the needs of US community banks, credit unions and institutional investors with live offerings in thousands of fixed income securities. The combination of QwickBonds existing customer base and our exclusive partnership with QwickRate will provide MCAP with a vast distribution network for multiple fixed income related products and enhance shareholder value." Dan Kanter, President at Monroe Financial Partners, stated, "We are very excited about this partnership with MCAP. Our QwickRate subscribers will have access to an even greater variety of fixed income choices as well as improved pricing and transaction processing. The partnership with MCAP is a perfect fit with our strategy to provide great value and insight to QwickRate subscribers that is both convenient and affordable." About MCAP Inc. MCAP Inc. operates as a financial technology company. The Company has three subsidiaries: MCAP Technologies LLC, MBIT LLC, and MCAP LLC. MAP Technologies LLC develops financial technology software and application software utilized in various global financial markets. MBIT LLC is a digital asset company focused on blockchain integration in the global financial markets. MCAP LLC is a U.S. based broker-dealer focused on electronic securities market making. MCAP LLC connects institutional investors, broker-dealers and companies to the global equity and fixed income markets on a 24/7 basis. MCAP focuses on developing technologies to provide customers with customized trading solutions, trading platforms and unique market access. About QwickRate, LLC For over three decades, QwickRate has provided the premier CD Marketplace for non-brokered funding and investing. With more than 3,000 subscribers, the Marketplace offers a cost-effective way for institutions to gain direct access to a nationwide CD market. QwickRate also offers other robust tools for community financial institutions including QwickAnalytics for affordable access to interactive research on all U.S. banks, performance analysis and regulatory tools, including CECLSolver. QwickRate's IntelliCredit division delivers loan review and credit intelligence solutions that provide easy, affordable ways for community banks to expedite loan reviews, detect hotspots and take earlier action to reduce credit losses. QwickRate, a Preferred Service Provider of The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), is known for its exceptional customer service, which includes unlimited support and valuable on-staff regulatory guidance. For more information, contact QwickRate at [email protected] or 800.285.8626. Source: MCAP Investor Relations - [email protected] Please visit our websites: www.mcapmarkets.com and www.mcaptech.com Please visit: www.QwickBonds.com Forward-Looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. The matters discussed in this news release involve goals, forecasts, assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mcap-inc-announces-acquisition-of-qwickbonds-301737990.html SOURCE MCAP Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 02, 2023] Bluum Earns No. 11 Ranking on Systems Contractor News' List of Top 50 Systems Integrators PHOENIX, Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bluum, North America's leading education technology solutions provider, announced that it has been honored by Systems Contractor News (SCN) as No. 11 on its Top 50 Systems Integrators in the Commercial AV Industry list for 2022. 2022 marks the second consecutive year Bluum has been named a Top 50 Integrator by Systems Contractor News. It marks the second consecutive year in which Bluum was honored by Systems Contractor News for its superior design consultation, integration, installation and best-in-class technology for businesses looking for collaboration and communication solutions. "It is always an honor to be featured on the prestigious SCN Top 50 Systems Integrators list," Bluum CEO Erez Pikar said. "Our systems integration team aims to deliver world-class customer experiences to our K-12, higher education, government and corporate customers. This ranking validates that even during a year fraught with business challenges, we were still able to deliver just that." Unlike the past couple of lists, which relied on three-year averages to account for the impact of the pandemic, SCN has retured to calculating results based on projected revenue for commercial AV systems installations for the current year. In addition to this honor, Bluum captured the coveted CRN Triple Crown Award for solution provider excellence, skyrocketed more than 1,000 places to the No. 1,310 ranking on the 2022 Inc. 5000 list, earned the No. 9 position on the Phoenix Business Journal's list of Top 50 Private Companies and placed five of its senior leaders on the CRN 2022 Women of the Channel list. Systems Contractor News currently features the Top 50 integrators in its latest issue. To learn more, visit https://www.avnetwork.com/news/scn-top-50-systems-integrators-2022. About Bluum Bluum empowers educators with technology solutions that improve learning and make it more accessible, assisting more than 26 million students to grow and flourish. Cultivate possibility with us at bluum.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Media Contact Stefan Swiat Director of Communications O: 602-809-7028 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bluum-earns-no-11-ranking-on-systems-contractor-news-list-of-top-50-systems-integrators-301738009.html SOURCE Bluum [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] This photo taken on Dec. 19, 2022 shows a view of the Tokyo Tower at sunset in Tokyo, Japan. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu) China and Japan are close neighbors separated by a strip of water, and peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation are the only correct choices for both sides, the Chinese foreign minister said. BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Thursday urged Japan to uphold an objective and rational perception of China, honor its commitments and act prudently in words and action on major issues such as history and Taiwan. In a telephone conversation with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Qin also expressed his hope that Japan will act cautiously in the area of military security, and stop provocations by right-wing forces on the Diaoyu Islands issue. China and Japan are close neighbors separated by a strip of water, and peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation are the only correct choices for both sides, the Chinese foreign minister said. The two sides should learn from history, stay true to their original aspiration, thwart disturbances, steer their relationship in the right direction, and work together to build China-Japan relations that meet the demands of the new era, Qin said. Noting that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Qin said that China is willing to take this opportunity with Japan to review the spirit of the treaty, fulfill the obligations under the treaty, and adhere to the important political consensus of being cooperative partners and not posing a threat to each other. China stands ready to work with Japan to deepen cooperation in various fields and promote the improvement and development of China-Japan relations on the right track, he added. Qin said he hopes that Japan will continue to uphold market principles and the spirit of freedom and openness in conducting economic, trade and scientific cooperation with China, and earnestly handle the disposing of nuclear-contaminated water in an open, transparent, scientific and safe manner. Qin said the two sides should adhere to strategic independence and work together for the sound development of Asia. For his part, Hayashi said Japan and China cannot achieve their development and prosperity without support of each other, and bilateral relations enjoy broad cooperation prospects and great development potential. Japan is ready to work with China to take the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Japan-China Treaty of Peace and Friendship as an opportunity to review the spirit of the treaty, implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, promote dialogue and communication at all levels and people-to-people exchanges, advance practical cooperation and build constructive and stable Japan-China relations, he noted. He said that Japan welcomes China's positive contribution to the international community and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields. A suspected "Chinese spy balloon" was spotted over Billings, Montana on Wednesday, and is still flying over the United States, although officials haven't disclosed where it is now. "President Biden initially wanted to shoot it down and jet fighters scrambled to be in position," reported CBS reporter David Martin (see video below). But the Pentagon decided the risk of falling debris would be a safety hazard "to people on the ground," so, for now, the surveillance balloon remains above the United States "flying higher than a commercial airliner but lower than a satellite," spying on "sensitive sites." From NBC News: "The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now," Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told NBC News. "We continue to track and monitor it closely." "Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information," Ryder said. The official said the U.S. military will continue to monitor it closely and will keep the option of taking out the balloon on the table. "We are tracking it in minute detail in real time and we will constantly update our assessment," the official said. "We are in constant surveillance of this thing through a bunch of different means." The U.S. is confident the balloon belongs to China, the official said, and they have communicated to the Chinese government "through multiple channels both here in D.C. and in Beijing." The official did not say whether the Chinese admitted the balloon was theirs. [February 02, 2023] NSDC partners with German HR Tech provider, Certif-ID International, to create the international gateway for recruiting technical experts from India NEW DELHI, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NSDC International Ltd, a subsidiary of National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India has selected German Technology firm Certif-ID International GmbH (Certif-ID), as its technology partner to rollout its digital credentialing and future of work platform to support Indian talents to gain recognition and employment opportunities across the world. The contract was signed by Ved Mani Tiwari, COO (Officiating CEO) of NSDC and Timothy Miller, Founder and Managing Director of Certif-ID International. In partnership, the platform supports aspiring candidates to achieve their goals of working internationally. Certif-ID provides technology and training solutions to enable skilled professionals; and employers to gain trust and transparency in the sourcing process. Certif-ID enables candidates to differentiate themselves with digital tools, CVs, videos and a wallet with verifiable credentials anchored on the blockchain. Equally employers are able to verify the authenticity of candidate documents in just a few clicks. NSDC aims to support 3 million candidates to secure international employment by 2025. Technology plays a pivotal role in achieving this goal. Intelligent skills matching, training recommendations, verifiable credentials, and competency and skill assessments form the basis for ensuring candidates meet the requirements of international markets. Building a common skills framework across borders will revolutionize how training is delivered and candidates showcase their skills. Ved Mani Tiwari, COO (Officiating CEO) of NSDC, said, "In line with our new brand identity and focus, we are committed to achieving the country's skill developent mission. We are therefore excited to partner with Certif-ID and adopt their verifiable skilling platform and in partnership develop the world's largest Phygital Skilling Ecosystem. With an initial focus on International markets, we are creating a verifiable talent pool of internationally recognized talent, and in doing so fulfilling our promise to reduce skill gaps across the world." Talking about this partnership, Timothy Miller, Founder and Managing Director of Certif-ID, stated that, "India has a unique opportunity to leverage its demographic dividend and provide skilled resources for the world. NSDC is paving the way for skilled professionals to gain international recognition and secure lucrative employment opportunities abroad. At Certif-ID we are excited and humbled to be selected by NSDC as its technology partner for this aspiring journey." As a part of this initiative, NSDC and Certif-ID will identify skilled candidates and support them to upskill, learn languages, and develop cultural awareness of international markets. A candidates journey starts with internationally recognized digital credentials being issued to successful candidates by NSDC. Credentials are anchored on blockchain and stored in a digital wallet called 'SkillPass'. Candidates are then able to develop a state of the art digital, verifiable portfolio of skills and experiences that are shared directly with recruiters internationally. With its International Skilling Centers, NSDC certifies top talent across the country and provides candidates with the opportunity to build a digital skills profile and continue to upskill and apply for skill matched international job opportunities. Moving forward, the platform will automate much of the skill verification, document validation and visa issuance process, to seamlessly provide access to international recruiters and companies. About NSDC Giving boost to Government Skill India Mission, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a nodal skill development agency, working under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India, is a unique Public Private Partnership (PPP) that aims to catalyse the creation of a large and quality vocational training ecosystem in India. Since inception in 2010, NSDC has trained over three crore people through its collaboration with training partners pan India. NSDC has established 37 Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) and implements the Government's flagship skill development schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), among others. NSDC also funds enterprises, companies and organisations that provide skill training. The organisation enables private-sector capacity building in skill development by offering concessional loans, other innovative financial products, and strategic partnerships. About Certif-ID Certif-ID is a 'Future of Work' platform that connects education to employment in the technical skills sector. With a vision to bridge the skills gap, and enable skilled professionals to work wherever there is a demand. The platform provides a digital credentialing solution to enable educators to anchor digital records on the blockchain. Technical professionals can also use Certif-ID to build a 'SkillPass' digital SSI wallet that helps them showcase their skills, build a digital portfolio, record video CVs, and share their certificates with potential employers. Connecting key stakeholders in the technical sector, Certif-ID focuses on streamlining the sourcing process, and bridging the skills gap between education and employment while establishing trust and transparency. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1994949/Certif_ID_NSDC.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/nsdc-partners-with-german-hr-tech-provider-certif-id-international-to-create-the-international-gateway-for-recruiting-technical-experts-from-india-301738083.html [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 03, 2023] Australia Allows Prescription of MDMA and Psilocybin in Groundbreaking Regulatory Change VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PharmAla Biotech Holdings Inc. (PharmAla)(CSE: MDMA) applauds the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in allowing for specially-licensed psychiatrists to prescribe MDMA and Psilocybin . PharmAla is the only publicly-traded company currently manufacturing and exporting clinical-grade MDMA, and the only entity in the world that offers its customers GMP MDMA and GMP Psilocybin. This is a critically important announcement by the TGA, allowing for the direct prescription and treatment of patients with PTSD and Treatment-Resistant Depression with Psychedelic molecules, said Nick Kadysh, CEO of PharmAla. As the registered supplier to three different Australian clinical trials using MDMA more than any other Psychedelics API supplier - PharmAla is the only company which has both GMP MDMA and Psilocybin in inventory, and stands ready to ship these molecules to Australia. PharmAla is the first publicly traded company to manufacture GMP MDMA, and is the first company to make available to customers two clinical-grade Psychedelic APIs. Before being authorised by the TGA under this scheme, psychiatrists must obtain approval for the use of the substances for patients under their care by a human research ethics committee (HREC) that is registered by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). PharmAla has already been contracted to supply several HREC-approved trials. The TGA decision absolutely sets a new global standard for treatment with molecules like MDMA and Psilocybin, said Dr. Shane Morris, COO of PharmAla Biotech. Allowing specially-licensed psychiatrists to prescribe these molecules directly to patients is an excellent approach, and will certainly help drive other countries to re-assess how they regulate these molecules to meet patients medical needs. Customers interested in acquiring MDMA or Psilocybin for human use under the new TGA guidanceshould contact PharmAlas Head of Sales, David Purcell, at [email protected] For more information, please visit www.PharmAla.ca , where you can sign up to receive regular new updates. About PharmAla PharmAla Biotech Holdings Inc. (CSE: MDMA) is a biotechnology company focused on the research, development, and manufacturing of MDXX class molecules, including MDMA. PharmAla was founded with a dual focus: alleviating the global backlog of generic, clinical-grade MDMA to enable clinical trials, and to develop novel drugs in the same class. PharmAla is the first publicly-traded company to manufacture clinical-grade MDMA. PharmAlas research and development unit has completed proof-of-concept research into ALA-002, PharmAlas lead drug candidate. PharmAla is a regulatory first organization, formed under the principle that true success in the psychedelics industry will only be achieved through excellent relationships with regulators. For more information, please contact: Nicholas Kadysh Chief Executive Officer PharmAla Biotech Holdings Inc. Email: [email protected] Phone: 1-855-444-6362 Website: www.PharmAla.ca Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider have reviewed or accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words could, intend, expect, believe, will, projected, estimated and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on PharmAlas current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions that have been made by PharmAla at the date of the information and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date hereof, and PharmAla is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption Risk Factors in PharmAlas managements discussion and analysis which is available on PharmAlas profile at www.sedar.com. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state, province, territory or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state, province, territory or jurisdiction A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/decc8434-adad-47d6-9107-658682c820ae [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 03, 2023] HOSPITALITY TECH PROVIDER REDCAT TOUCHES DOWN IN THE UK MELBOURNE, Australia, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Specialist hospitality IT platform Redcat is continuing to expand globally after officially launching in the United Kingdom. Trading under the name 'Redcat Hospitality Technology', the Australian-owned company is rolling its tech platform out to Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) in England. Redcat is a stalwart in the Australian QSR space, providing its technology to a customer base that includes Nando's, Boost Juice, Grill'd, Betty's Burgers, Gami Chicken, Chatime and the Australian Open. "Our expansion into the UK is a significant milestone for us and we are thrilled to be officially providing our platform in the region," said Redcat CEO, Jeff Lamb. "The UK presents significant opportunity for us and is a key element of our long-term growth strategy. "Redcat's ision is to be the global leader in innovative hospitality technology solutions. This launch is an important step in achieving that goal." The launch is particularly timely for Redcat, given the annual spend per person on takeaway food in the UK rose by 42% between 2019 2021. What's more, the UK foodservice delivery market is expected to increase from 10.5 billion in 2021 to 14.6 billion in 2024. "It's certainly an exciting time to be rolling our platform out in the UK and a lot of QSRs are eager to onboard with us as soon as possible," said Redcat Director of Sales and Marketing, Lawrence Pelletier. "Our team has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to get this launch off the ground and we couldn't be prouder to welcome the UK into the Redcat family." With a new UK office, Redcat now supports multi-site hospitality businesses across four continents including Australia, the Asia Pacific, the Middle East and the UK. For more information about Redcat (and Redcat Hospitality Technology), please visit http://redcat.technology FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Louie Scarpari [email protected] SOURCE Redcat [February 03, 2023] Newly appointed Appen CEO and President to accelerate next wave of enterprise AI Adoption SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Appen Limited (ASX:APX), the trusted global leader in high-quality data for the AI Lifecycle, recently announced the official starting of Armughan Ahmad as CEO and President. With over 25 years of experience scaling multi-billion-dollar technology businesses and building strong global teams, Armughan plans to accelerate adoption within the fast-growing enterprise AI market. "I am thrilled to join Appen as the new CEO and am excited to enable our customers to build mission critical AI applications that deliver new customer experiences. The pace of AI is accelerating with new innovation in generative AI like ChatGPT and DALL.E from Open AI. As a fast-growing AI industry leader generating more than $40M revenue in FY21, Appen is well positioned to evolve with the changing needs of AI, and I believe we have a unique opportunity to deliver an ethical, trusted AI for good. As the leading provider of data for AI, we have a responsibility to set the standard for excellence and integrity in the industry. We will continue to push the boundaries of AI and make a positive and sustainable impact on the world." Prior to joining, Armughan served as the President and Managing Partner of Digital at KPMG, a global leader in delivering innovative digital transformation services across industry sectors, prior to KPMG he served as the Senior Vice President & General Manager at Dell Technologies, where he led the company's Cloud, HPC and Solutions business. He oversaw product, engineering, sales, marketing, services, and alliances, growing it to multi-billions in revenue. Armughan played a vital role in integrating Dell's acquisition of EMC data storage, architecting multiple successful multi-cloud platforms, including Microsoft, VMWare, and RedHat. Appen is a category leader, delivering AI products and services to many of the world's largest tech companies and Fortune 500 customers globally. Major customers including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Salesforce, Airbus, Bloomberg, Pinterest, Home Depot and Siemens rely on Appen to power their AI applications. Appen has been at the forefront of innovative AI for over 25 years. Throughout the evolution of the industry, we have remained dedicated to providing high-quality AI training data to our customers. We enabled our customers to develop some of the most advanced AI systems, such as search algorithms, autonomous driving, and voice interface systems. Generative AI is paving the way for the era of the AI-powered worker by automating our most repetitive tasks. Instead, workers can now free-up time to focus on strategy, creativity, and innovation.?? "AI is here to augment our tasks, not our purpose. They are just tools. We are the magic ingredient. It accelerates human and machine collaboration while keeping our essence and adding some fantastical elements for fun and work, while empowering us to contribute to the rise of a new era for human achievement. There is a significant opportunity for Appen to capture the next wave of growth in AI by leveraging our technology and globally diverse crowd," shares Armughan. Welcome to visit Appen Korean: https://kr.appen.com/ Welcome to visit Appen Japan: https://appen.co.jp/ SOURCE Appen [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 03, 2023] Unilumin Group Attended ISE 2023 with Its Metasight Products and Solutions BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 3, 2023 /CNW/ -- From January 31st to February 3rd, Unilumin Group, a Chinese famous LED enterprise, attended ISE 2023. With the theme "Metasight Ecology, Enlightening the Future", Unilumin brought UMicro, commercial complex solutions, XR Workshop and other Metasight products and solutions to global clients. UMicro Series Unilumin released UMicro worldwide in ISE exhibition. The smallest pitching can reach 0.4 mm. It's reported that the newly released UMicro series applied EBL+ multi-layers optical technology and the 3D-LUT color gamut calibration technology in the intelligent manufacturing process. With the advantages such as low reflection and low Moire effect, UMicro can be applied to command center, commercial display, innovative fields such as naked-eye 3D, AR, xR, and home theater. Commercial Complex Metasight Solutions According to Grand View Research, the market value of commercial complex will reah 779.47 million. Unilumin released the commercial complex Metasight solutions in the exhibition. It is known that the Metasight solution includes LED soft and hardware, and creative contents. It can provide customers with external and internal immersive space, Metasight interactive experience, XR commercial application and creative landscape of the new commercial complex. This solution can attract more customers, explore business opportunities and facilitate the economy. XR workshop XR virtual shooting is gradually applied in film production, which can not only improve the production efficiency but also reduce the cost. At this exhibition, Unilumin, together with the industry partners, Pixotope and ARRI, demonstrated the virtual shooting effect by using three LED display screens (double sided screen+ floor screen). Unilumin can provide arc screen, four-sided screen, and three-sided screen, etc according to different application scenarios. Metasight solutions includes "hardware+software+content+interaction", which can meet the diversified demands of customers in more and more application scenarios. Founded in 2004, Unilumin Group Co., Ltd was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2011 (XSHE: 300232). It is a globally leading provider of LED display and lighting products and solutions. Globally, it has also ranked first in the industry in terms of sales value and sales volume of LED display products. Unilumin has successfully provided services for Huawei, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Disney and other Fortune 500 enterprises. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/unilumin-group-attended-ise-2023-with-its-metasight-products-and-solutions-301738255.html SOURCE Unilumin Group., Ltd. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 03, 2023] InvestmentPitch Media Video Discusses Nextech AR Solutions and its Update of Spin-Out of its Generative AI Powered Toggle3D Platform VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nextech AR Solutions Corp. (OTCQX:NEXCF) (CSE:NTAR) (FSE:N29), a Metaverse Company and leading provider of augmented reality experience technologies and 3D model services, announced the terms of the spin-out of Toggle3D. Launched in September, Toggle3D is an AR enhanced standalone web application which enables product designers, 3D artists, marketing professionals and eCommerce site owners to create, customize and publish high-quality 3D models and experiences, with new features allowing multiple users to work at the same time on the same project. A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below: For more information, please view the InvestmentPitch Media video which provides additional information about this news and the company along with video comments from Nextech ARs CEO, Evan Gappelberg. The video is available for viewing on InvestmentPitch and on YouTube . If these links are not enabled, please visit www.IvestmentPitch.com and enter Nextech in the search box. The goal is for anyone with no prior technical or 3D design experience to be able to hop into the platform and create a high-quality 3D visual in minutes. With the platform created as a web-based design studio, the user can access everything on the browser with no downloads involved, no updates to keep track of, and no system requirements to worry about. Nextech plans to spin-out the Toggle3D platform and associated assets into a new Subco by way of a plan of arrangement. Upon completion of the spin-out it is expected that Nextech will retain approximately 65% of the shares of the Subco, with approximately 20% of the shares distributed directly to Nextech shareholders on a pro rata basis, and the balance of 15% of the shares being distributed to certain service providers of Nextech in payment of past services. Following the completion of a proposed private placement, these percentages will be adjusted. The Subco intends to raise up to $1.5 million from the placement of 6 million subscription receipts priced at $0.25 each, with the funds held in escrow. Following satisfactory completion of the terms of transaction and standard closing conditions, the subscription receipts will be automatically exchanged for units consisting of one share and one warrant, with the warrant exercisable at $1.00 for 36 months, subject to an acceleration clause. While everything is completed, Toggle3D will be applying to list on the Canadian Securities Exchange. The record date for this spinoff has not yet been set. The newly listed company will be led by Evan Gappelberg as the CEO and for more information regarding the other directors and officers please refer to todays news release. Nextech AR Solutions leverages proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) to create 3D experiences for the metaverse. Following these spin-outs, Nextechs current business is creating 3D WebAR photorealistic models for the Prime Ecommerce Marketplace as well as many other online retailers. The company has a proven track record of developing or acquiring what it believes are disruptive technologies and once commercialized, spinning them out as stand-alone public companies. Nextech has been a favorite with investors, particularly following the highly successful spinoff of ARway in October. With ARway currently trading at $1.15, Nextechs holdings of 13 million shares are contributing about $15 million to Nextechs market capitalization. The Toggle3D software addresses the global computer aided design market, which is expected grow from US$9.89 billion in 2022 to US$17.47 billion by 2030, a compound annual growth rate of 6.9%, according to a recent report by Research and Markets, the worlds largest market research store. The shares are trading at $0.77. For more information, please visit the companys website at www.NextechAR.com . Investor Relations is handled by Lindsay Betts, who can be reached at 866-274-8493 Ext 7201 or by email at [email protected] . About InvestmentPitch Media InvestmentPitch Media leverages the power of video, which together with its extensive distribution, positions a companys story ahead of the 1,000's of companies seeking awareness and funding from the financial community. The company specializes in producing short videos based on significant news releases, research reports and other content of interest to investors. Disclaimer The information in this Investmentpitch Media Ltd video is for the viewers information only. Nextech AR Solutions has paid a fee not exceeding $2,000 in cash to have its current news release produced in video format. The corporate information is based on information that is publicly available. Any information provided by Investmentpitch Media Ltd., through its media services is not to be construed as a recommendation or suggestion or offer to buy or sell securities but is provided solely as an informational media service. Investmentpitch Media Ltd makes no warranties or undertakings as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. All due diligence should be done by the viewer or their financial advisor. Investing in securities is speculative and carries risk. CONTACT: InvestmentPitch Media Barry Morgan, CFO [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 03, 2023] Media Advisory: Military Veteran Receives Grant for Down Payment on First Home Red River Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) will present a military veteran with a $10,000 Housing Assistance for Veterans (HAVEN) grant. The funds were used toward a down payment on a home in Bossier City, Louisiana. The media is encouraged to attend the ceremonial check presentation at the home of United States Marine Corps veteran Lisa Doxey where representatives from Red River Bank and FHLB Dallas will join her and her family. Ms. Doxey used the HAVEN funds for down payment assistance on her first home. HAVEN also assists with necessary modifications and repairs to homes of U.S. veterans and active-duty, reserve or National Guard service members who became disabled as a result of their military service since September 11, 2001. Alternatively, the funds can be awarded to Gold Star Families that were impacted during this time frame for home repairs/rehabilitation. Visit fhlb.com/haven for more information. WHAT: Check presentation WHEN: 11:30 a.m., Friday, February 3, 2023 WHO: Judy Madison, Vice President, Community Outreach, Mortgage Lending, Red River Bank Bridges Hall, Credit Policy Officer, Red River Bank Mary Van Osdell, Legislative Assistant to Louisiana State Senator Barrow Peacock, (R-37) Lisa Doxey, HAVEN Recipient Melanie Dill, Community and Economic Development Product Manager, FHLB Dallas WHERE: Residence of Lisa Doxey 4813 General Scott Place, Bossier City, Louisiana 71112 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230201006113/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 03, 2023] The Week in Canadian Press Releases: 10 Stories You Need to See A roundup of the most newsworthy press releases from Cision Distribution this week TORONTO, Feb. 3, 2023 /CNW/ - With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on Cision. To help journalists and consumers stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a recap of some major stories from the week that shouldn't be missed. The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download. Read more of the latest releases from Cision, see our resources for journalists, and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @cnwnews. About Cision Canada Cision is a comprehensive communications platform enabling more than 100,000 public relations and marketing professionals around the world to understand, influence and amplify their stories. As the market leader, Cision enables the next generation of communication professionals to strategically operate in the modern media landscape where company success is directly impacted by public opinion. Cision has offices in 24 countries through the Americas, EMEA and APAC, and offers a suite of best-in-class solutions, including Newswire, Brandwatch, Cision Communications Cloud and Cision Insights. To learn more, visit www.cision.ca and follow @CisionCA on Twitter. SOURCE Cision Canada [February 03, 2023] This Week in Transportation News: 10 Stories You Need to See A roundup of the week's most newsworthy auto and transport industry press releases from PR Newswire, including Boeing's final 747 and Mazda's 2024 CX-90. NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the auto and transportation industries stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed. The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download. Read more of the latest auto- and transportation-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNtrnsp on Twitter. Can't-Miss Earnings In addition to these popular releases, several must-read earnings reports crossed the wire this week, including the quarterly results for Caterpillar and Harley-Davidson. Catch up on all the latest earnings reports here. Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists. Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features: Customization: Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more. About PR Newswire and PR Newswire for Journalists For more than 65 years, PR Newswire has been the industry leader with the largest, most comprehensive distribution network of print, radio, magazine, television stations, financial portals and trade publications. PR Newswire has an unparalleled global reach of more than 200,000 publications and 10,000 websites and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages. PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals. For questions, contact the team at [email protected]. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/this-week-in-transportation-news-10-stories-you-need-to-see-301738069.html SOURCE PR Newswire [February 03, 2023] Pristine Sun Corporation Announces $250 Million Capital Commitment from Strategic Private Equity Investors Pristine Sun Corporation has announced a $250 million capital commitment from strategic private equity and family office investors to develop renewable energy projects. The equity commitment will allow Pristine Sun to develop, finance, and build up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of its solar projects, depending on the capital stack structure. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005097/en/ Pristine Sun solar farms are designed and built to allow grazing between rows of panels, making them more sustainable than typical solar farms. Pictured is Donald the Donkey, whose role wasto protect sheep from coyotes and dogs at Pristine's Terzian Solar Project in Fresno County, California. (Photo: Business Wire) The capital commitment will support Pristine Sun on proposed and active renewable-energy projects in Texas, California, and Louisiana, and allow the company to explore additional opportunities in the continental U.S. Since 1996, Pristine Sun and affiliates have developed solar and wind farms totaling over 25 GW (including projects sold to other parties), with another 20 GW of projects in the pipeline. "We're thrilled to have this capital commitment," said Troy Helming, Founder and Chairman of Pristine Sun Corporation. "We have an aggressive plan to rapidly develop significant solar projects in California, Texas, and Louisiana. Three projects will exceed 1 GW, making them some of the largest in the world. 1 GW is about the capacity of two to three large coal or natural gas plants. $250 million will allow us to develop, construct, and operate these projects to power hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses with clean energy. The demand for low-cost renewable energy has never been greater, and we're delighted to continue as a leader in the clean power revolution." About Pristine Sun Corporation Pristine Sun Corporation (www.pristinesun.com) develops utility-scale renewable energy solar and wind projects. Since 1995, the company has been developing solar and wind farms in rural and suburban areas in 22 states of the USA and several countries around the world. Pristine Sun, 100% owned by the Helming family office, has built more than 350 solar power plants (including those sold to other companies), which is enough to power tens of thousands of homes with clean, renewable, low-cost energy. For more information, email [email protected]. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005097/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Amazon has allegedly bought the rights to Tomb Raider, one of many beloved franchises Square Enix recently sold off. The deal was originally reported on, of all places, a Lord of the Rings news site, so take it with a grain of salt but if true, it would make sense, given Amazon's recent forays into the gaming scene and last year's announcement that they're publishing the next Tomb Raider. This purchase covers only one of the several franchises originally sold off to Swedish conglomerate Embracer Group, however the likes of Deus Ex, Thief and Legacy of Kain are still in Embracer's hands, although whether or not they'll do anything with them is anyone's guess. Still, it's an exciting time to be a Tomb Raider fan one just has to hope Jeff Bezos is better at designing games than rockets. [February 03, 2023] Gallagher Re Joins ABIR and EY as 2023 Bermuda Risk Summit Headline Sponsors The Bermuda Business Development Agency (BDA) is pleased to announce that Gallagher Re has joined the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers (ABIR) and EY as headline sponsors of the second annual Bermuda Risk Summit. Adam Schwebach, Executive Vice President, Gallagher Re, said, "Gallagher Re is proud to support the second Bermuda Risk Summit, an annual event that showcases the breadth and versatility of Bermuda's globally significant risk market. This event serves as a timely opportunity to connect with industry leaders ahead of midyear renewals and we applaud the BDA for their efforts in making the Bermuda Risk Summit a success." David Hart, BDA CEO, said, "We are just so excited to welcome Gallagher Re as our third and final headline sponsor, along with ABIR and EY. The theme of the 2023 Bermuda Risk Summit, being held from March 6-8, 2023, at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club is 'Innovation, Sustainability and Collaboration. We anticipate an even stronger attendance level than last year, as this event is just placed perfectly in front of an extremely important June 1 renewal season." Guests should act before midnight on Monday, February 6 to secure special hotel room rates starting at $359 (plus tax). From February 7, hotel room rates will increase significantly, or may be sold out, due to limited availability. To book your room please call 1-441-295-3000 or the Global Reservations Centre on 1-800-441-1414. Alternatively, click here to reserve your room online. Please use the booking code: 'Bermuda Risk' to take advantage of the preferred rate. The Bermuda Risk Summit will begin with a keynote conversation with Bermuda's Premier and BDA CEO David Hart, while Sophie Roberts, Head of The Insurer TV will moderate a group CEO panel made up of Peter Bell, CEO, Everest Re, Stephen Catlin, CEO, Convex, Chris Schaper, CEO, AIG, and Megan Thomas, CEO, Hamilton Re. The BDA is also pleased to announce that Bermuda Brokers, Florida Insurance Council, KPMG, Meenan P.A., MS Reinsurance and Rein4ce have come on board as supporting sponsors. Goslings will be our spirits partner. They join diamond sponsor Hyperexponential, gold sponsor SS&C, silver sponsors AM Best and Kirkland & Ellis, WIFI sponsor Demotech, supporting sponsor Aon, and our official media partner, The Insurer. Other sponsorship opportunities are still available. Please e-mail [email protected] if you wish to participate. Some of the speakers confirmed to date include John Huff, CEO, ABIR, who will moderate a global capacity shortfall panel with Chris Bonard, CEO, ED Broking (Bermuda) Limited, Lara Mowrey, Global Head of Distribution, Guy Carpenter, Jim Fiore, Executive Managing Director, Chief Strategy Officer, Capital Advisory, Aon, and Ben Radford, Head of Gallagher Re, Bermuda. Susanne K Murphy, Insurance Regulatory Consultant, Meenan P.A. will moderate a market perspectives from Florida's C-Suite panel featuring Tom Gallagher, COO, People's Trust Insurance Company, Melissa Burt DeVriese, President, Security First Insurance, Jennifer Montero, Chief Financial Officer, Florida Citizens Property Insurance Corporation and Cecil Pearce, President, Florida Insurance Council. Suzanne Williams Charles, Director of Policy and Regulation, ABIR will moderate a panel of international regulators featuring Chlora Lindley-Myers, President, National Association of Insurance Commissioners and Gerald Gakundi, Director, Supervision (Insurance), Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA) and Andrew Dyer, Head of London Markets, Bank of England. Joseph Petrelli, President, Demotech and Todd Kozikowski, President, 44North, LLC, will present their findings on Florida's disparate litigation levels. Curtis Dickinson, Executive Adviser, Bermuda International Long-Term Insurers and Reinsurers (BILTIR) will moderate an updates from the life sector panel featuring Mark Yu, Head of Enterprise Capital Strategy, New England Asset Management, James Claxton, Associate Partner, EY, Martin Maringi, Deputy Director, Supervision (Insurance), BMA and Michelle Moloney, EVP Chief Risk Officer, Pacific Life Reinsurance. Christian Dunleavy, Group Chief Underwriting Officer, Aspen, Chris Hayward, Chief Underwriting Officer, MS Amlin Reinsurance, Seamus Fearnon-EVP, CRT & European Markets, Arch Capital Group Ltd and Kostya Zolotusky, CEO, Itasca Re will explore the growing significance of specialty lines. Kerr Kennedy, Associate Partner, EY, will moderate the future of cyber reinsurance panel with Yosha Delong, Global Head of Cyber, Mosaic Insurance, Noel Pearman, SVP, Cyber Product Line Leader, AXA XL, Sebastien Plummer, Cyber Specialist Broker, Gallagher Re, and Edouard Von Heberstein, CEO Spectra. Edward Mishambi, SVP and Chief Risk Officer-Europe, Renaissance Re who will moderate a panel entitled global financing conditions - a rating agency discussion that features Peter Giacone, Global Head of Insurance, KBRA, Stefan Holzberger, Chief Rating Officer, AM Best, Brian Schneider, Senior Director, Global Analytical Co-Head, Fitch, and Joseph Petrelli. A panel discussing investor's experiences of Bermuda featuring Scott Frederick, Managing Partner, Sands Capital Ventures, Adrian Jones, Managing Director, Re/Insurance and Partner, HSCM Ventures, and Armin Rothauser, Senior Partner, Castlelake Investments will be moderated by Stephen Weinstein, past BDA Chair. Saadia Savory, Vice President, Excess Casualty, Aspen, and Shannon Totten, SVP, Casualty Insurance Practice Leader Bermuda, Sompo International, will discuss Bermuda's vibrant casualty lines of business. And finally, Gero Michel, Group CRO, AIG Re will discuss the future of risk with Tom Johansmeyer, SVP, Head of PCS, Verisk, Susan Pateras, Deputy Chair, BDA, and Andrew Smith-Chief Risk & Sustainability Officer, Conduit Re. The full agenda is available here. The immediate economic impact of our 2022 event, which had a total of 350 delegates (80 from overseas), including lodging, transportation, food and beverage, retail and recreation was estimated at over one million dollars, and supported around 200 jobs. CONNECTING BUSINESS The BDA encourages direct investment and helps companies start up, re-locate, or expand their operations in our premier jurisdiction. An independent, public-private partnership, we connect you to industry professionals, regulatory officials, and key contacts in the Bermuda government to assist domicile decisions. Our goal? To make doing business in Bermuda smooth and beneficial. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005294/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Allstate CEO to Present at Bank of America U.S. Insurance Conference The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL), one of the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurers, announced that Tom Wilson, its Chair, President and CEO, will present at the Bank of America U.S. Insurance Conference at 10:30 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Feb. 14. A webcast of the presentation can be accessed at www.allstateinvestors.com. A replay will also be posted there shortly after the presentation ends. Financial information, including material announcements about The Allstate Corporation, is routinely posted on www.allstateinvestors.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005326/en/ [February 03, 2023] University of Phoenix College of Doctoral Studies Releases Whitepaper on Workforce Mental Health University of Phoenix College of Doctoral Studies has released a new whitepaper, "American Workers' Mental Health and Its Implications in Their Careers," authored by Karen Johnson, Ed.D., research methodology group leader in the University's Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR). The purpose of the whitepaper is to identify mental health needs and the resources available through employers as reported in 2022 University of Phoenix Career Institute Career Optimism Index study, including what employees reported about their mental health, the support they need, and whether they believed that support was available from their employers. The findings have implications for employers to better understand mental health needs and awareness of resources by their workforce and contribute to talent retention. "We continue to see the reverberation of how the pandemic impacted the mental health of our American workforce," states Johnson. "Despite the disconnect in employers' and employees' perceptions of services offered, both groups overwhelmingly reported interest in and need for continuing mental health resources at a greater rate than before the pandemic. Employers can look at aspects like communication channels and workforce understanding of employee assistance programs to help close this disconnect." In her current role as a University Research Methodologist and previously as a committee chair in the doctoral program, Johnson has helped guide more than 100 students through the dissertation process. She also serves as a reviewer for the College of Doctoral Studies' student publication workshop. Johnson earned a doctorate in Higher Education from Texas Tech University and completed her Master of Arts in Secondary Education and bachelor's degree with University of Texas. Johnson has been a faculty member at the University of Phoenix sinc 2005. The full whitepaper is available at the University of Phoenix Career Institute webpage or as a direct link here. About the College of Doctoral Studies University of Phoenix's College of Doctoral Studies focuses on today's challenging business and organizational needs, from addressing critical social issues to developing solutions to accelerate community building and industry growth. The College's research program puts students in the center of an effective ecosystem of experts, resources and tools to help prepare them to be a leader in their organization, industry and community. Through this program, students and researchers work with organizations to conduct research that can be applied in the workplace in real time. About the Career Optimism Index The Career Optimism Index study is one of the most comprehensive studies of Americans' personal career perceptions to date. The University of Phoenix Career Institute will conduct this research annually to provide insights on current workforce trends and to help identify solutions to support and enhance American careers and create equity in the workplace. For the second annual study, more than 5,000 U.S. adults were surveyed about how they feel about their careers at this moment in time, including their concerns, their challenges, and the degree to which they are optimistic about core aspects of their careers and their future. The study was conducted among a diverse, nationally representative, sample of U.S. adults among a robust sample to allow for gender, generational, racial, and socioeconomic differences and includes additional analysis of workers in the top twenty media markets across the country to uncover geographic nuances. This year, the study also explored insights from 500 U.S. employers who are influential or play a critical role in hiring and workplace decisions within a range of departments, company sizes and industries to provide comparison between the workforce and those who hire, train and retain them. About University of Phoenix University of Phoenix is continually innovating to help working adults enhance their careers in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant courses, interactive learning, and Career Services for Life help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. For more information, visit phoenix.edu. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005329/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 03, 2023] Scottsdale Tesla Drivers Club and PS Academy Arizona Work Together on Tesla Cybertruck Build GILBERT, Ariz., Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- David Lucht with Tesla Drivers Club is honored to be working with Tom Burick and the incredible students of PS Academy Arizona on their Cybertruck build. "I was so impressed with their passion for the project that I decided to invite them to showcase the Cybertruck at our booth during the Concours in the Hills car show. This event is held at Fountain Park in Fountain Hills, Arizona on February 4th, 2023 between 10:00am and 3:00pm. In 2022, there were over 1,000 cars on display with around 50,000 people in attendance and over $430,000 was raised for Phoenix Children's. We are hosting another event during Super Bowl weekend on February 11th, 2023 at the Rock -n- Roll Car Show at the Pavilions at Talking Stick. Blitz Global Media Group will be onsite with a production crew to document the event for broadcast and streaming and will air sometime in 2023. They will interview various car owners and personalities, including some of the students at PS Academy while they show off their Cybertruck. PS Academy Arizona, located in Gilbert, Arizona is a private K-12 school for students with autism and other exceptionalities. PS students are grouped by ability and their programs are customized to meet each student's needs. Their commitment to families is to "See Past the Label, Focus on the Able." For more information or to schedule a media interview, contact Mary Beth Mayer at [email protected] or 480-490-1166 (mobile). About PS Academy Arizona PS Academy was founded in 2008 to offer children with autism and other exceptionalities a comprehensive program from kindergarten through 12th grade. PS Academy uses innovative teaching techniques, working cooperatively with students and parents to set and achieve goals that focus on academic, social, and emotional development along with the acquisition of daily living skills. Students participate in electives and clubs like Rock Band, Student Council, Girl Power, Musical Theater, Camping, Sign Language, and Rocketry. For more information, visit www.psacademyarizona.com Media Contact: Mary Beth Mayer, PS Academy Arizona, [email protected], 480-490-1166. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scottsdale-tesla-drivers-club-and-ps-academy-arizona-work-together-on-tesla-cybertruck-build-301738640.html SOURCE PS Academy Arizona [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 03, 2023] Government of Canada to support clean air and local economic growth by powering federal operations in Alberta and Saskatchewan with clean electricity EDMONTON, AB, Feb. 3, 2023 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is taking meaningful action on its Greening Government Strategy commitment to power federal buildings with 100% renewable electricity by 2025 to help fight climate change and support local renewable electricity projects. Today, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, on behalf of the Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, announced 2 initiatives in Alberta and Saskatchewan that support the Government of Canada's commitment to investing in renewable energy and achieving the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) has awarded Capital Power a 23-year contract valued up to $500 million, to power federal buildings in Alberta with green electricity, effective January 1, 2023. The contract value is based on an estimated 250,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of annual electricity required by federal facilities in the province. This electricity will be attributed to a new proposed wind energy generation facility in Alberta, expected to be operational by January 1, 2025. As part of the agreement, Capital Power will secure an equity partnership with local Indigenous organizations related to the project. Minister Boissonnault also announced that PSPC signed an agreement with Saskatchewan's main supplier of electricity, SaskPower, to power federal government operations in Saskatchewan using renewable electricity, which totals about 87,000 MWh of electricity per year. With this agreement, the federal government supports the ongoing development of renewable electricity infrastructure within the province. Up to 25% of the federal government's electricity consumption will be attributed to new solar projects within the province, which began operating in summer 2022. The remaining 75% will come from a new Saskatchewan-based wind energy generation project expected to be operational by 2024. These projects include opportunities for Indigenous participation through facility development partnerships and/or employment and training opportunities. Once these projects in Alberta and Saskatchewan are fully operational, the Government of Canada's combined emissions in these provinces will be reduced by about 166 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (ktCO2e), which is equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of more than 50,800 gas-powered passenger vehicles. Quotes "These initiatives are an important step to support communities and protect our environment, by investing in renewable electricity. Through long-term projects like these, we are greening federal operations, fighting climate change and creating a healthier environment for Canadians." The Honourable Helena Jaczek Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada "Today's announcement is another step towards reaching our government's emission reduction targets. Our agreement today with Capital Power and Saskpower will remove the GHG emissions equivalent of 50,800 cars off our roads, and grow the economy right here on the Prairies." The Honourable Randy Boissonnault Minister o Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance "Our government is taking real action to fight climate change and is committed to greening our buildings through the use of 100% clean electricity, in line with the commitments we've made through the Greening Government Strategy. These agreements are a key step on the path to net-zero government operations by 2050." The Honourable Mona Fortier President of the Treasury Board of Canada "Moving to green energy at Government of Canada facilities in Alberta and Saskatchewan, including at Parks Canada administered places, will help reduce GHG emissions and impacts of climate change. Parks Canada welcomes millions of visitors annually to experience nature and learn more about natural and cultural history. Soon, these iconic destinations will also serve as visible examples of the potential for green energy solutions." The Honourable Steven Guilbeault Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada "As the largest federal electricity consumer, National Defence and our government writ-large are committed to reducing emissions where our personnel live, work and train. Today's announcement will ensure that all federal National Defence buildings in Saskatchewan and Alberta are entirely powered with clean electricity by 2025. These contracts will create sustainable economic opportunities for local and Indigenous businesses while continuing to ensure that our Canadian Armed Forces personnel have the modern facilities and infrastructure they need to do the jobs that we ask of them." The Honourable Anita Anand Minister of National Defence "We're proud to deliver clean electricity to the Alberta grid to meet 100% of the electricity demand from the Government of Canada's buildings across the province. Collaborative agreements like this support our collective net-zero goals, provide opportunities to meaningfully engage Indigenous communities, and help advance the development of renewable power generation facilities." Chris Kopecky Senior Vice President, Chief Legal, Development and Commercial Officer of Capital Power Quick facts Green power is electricity produced from non-GHG emitting energy sources. In Canada , the majority of clean electricity generation in the provinces and territories comes from hydroelectric, nuclear, wind and solar power generation. , the majority of clean electricity generation in the provinces and territories comes from hydroelectric, nuclear, wind and solar power generation. Currently, 80% of power consumed by the Government of Canada comes from clean sources supplied by the provincial and territorial utility grids. comes from clean sources supplied by the provincial and territorial utility grids. In addition to the Alberta and Saskatchewan initiatives, Canada is also developing a procurement strategy to buy the equivalent of 128,000 MWh per year worth of new clean energy generation in Canada , which would enable the federal government to attribute its energy consumption as being clean in regions where new clean renewable sources are not yet available. and initiatives, is also developing a procurement strategy to buy the equivalent of 128,000 MWh per year worth of new clean energy generation in , which would enable the federal government to attribute its energy consumption as being clean in regions where new clean renewable sources are not yet available. These initiatives build on Canada's existing work in greening federal operations across the country. In August 2019 , PSPC entered into an Agreement for Implementation to Purchase Net-New Renewable Electricity with the Province of Nova Scotia . The Province of Nova Scotia subsequently announced the creation of the Green Choice Program in March 2020 , a clean electricity procurement program for the federal government and other large provincial electricity customers. existing work in greening federal operations across the country. In , PSPC entered into an Agreement for Implementation to Purchase Net-New Renewable Electricity with the Province of . The Province of subsequently announced the creation of the Green Choice Program in , a clean electricity procurement program for the federal government and other large provincial electricity customers. Discussions are also ongoing between PSPC and the Province of New Brunswick to identify a clean electricity program for federal facilities. Associated links Government of Canada's Greening Government Strategy Greening Government Strategy Greener federal buildings Clean energy initiatives Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act The Government of Canada takes action to fight climate change and grow the economy Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook SOURCE Public Services and Procurement Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 03, 2023] DSM - delivery of shares This is a press release by Koninklijke DSM N.V. (Royal DSM), pursuant to the provisions of Sections 13 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Dutch Decree on Public Takeover Bids (Besluit openbare biedingen Wft) (the Decree) in connection with the public offer by Danube AG (to be renamed DSM-Firmenich AG) for all the issued and outstanding ordinary shares in the capital of DSM (the Exchange Offer). This press release does not constitute an offer, or any solicitation of any offer, to buy or subscribe for any securities. This press release is not for general release, publication or distribution, in whole or in part, in or into, directly or indirectly, the United States or any other jurisdiction where such release, publication or distribution would violate applicable laws or regulations. HEERLEN, Netherlands, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the Offering Circular published on 22 November 2022, Royal DSM is required to announce transactions relating to the ordinary shares in its capital in accordance with the Dutch public offer rules. This includes the delivery of treasury shares to employees in view of settling the vesting of share units or the exercise of stock options. Pursuant to commitments entered into prior to issuing the Offering Circular, DSM has on 3 February 2023, delivered 1,060 ordinary shares to employees in view of settling the exercise of an equivalent number of stock options granted under the respective DSM Incentive Plan (average exercise price 61.29). On the date hereof, the total number of issued and outstanding DSM ordinary shares is 173,084,970. As a consequence of the delivery included herein, the number of outstanding DSM ordinary shares increased by 0.0006%. DSM Royal DSM is a global, purpose-led company in Health, Nutrition & Bioscience, applying science to improve the health of people, animals and the planet. DSM's purpose is to create brighter lives for all. DSM's products and solutions address some of the world's biggest challenges while simultaneously creating economic, environmental and societal value for all its stakeholders customers, employees, shareholders, and society at large. The company was founded in 1902 and is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. More information can be found at www.dsm.com. Or find us on: LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/3108 Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DSM Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DSMcompany YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/dsmcompany For more information DSM Media Relations Gareth Mead tel. +31 (0) 45 5782420 email [email protected] DSM Investor Relations Dave Huizing tel. +31 (0) 45 5782864 email [email protected] Forward-looking statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements with respect to DSM's future (financial) performance and position. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections of DSM and information currently available to the company. DSM cautions readers that such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and therefore it should be understood that many factors can cause actual performance and position to differ materially from these statements. DSM has no obligation to update the statements contained in this press release, unless required by law. The English language version of the press release is leading. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/329419/dsm_logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/dsm---delivery-of-shares-301738601.html [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 03, 2023] UBS Declares Coupon Payments on 5 ETRACS Exchange Traded Notes UBS Investment Bank today announced coupon payments for 5 ETRACS Exchange Traded Notes (the "ETNs"), all traded on the NYSE Arca. NYSE Ticker ETN Name and Prospectus Supplement* Coupon Valuation Date Ex-Date Record Date Payment Date Coupon Amount Payment Schedule Current Yield (annualized) HDLB** ETRACS Monthly Pay 2xLeveraged US High Dividend Low Volatility ETN Series B 1/30/2023 2/9/2023 2/10/2023 2/21/2023 $ 0.1090 Monthly 10.50% SMHB** ETRACS Monthly Pay 2xLeveraged US Small Cap High Dividend ETN Series B 1/30/2023 2/9/2023 2/10/2023 2/21/2023 $ 0.0637 Monthly 17.88% PFFL** ETRACS Monthly Pay 2xLeveraged Preferred Stock ETN 1/30/2023 2/9/2023 2/10/2023 2/21/2023 $ 0.0549 Monthly 12.08% CEFD** ETRACS Monthly Pay 1.5X Leveraged Closed-End Fund Index ETN 1/30/2023 2/9/2023 2/10/2023 2/21/2023 $ 0.1937 Monthly 14.02% MVRL** ETRACS Monthly Pay 1.5x Leveraged Mortgage REIT ETN 1/30/2023 2/9/2023 2/10/2023 2/21/2023 $ 0.1098 Monthly 16.73% * The table above provides a hyperlink to the relevant prospectus and supplements thereto for each of our ETRACS ETNs, which are identified by their names. For more information on each ETRACS ETN, see "List of ETNs". ** "Current Yield (annualized)" equals the current Coupon Amount and the two immediately preceding Coupon Amounts, multiplied by four (to annualize such coupons), divided by the closing Current Indicative Value of the ETN on its current Coupon Valuation Date rounded to two decimal places for ease of analysis. The Current Yield is not indicative of future coupon payments, if any, on the ETN. You are not guaranteed any coupon or distribution amount under the ETN. Note: HDLB, SMHB and PFFL pay a variable monthly coupon linked to 2 times the cash distributions, if any, on the respective underlying index constituents, less withholding taxes, if any. CEFD and MVRL pay a variable monthly coupon linked to 1.5 times the cash distributions, if any, on the respective underlying index constituents, less withholding taxes, if any. Variations in the amount of monthly distributions will lead to large variations in the Current Yield as calculated above. As such, the Current Yield for each is not indicative of future coupon payments, if any, on these ETNs. About ETRACS ETRACS ETNs are senior unsecured notes issued by UBS AG, are traded on NYSE Arca, and can be bought and sold through a broker or financial advisor. An investment in ETRACS ETNs is subject to a number of risks, including the risk of loss of some or all of the investor's principal, and is subject to the creditworthiness of UBS AG. Investors are not guaranteed any coupon or distribution amount under the ETNs. We urge you to read the more detailed explanation of risks described under "Risk Factors" in the applicable prospectus supplement for the ETRACS ETN. UBS AG has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus and supplements thereto) with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, for the offerings of securities to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus, along with the applicable prospectus supplement to understand fully the terms of the securities and other considerations that are important in making a decision about investing in the ETRACS. The applicable offering document for each ETRACS may be obtained by clicking on the name of each ETRACS identified above. You may also get these documents without cost by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. The securities related to the offerings are not deposit liabilities and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency of the United States, Switzerland or any other jurisdiction. About UBS UBS convenes the global ecosystem for investing, where people and ideas are connected and opportunities brought to life, and provides financial advice and solutions to wealthy, institutional and corporate clients worldwide, as well as to private clients in Switzerland. UBS offers investment solutions, products and impactful thought leadership, is the leading global wealth manager, provides large-scale and diversified asset management, focused investment banking capabilities, and personal and corporate banking services in Switzerland. The firm focuses on businesses that have a strong competitive position in their target markets, are capital efficient and have an attractive long-term structural growth or profitability outlook. UBS is present in all major financial centers worldwide. It has offices in more than 50 regions and locations, with about 30% of its employees working in the Americas, 30% in Switzerland, 19% in the rest of Europe, the Middle East and Africa and 21% in Asia Pacific. UBS Group AG employs more than 72,000 people around the world. Its shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). This material is issued by UBS AG and/or any of its subsidiaries and/or any of its affiliates ("UBS"). Products and services mentioned in this material may not be available for residents of certain jurisdictions. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Please consult the restrictions relating to the product or service in question for further information. Activities with respect to US securities are conducted through UBS Securities LLC, a US broker/dealer. Member of SIPC (http://www.sipc.org/). ETRACS ETNs are sold only in conjunction with the relevant offering materials. UBS has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus, as supplemented by the applicable prospectus supplement, for the offering of the ETRACS ETNs) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") for the offering to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read these documents and any other documents that UBS has filed with the SEC for more complete information about UBS and the offering to which this communication relates. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, you can request the prospectus and applicable prospectus supplement, by calling toll-free (+1-877-387 2275). In the US, securities underwriting, trading and brokerage activities and M&A advisor activities are provided by UBS Securities LLC, a registered broker/dealer that is a wholly owned subsidiary of UBS AG, a member of the New York Stock Exchange and other principal exchanges, and a member of SIPC. UBS Financial Services Inc. is a registered broker/dealer and affiliate of UBS Securities LLC. The financial instrument is not sponsored, promoted, sold or supported in any other manner by Solactive AG nor does Solactive AG offer any express or implicit guarantee or assurance either with regard to the results of using the Index and/or Index trade mark or the Index Price at any time or in any other respect. The S-Network Composite Closed-End Fund Index is a service mark of S-Network Global Indexes, Inc. ("S-Network") and its use is granted under a license from S-Network. S-Network does not guarantee the accuracy and/or completeness of the S-Network Composite Closed-End Fund Index or any data included therein, and S-Network shall have no liability for any errors, omissions, interruptions, or defects therein. S-Network makes no warranty, express or implied, representations or promises, as to results to be obtained by UBS AG, or any other person or entity from the use of the S-Network Composite Closed-End Fund Index or any data included therein. S-Network makes no express or implied warranties, representations or promises, regarding the originality, merchantability, suitability, non-infringement, or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the S-Network Composite Closed-End Fund Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall S-Network have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, punitive, consequential, or other damages (including lost profits), even if notified of the possibility of such damages. The ETRACS Monthly Pay 1.5x Leveraged Mortgage REIT ETN ("ETN") is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Market Vectors Index Solutions GmbH ("Licensor") and Licensor makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the ETN or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the ETN particularly or the ability of the Market Vectors US Mortgage REITs Index to track the performance of the US mortgage REIT market. The ETRACS Monthly Pay 1.5x Leveraged Mortgage REIT ETN ("ETN") is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Market Vectors Index Solutions GmbH ("Licensor") and Licensor makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the ETN or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the ETN particularly or the ability of the Market Vectors US Mortgage REITs Index to track the performance of the US mortgage REIT market. UBS specifically prohibits the redistribution or reproduction of this communication in whole or in part without the prior written permission of UBS and UBS accepts no liability whatsoever for the actions of third parties in this respect. UBS 2023. The key symbol, UBS and ETRACS are among the registered and unregistered trademarks of UBS. Other marks may be trademarks of their respective owners. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005418/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] We wanted to catch up on few crime reporting links for the overnight along with some more inspiring stories at the end of the compilation . . . Check TKC news gathering . . . Kansas City man, 63, convicted of multiple child sex charges A 63-year-old Kansas City man has been found guilty of multiple child sex charges, the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office said late Thursday night. Robert Warren was convicted of first-degree statutory rape, second-degree statutory rape, sexual misconduct involving a child, two counts of fourth-degree child molestation and attempting to entice a child. WATCH: Police ask help to ID vehicle in road rage shooting that paralyzed victim KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Officers are asking the public for help in identifying a vehicle involved in a drive-by shooting from November. The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department tweeted a video of a silver or gray Dodge Charger in the area of Sni A Bar Road and the Blue Ridge Cutoff just before 5 p.m. Lenexa police arrests man involved in several stolen property cases Lenexa police say they arrested a man overnight this week who stole several items, including the car he was driving when police pulled him over. Police stopped a stolen car in the area of Prairie Star Parkway and Ridgeview earlier this week. Inside the vehicle, mail, packages and other "likely" stolen items were discovered. Shawnee man sentenced to 13 years without parole for sex trafficking children A Shawnee, Kan., man will spend the next 13 years in federal prison for sex trafficking two teenagers. Antonio Flemming, 40, was sentenced to 13 years without parole. He pleaded guilty to two counts of sex trafficking on July 28th, 2022. He admitted to recruiting two teenagers, one from Kansas City, Mo., and the other from St. Authorities briefly check out suspicious package at Arrowhead on Thursday KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The authorities were checking out a suspicious package at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night. It appears that the authorities received a call at 5:37 p.m. regarding some kind of suspicious package in Lot N. The Kansas City Fire Department crew that deals with hazardous materials went to the scene. MO Republicans want state control of St. Louis police. What does that mean for Kansas City? Emboldened by a statewide vote that forced Kansas City to spend more on its police, Missouri Republican lawmakers are trying to put St. Louis' police department back under state control. A bill, filed last month by state Sen. Nick Schroer, a St. Charles Republican, would place the St. How does someone steal $700,000 from a senator's campaign in the midst of an election? The theft on more than $700K of campaign funds exposes a constellation of vulnerabilities in modern day political campaigns, where millions often move through small, shoe-string operations with little to no security measures in place to protect themselves against online fraud. Attorney General Andrew Bailey discusses his top priorities for future of Missouri JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KY3) - It has been a few weeks since Andrew Bailey was sworn in as Attorney General. He discussed his priorities for office. Fighting violent crime is at the top of Bailey's list. "I was a prosecutor, and I worked at a county office. Prayers answered; stolen antique relic returned to Parkville church PARKVILLE, Mo. - Parkville, Missouri police are investigating vandalism and a break-in at one of the oldest remaining African Methodist Episcopal churches west of the Mississippi. Longtime Washington Chapel A.M.E. members say prayers have already been answered as the thieves had a change of heart. Long-Time Supervisor Flourishes, For The Record As supervisor, Cutchlow oversees a team which is responsible for valuable KCPD assets, its records. They include court-ordered subpoenas, Sunshine Law requests, orders of protection, the entry of state warrants, and the entry of the repossession of vehicles. Due to the nature of many documents, Cutchlow and team work heavily with the Office of General Counsel. Developing . . . If the unusually high temperatures has you eager to embrace cherry blossom season, you dont need to head to a likely congested High Park to take in their delicate blush glory. Billy Bragg took to his Facebook page today to share the news that it's the 40th anniversary of the recording of his debut album "Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy." He said: 40 years ago today I carried my trusty Arbiter guitar and Roland Cube 60 amp into the demo studio at the offices of Chappell Music near Marble Arch in London and over three intense days recorded my debut album Life's A Riot with Spy vs Spy. Gearing up for some 40th anniversary fun and games over the next 12 months, so stay tuned for details. That album was life changing for me. It was just Billy, and his guitar, and it was my entry into a world where love and politics are always already entangled. I fell deeply in love with Billy Bragg and his music, and still count him as my favorite musical artist. I've been lucky enough to see him many times live over the years, and hope to continue doing so. One of the standout songs on the album is, of course "A New England." The Guardian recently published Billy Bragg's terrific piece explaining the origin story of that song. Bragg writes: I wrote the song in 1979 when I was 21, living in Northamptonshire and playing in the punk band Riff Raff. I was coming back from the pub one night and saw two satellites in the sky. I thought they were a great metaphor for a relationship, so when I got home I wrote down: "I saw two shooting stars last night / I wished on them but they were only satellites." When I came back to the song the following year to finish it, I realised I could truthfully open it with the line, "I was 21 years when I wrote this song / I'm 22 now but I won't be for long", just like Simon and Garfunkel's Leaves That Are Green. By 1980, Margaret Thatcher had been elected, the band had broken up and punk had dissipated into synthesiser groups, so A New England was my way of saying that I needed a hug as well as a new ideology. The line "the girls I loved in school are already pushing prams" was about my cohort. We'd all left school at 16 and were looking for different ways to become adults. Read the rest of the origin story here, and enjoy this video of Billy Bragg playing A New England at the Dominion Theatre in London, 1988. In the words of someone who commented on the video on YouTube: "This could be the best song ever written <3" I couldn't agree more! Andrew Palamarchuk is a reporter with Metroland Media Toronto and toronto.com. He has been covering the crime beat since 2002 and has a passion for giving a voice to those affected by tragedy and looking at societal issues that may have contributed to it. Small businesses in East Buffalo can now apply for a grant of up to $50,000 through a program developed by the state to help largely minority-owned establishments rebound from the social and economic impacts of the mass shooting at Tops of Jefferson Avenue in May. The East Buffalo Small Business Working Capital Grant Program allocates $3 million for small businesses in a designated area of East Buffalo. "The horrific acts of this past May will not define the community of East Buffalo, nor undermine its strength and spirit," Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said in a statement Friday. "With $3 million in targeted working capital grants to help eligible small businesses defray operating costs, New York State is taking additional steps to ensure the area's predominantly minority-owned enterprises have the support they need to serve the community." The application period opened Friday and business owners can apply until Feb. 17 at lisc.tfaforms.net/818. Who is eligible? Businesses must be in a specific area of East Buffalo to qualify for a grant. The designated area is bounded by: Route 33 (Kensington Expressway) Route 198 (Scajaquada Expressway) Main Street North Street Michigan Avenue Goodell Street Both home-based residential and commercial businesses with fewer than 100 employees are eligible to apply, but those businesses must serve the local community. For example, retail shops and online marketplaces that sell to a statewide or national customer base are not eligible, according to the state. Sole proprietors and contractors, such as ride share drivers, are eligible as long as their business address is within the target area. Franchises are eligible to apply for a grant. Businesses must have been in operation prior to Dec. 31, 2021, and have a business bank account. Eligible businesses must have between $5,000 and $1 million in annual revenues for fiscal year 2021. Grant amounts will be based on gross annual sales: $5,000-$49,999 annual gross receipts: $5,000 grant $50,000-$99,999 annual gross receipts: $10,000 grant $100,000-$1,000,000 annual gross receipts: grant is 10% of gross receipts, up to $50,000 Application assistance is available Application assistance will be available at the Exchange at Beverly Gray and the Foundry for business owners that need help filling out the paperwork, scanning documents or accessing a computer. Help is available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays and from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursdays at the Exchange at Beverly Gray, 334 E. Utica St. At the Foundry, located at 298 Northampton St., assistance is available Mondays from 6 to 9 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. A public information session will take place from 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 7 at Buffalo Employment Training Center, 77 Goodell St. A webinar will be held at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 9, hosted by Beverly Gray. For more information and to register, visit eventbrite.com/e/webinar-how-to-apply-for-esds-small-business-working-capital-grant-program-tickets-532179532307. Brandi J. Barrett got to know the ins and outs of consumer debt, credit cards and small business lending working for Bank of America. She made her way into the traditional world of finance, expecting a typical banking career. Instead, she saw the problems of inequitable lending, the displacement of people in the community because of affordability, and the struggles of neighborhoods like the Fruit Belt, where she was born and raised. That changed her trajectory. And her participation in the state's new 20-week training program to turn East Buffalo residents into community-based real estate developers is paying off for her, and for others. Together with a friend from her college years at Daemen University who lives in the Bronx, Barrett is part of a new crop of community developers investing in and creating opportunities in parts of Buffalo that have long been underserved and neglected. "Theyre recognizing the impact they can individually have in transforming their neighborhood," said Karen Utz, Western New York regional director for Empire State Development Corp. And they are hitting the ground running. Barrett and Jackeysi Benitez want to bring an eco-friendly laundromat, retail space and as many as seven affordable apartments to a grassy site in Masten Park, in a $2.1 million to $2.5 million project that would be funded in part with an East Side community development grant stemming from the state training program. Their new company, Barrett & Benitez Development already owns that property at 61 Laurel St., at the corner of Michigan Avenue. Through its Loads of Love LLC, it received designated developer status from the city last month to buy two additional vacant lots at 59 Laurel and 102 Riley St., which will be combined with the primary address for the project. Plans by Eco-Logic Studios call for a complex that includes three separate buildings a primary two-family residence and a separate carriage house on Riley, and then a two-story commercial building on Laurel. The larger building will house the laundromat, a related wash-n-fold business and a cafe on the first floor, plus up to four additional apartments on the second floor. The laundromat and wash-n-fold would be the centerpiece, located in a 15-foot tall space with a "huge mezzanine seating area" around it, to create a "social collective," Barrett said. "We really want to be a social enterprise, so people can come, even if you just want a quiet place to plug in, work on your laptop, have a muffin, or people-watch," said Barrett, 40. "We are big people-watchers, because we love our front porches. We want the laundromat to feel the same way." Sign up for the Buffalo Next free newsletter The News' Buffalo Next team covers the changing Buffalo Niagara economy. Get the news in your inbox 5 days a week. At the same time, Barrett said, they want to change how the laundry business operates, noting that utilities, particularly water, comprise 18% of operating costs. So the developers will install a system for capturing and reusing rainwater for the laundromat, and also plan a solar roof on the Laurel building. "We really want to think about the whole concept," she said. "It was very intentional, so that we're not encroaching on already antiquated infrastructure." The apartment mix would include three or four one-bedroom units of 500 to 700 square feet each in the Laurel building and three 1,000-square-foot two-bedroom units in the Riley houses, depending on the final design. Each would include a full-size dining and living room space, while some would also have alcove balconies or porches. The project initially entailed just five apartments, but the developers hope to incorporate two more. Three or four of the apartments would be affordable for households earning 60% of the area median income, while the other two or three would be set at 70%, for an average income target of 64% in all. Barrett said she hopes to start construction in fall 2023, with completion by late 2024 or early 2025, pending city approvals. Its affiliate, Loads of Love LLC, is seeking a general manager or operator for the laundromat and a "strong local cafe" to run a satellite location. "Our goal is to support and continue as many local East Side businesses as possible," Barrett said. This is the first development project undertaken by the duo, who met in college. Although separated by hundreds of miles, Barrett said that "the things that I'm experiencing in the Fruit Belt are the same that she's experiencing in the South Bronx." Benitez, a bilingual immigrant from Dominican Republic, went on to graduate school and became a licensed social worker. She is now the interim director of the Liberty Partnerships Program at Fordham University in the Bronx, where she works with urban youth. She previously provided housing resources to seniors, so "working with residents who need essential services is something I'm very experienced with," Benitez said. "Buffalo is near to my heart," added Benitez, 39. "I've always visited Buffalo. I've seen the changes in Buffalo, and it's always been a conversation between her and I about what can we do. So teaming up to do something like this just seemed like a no-brainer." Meanwhile, Barrett started her career at Bank of America in loss mitigation and credit cards, before spending the next 13 years in small business banking. She pivoted after seeing what was happening to the community in which she grew up. "So much was happening, and I saw so many people being displaced from this community," she said. "I wanted to be a part of the change, and use my professional experience to see how the two could come together." She is now director of operations for the Fruit Belt Community Land Trust and commercial district program manager for the state-sponsored East Side Avenues program at Broadway-Fillmore Neighborhood Housing Services. That's how she got involved with the real estate training program that is offered as part of East Side Avenues, with a goal of raising up grassroots developers from the neighborhoods. But for community developers, lacking the deeper pockets and the financing network that established developers can tap into, finding the money to launch their projects can be a daunting challenge. That's why the ESD program also included a $5 million startup capital fund to support the first development ventures of the graduates. Barrett hopes to use that to partially fund her project. Loads of Love also is applying for a Small Building Participation Loan Program loan from New York State Homes and Community Renewal and separately for a construction loan through the Community Preservation Corp. If they are successful, Barrett and Benitez have even bigger plans. They say they hope to work with other established developers to collaborate on other projects and enhance East Side neighborhoods. Perhaps most of all, though, they say they want to demonstrate the value of education. "Without the Higher Education Opportunity Program program, we wouldn't be here. Without the East Side real estate development program, we wouldn't be here," Barrett said. "It's not just about the project. It's about our people, it's about our ancestors," she said. "We just want to inspire the next generation to see this and know that it's possible. Going to college and work may not feel good at the moment, but it can lead to something. Every step along the way prepared us." In the spring, the European Commission will provide an oral update on Ukraine's implementation of the seven recommendations, and a written report on the enlargement will follow in the autumn. "Ukraine is a candidate country and we agreed on the implementation of seven steps. Ukraine is already showing good progress in these seven steps... Of course, there will be an oral update on the progress for EU Member States. It will happen in spring. But the focus is on the big written report on the enlargement that will be released in autumn," President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said at a briefing following the meeting of the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission, an Ukrinform correspondent reported. The President noted that the European Commission services are currently collecting data. As reported, a meeting of the members of the College of European Commissioners, headed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, with the Government of Ukraine took place in Kyiv today. The meeting participants discussed the support for Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression, the coordination of efforts to restore Ukraine, the continuation of key reforms, and Ukraine's future EU membership. On February 3, the 24th EU-Ukraine Summit will be held in Kyiv. ol | By Emily Chappell Nightingale, Dix, Barton, Mahoney, Parsons, Wald, and Petry the names of these seven influential nurses have been etched on the facade of the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) building for more than two decades. Now, the names of two trailblazing UMSON alumnae join them, women whose legacies have shaped not only the nursing field, but also the city, the state, and beyond. Esther E. McCready, DIN 53, the first African American to gain admittance to UMSON, and former state Sen. Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, MAS, BSN 80, RN, FAAN, are highlighted on the front of the schools recently opened expanded section, a recognition of their contributions to nursing, education, and public health. UMSON honored these groundbreaking womens impact as it cut the ribbon on the new space during a celebratory Seeds of Change event Jan. 30. Today we come together to celebrate several things, said Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of UMSON. On one level, we celebrate the expansion of the School of Nursings footprint here on Lombard Street. This renovation and expansion is designed to meet the needs of our changing and growing student population, the next generation of nurses. These future nurses stand on the shoulders of all those who have come before them. And with this addition, we have the opportunity to permanently acknowledge two nurses on whose shoulders we all stand, each of whom has had a profoundly significant impact on health care, she added. Inside the expanded section, a living green wall spanning two floors adorns a student-focused space, the Virginia Lee Franklin Lounge. Flowing with plants, the green wall is a nod to the schools commitment to sustainability and to the next generation of nurses. Living green walls, composed of tightly packed, individually potted plants, improve indoor air quality and provide health benefits related to connecting to nature. The green wall system uses the plants soil medium to super filter the ambient air by pulling room air through the soil and returning it out for people to breathe. The air travels via clear plastic tubing along the edges of the green wall, and the pump required to circulate the air, along with the mechanisms associated with the self-watering system, are enclosed within the cabinet at the base of the green wall, made of repurposed wood. UMSONs green wall was inspired by one in the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Office of Design and Construction, after Anthony Consoli, AIA, LEED, AP, University architect, showed it to Kirschling. UMSONs is now the only other living green wall on campus. The wall is composed of 10 species of plants. The wood at the green walls base was salvaged in part from a maple tree that had to be removed during construction of the building addition; the tree was originally donated by Susan Wozenski, JD, MPH, assistant professor and chair of the Department of Family and Community Health, in memory of her father, Joseph P. Wozenski. The design also incorporates repurposed, salvaged metal from which UMB President Bruce Jarrell, MD, FACS, and his daughter, Gwynneth Jarrell, BSN 06, RN, CPAN, a current Doctor of Nursing Practice student, both of whom are accomplished metalsmiths, created a decorative frame. The metal has its origins in Brooklyn, one of Baltimores southernmost neighborhoods. For the very top of the living green wall, the Jarrells created an element reminiscent of the Flossie, UMSONs traditional nursing cap made of fluted lace (used until the end of the 1970s), from a curved ribbon of copper. Nathan-Pulliam said she is tremendously honored to be recognized by the school. Words cant express, she said. Im so proud of the School of Nursing. Nationally, weve done great, and our nurses are everywhere. As a legislator, Nathan-Pulliam realized just how much she learned from her time at the school. I was always prepared to use the nursing process to solve problems that came before me, she said. Upon the Shoulders of Groundbreaking Women Both womens legacies are built on decades of breaking barriers. McCready, just 19 at the time, took on not only the School of Nursing, but also higher education as a whole, with a landmark lawsuit. In 1950, she pursued a Maryland Court of Appeals decision after UMSON originally denied her admission. The schools previous offer to pay for her to attend a Tennessee nursing school had been upheld as legal by a Baltimore court. But with the help of her attorney, Thurgood Marshall, McCready sued for admission to UMSON, and the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled in her favor. In her first meeting with lawyers, McCready was asked, Who put you up to this? said Larry Gibson, LLB, the Morton and Sophia Macht Professor of Law at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, who presented McCreadys history and legacy at the event. She had replied, No one. I did this on my own, because I am a citizen of Maryland and entitled to attend my states nursing school. McCreadys victory held national significance, Gibson said. While there had been Donald Gaines Murrays court case, University v. Murray, in 1936, the first time a U.S. court ordered the desegregation of an educational facility, the decision and his application was restricted to law schools, Gibson said. McCreadys lawsuit impacted all higher educational programs. The duty of a state to provide equal educational opportunity to its citizens had to be satisfied inside the states borders. That led to the admission of African American students into professional and graduate schools all over the nation, Gibson said. That is what Esther McCready accomplished. McCready received a Doctor of Public Service honorary degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) in 2015. Nathan-Pulliam was mentored by McCready and continued McCreadys trailblazing work in health care. Nathan-Pulliam served in the Maryland General Assembly for 24 years before retiring as a Maryland state senator in late 2019, having focused her career on ensuring that all Marylanders have access to health care. In her first year in office, she created a $2.6 million breast cancer diagnosis and treatment program for low-income women. And before retirement, one of her final actions in the legislature was the creation of the Social Determinants of Health Task Force of Baltimore City, a cutting-edge policy intervention and the first such legislatively mandated task force in the country. And while Nathan-Pulliam might be known for these legislative accomplishments, to many, her legacy is one of friendships and mentorships. When I came to the Health and Government Operations Committee, I didnt know my way, I didnt know what I was doing, Maryland Del. Joseline A. Pena-Melnyk, JD, said in her remarks during the event. But Shirley, she took her time to talk to me, to mentor me, and to give me an opportunity that many people wouldnt do. Nathan-Pulliam wasnt a mentor only to her legislative colleagues. UMSON associate professor Yolanda Ogbolu, PhD 11, MS 05, BSN 04, CRNP-Neonatal, FNAP, FAAN, first interacted with Nathan-Pulliam as a constituent looking for help. I had successfully completed my initial nursing degree at Baltimore City Community College. And the next step was to take the board exam, Ogbolu said in her remarks. My major problem I had no money to pay the fee. As a single mother living in an apartment with her 4-year-old daughter, Ogbolu had to make a choice pay her rent or pay for her board exam. She chose rent. But I cried day and night with my decision, she said. But then suddenly, I said, Im going to write to everyone. I wrote to the governor. I wrote to my delegates. I wrote to senators and delegates at the state. Finally, one person, only one person, answered my letters. That was Sen. Shirley Nathan-Pulliam. And while Nathan-Pulliam told Ogbolu shed missed the Maryland deadline for the exam, the legislator arranged for Ogbolu to take it in Delaware. Later, as a PhD student, Ogbolu applied to be a legislative intern with the senator with the hopes of reconnecting and paying it forward. Additionally, she said, she wanted to learn how to translate her health equity research into policy. When they met again, Ogbolu asked Nathan-Pulliam if she remembered her. Nathan-Pulliam said she didnt. And during my time with her, I understood why she didnt remember me. As I read through the piles of letters and listened to phone calls that she receives daily, I realized why remembering me would be difficult. The senator has helped 10,000 Yolandas I just happen to be standing here, the one telling my story, Ogbolu said. Eyes Toward the Future While the Jan. 30 celebration was a chance to look back at the stories of two alumnae who have been instrumental in changing health care, it also was a chance to look toward the future of nursing. The new space in the School of Nursing is very special, UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, said, because its a place for students to collect themselves and relax among the hustle and bustle of taking care of sick patients. Its a chance for them to remember who they are and why theyre here, he added. Nathan-Pulliam and McCready laid seeds of change, Jarrell said, to help nursing get to where it is today. But we also need to get where we need to go tomorrow. And Im happy to tell all of you here what a terrific job our School of Nursing has done to get nurses out there and working, he added. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted just how important nurses are in health care, Jarrell said, but it also shined a light on how difficult the workplace had become for nurses and how hard it was to deliver care. UMSON has been focused on addressing that, he added. The school is on track to graduate close to 1,000 students this spring, he said. And among them, just like our two honorees, some of these nurses will deliver primary care throughout Maryland. This is a nursing school that is committed to Maryland. Its a university thats committed to the state of Maryland, Jarrell said. Just like Nathan-Pulliam and McCready, the nurses who come through the school can bring change to Maryland and beyond. Nathan-Pulliam and McCready accomplished journeys that may have seemed impossible in their generations, Ogbolu said. They did their part. They left their mark in fact, their names are on the building. They showed us how to act with boldness, with compassion, with faith, and hope as an action word. Now its up to us, she said. So, I leave you with a question: What will you do to continue the journey? Lets all go forth, to water the seeds of change that they have planted so that everyone has an opportunity to grow and flourish. Lets move with boldness and with grace to advance social and racial equity. The top executive at the Buffalo Niagara region's largest natural gas utility is calling the state's plan to rapidly move away from climate-changing fossil fuels to rely on renewable energy and electricity "incredibly irresponsible" and warning that it could result in much higher energy prices for consumers. David Bauer, the president and chief executive officer of National Fuel Gas Co., said Friday that the plan to move the state away from fossil fuels toward electrification, in everything from appliances to commercial buildings, goes too far, too fast. Bauer, in remarks during a conference call with stock market analysts and investors, said the plan would require the state to add renewable energy sources mostly wind and solar power at an unrealistically rapid rate to meet the soaring demand for electricity and require costly upgrades to the state's electricity transmission system to accommodate it. "The scoping plan would have New Yorkers electrify almost everything at any cost," Bauer said. The plan recommends that starting around 2025, newly built single-family homes be prohibited from installing equipment powered by fossil fuels, such as natural gas. That would require a newly built home's appliances, such as hot water heaters and furnaces, to run on a zero-emission system such as a heat pump, which is more energy efficient, but costs more than a conventional heating system. The plan also recommends that, starting in 2030, homeowners who need to replace existing heating systems and appliances be required to do so with zero-emission systems. Supporters say the plan puts the state at the forefront of efforts to safeguard the environment and slow climate change. The state is aiming to cut greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 40% by 2030, and 85% by 2050. Plans call for regulations stemming from the recommendations to be in place by 2024. "Our plan is to make sure that we can protect our environment and there are a lot of smart ways to do that," Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a stop in Dunkirk last month. "There's also a lot of hyperbole and exaggeration around what's being proposed." The plan was approved in December by a 19-3 vote, with National Fuel's representative on the council voting against it. About 90% of the homes in the Buffalo Niagara region are heated by natural gas, so a shift to electrify appliances and heating would likely cost National Fuel a major part of its current business. Bauer expressed doubts about the state's ability to add renewable electricity generation fast enough to meet the soaring demand that would result from the push to electrify. He said the state currently has about 2 gigawatts of wind and solar generating capacity and the plan would require more than 4 gigawatts of wind and solar generation to be installed each year for the next 18 years to meet the plan's targets. "Stop and think about it," Bauer said. "It's taken us decades to get to our current 2 gigawatts of capacity, but we'll somehow be able to build double that amount each and every year for the next two decades. While many might consider that incredibly aggressive, the scoping plan sees it as a sure thing." Bauer said the soaring demand also would force electric utilities to make massive investments to upgrade the transmission system that brings electricity to homes and businesses a cost that he warned would lead to higher rates. And he expressed doubt that new generation could be added fast enough to ensure that enough power would be available on a reliable basis. The New York Independent System Operator, which manages the state's power grid, has forecast that the climate law's mandate of an emissions-free grid would require the state to triple its electricity generating capacity by 2040. "It makes no sense to mandate the electrification of space heating in Western New York when it's uncertain the necessary power and electric infrastructure will be there to meet the increased demand for electricity that will result," he said. Instead, Bauer said the state should take a "more reasoned approach" that would first examine whether renewable generation can be added fast enough, while also encouraging customers to invest in improved energy efficiency and better insulation to reduce demand. Then, he recommended that the state adopt a hybrid plan to reduce emissions that matches the pace that new generation can be added a path he said could result in the state achieving 85% of the emission reductions contemplated in the council's plan. Full electrification would be required only after the state has developed a cost-effective way to meet all of the demand for electricity, especially during winter when consumption would spike because of the big increase in the use of electric heating systems. The smoky aroma of coffee permeates the air as Freweyni Tadese, 48, roasts beans over a charcoal stove. With a wooden pestle and mortar, she then grinds the darkened beans into a fine ground which she carefully pours into a Jebena, a traditional clay coffee-pot she carried with her when she fled Ethiopias Tigray region. Back at home, coffee is highly regarded and we grow it ourselves. We all have it in our homes, says Freweyni, adding that every cup reminds her of home. Soon, the coffee pot sizzles and Freweyni pours the dark liquid from a height into traditional handleless mugs without stopping until all the cups are filled. Her traditional methods of coffee-making have been passed down through generations. This first round is called awel, she says, adding that awel is the strongest of the three rounds shell brew from her freshly ground coffee. She serves each cup with a small dish of popcorn. As she works, she describes her life back home in Tigray where she sold homemade fruit popsicles from her own shop. The business allowed her to provide a comfortable life for her family while bringing joy and sweetness to her community. We were at peace, everyone was happy, says Freweyni. With the income from the popsicle shop, I could send my kids to school, even to university. But everything changed overnight when conflict broke out in the Tigray region in November 2020, eventually forcing approximately 60,000 men, women and children to cross the border into Sudan and displacing millions of others within Ethiopia. "We had no money, no clothes and were starving." As the fighting came close to her home in December 2020, Freweyni and her four children left everything behind and fled on foot towards Sudan. They walked for two straight days before crossing the border to safety. We had no money, no clothes and were starving, she says. It was not the first time that Freweyni had been forced to flee. She was a young child when she first came to Sudan as a refugee with her family in the mid-1980s, fleeing the civil war and devastating famine in Ethiopia. Later, she lived and worked in Eritrea for 16 years before she was forced to flee again when war broke out between Ethiopia and Eritrea in the late 1990s. She eventually found her way home, this time to Humera, Tigray, where she re-established her life and set up her business, not knowing that she would have to leave it all behind once more. Now safely settled with her family in the Tunaydbah refugee camp in Gedaref State, eastern Sudan, Freweyni has managed to set up a small coffee shop driven by her love of coffee and memories of home. Freweyni uses a charcoal stove to roast coffee beans. She is helping other women in the camp to start their own businesses. UNHCR/Samuel Otieno Freweyni also recognizes the need to connect her customers, most of them Ethiopian refugees, with home. This is our culture, she says. If we dont drink coffee three times [a day], we cannot work, but if we take coffee, we can do everything. Freweyni credits her success to both her determination to change her life and community for the better and support from humanitarian agencies, including UNHCR. She uses part of her profits to support other women in her community, particularly older women. When I started this business, I started it with little, and now, as you see, I have many customers. I am in a better place, she says. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is working with its partners to scale up support for refugees in eastern Sudan, particularly women, to establish small businesses and access employment opportunities in the camp as well as in surrounding host communities. When we support refugee women to create livelihoods and become more self-reliant, they are able to send their children to school and meet the needs of their families, which helps minimize the protection risks that they often face in displacement, says Waleed Alzubir Mohamed, a community-based protection associate with UNHCR. See also: Refugee engineers help to build weatherproof shelters for fellow refugees in Sudan Freweyni has become an inspiration to other refugees, especially women, to start their own small businesses. When they see my success, many women come and ask for my advice; they ask me many questions: how do you start? What can we do to start this business? She shows them the ropes, giving them advice on what they need to buy first and where to set up their businesses to attract customers. With Freweynis support, one of her closest friends has now opened a small restaurant in the camp. I encourage many women to work hard to create something, she says. It helps cope with the stress and hardship of living in displacement. Black workers at a Domino's Pizza location in Olean say they were subject to racial slurs, intimidation and physical threats, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which sued the franchise operator for race-based harassment and constructive discharge, it announced Thursday. Parris Pizza Co. on West State Street in Olean allowed workers and management to harass Black employees, including one named Andrew Ross, and the EEOC is seeking back pay, reinstatement, compensatory and punitive damages and injunctive relief, the EEOC said. Parris Pizza representatives could not immediately be reached for comment. Managers regularly used racial slurs such as the N-word during every shift, mimicked the voice of a slave owner and regularly called Ross "boy," while another manager watched and laughed, the EEOC said. When workers complained, they were met with more harassment and intimidation, the EEOC said. For example, when a worker asked a co-worker not to use the N-word, a manager leaned into the worker's face and threateningly said the word again, the EEOC said. When Ross complained to the franchise owner, a manager threatened him with a pair of scissors, the EEOC said. Parris Pizza took no disciplinary action, instead promoting one manager and giving the other a pay increase, the EEOC said. Ross had no choice but to resign, the EEOC said. February 3 2023 A ruinous mill in the Highland village of Balmacara is to be brought back to life as a community hall under plans by MacLean Architecture and Conservation (MAAC). Following a prolonged period of disuse, the roof collapsed in 2020, leaving stonework in a precarious position. A phased programme of improvements led by Balmacara Community Trust will remedy this, beginning with the reinstatement of the roof to closely match the original. As part of this process window openings are to be reinstated and the creation of a new main entrance. Subsequent works will include the construction of an escape stair and accessible toilets in a purpose-built extension as part of a full internal fit-out. In a planning statement, MAAC wrote: "The design is complimentary to the industrial heritage of the structure, but has been given a contemporary style so that it can be interpreted as a modern addition that is distinct to the historic fabric. "The roof of the new structure has been designed to be visually subordinate to the main roof structure. It utilises a metal standing seam cladding that makes a visual reference to the industrial and agricultural buildings of the rural highlands. The Walls are clad in stone to compliment the existing building, but opening shave been given a contemporary style to maintain a distinct visual character." Part of a B-listed farm steading on the shores of Loch Alsh the property dates from the early nineteenth century and is representative of the model farm movement of that era. Life comes at you fast. Four years ago, Domi Degalle and JD Beck were our houseguests in Buffalo, rehearsing in our basement studio, and performing a few shows we put together for them during their stay. Last week, a massive billboard in Times Square beamed the duos visage throughout New York Citys busiest region. And on Sunday, the two will be at the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles for the 65th annual Grammy Awards, for which theyve been nominated in the Best New Artist and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album categories. My head is spinning. I cant imagine whats going through theirs. As writer Ryan Bradley noted in a March 2021 New York Times piece, Who Are These Kids, and What Have They Done to Jazz?, the ongoing joke around Domi & JD is that these two might be aliens, crash-landed on Earth to teach a new form of music. I can vouch for that. During their stay with us, I was dazzled by the otherworldly intensity of their talent. Domi would wake up and head for the old Heathkit organ in our living room, offhandedly mastering the bass pedals and tossing off lines that sounded like Oscar Peterson jamming with electro-jazz geniuses Knower, or finding new spaces within the changes to John Coltranes Giant Steps while simultaneously roasting her friends in the room in her French-inflected English. All of this before breakfast. How did I end up with a front-row seat to this level of musical brilliance? Domi is Domitille Degalle, born in Nancy, France, a child prodigy who had completed piano studies at the Nancy Conservatory and the Superior National Conservatory of Paris by her early teens. At 16, she was awarded a full Presidential Scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. At Berklee, she met my son Declan, also there on a scholarship. The two became inseparable friends. So when the holiday season break of 2017 came around, we asked if theyd like to gather some of their Berklee pals together as a band and come to Buffalo and stay with us. Wed put together a gig and make it a big family-and-friends affair. I drove to Boston, grabbed Declan and Domi, and then picked up saxophonist Yesseh Furaha-Ali and drummer Isaiah Spoon Weatherspoon in Philadelphia. I spent the long drive getting to know my sons new friends. I loved them all immediately, and was captivated by their easygoing camaraderie. All of these kids and they were just kids, the oldest being 20 at the time had a lot of talent, but Domi was clearly their leader, even if she wasnt necessarily trying to be. Her talent and intellect were matched by an unfailingly irreverent sense of humor, and a charming tendency to refer to all positive events, incisive jokes, or sublime pieces of music as super tight! We fell into a routine that involved cooking, laughing, listening to music and then being treated to multiple hour rehearsals and jam sessions in our basement studio, the sounds of otherworldly future-jazz, funk, hip-hop and R&B filling our house. Just before Christmas, Buffalo Iron Works owner Josh Holtzman agreed to book the band of unknowns for a showcase gig, and friends, family and colleagues from the music scene showed up for what was a mind-blowing performance of future-jazz touched by funk and hip-hop. I was in heaven. The next summer, the whole troop returned, this time with the addition of keyboardists Bobby Hall III and a teenage drummer from Dallas named JD Beck. If the previous visit had been an inspiring view of the future of improvisational music, this one teetered on the brink of the overwhelming. There were now two drummers and a pair of keyboardists in the already hyper-virtuosic ensemble, and our basement studio was filled to capacity, as the multiple influences of several cities and cultures and music scenes and generations of jazz commingled in a manner that frightened me with its intensity. It wasnt much of a surprise when, as the band members went their separate ways Declan to Los Angeles, Yesseh and Spoon to Philadelphia, Bobby to Boston Domi & JD headed to Dallas, where they worked up a repertoire, began writing material and performing, became YouTube phenoms, and grew into an inseparable musical unit. They caught the attention of artists like Herbie Hancock, Louis Cole and Thundercat, and found themselves performing with all of them. They became the first musicians to sign to superstar Anderson.Paaks label, and in July of 2022, the pairs debut - Not Tight, a title which echoed Domis favored exclamation during her stays with us. Their time in Buffalo might just be part of the general blur of activity that has been their meteoric rise to the heady heights of modern music. But our music communitys embrace of this startling display of young talent surely left some impression. I, for one, will never forget it. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Gas volumes supplied to the European Union from Azerbaijan through the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) increased by 40% in 2022 amid the energy crisis in Europe, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said on Friday MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2023) Gas volumes supplied to the European Union from Azerbaijan through the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) increased by 40% in 2022 amid the energy crisis in Europe, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said on Friday. Earlier in the day, Simson met with Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov in Baku to discuss further development of energy ties between the EU and Azerbaijan. "Gas volumes delivered to the EU via the SGC in 2022 increased from around 8 bcm (billion cubic meters) to 11.4, therefore by more than 40% compared with 2021," Simson tweeted. The commissioner added that the SGC had proven to be a "crucial source of piped gas" for the EU amid the ongoing energy crisis in the bloc. In July, Baku vowed to increase the amount of gas supplied to Europe to 12 bcm gas in 2023. Moreover, Azerbaijan signed a memorandum of understanding on Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy with the EU, confirming the commitment to double the capacity of the SGC to deliver at least 20 bcm of gas to the EU annually by 2027. The SGC, a pipeline route stretching 2,174 miles, allows the transport of gas from the Caspian region to Europe. Commercial deliveries via the SGC began in December 2020, marking the first time in history that Azerbaijan's natural gas reached the European market through direct pipeline connection. (@FahadShabbir) Washington, Feb 3 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Feb, 2023 ) :When the United Ukrainian Ballet took the stage this week at Washington's Kennedy Center, the dancers performed works of art and also undertook a diplomatic and cultural mission of sorts. Composed of dancers driven into exile by the Russian invasion, the ballet company sees its mission as more than dance. To dance in spite of the war is a way of fighting "on the cultural front," a troupe member, Yuliia Kuzmych, 27, told AFP. Kuzmych danced at the Opera in Kyiv before joining the company. US audiences have responded enthusiastically. The ballet performed "Giselle" Wednesday night on the stage of the Kennedy Center, a national performing arts facility. The audience gave a standing ovation to the dancers, who sang the Ukrainian national anthem hand over heart at the end while waving flags from their embattled homeland. The ballet company brings together dozens of professional artists from all over Ukraine, who now live in exile. "It started out as quite a small idea, which turned out to be something huge," said Dutch prima ballerina Igone de Jongh, who initiated the project, based in The Hague. The underlying idea was to offer a safe place to the dancers and to allow them to continue dancing, she told AFP. But it is also "the best way to keep the Ukrainian culture alive and visible," she added. - 'Slava Ukraini' - While the dancers initially ended up in the same place "due to tragic circumstances," they are slowly "becoming a company because they are all united by the idea that they represent the country," said renowned choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, a Ukrainian flag pin attached to his jacket. "They represent the culture of this country and they are not military people. They are dancers... and they fight in their field," said Ratmansky, who worked at the Bolshoi in Moscow but now uses only harsh words for "the dictator" Vladimir Putin. At first, only women were allowed to join the company, Ratmansky said, since men of fighting age needed special permission to leave Ukraine. But the Ukrainian ministry of culture -- "which saw this project as an important cultural message to the world" -- eventually issued exit permits to all dancers. That is how Oleksii Kniazkov, 30, who worked at the National Opera in Kharkiv, was able to travel to the Netherlands. At the time of the invasion, he was preparing to perform "Romeo and Juliet." "It wasn't so easy" to get permission to leave, he told AFP before warming up for the second performance of "Giselle" in Washington. Since then, he considers his work with the United Ukrainian Ballet to be a "diplomatic mission." "Our performances are important because we make contact with ordinary people. We unite Ukrainians, Americans and people from other countries in an emotional way," he said. "We are all fighting for the freedom of Ukraine, and we do it through art," added Svitlana Onipko, 27, a dancer from Kyiv who joined the ballet in The Hague in September. On Wednesday night, some of the audience at the Kennedy Center waved Ukrainian flags while others wore brightly colored Ukrainian shawls. "Slava Ukraini!" ("Glory to Ukraine"), a young woman in the audience shouted to a round of applause. Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb 3 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Feb, 2023 ) :The EU on Friday pledged to support Ukraine "every step of the way" in its quest for bloc membership as top officials gathered in Kyiv for a highly symbolic summit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is hosting the meeting, is pressing the bloc for speedy membership as it battles to defeat a nearly year-long Russian invasion. The EU granted candidate status to Ukraine last June, but the path to full membership is likely to be fraught and could take years. EU chief Charles Michel announced his arrival in the Ukrainian capital as air raid sirens sounded, vowing that there will be "no let up in our resolve." "We will also support you every step of the way on your journey to the EU," Michel tweeted. The bloc's chief Ursula von der Leyen and the EU's most senior diplomat, Josep Borrell, are also in Kyiv for the summit. Zelensky said following talks with von der Leyen on Thursday that Ukraine "deserves to start negotiations on EU membership this year". "Only together a strong Ukraine and a strong European Union can protect the life we value." Von der Leyen welcomed steps taken by Ukraine for membership and said the EU was looking to finalise new sanctions against Russia by February 24, the first anniversary of the invasion. - Kremlin shrugs off sanctions - Putin insists Russia is weathering the barrage of sanctions imposed by Ukraine's Western allies and said his forces will continue to fight regardless of the penalties. But von der Leyen said that sanctions were already "eroding" Russia's economy, "throwing it back by a generation". She estimated that an oil price cap introduced in December was costing Moscow around 160 million Euros every day. But Zelensky said the West needed to do more -- and quickly -- and claimed Russia was adapting to the Western measures. Now an EU ban on Russian oil products like diesel, gasoline and jet fuel, is set to come into effect on Sunday alongside a G7 price cap on these products. But the Kremlin warned Friday that the measures would destabilise the markets more broadly rather than only impacting Russia. "This will lead to a further imbalance of the international energy markets, but we are taking measures to hedge our interests against the risks associated," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Graft is a key European concern and Ukraine has recently widened efforts to tackle corruption with officials warning of an ongoing fight against an "internal enemy". The latest measures saw highly publicised raids by the security services targeting residences of an oligarch with deep political connections and a former interior minister. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Washington, Feb 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Feb, 2023 ) :A Pakistani who was tortured by the CIA and held in the Guantanamo Bay prison for 16 years after admitting to helping Al Qaeda was released to Belize, the US military announced Thursday. Majid Khan, captured by US authorities in 2003 and interrogated by US intelligence for three years before being sent to Guantanamo, admitted in a 2012 plea deal to joining a plot to assassinate Pakistan's president and acting as a money courier for an Indonesia hotel bombing plot. But, as one of the US "high value" prisoners captured in the wake of the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on the United States, Khan, now 42, was sentenced only two years ago. He was officially given 26 years in prison but was promised release in 2022 based on his original plea deal. In his sentencing hearing Khan became the first of the "high-value" prisoners to testify to the US military court about being tortured. He told the court of being held for days partially suspended by chains without food or clothing, and of being repeatedly beaten and raped by CIA interrogators. Khan said he admitted early on to what he had done, but the abuse continued for years. "The more I cooperated and told them, the more I was tortured," he said. The Pentagon said Khan had honored his cooperation agreement and was credited in a sentence reduction, and that Belize, a country in Central America, had agreed to accept him. "I have been given a second chance in life and I intend to make the most of it," Khan said in a statement released by his attorneys. "I deeply regret the things that I did many years ago, and I have taken responsibility and tried to make up for them," he said. He said that in Belize he hopes to open a restaurant or food truck. "I am a great cook and would love to introduce everyone in my new country to Pakistani food," he said. Wells Dixon, an attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights who has represented Khan since 2006, said he was "thrilled" by the release. "Majid's transfer is the culmination of decades-long litigation and advocacy by the Center for Constitutional Rights to challenge the worst abuses of the 'war on terror' and close the Guantanamo Bay prison," he said in a statement. Khan, who grew up in Pakistan and moved to the United States at the age of 16 when he attended high school in Baltimore, said his decision to help Al-Qaeda was poor judgment. He was recruited to help Al-Qaeda by family members in Pakistan while he was there in 2002 to find a bride. 34 left at Guantanamo - out of around 800 prisoners at its peak, the Guantanamo facility, on a US Navy base on the southeast coast of Cuba, now holds 34. Of them, 20 have been approved for release and the US government is seeking countries to accept them, whether their home countries or others. Three more are seeking to be ruled eligible for release. Of the other 11, two have been convicted in military courts and another nine, including five men accused of helping plan the September 11 attacks, are still in pre-trial phase. The trials have bogged down on questions of rights and legal principles, including whether some of them were illegally tortured into confessing their crimes. According to a New York Times report, attorneys for the five 9/11 defendants, including mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, may be in talks to settle their cases by offering to plead guilty if they avoid the death penalty. President Joe Biden pledged before his election to try and shut down Guantanamo, which was opened to keep the defendants from claiming rights under US law. "Guantanamo is a national shame," said Katya Jestin, another of Khan's attorneys. "Closing Guantanamo would go a long way toward reclaiming the values that our country was founded upon." MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2023) The Canadian armed forces are actively tracking the movements of China's high-altitude surveillance balloon spotted over the United States in case a new spying object is discovered, the Canadian Department of National Defense said. The US Defense Department detected a high altitude surveillance balloon late on Thursday, specifying that the object was traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and did not pose any threat. Pentagon Press Secretary Patrick Ryder said that the US had "very high confidence" that this was a Chinese spy balloon. "Canadians are safe and Canada is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident," the department said in a statement on Thursday. Canadian intelligence services are maintaining frequent contact with their US partners and are monitoring the situation closely. The balloon's movements are also being tracked by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, the Canadian Department of National Defense added. (@FahadShabbir) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is planning to have a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming weeks, despite disagreements between the two leaders, German cabinet spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said on Friday BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2023) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is planning to have a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming weeks, despite disagreements between the two leaders, German cabinet spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said on Friday. On Thursday, Putin said, speaking at a memorial event in honor of the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad that those who were dragging Germany into a new war with Russia, expecting to win, did not understand that a modern war with Russia would be different. "Despite statements (by the Russian president) ... the Federal Chancellor once again said during a conversation with fellow citizens in Marburg that he was going to have a phone call with the Russian president in the upcoming weeks," Hebestreit told a briefing. The spokesman stated that the German government considered it necessary to continue contacts with the Russian side, hoping for progress. "It is important for the chancellor to keep this contact. And I know from many international meetings that many other states, the leadership of their governments also consider it important to regularly keep in touch," Hebestreit added. Since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine on February 24, Scholz and Putin have held numerous phone conversations, with their latest call taking place on December 2. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2023) North Korea adopted a new law on the protection of "state secret" at a plenary meeting oft the country's parliament to ensure national security and develop the socialist system in the country, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday. At the same time, the media outlet provided no further details on the nature of the state secret and no information on whether it was only one secret or multiple ones the law was referring to. Meanwhile, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing observers, that the goal of the new law was allegedly to tighten state control and discipline amid "protracted economic challenges" in North Korea. During the meeting, lawmakers also adopted a number of other laws as well, including the ones on management of railway, loans and national symbols, among other things, according to the KCNA. In addition, the plenary meeting "stressed the need for the socialist law-observance guidance committees at all levels to conduct effective education in law observance" as regards newly-adopted laws, the news agency reported. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Norway plans to purchase at least 54 next-generation Leopard 2 tanks from Germany, Oslo announced on Friday NORWAY, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Feb, 2023 ) :Norway plans to purchase at least 54 next-generation Leopard 2 tanks from Germany, Oslo announced on Friday. The country "primarily wants to buy 54 tanks, but is open to being able to acquire a further 18 tanks," and plans to phase them in its armed forces in 2026-2031, said a statement by the Nordic country's government. The first batch of new tanks is expected to be delivered in 2026, it added, underlining that the move was "a clear strengthening of Norwegian defense capability and national preparedness. "Stressing the importance of close defense cooperation in Europe, the statement quoted Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store as saying: "By purchasing German tanks, we ensure that Norway has the same type of tanks as our Nordic neighbors and close allies." "We are also forging closer security policy ties with Germany," Store added. The government said the procurement was within the cost limit of 19.7 billion Norwegian krone ($1.96 billion), including additional costs outside of the actual purchase of the tanks. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2023) The number of Japanese citizens who "do not feel friendly" toward Russia reached an all-time high of 94.7%, according to the annual diplomatic affairs survey conducted by the Japanese government cited by local media outlets on Friday. Last year, the Kyodo News agency reported, 86.4% of Japanese held such views. The current figure is the highest since 1978, the year the question about Russia was added to the poll for the first time. Only 5% of Japanese, the lowest in survey's history, gave an opposite answer. For comparison, 13.1% of respondents said they "feel friendly" toward Russia last year. Additionally, the Japanese people were asked whether they perceive Japan-Russia relations as "good" or "not good." The survey indicated that only 3.1% of respondents are happy with the state of relations between the countries, while 92. 3% said the ties were "not good," according to Kyodo News, while, last year, the situation was quite more positive, with around 20% of Japanese giving the optimistic answer and 79% the negative one. "The outcome reflected people's recognition that the relationship between Japan and Russia has been in a severe condition following the aggression against Ukraine and its impact on our nation," a government official told reporters during a briefing, Kyodo News reported. Besides, according to the poll, Japanese "like" China slightly more than Russia: 81.8% of respondents "do not feel friendly" toward their Communist neighbor and 17.8% "feel friendly." As for South Korea, almost 46% of Japanese have friendly attitude toward this nation, while 53.7% stated the opposite. Over 1,700 people aged 18 and over across Japan participated in the survey, the news agency added. As part of his official trip to the the Middle East, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged both Israel and Palestine to ensure de-escalation of tensions in their bilateral relations, but eventually left the region without offering any concrete measures able to stop the violence, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki told Sputnik RAMALLAH (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2023) As part of his official trip to the the Middle East, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged both Israel and Palestine to ensure de-escalation of tensions in their bilateral relations, but eventually left the region without offering any concrete measures able to stop the violence, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki told Sputnik. The US's top diplomat visited Israel and the West Bank from January 30-31 amid heightened tensions between Israel and Palestine that came after a brutal Israeli raid in the West Bank city of Jenin on January 26 and deadly shootings in Jerusalem over the next two days, which resulted in causalities on both sides. "Blinken told us that he had spoken to the Israeli side, and it is very important that both sides, the Israelis and the Palestinians, take measures in order to really de-escalate the situation. But no concrete proposals were made. He left ... without any concrete measures or agreement on anything. It means that we do not see any prospects for the situation to de-escalate in the next days," al-Maliki said. January has been "a bloody month for Palestinians," as many as 35 citizens were killed in the conflict with Israel. After the tragic events in Jenin, Blinken hastened to come in the region and see if it was possible to calm the situation down, but failed to work it out, the foreign minister recalled. Al-Maliki went on saying that Washington needed to speak to the Israelis if it wanted to resolve the situation and prevent new terrible bloodshed. "They (the Israelis) are the ones who are escalating the situation further. And the new Israeli government and the new ministers. They are the ones who have called for confrontation. They are the ones who have called for death to the Palestinians, the demolition of Palestinian homes, et cetera. And so, if there is any way to de-escalate, it is up to the Israelis to stop their unilateral actions," al-Maliki told Sputnik. Relations between Israel and Palestine have been adversarial since the latter's founding in 1948. Palestinians seek diplomatic recognition of their independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which is partially occupied by Israel, and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government refuses to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity, and builds settlements in the occupied areas despite objections from the United Nations. (@ChaudhryMAli88) DOHA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2023) Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman on Thursday discussed prospects of cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna during her visit to Riyadh, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. According to the report, the ministers also discussed cooperation in renewable energy, clean hydrogen, and electricity interconnection. The ministers also signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a framework for energy cooperation, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy storage, smart grids, oil and gas and their derivatives, refining, petrochemicals, distribution, and marketing sectors, the report said. The memorandum of understanding also covers cooperation in digital transformation, the collaboration between companies in the energy sector and joint research at universities and think tanks, as well as mutual educational programs and exchange of experience in the field. Sudan said Thursday it agreed to "move forward" towards normalising relations with Israel during talks with Eli Cohen, the first Israeli foreign minister to have made an official visit to Khartoum Khartoum, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Feb, 2023 ):Sudan said Thursday it agreed to "move forward" towards normalising relations with Israel during talks with Eli Cohen, the first Israeli foreign minister to have made an official visit to Khartoum. Sudan in January 2021 formally agreed to normalise relations with Israel in a quid pro quo for the United States removing it from its list of "state sponsors of terrorism", but ties were never formalised. Cohen, then the intelligence minister, led that same month the first official delegation to Sudan. In 2020 the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco all normalised relations with Israel as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords, vehemently criticised by the Palestinians. "It has been agreed to move forward towards the normalisation of relations between the two countries," the Sudanese foreign ministry said following a meeting between Cohen and his Sudanese counterpart Ali al-Sadiq. Cohen also met with Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The pair discussed "ways to establish fruitful relations" between the two countries and "prospects of cooperation" in areas including security and energy, according to a statement by Sudan's sovereign council. Israel's foreign ministry said Cohen was on a "historic diplomatic trip" and would deliver a statement later on Thursday. Thursday's talks touched briefly on "achieving stability and peace between Israel and the Palestinians", the Sudanese statement said, without elaborating. Sudan, an Arab League member, had for decades maintained a rigid anti-Israel stance under longtime autocratic president Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in April 2019 following mass protests against his rule. Khartoum was removed from the US blacklist in December 2020 after 27 years of crippling sanctions which strangled Sudan's economy under Bashir. In January 2021, Sudan signed a declaration paving the way to normalising ties with Israel, and in April that year, it approved a bill abolishing a 1958 boycott of the country. Relations were however stymied as political turmoil in Sudan deepened following an October 2021 military coup led by Burhan, derailing the post-Bashir transition to civilian rule. Sudan's agreement to normalise relations with Israel upended a longstanding policy after the 1967 Six-Day War between Arab countries and Israel that saw Israel occupy swathes of territory. Arab leaders gathered in Khartoum after the defeat, announcing a resolution that became known as the "three nos": no peace, no recognition and no negotiations with Israel. Egypt and Jordan would later recognise Israel through peace treaties signed in 1979 and 1994 respectively, followed decades later by the Abraham Accords. Burhan has defended the normalisation with Israel, saying in a December 2021 interview that it was "essential for Sudan to return to the international community". Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who returned to power late last year at the head of the most right-wing government in the country's history, has made broadening Israeli ties across the Arab and Muslim world a foreign policy priority. Netanyahu has repeatedly expressed his desire to see Saudi Arabia join the Abraham Accords. The kingdom's top diplomat said last month it would not normalise ties with Israel in the absence of a two-state solution with the Palestinians. On Thursday, Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno opened his majority-Muslim country's embassy in Israel, four years after the countries renewed ties following a decades-long rupture. Netanyahu's office in a statement called the embassy's inauguration in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv "a historic moment". (@FahadShabbir) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2023) The Taiwanese National Defense Ministry said on Friday it had detected 14 aircraft and four navy vessels of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) near the island over the past 24 hours. "14 PLA aircraft and 4 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m. (UTC+8) (14:00 GMT) today," the ministry wrote on Twitter. Five of the detected aircraft, which crossed the so-called median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the island's air defense zone, were identified as a Su-30 fighter, two Shenyang J-16 fighters and two J-11s. The Taiwanese ministry added it was monitoring the situation. It also ordered a combat air patrol plane, military ships and land-based missile systems to "respond these activities. " Tensions between mainland China on the one hand, and Taiwan and countries boosting cooperation with the island on the other hand, escalated after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in early August. Beijing condemned Pelosi's trip, which it regarded as a gesture of support for separatism, and held large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of the island. Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan a territory with its own elected government maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable. Q: I read your column regarding a condominium owner that was denied homeowners insurance coverage for sewer water damage he sustained. I dont believe your answer adequately responds to the issue at hand. It may be relevant in Illinois, but there are substantial differences in other states, and specifically in Florida. What the owner in the column refers to as a pipe bursting is a virtual impossibility. Sewer line pipes are gravity fed. What more than likely happened is that the cast-iron sewer pipe had a spiral crack around it. Only steam, fire sprinkler, or potable water pipes are subject to bursting because they operate under pressure. On that basis, the claim was wrongfully denied. The next issue to be aware of is that under Florida law, any component that serves two or more units is a responsibility of the owners association. It can easily be demonstrated that this pipe serves more than one, or adjacent, units. The unit owners perimetrical boundaries are described in the declaration of condominium at the time of formulation of the condominium. It is very clear that anything outside of the outer perimeter of the horizontal plane of the ceiling or floors, or the vertical plane of the walls outside of the boundaries of the unit owned by the unit owner, are owned by the condominium association. Finally, the proximate cause of this damage was the failure of this association component. If not for the failure of such a component, the owner would have no damage in their apartment. Based on the foregoing, I would resubmit the claim to the unit owners insurance company along with the declaration of condominium, which will show that the unit owner did not own the pipe that failed. I would also file a claim with the condominium associations insurance company for failure of the component. If the association insurance company denies the claim, then I believe the declaration of condominium will point toward this loss as a responsibility of the building. Therefore, the damage is to be paid out of common association funds. A: Thank you for your extended explanation on our column. We agree that this homeowner should attempt to get their insurance carrier to cover their water damage. We suspect that unit owner's insurance carrier may have denied the claim to avoid having to pay the claim. We like the way you explained the issue of the location of the pipe in relation to the owners unit. We, too, believe that the pipe was a common element pipe meaning the pipe that caused the problem was a pipe that served multiple units and was the obligation of the association to maintain and repair. However, at issue was this homeowners insurance companys statement that the owner failed to buy an endorsement to the owners policy to cover backup sewer and sump pump coverage. As we discussed in our column, we dont think that endorsement would have changed the fact that the water came from a pipe outside of the owners unit and that, whatever that cause, the basic policy should have covered the homeowner. Had the upstairs unit owner caused the damage to the readers unit due to a blocked toilet or sink that spilled over, we suspect this insurance company would likely try to avoid paying on that claim as well. The unit owner should go back to their insurance company and resubmit the claim or hire an attorney to go after the insurance company for failure to pay on a claim covered by the policy. We talked to a large insurance broker who thought that this type of claim would be covered by the typical condominium policies they see. We do want to clarify one of your comments. You mentioned that the condominium association should cover the cost of the repairs to the unit whether or not the associations policy covers the loss. Were not sure it would work that way. There is a reason that associations require homeowners to carry insurance over their units and their belongings. The association does not want to be the ultimate insurer for anything that goes wrong in a building, especially if the associations insurance does not cover the issue. If, on the other hand, the associations insurance can cover the issue, we dont disagree that the associations insurance carrier should then pay out on the claim. However, in the question we received, the associations insurance carrier stated that they dont cover the interior of the units. The association or the insurance carrier would cover any damage to the common elements and the exterior wall of the unit, but not the contents and not the kitchen cabinets and the floors. We agree that the reader should reach out again to their units insurance company and demand coverage under the policy. They should not accept the insurance companys representative's answer that the policy didnt cover the issue. If that doesnt work, talk with an attorney to explore your options. In response to Russias war in Ukraine, the U.S. and NATO drastically ramped up defenses across eastern Europe. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb got a firsthand look at how the closest U.S. troops to the war in Ukraine are holding the line with NATO allies. A British man who broke into Windsor Castle Christmas Day 2021 and threatened Queen Elizabeth with a crossbow has pleaded guilty to treason charges Friday in a London court. Appearing before Londons Old Bailey Court via video link, 21-year-old Jaswant Singh Chail of South Hampton pleaded guilty to an offense under the British Treason Act of 1842, and to threatening to kill the queen. Charges under the act are rare, the last person to plead guilty under the act was in 1981. Prosecutors say Chail was arrested shortly after 8 a.m. Christmas Day 2021 by a royal protection officer on the private grounds of Windsor Castle. Queen Elizabeth, who died in September 2022 at age 96, then-Prince Charles and other family members were staying at the castle during the holidays. Chail was never near the royal family. At the time of his arrest Chail was dressed in black clothing and wearing a hood, a metal mask, gloves and carrying a powerful crossbow. He reportedly told the protection officer, I am here to kill the queen. Prosecutors said Chail had recorded a video and posted it to the social media platform Snapchat before he entered the grounds of the castle. In it, he said he was sorry for what he was about to do. He said it was revenge for those who died in the 1919 massacre. He was apparently referring to an incident when British colonial troops opened fire on unarmed civilians protesting a colonial law in their holy city of Amritsar in northwestern India. Nearly 400 Sikh Indians were killed in what has become known as the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. India has long demanded an apology for the incident. In court Friday, Judge Jeremy Baker scheduled sentencing for Chail on March 31, and the court ordered medical reports regarding Chails mental state to be provided. Some information for this report was provided by Reuters. Police have arrested several people "strongly suspected" of involvement in the kidnap, torture and killing of a popular radio journalist, Cameroon's presidency announced. Martinez Zogo, 50, who spoke out against embezzlement and cronyism in the central African nation, was abducted on January 17 outside a police station in the suburbs of the capital, Yaounde. His heavily mutilated corpse was found five days later. President Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon with an iron fist for more than 40 years, called for a combined police and gendarme probe into the murder. "The investigations... have enabled the arrest of several people whose involvement in this odious crime is strongly suspected," minister of state and presidency general secretary Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh said on Thursday. A search was still underway for other suspects, his statement said. About 20 prominent Cameroonian personalities wrote in French newspaper Le Monde Thursday of their "great concern in the face of the violent turn in public debate" in the country. The signatories, who included the writer Calixthe Beyala and intellectual Achille Mbembe, noted a "long tradition of trivializing impunity and accepting atrocities." Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has described the killing as "a serious blow for democracy and freedom of the press." RSF's Press Freedom Index ranks Cameroon 118 out of 180 countries, where 1 signals the best environment for media. The government has insisted Cameroon is "a state of law, where liberty is guaranteed, including the freedom of the press." Cameroon says separatists have killed and abducted villagers in the troubled South-West region in retaliation after the military this week killed a rebel leader and three of his men. The military blamed the self-declared general, nicknamed Transporter, for several atrocities, which the rebels deny. Videos of improvised bombs exploding was shared on social media platforms, including Facebook and WhatsApp, by Cameroon separatist groups. The separatists have been fighting since 2017 to carve out an English-speaking state from majority French-speaking Cameroon. In one video, a man identifies himself as Sagon Jaguar, leader of the separatist group called the Ambazonia Restoration Forces, in Bamessing village in Cameroons English-speaking North-West region. He says the bombs fighters planted destroyed five military jeeps belonging to Cameroon government troops. The military confirmed that fighters resumed the use of such bombs in several English-speaking towns and villages, including Bamessing, Oku, Kumbo, Nkambe and Kom this week, and says several civilians have been killed or abducted with their property torched. Officials added that military vehicles were destroyed and some troops were wounded but gave no details. Cameroon said fighters resumed attacks after government troops on Tuesday killed Ayuk Ndifon Defcam, a self-proclaimed rebel leader known as "General Transporter. Government troops said he was neutralized alongside his assistant and two collaborators in Wame, a village in Meme, an English-speaking administrative unit in Cameroons South-West region. Chamberlin Ntou' ou Ndong, the highest-ranking government official in Meme visited Kumba on Friday to encourage civilians to denounce suspected fighters hiding in towns and villages. He said fighters who are avenging the killing of Transporter will be killed by the military if they do not lay down their weapons and surrender. Ndong told VOA the notorious self-proclaimed general Transporter committed many crimes against civilians, including abductions, rape, and the massacre of seven school children in the English-speaking southwestern town of Kumba on October 24, 2020. He said Transporter, who escaped and was hiding in the creeks around the Gulf of Guinea, returned to Konye village near Kumba and was planning attacks on public edifices and military installations when government troops surprised him and three of his fighters. Ndong said the military seized weapons from the rebels and freed several people who were held hostage by the fighters. The military said Transporter was the leader of several hundred fighters hiding in the bush. Capo Daniel, a spokesperson and deputy defense chief of the separatist group Ambazonia Defense Forces, said fighters resumed full-scale attacks to avenge Transporter's killing. "We have increased the number of attacks and doubled our use of IED attacks against Cameroon military convoys. General Transporter represents the youths of Ambazonia who have stood up for their rights of self-determination. He has paid the ultimate price for what he believed in," Daniel said. "We have replaced him and the allegations made by the state of Cameroon that General Transporter was involved in the killing of students in a school in Kumba is baseless." Separatists claim Cameroon's military was behind the Kumba school attack. Daniel said the military blames fighters because the government wants to give fighters a bad name. Daniel also said the attacks are also intended to stop the March 12 senatorial elections organized by Cameroons central government in Yaounde from taking place in the English-speaking regions. He said anyone who defies the election ban will be dealt with but did not say how. In December, Cameroons military said no major separatist attack had been reported within six weeks, an indication that peace is returning to the regions where 3,500 people have been killed in five years. The United Nations says 750,000 have been displaced by the fighting. The president of Taiwan's Legislative Yuan is calling Chinas response to the possibility of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthys visiting Taiwan excessive, saying that exchanges between Taiwan's unicameral legislature and the legislatures of the United States, Europe, Japan and other countries are the norm in democracies. Washington's Punchbowl News, which specializes in political news, reported on Jan. 23, citing officials familiar with the matter, that the Pentagon was making preliminary preparations for McCarthy's travels this year, including a visit to Taiwan this spring. Because former Speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taipei in August triggered Chinas large-scale military drill focused on Taiwan, planning for McCarthys visit would need to consider China's possible response as well as more routine security and logistical arrangements. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday, China opposes any form of official interaction between its Taiwan region and countries having diplomatic ties with China. We hope U.S. lawmakers will abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques and refrain from doing things detrimental to China-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. China sees self-governing Taiwan as a rebellious province. You Si-kun, who was in Washington to deliver a speech on Taiwan's democratic journey at the 2023 International Religious Freedom Summit (IRFS) on Wednesday and the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday said after the first event that Beijings reactions are very excessive. Sometimes they [China] say they are a democratic country, but in a democratic country, congressional exchanges are very normal. Their reaction, on the contrary, proves that they are not a democratic country." He continued, Taiwan's Legislative Yuan maintains very close communication with the U.S. Congress and American executive officials. Not only that, but Taiwan also maintains close communication with the European Congress and Japan. Any communication or visits by U.S. congressional members or the speaker to Taiwan is very normal in democratic politics. He also stressed Taiwans strategic importance at the center of key global sea lanes and as an important producer of semiconductors. "So it's very important to safeguard Taiwan, especially its democracy," he said. "If Taiwan falls into the sphere of influence of CCP, then the beacon of democracy will be destroyed. And China may invade the first island chain, and will cause a threat to the entire world," You said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party and its ambitions in the Pacific region. You said China will react to whatever Taiwan does. He said during a recent visit to Europe, the Chinese embassies protested his presence at each stop because if they hadnt, they would "be unable to survive or get promoted." You told VOA Mandarin that he will continue, as he has since 2018, to advocate in favor of the U.S. recognizing Taiwan and establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. He said this idea is gaining ground among members of Congress. There is growing bipartisan support for the United States to sign a bilateral trade agreement with Taiwan, and in September, President Joe Biden approved $1.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, a move that China condemned. At the religious freedom summit, You said Taiwans political development has made the island a beacon of democracy for Chinese-speaking peoples. He contrasted that with sentiment attributed to former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, holding that human rights and democracy are imported from the West and not suitable for Asian countries. Taiwan has shown that democracy, born of the West, can indeed flourish in Chinese-speaking regions, You said. During his speech, You criticized the CCPs persecution of religious minorities and said the international community should pay attention to Chinas lack of religious freedom, because its the cornerstone of human rights and the core of democratic values. Bi-khim Hsiao, Taiwan's representative to the U.S. who accompanied You, said exchanges between Taiwan's Yuan and other countries' legislatures have been going on for decades, and are in line with international standards. Hsiao also said it is important to keep peace in the Taiwan Strait. "The people of Taiwan and I believe the people of the U.S. as well feel strongly that our freedom and democracy must be guaranteed. We need an environment of peace, an environment that does not allow the use of force to change the status quo. I think that is a very important part in our common interest." CIA Director William Burns said Thursday that Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitions toward Taiwan should not be underestimated, despite him likely being sobered by the performance of Russia's military in Ukraine. Burns said that the United States knew "as a matter of intelligence" that Xi had ordered his military to be ready to conduct an invasion of self-governed Taiwan by 2027. "Now, that does not mean that he's decided to conduct an invasion in 2027, or any other year, but it's a reminder of the seriousness of his focus and his ambition," Burns told an event at Georgetown University in Washington. "Our assessment at CIA is that I wouldn't underestimate President Xi's ambitions with regard to Taiwan," he said, adding that the Chinese leader was likely "surprised and unsettled" and trying to draw lessons by the "very poor performance" of the Russian military and its weapons systems in Ukraine. Russia and China signed a "no limits" partnership last February shortly before Russian forces invaded Ukraine, and their economic links have boomed as Russia's connections with the West have shriveled. The Russian invasion had fueled concerns in the West of China possibly making a similar move on Taiwan, a democratic island Beijing claims as its territory. China has refrained from condemning Russia's operation against Ukraine, but it has been careful not to provide the sort of direct material support that could provoke Western sanctions like those imposed on Moscow. "I think it's a mistake to underestimate the mutual commitment to that partnership, but it's not a friendship totally without limits," Burns said. As Burns spoke, news came from U.S. officials that a suspected Chinese spy balloon had been flying over the United States for a few days, and that senior U.S. officials had advised President Joe Biden against shooting it down for fear the debris could pose a safety threat. Burns made no mention of the episode but called China the "biggest geopolitical challenge" currently faced by the United States. "Competition with China is unique in its scale, and that it really, you know, unfolds over just about every domain, not just military, and ideological, but economic, technological, everything from cyberspace, to space itself as well. It's a global competition in ways that could be even more intense than competition with the Soviets was," he said. There was no immediate comment from China's Washington embassy about the remarks from Burns or the balloon flight. On other topics, Burns said the next six months will be critical for Ukraine, where Moscow has been making incremental gains in recent weeks. He also said Iran's government was increasingly unsettled by affairs within the country, citing the courage of what he described as "fed up" Iranian women. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and other government officials held their first meeting Friday with Tigrayan leaders since a November peace deal, officials and state media said. The two sides evaluated "actions carried out on the implementation of the Pretoria and Nairobi peace agreements so far" and discussed issues that "need further attention," the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation said. The meeting took place at a resort in southern Ethiopia, it said. A peace deal between Abiy's government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, signed in South Africa's capital Pretoria in November last year silenced the guns in northern Ethiopia. Under the terms of the agreement, the TPLF agreed to disarm and reestablish the authority of the federal government in return for the restoration of access to Tigray, which was largely cut off from the outside world during the two-year war. Abiy's national security adviser Redwan Hussein said on Twitter that Abiy and other government officials "met today and held discussion with TPLF delegation regarding the progress of the peace process." "As a result, PM Abiy passed decisions about increasing Flights, Banking & other issues that would boost trust & ease lives of civilians," he tweeted. Since the deal was signed, there has been a limited resumption of aid deliveries to Tigray, which has long faced dire shortages of food, fuel, cash and medicines. Basic services such as communications, banking and electricity are slowly being restored to the stricken region of 6 million people, with the national carrier Ethiopian Airlines resuming commercial flights between Addis Ababa and Tigray's capital, Mekele, last month. While the TPLF announced it has begun disarming, local residents and aid workers say the Eritrean army and forces from the neighboring region of Amhara remain in parts of Tigray and accuse them of murder, rape and looting. Access to Tigray is restricted, and it is impossible to independently verify the situation on the ground. Russia has formally integrated occupied areas of Ukraine into Russias Southern Military District, the British Defense Ministry said Saturday in its daily intelligence report. The agency said news of the integration is based on a Tass report that the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions are being placed under the three-star command based in Rostov-on-Don. The report said, however, the move is unlikely to have an immediate impact on Russias invasion of Ukraine. The Group of Seven industrialized countries agreed Friday on a price cap for refined Russian oil exports. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in statement that the agreement follows a similar price cap on crude Russian oil exports set in December and "helps advance our goals of limiting Russia's key revenue generator in funding its illegal war" in Ukraine. Officials say the cap is at two levels $100 per barrel for Russian diesel and other fuels that sell for more than crude, and $45 per barrel for Russian oil products that sell for less than the price of crude, such as fuel oil. The price caps come as a European Union ban on Russian oil product imports is set to go into force on Sunday. Earlier Friday, European Union officials pledged their unwavering support to help Ukraine rebuild its infrastructure against Russia's ongoing war, while the U.S. announced a fresh round of security assistance worth more than $2 billion. Charles Michel, president of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv for the 24th EU-Ukraine Summit. The EU officials said the union will support Ukraine for as long as it takes. In a joint statement Friday, the officials promised to help rebuild Ukraines devastated critical infrastructure, providing energy support and services for the country to get through the winter, and beyond. They said that so far, the EU and its member states have provided assistance worth $570 million in the area of energy and reconstruction, and another $525 million for humanitarian efforts. The officials underscored their commitment to promote Ukraines integration in the European Union, but they said there was no promise of fast-track membership. Kyiv applied to become an EU member shortly after Russia's invasion and wants to start formal accession talks as soon as possible. "There are no rigid timelines, but there are goals that you have to reach," von der Leyen told the news conference in response to a question about Ukraines accession drive. One of the conditions for Ukraines EU integration is its fight against corruption. The EU Commission president praised Kyiv for its expanded efforts to clamp down on graft. Michel and von der Leyen condemned Russias escalating war against Ukraine and its citizens as a manifest violation of international law, including the principles of the U.N. Charter. They emphasized the need to establish a Special Tribunal at The Hague for the investigation and prosecution of war crimes against Ukraine. They also emphasized that the EU will never recognize as lawful any illegal annexation of Ukraine by Russia. In addition, the EU officials unveiled a new package of sanctions, the 10th, against Russia. It will target the trade and technology that supports its war against Ukraine, von der Leyen said. "With our partners, we must deny Russia the means to kill Ukrainian civilians and destroy homes and offices," she said in a tweet. US defense assistance The United States announced Friday it would provide an additional $2.175 billion worth of military aid for Ukraine, including conventional and long-range rockets for U.S.-provided HIMARs, as well as other munitions and weapons. According to a U.S. official, the longer-range precision-guided rockets would double Ukraines strike range for the first time since Russias invasion of Ukraine. Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told a news briefing Friday the package includes critical air defense capabilities to help Ukraine defend its people, as well as armored infantry vehicles and more equipment that Ukraine is using so effectively, including Javelin anti-tank missiles, artillery ammunition. Ryder added that "as part of the USAI [Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative] package, we will be providing Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs to Ukraine. Friday's aid package opens the door to many more deliveries of Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs, which have a range of 94 miles, according to a document reviewed by Reuters. USAI is an authority under which the United States procures capabilities from industry rather than delivering equipment that is drawn down from Defense Department stocks. This announcement represents the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional capabilities to Ukraine's Armed Forces as part of U.S. efforts to strengthen Ukraines military over the near and long-term. In total, the United States has now supplied nearly $30 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration, the Defense Department reports. Since 2014, the United States has committed more than $32 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, and more than $29.3 billion since the beginning of Russias unprovoked, full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. Wagner Group recruitment Meanwhile, Britains Defense Ministry said Friday the Wagner Groups recruitment of convicts has dropped significantly. The ministry said the Russian Federal Penal Service experienced a decrease of 6,000 inmates since November. In comparison, the penal service had reported a drop of 23,000 inmates from September to November 2022. Wagner recruitment was likely a major contributing factor to this drop, the British ministry said. The Ukrainian presidential office said overall in the last day, Russian shelling in Ukraine had killed at least eight civilians and wounded 29 others. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. The European Commission on Thursday announced the launch of a center to prosecute Russia for the "crime of aggression, the latest international effort designed to hold Russian leaders accountable for the invasion of Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the announcement at a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. The new International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression in Ukraine will coordinate the collection of evidence, von der Leyen said. The center will be embedded in a joint investigative team created last year by Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, and supported by the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, or Eurojust, she said. "We will be ready to launch work very rapidly with Eurojust, with Ukraine, with the partners of our joint investigation team, as well as the Netherlands," von der Leyen said. "The perpetrator must be held accountable." The announcement comes as the international community grapples with the creation of a special international tribunal for the specific purpose of prosecuting senior Russian officials for the crime of aggression. The crime of aggression is often called the "mother of all crimes" because it is a transgression from which other war crimes flow. The Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court, defines it as the "planning, preparation, initiation or execution" by a military or political leader of an act of aggression such as an invasion of one state against another. While Ukrainian and European prosecutors have been investigating allegations of Russian war crimes and crimes against humanity, international efforts to hold Russian officials allegedly involved in orchestrating the invasion accountable have proved wanting. Ukrainian prosecutors' hands are tied because heads of government, heads of state and foreign ministers enjoy immunity from criminal prosecution under international law. The International Criminal Court has been investigating Russian war crimes in Ukraine, but it can't prosecute Russian leaders because neither Russia nor Ukraine has ratified the Rome Statute. To ensure accountability by Russia, Ukraine has pushed for the establishment of an ad hoc special tribunal similar to courts established for war crimes in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. Echoing the description of aggressive war during the Nuremberg trial of Nazi war criminals, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin renewed his country's call this week to hold Russia accountable for "the supreme international crime." "History taught us well it is the waging of aggressive war that leads to war crimes and other mass atrocities," Kostin said Wednesday at an event at Georgetown University. "Therefore, it is crucial not only to end the act of aggression but also to hold [the] masterminds of the supreme international crime fully accountable." Rebecca Hamilton, a law professor at American University and a former lawyer for the International Criminal Court, said that while the new center can't supplant the need for a special tribunal, it can help build momentum toward that end. "The establishment of this center is a meaningful step in the right direction for Ukrainians seeking full accountability," Hamilton said via email. The children seated on the floor in front of Zeneta Everhart and big blue Billy Buffalo did their best not to fidget as Everhart read the final words of "Change Sings," by Amanda Gorman, the poet who performed at President Biden's inauguration. "I can hear change strumming. Won't you sing along?" To fight racist hate, Tops survivor and his mom collect a mountain of children's books After the racist mass shooting at Tops Markets on Jefferson Avenue on May 14, Zeneta Everhart and her son, Zaire Goodman, who was wounded in the attack, started a book drive. Their goal was to collect children's books that address racism, as well as Black history and culture. They started a wish list on Amazon and have collected about 10,000 books. "Yeah!" some of the kids yelled. Others cheered. It was story time of a special sort Thursday evening for children from two Boys and Girls clubs one from Buffalo and the other from Orchard Park at the Dunn Tire Club at Highmark Stadium. Nine months ago, Everhart's son, Zaire Goodman, survived the Tops shooting. Goodman, a Tops employee, was in the store's parking lot helping an older customer when a gunman armed with an AR-15 and dressed for combat began his murderous rampage. Goodman was shot in the back of his neck. He fell to the ground and a fellow worker helped him get up and run across the street. Goodman called his mother: "Mom, mom. Get here now. I got shot." Goodman was one of three people who were shot and survived. Ten others were killed. The gunman targeted the victims based on their race. Goodman is Black, as were all 10 people who lost their lives May 14. Soon after the massacre, Everhart and Goodman started collecting children's books about Black history, people and culture, as well as books that feature Black characters, with the idea of distributing them to schools and libraries. They called it Zeneta and Zaire's Book Club. They started a wish list on Amazon. Within two months, they had collected more than 10,000 books. Villa Maria College, where both Everhart and Goodman attended, offered to house the book club's vast collection. It is up to 17,000 books. "We've given away a little over 2,000," Everhart said. " ... And the goal is always to collect more. We want to keep doing this. We don't want it to be a one-off." And that's where the Buffalo Bills come in. As part of the organization's efforts to support local commemorations of Black History Month, the Bills helped Everhart and Goodman kick off a month of story times and book giveaways, with a $5,000 donation from the Bills Foundation. Children from two Boys and Girls Clubs were invited to hear Everhart read a couple of books to them. In addition to "Change Sings," Everhart read "You Better Recognize!" by local author Desiree L. Williams. After story time, she explained that she and her son started the book club so that boys and girls like them could read books about all kinds of kids. "His name is Zaire too!" a girl said pointing to a boy. "Wow!" Everhart said. Then a child asked, "When did you start it?" "May," Everhart said. She clearly didn't want to scare them. "After something really bad happened." "Tops," a boy said, a serious tone in his voice. Everhart nodded. "May 14," another child said. Everhart explained as best she could to the little ones. "A really bad man tried to hurt Zaire. And that's why we decided to do the book club," she said. More events will be announced throughout the month. For the book club, Everhart and Goodman chose an array of children's books. Most are educational, she said, such as biographies of Martin Luther King Jr., Ruby Bridges and former President Barack Obama. "We also just have books that talk about kids having dreams and books that depict a Black kid in them," Everhart said. "A lot of the books that we see in our libraries and book stores, they don't have Black children, depicting them doing normal things like having dinners with their families or going on vacations. So some of the books are literally just a regular book a kid would enjoy, but the characters are Black." The pair's goal is to put more such books into the hands of as many children as possible. Everhart remarked about how in Florida, where the state has banned teaching certain race-related topics in schools, books have become a polarizing issue. "Quite frankly, it's a disgrace. I mean, this is 2023. We have lawmakers in this country who are actively trying to prevent people from learning about African American history," she said. Mother of Tops shooting survivor records campaign ad for Hochul An ad featuring the mother of a Tops Markets worker who was wounded in the May 14 massacre at the Buffalo grocery store is one of two commercials released this week by Gov. Kathy Hochuls campaign. At the book party at the stadium Thursday, the children were given a chance to pick out any book they wanted. They were also given some Bills goods and a "Choose Love" tote bag, the slogan the Bills and Sabres took on after the Tops massacre. The party wrapped up with pizza and treats. Goodman, who has largely stayed away from events related to Tops, was there for the party. He's doing better, but he's still recovering from the trauma, both physical and emotional. He hasn't yet gone back to work or school. He watched during his mother's presentation and afterwards chatted with children and took some pictures. The children lined up to pick out a book for themselves. Charleigh Vastola, 6, of West Seneca, picked "The Proudest Blue," about girl who wears a hijab. "I can't wait to read it!" she said. Zaire Redfield, 5, of Buffalo, the other Zaire, picked the same book "because blue is my favorite color." "That's the point," Everhart said. The idea for the party was to bring kids from different backgrounds different races together through these books. "Kids are kids. Kids are not concerned about the color of their skin until someone tells them to be concerned about it. We just want kids to just talk to each other, play with each other, learn from each other and see each other. To really, really see each other as humans. We have to be able to get to a point where kids know that it's OK that I have a Black friend or a white friend. It has to start with kids. Kids are going to change the world." Myanmars youth have played a leading role in protesting and resisting the military coup of February 2021. In the Saffron Revolution of 2007, named after the color of the robes of the Buddhist monks who played a large part in the protests, youth participation lasted only for a short time before the movement was brutally quashed. This time, young people have kept involved in the anti-coup movement, continuing the resistance for two years. VOAs Ingyin Naing interviewed Sithu Maung, one of Myanmars youngest Muslim lawmakers and a member of Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy Party, to discuss how the resistance movement is faring two years after the coup. Sithu Maung, 35 and living in exile, began as a student activist and was imprisoned by the military government between 2007 and 2012 for his involvement in the Saffron Revolution. In 2020, he was elected to parliament, one of the two Muslim NLD members of parliament, and is the spokesperson for the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, or CRPH, Myanmars parliament group in exile. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. VOA: During the military coup in February 2021, people from across Myanmar protested. In that movement, young people took the lead. How would you describe the situation two years later? Sithu Maung, Member of the National League for Democracy Party: At the beginning of the current Spring Revolution, young people from all sectors walked the streets and joined protests across the country. The young people in the anti-coup movement have a slogan: We are young people. We have a future. Since the military coup, however, young people have felt like they have lost their future. They are worried that the military coup will become the permanent political culture in Myanmar history. When security forces started to crack down on the protests, the young people defended themselves with sandbags, water tanks, car tires and pipes. Later, during the ongoing demonstrations, they began to realize that they had to do something besides simply protesting in order to see their demands met. They saw that in a democratic system of civilian government, protest is an acceptable way to realize ones goals. In this situation, in what has become an uncivilized society that relies on weapons and arbitrary acts of violence against peaceful protesters, peaceful protests can no longer be effective. Because of this, further steps to realize the goals of the Spring Revolution have been taken. Many of the youth came to join Ethnic Armed Organizations in their respective areas near the border. There, in the spirit of waging a war of resistance, they joined the next stage of the revolution. One can see the negative effects of martial law all around. For example, many young journalists are fleeing to liberated areas [safe areas at the border that the ethnic armed groups control] or to other countries. There are many who continue to report for their respective media organizations even after fleeing to liberated areas in the jungle. I have seen this with my own eyes as I struggle to survive, myself. VOA: According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a group that documents human rights violations, more than 900 people between the ages of 16 and 35 have been killed in the militarys crackdown on the pro-democracy movement, and more than 2,800 in that age group have been arrested. As the military attempts to extinguish widespread opposition to its rule, it has targeted the young people who make up the core of the resistance. What effect does that have on the youth movement? Does it discourage them or strengthen their resolve? Maung: To talk about the effect of oppression in Myanmar, in the past, the sound of a gunshot from the military would go unanswered for decades. Starting in 2007, young people, including myself, were involved in the Saffron Revolution. We protested from September 18 to 26. However, after the crackdown on the 26th, the anti-junta movements calmed down, and the military took back control. This time, two years after the military coup, despite the brutal repression by the junta, the young people are not quiet and continue to act in every possible way in support of the revolution. The young people are instead resisting the coup d'etat. Young people are advancing the cause step by step beyond anything in the past. The key to the success of the revolution is that the youth will not remain silent. Another thing I see is the fact that young people have more empathy. At one time, many young people who lived in the city didnt know or understand how the military was operating with impunity in ethnic areas around the country for example, the atrocities happening in Rakhine state against the Rohingya. When we began to encounter the brutality of the military on the streets, we began to question what we had been told about what was happening in other areas of the country. Once their eyes were opened to the reality of the militarys propaganda, young people began to change. There is now a commonality between the different ethnic groups in the revolution in that we are all being oppressed by the same system. Now that we see this, it has brought more unity to the cause. In that way, the continued oppression has only served to strengthen the protest movement among the youth. VOA: The junta claims to have outlined a path toward what they say would be democratic elections. The CRPH and the National Unity Government did not accept the juntas characterization. As a young member of parliament, do you think you will be able to resolve the situation facing the country now? Maung: What I see as the goal of the Spring Revolution is building a federal democracy in Myanmar. There is a significant difference between the juntas federalism and our federalism. The different ethnic groups want a federation that brings us together in the spirit of equality while protecting rights for everyone, not under the hand of one party or person. We believe that elections within the existing system are not the way to solve current problems. We want to change the entire system. A real federal system is completely unattainable under the 2008 constitution, so disregarding the 2008 constitution, we are going to go for what we see as a true federal system. VOA: So, how do you think the military can participate in the path toward democracy going forward? Maung: In truth, the military has no reason to be involved in politics. Our country will be at peace only if the army is strictly involved in the defense sector. People with military uniforms should not be sitting in a parliament. It is not a battlefield. That's why in the future political vision of my country, the institution of the military does not need to participate in the politics of power. If they participate, it will be only in the defense of the country and defense against foreign countries. Liu Shihui, a human rights lawyer in California who grew up in Xishan Village in Inner Mongolia, learned of the dire situation in neighboring villages from his family when he called on January 23 with Lunar New Year greetings. In previous winters, it was normal if one or two or three or five people died," he told VOA Mandarin. "This wave of epidemics killed more than 20 people in about a month in the neighboring village. It is quite alarming. Jie Lijian, a human rights activist who also lives in California where he works in shipping, told VOA Mandarin that there are about 1,000 people in his hometown, Gaozhaizi, a rural village in Shandong province, and that at least 20 elderly people have died of COVID since Beijing relaxed the zero-COVID policy. After everyone in Jies extended family became infected, a man believed to be about 60 years old died in early January. He was sent to the hospital at the end of [December] and died in less than a week after he came back home," Jie told VOA Mandarin. The county hospital, critically short of beds and doctors, had turned him away. In the past, people in Jies village bought special Lunar New Year gifts and treats in the days before the family-focused holiday. This year, he said, How could there be any New Year atmosphere? People felt depressed and miserable. Chinese health officials said the country's current wave of COVID-19 infections is "coming to an end, citing only 6,364 COVID-related deaths in hospitals in China from January 20 to 26. The Chinese CDC said in a January 25 report that there had been "no obvious rebound" during Lunar New Year holidays, which began January 22 when millions of people nationwide reunited with family they had not seen during the travel restrictions. Wang Ming, a resident of Sixiatou who asked VOA Mandarin to use a pseudonym so he could avoid attracting the attention of state security, said that three elderly people died in his village of more than 700 people in Henan Province, and more than 20 people died in a nearby village to the east. "I attended four funerals of relatives and friends, all of those who died were over the age of 65, Wang said. In an administrative area with as many as 2,000 residents, he said there was one doctor. Not enough supplies rural areas Huang Yanzhong, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations and a professor at Seton Hall University School of Diplomacy and International Relations, wrote in an opinion piece for CNN that Chinas rural areas have only 4.95 hospital beds and 5.18 health professionals per 1,000 people. President Xi Jinpings signature zero-COVID policy widened the gap in the rural health system. During the three years of the policys lockdowns, the government controlled distribution of antipyretics, cough medicines, antibiotics and antiviral drugs, a move that Huang wrote had left rural hospitals and clinics undersupplied. A doctor at the Xide County People's Hospital in Sichuan province told VOA Mandarin that COVID patients occupied all of the surgical beds in the hospital where 90% of medical staff had COVID. The rural hospitals still had cold and fever medicines they stocked in the past, he said. After this wave of infection, they basically used them up. Theres no solution if there isnt enough medicine. Since the reopening, everyone is rushing for and hoarding medicines. Theres no solution if they cant buy them. These medicines must be purchased in a centralized way. In rural Shandong, Jie said that pharmacies dont even have licorice tablets, cough syrup, ibuprofen, Tylenol, penicillin, or cold remedy granules, a traditional blend of Chinese herbs used to treat headache, fever, runny nose, hay fever, allergies and sore throat. "Some veterinary clinics have veterinary fever medicines for cows, pigs and donkeys, and some people are buying them," he said. Farmers seeking medical treatment for family members or cremations for those who died face high costs, according to Jie. The New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme, which covers many farmers, does not offer reimbursement for cold and fever medicines, according to Jie. The government launched the initiative in 2003 in response to the poor state and high costs of health care in rural China. Jie said the villagers must pay an extra $5,900 to $7,400 to expedite cremation when a family member dies unless they are prepared to wait a week for a $700 to $900 cremation. Some families prefer burials, which means bribing a local official to allow the banned option and then paying gravediggers. 'No one cares' In an online call to grassroots cadres and citizens to wish them a happy Lunar New Year on January 18, Xi called on the county and village levels to take responsibility for COVID prevention and control. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on January 19 that a total of 19.01 million people were mobilized across the country to provide care for rural residents. One of those residents, an elderly woman named Du Jinlian who just recovered from COVID, told VOA Mandarin that six elderly people died last month in Wentong, a village in Shaanxi Province. No one cares, and the village party secretary also knows that the condition is serious, but no one cares." Du said. Wang said that during the three years of the zero-COVID policy, village cadres had locked down villages, blocked intersections, mandated quarantine and nucleic acid testing. They used loudspeakers to promote epidemic prevention policies 24 hours a day, but since the reopening, the governments presence has almost disappeared. "Suddenly there are no village cadres, no government agencies. no loudspeaker," said Wang. "No one from the government talks about the epidemic and the virus." Liu, who lived in rural Inner Mongolia for 35 years, said the government is ignoring the provincial farmers. They cant take care of Beijing and Shanghai," said Liu, "and the countryside is simply out of their consideration." Acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has been released on bail after starting a hunger strike protesting his almost seven-month detention, supporters said Friday. The director had been arrested months before the current anti-regime protests erupted, but his imprisonment became a symbol of the plight of artists speaking out against the authorities. Panahi was released from Tehran's Evin prison "two days after starting his hunger strike for freedom," the U.S.-based Center for Human Rights in Iran said on Twitter, while Iran's reformist Shargh newspaper posted an image of Panahi jubilantly embracing a supporter. His wife, Tahereh Saeedi, posted a picture on Instagram of Panahi being driven from prison in a vehicle. The prize-winning director was arrested in July and went on a dry hunger strike Wednesday to protest his continued detention. "Mr. Panahi was temporarily released from Evin prison with the efforts of his family, respected lawyers and representatives of the cinema," Iran's House of Cinema, which groups together industry professionals, said in a statement. The announcement that Panahi was going on a dry hunger strike sparked a wave of concern around the world about the director, who has won prizes at all of Europe's top three film festivals. "Today, like many people trapped in Iran, I have no choice but to protest against this inhumane behavior with my dearest possession my life," Panahi had said in the statement published by his wife. "I will remain in this state until perhaps my lifeless body is freed from prison," he said. Relief and joy Panahi, 62, was arrested July 11 and had been due to serve a six-year sentence handed down in 2010 after his conviction for "propaganda against the system." On October 15, the Supreme Court quashed the conviction and ordered a retrial, raising hopes among his legal team that he could be released, but he remained in prison. Panahi won a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2000 for his film "The Circle." In 2015, he won the Golden Bear in Berlin for "Taxi Tehran," and in 2018, he won the best screenplay prize at Cannes for "Three Faces." Panahi's latest film, "No Bears," which like much of his recent work stars the director himself, was screened at the 2022 Venice Film Festival when the director was already behind bars. It won the Special Jury Prize. "It is extraordinary, a relief, a total joy. We express our gratitude to all those who mobilized yesterday," his French distributor, producer Michele Halberstadt, told AFP. "His next fight is to have the cancellation of his sentence officially recognized. He's outside, he's free, and this is already great." Panahi's July arrest came after he attended a court hearing for fellow film director Mohammad Rasoulof, who had been detained a few days earlier. Rasoulof was released from prison January 7 after being granted a two-week furlough for health reasons and is still believed to be outside jail. Cinema figures have been among the thousands of people arrested by Iran in its crackdown on the protests sparked by the September 16 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, who had been arrested for allegedly violating Irans strict dress code for women. Star actor Taraneh Alidoosti, who had published images of herself without wearing the Islamic headscarf, was among those detained, although she was released in early January after being held for almost three weeks. A judge in Kenya has sentenced a former police officer to death for the murders of three people, including a prominent human rights activist in 2016. Three other men received long prison sentences in connection with the case. In her verdict delivered Friday, Justice Jessie Lessit sentenced to death police officer Fredrick Leliman, who is believed to have been the mastermind behind the June 2016 murder of human rights lawyer and activist Willie Kimani, his client Josephat Mwenda, and their taxi driver, Joseph Muiruri. Lessit described the murder as "most foul and heinous." ''I find the most suitable sentence for each of the accused persons is as follows. The first accused is sentenced to death on each of the three counts. The death sentence in counts two and three are held in abeyance,'' she said. Two other former police officers, Stephen Cheburet and Sylvia Wanjohi, were sentenced to 30 years and 24 years in prison, respectively. The officers' informant, Peter Ngugi, who is believed to have facilitated Kimani's murder, was sentenced to 20 years in jail. The defendants have two weeks to appeal. Under Kenyan law, death sentences are commuted to life imprisonment, but a 2017 ruling by Kenya's Supreme Court gave judges the discretion to decide whether a death sentence can still be imposed. Rights activists say at the time of murders, Kimani was defending Mwenda, a motorbike rider who had allegedly been shot by the police. Kimani's murder brought attention to the ongoing issue of extrajudicial killings by police in Kenya. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights says at least 94 people were killed extra judicially by police in 2022. President William Ruto has said such killings must end. Kenya has announced plans to re-open its Mandera border crossing with Somalia as part of efforts to improve border security and crack down on smuggled goods. Kenya says plans to re-open the Mandera border post with Somalia are nearing conclusion, after high-level consultations between the two countries. Speaking after a visit to the town of Mandera, Kenyas Internal Security Minister Kithure Kindiki said reopening the crossing point will improve border security and stem the tide of smuggled goods used to fund terrorist activities. I have directed the county security teams to sit down with the agencies of government that are represented here, including customs, immigrations, and asses the requirements and provide information within one week to enable us to renovate the border post and re-start our border," said Kindiki. Kenya closed all of its official border crossings with Somalia in 2012 in a bid to stop incursions by al-Shabab insurgents operating from the Somali side. The border points closed included the Mandera crossing, as well as those in Lamu, Wajir and Garissa. The shutdowns have not stopped people from crossing the border illegally or smuggling goods. Kindiki tasked the county security team with identifying armed militants operating in the border region. I therefore direct the county security team to sit down with the political leaders and the elders in a plan that will be guided by the community leaders and elders, so as to flush-out armed militants from Mandera and Northeastern," said Kindiki. Kindiki addressed elected leaders and community elders Friday during a security tour in Mandera and Wajir counties, and he reiterated the need for elders to partake in security operations. In the last five years, Kenyas northeast has experienced a long series of attacks by al-Shabab fighters. In the deadliest attack, the Islamist militant group killed nearly 150 people at Garissa University College in 2015. Somalia-based al-Shabab has been active in Kenya since 2011, when Kenya first contributed troops to the African Union-led peacekeeping mission in Somalia. For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments in Russias war on Ukraine. All times EST. 10:13 p.m.: Ukraine's defense minister said on Friday that new tanks supplied by NATO countries would serve as an "iron fist" in a counteroffensive by Kyiv to break through Russian defensive lines, Reuters reported. The official, Oleksii Reznikov, told a news briefing with his Polish counterpart that Western supplies of 155-mm artillery were vital for Ukraine to weather Russia's own attacks in the south and in the east. "The new tank coalition with the main tanks of NATO countries we need this for the counteroffensive, we will use it like an iron fist to break through their defensive lines," he said. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak, in Kyiv on Friday for talks with Reznikov, said Warsaw was helping to train Ukrainian soldiers to use Western tanks and that completing the training was a question of "weeks not days or months." Kyiv secured pledges from the West last month to supply main battle tanks to help fend off Russia's invasion, with Moscow mounting huge efforts to make advances in the east. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said the government expects to receive 120 to 140 Western tanks from a coalition of 12 countries in a first wave of deliveries, including German Leopard 2, British Challenger 2 and U.S. M1 Abrams tanks. 9:02 p.m.: France and Italy have finalized technical talks for the joint delivery of a SAMP/T-MAMBA air defense system to Ukraine in spring 2023, the French Defense Ministry said. "This will allow Ukraine to defend itself against Russian drones, missiles and plane attacks, through the coverage of a significant part of the Ukrainian territory," a ministry statement said after a call between French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto. The system can track dozens of targets and intercept 10 at once. It is the only European-made system that can intercept ballistic missiles. Ukraine has asked its Western allies for more air defense systems and specifically requested the SAMP/T, known as Mamba, in November. Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. 8:08 p.m.: EU countries agreed on Friday on a European Commission proposal to set price caps on Russian refined oil products, the Swedish presidency of the European Union said. EU diplomats said the price caps agreed by ambassadors for the 27 EU countries are $100 per barrel on products that trade at a premium to crude, such as diesel, and $45 per barrel for products that trade at a discount, such as fuel oil. The proposal is that they apply from Sunday. Poland and Baltic states Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia had pushed for the caps to be set at lower levels to curb Russia's revenues from fuel, diplomats had said, dragging on talks for days. The price caps, together with an EU ban on Russian oil product imports, are part of a broader agreement among the Group of Seven countries. It follows a $60 per barrel cap imposed on Russian crude on December 5 as G-7 countries, the EU and Australia seek to limit Moscow's ability to fund its war in Ukraine. 7:05 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of increasing sanctions pressure against Russia so that the aggressor state does not have the opportunity to revive its defense production in full. Zelenskyy made these comments at a meeting with media representatives following the 24th Ukraine-EU summit in Kyiv. "We are extremely interested in Russia not having the opportunity to revive defense production. Sanctions slowed down all these processes. It's clear to us how many missiles were produced before the start of the full-scale invasion and what is happening now thanks to the sanctions of the EU, the United States, the UK, and other partners," Zelenskyy said. 6:16 p.m.: The head of Ukraines anti-corruption agency said Friday there has been a significant decrease in corruption in the country since the Russian invasion, AFP reports. Fearing any loss of EUs and Washingtons vital aid, Ukraine is seeking to reassure its allies that it is fighting corruption in the wake of a series of public embezzlement scandals, resignations and arrests. "During the first months of the war, we saw that corruption had practically disappeared," Oleksandr Novikov, head of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NAPC), told AFP in an interview. But after the initial shock of the February 24 invasion, "some have returned to old ways," admitted Novikov, a former prosecutor who has headed the NAPC for three years. Nevertheless, he was adamant that the country was now making an "irreversible" move away from the corrupt practices of the past. "NATO and EU standards will require us to change state policies to leave no room for corruption," he told AFP. At a summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday, the EU said Ukraine had made "considerable efforts" in advancing toward membership in the 27-member bloc but urged Kyiv to implement more reforms. 5:42 p.m.: Ukraine's Elina Svitolina said on Friday that the ban on Russian and Belarusian players competing at Wimbledon must continue after they were excluded from last year's championships. Wimbledon excluded players from the two countries because of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, a decision that was swiftly condemned by the men's and women's tours as well as Novak Djokovic and Martina Navratilova. However, Svitolina, the 2019 Wimbledon semi-finalist, said nothing had changed from last year's reason for the ban. "I hope they will do the same thing and keep the ban in place. I don't think it should change," the 28-year-old Svitolina was quoted as saying by the BBC on Friday. "There are still people suffering and still Russian soldiers killing innocent Ukrainians. The war is still there. The decision should not be any different." Wimbledon has yet to announce if the ban it imposed last year will continue. Wimbledon organizers were not immediately available to comment, Reuters reports. 4:57 p.m.: 4 p.m.: The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on the board of directors of Iranian drone maker Paravar Pars, the U.S. Treasury Department said, adding Iranian drones were being used by Russia to attack Ukraine's critical infrastructure, Reuters reported. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated eight senior executives of Paravar Pars, the department said in a statement. The drone maker was previously sanctioned by the United States and the European Union for making drones for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force. 3:15 p.m.: A new rocket that would double Ukraine's strike range in its war with Russia was included in a $2.175 billion U.S. military aid package, the Pentagon said on Friday, according to Reuters. The new weapon, the Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), will allow Ukraine's military to hit targets at twice the distance reachable by the rockets it now fires from the U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The 151 km (94 mile) GLSDB will put all of Russia's supply lines in eastern Ukraine within reach, as well as part of Russian-occupied Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014. In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RIA news agency that it was important not to forget what President Vladimir Putin had said in Volgograd on Thursday. In a speech, Putin said "we have the means to respond, and it won't end with the use of armored vehicles, everyone must understand that." 2:30 p.m.: Across Lithuania and the other Baltic countries, thousands of activists are fighting Russian disinformation on social media. They called themselves elves because elves fight trolls. VOAs Oleksii Kovalenko has the story. 2:00 p.m.: Traders are using Turkey, Kazakhstan and Armenia to evade European Union sanctions on Russia in a tactic that breaches these countries' compliance with the bloc's embargo, Latvia's prime minister said on Friday, according to Reuters. Krisjanis Karins made the assertion following talks with counterparts from fellow EU members Estonia and Lithuania, which along with Latvia have been among the most vocal supporters of sanctions on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. "It seems quite clear that traders are finding ways to legally trade goods, say with Turkey, Kazakhstan or Armenia which are then resent to Russia, because these countries are not adhering to the sanctions regime," Karins told reporters in the Estonian capital Tallinn. Karins pointed to a rise in European trade with the three countries which he said was "disproportionate to where it has been in the past." 1:50 p.m.: Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) says it has uncovered a large-scale embezzlement scheme to siphon off public funds earmarked for the purchase of food for the military as it battles to repel Moscow's nearly yearlong invasion, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. The SBU said in a statement posted on Telegram on February 3 that as a result of the fraud, the Defense Ministry incurred losses of more than 119.5 million hryvnyas ($3.24 million). The findings are part of a scandal that broke on January 22 when allegations surfaced in local media that the ministry was overpaying suppliers for food for troops. The supplier has said a technical mistake was to blame and no extra money had actually changed hands. The ministry said the accusations were baseless. Eradicating endemic corruption is one of the chief requirements presented by the European Union to Kyiv as Ukraine is pressing Brussels to speed up its accession into the 27-member bloc even as it is fighting Russian troops that invaded on February 24 last year. 1:20 p.m.: The United Nations Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator Marco Rotelli said on Twitter that a team with critical supplies like medicines, hygiene kits and water has reached war-affected Ukrainians in frontline areas in the Zaporizhzhia region this week. 1:05 p.m.: The head of the Paris 2024 Olympics Tony Estanguet said on Friday it was for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to decide whether Russian and Belarusian athletes can participate in the Games next year, Reuters reported. Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the governing body to ban them from the sporting extravaganza, stating that allowing Russia to compete at the Games was tantamount to showing that "terror is somehow acceptable". Three-time Olympic champion and President of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee Estanguet told Reuters that he was "in favor of maintaining this symbol of universality for the Games" when asked about Russian and Belarusian participation. Yet he said the decision rested with the Games' governing body. 12:50 p.m.: The prime ministers of the three Baltic countries urged the International Olympic Committee to ban Russian athletes from next years Paris Games because of the war in Ukraine, saying Friday a boycott was a possibility, The Associated Press reported. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said athletes from her country could be put in a situation where they are competing against Russians, claiming many of them are soldiers. I think that our efforts should be on convincing our other friends and allies that the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes is just wrong, Kallas said, adding in Russias ally in the war. So boycotting is the next step. I think people will understand why this is necessary. Ukraine is steadfastly opposed to letting Russians compete. 12:25 p.m.: 12:10 p.m.: Russian-installed authorities in Crimea said on Friday that they had nationalized around 500 properties in the peninsula including some belonging to senior Ukrainian politicians and business figures, Reuters reported. In a statement on Telegram, Vladimir Konstantinov, speaker of the Crimean parliament, said that the decree targeted "accomplices of the Kyiv regime" and that the nationalized properties included banks and tourist and sport infrastructure. According to a document published on a Crimean government website, properties belonging to former Ukrainian prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and businessmen Igor Kolomoisky, Rinat Akhmetov and Serhiy Taruta were among those confiscated. Crimea, which is internationally recognized as part of Ukraine, has been controlled by Moscow since 2014, when Russia unilaterally annexed the peninsula. 11:45 a.m.: Norway said Friday it will buy 54 new generation Leopard 2 tanks to replace older versions, adding it faced "one of the most difficult security situations since World War II," Agence France-Presse reported. Planned for several years, the order will enable Oslo to renew its fleet of 36 ageing Leopard 2A4 tanks, some of which are to be donated to Ukraine. "We find ourselves ... in one of the most difficult security situations since World War II," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told reporters at the Rena military base. "We have a serious situation due to the Russian invasion (of Ukraine). I call this a new 'Iron Curtain,' " he said. Norway had been hesitating between the latest generation Leopard tank and the South Korean K2 Black Panther. The choice of Leopards will enable the Scandinavian country to align itself with its Nordic neighbors -- including Sweden and Finland which are vying to join Norway in NATO -- and Germany, the government said. The first deliveries are expected as of 2026 and will run until 2031. Only 36 of the 52 Leopards Norway bought from the Netherlands in 2001 are still in service. The head of Norway's armed forces, Eirik Kristoffersen, has previously expressed his opposition to the purchase of new tanks, saying he would prefer to spend the money on the acquisition of other weapons such as missiles and long-range shells. 11:15 a.m.: 11:00 a.m.: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday Ukraine would fight to hold on to the eastern "fortress" city of Bakhmut for as long as it could, and urged the West to supply long-range weapons to help Kyiv push Russian forces out of the Donbas region, Reuters reported. "Nobody will give away Bakhmut. We will fight for as long as we can. We consider Bakhmut our fortress," Zelenskyy told a news conference with top European Union officials following a summit in Kyiv. "Ukraine would be able to hold Bakhmut and liberate occupied Donbas if it received long-range weapons," he said. The city of Bakhmut has become the focal point of Ukrainian resistance to Russia's invasion and of Moscows drive to regain battlefield momentum. Russian officials have said Russian forces are encircling Bakhmut from several directions and battling to take control of a road which is also an important supply route for Ukrainian forces. 10:50 a.m.: The European Union will unveil its 10th package of sanctions against Russia on February 24 to mark the anniversary of Moscows full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a senior official from the bloc said in Kyiv on Friday. This comes as Ukrainian forces gird for an expected Russian offensive in the coming weeks, The Associated Press reported. The sanctions will target technology used by Russias war machine, among other things, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference. The sanctions will take aim in particular at components used in the manufacturing of drones, she said, naming Iran as a key supplier of Russia. Closing loopholes that the Kremlin uses to circumvent sanctions will also be a priority, according to Von der Leyen, who was on her fourth visit to the Ukrainian capital since the war began. The exact measures in the next EU sanctions package must be agreed upon by the blocs 27 member countries a process that can take weeks. Top EU officials met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a show of support for the country as it battles to counter the Kremlins forces and strives to join the EU as well as NATO. The last such summit was held in Kyiv in October 2021 a few months before the war started. The highly symbolic visit is also the first EU political mission of its kind to a country at war. 10:20 a.m.: Top European Union officials met Friday in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a show of support for the country as it battles to counter Russias invasion and strives to join the EU as well as NATO. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, as well as 15 European commissioners, traveled to the Ukrainian capital for the summit meeting. The leaders held a news conference following the talks and released a joint statement pledging solidarity with Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression and support for a rapid reconstruction of Ukraine once the war is over. The EU will support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people against Russia's ongoing war of aggression for as long as it takes, the statement said. We reiterated that the future of Ukraine and its citizens lies within the European Union, it added. The EU reiterated its unwavering support and commitment to Ukraines independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, according to the statement. The statement went on to spell out the process for Ukraine to become a full member of the EU. Ukraine has already been granted the status of a candidate country. The EU-Ukraine Association Agreement has been and continues to be of essential importance in facilitating and promoting Ukraines further integration with the EU, the statement said. The EU will decide on further steps once all conditions specified in the Commission's opinion are fully met, it added. Ukraine has pledged its commitment to meet all the requirements to start accession negotiations as soon as possible, it noted. Von der Leyen shared video of the joint press conference following the EU-Ukraine summit on Twitter. 10:05 a.m.: The United States has stepped up pressure on Middle East allies to expel the Wagner Group, a military contractor owned by an oligarch with close ties to Russias president, from chaos-stricken Libya and Sudan where it has expanded in recent years, regional officials told The Associated Press. The U.S. effort described by officials comes as the Biden administration is making a broad push against the mercenaries. The U.S. has slapped new sanctions on the Wagner Group in recent months over its expanding role in Russias war in Ukraine. The group is owned by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Pentagon has described it as a surrogate for the Russian Defense Ministry. The Kremlin denies any connection. The Biden administration has been working for months with regional powers Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to pressure military leaders in Sudan and Libya to end their ties with the group, according to more than a dozen Libyan, Sudanese and Egyptian officials. They asked for anonymity to speak freely and because they were not authorized to discuss the issue with the media. A senior Egyptian government official with direct knowledge of the talks said the Wagner group is at the top of every meeting. 9:35 a.m.: Ukraine unveiled a criminal case on Friday against the boss of Russia's Wagner mercenary company, and promised to track down and prosecute the company's fighters who try to flee abroad, Reuters reported. Wagner, run by businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, has recruited thousands of fighters, including convicts from Russian prisons, to wage war in Ukraine. Prigozhin says his group is pivotal in recent battles in the east of Ukraine, among the bloodiest of the war. "The Prosecutor General's Office has served a notice of suspicion to the head of the private military company 'Wagner'," Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said in a statement on Facebook that did not identify Prigozhin by name. "The head of this group is directly responsible for thousands of war crimes. He openly admits his role in the war against Ukraine and, with the Kremlin's permission, resolves staff issues by recruiting tens of thousands of prisoners." 9:10 a.m.: 8:40 a.m.: NATO allies on Friday threw their weight behind U.S. complaints that Russia is violating the New START nuclear arms control treaty and called on Moscow to come back into compliance, Reuters reported. "NATO Allies agree the New START Treaty contributes to international stability by constraining Russian and U.S. strategic nuclear forces," the North Atlantic Council, NATO's top political body, said in a statement. "Therefore, we note with concern that Russia has failed to comply with legally-binding obligations under the New START Treaty." The NATO statement came three days after the U.S. State Department also accused Russia of violating the treaty. NATO said Russia had failed to facilitate U.S. inspections on its territory since August last year. The NATO statement said this "undermines the United States ability to adequately verify Russian compliance with the Treatys central limits." Following the State Department's accusations, Russia insisted on Wednesday it wanted to preserve the treaty. "We consider the continuation of this treaty very important," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. 8:15 a.m.: Ukraine could add old Leopard 1 battle tanks from German defense industry stocks to deliveries of modern tanks that Berlin and other governments pledged last week to counter Russian forces in the war, The Associated Press reported. German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit confirmed Friday that export authorization has been granted but declined to give numbers or other details, saying that they may become more concrete in the coming days and weeks. He told reporters in Berlin that the application from industry to permit delivery of Leopard 1 tanks had been made some time ago. Hebestreits comments came after the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported that the government had cleared the export of the tanks and that they could be sent as soon as the defense industry gets them in working order. It said that two companies, Rheinmetall and FFG, want to prepare dozens of Leopard 1 tanks that could be delivered to Ukraine if it is interested. But it also said that there are issues so far with securing sufficient ammunition for the vehicles. It wasnt immediately clear when any deliveries might be possible, but it appeared unlikely to be a quick process. 7:50 a.m.: 7:25 a.m.: Norwegian police said on Friday they intend to continue to interrogate former Wagner mercenary group commander Andrei Medvedev, who fled from Russia to Norway last month after fighting in the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported. Medvedev, who earlier this week told Reuters he was speaking out to help ensure the perpetrators of crimes are brought to justice, has handed "some digital material" to police, Kripos, Norway's national criminal police service, said in a statement. The material was being examined, added Kripos. Kripos is the unit of the Norwegian police which has responsibility for investigating war crimes. Medvedev remains a witness, and is not under any obligation to talk to investigators, Kripos said. Medvedev is not suspected of anything apart from the illegal border crossing. "Medvedev gives the impression that he wants to continue to say more" about his time with Wagner, police said. 7:10 a.m.: The reconnaissance drones fly several times a day from Ukrainian positions deep inside the thick forest that marches across the border into Belarus, a close Russian ally, scouring sky and land for signs of trouble on the other side, The Associated Press reported. Ukrainian units are monitoring the 1,000-kilometer (650-mile) frontier of marsh and woodland for a possible surprise offensive from the north, a repeat of the unsuccessful Russian thrust toward Kyiv at the start of the war nearly a year ago. This time the Ukrainians are taking no chances. Since the summer they have been reinforcing defenses, building and expanding trenches and laying mines in the forest ahead of the springtime offensive military officials expect. Residents of villages in the region that were temporarily occupied last year are horrified by the prospect of it all starting again. Were listening out for every small sound and noise. This isnt a way to live, said Valentina Matveva, 64, from the village of Ripke. When youre in constant fear, thats not life. Concerns of a renewed military push were stirred in January after Russia and Belarus held joint air force drills, one month after a rare visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Minsk. 6:45 a.m.: 6:30 a.m.: The Kremlin on Friday rejected as a "hoax" media reports that U.S. CIA Director William Burns had travelled to Moscow with a secret peace proposal that involved Ukraine ceding a fifth of its territory to Russia, Reuters reported. The Swiss newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung's report, which said Burns had made a secret trip to Moscow last month to put forward the plan on behalf of the White House, has also been dismissed by Washington. Asked whether Burns had travelled to Moscow or put forward a plan that involved Ukraine ceding 20% of its territory, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "That whole report is a hoax." 6:15 a.m.: Leaders of the European Union and Ukraine are holding a landmark meeting in Kyiv amid air-raid alerts in the capital and across Ukraine, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. The alerts on Friday were lifted after less than two hours, and there were no immediate reports of any air strikes by Russia. In recent months, Russian missile strikes have caused extensive damage to Ukraine's electricity grid in the depths of winter and claimed victims among civilians. The top-level meeting in Kyiv between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the EU leadership is expected to discuss the European Union's support for Kyiv in the face of Russia's invasion and Ukraine's bid for membership in the 27-member bloc. Charles Michel, the president of the European Council that groups the leaders of the 27 EU members, reassured Ukraine of the bloc's unwavering support both against Russia's aggression and on its path to eventual integration in the bloc. "There will be no let up in our resolve. We will also support you every step of the way on your journey to the EU," Michel, who arrived in Kyiv on February 3, said on Twitter, where he posted a photo of himself in the Ukrainian capital. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who arrived in Kyiv on Thursday with a team of 15 commissioners, announced at a joint news conference with Zelenskyy that the EU will issue a fresh package sanctions against Russia -- the 10th since the start of its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine almost one year ago. Von der Leyen and Michel went into a fresh round of talks with Zelenskyy on Friday. A joint EU-Ukraine statement seen by Reuters was also expected to reaffirm the bloc's support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion "for as long as it takes," the news agency reported. 6:00 a.m.: 5:40 a.m.: Western naval forces are having to adapt to a new threat as Russia and other military powers develop new capabilities to target critical undersea infrastructure such as pipelines and cables, VOAs Henry Ridgwell reported. The vulnerability of such infrastructure has long been recognized. Those concerns turned to reality in September last year, as the Nord Stream pipelines that carried gas from Russia to Germany ruptured spectacularly on the Baltic seabed near the Danish island of Bornholm, sending huge volumes of gas bubbling to the surface. Swedish investigators found traces of explosives at the site. The West suspects Russia of sabotage. The Kremlin denies this and accuses Western nations of staging the attack. There has been a growing awareness of the vulnerability of critical national infrastructure, but the event in the Baltic Sea certainly brought the issue into sharp relief, said analyst Sidharth Kaushal of Britains Royal United Services Institute, author of a recent report titled Navies and Economic Warfare. 5:25 a.m.: Russian troops are not slowing their push in several areas of the Donetsk region despite suffering heavy losses, the Ukrainian military said on Friday, amid indications that Moscow is preparing for a major push in the east to break months of stalemate, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. The Russian attacks over the past 24 hours have been concentrated mainly on four directions -- Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Novopavlivka -- Ukraine's General Staff reported in its morning briefing on Friday. At the same time, the General Staff said, Russia's continued attacks on Ukraine's civilian and infrastructure objectives had resulted in civilian deaths and damage. "The Russian Federation does not abandon its intentions to destroy the critical infrastructure of our state, continues to strike civilian objectives and homes of the civilian population. Over the past day, the enemy launched four rocket attacks, two of which hit the civilian infrastructure of the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk, as well as five air strikes," the military said. A previous missile strike on an apartment block in Kramatorsk killed at least five people on February 1. Russian forces continued to launch rocket attacks on civilian targets in Kherson and Mykolayiv, the military said, adding, "Peaceful citizens were killed and injured by enemy strikes." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said later on February 2 in his nightly video address that the Russian Army still had the resources to attempt offensive actions, although "strategically, Russia's defeat is already clear." The Russian military is "looking for options to try to change the course of the war" and trying to "use the potential of the territory it currently controls to serve its aggression," Zelenskyy said. 5:12 a.m.: The U.S. Congress cannot support the $20 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey until Ankara ratifies the NATO memberships of Sweden and Finland, a bipartisan group of senators said Thursday, according to Reuters. Sweden and Finland applied last year to join the trans-Atlantic defense pact after Russia invaded Ukraine but faced unexpected objections from Turkey and have since sought to win its support. Ankara wants Helsinki and Stockholm in particular to take a tougher line against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is considered a terror group by Turkey and the European Union, and another group it blames for a 2016 coup attempt. The three nations reached an agreement on a way forward in Madrid last June, but Ankara suspended talks last month following protests in Stockholm in which a far-right Danish politician burned a copy of the Muslim holy book, the Quran. It was the first time Congress explicitly and directly linked the F-16 sale to Turkey with the NATO accession bids of the two Nordic countries. The Biden administration has repeatedly said it supports the sale and refused to link the two issues. 4:13 a.m.: The Institute for the Study of War, a U.S. think tank, said in its latest Ukraine assessment that Russian officials are continuing efforts to frame the war in Ukraine as an existential threat to Russian audiences in order to set information conditions for protracted war and maintain domestic support for continued military operations. These efforts on the part of Russian officials are not succeeding in generating the likely desired effect of motivating Russians to want to participate in the war, however. The assessment also said Russian and Ukrainian sources suggested that Russian forces may be preparing offensive actions in the Svatove area. 3:39 a.m.: Parliamentarians of 20 countries have urged Austria to bar Russian delegates from a gathering of the world's largest security body later this month, Agence France-Presse reported Thursday, citing a letter. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's parliamentary assembly is to be held in Vienna on Feb. 23-24, the one-year anniversary of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Members of national parliaments in 15 EU nations, alongside Canada, Georgia, Iceland, the U.K. and Ukraine itself have objected to Russia's participation at the meeting, urging Austria to prohibit their delegation's entry. In a letter sent to Austria's government, they said Russia would use the meeting to "sow disinformation, fake news and hate speech." "The participation of the Russian parliamentarians in the Vienna session ... would be read in Russia as its indirect legitimization and part of a return to 'business as usual,'" the letter said. 2:04 a.m.: The latest intelligence update from the U.K. defense ministry said it appears that Wagner Group is using few convicts in its Russian paramilitary force. 12:02 a.m.: Czech president-elect Petr Pavel, a former NATO general, said Thursday there should be "no limits" on military aid to war-ravaged Ukraine, urging allies to show more courage, Agence France-Presse reported. Pavel, who led the NATO military committee from 2015-18, won his country's presidential ballot over the weekend and will be sworn in next month. In an interview with AFP, the 61-year-old said the West should provide Ukraine with all types of weapons except nuclear arms as it battles Russia's invasion. "When it comes to conventional weapons, I really can see no reason for any limits," Pavel said. "Ukraine cannot fight a tough opponent like this without armored technologies, unmanned aerial vehicles, artillery and longer-range rockets, but maybe also supersonic aircraft," he added. Western allies have been providing Ukraine with substantial military aid since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. But Pavel said more courage was needed as "some countries have a bit of a reserved stance" on shipping over modern weapons. "If we take a single standpoint, it gives us the best chance of success. We should act in unity on these issues," he told AFP. Some information in this report came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters. NATO on Friday expressed concern that Russia was failing to comply with its last remaining nuclear arms control treaty with the United States. As tensions soar over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, leading NATO power the United States has accused Moscow of not meeting its commitments under the decade-old New START pact. On Tuesday, Washington slammed Russia for suspending inspections under the treaty and cancelling talks but did not accuse its Cold War rival of expanding its nuclear warhead arsenal beyond agreed limits. "NATO allies agree the New START treaty contributes to international stability by constraining Russian and US strategic nuclear forces," the 30-strong alliance said in a statement. "Therefore, we note with concern that Russia has failed to comply with legally binding obligations under the New START treaty." NATO member states said they "call on Russia to fulfil its obligations" by allowing inspections and returning to talks. Russia has hit back at Washington by accusing it of destroying weapons control agreements between the two countries. Diplomacy between the two powers has ground to a bare minimum over the past year as the United States leads a drive to sanction Russia and arm Ukraine with billions of dollars in weapons. Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons, reviving Cold War era fears. Moscow announced in early August that it was suspending U.S. inspections of its military sites under New START. It said it was responding to American obstruction of inspections by Russia, a charge denied by Washington. The Kremlin then indefinitely postponed talks under New START that had been due to start on November 29 in Cairo, accusing the United States of "toxicity and animosity." New START, signed by then President Barack Obama in 2010 when relations were warmer, restricted Russia and the United States to a maximum of 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads each -- a reduction of nearly 30 percent from the previous limit set in 2002. It also limits the number of launchers and heavy bombers to 800, still easily enough to destroy human life on Earth. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting with European leaders in Kyiv on Friday. He is hoping to extract a fast-track promise for his countrys entry into the European Union and gain the imposition of more sanctions on Russia at the summit. Analysts, however, say that his hopes of an expedited path into the EU will likely be dashed, despite his countrys dire need for the alliances support during Russias invasion of Ukraine. While the EU has been supportive of Ukraine, it has not shown any indication that it is willing to speed up the membership process. Ahead of Fridays summit, Zelenskyy met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. In his daily address Thursday, Zelenskyy thanked von der Leyen, her colleagues and our friends in the EU for their tangible support on the path of integration and in protecting our country and people. Meanwhile, Britains Defense Ministry said Friday that the Wagner Groups recruitment of convicts has dropped significantly. The ministry said the Russian Federal Penal Service experienced a decrease of just 6,000 inmates since November. In comparison, the penal service had reported a drop of 23,000 inmates from September to November 2022. Wagner recruitment was likely a major contributing factor to this drop, the British ministry said. Russia launched new airstrikes on residential areas in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on Thursday, even as top European Union officials gathered in Kyiv in a new show of support for Ukraines fight against Russias nearly yearlong invasion. An attack on Kramatorsk late Wednesday killed at least three people and injured another 21, authorities said, with a search under way for at least one more victim thought to be under the debris caused by a missile strike. "Kramatorsk again shattered by explosions the Russians made two more rocket strikes," regional Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote in a Telegram post. He said at least five civilians were wounded in the latest strikes that hit residential buildings as well as a children's clinic and a school in the heart of the city, a major hub for the Ukrainian military in the east. Russia has frequently struck apartment buildings in the war that it launched Feb. 24, while denying it is targeting residential structures. The Ukrainian presidential office said overall in the last day, Russian shelling in Ukraine had killed at least eight civilians and wounded 29 others. US sanctions The United States on Wednesday blacklisted more business officials linked to Russias war on Ukraine, targeting an arms dealer, his son and a group of proxy companies across Asia, Europe and the Middle East for trying to help Moscow obtain more weapons for its nearly yearlong fight. The U.S. Treasury Department unveiled sanctions against Russian arms dealer Igor Zimenkov, his son Jonatan and companies connected to the Zimenkov network in Singapore, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Israel, among other countries. Russias desperate attempts to utilize proxies to circumvent U.S. sanctions demonstrate that sanctions have made it much harder and costlier for Russias military-industrial complex to resupply [Russian President Vladimir] Putins war machine, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said. Treasury named 22 people and organizations it said were linked to the sanctions-evasion network supporting Russias military-industrial complex. Over the last year, the department said it had sanctioned more than 100 people and entities engaging in activities to circumvent international sanctions and export controls imposed on Russia. The blacklisting blocks any U.S. accounts they may own and prohibits them from doing business in the United States and with Americans. Targeting proxies is one of many steps that Treasury and our coalition of partners have taken, and continue to take, to tighten sanctions enforcement against Russias defense sector, its benefactors and its supporters, Adeyemo said. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. Despite Chinas insistence it is designed for meteorological research, the United States Defense Department said Friday a high-altitude Chinese balloon sailing over the U.S. is there for surveillance in violation of U.S. airspace and international law. At a Pentagon news briefing, Defense Department press secretary Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters he could not go into specifics, but that U.S. defense officials know it is a surveillance balloon and have conveyed their displeasure to Chinese officials on multiple levels. Ryder said they continue to monitor the balloon closely, and while he would not give its specific location, said it was over the center of the continental U.S. and moving eastward. He said it does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground at this time. U.S. defense officials discovered the balloon Wednesday over the northwestern state of Montana, which houses one of the three U.S. Air Force bases that operate and maintain intercontinental ballistic missiles. Air traffic out of the Billings, Montana, airport briefly came to a halt Wednesday as the U.S. mobilized fighter jets to track the balloon. Earlier Friday, a China foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed the balloon did, in fact, belong to China. The spokesperson said it was civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research and had deviated from its planned course. The spokesperson said China regrets the unintended entry into U.S. airspace and will continue communicating with the U.S. about the matter. Shortly after confirmation that the balloon belonged to China, U.S. officials told reporters on background that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had postponed a trip to China just hours before he was set to depart. The officials said Blinken did not want the incident to dominate discussions. The scheduled visit was the first for Blinken as secretary of state. In an interview with VOAs Mandarin Service, the RAND Corporations Timothy Heath said the use of such balloons is considered a relatively outdated mode of collecting intelligence as most nations use satellites to collect such data. But Heath said new technologies allow balloons to be more easily controlled, and they are often harder to detect by radar. He said the balloon, which is roughly the size of three school buses, also can hover over an area for longer periods of time. In a separate interview, the Hudson Institutes Patrick Cronin told VOAs Mandarin Service the balloon is a clumsy act of intelligence gathering by the Chinese, and said the U.S. should prepare an appropriately sharp response to the action. Experts say both the U.S. and the Soviet Union used similar surveillance balloons during the Cold War. Spy balloons usually operate at 80,000 to 120,000 feet, far above the operating levels of commercial airline traffic and fighter jets. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters. On a freezing, windy day in eastern Romania, U.S. Army Sergeant Chase Williams is urging a team of soldiers to jump out of a hovering Blackhawk and rappel 25 meters to the snow-covered ground below. You know you just got to get over that fear. You just got to get over that ledge the first time, Williams says of the 101st Airborne Divisions Air Assault course, a grueling program that some soldiers refer to as the 10 toughest days in the Army. Williams and his fellow trainers have taught the 10-day program several times since last summer when 4,700 troops with the 101st Airborne Division deployed across eastern Europe, but the iteration completed this week was unique. For the first time ever, soldiers in the division offered their punishing air assault course to partners on European soil. Graduates from the course at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base included U.S., Romanian, Dutch, French and Slovak soldiers. Its the latest example of how the division, deployed to Europe for the first time since World War II, is bolstering NATOs eastern flank in response to Russias war in Ukraine. In Romania, U.S. troop numbers have tripled from approximately 1,000 troops in January 2022 to about 3,000 today. A high-end missile launched from Russian-controlled Crimea could reach the soldiers based along the Black Sea in about seven minutes, according to U.S. Army Colonel Ed Matthaidess, commander of the 101sts 2nd Brigade Combat Team. We are the closest U.S. Army formation to the fight in Ukraine right now, Matthaidess told VOA. Since their arrival, the 101st has spread out to fortify its positions across the country, and in other nations on NATOs eastern flank. Weve prepared our force for whatever eventuality, so weve reinforced protection around Mihail Kogalniceanu. Weve dispersed our forces so were not a single target, Matthaidess said. During a helicopter ride along Romanias coastline to the border with Ukraine, Matthaidess showed VOA how U.S. forces are holding the line with NATO allies. Were taking it as close as we can to combat, right? So, were preparing for large-scale operations, he said. We're exercising on the ground with which we might fight if we have to defend NATO. At a forward operating post just a few kilometers away from Ukrainian territory, several Humvees some capable of carrying TOW antitank missiles, others equipped with a heavy machine gun or heavy grenade launcher were gathering at a range for target practice. Further south at an outpost filled with old farm buildings, U.S. soldiers trained Romanians on how to maneuver in urban terrain, going door-to-door clearing the area. Matthaidess said the U.S. team has been watching Russian tactics in neighboring Ukraine closely and has adapted their training with partners to better suit what they see on the battlefield. We just got done with a big series of live fires, where we were attacking some trench lines that look very similar to what you might see across the border, he told VOA. The team also started incorporating small drones in some exercises, shooting down systems very similar to what's flooding the battlefield right now" in Ukraine, he added. The 2nd Brigade Combat Team will leave Romania in a couple of months, but the Pentagon recently confirmed that the U.S. militarys increased presence in the country will continue at least through this year. The 101st Airborne Divisions 1st Brigade Combat Team is set to replace Matthaidess team in what is expected to be a nine-month deployment. Thats reassuring to Major General Ciprian Marin, chief of the Romanian militarys Operations Directorate, who says he wants more U.S. troops and more partnered training. During the 101st Airborne Divisions deployment, Romanian forces have been honing their existing defense skills with the Americans, while in the case of the air assault course, acquiring a new capability that Romanian ground forces didnt have before this week. With war, it's about life and death, and [working together] makes the difference between failure and success. So, if you want to be successful, we are to be together, to stick together, and build this interoperability, Marin said. For the first month, the Buffalo Police Department threw everything they had at solving the 1966 murder of Monsignor Francis J. OConnor. Detectives were brought in from precincts all over Buffalo to help the Homicide Squad find a killer. FBI agents, State Police and the New York City Police Department were consulted. A long-retired detective, Gregory Simonian, now 93, remembers being pulled off his normal duties at a precinct to help homicide detectives. With citizens outraged over the murder of a priest, he said guys from every precinct were assigned to the OConnor probe. Our job was to canvass the neighborhood, talk to people who lived or worked in the area near the crime scene. The case was the absolute top priority for the department, Simonian said. But then, the investigation was suddenly shut down, with no arrests or explanation. I think we were making some progress, talking to a lot of people, Simonian recalled. One day, Chief John Dugan called us all together and said, Thats it. This investigation is over. Go back to your assigned precincts. Dugan was a supervisor in the detective bureau. Another retired detective recalled that he, too, was detailed to work on the case for about a week before being told, with no explanation, that the investigation was over. Both Simonian and the other detective, who spoke on the condition of not using his name, said they heard that homicide detectives had begun focusing on a priest as a suspect shortly before the murder probe was shut down. Why was it shut down? I wasnt told. I didnt ask, recalled Simonian, who would later in his career serve as commander of the Homicide Squad and Sex Offense Squad. For an investigation that important to be suddenly shut down, that had to be orders from the very top. A third retired police officer said Homicide Chief Leo J. Donovan told him of a meeting he and Chief of Detectives Ralph Degenhart had with Buffalo Diocese Bishop James A. McNulty shortly before the investigation ended. Leo told me that he and the chief of detectives had gone to see the bishop about the investigation. Leo said he asked the bishop five questions. He told me, The bishop lied to me and the investigation was ended not long after that, said the former officer, who knew Donovan well and asked that his name be withheld. Joseph Martone, a spokesman for the diocese, said no diocese records exist showing McNulty meeting with Donovan and Degenhart. He added that no one currently working for the diocese had any knowledge of the murder case. "I dont think we can comment on that. Because we dont have any documentation on that or any records," Martone said. "I think its all supposition at this point." There is nothing in the Buffalo Police Departments files on the OConnor murder which were shown to The Buffalo News after it filed a Freedom of Information Law request that explains why the investigation was suddenly curtailed. The file contains dozens of reports that detectives wrote. On some days, detectives added two or three new reports to the file, detailing what they were told by witnesses who knew OConnor and other key figures in the case. OConnor, 44, was not only the editor-in-chief of the Catholic Dioceses weekly newspaper, but considered a rising star in the diocese and had recently returned from a trip to Rome to hear an address from Pope Paul VI. About 10 days into the investigation, reports began to focus on Rev. John D. Lewandowski, a former professional wrestler and avid bowler who became a suspect. But the detectives reports slowed to a trickle shortly after March 26, 1966, when Donovan and one of his sergeants drove to a Buffalo Diocese retreat house in Bemus Point to question Lewandowski. Within two months of the March 13 murder, the investigation appeared to shut down. Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph A. Gramaglia, who joined the force in 1996 and would later serve as the homicide bureau's commander, declined to comment on whether the case was shut down, but said unsolved murders are never considered closed. However, it is clear from The News' review of the O'Connor case that it has been at a standstill for decades, with the most recent report filed in 1967. "We have our cold case detectives, but unfortunately without new information on cases they remain cold," Gramaglia said. "At any given time, if someone comes forward with information, that information gets acted on. In the community, there are some people who still want to know why the case went cold. Richard J. Kubiniec, a Buffalo attorney, said a friend of his who was a former supervisor in the Homicide Squad confided in him that the investigation ended when "a monsignor" became a suspect. Recalling his conversation with the late Detective Sgt. Edwin Gorski, who worked on the investigation, Kubiniec said: Eddie told me that the investigation was starting to zero in on another priest a monsignor and Eddies superiors told him, Shut down the case, close the file, this case is closed. Eddie said he was just getting ready to question this monsignor when the homicide squad was ordered to shut it down. The attorney said Gorski indicated to me that this was covered up by the churchmen, with the help of the politicians and the police. The media stood by and let it happen. Gorski never told him the name of the monsignor who was targeted for questioning, said Kubiniec, a former assistant district attorney who still practices law at age 88. Michael P. McKeating, a former Buffalo Diocese deacon of 42 years, recalled a conversation he had with Donovan about a decade after the murder. I asked Leo why they never solved that case. Leo said, We did solve it. We knew who did it. We were about to bring him in when the investigation was stopped, " said McKeating, who left the deaconate to remarry after the death of his first wife. According to McKeating, when he asked the homicide chief who shut down the investigation, Donovan pointed his finger up to the ceiling. I took that to mean that somebody above him gave the order, McKeating said. Leo was a powerful guy in the department at that time. There were very few people who would be in a position to give him that kind of order. Donovan never told him who the suspect was or why the investigation was closed, said McKeating, whose career has included working as a lawyer, an investigative reporter for The Buffalo Evening News and as the Erie County budget director. But 85-year-old attorney William E. Carey, one of the last surviving Erie County assistant district attorneys from 1966, said Donovan revealed to him the identity of the individual he believed killed OConnor. Leo told me they were looking at Kelliher, said Carey, referring to Monsignor Franklin M. Kelliher, a former wrestler and boxer, who was known to inflict corporal punishment on priests who misbehaved in the diocese. Leo said they were told to quiet it down. Carey, who served as a prosecutor from 1964 to 1970, said Donovan did not tell him why investigators suspected Kelliher, who also served as the director of the old Working Boys Home. Kelliher's name is not mentioned in any of the police documents provided in the Freedom of Information request to The News. Edward C. Cosgrove, who served as Erie County district attorney from 1974 to 1981, said that when he took office, he initiated a thorough review of all of the unsolved homicide cases whose files were available dating to 1940. Declining to discuss who may have been responsible, Cosgrove said, "After reviewing the O'Connor case, there was nothing I could do. Had I been able to with that case or any other, I would have gone forward with my State Police officers, FBI agents and homicide detectives. For more than two decades beginning in 1988, Cosgrove led a Buffalo Diocese fundraising campaign that raised more than $24 million to benefit retired priests and nuns, according to The Buffalo News' archives. He has also served as a trustee for a Buffalo Diocese seminary school and parish church. And while no one who was in a leadership position at City Hall, in the Buffalo Police Department or in the Erie County District Attorneys Office in 1966 is still alive, retired State Supreme Court Justice Timothy J. Drury knew them all. Drury, 81, also a former homicide prosecutor, has urged The News on several occasions to investigate the murder and the reasons why the probe suddenly ended. Based on everything I know, and all the people involved, I have no doubt that the investigation was stopped and covered up at the direction of the bishop. I believe the bishop was concerned that the findings of the investigation would cause embarrassment for the diocese, Drury said. OConnor was murdered three years before Drury joined the Erie County District Attorneys Office, but he worked closely with many of the people involved in the case including Donovan, Gorski, Degenhart and the late Michael F. Dillon, the DA at the time. It bothers me because this was a huge scandal. To cover up the murder of one of their own, possibly by one of their own, that is a major scandal in the history of Buffalo, Drury said. In Buffalo, two sisters befriended OConnor while they were preparing to become nuns at the Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse on Main Street, where he lived and served as chaplain. Mary Joan Hess Moore and her sister, Ann Louise Swartz, saw police swarm the motherhouse after OConnors body was found on March 13, 1966, and they prayed that investigators would find out who killed him. But about a month after the murder, they learned there would be no answers. Our mother superior called us together for an announcement. She said, The investigation is being discontinued. The police havent been able to find anything. The case is over, Moore recalled. She and her sister who never became nuns, got married and raised families said they have never felt right about that. Why werent the bishop and the diocese outraged over that? Moore said. Why werent they pushing to have this case solved? Were they afraid of something that was going to come out in the investigation? Buffalo is not the only place where there are allegations that police prematurely ended a homicide investigation involving a priest. The Rev. John Feit was suspected in 1960 of murdering schoolteacher Irene Garza in McAllen, Texas, after taking her confession. A sheriff advised church officials how to avoid having him be arrested and to get Feit transferred out of town, according to a letter written by a church official. Feit was not charged with murdering Garza until 2016. He was convicted and later died in prison. In 2006 in Toledo, Ohio, the Rev. Gerald Robinson was convicted of stabbing to death a nun 26 years earlier in a hospital chapel where they worked together. Robinson had been a suspect from the start, but two officers testified at Robinson's trial that when he was being questioned by detectives in 1980, a deputy police chief, a monsignor and an attorney interrupted the session and Robinson was allowed to go home. He was not arrested until 2004. *** Coming Saturday: Former prosecutor links a monsignor to murder Catch up on the series: Who killed the monsignor? Exploring the murder of Monsignor Francis J. O'Connor, its investigation and its legacy How we reported this series Watchdog reporter Lou Michel filed a Freedom of Information Law request in January 2022 for Buffalo Police records on the unsolved 1966 murder of Buffalo Diocese Monsignor Francis J. OConnor. He and reporter Dan Herbeck were given access to the Police Departments box of approximately 100 reports on the case. In addition, they interviewed more than 120 people, including retired police officers who worked on the case, people who talked with the Buffalo Police homicide chief who oversaw the investigation, and relatives and acquaintances of OConnor and of three diocese employees who were once suspects. Russia launched new airstrikes on residential areas in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on Thursday, even as top European Union officials gathered in Kyiv in a new show of support for Ukraines fight against Russias nearly year-long invasion. An attack on Kramatorsk late Wednesday killed at least three people and injured another 21, authorities said, with a search underway for at least one more victim thought to be under the debris caused by a missile strike. "Kramatorsk again shattered by explosions the Russians made two more rocket strikes," regional Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote in a Telegram post. He said at least five civilians were wounded in the latest strikes that hit residential buildings as well as a children's clinic and a school in the heart of the city, a major hub for the Ukrainian military in the east. Russia has frequently struck apartment buildings in the war that it launched last February 24, while denying it is targeting residential structures. The Ukrainian presidential office said overall in the last day, Russian shelling in Ukraine had killed at least eight civilians and wounded 29 others. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Kyiv with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ahead of what officials described as a summit on Friday. We are here together to show that the EU stands by Ukraine as firmly as ever. And to deepen further our support and cooperation, the EU leader tweeted EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell said the delegation was in Kyiv to convey the EUs strongest message of support to all Ukrainians defending their country. He added that the EU has stood with Ukraine since the start of Russias war and will still stand with you to win and rebuild. EU and Ukrainian leaders are set to meet at a summit Friday to discuss the EUs response to the conflict, reconstruction and relief efforts, global food security, and Ukraines application to join the EU. SEE ALSO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Wednesday that Russia is trying to achieve some battlefield gains to show on the first anniversary of the war on February 24. In such circumstances, we all need to be especially united, especially focused on the national interest, and, as a result, especially resilient, Zelenskyy said. I am confident that we will stay like that. He noted what he called an increase in Russias offensive actions in eastern Ukraine, saying the situation is becoming even more severe. Russian forces have been trying to secure control of Bakhmut, in Donetsk province, for months. In nearby Kramatorsk, rescuers searched for survivors after a Russian missile destroyed an apartment building. The attack killed at least three people and wounded 20 others. US sanctions The United States on Wednesday blacklisted more business officials linked to Russias war on Ukraine, targeting an arms dealer, his son and a group of proxy companies across Asia, Europe and the Middle East for trying to help Moscow obtain more weapons for its nearly year-long fight. The U.S. Department of the Treasury unveiled sanctions against Russian arms dealer Igor Zimenkov, his son Jonatan and companies connected to the Zimenkov network in Singapore, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Israel, among other countries. Russias desperate attempts to utilize proxies to circumvent U.S. sanctions demonstrate that sanctions have made it much harder and costlier for Russias military-industrial complex to resupply Putins war machine, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. SEE ALSO: The Treasury named 22 people and organizations it said were linked to the sanctions evasion network supporting Russias military-industrial complex. Over the last year, Treasury said it had sanctioned more than 100 people and entities engaging in activities to circumvent international sanctions and export controls imposed on Russia. The blacklisting blocks any U.S. accounts they may own and prohibits them from doing business in the United States and with Americans. Targeting proxies is one of many steps that Treasury and our coalition of partners have taken, and continue to take, to tighten sanctions enforcement against Russias defense sector, its benefactors, and its supporters, Adeyemo said. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission handed over to President Emmerson Mnangagwa its final delimitation report was on Friday. ZEC chairperson and other commissioners presented the report with new ward and constituency boundaries. (Video: Rutendo Mawere) The European Union is organizing a conference entitled: "Beyond disinformation EU responses to the threat of foreign information manipulation." Its main thrust is to seek ways of expunging any trace of a Russia-friendly outlook within the Union. The EU has already censored Russia Today TV channels and the Sputnik agency. It is now extending its reach to EU citizens relaying content from these portals, whether they agree with it or not. The event will be chaired by Josep Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, assisted by Stefano Sannino, Secretary General of the European External Action Service,. MEP Raphael Glucksmann, Chairman of the European Parliaments Special Committee on Foreign Interference, will address the meeting along with representatives of the Swedish Psychological Defense Agency, the British Foreign Office and the US State Department, and of course of NATO. The star of the show will be Nina Jankowicz (pictured), who, after serving as communications adviser to President Volodymr Zelensky, was appointed by President Joe Biden to chair the Disinformation Governance Board, the short-lived US censorship structure. With the exception of Mr. Glucksman, all the speakers are senior, though unelected, officials. Since her run for Buffalo mayor a couple of years ago, India Walton says she has been "thrust" into a lot of issues that were not necessarily her causes. It helps explain why she's running for the Common Council. "Every time there is a major crisis, especially since Ive run before, there are everyday people who are calling, who are emailing," Walton said. "Theyre looking for help. I think they just want someone who is accessible and someone thats going to listen. After her surprising mayoral primary victory over Mayor Byron Brown in 2021, the nurse and community organizer gained a following locally and around the country for her progressive views as a Democratic socialist, and she vowed to continue her efforts to inspire others after losing to Brown's write-in campaign in the general election. Even as Brown declared victory, Walton said then her mayoral campaign "planted many seeds. The blossoms are inevitable." She's counting on her Council campaign blossoming in the Masten District, where she will run for the seat now held by Ulysees O. Wingo Sr. As she announced her candidacy earlier this week, she singled out the lack of affordable housing and public safety as the main issues facing Masten District residents. Im compelled to be of service of my community, and I think my entire life and career have been dedicated to serving others as a mother, as a nurse," she said. "I see so many disparities, so much hurt and pain, and I believe that on the heels of the mayors race there are so many people who still reach out to me and to the campaign, wanting help and I feel compelled to help and do what I can to make this community better. She added, What I do know is that whether it be the pandemic, whether it be the May 14 massacre, whether it be the Christmas blizzard, Black people in this city, particularly on the East side, have been disproportionately impacted in a negative way. In June of 2021 as she basked in her primary win but before she lost the general election Walton put elected officeholders in City Hall on notice with her promise to "support the next generation of progressive candidates that are going to come into leadership." The exciting thing to me is that we have built the infrastructure with this campaign to be able to run School Board members, to be able to run Common Council seats, to really get progressive, forward-thinking people into these seats," she told The Buffalo News at the time. She wants to fill one of those seats. Wingo, a two-term Council member who supported Browns re-election campaign, seems nonplussed about Waltons bid to unseat him. I try and encourage Masten residents to be civically engaged at every level," Wingo said in a written statement. "That's their right to seek political office." The Masten District extends from Main Street to as far east as Bailey Avenue, an area that runs south from University Heights to MLK Park, encompassing all or parts of the Hamlin Park, Delavan Grider, Fillmore-Leroy, Kensington Bailey, Genesee-Moselle and MLK Park neighborhoods. The district includes six census tracts where the percentage of households below the poverty level ranges from 23% to 43%, with four of the census tracts above the city average, according to census estimates. The mayor's race garnered national media attention, with news outlets from CNN and CBS to the New Yorker and Washington Post publishing stories at the time about the prospect of Buffalo becoming the first major American city in six decades to elect a socialist as mayor. People are very interested in whats happening in Buffalo. Theyre still very interested in what happened with the mayors race, she said. Since the mayoral race, Walton, 40, has done consulting work and accepted speaking engagements across the country. She also has been involved in issues, including the Common Council's redistricting process. Our City Action Buffalo, a political action group, and nine voters sued the city over the new boundaries, saying the city did not take into account neighborhoods, promote racial fairness or follow the basic redistricting requirements set by state law and the city charter. A State Supreme Court justice rejected the group's legal challenge to the new boundaries. The group said it would appeal the ruling. Walton said she was involved in shaping the groups platform but is not an integral part of the leadership team and not a regular volunteer. She was concerned about the citys reapportionment process because she thought it was unfair. Walton went to work for the state Working Families Party in January 2022 as a senior adviser for special projects to advance causes in the state Legislature and also in Buffalo and Rochester, as well as to help recruit, train, elect and support political candidates. She called it a great learning experience, and she received a lot of mentoring. But she resigned from the position because she intends to seek the partys endorsement, so thats a clear conflict of interest, she said. Walton also became a first-time homeowner, moving into a two-family house on Eastwood Place in the Masten District last November, she said. Her 25-year-old son and twin 21-year-old sons live below her, and her 13-year-old lives with her. Walton previously lived on the citys West Side, but wanted to move back to the East Side, she said. In the mayoral race, Walton won the Masten District Browns home base and she said she has received much support from neighbors and residents for her Council run. I could be doing a million other things, but I feel like theres a mandate from the community for me to step up and to continue to press the issues that are most important to people in Buffalo, especially on the East Side and particularly in the Masten District, she said. During a Buffalo News interview at the Em Tea Coffee Cafe on Oakgrove Avenue, two young women at a nearby table recognized Walton and one of them offered her words of support. When she won (the Democratic mayoral primary) I was ecstatic. I was so excited," said Victoria Zarate, a Canisius College student. "I really think we need a socialist person here in Buffalo. A Black woman here in Buffalo is just so needed, and I feel shes just so of-the-people and just really real." Walton called parts of the mayors race a traumatic experience." At times she felt personally attacked in news reports and by her opponent and his supporters. Since then, her time away from the public was very intentional because I needed time away to work on myself and to spend time with my family and my children to help process everything that happened. Now, she said she wants to build bridges and extend olive branches that are going to allow us to build this community into what we know it has the potential to be. For her next campaign, I desire to amplify the voices of people who are not often listened to, she said. KYIV, Ukraine Russian missiles hit residential areas in an eastern Ukrainian city Thursday for the second time in 24 hours, while top European Union officials held talks with the government in Kyiv as the war with Russia approaches its one-year milestone. The latest strikes in Kramatorsk came as rescue crews searched for survivors in the rubble of an apartment building hit late Wednesday by a Russian missile that killed at least three people and wounded 21 others. At least one more victim was thought to be under the debris, Ukraine's presidential office said. "Kramatorsk again shattered by explosions the Russians made two more rocket strikes," regional Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote in a Telegram post. Kramatorsk is a major hub for the Ukrainian military in the east. Kyrylenko said at least five civilians were wounded in the latest strikes, which hit residential buildings as well as a children's clinic and a school in the heart of the city. Kramatorsk Mayor Oleksandr Honcharenko urged residents to stay in shelters. Ukraine's government is keen to get more Western military aid, on top of the tanks pledged last week, as the warring sides are expected to launch new offensives once winter ends. Kyiv is now asking for fighter jets. After months of agonizing, the United States agreed to send longer-range bombs to Ukraine as it prepares to launch a spring offensive to retake territory Russia captured last year, U.S. officials said Thursday, confirming that the new weapons will have roughly double the range of any other offensive weapon provided by America. The U.S. will provide ground-launched small diameter bombs as part of a $2.17 billion aid package it is expected to announce Friday, several U.S. officials said. The package also for the first time includes equipment to connect all the different air defense systems Western allies have rushed to the battlefield and integrate them into Kviv's own air defenses, to help them better defend against Russia's continued missile attacks. For months, U.S. officials have hesitated to send longer-range systems to Ukraine out of concern that they would be used to target inside Russia, escalating the conflict and drawing the U.S. deeper in. The longer-range bombs are the latest advanced system, such as Abrams tanks and the Patriot missile defense system, that the U.S. has eventually agreed to provide Ukraine after initially saying no. U.S. officials, though, have continued to reject Ukraines requests for fighter jets. Russian shelling across Ukraine over the previous 24 hours killed at least eight civilians and wounded 29 others, the presidential office said. Along with the victims in Kramatorsk, the toll included four who died when a Russian mortar shell hit a basement where they were sheltering in the northeastern Chernihiv region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ahead of what officials described as a summit on Friday. Von der Leyen praised wartime Ukraine's "brilliant application" for European Union membership, though Brussels officials note that Ukraine joining the 27-nation bloc is still a long way off. Ahead of possible membership, she said, the commission proposes that Kyiv "join key European programs this will give Ukraine benefits close to those of EU membership in many areas." EU assistance for Ukraine, she said, has reached $55 billion since the start of Russia's war. Von der Leyen said the EU plans to adopt a 10th package of sanctions again Russia before Feb. 24. She also announced that the International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression in Ukraine would be set up in The Hague to coordinate the collection of evidence of war crimes. On her fourth visit to Kyiv since Russia's invasion, she added that she was "comforted" by Ukraine's anti-corruption drive. Stamping out endemic corruption is a key condition for joining the EU. Zelenskyy, elected in 2019 on an anti-establishment and anti-corruption platform in a country long gripped by graft, on Wednesday took aim at corrupt officials for the second time in the space of a week. Several high-ranking officials were dismissed. Kyiv expects Russia to "attempt something" on the Feb. 24 anniversary, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told France's BFM television. He stressed his government's urgency on getting weapons without delay. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday during a trip to the Philippines that the focus of American aid is to increase Ukraine's military capabilities by sending artillery, armor and air defense, and training Ukrainian troops. The U.S. is "focused on providing Ukraine the capability that it needs to be effective in its upcoming anticipated counteroffensive in the spring," Austin said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that strategy would backfire by prompting Moscow to ensure that potential Russian targets are out of range. "The longer range the weapons supplied to the Kyiv regime, the farther we would need to push them away from the territories that are part of our country," Lavrov said in an interview with Russian state media. Rome set to open more subway museums. A rare representation of the goddess Roma on ancient gold glass has emerged during construction works for Rome's third subway line, the city has announced. Originally the base of a drinking glass, the discovery features an image of the female deity - the personification of the city of Rome - wearing a helmet and carrying a spear. It is the first time that any representation of Roma in gold glass has ever been found, according to archaeologist Simona Morretta of Rome's special superintendency. Describing it as "extraordinarily refined", Morretta told news agency ANSA: "Golden glass is already a very rare find, but this has no comparison". Gold glass is a luxury form of glass where a decorative design in gold leaf is fused between two layers of glass. The majority of surviving Roman examples are the cut-off bottoms of drinking glasses. Gli scavi per la realizzazione della #MetroC hanno riportato alla luce straordinari reperti archeologici. Tra questi, il fondo di una coppa in vetro dorato con la personificazione di #Roma. La storia millenaria della nostra citta non smette mai di stupire e incantare il mondo. pic.twitter.com/AViY2Eu3Mk Roberto Gualtieri (@gualtierieurope) February 2, 2023 Morretta said the precious artefact did not belong to the military barracks found during the subway works - which was abandoned in the middle of the third century and subsequently razed to the ground - with preliminary studies suggesting the glass is from the start of the fourth century. The unprecedented discovery, made during excavations for the Metro C station at Porta Metronia, was hailed by Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri who wrote on Twitter: "The milennial history of our city never ceases to amaze and enchant the world." During a site visit on Thursday, Gualtieri said that Porta Metronia would be another "metro station-museum" - displaying the archaeological finds yielded during its construction including the gold glass - similar to the preceding Metro C station at S. Giovanni. The mayor also said that Porta Metronia would be open in late 2024, in time for the Jubilee 2025, followed by the opening of the next Metro C station at the Colosseum. The driverless 19-km Metro C line currently comprises 22 stations and runs from Pantono in east Rome to S. Giovanni, where it connects with Metro A and the central Termini train station. With the opening of the Colosseo station, Metro C will connect with the Metro B line. Construction is set to begin on the Metro C station at Piazza Venezia during the first half of 2023, the city said recently. The Venezia metro stop has a planned completion date of 2030, according to Gualtieri, who added that it too would be a "station-museum". The latest archaeological discovery announced by the city comes a week after a statue of an elderly figure in the guise of Hercules - possibly Emperor Decius - was found during sewer works near the Appian Way which is currently seeking UNESCO World Heritage Status. Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share Its a safe bet that President Joe Biden will use next weeks State of the Union address to brag about his many policy accomplishments over the last two years and that the Democrats in the audience will respond with cheers. Many of Bidens supporters argue that he can claim a truly exceptional degree of legislative success. According to the historical record, however, thats quite an overstatement. Biden can justifiably be pleased with the cooperation he received from Congress before the Republican Party gained control of the House of Representatives last year, foreshadowing a far more turbulent relationship to come. Democrats took advantage of both of their annual opportunities to circumvent the Senate filibuster via the budget reconciliation process, passing economic stimulus legislation in early 2021 and a sweeping climate and health-care reform bill last summer. Biden also signed laws addressing an assortment of other issues (infrastructure, gun safety, same-sex marriage protection) with varying degrees of bipartisan support. Theres nothing wrong with Democrats taking pride in this steady stream of policy-making. But their braggadocio has sometimes gone too far. Advertisement Representative Joe Neguse of Colorado, a member of the House Democratic leadership, claimed last August that this was arguably the most productive Congress since the Great Society in the 1960s. Veteran Democratic strategist Bob Shrum called Biden the most legislatively successful president since LBJ. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer got even more carried away, boasting in December that the only dispute is whether the last session of Congress was the most productive two years in [the] 50 years since the Great Society, or the most productive in [the] 100 years since the New Deal. This rhetoric isnt borne out by the evidence. David Mayhew, a political scientist at Yale, maintains a dataset of every important federal legislative enactment since the end of World War II. According to his count, the 20212022 Congress passed 13 major bills a perfectly respectable number (since 1981, the average is 11) but hardly a historic peak. In fact, the 2019-2020 Congress was slightly more productive, enacting 15 major bills, though five of those were emergency measures responding to the pandemic. Of course, Democrats triumphant attitude reflects not only the sheer volume of legislation, but also the array of liberal concerns that it addressed. According to Matt Grossmann, a political scientist at Michigan State, the number of legislative acts moving national policy to the ideological left in 2021 and 2022 was indeed unusually high compared to most sessions of Congress since the 1990s, though it fell far short of the peak of liberal policy-making in the Great Society era. Claims that Biden compares to Lyndon Johnson or Franklin D. Roosevelt as a transformational figure remain exercises in hyperbole. Advertisement All this not since LBJ talk also curiously ignores the scale of legislative productivity during the first two years of Barack Obamas presidency. The data collected by Mayhew and Grossmann rank the 20092010 Congress ahead of its 20212022 counterpart in both the total quantity of major laws enacted and the number of measures that moved federal policy leftward. And its hard to make a convincing case that Biden has signed any bill into law that approaches the substantive and political importance of the Affordable Care Act. In fact, the passage of the ACA is itself responsible for Bidens ability to fulfill many Democrats hopes for his presidency. Had Congress not succeeded in passing Obamacare, Biden would have faced urgent demands to accomplish what would surely have remained as his partys top domestic priority. Tackling health-care reform would have required substantial energy, attention and political capital, but his chances of success would have been quite remote given the narrow partisan margins in Congress. By crossing the biggest and toughest item off the perennial Democratic legislative agenda, Obama freed Biden to concentrate on other goals that were both easier to achieve and less politically explosive. This accomplishment also allowed Biden to avoid the devastating backlash in the 2022 midterms that Obama suffered in 2010. Advertisement Democrats certainly have good reason to be in a cheerful mood these days. But they should be careful to express their feelings without subjecting the rest of us to a rewriting of history. More From Bloomberg Opinion: Bidens Economy Is Second Only to One at Midterm: Matthew Winkler Biden Is Delivering on His Bipartisan Promise: Matthew Yglesias Democrats Show Republicans How Lawmaking Is Done: Jonathan Bernstein 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. David A. Hopkins is an associate professor of political science at Boston College and the author of Red Fighting Blue: How Geography and Electoral Rules Polarize American Politics. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2023 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made a habit of casting doubt on the future of his countrys longstanding defense ties with the US, usually in response to US concerns about his deadly drug war. Now with new presidents in both countries, the tide has turned. The two allies have paved the way for greater American presence in the Asia-Pacific region, spurred by persistent tensions with China over Taiwan and the South China Sea. 1. Whats the new agreement? An expansion of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, originally signed in 2014, which allowed for a US presence at five Philippine military bases and the construction of new facilities there. The agreement, announced Feb. 2, will bring the total number of military sites the US can access to nine, and allow it to rotate its troops for prolonged stays. Three Philippine bases near Taiwan two in the northern province of Cagayan and one in Isabela province in addition to one in Palawan near the South China Sea, are among the new sites said to be under consideration. They also decided to substantially complete projects at the five existing military sites, including another base in Palawan province, near the disputed sea. The US has allocated over $82 million toward infrastructure investments in the five sites. Advertisement 2. Whats the impetus? President Joe Biden has sought to readjust the US force presence in the Indo-Pacific region and restore the relationship with the Philippines since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office last year. While China was not specifically mentioned in announcing the new agreement, both countries are worried about Beijings increasingly assertive claims to a wide swath of the South China Sea, including islands and reefs Manila sees as its own. Chinese ships have regularly been seen trailing Philippine fishing vessels, often intercepting them and forcing them to divert from contested areas. Marcos raised the issues during his meeting with Chinas President Xi Jinping in January. Biden has also stepped up US assurances to defend Taiwan. The US confirmed in January that it would be moving thousands of Marines based in Japan to a reactivated facility in Guam, a move also seen as part of a wider effort to disperse American forces to help it better confront China in case of a crisis. 3. What other defense agreements are there? Advertisement There are two others: The Mutual Defense Treaty was signed in 1951, five years after the US granted the Philippines independence, and it has been at the center of defense relations ever since. The eight-article pact one of seven collective defense treaties the US has globally calls for each side to help build defense capabilities and meet the common dangers in accordance with its constitutional processes if either side is attacked. The Visiting Forces Agreement, signed in 1998, spells out the legalities for US military personnel operating in the Philippines. It covers everything from passport regulations to procedures for importing military equipment to criminal jurisdiction. 4. What were Dutertes complaints? He came into office in 2016 pledging to pivot Philippine foreign policy toward China and away from the US, its former colonial master. Duterte, whose term ended last year, questioned whether the US would defend the Philippines if China seizes disputed shoals and reefs in the South China Sea skepticism that has persisted for decades. A US diplomatic cable from 1976, since declassified, states the Mutual Defense Treaty doesnt cover disputed areas such as the Spratly Islands, although American officials have recently committed to defend the Philippines in disputed waters. Duterte also said military deals with the US havent helped address security threats in the Philippines, particularly the communist insurgency. He threatened to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement then stayed the order and frequently lashed out at the US over what he perceived as its hypocrisy and meddling on human rights. As his term wound down, promises of big-ticket projects and billions of dollars in investments from China were largely unfulfilled. Tensions over the South China Sea have flared again and oil exploration plans have stalled. This year, the International Criminal Court said it would resume its investigation into Dutertes war on drugs. Advertisement 5. Whats the history behind the relationship? The Philippines has periodically reassessed its relationship with the US, which ruled the Southeast Asian nation as a territory for nearly 50 years after it was ceded by Spain. After World War War II, Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Base, near Manila, were the largest US military outpost in the Western Pacific. The 1947 Military Bases Agreement, originally a 99-year deal, was revised several times to give the Philippines more compensation or sovereignty. An amendment was added that allowed for it to end in 1991. As the deadline approached, leaders from both countries sought to extend the pact. Yet an upswell of anti-colonial sentiment prompted the Philippine Senate to reject a fresh agreement, and the US closed all of its bases by 1992. QuickTakes on Duterte and his war on drugs, how the US and China are jockeying for sway across Asia, and the Taiwan and southern Pacific flashpoints. Advertisement Bloomberg Graphics looks at Philippine political dynasties and the silent war in the South China Sea. The New York Times explores Chinas efforts to woo Indonesia, the biggest country in the region. From the archive: Bloomberg Opinions James Stavridis on the signals Biden should send to the Philippines, and Hal Brands sees the country as a battleground in the US-China cool war. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com 2023 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share Nelson Mandela was not afraid to put himself on the wrong side of history out of loyalty to old friends. The South African leader, anointed a secular saint by international acclaim, embraced monsters such as Muammar Qaddafi, Robert Mugabe or Fidel Castro because, in his judgment, their sins counted for less than their support for him and his African National Congress in the long years of struggle against apartheid. That attitude may go some way to explaining South Africas position on the war in Ukraine. The ANC stalwarts who now run the country, grateful for Moscows unstinting backing during the Cold War, are unable to openly criticize the Kremlins current occupant. Instead, the government of President Cyril Ramaphosa has affected a posture of neutrality, abstaining from United Nation votes condemning Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine and periodically issuing anodyne statements calling for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Like others in the Global South, the South Africans have been able to deflect Western criticism of their posture and pressure to get off the fence by invoking narratives about the colonial past: Those who were for so long silent on the wrongs done to us cannot presume now to lecture us about what is right. Advertisement There are other reasons, too, less to do with history than with current geopolitical calculations. Like many nations, South Africa is navigating a complex, multipolar world order, and the government reckons its interests are best served by maintaining equidistance from all the major powers. By rejecting pressure to condemn Russia, South Africa is trying to signal an independent, assertive foreign policy, says Rashid Abdi, a geopolitics analyst and fellow at the Rift Valley Institute. Theres also the matter of BRICS, a platform through which it can project some geopolitical power of its own. It is South Africas turn to chair the bloc this year, and it wants no friction with fellow member Russia. After all, its not as if the others China, India and Brazil are sticking their necks out. Until now, the South African leadership has for the most part been able to evade close scrutiny of its posture. But that is about to change as it welcomes Russian warships to a joint exercise in the Indian Ocean, Feb. 17-26, dubbed Mosi or smoke. The Chinese navy will also participate, but the star of the show will be the Admiral Gorshkov, a frigate dispatched by Putin himself and armed with Russias latest hypersonic missiles. Advertisement The timing of the exercise could hardly be more inopportune: Putin is about to launch a major offensive in Ukraine. It is one thing for Ramaphosa to look the other way as Russian missile and artillery barrages batter civilian targets, but quite another for the South African navy to collaborate concurrently with the Russian war machine. The official South African explanation, that Operation Mosi is simply a reprise of a similar exercise in 2019, is unconvincing. There was plenty of time to cancel or indefinitely postpone the drill. The countrys biggest opposition party questioned the wisdom of going ahead with it. This gives the impression of not being neutral but being biased to one side, said Kobus Marais, the shadow defense minister for the Democratic Alliance. This is in the best interests of Russia. The impending joint exercise has also drawn fresh attention to a secretive late-December visit to a naval base near Cape Town by a cargo ship, the Lady R, owned by a Russian company accused by the US of transporting arms. The Wall Street Journal reported that the ship turned off its location-tracking transponder upon docking at the Simons Town base. This often indicates a vessel is carrying sanctioned cargo. Advertisement The government has said the ship was simply delivering a cargo of ammunition ordered long before the war began, but US officials are concerned about what it took away. There is no publicly available information on the source of the containers that were loaded onto the Lady R, a US official told the WSJ. As its position on the war in Ukraine comes under the microscope, at home and abroad, the government may find itself out of step with the national mood and economic reality. Aside from the generation that experienced the struggle against apartheid, South Africans tend to favor the West over Russia. Trade and business ties with the West dwarf those with Russia. South Africas military depends heavily on Western weaponry; the naval fleet is made up mostly of German vessels. Anton Harber, executive director of the Campaign for Free Expression, points out that most media coverage of the conflict has been much more sympathetic of Ukraine than of Russian justifications for the war. Young people have no warm feelings about Russia, and they scoff at the older generation of leaders who do, he says. Advertisement Theres also what Harber calls the corruption factor. The ANC old guard, Ramaphosa included, has been hobbled by a stream of graft scandals. Inevitably, questions will surface about the partys ties to Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg, a Putin acolyte sanctioned by the US. Vekselberg is an investor in a manganese operation alongside an ANC investment company. The party is in a deep financial crisis, and foreign funding is critical, Harber says. Nelson Mandela may have embraced tyrants in his time, but the world and his country have since moved on. Ramaphosa and the ANC leadership, having long since lost any aura of saintliness, may find excusing Putin harder to get away with. More From Bloomberg Opinion: South Africa Is Key to Global Net Zero: Allegra Stratton South Africa and Ramaphosa Still Have a Lot to Clean Up: Bobby Ghosh Advertisement South African Woes Go Deeper Than Ramaphosas Sofa: Daniel Moss This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Bobby Ghosh is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering foreign affairs. Previously, he was editor in chief at Hindustan Times, managing editor at Quartz and international editor at Time. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2023 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article The United States is finally ready to take the plunge when it comes to electric vehicles. But our flawed EV charging system is standing in the way. New York City (NYC) is leading the charge in providing abortion pills free of cost. NYCs Mayor Eric Adams boasts that No other city in the nation or in the world has a public health department that is providing medication abortion. Some state Attorneys General warn pharmacies they will prosecute for distributing chemical abortion. Instead New York seems absorbed with providing abortion to-go in a brown paper bag. Loosening abortion restrictions in New York is overkill and suspect, especially among minority communities. Frankly, its deadly and racist. The CEO of Greater New Yorks Planned Parenthood (PP) recently claimed that free abortion pills will reduc[e] health care disparities that systematically disadvantage black, latinx and marginalized communities. Pro-choice special interests, beyond PP, openly admit abortion pill dispensaries primarily target marginalized women and girls. But abortion rates nationwide and in New York already disproportionately impact low-come and minority communities. The overwhelming majority of abortions are experienced by marginalized women and girls. New York City is a national abortion epicenter, with more minority children aborted each year than birthed. Marginalized and minority women and girls facing unexpected pregnancies dont need more abortion they need increased resources, such as affordable child care and better paid parental leave, including in New York. Data reveals New Yorks child care system is in a state of crisis. Despite New Yorks paid parental leave policy it is shameful compared to other progressive, civilized societies. Women and girls do not need expanded abortion access in New York and they surely dont need potentially dangerous abortion pills handed to them for free. Prior to the Federal Drug Administrations (FDA) recent lessening of their Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) surrounding medication abortion, for over two decades the agency had regulations in place surrounding chemical abortion, a procedure most always deadly for unborn children and potentially dangerous for pregnant mothers themselves. It is well documented that chemical abortion is potentially dangerous for mothers, especially for those whose pregnancies are more than nine weeks or ectopic. According to medication abortions prescribing information its risks include, hemorrhaging, infection, fever, incomplete abortion, on-going pregnancy and severe abdominal pain. Passing out free abortion pills is not only destructive to unborn children, but potentially endangers the lives of their mothers. Abortion removes the care from health care for both mother and child. Katheryne E. Uhl, PharmD, BS Feminists Choosing Life of New York Advisory Board Member Emily Cappello, BS Feminists Choosing Life of New York Since 1952, there has been a mystery playing out in theatres around the world. Two mysteries, actually. One is the story of The Mousetrap, a whodunit written by best-selling crime writer Agatha Christie. The second is how, for the most part, no one has spoiled any of the big twists and turns of a play that has just turned 70. The production itself has a storied history. It started out as a radio play commissioned as a birthday present for Queen Mary in the 1940s. From there, its success inspired a short story, and finally the play itself which is now the longest running West End Show in history. This month, the production arrives back in Melbourne as part of a tour around Australia. Alex Rathgeber, Laurence Boxhall, Anna OByrne, Tom Conroy & Adam Murphy in a scene from The Mousetrap. Credit: Brian Geach The story kicks off when a young couple open up a bed and breakfast, explains Laurence Boxhall, who plays the character Christopher Wren. Its their opening days of the guest house when all of these all these interesting characters show up. He pauses to think. Theyre all very different, and all very mysterious ... I cant be any more vague if I tried, he adds with a laugh. You dont want to be the guy that after 70 years ruins The Mousetrap. Not since Blue Murder in 1995 has an Australian TV series been held in such giddy esteem. Even the writer of that iconic project, Ian David, is in awe. Great stories are about great characters; what you feel about what happens comes from their heart, soul and guts. In Mr Inbetween, Scott Ryans hard-boiled anti-hero, Ray Shoesmith, is instant karma approaching, a character who grabs your short n curlies and shakes the change out of your pockets. Despite (or perhaps because of) being so quixotic and quintessentially Australian an outlaw, Shoesmith is even more revered in the US than here. No longer. Everyone who sees Mr Inbetween becomes a zealot. The New York Times hailed it as a small marvel of sustained tone and a smart, deadpan deconstruction of tough-guy cliches, while The Hollywood Reporter praised it as a tour de force which jams more into 25-minute episodes than most hour-long American dramas, with lingering emotional after-effects. Hugh Jackman raves, too: Scott Ryan is amazing, the whole thing is so brilliantly done, and Helen Mirren is such a fangirl she pushed for her agent, CAAs Fred Spektor, to sign Ryan. Debuting in 2018, the three-series drama is screening in 108 countries, including Australia. And right now, Quentin Tarantino and heavyweight producer Jerry Bruckheimer are said to be avidly reading Ryans latest script. Mr Inbetween is really a character study, not a bang-bang crime story, is how Ryan distils it. Its about Ray, and why he is the way he is. Along the way are hints and clues that help the audience build a picture of him. Respect Ray and hell respect you. Dont respect him, and youve got a problem. Ray represents consequences. He embodies that credo: The greatest warrior is the one with the most love in his heart. I had to write this story because in many ways, there is a lot of Ray in me; theyre the parts I usually keep under lock and key. For 20 years, Ryans purpose has been Mr Inbetween, the story of Ray Shoesmith, a kind-hearted, cold-blooded hitman moving between the mundane (school drop-offs, picking up after the dog, shopping for socks) and the profane (contract killing, grave digging, violent retribution), shifting like a shadow between the underworld and a rich inner life devoted to a tween daughter, a terminally ill brother and a hilariously motley crew of mates. You learn fast that Scott Ryan is an ordinary bloke with an extraordinary belief in himself. Its a hard-won faith that spans three decades and many bucketfuls of blood, sweat and tears. But Ryans resolve boils in his eyes and gleams in his grin. If youve got a passion, and youre driven, its not important where you live or how much money youve got, he attests. If you wake up with a sense of purpose, it can save your life. And if you dont, it can destroy you. S cott Ryan stared at his own face on the 18-metre-long billboard lit up on Sunset Boulevard and felt a sense of destiny fulfilled. Years ago, Id told a mate, Ill be up there one day, he says. Okay, we were drunk as skunks but I had a feeling if I worked my arse off itd happen. Ryan smiles at me like a man who has taken a low road to a higher place. After all, just 15 months prior to seeing that billboard, he was nudging 50, driving taxis and delivering pizzas in the Victorian town of Echuca, about as far from Hollywood and success as is possible. Finally, on a balmy Melbourne morning, I jab the button of Ryans red-brick art deco St Kilda apartment. He buzzes me up, and after a warm handshake and cock-eyed appraisal, ushers me out to eat. Right now, Ryan, like Shoesmith, exists in a twilight zone between notoriety and normality. He gets spotted or selfied daily but doesnt strut like the creator of a critically hailed television show. Today, in black jeans and bomber jacket, a cap pulled low over his bald head and sunnies hiding his piercing hazel eyes, he saunters along bandy-legged, hands jammed in pockets. Scott Ryan rarely consents to interviews and this one very nearly doesnt happen twice. There are long pauses in our text exchanges and each phone chat is full of wary silences. Even when we do lock in, Ryan texts back minutes later with Dont book flights just yet. Im having second thoughts. Next day, he calls me to apologise for freaking out, explaining theres stuff behind the scenes you dont know and I dont want anyone getting hurt. Little wonder that people ask: who the hell is Scott Ryan? The folklore varies wildly. Some say Ryan was a real-life rent-a-kill, a jailbird, military sniper or ex-psychiatric patient. On the public record, he first pops up in 2005, then vanishes for 13 years until reappearing in 2018. By then Ryans story and Shoesmiths are one legend: a man from nowhere who is now everywhere. Much of Mr Inbetweens slavish fan devotion stems from a mythology around Ryan himself. Now 54, he has just two project credits on IMDB, both as creator-writer-star of one character: Ray Shoesmith. He has won four AACTAs, including best newcomer in 2018 at age 48 and a Logie for most outstanding actor, yet collected none in person. Scott Ryans flat is as sparsely furnished as his scripts. Theres a cherry-red fridge in the kitchen and old leadlight doors in the lounge leading to a sofa, hearth and small television. Over the bed is a framed poster of Steve McQueens 1972 film The Getaway, while a vintage Vladimir Tretchikoff print, Balinese Girl, hangs in the hall, gazing serenely at a table holding his AACTAs and Logie. Out the back is a second bedroom for Nathan, Ryans 13-year-old son. Once his bullshit meter susses you out, Scott can get silly, says Justin Rozniak, who plays Shoesmiths bestie, Gaz. Hes a mad eccentric, but underneath his tough nut is a beautiful person. That dichotomy lives in Ryans smile. In Mr Inbetween, Ray Shoesmiths wolfish grin is deployed to both heart-melting and marrow-chilling effect. Usually, its a sure sign hes about to long walk some scumbag off a short pier or redecorate a kitchen with the guys precious bodily fluids. When he does it to me, Im terrified and charmed. He smiles like a fox chewing on guts. Given his reticence for interviews and reclusive nature, such open-hearted chat is a shock. Scotts always been a great writer but a poor communicator, his sister Melissa warns me. Yet this habit of going very deep, very early with those he trusts is familiar to Ryans tight circle of friends. He gets into serious subjects fast, does Scotty, laughs Brooke Satchwell, his one-time housemate and on-screen girlfriend in Mr Inbetween. Theres a hunger for truth that Scott is desperate to explore and share. Hes a gentle-hearted man with a ferocious will. At his favourite cafe, The Galleon, we order his go-to: spanakopita and salad. Its no sooner landed than fantastic stories are falling from his lips with flecks of pastry. His two decades on the dole and 12 years celibate (I was happiest when I was broke and striving). How he loves guns (the feel, the smell, the look). Why The Sopranos and Mans Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl are his compasses. Why Roy Batty from Blade Runner pips Don Logan from Sexy Beast as cinemas greatest villain (By the end Roy is kind of the hero). And how all my bad habits appeal to me especially the most unappealing ones. Scott is closest to his sister, Melissa, seven years older, an effervescent redhead with a mop of bouncing curls. Scotty was a self-contained kid, cute and fun but shy and ill-at-ease a real paradox, she recalls. Looking back, there was always an undercurrent to him but I never realised it was the bullying until it showed up in Mr Inbetween. He is the youngest of four kids born to Ted and Betty Ryan, an army ordnance officer and a homemaker. Ryans two older brothers are very different and Im a mish-mash of both, he surmises. Adam was a natural sportsman, did a pre-season with Richmond in the AFL, even finagled a tryout for the San Francisco 49ers. Pauls a gentle soul, kind and sensitive. Scott Ryan grew up in Hallam, a tough little town 34 kilometres south-east of Melbourne at the foot of the Dandenong Ranges. He spent his boyhood ducking the spurwing plovers that dive-bombed local kids, walking down the railway tracks until he saw the train. The driver would be madly blaring his horn, and Id be pissbolting down the tracks screaming! Ryan in a scene from the shows second season with on-screen girlfriend Brooke Satchwell, who says he has a hunger for truth. Credit:Mark Rogers Its rare to be invited into a subjects home, with all their intimacies laid bare. But they say a hunter is blind to his own peril. Ryan, for all his initial paranoia, seems unfazed inviting a stickybeak into his nest. He snatches up a lacy slip near the sofa, and makes tea. Then he sits and we begin at the beginning. And thats when it all comes out and everything goes dark. From a dark nook beside the front door something glimmers. Rays Hero Shovel reads the tag. I recognise it as the everyday tool Ray Shoesmith digs his graves with and often uses to lethal effect in filling them. I got cocky and decided I was going to improvise an interview with the Invisible Man from behind a curtain. It bombed, and my career was over. I didnt write again until my 20s. Ryans friend Wendy Squires says female viewers feel deeply for such raw vulnerability. Ray is a rare deep-dive into complex masculinity that is beautiful, honest and real, she says. Hes a serial killer, but women still want to hug Ray and show him the love he craves. Criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro, a fan of Mr Inbetween, says its a familiar theme. Women want to fix guys like Ray, but he cant be rescued. Like most professional killers, Ray is a chameleon. He blends in, loves his mates and family, and is incredibly loyal. But hes a psychopath desensitised by trauma in his past, forever torn between good and evil. On the rare but powerful occasions Shoesmith lets a tear slip its salty moorings, audiences relate. Ryan is often contacted by survivors of bullying, self-harm or other trauma. I didnt expect that, but its great that people respond. I mean, if you suffer you might as well share it. Otherwise, whats the point? Speak about it, illuminate it, help people realise, Im not alone. Ive been through a lot and my greatest achievement is turning myself into the person I am now. If my talking about it can help people in the dark find their way back to the light, great. Another time I got a razor and went down to the local swings. Do I want to die? Or am I afraid to cut myself? So I cut my hand open. Thats when I knew I didnt want to kill myself. I was just in a lot of pain. Its also what makes Mr Inbetween the show that it is. Ryans brutal childhood is all on screen. When I was 10 or 11, this kid went after me, verbally, then physically. Next thing, hes against the wall, Im killing him and the teachers are dragging me off. Ryans childhood is where he learnt to act. If youre a sensitive kid in a working-class area, theres always a predator wholl sniff your weakness and take advantage of it, he explains. So I acted cool and calm to fit in and disappear. Thats how I survived. Ryans eyes are shining, but he doesnt blink. It was f---ing horrible, but that struggle made me who I am. Storytelling was always how Ryan escaped his pain. If I had a talent it was writing, he says. In primary school, everybody had to write a story and the teacher asked me to read mine aloud. Nobody else, just me. He still glows at the memory. That inspired me to start writing plays. Every Friday Id act out a script Id written in class. People started to notice me. Then I got cocky and decided I was going to improvise an interview with the Invisible Man from behind a curtain. It bombed, and my career was over. I didnt write again until my 20s. Loading High school was a fresh hell. Ryan was asked to leave both his alma maters. Scotty was a smart kid, Melissa Ryan says, but it didnt show up at school. What did show up was what Ryan reckons might have been oppositional defiant disorder: Unco-operative, defiant and hostile behaviour toward peers, parents, teachers and other authority figures. Ryan says teachers slapped him, hit him with an umbrella and dragged him across the floor by his hair. The final straw was when one barked at him to stop dragging his feet. He was rude about it, so I told him to f--- off and started high-stepping to goad him, Ryan seethes. I had piss running down my leg, I was so scared, but for some reason I felt compelled to do it. So, this bloke dragged me into a classroom, said, Ryan is a bit of a smarty-pants, and made me walk up and down as kids threw stuff at me. It was completely humiliating, and I never forgot it. At 17, Ryan moved in with his brother Paul in inner-city Richmond. My mental health at that point was really starting to decline. Luckily, I was never much of a drug-taker or a drinker. I was already damaged enough, and I kinda realised that would suck me further into the pit. I was on the dole, trying to get jobs, but Id have panic attacks or anxiety going for interviews. My relationship fell apart, and I became agoraphobic, only leaving the house once a week to shop, or sneaking out at night when the streets were empty to feed the possums in the park. Ryans salvation came in an unlikely form. I was getting worse. Then I met a guy called Dr Richard Liu, a master of medicine and martial arts. He gave me these Chinese herbs to cook up in tea. They tasted like shit but they worked for me. He also taught me how to be a decent human being, a good friend and a man of your word. For 12 years, I lived like a monk: no meat, no sugar, no sex, no alcohol. Only yoga, vegies, tai chi and meditation. Deep in his 20s, Ryan finally had his epiphany. I had no job, no prospects, not many friends. I was on my own, living in a rooming house with alcoholics and junkies, locks on the door, looking out a window onto a brick wall. Thats when it hit me. Writing. Its what saved me. Scott Ryan is often contacted by survivors of bullying, self-harm or other trauma. If my talking about it can help people in the dark find their way back to the light, great, he says. Credit:Josh Robenstone Were walking in the rain on an old fire trail in the Dandenong Ranges. The bush is where Ryan writes his scripts alone in the wilds, with only his laptop, a pouch of Champion Ruby tobacco and a fly-swatter for company. Out here he talks to himself as he taps the keys, testing words for weight and cadence on the birds and bugs. It took me a long time to learn how to write dialogue that sounds real, not written, he says. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, I can rant and rave like a madman. Today, he talks in tangents again music that makes him cry (Arvo Parts Spiegel im Spiegel), stalkers (I get calls late at night. They ring my bell), a thwarted ambition to join the SAS (With the trauma in my past, its probably best it never happened), how Ray Shoesmith might address a transgender person (Ray is fine with killing, but he doesnt want to offend people), and women (I was engaged when I was 20, but Ive never been married or in a relationship longer than two years. Im single now and its great. I like to go where I want, when I want). Ryan uses such flights of fancy exquisitely in Mr Inbetween. He calls this device talking shit. At first I thought, Do people want to listen to this sort of dialogue? Then I saw Reservoir Dogs again and was, Yes, talking shit actually works! Many of the shows most bizarre riffs were written in the campervan weve driven up in, Ryan hunched over a table the size of a pizza box, making scenes in which Shoesmith chops up bodies or hurls prison napalm segue seamlessly into blokes riffing on Would you root an alien? or Whats a vajankle? His co-stars love him for it. Half the time as an actor youre fighting the dialogue because it doesnt flow like real conversation, says Justin Rozniak, but Scotts stuff even though the ums and ahs are scripted its so natural you barely have to think. From Nicholas Cassim, who plays Rays brother: Scotts a man of few words, so his writing is laconic, almost effortless. Its not so much whats said as whats said between the lines. And according to Brooke Satchwell: He agonises over every word and syllable trying to calibrate raw experiences into scenes that resonate. Loading Often, as we walk, Ryan stops and swivels to confront me with a hard truth or challenge a twisted bit of logic. At one stage, he tells me about a childhood dream. Hes dead in a coffin. People mill around his grave, then move away. Its the start of Scott Ryan being forgotten. That was a driver for wanting to be somebody, to matter, he says. When people tell you all your life, Youll never amount to anything, part of you digs in and says, Well f---ing see about that. He jabs at his heart, then his head. It all goes in here. My revenge is proving you wrong, being successful, living a good, happy life. Thats how I beat you. Back at Ryans apartment is a pile of books like the ones he was reading in 1998 when Ray Shoesmith twinkled into existence: paperback noir like Joey the Hitman: the Autobiography of a Mafia Killer, Chopper 2: Hits and Memories, The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer, Autobiography of a Murderer. Reading pulp and writing pap, Ryan hit the keys until an idea took hold: The Magician, a mockumentary about a Melbourne hitman he called Ray Shoesmith, stalking while talking. One day it grabbed me by the gut. Im gonna make this a feature! By then I was out of options and down to 59 kilos. I needed a purpose. Closing in on 30, Ryan applied to a TAFE course in filmmaking at RMIT. One lecturer sneered, Writer, director, producer and lead actor? Youre not Woody Allen! I said to her, How do you know? At the time, he was living in a condemned mansion in South Yarra. Everyone else moved out when it was slated for demolition, but it took ages to knock it over so every week I stashed $80 of Austudy. When I had three grand, I started shooting. With the Sony DCR-TRV900 camera his grandmas inheritance afforded him, Ryan corralled his brothers and friends and filmed for 10 days over 13 months, with himself playing the central character, Ray Shoesmith. He then began editing. One lecturer sneered, Writer, director, producer and lead actor? Youre not Woody Allen! I said to her, How do you know? Ryan with Mark Chopper Read, the inspiration for The Magician and its first fan. Credit:Courtesy of Scott Ryan Ironically, Chopper Read, the primary inspiration for The Magician, was also its first fan. He was head judge at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival, Ryan recalls. So we won virtually every category! But its true champion was stuntman-director Nash Edgerton, who saw a sawn-off version at the St Kilda Film Festival in 2005. My first thought was, Theres something amazing about this guy [Ryan] in front of a camera, Edgerton tells me. When he offered to show it to some distributor mates, Ryan offered him a producer credit. I said, Okay, but if my names on it, I want to re-cut it, says Edgerton. Next thing Scott was at Australia Post mailing the masters! An alliance was born. Edgertons feature-length edit of The Magician, with producer Michele Bennetts help, found $450,000 in funding and a theatre release. It was nominated for a Film Critics Circle Award and toured to positive reviews (although The New York Times called it a yob-filled slog of hard-man posturing bathed in an oppressive testosterone funk and decried its hairy buttocks). Ryan had his breakthrough. He even had his Ray Shoesmith TV spin-off to pitch next. So began the epic saga of getting Mr Inbetween made. We tried a lot of pitches with all sorts of different people at various networks: SBS, Movie Network, HBO, here and overseas, Edgerton recalls. But streaming services werent the force they are now and no one wanted half-hour episodes. And some people didnt want Scott in the lead. He was unknown, not a trained actor. So Edgerton went to the US, where he made video clips for Bob Dylan. Ryan (right) on the set of Mr Inbetween with director Nash Edgerton, who saw something amazing in Ryan at a 2005 film festival. Credit:Mike OMeally After a decade of knockbacks, Scott was over it, says Edgerton. He said, It doesnt have to be me in the lead, lets just get it made. By then I think a part of him was ready to give up. Little comes easy to Scott Ryan. Im a very unlucky person, he deadpans. Nothing falls in my lap. Ive had to bust my arse for everything. See, I believe in reincarnation. Were like Formula One drivers pulling into the pits for new tyres, then were off in a new life. But the past carries through with you. Ray doesnt believe in karma he wouldnt do what he does if he did. But I do, and if I break karma it f---s me. So I do the right thing, treat people well He shakes his head. But for all the luck Ive had I mustve been a serial killer in a past life. Im a very unlucky person. Nothing falls in my lap. Ive had to bust my arse for everything. See, I believe in reincarnation. Ryans karma was dealt another blow in 2009. A young Hollywood director had seen The Magician and cast Ryan to star in Hesher, the story of a heavy metal-loving lout who squats in the house of a boy whose mother died in a car accident. I auditioned and got the part, Ryan recalls. They flew me to the US and I started rehearsals with Natalie Portman. Then John C. Reilly pulled out, Joseph Gordon-Levitt got my role and I got f--- all. His sister Melissa says he was devastated. Today, he shrugs. It wouldve been my big break. In the end, it was Mr Inbetween a bunch of years later at least it came. In 2017, after 20 years in gestation and 12 in limbo, pay TV channel FX Australia began filming Mr Inbetween in Sydney. I was shitting bricks, Ryan confesses. By then I was driving cabs in Echuca. I hadnt acted since The Magician 14 years before. That first day on set I had a panic attack and ran to a public toilet shaking like a shitting dog. It took me 45 minutes to get it together but no one knew I was freaking the f--- out. Ryan had more cause to freak out when FX Australia went bust in 2018, leaving the show in flux. Luckily, FX US swooped. After millions of Americans watched its debut season, the US channel commissioned two more series and promoted them on Sunset Boulevard. Karma. Ryan in The Magician, his first feature film and the inspiration for Mr Inbetween. Although Ryan says writing is the love of my life, sad as that sounds, he considers acting a searing pain in my arse. Yet his performance in Mr Inbetween is frequently staggering. Even when hes giving you tumbleweeds, Scott is giving you an awful lot, observes Brooke Satchwell. Its a style critic Doug Anderson says is incredibly rare. Its the gift of stillness, he tells me. That blank mask seldom fails those with the chops to employ it properly. Even when Shoesmiths eyes are as cold as razor blades, Ryan gives him warmth. His laconic acting is a rare kind of honesty that needs no embellishment or trickery to maintain momentum. Loading In 2021, after 26 episodes, Ryan called Cut! on Mr Inbetween. Thisll sound weird, but after one 16-hour day dragging bodies around and burying them, I wasnt me. I was Ray. It wasnt good. There were other factors in stopping the show, but theyre complicated. Scott and Ray have lots in common humour and darkness what you see is what you get, Melissa Ryan reminds me. Theyre also incredibly loyal, and there are people Scott has been loyal to who have treated him badly, and its left scars. Ryan will tell me his most valuable mistake in life is trusting people and that the talent he most covets is the ability to spot bullshit from a distance. Beyond three little words on how Mr Inbetween series four might have begun (Ray in LA), Ryan has moved on. Right now, he is deep into his new project, a road trip-serial killer-bank heist tale provisionally titled Everybody Dies. Im three drafts in, and its getting better and better, he enthuses. If it gets picked up, Id like to direct and star in this one. First I thought Id play the bank robber but now its the serial killer. Ryan flashes me that smile. Its pretty much who I am anyway. Lifeline 13 11 14 To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times. Indigenous Australians will be clearly recognised as Australias first people in the Constitution in an introductory sentence to be added to the proposed Voice to parliament amendment, as the governments constitutional experts advisory group affirmed the referendum would not affect any groups sovereignty. The updated advice from the group of hand-picked constitutional experts comes as the Liberals left a meeting with the governments Indigenous referendum advisory group unsatisfied with the consultation process and repeating demands for more detail about how the Voice will operate. Peter Dutton asked several questions of the working group during the meeting. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen The working group briefing paves the way for Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who spent the first weeks of the year attacking the Voice proposal for lacking detail, to update his party room on the discussions when it meets ahead of the parliament resuming next week. Dutton is yet to confirm whether the party room will have a free vote on the bill to authorise the referendum, but many Liberals are inclined to vote No. The consensus among Western leaders is that, if Russian President Vladimir Putin isnt stopped now, his imperialistic adventurism will continue and that Western aid to Ukraine must be maintained. Not only was this characterization of Zelenskyy by Trump, Jr. a blow below the belt, it was also uninformed, lowdown, dirty and disgusting. If the little Trump boy has a problem with welfare queens, let him go and pay his swindler, deadbeat daddys taxes, and leave it to the big boys, notably Zelenskyy, who has already guaranteed himself a prominent place in the history books of tomorrow, U.S. President Joseph R. Biden, most of Congress, and our NATO allies, to do the heavy lifting. What in the World, a free weekly newsletter from our foreign correspondents, is sent every Thursday. Below is an excerpt. Sign up to get the whole newsletter delivered to your inbox. Today I write to you from a place I cannot name. I can tell you that its beautiful and cold and consequential. Its in the south of England, deep in the countryside. Ive just been in tears and so has the woman Ive just finished interviewing. I dont know her name or what her face looks like, but I can see from her body shape underneath her military fatigues and from the way she stands that shes a woman and, from the creases around her eyes, that shes older than I am. Portsmouth: Penny Wongs shoe-leather diplomacy since Labor came to power last May had, until the past few days, rarely come unstuck. Apart from a torrid 24 hours after the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade revealed a policy shift on Israel, where Wong at first denied the government had reversed a policy to recognise West Jerusalem as the capital before announcing in fact it had, all had gone rather swimmingly. Foreign Minister Penny Wong at a press conference with Britains Foreign Secretary James Cleverly (left) and Britains Defence Secretary Ben Wallace (second from right). Credit: Getty Shes visited no less than 24 Indo-Pacific nations in that time, including an ice-breaking trip to Beijing, and has won the praise of some of her harshest critics for the way shes delivered a message that Australia was under new management and bringing a diplomatic approach that, as she said this week, puts listening above lecturing. But in her strain to make this point on Tuesday in a speech to Kings College London, Wongs nuanced but nonetheless pointed remarks about British colonialism within Asia and the Pacific had left an impression shed flown in specifically to harangue the old colonial master. Senior officials later said that the balloon was taken down with a single Aim-9X Sidewinder missile from an F-22 fighter jet. The balloon was at a height of between 18,000 and 20,000 metres. A senior White House official said the US government had spoken directly with China about the action. The sighting of the balloon earlier this week resulted in US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponing his first official visit to China on Friday, which was designed to improve the relationship between the two countries. The high-altitude balloon floats over Billings, Montana. Credit: AP US officials said they first detected the balloon on January 28 when it entered US airspace near the Aleutian Islands. The balloon traversed Alaska, Canada and then re-entered US airspace over Idaho. The flight had intelligence value to the US as it allowed officials to study and scrutinise the balloon and its equipment along the way, a defence official said. The US also took steps to mitigate the balloons intelligence gathering, the official said. China had insisted that the balloon was not being used for surveillance, claiming it was simply a weather research airship that had blown off course. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes, a Chinese ministry spokesperson said in a statement. Affected by the westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course. The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure. However, the US rejected this explanation, noting that the balloon had been floating over sensitive military sites in Montana, a western US state that has about 150 intercontinental ballistic missile silos, before moving eastward. In a statement on Saturday after the balloon was shot down, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said it was being used by the PRC in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States, which he said was an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier last year. Credit: AP Austin also confirmed that Biden had ordered that the surveillance balloon be taken down as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to American lives under the balloons path. After careful analysis, US military commanders had determined downing the balloon while over land posed an undue risk to people across a wide area due to the size and altitude of the balloon and its surveillance payload, he said. The balloon was spotted hovering above Montana earlier this week. On Friday night, the Pentagon issued a statement saying that a second balloon had been detected transiting Latin America, but did not say where in the vast region comprising countries as far north as Mexico and as far south at Argentina it was located. The discovery of the first balloon alarmed US officials and prompted widespread calls to immediately take it down, including from former president Donald Trump, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley and far-right politicians such as Marjorie Taylor Greene. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles, who was in Washington to discuss the AUKUS pact with Austin, also weighed in, noting that the matter had raised a lot of questions and well await those answers from China. Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin welcomes Defence Minister Richard Marles at the Pentagon. Critics had earlier accused Biden of being too soft and questioned why he was taking so long to act. Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher, for instance, who chairs the Select Committee on China in the US Congress, had described it as embarrassing and unfathomable that the balloon had not been shot down sooner. If this were an American asset over Chinese airspace, do you think theyd hesitate for one second to shoot that down? he said. US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had said in a tweet that Chinas brazen disregard for US sovereignty is a destabilising action that must be addressed. He has requested a briefing with the so-called Gang of Eight a reference to the eight leaders within the US Congress who are briefed on classified intelligence matters. Blinkens trip would have made him the first US Secretary of State to sit down with Xi Jinping in nearly six years and the first of Bidens cabinet secretaries to visit China. It was meant to be a significant diplomatic moment, following up on Bidens meeting with the Chinese President last year. Several sensitive issues were on the agenda, including Taiwan and Chinas relationship with Russia as the war in Ukraine continues. However, on Friday morning, Blinken told Chinas top foreign policy official Wang Yi that the balloons course was a violation of sovereignty and unacceptable. Any country that has its airspace violated in this way I think would respond similarly, Blinken later said at a press conference. And I can only imagine what the reaction would be in China if they were on the other end. He said he was open to rescheduling his visit at an appropriate time but the priority for now was to get the balloon out of American skies. In the meantime, the United States will continue to maintain open lines of communication with China, including to address this ongoing incident, he said. Indeed, thats why we need direct and regular communications in the first place. And thats why its critical that such lines remain open at all times, to help avoid miscalculation, and conflict. With wires On 24th and 25th January 2023, the World Customs Organization (WCO) hosted, at its Headquarters in Brussels, the 30th Global Regional Intelligence Liaison Offices (RILO) Meeting, marking the 30th Anniversary of the creation of the RILO Network. The Meeting brought together RILO Heads from around the world to discuss various topics related to intelligence gathering, analysis and visualization, and to address challenges facing the RILO Network. The Meeting was mainly aimed at overseeing the development and implementation of the Global RILO Networks mission, arriving at a common approach regarding strategic and operational issues, and promoting an exchange of views, experiences and best practices among the RILOs. In his opening remarks, Mr. Pranab Kumar Das, WCO Director for Compliance and Facilitation, emphasized the crucial role played by RILOs in supporting enforcement activities, providing capacity building and analytical support, as well as spearheading operational activities. He also expressed the WCO's continued commitment to support the RILO Network and promote its significance among Members. During the two-day meeting, attendees learned about new intelligence tools and technologies, as well as case studies, and were invited to participate in collaborative projects such as the Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). The Meeting also discussed the outcomes of the questionnaire on RILOs and the WCO survey on "Case studies and risk indicators to identify IPR, health and safety infringing goods related to e-commerce". In order to fulfil the expectations of the Secretariat and align with the WCO Strategic Plan, the RILOs agreed on the Action Plan 2023-2024 for the Global RILO Meeting, which includes solutions to address the RILO Networks challenges. The Meeting then established a map of RILO competencies in each region and identified key issues for the coming year. During the Meeting, Mr. Stefan Kirsch, Deputy Director of Enforcement and Compliance, presented a progress report on the development of the WCO Modernization Plan and the next steps in relation to its drafting, including the outcomes of the regional consultations on the current status of modernization efforts. He encouraged the RILOs to review the report, underscoring their important role in this matter. Delegates reiterated their conviction of the relevance of this annual meeting for the Global RILO Network, as well as for the advancement of cooperation between RILOs and the WCO Secretariat. The 21st Meeting of the Customs Enforcement Network Management Team (CENMaT) of the World Customs Organization (WCO) was held on 26 and 27 January 2023 at WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. For over 20 years now, the CENMaT Meeting has been a forum for WCO Members and Regional Intelligence Liaison Offices (RILOs) to discuss the strategic direction to be followed for the development of the CEN suite applications, as well as broader concepts of Customs data collection and analysis in the enforcement sphere. In his opening remarks, Mr. Stefan Kirsch, Deputy Director of Compliance and Enforcement, emphasized the continued need for centralized data collection and sharing within the Customs community to ensure better co-operation and more effective and efficient actions against transnational crime. Consequently, the development of the CEN suite applications has always been and still remains highly relevant for enhancing communication and information sharing between Customs enforcement entities. The delegates participating in the 21st Meeting reviewed the recommendations by the Task Force on CEN Data Collection and Analysis and discussed the outcomes of the Regional Meetings of the National Customs Enforcement Network (nCEN) Programme Leaders. The Meeting also marked the launch of several initiatives, such as those relating to CEN Capacity Building and the Global nCEN Impact Assessment. The confirmation of support for the CEN Data Visualization Project was welcomed by the participants, as was the announcement about the launch of the CEN Dashboards. Turning to other matters, participants endorsed an important initiative to automate non-personal data transfers from nCEN countries to the CEN, thus boosting the quantity of CEN data, in line with the WCO Charter of Data Quantity and Quality Enhancement in the CEN and the recently endorsed WCO Data Strategy. The importance of modernizing the CEN applications and launching the Integrated Customs Enforcement Network (iCEN) application to bring all enforcement tools together in one cutting-edge application was also underlined. The Meeting concluded with an announcement that the future of the CENMaT would be discussed at the upcoming Policy Commission session in June 2023, as part of the discussion on innovating and optimizing working methods of meetings in line with Members expectations and building on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. From 24 to 27 January 2023, a Leadership Management Development (LMD) Top Executive Retreat (TER) was held for the Customs Administration of the Republic of Serbia (Carina), under the support of the SECO-WCO Global Trade Facilitation Programme (GTFP) funded by the Swiss Secretariat of Economic Affairs (SECO). The workshops objective was to increase teamwork and individual leadership to navigate better various critical challenges faced by the administration and as a cross-cutting enabler for the effective implementation of trade facilitation reforms. The workshop focused on three levels: organizational development to tackle some of the key strategic challenges faced by Carina; executive team building to strengthen trust and openness amongst the team; understanding self and others better through honest, sincere and constructive feedback; and personal leadership, management development and commitment. The Customs team zoomed in on the most strategic challenges of the organization. The workshop was tailor-made to address Carinas current needs, requirements and main challenges, which were assessed based on the responses to a questionnaire. The exercises raised greater awareness of the teams role in driving change. For more information on the WCO Leadership and Management Development Programme, please contact Capacity.Building@wcoomd.org. Kengo Sakurada, Group CEO of Sompo Holdings Inc. Credit - Kengo Sakurada, Group CEO of Sompo Holdings Inc. Today, with society becoming more unequal and fragmented, cooperation is becoming more difficult. How can we overcome our differences in positions and interests and work together more deeply? The root principle of our behavior is the same: we want to be happy. Under this idea, I believe people should pursue happiness but for all stakeholders in society. Many Westerners who traveled to Japan in the late Edo period (1800s) wrote that Japanese society was full of happiness. The person who played a leading role in opening Japan to the West, Commodore Matthew Perry, also described Japan at that time: the people seem happy and contented. The concept of Seikatsusha is key to creating such a happy society. Learning, working, playing, eating Seikatsusha is a Japanese word that refers to people who live their daily lives in a multifaceted manner. For example, I am a CEO, a consumer, and a grandfather. As a CEO, I aim to improve corporate performance; as a consumer, I choose what I love at the supermarket; as a grandfather, I hope for a future in which my grandchildren live happily. Based on their own multifaceted roles, Seikatsusha take actions considering the overall optimization of their roles. Seikatsusha is a unique Japanese concept that sees the individual from multiple perspectives. It is based on the traditional Japanese code of conduct that balances self-interest and altruism, as symbolized by Sanpo-Yoshi (three-way satisfaction through business transaction: good for the seller, buyer, and society) and Bushido (a traditional Japanese code of conduct). By acting as Seikatsusha, we can achieve happiness for all stakeholders in society by balancing self-interest and altruism. One form of happiness for human beings would be pin koro, a Japanese concept that means a long, healthy life and a peaceful end. It is the ultimate form of happiness that people facing the social challenges of an aging society desire. As a Seikatsusha in Japans aging society, SOMPO is committed to providing elder care, which allows people to achieve pin koro. The Nursing Care RDP* (Real Data Platform) developed by SOMPO is the data platform that enables visualization of information about and for nursing caregivers and residents (visible nursing care). It provides optimal care tailored to individuals through predicting future health conditions from the data collected (predictable nursing care). A shortage of caregivers and surging social security expenses, due to fact that Japan has one of the worlds fastest declining birthrates and largest aging populations, can be deemed as a national crisis. Western countries will surely face the same challenges soon. SOMPO will overcome these serious social issues by offering its Nursing Care RDP as a solution for nursing care challenges in Japan. Furthermore, we would like to expand this initiative globally and contribute to the pin koro of the elderly who are receiving nursing care at home and other places. Story continues We should make companies not only valuable but indispensable for Seikatsusha to pursue happiness. Business leaders must show leadership and address social challenges through their businesses, drive innovation and growth, and create value that contributes to happiness. It is also important for business leaders to be storytellers, keep communicating their initiatives and their value that contributes to happiness. Eventually, this will encourage individuals and organizations to endorse the value of happiness and change their behavior, thereby changing the world. This is a new era for business leaders. We need allies to work together. Lets Seikatsusha! *Real Data Platform: Platform for real data, data with clear origins from the real-world activities of individuals and companies (e.g. health information) unlike virtual data generated from activities on the Internet, such as social media. TORONTO The two big spending pressures on the federal government right now are health care and the global transition to a clean economy, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Friday. After hosting an in-person meeting with the provincial and territorial finance ministers, Freeland said U.S. President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which includes electric-vehicle incentives that favour manufacturers in Canada and Mexico as well as the U.S., has changed the playing field when it comes to the global competition for capital. "I cannot emphasize too strongly how much I believe that we need to seize the moment and build the clean economy of the 21st century," Freeland said during a news conference held at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. "This is a huge economic opportunity." Canada needs to invest in the transition in order to potentially have an outsized share in the economy of the future, she said, or it risks being left behind. This year in particular will be an important year for attracting capital to Canada, she said, calling for the provinces and territories to chip in. This is a truly historic, once-in-a-generation economic moment and it will take a team Canada effort to seize it." At the same time, Freeland spoke of the need for fiscal restraint amid economic uncertainty. We know that one of the most important things the federal government can do to help Canadians today is to be mindful of our responsibility not to pour fuel on the fire of inflation," she said. Freeland said these two major spending pressures, which were among the topics prioritized at Friday's meeting, come at a time of a global economic slowdown which poses restraint on government spending. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to meet with the premiers Feb. 7 to discuss a long-awaited deal on health-care spending. The provinces have been asking for increases to the health transfer to the tune of billions of dollars. Story continues Freeland said it's clear that the federal government needs to invest in health care and reiterated the government's commitment to doing so but would not say whether she thinks the amount the provinces are asking for in increased health transfers is feasible. "It's time to see the numbers," Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard said Friday afternoon, in anticipation of the Feb. 7 meeting. The meeting of the finance ministers comes at a tense time for many Canadian consumers, with inflation still running hot and interest rates much higher than they were a year ago. The ministers also spoke with Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem Friday and discussed the economic outlook for Canada and the world, said Freeland. "We're very aware of the uncertainty in the global economy right now," said Freeland. "Inflation is high and interest rates are high." "Things are tough for a lot of Canadians and a lot of Canadian families today and at the federal level, this is a time of real fiscal constraint." The Bank of Canada raised its key interest rate again last week, bringing it to 4.5 per cent, but signalled it's taking a pause to let the impact of its aggressive hiking cycle sink in. The economy is showing signs of slowing, but inflation was still high at 6.3 per cent in December, with food prices in particular remaining elevated year over year. Interest rates have put a damper on the housing market, sending prices and sales downward for months on end even as the cost of renting went up in 2022. Meanwhile, the labour market has remained strong, with the unemployment rate nearing record lows in December at five per cent. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2023. Rosa Saba, The Canadian Press ROCKLAND TWP., Pa. The Berks County Commissioners voted Thursday night to fill the vacant position of director of elections by promoting Anne Norton from her current position as elections operations/system manager. Norton will be paid an annual salary of $90,000. In addition, the commissioners voted to transfer Stephanie Weaver to become the assistant director of election services at an annual salary of $72,692. Weaver has been working for the county as its public relations director. Both appointments are effective Feb. 3. The director of elections position has been vacant since July when Paige Riegner suddenly resigned after about five months on the job. After Riegner was hired, the commissioners received a good amount of criticism from county Democrats who alleged Riegner was not qualified for the post because of her previous employment working as chief of staff to Pennsylvania State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a Republican who they say participated in the fight to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Neither Riegner nor the commissioners gave a reason for her resignation in July. Commissioner Christian Y. Leinbach congratulated Norton and Weaver, saying they were both a significant part of the elections team in the absence of a director. I'm very excited about Anne stepping up and Stephanie stepping into the deputy position, Leinbach said. And Kevin Barnhardt (Chief Operating Officer) has made the elections department a real priority, making sure it has the support it needs. In other business, the commissioners authorized sending a letter of support to the Federal Railroad Administration in support of the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authoritys application for acceptance into the Corridor Identification and Development Program. The submission of the application is an important step in establishing passenger rail service because if the Federal Railroad Administration awards a recognition of the railroad corridor, it opens the door for the SRPRA to begin negotiations with Amtrak and with Norfolk Southern. SRPRA was created by Berks, Montgomery and Chester counties to establish passenger rail from Reading to Philadelphia. Thursdays meeting was held at the Rockland Township municipal building as part of the commissioners' on-the-road quarterly meetings. Rockland Township Supervisor Michele Albright made a plea to the commissioners for help in working with the Reading Area Transportation Study to make it aware of the townships traffic problems during shift changes at East Penn Manufacturing. My request is that our commissioners actually bring up to PennDOT recognition of the traffic that we deal with, Albright said. And it's not just Rockland Township, but it's in the surrounding townships as well. I have sat in on some RATS meetings and Ive recognized that PennDOT works with algorithms, and they recognize the amount of people who work in townships and the amount of people who come to townships to work or exit their townships, but they do not (specifically) recognize East Penn. Albright said one of the major problems is the intersection of Park Road with Route 73 because it does not have left hand turning signals. Leinbach said it is difficult when there are not enough local police to monitor these situations. I can tell you that because most municipalities cannot afford their own police departments, the only thing that makes sense -outside of the state police- is regionalization, Leinbach said. But Im willing to work with our planning (office), but it would be helpful if you could pull together other municipalities which are impacted, and then we can meet. EASTON, Pa. Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure will seek bids from health care providers for the employee health center he proposed last year. McClure brought up the center last August, along with Integrity Health, the New Jersey-based company he wanted to run it. Council balked, saying spending of that magnitude should proceed first with an "RFP," or request for proposal, to qualified providers and then competitive bidding. McClure pointed out that the county Home Rule Charter allows exceptions to competitive bidding, but at Thursday's council meeting, he said an RFP will go out Friday. "We'll have something for you hopefully within a couple months to vote on," he told council Thursday, adding in jest, "It should be unanimous," referring to earlier objections about the lack of an RFP. The request for proposals provides a chance for the two big local health chains, Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke's University Health Network, to bid. The startup costs have been estimated at $2.5 million, and Integrity was to be paid $800,000 annually. Soliciting RFPs does not guarantee that a center will be created, just that proposals will be sought. Using the center would be optional for employees under McClure's plan. They would keep their health insurance and their current providers if they wished, and the center would not provide all health services. McClure said Integrity Health would provide great care, and taxpayers would save millions of dollars. Council was concerned about the process and about the expansion of the county government into health care. Commissioner John Goffredo (councilmembers are known as commissioners) asked if the fee paid by the county could be based on demonstrated savings. "That's how they're going to make money, saving us money," he said. "Potentially in the interviews, we could explore that," McClure said. Council also took its first look at Southside LERTA District II, a proposal to extend a state tax break program in part of South Bethlehem. LERTA Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance allows for breaks on new construction on what is considered blighted property for a decade. The tax break starts at 100% and declines to 10% before it ends. The break is only on new construction, not the tax on the land. The City of Bethlehem approved the LERTA last year to promote development, and it has also been approved by the Bethlehem Area School District. The county will vote in two weeks on whether it will also agree to accept lower tax payments for 10 years in turn for the prospect of development. At a council Economic Development Committee earlier, Armando Moritz-Chapelliquen presented a survey that he said shows what his fellow Wilson Borough residents and others would like to see at the site of the former Dixie Cup plant. Last year, McClure opposed giving a warehouse developer a LERTA at the site, and council agreed. The plan was dropped. Moritz-Chapelliquen said his poll was done mostly door-to-door. He said the results show that residents and other stakeholders want to see community facilities and affordable housing at the site. He said the value of the study is in showing what the community wants to see at the site, and what it does not want to see: industrial uses that would bring more traffic. "I think it would be irresponsible not to consider these results to some extent," Commissioner Tara Zrinski said in an email statement. Moritz-Chapelliquen is a member of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, but he holds no official position with the borough, and while residents might want to see some kind of community facility on the site, land use is not set by referendum. It is dictated by property rights and borough zoning rules. Allentown attorney Joseph Reibman leads the ownership group of the site, and he said last month that he is negotiating with a potential buyer. The site has been listed on a real estate website for $10 million. Commissioner John Cusick said the ownership group has been "the biggest stumbling block" to developing the site. Council's next meeting will be Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the government center in Easton. It will also be broadcast on the county's YouTube channel. Nicole Rodriguez, left, and Maui Catacutan celebrate their Filipino culture in traditional dress in Moosomin in 2019. (Submitted by Leo Illustrisimo - image credit) CBC's virtual road trip series Land of Living Stories explores the hidden gems across Saskatchewan. Reporter Laura Sciarpelletti once again hit the road in search of inspiring stories of community, heritage and good food. Some of Saskatchewan's many municipalities can seem to fly by within 40 seconds of driving. But no matter how small a place is, there are always people who choose to live there because they love their community. Just two days in southeast Saskatchewan reveals a thriving community of immigrants, a yodeling painter, a chef who returned to his hometown with dreams of creating delicious high quality dishes, frost-painted trails and the legacy of a historian who dedicated his life to preserving historic photographs of his beloved region. CBC News Living Filipino in Moosomin The year is 2009 and Leo Illustrismo has decided there is no future for him and his young family in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. "There were lots of competitions. It was hard to advance, and so I decided that I wanted to try and work abroad," said Illustrisimo in a recent interview. "I was missing home, missing my wife, and there were times when I was questioning my decision. Did I make the right choice of moving here? But I thought it was a sacrifice that I was willing to make in order to have a better future." Illustrisimo was hired by Maple Leaf to work in a hog barn not far from Moosomin, Sask., about 224 kilometres east of Regina. When Maple Leaf drove the new hires out to their work site, Illustrisimo realized he was in a place he'd never seen the likes of before. "We drove for three hours and every minute that passed you see the towns getting smaller and smaller and smaller," Illustrisimo said, laughing. "It was a huge difference from being in a city with 20 million people to a town with 3,000 people. It was a culture shock." But Moosomin was very welcoming to Illustrismo, and he began to get involved in the community. Eventually his wife and child joined him. The Filipino population at that time was made up of just six people, he said. Story continues Fast forward to 2023 and the Filipino population has ballooned to about 300 people. That is about 10 per cent of Moosomin's population, according to the Moosomin Pinoy Community, which Illustrisimo co-founded nearly seven years ago. The organization gets involved with cultural events in the town dancing and performing in traditional Filipino dress, and sharing traditional foods. "We're so noisy and we love partying and getting together. So in order for us to be involved more in the community activities and be acknowledged as a real group of people in town, we decided to establish the Filipino community here," said co-founder Jylenn Valdez, originally from the northern Philippines. "It was tough during the time because, of course, although we came from the the same country, we came from different places in in the Philippines. We have different principles and we have different beliefs." Laura Sciarpelletti/CBC Once they settled on their shared values and goals for the organization, Moosomin Pinoy Community flourished. Newcomers flocked to jobs in the hospitality sector and the local potash mine. "We help each other. Every time everybody starts off on a new job or a new venture, we always ask how they're doing, give advice on what to do with mortgages, how you buy your first home," said Illustrisimo. CBC News Now, some Filipinos in Moosomin have their own businesses, including Illustrisimo. And more are arriving all the time. "The Filipino population is growing and growing. It's increasing. We feel important, we feel at home. We were able to introduce our own cultures and our own practices here. Having our group recognized, we can proudly say that this is our second home from the Philippines," said Valdez. Eli Barsi: small town, big voice Eli Barsi was raised as a farm girl on the prairies of southeastern Saskatchewan, about an hour from Moosomin. A gifted musician with 17 albums to date, Barsi has spent three decades touring the world with music spanning the banjo, guitar, bluegrass tunes, country rock and, yes, even yodeling. "Somebody asked my husband a few years ago, 'That yodeling thing. That's a dying art, isn't it?' And he said, 'No, it just sounds that way,'" Barsi said, laughing. She said yodeling is special because it evokes feelings of nostalgia in all ages. Submitted by Eli Barsi Even after living abroad and earning acclaim for her work, she chose Moosomin to call home. When COVID-19 hit, Barsi's touring schedule freed up and she began painting in earnest. "If I just sit down and paint what I want, I'm going to be painting the Prairies and my surroundings, because that's where my heart is." Barsi recently opened an art gallery in Moosomin called Prairie Girl Gifts & Gallery where she sells her paintings. She also still travels all over. "No matter where I've lived and where where I travel with my shows, I feel it's important to wave the Saskatchewan flag everywhere I go and educate people, especially when you're south of the border. A lot of people have no clue." Submitted by Eli Barsi Cork & Bone Bistro Chef Jarrod Slugoski of Moosomin spent 16 years working at the famed Fairmont Chateau in Lake Louise. But when his son was born, he knew the tucked-away mountain life wouldn't cut it any more. "I thought, well, if I have the ability to bring something to the hometown that I wanted to raise my son in, then I think my decision is pretty easy," said Slugoski. He moved back to Moosomin and opened a restaurant specializing in gourmet comfort foods. Schnitzel, braised lamb shank, mussels, Malabar chicken pasta and other eclectic dishes adorn the menu. "We put our twist on things," he said. "It's very diverse and it kind of suits everyone's needs." Laura Sciarpelletti/CBC Cork and Bone Bistro opened in October 2019. COVID-19 came about three and a half months later, but Slugoski pivoted to weekend takeout in the following months, and word of mouth a very powerful tool in small towns kept the restaurant alive. "I realized that living on a mountaintop for 16 years made me miss the closeness of community, the kinship. It's a really great family oriented vibe in this town." Moose Mountain Provincial Park It's a mild winter morning in Moose Mountain Provincial Park, near Kenosee Lake, and the trail ahead is partly packed down already. Birch Forest Trail winds around Pickerel Point for about two kilometres, and it's a Saskatchewan snowshoers dream. Instead of the vast flat prairie that lies outside Moose Mountain, the trail is thick with birch forest and frost-laden branches. Moose Mountain was designated a park in 1931 and features a variety of trails for hiking, biking, ATVing and snowmobiling. It's a perfect reminder that the temperature doesn't have to be in the pluses for Saskatchewan residents to experience the wonder of the province's parks. Laura Sciarpelletti/CBC The legacy of Adrian K. Paton of Arcola Adrian K. Paton was in his 50s when he began collecting original historic photos taken in southeast Saskatchewan. Paton was born during the Depression and spent most of his life farming around Arcola, about 184 kilometres southeast of Regina. His fervour for history led to the publication of his 2018 book An Honest, Genial and Kindly People. The book is filled with photographs of First Nations people from the turn of the century in southern Saskatchewan. "When he got started in something like this book, it consumed him. He just had tunnel vision for it. He loved it. Everything he could do, every spare moment he had went in to writing that book," said Brad Paton, the elder Paton's son. Laura Sciarpelletti/CBC The historian died in January 2021 at the age of 86. Later that year he received a posthumous Saskatchewan Heritage Award for his book. His daughter Valerie Guillemin accepted the award from Saskatchewan Lt.-Gov. Russell Mirasty on his behalf. Guillemin said echoes of her father's passion for southeast Saskatchewan will live on through all the research he did. "He had a lot of photographs of Indigenous people, and he spent a lot of time working with the Indigenous people in the area and others that might be able to help identify some of the people in the photos," said Guillemin. "He worked really hard to make those photos come to life through the stories that were associated with them and the people in them." Laura Sciarpelletti/CBC Connie Big Eagle, chief of Ocean Man First Nation, wrote the introduction to Paton's book. She first met him at a museum exhibition of his photograph collection in Arcola. "Immediately he was very warm and welcoming," Big Eagle said. "He was kind of giving me the tour and we were walking down this hallway and I focused on this one picture and he said, 'Oh, that's Old Salt.' And I said to my niece, 'That's my great grandfather!'" The future chief said she would hear about Old Salt in stories when she was growing up, but she had never seen a photo of him. "It was so amazing," she said. "That was the specific photograph that caught my eye." Big Eagle said Paton was very aware of repatriation and appropriation. She said he was respectful when interviewing First Nations peoples about photos in his collection. "He would be speaking about one person or one incident, and there would be two different versions of this story. But he didn't argue about which one was true. He would tell both the stories to be respectful to both parties," Big Eagle said. Guillemin currently has Paton's entire collection of artifact replicas and original photographs, which the family hopes will be on display in a museum again one day. "It went all over southeastern Saskatchewan from museum to museum, and a lot of people went and saw that. If it went to Vancouver or further, he would have been ecstatic about that," Brad Paton said of his father. Guillemin also plans on repatriating some of the photographs to people whose ancestors are in the collection. Paton leaves behind his farm and land just outside of Arcola. There lies a small mound he called Hawk Hill, where he piled up 10 feet of rocks. Submitted by Valerie Guillemin Over the years he viewed it as a symbol of his connection with the land and nature. Beside the rock pile is a plaque with the names of Paton's family members. Today his children see Hawk Hill as a part of their father's legacy. "What he would want you to remember would be to revere the earth and sky. To understand how the land is important. To understand how the inhabitants of the land are important and to tie that into your own life, because it grounds you," said Guillemin. "If you know the importance of the land and of nature and of those things, it'll help you through your life. It's helped me through mine, and that's because of the teachings of my dad." Paton's beloved photographs will forever give people in the southeast a visual representation of that history and connection. ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Officials held a news conference in Allentown Friday to celebrate the establishment of a Sister City relationship between the city and Santo Domingo Este, in the Dominican Republic. Allentown Council Vice President Cynthia Mota was joined by Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk and Santo Domingo Este (ASDE) Mayor Manuel Jimenez, according to a news release from the City of Allentown. The resolution was unanimously approved by City Council and the Administration on Jan. 18. The legislation allows for lines of communication between Allentown and Santo Domingo Este to develop a strategic, long-term partnership, according to the news release. Allentown is a growing and developing city that looks to engage our residents in civic life, said Mayor Tuerk. We're excited that we can break out of our Lehigh Valley bubble to learn from our amigos in Santo Domingo Este, one of the Dominican Republic's most vibrant urban places. The 2020 U.S. Census reports that more than 54% of the population in Allentown identifies itself as Latino or Hispanic. Of those, about 18,000 are Dominicans. Santo Domingo Este is a municipality and the provincial capital of the Santo Domingo province in the Dominican Republic with a total population of 701,269 and has a variety of shopping centers with duty-free zones, with construction, energy, and agricultural businesses. The formalization of the sister city relationship comes after an introductory meeting between Mayor Tuerk, Council Vice President Mota, and Mayor Jimenez this past September at Santo Domingo Este City Hall, according to the news release. A sister (or friendship) city relationship is formally created when the mayors from two communities sign an Agreement or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing the partnership. Allentown has one official sister city relationship with Tiberias, Israel through its membership with Sister Cities International, a nonpartisan 501 (c) (3) nonprofit which serves as the national membership organization for individual sister cities, counties, and states across the United States. The program is a facilitator in joining together numerous cities to adopt and implement programs for the exchange of ideas and visitations of people. In recent years, the city has pursued pathways to establish sister city relationships with Playa del Carmen, Mexico; Vinci, Italy, and Saarbrucken, Germany. The city will celebrate Dominican Heritage Day on Sunday, February 26 with a flag raising ceremony at 2 p.m. at Allentown City Hall. EASTON, Pa. - An Easton man is being accused of holding a knife to a woman's throat and then sexually assaulting her. John Holmes faces several charges, including aggravated assault and terroristic threats, according to a news release from the Warren County Prosecutor's Office. The victim told law enforcement that she was in New York City and took a bus back to the Easton area on September 27, 2021. She said that as she got off the bus that a man, later identified as Holmes, approached her and began walking with her across the Northampton Street Bridge towards Union Square, in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, the prosecutor's office said. The prosecutor's office says that, after crossing the bridge, Holmes attacked the woman in an alleyway and she tried to fend him off. Holmes then took out a knife and held it to the victim's throat, according to the news release. Holmes told the woman he would not harm her if she remained quiet, the prosecutor's office said. Holmes then sexually assaulted the woman, according to the prosecutor's office. Authorities say that after the sexual assault the woman was able to get free and ran to a nearby neighborhood, where she was able to speak with a member of the community and contact law enforcement. During the assault, the victim reported dropping her purse. It was later recovered with about $80 in cash missing, the prosecutor's office said. WASHINGTON (AP) The Pentagon said at midday Friday that a Chinese spy balloon had moved eastward and was over the central United States, and that the U.S. rejected China's claims that it was not being used for surveillance. Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, refused to provide details on exactly where the balloon was or whether there was any new consideration of shooting it down. The military had ruled that option out, officials had said, due to potential risks to people on the ground. Ryder said it was at an altitude of about 60,000 feet, was maneuverable and had changed course. He said it currently was posing no threat. He said there was only one balloon being tracked. Earlier, the U.S. announced that Secretary of State Antony Blinken had postponed a planned high-stakes weekend diplomatic trip to China as the Biden administration weighed a broader response to the discovery of a high-altitude Chinese balloon flying over sensitive sites in the western United States. That abrupt decision came despite China's claim that the balloon was a weather research "airship" that had blown off course. The U.S. has described it as a surveillance vehicle. The development came just before Blinken had been due to depart Washington for Beijing and marked a new blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations. President Joe Biden declined to comment when questioned at an economic event. Two 2024 reelection challengers, former President Donald Trump, and Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador, said the U.S. should immediately shoot down the balloon. Discovery of the balloon was announced by Pentagon officials who said one of the places it was spotted was over the state of Montana, which is home to one of America's three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. A senior defense official said the U.S. prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot down the balloon if ordered. The Pentagon ultimately recommended against it, noting that even as the balloon was over a sparsely populated area of Montana, its size would create a debris field large enough that it could have put people at risk. The official said the balloon was headed over the Montana missile fields, but the U.S. has assessed that it had only "limited" value in terms of providing intelligence China couldn't obtain by other technologies, such as spy satellites. The discovery alarmed many in Washington across the country and, besides the U.S. protests lodged with Chinese officials, it attracted strong criticism of the administration from Republican members of Congress who have advocated taking a tougher stance with China. China, which angrily denounces surveillance attempts by the U.S. and others over areas it considers to be its territory and once forced down an American spy plane, offered a generally muted reaction to the Pentagon announcement. In a relatively conciliatory statement, the Chinese foreign ministry said late Friday that the balloon was a civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research. The ministry said the airship has limited "self-steering" capabilities and "deviated far from its planned course" because of winds. "The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure," the statement said, citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond one's control. Blinken had been prepared as late as Thursday to travel to Beijing this weekend but the administration had begun to reconsider the trip following the discovery of the balloon on Wednesday, even before its presence was made public, an official said. The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the administration had " noted" China's expression of regret. Blinken's long-anticipated meetings with senior Chinese officials had been seen in both countries as a way to find some areas of common ground at a time of major disagreements over Taiwan, human rights, China's claims in the South China Sea, North Korea, Russia's war in Ukraine, trade policy and climate change. Although the trip, which was agreed to in November by President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit in Indonesia, had not been formally announced, officials in both Beijing and Washington had been talking in recent days about Blinken's imminent arrival. The meetings were to begin on Sunday and go through Monday. In 1995, the space shuttle Discovery blasted off with a woman, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Eileen Collins, in the pilots seat for the first time in NASA history, and more events that happened on this day in history. 1959: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. The Big Bopper Richardson 1966: Luna 9 1988: Ronald Reagan 1995: Eileen Collins 1998: Plane Accident 2006: The Red Sea 2009: Eric Holder 2012: Susan G. Komen for the Cure 2017: Donald Trump 2020: Impeachment 2021: Adam Coy APTOPIX Winter Weather Texas The Royal Court's artistic director Vicky Featherstone has announced she will step down later this year. Featherstone, who joined the much-cherised central London new writing venue in 2013, has said she will depart once a new artistic director has begun their tenure, with the search set to begin later this month. She explained today: "Being artistic director of the Royal Court is one of best jobs in the world - creating something over ten years with the most dedicated, passionate and thoughtful people throughout every single area of the organisation - from stage door to the board and the donors - with the actors, other artists and freelancers who bring all of themselves to make incredible plays happen, and of course having the ultimate privilege of being in daily conversations with visionary, transformational writers. "I would do it forever if I could. And although I am usually the last one to leave the party, it's time for me to hand over the guardianship of this extraordinary, enduring mission to someone else. When I started this job in 2013 I set myself a time limit of ten years, and I am holding myself to that. There are no words for how life-changing, challenging, invigorating and complex this job is, and like everyone who has ever done this role here, it is forever part of my DNA." Chair of the board of trustees, Anthony Burton, added: "Vicky has been a tireless leader of the Royal Court for ten years, brilliantly navigating turbulent times not least keeping the Court afloat for two years during Covid. She has been an innovator and champion of many initiatives such as the "#MeToo" movement in the theatre. We are hugely grateful to Vicky for her invaluable and profound contribution to the work, welfare, and financial stability of the Court." Featherstone reflected on her tenure: "I've been an artistic director and CEO since 1997, first at Paines Plough and then the National Theatre of Scotland, and now here at the Royal Court for a full decade. I have no concrete plans as to what I will do next. Top of the list is to make an appointment at the dentist. Basically I'm releasing myself back into the wild." Featherstone's last season of work will be announced in March. OTTAWA A Russian woman says she has been denied consular services by her country's embassy in Canada over claims her Facebook activity poses a security threat. "It totally came as a shock to me," said Elena Pushkareva, who left Russia a decade ago. Pushkareva said the Russian Embassy, which declined to comment to The Canadian Press, denied her access to its consular service in Ottawa, where she had an appointment to update her children's documents. Pushkareva left Russia a decade ago for political reasons. She lives in Ottawa and had visited the consular office before, as recently as Dec. 28, and booked an appointment in January to process paperwork. A few hours ahead of the appointment, she said, she got a phone call from a man who identified himself as a Russian consular officer in Ottawa, but refused to give his name. "They called me that morning, telling me there was no need to come, that they will not provide me with the service, and that was the personal decision made by the ambassador," she said. "I don't understand why they decided to call me first, why it was so important for them that I don't even come." Pushkareva said the official said Ambassador Oleg Stepanov cancelled the appointment because she posed a safety risk to the building, by virtue of being part of a Facebook group. The group in question advocates for freeing jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, which Pushkareva said is for people who feel Russia shouldn't jail people for their political views, regardless of whether they support Navalny. She said the man on the phone said that if Pushkareva didn't believe him, she could show up at the consulate and be told the same thing, which is what she said happened. The consulate sits in a building down the street from the embassy. She said she recorded the Jan. 18 exchange. In the audio recording, an unnamed official tells her that being part of a specific Facebook page has led the ambassador to verbally ask staff to deny her access to the consulate. Story continues The official says in Russian that the Facebook page included "information with calls for violent actions, to the detriment of the interests of the Russian Federation. For this reason, you're denied admission to the consular department." In the recording, Pushkareva asks what exactly on Facebook amounted to a threat, but the consulate provides no example. Instead, the official said she could write a letter to the ambassador, which she has done. "With this decision you have gone beyond the legal framework of our country," her letter reads in Russian, accusing the consulate of violating Russia's constitution by depriving her of consular access and not providing a written reason. "I have used the services of consular departments in Canada many times, and none of the parties had any problems in terms of security," she wrote. Pushkareva noted that the consulate staff seemed to name a public Facebook page and conflated it with a private Facebook group with a similar name. Pushkareva has visited both, but said she is not responsible for what is posted there. She also said she has not seen violence being advocated on either site. She also noted that Facebook is supposed to delete content deemed to be threatening violence, if moderators don't do so first. The embassy declined to comment, but the Novaya Gazeta news site said a consulate official insisted Pushkareva had not been denied services, only access to the consulate building. Yet the official did not specify how Pushkareva could be helped without entering the building, which they called an institution with security measures. "If you don't deny me the service, maybe you'll provide me with the service or on the street? Maybe they'll bring out a desk? So anyway, I took another appointment. I will follow on, because it's kind of interesting," she said with a laugh. She said she went public with her story out of a sense that keeping quiet wouldn't help resolve the situation. Yet Pushkareva is worried that being barred from the consulate will later prevent her from getting her children's Russian passports up to date. The thought of them not being able to visit relatives is "very painful," but travel seems impossible in the near term. "There are not that many people here, who are not afraid to go speak in public," she said. "With every situation like my case, it's really frightens people." Pushkareva said she left Russia in 2013 out of concerns the country was increasingly less democratic. Still, she was shocked by Moscow's decision a year ago to invade Ukraine, which she has protested in Ottawa. "My personal feeling was that it was getting worse, and now it's so sad to witness that it is getting much worse," she said. "It's important that Canadians know that we exist, that there are Russians who have a different opinion from the opinion of (President) Vladimir Putin and the Russian government." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2023. Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press Hong Kong: Structural safety of railway ensured The works of a private development project in Chai Wan have been suspended after upheaving recorded at checkpoints on a footbridge connecting Chai Wan MTR Station exceeded the limit, the Government said today. The Mass Transit Railway Corporation reported on February 1 that while the grouting works for the excavation and lateral support works of the private development project at 18 Lee Chung Street in Chai Wan were being carried out, upheaving of 24 to 33 mm was recorded at five monitoring checkpoints installed on the MTRC's footbridge connecting Ning Foo Street and Chai Wan MTR Station. The pre-set trigger level for works suspension is 20mm. In the interest of safety, the Buildings Department deployed staff to inspect the affected footbridge on the same day and confirmed that it is structurally safe. The Electrical & Mechanical Services Department reviewed the monitoring data submitted by the MTRC in relation to the safe operation of the railway and confirmed that the condition of the railway fulfils the operational safety requirements. The Government pointed out that the works concerned have not affected the structural safety of railway facilities and safe operation of the railway. Both departments and the MTRC will continue to closely monitor the situation to ensure the structural safety of railway facilities and the railway's safe operation. it added. While the works of the development project have been suspended, the Buildings Department and the MTRC requested the registered building professionals responsible for the project to formulate mitigation measures and adopt a construction method that would alleviate possible effects on the railway facilities. Upon receipt of the proposed mitigation measures or amendment plans of the development project and application for resumption of works, the Buildings Department will vigorously scrutinise the proposals with a view to ensuring the structural safety of railway facilities, including consulting the MTRC and other relevant government departments. The Electrical & Mechanical Services Department will also confirm that the MTRC has put in place stringent monitoring measures to ensure the safety of the railway operation. Moreover, if the registered building professionals propose that the pre-set trigger level for works suspension be revised, the Buildings Department will consider the proposal having regard to the circumstances after consulting the MTRC and other relevant government departments. Once an agreement is reached concerning the application for the resumption of works, the Buildings Department and the Electrical & Mechanical Services Department will make an announcement about the decision. This story has been published on: 2023-02-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. JUNEAU A man listed as a violent sex offender, who was released in Dodge County recently, has now been moved out of state following the termination of his housing and employment. According to a press release from the Dodge County Sheriffs Office, the sheriffs office put out a notice for Derrick Brooks release on Tuesday. Brooks was residing at the AmeriVu Inn and Suites in Lomira and was also employed by Kreilkamp Trucking, who manages AmeriVu Inn and Suites. Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt spoke on the phone to the management of both on Thursday and was told that Brooks employment and residential accommodations were terminated. Brooks was provided transportation back to New York at about noon on Wednesday, which was about 24 hours after the sheriff notified the company about Brooks status as a registered sex offender. Schmidt said he was told by Kreilkamp Trucking that they were shocked to learn that Brooks passed a background check conducted by a contracted service of the trucking industry. After receiving notice of Brooks criminal activity in the state of New York, Kreilkamp Trucking contacted their background service to find out why these offenses had slipped through the cracks and not been discovered, according to the press release from the sheriffs office. They learned that New York and California forbid an employer from asking a prospective employee if they are a convicted felon during the hiring process. They further learned that to obtain information regarding criminal history in New York, a $95 fee is charged. In Wisconsin, this charge is $7. As a result, Kreilkamp Trucking made a hiring decision to hire an individual based on incomplete information, which was provided to them by their contracted service, according to the press release. Kreilkamp Trucking assured the sheriff that their background process has been immediately adjusted and they will be taking steps to ensure nothing like this occurs again in the future. The sheriff commended Kreilkamp Trucking and AmeriVu Inn and Suites for their swift action in correcting the oversight and for independently taking it upon themselves to investigate and take action. Strong emotions came out Wednesday as the Legislature returned to debate over prison overcrowding and criminal justice reform, offering reminders of why the issues have been so difficult in recent years for lawmakers to resolve. Members of the Legislatures Judiciary Committee heard from the families of inmates calling for a second chance for people who committed crimes as young adults. They heard pushback against changes in criminal sentences from prosecutors and crime victims, including the mother of a woman recently shot and killed in Omaha. And the chairman of the committee spoke passionately at the end about the heavy weight he carried after he and members of the panel earlier in the day had toured the Nebraska State Penitentiary. Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha talked of how he recognized the faces of numerous people he had grown up with in North Omaha who landed in prison because of school failure and a lack of opportunity and guidance. Children in his district today continue to follow that same path. Thats the burden I walk in here with every day, Wayne said. We have got to find the courage to stand up. ... Overall, weve got to move the ball forward. Wayne had been set off near the end of the hearing after listening to prosecutors argue in seemingly contradictory terms against changes to criminal sentencing laws. On one hand, they opposed efforts to limit the use of consecutive sentences, saying judges should have the discretion to decide when such sentences are appropriate. But prosecutors at the same time opposed limiting the use of mandatory minimum sentences, which tie the hands of judges. Such disagreements over sentencing changes are what last year derailed a data-driven effort to overhaul Nebraskas criminal justice system and reduce Nebraska's worst-in-the-nation prison overcrowding. With the Legislature and then-Gov. Pete Ricketts at loggerheads in 2021 over building a $270 million prison, the governor, lawmakers and the state judicial branch engaged with outside experts on a criminal justice reform study. The result of that process was a set of 21 reform proposals, 17 of which received consensus support from the study group. However, the proposals that didnt have consensus support included several changes to sentencing laws that the consultant working with the state found had the most potential to move the needle on Nebraskas inmate numbers. The failure of opposing sides to compromise on the sentencing changes in the end caused the entire package to fail last March. Wayne and Sen. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln, the lead opponent to the sentencing changes, had agreed to work together to negotiate a package of reforms this year. On Wednesday, the Judiciary Committee held hearings on two bills intended to serve as a starting point for those discussions, one from Wayne that included all of last years reform proposals and one from Geist that included only the consensus items. Once again, there was wide support for the consensus items, which included expanding the use of drug courts and other special courts that help offenders confront their problems and avoid prison. Bob Denton, the deputy administrator of adult probation in Nebraska, said such problem-solving courts are currently serving nearly 700 Nebraska offenders daily. And 84% of those who have gone through the program have remained crime-free for at least three years. More are needed, he said of the courts. There was also support for creating restrictive housing options short of returning to prison for those who fail while on parole. In such housing, they would receive counseling, education and other services deemed necessary. Its a starting point, and a good starting point, Spike Eickholt of ACLU of Nebraska said of LB50, Geists bill that includes the consensus items. But he encouraged lawmakers to go further. Figures last year showed the provisions of LB50 would have limited ability to slow Nebraskas projected prisoner growth. Based on current projections, even if Nebraska builds the new $270 million prison that remains on the table in Lincoln, the state still might need to build another prison before the decade is out. The hearing showed sentencing changes still wont be easy. At the heart of the debate was the balance between second chances and public safety. Scott Hiser spoke of the unique perspective hes gotten as a production supervisor for a private company that employs inmates in the state penitentiary. He said he works every day with men he knows have been reformed after committing crimes years earlier, when they were young and impulsive. But they have no hope of ever seeing the light of day or making good on that, he said. But sentencing changes were opposed by the mother of an Omaha woman who was shot and killed in November. Amber Woods said those behind the death of her 20-year-old daughter, Karly, had repeatedly cycled through the criminal justice system. The system failed her, and it failed our family and failed the criminals themselves, Woods said. The whole thing is a mess. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine and other prosecutors again spoke out against sentencing changes. Kleine said many of the reform ideas, including reduced drug crime penalties, have been tried in other places and just produced additional problems, including rising drug addiction. Geist said she wasnt opposed to second chances, but it also has to be done in a way that protects the public. That is our responsibility, he said. Wayne vowed to continue to work for something that can slow Nebraskas fastest-in-the-nation prison growth. We are going to work on a package we can move forward and all get behind, he said. Top Journal Star photos for January 2023 The people of the Wa ethnic group in southwest China's Yunnan Province have given themselves better lives by passing on their traditional ethnic culture. Photo shows an aerial view of the county seat of Ximeng Wa Autonomous County in Pu'er City, southwest China's Yunnan Province. [People's Daily Online/Hu Zunhui] Yan Tao, a man born in 1990 in Talang Village, Ximeng Wa Autonomous County in Pu'er City, Yunnan, left his hometown and went to east China's Hangzhou to join a performing arts company after graduating from middle school. People of the Wa ethnic group are talented at singing and dancing, according to Yan. Before leaving the village, Yan would often sing and dance together with his fellow villagers, which was when the seeds of ethnic culture began to take root in his mind. "Before I was 16, the furthest place I had been was the county seat of Ximeng. I was filled with curiosity about the outside world," said Yan. However, just after joining the performing arts company, he encountered many difficulties, such as mastering professional dance moves. "I love dancing. But then I found that learning it systematically was not easy. I spent hours practicing difficult dance moves and cried every time because the training was really intensive," Yan recalled. However, his efforts eventually paid off. After several years of practice, Yan was recognized by his company as a professional performer. "In 2012, I joined a performing arts company in Hunan Province and established a dance team specializing in promoting the traditional culture of the Wa ethnic group," said Yan. In 2019, he was promoted to supervisor by the company. Photo shows a stage photo of an opera show about the Wa ethnic group. [People's Daily Online/Hu Zunhui] As he had always wanted to help his villagers find jobs and promote the culture of the Wa ethnic group, Yan returned to his village at the end of 2019 and recruited more than 20 local villagers to join his dance team. Yan said the local government helped him by providing dance training for the villagers, which laid a solid foundation for their future development. After the training, the more than 20 villagers joined Yan's performing arts company, giving each member a monthly base salary of 5,500 yuan ($818). "The county government also offered us financial support and gave us transportation allowances and incentives as we would work outside the county, which helped us a lot," Yan said. Before 2019, the government of the Ximeng Wa Autonomous County had released a series of policies to promote labor transfer in rural areas, and saw this as a task of great importance. Photo shows a stage photo of an opera show about the Wa ethnic group. [People's Daily Online/Hu Zunhui] "The care and support from the government injected energy into us," said Yan. Nowadays, Yan and his fellow villagers are living prosperous lives as a result of their hard work and perseverance. "We've not only broadened our horizons, but also mastered many skills required to become prosperous. I hope that I can contribute to the development of my hometown," the man said. The cultural industry in the village, including its music, dance, food and clothes, are distinctive elements of the Wa ethnic group that hold great appeal for tourists, Yan said. "It was the culture of the Wa ethnic group that we depended on to build a career over the past years," said Yan, adding that in the New Year, his biggest wish is to continue to promote the Wa culture. (Source: People's Daily Online) Jiao Lulai, a member of the Lingchuan County Blind People Folk Art Publicity Troupe, sings during a performance in Lingchuan, Shanxi Province. [Xinhua/Zhan Yan] Group of Blind Artists Dedicated to Serving Party and People Wang Wenjie, who was born unable to see, began studying at the Lingchuan County Blind People Folk Art Publicity Troupe in Shanxi Province eight years ago at the tender age of 8. Since then, the teen has mastered several musical instruments. He has learned a great deal about music and culture and dreams of becoming a pianist one day. His teacher, Song Xuemin, is a 38-year-old musician who was one of the first students to study with the troupe and now serves as its deputy director. "In 1995, I was one of eight children who came to join the troupe," Song said. "Hou Songsuo, the then troupe leader, started a Braille class to ensure we didn't suffer from illiteracy the way our teachers had." After studying for eight years, Song was admitted to the Shanxi Special Education Secondary Professional School in Taiyuan to study massage in 2003. After graduating, he turned down a position as a masseur in the provincial capital and returned to the rural troupe. Thanks to the support of the local government, the Braille class has become the county's calling card. Some 200 children have benefited, and 20 of them have gone on to higher level institutions. "I believe everyone has a mission and a path. And in the world of music, I have found mine," Wang said. Members of the troupe study Braille. [Xinhua/Zhan Yan] The troupe was originally founded 76 years ago by 24 blind artists, and its members performed much like the minstrels and traveling storytellers of the time. "It was the Communist Party of China that liberated us from the old ways. We should repay the Party's kindness and contribute to its work," troupe member Bai Lu said. "The early founders often told us that although we were unable to see, we could speak, so we could also act as Party messengers and perform stories about its policies for the people." Supported by government subsidies, the troupe has spent the last three-quarters of a century helping the county government communicate with residents, who are spread across a vast, mountainous area. The dozens of performers who are part of the troupe are all local, so they know the most effective way to get the government's messages across. During its existence, the troupe has faithfully presented the Party's line, principles and policies across an area of 1,700 square kilometers in Lingchuan, and has brought vigor to the cultural life of mountain villages. They have devised an estimated 15,000 programs, staged 120,000 performances, covered more than 400,000 km and reached an audience of 25 million. The troupe stages a show at the lookout on the Taihang Mountains in Shanxi Province. [China Daily] Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the troupe had performed online to keep residents alert to fresh resurgences and to urge them to follow COVID-19 protocols, sharing epidemic prevention and control policies and information with the public for most of the last three years. Although they weren't performing live, the troupe's livestreamed performances gave them access to even wider audiences. Song said that since the day the troupe was founded, it has lived hand-to-mouth, with every penny having to be split into two halves when it was spent. "Thrift, hard work and the tradition of simplicity continue today," Song said. "We all live simple but meaningful lives. Serving the Party and the people is more meaningful than making money." (Source: China Daily) Photo shows colorful lanterns displayed at a palace lantern museum in Tuntou Village, Gaocheng District of Shijiazhuang City, north China's Hebei Province. [People's Daily Online/Zhou Bo] Every October, villagers from Tuntou Village in Gaocheng District of Shijiazhuang City, north China's Hebei Province, start to make red lanterns for Spring Festival decorations, as orders roll in one after another. The Gaocheng palace lantern originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), and is an intangible cultural heritage item in Hebei. These days, it is a pillar industry that allows local villagers to increase their incomes. A villager demonstrates how to make a red lantern at a palace lantern museum in Tuntou Village, Gaocheng District of Shijiazhuang City, north China's Hebei Province. [People's Daily Online/Zhou Bo] According to Bai Liwei, the Party branch secretary of Tuntou Village, there are over 1,100 lantern factories in the village, and annual sales of red lanterns in the village have surpassed 100 million pairs. A palace lantern production base covering more than 10 surrounding villages has been established in the locality, and Tuntou Village is at the center. More than 70,000 people are involved in the business. Traditional palace lanterns are handmade, and the manufacturing techniques are complex, involving nearly 60 steps. Tuntou Village has built a complete industrial chain to boost manufacturing efficiency. Inside the village's palace lantern museum, more than 200 types of palace lanterns are on display. Here, tourists can learn to make palace lanterns and deeply immerse themselves in the local lantern culture. Bai Junping, a villager from Tuntou Village, examines a large red lantern. [People's Daily Online/Shen Yaxin] Bai Junping, a 69-year-old lantern maker in Tuntou Village, was preparing to deliver a big palace lantern with a diameter of 6 meters to a client. "Everyone can make red lanterns here in the village, and I must improve my skills by continuing to learn so that my lanterns can be more exquisitely made and then sold at higher prices," he said. "My daughter promotes our lanterns online and I make the lanterns. These lanterns were booked by clients ahead of the Spring Festival," Bai explained. The development of the red lantern industry in Tuntou Village has been accelerated through e-commerce, allowing them to be sold through more sales channels and become known by more people. (Source: People's Daily Online) The February chill in the air ushers in the hustle and bustle of Downtown Carlisles 7th Annual Ice Art Fest. A weekend full of frozen works of art will line the streets to admire and snap a selfie. It also is the opening weekend of the exhibition Ice Box at the Penny Gallery on Pomfret Street. In its second year, the show features works of art that vary in subject matter, material, form and aesthetic; the only requirement is that it fits in a 4-inch Plexiglas display ice cube. The gallery walls are lined with uniform display boxes that are at first glance a minimalists dream, but as one walks throughout the gallery, the details, complexities and diversity shine. From ceramic and sculpture to fiber and watercolor, the spectrum of artistic media is represented in all of their miniature glory. Some of the finest details can be found in Eden Kings watercolor paintings. Colorful landscapes lose none of their beauty being presented in less than four inches. The trio presented by King In Spring, In Summer and In Fall capture the changing seasons of the forest and waterway. The evolving seasonal palettes of the leaves will please any foliage watcher. Nestled easily within its ice box is Fran Pipers Painted Duck Egg. Much like the historic Faberge eggs, the egg is painted with acrylic paint to have a dark base and jewel-tone decoration. Meticulous and symmetrical designs adorn the egg; elevating the concept of a decorated Easter egg into a true work of fine art. Ceramics seem to be a perfect fit for the theme of the show and are indeed its core. In fact, the inspiration for the Ice Box show comes from a similar exhibition by a Philadelphia ceramic studio. A plethora of ceramic pieces are encased in the display cubes; cups, bowls, plates and vases are all scaled down to meet the design requirements. Rachel Engs Bloom is a porcelain sculpture that resembles a floral blossom. The sprouting petals extend upward encasing the form. The wintry, stark white porcelain color allows the features to be the focus of the piece, which gives it an icy feel. Also using an icy color are the Winter Prep Bowls of carved porcelain by Janelle Hoch. The three mini-nesting bowls are stacked neatly and still fit within the confines of the Ice Box. The expertly shaped bowls each have carved decoration on their surfaces, to make them all the more eye-catching. Liminal Plate by K. Olson is a porcelain plate resting on its side with its display box. The tilt allows the viewer an easy view of the darkened lines and circles that adorn the white plate with black symmetrical decoration calling to mind an art deco influence. Pat Craig has two pieces whose boxes rest atop revolving pedestals. Inside, black-and-white photographs are paired with strategically placed mirrors that allow the contents to appear larger than they are. We Are All Just Prisoners of Our Device and Grandelusions of Life uses photos of mannequins poised with mirrored surfaces, which create optical illusions of depth and size. It is a most creative use of the minimal space, asking the question is it bigger on the inside? A cast bronze sculpture by Anthony Cervino, titled Vessel Study #3, looks like a relic unearthed from an archaeological dig. Cervinos work often draws inspiration from found objects, which leads him to re-create them in unique materials. Its shape calls to mind a ceramic pitcher, but instead, the cast bronze lends true weight to the sculpture. Devera Lang has filled her Plexiglass display box with a mixed media creation titled Icetopus, a glistening icelike sculpture. Using clear materials atop a mirrored base, Langs whimsical octopus creature looks like it could be placed outdoors with the other ice sculptures. Using minimal blue-green colored accents to define the shapes, Icetopus pays homage to the Ice Art Fest weekend theme in the best possible way. Some media easily lend themselves to the small-scale requirements of the Ice Box exhibition; many of the ceramic cups and bowls fit nicely into the display boxes. Yet other entries definitely forced the artists to re-imagine the scope and scale of their work. A painting smaller than the palm of your hand or a fiber piece filling a three-dimensional block instead of hanging on a wall made artists think differently, and create differently; and that alone makes the Ice Box exhibition unique and worth the visit. Ice Box is on exhibit through Feb. 28 at the Penny Gallery at The Pond. The Pond Artist Studios & Penny Gallery is at 32 W. Pomfret St., Carlisle. For Ice Art Fest Weekend the gallery will be open for extended hours, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Regular gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. For more information call 717-245-0382. Photos: 2022 UPMC Ice Art Fest ribbon-cutting Law enforcement authorities say 36-year-old Benjamin Obadiah Foster shot himself Tuesday and later died at a hospital, just hours after police discovered him hiding in the crawlspace of a home where two men were found slain. Cumberland County commissioners Wednesday allocated $188,400 in opioid settlement money for a county prison program to provide Vivitrol to inmates with an opiate or alcohol addiction. Last year, the county received two payments totaling $958,000 from multistate settlements involving three distributors and one manufacturer of opioids, said Jack Carroll, executive director of the Cumberland Perry Drug and Alcohol Commission. Carroll has recommended that any money from this and other settlements be channeled first to existing programs that were started using temporary grant or time-limited funding to address the opioid health crisis. In mid-December 2016, then-Gov. Tom Wolf announced that Cumberland County was among 13 counties selected to pilot a non-narcotic medication assisted substance abuse treatment in its prison. That program allowed county prisons and their health care providers to buy and administer Vivitrol to inmates with addictions. This medication blocks opioids from acting on the receptors in the brain and can also help ease opiate and alcohol cravings, Carroll said in December 2016. At the time, the county was awarded a $215,601 state grant that provided monthly injections for roughly 30 people for a year. Most recently, the county has relied on grant funding from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to continue the program over past three and a half years. There is some urgency, Carroll said Wednesday. Within a month, it [the program] will run out of money. We originally projected that the remaining PCCD funds will get us into March, maybe April, but the second quarter report saw a bump up in the number of injections covered by the grant (and) that made us realize that we need to bring this to the commissioners. We have seen some significant progress and a diminishing of overdose fatalities, he said. There were 38 opioid-related deaths in 2022. That is still far too many, but we are moving in the right direction. Were not saying the prison program is the sole reason for the decrease. We have implemented a whole host of strategies as part of a multipronged approach. In January 2016, The Sentinel reported that people with recent criminal charges were more than 100 times more likely to die of an overdose in 2015 than the general population. That was based on an analysis by the newspaper of court and coroner records. That report was among the factors that prompted the county to address the crisis through the prison program. Then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro represented Pennsylvania in two multistate opioid settlements, Carroll said. One settlement requires distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen to pay $21 billion to the states over 18 years. The other settlement requires manufacturer Johnson & Johnson to pay $5 billion over nine years. Pennsylvanias share of the settlements is projected to be $1.07 billion of which 70% will go to Pennsylvania counties, 15% will be retained by state government and 15% will be distributed among municipal and county governments that have previously filed their own lawsuits against the litigants, Carroll said. Since Cumberland County qualifies under both the 70% and 15% categories, it is projected to receive an estimated $9.3 million from the two opioid settlements, Carroll said. The first two payments were received in late August and late December 2022 for a total of $958,000. The commissioners Wednesday allocated $188,440 in settlement funds, leaving a balance from 2022 of about $769,560. No decisions have been made on how to distribute that money. We have 18 payments across 17 years, Carroll told the commissioners Wednesday. My suggestion is we look at this as a 17-year funding stream and come up with an average for the 17 years and use that as our budget. Since the payments are bound to fluctuate, any amount received above the average could be placed into a reserve fund to cover shortfalls in other years, Carroll said. While some Pennsylvania counties are committing settlement funds, others are taking a wait-and-see approach for clearer guidelines from the trust handling the settlement funds, he said. 2023 #APhotoADay in Cumberland County Kentucky State Police Post 1 is searching for this man, suspected of stealing heavy equipment from a Mayfield business and selling it in Arkansas. Troopers say they've identified the man as 19-year-old James E. Slaughter of Blytheville, Arkansas. On January 26, less than a month before a February 19 increase in the minimum wage was set to take effect for tens of thousands of Michigan workers, the Michigan Appeals Court blocked the increase by upholding a 2018 adopt and amend maneuver of the state legislature, then under Republican control. Michigan Supreme Court & Courts of Appeals building. [Photo: State of Michigan/Michigan Courts] This was an effort by the Republicans to prevent two ballot propositions from being voted on in a statewide referendum. The first was to raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour by January 1, 2022, as well as eliminate the lower minimum wage for tipped workers. The second was to require employers with at least 10 employees to offer at least seven paid sick days per year to these workers (with nine days for larger employers). Supporters of these two ballot propositions, backed by unions and anti-poverty groups, had succeeded in collecting hundreds of thousands of signatures to place the two measures on the November 6, 2018 ballot. They were expected to pass by overwhelming margins, and the Democratic Party supported the ballot drive as well, expecting to benefit from the increased voter turnout. To forestall this outcome, the Republican-controlled legislature passed the language of the two petitions as laws (adopt). After Election Day passed, they then gutted both measures, pushing back the minimum wage increase from 2022 to 2030, blocking any change in the status of tipped workers, and exempting all employers with fewer than 50 workers from the sick-leave requirement (amend). Prior to this action, adopt and amend had been limited to cases where the legislature adopted the text of a ballot initiative as law and made minor technical changes. The Republican legislature used it to rewrite the law entirely and defeat its purpose. The groups set up to spearhead the petition drive, including Mothering Justice, Michigan One Fair Wage, and Michigan Time to Care, filed suit, thus diverting any struggle by the working class against poverty wages into the capitalist court system, where the matter languished for several years. It is notable that the language of the original petition in 2017 included Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA), something which was once a standard feature of union contracts but, with the transformation of the unions into outright company police forces, has become unfamiliar to an entire generation: A petition to initiate legislation to increase the minimum wage to $10 per hour on January 1, 2019; to $10.65 per hour on January 1, 2020; to $11.35 per hour on January 1, 2021 and $12 per hour on January 1, 2022; to annually adjust the minimum wage based on the change in the cost of living; to require that gratuities are to be retained by the employee who receives them except as voluntarily shared; and to gradually increase the minimum wage in steps for employees who receive tips or gratuities until it is the same as the minimum wage for other employees. The proposal if adopted would supersede 2014 Public Act 138. If not enacted by the Michigan State Legislature in accordance with the Michigan Constitution of 1963, the proposal is to be voted on at the November 6, 2018 general election. [emphasis added] The original initiative target of $12.00 by 2022 was a paltry increase from the previous minimum wage of $10.10 an hour and would have done nothing to raise workers out of poverty. At $10.10 an hour a worker would make $20,200 if they worked 40 hours a week for 50 weeks before taxes. At $12 an hour they would make only $24,000. This is far below the $27,750 US federal poverty level for a family of four in 2022. On July 22, 2022 Michigan Court of Claims Judge Douglas Shapiro sided with the plaintiffs against the State of Michigan. Shapiro agreed that the 2018 legislative sleight-of-hand was undemocratic. In his ruling he stated: The Court heard the motions on June 27, 2022. For the reasons discussed herein, the Court concludes that the adopt-and-amend strategy the Legislature used to enact 2018 PA 368 and 2018 PA 369 was unconstitutional. Article 2, 9 grants the Legislature three options to address a law proposed through the initiative processenact the law, reject the law, or propose an alternative. Article 2, 9 does not permit the Legislature to adopt a proposed law and, in the same legislative session, substantially amend or repeal it. Were the Court to adopt the states argument, it would mean that anytime a simple majority of the Legislature opposed the content of an initiative, it could, by legislative sleight-of-hand, prevent the initiative from ever becoming law without ever allowing the People to vote on it. This would plainly violate Article 2, 9 of our Constitution, which reserves such power to the People. Judge Shapiros ruling appeared to overturn this undemocratic bait and switch maneuver carried out behind the backs and against the will of the population. However, the state legislature, still under Republican control, appealed the ruling to the Michigan Court of Appeals. The three-judge Michigan Court of Appeals included Michael Kelly, Michael Riordan, and Christopher Murray, a contributor to the Federalist Society. They ruled that the 2018 Republican-controlled Michigan Legislature had the constitutional authority to adopt the pair of petition initiatives and amend their respective policies, preventing the initiatives from going to the ballot that November. Judge Kelly joined in the ruling, yet was forced to acknowledge that it was entirely undemocratic. He wrote in a separate two-page concurring opinion: As noted by Judge MURRAY, the only issue before us is to determine whether the procedure known as adopt and amend passes muster under our state constitution. I concur with the majority that it does. Although this procedure is permissible under the language of our constitution, this ployadopting an initiative into law so as to prevent it from going onto the ballot and then promptly and substantially amending that law in a manner that has left it essentially defangedis anti-democratic. I cannot believe that this drastic action is what the drafters of our constitution even contemplated, let alone intended. If the individuals responsible for this maneuver ever wonder why public opinion polls consistently cast politicians low when it comes to the virtue of trust, they need look no further than what they did here. It is a direct assault on one of the rights our founding fathers and the drafters of our state constitution held dear: the right of the citizens to petition their government. When the history of this legislature is written, it is difficult to imagine anybody saying that this was their finest hour. To the relief of Michigan employers, there will be no pay raises on February 19. The case is now expected to go to the Michigan Supreme Court. Under conditions of unprecedented and staggering inequality, the ruling class and the courts cannot abide even the most minimal reforms, in this case the raising of the minimum wage to a level that workers still cannot afford to live on. And because such reforms, and much more substantial ones, have broad popular support, they resort to the most undemocratic and unscrupulous methods. Numerous news outlets and policy institutions have declared their opposition to plans released by the Department of Education (DOE) to update its Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE) student loan repayment program, claiming they would give too much to student debtors, many of whom are saddled with debts entirely disproportionate to their ability to pay. Under the proposed changes to REPAYE, student loan borrowers would enroll in an Income Driven Repayment (IDR) plan where they would pay 5 percent of their discretionary income above 225 percent of the federal poverty line ($30,600 a year) each month. This is a change from 10 percent of discretionary income above 150 percent of the poverty line in the existing plan, meaning that a person making $50,000 a year would pay around $1,000 a year. Most significant of the proposed changes is that the federal government will waive any interest if the monthly payments are not enough to cover it, and those making below 225 percent of the poverty line will not be required to make payments. Additionally, those with loans below $12,000 in total will be eligible for loan forgiveness after 10 years of payments, with an extra year added per $1,000 up to a maximum of 20 years for undergraduate loans and 25 years for graduate loans. The DOE expects the changes to save a typical borrower around $2,000 a year. The proposed changes will go through a 30-day public comment period and the DOE hopes to implement them later this year. If imposed, the changes to REPAYE could reduce the monthly payment burden for many student loan borrowers. However, the promise of student loan forgiveness is far less likely. Only 32 people have ever had the remainder of their student loans forgiven after participating in an IDR. This is largely due to the sheer size of loans and interest, but also a scandal involving several federal contractors who failed to record student loan payments, meaning millions of people do not know how much they have paid off or how much remains. Despite its limitations, the program has prompted commentators from liberal and conservative media outlets and think tanks alike to criticize the plan for being too generous and raise concerns over its economic effects. The Washington Postseditorial board argued that the plan would pose some big risks for taxpayers and even the borrowers themselves, and that it would amount to a huge new subsidy for higher education that Congress never specifically approved. Lamenting that borrowers may not pay back the full amount of their loan, the Post declared, This would represent a shift in philosophy on debt forgiveness, from viewing it as a safety net for those who fall into financial distress to an entitlement for most undergraduate borrowers. Because the new program would be so generous, it would create a strong incentive to borrow, which could encourage more students to take on debt rather than pay for their education out-of-pocket. The Post continues to argue that the plan circumvents Congress and that the Biden administration is ignoring the spirit of the law. Phil Kerpen, president of American Commitment, a right-wing policy organization, argued that the plan was morally unjustifiable and complained that the plan would enable low income borrowers to reduce their total payments. Bidens new plan to force taxpayers to pay for other peoples college is as legally and morally bankrupt as his old planand may prove even more expensive. . . . Even for undergraduate programs, the heftiest subsidies go to the lowest paying fields, where students can get a free ride because their future earnings will never be high enough to make payments. Another commentary by the Wall Street Journals editorial board claimed that the plan created perverse incentives to raise tuition and would encourage students to pursue less marketable degrees. Why not indulge your interest in film noir or take an extra year to finish when you wont have to pay any more as a result? the editorial asked in a sneering tone. The Journal ended the article with a call on the Supreme Court to intervene and rule that only Congress can cancel student debt. Common themes emerge in these articles. All argue that the plan will hurt taxpayers and many complain that the Biden administration is overstepping its executive authority, if not by failing to follow the law then by abusing its spirit. Also common is the complaint that the plan would disproportionately benefit borrowers who make poverty wages or those who are already well off, some arguing that the plan would do both at the same time. Such criticisms traverse party lines, with conservative and liberal voices making almost identical arguments. David Freddoso, online opinion editor for the right-wing Washington Examiner, called the proposed changes a scam and argued that those with college degrees are the most privileged people in America. With the Founders Library in the background, a young man reads on Howard University's Washington, D.C. campus, July 6, 2021. [AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin] Echoing this sentiment, the Brookings Institution, a liberal policy think-tank aligned with the Democratic Party, published an article by economist Adam Looney who called student loan forgiveness regressive and heavily criticized the proposed changes to REPAYE. Central to Looneys complaints was that the program would subsidize low-quality, low-value, low-earning programs and benefit already wealthy borrowers by promising eventual debt forgiveness. Want a free ride to college? he asks, You can have one, but only if you study cosmetology, liberal arts, or drama, preferably at a for-profit school. Want to be a nurse, an engineer, or major in computer science or math? Youll have to pay full price (especially at the best programs in each field). He proceeds to complain that the plan would ruin accountability programs for degree programs that produce low earnings and argues that students could abuse the plan by taking out large loans to pay for living expenses that they would never pay back. There are two core complaints among the voices of the upper-middle class here: 1) the changes to the plan will be too generous and cost taxpayers too much, and 2) they will subsidize low value degrees in the arts and humanities. Looney repeatedly states a fear that under the changes institutions will have an incentive to create valueless programs and aggressively recruit students into those programs with promises they will be free under an IDR plan. Underlying these complaints is a complete disdain for the arts and humanities and a desire to gut higher education of any program that does not produce the greatest value for the capitalist class. Preston Cooper, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, said, If students are unable to pay back their loans in full, maybe the programs that they attended are not something that the federal government should be funding. The demand is clear: If any relief is to be given to student loan borrowers it must be done on the condition that funding for higher education be slashed and that students be pushed into high value programs, measured only by the amount of a students paycheck and ability to generate profit. This is in conflict with certain financial interests concerned by the ballooning student debt crisis and its effects on a potential recession. Nearly 1 million people default on their loans every year and millions of people struggle financially due to the burden of student debt. According to Education Data, 18 percent of student debt holders find it difficult to afford basic necessities because of debt payments, and one out of seven food stamp recipients and 24 percent of Medicaid recipients hold a college degree. For some in the financial oligarchy limited student debt reform is worth the cost to avoid a collapse in consumer spending. Regardless of which faction wins out on student debt relief, nothing will be done to reduce the exorbitant cost of higher education. The average cost of tuition and living expenses for a four-year public college degree is around $100,000 and the average debt held by students is $37,000, saddling many with debt repayments for a lifetime. Even if the plan is implemented, it will not address the crisis of skyrocketing higher education costs, nor will it handle the demands of the financial oligarchy to gut federal funding for education at all levels. While hundreds of billions of dollars are spent on the military each year, even more money must be made available for the waging of imperialist war. The WSWS and the Socialist Equality Party hold that education is a fundamental social right for all people. All student loan debt must be abolished, and the vast riches of the capitalist class expropriated to provide high quality education to all, free of charge. The value of an education cannot be measured in dollars, but by total economic, social and cultural enrichment that it provides to a society. Capitalism cannot appreciate, let alone provide, education as a social good. Only the abolition of the capitalist system and the building of a socialist society, based on social need and not private profit, can accomplish such a task. Amidst a major escalation of the war in Ukraine by NATO, the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has begun cracking down on refuseniks, or deserting soldiers, as bloody fighting continues with Russian forces for control of Bakhmut. Under the newly signed law draft Law 8271, soldiers directly disobeying an order, threatening a senior officer with violence or deserting ones unit would face five to 10 years in prison. Convictions of desertion in the face of fire will carry a minimum of five and a maximum of 12 years in prison. The law enforcing stricter penalties on soldiers convicted of abandoning fighting positions or defying their commanders was initially ratified by the Ukrainian parliament in December and publicly supported by the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhny. Zaluzhnyan admirer of the far-right fascist hero Stepan Banderacomplained at the time that Ukrainian soldiers could theoretically flee an assigned position or defy a commander and face little more than a 10 percent deduction from his military salary. Earlier in December, Andrey Marochko, an officer with the Russian-backed Lugansk Peoples Republic (LPR), had alleged an increase in desertion rates among Ukrainian forces. There have been increasingly more saboteurs and people deserting their positions [in the special operation zone], as well as more wrangling with commanders and hazing. Incidents of taking drugs and alcohol have also increased. Besides, social tensions have grown sharply in Ukraine, Marochko said. While Marochko certainly has a strategic incentive to make such statements, the introduction of the law shortly thereafter lends credence to his remarks. Zelensky signed the law on January 25 despite widespread criticism from Ukrainian citizens and soldiers who rightfully view the Ukrainian justice system as corrupt and controlled by the wealthy. Following the initial introduction of the law in December, an electronic petition appeared calling for Zelensky to veto the proposal and quickly gathered the necessary 25,000 signatures for Zelenskys consideration. According to the author of the petition, Tetiana Kostohryzenko, the command will gain leverage to blackmail and punish the military with prison for almost any criticism of their decisions, even if the decisions are incompetent and based on unsuccessful combat management. A total of 34,941 Ukrainians signed the petition leading up to Zelenskys signing of the law. Despite the appeal garnering the necessary signatures for an official response from the presidents office, Zelensky completely ignored public opposition and signed the bill into law anyway. According to Ukrainian media outlets such as the Kyiv Post, Zaluzhny, who maintains extremely close ties to the US military, is widely viewed as a potential rival to Zelensky in the upcoming 2024 presidential elections. A Zelensky veto of the measure could have potentially undermined his own support within the Ukrainian military and the United States government. The law is clearly intended to bolster the Ukrainian military commands control over its troops as it is nearing a very active phase of the war with intense operations expected at the front in February and March, according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense. Speaking to the Freedom channel, Andrii Yusov, representative of the Chief Intelligence Directorate, revealed that the Ukrainian military foresaw a difficult situation developing at the front due to a Russian offensive and is counting on further weapons shipments from the West as the war escalates in the coming months. Yusovs comments essentially suggest that thousands or more Ukrainian and Russian soldiers will lose their lives in an imperialist-backed war with no peaceful resolution in sight. While both Ukrainian and Western officials have attempted to hide the scale of death within the military, Ukrainian casualties likely equal or exceed Russian losses. In November, US General Mark Milley nonchalantly revealed that 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed or wounded in just eight months of fighting while speaking at the Economic Club of New York City. You are looking at well over 100,000 Russian soldiers killed and wounded, Milley said. Same thing probably on the Ukrainian side. Milley speaks regularly with his Ukrainian counterpart Zaluzhny and is well aware of the mass casualties taking place on the battlefield as the US government continues to escalate its direct involvement in the war. The drive to crack down on evaders is also taking place as videos of the forced mobilization of Ukrainian men have spread on social media. In one video a man is shown being grabbed in an apartment by two men dressed in military clothing, while a small child intervenes. While such videos are denounced by the Ukrainian government as fakes, they correspond with reports of haphazard and arbitrary forced mobilization over the previous summer and fall. Such reports were even taken up by the New York Times, which admitted at the time, Recruiters approach young men on the street, but the standards are not always clear, and there are reports of unwilling men being signed up while some eager to fight are turned away. Approximately 2,500 cases of draft dodging have been opened so far in Ukraine during the war with 400 indictments. The bloody police-state repression unleashed on the Peruvian workers and youth by the regime of Dina Boluarte, which was installed in a US- and EU-backed coup, is again exposing Spains ruling pseudo-left party, Podemos. Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias, January 13, 2020. [AP Photo/Manu Fernandez] Protests have continued for seven weeks since the installation of the Boluarte regime, which has responded with a bloody crackdown. Mass arrests are underway. More than 60 people have been killed, including minors, and nearly 1,000 injured as the Peruvian regime unleashes police armed with tear gas, rubber bullets, and armored vehicles on protesters. Spains Socialist Party (PSOE)-Podemos coalition government is firmly on the side of the coup against the Peruvian workers. Last week, Podemos lawmaker and first secretary of parliament, Gerardo Pisarello, publicly insisted his government was shocked and dismayed by the violence in Peru. He declared: I cannot begin my speech on foreign policy without first expressing our deep concern about the repressive violence that has been unleashed against the civilian population in Peru in recent weeks. He called on the Government of Dina Boluarte to end the repression and persecution of community leaders, and ensure Peruvians legitimate right to protest. This was a cynical and lying exercise in political damage control, after Amnesty International issued a report showing that the Peruvian regime was using riot control equipment sold to it by the PSOE and Podemos to crack down on Peruvian workers and youth. Amnesty International estimates that between 2017 and June 2022, the PSOE-Podemos government exported millions of euros worth in arms to Peru, including 4.7 million in light arms, 2.4 million worth of ammunition and close to 1 million in riot control weapons. Over the same period, it issued licences authorising the export of 184 million in arms to Peru, of which about 40 million were riot control material. This was when the PSOE and Podemos were in power, first in a PSOE-led minority government backed by Podemos from 2018 to January 2020, and in a coalition government since then. The WSWS reported in 2021 that the PSOE Podemos-government is a leading exporter in police and riot gear as the global financial aristocracy faces mass social opposition to its policies of austerity, militarism and malign neglect in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. These weapons are now being used against workers in Peru. Amnesty International has requested the suspension of these exports in a letter addressed to the Spanish Secretary of State for Commerce, Xiana Margarida Mendez. It requests thatin accordance with the Arms Trade Treaty, which obliges not to authorise exports when there is a substantial risk of serious human rights violationsthe PSOE-Podemos government should revoke authorisation of exports of lethal and anti-riot material. This letter has been ignored. The export of riot control material under Podemos was not an oversight or a passing error of this pseudo-left party. Indeed, Podemos placed calls for the mass export of lethal weaponry to military dictatorships and right-wing regimes at the centre of its economic policies. In October 2020, Podemos Defence spokesman Roberto Uriarte spoke at the Information Defence Forum in parliament to call for export diversification and more research in the arms industry. The industry should not put all their eggs in one basket, he said. Instead, he added, The defence industry must base its growth on the diversification of its solutions and on the search for new markets abroad, so that the Ministry of Defence is not the only client of the weapons industry. Uriarte called on Spain to export arms to regimes around the world. We should not only sell [arms] in a monoculture fashion to the monarchies of the Persian Gulf, he said. Spain, he insisted, must implement public policies and facilitate the internationalisation of weapons sales. He called for investment in research and development, which requires long-term policies, little demagogy and a lot of sacrifice and dedication. Podemos acted on its call for a massive expansion of Spanish arms exports. Under Podemos, Spain climbed from the 11th-largest arms exporter worldwide in 2016 to the seventh in 2020a position it still has today. It only lags behind the major imperialist countries like the US, Britain, Germany and France and world powers such as Russia and China. Spains military-industrial complex is a pillar of its economy, employing 21,000 people and generating an annual turnover of 6.2 billion. In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic killed hundreds of thousands across Spain and Europe, the PSOE-Podemos government authorised weapons sales worth a record 22.5 billion. Amid NATOs rapidly-escalating war with Russia in Ukraine, Podemos is working to ramp up its arms sales. Spains arms industry is set for record profits after the PSOE-Podemos government passed its 2023 budget, with the largest increase in military spending in Spanish history. This spending will total over 12.8 billion next year, up from around 10 billion in 2022. This is in line with Madrids pledge to NATO to increase its defence budget to 2 percent of GDP by 2029. According to data from the Delas Center for Peace Studies, Madrids real military spendingwhich includes, besides the Ministry of Defence budget, other items of a military nature purchased by the Spanish governmentwill be 27 billion, or 75.7 million per day. A large portion of this spending, 4.9 billion, is allocated to special modernisation programmes, which mostly go to Spanish arms companies. The Barcelona-based daily La Vanguardia recently published an article titled Historic boost to the defence industry hailing the military escalation launched by Podemos. Arms manufacturers like Airbus, Navantia, GDELS-Santa Barbara and Indra are those, it wrote, that the PSOE-Podemos government wants to convert into the spearhead of a long-term country operation to strengthen the sector. For them there will be a shower of millions. It hailed the surge in state handouts to the arms manufacturers launched by Podemos, adding: The opportunity is unprecedented. Never before has the Spanish defence, security, aeronautics and space industry faced the challenge of growing and modernising with such a powerful contribution of state money. Podemos eagerness to export arms for state repression internationally was clearly bound up with its now well-established record of using such weapons against strikers in Spain itself. In November 2021, the PSOE-Podemos government sent police to fire pepper spray, tear gas and rubber bullets at striking Cadiz metalworkers, even deploying armoured cars in working class areas to terrorize the public. It launched the unprecedented deployment of 23,000 cops to break the April 2022 truckers strike, and of 20,000 police officers armed with 6,000 taser cartridges to crack down on protests against last Junes NATO summit. Abroad, by backing Boluarte in Lima, Podemos aims to safeguard continued extraction of Perus strategic mineral wealthespecially copper, zinc and liquefied natural gasand the corporate interests of Spanish banks BBVA and Banco Santander, and multinationals like Telefonica and Zara. Fundamental political lessons must be drawn from the anti-worker militarism of parties like Podemos that the ruling elites falsely promote as the left. The evolution of Podemos, since its foundation in 2014, is not the result of a tactical error or mistakes of its party leadership. Speaking for affluent, pro-imperialist layers of the middle class, Podemos pledged to build a broad left movement and effect democratic change through the Spanish capitalist state machine. This entailed using this machine to defend Spanish capitalisms financial and strategic interests against the working class. Police violence abroad and at home are the inevitable outcome of such bankrupt politics. Podemos support for police repression in Peru shows that building an international, revolutionary struggle against austerity, war and dictatorship depends on mobilising the working class against all the reactionary capitalist parties, especially left populist variants like Podemos. This is the critical lesson which must be drawn. The announcement last month that the Biden administration would send M1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine has set the stage for further demands for escalation through the provision of F-16 fourth-generation fighter aircraft. A familiar script is playing out. Months in advance of any public announcement, the Pentagon confirms it is working out plans to send a weapons system to the front. At the appropriate time, demands are placed simultaneously in the US press and by Ukrainian officials for the system in question. FILE - Two Polish Air Force Russian made Mig 29's fly above and below two Polish Air Force U.S. made F-16's fighter jets during the Air Show in Radom, Poland, on Aug. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz, File) The Biden administration declares it has no plans to send the weapon. Its reluctance is denounced in the press and by Republican and Democratic Party officials. Within a matter of weeks or months, the White House announces precisely the measure that it has previously ruled out, without any explanation of the reversal. This exercise in kabuki theater, repeated over and over, makes clear the extent to which the US civilian political leadership has become merely a means to package decisions made by the Pentagon to the broader public. This cycle has become a parody of itself, to the point where any statements of Americas civilian government about the limitations of military action are largely treated as meaningless. As Yuriy Sak, an adviser for Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, told Reuters, They didnt want to give us heavy artillery, then they did. They didnt want to give us Himars systems, then they did. They didnt want to give us tanks, now theyre giving us tanks. Apart from nuclear weapons, there is nothing left that we will not get. Commenting on this pattern, the New York Times wrote in an article published Wednesday, If the usual script plays out, the Biden administrations reluctance to provide the planes could be temporary. The newspaper continued, For Ukraine, the United States and its NATO allies, the playbook has now become standardized. First, Kyiv asks for an advanced weapons system. The Biden administration says no after months of hemming and hawing, the Biden administration says yes, and the gates to more weapons open. An article in the Washington Post Tuesday made the same point: President Bidens brusque refusal to fulfill Ukraines request for F-16 jets has been greeted with skepticism at the Pentagon, where some officials, citing the administrations pattern of reversal after first rejecting other pleas from Kyiv, foresee eventual approval or a scenario where American allies provide the aircraft with administration approval. In other words, despite Bidens categorical declaration that the United States will not send F-16 fighters to Ukraine, the decision to do so has already been made. Nothing remains but the working out of the political details within NATO and the launching of the media propaganda campaign of lies to sell the decision to a skeptical public. Plans to send advanced Western fighters 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. 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. Last week, ArmyINFORM, an information agency for Ukraines Ministry of Defense, reported that Ukrainian fighter pilots have already begun training in the United States, likely on the F-16. Our military pilots went to the United States, funds were allocated for the training of our pilots, wrote the publication, quoting a Ukrainian official. ArmyINFORM reported that the type of aircraft the United States will send to Ukraine has already been decided. The F-16 is the workhorse of the United States nuclear sharing program. In the event of a full-scale nuclear war, atomic bombs based in Turkey, Germany and Poland, delivered from F-16 fighters, would be among the first to explode. Last week, 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. 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. 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 dispatch of such contractors, who would overwhelmingly be nationals of the United States and NATO countries, would provide the occasion for further demands for the creation of a no-fly zone. When these failed to have their intended effect, the ground would be set for calls for the direct deployment of US and other NATO troops. The logic of military escalation is at work. Each step generates the necessity for further escalation, all the way to all-out war with Russia. Having tied the prestige of the US-led NATO alliance to victory over Russia, the Biden administration will escalate all the way to nuclear war, unless it is stopped. Beyond Russia, moreover, the United States is already in the advanced stages of planning for military conflict with China. There is a social force that can put an end to imperialist war: the international working class. This week, strikes have erupted throughout Europe in opposition to the sweeping austerity measures being implemented by governments and major corporations, whose aim is to make the working class bear the cost of the war. Millions have demonstrated in France, and half a million in the UK. This is part of a broader movement of the working class developing in the United States and throughout the world. If the logic of military escalation is nuclear war, the logic of the escalation of the class struggle is socialist revolution. This, however, requires the building of a socialist leadership in the working class, to connect the class battles erupting throughout the world with the fight against war and the capitalist profit system. Three men, including one from Monroe County, have been arrested on accusations that they clashed with police officers during separate incidents at the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Federal prosecutors announced charges Wednesday against men from Vermont, Illinois and Pennsylvania more than two years after the riot that halted the certification of President Joe Bidens electoral victory. Nearly 1,000 people across the U.S. have been charged with federal crimes in the Capitol attack and new arrests are happening nearly every week. Dustin Sargent, 30, of Kunkletown in northeast Pennsylvania, was arrested on Wednesday on charges including assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers as well as obstruction of an official proceeding. Sargent was seen during the riot pushing one officer and grabbing another in an apparent attempt to physically force these officers and others away from the doors to allow other rioters into the Capitol, authorities wrote in court papers. In a video, he was heard telling an officer who was trying to keep rioters out of the House Chamber: You let us in there, you deserve a medal of honor, authorities say. Investigators say that records received from Facebook show that two days before the riot, Sargent was asked in a message how he thought the protest was going to go. Authorities say Sargent responded that he wanted his wife to be able to come to the hospital if is going to die, and wrote that people in government may be publicly hung. An email seeking comment was sent to an attorney who represented Sargent during his initial court appearance in Pennsylvania. Another man, Joseph Pavlik, 65, of Chicago, whom authorities believe is affiliated with a militia group called B Squad, was arrested Tuesday on charges including obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder, according to prosecutors. Authorities say Pavlik wore a black tactical vest, gas mask and helmet and carried what appeared to be chemical irritant spray during the riot. Pavlik joined a group of rioters that were trying to force their way past officers attempting to secure a Capitol tunnel, prosecutors say. Inside the tunnel, he was seen applying pressure to the police line, according to court papers. Pavlik was released after a court appearance in Illinois on Tuesday. No attorney was listed in the court docket so it was not immediately clear if Pavlik has a lawyer to comment on his behalf. A third man, William Nichols, 41, of Manchester, Vermont, was identified through a number of open-source videos and police body-camera images that showed him struggling with police officers outside the Capitol building, prosecutors said. According to court papers, Nichols is seen in the footage engaging in violent interactions with police officers. He is seen wielding a large circular shield to hit officers, in one case causing an officer to lose his balance, an affidavit states. In another instance, he is seen using the shield to hit and push several officers, it says. Defense attorney Michael Desautels said his office represented Nichols for the preliminary proceedings in Vermont, but he did not know who would represent him in Washington. He did not comment about the specifics of the case. Nichols was arrested in Vermont on Wednesday and appeared in federal court in Rutland, where he was released. He faces charges including assaulting, resisting or impeding officers as well as civil disorder. Charges brought against rioters have ranged from misdemeanor offenses for those who entered the Capitol illegally but didnt cause damage or assault any officers to felony seditious conspiracy for members of far-right extremist groups accused of plotting to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power. As of early last month, at least 538 cases had been resolved through guilty pleas, trials, dismissals or the defendants death, according to an Associated Press review of court records. A temporary restraining order (TRO) is in effect against Village of Mineral Point board members after residents of the Washington County township alleged that board officials were shutting off water service to homes and citing overdue bills when no bills have been issued in some time. Last Wednesday, a Washington County judge signed the TRO filed by Washington County Prosecutor John I. Jones IV stating Mineral Point board officials "appear to be disconnecting water services without notice, a valid legal reason, or any recourse to residents of the Village of Mineral Point." The TRO respondents are listed as Rebecca Willshire and Matthew Willshire, both individually and in their official capacity as elected officials of the Village of Mineral Point, as well as Nicholas Courtois and Marvin Johnson in their official capacity as elected officials of the town. To be granted a TRO, it had to be found that immediate and irreparable injury, loss, or damage would potentially affect the township, its residents, and the general public if the temporary injunction was not granted. A detective with the Washington County Sheriff's Office submitted an affidavit supporting the claims made in the court filing. In the sworn statement, the detective notes Sheriff Zach Jacobsen told him to come to the sheriff's office Tuesday and speak with two Mineral Point residents about Rebecca and Matthew Wilshire turning off the water to their home. The residents told authorities that Rebecca and Matthew Wilshire serve on the Board of the Village of Mineral Point and have been disconnecting water service to other Mineral Point homes, telling citizens their water bills were not being paid. The reporting residents said no water bills had been sent to anyone in the township since May 2022. The affidavit states that on Jan. 24, the Wilshires went to the reporting resident's address in Mineral Point, shut off the water, and took the meter out. When the resident asked the Wilshires why they had disconnected the water line, the couple reportedly replied it was due to the lack of payment on the water and sewer utility bill. The court documents assert no statements had been sent to customers in some time, with one resident claiming not to have received a bill since May. The filings allege the Wilshires had also been shutting off water to other properties in Mineral Point, citing a lack of bill payment. The detective reportedly spoke with another person about the situation Tuesday. The homeowner said she discovered her water was shut off and called Rebecca Willshire to ask why. On the first and second calls, the homeowner said, Rebecca answered and hung up the phone. On the third call, Matthew reportedly answered, saying he was in the process of filling out a police report and would call back later. Sometime later, Rebecca reportedly called the homeowner and told her a bill needed to be paid before the water service would be restored. The Mineral Point officials appeared for a show cause hearing in the matter on Monday, but the hearing was rescheduled for Feb. 10 at both parties' agreement. Its time to cut the cheese again, so to speak. When kids cannot pay for their school lunches, some districts give them a cheese sandwich. So a few local business owners are taking matters into their own hands for a second time to help students who cannot pay for their school lunches. The community is encouraged to join them as they partner for Lets Cut the Cheese: Part 2. This event takes place Saturday at Elvins Ionic Lodge #154 located at 206 N. School St. in Desloge. Its the third year in a row for local business owners to offer this free community breakfast. Leadbelt Save A Lot stores, The Lunch Lady Food Truck and Caterings Tom and Julie Abel, Fireds Chris and Amber Dunlap, and Grandmas Sugar Shacks Misti Ottman, and Loretta and Randy Barnhouse will serve up a free breakfast of hot-off-the-grill pancakes and freshly-made donuts Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon, or until they run out. A silent auction is also being organized. Guests will be able to dine inside the hall. Come help us help the kids, said Clint Price, co-owner of Leadbelt Save A Lot stores. All donations will go toward providing school lunches for the Central R-3 School District students who cannot afford it. Lets raise enough funds to cut the cheese once again. Recently Price worked with the Abels, Gabrielle Velasquez and Samaritan Lodge #424s Scott Smith for the first Cut the Cheese fundraiser in Bonne Terre. After seeing Prices post on social media, Smith reached out to him to say the Bonne Terre Samaritan Lodge wanted to help with the event. The Masonic Home of Missouri, which is another charitable form of the Masonic family, normally doubles contributions for this type of fundraiser, said Smith. But this time they tripled it. The first Cut the Cheese event was held in November at the Samaritan Lodge and included a silent auction and dinner of pulled pork sandwiches, side dishes, and Velasquezs chicken and steak tacos. Numerous individuals helped with the event, from quick planning to serving and cleaning up after the dinner. Although the group only had six days to organize the event, the first one raised about $7,000. But the Samaritan Lodge and Masonic Home of Missouri donated enough money to make the check total $21,690. Smith said charities are what the Samaritan Lodge stands for and hes thankful they were able to work together with all of these other partners to make the first Cut the Cheese fundraiser a big success. When we heard what was going on with these kids not being able to have a good meal at school, that was just unacceptable, he said. We had to step up and do something. With us partnering with Save A Lot and the other businesses who donated, that really made this a community fundraiser. He said, It was exceptional to be able to be a part of that, and to be able to triple this money was really a great thing. The check was recently presented to North County Primary to be applied to their students lunch accounts. We raised enough money to wipe out the lunch debt at North County and then some, said Price. This time, its Centrals turn. So come out for pancakes, donuts, coffee, hot chocolate, a silent auction, and much, much more. The North County School District expressed its appreciation to the group for having the fundraiser and donating the money. Students who are full-pay but may have some difficulty paying for food will now be covered, supported and loved. Thank you to our community! Price said all money raised at Saturdays event will be donated to the Central School Districts lunch debt and future lunches to ensure that no student has to go hungry or eat a cold cheese sandwich for having an outstanding lunch debt. Anyone who would like to sponsor a student by paying for his or her lunch charges should contact any area school district. Future school lunch fundraisers are being planned for other area districts. The February Women's Connection Brunch will be held from 9:15-11 a.m., Feb. 14 in the fellowship hall of the Farmington Presbyterian Church at the junction of Columbia and Cayce streets. This month's special feature is Lauren Martinez, who will talk about the history and unique culture of Discount Tire, whose motto is Making Dreams Come True. The theme of her presentation is "Keep Them Rolling." Whether one is single or married, it is important to be comfortable knowing one's car is in good condition to drive. Martinez will discuss the varied services offered by the company as well as crucial automotive wheel and tire maintenance tips for owners, with special tips for women. Martinez grew up in St. Peters but moved to Farmington in May to be near family. Since she had experience in automotive service and enjoyed it she applied at Discount Tire, which was set to open in a short time. She started there when they opened in July, working as a technician, as all new employees do. However, within a short time, due to her automotive and people skills, she was promoted to one of the three assistant manager positions. When asked what it is that she enjoys about her job, Lauren said that it is definitely helping people, which fits well with another company motto, Caring people do the right thing. The day's second guest will be Mary Ann Paille, a Christian speaker who speaks to womens groups as nearby as her home base in Imperial, and as distant as Cluj, Romania. Near or far, Paille's goal is always the same to encourage women to be all that God has created them to be. If she can get them laughing while she's at it, so much the better. Her presentation will cover what can be fashioned with broken bits and pieces of people's lives when put in Gods very capable hands, a topic she calls Beautiful Building. Please make your reservation/cancellation by Friday Feb. 10. Call Sandy at 573-518-4647 or Mary at 858-900-4008. An infant is back in the hands of family services nearly a month after the child was reported missing by family services workers. Police say the child's mother left an area shelter with the infant after tests reportedly found meth in the baby's system, and the mother's parental rights were suspended. In a press release Friday afternoon, the Washington County Sheriff's Office announced the child had been found safe, along with her parents, 48-year-old Phillip Anthony Emily and 33-year-old Bobbie Ann Stotler, both of Potosi. "Emily and Stotler were taken into custody at a rural Washington County residence," the sheriff's office said. "A one-year-old missing juvenile was also located in the home. The juvenile was taken into the custody of the Missouri Division of Family Services." Stotler was charged on Thursday with one count of parental kidnapping, a Class E felony charge. She was taken to the Washington County Jail Friday on a felony arrest warrant with no bond set in the case. Emily was charged, in a separate case, with one count of first-degree statutory sodomy - deviate sexual intercourse following allegations of sexual contact with a pre-teen juvenile. The man is being held at the Washington County Jail without bond for the sodomy case filed this week, as well as a warrant for a parole violation and a Jefferson County warrant for tampering with a motor vehicle. Multiple law enforcement agencies assisted in Friday's arrests, including the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Potosi Police Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Mineral Area Drug Task Force, and the United States Marshals Fugitive Apprehension Task Force. Washington County Sheriff Zach Jacobsen said he would also like to thank the Washington County Prosecutor's Office and the Washington County Associate Circuit Judge's Office for their assistance in the investigation. For the past month, authorities had been looking for the couple and the young child. According to a probable cause statement filed in the case against Stotler, on Jan. 6, the woman left a domestic violence shelter in Bonne Terre with her one-year-old daughter, Kristina. On Jan. 9, the child was placed in the legal custody of the Division of Family Services (DFS) after the infant tested positive for methamphetamine, and Stotler provided a diluted urine sample, according to the report. Before they were located, police said Stotler and the child were last seen at an address on Prices Road in Potosi. The criminal complaint filed Thursday indicates officials believed Stotler to be homeless. Police and DFS workers had reportedly attempted phone contact with the woman in the past month to no avail. On Thursday, the report states Stotler contacted the Division of Family Services and informed them she was "upset that Kristina was on the missing person flyer." The court filings note that Stotler is also implicated as a possible accessory in the separate sodomy case against Emily. Stotler's potential role in the alleged crime is still under investigation, and she had not been charged in the matter as of Friday afternoon. The sodomy case against Emily was filed Thursday after a 12-year-old child reported alleged instances of sexual contact. During a forensic interview, the juvenile reportedly told investigators the sexual contact happened when she was 11, during the summer months before school had started. The child recalled Emily asking her to help him cut wood and said they left in his truck and traveled approximately a quarter mile from the man's Potosi residence. She said it was there that Emily sexually assaulted her, according to the report. The child reportedly told investigators that Emily had sodomized her on approximately 21 other occasions. Charlottesville City Schools plans to approve a resolution that would give the divisions staff collective bargaining rights rights that would make the unions contract one of the strongest in the commonwealth, according to the union itself. The board will officially vote to adopt the resolution at its March meeting, the school division said in a statement. That vote may be toothless, however, if Charlottesville City Council refuses to allocate the funds to implement the agreement. And school officials said on Thursday they are still determining how much it would cost. The specifics matter, City Council Member Brian Pinkston told The Daily Progress that same day. I supported collective bargaining for the city, so I should support it for the city schools. But Pinkston said, for all this stuff, were going to have to look at our total budget. School division Superintendent Royal Gurley did the first reading of the proposed collective bargaining agreement during a school board meeting Thursday evening. The crowd at the meeting was dotted with red shirts, a color long associated with the labor movement. It took a lot of meetings to get to Thursday evening, Gurley said. It was worth it, said Jessica Taylor, president of the Charlottesville Education Association union. Its going to codify our seat at the table, Taylor told The Daily Progress. Charlottesville City Schools began working on a collective bargaining agreement with Taylors group in April of 2022. If the school board votes to approve that agreement in March, it would be among the first school divisions in Virginia to do so since the state voted to allow local government employees to collectively bargain in 2020. Richmond Public Schools was the first division in the commonwealth to win collective bargaining rights in December 2022. If passed, Charlottesvilles proposed agreement will also be one of the strongest collective bargaining resolutions in the state, the union said in a statement on Wednesday. The Charlottesville agreement proposed covers two bargaining units: one that includes licensed school staff, such as teachers, nurses and librarians, and another for school support staff, including cafeteria workers and custodians. Under the terms of the proposed agreement those two units can choose two topics to negotiate during the three-year span of the contract from a list including wages, benefits, discipline procedures and health and safety conditions, among others. In May 2022, Albemarle County Public Schools voted against a resolution that would have allowed most division employees to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement. At the time, county school board members said the state law allowing collective bargaining did not provide sufficient guidance for how the process would work. Albemarle County school employees are expected to ask the school board to reconsider collective bargaining at the next school board meeting on Thursday. Players of The Pick scored big in Wednesday night's drawing, with multiple winners across the state. Officials with the Arizona Lottery announced in a news release Thursday that aside from a jackpot win, 10 players throughout Arizona won $2,000 on Wednesday night. According to officials, the $3.5 million ticket was purchased from a north Scottsdale Safeway at 6501 E. Greenway Parkway. Powerball:When is the next drawing? What to know as jackpot jumps to $700M The winning numbers were 6, 12, 18, 23, 30 and 42. The jackpot winner can choose the annuity option of $116,666.67 per year for 30 years or take the cash option, a lump sum of $1,813,471.50. Winners of the $2,000 prizes came from multiple cities, including Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Fort Mohave, Tempe, White Hills, Tubac, Gilbert and Sun City West. Matching five numbers is what's needed for a $2,000 win. The next drawing for The Pick will be Saturday, Feb. 4, with an estimated jackpot of $1 million. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 3.5 million The Pick jackpot among several Arizona lottery wins Brittany Cass, the survivor of a head-on drunk driving accident, stands with New Bern Police Chief Patrick Gallagher. Cass's nonprofit, Bold Like Britt, will hold a fundraiser this weekend to raise money for a billboard near the site of her wreck. A New Bern woman involved in a nearly fatal auto accident last year is teaming up with a local restaurant to raise money and awareness to combat drunk driving. On Saturday, Feb. 4 the nonprofit Bold Like Britt and Chipotle restaurant, located at 2999 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in New Bern, will hold the Do Good with Chipotle fundraiser. The event lasts from 4-8 p.m. and will raise money for a dont drink and drive billboard on U.S. 70. To participate, customers simply have to mention that they are taking part in the fundraiser and 33% of their purchase price will go towards the cause. Customers ordering online can use the code ZHVHEFX to participate. Bold Like Britt was founded by James City resident Brittany Cass following a Jan. 4, 2022 wreck on U.S. 70 in Newport when she was hit head on by a drunk driver. The violent collision broke both of Casss femurs and left hip and shattered her right knee. She suffered several mini strokes before being airlifted to Vidant Medical Center for life saving abdominal surgery. Cass would spend six days in a coma before waking up to the devastating reality of her injuries. In the year since the wreck, Cass, who was once a 40-mile-per-week runner, has had a total of seven surgeries and is still undergoing rigorous physical therapy as she relearns how to walk. Despite the challenges, the mother of three said she is determined to get her life back. The last surgery was in September, she said. They cut open my right thigh and extended the quad muscle and put a new rod in my thigh and put me back together. Now Im learning how to rewalk properly. Cass said she formed Bold Like Britt last summer to help educate others on the dangers of drunk driving. The nonprofit held a 5K & 1 Mile Fun Run fundraiser last September at Martin Marietta Park and donated $10,000 to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Cass said she now hopes to raise enough from Saturdays event to put up a billboard in Carteret near the site of her crash. Story continues Im working with a MADD representative in North Carolina to get billboards up all over, in Charlotte, Raleigh and then here in cities in eastern North Carolina, she explained. So Im trying to come up with enough funds for my own so I can put what I want on it. The goal is to have it up for a year. Cass said she is grateful for the growth she has experienced since the wreck. She said she and her family have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and service given us in our time of need. We would like to pay it forward and hopefully bring awareness so this wont happen to anybody else, because its 100% preventable, she commented. Reporter Todd Wetherington can be reached by email at wwetherington@newbernsj.com. This article originally appeared on Sun Journal: Accident survivor hopes to raise funds to fight drunk driving The Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce has announced its second annual State of the Community event. The Feb. 17 event is set to feature members from city and county government, education institutions and local businesses. The Chamber is uniquely positioned to bring diverse groups together and build energy around big ideas, said the chambers outgoing president and CEO, Elizabeth Cromwell, in a statement. Our State of the Community is designed to spark important conversations that will shape our communitys future. Cromwell announced her resignation last month. Andrea Copeland, the chambers director of committee engagement, will serve as interim president starting Feb. 17. Planned panelists at the event include Charlottesville City Manager Michael Rogers, Albemarle County Executive Jeff Richardson, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan, Piedmont Virginia Community College President Jean Runyon, Albemarle County Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Haas, New Hill Development Corporation CEO Yolunda Harrell and Culinary Concepts AB CEO Antwon Brinson, who competed on HBOs The Big Brunch. The chamber event is slated to run from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Abbott Auditorium at the University of Virginias Darden School of Business. Event registration is open at www.cvillechamber.com. Admission is $60 for members of the chamber and $75 for nonmembers. A selection of pottery that includes bowls and jugs. Archaeologists have long known about the Great Revolt, a battle between the ancient Egyptians and the Ptolemaic Kingdom that lasted from 207 B.C. to 184 B.C., because it is mentioned on the Rosetta Stone and in other historical texts. But now, archaeologists have finally discovered the exact location of one of the revolt's battles. In 2009, archaeologists began excavating a site known as Tell el-Timai, where an ancient Greco- Roman industrial city called Thmouis was located on the Nile Delta of northern Egypt. The excavations were part of the Tell Timai Archaeological Project , an ongoing program by the University of Hawaii to learn more about Thmouis and the role it played in ancient Egypt. The team's findings were published Dec. 27, 2022 in the Journal of Field Archaeology . The excavations revealed evidence that Thmouis was "ground zero" of a violent conflict, but at first the researchers weren't certain which one. Over the next decade, they unearthed the remains of numerous buildings that had been burned to the ground, as well as a cache of artifacts that included weapons like ballista stones along with coins and a headless statue depicting the Ptolemaic queen Arsinoe II. They also discovered an abundance of unburied ancient human remains strewn about the city, according to the study. "At first I was seeing things that piqued my curiosity and began to realize that we were looking at the destruction layer," study first author Jay Silverstein , project co-director of Tell Timai and an archaeologist and senior lecturer at Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom, told Live Science. "And then we started finding bodies." Related: Why does the Rosetta Stone have 3 kinds of writing? The Ptolemaic period (304 B.C. to 30 B.C.) was started by Ptolemy I Soter, one of Alexander the Great s Macedonian generals. The Rosetta Stone contains a decree written in 196 B.C., during the reign of pharaoh Ptolemy V, when the Great Revolt was ongoing. Story continues Both before and after the Ptolemies gained control, ancient Egyptians were meticulous when it came to burying the dead, even creating "elaborate underground embalming workshops," like the one recently discovered in Saqqara . A bird's-eye view of the excavation site with pottery shards. "In Egypt, people pay a lot of attention to burying people, so to have people unburied tells you a lot," Silverstein said. "All these findings were sending a message that there was some event here in history and we had to figure out what it was." However, the identities of the deceased are unclear. "The unburied dead could be Greeks who lived at Thmouis who were overtaken by the violence of the insurrection, or they could be Egyptians who died defending the town," the researchers wrote in the study. A close up of the Rosetta Stone showing two of the three different languages on it. Dating the battleground Using some of the artifacts plucked from the site, including coins pulled from beneath a home's floorboards, along with the discovery of an abandoned kiln complex where pottery was produced, archaeologists could better pinpoint the time period of the battle based on when the coins were minted. During the excavation, they pulled fragments of imported Greek wares and shards of pottery, whose styles helped them determine that the ceramics probably dated to the Ptolemaic Kingdom, Silverstein said. Within the kiln complex, archaeologists were surprised to find the remains of a man inside a kiln with his legs sticking out. "I think it's possible that he had crawled into a non-functioning kiln to try to hide [during the attack]," Silverstein said. RELATED STORIES Ancient Roman pottery workshop discovered in Egypt Royal tomb discovered near Luxor dates to time when female pharaoh co-ruled ancient Egypt Cryptic lost Canaanite language decoded on 'Rosetta Stone'-like tablets Historical texts also confirm that the kilns were shut down near the end of the Early Ptolemaic period, when the Egyptians unsuccessfully tried to liberate themselves from Ptolemaic rule during the Great Revolt. The kilns that remained and were unearthed during the excavation were all "truncated at a uniform level," offering more evidence that an attack happened at the site, according to the study. "The evidence of conflict and destruction at northern Thmouis is unequivocal, and the timing is well-placed and thus coincides with the Great Revolt," the study authors wrote in their paper. So many anglers find themselves in a dilemma come the winter months. They, for whatever reason, are not big fans of ice fishing, even if there is a supply of ongoing safe ice. In most winters, like this one, safely fishable hardwater is intermittent at best. This remains an ongoing source of frustration for even the most avid ice anglers. Jack Kiser with an Ohio River saugeye. For these reasons, I would like to offer an alternative option that has been an ongoing source of adventure, action, and often surprising productivity over the years. I've long enjoyed the cabin fever cure of mid-winter warm water discharge fishing. My historic favorite of these excursions is taking Ohio state Route 11 down the eastern border of the state to the Lou Holtz Freeway exit to East Liverpool. I like to use the "downtown" ramp on the right as you enter the city. Another launching option is the nearby Weirton Bridge over to West Virginia west along the river to the Kennedy ramp, nearby the popular casino. This particular casino is a fun stopover before or after your fishing. An initial course of action that has become a tradition for me is to head upriver a couple of miles to Beaver Creek, which is a rural gem stocked with trout, mostly browns. Bring along some in-line spinners. Still, the main source of fun is downstream on the West Virginia side where you'll see a creek or two entering the main river. Check your water temperature to gauge variances. Among the species you are able to encounter are stripers, wipers (white bass/striper hybrids), sauger, saugeye, small and the occasional largemouth bass and catfish. Bring along several spinning rods of ultra-light to medium-light action. Among the lures to consider would be the aforementioned in-line spinners, like Panther Martins, Roostertails, and Mepps, flukes and other soft jerkbaits, lipless crankbaits, and the occasional tube bait. Cruising shorelines on either side of this New Cumberland Pool will reveal a number of similar discharges. Story continues Remember in winter season to always fish with a partner or two and exhibit greater overall caution than you might at other times of the year. An added treat is regularly stopping afterward in the town of Lisbon to partake of one of their absolute killer restaurants. Quit complaining and get out and enjoy fishing action that you may have wrongly believed was months away. Jack Kiser is the host of "Buckeye Angler" and longtime outdoors columnist for the Record-Courier and "Midwest Outdoors" magazine, as well as TV and radio host for PBS and Fox Sports. You may reach him at the Buckeye Angler Facebook site or the new buckeyeangler.com. This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Several species can be caught near East Liverpool WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 11: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) in the Senate subway on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images); Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) speaks on stage about the change of the face of power in the United States after a history making number of diverse members were sworn into Congress the past elections, during a keynote discussion of the Netroots Nation progressive grassroots convention in Philadelphia, PA, on July 13, 2019. (Photo by Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images); LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 15: Honoree, United States Representative, Katie Porter attends the 2021 InStyle Awards at The Getty Center on November 15, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for InStyle); WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 22: House impeachment managers (L-R) Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) talk to reporters before the second day of the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol January 22, 2020 in Washington, DC. Both the House managers and Trump's defense lawyers were admonished by Chief Justice John Roberts during Tuesday's 13-hour-long session. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty; Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty; Jon Kopaloff/Getty for InStyle; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Sen. Dianne Feinstein has occupied one of California's Senate seats since 1992, blocking dozens of politicians in the country's most populous state from elevating to the highest ranks of Congress. As the 89-year-old Democrat nears the end of her sixth term she's now the oldest lawmaker in Washington and the senior-most senator in her party she plans to retire, opening the door for one lucky politician to take her place. It's rare for any Senate seat to open up and in a state with 52 House representatives and dozens of popular state-level leaders, the battle for Feinstein's spot will be one of the most dramatic showdowns in the next election cycle. RELATED: Sen. Dianne Feinstein Announces She Won't Run for Reelection in 2024, but Intends to Complete Her Term Even before Feinstein formally announced her plan to sit out of the 2024 race, standouts in the Democratic Party began launching campaigns to backfill her. Here's everyone to look out for in the upcoming California Senate race, and what each hopes to bring to the table. Representative Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, speaks during a news conference at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. The House Speaker said he's blocking Democrats Schiff and Swalwell from serving on the Intelligence Committee, making good on a long-standing promise and opening a new front in the chamber's partisan battles. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Adam Schiff Rep. Adam Schiff Party: Democratic Age: 62 Experience: U.S. House of Representatives (2001-Present), California State Senate (1996-2000) Adam Schiff became one of the most notable figures in Congress when, as chair of the House Intelligence Committee in 2019, he led the first impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump for his dealings with Ukraine. In the aftermath of Jan. 6, 2021 when a mob of Trump supporters descended on the Capitol in an attempt to stop Joe Biden from becoming president Schiff again made headlines as a member of the House committee investigating the attack. In announcing his Senate campaign in January, Schiff said, "Today's Republican Party is gutting the middle class. Threatening our democracy. They aren't going to stop. We have to stop them." Story continues He continued: "That's why I'm running for the U.S. Senate. The struggle isn't over. Not for me, not for you, not for our country. Together we can and will win this fight." Schiff's decades as a moderate House Democrat have given him a strong record to play off in the campaign and coupled with his newfound status as a fearless critic of Trump, he is very palatable to liberal California voters. Perhaps more compelling, though, is that he's already earned the support of fellow Californian and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has pledged to endorse Schiff in the absence of Feinstein. Given that Schiff is running against other well-liked Democrats, Pelosi's endorsement will go a long way toward distinguishing him from the pack. RELATED: Popular Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff Enters Heated California Senate Race: 'The Fight of Our Lives' Barbara Lee Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images Barbara Lee Rep. Barbara Lee Party: Democratic Age: 76 Experience: U.S. House of Representatives (1998-Present), California State Senate (1996-1998), California State Assembly (1990-1996) Barbara Lee threw her hat in the ring for the upcoming California Senate race in late February 2023, just weeks after she'd reportedly revealed her plans to run in closed-door meetings on the Hill. "I've never backed down from doing what's right. And I never will," Lee wrote in a tweet announcing her campaign. "Californians deserve a strong, progressive leader who has delivered real change." In an accompanying video, Lee explained her unique life experiences, none of which were able to hold her down. "No one is rolling out the welcome mat especially for someone like me. I was the girl they didn't allow in, who couldn't drink from the water fountain, who had an abortion in the back alley when they all were illegal," she said. "I escaped a violent marriage. Became a single mom, a homeless mom, a mom who couldn't afford childcare and brought her kids to class with her." One week after announcing the Senate campaign, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass offered her endorsement to Lee, giving her early credibility as voters begin to weigh their options. RELATED: Longtime Congresswoman Barbara Lee Enters Heated California Senate Race: 'I've Never Backed Down' Lee is a longtime fixture in Washington, formerly co-chairing the Progressive Caucus, who made waves after 9/11 as the only member of Congress to vote against a resolution that gave the president power to use force against anyone involved in planning the attacks. (Lee contended that the law makes it too easy for the president to wage war.) Prior to becoming an elected official, she volunteered for the Black Panther Party and worked on political campaigns, including the 1972 presidential campaign of Rep. Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress. She also earned a Master of Social Work from University of California, Berkeley. Lee's campaign comes at a time when many in the state are frustrated that Kamala Harris' Senate seat wasn't backfilled by one of many qualified Black women (Lee was on the governor's shortlist of successors, but ultimately got passed over for California Secretary of State Alex Padilla). Harris was the only Black female in Senate at the time that she resigned for the vice presidency, and the upper chamber of Congress has been without that key representation ever since. Lee would become an octogenarian during her first Senate term, which may be used as fuel against her in a race that began with a conversation about age limits for politicians (Feinstein has received criticism from some for holding onto her seat this long, and not stepping down amid 2022 rumors of cognitive decline). The race also coincides with a national debate about whether President Joe Biden, 80, is too old to serve another term. Rep. Katie Porter Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Rep. Katie Porter Rep. Katie Porter Party: Democratic Age: 49 Experience: U.S. House of Representatives (2019-Present) Progressive firebrand Katie Porter was the first to enter the 2024 California Senate race when she announced her campaign in the first days of 2023. "The threat from so-called leaders like Mitch McConnell has too often made the United States Senate a place where rights get revoked, special interests get rewarded and our democracy gets rigged," Porter said in a video declaring her candidacy. "Especially in times like these, California needs a warrior in Washington." Only in her third House term, Porter hardly feels like a political newcomer; within months of taking office, she had already enjoyed a number of viral moments for the way she grilled Fortune 500 CEOs and Trump administration officials with an unforgiving candor. Through her pointed questioning tactics, she caught a number of powerful figures in lies and routinely discredited their qualifications. "I don't do Congress the way others do," Porter said in her campaign video. "I use whatever power I have to speak hard truths to the powers that be to not just challenge the status quo, but call it out, name names and demand justice." RELATED: Rep. Katie Porter Enters California's 2024 Senate Race, Hoping to Replace Dianne Feinstein Porter's now-famous interrogation techniques stem from her prior career as a consumer protection attorney and onetime education from former Harvard Law professor Elizabeth Warren. Porter went on to become a law professor herself and wrote her own textbook called Modern Consumer Law. In 2012, while teaching as a tenured professor at University of California, Irvine School of Law, Porter was tapped by California's then-Attorney General Kamala Harris to serve as the state's independent bank monitor in a $25 billion settlement. Porter is currently the deputy chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and while California voters are amenable to progressive values, she will face an uphill battle in convincing voters to side with her over safer, more established politicians. This is a developing story. Check back for more candidate information as the race to 2024 unfolds. WASHINGTON Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed an imminent trip to China because a Chinese surveillance balloon drifting over the U.S. is a "clear violation" of sovereignty and international law, Biden administration officials said Friday. Blinken will reschedule the trip when conditions are right, officials said. Although the trip had not been officially announced, Blinken had been set to leave Friday night, a day after the Pentagon announced it had spotted what it identified as a spy balloon flying over the U.S. China disputed that characterization, calling it a civilian airship that blew off course. Later Friday, the Pentagon acknowledged reports of a second balloon flying over Latin America. "We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement, declining to offer further information such as where it was spotted. Some lawmakers criticized the Biden administration for how it has handled the situation, and for not taking stronger action against China. Sen. John Tester, a Montana Democrat and chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said his committee will hold a hearing on the matter. Chinas actions are a clear threat to those values and to Americas national security, and Im demanding answers from the Biden Administration," he said in a statement. "I will be pulling people before my committee to get real answers on how this happened, and how we can prevent it from ever happening again. The airship over the U.S. is used for meteorological and other research, the Chinese government said in a statement in which it expressed regret for the balloon's unintended entry into U.S. airspace. U.S. officials stand by their assessment. We know that its a surveillance balloon, Ryder later told reporters. The balloon seen over U.S. air space is likely to remain over the United States for a few days, Ryder said. Story continues Shooting down the airship poses too high a risk to people and property from debris, two U.S. officials said Friday. Other options are being explored, according to the officials who were not authorized to speak publicly. The incident comes at a time of rising tension between the superpowers. "Its very difficult for the U.S. to take a position which shows restraint; its going to require the Chinese to do so as well," Scott Kennedy, an expert on China at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in a recent public discussion about Blinken's trip and the state of relations between the nations. "I think for both foreign policy reasons and domestic political reasons, we are at a place we were not at 10 years ago." The latest Where it is: The balloon had been drifting over Montana where the Pentagon has nuclear missile silos. On Friday, the balloon was located over the center of the U.S. at about 60,000 feet moving eastward, the Pentagon's Ryder told reporters. What it is: The balloon is designed for surveillance, according to the Pentagon. But it likely is unable to collect more information than is available to spy satellites. Steps taken: While the Pentagon decided against shooting down the balloon, the government took steps to prevent it from collecting sensitive information. Fighter jets sent: F-22 fighter jets, the most advanced warplane in the Pentagon's arsenal, were sent to observe the balloon. Not first time: Its not the first time Chinese spy balloons have flown over the United States, an official said. Not a risk to aircraft: The balloon is flying so high that it does not present a danger to civilian aircraft, Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, said in a statement. Pentagon spokesman U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder speaks during a media briefing at the Pentagon, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ORG XMIT: DCAB113 Why it matters Tensions have been rising with China, which the U.S. considers its biggest strategic and economic competitor. The nations have clashed over Taiwan, technology, human rights, Russias invasion of Ukraine and other issues. The Biden administration has been trying to stabilize the relationship, building what its called guardrails as it normalizes interaction. After a three-hour meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in November, President Joe Biden said both countries share a responsibility to "manage our differences, prevent competition from becoming anything ever to near conflict, and to find ways to work together on urgent global issues that require our mutual cooperation." Xi responded that the world "expects that China and the United States will properly handle the relationship." In this file photo taken on July 8, 2022, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali . Maintaining a dialogue Blinken was set to travel to China as an outgrowth of Bidens meeting with Xi. Both leaders had agreed to get their teams together to try to restore some of the lines of communication. Beijing had suspended or canceled eight official military dialogues and cooperation channels with the U.S. after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., visited Taiwan in August. Last month, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with her Chinese counterpart in Switzerland to work on repairing relations. But senior State Department officials said it wouldnt have been constructive for Blinken to go to China right now. The spy balloon incident would have detracted from the planned broad, substantive agenda, according to officials. Blinken hopes to reschedule at the earliest opportunity, when conditions allow officials said. U.S. President Joe Biden and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands as they meet on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Nov. 14, 2022. Rising tensions Tensions were already rising before the arrival of the Chinese balloon. Among recent developments: Increased military presence: The U.S. is nearly doubling its military presence in the Philippines under an agreement announced Thursday thats part of an effort to counter Chinas threats to Taiwan and growing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Taiwan invasion? A top Air Force general recently predicted that the U.S. will be at war with China over Taiwan in two years. But Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in November it will be some time before the Chinese have the military capability to invade Taiwan. Limiting chip access: After the Biden administration last year imposed export controls to limit Chinas ability to access advanced computer chips, Japan and the Netherlands agreed recently to restrict Chinas access to materials needed to make the chips. The chips can be used to make advanced military systems. GOP response: Congressional Republicans are criticizing the Biden administration for not dealing with China more forcefully. Soon after taking control of the House in January, Republicans created a committee aimed at increasing U.S. competitiveness with China. TikTok troubles: More than half the states have banned TikTok on government devices. There are also national security concerns, including the possibility that Beijing could use the China-owned platform to control data collection on millions of users, according to FBI Director Christopher Wray. Want to know more? Here's what you missed Related: US plans to expand its military presence in Philippines to counter threats against Taiwan Biden, Trump, Pence aren't alone: Millions access sensitive documents, mishandling is common More: GOP removes Rep. Ilhan Omar from Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her comments on Israel This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: China says spy balloon flying over US is a 'civilian airship' Chris Evans rumoured girlfriend, Alba Baptista, has revealed that a man tried to abduct her when she was 10. The 25-year-old actor recalled the attempted abduction during a recent interview with Portugal-based magazine Nova Gente, which has been translated from Portuguese to English. She explained that it happened while she was at a store in Scotland, having been stationed in the UK to do a program. There was a day when we were exploring the city and I was in a store, in line, to buy a t-shirt for my father, and a 50-year-old man was by my side and offered to pay for the t-shirt. I told him it wasnt necessary and thanked him, she explained. Then he told me: Look, I have a much better t-shirt in the car. Baptista explained that in her innocence, she told the man that there are no cars here before he told her that the car was next door and not to worry. The Warrior Nun star then described how the stranger pulled her by the arm, but she managed to escape and went on to approach one of the teachers from the program. I must have a wonderful guardian angel, because the moment he was grabbing me by the arm and pulling me from the store, the teacher appeared at the door calling me. I ran to go to her, she continued. She added that as she was telling her teacher what happened, the man proceeded to follow her. I see the man breaking peoples line and looking at me, in hurricane mode, and it was right to me, she continued. My teacher went to warn someone and I was alone. Baptista said the man eventually grabbed her and started going down the street with her. He was always telling me that everything was fine and that we were friends, she said. I didnt even know what to do. He was pretending he was my father, so people wouldnt be surprised. Then I started screaming, telling him to leave me alone, and he started hugging me. The actor then recalled how she looked back and saw her entire class running after her. Story continues Everyone surrounded you and he had to let me go, she said. In the end, he said to me: Dont forget me! She concluded her story by acknowledging how traumatising this experience was, adding: This was serious, I dont even want to think that the same may have happened to the other child. Baptista didnt specify when this incident happened or if the police were involved. This interview and revelation comes nearly one month after Evans seemingly confirmed that they were in a relationship. On his Instagram Story in January, the 41-year-old shared a few videos taken throughout the last year of him and Baptista scaring each other. In November, a source told People that the pair had been dating for over a year and that their relationship was serious. They are in love and Chris has never been happier. His family and friends all adore her, the source said. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis will use a special session next week to broaden a controversial immigration program he used in September to fly 50 mostly Venezuelan asylum seekers from Texas to Marthas Vineyard. The special session, which legislative leaders called Friday, will include consideration of a bill that would create a Unauthorized Alien Transport Program, according to the Florida House and Senate. Lawmakers will also handle other issues during next weeks session, including how to deal with Disneys Reedy Creek district. House Speaker Paul Renner (R-Palm Coast) and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples) sent separate memos to their members saying the program is in response to an influx of migrants landing in the Florida Keys. The DeSantis administration has used state resources in recent weeks in response to hundreds of mostly Cuban and Haitians landing by boat in the Florida Keys. The memos dont contain any specifics about how the program would operate, and legislation on immigration is not yet formally been filed. The moves by DeSantis and GOP legislative leaders signal that the governor has no intention of stopping his controversial program to transport migrants to Blue strongholds like Massachusetts. His first and only set of flights, in mid-September, caused a massive uproar, with Democrats and immigration advocated accusing DeSantis of using migrants as political pawns. DeSantis received $12 million for the migrant transport program in his current year budget, which he said was needed to highlight what he called the Biden administrations failed border policies. The money came from funds connected to federal Covid-19 relieve funds. The current state budget directs the money only to be used to remove migrants from this state, meaning Florida. Because the migrants were sent from Texas last fall, that language has become the subject of a lawsuit from state Sen. Jason Pizzo, a Miami Democrat who says DeSantis violated the spending provision because they were moved from Texas not Florida. Story continues DeSantis new proposed program would allow the state to fund future migrant flights that originate anywhere in the United States, according to the proposal. DeSantis proposed budget, which was unveiled Wednesday, asks for another $12 million for the program. Multiple lawsuits have been filed against the DeSantis administration over the migrant flights, including from the Center for Government Accountability, which alleged that the DeSantis administration was withholding public records related to the program. Another, from the Boston-based Lawyers for Civil Rights, accused the governor conducting premeditated, fraudulent, and illegal scheme by flying the migrants to Massachusetts. Documents released in late December showed that DeSantis top safety official, Larry Keefe, helped write the language that helped the company responsible for chartering the flights, Vertol Systems, his former law client, secure a state contract to fly the migrants from the San Antonio to Marthas Vineyard. The records also revealed that Keefe used a non-public email address that made it appear that emails were coming from Clarice Starling, the main character in The Silence of the Lambs. Those records were not originally released as part of the lawsuit, but instead were dropped days before Christmas with a note from the DeSantis public records office that they originally were unaware of Keefes private account. The state has paid Vertol Systems $4.4 million since September, including $950,000 on Jan. 31, state records show, making the total cost of the program nearly $90,000 for each migrant relocated. In a September email, James Montgomerie, Vertols top executive, told Florida Department of Transportation purchasing administrator Paul Baker, that under the contract, they would transfer unauthorized aliens from Florida. The email indicated that the humanitarian services would take place from Sept. 19 through Oct. 3, and said the wrap around private would be $950,000. The email does not offer further explanation, but four $950,000 state payments have been made to the company, records show. Though the administration carried out only one set of flights, in late September it signaled that it was chartering another from Texas to near Rehoboth, the summer vacation spot on the Delaware coast where President Joe Biden has a home. Humanitarian organizations in several states scrambled to be in position to offer services for migrants on the flights. A flight took off but it never landed in Delaware and its unclear whether migrants were on board. During a press conference Wednesday, DeSantis doubled down on his support of the plan amid the growing cost and controversy. We have had a deterrent effect, and people are sick of having an open border with no rule of law in this country, he said. A tradition designed to bring Oklahomans together to pray for the governor and state legislators will continue on Sunday with the Inaugural Prayer Service. The service, set for 5 p.m. at Southern Hills Baptist Church, 8601 S Pennsylvania Ave., is open to the public. The Rev. Joel Harder, chaplain of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, said Sunday's event will be ecumenical, with leaders from different Christian faith traditions participating. He said the program will include prayers and remarks by several ministers who will lead the crowd in prayers for Gov. Kevin Stitt, as he prepares to serve his second term of office. Harder said the event also will be a time that Oklahoma may join together to pray for state legislators as they begin a new legislative session. Some previous inaugural prayer services have been interfaith, with spiritual leaders and individuals of several faith traditions participating. The annual Governor's Prayer Breakfast events begun by Stitt in 2020 have generally been interfaith in nature. Harder, as head of the nonprofit Oklahoma Capitol Culture, has coordinated the prayer breakfast, which notably included an inspirational video featuring Oklahomans of different faith traditions discussing the importance of prayer. Gov. Kevin Stitt and his wife, Sarah, speak to a crowd gathered for the Governor's Inaugural Prayer Service in January 2019 at First Baptist Church of Moore. In November, Stitt came under fire for videotaped statements he made shortly after he was elected governor for the second time. Several local organizations including the Interfaith Alliance of Oklahoma, along with national organizations like the American Jewish Committee and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, sharply criticized the Republican governor for stating during a prayer that he would devote every square inch of Oklahoma to Jesus. Harder said it's important to note that the inaugural prayer service, generally coordinated by an inaugural committee, and Stitt's prayer breakfast gatherings are two separate events, but each focus on prayer. "The thing that was just on the heart of the governor and the first lady is that here, in the midst of the inaugural activities, their desire is that we honor God, and of course, part of the way we honor God is by honoring each other," he said of the inaugural prayer service. Story continues "So the prayer service is really designed to be that opportunity the evening before the actual oath of office is taken and the official inaugural ceremony, to honor God by praying for the governor and for all who are going to be sworn in the following day ... and to pray for God to bless all in the state." Meanwhile, Harder said Stitt asked him to join with Jason Law, of Tulsa, president of World Compassion, to help with the logistics and planning for the prayer service. The minister said Southern Hills, a Southern Baptist church, was chosen for the inaugural prayer service because it has seating capacity for a large crowd. Because the event is open to the public and tickets and RSVPs are not required, Harder said having a house of worship that can accommodate numerous people was important. Inaugural prayer services tidbits The tradition of inaugural prayer services is a national one as the U.S. president and members of Congress typically gather together for a National Inaugural Prayer Service shortly after a presidential inauguration. According to a 2016 Episcopal News Service story, many of these services have taken place at the Washington National Cathedral, an Episcopal Church USA-affiliated cathedral in Washington, D.C. The news outlet said the cathedral, calls itself a "house of prayer for all people" and has generally hosted the inaugural prayer services, beginning with President Franklin Delano Roosevelts first inauguration in 1933. The tradition has been more recently consistent since President Ronald Reagans second inauguration in 1985, the news service said. Notably, President Bill Clinton chose Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, a historic Black church in downtown Washington, for both of his inaugural prayer services. Gov. George Nigh, his wife Donna, and the Rev. Wendell R. Estep, right, chat at the Inaugural Prayer Service on Jan. 9, 1983, at Council Road Baptist Church in Bethany. The services in the national cathedral have generally been interfaith in modern times. The Episcopal news outlet said the Inaugural Prayer Service "is a moment for our next president to pause and contemplate the incredible responsibility he has been entrusted with and to listen as the faith community offers prayers for the office of the president." Oklahoma's inaugural prayer services seem to have had a similar premise over the years. As Harder emphasized, the main focus of the event, no matter where it is held or who participates, is to pray for elected leaders embarking on new terms of office. Governor-elects generally have a say in who participates in the prayer service programs, although not all of them may have weighed in on the matter. Frank Keating, a Republican, notably insisted on inviting Rabbi David Packman to take part in the program at his inaugural prayer service in 2002, part of activities before Keating's gubernatorial inauguration. It wasn't Packman's Jewish faith he was longtime spiritual leader of Temple B'nai Israel and a prominent Oklahoma City religious leader that sparked controversy, but his views on abortion. The Oklahoman reported at the time that Keating and his wife, Cathy, both Catholics with strong anti-abortion views, stood by their decision to include Packman (now deceased) on the program, even though he was known publicly as an abortion-rights activist. Cathy Keating was general chairman of the inaugural committee. Gov. Brad Henry and his wife, Kim, bottom left, join others as they sing "God of Ages" during an interfaith prayer service on Jan. 7, 2007, at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, part of inaugural activities for Brad Henry. About a dozen abortion opponents picketed outside First Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, where the prayer service was held. Police escorted Packman and his wife to the service, and the event program went on as scheduled. Both inaugural prayer services for Gov. Brad Henry, a Democrat, were interfaith. Packman participated in Henry's second prayer service in 2007 at St. Luke's United Methodist Church. Other participants included Marjan Torbati, representing the Muslim faith community; Lawrence Hart, noted Cheyenne peace chief (who died in 2022) and several prominent Christian religious leaders, including the Rev. Anthony Jordan, who was then executive director-treasurer of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, the state's Southern Baptist affiliate. Henry's first inaugural prayer service in 2003 was held at Oklahoma Baptist University. Participants included the Rev. Susan Joplin, then a canon at St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, and the late Nazih Zuhdi, a Muslim faith community member and founder of the Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute at then-Integris Baptist Medical Center. Zuhdi spoke about the people of different faiths that had united in Oklahoma since the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ecumenical inaugural prayer service is set at OKC church Jan. 14When any person walks into a public office some city hall or school headquarters, for instance they are entitled to see any public record they wish. That person doesn't have to explain, give their name or why they have an interest in that public record. They don't even have to be from that town. That is not only the law, it's just common sense. State law even spells it out, saying a public entity or its representatives "may not ask for the motive or reason for requesting the records or for the identity of the person requesting records." Not everybody sees it that way. A proposal in the North Dakota Legislature seeks to change the law so that a person requesting a public record must give their name and provide personal contact information." It's House Bill 1198 , introduced by Rep. Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson. Our advice to lawmakers: Don't do this. Just wad it up and toss it. Here's why: The more roadblocks that are put on public records, the less they actually become "open" at least in the truest sense. Already, there are fees attached to open records, and sometimes those fees can add up. A person without the money therefore cannot easily access a large number of documents. We understand why there are fees attached it's because public employees must process the requests but when a bill comes in at $100 or more, it certainly can be a deterrent. At times, newspapers in the Forum Communications Co. chain have paid thousands of dollars to access documents. We know of one case where $7,000 was spent. But also, some requesters might be hesitant to attach their name to a request because it could raise flags that ultimately could sway them from seeking the records. What if a person wants documents related to a small-town mayor or sheriff? That could spark a confrontation, and it might sway the requester from going through the trouble. These things happen. We know of a case in South Dakota, in the early 2000s, when a newspaper intern was sent to a local City Hall to request information about the chief of police. That intern was then detained in a separate room and questioned. Story continues Everyone is a member of the public and we all own these records. So why should it matter who is making the request for public documents? And why should anyone have to provide personal information to know what their government is up to? They shouldn't have to. Public entities simply must provide the documents that are requested, without question and without bias. They may have to grit their teeth every now and then, but this is how transparency works. For the sake of openness in North Dakota, we hope HB 1198 dies a quick death. ESCANABA Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently signed legislation into law to secure millions in funding for a major Escanaba paper mill. The spending legislation, which was signed into law on Tuesday, Jan. 31, secured a total of $1.1 billion in funding for various project across the state. One of the largest investments will be modernizing the Escanaba mill. The mill, which sits on the banks of the Escanaba River, is owned by Swedish paper producer Billerud. The mill has been a major part of the Escanaba economy since 1911 and supports many local jobs. The mill is one of the top employers in Delta County, with several thousand workers. It has an estimated $360 million in annual economic impact on the area. Subscribe:Get unlimited access to our coverage Billeruds transformational investment in their Escanaba Mill underscores the strength of our advanced manufacturing workforce and secures a critical win as we continue working to promote long-term, sustainable investments across the state, said Quentin Messer, CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, in a statement. Through the steadfast support of our bipartisan legislative partners, the Whitmer-Gilchrist Administration, the men and women of organized labor, and our many local and regional partners across the Upper Peninsula, we are continuing to demonstrate that Michigan, on both peninsulas, is a place for pure opportunity. In the past several months, Billerud has been in the process of planning an expansion and modernization project at the mill, which is expected to bring in around $1 billion from Swedish investors. The company needs to make this modernization in order to keep the mill running the way it is. This project is expected to allow the company to keep more than 1,240 jobs. This is a major investment that will strengthen the local economy and keep the mill operational for generations to come, said Sen. John Damoose, (R-Harbor Springs). I am proud to stand up for Upper Peninsula families and help secure funding to keep these jobs long into the future. Story continues This funding follows additional incentives recently approved by the State of Michigan Administrative Board, including approval of the Forest Products Processing Renaissance Zone. The zone exempts Billerud from paying almost all state and local property taxes at the Escanaba Mill. The project will include upgrading the mill to handle more paper products than it could in the past. With the new investment, Bullerud will convert the mill into producing primary fiber carton board and paperboard products. This new moderinzed mill will be the cornerstone of Billerud expanding its company into North America. We thank Governor Whitmer, the legislature, and the MEDC for their investment support for Billeruds planned transformation of our Escanaba Mill into a world-class paperboard production facility, said Billerud Americas Corporation President Rob Kreizenbeck. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with our partners in government to facilitate our investments for the benefit of the Escanaba community, Upper Peninsula and the State of Michigan. Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Escanaba paper mill receives $200 million for modernization The Marley Family, Tuff Gong, and UMe commemorate Bob Marleys 78th birthday by honoring his life and musical heritage by announcing Jamaican pressings of twelve limited-edition Bob Marley vinyl L.P. Out on March 24, each album is numbered and pressed exclusively at the legendary Tuff Gong International headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica, featuring nine original studio albums and two original live albums, plus the worlds best-selling reggae album, Legend, all including a highly-desirable Tuff Gong stamp. Additionally, Catch A Fire, initially recorded by The Wailers in Jamaica and eventually released with overdubs and a mix overseen by Island founder Chris Blackwell at the labels London headquarters, will only be available in its original Jamaica-recorded version, with two extra tracks from the sessions and some tracks with longer fades. Produced entirely by Bob Marley & the Wailers and mixed by longtime Marley associate Errol Brown, this Jamaican version are now on vinyl for the first time. Watch the trailer introducing the Jamaican Pressings below. The limited-edition albums were pressed at Tuff Gongs newly refurbished vinyl pressing plant, which re-opened in the summer of 2020 and has an annual capacity of 250,000 units. Each album was mastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters in Los Angeles. In addition to the news of the Jamaican pressings of Marleyc classic albums, 'Fashion Icon,' the tenth episode of the Webby-award-winning,* 12-part documentary series 'Legacy,' also premieres today on Bob Marleys Official YouTube Channel. Supported by visuals throughout his career, interviews with those close to him, and from established voices in the fashion and music industries, 'Fashion Icon' paints a picture of how Marleys life shaped his wardrobe and how his evolution as a creator solidified his status as a global, and cultural Icon. Story continues In addition to Bob Marleys extensive global impact on music, 'Fashion Icon' examines Marleys creative influence on the fashion world, his styles evolution throughout his career, and his far-reaching and unwavering impact on global culture and fashion. The episode explores how Marleys journey from growing up in Jamaica and the years following, including his illustrious music career, influenced his style. In 'Fashion Icon,' members of the Marley family reveal their perspectives on how Bobs style shaped their appreciation for fashion and how it has influenced others since. The episode is narrated by Cedella Marley and features appearances from Ky-Mani Marley, Rohan Marley, and Skip Marley, as well as insights by famed art director and designer Neville Garrick, Hip-Hop Legend and Public Enemy founder and activist Chuck D. In addition, designers Paul ONeill (Design Director, Levis), Aurora James (Creative Director and Founder of luxury accessories brand Brother Vellies), Edvin Thompson, Designer and Creative Director of Theophilio), and Anik Khan, Bangladeshi-American musician & entrepreneur also provide invaluable input on Marleys contribution to the fashion culture. Watch Episode 10, 'Fashion Icon,' and the previous Legacy Episodes 1-9 on Bob Marleys Official YouTube Channel. Island Records also recently released a reimagining of the Bob Marley and The Wailers classic Stir It Up in collaboration with one of the most successful African rappers of all time, Ghanaian rap icon Sarkodie. The Caribbean and Africa unite on one of the most recognizable songs in the world to give us romance and nostalgia. Produced by MOG, this song combines the signature guitar strums and soothing bounce we know and love with Sarkodies iconic flow. The official music video for Stir It Up showcases the vibrant relationship between Jamaica and Ghana. With Sarkodie leading on creative direction, these Ghana-shot visuals authentically explore identity, unity, and community. Pre-order the Jamaican pressings of Bob Marley's classic albums. 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. Charlottesville Mayor Lloyd Snook has personally pared down the list of candidates vying for former Council Member Sena Magills seat from 20 to six. And while much of his short list reads like a whos who of local government, some are crying foul over the process. I dont think its democratic or transparent, former Council Member Dede Smith told The Daily Progress on Thursday. Its bad governance, and I dont think its fair. Whats not fair, Smith said, is that prospective applicants were initially told theyd be heard by the council and the public. Now, that opportunity is reserved for just the six Snook selected. Snook, a lawyer, contends that Virginias open government law gives him the right to trim the list after contacting individual council members for their input. I counted noses, he told The Daily Progress in an email. Megan Rhyne, the director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, said that the practice of public officials holding one-on-one meetings violates the spirit, but not the letter, of Virginias Freedom of Information Act. Ive complained about it in the past, because citizens should be much more informed about the filling of certain high-level roles in local government, said Rhyne. Is it a concern? Yes. But legal? Also yes. Snook said that time was of the essence in the selection of a replacement for Magill. State law gives the city just 45 days to appoint someone to the council. On the night of Jan. 3, when Magill unexpectedly announced her resignation, the council voted unanimously to choose a replacement councilor by the bodys Feb. 21 meeting. I was concerned about getting to a decision within the time allotted, Snook said. I had said from the beginning that we would figure out the next steps after we got the applications. Snooks six picks are festival organizer Alex Bryant; architect and former Council Member Kathy Galvin; researcher and former Council Member Kristin Szakos; school board member Lisa Larson-Torres; sustainability and walkability advocate Natalie Oschrin; and former school board member and current University of Virginia administrator Leah Puryear. The six have been invited to speak to council on Feb. 6. On that date, council has slated both a closed session for discussing boards and commissions/personnel and also placed a public hearing on the agenda, item No. 13, at which point the six applicants can speak to the public and be spoken about by the public. Snook said that conducting a public hearing for all 20 applicants might have added three hours to the meeting and consumed another 10 hours in individual interviews. We wanted to get the list down to a manageable number before the public hearing, Snook said. Fourteen Charlottesville residents have already received rejection letters. Wow, Snook wrote in an email to a rejected candidate. We were overwhelmed by the response. Magills seat was opened after the councilor made an emotional announcement that family obligations would require her to step aside as of Jan. 11. Both of the former council members who have applied, Galvin and Szakos, have vowed not to seek reelection to the seat, which carries a four-year term and goes up for election this November. The council has consisted almost solely of Democrats for the past two decades. The only exceptions in that time were the single term of Republican Rob Schilling from July 2002 to June 2006 and the single term of independent Nikuyah Walker from 2018 to 2021. Charlottesville is fortunate to have so many people with such a diversity of interests and skills willing to jump in and help govern the City, Snook wrote in an email to an also-ran. Dr. Dan Jones, the former chancellor of University of Mississippi, center, speaks at a news conference at the state Capitol in Jackson, where Democratic legislative leaders, criticized the Republican leadership's inaction on addressing the state's hospital crisis, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. Jones said Gov. Tate Reeves once privately acknowledged to him the benefits of Medicaid expansion, but publicly, the governor has long resisted expansion. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said in a private conversation that expanding Medicaid to people working low-wage jobs would be in the best interest of the state, but that he refuses to support the policy for political reasons, a former chancellor of the University of Mississippi said Thursday. Dr. Dan Jones is a physician who led the University of Mississippi Medical Center before serving as chancellor of the university from 2009 to 2015. During a news conference organized by Democratic state lawmakers on Thursday, Jones said that Reeves acknowledged in a private conversation with him in 2013 or 2014 that expanding Medicaid would benefit Mississippi's economy, and provide health care to more residents of a state bedeviled by poor health outcomes. Jones said he was trying to persuade Reeves, who was the lieutenant governor at the time, to take advantage of a 2010 health care law signed by President Barack Obama that allowed for Medicaid expansion, with the federal government covering most of the cost. Jones said the conversation took place in Jones' office at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. The governor after a few moments put his hands up and said, Chancellor, I recognize that it would be good for Mississippians, that it would be good for our economy, good for health care to expand Medicaid," Jones recounted. "I had a big smile on my face, and I said Im glad to hear that and Im glad to hear youll support Medicaid expansion. His response was, Oh no, Im not going to support it because its not in my personal political interest. Reeves wrote on Twitter Thursday that Jones' remarks were obviously a lie. "Id bet I hadnt talked to this dude since well before he was fired by Ole Miss, and I never would have said this," Reeves wrote. Do you believe he has held this juicy scoop for 8 years? Through 2019? And remembered it just before a presser with Democrats in 2023? Dr. Dan Jones Jones returned to the University of Mississippi Medical Center after the state college board chose not to renew his contract as chancellor. He retired two years ago, and said that since then, he has more freedom to speak publicly. Story continues Reeves is seeking a second term as governor this year. He has said frequently that he does not want to add people to a government health program. A Democrat running for governor, Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley, is making Medicaid expansion a central promise in his own campaign. During his State of the State speech Monday, Reeves said Mississippi should shore up health care resources by cutting bureaucracy, increasing medical residency programs and relying on technology. Mississippi is among 11 states that have not taken the option from the federal government to expand Medicaid coverage to people working low-wage jobs without health insurance. At least 15 bills that would have done so expired under a Tuesday deadline without a legislative debate or a vote in the Republican-controlled legislature. Mississippi has the nations highest fetal mortality, infant mortality and pre-term birth rates. At a Jan. 13 legislative hearing, Dr. Daniel Edney, the state health officer, said Mississippi doesnt have the medical workforce to address a wide range of poor health outcomes. Some hospitals are on the brink of permanent closure due to staff shortages and population decline in poor areas. At the state Capitol on Thursday, Jones shared his memories of the conversation with Reeves because he has never seen Mississippis health care system under the strain it is now, even with a $4 billion surplus in the state budget. Shame on us for allowing the citizens of Mississippi to have health care problems and not have access to health care solutions, Jones said. Shame on us in a state with billions of dollars in its coffers to not act on this to make health care available to all of our citizens. It is immoral. More:GOP legislators oppose Medicaid expansion, but want federal dollars to pay for prisoner healthcare ___ Michael Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/mikergoldberg. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Tate Reeves calls Medicaid discussion with ex-Ole Miss chancellor a lie The Hamilton County Prosecutor said Wyoming police officers who shot and killed Joe Frasure Jr. Monday will not be charged and acted in self-defense. The names of the officers have still not been released. The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, which investigated the shooting, said two officers had fired shots at Frasure Jr. A total of three Wyoming officers were at the scene. Body camera footage released at the Friday press conference shows police approaching Frasure Jr. and his father in a small parking lot behind the Durrell Avenue apartment building just after 12:30 a.m. Frasure Jr. is in a minivan and his father is standing beside it. Officers approach the pair and tell them to stop and put their hands up. Frasure's father appears to briefly put his hands up, then Frasure revs the van's engine as he reverses into a tree and then drives forward, tires screeching. The officers repeatedly shout commands to stop. The officers tell each other to get out of the way. As Frasure cuts through a grass area to head toward an exit, he's heading straight for two officers who fire at him. Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers commended the officers and said she believes they saved their own lives with their actions. Hamilton County prosecutor Melissa Powers speaks during a press conference in Cincinnati on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. Powers announced that no charges will be filed against the Wyoming Police involved in the fatal shooting of Joe Frasure. The shooting occurred Monday morning. Frasure died at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center on Tuesday. He was 28. Powers said the officers rendered aid to Frasure Jr. after he was shot and crashed into a building. Frasure died at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center on Tuesday. He was 28. "Lethal force was appropriate," Powers said. The officers are currently on paid administrative leave. Powers said Frasure Jr. was on probation in Indiana on a charge of felony battery and had an active warrant for violating his probation. She said he was also wanted in Kentucky for absconding while on parole for a drug charge. Frasure's father was apprehended after fleeing on foot, Powers said. The investigation into his conduct is still ongoing. How it started: Wyoming police were called early Monday morning The situation began with a phone call placed just after 12:30 a.m. Monday to the Wyoming police non-emergency number. The call was automatically transferred to the Hamilton County 911 dispatch center. Story continues Wyoming, a city of about 8,500 people located just north of Cincinnati, has 19 full-time police officers. The department is led by Chief Brooke Brady. Wyoming has a very low violent crime rate, averaging about three violent crimes a year, according to FBI data. Brady said it's been decades since a Wyoming officer had shot a suspect. What we know now:What we know about the fatal police shooting of Joe Frasure There is no record of any fatal police shootings in Wyoming since at least 2015. A search of the Enquirer archives showed records of only three police shootings. In 1974, an officer wounded a suspect in a shootout after a robbery at King Kwik. In 1930, an officer returned fire after he was shot - that officer would die from his wounds. In 1912, another officer returned fire after being shot and also later died. The Hamilton County Prosecutor will speak Friday about the fatal police shooting of Joe Frasure outside a Wyoming apartment. The 911 caller said he lived next to an apartment complex which he could see from his house. He said he saw two or three people in the building which was supposed to be vacant. "I'm seeing people walking around it and doing maybe suspicious things at a late hour," he said. "Maybe someone could come check it out." The dispatcher logged the run as two to three people "attempting to break into" a vacant residence. Police had been to the building before and neighbors knew the residents Neighbor Derrick Moore said he and other nearby residents have been concerned about the property for many months, but Moore said recently the city took some action and at least three of the four units were unoccupied. Moore said the neighbors have spoken to the residents and knew that one of the apartments was being cleaned out after a woman died in early January. Enquirer media partner Fox19 reported that Frasure's family said this is why he was at the residence. Police went to the apartment frequently. Between Oct. 10 and Jan. 11, police received at least 33 calls about situations at the property, according to records obtained by The Enquirer. Most were about domestic disturbances and disputes between residents. Frasure Jr. was not named in any of the complaints. Powers said the City of Wyoming was allowing people into the building during the day to retrieve things but said no one should have been there at night. The Enquirer has reached out to the lawyer representing the Frasure family. He had not returned a call at the time of this report. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Prosecutor not charging officers in fatal police shooting of Joe Frasure A group of 20 Republican attorneys general, including Iowa's Brenna Bird, warned CVS and Walgreens in a letter Wednesday that they could face legal consequences if they sell abortion pills by mail in their states. The letter, from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, said selling the pills would violate abortion laws in the state. It was cosigned by attorneys general in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and West Virginia. Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart castigated Bird for participating. When Brenna Bird quietly signed on to this letter full of thoroughly debunked inaccuracies, she set a dangerous precedent and signaled that she doesnt understand that her job is not to be a lackey for Kim Reynolds, Hart said. FDA ruling allows pharmacies to offer abortion pill Last month, the FDA ruled retail pharmacies could get certified to dispense the abortion pill mifepristone and agree to accept prescriptions from certified providers. CVS and Walgreens have previously said they intend to provide the drug in states where it is legal to do so. Walgreens is working to become eligible to dispense mifepristone through an FDA-mandated certification process that requires pharmacies to meet standards in shipping, tracking and confidentially storing drug-prescribing records, Fraser Engerman, a Walgreens spokesperson, said in a statement. "We fully understand that we may not be able to dispense Mifepristone in all locations if we are certified under the program," Engerman said. WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT ABORTION PILLS: Medication abortion may be the next focal point in the fight over abortion access What legal action could be taken against pharmacies? Bailey didn't specify what legal action he would take. "I will enforce the laws as written," Bailey said in a statement. "That includes laws protecting the health of women and their unborn children. The FDA rule is in direct violation of federal law, and the unelected bureaucrats at the FDA have no authority to change Missouri law, either. The peoples elected representatives have spoken on the issue of abortion in our state, and we will fight to uphold that in court." Story continues Letter argues mailing abortion pills violates federal law The letter also argues that federal law prohibits sending or receiving abortion pills by mail. This refers to the Comstock Act, an 1873 law that sought to restrict the delivery of contraception and items considered "obscene." It contains language prohibiting mailing "any article or thing designed or intended for the prevention of conception or procuring of an abortion." But the Justice Department last month cleared the U.S. Postal Service to deliver abortion pills, ruling the Comstock Act does not prohibit mailing the pills because senders cannot typically know if the recipient will use them illegally. MORE ON DOJ RULING: Justice Department clears Postal Service to deliver abortion pills Lawsuits target medication abortion access In two ongoing court battles, lawsuits are arguing states cannot regulate or restrict drugs that are FDA-approved. One of the lawsuits targets North Carolina's restrictions on medication abortion. The other, in West Virginia, targets the state's abortion ban. Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed by the anti-abortion group Alliance Defending Freedom is attempting to reverse the FDAs approval of mifepristone, which was approved for medication abortion in 2000. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists call mifepristone a safe and effective abortion medication and component of treatment and management for early pregnancy loss or miscarriage. Dig deeper: 50th anniversary of Roe v Wade The Des Moines Register contributed to this report. Contact Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: GOP attorneys general warn against selling abortion pills by mail A computer system used by some of Iowas county recorders appears to have been hacked over the holidays and has yet to be restored to full operational status. County recorders maintain land records, issue marriage licenses and register births and deaths. They also issue titles and liens on boats, snowmobiles and ATVs. The biggest immediate effect of the apparent hack is that the public, as well as the recorders themselves, cant currently access real estate records. Its not clear how many of Iowas county recorders are under contact with Cott Systems, which was the victim of a suspected cyberattack shortly after Christmas. The Ohio company provides document hosting services to government agencies in at least 21 states. Iowa counties that are known to have used at least some of Cott Systems services include Dallas, Scott, Allamakee, Black Hawk and Jasper. Polk County uses some of Cott Systems software, but doesnt contract with Cott for hosting the countys records. As a result, it has been unaffected by the apparent cyberattack, said Tom Brogan, Polk Countys first deputy recorder. More: Pantries say food rescue hasn't returned, despite promises of 'immediate collaboration' Dallas County, however, does have its documents hosted by Cott. Dallas County Recorder ReNae Arnold said Thursday that the company recently notified her of the hack. I dont know anything about what happened or any of the details, she said. Their system was compromised, but how far (the hackers) went into their system, I have no idea. Theyre not giving us that information. She added that Cott Systems informed her office the FBI is investigating. Other news sources have reported that Cott Systems informed all of its government customers Dec. 26 of the attack. On Jan. 2, the companys CEO, Deborah Ball, reportedly informed customers that Cotts databases were still complete and that 93% of its infrastructure had been fixed. At that time, Ball said she was unsure when services might be fully restored. Story continues The company was able to get Dallas Countys system up and running briefly, but the system went down again on Jan. 5. It still wasnt working Jan. 6, although office personnel said they hope it will be operational the following week. More: Iowan Bessie Hendricks, America's oldest person, dies at 115 in Lake City Arnold said Cott Systems has told her the hacker was not able to access any information from the Dallas County Recorders Office and has also assured her that no county records have been irretrievably lost. The information is still there, and we will be able to access it again at some point, she said. Cott Systems provides public-records management services for more than 300 government agencies in the United States. The company helps them record and archive documents while also making them searchable and accessible to members of the public. More: Two Iowa projects receive about $1 million in federal funding to boost meat supply Find this story at Iowa Capital Dispatch, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: kobradovich@iowacapitaldispatch.com. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Records in some Iowa counties inaccessible after suspected cyberattack Image via Getty/Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank HBO continues its relationship with Jerrod Carmichael. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the 35-year-old will star in a comedy documentary series that focuses on his personal life. Carmichael first teamed up with the network for his 2014 standup special Jerrod Carmichael: Love at the Store, followed by 8 (2017), his two-part video diary Home Videos and Sermon on the Mount (2019), and his 2022 breakout Rothaniel, in which publicly came out as gay. The latter project also earned the North Carolina native an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special. The forthcoming untitled series will follow Carmichael through encounters with friends, family, and strangers, all in his quest for love, sex, and connection. The project is part of Carmichaels two-year overall deal with HBO that was inked over the summer. Weve loved working with Jerrod over the past 10 years, and to watch him discover new layers of both himself and his comedy, Nina Rosenstein, HBOs executive vice president of programming, said in a statement. Rothaniel resonated with audiences in such a profound way, and his honesty and vulnerability are a perfect fit for this original format. Carmichael will not only star in the docuseries, he will also serve as its executive producer, alongside Eli Despres and director Ari Katcher. HBO has yet to confirm a premiere date. Carmichaels directorial debut On the Count of Threein which he also co-starredreleased in 2022. The announcement comes just weeks after the comedian hosted the 80th Golden Globe Awards, which included a controversial monologue as well as eyebrow-raising jokes. Carmichael called out the Hollywood Foreign Press Association on a number of high profile scandals, including its history of lacking Black members. He also cracked a joke about Scientology and another that referenced the death of Whitney Houston, whose estate said they felt the joke was in poor taste. Story continues Related Articles More Complex Sign up for the Complex Newsletter for breaking news, events, and unique stories. Follow Complex on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok PANAMA CITY After more than seven years as president of Eastern Shipbuilding, Joey D'Isernia is now CEO and chairman of the shipbuilder's board of directors. Eastern Shipbuilding announced the change in a press release on Thursday morning. D'Isernia, 41, was appointed president in 2015, and he has spent his entire career working in the shipyard. He will replace his father, Brian D'Isernia, 79, who founded the company and is retiring as CEO and chairman of the board after 46 years in the position. After more than seven years as president of Eastern Shipbuilding, Joey D'Isernia (left) is now CEO and chairman of the shipbuilder's board of directors. "We all stood on Brian's shoulders as he built this company from the ground up," Joey D'Isernia said in the release. "I am deeply humbled as I step into this role knowing how much my father sacrificed for us and for this company. We will carry on his legacy and maintain Eastern's core values of delivering our clients exceptional service and the highest quality vessels." More on Eastern:Rep. Dunn vows to fight Coast Guard's decision to ditch Eastern Shipbuilding Fighting back:Eastern Shipbuilding lodges federal protest for $3 billion U.S. Coast Guard contract According to the release, Joey D'Isernia oversaw not only Eastern's recovery after Category 5 Hurricane Michael in October 2018, but its transition from a "commercial shipyard to one that excels in the management and execution of government shipbuilding programs, as well as commercial programs." Located in Panama City, Eastern Shipbuilding employs more than 1,600 people, and it has produced more than 350 vessels. The release says Brian D'Isernia started his career as a lawyer and became a commercial fisherman. He then built his own fishing boat, eventually shifting from commercial fishing to vessel construction. He opened Eastern Shipbuilding in 1976. Brian D'Isernia and his wife, Miriam "Mimi," have been married for more than 50 years. The two have 10 children, six of which work at Eastern. "Building this successful company spanning half a century has been an incredible source of pride, but my greatest achievement is my family," Brian D'Isernia said in the release. "I have every confidence that under Joey's leadership, the next generation of D'Isernia shipbuilders will continue our proud legacy, and the next 50 years will be a shining success." This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Joey D'Isernia takes over from father as CEO of Eastern Shipbuilding Jon Moxley Wants To Bring Ohio Back To The Glory Days, Says It's An Underserved Market For Wrestling Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling Jon Moxley wants to bring Ohio back to prominence as a pro wrestling hotbed. All Elite Wrestling star Jon Moxley was a guest on ESPN WING 1410s The Justin Kinner Show to promote AEWs Dynamite/Rampage taping in Dayton, Ohio. During the call, Moxley spoke about his Ohio roots and said he wants to keep bringing AEW back to the region to make it a big wrestling area once again. I was happy to bring Dynamite to Cincinnati recently, about an hour south, and now this is step two trying to take over Ohio. Id like this to be a really big area for [AEW] here in the Midwest. Were right in the middle of Chicago and Indianapolis, Michigan and Cleveland, were right here in the middle so its a good place for fans from all over the Midwest to come, Moxley explained. Im trying to make it to where Ohio is the place that gets I feel like were an underserved market. [I want] to get the big pay-per-views, the Dynamites, stuff like that. We havent gotten that the last decade or so, Cincinnati and Dayton have been another town on the loop so to speak. Id like to return this area to the glory days, this was actually a really big hotbed for wrestling. Moxley then spoke about how he continues to take independent bookings, making sporadic appearances for GCW and The Wrestling Revolver. The latter is owned by Sami Callihan, Moxleys former partner and friend for nearly 20 years. One thing Im trying to do on the independent scene is with my former tag team partner, Sami Callihan, who is from Ohio as well. He wrestles for IMPACT Wrestling, me and him have been working with Wrestling Revolver, which is another smaller independent promotion where you see a lot of current stars, myself, Sami, Wheeler Yuta from the Blackpool Combat Club, guys like that, and future stars that havent been on TV yet. [Wrestling Revolver had a show on February 2] and you can see stars of the future, Moxley explained. Its a totally different atmosphere. Story continues Sami Callihan recently spoke with WrestleZone about Wrestling Revolvers latest event, A Night At The Moxbury. Callihan said that he and Moxley have been friends for nearly 20 years, and it helps that they have similar visions for professional wrestling. With Moxley, I fell into a really good spot that nine out of ten times, hes always going to be there helping out at Wrestling Revolver shows, either wrestling or doing something because he believes in the vision as much as I do. Right now, Im one of the only independent promotions on the planetI have a great relationship with IMPACT Wrestling, I have a great relationship with AEW, I have a great relationship with New Japan, Callihan said. I have good relationships with other Japanese wrestling companies and pretty much every major company on the planet. Were one of the only companies where youre going to be able to see stars from everywhere all around the world, including the television companies in the United States, working under one roof specifically. Read More: Steve Maclin: Teaming With Deonna Purrazzo Would Be Fun, But It Needs To Be Organic And Make Sense The post Jon Moxley Wants To Bring Ohio Back To The Glory Days, Says Its An Underserved Market For Wrestling appeared first on Wrestlezone. "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Whether it be the red carpet or a new post on social media, Katie Holmes never ceases to surprise people with her unique takes on red carpet fashion. Back in November 2019, the Dawson's Creek alum attended the MCC Theater's All-Star "Let's Play! Celebrity Game Night" event in New York City. Wearing a long sleeve black polka dot blouse, the sheer material made the actress standout with a black crop top peeking out from underneath. Whether it be the red carpet or a new post on social media, Katie Holmes never ceases to surprise people with her unique takes on red carpet fashion. Back in November 2019, the Dawson's Creek alum attended the MCC Theater's All-Star "Let's Play! Celebrity Game Night" event in New York City. While it wasn't the typical Hollywood soiree fans know her to attend, it didn't stop her from stepping up her fashion game. Wearing a long sleeve black polka dot blouse, the sheer material made the actress standout with a black crop top peeking out from underneath. The piece also featured a makeshift tie in the front and billowing sleeves. To keep the ensemble monochromatic, Katie wore black ankle-length pants with a dark belt and a pair of black pointed heels. Pulling the whole look together, the Batman Begins actress wore her brunette hair in a shoulder-length bob and donned rosy yet natural makeup. Getty Images Getty Images When the Pieces of April star later posted a series of behind-the-scenes photos from the night on Instagram, it didn't take long for folks to react to her red carpet outfit. "Looking a tad bit gorgeous," one person wrote in the comments. "You look so happy!!! Love it! ," a different user noted. "Looking better than ever!" another agreed. Time and time again, Katie cements her ongoing status as a Hollywood fashionista. As some may already know, she enjoys wearing sheer clothing on the red carpet. She stepped out in a similar look a see-through floral dress the year prior in February 2018. Story continues What's more, fans can witness both her acting and couture skills in real-life. The Ocean's Eight cast member currently stars in the off-Broadway play The Wanderers through April 2, meaning folks can get a taste of her fashion choices right from the Great White Way. You Might Also Like Tomales Bay, aerial view, Northern California Getty Officials in California say a missing kayaker has been found after he disappeared late last week while crabbing. Clinton Yoshio Koga, 39, of Brentwood, was reported missing Friday evening after he ventured on kayak into Tomales Bay "to retrieve a crabbing cage," according to a press release from the Marin County Sheriff's Office. California Recovery Divers, a volunteer aquatic search group, recovered the kayaker's remains Wednesday afternoon about 100 yards away from the shore of Lawson's Landing, the sheriff's office said. Koga entered the water at the Lawson's Landing campground less than 20 minutes before he was reported missing, per the report. The cause and manner of his death have not been revealed. RELATED: N.Y. Cops Find Man and Woman Dead in 'Dilapidated' Home with 150 Cats Inside: 'Absolutely Horrific' Koga had been fishing with his friends the day he disappeared, the MCSO said. One of the friends called the sheriff's department to report Koga missing after he lost sight of his kayak, according to the sheriff's office. U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Kolton Krag told SFGATE that "it was windy" the day Koga disappeared. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. An extensive search was launched, but later suspended after the missing man was not found, according to the MCSO. Multiple first responders participated in the search, including fire and dive crews from Marin County, a helicopter crew from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, and the United States Coast Guard. California Recovery Divers located the man's remains around 4:15 p.m. local time on Wednesday after looking in the water for much of the day, the sheriff's office said. Koga was then transported to the Lawson's Landing Campground, where paramedics confirmed his death, per the department's press release. RELATED: Woman Found Alive and 'Gasping for Air' in Body Bag at Iowa Funeral Home Story continues The MCSO offered its "heartfelt gratitude" to everyone who helped search for Koga in the five days following his disappearance. The sheriff's office thanked the California Recovery Divers group in particular for "bringing Mr. Koga home to his family." "The Marin County Sheriff 's office and personnel of the Corner Division offer our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Koga," the press release says. An investigation into Koga's death is ongoing. BOSTON A coalition of Massachusetts community groups, unions and civil rights organizations filed a federal civil rights complaint against the states Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on Thursday, alleging the state allows vocational technical high schools to use admissions policies that discriminate against protected classes of applicants. Our position is not radical. Public schools should no longer be able to use private schools admissions criteria to systemically discriminate and keep the most vulnerable eighth graders in our state out of our trade schools, said state Sen. John Cronin, a Democrat who represents Fitchburg. So, lets stop denying kids from disadvantaged backgrounds a pathway to the middle class. Cronin was speaking at a press conference on Thursday morning organized by the Vocational Education Justice Coalition, the group behind the lawsuit. Lawyers from Lawyers for Civil Rights and the Center of Law and Education have filed a federal civil rights complaint to the United States Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights on behalf of four students from Chelsea and Gardner. The complaint alleges that vocational technical high schools discriminate against students of color, disabled students, students who are economically disadvantaged and those who are English Language Learners by looking at criteria like grades, attendance and disciplinary records for students applying for admission. Members of the Vocational Education Justice Coalition, from left: Lew Finfer, Rep. Antonio Cabral, D-New Bedford, Miriam Albert, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, Andrea Shepphard Lomba, MA Communities Action Network, Barbara Fields, Black Educators Alliance of Massachusetts and Sen. John Cronin, D-Lunalun, announce the filing of a federal civil rights violation complaint against the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) claiming the competitive entry into the state's vocational schools discriminates against minorities, students with disabilities, English-language learners and students from low-income background. The complaint asks the U.S. Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights to suspend federal funding to DESE until the state department instructs vocational schools to stop using what the coalition calls discriminatory admissions criteria and implement a fairer admissions process. The coalition is also asking Gov. Maura Healey to ask the states Board of Education to change the admissions policy from the ranking of students to a lottery. Cronin and state Rep. Tony Cabral, a Democrat from New Bedford, have filed legislation that would require vocational schools to use a lottery for admissions. Story continues A representative for DESE provided a statement in response to news of the complaint: "The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is reviewing the complaint that the Vocational Education Justice Coalition filed with the Office for Civil Rights and cannot comment on the allegations at this time." A call to unify admission standards Cabral, an immigrant from Portugal, said vocational schools should be held to the same standards as other public schools because of the important opportunities they can provide. At the age of 14, I couldnt speak a word of English. And why am I here today? Because of public schools and the opportunities I had at public schools, he said during Thursdays press conference. A former English-language learner, Rep. Antonio Cabral, D-New Bedford, understands the importance of opening admissions to the state's vocational education programs to all 8th graders through a lottery system, rather than have the current competitive entry system endorsed by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Previously, the state instructed all vocational high schools to look at applicants grades, attendance, discipline records and recommendations from school counselors. In June of 2021, the state issued a new directive that says schools must now make their own admissions policies. These policies may not consider a student's record of excused absences from school, or minor behavior or disciplinary infractions. Schools must also create a plan that includes deliberate, specific strategies to promote equal educational opportunities and attract, enroll, and retain a student population that, when compared to students in similar grades in sending districts, has a comparable academic and demographic profile. Only one of 28 vocational schools uses a lottery But advocates say this change has not gone far enough and are pushing to require vocational schools to use a lottery system that would not rank some students over others. Out of 28 vocational high schools in Massachusetts, only one, Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School in Marlborough, has switched to a full lottery system for admissions offers. The other 27 all use a points-based ranking system when considering applicants, which includes looking at students disciplinary records. Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Fall River is seen in this Herald News file photo. The coalition analyzed data from DESE on admissions to the state's vocational high schools for the 2022-2023 school year. It indicates that across the 27 vocational schools statewide that have not switched to a lottery system, 55% of applicants of color were offered admission versus 69% of white students, 54% of economically disadvantaged of applying students were admitted versus 72% of non-economically advantaged students, 54% of applicants who are special education students were offered admissions verses 65% of general education students, and 44% of applicants who are English Language Learners were admitted versus 64% of students who are not English Language Learners. Why is it that our futures are decided on middle school grades, discipline records, attendance and recommendations made by people who may not even know us instead of judging us purely on our show of potential for hard work and determination? said Josue Castellon, a junior at Chelsea High School who applied to vocational school but was waitlisted. Advocates for the lottery system said relying on grades and factors like disciplinary records means students who struggle in a traditional academic setting but who could potentially thrive in a vocational school miss out on that opportunity. The admissions policies also mean students from disadvantaged groups apply to vocational schools at lower rates than their peers, members of the coalition said, because they assume they will not be admitted because of factors like their grades or attendance record. Renee Ledbetter, president of United Interfaith Action and president of the New Bedford branch of the NAACP, spoke during the press conference about a student she worked with in New Bedford who was admitted to Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School after they moved to a system that is still mostly ranked but allows for 65 students to be admitted through a lottery. This student struggled in school and at home and had a lot of absences, but found a renewed enthusiasm for school after being admitted to vocational school. He began to change even before he entered New Bedford Voke this past year. He finally felt worthy. He rose to the opportunity, and he now has As and Bs in all his classes, has a great disciplinary record and is doing well at home, she said. SouthCoast vocational schools have disparity in admissions Both Diman Regional Technical High School in Fall River and New Bedford Voke have lower rates of students who are people of color, disabled, low-income and English Language Learners than the traditional public school districts in their home cities. Both schools admit students from relatively wealthier towns with a higher white population along with students from their home cities, which could account for some disparities. Voke in particular has seen a sharp disparity in admissions from some disadvantaged groups, especially among English Language Learners. Following the 2021 change from DESE, the school switched to a partial lottery system for admissions. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell has been outspoken about the need for vocational schools to change their admissions policies. He called the schools new policy a lottery only in name that has not increased the schools admission of English Language Learners and said it is flawed in particular because it excludes students who are chronically absent. This year, despite the move to admitting some students through a lottery, Voke admitted 35% of English Language Learner applicants compared to 66% of students who were not ELL students, according to state data. This means that 4.2% of all students who received offers were ELL students, 29 students in total. In New Bedford Public Schools, state data shows 26.1% of students are English Language Learners. Voke also admitted 49% of special education applicants verses 66% of general education applicants. Special education students made up 11.6% of accepted applicants, while making up 22.1% of students in New Bedford Public Schools. Nobody should confuse any of this with my respect for vocational education and in particular for Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School. Our voke school has performed very well and its an institution Ive long supported, Mitchell said. The problem is they have an admissions policy that unfairly keeps some kids out. Since the new instructions from DESE were released, Diman has switched to looking at an applicants grades and attendance and asking for a letter of recommendation from a school counselor. They now only consider a students disciplinary record if a student was charged with a felony or received a suspension of longer than 10 days, according to principal Andrew Rebello. The school previously asked for three letters of recommendation and also considered minor disciplinary infractions. Brian Bentley, Dimans interim superintendent, said the school has recently ramped up its ELL services and hired more special education teachers. Still, Diman has seen a wide gap in recent admission rates among some disadvantaged groups, according to the DESE data. This year, the school admitted 18% of ELL applicants verses 40% of non-ELL applicants, and 31% of economically disadvantaged students compared to 51% of applicants who were not economically disadvantaged. Of students who applied this year, 4.6% of those admitted, 21 students, were ELL students. In Fall River Public Schools, 21.3% of students are English Language Learners. Some gaps were narrower and showed an increase in the rates at which members of a disadvantaged group was admitted; 34% of special education applicants were admitted this year verses 39% of general education applicants. This means 15.2% of students who were accepted were special education students. Currently, 9.9% of students at Diman are in special education. Bentley said he would want to wait until more data is available before considering moving to a lottery system, and that hes happy with the progress Diman is making toward making the school reflect the demographics of its sending communities. DESE approved their new admissions policies and has not instructed them to change them, he pointed out. Right now, were comfortable, unless the department rules otherwise, he said. This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Lawsuit alleges civil rights violations in voc tech admissions Chloe Parker-Richmond, 18, was on track to graduate from Lebanon High School. She was interested in art and active with ROTC. She had a lot she wanted to do post-graduation, even if she wasnt exactly sure yet what the immediate future looked like. But Parker-Richmond wont graduate this June. She was one of four people killed in a two-vehicle crash near Scio on Monday, Jan. 30. Family remember Parker-Richmond as always lighting up a room and seeing the best in people. She was the best person any of us knew, Hayley Boss, Parker-Richmonds sister said. She was always so full of life and always there for other people. Parker-Richmond died after Mondays crash along with Travis Longo, 20, Skye Huskey, 18, and Jessica Petrime, 29. According to an Oregon State Police news release, Longo was driving on Highway 226 at speeds of more than 100 mph with Parker-Richmond and Huskey in his car. He took a corner at a high rate of speed and collided head-on with a car driven by Petrime. All four died, and the only survivor was Petrimes 8-month-old daughter. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald. Upon learning about the news, Lebanon High School read a statement to students about Parker-Richmonds death. The school district also mobilized a crisis team to offer drop-in counseling for students and staff. In its statement, a school district staff member described Chloe as a sweet, sweet girl. Her family would agree. She always saw the best in everyone and was always very understanding, Boss said. She added that all her sister ever wanted was to have the family together. Boss said her family is spread out over different states, but theyve been able to come together in this tragedy, as Parker-Richmond would have wanted. A memorial service for Parker-Richmond is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 at Century Park in Lebanon. Family members have set up a GoFundMe page for funeral costs. Love Island is back, for the second time within the space of a year. The hit ITV2 reality series is returning for a run of winter episodes, with the show relocating from its usual summer location of Mallorca, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa. Beginning in January, the winter edition is expected to run for a similar length of time to the regular version roughly eight weeks. This would mean that the finale will air sometime in March. As usual, viewers are invited to vote during the course of the series, with the most popular contestants ultimately landing the chance to win 50,000 in prize money. In an unprecedented move for the series, viewers will be able to vote for the first male or female bombshell to enter the villa. How do I vote? In order to vote on Love Island, you need to download the free Love Island app. The app is available for iOS (version 9+ or later) and Android (version 4.4x or later). It is the only way to vote. For a full list of the contestants appearing on this years winter Love Island, click here. The forthcoming series will also mark the debut of Maya Jama as series host, after previous presenter Laura Whitmore stepped down from the role. The 28-year-old TV and radio star is Love Islands third host after Caroline Flack, who died in 2020, and Whitmore. Love Island begins on ITV2 at 9pm on Monday 16 January on ITV2. Season nine of Love Island is well underway, and the Islanders are nicely settled in their swanky South African villa. For only the second time, this season is taking place during winter and Maya Jama has taken the reins as host. However, the Islanders better not get too comfortable, as new contestants are always ready and waiting to disrupt proceedings and switch up the dynamics of settled couples. Entering the villa on Wednesday (1 February) is 28-year-old Jordan Odofin, from London. But who is he? What are Jordans vital statistics? Jordan is 28 years old and works as a senior HR advisor. A Londoner, Jordan has already noted that hell bring his London swagger to the villa, and pointed out that not many other men in the villa hail from the nations capital city. He added: Im 65 so Im tall and Ive got a good physique. Ive got a good dress sense and apparently Im easy on the eye, too! As well as this, he says his loved ones would describe him as level-headed, calm, cool, collected and funny. Jordan Odofin, a Love Island bombshell (ITV) Why Love Island? Jordan says that hes turning to the Island for love because, after years of putting effort into his career, hes ready to meet someone special. Im looking to find a genuine connection with someone, he explained. Firstly, Ive been busy and focused on my career and thereve been lots of distractions with dating apps and meeting people on nights out. It feels like the right time for me to settle down. Whats his type? Any icks? Someone like Olivia or Zara may be on Jordans radar, as he says hes on the hunt for a woman who speaks her mind. I need a girl that can put me in my place, therefore Ive got my eye on all the strong women in the villa! he said. Love Island airs nightly (excluding Saturdays) on ITV2 and ITVX at 9pm. Congressman Madison Cawthorn greets his supporters on May 17, 2022. COLUMBUS - Former Western North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn has pleaded guilty to a Polk County speeding violation, resolving nearly all of the multiple traffic and gun offenses with which he was charged in a half-year span while in office. On Jan. 8, 2022, at 6:26 p.m., Cawthorn was driving a 2009 Dodge passenger vehicle on U.S. 74 at 87 mph in a 70 mph zone, according to Trooper T.J. Chavez-Mejia with the North Carolina Highway Patrol, who ticketed the then-congressman. More than a year and several continuances later, his attorney Gabrielle Valentine at a Feb. 2 District Court date struck a plea deal of 79 mph, a violation that usually carries a fine of $202, according to District Attorney Andrew Murray. Cawthorn, who moved to Florida following his 2022 primary defeat and the end of his term in January, was not in court. Reducing the speeding charge to less than 80 mph means fewer points against a license and a better chance of not having it suspended. Valentine did not comment except to say the matter "was resolved." Cawthorn did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Cawthorn uses a wheelchair after a 2014 car accident in which his friend was driving. Cawthorn is still facing a Class 3 misdemeanor charge for bringing a loaded gun through a Charlotte Douglas International Airport security checkpoint. His next court date is May 3 in Mecklenburg County. The criminal violation can carry up to 20 days in jail, for those with prior convictions. Asheville Regional Airport police also say on Feb. 13, 2021, Cawthorn attempted to board a plane with an unloaded gun, but officers brought no charges. A list of his violations: Dec. 8, 2017 - driving while license revoked (criminal misdemeanor), Buncombe County, dismissed. (NOTE: charge preceded Cawthorn's election to Congress.) Oct. 18, 2021 - speeding, 89 mph in a 65-mph zone, Buncombe County, consented to a finding of responsibility for improper equipment. Paid $266 in fines and fees. Jan. 8, 2022 - speeding, 87 mph in a 70 mph zone, Polk County, pleaded to 79 mph on Feb. 2. (Fines estimated at $202.) March 3, 2022 - driving while license revoked (criminal misdemeanor), Cleveland County, dismissed. April 22, 2022 - carrying loaded gun on city property (criminal misdemeanor), Charlotte Douglas International Airport, continued to May 5, 2023. Story continues Now 27, Cawthorn lived in Henderson County and was the youngest member of the U.S. House when he was elected in 2020 to N.C.'s 11th District. He became known for his strong support of President Donald Trump and incendiary rhetoric. Various scandals and controversies marked his two-year term, including a finding by the House Ethics Committee that he improperly promoted a crypto currency he owned. In May he lost the Republican primary to Chuck Edwards, the current 11th District representative. Speaking at his last court date on gun charge, he expressed regret about entering Congress at such a young age, but hinted at a political comeback. This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Madison Cawthorn pleads to speeding violation, awaits gun charge We bet you can guess what it is. Lauri Patterson / Getty Images In New Mexico, they take their chiles seriously. Just look to the small community of Hatch, which hosts the famed Hatch Chile Festival every year that can be smelled for miles around. Vibrant chile ristras are strung up on nearly every street above sizzling blistered chiles that await being savored in stews, fresh salsas, and even burgers. So yes, the love of chiles here runs deep so deep that local Sen. Bill Soules, inspired by a chile presentation led by fifth graders, proposed the smoky-sweet scent of chiles become the states official aroma. :Have Your Own Hatch Chile Festival While laws dictating scents are uncommon, many states have official markings like flowers, fish, fruits, and vegetables. The only sort-of-official state scents have typically come from candle companies. But, it's common for communities to be known for nostalgic scents be it the orangey sea breeze smells reminiscent of California or even the fresh smell of roasted coffee reminding you that there is literally a Dunkin' on every corner in Massachusetts. But to Soules, none are quite as special as his state's chiles. "It's very unique to our state," he shared with the Associated Press. "I have tried to think of any other state that has a smell or aroma that is that distinctive statewide, and I can't think of any." As AP reported, the bill has already passed its first committee and is likely to get implemented. Its aim, Soules said, is to bring more tourism to the state. And the legislative analysis of the bill came with this special snap to New Mexico's neighbor and low-key chile rival: "The new state aroma could help draw visitors away from Colorado, which, for some reason, thinks it has green chile comparable to that of New Mexico." The family behind, Chile Fanatic, a beloved chile shop in Hatch that sells freshly picked, dried, frozen, and even jarred Hatch green chile peppers, shared with Food & Wine that they too can get behind the state scent bill, as they know the sentimental power of the unmistakable smell. After all, Jesus Soto, the shop's founder, moved to the U.S. from Mexico in the 1980s with his wife, and worked on a chile farm before starting his business in 1998. Erika Banuelos, Soto's daughter, shared with Food & Wine, "I remember working in the fields as little kids for a number of years. We would make the ristras and would hold sales." Banuelos added, "Honestly, I did not know about this new law. I'm excited that they're thinking about doing this. If you've been around the smell of roasting green chile during August through mid-October, the smell of it is very unique." Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will travel to Iowa this month after recently announcing her run for president, likely becoming the first declared 2024 White House hopeful to campaign in the first-in-the-nation caucus state. According to a source familiar with her planning, Haley will formally launch her run Feb. 15 in Charleston, South Carolina, before making a stop in New Hampshire and arriving in Iowa for events beginning Feb. 20, which is Presidents Day. Haley will spend three days in Iowa and attend events across the state, the source said. Haley, who is also a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, has been a regular presence in Iowa, most recently campaigning on behalf of Iowa Republicans ahead of the midterms. In July, she joined U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra for a fundraiser in Iowa's deeply conservative 4th Congressional District. There, she said she planned to run for president "if it looks like there's a place for me." I had the pleasure of serving the state that raised me and defending the country I love so much," she told reporters at the time. "And if it looks like there's a place for me next year, I've never lost a race. I'm not going to start now. I'll put 1,000% in and I'll finish it. If there's not a place for me, I will fight for this country until my last breath. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley flips burgers with U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra and Gov. Kim Reynolds at a Sioux Center fundraiser. Haley is the first high-profile Republican to declare a presidential campaign since former President Donald Trump announced his run shortly after the midterms. Though Trump recently made stops in South Carolina and New Hampshire, he has yet to return to Iowa. Many Iowa Republicans remain deeply committed to the former president, but the party apparatus that supported his 2020 reelection bid has pledged to remain neutral going into the 2024 cycle. Top elected Republicans such as U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley have said they don't intend to endorse. Providing a fair and neutral first contest will be critical for Iowa Republicans, who are hoping to hold onto their first-in-the-nation caucuses even as Democrats shuffle their nominating calendar. Story continues Hosting the first-in-the-nation caucus is not just a privilege for Iowa, but a critical responsibility that affects the direction of our country as a whole," Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann said previously. "The Republican Party of Iowa is committed to executing this democratic duty with total neutrality and fairness. Haley's visit comes amid a slow start to the caucus year as would-be contenders weigh the contours of a race in which Trump remains the likely front-runner. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is seen as Trump's most formidable rival, isn't expected to launch a campaign until later in the year. More:Des Moines Register Candidate Tracker: Where are 2024 hopefuls in Iowa? Still, politicians have been testing the waters for months and continue to do so. Haley's trip will overlap with a visit from fellow South Carolinian, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott. Scott, who has also teased a possible presidential run, is scheduled to speak at the Republican Party of Polk County's annual Lincoln Dinner Feb. 22. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson also made the rounds at Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds' inaugural ball last month. Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Nikki Haley will travel to Iowa following presidential announcement OsakaWayne Studios - Getty Images First lets clarify what were talking about: A tough decision is one that involves lots of uncertainty or unknowns, says Sydney Finkelstein, PhD, professor of management at Dartmouth University and host of The Sydcast podcast. To take a not-life-and-death example, he says, Imagine your flight is delayed at the gate for aircraft maintenance. Theres another thats leaving in two hours, but getting a seat on it will require you to give up the seat you now have. Do you wait for your current plane or take a chance on the later flight? Theres no easy way to know which choice will get you home quicker. The most common tough decision is Should I stay or should I go? says Finkelsteinin a job or in a relationship. To make a tough decision, ignore this old saying. Most know of the adage that past predicts future, says Finkelstein. That may be generally true, but specifically it leads people astray: If they did something once and it was successful, then they reach the conclusion that they are awesome at that thing and will always be successful at it. Or they think that if they did something once and it was unsuccessful, then they stink at it and will always be unsuccessful at it. Either way, the big conclusion is based on a sample size of one. You dont have to be a statistician to know that the law of averages doesnt kick in at one. Look beyond either/or. In the airplane scenario, you have more choices than your airline gave you, points out James Langabeer, PhD, professor of entrepreneurial informatics at the University of Texas Health Science Center and founder of the strategic consulting firm Yellowstone Research. You could check with other airlines to see if they have earlier flights, or if you dont want to pay for a new ticket, you could check the U.S. Department of Transportations Airline Customer Service Dashboard to see which companies have reciprocal rebooking agreements with your airline. [Research shows] the key to making better choices is to have more alternatives, says Langabeer. Story continues If your only choice is between two equally good (or bad or unknowable) things, base your decision on this: Assess each option or outcome based on the energy efficiency or the cost efficiency, says Langabeer. Maybe catching that other flight is going to involve an extra $250 or require you to get to a different boarding area on the other side of the airport, which will require you to schlep to a train, then to a new faraway gate. Maybe its worth $250 to be home earlier, or maybe youd rather not race across the terminal and instead use the time to catch up on work or relax with a drink. What to do if the decision is extremely high stakes? If you have cancer, the decision to get traditional chemotherapy or an experimental immunotherapy can seem unsolvable. These cases really require contemplation, says Langabeer. But research shows that most often in these situations, theres a lot of worrying and anxiety, he says, but very little contemplation. Most of us cant go to PubMed.com and read the scientific literature and totally understand it, so a person in this situation needs to really interview their doctors, looking for explanations and facts that can provide you with context: How many times has this been done nationally? How many times have you done it? What are the outcomes? What are the side effects? says Langabeer. Other questions he would recommend in this situation are: If this were your son or daughter, where would you take her for care? Why? Get a second opinion. If you are considering alternative therapy, get third and fourth opinions. After youve done all that, you can line up the information youve received with your values, he says. Thats the opportunity for deep contemplation. Do you want to minimize risk or minimize side effects? The only way to get to that final step is by having gathered all the information you can. Amanda Robb is a Newhouse Mirror Award-winning New Yorkbased journalist, who recently produced season seven of the podcast Someone Knows Something. You Might Also Like Out of the roughly 59 million packages shipped every day in the US, an estimated 150,000 go astray. Alistair Berg/Getty Images Packages end up in the wrong place sometimes but usually make it to their destination. Extra transit days add frustration for consumers and costs and emissions for logistics companies. UPS and USPS have plans to reduce these "misloads." The package started out like normal. A small bubble wrap envelope of cosmetics shipped by the US Postal Service from Mississippi headed for Michigan 750 miles away. But something happened when it got to Memphis, Tennessee, and suddenly, it was in Puerto Rico. Eight days later it arrived at its destination. It's a strange path, but not completely unheard of. When USPS analyzed the tracking for this package a spokesperson told Insider it was simply a mistake. One package's circuitous route from Mississippi to Michigan via Puerto Rico Emma Cosgrove/USPS "Each employee makes a concerted effort to process and deliver each piece of mail and unfortunately, on very rare occasions, instances of mail delivery issues may occur. During mail processing a package may be missent to another office," the spokesperson said via email. But when these errors are multiplied across the tens of millions of packages flowing around the US every day, the problem looks a little bigger. Across the US package delivery industry, there are more than 59 million packages shipped every day, according to the latest figures from Pitney Bowes, an e-commerce shipping firm. The USPS spokesperson declined to give a misload rate for the postal service. But UPS, for one, currently misloads one-quarter of one percent of packages, or 1 out of 400, according to CEO Carol Tome, speaking on an earnings call earlier this week. That means it's possible that more than 150,000 packages are misloaded every day across the country. Many of those will eventually make it to their destination, but after a longer than necessary route that wastes emissions and time, not to mention the extra cost for delivery companies. "All of that's got to be eliminated," Tome said in July. The end of human error and tropical package vacations Though nearly every package delivery company has introduced some form of automation to its operations, there's still a fair amount of human error in these systems and technology makes mistakes too. Story continues Tome is looking to avoid these mistakes with a substantial technological upgrade using RFID technology. UPS plans to tag most packages flowing through its network of trucks and warehouses with the same kind of stick-on digital tags retail stores use to track inventory and prevent theft. This way the packages can be passively scanned by digital readers, and would not need to be scanned by hand to register where they are. UPS has said the program could eliminate 20 million hand scans every day. So far, the company has expanded the program to 100 of its facilities. The expectation is the misloads will go from one in 400 packages to one in 800 in these buildings. Last month, Tome said that, in 50 of the 100 warehouses already converted, misloads are more like 1 in 1,000. "We're really excited about rolling it out to the 940 remaining buildings in the United States," said Tome. The rollout could also virtually eliminate the need for an age-old practice at UPS called "salting" where managers plant fake packages to make sure staff identifies misloads. USPS is also working on improving misloads with a new barcode, which resembles a square QR code, that is easier for existing scanners to pick up. "If an employee or piece of equipment is not able to scan the regular barcode, due to the label being distorted, the Intelligent Mail matrix barcode can be scanned instead," said the spokesperson. "This increases the readability, cuts down on rehandling packages, and improves visibility and tracking, resulting in a better customer experience." Have questions (or complaints) about package shipping? Share them with senior reporter Emma Cosgrove ecosgrove@insider.com. Read the original article on Business Insider Consultant Surgeon Andrew Ready and his team conducts a live donor kidney transplant at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham on June 9, 2006, in Birmingham, England. Kidney failure patient Carol Playfair was given the chance of life when her sister Tracey Playfair offered one of her own perfect kidneys to help save the life of Carol. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images A proposed bill in Massachusetts would create a bone marrow donation program for inmates. Incarcerated people could receive between 60 days up to one year off their sentence for donating. Legal reform advocates say the proposal is "something out of a science fiction book or horror story." Forget sentence reductions for good behavior: With a proposed bill making its way through the Massachusetts legislature, inmates could receive up to a year off their jail sentence by donating their organs. Bill HD.3822, called the "Act to establish the Massachusetts incarcerated individual bone marrow and organ donation program," would allow eligible incarcerated people to receive no fewer than 60 but no more than 365 days off their sentences for donating their marrow or organs. It has not passed through the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The act, if passed, would create a five-person panel to oversee the implementation of the program, made up of two Department of Corrections officials, an organ donation specialist from a state hospital, and two advocates focusing on organ donation and prisoners' rights. The panel would determine eligibility standards and file reports of annual donations and "estimated life-savings associated with said donations." "There shall be no commissions or monetary payments to be made to the Department of Correction for bone marrow donated by incarcerated individuals," the proposed text reads. None of the five co-sponsors of the proposed bill responded to Insider's requests for comment. State Rep. Judith Garcia, one of the co-sponsors, explained the proposal with an infographic on Twitter, saying the Massachusetts organ donation waiting list has nearly 5,000 people on it, disproportionately impacting Black and Hispanic residents, with no existing path to organ donation for incarcerated people, even if a relative were in need of a donation. The bill would "restore bodily autonomy to incarcerated folks by providing opportunity to donate organs and bone marrow," the graphic read. Story continues Rep Judith Garcia (@GarciaJudithMA) January 27, 2023 "It seems like something out of a science fiction book or horror story," Kevin Ring, president of the nonprofit organization Families Against Mandatory Minimums, told Insider. "It's just this sort of idea that we have this class of subhumans whose body parts [we] will harvest because they're not like us or because they're so desperate for freedom that they'd be willing to do this." Ring, a former lobbyist who served 20 months in federal prison on public corruption charges as part of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, said he would have considered doing anything to reduce his sentence while he was incarcerated, making the whole thing feel like a coercive idea that "preys on that desperation." "In most state systems, you earn good time credits from participating in programming that is intended to reduce your risk of reoffending, so those things make sense," Ring said, listing examples like drug treatment programs and job training to show initiative and work toward rehabilitation. "Those are things that are at least connected, relevant, to releasing them early. This one seems like it's not, though and it just begs the question, like, how about two years off for a limb, for an amputee? What's going on here? It's dark." In an email sent to Families Against Mandatory Minimums and reviewed by Insider, a cosponsor of the bill, State Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, told Ring the legislation would "only establish support to those incarcerated and provide guidelines, clarity, and transparency for a potential life-saving voluntary deed." "Twitter versus reality, I stand by the merit of this bill and with the individuals and families it has the potential to impact," Gonzalez's email read. Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts, a legal aid group, said in a statement to Insider that the intent behind the bill made sense to try to address issues of racial inequity and the need for organ donation, but didn't appear to be a comprehensive solution due to the risk of coercion. "PLS is in touch with the bill sponsors and is cognizant of the significant problem they have identified racial inequity in our health system that has left BIPOC communities disproportionately impacted by organ and marrow shortages," Jesse White, policy director of Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts, said in a statement to Insider. "However, we are concerned regarding the potential for coercion and impact of inadequate medical care in carceral settings. We believe the solution must target the underlying structural problems leading to health disparities, including ongoing needless incarceration of so many who could live freely and safely in our communities." Ring told Insider he doesn't think it's likely the bill will become law, given an especially negative response to it on social media. "We're in the criminal justice movement, we appreciate that people make mistakes," Ring told Insider. "I can't believe these people are some sort of Frankenstein monsters, I think they just goofed. They're probably well-intentioned, but it's just a disastrous idea." Read the original article on Insider New Zealand is full of stunning, natural beauty and home to nearly 3,000 glaciers, which are huge tourist destinations. But the glaciers are quickly vanishing due to rising temperatures. Robin Roberts visited Rotorua on an expedition of a lifetime and shared a first-hand look at the shrinking ice. First, she suited up to hop in a helicopter for a bird's-eye view of the dangerously thin ice, which scientists call a critical part of the climate crisis. VIDEO: Robin Roberts explores New Zealands vanishing Glacier Country (ABCNews.com) The top of New Zealand's Southern Alps are a bustling tourism hub and an everyday office for longtime glacier pilot Michael Clarke, who led Roberts and team to the extreme terrain at the top. "I started flying in 2004. I've seen lots of interesting things that I guess most people could only dream of. So mission accomplished," he said. As Roberts took in the views of the majestic mountains, which she hailed as "untouched" with crystal blue lakes and breathtaking waterfalls, the trek revealed impact of a changing climate. "It looks like a waterfall but its ice falling off the cliffs and smashing. So you can see it disappearing right in front of our eyes," Clarke explained. Cracks and crevices are part of the stunning landscape where ice has been melting at a record rate. PHOTO: Robin Roberts atop Mt. Clarke glacier in New Zealand. (ABC News) Brian Anderson, a local scientist and assistant professor, told "Good Morning America" that of the nearly 3,000 glaciers, "most of them [are] very small ... but we've been losing really rapidly. In fact, it's accelerating." The rapid retreat has created a long-term threat to locals who deeply rely on glacier tourism. Cliff Goodwin has dedicated his life to guiding glacier tours until 10 years ago a grim reality set in when the popular Franz Josef glacier was deemed unsafe to access by foot. "You couldn't walk on the glacier anymore. We had to start flying on a helicopter," he explained. "It is a bit sad for us -- we see a lot of the glaciers disappearing." In a pivot with his plans, he and his wife Tash started Glacier Valley Eco Tours where they take visitors on nature expeditions near the foot of the ice. Story continues "The fact that they have receded so much in such a short amount of time is not natural," American tourist Jenna Mercurio told "GMA." "Even if it's not right in your backyard it's still gonna affect you." Anderson studies the rivers of ice in real time by installing cameras on the glacier to monitor the drastic changes. "All of the work that I've done over the last 20 years has shown that ... the future depends very much on the temperature," he said. To experience the glacier's conditions first-hand, Roberts and crew traveled over 6,000 feet above sea level to land on top of the ice at Clarke Glacier. Upon exiting the helicopter, Clarke noticed the texture of the ice they were standing on was quite soft and pointed out that it was considerably warm for 10 a.m. "Why is it important to you that people know what's going on here?" Roberts asked. "They are disappearing quickly," he said, pointing out that "a few years ago, the glacier finished there. And it's just been sort of gradually retreating." Clarke continued, "I bring tourists from all around the world to appreciate and look at these beautiful glaciers. ... But once they're gone, obviously we won't be able to do that anymore." The glacier that visitors could previously walk to is now only visible by chopper. "It's all receded so far up the mountain, it's basically surrounded by cliffs. And you've got to be a pretty intrepid mountaineer to hike up here," he explained. The one-of-a-kind visit wrapped up with bright sun, soft ice and extraordinary views as Roberts took a flight back aboard the helicopter. "New Zealand researchers predict that in a decade, many of the countrys important glaciers will be gone," Roberts said. "That will impact the landscape, the water supply, and the people who rely on the glaciers to make a living." Roberts later experienced some traditions of the Maori people at the Te Puia Cultural Center and explored Queenstown -- considered a playground for adrenaline junkies and adventure-seekers. Robin Roberts shares up-close look at New Zealand's glaciers originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com WASHINGTON Weeks after canceled flights left thousands of holiday travelers stranded across the nation, Southwest Airlines Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson will testify before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee next week. The hearing, titled Strengthening Airline Operations and Consumer Protections, follows wide-scale airline disruptions that affected over 15,000 flights during the holidays. Committee members aim to examine recommendations to improve airline consumer protections and airline operations, according to a release from the committee. Other witnesses include Captain Casey A. Murray, the president of Southwest Airlines Pilots Association; Paul Hudson, the president of Flyers Rights; Sharon Pinkerton, the senior vice president for legislative and regulatory policy at Airlines for America; and Dr. Clifford Winston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. A Southwest Airlines passenger jet lands at Chicago Midway International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on December 28, 2022. Not just Southwest?: Southwest flight cancellations meltdown may not be the last for any airline, experts say Previously: Southwest Airlines operations back to normal Friday after canceling over 15,000 flights What will the hearing focus on? The Senate committee hearing will review what caused recent flight disruptions and the impacts cancellations had on customers. "Southwest Airlines operational meltdown in December 2022 left millions of people stranded during the holidays," according to a release from the committee. "The Committee will hear testimony from one panel of witnesses to examine recommendations and determine appropriate corrective actions to improve airline consumer protections and build stronger, more resilient airline operations." The Southwest debacle last December left many stranded during peak holiday travel, with more than 15,000 flights over one week. The cancellation left customers scrambling to find luggage, rebook travel and get refunds. Some passengers opted to drive to their destinations. Story continues The airline company reported a $220 million loss after taking a hit of $800 million from canceling flights and resulted in a Transportation Department investigation into whether Southwest scheduled more flights than it could handle. A separate incident in January, unrelated to Southwest, caused a nationwide pause on departures for around 90 minutes after the Federal Aviation Administration experienced a computer glitch. The glitch affected more than 10,000 flights and cancelled 1,300 flights. More: How Southwest's mass flight cancellations have forced its passengers to improvise Southwest Airlines reports loss, customer cancellations: 'That kind of disruption cannot happen again' What caused the Southwest meltdown? Southwest scaled back its flight schedule in order to catch up after winter weather overwhelmed its technology. The airline had to schedule crews manually, while other airlines with newer cloud-based technology were able to recover faster. Some had flagged the outdated technology internally for years. In a January note to the airlines Rapid Rewards members, president and CEO Bob Jordan said the meltdown would speed up "plans to enhance our processes and technology as we continue to focus on adding capabilities to bring rapid improvements for you, our valued customers." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Flight cancellations prompt Senate to hear from Southwest Airlines COO The city of Millersburg is seeking to swap 167 acres of what leaders consider less-than-ideal farmland for 163 acres of high-quality farmland outside city limits with hopes of building it out as an industrial center. Not all residents in Millersburg are happy about it. It is going to change the whole nature of the community and the land use pattern in that area for the negative, said Peter Kenagy, a North Albany resident who lives across the river from the properties. Millersburg doesnt seem to care what we think, and they have their own very narrow version of what should happen. If the Linn County Board of Commissioners approves Millersburgs request, the removed land would go to the county and the citys boundary would be shifted to annex in the desired higher-quality farmland, currently a hazelnut farm on Conser Road. The proposed development of the new property is valued at up to $200 million and would employ as many as 90 people to start, according to Jill Miles, senior business recruitment officer with Business Oregon. In time, the project could be valued as high as $1 billion and provide as many as 1,000 family-wage jobs, she said. Millersburg was formed intentionally as a place of industry in the early 1970s to avoid annexation into Albany and having to pay taxes to Albany. Employment and job creation has always been a top priority. A part of the citys urban growth boundary, the desired property has been slotted for road development since the 1970s. Millersburg Community Development Director Matt Straite said city staff analyzed alternative properties and decided that this one fit the criteria for expansion. We had to start with the property that was already defined to be a space where the city could grow someday, he said. Those who oppose the land swap maintain that the lands are not equal in terms of farmland quality, and that if the city wants to develop, they should do so in an area that is not prime farmland. This seems to be a unique area not only because of the soils but the community of people out there, said Paul Harcombe, who farms near Millersburg. As farming operations get bigger, those kinds of communities begin to break down, and I think that we would be sorry when theyre gone. That the properties are not equal, said the citys attorney, Salem-based Alan Sorem, is of no consequence because Oregon land use laws do not require it. The Linn County commissioners held an initial hearing Monday, Jan. 24 at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center. After hearing comments for and against the swap, they decided to receive public comments until Feb. 7. The commissioners will reconvene the public hearing with an anticipated decision at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 7 at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center. A long time coming Straite first brought the idea of ditching the undesired property to the Millersburg City Council in 2020, explaining why the area was unfit for expansion. It all starts with the Willamette River. Given that (the first property) is so close to the river, it has a FEMA floodway designation, Straite said at a City Council meeting last July. Pulling land out of a floodway is a lot more difficult than just getting out of the floodplain. It would be a really bad idea to develop that land at all. The council ended up unanimously voting to remove the land from city limits with plans to annex the near-equal sized second property into its urban growth boundary, which is used to keep development from encroaching into farmland and forests. The owner of the desired property, Paul Kuehne, supports the effort. The countys Planning Commission conducted a public hearing to review the application Jan. 10, during which it heard from about a dozen speakers in opposition to the plan. The commission unanimously voted against the plan and recommended the Linn County Board of Commissioners also deny the plan map and zoning map amendment applications. Some of the neighbors around the impacted properties say they did not receive notice for the hearings, an issue county Commissioner Roger Nyquist raised at the Jan. 24 hearing. Millersburgs response was that they put meeting notices in the local newspaper per code. Its like Millersburg was trying to slip this under the radar, Harcombe said in an interview with Mid-Valley Media. Its not a good way to do business. It was then at the Jan. 24 meeting the fourth public hearing on the issue so far that the Board of Commissioners discussed the land swap. The commissioners did not make a decision, instead opting to receive written comments at the Linn County Planning & Building Department until 5 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 7. Proponents and opponents will then have two weeks to read and respond to each others comments. A closer look at the properties The first property the one currently within Millersburg city limits is zoned as farmland but for decades was used to capture treated water from the former International Paper Mill. It is now filled with ravines and prone to flooding, neighboring farmer Skip Gray said in written comments. Grays property borders the land in question and his family once owned the property, where records show 51 different crops were grown over the years. Dave Nofziger is another nearby farmer who takes issue with the swap. The community is full of multigenerational farmers, he said. His land was bought by his grandfather in 1950 and has stayed in the family ever since. Nofziger said he and two others within a half-mile of the properties were notified of the swap by the county, not the city. He, Kenagy and Gray took it upon themselves to inform the others, as many did not know to look for the notice in the newspaper. Nofziger said that while there have been loose promises from the current hazelnut orchard owner to farm the marshland, in reality, farming land that is underwater for part of the year will prove to be extremely difficult. One of the criteria that must be met for the swap to take place is that it will be compatible with adjacent uses and will not adversely impact the overall land use pattern in the area. Opponents of the swap point to this rule as their first line of defense against the city, saying it will absolutely negatively impact the land use pattern. In his application to the county, Strait said agricultural uses next to industrial uses do not typically present conflicts, but if they do arise, they will be identified and mitigated at the design review stage. The city has had industrial ... uses next to agricultural land uses for years, he said in the document. Expanding the city industrial land uses to the west with this swap will not result in new adjacency conditions that do not exist today. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald. Still, the county commissioners were not convinced, so the city is drafting a document that will provide more details on how conflicts will be dealt with. Nofziger and Harcombe acknowledged that this will be a tough decision for the commissioners, but they hope the livelihood of the community will be taken into consideration. This would all go away and never come back, Nofziger said. Its tough for us to swallow. Related stories: The Texas State Aquarium will in March unveil its new Port of Corpus Christi Center for Wildlife Rescue, which will be the largest coastal wildlife rescue facility in Texas. The Texas State Aquarium's wildlife rescue program began in 1995. Since then, the program has operated out of a small warehouse building on Rincon Road owned by the Port of Corpus Christi. The program has released more than 4,000 animals back into their natural habitat since its inception. A construction crew uses a remote controlled robot to compact the ground for paving, surrounding the public entrance to the Texas State Aquarium's new Port of Corpus Christi Center for Wildlife Rescue, on Jan. 27, 2023, in Corpus Christi, Texas. "In about 2019, we started putting a plan together to design and ultimately build the new center," longtime Texas State Aquarium President and CEO Jesse Gilbert said. "The Port of Corpus Christi Wildlife Rescue Center will house our wildlife rescue program, which is one of the largest in the country, and it will also house our workforce development program and our research program at the aquarium." In 2021, the aquarium began construction on a new 26,000-square-foot wildlife rescue center on the aquarium's existing campus. The aquarium will no longer use its original wildlife rescue facility following the completion of the new one. "The most exciting part is that people will be able to walk through and see all of this work," Gilbert said. A construction worker walks past the treatment room at the Texas State Aquarium's new Port of Corpus Christi Center for Wildlife Rescue on Jan. 27, 2023, in Corpus Christi, Texas. The room shares a wall with the surgery room. It will be used to to change patients' bandages, administer medication and perform CT scans and X-rays. According to Gilbert, the project was funded by donors, including the Port of Corpus Christi, the Dobson Family of Foundations, the city of Corpus Christi, the ExxonMobil Foundation, Catherine and Bob Hilliard, the state of Texas, The Brown Foundation, Valero and the Earl C. Sams Foundation. The new center, set to become the largest in Texas and one of the largest in the country, will be the only Texas wildlife rescue facility permitted to treat marine mammals, raptors, shorebirds and sea turtles. The center will feature state-of-the-art veterinary medical equipment, an interpretive gallery, an emergency operations center and the only CAT scan used for wildlife in Texas. Construction workers prepare the tank stand in the sea turtle hospital at the Texas State Aquarium's new Port of Corpus Christi Center for Wildlife Rescue on Jan. 27, 2023, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Visitors will be able to view patients through large windows. The most common cause of a turtle beaching is entanglement, said Kara Hahn, projects and exhibits manager for the aquarium. Gilbert said the center will have capacity for 3,000 sea turtles at a time, making it the largest sea turtle capacity in the country. Story continues "If we had a big cold stun event like we did in Winter Storm Uri in 2021 or if we had a big hurricane event, the rescue center will have the largest capacity of sea turtles in the entire country," Gilbert said. "Corpus Christi, the Coastal Bend and, really, the state of Texas is leading the way in sea turtle conservation." Gilbert hopes the center will spark interest in the next generation of Texans who may be interested in wildlife conservation careers. "Texans can watch these endangered species be rehabilitated and can be there when that sea turtle is put back into the Gulf of Mexico, so it's a unique opportunity that doesn't really happen anywhere else along the Gulf of Mexico coast," Gilbert said. "It's really one of the only ones in the country where guests can get that type of view." The aquarium will host a grand opening for the new wildlife rescue center on Thursday, March 2, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. The event coincides with Texas Independence Day and the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, which protects fish and wildlife listed as threatened or endangered. The center will be free for public viewing, and all aquarium ticket sales will fund the wildlife rescue center's conservation efforts. "When people come, they can have a great time at the aquarium but they can also know that they are directly saving endangered species," Gilbert said. More news More:Texas State Aquarium: Nearly 300 cold-stunned green sea turtles rescued and released More:Cleanup of Corpus Christi Bay oil spill 'largely complete,' Flint Hills Resources says More:Record numbers of loggerhead turtles are washing ashore in Texas. Here's what you can do. This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Texas State Aquarium to open new wildlife rescue facility Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) will launch a listening tour this month amid increasing speculation that he will run for the White House in 2024. On his Faith in America listening tour, Scott will hold an event to honor Black History Month on Feb. 16 in Charleston, S.C., and later head to Iowa, where he will give remarks at two stops in Des Moines and West Des Moines, respectively, according to Fox News, which first reported Scotts plans. Scott will offer remarks in Des Moines on Feb. 22 on the importance of faith in America, which will be followed by a stop in West Des Moines, where hell speak at the annual Lincoln Dinner held by the Republican Party of Polk County, Iowa, that same day, the network noted. Before he heads to the Hawkeye State, hell also be rolling out a digital ad campaign there. Excited to hit the road again and speak on some issues close to my heart. Ill always have faith in America and this listening tour will give me a chance to hear from so many of you as we chart the future of our great country, Scott tweeted on Wednesday, linking to the story. The developments come amid increasing speculation that the South Carolina Republican will launch a 2024 White House bid. The news also comes shortly after former ambassador to the U.N. and former two-term South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley gets ready to formally announce her own presidential run. Meanwhile, former President Trump traveled to the state over the weekend, and hes already racked up endorsements from South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). The Hill has reached out to a member of Scotts campaign for comment. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Supporters of Brazilian former President Jair Bolsonaro clash with the police on Sunday (AFP via Getty Images) The storming of Brazils seats of power by a rampaging mob backing Jair Bolsanaro has sent a shockwave through the country and become the focus of international attention. But there has been lingering fear since the presidential election that the toxic political divisions would erupt into violence. Hundreds have been arrested following the riots and the government buildings that were occupied have been cleared. There was no certainty, however, that this would end further strife by the followers of the far-right former president who refuses to accept the victory of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The hardliners, many of them armed, are on a crusade to stop the left-winger Lula whom they label, falsely, a communist, from turning Brazil into another Venezuela or Cuba, as they put it. And they have support, covertly and at times overtly, from elements of the security forces. World leaders voiced their support for the Lula government following the attacks, with Joe Biden saying: I condemn the assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil. Brazils democratic institutions have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined. It is believed that similar international support and acceptance of the election outcome within hours of results played a part in stopping any possible Bolsanaro plans of clinging to office. However, strictures from abroad are unlikely to sway Bolsanaro supporters who intend to carry on their aggressive protests, with the next flashpoint coming soon. Ever since Lula narrowly won the second round of the election, the former presidents supporters have been encamped across the country, often outside military bases calling for a coup. On Monday, Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered troops to start dismantling the camps within 24 hours and clear all highways of roadblocks. Absolutely nothing justifies the existence of full camps of terrorists, sponsored by various financiers and with the complacency of civil and military authorities in total subversion of necessary respect for the Federal Constitution," read his order. Commanders from the armed forces, police and the defence minister will be held accountable in court if this was not done, it added. Story continues This came after President Lula, who blamed Bolsanaro for the attacks, vowed that anyone involved will be punished. The attack, he said, had been carried out by vandals, neo-fascists and fanatics with the complicity of some police officers who didnt do anything at all. They just let the protesters in. The federal police chief, Anderson Torres, who previously served as Bolsonaros justice minister, has been fired and Ibaneis Rocha, the pro-Bolsonaro governor of the federal district, has been suspended from office for 90 days. Bolsanaro remains out of the country having broken precedent by refusing to attend his successors inauguration. Some reports claimed that he had fled to escape possible criminal charges over a range of alleged offences while in power. The former president turned up in Florida where, according to reports, he is due to meet Donald Trump at his home, Mar-a-Lago. There have been immediate and predictable comparisons between what happened in Brasilia and the attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters two years ago. The images from both assaults were similar: flag-draped intruders lounging on office chairs, ransacking and stealing property, assaulting guards. Security forces stand guard as supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro leave a camp outside the the army headquarters in Brasilia (Reuters) Both sets of protesters were following authoritarian populist leaders who claimed they had been victims of electoral fraud. In Brazil, as in the US, the discontent has been fuelled by conspiracy theories in the social media. As the Brasilia attack unfolded, well-known Trump supporters egged on the rioters, with Steve Bannon lauding them as freedom fighters who knew criminal, atheistic, Marxist Lula stole the election. Ali Alexander, a fringe activist who became prominent in Trumps stop the steal movement, exhorted: Do whatever is necessary. The links between the camps of Trump and Bolsanaro, who revelled in his Trump of the Tropics moniker, began long before the Brazilian election and its aftermath, with Bannon one of the main conduits. During the Brazilian election campaign, Trump wrote on his social platform: President Jair Bolsonaro and I have become great friends over the past few years for the people of the United States... He is a wonderful man and has my complete and total endorsement. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva meets with Supreme Court ministers and his cabinet on Monday (AFP/Getty) Bolsanaro has so far failed to explicitly condemn the attacks. He tweeted: Peaceful demonstrations, within the law, form part of democracy. However, depredations and invasions of public buildings like those that happened today, as well as those practised by the left in 2013 and 2017, are exceptions to the rule. The mood among some who taken to the streets against Lula remained defiant. On protester, Bernardo Lopez Diaz, said: I did not go [into the public buildings] and do not agree with the damage that was caused. But we are not going to accept a fake result. If they start destroying camps, well build new ones. We have a right to be heard. Felipe Contreras, a former policeman in Sao Paolo, said: It is no longer just about Bolsanaro. He has frankly been disappointing the way he just accepted the election and is not even here now. No, this is about stopping a communist takeover of our country. We are going to stop this happening; we dont care what people in North America or Europe say, you dont face ending up like Venezuela. We are prepared for whatever happens. Bolsanaro dismantled much of Brazils gun control legislation during his time in office. Ownership of registered firearms increased six-fold during his tenure, with 700,000 now officially owned. During the election campaign, The Independent visited a gun club in Sao Paulo with booming sales. At a shooting range attached to the shop an instructor told a group of teenagers: If you are going to use a gun, you need to do it properly. Youll find this necessary to defend your family, your community. Our country faces a dark future, communists could try to take over. Full-back Leigh Halfpenny has been ruled out of Wales Six Nations opener against Ireland in Cardiff on Saturday. Halfpenny was due to win his 98th cap and make a first Wales start for 19 months, but assistant coach Jonathan Humphreys said he had suffered a back spasm and would miss the game. Experienced Cardiff back Liam Williams will replace Halfpenny in the number 15 shirt. Williams missed Wales entire Autumn Nations Series campaign this season because of injury, and has not started for his country since last summers South Africa tour. Humphreys said: Unfortunately, Leigh had a back spasm this morning and Liam will be playing. I think its more disappointing for him as a person. He is an unbelievable professional and an unbelievable person. He has got to pick himself up again. You feel for him that hes got to pull out at this late stage. Liam is good to go. London's police force on Monday publicly apologized after a former officer admitted to raping and sexually assaulting a dozen women over nearly two-decades. "I apologise to all of David Carrick's victims. We have failed. I'm sorry," London's Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said in a video attached to the tweet. "He should not have been a police officer. I have promised action. Integrity is our foundation the Met will become ruthless at rooting out those who corrupt it." David Carrick, 48, pleaded guilty to 49 offenses, including 24 counts of rape and charges that included assault, attempted rape and false imprisonment in connection to the attacks that took place over a 17-year period. The officer, who joined the force in 2001, previously served with the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command. The department apologized to victims after it emerged that nine allegations of rape and other crimes were made against Carrick from 2000 to 2021. He wassuspended from the force after his arrest for a rape complaint in 2021. "This man abused women in the most disgusting manner," Rowley said. Britain's PA Media news agency reported Carrick admitted in court to raping nine women, some on multiple occasions over months or years, and to having locked some of his victims in his home without food and forcing them to clean his house naked. He said he whipped one woman with a belt, urinated on some of the victims and told them when they could eat and sleep in a pattern of violence and controlling behavior. CALIFORNIA SHOOTING:Teen mother, infant among six killed in shooting at central California home In an interview with BBC, Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray said authorities should have done more after his behavior was reported years ago. He has had a devastating impact on the trust and confidence of women and girls that we are working so hard to earn. He has devastated colleagues, Gray said. He used the fact he was a police officer to control and coerce his victims. We should have spotted his pattern of abusive behavior and because we didnt, we missed opportunities to remove him from the organization." Story continues ITALIAN MOB BOSS NABBED:Italy arrests Sicilian Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro after 30 years on the run Police said Carrick met some of the women through online dating sites including Tinder or on social occasions, using his position as a police officer to gain their trust. The victims did not feel able to come forward sooner because Carrick told them they would not be believed, Gray said. If you have been affected by rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse or any form of sexual violence at any time in your life, help is available. The London Survivors Gateway can connect you to specialist services that provide information, support and help https://t.co/cjcGzPHxHx MOPAC (@MOPACLdn) January 16, 2023 London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was absolutely sickened and appalled" by the revelations. Londoners will be rightly shocked that this man was able to work for the Met for so long, and serious questions must be answered about how he was able to abuse his position as an officer in this horrendous manner, Khan released in a statement. Khan has put heavy pressure on the Metropolitan Police, the U.K.s largest police force, to reform its culture and standards after a string of controversies and allegations of misogyny and racism within police ranks. Authorities said trust in police has been undermined since a serving officer, Wayne Couzens, was convicted of kidnapping, raping and murdering a stranger, Sarah Everard, while she was walking home at night in London in 2021. Lawmaker Yvette Cooper, from the opposition Labour Party, said Carricks case was further evidence of appalling failures in the police vetting and misconduct processes, still not addressed by government. A judge is expected to sentence Carrick in February. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available. Contributing: The Associated Press Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: London police apologize after ex-officer admits to sex assaults, rapes U.S. Rep. Jim Banks announced Tuesday he is running for U.S. Senate seat now held by fellow Republican Mike Braun who is leaving to run for governor. "Indiana is a conservative state, and Indiana deserves a conservative fighter in the United States Senate," Banks said. Banks, 43, of Columbia City, has emerged as a leading Republican in the House's far-right wing. "We can not sit idly by as Joe Biden and the Democratic Party trample our freedoms," he said on Twitter. "With your support, I will unapologetically fight for America and conservative values in the United States Senate." Congressman Jim Banks addresses the audience before Vice President Mike Pence speaks to supporters during a Make America Great Again rally at Fort Wayne Aero Center in Fort Wayne, Ind., on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. More: Indiana Sen. Mike Braun launches campaign for governor, creating open Senate seat in 2024 More: Trump in trouble: Republican support for his 2024 bid falls amid political, legal setbacks Braun is serving his first term as senator. He has launched a bid for Indiana governor. The seat is expected to remain Republican in the 2024 election. Banks received an endorsement from the Club for Growth Political Action Committee, a conservative advocacy group that also endorsed him during his 2016 run for the U.S. House of Representatives. President David McIntosh, a former Indiana congressman, said the PAC is prepared to spend "whatever it takes" to get Banks elected. "Jim Banks is a proven conservative and a champion for economic freedom, liberty, and opportunity we are proud to endorse his campaign for Indiana Senate," he said in a statement. U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., announces in Indianapolis, Monday, Dec. 12, 2022 that he will for Indiana governor in 2024. Braun will face Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch for the Republican nomination. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) ORG XMIT: INMC103 The Indiana Democratic Party sees his bid as a jockey for political power after a failed shot at House Majority Whip. "Hoosiers shouldnt be surprised by Bankss brazen calculation, because he cares more about the Tucker Carlson national cable news circuit than creating a better future for the Hoosier State," chairman Mike Schmuhl said in a statement. This story will be updated. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: GOP Rep. Banks seeking Senate seat being vacated in 2024 by Mike Braun MUNCIE, Ind. A Delaware County taxidermist was arrested Wednesday and has been ordered to return "all property back to customers," according to a release from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. The arrest of Shawn Allen Huntington, 44, of Eaton, came after an investigation by state conservation officers. Huntington, owner of Buck Fever Taxidermy, was charged Tuesday in Delaware Circuit Court 4 with corrupt business influence, a Level 5 felony carrying up to six years in prison, and three counts of theft, a Level 6 felony with a maximum 30-month sentence. He was being held in the Delaware County jail under a $20,000 bond. According to an affidavit, conservation officers since at least July 2021 had repeatedly discussed with Huntington complaints over taxidermist jobs that were apparently never completed. The officers reportedly told the Eaton man "these matters can turn criminal when customers are not receiving the products they paid for and items belonging to customers are not being returned." At one point, Huntington reportedly indicated he was two hunting seasons behind in terms of completing taxidermic projects. The affidavit also alleged the Eaton man failed to "accurately log/tag information as required by his taxidermy license." According to the DNR release, a search warrant in the case was served on Wednesday. More:Muncie man's legal woes grow with racketeering, home improvement fraud charges A court order also directs Huntington to return "all property to customers who entered a contract with Buck Fever Taxidermy," according to the department. Customers wanting property returned should come to the Indiana Conservation Officers District 4 headquarters, at 3734 Mounds Road in Anderson, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, or 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. They should bring any receipts, canceled checks or other items that show ownership, and a valid form of identification. Story continues The conservation office can be reached at 765-649-1062. The corrupt-business-influence charge filed Tuesday alleges Huntington engaged in "a pattern of racketeering activity" between Dec. 23, 2019 and Dec. 3, 2022. The other three charges list a total of 17 customers now alleged to be victims of theft. Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Delaware County taxidermist arrested, ordered to return property Editor's note: This story was updated Feb. 6 to correct a misspelling of Rep. Bill Rehm's last name in one instance. Democrats stalled five Republican-led bills to increase penalties for both violent crime in New Mexico and drug trafficking this week in the State House of Representatives, amid calls for the state to crack down on its crime problem. House Bills 61, 60, 59, 58 and 57 were sponsored by Rep. Bill Rehm (R-31), a former narcotics officer, and a group of largely GOP cosponsors, but the bills were tabled Tuesday in the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee after motions from Democrat members. HB 60 would have increased penalties for fentanyl possession, establishing a scale of prison sentences based on the amount of the drug possessed, while HB 59 would make possessing a gun during drug trafficking a third-degree felony, and House Bill 57 would grant immunity from litigation or tort claims related to alleged damages or injury for merchants who apprehend shoplifters. More:With fentanyl deaths rising, New Mexico lawmakers look for solutions to fight trafficking House Bill 58 would have expanded the States definition for violent felonies, which result in life imprisonment, according to current sentencing laws, after three convictions, while removing the eligibility of parole in most cases. House Bill 61 would increase sentencing for felons in possession of firearms. The committee that voted to table each of Rehms bills, meaning no action was taken and a separate vote was required to take them back up, was made up of four Democrats and two Republicans with votes mostly along party lines. More:Wanted Carlsbad man shot after wielding sledgehammer during police standoff at home 'Deadly' fentanyl should garner tougher sentences, sponsor says HB 60 would have required possession of 50 to 90 milligrams, or 25 to 49 pills, to incur a sentence increase by three years. Possession of 100 to 149 mg, or 50 to 74 pills would see a sentence of five years added, and 150 mg or more, or 75 pills, would earn a sentence of seven years incarceration. Story continues Rehm characterized the bill as a measure to target dealers peddling in the dangerous but increasingly popular opioid, responsible for 39 percent of opioid-related drug overdoses in New Mexico, which account for two out of three overall overdoses, according to a June 2022 report from the New Mexico Department of Health. More:Alcohol a factor in deadly head-on car crash near Carlsbad, police say Fentanyl is known to be 50 times more potent than heroin, and 100 times stronger than morphine, with a 2 mg dose proving fatal, records show. New Mexico Rep. Bill Rehm, R-Albuquerque, speaks to reporters on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, after unveiling a proposal aimed at bail reform in New Mexico. Fentanyl is so dangerous that six out of 10 pills have a lethal dose of fentanyl in them. Basically, one out of every four users will die of an overdose, Rehm said in an interview with the Current-Argus. This legislation is really going after the drug dealer. More:Police seeking leads, family hopes for answers after Carlsbad man found dead He said he was open to negotiating the amounts and sentence enhancement specified in the bill. We either take some kind of action to disincentivize the distribution, or I hate to it this way, we increase the line item at the (Office of the Medical Investigator) for body bags, Rehm said before the committee. An analysis from the Legislative Finance Committee reported HB 60 would result in more incarcerations, which averaged about $55,000 per inmate in New Mexico in Fiscal Year 2022. More:Artesia woman charged with prostituting child family member to boyfriend But the report also contended increasing penalties that result from conviction was shown to do little to deter crime, and that resources should be put toward solving crimes and convicting offenders. Research shows the certainty of being caught is a more powerful deterrent to crime than severity of punishment, and although laws and policies designed to deter crime focus mainly on increasing the severity of the punishment, this does little to deter criminals because most know little about sanctions for specific crimes, read the report. Rep. Andrea Romero (D-46) said this meant the higher criminal penalties included in the bill were unlikely to deter fentanyl possession. More:$15,000 drag racing car stolen in Carlsbad, police say The criminalization of this possession, in any of the analysis that weve received about how to address this problem, this isnt how to do that, she said. Bill creates fear of excessive force during hearing During his presentation to lawmakers, Rehm contended HB 57 was not intended to allow excessive force be used against shoplifters, but opponents of the legislation argued the language was too broad to prevent it. I dont want them using excessive force. Nowhere in this bill does it allow or sanction excessive force, Rehm said during the committee hearing. More:Lawmakers push bill to require solar panels at New Mexico schools receiving state grants But Chair Rep. Joanne Ferrary (D-37) responded that the bills language was too broad to define reasonable force and could result in alleged thieves being injured. Because theres not really a clear definition of reasonable in this, that could be something that goes above and beyond because the person wouldnt be held accountable, she said. I think thats the problem I have with this bill. Political tactics prevent progress on crime, GOP says Rehm criticized Democrats on the committee for blocking efforts he said would seek to address growing crime problems throughout New Mexico. More:New Mexico lawmakers support spending $75 million on state's conservation efforts via bill Today the progressives made clear that they are unwilling to lock up felons with illegal firearms, but they are willing to make felons out of law-abiding gun owners, Rehm said in a statement following the votes to table his bills. He said state lawmakers and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recently voiced the need for policy to reduce crime in New Mexico, but Tuesdays vote got in the way of progress. Just days ago, we joined the Governor in her office, with statewide media, for productive talks about bipartisan action against crime and todays disappointing votes reveal that House Democrats on the House Consumer & Public Affairs committee care little about improving public safety in meaningful ways, Rehm said. These political tactics are highly frustrating to the many victims of crime that spend their personal time advocating in Santa Fe for a safer New Mexico. Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter. This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: GOP bills on fentanyl, drug trafficking in New Mexico blocked by Dems EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to the weather forecast for Sunday, Jan. 15, a silent march planned at 2:30 p.m. starting at Barnstable Town Hall is cancelled, but the church service at 3 p.m. will be held, according to organizers. HYANNIS Longtime civil rights activist Dolores DaLuz said she will delve into "the light within us all" as the keynote speaker at an annual commemoration celebrating the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Cape Cod civil rights leaders. She said the quote from King's final speech, delivered the night before he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, particularly resonates with her: "But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars." "To me, the stars that he talked about, I see them as our young people and I think they're here to save us," said DaLuz. "Because it's certainly not going to be the older people. When I look at what happened in Congress the other day and all that and the insurrection, it's not going to be old people that save us. It's going to be the young people moving ahead." Dolores DaLuz Details about the event On Sunday, DaLuz, a founding member of the Cape Cod Branch of the NAACP and the 2017 recipient of the Mercy Otis Warren Woman of the Year Award, will speak about her decades of work for racial equity and justice, interviewed by poet and freelance writer Tamora Israel. Israel is a former Cape Cod Times reporter. Dolores Holden Daluz named Mercy Otis Warren Woman of the Year The event begins at 2:30 p.m. in the Barnstable Town Hall parking lot, off the town green and behind 367 Main St., for a silent march to The Federated Church of Hyannis at 320 Main St. The service will then follow in the church at 3 p.m. The service, held by the organizing committee for the annual Rev. Dr. MLK Jr. service, will also be live-streamed on the church's Facebook page. 'Act where they are': MLK holiday celebrations kept at distance for second year on Cape The committee includes the Cape Cod Branch of the NAACP, Cape Cod Community College, Cape Cod Council of Churches, Amplify POC, Barnstable No Place for Hate, Federated Church, Hyannis, Health Ministry, Inc., Latinx in Action and Zion Union Heritage Museum, according to a press release about the event. Story continues Music will include traditional gospel selections performed by Mwalim and the ZYG 808 of Polyphonic Studios, pianists Roy Campbell and Robet McManus, and soloist Louise McManus. About DaLuz DaLuz first visited Cape Cod in 1957. She called it a "complete culture shock," when she left the rigid segregation of her native Delaware. "My neighbors were all white, just about, and I came from a completely black neigborhood in Delaware. Everything was segregated: churches, schools, movies, beaches," said DaLuz. At the insistence of her white neighbor, DaLuz joined a junior women's club in Hyannis, becoming its only Black member. She recalls feeling "out of place," saying "it wasn't a comfortable feeling." "I had to really build up my self-esteem because it was really bad. After living through, 'You can't go here, you can't go there,' and then all of a sudden, you canit was a little rough to get through that stage," said DaLuz. She and her late husband, Joseph DaLuz, were deeply involved in issues surrounding race and justice on Cape Cod. That history of activism includes helping the "Reverse Freedom Riders" in the summer of 1962, when southern segregationists, in a foreshadowing of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's immigrant action this summer, bused southern Blacks from Arkansas and Louisiana to Hyannis. The passengers were told they would find jobs and housing and be welcomed by President John F. Kennedy himself when they arrived. A concerned citizens committee, which included the DaLuzes, went into action to help the group, connecting them with housing and work. To embarrass Northern liberals and humiliate Black people, southern White Citizens Councils started their so-called "Reverse Freedom Rides," giving Black people one-way tickets to northern cities with false promises of jobs, housing, and better lives.https://t.co/xLpTjxG0PD pic.twitter.com/voiPBbwRuN JFK Library (@JFKLibrary) September 15, 2022 Other opportunities to engage The MLK Action Team, which is part of the Nauset Interfaith Association, is also holding its annual MLK Day Virtual Breakfast on Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Zoom. Information about how to attend can be found on the association's website. A panel discussion featuring members of the health care community will center on action steps and solutions that people can take to address inequities on the Lower and Outer Cape. Leo Blandford, director of community-based care at Outer Cape Health Services, will head the discussion, which will include perspectives from a community health worker, social worker and primary care physician. "The thrust is really to educate all of us on the various impacts inequities in health care are having on communities," said Barbara Gibson, a member of the MLK Action Team and the chairwoman of the breakfast. On Monday in Wellfleet, ArtPeaceMakers will host its 21st walking celebration to honor King. Walkers will gather in the parking lot next to the Town Hall at 12:30 p.m. with a drumming circle, with the silent walk beginning at 1 p.m. In honor of King's commitment to ending hunger, ArtPeaceMakers will also collect nonperishable items, along with financial donations, in front of Wellfleet Preservation Hall from 12 to 2 p.m. also on Monday. Donations will be delivered to the Wellfleet Food Pantry that day. Zane Razzaq writes about housing and real estate. Reach her at zrazzaq@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @zanerazz. This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Dolores DaLuz is the keynote speaker of Sunday MLK event in Hyannis Women and infants health advocates around Michigan are celebrating a new policy that will allow pregnant people covered by Medicaid to pay for the services of a doula. The policy, enacted Jan. 1, puts Michigan on the list of just a handful of states that cover doula services, which have been shown to improve birth outcomes and decrease health and racial disparities. But doulas themselves, severely disappointed in the reimbursement rate set by the state, say while the policy may be good for pregnant people, its unsatisfactory for them. We will not have the ability to support the people who need it the most, said Melinda Britton, owner of Doulas of Marquette in the Upper Peninsula, who says the states reimbursement rate will force doulas to make choices about how many Medicaid clients they can afford to take on. I think its beautiful that theyre seeing the value to incorporate doulas into that support for families. I just would love to see them also support the doulas. Doula Erika Millender stands outside of a home following a post-natal visit in Dearborn on January 12, 2023. Doulas serve birthing people prenatally, during labor and delivery and after a baby is born. Clients typically pay out of pocket for doula services, which have been proven to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. Effective Jan. 1, Michigan Medicaid will reimburse doulas for their services. The state says it's in part an effort to increase equity and address racial disparities. Doulas see the policy as a positive validation of their work but are disappointed by the relatively low rate at which Medicaid will reimburse. What is a doula? A doula provides continuous one-on-one physical care during labor, as well as information and emotional support for months before and after birth. Using a doula has been shown to improve birth outcomes for both mothers and babies, from lowering rates of cesarean sections to boosting infants Apgar scores, which reflect their health immediately after birth. Most say they also serve to lift up the voice and wishes of the birthing person, who may not always feel comfortable expressing them or who might be unable to do so during labor. For Black, indigenous and other women of color who feel unseen or unheard by the medical community, having a doula present is also a measure of protection against racism that has been proven to increase maternal and infant mortality. We're there to just give them the tools that they need to navigate their voice in that space, said Shanayl Bennett, a doula and organizer with Mothering Justice. And that's so important when it comes to birthing experiences and birthing outcomes because a lot of times birthing people are told what to do; they're not allowed to express how they truly feel or what they truly think. Story continues More:Michigan pediatric palliative care doctors help make short lives 'a good journey' More:When giving up a child is the only way to get needed help Black women are 2.8 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes Nationally, Black women are more than two times as likely as white women to receive late or no prenatal care, and their babies were more than twice as likely to die as infants. Black infants are four times as likely to die of complications related to low birthweight than white babies. Though Michigans maternal mortality rates are very low, the state has one of the highest death rates among Black pregnant people in the nation, according to the National Womens Law Center. DeJuan Bland swaddles his daughter Wynter Bland, 4 months, as his wife Jenise Bland looks on during a post-natal visit by Doula Erika Millender at their home in Dearborn on January 12, 2023. Doulas serve birthing people prenatally, during labor and delivery and after a baby is born. Clients typically pay out of pocket for doula services, which have been proven to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. Effective Jan. 1, Michigan Medicaid will reimburse doulas for their services. The state says it's in part an effort to increase equity and address racial disparities. Doulas see the policy as a positive validation of their work but are disappointed by the relatively low rate at which Medicaid will reimburse. We looked at the data; more than 63% of maternal deaths in Michigan are preventable. Black women are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, said Farah Hanley, Michigans chief deputy director for health. By providing doula services, were really helping to address those health disparities. DHHS stepped in after legislative efforts failed In Michigan, 40% of births are financed by Medicaid more than 41,000 of the babies born every year. Pregnant people are eligible for Medicaid if they make 195% of the Federal Poverty Level up to $26,500 for a single mom-to-be. State Sen. Erika Geiss, D-Taylor, proposed legislation in 2020 that would have provided expectant mothers on Medicaid with comprehensive doula services. The bill never made it to a vote. But the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services began work instead, creating the Medicaid policy and announcing plans for a doula advisory council and registry of enrolled doulas. After several attempts at legislative action that was consistently stymied by previous legislatures bills that I introduced I am absolutely thrilled that this action has been taken, Geiss wrote in an email to the Free Press. It shows a commitment to improving infant and maternal health in communities of color, shows that the administration and DHHS have listened to the various stakeholders that over the years have been working to achieve this. The state may have listened, but doulas dont feel heard In its initial proposal, the state proposed a reimbursement rate of $350 for a doula to attend a birth. Around 100 doulas from diverse communities signed an open letter in response, saying that rate was so drastically low that we can only assume that the State has a fundamental misunderstanding of the support provided by doulas. Doulas pointed out to DHHS that many births require hours, and even days, of labor. They reminded that doulas provide anytime call and text services for anxious pregnant and post-partum people who turn to them for advice on anything from when to go to the hospital to breastfeeding support. They urged policymakers to consider the fact that the nature of their work can mean paying other doulas to be on-call as backup; unlike physicians and nurses in a hospital, doulas cant pop in and out of a room and help a few people at a time. This is constant, personal, intimate work. DHHS raised the amount it would pay for attending a birth to $500, and held a second public comment period, which Hanley says is atypical. More:Metro Detroit hospitals welcome newest additions More:Dearborn employee takes first paid maternity leave in city's history Doula Erika Millender, left, talks with DeJuan Bland as he holds his daughter Wynter Bland, 4 months while sitting with his wife Jenise Bland during a post-natal visit to their home in Dearborn on January 12, 2023. Doulas serve birthing people prenatally, during labor and delivery and after a baby is born. Clients typically pay out of pocket for doula services, which have been proven to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. Effective Jan. 1, Michigan Medicaid will reimburse doulas for their services. The state says it's in part an effort to increase equity and address racial disparities. Doulas see the policy as a positive validation of their work but are disappointed by the relatively low rate at which Medicaid will reimburse. Doulas urged DHHS to listen Organizations of Black and indigenous birth workers provided their input, and a collection of doulas wrote another letter to the state. Hear us, the second letter, signed by more than 200 doulas, urged. We are the experts on our work, understand the needs of under-resourced and at-risk families, and have a vested interest in the long-term success of a Medicaid program for doulas, including the likelihood of uptake by doula providers. They called for a birth fee of $1,200. Michigan has an opportunity to do this right from the beginning and to be a leader and a model nationwide, they wrote. The state bumped its reimbursement fee up to $700. Jessica English, owner of Birth Kalamazoo, says that fee still is not adequate to account for the intensity of what we do. Erika Millender, a Detroit-based birth and postpartum doula, agrees. It does seem at this point like a token of reimbursement, she said, pointing out that doulas can take only a few clients each month to ensure they can be there when a client goes into labor. It doesnt really put us in a spot where we feel that we can safely sustain our own livelihoods with that. Hanley says shes surprised to hear doulas arent satisfied. I think weve landed on a number that is reasonable and really reflects the range of services provided, she said. Were really comfortable with it, and we did it transparently. Doula Erika Millender is hugged by Jenise Bland after making a post-natal visit to talk with Bland and her husband DeJuan Bland about how they're doing with their recently born daughter Wynter, 4 months at their home in Dearborn on January 12, 2023. Doulas serve birthing people prenatally, during labor and delivery and after a baby is born. Clients typically pay out of pocket for doula services, which have been proven to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. Effective Jan. 1, Michigan Medicaid will reimburse doulas for their services. The state says it's in part an effort to increase equity and address racial disparities. Doulas see the policy as a positive validation of their work but are disappointed by the relatively low rate at which Medicaid will reimburse. What should Michigan be paying doulas? Amy Chen, senior attorney with the California-based National Health Law Program and leader of its Doula Medicaid Project, puts the baseline reimbursement package doulas should receive as fair compensation for their services at $1,500. Ive been really encouraged to see states like Rhode Island, certainly Oregon, D.C., really take up the mantle of equity, not just for Medicaid enrollees who are going to be getting the service but also for the doulas that are providing the care, she said. She pointed to Oregon as a cautionary tale; that state was forced to raise rates twice after the number of submitted claims remained extremely low for years. Chen says its too early to say whether Michigans overall $1,150 rate the $700 base plus up to six pre- or post-natal visits at $75 each will result in uptake by doulas. Will the policy lead to better outcomes and more equity? Since doulas do help improve birth outcomes, English said she does think Michigans new Medicaid policy could make a dent in its health system disparities. However, she said, I'm also a little wary of this big, entrenched problem being laid at doulas feet. This needs to be a systemwide reinvention to address the inequity, and doulas are a piece of that, but doulas are not the whole of it, she said. We can't reinvent the system just by being in that space. Elon Geffrard, co-founder of Birth Detroit and a birth doula who focuses on serving Black women, echoes her sentiments. Doulas are part of the lever, she said. But were not the silver bullet. More:Inside Detroit's 24-hour child care: A fragile lifeline for working parents More:Growing number of grandparents face crushing costs as they raise kids (Left to right) Detroit Doulas co-owner Kirsten Johnson holds 6-week-old Sawyer Basin as she talks with his mothers Alicia Basin and Corinne Rockoff during a post-natal visit to a family at their home in Ferndale on January 13, 2023. It may not be feasible for doulas to work at this rate Many doulas shrink at the prospect of turning away clients in need but arent sure how the rates theyll be reimbursed under Medicaid can sustain them. Im certainly grateful for the people who were behind this, said Kirsten Johnson, a doula based in Detroit. But Johnson, along with hundreds of other doulas in the state, isnt sure how many of her counterparts especially those with significant experience who charge more than the policy will reimburse will choose to accept Medicaid. While we say all the time that we wish we could do this for free because we think everyone can benefit from having a doula, as business owners of course we cant, she said. Doulas deciding whether to accept Medicaid clients may also not want to contend with what could be an onerous administrative burden, which English says could potentially tip the scales. Most doulas are in a cautious wait-and-see mode right now, she said. Because if you're already paying less than the current doula rates statewide, and you're significantly increasing paperwork and billing burdens, it may not be feasible for doulas to work at this rate. Next steps for doulas who are doing their 'hearts job' Hanley said the state currently has no plans to renegotiate the reimbursement rate. But on Jan. 13 DHHS announced that Chief Medical Executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian had issued a standing recommendation that "doula services are medically necessary and should be offered to families covered by Medicaid insurance," thus rendering the federally mandated requirement to get a referral for doula services from a health care provider moot. (Left to right) Detroit Doulas co-owner Kirsten Johnson holds 6 week-old Sawyer Basin as she talks with his mothers Alicia Basin and Corinne Rockoff during a post-natal visit to a family at their home in Ferndale on January 13, 2023. This will come as good news to doulas around the state, who remain hopeful that Medicaids decision will spur private insurance companies to follow suit and reimburse for doula services. Rhode Island is currently the only state to require it. While they continue to advocate for higher reimbursement, Millender says many doulas will keep serving clients who cant afford to pay full price. We know there is a great need and its not easy to just walk away from that, she said. Especially if its your hearts job. Jennifer Brookland covers child welfare for the Detroit Free Press in partnership with Report for America. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA. Reach her at jbrookland@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Doulas: New Medicaid policy supports their work, but not them The Florida Commission on Ethics found probable cause that former Volusia County Councilwoman Heather Post violated the Florida Constitution for failing to file a financial disclosure form for the year 2021, according to documents. Heather Post As of Wednesday, the commission still hadn't received the financial disclosure document, according to Lynn Blais, spokeswoman for the Florida Commission on Ethics. Carrying in Council chambers?Councilwoman Heather Post faces questions about firearm Post decides not to seek re-electionVolusia County Councilwoman Heather Post drops out of race for at-large seat The "Full and Public Disclosure of Financial Interests" form for 2021 was due July 1, 2022. The Commission on Ethics provides a grace period until Sept. 1 before fines start to accrue at $25 per day up to $1,500, Blais said. But a DeLand resident filed a complaint with the ethics commission about the issue saying "local officials should be held responsible for fulfilling the requirements of the position," according to a preliminary investigation report. On Jan. 27, the Commission on Ethics found probable cause to believe that Post "violated Florida's Constitution and disclosure law by failing to timely file her 2021 Form 6," according to a press release. The Commission on Ethics reached out to Post multiple times via email, phone and regular mail to remind her of the missing form. Post called the Commission on Sept. 12 and said she was injured falling down a flight of stairs in April 2022 and that "she would 'take an Uber to get the form overnighted' to the Commission," according to the report. But the form didn't come in. A collection letter was sent In November to Post at her Volusia County government office to let her know her fines had accrued to the maximum of $1,500 and that the matter would be turned over to a collection agency, according to the report. Blais said the next step in the process can be either Post attempting to reach a stipulated agreement with an advocate for the commission or going to a full evidentiary hearing with the state Division of Administrative Hearings. Story continues Whatever path the investigation takes, the case will go back to the commission, she said. Then the commission will make a recommendation, which can include additional fines and penalties. The commission's recommendation would go to the governor for review. Post filed her documents for 2016 through 2020. Failure to file after the grace period can lead to removal from office. But this case has an added layer because someone also filed an ethics complaint, Blais said. The financial forms are important because they can help the public spot potential conflicts of interest, among other things. "You can kind of know where their interests lie," Blais said. Post was first elected in 2016 and left the Council in December. She couldn't immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Missing financial form brings trouble for former Volusia councilwoman Ezra Miller is expected to plead guilty to a lesser charge of unlawful trespassing in a Vermont burglary case, with two other charges against the actor being dropped. The Fantastic Beasts and The Flash star is reported to have entered a plea deal, after being accused of stealing several bottles of alcohol from the pantry of a neighbor last May. Miller was charged with burglary last August. More from Variety According to a police report, authorities discovered that bottles were missing from the homeowners residence. After collecting statements and reviewing surveillance footage, police found probable cause to charge Miller with felony burglary. Miller had previously pleaded not guilty to charges, appearing in court virtually with their lawyer in October. According to NBC News, a clerk for Vermont Superior Court confirmed that the parties have agreed to drop two charges, one of petit larceny and another of burglary in an unoccupied dwelling. Miller is expected to plead guilty of unlawful trespassing on Friday in Bennington County Superior Criminal Court. Court documents indicate that prosecutors are recommending that Miller face 89 to 90 days in a suspended sentence, in addition to a years probation and a $500 fine. The maximum sentence would have been 26 years. The Vermont charges are only one group of a series of controversies and legal issues that Miller has faced in the past year. The actor was twice arrested in Hawaii, first for disorderly conduct and harassment and then for second-degree assault. Miller has also previously been accused of choking a woman in an Icelandic bar. Story continues Last August, Miller apologized for their behavior and stated that they would be undergoing mental health treatment. The actor was introduced as Barry Allen a.k.a. The Flash in 2017s Justice League. Miller will star in the superheros first solo film, set to hit theaters on June 23. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Sen. Chris Elliott during the special session at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Ala., on Thursday November 4, 2021. After a wave of prisoners were granted supervised release this week under a 2015 law meant in part to ease overcrowding in Alabama's prisons, one Republican state senator is pushing to halt further releases for seven years. Sen. Chris Elliot, R-Fairhope, pre-filed the bill this week to pause the mandatory early release program until Jan. 31, 2030. The current law mandates that some inmates who are already nearing the end of their sentences be released to the state Bureau of Pardons & Paroles (ABPP). Prisoners released under the law are outfitted with ankle monitors from the ABPP until their sentences end. Law enforcement and victim advocates scrambled the past week after realizing that the Alabama Department of Corrections was behind in notifying victims that offenders were being released early from prison. Prisoners eligible for mandatory early release are being let out on a rolling basis as victims are notified. The legislation was touted as a way to ease the re-entry process for incarcerated people and relieve some of the strain on Alabama's violent, overcrowded and understaffed prisons. Dying in prison:Alabama prison deaths continue in 2023; three dead this weekend That law, however, did not apply to those convicted before the law went into effect. So in 2021, the Legislature amended the law to apply to all prisoners, regardless of when they were convicted and sentenced. The law went into effect on Tuesday, with 412 newly eligible prisoners scheduled to be released that day. Many of those releases were delayed, though, when ADOC failed to notify hundreds of victims in time, as the law requires. Fewer than 100 incarcerated people were released under the mandatory early release program on Tuesday, with more released throughout the week. Like the current law, the bill allows for those sentenced to five years or less in prison to be released three-to-five months before the end of their sentence; those sentenced to 5-10 years in prison to be released six-to-nine months before the end of their sentence; and those sentenced to 10 years or more to be released 9-12 months before the end of their sentence. Story continues The bill, as well as the law in place, does not allow those convicted of sex crimes against children to be released from prison under the mandatory early release. Neither the bill nor the current law affects the normal parole or probation process. The Alabama legislative session begins March 7. Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanMealins. Your subscription makes our journalism possible. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Pre-filed bill could delay early prison releases until 2030 Black History Flag flies over the Denver Federal Center COLORADO (KCNC) -- For the first time in history, a Black History Flag is flying over a federal building. It was a historic ceremony on Wednesday morning at the Denver Federal Center. Getting that flag to fly above the Denver Federal Center required approval from the White House. Leaders raised the Pan-African Flag to commemorate Black History Month. Wednesday's ceremonies consisted of events, panels and discussions all about the significance of raising the flag. "We can't change history but we can change the future and today moving forward, this is a historical day at the Denver Federal Center, Feb. 1, 2023," said Denver Federal Center Contracting Officer Tito Register. Usually, when the Denver Federal Center raises a flag, it's up for about one or two days of the month. This time, the flag will be up for the entire month of February. Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform. The-CNN-Wire & 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Seasoned helmers Ole Bornedal, Erik Poppe, Mikael Hafstrom, newcomers Mika Gustafson, Sara Gyllenstierna and rising talent Ulaa Salim are some of the 15 Nordic helmers set to pitch their feature projects in post-production at this years Nordic Film Market. The leading Nordic film confab is due to run Feb. 2-5 in a hybrid version, parallel to Swedens 46th Goteborg Film Festival (Jan.27-Feb. 5), the biggest film-TV event in Scandinavia. More from Variety For its first full-scale outing post-COVID and first year under the helm of industry chief Josef Kullengard, the Nordic Film Market is set to draw a record 500 delegates on-site, on top of nearly 60 on-line visitors. The interest from the international industry is amazing! It will be a record year for us, even compared to pre-pandemic times, boasts. Kullengard, a habitue of the events backstage gigs who took over from Cia Edstrom in October to allow her to focus on the showcases TV Drama Vision program. Kullengard says maintaining an online version, while focusing on the physical market was a natural step, as the future is hybrid. Producing, distributing, consuming features is all transforming and confab organisers are all trying to find the best sustainable model to hold a market, he observed. For us its all about supporting the commercial and artistic development of Nordic films in the best possible way, and to bring together Nordic and international delegates. For global industry reps unable to travel to Swedens second largest city, the digital version will comprise a selection of market screenings, and streamed pitches of projects in post and development. As pointed out by the head of industry, this years 53 title-strong program is a Nordic smorgasbord reflecting whats going on in the Nordic region. Our ambition is to highlight the gender, racial, social plurality of voices in the Nordics, Kullengard continued. We are proud to have a lot of projects from female directors, and a good mix of established and new voices. One of the aftermaths of the pandemic is also that we have a record number of projects in development, hence the super strong slate of our Discovery strand. Story continues Female prodigies set to pitch their sophomore pics at the Discovery include As in Heavens Tea Lindeburg with The Seal Woman, Dogborns Isabella Carbonell with Utopia and The Hearts Fanni Metelius with 2001, while Patricia Bbaale Bandak, nominated for a Danish Robert film award with her short Villa Villekulla, will introduce her fiction debut Wannabe. Among rising Danish talents, genre-savvy Gabriel Bier Gislason (Attachment) will bring the Nordisk Film-produced No Wait. At press time all 11 Discovery titles were open for sales. Making its debut at Goteborgs confab is also the Talent to Watch platform with 10 Swedish newcomers, due to pitch their pics Feb. 2, such as House of the Dragon star Nanna Blondell, debuting behind the camera with Skin to Skin. All projects in the new strand have received development seed for the Swedish Film Institutes new Talent to Watch scheme. Another handful of female hopefuls will unveil their works in progress, such as Mika Gustafson, a Ruben Ostlund student from Goteborgs Valand film academy. Her realistic drama Sisters, about three socially-deprived young sisters fending for themselves, is produced by auteur-driven Nima Yousefi of Hobab (Clara Sola). In the suspense genre, debutant Sarah Gyllenstierna, who started off as AD to Spike Lee, will present Hunters on a White Field, in which Magnus Krepper (The Unlikely Murderer, Margrete-Queen of the North) and Ardalan Esmaili (Snabba Cash, The Charmer) take part in a hunting outing that turns into a dangerous game. Icelandic new talent and former NYU Tisch School alumn Ninna Palmadottir will bring Solitude, which chronicles the friendship between an aging farmer, forced to move to the city, and a paper delivery boy. The drama penned by Runar Runarsson (Volcano) was bestowed the ArteKino Intl award at les Arcs Film Fest 2021. The Party Film Sales is attached. Rising Danish filmmaker Ulaa Salim (Sons of Denmark) will unveil footage from his sophomore sci-fi Eternal, described by Kullengard as an exciting love story turning on burning climate change and societal issues, filmed with true cinematic flair. New Europe Film Sales handles sales. Among the heavyweight Nordic names lined-up for the works in progress are Erik Poppe (The Emigrants), with his WWII drama Quisling from REinvent International Sales, Ole Bornedal with Nightwatch-Demons are Forever, a sequel to his 1994 hit, repped by TrustNordisk; and Mikael Hafstrom (Outside the Wire), with his star-studded period drama Stockholm Bloodbath, produced by Viaplay and repped by Viaplay Content Distribution. Seasoned Danish director Birgitte Strmose (Room 304) will pitch her event hybrid Children of the Lowest Heaven, an extension of her acclaimed short film Out of Love featuring deprived street kids in Kosovo. Another standout work in progress highlighted by Kullengard is the film trilogy Sex Dreams Love by acclaimed Norwegian helmer Dag Johan Haugerud (Beware of Children), produced by Motlys in partnership with Viaplay. Meanwhile the program of 17 completed Nordic titles takes in the Rotterdam-bound Copenhagen Doesnt Exist, Four Little Adults, 100 Seasons, Mannvirki17, Superposition, and several Goteborg world premieres including the opener Exodus and closing film Camino. Nordic Film Market Works in Progress, Full Lineup: A Happy Day by Hisham Zaman (Snowfall Cinema, Norway) B.O.Y. by Sren Green (Asta Film, Denmark) Children of the Lowest Heaven by Birgitte Strmose (Magic Hour Film, Denmark) Comeback by Petri Kotwica (Helsinki filmi, Finland) Cold by Erlingur Thoroddsen (Compass Films, Iceland) Eternal by Ulaa Salim (Hyne Film, Denmark) Glasskar (English title TBC) by Elina Sahlin (Makeriet, Sweden) Hunters on a White Field by Sarah Gyllenstierna (Most Alice Films, Sweden) Nightwatch Demons are Forever by Ole Bornedal (Nordisk Film Production, Denmark) Sex Dreams Love by Dag Johan Haugerud (Motlys, Norway) Sisters by Mika Gustafson (HOBAB, Sweden) Solitude by Ninna Palmadottir (Pegasus Film, Iceland) Stockholm Bloodbath by Mikael Hafstrom (Viaplay, Nordics) Stormskerry Maja by Tiina Lymi (Solar Films, Finland) Quisling by Erik Poppe (Paradox, Norway) Market Screenings 100 Seasons by Giovanni Bucchieri (French Quarter Film, Sweden) Camino by Birgitte Strmose (MOTOR, Denmark) Copenhagen Does Not Exist by Martin Skovbjerg (Snowglobe, Denmark) Dancing Queen by Aurora Gosse (Oslo Pictures, Norway) Ellos Eatnu-Let the River Flow by Ole Giver (Mer Film, Norway) Empire by Fredrikke Aspock (Meta Film, Denmark) Exodus by Abbe Hassan (B-Reel Film, Sweden) Four Little Adults by Selma Vilhunen (Tuffi Films, Finland) Mannvirki by Gustav Geir Bollason (Go to Sheep, Iceland) Munch by Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken (The Film Company, Norway) One Day All This Will Be Yours by Andreas Ohman (Gran Slam Film, Sweden) Operation Napoleon by Oskar Thor Axelsson (Sagafilm, Iceland) Shadow Island by Johan Storm (Stormax Film, Sweden) Superposition by Karoline Lyngbye (Beo Starling, Denmark) The Worst Idea Ever by Pamela Tola (Helsinki filmi, Finland) Toves Room by Martin Zandvliet (Nordisk Film Production, Denmark) Viktor vs the World by Christian Arhoff (Hyne Film, Denmark) Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Gerron Jordan, left, and Matt Smith have been named co-hosts of "Upfront," the Sunday morning public affairs and politics show on WISN-TV (Channel 12). Gerron Jordan and Matt Smith have been named co-hosts of "Upfront," the Sunday morning public affairs and politics show on Milwaukee's WISN-TV (Channel 12). The station also named Smith its political director. The pair will continue their anchoring and reporting duties at Channel 12 Jordan as weekday co-anchor of the station's morning newscast, and Smith as political reporter and executive producer of "Upfront," which airs at 9 a.m. Sundays. Smith and Jordan have both filled in as host of "Upfront" since June 2022, when Adrienne Pedersen left Channel 12 and TV news, with Smith pulling the majority of the fill-in duty. Pedersen, the morning news co-anchor who had also hosted "Upfront" since Mike Gousha left in 2019, later joined Racine-based SC Johnson as manager of global media relations and issues management. Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Gerron Jordan, Matt Smith to co-host 'Upfront' on Milwaukee's WISN-TV Its the late 19th century, and a young Danish priest is traveling to a remote part of Iceland to build a church and photograph its people yet the deeper he journeys into the unforgiving landscape, the more he strays from his purpose, his mission, and morality. Godland is written and directed by Hlynur Palmason, the filmmaker behind A White, White Day and Winter Brothers. Janus Films is releasing the acclaimed Icelandic feature on February 3 in New York and February 10 in Los Angeles, and IndieWire is sharing the exclusive trailer below. More from IndieWire Godland stars Elliott Crosset Hove, Ingvar Sigursson, Vic Carmen Sonne, Jacob Hauberg Lohmann, Ida Mekkin Hlynsdottir, Waage Sand, and Hilmar Gujonsson. Crosset Hove stars as Lucas, a Lutheran priest sent from Denmark to Iceland to watch over the establishment of a new parish church, but his faith is challenged by the harshness of life in rural Iceland, including the fact that, as a monolingual Danish-language speaker, he cant communicate with his Icelandic guide (Ingvar Eggert Sigursson). More on the film from Varietys review: In Godland, Icelandic writer-director Hlynur Palmason attempts to see his homeland through outside eyes, the way it must have looked to the Danes who claimed and controlled it until World War II. Icelandic period pieces are often set much earlier, a la The Northman, but this one at once visually striking and emotionally austere, in its almost Bressonian restraint takes the countrys colonialist past as its subject, pitting a late-19th-century man of faith against a force far stronger than him, like some kind of Arctic, art-house There Will Be Blood.' Godland was nominated for the Un Certain Regard Award at Cannes 2022. Elliott Crosset Hove was nominated for Best European Actor at the European Film Awards. The film picked up acclaim at festivals from San Sebastian to London, Munich, and Toronto. Story continues Watch the exclusive trailer for Godland below. Best of IndieWire Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Gov. Katie Hobbs is sworn in to office during her ceremonial public inauguration at the Arizona state Capitol in Phoenix on Jan. 5, 2023. Voters have a right to know whos trying to influence the outcome of an election. That was Katie Hobbs, during her 2017 run for secretary of state. I wonder if she also believes voters have a right to know whos trying to influence a governor? And just how much influence they might have? The saga of Gov. Hobbs curious inauguration fundraiser continues, a cash-grab that was both lucrative and, as it turns out, secretive. How much did 70 donors give? We don't know It now appears that Hobbs raised at least $1.9 million for her $207,000 inauguration not the $1.5 million she previously claimed, according to an analysis by The Arizona Republics Stacey Barchenger. And that really, 235 lobbyists, businesses and others donated to her big day, not 120 disclosed after weeks of public pressure. Republic analysis:$270K missing from Hobbs' inauguration disclosure We still dont know how much 70 of those 235 donors kicked in to cozy up to the governor. In all, Barchenger reports that Hobbs hasnt accounted for the source of at least $270,000 of the money she raised for her inauguration. This from the governor who during last years campaign told us, Im running for governor to deliver transparency, accountability and results for Arizona. On that front, shes off to a rough start. Public deserves a full accounting of the cash While governors always have raised money to help defray the cost of their inaugurations, Hobbs is the first to keep the leftover cash. Usually, its moved into a public protocol fund, to be used for public purposes. Hobbs, instead, established a nonprofit account where the money can be used to fund political campaigns. A state government website was employed and now mums the word on how she intends to spend the $1.6 million or more in leftover funds. I dont know if she is Gov. Machiavelli or Gov. Clodhopper. Either way, it's bad way to start. Whatever Hobbs plan is for the gifted cash, the public deserves a complete and transparent accounting of precisely who gave what and how much. Story continues We know, for example, that Arizona Public Service alone handed over $250,000 to Hobbs dark money nonprofit after being hit up for a donation by her inaugural committee. But how much did the Arizona Federation of Teachers kick in? Or the Arizona Multi-Housing Association or Waste Management? How much did that one-time dark money maestro Sean Noble and his Compass Strategies pony up? Or Southwest Gas? Hobbs promises to be a champion for everyone but my guess is that, as with all politicians, some champions will have more access and influence than others. Shouldnt we know who they are? Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts. Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gov. Katie Hobbs promised transparency. She's not showing it The FBI has denied claims that it lost Bryan Kohberger while he was under surveillance as a suspect in the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. Law enforcement sources told Air Mails The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two that on 13 December, when he set off on a cross-country drive with his father from Washington State University (WSU) to his family home in Pennsylvania, the surveillance team lost him. For the next several alarming hours or more, Mr Kohberger had seemingly vanished, the outlet reported. However, on Thursday an FBI spokesperson denied the account calling it false information which is not helpful to the case against Kohberger or to the American public. Meanwhile, three separate students have recalled seeing Mr Kohberger a WSU PhD student on the University of Idaho campus prior to the murders. Sophomore Chelsea told People she saw him sitting by himself in the Student Union staring at people. He wouldnt look away if you caught him staring. Like he wanted you to notice that he was looking at you. He didnt smile, didnt nod, didnt say anything. Just stared, she said. Key points Bryan Kohberger attorneys receive trove of evidence in case Kohbergers attorney has ties to second victims family Xana Kernodles mom feels betrayed by attorney who dropped her for daughters alleged killer Bryan Kohberger met local police chief and sent him gushing email months before murders Chilling online comments from suspect as teen revealed FBI denies claims it lost Bryan Kohberger 10:55 , Rachel Sharp The FBI has denied claims that it lost Bryan Kohberger while he was under surveillance as a suspect in the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. Law enforcement sources told Air Mails The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two that on 13 December, when he set off on a cross-country drive with his father from Washington State University (WSU) to his family home in Pennsylvania, the surveillance team lost him. Story continues For the next several alarming hours or more, Mr Kohberger had seemingly vanished, the outlet reported. However, on Thursday an FBI spokesperson denied the account calling it false information which is not helpful to the case against Kohberger or to the American public. The FBI is aware of reports detailing alleged FBI surveillance on Idaho murder subject Brian Kohberger, the spokesperson told the New York Post. There are anonymous sources providing false information to the media. Publishing of false information attributable to anonymous sources is not helpful to the case against Kohberger or to the American public, the spokesperson said. BTK Killers daughter sensed her father in the Idaho murders 09:30 , Andrea Blanco Kerri Rawson had a nagging sense as she followed every development in the Idaho murders case. After the arrest of Bryan Kohberger, she tells Bevan Hurley how her stomach sank when she realised a link between the suspect and her father, notorious serial killer Dennis Rader. My father is the BTK Killer. The arrest in the Idaho murders took my breath away A survivor is defending the surviving roommates in the Idaho murders 08:00 , Andrea Blanco There are many chilling similarities between the murders of four Idaho students in November and a 1992 attack at a student home in Buffalo none more so than the experiences of the roommates who survived. Alanna Zabel tells The Independents Rachel Sharp why she feels the need to defend the surviving roommate in Idaho and how she understands the way trauma can shape reactions to such horrifying events: She slept through an attack in her home - and has a message about the Idaho murders Reddish-brownish-stained items were seized from Bryan Kohbergers Washington state home on the day of his arrest 07:00 , Andrea Blanco In the search warrant record, investigators list several items with stains, including cuttings of a mattress cover, a reddish/brown stain on an uncovered pillow and a collection of dark red spot. Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety; and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told The Independent that police likely believe those stains could be blood. A reddish or brown stain is a euphemism for, We found something that looks like blood, Dr Miller said. It might be blood from the victims, might be his blood. They dont know until they test it, but theyll be able to get DNA if it is blood. We dont know what the stains in the cover sheets look like, but again theyre looking for any kind of DNA, evidence that might have come from the crime scene. Bryan Kohberger is facing murder charges in the killings of four University of Idaho students Ms Coffindaffer added: They dont call it blood, but its definitely inferred that it was blood. Dr Miller noted that while stains on clothing and bedding are not necessarily unusual, investigators will try to link the evidence found at the Pullman apartment to the crime scene in Moscow. The likelihood that any of those stains came from the crime scene, is going to be dependent on how well he cleaned up, he said. Ethan Chapins family opens up about finding the little victories in their grief journey 05:30 , Andrea Blanco In a Facebook post on Monday, Stacy Chapin said she and her husband had visited her two surviving triplets, Mazie and Hunter, at the University of Idaho over the weekend. The Chapin triplets were all enrolled at the college in the town of Moscow when Ethan was killed on 13 November. Ethans girlfriend Xana Kernodle her roommates Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were also brutally murdered in the attack in their off-campus rental home. Washington State University PhD student Bryan Kohberger, 28, was arrested and charged with the slayings on 30 December. Speaking out about life after losing her son, Ms Chapin said she had early on agreed with her husband that Maizie and Hunter would be returning to school for the spring semester. The mother-of-three said that she wanted to keep her family close but also allow her children to heal at their own pace. During their visit, Ms Chapin said, the parents fed over 20 of their childrens friends and enjoyed long conversations, coffee dates and hugs. The Chapin family also spent time remembering Ethan and sharing stories before Ms Chapin and her husband returned to their home in Washington. Judge extends gag order in Idaho murders 04:00 , Andrea Blanco A court in Idaho has extended a gag order issued earlier this month prohibiting law enforcement officials from revealing information about the murders of four University of Idaho students and the arrest of their accused killer Bryan Kohberger. The order, issued by the Latah County Chief Magistrate on 4 January, was extended on 19 January and will remain in place throughout court proceedings until a verdict has been reached or unless the mandate is modified by the court. The earlier court order banned investigators, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, and members of both the prosecution and the defence from sharing any new information about the investigation or the suspect before a verdict is reached at trial. As a result Moscow Police Department, which had been sharing updates on the investigation, said in a statement that it will no longer be communicating with the public or the media regarding the case. The order both extends and expands the earlier measure. According to court documents any attorney representing witness, victim, or victims family, as well as the parties to the above-entitled action, including but not limited to investigators, law enforcement personnel, and agents for the prosecuting attorney or defense attorney, are prohibited from making extrajudicial statements (written or oral) concerning this case. Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by local police chief for internship 02:30 , Andrea Blanco A criminology PhD student accused of murdering four University of Idaho students was interviewed by a local police department for an internship position months before the slayings. New emails obtained by The New York Times show a brief exchange between Washington State University student Bryan Kohberger and the then-chief of Pullman Police Department Gary Jenkins regarding Mr Kohbergers interview process for the research assistantship for public safety position in April 2022. Mr Kohberger, 28, is facing four murder charges in the brutal stabbings of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November. Mr Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania on 30 December before he was extradited to Idaho on 5 January. In his email to Mr Jenkins, Mr Kohberger wrote that it was a great pleasure to meet with you today and share [his] thoughts and excitement. Mr Jenkins replied that it was great to meet and talk with you as well. It is not clear whether Mr Kohberger was offered a position with the department. U of I students launch fundraiser selling bracelets in victims honour 01:00 , Andrea Blanco University of Idaho students have launched fundraiser selling bracelets in honour of the four murder victims. The Vandal Strong bracelets are black silicon bands featuring the names of Ethan, Maddie, Xana and Kaylee. They are for sale on the UI website with funds from the sales set to go towards a memorial for the victims. Student fundraiser organized by @ASUIDAHO selling #vandalstrong bracelets to raise money towards building a permanent memorial on @uidaho campus for Xana, Ethan, Madison, and Kaylee. A way for us to honor and remember them forever, tweeted Xana Kernodles family member Sheldon Kernodle. One unique facial feature may have linked Bryan Kohberger to the Idaho murders Thursday 2 February 2023 23:21 , Andrea Blanco Bryan Kohbergers distinct eyebrows may have been among the first in a string of details that linked him to the Idaho murders, according to a new report. According to Air Mails The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two, a lead investigator first had an inkling that Mr Kohberger would become a suspect in the crime after he ran the Washington State University PhD students licence plate and noticed his bushy eyebrows. The Independent has the story: What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohbergers home What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohbergers home in the Idaho murders case Thursday 2 February 2023 21:17 , Andrea Blanco A record of evidence recovered during the apartment search was unsealed on Wednesday, revealing the seizure of 15 items including hairs, receipts, a computer tower, a disposable glove and items with peculiar stains. The record reignited a frenzy of speculation online - despite its simplicity and lack of conjecture. But what significance, if any, can actually be gleaned from the list? The Independent spoke to two experts - Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety; and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer - for their takes on each item. What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohbergers home Ethan Chapins family opens up about finding the little victories in their grief journey Thursday 2 February 2023 20:23 , Andrea Blanco In a Facebook post on Monday, Stacy Chapin said she and her husband had visited her two surviving triplets, Mazie and Hunter, at the University of Idaho over the weekend. The Chapin triplets were all enrolled at the college in the town of Moscow when Ethan was killed on 13 November. Ethans girlfriend Xana Kernodle her roommates Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were also brutally murdered in the attack in their off-campus rental home. Washington State University PhD student Bryan Kohberger, 28, was arrested and charged with the slayings on 30 December. Speaking out about life after losing her son, Ms Chapin said she had early on agreed with her husband that Maizie and Hunter would be returning to school for the spring semester. The mother-of-three said that she wanted to keep her family close but also allow her children to heal at their own pace. During their visit, Ms Chapin said, the parents fed over 20 of their childrens friends and enjoyed long conversations, coffee dates and hugs. The Chapin family also spent time remembering Ethan and sharing stories before Ms Chapin and her husband returned to their home in Washington. BTK killer Dennis Rader shares sympathy for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger Thursday 2 February 2023 19:09 , Andrea Blanco Serial killer Dennis Rader has expressed sympathy for Bryan Kohberger as he awaits trial in the Idaho murders. In an interview with Fox News Digital on Wednesday, Rader said he understands how Mr Kohberger must feel while in solitary confinement at Latah County Jail ahead of his preliminary hearing on 26 June. Read the full story: BTK killer Dennis Rader shares sympathy for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by local police chief for internship Thursday 2 February 2023 18:01 , Andrea Blanco A criminology PhD student accused of murdering four University of Idaho students was interviewed by a local police department for an internship position months before the slayings. Emails obtained by The New York Times last month show a brief exchange between Washington State University student Bryan Kohberger and the then-chief of Pullman Police Department Gary Jenkins regarding Mr Kohbergers interview process for the research assistantship for public safety position in April 2022. Mr Kohberger, 28, is facing four murder charges in the brutal stabbings of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November. Mr Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania on 30 December before he was extradited to Idaho on 5 January. In his email to Mr Jenkins, Mr Kohberger wrote that it was a great pleasure to meet with you today and share [his] thoughts and excitement. Mr Jenkins replied that it was great to meet and talk with you as well. It is not clear whether Mr Kohberger was offered a position with the department. What can we expect from the preliminary hearing? Thursday 2 February 2023 17:00 , Rachel Sharp Further evidence and information about the case is not expected to be made public until the preliminary hearing on 26 June, after a judge issued a gag order preventing officials from talking about the case. Behind the scenes, both sides will be conducting investigative work, examining discovery and moving the case forward, attorney Duncan Levin told The Independent. In the preliminary hearing, the prosecution and the defence will then both lay out their cases in court for the first time, witnesses will likely be called and the defence will have the opportunity to cross-examine them, and Mr Kohberger will enter a plea on the charges. I think this case looks like it is headed to trial, Mr Levin, adding that due to the complexity of the case it could take some time. As a case where the death penalty is on the table, it will take a long time to wind its way through the courts and it will be a lengthy court proceeding, he said. Its not the kind of case a court regularly handles so whether its in 2023 is an open question. Bryan Kohbergers trial for the Idaho murders is months away. How strong is the case against him? Thursday 2 February 2023 16:00 , Rachel Sharp It will be another six months before Bryan Kohberger and the families of his alleged victims come face to face in court again, after his preliminary hearing was postponed until the summer. The 28-year-old criminology PhD student could face the death penalty if convicted when he eventually goes on trial for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin the four students who were found violently stabbed to death in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November. For more than six weeks, the murders remained a mystery and left the small college town racked by fear. Then, on 30 December, Mr Kohberger was arrested 2,500 miles away at his family home in Pennsylvania and charged with four counts of murder and one charge of burglary. Details about the murders and his alleged role in them were laid out in the damning probable cause affidavit released earlier this month. But just how strong is the case against him? What can we expect next from the defence and the prosecution? And why has Mr Kohbergers attorney requested evidence about a co-defendant? Duncan Levin, a former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DAs office who has no official connection to the Idaho murders case, speaks to The Independent about the strength of the criminal case and what to expect next as it makes it way through the courts: How strong is the case against Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger? Thursday 2 February 2023 15:00 , Rachel Sharp Court filings show the suspects defence attorneys has now responded to the states request for discovery in the case. In a court filing on 30 January, public defender Anne Taylor writes that the defence so far has no evidence to turn over such as books, documents, papers and photos. There are also no results or reports of mental or physical exams or tests, the documents state. Bryan Kohbergers attorney responds to states request for discovery (Idaho courts) Bryan Kohbergers attorney responds to states request for discovery (Idaho courts) One unique facial feature may have linked Bryan Kohberger to the Idaho murders Thursday 2 February 2023 14:00 , Andrea Blanco Bryan Kohbergers distinct eyebrows may have been among the first in a string of details that linked him to the Idaho murders, according to a new report. According to Air Mails The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two, a lead investigator first had an inkling that Mr Kohberger would become a suspect in the crime after he ran the Washington State University PhD students licence plate and noticed his bushy eyebrows. The Independent has the story: What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohbergers home What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohbergers home in the Idaho murders case Thursday 2 February 2023 13:00 , Andrea Blanco A record of evidence recovered during the apartment search was unsealed on Wednesday, revealing the seizure of 15 items including hairs, receipts, a computer tower, a disposable glove and items with peculiar stains. The record reignited a frenzy of speculation online - despite its simplicity and lack of conjecture. But what significance, if any, can actually be gleaned from the list? The Independent spoke to two experts - Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety; and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer - for their takes on each item. Bryan Kohberger vanished for hours while under surveillance in Idaho murders case FBI agents lost Bryan Kohberger for hours while he was under surveillance Thursday 2 February 2023 12:00 , Andrea Blanco Investigators working on the Idaho murders case lost Bryan Kohberger for several hours during the cross-country trip from his apartment at Washington State University (WSU) to his family home in Pennsylvania, it has been revealed. Surveillance teams were tasked with keeping eyes on the 28-year-old criminology PhD student after he became a person of interest in the 13 November murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. But, on 13 December, when he began the journey home for the holidays with his father, FBI agents managed to lose him almost as soon as their car pulled out of the parking lot at his graduate housing. The shocking revelation has come to light in Air Mails The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two, citing law enforcement sources who admitted that for several alarming hours or more the man believed to have brutally stabbed four University of Idaho students to death had seemingly vanished. Hours later, the car finally pinged miles away in Colorado and surveillance resumed. Mr Kohberger was arrested on 30 December at his family home and is now behind bars in Moscow on murder charges. Idaho murders victims family reveals reason for calls to former boyfriend not long before murders Thursday 2 February 2023 11:00 , Andrea Blanco Kaylee Goncalves family members have revealed a possible reason for the calls the slain student made to her former boyfriend not long before she was brutally murdered. In the early hours of 13 November, Goncalves and Mogen both made phone calls to Goncalves ex-boyfriend Jack DuCoeur, with whom she shares pet dog Murphy. Mr DuCoeur did not answer the calls. Just hours later at between 4am and 4.25am Goncalves and Mogen were brutally stabbed to death alongside Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. In a sit-down interview with the YouTube channel Chronicles of Olivia, the Goncalves family spoke out about the calls, saying that they believe their daughter was seeking to rekindle her relationship with Mr DuCoeur. Goncalves broke up with Mr DuCoeur ahead of her post-graduation move to Texas, but had later voiced concerns that she might not ever find another Jack and was considering getting back together with him, they said. Kaylees father Steve Goncalves said that the couple had remained friends and the slain student was looking for every excuse for [Mr DuCoeur] to pick up the phone. (Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram) Possible animal hair was found at Idaho murders suspects Washington State home Thursday 2 February 2023 10:00 , Andrea Blanco A record of evidence recovered during the apartment search was unsealed last month, revealing the seizure of 15 items including hairs, receipts, a computer tower, a disposable glove and items with peculiar stains. But what significance, if any, can actually be gleaned from the list? The Independent spoke to two experts - Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety; and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer - for their takes on each item. Included on the list of seizures was a possible animal hair strand. While Mr Kohberger is not believed to have a pet, one of the victims he is accused of killing, Goncalves, had a dog that was at home at the time of the murders and was later found by police responding to the scene. The possible animal hair theyll try to connect that to the dog left at the scene, according to Dr Miller. If theres a root on that, if there is any skin on that hair, they could do a DNA test with that dog. If its just a hair thats been shed and there is no skin, they would still be able to do a microscopical comparison and exclude most dogs but they wouldnt be able to connect it necessarily to that dog. Ms Coffindaffer also explained that the suspect would have left behind evidence at the scene but also taken evidence with him before leaving. She said she was suprised by how little hair was listed on the search warrant record. I would expect those items to have been transferred to [the killer] and when he took off his clothing, that to then transfer to other clothing and items. So I was surprised not to see more items and more hairs, she said. Kaylee Goncalves and her dog Murphy, who was spared from the attack and later found unharmed at the scene Dr Miller explained how the hairs collected indicated they were found separately. They may have collected eight hairs in a pillowcase, and collected one separately because they found it [in a different place], he said. And somebody, when they collected it, just wrote hair strand instead of hair. Sometimes you write things a little differently. The distinction between hair and hair strand was not necessarily meaningful, Ms Coffindaffer also said, as there could have been more than one log keeper that preferred one wording over the other. She also noted that the overall amount of findings at the Washington state apartment was rather underwhelming. I would want to point out that its not really as interesting to me what is on the search warrant as whats not on the search wont return, she told The Independent. I just expected so much more information, so many more hairs. I expected fibres, I expected clothing to be taken. I had hope for shoes. Speculation about a co-defendant is debunked Thursday 2 February 2023 09:00 , Andrea Blanco Earlier this month, Bryan Kohbergers attorney Ann Taylor filed a discovery request in the case, asking the judge to order the prosecution to hand over all discovery in the case within 14 days. Among the discovery requests were witness statements, digital media and police reports about the case. It also included a request for information about a co-defendant in the case. Statements of co-defendant. Any written or recorded statements by a codefendant, and the substance of any relevant oral statement made by a co-defendant whether before or after arrest in response to interrogation by any person known by the codefendant to be a peace officer or agent of the prosecuting attorney, or which are otherwise relevant to the offense charged, the filing reads. The request has prompted speculation of evidence suggesting that Mr Kohberger may have had an accomplice or that the defence could seek to argue that as part of their case. However, Mr Levin explained that this is just part of the standard requests for discovery in a case. These are just very standard requests as part of the defences discovery request, he said. While ruling out other individuals as possible suspects will likely form part of the states case against Mr Kohberger, he said that this does not indicate that there are other suspects. The probable cause affidavit makes no mention of a co-defendant and law enforcement officials have previously insisted that they believe the suspect acted alone. The request making mention of a co-defendant is also just one of 18 discovery requests made in the court filing. I dont think I would make much hay of that, Mr Levin said of the discovery request. Ethan Chapins family opens up about finding the little victories in their grief journey Thursday 2 February 2023 08:00 , Andrea Blanco In a Facebook post on Monday, Stacy Chapin said she and her husband had visited her two surviving triplets, Mazie and Hunter, at the University of Idaho over the weekend. The Chapin triplets were all enrolled at the college in the town of Moscow when Ethan was killed on 13 November. Ethans girlfriend Xana Kernodle her roommates Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were also brutally murdered in the attack in their off-campus rental home. Washington State University PhD student Bryan Kohberger, 28, was arrested and charged with the slayings on 30 December. Speaking out about life after losing her son, Ms Chapin said she had early on agreed with her husband that Maizie and Hunter would be returning to school for the spring semester. The mother-of-three said that she wanted to keep her family close but also allow her children to heal at their own pace. During their visit, Ms Chapin said, the parents fed over 20 of their childrens friends and enjoyed long conversations, coffee dates and hugs. The Chapin family also spent time remembering Ethan and sharing stories before Ms Chapin and her husband returned to their home in Washington. (Sigma Chi) Kaylee Goncalves had moved out of student home shortly before the stabbings Thursday 2 February 2023 07:00 , Andrea Blanco Idaho murders victim Kaylee Goncalves had already moved out of the home where she and three other students were brutally murdered but tragically returned to Moscow to visit her best friend that fateful weekend. Goncalves parents told NBCs Dateline that the 21-year-old had recently left the student rental property on King Road, Moscow, ahead of her upcoming graduation that December and a move to Austin, Texas, for a new job at a tech firm. Then, on the weekend of 12 November, she decided to go back to the college town to visit her best friend Madison Mogen. The two young women had been inseparable since meeting in the sixth grade and Goncalves wanted to show Mogen her new Range Rover that she had saved up for and bought. The pair also planned to go to a party together on the night of Saturday 12 November. These girls were best friends since sixth grade, like inseparable, said Goncalves mother Kristi Goncalves. That was the last time that I saw Kaylee. (Instagram) Mad Greek, restaurant where two Idaho murders victims worked, denies Bryan Kohberger rumours Thursday 2 February 2023 06:00 , Andrea Blanco The owner of a restaurant where two of the four University of Idaho victims worked has denied a report that suspect Bryan Kohberger ate at the business. Jackie Fischer, owner of the Mad Greek where slain students Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle were servers spoke out in a strongly-worded Facebook post on Friday after an anonymous former staff member claimed to People that Mr Kohberger had visited the eatery in the weeks before the killings. Mogen, Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, and Kernodles boyfriend Ethan Chapin were all killed in a violent stabbing attack on 13 November in Moscow. Mr Kohberger, a Washington State University PhD criminology student who lived 15 minutes from the victims home, has been charged with the murders. According to the People report, Mr Kohberger visited the restaurant in Moscow twice in the weeks leading up to the murders and ordered vegan pizza. It also alleged that an investigator with insight into the case reportedly told the magazine that authorities knew about the visits to the restaurant, had seized footage and that both staff and owners had been interviewed by law enforcement. Ms Fischer slammed the claims and said they were unequivocally false. The news/media should really do their due diligence before running a story with completely fabricated information. This person who wants their 5 minutes of fame has now caused a whole bunch of extra work for myself and the investigators, Ms Fischer wrote in a Facebook post. Gag order in Idaho murders case is extended Thursday 2 February 2023 05:00 , Andrea Blanco A court in Idaho has extended a gag order issued earlier this month prohibiting law enforcement officials from revealing information about the murders of four University of Idaho students and the arrest of their accused killer Bryan Kohberger. The order, issued by the Latah County Chief Magistrate on 4 January, was extended on 19 January and will remain in place throughout court proceedings until a verdict has been reached or unless the mandate is modified by the court. The earlier court order banned investigators, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, and members of both the prosecution and the defence from sharing any new information about the investigation or the suspect before a verdict is reached at trial. As a result Moscow Police Department, which had been sharing updates on the investigation, said in a statement that it will no longer be communicating with the public or the media regarding the case. The order both extends and expands the earlier measure. According to court documents any attorney representing witness, victim, or victims family, as well as the parties to the above-entitled action, including but not limited to investigators, law enforcement personnel, and agents for the prosecuting attorney or defense attorney, are prohibited from making extrajudicial statements (written or oral) concerning this case. Defence team receives thousands of documents and photos as evidence in Idaho murders case Thursday 2 February 2023 04:00 , Andrea Blanco Attorneys representing Bryan Kohberger have now received thousands of documents and photos as evidence in the University of Idaho murders case. Court filings reveal that prosecutors in Moscow, Idaho, handed over the huge trove of evidence to lawyers for the 28-year-old suspected mass killer last week, including 995 pages of documents, one audio/video file, and 1,865 photos. The evidence which shows what led investigators to arrest the criminology PhD student for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin came in response to the defences discovery request in the case. However, the state objected to handing over some information in the case, including the identity of potential informants. The State objects to requests by the Defendant for anything not otherwise addressed above on the grounds that such requests are outside the scope of I.C.R. 16 and/or are not subject to disclosure under ICR 16(g) (work product and informants), prosecutors wrote in the court filings. U of I students launch fundraiser selling bracelets in victims honour Thursday 2 February 2023 03:00 , Andrea Blanco University of Idaho students have launched fundraiser selling bracelets in honour of the four murder victims. The Vandal Strong bracelets are black silicon bands featuring the names of Ethan, Maddie, Xana and Kaylee. They are for sale on the UI website with funds from the sales set to go towards a memorial for the victims. Student fundraiser organized by @ASUIDAHO selling #vandalstrong bracelets to raise money towards building a permanent memorial on @uidaho campus for Xana, Ethan, Madison, and Kaylee. A way for us to honor and remember them forever, tweeted Xana Kernodles family member Sheldon Kernodle. Student fundraiser organized by @ASUIDAHO selling #vandalstrong bracelets to raise money towards building a permanent memorial on @uidaho campus for Xana, Ethan, Madison, and Kaylee. A way for us to honor and remember them forever. Link to buy below:https://t.co/agvLa4CtmB Sheldon Kernodle (@amigoshel) January 20, 2023 Reddish-brownish-stained items were seized from Bryan Kohbergers Washington state home on the day of his arrest Thursday 2 February 2023 02:00 , Andrea Blanco In the search warrant record, investigators list several items with stains, including cuttings of a mattress cover, a reddish/brown stain on an uncovered pillow and a collection of dark red spot. Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety; and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told The Independent that police likely believe those stains could be blood. A reddish or brown stain is a euphemism for, We found something that looks like blood, Dr Miller said. It might be blood from the victims, might be his blood. They dont know until they test it, but theyll be able to get DNA if it is blood. We dont know what the stains in the cover sheets look like, but again theyre looking for any kind of DNA, evidence that might have come from the crime scene. Bryan Kohberger is facing murder charges in the killings of four University of Idaho students Ms Coffindaffer added: They dont call it blood, but its definitely inferred that it was blood. Dr Miller noted that while stains on clothing and bedding are not necessarily unusual, investigators will try to link the evidence found at the Pullman apartment to the crime scene in Moscow. The likelihood that any of those stains came from the crime scene, is going to be dependent on how well he cleaned up, he said. Bryan Kohberger is believed to have followed the three female slain University of Idaho victims on Instagram Thursday 2 February 2023 01:00 , Andrea Blanco Bryan Kohberger is believed to have followed all three slain female University of Idaho victims on Instagram and repeatedly messaged one of them prior to the brutal stabbings, according to a report. An investigator familiar with the case told People that the 28-year-old criminology PhD student followed the accounts of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle but neither of them followed him back. Then, in late-October around two weeks before the 13 November slayings Mr Kohberger allegedly messaged one of the victims repeatedly on the social media platform, the source said. It is unclear which of the three female students was the recipient or if she even saw the messages. However, the source said that the victim did not respond to Mr Kohbergers messages. He slid into one of the girls DMs several times but she didnt respond, the investigator said. Basically, it was just him saying, Hey, how are you? But he did it again and again. Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by local police chief for internship Thursday 2 February 2023 00:00 , Andrea Blanco A criminology PhD student accused of murdering four University of Idaho students was interviewed by a local police department for an internship position months before the slayings. New emails obtained by The New York Times show a brief exchange between Washington State University student Bryan Kohberger and the then-chief of Pullman Police Department Gary Jenkins regarding Mr Kohbergers interview process for the research assistantship for public safety position in April 2022. Mr Kohberger, 28, is facing four murder charges in the brutal stabbings of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November. Mr Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania on 30 December before he was extradited to Idaho on 5 January. In his email to Mr Jenkins, Mr Kohberger wrote that it was a great pleasure to meet with you today and share [his] thoughts and excitement. Mr Jenkins replied that it was great to meet and talk with you as well. It is not clear whether Mr Kohberger was offered a position with the department. One unique facial feature may have linked Bryan Kohberger to the Idaho murders Wednesday 1 February 2023 23:00 , Andrea Blanco Bryan Kohbergers distinct eyebrows may have been among the first in a string of details that linked him to the Idaho murders, according to a new report. Air Mails The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two offers a vivid description of the Moscow police hunt for evidence that would ultimately materialise in Mr Kohbergers arrest for the murders of four University of Idaho students, based on an affidavit released earlier this month and sources close to the investigation, According to the report, a lead investigator first had an inkling that Mr Kohberger would become a suspect in the crime after he ran the Washington State University PhD students licence plate and noticed his bushy eyebrows. One of the surviving roommates at the 1122 King Road home had recounted how she unknowingly saw her friends killer leaving the scene before going back into her room in a state of shock. The woman said the killer was wearing a mask, but his bushy eyebrows stood out to her These were the items seized from Bryan Kohbergers Washington state home: Wednesday 1 February 2023 22:00 , Andrea Blanco Unsealed search warrants have revealed what evidence was seized from Bryan Kohbergers apartment in Pullman and his office at Washington State University (WSU) during searches in late December. This included: - one nitrite type black glove - one Walmart receipt with one Dickies tag - two Marshalls receipts - dust container from a vacuum - multiple possible hair and hair strands - one possible animal hair strands - two cuttings from uncased pillow of reddish/brown stain - two top and bottom mattress cover with multiple stains - items with a dark red spot - a computer tower - a Fire TV stick No items were seized from his office which he shared with other PhD students. A survivor is defending the surviving roommates in the Idaho murders Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:57 , Andrea Blanco There are many chilling similarities between the murders of four Idaho students in November and a 1992 attack at a student home in Buffalo none more so than the experiences of the roommates who survived. Alanna Zabel tells The Independents Rachel Sharp why she feels the need to defend the surviving roommate in Idaho and how she understands the way trauma can shape reactions to such horrifying events: She slept through an attack in her home - and has a message about the Idaho murders Victims father reveals what he did when he learned of Bryan Kohbergers arrest Wednesday 1 February 2023 19:33 , Andrea Blanco The devastated father of slain University of Idaho student Madison Mogen has revealed that he just broke down and cried when he learned that his daughters accused killer had been taken into custody by police. Ben Mogen had been clinging onto hope that the murderer who violently stabbed his daughter to death alongside her friends Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin would be brought to justice. Finally, seven weeks on from the 13 November slayings, an investigator broke the news to him that a suspect Bryan Kohberger had finally been arrested and charged with their murders. Mr Mogen spoke out about the moment that he learned about the break in the case on ABCs Good Morning America earlier this month. He said, Ben, this is the moment weve been waiting for, he said the officer told him. I just broke down, and I just cried. The grieving father said that learning about Mr Kohbergers arrest felt like a huge weight that got lifted. Kaylee Goncalves family reveals reason for calls to former boyfriend not long before murders Wednesday 1 February 2023 18:39 , Andrea Blanco Kaylee Goncalves family members have revealed a possible reason for the calls the slain student made to her former boyfriend not long before she was brutally murdered. In the early hours of 13 November, Goncalves and Mogen both made phone calls to Goncalves ex-boyfriend Jack DuCoeur, with whom she shares pet dog Murphy. Mr DuCoeur did not answer the calls. Just hours later at between 4am and 4.25am Goncalves and Mogen were brutally stabbed to death alongside Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. In a sit-down interview with the YouTube channel Chronicles of Olivia, the Goncalves family spoke out about the calls, saying that they believe their daughter was seeking to rekindle her relationship with Mr DuCoeur. Goncalves broke up with Mr DuCoeur ahead of her post-graduation move to Texas, but had later voiced concerns that she might not ever find another Jack and was considering getting back together with him, they said. Kaylees father Steve Goncalves said that the couple had remained friends and the slain student was looking for every excuse for [Mr DuCoeur] to pick up the phone. Judge extends gag order in Idaho murders Wednesday 1 February 2023 17:25 , Andrea Blanco A court in Idaho has extended a gag order issued earlier this month prohibiting law enforcement officials from revealing information about the murders of four University of Idaho students and the arrest of their accused killer Bryan Kohberger. The order, issued by the Latah County Chief Magistrate on 4 January, was extended on 19 January and will remain in place throughout court proceedings until a verdict has been reached or unless the mandate is modified by the court. The earlier court order banned investigators, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, and members of both the prosecution and the defence from sharing any new information about the investigation or the suspect before a verdict is reached at trial. As a result Moscow Police Department, which had been sharing updates on the investigation, said in a statement that it will no longer be communicating with the public or the media regarding the case. The order both extends and expands the earlier measure. According to court documents any attorney representing witness, victim, or victims family, as well as the parties to the above-entitled action, including but not limited to investigators, law enforcement personnel, and agents for the prosecuting attorney or defense attorney, are prohibited from making extrajudicial statements (written or oral) concerning this case. University of Idaho students launch fundraiser selling bracelets in victims honour Wednesday 1 February 2023 17:09 , Andrea Blanco The Vandal Strong bracelets are black silicon bands featuring the names of Ethan, Maddie, Xana and Kaylee. They are for sale on the UI website with funds from the sales set to go towards a memorial for the victims. Student fundraiser organized by @ASUIDAHO selling #vandalstrong bracelets to raise money towards building a permanent memorial on @uidaho campus for Xana, Ethan, Madison, and Kaylee. A way for us to honor and remember them forever, tweeted Xana Kernodles family member Sheldon Kernodle. How strong is the case against Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger? Wednesday 1 February 2023 16:22 , Andrea Blanco The prominent attorney Duncan Levin spoke to The Independents Rachel Sharp about the case against Bryan Kohberger and what to expect for the next moves from the defence and the prosecution. How strong is the case against Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger? Bryan Kohbergers trial for the Idaho murders is months away. How strong is the case against him? Wednesday 1 February 2023 15:30 , Rachel Sharp It will be another six months before Bryan Kohberger and the families of his alleged victims come face to face in court again, after his preliminary hearing was postponed until the summer. The 28-year-old criminology PhD student could face the death penalty if convicted when he eventually goes on trial for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin the four students who were found violently stabbed to death in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November. For more than six weeks, the murders remained a mystery and left the small college town racked by fear. Then, on 30 December, Mr Kohberger was arrested 2,500 miles away at his family home in Pennsylvania and charged with four counts of murder and one charge of burglary. Details about the murders and his alleged role in them were laid out in the damning probable cause affidavit released earlier this month. But just how strong is the case against him? What can we expect next from the defence and the prosecution? And why has Mr Kohbergers attorney requested evidence about a co-defendant? Duncan Levin, a former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DAs office who has no official connection to the Idaho murders case, speaks to The Independent about the strength of the criminal case and what to expect next as it makes it way through the courts: Ethan Chapins family opens up about finding the little victories in their grief journey Wednesday 1 February 2023 14:30 , Rachel Sharp In a Facebook post on Monday, Stacy Chapin said she and her husband had visited her two surviving triplets, Mazie and Hunter, at the University of Idaho over the weekend. The Chapin triplets were all enrolled at the college in the town of Moscow when Ethan was killed on 13 November. Ethans girlfriend Xana Kernodle her roommates Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were also brutally murdered in the attack in their off-campus rental home. Washington State University PhD student Bryan Kohberger, 28, was arrested and charged with the slayings on 30 December. Speaking out about life after losing her son, Ms Chapin said she had early on agreed with her husband that Maizie and Hunter would be returning to school for the spring semester. The mother-of-three said that she wanted to keep her family close but also allow her children to heal at their own pace. During their visit, Ms Chapin said, the parents fed over 20 of their childrens friends and enjoyed long conversations, coffee dates and hugs. The Chapin family also spent time remembering Ethan and sharing stories before Ms Chapin and her husband returned to their home in Washington. Kaylee Goncalves family reveals reason for calls to former boyfriend not long before murders Wednesday 1 February 2023 13:30 , Rachel Sharp Kaylee Goncalves family members have revealed a possible reason for the calls the slain student made to her former boyfriend not long before she was brutally murdered. In the early hours of 13 November, Goncalves and Mogen both made phone calls to Goncalves ex-boyfriend Jack DuCoeur, with whom she shares pet dog Murphy. Mr DuCoeur did not answer the calls. Just hours later at between 4am and 4.25am Goncalves and Mogen were brutally stabbed to death alongside Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. In a sit-down interview with the YouTube channel Chronicles of Olivia, the Goncalves family spoke out about the calls, saying that they believe their daughter was seeking to rekindle her relationship with Mr DuCoeur. Goncalves broke up with Mr DuCoeur ahead of her post-graduation move to Texas, but had later voiced concerns that she might not ever find another Jack and was considering getting back together with him, they said. Kaylees father Steve Goncalves said that the couple had remained friends and the slain student was looking for every excuse for [Mr DuCoeur] to pick up the phone. Restaurant where two Idaho murders victims worked denies Bryan Kohberger rumours Wednesday 1 February 2023 12:30 , Andrea Blanco The owner of a restaurant where two of the four University of Idaho victims worked has denied a report that suspect Bryan Kohberger ate at the business. Jackie Fischer, owner of the Mad Greek where slain students Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle were servers spoke out in a strongly-worded Facebook post on Friday after an anonymous former staff member claimed to People that Mr Kohberger had visited the eatery in the weeks before the killings. Mogen, Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, and Kernodles boyfriend Ethan Chapin were all killed in a violent stabbing attack on 13 November in Moscow. Mr Kohberger, a Washington State University PhD criminology student who lived 15 minutes from the victims home, has been charged with the murders. According to the People report, Mr Kohberger visited the restaurant in Moscow twice in the weeks leading up to the murders and ordered vegan pizza. It also alleged that an investigator with insight into the case reportedly told the magazine that authorities knew about the visits to the restaurant, had seized footage and that both staff and owners had been interviewed by law enforcement. Ms Fischer slammed the claims and said they were unequivocally false. The news/media should really do their due diligence before running a story with completely fabricated information. This person who wants their 5 minutes of fame has now caused a whole bunch of extra work for myself and the investigators, Ms Fischer wrote in a Facebook post. University of Idaho students launch fundraiser selling bracelets in victims honour Wednesday 1 February 2023 11:30 , Andrea Blanco University of Idaho students have launched fundraiser selling bracelets in honour of the four murder victims. The Vandal Strong bracelets are black silicon bands featuring the names of Ethan, Maddie, Xana and Kaylee. They are for sale on the UI website with funds from the sales set to go towards a memorial for the victims. Student fundraiser organized by @ASUIDAHO selling #vandalstrong bracelets to raise money towards building a permanent memorial on @uidaho campus for Xana, Ethan, Madison, and Kaylee. A way for us to honor and remember them forever, tweeted Xana Kernodles family member Sheldon Kernodle. Student fundraiser organized by @ASUIDAHO selling #vandalstrong bracelets to raise money towards building a permanent memorial on @uidaho campus for Xana, Ethan, Madison, and Kaylee. A way for us to honor and remember them forever. Link to buy below:https://t.co/agvLa4CtmB Sheldon Kernodle (@amigoshel) January 20, 2023 Ethan Chapins mother shares update about family Wednesday 1 February 2023 10:44 , Rachel Sharp The grieving mother of slain University of Idaho student Ethan Chapin has shared an update about how the family is adjusting to their new normal without the 20-year-old. In a Facebook post, Stacy Chapin spoke of the small victories they accomplish each day in the healing process as she revealed she and her husband had visited their two surviving triplets Mazie and Hunter at the college where all three had been enrolled before Ethans murder. The start of the grieving process felt like standing at the bottom of the wall with no key to get through the gate and no rope to get up the wall. The rope has been tossed over the wall and weve started the tedious climb, she wrote. (Sigma Chi) Bryan Kohberger vanished for hours while under surveillance in Idaho murders case Wednesday 1 February 2023 10:00 , Andrea Blanco Surveillance teams had been tasked with keeping eyes on the 28-year-old criminology PhD student after he became a person of interest in the 13 November murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho. But, in the early morning of 13 December, when he set off on a cross-country drive with his father from his apartment at Washington State University (WSU) to his family home in Pennsylvania for the holidays, FBI agents lost the accused quadruple killer. The shocking revelation came to light in Air Mails The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two, citing law enforcement sources who admitted that Mr Kohberger managed to slip the net almost as soon as his white Hyundai Elantra pulled out of the parking lot at his graduate housing complex. The Independents Rachel Sharp has the story: Bryan Kohberger vanished for hours while under surveillance in Idaho murders case Judge extends gag order in Idaho murders Wednesday 1 February 2023 08:30 , Andrea Blanco A court in Idaho has extended a gag order issued earlier this month prohibiting law enforcement officials from revealing information about the murders of four University of Idaho students and the arrest of their accused killer Bryan Kohberger. The order, issued by the Latah County Chief Magistrate on 4 January, was extended on 19 January and will remain in place throughout court proceedings until a verdict has been reached or unless the mandate is modified by the court. The earlier court order banned investigators, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, and members of both the prosecution and the defence from sharing any new information about the investigation or the suspect before a verdict is reached at trial. As a result Moscow Police Department, which had been sharing updates on the investigation, said in a statement that it will no longer be communicating with the public or the media regarding the case. The order both extends and expands the earlier measure. According to court documents any attorney representing witness, victim, or victims family, as well as the parties to the above-entitled action, including but not limited to investigators, law enforcement personnel, and agents for the prosecuting attorney or defense attorney, are prohibited from making extrajudicial statements (written or oral) concerning this case. What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohbergers home in the Idaho murders case Wednesday 1 February 2023 07:00 , Andrea Blanco A record of evidence recovered during the apartment search was unsealed on Wednesday, revealing the seizure of 15 items including hairs, receipts, a computer tower, a disposable glove and items with peculiar stains. The record reignited a frenzy of speculation online - despite its simplicity and lack of conjecture. But what significance, if any, can actually be gleaned from the list? The Independent spoke to two experts - Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety; and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer - for their takes on each item. What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohbergers home How strong is the case against Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger? Wednesday 1 February 2023 05:30 , Andrea Blanco The prominent attorney Duncan Levin spoke to The Independents Rachel Sharp about the case against Bryan Kohberger and what to expect for the next moves from the defence and the prosecution. How strong is the case against Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger? Bryan Kohberger is believed to have followed the three female slain University of Idaho victims on Instagram Wednesday 1 February 2023 04:00 , Andrea Blanco Bryan Kohberger is believed to have followed all three slain female University of Idaho victims on Instagram and repeatedly messaged one of them prior to the brutal stabbings, according to a report. An investigator familiar with the case told People that the 28-year-old criminology PhD student followed the accounts of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle but neither of them followed him back. Then, in late-October around two weeks before the 13 November slayings Mr Kohberger allegedly messaged one of the victims repeatedly on the social media platform, the source said. It is unclear which of the three female students was the recipient or if she even saw the messages. However, the source said that the victim did not respond to Mr Kohbergers messages. He slid into one of the girls DMs several times but she didnt respond, the investigator said. Basically, it was just him saying, Hey, how are you? But he did it again and again. Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by local police chief for internship months before Idaho murders Wednesday 1 February 2023 02:30 , Andrea Blanco A criminology PhD student accused of murdering four University of Idaho students was interviewed by a local police department for an internship position months before the slayings. New emails obtained by The New York Times show a brief exchange between Washington State University student Bryan Kohberger and the then-chief of Pullman Police Department Gary Jenkins regarding Mr Kohbergers interview process for the research assistantship for public safety position in April 2022. Mr Kohberger, 28, is facing four murder charges in the brutal stabbings of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November. Mr Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania on 30 December before he was extradited to Idaho on 5 January. In his email to Mr Jenkins, Mr Kohberger wrote that it was a great pleasure to meet with you today and share [his] thoughts and excitement. Mr Jenkins replied that it was great to meet and talk with you as well. It is not clear whether Mr Kohberger was offered a position with the department. Bryan Kohbergers legal team receives thousands of documents and photos as evidence in Idaho murders case Wednesday 1 February 2023 01:00 , Andrea Blanco Attorneys representing Bryan Kohberger have now received thousands of documents and photos as evidence in the University of Idaho murders case. Court filings reveal that prosecutors in Moscow, Idaho, handed over the huge trove of evidence to lawyers for the 28-year-old suspected mass killer last week, including 995 pages of documents, one audio/video file, and 1,865 photos. The evidence which shows what led investigators to arrest the criminology PhD student for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin came in response to the defences discovery request in the case. However, the state objected to handing over some information in the case, including the identity of potential informants. The State objects to requests by the Defendant for anything not otherwise addressed above on the grounds that such requests are outside the scope of I.C.R. 16 and/or are not subject to disclosure under ICR 16(g) (work product and informants), prosecutors wrote in the court filings. Xana Kernodles mother says Bryan Kohbergers lawyer had power of attorney over her as she slams betrayal Tuesday 31 January 2023 23:30 , Andrea Blanco The mother of slain University of Idaho student Xana Kernodle has claimed that she gave her power of attorney to the public defender now representing her daughters alleged killer. Anne Taylor, the chief of the Kootenai public defenders office, filed on 5 January to recuse herself from representing Xana Kernodles mother Cara Denise Northington in order to become the lead defence attorney for Bryan Kohberger. In an interview with NewsNation on Wednesday night, Ms Northington spoke out over the sense of betrayal she feels after her attorney stepped down from her case, saying she had given Ms Taylor power of attorney over her. The Independents Andrea Blanco has the full story: Idaho murder victims mom says she gave Bryan Kohberger lawyer power of attorney Ethan Chapins mother shares how family are adjusting to new normal after Idaho murders Tuesday 31 January 2023 21:47 , Andrea Blanco In a Facebook post on Monday, Stacy Chapin said she and her husband had visited her two surviving triplets, Mazie and Hunter, at the University of Idaho over the weekend. The Chapin triplets were all enrolled at the college in the town of Moscow when Ethan was killed on 13 November. The Independent has the story: Ethan Chapins mom speaks about adjusting to new normal after Idaho murders Photo: Rawf8 (Shutterstock) Just when you thought American prison systems couldnt be any more inhumane, a ridiculous new bill has been proposed in Massachusetts that would permit prisoners to donate their organs in exchange for reduced sentences. Perhaps most shockingly, Democrats are sponsoring the legislation. The act to establish the Massachusetts incarcerated individual bone marrow and organ donation program is sponsored by Democratic Reps. Carlos Gonzalez of Springfield and Judith Garcia of Chelsea. The bill would give inmates anywhere from 60 days to a year off of their prison sentence as long as the incarcerated individual has donated bone marrow or organ(s). Read more The politicians pushing for the legislation say it would restore bodily autonomy to incarcerated folks and increase the diversity of donors. This bill, Gonzalez told WGBH, would have a committee in place that would oversee the organ donation program. [It] basically establishes a committee with advocates, with advocates of our inmate population to establish the parameters, the guidelines, the clarity, the transparency, on a policy that is lacking within the department of corrections today, said Gonzalez. However, critics strongly disagree and say it may even be illegal. A Brigham & Womens Hospital epidemiologist, Monik Jimenez, told The Boston Globe that the legislation was downright perverse. There are certainly ways we can engage our free communities in educating them about the options of organ and bone marrow donation, Jimenez said. But going to our incarcerated population as a source is problematic, at best, and exploitative. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, there are nearly 4,000 people on the waiting list for organs in Massachusetts. Black and brown people are jailed at higher rates than their white counterparts, so a bill like this would be detrimental to them. Story continues South Carolina tried to do the same thing in 2007, with proposed legislation that would have reduced sentences by up to 180 days if an inmate donated an organ. After outrage ensued, a voluntary organ and tissue donation program was created instead. More from The Root Sign up for The Root's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Texas native Jonathan Majors will receive an award at this year's Texas Film Awards in March. It's always nice to remember which stars Texas can claim. This spring, the Texas Film Awards will honor another slate of the state's motion picture movers and shakers, including actor Jonathan Majors. This year's 21st annual award ceremony from Austin Film Society will happen on March 3 at Luck, TX, Willie Nelson's Spicewood-area ranch that's amped up its event programming in recent years. That's a little earlier than usual: Traditionally, the Texas Film Awards have served as a kickoff to the annual SXSW Film & TV Festival, which this year runs March 10-18. More:New 'Dungeons and Dragons' movie will open SXSW Film & TV Festival 2023 Majors is set to receive this year's rising star award. Previous recipients include Kaitlyn Dever, Tye Sheridan and Jesse Plemons. According to a news release, Majors grew up in Cedar Hill, a town southwest of Dallas. He's one of Hollywood's hottest rising stars. Majors will play the time-conquering villain Kang in Marvel movie "Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania," out Feb. 17, and he'll star opposite Michael B. Jordan in the "Rocky" franchise spinoff "Creed III" on March 3. He's also been seen in HBO's "Lovecraft Country" and movies like "Devotion," "Da 5 Bloods" and "The Last Black Man in San Francisco" (this writer's favorite movie of 2019). The awards ceremony also will honor Austin's Janet and John Pierson, longtime champions of independent cinema who will be inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame. Together, the couple make up what Austin Film Society calls the "first couple" of American independent cinema, thanks to their work as exhibitors, financiers and creators of the show "Split Screen." Janet Pierson was the head of South by Southwest's film arm from 2008 until last year, when she stepped into the role of director emeritus. John Pierson was on the faculty of the University of Texas Radio-TV-Film Department and wrote the book "Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes" about the Piersons' work with filmmakers like Spike Lee, Michael Moore, Kevin Smith and Austin's Richard Linklater. Story continues Austin Film Society also will honor Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-chair and CEO Michael De Luca, a resident of Forth Worth, for his decades as a Hollywood producer and executive. He's been nominated three times for best picture at the Academy Awards, for "The Social Network," "Moneyball" and "Captain Phillips," as well as for three Emmy Awards. More:These are the Statesman's 10 favorite movies of 2022 Edi Patterson, who stars on HBO's "The Righteous Gemstones," will serve as emcee for the Texas Film Awards. She grew up in Texas City, attended Texas State University and honed her comedy skills at the Hideout Theatre in Austin. The Texas Film Awards honor "those who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of the Texas film and creative media industry," according to organizers. Proceeds from the award ceremony benefit Austin Film Society. Tickets ($750) and tables ($12,000-$25,000) for this big-ticket fundraiser event are now on sale online. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Film Awards 2023 to honor Jonathan Majors in Austin These reviews are straight from the horse's mouth. Courtesy of Visit Lexington They say the best recommendations are the ones that come straight from the horse's mouth and Lexington, Kentucky, is taking that literally. VisitLEX (the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau) is giving would-be visitors a glimpse into what their vacation to the Bluegrass State could be like by asking actual horses what they think of the Kentucky town, which also happens to call itself the Horse Capital of the World. And no, its not a remake of Mister Ed. Instead, the visitors bureau turned to renowned psychic medium Carrie Kenady to read the animals and interpret their responses. The messages from animals whether they are alive or crossed over come to me in many forms. When I look at an animal's picture or do an in-person visit, I immediately feel anything that seems off in their body, Kenady told Travel + Leisure. Messages pop into my head as I talk to the owner. Animals love to show me things like their favorite foods and happiest memories. I can discern whether those are my own thoughts or messages from the animal. It's a quick, subtle, and random exchange of energy. I can ask the animal a question and immediately get an answer. For the readings, Kenady went to Mill Ridge Farm, home to a few Kentucky-born thoroughbreds and several visiting horses in town for the Breeders Cup. Follow her visit: Kenady asked the animals questions like, What do you think about Lexingtons scenery? and What do you think about the people here? In the video, one visiting thoroughbred shared, I like it better than Canada, while another added, The people are so friendly. I love it when they come to visit me. As for why the tourism group decided to go with such a unique campaign, VisitLEX President Mary Quinn Ramer explained it was an easy choice, simply because they know visitors trust reviews even if its by an equine friend. As the Horse Capital of the World, we wanted to find a way to generate authentic travel reviews from our most adored, four-legged visitors, Ramer shared in a statement. We love our beautiful, bucolic landscapes, which is why we were so curious as to what our native Thoroughbreds, as well as those visiting for races, and sales, think about Lexington. Story continues Courtesy of Visit Lexington Even Kenady found her trip to the farm to be more than she expected. It's always a beautiful, transformative experience when I visit a horse here in Lexington. Being in their presence is healing, calming, and soulful, she said. When I look into their eyes, I feel how majestic, goofy, intelligent, and playful they are. But really, were not too surprised horses love the rolling green pastures, the sweet hay, and the friendly people in Kentucky. After all, a horse is a horse, of course of course For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Travel & Leisure. Kevin Spacey took the opportunity to praise his manager Evan Lowenstein in a passionate speech Monday, receiving a lifetime achievement award prize prior to holding a master class at Italys National Museum of Cinema in Turin. The occasion was Spaceys first speaking engagement in more than five years, during which the Oscar-winning actor has been embroiled in several legal battles centered on sexual assault charges. More from Variety The first performance that I ever gave was in my junior high school drama class. It was a little five-minute scene that we had to create, with no words, Spacey started out. But we could have music. I was 11 years old. And I decided to do a Western scene, so that I could play a cowboy. Well, a bank robber. The bad guy, naturally. Spacey then went on: I have been so honored to have been part of the creative process with so many remarkable people. Filmmakers, artists and technicians I have had the chance to work with. Who would not consider tonight the perfect opportunity to say, Thank you! You are not just honoring me. You are honoring all of them. The actor pointed out his gratitude towards the museum for having had Le Palle [Italian for balls] to invite me tonight. He expressed gratitude to friends and colleagues. But there is one person that I must point out tonight. Because when you have a best friend like I do in Evan Lowenstein, who is here tonight, then life can be pretty special. And working through any challenge is worth the effort. Evan has given me so much advice, counsel, perspective professionally, yes. But more importantly, because of our friendship. Its almost impossible to tell you all what he has done. The degree of guidance and wisdom that he has brought to my life. He is unlike anyone, Spacey said. Evan has not only stood beside me. He has stood in front of me when I needed to be led and stood behind me when I needed to be shoved He is a remarkable man and it has been his ability to take whatever setbacks weve faced and somehow get up and keep moving forward. And that has given me the strength to somehow stand up and follow him. I am truly blessed to have you as my brother. The brother I never had, so thank you. Story continues He ended the speech thanking the museum for giving me a night I will never forget. Spacey first visited the museum last year when he made his return to acting, starring as a police detective in the Franco Nero-directed low budget indie drama Luomo Che Disegno Dio (The Man Who Drew God). During the one-hour sold out masterclass, Spacey spoke with the museums director Domenico De Gaetano about milestones of his career on screen and stage, film-making and storytelling, his best-known performances and characters, and the making of famous scenes in films including The Usual Suspects, L.A. Confidential, Seven, and the Netflix TV series House of Cards. Earlier in the day Spacey met with Italian journalists but declined to speak with international press. Spacey is scheduled to go on trial in London in June on a dozen sex offense charges spanning a period between 2001 and 2013, including when he served as artistic director at the citys Old Vic theater. He has pleaded not guilty. In October, a New York jury sided with Spacey in a $40 million civil lawsuit, finding that the actor did not molest actor Anthony Rapp when he was a teenager and is not liable for battery beyond reasonable doubt. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey has been keeping a low profile since a string of sexual misconduct accusations brought derailed his stellar career in 2017. The actor will be back in the headlines over the coming week, however, with a court hearing in London, followed by an honorary awards event in Italy, where he will make his first voluntary public appearance in five years. More from Deadline Londons Southwark Crown Court has confirmed that a second hearing related to seven sexual assault charges brought by a single male complainant, will take place on January 13 as previously announced. The court told Deadline on Wednesday that Spacey will not be attending in person but rather by live video-link, as was the case for the first hearing related to the case on December 16. Three days later, Spacey is set to be honored at a special event organized by Italys National Cinema Museum in the northern city of Turin on Monday, January 16. The two-time Academy Award winner will give a public masterclass, moderated by the museums director Domenico De Gaetano and then receive the institutions Stella della Mole Award for lifetime achievement. The museum says the actor has been collaborating closely on the key elements of the masterclass and that the public event sold out within five minutes of the tickets going online. Named after Turins Mole Antonelliana architectural landmark which houses the cinema museum, previous recipients of the Stella della Mole Award include actors Isabella Rossellini, Monica Bellucci, and Malcolm McDowell, as well as directors Xavier Dolan and Dario Argento. Story continues Spacey will then present a special screening of Sam Mendes American Beauty, for which he won the Best Actor Oscar in 2000. Fridays court hearing in London is related to seven Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) authorized charges that are alleged to have taken place between 2001 and 2004. They span three of indecent assault, three of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. The charges are in addition to five earlier charges brought by three men. Spacey pleaded not guilty at an initial hearing last July for these earlier charges. A trial date for that case has been set for June 6, 2023. In between times, a jury sided with Spacey in New York in October to find the actor not liable in a $40M sexual misconduct lawsuit brought by Rent and Star Trek: Discovery Anthony Rapp. Rapp, who has been on stage since he was a child, testified that Spacey had made unwanted advances at a party in his apartment after they met on Broadway when he was a teenager. After a two-week civil trial, the jury concluded that Spacey did not molest Rapp. Rapp responded to the verdict with a Tweet saying he was grateful for having been able to share his testimony, explaining the lawsuit was always about was always about shining a light, as part of the larger movement to stand up against all forms of sexual violence. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Peggy Johnson is the CEO of Magic Leap, and could soon be competing against Apple if it launches a headset as expected. Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images Magic Leap's CEO said more money coming into the augmented reality space from competitors is "good." Under CEO Peggy Johnson, the company has pivoted to building enterprise-focused AR headsets. Apple is rumored to be readying its own headset, which would compete against Magic Leap and Microsoft. DAVOS, Switzerland Having more competition, including one day Apple, enter the augmented reality space is "a good thing," Magic Leap CEO Peggy Johnson told Insider. Apple is reportedly gearing up to launch its own headset this year, which would compete against other offerings from Magic Leap and Microsoft. "I think anytime more money is coming into the space is a good thing," the AR tech company CEO said during an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "The company's over 12 years old, so we've been carrying all of the water for a long time, for years, and so it's good to have others in this space, even competitive in nature. It's a positive for the space overall." Johnson said more companies entering the AR space "brings more" momentum, energy, and developers, and that Magic Leap is focused on developing the 3D imagery ecosystem. Under Johnson, Magic Leap has pivoted toward building its Magic Leap 2 AR headset for enterprise use rather marketing it at consumers. In its Early Access Program, Magic Leap worked with companies including Cisco, NeuroSync, and Brainlab to "refine and improve" its headset to be used for training, communication, and remote assistance, in settings like clinics, industrial environments, retail stores, and even defense. But AR technology is cutting-edge, and that means it's not cheap. The Magic Leap 2 was made commercially available in the US, Canada, UK, EU, and Saudi Arabia last September, and has three editions ranging between $3,299 and $4,999 USD. Microsoft's Hololens 2 ranges from $3,500 to $5,200. Apple is currently planning on announcing its long-rumored AR and VR headset this year, and will likely retail to consumers for somewhere between $2,000 and $3,000, Bloomberg reported. The headset is reported to look somewhat like ski goggles, and include auto-adjusting lenses and a physical dial to switch between virtual reality and the real world. Story continues If Apple's AR/VR headset does come out this year, it will be the company's newest product group since the Apple Watch in 2015. Johnson pointed out that Apple is more consumer-focused, while Magic Leap is enterprise-focused, but said at some point, "we'll come circle back to consumer." She said it will take time for the headset itself to shrink in size to be more acceptable for consumer use the way mobile phones developed. Read the original article on Business Insider EXCLUSIVE: Portugal has become the latest territory to order a local version of CBS Lets Make a Deal. The show will broadcast daily in access primetime on local network TVI and marks the latest territory expansion for a format that has been given a shot in the arm since its underlying IP was acquired by Marcus Lemonis and Nancy Glasss fledgling Marcus / Glass Productions. More from Deadline Fremantle Portugal will produce the Portuguese version and Pedro Texeira will helm. In Lets Make a Deal, which has been running on and off for 50 years in the U.S. and on CBS for the past 14, select members of the studio audience make deals with the host. These traders are offered something of value and given a choice of whether to keep it or exchange it for a different item, while the other item is hidden from the trader until that choice is made. Cant Stop Media struck the Portugal deal and the sales outfits International & Development Partner Matthieu Porte said he will finalize many more local commissions this year. Deadline revealed the launch of Marcus / Glass Productions in late 2021, which acquired the Hatos-Hall Productions gameshow catalog including Lets Make a Deal, and the show has since sold to Germany, Hungary and Indonesia. Local versions are also in development in the UK, France, Italy, Poland, Greece, Argentina and Chile. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Most working actors would jump at the chance of a major Hollywood role, while some celebs might instead make a more careful choice based on the production schedule, salary or cast. Matthew McConaughey, however, decided to star in How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days because of a fortunetellers advice. I remember considering whether I was going to do it or not one night while on a walk down Sunset Boulevard [in the Los Angeles area] when suddenly, this guy comes up out of nowhere to me, he told Vanity Fair in an oral history of the film published Thursday, describing the man as a fortune teller guru. He immediately goes, Theres a movie youre considering right now. Its a romantic comedy. You have to do this or it will be one of the biggest regrets of your life. It is going to be a blast and it is going to make a bunch of money, McConaughey said. The actor recalled wondering whether the man was hired by executives producing the film. Despite this, he told Vanity Fair that he undertook more serious consideration after the encounter and accepted the role of Benjamin Barry the very next day. The 2003 film went on to gross nearly $178 million worldwide and has since become a cherished rom-com classic. As chronicled in Vanity Fairs extensive history, however, casting the native Texan as Kate Hudsons love interest provided some challenges. Parts of How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days Parts of How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days" were reportedly rewritten to account for Matthew McConaughey's "Texas twang." Director Donald Petrie told his writers they needed some kind of subtle explanation as to why Benjamin had that Texas twang about him. They wound up reimagining the characters father as a Navy guy and then cast South Carolina native Celia Weston as his mom. But even before such considerations, McConaughey had almost missed out on the role entirely. Hudson, who was 23 at the time of production, revealed in December that she had to fight for him to get the part as producer Lynda Obst thought he was too old for it at 33. Story continues We had an energy together, I wanted to play with him, Hudson said. It felt kinetic. ... We like to push each other and I just love Matthews commitment to everything; hes razor-focused. How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days celebrates its 20th anniversary Tuesday. Petrie and Hudson told Vanity Fair that theres no sequel in the works. And McConaughey said he believes the original stands alone and knows exactly why. Its really fun as the audience member to be in on the joke with one character while the other one is not, he told the outlet, adding that the films plot allows for so much fun audience engagement and participation. Related... A brave California mom, Suzie Trexler, fended off the mountain lion cub that attacked her 5-year-old son, Jack. (Photo: Getty Images, courtesy Trexler family) A mountain lion cub in San Mateo County, Calif. met its match when Suzie Trexler saved her 5-year-old son Jack during a surprise attack recently. The attack happened in the late afternoon on Jan. 31, when Jack was on a regular hike with his mom and grandparents in a mountainous part of the county near his family's farm near Half Moon Bay. It's a hike the family knows well, but on that particular day, they ran into some trouble. According to his dad, Jay Trexler, Jack got a little too excited and ran ahead of his mom and grandparents which is when he unintentionally startled a nearby mountain lion cub that snuck up on Jack and began to mangle his head with its sharp paws. "It happened so fast," Trexler tells Yahoo Life in a written statement. "Fortunately, my wife reacted immediately, charged at the cat, and it ran off." Suzie carried Jack down the hill and they rushed him to a nearby hospital. He was treated with "lacerations on his face" as well as a "fracture near his eye" and "many other cuts and scratches all over his body." No one else was injured in the attack. "Jack is an extremely adventurous, brave little boy that is never scared of anything," his aunt, Amie Wagner, tells Yahoo Life. "He is facing this with great courage as he does with everything in his life and we are confident he will keep his adventurous spirit." Wagner, who's been acting as the "family spokesperson" during this time, says the event has been hard on everyone, especially given that Jack is the baby in the family. "He is the youngest grandchild on our side and adored by our family and everyone that meets him on the farm," she says. According to local reports, California Fish and Wildlife Capt. Patrick Foy said the mountain cub "took [Jack] to the ground," where he was "struggling in a fight for his life." However, once the cub saw Jack's mother running toward them, it released Jack and ran away. Story continues As reported by KTVU, a Fox affiliate, investigators plan on gathering DNA evidence from the childs clothing and wounds to search for the mountain lion. If the DNA matches, Foy says law enforcement will make efforts to remove the animal from the wild. It's important to note that mountain lion attacks on humans are very rare. In fact, the Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed that around 20 confirmed attacks have occurred in California in more than a century of record-keeping, per the Sacramento Bee. According to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, around 20 confirmed attacks have occurred in California in over a century of record-keeping. (Credit: Getty Images) Trexler's family has lived on their property for over 12 years, and he calls his wife "the bravest woman I know," saying she "did what she needed to do" to save their son. "We know the risks of working and hiking in the hills where we live with mountain lions in the area," he says. "We carry bear spray to be safe. Those precautions didnt matter in this case. Our son Jack is an active boy who loves to run and explore. That said, when we are in the hills, we keep him close by." Trexler and his wife run Abundant Grace Coastside Worker, a nonprofit in Half Moon Bay offering employment programs and other support to people experiencing homelessness. The good news? Jack has since been released from the hospital and is now recuperating nicely at home. "Hes a very resilient kid, and I am hoping he will bounce back quickly," Trexler says. "When he recounted the story to me, he said, 'Dad, a mountain lion tackled me!' The swelling in his eye is going down. This will be helpful to fully assess if hell need surgery or not. Also, he had a great nights rest and has had moments of playfulness amidst periods of rest and pain management." While the event has been traumatic, Trexler doesn't want it to deter others from enjoying the great outdoors. "When he is absolutely ready," the family plans on taking Jack hiking again, "because that is what we do," he explains. "We are an outdoor-loving family, and this experience will not take that away from us," says Trexler. "I think its important to not be afraid of mountain lions but to take care and be alert when you are in their habitat. Even though it doesnt happen often, things like this can happen in an instant. You have to respect big animals that are capable of hurting you or your loved ones. We are grateful the cat wasnt bigger and that it didnt bite our son because it would have been a different story." He continues: "We are going to help our son recover and then go live our life to the fullest." Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here. Hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the life of Tyre Nichols on Wednesday evening in a ceremony inside a Mississippi Boulevard Baptist Church in Memphis. The 29-year-old Black man was fatally beaten by a group of Memphis Police Department officers last month, and horrific footage of the incident released last week has revived an urgent demand for reform. Reflecting on the far-reaching shock of his death, those in attendance at his funeral included vice president Kamala Harris, filmmaker Spike Lee and members of Congress, with a eulogy from the Rev Al Sharpton. There was also a call to action from civil rights attorney Ben Crump demanding swift justice against police who commit violence against Black Americans. In their remarks, faith leaders struck a delicate balance, urging support for a grieving family while reflecting on the sadness and anger of a nation just days after witnessing yet another attack against a Black American by police. His family endured the unsolicited ... and unjustifiable burden of grieving their loved one and at the same time demanding justice, senior pastor J Lawrence Turner said. Were praying for you that God will continue to give you strength, because your strength has held us steady, and helped us constructively channel our outrage and turn our anger into action. In his impassioned eulogy, Mr Sharpton condemned the actions of the Black officers who have been charged with the murder of Nichols, arguing that the sacrifices of civil rights leaders like Dr Martin Luther King Jr paved the way for their public service. People had to march and go to jail and some people lost their lives to open the doors for you. How dare you act like that sacrifice was for nothing? he said. Mr Crump, who has represented the families of several Black Americans killed by police, including the family of Nichols, issued a plea for justice that demanded swift and equal justice for the victims of police violence. Story continues Five officers involved in the attack were fired from the department and charged with second-degree murder. A program for the funeral a Celebration of Life for Tyre Nichols reads that he loved skateboarding, watching the sunset, photography and most of all helping people. He had the most infectious smile, it reads. It prominently features a quote that was on his photography website: My vision is to bring my viewers deep into what I am seeing through my eye and out through my lens. Mr Crump issued a plea for justice for Nichols as both a son to grieving parents and father to a 4-year-old boy, but most of all, the human being, he said. Video footage of police officers beating Nichols did not include one ounce of humanity, Mr Crump said. Why cant they see the humanity in Tyre? he asked. Rev Al Sharpton delivers a eulogy at a funeral service for Tyre Nichols in Memphis on Wednesday (Getty Images) Keyana Dixon, his older sister, fondly remembered growing up with her younger brother, whose family knew him as a steward of peace who showed kindness to others. I see the world showing him love and fighting for his justice, but all I want is my baby brother back, Ms Dixon said, speaking through tears. Even in his demise, he was still polite: He asked them to Please stop. The vice president, who was invited to attend the service by Nicholss mother and stepfather, said that the violent act committed against their son was not in pursuit of public safety, it was not in the interest of keeping the public safe. Was he not also entitled to the right to be safe? she said. Kamala Harris, left, embraces RowVaughn Wells, the mother of Tyre Nichols, during a funeral for her son (Reuters) Ms Harris urged Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, bipartisan police reform legislation that passed the House of Representatives in 2021 but stalled in a deadlocked Senate with Republican opposition. The bill, named in honour of the Black man who was murdered by Minneapolis police officers in 2020, was co-authored by then-Senator Harris. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are expected to meet with President Joe Biden on 2 February as the White House and lawmakers pledge to reintroduce the bill, though it is likely to face resistance from the now-Republican controlled House. The legislation intially intended to overhaul so-called qualified immunity policies, which can shield officers from civil lawsuits and make it easier to prosecute police for killing people or engaging in misconduct. Republican lawmakers have resisted those efforts. Let the memory of Tyre shine a light on the path toward peace and justice, Ms Harris said in her brief remarks. His mother RowVaughn Wells also urged members of Congress to pass the bill. If we dont, that next child that dies, she said, speaking through tears, that blood will be on their hands. TRENTON, N.J. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a term-limited Democrat with an eye on national politics, used his annual State of the State address Tuesday to sell his version of New Jersey after five years in office and draw contrast between the recent political chaos on the House floor in Washington and what happens in the Statehouse. People dont want to see Washington-style dysfunction and chaos and neither do we, Murphy said near the start of his hourlong address to a joint session of the state Legislature. Some national sweep was expected, Murphy is head of the National Governors Association and the Democratic Governors Association perches others have used to run for a higher office. Murphy used the speech to elbowFlorida and its Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, saying New Jerseys economic growth was outpacing Florida and many of the so-called business friendly states. Some governors boast that their state is where woke goes to die. Im not even sure I know what that means, Murphy said, referencing a phrase DeSantis often uses when describing his state. But Murphys speech was not as nationally calibrated as DeSantis' was in his inaugural address last week. Murphy also praised Utahs Republican governor, Spencer Cox, who is vice chair of the NGA. Murphy, a former ambassador to Germany who remains interested in foreign policy, opened the speech talking about the war in Ukraine. He praised the bravery and strength of the people of Ukraine in fighting back against Russias barbaric aggression, including four Ukrainian soldiers who were in the Assembly chamber for the speech as invited guests of First Lady Tammy Murphy. Despite the pokes at national politics and international affairs sections, parochial issues largely ruled the day in the constitutionally required annual address that marks the beginning of the legislative session. Murphy leaned heavily on talking points about affordability, making New Jersey stronger and fairer as well as efforts his administration has made to lower property taxes. This year, the governor added safety to his message, emphasizing his support for law enforcement and desire to combat crime as well as an aspiration to build the next New Jersey and make it cool to be from New Jersey again. Story continues One of the longer sections of the speech was the governors plan to overhaul the states nearly century-old liquor law system. The new plan, first reported Tuesday morning in POLITICOs New Jersey Playbook, would lift an existing cap on the number of licenses and allow municipalities to tack on their own local fees. The governor also announced a deadline extension for his touted ANCHOR Property Tax Relief program allowing eligible residents to continue applying through Feb. 28. The program was one of the centerpieces of his 2022 agenda, but reports show only about half the states expected two million eligible residents have applied. He also announced a plan, dubbed the Boardwalk Fund, to spend money to upgrade areas along the Jersey Shore. Murphy said he would unveil details of he plan during his budget address next month. Murphy also promised to sign legislation to deal with car thefts, a crime that has become a major issue in the state and which he now calls a top priority. The state will also roll out what the governor described as a nation-leading plan to make the life-saving drug naloxone available free and anonymously to anyone who walks into a pharmacy. The drug can treat an opioid overdose. The plan is to offer anonymous and free access to the drug, also known by the brand name Narcan, and could save countless lives, he said. All of these issues will be batted around during an election year in which all 120 members of the Legislature will be on the ballot. Tuesday's address was the first in-person State of the State Murphy has delivered since the pandemic, though he gave an in-person budget address last year. The speech, Murphy's fifth State of the State since taking office in 2018, spent more time highlighting past wins than announcing new projects and programs. Afterward, Democratic leaders offered something less than their full-throated endorsement. Senate President Nick Scutari welcomed the Governors continued focus on affordability and economic opportunity, but said we need to build upon the progress we have made in providing tax relief, affordable housing, job creation, debt reduction, credit upgrades and strategic investments that promote economic growth. Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin said the "speech accurately captured the successes of the past five years. Both men committed to working with Murphy and their legislative colleagues to address policy priorities in the year ahead. Senate Minority Leader Steve Oroho was not impressed by the speech. In a rebuttal address, the Sussex County Republican outlined some themes that his party hopes to use to retake control of the Legislature, where they are outnumbered 46 to 34 to in the Assembly and 24 to16 in the Senate. Oroho faulted Murphy and the Democratic majority in both chambers for failing to fix our broken unemployment and motor vehicle computer systems, not doing enough to address pandemic-related learning loss in schools and signing a gun carry law which saw parts of it blocked by a federal judge yesterday. The Republicans remarks also nailed Murphy for double-digit increases in health insurance premiums for public sector workers and local governments. While theyre busy wasting billions on pet projects, theyve failed to effectively manage the cost of benefits for hundreds of thousands of public workers, Oroho said in a prepared speech meant to react to the governors address. This year, thats resulted in huge increases in health care premiums for local governments that will lead to spikes in property taxes across New Jersey. Last year, Murphy used his speech to praise New Jerseyans for their perseverance in dealing with the pandemic and pledged to sign an abortion rights bill, reaffirmed that he will not raise taxes this year and said he would send a plan to lawmakers to lower the cost of prescription drugs. He kept some of those promises, but his prescription drug plan has stalled. But the governor ultimately viewed the State of the State as a chance to reflect as he enters the middle of the second term and heads into lame duck territory. In contrast with other governors across the country, including DeSantis and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs who made education issues centerpieces of their inaugurals and State of the State speeches, Murphy did not spend any significant amount of time discussing education. Without elaborating, he repeatedly asserted that education is valued, in the state and cited his administrations total increase of more than $2 billion in education funding since he took office an amount that still falls short of the constitutionally-mandated total required in the school funding formula. This years budget address, which will be given in a month or so, will likely contain more announcements, keeping with Murphys use of the various major speeches he gives each year. Daniel Han contributed to this report. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) joined other lawmakers in calling for former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro, whose supporters stormed Brazilian governmental offices Sunday, to not be allowed to stay in Florida. Nearly 2 years to the day the US Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements abroad attempt to do the same in Brazil, Ocasio-Cortez said in a tweet. We must stand in solidarity with @LulaOficials democratically elected government. The US must cease granting refuge to Bolsonaro in Florida. Bolsonaro fled to Florida last month as he faced multiple investigations from his time in office, according to The New York Times. Bolsonaro, who lost his bid for reelection in October, did not completely concede to the newly elected Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. In Brazils capital Brasilia, thousands of Bolsonaros supporters invaded the Brazilian Congress building, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace. At least 1,200 rioters have been detained in relation to the protests in the capital, according to the Times. Many U.S. lawmakers compared the violence at Brazils government buildings to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol two years ago. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) said Bolsonaro took a page out of the Trump playbook. Bolsonaro was an authoritarian leader, and I stand with the democratically elected leadership in Brazil, he said to CNNs Jim Acosta. He basically used the Trump playbook to inspire domestic terrorists to try to take over the government. Castro also called on the Biden administration and local Florida authorities to send Bolsonaro back to his home country, saying that the U.S. should not be a refuge for him. Bolsonaro should not be in Florida, he added. The United States should not be a refuge for this authoritarian, who has inspired domestic terrorism in Brazil. He should be sent back to Brazil. Story continues Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) also demanded that the U.S. not allow Bolsonaro to stay in the country. Democracies around the world must stand united to condemn this attack on democracy, Omar said on Twitter. Bolsonaro should not be given refuge in Florida. Two days ago, we marked the 2 year anniversary of the 6th insurrection, Takano tweeted. Anti-democratic violence in Brazil today is a sobering reminder of the dangerous fascist movements growing across the world. Jair Bolsonaro should not be allowed refuge in the US. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. US police officer stands in front of a police car. Getty Images Joe Frasure, 28, was shot dead by the Ohio police while cleaning his late grandmother's home. The police officers at the scene were responding to reports of a burglary, per NBC News. His family is demanding answers from local authorities, disputing police accounts of the incident. A 28-year-old man in Ohio died on Tuesday after being shot by police officers who thought he was a burglar. But Joe Frasure was just cleaning out his late grandmother's home in Wyoming, a city in Ohio's Hamilton County, according to his family and multiple media reports. Frasure went to the apartment on Monday evening to help his sister, Shonda Coleman, clean the residence, NBC affiliate WLWT reported. He was outside the building with his father, Joe Frasure Sr., when officers arrived around midnight, Frasure Sr. told WLWT. Wyoming police said three officers were sent to the apartment because they received reports about a possible burglary happening there, per NBC News. The officers saw the two men at the back of the residence and ordered them to stop. But Frasure didn't obey their commands and entered a minivan in an attempt to flee, said Wyoming Police Chief Brooke Brady in a statement, NBC reported. "The minivan reversed at a high rate of speed before hitting a tree, at which point the vehicle accelerated rapidly at our officers," Brady said, per NBC News. Brady, who reviewed bodycam footage of the incident, said the officers fired four shots at the minivan, striking Frasure, according to the outlet. Frasure was then taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, the Hamilton County prosecutor's office told CNN. Frasure died at the hospital on Tuesday night, per a coroner's report seen by local news outlet WCPO. But Frasure's family claims he was shot in the back of the head while he drove forward, disputing the police's account of the confrontation. Story continues "Today my brother in law was shot in the head three times by Wyoming Police, Ohio," Erika Frasure wrote on Facebook on Tuesday. She is married to Joe Frasure Jr., Frasure's brother, who has the same name as the deceased. "He was shot in the back side of his head but driving in drive not reverse so if you're shot in the back side and driving away how were the officers in danger of being ran over," she wrote. She added that her brother-in-law was "scared he was going to get in trouble" because he was on parole and wasn't supposed to be in Ohio. She wrote that Frasure also did not want to "go back to jail." Coleman, Frasure's sister, said she didn't hear police issue any commands to Frasure, per WLWT. "I didn't hear none of that. I didn't hear no commands. All I heard is pop, pop, pop, pop. Like, it was, like, ten rounds," Coleman told the outlet. "I want to see the body cam. I want all the cops that was here, every one of them that was here, I want their information." "This is a tragedy for all involved," Brady said, per NBC News. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family at this time." Brady, Wyoming Assistant Police Chief Jennifer Lattire, the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office, and Frasure's family did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment. Read the original article on Insider Tammy Reeter, a parent in the Ball-Chatham School District, speaks about her son Levi's involvement in the early childhood education program at Ball Elementary School on Thursday as Gov. JB Pritzker, left, and state Rep. LaShawn K. Ford, D-Chicago, look on. Gov. JB Pritzker made a stop at Ball Elementary School in Chatham Thursday to promote his administration's efforts to support early childhood education across the state. Pritzker and other guests such as Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and state Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, took a tour of Ball's early childhood program, visited students in the classroom of teacher Monica Lee and watched them put together the alphabet in puzzle form. The governor used the visit to promote his goal of trying to build a universal pre-kindergarten system in Illinois. With just days before his second term begins, Pritzker wants people to know that his lifelong mission of trying to provide better educational opportunities for children of all ages in Illinois remains important to him. "As we look to the years ahead, it's my top priority to ensure that Ball-Chatham, its preschool program and its counterparts across the state receive the resources that they need to thrive and help our young children thrive," Pritzker said. "Improving early childhood development for families in Illinois and across the entire United States was an important focus of work that I did before I took this office. It's been my great honor to carry forward that mission as governor." More:Bills target pawnbrokers for tighter rate limits in Illinois Ball-Chatham's program which has been recognized as a Gold Circle of Quality program by ExceleRate Illinois, a program funded by the Governor's Office, the state Department of Human Services and Illinois State Board of Education was promoted as a strong example of how good pre-K education can lead to better outcomes in the future. Pritzker said involvement in early childhood education helps students stay in school and eventually make more money and have fewer health problems as adults. The governor played up efforts made to provide more resources and more funding to programs across the state, including helping 7,000 more children get into preschool with more than 1,000 infants getting home evaluations while pushing in billions of dollars to help keep facilities open during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pritzker said those moves have helped make Illinois one of the 10 best states in the country for accessibility to child care. Story continues Ball faculty members spoke about the importance of having a strong, well-funded day care system. Lee said she has seen firsthand just how vital a good system is in producing successful students. "I love being able to come here and spend time with our students every day because I love how excited they are to learn new skills," Lee said. "Pre-school is vital to developing lifelong learners by providing a positive and safe first school experience." While plenty of public officials from Pritzker, Stratton and Turner to Ball-Chatham superintendent Becca Lamon spoke on the importance of pre-school, a Chatham parent emphasized the point of just how important it can be for a child. Tammy Reeter's son, Levi, is a student in the pre-K program at Ball Elementary. When Levi first arrived in the program, his mother said he barely spoke to people and was behind in developmental milestones. Now, at age 5, he's made significant progress in communicating with peers and mentors and will enter kindergarten at BES next year. "He was barely talking and socially delayed by about a year," Reeter said. "For the last year-and-a-half, there has not been a week that has gone by that Ms. (Megan) Garrison, his teacher, Ms. (Jessica) Burke or part of the interdisciplinary team, has not been in contact with me in regard to Levi's progress and some tips to help him achieve his greatest potential. He has gotten attention to detail and education that a typical day care would not have been able to provide." More:Homeless plan addresses 'an entire system of care from beginning to end' Reeter said the attention to detail the program provides is among many reasons why Ball-Chatham's program stands apart from others, both locally and statewide. "They have less students per teacher, (so) they are able to spend more one-on-one time with these students," Reeter said. "They're in constant communication with the parents on ways to improve." She said that with the help of Ball-Chatham's staff, her son has made real progress toward being ready for kindergarten. She said she's excited for all that comes with it. "Prior to starting the program, he would not talk to anybody," Reeter said. "Now, he's saying 'I love you,' he's going up and giving hugs. I think he's ready (for kindergarten). If you would have asked me last year at the age of four, definitely not." This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Pritzker visits Chatham school, promotes early childhood initiatives Several years ago, Judy Greene of the University of Georgias Savannah River Ecology Laboratory took a turtle to a nearby medical facility and asked the staff to X-ray it. The turtle was not sick; it did not have a cracked shell or broken bones. But that image had far-reaching, invaluable consequences for ecological research: the X-ray clearly showed that the turtle was carrying eggs. X-ray photography had been used as a tool in human medicine for decades. Because of that turtles photograph, X-rays are now used worldwide to reveal highly interesting phenomena about animals other than humans in fields other than medicine. The animals are primarily reptiles; the fields are ecology and biology. Herpetologists who study the ecology of snakes, alligators, lizards and turtles sometimes need information on the animals internal characteristics. For examining the hard parts of an organism (e.g., bones, eggs, solid stomach contents), X-ray photography can be a useful technique. X-ray photography reveals that a female eastern mud turtle is carrying eggs. [Photo courtesy Judy Greene] X-ray photons are absorbed by hard, dense material like bone, and structures appear as bright areas on the radiograph (film). Radiographs enable ecologists to gather pertinent data, then return the animal unharmed to its original capture location. A valuable feature of the X-ray technique is that the number of eggs in egg-laying reptiles can be determined from one year to the next because none need be killed for dissection. Scientists can examine and release live specimens in field studies without harming them or affecting the integrity of the population being studied. The field of ecology, not to mention the reptiles themselves, has benefited greatly from the use of this nondestructive sampling method by scientists who study reproduction. The advantage for preserving individuals of rare or endangered species is indisputable. For example, the reptile X-ray technique developed at SREL was eventually used in research on an endangered, one-of-a-kind reptile from New Zealand known as the tuatara. Because researchers used radiography, none of the lizard-like creatures had to be dissected, and a study to determine how many eggs a female laid added to the limited information on reproduction in the species. Story continues An early concern was whether X-rays would harm the study animals. In a series of experiments, some turtle eggs were X-rayed then compared to eggs that had not been scanned. No evidence whatsoever of mortality or mutational effects on baby turtles was found. Reptiles, particularly turtles, are among the least sensitive animals in the world to radiation effects. And the brief exposure to radiation is apparently inconsequential to a developing turtle embryo. A similar study was done a few years ago on the eggs of tuataras, with the same results. The effect of X-rays on a mother turtle or tuatara is more difficult to determine. But SREL studies have kept track of frequently X-rayed female turtles and they have continued to lay eggs year after year for decades with no noticeable ill effects. More:Bella moths are full of surprises | ECOVIEWS Not unlike a dental X-ray for people, which can lead to healthier teeth, finding out when and where reptiles lay their eggs has led to environmental guidelines and regulations protecting entire populations of turtles as well as other egg-laying reptiles. One set of studies documented how many turtle eggs were laid outside the periphery of freshwater wetlands. The research reinforced an important principle: functionally, a wetland extends far beyond the waters edge. Hence, land around a wetland must be protected as well as the water itself if its inhabitants, such as turtles, are to persist. Quantifying egg numbers laid by each species of turtle could not have been accomplished harmlessly without X-radiography. An important side note: Before X-ray techniques were developed, scientists had to dissect female turtles to determine how many eggs they had. Clearly, X-irradiation causes less harm to the turtle. Though some animals continue to be dissected in the course of ecological research, today's ecologists avoid doing so whenever possible. X-ray technology permits them to conduct certain kinds of research in the spirit of modern-day efforts to preserve natural populations of animals. Whit Gibbons Whit Gibbons is professor of zoology and senior biologist at the University of Georgias Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. If you have an environmental question or comment, email ecoviews@gmail.com. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Radiation can be good for turtles | ECOVIEWS Dear readers, If theres one thing our yearlong series on the Colorado River has made clear, Arizona has a water problem. Heat has reduced the staying power of desert rain. A century-old surface water deal called the Colorado River Compact is in dispute. Groundwater protections dont go far enough. Greg Burton So why would Arizona give water away to a Saudi farming conglomerate called Fondomonte? Thats what two reporters asked in a series of stories we published this year. Most of us know about Fondomontes sweet deal to pump groundwater on 3,500 acres of state land thanks to this reporting. Alfalfa grown in Butler Valley is shipped to the Middle East to feed the companys cows. The deal, inked by the Ducey administration, became a key talking point this election cycle. Attorney General Kris Mayes asked for an investigation. As we review our impact this year, the Saudi water deal stands out. Its one example of work that unifies Arizonans either in celebration of whats good or critique of whats bad. Another standout example occurred in October when U.S. Sen. Cory Booker asked federal regulators to investigate an animal testing facility at a University of Washington breeding center in Maricopa County. Booker read a Republic story about monkey deaths and then wrote a letter to Health and Human Services Department Secretary Xavier Becerra: "Detailed documentation of these failures and violations was exposed in a series of articles by The Arizona Republic. I ask that the Department of Health and Human Services investigate the oversight and approval of this grant." We strive to make a difference in Arizona. A series of stories by another Republic reporter, Anne Ryman, led to a new law requiring massage therapists to have more thorough background checks before licensure. Her investigative series revealed how the Arizona State Board of Massage Therapy gave second chances to massage therapists who had fondled or sexually abused clients, and how little recourse customers had. Story continues Rep. Jennifer Longdon drafted the bill after reading Annes series, saying the changes in the law were designed to create more safety around an industry I care about. Watchdog journalism is our core mission. Our writers are motivated by a good story, too. Ryman, a longtime Republic journalist, chronicled the mysterious disappearance and recovery of a $100 million painting by Willem de Kooning. "Woman-Ochre" was stolen from the University of Arizona Museum of Art in 1985 and found by a pair of New Mexico antique dealers. That story is now part of Arizona lore. We love to share great stories, and great food. Our culture binds us together. The virtues of our state's homegrown restaurants is one of our obsessions. This year, we brought you stories about Thaily's, Bacanora, Kabob Grill N Go and Valentine, eateries that landed on lists of the best new restaurants in America from New York Times, Bon Appetit and Esquire. Local is what we do best. After The Republic spotlighted a growing Mexican food strip mall scene in the West Valley, a teacher at nearby Glendale High School responded: I teach (so) to read in The Republic that it was the best Mexican food outside of Mexico City was cool and empowering to my kids. A profile of a Black farming family in Yumas No Mans Land brought back memories for a reader in southwest Arizona: Our family knew and worked with the Dees family over 40 years. Thank you for a wonderful article. A year after reporter Debra Utacia Krol and photographer Cheryl Evans multimedia Sacred Spaces series warned us about threats to Indigenous sacred sites on public lands, Krol told us how tribal water rights will be key to the future of the Colorado River. Krol, a citizen of the Xolon Salinan Tribe from the Central California coast, has brought depth and perspective to The Republics coverage of Indigenous affairs. Empathy and expertise are critical to our reporting on the scourge of homelessness and the barrier of rising housing costs. Reporter Catherine Reagor was honored this year by the poverty-relief nonprofit Wildfire for ongoing coverage of Arizona's affordable housing crisis and its effects on people living in poverty. Reagor and The Republics housing team have reported on the rising number of evictions following the end of pandemic relief programs, the challenges of getting and using housing vouchers in metro Phoenix, and the displacement of residents in mobile home communities as land desirable for redevelopment is sold out from under them. The commitment of Republic journalists to get to the truth, regardless of issue, defines our work and our purpose. Its something we do daily. We hope this, our first community impact report, makes it even more obvious. I want to thank you, our readers, for supporting us by subscribing. And if you havent signed up yet, you can do so at azcentral.com/impact. Its a privilege to live and work in this awe-inspiring state. You can count on us in 2023. Greg Burton Executive Editor and Vice President, The Arizona Republic/azcentral/La Voz West editor, USA TODAY Network This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Republic editor recaps 2022 highlights, commitment to Arizona A coal-fired power plant in South Africa. The first-ever satellite designed to detect emitters of the main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide is set to launch to space this year, promising to provide authorities with a tool to police compliance with emission reduction efforts designed to slow down climate change. The satellite, built by Canada-based company GHGSat , will be able to spot major carbon dioxide sources such as individual coal-fired power plants and cement production sites. GHGSat, founded in 2011, currently operates a fleet of six satellites that excel at detecting the more potent but less abundant greenhouse gas methane. Since launching its first satellite in 2016, the company has made headlines several times. Among other discoveries, it spotted major unreported methane leaks from gas fields in Turkmenistan and Russian coal mines. The GHGSat spacecraft also proved how much of the warming gas is leaking from landfills all over the world, and even spotted burping cows from space . Related: Satellites discover huge amounts of undeclared methane emissions But detecting spot sources of methane is much easier than discerning individual emitters of carbon dioxide, which is 80 times less potent but nearly eight times more abundant . Background concentrations of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere are quite high, currently standing at nearly 420 parts of carbon dioxide per million parts of air, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Detecting the additional plume coming from human-made sources on top of this high background therefore requires sensitive sensors that have not been available before. In comparison, there are only about 1,900 parts of methane per billion parts of air in Earth's atmosphere, which makes the detection of additional sources much easier. However, after fine-tuning their technology for the past six years, GHGSat said their new GHGSat-C10 satellite will be able to detect spot sources of carbon dioxide with a resolution of 82 feet (25 meters), enough to reliably call out individual polluters. Story continues "GHGSat-C10 will use a similar optical design and the same patented infrared sensor as its methane-detecting predecessors, but tuned to carbon dioxide specific wavelengths," the company said in a statement . GHGSat flew its first carbon dioxide-detecting sensor already on its 2016 demonstration satellite. The company's focus, however, later shifted to methane due to market demand, the company added. Other satellites currently orbit Earth with missions to monitor fluctuations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. These satellites, such as NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) 2 and 3, however, lack the resolution needed to detect individual sources. But, in a study published in October last year , a team of Canadian researchers demonstrated that it was possible to extract information about individual polluters from the OCO data. Analyzing measurements taken during several OCO passes over Europe's largest coal-fired power plant, the Bechatow Power Station in Poland, the researchers were able to detect fluctuations related to shutdowns and upgrades of the plant's individual units. The European Space Agency (ESA) is also currently working on a constellation of satellites for tracking human-made carbon dioxide emissions from space. These technologies, experts hope, will for the first time provide authorities with a tool to objectively track human-made sources of the number one climate change-causing agent, carbon dioxide. Such measurements will help enforce compliance with international emission reduction pledges as the world still struggles to achieve even minor progress in the battle against climate change . In spite of political declarations to curb emissions, concentrations of both methane and carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere continue to rise , according to recent reports by NASA, NOAA and the European environment-monitoring program Copernicus. Currently, countries self-report emissions based on the productivity of their industries, which leads to delays in the emission accounting process. In addition, as the methane leak detections by GHGSat show, this frequently means that large contributions remain unaccounted for. But as the frequency of devastating climate change-related weather disasters increases, policy makers all over the world are likely to call for tougher action on reckless polluters. Satellites such as GHGSat-C10 could be just the weapon they need. Related stories: Europe warming twice as fast as rest of the world, new report reveals 10 devastating signs of climate change satellites can see from space Sea levels might rise much faster than thought, data from Greenland suggest "Over the past seven years, we have shown there is demand from industry and the public sector for accurate, independent, high-resolution emissions data from space," Stephane Germain, CEO at GHGSat, said in the statement. "It helped change the conversation around methane, putting a greenhouse gas that was out of sight and out of mind, to the top of the climate agenda. When C10 launches later this year, we hope to revitalize the discussion around carbon dioxide as well, providing industry and government with tools to help them address this global issue, at the local level." Shiok Meats Shrimp Dumpling Shrimp dumplings using lab grown Shiok Meats. Credit - Courtesy Shiok Meats Sandhya Sriram is impatient. The stem-cell scientist wanted to put her knowledge to use developing cultivated seafood, but no one was doing that in Singapore. So four years ago, she set up a company to create lab-grown crustacean meat. Eagerly, she registered her company, Shiok Meats, at 3 a.m. in August 2018. Nobody was doing crustaceans, says Sriram, Shioks Group CEO and co-founder. What do Asians eat the most? Seafood. It was a simple answer And theyre so delicious. A lifelong vegetarian, she had never tried real shrimp, but she sampled it the week she registered the company. Today, the results of her enthusiasm can be seen at Shiok Meats headquarters, in an industrial Singapore neighborhood. During a fall 2022 visit, a bespectacled bioprocess engineer clad in personal protective gear peered into a microscope. He had taken samples from a bioreactor in the room next door, where the company is culturing crustacean cells. Under the lens, he was checking to see if the cells were ready to harvest. Shiok Meats has already unveiled shrimp, lobster, and crab prototypes to a select group of tasters, and it plans to seek regulatory approval to sell its lab-grown shrimp by April 2023. That could make it the first in the world to bring cultivated shrimp to diners, putting it at the forefront of the cultivated-meat race. As of this writing, only one company has gained regulatory approval to sell lab-grown animal-protein products: Eat Justs cultured chicken is availablebut only in Singapore. Shiok Meats still needs to submit all the paperwork necessary and get regulatory approval, but the company hopes to see its products in restaurants by mid-2024, offering foodies a cruelty-free and more environmentally friendly option than crustaceans from farms. But even if that ambitious timeline is met, it will likely be a while before the average person is eating cultivated crustaceans. It will require not just regulatory approval but also more funding and a bigger factory, along with persuading consumers and governments around the world to accept lab-grown seafood. Were at an interesting stage of a startup; its called the Valley of Death, says Sriram. We are in the space where we havent submitted for regulatory approval yet, but were looking to commercialize in the next two years. Nevertheless, the impatient entrepreneur is optimistic. Sriram hopes to have the companys next manufacturing plant ready by the end of 2023, where a 500-liter and a 2,000-liter bioreactor will be a major scale up from its current 50- and 200-liter bioreactors. The goal is for her products to enter the mainstream in Singapore in five to seven years. Story continues Popularizing these products could help tackle some of the environmental impacts of crustacean production. Organic waste, chemicals, and antibiotics from seafood farms can pollute groundwater and coastal estuaries. Hatcheries are often in places that may otherwise be home to mangroves that can sequester carbon and protect vulnerable coastlines from storms, says Sriram. A 2018 Nature study found that production of crustaceansmeasured by the weight of edible proteincan result in carbon emissions comparable to beef and lamb. Thats in part because of how much fuel is used in fishing boats proportional to the end-product amount of protein obtained. And although shrimp and lobster accounted for only 6% of seafood (based on 2011 data), the study found they represented 22% of the industrys carbon emissions. Shiok Meats says the way it produces crustacean meat minimizes animal cruelty, as growing protein in a lab helps avoid killing animals. Trawling vessels that ensnare bycatch are also avoided. And cultivating shrimp closer to where its consumed cuts emissions from fishing-boat fuel and shipping products around the world. Sandhya Sriram, Group CEO ands Co-Founder of Shiok Meats, seen here in their R&D laboratory on Nov. 11. Mindy Tan for TIME Asia consumes more seafood than any other region. Several food-tech companies are tapping into this demand, including a Hong Kong company making lab-grown fish maw, a Chinese delicacy, and a South Korean company also developing cultivated crustaceans. But Shiok may have a first-mover advantage. In 2018, it filed for a patent covering how to use stem cells from crustaceans to make foodwhich its hoping to receive in the next year or so; it could then license its technology to other companies. Diversifying how and where the world gets its seafood will be crucial for feeding Asias fast-growing population, which is expected to increase by 250 million by 2030. Singapores authorities, at least, are keenly aware of the challenge. The Southeast Asian city-statewhich lacks farmland and imports 90% of its foodis aiming to produce enough food to meet 30% of its nutritional needs by 2030 (up from less than 10% in 2021). Hoping to become Asias food-tech capital, Singapore is focusing on innovations like plant- and cell-based proteins; these require far less space and resources to produce the same amount of food as traditional food sources, Bernice Tay, director of food manufacturing at Enterprise Singapore, a government agency that supports small businesses, told Nikkei Asia. In December 2020, Singapore became the first country to approve the sale of cultivated meatthe chicken product from Eat Justto the public. Sriram says the government has helped Shiok with grants, in matching venture-capital funding, and in hiring foreign talent. The company has raised about $30 million, with backers like the Netherlands-based aquaculture investment fund Aqua-Spark, South Korean food giant CJ Cheil-Jedang, and Vietnamese seafood company Vinh Hoan. Fundraising is challenging, says Sriram, and its expensive to scale up manufacturingwhich is being hampered by a global shortage of stainless steel, needed for the bioreactors. Ultimately, the companys goal of feeding the world will be contingent on other governments getting on board with lab-grown meat. Then theres the need to persuade consumers to eat the stuff. Price is also a barrier. Shiok shrimps launch price will be about $50 for 2 lb., nearly two to four times the price for fresh or frozen prawns at the grocery store. Sriram envisions launching Shioks crustacean meat as a premium product at first, where some restaurants could offer it in select dishes to diners willing to pay the price. She also plans to work with food manufacturers like CJ CheilJedang to create ready-to-eat products like dumplings. The vision, she says, is to have sustainable, delicious, healthy food for everybody, without animal cruelty. Siena Heights University web logo Before the game if you would have told Siena Heights University womens basketball coach Sue Syljebeck that Indiana Tech would have fewer turnovers, more rebounds and hold Saints star Peyton Banks to just seven points, she probably wouldnt have believed the Saints would come out on top. But SHU did just that Wednesday night in front of a nice crowd at the SHU Fieldhouse, beating No. 12 Indiana Tech 63-57. I guess it was by committee, Syljebeck said. We had a lot of contributors, especially in the second half. We played good defense. We held them to about 20 points below their average. It is the second time this season the 19-4 Saints have beaten Indiana Tech, a rare feat against the national power who has won or shared five consecutive Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference titles. The Saints were outscored 33-29 in the second half, but an early advantage proved to be the difference. SHU led 21-14 after the first quarter and 34-24 at halftime. The Saints defense also did a nice job of getting their hands up in the faces of the Warrior shooters. The visitors shot just 11.1 percent from 3-point range, or 2-for-18. They were less than 40 percent shooting on the night. Shakyia Parker scored 15 first quarter points for SHU, making three 3-pointers. She scored 21 of her 26 points in the first half. It was her layup at 5:14 of the first quarter that broke a 4-4 tie. The Saints would never trail again. She played all 40 minutes, the only player on either team to do so. I couldnt believe it, Syljebeck said. Of her shots in the first half, I dont think any of them even hit rim, they were all net. She had a really nice first half, then they started chasing her, holding her, and some other girls stepped up. Banks, who has more than 2,000 career points and is a three-time conference player of the year, was held to seven points on 1-for-4 shooting and a 5-for-6 showing at the free throw line. Syljebeck said teams have a tough decision on who to focus on defensively Parker or Banks. Story continues I know I would have a hard time if I were coaching against them, she said. Its tough for any team. Kayla Hinton, who transferred to Siena Heights from Indiana Tech, scored 14 for SHU. EAnna Won added 7 points and had 9 rebounds. The win puts SHU right into the thick of the WHAC race. Indiana Tech is 19-4 overall and 13-2 in the WHAC. Rochester is also 13-2 while the Saints are 12-3. We have to take care of business because we still have to play Rochester, and they still play each other, Syljebeck said. Lawrence Tech comes to Adrian for the annual Pink Out game at 3 p.m. Saturday. This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Siena Heights women deal another blow to WHAC leader Indiana Tech OVERTON, Nev. In this town of 4,244, some 65 miles northeast of Las Vegas, the best-known city in the Sagebrush state, which is also known as the Silver State, there is no strip, no glitz, and no high rollersjust everyday folk trying to make a living, live and let live. They have the same worries that the rest of Americans have. They worry about the economy, the environment, and the school system. Mainly they are concerned about the drought which has plagued the West for over ten years. Loran Smith, of Wrightsville, Ga. This thing is getting serious, said a local dressed like you would expect a man from these parts to dressscruffy cowboy boots, jeans, a flannel shirt, and a beat-up Western style hat with the appearance that it had been stomped on a few times. Perhaps, at an old-time square dance. His concerns are well founded since the Colorado River soon will be about the size of the Middle Oconee River, if nature doesnt offer a U-turn with the elements. In Las Vegas and other places out this way, the Colorado is the sole source of water. There has not been a heavy snowfall in the mountains for several seasons. The way things are going, the river and the lakes eventually drop to a level below the intake. We have not had a big snow in over five years, says Chris Byrd an attorney in Vegas. He hails from Buffalo originally and would dance around the 77-acre Bellagio Las Vegas for a prolonged snowfall like those which are commonplace back home. Vegas, to my knowledge, has not given any odds on when the drought will end. People gravitate here without worrying about the Colorado going dry. They eat, drink and are merry every week out of the year, and while local folk are not yet desperate, they are overly concerned. In 2020, in Northern Nevada, locals got engaged and killed a pipeline move, which would have pumped 58 billion gallons annually to Las Vegas. Opponents of the pipeline said that the pipeline would have made a dust bowl of 305 springs, 112 miles of streams, 8,000 acres of wetlands and 191,000 acres of shrub land habitat, almost all on public lands. Story continues More from Loran:Smith: A weekend on the Darien River leads to making new friends Something similar is going on in our backyard with a greedy mining company threatening the stability of the Okefenokee Swamp. If Nevadans in the states northern sector dont want to donate their water to Sin City, then Georgians ought to send the mining interests packing. Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which provide water for forty million people are so low that folks are finding out where the bodies are buried. Recently a barrel, containing the remains of a man shot in the eighties, was located as the water receded. That is not the only such discovery of late. Think about this sobering factoid. This mega drought is likely to persist until 2030. Further, it is the worst in 1,200 years which means that this drought is the worst since the 12th century. All of this brings about abiding worry. Where will help come for Nevada in this decade? Suddenly, I hear the Sons of Pioneers singing that wonderful old tune, Cool Clear Water. The meaning of the song was a cry for help. That time has arrived in Nevada. We stopped here for lunch at a place called The Inside Scoop, which is known for its ice cream. It also serves a fine hamburger. It was interesting to observe the rock formations and barren landscape in a pleasant drive to Overton. Suddenly a flock of bighorn sheep crossed the road as we made our way to the Valley of Fire State Park. Those sheep, crossing the highway, made our day. Also, for friends John and Mary Elizabeth Tebeau and Lenn and Paula Chandler. The photo op was stunning, reminding once again that nature, in all forms, will always bring about graphic humility. Assuming that it is in order to assume that there were two bighorn sheep on Noahs ark, one further figures that there were big horn sheep during the droughts of the past. If the bighorn sheep survived, maybe there is hope for the worried Nevadans and the high rollers who come this way. And for those visitors who travel here and have fun without laying down a single bet. However, we must not forget the words of French oceanographer, Jacques Yves Cousteau who said, We forget that the water cycle and life cycle are one. This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Smith: Fears grow in Nevada as Colorado River diminishes New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) is leaving the door open to a 2024 presidential run, acknowledging that hes having conversations about a bid for the White House. In an interview with Fox News, Sununu, who won reelection in November, said that hes been approached about a possible presidential campaign and is discussing the matter. But he also insisted that theres still plenty of time to make a decision. Its incredibly flattering, Sununu said of the speculation that he could mount a presidential bid. A lot of folks are coming to me, a lot of folks want me to run. Its definitely conversations that were having, of course. My first priority is New Hampshire. It really is, he added. But again, well keep having those conversations. Theres no time table for making decisions or where it all goes. Sununu was reelected to a fourth term in the New Hampshire governors mansion last year after passing on a bid for the U.S. Senate. Hes repeatedly been mentioned as a possible candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, especially by critics of former President Donald Trump, who launched a comeback campaign in November. But Sununu offered few clues about when he could make a final decision on a presidential campaign, noting that the New Hampshire presidential primaries are still more than a year away. I think people have to understand it is, what? Jan. 4 or 5, right? Of 23? So we still have well over a year before we even get to the first-in-the nation primary, he said. Theres going to be a lot of time before folks even get in the race. While that may be true, the 2024 Republican primary has already begun to draw considerable attention. Trump is the only candidate who has launched a campaign so far, but theres growing chatter that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may jump into the race. Theres also a handful of Republicans who are also seen as would-be contenders, including former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Story continues Early polling suggests that Trump and DeSantis are the two frontrunners for the 2024 nomination. Nevertheless, Sununu said that theres still time for the political landscape to change. Who knows what might happen between now and then? Sununu said. And those unknown variables could really dictate who gets in the race and how successful they can be. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Oi, described as the largest landline telephone operator in Brazil, has reportedly filed its second request for judicial recovery with the aim of protecting cash resources and avoiding bankruptcy. On Thursday 2 February Oi and its subsidiaries Portugal Telecom International Finance and Oi Brasil Holdings Cooperatief apparently asked a business court in Rio de Janeiro for "urgent precautionary protection" to suspend some payments. The order aims to suspend the enforceability of certain obligations and allow the company to continue negotiations with its creditors. According to Brazilian press reports, the companys request refers to the unquestionable success of the first judicial reorganization". This took place in 2016. However, the company also admits that its financial situation has worsened "due to various unpredictable and uncontrollable factors", which are not detailed in the request. Thus it is again resorting to judicial protection. The company's current debt is said to be 29 billion reais (about US$5.7 billion), of which a payment of 600 million reais is due this Sunday. As we noted in December, although the obligations related to the original recovery plan were deemed by the Seventh Business Court of Rio de Janeiro to have been met, unpaid creditors will still be able to continue to make claims. Oi faced claims from some 65,000 creditors, and not all cases have been settled to date. Oi has sold many of its assets, notably its mobile operations, a submarine cable company, a fibre optic company and thousands of fixed telephone towers, to deal with its debts. However, it seems as though it may still have some tricky debt management ahead. A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Mont., on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. This is no shade to the Black community, but we love getting into a conspiracy theory. Honestly, though, it makes sense. Weve been experimented on, lied about, and generally mistreated since we arrived on these shores. It would make any group of people a tad suspicious. And the random giant balloon floating object traveling across the Montana skyline right now seems tailor-made to inspire a host of new conspiracy theories. Read more But before we get too carried away, heres what you need to know about the balloon. And no, its not aliens. Although, the truth is still a bit sketchy. A Pentagon spokesperson told the Washington Post that the balloon is likely a spying device from the Chinese government. The Chinese government has denied these allegations. Although, its worth noting that the balloon was floating over Montana, which houses some of our nuclear missile silos. There doesnt seem to be a reason to freak out about it anytime soon. According to the Washington Post, military officials say the balloon doesnt pose a physical or substantial intelligence threat. Officials at the Pentagon told the Washington Post that the balloon will likely hover over the United States for a few days. The military has decided not to shoot it down to avoid the debris injuring civilians. The balloon has caused some international issues. On Friday, President Joe Biden canceled a U.S. diplomatic trip to China over the balloon. So as wild as it is that a giant spy balloon floating over the United States taking pictures of god knows what, at this point, there does seem to be a logical explanation. Even if the explanation involves some shady spying. However, if anything changes, well be sure to let our Root audience know straight away. Story continues More from The Root Sign up for The Root's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. A transgender woman has been charged with three counts of indecent exposure after using the womens locker room at the YMCA in Xenia, Ohio. Rachel Glines, 31, had not yet undergone gender reassignment surgery when they used the womens changing facilities at the YMCA on several occasions in 2021 and 2022, WHIO-7 reported. The charges stem from three or more complaints from other YMCA patrons who reported seeing a naked male in the females locker room, according to the television station. Ms Glines is could appear in court as soon as next week. Xenia is a town of roughly 25,000 people located just southeast of the larger city of Dayton. It is the seat of Greene County, which handed nearly 60 percent of its votes to Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. A spokesperson for the city said that its city council was in no way involved with in the decision to charge Ms Glines, despite the fact that council president Williams Urshcel discussed the charges during an event with the Greene County Tea Party. Neither the Xenia City Council, nor any member of the Council, had any part in the decision to file public indecency charges regarding the use of the YMCAs locker rooms, the spokesperson said in the statement to the television station. The decision to file charges was based on the facts presented to the Law Department by the Xenia Police Division and the language of state statute, the spokesperson said. The YMCA of Greater Dayton told the station that it would comply with legal mandates while endeavoring to protect the privacy of its members. Under no circumstance will we investigate an individuals birth identity and then assign individuals to locker rooms, the YMCA statement read. That would be counter to the law, counter to respect for all people and it is not who or what we are as an organization. There are myriad reasons why some transgender individuals cannot or do not undergo gender reassignment surgery. Notably, a 2021 study published in JAMA Surgery found that transgender individuals who do undergo the surgery are less likely to experience physcological distress or suicidal ideation. The charges filed against Ms Glines come as Republican-led states have introduced and passed a wave of anti-transgender legislation in the last year-plus, restricting transgender individuals access to gender-affirming care and participation in sports. Sergio Dionisio - Getty Images "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Netflix has your Friday night plans covered. The streamer dropped True Spirit this week, a new film that tells the true story of teenager Jessica Watsons legendary sailing voyage around the world from 2009 to 2010. At 16, the Australian native (played by Teagan Croft in the film) completed a 210-day sailing trip, unofficially breaking the record for the youngest to sail non-stop and unassisted around the world (she couldnt be officially recognized by the World Speed Sailing Record Council because she was too young). Jessica was born in Australia and grew up sailing, but she never saw herself as someone who would sail around the world . Critics doubted her ability to complete the trip, but she proved them wrong and made international headlines. The Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, even deemed her an Australian hero upon her return. Im just an ordinary girl who believed in her dream, Jessica said in a speech . You dont have to be someone special, or anything special, to achieve something amazing. You just have to have a dream, believe in it, and work hard. But what has Jessica experienced since her trip? Women's Health has collected all the details, plus some more info about the film: Shes 29 years old. Jessica was only 16-years-old when she started her voyage around the world on October 18, 2009. She was born in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia on May 18, 1993. Her parents are originally from New Zealand, and the sailor has dual citizenship in both countries. She is the second of four children, with an older sister, Emily, and two younger siblingsher brother Tom, and her sister Hannah. Since her voyage, Jessica has gone back to living a pretty normal life, but she still sails and assisted with the making of True Spirit. In a recent podcast interview , Jessica said that while theres some movie magic, the film is mostly scarily accurate to what she experienced while at sea. Story continues She grew up on the water, literally. Jessica began sailing at 8 years old . In fact, her family actually lived on a 16-meter cabin cruiser for five years when she was young, according to the Australian Museum . When Jessica was 11, her mother read her Lionheart by Jesse Martin while aboard their familys boat. The book detailed Jesse Martins experience on his own solo sailing journey across the world. This moment in her life inspired Jessica to work to make the voyage herself before her 17th birthday. In the years leading up to her solo voyage, Jessica completed 6000 coastal miles, and 6000 ocean miles in preparation, according to the Australian Museum. She also crewed on many different vessels, including acting as a skipper (or captain) on a crew sailing across the Tasman sea between Australia and New Zealand. Jessica has an MBA. Growing up on a boat and later, a double-decker bus , Jessica was homeschooled for much of her life . But after her voyage around the world, she took a few years off from school. By 2017, she received her MBA from the Australian Institute of Management. In a blog post she posted around the time of her graduation, she wrote that she aimed for her education to give her a path toward working with youth. Jessica currently works as a public speaker and consultant. Prior to the completion of her MBA, Jessica was a youth ambassador for the United Nations Food Program , where she worked with refugees from Syria and Lebanon. Jessica currently works at Deloitte as a management consultant for their Human Capital team. She also regularly does public speaking at corporate events and conferences. She covers topics on resilience, harnessing fear, and managing risk . Her partner died of a stroke. In August 2021, Jessica lost her longtime partner, Cameron Dale, to a stroke. The couple met in 2011 during an Australian sailing race called the Sydney to Hobart Campaign , and started dating shortly after. Cameron was just 29 when he died. Being Cams Jess is the role Im most proud of, said Jessica in an Instagram caption of a memorial post for Cameron. Jessica now spreads awareness of early signs of stroke on her Instagram page. She has a post about Camerons stroke pinned at the top of her profile , and has #checkyourbloodpressure written in her bio. The film True Spirit will also include a memorial dedication to Cameron . Ben Bryant didnt actually exist. In True Spirit, viewers meet a character named Ben Bryant, who is played by Cliff Curtis. Ben is Jessicas mentor in the film, and helps her in the moments leading up to, and during her voyage around the world. His character is actually based on a group of people, rather than a specific person. In an Instagram post from last month, Jessica wrote that Ben is one of her favorite things about the film. While there are so many who so deserve their own character @cliffcurtis_ has beautifully captures the spirit of these men who were so determined to see a young girl take on the world and the way they are some of my best mates, she wrote. Jessica has written two books. After speaking about her struggle with dyslexia as a child, Jessica went on to write two books of her own. She published True Spirit, the memoir detailing her voyage around the world, in September 2010just a few months after completing her trip. The book is mostly a collection of blog posts she wrote while aboard her boat, Ella's Pink Lady. Shop Now True Spirit: The True Story of a 16-Year-Old Australian Who Sailed Solo, Nonstop, and Unassisted Around the World $15.79 amazon.com In the preface, Jessica clarifies that some of the blog posts are edited or expanded upon, but it is mostly the original material. The book details the conditions of Jessicas voyage, as well as parts of her life that led to the journey. Shop Now Indigo Blue by Jessica Watson $5.99 amazon.com In 2018, Jessica penned a second book, Indigo Blue. This book is a novel for elementary schoolers, and tells the story of Alex, a high school girl who moves to Boreen Point, Australia and begins restoring a yacht. In an Instagram post she made shortly before the book was published, Jessica wrote that she hoped the book would inspire young girls to fall in love with sailing. She speaks to audiences about her experience and has been on podcasts. Since her voyage, Jessica has maintained a pretty private life. However, her public appearances mostly take the shape of inspiring speeches or podcast interviews . In 2014, she gave a TEDx Talk called Sail Away which details all of the preparation that went into her voyagefrom learning to stitch up sails to using the stars to navigate. In her most recent podcast appearance on the Australian podcast Ive Got News For You , she also recounted her voyage and life. Sailing is something Ive done over the years [since my voyage] but its something I take less seriously [now], she said in the interview. These days I actually have a sensible career. A desk job. Jessica is finding joy in her family. As one of four siblings, Jessicas family is very important to her. She mentioned in a recent interview that although the death of Cameron is the hardest thing shes gone through in her life, she is getting by with the help of family and friends. My siblings, (it goes without saying that this includes siblings in law), your company and support are amazing, Jessica wrote in an Instagram post reflecting on Camerons death. It seems all of Jessicas siblings are marriedshes posted about her siblings Emily and Toms weddings. Her younger sister, Hannah, also just welcomed a daughter in December 2022 . In an Instagram story commemorating the occasion, Jessica mentioned it was her second niece. What is her net worth? Between her books, job and Netflix documentary, Jessica has a few sources of incomeso its unclear exactly how much shes worth. Various sites put her total net worth anywhere between $1 million and $15 million . According to Glassdoor , the average salary for Jessicas job is around $98,000 per year. Catch True Spirit streaming on Netflix now. You Might Also Like The Ukrainian army liberated the town of Balakliya in the southeastern Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, on September 11, 2022. Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The US' latest $2.2 billion aid package to Ukraine includes a new long-range weapon system. The Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) has a 94-mile range that'll prove crucial for Ukraine's efforts in Crimea. The US again refused to send its longer-range ATACMS weapons, which have a 190-mile range. The Biden administration announced Friday that a $2.2 billion aid package for Ukraine will include a new longer-range weapon system that can strike Russian locations nearly 100 miles away. The proposed weapon called the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) from Boeing has a 94-mile range and may prove crucial in Ukraine's efforts to retake Crimea. The GLSDB system uses a more-affordable, precision-guided GBU-39 bomb fitted onto a M26 rocket motor, according to Reuters. GLSDB systems are typically launched from the air. The ground launch version, which is included in the Ukraine aid package, will take months to develop, according to Politico. Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Friday that the rockets would help Ukraine "conduct operations in defense of their country, and to take back their sovereign territory in Russian occupied areas." Specifically, the 94-mile range will allow Ukraine to pressure Russia's occupied Crimea. Crimea was previously invaded and illegally annexed by Russian forces in 2014. In February 2022, the peninsula served as a launchpad for Russia's invasion. Now, it remains a base of attack for Russian aircraft and warships. Crimea is likely to be the next battlefield of the war. Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, a former commander of US Army Europe, told Insider in January: "The decisive terrain for this war is Crimea. The Ukrainian government knows that they cannot settle for Russia retaining control of Crimea." The US aid package notably does not include US-made Army Tactical Missiles Systems (ATACMS), which Ukraine asked for in May 2022. The Biden administration has refused to send the missiles which have an impressive 190-mile range out of concern that they could hit targets within Russia. As of November 2022, the US has sent Ukraine $19 billion in aid since the war's outbreak. Read the original article on Business Insider Wild Bunch co-founders Vincent Maraval and Brahim Chioua bid farewell to the legendary company name they created in 2002 at a characteristically rebel-rousing party in Paris bannered Forever Wild Whatever The Name! on Thursday night, but have yet to confirm their new name. Taking place during Unifrances Rendez-Vous in Paris, local and international collaborators flocked to the Annette K barge on the banks of the Seine for the event, featuring a Celine Dion tribute act and a set by DJ Kiddy Smile who appeared in Gaspar Noes Climax. More from Deadline The dropping of the name marks the final act in their departure from the pan-European Wild Bunch AG film group, which was created in 2015 out of the merger of their original French company Wild Bunch and Germanys Senator and is now majority owned by German entrepreneur Lars Windhorst. Maraval and Chioua and their 15-person-strong team struck out as a standalone international sales company under the banner of Wild Bunch International (WBI) in 2019 but maintained the association with their old company for a three-year term. When we created Wild Bunch International, Wild Bunch took a 20% stake in exchange for us being allowed to use the Wild Bunch brand in our name, which now belongs to the group, under a signed three-year agreement, explained Chioua. This deal came to an end in November 2022, with a get-out clause for both parties. Alluding to the current trend for consolidation of independent film companies under banners such as Mediawan and Fremantle, Maraval commented wryly. Everybody is selling up. Were buying ourselves back. Story continues It has been a busy three-and-a-half-years. The company has continued to handle sales on established A-list festival regulars such as Ken Loach, Claire Denis, Maiwenn, Kore-Eda Hirokazu, Gaspar Noe, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne and Cristian Mungiu as well as scout breakout works by newcomers such as Julia Ducournaus Cannes Palme dOr winner Titane, Audrey Diwans Venice Golden Lion winner Happening, and Dea Kulumbegashvilis San Sebastian Golden Shell winner Beginning. At the same time, Maraval and Chioua have also pushed the company into production with the creation of Wild West, a joint venture with Thierry Lounas and his film company Capricci aimed at developing and producing French and European genre fare, as well as Le Collectif 64 with the producer Marc Dujardin. For many international film biz folk the name Wild Bunch will be forever associated with the original team, their parties and the raft of titles they brought to the market that shook cinemas and festivals throughout the 2000s and 2010s. To name but a handful, these span provocative pictures such as Virginie Despentess Baise-Moi, Abel Ferraras Dominique Strauss Kahn-drama Welcome To New York and Noes Climax; their 11 Cannes Palme dOr winners including Michael Moores Farenheit 9/11, Cristian Mungius 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days and Abdellatif Kechiches Blue Is The Warmest Colour; and eight Oscar winners featuring Michel Hazanaviciuss The Artist, Luc Jacquets March of the Penguins and Hayao Miyazakis Spirited Away. Maraval is phlegmatic about the name change saying many of the directors of these films will continue to work with the rebranded company and that it is time to turn the page onto a new chapter. The marks the final act of an adventure which ended three years ago when we left to set up Wild Bunch International. For our sake and the sake of the team, its time to move on rather than dragging the Wild Bunch legacy around with us, he said. The company is still in the process of securing its planned new name. When Maraval and Chioua created Wild Bunch in 2002 alongside Vincent Grimond (who stepped down as CEO of the Wild Bunch Group in 2021 and Alain de la Mata (who remains a shareholder in the new independent company), they took inspiration from Sam Peckinpahs 1969 classic The Wild Bunch. The hoped-for-new name is taken from a 1990s classic, but Maraval has contacted its A-list director for permission before officially going ahead with the idea. Out of courtesy, were asking permission. We dont want him to learn about it in the trades, said Maraval. Well see whether he replies that he is honored or on the contrary, that its out of the question. As of the small hours of Friday morning in Paris, Maraval was still waiting for a definitive answer. If the director does agree, it will be a reason for a second party, says the irrepressible bon-viveur. Deadline sat down with Maraval and Chioua to discuss the name change and their longer-term plans for their new company ahead of the party and well post the interview on Friday. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. A Williamsburg business owner pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court to human trafficking of people from Central America and forcing them to work. George William Evans, 68, co-owned Northstar Holdings of Virginia LLC, also known as Magnolia Cleaning Services, a commercial laundry business, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. There, he participated in a conspiracy to harbor, transport, and benefit from the employment of undocumented noncitizens, a news release said. Between the first quarter of 2018 and the first quarter of 2022, wage records indicate around 121 employees with alleged invalid or mismatched Social Security Numbers, with more than $1.2 million in wages being paid to these employees, the release said. According to court documents, employees worked long hours in poor working conditions and some were threatened with deportation, physical harm and harm to their families. Some employees also lived in the laundry facility, where they were without access to a kitchen or a full bathroom, and one employee, a child, worked night shifts while attending school during the day. In December, four people, including Evans, were charged in connection with labor trafficking at the business: Ana Landaverde, 47, and Jeffrey Vaughan, 64, both from Williamsburg, and a fourth unnamed defendant, who was accused of having acted as an illegal supplier of fraudulent identification documents. Evans, of Midlothian, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Wilson Hanes to conspiring to defraud and commit offenses against the United States and engaging in a transaction in criminally derived property. He agreed to forfeit more than $3.9 million, $1.9 million of which he agreed to pay before sentencing. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy and 10 years for money laundering when he is sentenced June 20. The investigation was conducted by the Hampton Roads Human Trafficking Task Force. Sian Wilkerson, sian.wilkerson@pilotonline.com, 757-342-6616 Visiting Japanese PM Kishida Visits NASA Headquarters With Secretary Of State Blinken U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 13, 2023. Credit - Drew AngererGetty Images When Antony Blinken travels to Beijing on Sunday, hell be the first U.S. Secretary of State to do so since 2018 and the first cabinet member to visit China in the Biden administration. Still, given an increasingly fractious bilateral relationship, expectations for the two-day trip were lowthat was until reports emerged Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping would break with recent protocol and meet personally with Blinken. First reported by the Financial Times and since confirmed by diplomatic sources to TIME, Blinken is expected to sit down with Xi to build on the nascent rapprochement forged with President Joe Biden in Bali last November, when the leaders agreed to explore avenues to stabilize relations between the worlds top two economies. Xis decision to meet Blinken in Beijing has surprised U.S. diplomats given recent frosty engagement between the two countries has been governed by strict adherence to parity of officials numbers and rank, with COVID-19 travel restrictions rendering preparations for meetings especially testy. Still, given enduring tensions over trade, technology, human rights, military build ups and the status of Taiwan, among many other bugbears, few believe that anything substantial will emerge from the confab. My sense is Secretary Blinken is just going to Beijing to show the U.S. can be reasonable, says Sean King, a former U.S. diplomat and now senior vice president of political risk firm Park Strategies. Whatever deliverables there may be will thus be reassuringly cosmetic and superficial at most. Still, any face-to-face meeting can hopefully build trust and pave the way for what is already shaping to be a busy schedule of post-pandemic engagement. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met Liu He, Chinas outgoing top economic strategist, in Zurich last month and is due to visit Beijing later this year. Xi may visit the U.N. General Assembly in New York in September and will almost certainly attend the APEC summit in San Francisco in November. The opportunity for Xi to peg a long overdue first state visit to Washington onto either event is clear should the political will exist. (Despite visiting the U.S. eight times as a Chinese official of various rank, Xi has never made a state visit during his decade as President.) Story continues Economic expediency stands to be the chief driver of any reconciliation. Professor Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Beijings Renmin University, says that following Novembers U.S. midterm elections and confirmation of Xis protocol-breaking third leadership term a month prior, the two sides can tone down the political bombast and focus on repairing their respective economies. The White Houses looming showdown with the Republican-controlled House of Representatives over raising the government debt ceiling is another impetus to find common ground with China, says Wang. We need to grow our economy, there are opportunities for American business, so Blinken should also talk about this. Yet many obstacles persist. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has indicated he will follow his predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, by visiting Taiwan, the self-ruling island of 23 million that China claims as its own territory. Pelosis visit last August sparked a furious response from Beijing, including a trade embargo and unprecedented military exercises. Last week, a Four-Star U.S. General told troops in a sensational memo that he expects war with China over Taiwan in 2025. Meanwhile, the U.S. and China continue to needle each other on an almost daily basis. On Wednesday, Blinken announced the U.S. was reopening its embassy in the Solomon Islands after a three-decade absence in a move widely perceived as a challenge to Chinas outreach in the Pacific. And on Thursday, the Pentagon was mulling military options after a Chinese spy balloon was spotted over Montana. But arguably the most pressing fissure in the relationship is Xis backing of Russian President Vladimir Putins war in Ukraine. On Monday, Russias Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that it expected to welcome Xi to Moscow in the spring, which observers have noted would roughly correspond to the first anniversary of the Feb. 24 full-scale invasion. Of course, Xis visit could be perceived as tradition, says Wang, given he had visited in March 2013, immediately after he first took office. At that time, Xi also gave a seminal speech at Moscow State Institute of International Relations on a community with a shared future for mankind, which later formed the bedrock of his foreign relations philosophy. In fact, Chinas perception of the war in Ukraine has deteriorated, both among its masses and elites, as it has become clear that what Putin initially deemed a special operation to demilitarize and de-nazify eastern Ukraine is now undeniably a full-scale invasion. The challenge for Blinken in Beijing will be to make Xi reevaluate Chinas support of Russia. Putin said that the operation was to counter NATO expansion and a unipolar world, says Wang. But now many Chinese wonder whether he actually seeks an empire like that of Peter the Great. A screengrab from the video on Stephen McCullagh's YouTube channel. Votesaxon07/Getty Images A YouTuber was accused of setting up a livestream to cover for a murder. A court in Northern Ireland heard allegations that Stephen McCullagh pre-recorded the video. Prosecutors say that as the video ran he was carrying out the murder of Natalie McNally, who was pregnant. A YouTuber staged a fake livestream of himself playing "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" to give himself an alibi for the murder of a pregnant woman, prosecutors in the UK alleged on Thursday. They accused Stephen McCullagh of setting up the stream to divert suspicion from killing Natalie McNally, who was 15 weeks pregnant when she was killed on December 18, 2022. Media outlets including the BBC, the Guardian, and the Belfast Telegraph covered a hearing at a court in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, at which McCullagh's request to be released on bail was denied. Per the reports, the court was told that McCullagh's livestream ran for six hours on the same night McNally was stabbed to death in her home. The Guardian said that a senior police investigator, Neil McGuinness, told the court that technical analysis determined that the footage was pre-recorded. A photo of Natalie McNally distributed by police in Northern Ireland. PSNI In the stream, McCullagh claimed several times that the video was live but said he could not respond to the video's live chat due to a technical glitch. Per the Belfast Telegraph, McCullagh later admitted that the stream was a deception, giving a statement to police that it was recorded on December 13 or December 14, around four days before the killing. In the hearing, prosecutors accused McCullagh of a "sophisticated, calculated and cool-headed plot" and said he was "capable of deception beyond imagination," per the Guardian. The court also heard that McCullagh left his phone in McNally's family home after the killing to record audio and figure out whether whether they suspected him, per the Guardian. The BBC said that a lawyer for McCullagh defended him, arguing that the details of the livestream were not a strong basis for suspecting him of the killing. Story continues McCullagh was in the hearing but did not speak, several outlets noted. McNally's family held a rally in her name organized by The National Women's Council on January 28, the Guardian noted. "Natalie was a remarkable person. From the age of three she lived with type 1 diabetes," McNally's brother Brendan told the crowd. "She was delighted to be becoming a mother for the first time. For any young person living with diabetes in Northern Ireland, Natalie is an ideal inspiration." Read the original article on Insider Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon found trouble while in college at Oklahoma. Years later and now in the NFL, he is being investigated by law authorities. Documents state Mixon is wanted for aggravated menacing after allegedly pointing a gun at a victim in Cincinnati. Mixon is accused of telling the victim, you should be popped in the face. I should shoot you. The police cant get me. The alleged offense happened in the 300 block of Walnut Street on Jan. 21, according to the documents. The Bengals played the Buffalo Bills the following day in Orchard Park, New York. The Bengals released a statement acknowledging the situation. The club is aware misdemeanor charges have been raised against Joe Mixon. The club is investigating the situation and will not comment further at this time. In 2014, Mixon was charged with misdemeanor assault for punching a woman. He alleged he was called a racial slur, which prompted him to use a homophobic slur before the assault occurred. Mixon entered a plea deal, was given a year of probation, and was suspended for one season. Story originally appeared on Touchdown Wire Santa Fe County, N.M., residents fill out general election ballots during the first day of general election voting, Oct. 11, 2022, in a hallway outside the Santa Fe County Clerk's Office in Santa Fe, N.M. A bill that would prohibit firearms at New Mexico polling places during elections with exceptions for police officers cleared its first hurdle at the Legislature on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. SANTA FE - A bill that would prohibit firearms at New Mexico polling places during elections with exceptions for police officers cleared its first hurdle at the Legislature on Wednesday. A Senate panel voted 6-3 along party lines, with Republicans in opposition, to advance the bill from Democratic Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth of Santa Fe. A second committee endorsement could send the bill to a full Senate vote. New Mexico already prohibits guns on school grounds, where many election polls are located. But firearms can be carried at many other polling locations, openly or with a concealed-handgun permit. Under the proposed changes, New Mexico would join at least 12 other states that prohibit guns and weapons at polling places, including neighboring Texas and Arizona. Wirth said he heard concerns from constituents in his district about firearms at polls during the 2022 election cycle, including one person who decided to stop working at the polls because people were bringing guns with them to vote. "I just don't think guns and elections mix," Wirth said. "What we're trying to do is keep guns out of polling places." Guns would be prohibited within 100 feet of any polling location. Republican Senate Minority Leader Greg Baca of Belen voted against the measure and said he preferred that poll workers be able to carry a gun as a defense against people who might flout the restrictions. GOP Sen. Mark Moores of Albuquerque unsuccessfully suggested an amendment that would allow people with concealed-handgun permits to bring their guns to the polls. He said those gun carriers might leave their gun in the car where it could be stolen while voting. Additional gun-control proposals would ban assault rifles and high-capacity ammunition clips, amid staunch opposition to the restrictions from Republican legislators. Morgan Lee is a reporter for the Associate Press. Others are reading: This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Bill advances that would ban guns at polls in New Mexico President Trump Meets With UN Ambassador Nikki Haley At The White House U.S. President Donald Trump announces that he has accepted the resignation of Nikki Haley as US Ambassador to the United Nations, in the Oval Office on October 9, 2018 in Washington, DC. Credit - Mark WilsonGetty Images Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is set to formally announce her presidential bid two weeks from now, multiple outlets including the Post and Courier, CNN, and Politico reported Tuesday. If no one else jumps into the race before then, she will be the first prominent Republican to challenge former President Donald Trump, who launched his presidential campaign in November. Haley served in South Carolinas state house before becoming the states first female governor in 2011. During her tenure, she signed a bill that removed the Confederate flag from the state capitol following the 2015 mass shooting of Black churchgoers in Charleston. In 2016, she gave her partys response to President Barack Obamas State of the Union address. In 2017, Haley became U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump. Over the past several yearsbefore, during, and after taking a position in his Administrationshes flip-flopped on Trump multiple times, oscillating from criticizing the 45th President to praising him. A spokesperson for Haley did not respond to a request for comment. Here are four key examples of when Haley changed her position on Trump. 2016 campaign Haley was sharply critical of Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign. Every time someone criticizes him, he goes and makes a political attack back, Haley said in 2015. Thats not who we are as Republicans. Thats not what we do. She also slammed his plan to build a border wall and his other positions on immigration. Republicans need to remember that the fabric of America came from these legal immigrants, Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, said. If you want to talk about tackling illegal immigration, then lets talk about it, but we dont need to attack so many millions of people who came here. . . and did it the right way, like my parents. Story continues In her 2016 State of the Union response, Haley did not mention Trump by name but said, During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. Ahead of her states primary, she was even more direct, saying that Trump represented everything a governor doesnt want in a President. She said she would not back the controversial business tycoon and ultimately endorsed Florida Senator Marco Rubio. When he dropped out, she supported Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Eventually, Haley said before the general election that she planned to vote for Trump, even though she was not a fan. Weeks later, she accepted a position in his Cabinet. Ambassador to the U.N. During her tenure as Trumps ambassador to the U.N., Haley was willing to publicly distinguish herself from the President. While Trump was criticized for refusing to unequivocally condemn Russian election meddling, Haley took a tough stance on the countrys actions, saying, When a country can come interfere in another countrys elections, that is warfare. While Trump called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) obsolete, Haley said, I think NATO is an important alliance for us to have, and now we need more allies than ever. She continued: Any comments the President-elect has made are his comments, Haley said. (Trump later walked back his position.) Asked in 2017 about the women who had accused Trump of sexual harassmentallegations Trump has deniedshe said, We should all be willing to listen to them. Haley ultimately resigned from the post on her own terms in 2018, receiving a glowing parting speech from Trumpa rarity in an Administration rife with turmoil and bitter exits. She continued to put daylight between herself and Trump at times, responding to his 2019 tweet pointing out a burglary at Maryland Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings home by tweeting, This is so unnecessary. But in her book published that year, With All Due Respect: Defending America With Grit and Grace, she was all-in on the Trump presidency. She lavished the President with praise, explaining his strategy in complimenting Russian President Vladimir Putin as a maneuver intended to keep communication open. Talking to NBC during her book tour, she spoke positively about Trump: In every instance I dealt with him, he was truthful, he listened and he was great to work with, she said. Jan. 6 attack Haley blamed Trump for the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and suggested that the GOP would move on without him. I think hes going to find himself further and further isolated, Haley told Politico the week after the attack. I think hes lost any sort of political viability he was going to have Hes not going to run for federal office again I dont think hes going to be in the picture. I dont think he can. Hes fallen so far. We need to acknowledge he let us down, she continued. He went down a path he shouldnt have, and we shouldnt have followed him, and we shouldnt have listened to him. And we cant let that ever happen again. By October 2021, she seemed to have changed her mind. He has the ability to get strong people elected, and he has the ability to move the ball, and I hope that he continues to do that, Haley told the Wall Street Journal. We need him in the Republican Party. I dont want us to go back to the days before Trump. 2024 campaign Haley also backtracked on how her former bosss campaign plans would affect her own. In a 2021 press conference, she said that she would support Trump if he ran in 2024. I would not run if President Trump ran, and I would talk to him about it, Haley said. Thats something that well have a conversation about at some point if that decision is something that has to be made. Over the past few months, Haley has hinted that her own campaign was in the works, and multiple news outlets reported in late January that an announcement is imminent. Even if she does go back on her pledge not to face off against the former President, she did seek his blessing before her announcement: I talked to her for a little while, Trump told reporters Saturday. I said, Look, you know, go by your heart if you want to run. Shes publicly said that I would never run against my President, he was a great President.' Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014. Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images CIA chief William Burns said the Ukraine war is entering a "critical" phase in the next six months. Burns said it will be crucial for Ukraine to puncture "Putin's hubris" on the battlefield. Russia is expected to launch a major offensive in the near future. CIA Director William Burns on Thursday warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "betting right now that he can make time work for him" and "grind down Ukrainians" as the West's support for Ukraine fades. The CIA assesses that the next six months of the war in Ukraine will be "critical," Burns, a former US ambassador to Russia who makes frequent trips to Kyiv, said during an event at Georgetown University. During this "crucial" period, it will be vital for Ukrainian forces to puncture "Putin's hubris" on the battlefield, Burns went on to say, underscoring that Ukraine needs to make it clear to the Russian leader "that he's not only not going to be able to advance further in Ukraine, but as every month goes by, he runs a greater and greater risk of losing the territory that he's illegally seized from Ukraine so far." Burns' assessment echoed comments from NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg in mid-January, when he said the war was entering a "decisive phase." The fight in Ukraine has morphed into a grinding war of attrition, with heavy losses on both sides and incremental gains. But Russia is expected to launch a major offensive in the near future, as Ukraine ramps up its requests for more advanced weapons from the West to help it defend against the Russian invaders and push to reclaim occupied territory. The US, Germany, and the UK recently announced they would provide battle tanks to Ukraine, fulfilling a major request. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov on Wednesday suggested that the expected Russian offensive is likely to occur close to the one year anniversary of the Russian invasion February 24. "We think that, given they live in symbolism, they are going to try to attempt something around February 24," Reznikov told French TV station BFMTV. Story continues Meanwhile, there are evolving discussions in Kyiv and Western capitals over the potential for Ukrainian forces to push Russia out of Crimea and regain control of the crucial Black Sea peninsula. "We must do everything to ensure that Crimea returns home by summer," Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence chief, recently told the Washington Post. "Crimea will be returned to us. I'll tell you more: It all started in Crimea in 2014, and it will all end there," he added. Russia invaded Ukraine and illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, prompting outcry across the world. In many ways, this provocative action laid the foundations for Russia's full-scale invasion of its next-door neighbor last February. Crimea, home to a number of Russian military bases and Russia's Black Sea fleet, was used as a staging ground for Russia's invasion last year. Russian aircraft and warships continue to use Crimea as a base of attack for striking Ukraine. Top military analysts have made the case that regaining control of Crimea is key to Ukraine's long-term survival. "The decisive terrain for this war is Crimea. The Ukrainian government knows that they cannot settle for Russia retaining control of Crimea," retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, a former commander of US Army Europe, told Insider in late January. "The next few months will see Ukraine setting the conditions for the eventual liberation of Crimea," he added. Read the original article on Business Insider The youngest member of Congress decries the deadly Memphis police beating of Tyre Nichols in an interview with theGrio. In a recent interview with theGrio, U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) decried the deadly Memphis police beating of Tyre Nichols, saying the ultimately fatal Jan. 7 encounter regardless of the charged officers being Black underscores a police culture that is rooted in white supremacy. The fact that the five officers were Black does not strip away the other fact that white supremacy and anti-Black sentiments were the building blocks for a lot of policing in this country, said the 26-year-old newcomer to Capitol Hill. Frost, who just made earlier this year as the youngest and first Gen Z person to enter Congress, made the issue of police bias and brutality a pillar in his 2022 campaign. The Florida legislator participated in mass protests in the aftermath of George Floyds murder by Minneapolis police officers in 2020. Rep. Maxwell Frost speaks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol in Washington. In an interview with theGrio, the Florida Democrat decried the deadly Memphis police beating of Tyre Nichols, saying the incident underscores a police culture rooted in white supremacy. (Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) It was very triggering for me from my own experiences with negative interactions with law enforcement during the Black Lives Matter uprisings, Frost told theGrio. So seeing Brother George Floyd lynched in broad daylight on video, and here we have another scenario just like that it really brought me back. The killing of Nichols has reignited efforts in Washington to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would tighten laws related to accountability for abusive members of law enforcement, restrict certain police practices and expand national data collection. On Thursday, members of the Congressional Black Caucus met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House to discuss a path forward. Frost is less confident Democrats can achieve police reform in the next two years of the 118th Congress, due to resistance from Republicans, who hold the majority in the House of Representatives and can block the legislation using the filibuster in the Senate. Ultimately, he sees the position of Republicans as too far to the political right. Story continues When you even bring up the conversation of body cameras, which is not considered a radical thing, there are still Republicans in Congress who disagree with stuff like that, said Frost. The Republican Party has been calling the ref on every issue for generations. What does that mean? It means theyve been dragging whats considered the middle more and more to the right. Still, the young leader said that doesnt mean Democrats shouldnt still fight for federal legislation to root out bad policing. I believe were going to build a more equitable society, said Frost, because I refuse to give up the world that I believe we deserve. I think its within reach, but its going to take time. Rep. Maxwell Frost speaks on a panel at the office of the Center for American Progress (CAP) Action Fund on Jan. 10, 2023 in Washington. Talking to theGrio recently, Frost urged action from voters to put an end to police violence. (Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) A movement from voters in the United States has to take form in order to put an end to police violence, says the freshman congressman. We need to elect more folks to Congress who understand what that means for our communities, Frost said. Being the youngest member of Congress, the lawmaker admits, I dont claim to have all the answers. Im willing to sit down and figure it out, he shared. There are folks who have been doing this work for generations, and I think its important that we come to the table and talk about it. Frost told theGrio its also important for those closest to pain to be empowered to have a say in the changes theyd like to see related to overall public safety in their neighborhoods. Violence starts in the community. Its going to end in the community, and the government should be funding that work, he said. While the bodycam footage of Nichols lethal assault by Memphis officers may have triggered revived talks of widespread police reform and responsible public safety, Frost said he also wants to make sure this doesnt go away as just a moment in the news cycle. We got to stay with a joyful resistance, he said. I know its hard when theres death. I know its hard when our people are being beaten to death by the folks meant to protect us. But we cant give up on this fight. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post Congressman Maxwell Frost says American policing is rooted in white supremacy appeared first on TheGrio. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday that it is unconstitutional for a state to ban a person under a domestic violence protection order from possessing firearms. The highly conservative appeals courts decision is the latest in a string of lower court cases invalidating gun control laws following the Supreme Courts 6-3 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen in 2022. The courts decision in Bruen, written by Justice Clarence Thomas and joined by the courts five other conservatives, struck down a 1913 New York state statute that greatly limited residents ability to obtain a concealed carry permit. But Thomas decision also went much further than that by stating that no law restricting the right to possess and carry a firearm is constitutional unless it is consistent with the Nations historical tradition of firearm regulation, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries. And that is exactly how the 5th Circuit panel of Trump-appointed judges James Ho and Corey Wilson and Reagan-appointed judge Edith Jones came to strike down the federal prohibition on firearm ownership by anyone a court order bans from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or their children. In quoting from Bruen, the court says that the prohibition on firearm possession by those under domestic violence protective orders is an outlier that our ancestors would never have accepted. The case comes out of Texas, where Zackey Rahimi sued to challenge his conviction for firearm possession after he went on a shooting rampage while under a domestic violence-related court order prohibiting him from possessing firearms. In February 2020, Rahimi agreed to a civil protective order after allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend. This order prohibited him from possessing firearms because he remained a credible threat to his ex-girlfriend and their child. Beginning in December 2020, Rahimi engaged in five separate shootings. He shot someones home after selling them drugs. He got into a car accident and then shot at the other drivers car while fleeing and then returned in a different car to shoot at the other car again. He shot at a constables car. And finally, he fired shots into the air at a Whataburger after his friends credit card was declined. Story continues When the police finally arrested Rahimi, they found a pistol and a rifle in his home, in violation of his protective order. He eventually pleaded guilty. But after the Bruen decision, he appealed, claiming that it was unconstitutional to prohibit him from firearm possession while he was under a domestic violence protective order. First, the 5th Circuit took on the argument that the Supreme Courts gun rights precedents, including Bruen, acknowledge that such rights are provided to ordinary, law-abiding citizens. Since Rahimi is very clearly not an ordinary, law-abiding citizen, the government argues that he should not be afforded the protection of rights granted under Bruen. But the appeals court argued that the reference to ordinary, law-abiding citizens in Bruen was merely meant to not draw into question longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings and that while Rahimi is no law-abiding citizen, his domestic violence protective order didnt fall into that bucket of laws. The Supreme Court vastly expanded gun rights in its 6-3 decision in the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen case. The Supreme Court vastly expanded gun rights in its 6-3 decision in the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen case. The next question the court addressed is whether there are any historical analogues in 18th and 19th century America to a firearm prohibition for a person under a domestic violence protective order. The analogues the Department of Justice offered included dangerousness laws passed to prohibit certain classes of people, including Native Americans and enslaved people, from possessing firearms; going armed laws that stripped persons of their firearms if they posed potential threats to the peace, and surety laws that allowed people to require someone who they had just cause to fear to provide surety that they would not harm them, which could result in a prohibition on the public carrying or possession of firearms. In each case, the 5th Circuit judges found that these laws either were not historical analogues or were not a part of the Nations historical tradition of firearm regulation. For the dangerousness laws, the court ruled that those laws disarmed people by class or group, which is different from a prohibition following individualized findings of credible threats to identified potential victims, as in the case of the domestic violence protective order law. The court also invalidated this analogue because the Founding Fathers and those who enacted laws at the countrys founding simply didnt care that much about domestic violence. The purpose of these dangerousness laws was the preservation of political and social order, not the protection of an identified person from the specific threat posed by another, the decision states. The court tossed aside the going armed laws because only two states enacted them with provisions stripping offenders of their guns, and only one maintained that provision after 1795. And while the court said the surety laws were the closest analogue, it ultimately ruled that they werent completely analogous because they enabled a defendant to post surety to avoid any restriction of their gun possession, while the law in question is a blanket ban on possession for those under domestic violence protective orders. The failure of the Founding Fathers to care about domestic violence is no succor to those currently facing the threat of violence from an intimate partner. Studies show that its five times more likely an abusive intimate partner will kill their female victim if they have access to guns. Seventy women are shot and killed by intimate partners on average every month. In 2020, the year Rahimi entered into his protective order, 634 women were killed by intimate partners with firearms. Intimate partners or family members were killed in two-thirds of all mass shootings from 2014-2019. The rate of intimate partner gun violence jumped by 25% in 2021. The court does state that the law in question embodies salutary policy goals meant to protect vulnerable people in our society. However, Bruen forecloses any such analysis in favor of a historical analogical inquiry into the scope of the allowable burden on the Second Amendment right. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a press release Wednesday night that the department would appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. Biden administration officials are being urged to press China on issues including aggression in the Indo-Pacific region during upcoming trips to the country. Well share details of the trip and what lawmakers are asking for, plus more on a federal-led search into President Bidens Rehoboth, Del., home and a new seizure of smuggled weapons in the Gulf of Oman. 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. Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Defense and National Security newsletter GOP tells Blinken, Yellen to chastise China on trip More than a dozen Republican senators sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday to urge them to push China on issues of human rights, trade and its aggression in the Indo-Pacific region during their upcoming trips to the country. The 14 senators said in the letter that they should hold the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accountable for its human rights abuses, unfair trade practices and increasing aggression in the region and throughout the world. Anything less would be a concession to our countrys greatest threat, they said. Who signed on: The letter was signed by Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.), Chuck Grassley (Iowa), Bill Cassidy (La.), Eric Schmitt (Mo.), Dan Sullivan (Alaska), Kevin Cramer (N.D.), Ted Budd (N.C.), Rick Scott (Fla.), Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Pete Ricketts (Neb.), John Hoeven (N.D.) and Bill Hagerty (Tenn.). The worst offender: The senators said the CCP is the worst offender of human rights and noted that both the Trump and Biden administrations concluded that Chinas actions against the Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority in the Xinjiang province, and other ethnic minorities are considered genocide and crimes against humanity. Story continues The senators also said Blinken and Yellen should confront China on its long history of unfair trade practices and industrial espionage, which has hurt the U.S. economy. They referenced claims that the CCP has engaged in a campaign to steal U.S. intellectual property and research and abused privileges in the world trading system to establish itself as a leader in critical industries like pharmaceuticals and commodities. On Taiwan: The GOP senators said China has had unacceptable and provocative behavior around the Taiwan Strait and across the Himalayan border with India, where territory is disputed. China has stepped up military exercises in the area around Taiwan in recent months in what has been viewed as threats to the self-governing, democratic island. They noted that China has set up police offices and intelligence collection outposts in the U.S., Japan and Europe to suppress dissidents and stay on top of people it considers threats. Read the full story here FBI searches Bidens Rehoboth home Federal investigators on Wednesday searched President Bidens home in Rehoboth, Del., after classified documents were discovered in recent weeks at Bidens Wilmington, Del., home and his old Washington, D.C., office. Multiple outlets reported Wednesday morning that FBI personnel were at Bidens home in Rehoboth. Full support: Bob Bauer, an attorney for the president, said the search was being conducted with the Presidents full support and cooperation and was not shared in advance under standard Department of Justice (DOJ) procedures. Under DOJs standard procedures, in the interests of operational security and integrity, it sought to do this work without advance public notice, and we agreed to cooperate, Bauer said in a statement. The search today is a further step in a thorough and timely DOJ process we will continue to fully support and facilitate. We will have further information at the conclusion of todays search. Earlier: No classified materials had previously been discovered at Bidens Rehoboth residence. The Justice Department is investigating how classified materials from Bidens time as vice president ended up at his Wilmington home and an office he used at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in Washington. Lawyers for the president found documents with classified markings in the old office in November, then discovered classified materials at Bidens home in mid-December and early January. Justice Department officials last month searched Bidens Wilmington home with consent from the presidents team after lawyers found roughly a dozen documents with classified markings in his garage and an adjacent room. Read that story here Boat smuggling weapons from Iran to Yemen blocked The U.S. partner naval forces last month seized more than 3,000 assault rifles and 23 advanced anti-tank guided missiles on the way from Iran to Yemen, the Pentagon revealed Wednesday. The interaction which took place on Jan. 15 in the Gulf of Oman along routes historically used to traffic weapons and other illicit cargo to the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen also recovered 578,000 rounds of ammunition, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command. An unnamed partner: Central Command said it supported the maritime interdiction, though it did not name the partner naval forces. Earlier operations: The weapons seizure is the fifth such operation in a little over two months involving the U.S. Navy, with the most recent being a Jan. 6 interceptionof a fishing boat smuggling more than 2,000 AK-47 assault rifles. Read the full story here ON TAP FOR TOMORROW The German Marshall Fund will host a discussion on The Foreign Policy of Technology, with U.S. Ambassador for Cyberspace and Digital Policy Nathaniel Fick, at 10:30 a.m. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace will hold a conversation on One Year On: Germanys Foreign Policy Shift and the War in Ukraine, with German Ambassador to the U.S. Emily Haber and Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova, at 1 p.m. The RAND Corporation will hold an event on Planning for Climate Resilience in the Department of the Air Force, at 3 p.m. WHAT WERE READING Thats it for today! Check out The Hills Defense and National Security pages for the latest coverage. See you tomorrow! For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. It takes more than money to make something work. More moneyand New Mexico has a lot right nowwill have a limited impact if its put into a system that works poorly. Clearly, many services and programs in New Mexico are underfunded, but we can have more impact if we make sure we put that money into processes that work. You can see that idea behind much of the work being done this legislative session and it is the primary impetus behind three proposals Im sponsoring. Congress has appropriated billions in federal aid for the damages left behind by the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon fire but that aid has been delayed by the massive bureaucracy of the federal emergency system. Senate Bill 6 would set aside $100 million for no-interest loans for local governments affected by the fire that could be available quickly if the bill is signed into law. Congress really stepped up for the communities devastated by the fire, with a total of $4 billion in aid, but the process for distributing that money is just getting started and people need help now. Its important to note, this money would eventually be paid back with the federal assistance. Getting help to people more quickly is also the goal of Senate Bill 23, which would fix the system for distributing grants to local emergency medical services and appropriate $10 million a year to the fund. The additional funding would increase the average grant award by more than five-fold, from $7,000 to $42,000, at the same time it would reduce the amount that can be spent on administrative costs. Rural New Mexicans who need help sometimes have to wait hours for emergency medical care. Senate Bill 23 would get more resources into communities in a more effective way. The proposal that would have the greatest impact, however, would transform the New Mexicos long-derided system for distributing capital outlay dollars. The national Council of Development Finance Agencies recently called New Mexicos current capital outlay process the most significant barrier to economic development in the state. The current system is grossly inefficientbillions routinely sit idlebecause of poor planning and piecemeal funding. Money is sometimes appropriated to start a project without any guarantee the funds will be available later to finish it. Appropriations are made for projects neither sought by nor supported by the communities they are intended to serve. Some projects receive too little to be practical. Story continues Senate Bill 197 would create a central infrastructure office within the executive with the goal of increasing the power of capital dollars to tangibly improve New Mexican lives. The office would initially study existing systems and develop a plan for improving and simplifying the bureaucracy. After the initial planning, the office would provide support to communities to plan and develop projects prior to seeking funding and help communities not only submit proposals to the Legislature but navigate the maze of state and federal funding sources outside the legislative capital outlay appropriations. Strong state revenues and an influx of federal dollars have created a historic opportunity to make meaningful infrastructure investments in communities across New Mexico, but the current system needs an overhaul if we want those dollars to do the most good for the most New Mexicans. Many years, New Mexico legislators must focus on simply getting the states limited dollars wrapped around its many unmet needs. 2023 is different. This is a next generation session during which we can establish a solid foundation for wisely spending money that will stimulate our states growth. Senator Campos, a Democrat from Las Vegas who holds a doctorate in educational leadership and a masters in guidance and counseling, has been a member of the Senate since 1991 and a member of the Senate Finance Committee since 1997. Campos is also a member of the Legislative Finance, Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy, and Water and Natural Resources committees. He has served as the senator from District 8 in northern New Mexico since 1991 and has served as president of Luna Community College, superintendent of the Las Vegas City Schools, and mayor of Santa Rosa. This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Dollars alone won't solve New Mexico's problem Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), the lawmaker accused of pretending he was descended from Holocaust survivors to help get elected, was ridiculed online after he gave a House floor speech about his support for the Jewish community. Today I rise to congratulate my colleagues on voting to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee, Santos said Thursday, following the party-line vote for a resolution booting the Minnesota Democrat from the committee and condemning past comments that were critical of Israel. The passage of H.R. 76 sends a strong message that we support Israel and the Jewish community, he added. I urge the 118th Congress to now stand together, proudly upholding every single American, no matter race, pedigree, religion nor creed, as any less American than their neighbor that Jewish Americans are patriotic Americans and that we all have a role fighting bigotry and antisemitism in our country. After winning his election in November, Santos addressed a Republican Jewish Coalition summit in Las Vegas after having identified himself as a proud American Jew in materials shared with Jewish groups during his campaign. He had also claimed his grandparents were Jewish refugees who survived the Holocaust by fleeing Ukraine. But, as reports broke that he had fabricated large swaths of his work and education history, he was questioned, too, about his religion and heritage. I never claimed to be Jewish, he insisted to the New York Post in December. I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background, I said I was Jew-ish. Several news outlets found evidence that his grandparents were actually born in Brazil. He was condemned by Jewish groups, including the Republican Jewish Coalition, which said he had deceived them. His spiel Thursday, as a result, didnt appear to hold much water: You lied that you were Jewish, used a fake Jewish-sounding last name and said, "Oh well, the Jews will give more if you're a Jew," and made up that your family survived the Holocaust, you ghoul. @Santos4Congresshttps://t.co/zFalXtHi3Y MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) February 2, 2023 The nerve. The pure, unadulterated nerve would be admirable if it weren't so aggravating. Launch this dude into the sun. https://t.co/t7C8ZSgBqu Danny O'Neil (@dannyoneil) February 2, 2023 The Jew-ish community, per Santos. Katie S. Phang (@KatiePhang) February 2, 2023 shamelessness is their superpower Asa Somers (@AsaSomers) February 2, 2023 This man is a living, walking insult to any person of faith. He lied about his religious identity for political gain. The sheer, unabashed hypocrisy of MAGA republicans is an embarrassment to all Americans. For these grifters and extremists, honesty and service are punchlines https://t.co/BIzLogcIfH It's Pete. Hi. I'm the Problem, it's Pete. (@PeterLucier) February 2, 2023 I dont wanna hear jack about supporting the Jewish community from the guy who lied about his grandparents being in the Holocaust. We dont want you George/Anthony! https://t.co/wVtzHqVKXO Matthew Rein (@MatthewARein) February 2, 2023 Santos getting up and speaking on the House floor like he's a normal member of Congress will never not be deeply weird https://t.co/Y9AhBURMIE Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 2, 2023 Santos, who pretended to be Jewish to win office, claims that removing Omar was a show of support for "the Jewish community," but actual Jews voted against removal 19 to 2.https://t.co/c46aqylgdihttps://t.co/Wx1xjiA2qmhttps://t.co/eyB4dDZHyq Eric Columbus (@EricColumbus) February 2, 2023 This is actually a great example of how seriously Republicans take the threat of rising antisemitism, white nationalism and ethnic hatred. https://t.co/nfHlrLDI5P Max Berger (@maxberger) February 2, 2023 George Santos a whole entire liar and scammer who lied about being "Jew-ish" has a lot of nerve...and no shame. https://t.co/AC5IwtIMaI Britni Danielle (@BritniDWrites) February 2, 2023 this guy literally lied about being jewish to get money from jews to get elected in a jewish district, but republicans are punishing @ilhan. its disgusting. pic.twitter.com/wMWTESpYE7 Marisa Kabas (@MarisaKabas) February 2, 2023 Related... Hawaii state leaders nearly passed a law last year to better safeguard Hawaiis imperiled natural resources by raising revenues through a $40 or $50 tourist "green fee." Proponents hope to build on that momentum this year and push a visitor-impact fee through the House and Senate and onto Hawaii Gov. Josh Greens desk. Exactly how such a fee would work and how it might address Hawaiis growing conservation needs as more tourists flock to an island chain thats often dubbed the "endangered species capital of the world" has been hotly debated for the past half-decade or so. It's poised to be among the top environmental proposals heading into the new legislative session, which opened Wednesday. Stolen item: Hawaiian helmet worth $30,000 stolen from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Whale watching: When can you see humpback whales in Hawaii? Tips for a great, sustainable excursion Who supports the proposed green fee? Carissa Cabrera, project manager with the Hawaii Green Fee coalition, said shes encouraged by legislators who want to know more. This is part of the conversation now, she said. To me, thats a positive indicator. The grassroots coalition, which consists of several dozen groups, is increasing its efforts to pass a green fee bill.The approximately $30,000 to $40,000 thats funding their efforts for up to 10 months of work mostly comes from the nonprofit The Nature Conservancy, she added. Hanauma Bay, Hawaii The Green Fee coalition and other supporters have reason to be somewhat optimistic about their chances in 2023. Green, who took office Dec. 5, campaigned last year on creating a climate impact fee of about $50 per tourist as they enter the state to raise $500 million to $600 million per year. Lawmakers have already introduced at least one new bill to establish a green fee. Furthermore, both House and Senate leaders kicked off the new session this week proclaiming their general support for visitors having to pay more of a fair share to offset their impacts on the states natural resources. Story continues But the lawmakers vision of what a visitor-impact fee would entail could clash with what the Green Fee coalition and other advocates say is necessary to protect the natural resources in Hawaii, which prior to the Covid-19 pandemic saw more than 10 million visitors annually. Our residents have been clear. Visitors should be paying for their impact on our natural resources, Hawaii Senate President Ron Kouchi declared in his opening floor speech Wednesday. When they are a guest in our house, they should treat our home like they would hope we treat their home when we visit. Kouchi then went on to propose expanding the number of sites across the islands with either parking, entrance or reservation fees similar to the fees that exist at Kee Beach on Kauai, Waianapanapa State Park on Maui, and Diamond Head State Monument on Oahu. Hula was once banned in Hawaii: This competition fosters the next generation of dancers A reservation for the beach: Why bookings might be the future in Hawaii What would the revenue of the green fee fund? Expanding the pool of heavily trafficked destinations could generate between $20 million and $40 million a year in total state visitor impact fees, Kouchi said. Green fee advocates have said such fragmentation would allow for certain parts of Hawaii to be cared for, but not the islands environment as a whole. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii has argued that a state fee might violate the U.S. Constitutions Privileges and Immunities Clause, which generally bars states from discriminating against out-of-state citizens who visit. In this Monday, March 13, 2017 photo, people relax on the beach in Waikiki in Honolulu. More than a dozen green fee programs have already been created in other countries, according to Jack Kittinger, an Oahu-based vice president at Conservation International. In Palau, for example, visitors pay $100 as part of the island nations Pristine Paradise Fee program. Hawaiis green fee would be the first in the U.S. to use the environmental license model, advocates say. The coalition has completed a legal analysis, which it has shared with the Attorney Generals Office as it completes its own review. Theres widespread local support for having visitors pay more to protect the islands natural resources, Cabrera said. Now, the obstacle tends to be the how, as in the details of how that gets done, she added. Explore Kauai: 8 free or cheap things to do in Kauai, Hawaii, that are enriching in other ways Tips for a great, sustainable excursion: When can you see humpback whales in Hawaii? How will the green fee affect the tourism industry? Another key question is how Hawaiis influential tourism industry will react to the latest green fee bills to be introduced this session. Hawaii Tourism Authority President and CEO John De Fries did not respond to a request for comment this week. Last year, HTA testified in support of allowing DLNR to use visitor impact fees in order to better manage state-owned natural resources. Many of our state-owned natural resources are in desperate need of improvement due to years of deferred maintenance at these facilities, De Fries said in his 2022 testimony. Preserving and protecting these important resources while also investing to enhance them will ultimately result in a better experience for visitors and residents. Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head Crater including the hotels and buildings in Waikiki, Honolulu, Oahu island, Hawaii. Whats unclear, however, is whether HTA and other local tourism groups would embrace the novel environmental license model touted by the Hawaii Green Fee coalition. Another approach thats been suggested is to use some of the states transient accommodations tax revenues instead. The tax for staying at hotels and short-term rentals is currently 10.25%. The coalition opposes the TAT approach, however, because that would take away funding from other local needs and services instead of creating a new, dedicated revenue stream tapped from outside visitors. Both Cabrera and Kittinger said its crucial that any Hawaii green fee be overseen by a commission of public- and private-sector representatives in order to foster community buy-in. That includes the tourism industry, they said. Kouchi and others have said it wouldnt be possible to collect the fee at the airport because of rules that apply to federal facilities. Kittinger said one approach would be to have visitors pay a fee online or through an app. Kittinger and other advocates, meanwhile, are anxious to get something approved before its too late. People look at this and say, We know the clock is ticking, Kittinger said. When a reef is gone, its gone. This is the go-time. This is the time to save what we have, to really amp up our stewardship and to really close the financing gap. On Thursday, a hearing was held for the bill but it has been deferred by the House Committee on Tourism. This story was published in partnership with Honolulu Civil Beat, a nonprofit newsroom doing investigative and watchdog journalism relating to the state of Hawaii. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hawaii tourism 'green fee' is supported by local advocates You wouldn't know it by the bone-chilling temperatures to end the month and start February, but January was an unusually warm month in metro Detroit. Here are some of the stats: Temperatures taken at Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport averaged above freezing for the month, 33.5 degrees Fahrenheit, a whopping 7.7 degrees above long-term average temperatures for the first month of the year. It was the sixth-warmest monthly average in January temperature records going back to the 1870s, and the warmest January since 2006, said Steven Freitag, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in White Lake. Last month's warmest day was 60 degrees on Jan. 4 well off from the highest daily temperature ever recorded in the month, which was 67 degrees on Jan. 25, 1950. Daniel Ramos Aranda, 7, plays with the snow during the 2023 Clark Park Winter Carnival at the Clark Park Coalition in southwest Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023. Canada kept its cold air last month Colder-than-normal temperatures this time of year are typically caused by Arctic air intrusions into Michigan, frigid air from the far north being driven by atmospheric pressure over the Great Lakes. "I don't know if we had any" in January, Freitag said. "The cold air stayed bottled up in Canada." Michigan's all-time warmest January in Detroit was a 36.7-degree average, in both 1932 and 1880. More:Michigan winters, as generations have known them, may be coming to an end More:How much ice cover will the Great Lakes have this winter? Check Alaska. One record snowfall in January A man wearing a fedora rides his bike down a snowy Terry Street in Detroit on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. But Detroit's January weather did shatter one 125-year-old record snowfall on Jan. 25. Metro Airport recorded 6.5 inches of snow that day, well surpassing the previous record of 4 inches on Jan. 25, 1898. Forecasts call for the Detroit area to remain frigid into the weekend, with overnight lows to 4 degrees into Friday and 2 degrees overnight into Saturday. Temperatures are then expected to normalize Saturday, with highs in the lower 30s and overnight lows in the upper 20s. Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: January temperatures were unusually warm in metro Detroit Lac du Flambeau tribal officials block a road on the reservation, stranding some residents. LAC DU FLAMBEAU - A dispute over funding prompted Lac du Flambeau tribal officials to close an access road on the reservation, leaving some non-Native residents feeling stranded in their homes. Theyve got me barricaded in and I cant get out, said David Kievet, who lives in a home on Center Sugarbush Lane on the reservation, which is in Vilas County in northern Wisconsin. The road has been closed since Jan. 30 after tribal officials said negotiations broke down with title companies that handled the homes. Imagine if someone built a road through your property without your permission to access land on the other side of your property, said Lac du Flambeau Tribal President John Johnson in a statement. A title company then tells your neighbor they are guaranteed access forever to their property through your land over illegally built road. Kievet said there are eight other homes along Sugarbush Lane and residents at three households are being held hostage in their homes because of the closed road. Tribal officials said rights-of-way for the properties expired 10 years ago and the title companies have been slow to act and take responsibility for issuing defective title policy commitment letters to homeowners that did not address access over Indian lands We feel for the individual property owners impacted by the title companies refusal to negotiate in good faith over the course of 10 years, Johnson said. The Tribe is fed up with the title companies games. Title companies could have settled the situation by paying a fraction of what is being asked now. Kievet said a steel cable and two concrete blocks at the end of Sugarbush Lane prevent him from driving out of his neighborhood. Tribal police have a key to unlock the steel cable and have to visit him to check on his health, he said. Lac du Flambeau police have been very polite about the whole situation, Kievet said. Theyve been very cordial. He said hes also called the Vilas County Sheriffs Office, but they are reluctant to become involved in a civil dispute on the reservation. Story continues Kievet said the town of Lac du Flambeau is holding a meeting to discuss the situation and the only way he can get to it is to drive his snowmobile across a frozen lake. He believes the tribe should not have closed the road because theyve had 10 years to work it out with the title companies and could have found another way to deal with the situation rather than what he calls grandstanding. For them to hold a legal resident hostage is reprehensible, Kievet said. I dont live in Russia. I live in the U.S. He said he was required to give part of his property for a public easement for an access road and cant understand why the tribe cant do the same. Theres a set of rules that pertains to the tribe and certain rules that pertain to us, Kievet said. He said hes concerned a fire truck or ambulance wont be able to reach his neighborhood in time in case of emergency because of the closed road. Tribal officials said the property owners have been trespassing on private property owned by the tribe and that it is now up to the title companies, First American Title Company and Chicago Title Insurance Company, to rectify the situation. Unfortunately, the title companies and their attorneys are jeopardizing individual property owners, even though the tribes expectations in return for the right-of-ways are fair and reasonable, Johnson said. Representatives for First American Title Company, which has an office in Green Bay, said theyre working to resolve the situation. Appraisals for the easements in Town of Lac du Flambeau have been completed and delivered to the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, which was the final step before negotiations for compensation for the easements could begin, said Marcus Ginnaty, spokesman for the company. We continue to follow the procedures established by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and we remain committed to reaching an appropriate resolution for all parties involved. Sign up for the First Nations Wisconsin newsletter Click here to get all of our Indigenous news coverage right in your inbox The Lac du Flambeau tribe, like most tribes in the U.S., does not own some of the land on its reservation largely because of the now defunct Dawes Act. Congress, in the late 1800s, started a nationwide policy of encouraging individual ownership on reservations by tribal members in an effort to force them to assimilate into American society. Much of those individual parcels were eventually conveyed to non-Indigenous people by sale, foreclosure or enforcement of tax liens, and much of the tribal land was lost. Congress later reversed its policy with the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act, but the damage had been done. Now, homeowners such as Kievet are caught in the middle. To me, this is unbelievable, he said. Im being held hostage on my property and no one seems to care. More: New book gives an insider's view of the 20-year power struggle between Oneida Nation and village of Hobart More: Ojibwe 'Olympic games' return to Wisconsin after US government banned them nearly 150 years ago Frank Vaisvilas is a Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact him at fvaisvilas@gannett.com or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank.You can directly support his work with a tax-deductible donation online at GreenBayPressGazette.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Green Bay Press Gazette Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Drive, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105. This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Lac du Flambeau tribe in northern Wisconsin blocks road amid land feud Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia is facing social media mockery for asking how much money a Illinois school received to teach critical race theory. The Georgia Republican asked the question in a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing. Ms Greene now sits on the panel after she was removed from her committee assignments last Congress for previous racist and antisemitic comments as well as promoting various conspiracy theories. Ms Greene asked US Comptroller General Gene Dodaro how much money meant for Covid-19 relief went toward teaching CRT. Mr Dodaro asked what CRT meant, seeming confused. Its a racist curriculum used to teach children that somehow their white skin not equal to black skin and other things in educstion, she said. No, I do not know that, but I do know theres provisions that the federal funds generally are not used, or supposed to be used for curriculum, she said. Ms Greene refuted Mr Dodaro in response. I have to tell you in Illinois, they received $5.1bn at an elementary there that used it for equity and diversity, she said. Critical Race Theory is a niche legal theory taught in law schools and is not taught in elementary school. However, many Republicans have called any attempts to teach about equity, inclusion or racism critical race theory. In turn, many people on social media mocked Ms Greene. Sen Chris Murphy of Connecticut got in on the action: I agree w Marjorie. It was a mistake for the federal government to give $5 billion to one single elementary school in Illinois to teach its students to hate white people. In retrospect it feels like $4 billion would have been enough. https://t.co/E5hfWU4N6X Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) February 2, 2023 Former GOP Rep Adam Kinzinger piled on, tweeting: I still am amazed at how dumb @RepMTG is. Story continues I still am amazed at how dumb @RepMTG is https://t.co/IreKFJe8y2 Adam Kinzinger #fella (@AdamKinzinger) February 2, 2023 MTG says that an elementary school in Illinois got $5.1 billion in federal funds to teach equity and diversity. Seems unlikely, longtime financial journalist James Surowiecki tweeted. MTG says that an elementary school in Illinois got $5.1 billion in federal funds to teach "equity and diversity." Seems unlikely. https://t.co/zb2SxObULM James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) February 1, 2023 Tell me again how we're supposed to be respectful toward the idiots that buy into this sewage, David Rothkopf, a foreign policy commentator, tweeted. Tell me again how we're supposed to be respectful toward the idiots that buy into this sewage. https://t.co/UscwoczQB8 David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) February 1, 2023 And political commentator Mehdi Hasan added: Marjorie Taylor Greene thinks an elementary school in Illinois received 5 billion dollars (!) for diversity and equity. I have no words left. North Korea warned the United States on Thursday of overwhelming nuclear force in response to an increase in the countrys military exercises with South Korea. The North Korean foreign ministry said the stepping-up of military drills from South Koreas allies could turn the Korean Peninsula into a huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone. It said North Korea is prepared to respond to any short-term or long-term military challenge with nuclear force. The military and political situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the region has reached an extreme red line due to the reckless military confrontational maneuvers and hostile acts of the U.S. and its vassal forces, a spokesperson said. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday that the U.S. will increase its deployment of military equipment, such as fighter jets and aircraft carriers, to South Korea. North Korea has said that it considers the military drills to be practicing for an invasion, but the U.S. and South Korea have maintained that they are for defensive purposes. The South Korean defense ministry said the U.S. flew B-1B bombers and F-22 and F-35 fighter jets in a military exercise along with South Korean fighters on Wednesday off the countrys western coast. The U.S. and South Korea are planning a joint simulation later this month to prepare a response to North Korea potentially using nuclear weapons. North Korea tested a record number of missiles last year as part of increasing threats directed toward South Korea. That included seven intercontinental ballistic missiles. The North Korean government also sent drones into South Korea for the first time since 2017 last year. If the U.S. continues to introduce strategic assets into the Korean Peninsula and its surrounding area, the DPRK will make clearer its deterring activities without fail according to their nature, the North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. Austin said while in the Philippines on Thursday that the U.S. is very serious about its defense of South Korea and will continue to work with and train its allies. Story continues The South Korean foreign ministry said North Korea is the one escalating tensions by making nuclear threats and rejecting offers from the U.S. and South Korea to discuss issues. The Associated Press contributed to this report. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Northwestern Mutual's 18-story office building (middle) will resemble the company's 32-story office tower and commons (right) when the $500 million project is completed. Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. announced Thursday it will invest more than $500 million to redevelop its downtown Milwaukee campus and bring jobs downtown from its campus in Franklin. Here are four things to know about the numbers behind this huge project. That $500 million will completely transform an existing building The company will do a gut revamp of its 18-story office building, 818 E. Mason St., down to its foundation, center core and steel frame, said Northwestern Mutual Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer John Schlifske. That building will be redeveloped to resemble the design of the company's 32-story office tower and commons just to its south, at 800 E. Wisconsin Ave. Northwestern Mutual spent $450 million to build the tower and commons, which opened in 2017. The company has annual revenue of $34 billion. Northwestern Mutual's plans are tied to receiving $30 million from the city The downtown campus project is to include $30 million provided to the company through a new tax incremental financing district proposed by Mayor Cavalier Johnson's administration. That city grant would come through annual payments for up to 23 years from the transformed office building's higher property tax revenue. That TIF district needs Common Council approval. Northwestern Mutual is still receiving annual payments from the tower and commons development's property taxes that will eventually total $50 million. Those TIF payments are to be completed by 2029. Northwestern Mutual's office complex could some day hold up to 9,000 employees Northwestern Mutual is downtown's largest employer with 4,480 full-time workers. The company plans to shift nearly 2,000 employees to its downtown campus from its Franklin operations over the next three to five years. The city financing proposal requires the company have at least 5,375 employees assigned to its downtown campus at the project's completion, and at least 5,750 employees there by 2030. Story continues That employee count will not include contractors and consultants who work at the downtown campus. However, it can include employees who work remotely but reside in Milwaukee. The downtown complex could some day accommodate up to 9,000 employees, Schlifske said. City of Milwaukee financing comes with strings attached on hiring, charitable giving The city financing proposal says Northwestern Mutual must use small business enterprises for at least 25% of construction and supply costs and at least 18% of professional services costs on the project's construction. Also, the company will hire unemployed and underemployed Milwaukee residents for at least 40% of total on-site construction worker hours, and ensure a $15 hourly minimum wage with built-in escalators for the new building's janitors, security personnel and other vendor employees. Finally, Northwestern Mutual and its foundation will provide $2.5 million during the TIF's first five years for "affordable housing efforts and/or efforts to improve the fitness, health or education of economically disadvantaged youth" in Milwaukee, the proposal said. More:Northwestern Mutual dividend nears $7 billion; during rough economy, company's focus remains long-term More:Northwestern Mutual is investing $5 million in two Black-led Milwaukee financial institutions Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more Subscribe to get the BusinessWatch email newsletter. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Northwestern Mutual's $500 million Milwaukee project by the numbers When the highly infectious mpox virus, formerly called monkeypox, was declared a public health emergency in August of last year, more than 450 people were testing positive every day. With more than 30,000 cases and 28 deaths, many feared mpox could become the next pandemic. The virus -- characterized by a painful rash and deep lesion -- was primarily spreading via skin-to-skin contact among sexual networks. Now, roughly six months later, the emergency is over, with the nation averaging fewer than three cases per day. According to doctors and public health experts interviewed by ABC News, the virus didn't disappear on its own. Instead, the virus was controlled through an aggressive, highly coordinated public health response. "Mpox is a success story of conquering an outbreak," said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. The successful control of mpox was due largely to the rapid deployment of vaccines and treatments paired with an aggressive public awareness campaign that leveraged trusted voices in the LGBTQ community, which was hit first by the outbreak. "Of course there have been criticisms," said Dr. Vincent Hsu, an infectious disease specialist and AdventHealth's infection control officer. "But the fact remains that in a relatively short period of time, we have been able to get the number of cases down to where there's just very few." PHOTO: Daily Mpox Cases (ABC News, CDC) Key to that success was public outreach and education. "Health departments and community advocates got the message out about mpox -- how the disease presented, how it was spread, how it could be treated and how it could be prevented, including vaccination," said Dr. Roy M. Gulick, chief of the Infectious Diseases Division at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. "The sharp decrease in cases directly resulted from these efforts." MORE: How US came back from mpox outbreak Public health experts credited a strong, unified response from leaders in the LGBTQ community. In fact, the rapid response in the LGBTQ community did not allow the virus to spread even further, Hsu said. Story continues "The LGBTQ community has a strong record of community advocacy and successful interactions with the public health system from the time of the HIV epidemic," said Gulick. "Education led to behavior changes in the community, including limiting the number of sexual partners, as well as the enthusiastic uptake of the vaccine." "Some of the secret sauce came around communication," added Chin-Hong, including "using trusted messengers from the community" to deliver the message. Chin-Hong pointed to Reggie Aqui, an ABC anchor in San Francisco and an openly gay man, as an example. Aqui was nominated for a GLAAD award for his work and community discussions about mpox. PHOTO: FILE - A man speaks to a public health worker before receiving the monkeypox vaccine at the Balboa Sports Center in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles, July 27, 2022. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images, FILE) Another smart move was appointing Dr. Robert Fenton and Dr. Demetre Daskalakis to head the federal government's mpox response, Chin-Hong said. Fenton and Daskalakis deployed evidence-based guidelines which helped doctors like him feel comfortable trusting their advice, he said. Beyond education, an equally crucial factor in controlling the outbreak was the rapid deployment of existing vaccines and treatments that had been stockpiled for smallpox, a closely related virus. "The prior availability of therapeutics meant we werent flying the plane as we were building it," said John Brownstein, an ABC News contributor and chief innovation officer at Boston's Children's Hospital. MORE: CDC report shows how infectious mpox is and how important vaccination was in stemming outbreak In August -- with limited supplies of the only FDA-approved mpox vaccine -- government public health officials made a controversial choice to break up a single vaccine into multiple doses, tweaking the route of administration to maximize the bodys immune response. Thankfully, this new vaccine strategy worked -- as did existing treatments, according to doctors and public health experts. Still, experts warn the virus hasnt been fully eradicated and could return. Although "the emergency is largely over," Hsu said, "we need to continue to be vigilant." "The mpox response is now a model by which to prepare for future infectious disease threats," Brownstein said. Added Chin-Hong, "I think mpox generally provides a great playbook of how to deal with an outbreak: the alignment of science and politics needed, a national a local strategy that was implemented and having strong and unified consistent messaging that is empathic and specific." A public health success story: How the mpox crisis was controlled within 6 months originally appeared on abcnews.go.com WASHINGTON As her colleagues gathered on the House floor Thursday to decide her fate, Ilhan Omar could have offered one more apology. Instead, the Minnesota Democrat spoke to what she saw as a larger injustice: the silencing of a Black Muslim woman. Herself. The Republican-controlled House voted along party lines to remove Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over comments she has made about Israel that members of both parties viewed as antisemitic. "Is anyone surprised that I am somehow deemed unworthy to speak about American foreign policy? Or that they see me as a powerful voice that needs to be silenced?" Omar said on the House floor moments before the 218-211 vote. "Frankly, It is expected. Because when you push power, power pushes back." Stay in the conversation on politics: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter 'I am an American' "I am an American," Omar, who had been on Foreign Affairs since she arrived on Capitol Hill in 2019, said in her floor speech. "An American who was sent here by her constituents to represent them in Congress," she said. "A refugee who survived the horrors of a civil war. Someone who spent her childhood in a refugee camp. Someone who knows what it means to have a shot at a better life here in the United States. And someone who believes in the American dream and the American possibility and the promise and the ability to participate in the democratic process." Even in a chamber that has grown increasingly partisan, the debate leading up to the vote on Omar felt visceral. Republicans accused her of being antisemitic and anti-American undeserving of a seat on the House committee that helps shape foreign policy. Democrats accused Republicans of a racist double standard for not sounding such outrage when GOP officials make similarly offensive comments Omar, who was born in Somalia before fleeing at age 8 during its civil war, said her removal from the Foreign Affairs panel would not muzzle her. Story continues Related: GOP removes Rep. Ilhan Omar from Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her comments on Israel "I will continue to speak up, because representation matters," she said. "I will continue to speak up for families around the world who are seeking justice whether they are displaced in refugee camps or they are hiding under their beds somewhere like I was waiting for the bullets to stop." McCarthy vowed for months to remove Omar Omar faced backlash from members of both parties for controversial statements she made in 2019 and 2021. Republicans had threatened to punish her but were unable to do so in a chamber run by Democrats. Omar suggested in the 2019 remark that Israel demands "allegiance" from American lawmakers, adding that "a lot of our Jewish colleagues, a lot of our constituents, a lot of our allies, (think) that everything we say about Israel (is) anti-Semitic because we are Muslim." Her comments in 2021 equating Israel and the U.S. with the terrorist group Hamas and the Taliban provoked anger from some of her own Democratic colleagues. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., leaves her office at the Longworth House Office Building on Feb. 2, 2023 in Washington, DC. Critics condemned Omar's comments prompting her to apologize. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee said in a statement that "the charge of dual loyalty not only raises the ominous specter of classic anti-Semitism, but it is also deeply insulting to the millions upon millions of patriotic Americans, Jewish and non-Jewish, who stand by our democratic ally, Israel." GOP lawmakers were outraged further when Democrats voted in 2021 to strip Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., for menacing social media posts. But it wasn't until Republicans recaptured the House in last fall's election that they were able to act against Omar. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy vowed last year, before the 2022 midterm elections, to remove Omar as well as block California Democrats Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from their Intelligence Committee posts. Swalwell on House committee assignments: Speaker McCarthy engaged in 'weaponizing' of 'political abuse' But unlike Schiff and Swalwell, Omar has been the target of a variety of racist and Islamophobic attacks since her election to the House in 2018, including by then- President Donald Trump, who encouraged supporters to chant "send her back" during a 2019 rally. What others said about Omar being ousted from the Foreign Affairs Committee Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the Council on American-Islamic Relations national deputy director, blames Omar's treatment on an overarching hostility toward pro-Palestinian positions: "There is a longstanding and deep-seated issue of bigotry that has been directed at her, and this is just the latest manifestation of it." Tennessee GOP Rep. David Kustoff on the floor of the House: "No doubt, words have meaning. When a member of Congress stands in this chamber, or at home, or in their district, the nation and the world pays attention to what they say and how they say it." Tabitha Bonilla, an associate professor of policy research at Northwestern University: "I think there are important consequences to her ability to represent her constituents. This is silencing her voice in her committee work and I think particularly having a Somali refugee on a foreign affairs committee is important because she's bringing to the table a perspective that other people are not going to be bringing." The Republican Jewish Coalition applauded the removal of Omar, saying in a statement that the Democratic leadership failed to hold her "accountable for her vile, hateful, and dangerous anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric." Contributing Rachel Looker This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rep. Ilhan Omar gives fiery speech before ousted from Foreign Affairs WASHINGTON No longer on any committees and facing daily calls to resign, New York Rep. George Santos faces an uncertain future in Congress as he tries to move past damaging revelations that he embellished his resume, personal background and his finances. The Republican representative stepped away from his committee seats Wednesday calling it a temporary move until investigations into his background are conducted and he is "cleared." Despite calls from his colleagues to resign from Congress entirely, Santos remains adamant that he will serve his full two-year term. Smart analysis delivered to your inbox: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter George Santos controversy: Here's a look at investigations of the House Republican Here's how things could play out for Santos in Congress: What happens if Santos is expelled? Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., speaks on a phone as he departs Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023. Republican leaders could choose to hold a vote that would expel Santos from the House. However, there's no indication Republicans plan to do this. The expulsion would require a full vote on the House floor with a two-thirds majority in favor. Gregory Wawro, a political science professor at Columbia University, said getting a supermajority to support an expulsion is extremely unlikely. More: George Santos' college education is a myth. Is he the only one lying? We checked The vote likely would get the backing of all Democrats, he said, but it would be challenging to get enough Republicans on board in a chamber where the GOP margin is only a handful of lawmakers. Five members of the House have been expelled in U.S. history three for supporting the Confederacy, one for bribery and the most recent, former Rep. James Traficant, D-Ohio, for filing false tax returns, among other charges. What happens if Santos resigns? Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., leaves a House GOP conference meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) ORG XMIT: DCAH120 Santos could willingly resign from his seat, but he doesn't like someone who will leave quietly. Story continues "I will NOT resign!" Santos tweeted on Jan. 11. Resignations happen far more frequently in the House than expulsions. Dozens of representatives have resigned before the end of their terms for a variety of reasons including medical issues, the decision to run for a different seat or personal reasons. A resignation, as well as an expulsion, would lead to a special election in Santos' district to fill the seat. Who will fill the empty seat? WASHINGTON - Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., waits for the start of a session in the House chamber Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) If Santos resigns or is expelled, the governor of New York is required to call a special election. Party committees would select nominees and state party leadership would choose the nominee for each party. "This is a scenario that Republicans are not especially eager to have to defend the seat," said Jonathan Hanson, a lecturer at Michigan University's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. President Joe Biden carried Santos' district in 2020. The 3rd congressional district, which encompasses part of Long Island outside of Manhattan, was redrawn in May to lean slightly less Democratic. Biden carried the district in 2020, but Republicans flipped it red in the 2022 midterms. What is the outlook for Santos? Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., leaves the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 12, 2023. Santos has not indicated plans beyond serving out his current term but experts believe it is unlikely Santos will run for reelection if he continues to serve out his term. If he does run in 2024, those same experts doubt he'd be re-elected, experts say. A recent Newsday/Siena College poll found 78% of voters in his district say he should resign. "It's hard to imagine him surviving any further revelation," Hanson said. "I think that's just clearly not tenable for him to try to stay in office at that point." More: Rep. George Santos pushes back on 'insane' claim he stole funds for veteran's dying dog If Santos violated campaign finance law, he could be indicted, Hanson said. Under House rules, sitting members of the House who are indicted or convicted can still keep their seat. However, convicted members are instructed by House rules to not vote on the floor or in committees as well as risk losing chairmanships or ranking member status on committees. What would a Santos exit mean for McCarthy? WASHINGTON, DC - House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., walks to open floor of the House Chambers in the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 30, 2023. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Santos' departure would make the four-seat Republican majority in the House even narrower limiting McCarthy's ability to drive legislation through the chamber. "I think Republicans feel like they can't afford to lose any more seats," Hanson said. "They already have a very tenuous situation where they can't afford barely any defections on a vote if they want something to pass." Wawro said it's a "gamble" for Republicans as to whether they back Santos in the short term despite daily revelations about his fabricated background or risk losing the seat in a special election. "I think it's fair to say it's a pretty big embarrassment for the party," he said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Santos: Here's what his future in Congress could look like Part of the Arizona State Universitys Map and Geospatial Hub collection, this map from 1842 depicts Mexico at the time, which then included the current U.S. states of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and parts of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wyoming. Leer en espanol Thursday marked the 175th anniversary of the signing of the treaty that ended the Mexican-American War, winning the U.S. what is now most of Arizona, along with the entirety or parts of several other present-day Western states. Though largely overlooked compared to other major historical events, the 1846-1848 armed conflict and its resolution led to the marginalization of people of Mexican descent and Indigenous Arizonans, and has wrought carnage on the southern border.That's what three Arizona State University educators Alexander Avina, 43, Maurice Crandall, 44, and Vanessa Fonseca-Chavez, 40 told The Arizona Republic. Avina and Fonseca-Chavez are of Mexican descent and Crandall is Yavapai-Apache. The three grew up in states that were part of the land ceded to the U.S. in the agreement known as the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. (The Mexican-American War) was sort of the beginning of the United States devaluation of Mexico, which has continued through today, said Fonseca-Chavez, associate professor of English and associate dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts at ASU. Prejudice that has persisted Historians largely attribute the United States provocation of war with Mexico to the burgeoning national belief in Manifest Destiny, which held that Americans had a moral obligation to expand westward and introduce capitalism into those territories. At the start of the war, Mexico had only been an established country for 25 years, after winning its independence from Spain in 1821, and was undergoing a succession of short-term presidencies. The U.S. was driven by a sense of white Protestant superiority over Spanish-speaking Catholics with darker complexions living in what is now the Southwest, Fonseca-Chavez said. This attitude contributes to bigotries that prevail to this day, she added. As you go through conquest, you are creating an other you're creating something that is unlike you and you're prescribing these certain negative elements that then give you the rationale to engage in racism or discrimination, Fonseca-Chavez said. (It is) a mindset that has been perpetuated over centuries. Story continues Fonseca-Chavez characterized the $15 million that the treaty guaranteed the U.S. would pay for most of Arizona and New Mexico, all of California, Nevada, Utah and parts of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wyoming as a small figure considering the trade-off consisted of 55% of Mexicos land. Ongoing deaths along the border The U.S. Congress declared war in May 1846 after Mexicos refusal to negotiate a sale of what is now Arizona, New Mexico and California led to a bloody skirmish between both countries troops along the Nueces River in South Texas. Mexico recognized that river as its border with the United States then-newly annexed state of Texas, while the U.S. maintained the border was 150 miles south at the Rio Grande. Battles raged in New Mexico and California and in the interior of Mexico, including the Mexico City capital, throughout those two years. The approximate number of war casualties is estimated at tens of thousands of people, the majority being Mexican soldiers and civilians. The border between what is now Arizona and Mexico was initially etched out along the Gila River following the treatys May 30, 1848, ratification. Then there was the artificial boundary carved out through the 1853 Gadsden Purchase where the U.S. seized roughly 30,000 square miles of land in current-day Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico. Ever since, death has continuously marked the United States southern border, according to Alexander Avina, an associate professor of Latin American history at ASUs School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (SHPRS). Further implementation of U.S. border policy has exacerbated the issue. Avina signaled to President Bill Clintons prevention through deterrence policy, which he said militarized the border with the erroneous expectation migrants would not cross through more dangerous landscapes in California and the Southwest. Upwards of 10,000 have died across the entire southern border as a result of the policy, he said. That was by design. That was purposeful policy that remains in place to this day, Avina said. Since 2000, the prevention through deterrence policy has resulted in at least 3,200 deaths on the Arizona border with Sonora, according to anthropological analysis at UCLA's Undocumented Migration Project. The violence associated with war never ended because it created a border that always requires violence to maintain, Avina said. Suppression of Indigenous votes The signing of the treaty also threatened the autonomy of Indigenous tribes, which has resulted in a lapse in political participation, according to Maurice Crandall, associate professor of history at SHPRS. It is not an uncommon consequence of war for Indigenous peoples, he said. It is typical for colonial nation-states to not consult with, to not bring Indigenous people into conversations regarding wars and treaties and new boundaries. That happened in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Crandall said. Native peoples are never brought into those conversations when they should be. Maurice Crandall is an associate professor of history at Arizona State University's School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies. Crandall is the author of "These People Have Always Been a Republic: Indigenous Electorates in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands, 15981912," which examines the political rights of Native Americans whose tribal lands are in what is now Arizona, New Mexico and the Mexican state of Sonora. Initially, the treaty allowed Mexican nationals living in the United States newly acquired lands to opt to become U.S. citizens, Crandall noted. Because Indigenous people held citizenship under comparably less restrictive Mexican law, the treaty technically afforded Indigenous tribal members the same rights as U.S citizens, he said. According to Crandall, in the years that followed the war, a handful of Indigenous people voted in local elections in the United States Territory of New Mexico, which included Arizona. However, this civic engagement prompted white settlers and existing Hispanic residents alike to try to dispossess tribes of their federally protected land, arguing they should not be granted such protections, Crandall added. As a result, Crandall said, the Bureau of Indian Affairs encouraged Indigenous tribes in that territory to give up their voting rights at local elections in order for them to continue with their lands and sovereignty. Native Americans would be excluded by the 1866 passage of the Fourteenth Amendment, which guaranteed citizenship to anyone born in the U.S. It would not be until 1924 that Native Americans would earn U.S. citizenship and voting rights. The U.S. as an aggressor Unlike most other U.S. armed conflicts, the Mexican-American War is not recognized as a U.S. holiday, nor does it have a monument honoring it on the National Mall in Washington D.C. Avina thinks the lack of observance is because the United States acted as an aggressor by perpetrating a war on a fledgling Mexican democracy mired in instability. Additionally, there were documented cases of American soldiers willfully slaughtering Mexican civilians during the war, he said. He pointed to the dissent the war inspired among Americans. Abraham Lincoln, who was a U.S. congressman during the Mexican-American War, stood on the House floor and voiced opposition to the conflict. Philosopher Henry David Thoreau penned his celebrated civil disobedience essay after being jailed for not paying a poll tax that funded the war. Borne from an anti-colonial struggle, the U.S. was not supposed to be an imperialist nation, Avina said. This was clearly a war of conquest waged by the U.S. against Mexico and no amount of money included in the treaty as payment would erase that fact. A tenuous relationship between the two countries endures to this day as Mexican nationalism consists primarily of distrust of the United States, Avina said. The war the U.S. waged against Mexico remains foundational to this sentiment, he added. Reach breaking news reporter Jose R. Gonzalez at jose.gonzalez@gannett.com or on Twitter @jrgzztx. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 175 years later, ASU scholars of color reevaluate Mexican-American War Edgardo Greco had been living as Paolo Dimitrio for more than a decade. Getty Images In July 2021, the French newspaper Le Progres covered the opening of Caffe Rossini Ristorante, an Italian spot in Saint-Etienne. "Paolo Dimitrio opens the Italian restaurant of his dreams," the headline read, and the accompanying article said that chef and owner Dimitrio would be "creating elaborate Italian cuisine" using only the best local ingredients. Caffe Rossini has since closed, but anyone who stopped in for pizza or pasta might've been surprised to read that Dimitrio was arrested on Thursday. On top of that, Dimitrio wasn't his name, and he wasn't a trained chef. According to Interpol, "Paolo Dimitrio" was actually Edgardo Greco, a member of the notorious 'Ndrangheta mafia who had been on the run for 16 years. In a press release, Interpol said that Greco had previously been convicted and handed a life sentence for the murder of two brothers from a rival gang. He was also wanted for the attempted murder of another mobster as part of southern Italy's "mafia wars" in the late '90s. :Italian Mobster Opens Organized Crime-Themed Burger Joint, Charges Prosecutors Double "No matter how hard fugitives try to slip into a quiet life abroad, they cannot evade justice forever," Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock said. "Dedicated officers around the world will always ensure that justice is served." Greco was taken into custody on Thursday after a coordinated effort from multiple law-enforcement agencies. Frances BNRF (Brigade Nationale de Recherche des Fugitifs) made the arrest, while Italian police investigators confirmed Grecos identity. According to The Daily Beast, Grecos Paolo Dimitrio alias was actually the name of another Italian mobster, which got the attention of Italys anti-mafia police. After tracking him to Caffe Rossini and to another pizzeria where he worked undercover officers stopped in and obtained enough DNA evidence to determine that he was, in fact, the fugitive theyd been looking for. Story continues Greco isnt the only Mafioso to find his way into the kitchen. In 2021, convicted murderer and well-connected mobster Salvatore Buzzi opened a burger joint in the suburbs of Rome. The menu at Buzzis Burger was filled with mob references, including burgers, hot dogs, and salads that were named for members of Romes Banda della Magliana criminal organization. Buzzi also noted that the menu prices were subject to change based on, well, whether he liked you or not. In this club, everyone pays, friends, relatives, and acquaintances," he said. "But prosecutors pay double, and judges pay triple." The restaurant was short-lived, unsurprisingly, due to Buzzis criminal history. If [my appeal] goes wrong, I will turn myself in, Buzzi wrote on Facebook last September. You still have a few days to eat the criminal sandwiches, to listen to stories that no one tells, and to come visit me. Buzzi is currently back in prison and is facing a sentence of up to seven years. Buzzis Burger has since closed. A handout image shows Department of Fire and Emergency Services crew members searching for a radioactive capsule from a Rio Tinto mine after it disappeared on a long journey across the Australian Outback in this picture obtained on Jan. 28, 2023. / Credit: AAP / Department Of Fire And Emergency Services / Handout via REUTERS A tiny but dangerously radioactive capsule that fell off a truck along a remote, 870 mile stretch of desert highway in Western Australia last month has been found, authorities said Wednesday. "It's a good result, as I've said it's certainly a needle in a haystack that has been found, and I think West Australians can sleep better tonight," West Australia Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson told reporters. Authorities scoured hundreds of kilometers of highway in search of the tiny capsule. It was discovered at the side of a desert highway just south of the town of Newman -- near the Outback mine it was transported from, the state's emergency services commissioner Darren Klemm said. The six-day hunt came to an end after a search vehicle detected radiation while travelling along the highway, with authorities now working to safely remove the capsule before taking it to a secure location, Klemm said. Mining giant Rio Tinto had apologized Monday for losing the capsule. The solid, silver-colored cylinder is smaller than a human fingernail, but authorities said it contains enough Caesium-137 to cause acute radiation sickness. It disappeared from a truck that drove to the suburbs of Perth from a remote mine near Newman - further than the distance from Paris to Madrid. Members of the Incident Management Team coordinated the search for a radioactive capsule that was lost in transit by a contractor hired by Rio Tinto, at the Emergency Services Complex in Cockburn, Australia, in this undated handout photo. / Credit: Department of Fire and Emergency Services / Handout via REUTERS "We recognize this is clearly very concerning and are sorry for the alarm it has caused in the Western Australian community," said Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive Simon Trott in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse. "We have launched our own investigation to understand how the capsule was lost in transit," he added. The radioactive capsule, part of a gauge used in the mining industry to measure the density of iron ore, was transported by a certified Rio Tinto contractor, he said. Authorities warned people to stay at least 16 feet away from the capsule, which emits beta and gamma rays with a radiation level equivalent to receiving 10 X-rays every hour. "If you have it long enough near you, it could cause what is known as acute radiation sickness," Western Australia's chief health officer Andrew Robertson said when the public was first alerted on Friday. The container it was in collapsed because of the vibrations of the road trip, he said. The capsule apparently fell through the hole left by a bolt that was also lost. The gauge was originally picked up on January 12 from the Gudai-Darri iron ore mine near Newman and delivered to the Perth suburb of Malaga on January 16, Rio Tinto said. But the package wasn't opened until January 25, when the gauge was found "broken apart" with the radioactive capsule missing. State police were informed on the same day. Officials in high-visibility yellow vests were seen walking along key stretches of the road. Portable radiation monitors that can be mounted on vehicles were used to detect emissions across a 65 foot radius along the route, Western Australia's emergency services said. "We are not trying to find the small capsule by eyesight. The radiation equipment will hopefully lead us to it," the service's incident controller, acting superintendent Darryl Ray, said in a statement at the time. Story continues Ice storm slams south and central U.S. Whale deaths spark debate in New York, New Jersey over offshore wind farms Rep. Katie Porter talks about her Senate bid The former principal of Richneck Elementary School, where a 6-year-old intentionally shot a teacher last month in Newport News, Virginia, was not informed that the student had a gun at school, according to her lawyer, despite allegations that administrators were warned the day of the shooting. Briana Foster Newton, the principal, was removed from her position and will be reassigned within the district, according to her lawyer, Pamela Branch. "It continues to be reported that unidentified school administrators were aware that the 6-year-old student had a gun at school on Jan. 6, and simply failed to act. Mrs. Newton has been assumed to have been one of those administrators. However, this is far from the truth," Branch said at a press conference Thursday. MORE: Teacher shot by 6-year-old says school was warned 4 times, announces lawsuit Branch said Newton was not told that the student potentially or definitively had a gun at school on the day of the incident. "Those who were aware that the student may have had a gun on the premises that day did not report this to Mrs. Newton at all," Branch added. Branch told reporters Newton has been receiving "threatening voicemails wishing her ill [and] has also been the subject of misinformed social media posts," since the shooting. PHOTO: In this Jan. 9, 2023, file photo, Newport News Councilman Elect John Eley speaks at a candlelight vigil in honor of Richneck Elementary School first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner at the School Administration Building in Newport News, Va. (John C. Clark/AP, FILE) "It is very easy to demonize people you don't know when in the midst of an obviously upsetting and traumatic situation for everyone," Branch said, telling reporters that Newton is not who she has been portrayed to be. The teacher, Abigail Zwerner, was shot in the chest and rushed to the hospital in critical condition. She is now home recovering from her injuries. MORE: Virginia school shooting: 6-year-old brought gun in backpack, fired during instruction Zwerner announced she will be filing a lawsuit against the school board, alleging the shooting could have been prevented by school administrators who were warned about the student on the day of the shooting. Diane Toscano, Zwerner's lawyer, alleged that the administration was warned four times by teachers and school employees about the student. There were three warnings from school employees about the gun and a warning from Zwerner about the student threatening to harm another child, Toscano alleged. Story continues A bullet remains lodged in Zwerner body, according to Toscano. PHOTO: Newport News Fire Chief Jeff Johnson and a Fire Marshall walk into Richneck Elementary School on Jan. 30, 2023, in Newport News, Va. (John C. Clark/AP) This was Newton's first year as principal at Richneck Elementary after she was an educator for 11 years. She had been an assistant principal at Richneck for six years. After the incident, the 6-year-old was admitted to a medical facility for treatment. Police interviewed the boy and his mother after the shooting and determined the gun was legally purchased by the boy's mother. ABC News' Beatrice Peterson contributed to this report. Virginia principal was not informed 6-year-old had a gun before shooting, lawyer says originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The TikTok logo is displayed outside a TikTok office on Dec. 20, 2022 in Culver City, California. The TikTok logo is displayed outside a TikTok office on Dec. 20, 2022 in Culver City, California. Credit - Mario TamaGetty Images The future of Tiktok in the U.S. is increasingly perilous after a prominent Democratic Senator raised national security concerns over the Chinese-owned social media platform, citing fears that user data from around 100 million Americans could be shared with Beijing. On Thursday, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet joined a growing number of Democrats to take issue with TikTok, calling on Apple and Google to remove the video platform from its app stores. Benneta member of the Senate Intelligence Committeeoutlined his concerns in a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. No company subject to CCP (Chinese Communist Party) dictates should have the power to accumulate such extensive data on the American people or curate content to nearly a third of our population, Bennet wrote, referring to the millions of Americans who use the app regularly. Given these risks, I urge you to remove TikTok from your respective app stores immediately. Bennet also warned that Chinas government could compel TikTok to influence what U.S. users see on the app. Beijings requirement raises the obvious risk that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could weaponize TikTok [to] manipulate the content Americans receive to advance Chinas interests, Bennet wrote. Rising concerns about security Leaders across the U.S. political spectrum say they are concerned that Chinese internet technology company ByteDance, which owns TikTok, is required by Chinese law to make TikTok data available to the CCP. In December, a counter-surveillance bipartisan bill was introduced to Congress that could result in a nationwide ban of the app. The House Foreign Affairs Committee is due to hold a vote this month on the bill. TikTok has already been banned from federal government devices and some college campuses have restricted access to the app on school devices and WiFi servers due to restrictions that states have passed. Story continues Republicans had previously been the most ardent critics of the app, with the Trump administrations unsuccessful attempt to outlaw it alongside another Chinese app, WeChat, in September 2020. But the move was twice blocked by the courts, who said Trump officials acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner by failing to consider obvious alternatives for the app. More recently, Democrats such as Senator Dick Durbin have also called on Americans to boycott the app. Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr has also advocated for a ban on TikTok, although his agency does not have the authority to regulate app stores. In a November interview with TIME, he stated that the FCCs past dealings with banned Chinese telecom companies, such as Huawei and ZTE, have shaped his stance on the issue. As a practical matter, I do not see a path forward thats short of a ban, Carr said. Yes, people love TikTok, but my response is that its more than just a platform for sharing funny videos or dance memesit really operates underneath that as a huge national security concern. What a ban would mean A blanket ban would leave U.S. content creators without access to ad revenue on the platform or its Creator Fund, which allows them to monetize their videos if they have at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 views in a 30-day period. TikTok users are paid according to how many followers they have on the app. It is estimated that content creators with 100,000 followers or more can get paid $200 to $1,000 a month. Creators with 1 million or more followers can get paid $1,000 to over $5,000 a month. Anton Dahbura, the executive director of Johns Hopkins Universitys Information Security Institute, says the biggest issue in the debate on TikToks future is that users are largely unaware of the true risks of foreign governments using their user data. Most peoples gut reaction is Well Im not doing anything, Im not working anywhere sensitiveI dont think this really applies to me, he says. But people would be shocked about how our trails of breadcrumbs from our mobile devices and other platforms can be used, especially by nation states, and in different ways that can be a threat to national security. TikTok does damage control TikTok has been in confidential negotiations with the Biden Administrations Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, for two years now. The company also presented a 90-page proposal in August on how it would prevent the Chinese government from having access to this data by storing it on domestic servers on American-owned software, the New York Times reported. TikToks chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, has this month been meeting with think tanks and interested groups in Washington to share how the company plans to prevent data collection from its American users. Zi Chew is set to appear before a House committee in March to discuss TikToks data security practices. But the Biden Administration faces a major challenge in regulating the app, given its highly influential and widely popular cultural phenomenon, while also balancing the tense U.S.-China relations and adapting to the new reality of an internet dominated by non-American companies. The Chinese government has always asked for legal compliance by Chinese companies in international economic cooperation, Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said in a statement to TIME in November. We hope the U.S. side will provide an open, fair, impartial and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies, and not be so paranoid as to overstretch the concept of national security to apply discriminatory and exclusionary policies. It is currently unclear how much weight Bennets letter will carry among the technology giants he has called on, but with pressure mounting from all sides, the app store owners are paying attention. I think that the best path forward is to take the mitigation steps necessary, because TikTok is now under the microscope and thats a good thing, Dahbura says. And then open up a broader conversation about the balance between the benefits of having access to user data and the privacy risks. APTOPIX United States China A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Mont., on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down. Credit - Larry MayerThe Billings Gazette/AP The U.S. military has identified a suspected Chinese spy balloon flying high above the northern part of the continental United States in recent days, which prompted President Joe Biden to ask for military options against it, according to senior defense officials. The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a statement. The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Biden was briefed on the matter Wednesday when he asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to develop options against the large slow-moving balloon, according to a senior U.S. official, who wasnt authorized to speak publicly on the matter. The Pentagon had considered scrambling fighter jets to shoot it down as it traveled over Montana but determined not to do so out of fears such an act create a debris field and endanger Americans on the ground, the official said. U.S. military worked with the civil aviation authorities to put a halt on flights coming in and out of the city of Billings in southern Montana, the official said, and even mobilized F-22 stealth fighter jets, which are the Air Forces premier air-to-air combat aircraft. A U.S. F-22 Raptor fighter jet takes part in the NATO Air Shielding exercise near the air base in Lask in central Poland on Oct. 12, 2022. Radoslaw JozwiakAFP/Getty Images We put some things on station in the event that a decision was made to bring this down while it was over Montana, the official said. We wanted to make sureto empty out the airspace around that potential area. But even with those protective measures takenand it was the judgment of our military commandersthat didnt drive the risk down low enough, so we didnt take the shot. Story continues The official wouldnt say how big the balloon was or high it was flying but simply said that it is significantly above where civilian air traffic is active, which is why its not believed to pose a threat to civilian aviation. The Biden Administration has determined that the balloon doesnt give China any additional surveillance capabilities beyond what it already can collect through spy satellites currently orbiting the Earth, the official said. When the balloon was detected by U.S. intelligence, the official said the military acted swiftly to guard against the Chinese collecting sensitive information. The current flight path does carry it over a number of sensitive sites, the official told reporters. Out of an abundance of caution, we have taken additional mitigation steps. The official wouldnt detail what those actions were. Montana is one of five states that host the U.S. militarys land-based, nuclear-tipped Minuteman III missile fields. In recent years, a handful of surveillance balloons have been spotted, but this one is appearing to hang out for a longer period of time, the official said. (Corrects description of IMF deal to extended fund facility in paragraph 4) By Uditha Jayasinghe Feb 3 (Reuters) - Private international bondholders are ready to hold debt restructuring talks with Sri Lanka consistent with the parameters and targets set out in the International Monetary Fund's programme, their legal adviser said on Friday. Global investment companies Amundi Asset Management, BlackRock, HBK Capital Management, Morgan Stanley Investment Management and T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. are among the group of around 30 bondholders being advised by White & Case LLP, a New York based law firm. The combination of the pandemic, which ruined the tourist sector, the Ukraine war, which drove up the price of imported fuel and food, and economic mismanagement pitched the Indian Ocean island of 22 million people into its worst financial crisis in more than seven decades. And having run out of foreign currency to pay for basic imports, Sri Lanka defaulted on its foreign debt in May. It secured a preliminary deal on a $2.9 billion extended fund facility with the IMF on Sept. 1, though no funds have been disbursed as yet. The government has received financing assurances from key bilateral lender India, and it is also seeking assurances from the Paris Club of creditor nations, while China's export-import bank has offered two-year moratorium on debt repayments. The IMF is likely to begin disbursing funds once all of those assurances are in place, analysts say. Sri Lanka has to restructure debt payments on about $11 billion in bonds. And it has also sought assurances from private creditors. "The Bondholder Group ... stands ready to engage quickly and effectively with the Sri Lankan authorities to design and implement restructuring terms that would help Sri Lanka restore debt sustainability and allow the country to re-gain access to the international capital markets during the IMF Programme period," White & Case said in a statement. Story continues Bondholders have also called for Sri Lanka's domestic debt to be "reorganised in a manner that both ensures debt sustainability and safeguards financial stability," the statement said. They also requested the opportunity to express their views on the "overall design" of the IMF program, it added. "The bondholders appear to be indirectly seeking a domestic debt restructuring, which Sri Lanka is yet to agree to," said Udeeshan Jonas chief strategist at CAL Group. "The requirement seems to be more tilted towards reprofiling the domestic debt through maturity extensions rather for coupon or principal haircuts to bring down Sri Lanka's overall gross financing needs." Sri Lanka secured financing assurances from India last month. The Paris Club, which includes Japan as a second major lender to Sri Lanka, is also expected to give its assurances to the IMF "soon". The United States wants China and other creditors to provide credible and specific assurances to the IMF to help Sri Lanka unlock the bailout, a senior official said this week. Offering a two-year moratorium on debt repayments, the Export-Import Bank of China said it would support Sri Lanka's efforts to secure an IMF programme. (Reporting by Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman, Tom Hogue and Simon Cameron-Moore) February is Black History Month. If you're looking to take part in an observance, here's a list of some of the events on the calendar this month. University of Southern Indiana Black Reproductive Health: Getting at the Root Cause of Inequity Feb. 27, 4:30 p.m., Carter Hall at UC West, 8600 University Blvd. Dr. Rachel R. Hardeman will give a guest lecture on structural racism disadvantages that Blacks face before, during and after pregnancy, leading to inequities for them and their babies. Evansville African American Museum Black History Month Unity Choir Concert Feb. 19, Old National Events Plaza, 715 Locust St. Free. This event taps into the rich history of mass choirs in Evansville. Donations from this event will benefit children's programming at the museum. Children's Center For Dance Education 'Amazing Grace' Several dates throughout the month. Free. The Children's Center for Dance Education is putting on shows around the Tri-State, telling Black history through music and movemnt with narrator Zola Johnson. Performances are free thanks to a underwriting from the Arts Council of Southwest Indiana. Feb. 5: 3 p.m., Newburgh Library, 30 W Water St, Newburgh, Indiana. Feb.11: 2 p.m., Evansville Museum of Arts, History, and Science, 411 SE Riverside Drive. Feb. 17: 12:45 p.m., Evans Elementary School , 2727 N Evans Ave.; 2 p.m., Stockwell Elementary 2501 N. Stockwell Road. Feb. 18: 2 p.m., CMOe, 22 SE 5th St. More:Thanks to a student's work, Mount Vernon, Indiana, will mark spot of 1878 lynching Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library events Black History Month art contest All month, EVPL East, 840 E. Chandler Ave. EVPL invites students from across the community to submit a piece of art that represents what Black History Month means to them. The art will be on display during the month of February before a special program later in the month. Participants must drop off their art with an official registration form attached to EVPL East by Friday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. Story continues Cookbook Club EVPL East, 840 E. Chandler Ave. Each month, the club has a theme where you can choose a cookbook from EVPL's collection or your own and bring a dish to share. The theme for February is Soul food/African American/Creole for Black History Month. To register for the meeting, email Kathleen Kania at kathleenk@evpl.org or call 812-428-8231. African American Read-In Feb. 13, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., EVPL North Park, 960 Koehler Drive Join the African-American Read-In, with your favorite passage by an African-American author to share. Black History Month art show and concert Feb. 17, 5 p.m. EVPL East, 840 E. Chandler Ave. Students that participated in the art contest and guests are invited to discuss their art pieces with the community, enjoy live music by Zion, and have snacks and drinks while viewing the pieces. More:New Henderson restaurant serving conch, Caribbean specialties Black History Month film Feb. 18, 1 to 4 p.m., EVPL McCollough, 5115 Washington Ave. Celebrate Black History Month by watching a surprise major release with an audience. Food will be available. Screening of PBS' 'American Experience: The Abolitionists' Feb .19, 1 to 5 p.m., EVPL Central, 200 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Originally aired in 2013, this film brings to life the stories of the radicals and liberators who fought against slavery during the Civil War and beyond. This film shows the stories of Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Angelina Grimke, Harriet Beecher Stowe and John Brown and their journey as abolitionists. This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: How can I celebrate Black History Month in Evansville? A loader carries a load of salt to a waiting truck Tuesday, December 13, 2022 on Jones Island in Milwaukee, Wis. According to the American Geophysical Union, Lake Michigans salinity Is on the rise due to human activity, especially road deicing with salt. Livestock, fertilizer, water softeners are also contributors. The increased salinity affects water quality and can harm nearby ecosystems. MADISON - Bills from a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers are aimed at improving Wisconsin's water quality, especially when it comes to nitrate and salt pollution. Sen. Rob Cowles, R-Green Bay, is an author on two of the bills: one expanding the program that helps residents replace contaminated private wells, and another that helps watershed groups address pollution. He said it's important to address Wisconsin's water quality issues and ensure that the state's waters are healthy for drinking and recreation. He said the well compensation bill and the producer-led watershed bills are looking at the "big picture" of water issues. "If we get these done, we're making some progress in an area that needs progress," he said. Another bill, targeting the amount of road salt entering bodies of water, was authored by Sen. Andre Jacque, R- De Pere. The bills have bipartisan support from Republicans and Democrats alike, who are hoping to see water quality issues addressed, after the bill targeting the well compensation program and the watershed bills died in previous sessions. Here's what the bills would change. Preventing Wisconsin's freshwater from getting saltier One bill aims to protect water quality by curbing the amount of road salt washing into Wisconsin waters. Jacque proposed a voluntary certification program in which private companies that apply de-icing salt could learn best practices for clearing snow and ice without causing harm to rivers, lakes and streams. Once certified, they and the businesses they contract with would be shielded from slip-and-fall lawsuits resulting from ice and snow. Salt has long been used to reduce slippery road conditions in Wisconsin and other states with chilly winters, but awareness is growing about the harmful impacts of too much of it ending up in freshwater. More:Road salt is washing into Wisconsin's major waterways, with alarming results In toxic amounts, it can kill aquatic plants and animals, corrode pipes and make drinking water taste salty. Fifty-one rivers and one lake in Wisconsin are considered chronically impaired by chloride, one of the elements that make up salt, according to DNR data. And even in those that arent yet impaired, the pollutant is building up. Lake Michigan, for example, has become nearly eight times saltier than it was in the 1800s, according to a 2021 study. Story continues In a December internal report, DNR staff wrote that Wisconsin is on an unsustainable path of road salt usage. Advocates say that understanding more about how much salt to use and when to use it can go a long way to fixing the problem. For example, just one coffee mug of salt can adequately de-ice a 20-foot driveway or 10 sidewalk squares. Our freshwater is a selling point for our communities and we need to keep it that way, because once salt enters a watershed its hard to remove it, Jacque told the Journal Sentinel. In 2013, New Hampshire became the first state to pass a law protecting snow removal companies from lawsuits provided they followed best salting practices and kept record of them. Minnesota has a state-led certification program whose participating organizations have been able to reduce their salt use between 30% and 70%, according to the program website. Wisconsin Salt Wise, which offers classes for public and private road maintenance workers on how to calculate the precise amount of salt needed to keep pavement safe, consulted on the bill, along with the DNR. State Rep. Elijah Behnke, a Republican from Oconto, is the bills Assembly sponsor. Grants would help landowners replace water wells contaminated with nitrates Another bill would expand the state's well compensation program for landowners or renters looking to replace a well contaminated with nitrates that serves a residence or livestock. To qualify for the grant, a household cannot make more than $65,000 the previous year, and funding is discounted from the applicant for every dollar made over $45,000, according to the DNR. Nitrate is a contaminant that mostly comes from manure or fertilizer but can also originate from septic systems and other sources. Studies suggest that drinking water with elevated levels of nitrate over a sustained period can cause birth defects, thyroid problems and colon cancer. Pregnant women and babies are the most vulnerable. The contaminant has been associated with a condition called blue baby syndrome, which reduces the amount of oxygen in a babys blood Under the new bill, eligibility would be expanded to any well used three months of the year and expands eligibility to wells contaminated only by bacteria in addition to nitrates. The bill would allow more people to access help when their well is contaminated, which is a positive step forward in addressing water pollution, said Peg Sheaffer, the director of communications & development for Midwest Environmental Advocates. "Expanding eligibility is a good thing," she said. One issue Sheaffer pointed to was that the income restriction is especially limiting, because replacing a well can be costly without aid, even for families making more than $65,000 a year. "We want to help people who are the neediest first," Cowles said. "Then we can consider raising the amount, but it would be difficult to get that done right now." This bill is separate from a program introduced by Gov.Tony Evers last summer, which set aside $10 million of federal coronavirus aid to help fund the replacement of contaminated wells. That fund is also available to residents struggling with PFAS contamination, something the current bill does not address because "forever chemicals" are not currently regulated in groundwater. More:In some Wisconsin counties, contaminants from manure, fertilizer exceed recommended limits by 50% More money for farmer-led watershed groups to promote land conservation A third bill aims to expand the amount of funding available to farmer-led groups across the state that evaluate how different land conservation practices affect local water quality. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection started doling out funds in 2016 to a small number of groups of farmers committed to protecting their watersheds, which are land areas in which rain and snow that falls eventually drains to nearby waterbodies. Planting cover crops or switching to no-till farming can help protect those waters, but implementing new practices costs money. As the watershed program has grown in popularity and the number of groups involved has expanded, funding hasn't kept up. This year, for example, 45 groups requested more than $1.5 million collectively from DATCP, which was only able to grant $1 million. If the bill passes, it would allow the groups to apply for some Department of Natural Resources grants as well as DATCP grants. The model has been successful because farmers are inclined to trust other farmers, said Chuck Anderas, associate policy director at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute who coordinates the Iowa County Uplands Watershed Group in southwestern Wisconsin. In 2021, DATCP's progress report on the groups' work reported that increased conservation practices prevented an estimated 124,000 pounds of phosphorus and 182,000 tons of eroded soil pollutants that can wreak havoc on water quality from leaving farm fields. But money has gotten tight. Each group is capped at an award of $40,000. It's typical to not receive that much, Anderas said. "Then you just have to adjust down your plans for the year, or try and find funding from foundations or other sources," he said. The push for expanded grant funding points to a bigger question about what the program needs to continue to be successful, said Matt Krueger, executive director of the nonprofit conservation organization Wisconsin Land + Water. That could include things like more technical and administrative assistance so that participating farmers can focus on farming, for example, or better monitoring of water quality outcomes. "Everybody really likes it, and agrees it's valuable and useful, but I think we need to assess from a full landscape view: What does it take to support this program?" Krueger said. When asked if he was concerned about the DNR funding pot running dry with more applicants, Cowles said the Legislature could elect to add more funding. More:Massive factory farms called CAFOs are on the rise as small family operations fade. Here is why they're controversial in Wisconsin Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: These 3 bills in the Legislature aim to tackle Wisconsin water quality A 59-year-old man was fatally stabbed in Wilmington's Price Run neighborhood Tuesday night, according to the Wilmington Police Department. He has been identified by police as Ernest Peterson. Police said they were called to the 2200 block of N. Pine St. near Brown-Burton Winchester Park at 8:31 p.m. There, they said they found Peterson injured. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died. Wilmington police investigate a stabbing on the 2200 block of N. Pine St., reported shortly after 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. The entrances to a few homes were closed off with yellow tape while police investigated Tuesday night. FOR SUBSCRIBERS:From patent to Percocet: How this powerful opioid got its start in Delaware On Thursday morning, Wilmington police announced they arrested 59-year-old Dover woman Renee Mosley at the scene on Tuesday night. Police said they believe the stabbing was "domestic in nature." Wilmington police investigate a stabbing on the 2200 block of N. Pine St., reported shortly after 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. Mosley has been charged with first degree murder and possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony. She was incarcerated at Delores J. Baylor Womens Correctional Institution on a $2 million cash bail. Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Wilmington stabbing leaves 59-year-old man dead Tuesday night Activision Blizzard will pay $35 million to settle charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission that it failed to maintain disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that the company could assess whether its disclosures pertaining to its workforce were adequate. The settlement also resolves charges that Activision Blizzard violated whistleblower protection regulations. The company is settling the charges without admitting to or denying them. "The SECs order finds that Activision Blizzard failed to implement necessary controls to collect and review employee complaints about workplace misconduct, which left it without the means to determine whether larger issues existed that needed to be disclosed to investors, SEC Denver regional office director Jason Burt said in a statement . The SEC claims that, between 2018 and 2021, the company lacked controls and procedures among its separate business units to collect and analyze employee complaints of workplace misconduct." Because of that, Activision Blizzard higher ups didnt have the information they needed to fully comprehend the substance and number of workplace misconduct complaints, according to the order. Nor did management review whether there were any material issues that would have warranted public disclosure, the SEC found. In addition, the SEC determined that the company violated a whistleblower protection rule as a result of separation agreements it carried out between 2016 and 2021. Activision Blizzard allegedly required former workers to provide it with notice if the SEC contacted them for information. "Taking action to impede former employees from communicating directly with the Commission staff about a possible securities law violation is not only bad corporate governance, it is illegal, Burt, one of the supervisors of the investigation, said. "We are pleased to have amicably resolved this matter. As the order recognizes, we have enhanced our disclosure processes with regard to workplace reporting and updated our separation contract language," an Activision Blizzard spokesperson told Engadget in a statement. "We did so as part of our continuing commitment to operational excellence and transparency. Activision Blizzard is confident in its workplace disclosures. Story continues The agency started investigating Activision Blizzard over these issues by September 2021, according to reports at the time. Two months earlier, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) sued the company over allegations of systemic gender discrimination and widespread sexual harassment. The SEC probe related to how Activision Blizzard managed complaints over such incidents. It says that the company changed its processes for handling complaints between 2020 and last year to make sure that it documented the complaints more thoroughly and better communicated them to its senior management and legal team. Last June, Activision Blizzard agreed to release an annual report that discloses how the company handles sexual harassment and gender discrimination complaints, and what it's doing to prevent such incidents. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on Thursday hit back at her Republican colleagues after the House voted along party lines to remove U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over previous comments she made about Israel. Ocasio-Cortez in a minute-long speech first compared the move to the Islamophobia following the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Consistency? There is nothing consistent with the Republican Party's continued attack, except for the racism and incitement of violence against women of color in this body, Ocasio-Cortez alleged. Prior to Ocasio-Cortez's comments, U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said the move to remove Omar was "about consistency. Ocasio-Cortez in her remarks also targeted other GOP moves to assign lawmakers to some committees, saying I had a member of the Republican caucus threaten my life, and you all ... and the Republican caucus rewarded him with one of the most prestigious committee assignments in this Congress. .@RepAOC @AOC defends Rep. @Ilhan Omar: "Don't tell me this is about consistency. Don't tell me that this is about a condemnation of anti-Semitic remarks...This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America." pic.twitter.com/pzVUhsgZoM CSPAN (@cspan) February 2, 2023 The New York representative did not name the specific lawmaker, but in 2021, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., posted an anime video edited to show him killing Ocasio-Cortez. Gosar has been named to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability. Live updates: Sarah Huckabee Sanders to give SOTU rebut; FBI to search Pence offices for records Story continues Washington: GOP removes Rep. Ilhan Omar from Foreign Relations Committee, citing her comments on Israel Investigations into Biden administration: Far-right Reps. Boebert, Gosar and Greene are on committees probing Biden. What does that mean? Ocasio-Cortez also referenced a member of the Republican caucus who has talked about Jewish space lasers. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., before joining Congress suggested conspiracy theories about deadly wildfires in California. Omar: 'Who gets to be an American' Omar on the floor of the House on Thursday said "This debate today is about who gets to be an American. "I am an American. An American who was sent here by her constituents to represent them in Congress, she said. "Is anyone surprised that I am being targeted? Is anyone surprised that I am somehow deemed unworthy to speak about American foreign policy?" she said on the House floor before the vote. Omar has criticized Israels treatment of Palestinians and questioned U.S. aid to Israel. Some of her comments have received criticism from both sides of the aisle. For example, during a town hall event, she suggested Israel demands allegiance from American lawmakers. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., denied that the decision to remove Omar was a response to Greene and Gosar being removed from committees when Democrats controlled the House. This is nothing like the last Congress," he said Thursday, explaining that Omar can still remain on other panels. More politics coverage from USA TODAY Contributing: Rachel Looker and Ledyard King, USA TODAY; Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speech targets Republicans in Ilhan Omar vote The Dothan Police Department has been conducting an ongoing investigation into allegations of an adult male having inappropriate sexual contact with a juvenile under the age of 16, according to a news release. As a result of the investigation, on Thursday the Dothan Police Department charged Javanta Jaquan Campbell, 21, of Dothan with one count of production of child pornography, two counts of rape second degree, two counts of traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, and three counts of sodomy second degree. His bond has been set at $330,000. Due to the nature of these crimes and the Alabama Juvenile Privacy laws, no further information will be released. In Alabama, cockfighting is a misdemeanor with up to a $50 penalty. That's not enough to put a stop to the bloodsport in Alabama. Animal advocates say cockfighting spreads diseases and advances violence and illegal gambling. Cockfighting commonly involves fitting the birds' legs with razor attachments that intensify the bloodshed. The fight ends when one gamecock dies or stops fighting, but its common for both birds to die after a fight. The Alabama law has been static since President William McKinley was in office at the turn of the century. Animal Wellness Action and the Center for Humane Economy have called on Gov. Kay Ivey to prod legislators to up the misdemeanor to a felony. This is a barbaric activity," said Wayne Pacelle, president and founder of Animal Wellness Action. Cockfighting is a felony in 42 states and is a federal felony. It commonly involves fitting the birds' legs with razor attachments that intensify the bloodshed. Seven members of a Chilton County family accused of operating one of the largest cockfighting rings in the country pleaded guilty to felony charges late last year and were sentenced to as long as two years in federal prison for their role in the underground operation, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by William Colon Jim Easterling, 77, the Easterling family of Verbena ran the illegal enterprise for many years, hosting bloody cockfighting events drawing in hundreds of attendees to gamble on and watch the fights. The family also ran two large breeding operations for the sale of fighting birds. Animal Wellness Action provided evidence to the government for its investigation into the Easterlings. The group in 2020 labeled Alabama the "cockfighting capital of the Southeast." Pacelle said that research shows that spectators of cockfighting have an increased tendency to engage in violence. Theyve lost their empathy," he said. More:Why are egg prices so high and will they go down? Inside perfect storm behind skyrocketing costs Cockfighting can also spread Newcastle disease and bird flu. The globe is experiencing the largest outbreak of bird flu, which can in rare cases be transmitted to humans. It also affects the economy, costing billions of dollars, said Jim Keen, the director of veterinary sciences for the Center for a Humane Economy. Story continues Its a worldwide problem," Keen said. Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy have released reports connecting cockfighting with the spread of diseases. Cockfighting leads to, "untold risk and carnage," said Thomas Pool, one of the researchers involved in releasing the report on disease among cockfighters. "Theres every reason in the world to try to put a stop to this if we can." Previous reporting by Marty Roney and Evan Mealins was included in this story. Alex Gladden is the Montgomery Advertiser's public safety reporter. She can be reached at agladden@gannett.com or 479-926-9570. This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Animal rights groups urge lawmakers to put a stop to cockfighting JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) Southeast Asian foreign ministers urged Myanmar's military rulers on Friday to reduce violence and allow unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to pave the way for a national dialogue aimed at ending the country's worsening crisis. Meeting in Indonesia's capital, the ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations also granted observer status to East Timor, Asia's newest nation, ahead of it becoming the regional bloc's 11th member. Myanmar is an ASEAN member, but its foreign minister was excluded from Friday's annual ministers' retreat because of his country's failure to implement a five-step consensus on restoring peace forged in 2021 between ASEAN and Myanmars military leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who hosted Friday's meetings, said the ministers agreed that an inclusive national dialogue is key to finding a peaceful resolution to the situation in Myanmar, and that reducing violence and providing humanitarian assistance are paramount for building trust and confidence. She said the lack of progress in Myanmar tests our credibility as a group, and that ASEAN's efforts toward peace would be coordinated with those of other countries and the United Nations. Myanmar's military leader promised in the five-point agreement to allow a special ASEAN envoy to meet with jailed ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and others to foster a dialogue aimed at easing the crisis, set off by the military's seizure of power two years ago. But Myanmar refused to let an ASEAN envoy meet with Suu Kyi last year, resulting in Min Aung Hlaing's exclusion from an ASEAN summit last November. The increasing violence in Myanmar since the military takeover loomed large over the foreign ministers' meetings, even as Indonesia, this year's ASEAN chair, sought to dampen concerns that the crisis will overshadow other issues and hold the bloc hostage. Story continues In her opening remarks, Marsudi said the ministers were meeting in the midst of immense global challenges in which the Indo-Pacific region is not immune, including geopolitical, food, energy, financial and ecological crises, as well as major power rivalries that could spill over and potentially destabilize the region. The ministers warmly applauded the East Timor delegation as it participated in an ASEAN ministerial meeting for the first time. It is a crucial steppingstone in our long journey to join the big family of the ASEAN community, East Timor Foreign Minister Adaljiza Magno said, ASEAN agreed in principle to admit East Timor as the groups 11th member at last November's ASEAN summit. East Timor applied for full membership in ASEAN in 2011, but some members feared its poverty would be a burden and slow efforts to achieve an ASEAN Economic Community. The U.N. estimates that nearly half of East Timors population lives below the extreme poverty line of $1.90 a day, and that 42 of every 1,000 babies die before their fifth birthday because of malnutrition. The former Portuguese colony was occupied by Indonesia for a quarter-century and gained independence after a U.N.-sponsored referendum in 1999. Indonesias military responded with scorched-earth attacks that devastated East Timor. The Australian government revealed in a surprise announcement Friday that MDMA and psychedelic mushrooms will soon be medically available for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder and treatment-resistant depression, respectively. The decision follows numerous international studies that point to the promise of magic mushrooms, also known as psilocybin, and MDMA, otherwise known as ecstasy or molly, for alleviating mental health issues. Prescriptions will start in Australia on July 1. The Therapeutic Goods Administration clarified that only authorized psychiatrists will be able to dole the substances out, and only for patients whose depression or PTSD have proven resistant to traditional treatment and standard medication. The decision acknowledges the current lack of options for patients with specific treatment-resistant mental illnesses, the administration wrote in a statement on its website. It means that psilocybin and MDMA can be used therapeutically in a controlled medical setting. Psychedelic mushrooms can be prescribed for treatment-resistant depression in Australia starting July 1. Psychedelic mushrooms can be prescribed for treatment-resistant depression in Australia starting July 1. Australian laws will otherwise continue to classify the substances as Schedule 9 drugs. This mirrors practices in the United States, where psilocybin and MDMA are indexed as Schedule 1 drugs due to a lack of accepted medical use, according to the government. Fridays announcement has been warmly received by many Australian researchers. Stephen Bright, a senior lecturer at Edith Cowan University, told the Guardian that the move will make Australia the first country in the world to officially recognise MDMA and psilocybin as medicines. While some may remain skeptical, approaching MDMA and psilocybin as tools rather than criminal evidence could be an invaluable step. About 13 million Americans had PTSD in 2020, for instance, while 21 million had a major depressive episode. Story continues The safe re-medicalisation of certain historically illicit drugs is a very welcome step away from what has been decades of demonisation, Dr. David Caldicott, a clinical senior lecturer in emergency medicine at the Australian National University, told the Guardian. MDMA, otherwise known as ecstasy or molly, will be medically available for PTSD. MDMA, otherwise known as ecstasy or molly, will be medically available for PTSD. In addition to a clear and evolving therapeutic benefit, it also offers the chance to catch up on the decades of lost opportunity [of] delving into the inner workings of the human mind, abandoned for so long as part of an ill-conceived, ideological war on drugs, he continued. Mike Musker, an enterprise fellow in the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Research and Education Group at the University of South Australia, echoed these remarks. He told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that thousands of people across Australia will benefit from medicinal use. There are many people in the community experiencing PTSD and depression, particularly army veterans and people who have worked in emergency services, where standard psychiatric drugs have not worked and offer no relief, Musker said. If you or someone you know needs help, dial 988 or call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also get support via text by visiting suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources. Related... President Joe Biden spoke with Brazils President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday, a day after right-wing supporters of ousted ex-president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the presidsential palace, Supreme Court and legislative body of Brazil. It was a chaotic scene that lasted for several hours and ended in thousands of arrests; all the while, the similarities to the USs own January 6 attack on Congress were inescapable down to the attendance of a man dressed like the QAnon Shaman. The White House confirmed the call Monday afternoon, and a joint statement from the two American leaders was released moments later. President Biden conveyed the unwavering support of the United States for Brazils democracy and for the free will of the Brazilian people as expressed in Brazils recent presidential election, which President Lula won, read the joint statement. It continued: President Biden condemned the violence and the attack on democratic institutions and on the peaceful transfer of power. The two leaders pledged to work closely together on the issues confronting the United States and Brazil, including climate change, economic development, and peace and security. The statement concluded with news that Mr Lula had accepted an invitation to visit Mr Biden at the White House early next month. The conversation between the two leaders comes as it is speculated that Brazils government may push for the extradition of Mr Bolsonaro, who fled to Florida as his rule ended to avoid legal challenges. Mr Bolsonaro is accused of fomenting the protests that overwhelmed the seat of Brazils civilian government on Sunday even as he remains essentially in exile; it wasnt clear what the exact aim of the attack was, given that Mr Lula was not in the palace at the time, the legislature was not in session, and the transfer of power had occurred a week earlier. The White House earlier in the day confirmed that the US had not yet received an official request for the extradition of Mr Bolsonaro, though that could obviously change if the latter is formally indicted in a Brazilian court. Story continues We have not, as of now, received any official requests from the Brazilian government related to Bolsonaro, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters. Mr Bolsonaro was known to be an ally of former President Donald Trump, making the likenesses to January 6 during Sundays attack all the more obvious. Adding to the issue was Mr Bolsonaros public threats throughout 2021 to potentially refuse to accept the rightful results of his reelection contest should it go in Mr Lulas favour. The leftist new president was previously jailed on corruption charges that were anulled by the nations highest court for due proccess violations; the judge in the case was ruled to have been biased against him by the Supreme Court. Mr Bolsonaro has commented pubicly on the attempt by his supporters to storm the legislature and other government buildings, calling Sundays incident an invasion of public buildings that was not protected by law, even as his supporters decried a supposed dictatorship as they were arrested in droves and hauled out of restricted areas after the riot. - Manifestacoes pacificas, na forma da lei, fazem parte da democracia. Contudo, depredacoes e invasoes de predios publicos como ocorridos no dia de hoje, assim como os praticados pela esquerda em 2013 e 2017, fogem a regra. Jair M. Bolsonaro 22 (@jairbolsonaro) January 9, 2023 The Biden administration swore in its ambassador to Brazil on Monday, where Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the attack after conducting the ceremony. Well, lets be clear. This was an obvious and clear attack on a democratic process. And we condemn it, she said. Of course, I will also say that as Ive said to the ambassador, Ambassador Bagley, Im very confident in her ability to represent the United States and to extend to President Lula all that we need in terms of the work that we will do together as allies on some of the most important issues facing our world. So were very much looking forward to her leadership and to work with President Lula, added the vice president. The swift reaction by Brazils law enforcement to round up the rioters (with some notable exceptions of officers who appeared to be aiding the crowd) came as a sharp contrast to the months- and now years-long effort by the US Department of Justice to bring individual participants in January 6 into custody. Many Democrats who were shocked by the inability of law enforcement to get the attack on Congress under control pointed to the scene in Brasilia as an example of members of law enforcement doing their jobs properly. Oh, theyre arresting and rounding up the rioters on the day itself and not letting them disappear back to their towns and homes? What a novel idea. https://t.co/GzKS6hnzQp Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) January 9, 2023 Some analysts have predicted that Mr Bolsonaro will now face legal charges stemming from his own effort to foment a violent movement of election deniers within Brazil; more than 250 roadblocks were set up around the country by irate Bolsonaro supporters in the weeks and months following the 30 October election. m Many of the demonstrators hope the military will seize power from Mr Lula on their behalf, but the Biden administration has sought to cool those fears with repeated statements of support for Mr Lulas government which inherently suggest that they would view a seizure of power on behalf of Mr Bolsonaro or the right wing as a coup. Joe Biden heads to El Paso, Texas today as his administration faces important questions about how to address the ongoing tide of thousands of Central- and South Americans hoping to seek asylum in the US every month. The presidents voyage marks his first trip to the US-Mexico border as president and comes specifically as his administration is fighting in the courts to end Title 42, a controversial public health protocol used by both the Trump administration and now his own as legal justification for turning migrants away at the border. His administration just recently expanded that authority to create a new guideline authorising US Customs and Border Protection to turn away migrants from several countries; in October of 2022 the system was invoked to turn away all Venezuelan migrants encountered at the border, with administration officials citing a massive surge of both individuals and families originating from the South American country. Then last week Mr Bidens team expanded the policy, stating that it would now affect all asylum applicants from Haiti, Cuba and Nicaragua as well. In each case, a new pathway has been established for migrants with sponsors to apply and be admitted. But even with the expanded legal authority his administration wields thanks to Covid-19, Mr Bidens team faces criticism for the general continued trend of thousands of migrants crossing the border illegally every month. Many who are encountered by US Customs and Border Protection are processed at holding facilities and deported while others are released; according to CBP statistics, nearly a quarter of a million people were encountered by agents in September, the most recent month for such data. Tens of thousands were expelled immediately and continue to be expelled every month. Driving the issue are several factors, including Americas long-neglected immigration law framework that lawmakers have tried and failed countless times to reform. Economic conditions, political instability and violence caused by organised crime across Central and South America also continue to be major drivers of northward migration. Story continues Vice President Kamala Harris was appointed by Mr Biden to lead his administrations efforts to address those factors, but the efforts of the White House have yet to achieve meaningful results. Meanwhile, red state leaders like Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas continue to protest the Democrats supposed inaction and have organised bus caravans of recently-arrived migrants to cities with Democratic leadership in an attempt to keep media attention focused on the issue. The prospect of passing any immigration reform through Congress currently looks dimmer than ever, thanks to a new slim Republican majority in the House largely expected to be beholden to its most conservative members. It isnt clear what, if anything, the Biden administration plans or even could do to blunt the trend short of reversing course and embracing the policies put in place by the Trump administration to control migration that were loudly denounced as inhumane and were of questionable effectiveness when it came to actually dissuading people from migrating north. According to the White House, the president plans to assess border enforcement operations and meet with local officials who have been important partners in managing the historic number of migrants fleeing political oppression and gang violence in Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Cuba, a clear nod to the four countries impacted by his Title 42 expansion. He told reporters this past week that he was hoping to wait for a final decision on the fate of Title 42 before visiting; the Supreme Court ordered that it remain in place last month but the legal battle over the policy continues. I wanted to make sure that I knew what the outcome was, at least the near outcome was, on Title 42, before I went down, Biden said, while acknowledging that such a plan was no longer feasible. I dont like Title 42. But its the law now, and I have to operate within it. Republicans, meanwhile, blasted Mr Bidens trip as nothing more than a photo op in an official statement from the RNC. Ronna McDaniel, GOP chairwoman, is conducting her own counter-visit to the border at the same time the president will be there. Following Sundays trip to the border, Mr Biden is set to fly to Mexico City for attendance of the North American Leaders Summit and bilateral meetings with the leaders of both Mexico and Canada. FILE PHOTO: Equinor's flag flutters next to the company's headqurters in Stavanger By Rod Nickel WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) -A Canadian offshore oil regulator said on Friday it has licensed a significant discovery by Equinor ASA off the country's Atlantic coast, the first such license it has issued in two years. Global oil companies are pumping billions of dollars into offshore drilling that yields profits at lower prices than some onshore production, although they are expensive to build. They can generate fewer emissions per barrel due to their massive scale, but they do still add to overall air pollution. Canada's Atlantic coast attracted extra attention as oil prices climbed last year, and Norway's Equinor is close to a final decision on building its Bay du Nord project offshore of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) said the latest Cappahayden K-67 discovery has an estimated 385 million barrels of recoverable oil, approximately 500 kilometres east of St.John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Bay du Nord has 500 million barrels of recoverable oil. Equinor is evaluating how much of Cappahayden's oil it can recover economically and technically, said spokesperson Alex Collins. The company has eight significant discovery licenses for offshore Canada. Companies that explore must apply for a significant discovery licence once they discover oil and gas to preserve their rights to exclusively produce in that area, according to the C-NLOPB. Once a company is ready to produce oil or gas it must ask the regulator for a commercial discovery declaration. Equinor owns 60% of the discovery, and BP PLC owns the remaining 40%, according to the licence. (Reporting by Rod Nickel in WinnipegEditing by Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio) Chase Doak via Reuters Pentagon officials told several news outlets that a Chinese spy balloon hovering over Montana this week had a flight path that took it over several sensitive U.S. military sitesbut pushed back on the idea that the device was of much value to the country in terms of additional intelligence it could gather. We are taking all necessary steps to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information, a defense official told NBC News. It does not create significant value added over and above what the PRC is likely able to collect through things like satellites in low Earth orbit, another senior official told CNN. The balloon snuck into the U.S. through Canada and was spotted near Billings Thursday. It remains unclear what sensitive sites the balloon may have been targetingthough the state is home to Malmstrom Air Force Base, which houses at least 150 nuclear missile silos. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who was in the Philippines when news of the device broke, called a meeting Wednesday with senior military and defense leaders, who ultimately decided not to shoot down the balloon. Pentagon officials reportedly presented Biden with an option to destroy it, however, they advised against it over fears that civilians may be injured or even killed by falling debris. News of the spy balloon also comes just days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to become the Biden Administrations first cabinet secretary to visit China, setting up a tense two-day visit that will test the two countries icy relationship. Many lawmakers expressed outrage over the situation, calling for more action from the White House and more information to be shared with the public. Newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said he would demand a so-called Gang of Eight meeting, which includes a national security briefing for congressional leaders and leading members of the intelligence committees in both chambers. Chinas brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed, and President Biden cannot be silent. I am requesting a Gang of Eight briefing. https://t.co/KarTCUzbOS Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) February 3, 2023 The angry response crossed partisan lines as well, with both parties leaders on the House Select Committee on ChinaReps. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL)calling the act a violation of American sovereignty and demanding in a joint statement that the Biden Administration must act to counter this threat. Story continues It was also revealed Thursday that China has flown balloons like this before over U.S. airspace. Officials confirmed to several news outlets that a number of similar incidents have happened in recent years, though this one has lasted longer than is typical. In fact, at least two other surveillance balloons were spotted previously over Hawaii and Guam, according to an anonymous intelligence official who spoke with The Washington Post. 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. Punxsutawney Phil, the forecasting groundhog, emerged Thursday and saw his shadow, confirming winter will last for another six weeks. The Groundhog Day prediction is coming in full force as the strongest surge of cold weather this winter will blow through the Northeast, including New Hampshire and Maine. The National Weather Service is tracking an Arctic air front set to hit New Hampshire and Maine late Thursday and last through Saturday, bringing temperatures below zero and wind chill temperatures 20 to 40 below zero locally. The extreme cold front has prompted local and state officials, medical experts and housing leaders to sound the alarm on dangers the frigid temperatures will bring. A woman bundled in a long coat pushes her shopping basket a long High Street in Somersworth Feb. 2, 2023, ahead of the arrival of extreme cold weather expected Friday and Saturday. Gov. Sununu: 'No one is going to be immune' Gov. Chris Sununu, flanked by emergency officials and weather experts at Thursday press conference in Concord, urged citizens to prepare for the cold, stay indoors this weekend and check on neighbors. This is going to be a cold weather crisis from Seabrook to Colebrook, Sununu said. Understand that no one is going to be immune, I think, for whats coming down. Based in Gray, Maine, National Weather Service meteorologist Jerry Combs said in New Hampshire and Maine the coldest period will be from Friday night into Saturday morning. Jay Broccolo, director of weather operations for the Mount Washington Observatory, said winds at the tallest peak in the Northeast are expected to reach between 70 and 90 mph, and could hit triple digits. High amounts of blowing snow and poor visibility on the mountain, coupled with the weekends gnarly forecast, make the days ahead a dire situation, he said. The reason why this is so noteworthy to us is because it takes a very small mistake to then pass a cascade of poor decision making and failures above tree line, which can ultimately lead to death, he said. It has happened many times before above tree line, but it can really only take you taking a glove off, then within a minute your fingers are almost unable to move because your body has pulled the blood away from your fingers. Story continues Heading in a northwest to southeast direction and currently around Ontario and the Great Lakes, the Arctic air should hit communities from Nova Scotia to Cape Cod by Friday morning, according to Combs. What are details of forecast in Seacoast NH and southern York County, Maine? Seacoast, Strafford County and southern Maine area cities and towns are expected to see temperatures drop over the course of Friday. Combs said during the Friday morning commute, temperatures will be in the single digits to low teens, with wind chill temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Previous forecast:Arctic air to hit Seacoast NH, southern Maine: Record cold temps 'not out of the question' Temperatures will fall through the day and winds will start picking up (Thursday night) and into (Friday) and into Saturday, he said. Its going to start going downhill pretty quickly once that front crosses through. By early Friday evening, temperatures around the region are likely to be at or below zero, with wind chills dropping them to the -20s and -30s. Later in the night and moving into Saturday morning, wind chills could drop to the -40s. Sunset to sunrise Friday night into Saturday morning is the worst conditions we have, Combs said. As a cold snap heads toward the Seacoast people are concerned with having enough home heating fuel to make it through. P. Gagnon and Son oil delivery driver Greg Holden makes a stop at a home in South Berwick, Maine, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. Temperatures will be even colder in northern communities, as in mountainous locations and closer to the Canadian border, Combs said wind chill temperatures could dip as far as the -50s and -60s. Wind gusts in the local area are expected to last Thursday evening through early Saturday before dying off, with Combs predicting gusts could stay between 30 and 35 mph and potentially blow up to 40 mph. By Sunday, according to Combs, temperatures in the Seacoast, Strafford County and southern Maine could jump back up to the low 40s. Very, very potent cold snap here, but the silver lining is that it should be short lived, he said. Power outages in cold a major concern Sununu said power outages across the Granite State are anticipated, the latest after a string of winter storms in recent days left tens of thousands of residents without power for prolonged periods. New Hampshire power outages:Track outages in your area Maine power outages:Track outages in your area Were tough and we're resilient about our weather, but that comes because were always prepared, and we just want folks to appreciate the intensity of the weather were going to get so we can be prepared and come through it on the other side safely, he said. Residents are urged to stay indoors during 'life-threatening' cold snap The National Weather Service and New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management are encouraging people to stay indoors on Friday and Saturday, as just a short time outside could lead to frostbite or hypothermia. Gov. Chris Sununu warns the public about extreme cold weather coming Friday and Saturday during a news conference Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023 in Concord. Avoid any outdoor activities on Friday and Saturday! New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management wrote on social media. Cold temperatures paired with the wind chill factor could lead to potentially life-threatening conditions outdoors. If youre traveling, bring a winter emergency kit and inform others of your plans. What are the signs of frostbite and hypothermia? Dr. Lukas Kolm, director of emergency medicine at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, said he hasnt seen projections for such severe cold since he was training to become a doctor in inner city Chicago. These are not your day-to-day temperatures so don't treat them like they are, he advised. Say, I can ride this out for two days. With the Arctic blast soon to hit, however, Kolm offered suggestions for how to avoid frostbite or hypothermia. Frostbite, an extreme cold-induced injury to the body, causes a lack of color of feeling in affected areas. The Centers for Disease Control reports frostbite predominantly impacts the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers or toes. Initial signs of frostbite, such as numbness and a tingling needles sensation, are technically frostnip, said Kolm. When the skin takes on a color change, first to patchy, waxy-esque shades of red and white, is what should be an indicator of frostbite. Long exposure to cold temperatures can lead to the skin changing to a dusky form of blue and gray, he added. Frostbite can then result in a full burning feeling. When you get into deep frostbite and it gets into all tissue layers, you lose sensation, Kolm said, adding frostbite can cause people to lose function and become foggy. Hypothermia, according to the CDC, is when a persons body temperature becomes abnormally low due to stored energy being used up during elongated exposure to extreme cold. How to stay safe outside Hypothermia and frostbite can be prevented by not spending too much time outdoors during intense cold waves. Those who go outside are reminded to layer and wear loose-fitting clothing and shoes while avoiding anything tightly-fitted and wet. Anybody experiencing hypothermia should avoid attempting to rapidly rewarm and instead should try to boost their body temperature gradually. Hopefully people are paying attention and they dont get stuck in a situation that can be avoided, Kolm said. More safety tips:How to stay safe when record cold temperatures hit New England Dover Fire Chief Michael McShane urged residents to watch out for signs such as: Shivering, exhaustion or the feeling of being very tired, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness. Its important to be aware of the dangers these cold temperatures can bring and to take the necessary steps to stay safe, he said. Never leave a child or pet unattended in a car in the cold, and if you can, stay inside to avoid the cold and wind chill. If you must go outside, make sure you are dressed appropriately and cover your hands and face. Warming centers open in Seacoast NH, Strafford County and southern Maine Local and state officials are reminding the public of warming centers that will be open during the cold snap. The Willand Emergency Warming Center of Strafford County, located at 30 Willand Drive in Somersworth, will be open at least Tuesday through Saturday, Feb. 4, with hours of operation each day 5 p.m. until 9 a.m. It will remain open during the day on Saturday, too, and may remain open longer during the day on Sunday as well, according to information posted on its Facebook page. The center is walk-in only and reservations are not required. Meal donations will be needed to support the center this week. Cross Roads House in Portsmouth is serving as the official warming center for Rockingham County this winter. It is slated to be open 600 Lafayette Road Saturday from 7 p.m. until 8 a.m. each day. Cross Roads House director of development and communications Alissa Gumprecht said the warming center has yet to fill every bed each night since opening on Dec. 1 and will never turn anybody away. If we run out of cots, we would still bring someone in from the cold and give them shelter, she said. It may be that they are given a chair for the night to sit or sleep in, but our mission is to ensure everyones safety during the severe winter weather. Next door to Cross Roads House is the eight-bed warming center at Operation Blessing, which is open through this Saturday from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. each day. Numerous warming centers and shelters throughout New Hampshire and in southern Maine are open to assist the homeless population during the cold snap. Dave Dagenais, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital's senior director of plant operations and clinical engineering, said the hospital will provide transportation to a nearby warming center for anyone who comes to the hospital looking for shelter from the cold. Dageneis encouraged the public to be proactive and not wait until the last minute should they need medical attention or temporary lodging. By no means, were not going to turn anyone away, but if people need warming, they should go to those warming centers that are designed for that, he said. The following is a list of warming centers and shelters in New Hampshire and southern Maine that will be open for people to escape the cold with information provided by the governor's office in New Hampshire: New Hampshire Southwestern Community Services: 96 Main Street, Claremont, NH Salvation Army McKenna House: 100 S Fruit Street, Concord, NH My Friends Place: 368 Washington Street, Dover, NH Seacoast Family Promise: 27 Hampton Road, Exeter, NH New Generation: 568 Portsmouth Ave, Greenland, NH Hundred Nights, Inc: 17 Lamson Street, Keene, NH Southwestern Community Services: 63 Community Way, Keene, NH Salvation Army Carey House (Laconia): 6 Spring Street, Laconia, NH Tyler Blain House: 56 Prospect Street, Lancaster, NH Burch House: 25 Mountain Brook Cir, Lincoln, NH Families in Transition New Horizons: 122 Market Street, Manchester, NH Angies Place: 434 Union Street, Manchester, NH Families in Transition: 136 Lowell Street, Manchester, NH Helping Hands Outreach: 50 Lowell Street, Manchester, NH Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter: 2 Quincy Street, Nashua, NH Bridge House: 260 Highland Street, Plymouth, NH 03264 Friends Emergency Housing: 130 Pembroke Rd, Suite 200, Concord, NH 03301 Southern Maine York Village Fire Station Warming Center: 1 Firehouse Drive, York, ME York Beach Fire Department Warming Center: 18 Railroad Ave, York Beach, ME Sanford Memorial Gym Warming Center: 678 Main Street, Sanford, ME This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Dangerous extreme cold weather to hit Seacoast NH, Maine Booker reintroduced the Justice for Black Farmers Act, which aims to protect current Black farmers and pave the way for future Black growers. Ting Shen / Bloomberg via Getty Images In 1920, nearly 1 million Black farmers existed in the U.S., making up about 14% of the national farming community. Today, less than 2% remain. But Sen. Cory Booker from New Jersey hopes to change all that with the Black Farmers Act of 2023. The legislation, a press release explained, will tackle discriminatory practices within the USDA while aiming to protect current Black farmers and pave the way for future Black growers. The act was first introduced in 2020 by Booker and later introduced again in 2021. Unfortunately, both bills did not get implemented. The legislation is likely to become a part of the 2023 Farm Bill, according to TriplePundit, which is up for negotiation this year. (The Farm Bill is a patchwork of policies that impacts all aspects of the food that lands on our plates. The Black Farmers Act of 2023 will likely represent a massive piece of the racial equity work that desperately needs addressing.) :USDA Encourages Farmers to Go Organic with $300 Million Initiative Booker shared in a press release, There is a direct connection between discriminatory USDA policies and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century. To combat this, The Black Farmers Act of 2023 contains seven priorities: end discrimination in the USDA, a federal department that has been sued for racial discrimination, predatory lending, and other unfair practices; protect Black farmers from land loss; restore land base lost by Black farmers; create a Farm Conservation Corps; empower nonprofits who serve Black farmers; assist all socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers; and enact widespread system reform. The Oklahoma Black Historical Research Project, Inc (OBHRPI) shared with Food & Wine, it endorsed the Black Farmers Act of 2021, as it is entirely too familiar with racist actions toward Black farmers. As an advocate for Black farms and through all of the discrimination and things that have happened to Black farmers, this was what I thought was going to be an equitable way to help farmers sustain equity and sustainability on their farms, as well as a pathway to the future for them in farming, Willard Tillman, executive director at OBHRPI, said. While there is still a long road ahead for achieving justice for Black farmers, the committee supporting the legislation remains hopeful. Senator Booker will be joined by lawmakers Kirsten Gillibrand, Tina Smith, Reverend Raphael Warnock, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Richard Blumenthal on the act. Senator Booker added, I am proud to reintroduce this landmark legislation alongside my colleagues as we work to right these wrongs and empower a new generation of Black farmers. The Portland Loo's design aims to deter drug use, prostitution and vandalism sometimes associated with public restrooms. Leer en espanol Phoenix is moving forward with plans to open a new shelter at 22nd Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road after a list of potential operators was approved by the City Council last week. Though the initial goal was to open the shelter by June 1 before the summer heat ramps up the opening will now be delayed by at least two months because the soil needs to be stabilized for construction, said Rachel Milne, the director of Phoenix's Office of Homeless Solutions. "Im hopeful for something earlier than the end of the summer," she said. The shelter plans propose sleeping space for almost 280 people in congregate and non-congregate spaces, RV parking, shaded outdoor areas, storage and laundry. It will be a closed shelter, meaning there will be no walk-up services. Instead, Phoenix's homelessness outreach teams will invite people to the shelter and transport them there. Priority at the new shelter will be for people experiencing homelessness in the site's surrounding area and individuals in an encampment near the Arizona governmental mall. Phoenix City Council:City OKs spending $25M to more quickly address homelessness In an attempt to remove some of the barriers people face when seeking shelter, the site will allow pets and include spaces for couples, said Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari. Milne said that the new facility will offer about one-third of the 800 shelter beds the city plans to add over the next two years. People staying at the shelter will be supported by case managers in finding permanent housing, she said. The Office of Homeless Solutions is selecting the site's operator from the list of qualified vendors approved by the council on Jan. 25. Job opportunities for shelter residents The shelter will offer immediate work opportunities for people staying there, according to the city. The jobs will be organized by St. Vincent de Paul's Neighborhood Brigade Program. People staying at the shelter will have the opportunity to work up to 15 hours per week, making $18 an hour, according to Jessica Berg, the chief program officer for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Phoenix. Story continues 'Nowhere for us to go':Stories of homelessness in metro Phoenix come to light in annual count St. Vincent de Paul already operates employment programs at its Ozanam Manor transitional shelter, off South Central Avenue just south of Interstate 17, and its Washington Street shelter north of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The work will beautify the shelter's neighborhood, making it a more dignified space, a cleaner space, Berg said. This could include picking up trash. According to Berg, it's an attempt to combat the stereotype that homelessness creates blight. "We have these uniformed brigade members who are really helping to dispel those myths," Berg said. Over time, Berg hopes to ramp up the program to offer more types of work and increased hours. St. Vincent de Paul will also provide workforce navigation services at the shelter to help people living there seek longer-term employment, Berg said. Providing immediate work opportunities was a requirement of the $7 million Phoenix received for the shelter from the Arizona Department of Housing as part of its Homeless Service Grant Pilot Program. Additional funding for the shelter came from the American Rescue Plan Act, which will fund site construction and operational expenses through 2024.+ The Portland Loo's design aims to deter drug use, prostitution and vandalism sometimes associated with public restrooms. Piloting a single-stall, $135,000 bathroom The plans for the shelter include a pilot of the Portland Loo, a stand-alone bathroom conceived in part by officials in Portland, Oregon. It's an effort to address the need for more public restrooms, Milne said. The Portland Loo's design also aims to deter drug use, prostitution and vandalism sometimes associated with public restrooms. House fire:Community rallying to help Apache Junction man after his house burned down Phoenix currently funds staffing to maintain 24/7 restrooms at the Human Services Campus at South 12th Avenue and West Madison Street and rents 13 port-a-potties by the shelter at Ninth Avenue and Jackson Street. Graffiti is an issue" for the port-a-potties, Milne said. A few of them have been lit on fire. You name it; its happened down at those port-a-potties. With a base price tag of $135,000, the sewer-plumbed Portland Loo is a more expensive option than temporary toilets. But Milne said it is intended to address issues Phoenix has faced with port-a-potties and other public restrooms in high-density, high-trafficked areas. Residents and the city are often concerned about potential crime and drug use occurring in public restrooms, said Ansari. The Portland Loo's design aims to deter drug use, prostitution and vandalism sometimes associated with public restrooms. According to the Portland Loo website, the bathroom has slats on the top and bottom that allow passersby to see if there are multiple people inside. It also has blue lighting to "prevent drug users from locating veins," and its steel wall panels are marketed as easy to clean. Its almost indestructible, so it really helps to keep people from tampering with some of the plumbing and that type of thing," Milne said. If the Portland Loo withstands the summer heat and proves simple to maintain, Milne said, shed like to see more placed in our high-trafficked areas, especially where theres people experiencing homelessness." Madeleine Parrish covers equity issues for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at mparrish@arizonarepublic.com and follow her on Twitter @maddieparrish61. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Delayed Phoenix shelter will offer jobs, $135K single-stall bathroom ENTERPRISE Addressing mental health issues and stopping fentanyl coming into the state are among the issues that Nathaniel Ledbetter, speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, wants to see tackled when the next legislative session begins. Ledbetter, of Rainsville, as keynote speaker at the Wiregrass Republican Women meeting in Enterprise Thursday, talked about strides the state is making in the area of mental health. In the 2020 legislative session, Gov. Kay Ivey prioritized establishing a metal health crisis continuum of care, with efforts in the Alabama Legislature led by Ledbetter. When he was asked by the governor to work with mental health issues in the state, Ledbetter told his staff that he believed they were being called by an entity higher than the governor. I think God puts you where he wants you to be when he wants you to be there, and he expects you to do what he asks you to do. Our economy is great, but we are failing our people miserably when it comes to mental health, he said, adding that 140 paid mental health counselors in schools and increasing awareness of mental issues through training for law enforcers are among the achievements to date. Crisis care centers have been opened because of an $18 million appropriation in the FY 2021 General Fund budget. The crisis care centers are a designated place for communities, law enforcement, first responders, and hospitals to take an individual who is in mental health crisis. The crisis care centers will include both walk-in access for individuals, including short-term admission, medication, and case management. Weve changed our mental health focus, Ledbetter said. For the first time in a long time, Alabama is no longer following when it comes to mental health, we are leading the charge. One of the things were going to have to address in the next legislative session is the fentanyl problem, Ledbetter said, adding that a bill on that issue has already been filed. Were going to send a message out quickly that if you bring fentanyl into Alabama, youre going to spend a lot of time in jail. Public education and workforce development are also priorities, Ledbetter said. We made some progress last session and weve got to continue to do that. We have to work on starting our workforce development at a younger age. Another issue to be tackled by legislators is the making the adoption process less complex. Weve got 5,000 babies in our state waiting for a home, he said. It breaks my heart. We need to do better. We are going to streamline the adoption process. Weve got a lot of good things going in the state. Alabama ranks No. 1 in producing commercial airlines, No. 2 in producing automobiles and we are in the top five of ship building. If I were to ask you 10 years ago if any of that was possible in our state, youd probably have said no but thats where we are today. Im telling you, its because of Republican leadership. Just in the last two months, its been reported that Alabama has the most conservative legislature in the United States. I think thats why weve had this success. Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley listens to discussion regarding the cost of providing broadband services to a low-income school children in a rural community, during a Senate distance learning hearing, Wednesday, May 13, 2020, at the Capitol in Jackson. Mississippi's highest elected Democratic state official, who happens to be a distant cousin of Elvis, is throwing his hat in the ring for what is likely to be a contentious gubernatorial race. Brandon Presley, northern district public service commissioner and former mayor of Nettleton, announced Thursday via Twitter that he is running for governor, calling out Republican incumbent Tate Reeves specifically. Weve got a state filled with good people, but horrible politicians. Tate Reeves is a man with zero conviction and maximum corruption. He looks out for himself and his rich friends instead of the people that put him into office," Presley said in his announcement. A spokesperson for Gov. Tate Reeves declined to comment, instead pointing to a statement released by Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Frank Bordeaux on Twitter, comparing Presley to former Attorney General Jim Hood. "Liberal Democrat Brandon Presley has announced that he is going to try and give the Democrats control of Mississippi by running for Governor. JV Jim Hood (but more liberal.) Its up to the voters to decide whether they want to turn Mississippi blue," Bordeaux said. "Governor Tate Reeves has done an exceptional job leading the state through unprecedented times. Today, as a result of his leadership, we have more jobs, higher pay, stronger schools, and conservative wins that we can be proud of. He always has opponents, but he always wins!" Interesting bills in the MS legislature:See the most interesting bills proposed for the 2023 Mississippi legislative session Impact of the water crisis:The last days of Barrelhouse Restaurant. Fans waited for hours for one last meal Election official convicted:Hinds County election commissioner pleads guilty to embezzlement and defrauding Reeves did address potential opponents when he qualified for the race last week. The incumbent also faces a potential challenge from within his own party, as his 2019 primary opponent Bill Waller Jr. is reportedly seriously considering a run, as is Secretary of State Michael Watson. Story continues "The great thing about America is that anybody can run for anything they want to run for," Reeves said. "I wish whomever who chooses to take that path, we will get to spend a lot of time talking about my record. It's a record I am proud of. This is going to be a good year and I am looking forward to it." Presley, who describes himself as a "Populist, FDR-Billy McCoy Democrat," has served on the Public Service Commission since 2008. As a high-ranking Democrat, Presley has faced calls over the years to run for higher office but has not done so until now. Known for working across the aisle he even endorsed Republican George W. Bush for president in 2004 as Mayor, Presley cut taxes and balanced the city's budget. During his time on the commission, to which he has been reelected three times, Presley has pushed for expansion of rural broadband access and advocated for workers. "We can build a Mississippi where we fight corruption, not embrace it. Where we cut taxes, lower the cost of healthcare and create good jobs. A Mississippi where we finally focus on the future, not the past, Presley said. Presley, who was raised by a single mother and lives in the same Nettleton house she raised him in, is a distant cousin of Rock and Roll legend Elvis. In August, Presley held a high-end fundraiser in Elvis' hometown of Tupelo. According to reporting from the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, attendees included former Attorney General Hood and at least one person who was a significant donor to Reeves' 2019 campaign. Qualifying remains open until Feb. 1, with eyes on the likes of Waller and Watson to see what the race will ultimately look like. Candidates file with their respective political parties, so Republican challengers to Reeves would file with the state GOP while anyone seeking to run in a primary against Presley would register with the Democrats. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Democrat Brandon Presley makes it official. He is running for governor Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp TKM Auto OU, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp AS, has signed a letter of intent with the public limited company Auto 100 according to which the subsidiary company KIA Auto UAB will become the retailer of Skoda in Lithuania in addition to KIA vehicles. The Group holds the retail rights of Skoda in Latvia since 2019. As of 2023, AS Auto 100 is the official importer of Skoda in addition to Estonia and Latvia also in Lithuania. This year, the plan is to open a sales and service centre for Skoda on suitable rental premises. By the beginning of 2025 at the latest, the plan is to open a new sales and service center for Skoda and KIA on the property owned by UAB TKM Lietuva, a subsidiary of Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp AS, and located at Ukmerges gatve 286, Vilnius. The aim of Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp AS is to expand in the field of car trade, which has been one of the strategic segments of the Groups business activities since 2007. The Groups car trade segment is the importer of KIA in the Baltic countries with an independent dealer network and the companies operating in car retail and service in two showrooms in Tallinn, two in Riga, and one in Vilnius. In addition to KIA, several other car brands are available, such as Peugeot and Cadillac in Estonia and Latvia and Skoda in Latvia. The unaudited sales revenue of the Groups car trade segment was 146.8 million euros in 2022. Raul Puusepp Chairman of the Executive Board Tel 731 5000 A few days before Christmas, the current Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, offered an apology on behalf of the Dutch government for more than two centuries of Dutch slavery. His remarks, given at the National Archives in the Hague, where I am living this year, acknowledged his countrys role in abetting and profiting from centuries of slave trading. The Netherlands was directly responsible for the transport of an estimated 600,000 human beings over the Atlantic Ocean, mostly to Suriname, which is on the northern coast of South America. Through the East India Company, the Netherlands also traded human beings in Indonesia, India and South Africa. Rutte noted that the National Archives are the home of our national memory and that the history of slavery, preserved in millions of historical documents, is often ugly, painful, and even downright shameful. Douglas Brouwer The other countries, in addition to the Netherlands, which profited from the slave trade, include Portugal, Spain, Britain, France, and Denmark. Listening to friends, neighbors, and church members talk about this apology has been instructive, not least because of what has been happening recently in my own country, which continues to resist the subject of slavery and its own role in the Atlantic slave trade, which brought more than 12 million Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas. Most of the Dutch people I have spoken to had favorable reactions to the Prime Ministers words, but overall, from what I read, the reaction has been mixed. Some thought Rutte should have waited a few months and made his speech on the 160th anniversary of the abolition of slavery. Others thought the apology should have come not from the prime minister, but from the king. Still others believe that apologies without talk of reparations are incomplete at best. Rutte acknowledged that no one alive now is personally to blame for slavery and that people of today could not easily take meaningful responsibility for something that happened so long ago. But he made clear that slavery is not behind us and that centuries of oppression still affect us today, listing discriminatory exclusion, social inequality, and racist stereotypes. Story continues Rutte, to his credit, spoke personally and described his own change of heart about apologizing for his countrys role in the slave trade. His change, remarkably, was spurred by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020. In a news conference at the time, he said he found Floyds death unacceptable, and he began speaking with groups in the Netherlands about persistent racism here. Government apologies for slavery (or anything else) are rare. The U.S. House of Representatives offered an apology in 2008 for enslaving African Americans and for the Jim Crow laws that followed abolition. In 2018 Denmark apologized to Ghana for the Danish role in the slave trade. During a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo last summer, the king of Belgium expressed his deepest regrets for these wounds of the past, though he stopped short of an actual apology. Over the months I have lived here, I have sensed a growing coming to terms with the past. For example, during a tour of the Mauritshuis Museum in the Hague, where Vermeers famous painting The Girl with the Pearl Earring can be found, our guide made clear at the start that Johann Maurits, whose vast collection also includes paintings by Vermeer and Rembrandt, among others, made most of his money from the slave trade in Brazil. Exactly how much money Maurits earned because of his slave trading is impossible to estimate, but he spent far more on his various palaces than his annual salary in Brazil would have allowed. This historical reckoning during a museum tour is new and indicates that, in what is at least a beginning, the Netherlands is beginning to acknowledge its role in what Rutte called a shameful past. I now serve a church in the Netherlands with members from Suriname, Indonesia, and South Africa, all nations where the Dutch slave trade once flourished. These members are keenly aware of Dutch history and its impact on their home countries. They know the history better, in many ways, than other citizens of this country. They have endured its impact, and they continue to live with its legacy. They are not eager, generally speaking, to discuss the prime ministers apology. Instead, they are curious about what happens next. What seems hopeful to me is that these conversations are beginning to happen. They are not easy. They will take some time. But they are happening. In my own country we do not talk about our history because are afraid of making school children uncomfortable. I would be grateful if Americans could at least have the conversation. Douglas Brouwer is a resident of Park Township, except for the 2022-2023 school year, when he is living and working in the Hague. This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Douglas Brouwer: The Dutch prime minister apologized The site of a previously unknown Underground Railroad station in Erie will be commemorated by a new state historical marker, thanks to a retired Erie engineer. The Erie station was operated by freed Black woman Emma Howell and husband James Ford, who twice escaped slavery, at their East 12th and Parade Street home two centuries ago. Their story was uncovered by Kevin Johnson, who saw a mention of the station in a footnote. Kevin Johnson, 61, stands on the northeast corner of East 12th and Parade streets, where a state historical marker will commemorate the site of Erie's earliest known Underground Railroad station. The marker is planned for the grassy patch at left. Johnson led research finding the 45-acre property of Emma Howell and her husband James Ford, with a tavern and boarding house near their home, operated the station from about 1811 to 1836. "I don't claim to be an historian," said Johnson, 61, who has a degree in math from Ohio State University and a master's degree in engineering from Gannon University. He worked as a mechanical engineer at GE Transportation in Erie and at Navistar in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and returned to Erie in 2011. He researched Ford Station with help from his wife and a few friends. "We just accumulated this information and wanted to get it out and fill in some holes in early Erie history," Johnson said. Connecting the dots to forgotten history The Underground Railroad was a network of activists who sheltered escaped slaves from the South and guided them to freedom, mainly in Canada, from the late 1700s through the Civil War. Johnson was reading a book on the Underground Railroad when he saw the footnote about a woman whose parents had conducted escapees to freedom from an Erie station. It sparked a years-long search to uncover and verify the story. "I'd always heard that Erie was a major hub for the Underground Railroad, and so every once in a while I'd look at books on the Underground Railroad to see if I could find any information on Erie's involvement," Johnson said. "But I was never able to, until one day in 2011, I saw a footnote in a book by Wilbur Siebert about a woman who said her parents had operated an Erie station." The footnote in Siebert's "The Underground Railroad From Slavery to Freedom: A Comprehensive History" referenced 1863 testimony to the American Freedmen's Inquiry Commission by Amy Martin, who said that her father's name was James Ford. "When we were in Erie, we moved a little way out of the village, and our house was ... a station of the U.G.R.R.," Martin said. Story continues Johnson began a meticulous search of property records, early Erie newspapers, the National Archives, Erie County Historical Society archives, Blasco Library Heritage Room collections and other records to piece the story together. "It was about connecting the dots I had to work with and answering each question that arose," Johnson said. "The first dot was that footnote. The next was, was there a Black man in Erie named James Ford?" Johnson kept connecting the dots and last year applied for a Pennsylvania Historical Marker for the site. The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission approved the application in December. Emma Howell and James Ford Emma Howell, her mother and sister came to Erie with their enslaver, John Grubb, in 1795. Grubb was part of a team authorized by the state to survey newly-acquired land in what today is Erie County. Slavery was then still legal in Pennsylvania although a 1780 state law required its gradual abolition. In 1800, Howell gave birth to William Bladen, the son of Boe Bladen, an enslaved man working with the survey team. William Bladen is believed to be the first Black person born in Erie. Howell was sold in 1803 to William Wallace, lawyer for the Pennsylvania Population Land Company, which sold the tracts of land laid out by the survey team. Wallace bought more than 15,000 acres of property throughout Erie County. He gave 45 acres in Erie and what was then Millcreek Township to Howell when he freed her in 1811. "Emma Howell owned property from Ninth Street to 15th street on the east side of Parade Street, and from Ninth Street to 12th Street on the west side of Parade," Johnson said. "At that time, the land on the east side of Parade Street was in Millcreek Township. "Emma Howell was the first Black woman to own land in Erie and in Millcreek." "Black Emmy," as she was known, according to an 1874 Erie Gazette column remembering Erie's early days, also is believed to have been the matriarch of Erie's first Black family and the first Black person to address what then was Erie Borough Council, in 1822, when she successfully lobbied for repairs to a bridge near her home. James Ford escaped from slavery but was captured by Native Americans during Anthony Wayne's 1794 campaign against the tribes. He was sold to a British Indian agent in Canada, escaped again and made his way to Erie, according to Ford's 1838 obituary in an abolitionist newspaper. Ford and Howell married, built a log home on 10th Street and later built a home at East 12th and Parade streets. "It was a boarding house for African-Americans and also served as the first tavern for African-Americans in Erie," Johnson said. "It was a place where Black people in the city could safely congregate. "And the Underground Railroad station was there, and on Howell's whole 45 acres, from 1811 to 1836." The routes to Canada from Ford Station Emma Howell's land provided easy access to Lake Erie. "From an 1816 map of Erie, the first route would be to go down Four Mile Creek to its mouth, where Erie's first dock was located, and leave from there," Johnson said. Kevin Johnson loads research on what's thought to be Erie's earliest Underground Railroad station on a computer in the Heritage Room of Blasco Library on Jan. 19. When Emma Howell and James Ford's daughter, Amy, then 16 or 17, left for Canada with escapee John Martin in the late 1820s, she's believed to have taken a different route, overland to Niagara Falls. "If they'd crossed the lake, they probably would have landed in Long Point and then could have settled in St. Thomas, London, Brantford, Hamilton, or any number of towns that were very acceptable to runaway slaves," Johnson said. "But if they went up the coast they would be in St. Catharines, where they settled, before they got to any of those towns." Amy Ford married John Martin. Her parents "in their old age" sold their Erie property and went to live with her in St. Catharines. Probable Ford Station ties to John Brown Runaway slaves may have been guided to Ford Station along the Underground Railroad route from Crawford County operated by abolitionist John Brown, who had a tannery near present-day Guys Mills from 1825 to 1835. Brown's cousin, Miles Barnette of Waterford, also was a conductor on the line. 'The Great Migration': Erie pastors shepherded Black families from Laurel, Mississippi, to Erie "If these runaways are coming from (Crawford County) to Waterford and presumably to Erie, Ford Station was the only Underground Railroad Station known to have been operating here before 1841," Johnson said. Another indication that Ford Station may have been a stop along Brown's network is that a farmer working with Brown once asked for another wagon to accommodate seven or eight more fugitives than he could handle. "If you can't handle seven or eight more people, how big was this group they're conducting and where would you put 14 or 15 or more runaways in Erie without them being seen?" Johnson said. "Besides Emma Howell's farm, there were only individual homes and buildings in Erie at that time. You could try to hide one person here and another there, but the Ford home and boarding house and its 45 acres on the outskirts of town seem to be the logical place for them to go." And according to Amy Ford Martin's 1863 testimony, "The fugitives would be told to come to our house ... they used to hear of our place long before they got there." Brown led the aborted raid on the U.S. arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in October 1859 in hopes of providing weapons for a slave insurrection in the South. He was captured, tried and executed. Ford family ties to Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass Harriet Tubman, an escapee known as "Moses" for repeatedly returning to the South to lead others to freedom, lived in the Black community in St. Catharines, Ontario, from 1851 until 1859. The small community was comprised of the formerly enslaved and their families, including John and Amy Martin and, after 1836, Emma Howell and James Ford. Still linked today: Black communities in Erie and Laurel, Mississippi "It was Harriet Tubman who recommended people in St. Catharines for Dr. Samuel Howe to interview," Johnson said, for the 1863 American Freedmen's Inquiry Commission. "And one of those people was Amy Martin." It was her testimony that was mentioned in the footnote that sparked Johnson's search for information on her parents' Underground Railroad station in Erie. Amy Martin for a time worked as a cook in the Rochester, New York, home of the wealthy George Mumford family. "This family had other homes in San Francisco and Paris and could have hired anyone they wanted to be their cook. So why a poor Black woman who lived in another country?" Johnson asked. According to Johnson's research, it might have been because of Mumford's neighbor, Frederick Douglass. "Douglass had moved to Rochester in 1848 and was the town's version of a rock star. Everyone knew him, and he had visited St. Catharines a number of times," Johnson said. Another servant in the Mumford home was related to Douglass by marriage. "So Amy Martin lived next door to Frederick Douglass and worked with someone related to him. And there are other indications that she knew him," Johnson said. Douglass escaped slavery and was among the nation's leading abolitionists before and during the Civil War. A work still in progress Kevin Johnson first planned to share his Ford Station research in a display at Blasco Library. But each new discovery led to more questions and more research to answer them. "It got to the point where a display would have to be huge to answer all these questions," he said. Johnson instead wrote a book, "The Short Story, Big Life of Emma Howell, the Ford Family, and Erie's First Underground Railroad Station." Johnson self-published four copies of the book, including one available to the public in the Heritage Room of Blasco Library. "It wasn't done for economic gain but to get this information out and fill in some holes in early Erie history," Johnson said. "This isn't really Black history. It's Erie history. These people came to Erie as early as anyone else did." And the city's early Black community was not isolated from its neighbors. James Ford and other family members were listed with their white neighbors as witnesses to an 1812 marriage performed by John Grubb, Emma Howell's former enslaver and Erie's first justice of the peace. The marriage certificate was written and preserved in a school workbook that belonged to one of Grubb's daughters. "This document shows that they were treated as people and acknowledged as people. For me, it's the most important document in Erie, hands down," Johnson said. Johnson hopes that others will be able to add to his research on early Underground Railroad operations in Erie. He also hopes to create a documentary as a kind of prequel to the "Safe Harbor" documentary about the Underground Railroad in Erie after Ford Station. In the meantime, the Pennsylvania Historical Marker will commemorate Ford Station. A dedication date has not been set. YourErie.com first reported on Johnson's research for the new marker. Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@timesnews.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Erie man discovers city's earliest known Underground Railroad station The claim: Nearly 250,000 voting attempts failed in Arizona midterm election A Jan. 23 Instagram post (direct link, archived link) from former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake shows a claim about purported election fraud in the 2022 midterms. "Officials sabotaged Election Day," the caption reads. "On November 8th when 75% of votes were for @KariLake nearly 1/4 of a MILLION voting attempts FAILED, according to the system log files that were obtained via FOIA." The post generated nearly 43,000 likes in less than a week. Lake shared the same claim on Twitter, where it accumulated over 22,000 likes. Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks Our rating: False The voting logs in question show some ballots had to be scanned multiple times by tabulating machines before they were read properly at the polls, but there's no proof any valid votes weren't counted. Votes that couldn't ultimately be scanned by machine were counted at another location. Logs don't show failed voting attempts A quick aside before we analyze the log-related claim: The post claims Lake received 75% of the vote, but that's nonsense. The final canvas showed she finished about 17,000 votes behind Katie Hobbs, her Democratic opponent. On a percentage basis, the margin was 50.3% to 49.6%. Lake is also wrong in how she characterized the rejected ballots. Lake's post doesn't specify where the logs in question are from, but the same claim was recently put forward by a pro-Lake group, We the People Arizona Alliance, based on logs obtained from Maricopa County, according to the Arizona Mirror. Megan Gilbertson, a Maricopa County elections spokesperson, called the claim "textbook disinformation." She said the Maricopa County logs in question show how many times voters attempted to insert ballots into tabulators. "The logs simply show the total number of times that ballots were run through tabulators in the November 2022 General Election," said Gilbertson in an email to USA TODAY. "A ballot is secret, so this means that each insert into a tabulator is considered a unique ballot, even if it is the same voter attempting to insert their ballot multiple times." Story continues She said it's not unusual for a ballot to be rejected on the first try, for example, if the voter inserted it crooked. Gilbertson said 16,724 Election Day ballots were not able to be counted onsite at voting locations and were instead counted at the Elections Department. In some cases voters tried feeding their ballot a dozen or more times before the ballot was set aside to be counted separately. Fact check: False claim that Kari Lake's lawsuit shows Arizona used 'no signature verification' Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes noted the logs are not evidence of an incorrect count. "There is no veracity to the claim that ballots were improperly counted," Fontes told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. Lake also filed a lawsuit against Maricopa County election officials and Hobbs that alleged the county mishandled the signature verification process and that improper ballots were counted during the midterms, as USA TODAY previously reported. A judge dismissed the case and ruled that Lakes legal team never offered clear and convincing evidence showing the election was rigged against her, according to The Arizona Republic. USA TODAY has debunked other claims of purported election fraud in Arizona, including baseless assertions that Maricopa County lost 291,390 votes and that Arizona ballot machine glitches were proof of election fraud. Ross Trumble, Lake's spokesperson, did not respond to USA TODAYs request for comment. Lead Stories also debunked the claim. Our fact-check sources: Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: False claim that 250,000 Arizona voting attempts failed Republican Solomon Pena overwhelmingly lost a bid for the New Mexico statehouse last fall and is accused of paying four men to shoot at the homes of four Democratic officials. Republican Solomon Pena overwhelmingly lost a bid for the New Mexico statehouse last fall and is accused of paying four men to shoot at the homes of four Democratic officials. A New Mexico Republican who lost his state House election pleaded not guilty Friday to charges stemming from several shootings of Democratic officials homes. Solomon Pena was arrested in January after an investigation by Albuquerque police found that six shootings between Dec. 4 and Jan. 5 were allegedly connected to Pena. Police said Pena hired four other men to shoot at the homes of four local Democratic officials following his election loss, which he claimed was rigged. Pena, whom Albuquerque police described as the mastermind behind the attacks, was indicted by a grand jury Monday on 14 charges related to the shootings. Prior to the shootings, Pena visited the homes of his alleged targets, NBC News reported. Pena came to my house right after the [November] election, Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa told NBC News. He was sort of erratic in the points he was trying to make about the election, and about how many doors he knocked on and how the number of votes didnt match. Former County Commissioner Debbie OMalley told NBC News that Pena also came to her home and was angry about losing the election. He felt the election was unfair and untrue, OMalley said, adding that she later called the police. On Dec. 11, her home was struck by a dozen bullets. No one was injured in the shootings. Pena, who has a history of felony convictions, will remain in jail until he awaits trial, a judge ruled last week. Related... An arch in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. Stanley Chen Xi, landscape and architecture photographer/Getty Images The US Coast Guard confirmed the death of Indiana native Edgar Garay in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, over the weekend. According to Garay's brother and cousin, he was filming a TikTok when he tragically walked too far off the edge of a cliff. The family has launched a GoFundMe to raise money for funeral costs. A 27-year-old Indiana native died after he fell off a cliff in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, over the weekend. According to a family member who reportedly was with him at the time, Edgar Garay was filming a video for TikTok. A US Coast Guard official told Insider that while they cannot confirm his cause of death at this time, a witness at the scene said they saw Garay stumble toward the edge of a 70-foot cliff. The branch is now warning other tourists to exercise extreme caution when taking photos or videos at this sight. "The location where the incident occurred receives many visitors due to the lighthouse, and people are known to take photos videos close to the edge of the cliff. Doing so, can be quite dangerous," said Ricardo Castrodad, the Public Affairs Officer for Coast Guard San Juan. According to a press release about the incident, Garay was on a day trip visiting the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico over the weekend. A 911 operator first flagged the fall to Coast Guard authorities on Sunday evening, prompting a helicopter search through the night. A Puerto Rico Emergency Bureau dive unit was able to recover Garay's body on Monday. Garay was last seen alive around 5:30pm on Sunday. Garay's brother Carlos told local NBC affiliate WTHR on Tuesday that Garay was on a sightseeing trip with his cousin. Carlos said their cousin was walking away from the cliffside when they turned back and noticed Garay was no longer there. Carlos said his brother loved posting to his TikTok, and, according to their cousin, was attempting to film a video when he tragically fell. "My brother has a TikTok account that he loved to upload videos to," Carlos told the outlet. "Unfortunately, that was what he was trying to do when he was closer to the edge than he should have been." Story continues Insider has reached out to Carlos for comment. He also told the outlet that his brother, who he described as a daredevil, was warned by his cousin not to get too close to the edge of the cliff. A TikTok account that appears to belong to Garay features a video posted over the weekend showing him hiking in Puerto Rico. The clip shows him traversing rocks and walking near a river. Commenters are now flooding his page with "rest in peace" messages. Carlos mourned his brother in a recent Facebook post. "I love and miss my brother so much already he was truly taken from us too soon," he wrote. He asked people to donate to a GoFundMe campaign that he created to help pay for funeral costs. The fundraiser has raised almost $4,000 and is halfway to its goal. Carlos told WTHR that he wants his brother to be remembered by his nickname "Chuwey" because he had "fluffy cheeks." Read the original article on Insider FALL RIVER A Freetown woman accused of stabbing a relative in the face, in an incident that spurred a late-night manhunt for a missing toddler, was found dangerous by a District Court judge on Monday but released under the care of a sibling. Angel-Leah Duarte, 25, of Freetown had spent the past several weeks at the Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital being evaluated for competency to stand trial and ability to understand criminal responsibility. Duarte was arrested on Dec. 16 on charges of attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon. In that incident, a Freetown resident in the area of Bullock Road and Snuggles Way told police that a neighbor appeared at their door covered in blood, having been stabbed in the face. The victim told police that Duarte was responsible and had fled into the woods with a 2-year-old child. Police found Duarte at a nearby home, and both she and the victim were hospitalized while a search and rescue was conducted for the missing child. The toddler was located after 10 p.m. with the use of a drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera, in a wooded area about a quarter-mile from where the child had been last seen. How do you get there from here? Your Route 79 shutdown and construction questions answered Angel-Leah Duarte appears in Fall River District Court on Dec. 19, 2022. On Monday, Judge Kevin Finnerty found Duarte dangerous but released her into the custody of a sister under certain conditions until a probable cause hearing. Duarte was ordered to abide by a Massachusetts Department of Mental Health discharge plan and comply with all mental health treatment conditions. Duarte is also forbidden to have unsupervised contact with the victim or witnesses, refrain from alcohol or drug use, except for prescriptions, must not possess dangerous weapons, and attend weekly in-person check-ins with a probation officer as directed. At a previous hearing in December, Dr. Kimberly Bistis said a preliminary mental competency evaluation she conducted suggested that Duarte may have had a psychotic break with reality in the time before and during the attack, was thinking irrationally, and had been suffering from disturbing hallucinations and extreme paranoia. Bistis testified that she was told Duarte had begun exhibiting signs of mental illness during the COVID pandemic, hearing voices, and just before the attack believed relatives were attempting to poison her food. Story continues Here's the scoop on Red's Kitchen:Swansea has another new restaurant. Angel-Leah Duarte's defense attorney, Rene Brown is seen at the initial appearance at Fall River District Court Dec. 19, 2022. Duarte's arrest report reveals shocking details According to an arrest report obtained from the Freetown Police Department, officers who conducted interviews stated that Duarte had been sending erratic messages to family members before the incident, was "speaking and was not making any sense during dinner and behaving distantly toward the victim. Before the attack, the report states, Duarte "became irate" and attempted to leave in another person's car, stating that she needed sleep. Duarte could not drive away, the report states, since she unable to operate the car properly and another car had boxed her in. When the victim reached into the vehicle to prevent Duarte from trying to leave, according to police, Duarte used a knife to stab the victim in the face, biting the victim's finger when the victim attempted to disarm her. K-9 officer Patrolman Thomas Long and Patrolman Nathan Melo noted that when police found Duarte on the porch outside a nearby home and arrested her, she was completely naked despite being outdoors in frigid night temperatures and wet weather, having left her clothing in a pile in a side yard. The report indicates that after initially showing police where she had gone after fleeing her home, she began yelling at Det. [Shane] Kelley and calling him the Devil while being led to an ambulance. Duarte is due back in District Court for a probable cause hearing on March 10. Dan Medeiros can be reached at dmedeiros@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today. This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Freetown woman accused in stabbing released; arrest details emerge More than 4 million trout will be released in Pennsylvania waterways this year, and heres what you need to know to find them. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's crews will be placing fish in 697 streams and 126 lakes starting Feb. 21. The public is encouraged to review the stocking schedule at www.fishandboat.com, and the FishBoatPA mobile app to help place the fish in the waterways over the coming months. Tyler Crooks, waterways conservation officer in Somerset County, is looking forward to working with the public to get the trout into the streams. Its a blast. I have a good time. Its my favorite part of the job, he said Saturday while meeting with sportsmen groups about this years stocking plans. Don Anderson, 68, and a PFBC commissioner and volunteer deputy waterways conservation officer, said: Its a social thing. Harry Wade, manager of the Reynoldsdale State Fish Hatchery for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, displays a large golden trout Feb. 16, 2022. Mentor youth trout season is March 26 in Pennsylvania. Plan a trip:Discover walleye, perch, musky, trout and more at Linesville State Fish Hatchery Raising trout:See the trout at the Reynoldsdale Trout Hatchery The agency is raising 3.2 million trout, and about 150 sportsmen groups across the state raise an additional 1 million trout for public fishing each year. The numbers have remained the same as last year and previous years, right around that 3.2 million mark is what we are striving for in adult-sized fish. said Dave Nihart, chief of fisheries management. Over the last couple decades we have been shifting production to more rainbow trout and less brown trout and brook trout, and that will continue to be the same (this year), he said. The tally includes about 2.3 million rainbow trout; 707,000 brown trout; and 168,000 brook trout. The average size of a trout is 11 inches long. In addition, the agencys staff plans to release about 14,000 golden rainbow trout and about 70,000 older brood trout, which measure 14-20 inches. When is Mentored Youth Trout Day? The Pennsylvania Game Commission is gearing up for spring trout stockings across the commonwealth. From left, Tyler Crooks, waterways conservation officer, Dave Jodon, a volunteer from Hollsopple who has been stocking trout for more than 30 years, and Don Anderson, agency commissioner and deputy waterways conservation officer, talk Jan. 28 in Berlin about this year's plans. The stocking schedule is avilable at fishandboat.com starting Feb. 1. Mentored Youth Trout Day starts at 8 a.m. March 25. Youth anglers are required to have a free Mentored Youth permit or a voluntary youth fishing license ($2.97) and be accompanied by a licensed adult angler. Story continues The voluntary purchase option helps fund the Fish and Boat Commission. The agency reports for each voluntary youth license purchased, the PFBC receives $5 back in funding as a federal reimbursement. These funds are dedicated to be used in youth outreach and education programs. The commission receives no federal reimbursement for Mentored Youth permits. On Mentored Youth Trout Day, the participants are able to keep two trout that are at least 7 inches long. Adults are not permitted to possess trout during this event. The youth should be able to fish with limited assistance by their mentor, and the mentor should be fishing or standing close to the child. Volunteers make the difference:Here's how local volunteers raise about 1 million trout each year in Pennsylvania Here's what happens:Pennsylvania hatcheries are growing trout for 2024 in preparation of fall fishing The more you know:What kind of trout is that? Here's how to identify them while you're fishing this season When is opening day of Pa. trout season? The statewide opening of trout season begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 1. Anglers are able to keep five trout that are at least 7 inches long each day through Labor Day. The extended season begins Sept. 6, and anglers can keep three trout a day. Pa. trout fishing licenses To catch trout, anglers 16 years and older must purchase a fishing license and a trout permit. For those who like to fish around Lake Erie and its tributaries, you can purchase a Trout/Lake Erie permit. The Lake Erie funds are used to enhance fishing opportunities, including steelhead trout, in the region. Licenses are for sale at about 700 issuing agents like sport shops, county treasurers, and online at at www.fishandboat.com, and the FishBoatPA mobile app. Resident licenses cost $25.47, a trout permit costs $12.47 and a combination Trout Lake Erie permit runs $18.47. The agency also offers multi-year licenses and discounted licenses for senior citizens. Fish For Free Days There are two days that licenses are not required for anglers. Sunday, May 28, of the Memorial Day weekend, and Tuesday, July 4, anyone (resident or non-resident) can legally fish on Pennsylvania waterways on the designated days without a license. Trout/salmon and Lake Erie permits are also not required). All other fishing regulations still apply. What bait works best? When it comes to trout, the options for baiting your hook are endless: Red worms, mealworms, maggots, minnows, and salmon eggs. Trout are known to bite on a wide variety of foods. Fly anglers replicate insects on the water with a variety of nymphs and wet and dry flies. The woolly bugger is a common one for early season fly fishing. For those who like to cast, there are a large variety of small spinners and spoons that work well at imitating minnows in the water. Some of the more popular brands have decades of proven success: Mepps, Rooster Tail, Panther Martin, Daredevle, Kastmaster and Little Cleo. The choice is up to the angler regarding their style of fishing. If you like waiting for a fish to bite, try the bait options. If you like to work your line, consider flies and the artificial lures. Special regulation waters Included in this year's stocking lists are the Keystone Select Stocked Trout Waters, a program in which sections of 24 streams across the state are stocked with large trout measuring 14-20 inches and managed under Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only or Miscellaneous Special regulations. Under the program, about 10,000 large trout will be distributed among the streams. Waters added or extended for trout stocking: Kinzua Creek, McKean County: A fall stocking will be added to the 4.7-mile section of stream managed under Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only (DHALO) regulations, extending from the Guffey Road bridge downstream to the Allegheny National Forest boundary near Westline. Formerly, this water had been stocked on a preseason and in-season only basis. Pine Creek, Tioga County: A fall stocking will be added to the 3.4-mile section of stream managed under DHALO regulations, extending from Marsh Creek downstream to Bear Run. Formerly, this water had been stocked on a preseason and in-season only basis. South Branch Tunkhannock Creek, Lackawanna and Wyoming counties: A fall stocking will be added to the 1-mile section of stream managed under DHALO regulations, extending from the State Route 6 bridge downstream through the Keystone College campus. Formerly, this water had been stocked on a preseason and in-season only basis. Sheppard-Meyers Reservoir, York County: This 46.9-acre impoundment will be reinstated into the trout stocking program with a preseason stocking. Maintenance and repairs to the dam have been completed, and the reservoir is scheduled to be refilled to full pool in the early spring of 2023. Formerly, this water had been stocked on a preseason only basis. Waters replaced Childrens Lake, Cumberland County: This 8.9-acre impoundment will be temporarily removed from the trout stocking program because of a complete drawdown of the lake thats underway to allow for maintenance and repairs to the dam. Maintenance and repairs are scheduled to be completed in 2023, and the lake will be reinstated to the trout stocking program. Neshannock Creek, Lawrence and Mercer counties: A decrease in stream access has led to the removal of trout stocking from a 3.6-mile section of stream extending from the Interstate 80 (I-80) bridge downstream to the Cannery Road bridge. The remaining sections of the stream, from the headwaters downstream to the I-80 bridge and from the Cannery Road bridge downstream to the mouth, will continue to be stocked during the preseason and in-season stocking periods. Seven Mountains Boy Scout Pond, Centre County: This 2.5-acre impoundment will be removed from the adult trout stocking program because of a complete drawdown of the pond to allow for maintenance and repairs to the dam and spillway. Maintenance and repairs are scheduled to be completed in 2023, and the pond will be reinstated to the trout stocking program. Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website's homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Trout season in Pennsylvania begins Apri 1, Mentor Day March 25 Some of Savannah Caughey's AI Time Machine images. Some of Savannah Caughey's AI Time Machine images. Internet trends come and go. Its as simple as that, especially on TikTok. But with over 44 million views, the #aitimemachine trend that went massively viral on TikTok in November and December is still going, spreading to Twitter and Instagram, too.Users upload photos of themselves to the genealogy platform MyHeritage, which for $10-$18transforms the images into digital portraits in the style of famous paintings and historical figures like an ancient Greek, a Viking or a sultan. Many TikTok users say the images made them feel beautiful and more confident in their unique features, even those they usually feel self-conscious about. I usually dislike my key features (thin lips, weak chin [and] soft jawline) but I kinda want to cry at these, @coreyisnothome wrote in a TikTok video that went viral with over 300,000 likes and 2.5 million views. Ive never felt so beautiful, said user @marymargaret14. Student Savannah Caughey explained in her own viral TikTok video that she always felt insecure about her nose, but the Time Machine images made her change her mind. This trend allows people to connect with a part of themselves that is not distinguished by modern-day beauty standards, she told HuffPost, adding that the images allowed me to see myself in another light. I learned to see that I have more of a classic beauty than a modern one, and this trend allowed me to feel confident and happy with that, she said. The MyHeritage program produces images that resemble drawings and paintings that imitate real art. Could that be why people feel so beautiful in their images? Portraiture dates back at least to ancient Egypt, and throughout history portraits were used to showcase wealth and power. I think its important to know that humans have been creating portraits for thousands of years; its really not a new phenomenon, said Ella Raphelle Dufrene, a French-Haitian American visual artist and registered art therapist. Story continues Before photography, portraits were also a way to be remembered after death physical proof of someones life. But in the selfie era, when its easy to capture your own image with the click of a button, the AI Time Machine images combine the digital world and the love of portraiture humans have had for centuries. If theres anyone who can speak about peoples love of portraits, especially in the form of paintings, its Melbourne, Australia-based artist Rebekka Lord-Johnson, who specializes in photorealistic and hyperrealistic drawings and paintings. She went viral on TikTok for creating live wedding paintings in which real-life couples and their wedding celebrations become the subjects of her art. She has more than 500,000 followers and 32 million views on TikTok, where she posts the work she describes as family heirlooms. Its a family portrait, essentially, said Lord-Johnson. In her opinion, the AI Time Machine trend went viral because art is a celebration of uniqueness. People are generally excited to see themselves in images resembling art. I think when you see yourself in the context of an artwork, when youre a part of making an artwork, your recognizable features, and your recognizable face is part of the whole painting that makes everything beautiful, I think it can really capture and feature your uniqueness, she said. Lord-Johnson said that art has the opposite effect of social media, which promotes beauty standards that have people trying to look extremely similar to one another in order to feel beautiful. By contrast, art celebrates each person as they are, no filters needed. She is a TIMELESS beauty! #AITimeMachine 1) 16th Century Royalty 2) 1920s 3) Ancient Egypt 4) Ottoman Janissary pic.twitter.com/QuuHg4w0wh MyHeritage (@MyHeritage) December 5, 2022 But while images from the AI Time Machine might resemble art, she said, they arent really. Its almost like a filter to me, like an Instagram filter, Lord-Johnson said. Itll adjust your features to current beauty standards or standards of beauty back then, historically. So people arent actually seeing themselves, necessarily. In her experience, people do feel prettier when they see themselves in artwork. In a painting, a persons uniqueness is highlighted and appreciated in a way thats not commonly experienced, which many people find refreshing. The couples Lord-Johnson works with, for example, often express how beautiful they feel in her paintings. Not only are they seeing themselves portrayed as they are, but theres a lot of emotion behind what I do, she said. When I create a work of art, a lot of love and attention goes into that painting. But if the AI Time Machine creations cant really be interpreted as art, why are people feeling beautiful? I think people are seeing themselves as beautiful because theyre seeing themselves in a different context, Lord-Johnson said. Keeping the hairdo Keeping the tiara (All Queens) And at least a nose I love This is the most confidence boosting tool ever! Try viral #aitimemachine#AITimeMachine now on @MyHeritage pic.twitter.com/IYRU3FYSJY Marie Cappart (Histoires de Familles) (@histfamilles) December 7, 2022 Dufrene offered a similar theory. I do think that its because of the fact that theyre being turned into an artwork that its increasing their sense of beauty, she said. But if we think of the origins of the word portrait, coming from old French portraire, which means to draw, reveal or expose, the A.I. portraits are allowing people to play a role, to reveal a more beautiful or empowered part of themselves. What thats really telling me is that people are longing for a sense of wonder, play and creativity in their lives. If you think of a little girl dressing up as a princess, we all have that inner child that wants to feel fantastical, wonder and play, Dufrene said. She explained that when people see themselves as famous paintings and historical figures, it may help them to tap into their inner child which might be why people are so drawn to this trend. We have a lack of playfulness, wonder, and spontaneity in our own lives, she said. Its not often that people exercise their will to play, like by creating digital portraits of themselves that resemble art and feel fantastical and special. People are really stressed out, especially after COVID, Dufrene said. Many people work 9-5 day-to-day jobs, where theyre doing these redundant activities that dont necessarily explore their creativity and bring out their sense of play, and I think that can kind of dull our sense of self. Its understandable, then, that people felt beautiful participating in the AI Time Machine trend (and thankfully, given facial recognition and online privacy concerns, the company says it does not save the photos that users upload). As internet fads come and go, Dufrene said, there are many ways of exercising our inner child in our day-to-day lives, as well as increasing our own sense of beauty through art. If we have the means, of course, we can contact artists we admire to create a portrait, or we can do it ourselves with an art therapist. Its also possible to add more play to your life by yourself; your inner child lives wherever you want them to. Playing dress up, creating a storyline, there are many ways that we can push it a little bit more, Dufrene said. Paint it. Dress up. Create a story. Related... Google has apologized to Vietnam for recently displaying an inaccurate Google Doodle of the countrys first female news editor Suong Nguyet Anh. "We did a special doodle to honor the life and career of Suong Nguyet Anh, the first female editor in chief of the first newspaper for women in Vietnam," a Google representative told VnExpress on Thursday afternoon. "However, this doodle didnt depict her portrait accurately. We sincerely apologize for this incident as we have created unnecessary inconveniences in honoring the outstanding achievements of Suong Nguyet Anh." On Wednesday, Google changed its normal logo to an animated portrait of what was supposed to be Suong Nguyet Anh wearing a traditional Vietnamese ao dai tunic. The doodle was created by artist Camelia Pham. However, the face in the doodle was that of Dang Kim Chi, the first headmaster of the Suong Nguyet Anh School for Women. The animated portrait of Suong Nguyet Anh on Google homepage on February 1, 2023 Suong Nguyet Anhs likeness has been mistaken a few times in the past. In a 2018, a book about Southern Vietnamese intellectuals also used a picture of Dang Kim Chi to represent Anh. Researcher Lai Nguyen An said that throughout his extensive research on journalism in the 20th century, he hasnt been able to find a single photo of Suong Nguyet Anh. "I cant find any old newspaper that has her photo," he said. "At that time, the tools for taking photos were quite limited. Im not sure if her photo has been kept somewhere and not released to the public." According to Google Doodle, Suong Nguyet Anh was born Nguyen Thi Ngoc Khue on March 8, 1864, in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre. She was the daughter of renowned poet and teacher Nguyen Dinh Chieu. Her father died when she was 24, at which time she and her brother took over his school. She then moved to the city of My Tho, where she married and had a daughter. Her husband died a few years later, and she did not remarry. On February 1, 1918, Anh launched Nu Gioi Chung (Women's Bell) newspaper as editor in chief. She started writing for Nu Gioi Chung under the pseudonym Suong Nguyet Anh, meaning "Widowed Nguyet Anh." She wrote mainly about womens roles in Vietnamese culture and society. "Suong Nguyet Anh is remembered for her bright mind and personality, her resilience in adversity, and her pioneering work as a women writer and editor who showed the way for future generations," read a statement released by Google Doodle. Experiential hospitality group Habitas, known for its retreats in locations including Tulum, the Moroccan desert, and a wildlife reserve in Namibia, has opened its doors in New Yorks Hudson Valley. Habitas on Hudson marks the Habitas seventh location and first hotel in the U.S. Its also one of the more easily accessible locations for New York-based travelers looking for a shorter escape from the city. More from WWD We felt this location in particular would make the perfect cultural playground for our New York community, said Oliver Ripley, cofounder and chief executive officer of Habitas. Until 2019, the group ran a clubhouse outpost in New York City. A lot of our community lives, works and travels here. We wanted to create a space where we can easily escape, disconnect and immerse ourselves in great conversations, adventures, surrounded by nature and in close proximity to the city. Habitas on Hudson is located in Rhinebeck, about a two-hour drive from New York City. (And, since Habitas is positioned for the luxury traveler, around 30 minutes by seaplane.) The new location is a partnership with hotelier Andre Balazs, who bought the property before the pandemic with intention of renovating the historic manor to open a hotel. Ripley was introduced to Balazs through Habitas board member Dave Barry. We flew out to meet Andre in Shelter Island and spent the day together exchanging ideas, said Ripley. Andre is one of the great hoteliers, there are not many of them. It was exciting to marry together his experience and vision with the Habitas ethos around experiences and human connection and create something new, different and that speaks to a younger generation. Ripley nods to the Hudson Valleys regions appeal as a Hamptons alternative, particularly as other upscale hospitality properties including Auberge Resorts and a forthcoming SoHo House location in Rhinebeck add their footprints to the region. Rooms start at $450 per night, and the hotel will also donate a portion of every guest stay to support local community initiatives. Story continues Our goal with Habitas on Hudson is to offer a year-round destination to the Hudson Valley region, said Ripley. With guests being able to enjoy unique programming to all four seasons. The main manor house and two adjacent properties feature 30 guest rooms, along with a farm-to-table restaurant and bar. Community is a central part of the Habitas intention, and many of the experiential activities onsite are geared toward creating connection between guests, whether a family-style meal, cooking class, or relaxing outside by a fire pit. The manor will host weekly live music, as well as wellness rituals like sound bowl meditations. For the outdoor enthusiasts, the grounds also feature a swimmable pond, hiking and biking trails and barrel saunas. We expect to welcome a mix of guests ranging from friends, families and even solo travelers seeking authentic and communal experiences, Ripley said. Launch Gallery: Inside Habitas on Hudson: Photos of the Hotel's Design and Property Best of WWD Click here to read the full article. Iowa schools would see a 3% increase in their per-student funding under a bill passed by the Iowa Senate Thursday. The bill, Senate File 192, must still be passed by the Iowa House before Gov. Kim Reynolds can sign it into law. House Republican leaders have also proposed a 3% increase, which would be the largest funding boost for schools since 2015. It would equate to about $107 million in new state money. The funding increase would bring state general fund spending on public schools to $3.69 billion, or about $7,635 per student, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency. "This is sustainable," Sen. Ken Rozenboom, R-Pella, said of the funding increase. "Weve had some conversations this year about broken promises and keeping promises. This is sustainable and its responsible government. And because its sustainable, its reliable, we will keep our promises as we always have since Republicans took this chamber in 2017." Iowa lawmakers began working on the annual public school funding increase after creating a new program that in its third year would allow every Iowa family to use state money to pay private school costs. That program, which Reynolds signed into law in January, is expected to cost $107 million in its first year and $345 million annually when fully phased in. More:Jubilant Kim Reynolds signs Iowa's seismic 'school choice' bill into law. What it means: Private school students would be able to access the same amount of money as the state gives to public school districts for each pupil $7,635 if the public school funding increase passes. Democrats unsuccessfully proposed an increase of 5.9%, or $267 million, for public schools. That's the amount they said Republicans are spending this year on corporate tax cuts and on the new private school law. "Were proposing a different set of priorities," said Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames. "Were proposing to support public education for the many and not private school education for the privileged few, and not lining the pockets of rich corporations. We can do better than that." Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa public schools to get 3% funding boost under Senate-passed bill UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev thinks there isnt enough buzz surrounding his first title defense. Makhachev (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) puts his title on the line against featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) in the UFC 284 headliner Feb. 11 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Not only is it a super fight, but its a matchup between the UFCs No. 1 and No. 2 pound-for-pound fighters. But Makhachev isnt feeling the hype. I see that it is not such big promotion, Makhachev said in an interview with RSports Russia. Dana White himself has some problems. He does not pay much attention to this fight. Here in Perth, everyone knows about the fight and is looking forward to it. And in terms of pay-per-view, yes, more could have been done. I only saw Volkanovski once, in Sydney. A tour could be organized around the world. A (news) conference could be held in America. Makhachev wont have his mentor ,Khabib Nurmagomedov, in his corner for the upcoming fight. While it wont be the first time The Eagle will be absent, Makhachev admits hell miss his presence. When hes in the corner, its much better, Makhachev said. We saw it in Abu Dhabi. Some trifle, or you lose control. He will tell you: Slow down here. Add more pressure here. When you have such an experienced person in your corner, its undeniable that you have advantage. For more on the card, visit MMA Junkies event hub for UFC 284. List MMA Junkie's 2022 Submission of the Year: Islam Makhachev def. Charles Oliveira Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie A second suspect has been arrested in connection with the Nov. 23 fatal shooting of 49-year-old Knoxville resident Frank Vinson. One man remains in custody and another is still at large. Dashawn Johnson, 29, of Knoxville, was arrested Monday and has been booked on an outstanding warrant for first-degree murder. He is being held on a $250,000 bond and is set for a hearing Wednesday. Damante Golden, 29, of Knoxville, is already in custody after a Nov. 26 arrest on an unrelated warrant charging him with being a felon in possession of a weapon. According to court records, a gun found in Golden's vehicle after his arrest has been linked to Vinson's homicide scene. Golden has been charged with first-degree murder with bond set at $750,000. A preliminary hearing into the evidence against him has been scheduled for Jan. 18. According to court records, police say the three men went to Vinson's home to buy liquor from him but then attempted to rob him. Vinson was found dead from a gunshot wound after officers responded at around 2 a.m. Nov. 23 to the shooting outside his Park City home on East Fifth Avenue, a Knoxville Police Department spokesperson said in a press release. There were reports of multiple people running away from the scene after the shooting. Johnson, who had sustained a nonlife-threatening gunshot wound to the leg, was dropped off at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, according to court records. Knox County Sheriff's Office deputies later found the driver of the car that dropped Johnson off, and there was a second man with a gunshot wound to the arm inside, court records stated. He was taken to UT Medical, the release stated. That man later was identified as a suspect and he is being sought on an arrest warrant. The police department is urging anyone with information to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers at 865-215-7165 or online at easttnvalleycrimestoppers.org. Tipsters can remain anonymous and be eligible to receive a cash reward. Liz Kellar is a public safety reporter for Knox News. She can be reached by email at lkellar@knoxnews.com. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville police arrest second of three suspects in Park City homicide State Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, passionately argues in favor of House Bill 4664 to expand abortion access and protections to reproductive health service providers. The bill passed in the Illinois Senate on Tuesday. Democrats in the General Assembly on Tuesday approved a wide-ranging measure aimed at shoring up Illinois position as a haven for abortion access in the Midwest, including legal protections for health care professionals and patients traveling from states where abortion access is illegal or restricted. Demand from out-of-state abortion seekers particularly from neighboring Missouri began accelerating even before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, but advocates expect even more need as Republican-controlled states further clamp down on abortion access. To meet that future demand, Democrats included provisions in their bill meant to grow Illinois reproductive health care workforce, like allowing physician assistants and nurse practitioners to perform vacuum aspiration abortions the most common type of in-clinic abortions for pregnancies up to around 14 weeks which do not require general anesthesia. Under the bill, Illinois would also speed the process for granting temporary permits for all doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners to address health care shortages in all areas, not just reproductive health care. Related story:Pritzker signs assault-style weapons ban After a flurry of last-minute negotiations on competing bills during lawmakers lame duck session before their new terms were set to begin Wednesday, debate turned emotional with sponsor Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, reprimanding Republican colleague Jil Tracy of Quincy, who referred to abortion as immoral. The same God thats looking at you is also looking at me, Villanueva said. And guess what? Its the same God thats giving me the inspiration in order to be able to do this. You dont get to decide what happens to my body. You dont get to decide what happens to the bodies of a lot of different people from other states that are coming to this state seeking refuge. Under the bill, which Gov. JB Pritzker said he will sign, Illinois would join California, Massachusetts and a handful of other East Coast states in establishing shield laws protecting information about abortions from being subject to subpoenas and orders for witness testimony issued from courts in other states. Story continues Like the shield laws enacted by those other states, Illinois legal protections would also cover patients and health care professionals engaged in gender-affirming care a practice some Republican-led states have already begun clamping down on in addition to restricting abortion access. And if a medical professional anyone from a physician to a pharmacist, genetic counselor or therapist had his or her license revoked in another state solely for performing abortions or gender-affirming care, he or she would be able to practice in Illinois, pending an investigation by Illinois professional licensure oversight authority. The bill also includes liability insurance protections so that doctors coming from states where abortions or gender-affirming care is illegal cant be charged higher rates for practicing in Illinois, based on them breaking those other states laws. Similarly, hospitals wouldnt be allowed to revoke a doctors clinical admitting privileges due to having their license revoked in another state solely for providing abortions or gender-affirming care. Sponsors made clear that these protections are not available to health care professionals accused of genuine malpractice. But Sen. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, said it was ridiculous to offer protections to lawbreakers. I understand that you may not agree with whether or not (abortion) should have been illegal in other states, Bryant said. But the fact is that is a doctor who's performing an illegal act in another state and we're going to ask them to come to Illinois and, in fact, we're going to expedite their licenses in order to do that. In the House, all but three of the 71-member Democratic majority voted for the bill; Rep. Sue Scherer of Decatur has consistently voted against abortion-related bills during her time in the legislature, while two other Democratic members were absent. The bill received unanimous support from all 41 Democrats in the Senate, despite earlier reservations from the caucus about provisions that would require insurance plans regulated by the state to cover certain medications with no copays. Those would include abortion medications typically used up to about 10 weeks of pregnancy, the HIV prevention drugs infections PrEP and PEP, as well as gender-affirming hormones. The state doesnt have the power to regulate most employer-provided insurance plans in the private sector, exempting those plans from the required coverage. Still, the bill would apply to thousands of individuals who buy their own health insurance or are public employees in Illinois. House sponsor Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, maintains the extra cost to taxpayers would be negligible, as many insurers already cover those medications without co-pays. Additionally, if a patient is forced to go-out-of-network because their provider covered by insurance refuses to perform reproductive health care or gender-affirming care under the states Health Care Right of Conscience Act, the legislation requires there not be any increased cost for that out-of-network care. Removed from the final legislation were provisions requiring university and community college campuses in Illinois to maintain at least one vending machine per campus that sells Plan B emergency contraceptive, as well as regulations for crisis pregnancy centers, facilities often run by faith-based groups designed to dissuade pregnant women from having abortions. Brigid Leahy, vice president of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, said those two proposals are good legislation that her organization will push for this spring, and praised negotiators for arriving at a compromise that will deal with the current crisis created by soaring abortion demand in Illinois. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide, as well as hundreds of radio and TV stations. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Legal protections for abortion providers, seekers poised for Pritzkers signature House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Thursday night called for a briefing of the Gang of Eight the group of lawmakers charged with reviewing the nations most sensitive intelligence information following reports of a Chinese spy balloon flying over Montana. Chinas brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed, and President Biden cannot be silent, McCarthy tweeted. I am requesting a Gang of Eight briefing. The Pentagon said Thursday it had detected and was tracking a Chinese surveillance balloon flying high over the United States. The balloon is floating at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a threat to people on the ground, Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement. Ryder declined to say where the balloon came from, but a senior Defense Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive talks, said the Pentagon has very high confidence it belongs to China. The Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., did not respond to a request for comment. President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation and asked for military options, said the senior DoD official. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin convened senior Pentagon leaders on Wednesday while he was traveling in the Philippines, and discussed the possibility of shooting it down. Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Glen VanHerck, chief of U.S. Northern Command, strongly recommended against bringing it down due to the risk that falling debris could pose a hazard to people on the ground, the senior DoD official said. We had been looking at whether there was an option yesterday over some sparsely populated areas in Montana, but we just couldn't buy down the risk enough to feel comfortable recommending shooting it down yesterday, the official said. Officials also assessed that the balloon did not pose a threat to the people on the ground or to civilian aviation, the official added. Story continues The Pentagon also determined the balloon has limited value over what China is already able to collect through its satellite capabilities, the official said. But it is flying over a number of sensitive sites, including Malmstrom Air Force Base, home to some of the nations silo-based intercontinental ballistic missiles. Still, the department is taking mitigation steps to protect against possible foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information, the person said, declining to give details. At the same time, officials are gaining insights into the balloons capabilities. We know exactly where this balloon is, exactly what it is passing over and we're taking steps to be extra vigilant so that we can mitigate any foreign intelligence risk, the person said. At Billings Logan airport on Wednesday, flights ground to a halt as the U.S. military scrambled F-22 fighter jets in case the decision was made to take down the balloon. Revelations about the suspected spy balloon sparked angry reactions among lawmakers, beyond McCarthy. Biden should shoot down the Chinese spy balloon immediately, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said in a tweet . Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) tweeted that the balloon highlighted how intense & brazen Chinese espionage efforts targeting the U.S. have become. Montana Sen. Steve Daines demanded a briefing from the Biden administration Thursday night. It is vital to establish the flight path of this balloon, any compromised U.S. national security assets, and all telecom or IT infrastructure on the ground within the U.S. that this spy- balloon was utilizing, he said in a statement. Given the increased hostility and destabilization around the globe aimed at the United States and our allies, I am alarmed by the fact that this spy balloon was able to infiltrate the airspace of our country and Montana." Sen. Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the Pentagon owes a full and accurate accounting of what happened. Information strongly suggests the Department failed to act with urgency in responding to this airspace incursion by a high-altitude surveillance balloon, the Mississippi senator said. No incursion should be ignored, and should be dealt with appropriately. Not all the criticism came from Republicans. The bipartisan leaders of the newly formed House committee on China issued a joint statement declaring the balloon incursion a violation of American sovereignty. They hinted it had implications for Secretary of State Antony Blinkens trip to Beijing next week . Coming only days before Secretary Blinkens trip to the PRC it also makes clear that the CCPs recent diplomatic overtures do not represent a substantive change in policy, Committee Chair Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and ranking member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill) said in the statement. That suggests there may be a growing chorus of congressional voices over the next 24 hours calling for Blinken to reconsider his trip to China to protest the spy balloons intrusion into U.S. airspace. The timing of this provocation is troubling to say the least it is very difficult to see how Blinkens trip can proceed as planned, said Craig Singleton, senior China fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. If he does decide to go, this spying incident will almost certainly overshadow any hopes Blinken may have harbored about stabilizing the fraught U.S.-China relationship. This is not the first time DoD has tracked a Chinese spy balloon flying over the continental U.S. This kind of activity has happened a handful of other times over the past few years, including before the Biden administration, the senior DoD official said. However, in this instance the balloon loitered for a longer period of time. The U.S. has engaged its Chinese counterparts with urgency through multiple channels, both through their embassy in Washington and the U.S. embassy in Beijing, the senior DoD official said. We have communicated to them the seriousness with which we take this issue, the person said. We have made clear we will do whatever is necessary to protect our people and our homeland. Boyd Elementary School. Midtown neighborhood residents were cautious but optimistic at a Thursday night neighborhood meeting that outlined a proposal to transform Historic Boyd Elementary into more than a dozen loft apartments and two commercial businesses. Located at Washington Avenue and Lynn Street north of Drury University, the historic school was purchased by developer Matt Blevins from the school district late last year for $200,000. The former Boyd has been vacant since August 2021, when the district relocated the students, teachers and staff to a larger, new Boyd Elementary building at 833 E. Division St. The project was part of the $168 million bond issue approved by voters in 2019. Blevins' proposal would adapt the existing school building into an apartment complex and two commercial spaces. To move forward with his plans, he needs rezoning approval from Springfield City Council. That process began Thursday night as Midtown residents met with the developer at the school for a neighborhood meeting required by the city. According to the plan presented, loft apartments would occupy the top two floors of the schoolhouse as well as part of the basement. The sixteen to eighteen units would range from very small 300 square feet studio apartments to one- and two-bedroom apartments maxing out at 900 square feet. A section of the building would be reserved for a "light commercial use" according to Blevins, which would most likely be a coffee shop. The development teams are already in conversation with three existing, local coffee shops that could expand into the space. Another commercial business would be placed in the school's library space. According to Blevins, this could be office space, a restaurant, or some other business. He would also remove the existing playground on the property to create more parking. More:Neighborhood revitalization key to group's plan for Springfield's next 20 years Proposed redevelopment of Historic Boyd Elementary by developer Matt Blevins. Though the proposed development is not yet named, he also hopes to keep Boyd as part of it. Asked about community response so far, Blevens said it has been a "good mix of people who are very positive on the project and some people that have had concerns." Story continues Midtown Neighborhood Association President Ran Cummings told the News-Leader his organization is "cautiously optimistic" about the proposal. "We know that nothing is set in stone, but we would like to continue to be a part of the conversation. We would ideally like to see something potentially along the lines of what they have proposed, so we continue to hope for the best." Cummings added his main concern was to have a "reasonable number" of apartment units and commercial space density that would not place undue traffic in their residential community. But he believes that as long as appropriate infrastructure is put in place, the development could handle it properly. "It is certainly not the worst option available," he said of uses for the historic Boyd school. Midtown neighborhood association board member Ralph Plank said he is supportive of the loft units but concerned by the commercial businesses that could take residence in his neighborhood. "I'm concerned about the impact of noise and traffic from a commercial business," he said, adding having commercial businesses in the neighborhood might incentivize developers to rezone other areas of the neighborhood to allow more commercial businesses. "You turn one location into a business and pretty soon somebody across the street wants to get in on it," he said. Abbe Ehlers is a 30-year resident of Midtown and homeowner. She said Blevins has been listening to the neighborhood and his proposal is "definitely more appealing than some of the other options we've heard." More:After heated neighborhood meeting, Springfield city staff offers recommendations to developers, residents Nevertheless, she has concerns moving forward with the project. "We have fought hard to get single-family zoning. And so I'm a little concerned that we are putting multifamily right into the mix with single-family homes. This is a very quiet neighborhood," she said. "However, I'm an environmentalist and we can't continue to grow out everybody is not going to be able to have their five acres or two acres or whatever. And so, I think some planned density is not a bad thing," she said, noting Blevins' plan also keeps many of the trees on the property. Ehlers added that the proposed coffee shop would be a "lovely addition" to the neighborhood, but she does not want to see a restaurant that serves alcohol. "If we're talking about a restaurant that's open on Saturday nights until 1 in the morning, or even 11 o'clock, that seems excessive to me in a residential area such as this." Instead, she hopes it could be used as office space for some kind of business or non-profit. "I'm also very protective of my neighborhood and it just needs to be right," she said. The new Boyd Elementary on Division Street opened in 2021. She is also grateful developers plan to adapt the existing building, rather than demolishing to start over. "There's a lot of sentimental value to me. I know a lot of people who attended school here. I've done some volunteering here. And it's always been the charming little Boyd school where kids could walk through a neighborhood and it really was a big part of our community that held historic value," she said. "But we have a beautiful, beautiful new facility that I think is just wonderful for the children and wonderful for the teachers. Wonderful for the neighborhood. And so, I think I've reconciled myself to the fact that it's not going to be a school obviously. And I feel as if what I've heard so far is they're being respectful of the school, respectful of the space, and hopefully respectful to the neighborhood." The proposed rezoning is set to go before the city Planning and Zoning Commission on March 9 and to City Council on April 3. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Developer shares historic Boyd Elementary plan at neighborhood meeting Southeast Asia's largest furniture event back to pre-pandemic scale KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Southeast Asia's largest B2B furniture trade show - Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) will see a strong turnout of exhibitors as the number confirmed surpasses the 500 mark and continues to grow. Register to Southeast Asias largest B2B furniture trade show - Malaysian International Furniture Fair(MIFF) 2023, 1-4 March The surge in demand for the March 1-4 show has raise prospects of closer to 600 exhibitors on the show floor at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) and Malaysia International Trade & Exhibition Centre (MITEC). The bookings are matched by the brisk registration of thousands of buyers from 116 countries and regions, to date, all keen to reconnect with suppliers at the first furniture event of the year in Asia. Organised by Informa Markets, the show has attracted Malaysia's industry heavyweights and other Asian producers from mainland China, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and pavilions by Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. China's border reopening will bring over 200 companies from several cities and the debut of Furniture China @Malaysia Show in MIFF for its first ever edition outside Shanghai. The myriad of returning and first-time exhibitors displaying new products and services cements MIFF as the region's furniture capital to support the whole supply chain and provide more opportunities to exhibitors eyeing the global market. The list of Malaysian companies is led by the country's largest manufacturers such as Poh Huat, Ecomate, Favourite Design, SWS, Wegmans, Ivorie, Merryfair, Step Furniture, WA Furniture, Inception and Lifestyle International. Ms Kelie Lim, General Manager of MIFF, comments: "We are extremely delighted that MIFF is now back to pre-pandemic scale. After the uncertainties of the past few years, the show boosts the growth of the global industry and trade. MIFF offers an incredible range of opportunities for our customers to grow their business and gain visibility among buyers all over the world. We welcome Furniture China and the brands it brings to add value to the exhibit floor and enhance the overall experience for our customers." Story continues Ms Stella Zhong, Deputy General Manager, Informa Markets Sinoexpo, comments: "MIFF is a unique partner for Furniture China. It is a match of two dynamic partners to leverage our combined strengths and deliver more benefits to global furniture retail and advance the industry even further. MIFF has demonstrated its relevance to the industry and we see huge potential for a long-term relationship." Mr Steve Ong, President of Muar Furniture Association (MFA), comments: "MIFF is a pivotal platform for Malaysia's furniture exports. It offers valuable opportunities to Malaysian manufacturers especially SMEs to become exporters in a cost-effective way because there are quality buyers from so many countries in one single show. As a strategic partner of MIFF since 2012, MFA congratulates MIFF on such a strong comeback after a tough pandemic period." As the momentum continues to build, buyers can pre-register for free admission before Feb 15 and take advantage of early bird hotel discounts by checking the show website (www.miff.com.my). As the pillar for Malaysian furniture exports, MIFF houses the largest collections of Malaysian solid wood furniture and office furnishings in Southeast Asia supported by segments such the designRena gallery of top Malaysian manufacturers and Muar Hall. Catch Malaysia's export-ready young designers at the xOrdinary Showcase curated by one of the country's most exciting talent Lim Bo Qiang, a previous MIFF Furniture Design Competition winner who has featured in SaloneSatellite, the young designer event of the world renowned Salone del Mobile.Milano furniture show. The xOrdinary Showcase enters its second year with the focus on eco-friendly lifestyle products inspired by Malaysia's multi-cultural roots. To keep up-to-date, visit the MIFF website (www.miff.com.my) to learn more of exhibitors, products, exclusive hotel rates and free shuttle service between venues and official hotels. To get latest news and insights, follow Furnish Now by MIFF (FB). To contact the MIFF Team, email: info@miff.com.my. Notes to Editors About MIFF (www.miff.com.my) MIFF is the largest and leading export-oriented furniture trade show in Southeast Asia showcasing the widest collection of Made-in-Malaysia wooden furniture, home furniture and office furniture. Since 1995, MIFF is a one-stop platform connecting a wider community of 20,000+ buyers from 140 countries and regions. MIFF is organised by Informa Markets which is a part of Informa PLC, a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B event organiser in the world. MIFF 2023, 1-4 March (PRNewsfoto/Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF)) SOURCE Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) Former Trump administration Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that the country had a peaceful transition of power on Jan. 6, 2021, and continued to push baseless claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. During an interview, Sky News journalist Rigby pointed out that Pompeos new book barely mentions the Jan. 6 insurrection or former President Donald Trumps efforts to undo the election. I was the secretary of state and the CIA director, Pompeo said. So the book is focused on how we delivered security abroad. He argued the country had a peaceful transition of power that day, despite the violence that took place. Pompeo blamed the violent turn of events on the buildings security officials. There was a bad day at the Capitol. The security team there failed to prevent these guys from rioting there, he said, adding that those who committed acts of violence should be prosecuted. But make no mistake about it, that night America also showed its strength. Vice President [Mike] Pence finished the election. We had a peaceful transition of power, he continued. Pompeo also accused Rigby of taking his words out of context when she brought up a statement he made following Joe Bidens win in November 2020, telling reporters: There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration. .@SecPompeo: "There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration." Full video here: https://t.co/6Rou91HQxvpic.twitter.com/MU9Gp2QWnq CSPAN (@cspan) November 10, 2020 I spoke decently about the United States of America, he told Sky News. We had had a tough election. We had things take place in that election which werent right. Story continues Pompeos 2020 comment came in response to a reporters question about whether the State Department was prepared to engage with Bidens transition team and if failing to do so could risk U.S. national security. He has since repeatedly suggested that voting irregularities took place in the election. We did not have a sufficiently transparent election, he told Sky News. And I dont describe it as being stolen, but there were lots of anomalies in our election and we cant have that in the United States. Pompeos claims do not stand up to scrutiny. An Associated Press investigation published in December 2021 found less than 475 cases of potential electoral fraud, which would have not been enough to undo Bidens win. The cases could not throw the outcome into question even if all the potentially fraudulent votes were for Biden, which they were not, and even if those ballots were actually counted, which in most cases they were not, the report stated. Pompeo, who is widely seen as a potential candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, said he expects Trump to face competition in his efforts to return to office. Im confident that there will be many others and from both parties who will also believe they should be the next leader, he said. I have enormous confidence in the American people that theyll sort it all out. Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and onetime U.S. ambassador to the U.N., is likely to become the first Republican to openly challenge Trump later this month. Pompeo accused Haley of trying to oust Pence as vice president so she could take over the role on the 2020 ticket, in another excerpt from his book. Haley has denied the incident. Pandemic to paradise: Chinese tourists return to Bali after three years Tourists from China return to Indonesia's resort island of Bali, Indonesia. Photo by AFP Donning yellow "Bali" hats featuring a surfer as the last letter, Chinese tourists walked along the Indonesian backpacker hotspot's pristine blue waters, forgetting three years of Covid-19 misery. Exploring "turtle island", taking day trips to neighboring Lombok and hitting Bali's famed beaches, the world's biggest-spending tourists were back after the Lunar New Year kicked off and Beijing reopened to the world last month. "I am especially happy to travel because, before the pandemic, I was someone who liked to travel a lot, going all over to see the sights, experience different cultures and people," Li Zhao-long, a 28-year-old internet company worker from Kunming in southwest Yunnan province, told AFP. "Three years on, being able to come from China to Indonesia, I am extremely happy and overjoyed." Chinese holidaymakers have endured years of lockdowns and travel restrictions driven by Beijing's fervent pursuit of its "zero-Covid" policy, followed by a sudden reopening and accompanying spike in infections. Now a lucky few armed with selfie-sticks and clad in tropical shirts and straw hats are on long-awaited getaways to the "Island of Gods." In recent years Chinese visitor numbers to Bali plunged after both countries closed their borders at the height of the pandemic. But Indonesia's tourism minister said Jakarta was aiming for a massive rebound from those lows and estimated the country would welcome 253,000 Chinese tourists this year. Balinese officials are even more bullish, hoping for the return of two-thirds of the 1.2 million Chinese visitors who came to the island pre-pandemic -- making them the second biggest group of tourists behind Australians. 'Happy occasion' Though only several hundred Chinese tourists have arrived so far on a once-weekly flight from Shenzhen, the Indonesian government says four more airlines have applied to fly regularly to Bali from China. Officials are anticipating a return to normal Chinese tourist levels -- which once amounted to a fifth of all visitors -- on the island by 2025. The government also plans to ramp up its marketing of Bali as a paradise destination, according to the tourism minister. At a mall in the Balinese capital Denpasar, Dong Yi was one of those who didn't need to be persuaded, vowing to return to Indonesia now mainlanders could travel back and forth. "From the moment I stepped off the plane, I could feel the passionate hospitality of the Bali islanders. I really like it here," said the 47-year-old finance worker. "In the future, I will come here often to travel." Li said the pandemic was a "tough period" for him and his compatriots, and after the agonizing three-year wait, "just being able to leave the country is a happy occasion." 'Bouncing back' China, relatively unscathed by the virus for years after its initial outbreaks thanks to draconian measures, has faced its biggest-ever case surge in recent weeks, with about 80% of the population believed to have contracted Covid. While the U.S., Italy, South Korea and Japan have placed restrictions on travelers from mainland China over infection fears, Indonesia has resisted imposing any targeted measures on top of mandatory Covid-19 vaccination for all visitors. Meanwhile, it is far from business as usual on the resort island, with the rainy season in full flow and visitor numbers still recovering. But for shopkeepers like Elphan Situmorang, the anxiety is finally lifting after years of economic malaise. "I hope more and more Chinese tourists will come to Bali so our business will run well again," Situmorang told AFP, saying that before the pandemic 80% of his customers in the tourist area of Kuta had been Chinese. "During the pandemic, because there was zero revenue... we had to lay off our staff." Tourism operators are also optimistic that the sector will get back on its feet with the help of a return to the booming Chinese custom of the past. "We were suffering, honestly. I lost 10 kilograms, so you can see how hard it was," Anita, a manager of a local Indonesian tour agency at Bali's international airport, told AFP. "But I am sure we are bouncing back." ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Minnesota's chief elections officer called on state lawmakers Monday to make it easier for residents to vote while protecting elections officials from threats and intimidation. Key elements of Secretary of State Steve Simon's agenda are included in an elections package that fellow Democrats in the state House and Senate introduced last week. Others will be covered in separate legislation. As legislatures convene across the country, lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle are bracing for new fights on election-related legislation amid the continued false claims by former President Donald Trump and his allies that the 2020 election was stolen. Republicans are eager to tighten election rules further, whereas Democrats are seeking to make it easier to vote. Simon who won more votes than any other candidate on Minnesota's statewide ballot as he fought off a GOP challenger who claimed the 2020 election was rigged said Minnesota consistently has one of the highest turnouts in the country by promoting voter access while balancing it with security measures that keep fraud at microscopic levels. Minnesotans agree: Democracy was on the ballot in 2022, Simon said at a news conference. "The voters of Minnesota had a chance to make their voices heard on elections and voting issues. They spoke loudly and clearly. Democrats are moving quickly to take advantage of their new majorities in both chambers of the Minnesota Legislature to pass priorities that Republicans blocked when they controlled the state Senate. Simon's priorities include restoring the voting rights of felons when they get out of prison, automatic voter registration when people obtain or renew driver's licenses, and allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister so they can vote as soon as they turn 18. Measures that would restore voting rights and allow preregistration are set to get their first House hearings Wednesday. Story continues Simon's other priorities include adding criminal and civil penalties for threatening or intimidating election workers; removing an unusual requirement that lawmakers approve the use of federal election security money, which Republicans used previously as leverage over Simon; and fuller reimbursements to local governments for the costs of administering presidential primaries. Some Republican-led states are heading in the opposite direction. In Ohio, for example, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed a sweeping package Friday that includes his states first photo ID requirement and a prohibition on curbside voting, except for those with disabilities. Elizer Darris, co-executive director of the Minnesota Freedom Fund, a nonprofit that helps people post bail, said he's helped to get thousands upon thousands of voters to the polls, and he's run election campaigns. He said he's law-abiding and pays lots of taxes. He's been out of prison for almost seven years, after serving time for killing a man when he was a juvenile. But despite turning his life around, he still can't vote. We're calling upon the Legislature, and the governor, to pass the bill and to sign the bill and to open up democracy for all of us, so that we can all be part of this wonderful democratic experience, fully and wholly," Darris told reporters. Darris said more than 50,000 convicted felons in Minnesota would regain the right to vote if the legislation passes, and he hopes that other states will follow. Simon added that 21 states and the District of Columbia have already done restored voting rights for felons. Katie Taffe, a senior at Hermantown High School, proudly held up the confirmation card that she received in the mail shortly after she registered online on her 18th birthday last month. By allowing teens to preregister to vote, we have the opportunity to get more eligible Minnesotans involved in democracy while they are still in school, she said. Out-of-power Senate Republicans are already feeling left out. Minnesota has long-standing practice of only changing election laws on a bipartisan basis, and the fact that my colleagues across the aisle are more interested in passing their hyper-partisan wish lists than they are in finding common ground on our elections is a disservice to all voters, state Sen. Mark Koran, of North Branch, said in a statement Friday. Simon, disputed that, calling his proposals nonpartisan in origin and in effect, saying many have already been adopted by Republican lawmakers in GOP-led as well as Democratic-led states. I will work with anyone of any political affiliation, from any background, from any part of our state, to protect and strengthen and defend the freedom to vote in Minnesota, Simon said. Simon has the enthusiastic support of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who was reelected with more than 33,000 fewer votes than Simon. He said Simons wish list mirrors his own. People spoke very strongly, Walz said in an interview with The Associated Press. I think it shows you that both Steve is an incredible guy and he has great support in Minnesota, but it also shows you how important that issue of voter security is to people, and election security. This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Minnesota elections chief seeks to make voting even easier An increase in the number of people working pushed Monroe County's unemployment rate down in November. Monroe County's jobless rate improved to 4% in November from 4.4% in October, according to data released by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. Most regions in Michigan also saw improvements in their jobless rates. Michigan regional labor markets moved as expected during November, Wayne Rourke, associate director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives, said in a news release. Seasonal rate increases occurred in several regions. Payroll employment was stable over the month. Michigan regional jobless rates ranged from 2.9% to 6.2% in November. Rate declines ranged from 0.1 to 0.4 percentage points, with a median decrease of 0.2 percentage points over the month. Seasonal jobless rate advances occurred in the Northeast and Northwest Lower Michigan regions and the Upper Peninsula. The Niles- Benton Harbor metro area displayed no change in rate since October. Monroe County's employment level improved from 69,660 listed as employed in October to 70,910 in November, according to state data. There were 2,951 counted as unemployed in November out of a workforce of 73,861. In October, there were 3,190 unemployed out of a workforce of 72,850. Regional employment levels rose in 13 Michigan areas over the month, with a median increase of 1.9%. Seasonal November employment decreases occurred in the Northeast and Northwest Lower Michigan regions as well as the Upper Peninsula, the release said. The Detroit Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) also demonstrated a minor employment decrease over the month of 0.5%. Thirteen Michigan regions displayed labor force increases over the month, with a median advance of 1.8%. Four labor market areas exhibited workforce reductions over the month, including the Detroit MSA, the Northeast and Northwest Lower Michigan regions, and the Upper Peninsula. Story continues Thirty-seven Michigan counties demonstrated jobless rate increases during November, while 36 counties saw rate declines and 10 regions were unchanged over the month. The unemployment rate increased in 68 Michigan counties over the year. Monroe County's neighboring Michigan counties also saw their unemployment rates decline. Wayne County's rate went from 4.1% in October to 3.7% in November, Washtenaw County went from 3.3% to 3.1%, and Lenawee County dipped from 4% to 3.9%. This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Monroe County's unemployment rate dips in November One of Alabama's busiest retail and lifestyle centers has been sold to a partnership led by a Houston, Texas-based group. The Shoppes at EastChase and its neighboring Eastchase Plaza in Montgomery are now owned by a group led by investment and management firm 5Rivers CRE. The deal closed at the end of 2022. A sale price wasn't released, but a release from 5Rivers called it "one of the Southeasts largest retail center transactions of the year." A crowd gathers for an annual Christmas celebration at The Shoppes at EastChase. The center was recently sold. The center has more than 85 stores and restaurants, including Ross, PetSmart, Aldi, H&M, Sephora, and Lululemon, and it is shadow-anchored by Target and Dillards. EastChase spreads over 388,700 square feet. "EastChase represents the quality of asset we're targeting in the Southeast and Texas, 5Rivers Head of Acquisitions Analee Bivins said in a release. It was particularly important for us to maintain our position as a key owner of Class A retail product in the state of Alabama. Dominating this market has enabled 5Rivers to offer retailers the opportunity to establish a profitable presence in the region in high visibility centers." People browse booths at an annual farmers market at The Shoppes at EastChase. Last October, 5Rivers purchased Riverchase Promenade in Hoover. The company also owns three other major Alabama centers: the 334,000-square-foot Oxford Exchange in Oxford, the 196,000-square-foot Wildwood Center in Homewood, and the 270,000-square-foot Eastern Shore Plaza in Homewood. Expect more deals on the horizon. "5Rivers is continuing to pursue properties in Texas, Alabama and other Sunbelt states, particularly in the healthy lifestyle retail sector, Bivins said. "5Rivers has been successful finding opportunities in the midst of a complex lending environment with a tighter debt market and we anticipate a steady flow of acquisitions throughout the year." Brad Harper covers business and local government for the Montgomery Advertiser. Contact him at bharper1@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery's Shoppes at EastChase sold to Houston-based 5Rivers BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO allies on Friday threw their weight behind U.S. complaints that Russia is violating the New START nuclear arms control treaty and called on Moscow to come back into compliance. "NATO Allies agree the New START Treaty contributes to international stability by constraining Russian and U.S. strategic nuclear forces," the North Atlantic Council, NATO's top political body, said in a statement. "Therefore, we note with concern that Russia has failed to comply with legally-binding obligations under the New START Treaty." The NATO statement came three days after the U.S. State Department also accused Russia of violating the treaty. NATO said Russia had failed to facilitate U.S. inspections on its territory since August last year. The NATO statement said this "undermines the United States ability to adequately verify Russian compliance with the Treatys central limits." Following the State Department's accusations, Russia insisted on Wednesday it wanted to preserve the treaty. "We consider the continuation of this treaty very important," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Moscow in August suspended cooperation with inspections under the treaty, blaming travel restrictions imposed by Washington and its allies after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But Russia also said it was still committed to complying with the provisions of the treaty. New START came into force in 2011 and was extended in 2021 for five more years. It caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the United States and Russia can deploy, and the deployment of land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them. The NATO statement said: "We call on Russia to fulfill its obligations under the Treaty by facilitating New START inspections on Russian territory, and by returning to participation in the Treatys implementation body, the BCC (Bilateral Consultative Commission)." (Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Marine Strauss and Andrew Gray; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten, William Maclean) It's one of two exciting new categories in this year's reader survey. Courtesy of Belmond At Travel + Leisure, were in the midst of one of the greatest times of year: Worlds Best Awards voting season. Each year, we ask our readers to weigh in on their favorite hotels, destinations, cruise lines, airlines, cities, islands, and more to help us narrow in on the best of the best. The survey kicked off on Oct. 24, 2022, and runs through Feb. 27, 2023. But this year, we have a new category wed love for you to vote on: the World's Best train journeys. Its the first year the category has made an appearance, and the timing couldn't be better. In fact, this year, Pinterest named train travel a "surging trend," thanks in large part to travelers' desire to slow down and immerse themselves in new places and landscapes. Related: There are now exponentially more offerings for those who want to hop aboard trains across the globe, including ultra-luxurious trains trekking across Europe, Amtrak vacations that will take passengers from one end of the U.S. to the other, and sleeper cars meandering through Australia, South Africa, Peru, and more. The new trains category launches this year with 24 trains something on every continent except Antarctica. Among the trains on the survey are icons like the Maharajas' Express in India and the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express in Europe. Best train trips isnt the only new category weve got for you this year. Were also unveiling the best villa rental companies category, so make sure to cast your ballot for your favorites there, too. As a reminder, you have until Feb. 27 to vote. And when you do, youll be entered for a chance to win a Viking Longitudinal World Cruise for two, or one of six cash prizes. Once you've voted and while you wait for the results, see all our 2022 winners at travelandleisure.com. For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Travel & Leisure. Mayor Aftab Pureval's tax abatement proposal will only worsen Cincinnati's racially segregated residency patterns, said Cincinnati attorney Robert Newman. We live in a racially segregated city. National studies have rated Cincinnati to be among the most-segregated cities in the United States. But our eyes, as well, tell us that Cincinnati is deeply segregated. The Eastern Caucasian neighborhoods of Hyde Park, Mount Lookout, Columbia-Tusculum, Oakley and Mount Adams are almost exclusively white. Neighborhoods that adjoin them Evanston, Avondale, Bond Hill and Roselawn are overwhelming Black. And it's not just race that differentiates these neighborhoods its property values, livability and growth. Property values in the Hyde Park neighborhood have risen steadily over the years. This growth has been aided by the citys tax abatement program, which forgives the homeowner who builds a new house or does qualified renovations from paying property taxes for a number of years. What would otherwise be paid in taxes goes into these homeowners bank accounts. In addition, the value of their tax-abated property rises. The total to date of tax abatements to just Hyde Park has been $149.3 million for 443 tax abatements. By contrast, the total for Avondale has been $8.5 million for 53 abatements. Tax abatements to a number of homeowners in a neighborhood have the capacity to raise the property values for a whole neighborhood, and that is happening in the Caucasian neighborhoods. Property values in the African American neighborhoods, on the other hand, with only minimal tax abatements have remained stagnant over the years. Without the opportunity to gain equity in the homes, these African American homeowners have no ability to "buy up," if they choose, or use their equity for the education of their children. They have limited social mobility surmounting the barrier of higher-priced neighborhoods is beyond their means. It is now widely acknowledged that the tax abatement program has had a segregating effect on the residency pattern in Cincinnati. Certainly, there have been other factors causing housing segregation highway construction, restrictive zoning, redlining, urban renewal and public housing policies. But tax abatements have been oil on these troubled waters. Story continues Now Mayor Aftab Pureval has proposed a revision of the tax abatement program that will only worsen the segregated residency pattern in Cincinnati. Here is how that will happen. Hyde Park neighborhoods will likely continue to obtain abatements at the rate and average amounts that they have gotten over the years. African American homeowners, by contrast, with lesser property values and lesser incomes will only be able to do lesser renovation and new construction. In other words, the tax abatement disparity will certainly continue, and likely worsen. Growing disparity in abatements means growing disparity in property values and wealth accumulation. The mayors proposed revision promises more racial segregation in Cincinnati. Cincinnati City Council should amend the mayors tax abatement proposal to provide incentives for tax abatements in the neglected neighborhoods with longer terms for tax abatements, interest free and forgivable home improvement loans, and a staff that assists homeowners in the abatement process. Hyde Park and similar neighborhoods do not need any more abatements, except for affordable housing. It now time for Hyde Park homeowners to pay their own property taxes. The city also shouldn't neglect those elderly homeowners in gentrifying neighborhoods who are facing displacement because of being surrounded by high-end, tax-abated development. It is our civic duty to promote fair housing and not go backwards in this national commitment. Racial segregation in housing must be buried in our history, and not be our future. Robert Newman, a Cincinnati attorney, lives in Hyde Park. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Opinion: Mayor's tax abatement proposal will only worsen racial segregation Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, center, speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, May 16, 2022, on the six-month anniversary of the bipartisan infrastructure law. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, left, and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Michael Regan, right, listen. Susan Walsh/AP Photo Pete Buttigieg Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg says he's not "going anywhere" amid speculation that he could run for Senate or president in 2024. Asked whether he plans to leave his role anytime soon, 41-year-old Buttigieg told Punchbowl News, "That's a decision that's also above my pay grade." "I love this job and feel like we're right in the middle of the action ... I serve at the pleasure of the president, for the time being," he added. "That's how this works. Every political appointee accepts that. But look, I'm not planning on going anywhere because we are smack in the middle of historic work." Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, came into his current role after an unsuccessful 2020 campaign for president, in which he placed fifth in the primaries before dropping out of the race and endorsing Joe Biden. Democratic presidential candidates former Vice President Joe Biden and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg Mario Tama/Getty Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg at a 2020 Democratic presidential debate Some have speculated the transportation secretary could launch a run for a Senate seat in Michigan that will be open following the retirement of Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, whose term ends in Jan. 2025. In a statement issued to Politico last month, Buttigieg said he was "fully focused on serving the President in my role as secretary of transportation, and not seeking any other job." Buttigieg's name has also been among those rumored to be mulling a run for the presidency in 2024. Asked in a 2022 conference whether he ever planned to run for president, the former Naval officer said, "who knows," adding: "I think you run for an office because you notice something about the office, and something about yourself, and something about the moment that adds up." RELATED: Who Is Running for President in 2024? Confirmed and Rumored Republican and Democratic Candidates Buttigieg, who turned 41 last month, has had a busy couple of years since his presidential run. In August 2021, he and his husband Chasten announced that they became parents. Since then, the couple has offered occasional glimpses into their lives as parents, including sharing sweet photos from the twins' outdoor birthday party on Instagram in August 2022. Story continues 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. But he's also become a very public face of the Biden administration, often going viral for exchanges with Fox News hosts, such as one with Bret Baier earlier this month. Asked by Baier whether a trip he took the Netherlands with his husband was reimbursed, Buttigieg said, "of course not," noting that the trip which was to the Invictus Games was with the presidential delegation. "I led a presidential delegation to support American wounded warriors and injured service members [at] the Invictus Games, as has been tradition for many years," Buttigieg told Baier, The Advocate reported. RELATED: Pete Buttigieg Says His Twin Babies, 7 Months, Have Already Been to the White House Buttigieg then went on to note that the same trip had been taken by other administration members and their spouses in years past. "Before me, it was the Secretary Army under President Trump who took that trip with his wife. Before that, it was Mrs. Trump, as First Lady, who went to the Invictus Games. Before that, Mrs. Obama did the same thing," Buttigieg continued. "And, I guess, the question on my mind is, if no one's raising questions about why Secretary Esper and his wife led that delegation ... Then why is it any different when it is me and my husband?" Crystal Quade, state representative, D-Springfield Missouris state motto is salus populi suprema lex esto the welfare of the people is the supreme law. In an effort to live up to that standard, Missouri House Democrats will prioritize legislation during the 2023 legislative session to directly help Missourians at a time when so many are struggling. House Democrats will fight to protect Missourians freedoms and defend our democracy. Well support laws that save lives. And well make sure that when it comes to the taxpayers money, were using it to invest in Missourians and the schools, infrastructure and social services we all rely on. Republicans apparently have forgotten the very first section of the Missouri Constitution, which says all political power is vested in and derived from the people. Not the legislature. Not the Republican Party. The people. This principle is integral to a free and democratic society, and House Democrats will defend it against Republican efforts to shift political power from the people to politicians. The Missouri General Assembly returned to session at the State Capitol Building in Jefferson City on Jan. 4, 2023. When politicians focus on culture war issues, they seek to escape responsibility for objectively bad policy. In the rush to ban abortion, Republican legislators passed vague language forcing doctors to question treatment for ectopic pregnancies, which are always fatal to the child and usually fatal to the mother if not treated, because they fear arrest or losing their ability to practice medicine. The ban left pharmacists confused about how to fill prescriptions used to treat things like arthritis because that same medication can be used for an abortion. This makes no one safer. For well over a century, Missourians have possessed the constitutional authority to bypass the lawmakers to enact legislation their elected representatives refuse to pass, such as Medicaid expansion and legislative ethics reform, as well as medical and recreational marijuana legalization. Missourians also are empowered to block bad laws approved by the legislature and signed into law by the governor, as was the case a few years ago with Republicans anti-union right-to-work law. Story continues Because Missourians frequently and effectively use the initiative and referendum petition processes to thwart the Republican-controlled legislature, GOP lawmakers have launched an all-out assault on Missourians constitutional right to directly enact new laws they support and block bad laws they dont. We can come together as a state and use our record $6 billion surplus to make drastic changes that will benefit every Missourian. Increasing access to safe, quality, affordable child care not only benefits children, it creates jobs and helps parents return back to the workforce, helping our local economies and small businesses. Investing in infrastructure like broadband access or expanding Interstate 70 saves Missourians money and makes all areas of our state more accessible and attractive for businesses. Finally, despite law enforcement officers and county prosecutors pleading with them not to, Republicans have passed laws that allow dangerously unstable people to access firearms. St. Louis police cited this law as a reason they couldnt legally seize the weapon of the recent Central Visual and Performing Arts High School shooter, despite repeated warnings this person posed a threat. We can close loopholes that allow dangerous people to buy or keep firearms. We can prioritize Missourians safety with practical, common sense gun reform while not violating Missourians Second Amendment rights. Policy should be for the good of the people, not attacking the rights of others or putting them in harms way. It has been the honor of my life to work for the people of Missouri, and in my last two years as a state representative leading a growing Democratic caucus, I know our vision of a safer, more fiscally intelligent and democratically secure Missouri is resonating. We can achieve greatness so long as we maintain our focus on the welfare of the people. State Rep. Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, is minority leader of the Missouri House of Representatives. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Crystal Quade: Democrats will put the welfare of the people first WASHINGTON A key House Republican has subpoenaed the FBI and Education Department for documents dealing with alleged counterterrorism investigations of parents protesting at school board meetings, which federal authorities have disputed. The subpoenas Friday from Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, who is head of the Judiciary subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government, went to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona for information stemming from a 2021 memo from Attorney General Merrick Garland. The subpoenas are part of wide-ranging investigations House Republicans have opened into the Biden administration. Ian Sams, a White House spokesperson, said Jordan "is rushing to fire off subpoenas" despite agencies responding in good faith to his requests. "These subpoenas make crystal clear that extreme House Republicans have no interest in working together with the Biden Administration on behalf of the American people and every interest in staging political stunts," Sams said. Garland's memo directed the FBI to address "threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff" after some groups aired concerns regarding the safety of public schools. Stay in the conversation on politics: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, on Jan. 25. But Jordan and other Republicans received whistleblower information that the FBI was using a specific "threat tag" to track potential investigations. Jordan seeks FBI documents about opening investigations into parents who speak on behalf of their children at school board meetings. The subpoenas followed more than 100 letters Judiciary Committee Republicans sent to Biden administration officials asking about using counterterrorism resources against parents, according to the committee. The committee set a March 1 deadline for the documents. Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray on Jan. 27. The FBI issued a statement that said it is actively working to respond to congressional requests for information with the voluntary production of documents. Story continues The FBI said Wray and other officials have stated clearly on numerous occasions the agency "has never been in the business of investigating speech or policing speech at school board meetings or anywhere else, and we never will be." "Our focus is and always will be on protecting people from violence and threats of violence," the FBI statement said. "We are fully committed to preserving and protecting First Amendment rights including the right to free speech. Attempts to further any political narrative will not change those facts." Roy Loewenstein, an Education Department spokesman, said the department responded to Jordan's letter earlier this week. "The Department remains committed to responding to the House Judiciary Committees requests in a manner consistent with longstanding Executive Branch policy," he said. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona Garland and Wray and each testified at congressional hearings about the school board memo, disputing the Republican interpretation of the memo. Garland said he was concerned about violence and threats of violence, offering federal assistance to local authorities if necessary. "We did not sic the FBI on parents," Garland told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Oct. 27, 2021. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rep. Jim Jordan subpoenas FBI, Education Dept over school board memo A top official in Gov. Tony Evers' administration has signaled there could be room for compromise between Republican lawmakers and the Democratic governor to lower the top income tax bracket in Wisconsin. Evers and the Republican-controlled state Legislature are grappling with how to spend a projected $7.1 billion surplus as they tackle the next two-year state budget in the coming months. GOP leaders want to enact massive income tax cuts, especially for filers in the top bracket. Evers has said he wants tax relief for the middle class. Department of Revenue Secretary Peter Barca indicated Wednesday evening at the Wisconsin Policy Forum annual meeting in Milwaukee that the budget-writing process could include changes in tax policy for the highest earners. I think we could do something on the top rate, I think we could do something to have an impact, to also make a change so that we do, primarily, help those that are struggling to get in the middle class and those that are there, Barca said. To me that would be a reasonable compromise, but the governor has made clear that he will not sign a flat tax. More:With $6.6 billion surplus, Republican leader Vos sees room for bigger tax cuts in 2023 Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu has proposed a 3.35% flat income tax which, if passed, would be vetoed by Evers. If a flat tax was implemented, Barca said the state would be looking at an annual $4 billion reduction in revenue. Barca added the state could afford a flat tax during this biennial budget, but in the next budget, the state could be looking at a structural deficit. Barca said hes met with state senators from both parties and one of the GOP senators said to me today was The last thing in the world that I want is to go back to structural deficits. Barca was joined on stage at the event by Rick Chandler, former secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Revenue during the Walker administration. A large portion of the discussion focused on how the state could make itself more competitive via the tax code. Story continues Historically, in Wisconsin, weve had a tax system where were above average on income and property taxes, well below average on sales taxes. Thats a little bit of a problem from a marketing perspective, Chandler said. Because the two taxes that people notice the most and dislike the most are the income and property taxes. People dont really notice the sales tax. Chandler said a flat tax is easier to understand, easier to market, but doesnt necessarily lower the tax burden of all residents. Illinois has a flat tax. One rate, 4.95%. People look at that and think Illinois has lower taxes than us. Actually, our overall tax burden is lower than Illinois, Chandler said. We have to find better ways to market our tax system. A flat tax would do that. On the other hand, it would direct a large share of the cuts to the people at the upper end of the tax bracket, not as much for the middle class. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Revenue Secretary Barca hints at compromise on high income tax bracket Last November, the two sides of a violent and destructive two-year conflict, the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, or TPLF, and the Government of Ethiopia, signed a permanent cessation of hostilities. Since then, the two signatories have gradually implemented the terms of the accord, which called for the resumption of unimpeded humanitarian assistance and essential services to Tigray as well as the disarmament of the TPLF and the withdrawal of all foreign and non-federal forces from Tigray. The agreement also called for an inclusive and comprehensive national transitional justice process. For the first time in more than two years, the Ethiopian government restored power and telephone service to large swaths of Tigray. Humanitarian assistance began flowing in. In mid-January, the TPLF turned over many of its heavy weapons, including tanks and rocket launchers, to the African Union. In turn, the Eritrean forces have begun withdrawing from the towns and positions that they had occupied in Tigray for many months and moving back across the border to Eritrea. The United States supports the [African Union]-led peace process in northern Ethiopia, said State Department Spokesperson Ned Price. We do applaud the continued steady progress towards implementing the key elements of the cessation of hostilities agreement that was reached a number of months ago as well as the positive role of the AUs Joint Monitoring Verification and Compliance team. We are aware that Eritrean forces are beginning to withdraw from Ethiopia. We reiterate the call that emanated from the talks in South Africa, for the withdrawal of all foreign forces, said Spokesperson Price. The departure of Eritrean and other forces is crucial to achieving lasting peace, securing full humanitarian access, and ensuring the territorial integrity of Ethiopia. The United States will continue to support the implementation of the November 2 agreement and efforts to achieve a lasting peace. This includes access for international human rights monitors to conflict-affected areas of northern Ethiopia. Work remains, but progress is promising and gives the Ethiopian people reason for hope. Company Logo Dublin, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Saudi Arabia Portable Generator Market, By Fuel Type (Diesel, Gasoline, Natural Gas & LPG), By End-User (Commercial, Industrial and Residential), By Power Rating, By Application, By Region, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Saudi Arabia Portable Generator market is anticipated to grow at a rate of an impressive CAGR in the forecast period, 2023-2027 The primary influencing factors for the Saudi Arabia Portable Generator market growth are the need for backup power during a power outage and the introduction of technologically advanced portable generators. Portable generators produce electricity by running a gas-powered engine that turns an onboard alternator to generate electrical power. It consists of a machine that turns on a small turbine, which creates electricity up to a certain wattage level. The development of smart cities and green initiatives owing to the ongoing Vision 2030 creates the demand for the generation and distribution of electric supply. Growing Demand for Continuous Power Supply Fuels Market Growth The oil and gas industry is considered one of the major revenue-generating industries. The government of Saudi Arabia is trying to diversify the income sources to lower the dependence on the oil industry. Leading authorities are introducing several economic and infrastructure development plans, such as Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to boost the country's current financial status. The uninterrupted power supply is considered a vital part responsible for the economic progress of a country. Power outage or interruption in the power supply affects a large number of ongoing activities, which may adversely impact the country's financial status. Inadequate power supply hampers the normal functioning of the small and medium-sized enterprises and also for commercial spaces. The use of portable generators ensures the continuous electric supply, which is one of the major reasons for their substantial demand in the country. Flourishing Construction Industry Drives the Market Growth Leading authorities have allocated huge funds for the infrastructure development and introducing plans and initiatives which in turn is expected to accelerate the growth of the construction industry. Development of the private sector and ongoing reforms Saudi Vision 2030, National Transformation Program 2025 are of the major contributing factors boosting the growth of the construction activities. Story continues Ministry of Municipalities and Rural Affairs in Makkah have announced several construction projects including the Grand Mosque, King Abdullah Security Compounds, the Red Sea Project, Qiddiya entertainment city, King Salman Energy Park (Spark). Riyadh Rapid Bus Transit System, Jean Nouvel's Sharaan resort in Al-Ula and others which are significantly boosting the ongoing construction activities. To support the ongoing construction activities, continuous power supply is required. Portable energy generator is employed to satisfy the growing needs of uninterrupted power supply at remote locations during the construction activities. Due to the implementation of the stringent regulations to minimize the harmful gas emissions is making the portable generator market players to introduce generators having lower greenhouse gas emissions. Competitive Landscape Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Saudi Arabia Portable Generator market. Jubaili Bros Jimen Power General Trading FZE Himoinsa Atlas Copco Aggreko Energia Honeywell International Siemens Limited Briggs & Stratton Co. Generac Eaton Caterpillar Report Scope: Saudi Arabia Portable Generator Market, By Fuel Type: Diesel Gasoline Natural Gas & LPG Saudi Arabia Portable Generator Market, By End-User: Commercial Industrial Residential Saudi Arabia Portable Generator Market, By Power Rating: Less Than 5 kVA 5-10 kVA 10-20 kVA Saudi Arabia Portable Generator Market, By Application: Emergency Prime/Continuous Saudi Arabia Portable Generator Market, By Region: Northern & Central Southern Eastern Western For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4rd9oi-arabia?w=12 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 Seth Meyers believes Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) may have admitted the real reason Republicans kicked Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) off the House Foreign Affairs Committee. House Republicans voted to remove Omar from the committee on Thursday, citing past comments she made about Israel that were criticized as antisemitic. The move was widely viewed as political revenge for when Democrats removed Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) from committees in 2021 over social media posts suggesting violence against Democrats. On Late Night, Meyers said Thursday that Republicans voted to remove Omar, one of the only two Muslim women in the House, for the simple reason that they dont like her or her point of view. And Gaetz admitted as much this week, he noted, showing a clip of Gaetz earlier this week saying: The reason I think a lot of Republicans want to kick Ilhan Omar off of the Foreign Affairs Committee is because they dont like what she has to say. You know how fucked up something has to be for me to agree with Matt Gaetz? Meyers said. The only other thing we see eye to eye on are the benefits of large foreheads. Watch below on Late Night. Related... Many people around Shreveport and Bossier recognize artist and local foodie Alex Richardson for his unique art style and big personality. However, there's more to him than his love of local art and cuisine. At his center there is a deep appreciation for this community and a want to make it even better. Born and raised in Shreveport, Richardson was diagnosed with ADHD and with that came an enhanced level of creativity and a need to a need to find a way to let it out. In school, Richardson's teachers pushed his artistic development by pulling him out of classes to work on art projects around the schools and encouraging him to enter contests. "I do remember I got in trouble, and I got sent to detention for like week, because I skipped PE for a month by lying and saying that I was a library assistant," Richardson explained. "I would just go to the library and draw and just work on my own artwork. I would get drawing art books and continue finding different things to draw. I just didn't want to go to PE, and I wanted to draw instead." Alex Richardson in December 2022 at the Bossier City Arts Council. This determination to his craft landed Richardson a scholarship after competing in the George Rodrigue Foundation art contest where he was one of the few students from Louisiana to receive it. Richardson worked his way through Bossier Parish Community College at the BPCC News and graduated in 2018 with an Associate's Degree in Communication Media with a minor in Graphic Design. Now, he's using his degree and talents to give back to students by working with the arts education program for Shreveport-Bossier. Need Valentine's Day Plans?Here's where to go for a romantic dinner in Shreveport. In order to get by and pay for school, Richardson took on various odd jobs that ended up aiding his artistic endeavors without him even realizing it. His time working as a carpenter alongside his dad, he learned the art of making cabinets and other home decor, while working at the comic-based t-shirt and comic book store Crew of Tees taught him how to screen print and master Adobe Illustrator. Story continues "I got an internship with the Bossier Arts Council in 2016 and I have been there ever since," Richardson said. "I became the longest-running intern in the Bossier Arts Council's history, because most internships are like 'I learn a little bit of a thing and then I move on to something else', but I just had nothing better going on." Staying on at the BAC and freelancing on the side soon turned into a full-time position as the marketing coordinator for BAC and he created his graphic design company Dasuq Arts. In addition to these great accomplishments, Richardson was selected as one of Shreveport's 40 Under 40 in 2022. These honorees are chosen for bringing bold, fresh and innovative perspectives to their fields and setting the bar for community engagement and activism. Alex Richardson in December 2022 at the Bossier City Arts Council. It's no surprise Richardson was chosen for his artistic endeavors, but he was also chosen for his determination to create a better community here. This need stems from some time spent away from Louisiana in his teen years. While the majority of his education took place in Shreveport, Richardson spent one year of high school in Grapevine, Texas after his mother moved them to the area. He said that time in Texas was a defining moment in his life. "It's just one of those parts where you get to move out of a space that you're accustomed to and do something new and it kind of brought a new appreciation for where I came from," Richardson recalled. One Year Later: 2022 Shreveport Most Influential Woman, Lisa Cronin gives her advice to next award winner Richardson returned to Shreveport a year later with a new perspective on the place he originally called home. His time in Texas spurred a philanthropic attitude in him after experiencing how little those in better-off communities helped others in need. With his extroverted nature and want to help others, Richardson has become known in Shreveport-Bossier as someone who always shows up to support local artists, restaurants and events. From winning the Highland Jazz and Blues Festival art contest to creating the poster for the annual Film Prize, to opening his own digital art show, Richardson had an impressive 2022, but what's next? Alex Richardson in December 2022 at the Bossier City Arts Council. "I'm not too sure, there's a part of me that wants to be an art teacher in some way, there's a part of me that would love to go into doing concept art, storyboards, character design and children's books," said Richardson. "Maybe one day I could be like Bill Joyce, who knows. All I know is that I want to be in a spot in my life where I'm still doing artwork. I know there might be a point where I might be behind the executive director desk at the Bossier Arts Council, but just as long as I'm still connected to the world of art in some way, I know that I'll be content." Keep up with Alex and his art by following his personal Facebook page, the Dasuq Arts Facebook page and his Instagram @dasuq_arts. Meredith G. White is the arts and culture reporter for the Shreveport Times. You can find her on Facebook as Meredith G. White, on Instagram and Twitter as @meredithgwhite, and email her at mgwhite@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Learn more about Shreveport's local artist and foodie Alex Richardson Paco Rabanne - Exhibition launch "La Tentation de L'espace" Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images Paco Rabanne, legendary Spanish fashion designer, died on Feb. 3 at age 88 in France, his fashion house announced on social media. "The House of Paco Rabanne wishes to honour our visionary designer and founder who passed away today at the age of 88. Among the most seminal fashion figures of the 20th century, his legacy will remain a constant source of inspiration," an Instagram reads, alongside a 1999 portrait of Rabanne. The announcement continues, "We are grateful to Monsieur Rabanne for establishing our avant-garde heritage and defining a future of limitless possibilities." Puig, the parent company of Rabanne's fashion house and fragrance business, confirmed the news of his death to WWD, remarking on his icon status. "Paco Rabanne made transgression magnetic," said Jose Manuel Albesa, president of Puig's fashion and beauty division. "Who else could induce fashionable Parisian women to clamor for dresses made of plastic and metal? Who but Paco Rabanne could imagine a fragrance called Calandre the word means 'automobile grill,' you know and turn it into an icon of modern femininity?" paco rabanne Keystone/Getty Images Rabanne, whose real name was Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo, was born in 1934 in Spain. While he was growing up, his mother was a seamstress for Cristobal Balenciaga's first fashion house. In the midst of the Spanish Civil War, which claimed Rabanne's father's life, she moved the family to Paris, where Rabanne ended up studying architecture before following his love of fashion and a sense of freedom. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday. Fashion show Haute Couture Spring -Sumpmer 1994 in Paris, France in January, 1994 - Paco Rabanne Daniel SIMON/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images It wasn't until Rabanne reached his 30s, though, that he truly made fashion his full-time career, after working for other brands, starting with Elsa Schiaparelli. He turned the industry upside down with his futuristic space-age designs once he created his own fashion house, though he later told The New York Times that he didn't like to be classed as a "futurist." It was his 1966 show, called "Twelve Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials," that helped make him a name. His collection was made from metal and plastic and set the tone for what was to come from his work. Story continues RELATED: Paying Tribute to the Celebrities Who Have Died in 2023 As Rabanne continued to build his brand, he branched out into fragrance, releasing his first and arguably most popular scent in 1969, called Calandre. Alongside his fashion creations, he continued to work in fragrance, growing both of his businesses into worldwide brands. Paco Rabanne works on an outfit in his Paris workshop Eric Robert/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images Known for using unconventional materials and creating unusual silhouettes, Rabanne and his team worked with a number of celebrities throughout his career for some of the most memorable pieces of fashion. His fashion house famously created the green outfit that Jane Fonda wears in Barbarella in the 1960s and also created a look made out of paper for Lady Gaga to wear to the MTV Europe Awards in 2011. Rabanne officially retired in 1999, according to Vogue, while his fashion house and fragrance businesses continued to build. Though the House of Paco Rabanne took a brief hiatus in the early 2000s, it relaunched in 2011 just in time for Lady Gaga's iconic paper look for MTV and the continued support of celebrity looks, including Sabrina Carpenter's golden gown for the 2022 Met Gala. Later in life, Rabanne was honored for his contributions to fashion, earning an Officer of the Legion d'Honneur in France title in 2010. He also opened an exhibition of his drawings something he put much time and love into throughout his life in Moscow in 2005. Beyond being a creative visionary, Rabanne was also memorable as an eccentric man who made claims that he'd lived seven lives, that he'd seen God three times in three forms and whose memory reaches back 7,000 years, according to The New York Times. He was someone who wasn't afraid to speak out both with words and with his designs. But above all, he wanted to use his creativity to show off the female form and make women feel exquisite. "I do not want to have women with this ripped, deconstructed, pessimistic clothing," he told The New York Times in 2002 of advice his mother once gave him. "I want to create fashion for women to be beautiful, sexy and optimistic." Three Stanford MBAs Launch Newsletter To Quantify Impact Of Climate Careers A collage of guest authors who have contributed articles to The Gigaton, from left to right: John Foye (Stanford MBA), Rae Oakley (Stanford MBA), Claire Yun (Stanford MBA/MS), TJ Considine (Berkeley Haas MBA), Celia Hauw (Columbia MBA), Pat Dowling (Stanford MBA), and Michelle Park (Stanford University.) To avoid the 2 degrees Celsius of global warming widely recognized as the threshold that will trigger climate catastrophe, the world needs to eliminate 1,000 of gigatons of CO2-equivalent emissions by 2050. But what does that mean? How do you wrap your head around a gigaton a billion tons much less a thousand of them? If a person wants to have real impact on such an enormous problem, is it more effective to scale sustainable materials for clothing, reduce the use of fertilizers, or work to save the Amazon rainforest? A newsletter by three Stanford MBAs is trying to help answer those questions. Aptly named The Gigaton, the Substack newsletter seeks to quantify, in actual gigatons, the real impact emerging solutions have on the climate. Their target audience? Talented young professionals looking for careers with impact. I think this is one of the most meaningful projects this year, says Glenn Kramon, a New York Times editor for more than 25 years and teacher of Stanford GSBs Winning Writing workshop. I admire these three students for steering the smartest people to our most intractable problem. Smart people are the ones who will help us address climate change. CALCULATING THE GIGATON POTENTIAL The Gigaton was launched last year by Stella Liu, Joseff Kolman, and Georgia Kossoff, all second-year MBAs at Stanford Graduate School of Business. It publishes articles focused on climate solutions twice a month with one key differentiator: Each begins with the solutions Gigaton Potential, the quantifiable number of greenhouse emissions the solution would eliminate if enacted to its full potential. Three Stanford MBAs Launch Newsletter To Quantify Impact Of Climate Careers The Gigaton creators are, from left to right, Stella Liu, Joseff Kolman, and Georgia Kossoff, all second-year MBAs at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Story continues So, from our earlier example, scaling sustainable materials for clothing and adopting next-generation fibers could reduce total emissions by 24 GT by 2050. Reducing the overuse of fertilizer could reduce emissions by 3 to 12 GT. Not cutting down the Amazon rainforest could prevent 76 GT of carbon from escaping back into the atmosphere. My hope with the newsletter is to see students that change their careers, or even focus their careers, on something that will have a higher impact, Kossoff tells P&Q. I felt like that was a really important and potentially missing piece, because we talk so much about climate broadly as young professionals in a university community, but what I was struggling with was how to direct all of this talent to really move the needle for climate change. The creators adopted the 1,000 GT threshold from Project Drawdown, a nonprofit research group focusing attention and resources on climate solutions that will reduce greenhouse emissions. To put it in context, the world emitted 51 gigatons of greenhouse gasses in 2019. While the newsletter is not a jobs board, articles do highlight key industry players to help direct climate-minded professionals where to start their job searches or to map out their careers. Readers learn about the sustainability work of industry leaders like GE Lighting which continually invests R&D into LED lighting to use less electricity as well as emerging startups they may have never heard of like Arloid which uses Deep Reinforcement Learning to optimize a buildings energy efficiency, reducing emissions by up to 30%. Articles also outline opportunities for innovation in each solution, an endless source of inspiration for sustainability-minded entrepreneurs. THE THREE CLIMATEERS Kramon taught the creators, whom he nicknamed The Three Climateers, in his Stanford GSB writing course and has helped advise them along the way. While the newsletter has since expanded to several other business schools including The Wharton School, Harvard Business School, and Chicago Booth its fitting that the project started as a way to direct Stanford students to impactful climate careers, he says. Three Stanford MBAs Launch Newsletter To Quantify Impact Of Climate Careers Glenn Kramon In September, Stanford launched the Doerr School of Sustainability the universitys first new school in 70 years with a $1.1 billion gift from John and Ann Doerr, the largest in Stanford history. Its School of Engineering training people to design, develop, and apply solutions to technical problems is Stanfords biggest academic school by far. And, Stanford sits at the heart of Silicon Valley, recently rocked by a series of high-profile tech layoffs. The audience is practically built in. This is why I think that The Gigaton is so important: It has a potential audience of people who can make a difference. Rather than just talk about it, they can do something about it, Kramon tells P&Q. You have to change the mindset, and thats what these three are doing. Poets&Quants had the chance to sit down with Stanfords Three Climateers to talk about The Gigatons mission, growth, and potential impact. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Tell me about the genesis of The Gigaton and how the idea developed. Liu: Last year, the inspiration just hit me one day: I wanted to start a newsletter, and I thought itd be fun to do it with my classmates. I went on our climate Slack channel and posted that I was interested in doing something. Within the day, I had a lot of people message me. There was a lot of energy, not just from me, but from a ton of other students who wanted to write about these topics. It was pretty organic from there. We started meeting every single week, and it ended up evolving into not just a newsletter, but more of a publication. A lot of our classmates have a lot of experience in climate or are interested in climate. I saw a lot of curiosity, people digging in and being able to understand one climate solution really well. So, we started expanding to different MBA programs this year, having a lot of students write about what theyre excited about, and then sharing that within our network of students who read it every week. What resonated with you, Joseff, when you saw that first call out on the climate Slack channel? Three Stanford MBAs Launch Newsletter To Quantify Impact Of Climate Careers Joseff Kolman, MBA 23 Kolman: For me, coming from a STEM background in physics and a very quantitative political science major, I dont have that much experience in writing. I knew coming into my MBA that I wanted to have a lot of opportunities to practice writing. So I took Glenns class, and it really helped a lot. And Gigaton was an opportunity for me to get more practice. On top of that, with my experience in electricity markets and renewable energy, I knew that I had information that I wanted to share. I did see new people entering the climate space, and they were asking questions on which I felt I could be helpful. When we first got started with The Gigaton, that group of people wanted to do the same thing. It just turned into a really great experience. Georgia, what about you? Kossoff: When I think about the climate crisis, the thing that gives me the most hope and we talked about this a lot in The Gigaton is all of the interest from these incredible students, industry leaders, and young professionals. With The Gigaton, I saw a way to kind of amplify our impact and create a ripple effect that would continue beyond us. For every person that we can help direct into a climate career, or into a higher impact climate career, I think the impact of what we do with The Gigaton is more than we could ever measure. That was what I was most excited about: The chance for this to extend beyond ourselves. There are so many ways that you can work on climate, but theres not a lot telling you where your skills will be most valuable and what kinds of companies are going to really change the world. I was most excited about this quantifiable impact. Stella, what is the mission of The Gigaton? I know youre reaching out to other MBA programs now, but do you hope to reach beyond MBAs as well? Three Stanford MBAs Launch Newsletter To Quantify Impact Of Climate Careers Stella Liu, MBA 23 Liu: Our mission is to guide what we call climate newbies to identify a career of the highest impact. Thats why we strive to be very clear and explain things in a really simple way. Were really targeting someone whos a little bit new to climate or wants to learn about the range of possibilities that are available for them to work on. But we anchor every article on our goal: How do we avoid the two degrees of warming that our planet is on track to hit? We started with MBA students because thats who we are, but we envision this message and the content reaching people beyond that. Weve been seeing a lot of interest, for instance, in undergrad and in graduate schools beyond the business school programs. Its also grown a bit organically beyond the student network. Its been really great to see other VC investors or other climate entrepreneurs actually start subscribing. So even though we are very focused on speaking to the student profile, weve been seeing interest beyond that. What kind of growth have you seen since launching last year? Kossoff: When we first started publishing, we initially saw it as a Stanford project, and we were targeting Stanford students. We sent it out to the GSB community and did a bit of outreach to other Stanford organizations and schools. A few months in, we looked at our numbers, and we realized that we had a pretty good proportion of GSB subscribed. Students were liking the articles and giving good feedback. Thats when we started to think maybe this could be something more than just a Stanford GSB centric newsletter. Midway through the year, we started expanding our reach to both other schools within Stanford and also to other universities. Now, we distribute the newsletter to about ten other universities, mostly going through their business schools and their climate communities. We have recruited ambassadors from these universities who are helping to spread the word, and were hoping to actually formalize that presence, starting by the end of this year. Wed like to form 10 chapters, each based at the outside university, as well as recruiting new readers and new authors. We are crowd sourced, so all of our articles are written by students with expertise. We are now starting to see articles from other schools, which is really exciting. Our articles, on average, get around 2000 views per article, and we have 1,200 subscribers. Which is amazing, because weve seen that grow pretty significantly from the beginning. What universities have you expanded to? Kolman: Weve got Wharton, HBS, Northwestern, MIT Sloan, Chicago Booth, and Yale. We also have a presence in Emory and McCombs in Texas. Why do you think it has resonated? Three Stanford MBAs Launch Newsletter To Quantify Impact Of Climate Careers Georgia Kossoff, MBA 23 Kossoff: The feedback from our readers is that they like the format. We tried to make it really bite sized and accessible for climate newbies. But we also realized that, even if you have climate expertise in one subject matter, there might be solutions that are still very much out of your depth. So, by writing at this level, we make it accessible for everyone regardless of experience level. We also tried to make them very tactical; Its not just a 101 on the solution. Weve profiled companies that we think are doing really cool things as well as startups that are high potential. Weve heard from readers, interestingly, that some are using it as a career guide or to build an investment thesis, but others are actually just using it so that they can sound educated in conversations and know the lay of the land in climate. I think thats partially whats made it resonate. Another aspect is that, because the authors are often students at these universities, were giving students a chance to showcase their expertise. Students really feel connected to the material; Its interesting to learn from people who are on the ground versus third parties that are just writing about it from secondary research. What is your vetting process for ensuring the content is accurate? Liu: The way our process works is people reach out to us and then pitch us different areas they want to write about. Because we anchor each article on the gigaton impact, we do want to make sure that the solution theyre proposing is impactful. Its not interesting for us to write about solutions that are less than one gigaton; We want to look for really big impactful solutions and highlight those in our newsletters. So thats one cut off. People also send us their resumes, so we get a sense of what theyve worked on in the past. We make sure that every person in the writing process gets their article reviewed by an expert. That could be a professor, that could be someone working in the space. We also have everyone cite all their sources and include all the articles they pulled information from. So all those processes are in place because we do want high-quality content. What do you think sets The Gigaton apart from other climate centered publications? Kolman: Two things that come to mind: First is the quantification. In some climate newsletters, they do great diligence on different technologies or different companies, but they lack that comparison metric across solution types. Second, we do a good job of bridging that 101 and the companies that are active in that space to not only provide you with the understanding of how a technology or solution works in reality, but also who are the people on the ground that are working on it. I think thats done in a very digestible way. If someone wants to take action in that space, they can. We actually had a really interesting bit of feedback from one of our authors (Rae Oakley) who wrote, The Massive Opportunity of Mass Timber. She said that while she had really good response from folks on LinkedIn, etc., she was actually contacted by a mass timber company disappointed that they didnt show up on the market map that she had created. Were so pleased to see that kind of interaction. Three Stanford MBAs Launch Newsletter To Quantify Impact Of Climate Careers A graphic showing companies using integrated design delivery systems from Gigatons article on mass timber. What are some specific articles that you think had great impact, or are illustrative of what The Gigaton is about? Kossoff: This summer, I wrote about building automation that was a cool case study for me. I had done some automation work when I was consulting, and so I wrote about it as a sustainability solution. This was really interesting for two reasons: First because I got to work with Lincoln Bleveans who runs sustainability in operations on Stanford Universitys campus. He wound up later doing an interview for The Gigaton about running sustainable operations on the scale of a campus like Stanford. And second, after my article was published, a recent Stanford alum whos now in D.C. reached out to me because she was writing an investment thesis on building automation. She used The Gigaton article to help structure her thesis, which was awesome to hear. Not only was it an interesting subject area for me with exciting gigaton potential, but it was a great way to bring in connections both from Stanford and from our alumni community. Stella, how about you? Liu: One article that stood out to me was, The Amazon Rainforest: A Climate Superpower by Mariana Heredia. When the author initially reached out to me on the topic, I was a little bit concerned about the gigaton potential. But, I was just blown away when she told me that if it was a country, the amount of carbon emissions emitted through tropical deforestation would be No. 3, right behind the U.S. and China. I think that shows how important it is to quantify the impact. She wrote an amazing article on the Amazon rainforest and what a climate superpower it is. If we can protect it from being cut down, it would be a huge lever to combat climate change. And Joseff? Kolman: Im a bit of a technologist; I still have a love for the science that took me through undergrad. I thoroughly enjoyed Wastewater: A Dirty Little Climate Opportunity by Daly Wettermark, a classmate of mine from undergrad whos now doing wastewater work in the private sector. It was great being able to reach a broader network than just MBAs, to reach someone whos a practitioner in this space to guest author. Oftentimes in climate tech, people are talking about the really large solutions like direct air capture and fusion and wind and solar, but they dont put as much attention on these smaller, less sexy technologies that can really make a difference. Throughout the article, shes talking like Look, humans create waste, waste decomposes, it makes CO2. So, just being able to give a platform to a solution like that was really, really satisfying. Have you heard of a reader of The Gigaton who actually made a career change based on an article, or an industry they read about? Kossoff: My fiance actually used The Gigaton to make a pitch for a VC job. He used Stellas article, Understanding Onshore Wind, to write his investment thesis and now hes working in VC, and he hopes to ultimately do climate. So he was definitely inspired by it. Our cohort is still in its second year, so our classmates actually havent finalized jobs for after graduation. But we definitely want to follow up with more of our readers and see what it led to in terms of jobs, once we start to get to that stage in the spring. What are the plans for The Gigaton after you three graduate? Kossoff: All three of us are planning to stay on board because we feel really invested in it, and were excited about expanding it beyond a student project. Our goal, by the time we leave Stanford, is that well have established leadership to continue for the next year at both Stanford as well as a cohort of other universities. Weve already started that recruiting process. Our vision is that itll continue to run as it has with us, but with more diversity across the schools. It will be co-owned across all of these universities and be a cross-university climate community for students to showcase their knowledge and share expertise. We hope it will become a self-sustaining organization where each year theres new leadership and that it will grow across more and more universities. Read and subscribe to The Gigaton here. Three Stanford MBAs Launch Newsletter To Quantify Impact Of Climate Careers Stella Liu is the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants whose interest in climate began as a young girl. On frequent trips back to China and Taiwan, she watched rural agriculture economies turn to ones with ever taller skyscrapers. I became really interested in land use changes and how to evolve our food system sustainably, while still being able to elevate life around the world. She studied international studies with a focus on Asia and UC Irvine, and worked as a product manager at IBM Watson and later at Indigo, expanding her interest in using technology to upscale sustainable solutions in agriculture. After graduating from GSB, she plans to work in climate technology investing. Three Stanford MBAs Launch Newsletter To Quantify Impact Of Climate Careers Joseff Kolman, originally from Savannah, Georgia, majored in physics and political science at MIT. He worked in energy policy, interning for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, consulting in renewable energy projects for large companies like McDonalds and Wells Fargo. After graduation, he plans to work in early-stage VC, investing in the climate hardware companies that needed to shift to a more sustainable physical economy. Three Stanford MBAs Launch Newsletter To Quantify Impact Of Climate Careers Georgia Kossoff grew up between Florida and Hawaii. Over the past five years or so, Ive seen almost every member of my family transition their career to be focused on climate because it was hard to ignore the loss of the reefs that we were seeing in Hawaii and the landscape changing in Florida. She studied chemistry and business at Emory University. As a Bain consultant, she has tried to focus as much of her time on climate as she could, either through pro bono consulting projects or internal sustainability work. Ive been really excited to kind of hone my sustainability skill set while Im at Stanford because I feel the same calling that my family feels to try to fix this crisis. She will returning to Bain & Company as a consultant after graduation and hopes to do as much climate consulting work as possible. DONT MISS: CHATGPT JUST PASSED THIS WHARTON PROFESSORS FINAL EXAM. HE SAYS HE WONT BAN THE AI TOOL AND NYU STERNS JOHANNES STROEBEL, WINNER OF THE FISCHER BLACK PRIZE FOR FINANCIAL RESEARCH WITH IMPACT The post Stanford MBAs Seek To Quantify Impact Of Climate Careers appeared first on Poets&Quants. tamra judge Jason Mendez/Getty Tamra Judge Tamra Judge is still feeling the effects of having abdominal surgery late last year. The Real Housewives of Orange County star went under the knife on Dec. 29, 2022 for a corrective abdominoplasty she says "one of the most painful things I've ever done in my life." "God knows I've gone under the knife before, but recovering from this has been worse than anything I've ever done," she tells PEOPLE, ahead of her appearance Friday at Sally Beauty in New York City, to celebrate her Vena Skincare line being the retailer's first and only CBD skincare collection sold in-stores. "I mean, I've given birth to four children and even that was easier!" RELATED: Tamra Judge Urges Followers to Get Checked for Skin Cancer: 'Could Save Your Life' Judge, 55, decided to have the surgery to fix the placement of her naval, which had been damaged and off-center for over 10 years since she had a life-saving emergency operation to remove a strangulated hernia in 2012. "I could have died," she recalls of the operation. "And it basically left me with no belly button." Tamra Judge Tamra Judge/ Instagram Tamra Judge, in a post from 2019 Dr. Donald S. Mowlds, who performed Judge's abdominoplasty, explains to PEOPLE what happened: "Tamra came in with a tough, difficult problem due to the previous surgery she had. A strangulated surgery is really bad and the doctor that had done the operation which is a major surgery, by the way was pretty heroic and did an incredible job. Unfortunately, the down side to these surgeries is that for the type of incision they use, they release the belly button from where it naturally attaches to the abdominal wall. And sometimes, when they tack it back down, the skin sort of re-drapes and can create some unevenness to the abdomen." "That's was the case with Tamra," the board certified plastic surgeon continues. "The incision went basically halfway up the mid-line of her stomach and around her belly button, causing the slit-like belly button. But it was out of place, making her proportions of the abdomen off. And it led to her complaints of the skin laxity above, the firmness below, and just everything that we sought to treat. Story continues In Judge's eyes, it's a lot simpler. "I basically had no belly button," she says. "I'd have to remain extremely thin for my stomach to look normal and even then, it was never really there. It was just one of those things I hated about myself. People on social media would be like, 'Oh she clearly got a tummy tuck, look how messed up her belly button is!' You know how many times I'd have to show the actual picture of the hernia to prove them wrong?! I didn't want to do it anymore." So during a trip to see her longtime Newport Beach plastic surgeon Dr. Milind Ambe for a little routine Botox, Judge met Dr. Mowlds a breast and body specialist who had just moved into Dr. Ambe's office. "I don't know how it came up, I think we were talking about the hernia but I showed him my non-existent belly button and was like, 'Can you fix this?' " she tells PEOPLE. "And whereas most doctors I'd talked to in the past were like, 'I'm not touching that,' he was like, 'Oh I can fix that.' " Dr. Mowlds proposed an abdominoplasty which, though synonymous with tummy tuck, can cover an array of abdomen fixes, he says, including treating old scars, skin re-draping and more. As the operation drew closer, Judge began to have doubts. "I started thinking, 'Oh my God, am I being too vain?' I know what abdominal surgery feels like, I was hospitalized for five days last time and it probably took three months to get over it. So I kept wondering, 'Should I back out?' "Thank God I didn't because while he was in there, Dr. Mowlds found another hernia." Tamra Judge Opens Up About 'Painful' Abdominoplasty After Life-Saving Hernia Surgery Courtesy Tamra Judge Dr. Mowlds and Tamra Judge The second hernia was a surprise to everyone. "It was in her upper abdomen," Dr. Mowlds says, noting that it developed thanks to a small hole in the fascia wall. "It was a good thing I saw it. It was sort of in its infant stages, probably about the size of a little bit bigger than a quarter, and I put some stitches in that to basically fix it forever." "He saved me from another emergency surgery," says Judge, adding that there was a spiritual message that later proved to her how important this was. "I'm a huge believer in everything happens for a reason and afterwards, my psychic friend Scott Cruz sent me a message out of the blue and said, 'I just got this feeling, are you okay?' I said, 'Yeah, I'm fine. I had surgery.' And he goes, 'Tamra, your grandmother is telling me that you have her to thank.' And my grandmother died of intestinal issues. So I got chills and realized what a blessing it was that I did this." RELATED: Tamra Judge Removes Breast Implants, Says She's Already Noticing 'Health Improvements' Tamra Judge Opens Up About 'Painful' Abdominoplasty After Life-Saving Hernia Surgery Courtesy Tamra Judge Tamra Judge, pre-surgery Surgery wound up being 5 hours. During that time, Dr. Mowlds removed Judge's belly button and constructed a new one. "Moving the belly button back wasn't an option, so I started from scratch," he says. "And that's the part that you have to do some healing tricks on post-op, because the hardest part about making a new belly button in a really thin person like Tamra is getting the depth to make it look natural. So you really want to give that shadow and contour break to give the imagery of a correct abdomen." To help achieve that, Judge was given a silicone trainer to wear she affectionally calls "a belly button plug." "It's basically a cone and you put it in there and tape it down to help shape the belly button during healing," Dr. Mowlds says. "But it's all about building that depth you really need." RELATED: Kyle Richards Shows Off Abs in Gym Selfie After Denying Ozempic Use and Tummy Tuck Tamra Judge Denise Truscello/Getty Images Tamra Judge on Dec. 8, 2022 Though Judge is up and walking again and back in her bed after spending weeks sleeping in a recliner "the swelling is going to take eight months to come down completely," Dr. Mowlads says. "The first couple of weeks after abdominal surgery specifically are rough," he explains. "You really can't do much because most activity you do engages your core, so you need to really rest." Judge says she can take a break from intense workouts in the gym right now. "I normally do crunches but I don't have to anymore because he tightened everything up right now,' " she laughs. "So at least there's that!" Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The former CEO of a Jacksonville software company has been sentenced to 32 months in prison for tax evasion. Jason Cory pleaded guilty in September and was ordered this week to a scheme that ended in 2019, the year he was replaced as the head of the company known then as SharedLabs that operated out of a historic Northbank office building. Cory, 49, had used his post at the company to send money to a shell company, Gambit Matrix LLC, as faux payments for non-existent consulting work the U.S. Justice Department said in a release this week. He had also moved money there from a New York IT services company he used to work for, the agency said, so that between 2015 and 2018, about $1.5 million went into Gambits accounts to hide his income. As part of the sentence this week, U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard told Cory hed also have to pay $606,195 is restitution for the taxes he owed on that hidden income. Bed Bath & Beyond closing:Sales begin at 2 Jacksonville Bed Bath & Beyond stores slated to close Jacksonville food news:After 33 years, a popular Jacksonville-area restaurant is closing. But new locations are planned. Dangerous beaches:A travel website listed the 10 'deadliest' US beaches. 7 of them are in Florida, here's where Howard asked the federal Bureau of Prisons to try to have Cory locked up in Pensacola, saying he had experience in lawn care and was hoping to set up work there. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Tax evasion lands former CEO from Jacksonville in prison for 32 months PARIS, February 03, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News: As part of its strategy of profitable growth in renewable energies, TotalEnergies (Paris:TTE) (LSE:TTE) (NYSE:TTE) is selling to Credit Agricole Assurances 50% of a 234 MW portfolio of renewable projects, including 23 solar power plants with a capacity of 168 MW and 6 wind farms with a capacity of 67 MW. Of the 29 power plants in the portfolio, 25 are already operational (180 MW) and the four others (54 MW) will be commissioned in the first half of 2023. This transaction implies an enterprise value of the portfolio of $ 300 million (100%) equivalent to a multiple of 16 x EBITDA. This partial sale to Credit Agricole Assurances allows TotalEnergies to accelerate project cash flows and improve the return on invested capital, in line with its business model for renewable energy development. TotalEnergies teams will continue to ensure the asset management, operation and maintenance of the 29 power plants. They will provide enough energy for 200,000 people and will prevent the emission of some 96,000 tons of CO 2 per year for thirty years. "This partial sale demonstrates the strength of our business model, which ensures a return on invested capital in renewable energies of more than 10%. We are pleased to partner with Credit Agricole Assurances and support its investment in the energy transition. With its strong teams and business model, TotalEnergies intends to continue its development in France where we aim to reach 4 GW of renewable generation capacity by 2025," said Vincent Stoquart, Senior Vice President, Renewables at TotalEnergies. "This transaction is in line with our strategy as a long-term institutional investor in the acceleration of renewable energies, in favor of the energy transition and a low-carbon economy. In line with the Credit Agricole Group's climate commitments, this transaction will increase our investments in renewable energies and help us reach an installed capacity of 14 GW by 2025," said Florence Barjou, Head of Investments at Credit Agricole Assurances. Story continues **** TotalEnergies and renewable electricity As part of its ambition to get to net zero by 2050, TotalEnergies is building a portfolio of activities in electricity and renewables. At the end 2022, TotalEnergies' gross renewable electricity generation installed capacity is 17 GW. TotalEnergies will continue to expand this business to reach 35 GW of gross production capacity from renewable sources and storage by 2025, and then 100 GW by 2030 with the objective of being among the world's top 5 producers of electricity from wind and solar energy. About TotalEnergies TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, cleaner, more reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people. Twitter: @TotalEnergies LinkedIn: TotalEnergies Facebook: TotalEnergies Instagram: TotalEnergies About Credit Agricole Assurance Credit Agricole Assurances, France's leading insurer, brings together the insurance subsidiaries of Credit Agricole. The Group offers a range of savings, pension, health, personal protection and property insurance products and services. They are distributed by the Credit Agricole Group's banks in France and in eight countries around the world, by wealth management advisors and general agents. Credit Agricole Assurances' companies cater to individuals, professionals, farmers and businesses. Credit Agricole Assurances has 5,300 employees. Its premium income at the end of 2021 will amount to 36.5 billion euros (IFRS standards). www.ca-assurances.com Cautionary Note This press release, from which no legal consequences may be drawn, is for information purposes only. The entities in which TotalEnergies SE directly or indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. TotalEnergies SE has no liability for their acts or omissions. The terms "Company" or "TotalEnergies company" refer collectively to the company TotalEnergies SE and the companies it controls directly or indirectly. Such terms are used solely for the sake of convenience for purposes of the present communication. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" may also be used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TotalEnergies SE nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230203005141/en/ Contacts TotalEnergies Media Relations: +33 1 47 44 46 99 l presse@totalenergies.com l @TotalEnergiesPR Investor Relations: +33 (0)1 47 44 46 46 l ir@totalenergies.com Credit Agricole Assurances Francoise Bololanik : + 33 (0)1 57 72 46 83 / 06 25 13 73 98 Nicolas Leviaux : +33 (0)1 57 72 09 50 / 06 19 60 48 53 service.presse@ca-assurances.fr Here's how my long-distance relationship taught me to travel. Dumitru Ochievschi/Getty Images Is there anything more romantic than kissing your boyfriend goodbye on the platform of a train station as snowflakes swirl down from the moonlit clouds? At 20, while standing in boots buried in the snow and watching my boyfriends train pull away from the platform in Charlottesville, Virginia, I didnt think so. Watching the wheels gain speed transported me to a past Id only seen in black and white movies like "Brief Encounter" or "Love in the Afternoon." The big, wet flakes, my chilled lips brushing against his before breaking apart, the dark silhouette of the train moving into the blackness of the night every romantic detail marked our love as fated as one of Jane Austens couples. Moments like that those heightened goodbyes and hellos were common during our four years of long distance. My now-husband and I began dating when we were 16 years old. We broke up before leaving for separate colleges in different states. He attended Clemson University in South Carolina and I went to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. But, after spending our freshman year apart, we got back together despite the distance and reality that wed spend most of the next four years living in different places. Sarah Hunter Simanson For the first two years, we traveled between our college towns when we had the time and money. Until he had a car, hed take the overnight train to see me. Id drive to see him. After I graduated early and started teaching full-time with Teach for America in Memphis, it was even harder to find time together because I was working, and we were farther apart. Logistics became more challenging once he graduated a year later and moved north to Ithaca for a graduate program at Cornell. Now, over a decade later, I look at those years of extended separation and wonder how we survived the distance. Then, Ill remember the sight of him in crinkled jeans with his gray backpack slung over his shoulder stepping off the train, backlit by the sun peaking over the Blue Ridge Mountains. Ill remember the relief I felt when I spotted his lanky frame and brown curls at the humid bus stop after my flight was cancelled, and I had to alter my mode of transportation. Ill remember the excitement of seeing him smile through the windshield of his friends car at 2 a.m. as I pulled into a random McDonalds parking lot in Richmond, Virginia, where he was getting dropped off. Story continues We were never traveling anywhere glamorous or together those types of vacations didnt happen until later when we were living in the same city and had jobs but it didnt matter. The overnight trains, planes, and cars we took to see each other during our early 20s, even just for a one-day visit, felt more romantic than any of our exciting adult vacations later, including our honeymoon in Kauai. One reason is probably that the bar for a good trip was so low during that time. We didnt have an agenda sites to see or restaurants to try. We just wanted to be together. It didnt matter if I packed all the wrong clothes or got a cold. It didnt matter if we were trapped in the mucky apartment that he shared with three other guys because of an ice storm. Sarah Hunter Simanson We werent hiking the Kalalau Trail along the Napali Coast or watching the sunset on a white-sand beach or wandering the cobbled streets of Nantucket. On those trips, I loved exploring new places with him, but I also felt pangs of disappointment. Unlike our lazy long-distance weekends, there was the pressure of trying to create new memories and make our trip feel like the romantic getaway it was supposed to be. After we moved in together, I missed traveling just to say hello or goodbye. There is nothing more romantic than knowing your journey ends when you see your partner. Its the feeling of Darcy and Elizabeth meeting in the countryside after so many misunderstandings. Its the airport declaration at the end of so many rom-coms. Thats what makes the missing worth it, and Ive grown to miss the missing. After our daughter was born in 2018, I didnt have as many opportunities to miss my husband. He went to work and on business trips, but most were shorter than a week, and his absence meant I could order takeout and catch up on TV. I didnt think much about those brief separations until my daughter turned one. Every afternoon, shed crawl to the front door and press her nose to the glass, waiting for my husband to pull into the driveway. Her excitement was a visible reminder of how I used to feel. Watching her, I remembered how those hellos and goodbyes sustained us until we could be together again. Sarah Hunter Simanson Now, our reality is the opposite. Instead of spending four years mostly apart, were embarking on our fourth year of being mostly together. Since March 2020, my husband has worked from home. He doesnt leave to go to the office. Hes only taken two short work trips. This level of closeness is the exact opposite of the distances mountains and states and oceans (when I studied abroad for a summer) that used to separate us. As married adults navigating life with young kids during an ongoing global pandemic, the distances we travel are now mostly metaphorical. The closest we get to traveling is a trip to Target or the grocery store. Instead, theres the journey of parenthood. The voyage of living a life together. Mostly, this kind of travel involves bridging ideological gaps. Arguing about the division of labor or potty training or how to discipline a three-year-old doesnt make my heart flutter or knees go weak. In a romanticized version of our life, Id say the commitment of those four years we spent in a long-distance relationship prepared me for the challenges of marriage. But I dont think thats accurate. Its not the perseverance that glues us together; its the romance of those hellos and goodbyes, the touchstones for our shared history. All the traveling we did to reach each other is a reminder that the journey is worth it. We are still each others destinations. Theres still no one else Id choose to wave goodbye to at the train station or drive to the airport or sit across from on the couch and argue about whos turn it is to do the dishes before bed. It turns out theres still nothing more romantic than traveling distances both real and metaphorical to find each other. When I need a reminder, I simply remember a dark train slipping into a darker sky, already looking forward to its return. For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Travel & Leisure. The United States has announced it will provide an additional $125 million to support Ukraines energy and electricity grid against Russias continued attacks on utilities and other critical infrastructure. Since the start of the war, the United States has provided $270 million in assistance to help repair, maintain, and strengthen Ukraines power sector in the face of continued attacks. Since the beginning of the Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and particularly since October 2022, Russian Federation forces have carried attacks out with cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles provided by Iran. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield called these bombings barbaric: Russia has been using these Iranian UAVs to strike Ukraines energy infrastructure, depriving millions of Ukrainian civilians of electricity, heat, and critical services in the middle of winter. People in Ukraine today are suffering and dying as a result of Irans support. The U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, will utilize the $125 million to procure vital equipment including additional industrial-scale mobile natural gas turbine generators, high-voltage autotransformers, distribution substation repair equipment, and backup power for Kyivs water supply and district heating services. USAID has already delivered 1,548 generators across Ukraine, with many more on the way. These generators ensure there is electricity and heating for schools, hospitals, accommodation centers for internally displaced persons, district heating companies, and water systems, if and when power is knocked out by Russias air strikes. The U.S. has also invested $55 million in Ukraines heating infrastructure to help the Ukrainian people get through winter. This assistance will benefit up to seven million Ukrainians by supporting repairs and maintenance of pipes and other equipment. The U.S. government remains committed to supporting the government and people of Ukraine in responding to the Russian Federations brutal war against them. The $13 billion in U.S. direct support to the Government of Ukraine has helped maintain critical government services. In addition, the U.S. has provided more than $1.9 billion in humanitarian assistance to millions of people, both in Ukraine and in neighboring countries, who have been forced to flee their homes and communities since February 2022. The United States will continue to help those who are suffering both in Ukraine and outside its borders and promote accountability for those who violate international law and facilitate this illegal, immoral war. As we begin 2023, were taking a few weeks to highlight some of the citys successes in 2022. Last week, we talked about our neighborhood improvement initiatives. Today, well focus on our economic development efforts from the past year. Small business support : We created a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in partnership with Rockford Local Development Corporation, Northern Illinois Community Development Corporation and local financial institutions to support small businesses as they strengthen our neighborhoods. CDFIs provide financial products and services to create economic opportunity in low and moderate income communities. Minority and women small business incubator: Thanks to a generous building donation from Peter and Heather Provenzano, we partnered with Think Big, a local non-profit organization, to establish a small business incubator for minority- and women-owned businesses at 1311 N. Main Street. Downtown redevelopment: Construction began on Water Power Lofts, the renovation of the existing five-story building at 700 South Main to include 60 residential market rate units and a roof top deck. 301 a 40,000 square-foot mixed-used new construction building has been erected on the former Hanley lot and will offer a mix of one- and two-bedroom ultra-luxury apartments, fitness area, rooftop deck and ground floor retail space. Cedar Street redevelopment agreement has been approved advancing the adaptive reuse of 502 Cedar Street known as Mack Paper/Bartlett Building and 628-642 Cedar Street, known as the Condon-Shumway Seed Company Building. The redevelopment of these unique spaces will establish residential lofts and commercial work and gallery space. More:Your turn: Looking back at 2022 and what's ahead in 2023 Main Street corridor improvements: Rockford received more than $5 million in state funding to help restore the Times Theater and reconstruct Madison Street. The improvements are part of a grant program that is designed to revitalize commercial corridors and main streets throughout Illinois. Story continues Davis Park: We began a complete transformation of the only City-owned park. Once complete, Davis Park will feature a sunning beach, boats docks, splash pads, a multi-use trail, a skate park, a canopy stage and a plaza with space for food trucks during special events. Capital Improvement Plan: We implemented the largest Capital Improvement Plan in the Citys History in 2022 and approved a new five-year plan, which allocates $340 million in road, active transportation, storm sewer, bridge and water system repairs and improvements. The CIP is the city's primary planning document that guides how we spend revenue from a 1-cent city infrastructure sales tax and from motor fuel taxes, while leveraging state and federal investment in city transportation and infrastructure. Permanent casino: We broke ground on the permanent Hard Rock Casino. This project will employ between 800 and a thousand union construction workers and between 600 and 800 permanent employees averaging $50,000 a year. A portion of the revenue will help fund the Rockford Promise NIU Scholarship. Under this program, students who live in Rockford, attend Rockford Public Schools and earn a 3.0 GPA, can attend Northern Illinois University tuition and general fee free. Now in its second year, more than 205 students are taking advantage of the program. Of these participants, 70 percent are students of color and 70 percent are first generation college students. West State Street: West State Street from Day Avenue to Independence Avenue was reconstructed from two to four lanes with new storm sewers, signals, sidewalks and a multi-use path. This work transformed the west entrance to our city and now provides a warmer welcome for our residents and visitors. Emerson Estates: An unfinished subdivision near Auburn High School is being reimagined thanks to a partnership between the City, Region 1 Planning Council, Habitat for Humanity and Rockford Public Schools. Twenty-five tax delinquent vacant lots will be converted into tax-paying, single family homes for working-class families. The homes - built in large part by Rockford Public Schools construction trade students - will create new, safe, affordable housing. Collins Aerospace wind tunnel: Collins Aerospace opened a new $18 million wind tunnel in Rockford. The fully automated, state-of-the-art tunnel allows Collins to streamline the testing of its Ram Air Turbine product family with real-time data analytics. This facility is a key component in making Rockford a leading aerospace hub in the country. Viking Chemical: Viking Chemical relocated and expanded by taking over 230,000 square feet of the vacant Rockford Products building. Rockford IceHogs/Chicago Blackhawks office: The Rockford IceHogs/Chicago Blackhawks opened a new commercial office space in downtown Rockford. The Rockford IceHogs, in partnership with BMO and BMO Center, also announced a multi-year partnership for the downtown Rockford arena unveiling a new arena name - the BMO Center, along with new renovations. Airport growth: The Chicago Rockford International Airport continues to be the fastest growing cargo airport in the world, and it employs thousands of our residents. Barber Colman Due diligence work continues by J Jeffers, a real estate development and investment firm, on the former Barber Colman Complex. If the sale proceeds, as expected, after the due diligence period, the anticipated mixed- use campus will be developed over seven to 10 years in multiple phases. This will bring much-needed development to the southwest side of our community. Were proud of what weve accomplished, but we know we have more work to do. Economic development is a critical tool that drives growth in our economy, creates new job opportunities and facilitates an improved quality of life. Tom McNamara is the mayor of Rockford. This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Your turn: 2022 was big year for economic development efforts Many of Louisiana's major metropolitan areas saw unemployment rates increase from December 2021 to December 2022, new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows, even while the state saw record-low unemployment for much of the year. All of Louisiana's nine metro areas' unemployment rates increased from November to December 2022 as well, with the state seeing its rate increase for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Economists and business leaders will be paying close attention to the unemployment rate over the course of 2023, amid concerns of worker shortages and a potential recession. More:Louisiana's unemployment rate rose in December. Here's what you should know Here's what you should know about the unemployment rates in Louisiana's big cities. Where is unemployment growing the fastest? The Hammond metro area, one of the state's smallest by population, saw the largest increase between November and December. The rate rose from 3.6% to 4.2%. Seven metro areas Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Monroe, New Orleans-Metairie, Houma-Thibodaux and Shreveport-Bossier saw their rates increase by 0.4 percentage points. Lake Charles had the smallest increase at 0.3 percentage points, rising from 2.7% to 3%. Over the course of 2022, Hammond had the largest increase. In December 2021, the area had an unemployment rate of 2.6%, rising 1.6 percentage points by December 2022. New Orleans-Metairie had an increase of 0.9 points, followed by Shreveport-Bossier at 0.8. Is the labor force shrinking in Louisiana cities? In terms of the total labor force, the state's metro areas are split. Three of the state's nine metros saw the labor forces decrease from December 2021 to December 2022, and five saw the labor force shrink from November to December. From December 2021 to December 2022, the Lafayette area had the biggest decline by percentage, with its labor force losing nearly 1,700 people or 2.1%. Hammond lost 1.4% of its labor force over that period, and Monroe lost about 0.04%. Story continues Nearly 20 percent of Louisiana children live in food insecure households, data shows Lake Charles had the largest gain over the period, adding nearly 3,700 or 3.4%, followed by Shreveport-Bossier, which added 1,844 or 2.8%. Houma-Thibodaux was third, with its labor force growing by 800 workers or 2%. From November to December 2022, Monroe had the largest decline by percentage, falling by a little more than 1%. Both Alexandria and New Orleans-Metairie saw declines around 0.9%. Houma-Thibodaux and Hammond led the way in labor force growth over the month, with both growing by around 0.7%. How do Louisiana's cities compare to others? Of the nearly 400 metro areas included in the BLS data, three Louisiana metros ranked in the top 100 for labor force percent growth from December 2021 to December 2022. Lake Charles ranked 31st, Shreveport-Bossier was 56th and Houma-Thibodaux was 99th. From November to December, three Louisiana metros again were in the top 100: Houma-Thibodaux was 31st, Hammond was 32nd, and Shreveport-Bossier was No. 100. While the growing number of workers is usually a positive sign, many Louisiana metros are also seeing their unemployment rates grow at a faster rate than many metros across the nation. From December 2021 to December 2022, all nine of Louisiana's metro areas were in the top 100 for unemployment rate increase. For yearly increase, Hammond was third, New Orleans-Metairie was 24th, Shreveport-Bossier was 33rd, Monroe was 40th, Houma-Thibodaux was 43rd, Lafayette was 49th, Lake Charles was 56th, Baton Rouge was 57th and Alexandria was 74th. From November to December, all of Louisiana's metropolitan statistical areas were again in the top 100 for fastest-rising unemployment rates. Hammond was 21st, Houma-Thibodaux was 35th, New Orleans-Metairie was 45th, Shreveport-Bossier was 47th, Monroe was 49th, Lafayette was 51st, Baton Rouge was 53rd, Alexandria was 56th, and Lake Charles was 75th. CONSIDER SUBSCRIBING TODAY: Help support journalists like William Taylor Potter This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Unemployment rate rising in Louisiana's big cities Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaks during a news conference in the State Department (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP/PA) (AP) The United States has signalled that it is ready to further step up its military assistance for Ukraine as Britain and American vowed to maintain their support in the struggle against Russia for as long as it takes. Following talks in Washington with Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, US secretary of state Antony Blinken welcomed the UKs decision to supply Kyiv with British Army Challenger 2 main battle tanks. He indicated that the US would be making further announcements in the coming days, with defence secretary Lloyd Austin due to host talks with key allies in Ramstein in Germany later this week. We have continuously provided what Ukraine needs and we are doing it in a way that makes sure we are responsive to what is actually happening on the battlefield as well as projecting where it might go, he said. Never in living memory has Russia been more isolated and the Atlantic alliance more united James Cleverly We are determined to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to succeed on the battlefield. While Britain has promised to send 14 Challenger 2s, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for some 300 modern Western battle tanks to enable his forces to take the offensive against the Russia aggressor. In practice this is likely to mean US Abrams tanks and German Leopard 2s or a combination of the two which are potentially available in far greater numbers than the Challenger 2. Mr Cleverly, who his in Washington to urge the Americans to go further and faster in their support for Ukraine, praised US efforts to date pointing out that it was the biggest single supplier of assistance both military and economic to Ukraine. He said the US and UK have worked hand in glove along with other allies since the start of the conflict to ensure Ukraine had the support it needed. Never in living memory has Russia been more isolated and the Atlantic alliance more united, he said. If Putin believed that the world would succumb to Ukraine fatigue and lose the will to resist his ambitions then that was once again another colossal misjudgment on his part. Story continues Mr Blinken also reiterated the White Houses call for a negotiated settlement to the dispute between the UK and the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol. The United States believes there must be a negotiated settlement to the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol that is acceptable to all sides, he said. We are heartened that in recent days the United Kingdom and the European Union have made substantive progress toward a negotiated solution. Mr Cleverly said he had updated his US counterpart on his negotiations with European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic to try to end the dispute. He played down, however, attempts to achieve a settlement by the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in April for a possible visit to the UK by President Joe Biden. We recognise the US presidents and indeed the whole of the US governments desire to see this resolution, Mr Cleverly said. It mirrors our desire to get these things resolved and indeed I believe very strongly mirrors the European Commissions desire to get these things resolved. We do these things because they are the right things to do, not because we are trying to hit a particular date or anniversary. We want to get these things resolved as soon as possible can. Mr Blinken also condemned the politically motivated and unjust execution by Iran of the dual British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari for spying charges. We will continue to work with the United Kingdom and other partners to hold Irans leadership accountable to these and other abuses, he said. In the 2019-20 school year, when students at Tennessees Vanderbilt University crafted and urged official passage of a statement acknowledging that the school lay on former native lands in Nashville, they thought it would be an easy ask. Acknowledging the Indigenous peoples to whom the land once belonged would be the first, and easiest, step toward measures serving the schools existing Indigenous community, they thought. They were wrong. It always mystified me why there was not more support, said McKalee Steen, a member of Oklahomas Cherokee Nation who as then-co-president of Vanderbilts Indigenous student group helped craft the statement put before the faculty senate. This is one of the easiest things you can do. Instead, that campaign and subsequent attempts by student advocates have repeatedly failed without support from Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, who has effectively squashed those efforts, said junior Annabelle Littlejohn-Bailey, the Indigenous Scholars Organizations current co-president. What is a land acknowledgment? Despite broad student, faculty and community support, students say Diermeier has expressed vague legal concerns about issuing such a statement, but seeing as how no legal harm has come of any other institution to do so, we dont believe this to be a good-faith argument, said sophomore Jayce Pollard, a Vanderbilt student government senator who has advocated for the issue. Vanderbilts chancellors office did not respond to a request for comment. Land acknowledgment statements recognize the peoples who historically populated and cared for the land now occupied by U.S. institutions like Vanderbilt. Such statements have been increasingly adopted by entities nationwide, including the Microsoft Corporation, NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the city council in San Jose, California. Multiple institutions of higher education have also issued official statements, including Syracuse University, the University of North Dakota, Texas Christian University and Kalamazoo College. Story continues What passed in the Vanderbilt student senate? At Vanderbilt, the statement passed in the student senate reads: We collectively acknowledge that Vanderbilt University occupies the ancestral hunting and traditional Lands of the Cherokee, Shawnee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Creek peoples. In particular, the University resides on Land ceded on November 8, 1795 in the Treaty of Hopewell. We recognize, support, and advocate for the Indigenous individuals and communities who live here now, and for those forcibly removed from their Homelands. In October, on Indigenous Peoples Day, Vanderbilts student newspaper published an editorial penned by present and past co-presidents of the student organization, whose members conducted a 24-hour protest outside the universitys dining hall calling for action. It is unacceptable that, after nearly four years of tireless advocacy from student leaders, Vanderbilt has still failed to adopt a land acknowledgment, the editorial read. What is Vanderbilts Native history? While they represent less than 1% of Vanderbilts population, Native students have a long history at the school. Among them were Chickasaw and Cherokee cohorts from Oklahoma in the 1880s and 1890s whose parents and grandparents had been forcibly removed under the Indian Removal Act of 1830 from states like Tennessee and made to walk hundreds of miles along what came to be known as the deadly Trail of Tears. Their education there would prove significant, said Daniel Sharfstein, a professor of law and history at Vanderbilt. These were students who came from Indian territory and returned to Indian territory and performed vital services in leadership roles, Sharfstein said. Thats something that Vanderbilt should be proud of." That makes a land acknowledgment anything but abstract, Sharfstein said. In a very direct way, it is part of Vanderbilt history, he said. A land acknowledgment if anything signals our commitment to continuing that tradition. What's next? Littlejohn-Bailey said that while land acknowledgment efforts continue, student leaders have focused on measures they hoped would follow such a statement, including formation of an Indigenous studies program and indigenous community spaces at Vanderbilt. "There are many other things folks can do to ally themselves with indigenous people that don't have to be a statement on a web site," said Wayne Ducheneaux II, executive director of the Native Governance Center. Linda Sealy, a member of the Chickasaw Nation who retired from Vanderbilt as professor emerita of molecular physiology, said she was on a faculty Zoom call in early 2021 in which land acknowledgment was discussed and recalled the chancellors discomfort. Sealy said that while she cant speak to the legal risks of issuing such statements, it is important to realize that there are also risks for not doing so. Amber Silverhorn-Wolfe is a member of Wichita and Affiliated Tribes who has worked with Texas Christian University on its land acknowledgment as a member of the school's Native American advisory circle. The absence of a land acknowledgement raises concerns over the level of university support for Indigenous students, faculty or staff, making it less likely prospective Indigenous members will join your campus, she said. Knowing how Indigenous students have struggled at the school, she said, I no longer encourage Indigenous students to pursue their higher education goals at Vanderbilt. Im hoping that will change." Dig Deeper This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Native land acknowledgment: Vanderbilt leaders rebuff calls for action Company Logo Dublin, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Vietnam Meat Market By Product (Chicken, Pork, Frog, Duck, Mutton), By Type (Raw and Processed), By Distribution Channel, By Region, By States, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Vietnam meat market is anticipated to register impressive growth in the forecast period, 2023-2027, on account of increasing consumption of various types of meat & meat products. Increasing demand from the fast food restaurants is further driving the growth of the Vietnam meat market in the upcoming five years. Increasing Consumption Drives Market Growth Rapidly increasing consumption of poultry meat, pork meat, along with frog & duck meat is anticipated to drive the growth of the Vietnam meat market in the upcoming five years. Increasing demands among the population to self-cook their meals along with increasing inclination of the younger population toward online food delivery services for their regular meals is also supporting the growth of the Vietnam meat market in the next five years. Vietnam is the 14th most populated country in the world. With the growing population of 98.3 million in 2021, the demand for meat as a regular consumable food is increasing. Also, the consumers in the country are highly inclined toward western restaurants for their meat consumptions since these places provide, innovative food items, event based celebration food, and growing trends of social parties and get-together. Although, local restaurants in the country also account for major 66% of shares when it comes to meat consumptions. Increasing Imports Drive Market Growth Vietnam is one of the largest importer of meat from neighboring countries. Australia is one of the largest supplier of meat to the country. In the year 2020, Vietnam imported over 90,400 tons of carcass, chilled or frozen pork equal to 215 Mill. USSD, up by 357% in volume and 460% in value from 2019, says the reports from Customs General Department, Vietnam. Frozen pork products are mainly imported from five major markets: Russia, Brazil, Canada, the US and Poland. Frozen pork products are anticipated to hold largest import shares of the market, expecting increase from 5.5% to 6% CAGR growth in the next five years. Increased focus on livestock production, maintenance of quality products from the local market are some other factors responsible for the future growth of the Vietnam meat market in the future five years. E-Commerce Supports Market Growth Recent pandemic situation shut down offline and physical stores due to increasing patient counts being infected of COVID-19 virus. This led to expanding e-commerce websites, and smartphone based services that provided the advantages of home shopping. Through online platforms and mobile applications, consumers can avail the services. Story continues Added advantages like home delivery, convenient shopping, lower prices, offers & schemes further aided to the growth of the Vietnam meat market. Being added in the regular grocery lists, the meat products available on the grocery delivery apps also driving the growth in the online shopping of the product and thus the growth of the market. Competitive Landscape Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Vietnam meat market. Classic Fine Foods Hanoi Fishmarket Vietnam Co.,Ltd Tienlong Company Limited Hoa Phat Group Vissan Joint Stock Company Duc Viet Food Joint Stock Company Masan MEATLife Report Scope: Vietnam Meat Market, By Product: Chicken Por Frog Duck Mutton Vietnam Meat Market, By Type: Raw Processed Vietnam Meat Market, By Distribution Channel: Departmental Stores Specialty Stores Hypermarket/ Supermarket Online Sales Channel Others Vietnam Meat Market, By Region: Northern Region Central Region Southern Region For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9jefd3-meat?w=12 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 A roundup of the most newsworthy press releases from Cision Distribution this week TORONTO, Feb. 3, 2023 /CNW/ - With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on Cision. To help journalists and consumers stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a recap of some major stories from the week that shouldn't be missed. Cision Canada - The Weekly Round-Up The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download. Story continues Read more of the latest releases from Cision, see our resources for journalists, and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @cnwnews. About Cision Canada Cision is a comprehensive communications platform enabling more than 100,000 public relations and marketing professionals around the world to understand, influence and amplify their stories. As the market leader, Cision enables the next generation of communication professionals to strategically operate in the modern media landscape where company success is directly impacted by public opinion. Cision has offices in 24 countries through the Americas, EMEA and APAC, and offers a suite of best-in-class solutions, including Newswire, Brandwatch, Cision Communications Cloud and Cision Insights. To learn more, visit www.cision.ca and follow @CisionCA on Twitter. SOURCE Cision Canada Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2023/03/c2319.html Rahul Durai, West Lafayette high school student and member of Confront the Climate Crisis, and Ashlyn Walker, Carmel high school student and member of Confront the Climate Crisis, speak to an audience gathered at the Indiana Statehouse to highlight the importance of Senate Bill 335, which would create a statewide climate solutions task force, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, in Indianapolis. INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. On Wednesday, dozens of West Lafayette students gathered in the Indiana Statehouse to advocate for climate legislation they hoped would be selected for a hearing in a committee session. Students from the Confront the Climate Crisis held a rally in support of Senate Bill 335, which would create a statewide climate solutions task force. This years bill was introduced by Sen. Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington). This bill builds off of the lesson learned from last years legislation, SB 255, which was introduced by Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) during the 2022 legislative session. That bill didnt receive a hearing due to several issues raised by legislators. Rahul Durai, West Lafayette high school student and member of Confront the Climate Crisis, and Ashlyn Walker, Carmel high school student and member of Confront the Climate Crisis, speak to an audience gathered at the Indiana Statehouse to highlight the importance of Senate Bill 335, which would create a statewide climate solutions task force, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, in Indianapolis. Its not as broad as last year was. Its showing a blueprint to our legislators of what Indiana climate action can look like, said Rahul Durai, West Lafayette high school student and member of Confront the Climate Crisis. There are some differences of the membership of the task force because we got feedback from legislators. They want more legislators on the task force, so we made that change. And the content of the bill, the study topics for the task force, are orientated more as specific climate policy solutions that Indiana could implement. In hopes of addressing many of the concerns raised by legislators, the task force would tackle a variety of issues from establishing a statewide climate action plan, funding for zero-emissions vehicles, investing in solar energy and creating climate study plans aimed at different industries within the state. Sen. Shelli Yoder (Bloomington), speaks to an audience gathered at the Indiana Statehouse to highlight the importance of Senate Bill 335, which would create a statewide climate solutions task force, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, in Indianapolis. Sen. Yoder, who introduced this years climate change task force bill, said she believes that the added changes to this bill will greatly increase its chances of being heard by a committee. We realized that in the time until the next legislative session, we have so much opportunity to work on getting the bill introduced again and build even more support for it, Durai said. And theres all these feelings of giving up when it feels like its so hard to achieve something, but the key to legislative advocacy is persistence. Thats something a lot of legislators have told us, so thats exactly what were doing. Story continues Indiana Rep. Chris Campbell (West Lafayette), speaks to an audience gathered at the Indiana Statehouse to highlight the importance of Senate Bill 335, which would create a statewide climate solutions task force, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, in Indianapolis. Rep. Chris Campbell (D-West Lafayette), co-author of a similar piece of legislation in the House, House Bill 1453, believes that there will be more support for the bill in the Senate. Authored by fellow Democrat, Rep. Tonya Pfaff, HB1453 would establish a climate solutions task force to review sustainable and clean energy solutions and would require the task force to issue a report to the General Assembly and the governor by Nov. 1, 2024. Noe Padilla is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email him at Npadilla@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter at 1NoePadilla. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: West Lafayette students advocate for climate legislation at Statehouse Correction: An earlier version of this story mistakenly labeled Anchorage as the capital of Alaska. It has since been amended. With "much colder weather" moving into the Rochester region this week and the wind chill expected to make it feel like 20 degrees below zero, what better time to imagine you're somewhere else? Here is a list of places, in no particular order, where it is warmer than Rochester right now, according to this weather index. Nassau, Bahamas: 66 degrees, with no wind. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Not exactly a tropical paradise, the Dutch capital is at 48 degrees today, making it nevertheless warmer than here. Frankfurt, Germany: If you're missing the overcast, rainy weather we sometimes get, look no further than Frankfurt, which currently sits at 46 degrees and is experiencing sprinkles and cloud coverage. Havana, Cuba: Unsurprisingly, it's nice and sunny here at 72 degrees, although if it makes you feel better, it only feels like 64 degrees. Oslo, Norway: 21 degrees. New Orleans, Louisiana: 51 degrees. Phoenix, Arizona: 51 degrees. Jakarta, Indonesia: Currently at 78 degrees. Hong Kong: 68 degrees. Dublin, Ireland: 48 degrees. Perth, Australia: 95 degrees. Anchorage, Alaska: Surprisingly, this Alaskan city is a few degrees warmer right now than Rochester at 26 degrees, which may lead you to re-consider some things. Rochester NY Weather Forecast According to the National Weather Service in Buffalo, "much colder weather" will move into the region Thursday night through Saturday with "dangerously cold wind chills" approaching 20 degrees below zero in western New York. The coldest stretch is predicted to be between Friday afternoon and midnight, said Weather Service meteorologist Liz Jurkowski. Colder air is expected to move into the region Thursday evening, causing temperatures to "drop like a rock," she said. It will also bring "a burst of snow" to the Rochester region on Thursday evening, roughly 1 to 3 inches, she said. Story continues Friday's high is predicted to be around 8, and a low of 2, but when considering expected sustained winds around 20-25 mph and gusts up to 35 mph, it will feel far colder, Jurkowski said. The wind chill is expected to be between in the negative teens during the day on Friday and around -20 Friday night in much of the Rochester region. South of Rochester, including in Ontario and Livingston counties, the wind chill is predicted to dip as low as -25 in the same timeframe, according to the Weather Service. The wind-chill factor is the combination of air temperature and wind speed, measuring how cold the air feels to exposed skin. With such bone-chilling temperatures, forecasters say frostbite can occur in a matter of minutes. Forecasters on Thursday issued a wind chill advisory for much of western New York that runs from 4 a.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday. An advisory for parts of the Southern Tier, including the Ithaca and Elmira areas runs from 7 a.m. Friday to noon Saturday. A wind chill warning was issued in communities east of Lake Ontario, where the wind chill is expected to dip as low as -40 near Watertown and -35 near Syracuse. Temperatures should warm up on Saturday, where the high is predicted to reach the mid 20s, and nearly reach 40 degrees on Sunday. The normal high in early February in Rochester is in the low 30s. This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Where is it warmer than Rochester NY right now? A lot of places This portrait of President William McKinley was painted by Stark County artist William Thomas Mathews -- "The Painter of Presidents" -- who also did oil portraits of four other presidents. It was one of two portraits of McKinley that Mathews completed. The artist also painted McKinley as Ohio governor. William Thomas Mathews, who spent much of his youth in Stark County and was known as "The Patiner of Presidents," was nearing the end of his life less than two weeks into the year of 1905. Mathews, known to residents throughout Ohio and recognized in art circles across the country, was "very ill," according to a headline above a brief article published in The Columbus Dispatch on Jan. 11, 1905. "William T. Mathews, widely known in art circles as a portrait painter of reputation, lies near death's door at his home, No. 1109 Seventh Street, Washington, D.C., from the effects of an accident which occurred Christmas Eve," the article reported. "He was knocked down by a heavy vehicle, fracturing his right leg, and his condition has grown steadily worse from the beginning. "Mr. Mathews is a relative by marriage of President (Theodore) Roosevelt." The Canton Repository reported on the Jan. 11 death of the famed artist a day later. "Mathews," the newspaper shouted on its front page. "The Well Known Portrait Painter is Dead "Funeral In Canton," the Repository further reported. "Will Be Held Friday Afternoon." More Monday After:Getting reacquainted with 'Brownie the Elf' William Thomas Mathews' formative years were spent in Stark County Mathews, whose paintings of five presidents Abraham Lincoln, Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, William Henry Harrison and William McKinley won him wide acclaim, also painted portraits of a large number of other notables. Charles Sumner, Daniel Webster, John Van Buren, William Cullen Bryan and William Jennings Bryant, among others, all came alive on canvas through the artists' brushstrokes. His training in art and the beginning of his career came in Ohio. "Thirty-two years ago Mr. Mathews was among a group of artists then called Cincinnati artists, many of whom have since become famous," the newspaper noted. The article also recalled how Mathews, who was born in Bristol, England, in 1821, had become a resident of Ohio when he came with his family to Stark County, settling in Navarre. Mathews, the son of English painter Joseph Mathews, followed in his father's footsteps and painted portraits in the Canton-Massillon area, southern Ohio, and later Washington, D.C., according to an article in The Massillon Independent published in 2006. Story continues Mathews also spent more than two decades painting in New York City, "setting up an easel at a studio on Broadway," a profile of the painter in the Repository once recalled. A fact sheet of the artist at the website for the Ohio Statehouse indicates that many of Mathews' paintings, and several of his drawings, are in the Massillon Museum. Indeed, a pamphlet put out by the museum, published in April 1938, following a two-year closing for renovations, reported to patrons that "The Museum has assembled a collection of paintings by William Thomas Mathews, known as 'The Painter of Presidents,' who lived in this city for some time." Paintings from that collection were part of a retrospective "Rediscovering William T. Mathews: Painter of Presidents" displayed at the museum in 2005. According to an article in the Repository in 2007, "Massillon Museum has the largest collection of Mathews paintings and drawings with more than 25 paintings and an additional 25 drawings." Fame from painting the famous Although Mathews was "known far and wide" as the painter of "portraits of men prominent in public life," according to his news obituary in the Repository following his death, it was his oil paintings of a handful of presidents that brought him the most national acclaim. And it was his pair of portraits of McKinley as president he also painted McKinley as Ohio governor and as a congressman from Ohio that earned him the most praise in Stark County, the place he called home. In a story published in 1904 about one of Mathews' McKinley works being displayed in Canton in a window of J.B. Rose's jewelry store on Market Avenue S, the Repository reprinted words from the Boston Herald concerning Mathews' McKinley paintings and his relationship with the slain president. (Although the Herald spelled the artist's name Matthews, the error is corrected in the quotation below.) "There are only two portraits of the late President William McKinley which were painted from life," the Herald had said. "One ... was painted by the lifelong friend of the late president, Mr. William T. Mathews, formerly of Canton, O. This portrait was painted from sittings in the White House and in the McKinley home in Canton, the last sittings being given Mr. Mathews only one week previous to the assassination in Buffalo." The Herald's review of Mathew's artwork called it a "speaking likeness by those who knew the late president best." "The artist was associated more or less with the president from boyhood. During McKinley's term as representative of his district in Congress, Mr. Mathews painted large portraits of both Mr. and Mrs. McKinley, which now hang in the McKinley home in Canton." Mathews was an artist "of the old school, using dark backgrounds, deep rich colorings, and blending all carefully and smoothly," the Herald noted. "He has caught the happiest expression in this portrait of the late McKinley, his flesh tints having depth, warmth, virility." Years after McKinley's death, the Repository remembered the artist's last painting of the president, completed by Mathews around the time of the 25th president's assassination. "The more recent picture was painted from sittings given at the McKinley home, in Canton," remembered the Repository in 1905. "These sittings rarely lasted over an hour, and occasionally were taken at times when the president was in the midst of hurried work. The artist has frequently said he found McKinley as a sitter to be the same grave, dignified, coourteous gentleman that he always was." So close was the relationship between the community, the president and the artist that Canton and Massillon area residents were saddened when they heard news from Washington in January 1905 that Mathews was "at the emergency hospital here and there is but little hope of his recovery." When his death finally came hours later, and his funeral was scheduled in the city of one of his presidential subjects, a community mourned. Artist's passing commemorated Ultimately Mathews funeral was delayed until 2 p.m. Jan. 14 at a site his sister-in-law's apartment on the block where the artist previously lived in Canton, according to an article in the Repository the following day. "The services were simple and were conducted by Mrs. Cora Morrell of Grand Rapids, Michigan, ordained by the National Spiritualistic Association with headquarters in Washington, D.C., but who has been preaching for the past two months in the Independent Church at Alliance," reported an article in the newspaper on Jan. 15, 1905. "They were spiritualistic in character and without any music. "Charles H. Mathews, of New Philadelphia, also spoke briefly of his brother. Another brother, Edwin Mathews, also of New Philadelphia, attended the services. The floral tributes to the departed were beautiful. The pallbearers were John McGregor, J.B. Rose, Isaac Harter, Augustus Dannemiller, Johnson Sherrick, and Charles S. Mathews of Upper Sandusky, a nephew of the deceased." The remains of Mathews were laid to rest in West Lawn Cemetery. A final tribute for Mathews remained to be offered, however, as an article in the Repository on Feb. 5, 1905, detailed. "Eugene J. Franz of 719 North Cleveland Avenue (Canton), has completed a portrait of McKinley, said by friends of the late president to be one of the best likenesses extant," the article reported, noting that Franz was "intimately associated" with Mathews, the artist who initially was commissioned to paint the likeness of the late president. "The portrait was made for the Loyal Legion, of which McKinley was a member. It's completion, according to Mr. Franz, required a month, although the artist had thought out and planned the portrait months before work on the canvas was begun. It was not until after the death of artist William T. Mathews that Mr. Franz set to work on the portrait, with the intention of filling the commission which, owing to his sudden death, Mr. Mathews was unable to carry out." Thus, in an inspirational sense, Mathews' long legacy of being the painter of presidents was added to even after his passing. Reach Gary at gary.brown.rep@gmail.com. On Twitter: @gbrownREP This article originally appeared on The Repository: William Thomas Mathews served as the 'Painter of Presidents' RFA/Health Care Access Reporter Santiago Ochoa is a bilingual journalist covering health care access at the Yakima Herald-Republic in Yakima, Washington. Before joining the Herald, Ochoa reported for Flint Beat in Flint, Michigan, covering the citys Latino populationhealth care, education, community building and more, and winning top honors in the Michigan Press Associations feature category. He served as photographer and later editor for his college newspaper, The Michigan Times. When hes not working, Ochoa enjoys cross-country trips on his motorcycle, going to the movies, reading and skiing. Bitterly cold weather earlier this week kept many anglers at home. However, this weekend is expected to warm up into the high 30s and Saturday is looking to be a great day for ice fishing. Sunday another front moves into the area bring more snow with it. February in eastern Nevada means that hundreds of school children get to participate in the Nevada Department of Wildlifes Trout in the Classroom (TIC) program. NDOW delivers fertilized eyed trout eggs to more than 25 classrooms and interacting with students from third grade up to high school aged students. NDOW provides a 10-gallon aquarium along with an assortment of filters, equipment and a chiller to keep the water at a cool temperature that will benefit the trout. After approximately two weeks, depending upon water temperature which the students control, the eggs will hatch into alevin. These are the small fish with an egg sack still attached to their body for nourishment. A few weeks later the alevin absorb the egg sack and become fry. The students have the trout in their classroom for approximately six weeks, using TIC to help in subjects ranging from math to science to English and art. The program curriculum was developed to match the state learning objectives. The project will culminate when the students take the fry they have raised and release them into an approved local water. The Annual Wild Horse Trout Derby is scheduled for Presidents Day weekend, Feb. 18 and 19. It is presented by the Ladies of Wildhorse and hosted by Amys Bar and Grill. This annual event is very popular due to the fact that 100% of the registration fees are paid back in prize money for the top three trout and largest perch. Each day is run as a separate tournament. There are lots of great prizes raffled off on top of the prizes given for first, second and third places. For more information, call the Amys Bar and Grill at 775-388-3556. WILDHORSEVery little change here over the past week. The ice at Wildhorse is averaging around 15 inches with almost a foot of snow on top off of the State Park. Anglers report areas of slush underneath the snow and ATVs may have some trouble getting around. Most of the slush has frozen though a few spots that have been insulated from the cold temperatures by the snow still have a bit. Fishing continues to be good for 18 to 20-inch trout that are fat and chunky. Fish up to 25 inches are also being reported. Perch fishing has been slow with few taken. Those that have been caught have been small averaging less than five inches and the bite has been inconsistent. At last report there was some open water under the highway bridge in the Hendricks Arm though with the bitter cold temperatures early in the week, it maybe covered with thin unsafe ice. Anglers on the ice should stay far away from the bridge over the Hendricks Arm. Dead sticking worms or PowerBait and jigging gold Kastmasters, jigs, or small spinners tipped with worms or PowerBait two to six feet below the ice can be productive for trout. If trout fishing is slow in the spot fishing moving to a different spot often makes a difference. If fishing for perch, look for water ranging between 25 and 35 feet deep and fish just off the bottom using a small piece of worm on a small soft plastic jig. Lift the rod tip up few inches every minute or so in a jigging action to entice the perch. Often there will be a bite as the bait settles down. However, expect fishing for yellow perch through the ice to be extremely slow due to the fishery recovering from the spring 2022 die-off. SOUTH FORK RESERVOIRThe main boat ramp cove and the east side of the reservoir is covered with seven to eight inches of ice with a pressure ridge at the mouth of the cove that should be avoided. Jet Ski Beach and the east side of the lake has ice averaging 12 to 14 inches. The south end where the river enters the reservoir has unsafe ice and should be avoided. There is snow on the ice and in some areas it has drifted. Anglers report fair to good fishing for 14 to 18-inch fish with an occasional 20+ inch fish along Jet Ski Beach. The bite still tends to be on the tentative side, so anglers should hold onto the rod to be able to set the hook rather quickly. Most anglers were having success with worms, PowerBait or corn. Fish appear to be hanging in water that is 10 to 12 feet deep or shallower hanging three to six feet below the ice. WILSON RESERVOIRNo report on the lake itself, but expect very poor road conditions starting at the IL mailboxes and anglers should expect 4WD driving conditions from the mailboxes all the way to the lake. Water conditions here are generally similar to South Fork so there may be ice of variable thicknesses with the good possibility safe ice. Anglers can expect fair to good ice fishing this winter for 12 to 16-inch trout. Use the same techniques and baits as at Wildhorse and South Fork. RUBY LAKE NWRVery little change here. Harrison Pass is not passable so access to the Refuge is through Secret Pass. The road through Ruby Valley is snowpacked and anglers are encouraged to take it slow, especially when passing an oncoming vehicle. No recent report on ice or fishing at the boat ramp. The marsh is there because of the springs and the water comes out of the ground around 51 degrees, so the ice is very variable due to this. Proceed onto the ice at the main boat ramp with caution. The collection ditch is mostly ice at the north end starting at Bressman cabin. The south end of the ditch has areas of open water for fishing but lots of snow on the ground making walking difficult. No recent report from anglers due to travel conditions, but at last report fishing was good in the collection ditch. Chironomid patterns such as zebra midges, red butt buzzers, chironocones and ice cream cones should catch fish. Other flies such as copper Johns, leech patterns, balanced leeches, crystal buggers, #14-16 hares ears, and #16-18 PT nymphs fished under an indicator are recommended. Expect fair to good fishing for Spin anglers should be using small spinners in black or olive with contrasting yellow or red colors as well as small minnow imitations. With the colder water temperatures anglers should slow down their presentations as the fish are moving slower this time of year. The collection ditch is artificial lures only, no bait. Wading is not allowed in the ditch. JAKES CREEK/BOIES RESERVOIRThis week Jakes Creek had approximately 14 inches of ice with a few inches of snow on top. Anglers report fair fishing for 10- to 12-inch trout using worms or PowerBait jigged slowly a few feet below the ice. The road was snow packed with just a skiff of new snow on top and travel was fine as long as drivers took it slow. COLD CREEK RESERVOIRAccess to the lake is poor due to snow conditions and travel isnt recommended at this time. At last report the reservoir is 98% covered with five to eight inches of ice with snow on top. At last report there was some open water where the creek comes into the reservoir. The ice thickness fluctuates a fair amount here so anglers should still use caution and drill test holes as they advance upon the ice. Anglers can expect to catch 8- to 10-inch rainbow or tiger trout here. COMINS LAKEComins Lake is 100% covered with ice with approximately 12 to 14 inches of good ice with a little snow on top. Fishing continues to be good on both the north and south lakes for 14 to 18-inch rainbow trout through the ice with an occasional brown or tiger trout. Nightcrawlers and plastic jigs have consistently produced trout. Northern Pike and bass are also showing up in the creel by jigging Rat-L Traps, flashy spoons, and even nightcrawlers. Please note that NDOW has placed radio tags in several Northern Pike. These pike will have an orange Floy tag near their dorsal fin and a small antenna (~ 7 inches long) coming from their stomach. Please return these fish to the water for research purposes. All other pike should be humanely dispatched. There is no limit on the pike. ILLIPAHThe reservoir is covered with 10 to 12 inches of solid ice with snow on top. Anglers should expect to catch 8- to-12-inch Rainbow Trout and the occasional Brown Trout. It is suggested that four-wheel drive vehicles access the lake and still bring other means to get out of snow drifts and berms. Nightcrawlers, a variety of jigs, and PowerBait are all producing great trout. ALPINE LAKESThose wanting to hike into the Rubies will find very deep snow conditions, very cold temperatures and only experienced back country trekkers should attempt to get away from the roads. The lakes are ice covered and there will be no more fishing reports until late next spring or early in the summer depending upon snow conditions this year. STREAMSAccess to the fishable parts of streams is very difficult due to recent weather conditions and very deep snow in most areas. Carry chains and a shovel and be prepared to spend the night. Please leave a trip plan with someone responsible so that if you dont return home someone can start looking for you. If anglers get to the streams expect ice and snow making fishing difficult. With cold water temperatures the fish are moving slower and anglers should slow their presentations down. Lamoille Canyon access is by snowshoe, skis or snow mobile due to snow which is currently almost six feet deep at the Snotel site in the canyon. Access to both the Bruneau and Jarbidge Rivers is now through Idaho due to snow conditions and even then, it is difficult to impossible to travel into the Bruneau by anything but a snowmobile and travel is not recommended. Access the Jarbidge through Rogerson, Idaho north of Jackpot. As of February 2, the East Fork of the Owyhee was flowing at 7.31 below Wildhorse dam, while the station near Mountain City is showing ice. The Jarbidge flowing at 6.61 cfs, Salmon Falls Creek at 55.6 cfs, Lamoille Creek showing ice, the South Fork of the Humboldt at 34.3 cfs but mostly ice covered, Cleve Creek showing ice, Steptoe Creek at 1.33 cfs and Kingston Creek at 3.13 cfs. Yakima County Government, Lower Valley Reporter Hi, Im Phil Ferolito, longtime reporter with the Yakima Herald-Republic, where I have gained an array of experience from covering small city governments and school districts to big-picture issues concerning county government, crime and the Yakama Nation, a federally recognized tribe with important historical and cultural ties to the land. I began with the Herald-Republic in Oct. 2000 as a copy editor, designing pages, writing headlines and proof-reading stories. Over the years I have covered four Lower Valley municipalities, Granger, Toppenish, Wapato and Harrah, and the Yakama Nation. My goal always has been to shine a light in dark places and bring readers closer to concerning issues, important people, and other events in our community. ELKO - The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has released its preliminary report on the fatal accident at the Nevada Gold Mines Goldstrike Underground operation on Jan. 23. The Goldstrike Mine is in Eureka County north of Carlin. The report says two miners were removing steel waterlines with hand tools when one of the waterlines suddenly broke apart. The waterline struck both miners, injuring one and killing Alejandro Castaneda. The accident took place at 12:48 p.m. and the time of death was recorded as 1:52 p.m. NGM said the injured worker was treated and released following the accident. Castaneda, 49, had been a miner for almost 20 years, and had been at the Goldstrike mine for his entire mining career, according to the MSHA report. He had been working in utility management at the mine for more than seven and a half years. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends and coworkers of the employees involved, Nevada Gold Mines said in a statement following the accident. Our primary focus is supporting those involved and working to fully understand the circumstances that led to this event. The Elko community has set up an enchilada fundraiser for the families of Castaneda and Pedro Morquecho, who was injured in the accident. The fundraiser is being held Friday, Feb. 3, and people can call or text 775-777-4177 to order the enchilada meals. Pick up times are 11:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m., 3:30 5 p.m., and 5:30 8 p.m. The state of Croatia will pay Hungarian oil and gas company MOL 235 million US dollars rendered in an arbitration case at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), minister for Economy and Sustainable Development Davor Filipovic said on Croatian public television late Wednesday. MOL had filed a request for arbitration against the government of Croatia in 2013 for breach of contract related to agreements concerning Croatian energy company INA signed in 2009. MOL has a 49% stake in INA but holds management rights in the company. The state of Croatia owns close to 45% of INA.Filipovic said the government has already earmarked the award in the budget. Croatia surrendered jurisdiction over the agreement between MOL and the government of Croatia in 2003, allowing only international arbitration courts to decide on the matter, he said. Egypt is ordering another 50 railway carriages from Hungary on top of the 1,300 ordered so far, Peter Szijjarto, the minister of foreign affairs and trade said. Hungary has so far delivered 724 railway carriages to Egypt as part of the largest ever order for Hungarian vehicles, Szijjarto said after the fourth meeting of the Hungarian-Egyptian economic mixed committee in Budapest, according to a ministry statement. A total of 626 more are being assembled in Dunakeszi, north of Budapest, he added. This order has now been expanded by another 50 railway carriages, bringing its value to around 1.1 billion euros from the previous 1 billion euros, Szijjarto said. Reliable international partnerships have become even more important in light of the war in Ukraine, Szijjarto said, adding that relations between Hungary and Egypt were characterised by mutual respect, which had contributed to significant achievements. Bilateral trade in agriculture reached a record 30 million dollars last year, up 80% from the year before, Szijjarto said. At a joint press conference with Rania A. Al-Mashat, Egypts minister for international cooperation, Szijjarto highlighted energy as the most important area of bilateral cooperation. He said both countries were focused on nuclear energy when it came to energy security and the green transition. Hungary and Egypt are building new nuclear plant reactors with the same contractor and technology, Szijjarto said, adding that this presented serious opportunities in bilateral technical, scientific and education cooperation. We believe that nuclear energy is the energy of the future because its cheap, safe and a sustainable way of producing electricity, the minister said, adding that Hungary and Egypt intended to establish broad nuclear cooperation. Meanwhile, Szijjarto said that although Russias Gazprom was a reliable supplier of natural gas, Hungary needed to find new energy sources in the interest of diversifying its energy supply. He said buying liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Egypt was an option, adding that plans were in place to build a pipeline to southern Europe with the support of the European Union. Concerning the war in Ukraine, Szijjarto said peace was needed for the global economy to return to its long-term growth path. Given that Hungary and Egypt are both deeply integrated into the global economy, they have an interest in bringing about peace as soon as possible, he added. Egypt, he said, was also a strategic security partner to Hungary and Europe. Egypt is an important and stable bastion of Europes north African line of defence by curbing illegal migration, he said, adding that unlike Brussels, Cairo understood that illegal migration must be stopped rather than managed. This is the only way to guarantee the security of the European continent, he added. The sides signed memoranda of understanding on an exchange of experience regarding international development and on cooperation in social affairs. At a Hungary-Egypt business forum, Szijjarto noted that Prime Minister Viktor Orban will pay a visit to Cairo at the end of February. Regarding economic cooperation, the minister said Hungarys Eximbank has opened a 100 million euro credit line to support ties between Hungarian and Egyptian businesses. He added that more than 120,000 Hungarian tourists visited Egypt last year, and the government has raised the number of scholarships offered to Egyptian students at Hungarian universities to 200 per year. ELKO Elko has a newly qualified public defender to handle death penalty cases, which have in the past been contracted to private attorney Gary Woodbury. Public Defender Matthew Pennell recently met the requirements of Nevada Supreme Court Rule 205. He is an Elko High School graduate who joined the public defenders office in 2014 after earning his law degree from the University of Wyoming. I can now handle death penalty cases as primary counsel rather than just assisting counsel for both trials and appeals, said Pennell, who assisted Woodbury with the recent murder case involving Justin Mullis and an earlier potential death penalty case involving Bryce Dickey. Mullis ended up being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and Dickey was sentenced to 70 years, after intent to seek the death penalty was rescinded prior to trial. After Pennell earned his qualification, Woodbury announced he was withdrawing from the Mullis case. Pennell will also likely handle any future cases. If a person is indigent, then my office is appointed on any case unless there is a conflict of interest as described in the Nevada Rules of Professional Conduct, he said. That means that most likely any person charged with the death penalty will be represented by me as primary counsel and one of my staff attorneys as assisting counsel. Gary Woodbury Attorney Gary Woodbury presents closing arguments during an October 2020 murder trial. Woodburys history with the death penalty goes back more than 40 years. According to Elko Daily files, he represented a 17-year-old boy in 1980 when District Attorney Thomas Stringfield declared his intent to seek capital punishment. As in the Dickey and Mullis cases, Lloyd D. Kaufman was accused of slaying a young girl. Police said 14-year-old Elko High School student Kim Simpson was raped and murdered after Kaufman offered her a ride to her home on Bullion Road but continued driving to a remote spot with her. Kaufman was sentenced to life in prison in 1981 but granted parole on the murder charge in 2018. However, he had also been sentenced to a consecutive 16 years for escape after beating an Elko County Jail deputy in the head with a pipe. He was able to flee the old jail in downtown Elko on the day he was sentenced in 1981, but was captured that night after he stole a car and got stuck in a snow drift along Lower Lamoille Road. Kaufman this week became eligible for parole on the escape charge. Woodbury went on to become Elko Countys district attorney, and successfully prosecuted another murder defendant who did receive the death penalty. Kelly Rhyne was accused of kicking a man to death and stuffing his body in a trash bin outside a downtown bar in 1998. Death penalty cases considered in rural Nevada ELKO Twenty-one years after jurors convicted a man of murder and sentenced him to death in Elko, rural Nevada courts are hearing three cases The Nevada Supreme Court upheld Rhynes appeal in 2002, but he was granted a new trial in 2010 due to ineffective defense counsel. He was then convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison but will be eligible for parole next year. Woodbury vowed that Rhyne would be the last death penalty case he would ever try because of the high cost to the county. He retired as district attorney in 2010 but returned to his earlier career as a defense attorney. Aside from Pennell, Woodbury remains the only Elko County attorney qualified to serve death-penalty defendants. Pennell hopes its a situation that doesnt come up again anytime soon. For the good of our community, ideally, I hope to never have to use my qualification, he told the Elko Daily this week. But realistically, if we have another case of this type, the Elko County taxpayers will save approximately $30,000 per year per death penalty case now that my office can handle them entirely. Such cases often last three to four years or longer, he noted. Prime Minister Viktor Orban held talks in his office with Armin Papperger, the chief executive of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, on Thursday, the PMs press chief said. Orban and Papperger agreed that in times of strife and amidst the war in Ukraine, the decision to launch Hungarys defence industry development programme had proved a good one. The prime minister said that defending Hungary was our most important goal, adding that the development programme must not slow down despite the crisis caused by the European sanctions. Cooperation of Rheinmetall and the Hungarian state will continue uninterrupted, he added. Peter Szijjarto has said that the US ambassador in Hungary - or any other ambassador for that matter -- had no business interfering in Hungary's domestic affairs. In response to a question concerning recent remarks by US Ambassador David Pressman, the foreign minister told a press conference: Hungary is a sovereign country and nobody can tell us from the outside how we should live. Commenting on Pressmans comments to Politico that Political leaders in the government of Hungary often speak of promoting peace, but from condemning sanctions to embracing Russian cease-fire proposals they continue to push policies endorsed by Putin, Szijjarto said it was of no interest what Pressman or any ambassador thought about domestic political trends in Hungary. If he wants to use his stay in Hungary to pass judgment on the activities of a government which has been elected by a significant majority of Hungarians then he will have a very difficult job in terms of working successfully to improve cooperation between the two countries, he said, highlighting the importance of mutual respect. Szijjarto: We Dont Accept Governors or Procurators We do not accept governors or procurators sent here to say how we should lead our lives, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in reaction to comments by US Ambassador David Pressmans to Politico. That era is over. Szijjarto told a news conference held on a different subject that it was up to Hungarian voters to decide whether the government was doing a good job or not, and they would pass judgment in the next general election, as they had done unambiguously in past years, he said. Szijjarto said the governments foreign policy was guided purely by national interests and the wish for peace to return to Ukraine as soon as possible. Attempts have been made from abroad, unsuccessfully, to install a government in Hungary that does not represent the national interest, the minister said. I might add that the significant amount of money that has been mobilised for this purpose has not turned out to be a good investment, he added. Ambassador David Pressman responded to his critism on Twitter: "Respectfully, we do not consider Russias attempt to unilaterally redraw the borders of Europe as just a domestic political development in Hungary." An Air India Express plane flying from Abu Dhabi to Calicut in Kerala was forced to make an emergency landing after flames coming out of the engine were noticed during take-off. Flames were discovered in one of the engines shortly after takeoff on the aircraft from Abu Dhabi heading for Calicut, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Friday. As a result, the flight returned to the Abu Dhabi airport. According to Air India Express, all of the passengers arrived safely and without incident. 184 passengers were present when the aeroplane took off, according to DGCA. "Soon after taking off and climbing to 1,000 feet, the pilot detected a flame in one of the engines and decided to go back to Abu Dhabi airport," Air India Express told ANI. DGCA said that "Air India Express B737-800 aircraft returned to the Abu Dhabi airport due to a mid-air flameout." Also read: Air India Strengthens International Network, Resumes Delhi-Milan Direct Flight Services Today an Air India Express B737-800 aircraft VT-AYC operating flight IX 348 (Abu Dhabi-Calicut) was involved in Airturnback due to the No. 1 engine flameout at 1,000 ft during the climb," DGCA said. Earlier on January 23, an Air India Express flight from Trivandrum to Muscat landed back 45 minutes after taking off due to a technical glitch, officials said. According to officials, the flight management system (FMS) developed a technical glitch."The flight took off from Trivandrum at 8.30 am and landed back at 9.17 am," they added. In December 2022, a snake was found on a Dubai-bound Air India Express flight. Air India Express Boeing B-737 flight from Calicut to Dubai took off as scheduled, and after landing at Dubai airport, the staff reported a snake on board the aircraft. The aviation regulatory body, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), had ordered a detailed probe regarding the incident, the aviation body said. (With ANI Inputs) New Delhi: Food delivery apps are making our lives easier as they allow us to get food from restaurants at the comfort of our home. Bengaluru-based Zomato is very popular across the country with users avail the services to the extent of comfort. The app provides a feature called Delivery Instruction that will tell the delivery person the instructions given by the person who ordered the food. Then the delivery man can get additional information regarding the order. Zomato has shared the best delivery instruction the app ever got in a new tweet. Give the order to guard, its for him is the best delivery instruction we've ever gotten, Zomato tweeted on February 3, 2023. Give the order to guard, its for him is the best delivery instruction we've ever gotten zomato (@zomato) February 3, 2023 Netizens are reacting over Zomatos post with praise and respect A Twitter user named Tanmay Suri wrote, Thats so sweet. Another user wrote, I did that once i didn't write instructions but when they received n was getting it for me I told them ye aapke ke liye hai bhai they were speechless I can understand those emotions and no job is smaller says an Army ki beti. I did that once i didn't write instructions but when they received n was getting it for me I told them ye aapke ke liye hai bhai they were speechless I can understand those emotions and no job is smaller says an Army ki beti Peace out (@ArmyDaughter027) February 3, 2023 One user sarcastically commented his parents after throwing him outside the house. My parents after throwing me outside the house shubhsays (@shubham_charlu) February 3, 2023 That's how they react. New Delhi: Photo-sharing social media platform Pinterest is reportedly laying off about 150 employees amid cost-cutting measures. The move affected less than 5 per cent of Pinterest`s total workers, reports Bloomberg, citing sources. "We`re making organisational changes to further set us up to deliver against our company priorities and our long-term strategy," a Pinterest spokeswoman, was quoted as saying. "Our employees are the heart of how we`re able to serve our Pinners around the world. All of the employees who were impacted contributed to Pinterest and as they transition, we`re committed to supporting them with separation packages, benefits and other services," she added. The photo-sharing social media company had about 4,000 employees as of the end of the third quarter, said the report. Moreover, the report mentioned that the job cuts came from teams across the US-based company, though not all were affected to the same degree. With this, Pinterest joins other tech companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Meta and Google parent Alphabet that have cut thousands of jobs. Meanwhile, Digital payments company PayPal also announced that it is laying off 2,000 full-time employees, or about 7 per cent of its global workforce, to address the "challenging macroeconomic environment." PayPal President and CEO Dan Schulman said that these job reductions will occur over the coming weeks, with some organisations impacted more than others. New Delhi: One of the most revered actors of Hindi cinema Rishi Kapoor will be featured in the upcoming docu-series 'The Romantics'. The streaming series celebrates the legendary filmmaker Yash Chopra, along with his production house YRF's legacy and its impact on Indian pop culture over the last 50 years. The late actor had closely collaborated with Yash Chopra and then the latter's son, Aditya Chopra in films like 'Kabhi Kabhie', 'Chandni', 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' (in which he was paired with his wife Neetu Kapoor), 'Fanaa' and 'Hum Tum'. In the new series, Rishi Kapoor will be seen speaking about his close relationship with Yash Chopra and what made their combination one of the most cherished director-actor duo in Hindi cinema, especially romantic films. 'The Romantics' has been directed by Oscar and Emmy-nominated film-maker, Smriti Mundhra, who returns to Netflix after the success of 'Indian Matchmaking' and the 'Never Have I Ever' franchises. Director of the series, Smriti Mundhra shared: "Rishi Kapoor was not only an iconic actor, he carried with him an encyclopedic knowledge of the Hindi film industry. On the day of our interview, which would be his last, he was characteristically charming, erudite, and eager to reminisce. His death represents the loss of a significant piece of cinema history, and I'll forever be grateful for the insights, anecdotes and perspective he shared." The four-part docu-series will also feature 35 personalities, including the mega-stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma to name a few, who have closely worked with the studio conglomerate through its 50 year glorious existence. Interestingly, the reclusive studio head, Aditya Chopra has also recorded his first on-camera interview for 'The Romantics'. 'The Romantics' will drop on Netflix on February 14, 2023 as a tribute to Yash Chopra, who is regarded as the 'Father of Romance' in India. New Delhi: 2023 begins on an exciting note with the trailer release of its next original series, Jaanbaaz Hindustan Ke. Directed by national award-winning director Srijit Mukherji, the show stars Regina Cassandra as a strong and dedicated IPS officer, alongside Sumeet Vyas, Barun Sobti, Chandan Roy, Mita Vashisht Deepika Amin, and Sandeep Dhabale. A tribute to the IPS officers of India and their selfless work, Jaanbaaz Hindustan Ke streams on ZEE5 from 26th January 2023 in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. During an exclusive chat, Sumeet Vyas spoke about his character, his experience and what were his takeaways from the role. Q- Any memorable memories from this series that you would like to share? A- I think the most difficult and perhaps the most rewarding scene was the interrogation scene. I had read the scene before when I read the entire script but obviously when you start shooting you forget how long and heavy those scenes have panned out. The day we were shooting, I didnt know we were shooting that particular scene. I was not really prepared or geared up to do it but it made sense because I didnt have any preconceived notion about how I am going to enact it. I spontaneously read the lines and performed the scene. A lot of credit goes to Srijit Mukherji because he lets the actors express themselves and motivates them to explore newer things. I was able to do that because I didnt have any set preparation or method hence the result was organic. In the end, I am hoping it turned out pretty well. I was very happy, satisfied but extremely exhausted because it was a pretty long scene. Q- We always take back learnings from things we do in life and especially with actors, every character teaches them a thing or two. What learnings did you take back from your character in this show? A- I hope I havent learned or grasped anything from Tauriq because his agenda in life is something I personally disagree with in real life. For instance, if I had to take something from his personality I would borrow his patience. Tauriq is extremely patient and sharp. He doesnt react immediately to things. He observes, wonders and breathes before his next move. In that sense, he is a very clever character, and I would love to take some of his qualities home. Amritsar: A hundred students from Amritsar belonging to economically disadvantaged families have successfully completed a two-year English Access Microscholarship Program supported by the US Embassys Regional English Language Office (RELO) and the Nanhi Chhaan Foundation (NCF). The children, who have learned linguistic skills, were felicitated at a graduation ceremony here today. Fifty undergraduate students from the Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) College in Verka and fifty students from the Government Institute of Garment Technology (GIGT) polytechnic in Amritsar participated in the program from November 2020 to January 2023, receiving two years of after-school English language classes, along with career readiness and other personal development classes. NCFs collaboration with the US Embassy started in 2015 with a grant for a program for 100 students from the Government High School in Qila Jiwan Singh village, followed by another grant in 2017 for a program for 100 students at Fatehpur Rajputan village, both in Amritsar district. The graduation ceremony was held here today at one of the centers of Guru Nanak Dev University College, Verka village in Amritsar. Graduates received certificates signed by Ambassador Elizabeth Jones, the Charge d Affaires for the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, and were distributed by Guest of Honor, Mr. Anthony Miranda who is the Cultural and Educational Affairs Counselor at the US Embassy. Other dignitaries gracing the occasion were Ms. Puneet Randhawa, Principal of GNDU College in Verka and Mr. Amit Khanna Chairman, GIGT Polytechnic in Amritsar, and Mr. Harpal Singh, Chairman of NCF The US Embassy supports education in Punjab in several ways, including a collaboration since 2022 with the Ministry of Education and the State Council of Research and Training (SCERT) to provide support for English language training for mentor teachers in government schools, and to fund participation in educational exchanges to the United States. Speaking at the event, Miranda said, Increasing the skills of youth is good not only for them, but also for their families, their communities, for India, and beyond. The English Access Microscholarship Program is a US State Department-sponsored global initiative that provides English communication skills to talented students from socio-economically disadvantaged communities and includes activities focused on volunteerism, leadership skills, global awareness, and developing an appreciation of Indian and American democratic principles so that participants are better able to successfully compete for opportunities in higher education and the job market. The classes were led by four English language teaching professionals who used a learner-centered communicative language teaching approach. To ensure the quality of teaching, they received regular professional development by an expert trainer, as well as multiple training opportunities provided by RELO. China's annual foreign trade value topped 40 trillion yuan (about $5.94 trillion) for the first time in 2022, and the country maintained the world's largest trading nation in goods for six consecutive years. As the new year has arrived, foreign trade enterprises are going all out to embrace the overseas market. At the Zhoushan port in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang province, containers were unloaded from two 200,000-ton vessels by 45 bridge cranes and 122 gantry cranes. Such a busy scene at the port was a result of the diligent work of foreign trade enterprises, including Bianfeng Machinery Group based in Jiashan county, Zhejiang province. "Our new orders have been scheduled to March and April. It's a bumper year for foreign trade companies," said Wang Shengshuang, chairman of board of the company. According to Wang, the company plans to join over 10 international exhibitions this year and will invite its foreign clients to have investigation tours to the company. "Meeting clients is meeting opportunities," the man said. This year, multiple provinces, including Jiangsu, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Sichuan, have sent business delegations overseas and invited foreign merchants to China. They have also launched a series of measures to better facilitate the trade sector, which enhanced foreign trade enterprises' confidence in expanding market. "Before the Chinese New Year, we had already stocked up our overseas warehouses, so that commodities could be immediately shipped to foreign consumers," said Zeng Qiuping, who runs an appliance company in Shunde district, Foshan, south China's Guangdong province. Though workers were on vacation during the Chinese New Year, the company's foreign trade business was not suspended, Zeng told People's Daily. Compared with the traditional make-to-order strategy, cross-border e-commerce directly faces consumers and production can be scheduled in advance based on previous sales data. Zeng said the overseas warehouses of his company make logistics more efficient and thus improve consumers' experience. "The export volume of our capsule coffee machines is expected to rise by over 25 percent this year," the man noted. Because of its advantages, such as online transaction and short transaction chain, cross-border e-commerce is favored by foreign enterprises. New business forms of foreign trade services emerged, including overseas warehouses, constantly improving the quality and efficiency of China's foreign trade sector. On Jan. 2, 2023, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement took effect in Indonesia. Obtaining the RCEP certificate of origin, a food additive company based in Nantong, east China's Jiangsu province, enjoyed a tariff reduction of around 42,000 yuan ($6,245) for a batch of aspartame it exported to the Southeast Asian country, which was worth $117,800. "This policy just boosted our confidence," said Yu Haifeng, manager of the commerce department of the company. According to him, Indonesia is the company's regular market. Before the RCEP agreement took effect, the Chinese food additive manufacturer had to pay tariffs at a rate of 5 percent for its exports to Indonesia, and now the tariff stands at zero, Yu said. In the past year since the world's largest trade deal came into force, China has further strengthened its cooperation on trade and investment with other RCEP members. Last year, China's foreign trade with the other 14 RCEP economies grew by 7.5 percent on a yearly basis to 12.95 trillion yuan ($1.93 trillion), accounting for 30.8 percent of the country's total exports and imports. So far, China has signed 19 free trade agreements with 26 countries and regions, with partners covering Asia, Oceania, Latin America, Europe, and Africa. Araria: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said Chief Secretary Amir Subhani was looking into a top IAS officer's alleged misbehavior with lower-rung officials which has triggered state-wide protests. Kumar, who was touring Araria district as part of "Samadhan Yatra", was asked about the controversy surrounding KK Pathak, an additional chief secretary rank officer, in protest against whose alleged bad behavior state administrative service officers turned up for work wearing black badges. Also Read: BASA Members Wear Black Badges Against 'Abusive' Bihar IAS Officer KK Pathak "I am in the know of the viral video. I learnt about it upon return (to Patna) from the Yatra yesterday. The chief secretary is looking into the matter. Appropriate action will follow a thorough inquiry," said the chief minister. The matter had come to light after a video went viral on social media in which Pathak, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, could be heard spouting expletives and ruling the lack of civic sense in the people of Bihar, including government officials. A police complaint has been lodged against the bureaucrat by the Bihar Administrative Service Association (BASA) which has also given the call for registering a protest by wearing black badges. Leader of the opposition in the state assembly Samrat Chaudhary of the BJP alleged that the incident was "yet another instance of bureaucratic high-handedness in Bihar" and demanded strict action against Pathak who is considered one of the most trusted officers of the chief minister. Guwahati: As announced by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the states police launched a massive crackdown on people involved in child marriage and arrested at least 1800 persons from different parts of the state. "Assam Police has arrested 1,800 persons in connection with child marriage-related cases across the state so far," Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Guwahati | Assam Police has arrested 1,800 persons in connection with child marriage-related cases across the state so far: Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma pic.twitter.com/yVpMRSpzey ANI (@ANI) February 3, 2023 According to police, five of the accused were initially picked up from the Nagaon district. They were arrested by the Batadraba police station in the district. A police officer at the Batadraba police station confirmed, "We picked up five persons involved in child marriage." Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had on Thursday warned that those marrying girls under 18 years of age will be arrested. CM Sarma also warned that the action against those persons will begin starting Friday. The firebrand Assam BJP leader further informed that a total of 4,004 child marriage cases have been registered across the state. CM Sarma took to Twitter and shared a report prepared by the Assam Police and said, "Assam Govt is firm in its resolve to end the menace of child marriage in the state. So far @assampolice has registered 4,004 cases across the state and more police action is likely in days ahead. Action on the cases will begin starting February 3 (Friday). I request all to cooperate." Assam Govt is firm in its resolve to end the menace of child marriage in the state. So far @assampolice has registered 4,004 cases across the state and more police action is likely in days ahead. Action on the cases will begin starting February 3. I request all to cooperate. pic.twitter.com/JH2GTVLhKJ Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) February 2, 2023 The chief minister also chaired a high-level meeting top police officials ahead of state-wide police action against child marriage & reviewed the arrangements. He also appealed to people to "extend support & cooperate" with the govt in its endeavor to rid the state of the evil practice. Chaired a VC of SPs in presence of DGP @gpsinghips regarding State-wide police action to be launched from tomorrow against child marriage & reviewed the arrangements. I appeal to people to extend support & cooperate with us in our endeavour to rid the State of the evil practice. pic.twitter.com/Lak2eUSOSX Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) February 2, 2023 According to the report, the highest number of cases (370) were registered in the Dhubri district, followed by Hojai (255) and Udalguri (235). At least 192 cases were registered in the Guwahati police Commissionerate. At 24, the Dima Hasao district in the state logged the lowest number of child marriage cases. Assam Chief Minister had recently reiterated his government's commitment to stop underage marriages and motherhood and warned that thousands of husbands will be arrested in the next five-six months as it is a crime to have sexual relations with a girl below 14 years of age. Speaking at a government function, the Assam BJP leader suggested that women should embrace motherhood at the "appropriate age" as it otherwise leads to medical complications. Sarmas comments come in the backdrop of the state governments move to bring stringent laws and evoke the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act to check child marriages and underage motherhood. "Marrying a minor girl is not only against the law, but it also breaches the fundamental rights of a girl child and is quite dangerous to her health. According to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, all the spouses of such young women would be imprisoned and charged," CM Sarma stated. The Assam government took a decision to launch a crackdown against child marriages in the state in response to disturbing data from an official survey performed by the health department that said, on average in Assam, 31 per cent of girls were married off before turning the legal age of 18. "Such a large number of young girls were subjected to child marriage is disturbing. The state government has decided to file cases against all the husbands who are responsible for getting a girl pregnant before the age of 18 under the POCSO act," the Chief Minister added. The legal age for the marriage of a woman is 18 years and those who marry younger girls will also be brought to book, the Assam Chief Minister warned. "Many (men who marry girls) could face life imprisonment," he warned. Speaking about motherhood, Sarma said, Women should not wait too long to become mothers as it leads to complications. The appropriate age for motherhood is 22 years to 30 years". In a lighter tone, Sarma said women who have not married yet should do it soon. We have been speaking against early motherhood. But at the same time, women should not wait too long either as many do ... God has created our bodies in a manner that there is an appropriate age for everything, he added. It may be recalled that the Assam Cabinet on Monday decided to book men who marry girls below 14 years of age under the POCSO Act. Those who marry girls in the age group of 14-18 years will be tried under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the Centre while responding to a batch of petitions challenging the government's ban on the screening of the controversial BBC documentary on PM Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots. The top also directed the Centre to file its response over the issue within three weeks. The top court then posted the matter for hearing in April. Supreme Court issues notice to the Centre on plea seeking direction to restrain the Central government from censoring the BBC documentary relating to the 2002 Gujarat Riots. SC seeks response from the Centre within three weeks. SC posts the matter for hearing in April. pic.twitter.com/65nLjc71Eh ANI (@ANI) February 3, 2023 The order was passed by a top court bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and MM Sundresh, which earlier agreed to take up the petition filed by senior journalist N Ram, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, and advocate Prashant Bhushan, and another petition moved by advocate M L Sharma. The two-part BBC documentary, titled India: The Modi Question, has been in the news ever since its release. However, it has been dismissed as a biased "propaganda piece" by the government. The plea filed by Sharma contended that the BBC documentary on the Gujarat riots was released for public view. However, due to "fear of truth", the documentary has been banned from viewership in India by any means under rule 16 of the IT Act 2021. Sharma`s plea sought a direction for quashing the January 21 order under the IT Act being illegal, malafide and arbitrary, unconstitutional and void ab-initio and ultra vires to the Constitution of India. In his plea, the petitioner contended that the BBC documentary has reflected the true facts with original recordings of the victims of the 2002 riots as well as other concerned persons involved in the scenario of the riots, and it can be used for judicial justice. A separate petition has been filed by journalist N. Ram, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, and advocate Prashant Bhushan against taking down their tweets with links to the documentary. "The content of the BBC documentary and the tweets by Petitioner No. 2 (Bhushan) and 3 (Moitra) are protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India. The content of the documentary series does not fall under any of the restrictions specified under Article 19(2) or restrictions imposed under Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000," said the plea filed by Ram and others. The plea by Ram and others argued that the apex court has categorically laid down that criticism of the government or its policies or even the judgment of the Supreme Court does not tantamount to violating the sovereignty and integrity of India. "Censoring freedom of speech and expression of the petitioners by the executive through opaque orders and proceedings is manifestly arbitrary as it frustrates the fundamental right of the petitioners to effectively seek judicial review of administrative actions under Articles 226 and 32 of the Constitution of India in violation of the basic structure of the Constitution of India," added the plea. The central government has banned the screening of the BBC documentary and sharing of its links on social media and online channels. However, despite the Centres ban, it has been screened in some universities across the country. NEW DELHI: Proceedings of Lok Sabha were adjourned till 2 pm on Firday while those of Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 2:30 pm today due to opposition parties reiterating their demand for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the tanking of Adani Group company shares that has led to a stock market rout. A number of Opposition leaders including Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, DMK Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi Siva, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari, BRS MP K Keshava Rao, Shiv Sena MP (Uddhav Thackeray faction) Priyanka Chaturvedi, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dr Syed Naseer Hussain, and CPI(M) MP Elamaram Kareem gave suspension of Business notice to their respective Houses to hold a discussion on the allegations levelled by US-based Hindenburg Research against Adani Group. When the Rajya Sabha assembled for the day, Jagdeep Dhankhar urged members to let the House continue with its designated business. However, as Opposition members raised slogans, he adjourned the proceedings till 2.30 pm.In Lok Sabha, too Opposition members demanded a discussion but Speaker Om Birla disallowed it saying the House is to take up the important discussion on Presidential Address. As the opposition protest continued, the House was adjourned till 2 p.m. Prior to the day`s session, Opposition parties held a meeting in the Parliament today. Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh described the Adani stock row as "corruption" and alleged that it is the corruption of the Narendra Modi government. "I have given a notice under Rule 267 today also, and we demand the constitution of a JPC or a Supreme Court-monitored time-bound inquiry of the matter. It is not the corruption of Adani alone, it is the corruption of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government. Adani has the protection of PM Modi," Singh alleged. He further demanded an answer from the Prime Minister and said that he cannot "escape" the questions. "Whose black money is this? If the Prime Minister is silent on the issue, his black money is there in foreign countries which are coming to India. Whose money was brought into Adani's company through fake companies from the foreign land? PM Modi is surrounded by questions and cannot escape from answering," the AAP MP said. Speaking to ANI ahead of the day`s session, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that there is no harm in demanding a JPC and a nudge from the Prime Minister's Office would be sufficient for the constitution of a JPC. "What is the harm in demanding the constitution of a JPC? The entire stock market has been reeling under total uncertainties. It is incumbent upon us to seek justice for the people of our country. It is easy to concede to our demand. Just a knock from the PMO is enough for the constitution of a JPC. The government should concede to the demand of the Opposition parties," he said. Congress MP Manish Tewari stressed on the probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee into the alleged corruption and said that it is important that the JPC looks into the "India's regulatory architecture which governs our financial system". "We do not want a talk out, we want a JPC not because it is individual specific, but we are concerned about the failure of the regulatory institutions that why an unknown company puts out a report and the markets react in this manner. Has there been a failure of RBI? It is important that a JPC should look into the efficacy of India's regulatory architecture which governs our capital markets and our financial system. So, rather than come defensive, the government must agree to a JPC," he said. Shiv Sena MP (Uddhav Thackeray faction), when asked about the ruckus created by the Opposition in the Parliament, said that there will be a ruckus and alleged that the voices of the Opposition are being "suppressed". "If there will not be a ruckus on this issue, what other issue will the ruckus be for? It is a matter of looting the country. We will definitely create a ruckus when it comes down to LIC and SBI. The Parliament should run, and we will raise the issue. But our voices are suppressed. We are with the Congress demand for a JPC probe," he said. Congress MP K Suresh said that the government is "not ready" to give a statement on the issue. "We demanded a statement from the government yesterday. But the government is not ready to give any statement or clarification. The House was adjourned after he demanded a discussion on the issue. Today also we are moving an adjournment motion on the matter," he said. Mallikarjun Kharge, ahead of the joint meeting of Opposition parties said, "We have called the meeting of the Opposition party. We will discuss the steps to be taken further. We give notices according to the rules." Yesterday, both houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day after the Opposition created a ruckus and demanded a discussion on the Hindenburg report on the Adani conglomerate. The Opposition leaders on Thursday had demanded a discussion on the Hindenburg report against Adani Enterprises while also seeking the constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the alleged aberrations. WASHINGTON: An alleged Chinese spy balloon said to be the size of 'three buses' was spotted over the United States' airspace, the Pentagon said. The development comes days ahead of the Beijing visit of Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is flying over the continental United States right now," Pentagon Spokesman Brigadier Gen Pat Ryder told reporters here on Thursday. "NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) continues to track and monitor it closely," he said, adding the balloon was spotted over Montana on Thursday and is said to be the size of three buses. "Once the balloon was detected, the US government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information," Ryder said. He said the balloon is travelling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. US President Joe Biden has been briefed about the incident, a senior defence official said, adding the Pentagon is exploring various options. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Mark Milley and US Northern Command Gen Glen VanHerck have recommended not to "take kinetic action" because of the potential risk to the safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field, officials said. "Currently, we assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective. But we are taking steps nevertheless to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information," said a defence official. Bengaluru, Feb 3 (PTI) The Congress on Friday took the religious route to woo voters in poll-bound Karnataka as the party kickstarted its much-touted Praja Dhwani Yatra, a week-long bus tours to north and south of the State. It was nothing short of a temple run for the Congress leaders, who offered prayers at dargah, temples and Anubhava Mantapa', one of the important pilgrimages of the Lingayat sect of Karnataka. While former chief minister Siddaramaiah is covering Assembly constituencies in north, Shivakumar is covering the south. Siddaramaiah-led team, comprising 35 leaders, started the campaign from Basavakalyan in Bidar district after paying obeisance to the 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara at the 'Anubhava Mantapa', which is said to be the first religious parliament in the world. ?Prajadhwani Yatra started after paying floral tributes to a portrait of ?Jagajyoti Basaveshwara' at Anubhava Mandapam at Basavakalyan in Bidar district, after receiving the blessings of Basavalinga Pattadevar Swamiji. My ideal is Basavadi Sharan's philosophy of 'practice what you preach'. My administration for five years is a proof of this,? the former chief minister tweeted. Later, addressing the gathering at Basavakalyan, Siddaramaiah hit out at the ?divisive Manuvadi' who divided society on the line of castes. ?These people (BJP) worship Vivekananda. But Vivekananda had said ?Manuvad' and ?Purohit Shahi' is a curse on the country,? Siddaramaiah said. He said Basaveshwara had dreamt of a caste-free and progressive society, founded on the principles of equality. ?The preamble of the Constitution too speaks of equality whereas the BJP believes in ?Manuvad',? the Congress stalwart remarked. At the time of preparing the Constitution, RSS founder K B Hedgewar, second RSS chief M S Golwalkar, and Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar had opposed it saying that it lacks Indianness, Siddaramaiah alleged. He recommended people to read ?Chintana Ganga' authored by Golwalkar to understand who is in favour of the Constitution and who is against. Leading the campaign in south, Shivakumar started from Mulbagal in Kolar district after paying homage to the ancient Ganapati temple in Kudumalai. He later tweeted, Worshipped Maha Ganapati's Saligram statue at Kudumalai near Mulbagal. I prayed that the Praja Dhwani Yatra should go on without any hassle in Kolar district. Shivakumar's next stop was another ancient Hanuman temple in Mulbagal town. He then went to Hazrat Baba Hyder Aulia Dargah nearby and offered ?Chadar.' Later, addressing a public meeting in Mulbagal, the Congress State president slammed the ruling BJP in Karnataka alleging that it has failed to live up to the expectations of people and encouraged corruption. The leader said the people are hit hard by price rise and rampant corruption in the State. You have seen the JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy-led government and the BJP government in Karnataka. There is no future for the State from the two parties. I want to tell the JD(S) workers that they should not get dejected because there is Congress party with you, Shivakumar said. He also addressed a gathering at Kolar and the Kolar Gold Field (KGF). (The above article is sourced from news agency PTI. Zeenews.com has made no editorial changes to the article. News agency PTI is solely responsible for the contents of the article) Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday informed that the crackdown against child marriages in the state would continue in the coming days. The CM further informed that the Director General of Police (DGP) shall share the details of the crackdown with the press on Friday evening."Till 8 am, around 1800 people have been arrested in relation to child marriages in the state. This crackdown will continue for the next three to four days. The DGP will share the details of the crackdown with the press in the evening. Right now, even I do not have the details," the chief minister said while talking to the media."By evening, a clear picture shall emerge of the number of arrests as well as the action taken by us against them. Assam Police have arrested 1,800 persons in connection with child marriage-related cases across the State so far, said Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma today. Visuals from Guwahati pic.twitter.com/rfIA8qsVFj ANI (@ANI) February 3, 2023 The arrests made district-wise shall also be shared by the DGP in the evening," the CM added. The chief minister also talked about the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers who took part in the 74th Republic Day celebrations. He said, "The NCC and NSS cadets take part in the Republic Day Parade. Only the selected students get a chance to take part in this parade. This time, the Assam NCC and NSS contingent went for the parade. I even met the NCC students who were under one month of training in Delhi. I met them today once again. A lot of hard work is needed to reach this position. I met everyone and extended my greetings. "It would be great if NCC was made compulsory. We still do not have the infrastructure big enough for people from the army, navy and air force to come and train and instruct people," he added. On the introduction of NCC in border schools, the CM said, "We have been asked to introduce NCC in all border area schools and colleges by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Slowly this will happen everywhere. Everything depends on the progress of the country." Thiruvananthapuram: A drunk man reportedly bit off a policeman's ear on Friday (February 3) after he was picked up by a police Sub Inspector and was being taken to the police station. The bizarre incident took place in Kasaragod on Friday morning when the drunk man identified as Stany Rodricks was found to have been involved in a two-wheeler accident. According to the police, Rodricks was drunk and caused a ruckus at the accident site. To attend to his unruly behaviour in public, police officials arrived on the spot and escorted him to the police station. Also Read: Drunk Car Driver Drags Bike for 4 km After Hitting Motorbikers in Gurugram - Watch Viral Video Rodricks, angered by the situation, bit off the right ear of Sub Inspector Vishunath while he was being taken to the police station. The official was taken to a nearby hospital and after preliminary first aid, was shifted to a bigger hospital. Rodricks, who has a few cases of creating a nuisance after consuming liquor, has been arrested. Last year, a similar case emerged wherein a Nagpur man bit a policeman after the officer tried to stop the accused from shooting a video at the police station. The incident occurred at Makardhokda police post in Umred tehsil in September 2022. The man had then fled the spot on his two-wheeler. (With IANS Inputs) Howrah Bridge is one of the few names that come to mind when you hear the name of Kolkata. Today it turns a year older. As an integral part of Tilottma, it has been standing tall for the last 80 years. The Howrah Bridge is the main and ancient junction between the two busiest cities of West Bengal, Kolkata and Howrah, on either side of the Hooghly River. Rabindra Setu is very busy all day long with people and vehicles moving incessantly. While heavy goods vehicles are prohibited on the bridge, there is no restriction on light goods vehicles and buses, taxis, and private cars. You can walk or drive over the bridge at any time. Web Story on Howrah Bridge: Check Interesting facts Here Howrah Bridge - History & Significance In 1862, the then Government of Bengal asked George Turnbull, Chief Engineer of the East India Railway Company, to carry out a feasibility study on building a bridge over the Hooghly River. He presented the required design on 29 March that year, but the bridge could not be constructed at that time. The first Howrah Bridge was built in 1874. It was a floating bridge. Later in 1945, the present bridge was inaugurated. It is a cantilever bridge and it is suspended. There are two pillars on either side of it but there is no support in between. When this bridge was built, it was the third longest bridge of its kind at that time. Currently, Howrah Bridge is the sixth such bridge in the world. Subsequently, the Calcutta Port Authority appointed a committee in 1906 headed by RS Hight, Chief Engineer of the East Indian Railway, and WB McCabe, Chief Engineer of the Calcutta Corporation. The committee presented the necessary data and, based on that, a decision was taken to construct a floating bridge over the river. Tenders were invited for the design and construction of the bridge from around 23 firms. The New Howrah Bridge Act was amended in 1935 and construction of the bridge began the following year. Some lesser-known facts about Howrah Bridge at a glance Total length of Howrah Bridge is 750 meters. The longest span is 447 meters long. About 1,50,000 pedestrians and 1,00,000 vehicles cross the bridge every day. This bridge has been illuminated by Tapas Sen, the famous lighting artist of the theater world. There are no nuts and bolts in this bridge. This bridge is built with 26 thousand 500 tons of steel, this steel was supplied by Tata Steel Company. Howrah Bridge was designed by Mr.Walton of M/s Rendel, Palmer & Triton Howrah Bridge was renamed Rabindra Setu in 1965 as a tribute to Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Howrah Bridge - How to Reach Take a train to Howrah station from any part of West Bengal or India. After getting down at the last station, you will see the Howrah Bridge, officially called Rabindra Setu. Various buses from almost all parts of Kolkata cross the Howrah Bridge to Howrah station. You can also reach Howrah station by launching from various ferry ghats along the Ganges. In that case, you can see it from under the Howrah Bridge. Work on the Metro project up to Howrah Maidan has been started for several years. Kolkata Howrah metro connection will be established in the next few years, then Howrah station can be reached by metro. And Howrah Bridge can be seen. Howrah Bridge - Things to Know Although photography is prohibited on the bridge for safety reasons, many commuters are seen standing on the bridge and taking selfies with the Ganges behind them. Standing on this bridge, one can see the coexistence of different classes of people in West Bengal. This bridge can also be visited from Gangabaksa. If you board any launch (boat) from Howrah Ferry Ghat towards Bagbazar, you will open your heart and get a view of this bridge from different angles. There is no restriction on taking pictures of the bridge from the launch. NEW DELHI: India on Thursday questioned the World Bank's decision to appoint a Court of Arbitration and a neutral expert under two separate processes to resolve differences between New Delhi and Islamabad over the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir. Last week, India issued a notice to Pakistan seeking a review and modification of the 62-year-old Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) for management of cross-border rivers following Islamabad's "intransigence" in handling disputes. "I do not think they (World Bank) are in a position to interpret the treaty for us. It is a treaty between our two countries and our assessment of the treaty is that there is a provision of graded approach," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. India took the significant step of sending the notice to Pakistan conveying its intent to amend the treaty months after the World Bank announced appointing a neutral expert and a chair of Court of Arbitration to resolve the differences over the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects. New Delhi has been particularly disappointed over the appointment of the Court of Arbitration. "India's Indus Water Commissioner issued a notice on January 25 for the modification of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 to his Pakistani counterpart," Bagchi said at a media briefing while replying to a question on the matter. "This notice was issued with the intent to provide an opportunity to Pakistan to enter into government-to-government negotiations to rectify ongoing material breach of the treaty," he said. Bagchi said India called upon Pakistan to notify a suitable date for the commencement of inter-state bilateral negotiations under article 12(III) of the treaty within 90 days. "I am not aware of a response from Pakistan as yet. I am not aware of any response or comment by the World Bank," he said. The World Bank's role is procedural and it appoints neutral experts or the chair of the court of arbitration in case of differences between India and Pakistan on issues relating to cross-border rivers. "I do not think they (World Bank) are in a position to interpret the treaty for us. It is a treaty between our two countries and our assessment of the treaty is that there is a provision of graded approach," Bagchi said. New Delhi considers the start of the two concurrent processes to resolve the dispute a violation of the provision of the graded mechanism prescribed in the pact and wondered what will happen if the mechanisms come out with contradictory judgements. "The world bank itself, around five-six years ago, acknowledged the problem of having two parallel processes. Our interpretation and assessment is that this is not in consonance with the provisions of the treaty and hence we have been talking about a graded approach," Bagchi said. The spokesperson said India's position on the matter has not changed at all. "I do not know whether the World Bank has changed its position on it," he said. India has not cooperated with the Court of Arbitration. Under the pact, any differences need to be resolved under a three-stage approach. However, in the cases of Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects, the World Bank started two concurrent dispute redressal processes at the insistence of Pakistan that India felt was a breach of the IWT, according to sources. President's correspondence with foreign youths shows his personal approach to diplomacy Despite his busy daily schedule, President Xi Jinping makes time for correspondence with young people in foreign countries as a means of making China better known in the rest of the world. Over the past years, the Chinese leader has replied to dozens of letters from young foreigners who are keenly interested in studying the Chinese language and learning about Chinese culture. In letters replying to teenagers in countries such as the United States, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Laos, Italy and Malta, Xi has encouraged these young envoys of friendship to boost the bonds between their own nations and China. Such exchanges of letters show the president's personal approach to diplomacy and China's great openness to the world for more communication and exchanges, experts said. The latest letter was a reply last month to students at a Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school in Budapest, Hungary. Xi welcomed the students to study at Chinese universities after their graduation and hoped that more young people from Hungary would love and study the Chinese language. "Young people are not only inheritors of traditional friendship, but will also play a key role in initiating more friendly cooperation in the future," said Yu Jiang, deputy secretary-general of the Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy Studies Center and vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies. Through the letters, Xi expressed his hope for greater efforts to promote mutual understanding among people in different countries and to promote the harmonious coexistence of different civilizations, thus contributing to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, Yu said. Even when political relations between two countries suffer setbacks, ordinary people can still express their aspiration for mutual understanding and friendship through people-to-people exchanges at various levels, including correspondence. In 2020, 50 fourth-grade students from Cascade Elementary School in the US state of Utah wrote greeting cards to Xi in Chinese on the eve of Spring Festival, telling him about their Chinese language learning and personal hobbies. They also expressed their love for China and Chinese culture, as well as their hopes for a chance to visit China. In his reply letter, Xi told the students that like the US, China is a big country and that the Chinese people are as hospitable as the American people, and hoped that they would become young ambassadors of friendship between the two peoples. In 2019, Xi wrote back to a group of US high school students who were studying Chinese at Niles North High School in Illinois. Though China and the US are at odds on a number of issues, the exchange of letters between Xi and American students has shown that interactions between people at all levels of society should be a normal part of bilateral ties, experts said. Li Haidong, head of China Foreign Affairs University's American Studies Center, said it is particularly urgent to increase communication among young people amid a complicated and volatile international situation. "Cultural communications and exchanges play a key role in deepening mutual understanding among different countries, societies and peoples. And people-to-people diplomacy, as part of a country's multidimensional diplomacy, is thought to help better explain China to the rest of the world," Li said. Yu, from the CIIS, said the exchange of letters has also enabled people to see how cordial and sincere the Chinese leader is through his efforts to promote China's language and culture on the global stage. In December, Xi replied to a letter from students at four Saudi colleges before he started a state visit to Saudi Arabia. The Chinese president noted that young people are a source of infinite hope and the younger generation is the future of China-Saudi Arabia and China-Arab friendship. He expressed his hope that the students would cherish the good times and study hard in order to make new contributions to enhancing friendship between the Chinese and Saudi people, as well as between the Chinese and Arab people in general. Best encouragement Wesal Abdulrahman Alqarni, who majors in the Chinese language at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia's western coast city of Jeddah, was one of the students who wrote to Xi. For her, there might be no better encouragement than a letter from the Chinese president. "I was so excited and immediately told my family (about the reply).They were all proud of me. I am very lucky that I met the Chinese language during the most beautiful years of my life, (President Xi's reply) has further strengthened my confidence in learning Chinese well," she said in an earlier interview with Xinhua News Agency. Inspired by Xi's letter, Alqarni said she will work hard on Chinese so that she can eventually become a teacher of the language and help more Saudis to learn Chinese. She also said she wanted to devote herself to translating more videos and articles about China on social media to introduce China to the rest of the world. According to the Foreign Ministry, by the end of 2021, over 180 countries and regions had begun Chinese language education and 76 countries had included such programs in their national curriculum. In addition, the number of people learning Chinese overseas has exceeded 25 million, and nearly 200 million people have learned or used Chinese outside of China. In a letter written to Xi in 2021, representatives of young foreign participants in the Global Young Leaders Dialogue from 28 countries talked about their trips across China and expressed their hope of serving as a bridge in promoting exchanges and dialogues between China and the rest of the world. The Global Young Leaders Dialogue is a program that provides a platform for the sharing of ideas and mutual learning among young people from different countries and fields. In his reply letter, Xi hailed their active efforts to visit various parts of China and deepen their understanding of the country, and he welcomed more young people from overseas to visit China for exchanges. "All of our young participants were greatly inspired by Xi's letter. They felt so honored and excited to have a dialogue in this way with a major country's head of state," said Miao Lu, the founder of the dialogue, adding that the young people will continue to benefit from Xi's words in the future. Miao, who is also secretary-general of the Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based think tank, said that as Xi has emphasized in the letters, young people from the rest of the world are welcome to visit China to learn about the nation's development. "Once they know what the real China looks like, they are very eager to share what they have seen and heard here with others," she said. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday (February 3) directed the Maharashtra government to ensure that there are no hate speeches if the Hindu Jan Aakrosh rally is permitted in Mumbai on February 5. A bench of Justices KM Joseph and JB Pardiwala directed that if the event is going to be held it would be subjected to the condition that nobody will make any hate speech and act in defiance of the law or disturb the public order. In case the event takes place, it will be video recorded by the police and its contents should be made available to the court, the bench said. "Record submissions of Solicitor General that if permission is applied for holding the apprehended meeting on February 5, it will be considered and if permission is granted, it will be subject to the condition that nobody will make any hate speech or act in defiance of law and in violation of public order," the bench said in its order. During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Maharashtra government, gave the undertaking that action will be taken against hate speeches. However, the Solicitor General also questioned the demand to stop the event, saying that it would amount to "pre-censorship". "See what happened in Uttarakhand and then State took action. If there is a replica of what happened then we cannot allow this," Justice Joseph said. "We may be reluctant to grant a relief that this procession is not held but it should be ensured that during this rally no rash statements are made and steps are taken and vigil is kept," the bench added. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioner, contended that during a meeting held on July 29, grave statements were made by the participants, including an MP of the ruling party and these factors should be considered before deciding to allow the next meeting. The apex court was hearing a plea on the matter alleging that many events and rallies are organised across Maharashtra for the social and economic boycott of Muslims. The plea had sought the court`s intervention to direct the State authorities to take action and not to allow a rally scheduled for February 5 in Mumbai, alleging that the platform would be used to spread hatred among communities. Indore, Feb 3 (PTI) Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Uma Bharti's move to tie cows in front of a liquor shop as part of her campaign against alcohol in Madhya Pradesh was a "good thing", state Home minister Narottam Mishra said on Friday. Bharti on Thursday tied stray cows in front of a liquor shop in Orchha town, over 450 kilometres from here, and fed them hay as she called upon people to drink cow milk and shun alcohol. The former chief minister is spearheading a campaign against liquor consumption in the BJP-ruled state and maintained the government should not cash in on the habit of drinking. "It is a good thing," Mishra said when queried about Bharti's act in Orchha. She had thrown cow dung on the same liquor shop in June last year and had thrown a stone at a liquor vend in Bhopal in March last year. While Bharti had started off by seeking total prohibition in the state, she is now demanding regularisation of alcohol sale in the state, where Assembly polls are due by the end of the year. On Congress MLA Sanjay Yadav backing Bharti and announcing he would join hands with her to end the rampant sale of illegal liquor in villages under "government protection", Mishra said the opposition party was latching on other's efforts as it is devoid of issues to combat the BJP. Speaking at a Republic Day function, MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had said his state would come up with a new excise police that would discourage drinking. Meanwhile, Mishra refuted reports of an activist of the banned Popular Front of India being held in Sheopur. Queried on the renaming of Islam Nagar in Bhopal as Jagdishpur, Mishra said the move was a reflection of the people's demand. (The above article is sourced from news agency PTI. Zeenews.com has made no editorial changes to the article. News agency PTI is solely responsible for the contents of the article) Panaji: Marianne Borgo, a 75-year-old French actor, has alleged that she was held hostage in her own home in North Goa over a property dispute. Borgo also said that she has left the premises and that she is disappointed despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to create a tourism-friendly image of India. Marianne Borgo said on Thursday night that she was leaving the bungalow in Calangute, a beach town near Panaji which is popular with tourists, after an 11-day-long blockade of her gate allegedly by the widow of the previous owner. She had alleged last week that she was being held hostage in her own house and that the people staking claim to her property had cut its electricity and water connections, forcing her to live in dark. Borgo said she could not remain any longer without a proper bath and her health was deteriorating due to the current circumstances. This is not Modi's Idea of India. He has been working all over the world to create a positive tourism-friendly image but the recent events have left me disappointed as I feel the achievements are not able to reach the state level here in Goa, she said in a statement released here. The local police had claimed that they could not intervene in the matter as the dispute has reached court. Borgo (Chicherio) said she bought the spacious house in 2008 from a lawyer named Francisco Sousa but things went awry for her after Souza died during the COVID pandemic. Trained at the Paris-based Centre d'Arte Dramatique and Conservatoire National d'Arte Dramatique (National Academy of Dramatic Arts), Borgo has worked extensively in films, television and theatre across Europe and India. Her credits include the original The Bourne Identity, A Little Princess, and Franco-American rom-com/drama Le Divorce alongside Kate Hudson, Glenn Close and Stephen Fry. She was a recurring character in the French thriller series Profilage, and most recently led in the Indian production Danny Goes Aum. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Uma Bharti on Thursday tied stray cows in front of a liquor shop in Orchha town of Madhya Pradesh and fed them hay as she called upon people to drink cow milk and shun alcohol. The former chief minister, spearheading a campaign against liquor consumption in the BJP-ruled state, maintained the government should not cash in on the habit of drinking. Standing in front of the shop selling Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) in Orchha, a town in Niwari district famous for its temples and palaces, after tying the cows, Bharti was heard raising the slogan 'Sharab Nahi, Doodh Piyo (drink milk not liquor)'. In June last year, the BJP leader had thrown cow dung at the same liquor shop. In March 2022, she had hurled a stone at a liquor shop in Bhopal. A salesman of the outlet immediately downed its shutters, apparently fearing a repeat of the 2022 incidents. The Hindutva leader said she, too, was to some extent responsible for the prevailing drinking problem and recalled she sought votes for the BJP in the 2003 Assembly polls and since then the party is in power in MP barring 15 months in 2018-2020 when the Congress ruled the state. The saffron leader, who earlier pushed for total prohibition in the state, for the last few months had been seeking regularisation of alcohol sale in Madhya Pradesh, where Assembly polls are due by the year-end. "Last time, the former Union minister had flung cow dung at this Orchha liquor shop. So this time I downed the shutters of the shop," salesman Rampal told PTI. According to the salesman, addressing people who had gathered near the IMFL shop, Bharti said the government should not cash in on the habit of drinking. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is a 'courageous' leader, who has accepted that the existing excise policy has some flaws and promised to draft a new one in consultation with yoga guru Ramdev, she told the small gathering, according to Rampal. In the state capital, Chouhan parried questions from reporters on Bhartis statements and her anti-liquor campaign. The Madhya Pradesh government is expected to bring out a new excise policy shortly. Speaking at a Republic Day function, Chouhan had said the new excise policy would discourage drinking. Patna: Amid an ongoing row over the epic poem Ramcharitmanas, Bihars Deputy Chief Minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has attacked the BJP and its parent organisation RSS for discrimination on the basis of caste and defaming the Hindu religion. The RJD leader reminding people about the evils of the caste system said, The Hindu religion will move ahead only when people of all castes and creeds get their proportionate share. Tejashwi made these remarks while addressing a gathering in Patna Gyan Bhawan on the birth anniversary of the Late Jagdev Prasad on Wednesday. During his speech, he alleged that the BJP and the RSS were "putting dog collars on the necks of some people and are asking them to indulge in hooliganism". "We are strong believers in Lord Rama. Those who are imparting knowledge on Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, and the Hindu religion, I want to tell them that the religion is not the copyright of some people. We do not need certificates from them," he said. "BJP, after coming into power in the country, is choking the neck of democracy. BJP and RSS have defamed the Hindu religion more than any other party. They have put dog collars on the neck of some people who are involved in hooliganism. They are creating differences in society and forcing them to fight against each other. They are asking our children to study Hindi and Sanskrit which is good but their children are studying in convent schools," Tejashwi said. The RJD leader also shared a video of his speech on his Twitter handle. ,,, pic.twitter.com/gK7BCjtlEq Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) February 3, 2023 However, hitting back at Tejashwi Yadav, the disgruntled JDU national parliamentary board president Upendra Kushwaha that Lalu Prasad`s family is the biggest exploiter of Extremely Backward Class (EBC) people of the state for the last 33 years. "RJD has celebrated the birth anniversary of Shaheed Jagdev Babu and shouted for a 90:10 ratio with 90 percent belonging to EBC and OBC. I want to ask them how many people from the EBC were promoted by Lalu`s family in the last 33 years. Jagdev Babu dreamed that the EBC people would share power in the government. The Lalu family stayed in power for 15 years and is now sharing power in Bihar," Kushwaha said during the birth anniversary celebrations organized by a non-political organization Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad in Patna on Thursday. "I am in pain as my party went with the RJD. I struggled against this party and its leaders my entire life. The birth of my party happened against this system. Now, the leaders of my party have become dependent on them. Naturally, those leaders who gave strength to Nitish Kumar, are worried about it," Kushwaha said. It may be recalled that the states education minister Chandrashekhar Yadav had recently sparked a controversy by saying that the Ramcharitmanas and two more books, Manu Smriti and a bunch of thoughts spread hatred in the society. This has led to huge controversy nationwide and even the RJD partner JD(U) has criticized it. Kolkata: In a huge setback to West Bengal Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal, a court in CBI court in Asansol on Friday sent him to judicial custody for another 14 days in connection with a cattle smuggling case probe against him. West Bengal Cattle Smuggling Case: Asansol CBI court has sent TMC leader Anubrata Mondal to judicial custody for 14 days. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/kkfIh2h2sh ANI (@ANI) February 3, 2023 In January, the Calcutta High Court rejected the bail plea of the influential Trinamool Congress leader, who has been arrested by the CBI in connection with an alleged cattle smuggling case. Mondal had prayed for bail, submitting that he has been in custody for more than 150 days in connection with the case. The CBI then opposed his plea, claiming that he may derail the investigation into the cattle smuggling case by trying to influence witnesses being probed by it. A division bench, comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and AK Gupta rejected the bail plea, maintaining that the court is not inclined to grant the prayer at this stage. The Central Bureau of Investigation claimed that Mondal, using his political clout, was the main facilitator for the smooth transportation of cattle through the Birbhum district for smuggling them to Bangladesh. It may be recalled that two prominent leaders of the TMC, Partha Chatterjee and Anubrata Mondal, were arrested last year in separate cases by the central probe agencies. Chatterjee was removed from the cabinet and suspended from the party following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a school recruitment scam, but the leadership stood by Mondal, apprehended by the CBI in a cattle smuggling case. Manik Bhattacharya, another TMC MLA arrested in the SSC scam case, is yet to face any action from the party. Mondal, a TMC strongman, continues to be the party's Birbhum district president. New Delhi: The Supreme Court will on Friday take up a batch of pleas challenging the Centres ban on the screening of the controversial BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots which shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a bad light. According to the cause list uploaded on the top courts website, a bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and MM Sundresh will take up petitions filed by senior journalist N Ram, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, and advocate Prashant Bhushan, and also another petition moved by advocate M L Sharma. The two-part BBC documentary, titled India: The Modi Question, has been in the news ever since its release. It has been dismissed as a biased "propaganda piece" by the government. The plea filed by Sharma contended that the BBC documentary on the Gujarat riots was released for public view. However, due to "fear of truth", the documentary has been banned from viewership in India by any means under rule 16 of the IT Act 2021. Sharma`s plea sought a direction for quashing the January 21 order under the IT Act being illegal, malafide and arbitrary, unconstitutional and void ab-initio and ultra vires to the Constitution of India. In his plea, the petitioner contended that the BBC documentary has reflected the true facts with original recordings of the victims of the 2002 riots as well as other concerned persons involved in the scenario of the riots, and it can be used for judicial justice. A separate petition has been filed by journalist N. Ram, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, and advocate Prashant Bhushan against taking down their tweets with links to the documentary. "The content of the BBC documentary and the tweets by Petitioner No. 2 (Bhushan) and 3 (Moitra) are protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India. The content of the documentary series does not fall under any of the restrictions specified under Article 19(2) or restrictions imposed under Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000," said the plea filed by Ram and others. The plea by Ram and others argued that the apex court has categorically laid down that criticism of the government or its policies or even the judgment of the Supreme Court does not tantamount to violating the sovereignty and integrity of India. "Censoring freedom of speech and expression of the petitioners by the executive through opaque orders and proceedings is manifestly arbitrary as it frustrates the fundamental right of the petitioners to effectively seek judicial review of administrative actions under Articles 226 and 32 of the Constitution of India in violation of the basic structure of the Constitution of India," added the plea. The central government has banned the screening of the BBC documentary and sharing of its links on social media and online channels. However, despite the Centres ban, it has been screened in some universities across the country. Jaipur: If sources from the Bollywood and Rajasthan hotel industry are to be believed, actors Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra will come on February 5 to tie the nuptial knot in Rajasthan, thousands of km away from Mumbai. The families will reach Jaisalmer a day earlier, on February 4. Around 150 VVIPs will reportedly attend this high-profile wedding along with guests from the cinema industry. Kiara and Sidharth will arrive in Jaisalmer on February 5. Preparations have also started at the Suryagarh Hotel. Special security arrangements have been made to monitor the security of the VVIP guests who have been invited in the wedding. Sources said that a wedding planner company in Mumbai is looking after the arrangements. The Suryagarh Hotel is located about 16 km from Jaisalmer. Kiara-Siddharth will tie the knot on February 6 at Suryagarh Hotel in Jaisalmer. Sources said that a wedding planner company in Mumbai is looking after the arrangements. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's ex-bodyguard Yasin will handle the security and the hotel staff reportedly are also not able to take their mobile phones inside. Their mobiles will be kept in a locker, so that no photo or selfie is leaked. The crew coming from Mumbai will also not be allowed to use mobile phones. More than 100 private security guards have been deployed. The hotel has 84 luxury rooms booked for guests. At the same time, 70 luxury vehicles have been booked for the guests. This includes Mercedes, Jaguar and BMW. The contract for the vehicles has been given to Jaisalmer's biggest tour operator, Lucky Tour & Travels. About 150 guests have been invited to the star couple's wedding, a source said, adding: "Apart from the families of both, many big names in the industry have been invited, which include directors Karan Johar, Shahid Kapoor, Katrina and Vicky Kaushal, fashion designer Manish Malhotra and Mukesh Ambani`s daughter Isha Ambani. Salman Khan is also expected to visit." Kiara and Sidharth have not yet announced anything about their marriage. NEW DELHI: Incarcerated alleged conman, Sukesh Chandrashekhar has released one more letter in which he has claimed that he had never proposed to TV serial actor Chahatt Khanna, when she had come to meet him in Tihar Jail. Chandrashekhar's statement comes after Khanna, in an interview with a national daily, claimed that she was trapped in visiting him in Tihar jail, where he went down on his knees before her and proposed marriage. When she told him that she is already married and has two kids, she was told that her husband was not the right man for her. Khanna also told the publication that it was only after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned her in the alleged extortion case involving him - a little more than a year ago - that she learnt that Chandrashekhar is not former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa's nephew. In a letter addressed to the media, Chandrashekhar, who is in the capital's Mandoli jail, claimed that he never proposed to Khanna and she came for a business meeting for some movie production offer, which is also recorded in her statement to the ED. "I have no interest to date or be with women, who are already married or have children. I am not desperate like these Gold Diggers like Chahatt. My association with Chahatt, Nikki has been only for professional reasons, for which the meetings happened, and advance was paid," he said in his letter. "Chahatt says she did not realise that she was in Tihar!! How can someone not know that they are entering a jail for a mulaqat? Was she a 10 year old, in fact even a 10 year old would know what a jail looks like," he further said. "She claims that she was tricked by Pinky (Chadrashekhar's aide Pinky Irani), so I would want to ask, an actress who has done so many projects and a well connected person, how can she blindly trust someone and travel all the way to Delhi and come to Tihar Jail all alone? She is a trained liar. This shows what kind of stories she is making now," he said. "If she came to Tihar to meet me or if I was calling her as she claims, why did she not ever report anything to anyone or the police since 2018, what was stopping her to make a complaint all these years?" he added. Investigations are going on in a money laundering case involving Chandrashekhar and Bollywood actors, including Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi, who have also been questioned in relation with the case. Earlier this month, Delhi's Patiala House Court adjourned arguments in the alleged money laundering case and the matter will be next heard on February 15. New Delhi: If you are thinking of owning an Amul Franchise, you must read about the caution message that the company is running on its website for the benefit of aspiring owners and small enterprises. Amul parlours are exclusive Amul retailer that stocks and sells the entire line of Amul products. However Amul has cautioned that for opening Amul Parlour, becoming Amul Distributor or for job enquiries, one should visit only Amul official website amul.com or call (022) 6852666. (Also read: Amul Milk Prices Hiked) "We wish to inform our valued customers and prospective partners that all processes required to set up franchises of Amul Parlours, Amul Scooping Parlous or to become a distributor are mandated by GCMMF (AMUL) Limited only. Any other website/individual/entit/organisation representing or impersonating our organisation and brand is doing so with an intention of scamming individuals and maligning our brand," Amul cautioned users on its website. Amul also added that it takes a refundable security deposit of Rs 25,000 only in form of cheque or demand draft issued in the name of GCMMF Ltd during the signing of agreement. "The payment is taken only after our authorised representatives meet prospective partners in person and perform due verification process. We do not take any payment through RTGS/NEFT for Amul Parlour deposit." For appointment as Amul Distributor, for all types of enquiries for distributorship you can call Amul official customer care (022) 6852666 Amul has added that no other website or toll-free number is activated or authorised GCMMF LTD (AMUL) to accept applications. There is no payment to be made to become an amul distributor and we do not take any payment throught RTGS/NEFT for appointing a distributor, Amul said. Amul Franchise Business Opportunity If you want to start Amul Franchise Business, visit the official website of the company i.e www.amul.com. Click on the Amul Franchise Business Opportunity option and then you will get all the required information. Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son will attend 2 ASEAN Meetings in Indonesia. (Photo: baoquocte.vn) The ACC and AMMR meetings are among the first activities of Indonesia as the ASEAN Chair in 2023. On January 11, in a speech to members of the diplomatic delegations, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi affirmed that the ASEAN Chairmanship 2023 wishes to see a resilient ASEAN which becomes a measure of cooperation, contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and in the world. With the theme ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth, Indonesia is determined to join ASEAN in becoming important and relevant to the people of ASEAN and the world./. New Delhi: Aimed at generating additional revenue, the Punjab government has decided to impose a 90 paise per litre VAT on petrol and diesel in a meeting of the state cabinet here on Friday. When asked if any cess has been imposed on petrol and diesel, Housing and Urban Development Minister Aman Arora said, "Cess (VAT) has been imposed". He was speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting. "Cess (VAT) has been imposed because, for a long time, its need was felt.. And I think Punjab today needs revenue generation," he said. When asked how much cess has been imposed, Arora said it will be 90 paise per litre on petrol and diesel. The cabinet met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. "The Cabinet gave its approval for a marginal increase in the VAT rate levied on the sale of petrol and diesel in the state. The increase in the VAT rate will lead to a marginal increase in the price of petrol and diesel by approximately 90 paise per litre. "This will bring more parity in prices of Petrol and Diesel in comparison with neighbouring states," said a Punjab government statement after the cabinet meeting. Notably, with this move, the cash-strapped state government is eyeing to mop up additional revenue. This is the first tax on fuel imposed after the Aam Aadmi Party came to power last year. Earlier in November 2021, three months before the February 2022 state assembly polls, the then Congress-led government in Punjab had lowered the VAT on petrol and diesel, making them cheaper by Rs 10 per litre and Rs 5 per litre in the state. Ashwinder Singh Mongia, an executive member of the Petroleum Dealers Association of Punjab, on Friday said that diesel was already much cheaper in some of the neighbouring states and the move will further widen the gap. Now, with the imposition of VAT, the state government hopes to mop up Rs 300-400 crore per annum, he said. Mongia said before the increase, the petrol rate in Mohali on Friday was Rs 97.11 per litre and it will be over Rs 98 per litre from Saturday. On Friday, diesel cost in Mohali was Rs 87.44 per litre and now it will cost over Rs 88 per litre, Mongia said. He said the fuel prices slightly vary between 10 paise to 25 paise in different parts of the state depending on transportation costs. Giving price comparisons for diesel in neighbouring states as of Friday, Mongia said in Chandigarh per litre diesel was Rs 84.26, in Himachal's Baddi it was Rs 84.67, in Jammu it was Rs 83.26, while petrol in Chandigarh was Rs 96.20 per litre, in Baddi it was Rs 95.26 and in Jammu, it was Rs 97.50 per litre. He said the tax component on fuel in Punjab state at present includes "existing cess on diesel in the state is Rs 1.05 per litre while on petrol it is Rs 2.05 per litre while on both fuels 10 paise per litre is urban transport fund and 25 paise per litre special infrastructure development fee". Specifically talking about diesel, he said the price gap with other states will encourage its smuggling. Mongia, who is also President of the Mohali Petroleum Dealers Association, said before the polls, AAP had assured that if voted to power, they will make VAT on fuel at par with neighbouring states. "Petroleum Dealers Association of Punjab had proposed to the AAP before last year's polls that if they can make diesel prices alone at par with neighbouring states, the VAT collection will increase by Rs 1,000 crore per year," he said. New Delhi: The benefit of the revamped I-T regime will percolate down to every section of the taxpayer and the government expects a 'fabulous' response to it, a top Income Tax official said on Friday. The 2023-24 Budget has proposed changes to the new optional tax regime which provides that no tax would be levied on annual income of up to Rs 7 lakh. It also allowed taxpayers to claim standard deduction of Rs 50,000 -- a move seen as a push for the salaried class to switch to the new tax regime where no exemptions on investments are provided. "The benefit percolates down to every section of taxpayer.... Considering that standard deduction will be available to salaried taxpayers in the new regime, effectively a salaried employee with an income of Rs 7.50 lakh would not be required to pay any tax," Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Chairman Nitin Gupta said. In addition to extending the standard deduction, the Budget has also raised the exemption limit and tweaked the tax rates to make the new regime, which was originally introduced in 2020-21, attractive to taxpayers. Under the revamped new tax regime, no tax would be levied for income up to Rs 3 lakh. Income between Rs 3-6 lakh would be taxed at 5 per cent; Rs 6-9 lakh at 10 per cent, Rs 9-12 lakh at 15 per cent, Rs 12-15 lakh at 20 per cent and income of Rs 15 lakh and above will be taxed at 30 per cent. The new tax regime will be more beneficial for a person who does not have enough investments to claim I-T deductions. "We have tried to sweeten the scheme as much as possible because it is hassle free, it does not require taxpayer to include any documentation as well as it is easier for the tax administration to administer the scheme," Gupta said. He said the lower corporate regime with no exemption, which was introduced in 2019, was received well by businesses. "We expect that the response to the proposed new (personal income tax) scheme would be fabulous," Gupta said at an event organised by Assocham. Delhiites often travel to Murthal for its famous food-eating spots. However, the commute on the route between the two places takes around one and a half hours, making it a tedious journey combined with the traffic one has to manoeuvre through. However, the 70-kilometer-long route might become easier to cover once the RRTS corridor between Delhi and Karna becomes operational. When the operations begging the rapid rail system will enable travellers to complete the journey one-third time in other words, it will take only around 30 minutes. Travel time between Delhi and Karnal is 2.5 hours. Once the RRTS corridor is built, it will only take one hour. In about 1.5 hours, the people will be able to go to Hisar. One metro train will run every ten minutes. Also read: Indian Railways: 9 Trains Delayed Amid Dense Fog, Low Visibility in Northern India As per a report by DNA, the RRTS on this route will have 17 stations namely Sarai Kale Khan, Indraprastha, Kashmere Gate, Burar Crossing, Mukarba Chowk, Alipur, Kundli, KMP Expressway Interchange, Rajiv Gandhi Education City, Murthal, Barhi-Ganaur, Samalkha, Panipat South, Panipat North, Panipat Depot, IOCL Panipat, Gharaunda, Madhuban and Karnal. The Delhi-Panipat Regional Rapid Transit System is the name of this route. The corridor's length is 103 kilometres per hour. The train will travel at an average speed of 120 km/h. The trains will travel at a top speed of 160 km/h. From Delhi, it will just take one hour to get to Panipat. The NCRTC also intends to give RRTS priority along two more corridors, including the 180 km Delhi-Gurugram-Rewari-Alwar line and the 111 km Delhi-Sonepat-Panipat route. The Indian urban rail network will contain cutting-edge trains with wi-fi, air conditioning, and other facilities, similar to suburban railway networks in Europe. Hyderabad: Dadasaheb Phalke awardee and renowned filmmaker Kasinadhuni Viswanath died at a private hospital here. He was 92. Viswanath was unwell for some time and was suffering from age-related issues, sources said. He passed away at the hospital around midnight Thursday. Popularly known as 'Kalatapasvi', Viswanath was born in February 1930 in Andhra Pradesh. A prominent name, not just in Telugu cinema but also in Tamil and Hindi films, he became the 48th recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke award, the highest recognition in Indian cinema. He was conferred with the award for the year 2016. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao expressed his condolences over the death of Viswanath. "Viswanath was a rare distinguished film director who chose ordinary story and turned it into a classic movie on the silver screen with his amazing talent," he was quoted as saying in a statement from the Chief Minister's Office said. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, in a tweet, expressed his grief over the death of the filmmaker. "Vishwanath is a mirror of Telugu culture and Indian arts. Films under his direction have brought unparalleled respect to the Telugu film industry. He will remain forever in the hearts of Telugu people as an artist," Reddy said. Former vice-president M Venkaiahn Naidu tweeted, "Deeply grieved to hear of the demise of renowned film director K Viswanath. As a filmmaker he brought depth and dignity to the medium, earning global recognition for his movies with a message. May his atma attain sadgati! Om shanti!." Viswanath, who started his journey in the film industry as a sound artist, went on to direct award-winning films such as "Sankarabharanam", "Sagara Sangamam", "Swati Mutyam", "Saptapadi", "Kaamchor", "Sanjog" and "Jaag Utha Insaan". His long career included an equally successful stint in front of the camera. He made 50 movies since 1965. He debuted as a director with "Aatma Gowravam", which starred Akkineni Nageswara Rao and won the Nandi Award for the best feature film. He followed it with "Chelleli Kapuram", "O Seeta Katha", "Jeevana Jyoti" and "Sarada". Venturing into mainstream acting, he worked in movies like "Swarabhishekam" (which he directed as well), "Pandurangadu", "Narasimha Naidu", "Lakshmi Narasimha" and "Seemasimham", "Kuruthipunal", "Kakkai Siraginilae" and "Bagavathi", among others. Besides Dadasaheb Phalke Award, he was also felicitated with Padma Shri in 1992, five National Awards, 20 Nandi Awards (given by the Andhra Pradesh government) and 10 Filmfare trophies, including the Lifetime Achievement award. Shocked beyond words! Shri K Viswanath s loss is an irreplaceable void to Indian / Telugu Cinema and to me personally! Man of numerous iconic, timeless films! The Legend Will Live on! Om Shanti !! pic.twitter.com/3JzLrCCs6z February 3, 2023 "Shocked beyond words! K Viswanath's loss is an irreplaceable void to Indian/Telugu Cinema and for me personally! Man of numerous iconic, timeless films! The Legend Will Live on! Om Shanti !!," actor Chiranjeevi tweeted. Several film industry personalities also paid their last respects to Viswanath. Kyiv: Amid claims that Russia is planning a major new offensive on February 24 to mark the first anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine, a report in the international media claiming that US President Joe Biden offered 20% of the war-ravaged nation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war has created a political storm. A report published in Swiss-German newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung (NZZ) and Washington Post claimed that CIA Director, William Burns, offered Russian President Vladimir Putin a fifth of Ukraine's territory in order to end the ongoing war as part of a peace plan drawn up on behalf of President Joe Biden. Reports claimed that the CIA director secretly travelled to Moscow and briefed Kremlin about the peace proposal and then he also travelled to Kyiv and met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the proposal. In its report that was published on Thursday, NZZ cited high-ranking German politicians and claimed that Burns submitted the peace plan in mid-January to the Russian officials to end the war, which began on February 24, 2022. Washington Post also reported that Burns was attempting to broker a peace deal between the countries at war but both Kyiv and Moscow reportedly rejected the proposal. NZZ reported that the peace plan offered "around 20 per cent of Ukraine's territory" but Kyiv rejected the proposal "because they are not willing to have their territory divided" while Russia said they "will win the war in the long run anyway." Now, the White House has denied the report. American news outlet Newsweek cited Sean Davett, the deputy spokesperson at the White House National Security Council, as calling the report "not accurate". A CIA official also confirmed to Newsweek that the report which states that William Burns took a secret trip to Moscow in January and that there was a peace proposal put forward is "completely false." Amid all this, Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov that Russia is planning a major new offensive against the war-torn nation on February 24 to mark the first anniversary of Moscow`s ongoing invasion of Kyiv. he White House and the CIA have responded to a report that CIA Director, William Burns, offered Russian President Vladimir Putin a fifth of Ukraine's territory to end the ongoing war as part of a peace plan drawn up on behalf of President Joe Biden. The Minister made the remarks on Wednesday during a trip to France where he struck a deal to purchase additional MG-200 air defence radars, which he said would "significantly increase the capacity of the armed forces to detect air targets, including winged and ballistic missiles, and drones of various types", the BBC reported. Speaking to the French BFM network, Reznikov claimed that Moscow had mobilised some 500,000 troops for the potential offensive but also suggested that the true figure recruited and deployed to Ukraine could be far higher. A foreign MICE delegation to the city in January (Photo: VNA) Of the amount, 500 were from the Allybuild Vietnam company and close to 500 from a wedding of an Indian couple. In the period, foreign MICE groups coming to the city were mainly from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Republic of Korea. Satish Ramnani, Director of Veydaa Events, an Indian-based wedding event organiser pioneering in bringing their customers to Da Nang, unveiled a plan for two more Indian weddings to take place in the central Vietnamese economic hub this year. He said the city offers luxurious accommodations and suggested the local authorities issue more support and preferential policies serving this tourism segment. MICE tourists pose for a group photo in Da Nang (Photo: VNA) A representative of Indochina Charmtours travel company said the firm will send more business delegations to Da Nang, because it has all the necessary elements to meet the needs of MICE tourism such as modern facilities, reasonable service prices, convenient transportation, and hospitality. Mai Thi Thanh Hai, head of the municipal tourism promotion centre, said the city has already issued its support programme for MICE tourists in 2023. Last year, over 30,000 people from 53 MICE delegations, including 8 international ones, arrived in Da Nang./. Applications for Australia Awards Scholarships Intake 2024 opens Full details of Australia Award Scholarships and eligibility criteria are available at: www.AustraliaAwardsVietnam.org. Applicants apply online at https://oasis.dfat.gov.au with results announced in August 2023. Australia Awards are prestigious scholarships funded by the Australian Government available for Vietnamese citizens for masters studies at Australian universities. The awards are for government officials from central, provincial, and district-level, staff of NGOs and Vietnamese companies, academics and researchers. Australia Awards Scholarship awardees gain a world-class education in Australia, advance their knowledge and skills, and build networks across a range of areas, including governance and economic growth, infrastructure and transport, education, gender equality, agriculture and rural development, regional stability and human rights, disability, climate change/environment, innovation, health and cyber security. Applicants are assessed on their professional and personal leadership attributes, academic competence and their potential to impact on development challenges in Vietnam and promote relationships between Vietnam and Australia. People with disability, ethnic minorities and people living in rural areas are encouraged to apply. A support scheme is available to assist equal participation for these applicants. To date, the Australian Government has provided over 6,500 Australia Awards Scholarships for Vietnamese nationals to study in Australia. On their return to Vietnam, many alumni have been very successful in their careers and are now in senior positions in Vietnam. Alumnihave made substantial contributions towards Vietnams socioeconomic development and built invaluable lifelong networks both in Vietnam and Australia./. Early Development Chinas space program began in the 1950s. By 1964, China had launched its first biological rocket into space. In 1970, with the launch of Dongfanghong-1, China became the fifth country to send a satellite into orbit. Oct. 8, 1956: China opened its first missile and rocket research institute, the No. 5 Research Institute attached to the Ministry of National Defense, with scientist Qian Xuesen as the first director. This is considered the starting point of China's space dream. July 19, 1964: China launched its first biological experiment into space: a rocket carrying albino rats. The successful launch of the rocket accumulated valuable experience for astrobiology research, and is an important step forward for China's rocket technology and space exploration. April 24, 1970: The first Chinese artificial satellite, Dongfanghong-1 (DFH-1), was launched. China became the fifth country in the world to develop and launch an artificial satellite on its own, taking its first step to explore the vastness of space. DFH-1 had three important impacts on the development of China's space industry. First, it laid a solid foundation for the development of subsequent technologies. Second, it developed a procedure of satellite development. Third, it trained a team of aerospace specialists. Chinas Manned Space Program On Sept. 21, 1992, China established its manned space program with a three-step strategy. The first step was to send astronauts into space and bring them back safely. The second step was to develop advanced space flight techniques and technologies for such purposes as extra-vehicular activities and orbital docking. The third step was to assemble and operate a permanent manned space station. Nov. 20, 1999: China launched its first experimental manned spacecraft, Shenzhou-1, with no crew into space, a key step toward sending the countrys astronauts into orbit. The main goal of the Shenzhou-1 launch was to examine the performance and reliability of the launch vehicle, a Long March-2F carrier rocket, and evaluate key space exploration technology. Oct. 15, 2003: Shenzhou-5, Chinas first manned spacecraft, carrying Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei on board, blasted off into space. China became the third country in the world to send a man into space with its own rocket. Yang spent about 21 hours in space aboard Shenzhou-5. This was a milestone in Chinas manned space program as it marked the successful conclusion of the first step of the strategy. Sept. 25, 2008: Shenzhou-7, Chinas third manned spacecraft, was launched into space with three astronauts, Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming, and Jing Haiping, on board. This was the first spacecraft launch of the second-step of Chinas manned space program, with the mission to learn techniques and technologies of extra-vehicular activity. Zhai Zhigang became the first Chinese astronaut to walk in space, and China became the third country in the world to conduct extravehicular activity in space. Sept. 29, 2011: China launched its experimental space lab, Tiangong-1, into space in preparation to develop a permanent space station. The main task of the Tiangong-1 was to test the technologies in rendezvous and docking between spacecraft, and to accumulate experience for developing a space station. Tiangong-1 would carry out rendezvous and docking exercises with Shenzhou-8, Shenzhou-9, and Shenzhou-10 respectively, to test both unmanned and manned docking in space. Nov. 1, 2011: Shenzhou-8, an unmanned spacecraft, was launched into space. Nov. 3, 2011: China successfully carried out the first automatic rendezvous and docking exercise between two unmanned spacecraft, the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft and the Tiangong-1 module. This was a key test to securing a long-term manned presence in space. June 16, 2012: Shenzhou-9, a manned spacecraft, was sent into space with astronauts Jing Haipeng, Liu Wang, and Liu Yang on board. China successfully completed its first manned rendezvous and docking mission with the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft and the Tiangong-1 module in space. Two docking tests, one automated and one manual, were accomplished between Shenzhou-9 and Tiangong-1. Sept. 15, 2016: China launched Tiangong-2, an improved version of Tiangong-1 that was considered Chinas first space lab into space. Tiangong-2 was intended as a testbed for key technologies used in the permanent manned space station to be developed later. May 5, 2020: Chinas new large carrier rocket Long March-5B made its maiden flight. Long March-5B is mainly used to launch the modules of Chinas space station, and the successful flight inaugurated the "third step" of China's manned space program. April 29, 2021: China officially kicked off the in-orbit construction of its Tiangong space station with the launch of the first, and central, component of the Tiangong stationthe Tianhe core module. Tiangong, meaning Heavenly Palace, was expected to complete construction by the end of 2022. The successful launch of Tianhe marked China's space station construction has entered the full implementation stage, which laid a solid foundation for the follow-up tasks. Tianhe will act as the management and control hub of Tiangong, with a node that could dock with up to three spacecraft at a time for short stays, or two for long. June 17, 2021: Shenzhou-12, a manned spacecraft, was sent into space with astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming, and Tang Hongbo on board. The astronauts would stay in space for three months, setting a new record for China's manned space mission duration. They would help with the construction of the Tiangong space station by working in the Tianhe core module with the tasks of operating and managing the core module, performing extravehicular activities, carrying out space science experiments and technology experiments, and so forth. This marked the first of four crewed missions scheduled to help with the construction of Tiangong. July 24, 2022: Wentian, the first lab module of the Tiangong space station, was launched into orbit and docked with the Tianhe core module. The Wentian module will function both as a backup of the core module and as a powerful scientific experiment platform, mainly focusing on the research of life science and biotechnology. Oct. 31, 2022: Mengtian, the second lab module and final module of the Tiangong space station, was launched and docked with the space station combination. Mengtian has similar functions to the Wentian module. Scientific equipment in Mengtian will be used for studying microgravity and carrying out experiments in fluid physics, materials science, combustion science and fundamental physics. The building of Tiangong into a national space laboratory with three modules marks a milestone in China's three-decade effort to advance its manned space program. Nov. 3, 2022: With the Tianhe module at the center and the two lab modules on its sides, the formation of the space stations basic T-shaped configuration was completed, representing a key step toward the completion of Tiangong. Nov. 29, 2022: Shenzhou-15, a manned spacecraft, was sent into space with astronauts Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming, and Zhang Lu on board. Astronauts from Shenzhou-14, who were sent to the space station in June, were waiting in space for the arrival of astronauts from Shenzhou-15. After the Shenzhou-15 astronauts entered the Tiangong space station, for the first time, six astronauts were aboard the space station at once, a historic gathering that added the manpower at the in-orbit space lab. During their six-month mission, the Shenzhou-15 crew will carry out tests related to long-term residence in China's space station at its three-module configuration. The mission would wrap up the last stage of Chinas space station construction, begin the stations permanent occupancy by astronauts, and lead the station to enter its first stage of application and development. The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System In 1994, China began development of its own navigation satellite system, BeiDou. The country formulated a three-step strategy, with the aim to build a global satellite navigation system as the end goal. Beidou is the Chinese term for the Big Dipper constellation. 2000: The first BeiDou system, BDS-1, entered service. BDS-1 consisted of three satellites and provided positioning services in China. With the launch of BDS-1, China became the third country in the world with its own navigation satellite system. 2012: The second BeiDou system, BDS-2, was completed, providing passive positioning services to the Asia-Pacific region. The BDS-2 system started construction in 2004. By 2012, a total of 14 satellites, including five geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites, five inclined geosynchronous earth orbit (IGSO) satellites and four medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, had been launched to complete the deployment. June 23, 2020: The third BeiDou system, BDS-3, was completed, when the final satellite of BDS-3 was launched into orbit. A total of 30 satellites, including 24 MEO satellites, three GEO satellites, and three IGSO satellites, had been launched to complete the deployment. July 31, 2020: BDS-3 was officially commissioned to provide global services, upgrading to a worldwide system. The three-step BDS strategy hence reached a successful conclusion. Along with positioning, navigation and timing services, the BDS-3 system can provide a variety of value-added services like global search and rescue assistance, short message communication, ground-based and satellite-based augmentation, as well as precise point positioning. Currently, more than 100 countries and regions are using the BDS-based services. So far, the BDS system has been widely used in transportation, agriculture, forestry and fishery, communication time unification, and other fields. It has enabled the development of transformative technologies like precision farming, digital development and smart port construction in Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa. Chinas Lunar Exploration Chinas three-step lunar exploration program of orbiting, landing and bringing back samples from the moon officially began in 2004. The mission was named "Project Chang'e" after the mythical Chinese goddess who flew to the moon. Oct. 24, 2007: Change-1, Chinas first lunar probe, was sent into space. This made China the fifth country in the world to develop and launch a lunar probe on its own. Chang'e-1 mapped 3D images of the lunar surface, analyzed the distribution of elements, measured the depth of lunar soil, and explored the environment between Earth and the moon. Dec. 2, 2013: Change-3, Chinas third lunar probe, was sent into space. Dec. 14, 2013: Change-3 landed on the moon. The mission was a milestone in China's space exploration history as it was the first Chinese spacecraft to soft-land on the surface of an extraterrestrial body and the first craft of any country to achieve this goal in nearly four decades. Dec. 8, 2018: Change-4, Chinas fourth lunar probe, was sent into space. Jan. 3, 2019: The Change-4 probe became the first spacecraft in the world to make a soft landing on the far side of the moon, on the Von Karman crater in the South Pole-Aitken basin. This began humanity's first close observation of the "dark side of the moon". Nov. 24, 2020: Change-5, Chinas fifth lunar probe, was sent into space with the aim of collecting lunar material to help scientists learn more about the moons origins. Dec. 17, 2020: Change 5 returned to Earth with samples from the moon. The return of Change-5 marked a successful conclusion of Chinas three-step lunar exploration program. Next, China will enter a new phase of lunar exploration with the goal of developing an autonomous lunar research station near the moons south pole. Chinas Mars Exploration On April 22, 2016, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced that the country aimed to launch its first mission to Mars around 2020 and complete orbiting, landing, and roving the red planet in one mission. July 23, 2020: China launched Tianwen-1 to Mars. The spacecraft consists of two major componentsa rover named Zhurong and an unnamed orbiter. This was Chinas first independent mission to another planet. Feb. 10, 2021: Tianwen-1 successfully entered the orbit around Mars after a nearly 7-month voyage from Earth. It marks the first time that a Chinese spacecraft has orbited an extraterrestrial planet, and a key step in China's current Mars exploration program. May 15, 2021: Tianwen-1 touched down on Mars with the Zhurong rover, completing Chinas first landing on another planet. The country became the second in the world to complete this feat. In addition, China is the first nation to carry out an orbiting, landing and rovering mission on Mars successfully on its maiden attempt. Tianwen-1 is also the second mission to capture audio recordings on the Martian surface. The Zhurong rover began to travel across the Martian surface a week later, where it has continued moving southward and transmitted data back to Earth. The data has been delivered to Chinese scientists and has helped deepen knowledge of the Red Planet. The scientific objectives of the Tianwen-1 mission include exploring the Martian surface, obtaining medium-definition images of the entire planet, carrying out extended remote-sensing operations and technological tests. Chinas Solar Exploration After landing probes on the lunar and Martian surfaces, China has begun to set its exploratory sights on the core of our solar systemthe sun, with the launch of the first solar observation satellite, Xihe. The mission is expected to provide scientists with the first high-quality observation data of the source area of a solar eruption and will improve China's research capability in solar physics. It is very meaningful to the nation's space exploration and satellite technology. Oct. 14, 2021: China launched its first solar exploration satellite, Xihe. The satellite, named after the sun goddess in ancient Chinese mythology, has carried out spectral scanning and imaging of the sun's H waveband, and has recorded the dynamics of the solar activities in the star's photosphere and chromosphere. The spacecraft has also obtained spectral lines of the sun's H waveband, neutral silicon atoms and neutral iron atoms. All of these accomplishments have never been achieved by scientists before and they are expected to extensively advance the research of the sun and solar system and will give a bigger say to China in the academic field of solar physics. Editor: JYZ An Iraqi businessman takes a selfie while watching celebrations to welcome the first business day in the Year of the Rabbit at the International Trade Market in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 2, 2023. About 75,000 merchants at the Yiwu International Trade Market on Thursday welcomed their first business day in the Year of the Rabbit.(Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) HANGZHOU, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- About 75,000 merchants at the Yiwu International Trade Market in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Thursday welcomed their first business day in the Year of the Rabbit. With an abundant variety of commodities, convenient and fast logistics, and a good business environment, Yiwu is often referred to as "the world's supermarket." Lu Qingrong, who owns a toy store in Yiwu, said that the store has received orders scheduled until June, and it is estimated that sales this year will increase 30 percent from the previous two years. The factory operated by Bonas, a local women's stockings brand, is fully operational. During the pandemic, the company strengthened its R&D investment, undertook the digital transformation of the workshop, and improved its market competitiveness by launching new products and improving quality and efficiency. Its growth rate over the past three years has been maintained at approximately 10 percent, said Huang Zuqun, president of the company. Various supporting services of the industrial chain involved in Yiwu market operation, such as logistics, express delivery, e-commerce and other industries, have been readied for the reopening. People shop at the Yiwu International Trade Market in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 2, 2023. About 75,000 merchants at the Yiwu International Trade Market on Thursday welcomed their first business day in the Year of the Rabbit.(Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) People perform dragon dance during celebrations to welcome the first business day in the Year of the Rabbit at the International Trade Market in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 2, 2023. About 75,000 merchants at the Yiwu International Trade Market on Thursday welcomed their first business day in the Year of the Rabbit.(Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) Merchant delegates perform during celebrations to welcome the first business day in the Year of the Rabbit at the International Trade Market in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 2, 2023. About 75,000 merchants at the Yiwu International Trade Market on Thursday welcomed their first business day in the Year of the Rabbit.(Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) An Indian businessman (R) shops at the Yiwu International Trade Market in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 2, 2023. About 75,000 merchants at the Yiwu International Trade Market on Thursday welcomed their first business day in the Year of the Rabbit.(Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) A merchant shows a banner written "business booming" at the Yiwu International Trade Market in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 2, 2023. About 75,000 merchants at the Yiwu International Trade Market on Thursday welcomed their first business day in the Year of the Rabbit.(Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) Editor: GSY Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin (L) speaks at a press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Stockholm, Sweden, on Feb. 2, 2023. Finland remains determined to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) together with Sweden, visiting Prime Minister Sanna Marin said when she met her Swedish counterpart here on Thursday. (Ninni Andersson/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua) STOCKHOLM, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Finland remains determined to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) together with Sweden, visiting Prime Minister Sanna Marin said when she met her Swedish counterpart here on Thursday. They also discussed Sweden's current Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) and the security situation. "Last spring, we started our common path to join NATO. This journey must be made hand in hand and in common accord, just like we started it," Marin said in a joint press conference with Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Marin's remark came three days after Trkiye's foreign minister said that his country could evaluate Finland's NATO bid separately from Sweden's to distinguish "between a problematic country and a less problematic one." The issue became no less topical after Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat reported on the result of a poll showing that the majority of Finns were ready to join NATO without Sweden, Swedish Television (SVT) reported on Thursday. Asked by a reporter about the result of the poll, Marin reiterated that Finland intends to join NATO together with Sweden. "I think it is very important that we today send a very clear message: Finland and Sweden applied together, and it is in everybody's interest that we join NATO together," Marin said. At a press conference in Ankara on Monday, Jan. 30, Trkiye's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that although the two Nordic countries had requested to join NATO together, Finland had taken some steps, while there were "provocations" in Sweden. Among other things, Trkiye has objected to a demonstration in Stockholm, where a copy of the Quran was burnt outside the Turkish Embassy. Trkiye has also postponed a trilateral meeting with Sweden and Finland on their NATO bids. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Feb. 2, 2023. Finland remains determined to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) together with Sweden, visiting Prime Minister Sanna Marin said when she met her Swedish counterpart here on Thursday. (Ninni Andersson/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua) Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Feb. 2, 2023. Finland remains determined to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) together with Sweden, visiting Prime Minister Sanna Marin said when she met her Swedish counterpart here on Thursday. (Ninni Andersson/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua) Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (R) speaks at a press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin in Stockholm, Sweden, on Feb. 2, 2023. Finland remains determined to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) together with Sweden, visiting Prime Minister Sanna Marin said when she met her Swedish counterpart here on Thursday. (Ninni Andersson/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua) Editor: WXL BEIJING -- China's indigenously-developed aircraft continue to make new progress to serve emergency rescue missions and help strengthen the country's emergency rescue capabilities. China has developed a series of aircraft with air rescue capabilities, including amphibious airplanes, helicopters and large unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), among others. A vital aeronautical equipment in China's emergency rescue system, the AG600 large amphibious aircraft has recently entered the airworthiness flight-test phase, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's leading plane-maker. AG600M airplanes, the firefighting model of the AG600 aircraft family, have arrived at the flight-test center in Yanliang District in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Codenamed Kunlong, or "water dragon" in Chinese, the AG600 aircraft family is being developed to serve emergency rescue missions, such as forest firefighting, maritime search and rescue. A member of the AG600 family, the AG600M is specifically designed to combat forest fires. This year is crucial for the development of AG600 aircraft. With the goal of making progress toward securing the airworthiness certification, the aircraft will undergo a series of tests in 2023. It is expected that the firefighting model and emergency rescue model of AG600 aircraft will obtain certification in 2024 and 2025, respectively, the Chinese planemaker said. A vast country with complex landforms, China has been continuously strengthening its capabilities in the air emergency rescue sector. China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) has proposed the improvement of the national emergency management system by strengthening and improving air rescue system options and capabilities. The Wing Loong large civil UAV family has tapped potential in the rescue and climate fields, by supporting telecommunications restoration for earthquake-hit regions and conducting cloud seeding operations over drought-affected areas. The Z15, also known as the AC352, obtained certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China last July. It can adapt to various environments and missions, and can play diverse roles such as delivering essential supplies and transporting injured people. In the future, more configurations within this series are expected to be designed for tasks such as firefighting and medical rescue, according to the AVIC. The AVIC is committed to meeting the needs of China's ever-improving emergency rescue capacities with independently-developed products, technologies and services to support people's livelihood, well-being and economic development of the nation. Editor: JYZ Artem Kokhanevich, CEO GigaCloud International 2022 will be a year of interesting and groundbreaking projects, cool experiments with our clients and partners. Courage, freedom and the cloud are what businesses need today. And GigaCloud can give everything!, thats how we saw 2022 in the previous years report. Although this year changed all the plans and all of us, that is how we will remember it. Every Ukrainian business faces new challenges every day those related to security, operation, and resources. Despite everything, every company strives to grow, fulfil its obligations to customers and enter new markets. Under such circumstances, we tried to quickly respond to changes so that each of our clients and partners was confident in the reliability and security of our infrastructure. After all, our Mission has become more relevant than ever: We create cloud space to increase your level of freedom. In our second public report, we share with you the results of GigaCloud in 2022, tell how the consumption of cloud services has changed among companies of various industries and countries, and how we are transforming into an international company. Increasing growth rate Every year more and more companies opt for our infrastructure. In 2022, we built private clouds for 14 large projects. This is exactly as much as was built by the company for the entire time until 2022. During this year, 437 companies chose our public cloud, which is 45% more projects than in 2021. However, there were negative trends as well: when the war started, 10% of our customers closed or suspended their businesses. According to the results of 2022, GigaCloud occupies 16.3% of the Ukrainian cloud market. Networks & Business magazine reported that in 2022, the cloud market of Ukraine grew by 22.8% and reached $46.2 million. In 2022, GigaCloud grew faster than the market: there was an increase of 75% in UAH and more than 25% in foreign currency. We invest all the funds earned in expanding our technical sites. In total, in 2022, we invested $3 million in the renewal of hardware, the expansion of our product portfolio and clusters in Ukraine and Europe. Businesses are increasingly using the cloud for heavy workloads and critical services Large enterprises use services more actively and transfer a significant part of IT solutions to the cloud. The time to decide on migration to the cloud has reduced considerably. Also, after getting to know the cloud in practice, customers continue to increase the number of projects they develop in the cloud environment. We observe the trend of using more and more resources and scaling private clouds. The total amount of data stored in private clouds has increased by 35%, and the amount of RAM used increased by 65%. The average check of public cloud customers increased by only 3%. But this does not mean that small and medium-sized businesses have not begun to consume cloud services more. The reason is the migration to the private cloud of customers who have outgrown the public cloud, as well as the large share of new projects that started using the cloud for the first time since the beginning of the war and ordered minimal resources for that. The Cloud First strategy started working in the government sector In 2022, the governments Cloud First strategy was finally launched. This was facilitated by the Law On Cloud Services signed by the President which came into force in September. During 2022, we obtained 55% more government customers in our cloud than a year earlier. Just like private businesses, the public sector is rapidly scaling while entrusting the most critical services to the cloud. For the first time, the government sector share in our proceeds exceeded 10% and increased to 20%. According to our predictions, this direction will grow rapidly in the coming years. Having experienced the possibilities and advantages of working in the cloud, hundreds of government customers will no longer want to return to their own servers. Data is migrating west Before the war, the majority of clients opted for placement in Kyiv clusters, but since 24 February, the situation has changed dramatically. 60% of customers have reserved or completely transferred their infrastructure to our sites in Europe and the West of Ukraine. During the first half of the year, the Lviv site grew the most: the increase was 1,500 virtual machines and more than 3.6 PB of client data. The trend of data migration abroad continued throughout the year and reached its peak in the last quarter. To meet the demand, we expanded the public cloud cluster in Warsaw twice, and also built a new one. In autumn, we built four private clouds on a Polish site. And the number of servers involved in it has increased by 138% in the last three months alone. The European market and the first major project with Polish business in Ukraine We are proud that a Ukrainian company with Polish roots chooses GigaCloud. In 2022, we implemented the first major project with PZU Ukraine non-banking financial group. It is among the TOP-10 insurance companies in Ukraine and serves more than 6 million clients. This company is a subsidiary of Powszechny Zakad Ubezpieczen Spoka Akcyjna (PZU SA, Poland), one of the largest insurance companies in the Eastern European region, which has been assigned a financial reliability rating of A- by the international rating agency Standard & Poors. At the open tender, GigaCloud outperformed both the big three operators and Polish providers. Last year, we started our transformation into an international company. We are planning to open six more GigaCloud offices in the largest EU countries within five years. In connection with this, we again began to actively hire people in the second half of 2022, 30 new professionals joined our team. Increasing the security level of services In 2022, we were granted the VMwares highest partner status Principal Partner. It confirms our expertise in using the vendors products and guarantees GigaCloud customers enjoy high-quality services. We also confirmed the compliance of our cloud with the PCI DSS information security standard developed by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council. This certification allows us to host data from banks, fintech companies, etc. in our cloud. In the spring, we successfully passed ISO/IEC 27701:2019 certification. It proves that GigaCloud has reliable personal data management processes in Ukraine and Poland, as well as confirms its compliance with GDPR requirements. During the year, we faced numerous attacks. The information security system built and a strong team helped us prevent incidents. In 2022, we implemented PAM (Privileged Access Management) a system for managing access for privileged users and monitoring them. The solution makes our clouds even more secure. We have also introduced and are constantly adjusting SIEM. This allows us to collect all security events, diagnose bottlenecks, and respond to incidents in a timely manner. The number of partner companies has increased In 2022, the GigaCloud partner program was joined by 50 new partners who had already managed to conclude one or more agreements. Together with our partners, we implemented 238 projects during the year. This is 79% more than in 2021 and 303% more than in 2020. TOP-3 projects of the year Evacuation of Prozorro data to the Lviv site in the midst of hostilities Prozorro is a critical system of public procurement for the country. In 2018, the company built its IT infrastructure on the basis of the clouds of two operators. It rented a private cloud from us, located in a data centre in Kyiv. Taking into account the risks associated with the possible outbreak of hostilities, the company asked to transport the private cloud equipment to our Lviv site. Our experts did it in two stages to keep the system running. Due to the coherence and consistency of the actions of all team members and the fact that the system was organised from the beginning with regard to best practices, the transportation took place without force majeure and in a short time. On 26 February, the equipment was already in Lviv, and since 27 February it was fully operational. A fault-tolerant private solution for EasyPay The EasyPay business is downtime critical. With the beginning of the war, the company realised that in the event of force majeure, the backups themselves would not be enough to restore critical data and services. GigaCloud team built a completely isolated private cloud and customized it to the clients needs. Current backup copies of the site, apps, services, and databases are stored there. The main data and services are hosted on servers in the customers data centre. Ground and cloud data centres are constantly synchronized with each other. This allows us to distribute productive components between them and increase the fault tolerance of the IT infrastructure. Reliable IT infrastructure for Learning & Technology educational platform Lionwood.Software, which developed Learning & Technology platform, had three tasks: ensure fault-tolerant operation of the platform, quickly scale it and securely store the users personal data. As part of the project, our specialists built two solutions: public cloud on OpenStack and public cloud infrastructure on VMware with comprehensive information protection system (CIPS). Learning & Technology platform is a highly loaded system with a microservice architecture. The Kubernetes service built into the cloud on OpenStack allows managing the work of microservices and distributes the load between them. And the cloud with CIPS makes it possible to protect the personal data of platform users according to the requirements of Ukrainian legislation. Thanks to this technological platform, Ukrainian schoolchildren have the opportunity to study even from abroad and from the occupied territories. After all, despite the war, children should get a quality education. We are proud to have joined this really important project. Press Release February 3, 2023 CHIZ: MAHARLIKA FUND IS NOT EXEMPT FROM GOVERNMENT'S NO TAX POLICY Senator Chiz Escudero said on Thursday the current administration should uphold its "no tax exemption" policy as he questioned the perks to be accorded to the proposed Maharlika Investment Corporation (MIC), which will manage the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF). Escudero expressed concern on the many privileges that the MIC will get supposedly to attract investors and augment government resources. Under the proposed bills, the MIC will be exempted from national and local taxes, and from coverage of the Governance Commission for Government-owned and -controlled corporations (GCG), the Government Reform Procurement Reform Law and the Salary Standardization Law. Zeroing in on the tax exemption privileges, the veteran lawmaker described the move as a "bad policy" if the government grants too many tax exemptions in general. Section 31 of SB 1670 prescribes that the following transactions and assets of the MIC and MIF shall be exempt from "local and national taxes, direct and indirect, that may be imposed under the Local Government Code of 1991, and the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended, pursuant to the regulations to be issued by the Department of Finance (DOF), upon the recommendation of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)." Importation of supplies and equipment by the MIC and MIF shall also be exempt from customs duties, in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. "The secretary of budget and management was part of the previous administration. The secretary of finance was the secretary of budget and management in the previous administration and the policy of the previous administration was not to provide tax exemption, or at the very least minimize it," Escudero pointed out. "It is bad policy to have a lot of exemptions and very difficult to implement, if at all. So, I think they should continue with that policy," he added. The Bicolano senator said the MIC should be obligated to pay the taxes due as the government, if it wants to, can always funnel the money back to the Maharlika Fund by way of the Tax Expenditure Fund as provided for in the annual General Appropriations Act. Escudero said the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), the financial institutions eyed to be the major contributors to the MIF, have been paying taxes as the rest of the other corporations. "The Land Bank and the DBP do not do not enjoy these exemptions. So, why give it to the MIC?" he asked. Escudero said he will soon recommend other sources of funds in an effort to plug the "many gaps and loopholes" in the current draft bills. "In the next couple of days, we will be proposing where the money can come from. We're just finishing the research on it," he disclosed. "They (the economic managers) started with GSIS and with SSS, the pension funds. Then they now move to Land Bank and DBP and even included the BSP. I don't know where else they will go after this but we're finishing up the research and we will be proposing a viable fund source that we live and exceed their P100 billion expectations," he said. At yesterday's hearing on the proposed establishment of the MIF conducted by the Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies, Escudero questioned the basis of requiring the two banks to provide capitalization of P50 billion and P25 billion each in the fund without guaranteeing a return of investment (ROI). In the position papers submitted by these government financial institutions to the Senate panel, they expressed concern on the bill's silence on their supposed ROI and asked that it be specifically stated in the proposed law. "We actually suggest that the draft bill to indicate our ROI in the MIC or MIF as being contemplated. If it is not in absolute percent, maybe it should be like a formula or something that can be referenced to the current averaged ROI being already enjoyed by the bank from their regular investments," Land Bank CEO Cecilia Borromeo told the Senate committee hearing on Wednesday. During the briefing, the country's economic managers said initial capital of the Fund will be sourced from the Land Bank and DBP, and subsequent annual contributions will be from the Bangko Sentral, PAGCOR, royalties and/or special assessments on natural resources, proceeds from privatization of government assets, and borrowings. Representatives of the Ukrainian Red Cross and the Austrian Red Cross, together with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, handed over two powerful generators and 400 blankets to the State Institution Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology of NAMS of Ukraine in Kyiv. As The Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) reported on its official Facebook page, generators will be installed to ensure the smooth operation of the institute's operating rooms, where patients with complex diagnoses are operated on from all over the country, including from the territories where military operations are underway. "This is an extremely pleasant event for us, as we are handing over critical equipment for the hospital. I would like to note that in Austria a lot of efforts are aimed at helping Ukrainians from both the public sector and public organizations and individuals. Actually, this gave us the opportunity to do this good deed," Van der Bellen said at the equipment transfer ceremony. According to the Secretary General of the Austrian Red Cross, Michael Opriesnig, with the assistance of one of the Austrian charitable organizations, 429 generators have already been transferred to Ukraine. "We plan to continue to cooperate with the Red Cross of Ukraine, which joins many of our projects and is an active participant in organizing assistance to those who need it," Opriesnig said. In turn, Maksym Dotsenko, URCS Director General, stressed that over the past fifteen years the Austrian Red Cross has been one of the most reliable partners of the Red Cross of Ukraine. "Generators are only part of the large-scale assistance provided to our citizens. Our cooperation continues in many areas, such as voucher and cash assistance, restoration of damaged housing, mobile medical teams and humanitarian assistance," Dotsenko said. The scale of the recruitment program of convicts to the Russian private military company (PMC) Wagner has probably significantly decreased compared to the peak period between the summer and autumn of 2022, according to a defense intelligence report published on Twitter by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Friday morning. According to he Russian Federal Penal Service (FSIN) figures released on 31 January 2023 reported a national penal population of 433,000, suggesting a decrease of 6,000 inmates since November 2022. In contrast, FSIN data had indicated a decrease of 23,000 from September to November 2022. Wagner recruitment was likely a major contributing factor to this drop, the message reads. Also, they note that anecdotal evidence from Ukrainian combatants over the last ten days suggests a reduced Russian reliance on human wave style assaults by Wagner convict fighters in key sectors. Significant tensions between Wagner and the Russian Ministry of Defence are playing out in public; competition between factions in the Russian elite is likely to be partially responsible for the reduced supply of convicts, the British Intelligence reports. Representatives of the White House denied earlier media reports that CIA Director William Burns, on behalf of U.S. President Joe Biden, offered Russia to retain control over a fifth of the territory of Ukraine in exchange for the cessation of hostilities. Sean Davitt, the deputy spokesperson at the White House's National Security Council, told that a report from the Swiss-German newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung (NZZ) is "not accurate," and that the CIA would say the same, Newsweek said. A CIA official told Newsweek that claims in the NZZ report that Burns took a secret trip to Moscow in January and that there was a peace proposal put forward by the director on behalf of the White House were "completely false." Earlier, the Swiss newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung (NZZ) reported, citing senior German foreign politicians, that in mid-January, Burns presented Kyiv and Moscow with a peace plan that would end the war that began when Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. According to the newspaper, the proposal said "about 20% of the territory of Ukraine" which is approximately equal to the area of Donbas. It was reported that both Ukraine and Russia rejected this proposal. Ukraine rejected the offer "because they don't want their territory to be divided," while Russian officials said they would "win the war in the long run anyway," NZZ reports. The Su-25 plane of the Russian occupiers was shot down near Bakhmut, Donetsk region on Friday, according to the website of the National Guard of Ukraine. "At 11:55 on February 2, in the southeastern outskirts of Bakhmut, the National Guard found two enemy Su-25 aircraft at a distance of three kilometers, the target was captured by an anti-aircraft gunner of the Igla-1 MANPADS and launched. As a result of combat work, one Su-25 was hit," said the commander of the anti-aircraft missile and artillery division of the 3rd operational brigade. According to the report, only in the past week, the Mi-24 helicopter and the Su-25 aircraft were destroyed. According to the National Guard, the occupiers' aviation actively uses an armored subsonic attack aircraft when destroying ground targets and strikes Ukrainian positions and settlements. Germany and Sweden are discussing a new package of military assistance to Ukraine, under which Stockholm will supply missiles and launchers for German IRIS-T air defense systems in Ukraine, Bloomberg said, citing sources on Friday. "Germany has asked Sweden to provide launchers for an IRIS-T compatible anti-missile system, said the people who asked not to be named as the discussions are confidential. The discussions would also make available more ammunition that can be used for Germany's IRIS-T systems sent to Kyiv, according to people familiar with the matter," the agency said. The sources said Berlin adheres to the plan to deliver three more IRIS-T units to Kyiv in 2023 in addition to the first one that arrived in Ukraine in October 2022. The defense departments of Germany and Sweden did not confirm this information. In November, Stockholm promised to transfer an air defense installation to Ukraine, but did not specify which one. The European Commission has published reports assessing the ability of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia to commit themselves to membership in the European Union. The reports, published on the website of the European Commission, provide a detailed analysis on where the countries stand with regard to their alignment with the EU acquis, a set of common rights and obligations of the EU. The reports complement the Opinions on the three countries' applications for EU membership adopted by the European Commission in June 2022. The report for Ukraine is based on data as of June 2022. According to the assessment of the European Commission, Ukrainian legislation on financial control standards, free movement of workers, intellectual property, social policy, environmental and climate protection, as well as legislation related to agriculture and fishing, is at the initial level of compliance with EU standards. Ukrainian legislation in the field of justice, freedom and security, as well as public procurement, statistics, capital flows, corporate law, competition, consumer protection and health, and taxation was rated higher. At the medium level, the regulatory framework in the field of free movement of goods, digital transformation and media, economic and monetary policy, science and research was assessed. In the field of providing digital services to the population and business, Ukraine is at an advanced level. The Ukrainian legislation in the field of energy policy, foreign policy, as well as security and defense policy was rated the highest. In addition, Ukraine's readiness to join the EU Customs Union was highly appreciated. The reports also provide recommendations for future work in various areas. "The European Commission will continue to provide Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia with guidance and support in this regard to help the three countries further align to EU standards and norms covering the entire EU acquis," the European Commission said. The Commission is expected to report on the progress made by the three countries in addressing reform priorities in the next "Enlargement package" due in the autumn. These reports will take into account policy developments since June 2022 and provide policy recommendations regarding the reforms to addressed for the next period. The European Union managed to cope with the record migration crisis after the Second World War caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Europe is ready to continue accepting Ukrainian refugees, if necessary, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said during a joint government meeting Ukraine and the European Commission in Kyiv on Thursday. The European Commissioner said there are many problems to be solved, but this is also a success story. She said this is one of the things that Putin really underestimated: the European Commission has dealt with all Ukrainian refugees and the European Union is not afraid of the refugee crisis and will continue to do this for as long as necessary, Johansson said. She said the EU activated the Temporary Protection Directive for the first time, as with such a flow of refugees, immediate protection was needed, and it was not realistic to process individual applications under the standard procedure. Johanson also said given the large number of women and children, all measures against human trafficking were taken from the very beginning, a special task force of Europol was created, as a result of which the number of facts of such trafficking is really small, and these efforts will be continued, since vulnerability still remains. Among other special tasks, she named 30,000 unaccompanied minors, some 5,000 children from orphanages. The European Commissioner said now more than 4 million Ukrainians are in the European Union, and since April 2022 the situation is quite stable: someone returns to Ukraine, someone arrives in Europe. Johanson said this autumn the Commission started with contingency planning because if Putin starts bombing energy, water supply, people will have to flee. They were ready, the official said. She once again said if necessary, the European Union is ready to accept more Ukrainians. The European Commissioner said they have shown Putin that they are not panicking. Zelensky calls on Ukrainian journalists to unite to strengthen spirit of people, remind they are all at war President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called on Ukrainian journalists to unite in order to strengthen the spirit of the people and remind that the war continues. He said the resilience of military personnel depends not only on weapons and motivation. While weapons are provided by foreign partners, motivation comes from within the spirit of the state. "I believe that at the very beginning of the war, the spirit was stronger. We were all at war. In places where there was no occupation. We had a complete feeling that we were all at war. Now I see in some cities that they are rest. I think that this is a weakness," Zelensky said at a press conference following the Ukraine-EU summit in Kyiv. In this regard, he called on Ukrainian journalists to unite in order to strengthen the spirit of the nation. "I would like to appeal, first of all, to the journalists of our state. You need to unite as soon as possible, strengthen this spirit, remind those who are on vacation that we are all at war and remind you how it all began. Everyone needs to understand that they are at war. war. And it's not over yet," the president said. He also addressed the Ukrainians: "The spirit and motivation depend on each of us. We don't need to pay attention to some trifles, but to deal with the main thing. The main issue of our state is war." "Without this spirit there will be no victory, and without victory there will be no Ukraine. Everything is in our hands," the president said. European Commission's President on Ukraine's accession to EU: There is no clear time frame, but there are goals to be achieved The process of EU accession takes different time for each country, there are no clear time frames, but there are goals that need to be achieved, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has said. At a press conference with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of the European Council in Kyiv on Friday, von der Leyen said that regarding the accession process, this should be beneficial to everyone. She said there are no clear time frames, but there are goals that the candidate member needs to achieve and after that, accession negotiations and the entry itself begin, the official said. She said each country has a different history of joining the EU. Von der Leyen also said if one looks at the history of the EU, it all started with six members, and today there are 27. There were 21 different accession histories, with different negotiations and accession. There is no one option for everyone. It all depends on how the candidate country is moving, she said, adding that she was deeply impressed, and noted the quality and speed with which Ukraine provided results. According to her, Ukraine, despite being at war, manages to provide the necessary results to move forward. The United States will provide Ukraine with a new $2.2 billion military aid package, spokesman for the country's Defense Ministry, Brigadier General Pat Ryder has said. The new package, among other things, will include artillery ammunition, anti-tank weapons, short and long range missiles for HIMARS installations. According to CNN, some $425 million worth of weapons and equipment will be allocated to Ukraine from the existing stocks of the U.S. Department of Defense. The rest will be purchased from manufacturers. In addition to the types of weapons already mentioned, the package also includes mortar ammunition, 181 mine-resistant armored personnel carriers, equipment for the Ukrainian air defense system, HAWK mobile interceptor missiles, 20 anti-mortar radars, four air surveillance radars, anti-drone warfare systems, spare parts for anti-artillery radars, medicines. Tolentino: 'Friendship and sovereignty' must be the pillars of new expanded PH-US defense cooperation MANILA - Senator Francis 'Tol' N. Tolentino threw his all-out support on the latest development in the defense and security cooperations between the Philippines and the United States. "I am in favor of defense/security cooperation 'upgrades' with reliable allies like the United States, considering the evolving regional conditions and challenges, so long as this is anchored on solid constitutional foundations and for the greater interests of the nation and EDCA (Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement) is evidently a good model," Tolentino, vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security said in a statement. Tolentino who is also a senior vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations made the remarks following the joint announcement made by Manila and Washington on Thursday over plans to accelerate the full implementation of EDCA, with the agreement to designate four new Agreed Locations in strategic areas of the Philippines and the substantial completion of the projects in the existing five Agreed Locations. According to Tolentino, "friendship and sovereignty" must be the key pillars in laying down the parameters for this new partnership between the two Pacific-ally nations. Amid the latest tensions in the disputed territories along the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea, Tolentino last January proposed the conduct of a multilateral show of maritime security cooperation with the United States and other neighboring countries which belong to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Tolentino stressed that expanding the conduct of joint patrols--to include other claimant states among ASEAN nations--will help ensure the freedom of navigation, exercise of fishing rights, and somehow pacify existing tensions due to territorial disputes hounding the South China Sea region. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking about his possible visit to Brussels, said that at present it is a big risk. "Since the beginning of the war, I have been going for weapons. Something [reportedly] is public, something is not. Something immediately, but the public sees something later. But there are fundamental solutions," Zelensky said at a press conference following the Ukraine-EU summit in Kyiv. He said the long-range weapons needed by Ukraine will change the course of the war, and victory will come faster. "This long-range weapon is known in Ukraine, known in Russia and known in Brussels," the president said. Answering journalists' questions about a possible trip to Brussels, where the headquarters of the European Commission is located, the president said since the beginning of the war, he has two priorities, namely: support from EU leaders and weapons. "That's why I really want these points to be confirmed by the EU leaders. And then our meeting is inevitable. Frankly speaking, there are big risks if I go somewhere. This is true. I really want, but there are big risks due to revenge Russia. And because I do not bargain. The head of the European Council knows this," he said, thanking many leaders for their support and the weapons provided. The European Commission will provide EUR 1 billion to ensure the rapid reconstruction of Ukraine, which is part of a comprehensive reconstruction project, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said. At a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Council President in Kyiv on Friday, von der Leyen said restoring the infrastructure destroyed by Putin is one part, but schools, hospitals, roads still need to be reconstructed. She said it is important to start with a quick reconstruction as part of a comprehensive restoration project. The European Commission's head was pleased to announce that the first EUR 1 billion will be provided to ensure rapid reconstruction. According to von der Leyen, a secretariat has already been created between Kyiv and the European Commission, which is starting to coordinate the reconstruction processes. She said the Commission's officials can start immediately. Kyiv has received about UAH 20 million from the metropolitan of Grand Paris to complete the construction of a pedestrian bridge to Obolonsky Island, the press service of the Obolonsky District State Administration has reported in response to an information request from Interfax-Ukraine. "According to the information available in the Obolonsky District State Administration, the metropolitan of Grand Paris has provided UAH 19.496 million as sponsorship to continue the project to build a pedestrian bridge between the Obolonska embankment and Obolonsky Island, carried out using non-budgetary funds," First Deputy Chairman of the District State Administration Oleksandr Tsybulschak said. The official added that at the next session of the Kyiv City Council, the issue of amending the Program for Economic and Social Development of Kyiv and the budget of Kyiv in terms of the implementation of the above works will be considered. Earlier, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced targeted assistance from the metropolitan of Grand Paris to complete the construction of this facility. The pedestrian bridge to Obolonsky Island has been built since 2020 at the expense of patrons. According to the project, the bridge will rest on four pillars, two of which are located in the strait. The width of the pedestrian facility is 4 m, the length is 164 m. As reported, by the beginning of 2023, three bridge pillars have already been installed and materials have been purchased. Using the funds provided by the metropolitan of Grand Paris, the installation of the fourth pillar of the bridge will be completed, auxiliary and partially running structures, and metal structures will be purchased. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will achieve its European goals, in particular, there are already specific agreements following the results of the Ukraine-EU summit. "Today, another summit of Ukraine and the EU took place. It was held in Kyiv, in our capital. We have quite specific agreements with our partners on how Ukraine will become even closer to the European Union. We have preserved Ukrainian freedom. We are defending the values of Ukraine. And we will achieve the goals of our state, the European goals of our state," Zelensky said in an evening video address. He said: "Today we felt very confident in this - during the summit, because we already spoke as members of the European community." "And we are working to fix it de jure," the president said. According to Zelensky, there is an understanding that it will be possible to start negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the European Union this year, and also that this year, partners, as in the past, will invariably strengthen defense support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia, in particular, sanctions. Today, as the president noted, the EU has officially supported the Ukrainian Peace Formula, which is recorded in the final statement of the summit. "We agreed on specific EU assistance to protect it. This is a significant diplomatic achievement. And we are doing everything to make Russia's aggression suicidal for her," he said. Investments in the launch of the Superhumans rehabilitation medical center in Lviv are estimated at $54 million, Superhumans CEO Olha Rudneva said. "According to our estimates, we need $54 million for the launch and the first three years of operation of Superhumans," she told Interfax-Ukraine. According to Rudneva, the first stage of the project would include the repair of premises, the purchase of equipment, a year of payment for the work of a medical team, and the purchase of materials for prosthetics. The second and third stages provide for the launch of all hospital buildings, the launch of an educational center based on Superhumans and expansion to other regions of Ukraine. Rudneva noted that funds for financing the project are raised in Ukraine and abroad by fundraising. The project has already received support from the Howard Buffett Foundation, the Richard Branson Virgin Unite Foundation, Cargill, Payoneer, Freedom Finance, Loro Piano, Mastercard, SD Capital and others. "Thanks to their support, we have a resource to launch. But since we will never charge patients for our services, we will be doing fundraising all the time," she said. According to Rudneva, the average cost of one prosthetic can be about $20,000, and in complex cases it can reach $100,000. "Unfortunately, there are a lot of difficult cases - often first aid to victims is provided in the field, where doctors primarily perform the task of saving lives, and not calculating the minimum threshold for amputation," she said. At the same time, Rudneva noted that it is difficult to unify the average cost of prosthetics, which the patrons of the project are guided by, since "all cases are quite different." The CEO of Superhumans did not voice general current and forecast estimates of the need for prosthetics. "The overall statistics regarding the victims of military operations is a sensitive figure, we publicly adhere to a cautious forecast - we believe that we are talking about thousands of patients," she said. Rudneva said that Lviv was chosen to start the Superhumans project for security reasons and relative proximity to the border, as the clinic expects many visits from medical and other specialists to provide advice and work together. "Over time, we plan to reproduce the experience of launching Superhumans in other regions of Ukraine," the CEO of the medical center emphasized. Kyiv, February 3, 2023 - The Austrian gas station network in Ukraine AMIC Energy appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) with a lawsuit against russian federation. "Russia's ruinous aggression against Ukraine must be punished. As an Austrian business, we are convinced that in the 21st century violence, destruction and hostile actions against an independent and democratic country cannot be committed with impunity, said Amic Energys managing director, Gunter Maier. We believe that russia should be held accountable for all of its crimes against Ukrainians. Therefore, AMIC Ukraine filed a lawsuit before the ECHR, and we hope that the court will support our arguments and support other Ukrainian and international businesses in Ukraine that have taken such a step" In the lawsuit of AMIC Ukraine submitted to the ECHR on January 14, 2023, the company claims that the hostile actions against the civilian population of Ukraine, the sovereign territory, the employees of AMIC Ukraine, and the enterprise as a whole, indicate a gross violation by russia of Article 1 of Protocol 1 to the European Convention of Human Rights, which guarantees the right to peaceful possession of the property. In particular, as a result of the illegal temporary occupation of certain Ukrainian territories by Russian troops in Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, AMIC Ukraine's property was seized, looted and destroyed by the russian army and the occupation authorities, both controlled by the terrorist nation. Due to the specified actions of the aggressor country, access to AMIC ENERGY's property in Ukraine was lost, and the exploitation of its economic activity was impossible to conduct. Russias actions in Ukraine, in the context of which the property of AMIC Ukraine was captured, looted or destroyed, is an act of aggression against Ukraine committed in violation of the basic principles of the UN, norms of international humanitarian law and human rights. Based on the above, the russian federation bears full responsibility for its aggressive actions on the territory of an independent state, including the seizure, looting, and destruction of material assets belonging to AMIC Ukraine. The preliminary amount of claimed damages in the lawsuit is more than 300 million hryvnias (8.5 million euros). Our appeal to the European Court of Human Rights is not just a wish, it is our duty as a business entity in an independent and democratic country. We demand justice and compensation for the losses we have suffered as a result of russian aggression, said a spokesperson of CFI AMIC Ukraine. The lawsuit was filed in accordance with Articles 34 and 41 of the above-mentioned Convention, which allows AMIC Ukraine to apply to the ECHR and seek just compensation from the russian federation for the damages incurred. In the coming months, a notice of initiation of proceedings on AMIC Ukraine's CFI claim at the ECHR is expected. Background information: Amic Energy is an Austrian company that operates a network of 470 mobile and stationary petrol stations in Austria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, with headquarters in Vienna. As of 2021, AMIC Ukraine is one of the largest petrol station networks in Ukraine in terms of sales volumes and holds a 7.4% share of the Ukrainian retail fuel market. After the russian federation's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 36 petrol stations of AMIC Ukraine were damaged, looted or destroyed by the aggressor, including one of Ukraine's largest oil depots in Borodyanka, Kyiv region. As of February 3, 2023, there are still 19 petrol stations of AMIC Ukraine in the temporarily occupied territories, with little information available on their condition. From the moment of the full-scale invasion and until February 3, 2023, 11 gas stations in various Ukrainian regions have been repaired and are already operating. Currently, AMIC UKRAINE is completing restorations at 2 more gas stations: in the Sumy region and in the recently de-occupied Kherson. In addition, since 24 February 2022, AMIC Ukraine hasn't stopped supporting the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, military administrations and territorial communities of various regions, etc., and has already donated more than 275,000 liters of fuel. Moreover, provided the Armed Forces of Ukraine with sets of military clothing, body armor, thermal imaging devices, protected tablets, quadcopters, KVS ANTIDRON-G6, etc. for free. Social assistants of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) provide assistance to lonely elderly people in Ternopil region. "There are lonely pensioners in the region who, due to their state of health, cannot go out for groceries, cook dinner, clean an apartment or carry out basic hygiene procedures without outside help. Social assistants of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society help such people in everyday life," the URCS wrote on its Facebook page on Friday. The society reported that 42 volunteers are currently helping 353 lonely people in Ternopil region. The assistance in Ternopil region is provided within the framework of the Home Care project, supported by the Swiss Red Cross. 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. The suspect was relatively easy to find. Hanah Zachariah is so determined to see Pope Francis in South Sudan that she walked nine days in sandals to reach the capital where he makes his long-awaited visit. On Thursday, the 20-year-old reached the outskirts of Juba after walking most of the way from the central town of Rumbek -- a journey of around 400 kilometres (250 miles). She was not alone. Sixty other young pilgrims and spiritual leaders trod the distance, waving flags, singing hymns and preaching unity in a country scarred by years of civil war. "We are walking for peace. When we reach Juba, we are going to welcome the pope. I am very excited to see him," Zachariah told AFP, as passing cars honked their horns and cheered at the colourful convoy. Francis arrives on Friday for a three-day visit to South Sudan, the first by any pope since the predominantly Christian nation split from Muslim-majority Sudan in 2011. Its history since independence has been marred by five years of ethnic bloodshed that left 380,000 people dead and much of the young country in ruins. 'Blisters' Many hope Francis can restore a spirit of unity and brotherhood, and South Sudanese are flocking to Juba to hear his message of reconciliation. Among them is John Sebit, a pastoral worker who covered the distance from Rumbek along dirt roads in flip flops. "When we started the journey, it was challenging. Some people had blisters on their feet... But with motivation, we kept going," the 26-year-old told AFP. Father Christian Carlassare, the bishop of Rumbek, confessed to having "sore feet" after setting off on January 25 but said walking was a powerful act of solidarity. "You do not walk alone," said Carlassare, an Italian who has lived in South Sudan for more than 15 years, and was shot multiple times at his home in 2021 after being named bishop. "At every community we had the entire village -- really, hundreds of people -- who were coming to welcome us on the way." To avoid the oppressive heat of the dry season, the pilgrims would start walking before dawn each day. They would set up camp each evening in classrooms along the way. 'First time' on tarmac When the distance between stops was too great, support vehicles would assist with covering the outstanding distance, while a doctor onboard tended to cramps and bruises. For some, the journey to the capital has proved eye opening. "This is my first visit to Juba, and actually my first time stepping on a tarmac road," said 23-year-old John Mareng as he walked along the highway just outside Juba. "Now, I have seen how this is reality." Hailing from a broad cross-section of South Sudan's myriad ethnic groups, the pilgrims would perform skits for their hosts about the importance of kinship. "We are walking as a group, as one people," said 20-year-old Tafisa Chol, a student in Rumbek. "The message that we are hoping to give to the people, is that we should be one, and make peace among ourselves." Search Keywords: Short link: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine released a statement regarding Mikheil Saakashvili and demanded Georgian authorities hand the former president of Georgia to Ukraine.According to the statement of the agency, according to the Russian and Soviet traditions, the Georgian authorities resort to psychological and physical violence against Saakashvili, denying the need for emergency medical assistance and intentionally endangering his life."The gross violation of human rights against the citizen of Ukraine contradicts the declared course of Tbilisi joining the European Union and indicates the collapse of democracy in Georgia.We call on the Georgian authorities to immediately stop mocking Mikheil Saakashvili and hand him over to Ukraine.Don't play with human life for political payback.We also appeal to foreign authorities and international organizations to publicly protect the citizen of Ukraine, the former president of Georgia, whose life was in danger due to political repressions by the Georgian authorities," the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reads.Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze told reporters that Mikheil Saakashvili is deliberately in self-harm mode and the purpose of this is to somehow release him from prison with his own 'PR campaign' and the involvement of foreigners.He added that the former president's release from prison is 'impossible' and asked to not 'lie' to Saakashvili and help him 'to eat normally'.As Kaladze explained, the government of Georgia and the relevant agencies do everything to ensure the safety of the health of any prisoner."The government has been doing this since 2012. I won't emphasize what happened before 2012, the public knows everything. We have the fact that the person {Mikheil Saakashvili} has been deliberately self-harming all this time. The purpose of this is that with his own PR campaign, with the involvement of foreigners, it is somehow possible to release him from prison. This is impossible. A person has a specific crime, he has been sentenced for specific cases. Do not lie to the prisoner, on the contrary, help him to get out of the mode of self-harm, to eat normally," Kaladze pointed out. French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday denounced the "headlong rush" of Iran's nuclear program after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in Paris to seek a stronger European stance against Tehran. In a statement released after a dinner meeting in the Elysee Palace, Macron warned that Tehran continuing with the atomic project "would inevitably have consequences". Both leaders discussed ways to counter "the Iranian nuclear threat" and Netanyahu stressed the need for more "deterrence against Iran and its proxies in the Middle East", the Israeli embassy said. Israel has long accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon but Tehran insists its nuclear programme is aimed solely at generating energy. Netanyahu hopes Iran's role in supplying drones to Russian invaders in Ukraine, as well as its crackdown on protests at home, will prompt Western allies to drop any bid to revive a 2015 atomic programme deal. The prime minister has also said Israel is considering sending military aid to Ukraine, apparently dropping its more neutral stance over the conflict in the hope of securing a more confrontational Western position towards Tehran. 'Playing the Ukraine card' By "playing the Ukraine card", Netanyahu hopes to "consolidate an anti-Iranian front" with the West, said David Khalfa at the Fondation Jean Jaures, a Paris-based think tank. He hopes for "increased sanctions against Iran and the full edition of the Revolutionary Guards to the list" of sanctioned entities, a step France and Germany have so far resisted, Khalfa added. During his meeting with Macron, Netanyahu urged "substantial sanctions to be imposed on the Iran regime and called for the Revolutionary Guards to be added to the European Union's terror list", the Israeli embassy said. France agrees that "firmness" is needed in dealings with Iran, a diplomatic source told AFP earlier, saying the nuclear programme had reached "a dangerous point" and highlighting Tehran's role in the Ukraine war. Siding with Ukraine is not without risk for Netanyahu, as Russian air defences in neighbouring Syria could be turned against Israeli aircraft during their occasional raids on Iranian interests there. Iran also holds several foreign citizens who are considered political hostages by Western governments. Netanyahu's visit came after a weekend drone attack on a defence ministry facility in the Iranian city of Isfahan, which Tehran has blamed on Israel. The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed officials, have said the attack was carried out by Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, though this has not been confirmed by Israel. Tensions mount Netanyahu's visit came as violence intensified between Israelis and Palestinians with Israeli warplanes striking the Gaza Strip early Thursday, drawing Palestinian rocket fire in retaliation. Last Friday, a Palestinian gunman shot dead seven people outside a synagogue in an Israeli settler neighbourhood of annexed east Jerusalem. It was the deadliest attack targeting Israeli civilians in more than a decade and came one day after an Israeli raid in the West Bank killed 10 Palestinians. Macron on Thursday reiterated "the importance of avoiding any measure that could feed the cycle of violence" between Israelis and Palestinians while offering "France's complete solidarity with Israel in its fight against terrorism, the French presidency said. Staying in France until Saturday, Netanyahu is also set to meet French business chiefs and leaders of the country's Jewish community, the Israeli embassy said. Judicial reforms planned by the prime minister's latest coalition of right-wing, far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties have raised the hackles of some business executives, notably in the financial sector, who have threatened to quit Israel. Search Keywords: Short link: Pope Francis has landed in South Sudan, opening the second and final leg of his African pilgrimage with plans to encourage the young country's stalled peace process. The pope, who was using his wheelchair, was greeted Friday at the international airport in Juba by South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir, as a crowd of thousands nearby undulated and sang in 96-degree Fahrenheit (35.5-degree Celsius) heat. ``The long, long expected moment has come,'' Archbishop Stephen Ameyu told the country's state broadcaster minutes before the arrival. Francis had one final appointment Friday in Kinshasa with Congo's bishops before flying to the South Sudanese capital, Juba. There, he joins the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Rt. Rev. Iain Greenshields, in a novel ecumenical push for peace. Peace has also eluded South Sudan, with a five-year civil war leaving 380,000 people dead, four million displaced, and the young country deeply impoverished. Crowds began lining the streets of Juba hours before the pope's arrival, waving the national flag and holding aloft banners welcoming Francis to South Sudan. Some people wore traditional clothing or the garb of religious orders, while others ululated, blew horns and whistles, and sang hymns. The "pilgrimage of peace" is the first-ever papal visit to South Sudan since the predominantly Christian nation gained independence from Muslim-majority Sudan in 2011 after decades of conflict. The 86-year-old pontiff is expected to meet victims of conflict, as well as the country's political and church leaders, between prayers and an outdoor mass that is expected to draw large crowds. The visit -- Francis's fifth to Africa -- was initially scheduled for 2022 but had to be postponed because of problems with the pope's knee. The affliction has made him dependent on a wheelchair and has seen the itinerary pared back in both countries. Meanwhile, Pope Francis will be joined in South Sudan by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, underlining the broad appeal of Christianity in the devout country of 12 million people. "I am very excited to see him," Hanah Zachariah, 20, told AFP, one of the dozens of pilgrims who walked nine days from the town of Rumbek to Juba, a journey of around 400 kilometers (250 miles), in a bid to see the pope. Francis promised in 2019 to travel to South Sudan when he hosted the country's two warring leaders, President Salva Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar, at a Vatican retreat and asked them to respect a hard-fought ceasefire for their people. Search Keywords: Short link: Iranian security forces have been systematically targeting the eyes of demonstrators in their crackdown on the protests that have swept the country since September, a human rights group said Friday. Norway-based Iran Human Rights said initial data indicated young women were disproportionately represented among people who had sustained such wounds. A Tehran newspaper earlier this week asked a top police commander if security forces had been targeting the eyes and other sensitive areas. He insisted on their good conduct. IHR said protesters had been shot in the head and the face, leading "to many, including a significant number of young women, being blinded." It said this "inhumane and unlawful act" had been "carried out systematically to crush protests." IHR said it had documented 22 cases of people being blinded in one eye as a result of fire from the security forces, nine of them women. The youngest person wounded -- Bonita Kiani Falavarjani, aged just six, from the city of Isfahan -- was shot and blinded in one eye while standing on her grandfather's balcony, it said. In a high-profile case, Kosar Khoshnoudikia, a member of Iran's national archery team, was blinded in one eye after a protest in December in the city of Kermanshah. "We don't have enough data yet, but I have the impression that young girls are over-represented among those whose eyes are targeted," said IHR director Mahmood Amiry Moghaddam. Asked if security forces were targeting eyes, the commander of the special police, Hassan Karami, told the Hamshahri newspaper that "not harming the protesting population" was a priority for the police forces. "I have so much faith in the ability of the special police units that I have said many times that I will offer a reward to anyone who can prove that someone was killed as a result of a mistake by our staff," he said. According to IHR, security forces have killed at least 488 people during the crackdown on the protests which erupted in September following the death of the Mahsa Amini, 22, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the country's dress code for women. Search Keywords: Short link: The Palestinian health ministry said Israeli forces shot and killed another Palestinian on Friday at a checkpoint in the West Bank, raising the number of Palestinians killed so far in 2023 to 36. Abdullah Sami Qalalweh, a 25-year-old Palestinian, was shot and killed on Friday evening by the Israeli army at Huwwara military checkpoint to the south of Nablus in the West Bank, according to medical sources. The Israeli military claimed that Qalalweh "refused orders to stop" before firing warning shots into the air prompting a soldier to shoot him. Israeli military raids in the West Bank have increased in recent weeks with the army raid on Jenin refugee camp last week killing 10 Palestinians. The latest shooting brings to 36 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli troops this year, including eight children and an elderly woman. 2022 was the deadliest in the West Bank since 2004, with nearly 224 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces. Last week, a Palestinian gunman killed 10 Israeli settlers in a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem. Palestinian gunmen have killed 30 Israelis in 2022. Search Keywords: Short link: Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a planned high-stakes weekend diplomatic trip to China as the Biden administration weighs a broader response to the discovery of a high-altitude Chinese balloon flying over sensitive sites in the western United States, a U.S. official said Friday. The abrupt decision comes despite China's claim that the balloon was a weather research satellite that had blown off course. The U.S. has described it as a surveillance satellite. The decision came just hours before Blinken had been due to depart Washington for Beijing and marked a new blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations. Officials said Blinken and President Joe Biden determined it was best not to proceed with the trip at this time. In a statement late Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the balloon a was civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research. The ministry said the airship has limited steering capabilities and ``deviated far from its planned course'' because of winds. ``The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure,'' the statement said, citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond one's control. On Thursday, a senior American defense official told Pentagon reporters that the U.S. has ``very high confidence'' that the object spotted over U.S. airspace in recent days was a Chinese high-altitude balloon and that it was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nation's three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. The defense official said the U.S. has assessed that the balloon has ``limited'' value in terms of providing intelligence that couldn't be obtained by other technologies, such as spy satellites. It was not clear what will happen with the balloon if it isn't brought down. Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Thursday that similar balloon activity has been seen in the past several years and the government has taken steps to ensure no sensitive information was stolen. He said the balloon was traveling well above the height commercial aircraft fly at and didn't present a threat to people on the ground. Biden was briefed and asked the military to present options, according to a senior administration official, who was also not authorized to publicly discuss sensitive information. The senior defense official said the U.S. prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot down the balloon if ordered. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, advised against taking ``kinetic action'' because of risks to the safety of people on the ground. Biden accepted that recommendation. Even though the balloon was over a sparsely populated area of Montana, its size would create a debris field large enough that it could have put people at risk. The defense official would not specify the size of the balloon but said commercial pilots could spot it from their cockpits. The balloon was first reported by NBC News. A photograph of a large white balloon lingering over the area was captured by The Billings Gazette. It could be seen drifting in and out of clouds and had what appeared to be a solar array hanging from the bottom, said Gazette photographer Larry Mayer. The balloon's appearance adds to national security concerns among American lawmakers over China's influence in the U.S., ranging from the prevalence of the hugely popular smartphone app TikTok to purchases of American farmland. ``China's brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed,'' Republican Party House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tweeted. Tensions with China are particularly high on numerous issues, ranging from Taiwan and the South China Sea to human rights in China's western Xinjiang region and the clampdown on democracy activists in Hong Kong. Not least on that list of irritants are China's tacit support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, its refusal to rein in North Korea's expanding ballistic missile program, and ongoing disputes over trade and technology. On Tuesday, Taiwan scrambled fighter jets, put its navy on alert, and activated missile systems in response to nearby operations by 34 Chinese military aircraft and nine warships that are part of Beijing's strategy to unsettle and intimidate the self-governing island democracy. Twenty of those aircraft crossed the central line in the Taiwan Strait that has long been an unofficial buffer zone between the two sides, which separated during a civil war in 1949. Beijing has also increased preparations for a potential blockade or military action against Taiwan, which has stirred growing concern among military leaders, diplomats and elected officials in the U.S., Taiwan's key ally. Search Keywords: Short link: President Vladimir Putin evoked the spirit of the Soviet army that defeated Nazi German forces at Stalingrad 80 years ago to declare on Thursday that Russia would defeat a Ukraine supposedly in the grip of a new incarnation of Nazism. In a fiery speech in Volgograd, known as Stalingrad until 1961, Putin lambasted Germany for helping to arm Ukraine and said, not for the first time, that he was ready to draw on Russia's entire arsenal, which includes nuclear weapons. "Unfortunately, we see that the ideology of Nazism in its modern form and manifestation again directly threatens the security of our country," Putin told an audience of army officers and members of local patriotic and youth groups. "Again and again, we have to repel the aggression of the collective West. It's incredible but it's a fact: We are again being threatened with German Leopard tanks with crosses on them." Russian officials have been drawing parallels with the struggle against the Nazis ever since Russian forces entered Ukraine almost a year ago. Ukraine -- which was part of the Soviet Union and itself suffered devastation at the hands of Hitler's forces -- rejects those parallels as spurious pretexts for a war of imperial conquest. Stalingrad was the bloodiest battle of World War II, when the Soviet Red Army, at a cost of over 1 million casualties, broke the back of German invasion forces in 1942-43. Putin evoked what he said was the spirit of the defenders of Stalingrad to explain why he thought Russia would prevail in Ukraine, saying the World War II battle had become a symbol of "the indestructible nature of our people." "Those who draw European countries, including Germany, into a new war with Russia, and expect to win a victory over Russia on the battlefield, apparently don't understand that a modern war with Russia will be quite different for them," he added. "We don't send our tanks to their borders, but we have the means to respond, and it won't end with the use of armored vehicles. Everyone must understand that." Excitement around ChatGPT -- an easy to use AI chatbot that can deliver an essay or computer code upon request and within seconds -- has sent schools into panic and turned Big Tech green with envy. The potential impact of ChatGPT on society remains complicated and unclear even as its creator Wednesday announced a paid subscription version in the United States. Here is a closer look at what ChatGPT is (and is not): Is this a turning point? It is entirely possible that November's release of ChatGPT by California company OpenAI will be remembered as a turning point in introducing a new wave of artificial intelligence to the wider public. What is less clear is whether ChatGPT is actually a breakthrough with some critics calling it a brilliant PR move that helped OpenAI score billions of dollars in investments from Microsoft. Yann LeCun, Chief AI Scientist at Meta and professor at New York University, believes "ChatGPT is not a particularly interesting scientific advance," calling the app a "flashy demo" built by talented engineers. LeCun, speaking to the Big Technology Podcast, said ChatGPT is void of "any internal model of the world" and is merely churning "one word after another" based on inputs and patterns found on the internet. "When working with these AI models, you have to remember that theyre slot machines, not calculators," warned Haomiao Huang of Kleiner Perkins, the Silicon Valley venture capital firm. "Every time you ask a question and pull the arm, you get an answer that could be marvelous... or not... The failures can be extremely unpredictable," Huang wrote in Ars Technica, the tech news website. In the Senate, 14 Republican lawmakers voiced concerns in a letter that Blinken's meetings with senior Chinese officials from February 5-6 "will simply become a propaganda win" for the Chinese Communist Party and "bring no material benefit" to the United States and its allies. Republican senators' letter was sent to Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who will also be traveling to Beijing. "You only sit down for talks unless you think you're going to make progress," Republican U.S. Representative Michael McCaul told VOA Mandarin on Wednesday. McCaul, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was "very skeptical" and doubted such diplomatic talks could change Chinese President Xi Jinping's policies. The quick trip to Beijing is unlikely to fix disagreements between the two countries over what U.S. officials say are China's unfair trade practices and industrial espionage, as well as Beijing's threats against Taiwan. It is also unlikely to change China's support for Russia, as Moscow continues its aggression in Ukraine, or bring home Americans wrongfully detained by Chinese authorities. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to Beijing for talks with senior Chinese officials on issues including Russia's war in Ukraine, trade, and cooperation in counternarcotics. But President Joe Biden's administration is facing tough questions from congressional critics, as expectations are low that such dialogue will bring substantial results. Taiwan McCaul told VOA Mandarin that he plans to visit Taiwan in April. "I will be traveling with [Republican House] Speaker [Kevin] McCarthy when he decides to go. It hasn't been finalized. So I don't know when that would happen," he said. The Republican representative added "any elected member of Congress has every right to go visit the elected officials in any country." He noted China's military escalation against Taiwan following then-Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit last August was "very inappropriate, aggressive, hostile, and provocative." Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged Blinken to raise concerns about China's "increasing disruption of the status quo" in the Taiwan Strait. "Taiwan is one of the most dangerous potential flashpoints in Asia and for U.S. security," wrote Menendez in a letter to Blinken, asking the top U.S. diplomat to "unequivocally" convey to his Chinese counterpart the U.S. commitment to Taiwan. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States determines the quality and quantity of its security assistance to Taiwan. That decision is made based on Taiwan's defense needs, such as the level of military threats from Beijing. China has ramped up military escalation against Taiwan in recent months following successive visits by U.S. lawmakers to the island. China claims sovereignty over the self-ruled democracy. The U.S. does not take a position on Taiwan's sovereignty. Beijing has said Taiwan-related issues are at the heart of its core interests, warning Washington not to cross "the number one red line." U.S. officials have said Washington's "One China" policy is "distinct" from Beijing's "One China" principle. Washington does not subscribe to Beijing's "One China" principle. For decades, the U.S. has been clear that its decision to establish diplomatic relations with China in 1979 rested on the expectation that "the future of Taiwan will be determined by peaceful means," consistent with the wishes and best interest of people of Taiwan. "We have been providing security assistance to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act and the 'One China' policy," Jessica Lewis, assistant secretary of state for political and military affairs, said Wednesday. Since 2017, the U.S. executive branch has notified Congress of over $18 billion in Foreign Military Sales to Taiwan, and more than $37 billion since 2010. The U.S., by comparison, is estimated to have admitted around 1 million new permanent residents last year despite having a population almost nine times larger than Canada's. "This represents the largest number of people ever welcomed in a year, in Canadian history," the agency said in an emailed statement to VOA. "Prior to setting a new record for admissions in 2021, the last time Canada welcomed such a large numbers of newcomers was in 1913 with 400,870 permanent resident admissions." Canada admitted more than 437,000 new permanent residents in 2022, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the responsible federal agency. That figure represents more than 1.1 percent of the country's total population. That image is reinforced by polling showing that, not only do Canadians strongly support high levels of immigration, but despite its relatively harsh climate, the country ranks second only to the United States as a desirable destination for would-be emigrants. Canada is touting the arrival of a record number of new permanent residents in 2022, consolidating its status as one of the most welcoming countries for families and individuals seeking to make a new life in a foreign land. The Need for New Workers Canada's eagerness for new immigrants is partly driven by an acute labor shortage attributed in part to a rapidly aging population. The state-funded Canadian Broadcasting Corporation recently described labor shortages as "the new normal." That has colored the thinking of business owners and entrepreneurs like Mylene Despres, the founder of La Station Workspace, a hub for creatives and entrepreneurs in Moncton, New Brunswick. "I'm very happy that Canada is welcoming so many people," Despres told VOA. "It's what makes the country vibrant and interesting." That view is widely shared, according to Julie Ray, a senior consultant and managing editor for world news at the Gallup polling organization. "Our studies just a few years ago found that Canada led the rest of the world on our Migrant Acceptance Index," she said, noting that 95 percent of respondents told the organization they saw migrants living in their neighborhoods as a good thing. What opposition to immigration exists is largely focused on frustration over rapidly rising real estate prices, which saw the cost of an average home rise more than five times between 1996 and 2021 -- from $148,613 (US $198,150) to $821,564 (US $1,095,419). Few politicians are willingly to publicly speak out against immigration, but one former politician told VOA on the condition of anonymity that they hear concern from their old constituents that increased immigration has driven real estate prices too high. Amid the strongest backers of increased immigration is a nonprofit called the Century Initiative, which is led by senior staffers in the Liberal Party of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau but also supported by former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, a stalwart of the opposition Conservative Party. Among its policy recommendations, the Century Initiative has argued that the country should aim to boost its population through immigration from the current 38.25 million to 100 million by 2100. "Our population is aging, we're having fewer children, and our workforce is shrinking. If we stay the course, Canada's annual GDP growth will decline, along with our influence on the world stage," the organization says on its website. "Growing our population to 100 million by 2100 would... mean more skilled workers, innovation, and dynamism in the Canadian economy." That target is not as far-fetched as it might seem, according to polling shared with VOA by Gallup. Ray cited a global survey showing that 8 percent of individuals who are interested in moving to another country would make Canada their first choice. "While the 8 percent might not sound like much, that translates into about 74 million people who would consider Canada as their next home," Ray said. "Canada's still the No. 2 most desired destination in the world, after the United States." South Korea and the U.S. staged air drills in the West Sea with strategic bombers and stealth fighter jets on Wednesday after the two countries' defense chiefs met in Seoul. The Defense Ministry on Thursday said, "The combined air drills show the U.S.' will and capability to provide strong and credible extended deterrence against the nuclear and missile threat from North Korea." Two B-1B strategic bombers and a dozen F-22 and F35B stealth fighter jets and aerial refueling aircraft from the U.S. as well as South Korea's F35A stealth fighters took part in the drills. Until recently, most drills with U.S. strategic bombers were conducted over the East Sea to avoid provoking China, so holding them in the West Sea and publicizing the fact marks a departure. "Seoul and Washington want to warn Beijing against trying to claim the West Sea as its own sphere of activities through a drastic increase in its naval and air force operations there over the past few years," a military source said. The March 2023 digital edition of World Screen will be sent out to approximately 35,000 online subscribers. The digital edition will be extensively promoted in our newsletters, websites and social media handles for several weeks. Our digital editions are hugely successful, averaging more than 20,000 impressions. Here are the FREE benefits you will receive from advertising with us in the March 2023 digital edition. Your company will receive an article up front in the magazine featuring program highlights, an image of a show, a quote from an executive at the company and a headshot. The article will also run in World Screen Newsflash, TV Drama Daily, TV Kids Daily or TV Real Daily before the markets. The article will also run on WorldScreen.com, TVKids.com, TVReal.com, TVDrama.com or TVFormats.ws. You will receive invaluable social media exposure by having your article tweeted to @worldscreens followers. As an advertiser, you will also get our listings services (including a color image of a program) in the April (MIPTV) digital edition of TV Listings. Your listings will also be included in the April (MIPTV) edition of the World Screen App, available for iOS and Android devices. We will place video clips of your programs in your own Screening Rooms for Series Mania and MIPTV on WorldScreenings.com, our video portal powered by Brightcove, for two months. Your companys product news will receive priority pre-market exposure in our newsletters and websites. DEADLINES Space Reservations.........March 6 Ad Materials......................March 8 PRICES Single page advertisement: US$1,500 Spread (DPS) advertisement: US$2,000 Embedded videos: US$500 per video For more information, please contact Ricardo Guise at rguise@worldscreen.com or Dana Mattison at dmattison@worldscreen.com. President Yoon Suk-yeol plans a state visit to the U.S. in April, a diplomatic source here said Thursday. The source said the U.S. government "responded positively" to Seoul's suggestion of a state visit for Yoon. It would be his first trip to Washington since his inauguration and coincide with the 70th anniversary of the bilateral alliance. Foreign Minster Park Jin, who left for the U.S. on Wednesday, is expected to discuss Yoon's visit when he meets U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday. A full-fledged state visit "would be a highly symbolic event to demonstrate deepening bilateral ties," the source added. A government official said, "Yoon will discuss various issues like the U.S.' extended deterrence of the North Korean nuclear and missile threats and cooperation on global supply chains." KYODO NEWS - Feb 3, 2023 - 22:45 | All, Japan Japanese oil refiner Idemitsu Kosan Co. said Friday it will transfer all of its coal mining interests of a site in Australia for over A$340 million ($240 million), as it attempts to shift toward renewable energy. The company agreed to sell its 85 percent stake in the Ensham Coal Mine in the state of Queensland to Sungela Pty Ltd., a joint company to be established by South African and Australian natural resources firms. The transaction, which Idemitsu aims to complete by the end of March, will leave the company with just Boggabri Coal Mine in the country. The Japanese company said the sale is in line with its diversification into renewable energy, rare metals and alternative energy, such as hydrogen and ammonia. The mine produces an annual 4.3 million tons of coal, which is mainly supplied to Southeast Asia and Japan. The transfer entails the A$340 million upfront payment and a royalty payment based on the price and volume of the coal sold from the mine in 2023 and 2024, it said. Related coverage: Research begins to generate electricity from snow in Japan Japan aims to issue "green transformation" bonds in FY 2023 Australia minister assures Japan on gas, coal supply ahead of visit KYODO NEWS - Feb 3, 2023 - 11:23 | All, Japan Japan's agricultural, fishery and forestry product exports rose 14.3 percent in 2022 from a year earlier to a record 1.4 trillion yen ($10.9 billion), government data showed Friday, due to the yen's weakness and overseas dining industries' recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. It marked a 10th consecutive record-breaking year, the farm ministry said. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government aims to increase agricultural and fishery exports to 2 trillion yen by 2025 and 5 trillion yen by 2030. Products in all categories logged their best ever results in the reporting year, with agricultural product exports accounting for 887 billion yen, fishery products for 387.3 billion yen and forestry-related items for 63.8 billion yen. Scallop exports to markets including China and the United States were particularly strong, jumping 42.4 percent from a year earlier to 91 billion yen. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said alcoholic beverages also posted good results, with exports of Japanese whiskies rising 21.5 percent to 56 billion yen and sake increasing 18.2 percent to 47.4 billion yen. Beef exports, however, declined 4 percent to 52 billion yen due to falling consumption in the United States amid rising prices. Lower catches also led to decreased exports of tuna and mackerel, according to the ministry. Exports were partly boosted by the 2022 entry into force of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, an Asia-Pacific free trade agreement involving 15 nations including Japan, Australia, China, Singapore and South Korea. China topped the list of destinations, with such exports to the country rising 25.2 percent to 278.3 billion yen. Other major markets included Hong Kong and the United States. The record-high figure for 2022 marked a 500 billion yen increase from pre-pandemic 2019, when such exports were valued at 912.1 billion yen. Agricultural and fishery exports in 2021 stood at 1.2 trillion yen, topping 1 trillion yen for the first time. As part of initiatives to hit the 2030 target, the farm ministry has implemented an action plan to boost exports, including encouraging the use of abandoned agricultural land and shifting to organic farming. Kishida has also been involved in the promotion of exports, making an appearance at a New York event in September for Japanese cuisine and alcohol. Related coverage: Japan's Jan.-Nov. farm, fisheries exports already hit annual record By Donican Lam, KYODO NEWS - Feb 3, 2023 - 23:25 | All, World, Japan The Artemis project, an international effort led by the United States aimed at advancing lunar exploration and eventually returning humans to the Moon by 2025, cannot succeed without Japan's help, NASA's attache in Asia said Friday. "To succeed, we need not only JAXA, but also the cooperation of private companies," said Garvey McIntosh, referring to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. "You don't need to be a big company. As long as you have good ideas and passion, you can (contribute)." As part of the Artemis program, the United States is aiming to return humans to the Moon for the first time since the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's 1972 Apollo 17 mission. The Japanese government announced in October 2019 that it was joining the project, seeking to become the second country after the United States to land an astronaut on the Moon. Last November, the two countries also signed an agreement to send a Japanese astronaut to Gateway, a lunar-orbiting space station to be built as part of the project, in exchange for JAXA providing logistic transport and other support. During his special lecture at the International Space Industry Exhibition at Tokyo Big Sight, McIntosh praised Japan as having the "best technology in the field of sample return," citing the successful Hayabusa2 mission that collected the world's first-ever asteroid subsurface samples. Go Takizawa, director of the National Space Policy Secretariat of the Cabinet Office, earlier the same day provided an overview of Japan's space policy, including plans to clean up space debris and encouraging startups to launch private rockets. The Japanese government has allocated a total of 611.9 billion yen ($4.8 billion) for space-related activities in its supplementary and initial budgets for fiscal 2022 and 2023, respectively, a 17 percent increase from the combined figures for fiscal 2021 and 2022, according to Takizawa. Under the Martian Moons Exploration project, Japan is now aiming to travel to Mars to survey the red planet's two moons, Phobos and Deimos, in the hope of becoming the first country to collect a sample from the former. In its second year, the International Space Industry Exhibition brings together public and private organizations involved in all aspects of space development, including lunar exploration, rocket and satellite manufacturing, and consumer-oriented space services. Organized by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun Ltd., over 60 organizations were represented at the three-day event through Friday this year. Related coverage: Moon rocket carrying Japan lander blasts off for uncrewed flight Japan to send 1st moon lander, world's smallest, to space on Nov. 16 Japan, U.S. to cooperate on Moon landing by Japanese astronaut KYODO NEWS - Feb 4, 2023 - 00:08 | All, World The United States said Thursday it is tracking what it believes to be a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon that has flown for days over the country, but China acknowledged later that it is a weather observation airship that made an unintended entry into U.S. airspace. Pat Ryder, press secretary of the U.S. Defense Department, said it is "currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground." The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed regret in a statement Friday, saying the civilian airship used for meteorological research deviated far from the intended course due to westerlies and limited control capability. "China will maintain communication with the United States to handle this unexpected situation properly," the ministry said. Ryder added that similar activity has been detected at times over the past several years, while a senior defense official said the balloon entered the continental U.S. airspace a "couple of days ago." The senior official, who declined to specify the size of the balloon and many other details, disclosed that one of the locations it had traveled was above some sparsely populated areas in the western state of Montana, which is home to one of the country's three nuclear missile silo fields. The official said President Joe Biden asked for military options when being briefed on the discovery of the balloon, but the Pentagon eventually opted not to shoot it down because it is "large enough to cause damage" from falling debris. "Clearly, the intent of this balloon is for surveillance, and so the current flight path does carry it over a number of sensitive sites," he said. But the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the United States has assessed it has "limited additive value from an intelligence collective collection perspective." The official said the United States has already conveyed to China the "seriousness" of the issue through multiple channels. Before her ministry acknowledged the Chinese balloon's presence in U.S. airspace, spokeswoman Mao Ning stressed at a press conference in Beijing on Friday that China has no intention of violating the territory and airspace of any sovereign country. The Canadian Department of National Defense separately said Thursday that a high-altitude surveillance balloon was detected in a "potential second incident," and the country is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace. "Canada's intelligence agencies are working with American partners and continue to take all necessary measures to safeguard Canada's sensitive information from foreign intelligence threats," the department said in a statement. The discovery comes as Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to make his first trip to Beijing for follow-up talks after Biden, for the first time, held a face-to-face summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in November. During the meeting, held on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Indonesia, the two presidents agreed to facilitate communication, despite very different positions on Taiwan, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and economic and human rights issues between the world's two largest economies. Blinken's visit to Beijing, the date of which has still not been officially announced, is likely to take place from Feb. 5 to 6. The trip will be the first by a U.S. secretary of state in more than four years. Related coverage: Blinken puts off China trip after spy balloon detected over U.S. U.S. plane has near miss with China fighter over South China Sea By Takuya Karube, KYODO NEWS - Feb 4, 2023 - 11:56 | World, All U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday he has put off a visit this weekend to Beijing after a Chinese spy balloon was detected traveling over the continental United States, calling its flight an "irresponsible act" that is "detrimental" to efforts to improve relations. Blinken said he informed Wang Yi, China's top foreign policy official, of the postponement in a phone call, telling reporters that the presence of the balloon in U.S. skies is a "clear violation" of the country's sovereignty and international law and that it undermined the purpose of the long-planned trip. The top U.S. diplomat, however, said lines of communication with China remain open given the significance of the relationship, both to the two nations and to the rest of the world, and that he would reschedule the trip "when conditions allow." "But the most important thing right now in the moment is to see that this asset gets out of our airspace and we will take it from there," he said in a press conference after holding talks with his South Korean counterpart Park Jin in Washington. The postponement came a day after the discovery of the balloon was announced by the U.S. Defense Department, with the incident again reflecting the complex and often thorny relationship between the two countries. The Pentagon revealed Friday that the balloon, which had entered U.S. continental airspace a "couple of days ago" and was flying above the western state of Montana, is now floating eastward at an altitude of about 18 kilometers above the central part of the country. The United States has chosen not to shoot the balloon down because the flying object is large enough to warrant concern that people on the ground could be injured by debris. Pat Ryder, the Defense Department's press secretary, said it is still reviewing all options, while the North American Aerospace Defense Command continues to monitor the object. China had released a statement of regret, saying the balloon was used for meteorological research and deviated far from its intended course due to westerlies and limited control capability. But Ryder flatly rejected the Chinese claim that it is not a spy balloon. He said that based on close assessment by the United States, it is clear the balloon has the ability to maneuver and change course and is being used for espionage, while noting it was posing no threat, either physically or militarily. He declined to offer information on how China controls its flight path or how it is powered. Following the U.S. accusations, China's Foreign Ministry said that Wang, during the phone conversation with Blinken, stressed that the country has always strictly followed international law and that it can "not accept any groundless speculation and hype." Blinken was set to make his first trip to Beijing for follow-up talks after President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first face-to-face meeting as leaders of their respective countries in November. During the meeting, held on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Indonesia, the two presidents agreed to facilitate communication, despite very different positions on Taiwan, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and economic and human rights issues. The trip, which was due to begin Friday night, would have been the first by a sitting U.S. secretary of state in more than four years. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday that Biden agreed that Blinken should refrain from traveling to China just now. She told reporters that Biden was first briefed on the balloon on Tuesday and asked the military to present options. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley strongly recommended not to take "kinetic action," citing the risk to safety of civilians on the ground, she added. The discovery of the balloon has led to renewed calls among U.S. lawmakers for more pressure on China. Mike Gallagher, a Republican chair of the recently established Select Committee on China of the House of Representatives, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat who serves as the ranking member of the panel, said this incident shows the Chinese Communist Party's threat "is not confined to distant shores." "It is here at home and we must act to counter this threat," they said in a joint statement. Related coverage: Suspected Chinese spy balloon in U.S. airspace, China says for weather use Blinken to raise war in Ukraine during upcoming trip to China KYODO NEWS - Feb 3, 2023 - 14:35 | All, Japan, Coronavirus The Japanese government is considering dropping its recommendation that people wear face masks at school graduation and entrance ceremonies this spring after assessing the risk of infection with COVID-19 at such events to be low, a person familiar with the matter said Friday. A decision will likely be made early this month based on an assessment by experts, the person said, as Japan seeks to normalize its public health measures toward pre-pandemic levels after fighting the virus for over three years. The government is already planning to reclassify the novel coronavirus to the same medical category as common infectious diseases such as seasonal influenza from May 8, paving the way for further relaxing preventative measures. Decisions over whether to wear a face mask, indoors and outdoors, will be left to individuals. Lawmakers have called for the easing of rules around mask-wearing at schools ahead of the reclassification, taking into consideration that students graduating from junior and senior high schools this spring have spent their three years under COVID-19 restrictions. While Japan never had an official mandate requiring face masks to be worn, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "hygiene management manual" for elementary to senior high schools recommends that participants of entrance and graduation ceremonies wear masks as part of anti-coronavirus measures. The government believes that the risk of infection is low since such ceremonies involve little conversation among students, meaning wearing one will be considered unnecessary, the person familiar with the matter said. No one will be forced to remove their face mask, however. School children have worn masks under the ministry's guidelines that recommend doing so when it is difficult to keep sufficient distance from others indoors. Japanese education minister Keiko Nagaoka said Thursday she expects that students will be allowed to attend their graduation ceremonies, typically held in March, without face masks, but also said it would ultimately be for each family to decide. Related coverage: Minister hopes Japan students to join farewell events without masks KYODO NEWS - Feb 3, 2023 - 18:09 | All, Japan The Philippines may repatriate two of the four suspects in a string of robberies across Japan as early as next week, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Friday. The Justice Department announced the two men have been cleared of local charges and are now ready to be deported. Remulla identified one of the two as Toshiya Fujita. Japan has sought the transfer of all four Japanese suspects after police obtained arrest warrants on suspicion of theft in connection with a scam targeting elderly people in the country. The other suspect set for deportation is likely to be Kiyoto Imamura, as Remulla previously said a local case against him was dropped last month. The Philippines has said it cannot deport individuals on trial, but Remulla believed the local charges against the four suspects had been made up so they could avoid deportation. "If we cannot deport them at the same time, we will deport them two by two," Remulla said. Japanese authorities want the four to be returned at the same time. Remulla also said each of the remaining two suspects still have one local charge pending in a Manila court. The Philippine government is proceeding with arrangements toward handover of the four suspects ahead of a visit by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to Japan from Wednesday. The Philippines is also set to turn over confiscated mobile phones to the Japanese authorities as they were possibly used by the suspects to remotely coordinate the robberies from the immigration facility in Manila through an encrypted messaging app. Related coverage: Japan robbery suspects in Manila possibly involved in 6 bil. yen scams Manila seeking dismissal of charges against Japan robbery suspects Manila mulls deporting all 4 robbery suspects to Japan at once KYODO NEWS - Feb 3, 2023 - 17:24 | All, Japan The percentage of Japanese who "do not feel friendly" toward Russia reached a record 94.7 percent, a Japanese government survey showed Friday, as Tokyo-Moscow ties have been frozen due to Russia's war in Ukraine. The figure was up from 86.4 percent in the previous survey a year earlier, and the highest since the question was added in 1978, according to the Cabinet Office, which conducted the annual diplomatic affairs survey from Oct. 6 to Nov. 13 in 2022. In contrast, an all-time low of 5.0 percent of respondents said they "feel friendly" toward Russia, down from 13.1 percent. Following Moscow's invasion on Feb. 24 last year, the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has imposed severe economic sanctions on Russia in lockstep with other Group of Seven industrialized nations and other like-minded countries. The Kremlin has responded by suspending negotiations with Japan on a post-World War II peace treaty and the status of four disputed islets off Hokkaido that the Soviet Union seized in the war's final stages. Japanese media have extensively reported on the war in Ukraine, especially during the war's early phase, with scenes of destruction by Russian missiles, atrocities purportedly committed by Russian troops and the miseries caused to innocent Ukrainian people occupying newscasts. The survey also showed a record low 3.1 percent view current Japan-Russia relations as "good," plummeting from the previous poll's 20.6 percent. Those who see the ties as "not good" increased to 92.3 percent from 79.0 percent. "The outcome reflected people's recognition that the relationship between Japan and Russia has been in a severe condition following the (Russian) aggression against Ukraine and its impact on our nation," a government official told reporters during a briefing. Still, 57.7 percent said Russo-Japanese ties are "important," but the percentage dropped from 73.1 percent and marked the lowest since the question was added in 2016. The survey also found 81.8 percent of Japanese "do not feel friendly" toward China, worsening from 79.0 percent a year earlier. Those who "feel friendly" toward the neighbor accounted for 17.8 percent, down from 20.6 percent. The same official cited "various matters of concern" between Tokyo and Beijing as factors that may have contributed to the perception. Among them are China's "unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in the East and South China seas, including the situation over the Senkaku Islands," the official said. China has laid claim to the Japan-administered uninhabited islets in the East China Sea, calling them the Diaoyu. Chinese coast guard vessels have repeatedly entered territorial waters around them, resulting in standoffs with Japanese patrol boats. The official also pointed to a series of Chinese military activities near Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing considers its own, with China's ballistic missiles falling into Japan's exclusive economic zone nearby during drills in August last year. Those who said the two nations' relationship is "not good" accounted for 84.4 percent, slightly down from 85.2 percent, compared with 11.0 percent who said they are "good," also down from 14.5 percent. Regarding South Korea, 45.9 percent of Japanese "feel friendly" toward the neighboring country, jumping from 37.0 percent, the survey showed, while those without such feelings accounted for 53.7 percent, down from 62.4 percent. Relations between Tokyo and Seoul have shown signs of improvement after President Yoon Suk Yeol took office in South Korea in May 2022 with a pledge to take a future-oriented approach toward Japan. While South Korea was under the government of Yoon's predecessor Moon Jae In, bilateral ties had sunk to the lowest point in years over wartime labor and other issues stemming largely from Japan's 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula. The mail-in survey reached 3,000 Japanese nationals aged 18 and over residing in the country, drawing valid responses from 1,732 of them, or 57.7 percent. The government started conducting similar polls in 1975 to help it formulate its foreign policy. Related coverage: Japan adds targets for Russia sanctions over war in Ukraine Japan urges Russia to start annual talks over safe fishing pact Russia's ex-president Medvedev calls for Japan PM's ritual suicide By Peter Masheter, KYODO NEWS - Feb 3, 2023 - 19:08 | All, Japan, 3/11 Fukushima Micronesian President David Panuelo said Friday that Japan's "transparency" over its intention to release treated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean has helped ease the Pacific island nation's concerns over the plans. Panuelo's remarks stood in contrast to those he gave the U.N. General Assembly in September of his "gravest concern" regarding Tokyo's plans to dump the water containing low-level concentrations of tritium into the Pacific Ocean from the spring or summer of 2023. Speaking at a press conference at the Japan National Press Club a day after bilateral talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Panuelo said the extensive information provided by Japan meant he trusts the country in "doing the right thing" and ensuring it "does not harm the shared asset which is our Pacific Ocean." But he stopped short of offering full support, saying that while his government has been "satisfied" with the information provided, "this is not to say that we are stopping, we continue to consult with the government of Japan" to ensure the water "meets requirements so that it is safe." Tokyo decided in 2021 to begin working toward releasing the vast amounts of water used to continually cool melted fuel and fuel debris created in the March 2011 nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. As of late July 2022, some 1.3 million tons of the treated water had accumulated in storage tanks at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s crippled complex. Releasing all of the water is expected to take decades. The solution has met opposition from countries including China and South Korea, as well as Pacific island nations. In January, the Pacific Islands Forum for countries in the region called on Japan to take more time before embarking on the release to ensure the ecosystem's safety. Its Secretary General Henry Puna said in a meeting of experts at the forum that the region is "steadfast in its position that there should be no discharge until all parties verify through scientific means that such a discharge is safe." When asked whether Micronesia's change of stance had been sudden given the PIF's concerns, Panuelo said he believes the organization is speaking to Japan, and that his country's position is "not so abrupt" as he is "satisfied with the information provided." Panuelo's visit to Japan coincided with the 35-year anniversary of Japan-Micronesia diplomatic relations, and also comes amid increasing tensions over the Pacific islands as the United States and China vie for influence over the strategically important region. Related coverage: Tokyo Electric to build undersea tunnel to release Fukushima water offshore Japan, IAEA agree to cooperate in monitoring Fukushima water release The allocation for NREGA announced in the budget for FY 2023-24 is a travesty and is an assault on the peoples right to work as mandated under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. NREGA is a demand driven law and demand for work must be satisfied. The unprecedented budget cut will lead to (a) massive delays in wage payments, (b)suppression of work demand, and (c) lack of quality assets getting created. Instead of adequately funding the programme, the Union government has repeatedly resorted to needless technical tinkering. The National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) application forcapturingworkers attendance, mandated in the current FY, is one such anti-worker intervention. According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2020-21, the overall rural unemployment in India is 6.48%. As per World Bank data [1], womens labour force participation in India has declined and four out of five women were not in the labour force in 2021. The stagnation of rural wages is another key concern. Between 2014 and 2021, increase in real rural wages has been sluggish with an increase of just Rs. 29. [2] These statistics clearly indicate the distress being faced by the unemployed, particularly the informal sector. Low levels of employment and low wages also lead to low consumption which in turn adversely impacts economic growth by reducing bottom-up aggregate demand. In spite of the programme functioning at half its capacity (average number of days worked per household have only been between 40 and 50 days over the past 5 years [3]), it has had far-reaching impacts. A recent study [4] showed that 20-60% of households in Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra felt that NREGA contributed to the overall development of the village and not having to migrate was frequently mentioned as the positive aspect of the programme. As the most resounding referendum for NREGA, more than 8 out of job card holders in the surveyed blocks said that they want NREGA to have 100 days of individual entitlement instead of 100 days of household entitlement. NREGA has clearly shown its relevance in this context, particularly through the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. Research [5] has also shown that assets created under NREGA can be ecologically beneficial to the local community and geography. Throughout the last decade including the pandemic, womens persondays in NREGA continued to be more than half of the total persondays generated. FY 2022-23 also saw womens contribution to total persondays at 57%, one of the highest ever. [6] Instead of building on the tentative gains made over the past two years, the Union government, through the budget cut announced yesterday, makes the social security of 10.02 crore active workers more precarious than before. The budgetary allocation for FY 2023-24 has been reduced to Rs. 60,00 crore, despite revised estimates for the current financial year coming in at Rs 89,400 crore. In our pre-budget note we recommended that Rs.2.72 lakh crore will be needed to provide legally guaranteed 100 days of work for at least all those who worked in the current FY. This amounts only to around 1% of the GDP and is in fact a conservative estimate that considers only households that were employed this year [7] at the estimated minimum wage rate. Fig. 1 shows NREGA allocation as a percentage of GDP over the years. World Bank economists [8] recommended that at least 1.7 per cent of the GDP must be allocated for the programme. On the contrary, the allocation for FY 2023-24 as a percentage of the GDP [9] is around 0.198% which is the lowest ever in the history of NREGA [10]. As of now 8.1 crore workers from 5.7 crore households have worked in NREGA this FY despite frequent interruptions in implementation due to long delays in fund release from the Centre. The budget estimate for FY 23-24 is even lower if arrears are deducted. Considering the estimated Figure 1: NREGA budget allocation as a percentage of GDP pending liabilities of this current year, only Rs. 50,600 crores will be remaining for expenditure [11]. Consequently, only 16.64 days of work per active household [12] can be generated for FY 23-24. If we consider all 16 crore registered, the days will further decrease to just 10 days. Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha, amongst other political leaders is also dismayed at the budget cut. This unjust allocation by the Modi Government is an assault on rights of rural workers and is a step towards killing the programme. The cutting down of NREGAs budget allocation must also be recognized relative to the increase in the budgetary outlay of PMAY and Jal Jeevan Mission. This is instructive of the Governments intent to weaken legislations that empower workers, and instead promote schemes that leave citizens to the mercy of yearly allocations and targets. NREGA Sangharsh Morcha and Peoples Action for Employment Guarantee express our deep disappointment at this grossly inadequate allocation for NREGA. The current regime continues to shrink workers rights in form of delayed wage payments, excessive digitisation and centralisation of the programme, as well as changes introduced with no worker-consultation. In response, NREGA workers around the country hit the road on NREGA Diwas (February 2) to protest against budget cuts. To put an end to the systematic undermining of the Act and to expose the central governments lack of commitment to workers rights, hundreds of NREGAworkers and their supporters from across the country will gather in Delhi to protest for100 days starting from 6th February under the banner ofNREGA Sangharsh Morcha. For further information: Apurva Gupta (93137 59050) Laavanya Tamang (99107 46743) Rajendran Narayanan (96203 18492) Debmalya Nandy (72941 84845) Rakshita Swamy (98188 38588) Anuradha Talwar (94330 02064) nrega.sangharsh.morcha[at]gmail.com paeg.india[at]gmail.com Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang holds talks with Csaba Korosi, president of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Bin) BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang held talks with Csaba Korosi, president of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in Beijing on Thursday. Qin said that the world today faces an endless stream of challenges, and all parties have high hopes for the United Nations, adding that it should continue to play an important role in global governance. He said the United Nations should uphold peace and security, and safeguard fairness and justice, while upholding universal benefit and inclusiveness, staying true to multilateralism, abandoning ideological confrontation, and promoting mutual learning among civilizations. "The United Nations General Assembly is the most universal and representative charter body of the United Nations," he said. "China will continue to fully support the work of the General Assembly and its President." China's development is a growing force for peace and justice, Qin noted, adding that China will uphold true multilateralism, promote the overall progress of mankind with Chinese-style modernization, and bring new opportunities to the world with China's new development. For his part, Korosi said that China is an important partner of the United Nations and thanked China for its strong support of the United Nations over the years. The United Nations attaches great importance to China's influence and leadership as a major country and has always adhered to the one-China principle, he said. A man attends a protest against police brutality in Washington, D.C., the United States, Jan. 27, 2023. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua) NEW YORK, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The past week has witnessed the nightly tides of street protests across the United States in the aftermath of the death of Tyre Nichols, which once again exposed the country's long-standing scars of police brutality and racial prejudice. In a statement issued on Jan. 27. U.S. President Joe Biden said he "was outraged and deeply pained" by the incident, calling it "yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day." Over again, federal officials and politicians vowed to "do everything in our power" to end such tragedy. However, similar incidents always take place from time to time in the country that is self-claimed as the "beacon of democracy." APPALLING VIOLENCE Mostly peaceful protests over police brutality were carried out around the country after the public release of body camera footage brought the police killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee, into clearer picture. Nichols, a 29-year-old Black motorist, was pulled over on Jan. 7 for what police said was reckless driving. After attempting to flee on foot, Nichols was aggressively beaten by police, newly released police video showed. Three days later, he died in the hospital. Attorneys representing the family of Nichols have said that an independent autopsy they commissioned found Nichols suffering "extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating." The full findings of the report were not made public. Four of the five former Memphis Police officers indicted for their role in the death of Nichols were suspended or received a written reprimand during their tenure, with only one charged officer avoiding internal disciplining during his tenure. Nichols, the father of a four-year-old son, was known to his family as an avid skateboarder and nature photographer from Sacramento, California, according to The Associated Press. He arrived in Memphis just before the pandemic and later started a job with FedEx, a major employer there. The New York Times reported that Nichols had been with the company for about nine months before his death. A protester holds a sign during a protest in Chicago, the United States, on April 16, 2021. (Photo by Marcus DiPaola/Xinhua) WINDOWS BROKEN "Tyre Nichols: U.S. police violence stems from a long history of fighting 'internal enemies,'" read a headline from U.S. news portal The Conversation. "Next to other western democracies, America has historically had a far bigger proportion of racial and ethnic minorities," and few of those minorities have fit easily within the constitutionally recognized community of "the people," said the report. "White authorities were very clear as to the rationale" that "Black people were neither citizens (like white men) nor members of households (like white women and children)," said the report. "Rather, they were an 'internal enemy,' a hostile and alien element within the lawful community." Blacks were regarded as existential threats to the lawful population. These sentiments fuelled violence by the U.S. National Guard, by hired thugs known as Pinkertons and by lynch mobs, noted the news portal. The most recent echo of the pattern is the so-called "broken windows" philosophy of policing that emerged in the 1980s and 1990s. The basic idea here is that fear of violent crime is itself cause for police intervention, it added. A hearse is seen outside the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church during the funeral of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee, the United States, Feb. 1, 2023. (Photo by Meka/Xinhua) LEGISLATURE FAILURES Mourning the death of Nichols, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday expressed hope that Nichols' death might "shine a light on the path toward peace and justice" as she called on Congress to pass police reform legislation. Initially introduced in 2020 and again in 2021, the legislation is aimed at setting up a national registry of police misconduct to stop officers from evading consequences for their actions by moving to another jurisdiction. The bill twice cleared the House of Representatives under Democratic control, in 2020 and 2021, mainly along party lines. But it never went anywhere in the Senate, even after Democrats won control in 2021, "in part, because of disagreements about qualified immunity, which protects police officers from being sued in civil court," CNN once reported. "And the road for police reform has only become more challenging in the new Congress now that House Republicans, who have placed their priorities elsewhere, are in the majority," it added. HOHHOT, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Erenhot, the largest land port on the China-Mongolia border, witnessed a significant rise in import and export cargo volume in January, the railway authorities said on Friday. The port saw over 1.42 million tonnes of import and export cargos in January, up over 90 percent year on year, according to the China Railway Hohhot Group. Its imported and exported cargos surpassed 1.18 million tonnes and 238,600 tonnes respectively in the month. In January last year, the port handled a relatively low volume of cargo as a result of the pandemic. This year, the China Railway Hohhot Group has taken a slew of measures to improve support services such as cargo customs clearance, train inspection and reloading operations. The port in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region now serves 64 China-Europe freight-train routes, connecting over 60 overseas destinations across more than 10 countries. TEHRAN, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- The spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said the UN nuclear watchdog's claim of having detected an "undeclared substantial change" in the centrifuges at one of Iran's nuclear sites was based on a "mistaken" report by an inspector. Behrouz Kamalvandi made the remarks to the official news agency IRNA on Wednesday night, reacting to reports published earlier in the day quoting the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as saying that Iran had "substantially modified" an interconnection between two centrifuge clusters enriching uranium to up to 60 percent at its Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), without declaring it to the agency. Kamalvandi said Tehran provided "explanations" to the inspectors and "the inspector in question realized his mistake." He added that the issue was resolved after coordination between the inspectors and the agency's secretariat. Over the past months, the IAEA has voiced some criticism about Iran's cooperation with the agency. On Nov. 17, 2022, the IAEA's Board of Governors passed a resolution proposed by the United States, Britain, France and Germany that called on Iran to collaborate with the agency's investigators regarding the alleged "traces of uranium" at a number of its "undeclared" sites. Iran has repeatedly rejected all allegations. People wait for the unrolling of a huge thangka scroll bearing the image of the Buddha during the "sunning of the Buddha" ceremony at the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe County, northwest China's Gansu Province, Feb. 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Zhimin) LANZHOU, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- More than 76,000 believers and tourists from home and abroad attended a grand Tibetan Buddhist event, known as the "sunning of the Buddha" ceremony, held Friday at the Labrang Monastery in northwest China's Gansu Province. Buddhists, Tibetan residents, and tourists gathered in the square in front of the monastery at around 9:00 a.m., waiting for the ceremony. Around one hour later, about 100 lamas carried a huge thangka scroll bearing the image of the Buddha to a nearby hill, where the thangka was unrolled at around 10:30 a.m. for believers to worship. After sunbathing for around an hour, the portrait was rolled up with loud cheers from the audience. The annual event is one of the most important ceremonies at Labrang Monastery, one of the six great temples of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, which was built in 1709. The centuries-old ceremony is held each year on the 13th day of the first lunar month. It is not only a grand festival for Buddhists, but also a platform to showcase the unique Tibetan culture and customs to tourists. The ceremony had been suspended since 2020 due to the COVID-19 epidemic. This aerial photo taken on Feb. 3, 2023 shows the "sunning of the Buddha" ceremony at the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe County, northwest China's Gansu Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Zhimin) Lamas prepare to uncover the large yellow curtain on a huge thangka scroll bearing the image of the Buddha during the "sunning of the Buddha" ceremony at the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe County, northwest China's Gansu Province, Feb. 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Zhimin) This aerial photo taken on Feb. 3, 2023 shows the "sunning of the Buddha" ceremony at the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe County, northwest China's Gansu Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Zhimin) This photo taken on Feb. 3, 2023 shows the "sunning of the Buddha" ceremony at the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe County, northwest China's Gansu Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Zhimin) UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy called on the international community on Thursday to continue supporting Iraq's anti-terrorism efforts. "The international community should continue to support Iraq in combating terrorism, eliminating terrorist extremist forces such as Da'esh, preventing their return and spread, and consolidating the hard-won achievements in counter-terrorism," Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council briefing on Iraq. Dai said that the current security situation in Iraq "remains dire," and terrorist remnants "are still conducting asymmetric attacks," resulting in casualties including among civilians. The United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da'esh/ISIL (UNITAD) should hand over the collected evidence to Iraq as soon as possible to help Iraq bring the terrorists to justice in accordance with its national laws, he said. "We welcome Iraq's continued efforts to advance the repatriation and resettlement of Iraqi nationals from al-Hol camp in Syria, and urge relevant countries to assume responsibilities as Iraq did and move forward as soon as possible with the identification and repatriation of foreign terrorist fighters and their families in Iraq," said the envoy. Over the past few decades, Iraq has been hit hard by wars, and its people have suffered a lot. The international community should actively help Iraq rebuild its infrastructure, accelerate economic and social development, and improve people's livelihood and well-being, he said. The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and other UN entities in Iraq should devote more resources and efforts to the priority areas most needed by the Iraqi people, carry out work in accordance with their mandates and division of labor, and fully leverage the role of the UN country team, he said. Dai said this year marks the 20th anniversary of UNAMI, and it is necessary to take this opportunity to seek the opinions of Iraq, and on that basis to systematically examine and evaluate the work and performance of UNAMI and carefully study the medium- and long-term prospects of the mission. China is a sincere friend of Iraq, and will continue to firmly support Iraq in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and continue to support Iraq in rebuilding its economy, restoring its industry, improving people's livelihood, and achieving sustainable development, he said. "We are ready to work with international community to make positive contributions to the long-term peace and stability in Iraq as well as peace and development in the region," he said. UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- UN special envoy for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, on Thursday called on Iraq's political class to take advantage of the present climate to end chronic cycles of instability. Following a year of tensions and political discord, Hennis-Plasschaert expressed hope that the confirmation of the new government will provide a chance to structurally address the country's pressing issues. "Effecting meaningful change will take time, as this can only happen through structural change that requires systemic socio-economic reform, stronger institutions and better governance at all levels," she said. "It is of the greatest importance that political parties and other actors prioritize the country's interest above all else," said the envoy. Since the invasion by the U.S.-led coalition in 2003, Iraq has been mired in political chaos, with the peace and democracy promised by Washington yet to be delivered. According to Statista, a global statistical database, from 2003 to 2021, about 209,000 Iraqi civilians died in wars and violent conflicts. About 9.2 million Iraqis became refugees or were forced to leave their homeland. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Thursday launched a campaign to lure tourists, business travelers and investors, with a series of incentives announced. Hong Kong has prepared 500,000 free air tickets for global tourists, HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee announced at the launching ceremony of the "Hello Hong Kong" campaign. Guests to Hong Kong can take advantage of an array of special offers, vouchers and other incentives to make their experience in Hong Kong more fantastic and memorable, he said. Hong Kong will host more mega events and giant trade shows to boost its MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) sector, Lee said, adding that business communities and professional groups will reach out to various parts of the world throughout the year, to tell their global counterparts the great and true stories of Hong Kong. "We are inviting prominent guests, from business heavyweights and political dignitaries, to media chiefs and influencers, to come to Hong Kong and see for themselves the welcoming atmosphere, promising opportunities, and many exciting developments and new attractions here," he said. Produced by Xinhua Global Service CHONGQING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- While tourists often awe at Liziba Station's Line 2 for the magic view of its trains passing through a building in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, it's rarely known that the line is China's first monorail route, western China's first rail transit line, and also the starting point of the city's prosperous rail industry. In the last century, considering construction costs and efficient space utilization, Chongqing, a mountainous city with rugged terrain, dense buildings and narrow streets, decided to import the straddle-type monorail from Japan as its first rail transit system. "At that time, it was not easy for us to design and build the monorail because it was such a new thing. We took Japan's monorail for reference, but when Chongqing put its Line 2 in operation in 2004, we made all 19 trains, and only two were imported," recalled Xiao Jingfei, executive deputy general manager of Chongqing CRRC railway vehicles Co., Ltd. Starting as an apprentice in the industry, Chongqing made remarkable progress in monorail construction in the following years. The number of carriages for each train has increased from four to eight, and most of the monorail system's components are now self-developed. Currently, Chongqing has set a series of national standards for straddle-type monorails. Chongqing has 12 lines in its urban mass transit, and the total length of the operational lines has reached 478 km, making the city a world-class rail transit metropolis. Chongqing has launched China's first "As subway model" adapted to the mountainous terrain, China's first rail route that allows the train to run on both Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC) railways, and an inter-connected CBTC (Communication-Based Train Control) system that can integrate different lines' signals. "It is Chongqing's innovative and adventurous spirit that breeds an ideal development environment for us and stimulates us to research and develop new vehicle products," said Xiao, adding that their company saw its annual output increase to 2.1 billion yuan (about 312 million U.S. dollars) in 2022 from merely 10 million yuan when the company was established in 2007. UniTTEC, a company devoted to rail-transit signal systems, participated in a program aiming to form better connectivity of the CBTC system by integrating different lines' signals in Chongqing. "Chongqing pioneered breaking the technical barriers between different rail transit signal suppliers, indicating that the city's rail transit system is steering into a more intelligent future. This is also a major reason for us to settle in Chongqing last April," said Gu Yixin, general manager of UniTTEC Chongqing. "Due to Chongqing's special terrain, there lies huge space for us to develop multiple rail transit models and eco-friendly, intelligent, and low-carbon power supply systems for the sector," said Pan Gaofeng, general manager of Chongqing CRRC Times Electric Technology Co., Ltd., which joined the fray in March 2021 and garnered a total revenue of 320 million yuan that year alone. Chongqing's industrial equipment chain in the rail transit sector has expanded to over 80 companies ranging from design to construction and yielded an annual output of nearly 10 billion yuan in 2022, according to Chongqing City Transportation Development & Investment Group Co., Ltd. More opportunities still await Chongqing's rail transit sector thanks to the city's innovation-oriented development and pioneering spirit, according to He Xihe, chief expert of Chongqing Rail Transit Industrial Investment Co., Ltd. "Just take Chongqing's monorail as an example, it can have broad application prospects whether in foreign countries or third-tier or fourth-tier cities in China," He added. In 2025, the total length of the Chongqing rail transit system in operation and under construction is expected to exceed 1,000 km. The daily average passenger traffic of its rail transit in major urban districts will reach over 6 million travelers, accounting for more than half of the city's public transportation travel. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with Csaba Korosi, president of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Bin) BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with Csaba Korosi, president of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), in Beijing on Friday. Noting that Chinese President Xi Jinping has said China is committed to multilateralism and safeguarding the international system with the United Nations at its core, Li said China stands ready to work with all parties to uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, international law and the basic norms governing international relations. China will remain committed to the right direction of economic globalization and a multi-polar world, and safeguard world peace and stability, Li added. He said that, as a founding member of the UN and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China will, as always, actively support and participate in the work of the UN, strengthen coordination and cooperation in such areas as sustainable development, climate change, water resources and UN reform, and jointly address global challenges. Li said China is the defender and participant of the existing international order, as well as the beneficiary and promoter of global openness. "No matter how the international landscape may change, China will remain firmly committed to the path of peaceful development, adhere to the basic state policy of reform and opening-up, adhere to the win-win strategy of opening-up, uphold humanity's common values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom," Li said, adding that China will develop itself through extensive international exchanges and cooperation, and provide new opportunities for the development of the world. Korosi said the UN hopes to deepen friendship and cooperation with China to jointly address the political, economic, ecological, water resources and humanitarian crises facing the world today, achieve sustainable development and advance reform based on scientific decision-making mechanisms. The UN appreciates China's support for the work of the UN and hopes China will continue to play a greater role in various areas, Korosi added. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with Csaba Korosi, president of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Bin) Christian Artist Saves Lives in Ukraine UKRAINE NATIVE, CHRISTIAN ARTIST FINDS CALLING, SOLACE, AND HOPE IN GRIEF, TRAGEDY Nadia Gordynsky creates nonprofit serving women, children on the frontlines of Ukraine Save A Life International serves women in crisis pregnancy, saves lives, provides hope NEWS PROVIDED BY Save a Life International Life Jan. 31, 2023 PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 31, 2023 /Standard Newswire/ -- Ukraine native Nadia Gordynsky is using her personal tragedy and struggles to make a real difference in this world. Gordynsky created and founded Save A Life International, a nonprofit organization serving women and children in Ukraine. A Pro-Life 501(c)3 agency that supports women in crisis pregnancy, Save A Life International focuses on saving lives by providing women with education about making the choice of life in a crisis pregnancy situation, and giving hope to women without hope. Gordynsky, a recognized Christian artist and staunch advocate for women and children, says that it was only through personal struggle that she was able to answer Gods calling in her life and fulfill her purpose to help pregnant women in crisis. In 2005, Gordynsky lost a child after 18 hours of labor. While that tragic event impacted her greatly, Gordynsky said that she always trusted in Gods plan for her life. According to Gordynsky, Through my heartbreak over the loss of my son, God was able to reveal to me the sanctity of life, and what would become my purpose. Just months after the loss of her child, Gordynsky was invited to appear at a Pro Life rally in Ukraine, where she learned that abortion was regarded as a popular method of contraception and that millions of Ukrainian babies were being aborted each year. Gordynsky stated, I was completely unaware of the plight of the unborn in Ukraine. I felt called to defend life. In 2015 Gordynsky answered the calling that had tugged on her heart and started Save A Life International. With a mission to support women in crisis pregnancy, the organization focuses on providing crisis pregnancy support, violence and domestic abuse assistance, humanitarian aid for mothers and children, and educational programming. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Save a Life International offers support through its nine Life Centers, which are located in Chernivtsi, Ukraine; Gdynia, Poland; Khmelnytsky, Ukraine; Lviv, Ukraine; Odessa, Ukraine; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Pokrovsk, Ukraine; Poltava, Ukraine; and Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Since its inception in 2015, the organization has helped nearly 2000 women. The organizations outreach has extended to a broad cross-section of women in need: from sex slavery survivors to grieving women grappling with the loss of a child through miscarriage or abortion, to victims of violence and abuse, to young moms who need guidance and financial support, and others facing crisis. Gordynsky said that at the heart of Save A Life Internationals work is a steadfast desire to provide nonjudgmental support: It is vitally important that we meet women where they are, no matter the circumstances. In order to save a life, we must do so with compassion, love and kindness. We offer support without judgement. While the organization continues to focus on its crucial outreach to women in crisis, the recent war in Ukraine has demanded the organization expand on the scope of its outreach: at present, all of the Save a Life International Life Centers have incorporated refugee assistance and humanitarian aid projects as primary objectives. Save a Life International (www.savealifeintl.org) is a pro-life 501(c)3 nonprofit headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. SOURCE Save a Life International Life CONTACT: Contact: Maryglenn M. Warnock, maryglenn@maryglenn.com A child views Chinese Lunar New Year decorations at Aberdeen Centre in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, Feb. 11, 2021. (Photo by Andrew Soong/Xinhua) The development of China-Canada relations has shown that a sound and stable bilateral relationship conforms to the fundamental interests of the two countries, noted H.E. Cong Peiwu, the Chinese Ambassador to Canada. by H.E. Cong Peiwu Five decades ago, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China relocated to the current site along the banks of the Rideau River in Ottawa, Canada. With a history of more than a century, the building of the Chinese Embassy in Canada harbors unique historical architecture and cultural heritage. In 1972, the Chinese government purchased the property as the official embassy premises. Over the past 50 years, it has witnessed the development of China-Canada relations, as well as changes and constancy. Once a wood-frame house in 1862, it was built into a Gothic monastery in 1877. It was later reconstructed and renovated on several occasions before it finally became the premises of the Chinese Embassy in Canada. Five decades on, generations of Chinese diplomats have worked hard here, recording many beautiful moments in China-Canada relations, including warm receptions featuring traditional Chinese culture. Despite the changes, what remains unchanged is the profound traditional friendship that China and Canada enjoy. During the Second World War, the two countries fought side by side against the Japanese fascist invasion of China. Canadian doctor Norman Bethune sacrificed his life to rescue Chinese soldiers, becoming an eternal symbol of friendship between the two peoples. On Oct. 13, 1970, diplomatic relations were established between China and Canada. An artist performs Sichuan Opera face-changing during a folk art performance of China Tourism and Culture Week in Toronto, Canada, June 18, 2019. (Xinhua/Zou Zheng) For over 50 years, the aspirations of their people to promote bilateral relations remain unchanged. The development of China-Canada relations has shown that a sound and stable bilateral relationship conforms to the fundamental interests of the two countries. Moreover, relations based on the basic principles of mutual respect and seeking common ground while reserving differences have remained the same. It is hoped that Canada will meet China halfway, uphold the above mentioned principles, and work with China to bring bilateral relations back on the right track, so as to shape a bright future for China-Canada relations. The year 2023 marks the beginning of China's exciting new journey to build a modern socialist country in all respects. Through its development, China will create new opportunities for countries worldwide, including Canada. Editor's note: H.E. Cong Peiwu is the Chinese Ambassador to Canada. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Xinhua News Agency. BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Thursday urged Turkiye to take China's concerns on Xinjiang-related issues seriously to ensure the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations. Qin made the remarks in a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu. A sound China-Turkiye relationship not only serves the people of the two countries, but is conducive to promoting the unity and cooperation of developing countries, he said. China is willing to work with Turkiye to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, give full play to the role of bilateral cooperation mechanisms to advance practical cooperation between the two countries, and promote the continuous development of China-Turkiye relations, Qin said. While expressing appreciation in Turkiye's repeated statement of its firm adherence to the one-China policy, Qin said China supports Turkiye in pursuing a development path that suits its own national conditions and safeguarding national sovereignty and security, and opposes external forces' interference in Turkiye's internal affairs. The Chinese foreign minister said that the two sides should enhance communication on regional affairs, strengthen coordination on multilateral occasions such as the United Nations, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries. For his part, Cavusoglu said that Turkiye attaches great importance to Turkiye-China relations and is willing to strengthen bilateral dialogue and consultation with China, deepen cooperation in economy, trade and other fields, enhance coordination and cooperation in international affairs and promote the further development of bilateral relations. Turkiye will, as always, adhere to the one-China principle and will not use China's internal affairs to smear and attack China, he added. The two sides also exchanged views on issues of common concern. BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Thursday urged Japan to uphold an objective and rational perception of China, honor its commitments and act prudently in words and action on major issues such as history and Taiwan. In a telephone conversation with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Qin also expressed his hope that Japan will act cautiously in the area of military security, and stop provocations by right-wing forces on the Diaoyu Islands issue. China and Japan are close neighbors separated by a strip of water, and peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation are the only correct choices for both sides, the Chinese foreign minister said. The two sides should learn from history, stay true to their original aspiration, thwart disturbances, steer their relationship in the right direction, and work together to build China-Japan relations that meet the demands of the new era, Qin said. Noting that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Qin said that China is willing to take this opportunity with Japan to review the spirit of the treaty, fulfill the obligations under the treaty, and adhere to the important political consensus of being cooperative partners and not posing a threat to each other. China stands ready to work with Japan to deepen cooperation in various fields and promote the improvement and development of China-Japan relations on the right track, he added. Qin said he hopes that Japan will continue to uphold market principles and the spirit of freedom and openness in conducting economic, trade and scientific cooperation with China, and earnestly handle the disposing of nuclear-contaminated water in an open, transparent, scientific and safe manner. Qin said the two sides should adhere to strategic independence and work together for the sound development of Asia. For his part, Hayashi said Japan and China cannot achieve their development and prosperity without support of each other, and bilateral relations enjoy broad cooperation prospects and great development potential. Japan is ready to work with China to take the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Japan-China Treaty of Peace and Friendship as an opportunity to review the spirit of the treaty, implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, promote dialogue and communication at all levels and people-to-people exchanges, advance practical cooperation and build constructive and stable Japan-China relations, he noted. He said that Japan welcomes China's positive contribution to the international community and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields. TAIYUAN, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Shanxi Province in north China has vowed to protect the north China leopards, once on the edge of extinction, and ensure their population growth. This breed of leopard, also known as the Chinese Leopard, is classified as a national first-class protected animal in China. It was once widely distributed in Beijing, the provinces of Hebei and Shanxi, and other parts of northern China. However, in the second half of the 20th century, deforestation and rampant illegal hunting led to a sharp decrease in the number of the rare species. Last year, the province carried out a survey to monitor the species' population and habitats, and then followed up with further research. Shanxi will also enhance the legal protection of leopards and other wild animal species and complete its data system of biodiversity conservation, said Yuan Tongsuo, director of the provincial forestry and grassland bureau. French President Emmanuel Macron (R) welcomes visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Feb. 2, 2023. (Photo by Rit Heize/Xinhua) PARIS, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron and visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries and strengthen bilateral relationship in all areas, the Elysee said in a press release on Friday. During a working dinner Thursday night, Macron said Netanyahu choosing France as his first visit outside the Middle East since his appointment as Israeli prime minister shows the "closeness" between the two countries and the two people. The two leaders hailed the quality of bilateral relations and exchanged views over issues of mutual concern, the Elysee noted. According to the press release, Macron expressed his concern about the current situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories, stressing the importance of avoiding any measure likely to fuel violence. The French president also said that he is ready to contribute to the resumption of dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians for a political process toward a solution that meets the legitimate aspirations of both sides. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Feb. 2, 2023. (Ninni Andersson/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua) "Last spring, we started our common path to join NATO. This journey must be made hand in hand and in common accord, just like we started it," Marin said in a joint press conference with Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. STOCKHOLM, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Finland remains determined to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) together with Sweden, visiting Prime Minister Sanna Marin said when she met her Swedish counterpart here on Thursday. They also discussed Sweden's current Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) and the security situation. "Last spring, we started our common path to join NATO. This journey must be made hand in hand and in common accord, just like we started it," Marin said in a joint press conference with Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin (L) speaks at a press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Stockholm, Sweden, on Feb. 2, 2023. (Ninni Andersson/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua) Marin's remark came three days after Turkiye's foreign minister said that his country could evaluate Finland's NATO bid separately from Sweden's to distinguish "between a problematic country and a less problematic one." The issue became no less topical after Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat reported on the result of a poll showing that the majority of Finns were ready to join NATO without Sweden, Swedish Television (SVT) reported on Thursday. Asked by a reporter about the result of the poll, Marin reiterated that Finland intends to join NATO together with Sweden. "I think it is very important that we today send a very clear message: Finland and Sweden applied together, and it is in everybody's interest that we join NATO together," Marin said. At a press conference in Ankara on Monday, Jan. 30, Turkiye's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that although the two Nordic countries had requested to join NATO together, Finland had taken some steps, while there were "provocations" in Sweden. Among other things, Turkiye has objected to a demonstration in Stockholm, where a copy of the Quran was burnt outside the Turkish Embassy. Turkiye has also postponed a trilateral meeting with Sweden and Finland on their NATO bids. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson attend a joint press conference in Ankara, Turkiye, on Nov. 8, 2022. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua) BEIRUT, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon and Cyprus have signed a cooperation agreement for 2023 to exchange military expertise between the two countries, the Lebanese Armed Forces announced on Friday. The Lebanese Deputy Chief of Staff for Planning Youssef Haddad signed the agreement on Thursday in Cyprus with Colonel Loukas Hadjikonstantas, who represented the Cypriot army, the Lebanese Armed Forces said in a statement on its website. The agreement aims for stronger cooperation in military activities that include joint air and sea operations in search, rescue, and the protection of oil platforms, as well as joint operations in emergencies. The agreement is "a continuation" of the pact signed on Aug. 18, 2021 between the two countries to facilitate military cooperation and expertise exchange, according to the statement. The 24th Ukraine-EU summit is held in Kiev, Ukraine, Feb. 3, 2023. Ukraine and the European Union agreed to deepen their relations and cooperation at the 24th Ukraine-EU summit held in Kiev on Friday, according to a joint statement issued following the event. (Ukrainian presidential office/Handout via Xinhua) KIEV, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine and the European Union agreed to deepen their relations and cooperation at the 24th Ukraine-EU summit held in Kiev on Friday, according to a joint statement issued following the event. The statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was published by the Ukrainian presidential press service. According to the document, Ukraine and the EU reiterated their commitment to further deepening their relationship and promoting Ukraine's further integration with the bloc. The parties also voiced their intention to fully exploit the potential of the Association Agreement, which entered into force on Sept. 1, 2017, to establish conditions for enhanced economic and trade partnership. Kiev and Brussels will cooperate in the implementation of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area to ease Ukraine's access to the EU's internal market, the statement said. Besides, the EU will consider Ukraine's request to extend the temporary preferential trade regime, which abolishes tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian industrial goods and foods, and will expire on June 5. The EU will support Zelensky's 10-point peace plan and the idea of a peace formula summit aiming at launching its implementation, the statement said. Ukraine welcomes the EU's commitment to continue providing political and military support as long as it takes, which includes military assistance of more than 3.6 billion euros under the European Peace Facility, and the launch of the EU Military Assistance Mission to train an initial 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers in 2023. The one-day Ukraine-EU summit was held in Kiev earlier in the day. In June 2022, EU leaders accepted Ukraine as a candidate for membership in the bloc. This photo taken on April 6, 2022 shows a sculpture and flags at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) NATO ambassadors said in a statement that "We note with concern that Russia has failed to comply with legally-binding obligations under the New START Treaty." BRUSSELS, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Friday called on Russia to respect its treaty with the United States on nuclear weapons, which contributes to international stability. NATO ambassadors said in a statement that "We note with concern that Russia has failed to comply with legally-binding obligations under the New START Treaty." The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) was signed by Russia and the United States in 2010. The last remaining nuclear arms control treaty in force between the two nuclear superpowers can be extended by a maximum of five years with the consent of the two countries. Russia and the United States officially extended the treaty by five years on Feb. 3, 2021. A motorcade transporting the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expert mission arrives at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, Sept. 1, 2022. (Photo by Victor/Xinhua) The ambassadors said that Russia's refusal to hold consultations or to allow U.S. inspections since last August "prevents the United States from exercising important rights under the treaty, and undermines the United States' ability to adequately verify Russian compliance with the treaty's central limits." "We call on Russia to fulfil its obligations under the treaty by facilitating New START inspections on Russian territory, and by returning to participation in the treaty's implementation body," NATO said. Earlier this week, Moscow accused the United States of undermining the principles of implementing the treaty. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Moscow remains committed to the treaty but does not see the same commitment from Washington. U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet at the Villa La Grange in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2021. (Denis Balibouse/Pool via Xinhua) LAGOS, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian troops have rescued 30 people after repelling a group of armed bandits from a road in Nigeria's northern state of Kaduna, the army said Thursday. Musa Yahaya, a spokesman for the army, said in a statement a team of army troops on a patrol on Thursday engaged the bandits along a road near the Manini village in the Birnin Gwari local government area of the state when the bandits intended to kidnap commuters along the road. The troops overpowered the bandits during a gun battle, thereby "forcing the criminals to withdraw in disarray" and leading to the rescue, said Yahaya. After the gun battle, the troops also recovered two motorcycles and immediately cleared the road for free flow of vehicular traffic, said the spokesman, adding the rescued victims were escorted by the troops to a safe place to continue their journey. Armed attacks have been a primary security threat in some regions of Nigeria, leading to deaths and kidnappings in recent months. South Africa: Charting Tshwanes liberation heritage route By Sihle Manda The formation of the democratic South Africa was not a singular event. It was a decades-long tumultuous voyage of dispossession and deprivation that would ultimately lead to freedom. Twenty-nine years into democracy, the Department of Tourism has embarked on a journey of displaying this history in a tourism route reel. The department is developing a Tshwane Resistance and Liberation Heritage Route, a sub-route of the South African Chapter. The department recently took tour guides and tour operators on an educational tour of the Tshwane sites that played a role in the liberation struggle. The purpose of the tour was to share information with stakeholders about the respective site and services as well as experiences offered by the sites. The department said it was aware that tourists get different narratives at the various sites. Some [tourists] will get a different story about one site. The purpose of this was to educate the guides and operators, says Deputy Director for Experiences and Route Development at the department Fundiswa Mbam. The department first developed a framework for route development to assist municipalities, the private sector and other government departments to develop sustainable tourism routes. We decided to pilot it in the City of Tshwane through this resistance and liberation heritage route. We established a committee to implement the guidelines. At each of the 12 sites visited, a tour guide shared extensive information about the tourist attractions. We wanted the operators and guides just to know more about each of the sites that are part of the route, she says, adding that the plan is to launch the Tshwane Resistance and Liberation Heritage Route during the 2022/23 financial year. We want it to be a finished product for Gauteng Tourism to sell, for the various tour operators to sell, and for South African tourism to sell, she said. The route is expected to fill a gaping hole in the telling of the painful history of the country. WATCH | Tshwane Liberation and Heritage Route Tour [In the country] we currently dont have a liberation heritage [tourism route]. We have many liberation sites such as Robben Island, the Apartheid Museum but there are none that are linked. So, we are trying to establish a route, especially in a place like in the capital city [Tshwane]. Some sites like Freedom Park a national heritage site, are known to the public. Most people know about Freedom Park but they dont know about the Palace of Justice. The purpose is to showcase even those sites that are less visited, she explains. Touring Tshwanes sites The daylong excursion made its first stop at Freedom Park, in Salvokop, a cultural institution housing a museum and a memorial dedicated to chronicling and honouring the many who contributed to South Africa's liberation. The group then headed to the gallows at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre. Between 1961 and 1989, the apartheid government executed 134 political prisoners. Liberation struggle icon Solomon Mahlangu was executed by hanging in April 1979, at what was then known as Pretoria Central Prison. The tour guides and operators then had a brief history lesson of the formation of the city and sightseeing of the Palace of Justice where Nelson Mandela and other African National Congress (ANC) leaders were the accused in the Rivonia Trial. It was during this trial that Mandelawho later went on to become South Africas first democratically elected President made his famous speech, which concluded as follows: During my lifetime, I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. The tour then proceeded to Ga-Motle which was established as required by the 1932 New Group Areas Act. As an administrative building, here marriage and identity documents were issued for the marginalised Black citizens. Those who transgressed the law were also detained at this centre. Another site visited was the Old Synagogue which was originally a Jewish house of worship. Originally a Jewish house of worship, the synagogue was in 1952 converted into an apartheid court which heard the Treason Trial where ANC leaders were tried for acts of sabotage intended to overthrow the government of the day. Other stops made during the tour included the Union Buildings, the official seat of South Africa's government that houses The Presidency. It was originally built to house the public service for the Union of South Africa. The Union Buildings in 1994 hosted the inauguration of President Mandela. Mbam said while there are other routes across the country, none were liberation itineraries. For instance the Drakenstein Prison is included in the Winelands route, but the Drakenstein Prison has a liberation significance. There are sites that are packaged with other things, like museums and such. This is specifically for liberation, which are few and very specific, she said. Enhancing knowledge Pretoria based freelance tour guide, Minky Seloane was part of the group that experienced the route first-hand. Even she confessed that she got a different perspective of the sights visited. With us guides we do general tours. But when you get to specific sites, thats when you get specifics, you get to expand on the topics and enhance your knowledge. Knowledge is critical when you are with clients, she pointed out. This knowledge would henceforth enhance her commentary when guiding tourists in the city adding that she is grateful for the departments initiative. She recalls how she almost left the industry when it was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. It was a stressful period. I only survived through yoga and meditation It was devastating. We no longer had salaries. We had to live on savings. I survived on my savings until they went dry. Beyond this, she relied on meagre earnings from her work as a traditional healer. Her passion for the industry is only reason she has continued to be a tour guide. I am passionate about this. It allows me to be who I want to be. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2023-02-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. VoterGA Expands Suit to Subpoena Konnech Servers, Ban ERIC NEWS PROVIDED BY VoterGA Jan. 31, 2023 ATLANTA, Jan. 31, 2023 /Standard Newswire/ -- VoterGA announced today an expansion to its original complaint that seeks a ban on the pending Salesforce third-party voter registration system also known as GaRVIS. The amendment seeks to ban all outsourcing of Georgians private data to third-party vendors. It is one of the first lawsuits in America to contest all outsourcing of private voter data by a Secretary of State (SOS). The amendment seeks to ban current voter data transfers to the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) that receives both voter and non-voter resident data from the Georgia SOS. Petitioners contend that ERIC shared personal data illegally with the Center for Electronic Innovation and Research (CEIR) and that data was used for partisan purposes in violation of the Help America Vote Act and National Voting Rights Act. VoterGA also announced that its petitioners have subpoenaed Konnech Inc. (Konnech) servers currently being held by Los Angeles County District Attorney investigators after the arrest of Chief Executive Officer Eugene Yu. The servers were seized in Michigan for violation of federal law after expert grand jury testimony alleged American poll worker data was in the hands of Konnechs Chinese programmers and stored on a Unicom internet backbone controlled by the Communist Chinese government. The arrest warrant was issued in Los Angeles County based on a contract Konnech has with the county. Konnech has a contract with DeKalb County, Georgia and the same servers are believed to contain not only DeKalb County poll worker data, but data from other officials in DeKalb County and even other residents throughout the state. GaRVIS, originally scheduled to be implemented early last year, was postponed to correct a variety of technical problems. The original complaint was filed in Fulton County Superior Court on January 21, 2022. The temporary injunction filed on March 11, 2022, has never been heard. Defendants objected to every item on the Interrogatories and Notice to Produce lists that were filed. Petitioners challenged the objections and refusal to comply. VoterGA co-founder, Garland Favorito, credited research of other groups: We are grateful to True the Vote and Verity Vote for their vital investigative work that revealed privacy violations impacting the security of the American people. Their investigations formed the basis of our expanded legal efforts to defend the privacy rights of all Georgia residents. VoterGA is a non-partisan, 501(c)3 registered non-profit organization created by a coalition of citizens working to restore election integrity in Georgia. We advocate for independently verifiable, auditable, recount capable, transparent and tamper proof elections. SOURCE VoterGA CONTACT: Sheryl Sellaway, 404-273-5133, sheryl@righteouspragency.com ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- More than 3.5 million children do not have access to school due to the impacts of conflict and climate shocks across Ethiopia, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said. UNICEF, through Ethiopia Education Cluster Quarterly Newsletter issued late Wednesday, said various man-made and natural shocks are continuing to have an impact in Ethiopia. "Based on the education cluster data from December 2022, more than 3.5 million children do not have access to school due to conflict and climate shocks across the country," it said. In the Tigray region, the sub-regional cluster reports indicate that out of an estimated 2.3 million school-aged children, some 1.7 million children were denied the right to education for three academic years due to the conflict and COVID-19, with damage reported to have impacted 88 percent of school infrastructure. "There is an urgent need of rehabilitation and equipment of schools with furniture for children to have access to safe and protective learning environments," it said. Tunisian President Kais Saied (C) meets with Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia Wan Li in Tunis, Tunisia, on Feb. 2, 2023. Tunisian President Kais Saied said on Thursday that his country wishes to further strengthen cooperation with China in various fields. Saied said that Tunisia attaches great importance to developing relations with China and appreciates China's long-term development assistance and valuable support. (Tunisian Presidency/Handout via Xinhua) TUNIS, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian President Kais Saied said on Thursday that his country wishes to further strengthen cooperation with China in various fields. He made the remarks during his meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia Wan Li, when Saied accepted the credentials of the newly appointed ambassador. Saied said that Tunisia attaches great importance to developing relations with China and appreciates China's long-term development assistance and valuable support. The first China-Arab States Summit has provided new opportunities for the development of China-Arab and China-Tunisia relations, adding that Tunisia is willing to raise bilateral relations to a new level and bring more benefits to the two peoples. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China and Tunisia have always respected and treated each other as equals, Wan said, adding that bilateral relations have been continuously strengthened, pragmatic cooperation in various fields has achieved fruitful results and the two countries have maintained close communication and coordination in international and regional affairs. As the new ambassador to Tunisia, Wan said that he will implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, further explore cooperation potential within the framework of Belt and Road cooperation, China-Africa cooperation and China-Arab cooperation, and strive to improve and upgrade China-Tunisia relations and practical cooperation in various fields. MOGADISHU, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) said it has handed over a new hospital facility designed to provide quality treatment and care to Somali security forces involved in the fight against al-Shabab across the country. Somalia's Minister of Defense Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur said the 68-bed facility located in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, would go a long way in providing urgent medical attention to soldiers and other security officers wounded on the battlefield. "This facility is critical to the safety of our soldiers engaged in the fight against terrorism," Nur said in a statement issued in Mogadishu on Thursday evening. Chief of Defense Forces Odowaa Yusuf Rageh said the opening of the facility was a significant step in the transition process and hailed the collaboration which enabled the successful implementation of the project. ATMIS built the facility as a Quick Impact Project, which is aimed at bringing basic services closer to the people and involves the construction of schools, health facilities, police stations, and the sinking of boreholes, among other necessities. Special Representative of the African Union Commission Chairperson for Somalia Mohammed El-Amine Souef said the facility will help improve treatment and care offered to Somali security forces as they continue their offensive against al-Shabab militants. HANOI, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's rice exports are expected to rise strongly this year, amid fears of global economic and political uncertainty, lifting demand for the grain, Vietnam News Agency reported on Friday. Vietnam, the world's third-largest rice exporter, reported a 41 percent year-on-year increase in its rice shipments in the first two weeks this year, to 226,000 tons and earned 115 million U.S. dollars, according to the Vietnam Food Association. Export revenues of Vietnamese rice are also expected to rise on higher production quality, because free trade agreements are to reduce barriers to Vietnamese exports. More than 80 percent of rice varieties in Vietnam are fragrant high-quality rice, which is a key driver to increasing Vietnamese rice's value and accessibility to markets, experts said. Export prices of Vietnamese rice are also expected to rise and return to its peak in 2019 on an increasing demand for rice reserves from several countries. Unfavorable weather conditions in many countries may affect global food supply, boosting rice imports from China and cutting exports from top rice-producing countries such as India and Pakistan, said analysts at the securities arm of the Bank of Investment and Development of Vietnam. The Philippines was Vietnam's largest rice export market last year. Vietnam's rice export grew 15.7 percent to 7.2 million tons in 2022, according to the General Statistics Office. And revenue from rice exports for the year went up 7 percent to 3.5 billion dollars. TOKYO, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Japan's agricultural, fishery and forestry product exports rose 14.3 percent in 2022 from a year earlier to a record 1.4 trillion yen (10.88 billion U.S. dollars), marking a 10th straight record-breaking year, the government said in a report on Friday. The government indicated that the bumper exports in the recording period were due to dining industries in foreign countries recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw demand rise, while the yen's weakness added support. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, agricultural product exports comprised a record 887 billion yen (6.89 billion U.S. dollars), with fishery and forestry-related items booking their best-ever results, rising 387.3 billion yen (3.01 billion U.S. dollars) and 63.8 billion yen (496.16 million U.S. dollars), respectively. Exports of scallops, the ministry said, were particularly strong, surging 42.4 percent from a year earlier to 91 billion yen (707.70 million U.S. dollars), with China and the United States as major destinations. Alcoholic beverages also posted upbeat results, with Japanese whiskey and sake exports increasing 21.5 percent to 56 billion yen (435.51 million U.S. dollars) and 18.2 percent to 47.4 billion yen (368.63 million U.S. dollars), respectively, the ministry's data showed. Owing to falling yields, exports of tuna and mackerel decreased in the reporting period, the ministry said, as did shipments of beef, which dropped 4 percent to 52 billion yen (404.45 million U.S. dollars), as rising prices hurt consumption. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement in the Asia-Pacific comprising 15 nations including Japan, Australia, China, Singapore and South Korea, which took effect in 2022, helped lift exports to a notable degree, the ministry also said. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government has set a target of the country's agricultural and fishery exports reaching 2 trillion yen (15.55 billion U.S. dollars) by 2025 and 5 trillion yen (38.88 billion U.S. dollars) by 2030. SYDNEY, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- While a cold snap has brought summer snow to parts of southeast Australia, people in the state of Queensland are sweltering through heatwaves. In a statement released on Friday, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) forecasted mixed and extreme weather conditions across the country. A strong cold front associated with a deep low-pressure system swept across much of southeast Australia on Thursday, bringing a burst of cold air as well as showers, localized hail, thunder, and strong gusty winds. There was snow overnight in the Alpine areas of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, and snow showers will likely continue in these areas, said the bureau, adding that southeast Australia will also see maximum temperatures are as much as 10-16 celsius degrees below average for February. Meanwhile, heatwave conditions continue in eastern Queensland, with a severe heatwave warning current for areas south of Proserpine. Conditions will begin to ease from Sunday. Before 9:00 a.m. local time, the temperature in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, already cracked 30 celsius degrees. The BOM noted that as hot and gusty winds will move over north-east NSW and south-east Queensland, temperatures are likely to hit the high 30-celsius degrees to low 40 celsius degrees on Friday and Saturday, which could result in elevated fire dangers and heatwave conditions. In NSW, extreme weather events triggered multiple warnings of marine wind, severe thunderstorms, floods, fire dangers and for sheep graziers in snowy mountain districts. LJUBLJANA, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Slovenia's exports and imports of goods in value increased by more than 30 percent in 2022, the country's Statistical Office said on Friday, with figures indicating a strong economic performance of the export-oriented European Union (EU) member state. "Slovenia's exports in 2022 amounted to 52.9 billion euros and imports to 56.8 billion euros. The value of external trade was much higher than in the previous year, exports were up by 34.2 percent and imports by 36.6 percent," the office said in a press release. China was Slovenia's fourth largest import partner with imports from China representing 8.9 percent of the country's total imports last year, the office said. Figures showed that chemicals and related products represented more than a third of the country's imports and exports. Other main export items included cars, car parts and household appliances. Local household appliances producer Gorenje, which is owned by China's Hisense, is one of Slovenia's largest exporters. Slovenia's main export partners include Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Austria and France. In spite of the global energy crisis, analysts expect Slovenia's economy to continue to grow this year. The government expects gross domestic product (GDP) to grow by about 1.4 percent this year versus 5 percent in 2022. KIEV, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine on Thursday signed an agreement to join the European Union's Single Market Programme with a budget of 4.2 billion euros (about 4.59 billion U.S. dollars), the government press service reported. The deal was inked in Kiev during the joint consultations between the Ukrainian government and the College of the European Commissioners. Commenting on the agreement, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said it would help to develop the competitiveness of Ukrainian businesses by ensuring green and digital transitions. Ukraine and the EU also launched a strategic partnership in the field of renewable gases at their consultations ahead of the Ukraine-EU summit slated for Feb. 3. The Single Market Programme is the EU funding programme aimed at boosting the competitiveness of businesses, helping the EU internal market reach its full potential, and ensuring Europe's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. LISBON, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese Parliament approved on Friday the establishment of a parliamentary commission of inquiry to investigate the airline TAP, the country's flag carrier, which has been involved in several complaints of irregularities in recent months. The investigation will aim "to assess the exercise of political supervision of TAP's management, in particular in the period between 2020 and 2022," when the airline returned to the control of Portugal's government. According to the deputies' proposal, the entire "process of co-opting, appointing or hiring Alexandra Reis" as TAP administrator will be investigated, along with others involved in suspected undue payments of compensations and bonuses. According to the proposal approved by Parliament, the airline's management decisions "that may have harmed the company's interests and, therefore, the public interest" will also be investigated. In December 2022, Minister for Infrastructure and Housing Pedro Nuno Santos was dismissed shortly after the resignation of the Secretary of State for the Treasury, Alexandra Reis, who accepted compensation of 500,000 euros (542,640 U.S. dollars) from TAP but continued to work for the government. (1 euro = 1.09 U.S. dollars) Protesters hold slogans during a rally for Tyre Nichols, who died last month after being beaten by police officers, in Boston, Massachusetts, the United States, Feb. 2, 2023. (Photo by Ziyu Julian Zhu/Xinhua) NEW YORK, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The past week has witnessed the nightly tides of street protests across the United States in the aftermath of the death of Tyre Nichols, which once again exposed the country's long-standing scars of police brutality and racial prejudice. In a statement issued on Jan. 27. U.S. President Joe Biden said he "was outraged and deeply pained" by the incident, calling it "yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day." Over again, federal officials and politicians vowed to "do everything in our power" to end such tragedy. However, similar incidents always take place from time to time in the country that is self-claimed as the "beacon of democracy." APPALLING VIOLENCE Mostly peaceful protests over police brutality were carried out around the country after the public release of body camera footage brought the police killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee, into clearer picture. Nichols, a 29-year-old Black motorist, was pulled over on Jan. 7 for what police said was reckless driving. After attempting to flee on foot, Nichols was aggressively beaten by police, newly released police video showed. Three days later, he died in the hospital. Attorneys representing the family of Nichols have said that an independent autopsy they commissioned found Nichols suffering "extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating." The full findings of the report were not made public. Four of the five former Memphis Police officers indicted for their role in the death of Nichols were suspended or received a written reprimand during their tenure, with only one charged officer avoiding internal disciplining during his tenure. Nichols, the father of a four-year-old son, was known to his family as an avid skateboarder and nature photographer from Sacramento, California, according to The Associated Press. He arrived in Memphis just before the pandemic and later started a job with FedEx, a major employer there. The New York Times reported that Nichols had been with the company for about nine months before his death. WINDOWS BROKEN "Tyre Nichols: U.S. police violence stems from a long history of fighting 'internal enemies,'" read a headline from U.S. news portal The Conversation. "Next to other western democracies, America has historically had a far bigger proportion of racial and ethnic minorities," and few of those minorities have fit easily within the constitutionally recognized community of "the people," said the report. "White authorities were very clear as to the rationale" that "Black people were neither citizens (like white men) nor members of households (like white women and children)," said the report. "Rather, they were an 'internal enemy,' a hostile and alien element within the lawful community." Blacks were regarded as existential threats to the lawful population. These sentiments fuelled violence by the U.S. National Guard, by hired thugs known as Pinkertons and by lynch mobs, noted the news portal. The most recent echo of the pattern is the so-called "broken windows" philosophy of policing that emerged in the 1980s and 1990s. The basic idea here is that fear of violent crime is itself cause for police intervention, it added. LEGISLATURE FAILURES Mourning the death of Nichols, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday expressed hope that Nichols' death might "shine a light on the path toward peace and justice" as she called on Congress to pass police reform legislation. Initially introduced in 2020 and again in 2021, the legislation is aimed at setting up a national registry of police misconduct to stop officers from evading consequences for their actions by moving to another jurisdiction. The bill twice cleared the House of Representatives under Democratic control, in 2020 and 2021, mainly along party lines. But it never went anywhere in the Senate, even after Democrats won control in 2021, "in part, because of disagreements about qualified immunity, which protects police officers from being sued in civil court," CNN once reported. "And the road for police reform has only become more challenging in the new Congress now that House Republicans, who have placed their priorities elsewhere, are in the majority," it added. Protesters hold slogans during a rally for Tyre Nichols, who died last month after being beaten by police officers, in Boston, Massachusetts, the United States, Feb. 2, 2023. (Photo by Ziyu Julian Zhu/Xinhua) A woman holds a slogan during a rally for Tyre Nichols, who died last month after being beaten by police officers, in Boston, Massachusetts, the United States, Feb. 2, 2023. (Photo by Ziyu Julian Zhu/Xinhua) By Azernews Qabil Ashirov On February 2, 2023, Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov discussed the Southern Gas Corridor, Green Energy, and other issues with the Western diplomats, Azernews reports, citing the tweet by the minister. The energy minister held the first meeting with the UK Regional Energy Security and Climate Ambassador David Moran. According to the ministers Southern Gas Corridor development and green energy was the main topic of the meeting. At the meeting with @DavidMoranFCDO, UK Regional Energy Security and Climate Ambassador, we had fruitful discussions on cooperation on #SGC development, #GreenEnergy and #EnergyEfficiency, the minister tweeted. The second meeting was held with US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Diplomacy in the Bureau of Energy Resources Laura Lochman. The sides discussed the Southern Gas Corridor and Azerbaijan's green energy initiatives. At the meeting with Laura Lochman, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Diplomacy in the Bureau of Energy Resources, we discussed joint cooperation on the expansion of the #SouthernGasCorridor and Azerbaijan's #GreenEnergy initiatives, Shahbazov tweeted. The third meeting was held with Luca Schieppati, the Executive Director of TAP (Trans Adriatic Pipeline). At the meeting, the progress of market tests for pipeline expansion and the prospects of transporting hydrogen was discussed. We exchanged our views on the progress of market tests for #PipelineExpansion and the prospects for transporting #hydrogen with Luca Skyepatti, Executive Director of TAP. 15% of Italian consumption is supplied by #TAP, the minister tweeted. BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Willful Practice of Long-arm Jurisdiction and its Perils February 2023 Contents Introduction I. An Overview of U.S. Long-arm Jurisdiction II. Exercise and Expansion of U.S. Long-arm Jurisdiction III. The Perils of U.S. Long-arm Jurisdiction Conclusion Introduction The United States has a longstanding practice of exerting frequent long-arm jurisdiction over other countries, including both its allies and countries with which it has hostile or strained relations. In recent years, the practice has kept expanding in scope, with U.S. "arms" stretching longer and longer. Examining cases of U.S. abuse of long-arm jurisdiction, this report lays bare the severe harm it has done to the international political and economic order and the international rule of law. I. An Overview of U.S. Long-arm Jurisdiction According to U.S. domestic law, long-arm jurisdiction refers to jurisdiction over persons or entities domiciled or resident outside the territory of the sanctioning state. First established by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of International Shoe Co. v. State of Washington (1945), long-arm jurisdiction allows state courts to exercise in personam jurisdiction in civil and commercial cases where jurisdiction cannot be exercised because the defendant is not domiciled in the state, on the basis that the defendant has some "minimum contacts" with the state. According to international law, the exercise of a country's jurisdiction over an extraterritorial person or entity generally requires that the person or entity or its conduct has a real and sufficient connection to that country. Yet the U.S. exercises long-arm jurisdiction on the basis of the "minimum contacts" rule, constantly lowering the threshold for application. Even the flimsiest connection with the United States, such as having a branch in the United States, using U.S. dollar for clearing or other financial services, or using the U.S. mail system, constitutes "minimum contacts." To exercise long-arm jurisdiction, the United States has further developed the "effects doctrine," meaning that jurisdiction may be exercised whenever an act occurring abroad produces "effects" in the United States, regardless of whether the actor has U.S. citizenship or residency, and regardless of whether the act complies with the law of the place where it occurred. The United States has also been expanding the scope of its long-arm jurisdiction to exert disproportionate and unwarranted jurisdiction over extraterritorial persons or entities, enforcing U.S. domestic laws on extraterritorial non-US persons or entities, and wantonly penalizing or threatening foreign companies by exploiting their reliance on dollar-denominated businesses, the U.S. market or U.S. technologies. In essence, long-arm jurisdiction is an arbitrary judicial practice, wielded by the U.S. government on the strength of its national power and financial hegemony, to enforce extraterritorial jurisdiction over entities and individuals of other countries on the ground of its domestic law. II. Exercise and Expansion of U.S. Long-arm Jurisdiction In the many years of exercising such jurisdiction, the United States has gradually developed a massive, mutually reinforcing and interlocking legal system for long-arm jurisdiction, and continued to lower the threshold and expand its discretionary power, thus shaping long-arm jurisdiction into a tool for the United States to advance hegemonic diplomacy and pursue economic interests. Such practice disregards other countries' sovereignty, blatantly meddles in others' internal affairs, seriously damages the legitimate interests of other countries, and disrupts the normal order of international exchanges. The expansion of U.S. long-arm jurisdiction is all-dimensional. Citing the "minimum contacts" rule and the "effects doctrine," the United States has developed massive and complex legal and enforcement systems to support its long-arm jurisdiction which is expanding in scope and fields of application. Long-arm jurisdiction has also become a means by which the United States abuses unilateral sanctions, especially secondary sanctions. To ensure the extraterritorial effects of U.S. sanction laws, the United States would usually exercise judicial authority to hold extraterritorial entities and individuals accountable for failing to comply with U.S. sanction laws. In addition to long-arm jurisdiction, administrative, economic, financial and other means would also be employed to implement its secondary sanctions. Compulsory extraterritorial evidence collection is another important means of long-arm jurisdiction. In the judicial process involving other countries, the United States frequently takes unilateral compulsory measures to collect evidence outside its own territory, circumventing normal channels of judicial and law enforcement cooperation between countries. It would directly ask banks and Internet firms that have branches or are listed in the United States to provide evidence such as account information and data located outside the United States. When other countries try to raise demarche, the United States would always respond by citing excuses such as "judicial independence" or "low efficiency in normal judicial assistance or law enforcement cooperation." These typical examples of long-arm jurisdiction have severely damaged other countries' judicial sovereignty, and the legitimate rights and interests of those subjects of evidence collection. The United States has put in place a whole-of-government system to practice long-arm jurisdiction, which features a division of labor among departments and inter-agency collaboration. The President and Congress are the main decision makers when it comes to sanctions. The President decides on most of the economic sanctions, and Congress participates through legislative activities under specific circumstances. At the heart of sanctions enforcement is the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), an agency under Treasury responsible for freezing assets subject to U.S. jurisdiction, formulating and adjusting lists of sanctioned individuals and entities, and reviewing and issuing licenses. The Department of State's Office of Economic Sanctions Policy and Implementation (SPI) is responsible for developing and implementing foreign policy-related sanctions. The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), an agency of the Department of Commerce, administers separate lists from the OFAC. On top of these, the U.S. government bolsters its sanctions enforcement through control of SWIFT and CHIPS, two major cross-border payment and clearing systems, by pressing them, when it deems necessary, to cut off contact with the financial institutions of the subject country to achieve the purpose of economic sanctions. The United States has stepped up legislation for long-arm jurisdiction. A wide range of laws in the United States advance long-arm jurisdiction, including Trading with the Enemy Act, International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and Helms-Burton Act. Others such as the USA PATRIOT Act and National Defense Authorization Act contain long-arm jurisdiction clauses. A number of presidential executive orders also involve long-arm jurisdiction. More and more U.S. federal legislation contains long-arm jurisdiction clauses to prevent Americans from circumventing U.S. laws by establishing subsidiaries in foreign countries, or foreigners enjoying less restrictions than Americans, or relevant international rules-making hurting U.S. interests. These legislative moves allow the United States to enforce long-arm jurisdiction in its diplomacy by citing domestic laws. There is a growing tendency of the U.S. applying long-arm jurisdiction to criminal cases, which is an extreme abuse of the practice. In recent years, a number of U.S. federal laws include extraterritorial clauses, which have been exploited by the Department of Justice to launch criminal investigations and prosecutions. In these proceedings, federal courts begin to apply the concept of long-arm jurisdiction when examining the basis of their jurisdiction by broadly interpreting the connection between the case and the United States, expanding the scope of personal and territorial jurisdiction, and lowering the threshold for the application of protective jurisdiction and general jurisdiction. III. The Perils of U.S. Long-arm Jurisdiction The United States is the only sanctions superpower in the world. According to the Treasury 2021 Sanctions Review, by fiscal year 2021,the number of active U.S. sanctions designations had increased to more than 9,400. Sanctions strain relations between countries and undermine the international order. Healthy state-to-state relations are the bedrock for peace and stability in the international order. In the 1990s, the United States introduced the Helms-Burton Act to impose economic sanctions through long-arm jurisdiction on individuals and entities worldwide conducting transactions with Cuba. It sparked strong opposition from the European Union, who in 1996 passed the Blocking Statute to neutralize through legislation the effects of U.S. long-arm jurisdiction within the EU, and enable individuals and entities in the EU to sue individuals and entities in the United States. Apart from this, the EU put forward a series of proposals and initiatives at the UN General Assembly, the Security Council, the World Trade Organization and other international bodies, calling on the international community to pay attention to the harmful effects of U.S. long-arm jurisdiction, and even resorted to the WTO dispute settlement procedures. So far, the "long arm" of U.S. jurisdiction has reached China, Russia, Iran, Syria, the DPRK, Cuba, France, the UK, Germany, Japan, among others. In an article published in Foreign Affairs, Professor Daniel Drezner of Tufts University criticized successive U.S. administrations for abusing economic coercion and economic violence and using sanctions as the preferred solution to diplomatic problems, which have been ineffective and causing humanitarian disasters. Since 1979, the United States has imposed various types of unilateral sanctions on Iran and other countries. In 1996, it rolled out the D'Amato Act which forbids foreign companies from investing in the energy sector of Iran and Libya, resulting in long-term damaging ramifications. Afterward, the United States keeps ramping up sanctions against Iran. Under the Trump administration, it harbored a policy of "maximum pressure" and wanted to use sanctions to effect a regime change in Iran. According to then Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, sanctions under the Trump administration caused at least US$200 billion worth of economic damage to Iran; he condemned such sanctions as inhumane, a crime and an act of terrorism. Between 1980 and 1992, the United States imposed unilateral sanctions on Libya, and from 1992 to 2003, it rallied or coerced allies into expanding sanctions against Libya. The World Bank noted that Libya suffered up to US$18 billion economic losses as a result of the sanctions, while an official Libyan estimate put the figure at 33 billion. Crude U.S. sanctions on Iraq after the Gulf War brought about serious consequences. From August 1990 to May 2003, they caused a total loss of US$150 billion in Iraq's oil revenue. As a result, the country's per capita income falls below its 1990 level of US$7,050 even to this day. The sanctions have also caused a serious humanitarian disaster, with infant mortality rate doubling and the under-five mortality increasing six-fold. Meanwhile, Iraq's education, health and social security systems were destroyed; its literacy rate fell from 89 percent in 1987 to 57 percent in 1997. Undermining the purposes and functions of various international governance mechanisms. The United States has frequently imposed unilateral sanctions outside the UN framework. In 2021 alone, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Department of Commerce and other agencies imposed various sanctions on as many as over 2,000 entities. As a result, the sanctioning function of the Security Council is undercut, seriously affecting its normal function of maintaining international peace and security. When the International Criminal Court (ICC) attempted to investigate suspected war crimes by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, the United States, with itself not being a member of the Court, responded by launching sanctions against ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and senior official Phakiso Mochochoko, sparking unanimous outcry from the international community. Despite the ruling of the Dispute Settlement Body of WTO that its Section 301 procedures are a violation of international law, the United States continues to launch various unilateral Section 301 investigations on imports from China and other countries, and keeps all existing Section 301 tariffs unchanged. Such actions have directly sabotaged the tariff concessions achieved by many rounds of difficult negotiations of the multilateral trading system, blatantly trampled on the purposes and spirit of the multilateral trading system, and eroded the cornerstone of the system's operation. Undermining the interests of companies of other countries. To maintain its economic and technological supremacy, the United States abuses its public power to interfere with normal international commercial exchanges and competition. Under the pretext of safeguarding national security and fighting against human rights violations, it has adopted a package of measures including the Entity List and economic sanctions to restrict foreign enterprises from obtaining raw materials, items and technologies vital to their survival and development, sometimes even used secondary sanctions to cut those companies' normal trade with enterprises from other countries in an effort to disrupt their supply chains root and branch. A case in point is the imprisonment of a senior manager from the French company Alstom. In 2013, in order to beat Alstom in their business competition, the United States applied the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act to arrest and detain Frederic Pierucci on charges of bribing foreign officials. He was further induced to sign a plea deal and provide more evidence and information against his company, leaving Alstom no choice but to accept General Electric's acquisition, vanishing ever since from the Fortune 500 list. The U.S. long-arm jurisdiction has become a tool for its public power to suppress competitors and meddle in normal international business activities, announcing the United States complete departure from its long-standing self-proclaimed champion of liberal market economy. In recent years, the United States has frequently employed the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (2016) to impose unilateral sanctions on entities in various countries deemed to have engaged in "serious human rights violations." However, while exercising such unilateral sanctions, the United States has often violated the basic human rights of the sanctioned subjects disregarding the fact that their human rights are also entitled to protection. When COVID-19 was raging in the world, the U.S. government did not relent in imposing unilateral sanctions on Iran, Syria and other countries, making it difficult for these countries to obtain the much-needed medical supplies to fight the virus. As a result of the sanctions, Iran has been cut off access to essential medicines and medical equipment, putting the health of millions of Iranians in jeopardy. To raise funds to fight the pandemic, the Iranian government applied to the IMF for a US$5 billion dollar exclusive loan, but the effort was blocked by the United States. Even worse, the United States prevented Iran from importing COVID vaccines by freezing its overseas funds and threatening vaccine suppliers. As the Brookings Institution estimated, during the height of the pandemic in Iran, U.S. sanctions further exacerbated the spread of the virus and could have caused up to 13,000 of deaths. Conclusion The U.S. long-arm jurisdiction is not something new. In spite of adaptations over time in its contents and measures, the nature of the U.S. long-arm jurisdiction has not changed: it has been, since the very beginning, a hegemonic tool to maintain U.S. hegemony, suppress foreign competitors, interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, and even subvert the governments of other countries. Over the last few years, the United States has abused long-arm jurisdiction by continuing to lower the threshold and intensifying measures to an unprecedented degree against wider range of targets. It not only undermines the principle of sovereign equality, violates international law, and erodes the multilateral order with the UN at its core, but also creates and intensifies tensions and conflicts among major countries, and poses a threat to the international security system established after World War II. It also interferes with and distorts normal international commercial exchanges and trade order, disrupts the supply chain of global trade, damages the interests of enterprises and raises their operating costs. The United States should renounce its illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction measures, and truly take up its international responsibilities as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy holds a press conference in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Feb. 2, 2023. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the Republican response to U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address next week, Republican leaders said on Thursday. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua) WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the Republican response to U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address next week, Republican leaders said on Thursday. The announcement was made in a joint statement by U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. Sanders, who served as White House press secretary for then U.S. President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019, was inaugurated as governor of Arkansas last month. Biden will deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Feb. 7. This would be Biden's second State of the Union speech and the first before a divided Congress with Republicans taking control of the House of Representatives and Democrats still running the Senate. Biden, a Democrat, is facing a string of investigations led by House Republicans into his administration and his family. The State of the Union address is a message from the U.S. president to Congress, usually given in the early months of the year. U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy holds a press conference in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Feb. 2, 2023. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the Republican response to U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address next week, Republican leaders said on Thursday. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua) U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy holds a press conference in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Feb. 2, 2023. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the Republican response to U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address next week, Republican leaders said on Thursday. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua) U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy holds a press conference in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Feb. 2, 2023. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the Republican response to U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address next week, Republican leaders said on Thursday. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua) U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (C) holds a press conference in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Feb. 2, 2023. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the Republican response to U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address next week, Republican leaders said on Thursday. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua) EU: The US ambassador to Hungary was sharply criticised by the Hungarian foreign minister on Thursday, saying that he has no right to meddle in the country's internal affairs. Following Ambassador David Pressman's earlier this week statement to Politico that Hungarian policymakers "continue to push policies endorsed by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," the minister made his remarks. Pressman has been Washington's representative in Budapest since September 2022. He was referring to Budapest's support for Moscow's calls for a ceasefire and opposition to anti-Russian sanctions. During a press conference, Szijjarto was asked to respond to the statement. He said, "Nobody can tell us from the outside how to live, so it is of no interest what a citizen of another country - be it an ambassador - thinks about the domestic political processes in Hungary. Also Read: PM Modi became most popular leader in the world, surpassing Biden-Sunak Even the ambassador should show more respect for Hungarians, he continued. The minister stated that it is not Pressman's "job to meddle in Hungary's internal affairs." He continued, "He will have a very difficult time" establishing ties between the two countries if he wants to use his time in Hungary to criticise the actions of the government that the Hungarian people narrowly elected. Also Read: Two pirates were executed by a Guyana court for their attack in 2018 Szijjarto stated that Hungary expects foreign ambassadors to conduct themselves appropriately and work to enhance bilateral ties when they are hosted in Hungary. He emphasised that the time of foreign envoys telling Hungarians how to live in their own country "is over" and said, "We welcome non-governors and non-regents." Hungary, which depends heavily on Russian energy, has frequently expressed opposition to the sanctions the West has put on Moscow in response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. It claims that despite having a disastrous impact on the EU economy, the restrictions did not significantly weaken Russia. Also Read: Kyrgios admits to assault but is not found guilty Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, criticised Germany's decision to provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine last month, saying that such actions turn Western nations into active participants in the conflict. Orban contends that the West ought to pursue "a ceasefire and peace talks" in Ukraine rather than arming Kiev. Islamabad: Pakistan continues to be in turmoil with attacks on a mosque belonging to the Ahmadiyya community on the rise, according to a media report. Another Ahmadi mosque has been attacked in Karachi, called the country's financial capital. Many people suddenly attacked the mosque and vandalized it completely with a hammer. TLP workers attack Ahmadi Mosque in Karachi. This is the 5th Ahmadi Mosque attacked in the last 3 months. Where is the outrage? Is any Pakistani even bothered? Where is our collective conscience? Shame on everyone who remains silent at this persecution. pic.twitter.com/8iA9uqiXJs Kashif N Chaudhry (@KashifMD) February 2, 2023 This is the fifth Ahmadi mosque to be attacked in the last three months. It is being told that suspected people of the far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik organization in Pakistan allegedly entered the Ahmadi Mosque in Karachi and vandalized it and destroyed it. Local reports said several unidentified men broke the minarets of the Ahmadi Mosque in Karachi Sadar and fled after carrying out the attack. According to the report, some people wearing helmets reached here along the ladder and climbed onto the mosque, and fled from the spot after damaging its structure. This is the second such incident in a month after the demolition of the minarets of the Ahmadi Jamaat Khata on Karachi's Jamshed Road. This is the fifth Ahmadi mosque attacked in the last three months. Local sources were quoted as saying that the attackers involved in the latest incident are people associated with the far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik organization. Trump requests restraint in support of Ukraine EU country criticises US ambassador for "interference" White House disputes Biden's claim that Putin was offered "20% of Ukraine" Guyana: Two men found guilty of high seas piracy attacks that killed seven fishermen off the coast of the country in 2018 were given death sentences by a Guyanese court. According to authorities, this broke the back of a deadly group that had preyed on fishermen for years. In a dispute over access to prime fishing grounds, Premnauth Persaud, 48, and Nakool Manohar, 45, were found guilty of planning an attack on several fishing boats in the vicinity of the Suriname neighbouring South American nation. While a dozen other fishermen were rescued after drifting on the water for several days, seven fishermen perished. Some of the men, according to the police, were reportedly thrown overboard while being bound or weighted down with boat batteries. According to reports, some people were macheted. Also Read: Philippines increases access to military bases for the US as concerns about China rise Justice Navindra Singh sentenced the men on Tuesday after a jury returned guilty verdicts, calling the attacks heinous and finding "no reason not to impose the death sentence." The judge stated that allowing them to be released into society at any time would be "reckless and irresponsible" on the part of the court. As he sentenced them to death by hanging, he referred to their deeds as "gruesome, heinous, and cold-blooded." The men have the option of appealing the decision to the regional court of appeals as well as to Trinidad's Caribbean Court of Justice, which serves as Guyana's supreme court. On Thursday, their attorney declined to comment on their plans. Also Read: After Turkiye summons the Norwegian envoy, Norway's police forbid Qur'an burning protests Although hanging is still a legal punishment in Guyana, no one has been executed there since 1997, and the government has made no attempt to carry out court-ordered death sentences. In Guyana, there are more than a dozen people on death row, some of whom received their sentences more than 20 years ago. The European Union and other international rights organisations have been lobbying governments to remove certain laws from the books, but authorities have so far defied their pressure. Some appeals courts have commuted death row inmates' sentences to life in prison so they can pass the time in jail. Authorities had been battling such attacks up until the April 2018 attack along the Suriname coast in the southeast and less frequently in the Venezuela coast in the northwest. At the time, police attributed the attacks to gangs from Venezuela. Nearly 30 piracy-related deaths were reported by police in the last ten years. However, since the arrest of the suspects, pirate activity in the Berbice border region with Suriname has not been a significant issue, police regional commander Shiv Bacchus told The Associated Press on Thursday. "We had none for the entire previous year. None for this year as well. I have to admit that a 100% reduction resulted from the arrest and sentencing of the criminals, Bacchus said. Also Read: House GOP votes to remove Democrat Ilhan Omar from a significant committee Police attribute the sharp decline in incidents to the recent arrests and imprisonment of several Guyanese pirates in Suriname. Germany and Sweden to further bolster Ukraines air defenses 3 February, 09:34 PM Ukrainian military (Photo:REUTERS/Anna Kudriavtseva) Germany and Sweden are negotiating a new arms package, under which Stockholm will transfer anti-air missiles and launchers for German-made IRIS-T air defense systems to Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 3, citing sources familiar with the matter. According to the sources who preferred to stay unnamed as the discussions are confidential, Germany has asked Sweden to provide IRIS-T launchers. The negotiations will also allow for more ammunition to be supplied to complement the anti-air systems, which are being sent to Kyiv. Berlin is reportedly sticking to its plan to send three additional IRIS-T systems this year, with the first arriving in October, the sources said. Video of day Swedish and German defense ministries were not immediately available for comment. On Oct. 11, Germany handed over the first IRIS-T air defense system, of the four that Berlin pledged to Ukraine. On Oct. 24, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany would transfer three additional IRIS-T air defense systems to Ukraine as soon as possible. Before that, the former head of the German Defense Ministry, Christine Lambrecht, said that Kyiv would receive three more IRIS-T air defense systems in 2023. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News Israel signals its prepared to provide Ukraine with military aid 3 February, 10:51 PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Emmanuel Macron (Photo:REUTERS/Benoit Tessier) During a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu announced his readiness to provide Ukraine with military items, Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel reported on Feb. 3, citing an official familiar with the negotiations. According to the report, the head of the Israeli government added that he could not go too far without provoking Russia. Netanyahus office declined to comment. In a briefing with journalists, Netanyahu would say only that I explained our policies. (Macron) knows the issue well. He also did not speak about Foreign Minister Eli Cohens upcoming trip to Kyiv. Video of day On the subject of mediation between Ukraine and Russia, Netanyahu told Macron that it was too early to think about that, and explained that he would not insist on taking part in it until both countries, as well as the United States, asked him to do so, the newspaper reported. He also stated that he is ready to consider the possibility of providing Kyiv with military assistance in particular, the supply of the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system. The PM confirmed that at the request of the United States, Israel handed over 250,000 items of U.S.-made ammunition to Ukraine. Officially, Israel condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, provides humanitarian aid but not weapons. The New York Times previously wrote that Jerusalem is secretly helping Kyiv with intelligence, in particular when it comes to countering Iranian kamikaze drones used by Moscow. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News Italian SAMP-T air defense system will soon be deployed in Ukraine 3 February, 04:32 AM SAMP-T will start "operating on the territory of Ukraine within the next seven to eight weeks" (Photo:French Ministry of Defense) The SAMP-T anti-air battery Italy and France pledged to provide to Ukraine will be deployed within two months, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Rai News on Feb. 2. According to the minister, SAMP-T will begin to operate on the territory of Ukraine within the next seven to eight weeks. In his opinion, its hard to make predictions about the liberation of the Ukraines Crimea and other temporarily occupied territories, but Tajani has no doubts that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin will definitely look for a way out. Video of day As an international community, we must devote ourselves to protecting the independence of Ukraine and the cause of peace, he added. On Jan. 30, Reuters reported that France and Italy signed a contract for the purchase of up to 700 missiles for SAMP-T anti-aircraft missile systems, presumably to be subsequently delivered to Ukraine. At the end of December 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, after which Rome announced plans to deliver modern air defense systems to Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News Ukrainian ombudsman Lubinets meets with his Turkish counterpart 3 February, 04:50 PM Dmytro Lubinets and Sheref Malkoch (Photo:t.me/dmytro_lubinetzs) Ukrainian Parliamentary Ombudsman for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets held a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Seref Malkoc, the Ukrainian official reported via the Telegram messenger on Feb. 3. During a conversation with the Turkish colleague, I emphasized that Russia is using negotiations mediated by Turkey as a platform for expressing political slogans and spreading Russian propaganda narratives, the ombudsman said. Read also: Ukrainian ombudsman Lubinets to meet with his Russian counterpart According to Lubinets, Russian propaganda is working to discredit Ukraine and is spreading fake news that have nothing to do with reality. Video of day In turn, Malkoc said that Russia has already been working on lists of Ukrainian civilian prisoners who are over 70 years old, or those over 65 who have chronic diseases. However, Moscow has requested time to work with these lists. Lubinets noted that he had thanked Malkoc for his presence, since it is important for Ukraine to have Turkeys support in the important issue of negotiations with Russia regarding the exchange of prisoners of war and civilian hostages. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News 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. By Azernews Qabil Ashirov Turkiye's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Donmez will visit Azerbaijan, Azernews reports, citing the Turkiye ministry. The ministry says that he will participate in the 9th Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council. According to the ministry, Fatih Donmez will speak about Turkiye's latest achievements in the field of energy trade. Besides, Donmez will invite his colleagues and sector representatives to the Istanbul Gas Summit, which will take place on February 14-15. Notably, the Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council is held annually in February. The first Ministerial Meeting was held on February 12, 2015. The 9th Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council will be held in Baku on February 3, 2023. According to Fortune Business Insights, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Market to Reach USD 272.44 Billion by 2028; Amgen Acquires Rodeo Therapeutics to Strengthen API Portfolio Pune, India, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global active pharmaceutical ingredient market size was USD 159.35 billion in 2020. The market is projected to grow from USD 174.17 billion in 2021 to USD 272.44 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 6.6% in the 2021-2028 period. According to our expert analysts, the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and the rising demand for modified medicine, coupled with the advent of novel drug delivery devices are few of the aspects estimated to play a crucial role in improving the active pharmaceutical ingredients market growth during the mentioned timeframe. Key Industry Development Amgen confirmed the acquisition of Rodeo Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical firm that focuses on developing small molecule therapies. The acquisition will enable Amgen to expand its inflammation APIs portfolio. Wavelength Pharmaceuticals completed the acquisition of a majority stake in Vanamali Organics Pvt. Ltd. based in Telangana, India to strengthen its global supply chain. Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/active-pharmaceutical-ingredient-api-market-102656 Report Scope & Segmentation Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2021 to 2028 Forecast Period 2021 to 2028 CAGR 6.6% 2028 Value Projection USD 272.44 Billion Base Year 2020 Market Size in 2021 USD 174.17 Billion Historical Data 2017 to 2019 No. of Pages 138 Key Takeaways As the pharmaceutical industry expands daily, several nations have put strict regulatory guidelines for the production of pharmaceutical ingredients in place. The demand for several vaccines, 40% of the demand for generic brands sold in the United States, and 25% of the demand for all medications in the United Kingdom are all met by the Indian pharmaceutical industry. China's pharmaceutical sector is expanding faster than any other after India. In 2020, there will be 2.7 million new cases of cancer and 1.3 million fatalities in the European region. Story continues Drivers and Restraints Strong Demand for Pharmaceutical Drugs to Kindle Market Growth The prevalence of various chronic diseases is on the rise owing to the upsurge in geriatric population and inactive lifestyles. This is generating an ever growing demand for therapeutic drugs in the API market. As per the Indian Brand Equity Foundations (IBEF) examination in June 2021, the Indian pharmaceutical sector was responsible for over 50% of the global demand for numerous vaccines, 40% of U.S. generic brands demand as well as U.Ks 25% of all medications demand. The aforementioned factors will bolster the active pharmaceutical ingredient market growth. To get to know more about the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this market, please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/active-pharmaceutical-ingredient-api-market-102656 Regional Insights North America to Proliferate Led by Increasing Pharmaceutical R&D North America was worth USD 76.77 billion in 2020 and the region is anticipated to be responsible for holding the highest active pharmaceutical ingredient market share of the global market during the predicted period. The European region is estimated to perceive an optimistic growth during the forecast period owing to the upsurge in resources for research programs along with existence of major market players in this region. The market in Asia Pacific is estimated to outdo the established market in North America and Europe, by recording the highest CAGR through the forecast period. Report Coverage The report presents a systematic study of the active pharmaceutical ingredient market sections and systematic examination of the market overview. A thoughtful assessment of the current market trends as well as the upcoming prospects is offered in the report. Moreover, it presents an exhaustive analysis of the regional insights and how they help to form the market growth. The COVID-19 impact has been added in the report to aid investors and business experts with an enriched understanding of the conceivable jeopardies existing in the market. The report further discusses the key players and their prominent strategies to stay in the dominating position. Quick Buy - Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Market Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/102656 Segmentation On the basis of type, the global market can be segregated into generic API, and branded API. Based on type, the market is segmented into generic API and branded API. Whereas by synthesis, the market is divided into synthetic and biological. The market is led by the synthetic API segment, this is owing to the low production price of chemically manufactured API and moderately low cost of the raw materials utilized for the production of synthetic active pharmaceutical ingredients. In terms of region, the global market can be classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World. Competitive Landscape Companies Seek Collaboration Strategies to Safeguard Their Brand Value Important players in the market are incessantly rooting for operative tactics to endorse their products and inaugurate their positions in the market. One such approach is to unveil novel products by collaborating with numerous companies to expand their reach to end-users. List of Key Players Covered in the Market Report Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (Petah Tikva, Israel) AbbVie Inc. (North Chicago, U.S.) Abbott (Abbott Park, U.S.) Aurobindo Pharma (Hyderabad, India) Cipla Inc. (Mumbai, India) Dr. Reddys Laboratories Ltd (Hyderabad, India) Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (Mumbai, India) Amgen Inc. (Thousand Oaks, U.S.) Biocon (Bengaluru, India) Mylan N.V. (Canonsburg, U.S.) Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH (Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany) Get a Quote: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/get-a-quote/active-pharmaceutical-ingredient-api-market-102656 Table of Content Global Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Type Generic API Branded API Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Synthesis Biological API Synthetic API Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Rest of World North America Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Type Generic API Branded API Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Synthesis Biological API Synthetic API Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Country U.S. Canada Europe Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Type Generic API Branded API Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Synthesis Biological API Synthetic API Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Country/Sub-Region Asia Pacific Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Type Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Synthesis Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Country/Sub-Region U.K. Germany France Italy Spain Scandinavia Rest of Europe Continued... 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Phone: US :+1 424 253 0390 UK : +44 2071 939123 APAC : +91 744 740 1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Altus Group Limited TORONTO, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Altus Group Limited (Altus or the Company) (TSX: AIF), a leading provider of asset and fund intelligence for commercial real estate, announced today that the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) has approved its notice of intention to renew its normal course issuer bid (NCIB) for its common shares as appropriate opportunities arise from time to time. Altus NCIB will be made in accordance with the policies of the TSX. Altus may purchase its common shares during the period from February 8, 2023 to February 7, 2024. Under the NCIB and subject to the market price of its common shares and other considerations, over the next 12 months Altus may purchase for cancellation up to 1,364,718 common shares, representing approximately 3% of its issued and outstanding common shares as of January 31, 2023. There were 45,490,587 common shares outstanding as of January 31, 2023. The average daily trading volume through the facilities of the TSX during the 26-week period ending January 31, 2023 was 71,734 common shares. Daily purchases will be limited to 17,933 common shares, representing 25% of the average daily trading volume, other than block purchase exemptions. Purchases may be made on the open market through the facilities of the TSX and/or alternative Canadian trading systems at the market price at the time of acquisition, as well as by other means as may be permitted by TSX rules and applicable securities laws. Any tendered shares taken up and paid for by Altus will be cancelled. The Company plans to fund the NCIB purchases from its existing cash balance. Under its previous NCIB which commenced on February 8, 2022 and expires on February 7, 2023, Altus obtained approval from the TSX to purchase up to 1,345,142 common shares. As of January 31, 2023, Altus had purchased an aggregate of 155,400 common shares for cancellation under an NCIB in the past 12 months at a weighted average price of approximately $48.54 per common share. All repurchases under an NCIB within the past 12 months were conducted through the facilities of the TSX and/or alternative Canadian trading systems. Story continues The Company intends to enter into an automatic share purchase plan with a designated broker in relation to the NCIB following the end of its current blackout period that would allow for the purchase of its common shares, subject to certain trading parameters, at times when Altus ordinarily would not be active in the market due to its own internal trading black-out period, insider trading rules or otherwise. Any such plan entered into with a broker will be adopted in accordance with applicable Canadian securities law. Outside of these periods, common shares will be repurchased in accordance with managements discretion and in compliance with applicable law. The Company is renewing the NCIB because it believes that it provides flexibility around its capital allocation investments, particularly during periods when its common shares may trade in a price range that does not adequately reflect their underlying value based on the Companys business and strong financial position. As a result, to maximize shareholder value, Altus believes that an investment in its outstanding common shares may represent an attractive use of available funds while continuing to balance other growth investments, including investing in operations and in potential M&A. Decisions regarding the amount and timing of future purchases of common shares will be based on market conditions, share price and other factors and will be at managements discretion. The Company's Board of Directors will regularly review the NCIB in connection with a balanced capital allocation strategy focused primarily on funding growth. About Altus Group Altus Group is a leading provider of asset and fund intelligence for commercial real estate. We deliver intelligence as a service to our global client base through a connected platform of industry-leading technology, advanced analytics, and advisory services. Trusted by the largest CRE leaders, our capabilities help commercial real estate investors, developers, proprietors, lenders, and advisors manage risks and improve performance returns throughout the asset and fund lifecycle. Altus Group is a global company headquartered in Toronto with approximately 2,700 employees across North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific. For more information about Altus (TSX: AIF) please visit altusgroup.com. Forward-Looking Information Certain information in this press release may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, including statements related to the NCIB and intention to enter into an automatic share purchase plan. All information contained in this press release, other than statements of current and historical fact, is forward-looking information. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by use of words such as believe, expect, anticipate, estimate, intend, may, will, would, could, should, continue, plan, goal, objective, remain and other similar expressions and the negative of such expressions, although not all forward-looking information contain these identifying words. All of the forward-looking information in this press release is qualified by this cautionary statement. Forward-looking information is not, and cannot be, a guarantee of future results or events. Forward-looking information is based on, among other things, opinions, assumptions, estimates and analyses that, while considered reasonable by us at the date the forward-looking information is provided, inherently are subject to significant risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements, industry results or events to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Those risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information include those described in our annual publicly filed documents, including the Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2021 (which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com ). We believe that the expectations reflected in forward-looking information are based upon reasonable assumptions; however, we can give no assurance that actual results will be consistent with the forward-looking information. Not all factors which affect the forward-looking information are known, and actual results may vary from the projected results in a material respect, and may be above or below the forward-looking information presented in a material respect. Given these risks, uncertainties and other factors, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information as a prediction of actual results. The forward-looking information contained herein is current as of the date of this press release and, except as required under applicable law, we do not undertake to update or revise it to reflect new events or circumstances. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Camilla Bartosiewicz Chief Communications Officer, Altus Group (416) 641-9773 camilla.bartosiewicz@altusgroup.com Bills from Sen. Booker, Reps. Khanna, McGovern, Blumenauer and Meng aim to provide stronger protections for farmed animals in alignment with ASPCA asks for the 2023 Farm Bill WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) commends federal lawmakers for introducing four bills that will help transform our food system away from the destructive factory farming model and toward a system rooted in compassion and fairness by creating new protections for animals, meatpacking workers, farmworkers, farmers and frontline communities. ASPCA logo. (PRNewsfoto/ASPCA) The ASPCA is proud to be working with a broad coalition to support this package of bills, which includes the following: Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act (Sen. Cory Booker, Reps. Jim McGovern, Earl Blumenauer, Grace Meng) would improve the welfare of farmed animals throughout the supply chain and place the liability for disasters on the corporations and industrial operators who profit the most from factory farming, rather than American taxpayers. Farm System Reform Act (Sen. Cory Booker, Rep. Ro Khanna) would create a more humane food system by moving away from destructive factory farming and support the transition toward higher welfare, pasture-based farms and alternative crop production. Protecting America's Meatpacking Workers Act (Sen. Cory Booker, Rep. Ro Khanna) would provide needed protections for meatpacking workers along with systemic reforms such as creating a fair market that allows independent farmers, ranchers and robust local food systems to thrive. Protect America's Children from Toxic Pesticides Act (Sen. Cory Booker) would end the use of more than 100 of the most damaging toxic pesticides that have been scientifically proven to harm the safety of farmworkers and their families. "The suffering built into the American food system is unconscionable, but not unsolvable. Legislation to end systemic farm animal crueltyincluding the Farm System Reform Act and the Industrial Agriculture Accountability Actwould institute vital safeguards that animals deserve and the majority of Americans demand," said Matt Bershadker, ASPCA president and CEO. "Federal lawmakers have shown compassion and courage introducing these and other measures to support meatpacking workers and protect children from toxic pesticides. We deeply appreciate their efforts and fully support this package of humane legislation on behalf of all the animals and people it will protect." Story continues "For years I have worked to elevate the voices of farmers, workers and consumers in urban and rural communities, sounding the alarm about our broken food system and calling for change," said Sen. Booker. "The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and recent climate change-related disasters have highlighted how fragile our current food system is. So, I'm excited to re-introduce a package of bills that would help mold our food system into one that is more competitive, resilient, humane and just for everyone. I'm eager to work with my colleagues on the Senate Agriculture Committee to make meaningful progress on these issues, because the status quo created by agribusiness special interests is putting all of us at risk." "Corporations running factory farms are making record profits by dodging their most basic responsibilities to treat their animals humanely, protect their workers and safeguard the environment," said Rep. McGovern. "And when disaster strikes, it's taxpayers who are picking up the tab. I'm leading the charge to pass the Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act with Senator Cory Booker and Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Grace Meng because it's time to say enough to excessive corporate greed and unnecessary cruelty. It's time for Congress to envision a food system based on compassion for farm animals. It's time for dignity for food and farm workers, and fairness for small farmers and the American public." "I have been very proud to partner with Senator Booker to try and reform our broken food system to maintain fair competition, high animal welfare standards and level the playing field for family farmers, ranchers and agricultural workers," said Rep. Khanna. "These bills shine a light on the disturbing practices in our current system and can help usher in a new, safer and more resilient system." "The Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act places the liability for disasters where it belongson big agribusiness," said Rep. Meng. "I am proud to help lead the charge on improving the welfare of animals on factory farms while also holding corporations and industrial operators liable, instead of the American taxpayer. Farm animal cruelty and the practices that allow it to thrive must come to an end. Proud to join my colleagues Reps. McGovern, Blumenauer and Senator Booker in this effort." Almost 10 billion animals are raised on U.S. factory farms every year, crowded together in intensive confinement and unable to carry out even some of their most basic natural behaviors. According to a nationwide online survey, the vast majority (89 percent) of Americans are concerned about the impacts of the factory farming industryciting animal welfare, worker safety or public health risks. This has led to strong, bipartisan support for government intervention to reform industrial animal agriculture. As the urgency around these issues continues to increase, the ASPCA recently unveiled its farm animal policy platform, calling on Congress to pass a Farm Bill that incorporates critical reforms to protect billions of farmed animals and bring our food system in alignment with Americans' widespread concerns about the impacts of industrial animal agriculture and desire to safeguard animals and the environment. The ASPCA also led more than 40 animal welfare organizations in sending a letter to President Biden and congressional leaders urging them to come together to build a more humane and fair food system through the 2023 Farm Bill. To learn more about the ASPCA's recommendations for improving farmed animal welfare through the 2023 Farm Bill, please visit ASPCA.org/2023FarmBill. About the ASPCA Founded in 1866, the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) was the first animal welfare organization to be established in North America and today serves as the nation's leading voice for vulnerable and victimized animals. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation with more than two million supporters nationwide, the ASPCA is committed to preventing cruelty to dogs, cats, equines, and farm animals throughout the United States. The ASPCA assists animals in need through on-the-ground disaster and cruelty interventions, behavioral rehabilitation, animal placement, legal and legislative advocacy, and the advancement of the sheltering and veterinary community through research, training, and resources. For more information, visit www.ASPCA.org, and follow the ASPCA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aspca-commends-federal-lawmakers-for-introducing-bills-to-create-a-more-humane-and-fair-food-system-301737996.html SOURCE ASPCA Join the most important conversation in crypto and web3! Secure your seat today The Australian government released a token mapping consultation paper on Friday and has sought responses from stakeholders on it by March 3. The move was announced in August 2022, around three months after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's new government took over from the previous labor administration under Scott Morrison. The new government said at that time it would be taking a "more serious approach to work out what is in the ecosystem and what risks need to be looked at first." "Token mapping is the process of identifying the key activities and functions of products in the crypto ecosystem and mapping them against existing regulatory frameworks," the paper said. Australia has been in damage control mode ever since the crypto contagion of 2022, which was exacerbated by the FTX exchange collapse. The authorities have been clamping down on several companies after having missed acting on its own concerns around Sam Bankman-Fried's company. In December it moved to tighten safety around crypto announcing it would establish a framework for the licensing and regulation of crypto service providers in 2023. Australias token mapping exercise is the first of its kind by a national government, going back to first principles to understand crypto and map it to an existing regulatory framework," said Angela Ang, senior policy adviser at blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs and former regulator at the Monetary Authority of Singapore. However, the biggest question was how Australia would tackle Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Ang added. The token mapping consultation paper also revealed it's plans around crypto regulation. The plan is to "release a (separate) consultation paper proposing a licensing and custody framework for crypto asset service providers in mid-2023" because "after token mapping, licensing and custody reforms are the logical next step for crypto reforms in Australia." Story continues The purpose of this consultation paper would be to identify appropriate obligations and operational standards for crypto asset service providers and how they safe-keep assets for customers. The government will seek feedback for the crypto asset consultation paper to be released in mid-2023 around the role of government in regulation of the crypto eco-system, potential safeguards for investors, and how to prevent scams. Australia also plans to complete its CBDC pilot this year and at least two major Australian banks plan to create a stablecoin. Read More: Australia to Use 'Token Mapping' as Framework for Crypto Regulation Beijing Lobbies US Allies After Push to Contain Chinas Chips (Bloomberg) -- Days after Japan and the Netherlands joined the US in agreeing to restrict some high-technology exports to China, Beijing has reached out to those American allies, encouraging them to protect existing supply-chain relationships. Most Read from Bloomberg Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in a phone call with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi on Thursday, called on Tokyo to continue upholding market principles and openness towards maintaining economic, trade and technological ties between the two Asian countries. China is committed to keeping high-level communications and working together with Japan to maintain stable industrial and supply chains, Qin said, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry. That conversation followed a separate call by Qin with Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Wopke Hoekstra on Monday, in which he said China sought to jointly safeguard the stability of international industrial and supply chains, and safeguard an open rather than divisive, orderly rather than chaotic international trade environment. Last week, the Biden administration secured an agreement with the Netherlands and Japan to restrict exports of some advanced chipmaking machinery to China, Bloomberg News reported. There was no plan for a public announcement, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. Read More: Biden Wins Deal With Dutch, Japan on China Chip Export Curbs That agreement, aimed at undercutting Beijings ambitions to build its own domestic chip capabilities, would extend some export controls the US adopted in October to companies based in the two allied nations, including ASML Holding NV, Nikon Corp. and Tokyo Electron Ltd. Story continues The US effort has angered China, prompting Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning to say Monday at a regular press briefing in Beijing that Washington is abusing export controls, which would destabilize global industrial and supply chains. In a sign China is eager to ease tensions in its relations with Japan, it resumed issuing visas to Japanese nationals starting Sunday, ending some of the retaliatory measures it took against Covid-related curbs on Chinese travelers, even when Japan maintained its border controls against travelers from China for the time being. Still, Japan in recent months has expressed concern about intensified Chinese maritime activity near islands Japan controls but China claims. Chinese and Japanese economies are mutually dependent, said Qin, adding that Beijing hopes Japan will focus on safeguarding international trade rules and its own long-term interests. Both nations should adhere to strategic independence and join hands in developing Asia into a better shape, he told his Japanese counterpart. Read Next: US-China Talk of Better Ties But Things Keep Getting Worse Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Colored engraving of the sack of Rome by the Visigoths led by Alaric I in 410. Soldiers are wielding swords and attacking the city on horseback. The "Fall of Rome" usually refers to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century A.D. But historians don't agree about the exact date, nor about its causes. And some historians argue that the Roman Empire lasted until it fell in the East, centuries later. At its height around A.D. 100, the Roman Empire stretched from modern Britain, France and much of Germany in the northwest to Egypt, Israel and Jordan in the southeast, and from what are now Morocco and Spain to Romania, Armenia and Iraq. Later emperors divided it into more manageable pieces, resulting in the Western and Eastern Roman Empires. But by the end of the fifth century A.D., the Western Roman Empire, from Britain to Italy, had collapsed and been replaced by a patchwork of "barbarian" kingdoms. "Part fell to invaders, and part disintegrated," Bryan Ward-Perkins , a historian at the University of Oxford and author of " The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization " (Oxford University Press, 2006), told Live Science in an email. "What difference this made to people on the ground is disputed." Related: Did Nero really fiddle while Rome burned? Sack of Rome, A.D. 410 A map showing the division of the Roman Empire, with the Western in aqua and the Eastern in pink. Some historians regard Aug. 24, 410, as the decisive date of the fall of Rome. On this date, an army of Visigoths sacked the city of Rome the first time since it had been overrun by Gauls during the early Roman Republic, almost 800 years earlier. The Visigoths (Western Goths) had fled the Huns' invasions of Eastern Europe in the fourth century. But in 378, after defeating a Roman army at the Battle of Adrianople (now Edirne, Turkey), the Visigoths were given lands on the empire's northern border to control and guard themselves from invaders. However, a few decades later, they again began marauding the empire; in 408, they invaded Italy, and in 410, they besieged and sacked Rome. By this time, the Roman Empire was centered in Constantinople in the east, and even Western Roman emperors lived in Milan (then called Mediolanum) or Ravenna in northern Italy. But Rome was the "eternal city" and the sacred heart of the empire, and many of the empires inhabitants saw this as the end. "The cultural shock was resounding but the practical impact seems limited," William Bowden , an professor of Roman archaeology at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, told Live Science. Story continues As city sackings go, it doesn't sound too bad: Many famous monuments and buildings were untouched, and because the Visigoths were Christians, they allowed people to take refuge in churches. The Visigoths withdrew from Italy a few years later. Abdication of Romulus Augustulus, A.D. 476 An illustration of Romulus Augustulus (standing on the ground surrounded by people) surrendering to Odoacer, who is riding a horse. Some historians regard the formal end of the Western Roman Empire as taking place decades later, on Sept. 4, 476, when Odoacer, the first barbarian king of Italy, forced the young emperor Romulus Augustulus to abdicate. Odoacer had been a Roman general of Germanic descent who professed loyalty to the Eastern Roman emperor, and he took Romulus captive at Ravenna after defeating the 16-year-old's father in battle. Odoacer didn't kill Romulus, however; because of his youth, he was instead given a pension and sent to live with relatives. (Odoacer ruled from Ravenna until 493, when he was killed by an invading Ostrogoth Eastern Goth army under their leader, Theodoric the Great, who established a powerful new kingdom in Italy.) "It's kind of an important moment," Peter Heather , a historian at King's College London and author of " The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians " (Oxford University Press, 2007), told Live Science. "Odoacer sent the imperial vestments of the West back to Constantinople, along with delegation from the Senate of Rome, and the delegation says, 'There's no longer any need for an emperor in the West.'" By this time, many regions of the Western empire were already effectively independent kingdoms, but "if you're looking for a symbolic moment, it's a pretty good one," Heather said. Empire in the East Related stories Is Latin a dead language? Why did Rome fall? When did Constantinople become Istanbul? By the fifth century A.D., however, the focus of the empire had shifted east to Constantinople, now Istanbul. Once the Greek city of Byzantium, the city was rebuilt in A.D. 330 by the emperor Constantine the Great, who transferred the imperial capital to his "New Rome." "My own view is that the eastern half of the Roman Empire is still the Roman Empire," Heather said. "It's not unchanging, but there is a sort of continuity of change, not any great rupture." Although Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, Heather sees its decline in the Arab invasions from 632 until 661, when they captured Egypt, the Levant, and parts of Anatolia from the Eastern Roman Empire. "The Arabs take about three-quarters of the empire's revenue and about three-quarters of its territory," he said. "It's a totally different kind of entity after the Arab conquest. it reduces the empire from a global power to a regional power." Douglas Insights This report provides an overview of the industry, including market size and forecast, drivers and trends affecting sales growth, segmentation by product type (e.g., wheelchair), geographic breakdowns by region (e.g., North America), company profiles of key players in each segment including market share data. Douglas, Isle Of Man, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To understand the Disabled and Elderly Assistive Technologies industry, you must understand its customers. The elderly and disabled are two distinct groups that have particular needs. The disabled population has disabilities that range from mild to severe, but what they all have in common is a need for assistive technologies that help them perform daily tasks. The elderly population is also diverse, but it's primarily comprised of people who've reached a certain age and have had to slow down or stop working altogether. Both groups rely heavily on assistive technologies to help them stay active and engaged in their communitiesand both are experiencing a significant increase in demand for these products. Millions of people in the U.S. alone are affected by disabilities and age-related conditions that make everyday tasks difficult. In fact, according to the Census Bureau, there are more than 50 million adults over the age of 65 in this countryand that number is only growing as more people live longer. The Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies industry provide products and services that help people with disabilities or ageing perform daily activities independently. The sector includes companies that manufacture wheelchairs, canes and walkers; provide personal care assistance services; supply home medical equipment such as hospital beds and electronic medical record systems. Or provide other support services such as meals or transportation. As a result of these changes, assistive technologies have become increasingly important for maintaining independence and enabling individuals to maintain their quality of life. Story continues A growing number of people are turning to assistive technologies as they age. While some of these technologies are medical devices, such as hearing aids and wheelchairs, others are designed to help older people with their daily lives. These include automatic doors and automatic lighting systems, making it easier for seniors to get around their homes safely. The industry has experienced long-term growth as the population of older adults ages and the number of disabled people increases. Older adults are more likely to need assistive technologies than younger adults due to physical limitations and health problems. Additionally, people with disabilities are more likely than others to experience cognitive or physical limitations that impact their ability to complete daily tasks at home or work. Browse to access an In-depth research report on Global Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies Market with detailed charts and figures: https://douglasinsights.com/disabled-and-elderly-assistive-technologies-market For disabled and elderly adults to age in placethat is, remain in their homes as they grow olderthey need access to products that help them complete daily tasks such as cooking meals or running errands independently. For example, the wheelchair market segment will continue growing as more people become disabled through accidents or disease. The Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies industry has experienced a significant increase in demand for its services over the past five years. As a result, the industry has grown during this period and is expected to grow at a compound annual rate (CAGR) of 4.0% over the next five years. This growth can be attributed to an ageing population and medical costs. The ageing population will create more demand for assistive technologies, which senior citizens and people with disabilities often use. These factors have increased sales of devices that fall under this category, including walkers and wheelchairs. The Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies industry has grown significantly in recent years and is expected to continue growing shortly. This growth is driven by a number of factors, including the increasing number of ageing or disabled people and the increasing quality of products available on the market. Few companies have traditionally dominated in providing assistive technologies for disabled and elderly individuals. However, this dynamic is changing rapidly as new players enter the space, offering products that are often more accessible than those offered by established companies. Concurrently, an increasing number of consumers are seeking lower-cost options that provide similar functionality to more expensive technologies on the market. These trends will likely continue, resulting in high growth rates over the next five years. Ever wondered how much the Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies industry is worth? Or what percentage of that market is dedicated to home healthcare products? If so, you're in luck. Our newest research report from Douglas Insight provides valuable insight into this industry. If you're a business owner or marketer in the Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies industry, this report will help you understand how your competition is performing. Browse to access an In-depth research report on Global Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies Market with detailed charts and figures: https://douglasinsights.com/disabled-and-elderly-assistive-technologies-market Our research experts have analyzed the Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies industry and identified key trends, drivers and opportunities. We've also identified key insights into how to build relationships with customers, grow your business and succeed in this market. This report focuses on the global market for the many assistive gadgets available to help elderly and handicapped people move about, see, hear, communicate, dress, and carry out many other daily tasks as "normally" as possible. It gives a thorough explanation of the various types of assistive technologies for the disabled and elderly, as well as their current and future market potential, including mobility aids, beds, access aids, seating systems, ergonomic aids, daily living aids, vision and reading aids, communication aids, computer access aids, medical/personal monitoring aids, and environmental aids. This report provides an overview of the industry, including market size and forecast, drivers and trends affecting sales growth, segmentation by product type (e.g., wheelchair), geographic breakdowns by region (e.g., North America), company profiles of key players in each segment including market share data. The Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies industry research report by Douglas Insights is a comprehensive guide to the industry's current trends, dynamics and competitive landscape. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the market's key drivers, restraints and opportunities. The report briefly introduces the industry and its definition, product types and applications. The report then identifies the prominent players in this industry and examines their core competencies and business strategies. The study also analyzes competitive developments such as expansions, new product launches, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and collaborations. The report comprehensively analyses the China Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies industry. It includes historical data and estimated figures for the growth in various segments of the Chinese market. The study offers insight into manufacturing capacity and import/export consumption trends. The report profiles major players in the Chinese Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies industry, including 3M Company (U.S.), Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd (Japan), Omron Corporation (Japan), Proximic Inc.(U.S.), QuantTek Corp.,(Taiwan) among others. If you want to make sure you're on top of the latest trends, check out our Douglas Insights report here. Set a budget for a custom project and see offers from publishers all over the world: https://douglasinsights.com/projects Countries Covered in the report are as below: North America - United States, Canada, and Mexico Europe - United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Spain & Rest of Europe Asia-Pacific - China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia & Rest of APAC Latin America - Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile & Rest of Latin America Middle East and Africa - Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, South Africa Segmentation Covered into Global Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies Market- By Product (Mobility Assistance, Assistive Furniture, Bathroom Safety And Assistive Products, Communication Aids, Incontinence And Ostomy Products, Activity Monitors, Location Monitors), By End User (Hospitals And Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, Home Care) Key questions answered in this report COVID 19 impact analysis on global Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies industry. What are the current market trends and dynamics in the Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies market and valuable opportunities for emerging players? What is driving Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies market? What are the key challenges to market growth? Which segment accounts for the fastest CAGR during the forecast period? Which product type segment holds a larger market share and why? Are low and middle-income economies investing in the Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies market? Key growth pockets on the basis of regions, types, applications, and end-users What is the market trend and dynamics in emerging markets such as Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa? Unique data points of this report Statistics on Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies and spending worldwide Recent trends across different regions in terms of adoption of Disabled And Elderly Assistive Technologies across industries Notable developments going on in the industry Attractive investment proposition for segments as well as geography Comparative scenario for all the segments for years 2018 (actual) and 2028 (forecast) Access complete report- https://douglasinsights.com/disabled-and-elderly-assistive-technologies-market Inquire (for customization, for specific regions, etc.): https://douglasinsights.com/static/contact-us Follow Douglas Insights for More Industry Updates- @ LinkedIn & Twitter About Douglas Insights- Douglas Insights UK limited is the first company to provide comparison of market research reports by Table of content, price, ratings and number of pages. We understand the value of time. Productivity and efficiency are possible when you take prompt and assured decisions. With our advanced algorithm, filters, and comparison engine, you can compare your preferred reports simultaneously, based on publisher rating, published date, price, and list of tables. Our data portal enables you to find and review the reports from several publishers. You can evaluate numerous reports on the same screen and select the sample for your best match. CONTACT: Office- Bridge House, W Baldwin Rd, Isle of Man IM4 5HA, Isle of Man Email- isabella@douglasinsights.com Telephone - +44 7624 248772 Web- douglasinsights.com/ Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. Ltd. Australia is set to experience exciting growth in its renowned disposable cup market in the next decade - with a projected 3.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2023 through to 2033! Home of one of the most distinct and celebrated coffee cultures on earth, Australia's industry boom promises an inviting opportunity for plenty more caffeine-filled adventures ahead. NEWARK, Del, Feb. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The disposable cups market is anticipated to be worth US$ 11.6 billion worldwide. From 2023 to 2033, it is anticipated to surge at a CAGR of 6.2%. By 2033, the market is anticipated to be worth US$ 21.1 billion. In 2023, it is predicted that the top 3 nations would account for 40% to 45% of the market. Owing to the quick pace of today's lifestyle and constant need for mobility, disposable cups are useful. Customers prefer eating at restaurants, and the rate of beverages consumed away from home is steadily increasing. They anticipate that caterers would support and provide speedy food delivery. Due to their busy lifestyles and demanding work schedules, they are finding online meal ordering to be highly convenient. Request a sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2639 Packaging of disposable cups is thought to be tamper-proof by food service providers. They are capable of protecting the food from contamination while it is being transported. Disposable plastic cups are sturdy and affordable. Insulation in these cups can increase the delivery time for both hot and cold beverages. For speedy delivery without worrying about spilling or leakage, disposable cups with lids and straw slots are convenient. Disposable cups are very convenient to transport and serve beverages. They don't take up a lot of storage space. As they are unbreakable, time-saving, and easy to clean, paper or disposable plastic cups are preferred by food service operators over glass ones. Numerous fast food restaurants, cafeterias, and food malls use disposable cups as a dependable, safe, and simple packaging solution. These can be delivered to clients quickly, which would expand the disposable cups market. Story continues Key Takeaways from Disposable Cups Market Less than 250 ml disposable cups by capacity is projected to hold a substantial disposable cups market share of 52% by 2033. By material, the paper disposable cups segment is anticipated to accelerate at a CAGR of 6.0% between 2023 from 2033. The beverages segment by application is expected to create an absolute dollar opportunity of US$ 7.0 million during the forecast period. Europe followed by South Asia is estimated to generate high demand for disposable cups, accounting for around 44% of share by 2033. Australia disposable cups market is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 3.0% from 2023 to 2033. Increasing demand for on-the-go snacking is projected to propel sales of tea, coffee, lemonade, and soft drinks worldwide. It is projected to drive disposable cups sales in the next ten years. Key companies are likely to develop new cups with innovative materials to attract a large consumer base, says a lead Future Market Insights analyst. Demand for Sustainable Packaging to Create New Growth Opportunities for Disposable Cups Manufacturers Innovation is important because it aids businesses in market penetration, the creation of better prospects, and customer engagement. The disposable cup market offers significant potential for innovation to provide high-quality food service goods. Paper cups can help to get around few of the problems with plastic cups. It might also aid in expansion for throwaway cups. For instance, In July 2021, following single-use plastic ban in the European Union, Vegware updated their disposable cups design to comply with the single-use plastics directive. In June 2021, Novolex launched a new manufacturing line to produce compostable cups from plant-based plastic (polylactic acid) which appears, behaves, and performs just like a traditional plastic cup. Ask an Analyst @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-2639 Plastic Ban in Significant Regions is Expected to Deter Disposable Cup Sales Single-use plastic damages wildlife, flora, and fauna. It also pollutes the environment and uses up vital natural resources in its production. Due to the massive amount of plastic waste in landfills and the ocean, several nations have outlawed single-use plastics. Around 15 million metric tonnes of plastic debris are dumped into the ocean annually, according to Oceana Inc. Every minute, around two trucks worth of plastic trash are produced and dumped into the ocean. More than any other nation, the USA produces a substantial amount of plastic waste. Devastating effects may result from the rapid increase in terms of plastic manufacturing. Expanded polystyrene products are no longer available and are even prohibited in Europe. Purpose of this new rule named Single-Use-Plastics (SUP), is to lessen negative effects that plastic has on both human health and the aquatic environment. The order was incorporated into national law and became effective on July 3, 2021. Any nation that violates these duties will pay a price. Numerous countries are imposing restrictions on single-use plastics, which is impeding expansion of the disposable cup business. Competition Landscape: Disposable Cups Market Key players operating in the global disposable cups market are Pactiv LLC, Berry Global Group, Inc., Dart Container Corporation, Huhtamaki Oyj, Detpak (Detmold Group), Georgia-Pacific LLC, Greiner Packaging International GmbH, and Genpak, LLC. Also, few of the other noticeable players in the market are Fuling Plastic USA, Inc., Churchill Container, ConverPack Inc., FrugalPac Limited, Go-Pak Group, Grupo Phoenix Capital Limited, CEE Schisler Packaging Solutions, F Bender Limited, SEDA International Packaging Group S.p.A., Duni Group Global, and Stanpac Inc. and others. Tier 1 players in the market hold 15 to 20% in the global disposable cups market. Disposable Cups Market Outlook by Category By Material Type: Paper Plastic Foam Bagasse By Capacity: Less than 250 ml 250 to 750 ml Above 750 ml By Application: Food Spreads Sausages & Dressings Confectionary Dairy Ice Cream Yogurt Drinks Beverages Hot Cold By Sales Channel: Manufacturers (Direct Sales) Retail Hypermarket Supermarket Convenience Stores Specialty Stores Distributors Online By End Use: Commercial Use Hotels & Cafes Full Service Restaurants Quick Service Restaurants Venues & Catering Mobile Food Vendors Bakery & Patisserie Institutional Use Schools & Colleges Offices Hospitals Airports & Railways Household Use Ask For Customization @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-2639 Table of Content 1. Executive Summary | Disposable Cups Market 1.1. Global Market Outlook 1.2. Market Analysis 1.3. Analysis and Recommendations 2. Market Overview 2.1. Market Definition 2.2. Market Taxonomy 3. Key Market Trends 3.1. Key Trends Impacting the Market 3.2. Product Innovation Trends Read More Toc.. About the Packaging Division at Future Market Insights The packaging division at Future Market Insights provides an in-depth historical analysis and projections for the next ten years and covers the competition landscape through a unique dashboard view. Ranging from packaging materials, packaging machinery to packaging designs & formats, Future Market Insights has an exhaustive database for these industry verticals, serving clients with unique research offerings and strategic recommendations. With a repository of 1,000+ reports, the team has analyzed the packaging industry comprehensively in 50+ countries. The team evaluates every node of the value chain and provides end-to-end research and consulting services; reach out to explore how we can help. Have a Look at Related Research Reports of Packaging Disposable Medicine Measuring Cups Market Size: The global disposable medicine measuring cups market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of ~6.4%, during the forecast period. Newly released data from disposable medicine measuring cups market analysis shows that global demand of overall disposable medicine measuring cups market is anticipated to reach millions of units by 2031. Disposable Curd Cups Market Forecast: The overall disposable curd cups market is forecasted to expand at a value compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of ~6.0% from 2021-2031 and reach millions of units by 2031. Paper Pleated Cups Market Outlook: A recent FMI study shows the effect of COVID-19 on Paper Pleated Cups Market: Global Industry Analysis and Review of Paper Pleated Cups Market for 2020-2030. Disposable Barrier Sleeves Market Share: The disposable barrier sleeves market size is projected to be valued at US$ 15.8 Bn in 2022 and is expected to surpass US$ 27 Bn by 2032. The sales of disposable barrier sleeves are likely to grow at an average CAGR of 5.5% during the forecast period. Recyclable Cups Market Trends: Expected to flourish at a value CAGR of 5.3%, the global recyclable cups market is likely to enjoy a positive expansion trajectory. According to this seminal study undertaken by Future Market Insights, demand for recyclable cups is expected to remain robust, concluding at a valuation of US$ 450 Million by the end of 2022. About Future Market Insights, Inc. Future Market Insights, Inc. is an ESOMAR-certified business consulting & market research firm, a member of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce and is headquartered in Delaware, USA. A recipient of Clutch Leaders Award 2022 on account of high client score (4.9/5), we have been collaborating with global enterprises in their business transformation journey and helping them deliver on their business ambitions. 80% of the largest Forbes 1000 enterprises are our clients. We serve global clients across all leading & niche market segments across all major industries. Contact Us: Future Market Insights Inc. Christiana Corporate, 200 Continental Drive, Suite 401, Newark, Delaware - 19713, USA T: +1-845-579-5705 LinkedIn| Twitter| Blogs | YouTube For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com HONG KONG, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Doo Group's subsidiary company, namely, Doo Consulting Limited ("the Trust Company") and a member of Doo Wealth, embarks on a momentous milestone with the successful registration as a Hong Kong trust company pursuant to the Trustee Ordinance (Cap. 29 Laws of Hong Kong). In addition to becoming a registered Hong Kong trust company, the Trust Company currently holds a license to provide trust or company service business in Hong Kong ("TCSP license"). The Trust Company The Trust Company as the trustee of a private trust arrangement acts as a custodian for trusts, estates, custodial arrangements, asset management, stock transfer, and beneficial ownership registration. Asset Management Based on the objectives of clients' customized investment strategy, the Trust Company as the trustee makes investment decisions on behalf of clients. Alternatively, the Trust Company can help clients develop investment strategies while providing expertise and advice, encompassing portfolio construction, asset allocation and re-investment suggestions. Our asset management services and solutions include, but not limited to, the following: Investment Portfolio Management Investment Fund Management Financial Planning Services Financial Portfolio Management in Global Markets Custody Services As trustee, the Trust Company's specialized custody solutions complement other investment services, helping investment advisors and individual clients to fulfil a broader range of investment needs. Custody Solutions Institutional Custody The Trust Company helps client organizations meet custody requirements and investor demand for transparency. Investor Custody It is important to work with a Trustee that specializes in and has the experience to administer a wide range of alternative assets as well as many different account types. Types of Assets in Custody While many financial institutions custody stocks, bonds and mutual funds, the Trust Company is an independent trust company that can custody both alternative and traditional assets. Story continues Custody Services Benefits and Services The Trust Company can assist institutions and advisors to take advantage of the growing investor demand for alternatives. Doo Group has been unleashing potential opportunities in various fields to empower clients with a wider range of services. The Trust Company has become the benchmark for Doo Group in forging a sustainable future and demonstrates the substantial strength of Doo Wealth as a Doo Group brand. For more information, visit us at www.doogroup.com Email: marketing@doogroup.com SOURCE Doo Group The deal establishes a vast presence for the cloud service company in the data economy TAIPEI, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A Strong Alliance of Cloud Services + Data Services Photo / (from left) Xu Zewei, General Manager of Vpon Taiwan; Arthur Chan, Chief Operating Officer of Vpon; TK Young, Chairman of Epic Cloud; and Zhu Yiqing, Vice General Manager of Epi Cloud (PRNewsfoto/Vpon) Huge swaths of the world of business now belong to the cloud and data. IDC estimates that in the global big data analysis space, cloud spending in 2023 will surpass that of local deployments for the first time. In this context, MetaAge 's cloud service company, Epic Cloud , staked out a major role for itself in the growing cloud and data economy with the acquisition of the Taiwan distributorship for Vpon Big Data, a leading Big Data platform provider in Asia. The future belongs to the cloud and big data The data economy is growing in size. According to Precedence Research, the global big data market is expected to reach US$346.3 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 30%. In light of the growing business value of big data, Epic Cloud has, over the last few years, been aggressively expanding its Customer Experience Data Solutions, a solutions package that help companies accurately capture consumer profiles and convert data and traffic into long-term revenue. Epic Cloud chairman TK Young said that the future belongs to the cloud and big data, while the resources and applications of both will complement each other. Epic Cloud believes that Vpon's advanced big data analysis technologies and its mobile database, the richest in Asia, in tandem with Epic Cloud's Cloud native system integration and development technology, will enable companies to effectively monetize their collections of data. Vpon takes data as the core, targeting the whole Asia Vpon is Asia's leading Big Data company, helping brands extract value from their data. With access to 900 million mobile devices monthly and the 21 billion bits of biddable traffic that are generated through these devices across the Asia Pacific region on a daily basis, Vpon has more than 1,500 of the world's leading brands as its customers, with operations in Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo and Osaka. Story continues Vpon chief operating officer Arthur Chan said that the company has a long history of providing data-centric, comprehensive data solutions to companies, including data analysis services, advertising, cross-border marketing, and e-commerce performance optimization. The partnership will combine Epic Cloud's strong technical capabilities in cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) to help financial institutions, government agencies and retailers, among other sectors, embark on accurate and compliant digital transformation, while providing users with immediate results in data power and integrated marketing. The Cloud Native + Big Data monetization solution accelerates business growth Currently, Epic Cloud's Customer Experience Data Solution includes the world-leading marketing solution HubSpot, a CRM + Marketing + Sales + Customer Service platform, and Infobip, a one-stop, all-channel marketing platform, which, when combined with Vpon's leadership position in the data economy, provides a powerful set of tools. In response to the strong convergence of cloud and big data, Epic Cloud will leverage its expertise in cloud-native applications and combine it with Vpon's line-up of solutions designed to deliver data-driven business growth, to address the needs of different industries for data navigation and continue to provide more established data monetization solutions. About Vpon Big Data Group Vpon Big Data Group ("Vpon") is Asia's leading big data company with advanced big data analysis technologies and the richest mobile data in Asia to provide the most effective data core solutions to the market. Founded in 2008, Vpon is headquartered in Taipei and has 8 offices in the Asia Pacific region spanning Taipei, Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Singapore, and Bangkok. The company plans to continue to expand in Asia and into Europe and the Americas. Vpon has an international C-level core management team of top talented persons from various countries, and has also passed the ISO 27001/27701 certification for compliance. With monthly access to 900 million mobile devices, a collection of quality media resources covering the Asia-Pacific region, and a leading team specializing in cutting-edge big data and artificial intelligence technologies, the company provides comprehensive Data Solutions and AI Solutions, including data analysis services, brand promotion, cross-border marketing, performance optimization and enterprise digital transformation, to help customers improve brand recognition and create efficient transactions. Vpon has launched the Wee Global Data Marketplace cross-border data trading platform in Japan and Taiwan, the first of its kind in Asia! It is also the only firm that provides a secure and reliable cross-border data trading environment that connects the supply side and the demand side. To learn more about Vpon, please visit www.vpon.com . SOURCE Vpon Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has gotten acquainted with Azerbaijani culture, Azernews reports, citing Azertag. Klaus Iohannis visited the National Carpet Museum, where he was informed about Azerbaijan's carpet-weaving traditions. He also familiarized himself with the museum's rich collection. The Romanian president viewed the rare samples of piled and piles carpets exhibited at the museum. The exposition includes seven main carpet weaving schools, including Guba, Baku, Shirvan, Ganja, Gazakh, Karabakh, and Tabriz. During the museum tour, it was emphasized that thanks to the work carried out by Azerbaijan's First Lady, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva, Azerbaijani carpet weaving art was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on November 16, 2010. Furthermore, Klaus Iohannis visited the Icherisheher (The Old City), a historic core of Baku, where he was informed about the Icharishahar State Historical and Architectural Reserve. Icherisheher became the first location in Azerbaijan to be classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. In 2000, the Old City of Baku, including the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower, became the first location in Azerbaijan to be classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Romanian president also visited the Palace of Shirvanshahs, known as an architectural gem of the Shirvanshah dynasty. In the 15th century, the Shirvanshah dynasty, under Ibrahim I of Shirvan, transferred its capital from Shamaha to Baku following a devastating earthquake. He committed himself to the construction of the palace, which is believed to be a memorial complex built around the sacred worship place. The palace complex was declared a museum in 1964, and taken under state protection. The National Carpet Museum and Icherisheher made a strong impression on the Romanian president. Recall that Klaus Iohannis was on an official visit to Azerbaijan on February 2-3. As part of his visit, he met with Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev to discuss bilateral cooperation in various. Among the main topics, the focus was on the talks on the agreement between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, and Hungary on the strategic partnership in the field of transport and green energy development. The Romanian president also took part in the opening of the Ministerial Meeting of the Advisory Council of the Southern Gas Corridor. ReportLinker during the forecast period. The growth of the global biologics safety testing market is driven by factors such as the strict regulatory scenario implemented for quality control testing for biopharmaceutical production, increase in the number of approved biologics products worldwide, growing use of biologics safety testing reagents and kits for cell culture contamination detection, and increases in R&D spending and government support will significantly boost biologics testing activities. New York, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Biologics Safety Testing Market by Product & Service, Application, Test Type, End User - Global Forecast to 2027" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05018003/?utm_source=GNW By product & service segment, the service segment accounted for the largest share of the Biologics Safety Testing market Based on product and service, the biologics safety testing market is segmented into consumables, services, and instruments.In 2021, the services segment accounted for the largest market share. The large share of this segment can be attributed to large biopharmaceutical companies routinely outsource numerous tasks, such as process and product validation, process monitoring and quality control, toxicology, and other preclinical studies. By application, the monoclonal antibodies development and manufacturing segment accounted for the largest market share of the Biologics safety testing market Based on application, the biologics safety testing market is segmented into monoclonal antibodies development and manufacturing, vaccines development and manufacturing, blood and blood products development and manufacturing, cellular and gene therapy products development and manufacturing, and other applications.In 2021, the monoclonal antibodies development and manufacturing segment accounted for the largest market share. The large share of this segment can be attributed to the growing number of regulatory approvals. Asia Pacific: The fastest-growing region in the biologics safety testing market. The biologics safety testing market in the Asia Pacific region is projected to register the highest growth during the forecast period. Factors such as growth in the outsourcing industry in the Asia Pacific region, vastly expanding R&D funding by biopharmaceutical companies and government, minimized outsourcing costs, and rising patient population resulting in growing manufacturing of biologics are expected to drive market growth. North America accounted for the largest share of the Biologics safety testing market in 2021 North America accounted for the largest share of the biologics safety testing market in 2021.Rapid growth in the biopharmaceutical industry is the major factor driving the growth of the North American biologics safety testing market. High number of pre-registration and other-phase drugs in the pipeline by pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology/gene therapy/genomics companies and the presence of major market players in this region are also driving the market for biologics safety testing in North America. Breakdown of primaries The study contains insights from various industry experts, ranging from component suppliers to Tier 1 companies and OEMs. The break-up of the primaries is as follows: By Respondent Supply Side- 80%, Demand Side-20% By Designation CXOs - 20%, Executives - 25%, Mangers - 55% By Region North America - 40%, Europe - 30%, APAC 20%, LATAM & MEA- 10% The Biologics Safety Testing market is dominated by a few globally established players such Charles River Laboratories, Inc. (US), Lonza (Switzerland), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (US), Merck KGaA (Germany), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. (Switzerland), Agilent Technologies, Inc. (US), Labcorp (US), SGS SA (Switzerland), WuXi AppTec (China), Sartorius AG (Germany), Associates of Cape Cod, Inc. (US), bioMerieux SA (France), Eurofins Scientific (Luxembourg), FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation (Japan), Almac Group (UK), Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (US), QIAGEN (Germany) , Pacific BioLabs (US), InvivoGen (US), Microcoat Biotechnologie GmbH (Germany), PromoCell GmbH (Germany), Samsung Biologics (South Korea), GenScript (China), Maravai Lifesciences (US), Accugen Laboratories, Inc. (US) and Nelson Laboratories, LCC (US) Research Coverage: The report segments the Biologics Safety Testing market based on region (Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America and Middle East and Africa), product and service (consumables, services, and instruments), application (monoclonal antibodies development and manufacturing, vaccines development and manufacturing, blood and blood products development and manufacturing, cellular and gene therapy products development and manufacturing, and other applications.), and test types (endotoxin tests, sterility tests, mycoplasma tests, bioburden tests, virus safety tests, residual host-cell proteins and DNA detection tests, and other biologics safety tests). The report also provides a comprehensive review of market drivers, opportunities, challenges and restrains in the Biologics Safety Testing market. Key Benefits of Buying the Report: The report will help the leaders/new entrants in this market with information on the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall market and the sub-segments.This report will help stakeholders understand the competitive landscape and gain more insights to better position their businesses and plan suitable go-to-market strategies. The report also helps stakeholders understand the pulse of the Biologics Safety Testing market and provides them information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05018003/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 ReportLinker MARKET INSIGHTS. Therapeutic contact lenses (TCLs) are mainly used for corneal diseases, and the clinical use of TCL after ophthalmic surgery usually focuses on corneal lesions, corneal refractive surgery, and corneal transplantation. New York, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Therapeutic Contact Lenses Market - Global Outlook & Forecast 2022-2027" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06415611/?utm_source=GNW These bandages were also used in cataract surgery. It also stimulates corneal metabolism, improves corneal regeneration, increases epithelial adhesion, maintains hydration, reduces collagenase accumulation, reduces edema, improves corneal clarity and vision, and is a vehicle for ophthalmic drug delivery. The two most common contact lens variants available in the therapeutic contact lenses market include hard and soft contact lenses. RGP contact lenses are the most common type of hard contact lenses available in the industry. These lenses are usually made from plastic materials. These lenses hold their shape firmly and allow oxygen to flow through the wearers eye lens. RGP lenses are helpful for people with astigmatism and keratoconus as they enable sharper vision when the cornea is unevenly curved compared to soft contact lenses. Soft contact lenses are made up of hydrogel and silicone hydrogel materials. Nearly 125 million people worldwide wear contact lenses to correct regular or common vision problems, such as myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia, and astigmatism. This vision correction can be done per the users needs without disturbing the physical appearance. By 2050, more than 2 billion people will be aged over 60. There is an increase in the global target population with the number of people requiring vision corrections. For instance, around 153 million people are affected by uncorrected refractive errors, 1.7 billion have presbyopia, 352 million people suffer from dry eyes, and 20 million people are facing blind from cataracts. In addition, the diabetic population does suffer from various vision-related issues. For instance, around 93 million people suffer from diabetic retinopathy, and more than 67 million suffer from glaucoma. IMPACT OF COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic has largely affected customer behavior regarding therapeutic contact lenses. A considerable rise in first-time contact lens users has recently been witnessed. However, there has been an increase in the markets percentage of contact lens dropouts. Some first-time contact lens users include medical professionals, management professionals, and office workers who use computers and electronic devices for long hours daily. The common goal of these contact lens users was to eliminate the dependency on spectacle corrections while performing critical tasks. Simultaneously, in 2020, there was an increase in dropouts among long-term contact lens users in the therapeutic contact lenses market. Some reasons for a decline or complete discontinuation in contact lenses include concerns associated with the high risk of contracting infections, worsened dry eye conditions, and low demand for contact lenses due to remote work options from the comfort of homes. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS Increasing Use of Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses Silicone hydrogel contact lenses have become the most widely used contact lenses. As they are easy and handy to use with no maintenance required, they do not cause any harm to people compared to extended wearable lenses. Also, Silicone hydrogel lenses can treat eye problems such as red eyes, blurred vision, corneal swelling, and general discomfort in the eyes. Many key players in the therapeutic contact lenses market do offer Silicone hydrogel therapeutic contact lenses, such as Acuvue Oasys (Johnson & Johnson Vision Care), Air Optix Aqua (Alcon), Biofinity (CooperVision), and PureVision2 (Bausch & Lomb). The Coming Rise of Drug-delivery Contact Lenses Extensive research has been documented recognizing the potential of BCL as a drug delivery system. This is due to their superior drug bioavailability compared to eye drops and their ability to be used on long-wearing schedules, increasing dosing frequency, side effects, and compliance. Desired properties of drug delivery devices include easy, comfortable, and controlled administration over an extended period with preservation of vision and ocular function. Introduction of Hi-Tech Contact Lenses Hi-tech contact lenses are used to treat eye disorders and more. The hi-tech contact lenses involve various processes, such as delivering the drug to the eye, providing augmented reality, monitoring eye health conditions, and more. Mojo Vision, a California-based company working on AR (Augmented Reality) based smart contact lenses, has launched contact lenses that elevate users vision. These lenses are equipped with an inbuilt display that provides timely information regarding the objects focused on without interrupting the real vision. Growing Prevalence of Ophthalmic Disorders & Geriatric Population As populations continue to expand, so does the need for eye care. Aging is one of the most significant global demographic factors impacting eye care as the need for vision correction increases and becomes more complex as a person grows older. In 2018, around one-third of the global population was above the age of 45, the average onset of presbyopia (long-sightedness caused by loss of elasticity of the eyes lens). Further, the rise in urbanization and the expansion of middle classes in fast-developing markets, particularly in Latin America and Asia, have transformed the economy and local eye health requirements. A considerable increase in migration from rural areas to cities in search of better jobs has contributed to the demand for better healthcare requirements and trends. Increased disposable incomes are encouraging people to prefer the luxury products like contact lenses in the market, which is one of the major factors contributing to the growth of the global therapeutic contact lenses market. Technological Advancements in Contact Lenses The key vendors in the contact lenses market are constantly investing in research & development to launch a new variety of contact lenses benefitting the markets users and fulfilling the markets unmet needs. New products are one of the unique strategies to drive customers towards new products with unique features in the therapeutic contact lenses market. In 2019, Bausch & Lomb launched the ULTRA multifocal toric contact lens for presbyopia patients. The ULTRA multifocal for astigmatism features vision at all distances and a stable fit for consistent results. Public and Private Initiatives to Increase Vision Care Awareness Favorable initiatives of governments around the world to promote advanced vision aids will support therapeutic contact lenses market growth in the coming years. For example, the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is actively working to raise awareness of behaviors and risk factors that affect vision in contact lens wearers through the Vision Health Initiative. In addition to government and public health organizations, many private organizations worldwide are actively involved in advancing ophthalmology. For example, in 2018, Johnson & Johnson Vision launched a global campaign called SpotlightSight in honor of World Sight Day. SEGMENTATION ANALYSIS INSIGHTS BY MATERIAL The global therapeutic contact lenses market is segmented into soft and rigid contact lenses by material segment. Among the material segment, the soft contact lenses segment dominates the market with a share of 85.25%, followed by rigid contact lenses in 2021. The soft contact lenses segment will likely witness the highest CAGR of 5.03%, with incremental growth of USD 932.18 million. Hydrogels used to manufacture therapeutic soft contact lenses are commonly synthesized by free radical and UV photopolymerization and cast molding. The main network of hydrogels that make up soft contact lenses is usually based on poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (HEMA), especially methafilcon A. Soft hydrogel contact lenses are typically more comfortable to wear than rigid or hard lenses, as they are more flexible and move and bend with the eyes. Segmentation by Material Soft Contact Lenses Rigid Contact Lenses INSIGHTS BY USAGE The daily replacement segment dominated the global therapeutic contact lenses market, with a share of 55.24% in 2021, and is likely to witness the highest CAGR of 5.16%. Daily replacement contact lenses are one-time usable lenses that are discarded post-usage. One of the major reasons for the preference is its ease of use, reduced infections, and more comfort on the eye. This has largely driven the usage of daily disposable contact lenses in the market. Daily disposable contact lenses are increasing among specialists and are also largely recommended among users. Further, the adoption of daily contact lenses is high among developed countries, whereas among developing countries, the usage of daily disposable contact lenses is low in the market. Segmentation by Usage Daily Disposable Frequently Replacement INSIGHTS BY APPLICATION The post-ocular surgery segment dominated the global therapeutic contact lenses market with a share of 35.77%. The use of therapeutic lenses is safe and effective in protecting the ocular surface and stabilizing the tear film after cataract surgery, has the advantage of preserving the immediate vision of the operated eye, and is a promising alternative to covering the eye patch coverage in the postoperative management of cataracts surgical patients, especially those with monovision. However, the corneal surgery/disorder segment will likely witness the highest incremental growth of USD 345.57 million over the forecast period. Therapeutic contact lenses are important for treating ocular surface and corneal disorders. A therapeutic contact lens or bandage lens is a contact lens that protects and heals the cornea. Further, the increasing number of corneal surgeries drives the demand for therapeutic lenses. Corneal surgery/transplantation is currently the worlds most widely performed tissue transplant procedure. Segmentation By Application Post Ocular Surgery Corneal Surgery/Disorder Drug Delivery Others INSIGHTS BY DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL The Omni channel distribution dominates the therapeutic contact lenses market with a share of 73.31%. It is likely to witness incremental growth of USD 864.79 million. The Omni channels comprise retail and online stores. Compared to developed countries, such as Latin America and Asia, distribution through retail stores has increased in developing countries. The reputation, consumer awareness about the brands, and customer satisfaction have increased loyalty, still driving them to prefer retail stores to purchase contact lenses in the market. In addition, multiple commercial campaigns are launched by various retail stores, which attracts users to move towards retail stores. Segmentation By Distribution Channel Omni Channel Hospitals & Eye Care Clinics GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS In 2021, North America dominated the global therapeutic contact lenses market with a share of 34.68%. The region is one of the major consumers of contact lenses due to peoples increased awareness and disposable income. This makes the companies largely focus on launching their products in the market. Countries like the US and Canada have well-developed healthcare systems and a stringent regulatory environment for manufacturers of contact lenses. Also, market vendors are investing in R&D initiatives and advanced technologies to develop efficient contact lens products. APAC is expected to witness the highest CAGR growth of 5.30% in the global therapeutic contact lenses market over the forecast period. In 2020, APAC had a higher number of customers using contact lenses in the countries such as China, India, and more. In addition, the surge in the target population is majorly driving the demand for contact lenses. The growing myopic population in the region, including teenagers, and elderly individuals, is one of the driving factors. In addition, increasing awareness regarding brand consciousness is accelerating the demand for contact lenses in the region. Segmentation by Geography APAC o China o Japan o India o South Korea o Australia North America o US o Canada Europe o Germany o France o UK o Italy o Spain Latin America o Brazil o Mexico o Argentina Middle East & Africa o Turkey o Saudi Arabia o South Africa o UAE VENDOR LANDSCAPE The global therapeutic contact lenses market is highly consolidated, with the key players including Alcon, Bausch & Lomb, Johnson & Johnson, and The Cooper Companies accounting for a major market share. The market is subjected to constant technological advances and regularly evolving vision correction requirements and standards. Vendors compete based on product variety, pricing, quality, technological leadership and innovation, and the efficacy of therapeutic contact lenses. Key Developments in The Global Therapeutic Contact Lenses Market Alcon brands such as Dailies and Air Optix have enabled the company to achieve a significant therapeutic contact lens market share. In 2016, Alcon launched Air Optix plus HydraGlyde in the US and the EU, an innovative upgrade to monthly SiHy contact lenses featuring the HydraGlyde moisture matrix technology for long-lasting lens surface wettability and another product, DAILIES TOTAL1 Multifocal contact lenses in both the US and the EU. Johnson & Johnsons growth is primarily driven by its daily disposable lens sales in the ACUVUE OASYS contact lenses category. In 2021, Johnson & Johnson Vision received approval in Canada for ACUVUE Abiliti 1-Day Soft Therapeutic Lenses for Myopia Management. Key Vendors Alcon Bausch & Lomb Johnson & Johnson The Cooper Companies Other Prominent Vendors ABB Optical Group AccuLens Advanced Vision Technologies Contamac Excellent Hi-Care Medennium Menicon Metro Optics Orion Vision Group POLYTOUCH Shine Optical SURGITECH INNOVATION SynergEyes UltraVision CLPL Walman Visionary Optics KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED 1. What is the size of the therapeutic contact lenses market? 2. What is the growth rate of the therapeutic contact lenses market? 3. Who are the key players in the global therapeutic contact lenses market? 4. Which region has the highest global therapeutic contact lenses market share? 5. What factors impact the growth of the therapeutic contact lenses market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06415611/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 (Bloomberg) -- Googles recent job cuts pushed out several company veterans who were instrumental in building its massive display advertising business an operation thats now in the crosshairs of the US government. Most Read from Bloomberg At least five executives who have played key roles in Googles ad tech division lost their jobs as part of the workforce reductions, according to posts on LinkedIn and people familiar with the decisions. Three of the executives came to Google with DoubleClick, the ad-tech firm the search giant struck a deal to buy in 2007. The acquisition made Google a powerhouse in digital advertising. While some of these executives had moved to other parts of the company, their departure may be a sign that Google is drifting away from a business that has weathered significant privacy and antitrust scrutiny. Last week, the US Department of Justice sued Alphabet Inc.s Google, charging the company with illegally dominating digital advertising technology. The acquisition of DoubleClick was a first step in Googles march to monopoly, the DOJ and eight states argued in the complaint. Google has denied running a monopoly. The company will likely defend its practices against the charges in court for months, if not years. But it will do so without some of the key architects of its web ads business. A spokesperson for Google didnt respond to a request for comment on the departure of the executives. Asked about the cutbacks during an interview last week, Dan Taylor, Googles vice president of global ads, said he couldnt share how many people on the companys ad teams lost their jobs, but noted the reductions affected all product areas at Alphabet. He stressed that the display business remains a priority for Google going forward. Story continues Were incredibly committed to ensuring that an ads-based business model for the internet continues to thrive, Taylor said. In January, Alphabet announced it was cutting roughly 12,000 jobs from divisions across Google. Among those who lost their jobs was Scott Spencer, a Google vice president who joined with DoubleClick in 2008, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. Jonathan Bellack, another former DoubleClick executive, also was let go. Both are viewed as likely witnesses in the antitrust case. Aitan Weinberg, a veteran Google executive who also joined the company as part of the DoubleClick acquisition, also lost his job, according to a post on LinkedIn. Weinberg declined to comment. Spencer didnt respond to a request for comment. Bellack wrote in a post on LinkedIn that he had already made the decision to leave Google prior to being laid off. In an interview, he said he stopped working on ads at Google in 2018 and had been lucky to work with some phenomenally talented people at the company. Spencer and Weinberg had also moved on to other teams within Google during their tenure at the company. A number of DoubleClick alumni remain in key roles at Google, including Neal Mohan, YouTubes chief product officer. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V. GUADALAJARA, Mexico, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V., (NYSE: PAC; BMV: GAP) (the Company or GAP) announces preliminary terminal passenger traffic figures for the month of January 2023, compared with the same period of 2022. For January 2023, the total number of terminal passengers at GAPs 12 Mexican airports increased by 30.0%, compared to the same period of 2022. Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Guadalajara, and Tijuana presented an increase in passenger traffic of 46.5%, 39.2%, 31.7%, and 20.1% respectively, compared to January 2022. On the other hand, Montego Bay increase by 67.6% and Kingston 59.6%, compared to 2022. Domestic Terminal Passengers (in thousands): Airport Jan-22 Jan-23 % Change Guadalajara 737.5 991.1 34.4 % Tijuana* 592.8 713.6 20.4 % Puerto Vallarta 162.2 226.2 39.5 % Los Cabos 170.5 229.8 34.8 % Montego Bay 0.0 0.0 0.0 % Guanajuato 128.5 180.4 40.4 % Hermosillo 122.5 157.4 28.4 % Kingston 0.1 0.0 (30.2 %) Morelia 51.4 67.3 30.8 % Mexicali 99.5 123.4 24.0 % La Paz 74.7 77.8 4.1 % Aguascalientes 50.3 54.4 8.1 % Los Mochis 30.9 32.2 4.3 % Manzanillo 7.8 9.1 17.3 % Total 2,228.6 2,862.6 28.4 % International Terminal Passengers (in thousands): Airport Jan-22 Jan-23 % Change Guadalajara 361.7 456.8 26.3 % Tijuana* 328.6 393.4 19.7 % Puerto Vallarta 306.8 460.9 50.3 % Los Cabos 318.8 451.4 41.6 % Montego Bay 267.6 448.4 67.6 % Guanajuato 67.8 77.9 14.9 % Hermosillo 6.7 6.6 (2.1 %) Kingston 91.5 146.0 59.7 % Morelia 44.3 56.8 28.1 % Mexicali 0.3 0.5 50.2 % La Paz 2.3 1.2 (50.0 %) Aguascalientes 18.8 22.9 22.0 % Los Mochis 0.6 0.6 1.0 % Manzanillo 8.8 9.4 7.6 % Total 1,824.6 2,532.8 38.8 % Total Terminal Passengers (in thousands): Airport Jan-22 Jan-23 % Change Guadalajara 1,099.2 1,447.9 31.7 % Tijuana* 921.4 1,107.0 20.1 % Puerto Vallarta 468.9 687.1 46.5 % Los Cabos 489.2 681.2 39.2 % Montego Bay 267.6 448.4 67.6 % Guanajuato 196.2 258.3 31.6 % Hermosillo 129.3 164.0 26.8 % Kingston 91.5 146.1 59.6 % Morelia 95.7 124.1 29.6 % Mexicali 99.8 123.8 24.1 % La Paz 77.0 78.9 2.4 % Aguascalientes 69.1 77.3 11.9 % Los Mochis 31.5 32.9 4.3 % Manzanillo 16.6 18.6 12.1 % Total 4,053.2 5,395.5 33.1 % *Passengers in Tijuana who use CBX in both directions are classified as international. CBX users (in thousands): Airport Jan-22 Jan-23 % Change Tijuana 327.0 391.0 19.6 % Highlights for the month: Story continues Seats and load factors: The number of seats available during January 2023 increased by 15.3%, compared to January 2022; load factors for the month went from 68.7% in January 2022 to 79.2% in January 2023. New routes: Guadalajara Monterrey: Aeromexico Puerto Vallarta Indianapolis: Sun Country Puerto Vallarta Abbotsford: Flair Airlines Company Description Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V. (GAP) operates 12 airports throughout Mexico s Pacific region, including the major cities of Guadalajara and Tijuana, the four tourist destinations of Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, La Paz and Manzanillo, and six other mid-sized cities: Hermosillo, Guanajuato, Morelia, Aguascalientes, Mexicali and Los Mochis. In February 2006, GAPs shares were listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PAC and on the Mexican Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol GAP. In April 2015, GAP acquired 100% of Desarrollo de Concessioner Aeroportuarias, S.L., which owns a majority stake in MBJ Airports Limited, a company operating Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica. In October 2018, GAP entered into a concession agreement for the operation of the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica and took control of the operation in October 2019. This press release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are statements that are not historical facts and are based on managements current view and estimates of future economic circumstances, industry conditions, company performance and financial results. The words anticipates, believes, estimates, expects, plans and similar expressions, as they relate to the company, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Statements regarding the declaration or payment of dividends, the implementation of principal operating and financing strategies and capital expenditure plans, the direction of future operations and the factors or trends affecting financial condition, liquidity or results of operations are examples of forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the current views of management and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. There is no guarantee that the expected events, trends or results will actually occur. The statements are based on many assumptions and factors, including general economic and market conditions, industry conditions, and operating factors. Any changes in such assumptions or factors could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. In accordance with Section 806 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and article 42 of the Ley del Mercado de Valores, GAP has implemented a whistleblower program, which allows complainants to anonymously and confidentially report suspected activities that June involve criminal conduct or violations. The telephone number in Mexico, facilitated by a third party that is in charge of collecting these complaints, is 01 800 563 00 47. The web site is www.lineadedenuncia.com/gap . GAPs Audit Committee will be notified of all complaints for immediate investigation. IR Contacts: Saul Villarreal, Chief Financial Officer Alejandra Soto, IRO and Corporate Finance Director svillarreal@aeropuertosgap.com.mx asoto@aeropuertosgap.com.mx Gisela Murillo, Investor Relations gmurillo@aeropuertosgap.com.mx / +52-33-3880-1100 ext.20294 Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. Ltd. The Hospital-acquired Infection Control Market in the United Kingdom is expected to reach a valuation of US$ 527 Million by 2033. Growing with a CAGR of 5.8% in the forecast period. Japan Hospital-acquired Infection Control Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% from 2023 to 2033 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Hospital-Acquired Infection Control Market revenues were estimated at US$ 6.1 Bn in 2022 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 7% from 2023-2033, according to a recently published Future Market Insights report. By the end of 2033, the market is expected to reach US$ 12.7 Billion. The frequent occurrence of hospital-acquired infections, the growing proportion of surgical procedures, the rising geriatric population and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, technological advancements in sterilization equipment, and the growing awareness of environmental and personal hygiene are the key factors driving the growth of the Hospital-acquired infection control market. The growing use of e-beam sterilization and the reintroduction of ethylene oxide sterilization are further expected to swell the demand for hospital-acquired infection control. Download Sample Copy@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-16573 The percentage of surgeries performed worldwide has increased significantly over the years. Every year, approximately 235 million complex surgical procedures are performed worldwide, according to the WHO. This is due to an increase in the prevalence of obesity and other lifestyle diseases, an increase in the geriatric population, and an increase in the incidence of spinal injuries and sports-related injuries. With the growth in the number of surgical procedures conducted, the demand for various surgical equipment and medical devices is also surging. The proven benefits of sterilized product lines and growing awareness about their effectiveness in healthcare settings are expected to drive demand for hospital-acquired infection services. Due to rising demand for Hospital-acquired Infection Control methods in developing nations, particularly Japan, the market in the Asia Pacific is projected to account for a CAGR of over 7% during the forecast period. Story continues The regional market is growing due to the extensive usage of Hospital-acquired infection controls and increased awareness of general health and fitness among the working-class population. Request for Report Customization@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-16573 Competitive Analysis The key players in the market include Steris Plc, Sotera Health Company, Getinge AB, Advanced Sterilization Products, Ecolab Inc., 3M Company, Matachana Group, MMM Group, Belimed AG, and Reckitt Benckiser. Some of the recent developments of key Hospital-acquired Infection Control providers are as follows: In 2021, STERIS purchased Cantel, a global provider of infection control products and services, through a U.S. subsidiary to broaden its vast array of sterilization services. In 2021, Sterigenics S.A.S., a Sotera Health Company subsidiary, increased its European sterilizing capacity by expanding its ethylene oxide factory in Rantigny, France. Getinge introduced the Getinge Solsus 66 steam sterilizer for hospitals as well as surgical instruments in 2020, which has a higher capacity and operational reliability than other sterilizers. In 2020, Sotera Health Company acquired Iotron, a prominent North American outsourced provider of E-beam sterilization services. The acquisition was intended to help the company expand its electron beam footprint and boost sales of the Sterigenics division. Market Segments Covered in Hospital-acquired Infection Control Industry Analysis By Component: Equipment Sterilization Equipment Disinfection Equipment Consumables Disinfectants Sterilization Consumables Others (Waste Disposal, PPE) Services By End-user : Hospitals and Intensive Care Units Ambulatory Surgical and Diagnostic Centers Other End-users Browse full Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/hospital-acquired-infection-control-market Table of Content 1. Executive Summary 1.1. Global Market Outlook 1.2. Summary of Statistics 1.3. Key Market Characteristics & Attributes 1.4. Analysis and Recommendations 2. Market Overview 2.1. Market Coverage / Taxonomy 2.2. Market Definition / Scope / Limitations 3. Market Risks and Trends Assessment 3.1. Risk Assessment 3.1.1. COVID-19 Crisis and Impact on District Cooling Demand 3.1.2. COVID-19 Impact Benchmark with Previous Crisis 3.1.3. Impact on Market Value (US$ Million) 3.1.4. Assessment by Key Countries 3.1.5. Assessment by Key Market Segments 3.1.6. Action Points and Recommendation for Suppliers 3.2. Key Trends Impacting the Market 3.3. Formulation and Product Development Trends More Insights Available Future Market Insights, in its new offering, presents an unbiased analysis of the Hospital-acquired Infection Control Market, presenting historical market data (2018-2022) and forecast statistics for the period of 2023-2033. The study reveals essential insights by Component (Equipment, Consumables, Services), by End- User (Hospitals and Intensive Care Units, Ambulatory Surgical and Diagnostic Centers, Other End-users) across five regions (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East & Africa). Ask an Analyst@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-16573 Explore FMIs related ongoing Coverage on Healthcare Market Insights Domain Hernia Repair Devices Market Size: The market for hernia repair devices is anticipated to be worth US$ 5.0 billion in 2023 and US$ 12.3 billion by 2033. During the projection period, sales of hernia repair devices are anticipated to grow significantly (CAGR: 9.4%). Antibody Therapy Market Share: During the forecast period, the market for antibody treatment is anticipated to grow at a consistent CAGR of 13.4%. The market is expected to reach a value of US$ 824.0 billion by 2033. Venous Ulcer Treatment Market Demand: The market for treating venous ulcers is anticipated to reach US$ 2.96 million in 2023 and develop at a 6.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2023 to 2033. The market is anticipated to reach US$ 7.61 billion at the conclusion of the previously mentioned forecast period. Surgical Clips Market Trend: The market for surgical clips was valued at US$ 481.1 million in 2022 and is anticipated to expand at a 35.5% CAGR from 2023 to 2033. From 2023 to 2033, the market represented an absolute $12.3 billion opportunity. Surgical Drapes Market Growth: The market for surgical drapes was worth over US$ 1.4 billion in 2022, and from 2023 to 2033, it is anticipated to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.2%. About Future Market Insights (FMI) Future Market Insights, Inc. is an ESOMAR-certified business consulting & market research firm, a member of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce and is headquartered in Delaware, USA. A recipient of Clutch Leaders Award 2023 on account of a high client score (4.9/5), we have been collaborating with global enterprises in their business transformation journey and helping them deliver on their business ambitions. 80% of the largest Forbes 1000 enterprises are our clients. We serve global clients across all leading & niche market segments across all major industries. Contact Us: Future Market Insights, Inc. 1602-6 Jumeirah Bay X2 Tower, Plot No: JLT-PH2-X2A, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates LinkedIn| Twitter| Blogs | YouTube For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com Kansas State Finance Council's APEX vote paves way for transformative expansion project in Wichita region WICHITA, Kan., Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Integra Technologies Inc., the largest U.S. Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) company, and Kansas Governor Laura Kelly jointly announced today that the State of Kansas approved Integra's Attracting Powerful Economic Expansion (APEX) incentive application for an expansion project that will create at least 2,000 jobs and $1.8 billion in capital investment in the Wichita region contingent on receiving federal CHIPS for America funding. Integra Technologies employee semiconductor testing Semiconductors are critical to our national and economic security, and now Kansas has a leading role, said Senator Moran Integra secured Kansas' premier incentive package through a vote of the bi-partisan Kansas State Finance Council, paving the way for the company's transformative semiconductor (computer chips) project to apply to the U.S. Department of Commerce for CHIPS and Science Act funding. Integra's expansion plans are designed to address recent risks identified in the U.S. semiconductor supply chain, support the domestic semiconductor ecosystem, and strengthen advanced manufacturing in the State of Kansas. Integra is a fully integrated domestic provider of semiconductor packaging, test, qualification and other services. Over the next five years, Integra's expansion would create at least 2,000 new jobs and build a one million square foot state-of-the-art headquarters and production facility equipped with high-tech machinery. "Kansas is stepping up to help resolve a national security crisis by playing a key role in reshoring semiconductor production," Governor Laura Kelly said. "Our deliberate efforts to diversify the state economy since my administration began four years ago has prepared us for this moment. Partnering with Integra will secure Kansas' rightful position as a global leader in the semiconductor sector." Story continues Founded in Wichita 40 years ago, Integra is an employee-owned company (ESOP) with operations in Wichita and Silicon Valley, providing high-quality OSAT services for more than 500 active customers, including many from critical infrastructure sectors such as the military, aerospace, medical, aviation, automotive, commercial and industrial. OSAT providers play a critical role in the semiconductor industry, serving as subcontract manufacturers of semiconductor devices. The company performs the last half of the manufacturing required to make a chip and validate its functionality before they are shipped to become part of devices. "The semiconductors we work on are in multiple space applications, such as the Mars Rover and Hubble Telescope; more than 100 Department of Defense programs of record; as well as commercial applications that power everyday life," said Brett Robinson, Integra Technologies President and CEO. "On behalf of our employee-owners, we are especially grateful for Governor Kelly, Lt. Governor Toland and the Kansas Legislative leadership on the State Finance Council for supporting Integra with its premier economic development program, positioning us to transform domestic OSAT services while expanding in our home state," Robinson said. The August 2022 bi-partisan CHIPS Act was established to boost U.S. competitiveness, innovation and national security in the semiconductor industry. As part of the $52.7 billion, it will award $39 billion to U.S. companies in competitive grants to manufacturers to finance construction, expansion and modernization of facilities and equipment. A state and local incentive package is needed to apply for CHIPS funding. Robinson praised U.S. Senator Jerry Moran's national leadership for ensuring the U.S. is competitive in providing security and national defense through the CHIPS and Science Act. "Senator Moran recently invited and hosted Micron Technology, one of the leaders in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, to tour Integra and Wichita State University. We appreciate Senator Moran's commitment to our Kansas' workforce as we also fortify our nation's security through technology infrastructure." "Integra's decision to expand its Wichita operations for its largest semiconductor project to date is a testament to the talented workforce in Kansas and the importance of ensuring a reliable U.S. supply of microchips," said Senator Moran. "I supported the CHIPS and Science Act because semiconductors are critical to our national and economic security, and now Kansas has a leading role in making certain our nation is able to produce its own semiconductors." In addition, Robinson thanked Kansas Legislative leadership serving on the State Finance Council for their support. "APEX exists to promote unique large-scale opportunities at economic and job growth, and there is no better way to do that than having a Kansas company step up and fulfill our commitment to boost the Kansas economy and grow the Kansas workforce," Senate President Senator Ty Masterson said. "Wichita is increasingly the epicenter of critical global industries and this exciting megaproject continues that proud tradition." "As a long-time resident of Wichita, I couldn't be more excited about this opportunity with Integra. Our region hasn't seen something this transformative in years. By bringing the new sector of chip testing to our area and adding 2,000 new, high-paying jobs, the possibilities are endless. I'm thrilled to be a part of helping make this happen for our residents," Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins said. According to Integra, the jobs and capital investment over the first five years are the beginning of long-term expansion plans. "We have done extensive planning for this expansion because we anticipated the increasing need for our services," Robinson said. "With Kansas' and the Wichita region's support, we have the thorough plans, long-term experience and proven record to grow our country's share of this important market." Local and regional partnerships and support are also critical for a CHIPS for America application, including in workforce development. Robinson said that Integra has been working with the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas on a workforce outreach and training plan, closely coordinated with support from the Kansas Board of Regents, including every university and technical college in the state. "The Wichita region and Kansas have collaborated on robust workforce planning and support for this effort," Robinson said. "Our collective plan is especially focused on working with community partners to provide outreach and training paths for individuals and groups that may have barriers to employment. We are grateful to the partners in the Wichita area and Kansas because we have the talent infrastructure and partnerships to provide the world-class training and opportunities to grow and recruit this workforce, building the jobs of tomorrow." Integra's expansion includes a wide range of positions, with a significant percentage of entry-level jobs requiring a high school diploma or GED equivalent with training opportunities. The company will be hiring engineers, technical positions, and all the professional positions required for expanding its corporate headquarters, including sales, human resources, finance and more. "This catalytic opportunity is especially exciting because it provides for a local, proven, employee-owned company to increase our nation's competitiveness and security," said Greater Wichita Partnership President Jeff Fluhr. "It also continues to strengthen and build depth in the Wichita region's leadership in advanced manufacturing, including in semiconductors, while providing training and development opportunities for the vast expertise our talent has in this area." Robinson said the company expects to be able to announce the location within the Wichita region soon, pending a review of technical and site details related to properties under final consideration. "We are analyzing the final aspects of our space needs for this state-of-the-art solar-powered facility, and as soon as we've finished the last analysis, we will announce the site and begin working on the next step in the process to work with local leadership on the support needed for the CHIPS application," Robinson said. About Integra Technologies Integra Technologies is the largest U.S. OSAT company providing semiconductor back-end services to companies worldwide. For 40 years, Integra has provided packaging, assembly, and test services to more than 500 customers with complex requirements, such as aerospace, medical, and defense. The employee-owned company's headquarters is in Wichita, with operations in Wichita and Silicon Valley. www.integra-tech.com Connect with Integra Technologies LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube Integra Technologies employee semiconductor test analysis Integra Technologies - Semiconductor assembly and test services (PRNewsfoto/Integra Technologies) Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/integra-technologies-selects-kansas-for-largest-osat-semiconductor-project-301738053.html SOURCE Integra Technologies Navient Corporation WILMINGTON, Del., Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Navient (Nasdaq: NAVI), a leader in technology-enabled education finance and business processing solutions, announced today that President and CEO Jack Remondi will speak at the Credit Suisse Annual Financial Services Forum at 8:00 a.m. ET Feb. 15. A live audio webcast, along with any materials used during the presentation, will be available at Navient.com/investors. A replay will be available for approximately two weeks. About Navient Navient (Nasdaq: NAVI) provides technology-enabled education finance and business processing solutions that simplify complex programs and help millions of people achieve success. Our customer-focused, data-driven services deliver exceptional results for clients in education, healthcare and government. Learn more at navient.com. Contact: Media: Paul Hartwick, 302-283-4026, paul.hartwick@navient.com Investors: Jen Earyes, 703-984-6801, jen.earyes@navient.com REPORTSINSIGHTS CONSULTING PVT LTD The global polyurea coating market is projected to reach $2.5 Billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 10.2% during 2022-2030. The market is segmented by raw material, type, technology, and application, including roofs, pipelines, secondary containment, industrial machines, transportation vehicles, floors, and more. Regional analysis also included. New York, Feb. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Polyurea Coatings Market to Reach USD 2.5 billion By 2030, Growing at a 10.2% CAGR, According to Reports Insights Research Report. The Market was Worth USD 1.15 Billion in 2022 and Expected to See Strong Growth in Construction and Infrastructure Industries. Polyurea is a high-performance coating material that is used to protect surfaces from abrasion, corrosion, and chemical damage. Such polyurea coatings are in high demand among various industries due to their ability to form a tough and flexible film that is applied in a single application. One of the key advantages of polyurea coatings is their fast curing time. This allows for a fast return to service and decreases the amount of time and resources required for application. Moreover, polyurea coating is considered as an extremely durable and resistant coating that has the ability to withstand harsh environments. Thus, such properties make these polyurea coatings an ideal alternative in industrial and marine applications. Get Sample Report@ https://www.reportsinsights.com/sample/673727 Furthermore, polyurea coating is sprayed or rolled onto a surface and is also tinted to match a specific color or finish. These coatings are also applied over various substrates such as concrete, metal, and wood, making them a versatile coating option. Further, polyurea coatings are resistant to a wide range of chemicals, including fuels, oils, and corrosive liquids which results in an increased ability to withstand harsh chemical environments. Thus, the increased focus on improving the lifespan of any application such as tanks, pipelines, concrete infrastructures, and others supports the demand for polyurea coatings. Moreover, Polyurea coatings are non-toxic and do not emit harmful fumes which aids in safe usage within a wide range of environments, including food and pharmaceutical facilities. Thus, growing awareness in terms of environmental sustainability and human health safety also supports the demand for such coatings. Story continues Polyurea Coating Market Research Report Coverages:- Report Attributes Report Details Market Size By 2030 USD 2.50 Billion Forecast Period 2022-2030 CAGR (2022-2030) 10.2% Base Year 2021 Study Timeline 2016-2030 Key Players Rhino Linings Corporation, BASF SE, PPG Industries Inc., Sherwin-Williams Company, The Euclid Chemical Company, Lord Corporation, AkzoNobel N.V., Alberdingk Boley GmbH, Wacker Chemie AG, Covestro AG, Sika AG, Huntsman Corporation, The Valspar Corporation, Kansai Paint Co. Ltd., Axalta Coating Systems, Hempel A/S, Jotun A/S, Gaco Western By Type Pure and Hybrid By Technology Spray Coatings, Hand Mixing, Pouring By Viscosity Level Low Viscosity and High Viscosity By Application Roofs, Pipelines, Secondary Containment (Frac Tanks, Trailers With Primary Storage Tanks, Chemical And Gasoline Tanks, Steel Holding Tanks, Water Tanks, Landfill Linings), Industrial Machines, Transportation Vehicles, Floors, Concrete Structures (Walls, Yard Decks, Parking Lots), Steel Structures, and Others Report Coverage Company Ranking and Market Share, Growth Factors, Total Revenue Forecast, Regional Competitive Landscape, Business Strategies, and more. By Geography Asia-Pacific [China, Southeast Asia, India, Japan, Korea, Western Asia] Europe [Germany, UK, France, Spain, Turkey, Italy, Russia, Netherlands, Switzerland] North America [United States, Canada, Mexico] South America [Brazil, Columbia, Argentina, Chile, Peru] Middle East & Africa [GCC, North Africa, South Africa] Key Market Highlights The global polyurea coating market size is projected to exceed USD 2.50 billion by 2030 and grow at a CAGR of 10.2% during the forecast period (2022-2030). Globally, polyurea coatings are divided based on raw materials: aliphatic diisocyanates and aromatic diisocyanates. In the context of type, the market is bifurcated into pure and hybrid. The market is also categorized as per technology: spray coatings, hand mixing, and pouring. In the context of the application, the market is separated into roofs, pipelines, secondary containment (frac tanks, trailers with primary storage tanks, chemical and gasoline tanks, steel holding tanks, water tanks, landfill linings), industrial machines, transportation vehicles, floors, concrete structures (walls, yard decks, parking lots), steel structures, bridges, offshore (boat landings in offshore wind turbine foundations, spillway gates in hydropower stations), and others. The market is geographically segregated into five regions: Europe, North America, the Asia-Pacific, South America, and the Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific and North America are anticipated to support industry growth during the forecast period in terms of the growing adoption of polyurea coatings by the building and construction industry in these regions. Immediate Delivery Available, Buy Now @ https://www.reportsinsights.com/buynow/673727 Polyurea Coating Market Segmentation Details: Based on raw material, the aliphatic diisocyanates segment is projected to register the fastest CAGR growth during the forecast period. Polyurea coatings derived from aliphatic diisocyanates are typically used due to their properties to offer a clear and pigmented high gloss finish on industrial flooring and decorative systems. Further, the high resistance to chemical and UV light is offered by these coatings. As a result, the aliphatic diisocyanates-based polyurea coatings are preferred as exterior coatings to reduce to possibility of surface degradation due to overexposure to sunlight. Based on type, the pure segment is anticipated to contribute the largest shares to the polyurea coating market growth. The wide availability in a range of colors and finishes helps manufacturers to meet the requirements of customization as per specific designs. Thus, segment growth is attributed to the high demand for such coating for several applications such as roofing, industrial flooring, and decorative and architectural finishes. Based on technology, spraying technology is anticipated to contribute the largest shares to the market growth. The segment growth is mainly attributed to the high preference for uniform layers of polyurea coating by major applications, especially automotive exterior panels, and roofing. Also, this technology is primarily adopted by manufacturers due to convenience to applicators and reduced time and resources allotted for application tasks. Such technology is also mainly adopted in road maintenance by several countries due to offering protection by a uniform layer of polyurea coatings against chemical and physical abrasions. Based on applications, the concrete structures segment is estimated to contribute substantial shares to the market growth in terms of value. Such concrete structures include walls, yard decks, parking lots, and others. The growing infrastructural developments in several countries resulted in increased demand for polyurea coatings to maintain the structure quality and increase the lifespan of such structures. Based on region, Asia Pacific is anticipated to offer lucrative opportunities for market growth in terms of volume and revenue. The growing initiatives by the government in terms of infrastructural developments and buildings support the demand for polyurea coatings in this region. Also, rising awareness among consumers in terms of roof coatings, wall maintenance, and flat roof repair results in the high adoption of polyurea coatings among the population. Recent Developments In October 2020, PPG launched a two-part polyurea coating system named the PPG SANISHIELD 3000/5000 that meets the requirement of rapid installation and easy maintenance in industrial settings. In November 2021, a UK-based company named Fosroc introduced Polyurea WH 100, which offers a range of benefits for several roof waterproofing needs. In December 2021, a Finland-based conglomerate named Teknos unveiled a cost-effective solution for waterproofing named TEKNOPUR 400. Browse Full Report @ https://www.reportsinsights.com/industry-forecast/global-polyurea-coating-market-statistical-analysis-673727 List of Major Polyurea Coatings Market Players The research report examines several factors such as regional evaluation, SWOT analysis, and segmental estimation to provide a detailed overview of market circumstances. Such examination helps in identifying several growth opportunities across multiple adoptions of innovative technologies, business strategies, product applications, and new product launches. Mentioned are the major players currently operating in the market circumstances Rhino Linings Corporation BASF SE PPG Industries Inc. Sherwin-Williams Company The Euclid Chemical Company Lord Corporation AkzoNobel N.V. Alberdingk Boley GmbH Wacker Chemie AG Covestro AG Sika AG Huntsman Corporation The Valspar Corporation Kansai Paint Co. Ltd. Axalta Coating Systems Hempel A/S Jotun A/S Gaco Western Global Polyurea Coatings Market Segmentation: By Raw Material Aliphatic Diisocyanates Aromatic Diisocyanates By Type Pure Hybrid By Technology Spray Coatings Hand Mixing Pouring By Application Roofs Pipelines Secondary Containment Frac Tanks Trailers With Primary Storage Tanks Chemical and Gasoline Tanks Steel Holding Tanks Water Tanks Landfill Linings Industrial Machines Transportation Vehicles Floors Concrete Structures Walls Yard Decks Parking Lots Steel Structures Others Our Others Research Reports here:- Pure Polyurea Material Market Analysis By Regions (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, Middle East And Africa), Growth, Trends and Forecast with Impact Analysis of COVID-19 (2022-2028) Lining Coating Market Analysis By Regions (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, Middle East And Africa), Size, Growth, Trend and Forecast with Impact Analysis of COVID-19 (2022-2028) Polyurea Market Size, Regional Trends, Growth, By Regions (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, Middle East And Africa), Segment Analysis, Key Technology Landscape, Market Dynamics, and Forecast (2022-2030) Polyurea Greases Market Analysis By Regions (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, Middle East And Africa), Size, Growth, Trend and Forecast with Impact Analysis of COVID-19 (2022-2028) Pure Polyurea Material Market Analysis By Regions (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, Middle East And Africa), Growth, Trends and Forecast with Impact Analysis of COVID-19 (2022-2028) CONTACT: About Reports Insights Consulting Pvt Ltd ReportsInsights Consulting Pvt Ltd. is the leading research industry that offers contextual and data-centric research services to its customers across the globe. The firm assists its clients to strategize business policies and accomplish sustainable growth in their respective market domains. The industry provides consulting services, syndicated research reports, and customized research reports. Topnotch research organizations and institutions to comprehend the regional and global commercial status use the data produced by ReportsInsights Consulting Pvt Ltd. Our reports comprise in-depth analytical and statistical analysis on various industries in foremost countries around the globe. Contact: Email: sales@reportsinsights.com USA: +1-214-272-0393 Europe: +44-20-8133-9198 GreyViews Powder Coating Market Size By Resin (Polyurethane, Epoxy, Acrylic, Epoxy-Polyester, Polyester, and Others), By Coating (Flame Spraying, Electrostatic Spray Coating, Electrostatic Fluidizes Bed Process and Fludidzed Bed Coating), By Application (Furniture, Consumer Goods, General Industries, Automotive, Architectural, and Others), Regions, Segmentation, and forecast till 2030. Pune India, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The market has been studied for the below mentioned-segmentation and regional analysis for North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and the Middle East and Africa. These are the key regions where the powder coating market is operating and is predicted to expand soon. The manufacturers and suppliers involved in the powder coating market are present across various countries in the above-mentioned regions. Get Sample Copy of This Report @ https://greyviews.com/reports/powder-coating-market/518/request-sample The report provides a detailed understanding of the market segments which have been formed by combining different prospects such as the resin, coating, application, and region. Apart from this, the key driving factors, restraints, potential growth opportunities, and market challenges are also discussed in the below paragraphs. The significant players operating in the global powder coating market are Akzo Nobel N.V, PPG Industries, Inc., The Sherwin-Williams Company, DSM, BASF SE, Arkema S.A., Valspar, and Bayer AG. among other. To achieve a substantial market share in the worldwide powder coating market and strengthen their position, manufacturers are pursuing expansion methods such as current developments, mergers and acquisitions, product innovations, collaborations, and partnerships, joint ventures. Powder coating is widely used in the medical industry because of its antibacterial properties, which support the maintenance of a clean and sterile environment. This quality qualifies it for use in a range of medical facilities, including wheelchairs, hospital beds, and operating room furnishings. The importance of powder coating, which prevents the growth of bacteria, viruses, parasites, and mildew in medical settings, has increased. Powder coatings have a reduced risk of combustion during storage and application because they emit fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere due to the absence of solvents. Additionally, after coming into contact with human skin, powder easily washes off, lessening worker health concerns. The use of powder coatings on home appliances is currently very popular due to their superior quality and long-lasting results. The use of powder coating applications as a high-quality finish for both large and minor applications is well known in the home appliance industry. Powder coatings are used on a variety of electrical appliances, including clothes dryers, dishwashers, fans, air conditioners, refrigerators, microwave ovens, cookers, video components, rice cookers, freezers, stereo components, television components, water coolers, and washing machines, due to advantages like high corrosion resistance with single coat application in the appliance finishing industry. Powder-coated finishes are used rather commonly in the agriculture industry. Agricultural equipment is out in the elements, which can cause rusting and other problems. Story continues Enquiry Before Buying This Report @ https://greyviews.com/inquiry/518 Scope of powder coating market Report Report Metric Information Study Period 2022-2030 Base Year 2022 Forecast Period 2023-2030 Market Share Unit USD Billion Segments Covered Resin, Coating, Application, and Regions Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Middle-East and Africa Major Players Akzo Nobel N.V, PPG Industries, Inc., The Sherwin-Williams Company, DSM, BASF SE, Arkema S.A., Valspar, and Bayer AG. among other Segmentation Analysis The epoxy-polyester segment is expected to be the fastest-growing segment in 2022. The resin segment is polyurethane, epoxy, acrylic, epoxy-polyester, polyester, and others. The epoxy-polyester segment is expected to witness the highest growth rate during the forecast period. Epoxy polyester hybrid resina blend of both epoxy and polyester resinsis mostly employed in interior applications, such as furniture coatings, due to its distinctive properties, including hardness, weather resistance, flexibility, and affordability. These coatings provide smooth, thin layers that are resilient to corrosion and have good flexibility. Epoxy-polyester hybrids are more resistant to yellowing from prolonged UV exposure than pure epoxies. The electrostatic spray coating segment is expected to be the fastest-growing segment in 2022. The coating segment is flame spraying, electrostatic spray coating, electrostatic fluidizes bed process and fludidzed bed coating. The electrostatic spray coating segment is expected to witness the highest growth rate during the forecast period. The substrate being coated is grounded while powder particles are electrically charged by a spray cannon during the coating process known as electrostatic spraying (ES) (made neutral). The main purpose of this coating is to shield the underlying material from corrosion. Electrostatic spray coating creates a flawless, long-lasting, and swiftly drying finish. The architectural segment is expected to be the fastest-growing segment in 2022. The application segment is furniture, consumer goods, general industries, automotive, architectural, and others. The architectural segment is expected to witness the highest growth rate during the forecast period. Due in large part to their durability, the architectural industries are one of the fastest-growing markets for powder coatings. Additionally, the advancement of polyester resin technology, particularly stable, low-gloss formulations, opened up the architectural sector to the use of powder coatings. Due to the wide range of colours and finishes that powder coatings provide, many construction companies employ them to provide durable exterior treatments for outdoor venues and public works projects. Regional Analysis The regional analysis provides a detailed perception of the key regions and the countries. Some of the key countries analyzed for the powder coating include the US, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, the U.K., Italy, Spain, Russia, China, Japan, India, Brazil, Peru, UAE, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia. The Asia Pacfic region witnessed a major share. In the Asia-Pacific region, China and India held the majority of the worldwide market share due to rising demand for autos, construction materials, and industrial items. As a result, the market for powder coatings in the area is seeing increased demand. In China, the building sector is rapidly growing. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the value of China's building output in 2021 will be approximately CNY 29.31 trillion (or USD 421.57 billion). Country Analysis Germany Germany's powder coating market size was valued at USD 1.08 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 1.69 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 5.8% from 2023 to 2030. The demand for powder coating in automobiles is expected to rise over the course of the forecast year as a result of Germany's expanding automotive industry. Additionally, REACH regulations that restrict VOC emission during the coating process have led to automobile manufacturers using powder coatings rather than liquid coatings. China Chinas powder coating market size was valued at USD 1.45 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 2.32 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 6. 1% from 2023 to 2030. In May 2021, PPG announced that it has invested US$13 million in its paint and coatings facility in Jiading, China. Eight new powder coating manufacturing lines and an expanded Powder Coatings Technology Center were included in this project. India India's powder coating market size was valued at USD 1.12 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 1.7 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 6% from 2023 to 2030. The requirement for powder coating in architectural applications, such as kitchen windows, doorframes, building facades, and aluminium extrusions used in building facades and kitchens, is anticipated to rise as India's infrastructure develops. Covid-19 Impact Covid-19 had a major impact on almost all industries, such as electronics, semiconductors, manufacturing, automobile, etc. However, several companies operating in the technology sector have seen increased revenue due to significant changes in consumer preferences toward technological services. In addition, the pandemic has led to significant growth in technology across developing and developed countries. Furthermore, the growth of the powder coating market is mainly driven by the rising application. Buy Now Full Report @ https://greyviews.com/checkout/518/single_user_license Contact Us Rocky Shah GreyViews Pune India Phone: (+44) 162-237-1047 Email: sales@greyviews.com Web: https://greyviews.com/ Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Browse Related Reports: Cooling Tower Market Size By Type (Hybrid Cooling Towers, Open-Circuit Cooling Towers and Closed-Circuit Cooling Towers), By Construction Material (High-Density Polyethylene, Wood, Steel, Concrete and Others), By End-User (Power Generation, Food & Beverages, HVAC, Chemical, Petrochemicals and Oil & Gas, and Others), Regions, Segmentation, and Projection till 2030 https://greyviews.com/reports/cooling-tower-market/533 Specialty Paper Market Size By Product Type (Printing Paper, Decor Paper, Thermal Printing Paper, Kraft Paper and Others), By Raw Material (Coatings, Fillers & Additives, Binders, Pulp, and Others), By End-User (Printing & Writing, Building & Construction, Packaging & Labelling, Industrial and Others), Regions, Segmentation, and Projection till 2030 https://greyviews.com/reports/specialty-paper-market/528 Polymer Bearing Market Size By Bearing (Roller Bearing, Needle Bearing, Ball Bearing, and Others), By Material Type (Teflon, Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene, Poly Acetyl, Phenolics, Nylon and Others), By End-User (Packaging, Automotive, Food Processing, Textile, Electronics and Others), Regions, Segmentation, and Projection till 2030 https://greyviews.com/reports/polymer-bearing-market/527 Epoxy Adhesives Market Size By Type (One-Component Epoxy Adhesives, Two-Component Epoxy Adhesives and Others), By End-User (Wind-Energy, Marine, Electrical & Electronics, Automotive, and Others), Regions, Segmentation, and Projection till 2030 https://greyviews.com/reports/epoxy-adhesives-market/525 Powder Coating Market Size By Resin (Polyurethane, Epoxy, Acrylic, Epoxy-Polyester, Polyester, and Others), By Coating (Flame Spraying, Electrostatic Spray Coating, Electrostatic Fluidizes Bed Process and Fludidzed Bed Coating), By Application (Furniture, Consumer Goods, General Industries, Automotive, Architectural, and Others), Regions, Segmentation, and Projection till 2030 https://greyviews.com/reports/powder-coating-market/518 Hydrogen Storage Alloys Market Size By Type (AB2 and AB5), By Application (Fuel Cells, Rechargeable Batteries, Cooling Devices, and Others), Regions, Segmentation, and Projection till 2030 https://greyviews.com/reports/hydrogen-storage-alloys-market/500 High Temperature Gasket Materials Market Size By Material Type (Stainless Steel & Alloy, Graphite, Fiber Glass, Mica, Teflon, Fluorosilicone, Ceramic, and Silicon), By Product Type (Liquid, Metallic, Non-Metallic, and Semi-Metallic), By Application (Transportation, Power Generation, Primary Metals, Manufacturing, Oil & Gas and Chemical Processing), Regions, Segmentation, and Projection till 2030 https://greyviews.com/reports/high-temperature-gasket-materials-market/497 Conformal Coatings Market Size By Product (Epoxy, Silicone, Parylene, Urethane, Acrylic and Others), By End-User (Aerospace & Defence, Medical, Automotive, Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Electronics and Others), Regions, Segmentation, and Projection till 2030 https://greyviews.com/reports/conformal-coatings-market/488 Ceramic Injection Molding Market Size By Type (Ferrite, Alumina, Zirconia and Others), By End-User (Healthcare, Aviation, Telecom, Automotive and Others), Regions, Segmentation, and Projection till 2030 https://greyviews.com/reports/ceramic-injection-molding-market/480 Portland Cement Market Size By Type (Blended, Portland, and Others), By Application (Residential, Infrastructure, Construction, and Industrial), Regions, Segmentation, and Projection till 2030 https://greyviews.com/reports/portland-cement-market/463 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 3, 2023 / The Power Play by The Market Herald has announced the release of new interviews with Bocana Resources, Silver Bullet Mines and Osino Resources discussing their latest news. The Power Play by The Market Herald provides investors with a quick snapshot of what they need to know about the company's latest press release through exclusive insights and interviews with company executives. Bocana Resources (TSXV:BOCA) announces exploration plans for the Escala Area Concession The Market Herald, Friday, February 3, 2023, Press release picture Bocana Resources (BOCA) is now focused on the development of the phase 1 exploration plan for the Escala Project in Bolivia. The company is in the process of identifying and selecting a regional exploration drilling company and identifying drill sites to begin the phase 1 program. Bocana CEO Tim Turner sat down with Shoran Devi to discuss the company's exploration plans. For the full interview with Tim Turner and to learn about Bocana Resources, click here. Silver Bullet Mines (TSXV:SBMI) discovers new sulphide vein structures at its Buckeye Silver Mine The Market Herald, Friday, February 3, 2023, Press release picture Silver Bullet Mines Corp. (SBMI) reported results from its Buckeye Silver Mine in Arizona. The company believes it may have intercepted an area of higher-grade mineralization sooner than expected. Peter Clausi, VP Capital Markets at Silver Bullet Mines, spoke with Shoran Devi about this discovery. For the full interview with Peter Clausi and to learn about Silver Bullet Mines Corp., click here. Osino Resources (TSXV:OSI) progresses with definitive feasibility study for Twin Hills Gold The Market Herald, Friday, February 3, 2023, Press release picture Osino Resources (OSI) has provided an update on its definitive feasibility study (DFS) for its Twin Hills Gold Project in Namibia. Heye Daun, Osino's Co-Founder, President and CEO, met with Shoran Devi to discuss the implications of the study. For the full interview with Heye Daun and to learn about Osino Resources, click here. Interviews for The Power Play by The Market Herald are released daily. To learn more about the companies featured in The Power Play or to explore our other interviews visit The Power Play by The Market Herald. Story continues About The Market Herald The Market Herald Canada is the leading source of authoritative breaking stock market news for self-directed investors. Our team of Canadian markets reporters, editors and technologists covers the entire listed company universe in Canada. We cover over 3,985 businesses, their people, their investors, and their customers. We write the stories that move the Canadian capital markets. DISCLAIMER: Report Card Canada Media Ltd. ("Report Card") is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market Herald Limited, an Australian company ("Market Herald"). 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Please be sure to check the Privacy Policies of these sites as well as their "Terms of Service" before engaging in any business or uploading any information. CONTACT: The Market Herald marketing@themarketherald.ca themarketherald.ca SOURCE: The Market Herald View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/738099/The-Power-Play-by-The-Market-Herald-Releases-New-Interviews-with-Bocana-Resources-Silver-Bullet-Mines-and-Osino-Resources-Discussing-Their-Latest-News An official reception has been hosted on behalf of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in honor of President of Romania Klaus Iohannis. PowerTap Hydrogen Capital Corp. VANCOUVER, British Columbia and ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PowerTap Hydrogen Capital Corp. (NEO: MOVE) (FWB: 2K6) (OTC: MOTNF) (PowerTap or the Company or MOVE) provides an update on certain activities of the Companys subsidiary, PowerTap Hydrogen Fueling Corp. PowerTap is pleased to announce that it has been named as one of the industry partners in the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES), Californias public-private hydrogen (H 2 ) hub consortium to accelerate the development and deployment of clean, renewable H 2 projects and infrastructure. The US Department of Energy will award $8 billion as grants to up to 10 regional H 2 hubs to build self-sustaining H 2 economies of producers, infrastructure, and users. In partnership with the Governors Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), ARCHES unites key public and private stakeholders to build the framework for a California renewable, clean H 2 hub. (https://archesh2.org/). The U.S. Department of Energys Office of Clean Energy Demonstration has encouraged ARCHES, as one of 33 clean hydrogen hub (Hub) concepts (out of 79 concept papers originally submitted in November 2022), to submit a full H 2 Hub application by April 7, 2023. PowerTaps role as an ARCHES industry partner Hub team member is to build and operate on-site hydrogen production stations for the full range of hydrogen transport fuel cell electric vehicles, particularly long-haul Class 8 trucks. There is no guarantee that ARCHES and/or its consortium members, including PowerTap, will receive any US Department of Energy hydrogen hub grant dollars. PowerTap is extremely pleased to be partnering with ARCHES with a goal to deliver clean hydrogen production to current and future California hydrogen transport users. These clean energy projects are essential elements in the process of decarbonization of the transportation sector, said PowerTap CEO Mr. Raghu Kilambi. Story continues As reported in a press release on November 23, 2022, the PowerTap/T2M Global team submitted a proposal to the Air Quality Mitigation Fund (AQMF) of the Harbor Benefit Community Foundation (HBCF) in the Port of Los Angeles to produce a barge-based fuel cell power cold ironing project, including the production of hydrogen. At its November Board Meeting, the HCBF published the results of its evaluation, and the PowerTap/T2M Global submission was well received. The HCBF, noting that the PowerTap/T2M Team approach completely avoids the creation of emissions from ships in the port, emphasized the importance of maximizing emission reduction from ships during the demonstration period, particularly in the upcoming Round 3 of funding rounds as the HBCF moves to award the remaining $2M in the AQMF. The Company is pleased to announce that the HBCF has released the Round 3 AQMF Request for Proposal with a due date of February 24, 2023, to which the PowerTap/T2M Team intends to submit a proposal. In addition to any potential award of government grants to the projects noted above, additional capital may be required for those projects and these funds would be secured by a combination of equity, debt possibly backed by the US Department of Energy, other state subsidies and/grants and subsidiary project financing. The Company has not, as yet, secured such additional financing for the above-mentioned projects. The Company will comment further when additional disclosure is appropriate and/or necessary. ABOUT POWERTAP HYDROGEN CAPITAL CORP. PowerTap Hydrogen Capital Corp., through its wholly owned subsidiary, PowerTap Hydrogen Fueling Corp. (PowerTap), is focused on installing hydrogen production and dispensing fueling infrastructure in the United States. PowerTaps patented solution has been developed over 20 years. PowerTap is now commercializing its third-generation blue hydrogen product that will focus on the refueling needs of the automotive and long-haul trucking markets that lack hydrogen fueling infrastructure. There are currently under 100 operational publicly available hydrogen stations in the United States with most of the existing stations purchasing industrial hydrogen from industrial manufacturers and shipping hydrogen to individual stations via tanker trucks. www.PowerTapcapital.com www.PowerTapfuels.com PowerTap Hydrogen common shares are listed on the NEO Exchange. Please visit the company's profile on the NEO Exchange website at https://www.neo.inc/en/live/security-activity/MOVE#!/news. PowerTap Contact: Raghu Kilambi raghu@hydrogenfueling.co +1 (604) 687-2038 NEITHER THE NEO EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. Notice Regarding Forward Looking Information: This press release contains "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, forecasts, estimates, expectations and objectives for future operations that are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of PowerTap. Some assumptions include, without limitation, the development of hydrogen powered vehicles by vehicle makers, the adoption of hydrogen powered vehicles by the market, legislation and regulations favoring the use of hydrogen as an alternative energy source, the qualification for carbon credits (including the availability of credits, benefits, emission reductions, offsets and allowances, howsoever entitled, attributable to the production, combustion or other use of biogas), the availability of sufficient RNG feedstock the Companys ability to build out its planned hydrogen fueling station network, and the Companys ability to raise sufficient funds and/or receive available government grants to fund its business plan. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur or be achieved. This press release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to, among other things, the timing and ability of the Company to complete any potential investments or acquisitions, if at all, and the timing thereof. Forward-looking information is based on current expectations, estimates and projections that involve a number of risks, which could cause actual results to vary and, in some instances, to differ materially from those anticipated by the Company and described in the forward-looking information contained in this press release. Although the Company believes that the material factors, expectations and assumptions expressed in such forward-looking statements are reasonable based on information available to it on the date such statements were made, no assurances can be given as to future results, levels of activity and achievements and such statements are not guarantees of future performance. The forward-looking information contained in this release is expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements and is made as of the date of this release. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise. Acumen Research and Consulting Acumen Research and Consulting recently published report titled Project Portfolio Management Market and Region Forecast, 2022 - 2030 TOKYO, Feb. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Project Portfolio Management Market Size accounted for USD 5,841 Million in 2021 and is estimated to achieve a market size of USD 16,770 Million by 2030 growing at a CAGR of 12.6% from 2022 to 2030. Project Portfolio Management Market Overview Project Portfolio Management (PPM) is a solution which is used in managing a company's portfolio of projects to align with its strategic objectives and optimize resource allocation. The Project Portfolio Management market size has grown significantly in recent years, driven by the increasing demand for effective project management solutions across various industries. PPM solutions enable organizations to prioritize, allocate, and manage resources more effectively, resulting in improved project delivery and better overall business performance. PPM tools offer a range of features, including project planning and scheduling, risk management, resource allocation, and project tracking and reporting. PPM market size is growing rapidly, with organizations of all sizes and across all industries recognizing the benefits of using PPM solutions. The market for project portfolio management is expected to continue to grow as organizations seek to improve their project delivery and overall business performance. One of the key applications of Project Portfolio Management can be seen in the IT industry, where it is used to manage and prioritize the delivery of software development projects. PPM is also widely used in engineering, construction as well as in consulting firms to manage multiple projects and allocate resources effectively. Another unique application of PPM is in the pharmaceutical industry, where it is used to manage the research and development of new drugs. This includes tracking the progress of clinical trials, allocating resources to research teams, and managing the approval process with regulatory agencies. Story continues PPM is also progressively being used in the finance industry, where it is used to manage complex portfolios of financial products, including stocks, bonds, and derivatives. This allows financial institutions to optimize their portfolios and minimize risk while maximizing returns. NGOs and charities also use project portfolio management to manage their program portfolio and allocate resources effectively. This enables them to achieve their mission and goals more efficiently and effectively. Request For Free Sample Report @ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/request-sample/2701 Project Portfolio Management Market Report Coverage: Market Project Portfolio Management Market Project Portfolio Management Market Size 2021 USD 5,841 Million Project Portfolio Management Market Forecast 2030 USD 16,770 Million Project Portfolio Management Market CAGR During 2022 - 2030 12.6% Project Portfolio Management Market Analysis Period 2018 - 2030 Project Portfolio Management Market Base Year 2021 Project Portfolio Management Market Forecast Data 2022 - 2030 Segments Covered By Offering, By Revenue, By Enterprise Size, By End-Use, And By Geography Project Portfolio Management Market Regional Scope North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa Key Companies Profiled Oracle, Microsoft Corporation, Celoxis Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Planview, Changepoint Corporation, Broadcom Corporation, HP Development Company, SAP SE, Workfront, and ServiceNow. Report Coverage Market Trends, Drivers, Restraints, Competitive Analysis, Player Profiling, Regulation Analysis Project Portfolio Management Market Highlights and Statistics The global Project portfolio management market size in 2021 stood at USD 5.841 Billion and is set to reach USD 16.77 Billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 12.6% Increasing need for effective project management and resource allocation in organizations of all sizes and across all industries are some of the reasons why the PPM market size is growing. Major players in the project portfolio management market include Microsoft, Oracle, Planisware, CA Technologies, and HP. PPM solutions are offered through cloud-based and on-premises deployment models. The cloud-based deployment model shall be seeing the fastest growth due to its ease of use and accessibility. End-user industries: The IT industry is the largest adopter of PPM solutions. The construction, engineering, and consulting firms also have a good demand for project portfolio management market. The pharmaceutical, finance, and non-profit sectors are also growing adopters of PPM. The use of PPM solutions has the capability to improve project delivery, better resource allocation, and increased overall business performance. Some challenges faced by organizations implementing PPM include resistance to change, lack of skilled employees, and integration with existing systems. Trends in the Project Portfolio Management Market Focus on providing good quality User Experience: PPM solution providers are placing a greater emphasis on user experience, with the development of intuitive and user-friendly interfaces. Increased Adoption by SMEs: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly adopting PPM solutions, as they seek to improve their project delivery and compete with larger organizations. Integration with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies: PPM solutions are increasingly incorporating AI and ML technologies to automate processes and provide advanced analytics and insights. Integration with Other Tools: PPM solutions are being integrated with other tools such as project management, resource planning, and financial management systems to provide a comprehensive solution. Real-time Analytics and Reporting: PPM solutions are offering real-time analytics and reporting capabilities to provide organizations with real-time insights into their projects and portfolios. Greater Collaboration and Communication: PPM solutions are enabling greater collaboration and communication between project teams and stakeholders, resulting in improved project delivery. Emphasis on Portfolio Optimization: PPM solutions are focusing on portfolio optimization, helping organizations prioritize and allocate resources to their most strategic projects. Increasing Demand for Mobile Access: The demand for mobile access to PPM solutions is growing, as organizations seek to manage their projects on-the-go. Project Portfolio Management Market Dynamics High demand for efficient Project Management: Organizations across various industries are realizing the importance of effective project management and are seeking solutions that can help them manage their portfolios of projects more efficiently. Growing Complexity of Projects: With the increasing complexity of projects, organizations are looking for solutions that can help them better manage project risks, resources, and timelines. Adoption of Agile Methodologies: The growing adoption of agile methodologies, which emphasize flexibility and collaboration, has led to a higher demand for PPM solutions that can support agile project management. Improved need for resource allocation: Organizations are seeking solutions that can help them allocate resources more effectively, resulting in improved project delivery and overall business performance. Cloud technology acceptance: The emergence of cloud technology has made it easier for organizations to adopt PPM solutions, as cloud-based solutions offer scalability, flexibility, and lower upfront costs. Rising Importance of Data Analytics: The increasing importance of data analytics in project management has led to a higher demand for PPM solutions that can provide data-driven insights and help organizations make better decisions. Growing Importance of Compliance: The growing importance of compliance with regulatory requirements, such as Sarbanes-Oxley and GDPR, has led to a higher demand for PPM solutions that can help organizations meet these requirements. Project Portfolio Management Market Growth Hampering Factors Complex User Interfaces: Some PPM solutions have complex user interfaces, which can be difficult to use and may discourage adoption. Inadequate Training: Organizations may not provide adequate training to their employees on how to use PPM solutions, which can result in limited adoption and ineffective usage. Customization Limitations: Some PPM solutions may not offer customization options, which can limit their effectiveness for organizations with specific requirements. Incomplete Integration of existing data systems with PPM solutions can lead to data inaccuracies, hindering the effectiveness of these solutions. Limited Scalability: Some PPM solutions may not be scalable, making it difficult for organizations to expand their usage as their needs change. Reluctance of some organizations to adopt new technologies including PPM solutions, resulting in limited adoption. Inadequate Support: Some PPM solutions may not offer adequate support, making it difficult for organizations to resolve issues and effectively use these solutions. Lack of Integration with Other Tools: Some PPM solutions may not integrate well with other tools and processes, making it difficult for organizations to fully utilize these solutions. Check the detailed table of contents of the report @ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/table-of-content/project-portfolio-management-ppm-market Market Segmentation By Offering Service Software By Deployment Models On Premise Cloud By Enterprise Size Large Enterprise SMEs Project Portfolio Management Market Overview By Region North America: North America has the largest project portfolio management market share. The region is home to major players in the IT industry, which drives the adoption of PPM solutions. Additionally, the presence of several leading IT consulting firms in North America further fuels the growth of the PPM market share in the region. Europe: Europe has the second-largest project portfolio management market, with a growing demand for these solutions among organizations in the region. Europe has a thriving construction and engineering industry, which drives the demand for PPM solutions in the region. Asia-Pacific: Asia-Pacific has the fastest growing project portfolio management market share amongst all other regions, with countries like India and China experiencing a high demand for these solutions. The IT and software development industries in Asia-Pacific are thriving, driven by the demand for PPM solutions in the region. India also has a robust IT industry as well as a highly skilled population of software engineers. The MEA and Latin American regional growing project portfolio management market share is growing at a good enough pace due to demand for these solutions among organizations in the region. The construction and engineering industries in Latin America are growing, driving the demand for PPM solutions in the region. Buy this premium research report https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/buy-now/0/2701 Project Portfolio Management Market Key Players Microsoft, CA Technologies, Planview, Deltek, Oracle, SAP, Innotas, HP, Planisware, and EasyVista. Other players in the market include Clarizen, Wrike, Asana, CollabNet, EasyVista Inc., ProjecTools, LLC, Daptiv and Workfront. Browse More Research Topic on Technology Related Reports: The Global Speech to Text Analytics Market Size accounted for USD 2,135 Million in 2021 and will achieve a market size of USD 8,677 Million by 2030, budding at a CAGR of 17.1%. The Global Team Collaboration Software Market Size is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 13.5% from 2021 to 2028 and reach the market value of around USD 27.8 Billion by 2028. The Global Procurement-As-A-Service Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 9.6% from 2021 to 2028 and is expected to reach the market value of around USD 8.9 Billion by 2028. About Acumen Research and Consulting: Acumen Research and Consulting is a global provider of market intelligence and consulting services to information technology, investment, telecommunication, manufacturing, and consumer technology markets. ARC helps investment communities, IT professionals, and business executives to make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and develop firm growth strategies to sustain market competition. With the team size of 100+ Analysts and collective industry experience of more than 200 years, Acumen Research and Consulting assures to deliver a combination of industry knowledge along with global and country level expertise. For Latest Update Follow Us on Twitter , Instagram and LinkedIn Contact Us: Mr. Richard Johnson Acumen Research and Consulting USA: +13474743864 India: +918983225533 E-mail: sales@acumenresearchandconsulting.com KERING PRESS RELEASE February 3, 2023 RAFFAELLA CORNAGGIA APPOINTED CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF KERING BEAUTE Kering announces the appointment of Raffaella Cornaggia as CEO of Kering Beaute. Based in Paris and reporting to Jean-Francois Palus, Group Managing Director of Kering, she will be a member of the Groups Executive Committee. In her new role, and supported by a team of seasoned professionals, she will help develop an expertise in the Beauty category for Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Pomellato and Qeelin. The creation of Kering Beaute will enable the Group to support these brands in the development of the Beauty category, which is a natural extension of their universe. Kering is confident it can create value for the Group and its Houses, drawing on each of their unique identity in a way that is fully consistent with their strategy and market positioning. Jean-Francois Palus, Group Managing Director, said: I am delighted to welcome Raffaella Cornaggia, who brings us considerable experience in a segment that we see as strategically important for our Houses. We are building this new area of expertise within our Group to ensure that our brands can fulfill their potential in this category. Photograph available here credit : Jean-Francois Robert / modds About Raffaella Cornaggia An Italian national, Raffaella Cornaggia has over 25 years of experience in Beauty, spanning three continents, in multiple channels. Raffaella Cornaggia began her career at LOreal where she occupied various roles for 10 years in Italy and in France, before joining Chanel Parfums Beaute as Global Vice President, Marketing Makeup. In 2008, she joined Estee Lauder Companies at the time of the creation of its EMEA region to lead the marketing for Estee Lauder and Tom Ford Beauty, based in Paris. She then moved to Asia where she was appointed Senior Director, Brand Development for Estee Lauder and Tom Ford Beauty, and later promoted Vice President and General Manager for MAC Cosmetics in the region. In 2017, she spearheaded the development of the Travel Retail business worldwide for Estee Lauder and Aerin, as Senior Vice President and General Manager, based in New York. She then became International Senior Vice President and General Manager for the brands in 2020, responsible for worldwide business outside of the US and Canada. Story continues She is a graduate of Bocconi University in Milan. 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 over 42,000 employees and revenue of 17.6 billion. Contacts Press 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 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 "Saint Omer" director Alice Diop on the red carpet during the Variety Creative Impact Awards and 10 Directors to Watch Brunch at the Parker Palm Springs in Palm Springs, Calif., on January 6, 2023 First, the real-life facts of the case, more shocking than youll find in most fiction: In November 2013, a mother took a train from Paris to the northern French coast, along with her 15-month old daughter. She checked into a hotel, walked down to the water at night, fed the hungry child, and left her to drown at high tide. That mother, Fabienne Kabou, went on trial in 2016, where she acknowledged the killing and spoke of sorcery and witchcraft, but added: Nothing makes sense in this story. Sitting in that courtroom was French documentary filmmaker Alice Diop. Like Kabou, a woman of Senegalese descent, Diop had been fascinated by the case since shed seen a grainy surveillance photo in a newspaper and felt that I know her so well, I recognize myself. She spent days sitting in the courtroom, staring at the woman in front of her, seeking to understand the impossible. What emerged from that experience is the spellbinding Saint Omer, Diops debut feature, but really a film that exists somewhere in the space between documentary and scripted narrative, between truth and fiction. Most crucially, its a film so original in approach that one feels only Diop could have made or even conceived of it. Whether it answers the question that an empathetic defense lawyer asks the jury to consider not whether, but WHY is less clear. But the film, which Diop co-wrote with Amrita David and Marie NDiaye, peels back so many layers by merely asking it layers of race, gender, motherhood, and the lasting effects of French colonialism, for starters that in the end, youll likely feel an answer isnt really the point. Diop begins with a mercifully brief scene on a dark beach, a woman walking, holding something, while the waves in the distance grow louder. The scene turns out to be a dream, experienced by Rama, a French novelist and professor, also of Senegalese descent. Rama is a proxy for Diop; she has developed an obsession with the infanticide story, and wants to base her next novel on it. Story continues Soon Rama (a soulful Kayije Kagame), like Diop, is traveling to the coast and settling onto a bench into a wood-paneled courtroom (the film set was next door to the real courtroom) where defendant Laurence Coly, a fictional stand-in for Kabou, is facing a methodical but incredulous judge (Valerie Dreville). Laurence is not the kind of defendant anyone expects and thats part of whats both fascinating and troubling. She is highly educated, a fact that seems surprising to the media and to others. Even Ramas book editor back in Paris tells her hes heard Laurence speaks in a sophisticated way; Rama retorts that she speaks like any other educated woman. Laurences mother in Senegal, we learn, was obsessed with her education and upward mobility, and wouldnt let her daughter speak the native Wolof language, only French. Her obsession with my success tortured me, she testifies. (In a heartbreaking moment, her mother, attending the trial, buys every newspaper she can, so proud is she that her daughter is generating headlines.) As for her father, he severed ties and stopped funding her studies in France when she switched from law to philosophy. Lacking resources to survive, Laurence finally had to stop her studies and move in with an older white boyfriend, Luc, who hid their relationship from his own family. When she became pregnant, keeping the child against Lucs wishes, she withdrew completely from the world. When Luc is on the stand, the judge draws out how this supposedly devoted father didnt even attend the babys funeral it was too far, the man complains. It was very abstract to me. All the testimony is taken from the official record, brought to life by Guslagie Malanda as a maddeningly serene and utterly riveting Laurence, and a supporting cast of theater actors. The spectators are played by local townspeople, and the proceedings were filmed in chronological fashion, all contributing to a documentary-style feel. But unlike a documentary, were witnessing it all though Rama. Shes horrified not only by the crime but by the prejudices, large and small, directed at Laurence some that she herself experiences, as a woman, as a woman of color, as an academic in a white world and as a daughter, with a mother who often treated her selfishly. Theres another parallel. Rama is pregnant, just as Diop was during the trial. In bed one night with her partner, she tells him: Im scared Ill be like her. Its her mother she is talking about, she clarifies. Or is it? I hope this trial will give me an answer, someone says at the beginning of the film. If you think its Rama, or the judge, youre wrong. Its Laurence herself, admitting to a stunned courtroom that she has no tidy explanation up her sleeve. Likewise, Diop refuses to wrap her film with a neat bow. In fact, she doesnt even tell us what sentence, if any, Kabou received (theres Google for that.) But in her unique way, she has taken us further into the emotional, social and moral crevices of this real-life case than any documentary could. And were much the better for it. Saint Omer, a Super release, has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for some thematic elements and brief strong language. Running time: 122 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four. This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Review: Spellbinding Saint Omer straddles truth, fiction BuzzFeed News One of the most popular bots on Twitter is @MakeItAQuote , which has more than 565,000 followers. You can reply to any tweet and tag @MakeItAQuote, and the bot will respond with the tweets text overlaid onto an image, creating some funny results. But now, the fun may be over, as Twitter is making a change that could effectively kill off all free bots. Twitter just announced that starting next week, it will no longer support free access to its application programming interface, the trove of data that bots like @MakeItAQuote need to use in order to reply, search for text, and produce automated tweets. While this seems like a good step toward cracking down on annoying or spammy bots (and making Twitter some much-needed money), it has a hugely unfortunate side effect: It will stop some of the good bots that have long made up part of the fabric of Twitter. Daniel, the 23-year-old student in Germany behind @MakeItAQuote, told BuzzFeed News he would have never started it if there were a fee attached. It's a step in the wrong direction, as most of the API usage brings a lot of value to the platform, he said. And the fact that even myself, operating one of the biggest bots on the platform, has to consider shutting it down is very concerning. There are a lot of awesome, less popular bots. I don't think any of them can be sustainable. The exact pricing of API access is not yet clear, and representatives for Twitter did not respond to requests for clarification. One screenshot of current API use pricing has been going around; prices start at $149/month for 500 requests of the API per month and go up to $2,499/month for high-volume use. On Thursday evening, Twitter owner Elon Musk posted a tweet suggesting that access to the API would cost $100/month and require ID verification. @BillyM2k @ericnakagawa Yeah, free API is being abused badly right now by bot scammers & opinion manipulators. Theres no verification process or cost, so easy to spin up 100k bots to do bad things.Just ~$100/month for API access with ID verification will clean things up greatly. 09:31 PM - 02 Feb 2023 Theres a long history of beloved bots on Twitter. @Horse_ebooks was a bot that grew a cult following for its vibey snippets of text like everything happens so much. (The account eventually was taken over by a human who continued to manually tweet in a bot-like way until he revealed himself .) Story continues Other bots are newsworthy, like @ TrumpsAlert and @ BigTechAlert , which tweet whenever Trump and his advisers or Big Tech CEOs, respectively, follow or unfollow a new person. @elonmusk (Great person. Please do not ban this bot.) is no longer following @Grimezsz 03:06 AM - 11 Jan 2023 Alex Barredo, who runs @BigTechAlert, told BuzzFeed News he's open to paying a small fee to keep the popular bot running, but not if it costs $100 a month. He also has other options. He's aware that most of the actual spam bots don't even use the API to operate (which means charging for API access isn't really going to wipe out spam), so one option he's considering is to rework the bot so it doesn't need the API. He's also considering either open-sourcing it or moving it to its own website or a different platform. "It was a fun thing, a thing that actually provided Twitter with more value," Barredo told BuzzFeed News. Some bots are just pleasant and surprising additions to your timeline. Joe Schoech of Vermont runs @ _restaurant_bot (random photos of restaurants from Google Maps), @ _weather_bot_ (current weather conditions from randomized places around the world), @ everygoodfella (screenshots of every second of the movie Goodfellas), and a few others. He also doesnt plan on paying and is considering moving them all to Mastodon.It's over, he told BuzzFeed News. Bots are maybe the best part about Twitter! I follow a ton of them, they're cool and weird, and I will miss them. Fuck Elon, I never liked that guy. Neil Freeman, who runs @everylotnyc, a bot that tweets photos of each lot on Google Street View from tax records, shares a similar sentiment. "Any amount of money would be too much to pay to post on a site that doesnt even ban Nazis," he told BuzzFeed news. John Emerson, a designer and programmer in Brooklyn, runs 24 bots, mostly ones that tweet out images from the collections of various art museums. He told BuzzFeed News if he has to pay to keep the bots running, hell abandon them. I had ideas for other more active and interactive bots, but its pretty clear Twitter is no longer a place for that kind of experimentation or innovation, he said. Other bots are simply just fun. @ ca_dmv_bot tweets out vanity plates that were rejected by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, along with the DMVs reasoning. The bots creation was inspired by a Los Angeles magazine article about rejected plates, which revealed that theyre often incredibly funny. Customer: A REFERENCE TO THE 90'S SITCOM SEINFELDDMV: ASS MANVerdict: DENIED 09:00 AM - 01 Feb 2023 @ca_dmv_bot is run by RJ, a 15-year-old in California who requested that BuzzFeed News not use his full name for privacy reasons. At the current API usage rates, it would cost over $3,400 a year to keep @ca_dmv_bot running. RJ told BuzzFeed News over DM he might be willing to pay a lower amount, but itd have to come from tips/donation money entirely since Im not paying a dime to Elon lol. okay universe, you were embarrassing 04:49 AM - 22 Feb 2015 Rob Dubbin, founder of the collaborative scriptwriting app Scripto , created the bot @ oliviataters a bot that tweets out fragments that read like the ramblings of a teenage girl, which are based on snippets of text found through search on the API. He said that he had no plans to pay any amount to keep his bot going. Vichy Twitter had already stopped being a cool place to put bots or art in general, but the fact that until today you could still run your bots if you wanted to was a tether to a better time in its history, when it was more of a social canvas for goofy experimentation and feedback, Dubbin told BuzzFeed News. Is charging for API access a good business idea? Who cares! It's another castle built on shit. UPDATE Feb. 03, 2023, at 16:02 PM Feb. 03, 2023, at 16:02 PM More on this SAN DIEGO, Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Board of Trustees has welcomed two new members to its ranks. Bryan Min and Jane Finley have joined the international organization's board, sharing their expertise and professional knowledge while offering leadership insights, guidance, and support to the nonprofit's vital wildlife conservation mission. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Board of Trustees Welcomes Two New Members with Vast Technology and Healthcare Leadership Experience. "We are honored to have Bryan Min and Jane Finley join our board of mission-led thought leaders," said Paul A. Baribault, president and chief executive officer of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. "Both Bryan and Jane bring decades worth of business leadership experience in their fields; as well as having strong ties to the San Diego community. I look forward to their contributions supporting the Alliance and our continued work safeguarding wildlife and advocating for an interconnected world where all life thrives." Bryan Min is the Founder and CEO of Epsilon Systems, founded in 1998 to provide innovative engineering solutions to government, commercial and non-profit businesses. The high-tech company offers basic research, system architecture, software development, training, maintenance and logistics, and more to highprofile clients, such as the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, and other non-profit and commercial entities. Under Min's unique vision and steadfast guidance, Epsilon has grown into a premier governmental contracting firm with more than 20 locations nationally. In keeping with his service to our nation as a naval nuclear submarine officer and a commitment to empowering others, Min created the ESSential Foundation which funds numerous projects, including military support, caregivers to wounded warriors, international micro-finance, religious and educational organizations, and other civic and cultural programs. Min has also given back through service on various boards; notably the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego Chamber of Commerce, San Diego County Taxpayer's Association, Asian Business Association, and Santa Fe Christian Schools. Currently, he serves on the board of the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering and Endeavor Bank . Story continues Jane Finley is the Senior Vice President and Area Manager for Kaiser Permanente Heath Plan and Hospitals in San Diego, and oversees all health care delivery, financial operations, business strategies, and health plan and hospital support functions for one of Kaiser Permanente's largest markets, caring for more than 630,00 San Diegans, and including two (soon to be three) hospitals, 26 medical offices, and more than 10,000 staff and physicians . Finley's 30-years of experience includes serving as senior vice president and executive director of the Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center; director of planning, business strategy, finance leader for the tri- central area; director of hospital operations Panorama City, and service area manager of the Valleys Service Area. Finley also shares her knowledge with the community. She is Past Chair and current board member of the Hospital Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties, and serves on the Board of Directors for the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and Board of Directors for 2-1-1 San Diego. About San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is a nonprofit international conservation leader, committed to inspiring a passion for nature and working toward a world where all life thrives. The Alliance empowers people from around the globe to support their mission to conserve wildlife through innovation and partnerships. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance supports cutting-edge conservation and brings the stories of their work back to the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Parkgiving millions of guests, in person and virtually, the opportunity to experience conservation in action. The work of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance extends from San Diego to eco-regional conservation "hubs" across the globe, where their expertise and assetsincluding the renowned Wildlife Biodiversity Bankare able to effectively align with hundreds of regional partners to improve outcomes for wildlife in more coordinated efforts. By leveraging these skills in wildlife care and conservation science, and through collaboration with hundreds of partners, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has reintroduced more than 44 endangered species to native habitats. Each year, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's work reaches over 1 billion people in 150 countries via news media, social media, their websites, educational resources and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers television programming, which is in children's hospitals in 13 countries. Success is made possible by the support of members, donors and guests to the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, who are Wildlife Allies committed to ensuring all life thrives. Press Room Link Includes: Photo of: Bryan Min, founder and CEO of Epsilon Systems, and founder of ESSential Foundation Photo of: Jane Finley , senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente Heath Plan and Hospitals in San Diego, CA. CONTACT: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Public Relations 619-685-3291 WEBSITE: sdzwa.org PRESS ROOM: sdzwa.org/pr/SDZWAwelcomes2023trustees San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Board of Trustees Welcomes Two New Members with Vast Technology and Healthcare Leadership Experience. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Logo Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/san-diego-zoo-wildlife-alliance-board-of-trustees-welcomes-two-new-members-with-vast-technology-and-healthcare-leadership-experience-301737998.html SOURCE San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance NEWMARKET, ON, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Fibre internet service provider, telMAX today announced that they have connected their first customer to Canada's fastest internet service in the Town of Newmarket. telMAX Logo (CNW Group/telMAX) telMAX, a locally based company headquartered in York Region, serves the communities of Brooklin, Stouffville and now Newmarket offering internet, TV, and phone service. Residents may have seen construction crews laying fibre lines in their neighbourhoods within the Town during the past two months. This brand new telMAX infrastructure will enable Newmarket customers to receive 100 percent pure fibre with synchronous speeds up to 10 Gbps delivered to their homes. "We are truly delighted with the relationship we have built with the Town of Newmarket as we work towards our goal of bringing 100% pure fibre to neighbourhoods and residents throughout the town," said Stuart Roberts, CEO of telMAX. "Whether you're working from home, staying connected with loved ones, or just being entertained, we understand how important it is to have fast, reliable, high-speed internet. We look forward to establishing more economic and cultural partnerships as we bring Canada's fastest internet service to all of Newmarket." telMAX, recognized by PC Magazine as the fastest internet service provider (ISP) in Canada, recently acquired ENVI - Newmarket's community-owned Internet Service Provider (ISP) . "We are committed to our future Smart City aspirations and dedicated to providing universal, reliable, and high-speed broadband services to all the constituents in the Town of Newmarket," said Newmarket Mayor John Taylor. "Today's announcement further supports our goal of ensuring affordable high-speed broadband for Newmarket businesses and residents." About telMAX telMAX is building a 100% pure fibre network across underserved communities across Ontario. For the past 2 years, telMAX has built its own fibre optic network in Brooklin, Stouffville and Newmarket. Using the latest technology, the telMAX network is capable of delivering synchronous speeds up to 10 Gbps. telMAX is based in Stouffville with an additional office hub in Newmarket and offers Fibre Broadband internet, TV and home phone services. It proudly employs staff from the communities where it operates and is committed to supporting the local communities they serve. In June 2022, an independent assessment, by PC Magazine, recognized telMAX as the fastest internet service provider in Canada. telMAX is owned by Nova Infrastructure fund and QAI Capital. Story continues Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/telmax---canadas-fastest-internet-service-now-live-in-newmarket-301737927.html SOURCE telMAX (Bloomberg) -- TikTok, the app that faces three congressional bills that could result in its restriction or ban in the US, is trying to take control of the narrative. Most Read from Bloomberg As part of efforts to prove that its not a Trojan Horse for the Chinese government, as one of the proposed bills describes it, TikTok is opening a Transparency and Accountability Center at its Los Angeles headquarters. Policymakers and security experts are concerned about TikToks ownership by a Chinese company, ByteDance Ltd., and whether that connection could mean the government could access users data or influence the videos they see on their feeds. Executives have assured regulators that TikTok is implementing strict security protocols, but that trust has been eroded by a number of high-profile scandals, including the inappropriate access of US users data by ByteDance employees. The center, which doesnt directly address the China question, nevertheless aims to help outsiders understand how the app works, with various stations including touch screens that illustrate how its algorithm and content moderation tools operate. One installment, for instance, gives visitors a chance to experience the decision-making process for a TikTok moderator who is presented with a type of content that has been reported to the company for potentially violating policies. At the center, TikTok aims to answer basic questions about the apps inner workings for people who might have a say in its future like politicians, regulators, data privacy experts and journalists. The company is also updating its rules around account suspensions, adding a new strikes system that means users who continually violate the same rule or abuse the same feature on the app will face a permanent ban. Story continues On Tuesday, journalists invited to tour the facility heard from Chief Operating Officer Vanessa Pappas, who has represented TikToks interests in the US and has previously been called to testify before Congress. She emphasized that building consumer trust is a top priority. This is an area of commitment for us, she said. Youll often hear about it whether you work inside or outside the company as this being our No. 1 priority. Yet during the 40-minute presentation, which included perspectives from three other executives, none specifically addressed China or discussed other recent security vulnerabilities. Beyond the bills in Congress, TikTok is undergoing an intensive US national security review. TikTok has argued for years that its user data is secure, but has also developed a own plan to dispel those concerns and satisfy US authorities. The company is now taking an aggressive approach to promote the strategy to the public. Known as Project Texas, the plan includes a partnership with Oracle Corp. to store all of its US user data. There will also be a series of regular third-party audits and reviews to ensure the company is adhering to its promises. TikTok previously stored US user data on servers in Singapore and Virgina, a spokesperson said, and is in the process of deleting that data now that it has been copied over to Oracle servers. Without mentioning China, executives did tout Project Texas, saying the company has already spent $1.5 billion on the privacy plan and estimates it will cost between $700 million and $1 billion annually once it is fully operational. One door was off limits to the media at the Transparency Center: a secure server room where third-party vendors or partners, like Oracle, could come and review TikToks code, according to a spokesperson. In order to cross the threshold, one would need to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Company Logo Dublin, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "UAE Pharmaceutical Market, By Drug Type (Generic Drugs v/s Branded Drugs), By Product Type (Prescription Drugs v/s Over-The-Counter Drugs), By Application, By Distribution Channel, By Region, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. UAE pharmaceutical market is anticipated to register growth with an impressive CAGR in the forecast period, 2023-2027, on the account of expanding healthcare industry and investment in the industry. Surging demands from the growing population of the country for efficient pharmaceutical products are further driving the growth of the UAE pharmaceutical market in the upcoming five years. Government Initiatives Drive Market Growth United Arab Emirates' government is actively focused on advancing the pharmaceutical industry. Initiatives like the Dubai Industrial Strategy 2030 and the Abu Dhabi vision 2030 is focused toward developing the pharmaceutical industry due to its future growth prospects, export potential and mid-term to long-term economic impact. Till recent past, the country pharmaceutical demands were highly met through imported drugs and pharmaceutical products. Going forward, the country is actively functioning to decrease the import of pharmaceutical and manufacture their own products through increasing investments in pharmaceutical and therapeutic products' research and development. In the year 2018, country imported pharmaceutical products worth over USD14.9 billion from the countries like Germany, USA, France and Switzerland. To increase their self-production of pharmaceutical products the country is initiating bonds with multinational market players. With favorable schemes and plans for the distribution channels and funding strategic location and sophisticated logistics infrastructure is also anticipated to further strengthen the growth of the UAE pharmaceutical market in the future five years. India - UAE Bilateral Trade Supports Pharmaceutical Industry India stands 3rd in terms of pharmaceutical products volume production and 14th in terms of value of the industry across the world. With the historic partnership, the countries are trying to establish a conjugated pharmaceutical industry that would benefit the industry in both countries. Story continues Moreover, with the recent pandemic effect the import-export channels have suffered drastically in recent years. Therefore, UAE is trying to establish more permanent solution to the surging demands for the pharmaceutical products in the country. Growing Instances Of Diseases Upsurges Drug Demands Increasing number of chronic diseases, infectious diseases, and lifestyle diseases are major factor influencing the growth of the pharmaceutical market in the country. Chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, neurological disorders, etc. are driving the market growth. 4,807 new cancer cases were observed in the country among both male and female population in the country. Infectious diseases due to higher tourism, and environmental factor, and the recent viral infection due to COVID-19 facilitated the demand for pharmaceutical products. Disrupted import channels, have pushed the pharmaceutical companies in the country to manufacture drugs and medicines in the country and government also supported the notion with higher investment in the sector. Competitive Landscape Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in UAE pharmaceutical market. Julphar Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries Bayer Consumer Health Lifepharma FZE Niner Pharmaceuticals LLC GlaxoSmithKline & Neopharma Pfizer UAE Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC Report Scope: UAE Pharmaceutical Market, By Drug Type: Generic Drugs Branded Drugs UAE Pharmaceutical Market, By Product Type: Prescription Drugs Over-The-Counter Drugs UAE Pharmaceutical Market, By Application: Cardiovascular Musculoskeletal Oncology Anti-infective Metabolic Disorder Others UAE Pharmaceutical Market, By Distribution Channel: Retail Pharmacy Hospital Pharmacy E-Pharmacy UAE Pharmaceutical Market, By Region: Dubai Region Sharjah Region Abu Dhabi Region Rest of UAE For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/pguab1 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Romania Klaus Iohannis have made press statements. The President of Azerbaijan made the statement first. Statement by President Ilham Aliyev - Dear Mr. President. Dear guests. Ladies and gentlemen. First of all, Mr. President, I would like to sincerely welcome you to Azerbaijan. Welcome to Azerbaijan! We met in Bucharest last month and I am glad that a month later you are paying an official visit to Azerbaijan. This shows that the high-level political dialogue between our countries is very active and the issues being discussed meet the interests of both countries. Romania and Azerbaijan have been developing their relations on the basis of strategic partnership for many years. Two documents on strategic partnership have been signed. The issues we have discussed and resolved today are indeed of strategic importance. Our political relations are at a very high level, and mutual visits show this once again. At the same time, there are results in commercial and economic fields. Although the trade turnover has more than doubled, it is still not at the desired level because much of our turnover is made up of crude oil exported from Azerbaijan to Romania. We will take further steps to diversify our trade, and I hope that the activity of the intergovernmental commission will pursue this goal. The commission met in Baku last year, and will meet again in Bucharest this year. Thus, there can be good results in the commercial and economic field. Energy, of course, is not only the issue of Romanian-Azerbaijani relations, but one at the center of the global agenda as a whole. For many years, the Azerbaijani oil company SOCAR has been operating in Romania, with more than 70 gas stations and several fuel depots. That is, SOCAR's activity in Romania already has a very good history. Now our cooperation is entering a new stage. While I was in Bucharest, an agreement was signed on the delivery of natural gas to Romania. Thus, Azerbaijani gas will reach a new destination in Europe. In parallel, using Romanian facilities, Azerbaijani gas will be transported to other European countries. Two years ago, we successfully implemented the TAP project, the last segment of the Southern Gas Corridor, and became a reliable energy partner for the European Union. This is acknowledged by the leaders of the European Union. The Strategic Partnership Memorandum on natural gas signed between the European Union and Azerbaijan in Baku last year shows this again. We are rapidly increasing our gas exports, primarily to Europe. Our distinguished guest will participate in the opening ceremony of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council meeting to be held in Azerbaijan tomorrow. The participation of President Iohannis in the opening demonstrates the great importance of this event. Of course, our main event in Bucharest was about green energy. A very important step has been taken in this direction, and the first Advisory Council meeting on green energy will be held tomorrow. This is a very strategic project, a project that requires huge investments, a project that connects several countries, two seas. Of course, we hope that tomorrow's first steering committee meeting will also offer a roadmap for future joint activities. In short, based on a very important strategic partnership platform, we have taken a very important step towards modernity, towards development, towards energy security. At the same time, other areas can be prioritized, including the transport sector. There are very good opportunities for deepening the cooperation between the ports of Baku and Constanta. I am sure that both gas and green energy corridors will lead to great results, including those in the field of transport. Dear Mr. President, I once again sincerely welcome you to Azerbaijan. You are welcome! *** Then, the President of Romania made the statement. Statement by President Klaus Iohannis - Mr. President, thank you. I am very honored to be here today. This is my first official visit to your country. The South Caucasus region is of great importance for both Romania and the European Union. I am thankful to Mr. President Aliyev for the invitation and hospitality. Azerbaijan is the first country in the South Caucasus region with which Romania raised its cooperation to the level of strategic partnership. This happened in 2009. In addition, our country is the first member of the European Union to sign such a document on strategic partnership with Azerbaijan. Today, we held important political consultations with President Ilham Aliyev. Tomorrow, together with Mr. President, I will participate in the 9th Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting. Romania and Azerbaijan have had good diplomatic and political relations for 30 years. In 2022, a very strong impetus was given to this and Mr. President visited Bucharest. During that visit, on December 17, we signed the Agreement on a strategic partnership in the field of green energy development and transmission between the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary. We in Romania are ready to deepen the strategic partnership between our countries and implement regional projects of strategic importance. We are ready to cooperate in the fields of energy, trade, investment, digitization and agriculture. I thank Mr. President for the fact that Azerbaijan has started transporting additional gas volumes to Romania in January. Tomorrow, the state oil companies of both countries, "Romgaz" and SOCAR, will sign a new agreement. According to that agreement, additional gas will be transported to our country in 2023-2024. Both the Southern Gas Corridor, as well as the future submarine transportation cable of electric energy produced in Azerbaijan from renewable resources, projects which are sustained by the European Commission will significantly contribute to ensuring the energy security in the European Union. We discussed these issues with President Aliyev today. Digitization projects are also of interest to us. Romania and Azerbaijan intend to develop this cooperation and strategic initiatives in the direction of Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia. We discussed this with Mr. President in Bucharest. Mr. President, Romania is a sincere and true friend of Azerbaijan. Romania's position has always been clear. We have always supported the territorial integrity and sovereignty of countries. One of the last issues we discussed with Mr. Aliyev was Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Black Sea region. We emphasized the importance of solidarity in such a complex situation and highly appreciated Azerbaijan's position on these issues. Thus, regional cooperation, diversification of sources and routes are based on the basic principle of projects like the Southern Gas Corridor. We are sure that Azerbaijan, as a reliable partner, will advance such projects in the future. President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much. DUBLIN, Feb. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Vietnam Meat Market By Product (Chicken, Pork, Frog, Duck, Mutton), By Type (Raw and Processed), By Distribution Channel, By Region, By States, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Research and Markets Logo Vietnam meat market is anticipated to register impressive growth in the forecast period, 2023-2027, on account of increasing consumption of various types of meat & meat products. Increasing demand from the fast food restaurants is further driving the growth of the Vietnam meat market in the upcoming five years. Increasing Consumption Drives Market Growth Rapidly increasing consumption of poultry meat, pork meat, along with frog & duck meat is anticipated to drive the growth of the Vietnam meat market in the upcoming five years. Increasing demands among the population to self-cook their meals along with increasing inclination of the younger population toward online food delivery services for their regular meals is also supporting the growth of the Vietnam meat market in the next five years. Vietnam is the 14th most populated country in the world. With the growing population of 98.3 million in 2021, the demand for meat as a regular consumable food is increasing. Also, the consumers in the country are highly inclined toward western restaurants for their meat consumptions since these places provide, innovative food items, event based celebration food, and growing trends of social parties and get-together. Although, local restaurants in the country also account for major 66% of shares when it comes to meat consumptions. Increasing Imports Drive Market Growth Vietnam is one of the largest importer of meat from neighboring countries. Australia is one of the largest supplier of meat to the country. In the year 2020, Vietnam imported over 90,400 tons of carcass, chilled or frozen pork equal to 215 Mill. USSD, up by 357% in volume and 460% in value from 2019, says the reports from Customs General Department, Vietnam. Frozen pork products are mainly imported from five major markets: Russia, Brazil, Canada, the US and Poland. Frozen pork products are anticipated to hold largest import shares of the market, expecting increase from 5.5% to 6% CAGR growth in the next five years. Story continues Increased focus on livestock production, maintenance of quality products from the local market are some other factors responsible for the future growth of the Vietnam meat market in the future five years. E-Commerce Supports Market Growth Recent pandemic situation shut down offline and physical stores due to increasing patient counts being infected of COVID-19 virus. This led to expanding e-commerce websites, and smartphone based services that provided the advantages of home shopping. Through online platforms and mobile applications, consumers can avail the services. Added advantages like home delivery, convenient shopping, lower prices, offers & schemes further aided to the growth of the Vietnam meat market. Being added in the regular grocery lists, the meat products available on the grocery delivery apps also driving the growth in the online shopping of the product and thus the growth of the market. Competitive Landscape Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Vietnam meat market. Classic Fine Foods Hanoi Fishmarket Vietnam Co.,Ltd Tienlong Company Limited Hoa Phat Group Vissan Joint Stock Company Duc Viet Food Joint Stock Company Masan MEATLife Report Scope: Vietnam Meat Market, By Product: Chicken Por Frog Duck Mutton Vietnam Meat Market, By Type: Raw Processed Vietnam Meat Market, By Distribution Channel: Departmental Stores Specialty Stores Hypermarket/ Supermarket Online Sales Channel Others Vietnam Meat Market, By Region: Northern Region Central Region Southern Region For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qi08wr-meat?w=5 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg Cision View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vietnam-meat-market-analysis-report-2023-2027-increasing-demand-from-fast-food-restaurants-fueling-demand-and-future-growth-301738283.html SOURCE Research and Markets Company Logo Dublin, Feb. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Vietnam Travel & Tourism Market By Product/Service Offering, By Destination, By Purpose of Visit, By Tourist Profile, By Average Duration of Stay, By Region, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Vietnam travel & tourism market is anticipated to grow at a rate of steady CAGR for the forecast period, 2023-2027 Strong economic growth, supportive government policies, increase in competition among market players, and adoption of attractive marketing and promotional strategies by market players are the key factors driving the growth of the Vietnam travel & tourism market in the forecast period. Flourishing Domestic Tourism Supports the Market Growth Tourism is considered as one of the most prominent revenues producing industries in Vietnam, and the economy is majorly dependent on domestic traveling to generate significant income sources. The rise in disposable income of consumers enables them to afford domestic traveling as many international countries have closed their international borders for people belonging to other nationalities. Domestic traveling is expected to grow at a rapid rate and is expected to recover the amount in a short time due to increasing domestic spending by consumers and the launch of attractive and affordable tourist packages by market players. Local tourism can be boosted by focusing on developing emerging destinations with cooperation from local authorities, online travel agencies, hotels, and airlines. Outdoor tourism, which involves mountains, beaches, sunshine, nature, were among the top choices for Vietnamese travelers after the lockdown restrictions were relaxed. The travel & tourism industry is rapidly evolving with time, and with relaxations in international traveling and vaccination facilities, the industry is expected to witness growth opportunities in the forecast period. International Tourism Industry Generates Significant Revenue Sources International tourists comprise a smaller number of tourists than local tourists, but they account for more than half of tourism spending for the country. The growing tourism industry generates a large number of job opportunities for the people and supports the food and beverage and the retail sector. Story continues The majority of tourists visiting Vietnam are from Asian countries, with those from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and China, as the country has strong economic ties with these countries. The government of Vietnam is adopting a zero-case-first strategy as it covers the countries having relatively lower COVID-19 transmission rates to gain the traveler's confidence and accelerate the number of foreign visitors in the country. Investments by market players to boost the number of travelers from these countries and offer affordable and quality services to international tourists is expected to bolster the Vietnam travel & tourism market growth in the forecast period. Adoption Of Online Sales Platform by Market Player Drives Market Growth Market players are investing in adopting the online sales platform for the consumer base by reaching a wider audience. The presence of interactive websites and mobile applications offering lucrative traveling packages to consumers and 24*7 customer support to solve customer queries is expected to drive the Vietnam travel & tourism market growth. Travelers and tourists could avail customized travel plans according to their convenience, budget, and requirements. Market players are also offering the tourists to visit the tourist places virtually, make the right decisions about the places they want to visit, and choose the suitable traveling mode for the destination. Competitive Landscape Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Vietnam Travel & Tourism market. Viet Vision Travel Lily's Travel Agency Hello Laos Travel Amazing Tour Vietnam Green Era Travel Get Up and Go Vietnam Travel Company Exodus Travels Threeland Travel Vietnam Adventure Tours Phu Quoc Island Explorer Report Scope: In this report, Vietnam Travel & Tourism market has been segmented into following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below: Vietnam Travel & Tourism Market, By Product /Service Offering: Ticket Reservation Hotel Booking Holiday/Tour Packages Travel Insurance Foreign Exchange Conference/Trade Fair/MICE Others Vietnam Travel & Tourism Market, By Type: Domestic Inbound Outbound Vietnam Travel & Tourism Market, By Purpose of Visit: Business Leisure & Recreation Education Medical Social Activity Others Vietnam Travel & Tourism Market, By Tourist Profile: Indians Foreign Nationals Vietnam Travel & Tourism Market, By Average Duration of Stay: Number of Days Vietnam Travel & Tourism Market, By Region: Northern Southern Central For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/zhw4zg-travel?w=12 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 In 1995, the space shuttle Discovery blasted off with a woman, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Eileen Collins, in the pilots seat for the first time in NASA history, and more events that happened on this day in history. Fredericksburg City Public Schools is one of eight Virginia school divisions that will benefit from a $15 million federal student mental health grant that was awarded to the Virginia Department of Education. The federal Mental Health Services grant will go toward [increasing] the number of credentialed school-based mental health service providers delivering services to students in schools with demonstrated needs, the VDOE announced in a press release last month. Fredericksburg was selected to receive funding or services through the grant along with school divisions in Amelia, New Kent, Prince George and Scott counties and the cities of Portsmouth, Roanoke and Salem. Maris Wyatt, director of special education and foster care liaison for Fredericksburg City Public Schools, said the grant will help the school division recruit and retain school-based psychologists, counselors and social workers by providing resources and training. It will enable smaller school divisions such as Fredericksburg to create more professional development opportunities for mental health service providers and administrators so they can better support staff and students, she said. I feel really fortunate to be one of the divisions that will receive this, Wyatt said. Wyatt said Fredericksburg has a large population of English language learners and homeless students groups that require more support before they are able to flourish academically. In addition, she said she has observed that students returning to in-person school after the pandemic are having a more difficult time navigating social relationships. Kids are having a harder time expressing themselves face to face, Wyatt said. This year, city schools are benefiting from a grant through the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board that provides for a licensed clinical social worker to work students. The therapist provides services to 26 students at the elementary, middle and high schools. Wyatt said this partnership has been tremendously beneficial for the school division and that new grant will create similar partnerships. We are in the business of educating the whole child and that includes their social functioning as well as their academic functioning, she said. We need resources to support the academic and emotional needs of the child. It only benefits us as society. More details about how the grant will be used for Fredericksburg city schools will come in the next few months, Wyatt said. ORANGEFallout continues from public backlash to a now-canceled Arts Center class slated to be taught by a drag performer. At the Jan. 24 regular meeting of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, members voted 41 to return a $4,500 matching state grant approved in the budget for the local arts center on Main Street. Orange County Administrator Theodore Voorhees said that the county applied for the grant from Virginia Commission for the Arts on behalf of The Arts Center in Orange. The county has already paid the match, he said. Money being sent back, by vote of the board, is the state portion. The measure to rescind the grant passed without board discussion at the meeting. The move follows the recent cancellation and social media uproar surrounding a Build a Babe workshop planned at the arts center. A local drag performer was scheduled to teach costume, makeup and hair design. The backlash caused the Board of Directors at the Arts Center to have an emergency meeting, in which the event was indefinitely postponed. Vice Chairman Lee Frame of District 5 was the sole dissenting vote against pulling the state funding. He said in a phone call Thursday he did not find that kind of event offensive and that a number of Orange residents had already signed up for the class. Frame said he does not spend much time on Facebook, noting none of his constituents reached out to him to complain about the drag design class. The arts center has been doing a lot of good things for a long time throughout the county, he said, mentioning the art centers work in the schools and at Dogwood Village retirement center in town. Frame said he checked with arts center leadership and confirmed no tax money was going to be used to support the class in question. I dont think it was appropriate to cut them off given the fact no donation funding, no county funding was going toward this event, the board vice chairman said. Some people didnt agree with this particular program, Frame added, but the arts center has done enough good in the community the county should continue to support them. The Arts Center celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. Board of Supervisors Chairman Mark Johnson stated in an email that removal of public funding was due to the centers programming. The Board felt that the Arts Center was hosting or promoting certain programming that a majority of Orange County citizens would not support, Johnson said, not specifying which programming he felt was unsupported. Anna Pillow, Executive Director at the Arts Center in Orange, issued a statement following the move by the Board of Supervisors. The Arts Center in Orange is a 501(3) nonprofit organization that has worked in Orange for over 25 years to bring programs big and small to residents, often for low or no cost, thanks to grant funding as well as donations from individuals, she said. We work with artists to provide art experiences to as many people in our community as possible, from young children in Head Start to our elders in Dogwood Village. She said anyone wishing to support the mission of The Arts Center in Orange is encouraged to get in touch at 540/672-7311 or info@artscenterinorange.com and at artscenterinorange.com. Pig farmer Jared Lierman, from Beemer, Nebraska, is all about helping other young people in his community and in the pork industry. There is perhaps no better time to celebrate the integrity of these efforts than the holiday season! During these times of escalating protein prices, pork offers great value and limitless variety. Whether you are preparing an appetizer or main entree for family and friends this holiday season, think pork! Jared and his wife, Patricia, suggest making these chorizo meatballs with Manchego cheese to delight holiday guests! Meat the Pig Farmer... 3L Farms Jared Lierman is a third-generation farmer and owner of 3L Farms, a wean-to-finish operation. He is also president of the Nebraska Pork Producers Association. One of Liermans goals in that role is to expand opportunities for independent producers and to develop options for interested people to become pork producers. I would like to educate as many young producers as possible about the option of raising pigs, Lierman says. His own sons are too young to commit to a life of farming, but he would like them to have the opportunity. In addition to helping young farmers, Lierman and his wife believe it is important to give back to the community. Pig farmers make significant contributions to their local communities, volunteer their time and energy to support community organizations, and strive to be good neighbors. Together with another couple, the Liermans operate a gym and fitness center in the old Beemer High School. Its not about making money, Lierman explains. Our goal is to break even and provide an affordable gym experience for the community. They have also worked hard to revive the towns softball field. Besides working toward his goals as president of NPPA, Lierman has also enjoyed networking with and helping other producers, all while seeing change happen in real time. There are many issues facing the industry including labor shortages, preventing foreign animal disease and the economics of operating, just to name a few. The common denominator linking all these challenges is the desire as pork producers to provide a safe, abundant, high-quality and affordable food product to their global consumers. This content was produced by Brand Ave. Studios. The news and editorial departments had no role in its creation or display. Brand Ave. Studios connects advertisers with a targeted audience through compelling content programs, from concept to production and distribution. For more information contact sales@brandavestudios.com. The Omaha Archdiocese Council of Catholic Women (OACCW) will hold its winter meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 14. It will be held at St. Jane Frances de Chantal Church, 402 N. Bridge St., in Randolph, Nebraska, hosted by RNC Deanery. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. with a $10 registration fee. This fee includes the coffee and rolls and noon luncheon. The meeting begins at 10 a.m. Holy Mass will be celebrated at 11:30 a.m. followed by lunch with guest speaker, Whitney Haahr, Catholic Podcaster of Abundantly Yours, from Wynot on the topic of The Lord's and Our Faithfulness at 1:15 p.m. The afternoon session will end at approximately 3:30 p.m. All women are invited to attend. They will hear the latest news and updates of the council. Anyone with finished baby blankets and bibs for Christ Child Society is urged to bring them to this meeting. If you have any questions concerning this information, contact Kim Estes at 402-924-3125. The Dodge County Sheriffs Office has not been fully staffed for the past 12 months, with a shortage of three full-time deputies that has flummoxed department officials. Dodge County Sheriffs Chief Deputy Robert Bob Reynolds said the three open deputy positions have not been able to be filled due to no candidates being forwarded to the department from the Dodge County Merit Commission, a committee of local officials who screen sheriffs deputy candidates. We have three open (deputy) positions now. Weve been down the three deputies for a year now, Reynolds said, adding that the sheriffs office staff is normally comprised of 22 people when at full staffing. Reynolds, who spoke to the Fremont Tribune because Dodge County Sheriff Dustin Weitzel was on vacation, said the issue is disappointing, but he and other officials are hopeful the vacancies will eventually be filled. We are just not getting enough applicants. Six people applied recently, and through the screening process none of them were hired, Reynolds said of the most recent crop of potential deputies. When we look at them, often they are not qualified. Despite the lack of three deputies, as well as not having a school resources officer and being short one staffer who mans the county courthouse metal detector, Reynolds said the Dodge County Sheriffs Office patrolling and protection of the public has not been hampered. Ten months ago, we went to 12-hour shifts, he said. I think we are covering everything we normally do. According to Reynolds, anyone who seeks to be a sheriffs deputy must meet a list of qualifications in order to be hired. Those include being at least 21 years old; being a high school graduate or GED equivalent; taking and passing a written test; taking and passing a physical fitness test; taking and passing a polygraph/lie detector test; taking and passing a medical exam; being cleared through an interview and getting final OK from the Merit Commission. Reynolds said after those steps are completed and cleared, the potential applicant is normally personally interviewed by the sheriff before being offered a job. In the past 12 months, Reynolds said there have been, about 20 candidates for deputy jobs. However, none of those made it past the Merit Commission for possible consideration for hiring. The situation is reflective of a wider trend across Nebraska and the nation of a shortage of law enforcement candidates. In 2022, the Nebraska State Patrol was facing a shortage of more than 50 patrol personnel, and smaller cities like Wisner faced challenges as larger cities offered more pay to recruit officers. Reynolds said in the post-George Floyd era, in which scrutiny of policing and tactics are at a higher level from both the public and some politicians, finding law enforcement candidates is difficult. The last year has been really unique. Even Omaha (Police Department) is having difficulty, Reynolds explained. Right now, the public perception of law enforcement is down. There are just fewer applicants. To assist in finding qualified candidates, Reynolds said Dodge County raised the pay scales for sheriffs office employees. The county is also seeking candidates via a range of methods, including online advertisements, job postings at the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center in Grand Island, and advertisements on social media as well as traditional newspaper listings. Weve raised the pay scale quite a bit in the past year thanks to the (Dodge County) Board of Supervisors, Reynolds noted. I think (a sheriffs deputy) would be a good career if you want to help the community and help people. Thats who we want to hire. For more information on how to apply for a job as a Dodge County Sheriffs Office deputy or staffer, interested applicants can contact the sheriffs office in person in downtown Fremont or via telephone at 402-727-2702. Online, an application and other details can be found at: dodgecountysheriffne.com/employment.html. Jason Jones, 42, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the August killings the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office said would justify a death sentence. Jones, who investigators say shot and killed Gene Twiford, 86, Janet Twiford, 85, Dana Twiford, 55, and Michele Ebeling, 53, is being represented by the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy in the case. Created in 1995 to provide criminal defense services for high-profile cases including first-degree murder, child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury or death, sexual assault, robbery, or kidnapping, the commission has a two-fold mission. First, it creates a stable of defense attorneys capable of ensuring defendants constitutional rights to legal counsel and a fair trial are protected in areas of the Cornhusker state where there may not be any other attorneys qualified to do so. Second, the commission reduces the cost to rural counties and thereby lessens the impact on property taxpayers. A combination of factors in recent years the switch from general funds to a court-assessed fee and declining numbers of case filings across the state has put financial strain on the commissions ability to meet the needs throughout the state, however. Jeff Pickens, chief counsel for the commission, said fewer case filings has meant a $540,000 drop in revenue between the 2008-09 fiscal year budget ($1.2 million) and the 2021-22 fiscal year budget ($747,000). At the same time, in order to continue providing criminal defense services across the state the commission has had to dip into an emergency cash fund to cover expenses every year since 2014-15. Pickens said the cash fund had a little more than $15,000 in it at the end of the 2020-21 fiscal year, prompting the commission to seek an emergency transfer from the Legislature. If we had not received the $520,000 transfer in July of 2021, we would have had to further reduce our staff, Pickens said in an email. Two state senators have proposed legislation to help fix the problem this year. One of those bills will be heard before the Judiciary Committee on Thursday. The bill (LB555) from Sen. John Cavanaugh, a defense attorney in Omaha, would fund the commission through state appropriations once more, reverting a change made by the Legislature nearly two decades ago. Through a companion bill (LB554) the $3 fee collected on each case filing, which has been used to support the commission since 2005-06, would be funneled into the Indigent Defense Fund, a cash fund that could be used to offer legal aid and other services, or pay for grants, Cavanaugh said. I, personally, would like to eliminate court fees, but thats harder to do, Cavanaugh said in an interview. The real important thing is the value they bring to rural Nebraska. If the commission doesnt exist, these counties could have to shell out an unplanned for $800,000 for legal fees. A separate bill (LB767) from Sen. Barry DeKay of Niobrara, which has been referenced to the Judiciary Committee but hasnt been set for a hearing date, would increase the indigent defense fee from $3 to $8. DeKay, whose district includes Cedar County, where Jones was charged with the quadruple homicide, said he introduced the bill to ensure the commission was adequately funded, but said he would support Cavanaughs bill, too. It doesnt matter to me how they get the funds, DeKay said. It matters to me that we can get the funds to cover these trials so we can help these counties. Raising the indigent defense fee is a move the Legislature has considered before. A 2021 bill (LB150) would have boosted the fee by $2, but was opposed by several senators as well as then-Gov. Pete Ricketts, who said he preferred the commission be funded through general funds. Gov. Jim Pillen has signaled his support for the commission to be funded through court-assessed fees, however. Pickens said the commission has been down an attorney since May 2022, which has resulted in lower expenses for the office, but has also limited what cases the commission can accept. Since its inception in 1995, the commission has handled more than 1,500 cases in 72 counties, including 184 murder trials in 53 counties. We have been doing more with less for a long time, Pickens said. Ethically, we are not allowed to take more cases than we can competently handle. We need to be fully staffed again with six lawyers. If we had a seventh lawyer, we could take on more cases and provide more property tax relief, he added. Meet the Nebraska state senators making laws in 2023 Colorado's legislators, who for months disagreed on a strategy to confront the state's spiraling fentanyl crisis, finally settled on a compromise and approved this year's most contentious legislation with barely more than an hour to spare before they're constitutionally required to end the 2022 session. To escape the gridlock, the House and Senate appointed a conference committee, which came up with compromise language to close the divide between the chambers' competing solutions. The House and Senate then gave the compromise their final approval, sending the measure to Gov. Jared Polis, who praised the measure and is expected to sign it. "While people of good faith can quibble over the exact details of any bill, the governor sees this bill as a big step in the right direction to make Colorado safer for all, Polis' office said. The vote in the Senate wasn't easy 10 of the 15 Senate Republicans voted against the compromise crafted by the conference committee. House Bill 1326 ultimately cleared the Senate on a 27-8 vote with seven Republicans and Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, voting against. The House debated the compromise for an hour, but finally approved it on a 46 to 18 vote. The bill's final vote in the House was 35 to 30. Rep. Mike Lynch, R-Wellington, the bill's original co-sponsor, then asked to have his name removed from the bill, which now goes to the governor. "This is the best we got," said Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert, R-Douglas County, in calling for support for the compromise. Sen. John Cooke, R-Greeley, said he would support the change, based in part on a recommendation from the Weld County district attorney. The compromise is better than the House version, Cooke said. But Sen. Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs, countered that the language provides an affirmative defense for anyone charged with a felony for 1-4 grams possession. The compromise eliminates a three-year automatic repeal of the felony charges for simple possession of 1 to 4 grams of fentanyl, one of the many sticking points. It also states that a person caught with 1 to 4 grams of fentanyl commits a Level 1 drug misdemeanor if the individual "had a reasonable, but mistaken, belief" that the drug "did not contain any quantity of fentanyl, carfentanil, benzimodazole opiate, or an analog thereof." Supporters, including Rep. Kerry Tipper, D-Lakewood say a person could be charged with felony possession and it would be up to a jury to decide if the person "knowingly" possessed, based on questions and evidence, and then could reduce the charge to a misdemeanor if the person did not know. The bill was then off to the House for its vote on the compromise and the final version. The last-minute action avoided the possibility of the fentanyl bill dying and possibly necessitating a special session to hammer out an agreement and pass the legislation. House Bill 22-1326 is Colorado's sweeping response to fatal overdoses, which surged nationwide over the past several years, as fentanyl, which is stronger than heroin and lethal in small doses, became an increasingly dominant presence in the illicit drug market. In Colorado, more than 800 people died after ingesting fentanyl in 2021, according to state data. Broadly speaking, the bill tightens penalties for people convicted of distributing fentanyl, particularly when the drug use results in death; emphasizes a key treatment option in jails and support for people recently released from incarceration; and, funds a statewide education program. It would also set aside $20 million to buy more Naloxone and fentanyl test strips, among other provisions. Among the most contentious issues revolved around what's known as intent whether users knew or should have known that what they possessed contained fentanyl in it. Sign up for free: News Alerts Stay in the know on the stories that affect you the most. Sign Up For Free View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. The bill that came out of the House included language that said if users didn't know, they couldn't be charged with a felony. The Senate struck that language, setting off the dispute that threatened the bill's passage as the session clock winded down. Rep. Kerry Tipper, D-Lakewood, a member of the conference committee, said the compromise would still allow law enforcement to arrest and charge someone who has 1 to 4 grams of fentanyl with a felony. It would be up to a jury to decide, through processes already in place, whether the defendant knew they possessed fentanyl. Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver, who has been among the bill's strongest advocates for adopting the House version, told Colorado Politics she supports the compromise. "It's a good standard. It keeps the prosecution having to prove someone knew they had fentanyl. It still allows someone who didn't know they had fentanyl to still have a pathway to justice. They won't have the felony or that [criminal] record. The big parts of the bill remain intact: high level dealers get higher offenses for having fentanyl; the harm reduction and treatment in this bill are unparalleled," she said. Medically-assisted treatment will be available in jails, and that will save lives, she added. Much of the debate the last several weeks centered on the criminal penalties leveled at people who are caught possessing fentanyl. For harm reduction advocates, the change is an unacceptable return to what they describe as the failed policies of the "War on Drugs." For law enforcement, setting the felony threshold at 1 gram is not enough: As far as many district attorneys, sheriffs and police chiefs, possessing any amount of fentanyl should be a felony. "Were in support of more Naloxone," physician Sarah Rowan said in committee. "We need much more treatment, as my colleagues have said. So, we are worried that the harms from more legal problems for our patients will outweigh the benefit of this bill." Phil Weiser on fentanyl For law enforcement, fentanyl's high potency makes it too dangerous to allow on the streets in any quantity. "There is no safe amount of fentanyl to possess, Greg Sader, the deputy chief of the Commerce City Police Department, told lawmakers after he recounted what many suspected was an accidental overdose deaths of five people in February who thought they were ingesting cocaine. In addition to seeking a felony charge for any amount of fentanyl possession, Sader and other law enforcement officials advocated that the committee remove language saying that individuals must know or should've known the drug they possessed included fentanyl in order for the felony charge to kick in. The language addresses a key nuance: Fentanyl has permeated the drug supply, and many users of other substances, such as meth, cocaine, heroin or pills that look legitimate, don't realize what they have. But requiring they know or should've known would make prosecution impossible, district attorneys said. Michael Dougherty, the top prosecutor overseeing Boulder County, said that while the language has "good intentions," it would make the law itself "unworkable," short of a full confession. Brian Mason, the district attorney for Adams and Broomfield counties, said including that language would essentially undo the changes to felony charges the bill would make. Reporter Seth Klamann contributed to this story President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Romania Klaus Iohannis have held an expanded meeting. Addressing the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev said: - Mr. President, dear members of the Romanian delegation. Once again, welcome to Azerbaijan. We just had very good discussions with Mr. President on the broad range of issues of our bilateral agenda, and once again, confirmed the strategic importance of our relationship. As the strategic partners, we move forward. I have very good memories of my visit to Bucharest last month and, of course, the document which was signed in Bucharest really opens the new prospects in front of us. We broadly discussed our future steps, and now with the participation of members of delegations we will continue on that. At the same time, we already became the partners in natural gas transportation issue and this is also an important milestone in our cooperation. But definitely we want to have a broader picture of our cooperation, not only energy, but also to cover issues of our trade cooperation. The Joint Economic Commission met last year, and will meet this year. So, we will intensify the work of the Commission, especially, taking into account the broad prospects for cooperation with respect to our energy agenda and in all other areas. The relations between our countries are very good and, of course, energy projects will strengthen our partnership. Once again, Mr. President, members of the delegation, welcome. Thank you for visiting us. It's a big honor to host you in Azerbaijan. And I'm sure that the visit will be very important in our future cooperation plans. Welcome once again. *** President of Romania Klaus Iohannis said: - Thank you very much, Mr. President. Dear members of the delegations. Indeed, we had almost long discussion but I think it was absolutely necessary as the two of us are very determined to make our partnership even stronger and foster more and better results. We had an exchange on various issues. And after we thank the media, I will be in a position to go a bit deeper in some of these issues, maybe two or three details, which we wanted to discuss with our teams. Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday signed into law a sweeping measure to address the state's runaway fentanyl crisis. Parts of the bill immediately became law upon the governor's signature; other parts take effect as late as Jan. 1, 2023. "People are fed up with the pain this new and dangerous drug is inflicting," Polis said shortly before signing House Bill 22-1326. "There are thousands of victims who deserve justice." Among the most controversial measures of the recently concluded session, HB22-1326 seeks to address the fentanyl crisis through several means: heightened felony charges for possession of 1 to 4 grams of any substance containing fentanyl; harm reduction programs to help people stay alive and treat their addictions, including mandating medication-assisted treatment in jails; an education program; widespread availability of opioid antagonists, such as Naloxone, and testing strips that drug users could use to see if the street drugs they're taking contain fentanyl; criminal investigations into fentanyl overdoses that resulted in death; and monitoring of overdoses and of the bill's own impacts. House Speaker Alec Garnett, one of the bill's House architects, spoke about its historic investment in harm reduction and reflected on his role in getting the bill passed. "No time have we ever invested in harm reduction" than in this bill, he said. "I have never taken on a challenging issue quite like this," the House Speaker added. "This is the boldest and most comprehensive step forward" in addressing this epidemic. Garnett thanked the families whose loves ones have overdosed after ingesting the deadly drug for telling their stories and praised their work to try and ensure others won't share their pain. Noting the bill's criminal sentencing provisions, he said peddlers of fentanyl will be held accountable. But the work isn't done, said state Sen. Brittany Pettersen, D-Lakewood, among the bill's sponsors. She warned that fighting the opioid epidemic will take more years of hard work. Already, a new and deadlier drug, known as ISO, is showing up on the East Coast and is headed toward Colorado, she noted. "This is the beginning of what we need to do," she said. To the families who lost loved ones, "your stories were impactful" and heartbreaking, added Sen. John Cooke, R-Greeley, the bill's other prime Senate sponsor. Cooke said the bill is not perfect but it does so much good from providing money for treatment to putting away drug dealers. He also pointed to the bill's attention to investigations of overdose deaths from fentanyl. "We learned from families that law enforcement needs to change its attitude toward fentanyl deaths," he said, adding the bill will help make that change. The most persistent criticisms against the bill are twofold - that it doesn't go far enough and that it goes too far. To the former, District Attorney Brian Mason of the 17th Judicial District said "watch how we use these new tools." "We welcome the scrutiny," Mason said. "Our goal is not lock up low-level users." To the latter, law enforcement and district attorneys now have tools in a way they've never had before, he said. "When we need more, we can come back with a track record" of what's been done, Mason said. "No one should die from fentanyl poisoning. This bill is a start." Families who lost loved ones attended the signing ceremony and read off the names of those who died. Feliz Sanchez Garcia, who lost her sister in February, said the drug is ravaging an entire generation. "Our family members were deceived," she said, adding they paid for it with their lives. Garcia blamed the drug dealers who, she said, peddled poison. "This legislation is comprehensive and will ensure Colorado tries to get ahead of this crisis," she said. Standing in the crowd to watch the ceremony was Marshall Weaver, a former drug dealer who told his story of dealing and addiction, and how dealers view laws around possession. He told Colorado Politics that the law and the money behind it will help people get the treatment they need. There are so many out there struggling, he added, and this law "will open new doors." Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said before the signing that she's comfortable with fentanyl felony charges at 1 gram at its lowest rather than zero tolerance. "I think the bill gives us so many good thing: the funding for treatment, treatment in jails, Naloxone, testing strips," McCann said. She said defendants on a first charge aren't going to go to jail nor should they. "We have the tools to charge and look at cases individually as to what's the appropriate resolution. We will be aggressively charging distribution and distribution resulting in death," she pledged. The bill comes with a price tag of $38.9 million in its first year, funded in part with American Rescue Plan Act money and the state's general fund dollars. Much of that money - $19.7 million - will go toward the bulk purchase of Naloxone. Another $10 million has been set aside to pay for more crisis management and withdrawal beds. Three of the four original sponsors were on hand for Wednesday's signing. Missing from the ceremony: Rep. Mike Lynch, R-Wellington, who brought the initial idea to Garnett's attention last year, and who pulled his name off the bill on May 11, primarily over the bill's failure to make any possession of fentanyl a felony and language around whether someone knew or should have known the drug they held had fentanyl in it. Fentanyl is a cheap, synthetic opioid that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Its pure form is increasingly smuggled into the United States from Mexico, often in the form of pills that resemble legitimate opioid tablets, like those for oxycodone. But fentanyl is increasingly being mixed into other drugs, from cocaine and meth to faux Xanax and heroin. Experts say virtually every street drug now contains at least some fentanyl. Illicit fentanyl is attractive to drug cartels because it's cheap, easy to produce and doesn't rely on a season-dependent cultivation cycle, like heroin. It can be made in large batches, year round. As a result, it's replaced the heroin supply in much of the country, forcing people with opioid addictions to use fentanyl instead. That, coupled with its presence in other drugs like meth, have fueled a spiraling overdose crisis in Colorado and across the country. More than 1,800 Coloradans fatally overdosed last year, the most ever. Nearly half - 901 - died after ingesting fentanyl, the highest annual death toll from any one drug. There were more fentanyl deaths in 2021, for instance, than there were total overdose deaths in 2015. The crisis has united a broad swath of the state in demanding a response. The division formed around what that response should be. Law enforcement, including district attorneys, county sheriffs and police chiefs, called for a zero-tolerance approach on possessing any amount of felony in any form or substance. Health and harm-reduction experts, meanwhile, called for a public health response focused on more treatment and better access to harm reduction services. The new law left neither side particularly pleased. Under the law, simple possession of more than 1 gram of any substance containing fentanyl is a felony, a partial reversal of a 2019 law that de-felonized possession of several illicit drugs, including fentanyl, up to 4 grams. One gram could be just 10 pills; harm reduction advocates point out that 10 pills is often less than how much a person with an opioid-use disorder would consume in a single day. The weight thresholds in the legislation refer to the total weight of the drug, not the actual amount of fentanyl. Illicit pills often include relatively small but still potent amounts of fentanyl, while the bulk of the pills are made of a "filler" substance, like supplements or the active ingredient in Tylenol. This means that 50 pills would weigh roughly 5 grams but contain a far smaller amount of actual fentanyl. The strength of the pills vary: Some - as much as 42%, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration - contain a lethal dose. Others contain such little fentanyl that people addicted to the substance must take another dose to ward off withdrawal. The bill tightens penalties for distributing any amount of a substance containing fentanyl, and it creates new penalties for those who distribute the drug and it later leads to someone's death. But the biggest fight over HB 1326 focused on the issue of simple possession and the language around "knowing." Earlier versions of the bill said a defendant caught with 1 to 4 grams could claim they didn't know the drugs they were taking had fentanyl and face a misdemeanor, instead of a felony. But law enforcement and district attorneys, however, said any defendant could make that claim, making it harder for them to prosecute. Weaver told Colorado Politics that dealers would use that to get out of the felony charges, along with carrying just enough to keep away from the higher felony charges for possession of more than 4 grams. Under the law, and as crafted in a last-minute compromise, defendants charged with felony possession of 1 to 4 grams could argue to a judge or jury that they didn't know they possessed fentanyl. If they successfully do so, an ensuing conviction would be a misdemeanor, instead of a felony. The compromise - and the bill - did not satisfy many of those on either flank of the front-lines. Some in law enforcement criticized the bill for not doing enough to penalize fentanyl possession. Many - including Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen - had wanted to make it a felony to possess any amount of a substance containing fentanyl, whether the user knew it or not. They stressed that fentanyl is too deadly to allow on the street in any form or any amount. Various experts who work with drug users - public health officials, some treatment providers and harm-reduction advocates - also blasted the bill when it was passed. The possession language is harmful, and would only return the state to the "War on Drugs," they argued, adding the new law would incarcerate more people with substance-use disorders, without addressing root causes or providing better treatment in the state. Colorado Springs residents looking for ways to celebrate Black History Month will have a host of events to choose from throughout February. At the African American Historical and Genealogical Society of Colorado Springs, every month is Black History Month, according to president and CEO Candice McKnight. The citys only dedicated Black history museum, located at 1620 W. Bijou St., offers eye-opening displays of African-American contributions to the area, some of which date back to the late 19th century. The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, located at 215 S. Tejon St., will offer several Black history tours throughout February. For a full list of events, visit cspm.org. Among other celebrations at Colorado College, the Fine Arts Center is re-releasing a virtual reading of The Raid, Iris Goodwins historical drama that depicts a debate between abolitionists Frederick Douglass and John Brown on the evening of Browns doomed raid on the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Va., (now West Virginia). Viewing is free at fac.coloradocollege.edu. A former assisted living health care worker in Grand Junction was found not guilty on Thursday in connection with the death of 86-year-old Hazel Place, a dementia patient left unattended outside in 100-degree heat for six hours in June 2021. The Mesa County district court jury of eight men and four women deliberated just over 15 minutes before finding Jenny Logan, 52, not guilty of one count of negligent homicide and one count of at-risk neglect resulting in death. The death of Hazel Place and the events that followed was the subject of a Jan. 19 investigative report by the Denver Gazette. Logan was one of three health workers on duty in the memory unit of Cappella of Grand Junction assisted living facility on June 21, when Place wandered outside to an enclosed courtyard at 2:19 p.m. on a day when the National Weather Service had issued its first-even excessive heat warning for the region. Place, who can be seen on the facilitys surveillance video trying to get up but failing to, remained outside in scorching heat until about 8:15 p.m., when the husband of another resident happened to glance out one of the facility hallway windows and saw her slumped in a patio loveseat. Because Place was considered a fall risk, there had been a standing order she was to be checked hourly. Six hours passed with no one doing so. The two other workers in the memory unit that day, Letticia Martinez and Jamie Johnston, both pleaded guilty to reduced charges. Martinez was sentenced on Dec. 8, 2022 to 30 days in county jail, 100 hours of community service, a three-year deferred sentence on one count of misdemeanor caretaker neglect and one count of felony negligent homicide. Johnston is scheduled to be sentenced next week. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. According to investigators in the case, Martinez and Johnston falsified information in the facilitys computerized system that logs medication distribution and safety checks to make it appear that Place had been regularly monitored throughout the afternoon and early evening. In the four-day trial, Elizabeth Espinosa Krupa, Logans defense attorney, argued that her client was dutiful, diligent and deceived, contending that it was the other two defendants who were to blame for Places death. She said Logan had been misled into thinking Place was being watched by her co-workers. Krupa could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday night. When the verdict was read, Logan broke down in tears, according to those in the courtroom. Donna Golden and Steve Place, two of Places three children, issued a statement Thursday night on the verdict. It is unbelievable that a jury of our peers would find Jenny Logan not guilty of failing to do her job when our mother with Alzheimers and dementia was left unattended for over six hours in 100-degree heat to die, they said. The family said they initially were told that their mother had died a peaceful death and it was not until a former Cappella worker called them and police the next day that they learned how their mother died. As the trial date for Letecia Stauch accused of killing her 11-year-old stepson Gannon in January 2020 grows ever closer, she appeared in court on Thursday afternoon to begin ironing out logistics and scheduling of the upcoming trial, slated to begin March 20. Judge Gregory Werner began the motions hearing asking Stauch's attorney, Josh Tolini, about the status of the sanity evaluation ordered by the defense. The sanity evaluation being conducted by a defense expert is the second to be done on Stauch. The first evaluation was conducted by the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo in 2022. Stauch's defense counsel told the court in early October that her second sanity evaluation would take place in late October or early November and a report would be filed to the court 30 days after the evaluation. Currently, no report has been filed according to Judge Gregory Werner Tolini told Werner that the second evaluation was delayed due to him contracting COVID-19 at the time it was supposed to take place, so they were forced to reschedule. However, Tolini informed the court that the evaluation has been completed, and the report will be sent to the prosecution by Feb. 13. Tolini did not disclosure the findings of the second sanity evaluation. At a previous hearing in August, Werner said that the first evaluation conducted by CMHIP found her to be sane. Delays in the case have occurred, in part, because of the need for the sanity evaluation; initially, Stauch pleaded not guilty to the charges, but in February of 2022 Werner granted her permission to change her plea to not guilty by reason of insanity. The rest of the hearing was spent discussing the logistical challenges the court faces with the upcoming jury trial, which 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen stated may last more than six weeks. Werner said that jury selection for the trial alone could take up to 14 days due to the likelihood of many jurors being unable to be present for all six weeks of the trial. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Werner set April 3 as the earliest date that attorneys can begin opening statements, even if jury selection is completed earlier than expected. Two outstanding defense motions for a change of venue for Stauch's jury trial and a motion to waive the jury trial entirely in favor of a court trial were not ruled on by Werner at Thursday's hearing. If a court trial took place instead of a jury trial, Werner alone would listen to evidence and testimony presented and then make a verdict of guilty or not guilty there would be no jury present. At previous hearings Allen has objected to a court trial, and Werner spoke negatively about the idea. Stauch faces 13 charges for allegedly killing Gannon including first-degree murder, child abuse, two counts of tampering with evidence and more. In addition to the first-degree murder case, Stauch also faces a second case in which she is accused of attempting to escape from the El Paso County jail in May 2020. Stauch was arrested in South Carolina in March 2020 and has been in jail since then after being extradited to Colorado. She faces life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder. Stauch will return to court for the final time prior to her jury trial on March 9 for a pre-trial readiness conference. Police have arrested multiple juvenile boys in connection with the theft of at least one Kia vehicle in Colorado Springs. On Wednesday, a damaged white Kia sedan occupied by multiple juveniles was reported to the Colorado Springs Police Department. Officers responded to the Kum & Go gas station at 2588 Airport Road, but the vehicle fled and "rammed into" another car, injuring more than one person inside, police said. An investigation determined that the white Kia was an unreported stolen vehicle. Detectives visited an address known to the CSPD Motor Vehicle Theft unit in connection with other thefts of specifically Kias by juveniles. Here, detectives found the white Kia from the Kum & Go and began surveillance, according to police. Officers made contact with the vehicle at a grocery store, but the occupants fled before being captured and arrested. More than one juvenile is facing charges of motor vehicle theft, according to police. "Through further investigation detectives were able to identify several suspects who were involved in a significant pattern of stolen Kia vehicles, and they referred to themselves as the 'Kia Boys,'" police added on the blotter. The University of Colorado Boulder is matching $1 million in private funding for the new Center for African and African American Studies, which held its grand opening on the first day of Black History Month. Chancellor Philip P. Distefano intends for the funds a five-year match to support the centers growth, and said it is the first center of its kind at a public university in the state, according to a university news release. The centers founding director, Reiland Rabaka, said a dream long-dreamed has materialized and become reality through the center's launch, also called the Cause. Rabaka, an ethnic studies professor, said the center will be a focal point for campus and community life grounded in, and growing out of, the historical, cultural, spiritual, sociopolitical, economic and artistic experiences of Africans, African Americans and the African diaspora, according to a news release. The center will support interdisciplinary teaching, research and creative work, Rabaka said, and increase public awareness of CAAAS work to foster understanding of the experiences had by people of African descent. In video remarks at the grand opening, Gov. Jared Polis said the center will be a hub for teaching, research, creative work and important dialogue that wont just strengthen our students and this campus, but will better the entire Boulder community, as well as the state of Colorado. More than 31,000 instances of road rage and aggressive driving were reported in Colorado last year, according to a news release from the Colorado State Patrol (CSP). In fact, in 2022, CSP received more calls for aggressive drivers than for suspected impaired drivers. According to the release, of the 57,899 calls answered by Colorado State Patrol emergency dispatchers, 51 percent (31,760) were in regard to road rage or aggressive driving a 4.5 percent increase since 2021. Road rage behaviors can include, but are not limited to: Tailgating Honking in anger Making angry gestures Passing on the right Showing a weapon Excessive speeding Weaving in and out of traffic Getting out of the vehicle to confront another driver Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. If someone cuts you off, tailgates or makes a rude gesture, you may be tempted to get even but just dont. No one ever thinks anger will turn to violence, but it can and it does," said Chief Matthew C. Packard, Colorado State Patrol in the release. Your best response is to keep your composure, let the aggressive driver move on and do not engage. Its simply not worth your energy or the risk. Officials want to encourage drivers to call *CSP (*277), if they witness dangerous road rage such as someone trying to block another vehicle from changing lanes or running red lights to engage in confrontation. "If you see these behaviors you are encouraged to find a safe spot to pull over and call *CSP with a description and location of the vehicle," the release said. The Colorado State Patrol is searching for the driver of a vehicle that fatally struck a motorcyclist Wednesday night at Constitution Avenue and Waynoka Place in northeast Colorado Springs. The 18-year-old rider was driving on Constitution around 9:25 p.m. when they attempted to slow down and make a turn onto Waynoka, according to Gazette news partner KKTV and State Patrol. The teen lost control of the motorcycle as they attempted to brake, causing their bike to slide. The teen was then thrown from the motorcycle into the path of an oncoming vehicle, the TV station reported. An eyewitness told officials the car hit the rider, paused for a moment and then sped off. The teen was taken to a hospital, where they later were pronounced dead. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. The motorcyclist lived in Peyton, according to KKTV, but the El Paso County coroner will not release the teen's name until family has been notified. Authorities are asking the public for any information about the suspect and vehicle they were operating Wednesday night. If you have information about the incident, please call 911. This article will be updated as more information is received. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has today visited the Alley of Martyrs in Baku. A guard of honor was lined up for the Romanian president. President Klaus Iohannis laid a wreath at the Eternal Flame monument. The military orchestra of the Ministry of Defense played the national anthems of Azerbaijan and Romania. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has received Italian Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, who attended the 9th Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting and 1st Green Energy Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting in Baku. The head of state recalled his state visit to Italy in 2020, as well as an official visit in September of last year, noting that he was pleased to meet with the President of Italy and other high-ranking officials. President Ilham Aliyev stated that based on the signed documents, the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Italy was developing in the spirit of strategic partnership, adding that the political dialogue between the two countries was at a high level. It was noted that cooperation between Italy and Azerbaijan covered not only the energy field, but also a broad range of issues, in particular cooperation in the field of science and education. It was mentioned that in accordance with the document signed between ADA University and Italian universities, the opening of the Italy-Azerbaijan University in Baku was of great importance. The sides also emphasized that Italian companies were actively working in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan. It was pointed out that cooperation between Azerbaijan and Italy was developing in all fields on the basis of friendship and mutual understanding. The importance of the TAP project, which is an important component of energy cooperation between the two countries, was also highlighted. The Italian minister, for his part, expressed his gratitude for the meeting and noted the importance of the discussions being held as part of the ministerial meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council. The minister emphasized that the relations between the two countries were of the nature of strategic partnership, noting that Azerbaijan was playing an important part in the energy security of Italy. Gilberto Pichetto Fratin noted the importance of increasing the capacity of the TAP project in the near future, stating that Italy was interested in increasing gas imports from Azerbaijan. The minister said that Azerbaijan had great renewable energy potential and pointed out that Italian companies intended to cooperate with Azerbaijan in this field in the future. The sides also exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest. Colorados judges arent elected; theyre appointed by the governor. But they can be voted out which is what happened in November in southwest Colorados La Plata County. Voters in and around Durango, the county seat, had enough of La Plata County Court Judge Anne Woods leniency toward lawbreakers. By a slim margin, they turned her out of office only two years after she had been appointed. They availed themselves of a power voters have statewide but too often overlook. Colorado judges periodically must face retention elections. But they are overshadowed by higher-profile races and issues on the ballot. Especially in the states more populous jurisdictions where many judges serve in each judicial district, and their names and rulings are unfamiliar to the public the retention elections give voters little to go on. The judges dont face opponents, either; voters are asked only whether to keep them on the bench. Because judges dont run for office in the first place and dont publicly affiliate with a political party, they have no campaign platforms or websites that tell the public where they stand on issues pertinent to their judicial service. They are simply appointed by the governor from lists of nominees prepared by judicial nominating commissions. On rare occasion, a judges record stirs enough controversy to catch the publics attention and draw fire from wide-ranging stakeholders in a community. Thats apparently what happened in La Plata County. As profiled by our news affiliate Colorado Politics, Woods a 2015 law school grad who had served only five years as a public defender had made no secret of her embrace of restorative justice and other notions of the soft-on-crime, justice-reform movement. She told Colorado Politics she was up front about it with the governors office. Sign up for free: Gazette Opinion Receive updates from our editorial staff, guest columnists, and letters from Gazette readers. Sent to your inbox 12:00 PM. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. And it showed in court. County court judges such as Woods only hear nonfelony cases traffic and other misdemeanor offenses and some civil cases. They also set bail for criminal suspects. Yet, it gave her ample opportunity to reveal her soft touch. There was the church leader who had pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor offenses after sexually abusing young adults whom he had groomed as children. Woods gave him probation instead of 60 days in jail, declaring, Theres no amount of jail thats going to help anyone here. In a DUI case, Woods granted bond to a man who drove drunk again, killing his passenger. She also granted bond to a mentally ill woman arrested for setting fire to a barn only to have her lead police on a high-speed chase after her release. Woods basic competence on the bench her demeanor and knowledge of the law and judicial procedure also were challenged by critics. A state commission that reviews performance and assesses competence of judges gave her a mixed but mostly positive rating. What understandably troubled voters was Woods failure in their eyes to hold criminals accountable. So, they took action. The saga raises key questions for voters statewide: How many like-minded judges are serving in their communities amid rising crime across Colorado? How many judges might be suitable to the governor but out of step with the values and needs of their jurisdictions? Its a challenge to find out in the absence of an easily accessible database that could track rulings and empower citizens to evaluate judges. Ousting a judge with a misplaced sense of justice isnt easy. Yet, as the citizens of La Plata County demonstrated, it can be done. Its always about the money As I watched shoppers come out of King Soopers, I noticed the results of the new bag tax (oops, fee?), no more nice brown plastic or paper bags to save and use in my small garbage cans. How did our geniuses in Denver come up with that green plan? Easy answer: four easily compressible plastic bags is the equivalent of one 16 oz. drink bottle ... 10 cents per bag, nothing for thousands (millions?) of bottles which get thrown around. No way they could convince us to pay 40 cents per bottle ... so a 10 cent bag tax (sorry, fee) is easier for us to swallow, to get the money for the general fund. Its always about the money, not the environment. Richard Scheper Colorado Springs Its not the same state I appreciated Michael Jorgensens opinion on creating incentives to have retired military members move to the Springs. Twenty-one years ago, we moved here, my husband having retired from the Marine Corps. It was the ideal location for a simple, quiet life, with resources and jobs, hunting, camping, fishing, conservative values and government, and with a strong faith community. Now, were wondering if it is time to go. As the government hammers away at making us a clone of California, stripping us of freedoms, raising taxes through fees, threatening to make law-abiding gun owners into felons with the flick of a pen, importing drugs and crime with impunity, and making millions by inviting women into our abortion factories. Its not the same state we chose two decades ago. Gov. Jared Polis wants to be Gavin Newsom in policy creation. Colorado is now a state of demise by design, which is heart-breaking for those who love this state, this country and served to protect them. Ann Ransom Colorado Springs Why stay with the party? Re: Sundays article Our-TABOR, Our Refunds. I notice a contradiction among Democrat voters. We know the Democrats in the state Legislature and executive branch want to spend more. They will do anything to kill TABOR, (the Taxpayers Bill Of Rights). Yet 78% of Colorado voters are in favor of TABOR, and a good percentage are Democrats. On this most important issue of keeping taxes low, why do Democrats, who favor TABOR, and hence disagree with their leaders, stay with their party? Erik Lessing Monument Rising electric costs Sign up for free: Gazette Opinion Receive updates from our editorial staff, guest columnists, and letters from Gazette readers. Sent to your inbox 12:00 PM. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Januarys electric bill is ridiculous. I called Gov. Jared Polis and left a message and asked him to help do something. I have had no response. What are the elderly going to do to heat their homes? I explained I have a piece of property in which I have sheep that live there. I have one 60-watt bulb that turns on at dusk and off at dawn and one heat light for the well pump house that stays on to keep the pump from freezing just those two lights is all that is on and the bill for that property was $116, that is insane. Just three months ago, it was $30. That has more than tripled in three months time; and yes, those two lights are on as soon as the days get shorter so in September is when they get turned on. Also on the talk of electric cars, youve got to be kidding me. When two light bulbs cost that much, I can only imagine what the bill would look like for charging an electric automobile. Krassondra Beal Ordway Cloudy vision on this country As I am halfway through having cataract surgery on both eyes , I realize just how easy it is to be oblivious to our daily blessings. What is even worse is our tendency to dismiss family, friends, neighbors, or even those we interact with in our daily life routine, for as long as all our faculties are intact. The above observation is strictly based on the physical aspect of life, which leads me to ask myself, what if I were blind, deaf, mute, or unable to use my hands or feet a question I would not have entertained in my mind, had I not experienced the preparation that goes before, and during eye surgery. In the psychological realm of life, in this blessed country The United States just the concept of UNITED, evokes concern about how long it will be before we can no longer take such a concept for granted. Just as cataracts can cloud ones vision, so can the denial of how fragmented a society we are becoming in this country. Without the physical removal of what clouds our vision, we can chose to live in a fantasy world, pretending we can see things clearly. Conversely, without acknowledging the element of truth being absent among many politicians, those who run this country, UNITY will become more difficult to achieve as time goes by and blatant situations based on injustice and lack of truth continue to arise. Marcela Gaumer Colorado Springs Careful estate planning You recently published an article about the benefits of transferring real property into a beneficiary deed by Jim Flynn. He said it was a useful planning tool. There is one big caveat that readers need to know about. If you execute this deed in Colorado you will be exempt from any Medicaid benefits and your home is not protected from any recovery efforts made by the government. Proceed with caution. While planning our estate we asked our attorney how we would protect all of our assets from Medicaid recovery. She said do you really think it is fair not to pay your fair share for services rendered to you if you should need Medicaid? Food for thought. I know a lot of people would not agree with this. We are giving it a think before we proceed with our estate planning. Sandra Mullikin Colorado Springs El Paso County's embattled Republican chair is forging ahead with plans to hold party leadership elections later this month despite a ruling Tuesday night by the state GOP that put a neutral group of supervisors in charge of the county party's reorganization meeting. As it stands, county Republicans will be faced with choosing between two competing party meetings on opposite sides of Colorado Springs on the morning of Feb. 11, with organizers of each claiming the other is illegitimate and will have no legal standing. County GOP chair Vickie Tonkins, who is seeking a third term running the local organization, said the only real election will be held at Sand Creek High School, east of the Citadel, while state Republicans assert that the only election that will count is set to take place at the same time across town at Discovery Canyon Campus in Northgate. The dueling party meetings are the latest fallout in an ongoing feud between rival Republican factions in the county, with Tonkins and her supporters claiming the state GOP is illegally hijacking a local party election, while her critics contend Tonkins has demonstrated she can't run an impartial party election and has been openly hostile toward some Republicans. At stake is who gets to control the Republican organization in the state's most populous county, which has long been considered the GOP's heavyweight in Colorado. Colorado's two major political parties this week kicked off their biennial reorganization process, with county parties set to hold officer and bonus member elections in the next two weeks. Republicans and Democrats plan meet in mid-March and early April, respectively, to elect statewide party leadership. Tonkins on Thursday sent an email to El Paso County central committee members inviting them to what she called the "Real Meeting," along with instructions to ignore any pretenders. Insisting she's sharing the "actual information and location for the only legitimate county central committee meeting," Tonkins warned fellow Republicans: "Unfortunately, others are trying to unlawfully misdirect you to another meeting and location. We are utilizing all legal options to correct their misbehavior. Sorry for any confusion." State Republican chair Kristi Burton Brown begs to differ, calling Tonkins' planned gathering a "fake meeting." Its unfortunate Chair Tonkins does not respect the (state central committee's) decision to go forward with a fair, safe, and legal meeting," Burton Brown told Colorado Politics in a text message. "Unfortunately for anyone who attends her fake meeting, their votes will not count. I urge all (El Paso County) Central Committee members to attend and cast their votes at the official meeting instead. At the conclusion of a lengthy and contentious online meeting called by Burton Brown on Tuesday night, the state GOP's governing body voted to strip Tonkins of her authority and instead put a group of outsiders in charge of El Paso County's upcoming reorganization meeting, which will elect a chair, vice chair and secretary to two-year terms. The meeting will also see the election of dozens of so-called bonus members from the county, apportioned based on votes received by top-ticket Republicans in the last election. Tuesday vote followed sometimes bitter debate between supporters of Tonkins, who charged the state can't do what it proposed under Colorado law, and her detractors, who argued that Tonkins has repeatedly favored some Republicans over others, including when she formally condemned a Republican group that set up their own voter contact organization just days before the November election. Last month, the state party adopted an unprecedented censure motion against Tonkins, charging she failed to fulfill her duties as party chair by refusing to support some GOP nominees. Tonkins and a handful of precinct officers filed a lawsuit Monday, challenging the state party's ability to intervene in the county party's reorganization and citing Colorado statutes and party bylaws. On Thursday, Tonkins said she plans to pursue the complaint and expects the court will side with her. "We dispute the validity of the unlawful actions that were allegedly adopted at the special meeting on January 31, 2023," Tonkins said in an email to Colorado Politics. "We are currently challenging them in court." A lawyer representing Tonkins in the complaint told Colorado Politics his clients plan to file a motion for a temporary restraining order and ask for a preliminary injunction this week in an attempt to head off the state GOP-sanctioned county party elections. "State law is clear, as set forth in our complaint, that the State Central Committee can address only controversies involving the regularity of the county organizationnot substantive internal issues," Brad Bergford said in an email. "We remain confident in the ability of the judicial system to discern the issues and rule according to the law." Former state Rep. Dave Williams, a longtime Tonkins ally, said Thursday that as far as he understands, the meeting called by Tonkins will proceed unless a court rules otherwise. "Vickie has a legitimate legal case and wont likely bend to an illegal order that was adopted in a crooked process," Williams said in a text message to Colorado Politics. Former state Rep. Kit Roupe, the Republicans' House District 17 chair, advised county Republicans on Thursday in an email that the meeting OK'd by the state GOP is the only meeting that will yield results recognized by the Colorado GOP and the state. "Many may have received a Call from Chair Vicki Tonkins," Roupe added. "This meeting will not be recognized by the State GOP nor the Colorado Secretary of State. This meeting would be considered a fraudulent meeting. This means the elections results will not be recorded or results recognized." "It has been a tumultuous month," Roupe noted in the email. After the Colorado General Assembly spent last year's session wrestling with legislation to address state's fentanyl epidemic, lawmakers are back at it with a pair of bills proposing changes some want to see it the 2022 bill. House Bill 1167 is sponsored by Speaker Pro tem Chris deGruy Kennedy, D-Lakewood, and was introduced late Thursday. House Bill 1164, also introduced on Thursday, is sponsored by House Minority Leader Mike Lynch, R-Wellington. Both have been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. Kennedy's bill has to do with immunity and the Good Samaritan provisions in House Bill 22-1326. The intention with that law was that someone sharing fentanyl could avoid prosecution when the person they're sharing it with overdoses or even dies. The provider of the fentanyl would have to call 911 and stay on scene until law enforcement and first responders arrive. Under that scenario, the provider would be granted immunity for distribution resulting in death. According to Kennedy, the way the law is working could be discouraging people from calling police in an overdose situation. "We broke the Good Samaritan" law, Kennedy said Thursday. "We created a new felony fentanyl possession law" that wasn't intended. It has to do with ensuring that all the I's are dotted and the T's crossed. Language in one section of statutes pertaining to Good Samaritan wasn't applied in another, creating an unforeseen loophole. The 911 Good Samaritan law was first put into statute in 2012 and updated in 2016. It was supposed to be updated in the 2022 law to address situations involving fentanyl, but that didn't quite happen. Lisa Raville, executive director of the Harm Reduction Action Center, who has worked with Kennedy on the 2023 bill, told Colorado Politics that if someone overdoses and the person who provided the drug other than fentanyl stays until first responders arrive, the bill would prevent the provider from incurring new drug distribution charges, even if granted immunity on the overdose. What happened with HB 1326 was fentanyl was not included in the right place in the Good Samaritan law, and that could create felony charges for someone possessing drugs who are trying to do the right thing. Right now, "people are very afraid to call" for fear of those charges, she said. Kennedy's bill is to bring make the 2022 law keep up with the 2012 and 2016 laws, Raville explained. Saving the life of the person is the highest priority, Kennedy said. The second provision in Kennedy's bill has to do with affirmative defense. Tristan Gorman, policy director of the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar, said that is not the same as immunity. It's not attended to prevent arrest, charging or prosecution, she explained. If and when a case reaches trial, which is a small percentage of cases, there's two kinds of defenses a defense attorney can raise, depending on the facts of the case. One is an elemental defense: the defense argues that the prosecution hasn't met the burden of proof, to prove one or more elements of the offense, beyond a reasonable doubt. The second is affirmative defense, which is what's in HB 1167. The reason it is so different from an elemental defense, she explained is that the defendant is not denying the offense. "Yes, my client did it but it was legally justified," a defense attorney can claim. Gorman pointed out the best known of affirmative defenses is self defense. Sign up for free: News Alerts Stay in the know on the stories that affect you the most. Sign Up For Free View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Gorman said that what Kennedy is attempting to do in HB 1167 is to take the requirements of the Good Samaritan law, which includes immunity, and copy that into an affirmative defense for the distribution charge. HB 1326 also had an affirmative defense provision, but there were misconceptions around it, she added. Before HB 1326, in order to be convicted of possession of a controlled substance, a person had to know what it was they possessed. "You know you have it on you and you know it's a controlled substance," she said. One of the main arguments in the 2022 fentanyl bill was that fentanyl was different possession had to be a felony, regardless of amount, because it's lethal and dangerous. The compromise on the last day of the session was around affirmative defense: If you knew you possessed it and that you knew it was fentanyl, it's a drug felony class 4. But if you can argue that you made a reasonable mistake and thought it was something else, you're only guilty of a drug misdemeanor class 1, Gorman said. It was never immunity, Gorman explained. What people got wrong was that if a defense lawyer uses that affirmative defense at trial, it's not that the person would be acquitted. Instead of it being a drug felony conviction, it's a misdemeanor conviction. Kennedy's bill brings in the affirmative defense to the distribution charges, and would only apply to distribution, manufacturing or sale of compound mixtures of 4 grams or less, which is considered a drug sharing offense rather than selling the drug for profit, Gorman added. She said she'd prefer to see this section of the bill incorporated into the Good Samaritan law but thinks that might raise the ire of the law enforcement and district attorney communities. "It's a huge risk to use an affirmative defense," Gorman added. "I wouldn't expect this to be used successfully, but it's an effort by Rep. Kennedy to show the distinction between sharing and high level dealers." The changes should encourage people to call 911 and incentivize people to save lives, she added. Without an affirmative defense, it creates a perverse incentive to leave the scene. The Good Samaritan law is not without its faults, Gorman said. By requiring someone who is sharing a drug to remain on the scene in a 911 situation, and cooperate with law enforcement, it could lead to self-incrimination for distribution, although immunity could still apply to distribution resulting in death. Lynch was initially a co-prime sponsor of HB 22-1326, but pulled his name off the bill on the last vote on the last day over the language on "knowingly," and that's what his bill intends to address. HB 1164 would eliminate the requirement that a person had to "knowingly" possess fentanyl and the other similar drugs contained in HB 1326, which is tied to how felony charges are calculated. It's a fight he said he's ready for, but pointed out that some Democrats in the House are in favor of that change. HB 1326 passed on a 35-30 vote in its final version on May 11, with nine Democrats voting "no," although not all voted that way because of the language around "knowingly." Lynch's bill has other provisions that will help with how Narcan, also known as naloxone, is used. Currently, it's available to the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, but without any direction on where to distribute it, Lynch said. He intends to see the opioid antagonist provided to high schools, and if need be, to middle schools. The third part of Lynch's bill seeks to improve data around Narcan discharge to track when the antagonist is actually provided to someone. He'd like to see that information collected at the time that it is provided, so the state knows whether its use - and the law requiring it - is effective. Fentanyl continues to be a growing problem in the United States: according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, the number of deaths from fentanyl overdoses has been nearly doubling every year. Fentanyl factors into more than half of all overdose deaths in the United States. By Azernews Qabil Ashirov Romania is eager to cooperate in the fields of energy, trade, investment, digitization, and agriculture with Azerbaijan, Azernews reports, citing Romanian President Klaus Iohannis as telling the press statement in Baku on February 2, 2023. We, in Romania are ready to deepen the strategic partnership between our countries and implement regional projects of strategic importance. We are ready to cooperate in the fields of energy, trade, investment, digitization, and agriculture, the president stated. President Kaus Iohannis added that transporting Azerbaijans gas and electricity will significantly contribute to ensuring energy security in Europe. I thank Mr. President for the fact that Azerbaijan has started transporting additional gas volumes to Romania in January. Tomorrow, the state oil companies of both countries, Romgaz and SOCAR, will sign a new agreement. According to that agreement, additional gas will be transported to our country in 2023-2024. Both the Southern Gas Corridor, as well as the future submarine transportation cable of electric energy produced in Azerbaijan from renewable resources, projects which are sustained by the European Commission will significantly contribute to ensuring the energy security in the European Union. A panel of Colorado senators on Thursday agreed to put off its decision on a bill that would bar non-disclosure agreements with government employees. The senators want to haggle out additional details that might ensure its passage. The five-member Senate state, veterans, and military affairs committee opted to push to next week a vote on Senate Bill 23-053, which aims to prevent any level of government in Colorado from silencing employees through confidentiality agreements. The reason is so bill sponsor Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, a Weld County Republican, can offer modifications to the bill that could improve the likelihood it moves to the full Senate. At least 16 states already ban the use of NDAs with state employees as well as the federal government. Nearly a dozen people some of them journalists testified in favor of the proposed law, frequently noting that NDAs, as they are commonly called, muzzle the free-speech rights of government employees, many of them whistleblowers to malfeasance or fraud. The agreements are often pressed on the employees during settlement negotiations and, according to attorneys who represent them, ensure the public can never know whats at the root of the reason for a taxpayer-funded payout that can easily top $100,000. A Denver Gazette investigation last November revealed how the state had paid more than $4 million to employees who signed more than 80 NDAs in just three years. The newspaper did not look into the number of confidentiality agreements that employees of county or local governments might also have been forced to sign. But Kirkmeyers bill directly looks to prohibit the practice, the second time shes tackled the subject. She was unsuccessful in 2021 with a similar bill. She has said the topic is too important and the Denver Gazette investigation too revealing to not make another effort. In testimony Thursday, the bill landed stern support from the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado and, although they were officially neutral on the bill, the Colorado branch of the AFL-CIO. Sign up for free: News Alerts Stay in the know on the stories that affect you the most. Sign Up For Free View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. The practices by the government have advanced to the point to where the civil liberties of the people themselves are threatened, ACLU policy strategist Anaya Robinson testified. It is vital that the line between non-secret and secret information be clearly drawn. Unclassified material should not be restricted at all. Committee members queried Kirkmeyer about the breadth of the bill and some of its finer points, but did not seem resistant to its overall intent. Several journalists also testified, noting how their work to inform the public about government action has often been thwarted by government-required non-disclosure agreements that its employees signed. Casey Leier, an attorney who often represents state employees in whistleblower and discrimination matters, testified that Colorado government has become more aggressive in requiring NDAs for any employee grievance. More often than not its a complete gag to any information related to the case its about, Leier said. He added to the Denver Gazette later: This legislation would ensure that individuals are no longer held captive by these agreements, allowing them to speak out freely, and allowing the people to hold wrongdoers accountable. There was no testimony opposing the measure. The committee is likely to take up the bill at its meeting scheduled for Feb. 9. The fact that George Santos is still drawing a tax-funded salary begs the question of what level of deceit is required to get booted from Congress. The Santos spectacle invites a second question. Namely, what has become of the whole idea of shame in modern America? To be clear, there are plenty of longtime causes of shame that we have affirmatively relegated to the past tense. Children born out of wedlock no longer feel societys scornful reproach. All kinds of romantic pairings across old lines of race and religion are heartily accepted. My son is able to live a full, unapologetic life as a gay man. Hooray for progress and evolving mores. But one wonders whether modern culture has gone too far in renouncing shame in concept and practice. As the expression of judgment has gone out of fashion while acceptance and tolerance are all the rage, have we become a better place? That answer is, at least, in doubt. No decent person pines for the days when the low-performing student was told to wear a dunce cap. Shame over the course of history was often downright cruel. But it was also a way of enforcing societal standards, not an all-bad pursuit. Those standards have advanced, mainly for the better if not uniformly so. These days, we can be all too quick to play the cancellation card, mainly for speech that violates the political code of sensitivity, while we look increasingly askance at the old-fashioned application of shame when someone steps across a bright line of proper conduct. In many circles of enlightenment, cancellation is in while shame is out. Peter Stearns, a professor at George Mason University and the author of Shame: A Brief History, points out the distance we have come from the colonial days of putting transgressors in public stocks. The book quotes Benjamin Rush, a founding father and signatory to the Declaration of Independence, Shaming is universally acknowledged to be a worse punishment than death. That might be a bit of hyperbole, but one gets a sense of the prevailing ethos of that era. Somehow, I doubt that self-esteem was valued quite so highly as is the case today. Or that it was a stated goal of much of parenthood and education. All of which brings us back to the newly elected congressman from Long Island. Whether going by the name of George Santos or Anthony Devolder or Anthony Zabrovsky or Kitara Ravache, the man possesses a vivid imagination, even lacking a true north or any compass point. He claims to have attended Baruch College (not); to have been a volleyball star there (not); to have an MBA from New York University (not); to have saved over 2,500 dogs and cats through a nonprofit he founded (not); to have worked for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs (not); to have been mugged on the way to deliver an overdue rent check to his landlord (not); and that his mother was a finance executive who worked at the World Trade Center and perished in the Sept. 11 attack (not, not and not). Sign up for free: News Alerts Stay in the know on the stories that affect you the most. Sign Up For Free View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Nor did he have employees who died in the shooting at the Pulse nightclub. Nor were his grandparents Holocaust refugees. Nor is he a Jew or even Jew-ish. And on and on. What seems to be true is that he performed in drag years ago in Brazil and that he wore a stolen Burberry scarf to a Stop the Steal rally. Apparently, he was OK with that particular bit of thievery. Long Island has bred its cast of unsavory characters over the years. Was Joey Buttafuoco not available to run for this seat? For Kevin McCarthy and the Republicans attempting to run the U.S. House by the thinnest of majorities, all of this is embarrassing but not disqualifying. From the back benches of the chamber, Santos provides them with a meek, reliable, acquiescent vote. Santos is not alone in illustrating how team play now supersedes most any code of reasonable conduct. When multiple women came forward with credible evidence that Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker had urged them to abort developing babies he had fathered, in blatant contradiction of his pro-life stance, no Republican of any stature walked away from him. He was part of the team. Lest anyone think this is a partisan observation, Democrats did themselves no credit a quarter century back when Bill Clintons behavior with a young intern was decidedly unpresidential. During that firestorm, liberal journalist Nina Burleigh famously commented, Id be happy to give Clinton (oral sex) just to thank him for keeping abortion legal. Clintons antics might not have merited impeachment. But is there any doubt that the response from his party should have been one of disgust, derision and even censure? I am hardly some killjoy, nor am I free of my own mistakes and breaches. All of us are fallible; none of us are free of our foibles. But the whole idea of dimension has fallen victim to the all-or-nothing tribalism that rules the day. There is run of the mill political exaggeration and distortion, and then there are Santos fantasies and inventions. A country that cannot make that distinction has lost its bearings. Recent examples are plentiful of the constructive use of public shaming. The Me Too movement a few years back was a necessary shock to an old-boys-club sense of entitlement. Society is doing fine, thank you, with the likes of Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer and Kevin Spacey banished to jail cells or distant sidelines. Their disgrace has changed assumptions far and wide of what constitutes appropriate workplace behavior. But George Santos has avoided any such sanction. Which brings this column back to asking how much dishonesty and mendacity does it take to get drummed out of polite society? Or just out of the halls of Congress? Santos shame is inescapable and his to bear. But if our institutions fail to enjoin this naked fraudulence, then they are shameless as well. A former assisted living health care worker in Grand Junction was found not guilty on Thursday in connection with the death of 86-year-old Hazel Place, a dementia patient left unattended outside in 100-degree heat for six hours in June 2021. The Mesa County district court jury of eight men and four women deliberated just over 15 minutes before finding Jenny Logan, 52, not guilty of one count of negligent homicide and one count of at-risk neglect resulting in death. The death of Hazel Place and the events that followed was the subject of a Jan. 19 investigative report by the Denver Gazette. Logan was one of three health workers on duty in the memory unit of Cappella of Grand Junction assisted living facility on June 21, when Place wandered outside to an enclosed courtyard at 2:19 p.m. on a day when the National Weather Service had issued its first-even excessive heat warning for the region. Place, who can be seen on the facilitys surveillance video trying to get up but failing to, remained outside in scorching heat until about 8:15 p.m., when the husband of another resident happened to glance out one of the facility hallway windows and saw her slumped in a patio loveseat. Because Place was considered a fall risk, there had been a standing order she was to be checked hourly. Six hours passed with no one doing so. The two other workers in the memory unit that day, Letticia Martinez and Jamie Johnston, both pleaded guilty to reduced charges. Martinez was sentenced on Dec. 8, 2022 to 30 days in county jail, 100 hours of community service, a three-year deferred sentence on one count of misdemeanor caretaker neglect and one count of felony negligent homicide. Johnston is scheduled to be sentenced next week. Sign up for free: News Alerts Stay in the know on the stories that affect you the most. Sign Up For Free View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. According to investigators in the case, Martinez and Johnston falsified information in the facilitys computerized system that logs medication distribution and safety checks to make it appear that Place had been regularly monitored throughout the afternoon and early evening. In the four-day trial, Elizabeth Espinosa Krupa, Logans defense attorney, argued that her client was dutiful, diligent and deceived, contending that it was the other two defendants who were to blame for Places death. She said Logan had been misled into thinking Place was being watched by her co-workers. Krupa could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday night. When the verdict was read, Logan broke down in tears, according to those in the courtroom. Donna Golden and Steve Place, two of Places three children, issued a statement Thursday night on the verdict. It is unbelievable that a jury of our peers would find Jenny Logan not guilty of failing to do her job when our mother with Alzheimers and dementia was left unattended for over six hours in 100-degree heat to die, they said. The family said they initially were told that their mother had died a peaceful death and it was not until a former Cappella worker called them and police the next day that they learned how their mother died. Discussions on Azerbaijan's relations with the European Parliament and Latvia were held on the Baku Network Expert Platform, Azernews reports citing Trend. The discussions were attended by MP Sevil Mikayilova, Head of the Baku Network Expert Platform, MP Tural Ganjaliyev, and MEP from Latvia Andris Ameriks. The participants of the meeting noted the similarity of the histories of Azerbaijan and Latvia and spoke about the importance of transport corridors passing through Azerbaijan. 43 North Iowa has acquired the former Globe Gazette building as part of a two-year expansion of mental health services in the area. The building, located at North Washington Avenue and Fourth Street Northwest in Mason City, will be home to a 15-bed residential facility, according to John Derryberry, executive director of 43 North Iowa. Additional undertakings by the organization include plans for Crisis Stabilization Center (CSC) to be located at the current 43 North Iowa administration office at 111 Second St NE. The CSC will offer 3 to 5 days of staffed care to ease clients through times of extreme difficulty. For those who need more assistance in regaining or building independent-living skills, 43 North Iowa will also operate a four-bed, fully staffed home utilizing the Intensive Residential Services Home (IRSH) program. The program allows residents to integrate all aspects of treatment and support into their daily lives to build successful habits. Derryberry, his staff, and the coordinators at Central Iowa Community Services have been studying community needs for quite some time now. "We engage in expansion only after extensive talks with other local service providers, including the Mason City Police Department, MercyOne staff and other agencies. We really make sure we're meeting a need before we make plans." The three new residential centers will allow for varying types of community-based care to best address individual needs. Crisis stabilization gives clients a 24 hour, seven day a week, safe and supportive place to work through mental health or situational crises in a short term setting. Assistance will be mainly offered in the downtown area, allowing ease of access to services and for 43 North Iowa to focus its staff resources where they are needed most. The 15-bed residential care facility will offer living space, treatment and community integration, while the IRSH program is designed to help clients living with a mental health diagnosis who have not been successful with stable, self-supported housing. ROCK VALLEY, Iowa -- A Le Mars, Iowa, teenager has been arrested and charged with having sex with a 13-year-old girl. Rock Valley police arrested Skyler Meyers, 18, on Jan. 24, a week after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He is charged with one count of third-degree sexual abuse, a Class C felony. According to a complaint filed in Sioux County District Court, Meyers had sex with the girl, who by law is unable to consent, in December at a Rock Valley home. Two other sexual encounters in other jurisdictions were reported, but a search of online court records found no other charges filed against Meyers, who admitted to the sex acts, court documents said. Close Missouri's Kobe Brown, left, and Iowa State's Robert Jones, right, battle for a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Iowa State's Osun Osunniyi, top, dunks the ball over Missouri's Nick Honor during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's Noah Carter, left, blocks the shot of Iowa State's Demarion Watson, right, as DeAndre Gholston, center, defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Iowa State's Osun Osunniyi, left, and Tamin Lipsey, right, fight off Missouri's Kobe Brown, center, for a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Iowa State's Osun Osunniyi, left, and Missouri's Kobe Brown, right reach for a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's Kobe Brown dunks the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri's D'Moi Hodge, center, celebrates with Kobe Brown, left, in front of Iowa State's Jaren Holmes, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's Sean East II, top, is fouled by Iowa State's Jaren Holmes, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Iowa State's Hason Ward walks away after having a foul called on him during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri head coach Dennis Gates questions a call during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Iowa State players watch the final minute from the bench during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Iowa State's Robert Jones, center, passes the ball between Missouri's Sean East II, right, and Aidan Shaw, left, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's Kobe Brown smiles as he runs up court during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61. Missouri's Aidan Shaw, right, fouls Iowa State's Tre King, left, as he shoots during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's Isiaih Mosley pumps up the crowd after he made a three-point shot during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61. Missouri's DeAndre Gholston, center, shoots between Iowa State's Robert Jones, left, and Demarion Watson, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger argues a call with the official during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's Kobe Brown, left, dribbles past Iowa State's Hason Ward, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's D'Moi Hodge grabs the ball before going out of bounds in the second half of the Tigers' 78-61 victory over Iowa State on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger, right, grimaces as he watches his team play late during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Flames burn in Mizzou Arena as the Iowa State and Missouri teams are announced before the start of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri head coach Dennis Gates watches his team announced before the start of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger encourages his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's Isiaih Mosley celebrates a three point shot during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's D'Moi Hodge passes the ball from his back during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) A Missouri fan records the sellout crowd during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's Isiaih Mosley, right, and Nick Honor, left, watch a teammate shoot free throws during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61. Missouri head coach Dennis Gates calls a play during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) The Missouri Golden Girls perform during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) A look at Mizzou vs. Iowa State basketball on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 Here is a look at the Missouri vs. Iowa State men's basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Missouri. Missouri's Kobe Brown, left, and Iowa State's Robert Jones, right, battle for a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Iowa State's Osun Osunniyi, top, dunks the ball over Missouri's Nick Honor during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's Noah Carter, left, blocks the shot of Iowa State's Demarion Watson, right, as DeAndre Gholston, center, defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Iowa State's Osun Osunniyi, left, and Tamin Lipsey, right, fight off Missouri's Kobe Brown, center, for a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Iowa State's Osun Osunniyi, left, and Missouri's Kobe Brown, right reach for a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's Kobe Brown dunks the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri's D'Moi Hodge, center, celebrates with Kobe Brown, left, in front of Iowa State's Jaren Holmes, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's Sean East II, top, is fouled by Iowa State's Jaren Holmes, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Iowa State's Hason Ward walks away after having a foul called on him during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri head coach Dennis Gates questions a call during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Iowa State players watch the final minute from the bench during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Iowa State's Robert Jones, center, passes the ball between Missouri's Sean East II, right, and Aidan Shaw, left, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's Kobe Brown smiles as he runs up court during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61. Missouri's Aidan Shaw, right, fouls Iowa State's Tre King, left, as he shoots during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's Isiaih Mosley pumps up the crowd after he made a three-point shot during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61. Missouri's DeAndre Gholston, center, shoots between Iowa State's Robert Jones, left, and Demarion Watson, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger argues a call with the official during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's Kobe Brown, left, dribbles past Iowa State's Hason Ward, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's D'Moi Hodge grabs the ball before going out of bounds in the second half of the Tigers' 78-61 victory over Iowa State on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger, right, grimaces as he watches his team play late during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Flames burn in Mizzou Arena as the Iowa State and Missouri teams are announced before the start of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri head coach Dennis Gates watches his team announced before the start of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger encourages his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's Isiaih Mosley celebrates a three point shot during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's D'Moi Hodge passes the ball from his back during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) A Missouri fan records the sellout crowd during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) Missouri's Isiaih Mosley, right, and Nick Honor, left, watch a teammate shoot free throws during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61. Missouri head coach Dennis Gates calls a play during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) The Missouri Golden Girls perform during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 78-61.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson) CENTERVILLE An Appanoose County dog breeder was arrested Tuesday and charged with multiple counts of animal abuse and neglect. The Appanoose County Sheriff's Office reported they arrested Henry Sommers, owner of Happy Puppies in Cincinnati, Iowa, on Tuesday at 4:50 p.m. He has been charged with two counts of animal neglect with serious injury, an aggravated misdemeanor; three counts of animal neglect with injury, a serious misdemeanor; and two counts of animal neglect without injury, a simple misdemeanor. Sommers posted bond and was released from custody. The sheriff's office began its investigation on Jan. 11 after receiving a complaint of potential animal neglect. Records from the Department of Agriculture showed multiple violations of commercial breeder license regulations, which contributed to some of the charges being filed, the sheriff's office said in a press release. Sommers had been fined $12,600 by the USDA last year for multiple and repeated violations across inspections that occurred over three years. Among the allegations was that Sommers euthanized unwanted dogs by using unauthorized stomach injections and then leaving the animals alone to die. During the sheriff's investigation, officials observed two adult Yorkshire dogs and two Yorkshire puppies that were living in an unhealthy environment. Those dogs were taken to a local veterinarian for their injuries. Investigators also learned that Sommers had previously relinquished other injured dogs that required surgery. The relinquished dogs are now being cared for by a humane society and veterinarian. The sheriff's office says it is referring all reports to the USDA and Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship for review of Sommers' commercial dog breeder license. A Pittsylvania County Circuit Court jury convicted a Danville man this week in the killing of two brothers found shot to death in a burning Pittsylvania County home in 2021. Omar Guevara-Rodriguez was was found guilty Wednesday of two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Onesimo Fermin Silva-Garcia, 25, and Victor Garcia-Mayorga, 33, on Dec. 12, 2021, according to online court records. A jury trial started Monday and was originally expected to last four days. It all started with a call to 911 on Dec. 12, 2021, by a neighbor reporting the fire, Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor said in February 2022 when Guevara-Rodriguez was taken into custody in what was described at the time as a peaceful arrest, it was nothing out of the ordinary. When firefighters entered the home at 152 W. Prospect St. a property tucked away on a narrow dirt road off Old Mayfield Road in Pittsylvania County just outside the Danville city limits to put out the flames, they discovered two bodies. Thats when the sheriffs office was called in and the investigation began. The brothers, both from Mexico, were identified through fingerprint examinations. Both men died of gunshot wounds and the medical examiners office ruled the cause of deaths as homicide. Guevara-Rodriguez was originally charged with two counts of first-degree murder. The defendant also was found guilty of arson in the jury trial this week. Sentencing is set for March 31, online records show. Bonita Troy told the Register & Bee in December 2021 that she knew something was wrong in her neighborhood. I was in the kitchen and I pulled my blinds back and saw smoke, Troy said during an interview at the front door of her home a day after the bodies were found. Thats when she called 911. I just knew something wasnt right, she said. Neighbor Christopher Vaden said he was awakened by gunshots at around 4 or 5 a.m. Dec. 12, 2021, hours before the fire. Neighbors who spoke to the Danville Register & Bee described a stable community. There are a lot of older people, West Prospect Street resident Rhonda Bowman said. For the most part, its fairly quiet. In addition to the local offices including the Danville Police Department a multitude of state and national agencies were involved in the investigation. Other agencies include United States Attorneys Office Western District of Virginia; Virginia State Police; Federal Bureau of Investigation Richmond and Reno, Nevada, field office; Washoe County Sheriffs Office in Reno, Nevada; Drug Enforcement Agency; Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Homeland Security; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and the Chief Medical Examiners Office in Roanoke. GREENSBORO Jurors found TikTok star Jessica Middlebrook, known as towtruckjess on social media, not guilty of involuntary manslaughter Thursday morning in a deadly 2019 crash involving an elderly couple on a motorcycle. Middlebrook fell to her seat sobbing when the verdict was announced after a two-day trial in Guilford County Superior Court. I kept my faith through this trial, the 37-year-old Middlebrook would later tell the News & Record outside the courtroom. She declined further comment. The family of Patricia Willard, who died at the scene when the motorcycle her husband was driving hit the back of Middlebrooks tow truck, which was left parked on a road, looked stunned at the jurys decision. Some of them dabbed at tears. Willards son Allen Hall said that while he disagrees with the jurys decision, the family respects the court process. We hoped for a guilty verdict, Hall said. We do feel that Jessica is guilty in our hearts and in our minds. Its affected a whole family. Jerry Willard tried to avoid a collision but ended up hitting the back left corner of the tow trucks bed, which prosecutor Scott Drorbaugh likened to a sword. Jerry Willard spent months in the hospital. It was such a bizarre case, said defense attorney Jan Pritchett, who represented Middlebrook along with attorney Joel Oakley. One of the most stressful of my career. Pritchett had told the jury that Middlebrook had left the vehicle parked in the road outside of her home on a dead-end road in rural Guilford County about 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning as she rushed in to tend to a sick child. He likened it to delivery trucks routinely doing the same thing. The collision took place shortly after. Middlebrook, a 37-year-old who has amassed 2.9 million followers with inspiring and fun clips on her TikTok profile, did not testify during the trial. She reactivated her account following todays outcome. The defense placed blame for the accident on Jerry Willards driving, saying he was speeding and should have spotted the parked truck sooner. Jurors showed early signs of struggling after being given the case on Wednesday morning. The jury sent three messages over the course of four hours to Guilford County Superior Court Judge Stuart Albright, who at the end of the day asked them to continue deliberations Thursday. Jurors came back with the verdict within 45 minutes of beginning their second day of deliberations. Hall said that while Middlebrook continued to post videos after the accident, that she has not apologized to the immediate family. My mom was a very religious person who stuck by her faith, and she did believe in forgiveness, Hall said. My mom would say that Jessica would have to start down that road of forgiveness and owning up as well. Let the people see what Ive seen. Those were the instructions Mamie Till-Mobley is recorded to have told the mortician as she requested an open casket for the funeral of her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till. After being falsely accused of flirting with a white woman in Mississippi in 1955, hed been kidnapped and killed. Defying what seemed logical and prudent, Till invited photographers from Ebony and Jet magazines, the premier Black publications at the time, to take pictures of her son, who had been snatched from the home of his great uncle and aunt, then beaten and shot. Afterward, he was wrapped with barbed wire, had a 75-pound metal cotton-gin fan tied around his neck and was thrown into the Tallahatchie River. The image of the mother, held by her husband, gazing at Tills bloated and beaten head, with his teeth missing, ears severed and eyes hanging out, showed the world the brutality of Americas racism. Till-Mobley, a mother grieving the loss of her only son, put aside her misery and pain and exposed the brutality of what stepping out of line in the Jim Crow-era South looked like. The public, she reasoned, needed to see and judge for themselves. Almost 68 years later, I did last week what Till-Mobley wanted back then; I watched as the American police system brutalized Tyre Nichols. Im old enough to have watched the Rodney King video. I watched the videos of Michael Brown, George Floyd, Andrew Brown Jr., Philando Castile, Alton Sterling and Eric Garner. I watched as a former sworn officer shot and killed Ahmaud Arbery as he jogged the streets of Brunswick, Ga. I watched an officer shoot and kill 12-year-old Tamir Rice for throwing snowballs and waving a toy gun in the park. I watched as officers broke into the home of Breonna Taylor as she slept. I watched as an officer claimed she couldnt tell the difference between her gun and a Taser as she killed Daunte Wright. I watched as an off-duty officer killed Bothan Jean, who was sitting in his living room eating ice cream, while she entered the wrong apartment. I watched the video that Sandra Bland filmed as she was being pulled over for not using a change-lane signal. But Id had enough. I hadnt intended to watch this video. I didnt want to see another Black person killed by the police for being Black. I didnt want to see the little value placed on Black life by those paid and charged with protecting us all. I didnt want to be a witness, sitting idly by watching a grainy, jittery, body-cam video that I knew would disturb my peace, interrupt my spirit and cause my blood pressure to rise. I didnt wanna feel some kinda way. No, I just wasnt going to do it. But then, I thought about Till and I, along with much of America, watched as uniform-clad men, most of them Black, beat the life out of a young man while others, with a responsibility to provide medical support, discussed aching knees and attempted to build an alibi for their horrific actions. Much of the conversation after the video was released centered on whether people did or did not watch the video. The reasons for doing or not doing so were sound and logical, and I make so judgments about which side people found themselves on. All I can say is that I couldnt allow myself to look away as if nothing had happened. I thought of Mamie Till. We all tend to believe that if we didnt see it, it didnt happen. We can believe that if I dont give it space in my head, then the brutality is diminished. We can believe that enough is enough, and we dont need to see anymore. But the reality is we have to keep looking. We have to keep looking until things change. We cant ignore the reality of whats happened simply because its not happening to us or because it disturbs our peace or interrupts our spirit. Mamie Tills decision to allow us to see what she saw sparked change. It created outrage and became one of the catalysts for the civil rights movement. We can only hope that Nichols recorded beating will be the spark that this time changes the American police system. Every time a new video emerges, we are outraged, but before change can actually occur, we grow weary of the story and move on to the next shiny thing. Lets not allow Nichols public annihilation to be for naught. Lets march to the ballot boxes and the county commissioners and city council meetings and the state and federal legislatures and demand the kind of policing change required of a civilized society. Whether were calling to defund the police or reform the police, we cant allow policing to remain unchanged, unchecked and inhumane. Let it be different this time. After all, weve seen the video. Again. By Azernews Qabil Ashirov The EU, Azerbaijan, and partner countries are working to ensure energy security and market stability, Azernews reports, citing European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson telling the 9th Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting and 1st Green Energy Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting in Baku on February 3. She noted that today's discussions are taking place in the context of global changes in the energy markets. "Global growth is under threat. Energy security is the first issue we are thinking about. For this reason, today's meetings of the Advisory Councils are of the utmost importance. This shows that the EU, Azerbaijan, and partner countries are working together to ensure energy security and market stability," she said. With the completion of the TAP construction on December 31, 2020, Azerbaijan began commercial gas supplies to Europe via the Southern Gas Corridor. The SGC is an initiative of the European Commission for a natural gas supply route from the Caspian and Middle Eastern regions to Europe. The route from Azerbaijan to Europe consists of the South Caucasus Pipeline, TANAP, and TAP. In 2021, TAP transported 8.1 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe. In 2023, Azerbaijan plans to increase gas supplies to Europe to 11 billion cubic meters. As of 2022, Azerbaijan exported 9.3 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe in the first ten months and was expected to supply 11.5 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe by the end of 2022. Science still has not provided an answer to that question. In a typical DMT experience, a user may experience lots of rapidly fluctuating emotions, Thayer said, including love, fear, joy, anxiety and euphoria. There can be a "dissolving of the sense of self," and, of course, hallucinations involving self-transforming machine elves. "The hallucinations vary widely, but usually involve geometric patterns, vivid colors and contact with 'entities,'" Thayer says. "People describe these entities as distinct, autonomous beings that typically present with some kind of message." Advertisement There's no clear-cut description for what the DMT entities actually look like, but they're called "machine elves" or "clockwork elves" because McKenna described them that way. He called them 'self-transforming elf machines,' which is where the now-famous term 'DMT machine elves' comes from. By using the term "machine elves," Terence McKenna's tales created terminology that has been widely adopted by those who have tripped in his footsteps and described these visuals in the same way that he did. " " Ayahuasca, also known as "hoasca," "iage," "santo-daime," "daime" and "vegetal," can be used as a tea made from the combination of several plants, in particular the "psychotria viridis" vine. It is often used to create visionary experiences in ritual or religious contexts. Helder Faria/Getty Images "These entities take on many forms," says Thayer, "including animals, insects, angels, demons, family members, jesters, aliens, lights, spirits, fairies and amorphous beings." It may seem like it would be scary or one might not be emotionally prepared to encounter these entities on a DMT trip, and Thayer says it's not uncommon for human beings to experience fear, but "the most common emotions people experience are joy, love and trust." What's especially unusual about the DMT machine elves is the fact that lots of people report seeing the same kinds of incidents and visions in which these beings occurred. "There is no clear scientific explanation for it," says Thayer, but one theory is that this is simply what the conscious mind experiences in the presence of DMT. Spiritualists posit that DMT opens the mind to new dimensions of reality, granting us access to the beings that exist there. Encounters with DMT entities are very similar to those reported by people who have had near-death and alien abduction experiences. Pam Fruh stopped by the Billmayer Ranch Local Beef Outlet on a recent Saturday afternoon, and she didnt leave empty-handed. I like the idea of being able to buy local beef, she said as she carted away a couple kinds of steak and some beef sticks. See you next time, she said as she left the store. The Billmayer Ranch store opened in December 2022, said KC Billmayer and Sydney Collins, who clutched their 6-month-old son Bryer as they talked about their new shop at 4760 N. Montana Ave. in a building shared with 777 Montana Tire. KC said he felt he was not getting the best bang for his buck as he sold commercial calves. He and Collins said business has been climbing since they opened Dec. 9. They are now open 1-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. They added they have not done any advertising beyond posting on Facebook, which is run by Sydney. They said word is getting out and they have gotten queries from several restaurants. KC says Valley Hub is serving their beef for its hamburgers. KC said they now offer an 80% beef, 20% fat ground beef, but will soon be selling an 85/15 mix for those who want a leaner option. Many of those who come through the door say they heard the shop was open and had to come in. The beef is a mix of Black Angus and Charolais, making it a delicious blend, KC said, adding it is grass-fed and grain finished. I can tell you everything about the calves from the day they were born until they are in the freezer, he said, noting his ranch is a couple miles from the store. He said his favorite cut is the tomahawk steak, adding the bone savors the meat. The meat, processed at a Rawhide Meats in White Sulphur Springs, is displayed in several chest freezers in the main room. They feature a variety of steaks, bacon, roasts, soup bones, ground beef and stew meat. KC said people will pay a little more for the beef than they will in a store. But the customers we have had dont just come in one time, he said. Sydney said she was very excited about the store. KC talked about it for quite a while, she said, adding she helped him with the paperwork. Im excited to have another local option where beef comes from, she said. Sydney and KC said they are optimistic about the meat lockers future. I hope we continue to grow and become a place where customers go to get their beef every week, Sydney said. Meat the new business Billmayer Ranch Local Beef Outlet 4760 N. Montana Ave. 1-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday 406-399-2173 After more than 50 years, Homecrafters Furniture and Mattress is closing. Owner Claudia Lancette said Thursday she decided to close the store, now located at 400 Euclid Ave. in the Lundy Center, after her husband Remi, who started the business, died in August. She said she was uncomfortable in filling the void. It was kind of the decision we came to, without Remi being the final word, she said from her office in the back of the store. Its the end of the era. Potential customers combed through Homecrafters on Thursday, perusing a showroom bursting with living room and dining room furniture with prices marked down. A final closing date has not been set. Banners draped across the front of the building stated Closing Forever, After 53 Years and End of An Era! There was also a sign: Building for lease. Homecrafters was started in 1970 by Remi Lancette, Claudia said, adding it started off specializing in kitchens and bathrooms. There were all sorts of changes and we changed with the times and got into furniture and decor, Claudia said. We had so much cute stuff. People came from out of town. We always tried to keep it interesting and friendly, she said. Several years ago the business moved from 1115 Euclid Ave., several blocks west, and moved to its present location in the Lundy Center. She said Remi was sick and died in August from COVID-19-related illnesses. He was 85. She said her son-in-law John Berg had run the store for several years, but there was no interest from within the family to continue the business. Claudia said she was not sad about closing Homecrafters. I am OK with it because hes (Remi) not here, she said. We had so many good years. She says she plans on staying in Helena after the store closes, noting she has lots of family, consisting of three children and plenty of grandchildren and great-grandchildren nearby. Its the second big hit the Lundy Center has taken recently as CVS Pharmacy closed Wednesday. It was the only pharmacy on the citys westside. Justin Bloom, the vice president of Lundy Center, which is owned the Bloom family, said they hoping to find quality tenants to replace both. He said there was also a couple small shops vacant in the center as well. I see it as an opportunity to find some tenants that are a good fit for the community, he said. He said his family has operated the center since the 1980s and there have been periodic vacancies in the 13-shop strip mall, but he could not recall a time when two significant tenants had left at the same time. He said Homecrafters building is 15,000 square feet and the CVS is 9,300 square feet and the other two smaller spaces are 1,000 square feet combined. Of Homecrafters, Bloom said Its a real nice space. Of CVS, he said: My friends who live on the westside who fill their prescriptions at CVS are sad to see it leaving. CVS officials said Wednesday all prescriptions will be transferred to the nearby CVS Pharmacy at 603 N. Montana Ave. to ensure that patients continue to have uninterrupted access to pharmacy care. There is another CVS Pharmacy at 3095 N. Montana Ave. CVS officials said maintaining access to pharmacy services in the communities they serve is an important factor they consider when making store closure decisions. Other factors include local market dynamics, population shifts, a communitys store density, and ensuring there are other geographic access points to meet the needs of the community, they wrote. The silvery orb spotted over Billings that shut down air traffic and brought fighter jets, AWACS and air tankers to the area on Wednesday afternoon is suspected to be a Chinese spy balloon. The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now, said Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder. The U.S. government continues to track and monitor it closely. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years," Ryder added. "Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information. Word of something unusual in the skies over Billings first spread Wednesday afternoon when a "ground stop" was placed on regional airports, including Billings. No flights, including commercial air traffic, could land or depart in a 50-mile radius that included the Billings airport. Scrambled to the area were fighter jets, AWACS and two refueling air tankers, according to Gazette sources. AWACS are long-range radar surveillance aircraft. According to sources, the balloon floated over the Aleutian Islands, over Canada and into U.S. airspace over Montana. The U.S. has been tracking the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon for a couple days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm for people on the ground, officials told the AP Thursday. A senior defense official told Pentagon reporters that the U.S. has very high confidence it is a Chinese high-altitude balloon and it was flying over sensitive sites to collect information, according to the AP. One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nations three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base, the AP reported. The defense official said the U.S. did get fighter jets, including F-22s, ready to shoot down the balloon if ordered to by the White House. The Pentagon ultimately recommended against it, noting that even as the balloon was over a sparsely populated area of Montana, its size would create a debris field large enough that it could have put people at risk. In a letter sent Thursday to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., wrote: The fact that this balloon was occupying Montana airspace creates significant concern that Malmstrom Air Force Base and the United States intercontinental ballistic missile fields are the target of this intelligence gathering mission. ... It is vital to establish the flight path of this balloon, any compromised U.S. national security assets, and all telecom or IT infrastructure on the ground within the U.S. that this spy balloon was utilizing. The defense official at the Pentagon said the spy balloon was trying to fly over the Montana missile fields, but the U.S. has assessed that it has limited value in terms of providing China intelligence it couldnt already collect by other means, such through spy satellites. A photograph of a large white balloon lingering over the area was captured by The Billings Gazette (above), but the Pentagon would not confirm if that was the surveillance balloon. The balloon could be seen drifting in and out of clouds and had what appeared to be a solar array hanging from the bottom, said Gazette photographer Larry Mayer. The defense official said what concerned them about this launch was the altitude the balloon was flying at and the length of time it lingered over a location, without providing specifics. At the Billings airport on Wednesday, the ground stop caused by the balloon delayed one flight and diverted two others. Some Montana residents reported seeing an unusual object in the sky around the time of the airport shutdown Wednesday, but its not clear that what they were seeing was the balloon. From an office window in Billings, Chase Doak said he saw a big white circle in the sky that he said was too small to be the moon. He took some photos, then ran home to get a camera with a stronger lens and took more photos and video. He could see it for about 45 minutes and it appeared stationary, but Doak said the video suggested it was slowly moving. I thought maybe it was a legitimate UFO, he said. So I wanted to make sure I documented it and took as many photos as I could." On Thursday, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte issued a statement responding to the spy balloon. I received an informational briefing yesterday on the situation involving a suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over Montana. From the spy balloon to the Chinese Communist Party spying on Americans through TikTok to CCP-linked companies buying American farmland, Im deeply troubled by the constant stream of alarming developments for our national security. Along a party-line vote with Republican support and Democratic opposition, the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday advanced legislation from Rep. Amy Regier, R-Kalispell, that would allow health care professionals to not provide care they morally disagree with. During a hearing earlier in the week, supporters of the bill said it would protect the rights of doctors, nurses and others in the health care field and argued it was not discriminatory because it was procedure-based, not person-focused. But opponents said it would put the lives of Montanans at risk and discriminate since some procedures are inseparable from the person who gets them. Those arguments continued Thursday as lawmakers voted on the bill. Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula and the first openly trans women to serve in the Legislature, told the committee that if the bill was not discriminatory and based only on procedures, it would require providers who object to providing gender-affirming or hormone care to not give that treatment to both their trans patients and cisgender patients who seek that type of care for things like early puberty or menopause. This would catch a wide array of people, Zephyr said. If (an objection was about) providing hormones to people, they would have to have that objection in its entirety, which would catch people who have had hysterectomies, it would catch people who are post-menopause. While Rep. Neil Duram, R-Eureka, said he initially had concerns about emergency services but felt the bill would ensure theyre provided when needed, Rep. Tom France, D-Missoula, said the provisions in the bill would only extend to an institution and not an individual provider. France said he would have concerns if a person showed up at an emergency department and a provider refused to give them care but the institution was still obligated to. Rep. SJ Howell, D-Missoula, said that could tie the hands of heath care organizations, especially smaller ones who could be hamstrung in providing care but not able to terminate an employee who isnt doing certain types of care the organization provides. Howell also said they had concerns that insurance companies were also given the ability under the bill to not cover treatments the companies disagree with. I feel like we have fought so hard to not be throwing our money away in regards to health insurance and this feels like a big step backward, Howell said. Howell is a the first openly nonbinary lawmaker and also raised concerns about discrimination. Obviously I have concerns about discrimination against LGBT folks, Howell said. Ive experienced that in the doctors office and its not great. Can you work around it? Sure. Should you have to? No. After the 13-6 vote, the bill moves onto the House for full debate. On another party-line vote, the House Judiciary Committee advanced a bill Thursday that would give the Speaker of the House and attorney general the power to appoint the people who fill the two district court judge positions on the states Judicial Standards Commission. It's carried by Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, a Billings Republican. Rep. Jedediah Hinkle, R-Belgrade, said before the vote that he felt the commission has really, really bad optics right now. Thats because, he said, the two judges are elected by other judges and the Supreme Court appoints another member, something he equated to the fox guarding the hen house. The commission handles complaints against judicial officers. It has five members: two judges currently elected by district court judges; one attorney appointed by the Supreme Court; and two citizens who are not judges or attorneys and appointed by the governor. But Rep. SJ Howell, D-Missoula, said that the Legislatures own ethics and rules panels have the same setup of being appointed by the body they adjudicate. And Rep. Tom France, D-Missoula, pointed out the governor also has appointments to the commission. Over the interim between the last two sessions, a select committee formed by GOP lawmakers dove into issues they identified with the judiciary, including concerns about the commission. The bill now moves to the full House. A bill to mandate hunters and bowhunters complete an in-person field day as part of hunter education saw resounding support in the House on Thursday. House Bill 243 from Rep. Marilyn Marler, D-Missoula, would come with a roughly $800,000 annual budget increase to fund eight new hunter education coordinators. The positions are necessary to implement the bill as Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks saw its force of 800 volunteer instructors drop by nearly half when the pandemic pushed hunter ed online. Hunter education has traditionally for all these many decades relied on an extensive network of volunteer instructors, Mariler told the House. The volunteer network shrank during the big shift to online instruction and hasnt totally rebuilt back and the department intends to invest some paid staff time to rebuild that network and reinvigorate the hunter ed program to be honest. The cost came as a hurdle to Rep. Rhonda Knudsen, R-Culbertson, who questioned whether present FWP staff could implement the requirements. But other Republicans spoke in favor of the bill as an important part of hunter education, whether to hone and test safety skills or to bring a return to normalcy and human interaction post-COVID. HB 243 passed an initial vote of 90-9. Because of the fiscal impact it will be heard in House Appropriations next week before a final vote in the House. Montana appears unlikely to call for a convention of states to amend the U.S. Constitution this session at least. In a tie vote Wednesday, the Montana Senate voted down a resolution to do so, a day after voting 26-24 to pass it. Of the two Democrats who initially crossed the aisle to vote for the resolution, one switched her vote in the final tally. The controversial proposal has split Republicans, who largely agree on the general framework: call together all 50 states to propose constitutional amendments to balance the federal budget, enact term limits in Congress and tighten up federal jurisdiction. But GOP lawmakers are split on how the convention would play out. Proponents say it would be narrowly tailored, while detractors warn of a "runaway convention" to fully rewrite the constitution, or that Congress would run the show. It's the first time the resolution has advanced to a final Senate vote. In 2021 an identical resolution failed 24-26 on a preliminary vote. Legislation debated Thursday would put the Supreme Court administrator a central figure in last sessions conflict between the GOP and judicial branch under the purview of the clerk of the Supreme Court, an office held by a partisan elected official. Sen. John Fuller, R-Whitefish, is carrying Senate Bill 230, which would give the Supreme Court clerk power to appoint, direct and terminate the court administrator. Bowen Greenwood, a Republican, holds the clerk's office, which is within the judicial branch. Greenwood noted whether the bill passed or not, the court administrator would be appointed by a member the judiciary. As clerk, his office is the "front door" to the state's high court, he said; filings come through his office and he manages public access to documents. "I don't see it removing the Supreme Court from the chain of command at all," he said. But opponents to the bill said the proposal was an instance of legislative overreach. Forming the backdrop to Thursday's hearing is the showdown that took place last session two years ago between Republicans in the Legislature and the executive branch against the judiciary. Beth McLaughlin, the Supreme Court administrator, had deleted several emails containing polling conducted among judges on pending legislation so the Montana Judges Association could form policy positions for testimony in committees like this one. Republicans seized on the missing emails, firing up a select committee to investigate record keeping practices and claims of judicial bias in the courts. The committee issued subpoenas for judicial records, only to see those efforts shot down by the courts, which ruled the Legislature was acting outside its authority under separation of powers issues. Bruce Spencer, representing Montana Judges Association, said likened SB 230 to a hypothetical bill that would put the secretary of the state Senate under the governor's office. "This bill reaches into a branch of government and removes a vital cog in how its run," he said. "It's, on its face, causing problems with separation of powers." A representative from the State Bar Association went a step further, saying the bill violates the state Constitution. Fuller said a legal analysis in the bill drafting process raised no issue with the constitutionality of SB 230. A review of the drafting communications found a legal analysis did note that the Constitution states the Supreme Court has the purview of all other courts, as well as the court administrator, but SB 230 would put that position under a different, elected official. "As drafted, it is unclear if placing the court administrator under a position in the Judicial Branch that is subject to an election is an intrusion on the judicial power of the Supreme Court," the legislative attorney wrote to Fuller on Jan. 17. Without any case law on point, the bill did not meet the standards for issuing a legal review note, they added. The attorney suggested Fuller add a "severability" provision in the bill, which allows the rest of the bill to remain in law if one or more parts are struck down as an unconstitutional intrusion on the separation of powers. The bill had no proponents, but among its dissenters was Perry Miller, the Blaine County justice of the peace, who said the administrator's direction coming from the chief justice was "imperative." Education, guidance and policies that flowed from the chief justice through McLaughlin's role as court administrator was what kept the courts in motion during the Covid-19 pandemic, even while nearly every other government function closed off to the public, he said. "It is imperative that we garner our leadership and our education from the Supreme Court of Montana," Miller told the committee. "I've been on the bench for almost 30 years. I am extremely, extremely passionate about the fairness and the dignity of the courts. And the bottom line is, without the guidance of the chief justice, the highest court in the state of Montana, the court system will not function as well as it does now." McLaughlin was not present at Thursday's hearing and did not testify remotely. Greenwood, meanwhile, told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday he was "comfortable" with the proposal. "The Legislature points and I march," he added. "My job as a public servant is to do the duties you assign me." In early January, the Montana State Legislatures 2023 session started with a bang. That first week, Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, brought a draft resolution calling on the U.S. Congress to investigate alternatives to the reservation system, using language rife with misinformation and the stereotypes typical of anti-Indigenous groups. After pushback from the states bipartisan American Indian Caucus, tribal nations and his own constituents, Regier said he would not introduce the legislation, adding that it had been written by a local constituent (Regier did not respond to a request for comment from High Country News). The incident the latest episode in a long history of anti-tribal sovereignty activity in Montana emphasized the proximity between anti-Indigenous organizers and state legislators. Montana has Indigenous state lawmakers across the political spectrum, and a history of political independence. But with Republicans holding a historic supermajority in the House and Senate as well as controlling the governorship and state executive offices, Native-rights advocates are concerned the partys growing hard-right faction could welcome further iterations of the anti-tribal sovereignty stances represented in the draft resolution. I have not seen anything so overtly anti-Indian while working on legislative issues in Montana, said Tajin Perez (Totonac Indigenous), deputy director for Western Native Voice, of the resolution. Indigenous people, who have faced unfathomable challenges and harms for generations, dont deserve this kind of treatment from their elected representatives. Organized anti-Indigenous activism in Montana and beyond has gone through multiple permutations over the last half-century. In the 1970s, Flathead Valley resident Del Palmer, a non-Native, started the group Flathead Residents Earning Equality, in response to having to pay a $5 recreational permit to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. A newspaper profile detailed Palmers racist ideology, noting that he believed the reservation system had outlived its life span the same argument that appears in Regiers draft resolution. Co-opting the language of civil rights and equality, the group folded into Montanans Opposing Discrimination in the 1970s, then All Citizens Equal, before morphing into todays iteration, the Citizens Equal Rights Alliance (CERA). Now a national group, CERAs stated goal is to eliminate federal Indian policy altogether. The group insists it is not anti-Indian, though it has called tribal sovereignty a myth, and its legal branch recently filed amicus briefs against tribal sovereignty interests in pivotal U.S. Supreme Court cases, including Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta, a challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act and the Navajo Nations water rights case. In Montana alone, CERA has helped organize political, community and legal opposition to tribes over land returns, water rights, bison management, Native voting rights and more, dismissing tribal assertions of sovereignty as takeovers and regularly raising accusations of voting fraud. Theres this narrative that the anti-Indigenous movement has stoked forever about voting fraud on reservations, said Travis McAdam, project director at the Montana Human Rights Network. That dovetailed neatly with conservative paranoia around election fraud during the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. The Montana Human Rights Network has detailed CERAs strategy, showing how it seeks out legislators in order to influence policy. In 2014, for example, Regier and two other state legislators spoke alongside CERA board member Elaine Willman at a meeting opposing the Flathead water compact, a controversial agreement that ratified the water rights of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, resolved water claims and provided funding for water infrastructure, among other things. A CERA conference in Kalispell the next year featured then-Montana state Sen. Jennifer Fielder as a speaker. And a 2018 conference of far-right activists, CERA members and Sagebrush Rebels, including the Bundys, also attracted state legislators from Montana and Washington. One of the speakers argued that the effort to return ancestral lands to tribal nations was part of a conspiracy by global elites to control more land. Overall, groups like CERA seek to systematically reduce the political power of tribal nations in the U.S., whether through policy, the legal system or public opinion. And they have been effective: Anti-Indigenous prejudice ran rampant during the return of the National Bison Range and the Flathead water compact negotiations, delaying both efforts for years with misinformation and anti-Native talking points. The same ideology appeared in Regiers January draft resolution. This ideology and those who share it try to undermine Indian people and tribes to make them look dysfunctional and chaotic to justify a means to an end, which in my opinion is to try and extract more resources, said Sen. Shane Morigeau, D-Missoula, a tribal citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and a member of the bipartisan American Indian Caucus. Its based in assimilation and termination-era thought processes that, in my opinion, are still here. The draft resolution may not be introduced as legislation, but to Morigeau it represents the attitude that some Montana legislators maintain toward tribes and Indigenous people. For example, in 2021 Rep. Linda Reksten, R-Polson, repeated the well-worn myth that tribes and Native people do not pay taxes while voting against a bill to allow licensed tribal governments or businesses to participate in the states legalized recreational cannabis market. The bill also supported tribal mental health and substance use programs, among other things. And, as reported by the Associated Press the same year, lawmakers with the American Indian Caucus expressed concern over the continued tabling of Native-focused initiatives, including bills that would have established Indigenous Peoples Day and a missing persons response team training grant program. They also criticized the reduced Indigenous representation on the Montana Human Rights Commission and two state-level public health positions that serve Native communities. This session, Native rights advocates are keeping an eye on a number of bills, including attempts to revise the Flathead water compact and allow big game hunting on tribal lands, as well as ballot restrictions that could impact Native voters. The American Indian Caucus has put forward its own bills around pay transparency, Indigenous Peoples Day and Indigenous language programs. Last Friday, Morigeau introduced an expansion of Indian Education for All that would provide training for legislators on Native affairs. Perez said his organization, Western Native Voice, will put its full support behind the bill. There is an overwhelming lack of understanding and in some cases I would venture to say intentional misunderstanding of how sovereignty works and interacts between tribes and states. Anna V. Smith is an associate editor for High Country News. She has placed in the Native American Journalists Associations Native Media Awards in the category of Best Coverage of Native America three times. Email High Country News at editor@hcn.org Since Tong Guanghai prepared things for the Spring Festival in advance, he worked overtime at the factory to produce sweaters of an order from Spain with an easy mind. "We usually go off duty at 5:30 p.m., but we recently worked until 10:00 p.m. with extra pay to complete the order before the festival," Tong said. The Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, falls on Jan. 22 this year. Last year, Tong obtained an ironing job at the Shuangli knitting plant in Shuangzhuyuan Village, Shangshiqiao Township of Shangcheng County in central China's Henan Province. The 50-year-old man was a truck driver working in Hubei Province's Wuhan City. "My mum is in poor health, and my son will sit the college entrance examination this summer. I want to spend more time with them, so I found this job nearby my home," Tong said. The mountainous county shook off poverty in 2015. Ahead of that, most of the villagers traveled far away to the provinces of Zhejiang and Guangdong to earn more wages in the textile industry. Liu Chenglin, general manager of the Shuangli knitting plant, said that the plant opened in 2018 and mainly produces woolen sweaters for some European brands. "The local government persuaded me to move back to the village from Zhejiang to promote the economy of our hometown and also boost employment," Liu recalled, adding the low rents and abundant labor in the hometown were very attractive. Villager Cheng Guangxia had worked in southern China's Guangzhou City for more than ten years. In 2018, she returned and became a quality inspector at the Shuangli knitting plant, getting a monthly salary of 6,000 yuan (about 886.6 U.S. dollars). "The salary is not much less than that in Guangzhou. I can take care of my mother-in-law, who is in her 80s, and my parents, in their 70s. I'm already 51 years old, and I don't want to drift from place to place anymore," Cheng said. Shuangli knitting plant provides jobs for more than 70 locals and over 400 mobile positions, allowing workers to do work in their spare time, like cutting threads and sewing at home. "We got a lot of orders and produced 1.8 million woolen sweaters last year, an increase of 600,000 over 2021," said Liu. Data shows more than 130 knitting enterprises in Shangshiqiao Township provide over 4,000 jobs for the residents. An increasing number of migrant workers have returned home to get work since the country is advancing rural revitalization. The Southern Gas Corridor confirmed its strategic importance and Azerbaijani gas was delivered to Europe, Azernews reports, citing Romanian Minister of Energy Virgil-Daniel Popescu. He noted that since Azerbaijan has proved that it is a reliable partner, Romania closely cooperates with Azerbaijan to ensure energy security. Romania is eager to deepen strategic partnership relations with Azerbaijan. "In June last year [2022], a memorandum of a strategic nature ensuring the energy security of Europe was signed between the EU and Azerbaijan. This document provides for an increase in the volume of gas exported from Azerbaijan," he said. He added that given the growing demand, Romania is interested in purchasing Azerbaijani gas. Romania will supply gas from Azerbaijan to two more European countries: it has the infrastructure for this. In addition, Romania also played a huge role in the construction of the Trans-Balkan pipeline," Virgil-Daniel Popescu noted. The minister stated that trusting Azerbaijan, Romania took steps and was really sure of Azerbaijan's reliable partnership. DECATUR Oba William King is the youngest of three boys, and because his older brothers were busy fighting over who's going to be like Dad, King spent his time listening to the stories told by his grandmothers, mother and aunties. In the area of North Carolina where King grew up, Black families preserve their African heritage by passing the old ways from elders to children, and storytelling was a big part of that, he said. I was a hyper child, King said during a visit to Hope Academy on Friday, courtesy of the Decatur Area Arts Council and a grant from the Community Foundation of Macon County. Stories made us relax. They made us quiet. Along with friend Mark Vaughn, who laughingly described himself as musical accompaniment, King told stories, led call-and-answer chants with the students, and shared his high-energy love of stories and songs. Both men played African djembes, or hand drums, which they also planned to use in their appearance on Friday evening at the Decatur Area Arts Council, where King would his stories and lead a drum circle. Playing in a drum circle, Vaughn said, is not only shared musical enjoyment, but a bonding experience among the players, whether they excel at drumming or not. It's community, Vaughn said. King began his school presentation by showing the children the African heritage flag, with red, black and green stripes, and encouraged them to repeat after him: Red, black and green, the most beautiful colors I've ever seen; red is for blood; black is for the people; green is for the land; now I understand. The djembe is an African instrument, he said. It plays the rhythm of our heartbeat. One of his stories was called "Firefly and Little Star," and again he asked the children to repeat after him: I see the light in you. You see the light in me. Together, we shine. He also noticed Ariya Wood wearing a tiara and sash proclaiming her "the birthday girl" and encouraged all the students in the gym to say "happy birthday" to her together. Jami Frawley, gallery coordinator for the Decatur Area Arts Council, said the organization is working with the Sun Foundation, The Community Foundation of Macon County and the African-American Cultural and Genealogical Society and Museum. Our philosophy is 'arts for all,' Frawley said. We try to bring the arts to people wherever they are, whatever age they are. So looking at Black History Month, we were looking at what traditional art forms people may not have access to here in Decatur, and storytelling is a big tradition in African culture. PHOTOS: Mt. Zion High School Class Creates Exhibit for African-American Cultural and Genealogical Society of Illinois, Inc. Museum Davis_Nathaniel 5.7.18.jpg Hansen_Rich 5.7.18.jpg AACGS Exhibit 1 5.8.18.jpg AACGS Exhibit 2 5.8.18.jpg AACGS Exhibit 3 5.8.18.jpg AACGS Exhibit 4 5.8.18.jpg AACGS Exhibit 5 5.8.18.jpg AACGS Exhibit 6 5.8.18.jpg Eagle_Jakob 5.7.18.jpg AACGS Exhibit 7 5.8.18.jpg AACGS Exhibit 8 5.8.18.jpg AACGS Exhibit 9 5.8.18.jpg AACGS Exhibit 10 5.8.18.jpg DECATUR As Decatur concluded 2022 with the highest number of structure fires in a decade-and-a-half, it also marked the third year that came and went with no resolution to the ongoing negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement between the city and the union representing its firefighters. The holdup? The current and future status of three vacant fire inspector positions. Those assigned the role have responsibilities including determining the cause and origin of fires, interviewing arson suspects and witnesses, appearing in court in such cases and performing various public education functions. City firefighters responded to more than 13,000 alarms in 2022, a record, according to a report filed earlier this month with the Decatur City Council. There were also 143 structure fires last year, the most since 2008. The total number of fires was 403. Obviously, to me, the city of Decatur needs fire inspectors, said Fire Chief Jeff Abbott. So we can argue the number all we want, but we've got to have some to get this work done. But the last three to hold the position retired in quick succession in spring 2020 and the city has since declined to fill those positions. City Manager Scot Wrighton has cited a desire to have modest pension reform by restructuring how the department handles responsibilities typically given to fire inspectors. We believe that it's in the taxpayers' best interests to have modest pension reform so that taxes don't get out of control, Wrighton said. And we've done it and we proposed it in ways that don't displace anybody. In the meantime, the city has shifted responsibilities for routine business inspections to the community development department and has had the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal conduct most post-fire investigations. Wrighton characterized this as a "temporary arrangement" as the two sides work toward an agreement. However, this insistence on restructuring has sparked a clash with Decatur Firefighters Local 505, the union representing about 100 city firefighters. The union filed two unfair labor practices complaints with the Illinois Labor Relations Board against the city last year for not filling the positions as a new contract is negotiated. The union has also sought to retain the positions moving forward. "You're asking guys that are already running a record number of calls with fewer firefighters ... to do more work when they're already overburdened as it is," said Jeremy Ruderman, a Decatur firefighter and the union's spokesman. The result has been an impasse Decatur firefighters are still working under their last agreement, which expired December 31, 2019. "The union leadership's insistence that the city can only return to (three, 40-hours-per-week) inspectors arrangement, and cannot consider any alternative ways of providing these services is the reason why the collective bargaining contract remains unresolved, and why DFD has not been able to resume more robust inspections, investigations and fire prevention/education efforts," Wrighton wrote in December in response to a letter from a Decatur firefighter, obtained by Herald & Review via a public records request. But, now in year four without a negotiated settlement, the issue will soon be forced as the two sides meet for a third and final round of mediation in March. If that fails, they will enter a binding arbitration process. Mounting pension costs At the heart of the city's argument for restructuring are ballooning public safety pension costs. Under state law, the city must bring its police and fire pension systems to 90% funded by 2040. As of January 1, 2022, the city's unfunded police pension liability was about $75 million, or about 64% funded. The unfunded fire pension liability was about $80 million, or 56% funded. In order to meet that eventual goal, the city has had to increase its annual contribution to the pension systems every year. The city's police pension contribution in 2023 is more than $6.4 million, up from about $6 million in 2022 and about $5.6 million in 2021. The fire pension contribution will come at more than $7.1 million, up from $6.6 million in 2022 and $6.1 million in 2021. Firefighters currently contribute 9.455% of their base salary to their pension plan. The rest is picked up by local governments and investment returns. Over time, the need to fund public safety pensions could crowd out funding for other initiatives and possibly lead to massive property tax increases. Wrighton, however, declined to share projected savings if the "modest" reforms the city is proposing in the fire department are enacted. Attempts to address problem At the state level, some efforts have been made to address the growing burden. Most significantly, all firefighters hired in 2011 or later are considered "Tier 2" employees. The main changes are an increased retirement age to receive full benefits and less generous annual cost-of-living increases in retirement. State lawmakers also approved in 2019 the consolidating of 650 downstate police and fire pension systems into two funds, thus eliminating redundant administrative costs and leveraging greater investment returns. Wrighton, the city's top administrator since 2019, has made various proposals over the years to cut down on long-term pension costs at the local level. In the police department, the city has hired community liaison officers, non-sworn positions created to handle low-priority calls, sex offender registration, complete paperwork and monitor social media. These officers are not members of the union and are considered cheaper than employing a regular officer to handle the same duties. The police union filed an unfair labor practice charge in October 2019 with the Illinois Labor Relations Board, alleging that the city violated the law because it did not bargain with the union before creating the new position. The item initially was left unresolved when the city and police union ratified a new collective bargaining agreement in 2021, opting to leave it up to the ILRB. However, the union ultimately acknowledged the role of the non-sworn officers in September 2022 when the two sides revised and extended the existing collective bargaining agreement. It also included sweeteners for officers, including a relaxing of the department's residency requirement and pay raises. The union also agreed to add some compensation that is non-pensionable. Impasse with fire But similar reforms have been "steadfastly resisted" by the fire union, Wrighton said, adding that it has been "a statewide agenda for (the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois) to drive more work into positions that are covered by the fire pension and to resist reforms like the ones that we have tried to do here." Responding to Wrighton's characterization of the union, AFFI president Chuck Sullivan said that "it is no secret that the current city manager of Decatur is anti-union, and anti-public safety. Research his history. "Our 'statewide agenda' is to ensure that every community our members are sworn to protect receives a timely response from well-trained, professional firefighters and medics," Sullivan said of the union, which represents more than 15,000 firefighters and paramedics across the state. Wrighton, in an interview with Herald & Review and in correspondence with fire union officials, obtained via a public records request, said the city was often waiting on responses from the union on various offers. In the letter, Wrighton said that city and union had reached a "conceptual agreement covering all issues" in the summer of 2021. It was put to writing and given back to the union at the end of October 2021. "We then waited for almost an entire year for the union leadership's response," Wrighton wrote. Union officials say there was good reason for the delay. "The burden rests on both of our shoulders to come to the table and bargain in good faith in a timely manner," Ruderman said. "That being said, if you're going to force us to work outside of the terms of our agreement, then yes, we have to file a (unfair labor practice complaint) against it, let the labor board make their ruling and move on from there." That year, the union filed two unfair labor practices complaints with the ILRB over the the city's failing to post and fill or promote the vacancies when the three fire inspectors retired in 2020 and for transferring work out of the bargaining unit. The union alleged that it violated the existing contract. The city denied the charge. Around the same time last year, the ILRB issued a declaratory ruling deeming the union's proposal to maintain the fire inspector position a subject of bargaining for a new labor agreement. In early January, just days before a hearing was scheduled on the the unfair labor practices complaints, the city and union settled, agreeing to withdraw their complaints against one another and settling on attorney Thomas Sonneborn as an arbitrator to resolve their remaining issues. Before going to arbitration, the two sides have agreed to give mediation one last shot. In the meantime, the city has acknowledged that inspections and investigations have historically been performed within the fire department and said it will not move those responsibilities outside the department. The city has also said it will request the Civil Service Commission begin the testing process for the fire inspector position. Authorization for that is on the agenda for the commission's Feb. 7 meeting. The union agreed to temporarily waive its argument that such work be done only by fire inspectors pending the two sides reaching an agreement, the arbitrator issuing a binding ruling and the completion of the testing and promotional process for fire inspector. Pressure growing Both sides acknowledge there is a need to resolve the dispute. Abbott said that the growth in structure fires can't be directly linked to the dispute, but that having to farm out investigations to the state fire marshal's office inhibits their ability to have accurate information. "One thing for us that's a problem right now ... (is) we can't do a thorough investigation of any fire that we have right now because we don't have fire inspectors," Abbott said. "So if we use the state fire marshal to come and investigate a fire, we can't get a copy of the report unless the investigation is closed. And the majority of the investigations are not closed." JC Fultz, spokesman for the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, said the agency "continues to aid and assist in determining cause and origin of fires across the state but doesn't assume the responsibility as sole investigator of fires for a municipality or fire district." He said that "each incident is unique and the OSFM can be the lead agency, and/or an assisting agency to the Decatur Fire Department, Decatur Police Department, or any other investigatory agency involved in the case." The agency declined to provide the number of cases it has investigated in Decatur since the city's fire inspectors retired, saying that a Freedom of Information Act request would need to be made to obtain that information. Ruderman said the department is still charged with securing the scenes of fires, with firefighters often having to wait until out-of-town investigators arrive before they can leave. "So you're tying up a company to babysit an alarm unnecessarily for hours waiting for an inspector to show up from Springfield or Taylorville or wherever they're sending them from," Ruderman said. The fight between the city and the union, mostly behind closed doors the past few years, has risen to the surface in recent months. Firefighters have flooded council meetings wearing their union shirts and speaking during public comment period. Many spoke derisively of Wrighton and advocated for the filling of the fire inspector positions. Members of the Decatur City Council, usually tight-lipped on contract negotiations, also began to speak more loosely about the dispute. "Three years without an agreement is not only embarrassing, but reckless and irresponsible," said Councilman Ed Culp at the Dec. 19 meeting, adding that "there is no reason a city our size should not have at least three fire inspectors." "Our city manager is not just overseeing the Decatur Fire Department, but dictating operations, which is not safe," Culp said in a rare critique of Wrighton from a council member. Councilwoman Lisa Gregory, however, said she disagreed with Culp's position, echoing Wrighton by saying that the functions of fire inspectors can be done by other firefighters. She said the union has dragged it out. "It makes it very difficult to move forward when that happens to be the case," Gregory said. But for now, the city moves forward with its makeshift arrangement in hopes that the dispute will be resolved in the coming weeks or months. "It doesn't mean that the fires will go down if you have fire inspectors," Abbott said. "What you would hope is that if some of these fires are acts of arson, which we believe they are, that you could apprehend whoever is doing that and put a stop to it before they hurt someone or themselves or a firefighter gets hurt." "We believe the one Friday was an arson fire right across the street from the firehouse," Abbott said, speaking of a fire at 229 E. Stuart Ave. in an attached garage of a vacant home. That fire is being investigated by the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal. FROM THE ARCHIVES: A look back at Decatur firefighters through the years DECATUR As four dogs police said were rescued from freezing to death continue their recovery, the owners accused of neglecting them are being made to pay more than $800 for their care. But a fifth dog found with the others, an American bulldog called Blue, is now beyond help: Macon County Sheriffs Office deputies say he was near death when police came across him and the pet later had to be euthanized by veterinarians. The owners of the dogs, Mark Miller Jr. and Nyssa Richards, appeared in Macon County Circuit Court on Jan. 25 at a hearing called a petition for posting of security. Judge R.C. Bollinger ordered the pair to pay $840 for the upkeep of the four seized dogs, which are now being cared for at the Macon County Animal Control and Care Center. The judge made his ruling after hearing testimony from Sgt. Ron Atkins, the animal control administrator for the Macon County Sheriffs Office. The standard of proof for a petition for posting of security is based on a preponderance of the evidence and the judge granted it after hearing that Animal Control now has custody of the animals and charges are pending. The $840 had to be handed over within five days of the hearing and court records show Miller, 42, and Richards, 39, paid up the day after their court appearance. If they had failed to pay, the dogs seized from them could be forfeited and offered out for adoption by Animal Control. The $840 total is based on the cost of care for the four dogs at $7 each for 30 days. And if the fate of the dogs has not been decided a month from now, Macon County States Attorney Scott Rueter will be back in court asking for more money for their upkeep to save taxpayers from the cost burden. Meanwhile, a gofundme page in the name of Mark Miller has now appeared and features an appeal to raise $10,000 for legal expenses. Attempts to reach Miller were not successful Thursday. The gofundme page says: Days before Christmas my yard was under siege by animal rights nuts who are pushing petitions for our dogs to not be allowed to be tethered outside on any type of set-up. I thank all for supporting this breed we love and hopefully my fight for my animals is a successful one. As of Thursday afternoon, the page listed that $65 had been contributed by three people. The kind of legal fight facing the dog owners hinges on the severity of the charges the couple will face, a decision the states attorney is still chewing over. We havent filed charges yet, we are reviewing the case, he told the Herald & Review. Animal cruelty of course is the charge, but we must decide what exactly the nature of it is: is it a felony or a misdemeanor, that sort of thing. There are several options. The case dates to Dec. 23 when deputies were dispatched to an address in the 4300 block of North Taylor Road. Sheriffs Office spokesman Sgt. Scott Flannery said police had been responding to complaints from concerned citizens that several animals on the property were suffering from the extreme cold. Flannery said an arctic-like cold snap at the time had pushed the air temperature down to just 1 degree Fahrenheit with a wind chill that made it feel like minus 16 degrees and the dogs did not have adequate shelter. Blue the bulldog was already near death and the other dogs were immediately taken into what the police called protective custody. Atkins told the Herald & Review that the four rescued dogs, which he guessed are a kind of pitbull-mix, had to get used to being cooped up in the shelter but were otherwise doing well. They are thriving and living a healthy, warm life with proper shelter, he said. And they dont seem to have any ongoing problems from what happened to them. PHOTOS: HSHS St. Mary's Hospital hosts Blessing of the Animals service CHICAGO A 69-year-old woman who left her dead mothers body in a freezer for nearly two years on Chicagos Northwest Side "documented" the death on a household calendar but didnt tell anyone, prosecutors said in court Thursday. Eva Bratcher appeared before Cook County Judge David Kelly, who set her bond at $200,000 during a hearing that was livestreamed on YouTube. Bratcher must pay $20,000 to be released from custody until her next court date. Bratcher, charged with concealing a death or moving a body and possessing a fake identity card, allegedly noted on a house calendar that her 96-year-old mother, whose name was not mentioned in court, died on March 4, 2021, at about 2 p.m., said Assistant States Attorney Mike Pekara. One week later, she bought a new freezer and placed her mothers body in it, said Pekara, who added investigators found her receipt. The defendant moved the freezer containing the body into the garage and it remained there until Jan. 30, Pekara said. The cause of death is not known yet because the remains were frozen, but an autopsy is expected later Thursday or Friday. To place a woman of that age who has lived a very long life into a freezer in the back of a home is very, very disturbing to this court, said Judge Kelly, before setting bail. It was a very disrespectful way to handle the remains of your mom, he added. Bratcher, who is an U.S. Army veteran and was born in Poland, also possessed at least one fake identification, which had her picture but her mothers name, Pekara said. Bratchers attorney said she receives retirement benefits from the military and collects Social Security benefits. In addition, she manages the building on the 5500 block of West Melrose Street, where she and her mother lived, and collects rent for two apartments there. The building was owned by her mother, but Bratcher had power of attorney. Police conducting a well-being check responded to the first floor of the home about 4:35 p.m. Monday, where they discovered the womans body. The name of the woman, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was not being officially released by the Cook County medical examiners office but relatives of Regina Michalski believe it is her. Sabrina Watson, Michalskis maternal granddaughter, called Chicago police on Monday when she began getting a bad feeling and worrying more and more about Michalski, who had been living with Sabrinas mother. I just knew she was no longer with us, Watson told the Tribune of her grandmother, who was born in Poland in August 1926. Watson, who has not been in contact with Bratcher, who is her mother, and is not on speaking terms with her, also hadnt seen her grandmother since at least 2011. She decided to have officers do a well-being check. Its got to be her, Watson said, after learning the two tenants in the building had not seen her in years and her mother told conflicting stories about where she was: Once her mom told a neighbor asking if shes seen Regina that Regina was taking a nap and wasnt available. Another time she told neighbors her mom was fine and living in a retirement home in Wisconsin while a third time she claimed Michalski had died, according to Watson. Bratcher, who has felony convictions including a 2010 forgery from Lake County, two 2005 forgery convictions from Cook County in which she was accessing another individuals post office box under the guise that she was allowed to access the box, Pekara said. Bratcher also has two misdemeanor convictions from 2005, including a violation of an order of protection and a domestic battery. Neither of the victims were her mother, Pekara said. Bratcher is due back in court Feb. 21. The state Board of Education on Thursday voted 5-3 to move forward on a version of the states K-12 history standards developed under Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration, after four hours of public comment with about 70 people opposing the document and two speaking in favor. Teachers, historians and parents criticized the draft document, which when finalized will guide the teaching of history and social sciences for seven years, for what many characterized as an undermining of the histories of people of color. Thursday's vote represents the first step in moving forward on the public comment process, and board members will be able to make revisions to the 68-page document at an April meeting. Despite several attempts at compromise by board member Anne Holton, who served as Virginias secretary of education under Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe from 2014 to 2016, the five Youngkin-appointed members did not agree on any of her proposed amendments, including one to strike the documents politically charged introduction. To an audience as inclusive as our Virginia is, you cannot reference the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as remarkable documents without also acknowledging that they [are] fundamental in enshrining slavery, and limiting the protections that they provided only to white property-owning men, Holton said. Youngkin appointee Andy Rotherham, while acknowledging areas for improvement, said the document is good work, and pushed to move the document as is and work on revisions later. I don't know that anyone's going to say ... if we had to [do this] over again we would do it exactly the same way, said Rotherham, who served on the board from 2005 to 2009 as an appointee of Gov. Mark Warner, a Democrat. But I think it is time ... to get this to the public. Youngkin appointee Alan Seibert, who served as superintendent of Salem City Schools for 30 years, said he wants to see significant improvements made to the document. Come April, for me to feel good, there's going to have to be a chance to render improvements, Seibert said. The state Board of Education has faced a tumultuous path over the past six months regarding the history standards, after a surprise rewrite of the document by the Youngkin administration. The board had been set to vote in August on a draft document that was developed over the course of nearly two years with input from hundreds. But last year, the Virginia Department of Education, led by state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, a Youngkin appointee, scrapped that document. Despite a statement from a VDOE official who said the department did not anticipate making significant changes, the replacement Youngkin document was a complete rewrite produced over the course of a few months in a secretive process. The board, with a majority appointed by Youngkin, in November rejected that version, which had caused a public uproar largely due to a reframing of race relations. Youngkin acknowledged omissions and mistakes in that draft at the time, and Balow apologized for its description of Native Americans as Americas first immigrants. After public backlash for what critics called a whitewashing of history, the administration released a new draft in January. The administration fixed some errors and omissions in the latest document, but several organizations remain firmly opposed to the document, including the Virginia NAACP, the American Historical Association and the Virginia Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus. "We have expanded history of Indigenous people, especially east of the Mississippi," Balow told reporters on Thursday. "We have expanded African American history, African American studies; we have expanded the opportunities for students to learn about Asian American Pacific Islander events as well." Michelle Thomas, a pastor and president of the Loudoun County NAACP who spoke during the public comment period during Thursdays meeting, called the VDOEs proposed standards the new Massive Resistance, a reference to the 1956 policy intended to block the desegregation of public schools mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court. This new Massive Resistance fights against [standards] that would put African American history, Indigenous people's history ... AAPI history on equal footing with European history, Thomas said. I'm asking you in Black History Month to do the right thing, not just for Black people, but for all citizens. A concern for many teachers is a statement in the document that says the curriculum a local school board selects should provide a level of consistency and comprehension, so that teacher-created curriculum is unnecessary. The board will host public hearings across the commonwealth from March 13-21 and, next month, VDOE staff will review public comments to incorporate warranted edits. The board intends to adopt a final version of the document in April. PHOTOS: Richmond's first snow of 2023 Four minors were charged with first-degree burglary and armed robbery in Alexander County, according to the sheriffs office. The Alexander County Sheriffs Office responded to a reported breaking and entering of a vehicle at a home on Springfield Drive. The 911 call was received shortly after 3 a.m. on Thursday, Alexander County Sheriff Chad Pennell said in a news release. One of the juveniles was still at the scene when officers arrived. The investigation determined that four minors with a firearm broke into the Springfield Drive home, Pennell said. Several items were reported stolen from the home and from a vehicle, Pennell said. Additional juvenile petitions will be filed in this case and the investigation is ongoing, Pennell said. All of the juveniles are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. I realized how fortunate I am, and thankful that the Lord has blessed me in so many ways through the years. As I reflected upon my young life, I decided a decision which I did not take lightly to retire, effective immediately. I met many great people along this journey. People far and near. A journey that I will treasure forever. It has been a wonderful experience to come to America, a great country, and be given the privilege to open a business in Catawba County. I had a dream, and that dream became reality with hard work, determination, sacrifice and the support of my family, employees and you, the community. You all have allowed Nagano to grow and withstand the ups and downs that owning a business can throw at you, like COVID-19. Thankfully, we have been able to continue with the support of our great customers that continue to come each day, week, month and even year. I have had the privilege to stand beside you to help those less fortunate with donations to the American Red Cross and Salvation Army, which will help in our local communities as well as other communities across this great nation in times of crisis. Please know that I wish I could name each and every one of you by name, which would fill the pages of this one publication, but that is not possible. Please know that, from the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you. Thank you to my family, who has helped me, and given me their time by working alongside me, and/or their prayers through the years that gave us the determination to persevere. Thank you to my employees, past and present, who stood with me to serve our community with a smile and a humble spirit. I would like to say thank you to our local health department, that took the time to teach me so we could keep our customers safe. Thanks to the local fire departments, who have been here, ready to help and to serve if needed. Thanks to the Catawba County Sheriffs Office, and all local police departments who have been here to help and support Nagano for all the years of our business. Thanks to my dear friends, who have been here along the way, that have helped me to do any task at hand. And to you, the many people in our community, for the 25 years of support for me and my family. We may not have always agreed, but please know the love and admiration I have for all of you. As I leave on a new journey, I ask that you continue to support the new ownership of Nagano. Show them the same love and generosity that you have shown me these last 25 years, for many more years to come. Please know how special our time together has been, and the wonderful memories that I will take with me to cherish and reflect upon with love, laughter and gratitude. Lynn Nguyen Nagano Japanese Restaurant Another case of the contradictions in Western foreign policy - supposedly pro-democratic and pro-freedom, in practice not always so - is Azerbaijan, which I visited back in 2004 when I was one of the few people in the British media who knew that it (or Georgia) was a real place, or who was aware that an oil pipeline was being built from Baku to Turkey through Georgia. I had been to Georgia several times, in the Soviet era when they were part of the USSR. Here's an extract from the article I wrote back in July 2004 : I have made some small adjustments, but in general it remains unchanged, so please bear in mind the passage of 19 years. I have put some notes on the later fates of two of the main characters, at the end. "They call it the New Great Game, a cunning, merciless and secretive struggle for power and oil around the Caspian Sea, in which Britain, America, Russia and China are playing. The discovery of a gigantic bubble of oil and gas beneath the Caspian waters has turned the eyes of the great powers to the Caucasus, a lovely maze of tiny rival nations only recently escaped from Soviet control. Here, along a narrow, dangerous and troubled corridor of mountainous territory, two pipelines are being built to bring these riches to the West. With Saudi Arabia in danger and Iraq in limbo, this region is rapidly becoming nearly as important as the Middle East. It is also nearly as dangerous. The pipeline route is far longer than it really needs to be, but this is an unusual and sensitive spot, unwisely neglected for many years, pulsing with ethnic conflicts egged on by a mischievous, spiteful Kremlin. Nobody is entirely sure if it is in Europe or Asia. It lies on the land bridge between Russia and the Middle East. Iran is perhaps building a nuclear bomb just down the coast. Iraq is not much further on. The suppurating boil of Chechnya is within driving distance, if you are mad enough to want to go. Take the boat across the windy Caspian to the weird republic of Turkmenistan, whose dictator builds revolving golden statues of himself, keep going east and you will surprisingly quickly find yourself at the frontiers of Afghanistan and China. This is a political pipeline, a thousand miles long, designed to bypass two great oil powers that America mistrusts in one case, and fears in the other: Russia and Iran. When it opens next year it will deliver the oil directly to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean, a deepwater harbour open to the biggest supertankers, avoiding the dangerous chokepoint of the Bosphorus. Two places especially have felt the effects of so much global interest, for they lie along the new oil route, which their citizens have been hired to patrol on horseback. One, Georgia, is now ruled by a dashing pro-Western revolutionary who knows the language of human rights. Mikhail Saakashvili claims he can eliminate corruption from a nation so rife with it that nobody would be much surprised if they woke up one morning and found the whole country had been stolen overnight. Next door, Azerbaijan is apparently governed by a dead KGB general. Heydar Aliyev's face, sometimes stern, sometimes smiling, looks out from billboards all over the country, reassuring the citizens that the 'shining son of the people' has their best interests at heart. On the walls of the capital, Baku, he can even be seen in bow tie and dinner jacket, striding purposefully towards his destiny. The trouble is that, rather like North Korea's perpetual Dear Leader Kim Il Sung, Heydar Aliyev is no longer with us. He died last December in an American hospital. But, also like Kim Il Sung, he had hurriedly secured the succession for his son Ilham, until then mainly known as a playboy with an alleged taste for casinos, which it is not wise to talk about in Baku. The country, so soaked with oil that parts of it are permanently on fire, is not much more honest than Georgia - joint sixth in the league of the world's most corrupt nations. And though the oil has given Baku a jolly feeling of prosperity and restored many of its lovely old buildings, survivors from the last oil boom 100 years ago, many of its people live in the most horrible poverty in dingy, neglected outskirts. This is not the fault of oil companies such as Britain's BP - a main partner in the pipeline. They do what they can to spread the benefits of their investment. It is the result of decades of Soviet sloth, stupidity and crime. You only need look at the desolate forests of ancient, rudimentary, Communist-era oil derricks, clonking sadly away amid black puddles as they suck crude oil from the polluted deserts round Baku, to realise the level of wasteful incompetence that ruled here for so long. For much of that time none other than Comrade Heydar Aliyev of the KGB was in charge. In an amazing political resurrection, he would later come back as the leader of independent Azerbaijan. Western experts now use modern methods to get the oil. The Soviets are gone. But their spirit lives on. And here is the important bit for those not convinced by Washington's militant trumpeting about democracy and human rights. Last October, Ilham 'won' a presidential election. It was shamelessly rigged from start to finish and at least one man died when police responded with boots and clubs to opposition protests. Immediately afterwards, Washington's Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, congratulated young Ilham on his 'strong performance at the polls', which is one way of putting it. After the disgrace became so obvious that he couldn't ignore it, he eventually made some mild protests. But when Ilham attended last week's Nato summit he still managed to get himself photographed in the company of a smiling George W. Bush and an even more smiling Anthony Blair, pictures prominently displayed in the Baku press. There is serious talk of admitting Azerbaijan to Nato and eventually even to the EU. In Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili threw out the old corrupt government in what is soppily termed the 'Rose Revolution'. It was a very bad government which had just rigged its own elections and Mr Saakashvili has many good points. But the 'Rose Revolution' was, in effect, a putsch. Mr Saakashvili, an expert on human rights, soon afterwards held elections which were almost as overwhelming as Ilham's, though nothing like as nasty. And he too basks in the favour of the White House. There is even more serious talk of letting Georgia join Nato and the EU, whose flag flies from all Georgia's public buildings as if it were already in. Small, lonely Georgia longs for exactly what many in Britain do not want - the embrace of a superstate. But for the moment, let us return to Baku and the offices of Isa Gambar, the man who was beaten in last October's election, about which Human Rights Watch declared: 'Too much manipulation, too many arrests, and too many beatings have taken place.' Mr Gambar's headquarters is a suite of shabby rooms reached through a dark, ruined slum, many miles from the city centre. His party was turned out of its old home on some feeble pretext, three of his colleagues are in jail charged with inciting riots, his party newspaper cannot be sold on the street - and he sits glumly smoking a pipe, presumably wondering whether it can all possibly be worth it. It is strangely impressive to hear this quiet academic insist: 'We won the elections. I am pretty sure we got more than half the vote.' It is the understated way he says 'five of my colleagues were tortured' that makes him believable. How was it done? 'Similar to Abu Ghraib,' he replies. 'They threatened to bring their female relations to the jail and humiliate them in front of the prisoners.' Politics here is not like the British version, he explains. Opposing parties do not have discussions. The winner takes all, the loser loses everything. Elections may be held, sometimes even fair ones, but they do not mean what we think they mean. 'The West has to decide whether it will be satisfied with democratic declarations or push for real reforms,' he said. " That was then. And the 'West' was plainly quite happy with 'democratic declarations' as it has shown in the four years since . Now, along comes American Vice-President Dick Cheney on a visit to Baku designed to rub Moscow up the wrong way (again) while expressing support for our plucky little oil-and-gas-rich friend on the Caspian sea. (Another recent visitor to this interesting place has been our own Duke of York) . This is a little awkward as , try as we may, we cannot really pretend that Mr Aliyev is a great fighter in the cause of freedom. And what does our loyal ally in Baku do in return for this flattery? Well, according to reports in the Moscow media, the 'friend of the west', President Aliyev, pretty much snubbed Mr Cheney, delaying their meeting and taking a call from Russian President Medvedev on the same day. The USA, by raising the stakes so high over Georgia, and by allowing itself to be dragged deeper into a meaningless confrontation with Russia by the Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili, has probably made it too dangerous for Azerbaijan to be seen talking to Mr Cheney, or anybody else much from Washington, and grandiose plans for more gas or oil pipelines direct from Baku to the EU may now have to be forgotten. This is perhaps the biggest single loss to the 'West' from the recent clashes in the Caucasus - mainly caused by ignorance and bravado. It could get worse, given the standard of political leadership we now have. This was originally written in July 2004. I have republished it ehre because an earlier version is impossible to locate on the web without very detailed co-ordinates. What happened next. ON IlhamAliyev, Wikipedia records: 'Ilham Aliyev was re-elected in 2008 with 87% of the polls. A total of seven candidates filed to run in the election who had to collect 40,000 voter signatures.[14] According to the report of the Election Observation Delegation from the European Parliament the elections took place with no reported unrest and few minor electoral violations. The report also highlights numerous reforms to the Electoral Code in accordance with OSCE and Council of Europe requirements and standards, which include inking of voters, more transparency of voter lists, and the prohibition of government interference in the election process.' 'In the 2013 presidential elections held on 9 October, Aliyev claimed victory with 85 percent of the vote, securing a third five-year term.[19] The election results were accidentally released before the polls opened.' 'Ilham Aliyev got 86.02% of votes in the 2018 presidential election.[30] Major opposition parties did not participate in the election,[31] and evidence indicates that the election was fraudulent.' Aliyev has made repeated visits to the USA, where he appears to be welcome Mikheil Saakashvili's subsequent career has been so chequered that I cannot summarise it here. Please do look it up. The very dangerous and severe territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has also revived sine this article was written, with consequences almost impossible to predict. Its Black History Month. Businesses keep building. And sometimes they leave. No. 1 New restaurant in Harrisburg. Bubbas Bunkhouse is coming to the Town Center area of Harrisburg. It is in the same building as Hawthornes Pizza. The address is 4351 Main St., Suite 1. Ive got credit my daughter Jordan with finding about this one. Bubbas social media posts describe it as Blue Collar Gourmet Southern comfort foods with a Southwest flair. Country themed atmosphere. I have not seen a time frame for the opening but it must be pretty soon. They are hiring: line cooks, dishwashers, hosts, bartenders, servers and server assistants. Call Mike (843) 516 0424 or email- infobubbas@gmail.com for details. No. 2 Have you ever heard of a pig in a poke? I have mentioned it to a couple of younger folks and they didnt seem to know what I was talking about. Our friend Google said this is a pig in a poke, something that is bought or accepted without knowing its value or seeing it first. Apparently its an idiom that dates back to the mid-1550s. Kim always tells me I'm behind the times. I bring that up after visiting a store down on Branchview Drive that sells Amazon and other returns. Their rules say you cant open boxes. Update: I couldn't remember the name of the store but one of our readers went there today and said it's called "Where Ya Bin, Where Ya Save Everyday?" Much of the stuff is pretty obvious whats inside, shoes for example, but others are not marked and complete mysteries. The concept for the store is that you buy one price ($15 on Friday) and the prices decline each day. I went on a Saturday so the price was $10. I didnt buy anything. There was a lot of junk and there were many boxes that could be described as a pig in a poke. One lady told me she found a $110 pair of shoes a few days ago. I did see a set of brake pads and a wheel rotor. I don't need brakes at the moment. When I was growing up I remember going to some stores that had brown paper bags (pokes) with a mystery item or items inside. I want to say they were like $5 or maybe it was $1. Sometimes you got something really good. Maybe I will try one of the heavy boxes one day, but Im not much of a gambler. No. 3 Black History program. February is Black History Month and you will be seeing a lot events and tidbits coming out locally and nationally. Our friend Norman McCullough, the author of the Warren C. Coleman book has a program coming up at Price Memorial AME Zion Church, 192 Spring St., Concord. The program is called Black History Month, Know the Past, Shape the Future. It will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27. The agenda will include the life and times of Warren Clay Coleman (more information online WarrenClayColeman.com) , development of an online video, current history in Concord/Cabarrus and a question and answer session. Weve got a column by McCullough in an upcoming edition. No. 4 Learn about buying a home. The City of Concord is partnering with N.C. Works Career Center, Salisbury-Rowan Community Action Agency, and Prosperity Unlimited, Inc. to offer a Cabarrus County Homebuyer Forum. This Forum aims to equip prospective homebuyers with information about the steps to prepare for home ownership, income and credit levels that are required to qualify for homes, available resources for possible assistance with down payments and closing costs, and eligibility requirements to qualify to receive the assistance. The forum will be at ClearWater Arts Center & Studios, located at 223 Crowell Drive NW, Concord, NC 28025, on Tuesday, Feb. 28, from 6 to 8:00 p.m. To register for this event, please visit CONCORDNC.GOV/HOMEBUYER . For additional questions, send an e-mail message to contact@prosperitycdc.org and include "Registration for 2/28/23" in the Subject line. Space is limited and no childcare will be provided during this event. No. 5 Odds and ends. When I drove by Wednesday, a Bobcat and workers were pulling out the gas pumps at the BP station at the corner of Pitts School Road and Concord. Were told theyre just making repairs, so no worries about another empty gas station at the intersection. The Gate station across Concord Parkway is still empty. We keep hearing rumors on that building but nothing ever comes of them. *Ashley Furniture is gone from Afton Ridge. That leaves a big space for someone in that busy center. It will be interesting to see what goes in there and how long it take to fill the spot. The old Dress Barn location down next to Marshalls is still vacant. *The empty space beside Chipotle on Kannapolis Parkway wont be empty much longer. A building permit was issued Tuesday for Ideal Dental to upfit the space. Does it seem like we are getting a lots of dentist offices? Especially chain dentists? *Dont worry a round-about is not coming to Poplar Tent Road and Eva Drive/Rock Hill Church Road. There has been a good bit of surveying activity around the intersection. I asked N.C. Department of Transportations Jen Thompson about it. Over at Rock Hill Church/Eva Drive/Poplar Tent Road, theres a project in development to do some widening to accommodate turn lanes at each approach to the intersection, Thompson said. *Missing Memories 98.3 FM on the radio? Some folks may have a new option. The Memories channel up in Salisbury has moved its FM channel to 101.7 FM and the tower to Granite Quarry. With the new signal, the oldies are now beamed into northern and eastern portions of Cabarrus County and some down into the northwest corner of Stanly County. *The City of Concord and Barber-Scotia are expected to be in court soon. We may have a judge and /or jury determine if Barber-Scotia is still a college. Stay tuned. If you have a Friday Five, story suggestion or something I can rant about, email mplemmons@independenttribune.com or call or text 704-786-0001. include_once "/home/jwreview/public_html/$theme/includes/sidebar.php"; ?> Growing up I remember hearing the phrase "Have you no shame?" That question must have held some power back in the day. But if you asked that now, some shapers of our current political culture would respond with a resounding "No." Hyper-partisanship has moved us into a post-shame world. Shame is the internal, uncomfortable sense arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable or improper, whether that has been done by oneself or another. While shame is a negative emotion, it plays an important part in the development of civilizations. Without shame, there is no longer a need to adhere to cultural norms, follow laws or behave in a way that allows us to exist as social beings. The diminishing influence of shame is exactly what we have been witnessing. And until we can reduce polarization and bring back healthy shame, we will continue to see politicians like Republican Rep. George Santos not only rise to power but remain in office. Santos may just be the quintessential example of what a post-shame world looks like. The new representative from New York's list of lies is long. Here are just a few listed in no particular order of shamefulness: Santos said he earned degrees from New York University and Baruch College. He claimed that while at Baruch College, he was a star volleyball player who required two knee replacements from playing. He later admitted that he didn't graduate from any institution of higher learning. Santos' campaign website claimed his mother was in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and that she died as a result of the attacks. According to NBC News reporting, Fatima Caruso Devolder was living in Brazil in 2001 and died of cancer in 2016. Santos described himself as a "proud American Jew" and falsely claimed his grandparents escaped the Holocaust and who had been to Israel numerous times. He later backtracked and said he was "Jew-ish." Finally, he alleged that four of his employees were killed in the Pulse shooting. According to a New York Times investigation, none of the 49 victims of the mass shooting appear to have had any connection to Santos. Perhaps Santos himself is not able to experience the personal sensation of shame as he has yet to express any sincere remorse for his lies. In the past, the institutions of political parties and party elites would have stepped in and put pressure on him to behave appropriately or step down. Unfortunately for the electorate, specifically New York's 3rd Congressional District, the Republican Party has also moved past shame and will no longer apply presure because retaining power is more important. This sickness of audaciousness has infected the country widely. Multiple Republican elected officials have condemned Santos' lies and requested his resignation, but House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Santos "will continue to serve." Santos has since been assigned to two House committees, though he reportedly is stepping aside while investigations are underway. This shamelessness is a byproduct of the nation's extreme polarization. We are willing to excuse immoral behavior and lies because the other side is worse. These negative views of the opposing party and contempt for the other continue to rise. In 1994, a Pew Research poll found that a majority of Republicans had unfavorable impressions of the Democratic Party, but just 17% had very unfavorable opinions. Similarly, while most Democrats viewed the GOP unfavorably, just 16% had very unfavorable views. Since then, highly negative views have more than doubled: 43% of Republicans and 38% of Democrats now view the opposite party in strongly negative terms. More than half of all Republicans and nearly half of all Democrats now believe their political opponents to be "immoral." A recent YouGov survey showed that 60% of Democrats regard the opposing party as "a serious threat to the United States." For Republicans, that figure approaches 70%. A 2020 study out of Brown University showed that Americans' feelings toward members of the other political party have worsened over time faster than those of residents of European and other prominent democracies. Each side fears the country would be destroyed if the other side achieves power. Gaining influence and securing elective seats has become more important than maintaining a healthy moral compass. Tribalism removes the need to think for ourselves and judge conduct. It asks that we only consider what the other party's members are doing as justification for what happens on our team. I'm afraid we are sliding uncontrollably down a very slippery ethical slope. The way back up is to reduce our polarization, call out our own and give candidates' personal conduct a high priority when we enter the voting booth. I long for the day when in the political arena we can ask that original question again, "Have you no shame?" and finally the answer given is: Yes, I do. (COMMENT, BELOW) Previously: 01/19/23: Is science in need of a language update? 01/05/23: Those who hold the line deserve respect, not derision 12/08/22: He behaves increasingly like a vice presidential candidate in waiting 09/21/22: A cheer to those who answer the call to something greater than self-service 08/22/22: Simplified solution for rectified nation is doable 08/04/22: Why political activists rarely make good politicians 07/21/22: Reasons to cheer Joe Manchin 07/07/22: GOP elites must finally take back party 05/24/22: True leaders practice the art of persuasion. Others tweet out trash talk 05/11/22: During this season of spring cleaning, maybe it's time to clean up our speech 05/03/22:Remembering the struggles of Ulysses Grant 04/16/22: Shoring up American democracy with a corporate spirit 03/18/22: Standing for values instead of personalities 02/28/22: The monster that ate time 08/16/21: The No. 3 Dem in House recognizes dangers of caving to the far left By Azernews Qabil Ashirov The Azerbaijani Interior Ministry has dealt a severe blow to the Iranian drug smuggling ring with a series of operations in Baku and regions, Azernews reports, citing the ministry. Members of an organized criminal gang, operating under alias Punhan, Baba, Peyman, Araz, and others were engaged in smuggling drugs in large quantities from Iran to Azerbaijan and attracting young people as drug pushers with tempting promises on social networks, were detained, the Interior Ministry said. A total of 36 people engaged in illegal activities were detained by the Main Anti-Narcotics Department of the Interior Ministry during a series of operations in the capital and regions over the last 20 days, and 114 kilograms of various narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, electronic scales and 3 thousand ecstasy and methadone pills were removed from illegal circulation, Interior Ministry said. In line with the relevant Articles of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code, a criminal case has been initiated and the suspects were taken into custody. "Operations are being continued inside and outside the country in the direction of arresting other members of the drug network," the Interior Ministry noted. Besides, Azerbaijan put on the international wanted list Tohid Ahmadzadehdenghan, an Iranian citizen, engaged in drug smuggling. MATTOON Mattoon Lee's Famous Recipe owner Drew Banks and his family watched while the restaurant building they called a second home for decades was demolished on Thursday. However, Banks said the sadness he felt at seeing this fire damaged building go was also accompanied by a feeling of hope as he made plans to rebuild and reopen his restaurant at this same location, 800 Charleston Ave. "If I could have it open here tomorrow, I would,' Banks said, adding he hopes to be able to reopen by at least early fall, if possible. Mattoon Lee's Famous Recipe restaurant and catering service, known for its fried chicken and ice tea, has been closed since Sept. 23 when a fire swept through the kitchen at this location. The restaurant was co-founded in 1973 by Barb Lawson as part of the Lee's Famous Recipe chain. She and her husband, Larry, owned and operated the restaurant for more than 45 years before selling it to their grandson, Banks, in 2018. Barb Lawson said all three of their children worked at the restaurant over the years, so it became like a second home and a focal point of their lives. Her husband added that he sometimes worked six to seven days a week, and the days were especially long back when they still served breakfast. "You planned your birthday parties and other events like that around when you were off," Barb Lawson said. Before becoming a Lee's employee, Banks helped his grandparents make biscuits and ice tea there when he was a child. Banks said he recently introduced his 6-year-old stepson, Finn, to biscuit making. He added that his wife, Rhandi, spent time behind the counter and their 1-year-old son, Ronan, is a chicken strip fan. Banks and his grandparents also have developed an extended family over the years among the restaurant's employees and its longtime customers, many of whom often picked up large orders of chicken to go for church functions and other events in their lives. "We have customers who have become good friends. We have employees who have worked for us in the past who have become good friends," Larry Lawson said. Some of those Lee's regulars pulled their vehicles up next to the restaurant property on Thursday so they could be with the family as the building was demolished. Since the fire, Barb Lawson said many longtime customers have approached them at stores and elsewhere in the community to ask if the restaurant will reopen and when. Her husband added that seeing the building come down was bittersweet, but the aging structure needed to be replaced. Banks said the new restaurant, which will be built by Ed Carter Construction of Mattoon, will have approximately the same footprint as the previous one. However, he said it will have a slightly different layout, modern wheelchair accessible restrooms, and an improved drive through for their customers. "We are going to rebuild," Banks said, adding that he, his family and the customers are excited about the restaurant's return. "The consensus is we can't wait for it to happen." CHARLESTON Eastern Illinois University has announced that Jay Gatrell will serve as its 13th president. Gatrell is currently the university's provost and vice president for academic affairs, a position he filled in 2017. In this position, he is the chief academic officer of the university. Joyce Madigan, chair of the Eastern Illinois University Board of Trustees, announced Gatrell's new role during an event Friday afternoon in the University Ballroom, which was filled with a large crowd of EIU employees, retirees, students and local officials. "I am honored and truly privileged to have the opportunity to serve as Eastern Illinois University's next president," Gatrell said after the announcement. He added, "I look forward to working with east and every one of you for years to come. As provost, Gatrell also serves as the "second-in-command" for the president, being the primary representative for the president in his absence. While speaking to reporters after the announcement, Gatrell said his top priorities as EIUs next president will include continuing to improve student retention and graduation rates. He said EIU is well placed to continue growing enrollment through its reputation for having good faculty-student ratios and good academic programs, including the new nursing program. Gatrell said the transition to becoming president will be a learning experience for him, but he will be able to draw upon his knowledge of the universitys inner workings and the campus community. I know how hard the faculty work, I known how hard the staff work, and I know how proud they are of the students, Gatrell said. Madigan said Gatrell "truly understands and appreciates EIU," and he is a dedicated scholar with extensive leadership experience. Madigan said she has faith that Gatrell will lead the university into an even more impressive future. The incoming 13th president holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Eastern Michigan University and graduate degrees in geography from the University of Toledo and West Virginia University. Gatrell will follow David Glassman, who announced his intent to step down from the presidency in October 2021. Glassman has served as the university's president since 2015. Glassman will continue working at the university as a tenured professor after leaving the president's post in June. Jennifer Stringfellow, who is president of the EIU chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois, said after the announcement that Gatrell has always been pleasant, polite and willing to speak to her in her role with the union, even if the union has not gotten everything it is seeking. We have been able to talk and have conversations, and I am hoping that continues, Stringfellow said. As union president, Stringfellow said she wants to ensure that the work of instructors, academic advisers, and others in the bargaining unit is recognized and respected. The EIU Board of Trustees selected Gatrell to be president from a field of candidates that also included David Brennen, former dean of the University of Kentucky's David Rosenberg College of Law; Diana Rogers-Adkinson, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania; and Michael Godard, provost at Southeast Missouri State University. "We were incredibly impressed by the level of excellence every applicant demonstrated," Madigan said. Corryn Brock contributed to this report. The Eastern Illinois University campus through the years SHELBYVILLE Chicago area lawyer Rob Hanlon has been appointed to fill the newly vacant position of Shelby County states attorney. The Shelby County Board voted 14-5, with one abstention, Thursday to approve the local Republican Central Committee's recommendation to appoint Hanlon, who resides in McHenry County. Before the vote, Hanlon initially declined to speak at the meeting but then changed his mind after board members indicated they wanted to hear him introduce himself. "I have been asked to give consideration to resolving a problem that existed here in this community with the absence of the state's attorney," Hanlon said. The previous state's attorney, Nichole Kroncke, announced plans in late December to take a position as a special prosecutor for the Illinois States Attorneys Appellate Prosecutors Office and her last day on the job in Shelby County was Tuesday. Hanlon will serve the final two years of Kroncke's term. Hanlon told the board and the large audience for the meeting in the courthouse that he has been a litigator in more than 70 civil cases that have gone to trial and has represented criminal defendants on various felony charges, including murder. He said he has the skill set needed to serve Shelby County. "I don't know why God placed me on this planet and made me a lawyer, but he presented this opportunity to me to serve all of you, to serve you without passion and prejudice, and without preference," Hanlon said. Republican county board members Carol Cole, Charles Davis, Tad Mayhall and Tim Morse joined Democrat Teresa Boehm in voting against appointing Hanlon, while Republican Brent Wallace abstained. Mayhall said he voted "no" because he wants more information about Hanlon. Cole indicated she has concerns about Hanlon also serving as legal counsel for certain individuals in attendance at the meeting. Hanlon declined to name those individuals because it would violate rules of professional conduct. Monday evening, the board voted to ask the court to arrange for area state's attorney's offices to help handle the responsibilities of the Shelby County office in the interim. A ceremony for swearing in Hanlon as state's attorney has not been scheduled yet. Hanlon said he anticipates taking on his appointed position sometime before the end of the month. In other matters, the board approved an agreement proposal to an unfair labor practice charge that AFSCME Local 3323 filed in fall 2021 against Shelby County Treasurer Erica Firnhaber and the board with the Illinois Labor Relations Board as part of contract negotiations. Board Chairman Bobby Orman said the agreement proposal, to which Firnhaber has assented, would include the union potentially dropping the case. "It is a draft. If they don't like it, we go back to court," Orman said of the agreement proposal. In a written statement presented to board members by Local 3323 Lisa President Swenny, she said the union feels that its attorney has been excluded from recent settlement discussions with county officials and their attorney. "AFSCME members believe this agreement settlement agenda item should be removed from this agenda, as well as any future agendas, until our attorney is also included in the settlement discussions as outlined by the Illinois Labor Relations Board and both attorneys have agreed to the language to be presented on the proposed settlement agreement. Or, the treasurer signs the AFSCME collective bargaining agreement contract, which she is already following," Swenny said. Here are the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees Missy Elliott Willie Nelson Kate Bush Iron Maiden Cyndi Lauper Soundgarden Sheryl Crow George Michael Rage Against the Machine The Spinners A Tribe Called Quest White Stripes Warren Zevon Joy Division/New Order It was an all-you-can-eat buffet for a Michigan boy last weekend. Six-year-old Mason Stonehouse was playing on his dad's phone before bedtime and spent about $1,000 on Grubhub orders. The food started coming to the Chesterfield Township family's home near Detroit around 9 pm Saturday night. And it kept coming. The Stonehouse family's Ring camera footage shows delivery after delivery coming to the door. Mason's dad, Keith, was bewildered -- until he figured out what happened. "I said, 'What is going on? Why are you bringing me food?" his perplexed dad asked a food delivery driver according to an interview with CNN affiliate WDIV-TV. It finally clicked with him that he let his son use his phone earlier that night, telling the TV station that Mason was "going to town" with the Grubhub app. Mason ordered basically every food that ever existed, including shrimp, salads, shawarma, chicken pita wraps, sandwiches, chili cheese fries and multiple orders of ice cream. So much food was ordered that Keith's bank sent him a fraud alert declining a $400 order of pizza. His father tried calling the restaurants to stop the orders once he figured out what had happened, but they told him to contact Grubhub. The leftover food was shared with neighbors and eaten as leftovers. "While all of the food was being delivered and I figured out what happened, I went to talk to Mason about what he did and this is the only part that makes me laugh," Keith told MLive.com. "I was trying to explain to him that this wasn't good and he puts his hand up and stops me and says 'Dad, did the pepperoni pizzas come yet?' I had to walk out of the room. I didn't know if I should get mad or laugh." Grubhub didn't immediately reply to CNN's request for comment about whether Stonehouse's parents would get reimbursed. Mason's parents said they tried to turn the six-year old's spending spree into a money management teaching moment. They grabbed his piggy bank and started taking money out -- a coin for the pizza, a coin for the shrimp and so on. "It sunk in when we were actually taking his money to teach him a lesson," said Kristin Stonehouse, Mason's mother, who told Mason, "We know this money in your piggy bank means something to you ... [and] it's only a fraction of what was spent." Mason's parents said it will take some time before he gets his phone privileges back. Cities with the most delivery drivers per capita Cities With the Most Delivery Drivers per Capita Ecommerce and delivery services skyrocketed during COVID The states with the most delivery drivers per capita Small and midsize metros with the most delivery drivers per capita 15. Kansas City, MO-KS 14. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 13. Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 12. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 11. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 10. Oklahoma City, OK 9. Nashville-DavidsonMurfreesboroFranklin, TN 8. Raleigh, NC 7. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 6. Salt Lake City, UT 5. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 4. Columbus, OH 3. Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 2. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN 1. Memphis, TN-MS-AR CHAMPAIGN On the day a Ukrainian cheesemaker was officially introduced to the public at a Central Illinois farm where she now works, more disturbing news came from her homeland. Fresh Russian bombs fell on Jan. 14 in a city where her friends lives. While greeting a few hundred at visitors at Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery in rural Champaign, Tetyana Dydechko periodically glanced at her phone to see if her friends were safe. She knew her family wasnt in the danger area this time. For Ukraine everything has changed, she said of the war which started one year ago this month. Sometimes she has to stop looking at the news. You accept it, its a war, she said. Its horrible, but its what we have. The cheesemaker arrived in Illinois from her hometown of Poltava in east central Ukraine on Dec. 26. It took months to get the paperwork through, said Leslie Cooperband, co-owner of the dairy goat, fruit and agritourism farm with her husband Wes Jarrell. The cheesemakers first connected virtually in October through Cooperbands friend and founder of Culture magazine. Leslie had been actively looking for a cheesemaker for nearly a year. I feel like Im with family, Dydechko said. Cooperband agrees the cheesemaker has quickly become part of the family. She lives with us. We both like cooking, she said. And they naturally share a love of cheese and cheesemaking. Cooperband and Jarrell moved from urban Madison, Wisconsin, to their rural Champaign County farm 20 years ago and started their cheese business here in 2005. They have fruit trees, raise goats and make cheese they sell, along with other locally made products at their on-site store and online business. They also welcome visitors as part of agritourism activities and to increase awareness of agriculture. Their goals include educating the community about sustainable and regenerative agriculture and the connections between food production, health, and enjoyment. Its an approach Dydechko likes. Sharing cheese skills and ideas In the 18-19 years, Ive never had a cheese-making peer, Cooperband said of the joy of exchanging ideas with Dydechko, who was trained in Ukraine, France and Switzerland. She has a wide breadth of experience with different cheeses, Cooperband said. The Illinois farm has a fair number of customers from Ukraine and Russia, Cooperband said. Many of them came to meet the new cheesemaker in January and look forward to trying more of her cheeses, including Ukrainian Farmhouse Cheese. Dydechko also makes fresh mozzarella. Its beautifully done. Its a hard cheese to make well, Cooperband says. This week Dydechko is making a type of cottage cheese, which is a fresh cheese with light texture that is a cross between fresh Chevre, a pasteurized goats milk cheese, and traditional American cottage cheese. She also learned the technique high in the Swiss Alps to make a Swiss cheese in giant, copper vats. Here she makes a smaller version in cooking vessels available here, Cooperband said. As well as the specialty international cheeses, Dydechko is making Copperbands established repertoire and will also be making cheeses for grilling and frying soon. I have yet to see someone work with the same passion and commitment, the Illinois farm owner said of her new addition. Tetyana owned her own cheese business in the Ukraine before the war, said Cooperband, who also found it refreshing to talk to someone who understands the business as well as cheese making. I like seeing how Leslie built her system. Im learning and I give her my knowledge, said Dydechko, who is due to return to her summer job in Switzerland on May 28. Dydechko grew up on a small farm in eastern Ukraine where they made cheese and studied at a prestigious agrarian college before opening her own business. Last summer she worked in Switzerland and has the same opportunity this summer. Cooperband said she hopes Dydechko returns after her summer job. Dydechko is no stranger to hard work. She worked 100 days in Switzerland last year before having a day off. At the finish of her season, she had made 1,400 big cheese wheels. For her, another bonus of working on the dairy goat farm is that she loves animals. They are so friendly, she said of the goats. Im excited when the babies will come. Still, is difficult to be so far from home, but Dydechko stays in close contact with her family. Im faraway, she said. But I have everybody in my phone. February is Black History Month. Here is some background on how it came to be. In 1915 Carter G. Woodson, a historian and author started the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. In February of 1926, the group started Negro History Week. They chose the second week of February for the celebration because that week included the birth dates of Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas, both of whom were important in Black history, according to the Library of Congress. The week became a month in 1986 when Congress passed a law that designated February 1986 as National Black (Afro-American) History Month. This law noted that February 1, 1986 would mark the beginning of the sixtieth annual public and private salute to Black History, the Library of Congress said on its website. Also in 1986, President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation that said in part, the foremost purpose of Black History Month is to make all Americans aware of this struggle for freedom and equal opportunity. It also said that Black History Month should also celebrate the many achievements of African Americans in every field from science and the arts to politics and religion. Throughout the month, well be highlighting notable local African-Americans and the contributions they made to the community. Well begin with the firefighters of Engine Company 4, the first African-American firefighters in Winston-Salem. This story first ran on Feb. 18, 2001 For much of the 20th century, only white people fought fires in Winston-Salem. But eight Black men changed that and made history March 1, 1951, when they were the first Black firefighters hired by the city. Until 1915, when Winston-Salem began using paid firefighters, there was a volunteer fire brigade of Black men. City leaders debated the idea of hiring Blacks. They were concerned about the cost of segregated fire stations and argued that Black firefighters would have to fight fires in white communities. In 1951, the city selected the eight men from 105 applicants. Four of them had perfect scores on the tests they took during six weeks of training, and the average among them was 93%. The men moved into Station No. 4 on Dunleith Avenue. The firefighters there became known for their work with Boy Scouts and high school students. They also helped feed needy families and gave children toys during the holidays. Within five years, all station personnel were Black firefighters and officers. The firefighters and the station where they worked provided a steppingstone for other Black firefighters, said John Gist, chief of the Winston-Salem Fire Department from 1998-2008. Even back then they changed a lot of myths about African-Americans, said Gist, the citys third Black fire chief. He said that there were a lot of misconceptions that Blacks were afraid to fight fires and afraid of heights. But the first Black men at Station No. 4 changed that perception. They proved that we can work together and did it before many other cities, Gist said. Thats something this city should be proud of. Groundhog update According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Thursday morning. That means six more weeks of winter. Celena Tribby had tears in her eyes thinking about the impact that 32 Winston-Salem State University students will have on her own students at Cook Literacy Model School. It only takes one moment to change the trajectory of a childs life, said Tribby, who is in her second year as principal at Cook. Those life-changing moments will begin next Thursday when students from one of professor Dawn Hicks Tafaris classes at WSSU visit with every fourth- and fifth-grader at Cook. The college kids will spend an hour each Thursday with the Cook students until the end of April. The WSSU mentors will be assigned two or three Cook students. The focus of their get-togethers wont be on grades, reading or any kind of tutoring. Both sets of students will sit down for lunch, talk about whats going on in their lives and shoot hoops, draw, write in journals or simply hang out. Such exchanges can be powerful for the kids at Cook, Tribby said. Its taking the time to say, Hey, you matter, she said. On Thursday, Tafari brought her students to Cook to meet their mentees. It was a festive occasion, with cheerleaders and drummers from WSSUs Red Sea of Sound providing the fanfare. Tafari, an education professor, started the Radical Academic Mentoring Service, or R.A.M.S., in 2017 at Ashley Elementary School. It came out of her desire for students enrolled in her classes Advancing the Academic and Social Success of Black Males and Advancing the Academic and Social Success of Black Girls to have hands-on experience with local schoolchildren. The program paused during the pandemic and is being revived at Cook. Union Baptist Church is a partner in the program, providing transportation for the WSSU students to Cook. Located in the Boston-Thurmond neighborhood, Cook has an enrollment of about 300 students and is designated by the federal government as a Title 1 school based on the number of economically disadvantaged students. At Thursdays kickoff, Cook students cheered when they learned that they will get the chance to visit WSSUs campus at the end of the semester-long program. Exposure is everything. I dont know what I can be if I cant see it. Thats what mentorship is about, Tafari said. I know when I was in third- or fourth-grade, college students were amazing to me. They were rock stars. So here I am, bringing a rock star to school. Ahmoni McLamb, an elementary education major from Clayton, N.C., said her goal is to let her students know that she is in their corner. Itll be just pushing them and letting them know that they can do anything in life, that nobody is judging, and that you have that support, she said. The school district will evaluate the mentorship program on its effectiveness and may try to replicate it at other schools. Kimberly Pemberton, the chairwoman of the education department at WSSU, reminded the mentors of the importance of their role in the lives of the Cook children. These children will remember the impact you had on their lives, she said. I want you to take it seriously so that will know that one day they can sit in these seats, be one of these drummers or one of these cheerleaders. While elected officials weigh proposed legislation aimed at protecting North Carolinas energy facilities and punishing anyone caught damaging them, the FBI said Friday it is offering up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspects involved in recent attacks on electric substations in the state. The agency said it is continuing joint investigations with the sheriffs offices in Moore and Randolph counties, where shots were fired into the substations. No arrests have been made and no suspects identified. The most disruptive of the attacks occurred at Duke Energy facilities in Moore County on Dec. 3, when two electric substations were damaged by gunfire, leaving about 45,000 customers without power during a cold snap that sent temperatures below freezing. In a similar incident Jan. 17, EnergyUnited crews responding to an alarm found that a substation transformer in Thomasville had been hit. There were no outages tied to that incident, EnergyUnited said. Other recent substation attacks have been reported in Washington, Oregon, South Carolina and Nevada. Legislators representing Moore County have filed bills in the N.C. House and Senate in response to the attacks that impacted their constituents. One proposed measure, co-sponsored by Republican N.C. Sen. Tom McInnis of Moore County, would make it a high-grade felony to intentionally damage or attempt to harm an energy facility. Under existing state law, it is a misdemeanor to vandalize equipment that interrupts the transmission of electricity. With the proposed law, a conviction could lead to a prison term of up to 10 years, a fine of $250,000 and liability for financial damages suffered by anyone impacted by a resulting outage. We must send a message that the would-be actors of these attacks will not be tolerated, and perpetrators will be held responsible for the chaos and the damage they create, McInnis said during a press conference this week. Protect our power grid In the N.C. House, Republican Ben Moss has introduced legislation that would require utilities in the state to operate security systems at substations 24 hours per day. Moss amended the proposal this week with a provision to make attacks on the states power grid a felony punishable by a 10-year prison sentence and $500,000 fine. The first draft of this bill was a necessary step to get the conversations started and after receiving feedback from my constituents, I have decided that we need stronger penalties to work in tandem with the security regulations, Moss explained. It is imperative that we protect our power grids and deter future attacks on this critical infrastructure. In the Moore County incidents, those involved were able to breach the facilities outer gates before opening fire, authorities said. No one was injured in the three North Carolina shootings, but Moss said the impact on many of his constituents was sobering. Moore County seemed like a ghost town for four to five days, he noted. We saw people with small businesses that lost a lot of revenue. You had people who couldnt heat their homes and couldnt cook their meals. Their everyday life was interrupted because we couldnt really depend on our energy grid. Duke Energy, North Carolinas largest utility, is ready to work with lawmakers on legislation to protect the states electric grid, company spokesman Jeff Brooks told the Journal. Our security strategy is always evolving, and we use every event to improve that process and better serve customers, he added. The last several weeks we have been reviewing the events that occurred in Moore County, as well as our system as a whole, to capture best practices and other information to inform our security and resiliency strategy going forward. This important work is ongoing. Anyone with information on the attacks is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL FBI (225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov, the Randolph County Sheriffs Office at 336-318-6685 or the Moore County Sheriffs Office at 910-947-4444. Hollow words It could have been worse. Those hollow words are uttered over and over from multiple sources. But perhaps we could simplify everything if we just, I dont know, create a sliding-scale rating system from, say, 1 to 20, depending on how many lives were lost on that particular day? So much more newspaper space and TV airtime could be saved so that others could come up with more significant expressions of concern. Bruce C. Anderson Clemmons Leaves linger on Its Feb. 1 and leaves are still blocking the sidewalks, bike lanes and streets in our neighborhood. The city recently announced grants for hundreds of thousands of dollars to local groups to improve our city. Can the city give a grant to someone to pick up leaves? Rotting piles of leaves are a fall risk to walkers. They push joggers, bikers and motorists into the street, increasing the risk of accidents and injury. The citys failure to remove leaves in a timely fashion is irresponsible and unacceptable. Mayor Joines, pick up the d**n leaves! B.N. Jones Winston-Salem Tipping points I read your article about tipping (Is tipping getting out of control? Many consumers say yes). I dont mind it, really. Servers are not well-paid and if they do well a gratuity to ensure promptness might be OK. In Europe a service charge is added, sometimes explicitly and sometimes by implication, and the first time I took my family to a restaurant in Futema, Okinawa, Japan, I didnt remember the custom. They chased us down the street to return the money I forgot! But then, in those countries servers are long-term professionals, not broke college kids. If properly paid, professional servers dont need a tip and it seems more civilized to just build proper pay into the cost of whatever were having. Michael Woods Kernersville Five at once? I can understand perhaps finding one murderer in 5,000 people but not five murderers at one time and place. What kind of civilization is this? Christine V. Fricke Rural Hall Unfathomable I cant believe that the Journal has shot itself in the foot and done such a disservice to its readers by letting Editorial Page Editor Mick Scott get away, but that appears to be the case. He was one of the last reasons I have kept renewing my subscription in the face of the deteriorating quality of the newspaper, which you seem determined to accelerate. To have a journalist of his distinction and following disappear from the newspaper without a trace, no acknowledgment of his service, is unfathomable. I wish Mr. Scott good health, good luck and the good fortune to find an employer who recognizes and values quality and integrity in journalism. I hope to be able to read his words again soon in another venue. Lee Pulliam Winston-Salem Dont shutter farm I am writing in regard to the Winston-Salem city mandate for the nonprofit animal haven and rescue Fairytale Farm Animal Sanctuary to be shut down due to zoning restrictions. The city could enact a special-use exemption in this circumstance, but has chosen not to. This farm has not only saved the lives of 70-plus injured, neglected and special-needs farm animals, but it also has provided education and joy to many children and adults who need it and otherwise wouldnt have been able to experience it without Fairytale Farm Animal Sanctuary. Fairy Tale Farm Animal Sanctuary is a nonprofit that only adds value to our community. The animals taken in and cared for here have no other place to go as local animal shelters do not take in farm animals. This farm provides educational opportunities to kids and adults through summer camps, home-school days, fundraising events, volunteer opportunities and in many more ways. The work done here is nothing short of extraordinary. I ask the city leaders to please find it in their hearts to review this matter and help. Nic Tucker Winston-Salem Spicy Cranberry Pork Tenderloin Yields 6 servings Ingredients 2 limes kosher salt freshly ground black pepper 2 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each) (about 1 pound each) 1 tsp vegetable oil 12 oz fresh cranberries cup light brown sugar (packed) (packed) 1 jalapeno (seeded and finely chopped) | Preparation | Preheat oven to 400F. Finely grate zest from limes. Juice limes (about 4 tablespoons). In a small bowl, mix half lime zest (about 2 tablespoons) with 1 teaspoon salt and teaspoon pepper. Brush tenderloins with oil. Place tenderloins in a nonstick roasting pan, fat side up. Roast, flipping them over after 8 minutes. Add lime zest mixture to the top and continue roasting until a digital meat thermometer reads between 145F (medium rare) and 160F (medium), about 20 to 35 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, mix 1 cup water with cranberries, brown sugar, jalapeno and remaining lime zest and juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until berries have burst and juices have thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Transfer pork to a carving board and let stand for 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in the roasting pan, bring cranberry sauce to a boil over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits in the pan with a wooden spoon. Carve pork and serve with sauce. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev thanked partner countries at the 9th Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting in Baku, Azernews reports. Id like to take this opportunity to express gratitude to the governments of countries, which are our partners - Turkiye, Georgia, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Italy, our new partners Romania, Moldova, and Hungary. Special gratitude to European Commission for its continued support and great leadership. Also, Id like to express many thanks to the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom for the continuous support of our initiative and for providing a strong framework for broad cooperation, including investment opportunities and financing, the president noted. Baby Ruby cries a lot, especially when shes with her lifestyle vlogger, wanna be perfect mother, so much so that mom Jo comes to believe that her baby is angry with her and theyre in a high-pitched battle for control over their lives. Thats a quick reflection of the central theme of Bess Wohls genre defying picture thats either psychological horror, very dark comedy, satire on parenthood, meditation on post-partum madness, drama or all of the above thrown together into a captivating mix. Written and directed by acclaimed playwright Bess Wohl, Baby Ruby isnt so much about its titular infant, whos played by a pair of twin babies, as it is about Jo, a successful influencer who records everything about her perfect life and provides advice for an online publication. Ensconced in a stylish large cabin with her free range/artisan butcher husband Spencer (Kit Harrington of Game of Thrones, Jo (French actress Noemie Merlant of Portrait of a Ladyon Fire) is such a perfectionist that she plans her own baby shower. But when Ruby is born in a bloody, intense delivery, that perfection begins to fall apart. Jo sees herself as a maternal failure, desperately trying to find the normalcy displayed by a group of new moms identically dressed and always together to the point where they seem to be Stepford Wives who are led by Shelly (Meredith Hagner), who befriends Jo. As she tries to care for little Ruby, who bites her during breastfeeding, and cries constantly only to go quiet for Spencer and his intrusive mother Doris (Jayne Atkinson), Jo comes to believe that theres something wrong with and possibly evil about her little one. Its not quite Rosemarys Baby but its close. The film, however, is laced with humor -- theres a patiently set-up scene involving a meal of Bolognese that Jo serves to Spencer and Doris that is burst-out-laughing funny. And it becomes ever creepier as Jo is considering attacking Ruby or protecting her from some outside forces or hallucinating about both as she spirals in fear and madness. Wohl, wrote the film reflecting on her experience as a first-time mother, proves to be a very good director. Her script is never stagey it could have never been a play, getting a baby to act on stage for an hour or two is impossible. And its brought to the screen cinematically, with effective editing, lighting that becomes every more hazy and superb use of close ups. Most of those are of a very good Merlant, who comes close to going over the top with Jo as she fully embodies her paranoia, breakdown and love/hate for Ruby. Wohls script provides two lines that set the themes of her movie never wake a sleeping baby, advice provided by Shelly, and Jos observation that Nobody cares about mothers in this country. The first sets the stage for the horror/drama/humor, the second the message that Wohl wanted to and does convey with Baby Ruby. The Lancaster County Attorney's Office has formally requested a special prosecutor to review the Lincoln Police Department's investigation into a break-in reported at the Nebraska Republican Party's downtown Lincoln headquarters last summer. County Attorney Pat Condon, a Republican, said his office had filed a motion to appoint a special prosecutor in the case Friday two days after LPD officials requested that a special prosecutor be appointed to take a second look at its investigation into the break-in, which was reported to police July 11. LPD referred questions to Condon, who largely declined to explain the rationale behind appointing a special prosecutor. "I consider these open cases and, as you know, I don't comment on open cases," he said. "I just thought there needed to be a special prosecutor in this matter for the integrity of the judicial process," he added. Nebraska GOP officials reported a computer, a camera system, paperwork and files were stolen from the partys headquarters at 1610 N St. The reported burglary occurred the same weekend as the partys contentious state convention in Kearney, where Eric Underwood was elected as the partys new chairman after delegates ousted Dan Welch of Omaha, the longtime chairman, from the position. The files and paperwork were later recovered, according to the public incident report stemming from the case. In an email last week, Lincoln Police Capt. Todd Kocian said LPDs investigation into the incident had concluded. No arrests were made as the investigation yielded no criminal offense that would support law enforcement action, he said. But the party now led by a grassroots faction following last summer's convention and subsequent exodus of the party establishment hired Tom Nesbitt, the former superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol, to independently investigate the break-in. At a quarterly party meeting in Omaha last month, Nesbitt raised concerns about what he described as LPDs refusal to release reports stemming from the agencys investigation, according to live tweets of the meeting from the Nebraska Freedom Coalition, a political action committee. Nebraskas public records statute allows law enforcement agencies to withhold records they deem investigatory in nature. The statute does not require an investigation to be active or ongoing for an agency to withhold records. Paul Kratz, the Nebraska GOPs attorney, filed a document in October in Lancaster County Court seeking permission to subpoena the police departments case file stemming from the reported break-in. In a motion to quash the partys request filed in December, Tonya Peters, an assistant city attorney and LPDs legal adviser, said there is no legal basis for granting (the partys) request, in part because Kratz and the party havent actually filed a lawsuit against the city seeking the records. A day before the two sides were set to argue at a hearing on Peters' motion Friday morning, Kratz moved to withdraw the party's subpoena request for the department's file because of Condon's request for a special prosecutor. A judge approved Kratz's request Friday in a hearing that lasted less than a minute after Peters the only attorney who attended the hearing offered no objection to the motion. Reached by phone Friday, Kratz said the party's quest for the records is "just on hold" as the second look at LPD's investigation into the break-in unfolds. Kratz declined to speculate on whether the party would attempt to subpoena the records again if a special prosecutor came to the same conclusion LPD did: that no criminal offense that would support law enforcement action occurred. It will be up to a Lancaster County District Court judge to appoint a special prosecutor to the case. No judge had been assigned to the case as of Friday afternoon. Top Journal Star photos for February 2023 A 54-year-old man who had been incarcerated at Lincoln's community corrections facility is now considered an escapee after he failed to return to the center following his off-site work assignment Thursday, according to authorities. George Piper had a tentative release date of Nov. 19 before he absconded from the Community Corrections Center-Lincoln late Thursday, the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services said in a news release. Piper had been in state custody since 1997, when he was convicted of charges out of Red Willow and Frontier counties that include first-degree sexual assault, second-degree assault, burglary and escape. The 54-year-old was sentenced to 35 to 52 years in prison. Authorities said Piper is a 6-foot-2, 170 pound white man who has brown hair and brown eyes. The correctional services department asked anyone with knowledge of Piper's whereabouts to contact local authorities or the Nebraska State Patrol. The Lincoln facility that Piper allegedly absconded from is the least restrictive facility within Nebraska's corrections systems. Inmates housed at the facility are allowed to participate in off-site work opportunities and attend school and religious services with prior approval and without direct supervision. Before she sent a Lincoln man to prison for his role in a 2021 shooting outside of a house party that killed a 31-year-old, Judge Susan Strong scolded the defendant for his recklessness that June morning. Daqwan Hickey did not fire the round that struck Deontae Abron near 61st and Adams streets at about 4 a.m. June 12, 2021. It was his brother, 27-year-old Shantrell Hickey, who fired the bullet that would lead to Abron's death two days later at an Omaha hospital. But both men fired into a crowd of people along Adams Street that morning, Strong said at Daqwan Hickey's sentencing Thursday afternoon. "It is only by chance that it was one of your brother's bullets that fatally wounded Mr. Abron and not yours," Strong said, before describing the 25-year-old's actions that morning as "about the most dangerous thing you could do." The judge's scolding came less than two months after Daqwan Hickey pleaded no contest to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and attempted terroristic threats for his role in the shooting. He also pleaded no contest to possession of a firearm for an unrelated incident in March 2021. In court records, police described a large fight outside the party that preceded the shooting and two men firing shots, one into the air and the other, Shantrell Hickey, leveling the gun in the direction where Abron was standing with a group. At his sentencing hearing Thursday, his attorney, Nancy Peterson, asked Strong to give her client credit for the 564 days he's spent in the State Penitentiary toward his sentence in the shooting. In brief remarks to the court, Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Matt Mellor pointed to the Daqwan Hickey's "significant history" with gun violence and asked Strong to impose the longest prison sentence possible. The judge sided firmly with the prosecutor, rejecting Peterson's request and telling Hickey he "should serve a similar sentence to that imposed on" his brother, who Strong sentenced to 18 to 20 years in prison last month after he pleaded no contest to manslaughter. But the nature of Daqwan Hickey's plea agreement made a similar sentence impossible, so Strong sentenced him to the maximum four years on each weapons charge and the maximum two years for attempted terroristic threats. He will be eligible for parole after five years. In their own words: Judges, lawyers, professors discuss diversity in Nebraska's legal community On Juneteenth, as the country neared Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's swearing-in as the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, the Journal Star reached out to several people on the bench, in the legal community and at Nebraska's law schools to ask their thoughts about diversity in the state's courtrooms. We asked what drew them to a career in law; how long they've been working in Nebraska and if they plan to stay; why diversity is important in the judicial system and what can be done to foster diversity in the legal community. View their answers below. Two former Lincoln Police recruits were dismissed from the department's police academy in November after they admitted to cheating on an exam, according to public records and police officials. Dalton Bell and Ethan Bruha, who were among 19 recruits to join the department in July 2022, were dismissed Nov. 9 for misconduct and ethics violations, according to change-in-status forms LPD filed with the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center. At a Citizen Police Advisory Board meeting last week, Internal Affairs Sgt. Derek Dittman said two recruits who he did not identify by name viewed a physical copy of an upcoming exam before taking it. Five additional recruits who "observed the cheating in some form" failed to notify academy instructors or supervisors, Dittman said. Investigators sustained complaints of academic dishonesty against those seven recruits after Police Chief Teresa Ewins ordered an internal investigation into the conduct of more than half of the academy class, Dittman told board members last week. Four recruits from the class were exonerated by investigators, Dittman said. The complaint against another recruit was not sustained, but the recruit wasn't explicitly exonerated. In an email, Assistant Police Chief Michon Morrow declined to detail the events that led to the two recruits' dismissal, but clarified that the five recruits who witnessed the cheating only saw "a portion of the event which didnt allow them to form a conclusion" of what was happening. Morrow said the five recruits weren't disciplined for failing to come forward, but that department officials used the investigation into the academy class as a learning experience for each recruit. "We would expect a report to a supervisor in events where something seems off or not right," she said. Bell and Bruha were in the class that started the police academy last July with an expected graduation date in December. Sixteen recruits ultimately graduated from the academy. In a phone interview, Bell declined to discuss the details of he and Bruha's academic dishonesty but said he left the academy without bitterness toward the police department. "All the police officers that did graduate, I'm very, very proud of," he said. "I hope nothing but the best in their careers. "I have nothing negative to say to LPD," he added. "I have nothing but positive things to say, even in regards to the (academic dishonesty) situation. I'm very, very proud of what I did at LPD. I learned a lot." He said he was grateful for his time in the academy and that he intends to pursue a career in law enforcement elsewhere in Nebraska. Bruha did not respond to messages seeking comment. Reporter Lori Pilger contributed to this story. Top Journal Star photos for January 2023 A legislative proposal to change how Nebraska's six community colleges are funded ran into stiff opposition from board members, administrators and students Thursday. Sen. Dave Murman's plan (LB783) would eliminate the ability of community colleges to levy property taxes beginning in 2026-27, and replace that funding with state appropriations. According to the bill, the community colleges would receive an amount 3.5% greater than their 2025 property tax levy, with that amount set to increase by 3.5% annually thereafter. Murman and several other members of the Legislature's Revenue Committee sponsored the bill on behalf of Gov. Jim Pillen, who proposed the measure as part of a package of bills designed to address what he described as an inequitable property tax system. "This bill gives the responsibility to the state, creating the opportunity to appropriately invest in and strengthen our community colleges and fund them fully," Pillen told the committee. LB783 was supported by the Nebraska Farm Bureau, Nebraska Cattlemen and Americans for Prosperity, who all said ending community college's property tax levy authority would immediately benefit property taxpayers. Nebraskans paid more than $250 million in property taxes to support community colleges in 2021, according to the Platte Institute. Michael Lucci, a senior policy adviser at the conservative-leaning think tank, said removing the fourth-highest line item on a taxpayer's annual bill could save them between 5-6% in taxes paid while also simplifying the system overall. Repealing the community college property tax would move Nebraska from having the seventh-highest property taxes in the country to ninth or 10th, according to the Tax Foundation, Lucci told the committee. But community college leaders and students said they worried that eliminating the ability to levy property taxes would erode local control over their institutions and make them less responsive to the needs of students, industry partners and their communities. Randy Schmailzl, president of Metro Community College in Omaha, said previous legislatures had intended community colleges' budgets to be funded through 40% property taxes, 40% state aid and 20% student tuition. In reality, however, Metro's funding breakdown was closer to 51% property taxes, 28% state aid, and 21% tuition, he said, adding that the property tax levy allowed Metro to continue programs that served students, nearly all of whom are from the college's service area. "There's nothing that says you have to use your property tax levy if the state is fulfilling its obligation," Schmailzl said. Southeast Community College, which serves a 15-county area and has campuses in Lincoln, Beatrice and Milford, has used a capital improvement fund paid for through property taxes to revitalize its facilities and address the region's workforce needs, several board members told the committee. Neal Stenberg, the chair of the SCC Board of Governors, said eliminating the property tax levy would "severely hinder" the college's ability to train health care workers, welders, diesel technicians and information technicians. While the current Legislature could promise to fund the full amount to community colleges, Stenberg said he was skeptical that would be the case in the future. "The legislatures that come after you are not bound by that," he said. "There will be no shortage of financial crises to deal with in the future." Mid-Plains Community College President Ryan Purdy said state lawmakers have pledged more state funding before, but have had to reverse those decisions to address other needs. Without a sustainable revenue source, Purdy said Mid-Plains could be forced to close satellite locations that serve rural communities across a wide swath of the state, or hike tuition to a rate that's unattractive to students. Murman said the intention of the bill was not to limit funding to community colleges or to force them to make cuts. "I don't want to do anything to risk the funding of community colleges," he said, "but it's very important also that we make our tax system more fair to taxpayers of the state." The committee did not take any action on the bill Thursday. Top Journal Star photos for January 2023 The fate of the hotly disputed Wilderness Crossing development lies again with the city, after courts dismissed two lawsuits over the planned housing development across the street from Wilderness Park and a Native sweat lodge. Environmental and Native advocates oppose the development by Sam Manzitto Jr., who plans to build 162 single-family homes, 134 town homes and 205 apartments on about 75 acres south of Pioneers Boulevard between First Street and U.S. 77 purchased from the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln. Their opposition centers on the risk of flooding caused by the development and the effect on wildlife and native habitat, though much of the attention has focused on the effects on the citys oldest and most-used sweat lodge, located on private land across the street from the planned development. Despite the opposition, in April, the City Council passed zoning and annexation ordinances, as well as an amendment to the comprehensive plan, that allowed the development to proceed. Kathleen Danker, the owner of land known as the Fish Farm where the sweat lodge is located and that has now been annexed, appealed the City Councils action in a Lancaster County District Court lawsuit. Opponents also filed an appeal of the City Council's actions and the mayor's approval of them with the citys Board of Zoning Appeals, which prompted the city to file a lawsuit asking the district court to decide whether the zoning board had the authority to hear the appeal. Judge Darla Ideus dismissed the citys lawsuit Wednesday, saying it was up to the Board of Zoning Appeals to determine whether it has jurisdiction to hear the case. She ruled the citys arguments about any potential harm caused by allowing the zoning board to decide was speculative, and that the city offered no compelling reason to short-circuit the appeals process. Allowing courts to pick apart a zoning boards jurisdiction before the board has had a chance to decide that issue for itself would improperly intrude on the boards authority, the order said. Further, parallel declaratory judgment proceedings would create the risk of inconsistent decisions and piecemeal litigation. Native advocates lauded the decision as quelling an attempt to suppress their voices by allowing them to move forward with the zoning board appeal. This decision is received with profound relief that our voices will be heard, said Renee San Souci, a co-leader of Niskithe Prayer Camp, set up on the site of the proposed development for several days last spring to oppose it. Even so, it also demonstrates that there is long-range work ahead of us to continue our efforts to be seen, heard and respected as Native people. Our connection to our ceremonies and to Mother Earth is not to be taken lightly. But the issue could well end up back in court. City Attorney Yohance Christie said in a statement that the city still believes the Board of Zoning Appeals, as an unelected board, does not have the jurisdiction to veto a decision made by the council or the mayor. By not ruling on the citys lawsuit, the court indicated the city and the zoning board can now make that decision, he said. Its unclear how that might happen. The Board of Zoning Appeals could put the issue on its agenda, or city officials could decide. Sam Petto, ACLU of Nebraska communications director, said it would have to discuss options with its clients if the zoning board decides it doesnt have the authority to hear the appeal. In the other lawsuit filed by Danker, District Judge Jodi Nelson ruled that the court couldn't rule on the zoning and annexation ordinances because they are legislative actions and the court can only review judicial or quasi-judicial actions. The appeal of the comprehensive plan amendment, which went into effect before the zoning and annexation ordinances, was filed too late, the order said. Ken Winston, who represented Danker, said shes not planning to appeal the courts decision at this point, but that more litigation on the Wilderness Crossing development is likely. Top Journal Star photos for January 2023 A $14 million expansion of Lincolns longtime program of turning waste into biosolids sold to farmers to use as fertilizer will allow the city to increase production of the cake-like substance by 25%, officials said Thursday. City officials recently completed a three-year process to install equipment at the Northeast Water Recovery Facility, 7000 N. 70th St., that will allow it to convert Lincolns waste into the dry, nutrient-rich, soil-like fertilizer for crops. The city has been doing that at the Theresa Street plant since 1992, a program that began as a cooperative venture between the city, county and University of Nebraska Extension. Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said the latest expansion will bolster efforts to build a more resilient city, one of her administrations priorities. Expanding the biosolids program lowers costs, helps the environment, and supports the local economy, she said. By joining forces with our partners in agriculture, our biosolids program enriches the future by enriching the soil and water on which our future depends. Since 1993, the city has pumped liquid biosolids produced at the northeast plant to city-owned farmland, but that was an expensive and difficult process that could only happen during certain times of the year, said Todd Boling, Lincoln Wastewater System superintendent. Because of the difficulty of transporting the liquid biosolids, the amount produced at the plant exceeded the number of farm fields that the city could get it to, said David Smith, the biosolids coordinator. Its incredibly expensive to haul the liquid biosolids to farmers, he said. Being able to create dry biosolids at the northeast plant will save about $200,000 a year in transportation costs, said Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Director Liz Elliott. There are other benefits, she said, including saving landfill space and reducing the use of synthetic fertilizer by farmers. One fourth-generation farmer told us hes been able to decrease his use of synthetic fertilizer by 80% since he began incorporating our biosolids into the soil, Bohling said. Because its easier to apply than liquid biosolids, the market will increase, Elliott said. The city expects to collect about $40,000 a year from the sale of larger amount of biosolids. That money is reinvested back in the program, she said. The city had been planning for the conversion process, which has been part of LTUs capital improvement program for several years, she said. The Theresa Street plant generates enough biosolid material to fertilize 1,500 acres of farmland a year, LTU officials said. The work at the northeast plant will allow the city to convert 175,000 gallons of the liquid biosolids generated there into enough of the dry material to fertilize another 500 acres of land. Since it began the program in 1992, Lincolns wastewater system has had nearly 90 agriculture partners and has applied biosolids to more than 37,000 acres of agricultural land, city officials said. Top Journal Star photos for January 2023 Gov. Jim Pillen told the Legislature's Revenue Committee on Thursday that sharp reductions in the state's individual and corporate income tax rates are "needed to make Nebraska more competitive." And those tax cuts can be gradually phased in by 2027 while still meeting future state budget needs and maintaining a healthy cash reserve in the state treasury, Pillen said. "Young people and professionals consider taxes" in deciding whether to leave or move to Nebraska, Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, chairwoman of the committee, said in presenting a bill (LB754) at the governor's request that would gradually reduce the state's top-tier individual income tax rate from 6.27% to 3.99%, with the lower corporate rate targeted at earnings in excess of $100,000. That, she said, would move Nebraska into the top 15 states in terms of the lowest individual and corporate income tax rates. The anticipated reduction of state revenue was pegged at $735 million in fiscal 2028-29. "We can afford the tax cuts," Linehan told the committee during a public hearing, pointing to fiscal estimates that show the state sitting atop a huge revenue surplus that exceeds $1.6 billion. Current tax rates are "chasing people out of the state," she said. Meanwhile, supporters of the bill said neighboring states like Iowa are reducing taxes to attract businesses and create jobs. Pillen described tax reduction as "a dire need for Nebraska," the kind of action that is needed to "stop the out-migration of our kids and our grandparents." "We're just getting started," the governor said. The bill, one of a trio of proposals to reduce income tax rates, was supported by a parade of business representatives, along with Mark McHargue of Central City, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, who said his organization expects it to be "matched with property tax relief." Sen. Brad von Gillern of Elkhorn, who sponsored accompanying legislation on behalf of the governor, said "it's important to make Nebraska an attractive place to do business" while suggesting that "things that benefit businesses employ Nebraskans." Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln questioned the argument that Nebraskans move away from the state "based on tax rates" and suggested that there is "an understandable concern about revenue loss" in terms of the future impact on state government programs. Rebecca Firestone, executive director of Open Sky Policy Institute, expressed concern about future state revenue losses while suggesting that the tax reductions are "targeted to benefit the wealthiest Nebraskans." "The ongoing nature of the tax cuts is concerning, given the temporary nature of our current fiscal condition which was largely the result of $24 billion of federal funds that have come into the state since the outset of the pandemic," Firestone wrote in an assessment of the legislation. "With federal funds slowing, the threat of recession, a tightening of federal monetary policy and now a potential federal government default, these tax cuts could create major fiscal problems in the future," she wrote. "We need to be proactive to be attractive to businesses," von Gillern said. "Things that benefit businesses that employ Nebraskans," he said. Two other bills heard by the committee, LB804 and LB806, would accelerate personal income tax and corporate income tax cuts that were enacted by the Legislature in 2022. Photos: The business of governing in Nebraska in 2023 Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia reviewed projects in the sector for this year, from the budget of the Preferential Agrocredit Programme to financing for irrigation infrastructure and promotion of the countrys produce. The Government Administration said the discussion had involved a review of the plan for distributing the budget of the Ministry to the following areas: ?200 million ($76mln) for the Preferential Agrocredit Programme, with over 10,000 loans to be issued to farmers this year ?65 million ($24.72mln) for irrigation of 200,000 hectares of land ?35 million ($13.31mln) for the Plant the Future programme, to ensure planting of about 4,000 hectares of new orchards ?25 million ($9.51mln) for processing and storage, offering co-financing of up to 60 new enterprises ?20 million ($7.61mln) for setup and renovation of infrastructure on protected areas of the country ?16 million ($6mln) for promoting Georgian agricultural produce, including wine ?5 million ($1.90mln) for projects for the development of infrastructure of agricultural cooperatives The programme for the promotion of hazelnut production will continue in 2023, the body added, noting over 68,000 beneficiaries had registered up to 30,000 hectares of hazelnut farms for the state registry. Infrastructure projects will also involve installation of 137 new automatic meteorological, hydrological and geological stations across the country, while the network of air quality monitoring facilities will expand by nine automatic stations. Authorities also plan to restore 1,500 hectares of forest cover and complete cataloguing 215,000 hectares this year. In the fish farming sector, specific zones for the establishment of aquaculture farms in the Black Sea region will be designated in up to 10 locations this year, for facilitating production of up to 50,000 tonnes in 2023. In addition, the following projects will be financed with the support of international organisations: Renovation of the 19,000 hectare irrigation network of Zemo Samgori in capital Tbilisi, involving a 90 million co-financing from the European Investment Bank, French Development Agency and European Union along with the Government The World Bank project Georgian Resilient Agriculture, Irrigation and Land, with a $150 financing aiming to improve water supply for 26,000 hectares of land A $23.75 million programme of the United States Agency for International Development, designated for micro, small and medium-sized businesses in villages along the administrative boundary line adjacent to the countrys occupied regions A 16.25 million programme of the German state-owned investment and development bank KfW for forming new protected areas across the country In other details discussed by the officials, food manufacturing facilities in the country will fully switch to the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points safety standard, designed to help protect consumers and increase competitiveness in the sector, starting in June. The requirement for the switch was outlined in the Georgian Governments Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area Agreement with the European Union. Allison M. Prasch is an expert in language and how people especially U.S. presidents use words to persuade and present a certain image of U.S. democracy to audiences at home and abroad. In the last nine years, Prasch traveled to four presidential libraries; accessed documents online; and visited locations in Europe to research the rhetoric and the strategy behind that rhetoric of five United States presidents who led during the Cold War. Her first book, The World is Our Stage: The Global Rhetorical Presidency and the Cold War, was published in January from the University of Chicago Press. She will discuss the book during an event later this month at Mystery to Me bookstore. Q: Please start with a little about your background you teach at UW-Madison? A: Im an assistant professor of Rhetoric, Politics and Culture at UW-Madison. I have been at UW-Madison since the fall of 2019. I got my M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. Prior to UW-Madison, I was an assistant professor at Colorado State University for three years. Q: What led you to write the book? A: I am a rhetorician by training, so I study how people use language to persuade the public specifically in relation to U.S. presidents and foreign policy. For a very long time, people who were interested in writing and thinking about presidential rhetoric ... would look at a speech as the president delivered it such as FDRs Fireside Chat after Pearl Harbor or Ronald Reagans Tear Down this Wall declaration in 1987 and just examine the words that were uttered. One of the things that always fascinated me was the relationship between the words that were spoken and the other aspects of their delivery. How did the words a president said interact with the places they traveled? How did the movement of their body ... really change and shape how the public understands the presidency and foreign policy? As I moved out of graduate school, I wanted to pursue those questions, particularly as it pertained to the Cold War. Q: So you werent just studying the speeches themselves, but where they were delivered and why? A: Yes. Over the course of my research, I discovered that all U.S. presidents during the Cold War saw the act of traveling outside the U.S. as an explicit rhetorical strategy, a way to expand U.S. power and influence on the Cold War world stage. When U.S. officials were concerned about a growing Soviet influence in Latin America in the late 1950s, they suggested that Eisenhower do a 10-day tour of the region. After the Berlin Wall went up, Kennedy decided to visit West Berlin. These were more than mere diplomatic visits. They were a way of making American influence abroad explicit and made visible through the physical travel of the U.S. president. As I found these little archival tidbits, over many months of research trips, I was able to build an argument (that there was) a pattern of how presidents enacted foreign policy over the Cold War. Q: What type of travel and research did you do? A: I traveled to four of the five presidential archives: Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon and Reagan. The Kennedy Library in Boston is probably the most advanced in terms of the collections they have online (so I was able to) work with archivists to get PDFs (of needed documents). I also did field work in Europe related to Trumans visit to Potsdam (Germany), Kennedys visit to Berlin (Germany), and Reagans visit to Normandy (France). Q: How challenging was it to piece together the details of these travel timelines? A: I chose these case studies very specifically to demonstrate how the strategy of going global worked at different times during the Cold War. Once I zeroed in on these case studies, one of the challenges was to account for a variety of different offices, staff members and moments in time. For example, when you go to the Nixon Library to re-create Nixons visit to China in 1972, youre looking at the speech writers (documents), State Department (documents) and declassified CIA documents, in addition to the briefing books put together for Nixons own use. Youre working across dozens if not hundreds of different archival collections. The job of the researcher is to know enough ... to pull those documents and then read and re-create (the situation). Its like a jigsaw puzzle. Q: Did anything in your research surprise you? A: I think for me, one of the most surprising and troubling things I discovered ... and to see it in the level of archival detail that I did ... is when we think of a Cold War narrative, there is very much this idea of the U.S. versus the Soviet Union. Democracy versus communism. There were so many other things going on motivating U.S. actions abroad. It was an attempt to sell an image of the U.S. to an international and domestic public. As I detail in the book, there were moments in which various presidents were presented with an opportunity: Are we going to advocate for civil rights in the U.S. or sell a sanitized image of the U.S. abroad? For example, in early 1963, the White House had to decide if Kennedy would travel to West Berlin or stay in the United States to respond to the Birmingham Campaign (in May 1963). There is this exchange between senior White House officials, State Department officials and Kennedy himself about whether he should intervene on the issue of civil rights at home or focus on cultivating his image as a world leader. The choice was that stark. And he chose to go to West Berlin. Thats just one really clear example, but you can see it across case studies. Q: How does this put into perspective the actions we see from leaders today? A: I think its an opportunity within our contemporary moment to think about how sometimes we think about foreign policy as neutral even in terms of how the United States acts. All foreign policy decisions are always motivated in some way by a desire to project a certain image of the nation at home and abroad. We may not see it until 20 or 30 years later. For example, much of the documentation from the Kennedy administration was only made available in the 90s. I think it shows us the nuance and complexities of how foreign policy gets made. Q: What might the average history buff find surprising about these presidential trips during the Cold War? A: I think one of the things that I really tried to do when writing this book was appeal to a general audience, but fascinate (readers) by these intricacies of a bigger story. When we think about the Cold War, we think about espionage, prisoner exchanges, or the mechanics of spy craft. One of the things that I found was that U.S. presidents ... very much understood that the words they used and actions they took had incredible power to shape public perception and contribute to how the public understood the United States role in the Cold War world. And they cared about audiences in the United States and audiences overseas. They were exceptionally deliberate about contributing to that narrative. One of the things I talk about in the book is how these tours overseas were very much designed for an international audience. They are also seeking to craft a narrative of U.S. national identity that allowed the U.S. public to see themselves as part of fighting for democracy and freedom. It was incredibly calculated. When Reagan went to Normandy, for example, he wanted to help the U.S. public connect the events of D-Day to the ongoing Cold War struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1984. As a presidential scholar, it is sometimes difficult to make claims about what a president hoped to accomplish. Thanks to recently declassified archival documents, however, I was able to make arguments about these end goals. There is a lot about intent and design that my book documents. Youre able to make arguments literally from the archives about what they were planning to accomplish. Q: After this project, do you plan to write another book? A: Yes! Im currently writing a history of the rhetorical construction and spatial design of Washington, D.C. In particular, I focus on the relationship between the citys location (geographical and topographical) and the racial politics of the new nation. Why is it, for example, that Washington, D.C., was built between two slave-holding states (Virginia and Maryland) with direct access to waterways that made the trade of tobacco, cotton and enslaved persons possible? We often think about Washington, D.C., as this embodiment of freedom and democracy. But the city was literally built by and upon the institution of slavery and anti-Black racism. If you walk on the National Mall and see landmarks to Jefferson and Washington, you might not know that this space was also once the site of a slave market. In this new book, I ask how we first acknowledge and then reconcile that history. This summer, Ill be taking a research trip to Washington, D.C., to work in the National Archives and Library of Congress to continue the project. In many ways, this new book is asking similar questions to those I pursued in The World is Our Stage. But where my first book analyzed how rhetorical strategies of movement, place and embodiment influenced the Cold War global order, my second one asks how U.S. politicians approached the spatial design and physical construction of Washington, D.C., as an opportunity to create, as French architect Pierre Charles LEnfant put it to President George Washington, the capital of an extensive empire. BURLINGTON A Burlington man has been charged with making terrorist threats after allegedly posting on Facebook about shooting up the Burlington Area School District. Kyle J. Johnson, 28, of the 29800 block of Meadow Drive, was charged with one felony count of terrorist threats and misdemeanor counts of computer message threatening injury or harm and disorderly conduct. According to a criminal complaint, on Wednesday officers were made aware of a post on Facebook that caused BASD to be concerned about safety. The post said, Time for the Burlington area school district to pay for their crimes I hear those cowards dont even got cc there lmao dudes coming to pop off tomorrow and hell have back up. Parents visited and called the police station throughout the day out of concern for the safety of their children, and patrol officers were assigned to Karcher Middle School, Waller Elementary School, Dyer School, Cooper School and Burlington Area High School. Officers obtained the IP address belonging to the account and learned that the user, identified as Johnson, lived in the 29800 block of Meadow Drive. According to the complaint, Johnson was expelled from Burlington Area High School 10 years ago. A woman reportedly said that she had been communicating with Johnson through social media and that he asked her if she could legally possess a gun. When woman said she did not believe so, Johnson allegedly told her he was good at making them and described a crude process for doing so. Johnson was given a $25,000 cash bond in Racine County Circuit Court on Thursday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 8 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, online court records show. Copperas Cove, TX (76522) Today Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 79F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. 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 Israel and Sudan have agreed to sign a deal to normalize ties later in 2023, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Thursday after returning from what his office calls a "historic" visit to Khartoum. Cohen told a press conference upon his return that he met with Sudan's ruling general Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and other senior officials during his visit, according to a statement by the Israeli foreign ministry. Al-Burhan, the chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, has served as the de facto ruler of the country since he led a military coup in October 2021. "Today's visit to Sudan lays the foundations for a historic peace agreement with a strategic Arab and Muslim country," Cohen said, adding the proposed deal would "promote regional stability and contribute to the national security of the State of Israel." In a separate statement, Sudan's Sovereignty Council said the talks were held with the goal of establishing "fruitful relations with Israel" and strengthening bilateral cooperation in security and military issues. Sudan is set to become the fourth Muslim Arab nation to sign a normalization agreement with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords, a series of U.S.-brokered normalization deals Israel reached with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco to establish official relations in 2020. Egypt and Jordan signed peace treaties with Israel in 1979 and 1994 respectively. Sudan and Israel announced readiness to establish diplomatic ties in October 2020 but a final agreement has yet to be signed. KEARNEY Two Kearney High School students were selected to have their work on display at the 26th annual National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition. KHS sophomore Jenna Mapes and senior Maria Buck had artwork selected to be featured at the event held in March in Cincinnati, Ohio. From the 1,317 entries, 152 were selected for the exhibition. Mapes artwork entitled, Demeter, is a ceramic of a flower. Bucks selected piece is a ceramic bust entitled, Not My Fault. The juror this year was Bobby Scroggins. KEARNEY This year 21 pieces of art created by Kearney High School students were selected for the Scholastic Art Awards of Nebraska, six of which received the highest honor, the Gold Key Award. The students will be honored at a ceremony at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. March 4 at the Omaha Public Schools Teacher Administrative Center Auditorium. The exhibition will run from Feb. 27 through March 31 at the OPS Teacher Administrative Center at 3215 Cuming Street in Omaha. Below is a list of students who received awards. Gold Key Award Nina Erickson, Pure Happiness, drawing and illustration Wednesday Fielder, Self-Portrait, drawing and illustration Edith Hall, Anthophora, printmaking Maria Buck, Not My Fault, ceramics (American Visions nominee) Ava Lindstrom, Dust to Dust, ceramics Sophia Strong, A Thousand Lives in One Hell, digital art Silver Key Award Ava Lindstrom, Green, ceramics Jeny Rose Relay Era, Portrait, drawing and illustration Joshua Sykes, Perspective, drawing and illustration Honorable Mention Isabel Kurz, The Eternal Cascade, ceramics Jenna Mapes, Demeter, ceramics Isabel Kurz, Lady Autumn, ceramics Cesar Chavarria, Sad Fish, ceramics Trinity Cross, Bobcat, ceramics Jeny Rose Relay Era, Man of Nature, ceramics McKenzie Jarmin, Enchanted, ceramics Joshua Sykes, Red Panda Wave, printmaking Chadlyn Robinson, Control, printmaking McKenna Baer, A Moment Alone, painting Makayla Maxson, Corrupt, drawing and illustration Henry Stelling, Backseat Gaze, drawing and illustration KEARNEY Drew Zaruba is just 21 years old, and that surprises a lot of people. They dont expect a college student to be a major player in the local real estate scene. Theres definitely a shock factor when people meet me for the first time, Zaruba says with a smile. Dont let his age fool you, though. With a real estate portfolio totaling $1.3 million, the University of Nebraska at Kearney senior is quickly building a reputation in the business. Zaruba already owns four rental properties in the Kearney area, and hes always looking for the next investment opportunity. I hate sitting around, he said. I want to be working, and I want to be building something. Im constantly trying to do more deals and make new connections. That drive, according to Zaruba, is what makes him successful. Back in his hometown of Columbus, the Scotus Central Catholic graduate stocked meat and cheese at the local Hy-Vee to earn money, which he wisely stashed in a savings account. After enrolling at UNK, where hes studying business administration with a finance emphasis, Zaruba decided to start investing that cash. When the stock market crashed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, he saw an opportunity to capitalize on the low prices. As long as you could walk in a straight line, you could make money, said Zaruba, who also invested in Bitcoin and began trading options. Meanwhile, he continued to research other investment strategies, which led to his aha moment. We were renting a house my sophomore year, and I thought to myself, You know, I could probably just go buy a house, he explained. Its called house hacking when you live with roommates and they rent bedrooms from you. He started his property search with a Facebook post that drew a response from Brandon Benitz, a real estate agent at Century 21 Midlands in Kearney with multiple connections to UNK. I sat down with him, and he gave me a bunch of books to read and other resources to look at, then we started walking properties together, Zaruba said. They checked out nearly 20 properties before finding one that matched Zarubas buying criteria. He closed on the property a stacked duplex with three bedrooms in each unit in September 2021. Zaruba has purchased two more duplexes since then, including a four-bedroom property where his former roommates live. He likes to remodel or renovate the properties himself, then rent them to fellow Lopers. I think I have 20 students on campus who call me their landlord, he said with a laugh. That strategy works surprisingly well. I havent had any problems, Zaruba said. Theyre all super easy to deal with, and Im happy to have them as tenants. I definitely could have outsourced this to a property manager, but the returns are bigger if I do it myself, and nobody cares about your property like you do, he added. Zaruba spends most of his time at the barndominium, a 3-acre property just west of Kearney that he purchased in October. Inside the 3,600-square-foot pole barn, theres a 1,100-square-foot apartment with one bedroom, a bathroom, kitchen, living room, dining area and laundry. He transformed the shop space into an event venue featuring three televisions and a large bar that seats 25-30 people. That space is available for rent it hosted a Century 21 holiday party and a UNK students graduation party in December and Zaruba plans to make the apartment available through Airbnb. Its pretty nice, he said. Im really happy with it. In addition to managing his own properties, Zaruba works as a commercial and investment real estate agent at Century 21 Midlands. He earned his license in June 2021 and joined the local agency a year ago. He also founded Antler Capital, a real estate syndication company that acquires and manages multifamily properties for investors. At some point in time Id like to focus on that, but thats not where Im at right now, said Zaruba, who visited Scotus Central Catholic and Axtell Community School last fall to talk to students about entrepreneurship and personal finance. He also spoke last summer at an event hosted by UNKs Center for Economic Education. Speaking to the students at Scotus was kind of surreal, because some of them went to school with me, said Zaruba, whose younger sister attends the 7-12 school in Columbus. A deans list student, Honors Program member and recipient of the prestigious Board of Regents Scholarship, Zaruba will graduate from UNK in May, then he plans to continue working and investing in the Kearney real estate market. His goal is to close on another rental property the day he receives his degree. One firefighter was injured while fighting a blaze Friday at a Holmen residence. The Holmen Area Fire Department was called shortly before 8 a.m. to a house fire at 82 Manchester Lane in the Village of Holmen. When crews arrived fire was extending from the roof through a kitchen vent. The injured firefighter was evaluated at the scene by Tri-State Ambulance. The fire department confirmed the injury wasnt serious. No other injuries were reported. Crews arrived within 5 minutes and quickly extinguished the fire. One occupant was at home when the fire broke out. The department believes the fire was triggered by stovetop cooking. IN PHOTOS & VIDEOS: A look back on January in the Coulee Region A 55-year-old Alma Center man faces multiple drug charges after Jackson County police executed a search warrant Jan. 21 at his town of Alma residence. Milton G. Haskins was referred to the Jackson County District Attorneys Office for felony charges of manufacture/delivery of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, felon in possession of a firearm and maintaining a drug trafficking place. According to the criminal complaint, police executed a search warrant around 9 a.m. at an address on South Alma Center Road. Police reportedly seized 1.1 ounces of crystallized substances that tested positive for methamphetamine. Police determined that packing materials found at the residence indicated that Haskins was distributing controlled substances. Police reported that money and firearms were also seized as evidence. Police arrested three other people Theoradore H. Saarnio, 47, Merrillan; Justin Farmer, 41, Spencer; and Jeremiah Farmer, 40, Alma Center on outstanding warrants. Haskins is being held in the Jackson County Jail pending an initial court appearance that hadnt been scheduled as of Friday afternoon. Throwback from Tribune files: Life in the La Crosse area in the 1950s 1951: La Crosse Central High School 1951: YMCA at Seventh and Main streets 1954: Triangle Cafe 1954: Estell Tall Fashions 1954: Howards Clothes 1954: Crescent Jewelers 1954: Tom's Speedometer Shop 1954: YMCA basketball 1954: 5 and 10-cent Store fire 1955: La Crosse Beauty School 1956: Christmas shoppers in downtown La Crosse 1956: Central High School Memorial Day assembly 1957: Kroger 1957: Jackson Plaza 1957: Old Style newspaper advertisement 1958: 1st National Bank 1958: State Bank of La Crosse 1958: Heat exchanger plant 1958: American Legion parade A 62-year-old La Crosse man is being held in the La Crosse County Jail on a $500 cash bond after he allegedly stole a vehicle Feb. 1 and crashed it into a nearby apartment building. David Howell was charged Thursday in La Crosse County Circuit Court with a felony count of taking a vehicle without the owners consent. He was also issued citations for hit-and-run, reckless driving and operating without a valid license. According to the criminal complaint, the vehicles owner told police he left his vehicle running while entering his 333 Buchner Place apartment around 7 a.m. to retrieve an item. He told police he was inside his residence for only 20 or 30 seconds before returning to see his vehicle leaving the parking lot. The owner said the driver, later identified as Howell, left the parking lot at a high rate of speed onto Buchner Place. The owner and another witness said Howell crossed a roadway, hit a snowbank, went airborne, struck a concrete wall of an apartment unit at 400 Buchner Place and came to rest on the drivers side. The owner and witness rushed to the vehicle and helped Howell exit through the front windshield, which was completely smashed. They said Howell walked away and boarded a bus at the corner of Copeland Avenue and Monitor Street. Police located Howell at his address at Affordable Inn in La Crosse. The complaint says Howell acknowledged the incident and told police he wanted to go for a joyride. Judge Todd Bjerke imposed the cash bond but said he would lift the bond if Howell could be transported directly to a treatment center. Bjerke scheduled a preliminary hearing for Feb. 9. Throwback from Tribune files: Life in the La Crosse area in the 1970s 1970: Washburn Elementary School 1970: Johnson's Junior Miss Shop 1971: Behind the Brewery Gallery 1971: Kewpee Lunch 1971: Bridgeview Plaza Shopping Center 1972: King Cinema 1972: The Stereo Shop 1972: Viking Heritage 1972: Hoffman House Restaurant 1972: Louie Bantle's Restaurant 1973: Schaak Electronics 1973: Newburg's Menswear 1973: Book Exchange 1973: Union Prescription Center 1974: Caravel TV Sales 1975: Bodega Lunch Club 1975: Yellow Checker of La Crosse 1975: Patrick Zielke running for mayor 1976: New Villa 1977: Bert's Magic and Fun Shop 1978: Soell's King of Low Prices 1978: Shopko 1978: La Crosse Answering Service 1978: Lenny's Shoe Repair 1979: Carriage House of Fashion Western Technical College dental assistant students and local dentists volunteered to provide free dental care Friday for nearly 50 underserved La Crosse area children at the Health Science Center. It was part of the American Dental Associations Give Kids a Smile program. Fourteen students in the dental assistant program cleaned and polished teeth and four local dentists provided screenings and extra work on-site. Ten local dental offices volunteered to provide free treatment after the event for children with cavities and extra needs. Dental assistant students also designed art activities encouraging good oral hygiene practices to engage with children waiting for their appointments. For children, its especially important because their primary teeth hold the space for their adult teeth to come in, said Nicole Schmit, WTC dental instructor. If they lose their teeth too early it could cause disruption in proper eruption of their teeth, or if they have cavities that arent taken care of it can cause infections. Registration was open to children on a La Crosse County Health Department list of children who did not have access to dental care. The children being served Friday either did not have dental insurance or cannot receive dental care through state insurance or Medicaid, said Schmit. Schmit, who joined WTC this year, contacted the La Crosse District Dental Society about the Give Kids a Smile event. I did this event when I was in school, said Schmit, and I remembered it was such a great thing. Western Technical College hosted the event regularly until the dental hygiene program ended as faculty retired. The college still offers a dental assistant program. Schmit planned to restart the annual Give Kids a Smile event in La Crosse next year, but organized the event this year due to urgent need in the community. A hygienist with the Health Department providing a sealant program in La Crosse County schools noticed a number of students with immediate dental needs but without access to dental care. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the entirety of La Crosse County has a shortage of dental health care providers serving low-income residents. The Health Professional Shortage Area designation in La Crosse County was last updated in 2021. Depending on available grant money, Schmit aims to expand future Give Kids a Smile events hosted in La Crosse. Im overambitious, Im hoping next year we can do all of the work right here, maybe have it be two days, said Schmit. IN PHOTOS & VIDEOS: A look back on January in the Coulee Region Three bodies found Thursday in the Detroit area are believed those of three rappers who have been missing for almost two weeks, a spokesperson for the city of Highland Park said. The bodies were found in Highland Park, roughly 6 miles northwest of Detroit, Highland Park spokesperson LaKisha Brown said. Michigan State Police, who are leading the investigation into the bodies, have not confirmed their identities. Victims were found in an abandoned Highland Park apartment complex, they said Thursday evening. "As of now we haven't confirmed the identity of any victims inside or a manner of death," officials with Michigan State Police Second District tweeted. "Please remember all victims have families and we don't have the luxury of guessing on their identity and then retracting if we didn't get it right. Once information is confirmed we will update (on Twitter)." State police said a homicide task force, troopers, and workers from their forensic lab were part of the investigation team at the complex. Forensic scientists from the state police lab were making their way into the building and beginning to gather evidence, state police said Thursday evening. "The building is in very poor condition and rat invested which is slowing progress." Armani Kelly, 28; Dante Wicker, 31; and Montoya Givens, 31, who are all associates, were supposed to perform at a club in Detroit on Jan. 21, but the performance was canceled, police have said. Activity on their cell phones stopped early on Jan. 22, according to authorities. A car connected to at least one of the three was found in the city of Warren, which is only a few miles from Highland Park, on Jan. 23, Detroit police had said. Different types of alerts and what they mean What exactly is a Silver Alert? What exactly is an AMBER Alert? What exactly is a Blue Alert? What exactly is an Ashanti Alert? What exactly is a Green Alert? A vast area of open water and thin ice on Lake Monona is perplexing lake experts and alarming some area residents, worried that unsuspecting people or pets might fall in. Although the gap is hard to miss at least in the daytime. The normally uninterrupted blanket of snow on the eastern edge of the lake along Tonyawatha Trail suddenly stops at a pool that appears to be at least 2,000 feet long and, at its widest, stretches 2,000 feet or more toward the center of the lake. Its not known how much of the gap is still open water and how much has finally skimmed over in ice. But whatever ice is there appears very thin. Its very odd, said Hillary Dugan, who studies lake dynamics at the Center for Limnology at UW-Madison, after viewing satellite images of the open area. Theories for how that stretch of the lake could remain unfrozen or lightly frozen so deep into winter include current from the Yahara River, which flows through the 3,359-acre lake; the presence of warmer water; and speculation that, after a crack formed, the ice heaved against itself, allowing water to seep onto the ice and melt it. For Mary Paul Long and Dick Gartner, who have lived along the lake for 30-some years, the last 10 in their current home directly across from the gap, its both curious and alarming. About mid- to late December, most of the lake was frozen for a while but not that part, and we thought, Well thats odd, but its going to freeze, and it didnt, Long said. We got a little bit of ice this last cold snap, and now it seems to be disappearing again. Its never been open water, Gartner said. Its always frozen. Unpredictable ice The couple have ventured out onto the ice this year but stayed well away from the open edge, which they estimate to be about 100 yards from shore, for fear their dogs might fall in. Most worrisome, Long said, are the snowmobilers who cruise up and down the shoreline. They cant see the open water at night, she said. The mystery is just the latest reminder in an inconsistent winter of the unpredictability of lake ice. On Jan. 26, a Madison woman was rescued by an ice angler after she fell through a thin section of ice on Lake Mendotas Spring Harbor. Two days later, a 45-year-old experienced ice angler died during a snowstorm when his ATV plunged through thin ice on Lake Waubesa. Marking the area is unrealistic, said Sgt. Kyle McNally of the of the Marine and Trail Enforcement Bureau of the Dane County Sheriffs Office. Thats because markers can give the illusion that other parts of the lake pose no danger, when that can never be known, he said. Plus, the area is just too large to adequately cordon off, McNally said. The fishermen all know its there, he said. Im concerned that if we get some of that thin ice forming and a snowstorm comes in, it will appear the same as the rest of the lake. McNally compared the opening to the open water and thin ice that stretches from the railroad trestle to Lake Farm Park on Lake Waubesa, which is caused by the current of the Yahara River. With its headwaters in northern Dane County, the river flows through Cherokee Marsh, Lake Mendota and Lake Monona before going under the Beltline to Upper Mud Lake. From there, it flows into lakes Waubesa and Kegonsa then flows through Stoughton and into the Rock River. Although the open section in Lake Monona is on the opposite side of the lake from where the river enters at Yahara Place Park, the current could be flowing through the area on its way to Wicawak Bay, where it leaves the lake. Nature is a crazy thing In daylight, the opening is pretty obvious, said McNally, who uses an air boat to patrol the lake and has seen the expanse of water up close. The ice near the edge of the open water also is pretty thick, said McNally. He thinks a heave, which is created by warming and cooling temperatures that create a crack and results in two pieces of ice pushing up against each other, may be to blame for the phenomenon. Nature is a crazy thing, and ice cant be trusted, obviously, McNally said. Dugan, an assistant professor whose research spans from Wisconsin to Antarctica, said typically open water areas occur in the same places year after year, which makes this particular spot puzzling. But warm water and current are usually the culprits, she said. A heave could be the cause for the opening, but those often will freeze shortly after. These lakes react pretty quickly to changes in the weather, Dugan said. We had some nice cold days for a while now. For it to be open water now seems a little surprising. Military delegations of Russia, Turkiye and Syria will hold technical-level negotiations in the near future, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Thursday. "In the coming days, our delegations will hold consultations at the technical level. We are paying effort to achieve results," the Defense Ministry quoted Akar as saying in a Twitter post. The European Parliament (EP) on Thursday voted to waive the immunity of two lawmakers following a request from Belgian judicial authorities investigating a major corruption scandal rocking the European Union (EU) assembly. The EP said that its members had backed the decision to waive the immunities of Italian Member of Parliament (MEP) Andrea Cozzolino and Belgian lawmaker Marc Tarabella. By a show of hands, MEPs endorsed the proposal adopted by the Legal Affairs Committee on Tuesday. Once the decision is formally communicated to both MEPs and the requesting authorities, the procedure to strip the two members of their parliamentary immunity would have been completed. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola started the procedure on Jan. 16 after receiving requests from the competent authorities in Belgium as part of an inquiry by the Belgian Federal Public Prosecutor's Office. Cozzolino and Tarabella have denied wrongdoing and self-suspended their membership of Parliament's Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group. Eva Kaili, who was stripped of her role as EP vice president, has already been charged over the alleged bribery scandal. Prosecutors accuse the Greek Socialist MEP of corruption, membership in a criminal organization and money laundering. West Seeks a Lasting Strategic Defeat of Russia in Ukraine, Says Lavrov Feb. 2, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)In his wide-ranging interview with TV host Dmitry Kiselyov for Rossiya-24 TV and RIA Novosti today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (in Russian) warned that the West seeks to make Russia suffer a lasting strategic defeat in Ukraine. What is it if not racism, Nazism, and an attempt to find a solution to the Russian question? he asked. With their unending sanctions, he continued, Western nations hope to cripple Russia completely, to bring a decade of regression, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen bluntly put it. We are in the center of a geopolitical battle. There is no doubt about it, Lavrov said. Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine are heroes whose deeds are for the future of mankind, in which there will be no conditions for full U.S. hegemony, said Lavrov, in the hour and 20 minute interview. He affirmed that, naturally, everyone wants the Ukraine conflict to end. The key, however, is not the timing, but a quality end-result that we can secure for our nations, for those people who want to remain part of Russian culture and who have for years been deprived of all things Russia by the Kiev junta with Western connivance. At this point, we are acting based on the principle proclaimed by our Western colleagues: victory should be won on the battlefield. This is their clear formula, and they were the ones who refused to negotiate. Lavrovs discussion of Russian-Chinese relations was instructive. Relations are as strong as ever, he said, with no restrictions, no limits, and no issues banned for discussion. Both Moscow and Beijing simply want to pursue national development within the framework of existing norms of international trade. And, he emphasized, China beats America on its own turf under its own rules. That is why the U.S. is reneging on the economic principles that it spread across the world and benefited from in the past. But, as Moscow sees it, the current form of globalization no longer has positive traits, Lavrov said, adding that we realized it sooner because we were the first to take a punch. Russia had less immersion than China in the U.S.-influenced global financial system and other mechanisms, which Washington now abuses, he explained. Lavrov predicted that it will take China some time to reduce its involvement with those mechanisms and create alternative tools to defend its interests, but it is moving in that direction. EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2023 Are You Missing Out on the Revolution Underway in the World? Feb. 2, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)The Schiller Institute is holding an international conference this Saturday, Feb. 4 to which you are invited. The subjects of its two panels tell you how big this discussion will be: How Nuclear World War III Can Be Avoided, and The Name of Peace: A New Security and Economic Development Architecture. This is your opportunity to join other thinking people, from across the world, to discuss through how humanity can replace this hated old order which has led the world to the brink of nuclear war, in time. You will find out you are not alone, in realizing that this collapsing old order, which protects the rights of the billionaires, but neglects the billions of people who suffer from scarcity, has to be replaced. You will experience that special happiness and optimism which comes from participating in a serious discussion with people from other countries and cultures about how our nature as creative human beings allows us to change the course of history, when so needed. Most people will find there that they dont really know what is going on out there, which you need to know to be able to help bring about the changes we need. Take the following examples: Did you or your neighbor know that while the media are telling you not to worry about nuclear war, because Russia and its military are about to collapse, President Putin and the Russian people today celebrated the 80th anniversary of their victory against the Nazi invaders at Stalingrad, as the eternal symbol of the invincibility of our people? And the at the solemn celebration of that victory, the Russian President issued a reminder: Those seeking to defeat Russia on the battlefield apparently do not realize that a modern war with Russia would be entirely different for them. Were not sending our tanks to their borders. Yet we have something to respond with, and it would not be limited to armor use only, everyone must realize that. It would be highly advisable, in fact, for you to know that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov this week issued very similar warnings, that the Russians recognize that the strategic goal of the United States and NATOs war in Ukraine, is the strategic defeat of Russia, to cut Russias name from the political map of the world, and on that basis, there is nothing that can be discussed. But those same high-level officials said again to the United States: If you give up your ambition to defeat or deal a strategic blow to the Russian Federation ... then we will be ready to take a constructive look at U.S. proposals. How about the fact that the Pentagon is preparing plans to fight a war with China, a nation of 1.4 billion people which is the fastest-growing technological power in the world, while fighting a war at the same time with the nuclear weapons power, Russia? Isnt that something you had better find out about fast? Chinas Peoples Liberation Army published an article on its website this week with the message that China does not want war with the U.S.! But, by the way, should the U.S. provoke that fight, the PLA reported elsewhere, China has a new hypersonic anti-ship missile which can reach the speed of Mach 10 by the time it hits its target. There are forces already in motion all over the world, however, to stop this madness. Did you, or your neighbor know that nearly 3 million men and women took to the streets of some 250 cities across France on Jan. 31, in protest against government policies which cut their living standards in order to bail out the speculators and feed a war in Ukraine which threatens to go nuclear? That the next day, the largest strike in a decade took place in the U.K., for basically the same reasons? How about the fact that 16 nations of Southern Africa, despite most of them being poor and struggling, had the gumption to issue a statement telling the U.S. government that they do not, and will not support NATOs war against Russia, despite all the formers threats? Are any of your neighbors discussing the fact that President of Brazil Lula da Silva proposed on Jan. 30 that Brazil, China, India, and Indonesia get together to help negotiate a peaceful end to the Ukraine-Russia conflict, instead of feeding the conflict by shipping in more and more arms? Lulas initiative is not some gesture made off the top of his head. It buttresses the offer of Pope Francis of the Vatican as a venue for peace negotiations to end the conflict. Both initiatives increase the pressure to abandon the drive to crush Russia and China. Join us in conspiring this weekend on how to turn this potential into a force strong enough to overturn this rotten system and bring about peace through development! GRAND ISLAND Encouraging results of new sensor-based fertigation will be presented at Central Platte NRDs annual Water Programs Update to be held Thursday, February 16, 2023, at the Merrick County Fairgrounds in Central City. During the 2022 growing season, sensor-based fertigation (SBF) studies were conducted by UNL on two farms in the CPNRD with a focus on improving nitrogen (N) management. SBF utilizes multispectral sensors equipped on drones to collect images and detect weekly N deficiencies in corn from V6 to R3 growth stages. With the use of N-Time, the collected images are analyzed to create an actionable nitrogen prescription on SBF treatment sectors. Results from SBF studies conducted throughout Nebraska since 2019, show the practices to be 96% more efficient in nitrogen usage and 56% more profitable when compared to the growers management. New treatments introduced to the study included increasing the applied nitrogen rate when a treatment area is triggered as deficient. With these new treatments, SBF results continued to increase efficiency and profitability. Dean Krull, UNL Demonstration Project Coordinator, will start the nitrogen use discussion by providing a timeline of nitrogen management through fertigation trials. Taylor Cross, UNL Graduate Research Student, will explain the results from trials on producers fields in Hall County; and James Herrick, Implementation Specialist, will provide information on how Sentinel Fertigation is leading this new technology in the state. Ag producer Noah Seim will share his experience with the transition to data-driven fertigation and how it has impacted the Seim Farm operation. Guest speakers Don Blankenau, Attorney with BWJ Law Group of Lincoln, will explain Nebraskas drainage law regarding landowner versus renter responsibilities; and Martha Durr, State Climatologist, will offer insights into the anticipated weather pattern for the 2023 growing season. Central Platte NRD staff will provide recent developments with the NRDs groundwater quality and groundwater quantity programs. Attendance replaces the requirement to take CPNRDs Nitrogen Management Certification Test for producers in Phases II/III of the Groundwater Quality Management Program. Professionals may register to receive four Continuing Education Credits for the Professional Water Well Contractors License and three Certified Crop Advisors Water & Soil credentials. The Update is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. 2:30 p.m. There is no cost to attend, RSVP for lunch by February 10, 2023, by calling (308) 385-6282 or email Marcia Lee at lee@cpnrd.org. Additional information is available at www.cpnrd.org. Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the envoys of nine countries, including ones that have closed their diplomatic missions in Turkiye, diplomatic sources said Thursday. Sources noted that the ambassadors and representatives of the U.S., the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Britain, Germany, Belgium, France and Italy were summoned to the ministry in Ankara to convey Turkiye's reaction. The ministry reminded the diplomats that Turkiye ensures the security of all diplomatic missions in th ecountry in line with international agreements and that such simultaneous acts are not proportional and prudent approaches, and only serve the insidious agendas of terrorist groups. The diplomats were told that Ankara expects allied and friendly nations to cooperate with Turkish security forces regarding the matter. On Thursday, five consulates, including the German, French, Dutch, Belgian and the United Kingdom were closed citing alleged security threats. Because the actors in The Watchful Eye didnt know who the bad guy was, they often had to stop and ask, Could it be me? In the new mystery series, a nanny is hired to take care of a wealthy architects son. She starts poking around the building called The Greybourne and discovers all is not as it seems. Whos behind some suspicious activity? Every time a new character came in, we were like, OKthey did it or Theyre going to die, says Amy Acker, who plays Tory, the architects sister-in-law. You kind of walked around not knowing what your fate was. And if you were mad at someone, you could just say, Oh, yeah, I heard youre gonna die. Executive Producer Emily Fox says she had to be real circumspect during filming. This was a big swing in terms of genre mashups we had love stories, thrillers, family dramas. We sort of took a page out of some of our favorite dramas and thrillers and the happy byproduct of that is they could all be guilty. Mariel Molino, who plays Elena, the new nanny, says Watchful Eye veers from Hitchcockian thrillers. Theres a very empowered female at the center of this story whos got an axe to grind. Its not just a whodunit, Fox adds. Its a chess game and it has a lot of different moving parts. Adding to the mystery: The series filming location. The basement of The Greybourne is an actual basement. Its underneath a former insane asylum, Fox says. It already felt haunted and terrifying. The Greybourne, she says, has its own personality including literal and figurative secret passageways. It will be fun for everybody to get to know how The Greybourne lives and breathes. While Acker and Warren Christie who plays Matthew represent the haves, theyre in sharp contrast to Molinos character. She believes if you have money, you have no problems, Fox says. Quickly, she learns differently. It really wasnt necessary for me to know what was happening or what these residents with their ulterior moments had, Molino says. I knew I had to go from point A to point B and then everything else was a surprise. I think it helped with the mystery. Up until the end, Elena still doesnt know whats in store for her. To throw her off balance, young Jasper (played by Henry Joseph Samiri) didnt come off as a creepy kid in a seemingly haunted building. Hes such a pro, says Christie. He shows up every day and wants to have fun and wants to explore. His secret ruse? Charging the other actors for swearing. He would make you pay the piper and hold you responsible, says Molino. (The going rate: $1. He just bought a private jet, Fox says with a laugh.) What Watchful Eye also leans into is trust. Who can you trust? While Ackers character trusts no one, shes just the opposite. I just trust everyone, she says with a laugh. Christie, meanwhile, says trust comes with time. Its tough to trust people these days. Im an over time guy. The people I trust most in this world, it came over time. For Elena, a real fear is that shes seeing things, Fox says. The mystery and the supernatural dovetail because it is all about whom can you trust, including yourself, your own eyes, your own mind. Thats the tug of war inside the show. Is this supernatural? Is it a mystery? Its everything. "The Watchful Eye" airs on Freeform. Abu Dhabi developer Aldar Properties said it has signed an agreement with Dubai Holding, a leading UAE investment conglomerate, to set up a joint venture entity for developing new living experiences across prime locations in Dubai. The agreement, which marks Aldars entry into Dubais real estate market, comes as part of its broader expansion into new markets. The move adds considerable weight to Aldars development pipeline, following the recent acquisitions of Al Fahid Island in Abu Dhabi and a new waterfront development in Ras Al Khaimah. The joint venture will develop new communities in three locations across an area of 38.2 million sq ft. The new communities will be located in the suburban heart of Dubai along the E311 and E611 corridors in close proximity to several residential communities. With support from Dubai Holding, Aldar will be responsible for the full development cycle, including concept design, sales, delivery, and management of the developments. On the joint venture, Group CEO Talal Al Dhiyebi said: "Through the execution of our transformational growth agenda, we continue to generate expansion opportunities, which are driving new revenue streams and creating greater shareholder value." The new joint venture with Dubai Holding further supports Aldars continued pursuit of an accelerated and transformational growth agenda with the aim of adding scale across its core development and investment property platforms, he stated. According to Al Dhiyebi, the JV firm will start launching the projects beginning this year in a phased manner. "It is likely to feature more than 9,000 units consisting of villas, townhouses, and apartments supported by retail and community facilities with a total gross floor area of 19.3 million sqft (1.8 million sqm)," he added. Dubai Holding Group CEO Amit Kaushal said: "Over the years, Dubai Holding has played a major role in supporting the growth of the emirates real estate sector." "By joining forces with Aldar, we are delivering on a shared objective of driving the UAEs economic growth and creating long-term, sustainable value for all our stakeholders," he added.-TradeArabia News Service A Dane County jury deliberated for about three hours Thursday night before finding a Madison man guilty of three felonies, including attempted first-degree intentional homicide, for spraying 38 bullets from a gun modified to fire automatically at another vehicle on a busy Sun Prairie street in 2020. Yeshua K.J. Schworck, who is 18 now but was 16 years old on Dec. 9, 2020, also was convicted of first-degree reckless endangerment and possession of a firearm by someone previously found delinquent, following two days of testimony before the jury and Dane County Circuit Judge Josann Reynolds. The driver of the vehicle from which Schworck fired the shots, Trentin G. Holsten, 20, of Madison, testified for the prosecution on Wednesday. On Friday, he pleaded guilty to reduced charges under an agreement harboring or aiding a felon and driving a stolen vehicle and was sentenced to six years of probation, which will follow a two-year prison sentence Holsten is currently serving from a prior conviction. Holsten had been set to go to trial next week on a charge of being a party to attempted homicide. Reynolds agreed to structure the sentence so that if Holstens probation is revoked, he would automatically begin serving an additional five-year prison term. Schworck faces up to 60 years of combined prison and extended supervision for attempted homicide, 12 years for reckless endangerment and 10 years for firearm possession. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 13. The gunshots, fired from a semi-automatic handgun that was equipped with an extended magazine and modified with a switch to fire automatically, struck a vehicle driven by Ferry Currie, who testified on Wednesday that he had a dispute with Holsten because Holsten was dating and mistreating his daughter. Bullets also struck a nearby taxi in which a child was a passenger and narrowly missed two people after a bullet entered a family minivan. Nearby buildings also were struck by gunfire. Currie testified he was at a BP gas station on West Main Street in Sun Prairie when he saw a vehicle driven by Holsten. He drove up to it and had words with Holsten, though in their testimony Currie and Holsten differed about what exactly was said. When Holsten left, Currie quickly followed, according to security video, and moments later, gunfire erupted. Schworcks attorney, Murali Jasti, argued that Currie fired first at the stolen vehicle Holsten was driving and that it was Holsten, not Schworck, who then returned fire. He said there was no reason to believe Schworck would fire at Currie when the dispute was between Currie and Holsten. Assistant District Attorney Dan Hess told the jury there was no evidence Currie had a gun or had used one. On the witness stand Wednesday, Holsten said he knew Schworck had a gun in the car Snapchat video posted earlier in the day and found by police also showed Schworck brandishing the gun but he didnt know Schworck was going to shoot at Currie. I was just shook after the shooting, Holsten testified. I dont remember nothing being said. About four days later, Holsten was arrested. By then, police had already found the Snapchat video and identified Schworck, but without knowing that, Holsten also identified Schworck as the shooter. While that would have had him labeled a snitch, Holsten testified, the police already knew about Schworck. I never seen myself supplying information like that to the police, he said. I had to do whats right. On cross examination by Jasti, Holsten maintained he was testifying without any deal or assurances of a deal from prosecutors. Hess said on Friday that he didnt know whether Holsten would actually testify once he was on the stand or tell Hess to kick rocks. But even if he hadnt, Hess said, he would have played the jury a recording of Holstens interview with Sun Prairie police. Schworck did not testify. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne announced Thursday that he would not file charges against a Dane County sheriffs deputy who shot and killed a 46-year-old man in Windsor in October. Cody Woods fired on Quantaze Campbell, 46, of Madison, just after 6 p.m. on Oct. 13 in the parking lot of the Super 8 hotel in Windsor after finding him in a stolen pickup truck. Campbell later died at a hospital. The deputy was giving verbal commands to stay in the car and to put the car in park, Ozanne said in a statement from the Sheriffs Office. Mr. Campbell appeared to be exiting the truck before he moved back into the drivers seat and then he accelerated out of the parking stall while the deputy was still at the front of the truck. In an interview Thursday, one of Campbells children, 23-year-old Quantazia Campbell, of Middleton, disputed that characterization, saying that surveillance video shown to the family by the District Attorneys Office showed her father pulling out of a parking stall in the black Ford F-150 while the deputy was on the side of the vehicle. The deputy fired one shot, the DAs office said. There was a back-and-forth between my dad and the deputy, she said. The video looks like (Woods) instructions were unclear. Her father was probably confused and just acting like a human would, she said. She said investigators told her they did not have evidence that Campbell stole the truck or knew it had been stolen by someone else. Ozanne did not respond to an email Thursday asking if that was true, or whether Campbell had been armed with a weapon, although investigators have not said that he was. A statement from Ozannes office says Woods, a four-year veteran of the Sheriffs Office, told police dispatch he was holding Campbell and two women in the truck at gunpoint when Campbell put the truck in drive and began to slowly move forward. The deputy gave verbal commands to put the vehicle in park, according to the DAs office. Mr. Campbell is seen raising his hands before putting the truck in reverse and moving the truck back into the parking stall. The deputy gave commands to put the vehicle in park and moved to the front of the truck placing his left hand on the front of the truck with his firearm in his right hand while continuing to give verbal commands. At this time, the deputy was between his squad and the F-150. At that point, Campbell and the front-seat passenger opened their doors, the office says, and the front-seat passenger got out. The deputy was giving verbal commands to stay in the car and to put the car in park, the statement continues. Mr. Campbell appeared to be exiting the truck before he moved back into the drivers seat and then he accelerated out of the parking stall while the deputy was still at the front of the truck. The deputy was moving backwards as the truck accelerated forward and he fired one shot into the truck through the drivers side window striking Mr. Campbell as he drove off, the statement says. Campbell then drove to the back of the hotel before stopping in a grassy area along the fence line. Ozanne said in his offices statement that under state law, a vehicle can be operated in a manner which is dangerous and poses a grave danger of bodily harm and/or death to an individual and that a person fleeing from police driving a vehicle toward an officer on foot directly in front of said vehicle does pose a threat of great bodily harm and/or death to the officer. Responding to that threat with deadly force may be permitted under the law, he said. Decision expected Quantazia Campbell said she and her family met with Ozanne on Jan. 25 and the decision announced Thursday was expected. She said the family has been in contact with the law offices of Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney who has risen to prominence representing the families of Black people killed by police, including most recently Tyre Nichols in Memphis. Leo Rodriguez, a paralegal with Crumps office, confirmed the family has been in touch with Crumps office but could not say if hes been retained by the family. We are continuing to live our dads legacy, Quantazia Campbell said, and the family intends to file a civil rights suit in the case. We have lost the battle but were going to win the war, for sure, she said. During a vigil Oct. 16 outside the hotel, Campbell was described as a family man who often bought treats for his children and was nicknamed T-Money, according to one of his friends. Quantazia Campbell said her father had six biological children and two step-children and was involved in their upbringing but was not married at the time of his death. Campbell had been wanted on a warrant since Sept. 20 for missing a court date stemming from charges of being party to a theft between $10,000 and $100,000. He had a criminal record dating back to 1994 for offenses including substantial battery, disorderly conduct, theft and robbery, drug crimes, and resisting or obstructing an officer. The Wisconsin Department of Justices Division of Criminal Investigation investigated the shooting in line with a state law that requires outside law enforcement agencies to investigate officer-involved fatalities. I want to thank DCI and our District Attorney for their thorough investigation, Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in his offices statement. These incidents are always difficult for everyone involved, no matter the outcome. The loss of life weighs heavily on all of us. The Sheriffs Office is beginning an administrative review of the incident, that statement says, and Woods remains on paid leave. Other shooting Quantaze Campbell was the first of two people shot and killed by a Dane County Sheriffs Office employee in October. The DAs office has so far not released a decision on whether to charge detective and 20-year law enforcement veteran Clint R. Seltzner in the Oct. 23 fatal shooting of Jose C. Jimenez, 21, in the village of Oregon. Authorities said a firearm was located at the scene in that case but the DOJ has declined to say whether it belonged to Jimenez or whether it had been used to threaten Seltzner or other officers. Seltzner was also placed on paid leave pending the outcome of an investigation. DOJ has said Jimenez was being sought on an alleged weapons violation, and law enforcement had set up a perimeter to capture him when Jimenez tried to flee the scene on foot. In a statement Oct. 23 about Jimenezs death, Barrett said his office got a 911 call about 11 a.m. about a weapons violation on Jefferson Street, and deputies and assisting agencies began searching for a person in the area. Photos: Madison's most dangerous intersections, as seen from space No. 10: Packers Avenue and International Lane No. 9: Zeier Road and East Washington Avenue No. 8: South Park Street and West Badger Road No. 7: Thierer Road and East Washington Avenue No. 6: North First Street and East Washington Avenue No. 5: Buckeye Road and South Stoughton Road No. 4: South Baldwin Street and East Washington Avenue No. 3: North Stoughton Road and East Washington Avenue No. 2: Watts Road and South Gammon Road No. 1: Pleasant View Road and Mineral Point A nurse at St. Marys Hospital in Madison is under investigation after a critical tube carrying oxygen to her son, who was being treated in the hospitals intensive care unit, was disconnected, setting off an alarm on his ventilator, according to court documents. The incident, reported to Madison police by Mary LaHam, the hospitals vice president of nursing care services and chief nursing officer, happened on Jan. 19, according to a search warrant filed Wednesday in Dane County Circuit Court. LaHam told police, the document states, that the tube, part of an endotracheal tube that provided oxygen to the patient, had been disconnected in a manner that would not happen accidentally, and that when the breathing apparatus was later removed from the patient, he told other hospital staff that his mother had tried to kill him. The Wisconsin State Journal is not naming the patients mother at this time because she has not been arrested or charged with a crime. She is a nurse at St. Marys but works in a different building nearby and was not involved in her sons care. The warrant sought court authorization to search a cellphone seized from the nurse by police. It states police are investigating the crime of reckless endangerment. According to the search warrant, a detective, while trying to turn off the phone, saw a text message from the nurse that said something to the effect of, The police just interrogated me and want to take my phone. Im pissed, they think Im a serial killer. A spokesperson for Madison police, who are investigating the matter, did not respond to email messages and phone calls. Spokespersons for St. Marys Hospital also did not respond to messages. According to the search warrant: The patient was in the intensive care unit for observation following a drug overdose and was placed on a ventilator to aid his breathing. He was heavily sedated and his arms were restrained to keep him from inadvertently injuring himself by trying to remove an intubation device, a common practice for intubated patients at hospitals. His mother was allowed to visit him. An ICU nurse told police the patient was on a drug to relieve anxiety that also can act as a sedative. He was interactive and conscious, the ICU nurse told police, but his arms were restrained. Shortly after midnight on Jan. 19, the alarm sounded on the patients ventilator. Another ICU nurse came into the room and found the patients mother seated asleep in a chair, snoring, but the ICU nurse said she appeared to be faking it. The patients mother told police that when the ventilator alarm went off she was in her sons room. She said she was holding his hand when he began to experience respiratory distress, so she pressed a button to call the nurse to the room. But ICU staff told investigators that nurses who responded to the ventilator alarm said they werent responding to a call signal. One of those nurses also told police that when she got to the room the patients mother was in a chair, apparently asleep. The disconnection of the tube at that critical junction point was described to police by staff as one in a million. It was reconnected and the patient was stabilized. Later in the day, when he was taken off the ventilator, the patient told nurses that his mother had tried to kill him. Kevin Kobler, the hospitals director of critical care, told police that the endotracheal tube has several junction points that are specifically designed to fail before the point where the disconnection occurred. He said any of the other points would have failed first. A demonstration of the tube disconnection, performed by investigators, also found that it took some twisting and pulling to disconnect the tube at the junction point where the patients tube had become disconnected. See the Wisconsin State Journal photo staff's favorites of 2022 The largest post-election audit in state history found no voting equipment errors and just half a dozen human errors in the November general election, according to a report from the Wisconsin Elections Commission. County and municipal clerks conducted the audit in late November and early December. It included a hand tally audit of more than 222,000 ballots, or about 8.4% of the ballots cast in the Nov. 8 election. Democratic commissioner Ann Jacobs said in a Thursday meeting the audit shows that Wisconsins voting machines functioned properly and the findings should help dispel any lingering doubts in the accuracy of Wisconsins elections. The errors found, I believe, are properly categorized as human errors, Jacobs said. Whenever humans are involved were probably not going to get to a zero human error rate. Republican commissioner Robert Spindell Jr. offered a similar sentiment, adding that the overall results of the audit were remarkable and should give confidence to the people of Wisconsin that the machines worked properly. The bipartisan six-member commission voted unanimously to accept the post-election audit with an effective error rate of 0%, meaning the audit did not find any errors that were caused solely by an equipment malfunction. The agency also directed staff to provide additional training to local election officials to mitigate the future possibility of equipment or human errors. The accepted federal error rate is 1 in 500,000. The federal standard does not account for human errors or conditions caused by human behavior. Agency administrator Meagan Wolfe said the 2022 post-election voting equipment audit was the largest of its kind in state history. Elections commission staff identified six errors attributable to human behavior, but found no evidence that any of the audited voting equipment changed the votes from one candidate to another, incorrectly tabulated votes or altered the outcome of any audited race. All of the errors identified in the post-election audit were attributed to either human error or a combination of human and equipment errors. Errors were identified in four communities: De Pere, Owen, the village of Whitelaw and the town of Grand Chute. Identified errors include: a stray mark or ballot fold causing the machine to tally an overvote on one ballot; heavy crease lines leading to false overvotes on three ballots; an overvote caused by a torn ballot; and a properly filled out oval marked with green ink being read as blank by the voting machine. The audit also found no evidence of programing errors, hacking of voting equipment software or malfunctions, but does highlight the limitations of electronic voting equipment and underscores the necessity of comprehensive administrative procedures required to ensure the effectiveness of voting equipment used in Wisconsin elections, according to a commission staff report. The commission voted unanimously in September to request more than $1.3 million in additional state funds in the upcoming 2023-25 budget to create an Elections Inspector General office to expedite research and responses to inquiries and complaints from the public or members of the state Legislature. Commission members said the new office would help process the deluge of complaints and public records requests received by the agency since the 2020 election and boost confidence in state elections at a time of rising GOP scrutiny. GOP scrutiny over Wisconsin elections rose following the 2020 presidential election, in which President Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump by almost 21,000 votes, due in large part to Trumps repeated lies that the election was stolen. A recount, court decisions and multiple reviews have affirmed the elections results and found no evidence of widespread fraud. Only 24 people out of nearly 3.3 million who cast ballots have been charged with election fraud in Wisconsin. In western Wisconsins rural Pepin County, there is one mental health therapist, no psychiatrist and a growing need for both. Residents in the county of just over 7,000 people are used to traveling 25 minutes to Menomonie or 40 minutes to Eau Claire for mental health care, but it can take three months for patients to be seen in those cities, said Carol Pulkrabek, who supervises Pepin Countys child welfare programs and social workers. Those long waits and the lack of psychiatrists exacerbate peoples mental health issues, Pulkrabek said. And I dont think that is unique to Pepin County, she added. Like most counties across Wisconsin, Pepin County is simultaneously experiencing a mental health care provider shortage and an increasing need for them. For most people in rural America, finding a place to get mental health treatment and then finding funding are the biggest challenges, said Donna Juleff, Pepin Countys only mental health therapist. The problem is especially acute among children and youths. About a third of students across Wisconsin feel sad and hopeless almost every day, a 10% increase over the last decade, according to the Office of Childrens Mental Health. And half of Wisconsin youths with a diagnosed mental health condition receive no treatment, the office found. Our referrals right now for kids are absolutely increasing, Pulkrabek said. In our mental health programs, we serve more kids than we do adults. Getting a child psychiatrist is virtually impossible. They fill up immediately. Evers appeal Citing such challenges, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in his State of the State address last month called 2023 the year of mental health. He said he would seek to devote $500 million in his upcoming 2023-25 biennial budget to addressing deficiencies in mental health treatment. Over half of that would be directed toward children and youths. But while lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agree on the need to address the problem, they remain sharply divided over the role government should play and how much taxpayer money should go toward addressing it. Responding to the governors proposal, which would need Republican support in the Legislature to become law, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said Evers proposal to put over half of the mental health spending in schools is not going to happen. Sen. Jesse James, R-Altoona, who chairs the Senate Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families, said the governor and the Legislature agree that we need to do something. Now, whether or not its $500 million, I think (a solution) still needs to be discussed and compromised and negotiated, he continued. Whats next? More than half of Evers $500 million mental health proposal $270 million would go to the Department of Public Instruction for school-based mental health services. The money would be used to provide mental health care, hiring and supporting mental health navigators, and providing mental health first aid and trauma-based care training. But James said the crisis isnt an educational issue. I think there needs to be more discussions and seeing what the true big picture looks like when it comes to this type of money going in directly to our schools, James said. Maybe the Department of Health Services should take some. I think our hospitals and clinics should be able to use some. Other Republican lawmakers are open to the money going into schools. While emphasizing he wanted to avoid government overreach, Rep. Pat Snyder, R-Schofield, who chairs the Legislative Childrens Caucus, said the one thing we can do ... is make sure there is some extra funding for school counseling. Snyder said Evers math, however, is based on unrealistic policies that he knows will not be part of the final budget. Pitch for schools Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, said the money proposed for DPI is absolutely necessary. Students deserve a dedicated mental health professional they can reliably turn to in times of need, she said. If Republicans have alternative solutions, Im interested in learning what they are, but I am unwilling to allow the mental health needs of Wisconsinites, especially our kids, to go unmet. Children and youths exposed to trauma are more likely to perform poorly in school, have diminished educational and employment opportunities, and be at increased risk for chronic medical and mental health conditions, and early death, a group of researchers found in an 2017 study published in the Journal of School Health. Besides preventing trauma in the first place, high quality, accessible and culturally responsive mental health screening and treatment services are urgently needed for children and adolescents, specifically within school settings, the researchers stated. If schools had more money to pay therapists, it would eliminate mental health providers worry about getting insurance companies to reimburse them for their services, Juleff said. Bed shortage Separate from the $270 million for DPI, Evers proposed 28 separate allocations to the DHS under the mental health umbrella. That includes $3 million for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline call center and a $1.8 million investment to establish a 25-bed psychiatric residential treatment facility for youths with intensive behavioral health needs. About 35 psychiatric beds are needed per 100,000 people, according to a 2021 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Wisconsin has fewer beds than needed, the study says. One bright spot is in the Madison area. With Dane Countys population of about 565,000, it would need about 200 beds to meet the studys standards. The Madison area is soon expected to have nearly 300 mental health beds, up from about 100 a few years ago. But another study in the journal Molecular Psychiatry last year said 30 beds per 100,000 people is the minimum number needed, while the optimal number is 60 beds, which in Dane County would be about 340 beds. Few or no beds are available in rural counties near Madison, which arguably increases the need. Under Evers proposal, another $4 million would go toward expanding the states Child Psychiatry Consultation Program, which provides training and support to primary care providers dealing with childrens mental health, into a broader Mental Health Consultation Program, according to the governors office. Pandemic impact The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on and, in some cases, exacerbated mental health challenges across the state. Children are anxious and depressed more so than before, especially those little ones that were isolated for ... a year and a half with the pandemic, Juleff said. The ones who are pre-K and kindergarten, I think, are struggling a lot. Noting that childrens mental health crises began before COVID-19, Wisconsin Office of Childrens Mental Health director Linda Hall said in the groups annual report, The effects of the pandemic continued to weigh heavily on everyone. Children returning to in-person school faced the challenges of how to act in the classroom, how to be with peers, fill learning gaps, and manage the big feelings they were having because of these challenges and everything they and their families have been through, Hall said. In Pepin County, Durand-Arkansaw School District pupil services director Michelle Zagozen said the pandemic is to blame for many but not all of the mental health challenges students face. Students worry about the unknown increased during the pandemic, she said, and during school closures students were cut off from school services that could have helped them navigate their anxiety. In spite of it all, students are still achieving success, she said. In a lot of aspects, kids are doing well, and they were very resilient through the pandemic, she said. We just have to help them with some of these issues that are popping up. President Joe Biden will visit the Madison area on Wednesday to tout his economic plan, according to the White House. In his visit Biden will highlight how his economic plan is creating good-paying, union jobs and delivering results for Americans, according to a White House statement. His Wisconsin visit follows a labor market report that far exceeded economists expectations. The U.S. economy added 517,000 jobs in January, and the unemployment rate fell to 3.4%, its lowest rate since 1969, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A White House spokesperson had not clarified where and what time Biden will make his Wednesday appearance in the Madison area. The presidents visit is scheduled amid a critical month in Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin. Bidens visit will come the day after his State of the Union address. One week after Bidens visit, on Feb. 15, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers will present his budget to the Republican-led Legislature, launching a monthslong battle over state government spending. Less than one week after Evers budget address on Feb. 21 four contenders will face off in the Wisconsin Supreme Court primary, an election that will decide which two candidates advance to the April 4 election. Biden last visited the state in September, when he stumped for Democratic midterm election candidates in Milwaukee. Photos: Inauguration ceremony at the state Capitol MADISON, Wis. A newly released audio recording offers a behind-the-scenes look at how former President Donald Trump's campaign team in a pivotal battleground state knew they had been outflanked by Democrats in the 2020 presidential election. But even as they acknowledged defeat, they pivoted to allegations of widespread fraud that were ultimately debunked repeatedly by elections officials and the courts. The audio from Nov. 5, 2020, two days after the election, surfaced as Trump again seeks the White House while continuing to lie about the legitimacy of the outcome and Democrat Joe Biden's win. The Wisconsin political operatives in the strategy session even praised Democratic turnout efforts in the state's largest counties and appeared to joke about their efforts to engage Black voters, according to the recording obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. The audio centers on Andrew Iverson, who was the head of Trump's campaign in the state. "Here's the drill: Comms is going to continue to fan the flame and get the word out about Democrats trying to steal this election. We'll do whatever they need (inaudible) help with. Just be on standby in case there's any stunts we need to pull," Iverson said. Iverson is now the Midwest regional director for the Republican National Committee. He deferred questions about the meeting to the RNC, whose spokesperson, Keith Schipper, declined comment because he had not heard the recording. The former campaign official and Republican operative who provided a copy of the recording to the AP was in the meeting and recorded it. The operative is not authorized to speak publicly about what was discussed and did not want to be identified out of concern for personal and professional retaliation, but said they came forward because Trump is mounting a third attempt for the White House. In response to questions about the audio, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said: "The 2024 campaign is focused on competing in every state and winning in a dominating fashion. That is why President Trump is leading by wide margins in poll after poll." Wisconsin was a big part of Trump's victory in 2016, when he smashed through the Democrats' so-called "Blue Wall" in the upper Midwest, and his campaign fought hard to keep the swing state in his column four years later. Biden defeated Trump by nearly 21,000 votes in Wisconsin in 2020, a result that has withstood independent and partisan audits and reviews, as well as lawsuits and recounts in the state's two largest and Democratic-leaning counties. Yet, two days after the election, there was no discussion of Trump having won the state during the meeting of Republican campaign operatives. Instead, parts of the meeting focus on discussions about packing up campaign offices and writing final reports about how the campaign unfolded. Iverson is heard praising the GOP's efforts while admitting the margin of Trump's defeat in the state. "At the end of the day, this operation received more votes than any other Republican in Wisconsin history," Iverson said. "Say what you want, our operation turned out Republican or DJT supporters. Democrats just got 20,000 more than us, out of Dane County and other shenanigans in Milwaukee, Green Bay and Dane. There's a lot that people can learn from this campaign." The meeting showcases another juxtaposition of what Republican officials knew about the election results and what Trump and his closest allies were saying publicly as they pushed the lie of a stolen election. Trump was told by his own attorney general there was no sign of widespread fraud, and many within his own administration told the former president there was no substance to various claims of fraud or manipulation. Trump and his allies filed lawsuits, convened fake electors and pressured election officials in an attempt to keep Trump in office. It's unclear whether the staff in Wisconsin coordinated their message directly with campaign officials in Washington. Parts of the Nov. 5 meeting also center on Republican outreach efforts to the state's Black community. The operatives laugh over needing "more Black voices for Trump." Iverson also references their efforts to engage with Black voters. "We ever talk to Black people before? I don't think so," he said, eliciting laughter from others in the room. Another speaker on the recording with Iverson is identified by the source as GOP operative Clayton Henson, then a regional director for the RNC in charge of Wisconsin and other Midwestern states. They praise Republican turnout and campaign efforts while acknowledging the Democrats' robust turn-out-the-vote campaign. Henson specifically references Democratic turnout in Dane County, which includes Madison, the state capital, and is a liberal stronghold. A record-high 80% of the voting-age population cast ballots in 2020 in the county, which Biden won with 76% of the vote. "Hats off to them for what they did in Dane County. You gotta respect that," Henson said. "There's going to be another election in a couple years. So remember the lessons you learned and be ready to punch back." Henson, reached by phone Thursday, said, "No thank you" when asked to comment about the meeting. TAPACHULA, Mexico With threatening phone calls, burned minibuses and at least three drivers shot to death, street gangs more closely associated with Central America are imposing their brand of terror-based extortion on public transportation drivers in southern Mexico. Organized crime groups including the rival Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 gangs have long maintained a presence along the border between Mexico and Guatemala, but Mexican authorities say their numbers have increased over the past year as El Salvador cracks down on gang members and their criminal enterprises. Drivers of the passenger vans and taxis that people depend on for transportation in largely rural Chiapas say they live in fear for their livelihood, or their lives. They have raised the alarm, holding temporary work stoppages to get authorities attention. The owner of one transport company in Tapachula has started moving with bodyguards. Some admit to paying the extortion, having seen what happens to those who didnt. If we dont do anything were going to be a little (El) Salvador, said a leader of drivers in the town of Huixtla, where a driver was shot by two men on a motorcycle last February. The man requested anonymity, fearing gang reprisals. Drivers in Huixtla showed The Associated Press vouchers dating back a year, documenting the payments. Generally, it starts with someone climbing aboard the bus and handing a phone to the driver, sometimes while pointing a gun at the driver's head. The drivers are told to give the phone to the owner of the bus, van or taxi, establishing a direct line of communication. Then the threats begin. Callers show the owners that they know who they are, where they live, their routines and their livelihoods, according to recordings reviewed by the AP. Speaking with distinctive Central American accents, Salvadoran slang and vulgarity, they ask for $50 initially and then $50 per month for each van or taxi, said a representative of drivers in Tapachula, who also requested anonymity out of fear. The latest attack happened Jan. 23, when an unidentified man fired into the local bus terminal in Cacahoatan. No one was injured, but bullets struck a parked van and led drivers to suspend service. The shooter fled with another man on a motorcycle. Earlier this month, a van was set on fire in the same municipality. Local authorities formed an anti-gang task force and posted police at transport hubs, and last month Mexico's military deployed an additional 350 soldiers to communities along the Guatemalan border. The intent is to support the civilian population to decrease the homicides tied to organized crime and the level of violence that has been on the rise in recent days, said Angel Banda Lozoya, commander of the local army regiment. But the drivers remain exposed as they make frequent stops on long rural routes, and military might can't easily quash a threat that arrives unseen, through menacing calls and messages. Jose Mateo Martinez, Chiapas state prosecutor for migrant affairs, says El Salvador's crackdown on organized crime is behind the increase in criminal activity in Mexico. People are coming to hide from that, but there are also gang leaders who come to create a criminal group here, he said. In March 2022, El Salvador suspended some constitutional rights in reaction to an explosion of violence. The state of exception has continued since then, despite wide criticism by human rights organizations, with more than 60,000 people arrested on suspicion of gang ties. Enforcement has been less forceful among El Salvador's neighbors: From 2018 through November 2022, Mexico arrested and deported 97 Salvadorans allegedly tied to gangs, mostly in the last two years, according to the Chiapas state prosecutors office. Neighboring Guatemala deported 90 alleged Salvadoran gang members last year, National Civilian Police spokesman Edwin Monroy said. The gangs have long operated along Mexicos borders, sometimes providing street muscle for Mexicos powerful drug cartels or running their own criminal enterprises, profiting from the illicit traffic of drugs, guns and migrants. And some Mexican cartels extort businesses in other parts of the country. But another Tapachula transportation leader, who requested anonymity because he feared reprisals insisted that these extortionists are Central American gangsters, not Mexican cartel members. Extorting local transportation has been a key line of their revenue in El Salvador. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said in August that extortion of that sector had fallen dramatically. His transportation minister estimated bus companies had stopped paying some $50 million to gangs. Other authorities have announced some successes: In August, Mexican police took down a gang cell that sold drugs and robbed clients at a bar in Tapachula. One of the five people captured had a pending arrest order from El Salvador and was deported. In November, Mexican authorities arrested and deported to El Salvador a purported leader of the Barrio 18 gang, suspected in the killings of six people in San Salvador in 2020. But people who depend on transit in southern Mexico remain dissatisfied. Theres a police vehicle parked daily at the local station in Tapachula where vans arrive and depart constantly, but their drivers remain exposed. Its hard to cut taxes for the rich while also being fair to the poor. But if Wisconsin legislators play their cards right, thats exactly what they could do with their proposed flat tax. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, introduced a proposal Jan. 13 to change the state income tax to a 3.25% flat tax. Wisconsin currently has a graduated income tax rate ranging from 3.54% to 7.65%. Under the proposal, that rate would decrease each year starting in 2023 before reaching the flat rate by 2026. Opponents say the proposal is just a large tax cut benefiting the rich that would reduce revenue for important services. Gov. Tony Evers said he would likely veto a budget with a flat-tax proposal, preferring to target tax cuts for the middle class. He shouldnt be so hasty. If paired with the right policies, the flat tax could result in a tax system that truly benefits everyone something Gov. Evers would be unwise to pass up. Flattening the state income tax would not achieve universal fairness alone. But Wisconsin is more than capable of moving to a lower flat-tax rate that boosts economic growth while implementing changes that target tax relief at low- and middle-class taxpayers. By coupling a flat-tax policy with an increase in the standard deduction and broadening of the sales tax base, Wisconsin can boost economic security for every tax bracket. Increasing the standard deduction the amount of income that is not subject to income tax would help target tax relief at the low and middle classes. In Wisconsin, the standard deduction is progressive, phasing out as income rises. In 2022, the highest deduction rate for single incomes was $11,790, and the amount a filer could claim whittled down to zero once their income exceeded $115,240. For joint filers, the highest deduction rate was $24,520, dropping to zero when their income surpassed $134,845. Increasing the standard deduction while keeping its sliding scale of eligibility would target tax relief at low- and middle-class households (those making less than $121,000 a year in Wisconsin). It would allow them to keep more of their hard-earned money by not forcing them to pay taxes on a larger share of their income. Not only can we target relief to those who need it, but we can also capture more tax revenue from the wealthy by ensuring luxury goods and services are included in state sales tax. Sales tax is a reliable source of revenue for the state to make up for the loss in income that would occur in the switch from a graduated tax to a flat tax. Wisconsin also has one of the lowest sales tax rates in the country, meaning we have room to increase the sales tax while staying competitive with surrounding states. Currently, many goods are exempt from the Wisconsin sales tax mostly essential items such as groceries to keep them affordable for all families. But some personal and recreational services more likely to be purchased by those with disposable income are also exempt. Some of these include auto and travel clubs, dues paid to fraternal organizations and admission to educational events. Including these services in the sales tax would increase revenue from money that is mostly spent by the wealthy. A slight increase to the relatively stable sales tax coupled with the inclusion of luxury goods and services in the tax would make it a strong revenue source for the state to continue providing the general public with important services and programs that support poor and middle-class families. A flat tax would benefit business in Wisconsin, increasing the Badger States competitiveness as more of our neighbors join the movement implementing flat taxes. But opening for business doesnt mean that we are leaving our people behind. As budget negotiations begin, we must have an honest conversation about the ways we can successfully support all Wisconsinites while implementing a flat tax. If the MAGA Republicans want to paralyze the government of the United States, they have a very good model from 17th and 18th century Poland. And they already seem to be following that model. Historians say the liberum veto was a disaster that had a crushing effect on Poland. How the liberum veto worked is so bizarre it strains belief. The Sejm is the Polish equivalent of the United States Congress; it makes the nations laws. After the liberum veto was introduced in the 17th century, at any time, any one member of the Sejm could say, I do not allow. That would void not only the piece of legislation that the member objected to, it also could void all other legislation that the Sejm had passed in a months-long session. Of about 100 Sejm legislative sessions, about 50 were totally wiped out by the liberum veto. Sejm members represented geographic districts, and many were rich landowners or representatives of the rich nobles. They were not reluctant to use the liberum veto. The result: For more than 100 years, the Sejm passed almost no meaningful legislation. Poland, at the time, like most nations, had economic, social and military problems, but the liberum veto kept the Sejm from doing things aimed at solving them. What sort of legislation did the liberum veto prevent? Well, since the liberum veto was favored by the nations rich nobles and since rich nobles held sway in the Sejm, the liberum veto turned out to be a special interest measure. As such it was used to defeat any proposal that was not in the interest of the nobles. So any notions aimed at helping the peasantry or that would result in an emerging middle class were strangled. In one vote, nobles used the liberum veto to defeat a proposal to raise an army to defend Poland against a Turkish invasion. The nobles didnt want the expense of raising an army. Also stifled were measures to strengthen Polands central government. The nobility had a long history of wanting the monarchy, the central government, to be weak. They felt that a strong central government, a king with real power, would be a threat to their own individual power. That thinking appealed to Polands aggressive neighbors, Russia and Austria. They liked the idea of a weak Poland, and they bribed members of the Sejm to use the liberum veto to squash anything that would make Poland a stronger country. The deal that Kevin McCarthy swallowed last month in exchange for the votes of the Gaetz Gang that would make him speaker of the House included this provision: If at any time, any one member of the House of Representatives calls for a vote to oust the speaker, such a vote must be held. That does not have exactly the same effect as the liberum veto, because a call for an ouster vote doesnt mean McCarthy would automatically be dumped as speaker. But as with the liberum veto, one objector can gum up the nations lawmaking machinery. On a call for the ouster of the speaker, the House could immediately shift from lawmaking mode to internal politicking. All committee work could be derailed in favor of jockeying for votes on the fate of the speaker. And of course, if the speaker survived an ouster vote, the MAGA Republicans could do it again and again and again. They could call for a steady stream of ouster votes. And that would paralyze the government. The Democrats have taken up the chant that paralysis is what the Republicans want that the Republicans have no interest in governing, no interest in solving the problems of the nation, and that they just want to stop the Democrats from doing what they want to do. The Republicans have not really denied that claim, and their lack of a platform for the 2020 election underscores the Democrats contention that governing is not a hot item on the Republican to-do list. And there is further expectation that with the Republicans in control of the House no significant legislation will be enacted regardless of what happens to the speaker. The Senate, with its slender Democratic majority, will probably pass some bills that will die in the House. They probably wont even make it to the floor. And the Republicans in the House will probably propose some measures that dont stand a chance, such as abolition of the Internal Revenue Service. Even if the Senate didnt swat that one down, the president would. All of that makes McCarthys Faustian bargain with the MAGAs less significant. But Poland, historians say, paid a steep price for the liberum veto. They say it led to a weakening of Polands central government, to a national state of anarchy and to the destruction of the Polish government and the partition of Poland among Russia, Prussia and Austria. The series of partitions essentially meant there was no Poland from late in the 1700s until after World War I. Wladyslaw Konopczynski, a Polish professor of history who died in 1952, is considered the primary authority on the liberum veto. One of his claims is that the liberum veto, despite strong opposition, survived so long because of a decline in civic virtue. Many observers say there now is a similar decline in civic virtue in the United States. If there is such a decline, it probably wont mean that the United States will be partitioned among Canada, Mexico and Cuba. But government paralysis could cause serious new problems for our country. Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery company, has announced the opening of its generative AI and quantum computing research and development centre in Abu Dhabi, Located in the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) headquarters in Masdar City, Abu Dhabis flagship sustainable urban development, it will be the regions largest AI-powered biotechnology research centre. The new facility will boast of global talent in artificial intelligence and software development dedicated to expanding the capabilities of Insilicos end-to-end AI-driven drug discovery platform, Pharma.AI, exploring aging research and sustainable chemistry, and supporting the digital transformation of healthcare in the region. The grand opening was attended by nearly 100 ecosystem partners from the government, academia, the investment community, and the AI and biotech industry. The event featured speeches from Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, Founder and CEO of Insilico, and Alex Aliper, PhD, President of Insilico. "The prime location, strong and stable economy, developed infrastructure, and highly educated talent make Abu Dhabi an emerging hub that attracts high-tech companies from around the world. We are excited to be a part of this," said Aliper, who will also serve as the regional hubs general manager. "We plan to hire locally and work closely with biotech companies and academic partners to license Insilicos proprietary software and collaborate on joint research projects to facilitate the digital transformation of the local healthcare industry," he added. Masdar City Acting CEO Ahmed Baghoum said: "This is exactly the kind of groundbreaking work in artificial intelligence that we aim to support in our free zone and innovation ecosystem." "Were excited about this milestone for Insilico Medicine - particularly given it is taking place during the Year of Sustainability. We look forward to the transformational research that will come out of this incredible new hub. We thank the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) for attracting these organisations to Masdar City," he stated. Insilico has made steady inroads into the Middle East. The company had recently announced that it will receive support from the ADIO to establish its regional HQ in Abu Dhabi focused on R&D for its AI platform. ADIO Acting Director-General Abdulla Abdul Aziz AlShamsi said: "Abu Dhabi has prioritised advancing technological solutions that further economic progress for the region and beyond. Insilico Medicine is a stellar example of the success of that strategy, and proof of the limitless opportunities available for health tech companies in Abu Dhabi." In August 2022, the company announced a Series D2 investment led by Prosperity7 Ventures, the diversified growth fund of Aramco Ventures, expanding its AI biotechnology expertise into Saudi Arabia. The company also signed a MoU with the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia, which includes providing Insilicos end-to-end AI drug discovery platform to local biotech companies, partnering with local biotechs on robotic drug discovery, contributing to local clinical trial expertise, and further developing projects extending healthy and productive longevity. On the latest venture, Zhavoronkov said: "Since our very inception, our mission has been to extend healthy, productive longevity for everyone on the planet. Over the past decade, we developed a platform for drug discovery and longevity and became one of the dominant companies in this field." "Now, we would like to extend our global infrastructure to the Middle East," stated the group founder. "We look forward to expanding our presence and connections in the region by creating a true AI drug discovery hub in Abu Dhabi," he added.-TradeArabia News Service TWIN FALLS As she moved closer to her graduation from Minico High School in Rupert, Lauren Nesbit had that conversation. The one many moms and dads have with their teenagers. My parents were like, Hey, you have to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life, Nesbit recalled with a smile. She knew they were right, so she quickly went to work writing a list of every job I thought I might want to do and trying to figure out the worst thing about each of them to help her narrow her path. Baker? My mom told me Id have to wake up at 3 a.m. every day to make donuts. I thought, That sounds awful. Veterinarian? Then I had to put one of our horses down and I said, No, I cant do that. Lawyer? We had a mock trial (at school). It was awful. That left her with one job on the list and it was one that few girls or young women, even women in general, choose to pursue in Idaho. Nesbit wanted to be a doctor. On this National Women Physicians Day, marked annually on Feb. 3 in honor of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female to attend medical school in the United States and later the first listed on the U.S. Medical Register in the 1850s, Nesbit is moving ever closer to joining the smallest cohort in any of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Just 26% of physicians in Idaho are women, the lowest percentage in the country, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The number, nationally, is 37%. In the 22 years since she moved to Twin Falls, Dr. Kathryn Reese has seen remarkable change in medicine especially around recordkeeping, technology and accuracy in diagnoses. Its nice to have something besides handwritten notes, Reese said, half-jokingly. What hasnt changed, she said, is the makeup of the medical community in a city that has grown into the fifth largest in the Gem State. Theres not very many women physicians in the Twin Falls area, Reese told the Times-News on Thursday. Ive always been surrounded by male colleagues. Reese isnt resentful. She is quick to point out shes been treated with respect and never made to feel out of place but shes also hopeful more women will follow the same path as Nesbit and choose medicine. While Nesbit enrolled at Boise State University without declaring a major, she immediately zeroed in on pre-medicine courses, beginning with an anatomy and physiology class. I just loved it, she said. From Boise, Nesbit was off to the University of Washington School of Medicine, through the WWAMI program, a competitive, one-of-its-kind collaboration between Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho that provides in-state tuition rates to reduce educational costs at the Seattle school. She landed back in Idaho nearly four years ago, working between Caldwell and the Magic Valley, which she described as the cherry on top because she was close to home. Shell begin work at the Buhl clinic in September. Ive been really lucky to have great female physician mentors, but it is pretty noticeable that its more men, Nesbit told the Times-News. I do wish there were more of us because, as a female, its nice to go see a female physician. Reese, who specializes in pediatrics including care of child abuse victims concurred. She encouraged girls and young women who are considering a career in medicine to think about why you want to do it and then use that answer as motivation. I think the more diversity we have gender, color or cultural background can only help our patients, she said. The more comfortable they are, the more likely it is that theyll be open to improving their own health care. Soon, Idaho will have at least one new female physician. Nesbit looks forward to welcoming more. I dont know who to attribute this quote to, because Ive seen it a few times and read it, she said, but it says, The world needs doctors who look like you, and I think thats true. You may not think you came from the right background, or that youre from Rupert, or whatever it is, but thats not what matters. It matters what you bring to the table. 2 face drug charges after Twin Falls traffic stop TWIN FALLS Two Twin Falls residents face drug charges after a Twin Falls County deputy pulled over a vehicle and found marijuana inside, court records say. Aaron Taylor Gauthier, 25, was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, along with grand theft charges relating to a handgun that had been reported stolen that was found in the car. Kayla Knowles, 19, faces charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The deputy pulled over the car, a Chevrolet Malibu, on Jan. 22 near Kimberly Road and Hankins Road after noticing the driver and passenger were in a reclined position, as if they were trying to hide from law enforcement. The vehicle was also not staying in the correct lane. Gauthier was found with marijuana in his shirt pocket, and more than $1,700 was recovered from the cars center console, records say. A search of the trunk yielded a backpack with other small baggies of marijuana, along with a digital scale and THC vape. A gun, a .380 caliber pistol, had been reported stolen and was found in a backpack in the trunk, records say. A serial number filed off but another serial number on the gun was still legible, records say. Gauthier posted a $50,000 bond and a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for March 17. Knowles posted a $300 bond and a pretrial conference is set for March 7. Police: Man holds suspect at gunpoint after vehicle theft A man accused of stealing a Tesla from a home near Dierkes Lake didnt get far as the owner tracked him down and convinced him to return the vehicle, then held him at gunpoint until police arrived, court records say. Daniel Scott Deane, 33, is charged with stealing the car at about 5:30 a.m. Jan. 27 from Hidden Lakes Drive. The owner got into another vehicle and followed Deane, catching up to him and convincing him to return the vehicle, records say. When deputies arrived at the residence, they found the homeowner was detaining Deane with a shotgun. Deane was rambling incoherently, court records say, and he was charged with grand theft, burglary and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held on $150,000 bond and a Feb. 10 preliminary hearing has been set. Twin Falls man faces multiple sex charges TWIN FALLS A southern Idaho man faces multiple sex charges stemming from incidents dating as far back as 2013, court records say. Jake Nathaniel West, 45, of Twin Falls, is charged with lewd conduct with a child under 16 stemming from an incident alleged to have occurred in either 2013 or 2014, along with more recent accusations of indecent exposure, disseminating material harmful to a minor and destruction of evidence. In early January, West was accused of sending a nude photo of himself to a girl living out of state, and later trying to delete the photo and social media account from his phone. He is also accused of exposing himself to two girls in a separate incident. West is being held on $100,000 bond and a preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 10. TWIN FALLS A man broke into a mans house Wednesday and fell asleep on a bed in the basement, police say. Then things got really ugly when police say he spat into a law officers face. James Michael Kerr, 39, appeared to be highly intoxicated when officers responded to the scene at 12:23 a.m. in the 400 block of Elm Street North in Twin Falls, court records say. Upon police officers waking him up, Kerr insisted he was in the Twin Falls County Jail. Upon checking, police learned he had been released from the jail Tuesday. Because he didnt immediately try to leave the house, police officers told Kerry he would be arrested for unlawful entry, but Kerr resisted law officers, and when he was partially seated in a patrol car, he spat into a police officers face, which prompted him to be charged with felony battery on a police officer, court records say. He is also charged with resisting officers and malicious injury to property. The suspect broke into a basement window to gain access to the house, cutting his hand in the process, records say. Kerr has a preliminary hearing set for Feb. 10. TWIN FALLS A womans bomb threat prompted law officers to take precautions last month at Joslin Field, Magic Valley Regional Airport, court records say. Izella Christine Scales, 30, is accused of calling a Southern Idaho Regional Communications dispatcher on Jan. 22, saying she had a bomb in her bag as she traveled to the airport. She was taken into custody once arriving at the airport and charged with felony false reporting of explosives, records say. The court has ordered Scales, being held on a $75,000 bond, to be examined by a psychiatrist or licensed psychologist designated by the Department of Health and Welfare as soon as possible. Court records dont indicate whether she had purchased an airline ticket. Her next court hearing is a status conference set for Feb. 24. The Idaho Legislatures House Revenue and Taxation Committee introduced a trio of new property tax bills on Thursday morning in an effort to address one of the top priorities facing Idahoans. Speaker of the House Mike Moyle, R-Star; Sen. C. Scott Grow, R-Eagle; and Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, each presented a different property tax bill during the committees hearing at the Idaho State Capitol. The three new bills all take a different approach to attempting to solve the same problem reducing the amount of money Idahoans pay in property taxes. The taxpayers are asking for relief, and they want it on property taxes, Grow told the House Revenue and Taxation Committee. Grows bill, House Bill 77, would direct 4.5% of the states sales tax collection revenue to reducing property taxes on an Idaho homeowners primary residence. Grow would also take $150 million from the states projected budget surplus to begin offering property tax reductions in the current fiscal year 2023. Grow said he thinks the states overall tax structure is too high, as evidenced by three years of large state budget surpluses. Skaugs bill, House Bill 78, would reinstate and restore the homeowners property tax exemption index, which was based on the sales price of Idaho homes but was removed in 2016. After the index was removed, Skaug said nonhomeowner properties and commercial properties experienced significant property tax reductions while homeowners saw increases in their property taxes. Skaugs bill would establish an initial index of $224,360, which is where he said the index would be if it was not removed in 2016. For the past six years, homeowners have shouldered an increasing share of the property tax burden, Skaug told the committee. For the past six years commercial properties have enjoyed the financial benefits of decreasing property taxes for them. Finally, Moyles bill, House Bill 79, has several components. If enacted, Moyles bill would provide $300 million to school districts, distributed based on their average daily attendance. The money would be required to go toward, in this order, paying off school bonds, paying off school levies, paying expenses for school facilities and address life, safety and health issues. On top of that, Moyles bill would eliminate the March and August school bond and levy election dates, which would require school districts to run bond issues and supplemental levies only during the May and November elections. A different bill, House Bill 58, would also eliminate the March and August election dates. Finally, Moyles bill increases the homeowners exemption from $125,000 to $150,000. There are issues that need fixed that these school districts dont have the funds to take care of. This provides that opportunity, Moyle said. (There is) tax relief again on the other side because the taxpayers dont have to tax themselves to pay for it. Each of the legislators who sponsored a property tax bill said they are working to address one of the top issues facing Idahoans. A new Boise State University public policy survey found that 55.9% of Idahoans surveyed believe their property taxes are too high, and 40.5% of respondents said that reducing property taxes would provide the most help to Idahoans. Weve all heard from our homeowners in each of our districts, Skaug said. I have no doubt that they want relief. They wanted relief last year. They wanted relief the year before, and we did not deliver. Thursdays hearing was only an introductory, or print hearing, and public testimony was not accepted. Introducing the property tax bills clears the way for them to return to the House Revenue and Taxation Committee for a full public hearing. Thursday is the 25th day of the legislative session, which began on Jan. 9. Legislative leaders have set a nonbinding target deadline to adjourn the session March 24. A few weeks ago, the Supreme Court of Vermont ruled that a municipal ordinance allowing non-citizens to vote in a United States election was lawful. This ruling gained little national attention. But Democrats trumpeted it as a major victory. A federal law, enacted in 1996, bans non-citizens from voting in federal elections, including races for president, vice president, Senate and the House of Representatives. But the 1996 law does not address state and local elections. All across the U.S., a growing number of jurisdictions all overwhelmingly liberal have passed municipal ordinances. New York City with over 8 million residents and cities like San Francisco and Oakland, California, and the D.C. suburb of Takoma Park, Maryland, are among over 20 cities that now allow foreign nationals to vote in U.S. elections. Its a growing trend and Democrat politicians and their far-left allies are doing their best to stymie efforts to protect this fundamental liberty of U.S. citizens. Earlier last year, the Biden Administration sued the State of Arizona over a law there that required the citizenship of registered voters to be verified. Thats right: The U.S. Department of Justice sued to stop a state from requiring individuals who want to vote in a federal election from providing proof that they are U.S. citizens despite the fact that the Biden Administration is incentivizing millions of people to enter the country illegally. MOON: Ranked choice voting is a silly idea. Elections are one vote per person. IDAHO REPUBLICAN PARTY: A consistent theme in the left's push for power has been their attempts to remake election processes. Now, their latest push for ranked choice voting. The Soros-backed organization FairVote is advocating for a Right to Vote Amendment that would allow all residents in the U.S. including illegal immigrants and citizens of geopolitical rivals like China to vote in U.S. elections. All state constitutions mention U.S. citizenship when discussing who can vote in elections. In 46 states, constitutional language discussing citizenship says who can vote (e.g. every citizen or all citizens), but does not state that non-citizens cannot vote. Thats why our Idaho legislators must move legislation to enact a statutory bar on foreign nationals voting in our state and local elections. In a rational world, this legislation would not be necessary. But increasing evidence suggests foreign nationals are voting even in federal elections despite the federal law prohibiting that. Red states all across the country have started the process of amending their respective constitutions to prohibit non-citizens from voting in U.S. elections. Louisiana joined that growing list in December. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz introduced federal legislation to prohibit non-citizens from voting in U.S. elections, as well. Idaho must join the movement to preserve the fundamental liberty of suffrage for the citizens who call America home. If you care about the power of your vote, youll join the movement, too. Public safety is a core service we value from our local government. At its best, it focuses on protecting our personal safety, our property and the equal rights of every resident. There are never enough resources to address every illegal act, but given the funds and invasion of privacy that would require I dont believe this is what Idahoans want. Rather, we expect local law enforcement to focus on reducing crime that poses significant threats to public safety while dedicating fewer resources to less serious violations. Now, House Bill 22 seeks to strip local control and prohibit the explicit prioritization of criminal investigations. While cash-strapped law enforcement departments ought to be able to differentiate between rape or fentanyl dealing and marijuana possession, the bill threatens to defund those that do. It targets local governments that formally deprioritize any felonies, but, as the bill sponsor made clear, abortion investigations are the central objective. Idaho has one of the most extreme abortion bans in the country. It not only criminalizes personal medical decisions with prison sentences but also provides cash awards to family members of the patient who sue doctors and nurses. Even family members of rapists can sue for these dollars. The laws we have on the books are such an effective deterrent, our state is starting to face challenges in recruiting obstetric gynecologists. Doctors and nurses are fearful of practicing in our state at all, let alone providing abortion care. In this context, abortion investigations are invasive and cruel. Imagine a zealous resident reporting to the police that their neighbor was pregnant and is no longer. Do we really want local law enforcement showing up on a doorstep to interrogate a woman or teenager about how her pregnancy ended, who her doctor is, and if she can prove it was a miscarriage by showing her medical records? NECOCHEA: The obvious property tax solution in Idaho IDAHO DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Homeowners are paying more because they are shouldering more of the load as commercial interests enjoy deep tax cuts. Its not right, nor is it sustainable. A 2022 poll commissioned by the Idaho Statesman found a significant majority of Idahoans believe neither the patient who receives an abortion nor the doctors and nurses should face criminal penalties. This new legislation doubles-down on an unpopular policy that may play to far-right extremist ideology but is out of touch with regular Idahoans. Pregnancy investigations do not serve Idahoans and are counter to our values. I was disappointed that only two Republican representatives joined with Democrats to oppose House Bill 22. As the bill moves to the Senate, I hope my Republican colleagues will recognize the value of local control and law enforcement focused on justice and the public safety of our communities. Heres what happened locally on Feb. 3 over the past century, as reported in this newspaper, which went from being called the Henry Bulletin to the Daily Bulletin to the Martinsville Bulletin: 1923: Officers for months had been told that liquor was being made in the Peters Creek section of Patrick County and the country was carefully combed and no still was found They were told to go to a cow lot near Moir Collins house where, it was said, they would find a hidden trap door in the ground between two poplar trees. Opening it and descending crude steps they found themselves in a large subterranean chamber roofed by beams which were in turn covered with dirt vegetation growing on top. In this room they found a complete copper still which showed every indication of having been operated for years. 1948: Fanned by a brisk, cold wind out of the west, fire in midmorning today wiped out one of the oldest landmarks of the Town of Ridgeway and threatened for a time to engulf other business property on Route 220, which threads through the community to make its Main Street. Destroyed by the blaze was the rambling, ancient frame building which once housed the general mercantile business of former State Senator W.A. Garrett. 1973: The City of Martinsville and Appalachian Power Co. are in a dispute over how much raw electric energy the utility is required to sell the city for resale to residents. The dispute surfaced Dec. 29 when Apco denied a claim made by the city to the Federal Power Commission that the contract calls for sale of all raw energy needed by the city and at wholesale prices. 1998: The Henry County Board of Supervisors informally agreed Tuesday night to back a private $1.5 million to $2 million renovation project for the old county courthouse in Martinsville. At some as-yet undetermined point during the renovation process, ownership of the building would be transferred to the Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society. Shannon Barker has been selected as the next director of the Victim-Witness Assistance Program in Henry County. The federally-funded program, which works in conjunction with the Commonwealths Attorneys Office, was previously headed by Robin Byrd, who recently retired after 47 years of service. I am blessed and honored to have the opportunity to serve as the director of the Victim-Witness Assistance Program, Barker said. Helping people is my passion and I want our crime victims and witnesses to know they have a voice, to feel supported as they navigate the criminal justice system, and to be empowered to overcome their trauma. I look forward to continuing the great work that is already being done and finding new and exciting ways to enhance the program. Barker began working at the Henry County Commonwealths Attorneys Office in September 2007 as a legal secretary. In July 2014, she became the assistant office Aadministrator. Her previous work experience includes five years of victim advocacy for Citizens Against Family Violence and two years as a case management supervisor for the same organization. Barker graduated from Virginia Tech in 2002 with a bachelors degree in psychology and a minor in sociology. She is also certified to teach courses on domestic violence and sexual assault prevention. I look forward to working with Shannon in her new role as the director of the Victim-Witness Assistance Program, said Commonwealths Attorney Andrew Nester. Shes developed a deep understanding of the criminal justice system during her time in my office and she exhibits the compassion and drive to help people that will serve her well in her new position. She has big shoes to fill but Im confident that she will excel at it. The Henry County Victim-Witness Assistance Program has been in existence since 1985. The purpose of this program is to assist both crime victims and witnesses through the criminal justice system and to provide services required by Virginias Crime Victim and Witness Rights Act. Examples of services provided through the program include: explanation of victims rights, assistance in obtaining protective orders, helping victims obtain restitution, completing notification forms for various authorities and connecting victims with counseling and support groups. For more information, visit www.henrycountyva.gov/292/Victim-Witness-Program. RICHMOND An attorney for the former principal of the Newport News school where a 6-year-old boy shot his teacher said Thursday that the administrator was not aware of reports that the student had a gun before the shooting happened. Pamela Branch, the lawyer for former Richneck Elementary School Principal Briana Foster Newton, said during a news conference in Richmond that she wanted to clarify the role her client played in the Jan. 6 incident. First-grade teacher Abby Zwerner, 25, was wounded in the shooting. Her lawyer, Diane Toscano, last month said school staff warned administrators three times that the student had a firearm and was threatening students, but they didnt take any action. Branch said Thursday that Newton, who has been a teacher for about 10 years, is not one of the officials who knew about the gun. Mrs. Newton has been assumed to have been one of those administrators. However, this is far from the truth. The fact of the matter is that those who were aware that the student may have had a gun on the premises that day did not report this to Mrs. Newton at all. Branch read a statement from the former principal, her first public comment since the shooting. Newton did not attend the news conference. Branch said Newton has been subjected to anonymous threats, demeaning messages and misinformation. She has received threatening voicemails wishing her ill. She has also been a subject of misinformed social media posts, but has remained calm, professional and respectful throughout this entire ordeal, Branch said. Zwerner was hospitalized for two weeks and is expected to make a full recovery. The school reopened Monday with added security measures. We certainly pray for Ms. Zwerners continued healing process and all those who witnessed or were otherwise impacted by this shooting on that day, Branch said. School officials have faced criticism about their actions leading up to the shooting. The School Board has fired Superintendent George Parker III. The buildings assistant principal also has resigned. Branch also confirmed Thursday that Newton is no longer the principal at Richneck and will be reassigned to another position within the school district. Michelle Price, a Newport News schools spokeswoman, confirmed the assignment change. She would not comment on whether Newton was one of the faculty members who was warned about the firearm. McDowell Technical Community College said Thursday that Centro Unido Latino Americano (CULA), in partnership with the college and Isothermal Community College, has been awarded the 2023 N.C. Community College System (NCCCS) Distinguished Partners in Excellence Award. This award was created by the state Board of Community Colleges in 2006 to recognize exemplary employers, businesses or industry groups who have demonstrated decisive involvement in the professional development of their employees or the development of North Carolinas workforce through its partnership efforts with one or more of the states 58 community colleges. Historically, the Distinguished Partners in Excellence Award has been given to colleges who have partnered with major industry leaders like GE Aviation, Wake Med, Bank of America and UNC Healthcare. This years award recognizes a significant partnership between McDowell Tech, Isothermal and CULA, which began in the fall of 2021 as a regional workforce development partnership in conjunction with a $1.498 million federal Department of Labor Workforce Opportunities in Rural Communities (WORC) grant. The primary goal of the partnership was, and continues to be, addressing regional labor shortages in McDowell, Rutherford and Polk counties. Successful partnerships with organizations like CULA help us better serve students who were historically underserved and build regional capacity to meet local and regional workforce development needs, said MTCC President Dr. Brian S. Merritt. Margarita and the entire team at CULA have been a blessing to our community, he said, referring to Margarita Ramirez, CULAs executive director. This very deliberate partnership is starting to yield valuable benefits in our region, said Isothermal President Dr. Margaret Annunziata. We are committed to serving all members of our communities and part of that is connecting each person with the opportunity that is right for them and that, ultimately, will improve life through learning. Providing a pathway to a rewarding career that includes a workforce credential with labor market value allows our community members to maximize their earning potential while meeting the need for a skilled workforce across western North Carolina. Centro Unido Latino Americano is a nonprofit organization serving the Latino community in the Foothills region of North Carolina. They specialize in connecting members of the Hispanic and Latino communities with resources and services offered by a variety of local agencies, including training and education provided by local community colleges. As part of the grant initiative, known as Foothills Forward, CULA hired a Latino workforce coordinator to recruit individuals to participate in career training opportunities, English Language Acquisition classes (ELA/ESL), civics education, and high school equivalency programs. High-demand careers, work-based learning and apprenticeship opportunities are a particular focus for the coordinator, as the goal of the Foothills Forward Initiative is to engage over 900 participants in this type of training over three years, with at least 100 coming from the Latino community. As students complete their classes and short-term training, the Workforce Coordinator also serves as a conduit between graduates and the employer community, assisting them in securing local and regional jobs with family-sustaining wages. To better assist students and graduates, a member of the CULA staff maintains regular office hours at McDowell Tech and Isothermal. In 2021, the first full year of the grant cycle, McDowell Tech ran two successful short-term training academies in construction trades with more than half of the participants coming from the Hispanic community. Subsequent short-term academies in plumbing, electrical and HVAC trades had similar enrollments. Students in the colleges construction trades academies are also engaged in paid, work-based learning opportunities funded and operated by Gateway Wellness Foundation which is constructing affordable housing in the Foothills region. Enrollment in the McDowell Techs career and college readiness program, specifically the integrated English language and Civic education program, which operates in conjunction with the colleges training academies, was up significantly in the fall of 2022. Danna Stansbury, executive director of Foothills Regional Commission, endorsed CULA and the two colleges for the Distinguished Partners in Excellence Award. Through initiatives and partnerships such as CULA underserved residents are being connected with necessary education and high-demand training opportunities, expanded work-based learning and apprenticeship opportunities, support services and financial assistance, she said. We feel our mission, as well as all partnering organizations, is being met through this exciting initiative. Our mission is to build bridges between communities and access to essential resources and socio-economic support, said Margarita Ramirez, CULAs executive director. Centro Unido Latino Americano acknowledges the gap between educational institutions and LatinX/immigrant families. Through this collaboration, we are bringing the assets of all Latino communities to the table and are allowing them to have a better socio-economic outcome. This kind of partnership builds bridges between communities and establishes a more equitable approach to providing services to our diverse communities and ensures that we continue to promote effective initiative-building with entities that align with our vision and mission, Ramirez added. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has accused Prime Minister Abiy Ahmeds government of interfering in its affairs amid growing tensions with a group of dissident bishops. The church has been facing an internal crisis since the creation in January of a new synod in Oromia, Ethiopias largest and most populous region. Leaders of the Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox Church, which represents about 40% of Ethiopias estimated 115 million people, have declared the schism illegal. Patriarch Abune Mathias has accused the dissident clergy of illegally occupying places of worship, calling on the government to take action to protect legally recognized churches and administrative buildings. In a statement on Wednesday, he criticized the Prime Minister for offering a form of recognition to the now excommunicated illegitimate group. Earlier this week, in a cabinet meeting, Mr Abiy, himself from the Oromo community, invited the two parties to dialogue, both of which he said carried their own truth. The government should not interfere in the religious and canonical affairs of the Church, the patriarch said. The dissident bishops denounce the discrimination of the Church of Ethiopia, claiming that services in Oromia are not conducted in the Oromo language. Relations between the Church of Ethiopia and the government of Abiy Ahmed had deteriorated with the war in Tigray, which pitted the dissident authorities of this northern region against the federal government of the Prime Minister from November 2020. Patriarch Abune Mathias, himself a native of Tigray, strongly criticised the government in May 2021, accusing it of wanting to destroy Tigray and deploring the damage caused to the regions famous Orthodox monasteries, as well as the massacres perpetrated on land belonging to the Church. The Mozambican parliament has scheduled for the next session the debate on the election of district assemblies, in a context in which the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, has already cast doubt on the viability of this ballot. The debate on the bill is the 25th item on the agenda of the seventh ordinary session of the Assembly of the Republic, which kicks off on 22 and runs until the end of May. The holding of the first district elections in the history of Mozambique is scheduled for 2024 and results from the one-off revision of the Constitution of the Republic carried out in 2019, following an agreement between the government of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) and the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), the main opposition party. According to the countrys fundamental law, the ballot should take place in the 2024 general elections, but the holding of the ballot has been cast in doubt by the President of the Republic and Frelimo, leading to a strong challenge from the opposition. In December, Filipe Nyusi, during his annual briefing in Parliament, announced the creation of a consultative group to assess the feasibility of district elections. By debating the bill on the election of district assembly members, parliament is playing its part, but this does not necessarily mean that there will be district elections in 2024, because after the approval of the law, other subsequent acts will be missing, a parliamentary source told Lusa. The parliamentary agenda also marked for the next session the debate of the bill on the institutional framework of the districts. On the list of matters to be dealt with by the end of May, parliament has scheduled, for the fourth time, the draft laws on social communication and broadcasting, whose debate has been postponed. The two instruments have been contested by media organizations and civil society organizations. Among the concerns is the advocacy for a media authority under the executive and the maintenance of the criminalization of press offenses, at a time when it is recommended that this matter be dealt with at the level of the Civil Code. The items on the agenda for the next session also include the draft law on the promotion and protection of the disabled, the law on non-profit organizations, the law on research in human health and the law on the election of members of district assemblies. The draft law on legislative authorization for the creation of Mozambiques national specific data infrastructure and the draft law on legislative authorization for the review of the Notaries Code are also on the agenda of parliaments work. MPs will also debate the draft law creating the sovereign fund, an item that had already been put forward on Wednesday by parliament spokesman Alberto Matukutuku. The Mozambican parliament is controlled by Frelimo, with a qualified majority of 184 of 250 seats, followed by Renamo with 60 seats and the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) with six seats. Spain has reiterated support to the Morocco-proposed autonomy initiative for the Sahara as was expressed in the joint statement adopted on 7 April 2022 during the meeting between King Mohammed VI and the President of the Spanish government, Pedro Sanchez. This stand was expressed again in the joint statement issued at the end of the 12th session of the Morocco-Spain High-Level Meeting, held in Rabat Thursday Feb.2, 2023. In the April 7 joint statement, Spain clearly said it considers the Moroccan autonomy initiative, presented in 2007, as the most serious, realistic and credible basis for resolving the dispute over the Sahara. Madrid also recognizes in the April 2022 Statement, the importance of the Sahara issue for Morocco as well as Moroccos serious and credible efforts within the framework of the United Nations to find a mutually acceptable solution. In the joint statement issued at the end of the 12th session of the Morocco-Spain High-Level Meeting, held under the co-chairmanship of the heads of government, Aziz Akhannouch and Pedro Sanchez, the two countries also expressed commitment to perpetuate the excellent relations that have always linked them and reaffirmed their willingness to enrich them permanently. In this sense, the two countries place their cooperation within the framework of the Treaty of Friendship, Neighborliness, Cooperation and Enhanced Political Dialogue, resulting from the Joint Statement of April 7, 2022, based on the principles of transparency, permanent dialogue, mutual respect and implementation of commitments and agreements signed by both parties, while addressing issues of common interest in a spirit of trust, far from unilateral actions or faits accomplis. They also committed to promote trade and investment to implement joint projects in the framework of a win-win partnership. The two countries are committed to the promotion of trade and investment, for the implementation of joint development projects in the framework of a win-win partnership, taking advantage of the new Investment Charter that Morocco has promulgated, adapted to the institutional, economic, social and political transformations, and aimed at making the Kingdom an international destination for investment, offering real opportunities in strategic sectors, said the Joint Statement. Morocco and Spain noted with appreciation the remarkable evolution of their economic partnership, which has breathed new life into trade and agreed to renew the existing Financial Protocol by doubling the resources available to reach 800 million. Reimbursable and non-reimbursable financial instruments will be used to support projects of priority interest to be developed by the Government of Morocco, particularly in infrastructure, renewable energy, water and sanitation, education and health facilities and productive sectors, the joint statement said. The two countries stressed the importance of cooperation in economic decarbonization projects, which offer great potential for investors. They also agreed on the need to further develop connectivity and facilitate mobility between the two countries, and welcomed their excellent collaboration in the field of water, reaffirming their resolve to further strengthen this cooperation, especially in desalination, integrated water resources management and wastewater reuse. Recognizing the need to respond to the current climate emergency and the disastrous impacts of the summer of 2022, both countries reiterate their commitment to the Paris Agreement. They recognize the importance of fostering collaboration on climate change adaptation solutions and promoting effective prevention, anticipation and adaptation measures to increase drought resilience. They will build on spaces already created with the International Drought Resilience Alliance to accelerate a more coordinated and collaborative global response and the World Meteorological Organizations SOFF initiative to develop early warning systems. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: University of Missouri Although relocating can be stressful, a new study at the University of Missouri found Black South Africans who migrated far away from home to find work reported better emotional well-being and were at lower risk for depression after the move on average. As mental health and internal migration continue to be understudied components of public health research compared to physical health outcomes and international immigration, the findings of the study can help policymakers tailor resources toward underprivileged migrants after they move, as well as toward those who get left behind and are still seeking upward mobility. "Eighty percent of South Africans are Black, yet they have a very small share of the country's overall wealth as the legacy of Apartheid continues to be felt," said Tyler Myroniuk, an assistant professor in the MU School of Health Professions and lead author on the study. "South Africa offers a prime example of inequality and the potential struggles that migrants undergo trying to move to overcome such inequalities, so we wanted to better understand how migrants fare after they move." The collapse of Apartheid in 1994 opened the floodgates of migrants throughout South Africa, mainly from rural areas to urban cities in search of economic opportunities. "We have seen throughout history, not just in South Africa but here in the United States and all over, most migrants don't move just for fun, they move because they have to as they seek upward mobility and economic opportunities that they often lack wherever they are from," Myroniuk said. "Refugees who are forced to relocate tend to have far worse mental health outcomes after they move, but we know far less about the emotional well-being of those who move voluntarily." Myroniuk traveled to the University of Cape Town in South Africa in 2017 and 2018 to analyze internal migration data from the National Income Dynamic Study from 2008 to 2015. Nearly 2,300 Black South African migrants were studied, and on average, the further away from home the migrants moved, the higher levels of emotional well-being they self-reported after the move compared to before the move. By using longitudinal datawhere researchers repeatedly examine the same individuals to detect changes that might occur over a long period of timein this study, Myroniuk and his team were able to determine the self-reported improvements in life satisfaction came after the migration. "Given how stressful moving can be, I was a bit surprised by the findings," Myroniuk said. "This research can help us gain insight into why people move, and it also shows that when people move, they typically know what is best for them. They move to make things better for not just themselves but for their family as well. So, we also need to start thinking more about those who were possibly left behind and how to best help them as well." In 2010, Myroniuk traveled to rural Malawi in southeast Africa to research family health. It was while talking with migrants about their experiences moving long distances from other parts of the country that sparked his interest in researching this understudied population. "As they described their motives for moving, all the hurdles they faced along the way and all the risk and uncertainty involved, I admired their resilience in the midst of such highly unequal circumstances," Myroniuk said. "In the context of public health research, physical health outcomes and international immigrants tend to be studied quite often, but the emotional well-being of voluntary, internal migrants is an understudied topic as they move within their home country. Yet it happens all the time, far more often than international immigration, and I think people worldwide can relate to the stress and uncertainty that comes with moving." While conducting research in 2012, Myroniuk remembers seeing migrants on the move away from an isolated township outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. The isolated township offered few services and was not on the electric grid. The migrants' personal belongings were stacked 12 feet high in the back of a pickup truck as they travelled to their next destination. "While those who moved may have found work and were able to send some money back home to support their families, this study also indirectly highlights those who were potentially left behind, those who may have wanted to move but could not for financial or other reasons," Myroniuk said. "As migrants and their families tend to be a vulnerable, insecure population, this research can hopefully lead to policymakers identifying vulnerable individuals in local primary care settings and tailoring support and resources to help those in need who are searching for upward mobility." As a public health researcher, Myroniuk has previously studied barriers and facilitators to accessing HIV treatment for older adults in South Africa, where HIV is more prevalent than other parts of the world. "Whether it's HIV or COVID-19, the pandemic has definitely put a spotlight on the spread of infectious diseases and the physical health impacts of these diseases," Myroniuk said. "However, as medicine improves and people are living longer, it is also important to think about the mental health and emotional well-being of vulnerable populations, so this research is a small step in the right direction to spark further conversations." "Post-migration emotional well-being among Black South Africans" was recently published in Social Science and MedicineMental Health. Co-authors on the study include Michael White at Brown University and Sangeetha Madhavan at the University of Maryland. More information: Tyler W. Myroniuk et al, Post-migration emotional well-being among Black South Africans, SSMMental Health (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmmh.2022.100173 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Cancer remains the second-leading cause of death in the U.S., but the number of people dying from cancer continues to decline. In the last three decades, the overall rate of death from cancer has decreased 33%. Data reported recently for 2019 and 2020 shows the trend continues. The decline, according to various reports, is attributed to increased awareness around prevention, screening, early diagnosis and treatment of more common cancers. Dr. Folakemi Odedina, deputy director of community outreach for Mayo Clinic's Comprehensive Cancer Center, says the news is worth celebrating, but there is still much work to be done. "It is great news for people who are in the cancer community. Whether you are a scientist or a clinician, or a survivor, or a patient, or even an advocate, knowing that some of the work that we are doing is really making an impact is greatand a result of the collaboration of manybut we are not where we want to be," says Dr. Odedina. The burden of cancer is significant. According to the American Cancer Society, almost 2 million new cancer diagnoses are expected this year. And more than 602,000 people died from cancer in 2020, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Even though we have declining death rates, we still continue to see huge gaps and to see disparities in certain racial and ethnic minorities," notes Dr. Odedina. "In some communities, especially Black or Latino communities, and in parts of the Asian and Pacific Islander population, we see some significant disparities in the area of cancer. What that says to us is we still have a lot to do." Credit: Mayo Clinic At Mayo Clinic's Comprehensive Cancer Center, teams are working daily to advance the science around new therapies and treatments, but, Dr. Odedina says, there is also an increased focus on minority community outreach. "It is important to be addressing cancer from a prevention perspective to reduce the risk of cancer, as well as the diagnostic and screening components, but we need to build advocacy through collaboration and partnerships within the communities. And the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center is doing it in a variety of ways." One area of particular interest for Dr. Odedina is increasing minority representation in research. "We want to make sure these people are represented in our research as we aim to advance things further across the continuum of care," she says. Personally, Dr. Odedina is focused on addressing inequities in prostate cancer. Since 2014, she says, there has been a steady uptick in prostate cancer incidence, especially in Black men. This is particularly concerning since data from the American Cancer Society indicates a decline in the number of men overall diagnosed with cancer in the past five years. "Prostate cancer affects men globally, but being of Black race is one of the risk factors for prostate cancer," says Dr. Odedina, adding that Black men have a 50% increased risk, with 1 in 6 men developing prostate cancer in their lifetime. While there may be social, environmental and other genetic factors at play, it is critical to find answers, especially if the aim is to continue to decrease the number of cancer deaths overall. "We need to engage Black men in prostate cancer research and prostate cancer clinical trials if we're going to alleviate disparities. But more so, we need to focus on all increasing diversity in research for all cancers so we can address why some are still rising and why others are decreasing," she says. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain After three years of implementing its "zero-COVID" strategy, China has dropped all COVID restrictions. In the weeks since, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have skyrocketed in a country with low immunity and limited resources to address the current surge. In this Q&A, adapted from the January 25 episode of Public Health On Call, Stephanie Desmon talks with Amesh Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, who explains why China's policies were destined to fail and why China in 2023 could look a lot like the U.S. in 2020. COVID was first found in China. It caused a lot of disruptions early on, but the country has a unique COVID policy. Can you explain how China has been dealing with the virus until recently? China has moved from two different opposite poles of policy, neither of which was correct. Their first policycalled "COVID-zero" or "zero-COVID"involved authoritarian measures aimed at eliminating the virus. For a respiratory virus like SARS-CoV-2 that spreads efficiently through animal hosts, that type of containment strategy just isn't sustainable. The COVID-zero policy simply didn't respect the biology of the virus. When you talk about the biology of the virus, do you mean that you can't just lock the doors and hope it goes away? That's right. Certain virusessmallpox, for examplecan be eradicated from the planet. But SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, comes from a family of viruses that causes about 30% of our common colds. Those relatives of SARS-CoV-2 are able to evolve and escape immunity, which they do all the time. This is a virus that cannot be removed once it has established itself in the population. For respiratory viruses like this, rather than try to eliminate them, you have to instead fortify resiliency in the population. And when you say fortify, you mean vaccination. Vaccination is a major aspect of it, especially vaccinating high risk individuals with very potent vaccines that are highly effective. Other pieces of the puzzle include antiviral drugs like Paxlovid, expanding hospital capacity, and teaching the public how to calculate risk. The virus is not something that will be eradicated or eliminated; people in Chinaand around the worldare going to be dealing with COVID in 2023 and in 2043. SARS-CoV-2 is going to become one of the respiratory viruses we [will always] contend with, so you have to teach people how to calculate risk. How do you teach people how to live with a threat that they didn't have in 2019? You have to acclimatize them to it. We have an understanding of how the virus spreads, and we've laid out the tools we have to mitigate it: masks, moving gatherings outdoors, vaccines and boosters, antivirals, rapid tests, etc. China didn't do that. Until now, they were basing their strategy on a flawed assumption that the virus could be eliminated and then everything was going to snap back to 2019, and that's not the case. It seems like the population was set up by three years of basically lockdowns upon lockdowns. Do we know if it worked at all by reducing the number of COVID cases and deaths? I think in the end, they were always going to have waves of COVID. They were just kind of kicking them down the road. The best approach for China's lockdown strategy would have been to pair it with other tactics: vaccinating high risk populations with highly effective vaccines, making rapid tests and antivirals available, and ensuring [availability of] ICU beds and ventilators. Instead it's like they ripped off a Band-Aid, and now they'll likely face similar issues that other countries did in the pre-vaccine era. So after ending lockdowns and testing, China now has a real crisis on its hands. It's seeing a spike in infections, hospitalizations, and death. What does that mean for China? And what does it mean for the rest of the world? In China, we're going to see a lot of preventable deaths and a lot of preventable disruption to people's lives and the economy. I don't think that this changes the trajectory of the pandemic in the United States or any other place, because we have so much immunity in our population from prior infection, vaccinations, boosters, and combinations of those three. The U.S. will probably see supply shocks and issues because much of our economy is dependent upon supply chains that extend into China. Travel restrictions could also affect people who travel to China and need a negative test to return. Let's talk about vaccines. China had its own vaccine. A lot of people got two doses, and it was later determined three doses were needed. So it would stand to reason that they would go back out and try to vaccinate people. Is that what's happening? The Chinese vaccine does have some effect, but it appears to wear off quickly if you only get two doses of it, especially if you're at higher risk. China's early vaccination campaign, however, did not emphasize the importance of vaccinating the elderly, many of whom are already very vaccine-hesitant and therefore have not received their third doses. The EU has also offered free supply of the more effective Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to China, but it's been deemed illegal for Chinese citizens to receive it. That's why you see people fleeing to Hong Kong and Macao to receive Western vaccines. What do we think the numbers are going to look like in China in the coming weeks? They are currently reporting a total of around 60,000 deaths, and they keep revising that number upward. You have to assume that with a virus like SARS-CoV-2, the more contagious omicron variants, and the lack of vaccine protection in China's high-risk populations, that the country's whole population will be infected. I don't know where China's numbers will ultimately land, and I don't know that we'll actually ever get accurate numbers. What do you see going forward in China? Like everywhere else, COVID will come and go. We're already seeing indications that cases may have peaked in major cities, but that's going to happen at different times across the country. Omicron will likely leave a lot of death and destruction in its wake, and then the population will have resiliency. Unfortunately, they squandered two and a half years to build that resiliency. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Mae Mu (Unsplash) Cinnamon, the well-known aromatic spice that many of us use to bake cakes and cook savory dishes, is derived from the inner bark of Cinnamomum trees. These are evergreen trees found in the Himalayas and other mountain areas, as well as in rainforests and other forests in southern China, India and Southeast Asia. In addition to its unique flavor, cinnamon could have other beneficial properties for humans. For instance, studies suggest that cinnamon has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties, and can also boost the immune system. Some works also showed that its bioactive compounds could boost brain function, particularly memory and learning. Yet the validity of these findings is yet to be established with certainty. A team of researchers at Birjand University of Medical Sciences in Iran recently reviewed several past studies exploring the effects of cinnamon on cognitive functions. Their analysis, outlined in Nutritional Neuroscience, highlights the potential value of cinnamon for preventing or reducing memory or learning impairments. "This study aimed to systematically review studies about the relationship between cinnamon and its key components in memory and learning," Samaneh Nakhaee, Alireza Kooshki and their colleagues wrote in their paper. "Two thousand six hundred five studies were collected from different databases in September 2021 and went under investigation for eligibility. Forty studies met our criteria and were included in this systematic review." Nakhaee, Kooshki and their colleagues reviewed hundreds of studies stored in several online research databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and Web of Science. They then narrowed down their analysis to 40 of these studies, those that were most pertinent to their topic of interest. Among these 40 studies, 33 were carried out in vivo (i.e., examining real living organisms, such as humans, rodents, or other animals). Five of them were conducted in vitro (i.e., outside of living organisms, for instance by analyzing cells or post-mortem tissue), and two were clinical studies (i.e., with medical patients). The researchers extracted data relevant to all these studies, including their author, year of publication, compound or type of cinnamon used, the study population and sample sizes, doses of cinnamon or its bioactive components used, gender and age of participants, duration and method of consumption, and the results obtained. They then assessed the quality and reliability of the studies looking at their design, sample size, inclusion criteria, and other methodological aspects. Finally, they analyzed and compared the results of the 40 relevant articles they selected. Overall, most of the studies they looked at suggested that cinnamon could positively impact both memory and cognitive function. "In vivo studies showed that using cinnamon or its components, such as eugenol, cinnamaldehyde, and cinnamic acid, could positively alter cognitive function," Nakhaee, Kooshki and their colleagues wrote in their paper. "In vitro studies also showed that adding cinnamon or cinnamaldehyde to a cell medium can reduce tau aggregation, Amyloid and increase cell viability." Out of the two clinical studies analyzed by the researchers, one was conducted on adolescents and the other on pre-diabetic adults who were 60 years old or younger. The first study asked the adolescents to chew cinnamon gum, while the latter asked participants to eat 2g of cinnamon on white bread. The study on adolescents yielded positive results, suggesting that chewing cinnamon gum improved memory function and reduced anxiety. In contrast, the clinical study on pre-diabetic adults found no significant changes in cognitive function following the consumption of cinnamon. "Most studies reported that cinnamon might be useful for preventing and reducing cognitive function impairment," the researchers wrote in their paper. "It can be used as an adjuvant in the treatment of related diseases. However, more studies need to be done on this subject." Overall, the systematic review paper by Nakhaee, Kooshki and their colleagues suggests that cinnamon and some of its active components could have positive effects on the functioning of the human brain, boosting memory and learning. In the future, this review could inspire other teams of researchers to further examine the impact of cinnamon on the brain, which could potentially promote its use to preserve brain function and slow down cognitive impairment. More information: Samaneh Nakhaee et al, Cinnamon and cognitive function: a systematic review of preclinical and clinical studies, Nutritional Neuroscience (2023). DOI: 10.1080/1028415X.2023.2166436 2023 Science X Network This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Associations between 10-y mean exposure to road traffic noise at the most (A) and least (B) exposed facades and risk of tinnitus using the fully adjusted model. The vertical bars show hazard ratios with 95% confidence interval at the median of the exposure categories compared with the reference category. Reference category was <45 dB for Ldenmax and <40 dB for Ldenmin. Credit: Environmental Health Perspectives (2023). DOI: 10.1289/EHP11248 If you live near a busy road, it may increase your stress levels and affect your sleep. When we are under stress and sleep poorly, we may be at a higher risk of developing tinnitus. In a new study with data from 3.5 million Danes, researchers from the Department of Clinical Research and the Mrsk Mc-Kinney Mller Institute at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) have found that the more traffic noise Danish residents are exposed to in their homes, the more they are at risk of developing tinnitus. Tinnitus is most clearly manifested by annoying whistling tones in the ears, which are disturbing for many. Risk increases with noise levels It is the first time that researchers have found a link between residential traffic noise exposure and hearing-related outcomes. "In our data, we have found more than 40,000 cases of tinnitus and can see that for every ten decibels more noise in people's home, the risk of developing tinnitus increases by six percent," says Manuella Lech Cantuaria, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at the Mrsk Mc-Kinney-Mller Institute and affiliated to the the Department of Clinical Research at SDU. She and her colleague Jesper Hvass Schmidt, Associate Professor at the Department of Clinical Research and Chief Physician at Odense University Hospital (OUH) are concerned about the many health problems that traffic noise seems to cause. In 2021, they found a correlation between traffic noise and dementia. "There is a need for more focus on the importance of traffic noise for health. It is alarming that noise seems to increase the risk of tinnitus, cardiovascular diseases and dementia, among other diseases," says Jesper Hvass Schmidt. Tip of the iceberg It is at hearing clinics, such as the one at OUH, where Jesper Hvass Schmidt works, that patients can get the diagnosis of tinnitus. But only the worst cases are referred from their own doctor or an otorhinolaryngologist . The high number of reported cases of tinnitus are probably only the tip of the iceberg, he believes. "In general, about ten percent of the population experience tinnitus from time to time. It is associated with stress and poor sleep, which can be worsened by traffic noise, and here we have a potential cycle." More studies are needed so that researchers can be sure that traffic noise causes tinnitus, and how this happens. "But we know that traffic noise can make us stressed and affect our sleep. And that tinnitus can get worse when we live under stressful situations and we do not sleep well," Jesper Hvass Schmidt says. Noise at night is worse The researchers believe that noise at nighttime can be even worse for health "It affects our sleep, which is so important for restoring both our physical and mental health. Therefore, it is worth considering whether you can do something to improve your sleep if you live next to a busy road," Manuella Lech Cantuaria says. What to do In the study, higher associations were found when noise was measured at the quiet side of their houses, that is, the side facing away from the road. This is where most people would place their bedroom whenever possible, therefore researchers believe this is a better indicator of noise during sleep. "There are different things one can do to reduce noise in their homes, for example by sleeping in a room that does not face the road or by installing soundproof windows." But not everyone has those options. "It is therefore necessary that traffic noise is considered a health risk that must be taken into account in urban planning and political decisions, says Manuella Lech Cantuaria." The findings are published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. More information: Manuella Lech Cantuaria et al, Transportation Noise and Risk of Tinnitus: A Nationwide Cohort Study from Denmark, Environmental Health Perspectives (2023). DOI: 10.1289/EHP11248 Journal information: Environmental Health Perspectives Provided by University of Southern Denmark Faculty of Health Sciences This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The process of Mindfulness meditation and brain regions with reduced activity after the Mindfulness program. Credit: KyotoU / Robin Hoshino Sadly, many family members, friends, and celebrities have suffered from anorexia nervosa, or AN, a severe psychiatric illness associated with intense anxieties concerning weight, shape, and self-esteem. AN is characterized by an eating disorder, food restriction, voluntary vomiting, and extreme emaciation. Mindfulness meditation has already become a globally recognized method for addressing AN. Its effectiveness in clinically treating neurogenic emaciation, however, was not previously studied. A team of researchers at Kyoto University's Graduate School of Medicine has now found that mindfulness meditation does reduce such anxieties. Results from the study show changes in the activity of brain regions involved in anxiety. The team's mindfulness meditation program has seen a significant decrease in obsessive thoughts about test subject's self-image and brain activity associated with related emotions. "Our results suggest that the participants in the study became better at accepting their anxiety as it is," says lead author Tomomi Noda. Mindfulness and meditation work hand-in-hand. The former teaches practitioners to hone their awareness of their present experience and their ability to not judge and rather accept their circumstances. The latter is the medium by which mindfulness can be approached. "We focused on the possibility that patients with AN try to avoid their crippling anxiety about weight gain and self-image by restricting food or vomiting," adds co-author Masanori Isobe. A 4-week mindfulness intervention program examined neural changes using tasks designed to induce weight-related anxiety. The researchers then regulated this anxiety by helping patients accept their current situations and experiences at face value, instead of avoiding them. The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imagingor fMRIto analyze attention regulation in relation to eating disorders. The study's results support the subjective experiences of the researchers, although it was unexpected to them that several global events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russo-Ukrainian war, were significant factors in patients' anxieties. "We anticipate practical implications of our results in clinical psychiatry and psychology and broader research into mitigating suffering through mindfulness, using the strategy of self-acceptance to regulate attention," concludes group leader Toshiya Murai. The research is published in the journal BJPsych Open. More information: Tomomi Noda et al, Neural correlates of a mindfulness-based intervention in anorexia nervosa, BJPsych Open (2023). DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2022.637 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Electron microscopy images of lung macrophages in a normal mouse (left) and in a mouse deficient for mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (right). mn obtenida por microscopia electronica de un macrofago pulmonar de un raton normal (izquierda) y un macrofago con deficiencia en la fosforilacion oxidativa mitocondrial (derecha). The structures with a spiral appearance are accumulations of fat and cholesterol. Credit: CNIC Macrophages are cells of the immune system that, in addition to playing an essential role in the early response to microbial infection, also regulate tissue function and inflammation. Inflammation is a physiological response that helps to repair damaged tissue, but if not correctly resolved it can become chronic inflammation, which lies at the origin of many conditions, including the metabolic syndrome associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Now, a team at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) has discovered that the metabolic requirements of macrophages differ depending on the organ in which they reside. In other words, these cells adapt to the needs of the organ in which they are located. The discovery "gives us a better understanding of how macrophages regulate their metabolism according to the organ in which they reside. In addition, our results reveal a vulnerability of macrophages that contributes to chronic inflammatory diseases and that could be exploited therapeutically for the treatment of conditions associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome, such as cardiovascular disease," said study leader Dr. David Sancho, who heads the CNIC Immunobiology group. The study is published today (February 3) in an article in the journal Immunity. Macrophages are immune cells that are normally distributed throughout the body and help to cleanse organs of all types of biological material that needs to be removed, from harmful particles such as mineral crystals or viruses to proteins or larger complexes that arise during development. Macrophages are also important for removing dead cells, thus contributing to tissue renewal. The new study reveals that macrophages adapt their metabolism and function to the organ in which they reside. "In tissues with abundant extracellular fat and cholesterol, such as the lungs and spleen, macrophages adapt their metabolism to degrade these fats through mitochondrial respiration," explained first author Dr. Stefanie Wculek. "Using genetic or pharmacological methods to disrupt mitochondrial respiration, mitochondria can be eliminated from lung and spleen, whereas the macrophages in other organs, which don't depend on mitochondrial respiration, survive." Another example is provided by the macrophages located in body fat, or adipose tissue. "Macrophages residing in the body fat of a person of normal weight are unaffected by mitochondria-disrupting treatments because their metabolism is less dependent on mitochondrial respiration. This is because the fat cells, called adipocytes, are fully functional, leaving the macrophages in a resting state," said Dr. Sancho. "However, in obese individuals, the excess fat surpasses the capacity of the adipocytes, and the resident macrophages become activated, converting into inflammatory cells that promote the development of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver." But this change in adipose tissue macrophages also makes them vulnerable. "The activated macrophages depend on mitochondrial respiration to process the excess fat, and this makes them vulnerable to therapeutic interventions, including pharmacological inhibitors of mitochondrial respiration," explained Dr. Sancho. The Immunity study shows that inhibition of mitochondrial respiration killed these proinflammatory macrophages, preventing the progression of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver (the key components of metabolic syndrome) in an experimental mouse model. The investigators conclude that this finding opens the way to new treatments for conditions linked to obesity and metabolic syndrome, like cardiovascular disease. Provided by Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (F.S.P.) This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain The U.S. spends as much as three times more on health care per person as other high-income countries, yet residents are often less likely to visit doctors, according to a report that highlights poor returns for the nation's large investment. The pandemic has widened discordances between medical spending and health results in the U.S. and the rest of the world, findings from the Commonwealth Fund study show. The only high-income country that doesn't guarantee access to health care, the U.S. spent almost 18% of its gross domestic product on health and related services in 2021. The report adds to a litany of indicting data from the U.S., where half of adults are worried about medical costs that sometimes force them to delay or forgo care, according to a recent study, and life expectancy of 77 years ranks 39th among all nations. One glaring problem is that Americans visit the doctor just four times a year, trailing most other wealthy countries, perhaps because of cost and a lack of practicing physicians, the authors said. The American health system "can seem designed to discourage people from using services," they wrote in the report, U.S. Health Care from a Global Perspective, 2022: Accelerating Spending, Worsening Outcomes. "High out-of-pocket costs lead nearly half of working-age adults to skip or delay getting needed care." The U.S. spends $10,687 per person each year on health-care programs and insurance, plus another $1,225 for household out-of-pocket costs, the research found. That compares to less than $4,000 for both components in South Korea, the lowest of 13 countries the group tracked, and just over $7,000 in Germany, the second-biggest spender after the U.S. Yet Americans are seen by doctors less than half as often as people in the Netherlands, Germany, Japan and Korea, and the U.S. has fewer physicians per patient than any other member nation of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, according to the report. Hospital stays, less than five days on average, are also shorter than those in peer countries. The pandemic has taken an exceptionally high toll on the U.S., which has the highest COVID death rate of any country. Avoidable deaths from ailments like diabetes, high blood pressure and preventable cancers outstrip every other wealthy country, the researchers said. The U.S. also leads wealthy nations in infant and maternal mortality. Other vulnerable populations include Black Americans, who die four years younger on average than Whites, while American Indians and Alaska Natives die seven years sooner. The findings "demonstrate the importance of a health-care system that supports chronic disease prevention and management, the early diagnosis and treatment of medical problems, affordable access to health-care coverage, and cost-containment," the researchers concluded. "Other countries have found ways to do these things well; the U.S. can as well." 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The final two candidates for curator at the Montana Museum of Art & Culture will visit campus in the coming weeks for interviews, and will each deliver a public lecture. Joshua Gamma will speak at 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6, in Eck Hall, Liberal Arts Building, Room 11. Siera Hytes talk is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, in McGill Hall 210. Both will speak on the topic, My Ideal Exhibition at the MMAC. The lecture portion will run for about 30-45 minutes, leaving time for questions, for about an hour total. These two were selected after a national search yielded 13 applicants for the job, a University of Montana staff position. Rafael Chacon, the MMACs director, said its more common for candidates for academic jobs to give public presentations, but they felt because the MMAC curator job is prominent and crosses over between academic programs that its warranted. For the public, the lectures are a chance to get some folks in the community to hear them speak and help us with their feedback, he said. The MMAC is in the midst of the largest transition in its history a move into its first dedicated home. Construction of a new 17,000-square-foot building is underway in the parking lot near the Fitness and Recreation Center and the Adams Center. The three-level structure will have enough gallery space for year-round exhibitions drawn from its Permanent Collection, which numbers around 11,000 objects that are now mostly held in storage. By mid-August, Chacon said they hope to be able to begin moving into the building, located in the parking lot between the Adams Center and the PAR/TV Building, and open in late September in time for Homecoming. An announcement about the curator job could be made by the end of the month, according to Peggy Nesbitt, the search committee chair and the managing director of personnel and operations in the College of Arts and Media. The committee also includes Ted Hughes, interim curator; Leslie Van Stavern Millar, a longtime Missoula-area artist; Betsy Bach, a UM professor emeritus; Dagny Walton, a UM student in the School of Visual and Media Arts; Cathryn Mallory, an arts professor; and Marissa Badzioch, program coordinator for the school and the museum. Joshua Gamma Based in Baltimore, Gamma has worked since 2008 as an independent curator, creative director, designer and artist-illustrator. His resume lists curation of 20 exhibitions; more than 60 public programs ranging from panels and workshops to lectures and performances; publication writing and design experience and more. During that span, hes worked with a variety of projects around Baltimore and Austin, Texas, including art and a multidisciplinary community radio project called Transceiver Radio. He holds bachelors degrees in studio art and design from the University of Texas at Austin; and a masters in curatorial practice from the Maryland Institute College of Art; and served in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. Siera Hyte Hyte is the assistant curator of modern and contemporary art at the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine. Shes held that position since November 2021, serving before that as a curatorial fellow from February to November of that year. From 2019-2020, Hyte was an education assistant at the Missoula Art Museum for its programs, including its Fifth-Grade Art Experience, and worked on rural and tribal outreach in addition to working with local schools. She has a bachelors in performance and writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and an MFA in studio art from the University of Texas at Austin. THURSDAY, Feb. 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Having a stroke is a life-altering experience, and complications can crop up afterwards, but a new study finds the color of your skin may determine whether you are treated for them. In the year following a stroke, Black and Hispanic patients were not treated for common complications as often as white patients were, researchers found. "Black patients were less likely to receive medical treatment for nearly every post-stroke complication, the largest differences were for the treatment of fatigue, depression and spasticity [muscle stiffness]," said lead researcher Dr. Kent Simmonds, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. "The large magnitude of treatment gaps ensures the pressing need for health care systems and providers to do a better job of actively recognizing post-stroke complications within minority populations and provide patients with explanations towards how and why medical treatment may help," Simmonds said. These disparities exist because of a complex set of "bio-psycho-social-environmental factors," he added. This type of study is best at identifying the what rather than the why, but the results are consistent with earlier studies that found quality stroke care is not a given, Simmonds said. "Quality care requires cultural competence and trust between providers and their patients," he explained. "Many of the complications, such as fatigue and depression, require health care providers to dig a little deeper to identify these issues prior to offering and discussing appropriate medical treatments." For the study, Simmonds and his colleagues analyzed the health records from 65 large U.S. health care centers of patients hospitalized for stroke between August 2002 and July 2022. They found that Black patients were less likely to be treated for any complications except seizure, when compared with white patients. The biggest difference was in the treatment of central nervous system arousal, fatigue, muscle spasms and mood within two weeks of a stroke. Compared with white patients, Black patients adults were 30% less likely to be treated for central nervous system arousal, 27% less likely to be treated for muscle spasms and 17% less likely to be treated for mood irregularities, the researchers found. Hispanic patients were 20% less likely to get treatment for central nervous system arousal, 19% less likely to get treatment for muscle spasms and 16% less likely to get treatment for mood irregularities than white patients, Simmonds said. The findings are slated for presentation on Feb. 8 at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting, in Dallas. Findings presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. "It's not surprising that this study found disparities in the utilization of therapies to treat conditions like depression and seizures in Black and Hispanic adults," said Dr. Karen Furie, a spokesperson for the American Stroke Association and chair of neurology at Brown University's Warren Alpert Medical School. It is not clear why these disparities exist, said Furie, who was not involved in the study. "For instance, perhaps it's less likely for clinicians to screen for these conditions in certain subpopulations of patients. Perhaps there are groups of patients who are resistant to taking therapies, or there may be problems with either access to treatments, or issues concerning the expense of therapies that lead to non-compliance with recommendations," she noted. "Fortunately, there's a lot we know about how to help patients recover, but clinicians can't treat unless patients and families make them aware of the issues of mood, level of function and potential complications," Furie said. "This study, hopefully, is one of many that will help us identify communities that need more help and help health care providers do more to standardize the delivery of care for patients and families in the post-acute period." More information For more on stroke, see the American Stroke Association. SOURCES: Kent Simmonds, DO, PhD, resident, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Karen Furie, MD, MPH, spokesperson, American Stroke Association, professor and chair, neurology, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, R.I.; presentation, American Stroke Association annual meeting, Dallas, Feb. 8, 2023 THURSDAY, Feb. 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Antidepressants are often prescribed to people suffering from chronic pain, but a new evidence review argues that the science behind these prescriptions is shaky at best. These drugs helped people in chronic pain in only a quarter of potential uses tested, and even then the effect ranged from low to moderate, according to a combined analysis of 26 prior reviews. "We found that, for most pain conditions and types of antidepressants, the evidence of their effectiveness was either inconclusive or they were ineffective," said lead researcher Giovanni Ferreira, a research fellow at the University of Sydney Institute for Musculoskeletal Health in Australia. In particular, the review found scant evidence supporting the use of tricyclic antidepressants, he said. Previous studies have found that as many as 3 out of 4 antidepressant prescriptions for pain involved a tricyclic antidepressant, researchers said in background notes. "Tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline are by far the most commonly used antidepressant for the treatment of pain," Ferreira said. "But to our surprise most evidence for tricyclic antidepressants showed that the effectiveness of these antidepressants is inconclusive. We think this is a concerning finding." The U.S. opioid epidemic has led doctors to look to non-opioid drugs as a means of pain relief. For example, a 2021 guideline for chronic pain management from the U.K's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) explicitly recommends against using pain medicines, but carves out an exception for antidepressants, researchers noted. For this new report, Ferreira's team analyzed a series of reviews that distill evidence from 156 clinical trials involving more than 25,000 people. The researchers used the combined evidence to judge the effectiveness of eight antidepressant classes on 22 separate pain conditions, totaling 42 distinct comparisons in all. This review, for the first time, brings together all the existing evidence about the effectiveness of antidepressants to treat chronic pain in one comprehensive document, Ferreira said. In all, 11 of the 42 comparisons (26%) yielded evidence supporting the effectiveness of an antidepressant to treat a type of chronic pain. "For the other 31 [74%] comparisons, antidepressants were either inefficacious or evidence on their efficacy was inconclusive, the researchers wrote. They listed nine specific pain conditions for which one antidepressant or another appeared effective. These were back pain, postoperative pain, fibromyalgia, nerve pain, pain related to breast cancer treatment, pain exacerbated by depression, knee arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, and headache caused by chronic tension. "For most of these conditions, SNRI [serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor] antidepressants were effective," Ferreira said. Moderate certainty evidence suggested that SNRIs were particularly helpful in managing back pain, postoperative pain, fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain, results showed. On the other hand, researchers were taken aback by the limited effectiveness of tricyclic antidepressants, despite their widespread use. "There were only three conditions for which they were effective: neuropathic pain [nerve pain], irritable bowel syndrome and tension-type headache," Ferreira said. "However, for those three conditions the certainty of evidence was low." People should carefully weigh with their doctor whether an antidepressant could help their pain, he concluded. "We hope that the findings from this review will support both clinicians and patients to weigh up the benefits and harms of antidepressants for various pain conditions so that they can make informed decisions about whether and when to use them," Ferreira said. There are many different means by which an antidepressant could work to help someone in chronic pain, said Dr. Glenn Treisman, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. Some might directly affect the pathways that report pain to the brain, while others might reduce a person's perception of their pain or ease an emotional condition like anxiety or depression that makes someone more sensitive to pain, said Treisman, who wasn't part of the study. Both Treisman and Ferreira doubt that a placebo effect could explain the results found in these clinical trials. "It is not well understood why some trials show that certain types of antidepressants are effective for one condition but not for other, but this is unlikely to be due to placebo effects," Ferreira said. "And contrary to population opinions, placebo effects in pain research are not actually very powerful." For his part, Treisman said its difficult to draw broad conclusions from an analysis that combines data involving many different pain conditions and many different antidepressants. "When you do one of these studies, what you want is a homogeneous group of patients who have the same thing. And that's very difficult to find in chronic pain," Treisman said. Everybody's quite different, he noted. "Their personalities are different. They have different pain threshold set points. They have different abilities for coping, different ways of distracting themselves from pain," Treisman said. "Then when you try to do the experiment, its very difficult to get the experiment to show what you want it to show." He noted, for example, that some people are what is known as symptom amplifiers -- that is, they experience symptoms more intensely. Others are symptom minimizers. "Even when they're having a fair amount of pain, they say 'I'm OK,'" Treisman said. "And when you go to do studies on people, if you don't match them, it's very hard to get the studies to come out right." Studies that show no effect aren't necessarily ruling out the potential of antidepressants to help pain, he noted. "The studies that are negative aren't telling you that nothing's happening," Treisman said. What they're telling you is that they weren't able in that study to show that anything happened. And the reason they were unable to show it often is because those studies are really hard to do well. A failed experiment doesn't prove the negative." The research review was published Feb. 1 in the BMJ. More information Harvard Medical School has more on antidepressants for pain relief. SOURCES: Giovanni Ferreira, PhD, research fellow, Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney, Australia; Glenn Treisman, MD, PhD, professor, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore; BMJ, Feb. 1, 2023 THURSDAY, Feb. 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A phone call from a nurse may be the lifeline needed to help improve survival for heart failure patients. New research from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles finds that check-in calls may help save lives. There's a lot of new technology and new ideas about how to manage people who have heart failure remotely, but we demonstrated that low-tech and old-fashioned talking on the phone, essentially monitoring the response to, How are you feeling? can improve outcomes, said corresponding study author Dr. Ilan Kedan, a professor of cardiology at the institute. About one-third of people die within a year of being hospitalized for heart failure, a condition in which the heart does not pump enough blood to support the organs. About 15% to 20% of heart failure patients who were hospitalized return to the hospital within 30 days, according to past research. To study the impact of phone calls on outcomes, the researchers included just over 1,300 patients aged 50 or older who were hospitalized for acute heart failure between October 2011 and September 2013 at six academic medical centers in California. Half of the patients were randomized to receive a new post-hospitalization care plan. In this new plan, patients were given a blood pressure monitor and a scale. The patients received pre-discharge heart failure education, along with an average of five calls over a 180-day period during which nurses asked about weight, blood pressure, heart rate and any unusual symptoms. Patients who reported abnormal results or symptoms received more follow-up calls. The other half of the study participants received usual care, including a nurse educating them about heart failure before being discharged and, for most patients, one call from the hospital after returning home. The investigators also grouped patients based on the number of other health conditions they had ("comorbidities"), ranging from zero to nine or more. Patients categorized in the grouping with the highest number of other conditions who were also in the intervention group were 25% less likely to die at 30 days and 180 days than patients in the control group. Those in this group also stayed out of the hospital a mean of 152 days versus a mean of 133 days for the patients who did not receive the intervention. Patients in the groups with low or moderate other health conditions who received more frequent calls did not have any statistically significant different outcomes than the patients who only received one phone call. Readmission rates were similar for both the intervention and control groups, according to the study. What makes this study unique is our methodology, how we grouped people according to the number of comorbidities they had, Kedan said in a Cedars-Sinai news release. Investigators may consider using a similar approach to identify which patients may benefit the most from heart failure interventions. This is considered a practical solution for those who might struggle using a smartphone app or computer-based program. The findings were published online recently in the Journal of Cardiac Failure. More information The American Heart Association has more on heart failure. SOURCE: Cedars-Sinai Los Angeles, news release, Jan. 31, 2023 The Department of the Interior announced a nearly $580 million allocation to continue fulfilling settlements of Native American water rights claims using funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Reclamation Water Settlements Fund. The bipartisan infrastructure law invests more than $13 billion in tribal communities across the country, including $2.5 billion to implement the Indian Water Rights Settlement Completion Fund, according to a press release. Nearly $460 million from the laws Indian Water Rights Settlement will be allocated to settlements enacted prior to Nov. 15, 2021. Additionally, $120 million from the Reclamation Water Settlement Fund will be used. As of Nov. 15, 2021, there were 34 congressionally enacted Indian Water Rights settlements, the release said. Indian reserved water rights are vested property rights for which the United States has a trust responsibility. Federal policy supports the resolution of disputes regarding Indian water rights through negotiated settlements. Settlement of Indian water rights disputes breaks down barriers and helps create conditions that improve water resource management by providing certainty as to the rights of all water users who are parties to the disputes, the press release said. The following Montana settlements will receive funding this year: Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement in the amount of $45,279,000. Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes-Montana Water Rights Protection Act in the amount of $156,937,000. A collaboration between two Missoula nonprofits, the city and federal governments and a private homeowner will result in the creation of four permanently affordable homes on a parcel of land in a centrally located neighborhood. And at least one longtime Missoulian, a teacher in her 60s who has seen the housing market explode beyond her means, will get to avoid being displaced. I would be homeless if this hadnt followed through the way it did, explained Suzanne Demarinis. Brittany Palmer, the newly hired executive director of the nonprofit North Missoula Community Development Corporation, explained how the organization was able to purchase the single-family home on Burlington Avenue where Demarinis has been renting for about five years. Marilyn Marler, a state legislator, reached out to us about the property about a year ago, Palmer said. She had been renting it out for an affordable price to (Suzanne). Marilyn and her partner David wanted to do something about the housing crisis and offered to sell us the home if we could maintain or expand its affordability. The NMCDC was able to utilize a $324,000 federal Community Development Block Grant, authorized by the Missoula City Council, to buy the home for $375,000, well below market-rate. Marler and her partner donated $75,000 back to the organization as a gift as well. And we are going to keep renting it affordably to Suzanne and support her in hopefully purchasing it as a subsidized community land trust home, Palmer explained. They may be able to offer the home to Suzanne for as little as $200,000 because she wont be buying the land underneath the house. But because the property is large enough to be split into four lots and is in a neighborhood that is zoned to allow town homes along with single-family homes, the story doesnt end there. Habitat for Humanity of Missoula is going to have three local families put sweat equity into building, along with volunteers, another three permanently affordable town homes on the back three lots. This is the first time the NMCDC has partnered with Habitat in this way, and the first time our local Habitat has built shared-wall town homes, Palmer explained. Palmer noted that in Missoula, with sky-high housing prices that are escalating far beyond wages, a teacher on fixed wages would never be able to afford a home without creative thinking. The house on Burlington, if it were sold to the highest bidder, would probably be redeveloped into expensive high-end housing. Palmer evoked the words of her predecessor, Bob Oaks, as she pointed out the huge yard behind the house. I think Bob would call this bulldozer bait, she said. Houses like these are at risk of somebody investing in them and just kicking the people out. So were hoping that by telling the story of this house that other people might want to do it. Marler, who represents HD 90 in Missoula, said she and her husband bought the house a long time ago as an investment. But after seeing the housing prices escalate here during the pandemic and how it affected those who had lived here for a long time, they decided they wanted to just get a little bit of their equity back and try to help a few residents. We wanted to be part of the solution, rather than the problem, she said. Heather Harp, the executive director of the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity of Missoula, said she hopes other homeowners in Missoula will have the same idea. This is a really great example of various different housing allies working together to solve our affordability problem, Harp said. We had Marilyn coming in with the asset, which theres a lot of those around town. She and I had a conversation about how we can add additional infill lots, and her property was poised perfectly to put in a triplex that would fit in with the character of the neighborhood. Harp noted that the NMCDC is in the land trust business but not the homebuilding business. We found we could collaborate in a way to build three more permanently affordable homes for our working-class, Harp said. Harp said there are already three families set to build the three homes. One is a disabled veteran and her kid, and the other two families are both employed by local nonprofits, which is one of those segments thats greatly underserved, Harp said. For Demarinis, who has lived in Missoula her whole life and even owned a home here before, the situation is like a dream. She works as an English-language teacher online and as a substitute at different schools around town. On her salary, it was inevitable that housing and rent prices would crush her dreams for retirement if the house had been sold at the highest price. Shes seen what rents are around town. This is my forever home, she said. ST. IGNATIUS Standing at the tallest point on the Bison Range, Willie Stevens squinted through a pair of binoculars at a wildlife world on the move. The sun shone bright and blue sky replaced a freezing January morning fog on the valley floor as Stevens, a full-time Range maintenance foreman, looked down toward his hometown of St. Ignatius. The white-capped Mission Mountains towered in the background. If you were to stand from Mission, you can look at the tree line and you actually see an outline of a buffalo with the four legs and the head and everything, Stevens said. To me it's an actual sign that this land was meant to be the Bison Range. Stevens and his partner Dan Gardipe, a full-time maintenance foreman assistant from Ronan, scouted a section south of the Range for activity. Not more than a mile away, a group of bison calmly grazed on the plains. Minutes before a pack of coyotes dashed across a bare field, disappearing into the hills. They sure know when to make an exit, Gardipe said as he drove a newly purchased ATV along the mountainside. One might assume life on the Bison Range comes to halt once winter strikes. But despite the cold and snow, activity remains, Stevens said. One must look carefully in order to find it. Spanning nearly 19,000 acres of Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes land, the Bison Range has it all a landscape historic, grandiose, educational and culturally significant for Indigenous peoples, the first stewards of the land. Jan. 2 marked the first anniversary since CSKT officially took over management of the Bison Range from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, bringing the land back into tribal control. With the enactment of the Montana Water Rights Protection Act in 2020 and the passage of Public Law 116-260, Congress restored the Range to federal trust ownership for CSKT. This allowed the tribes natural resource managers to take over as stewards and caretakers of what is once again tribal land. The Bison Range land was taken from the tribe in 1908 by the federal government, which later created a nature preserve then known as the National Bison Range. Although a 1971 federal court awarded additional compensation for the land to CSKT, the tribes continued to seek full authority over Red Sleep Mountain and the buffalo roaming there. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service managed the land as a National Wildlife Refuge. Many of the bison were sold and work opportunities for tribal members were limited because of the federal restrictions on jobs at the Range. On May 21, 2022, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited the reservation to speak at a celebration at Salish Kootenai College. The return of the Bison Range to these tribes is a triumph and a testament to what can happen when we collaboratively work together to restore balance to ecosystems that were injured by greed and disrespect, Haaland said in front of a multigenerational crowd at the college. Today represents a return to something pure and sacred. Getting to know the land For Stevens and Gardipe, working at the Bison Range gives them an even greater connection with their ancestral land. For both men, working at the Range also comes with learning curves. It's just a big process getting to know the land and where all the springs, wells, water troughs and fences are as far as everything that we need to repair, Stevens said. Its getting to know what needs to be done as far as taking care of the land and paying attention to all the wildlife and learning their routines and routes. Stevens recalls hearing stories about the Range and how its bison herd was brought over by his ancestors. After years working in the construction business, he knew he wanted to be part of the preservation efforts. I like the outdoors and Ive been around animals pretty much all my life, he said. The main thing here has been helping take care of the buffalo, which is such a beautiful and integral part of our history. Before working full-time at the range, Gardipe worked as a wildland firefighter traveling across the country during the summer. After more than 38 years fighting fires, he wanted to take back and enjoy his summertimes. So he joined the workforce at the Bison Range, where hes been performing maintenance for little over a year. From the mid-1990s to 2016 before the tribes gained full management, CSKT was in numerous co-management agreements with the USFWS at the National Bison Range under the Tribal Self-Governance Act, which allows tribes to contract for Interior Department programs regardless of which agency administers them. The agreements allowed CSKT to perform certain programs, services, functions, and activities at the NBR creating a path toward co-management of the site. The Range now employs 25 to 27 workers, from full-time to seasonal. Included are a maintenance crew, on-site biologists and wildlife biologists working with the tribe, visitor center/museum staff and a game warden. Staff at the Range said the ability to have crews living on-site has greatly benefited the attention and care that the land needs. During the winter season, even though the range is not bustling with visitors from around the world, the work does not slow down. Every day, a team of ecologists, wildlife biologists and maintenance workers are tasked with caretaking of the land and its animals. Shannon Clairmont, supervisory biologist at the Range, schedules personnel for spring and summertime projects that run into the fall. A big project for us since we took over (management) is weeds, Clairmont said as he huddled next to his team at the Ranges field office. Weeds are terrible out here. Currently we have a big Ventenata problem where the animals are carrying it everywhere. All we can do is slow the bleeding. Right now we're looking at upwards to over $30,000 a year on weed management alone." Ventenata, also known as wiregrass, is a nonnative and invasive type of grass thats been rapidly expanding throughout the Pacific Northwest. In the past two decades its become a problem in managed grass-hay systems. Another big project is fixing and replacing old fencing. Clairmont said maintenance will replace rotten posts and pull interior fences. He said most of the old fencing was part of a pasture rotation system. Back then, bison had to be moved every few months or when the grass was browsed down. Since about 2005 it's been a free-roaming bison herd, so all the gates are open all the time and they can run wherever they want to go, Clairmont said. Past practices In the past the Bison Range used to maintain a bison herd of about 650 head. Some animals were killed for meat, which was processed at the on-site slaughterhouse and sent to schools and other tribes, Clairmont said. He added that the Range currently carries about 350 bison. Surplus animals are auctioned or donated for starter herds on other reservations or government-owned operations. The tribes are also looking to change how the bison are managed. Clairmont, who has worked two years at the Range, said FWS used to round up the herd every year for genetics testing and performing health checks. Back then, the bison were put through what CSKT wildlife refuge division manager Whisper Camel-Means called a high stress roundup. This type of handling often involved excessive use of noise and force to capture the animals. That type of handling changed after USFWS hired a low-stress livestock handler named Whitney Hibbard. Two years before we transitioned, they had started working with him and he started doing trainings with their staff, Camel-Means said. So instead of shaking rattle cans or hollering or running hard on the (corrals) metal planks above the bison they used flags gently around the bison. There was no running and everybody was supposed to talk quietly and stay calm in order to do low-stress bison handling. Camel-Means said CSKT management has decided to handle older bison every two years and calves only after they are at least a year old, which would give the mothers more time to nurse offspring without disruptions. She said they are changing the use of the word roundup to "capture" as they try to steer away from what she calls cowboy culture. Were still going to monitor genetics and continue to participate in the Department of Interior's Bison Conservation Plan, Camel-Means said. Were still trying to keep the genetic integrity (of the herd) while also treating them more like wildlife where we don't handle them as much as (USFWS) previously did. With the transition, Clairmont was able to hire plant ecologist Peter Bugoni to help with native vegetation. Other positions were created to account for under-staffing when USFWS managed the grounds. We're hoping to turn around some of their restoration projects and really get them popping, Clairmont said. (We need) native vegetation back on these grounds as well as trying to cut back on the weeds. After management switched, Camel-Means said the tribe was frustrated after finding the land was not in the best condition. Noxious weeds that are unpalatable by bison have taken over at least a third of the Range plus some forest overstory that reduces forage as well, Camel-Means said. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service hadn't done a great job at reducing the numbers of elk on the Range and weed management because they were constricted by shrinking budgets. Now elk have taken up residency, and elk and bison eat the same types of things. So now as we're taking over, we have extremely high numbers of elk and a very tenuous range and forage condition for the bison. Camel-Means said restoration also came with little funding. She said whatever money CSKT received from USFWS has been used for deferred maintenance, which only accounts for some of the weeding and fencing costs. Most of the range management, such as weed spraying, fencing and elk reduction, are costs the tribe has had to shoulder. The tribes have paid a majority of the main restoration budget, Camel-Means said. Last year we did get some funding from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to supplement as we transitioned, but that's not continuous and sustaining funding. Weve had to come up with ways to fund this facility since the Flathead Water Compact and Bison Restoration Act asks that we keep the facility running and open to the public. Back in the community For Stephanie Gillin, wildlife biologist for CSKTs Natural Resources Department and tribal information and education specialist, the transfer of management has allowed the community to truly feel welcome on the land. We have a lot of tribal members who come out and they are very proud of (the Range) being run by us, Gillin said. I was born and raised on the reservation, and we did not hear our history with the Range. Nor did we feel welcome there at any time when Whisper and I worked with their wildlife program. One big thing for us is to be able to tell our story from our point of view. As information and education specialist, Gillin has visited schools across the reservation to teach about the Range's ancestral history. Through the tribes first year of management, Gillin has revamped and updated the museum and corrected inaccurate information about the Range at the visitors center. Although the transition has had its ups and downs, Camel-Means and Gillin are optimistic the changes will benefit the community. Camel-Means said CSKT is currently in the works of designing a new visitor center off of Highway 93 near the rest area and observatory on Ravalli Hill. The new building would provide better access to the Bison Range and a new museum about the tribes connection to the bison. Plans and information about the new facility are yet to be released officially by CSKT. From the highest point on the Range, Stevens continued to peer through the eyelets of his binoculars scouting for wildlife. Not too far away, Gardipe took work calls looking at the snow-capped Missions. The fog had begun to lift. The land where both men stood used to be delineated in pink on maps, symbolizing federal land that was surrounded by a sea of green tribal land. Now that block on the map has been transformed for generations to come. Having that ability to tell our story is a big part of the success and the good feelings about what's going on (at the Range), Camel-Means said. For the longest time the Bison Range was this big pink postage stamp, which was land that had federal status. Now that it's green, which is tribal, it just fills in what is the heart of the reservation. I think that getting control of our land back, which we manage quite well, is part of why it feels good. Trustees with the Missoula County Public Schools district interviewed three finalists to serve as its next superintendent as the search timeline draws to a close. In a day packed full of interviews and meet-and-greets with the candidates, the trustees peppered Dale Olinger, Thom Peck and Candace Roush with questions ranging from how they would describe their leadership style to how they will work to meet the needs of the district in the face of budget constraints. The Montana-based candidates all come from administrative backgrounds in districts significantly smaller than MCPS. This is a step up for these candidates, said MCPS Board Chair Wilena Old Person after the interviews concluded on Thursday. So, can they handle a district our size? Olinger and Peck kicked off the morning with interviews that lasted just over an hour. Roushs concluded within a half hour. The reasons the candidates applied for the job range from professional goals to personal relationships. Roush, who has two children in the school system, said she is ready to get back into schools to work with children and mentor teachers. Peck said that Missoula is closer to his children and grandchild and that after 35 years in education, he was ready to step up to the challenge of leading a Class AA school district. Olinger, who is currently the superintendent in Lolo, said he is eager to lead the school district where he went to school. I love this community, Olinger said. "Ive grown up in it. Its raised me in many ways as Missoula County Public Schools has, so when this job opened up I really didnt have to think very hard about whether or not it was of interest to me and it was time for me to get back." As far as leadership styles, Roush said she is a servant leader at heart. Olinger spoke of leading with humility. Peck said his greatest strengths as a leader are to build consensus among those hes working with, something he exercised when working with his districts union representative to create a new four-year collective bargaining agreement that also revamped the salary matrix with a goal to boost staff retention. My job as leader is to take all of those different viewpoints, listen to understand and then get them to go into that common direction with that common purpose, Peck said. The candidates also had varying experiences with diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. For Roush, that looked like efforts to meet the needs of all of the students at her previous school district in Indiana, which had a high poverty rate. I think thats something that you have to know and you have to understand and it comes with a lot more compassion or understanding, Roush said. For Peck, it was more personal and he spoke about how growing up attending schools in Browning impacted his perspective. The values, the compassion, the empathy that I learned, being a minority in a Native American culture that I highly, highly respect to this day, taught me so much about inclusion and being a minority and acceptance, Peck said. The best part about being culturally diverse is it makes us all better. It makes us all more empathetic. In Lolo, Olinger said there isnt much ethnic diversity, but a wide-ranging political and economic diversity in the community. Our culture is such that nobody notices, its not a thing, people are just people in our school and I dont know that I caused that necessarily but we do have a lot of other types of diversity, Olinger said. "We look at political diversity and economic diversity and some of those things that are becoming even bigger drivers today." Throughout the day on Thursday the candidates visited with other stakeholder groups for interviews and wrapped up their whirlwind day with a community meet-and-greet at the district offices. Were always hopeful that we find someone who loves kids, loves humans and wants to be a part of our community as a leader, said KaCee Ballou, president of the Missoula Education Association. The wide-ranging community involvement in the search process was greatly appreciated by Carleen Hathaway, a union representative for classified staff with the district. Its important for us to get out there and ask our questions, Hathaway said. Ive told our members, put on your union hat, put on your parental hat and put on your employee hat and ask those questions. WASHINGTON (AP) The Pentagon said at midday Friday that a Chinese spy balloon had moved eastward and was over the central United States, and that the U.S. rejected China's claims that it was not being used for surveillance. Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, refused to provide details on exactly where the balloon was or whether there was any new consideration of shooting it down. The military had ruled that option out, officials had said, due to potential risks to people on the ground. Ryder said it was at an altitude of about 60,000 feet, was maneuverable and had changed course. He said it currently was posing no threat. He said there was only one balloon being tracked. Earlier, the U.S. announced that Secretary of State Antony Blinken had postponed a planned high-stakes weekend diplomatic trip to China as the Biden administration weighed a broader response to the discovery of a high-altitude Chinese balloon flying over sensitive sites in the western United States. That abrupt decision came despite China's claim that the balloon was a weather research "airship" that had blown off course. The U.S. has described it as a surveillance vehicle. The development came just before Blinken had been due to depart Washington for Beijing and marked a new blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations. President Joe Biden declined to comment when questioned at an economic event. Two 2024 reelection challengers, former President Donald Trump, and Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador, said the U.S. should immediately shoot down the balloon. Discovery of the balloon was announced by Pentagon officials who said one of the places it was spotted was over the state of Montana, which is home to one of America's three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. A senior defense official said the U.S. prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot down the balloon if ordered. The Pentagon ultimately recommended against it, noting that even as the balloon was over a sparsely populated area of Montana, its size would create a debris field large enough that it could have put people at risk. The official said the balloon was headed over the Montana missile fields, but the U.S. has assessed that it had only "limited" value in terms of providing intelligence China couldn't obtain by other technologies, such as spy satellites. The discovery alarmed many in Washington across the country and, besides the U.S. protests lodged with Chinese officials, it attracted strong criticism of the administration from Republican members of Congress who have advocated taking a tougher stance with China. China, which angrily denounces surveillance attempts by the U.S. and others over areas it considers to be its territory and once forced down an American spy plane, offered a generally muted reaction to the Pentagon announcement. In a relatively conciliatory statement, the Chinese foreign ministry said late Friday that the balloon was a civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research. The ministry said the airship has limited "self-steering" capabilities and "deviated far from its planned course" because of winds. "The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure," the statement said, citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond one's control. Blinken had been prepared as late as Thursday to travel to Beijing this weekend but the administration had begun to reconsider the trip following the discovery of the balloon on Wednesday, even before its presence was made public, an official said. The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the administration had " noted" China's expression of regret. Blinken's long-anticipated meetings with senior Chinese officials had been seen in both countries as a way to find some areas of common ground at a time of major disagreements over Taiwan, human rights, China's claims in the South China Sea, North Korea, Russia's war in Ukraine, trade policy and climate change. Although the trip, which was agreed to in November by President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit in Indonesia, had not been formally announced, officials in both Beijing and Washington had been talking in recent days about Blinken's imminent arrival. The meetings were to begin on Sunday and go through Monday. Timeline: Chinese leader Xi Jinping's rise and rule China's Xi Jinping expands power and promotes allies Early years Regional leader National leader Members of the military literally wear their accomplishments on their sleeves, shoulders and chests, in the badges of honor and rank theyve achieved. They tend to be very particular about inaccurate claims the Navy SEALs are known to publicly shame school children who erroneously claim their fathers were in that elite branch. So it was a chokecherry surprise to get an announcement from Rep. Ryan Zinke on Tuesday announcing $10.9 million in federal transportation funding for projects on the Blackfeet and Flathead Indian reservations, Missoula and Kalispell. The money was part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was passed in 2021. Zinke wasnt in office at the time, but Montanas then-lone Congressman Matt Rosendale called it a Trojan horse filled with billions of dollars to fund Green New Deal priorities, push the Lefts social justice agenda and invade Americans privacy when he voted against it. Sen. Steve Daines described it as a reckless tax and spend plan. For his part, Zinke stated he was eager to get to work as a member of the House Appropriations subcommittee on Transportation and Housing to ensure Montanas projects are not overseen and that our districts unique needs and priorities are met. (emphasis added because were not sure what that means: either he doesnt want the feds keeping tabs on local spending or he meant overlooked?) Only Sen. Jon Tester voted for the bill in fact he was one of the 10-member bipartisan negotiating team that drafted it. His efforts got acknowledged in the Montana media, which he posted on his own website back in 2021. That didnt stop Testers staff from trying some chokecherry tail-twisting on Wednesday because he didnt get mentioned in a story about the $9.3 million coming to Missoula for its local edition of the federal Department of Transportations Safe Streets for All program. At the time, he reiterated to reporters that roughly $3 billion in road, airport and water projects should be a benefit to the state. If he wants personal credit when every one of those dollars gets spent, perhaps the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act should have been given a different name, in the tradition of McCain-Feingold or Smoot-Hawley. Furthermore, Zinke sent his email announcement at 8:06 a.m. Tuesday while Tester didnt chime in until 12:33 p.m. We dont want to encourage competitive/redundant coup-counting on congressional back-patting. But if you want to be in the breaking news business, timing matters. We do share Zinkes huckleberry applause to the local leadership for recognizing the both the (sic) need and funding opportunity to improve safety within our own communities. The Missoula funding will improve safety on the stretch of South Avenue where traffic from Big Sky High School, the Fort Missoula Regional Park, Community Medical Center, several churches and housing complexes all mash together. The Blackfeet Tribe received $797,105 to improve road safety on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes received $368,000 for a similar road safety plan. And Kalispell got $520,000 for its transportation safety action plan. This leads up to the bigger issue here: Votes aside, this money came from The Congress, approved by The President, for what The Constitution decreed to promote the general welfare. Montanans receive $1.47 in federal support for every $1 we pay in federal taxes. And we have the third-most miles of roadway per person, just behind North Dakota and South Dakota. We dont drive that much but everybody else in the nation has to go through Big Sky Country to get their stuff trucked. Three times as many people came to share the wonders of Glacier National Park last year than live in the whole state. Theres a relationship here that goes beyond red/blue politics and rural/urban snobbery. As President Harry Truman observed, Its amazing what you can accomplish when you do not care who gets the credit. After last nights Golden Globes thing, we had only less than 12 hours to regroup and prepare for the real deal: First SAG nominations, and then DGA, the initial two major guild indicators of where the real sentiment might lie before Oscar voting begins Thursday. With the Producers Guild, often a very Oscar-predictive list as well, also coming Thursday, the best barometers of where industry thinking is at the moment will be on the table. So what did the Directors Guild tell us? After two years in a row awarding female directors their top prize (Jane Campion, Chloe Zhao) and watching them go on to take the corresponding Oscar, it is time for the men to dominate once again. Although there were no surprises necessarily of who made the cut Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans), Todd Field (Tar), Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) some of the omissions might have been eyebrow-raising, including James Cameron (whose Avatar: The Way of Water also was shut out at SAG except for its Stunts team) and Elvis Baz Luhrmann, both Globe and Critics Choice nominees for highly popular films. More from Deadline Universals The Fabelmans However, even with women showing great strides with DGA in the past couple of years, it seems a shame that neither Sarah Polley for Women Talking or Gina Prince-Bythewood for her epic work on The Woman King could not make the cut not to mention female helmers for the likes of Till and She Said, to name a couple more in a very good year for women. Is it a sign that the guild and the jobs are still overwhelmingly male and a negative that those aforementioned two female-directed movies were about women talking and women fighting, with their gender prominently in their films title? I hope not. Story continues On the bright side, the DGAs list of Achievement by a First-Time Feature Film Director completely turns the tables, with only one lone male (John Patton Ford for the female-centered Emily the Criminal) able to crash an otherwise admirable all-ladies list of Alice Diop (Saint Omer), Audrey Diwan (Happening), Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic (Murina) and Charlotte Wells (Aftersun). This is a very indie, very international, very female group DGA recognizes, and maybe that is to make up for omissions at the Big Kids table. Or maybe just a preview that a future generation of directors coming up are going to look very different from the pretty much all-white-male (Kwan is Asian) list that will get all the attention this year. If the recent past is any indication, at least one of those nominated for DGAs Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film will not make the directing cut at the Oscars, likely to go to a director for a foreign-language film, and probably not a woman. My guess would be Edward Berger for Germanys All Quiet on the Western Front or S.S. Rajamouli for the wildly inventive RRR. Top Gun: Maverick Kosinskis presence on the DGA list is his first major awards mention, and so well deserved as Top Gun: Maverick didnt direct itself to the biggest hit of 2022, in addition to wide acclaim. The nomination from this guild for the film, and inevitably one to come from PGA, shows its strength going into the Oscar race, this despite star Tom Cruise not making the cut at SAG this morning. Adam Sandler As for those SAG nominees, like the DGAs strong track record over 75 years predicting Oscar winds, you cannot deny the impressive connection SAGs award has achieved in its 29 years. Last year, all four acting winners at SAG went on to win Oscars in their respective categories, while eventual Best Picture Oscar winner CODA really took off on its way to the Dolby after collecting SAGs version of Best Picture for Outstanding Cast (just as Parasite benefitted from its SAG Cast win in 2020). Although it has happened occasionally, it is very rare for an actor to win an Oscar without at the very least a SAG nomination first. The list the 2500-strong nominating committee came up with held few surprises. Austin Butler, Colin Farrell, Brendan Fraser and Bill Nighy have been in every conversation. However it was pleasant, and a little unexpected, to hear Adam Sandler got a slot as well for last springs Netflix film, Hustle. Sandler indeed has been hustling on the circuit, heavily supported by the streamer, and clearly it paid off at the expense of Cruise, Hugh Jackman and others hoping to make the cut. The Woman King The Female Actor lineup is so strong this year, stronger than the males, that it was inevitable some deserving performances would be left out. So, in were Cate Blanchett, Viola Davis, Danielle Deadwyler, Michelle Yeoh, and Ana de Armas, but out were Olivia Colman, Margot Robbie and, most shockingly, The Fabelmans Michelle Williams who decided early to pass on campaigning for Supporting attention. She probably could have turned into a front-runner in that category but made a point of going for Lead because she felt it was so important for mother roles to be upgraded. The gambit didnt pay off here, but I expect it will with Oscars. It should be noted that both Williams and Robbie did land SAG nominations this morning as part of the nominated Cast of both Fabelmans and Babylon. And BTW, if you think the latter films inclusion in the prestigious Cast category was a surprise, I would ask you, Why? It is a movie centering on Hollywood and actors. Speaking of that, has SAG set up a fascinating scenario that also could play out at the Oscars? Can Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, never nominated for an Oscar in their own lives, find themselves in the race care of Butler in Elvis and de Armas in Blonde, just as they are now at SAG? Wouldnt that be interesting? Everything Everywhere All At Once cast at SXSW In the supporting categories, there wasnt a single shocker amidst a boatload of possibilities. Paul Dano got the bid for Fabelmans over 87-year-old Judd Hirsch, who had some heat for his extended cameo. The inclusion of both Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan from the SAG-leading The Banshees of Inisherin seems like a continuing scenario, as does the front-running status for Everything Everywhere All at Once s Ke Huy Quan, who killed in his Globes acceptance last night and looks unstoppable. The Good Nurses Eddie Redmayne looks strong for an Oscar slot as well; he also has been one of the most visible performers on the circuit this year, and it is paying off. In Supporting Female, Angela Bassett, fresh off a Globes win, looks strong here too with Everythings Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu likely to be dividing votes. Kerry Condon is great and has the advantage of riding the Banshees wave interesting to note that all four of its nominated stars are first-time SAG nominees in any category while Hong Chaus placement for her brilliant turn as the Brendan Fraser characters caregiver in The Whale was a smart and deserving move by SAG. Women Talking Thank God SAG has an ensemble category. It was made for movies like Women Talking with its virtually all female cast which could be the sleeper here over the casts for Babylon, Everywhere Everything All at Once, The Fabelmans and Banshees Of Inisherin. The latter three of those films have other opportunities for their individual actors, unlike Women Talking, which absolutely defines what a film ensemble should be: all for one and one for all. Take note of that, SAG voters. SAG Awards A side note here: For the first time, there is no TV deal in place for this years SAG Awards, but it was announced this morning that Netflix will stream it beginning in 2024, and it can be watched this year on Netflixs YouTube channel, and possibly other digital outlets run by the streamer. Perhaps this is all kismet because Netflix has to be pretty happy landing those nominations in Film for Sandler, de Armas, and Redmayne, none of whom were slam-dunks according to the punditry. As we speak, I bet Netflix is looking for every conceivable way, YouTube and otherwise, to get these 2023 SAG awards as visible as possible. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Franklin Countys longtime coroner, Jeff Conner, will retire at the end of this year. His son and deputy, Jordan Conner, is running for election to replace him. Jordan is seeking the Republican nomination in the municipal primary election on May 16, according to a news release. Jordan has worked in the office with his father and Chief Deputy Coroner Ted Reed for 10 years, first as a volunteer and then as a part-time staff member. Reed also plans to retire at the end of the current term. Jordan has the compassion and integrity necessary to lead this office for years to come, Jeff wrote in an email. The coroner's office investigates sudden, unexpected deaths in Franklin County and others as legally required, according to the office's page at franklincounty.gov. The coroner is among three full-time employees in the coroner's office, Jeff said; there are also five part-time/on-call deputy investigators and two dozen other deputies that serve in an on-call capacity as transporters and assistants. Franklin County Coroner Jeff Conner, center, stands with deputy coroners Jordan Conner, left, and Ted Reed, right, outside of the office's rehab unit. Jeff Conner will miss job's 'challenges' Jeff Conner joined the coroners office 24 years ago, working under the former coroner, Kenneth Peiffer Jr., before taking over a few years later. Over the years he and his team have worked to advance the offices technology and expand and improve training opportunities. Jeff said he felt it was time to slow down a little and retire. I have five amazing grandchildren that are growing up way too fast and I believe it is time to spend a little more time enjoying every moment with them, he told the Public Opinion. More:Coroner brings comfort to fire, crime scenes with rehab unit Reed, a former federal firefighter at Letterkenny Army Depot and currently an officer at Pleasant Hall Volunteer Fire Co., has been Jeff's deputy for most of the latters tenure. They are also both grandfathers (he has even more grandchildren to spend time with, Conner said) and are the same age. We both decided it is our time to redirect our interests and passions in life, Jeff said. Story continues Jeff began his career in emergency services as a junior firefighter at Marion Volunteer Fire Co., he said. He later became an EMT. He served as deputy ambulance chief at St. Thomas Volunteer Fire Co. and as a driver for the original Medic 1 out of Chambersburg Hospital. When tragedy strikes, no one is ready for it, but I have been blessed to provide care and compassion to those families over the years, he said. Speaking for victims and seeing many families get justice have been highlights of his years on the job. I will miss the challenges of the job the most. Every case could bring something new, and it is our job to meet those challenges, he said. About Jordan Conner Should Jordan be elected Franklin Countys next coroner, he would continue keeping up with the leading technology and push for the highest level of training among staff and local law enforcement to better serve our communities, according to a news release. He also intends to complete the process to bring the coroners office into national accreditation. Jordan is a state-certified death investigator and is nationally certified by the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators. More:Franklin County Coroner's Office releases name of Chambersburg fire victim In addition, he has participated in hundreds of hours of training across a broad range of crime scene investigation," according to the release. Hes done training with the Pennsylvania State Police and the St. Louis School of Medicine. He is a former paramedic with Medic 2 with Waynesboro Hospital. Jordan currently serves as the district director for state Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-89, in Chambersburg. The news release about Jordans campaign included a statement from Kauffman: There is no one more qualified than Jordan Conner to lead the Franklin County Coroners Office. His commitment to justice for our communities and families is unmatched. His leadership and compassion will drive the Office for years to come! The release also stated he is supported by state representatives Paul Schemel, R-90, and Rich Irvin, R-81, law enforcement, emergency responders and funeral home staff. Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com. This article originally appeared on Chambersburg Public Opinion: Franklin County Coroner Jeff Conner to retire; son running for office Central Illinoisans with their eyes on the skies might see an unusual sight beginning this week. The U.S. Geological Survey will start sending out a helicopter towing a large hoop to make low-level flights over the Illinois River Basin as part of ongoing groundwater studies. A low-flying helicopter towing a geophysical device collects scientific data for salinity and aquifer mapping. The flights will begin on or around Jan. 24 and last three to four weeks. The helicopter will collect geophysical measurements as part of the USGS' Next Generation Water Observing System. The copter will fly relatively low to the ground, a few hundred feet above the surface. A sensor that resembles a large Hula-Hoop will be towed beneath to measure tiny electromagnetic signals that can be used to map underground features. 'Shivery and snowy': Almanac predictions agree on cold and snowy winter in Peoria Surveys will not occur directly above populated areas. The helicopter system will only be visible from any particular location for a short time. Planned flight paths and survey progress can be found at arcgis.com. This map shows the airborne geophysical survey area and planned flight paths across the Illinois River Basin in Illinois and northwest Indiana. The survey will be conducted by SkyTEM, a specialty airborne geophysical company, through a USGS contract with Woolpert. The helicopter will be operated by pilots from LiveWire Aviation who are specially trained for the low-level flying required for geophysical surveys. Predicting exactly when a flight may be visible is "tricky," said Burke Minsley, a research geophysicist with the USGS based in Denver. Inclement weather, high winds or low visibility could delay progress. Unique memorial, storage units and more:Pekin business has big plans for vacant farmland Once the flights begin in the northeastern part of the basin, they could reach the Peoria area in as little as a week under ideal conditions. Minsley suggests tracking the flights' progress at the arcgis.com site. This article originally appeared on Journal Star: U.S. Geological Survey sends helicopter flights over Illinois River KENT Corporation and Muscatine High School officially began their partnership through the start of a brand new STEM field apprenticeship program last week. This came after representatives from KENT signed the U.S. Department of Labors employer participation agreement for a high school registered apprenticeship program. Through this program, junior MHS student Drake Minder will now be able to work as an information technology specialist apprentice. Minder said the offer was an interesting opportunity for him, one that would allow him to learn more about a field that already interested him. Ill get to work with what I love, and thats computers, Minder said. Coming out of this job, Ill be ahead of anyone else my age wanting to go to college for computer science. He also shared how appreciative he is of KENTs welcoming him into the company. Im really excited to start working there, Minder said. Everyone Ive met has been incredibly nice, and I couldnt ask for anything more. Im just really thankful to KENT and everyone who helped make this happen. Minder is scheduled to begin work toward the end of the 2022-23 school year. He is expected to work through the end of summer. Afterward, he will continue working at KENT during his senior year, working approximately 20 hours each week and gaining valuable experience. KENT spokesperson Carol Reynolds said the apprenticeship program would take a hybrid approach to measuring a student-apprentices skills, looking at a combination of specified hours of on-the-job training and successful demonstrations of competencies. KENT is committed to Muscatine and supporting workforce development locally, Reynolds said. Like many businesses, KENT is seeking a high-skilled workforce to provide technical support, solve complex business concerns, enable better decisions through data and provide security. At KENT, we continue to grow our business, and information technology plays a vital role in ensuring our long-term success. MHS school counselor Brandon Welsch also showed his support for the apprenticeship program, calling it a win-win for the school district and the community and seeing it as a good addition to the work-based learning program that has already been established at MHS for a variety of other careers. He then shared that KENT is only the latest Registered Apprenticeship at MHS, as Musco Lighting and Hon have also established apprenticeship programs at the school. Both MHS, the state of Iowa and local businesses are hoping to create more avenues and more apprenticeships, and are currently working on establishing some more with the state of Iowa, Welsch said. It really helps students to get some real world experience and prepare early for a future career, and it also helps local businesses tap into our talented MHS pipeline. For future students who have an interest or passion for technology, they will have the opportunity to work with KENTs experienced IT professionals, using their guidance to further apply the skills that they learn both at KENT and through related courses at either MHS or at community college, which will be taken before as well as throughout the apprenticeship program, to future jobs. Additionally, apprentices will be paid for their on-the-job learning, with their wages progressively increasing as they move through junior and senior year. Once their apprenticeship is complete, these post-graduate students will then be considered for full-time employment at KENT. KENT is committed to helping Muscatine grow, Reynolds said. Creating opportunity for long-term rewarding careers for our community is a cornerstone to that growth and prosperity. The Registered High School Apprenticeship Program will allow KENT to build a sustainable, local talent pipeline, which in turn will make our community and business stronger. In a recent Star article regarding the Nature Select, a point was made that the Calistoga small business grant process was much simpler than that of the City of St. Helena. Also in a recent Star edition, a letter to the editor sought to extol the virtues of seeking federal grants for City projects. The subtext of both is that the City is not doing enough to either help local business or is neglecting to seek grants for City projects. Nothing could be further from the truth and an explanation is warranted. The community should know that City staff and its grants consultant are continually seeking opportunities for grants. What is often missed is the time it takes to complete each grant application, the specific and narrow focus of the grants themselves, if the grant is competitive (meaning we are competing with other agencies for the funds), the amount of time between application and award/denial, and finally the execution of the grant itself With that being said, the City is managing 19 active grants (in which the City has received funding) totaling $6.3 million with an additional six pending grant applications totaling $2.8 million. But the fact is that the Citys profile is not a great match for many of the grants that are available. Typically, poorer more urbanized cities have greater opportunities for grants. An example of staff efforts to obtain grants was an immediate overture to the office of Congressman Thompson to seek assistance in the aftermath of the recent storm which will be followed by seeking assistance from state and county, as practical. There are a lot of factors which affect the success or failure of a business including, but not limited to: location logistics, rents, local customer support etc. In the case of Nature Select, many of those factors rather than St Helenas grants procedures seem to play a role in their interest in relocating to Calistoga. Still, it is disappointing when it becomes infeasible for a business to thrive locally, and we never like to see a business leave. We can and should do more to create new energy and vibrancy downtown, to encourage more local customer support, and to simplify the City's business support programs where we can, and to begin meaningful dialogue with the landlords who have ongoing vacancies. The City of Calistoga is supporting their businesses with local General Funds because presumably they have sufficient GF monies. Calistoga therefore can create a more streamlined process without being encumbered by state/federal requirements. In contrast, St. Helena is utilizing recently awarded CDBG funds totaling $500,000 and must meet their stringent requirements. In this case funds are intended to support low to moderate income activities, specifically hiring and retaining low/moderate income jobs. Part of the obstacle for Nature Select in utilizing CDBG funds was that the owner does not currently have any employees and thus made qualifying for this grant program more challenging. The City is appreciative and celebrates each grant it is awarded. As a City, we have had success in obtaining grants and are proactively seeking funds for which we qualify. Mandy Kellogg Director of Administrative Services, city of St. Helena Clay Gregory, who served many roles during a career in the wine industry that spanned three decades, died on Wednesday at age 65 from complications related to a form of early-onset Alzheimers disease. 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. Gregorys most recent role before announcing his retirement in 2019 was as president and CEO of Visit Napa Valley. According to a news release from his friend and former Visit Napa Valley colleague Angela Jackson, Gregory helped establish the Napa Valley Tourism Improvement District. He also formed partnerships to support the launching of music and film gatherings including BottleRock Napa Valley, the Napa Valley Film Festival and Festival Napa Valley, and he created various events and marketing programs promoting wine country that included Flavor! Napa Valley, Arts in April and Cabernet Season. After taking the helm at Visit Napa Valley in 2009, Gregory helped launch the Tourism Improvement District to help fund the promotion of a Napa Valley industry that was seeing revenues fall in the Great Recessions wake. In its first seven years, the agency raised $51 million placing a 2% assessment on hotel room rates to fund marketing during a period when hotel revenues rose from $207 million to $396 million by 2017. These were difficult times, financially and organizationally, George Goeggel, managing partner of Auberge du Soleil, said of Gregorys work in a 2018 interview with the Napa Valley Register. But we were united in one thought we are going to have to find a team and we need somebody to lead that effort. Born in Manhattan Beach but raised in Northern California, Gregory earned MBA degrees from San Jose State University. His career in the wine industry began in 1989 after he left a job with Motorola Inc. in Silicon Valley to work as a marketing manager for Robert Mondavi, a pioneer in the Napa wine industry's rise to international fame. Robert's son Tim Mondavi later announced Gregory's promotion to general manager at Robert Mondavi Winery, where he eventually became vice president. After leaving Mondavi, Gregory moved to Jackson Family Wines, where he was president from 2004 to 2009. Clay was a wonderful fellow He had a quiet, warm, receptive charisma that put everyone at ease. He also had aspirations to excel at whatever he did qualities that made him a well-loved and respected, gentle leader, Tim Mondavi said in a statement Thursday morning. We had a great vision, and Clay helped make that happen with his connection to people, his warm, welcoming, inspiring confident-enhancing spirit. He loved people, wine and fun, and his spirit made him ideal as a goodwill ambassador for Napa Valley. We will miss his always positive presence. Gregory contributed to the wine industry and his community in various roles. He was president of the Oakville Winegrowers in the early 1990s, president of the Napa Valley Vintners in 2003, served on the Auction Napa Valley board from 2000 to 2003, founded his wine label Inherit the Sheep in 2006. He also served on the boards of Napa Humane and the Napa Chamber of Commerce. Clay's leadership was instrumental in devising and implementing the (Tourism Improvement District) for the benefit of the hospitality industry; not only for the city of Napa, but countywide, said former Napa Mayor Jill Techel in a statement following news of his death. This strategic investment in the advancement of the industry continues to drive this important economic sector, benefiting all who live, work and visit Napa Valley." Gregory is survived by his wife Tersilla, four brothers, and seven nieces and nephews. -- FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this piece incorrectly stated Gregory helped the give Napa Valley a Great Wine Capital designation while part of the Napa Valley Tourism Improvement District. In fact, that designation occurred before his involvement with the district. In addition, while he served on the board of Napa Humane and the Napa Valley Chamber of Commerce, he was not the president. The newly appointed Human Rights Defender conducted fact-finding activities in Tegh village Armenia ambassador to Canada, newly elected mayor of Ottawa discuss cooperation Investigative Committee: Criminal proceeding launched into wounded soldiers case Woman who threw umbrella at Armenia premier is charged Zakharova responds to Armenia parliament majority faction secretary: They probably mistranslated it to him shamshyan.com: Man found dead, car found on train tracks in Yerevan Matviyenko: Russia hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed soon as possible Armenia, Russia FMs discuss matter of Yerevan-Baku relations normalization Smart solution from AraratBank: electric car loans at an interest rate starting at 9% Armenian legislature speaker: We call on international community to clearly condemn Azerbaijan aggressive actions Ameriabank CEO Artak Hanesyan sums up Triple Best campaign: We believe in potential of our team, Armenia Armenia MOD: Soldier wounded by own weapon Karabakh NSS deputy director, head of presidential Central Information Department are dismissed Armenia official: I wouldn't call this a vector change, I would call it a search for certain security guarantees Armenia parliament speaker expresses concern to Ashimbayev regarding Kazakhstan collaboration with Azerbaijan Armenia, Russia FMs meet in Uzbekistan GeoProMining Gold develops social cooperation with Ararat region Armenia Security Council chief briefs OSCE Minsk Group US co-chair on Azerbaijan provocation near Tegh village CIS FMs next meeting slated for October in Kyrgyzstan Armenia Security Council secretary: International presence needed to resolve many security issues in Karabakh Armenia ruling force lawmaker: PMs orders are mandatory for execution Armenia police hand over Azerbaijani found in Kapan city area to National Security Service Security Council head on CSTO: Not possible that Armenia be offered arms, ammunition help and it refuses Armenia ruling force MP to Zakharova: If we hadn't fought, given casualties, Russia MFA could call as much as it wants USD depreciating against several other major currencies Armenia Security Council chief on Azerbaijan border stability: We expect Brussels to take appropriate steps Armenia Security Council head: There were arrangements with Azerbaijan but most of them were broken CIS FMs to hold meeting in Uzbekistan Armenia Security Council chief: Azerbaijan is preparing for military escalation 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 The 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 Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan says Armenian businesses will feel the positive effect if the land border with Turkey gets reopened, Armenpress reported. Kerobyan spoke also about possible air trade. According to our information regular air cargo flights arent operated yet, Kerobyan told Armenpress when asked on the possible economic impact of Turkey lifting the ban on air trade with Armenia. And, to be honest, given the proximity of the countries, its possible that there wont be any [regular air cargo flights] because the land transport connection through Georgia is rather affordable. And at first glance, air [cargo] connection isnt too attractive, Kerobyan said. However, he did not rule out that some products will be transported by air. Nevertheless, cargo is transported on passenger flights, too, which is basically a type of air cargo transport. There are no cargo planes yet, and perhaps there wont be any. We arent too worried about that, the minister added. Asked on the economic impact of the possible reopening of Armenias land border with Turkey, Kerobyan said: The opening of the border with Turkey will lead to high economic growth, as the Turkish market and the opening of connections will give broad possibility, access in terms of shipping goods to both the Turkish market itself and to countries in the Middle East. All of this, naturally, shouldnt be viewed in a local, small picture. This is a small part of a larger picture. And if the geopolitical circumstances get arranged in our favor and eventually we reach that moment, then I am sure that all businesses in Armenia will feel the positive effect. Asked on the possible risks for Armenian manufacturers in conditions of the border with Turkey being reopened, the economy minister said that naturally there will be risks, but the Armenian government is carrying our serious work in that regard. As an example Kerobyan mentioned the unprecedented assistance given to process manufacturing enterprises and companies of a number of other sectors, so that the companiesusing the possibilities given by the high economic growth, among otherswill be able to modernize their business, digitize and upgrade their equipment and processes, and become competitive companies with higher productivity. With last years data, we funded deals worth 56 billion drams, as a result of which 901 contracts were signed for the acquisition of new equipment for business use, Kerobyan said. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Sergey Ghazaryan has sent letters to ambassadors of a number of countries accredited to Armenia, the Artsakh foreign ministry informs Armenian News-NEWS.am. In his letter, the Foreign Minister presented the humanitarian problems in Artsakh caused by the closure of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan, as well as the negative impact of natural gas and electricity supply disruptions on people's daily life and the republic's economy. It was emphasized that the blockade is not the first attempt by Azerbaijan to ethnically cleanse Artsakh, but is a direct continuation of the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan in 2020, as a result of which a significant part of the territory of Artsakh was occupied, and 38,000 people became refugees and IDPs. He noted that Azerbaijan's rejection of the Artsakh government's offer to conduct an independent international monitoring of the Kashen mine was yet another proof that the protest led by the Azerbaijani special services pursued a completely different goal, specifically, to take full control of the Lachin Corridor in violation of the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020. It was underlined that Azerbaijan's false claims that the road was open were refuted by the fact that from 12 December 2022 until today, no vehicle belonging to Artsakh residents passed through the Lachin Corridor. In fact, only the vehicles of the ICRC and the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent are allowed to pass through the blocked road. Moreover, failing to convince the international community of the allegedly ecological nature of the protest, the Azerbaijani authorities claim that the events taking place in the Lachin Corridor are their internal affair, which they do not have to discuss with any country. Meanwhile, it is obvious that all the above-mentioned actions of Azerbaijan pursue one single goal - ethnic cleansing of Artsakh. In his letter, Foreign Minister Sergey Ghazaryan urged the foreign Ambassadors accredited to Armenia to present to their Governments the real picture of what was happening on the ground. In particular, the letter said: We urge you to convey to your Government our appeal to take effective measures, including imposing sanctions or using other instruments of pressure, aimed at lifting the blockade of Artsakh and preventing the criminal intentions of Azerbaijan. World food prices fell for the tenth consecutive month, down 0.8% in January this year compared to December 2022. This is reported in a review of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). The FAO food price index was 131.2 points in January, down 1.1 points (0.8%) from December. Compared to its peak in March 2022, the index dropped by 28.6 points (17.9 percent). The Cereal Price Index in January was 0.1% higher than in December and 4.8% higher than in January last year. The dynamics of the movement of the world prices turned out to be multidirectional: prices for rice and corn were up, while prices for barley and wheat - down. International wheat prices show a downward trend for the third month in a row: in January they fell by 2.5% due to increased supply on world markets, as production volumes in Australia and Russia were higher than previously predicted, experts say FAO.The vegetable oil price index in January compared to December decreased by 2.9%, year-on-year - almost 25%. This was the result of a reduction in world prices for palm, soybean, sunflower and rapeseed oils. The price index for dairy products in January dropped 1.4% from December to its lowest level in 12 months. This was due to a decline in world prices for butter and milk powder. World prices for butter decreased for the seventh month in a row against the background of the unwillingness of market participants to enter into long-term import contracts at current prices, as they expect a further fall in prices and growth of supplies from Oceania. International prices for whole milk powder have fallen due to reduced demand from leading importers and increased supplies from New Zealand. Skim milk powder prices also declined, mainly due to sluggish global demand. Meanwhile, global cheese prices rose slightly, driven by a rebound in catering and retail sales activity in Western Europe after the New Year holidays, as well as currency fluctuations. The meat price index in January was 0.1% below December's level. This was the seventh consecutive month of decline, but the index is still 1.3% higher than a year ago. Lower world prices for poultry, beef and pork contributed to the price decline in January. Poultry prices declined the most because, even with widespread avian flu, export supply from leading suppliers still exceeds import demand. Pork prices declined slightly amid a high supply of slaughtered pigs, especially in Brazil and the United States, and lower-than-expected imports by China in the run-up to the Chinese New Year. International beef prices also declined due to an increased supply of slaughtered animals, mainly in Oceania. Meanwhile, lamb prices rose on higher import demand despite an increase in Australian slaughter volumes. The January sugar price index was 1.1% lower than December. This was the first decline after a sharp rise in the previous two months. It was mainly due to a good harvest in Thailand and favorable weather conditions for sugarcane crops in key sugarcane-growing areas in Brazil. At the same time, concerns over declining yields in India and a possible reduction in export supply kept sugar prices from falling further. The FAO Food Price Index is a weighted average that tracks international price movements for five major food commodity groups. Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 3 (ANI/PRNewswire): Mirae Asset Mutual Fund, one of the fastest growing fund houses in India, has announced the launch of Mirae Asset Flexi Cap Fund. The NFO for the fund opens for subscription on February 3, 2023, and closes on February 17, 2023. The fund will be managed by Vrijesh Kasera, Fund Manager. The minimum initial investment in the fund will be Rs 5,000 and multiples of Re 1 thereafter. Mirae Asset Flexi Cap Fund will be benchmarked against the NIFTY50 TRI. The Flexi Cap Fund will invest across market capitalisation--large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap, thus offering a large investment horizon to help investors capture the growth curves across sectors. How can this fund help in the investment journey: - Extensive investible universe with no M-cap limits - across large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap segments- Mix of value and growth stocks- India growth story continues to be resilient- Diversification of ideas, sectors, caps and risk Mirae Asset Flexi Cap Fund is ideal for those investors who are looking at remaining invested for a long term - 5 years and above, investors who are in the process of building a core portfolio and new investors who are looking to invest across market cap i.e. Large cap, midcap and small-cap stocks using a single fund. Vrijesh Kasera, Fund Manager, Mirae Asset Investment Managers (India) Pvt Ltd said, "The India story is still very resilient and investors could experience the benefit of participating in the growth of the Indian economy and its diverse sectors that contributes towards this growth. Through our bottom-up stock selection process, we will invest in companies with growth potential, which we can hold for longer term on its merit and we believe such opportunities are available across the market cap. These stocks are selected from diverse sectors that may have substantial growth in the coming years." Swarup Mohanty, CEO, Mirae Asset Investment Managers (India) Pvt Ltd said, "Mirae Asset Mutual Fund continues to remain focused on bringing investment solutions to investors based on their risk appetite as well as capital market outlook on a long-term basis. Mirae Asset Flexi Cap Fund is being offered at a time when India's macro-economic outlook is robust and the capex cycle across many segments is set to witness a significant uptrend." "Our product suite aims to reflects the market conditions while addressing the risk-reward factor of investors, and we believe that Mirae Asset Flexi Cap Fund can be an integral part of investors' portfolio on a long-term basis," Mohanty added. The NFO offers both direct and regular plan. DISCLAIMERS & PRODUCT LABEL: ^Large Cap: 1st -100th company in terms of full market capitalization. Mid Cap: 101st -250th company in terms of full market capitalization. Small Cap: 251st company onwards in terms of full market capitalization. NSE Indices Ltd Disclaimer: NSE INDICES LIMITED do not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Index or any data included therein and NSE INDICES LIMITED shall have not have any responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions therein. NSE INDICES LIMITED does not make any warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Issuer, owners of the product(s), or any other person or entity from the use of the Index or any data included therein. NSE INDICES LIMITED makes no express or implied warranties, and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, NSE INDICES LIMITED expressly disclaim any and all liability for any claims, damages or losses arising out of or related to the Products, including any and all direct, special, punitive, indirect, or consequential damages (including lost profits), even if notified of the possibility of such damages. Statutory Details: Trustee: Mirae Asset Trustee Company Private Limited; Investment Manager: Mirae Asset Investment Managers (India) Private Limited (AMC); Sponsor: Mirae Asset Global Investments Company Limited. For further information about other schemes (product labelling and performance of the fund) please visit the website of the AMC: www.miraeassetmf.co.in Please consult a financial advisor or mutual fund distributor before investing. The Product Labelling assigned during the NFO is based on an internal assessment of the scheme characteristics or model portfolio and the same may vary post-NFO when the actual investments are made. Mirae Asset Flexi Cap Fund is suitable for investors who are seeking*- - To generate long-term appreciation/income.- Investment in equity and equity-related instruments across the market capitalization spectrum of large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap companies.*Investors should consult their financial advisors if they are not clear about the suitability of the product Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme-related documents carefully. This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire) Shares of Adani Group firms continued with losses as the stock market opened on Friday. The Gautam Adani-led group's assets had been declining since last week after Hindenburg Research came out with a damaging report on the various activities of the conglomerate. In the morning session of Friday, key indices Sensex went up 236 points to 60,185.49 while NSE Nifty50 gained 17 points to 17,627.80 level. Financial stocks were gaining ground in the morning. Shares of Adani Group's flagship firm, Adani Enterprises, were down 27.47 per cent to Rs 1,143.50 apiece on Friday morning. According to data available, in just five sessions, it has lost more than Rs 1,926.55 or declined over 62 per cent. Adani Green's shares declined 10 per cent to Rs 935.90 apiece, while it lost Rs 392.30 or declined 29.54 per cent in just five days. Adani Ports and SEZ lost Rs 39.95 or dropped 8.12 per cent to Rs 424.90 on Friday morning. The firm's shares had lost more than Rs 227.20 or 35 per cent in a period of five days. Adani Transmission shares dropped 10 per cent flat to Rs 1,396 apiece in the morning trade on Friday. The firm had lost Rs 371.25 or dropped 21 per cent in just 5 days. FMCG firm Adani Wilmar dropped 5 per cent to Rs 399 apiece on Friday morning while it lost Rs 91 or dropped more than 18.54 per cent in a span of five days. In another development, Adani Group is said to have made scheduled coupon payments on outstanding US dollar-denominated bonds on Thursday, according to Reuters, which quoted a source with direct knowledge of the conglomerate's strategy. The payments were made as Adani Group, led by Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, as the group battles with a rout in its stocks in India and its US bonds after last week's critical report by the US short-selling firm. The group entities made scheduled coupon payments on outstanding US dollar-denominated bonds on Thursday, according to Reuters' source with direct knowledge of the conglomerate's strategy. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited paid coupons, the two sources of Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity, said. The source with knowledge of the firm's strategy said Adani Transmission also processed bond payments on Thursday. Adani Group plans to issue a credit report by today which will address concerns raised by the Hindenburg report about its liquidity, according to Reuters' source. According to Reuters, the Adani Group did not respond to a request for comment. Calculations showed that interest payments of a total of around USD 24 million were due on February 2 on three bonds issued by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone due to mature in 2031, 2032 and 2041. The conglomerate's dollar bonds slipped further into losses on Thursday, a day after its flagship Adani Enterprises called off a USD 2.5-billion share sale in a shock move, the report said. Adani Green's bonds maturing in September 2024 led the losses, falling 11.69 cents, to 60.56 cents, their lowest since issuance, according to Reuters. The US dollar-denominated bonds of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, Adani Transmission and Adani Electricity Mumbai were also trading lower, the report added. (ANI) New Delhi [India], February 3 (ANI/PNN): India TV, the nation's leading Hindi News Channel, is organizing a daylong "Samvad Budget Conclave 2023" on February 3 in New Delhi. Top ministers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Government and senior leaders from the opposition parties will attend the conclave to put forth their views on the Union Budget 2023, presented by Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament on February 1. Top-of-the-line political leaders, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and a team of experts and analysts will provide insights and analysis on the Union Budget. Economists, along with income tax and capital market experts, will analyse the budget threadbare, and contextualize it in comparison with previous budgets, while explaining the broader economic and political parameters that influenced the decisions of the government while preparing the Budget. The focus of 'Samvad Budget Conclave 2023' will be on the most critical aspects of the Union Budget that directly impact the daily life of the common man, the middle class, women, youths and farmers. The experts will also explain the nitty-gritty behind changes in income tax slabs, reductions in customs duties, public service spending, and key sector allocations. The conclave will provide a platform for financial experts and political analysts to discuss the budget and provide varied perspectives, through informed debate and discussion. "Our goal is to make the contours of the Union Budget accessible and understandable to the audience, enabling them to make informed decisions and hold the government accountable for its financial decisions," says Ritu Dhawan, Managing Director- India TV. An informed and engaged citizenry is crucial in civil society, and this will surely promote transparency and good governance. Don't miss the live telecast of 'India TV Samvad Budget 2023' as understanding the budget is of utmost importance because it will impact daily life in multiple ways. Mark your calendars and tune in to India TV on February 3rd, 2023. India TV is the nation's leading Hindi News Channel, delivering reliable and accurate news and analysis to audiences across India and abroad. With a focus on transparency and good governance, India TV is dedicated to empowering the Indian people through insightful knowledge and analysis. This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN) New Delhi [India], February 3 (ANI/PNN): Ahead of UP Global Investor Summit 2023, Natwar Goyal, a prominent businessman and a social worker of Lucknow appraised the summit. He signified this Global Investor Summit as an important part of making Uttar Pradesh a 1-trillion Economy as earlier visioned by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. In a meeting held by All India Vaish Federation Natwar Goyal, Vice-President of AIVF said Uttar Pradesh is becoming a key leader in India's economic growth. Uttar Pradesh is the number one state in all the areas with far ahead ease of doing business, infrastructure, purchasing income, and domestic market. The target of this summit is to raise the investment of Rs 17 Lakh Crore in Uttar Pradesh. This will bring more than1 lac Jobs in Uttar Pradesh. The G20 summit can be of significant importance to the government of Uttar Pradesh, as it is an opportunity for the state to showcase its economic and investment potential to the world. The summit attracts top leaders and business representatives from around the globe, and Uttar Pradesh can use this platform to promote its industries, infrastructure, and investment opportunities. Additionally, the G20 summit can also provide opportunities for the state to form partnerships and collaborations with other countries and businesses. The state can also benefit from the exchange of ideas and best practices with other leaders and representatives from around the world. Overall, the G20 summit can serve as a platform for the government of Uttar Pradesh to strengthen its economic ties with other countries and promote the state as a prime investment destination. A lot of reform has been done by the Yogi Adityanath Government and the prime aspect of this growth is that it has matched the following trailing path of the Central government's exponential step growth without saying favoring and shaping the common people of India. Uttar Pradesh is contributing more than 8% to India's GDP Growth. He further quoted, the Uttar Pradesh economy will cross the mark of 11% growth in the financial year of 2023. Natwar Goyal also asked the Vaish community to take a step ahead to participate in Global Investor Summit in Lucknow between February 10 and 12. Visit https://natwargoyal.com/ This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN) State leaders pay tribute to President Ho Chi Minh on party founding anniversary A delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam, state, National Assembly (NA), government, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) came to pay tribute and lay wreaths at the President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi on February 3 to mark the 93rd founding anniversary of Communist Party of Vietnam. The delegation including Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, permanent member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat Vo Van Thuong, Acting State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, and VFF Central Committee President Do Van Chien paid tribute to the late president, and then offered incense at the Martyrs Monument in Bac Son Street. Former Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, former State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, former NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, and other officials joined the delegations. The same day, a delegation of officials from the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Hanoi Party and Peoples Council, Peoples Committee and VFF Committee also paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at the mausoleum, and martyrs monument. Late President Ho Chi Minh founded and led the Communist Party of Vietnam the vanguard of the working class and the nation at large. Leaving Beirut, capital of Lebanon, all along the coastal highway southward and passing through bustling towns, you can see more checkpoints and armored vehicles of the United Nations peacekeeping force on road. In the south Lebanese city of Tyre about an hour and a half drive from here lies the barrack of the Chinese peacekeeping contingent. Since Chinas first batch of peacekeeping contingent deployed to Lebanon in 2006, the Chinese peacekeepers have successfully completed all tasks assigned by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), serving to fulfill peacekeeping missions, passing on peace and friendship, and winning high acclaim from the UNIFIL headquarters, the Lebanese government and the local people. "There must be someone to undertake the task no matter how dangerous it is" The area adjacent to the Blue Line, the border demarcation between Lebanon and Israel, is mountainous, covered with dense vegetation and with a distant seascape at sight. In the dense forest, thousands of minefields are scattered and hundreds of thousands of mines are buried. One of the main tasks of the 21st Chinese peacekeeping multi-role engineer detachment to Lebanon is to clear mines and dispose of explosive ordnance therein. Wearing protective clothing and testing the mine detector, Chen Qian, a mine-sweeping operator, and his comrades-in-arms, stepped into a minefield through a safe passage surrounded by barbed wires and began the day's work. Since arriving in Lebanon to carry out demining missions, Chen Qian has safely cleared more than 50 landmines. "When I dug the first mine here, I was very nervous, having my heart in my mouth." It was summer at that time, and Chens heavy protective gears got soaked in less than a minute; however, he had to take over 20 minutes to get a mine dug out after confirming its location. "At the moment when I saw the mine detonated, I was very excited and also had a sense of achievement. No matter how dangerous mine-sweeping task is, there must be someone to undertake it. I have determined to accomplish tasks assigned and fulfill responsibilities," he said. On the site, he insisted on carefully disposing of it in accordance with standard operating procedures, though he has been quite familiar with the minefield in front. Pulling the cordon, he began to trim the bushes nearby, starting from the top of the bush and cutting only 20 cm at a time. "The minefield was laid in the 1970s. Due to vegetation growth, rain erosion and other reasons, many mines have been displaced, wrapped up in tree roots or hidden in the grass. Outside the cordon, no one knows where mines are exactly, and we can't afford to make the slightest mistake," he introduced, methodically carrying out a series of operations, including signal source positioning, comprehensive excavation, and mine marking. With the issuance of the detonation order, all four mines cleared on the same day were destroyed. Since deployed to the mission area in August 2022, the 21st Chinese peacekeeping multi-role engineer detachment to Lebanon has obtained the mine clearance and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) qualifications awarded by the UN in the shortest possible time, having cleared minefields of more than 3,700 square meters with more than 850 mines disposed of. "The Chinese mine-sweeping operators are not afraid of danger and difficulties, and have always maintained a record of zero accident and zero casualties, making outstanding contributions to maintaining the peace and stability in the southern Lebanon region," said Major General Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, Head of Mission and Force Commander of the UNIFIL. "Showing the demeanor of Chinese servicemen" Going abroad, peacekeeping contingents serve as a representative of the image of China. They have to complete various tasks assigned while involved in or carrying out various activities for exchanges, with a view to displaying the demeanor of the Chinese servicemen and enhancing friendship and mutual trust with their counterparts. Composing Chinese Spring Festival couplets, making paper-cuts for window decoration, and wrapping dumplings, Brigadier General Bruno Helluy, chief of staff of UNIFIL, and his entourage came to the Chinese camp to pay New Year's greetings to the peacekeepers on the eve of Spring Festival, and celebrate the arrival of the Chinese New Year of the Rabbit with them on the spot. After watching the performances like the dragon dance, lion dance and tea art show, Tian Yuan, deputy head of the foreign affairs unit of the multi-role engineer detachment, introduced the origin and some customs of the Spring Festival to Brigadier General Bruno. "I'm glad to experience the Chinese New Year in person on the spot," said Brigadier General Bruno. "People from different countries gather here to exchange and learn from each other. We also have an even deeper understanding of the Chinese culture." The Chinese peacekeeping contingent and its Cambodian counterpart are the only two UNIFIL troops with mine clearance and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) qualifications at present. For a long time, the two sides have carried out exchanges focusing on subjects including the implementation of peacekeeping missions, troop building, emergency defense, and safe and efficient mine clearance, and have visited the minefields of the other side from time to time for field research and study. On January 23, the Cambodian peacekeepers visited the camp of the Chinese peacekeeping contingent to try on the Chinese protective gears, experience mine detectors, and exchange experience in mine clearance and EOD. "We are very pleased to come to the Chinese peacekeeping camp for exchanges during the Spring Festival. Many thanks to the Chinese peacekeeping contingents for back-up to us," said Zhai Xishuo, commander of the Cambodian peacekeeping contingent, after the event. Since arriving in the mission area, the multi-role engineer detachment has completed various forms of China-foreign military exchanges and joint exercises and training with excellence such as the Iron Storm multinational exercise and the Angel Rescue exercise. At the same time, it has vigorously carried out cultural exchanges with nearby villages, schools and friendly forces, held other activities like "Chinese Culture Festival", displaying the image and quality of the Chinese service members, and making friends with the UNIFIL friendly forces and the local people. "Feeling the love of Chinese military doctors as relatives" In addition to the multi-role engineer detachment, the 21st Chinese peacekeeping contingent to Lebanon also includes the construction engineer detachment and the medical detachment. The two detachments deployed at different localities in the peacekeeping mission area in southern Lebanon are responsible for many tasks such as engineering construction and construction, medical aid and humanitarian relief. Since August in 2022, the engineer detachment has completed more than 30 construction tasks with high standards, including the fortification renovation for the UNIFIL headquarters, the fence renovation in the Nepalese camp, and the lifting and replacement of the generator set in the Malaysian camp, acting as a strong back-up force to its foreign counterparts. From hand debridement and suture to elbow abscess removal, from refugee rescue to medicine donation, the medical detachment has provided humanitarian medical assistance such as emergency treatment and free clinics to the local people within its own capability, while providing high-quality and efficient medical support for more than 4,000 peacekeepers and employees therein. Thirteen-year-old Abeid left Syria for Lebanon with his parents to avoid war and has been living in a village on the Lebanese-Israeli border. He got injured in a motorcycle collision when going out. Abeid's father turned to the Chinese military hospital with the medical contingent for help after his initial diagnosis and treatment in a local hospital, because he could not afford the high follow-up diagnosis and treatment expenses. After an over-10-day treatment, Abeid recovered step by step. The members of the medical detachment also sent yogurt, biscuits, bread, bedding, etc. on a special trip after learning about the miserable life of Abeids family. "War has displaced us and deprived us of our beloved ones, but we have felt the love of Chinese doctors like relatives. Thank you," said Abeid's father. Since 2006, China has dispatched more than 7,000 peacekeepers to Lebanon, removed more than 15,000 mines and unexploded ordnance of various kinds, and provided medical assistance to more than 87,000 local residents, having effectively promoted the realization of UNIFIL's peacekeeping objectives. As highlighted by Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, Head of Mission and Force Commander of the UNIFIL, China has played an important role in safeguarding world peace, and he would like to extend gratitude to China for its contribution to the United Nations peacekeeping cause in Lebanon. "Going abroad to participate in international peacekeeping operations, I have felt a great sense of responsibility and viewed it as a glorious mission," said Yan Xiaoliang, commanding officer of the 21st Chinese peacekeeping contingent to Lebanon. Chinese people love peace and know the value of peace. We will continue to faithfully perform the peacekeeping mission, resolutely complete the peacekeeping missions assigned, make positive contributions to safeguarding lasting peace in southern Lebanon, and safeguarding peace with practical actions." Editor's note: Originally published on peoples.com.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. New Delhi [India], February 3 (ANI/PRNewswire): Grynow Media Pvt Ltd, India's leading influencer marketing agency, has announced the unveiling of Vidzy, the country's first short video production company. Video: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1995426/Vidzy_Video.mp4 Brands can use Vidzy to create scalable short videos to post on their websites, social media pages, and other platforms. Vidzy will enable marketers to draw in, attract, engage and educate their consumers through the use of captivating videos that are difficult to ignore. Consequently, assisting businesses in building their digital communities. Vidzy stands out because it leverages over 2,00000 video creators from Grynow and has over six years of expertise in influencer marketing and content creation. Presently, marketers accomplish fantastic goals with video marketing, such as generating leads, efficiently engaging audiences, boosting dwell time, and so forth, Grynow believes that this will revolutionize the video and social commerce industries. In the preceding five years, Grynow has worked with more than 1200 clients, including Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, PayTM, Groww, OnePlus, and several others. It has since conducted more than 3000 effectual influencer marketing campaigns for leading companies. Vidzy, with its level of skills and competence, has the capability to be a real game-changer in the video commerce business, given that it is the first in India to capitalize on the influence of quality content creators on brands' social media channels and websites. It is able to achieve this, by employing data-driven approaches and key performance indicators to anticipate what type of content works for brands versus what does not. Vidzy's video content developers create informative and appealing videos for brands to use as organic videos, promoted Ads, and product branding with niche-based industry tastemakers. And, while every new launch is supposed to include an element of surprise, the one with Vidzy is no exception. The intriguing aspect of Vidzy is its pricing structure which offers services for as little as Rs 10K. In recent years, short videos have been increasingly popular across almost all industries and have established themselves as profitable marketing tactics for interactions, customer acquisitions, and revenues. With the help of Vidzy, companies can use the effectiveness of short videos to boost brand recognition, return on investment, and efficient reach, creating a completely fresh source of income. With this reasonable overview of what Vidzy is all about, read on to learn more about the services it offers. SERVICES OFFERED BY VIDZY - 1. Appealing videos for a company's webpage or social networking platforms to build brand recognition to inform, draw in, and engage with potential and current customers, can be a mighty marketing pillar.2. Using effective video advertising to market products and services tailored to the consumer demography and characteristics of the brand in order to increase influencer brand connection while lowering acquisition expenses and increasing ROAS.3. Real video testimonials from satisfied customers that highlight brand transparency and customer satisfaction to establish credibility with potential customers.4. Videos that explain products to audiences and showcase specialised influencers who are recognised experts in that field by e-commerce sites like Amazon, Flipkart, Ajio, and others. All this with the assistance of significant industry experts. With more than 3,000 clients on board, Washib Khan, the founder of Grynow, and his team have indeed reinvented the influencer marketing segment. Mr. Washib's response when asked why and how he came up with something as novel and exciting as Vidzy was, "In my opinion, every company will be using UGC videos in order to build a connection with their customers. Before jumping on the bandwagon of the video commerce industry, I have been a part of the creator economy for more than 6 years and have intricately seen the video industry grow and transform from long-format videos to short-format videos. India's total video market, including television and online platforms, will reach USD 18 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 9.5 per cent from the current USD 11.6 billion, according to estimates by Media Partners Asia (MPA). I believe that brands can also leverage the power of short videos in this growing ecosystem but there is no structured way on how to use short videos/UGC content to grow your brand, there is also a myth that getting short videos for your website, social media or for ads will be very expensive because companies like Amazon, Myntra are floating/pouring huge amount of money to create content for their platforms. With Vidzy, we have structured the whole process of content creation using our huge network of influencers & come up with some powerful solutions to make it easier for brands to get maximum results leveraging the power of short videos in the most cost-efficient ways." Vidzy now estimated to have a vital eureka moment in the video commerce and social commerce sectors by attempting to make UGC content creation for brands a very simple process so that they can take advantage of the potential of high-quality short videos, affordably. With a solid team of content strategists and video market analysts on board, Grynow has already produced 10,000+ effective influencer marketing campaign videos in the past six months, providing a healthy ROAS for businesses and generating lakhs of views. Nations are already using social commerce to a great extent, like China and the US. Chinese businesses make almost 350 billion Yuan in sales each year thanks to the 925 million monthly users of short video platforms, according to Statista. Vidzy is prepared to help businesses turn their social media platforms into a solid pillar of their marketing strategy as India has already adopted new video marketing trends. From gathering original ideas to creating appealing video scripts, Vidzy wants to serve clients at every level aesthetically and strategically in order to optimize their video commerce experiences. Grynow Media Private Limited is one of the top marketing companies in India. Their unique marketing team, which has generated over 3000 successful brand campaigns, regularly studies market dynamics to develop suitable content strategies for businesses. Media contacts and their information - https://www.vidzy.in/ This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire) New Delhi [India], February 3 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Maaza, Coca-Cola India's homegrown mango drink, and the fastest-growing juice brand in India and South-west Asia, has unveiled its new 'Aam Wali Dildaari, Bina Naam Wali Dildaari' campaign. Currently, Maaza is one of the leading brands in the overall beverage category for Coca-Cola India. Further to Sprite and Thums Up entering the 1Bn USD brand club in 2022, the Company aims towards the 1Bn USD brand mark for Maaza in 2023. The latest campaign features veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan and renowned actress Pooja Hegde, along with south-Indian superstar Nagarjuna, recently on-boarded as the new face of the brand. With this new campaign, Maaza extends its spirit of benevolence and encourages anonymous acts of kindness to spread joy and happiness. The campaign further highlights the fulfilling mango experience that brings out one's selfless personality. Maaza has been sharing the goodness of rich and juicy Alphonso since 1976. Believing that true generosity seeks no credit, nor any reward or fame; through its latest campaign, Maaza urges its consumers to anonymously spread joy, with acts of compassion and generosity. Announcing the launch of the new campaign, Ajay Konale, Director Marketing, Nutrition Category, Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia said, "Maaza is a heritage Indian brand- since 1976 and has been India's most loved mango drink for decades. The brand has become synonymous with the unparalleled taste of real mangoes and has witnessed phenomenal growth. Through our latest campaign 'Aam Wali Dildaari, Bina Naam Wali Dildaari', we aim to spread the message of true happiness and joy through selfless generosity, that seeks no reward or recognition. We are also humbled to have Bachchan, Pooja Hegde and Nagarjuna onboard with us to bring alive this philosophy of selfless generosity." Maaza with its unwavering popularity in India is manufactured locally, using local ingredients, as part of Coca-Cola's sustainable agriculture Initiative - 'Fruit Circular Economy'. Since 2011, it has also been contributing significantly towards enhancing the socio-economic development of Indian farmers, with initiatives such as the 'Project Unnati Mango' in Andhra Pradesh and 'Project Unnati Aamrit' in Bhubaneswar. The light-hearted storytelling in the TVC depicts Amitabh Bachchan/Nagarjuna as a passionate Maaza lover while Pooja Hegde is an inquisitive kind citizen who loves to take part in social service activities. The two ad films portray the spirit of Indian citizens who like to indulge in the act of generosity by contributing to society. It also highlights the message of how true generosity comes with anonymity. Maaza has on-boarded the iconic south Indian superstar, Nagarjuna, as the new face of the brand. His persona and charisma not only reflect Maaza's philosophy of 'Dildaari' but also echo its popularity as the most loved household name in India. Pooja Hegde, Indian actress & star of the new Maaza campaign, said, "I am proud to be associated with Maaza for over a year now. The brand's philosophy of true generosity and acts of kindness is something I personally relate to. The brand brings nostalgia and takes me back to my childhood days of enjoying fresh mangoes and sharing joyous moments with my loved ones." This campaign has been conceptualized by Ogilvy India as a part of OpenX from WPP. Commenting on the creative insight behind the campaign, Sukesh Nayak, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy India says, "This campaign brings out the beauty of anonymous generosity. The idea came from the insight on how even though culturally we are a land of generous people; we also love talking about it. But true generosity and happiness come through selfless, giving which is far sweeter. And that's what we should inculcate in our lives too. What better than having our brand ambassadors like Bachchan and Nagarjuna along with Pooja Hegde to spread this message." The legacy brand has played a pertinent role in all moments of celebration, festivities, and happiness of its consumers, across the country throughout the year and will continue to offer the ultimate mango experience to its consumers. Link to the national campaign film: https://youtu.be/NBQ_PQ5tHUw Link to the south Indian campaign film: https://youtu.be/89eEswcYJEo This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India) New Delhi [India], February 3 (ANI/SRV): Wings Publication is proud to announce the winners of the Golden Book Award 2023, a highly-acclaimed recognition program honoring exceptional Authors. The Golden Book Awards recognizes Authors who have written impacting, creative and powerpack books, and showcases their commitment to excellence and leadership. This year's winners were selected from a pool of highly qualified nominees by a panel of independent judges. The Jury to awards was Dr Kailash Pinjani (President Indian Authors Association), Dr. Deepak Parbat (Founder of Superfast Author) & Murali Sundaram (Founder of TLC). They had a scan through thousands of nominated books and selected winners. It took more than 3 months to scan thousands of books, interview a few shortlisted authors and finally announce the winners. "We are thrilled to recognize these Authors for their outstanding contributions to the world of literature," said Manika Singh, CEO, of Wings Publication International and Literary Director to Awards. "Their passion, dedication, and achievements serve as a testament to the innovation and hard work that drives literature and books forward." The winners of Golden Book Awards 2023 are:- Deepak Chopra - The Seven Spiritual Law Of Success: A practical guide to achieving your dreams Ashneer Grover - Doglapan: The Hard Truth about Life and Start-Ups Jeff Kinney - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Overlode J.K Rowling - Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore Gaur Gopal Das - Energize Your Mind: A Monk's Guide to Mindful Living Ruskin Bond - How To Live Your Life Namita Thapar - The Dolphin and the Shark: Stories on Entrepreneurship Kamlesh Patel - The Wisdom Bridge: Nine Principles to a Life that Echoes in the Hearts of Your Loved Ones Geeta Piramal - Rahul Bajaj: An Extraordinary Life | Official Biography of the chairman of Bajaj Group Sneh Desai, Sunil Tulsiani & Brian Tracy - Ultimate Secrets to Wealth Raj Shamani - Build, Don't Talk: Things You Wish You Were Taught in School Bhupendra Singh Rathore - The Magic of Thinking Rich Deepak Bajaj - Network Marketing in 60 Minutes Deepti Naval - A Country Called Childhood: A Memoir Lijeesh Kumar - ORMMAKAL ENTE URAKKAM KEDUTHUNNU CHAVI SINGHAL - UNBELIEVABLE... Gundal Vijay Kumar - PATH Shafeena - Divine Thoughts for Delicate Relationships Dr ALOKPARNA DAS - Abodes of the Sun God Dr Vaidehi Taman - Sikhism Vs Sickism Sakshi Raj Kumar - Sprinkles of the Inner Mind Dr Arti Vajpai - Tanav kam Karen Bhagwat Geeta ke Madhyam se Sanjay Ambala Parambath - KANMANI Aashima Arora - #True Love and A Cookie Box Vidya Shivaraj - Kalki Avatar Kollorob - Ten Tales of Ten Stories Vaibhavi Pandey - Bronze and Mahogany Kunjal Shah - 7 Golden Ways of Parenting Dr Ashok D'cruz - Malayala Gaveshanam Akavum Puravum Tapan Ghosh - SIGNPOSTS - Life simplified in 100 quotes Dr Kumar Nanaware - Postmortem of Postmortem (MANOJ KUMAR JHA 'MANU') , (PRANJALI) Prachi Sachdev - Dear Son, You Can't Stay Little Always Dr.(Mrs) Priyanka Roy - BEYOND THE FAIRY TALES Babita Rani - Perform Your Way to Success - 11 Secrets to Help you achieve Holistic Peak Performance Juhi Agrawal - Garbh Sanskar: Ancient secrets to give birth to genius Ramesh Rajini - Friction-Free Parenting Abhijeet Bhattacharjee - Event Management: A Zero Investment Startup Business TV Sajith - Bhoomi Pilarum Pole Anu Menon - The Gift of Emotions Pardeep Pathak - Dil ki Tamana Vincent Baby - 101 Stories of Blissful Workplace Wings Publication International extends its warmest congratulations to all of this year's winners and looks forward to recognizing their continued success in the future. Wings Publication is fastest growing publishing company in Asia having offices in UAE and India and partner offices in Singapore, South Africa, and Australia. It supports first-time authors to polish their books and make them international standards in association with International Authors Association. For more information, please visit: www.goldenbookawards.com This story has been provided by SRV. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/SRV) New Delhi [India], February 3 (ANI/ATK): Agate9 Bistro, located in the heart of JLT, boasts a waterside lake view and serves up some of the best Mexican, Asian, and international cuisines, as well as Indo-Chinese, in Dubai. Agate9 Bistro is founded by The founders of Golden Aura DMCC. Since the very first day, when the founders got together to discuss the kind of business they were looking at, it was evident that Agate9 Bistro would be bringing some of the best Indian and Indo-Chinese street food to Dubai. Agate9 Bistro offers both dine-in service and delivery (in the latter case, you may expect to receive Indian and Indo-Chinese street food). Outdoor, private, and yacht party catering are just a few niches we plan to operate. Although the decor at this popular modern Indo-Chinese eatery near Palm Jumeirah is fresh and trendy, the brilliantly imaginative, fine dining dishes that have made Agate9 Bistro popularity have remained unchanged. The menu is just as crowd-pleasing, with selections including Handmade Kebab, Noodles, and Chicken lollipop, as well as sweets and a section dedicated to dishes prepared from local, sustainably sourced products. You can fit 90+ people in Agate9's comfortable chairs while taking in the breathtaking view of the lake. It's a great spot to hang out with loved ones and reminisce. Regarding Our Restaurant Theophrastus, a Greek philosopher and scientist named the stone "agate" after finding it on the banks of the Dirillo River in Sicily. The restaurant, which overlooks Dubai Lake at the Jumeirah Lake Towers, features a postmodern design that brings the complexity and majesty of Agate stone into the present day. Each diner will experience a zen-like frame of mind as they peruse the restaurant's exquisite menu and indulge in the delectable delicacies that complement the restaurant's casual, relaxed vibe. Our Head chef World-renowned chef Rakesh Talwar serves as the Patron Chef for 14 different eateries around the globe. He has worked in the hospitality industry for 30 years, during which time he has become an expert in various cuisines. His passion lies in engineering, designing, and developing food and drink, and he enjoys taking guests on a never-ending tour of the world's flavours. Joined the board of directors for the Qatar Culinary Professional Association (QCP). Celebrity chef and restaurateur Rakesh Talwar has worked in many different areas of the hospitality industry. Aside from New York and Singapore, he also spent time in Dubai as part of his culinary career. He is the proprietor of The Spare Kitchen, a popular eatery in Juhu that is consistently named one of the cities of Mumbai's top ten eateries. Whether it's our well-dressed, friendly, and hospitable staff or our world-renowned chef Rakesh Talwar and his daily propensity to concoct new culinary delights, everything here is top-notch. The modest but varied menu arrives in a bright whirlwind, leaving diners wild with excitement thanks to the dynamic spirit of fusion and inventiveness. And now he's here at Agate9 Bistro to excite your taste buds with the finest cuisine they can provide. This story has been provided by ATK. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/ATK) Notable Indian director Vishal Bhardwaj shot a film on the I-phone for the first time. The short film 'Fursat' stars Ishaan Khatter and Wamiqa Gabbi in the lead roles. Taking to Instagram on Friday, Vishal announced the release of the short movie. Vishal posted the teaser of the film and captioned it, "Commissioned by Apple. A journey through time, a dire prediction, and love that hangs in the balance -- it's now or never for a young man obsessed with controlling the future." https://www.instagram.com/p/CoMEp9II2L2/?hl=en During the lockdown, many directors across languages have experimented with shooting techniques using advanced technology. Some actor-directors shot themselves, being locked inside a room. Taking this opportunity further, the tech giants have been commissioning notable directors to shoot with smartphones. Vishal Bhardwaj is the latest to join the band. Vishal, known for his aesthetic sensibility, has played with the theme of time travel in 'Fursat'. The musical has touches of typical Bollywood grandeur as well. Punjabi actor Wamiqa Gabbi shot to nationwide fame with the Disney Plus Hotstar series 'Grahan' and the Netflix series 'Mai: A Mother's Rage." Ishaan Khatter has proved his acting mettle in the debut film, 'Beyond the Clouds', by Majid Majidi. He was last seen in 'Phone Bhoot' alongside Katrina Kaif and Siddhant Chaturvedi. (ANI) Actor-director Rakesh Roshan bade his 'teacher' and legendary filmmaker K. Viswanath, with whom he has shared a bond spanning 40 years, a teary farewell. The director called this loss "deeply personal." Taking to Instagram, Rakesh wrote a long note saying, "The day has come when I'm forced to bid farewell to Shri K. Viswanath with a heavy heart and mind full of memories. To the world he was a master craftsman with local, national & global honours, but for me he was my institution of film making. It has been a fortunate 40+ years of knowing the genius, having worked with him in the capacity of an actor in 4 films - Kaamchor, Jaag utha insaan, Shubh Kamna & Aurat, along with life shaping learnings. I learnt from him the art of editing films, story telling & the skill of direction and has been an inspiration throughout my career. Whatever I am is because of his teachings. The loss of Shri K. Viswanath is deeply personal. My condolences to his family, I stand with you all in mourning the loss of a gem. Forever in my heart. Om shanti." https://www.instagram.com/p/CoMKNyivver/?hl=en Rakesh's wife Pinkie Roshan and actor Ronit Bose Roy expressed condolence over the post. The Telegu director passed away late Thursday due to age-related issues at a private hospital in Hyderabad. A prominent name not just in Telugu cinema but also in Tamil and Hindi films, he became the 48th recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke award, the highest recognition in Indian cinema. His other honours include Padma Shri in 1992, five National Awards, 20 Nandi Awards (given by the Andhra Pradesh government) and ten Filmfare trophies including the Lifetime Achievement award. Viswanath began his career as an audiographer for Vauhini Studios in Madras. After a short stint as a sound engineer, he started his filmmaking career under filmmaker Adurthi Subba Rao. Eventually, he went on to work as an assistant director on the Telugu film 'Pathala Bhairavi' (1951). Viswanath made his directorial debut with the 1965 film 'Aatma Gowravam', which won the state Nandi award. The director got his nationwide fame with the 1980 Telugu film 'Sankarabharanam'. The film spoke about the gap between Carnatic music and Western music based on the perspective of people from two different generations. Viswanath made his Bollywood debut with the 1979 film 'Sargam', which was a remake of his own movie 'Siri Siri Muvva'. Some of his other popular Hindi films include 'Kaamchor', 'Shubh Kaamna', 'Jaag Utha Insan', 'Sanjog', 'Eeshwar' and 'Dhanwaan'. (ANI) February 14 will be a special day for Rishi Kapoor's fans as they will get to see glimpses of the late actor in Netflix's docu-series 'The Romantics'. Helmed by Smriti Mundra, 'The Romantics' celebrates the legacy of filmmaker Yash Chopra. It features 35 leading voices of the Hindi-language film industry and dives into the history of Bollywood through the lens of the Yash Raj Films' impact over the past 50 years in making Bollywood globally known. The docu-series will feature the last-ever interview of Rishi Kapoor. Rishi Kapoor had closely collaborated with Yash Chopra and then Aditya Chopra in cult hits like Kabhi Kabhie, Chandni, Jab Tak Hai Jaan (in which he was paired with his wife Neetu Kapoor), Fanaa, Hum Tum, etc. In The Romantics, fans will see Rishi Kapoor speaking about his deep relationship with Yash Chopra and what made their combination one of the most cherished director-actor duo in Hindi cinema, especially the romantic classics. When contacted Smriti Mundhra about it, the docu-series' creator shared, "Rishi Kapoor was not only an iconic actor, he carried with him an encyclopedic knowledge of the Hindi film industry. On the day of our interview, which would be his last, he was characteristically charming, erudite, and eager to reminisce. His death represents the loss of a significant piece of cinema history, and I'll forever be grateful for the insights, anecdotes and perspective he shared." Rishi Kapoor passed away on April 30, 2020 after battling cancer for two years. (ANI) A group of 21 lawyers from Tamil Nadu has written a petition to the President Draupadi Murmu requesting her to reconsider the Supreme Court collegium recommendation of elevating advocate Victoria Gowri as Madras High Court judge. The advocates which include seniors like R. Vaigai, V. Suresh and NGR Prasad have, in their petition dated January 17, stated that Victoria Gowri in her capacity as a BJP leader had made several hate speeches against minorities. The advocates said that these hate speeches are available on YouTube as also in publications associated with the RSS. The lawyers also attached a screenshot of Victoria Gowri's tweeter account where she claimed herself as the 'National General Secretary of Mahila Morcha'. Advocates, in the petition, said that the screenshot was taken a few days back and that she had recently deleted her Twitter account. The petitioners said that she had made extreme comments about Love-Jihad and religious conversions and had accused the Roman Catholics of nefarious activities. They also said that she had even said in public that Bharathanatyam should not be played during Christian songs. In the petition, the advocates said that she was unfit to be made a high court judge due to her regressive views that were purely antithetical to the foundational constitutional values. The advocates also said that her views reflected her deep-rooted religious bigotry. The advocates also asked whether any minority belonging to the Christian or Muslim community would get justice in her bench if Victoria Gowri was made a judge. The lawyers also flagged the collegium's recommendation and said that recommending such a person who harbours strong antipathy towards the minority community was disturbing. It may be noted that late Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer had been a minister in the left-front government of Kerala before becoming a judge of the Kerala high court and then Supreme Court. --IANS aal/uk/ ( 328 Words) 2023-02-02-20:34:02 (IANS) The ruling BJP in Karnataka on Thursday attacked the Congress for its criticism of the Union Budget, claiming that women were forced to wait till dark to attend nature's call during Congress rule. Taking on the Congress on social media, the BJP said that unlike the situation during Congress rule, the government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has built toilets for every house under the Swachh Bharat Mission. Due to the good economic policies of the BJP government, the farmers are getting good price for their produce. During the Congress regime, subsidies were announced in the name of farmers, only to be eaten up by others, the BJP claimed. "The whole world is suffering from economic slowdown in the post-Covid era. But, India led by PM Modi, is emerging as a global power," the saffron party said. Earlier, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah had termed the Union Budget for 2023-24, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament on Wednesday, as a continuation of the policy of 'Aamir Ke Saath, Gareeb Ka Vinash' (supporting the rich, destroying the poor) of the Central government, which has been followed by the 'trouble' engine government. Speaking about the sanctioning of Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra Project, Siddaramaiah said the project needs Rs 23,000 crore for completion. "The Central government has agreed to give only a quarter of it. If 40 per cent 'commission' is taken out, the amount will get reduced by Rs 3,000 crore. Also, it is not clear whether the sanctioned amount is for the period of one year or five years," Siddaramaiah had said. --IANS mka/arm ( 284 Words) 2023-02-02-20:40:04 (IANS) An in-house meeting of the liquor prohibition department has gone viral on social media where it's commissioner KK Pathak can be seen slamming IAS officers and the people of Bihar for their bad habits. During the meeting, Pathak allegedly used abusive words for the people of Bihar and the government officials as well. The Bihar Administrative Services Association (BASA) has objected to his conduct and filed a complaint in the Secretariat police station in Patna. As per the content of the video, Pathak compared the residents of Patna with Chennai. "The residents of Chennai travel on the left side, does anyone see the commuters of Patna doing the same? They blow horns when they have to stop at a red light while the commuters of Chennai stay silent when they stop at a red light," he said. Pathak asked the officers to give written complaints to him against the deputy collectors, and he will take action against them and BASA officials. Following the viral video, BASA president Sunil Kumar Tiwari filed an application at the Secretariat police station in Patna on Thursday afternoon. "KK Pathak is a serial offender at abusing officers. He has used unparliamentary and abusive language against the people of Bihar and officers. Hence, we have filed a complaint against him at the Secretariat police station," Tiwari told IANS. "KK Pathak is also additional chief secretary of the Bihar Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development. We have appealed to him to make the training easier as one of the young officers had died during the training period. Due to his ego, Pathak started targeting BASA after that request from our side," Tiwari said. "He is also additional chief secretary in the registration department and he had cancelled the registration of BASA as well. We are demanding from the chief minister and the chief secretary to sack him," Tiwari said. --IANS ajk/bg ( 328 Words) 2023-02-02-21:02:02 (IANS) The Endangered Assyrians and the Language of Jesus Seek International Support Assyrians are an indigenous people of what are today Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq. As a result of Muslim persecutions and massacres, Assyrians are now a non-sovereign minority in their native lands. Their situation is also the consequence of the absence of support and protection from the West. Pictured: The Midyat Virgin Mary Monastery in Mardin, Turkey, originally built in the 6th-century. ( Yasin Akgul/AFP via Getty Images) The Assyrian people, who suffered from many crimes including a genocide in their ancestral lands in the Middle East, won a significant victory in the United States regarding their linguistic rights. Beginning with the 2023-24 school year, Niles North High School and Niles West High School in Illinois will add Assyrian as an accredited option to fulfill the "World Language" requirements for graduation. Also, in November of last year, Assyrian was recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education as an accredited World Language, paving the way for the historic vote of the Niles Township District 219 Board of Education. Thousands of Assyrians reside in Illinois. Assyrian language courses are also taught at some schools in Canada, Europe and Australia. Sadly, the Assyrian/neo-Aramaic language is still not officially recognized in Turkey, where Assyrians/Syriacs have lived for millennia. Assyrians in Iraq, Iran and Syria also face severe challenges to their right to education in their mother tongue. Most Assyrians are Christian and speak Assyrian (also known as Syriac, Aramaic, or neo-Aramaic), one of the world's oldest languages and the language of Jesus. Assyrians are an indigenous people of what are today Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq. Tur Abdin, which is the southeast part of Turkey, a name derived from Assyrian, means "mountain of the servants [of God]," and is an ancestral religious and cultural heartland of the Assyrians. For 300 years, from 900 B.C. to 600 B.C., Assyrian kings ruled the largest empire in northern Mesopotamia that the world had known. The Apostle Thomas converted the Assyrians to Christianity, and by the third century A.D., they became a Christian nation. Until the Ottoman Turkish genocide on the Assyrians in 1915-23, the Assyrian population formed a significant presence in the region, despite Turkish rule that began in the eleventh century after the Turkish invasion. In the eighth century, Arabs had invaded Assyrian areas in the Middle East, and for centuries the Assyrian community has also been subjected to Kurdish aggressions. According to the Assyrian International News Agency, every 50 years on average there has been a massacre of Assyrians. As a result of Muslim persecutions and massacres, Assyrians are now a non-sovereign minority in their native lands. Their situation is also the consequence of the absence of support and protection from the West. The near-eradication of Assyrians -- including their language and cultural heritage -- took place during the 1915-1923 genocide. Assyrians call the genocide "seyfo", meaning "sword" in their language: swords were often used to murder them. (For further details on the genocidal crimes committed against Assyrians, see Professor Joseph Yacoub's meticulously researched book, Year of the Sword: The Assyrian Christian Genocide.) A century after the genocide, the remaining Assyrian community in Turkey is still struggling to open an Assyrian primary school in Istanbul and, unsurprisingly, receiving no support from the Turkish government. The last Assyrian school in the country, according to the newspaper Agos, was closed in 1928. Since the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, its governments have refused to fully recognize and respect the linguistic and cultural rights of its non-Turkish citizens. Restrictions remain on the use of languages other than Turkish in political and public sector spheres such as in political debates or political campaigning. The Turkish government also does not allow political parties to promote Assyrian, Armenian, Kurdish, Yazidi, Greek or any other minority culture within Turkey. Similarly, school or teachers' unions can be dissolved under Turkish law for promoting minority languages because the Turkish Constitution rules that Turkish is "the" language. The legislation thus continues to unduly limit freedom of expression in languages other than Turkish. Today Assyrian has many endangered dialects even where it previously existed more strongly, as in Iraq, pre-revolutionary Iran and Syria. Almost 50 years ago, the renowned scholar of neo-Aramaic, Otto Jastrow, wrote that Turoyo, or the neo-Aramaic or Assyrian dialect of Tur Abdin, would die out in the 21st century. He blamed the decline on migration to Europe: refugees fleeing what he called Kurdish aggression against Christians seeking asylum there, as well the lack of protection of Christian properties in Turkey. Professor Hannibal Travis, who has written several articles and books about the Assyrian genocide, told Gatestone about to the vulnerable state of the Assyrian language in the Middle East: "In Iraq, there used to be Assyrian language teaching thanks to a 1972 order, and Assyrian cultural clubs as well as churches. Many of these institutions have been lost due to al Qaeda and Islamic State (IS) activity in the country. "There is language teaching and church construction -- churches sometimes host classes of various kinds -- but they cannot compare with the scale of Kurdish language and cultural institutions and mosque construction in the Kurdistan Regional Government or their Arab counterparts in other areas of the country. In addition, many smaller Assyrian towns and villages have lost their role as sites of cultural transmission by being declared prohibited, or by being demolished or abandoned in the areas of Kurdish rebel activity or during the fighting with Iran or Turkey over the past 50 years. Other villages were probably Kurdified after 3,000-6,000 Assyrians were massacred in 1933. In 1998, Kurds attempted to close some Assyrian schools in Iraq, in areas under their control. "In 2018, Kurdish forces in Syria also attempted to close Assyrian schools that had operated for decades under Syrian government oversight, and to impose a Kurdish curriculum on Assyrians. In Iran, there used to be schools where Assyrian was taught; but after the 1979 revolution, many such schools were closed. "All of this is intensified by Iraq being declared a bi-national country with 'other components' -- who are an afterthought -- as well as Turkey's insistence on its culture, educational foundations, religion, political parties and laws, and demanding the same of their counterparts in Kurdish-controlled Iraq and Syria." The government of Turkey does not recognize the right of any native minority to education in its own language -- except for those recognized by the 1923 Lausanne Treaty, the internationally recognized document which accompanied the Republic of Turkey's founding, and recognized only three ethnic groups -- Greeks, Armenians and Jews -- as official minorities. Any others, including the Christian Assyrians, and all non-Turkish Muslim ethnic groups such as the Laz and the Kurds, are excluded. Larissa Petrus Al Bazi, the Chairwoman of the Assyrian Federation in the Netherlands, who has family roots in Turkey, said: "In the Netherlands, some churches offer language courses for children to learn how to read and write in Assyrian. We hope the Netherlands will one day officially recognize the Assyrian language as well. "I believe Turkey should allow Assyrian language courses within the curriculum of their schools. In addition to the advantages of learning another language, officially implementing it within the curriculum would be a step forward towards recognition, accepting and respecting the Assyrians as an indigenous community." Evon Sworesho, an Assyrian teacher and rights advocate, born in Iraq, and now teaching university-level Assyrian language courses in Canada, told Gatestone: "The refusal to support the Assyrian language in Iraq and Turkey stems from the history of persecution against indigenous minority communities in those countries. Whereas Canada, the USA, and Australia are essentially multicultural nations, they try to embrace and encourage the plurality of their societies. The opposite is the case in Iraq and Turkey where the ruling groups tend to dominate all aspects of society, including education, thus they limit linguistic rights and opportunities for many minority groups. There is also a historical element of eliminating the indigenous link of Assyrians with their homelands through erasure of the ancient language, thus cementing the dominant non-indigenous language as the only linguistic group. When it was merely suggested that Turkish migrants living in Germany should integrate and adopt German culture, this proposal was condemned by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as "a crime against humanity" in 2008. Deutsche Welle reported: "Erdogan shocked Germans when he warned Turks against losing their culture during a political speech to 20,000 Turks in Cologne... 'Assimilation is tantamount to a crime against humanity,' Erdogan said. Erdogan encouraged Turks living in Germany to teach their children to speak German, but he warned against giving up their Turkish ethnicity." The government of Turkey, however, has persecuted its non-Turkish, Christian indigenous peoples to the point that those peoples have almost become extinct in Turkey. It is high time Turkey recognized the same rights it demands for the Turkish migrants in Europe for the oppressed indigenous peoples of Anatolia, especially the Assyrians, their culture and "the language of Jesus." Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute. She is also a research fellow for the Philos Project. Delhi Police have arrested a 25-year-old man apart from apprehending a 16-year-old juvenile for allegedly killing an acquaintance of theirs for not paying Rs 1,500 for a sound system in north Delhi's Sabzi Mandi area, an officer said on Thursday. The police said that the victim had rented the sound system from the accused Raja, a resident of Mori Gate, for New Year celebrations, but the payment was pending which had led to a heated argument between them. According to the police, the incident took place on January 29 at around 11 p.m. when a passerby, who also happens to be a witness to the quarrel, told the police that at Mori Gate, he saw the victim, Munindra Kumar Shahi, lying on the ground with a boy from his colony pinning him down with his leg, and Raja hitting him on the head with a wooden log. "When he intervened, both the accused persons fled from the spot. He along with another person then took Shahi to the hospital where the doctor declared him dead," said the Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), Sagar Singh Kalsi. "Raja along with his juvenile associate had switched off their mobile phones and were absconding after committing the crime. The duo was nabbed by the police, who were deployed in civil dress, from near the Tis Hazari court complex where they had gone to meet Raja's lawyer on Wednesday," the DCP said. On interrogation, it was revealed that Raja used to rent out sound systems for small functions. He had rented a sound system to Shahi for Rs 1,500 for New Year celebrations, but the payment was pending which led to a heated argument between the two. "On the night of January 29, a verbal spat again took place between Raja and Shahi on the same issue, resulting in the latter's murder by Raja and his juvenile accomplice," said Kalsi. --IANS ssh/arm ( 332 Words) 2023-02-02-22:02:01 (IANS) Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order an enquiry into the alleged tapping of phones of leaders of opposition parties, lawyers, journalists and activists by the YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh. The former Andhra Pradesh chief minister appealed to the Prime Minister to order an enquiry by a competent body of the Central government to check phone tapping. He alleged that the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government was violating fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution. "Ever since the YSRCP came to power, there has been a systematic and concerted attack on the democratic institutions in the state. Initially, the process of governance was completely derailed by attacking the investors and policies of previous regimes. This was followed by attacks on institutions like the State Election Commission and the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC). Concomitantly, the ruling YSRCP has been attacking and threatening leaders of opposition parties, advocates, media persons, and social activists, among others, through various deceitful means. One such modus operandi that the ruling party has chosen is by illegally and unlawfully tapping the phones," reads the letter. "It appears that the YSRCP-led government has been tapping phones illegally for its own political gains. Further, we are afraid it is being done through illegal software and unlawfully. This is all the more dangerous as in the long run it could pose a direct threat to national security. With such sophisticated technology in the hands of miscreants will not only violate the right to privacy of individuals, but also would lead to compromise of people in high places by bringing them under blackmail threats," Naidu wrote. The TDP chief alleged that apparently the YSRCP has now even targeted the judiciary, the third pillar of democracy, as it is facing hurdles from the judiciary. "It appears that private persons are also illegally tapping phones using cutting edge technology and tools. We are afraid that if such illegal phone tapping goes unchecked, it would pose a serious threat to the integrity and security of the nation. Such illegal and unlawful practices by governments or private persons, if unrestrained, would lead to destruction of institutions that were built painstakingly over a period of time. In the long run, such nefarious activities would result in the breakdown of democratic values and freedom of speech, leading to jungle raj. In this backdrop, we appeal to you to initiate immediate and stern action in order to check any further unlawful activities (phone tapping) by the ruling party and private persons in Andhra Pradesh," he added. Naidu had written to the Prime Minister on the backdrop of allegations by two MLAs of YSRCP that their phones were being tapped. --IANS ms/pgh ( 477 Words) 2023-02-02-22:08:02 (IANS) The Supreme Court would hear a plea challenging the Centre's decision to ban a BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots on Friday. According to the cause list uploaded on the apex court website, a bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and M.M. Sundresh will take up a petition filed by senior journalist N. Ram, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, and advocate Prashant Bhushan, and also another petition moved by advocate M.L. Sharma. The documentary series, titled 'India: The Modi Question', has been dismissed as a biased "propaganda piece" by the government. The plea filed by Sharma contended that the BBC documentary on Gujarat riots was released for public view. However, due to "fear of truth", the documentary has been banned from viewership in India by any means under rule 16 of the IT Act 2021. Sharma's plea sought a direction for quashing of the January 21 order under the IT Act being illegal, malafide and arbitrary, unconstitutional and void ab-initio and ultra vires to the Constitution of India. The documentary has been banned on social media and online channels, but some students have screened it on campuses of various universities across the country. Sharma's plea contended that the BBC documentary has reflected the true facts with original recordings of the victims of the 2002 riots as well as other concerned persons involved in the scenario of the riots, and it can be used for judicial justice. A separate petition has been filed by journalist N. Ram, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, and advocate Prashant Bhushan against taking down their tweets with links to the documentary. "The content of the BBC documentary and the tweets by Petitioner No. 2 (Bhushan) and 3 (Moitra) are protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India. The content of the documentary series do not fall under any of the restrictions specified under Article 19(2) or restrictions imposed under Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000," said the plea filed by Ram and others. The government has blocked sharing of any clips from the documentary on social media, prompting students' organisations and opposition parties to organise its public screenings. The plea by Ram and others argued that the apex court has categorically laid down that criticism of the government or its policies or even the judgment of the Supreme Court does not tantamount to violating the sovereignty and integrity of India. "Censoring freedom of speech and expression of the petitioners by the executive through opaque orders and proceedings is manifestly arbitrary as it frustrates the fundamental right of the petitioners to effectively seek judicial review of administrative actions under Articles 226 and 32 of the Constitution of India in violation of the basic structure of the Constitution of India," added the plea. --IANS ss/arm ( 476 Words) 2023-02-02-22:30:03 (IANS) Previous studies have claimed that lies spread more quickly online and are more popular with the general public than the truth, but a recent study offers a more positive conclusion. Researchers found that posts on the social media site Reddit that included news articles fact-checked as true received more engagement and positive reaction than posts with news labeled as false. In one measure, Reddit posts linking to true information received nearly twice as many upvotes -- the equivalent of 'likes' -- as posts that were marked as false. That contrasts with a widely reported 2018 study of Twitter users that found false stories diffused more rapidly and widely than those that were true. While the results of the Twitter study were troubling, this new research cautions against 'painting with too broad a brush' about how people act on social media, said Robert Bond, lead author of the study and associate professor of communication at The Ohio State University. "We found that the true information received a lot more attention and engagement on Reddit than false information," Bond said. Bond conducted the study with Kelly Garrett, professor of communication at Ohio State. An early view, uncorrected version of their accepted study was published online in the journal PNAS Nexus. "The findings that Twitter users were more likely to share false information may have less to do with human nature and more about how people behave on different social media platforms," Garrett said. Twitter and Reddit differ in many ways, including their technical attributes, social norms and people they serve, the researchers noted. That may be a key for differences in how users of the two platforms respond to true versus false information. One important difference is that Twitter has a short message format, with many messages generating no reaction at all, and with very few extended discussions. In contrast, Reddit has complex, threaded discussions, and users often engage in sustained conversations. For this study, the researchers examined all political posts on Reddit between 2016 and 2018 that included a link to a news article. They specifically looked for posts with a comment linking to one of three fact-checking organizations: PolitiFact, Snopes or the Washington Post Fact Checker. All posts included a news article that one of these organizations had labeled as true, false or mixed. This resulted in a dataset of 10,308 posts that included links to 10,785 comment threads that could be classified as being true or false, according to the fact-checkers. These posts received about 8.3 million comments from about 783,000 unique comment authors. The results clearly showed more engagement with posts including true information. Posts in which the fact-checked information was true received an average of 929 comments, versus false posts, which received 581 comments on average. Posts that linked to true information also led to longer conversations - an average of 323 hours, versus 234 hours for those labeled false. Findings showed that commenters were faster at posting fact checks for false stories than for true stories. And the researchers found that, after a fact-checking comment was posted, the commenting rate for posts with false information dropped off more quickly than posts that were labeled as true. The researchers did a second analysis that further showed the importance of fact-checking to how Reddit users reacted. Reddit is organized into what are called subreddits for different communities. That means that the same news article could be posted in different subreddits - and some of the posts could include the fact check, while others did not. The study examined engagement with posts that did not include a comment with a fact check - even though a fact check was available. "Among threads that did not receive a fact check, we found little substantive difference in engagement. Posts with false information received about as much engagement as posts with true information," Bond said. "That suggests Reddit users were responding to fact checks and were more engaged with those they knew were labeled as true." This study can't say why true stories were more popular on Reddit than they were on Twitter, Garrett said. But there are some plausible reasons why that may be. For one, each subreddit has clear rules about what are acceptable posts and moderators who monitor what is posted and can take down posts that violate rules. "Reddit is a community that has watchdogs, both the moderators and other users. They often look for untrue information and correct it, and the community is responsive to those corrections," Garrett said. "That's a very encouraging sign and a pretty stark contrast to what was found in the Twitter data. We saw vibrant conversation around true stories on Reddit. And that's great news." (ANI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has claimed in its supplementary chargesheet filed in connection with the excise policy case of Delhi that another method of recovery of kickbacks was through passing of credit notes. The ED has alleged that credit notes were shared between parties who had no common transactions. The ED said that basically, credit notes were eyewash to divert the ill-gotten money. "Ordinarily, the credit notes are passed to the person who has direct nexus with or has sold the goods. However, in this case, the manufacturers were giving credit notes to the retailers with whom they had no direct transactions," the ED alleged. The ED chargesheet read that there was no apparent reason to give credit notes to businesses which are minting money with MRP being three times the cost and having profit margins of 185 per cent approx. The ED claimed that the credit notes were an eyewash to transfer money illegally to pay kickbacks which is evident from the fact that the ostensible reason of volume based credit notes was bogus and credit notes have been passed in an inconsistent manner considering the sales volume. "For example, Pernod Ricard has not given any credit notes to M/s Adharv Enterprises against the volume of 19,080 cases purchased in the months of December 2021, January 2022, and February 2022. However, Pernod Ricard gave Rs 61.01 lakh as credit notes to M/s Organomix Ecosystems Pvt. Ltd. (which is part of the 'south group' cartel), which purchased 17,644 cases during the said three months," read the ED chargesheet. --IANS atk/arm ( 277 Words) 2023-02-02-23:02:03 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday granted approval for the removal and transplantation of 579 trees to aid the construction of the new Indian Army Headquarters. The Ministry of Defence has proposed the construction of the Thal Sena Bhavan in Delhi Cantonment. The Ministry intends to develop the site as a state of the art facility for the army. However, certain patches of trees were obstructing the construction of the site. Therefore, the ministry of defence has sought the approval from the Delhi government for the removal and transplantation of 579 trees, paving the way for the construction of the state of the art Thal Sena Bhavan that will house the Indian Army's new headquarters. Approving the proposal, the Delhi government has noted that out of the 579 trees, the Ministry will transplant 476 trees, while it will take up felling of 103 trees. The transplantation will take place within the identified project site. The Delhi government has further asked the ministry not to damage a single tree at the site other than those that have been identified and approved by the government. If any tree apart from the approved ones is damaged, it shall constitute an offence under Delhi Preservation of Trees Act 1994. The Delhi government has further made it mandatory for the Defence ministry to plant ten times the trees transplanted and removed. The MoD will have to plant 5,790 new trees around the site to maintain ecological balance. Thus, they will now plant 5,790 new tree saplings. These trees will be planted upon the identified land parcels within 3 months from the date on which the permission for shifting of the trees will be issued. The MoD will further take the responsibility of maintaining the trees for the next seven years, as per Delhi government's guidelines. As per the proposal approved by the Delhi government, various species of trees that suit the soil and climate of Delhi will be planted in the identified places. --IANS avr/pgh ( 351 Words) 2023-02-02-23:14:01 (IANS) The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), the dominant party of the all party United Democratic Alliance (UDA) government, on Thursday announced its candidates' list of 40 nominees including two women, dropping 15 sitting MLAs. NDPP's ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also announced a list of 20 candidates for the February 27 election to the 60-member Nagaland assembly. The saffron party has dropped a sitting MLA. The NDPP and the BJP had contested the 2018 elections with a 40:20 seat-sharing formula and the alliance partners in July last year have decided to continue with the same understanding.The main NDPP candidates are Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio (Northern Angami-II seat), G. Kaito Aye (Sataka) and Neiba Kronu (Pfutsero) and former Chief Minister and erstwhile Naga People's Front (NPF) supremo T.R. Zeliang (Peren). With 26 seats, the NPF had emerged as the single largest party in the 2018 elections, but the NDPP and the BJP managed to form a coalition government. In April last year, 21 of the 26 NPF legislators led by Zeliang had "merged" themselves with the NDPP and formed the opposition less all party UDA government to expedite the Naga political dialogue with the Central government. NDPP sources said that of the 15 MLAs dropped in the NDPP list, a majority are those who came from the NPF. The NDPP list includes two women -- Hekani Jakhalu from the Dimapur-III constituency and Salhoutuonuo Kruse from Western Angami. BJP leader Nalin Kohli, while announcing the candidates' list in Delhi, said: "We will contest 20 out of the 60 seats in Nagaland. The rest of the seats have been given to our alliance partner NDPP." According to the BJP list, Nagaland unit president Temjen Imna Along will contest from Alongtaki. The BJP list of 20 candidates features Kahuli Sema as the lone woman. She is contesting the Atoizu constituency. On Wednesday, the BJP Central Election committee held a meeting in Delhi on Nagaland candidates. The Congress, which has no MLA in the assembly, is yet to announce its candidates list though the party had earlier announced to contest in all 60 seats alone. --IANS sc/pgh ( 367 Words) 2023-02-02-23:22:01 (IANS) The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Thursday told the Delhi High Court that it had paid salaries and pensions to employees and retired staff members till December, and the payment for January would be cleared soon. On January 30, the High Court had summoned the MCD Commissioner, Delhi Finance Secretary, and Urban Development Secretaries over non-payment of salaries to various employees, sanitation workers, and teachers of the MCD. A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad, dealing with a bunch of pleas filed in 2020 seeking payment of salaries to various employees of the civic body, said despite assuring them of timely payments, the employees are not being paid, which is "unfortunate". While noting Thursday's submission, the same bench listed the matter for the next hearing after four weeks. Even retired employees have moved pleas seeking the release of their pensions. On December 21, last year, the AAP government and the MCD had promised that all dues will be cleared in four weeks. Noting the above, the bench during the last hearing had directed the officials: "It is also strange that the pensioners are not receiving the pensions and they are hand to mouth. This court is left with no choice but to direct the personal appearance of the Commissioner of MCD, Finance Secretary and Secretary of Urban Development of the GNCTD." Appearing for petitioners, advocate Ashok Agarwal had submitted that primary school teachers are not getting salaries and they are facing financial problems. The MCD was previously divided into North, South, and East Municipal Corporations. --IANS spr/pgh ( 279 Words) 2023-02-02-23:26:02 (IANS) A PIL has been moved in Delhi High Court seeking direction to the Centre and the Election Commission of India to ascertain the feasibility of conducting elections to the House of the People and Legislative Assemblies simultaneously in order to save money and manpower and control election paralysis. The plea stated that there are many advantages to holding the Lok Sabha, Assembly, Panchayat and Municipal elections together. It would reduce the time and cost involved in conducting elections in terms of the use of paramilitary forces, government staff on election duty and the Election Commission staff organising booths, electronic voting machines and voter slips etc. The plea further seeks the court to direct the Centre and the EC to ascertain the feasibility of conducting elections on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays in order to save valuable time for the schools, colleges, universities, service industries and manufacturing organisations. The petitioner, practicing advocate of the Supreme Court and BJP leader, Ashwini Kumar, has also sought issuance of direction to the Centre and the EC to take apposite steps to implement the recommendations proposed by the Law Commission of India in its Report No-170, which stated, "We must go back to the situation where the elections to Lok Sabha and all Legislative Assemblies are held at once." The decision to conduct all elections together would save money as the cost of campaigning for parties would be less, the plea says. The imposition of the Model Code of Conduct delays the implementation of central and state government projects and welfare schemes and takes away time and effort from governance issues, it stated further. The need for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, Assemblies, panchayats and Municipal bodies has been discussed and debated for a long time, added the plea. "As elections have become a big budget affair and expensive, the Law Commission of India in its 170th Report on Reform of Electoral Laws (1999) has suggested simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for the sake of stability in governance. But the Centre and ECI did not take appropriate steps," the plea read. The plea suggested that the elections to Assemblies, whose terms would expire in 2023 and 2024, be bunched up together along with the 2024. Lok Sabha elections by curtailing or extending the tenures. If consensus is arrived at among political parties, the Assembly elections in 16 states Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Telangana, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand -- can be held along with the 2024 General elections, the plea proposed. (ANI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami called upon people in the state to work to come forward to help the government in its resolution to make the state drug-free by the year 2025. Dhami on Thursday inaugurated de-addiction workshop 'Mission Drugs Free Devbhoomi' organised in the district jail of Dehradun. "De-addiction is a very important subject. It is our resolution that by 2025 not even a single person of Devbhoomi should be addicted to drugs," Dhami said. The Chief Minister said that the campaign of government has to be made a grand campaign and in this process, the contribution of every resident of the state is important. "For the accomplishment of this resolution, along with the government, society, youth, NGOs, celebrities, successful people and various social-educational institutions will have to come forward and work together. This campaign of the government has to be made a grand campaign. The contribution of every Uttarakhand resident is important in this mass campaign," the Chief Minister said. Dhami asked youth of the state to make others aware of the side effects of drugs. The chief minister inspected the computer training centre operated courtesy of the Vedanta Foundation in the District Jail, the Jail Ornaments Exhibition, the handmade exhibition by women prisoners, and the Vocational Training Centre in Jail. The Chief Minister inquired about the well-being of the prisoners and asked them to adopt positive thinking. He said that it is expected that the products manufactured in the jails will be available for sale in the local market in future as well. Chief Minister Dhami gave his message through Doon Jail Radio operated from the jail. The Chief Minister also announced that the name of the Prisons Department would be changed to "Prison Administration and Correctional Service" and "Prisoner Correctional Home" would be replaced by "Prisoner Correctional Home". Stating that prison is also a part of society, Dhami said that prisoners should consider prison as a place of penance and reform and take a pledge to contribute to nation-building by joining the mainstream of society with positive thinking in future. "It is the resolution of the government that in 2025 when we are celebrating the silver jubilee of the establishment of the state, our state should become completely drug-free. We will be the leading state in every field. Uttarakhand will also make its invaluable contribution in the campaign of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat," he said. "Prisons also house drug addicts, whose maintenance or care is a big challenge for the prison administration. Awareness about the drug-free campaign should also be brought in all the prisons of the state," Dhami added. (ANI) According to police, as part of the crackdown two persons were arrested on Thursday night from Moirabari area in Morigaon district for marrying girls below 18 years, while six accused were apprehended from Majuli district. On the other hand, Dhubri district police has detained at least 96 persons for their alleged involvement in child marriages. Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday night chaired a video-conference meeting with senior officials of the police department, including Superintendents of Police of all districts, regarding the police actions that would be launched state-wide from today onwards against the practice of child marriage in the state. The Chief Minister appealed to the people to support the government's action to rid the state of the evil practice of child marriage. "Chaired a VC of SPs in presence of DGP GP Singh regarding State-wide police action to be launched from tomorrow against child marriage and reviewed the arrangements. I appeal to people to extend support & cooperate with us in our endeavour to rid the State of the evil practice," Sarma tweeted in the early hours of Friday. (ANI) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday held a door-to-door campaign in the state capital Agartala, ahead of the Assembly elections which is scheduled to be held on February 16. The BJP is looking to retain power in the state and win another term in the northeastern state. "A series of central government projects and schemes had been implemented in the state for the benefit of the public. The people have availed the benefits to these schemes and we are hopeful that they will vote in favour of the BJP again," Saha said during his campaign. The Chief Minister has been holding door-to-door campaigns for several days and taking the message of the government to the people. Earlier on Tuesday, Saha held a door-to-door campaign in Joynagar. Earlier, on January 30, the Tripura CM filed his nomination from the Town Borodowali Assembly constituency. The CM, who is bidding to secure a fresh mandate from the constituency, filed his nomination in the presence of the Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Manipur counterpart N Biren Singh. Ahead of his nomination filing, the chief minister held a roadshow from the Town Bordowali Assembly segment. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda will launch the party's poll campaign in Tripura on Friday, in the wake of the upcoming Assembly elections in the state. According to the top BJP sources, Nadda will kickstart the election campaign by launching a Vijay Sankalp Yatra from Amarpur today. He is also slated to conduct two public rallies in the state on February 3. Later, Nadda will also hold a meeting of the top leaders in the state to fine-tune the party's strategy for the upcoming elections. The BJP is likely to release its election manifesto for Tripura in the next week. BJP posted a stunning victory in Tripura in the 2018 Assembly elections, a Left bastion with Manik Sarkar being its Chief Minister for over two decades. After its poll victory, the BJP appointed Biplab Deb as Tripura Chief Minister and in May 2022 appointed Manik Saha for the role. The party is preparing itself to register another win in Tripura and has struck an alliance with its former ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) which has fielded its candidates on five assembly seats, while the BJP has fielded its candidates on remaining 55 seats. Voting for the 60 Assembly seats in the northeastern state will be held on February 16, and counting will be held on March 2 along with Nagaland and Meghalaya. (ANI) Congress MP Manish Tewari on Friday gave Adjournment Motion notice in the Lok Sabha to have a detailed discussion on the border situation with China. In his notice to the Lok Sabha Secretary General, Manish Tewari urged the House to suspend Zero hour and other businesses of the day for having a detailed discussion on the border situation with China. "Since April 2020, China has engaged in what can only be described as a steady land grab. Till 16 January 2023, seventeen rounds of Commander level talks have taken place between India and China with little success. All the while China continues to build significant infrastructure, including bridges, roads and accommodation for its troops. China is attempting to unilaterally change the status quo," Tewari said in the notice. He further termed the clashes in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector an "indication of China's steady aggression aimed at changing the status quo on the border". "The clashes in the Tawang Sector in Arunachal Pradesh were another indication of China's steady aggression aimed at changing the status quo on the border. What is more, such aggression is no longer limited in territorial scope as is evidenced by the clashes took place in Arunachal Pradesh, around 2000 Kilometers away from the place of previous clashes. There is growing concern that China is unwilling to restore the status quo ante, a situation that puts India at a massive disadvantage," he said. He also said that China's "large trade surplus" with the country has continued to surge since the military confrontations began in 2020. "Despite this, China"s large trade surplus with us has continued to surge since the military confrontations began in 2020. The trade deficit for India stood at USD 101.02 billion, crossing the 2021 figure of USD 69.38 billion," his notice to the Lok Sabha read urging the government to take up the matter with seriousness and have detailed discussion regarding the border issue with China. In December 2020, a clash took place near Yangtse along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive Tawang sector amid the over 30-month border standoff between the two sides in eastern Ladakh. (ANI) The Opposition on Friday gave the Suspension of Business Notice for both Houses of the Parliament, demanding a discussion on the Hindenburg report on the Adani Group. Among the leaders, DMK Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi Siva gave suspension of business notice under rule 267 to discuss "The adverse impact of the business activities of Adani group on India economically and morally," he said. Congress MP Pramod Tiwari also gave the Suspension of Business Notice under Rule 267 in Rajya Sabha to discuss "the issue of fraud in investment by LIC, SBI, Public Sector Banks and Other Financial Institutions losing market value." On Friday, there will be a meeting of the leaders of opposition parties in the chamber of Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge in Parliament. In a tweet posted on Friday morning, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh tweeted that "Floor leaders of Opposition parties will be meeting in the chamber of LoP Mallikarjun Kharge in Parliament to coordinate strategy. Only an independent investigation will save LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India), SBI (State Bank of India) & other institutions forced by PM (Prime Minister) to invest in Adani Group." Other leaders of the Rajya Sabha who gave the notice were MP Amee Yajnik, MP Neeraj Dangi and MP Kumar Ketkar. From Lok Sabha, MP Nama Nageshwar Rao also gave the Suspension of Business Notice for the House and demanded a discussion on the Hindenburg report. Yesterday, both houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day after the Opposition created a ruckus and demanded a discussion on the Hindenburg report on the Adani conglomerate. The Opposition leaders on Thursday demanded a discussion on the Hindenburg report against Adani Enterprises while also seeking the constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the alleged aberrations. (ANI) A threat call was received at Ram Lalla Sadan in Ayodhya to blow up the Ram Janmabhoomi where the construction of Ram temple is underway, police said on Thursday. According to Superintendent of Police Madhuban Singh, a man named Manoj Kumar who resided at the Sadan received a call from an unidentified caller from Delhi at around 5 am on Thursday, threatning that there would be a blast at the Ram Janmabhoomi. "Manoj Kumar who is residing at Ram Lalla Sadan in Ayodhya got a call on his phone at around 5 am today where a person from Delhi said that by 10 am there'd be a blast at Ram Janmabhoomi. Teams are formed to arrest the person. The man would be arrested soon and action would be taken against him," Singh said. Further investigation into the matter is underway, he added. This comes on the day two Shaligram (non-anthropomorphic representations of Lord Vishnu in the Hindu religion) stones that were dispatched from Nepal for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, reached here on Thursday. The holy stones were welcomed by priests and locals who decorated the Shaligram boulders with garlands and offered rituals before handing over them to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. (ANI) The State Investigation Agency's (SIA) raids were underway at multiple locations in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar on Friday. These raids were conducted in connection with a terror funding case. Delhi High Court on Thursday issued a notice to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on a bail plea moved by Naeem Khan, a Kashmiri separatist leader in a case related to the terrorist and secessionist activities in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. The bail plea of Naeem Khan has been moved through Advocates Tara Narula, Tamanna Pankaj and S Debabrata Reddy. On December 22, the Trial Court refused to grant bail to Naeem Khan, "Since the nature of the allegations and evidence collected during the investigation require leading of evidence to prove different facts, which would take a substantial amount of time. In such a situation likelihood of delay in the trial, to my mind cannot be entertained by this court once the question of bail is governed by a specific mandate under sections 43-D(S) of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)." The present case was registered by NIA for offenses under sections 120B, 121, 121A of IPC and sections 13, 16, 17, 18, 20, 38, 39, and 40 of UAPA. The NIA further added that during the investigation it was also revealed that All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and other secessionists instigate the general public, especially the youth, to observe strikes and to resort to violence especially stone pelting the security forces. This was done to create disaffection amongst the people of Jammu and Kashmir towards the government of India. Meanwhile, in a first, Jammu Police has recovered a perfume improvised explosive device (IED) from a terrorist associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba who was involved in the twin blasts that took place in Narwal on January 21. The police arrested a terrorist identified as Arif who was in contact with the Pakistani handlers for three years. As many as nine people were injured in the twin blasts that occurred in Narwal last month in a gap of 20 minutes. The police said that the terrorists intended to kill as many people as possible. The second IED, according to the police, could have caused bigger damage, which the terrorists intended, had the police not followed the SOPs. "Two bombs were planted on January 20. Two blasts occurred on January 21 at a gap of 20 minutes to kill as many people as possible. 9 people were injured after the first IED blast. The damage that was intended could be averted because of the SOPs followed by the police. Otherwise, the damage could have been bigger because the first IED was small but the second IED was way bigger than the first. Police have arrested one terrorist Arif, who was in contact with Pakistan handlers for 3 years," Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh said while briefing the media about the incident. Sheralli, an eyewitness of the blast, while narrating the harrowing incident said, "We were sitting inside a shop at that time of the blast. The car blew up and parts of it fell near the shop. A person was hit by one of those parts. The other blast took place half an hour later at some distance. Initially, people thought that it was a gas blast in the car but it sounded bigger than that. It was an SUV car and the mechanics were repairing it. "People are in panic now," she added. (ANI) In a crackdown against people involved in child marriages in the state, Assam Police on Friday said that as many as 1,793 people have been apprehended so far in the state. While talking to ANI, Prasanta Kumar Bhuyan, Inspector General of Police (IGP) (L&O) and spokesperson of Assam police said, "Till Friday morning, 1,793 persons have been arrested by police across the state." "Out of these, 131 persons have been arrested in Biswanath. The arrested persons' figure might be increased. Operations are still on," Prasanta Kumar Kumar Bhuyan added. The state-wide crackdown against child marriage was launched on Thursday night, following the directions of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Earlier, Guwahati Police Commissionerate on Friday said that as many as 53 people have been apprehended so far. Besides this, 192 cases related to child marriage have been registered at different police stations under the commissionerate, Whil two persons from the Moirabari area in the Morigaon district were arrested on Thursday night for marrying girls below 18 years, while six accused were apprehended from the Majuli district. On the other hand, Dhubri district police have detained at least 96 persons for their alleged involvement in child marriages. Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday night chaired a video-conference meeting with senior officials of the police department, including Superintendents of Police of all districts, regarding the police actions that would be launched state-wide from today onwards against the practice of child marriage in the state. The Chief Minister appealed to the people to support the government's action to rid the state of the evil practice of child marriage. (ANI) New Delhi, Feb 2 (IANSlife) The 2023-2024 Union Budget was announced and what impact will it make on your life and style in the coming year? While some industries had favourable results that will spur the growth of the sector, others were rather underwhelmed. Experts in the field expresses their thoughts to IANSlife... Eating out? The F&b industry benefits from the personal tax relief measures outlined in the budget. Commenting on the same, Merrill Pereyra, Managing Director, Pizza Hut India Subcontinent said, "The Food Services industry relies heavily on discretionary spending and therefore stands to gain from the personal tax relief measures announced in the budget, which will further catalyze consumption. The focus on domestic tourism will also cascade positively across our sector, by opening up new markets and allowing for greater expansion, especially in unpenetrated locations." While on the other hand, Debaditya Chaudhury, Managing Director of Chowman, Oudh 1590 & Chapter 2 expresses disappointment stating, "I think it's a little disheartening for the food and beverage industry, that there was no mention of any relief or support for us in the Union Budget 2023-24 declaration. This year, we were hoping for extended moratoriums on interest payable and reduced tax structure to help us regain our balance sheet's health. Sadly, the government has ignored us even though the industry has been resilient and has recovered from the pandemic on its own. While other sectors are laying people off, the F&B industry has been generating jobs, adding to the GST credit without even any input credit." Your next adventure A growth-oriented aimed to help India weather the current global economic challenges says Sarbendra Sarkar, Founder & MD, Cygnett Hotels and Resorts. "With the Finance Minister announcing plans to renew 50 additional airports, helipads, water aero drones, and advanced landing grounds, it will boost regional connectivity. Moreover, the announcement to develop 50 destinations for domestic and international tourists will also help to draw attention to the country's tourism and hospitality sectors. The Finance Minister said that these tourist destinations will be selected through challenge mode. The impetus on Dekho Apna Desh will provide a further boost to the growth of domestic tourism in the country. The Finance Minister also highlighted that states will be encouraged to set up a "Unity Mall" in the capital city or most popular tourist destination for the promotion of the 'One District, One product' theme. Such initiatives will also help unleash the potential taped in the tourism sector." Paritosh Ladhani, Joint Managing Director, Sincere Developers, which owns Taj Hotel and Convention Centre Agra said, "The Union Budget 2023-2024 presented by the finance minister highlighted that the Indian economy is on a growth trajectory in spite of the global economic challenges. In her Budget speech, the FM emphasized that the country offers "immense attraction" for both domestic and international tourists. With the government announcing that states will be encouraged to set up a "Unity Mall" in the capital city or most popular tourist destination for the promotion of the 'One District, one product' theme, such initiatives will help to unleash the potential vested in the tourism sector. I also expect that the change in tax regime announced in the Union Budget will result in more disposable income in the hands of middle-class consumers - which I expect ultimately will spur consumption in activities like travel. Regional connectivity will see a boost with the plans to renew 50 additional airports, helipads, water aero drones, and advanced landing grounds." "The government's focus on tourism in the budget by giving it a top priority is commendable. The allocation of resources highlights the importance placed on boosting employment through the tourism sector," said Asif Fazlani, Managing Director, of Fazlani Nature's Nest. "The budget demonstrates the government's commitment to the holistic development of the industry. The plan to develop 50 tourist destinations for both domestic and international tourists will revolutionize the tourism industry in India." About the provisions of the tourism industry in the Union Budget 2023-2024 Priya Thakur, founder, Larisa Hotels and Resorts said, "We are very pleased to see that the Union Budget for 2023-2024 includes funding for the development of tourist sites in India for both domestic and foreign visitors. With LaRiSa's strong presence in popular tourist areas like Goa, Manali, Shimla, and Mussoorie, we hope to see an increase in travelers. With a boost in infrastructure and enhanced air connectivity, we hope to welcome guests from varied locations. LarRiSa has always supported and endorsed the spirit of uplifting the local community. With the promotion of local tourist spots and spaces, it will not only result in the upliftment of these cities but will also provide more jobs and opportunities for the locals all around the year." Sandeep Arora, Director of Brightsun Travel India added, "Indian economy is expected to increase by 7 per cent in the year 2023 and tourism is one of the major areas that contribute to it. Development of tourist infrastructure is the need of the hour so the announcement that 50 tourist destinations will be developed for domestic and international tourism is a positive step. Plus, the border village tourism initiative will bring tourists to these far corners helping the local communities earn livelihood and prosper. This year's budget also saw the highest-ever capital outlay of 2.5 crores for the railways which may provide the push needed for the growth of domestic tourism in the country. Air travel is also expected to rise. Specific focus is needed for the tourism industry to rebound back to pre-pandemic levels and we hope that these initiatives will provide much awaited-relief to the Indian tourism sector." All those gems The budget for Gems and Jewellery now has more room for discretionary spending, increasing consumer purchasing power. Amit Pratihari, Vice President, De Beers Forevermark said, "For natural diamonds, we've seen an encouraging trend over the past few months where consumers are purchasing items that hold meaning and value. Natural diamonds continue to be sought after due to their inherent preciousness. Pricing has also remained steady, and we are optimistic it will become stronger. As customers continue to value what is natural and genuine, diamonds will always be in demand." "Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) applauds the pro-reform and export growth-oriented budget by Hon. Finance Minister... In the first Budget of Amritkaal, Hon. Finance Minister has listed 7 priorities as she outlined people-centric agenda of ease of living and doing business to take on global challenges as well as for stimulating exports... GJEPC welcomes the reduction of Customs Duty on LGD seeds to zero from 5 per cent. It will ensure India's end-to-end world leadership in rough-to-finished lab-grown diamond and jewelry manufacturing. In addition to that government. has also accepted to have clear segregation Customs (IT HS) codes for Silver and Platinum studded Lab grown jewelry for better differentiation and identification at the consumer level," added Vipul Shah, Chairman, GJEPC. Hot Wheels "The Union Budget 2023-2024 announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is progressive, prudent, and growth-led, with an eye to providing impetus on the savings of the public," said Banwari Lal Sharma, CEO, of Consumer Business, CarTrade Tech Ltd. "It is a 'green budget' for the automotive and mobility sectors. The sustainability measures taken through announcements on green hydrogen and other energy sectors will help in furthering the government's target of carbon neutrality by 2070. The increased Capex outlay on energy transition is likely to spur investments and skill development in a green economy. The viability gap funding for battery energy storage systems is also likely to create critical infrastructure, while custom duty reduction on capital goods for Lithium batteries manufacturing will facilitate faster adoption of EVs. An increase in spending on infrastructure, the setting up of 50 new airports and heliports, and the creation of 100 transport infrastructure projects are welcome moves, in addition to the central support for replacing old vehicles. All of these should drive consumption and overall demand of vehicles." Tech And E-Commerce Abhijit Bhattacharya, Founder & CBO, OneGreen said, "The Union Budget has sent the right signal to investors, businesses, and citizens that green growth is a priority for India. At OneGreen, we are extremely thrilled with the government's focus on the environment and ensuring that people switch to a more sustainable way of life for without this, the health and wellness of the nation in its truest sense can never be achieved. We are encouraged by the focus on sustainable agriculture practices, including organic farming initiatives backed with incentives for over 1 crore farmers which will help ensure that chemical-free food ingredients are used in food and related products. The Green Credit Programme under the Environment (Protection) Act to incentivize environmentally sustainable and responsive actions by companies, individuals and local bodies will help each and every one of us inculcate sustainable habits and increase investments in the sector. We also welcome the government's move to increase its expenditure on building sources of renewable energy. Further tax exemptions such as the reduction of GST rates on electric vehicle components and waivers or subsidies given out to households using renewable energy systems will contribute greatly towards creating an environment-friendly infrastructure in India. Indians in the post-pandemic era have understood the importance of living a green and clean life and this budget with its focus on behavior change will steer the population in the right direction. We look forward to seeing how this budget shapes India's future trajectory toward sustainable development goals! "Union Budget 2023 is very promising for the financial sector and carves out an excellent path for the future with a focus on growing the MSME sector, pushing infrastructure development, and enabling personal consumption. Extension of the ECLGS scheme along with other measures would have a huge impact on promoting growth. The finance minister has taken substantial steps to reduce credit costs for the sector which would help in promoting employment and growth. Boosting MSMEs through easier credit would aid growth, ease tax liability, and promote consumption. Focus on reducing credit costs would also boost profitability and help create more jobs. Additionally, increased expenditure on infrastructure and personal tax reforms would aid create a positive sentiment in the economy and put India on a path for rapid development," added Saurav Ghosh, Co-founder, Jiraaf. Healthcare Technology integration an advantageous effect on the healthcare industry that will encourage its expansion. Snehal Shah, CEO at Fullife Healthcare Private Limited said, "Integration of technology has a definitive impact on our future prospects. Greater awareness towards healthcare and a focus on boosting exports for the sector of innovative products in Pharmaceuticals & Nutraceuticals are outstanding long-term initiatives that were being talked about in this year's budget. The Indian industry is well-poised with a good ecosystem, and companies like Fullife that focus on innovation lead delivery dosage forms will be highly encouraged in such a supportive environment. This year, the Centre has also increased its allocation to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and has invested in focus on natural products like Millet and healthcare, we see continued growth in concepts that associate with good health. Being a company from India that exports nutraceutical products across 30+ countries now, a simplified tax structure will help towards the promotion of exports and boost domestic manufacturing." In this Union Budget, the government has focused on some of the core needs of the health and wellness sector. "The plan to establish 157 nursing colleges as collocated facilities alongside medical colleges will help cover the shortage of trained healthcare workforce and lead to greater healthcare coverage of the out-of-hospital medical services. The plans to provide access to ICMR labs and other R&D facilities as well as a collaborative approach to pharmaceuticals research and encouragement of private sector investments, multi-disciplinary training for R&D and manufacturing of high-quality medical devices, and various other such measures are going to augur well for the overall universal healthcare access and quality in India," said Meena Ganesh, Co-Founder & Chairperson, of Portea Medical. "However, it is also important to note that while various aspects of healthcare and health tech have been touched upon, we looked forward to some announcements in the area of accessibility and affordability of personalized care for the masses. A crisis situation like the pandemic toppled healthcare systems globally and some clarity on how the country will handle a similar situation in the times to come was needed." (IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in) Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief K Annamalai on Friday called upon the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leaders O. Panneerselvam (OPS) and Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS), hours before announcing the party's stand on the upcoming Erode by-polls in the state. Annamalai and the BJP's national General Secretary CT Ravi met the AIADMK leaders at their respective residences. The election in Tamil Nadu's Erode (east) was necessitated after the death of Congress leader Thiru E Thirumahan Everaa. Hence, the Election Commission of India declared February 27, as the date for the contest of Erode by-polls. It is pertinent to mention that Annamalai arrived from the national capital to Chennai on Thursday night and is likely to announce the party's (BJP) stand by today. According to the sources, the BJP has decided to support EPS, however, they have requested a united EPS and OPS. Ahead of the Erode East bye-polls, Annamalai held a meeting at Kamalalayam (the BJP state headquarters in Chennai) with State and District level functionaries on January 31 to make a final decision over the bye-election. The meeting was attended by several members of the party including BJP Legislative Leader Nainar Nagendran, state vice president Narayanan Thirupathy, former MP CP Radhakrishnan and former MLA H Raja among others. According to sources, in the meeting, some functionaries pinned their views that Annamalai should contest on Erode East as AIADMK is waiting for a judgment on 'Two Leaves' case (party symbol). Though BJP senior leaders opined that BJP should work towards the 2024 general election. However, Annamalai had previously said [while speaking with media at Coimbatore], "This is not the election for us." From Annamalai's statement, it suggested that BJP is not keen on contesting in the election. Erode (East) Assembly bypoll is to be held on February 27, the last date of nomination is on February 7 and the result will be declared on March 2. Notably, BJP's alliance partner AIADMK has planned to announce their candidate on February 5. Both OPS and EPS factions of AIADMK have appeared keen on their candidate in the polls. They also went to state BJP headquarters to meet Annamalai on January 28 and discuss the Erode East bypoll in the state. The two factions also sought support from their alliance partner. (ANI) Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday informed that Assam Police has so far arrested around 1,800 people across the state in its crackdown against people involved in child marriages. While talking to the media, the Assam Chief Minister said, "Assam Police has arrested 1,800 persons in connection with child marriage-related cases across the state so far." Earlier today, Assam Police has said that as many as 1,793 people have been apprehended so far in a crackdown against people involved in child marriages in the state. While talking to ANI, Prasanta Kumar Bhuyan, Inspector General of Police (IGP) (L&O) and spokesperson of Assam police said, "Till Friday morning, 1,793 persons have been arrested by police across the state." "Out of these, 131 persons have been arrested in Biswanath. The arrested persons' figure might be increased. Operations are still on," Prasanta Kumar Kumar Bhuyan added. The state-wide crackdown against child marriage was launched on Thursday night, following the directions of the Assam Chief Minister Sarma. Earlier, Guwahati Police Commissionerate on Friday said that as many as 53 people have been apprehended so far. Besides this, 192 cases related to child marriage have been registered at different police stations under the commissionerate. At the same time, two persons from the Moirabari area in the Morigaon district were arrested on Thursday night for marrying girls below 18 years, while six accused were apprehended from the Majuli district. On the other hand, Dhubri district police have detained at least 96 persons for their alleged involvement in child marriages. Sarma on Thursday night chaired a video-conference meeting with senior officials of the police department, including Superintendents of Police of all districts, regarding the police actions that would be launched state-wide from today onwards against the practice of child marriage in the state. The Chief Minister has appealed to the people to support the government's action to rid the state of the evil practice of child marriage. (ANI) A case has been registered against nine people at Haridwar's Kankhal police station on Friday after an investigation by Police's Special Investigating Team (SIT) for the irregularities in AE/JE exam under Uttarakhand Public Services Examination (UKPSE), as informed by Uttarakhand CMO. The case was filed after the strict instruction of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami who said that those found guilty in the question paper leak case would not be spared and assured rolling out the country's strictest anti-copying law in the state. Nine people were booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 420, 40 and 120-B; 3/4 Public Examination Act and 7/8 in the Corruption Act 1988. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Dhami said that the government is determined to reform the system and said, "Recently complaints were received about some examinations. A preliminary inquiry was conducted in which the irregularities were confirmed. Strict action will be taken and the culprits will not be spared." He further said that in the past as well, those involved in the irregularities in various recruitments have been sent to jail. "A system to conduct transparent and clean recruitment examination is being made. Exams are being conducted according to the recruitment calendar issued. The country's most stringent anti-copying law is going to be brought soon. No injustice will be allowed to happen to the youth of the state," CM Dhami said. (ANI) On the basis of profiling by AIU officials, a passenger coming from Dubai to Kochi airport by flight SG 017 was intercepted at the green channel by officials. While examining the passenger, a rectangular-shaped packet suspected to contain gold in compound form and weighing 543 grams was found stitched inside his underwear. The packet has been seized by the officials. The accused has been identified as Ashok, a native of Ernakulam and he has been arrested. Further investigations are going on in this case. In a similar incident last week, the customs officials at the Kochi airport seized 1,062 grams of gold worth Rs 48.5 lakh from a passenger at Kochi airport from a passenger travelling from Dubai to the Kochi airport. During the examination of the said passenger, four capsules of gold in compound form weighing 1,062 grams concealed inside his body were recovered and seized. In the other incident last week, 833 grams of gold worth nearly Rs 38 lakh was recovered from the Kochi airport. "During the examination of the said passenger, 3 nos of transparent latex capsule shaped packets containing thick brown coloured paste-like material, suspected to be gold in compound form, weighing 833.40 gram concealed in the passenger's rectum were recovered and seized," a statement from the Customs department read. (ANI) Amidst an ongoing tussle between the Delhi government and Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena over approving teachers' educational trip to Finland, the latter on Friday approved Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's foreign trip to the US. As per a press note issued by Raj Niwas on Friday, "Delhi LG, VK Saxena has approved a foreign tour by Deputy CM, Manish Sisodia, his Secretary and Secretary (Education)." Sisodia sent a proposal to the LG, seeking approval for his foreign tour as he wanted to attend an event, organized by the TESOL Education Convention in Portland city, Oregon, US. The Deputy CM has also sought approval for his Secretary and Director (Education), as per the press note. The LG has however articulated haziness over Sisodia's proposal and said that it is unclear who [organizers of the event or the Delhi government] will bear the travel expense of the minister. "The proposal lacks clarity as to who will bear the expenses of Sisodia's visit. While in one para, the Department has noted that 'all expenses of the visit by Deputy CM will be borne by the TESOL and there will be no financial liability on the government', a subsequent para further says that, 'all expenses of the visit by Deputy CM will be borne by the General Administrative Department (GAD), Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD)'," the press note read. Despite the contradiction, Saxena agreed to the proposal. "The LG, despite noting that both these statements were contradictory to each other and it was not clear as to whether the Delhi Government will bear the expenses for Sisodia's visit or not, gave in principle approval for the proposed visit, subject to the requisite clearances from the concerned Ministries in the Govt. of India, including FCRA clearances from the Central Government, as is the case with every Foreign Visit undertaken by any Minister or officer of any State," Raj Niwas further said in the press note. Besides, the Delhi government and LG VK Saxena have been seen in a simmering face-off time and again over the government's proposal to send school teachers to Finland for training. The Aam Aadmi Party is accusing LG of rejecting a proposal to send Delhi school teachers to Finland for training. However, the Lieutenant Governor's office is denying the charges of rejecting any proposal and is saying that he only advised the state to record a cost-benefit analysis. (ANI) A case has been registered here against Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya and eight others for hurting religious sentiments and disturbing social harmony over his contoversial remarks against Ramcharitmanas. Acting on a complaint of Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Mahasabha office bearer Praveen Chaudhary, the case was registered at Gwalior Crime Branch police station yesterday. According to an FIR, a copy of which is with ANI, Chaudhary submitted a written complaint demanding legal action against the said persons. Acting on it, the case was registered under IPC sections 153A and 295 at Gwalior Crime Branch police station. On Thursday, Hindu Mahasabha national vice president Jaiveer Bharadwaj has also submitted a memorandum to Gwalior Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amit Sanghi demanding action against Maurya. Later, Bharadwaj said that action had been taken against those who insulted Ramcharitmanas and a case had been registered. They would have to apologise. "I thanked the police administration and the district administration for taking action," he added. Last month, Maurya sparked a 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. Maurya further claimed that in the Ramcharitmanas, which was composed by Tulsidas, there are words hurting the sentiments of the Dalit community. Earlier, Hindu Mahasabha also sent a letter 'written in blood' to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath demanding action against SP leader Maurya over his remarks against Ramcharitmanas. The Hindu Mahasabha cannot and will not tolerate the disrespect of Ramcharitmanas and the Hindu saints, said Bharadwaj here on Wednesday while talking to ANI. "The Hindu Mahasabha in Lucknow also lodged an FIR against the SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya but till now the Uttar Pradesh government has not arrested him. By writing a letter in blood, we demand Swami Prasad Maurya's immediate arrest," he then said. On January 30, Maurya also took a jibe at Mahant Raju Das by stating that he could have just cursed him instead of spending Rs 21 lakh to get him killed. In his tweet, SP MLC Maurya stated, "A baba (seer) who claims to do the impossible is very popular nowadays. What kind of a baba are you? Despite having the most powerful back, you are offering a bounty to get me killed. You could have simply cursed. You could have also saved Rs 21 lakh and people could see your real face." On January 28 too, the SP leader said he will continue to oppose the "conspiracy to humiliate tribals, Dalits-backwards and women" in the name of religion. "Just as an elephant does not change its gait due to barking of dogs, in the same way, I will not change my point until they are given their duly respected," he said in a tweet. (ANI) The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Centre and sought its response to a plea seeking direction to restrain the Central government from censoring the BBC documentary relating to the 2002 Gujarat Riots. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and MM Sundresh asked the Central government to file its response within three weeks and posted it for hearing in April. The bench refused to pass interim order on the plea saying it cannot pass any interim order without hearing the government and directed it to produce all records on the next hearing date. "We direct respondents to produce original records on the next date of hearing," the bench stated in its order. Senior advocate CU Singh appearing for Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Mahua Moitra, senior journalist N Ram, and advocate Prashant Bhushan told the bench the IT Rules mandate the publication of the emergency blocking orders within 48 hours. The Centre on the basis of the secret order blocked the documentary and on the basis of this secret order, universities are taking action against students for screening the documentary, Singh said. Justice Khanna said, "It is also a fact that people have been accessing those videos." Singh sought a shorter date for the case, the bench, however, declined his request. The apex court also issued notice to the Centre on a PIL filed by advocate ML Sharma challenging Central government orders to block the documentary. The PIL filed by advocate Sharma also urged the apex court to call and examine the BBC documentary - both parts I and II - and sought action against persons who were responsible and were involved directly and indirectly with the 2002 Gujarat riots. The petition filed by N Ram and others sought direction to quash all orders which directly and indirectly block the online access to BBC's documentary "India: The Modi Question". Their plea termed the Centre's decision to block the documentary as "manifestly arbitrary" and "unconstitutional". The petitioners further sought restoration of their tweets sharing the links of the documentary, which were taken down by Twitter following Centre's orders. The right to freedom of speech and expression guaranteed to citizens by Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution also includes the "right to receive and disseminate information", the plea stated. Even if the contents of the documentary and its viewership/discussion thereupon is unpalatable to the powers that be, it is no ground to curtail the freedom of speech and expression of the petitioners, the plea added. As per the sources, on January 21, the Centre issued directions for blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the controversial BBC documentary. Hindu Sena President Vishnu Gupta has also filed a PIL in the apex court seeking to impose a complete ban on BBC's documentary. The PIL also sought direction from the National Investigating Agency to initiate an investigation against the anti-India and anti-Indian-government reporting/documentary films/short films including its employee journalist in India and to submit an inquiry report before the apex court. (ANI) Union Minister of State for Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal on Friday lashed out at the Opposition over the repeated stalling of the Houses and said the parties do not want to let the Parliament function. This comes after both Houses were adjourned soon after commencing earlier today. The Parliament was adjourned in a similar manner yesterday due to which no discussions could be held. Lok Sabha was adjourned today to meet again on February 6, 2023, at 11:00 am. Reacting sharply to the allegations by the Opposition, which jointly demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Hindenburg report against the Adani Group, Meghwal said that the parties can speak about anything during the discussion in the Parliament. "Yesterday also, Parliamentary Affairs Minister said that we have come to speak on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address. You can speak anything while having a discussion. They perhaps do not want to let the House function. We request them to let the House function," he said. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi denied having any connection between the government and the Adani stock row. "There is absolutely no connection with it. Discussion on the President's Address is the priority. They have no issue," he said. A number of Opposition leaders including Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, DMK Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi Siva, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari, BRS MP K Keshava Rao, Shiv Sena MP (Uddhav Thackeray faction) Priyanka Chaturvedi, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dr Syed Naseer Hussain, and CPI(M) MP Elamaram Kareem gave suspension of Business notice to their respective Houses to hold a discussion on the allegations levelled by US-based Hindenburg Research against Adani Group. Prior to the day's session, Opposition parties held a meeting in the Parliament today. Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh described the Adani stock row as "corruption" and alleged that it is the corruption of the Narendra Modi government. "I have given a notice under Rule 267 today also, and we demand the constitution of a JPC or a Supreme Court-monitored time-bound inquiry of the matter. It is not the corruption of Adani alone, it is the corruption of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government. Adani has the protection of PM Modi," Singh alleged. Mallikarjun Kharge, ahead of the joint meeting of Opposition parties said, "We have called the meeting of the Opposition party. We will discuss the steps to be taken further. We give notices according to the rules." Yesterday, both houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day after the Opposition created a ruckus and demanded a discussion on the Hindenburg report on the Adani conglomerate. The Opposition leaders on Thursday had demanded a discussion on the Hindenburg report against Adani Enterprises while also seeking the constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the alleged aberrations. (ANI) The Ministry of Law and Justice on Friday notified the elevation of a Judicial Officer Aribam Guneshwar Sharma as Judge of the Manipur High Court. The Supreme Court Collegium recently in its meeting held on January 10, 2023, approved the proposal for the elevation of Aribam Guneshwar Sharma as judge of the High Court of Manipur. Before being elevated as the judge of Manipur High Court, Aribam Guneshwar Sharma was the District & Sessions Judge, Imphal West having jurisdiction over revenue districts of Imphal West, Tamenglong, Noney, Chandel & Tengnoupal and was also the Senior most District Judge in Manipur. Law Minister Kiren Rijiju also tweeted in this regard stated, "as per the provisions under the Constitution of India, Judicial Officer Aribam Guneshwar Sharma has been appointed as Judge of Manipur High Court." On Thursday, Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday while responding to the queries made by Member of Parliament Dr John Brittas, in Parliament stated that as on January 30, 2023, against the sanctioned strength of 1108 judges in various High Courts,775 judges are working and 333 posts of Judges are vacant in the High Courts. 142 proposals recommended by the High Court Collegiums are at various stages of processing. Out of these 142, 4 proposals are pending with the Supreme Court Collegium and 138 are under various stages of processing in the Government, he added. As on January 30, 2023, recommendations in respect of 236 vacancies (191 existing and 45 anticipated vacancies during the next 6 months) are yet to be received from High Court Collegiums, which are in breach of six months advance timeline for making recommendations for anticipated vacancies, said the Law and Justice Minister. The Supreme Court Collegium on Tuesday recommended Allahabad High Court Chief Justice, Justice Rajesh Bindal, and Gujarat High Court Chief Justice, Justice Aravind Kumar for elevation as Judges of the top court. The SC Collegium comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud along with justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, K.M. Joseph, M.R. Shah, Ajay Rastogi and Sanjiv Khanna made the recommendation. The Collegium said that they have found both of the judges to be more deserving and suitable in all respects for being appointed as Judges of the Supreme Court of India after carefully evaluating the merit, integrity and competence of eligible Chief Justices and senior puisne Judges of the High Courts and also accommodating a plurality of considerations. While recommending the above names the Collegium has taken into consideration the various aspects including the seniority of Chief Justices and senior puisne Judges in their respective parent High Courts as well as the overall seniority of the High Court Judges among others. Other aspects that were considered were the merit, performance and integrity of the judges, the need to ensure diversity and inclusion in the Supreme Court by the representation of High Courts which are not represented or are inadequately represented, in the Supreme Court, appointing persons from marginalized and backward segments of society, gender diversity and representation of minorities. (ANI) According to the BSF, the smuggler was trying to smuggle these goods from India to Bangladesh. The apprehended smuggler has been identified as Reshma Sheikh, a resident of District Jashore, Bangladesh. "On February 02, 2023, acting on reliable information troops of Integrated Checkpost (ICP) Petrapole, 145 Battalion under South Bengal Frontier intercepted a suspected Bangladeshi person and searched him, the said goods were recovered from him. He revealed that he received Phensedyl from the smuggler Bavla, a resident of Petrapole and cosmetic items from Bangaon market. Further, these goods were to be handed over at Benapole Market, Bangladesh. He was to get Rs. 3,500 for this work," BSF said in a statement. In other incidents, officials of Border Out Post Tungi, 54 Battalion, Border Out Post Sutia, and Border Out Post Nawada recovered a total of 278 bottles of Phensedyl and 04 Kg of Ganja. The estimated value of seized Phensedyl bottles is Rs 59,129. The apprehended smuggler and the seized goods have been handed over to Custom Office Petrapole and Banpur, Bangaon Police Station and Kaliachak respectively for further legal action. (ANI) Pathak's "abusive" video did rounds on social media. "We will also hold a three-minute of silence against the abusive IAS officer," Sunil Tiwari, General Secretary of Bihar Administrative Service Association (BASA) said. The BASA on Thursday filed a complaint against IAS officer KK Pathak and demanded his removal from the post after he allegedly used abusive language against government officials in a meeting. A video of the meeting, date of which could not be confirmed, went viral on social media on Thursday. In the video, IAS KK Pathak who is the Director General of Bihar Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (BIPARD), can be seen using abusive language against government officials. Tiwari while speaking to ANI said, "This person is of unsound mind. Even our Constitution says that people of such mindset should never be offered administrative positions." "We demand rustication of KK Pathak. He used abusive words. We have submitted a memorandum to the authorities against him. We demand an enquiry into the matter by the respective authorities. The officer who is using this kind of language should be immediately sacked," he added. (ANI) Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday informed that the crackdown against child marriages in the state would continue in the coming days. The CM further informed that the Director General of Police (DGP) shall share the details of the crackdown with the press on Friday evening. "Till 8 am, around 1800 people have been arrested in relation to child marriages in the state. This crackdown will continue for the next three to four days. The DGP will share the details of the crackdown with the press in the evening. Right now, even I do not have the details," the chief minister said while talking to the media. "By evening, a clear picture shall emerge of the number of arrests as well as the action taken by us against them. The arrests made district-wise shall also be shared by the DGP in the evening," the CM added. The chief minister also talked about the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers who took part in the 74th Republic Day celebrations. He said, "The NCC and NSS cadets take part in the Republic Day Parade. Only the selected students get a chance to take part in this parade. This time, the Assam NCC and NSS contingent went for the parade. I even met the NCC students who were under one month of training in Delhi. I met them today once again. A lot of hard work is needed to reach this position. I met everyone and extended my greetings." "It would be great if NCC was made compulsory. We still do not have the infrastructure big enough for people from the army, navy and air force to come and train and instruct people," he added. On the introduction of NCC in border schools, the CM said, "We have been asked to introduce NCC in all border area schools and colleges by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Slowly this will happen everywhere. Everything depends on the progress of the country." (ANI) The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered an inquiry after a passenger who was supposed to take an Indigo flight to Patna instead boarded another flight of the airline and landed at Udaipur - about 1400km away from his destination. The incident was reported on January 30 (Monday), and the passenger was sent to his destination next day. A senior DGCA official said that the passenger, identified as Afsar Hussain, booked a ticket for Patna via Indigo flight 6E-214 and reached Delhi airport on January 30 to board the scheduled flight. But he mistakenly boarded Udaipur-bound flight 6E-319 of Indigo. The passenger realised the mistake only after landing at Udaipur Airport. After which he informed officials at Udaipur Airport, who then alerted the airline about the matter. The airline reportedly flew him back to Delhi the same day and then to Patna on January 31. "We are seeking a report into the matter and appropriate action will be taken against the airline," the DGCA official said. In the inquiry, DGCA will find out as to why the boarding pass of the passenger was not scanned thoroughly and how he boarded the wrong flight when as per the rule boarding passes are checked at two points before the boarding, he added. The airline in a statement released on Friday said, "We are aware of the incident that took place with a passenger in 6E319 Delhi-Udaipur flight." "We are engaged with the authorities on this matter. We regret the inconvenience caused to the passenger," the airline added. This is the second such incident reported in an Indigo's flight in the last 20 days. Earlier on January 13, a passenger who had the airline's ticket and boarding pass for an Indore-bound flight boarded a wrong flight and was taken to Nagpur airport. (ANI) In a major crackdown against child marriages, Assam Police on Friday said that they have arrested over 2000 people from across the state. Addressing a press conference, Assam Director-General of Police (DGP) GP Singh said that in the last two days, police have registered over 4000 cases across different districts of the State. Singh said that among the arrested individuals 52 are priests and Qazis involved in child marriages. "The maximum number of people have been arrested from Dhubri, Barpeta, Kokrajhar and Vishwanath districts," added DGP Singh. DGP Singh further informed that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had directed the Police to carry out a probe as he had got inputs that child marriage was rampant in the state. "About two months ago, CM Sarma had told police that he had got inputs that child marriage was rampant in the various parts of the state and directed Police to carry out a probe. After the directions from the CM, all the district SPs were told to get in touch with respective village defence parties, Gaon Buras, chiefs of various communities and prominent people of various communities and on the basis of that we have observed that there are instances of child marriage in various parts of the state." He further said that data has been collected for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022. "Subsequently, we started collecting data and initially we collected data for 2020, 2021 and 2022. Data has been collected for other years also. On the basis of this, we have specific instances where cognizable cases were made out and on the basis of that during the last two days, 4074 cases were registered across different districts of Assam. From yesterday, we started taking action on the basis of FIRs that were registered in different districts and till 3 pm we have arrested 2044 people from different districts in the state," said Assam DGP. The DGP said that most of the cases have been registered under different provisions of the POCSO Act and IPC sections and action will be taken as per the law. He said that the arrested persons will be produced before the court. Earlier, Assam Chief Minister had informed that over 1,800 persons in connection with child marriage-related cases across the State so far. "State-wide arrests are presently underway against those violating provisions of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act. 1800 + have been arrested so far. I have asked Assam Police to act with a spirit of zero tolerance against the unpardonable and heinous crime on women," tweeted Sarma. Sarma further said the crackdown against child marriages in the state would continue in the coming days. "Till 8 am, around 1800 people have been arrested in relation to child marriages in the state. This crackdown will continue for the next three to four days. The DGP will share the details of the crackdown with the press in the evening. Right now, even I do not have the details," the chief minister said while talking to the media. "By evening, a clear picture shall emerge of the number of arrests as well as the action taken by us against them. The arrests made district-wise shall also be shared by the DGP in the evening," the CM added. (ANI) South African government's defence procurement agency, Armscor's Chairman Dr Phillip David Dexter on Friday said that they support Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Make in India' and seek more military collaboration between the two nations. While speaking to ANI, Dexter said that their country is comfortable with India's 'Make in India' initiative and they hope to see more cooperation and business between the two countries. "We are certainly very comfortable with it (Make in India policy) and have a similar policy in our own country. When it comes to defence and security, countries must maintain their sovereignty, hence we understand the policy and the self-reliance thrust policy of India and believe that there are lots of areas for us to collaborate," Dexter said while speaking to ANI. Talking about his agency Armscor and his visit to India, he mentioned, "Armscor is the procurement agency of the South African National Defence Force. Our delegation is here to meet our counterparts to discuss some mutual collaboration and issues of interest between the two countries." Dexter believes that both countries have great scope for cooperation and can learn a lot from each other and he hopes to see more cooperation and business between India and South Africa. Expressing his views on the role that the South African defence industry can play in military cooperation with India, the Armscor chairman said, "In South Africa, we inherited a substantial defence industry from the previous government. We had lots of companies who are world leaders. What we have tried to do is to maintain the intellectual property and those capabilities." "So we certainly think we have a lot to offer as a country to our counterparts in India but obviously, we also believe that India has a lot to give us. So it is a relationship we would like to see on reciprocity," Dexter said. Highlighting South African defence capabilities, he maintained saying, "If you look at our capabilities alone, everything from helicopters to artillery to armoured vehicles to all the kinds of ammunition you can think of is world-class. The purpose of our visit is to expand the cooperation between the two countries as much as possible." Commenting about the participation in 'Aero India 2023' this month in Bengaluru, Dexter said that South African government representatives would be attending the event. (ANI) The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) on a plea challenging the denial of permission to organise a program in Agra Fort on the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on February 19. Justice Prathiba M Singh issued notice to ASI and listed the matter on February 8 for further hearing. Meanwhile, the counsel for the petitioner has been directed to take instructions in the matter. The plea has been moved by the RR Patil foundation through Advocate Rakesh K Sharma. It is said that the program has been fixed for February 19 but the permission has been denied without mentioning any reason. The counsel for the ASI submitted before the court that the petitioner is a private NGO and it is not a program being organised by the State. "Agra Fort is a monument of national importance. We ordinarily don't grant permission to NGOs and private persons. If we do it then everyone will come to seek permission," the counsel submitted. Senior advocate Raj Shekhar Rao submitted that application was rejected without mentioning any reason. There is no clarity why the permission was denied. The application was moved on December 9 for permission and dismissed on December 23. The counsel sought urgent relief as the program is scheduled to be held on February 19, the counsel submitted. The bench directed the counsel to take the instructions in the matter. The petitioner is organising a program to celebrate the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on February 19. (ANI) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday conducted searches at 37 locations in six districts of Jammu and Kashmir in connection with a case related to alleged irregularities in the written examination of Accounts Assistant in the Finance (FAA), the probe agency said in a statement. According to CBI, the searches were conducted in Doda, Reasi, Rajouri, Samba and Udhampur districts at the premises of the accused and others including touts, personnel of Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indian Air Force and others. The said examination was conducted by Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board (JKSSB). CBI registered a case on November 28, 2022, on the request of the Jammu and Kashmir Government to investigate the allegations of irregularities in the written examination conducted by JKSSB on March 6, 2022, for the recruitment of Accounts Assistant Finance(FAA). The results were declared on April 21, 2022. Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir government had constituted an Inquiry Committee to look into allegations of malpractices in the said examination. "It was alleged in the report of the Committee that a conspiracy was hatched amongst officials of JKSSB; a private company based in Bengaluru; beneficiary candidates and others which caused gross irregularities in the conduct of written examinations for the posts of Accounts Assistant Finance Department," the CBI said in a statement. It was further alleged that there were an abnormally high percentage of selected candidates from the districts of Jammu, Kathua and Reasi. It also found the alleged violation of rules by JKSSB in as much as the task of setting a question paper was assigned to a private company in Bengaluru. Further investigation is underway. (ANI) Highlighting his government's commitment to holistic development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the country is giving priority to the development of Northeast by boosting tourism, adding that the proposed Budget 2023 also lay emphasis in developing 50 tourism destinations across the country. Prime Minister participated in the Krishnaguru Eknaam Akhanda Kirtan for World Peace held at Krishnaguru Sevashram at Barpeta, Assam via video conferencing on Friday. Addressing the devotees of Krishnaguru Sevashram, PM Modi said, "I am glad to express that the Indian tradition of knowledge, service and humanity propagated by Krishna Guru continues to grow even stronger. Krishnaguru ji had started the ritual of month-long of Akhand Namjap (chanting) and kirtan every 12 years for world peace. In our country, there has been an ancient tradition of organizing such events over a period of 12 years." PM said the occasion signifies responsibility and people from all parts of India used to assemble here. The organizing of this event after every 12 years also reiterates the tradition of Kumbh, he said. The Prime Minister said, in 2019, the people of Assam organized the 'Pushkaram Festival', which will be repeated on the banks of the Brahmaputra river only after 12 years. In Kumbhakonam Tamil Nadu, the Mahamaham festival is celebrated after every 12 years. "Today, whoever is lagging behind in the race of development, will be given the first priority in the country. The country is prioritising those who are deprived," PM Modi said. Referring to Union Budget 2023-24, PM said, "Today, we are giving priority to the development of Northeast and Assam. Tourism plays a major role in the economy of this region. As proposed in Budget 2023, 50 tourism destinations across the country will be developed as wholesome tourism destinations." He said this year's budget has made provisions for setting up Unity malls in each state where products made by agriculturists and artisans will be displayed and sold from there. Moreover, the products will be sent to other state unity malls too. Highlighting the culture of Assam, PM Modi said, "When it comes to the crafts of Assam, 'Gomosha' gets it mention naturally. I myself love wearing 'gomosha'. We have made Bamboo in the category of grass to promote skill development as well as the increased presence of these items in the market." Prime Minister said the country has witnessed how Swachha Bharat Abhiyan was launched and with people's support, it was a big success. The reason behind the success of Digital India too is people's contribution. Paramguru Krishnaguru Ishwar established the Krishnaguru Sevashram in 1974, at village Nasatra, Barpeta Assam. He is the ninth descendant of Mahavaishnab Manohardeva, who was a follower of the great Vaishnavite saint Shri Shankardeva. Krishnaguru Eknaam Akhanda Kirtan for World Peace is a month-long kirtan being held from January 6 at Krishnaguru Sevashram. (ANI) Border Security Force (BSF) troops shot down a Pakistani drone in Amritsar near Indo-Pak border and recovered 5 kg of contraband on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, officials said. BSF Commandant Ghansham Dass said while speaking to ANI that the activities of Drone have increased by Pakistan lot since last month. "Last night BSF Soldiers found the drone activity on the international border at the Rear Kakkar area. As soon as the BSF discovered the drone activity, BSF soldiers shot down the drone. After searching it, BSF found one Pakistani drone along with 5kg heroin," BSF Commandant Ghansham Dass said while speaking to ANI. "BSF soldiers are always ready and alert to drop down any activity done by Pakistan," Ghansham Dass Commandant BSF. The drone entered the area of responsibility of the Border Observation Post (BOP) Rear Kakkar in the Amritsar sector of Punjab, said BSF. "The drone was recovered on Friday morning along with a packet of 5 Kg contraband between the border fence and the zero line," BSF officials said. Earlier on Thursday, the BSF suspected drone activity at the Indo-Pak border near the Mumbeke village of Fazilka district in Punjab in the early hours of Wednesday. The troops intercepted the drone by firing and recovered 2.622 Kilograms of heroin. On February 1, 2023, during night hours, Border Security Force (BSF) troops deployed at the border heard a buzzing sound and blinking red light of a suspected drone entering from Pakistan into Indian territory in the area near its bordering Village - Mumbeke in Fazilka. As per the drill, troops tried to intercept the drone by firing. The whole area was cordoned and Police & concerned sister agencies were informed. Further, during the search of the area, BSF troops recovered three packets of contraband, suspected to be heroin weighing 2.622 kilograms, along with a blinker device from a wheat field near village Mumbeke. Further, during the search of the surrounding area near the bordering Village - Kabul Shah, BSF troops recovered another three packets of contraband, suspected to be heroin weighing 2.612 kilograms along with a blinker device packed together, from a wheat field. The recovered suspected narcotics substance is six packets with a gross weight of 5.234 Kgs and two blinker devices. Both blinker devices had two batteries attached to each of them. (ANI) The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to Delhi Police on the bail plea of Manish Lakra, the building owner accused in Delhi's Mundka fire case in which 27 people were killed that broke out on May last year. Justice Yogesh Khanna issued the notice to the Delhi police and directed them to file a reply. The matter has also been listed for hearing on March 14 along with bail pleas of two other co-accused Harish and Varun Goyal. The accused Manish Lakra has challenged the order of the trial court which denied him regular bail in the matter. His bail plea was rejected last month. Lakra has moved the petition through advocate Pradeep Kumar Arya and advocate Kapil Dhaka. Advocate Arya submitted that it is a case of section 304 of the IPC (Death due to a negligent act). Despite this, Delhi police have invoked section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). He argued and referred to the case of Union Carbide in which 1000 people died. Finally, the Supreme Court held that it was only a case of section 304A of IPC. The petitioner had moved an application seeking bail over the non-filing of a chargesheet in the case. His plea was dismissed by the Magistrate Court on August 6, last year. On May 13 last year, a fire broke out inside a building in the Mundka area in which 27 people were killed. An FIR was registered on May 14, under sections 308, 304, 120B and 34 of the IPC at Mundka Police Station. The petitioner was arrested on May 15, 2022, and was produced before the court the next day. Thereafter he was sent to judicial custody. Under these circumstances, the petitioner is currently under police custody since May 15, 2022, i.e. around 80 days, the petition stated. The magistrate court had granted bail to the wife of the accused Sunita Lakra and mother Sushila Lakra. They were summoned by the court after taking cognisance of the charge sheet. They were named as accused in the charge sheet, however, they had not been arrested during the investigation. (ANI) Special Cell of Delhi police busted three interstate firearms syndicates and arrested five people including four traffickers and one supplier along with recovery of 38 illicit pistols during raids, the police said on Friday. The police have also recovered 16 spare magazines and 36 live cartridges. The accused have been identified as Paramjeet Sehrawat (33), a resident of Delhi, Sanjay (29), a resident of Madhya Pradesh, Ram Vishnu (23) and Anil (22) both native of Rajasthan and Rahul Kumar (27), a resident of Uttar Pradesh. Police said the arrested accused are members of three interstate firearms syndicates run by a Madhya Pradesh-based illegal firearms supplier. An official familiar with the matter said that in view of the use of illegal firearms in various crimes in Delhi and adjoining states, the Special Cell of Delhi police is working round-the-clock to thwart the nefarious designs of such anti-national elements. "Accordingly, information about illegal firearms suppliers and their associates active in Delhi and NCR are being collected through various sources. During the investigation of various cases, it transpired that firearms suppliers of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan are in touch with illicit firearms suppliers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and procuring illegal firearms from them," the official added. "The Special Team launched three drives against illegal firearm users and traffickers in the state and concerted efforts were being made to identify such members of the syndicate," an official of the special cell team said. "In 1st operation, a team of Inspectors Vivekanand Pathak and Kuldeep Singh of Special Cell of Northern Range (NR) laid a trap near Begampur Chowk, of Delhi's Rohini area and two key members of an arms syndicate, namely Ram Vishnu and Anil were apprehended along with 15 illicit pistols of .32 bore," the official said. "In 2nd operation, a team of Inspectors Arvind Kumar and Rakesh Kumar of Special Cell/NR laid a trap at Outer Ring Road towards Delhi's Mukarba Chowk and apprehended accused Rahul Kumar along with 16 pistols of .32 bore with 16 spare magazines," officials added. Whereas the officials further informed that during the 3rd operation, a team of Inspectors Ravinder Kumar Tyagi and Ajit Singh of Special Cell of New Delhi Range (NDR) apprehended another illicit arms and ammunition supplier namely Paramjeet Sehrawat along with 2 pistols of .30 bore with 4 live cartridges, 3 pistols of .32 bore with 7 live cartridges, 6-single shot pistols with 25 live cartridges of 8 mm. A case under section 25 of the Arms Act was registered by the Delhi police and the accused was arrested, the police said. The officials of the special team informed that during the interrogation, accused Ram Vishnu and Anil made revelations that they used to procure illegal weapons from one Sanjay resident of Manawar (Madhya Pradesh) and sell them to criminals of Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan. The team further added that at the instance of the above accused Ram Vishnu and Anil, a source of illicit weapon namely Sanjay was arrested from Gandhwani, District Dhar (Madhya Pradesh) along with 04 pistols of .32 bore. "Interrogation of the arrested persons have further revealed that they used to purchase semi-automatic pistol at a lower rate from MP and sell it at a higher rate to gangsters/criminals in Delhi NCR. All the accused persons have been remanded into police custody. A total of 38 illicit pistols, 16 Spare Magazines and 36 live cartridges were also recovered," an official familiar with the matter said. Further investigation is underway to identify all the forward and backward linkages of this arms and ammunition network, police said. (ANI) Delhi High court on Friday dismissed the appeal of Ehtesham Quubddin Siddiqui, a death row convict in the 2006 Mumbai Train blast case against the Central Information Commission's order. Siddiqui sought the report/dossier prepared by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Andhra Pradesh Government in relation to the investigation of the bomb blast. While dismissing the petition, the High Court said that reports and dossiers by intelligence authorities, cannot be disclosed under RTI Act, especially if they compromise the sovereignty and integrity of the country. The information was denied in view of exemption under section 8(1)A and section 24 of the RTI Act. Maharashtra government had declared a security organisation under section 24 of the Act. Justice Prathiba M Singh said that in view of sections 8(1)A and 24 of the RTI Act, the order of CIC can not be faulted. Justice Singh said, "The major public interest is in protecting the safety and security of the public and not in disclosing such reports. The bench noted the submission of advocate Rahul Sharma who opposed the petition. He submitted that the petitioner has been convicted in a terror case in which 200 people died and hundreds were injured. It is not a case of simple crime. It is a case in which 15-20 people are running away and yet to be arrested. Some of them are foreign nationals. The investigation is going on, Rahul Sharma submitted. He also submitted that the petitioner sought the report and dossiers which also contained information regarding other accused. This information can't be placed in the public domain. The information sought was exempted under sections 8(1)A and 24 of the RTI Act. The information related to the investigation conducted by the ATS Maharashtra can't be disclosed as it is a protected organization under section 24 of the Act. On the other hand, it was submitted by the petitioner's counsel that the petitioner was falsely implicated and convicted in the case. His death reference is pending before the Bombay High court. Petitioner's counsel Arpit Bhargava also submitted that the information sought is required for the purpose of what evidence was collected against the petitioner. The dissemination of this information is also in the larger public interest, Bhargav argued. His application was rejected by the CPIO of the Ministry of Home affairs. The order was upheld by the appellate authority. The appeal was also dismissed by the CIC. However, the High Court has directed the superintendent of Nagpur central jail to provide the petitioner with books he has sought under the RTI within four weeks either online or hard copy. He submitted that he is a person below the poverty line ( BPL) being a death row convict. He is in jail for a long time. Earlier, the predecessor bench of justice Yashwant Varma in September 2022 dismissed the petition seeking information related to a 2007 notification empowering the Secretaries of States government to sanction prosecution for offences under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The information was declined being exempted under RTI Act. The petitioner was arrested in July 2006 in connection with the 7/11 Mumbai Train Blast case by Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad Mumbai. He was charge-sheeted on November 30, 2006, for various offences under sections 10 and 13 of UAPA. On June 23, 2017, his RTI application was rejected under Section 8 (1)(a) of the RTI Act stating that the information sought by the applicant relates to the subject of Unlawful association which relates to the security, sovereignty and integrity of India and disclosure of the sought information may prejudicially affect the sovereignty, integrity and security of the State. (ANI) The Ministry of Tourism will organize a series of side events during the G20 Meetings to promote rural and archaeological tourism. This will include promotion of UNESCO Heritage Sites, Arvind Singh, Secretary of Tourism, Government of India, told ANI on Friday. Singh said that there will be four working group meetings of G20 in India, and the Ministry of Tourism has set five priorities for the four working group meetings. India's five priorities will be beneficial for India as well as the world. Arvind Singh said that issues like digitization, promotion of MSME, skilling people, and promoting waste management organization are included in these meetings. This will benefit tourism around the world including India. Along with this, the Ministry of Tourism is also going to organize side events in which rural tourism will be promoted, he said. Talking about the immense possibilities in rural tourism, Arvind Singh said, "Excellent work has also been done in rural tourism in various states of India and they aim to highlight the same in front of the world. Apart from rural tourism, the focus will also be on archaeological tourism and involved UNESCO Heritage Sites." Arvind Singh further said that the focus on skill development is being done keeping in mind employment of the youth. "Skill development is not just about creating jobs, but we want to train the youths in such a way that they can run their own business. The way start-ups are coming in urban areas in the field of tourism, youth in rural India will also be able to launch their own start-ups in the same way, after being skilled," he added. "The G20 meeting will be held at 55 places in India and we are going to bring cultural heritage located around these places to the fore. With the help of the tourism department in respective states, we will try to highlight India's culture and heritage to the representatives of G20 countries," Arvind Singh further said. India's First Employment Working Group meeting began in Jodhpur on Friday, where the panel held discussions with focus on developing a collaborative road map for global skills under India's G20 presidency, the Ministry of Labour & Employment said in a statement. The First Employment Working Group meeting, a three-day event, on the inaugural day saw delegates from the G20 countries, guest countries, international and national organisations, and other prominent international and national experts, attending the discussion. At the event, local delicacies of Rajasthan were served. The panel discussion focused on global trends in skill shortages, surpluses, and mismatches and deliberated on the means to plug these skills deficits and develop a collaborative road map for international skills and qualifications harmonisation. (ANI) Amid protests by opposition in the House over their demands, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar on Friday said that Parliament is the "North Star of democracy", a place of discussion and deliberation to realize the aspirations and dreams of the people and not a place of disturbance. "Parliament is the essence of democracy. Parliament is the North Star of democracy. It is a place of discussion and deliberation to realize the aspirations and dreams of the people and not a place of disturbance. We are required to work in accordance with rules," Dhankar said. The "North Star" reference by the Vice President apparently came in the backdrop of remarks by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud who had last month compared the basic structure doctrine with North Star. The CJI had made the remarks while delivering the Nani A Palkhivala Memorial Lecture in Mumbai on January 22. The CJI's remarks came days after comments by Dhankar who differed with the 1973 Kesavananda Bharati case verdict which gave the basic structure doctrine. The CJI said in his lecture that the basic structure of Constitution, like the North Star, gives certain direction to the interpreters of the Constitution when the path ahead is convoluted. Vice President Dhankar, who addressed the 83rd All India Presiding Officers Conference in Jaipur on January 11, said power to amend Constitution is lifeline of democracy. "The essence of democracy lies in the prevalence of the mandate of the people and securing their welfare. The power of the Parliament to amend the Constitution and deal with legislation is not subject to any other authority. This is the lifeline of a democracy. "In a democratic society, 'the basic' of any 'basic structure' has to be the supremacy of mandate of people. Thus, the primacy and sovereignty of Parliament and legislature is inviolable," Dhankar had said. He said that the judiciary cannot legislate in as much legislature cannot script a judicial verdict. "Democracy sustains and blossoms when the Legislature, the Judiciary and the Executive act in tandem and togetherness to fructify constitutional goals and realise aspirations of the people. Judiciary cannot legislate in as much Legislature cannot script a judicial verdict," he said. He also said that parliamentary sovereignty cannot be permitted to be diluted or compromised by the executive or the judiciary and public posturing or "one-upmanship" that is being frequently witnessed in this matter is not "wholesome". All constitutional institutions the Judiciary, the executive and the legislature are required to confine to their respective domains and conform to the highest standard of propriety and decorum, Dhankar had added. He had expressed concerns over the increasing instances of disruptions in Parliament and legislatures and urged the representatives to be conscious of the expectations and aspirations of the people. With the opposition giving notices concerning Hindenburg-Adani row amid their demand for a joint parliamentary probe, Dhankar on Friday said he is "unable to accede to them as these are not fulfilling the requirement of Rule 267". "And these are not in conformity with the direction by the Chair on December 8, 2022. I appeal to the hon. Members to maintain order so that the listed Business of the House may be taken up," he said. The opposition parties have forced adjournments in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha over their demands concerning Hindenburg-Adani row. They have sought discussion over investment by LIC, Public Sector Banks, and financial institutions "in companies losing market value, endangering the savings of crores of Indians" following a report by a US-based short seller Hidenburg Research which has made allegations against some companies of Adani group. (ANI) Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said that a target has been set to lay new railway tracks for a distance of 7,000 kilometres in the financial year 2023-24. The 2022-23 target of laying railway tracks for a distance of 4,500 kilometres (12 kilometres per day) has already been achieved, the minister said, adding, "Before 2014, this used to be four kilometres per day. The railways has set a target of laying new railway tracks for a distance of 7,000 kilometres next year. These tracks will include new lines, doubling and gauge conversion". Ministry of Railways has identified 31 railway stations from State of Punjab and Union Territory of Chandigarh for development under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. These stations are Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jalandhar Cantt., Amritsar, Beas, Bhatinda Jn., Jalandhar City, Pathankot Cantt., Abohar, Anandpur Sahib, Fazilka, Firozepur Cantt., Gurdaspur, Kotkapura, Kapurthala, Dhuri, Dhandari Kalan, Malerkotla, Muktsar, Moga, Mansa, Nangal Dam, Patiala, Phagwara, Pathankot City, Phillur, Rup Nagar, Sahibzada Ajeet Singh Nagar (SASN) Mohali, Sangrur, Sirhind, Hoshiarpur, official statement from the Ministry of railways said. Development/redevelopment/upgradation of Railway Stations is complex in nature involving safety of passengers and trains and requires various statutory clearances from urban/local bodies etc. and these factors affect the completion time. Therefore, no time frame can be indicated. The government proposed a capital outlay of about Rs 2.40 lakh crore for railways, said Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday while presenting the Union Budget 2023-24 in Lok Sabha. This budgeted outlay for the railways, Sitharaman told Parliament earlier in the week, is the highest ever and nine times of what it was in 2013. Vaishnaw while reacting on the Budget 2023-24, earlier in the week told ANI that Finance Minister has allocated Rs. 2.41 lakh crore for Railways which will be a big change for the sector as it will fulfil the aspirations of every passenger. Highlighting the developments in the sector, the minister said that the Railway is growing every year. Under the 'Amrit Bharat Station' scheme, 1275 stations are being re-developed, whereas, the production of Vande Bharat trains will be revamped. "Before 2014 only 3 km of track were laid every day, it increased to 12 km of track every day in the current year, and the target for next year is 16 km of track every day," he told ANI earlier in the week. New stations have been developed, toilets have been constructed, waiting areas have been revamped, new trains have been introduced including Vanade Bharat, and there are significant changes in passenger facilities, he said earlier in the week. The minister also marked the employment generation in the sector and said that 3,64,000 employments under the railway have been generated in the last 8 years. And the government is already working on 1,45,000 more employments to people of the country, he added on Wednesday. (ANI) Union Minister for Communications, Electronics, and Information Technology on Friday informed Rajya Sabha in a written reply that 50 government websites have been hacked in the year 2022-23. Union Minister informed the upper House on the question of the details of instances of hacking of Central Ministries/Departments and State Government websites since 2020, year-wise. In response to a parliamentary question raised by CPI MP Binoy Viswam, Minister said that as per information reported to and tracked by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), a total of 59, 42 and 50 websites of the Central Government Ministries/Departments and State Governments were hacked during the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively. "CERT-In has further informed it has detected and prevented 2,83,581, 4,32,057, 3,24,620 malicious scams during the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively," he informed Rajya Sabha Union Minister Vaishnaw further said that as per the information reported to and tracked by CERT-In, a total number of 6, 7 and 8 data breach incidents related to government organisations were observed during the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively. " There have been attempts from time to time to launch cyber-attacks on Indian cyberspace from both outside and within the country. It has been observed that such attacks compromised computer systems located in different parts of the world and use masquerading techniques and hidden servers to hide the identity of actual systems from which the attacks are launched" he added Union IT Minister further informed Rajya Sabha in a written reply that CERT-In coordinates incident response measures with affected organisations, service providers, respective sector regulators as well as law enforcement agencies. CERT-In notifies the affected organizations regarding cyber incidents, along with remedial actions to be taken. It also issues alerts and advisories on an ongoing basis regarding the latest cyber threats/vulnerabilities and countermeasures to protect computers and networks. (ANI) RBI said on Friday that according to its current assessment, the banking sector remains resilient and stable and noted that it maintains a constant vigil on the sector and on individual banks with a view to maintain financial stability. Without naming the Adani Group, RBI said in a statement that there have been media reports expressing concern about the exposures of Indian banks to a business conglomerate. "As the regulator and supervisor, the RBI maintains a constant vigil on the banking sector and on individual banks with a view to maintain financial stability. The RBI has a Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC) database system where the banks report their exposure of Rs5 crore and above which is used for monitoring purposes," the statement said. " As per the RBI's current assessment, the banking sector remains resilient and stable. Various parameters relating to capital adequacy, asset quality, liquidity, provision coverage and profitability are healthy. Banks are also in compliance with the Large Exposure Framework (LEF) guidelines issued by the RBI," it added. The central bank said it remains vigilant and continues to monitor the stability of the Indian banking sector. State Bank of India (SBI) chairman Dinesh Khara had said on Friday the bank's total exposure amounting to Rs 27,000 crore in Adani Group is 0.88 per cent of its loan book. Addressing a press conference after announcing October-December quarter earnings, Khara said: "We have lent to Adani (group) for projects having tangible assets and adequate cash. They have met obligations...our total exposure to Adani group is 0.88 per cent as of December 31." Khara added those loans were against assets or businesses that are cash-generating, and the bank does not see any challenge. "There's no cause for concern for us," he added.This comment by the SBI chief comes almost a week after a report by a US-based Hindenburg Research, which claimed the Adani Group of having weak business fundamentals, allegations of stock manipulation and accounting fraud, among others. The report raised concerns about shares of Adani group companies having a possibility of declining from their current levels, owing to high valuations. Following the report, the shares of all Adani Group companies have been consistently declining, though with varying degrees. In a long response, Adani Group had said on Sunday that the report by Hindenburg Research was not an attack on any specific company but a "calculated attack" on India, its growth story, and ambitions. It added the report was "nothing but a lie". The opposition parties have forced adjournments in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha over their demands concerning Hindenburg-Adani row. They have sought discussion over investment by LIC, public sector banks, and financial institutions "in companies losing market value, endangering the savings of crores of Indians". (ANI) With the arrest of 3 people and recovery of 12 expensive mobile phones, the team of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport police station has busted a racket and succeeded in solving three cases of theft. The e-FIRs were registered by the complainant Jaswant Singh. In his complaint, he alleged that a total of 17 Mobile phones were stolen from his consignments which were bound for export to Dubai. The phones were stolen by pilfering the consignments on the way from their warehouse situated at Rangpuri to Cargo Area, IGI Airport, New Delhi. Cases were registered and the investigation was taken up. In order to bust the whole nexus, recover the stolen articles, and arrest the accused person, a police team was constituted. The stolen mobile phones were put on regular surveillance and were continuously monitored. After a few days, a few of the mobile phones became active in Bareilly and the surrounding area and were traced. It was revealed that mobile phones were sold to different customers by one local operative of Bareilly namely Sher Singh. Police conducted raids in Bareilly and apprehended Sher Singh of Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly. Police interrogated and arrested him. Upon interrogation, he disclosed that he had purchased 17 brand new Samsung Galaxy mobile phones at throw-away prices from Arun Kumar and Pawan who are residents of New Delhi. He further disclosed that both of them used to purchase the stolen mobile phones from two drivers working at Anand Cargo Company. He revealed their names as Manish Kumar and Satender Yadav. Further, during checking, five high-end mobile phones were recovered from the possession of Sher Singh from Bareilly. On the revelation of cargo drivers' names by Bareilly's Sher Singh, Driver Manish Kumar and Satender Yadav were apprehended and arrested. During interrogation, Manish and Satendar disclosed that they were working as drivers at Anand cargo Company since 2020. Both of them revealed during the interrogation that they wanted to earn quick money, hence they came in contact with two persons namely Arun Kumar and Pawan Kumar who were living near their office. They all came in contact and started operating as a gang wherein Manish and Satender stole articles from the consignment and further Arun and Pawan sold them off in the open market. Manish Kumar and Satender Kumar were the custodial of the consignments of Anand Cargo Company as they were assigned the duty of delivering the consignment from the warehouse to the Cargo area in the airport. They used to stop the vehicle at a predetermined place and all four of them used to steal the consignment having valuable items/mobile phones and used to seal back the pilfered consignment. Arun Kumar and Pawan Kumar used to further sell off the stolen mobile phones in Uttar Pradesh and other neighbouring states. During the search of the accused persons, one mobile each was recovered from Manish Kumar and Satender Yadav which they were using for their personal use. The accused Pawan Kumar and Arun Kumar are absconding from their residences. Efforts are being made to trace the remaining accused person and other beneficiaries and purchasers of the stolen goods. So far, police have made 3 arrests. 12 Mobiles were recovered from them. Sher Singh of Bareilly was working in Delhi at a private job. He was working as a middleman of stolen goods in Bareilly. He used to purchase stolen mobile phones at throwaway prices from Arun Kumar and Pawan and use to further sell the phones to tentative customers in Bareilly UP and surrounding areas. The second and third arrested, Manish Kumar and Satender Yadav were working as drivers at Anand Logistic Company. Arun and Pawan who used to steal the items from the packages are yet to be arrested. Efforts to apprehend them are underway. (ANI) "The crime branch team of Delhi police has recovered a suicide note from the room," they said. Police said that the deceased woman has not named anyone in the 'suicide note". The deceased has been identified as Anjana Rana (50), wife of Vivek Rana, a resident of East Kidwai Nagar Delhi. A PCR call was received at KM Pur Police station at about 5:03 pm on Friday. "The caller reported suicide. When police reached the spot, East Kidwai Nagar Delhi, Aarav (14) told them that his mother had committed suicide by hanging from a ceiling fan," an official familiar with the matter said. "He and his elder brother (18) brought down the body of their mother after cutting the 'Saree' from which the lady was hanging from the ceiling fan," the official said. "As per Aarav, his father, Vivek Rana returned from the office after being informed and took the woman to the hospital with his elder brother, but she was declared brought dead," an official familiar with the matter said. "The spot of the incident was inspected and photographed by the crime team," the official said. (ANI) BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh on Friday demanded a central agency inquiry into the alleged excise scam in Punjab, which happened soon after the AAP government came to power. Chugh said that an in-depth inquiry should be conducted into how money laundering took place in Punjab as well after a prolonged tug-of-war between the AAP government and liquor cartels. He suspected that the money laundering in Punjab might have been used by AAP in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections. Chugh said media reports suggest that a liquor nexus mafia comprising Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sateyndra Jain and K. Kavitha, daughter of Telangana Chief Minister KCR, operated in Delhi to extort money running into crores of rupees. He said that a similar exercise was conducted in Punjab as well which needed an in-depth inquiry. He said that the investigation into alleged kickbacks of Rs 100 crore related to the excise policy revealed that part of these funds was used in the election campaign of AAP for the Goa Assembly elections 2022. He also alleged that it was a grave matter of national security that a cartel was created by top AAP leaders to continuously generate illegal funds. "Liquor nexus mafia comprising Kejriwal, Sisodia, Jain and K. Kavitha, daughter of Telangana CM KCR, operated in Delhi to extort money running into crores of rupees," alleged BJP National Secretary Tarun Chugh. A new Excise Policy of the Delhi government was introduced in November 2021 but soon scrapped after Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended the CBI probe. The charge sheet had named seven accused, including AAP's communications chief, Sisodia's close aide Vijay Nair, and Hyderabad-based businessman Abhishek Boinpally. Sisodia had demanded action against the Chief Secretary and the resignation of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Vinai Kumar Saxena. The CBI inquiry was recommended on the findings of the Delhi chief secretary's report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, officials had said. The ED and the CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Excise Policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority's approval. The beneficiaries diverted "illegal" gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection. An alleged, the Excise Department had decided to refund the Earnest Money Deposit of about Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer against the set rules. Even though there was no enabling provision, a waiver on tendered licence fees was allowed from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, due to COVID-19. This allegedly caused a loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer, which has been instituted on a reference from the Union Home Ministry following a recommendation from Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena. (ANI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the safety and security of Kashmiri Pandit employees who do not want to return to the Valley without a guarantee of their security. In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Congress MP said he met a delegation of Kashmiri Pandit employees during the recent 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' when it entered Jammu and Kashmir and they told him that the administration is forcing them to return to the valley for work. Rahul Gandhi urged PM Modi not to force Kashmiri Pandit government employees to return to the Valley amid the "targeted killings" by the terrorists till the situation improves. "Hope you are well. Through this letter, I want to draw your attention to the plight of the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community from the Kashmir Valley. The recent spate of targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits and others by terrorists has created an atmosphere of fear and despair in the valley," the letter reads. "Prime Minister, a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits met me during the Jammu leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. They told me that the government officials are forcing them to go back to work in the Kashmir Valley," he said. The Congress leader further suggested that the government can accommodate these Kashmiri Pandit employees in other departments. "In these circumstances, sending them back to Kashmir valley when the safety and security situation is clearly not good is a cruel move. Till the situation improves, the government can use the services of these Kashmiri Pandit employees in other administrative and public facilities," said Rahul Gandhi in a letter to PM Modi. He further alleged that Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had use words like "beggars" Kashmiri Pandits. "When the Kashmiri Pandits, pleading for their safety and their family's concerns, are expecting sympathy and affection from the government, then it is irresponsible for the Lt. Governor to use words like "beggars" for them. Prime Minister may not be familiar with this insensitive approach of the local administration," Rahul Gandhi said in his letter. The Congress leader said that he has assured the Kashmiri Pandit employees of conveying their message of concerns and demands to the Prime Minister, and urge him on their behalf to take appropriate steps in this regard. "I have assured the Kashmiri Pandit brothers and sisters that I will try my best to convey their concerns and demands to you. I hope that you will take appropriate steps in this regard as soon as you get this information. May the blessings of Mata Kheer Bhavani be with you," he added in his letter. The Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra ended in Jammu and Kashmir last week. (ANI) The Ministry of Rural Development said on Friday that the concern that lower allocation for the MGNREGA scheme for 2023-24 may affect the rural employment scheme is far from the truth. "A concern has been raised over the Union Budget allocating Rs 60,000 crore for the MGNREGA scheme for 2023-24, which is 18 per cent lower than the Rs 73,000 crore budget estimates of 2022-23. This may affect the rural employment scheme of MGNREGA to achieve its objective of providing wage employment against the demand from the rural households. This is far from thr truth," the ministry said in a statement on Friday. MGNREGA is a demand-driven scheme. Any household demanding employment shall be provided at least 100 days of unskilled manual work in a financial year in accordance with the scheme. During FY 2022-23, a total of 99.81 per cent rural households have been offered wage employment against their demand for work. If an applicant for employment under the scheme is not provided such employment within 15 days of receipt, he shall be entitled to a daily unemployment allowance, the ministry said. "In FY 2019-20, the BE was Rs 60,000 crore which got revised to Rs 71,001 crore; for FY 2020-21, the BE was Rs 61,500 crore which increased in the RE to Rs 1,11,500 crore; and for FY 2021-22, the BE of Rs 73,000 crore was revised to Rs 98,000 crore. Therefore, it can be seen that the actual releases to the states have been much higher than that provided for at the BE level. "Even during the current financial year 2022-23, the BE was Rs 73,000 crore, which was revised to Rs 89,400 crore. From the perusal of the above, it is inferred that the previous release has no bearing on the requirement for funds for next year," said the ministry. "Whenever additional fund is required, the Ministry of Finance is requested to provide the funds. The government of India is committed to release funds for wage and material payments for proper implementation of the scheme, as per the provisions of the act and guidelines applicable for Central government as well as the state governments," it added. --IANS kvm/arm ( 376 Words) 2023-02-03-19:44:03 (IANS) In order to formally register its complaint over alleged denial of payment of central dues under various centrally-sponsored schemes to the West Bengal government, the state's ruling Trinamool Congress is considering bringing a motion on this count in the forthcoming Budget session of the Assembly. The Budget session is to start from February 8 and a senior member of the state cabinet said that the party is planning to bring a special motion to officially register and record the state government's reservations about the Union government's approach in the matter. "Till now our leaders and ministers, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had been complaining of the denial of central dues from open forums. But the party leadership feels that it is high time to get those complaints recorded in the records of the Assembly. Hence, an attempt is on to bring a motion on this issue in the forthcoming budget session of the assembly," the cabinet member said. Meanwhile, party sources said that this issue of denial of central dues would be the principal medium of counter-attack for the ruling against the opposition BJP during the budget session. "Our MLAs will highlight how a section of the BJP legislators from the state are constantly interacting with the different Union ministries and suggesting the latter to stop payment of central funds under various schemes," the state cabinet member said. --IANS src/vd ( 246 Words) 2023-02-03-20:06:03 (IANS) The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, V.K. Saxena, on Friday approved a proposal of afforestation and compensatory plantation of trees for the construction of the Thal Sena Bhawan in the Cantonment area. Saxena also recorded his appreciation for the timely action taken by the environment department in this case and expressed hope that that the department, the environment minister and the Chief Minister will continue to work in the same earnest and with same alacrity in the future, thereby avoiding delays in execution of projects. "The principal secretary (environment) signed the file on January 20 and marked it to the concerned minister. The file was received in the office of the minister on January 23 and the same was cleared on January 30. The file was then marked to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who signed it on January 31 and the file was received in Raj Niwas on the same day. The proposals that used to take years together was processed and cleared by in a record 11 days. All the nudge and shove by the L-G seem to have started having positive effects," said an official from the L-G Secretariat. The Ministry of Defence has proposed the construction of the Thal Sena Bhawan in Delhi Cantt area, with an intention to develop the site as a state-of-the-art facility for the army. Kejriwal granted the approval on Thursday for the removal and transplantation of 579 trees to aid the construction of the new Indian Army headquarters. While granting the approval, Delhi government made it mandatory for the Defence Ministry to plant 10 times the trees transplanted and removed. The ministry will have to plant 5,790 new trees around the site to maintain ecological balance. These trees will be planted on the identified land parcels within three months from the date on which the permission for shifting of the trees will be issued. --IANS avr/arm ( 327 Words) 2023-02-03-20:12:02 (IANS) The BJP has stepped up its campaign for Tripura elections with BJP president JP Nadda addressing a Vijay Sankalp rally on Friday and several other party leaders also reaching out to people across the northeastern state. Nadda, who addressed a rally in Gomati district, said five years ago Tripura faced violence and disturbance but under the BJP rule, the state is witnessing development, connectivity and a boost to infrastructure. "Tripura has become a peaceful state under BJP rule. I can see from people's faces that they're going to choose BJP again. Development has been the priority of our government, and we are ensuring to mainstream the women, poor, underprivileged and the downtrodden population of the state. The PM Ujjwala Yojana and PM Awas Yojana have been transforming people's lives here," he said. "We are working for peace and development in Tripura. The state has immense potential in developing the tourism sector; be it sports, infrastructure, education or health, Tripura is making high strides on every front," he added. The state will go to the polls for 60-member assembly on February 17. Nadda referred to the efforts of the BJP government to empower the tribal community. "It is a matter of pride for the tribal society that today our president is Droupadi Murmu. For 70 years no one cared for tribals. I am happy that eight central ministers are tribals, our CM is tribal. For tribal communities, the budget has been increased by four times." He said the double engine government has changed the fate of Tripura. Nadda also lauded the union budget. "Union Budget 2023-24, the first budget of 'Amrit Kaal' is a blueprint for India's development; it is filled with aspirations and a framework to make the nation's economy truly inclusive and empowered," he said. "Today we can say with pride that it is the 'New Tripura' with new aspirations. PM Modi has a special concern for North East. Tripura is moving forward under BJP's rule. PM Modi had said that Tripura will make progress just like any other part of the country, and these five years stand as testimony to his very belief," he added. Nadda also targeted the Congress and Left parties. "There had always been corruption, violence, cheating under the Congress' rule, and under the Communists' rule. They have both come together now." BJP posted a stunning victory in Tripura in the 2018 Assembly elections, a Left bastion. After its poll victory, BJP appointed Biplab Deb as Tripura Chief Minister and in May 2022 appointed Manik Saha for the role. The BJP is re-contesting the polls in alliance with Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) which has fielded five candidates. Tripura Chief Minister has been holding door-to-door campaigns in the state. Assam Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Himanta Biswa Sarma has exuded confidence that BJP "will win with an even bigger vote margin when polls are conducted in Tripura due later this month". "Both Congress and Left will not win even a single seat," Biswa said at Suryamani Nagar in Tripura. Union Minister Smriti Irani and film star-turned politician Mithun Chakraborty also addressed number of election rallies in support of BJP candidates in different parts of Tripura. BJP and Congress announced their candidates for the Tripura assembly polls last week and the state set for a multi-cornered contest. The Congress is contesting the Tripura Assembly elections in alliance with CPI-M. (ANI) Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Friday met Commander of Royal Cambodian Army Lt General Hun Manet in the national capital. The discussions focussed on strengthening bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries. "This is the maiden visit by any Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army and is a milestone in Army-to-Army relations between both countries," the Defence Ministry said in a statement. During the interaction between General Pande and Lt Gen Manet, 'Terms of Reference' for staff talks between the two armies were signed and folders on customised training for Royal Cambodian Army were exchanged. General Pande reaffirmed India's support to Cambodia by offering customised training modules for the Royal Cambodian Army and Lt Gen Hun Manet announced the schedule for the conduct of the first Army to Army Staff Talks in Cambodia. "The Indian Army will be conducting tailor-made courses in various contemporary subjects at its premier training establishments and deploy a Training team to Cambodia," the Defence Ministry said in its statement. The visiting General Officer commenced his visit by paying tributes to the fallen heroes of the Indian Armed Forces by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial. Manet was accorded a Ceremonial reception and Guard of Honour at the South Block lawns. Lt General Manet, also the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, began his three-day visit to India on Thursday. He called on Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and was briefed on the Indian indigenous defence equipment manufacturing eco-system by the Department of Defence Production (DDP) and the Army Design Bureau. Lt Gen Hun Manet is scheduled to visit Rajputana Rifles Regimental Centre Delhi Cantt on Saturday, where he will witness the training of Agniveers and a display of indigenous defence equipment. India and Cambodia have shared centuries-old cultural, religious and people-to-people connections. Cambodia remains a key partner in India's 'Act East' policy. Both nations share cordial relations in the field of defence and security. Defence Cooperation between both countries is governed by Bilateral Defence Cooperation Agreement signed in 2007. Military relations between India and Cambodia have grown over the recent past and are planned to expand in various fields such as training cooperation, Counter-IED, demining and UN Peacekeeping. The bilateral mechanism between both Armies is being institutionalised by means of Army to Army Staff Talks, which will enhance the defence cooperation between the two countries. Direct relationship with the present-day Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) was established by the Indian Battalions (1 ASSAM Regt and 4 JAK RIF) forming part of UNTAC (UN Transition Authority in Cambodia) after the Paris Peace accord in 1991. The visit by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Cambodia in June 2018 and November 2022 provided fresh impetus to further elevate the bilateral defence cooperation to a higher level. (ANI) The central agency also quizzed Naveen, who works in the house of the chief minister. The CBI officials questioned the duo for six-and-a-half hours in Kadapa. The federal agency had issued notice to Krishna Mohan Reddy and Naveen on the basis of call data of Kadapa MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy. The CBI officials are understood to have questioned the duo as to what had happened on the day when Vivekananda Reddy was murdered. They collected information about phone calls made or received by them. Last week, the CBI questioned Avinash Reddy, who is a cousin of the chief minister. He was grilled for more than four-and-a-half hours. Vivekananda Reddy, paternal uncle of Jagan Mohan Reddy, was found murdered mysteriously at his residence at Pulivendula in Kadapa district on March 15, 2019, a month ahead of the 2019 general elections. The 68-year-old former state minister and former MP was alone at his house when unidentified persons barged in and killed him. He was killed hours before he was to launch the YSR Congress Party's election campaign in Kadapa. Though three Special Investigation Teams (SITs) conducted the probe, they failed to solve the mystery. The CBI took over the investigation into the case in 2020 on the direction of Andhra Pradesh High Court while hearing a petition of Vivekananda Reddy's daughter Sunitha Reddy, who raised suspicion about some relatives. The CBI filed a chargesheet in the murder case on October 26, 2021, and followed it up with a supplementary chargesheet on January 31, 2022. In November last year, the Supreme Court transferred to a CBI court in Hyderabad the trial and probe into the larger conspiracy behind the murder. The apex court observed that doubts raised by Sunitha Reddy about getting a fair trial and investigation in Andhra Pradesh were reasonable. --IANS ms/pgh ( 349 Words) 2023-02-03-21:28:02 (IANS) Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday arrested news anchor Imran Riaz Khan, critical of the current government, on the charge of delivering a 'hate speech', Dawn reported. The FIA further stated that Riaz was arrested in Lahore for making a "violence-inducing statement" aimed at creating "a rift between the general public and the state institutions". Earlier, Riaz's counsel Mian Ali Ashfaq told Dawn.com that his client was taken into custody from the Allama Iqbal International Airport by FIA's cybercrime wing. He also said that the 'illegal arrest' of the journalist will be challenged in court, reported Dawn. The FIA registered the first information report under sections 11 (electronic forgery), 20 (malicious code) and 24 (legal recognition of offences committed in relation to information system) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Peca) 2016. Likewise, sections 131/109 (incitement to mutiny), 500 (punishment for defamation) and 505 (public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code have also been added to the FIR. According to the FIR -- a copy of which is available with Dawn.com -- Khan was "found involved in publicly making a hate speech at a conference which falls under the territorial jurisdiction of FIA cyber crime cell". The complaint further states that the speech was further publicly shared on social media platforms nationally and internationally. Earlier, in July, last year, Imran Riaz Khan was arrested in connection with a treason case registered against him in Attock, Pakistan's Dawn reported. He was named in 17 treason cases across Punjab province, the report said. In the latest First Information Report (FIR) against Khan, filed by a local resident of Lahore Muhammad Asift, alleged that Riaz accused the army of violating human rights and damaging the state by indulging in politics, according to Dawn. Asif further said Khan had accused the army and said that they had put Pakistan's integrity at stake, adding that the journalist committed an offence by inciting officers and other personnel of the army. The complainant mentioned that recently, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had awarded army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa with the King Abdulaziz Medal for making "significant contributions to defence cooperation" between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. However, Lahore High Court on July 9 granted bail to Riaz Khan. The court adjourned the hearing of the plea for the expulsion of cases till July 19 and also directed Khan to appear before the magistrate on the next working day. (ANI) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his war-torn country deserved to start European Union accession talks 'this year', CNN reported. Zelenskyy said he had reached an important mutual understanding with EU President Ursula von der Leyen regarding Ukraine's bid for accession into the European Union. Zelensky said he had productive talks with the commission leader, and members of the College of the European Commission and this showed that all parties understood "the fact that Ukraine needs constant and full support in defense against Russia," the Ukrainian president said in his evening address Thursday. "And about the fact that our further integration should give energy and motivation to our people to fight despite any obstacles and threats. I believe that Ukraine deserves to start negotiations on EU membership already this year," CNN quoted him as saying. Zelensky thanked EU Chief and her colleagues in the EU for the military, financial, and social support of Ukraine 'on the path of integration'. Ukraine is all set to host the 24th EU-Ukraine Summit on Friday where Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen will meet with Zelenskyy, as per the EU's statement. This is the first EU-Ukraine summit since the start of the Russian aggression, and also since the European Council granted Ukraine the status of candidate country. In this, the leaders will discuss, Ukraine's European path and the accession process, the EU's response to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, Ukraine's initiatives for just peace and accountability, cooperation on issues of reconstruction and relief and in the areas of energy and connectivity, and global food security. The leaders are expected to issue a joint statement at the end of the summit, as per CNN. Earlier, in January, Zelenskyy held talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Leyen for European Union's support. Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is waiting for the first tranche of macro-finance aid in January. He tweeted, "Glad to start the year talking to @vonderleyen. Thanked for the EU support. Waiting for the 1st tranche of macro-fin aid in Jan, the 1st batch of LED lamps, school buses, generators & modular houses. Coordinated steps on Ukraine European Union Summit. We feel supported & will win together." Ursula von der Leyen assured Volodymyr Zelenskyy that European Union continues to stand with Ukraine. She stated that European Union will support Ukraine's 'heroic struggle' and fight for freedom against the offensive. In a tweet, Leyen said that the EU is supporting Ukraine with generators, light bulbs, shelters, and school buses. Ursula von der Leyen tweeted, "In the 1st call of the new year with President @ZelenskyyUa, I conveyed my wholehearted support and best wishes for 2023 to the Ukrainian people. The EU stands by you, for as long as it takes. We support your heroic struggle. A fight for freedom and against brutal aggression." (ANI) The United States opened an embassy in the Soloman Islands in a bid to counter China's expanding influence in the region, according to NHK World. This move is seen as part of the US strategy to enhance its involvement in the Indo-Pacific, as China expands its influence in the region. In a statement, the US Secretary of State said the opening of the embassy in the capital city Honiara symbolizes a renewal of the relationship between the two countries. The US closed its embassy in the island nation in 1993. "Today we are opening the US. Embassy in Honiara, Solomon Islands less than one year after we announced our intent to open it. Doing so symbolizes a renewal of our relationship and underlines the strength of our commitment to our bilateral relations, the people of the Solomon Islands, and our partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region," read the statement released by the US Department of State on Wednesday. "We value our shared history and sacrifice with the Solomon Islands and look forward to continuing to strengthen our partnership in a range of areas, including economic development, combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, and addressing the challenges of climate change," the statement added. The opening of the embassy builds the efforts not only to place more diplomatic personnel throughout the region, but also to engage further with our Pacific neighbors, connect United States programs and resources with needs on the ground, and build people-to-people ties. The department informed the government of the Solomon Islands that the opening of the embassy became official as of January 27, 2023, and the US thanked them for their support to advance our bilateral relationship in this way. Russell Comeau will continue to serve as US Charge d'Affaires ad interim at the new U.S. Embassy Honiara. Comeau arrived in the Solomon Islands in October 2021. (ANI) The United States and the Philippines have agreed that the former's forces can use four more bases in the Southeast Asian country, apparently aimed at enhancing deterrence against China, according to NHK World. On Thursday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin separately met Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr in Manila. The two sides later announced the agreement to bring the total number of bases the US can use in the Philippines to nine. Details on the additional locations have yet to be announced, as per NHK World. The increased US presence is apparently aimed at strengthening deterrence as China is ramping up military activities in the South China Sea and waters around the Taiwan Strait. In the press conference, Austin said that both sides had discussed concrete actions to address destabilizing activities in the waters surrounding the Philippines. He said the US-Philippine alliance makes both democracies more secure and helps uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific, reported NHK World. President Marcos welcomed the agreement, saying it seems to him that the future of the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific will always have to involve the United States. He said the partnership can only be an advantage to both countries. After the agreement, China reacted sharply. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular news conference on Thursday that defense and security cooperation between countries must contribute to regional peace and stability, and should not hurt or target the interests of a third party. Mao said the United States has continued military buildup in the region for its own benefits, thereby raising regional tensions and harming peace and stability. She said countries in the region should be vigilant against such moves and try not to be taken advantage of, according to NHK World. (ANI) Four Indian-American lawmakers-- Raja Krishnamoorthi, Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera and Ro Khanna-- have been appointed as members of key US House Committees, reflecting the growing influence of the community in American politics. Congressman Krishnamoorthi was appointed on Wednesday (local time) to serve as Ranking Member on the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). "I'm grateful to Leader Jeffries for appointing me to serve as Ranking Member on the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party," said Krishnamoorthi. Krishnamoorthi further stated that China poses serious economic and security threats to the United States and to democracy and prosperity across the globe, illustrated by its threats against Taiwan's democracy, its weaponization of TikTok, and its theft of hundreds of billions of dollars worth of American intellectual property. "I look forward to working with my colleagues in both parties on this committee to counteract the CCP's escalating aggression and ensure that our nation is prepared to overcome the economic and security challenges that the CCP presents to our country," said Krishnamoorthi. Another Indian-American Congressman Khanna has also been made a member of this new committee, formed in the 118th Congress by Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for the specific purpose of investigating and developing policy to address the United States' economic, technological and security competition with the CCP. "I am honored to be appointed to the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party," said Khanna. "I plan to use my seat on the committee to bring attention to our trade deficit with China while also working to address the security risk China poses to Taiwan." "I take my role as the representative for the only majority Asian American community in the continental United States very seriously. We can be tough on the Chinese Communist Party while unequivocally condemning anti-Asian racism and the increase in hate crimes targeting the Asian American community," said Khanna. Indian-American US Representative Pramila Jayapal has been named Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, making her the first immigrant to serve in a leadership role for the subcommittee. "As the first South Asian woman elected to the US House of Representatives and one of only two dozen naturalized citizens in Congress, I am honoured and humbled to serve as the Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement," Jayapal said in a press release. Jayapal is the first immigrant in recorded committee history to serve as either Ranking Member or Chair of this Subcommittee, the media release said. Calling it "extremely meaningful", Jayapal said in the media release that she will now be in a position to better move the needle and recenter broken immigration system around dignity, humanity, and justice. The Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement will be chaired by Tom McClintock and has jurisdiction over immigration law and policy, naturalization, border security, refugee admissions, non-border immigration enforcement and other various issues. While Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera was appointed as a member of the influential US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for the 118th Congress. The Intelligence Committee is charged with providing oversight of the nation's intelligence activities, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), the National Security Agency (NSA) and military intelligence programmes. "I am honored to be appointed by Leader Jeffries to serve on the House Intelligence Committee, which plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety and national security of the United States," Bera said in the press release. He further said, "At a time of increased threats, both at home and abroad, I take seriously this new role and the responsibility entrusted to me to protect and defend American families." Bera stressed that he looks forward to working with committee members to ensure that intelligence agencies of US operate effectively to keep the nation safe. "With my decade of experience working on critical national security issues, I look forward to working with Committee members from both sides of the aisle to ensure our intelligence agencies are operating effectively to keep our nation safe," Bera further said. US Congressman Ami Bera also serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. (ANI) British lawmaker Lord David Alton has urged the broadcaster to rethink its commercial decision, after an investigation by Deadline revealed that BBC StoryWorks is producing ads for at least 18 Chinese clients, including nine state-affiliated bodies. Alton wrote to Tim Davie, the Director-General of the BBC, demanding that he review the activity of the commercial unit BBC StoryWorks. StoryWorks produced a glossy ad campaign for China Global Television Network after it was banned from broadcasting in the UK. Xinhua, the state media news agency, and Huawei, the controversial tech giant, were among StoryWorks' other clients, reported Deadline. In a letter to Davie, Lord Alton said, "I write to request that you review this arrangement. It is difficult to see how it can be legitimate to provide revenue to a state credibly accused of genocide and crimes against humanity (let alone the imprisonment of journalists and pro-democracy advocates)." Meanwhile, the BBC defended StoryWorks' relationship with the Chinese propaganda machine, saying StoryWorks was "entirely separate" from its newsgathering operations and that contracts with state media do not stop journalists from reporting on the country "without fear or favour." Lord Alton told Deadline: "It's simply not realistic to believe that commercial relationships with the Chinese Communist Party have no bearing on behaviour. His bread I eat, his song I sing. The BBC say that contracts with Chinese state media do not stop journalists from reporting on the country 'without fear or favour.' Really? This either represents a worrying naivety or a sleight of hand." Notably, Lord Alton was among a group of nine UK lawmakers banned from entering China last year after criticising Xi Jinping's regime. The crossbench peer has shared platforms with Uyghurs and helped give voice to dissidents and activists who he said had been "intimidated and bullied" by the Chinese government. He also monitored Hong Kong's last free elections, researching the plight of pre-democracy leaders. Lord Alton sits on the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, an international group of lawmakers who focus on relations with the Communist superpower. Moreover, a cash-for-propaganda deal between the BBC and Chinese tech giant Huawei was revealed by the UK-based publication The Spectator. Steerpike, The Spectator's gossip columnist in an article said that amid budget cuts and the licence fee future looking uncertain, the BBC developed some questionable new corporate partnerships. One of them is with Huawei, the Chinese tech giant which was sanctioned by the US in 2019 and barred from the UK's 5G network in 2020 over security concerns, said Steerpike. BBC recently ran into controversy in India over its two-part documentary 'India: The Modi Question' on the role of then Chief Minister of Gujarat and now Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in the 2002 Godhra riots. The Indian government has criticised the BBC documentary. Foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said it lacked objectivity and was "propaganda". (ANI) The Taliban on Wednesday slammed the Pakistan Government for blaming Afghanistan for the Peshawar mosque blast. The Taliban's Acting Foreign Minister Amir Muttaqi called on Pakistan to investigate the Peshawar attack rather than blame neighbouring Afghanistan for terror carnage. "Don't blame others for your own failures," said the Taliban. On January 30, a suicide bombing at a mosque in the Peshawar Police Lines area claimed the lives of at least 101 people, mostly police officials. Muttaqi called on Pakistan to investigate the Peshawar attack instead of blaming Kabul and said that Afghanistan is not a safe haven for terrorists. "If Afghanistan was the centre of terrorism, it would have gone into China, Central Asia & Iran," he said. Muttaqi told a gathering in the capital, Kabul, that Pakistani officials should find a solution to their security challenges locally and desist from "sowing the seeds of enmity" between the two countries. Pakistani authorities were quick to blame the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, also called Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), for what they said was a suicide bomb attack and suggested the violence emanated from Afghanistan, reported Voice of America. Muttaqi echoed suspicions and questions being raised by critics in Pakistan in the wake of the large-scale destruction caused by the blast and said, "Our region is used to wars and bomb blasts. But we have not seen in the past 20 years a lone suicide bomber blowing up roofs of mosques and killing hundreds of people." The TTP, designated a global terrorist group by the United States, has long been conducting deadly terrorist attacks in Pakistan and its leadership allegedly directs the violence from Afghan sanctuaries. But the Pakistani Taliban has formally denied involvement in the Peshawar mosque bombing, reported VOA. Moazzam Jah Ansari, the provincial police chief, told reporters Tuesday that a suicide bomber had entered the mosque as a guest, using up to 12 kilograms of explosive material earlier brought to the site in bits and pieces. A spate of recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan, mostly claimed by the TTP, has strained relations between the two countries. Pakistan is weighing its options to deal with the resurgence of terrorism with a focus on how to ensure that the Afghan interim government fulfills its promises, people familiar with the development have said. It is evident from background discussions with the relevant quarters that Pakistan is increasingly frustrated over the lack of cooperation from the Afghan Taliban in tackling the growing threat posed by the banned TTP. Meanwhile, the desperate police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been brought to the point where they are protesting for their rights. "This is an example of a complete loss of trust in the State. They have been dying needlessly in the Establishment's double games, and there is no one to put an end to this," tweeted Mohsin Dawar, Member National Assembly, NA-48, North Waziristan. In an unusual protest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police in front of Peshawar Press Club chanted slogans, "We know all the unknown persons." Videos shared on social media show groups of police officers raising slogans against rising terrorism. This is the first time in history that the province's police have protested against terrorism. (ANI) Canada's Department of National Defence on Thursday (local time) said that it is working with the US to track a high-altitude suspected Chinese surveillance balloon, and it is monitoring a "potential second incident". "A high-altitude surveillance balloon was detected and its movements are being actively tracked by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Canadians are safe and Canada is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident," stated the Department of National Defence press release. NORAD, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence, and other partners have been assessing the situation and working in close coordination. Canada's intelligence agencies are working with American partners and continue to take all necessary measures to safeguard Canada's sensitive information from foreign intelligence threats. Meanwhile, the US said that it is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over US airspace for a few days, reported The Globe and Mail. The Pentagon said that it decided not to shoot it down over concerns of hurting people on the ground. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin convened a meeting with senior Department of Defense leadership Wednesday to discuss the balloon, and it was decided not to take military action due to "the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field," a senior US defense official said. Responding to a media query about whether the balloon is from China or from any other country, a senior defense official said, "Yes, so, I mean, it is a surveillance balloon. And not to be -- I'm not trying to be a wise guy. But the goal is surveillance. And clearly, they're trying to fly this -- this balloon over sensitive sites, one of which was just mentioned, to collect information. As I said, we do not judge that it provides significant value added over and above what they can currently collect in other means. But nevertheless, it's something we're watching closely." "It is not the first time that you had a balloon of this nature cross over the continental United States. It has happened a handful of other times over the past few years, including before this administration," he added. He also said with 'high confidence' that the defense department believed that the balloon is from China. "So we do not doubt that this is a PRC balloon. And that is an assessment shared across our intelligence and analytic community. Why not shoot it down? We have to do the risk-reward here. So the first question is does it pose a threat -- a physical kinetic threat to individuals in the United States or the US Homeland. Our assessment is it does not," the defense official stated. The defense official said the balloon was recently over Montana and that officials were considering bringing the plane down with military assets, but decided against doing so because of the risks associated, adding that US President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation and asked for military options, as per the statement. Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder said, "The United States Government has detected and is tracking a high altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now. The US government, including NORAD, continues to track and monitor it closely. The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years. Once the balloon was detected, the US government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information." The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces issued a joint statement Thursday night that says the balloon's movements were being actively tracked by the North American Aerospace Defence Command. However, the statement doesn't mention China or state whether the surveillance balloon flew over Canadian airspace. (ANI) Amid threats from China in the field of telecom and 6G technology, the Quad grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the US has decided to ensure "security-by-design and best practices of cyber security," according to a White House press release. In a joint statement after the meeting of the Quad Senior Cyber Group in New Delhi on January 30 and 31, the Group said that it was working on identifying best security practices for software services and products and minimum critical infrastructure cyber security requirements. "Our meeting advanced the Group's positive and ambitious agenda. Quad partners are working together to better secure cyberspace and foster an international digital economy that works for everyone, including regional partners in the Indo-Pacific," read the release. Observing that telecom security is a core function of national security, the statement said working in conjunction with Quad CET Working Group, the Group will strive to ensure that security-by-design and best practices of cyber security are incorporated in Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) and 6G technologies. The Group also endorsed the Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI) efforts (of which Quad countries are members) to drive international cooperation and joint action to tackle ransomware including through information and intelligence exchanges, sharing best practices regarding policy and legal authority frameworks, and collaboration between law enforcement and cyber authorities to conduct counter ransomware activities, it added. In the longer term, the Group has also committed to: leveraging machine learning and related advanced technologies to enhance cyber security; establishing secure channels for Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERT) and private sector threat information sharing; and creating a framework and methodology for ensuring Supply Chain Security and Resilience for information communication technologies (ICT) and operational technology (OT) systems of critical sectors. "These objectives form an important part of the future-looking, leading-edge work plan for the Group," said the release. Progress on these objectives will enhance Quad members' national cyber capabilities, lowering the number of serious cyber incidents and improving their response capabilities. Closer collaboration on machine learning research will enable better detection of network intrusions and improve cyber risk management of critical infrastructure, it said. The framework for security threat information sharing by CERTs and private sector entities will enable better real-time cooperation and assessments as cyber incidents arise. "A supply chain methodology will encourage major software services, products, and providers leveraged by governments to adhere to a Quad-endorsed best practice guideline for cyber security ICT and OT requirements for critical infrastructure," added the release. Further, coordinating and collaborating on capacity-building efforts in the Indo-Pacific region under the Quad Cybersecurity Partnership will enhance regional resilience to cyber incidents and threats, reduce broader regional cyber risks, promote cyber awareness, and improve the resilience of critical infrastructure and supply chain. These efforts demonstrate the Quad's commitment to building regional capacity and ensuring the delivery of an open and secure telecommunications infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific, added the release. (ANI) After a deadly attack on the Peshawar mosque that claimed the lives of at least 101 people, mostly police officials, Pakistan's National Assembly was seen clearly divided over the option of launching a new military operation against terrorists, reported Dawn. The National Assembly on Wednesday witnessed some fiery speeches as lawmakers stressed national unity to eliminate terrorism, but while sticking to their party positions offered divergent views. A majority of the lawmakers opposed launching another operation to eliminate terrorism and questioned the efficacy of previous operations, reported Dawn. Notably, Pakistan Army launched Operation Zarb-e-Azb, an offensive targeting various militant groups in North Waziristan, an area in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, in 2014 on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Minister for Religious Affairs Moulvi Abdul Shakoor of the JUI-F forcefully opposed the idea of launching a new military operation against terrorists as it would cause more destruction in the tribal areas, reported Dawn. He said ministers in the previous PTI government in KP had been giving extortion money to the militants. Moreover, the lawmakers criticized the previous Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government led by Imran Khan at the center and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for its policy to appease the militants, reported Dawn. The hard-hitting speech came from an independent MNA from Waziristan Mohsin Dawar who suggested setting up a truth and reconciliation commission to fix responsibility on the individuals and institutions. Referring to the protest demonstration staged by the police personnel outside the Peshawar Press Club, he said, "If your force starts protests, then one can easily assess (the gravity of the) situation." He regretted that even the "police do not have trust in the state". While expressing his concern over the trend of blaming only the Afghans for terrorism, the MNA said the Taliban were portrayed as heroes by the past rulers, who pushed the country into the Afghan war when US dollars were raining on them, reported Dawn. "Now who is supporting them (TTP) when we have our own favourite government there [in Afghanistan]," he questioned, adding what had become clear was that there could be no peace till the Taliban government was there. The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or Pakistani Taliban have reined havoc after a peace deal between the TTP and the Pakistan government was called off by the proscribed group. The TTP was formed in the year 2007 by banding together several armed groups who protested against Pakistan's cooperation with the US in its war on terrorism. The TTP supported the Afghan Taliban's fight against the US and The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Referring to the in-house briefings given to the parliament by the military leadership during the PTI government, Dawar said, "Everyone knows under whose protection they (Taliban) have returned and from where they are getting the support." He called for rectifying the Afghan policy before it was too late, warning that otherwise "there will be an action replay of Afghanistan in Pakistan," reported Dawn. (ANI) The Chief Justice of Singapore Sundaresh Menon on Friday called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and exchanged views on ensuring accessible justice for all. The President and the Chief Justice of Singapore discussed the role of technology in ensuring accessible justice for all. In a tweet, the official Twitter account of Singapore in India wrote, "Chief Justice of Singapore Sundaresh Menon @SingaporeCourts had a warm call on President of India Droupadi Murmu @RashtrapatiBhvn earlier tdy where they exchanged views on how to ensure accessible justice for all, such as through greater outreach & better use of tech. - HC Wong." Notably, Justice Menon attended and watched the proceedings of the bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud earlier today. Meanwhile, the official Twitter handle of the President of India tweeted, "Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Singapore Sundaresh Menon called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President and Chief Justice Menon exchanged views on the importance of making justice accessible to all." On November 6, 2012, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon was named Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He is Singapore's first Chief Justice. Chief Justice Menon earned a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) in 1986 from the National University of Singapore and a Master of Laws in 1991 from Harvard Law School. In 1987, he was admitted as an advocate and solicitor in Singapore, and in 1992, as an attorney and counsellor-at-law in New York, according to Singapore Government Agency Website, Singapore Courts, The Judiciary. He was a Supreme Court Judicial Commissioner from 2006 to 2007. In 2008, he was promoted to Senior Counsel and was appointed the 6th Attorney-General of Singapore in 2010, a position he resigned from shortly before his nomination as a Judge of Appeal in 2012. At present, Chief Justice of Singapore Sundaresh Menon is scheduled to deliver the first annual lecture for the 73rd Foundation day of the country's top court on Saturday. CJI Chandrachud welcomed Justice Menon and called it an honour to invite him as he would deliver the first annual lecture on "The Role of the Judiciary in a Changing World" on the occasion of the Foundation day of the Supreme Court on February 4. The apex court would commemorate its 73rd anniversary in an event organised in the auditorium of the Supreme Court's additional building complex. The Supreme Court of India came into existence in 1950. It functioned from the Parliament House till it moved to the present building on Tilak Marg, New Delhi, which has a 27.6 metre high dome and a spacious colonnaded verandah. The top court came into being two days after the country became the Sovereign Democratic Republic on January 28, 1950. (ANI) Both the countries decided to hold the next round of Foreign Office Consultations on mutually convenient dates in Belgrade. "The 8th Foreign Office Consultations between India and Serbia was held on Friday in New Delhi. The Consultations comprehensively reviewed existing bilateral ties, covering areas of interest such as trade and economic relations, defence, science & technology, research & development, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, culture, and people-to-people ties," according to a release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs. According to the release, the Indian side was led by the Secretary(West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Sanjay Verma and the Serbian side was led by the Assistant Minister for Bilateral Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Ambassador Vladimir Maric. India and Serbia share close and friendly relations, underpinned by longstanding bonds of friendship between their people. The two sides during the consultations expressed satisfaction with their strong cooperation in the multilateral fora. Both sides exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including developments in India's neighbourhood, Ukraine, and the United Nations. India's priorities as President of G20, and its endeavour to take up the cause of Global South, were also shared with the Serbian side, it added. (ANI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met Cambodian lieutenant general Hun Manet here and the two exchanged views on the current geopolitical situation and regional challenges. "Pleased to meet Lt. Gen Hun Manet of Cambodia today afternoon. Exchanged views on geopolitical situation & regional challenges. Agreed on the need for independent-minded nations to cooperate closely," Jaishankar tweeted on Friday. Manet is also the commander of the Royal Cambodian Army. According to Jaishankar, there were also discussions on possibilities in defense, security, connectivity, and digital delivery. A Cambodian delegation led by Manet earlier on Friday called on the Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar. "A delegation from Cambodia, led by Lt. Gen Hun Manet, Dy. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces & Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army, called on the Hon'ble Vice President & Chairman Rajya Sabha, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar at Parliament House today," Dhankar tweeted on Friday. The Cambodian delegation led by Manet is on a visit to India from February 2-4, on the invitation of India's Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande. "A delegation led by Lt. Gen @hunmanet_coarmy is visiting India on an invitation from General Manoj Pande, COAS from 2-4 Feb 2023. Cd'A a.i. Mr. Richhpal Singh met the delegation at Phnom Penh airport and conveyed best wishes for a successful visit," the Indian embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia tweeted on Thursday. India and Cambodia in November 2022 decided to start direct air linkages between the two countries with an impetus on tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the sector. "We are trying to start direct air linkages between India and Cambodia which would give a great impetus to tourism. When there are direct flights, people would love to come and see Angkor Wat and Cambodians would love to see the land of Buddha," said Devyani Khobragade, India's Ambassador to Cambodia. What the Taj Mahal is to India, Angkor Wat is to Cambodia. The city of Angkor is also home to the UNESCO World Heritage site, Angkor Wat. Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia and one of the largest religious monuments in the world. Regarding Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's recent visit to Cambodia to attend the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit and the 17th East Asia Summit, Khobragade said, "VP's first official visit abroad is to Cambodia. India in Cambodia is celebrating the 70th anniversary of our bilateral relations. We have been trying to increase institutional linkages in various sectors. We signed four MoUs during the visit." (ANI) Indian delegation led by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu Ravi attended the first BRICS Sherpas and Sous Sherpas meeting in Bela Bela, Limpopo province in South Africa and deliberated on the action plan and priorities of the group. BRICS is a grouping of five major emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa - which together represent about 41 per cent of the world's population, 26 per cent of the planet's landmass across four of the continents, 25 per cent of global GDP and 20 per cent of world trade. "Secretary (ER) Dammu Ravi led India's delegation to 1st BRICS Sherpas & Sous Sherpas Meeting held under South Africa's Chairmanship on 01-02 Feb 2023 in Limpopo," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted on Friday. According to Bagchi, "BRICS priorities and action plans under South Africa's Chairmanship were discussed during the meeting." "Bilateral meetings were also held on the sidelines" of the meeting, Bagchi informed. As Chair of BRICS for the year 2023, South Africa hosted the first meeting of its tenure - the BRICS Sherpas and Sous-Sherpas - in Bela Bela, Limpopo Province, from February 1-2. Professor Anil Sooklal, Ambassador-at-Large for Asia and BRICS and South Africa's BRICS Sherpa hosted his counterparts from Brazil, Russia, India, and China. South Africa chaired BRICS under the theme: "BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development, and Inclusive Multilateralism, said a press release by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa. The theme emphasizes the continued value of BRICS as a partnership of leading emerging markets and developing countries providing leadership and momentum towards global growth, sustainable development, and inclusion of the global South in the world system. The theme informs South Africa's priorities for 2023, namely developing a partnership towards an equitable Just Transition; transforming education and skills development for the future; unlocking opportunities through the African Continental Free Trade Agreement; strengthening post-pandemic socio-economic recovery and the attainment of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and strengthening multilateralism, including working towards real reform of global governance institutions and strengthening the meaningful participation of women in peace processes, stated the release. Senior government officials from South Africa and the South African Chapters of the BRICS Business Council, BRICS Women's Business Alliance, and the BRICS Think Tanks Council will use the First BRICS Sherpa and Sous-Sherpa meeting to introduce South Africa's priorities and expectations as Chair of BRICS for 2023 to the BRICS partners. (ANI) The second Cyber Dialogue between India and the Netherlands was held in the national capital on Friday to build comprehensive and deeper cyber cooperation between respective cyber agencies and departments of both countries. This Cyber Dialogue will provide both countries with a platform to discuss contemporary topics of importance in cyberspace and a range of high-profile issues of mutual interest, according to the official MEA release The dialogue was co-chaired by Joint Secretary (Cyber Diplomacy Division) of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Muanpuii Saiawi, and Nathalie Jaarsma, Ambassador-at-Large for Security Policy and Cyber of Netherlands, the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official statement. The Indian delegation consisted of senior officials from the MEA, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Electronics and Information technology (MEITY), Department of Telecommunications (DoT), CERT-In and National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC). According to the official statement, the delegation from the Netherlands included top officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Cyber Task Force, as well as personnel from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including the Innovation and Defense Attaches. The Cyber Dialogue between the two countries was held in the context of recent developments in global cyberspace to build comprehensive and deeper cyber cooperation between respective cyber agencies/departments in India and the Netherlands. This Cyber Dialogue will provide both countries with a platform to discuss contemporary topics of importance in cyberspace and a range of high-profile issues of mutual interest, according to the official MEA release Strategic priorities, cyber threat assessment, next-generation telecommunications (including 5G technology), capacity building (including the Indo-Dutch Cyber Security School), and cooperation in multilateral fora, as well as the latest developments in cyber at the United Nations, were all discussed at this Dialogue, the release added. India and the Netherlands agreed to explore opportunities for further collaboration with the involvement of respective stakeholders during the high-level dialogue. The third India-Netherlands Cyber Dialogue will be held in 2024. (ANI) Regretting the entry of the Chinese airship into US airspace which Washington labelled as a "surveillance" balloon, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China issued a clarification, saying that it is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes. "The airship is from China. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes. Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course," China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on the unintended entry of a Chinese unmanned airship into US Airspace. The Chinese side "regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace," it added. The Chinese side will continue to communicate with the US side and address this unexpected circumstance, the Foreign Ministry's statement said. Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder, in an official briefing on Thursday said, "The United States Government has detected and is tracking a high altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now. The U.S. government, including NORAD, continues to track and monitor it closely. The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years. Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information." Replying to a media query about whether they have contacted Chinese officials, Ryder said, "We have engaged PRC officials with urgency through multiple channels. They've been engaged both through their embassy here in Washington and through our embassy in Beijing." The defence official said the balloon was recently over Montana and that officials were considering bringing the plane down with military assets, but decided against doing so because of the risks associated. Canada's Department of National Defence on Thursday (local time) also said that it is working with the US to track a high-altitude suspected Chinese surveillance balloon, and it is monitoring a "potential second incident". "A high-altitude surveillance balloon was detected and its movements are being actively tracked by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Canadians are safe and Canada is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident," stated the Department of National Defence press release. NORAD, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence, and other partners have been assessing the situation and working in close coordination. The Pentagon said that it decided not to shoot the surveillance balloon down over concerns of hurting people on the ground. (ANI) In southeast Asian region, Chinese human trafficking syndicates operate in nexus with local authorities in countries for luring away hundreds of people on the pretext of providing them decent jobs but are forced to work in the illegal cryptocurrency business, brothels, and massage parlours, Mekong News reported. According to Mekong News, this is modern-day slavery which Chinese human trafficking syndicates perpetrate without facing meaningful resistance from authorities in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, all three major hubs of trafficking business, estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars. In its 2021 report, the US-based Institute of Peace said Myanmar has become a centre of action for Chinese criminal groups whose networks have grown far beyond the Southeast Asian country. Chinese businessman Zhao Wei runs Golden Triangle SEZ, which is a multibillion-dollar gambling enclave and a known hub of human trafficking activity in this Southeast Asian country. "In Kokang, the political and economic leadership of the socalled Self-Administered Zone (SAZ) has built its entire power structure on gambling and related activity," the Institute of Peace said in its report. It further added: "Kokang connections to Chinese criminal networks also run deep. Chinese court records document hundreds of criminal convictions related to illegal casinos, fraud, kidnapping, drugs, and weapons in the Kokang SAZ." Last year, the Thai police's Anti Trafficking in Person Division (ATPD) reported prosecuting 248 trafficking cases, compared with 188 in 2021. Investigation revealed that more than half of cases emerged from illegal online recruitment. Critics say a strong signal from China, which wields enormous clout across Southeast Asian, could help in eliminating the problem of trafficking of people in the region, but no one knows why Beijing continues to dilly dally over the issue even as the region is creaking under the weight of Chinese nationals-led menace. As per Radio Free Asia, between May 2021 and May 2022, Laotian authorities rescued 477 people of Laotian and Thai nationalities from Golden Triangle SEZ where they were forced to work in massage parlors and brothels built inside premises. Myanmar has been under military rule since 2021 and turned into a fertile ground for human traffickers from China. Last year in December, three Thai women in their 20s managed to be freed with the help of an NGO from the clutch of Chinese traffickers in Myanmar's Shan state after their search for a job through a Facebook advertisement in Thailand, landed them in a prostitution racket instead. In Cambodia, human trafficking is seen through the prism of an organized crime act that has otherwise failed under the weight of crime syndicates spawned and curated by Chinese nationals, according to Mekong News. The Mekong News report says that on September 17, 2022, weeks before organising the ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh in November, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered a widespread crackdown on the scourge of illegal gambling and human trafficking in the country. Media reports suggest that thousands of individuals involved in human trafficking activities in Cambodia's gambling epicenter of Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh were arrested and put behind the bars. The business of human trafficking has still not stopped. A group of Filipinos were on January 18, rescued by authorities in Cambodia from a Chinese syndicate that allegedly forced them to work in a cryptocurrency scam. The human trafficking menace, according to Mekong News, is hurting Cambodia's image, which has of late become an epicenter of all sorts of illegal activities in the Southeast Asian region and for this, crime syndicates run by Chinese nationals are held responsible. (ANI) US Lawmakers have warned the Pentagon about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) acquiring military training academies in the US, reported The Washington Free Beacon. This is considered alarming as the future army cadets trained in these CCP-influenced military schools could have a soft side for China's strategies and aims, reported The Washington Free Beacon. The report claims that in 2015 the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference a political advisory board for the CCP purchased New York Military Academy for USD 16 million dollars after a bidding war with another Chinese conglomerate. In 2017 a Chinese education conglomerate purchased the Florida Preparatory Academy reportedly to create a global educational alliance system. Both of these military academies Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) and train military officers for the US army. A member of the House Armed Services Committee and also a part of the US army Michael Waltz was quoted in the report by Chuck Ross for Washington Free Beacon saying that "Chinese ownership of these schools could pose a national security threat". "To the extent that those private schools have JROTC programs that are forming the backbone of the future leaders of our military, this is something I would hope and would expect the US Defense Department would work with me to better understand," Waltz told the Washington Free Beacon. Waltz also wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, urging the Pentagon to survey JROTC programs at private schools across the country to see if they are foreign-owned. In the letter, he mentioned that "With the ongoing military recruitment crisis, I am concerned that any students we recruit into the service from these CCP-influenced schools will have a sympathetic view of China's political and strategic aims". The report by Ross also claimed that these purchases of the US military academies have raised concerns about CCP's motives, as it has already increased its efforts of infiltration of American universities, think tanks, and other spheres of influence. According to a federal spending database, the Department of Defense has awarded over USD 4,75,000 in contracts for various cadet programs to New York Military Academy since its Chinese takeover. A company named Fang Holdings that has majority holdings in New York Military Academy is owned by Mo Fang which has ties with the CCP. In 2018, Mo said he was "very honoured" to be a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which he affirmed operates "under the leadership of the Communist Party of China". At the New York Military Academy, Mo has installed many of his Chinese business partners on the historic school's board of trustees. China's Newopen Group owner of the Florida Preparatory Academy since 2017. A year prior to this purchase it had signed a strategic partnership with Chongqing Environmental Investment Group, a CCP-linked municipal agency. This was to build a network across China, North America, Europe, and Australia, the report claimed. The same report from Ross also mentioned that both of these schools purchased by CCP have not responded to the request to respond on the matter. (ANI) The rallies come as Pakistan has been plagued by a surge of terrorism, primarily in KP, but also in Balochistan and the bordering Punjab town of Mianwali. A terror strike was also reported on the outskirts of Islamabad. January was the worst month since 2018, with 134 people killed (a 139 per cent increase) and 254 injured in at least 44 extremist strikes around the country, Dawn stated , citing several media reports. Several rallies organised by local rights organisations were staged in KP's Shangla district on Friday. The leaders of many political parties, including the PTI, PPP, Awami National Party (ANP), and others, spoke at the rallies as well. Participants waving white flags sought justice for the victims of the January 30th blast in Peshawar, as well as long-term peace in the region. Moreover, on January 30, a suicide bombing at a mosque in the Peshawar Police Lines area claimed the lives of at least 101 people, mostly police officials. The law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has deteriorated over the past few years as terror attacks have surged across the province, Geo News reported citing a media report. Observing the rising incidents of attacks on police and other security officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistani authorities have strengthened security at all check-posts. (ANI) Chinese Internet of Things (IoT) modules in critical national infrastructure and key industries could enable espionage, allowing "detailed surveillance in smart cities"and bad actors to sabotage the systems thus making it a major threat to the world, according to Portal Plus. The Internet of Things (IoT) describes the network of physical objects, "things", that are embedded with software, sensors, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet. According to Portal Plus, to find out about weapons manufactured in the United States, the Chinese intelligence services may be able to "build up a worryingly accurate picture of how many spare parts or weapons systems have been transported, and to where", by using data harvested by IoT modules embedded in the supply chains and logistics system. China could collect data harvested from a wide range of sources, including government systems and individuals' interactions with IoT devices, such as car computers, domestic appliances, or wearable devices, and use artificial intelligence to find out their identities, habits, contacts, and finances, making it easier to target key government workers or dissidents. British diplomat Charles Patron said countries should take steps to ban Chinese IoT modules from their supply chains as soon as possible and there should be a thorough audit of where these modules are embedded in government properties and services and critical national infrastructure. He said there should be a ban on buying new Chinese IoT modules by the end of this year, and a deadline should be issued to replace existing products by the end of 2025, Portal Plus reported. Asian Lite International recently reported that China is watching you via smart bulbs, fridges, cars, and credit cards by "weaponizing" microchips embedded in them. More specifically the threat revolves around four areas: national security, economic prosperity, privacy, and values and human rights. Three Chinese companies - Quectel, Fibocom and China Mobile - already have 54 percent of the global market in devices and 75 percent by connectivity. Customers of the three Chinese firms include computing firms Dell, Lenovo, HP and Intel, carmaker Tesla and card payments firm Sumup. Like all Chinese firms, they must hand over data to the Chinese government if ordered to, which means the Chinese Communist Party can get access to as many devices as they want, reported Asian Lite International. Devices with modules include: laptop computer; voice-controlled smart speaker; smart watches; smart energy meter; fridges, light bulbs, and other appliances that can be controlled via the app; body-worn police cameras; doorbell cameras and security cameras; Bank card payment machines, cars, and even hot tubs, reported Asian Lite International. The modules collect data and then transmit it via 5G networks, giving China the opportunity to monitor the movements of intelligence targets including people, weapons, and supplies, and to use the devices for industrial espionage. Millions of them are already in use in the UK. (ANI) Commissioner of the Department of Prisons, Chandana Ekanayake, said 557 of them are those rehabilitated by courts on drug-related offences, Xinhua news agency reported. He said 31 inmates, who were jailed for other offenses but deemed to have displayed good behavior during their imprisonment, will be released too. The presidential amnesty was granted by President Ranil Wickremesinghe under the powers vested on him under Article 34 of the country's constitution. The amnesty does not apply to those convicted of murder, serious drug offences, rape and armed robbery, Ekanayake said. Sri Lanka gave amnesty to 197 prisoners on its Independence Day last year. Sri Lanka got its independence from British rule on Feb. 4 of 1948. --IANS int/arm ( 154 Words) 2023-02-03-21:12:01 (IANS) Almost four years after the Yemeni government forces recaptured the Red Sea coastal city of Midi in the northwestern province of Hajjah from the Houthi rebels in April 2018, local visitors began to return to the city's beach. Local authorities allowed visits to the beach in December of last year, after spending nearly four years to remove the landmines that had been planted in the beach and some parts of the city, which is a few miles to the east of the beach and has become an abandoned site as a result of the Yemeni civil war that broke out in 2014, Xinhua news agency reported. "We are very happy today, because the authorities allowed us to walk on the beach and swim in the sea. Since the war broke out, we yearn to swim in the sea," said Ali Abdu, a teacher who has joined more than 100 primary and preparatory school students to visit the beach. "The war has affected all of us, especially children, most of whom suffer from war trauma. Therefore, this trip to the beach for fun may help them a lot to forget the tragedies and pains of the war," Abdu added. The civil war in Yemen erupted in late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels took over several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million, and pushed the country to the brink of starvation, causing what the United Nations says is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Before the war, Midi's beach, parks, hotels, and restaurants were bustling with visitors from all Yemeni provinces throughout the year, and hundreds of jobs were available, recalled Abdullah Mutanbek, a teacher and supervisor of the trip. The trip is Mutanbek's first visit to the beach since the civil war broke out. "It's terrifying to see how much damage has been done here. Tourist facilities, chalets, swimming pools, restaurants, hotels, and roads are all destroyed. Rusted bullet casings and other wartime debris are still widely scattered along the beach," he said. Despite the fact that locals were allowed to access the beach, the area is far from safe. In some areas of the region, demining operations are still underway. According to the statistics local government officials showed to Xinhua this week, the military demining teams have removed and destroyed more than 50,000 mines and explosive devices in and around Midi since 2018, including 52 naval mines. There aren't many people around and there aren't any services on the beach, however, the visitors are quite happy that life has returned to the deserted beach. While the students played and swam in the Red Sea, some teachers set up a tent nearby and started preparing lunch for them. Their laughter could be heard constantly. "We lit the fire to cook meat and rice to feed our students and make them feel happy," school teacher Hasan Musbeh Jerbahi told Xinhua. "It is an indescribable feeling that we are back to play and swim in the sea for the first time since the civil war broke out more than seven years ago. I'm very happy," said Yahya Mousa, a student from the school. "I wish the civil war ends very soon and the happy life comes back to all Yemenis," the 17-year-old student added. --IANS int/arm ( 582 Words) 2023-02-03-21:14:02 (IANS) In this piece, we will take a look at the twelve countries that export the most fabrics/garments. For more countries, take a look at 5 Countries that Export the Most Fabrics/Garments. The textile industry is one of the most diverse sectors in the world, which is evident when we look at the Harmonized Tariff Schedule codes for its products. The HTSUS is a classification for goods that are imported into the U.S., and it is used to determine the different duties and taxes that products must be charged once they enter the country. For the textile sector, there are 13 different chapters of the HTS code dedicated to different products such as carpets, cotton, yarn, silk, knitted fabrics, apparel, and related accessories. Each chapter has more than five different products, highlighting the dozens of products that are manufactured throughout the world. The primary textile product categories are fabric, yarn, furnishing, garments, and apparel. According to a research report from The Business Research Company, the global textile market was worth $573 billion by the start of 2022 and stood at $610 billion by the end of the year, marking a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.6%. From 2023 to 2027, the firm expects the industry to grow to $755 billion through a 5,5% CAGR. It notes that the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which will soon mark a full year, impacted the industry's recovery from the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic, and slowed down its recovery in 2022. Key trends in the market include the growth in electronic commerce platforms, such as Alibaba, which allow companies to sell their products in bulk over the Internet - allowing them to eliminate the barrier between customers that had previously been overcome through market research. This industry is also one which is using technology in some of the most interesting ways to drive innovation. A growing trend these days is the advent of smart textiles. These are products that are capable of detecting environmental conditions and changing their 'form' accordingly. For instance, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) developed a special kind of textile called 3DKnITS. This fabric is able to detect changes in pressure and posture and then adapt itself to these. At the heart of the development is machine learning, which enabled the researchers to predict motions and positions by a yoga practitioner with a startling 99% accuracy. 3DKnITS is manufactured by a digital knitting machine that weaves together standard and functional yarn and places a piezoresistive knit capable of detecting pressure changes around conductive yarn. With this textile, MIT researchers developed a smart shoe that they believe can help diabetics and people with weak gait after an injury. Yet, the developments at the technology university are not the only ones taking place in smart textiles. As is the case with any peripheral industry, startups are also leading the charge in this novel area. One such startup is the Dutch firm Elitac Wearables. Elitac provides three kinds of suits that use pressure sensing devices. These allow customers to develop a wide range of products to augment or restore musculoskeletal human function, provide surgeons with sensory information during their complex operations, a wristband that uses imagery to communicate facial expressions to visually impaired people through a wrist band, and a wide variety of other interesting applications. Another startup is the French company clim8. The firm has different products for manual workers, outdoors enthusiasts, and motorcycle riders. These feature smart sensors that are capable of detecting the wearer's body temperature and matching it with the ambient temperature and user profile to provide heating. In short, the jacket you wear is now a heater as well. Sounds quite intriguing if you ask us. Finally, the novelty of the smart textile sector naturally ascribes it a high CAGR - as is often the case with other high technology areas such as biotechnology. According to the research firm Future Markets Insights, while the smart textile market was worth $2.6 billion by the end of 2022, it will grow at an eye popping CAGR of 25.88% between 2022 and 2032 to have an estimated value of $26 billion by the end of the forecast period. This growth rate is more than double the CAGR between 2017 and 2021 which stood at 12%. 12 Countries that Produce the Best Fabrics/Garments petrmalinak/Shutterstock.com Our Methodology Out of the dozens of different textile and fabric products made and sold all over the world, we used the HTS classification number 6210 which covers different garments to determine the largest exporters. 12 Countries that Export the Most Fabrics/Garments 12. Republic of Turkiye Garments Exports in 2021: $241 million The Republic of Turkiye is a European and Asian country. It has a vibrant textile industry with several different brands. Turkiye exported $241 million of garments in 2021, which weighed 23,193 tons. However, the country's largest textile exports were of men's and women's suits, which were cumulatively worth roughly $4 billion. Blouses and shirts accounted for another $1 billion of Turkey's exports. Yet, as a whole, they made up a small part of the country's total $225 billion of exports in 2021. Some Turkish clothing firms are LC Waikiki, Desa, Mavi Jeans, Koton, and Les Benjamins, and the country is also one of the world's largest garments and fabrics exporters. 11. United States of America Garments Exports in 2021: $265 million The United States of America is one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world and the country with the world's largest nominal economy. America exported $265 million of garments in 2021, which was its fourth largest cloth export. The largest women's clothing and suits, which totaled $478 million, and in second place were the tracksuits which stood at $320 million. Given the economic powerhouse that is the U.S., these were merely a drop in the sea of the country's overall exports in 2021. These stood at a whopping $1.7 trillion, making America the world's second largest exporter. Due to its advanced economy, America has a laundry list of textile companies. Out of these, some of the most well known names are Kraemer Textiles Inc., WestPoint Home, Inc., and American Woolen Company. Another American company, which is a well known clothing brand, is Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI). 10. Kingdom of Spain Garments Exports in 2021: $297 million The Kingdom of Spain is a Southwestern European country with a colonial heritage of having held several territories. Not only is Spain a major garments exporter, but it also has a strong textile machinery manufacturing industry that consists of more than a hundred firms. One of the most famous fashion brands in the world, Industria de Diseno Textil, S.A. (BME:TX.MC)'s Zara brand is Spanish. The country exported $297 million of garments in 2021, and at the same time, it was the world's third largest exporter of women's suits and blouses - of which it exported $4 billion and $737 million, respectively. 9. French Republic Garments Exports in 2021: $334 million The French Republic, or France, is a prosperous and developed European country that is also a global power in modern day politics. France is also the most well known country in the world of fashion. In fact, if we were to list down all the French fashion companies, you'd find that nearly every renowned brand is in the country. Some notable examples are Chanel, LVMH Moet Hennessy - Louis Vuitton, Societe Europeenne (EPA:MC.PA) and its subsidiary Christian Dior, and others. France exported $334 million of garments in 2021, and it was also the world's second largest exporter of tracksuits with the exports sitting at a cool $1.2 billion and being France's second largest fabric product export. France also exported $37 million of ties in 2021, placing it in third place of this particular kind of garment's global exports. 8. Netherlands Garments Exports in 2021: $404 million The Netherlands is a European country with a GDP per capita of $68,572. The Dutch textile industry is one of the oldest in the world, and it traces its roots back to the 17th century. This is due to the country's colonial history, as it was able to import huge amounts of cotton from India and engage in slave trading with West Africa. The modern day Dutch textile sector exported $404 million of garments in 2021. At the same time, it sold $3.3 billion worth of men's and women's suits on the global market. Some Netherlands based textile companies are Dokkumer Vlaggen Centrale B.V., Koninklijke Van Puijenbroek Textiel, Tootal Fabrics (Holland) B.V., Royal Dutch Textile Mills J.A. Raymakers & CO B.V, and Vadain Gordijnconfectie HC Genemuiden B.V. 7. United Arab Emirates Garments Exports in 2021: $472 million The United Arab Emirates, or the UAE, is an Asian country. It is also a bustling location for textile companies, particularly due to the ease of doing business in Dubai. The UAE exported $472 million of garments in 2021. These were also its largest clothing and fabric export product category, and they represented a small chunk of the country's overall $425 billion of exports. Dubai's export zones are a central facet of UAE's strong exports. One such zone is the Dubai Textile City, which is a free zone exclusively for textiles. 6. Kingdom of Belgium Garments Exports in 2021: $545 million The Kingdom of Belgium, or simply Belgium, is a high income Northwestern European country. Its textile industry has been operating for centuries and has often played a central role in the economy. Belgium exported $545 million of garments in 2021, yet its largest exports, like most other countries, were of men's suits which equaled $625 million. This also made Belgium one of the world's largest garment exporters. Click to continue reading and see 5 Countries that Export the Most Fabrics/Garments. Suggested Articles: Disclosure: None. 12 Countries that Export the Most Fabrics/Garments is originally published on Insider Monkey. Singapore Pools' $12 million TOTO Hongbao Draw. (PHOTOS: Yahoo News Singapore) SINGAPORE The winning numbers for the $12 million TOTO Hongbao Draw on Friday (3 February) are: 4, 6, 21, 25, 34, 40 with the additional number 48. There are three winners for the Group 1 prize of $12,810,104: a QuickPick System 7 entry from the Singapore Pools Bencoolen Branch; a QuickPick Ordinary entry from Sheng Moh Fruits & Provision Store in Jalan Mas Puteh; and a System 7 entry from Block 824 Tampines Street 81. Each of them will receive a payout share of $4,270,035. There are 22 winners for the Group 2 prize category, with each receiving $122,585. For the Group 3 prize category, 991 winners will each receive $1,871. INFOGRAPHIC: Singapore Pools The draw was conducted at Singapore Pools building in Middle Road at 9.30pm on Friday. Many people were spotted joining long queues to buy their bets for the draw at Singapore Pools outlets across Singapore in the past few days. The odds of winning the TOTO jackpot are one in almost 14 million. Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube. As we celebrate our 35th anniversary season, the staff at "48 Hours" has had the chance to reflect on the staggering number of cases we've featured in our time covering the criminal justice system. We've seen the lengths some killers have gone to in order to evade justice: fake identities, burner phones, hired hitmen. They've bleached crime scenes and destroyed evidence. Bodies were buried and burned and left at sea. A chef cooked his victim. Some have come up with ingenious ways to kill poisoning with nicotine or eye drops. We've seen crime scenes that befuddled blood spatter experts and injuries that left medical examiners unsure how the victims died. But some might say that just as interesting are those who made such obvious mistakes that they stand in a category of their own: examples of how not to get away with murder. Here are 15 standouts. Thomas Murray | "A Mind for Murder" / Credit: CBS News After his ex-wife Carmin was found beaten and stabbed in her home, evidence showed that Thomas Murray had been researching online how to hire an assassin and "how to murder someone and not get caught." (Aired: March 29, 2008) Tracey Frame | "Secrets and Lies on Grapevine Lake" Tracey Frame, left, seen on store surveillance video. / Credit: Grapevine Police Department Investigators found video footage at the Tom Thumb supermarket of a woman who looked like Tracey Frame buying muriatic acid, a chemical used for cleaning. They believed she planned to use it to clean blood stains after she'd killed her live-in boyfriend, David Nixon. Police were able to confirm it was her because she used her customer loyalty card when she paid, saving 19 cents. (Aired: May 26, 2007) Jimmy Ray Rodgers and Curtis Wayne Wright | "The Plot to Kill Dr. Sievers" Jimmy Ray Rodgers and Wayne Wright seen in surveillance video at a Florida Walmart. / Credit: WINK Jimmy Ray Rodgers and Curtis Wayne Wright used a GPS on their rental car to get directions to the home where they killed Teresa Sievers, the wife of Wright's best friend Mark Sievers. One of the other GPS points was the local Walmart, where they were captured on security cameras buying cleaning products. (Aired: Aug. 22, 2020) Story continues Chandler Halderson | "The Snapchat Clue" A screenshot of Cat Mellender's Snapchat app, showing her boyfriend Chandler Halderson's avatar Chandler Halderson had agreed to let his girlfriend monitor his whereabouts to prove he wasn't cheating - but when he dumped his mother's body, he forgot to turn off the location tracking on Snapchat. (Aired: Nov. 5, 2022) Dr. Pamela Buchbinder | "The Psychiatrist and the Selfie" Surveillance video of Dr. Pamela Buchbinder and Jake Nolan, upper right, at a New York City Home Depot on Nov. 11, 2012. / Credit: Manhattan D.A.'s Office Dr. Pamela Buchbinder and her cousin Jacob Nolan were caught on security footage at Home Depot buying a sledgehammer, which Nolan used to attack Buchbinder's ex-boyfriend, Michael Weiss. (Aired: Nov. 5, 2022) Piper Rountree | "Two Wigs, a Gun and a Murder" / Credit: CBS News Fred Jablin was murdered in front of his Virginia home in 2004. His ex-wife Piper Rountree, a former prosecutor, told police she was at home in Texas all weekend. But they learned she'd used a cellphone, like the one pictured, in Virginia, including having a pizza delivered to her hotel. At the time, "burner" phones were widely used by criminals something that she should have been aware of from her time as a prosecutor. (Aired: Aug. 5, 2006) Charles Bryant | "The Murder of Jackie Vandagriff" Surveillance video of Charles Bryant buying a shovel at a Texas Walmart the night Jackie Vandagriff disappeared. / Credit: Grapevine Police Department Police found a receipt in Charles Bryant's apartment showing he'd gone on an early morning shopping trip to Walmart at 4:43 a.m. Surveillance video showed that he'd purchased a shovel. Police believe he used it to try to bury the body of Jackie Vandagriff who he'd killed earlier that evening after meeting her at a bar. (Aired: Aug. 14, 2021) Justin Barber | "Secrets in the Sand" / Credit: CBS News Justin Barber said his wife April was killed during a late-night robbery, where he was also shot. Investigators discovered he'd Googled search terms "medical, trauma, gunshot, chest" six months earlier, and believe he turned the gun on himself as well as April. The day of the murder he also downloaded the Guns 'n Roses song "Used to Love Her" (But I Had to Kill Her). (Aired: June 23, 2007) Dinh Bowman | "A Student of Murder" Police say Dinh Bowman's has a vast library in his computer of murder-related books, including, arrest-proof yourself, how to cover up a murder, how to get rid of a gun, how to get rid of gunshot residue. / Credit: Kings County Prosecuting Attorney's Office For years, the tech-savvy genius had been downloading books, articles and videos on the subject of death and murder and trying to get away with it. It was among the evidence used to convict Dinh Bowman for the random thrill kill murder of Yancy Noll. (Aired Sept. 10, 2016) Jennifer Faith | "The Plot to Kill Jamie Faith" A neighbor, along with surveillance cameras, captured the shooter's vehicle. It was a black Nissan truck with a distinctive After her husband Jamie's murder, Jennifer Faith went on TV and said the man who shot him drove a black pickup truck with a big T on the back window. That tip, as well as surveillance video from the scene, led authorities to her boyfriend, who she conspired with to kill her husband. (Aired: April 9, 2022) Danielle "Dani" Green | "The Killing of Cowboy Ray Green" After obtaining a search warrant to open Ray Green''s padlocked toolbox, investigators opened the box to find Ray's body inside. / Credit: Indiana Court of Appeals Dani Green told authorities investigating the death of her ex-husband Ray they could look anywhere on her large property except "that box." That box being a large metal toolbox, sitting several yards away from the entrance to their trailer. Investigators got a search warrant for the box, and that's where they found Ray's body. (Aired: June 11, 2022) Christopher Coleman | "The Writing on the Wall" Chris Coleman's receipt for Chris Coleman claimed someone was making threats to him and his family. His wife and two sons were found murdered inside in their house, with bright red spray paint all over the walls. Investigators traced the anonymous email threats he had been receiving back to his own laptop, then found a receipt signed by Coleman purchasing "candy apple red" spray paint at a local hardware store before the murders. (Aired: July 19, 2014) Darren Mack | "Caught in the Crossfire" / Credit: Washoe County Court After the death of his ex-wife Charla, a search of Darren Mack's condo turned up a to-do list referring to "end[ing] the problem" and certain weapons that he would need to fulfill those plans. (Aired: Aug. 8, 2009) Kris Zocco | "The Disappearance of Kelly Dwyer" Kelly Dwyer and Kris Zocco are seen on security video entering the lobby of Zocco's apartment building after a night out. / Credit: Milwaukee Police Department Kris Zocco was seen on surveillance video entering his apartment building with Kelly Dwyer. It's the last time she is ever seen alive. There were 28 surveillance cameras in the building and according to the police, none of them capture Kelly Dwyer exiting the building. (Aired: May 16, 2020) Michael Handley | "The Kidnapping of Schanda Handley" In a video dated June 10, 2017, Michael Handley is recorded discussing his and Schanda's relationship with a friend. Investigators say that he can be heard saying, Michael Handley's estranged wife Schanda was kidnapped at gunpoint by two individuals he hired. Investigators later found surveillance video of him purchasing the handcuffs used on her, a receipt showing that he paid with a credit card to rent the van the kidnappers drove and video from his security camera showing him saying he wanted her dead. (Aired: Oct. 22, 2022) Investigating Donald Trump | Sunday on 60 Minutes How criminal blunders led investigators to catch these killers East Coast faces arctic blast this weekend The program for Tyre Nichols funeral service. Meka Wilson/Insider A Tennessee medical board suspended two EMTs for failing to provide life-saving medical care to Tyre Nichols. The Memphis Fire Department had already fired the EMTs, as well as a lieutenant, earlier this week. Tyre Nichols died in the hospital three days after being beaten by five Memphis police officers now charged with murder. Two EMTs working for the Memphis Fire Department had their licenses suspended for failing to provide critical care to 29-year-old Tyre Nichols after he was beaten by five police officers, according to multiple reports. The Associated Press reported that a medical board in Tennessee voted to suspend the licenses of two first responders, Robert Long and JaMichael Sandridge, on Friday after they were fired earlier this week. A third fire department employee, Lt. Michelle Whitaker, was also fired, but the board did not vote on her license on Friday. One member of the Emergency Medical Services Board, Sullivan Smith, said it was obvious that Nichols "was in terrible distress and needed help," and that Long and Sandridge "failed to provide that help." "They were his best shot, and they failed to help," Smith said, according to the Associated Press. Nichols died on January 10, just three days after five members of the Memphis Police Department's SCORPION Unit beat him during a traffic stop. All five of the officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith, and Desmond Mills Jr. were fired from the police department and charged with second-degree murder. Two additional Memphis police officers have been disciplined. The Tennessean reported that the medical board watched a 19-minute video showing the EMTs pacing and standing around while Nichols collapsed and writhed on the ground. An internal investigation by the Memphis Fire Department also determined that the EMTs "failed to conduct an adequate patient assessment of Mr. Nichols," and "violated numerous MFD policies and protocols." Attorneys for Nichols' family have said an independent autopsy indicated that Nichols died from "extensive bleeding" after the beating. Officials indicated on Friday that the license suspensions would not be the final development in the matter. Board member Jeff Beaman said Friday he hopes to see the board review the actions of other licensed workers on the scene who failed to appropriately assist Nichols, according to the Associated Press. Read the original article on Business Insider Feb. 2ST. GEORGE, Utah Two students from Moses Lake received academic honors at Utah Tech University, according to information from the university. Denali Knowles was named to the school's President's List for fall 2022, according to the university. Inclusion on the President's List requires students to complete a minimum of 15 credits and achieve a GPA of 3.9 or higher. Tyse Madsen was named to the Dean's List for the fall 2022 quarter. Inclusion on the Dean's List requires students to complete a minimum of 15 credits and achieve a GPA of 3.5 to 3.89. "On behalf of the faculty and staff, congratulations to all Utah Tech students who made the 2022 Fall semester honor roll list," Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Michael Lacourse wrote in a statement. "Your hard work and persistence have paid off and you should be proud of your achievement. Keep up the great work and we hope to see your name on the honor roll for the spring 2023 semester." Habersham County Schools confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that two students were badly burned during a science lab activity. One of the students remains in the hospital. Channel 2s Tom Regan learned that the student was taken to the burn unit at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. The accident happened Thursday afternoon at the Habersham Ninth Grade Academy when three students were working on an activity. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The school district said one of the students did not follow safety protocols, resulting in their classmates suffering chemical burns. Although an investigation of the incident is ongoing, it does not appear there was malicious intent by the student who did not follow safety protocols, Superintendent Matthew Cooper wrote in a statement. TRENDING STORIES: Cooper said the science teacher quickly went to help the students. Both of them were taken to local hospitals. One has been released, while the other is still being treated. Regan was at the school Friday, where an ambulance from a nearby fire station was quickly dispatched after an emergency call came in from the school asking for immediate help. We have two students both of them with chemical burns. One, his entire front torso, the other student his back, the 911 caller said. That is pretty well-burned, probably about 80% of his back. A parent Regan talked to said the teacher should be held accountable. Whoever is in charge of the classroom has to keep an eye on everything, the parent said. Its unclear if the teacher is facing any disciplinary action. The school district said it cannot confirm the conditions of the students due to privacy laws, but they have spoke with the students parents about the incident. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS A 24-year-old man who police had been searching for in connection to emperor tamarin monkeys that went missing from the Dallas Zoo was in custody Friday after his arrest, Dallas police said. Police identified the man as Davion Irvin, who was taken into custody Thursday in Dallas, two days after the monkeys were found in an empty house that belongs to a church in Lancaster. Irving was in the Dallas County Jail on Friday and he faces six charges in the case involving the monkeys. Dallas police said Irvin was under investigation in a case involving the clouded leopard that disappeared about three weeks ago after its cage was cut at the Dallas Zoo. The leopard was eventually found not far from its cage. And Irvin also is under investigation related to a vulture at the zoo which was found dead with what appeared to be a stab wound at the same time some fish and other items were believed to have been stolen from the zoo, according to WFAA-TV. On Thursday, police received a tip that Irvin was seen at the Dallas Aquarium near animal exhibits. When officers responded they saw Irvin get onto a DART rail, Dallas police said. Officers later spotted Irvin in the 1400 block of Pacific and took him to Jack Evans Headquarters for questioning. WFAA-TV reported that Irvin was in the Aquarium near an animal habitat and checking out the mesh enclosures. The emperor tamarin monkeys who went missing from the Dallas Zoo on Monday morning and were found Tuesday have lost a little weight but show no signs of injury, according to zoo officials. Zoo officials realized that Bella and Finn, the monkeys, had been taken out of the zoo after their enclosure was found to be tampered with, according to Dallas police and zoo officials. Earlier in the week, Dallas police had released a photograph of a man who authorities wanted to question about the missing monkeys. That man has now been identified as Davion Irvin. WFAA-TV reported the monkeys were found in at closet of a building that belongs to a church in Lancaster. Story continues The pastors daughter, Tonya Thomas, told WFAA that church members recognized Irvin from the neighborhood and he would sometimes attend services. Thomas also said that there had been a series of break-ins at the empty building, which was being renovated to be used as a community center. She said when police arrived to investigate the prior burglaries they found birds, cats and other small animals. Thomas told WFAA her father called police and told them they might want to check the building because they believed the man police were looking for might have been the person breaking in. A power outage and a social media post led to a 250-person fight over free food in a grocery store dumpster, Texas authorities said. An H-E-B grocery store on the southeast side of Austin experienced a sustained power outage and had to throw out a large amount of perishable food on Thursday, Feb. 2, the company told CBS Austin in a statement. Someone noticed the food in the grocery store dumpster and posted about the free food on social media, Travis County Constable George Morales III said in a Facebook post. Over 250 people arrived at the grocery store and began fighting in the dumpster over the discarded food, Morales said. Videos of the scene showed people in the dumpster grabbing food and tossing it into waiting carts. Another video shared on Facebook showed a very full dumpster with people throwing things back and forth. The chaos caused gridlock on roads near the grocery store, Morales said. Deputies and police officers arrived at the scene and cleared the area. This is not free food, Morales said. The food is rotten and spoiled, and is unsafe to eat. H-E-B told CBS Austin the store was unable to keep certain perishable foods at proper temperatures. To adhere to strict food quality and safety standards, we are required to dispose of certain perishable foods when they are not properly temperature controlled, which also prevents us from donating the items to food pantries and food banks. H-E-B did not immediately respond to McClatchy News request for comment. Fans of rival high schools brawl at halftime of basketball game, Indiana videos show Venomous snakes found tangled in a vicious fight to the death, Australia video shows 11-year-old adds bow tie to pig drawing and school labels it inappropriate, mom says SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) At least 13 people were reported dead as of Friday night as a result of the more than 150 wildfires burning across Chile that have destroyed homes and thousands of acres of forest while the South American country is in the midst of a scorching heat wave. Four of the deaths involved two separate vehicles in the Biobio region, around 560 kilometers (348 miles) south of the capital of Santiago. In one case they were burned because they were hit by the fire, Interior Minister Carolina Toha said. In the other case, she said, the victims died in a crash, probably trying to escape the fire. The fifth victim was a firefighter who was run over by a fire truck while combatting a blaze in the area. Later in the afternoon, a helicopter that was helping combat the flames crashed in the Araucania region, killing the pilot, a Bolivian national, and a mechanic, who was Chilean. At nightfall, the national agency responsible for emergencies raised the death toll to 13 without giving details on the latest deaths. As of midday Friday, 151 wildfires were burning throughout Chile, including 65 declared under control. The fires had blazed through more than 14,000 hectares (34,595 acres). Most of the wildfires are in Biobio and neighboring Nuble, where the government has declared states of catastrophe that allows greater coordination with the military and the suspension of certain constitutional rights. The heat wave hitting Chile is set to continue with high temperatures and strong winds that could make the wildfires more challenging. President Gabriel Boric suspended his vacation to travel to the affected areas on Friday and said there is evidence that some of the wildfires were sparked by unauthorized burnings. The full force of the state will be deployed to, first of all, fight the fires and to accompany all the victims, Boric said. It remained unclear how many homes and other structures had been burned. Families are having a very difficult time, Ivonne Rivas, the mayor of Tome in Biobio, told local radio. Its hell what they are living through, the fire got away from us. Story continues The wildfires caused the suspension of a highly anticipated announcement by forensic experts who were expected to give the cause of death of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, winner of a Nobel Prize for literature. The experts were set to give their view on whether Neruda died of complications from prostate cancer or whether he was poisoned, potentially settling one of the great mysteries of post-coup Chile. The doctor in charge of delivering the reports findings was unable to connect to the internet because he is in a region affected by the wildfires, a spokesman for the countrys judiciary said. Spiraling violence between Israelis and Palestinians and fierce protests against proposed judicial reforms are at the forefront of President Bidens concerns more than one month into the renewed leadership of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. U.S. and Israeli officials stress the unbreakable bond between the two countries, but a recent visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted deep U.S. anxiety about the Israeli governments pursuit of far-right political plans. Blinkens visit, which took place earlier this week, followed a flurry of other high-level officials meeting with the new Israeli government, including CIA Director Bill Burns and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. The high-level engagement is likely laying the groundwork for a one-on-one between Biden and Netanyahu, with U.S. officials keen on setting the terms for the relationship over a host of issues including the Israeli and Palestinian conflict, Israels right-wing government, the Iranian threat and Russias war in Ukraine. Here are five sore spots in a turbulent time for U.S.-Israel relations. Biden officials wade into Israeli domestic politics In unusual comments alongside Netanyahu on Monday, Blinken warned that Jerusalem is pursuing policies that risk U.S. and Israels shared values that, he said, have underscored the relationship for 75 years. Those policies include proposals that critics say are aimed at weakening the independence of Israels Supreme Court. Protests in Israel are reported to have drawn approximately 100,000 people in opposition to the proposed judicial reforms. These are said to include legislation to overrule the Supreme Court when it has struck down laws and allow the government to appoint judges, among other proposals. The secretary, in response to a question about proposed judicial reforms, said democracies need to build consensus on new proposals to make sure that not only are they embraced but that they actually endure. Story continues Blinken said he and Netanyahu spoke frankly and respectfully about the mutual standards the U.S. and Israel must hold themselves to support core democratic principles and institutions. David Makovsky, a senior fellow with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Blinkens artfully-worded statements illustrate how Israeli domestic debates are threatening American interests. The U.S. has long argued a strong, independent Israeli judiciary allows it to address legal challenges the Palestinians want to bring before the International Court of Justice or International Criminal Court. Maybe common interests bind governments but common values bind societies, and if you lose this you lose a huge chunk in the U.S. and Israel relationship, Makovsky said. Israeli-Palestine conflict is on the brink of an explosion The administration is putting renewed energy into filling dangerous security vacuums in Palestinian cities in the West Bank, which are inflaming violence against Israelis while placing Palestinian civilians in the crossfire. In what marked one of the deadliest attacks in recent memory, seven people were killed last week when a Palestinian gunman opened fire at a Jerusalem synagogue while Jews were celebrating shabbat. And at least two Palestinian civilians were killed in the crossfire during an Israeli security raid against a Palestinian terrorist group in the lawless West Bank city of Jenin. Blinken, during a meeting in Ramallah on Tuesday, reportedly pressed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to accept and implement a security plan to have Palestinian security forces take more responsibility over terrorist threats in Jenin and the Palestinian city of Nablus. Blinken also spoke out against Israeli policies which Democrats, largely, have long said threaten the viability of a two-state solution but are embraced by far-right members of Netanyahus governing coalition. This includes maintaining the status quo of Muslim access to holy sites in Jerusalem long considered a flash-point that can set off greater violence and whether Netanyahu will move to assert greater Israeli control over West Bank territory that is considered key to a negotiated two-state solution with the Palestinians. Blinken said settlement expansion, the legalization of outposts, demolitions and evictions, disruptions to the historic status quo of the holy sites, and of course incitement and acquiescence to violence, are actions that threaten a two-state solution, acknowledging responsibility of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority to address these issues. Biden and Netanyahu still not eye-to-eye on Iran Netanyahu has long opposed the 2015 nuclear deal, called the JCPOA, and remarks by Biden last month declaring talks with Tehran dead were likely music to the Israeli prime ministers ears. While the sidelining of the JCPOA removes a key irritant between the prime minister and Biden, the two leaders still do not see eye-to-eye on how to confront Tehran. Biden is unlikely to embrace, completely, Netanyahus more militaristic position compared to the former Trump administration which pulled out of the JCPOA, imposed a maximum pressure campaign of sanctions and carried out a fatal drone attack on Irans top military commander, Qassem Soleimani. Still, Biden has never excluded a military option. Blinken reinforced this by saying everything is on the table, when asked in an interview if the U.S. would carry out a military strike to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. And Blinken arrived in Israel just as reports emerged that an Iranian military facility came under an armed drone strike, reportedly by Israels clandestine intelligence service, the Mossad. Netanyahu, in an interview with CNN, did not confirm if Israel was behind the attack but said that Israel has been taking action against certain weapons development in Iran. U.S. and Saudi tensions stall opening with Israel Netanyahus push for the U.S. to more forcefully confront Iran runs alongside his push to bring covert Israeli ties with Saudi Arabia out into the open. For Bibi [Netanyahu] its always been about, Stop Tehran, jumpstart Riyadh thats his kind of motto, Makovsky said. The question is, what is doable there? The U.S. is considered a necessary partner in steps that can be taken to open relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. The Biden administration has talked about deepening and expanding the Trump-forged Abraham Accords, which established relations between Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. But Makovsky said Riyadh has big asks of the U.S. to move ahead with opening relations with Israel. This includes, but is not limited to, deepening the U.S. and Saudi security relationship to include more commitments to Riyadhs defense and weapons supplies moves that are likely to draw Congressional pushback over strained resources, in general, and U.S. concerns over human rights violations against dissidents and in its military operations in Yemen. Those are big things, Makovsky said. I think the U.S. in principle would like to assist a Saudi-Israel breakthrough, but at what price? That needs to be discussed. Netanyahu nods to U.S. requests for more support to Ukraine Netanyahu said he is definitely considering providing military support to Ukraine amid Russias nearly one-year assault and offered to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow, in interviews with CNN. The statements are a departure from the position Israel has held since Russias invasion, where Jerusalem has sought to maintain strategic communication with Moscow related to Israeli strikes on Iranian targets in Syria where Russia controls the skies and concern for the Jewish diaspora in Russia. The U.S. has long pushed Israel to step up its support of Kyiv beyond the humanitarian support it has provided, and Netanyahus statements appear to acknowledge Washingtons requests. Blinken, speaking alongside Netanyahu on Monday, said he discussed with the prime minister how Russias ongoing atrocities underscore the importance of providing support for all of Ukraines needs humanitarian, economic, and security as it bravely defends its people and its very right to exist For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A charming first-grade boy and his crochet-loving great-grandmother died in a crash, and now a man accused of plowing into their car at 100 mph is going to prison in South Carolina. Jose Martin Guzman Pliego was sentenced to 36 years behind bars after he pleaded guilty to two counts of felony DUI with death and two counts of felony DUI with great bodily injury, according to Greenville-area prosecutors. The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit solicitors office didnt list attorney information for the man, a 31-year-old Pickens resident, in a Feb. 2 news release. The case dates back to Nov. 4, 2021, when Pliego was accused of being behind the wheel after drinking alcohol. Prosecutors said he was driving about 100 mph when he crashed into the back of a Ford Fiesta. The victims vehicle rolled and ultimately came to a rest on its hood along U.S. Highway 123, also called Calhoun Memorial Highway, officials said. Two people inside the car 70-year-old Pickens resident Gladys Holbrooks and her 6-year-old great-grandson Cameron Michael Durham were killed in the crash. Also in the car was a 4-year-old left with two broken legs and a spine injury, officials said. Another family member suffered substantial pelvic fractures, the release said. In an obituary, Holbrooks is remembered as a homemaker and a longtime member of Maranatha Baptist Church. Her biggest joys in life included watching Frances & Friends, crocheting, and her family, according to the post on the Liberty Mortuary website. Her great-grandson Cameron had a sweet smile and charming personality, Pickens Elementary School teacher Katie Taylor told McClatchy News in 2021. He never passed up the opportunity to tell a good story or help a friend, Taylor said. He loved making us smile and laugh through the stories he told and the connections that he made with anything we were learning especially if he could relate it to fishing. The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit solicitors office didnt immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on Feb. 3. 60-year-old man dies in crash after striking several utility poles, SC officials say 99-year-old killed in head-on crash, North Carolina cops say. Driver charged with DUI From the largest textile in the collection to a recently acquired work by the artist behind former first lady Michelle Obamas official portrait, the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art has stunning new art from its collection on display. The pieces on display are part of the museums inaugural exhibit Homecoming, which runs through 2025. Visitors can expect to see pieces rotated out over the exhibits course. The Press-Citizen spoke with Cory Gundlach, curator of African Art, and Diana Tuite, visiting senior curator of Modern and Contemporary art, about some of the new pieces. Ndop Cory Gundlach, curator of African art at the Stanley Museum of Art, speaks about Ndop (display cloth), a Cameroon grassfields style from the early to mid-20th century made of cotton and indigo dye. The artist: Unrecorded artist; Cameroon What you should know about it: This indigo-dyed cotton piece is the largest textile in the museums collection, Gundlach said, measuring 100 inches by 186 inches. Ordinarily, these textiles were used as a backdrop for a king during royal ceremonies, Gundlach said. Where to find it: Centering on Cloth: The Art of African Textiles 'Hope is the Thing with Feathers (The little bird)' Artist Amy Sherald. The artist: Amy Sherald What you should know about it: The Stanley Museum of Art recently acquired this print by Sherald, the artist behind the official portrait of former first lady Michelle Obama. The title is taken from an Emily Dickinson poem and the image is of an Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre Co. dancer. This piece was not yet displayed at the time of the Press-Citizens visit. Where to find it: N/A Hweta zheda (Beaded shoulder panel) Hweta zheda (beaded shoulder panel) is a work made of beads and fibers from an unrecorded artist from Nigeria or Cameroon at the Stanley Museum of Art. The artist: Unrecorded artist from Nigeria or Cameroon What you should know about it: Gundlach said beginning in the early 2000s, these intricately beaded shoulder panels were misrepresented on the market as womens aprons. In consultation with scholar and anthropologist Walter E.A. van Beek, whose book The Dancing Dead: Ritual and Religion among the Kapsiki/Higi of North Cameroon and Northeastern Nigeria also provides context for the use of hweta zheda, these pieces were identified to be as shoulder panels for men during initiation ceremonies and are example of some of the best beaded textiles in the Stanley collection. Story continues Where to find it: Centering on Cloth: The Art of African Textiles 'Casita de Madera' "Casita de Madera" by Emilio Sanchez, right, is seen at the Stanley Museum of Art alongside "The Pont Neuf Wrapped (Project for Paris)" by Christo. The artist: Emilio Sanchez What you should know about it: Sanchez was born in Cuba and moved to New York City for art school, taking photographs of his travels back to the Caribbean. Casita de Madera reflects the artists appreciation for vernacular architecture in the Caribbean, his seeming desire to record and preserve it and the way he sees these places through the lens of his American training, Tuite said. Where to find it: Generations 'Malcolm X Speaks for Us' The artist: Elizabeth Catlett What you should know about it: The absence of female empowerment in the Nation of Islam, of which Malcolm X was once a prominent member of, is explored in this print, Gundlach explained. "Malcolm X Speaks for Us" was made four years after the Black nationalist advocates assassination. Where to find it: History is Always Now 'Allegory of Time III' "Allegory of Time III," an oil painting on canvas by Okechukwu Emmanuel Odita, right, is seen alongside "Mami Wata" coffin by Eric Adjetey Anang, made of a northern white pine, metal fabric and acrylic paint, at left, at the Stanley Museum of Art. The artist: Okechukwu Emmanuel Odita What you should know about it: One of the first pieces of art visitors see at the entrance at the Stanley Museum of Art is bright, geometric mural by Odili Donald Odita. Allegory of Time III is a piece created by his father, Okechukwu Emmanuel Odita, who graduated from the University of Iowa in 1965. It was from his thesis portfolio, Gundlach said. It is a representation of snake charmers, he said. Museum-goers might notice other pieces nearby exploring similar imagery and what it means. Where to find it: History is Always Now 'Sticky Mouth' "Sticky Mouth" by Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, far right, is seen at the Stanley Museum of Art. The artist: Jaune Quick-to-See Smith What you should know about it: In 2020, Smiths I See Red: Target was acquired by the National Gallery of Art, the first painting by a Native American to enter the collection, according to the gallery. The artist and curator, Tuite explained, explores images and symbols in popular culture and the ways they have come to some value outside of Indigenous cultures, or the ways in which symbols circulate and take on a false meaning. In Sticky Mouth, Smith draws upon both pop art and pictographic drawings. Where to find it: Generations Events coming to the Stanley Museum of Art in the next few months Cory Gundlach, curator of African art at the Stanley Museum of Art, walks with Press-Citizen reporter Paris Barraza towards Golden Enstrata by Richard Pousette-Dart, at left, past an Elefon headdress made of wood from the early 20th century in the foreground and Tingari Cycle by Ronnie Tjampitjinpa at right, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, on the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City, Iowa. The Stanley Museum of Art has an ongoing visiting speaker series, and guests lined up for 2023 include UI alumnus Oliver Lee Jackson a painter, printmaker, sculptor and educator on Feb. 23 and Randall Griffey, head curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, on April 22. Artists Herve Youmbi and Willie Cole will appear in person in April as part of the first in a series of roundtable discussions between contemporary artists working in Africa and America. Youmbi is a Cameroonian artist who lives and works in Douala, and Cole is an American sculptor, printer and perceptual engineer. This event is at 6:30 p.m. on April 20. The Stanley Museum of Art, 160 W. Burlington St., Iowa City, is closed on Mondays. Museum hours are from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except on Thursday when it closes at 8 p.m. Visit the Stanley Museum of Arts website for further information. 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: 7 new pieces of art to see on your visit the Stanley Museum of Art The Securities and Exchange Commission announced Friday that Activision Blizzard agreed to pay $35 million to settle charges. (Jae C. Hong/AP) Video game giant Activision Blizzard will pay $35 million to settle allegations that the company lacked procedures to collect and assess employee complaints of workplace misconduct, and charges that it violated a federal whistleblower protection rule, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Friday. Santa Monica-based Activision Blizzard settled the case without admitting or denying the SEC's findings. The settlement is tied to charges that the gaming company failed to maintain controls to ensure that it could assess whether its disclosures regarding its workforce were adequate. The companys management lacked sufficient information to understand the volume and substance of employee complaints about workplace misconduct, the SEC said. The SECs order finds that Activision Blizzard failed to implement necessary controls to collect and review employee complaints about workplace misconduct, which left it without the means to determine whether larger issues existed that needed to be disclosed to investors, Jason Burt, director of the SECs Denver regional office, said in a statement. Moreover, taking action to impede former employees from communicating directly with the Commission staff about a possible securities law violation is not only bad corporate governance, it is illegal. Activision Blizzard has been embroiled in allegations of workplace harassment and gender discrimination, which have called attention to working conditions in the broader video game industry. A 2021 Wall Street Journal investigation alleged that the company failed to properly address complaints of misconduct from female employees, leading to government investigations and staff walkouts that threw the firm into disarray. Last year, Activision Blizzard agreed to set up an $18-million fund for employees who said they experienced sexual harassment, or discrimination, pregnancy discrimination or retaliation. The move came in response to a lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Story continues The settlement comes amid Microsoft's bid to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion which would be its biggest acquisition to date. The proposed deal raised eyebrows with regulators. The Federal Trade Commission in December said it would seek to block the transaction. The European Union issued Microsoft a formal antitrust warning over its bid earlier this week, according to Politico. In response, the Washington-based company said it is committed to "finding a path forward" for the deal. We are listening carefully to the European Commission's concerns and are confident we can address them, a spokesperson told Politico. The SECs order said that, between 2018 and 2021, Activision Blizzard knew its ability to attract, retain and motivate employees was an important risk in its business. Nonetheless, the company had failed to implement procedures to collect employee complaints among its separate businesses for disclosure purposes, the agency said. The SEC order also said that between 2016 and 2021, Activision Blizzard violated a commission whistleblower protection rule by requiring former employees to notify the company if they received a request for information from the commissions staff. The order notes that Activision Blizzard has since put in place company-wide structural changes and policies that improved the way employee complaints were required to be documented, maintained and communicated to the companys senior management and disclosure personnel. In an email, Activision Blizzard spokesperson Joe Christinat said the company is "pleased to have amicably resolved this matter." "As the order recognizes, we have enhanced our disclosure processes with regard to workplace reporting and updated our separation contract language," he said. "We did so as part of our continuing commitment to operational excellence and transparency. Activision Blizzard is confident in its workplace disclosures." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.